The Warden-Commander's world was spinning, sent into a spiraling blur as he was struck from the top of the library. None of it registered to him however, not the blow that threw him from the balcony, not the unicorn who had done it, not even the cruel hold gravity had on him as he fell down the length of the mighty tree. It wasn't until his body impacted the ground below was he jarred back to reality, as large splinters of wood rained down around him.
Most of the balcony had been obliterated, leaving nothing but jagged pieces of wood to jut out of the side of the tree. All the commander could do was stare up at it blankly, his ears ringing as he heard frantic cries of panic from the nearby ponies, their frantic hooves galloping across the ground and growing steadily faint.
There was a loud thud of something hitting the ground just in front of the fallen human. Attempting to stand, his body fighting him all the way to keep him down, the commander looked onward to see Twilight before him. Her face was still the twisted mess that it had been, her dark eyes staring at him with a malevolent intent.
“Twilight, please!” the Warden shouted, begging to the unicorn. “You have to fight it! You can't... you can't let it take full control! I know you're stronger than that!” Twilight however only grinned at his attempts to reason with her, her horn sparking with a magical glow as the earth underneath them began to rumble.
A ring of magenta light encircled the unicorn's body, it moved and twitched upward like water. The magical light expanded and formed into writhing tendrils, as thick as vines and shimmering with a translucent glow. They lashed outward like whips, forcing the commander back as they snapped just inches away from him.
Continuously the tendrils were flying toward him, almost deafening the human as their loud cracks sounded without fail. The Warden barely managed to dodge them, stumbling back and forth with little grace as he moved. But his luck didn't last long, not as one of the magical vines struck his leg, cutting into it like a dull blade and causing him to trip.
The others were quick to take advantage of his slip up, lunging forward with an amazing speed before wrapping around his neck. They completely covered his neck, constricting like coiling snakes as they tightened. “Please, Twilight... stop this...” the commander managed to choke out, his fingers failing to pry the bindings away.
Unable to breathe, it didn't take long for him to begin to suffocate. Falling to his knees, the Warden could only form grotesque strangled noises as his life was draining from his body. His struggling lessened by the second as the world became a blur. All he could see was a lavender smudge before him as darkness began to settle over his mind.
Then there was a muffled cry, sounding off in the distance. Just as the Warden's conscious mind was failing, the increasing pressure wrapped around his throat suddenly ceased. A sharp gasp of breath came from him as he swallowed in the air as much as he was able, coughing uncontrollably as his hands rubbed his neck.
As the world around him slowly returned, the commander looked outward and was shocked to see Oghren standing between him and Twilight, ax gripped tightly in his hands. With another mighty yell, the dwarf swung his ax once again, aiming straight for the unicorn. Twilight glared at him for just a moment before jumping backward, easily dodging the attack and setting a distance between them.
“By the ancestors,” Oghren murmured, never letting the mare out of his gaze. “Reminds me of the scuffles I'd have with Branka. What did you do to get her tail in such a knot?”
Wobbly standing on his feet, the commander shouted, “I didn't do anything! She's being possessed!”
“Possessed, huh?” the dwarf responded, looking more closely at the unicorn. “Alright then, I guess that will make cutting her down all the easier.”
Raising his ax up, Oghren charged forward, ready to bring his blade down hard on the creature. “No!” the commander cried, lunging forward and grabbing the Grey Warden's ax by the top of the handle. “We can't fight her!”
Oghren simply looked at his commander as though he were crazy. “You hit yer head or something?” he yelled, trying to yank his weapon out of the commander's grasp. “What are we gonna do, just sit here twirling our blades until she kills us?!”
As the two Grey Wardens argued, Twilight's horn began to spark with another spell. Before both of the bipedal creatures could notice it, a powerful blast of magical energy was shot forward, striking them both. They were knocked to the ground, Oghren's ax falling from his grasp.
Not even giving the warriors time to recover, Twilight stomped her hooves down on the ground with a great force, causing the earth to shake and crack with each impact. The heavy vibrations continued, increasing more and more as they neared the two outsiders. As they attempted to stand from the unicorn's last attack, the ground underneath of them exploded outward, throwing them across the area like toys until they came crashing down into the dirt as pieces of rock rained down on them.
Twilight made her way toward the fallen Grey Warden's, who were weakly picking themselves up. Oghren's ax was still knocked aside, out of the dwarf's reach and being noticed by the unicorn. The large weapon glowed with a magenta aura as it was lifted into the air, swinging lightly as a test its ability.
The levitating ax floated toward Oghren, the sharpened blade glinting in the sunlight as it poised itself to strike. As it reared back, preparing to be brought down on the dwarf, Twilight grinned with a dark joy.
Just as the ax was swinging down on Oghren's head, a large ball of fire sailed right past the distracted mare. Twilight jumped back, the weapon falling to the ground as it was released by her magical hold. Oghren and the commander looked in the direction that the attack had came from, seeing a familiar robe wearing human approaching them, his hands ablaze.
“Anders...” the Warden-Commander murmured in disbelief, his eyes were trained on the mage's hands. “Your magic... how did you...?”
A smirk appeared on Anders' face as he eyed his own hands for a moment, the flames engulfing them weaving around his fingers. “I have no idea,” he answered with a note of unparalleled joy in his tone. “And I'm far too happy to care right now.” Throwing two more blasts of fire to keep the unicorn back, Anders knelt beside his weakened commander. “What's going on here?”
“A demon's possessed her,” the Warden said, dread filling his voice. Even Anders' looked horrified as he looked back toward the twisted pony. “We have to... to restrain her.”
“Alright,” Anders murmured, standing up as readied himself. “I'll see what I can do.”
Running forward, closing some of the distance between himself and the unicorn, Anders eyed Twilight and began to smile mockingly. “Isn't that adorable?” he said with a laugh. “A demon's found a taste for animals now.”
Twilight growled angrily as her horn began to spark once again, the mage barely had enough time to jump aside as a large bolt of magic shot toward him, creating a small crater as it struck the ground behind him. “Almost got me,” Anders teased. “I'm sure such a powerful demon like yourself could do better though.”
Again, Twilight's face was twisted with fury as two large fire balls formed from thin air and were thrown at the mage. Given their distance between one another however, Anders was able to easily step aside and dodge them both, chuckling as he did so. “Is that the best you've got?” he mocked. “I've seen better from far weaker abominations. Then again, they had actual people, not smelly dwarf-horses.” Anders turned around and began to shake his backside toward the the mare, sporting a large grin. “Why not switch up for a more experienced body? I've always wanted a demon inside me, and just think of this handsome face as incentive.”
Twilight's horn began to crackle once again, a piercing glare set on the mage as he continued his gestures and insults. There was a bright flash of magenta light and then the mare was gone. Within moments however, the flash occurred again, just a few feet behind the mage. Anders turned to see the unicorn charging toward him, a blind fury pushing her forward as her horn sparked with a coming spell.
But Anders wasn't easily caught off guard by it. His smirk expanding across his face, the mage's hands developed a misty white haze before he threw his arms forward, just as Twilight was upon him. A blinding flash of white and blue encompassed the gazes of the three Grey Wardens for several moments. But as their sights cleared, the commander and Oghren were shocked as he saw Twilight's body frozen in place, trapped inside of a small chunk of ice.
Anders simply stood there, chuckling weakly as he fell to one knee. “Phew, I'm glad that worked,” he said breathlessly, his breathing having become heavy. “First time... I've ever fully encased someone. Man, that really... took a lot out of me.”
Before congratulations could be made however, Anders' eyes widened as large cracks began to appear on the surface of the ice. The cracks deepened by the second until a bright light shined from within them. There was a loud rumbling within the ice and it shattered, throwing frozen fragments in all directions. One large piece in particular struck Anders in the chest, knocking him flat on the ground.
Too weakened by his last spell to get up in time, he was helpless as the infuriated Twilight stomped toward him, her horn once again crackling with magical power, matching the intense fury building inside of her. Charging forward himself, the commander saw no other option as he tackled into the unsuspecting mare, throwing them both to the ground as he wrapped his arms around her and held on tight.
“Twilight, you have to fight back!” the commander shouted. “Please, I know you're stronger than this, I know you would never let this thing take control.” Even with the commander's pleas however, Twilight still fought against him.
The lavender unicorn struggled against the Warden-Commander's hold, kicking her legs out with all of her might. The commander held her still though, using his superior height to keep her pinned down. But his attempts to restrain her were put to the test as Twilight's horn crackled with a new spell.
The commander cried out in agony as his body felt as though it were being hit by a thousand lightning strikes. It all came from Twilight, her body being consumed by a rippling static that electrocuted the one holding her. The pain was unbearable, feeling the power course through his entire body and out again, all in one never ending flow that showed no sign of stopping.
Despite the unimaginable torture that the mare was putting him through, the commander kept his grip locked firmly around her. Fighting the pain back, the commander's agonizing screams were silenced, his body trembling as his mouth occasionally gaped open, not a sound escaping it. There was no thought in his mind to ever let go, doing everything he could think of to saving the mare.
The unceasing pain lasted for so long, the Warden suddenly became shocked when it finally died. He looked Twilight in the eyes, whose own gaze was drifting around aimlessly before they landed on the commander. “Twilight,” he said urgently. “Please, I know you're in there, you have to keep fighting.”
Though she looked confused and frightened, Twilight's eyes never broke away from the commander's, tears developing and cascading down her cheeks. But the moment did not last as she once again began to struggle and writhe within the commander's grasp. He held onto her in an even tighter embrace as she fought on.
The commander began to prepare for another attack, expecting to feel the pain coursing through him once again at any moment. But instead, he became surprised as the sky above them lit up with a powerful explosion of light. Looking up at it, the commander stared wide-eyed as Princess Celestia appeared within the light, her wings fluttering as she landed on the ground beside them.
There was a clear look of horror and dread upon the princess' face. She was speechless as her widened gaze became glued to her student, growling furiously as she fought against the Warden who still held her. The Warden-Commander was about to ask her for help, but the words never left his throat as the princess' horn developed a golden aura.
Lowering her head down, the tip of Celestia's horn touched Twilight's forehead. There was a sudden spark of a golden light and the lavender mare gasped sharply, her eyes opening wide before they closed, her body going limp in the human's arms.
Twilight almost looked peaceful as she remained unmoving, only the subtle rise and fall of her breathing chest showing her current condition. The commander managed a sigh of relief as he looked up to the princess, not needing to say a word as his eyes said all the thanks he needed to.
It took some time, everyone managed to return to Canterlot castle. A small chamber was emptied of all things of importance to keep Twilight, her body resting on a small cushion while it was surrounded by a magical shield placed by the sun princess. Though she was certain that Twilight would remained unconscious for sometime, there wasn't a chance that was taken, for their sakes as well as hers.
The commander as well as the other Grey Wardens were all there, donning their armor and weapons before they left Ponyville. Luna was there as well, but the nightly princess was silent. All she could do was stand there and stare at Twilight, a grim look on her face.
“Is... is Twilight going to be okay?” Spike asked worriedly, looking up at the commander with need. Despite what had happened to him in the library, he wasn't the least bit frightened of his caretaker only able to now be concerned for her well-being. It was torturous for him to not understand what was going on.
A weary sigh escaped the Warden as he knelt down next to the dragon and nodded. “Yeah,” he said reassuringly. “She's going to be alright, Spike. Don't worry, we're going to help her.”
“What's happened to her,” Celestia said, turning her own gaze away from her student to look at each of the Grey Wardens for answers. It was already clear to her that they had some idea as to what was going on.
“We... think she's possessed by a demon,” Anders murmured having trouble believing it himself, much less saying it.
Alistair blinked forcibly as his gaze darted toward the commander. “That can't be,” he tried saying, his voice lacking in any definitive tone. “How... how could that be possible?”
“I-I don't know,” the commander said, shaking his head in frustration. “But I know what I saw. You weren't there, you didn't see how she looked, how she acted.”
“Then what must we do to stop this demon and save Twilight?” Celestia asked, almost begging for an answer as she addressed the Grey Wardens.
The three humans each looked down at the ground for a moment, their adverted gazes becoming darkened for a moment. Anders then sighed and looked the princess in the eyes as he said, “There are only two ways one could stop an abomination, which she now is. Be able to go into the Fade and destroy the demon, which is both dangerous and difficult. Or … we put her out of her misery now before she suffers under the demon's control again.” Anders barely had time to finish before he felt a pair of hands on him. Furious, the commander grabbed the mage by the collar of his robes and lifted him off of his feet, slamming his back against the nearest wall.
“Don't you dare say that!” he snapped, his burning gaze nearly sizzling the mage's skin. “That is not an option here!”
As the commander slowly calmed down, he set Anders back on the ground, earning a glare from the mage in response. “And what do you suggest we do?” he asked harshly. “Believe me, it's not like I'm anymore thrilled about it than anyone else, but that's our only option here! Do you even realize what it would take to try and take the demon on? I couldn't do something like that alone, not even with that sliver of lyrium you found with that ring!” He pointed toward the still unconscious Twilight. “We were lucky demons aren't too practiced when it comes to controlling ponies! We could have had a lot of bloodshed had it been at its full power! And that's exactly what will happen if we don't stop it now!"
The feeling of hopelessness quickly settled in between them all as a gruesome outcome seemed likely. Even though the commander was still nowhere toward accepting Anders' plan, there was no hiding his trembling hands as he clinched his fists tightly. All seemed lost until Celestia stepped forward. “Perhaps I can help,” she said, closing her eyes in concentration as her horn began to glow.
As they watched the princess work, the Grey Wardens were startled as Anders' entire body suddenly burst with a golden light, making him look like a living sun as he stood there.
Anders stumbled back for a moment, nearly knocked off his feet as he stared at his own hands, moving his fingers through the light like he was performing a spell. “Andraste's undergarments!” he cried out in amazement. “Blood magic be damned, this feels like real power!” His eyes were wide as he felt the magical energy soaking into his entire body, into every fiber of his being. It made him look more like a child given his favorite treat as he basked in the power he was being given.
“Focus, Anders!” the commander snapped, breaking the mage from his indulged enjoyment.
“Right... right...” Anders murmured as he shook his head to clear it. “This is just... a lot to suddenly take in.” He began taking several deep breaths, focusing himself as his hands developed a blue glow to go along with the gold. “Okay then... thanks to the princess, I think I'll be able to send the rest of you guys to the Fade.”
“Then all of us will go,” Alistair said with determination, moving to stand beside the Warden-Commander.
Oghren simply folded his arms and shook his head. “Not this time,” he said stubbornly. “I can't stand the place. I've been there twice already and that's three times too many in this dwarf's book.” He grabbed his ax and brandished it wildly. “I'll guard the fort on this end, just to be sure no other surprises happen while you're all out of it.”
“Fine,” the commander said, knowing they wouldn't change his mind anytime soon. “Alistair, Shale, that leaves the three of us to stop this.” Alistair gave a firm nod as he took a seat on the floor, crossing his legs as prepared himself for their trip. Though Shale looked somewhat reluctant in going to the spirit infested place, the construct said not a word as it approached its comrades and sat down beside the Ferelden king. The commander took a breath to center himself before sitting down as well, his gaze falling on Celestia as she continued to add her magic to Anders'. “We'll save Twilight, I promise that.” A light nod was given in response as the princess kept her focus strong.
Seeing his fellow Grey Wardens ready, Anders concentrated as he focused on sending them off. “Right...” he murmured, still uncertain as to what will happen. “Well, here goes... damn near everything I guess.”
Alistair, Shale and the commander soon felt the mage's magic upon them. The sensation only lasted for a brief moment however, as their eyes involuntarily shut and the conscious world soon left them, their minds being submerged into a sea of darkness.