It was like waking from a sleep as Alistair, Shale and the Warden-Commander opened their eyes to see that the world had changed. They were no longer safely within the pristine white walls of Canterlot castle. Standing over the edge of a cliff, the jagged piece of earth looked out over an expansive nothingness.
Only large portions of land floated around in the distance, impossible to reach by any means. The portion of land that they were on continued to a massive landmass with towering walls and other pieces of ruins. Much of the scenery was almost recognizable. Pieces of Ponyville houses were placed in nonsensical places, street lights were bent and crooked in twisted angles. Several forms of the library could also be seen, all in different sizes of having different portions of it missing. Books flew out of many of them, their covers flapping like bird wings as they sailed through the air.
“This is... strange,” Alistair murmured, looking about the scenery. He stared at his own hands for a moment, slowly waving them through the air. “Does anyone else feel... I don't know, like they could fade away at any moment?”
The commander looked at himself as well, part of him feeling as though his mind was only partially there, like someone fighting to stay asleep as their dream collapses around their waking form. “The Fade here, it feels weak for some reason,” he murmured, having never experienced such a feeling during his few trips to the odd place.
“This place feels empty too,” Alistair responded, feeling an unnatural shiver up his back. “Before, it always sort of felt like you were being watched by some invisible force. Like the spirits of this place always knew where you were. But this... I don't feel a thing...”
“I do not like it here,” Shale said directly, looking around its surroundings with a suspicious glare. “I am a golem, my kind are not meant to be here. Not a place meant for flesh-creatures and its sleeping habits.”
Alistair rubbed his chin in thought as a light smirk came to his lips. “Really?” the king asked. “Well it's no wonder. You are part dwarf aren't you? Or maybe... a dwarf's corpse anyway... Maybe it's those old dwarven instincts kicking in.”
The golem's gaze lowered down to the Grey Warden in what was easily a sign of anger. “If it keeps talking, I'll kick ituntil itis a corpse,” the construct growled, making the king take a safe step backward.
“Will you two knock it off?” the commander snapped, glaring at them both like a scolding parent. “Remember why we're here!” Alistair sighed and slowly nodded his head, understanding quickly. “Let's find this demon and take care of it quickly, we shouldn't dwell here for long.”
Taking a few steps forward, they were immediately stopped as a large, dark blue haze suddenly appeared out of nowhere. They all jumped back, readying their weapons for whatever tricks that the creatures of the Fade had for them. In a matter of seconds, the haze become to twist and move, taking shape in front of them.
Not about to wait for whatever creature that was about to be set upon them, the commander gripped his heavy sword tightly, raising it above his head before charging toward it. His eyes were trained on the blurred form that was forming before them, ready to stop it the moment he could strike it down. The weight of his blade shifting, the commander swung his weapon straight downward, seeing the haze finally take its full form, seeing the face of Princess Luna staring back at him.
A startled gasp left him, the muscles in his arms straining painfully as he stopped himself mid-swing. The large sword clanged as it fell to the ground, its owner falling after it as he toppled backward, looking up at the princess wide-eyed. Luna looked at him as well, surprised by the sudden action against her.
“Luna?” Alistair questioned, rushing over toward them. “How... What are you doing here?”
Standing stoically, the princess eyed the king with determination in her gaze, saying, “I have come to offer what help I can to release Twilight from his evil ensnarement.”
Gaining an expression of scrutiny, the Warden-King began to circle the nightly princess like a shark, his eyes moving up and down her form. “I don't know...” he murmured. “You could be a demon in disguise. “They're pretty good at that sort of thing. I remember when one tricked me into thinking it was my sister...”
“Actually,” the commander responded, grabbing his discarded blade and picking himself up, “it was an awful ruse, you're just easily fooled.”
The king shot a glare toward the Warden, muttering, “Well... shut up,” before turning back toward the azure equine. Still unconvinced, he lifted a finger and began to poke her, starting with her face before moving down her neck and her sides. “So... are you a demon? How can we be sure without attacking you I wonder...”
With each second of Alistair's incessant prodding, Luna's face twisted more and more into a furious state. “I AM NO DEMON!” she finally shouted, stamping a hoof on the ground with a thunderous force. The rocky ground underneath of her even cracked from the sharp impact, causing the king to stumble backward in a sudden surge of fear.
“Okay, okay,” Alistair said, raising his arms up defensively, though knowing such an action would do little to protect himself from the mare. “You're not a demon, I got it.” After several deep breaths, he calmed himself and was able to look back to the princess without worrying for his own safety. “So, how did you get here? Was Anders a little behind with sending you after us?”
Luna huffed disdainfully for a moment, as though the answer should have been obvious to them. “I am the ruler of the night,” she replied in a matter-of-fact tone. “The world of dreaming ponies is my dominion, where I can watch over them in case I am needed.” Her expression softened to one of uncertainty as she began to look around. “But this place... I've never encountered anything like it before. Even my usual power feels lesser here.”
“Wow,” Alistair said with curiosity. “So you can enter dreams? I suppose that's one notch against your sister, huh? Oh, what if a pony is daydreaming? Does Celestia take charge of that?” A flattened expression was given as a response as Luna stared at the wondering king, making him chuckle uneasily. “Uh... okay, maybe we should just get going...”
Without further delay, the commander lead the pack as they walked forward through the mismatched terrain. There was little in the way of exploration needed as the land they were on was mostly a straight line, giving them a linear path. Even still, they eyed every direction around them, preparing for whatever might appear out of nothing to attack them.
As Shale and Alistair trudged on behind them, the commander was accompanied by Luna as she walked beside him, as though helping to take the lead even with little knowledge of her location. “Are you sure you want to be apart of this?” the commander asked, eying her questioningly. “You have no experience in dealing with creatures like this, and I'd rather not endanger one of Equestria's leaders.”
Another light huff escaped the princess, her steeled gaze set forward as she said, “I am no helpless foal. If I can be of help, then I will do all that I can. This is for the sake of Twilight Sparkle.” Her eyes narrowed into a fierce glare, burning with a great intensity. “I will not allow for this evil to corrupt her any longer, she will be freed.”
It then struck the Warden as he realized that Luna held a great deal of personal motivation to seeing this through. Though he was certain that a demon possession was much different, he could see how painful it must be for her to see such a thing befall another. The princess could now only hope that her fate will not become Twilight's. The commander gave a firm nod toward, not about to question her help any longer, realizing she knew what was at stake.
The winding path continued onward, never branching off or leading them into hazardous terrain. The entirety of the landmass they were on appeared to be simply done, with the typical jagged spikes protruding out of the ground to act as barriers or empty ledges that led nowhere except for a fall into the empty abyss below, while pieces of Equestrian architecture floated around them in shattered fragments. Offhandedly, Luna mentioned how it all appeared to be the work of one called Discord, bringing a questioning stare from Alistair while the commander simply looked at the scenery in a new light.
Eventually, the small pathway and seemingly abandoned landscape was brought to an end. As their trail brought the group into a large, open plane. It looked as though they had stepped into a chamber within the castle, the pristine white walls towering high above them, missing much of the ceiling save for chunks of it floating in the nothingness above them. The ground itself was littered with deep cracks, making the terrain uneven. Everyone stopped suddenly as they looked out to the far end of the chamber, seeing a lavender-coated unicorn standing there.
“Twilight!” the commander shouted, rushing over to her quickly. Alistair looked toward Luna with a worrying expression before the others wordlessly went after the Warden.
The scholar looked to the approaching commander with a mixed expression of confusion and fear. “Where.... where am I, what's going on?” she said in a growing panic, sounding as though she barely knew that the Grey Warden was even there.
Falling to his knees before her, the commander put his hands on her shoulders and tried to shake her lightly, attempting to get her full attention. “Twilight,” he called to her, like one would to someone far away. “You have to listen, you're in the Fade. A demon has you now, I swear we're going to stop it and free you.”
As the commander was busy trying to break through to the mare, he was unable to notice her shadow writhing in place behind her, its black surface convulsing as twisting into something more. Even the others were not prepared for it, only noticing it when it was too late to shout a word of warning, as the commander felt a powerful blow connect to his chest.
The strike threw him back several feet, his body crashing to the ground next to his companions. As he slowly stood back up onto his feet, his eyes remained riveted to where Twilight once was, just where the eyes of the others were frozen. The unicorn was no longer there, he form having vanished completely, in her place, a blackened mass of darkness moved about on its own. Both Alistair and the commander grunted in pain, nearly doubling over as they cringed horribly, feeling a sharp strike in the back of their minds, an old and familiar sensation that they hadn't felt since coming to the strange land. Luna's own expression was one of horror, having never seen such a thing before in all of her years, unable to tear her gaze away as the writhing darkness formed into a hulking monstrosity.
It was a massive creature, standing several feet taller than any of them, with a chest as wide as a golem's entire body and arms as thick as tree trunks with flesh colored in a dark, blackened crimson. Twisted, fleshy horns jutted out from its forearms, reaching high up to match the height of the similar horns that come out from its head. Serrated, gnashing jaws opened to show the razor sharp teeth filling its maw, set just below a number of small, beady eyes that adorned the rest of its face. The rest of its body was covered in small, jagged spikes that looked as sharp as a blade. Besides Luna, everyone else knew exactly what they now faced, a demon of pride, as powerful and intelligent as they came. The demon roared like a beast as it fully appeared before them, rippling the air around it with the horrid sound.
Shaking away the strange sensation they had been struck with, the commander and Alistair grabbed their weapons and held them firmly in their grasp. Luna and Shale adopted similar stances, ready for whatever fight was coming. Rather than attack them outright however, they were somewhat surprised as the demon laughed. It was a deep, hollowing noise that barely showed any sentiment of amusement.
“Such valiant heroes,” the pride demon said, its mouth not moving in the slightest as it spoke clearly. The voice was deep and guttural, every word coming out like a growl. “To come to such a perilous place with nothing but your strength and bravery. It's wonderful to see you mortals falling prey to your own pride so easily.”
“You will be purged from this place, demon!” Alistair shouted, pointing his blade directly at the monster.
Again the demon laughed, clearly seeing no threat within them. “Perhaps this form isn't as reliable as I had hoped,” it said. “But I have no intention on leaving. I will stay in the real world, and I will hear the song I have been promised!” The commander blinked in surprise, confusion hitting him hard. But he wasn't able to voice a question on any meaning as the pride demon lunged forward, its large hands glowing with power.
They all jumped away, narrowly dodging the blow of the demon as its fist shattered the ground where they were standing, a pillar of flame erupting from the spot a moment later. The sweltering heat could be felt even as they backed away from it, making it difficult to see clearly until the flames died down. It was too late however, as the brutish monster was already upon Alistair, its multiple eyes set directly on him.
With his shield up, Alistair jumped forward, ramming it against the demon while he slashed his sword at it. He made contact, cutting the demon across the leg and causing it to stumble back slightly. However, the king's attack did not completely stop the demon, its fist already swinging down on him. He brought up his shield just in time, catching the blow as it knocked him over onto the ground.
The demon stomped toward the fallen king, raising its foot up to smash the him beneath it. A roar of pain echoed across the terrain instead however, as Alistair saw the gleaming metal of the commander's sword pierce through the demon's chest, the commander standing just behind the creature.
The commander had both feet planted firmly as the forced the rest of the blade through the demon's back, not stopping until the hilt was pressing against the opened wound. But the attack was far from fatal. Brought into a rage, the pride demon swung its body around, its arm swinging with it. Being carried off of his feet, the commander was struck by the thick limb and thrown back, his sword coming with him.
As the Warden stood and readied himself to deliver another blow, the infuriated demon threw its hand toward him, a bright flash of a bluish-white shooting out toward him. Pain suddenly gripped him as his legs were consumed by ice, immobilizing him. Even with his armor, the chill of the ice dug through it and ensnared his flesh. He could already feel his skin numbing, slowly dieing from the cold as blood stopped flowing through them. Pointing his sword downward, the commander hurriedly stabbed it into the ice, chipping away at it with every plunge.
Shale was quick to charge into the fray as well, slamming its fists against the demon with a force that would obliterate a normal foe. But the demon was far from being defeated so easily, dwarfing the mighty golem, the pride demon delivered its own blow, its fist striking the golem with an unnatural strength. Shale was resilient however, taking the blow well and countering with another series of punches, denting the demon's thick hide like armor.
The pride demon tried to strike the construct again, but Shale was quick to dodge it, jumping a short distance backward to ready another charging blow. As the living statue was about to make contact, the monstrous creature clamped its hands together and swung the combined force against the unsuspecting Shale. It was knocked to the ground with ease, looking up at the demon as its fist clenched once again. With am earth-shattering roar of fury, the demon brought its fist down hard on the construct, striking it with such a force that the ground around them cracked open like a gaping maw, burying the statue in shattered rock.
The demon prepared to continued pounding on the golem, ready to shatter the stone creature into rubble. But a sudden bolt of magic struck its shoulder, causing it to grunt in pain as its head darted toward the azure princess. Luna had been watching the spectacle, having never seen such vicious conflict before, but she swallowed her trepidation and stared at the imposing monster with defiance.
Again Luna used her magic to fire several more bolts of energy toward it. Each shot found its mark, striking it again and again. But besides the initial surprise attack, the spell appeared to have no real effect on the demon, causing it to laugh at her. Not deterred in the slightest however, Luna's horn glowed for a moment as she eyed the chunks of rock that were strewn around the creature. They all developed the same aura as they rattled across the ground, moving toward the demon and forming into a single cluster.
With a grand speed, the rocks shot upward from under the demon, forming together into a rocky vine that wrapped around, its leg and arm, keeping them restrained. The pride demon growled angrily as it pulled back, attempting to free itself from the trap. Alistair saw the display himself and took advantage of it, rushing between the demon's limbs as he thrust his blade forward, stabbing into the demon's chest.
The pride demon's fury was only building, its burning gaze now set on the king. Alistair attempted to jump back, but he was no where near fast enough as the demon's spare hand shot forward at an inhuman speed, catching the Warden-King by the neck. The bulky hand wasn't even large enough to fully wrap around his throat, leaving only a few finger's to grip against Alistair's airways.
Struggled breathing and grunts of exertion left the king as his fingers tried to dig into the demon's grip, trying vainly to free himself. Luna gasped as she saw the human within the monster's clutches, galloping at full speed as she charged toward it. As the princess neared them, the demon yanked its restrained arm outward, shattering the stone tendril that had restrained it. Sights now setting on the oncoming equine, the pride demon's hand ignited as a crackling flame was formed. With a simple swing of its arm, the ball of flame was thrown forward at an amazing speed, being sent straight for the princess.
Luna stopped in her tracks, seeing the fiery inferno coming straight for her. Summoning her magic, a large barrier was quickly formed around her, shimmering with a blue light. It was just in time, as soon as the protective bubble was around her, the flames struck. Though none of the fire came close to touching the nightly princess, she was ill prepared for the powerful magic that the pride demon held.
Just the sheer strength of the flames was enough as it impacted the barrier with a quaking force. Luna wasn't expecting it as the force of the attack was too much, knocking the princess to the ground as her barrier faded and the flames died out.
Seeing the princess fall only made Alistair fight even harder, trying to pry himself out of the demon's grasp. The monster noticed it as well, laughing maliciously as he brought the human toward its face. “Such weak creatures,” it growled. “It must be a difficult with such limitations, powerless compared to those who understand the beauty of magic.”
Unable to break himself free, but not willing to give up, Alistair's eyes looked down toward his sword, still lodged in the demon's chest. Looking the demon defiantly in the eyes, the king gave a weak smirk as he said, “Well, you learn make do.” Quickly reaching down to pull his blade free from the demonic sheath, Alistair swung his arm in an upward arc with all of his strength.
The demon's roar echoed out across the Fade as Alistair fell to the ground, hearing the sudden thud of the hideous arm that held him as it fell just after he did.. For a few moments, the fingers began to spasm and twitch before becoming immobile. The Warden-King was quick to get onto his feet as the pride demon's deathly gaze was set on him. To the left the commander was charging forward, having freed himself from the icy prison and had his large sword clutched in both hands.
Alistair held his own sword tightly as well, ready to strike another blow to the demon simultaneously with his friend. Having lost its arm however, the demon's anger now held no bounds. With one forceful swipe, its arm struck the king with a bone-shattering force, throwing off of his feet with ease and sending him toward the charging commander. Their bodies struck one another, knocking the commander down and causing both Grey Wardens to crash to the ground in heaps. Their bodies shook as they tried to pick themselves up, their actions slowed immensely from the attack.
Stepping toward the Grey Wardens, ready to finish them off, the pride demon's small eyes remained focused on them. Its full attention on them was only broken when it heard a small approach from behind. The pride demon turned to see Luna back on her hooves, her gaze fixated on it. The monster gazed at her for several moments, its mouth twitching into what passed for a smirk by its kind. Following the sickening expression was a deep chuckle, one that almost made the equine ruler shudder from the sound.
“I sense such inadequacy in you,” the pride demon mused, never letting the princess out of its sights. “Such weakness... You feel so inferior, so insignificant, so useless, don't you?”
Luna could only stare wide-eyed at the beast her advance on it having stopped completely. Slowly, she shook her head, a weak act of defiance toward the demon. “No, that's not true!” she shouted.
“Is it?” the demon continued, its lumbering stride slowly bring it toward the princess. “I can sense it easily. You think of yourself as a lesser creature, worthless in comparison to another. It's so tangible on you, I can practically see it. But I've also seen how your thoughts are so true. You truly are a weak, pathetic, worthless runt! Just like these other fools!” A mocking laughter escaped the demon. “It will be easy when I can be free again to destroy the real world, just as easily as I've ensnared this weak creature I have now...”
Luna's eyes narrowed into a fierce glare, her forehooves smashed down on the ground in front of her as she faced the demon head on. “No!” she snapped, her horn igniting in a bright, silvery glow. “I will not be fooled into thinking less of myself! I know what it's like to be consumed by such doubt, by a darkness that envelopes anything that it is allowed. I see such a darkness within you. Twilight saved me from that fate long ago. Now, I will stop at nothing to keep anyone from suffering as I have!” The entirety of her horn became enveloped by the aura of silver as she charged at the demon. “You shall not take Twilight!”
Gaining speed, the silvery light becoming brighter around her, Luna never stopped as her galloping legs moved faster and faster. The magic built as the silver glow expanded, covering over her entire body as she ran. Before long, her legs were no longer propelling her forward as her wings began to flap, keeping her lifted just above the ground as the distance between herself and the demon shrunk. The pride demon's remaining arm sparked with an intense blaze, with a swing of the limb, a barrier of fire was erected around it, but even that did not slow the princess down.
Completely engulfed in the magical light, it swirled around Luna's body until she was just a silver cone speeding toward the demon like a spear. Even with the fire surrounding it, even with its strength of power, it was made powerless as Luna made contact with him, her entire body piercing through its chest like a magical arrow.
The Fade around them seemed to freeze in place, the commander and Alistair were stunned into submission as they gaped at what they saw, even the pride demon looked surprised through its monstrous visage as its body fell backward, the earth beneath them trembling as it struck the ground.
The intense light soon faded and Princess Luna was left standing near the defeated demon, her chest heaving as her breathing was heavy. Both Grey Wardens managed to fight back their own injuries and stand, approaching the princess with shock still evident on their faces.
“Just... whoa,” Alistair murmured, looking down at the demon before eying the princess with a weak smile. “Remind me to never make you angry.”
Even Luna expressed a smile at the remark, before she stumbled forward on her trembling legs. The two humans were already at her side, coming to her aid quickly. “No, no, I'm fine,” the princess said quickly. Even as she said it though, they were alarmed as they noticed the azure mare's body beginning to fade. “I'm just... very weak right now.... Too weak to remain here it would seem. I will return to the others, to tell them it's over.” Before the others could say a thing, the princess was already gone, her form in the Fade disappearing entirely.
With the fight over, Alistair moved toward the small crevice that had been formed in the ground, reaching down to help dig the buried golem out. While the king was busy, the Warden-Commander's attention was set on the fallen pride demon. Its body was still moving, only subtle twitches in its form, but it was clear that the monstrous creature wasn't fully finished off, not immediately in any case.
Grabbing his sword, the commander jumped onto the demon's chest and looked down on it, pressing his metal-clad boot against its throat. It was made even more obvious to the demon's longevity as a low growl emanated from its mouth, its eyes focused on the commander looming over it.
“How did you get here?!” the commander demanded. “How did you cross into this land?!”
The pride demon struggled to move, but it was obvious that it wasn't going anywhere. “I sought my freedom,” it growled, its guttural voice weakening by the second. “To see the real world as promised... to hear the song that his gift allowed us to hear... We were promised to be freed... But his own freedom destroyed him.... mind and body... separated... But the last beautiful voice that became demands... was quieted... muffled... not like the others....” The demon's lips quivered into a twisted smile as the commander sensed its gaze reaching into his very soul. “You... have such... familiarity to the song... you know of its fate...
Sneering in disgust, the Warden-commander's grip on his blade tightened as he raised it up and then brought it down on the demon, stabbing it into the monstrosity's neck. For a few moments, the demon's body writhed and convulsed on the ground, but soon enough, it was still. Barely a second passed before the demonic corpse began to ripple and the flesh disintegrated. Within seconds, the demon's body was completely faded away, leaving nothing behind.
Almost immediately, both Alistair and the commander felt the familiar pang of warning disappear from their senses. It was strange, yet none of them could vocally question it. There was little time to even do so, with their duty completed, the world around them began to blur. The rocky ground underneath of them began to crumble, the abysmal nothingness around them rippled and twisted until it became black.
The commander's senses were numbed to the point of unconsciousness, where his eyes were forcibly shut for a single moment, and when he opened them he found himself staring up at the white ceiling of the castle.
It was all that the commander needed as he lurched forward, taking in a deep breath of air like he had just been submerged in water. Nearby, the sounds of Alistair and Shale waking could also be heard and Celestia stood close to Luna, the nightly princess still looking drained by what had happened. The Warden didn't pay attention to any of them however, his widened eyes looking ahead as another began to stir from her trance.
The shield around Twilight disappeared as she began to shift back and forth. Everyone else in the room suddenly fell silent as their eyes fell on where she was lying. The commander was the only one to rush to her side, abandoning the notion that she might still have any trace of the influence controlling her.
Slowly, the unicorn's eyes fluttered open. She looked confused at first, her mind not immediately registering the worried human that she was seeing. But after several moments, the mare's lip began to quiver as her eyes welled up with tears. Before a word could be said, Twilight lunged forward, her forelegs wrapping around the commander tightly as she buried her face in his neck, his skin quickly becoming drenched as she quietly sobbed.
“I-It was so dark!” Twilight cried, her body trembling uncontrollably. “I-I was so scared!”
“Shh, shh, it's alright,” the commander said soothingly, doing his best to calm her. “Everything's okay, it's all over now.” Even though he meant every word, it didn't stop the Warden from holding onto her tightly, fearful that if he even dared to let go, she might be taken away again.
Soon enough, the events that transpired proved to be too much for the young scholar. When her tears seemed to have finally run out, she fell into a deep sleep. Though the two princesses were worried at what rest might bring, they were quickly reassured that what had happened wouldn't be repeated. So a room was quickly found to put the unicorn to rest, allowing her to comfortably sleep her weariness away.
The room itself was small, only half the size of one of the guest rooms. It was void of any decorations or furniture besides the bed and a few end tables that supported beautiful potted plants. Twilight's peaceful form lied atop the bed, her appearance showing no sign of the horrible things that had happened not too long ago.
Celestia at her student with worry, still feeling the grip of pain in her heart for what had happened. Regret was clearly etched onto her face, making her feel as though she could have done more to prevent what had happened. It hurt her even more to realize how helpless she had been in protecting the young mare.
But that inner heartache slowly ebbed away, and a soft smile appeared on her face as her eyes fell on the one other person in the room. Sitting beside the bed, a comforting hand resting near Twilight's forehoof, a worried Commander of the Grey remained still. He hadn't left her side since his return from the Fade, filled with worry that rivaled even that of the princess'. Looking between them both, it made Celestia's smile deepen even more.
There were still things that needed to be discussed however. So with a heavy heart, the princess lightly tapped the human on the shoulder. The commander's head shot upward, startled as he had forgotten that the royal equine was in the room. No words needed to be said as he understood her intentions completely, allowing the princess to quietly leave the room.
Standing up to follow her, the commander stopped for a moment as his gaze once again fell on the resting Twilight. Heaving a sigh, he pulled the pendent he wore from his neck and took great care as he wrapped it around the unicorn's own neck. It had indeed helped to clear the commander's mind when he needed it to, just as she had said it would. He could only hope that it could offer some semblance of help to her now.
Finally tearing himself away from the bed, the commander turned away and quietly left the room.
The adjacent chamber was were the others were silently waiting. No one said a word, using the missing sun princess and commander as an excuse. In reality, none of them wanted to be the first to speak up about what had happened. Luna herself was waiting patiently to hear whatever needed to be said, lying on the floor to rest. The others, the outsiders to the world of Equestria, only stood silently.
Anders leaned against the nearby wall, gazing at his hand as he created a flame around it. The fire crackled and burn between his fingers, never harming him and offering a small bit of extra light to the room. His gaze remained transfixed in the dancing blaze, feeling his old power coursing through him once again.
Alistair stood by with his arms folded, his fingers tapping against his arm as the silence in the chamber proved to be more than a little unnerving. It didn't help that he could feel a pair of eyes on him as well. From across the room, he could see Oghren sitting down, watching him intently. The slovenly dwarf's attention was focused solely on the Warden-King, never letting him out of his sights, barely even blinking. It made Alistair shift uncomfortably in place, small beads of sweat forming on his nape and brow.
The sound of hoofsteps nearly made everyone jump as the silence was finally shattered. All eyes were directed toward the nearby doorway as Celestia appeared, followed shortly by the commander. In no time at all however, the room once again fell into silence, without a word being said.
As it seemed that they were about to spend the rest of their days in the small chamber, Alistair sighed wearily and murmured, “So... maybe we should start talking about what happened?” The princesses at least had a right to an explanation, even if they barely understood what had happened themselves.
“Was it really a demon you guys faced?” Anders asked, eying the king and commander questioningly.
The Warden-Commander nodded sullenly, his gaze firmly locked onto the floor. “A pride demon,” he responded vocally, causing the mage to frown.
“Andraste's blood...” Anders muttered, rubbing his eyes as he shook his head. “How... how could this have happened...”
“It's seems obvious enough,” the Warden said. “You regaining your powers, this demon showing up. The Fade has come here.”
Shock was shown clearly on everyone's face as the answer was given, made so obvious yet so difficult to accept quickly. “No,” Alistair replied, his tone filled with uncertainty. “That... that can't be possible.”
A weak shrug came from Anders as he held his chin in his hand. “Not too long ago, we would have said it was impossible for animals to talk or even build their own civilizations.” The king opened his mouth as if to retort, but he was quick to shut it.
Grunting in frustration, the commander pinched the bridge of his nose and glared downward. “Just... how though?” he asked aloud. “How has this happened?”
Silence once again fell in the room, no one saying anything as no answers could be said. Eventually however, Anders' mouth drooped into a heavy frown as his eyes widened with an idea. “It... it has to be us,” he said. Causing everyone in the room to suddenly look at him. “The Fade, it's connected to all of us, save for dwarfs. We thought that us coming here severed our connection to it, but...”
“Our being here is allowing it to come here as well...” Alistair finished, his own eyes becoming wide with the realization. His gaze then fell on Luna. “You can enter dreams here. The demons must be able to as well. That's how the pride demon found Twilight... drawn to her magic. From what I've gathered, she's one of the most magically gifted around, besides you, right?”
“Yes, she is gifted,” Celestia replied, looking at the Warden-King with confusion. “But she is still so young and inexperienced. Why would such a creature attack her?”
“That's precisely why,” Anders murmured. “Demons look for weakness in those they seek to posses. They're drawn more to those who would make easy targets than anything. That's why it must have left you alone and went after her.”
“And you couldn't have warned us about that?!” the commander shouted angrily. Stepping toward Anders as he looked at the mage furiously. “Why didn't you say this could happen?! Maybe we could have been prepared before Twilight was attacked!”
Glaring back at the commander in his defense, the mage retorted, “Look, it's not like I knew this could have happened! There isn't some convenient tome somewhere that explains what happens when you cross into worlds filled with talking ponies! I had no more idea of this happening than you did! Do you think I would want this?”
Unable to take his piling anger, the commander punched the nearby wall in frustration. “We're a curse on this land, a blight!” he shouted. “Just being here... we're endangering everyone...”
“Maybe,” Alistair said, looking away blankly in deep thought, “but we can fix this.” As the others looked at him curiously, he explained. “You remember, in the Fade, you felt it too. It was like the Fade itself was weak... barely even there. It took it this long to actually effect us. If we leave, then we should be able to stop anymore demons from coming through.”
“Then we need to leave as soon as we can,” the commander murmured, his eyes falling on Anders, “all of us.” The mage's gaze fell downward, visibly showing the sudden strike against his heart. “Anders... with your magic back, maybe you can...”
“Yeah,” the mage said in a saddened tone, “I'll try to remake the Eluvian myself... I'm not too experienced with elven artifacts, but it shouldn't take me but a couple days to figure it out.”
“Then all we have to do is worry about more demons getting through until then,” Alistair said, not liking the idea of going through it all again.
“Canterlot is home to nearly every magically talented unicorn in Equestria,” Celestia replied. “If somepony else is changed like Twilight had been, we will surely know.”
The humans all nodded their heads, though it didn't do anything to replace the sadness that showed on the faces of Anders and the Warden-Commander. There was one other who also felt such misery.
No one noticed the added presence looking within the room, hiding within the doorway. A lavender-coated mare watched what transpired silently, having awoken from her rest shortly after being abandoned. She listened to what was discussed with a heavy heart, her vision becoming blurred from the moisture forming in her eyes.