After the fall of Ael'Yith, which made the Azurewing dragons that much safer than they had been in a long time, Lyra had suggested that she and Khadgar return to Dalaran and place Trixie somewhere safe, so she could rest and recover from her ordeal. Senegos and Stellagosa, on the other hand, overruled her suggestion and said that Trixie would rest in the small mana pool inside the Leyhollow, where Runas had gone to try and force his conditions back before his eventual transformation. What shocked most of the Azurewing was that Senegos has Runas' body removed from the pool he was resting in and had him buried in the small graveyard that rested nearby, complete with a tombstone that would forever honor the Nightfallen elf that had redeemed himself and help safe the Azurewing... in his own way.
When Lyra questioned why they should leave Trixie in the pool, however, the response was that seeing how she had mysteriously become a blue dragon, who were attuned to the leylines and the magic of the world, was that the mana pool would ease the pain her body was feeling and push her power to new heights. She learned that most of the mortal races, those that weren't dragons, usually had a certain level of potential power that they could use, while some, such as Khadgar, had the potential to be extremely powerful in their own right. Trixie, being a mage from a distant land that was vastly different from Azeroth, already had the potential to reach the same level as her mentor... yet Senegos knew that, from just a quick glance at her, that Trixie's power would have increased from her transformation.
Senegos explained that, if the dragons were still immortal, that Trixie would have been hailed as one of the greatest blue dragons to ever grace Azeroth and potentially replace the long dead Malygos, who had been the leader until Kalecgos had been chosen to replace the fallen Aspect.
As Trixie rested, however, Lyra sat on one of the rocks outside the Leyhollow and thought about what she had been told, because something similar had happened when she took on the fel power and became a demon hunter. Lord Illidan had told her that she had the potential to be one of the greatest demon hunters he had ever trained and even joked that she may even be stronger than him. At the time she thought her master had been joking, but now she realized that Lord Illidan would have never joked about something like this, especially since Lyra was beginning to believe that he might have been right about her.
For a moment Lyra wondered if ponies, who weren't used to the constant warfare that the people of Azeroth were used to, were more in tune with the powers that had shaped the universe they lived in... and were only waiting for the right push to make them realize their full potential. From what she remembered Sunset Shimmer had been dropped off in a distant world and returned after completing an adventure of her own, though when she returned she was an alicorn, instead of the unicorn she had been. She had thought that the pony who told her that story had been drunk at the time, but now she was beginning to wonder if there was some truth to what she had been told.
It was possible that her species, who could adapt to any situation and to any power that they came into contact with, might actually be the key to stopping the Legion... but she wouldn't know that until she figured out how to return to Equus and talk with the Princesses about what she and Trixie had found.
"Lyra," Azuregos commented, breaking Lyra from her thoughts, to which she turned her head towards the disguised dragon and noticed that he was beckoning to the Leyhollow with a smile on his face, "Trixie... she's starting to wake up!"
Lyra hadn't been expecting to hear that news, especially since it had only been an hour since Trixie had fallen to the ground after she had ended Ael'Yith's life, but at the same time she was glad to hear the news. She got up from where she was sitting and followed the disguised dragon back to the Leyhollow, though as they drew close to the opening she heard the sound of someone panting. When the two of them rounded the corner, however, Lyra was shocked to find that another change had happened to Trixie's body during the hour her friend had been asleep... one that seemed to be linked to the transformation that had happened during their fight with Ael'Yith.
When they had placed Trixie inside the mana pool she had been a mix of human and pony, that much Lyra was sure of, but now it appeared that the combination of the transformation and the pool she was in had another effect, as Lyra would have mistaken Trixie for Stellagosa, as their bodies almost looked identical. Trixie's hair color had remained the same, as the strip in her hair allowed Lyra to tell that it was actually her and not the dragon she was thinking about, though her ears had become pointed like an elf's, or more like Lyra's own ears. That was when Lyra started noticing the differences in Trixie's body; because there were some patches of blue scales around both of Trixie's wrists, her nails had lengthened a tiny bit and could easily be mistaken for claws, and her hooves had become more dragon-like, as Trixie now possessed a pair of feet that had three sharp claws and the leg structure to match an actual dragon's leg.
What completed the half dragon half elf look that Trixie now possessed were two things; the fact that her pony tail had morphed into a reptilian dragon tail, small enough to fit her size, and the fact that she had a pair of horns growing out of the sides of her head... though oddly enough they were curved backwards like Lyra's horns, which effectively made the two of them the only people to have three horns in the entirety of Azeroth.
"Ugh... my body aches more than it did when I first arrived in Azeroth," Trixie moaned, to which she forcefully picked herself up and noticed, once she had opened her eyes anyway, that she was resting in the mana pool that Runas had died in, though that was before she noticed what had happened to her body, "By the Titans! What in the world happened to my body this time?"
"As far as I can tell your body is still adjusting to your new form," Khadgar commented, though at the same time he felt lost, because he had never witnessed such a thing happen to anyone, which meant that he had no idea how to help Trixie through this difficult time, "After Ael'Yith's construct hit you, and sent you flying into the rock wall, we all expected you to get back up and fight back, but then you sank into the mana pool. I considered that this might be the end of our journey together, because it didn't appear that you were breathing anymore, but just as Lyra destroyed the construct a blue dragon, you I might add, burst out of the water and crushed Ael'Yith. Then you hit the ground and reverted back to the form you have been wearing since your arrival... though it appears that the mana pool has awoken the dragon side within you, hence the reason you appear to be trapped between two worlds."
"I thought that the magic that had changed my form into what it had been had disappeared after the first year I spent in Azeroth," Trixie said, flexing her feet for a moment, as she found it odd to have digits on her feet after having hooves, though Lyra could tell that something else was bothering her, "I just don't understand what could be happening..."
"Actually, I think I have an idea of what might happened." Azuregos said, causing the group to look at him for a moment, to which he let out a small sigh, "Back in the Nexus I gave you a special necklace that housed the essence of a blue dragon and mentioned that you and Kalecgos might be able to figure out some purpose for it. It's possible that the power of the mana pool resonated with the necklace while you were inside the water, awakening the essence that was locked away inside that piece of jewelry. You took the essence of a blue dragon into your body, apparently rewriting who you were to some degree... and it seems that your new hybrid form might be your body trying to get used to the new sensations and power that it possesses.
Trixie, when I gave you that necklace I never expected something like this to happen, as it has never happened in the history of Azeroth... and if I had known this would have happened I would have kept the necklace locked away."
"Azuregos, it's fine," Trixie commented, causing a surprised look to appear on the disguised dragon's face, as he hadn't been expecting her to say that, though she smiled at everyone, "At this point in my life I have gotten used to strange things happening to me, like meeting and defeating three Old Gods in battle, at separate times I might add. I've faced down and killed Archimonde the Defiler, helped protect the safety of this world from the likes of the Lich King, and even helped take down Deathwing... so I think I can handle another change to my body, even one of this degree."
The dragons that had been watching her seemed shocked that she was so accepting of her new changes, despite the fact that when she tried to walk she ended up falling back into the mana pool, but Lyra was pleased that she wasn't letting this phase her friend at all. Lyra also assisted Trixie to the best of her ability, though one thing she was asked to do was go back into the large mana pool and pick up Aluneth, which seemed annoyed to have been left behind, but it apparently thought that having a hybrid master was worth sticking around for... though Lyra told it to stop talking to her. Senegos also invited them to stay the night, as it was already getting dark out, to which Lyra, Trixie, Azuregos, and even Khadgar accepted the offer.
When morning arrived, and Lyra woke up with it, she found that Trixie had been up for some time, as she was actually walking around better than she had been the previous evening, though she could immediately tell that it was only for a few minutes. After those minutes were up Trixie would have to sit down and take a few breaths, which told Lyra that having dragon feet instead of hooves meant that she had to relearn some of the basics, though at the same time Trixie seemed to be getting the hang of things. Some of the Azurewing seemed to be very interested in helping her out, as Lyra spotted several of them walking alongside Trixie and pointing out how they moved with their legs, giving her an idea of how she should move hers.
After a light breakfast, and saying farewell to Khadgar for the moment, as he wanted to ask Senegos some questions before he headed back to Dalaran, Trixie, Lyra, and Azuregos started to leave the Repose as well... until Lyra turned around and approached the elderly dragon they had just saved.
"Something just occurred to me, we never asked where the Tidestone was." Lyra said, to which she directed the question to the elderly dragon, "So, um, who exactly has the Pillar of Creation now?"
"The ghostly elves, to the south, once had the Tidestone of Golganneth," Senegos explained, though the dragon chuckled for a moment, knowing that the excitement had made Lyra and her friends forget to get the information that they were after, "Their great city of Nar'thalas was destroyed an eon ago and their ruler, Prince Farondis, fell with the city... most of you small ones die so easily, though you and Trixie seem to be an exception to that. If anyone knows where the fragments of the Tidestone rest, it will be the ghost of the prince. Seek out his people and discover the resting place of the Pillar of Creation."
Lyra thanked the ancient dragon for them information and headed back to where her companions were waiting for her, though as she left the Repose she noticed that Khadgar didn't like the news that the Tidestone had been shattered so many years ago. Once they were back together they headed towards the ancient ruins that had been pointed out to them, thanks to one of the blue dragons that had followed them out of the Repose for a few seconds, though as they approached the grounds they noticed that a battle seemed to be going on. From what they could tell the army of ghosts that lived in this area were under attack, as the forces of Queen Azshara, which were the naga they had seen when they flew into Azsuna the previous day, were assaulting the ruins and attacking the ghosts.
Lyra actually had no idea if killing one of the spirits would permanently kill them or if they would keep coming back until some ritual was completed, as she had never experienced this sort of thing before, but before they could actually pass through the threshold, and enter the ruins, they were stopped by one of the spirits... who happened to appear out of the shadows in front of them and had her weapons at the ready.
"Who goes there?" the elven spirit asked, staring at the group for a few moments, as if she was trying to determine if they were potential allies or potential enemies, "Are you a group of emissaries from that bizarre floating city?"
"Sort of." Trixie replied, though she made no motion to attack the elf, which had to be what she was waiting for, before she beckoned to the naga, "Let me say this; we are not allies of the naga... in fact they are one of our worst enemies and we make sure that they are stopped whenever we come into contact with them. We actually came here in search of Prince Farondis, because we wanted to ask him about a relic that he and his people used to possess so long ago."
"You're looking for Prince Farondis?" the spirit asked, though it glared at them for a moment, as if she was trying to determine what side of the conflict they were actually on, before she let out a sigh, "I can take you to Farondis... but first things first; these naga suddenly attacked us and forced us to fight back, though I have noticed that they take orders from one called Zarrin, in the low hills to the west. Help me take Zarrin's head, and you'll have my ear."
"We'll take out some of the naga as well." Lyra replied, knowing that these naga were different from the ones that she knew, who were all aboard the Fel Hammer at the moment, which meant that they were okay for them to kill, "Wouldn't want the naga to overrun your forces once their leader dies."
The spirit either hadn't thought about having them kill the underlings as well or had been about to add in that part, though she let out a sigh and had them get underway. Lyra, Trixie, and Azuregos passed by the spirit and gazed upon their new enemies, who were preoccupied with attacking the other elven spirits that called these ruins home. The naga seemed more interested in their current opponents, allowing Lyra to toss one of the Twinblades at her chosen target and force it to turn towards her... though as she caught the warglaive on it's return trip, and prepared for the incoming attack, a blast of arcane energy rushed passed her and slammed into the naga, blasting it back into the tree that was behind it.
The spirit that had been under attack was stunned for a moment, as was Lyra, though it reached down to the naga and tapped it's chest with the sword it was carrying, though after a few seconds they all determined that the naga was dead.
"You know, Senegos mentioned that my power had increased after the transformation," Trixie commented, looking between her hands and the dead naga that she had struck, as if she couldn't believe what had happened, "but I think my power must have tripled at least... and now I have relearn how to control my power, before something is accidentally destroyed."
It was then that Azuregos decided that attacking the naga forces would be left to Trixie, to which the two of them walked forward and started attacking the naga, where Azuregos would point out a target and mention a spell he wanted Trixie to use. From there it was up to Trixie to pull off the spell and not overload it, because it could backfire and hurt her, but they were both pleased to find that her skill in keeping her power stable, and at the level it had been before the transformation, was still intact. Unfortunately the attacking naga soon found themselves under assault by two skilled mages, as the pair picked out their targets and fired at them without wasting a second, effectively cutting down the number of enemies that the elven spirits had to deal with.
Lyra, on the other hand, merely sighed as she walked over to the location of the naga that was called Zarrin, who was resting in the front of an old elven building and was shouting orders at his soldiers... though he only stopped when he noticed that Lyra was walking towards him.
"I like your bravery, little one." Zarrin commented, though at the said time he raised his weapon, which seemed to be a spear of some kind, and pointed the tip at Lyra, "I'll enjoy gutting you in front of my entire battalion."
"What little of it remains." Lyra said, to which she pulled the Twinblades out and dropped into her battle stance, keeping her weapons at the ready as she looked at her opponent, "Come and try to put me down."
Zarrin growled at her and immediately moved up to where she was standing, though Lyra could tell that he wasn't used to being on the surface, if the speed his serpent body was moving at was any indication. Thanks to her opponent's lousy movements, and her own training, Lyra was able to outmaneuver her opponent and easily dodge the attacks that were coming her way. She knew that she could easily defeat Zarrin, because he was one of the worst opponents she had ever fought, but she was stalling for time as she waited for Trixie and Azuregos to cut the naga forces back... though it appeared that their leader had no idea his forces were suffering so.
Once Lyra heard the sound of Azuregos calling out to her, which was the signal to complete her side of the task, she quickly turned her weapons around and sliced through Zarrin's chest, to which he crumbled to the ground... though to be sure that the spirit knew that they had completed their side of the bargain she removed Zarrin's head and returned to where Trixie and Azuregos were standing.
"The naga have been routed, for now," Trixie said, causing the elven spirit to turn towards them, while at the same time she beckoned back to the head that Lyra was holding onto, "oh, and we took out Zarrin as well."
"That is definitely Zarrin... and it appears that my doubts about all of you are unfounded." the spirit replied, to which she let out a sigh, indicating that there was something between her and the prince, "You said that you seek Prince Farondis? Follow me... I will show you to the prince's hall."
Now that the way was clear, for the moment anyway, the spirit carefully showed the trio the way to where her prince was at that exact moment, though when they reached the ruins where the prince was they found that every spirit in the area was glancing at the main building with hatred in their eyes... and that they seemed to smile when they noticed the group walking passed them. Lyra knew that the spirits were hoping that they were assassins, sent to kill the spirit of their former prince, but she wished they wouldn't look at them and expect such a thing to happen. The spirit stopped in the entrance and faced them, though she beckoned back to the spirit that stood in the middle of the small building... who the group knew had to be the spirit of Prince Farondis.
"You seek the Tidestone of Golganneth, do you not?" Prince Farondis asked them, though all three of them were shocked to hear him ask it, but they nodded their heads anyway, "I figured as much. The only reason those naga have been attacking us is because they want the Tidestone as well... though I suspect that their reasons are the opposite of your own. The answer to your question is yes, I know where the Tidestone lies... though it is in a place to which I prefer not to return. However, seeing how you managed to convince Idri to bring you to me, I propose an exchange of services; you help me deal with the naga that are harassing us, as well as help some of my Elders with a few tasks, and I will show you where the Tidestone is located."
If it weren't for the fact that they were looking for a Pillar of Creation, which they needed to seal the Tomb of Sargeras, Lyra might have told the spirit that they would only help him out, but before she said anything Trixie, the more seasoned adventurer, voiced her agreement and asked what needed to be done. Lyra had the feeling that they would be dealing with a lot more naga in the next few hours... though she seriously hoped that this would bring them one step closer to acquiring the ancient artifact. She was sure that, by the end of the day, she would know the answer to her thoughts and prayed that they would possess the Pillar of Creation by the time night was upon them once more.