"What problem?" asked Shining Armor. "You sound so serious."
"Uh, er," stammered Twilight, "there is one thing, you could call it a side effect of the curse Darren has..."
Jonathan decided to jump to her aid. "Darren is forced to kill - or at least hurt - others," he said quietly so only Shining would hear him. "That wasn't a problem in Azeroth when we were basically surrounded by deadly enemies all the time. Now, though..."
Shining's eyes widened in shock.
"But what about Silvermoon?" asked Twilight. "He didn't kill anybody there until we escaped."
Her brother's eyes went even wider as he heard Twilight talk about killing with such a casual voice.
"Still didn't spare his sparring partners much pain," said Jonathan bluntly. He eyed Arcus. "Except for one. But they had healers nearby so they could overlook it to a certain degree."
"I see," said Twilight slowly, tapping her chin. She sighed. "I hope he's okay. He really hates that curse. I have no idea how he's dealing with it right now. Darren has a lot of self-control but Celestia knows for how long that will help him to hold on."
Darren is inside a blue crystal house. Eclipse and Peridot are lying on a couch in the middle of a tiny bedroom, huddled together under three layers of blankets. They are asleep. Darren realizes that he is in full armour. Trying not to wake the ponies, he slowly steps backwards - but before he can reach the stairs, Eclipse wakes up and looks directy at Darren.
"How? How do you take it? How can you bear to be so hungry?" asks the colt. He stands up from the couch. Eclipse raises his forelegs, rising into the air like a conjurer. His eyes glow in an eerie green light and he breathes out black smoke.
"I'm so hungry," slurs Eclipse. He is floating towards Darren, a puppet with the dark smoke as a puppeteer.
Darren raises his arms to catch Eclipse but his hands only touch smoke and dust. The colt's eyes are like tunnels as he pierces Darren with his gaze.
"Do you think," he says, "we can cook Blaze? I tried to dig him out, you know."
"What?!"
Eclipse touches Darren's cheek and forces him to turn his head.
Suddenly, they are in the garden behind the house. Peridot is sitting in the dirt, digging at the head of Detective Blaze. The Detective is buried in the ground with only his head sticking out. Blaze angrily stares at Darren.
"Your kind should not outstay your welcome on these grounds," he says.
Peridot keeps digging the earth away at his neck. Her eyes are reddened; she is crying.
"I can't get him out, it's so cold and my hooves are numb," she whines, shuddering. Her hooves are freezing over, turning blue. She points at Darren's feet, at the brown grass around them. "That's your fault," she says.
Darren flinches backwards, shocked: Everywhere he steps, the sparse grass on the ground withers and dies. The earth beneath his feet is hard and cold. Snow is falling from the overcast sky, quickly covering the dead grass with a white blanket.
Eclipse floats around Darren, placing himself between the knight and Peridot.
"Stay away from my sister!" he snarls. The green glow of his eyes turns into an icy blue. "She's mine; I get to kill her first. You'll have to wait your turn, knight." Eclipse grins widely, too widely even for a pony; his mouth is like a slit that cuts his face in half, like an open wound. There is no reason in his demeanour, only madness, wrath... and the greed of a Lich.
That is when Darren's reflexes take over. Without a second thought, he draws his sword and runs it through Eclipse's barrel. The colt's eyes break and the blue light inside them dies away as he exhales.
"What have you done! He's just a colt!" Blaze jumps out of the ground - as if he had never been stuck - and wraps his forelegs around Eclipse, violently ripping the child's body out of Darren's hands.
"I know what you are, you murderer! You have the same eyes!" Blaze declares. Clutching Eclipse's body tightly, he points an accusing hoof at Darren and screams a single word at the top of his lungs. It is a warning for everyone in the neighborhood to run for their lives, the dreaded word that has accompanied Darren for almost twelve years.
"SCOURGE!"
Darren almost drops his sword. He wants to avert his head in shame but he finds that he cannot turn away from Blaze.
"ENOUGH!" booms a thundering female voice.
Before Darren can react, Blaze's expression freezes. He does not move by an inch. Darren waves his hand before Blaze's muzzle. The pony does not even blink - or breathe.
Neither do Eclipse or Peridot. Time has stopped. Even the falling snow remains in midair. It is suddenly very quiet.
A blue wave of magical energy rushes through the garden, dissolving Blaze, Eclipse and Peridot into blue smoke that is carried away by the wind.
Darren spins around. A dark blue alicorn approaches him. She has black regalia, decorated with a crescent moon. Her long mane and tail float in the breeze. Thousands of stars are glittering inside it, making her resemble a titan-like goddess.
"Hello," she says calmly. Thankfully, the volume of her voice is back to normal. The pony smiles faintly. She is even taller than the Crystal Princess; the tip of her horn is at the height of his solarplexus.
"Are you Darren Houndslayer?" she asks.
Darren nods, still slightly shocked by the events that have unfolded before him. He feels disgusted with himself and his thoughts.
"You humans have the most disturbing dreams," sighs the alicorn, "But yours are the worst yet. I am glad I could reach you in the end.
"My name is Luna."
The sister of Princess Celestia! Darren quickly kneels down and puts his sword on the ground. "Princess," he says.
Luna laughs softly.
"Rise," she says, gently touching his shoulder. "There is no need for formality; we are inside your mind. Twilight told me about you. It was quite a while ago. I have a drawing of you in my office. But the picture was black and white. I thought your eyes would be yellow, like Jonathan's," she muses.
Darren's eyebrows knit together in confusion.
"After she exited the portal without you, Twilight and her friends were devastated. They made 'Missing' posters of you." Luna frowns as she sees Darren shake his head.
"Im am endangering her and all the ponies," he says. "The curse -"
"No excuses," Luna interrupts him. "Your dream revealed the truth, as confused as it may have been. Obviously, you are feeling terrible guilt for what you have done in the past. I know that feeling when I see it, Darren. Twilight told me what the Scourge is... and so did Jonathan." She looks into Darren's eyes, her gaze like steel. "You did not really kill anypony in Equestria, did you?"
"No," sighs Darren. "Thank the Light I did not."
Luna closes her eyes for a second, visibly relieved.
"So the colt represented someone different, I suppose?" she presses on.
"Yes. Several people, in fact." Unwilling to share his memories with the alicorn, Darren does not add anything else.
Luna frowns sadly.
"I don't think I can help you by just fixing this dream," she says slowly. "It was already very hard to freeze and drive the spectres away. Your mind is extremely resilient. There are many barriers inside of it. 'Tis like peeling an onion." She paces up and down in front of him. "You remind me of some guards... after the war with King Sombra. I fear you will need to have more nightmares before your soul catches up with your memories. I sincerely hope that, given time, you will be able to forgive yourself."
"I see," mutters Darren. He crosses his arms and, trying to change the subject, he asks, "Princess, how did you find me?"
"Your dream was too... vibrant to be overlooked," deadpans Luna. "Also, I had a magical mirror conversation with Twilight yesterday." She smiles apologetically. "Since I cannot influence this healing process, I hope I can help you with something else?"
"I don't know." The corner of Darren's mouth twitches. "There will be another hearing. Twilight is on her way to the Crystal Empire." He pauses. "Princess, I... attacked a guard in the castle," Darren confesses.
Luna raises her eyebrows.
"I knocked him unconscious," Darren admits. "I doubt he suffered permanent damage but that is still an offense that will be punished, is it not?"
"Why does that worry you so much? Scared of spending time in a dungeon?" Luna smiles wryly.
"I do not fear for my safety," grunts Darren, "but for everyone else's in there."
Luna sighs. "You are aware that the curse will most likely fade away now that you are not on Azeroth anymore?" She gently touches his side. "Just hold on a little bit longer, Darren. Your friends will be here soon. Don't be scared to trust them." Her lips part into a friendly smile. "And I am sure you won't let them down."
Twilight, Arcus and Jonathan followed the Detective as he led them down the stairs and to Darren's cell. Jonathan and Arcus exchanged looks; both remembered the time when they had walked down Undercity's dark hallways to the hall of the Banshee Queen. At least this situation was much less serious.
Blaze stopped at a door that looked identical to all the others. The only way to tell them apart was by a small label next to the handle. He unlocked the door and stepped aside to let the three guests inside. The two guards that had tagged along positioned themselves on both sides of the door. The cell was not big enough for everyone at once.
Darren was sitting on the bed, looking down on a few playing cards that were stacked on a small table. Apparently, he had been playing a game alone. Twilight noticed that the ponies on the cards looked slightly cartoonish as one would expect on a foal's playing cards. When his guests arrived, he stood up.
Before Darren could say anything, Twilight dashed towards him, leapt into the air and hugged him.
"It's so good to see you!" she cried happily. "Are you okay?" Darren hugged her back for a second. She let go of him and dropped to the ground.
"Twilight, the spell," Jonathan reminded her.
"Oh, right." She grinned sheepishly at Darren and gestured for him to stay still.
Darren already recognized the look on her face. He relaxed and let his hands fall to his sides, waiting for Twilight to perform the translation spell.
She focused her magical energy into her horn. It glowed when the force was released. The pink magic field expanded and there was a white flash that made everyone blink.
"Did it work?" Twilight asked nervously.
"Yes," said Darren, now genuinely smiling for the first time since his arrival on Equestria.
Arcus stepped forward and stretched out his hoof. Darren hesitated, then shaped his hand into a fist and bumped the hoof to greet his friend.
"You look different," said Darren. He raised his eyebrows. "You have gained... considerable weight."
"Well, thank Goodness," snorted Arcus. "After that ordeal in Quel'Thalas, it was touch and go for a while. Really helps when your wife is an awesome cook. Me, not so much." He grinned - but when he saw the expression on Darren's face the grin trickled off his muzzle. "You okay?"
"Yes," said Darren a little bit too quickly.
Twilight's ears folded down. She wondered if he was thinking of lost family.
Jonathan decided to cut the awkward silence short and stretched out his hand. Darren shook it with a firm grip.
"When did you arrive?" asked Jonathan.
"A few days ago," said Darren. "Something went wrong with that portal of yours. Something must have interfered with it," he corrected when he noticed the defensive glare from Jonathan.
Twilight rubbed her chin. "It threw you off-course in both time and space," she said. "I must remember that this can be a problem when travelling by portal. Darren, I'm really very sorry about all this." She grimaced.
Darren shook his head. "Doubtful it was your fault." He folded his hands behind his back and looked at the visitors expectantly, especially Blaze. "So what now?"
"The second hearing will be tomorrow," said Blaze, "but now that we can understand each other again, I guess I'm off the hook with preparing for it." He grinned. "The statement has already been relayed and the White family has decided to forgive you."
"What will be the compensation?" asked Darren, all business-like.
Blaze frowned, confused. "I - I just said that they forgive you. You know, Sir, for trespassing."
"I do not have to pay a fee, serve time...?"
"Er... no."
"I must meet them to express my gratitude," stated Darren.
"I'll ask them if that's alright," promised Blaze. He shook his head, still bemused by Darren's expecting more severe punishment.
"The hearing tomorrow...?" began Twilight.
"Will be about Mr Houndslayer assaulting the guard in the castle," said Blaze. He turned to Darren. "We found the guard and he had a slight concussion, we'll see how the hearing turns out. The attorney still hasn't shown up which is kind of unlike her. We don't have anypony to represent you at the hearing," Blaze admitted.
"I will represent him, then," said Twilight instantly. She looked at Darren. "If you're okay with that."
Darren nodded. "Of course."
"Hey, Eclipse! Come and look at what I found," called Peridot, leaning out of the bedroom window on the second floor.
Eclipse jumped from the lower branches of the ash tree behind the house. He fluttered his little wings to slow his fall and landed on all four feet.
"Coming!" he called back. Picking up his shield, he dashed to the house.
When he entered the bedroom, he found Peridot sitting on her haunches, surrounded by all of the books that they owned. There were almost two dozens of them. She had opened most of them and marked pages with some of the bookmarks she had made at school.
"Hi," she said, raising her head. "You gotta see this." As Eclipse sat down next to her, trying not to step on any of the books, she shoved the one she had been holding under his muzzle.
The book was his. Eclipse had read it so often that the binding was a little ripped on the edges. He had tried to fix it with magic tape but a few pages were still askew. Eclipse leaned back to look at the picture.
"That's a knight," he stated flatly. "sooo... what?"
"Exactly! It's knight, not a guard. I've been thinking. We have the Royal Guard and the City Guard. But this picture shows a pony in completely different armour. And I'm pretty sure I've seen armour like that in the museum before. Do you know what that means?" whispered Peridot, her eyes widened in excitement.
Eclipse shrugged. "That there used to be not just guards but also knights?"
"Yes!" shouted Peridot triumphantly. "But that's not the big question! The question is- "
"What happened to the knights?" finished Eclipse thoughtfully. "Huh. You're right, that's weird."
"Thanks." Jonathan smiled at a slightly shocked well-fed pony behind the counter. She gave him a forced smile and turned away to serve Arcus.
Jonathan took his tray and carefully walked over to the round table where Darren and Twilight waited. The City Guard Cafeteria was not the biggest but alright for ponies who worked in shifts. Bright, slightly purple crystals lit up the white tiled floor. Even the walls were tiled up to waist height. It was too loud for such a small room; Jonathan did not like it. Today, Blaze's superior, Coral Spark, had agreed to let them eat here. Twilight shifted her chair to make some room and Jonathan put the tray down.
"Ah, crap," he muttered. He had forgotten the knife and fork. "Be right back."
"So, Darren, what did you do the last few days?" asked Twilight. "I mean, uh, besides getting caught for -" she lowered her voice, remembering where they were, "- assaulting a guard and releasing King Sombra? Uhh, sorry I asked." She blushed, embarrassed. "I guess I just wanted to know how you are."
Darren raised his brows. He leaned back and exhaled, watching Jonathan and Arcus joining them at the table. Arcus pulled a fourth chair closer. The chair scratched across the tiled floor with a sharp squeak which made Twilight's eyes fold back. The guards from the neighbouring table raised their heads, earning an apologetic smile from Arcus.
"Since Blaze is not here yet..." Darren put his elbows on the table and bent forward, lowering his voice as well. "Barely holding on. Isn't there a place like your Everfree Forest nearby?"
"With wild, dangerous animals?" Jonathan frowned.
"Sorry." Arcus shook his head. "No such luck."
"What do we do?" whispered Twilight, nervously looking around.
"Stop that. Please," said Jonathan quietly, giving her a deadpan look. "That twitching around of yours is what makes you look suspicious."
"Sorry," she muttered, grimacing.
"What... does it feel like?" said Arcus hesitantly.
Darren twitched, then looked at the earth pony. There was a pause.
"Like a vicious hunger. I am dizzy. Also, highly aggressive."
"You don't look that angry to me," said Arcus incredulously.
Jonathan pointed at the jug of orange juice that stood on his tray. It was frozen over. So was, in fact, all the food on the table.
"Oh." Arcus bit his lip, his ears folding down. "I see."
Jonathan lifted a salad leaf on his fork, inspected it and dropped it back on his plate. "Great," he groaned. "So much for lunch."
"I apologize," pressed Darren through his teeth. "Maybe Twilight can reheat it with a spell."
"If you're hungry, maybe you should eat something, too," said Twilight, more as a joke than anything else.
Jonathan's eyes widened as he realized something. "Wait a second." He grabbed Darren's arm. "What if you're just that? Hungry?" He smirked. "Like I was when I came to Equestria. It started after a few days. I got that hunger and I also fell asleep at night. That needed some getting used to."
Darren shook his head, pulling his arm away from the priest.
"Unlikely. The Light healed you. I do not have... access to it anymore."
Jonathan frowned. "Wait, what?" Anymore?, he mouthed.
"Stop, stop, let me get this straight," said Arcus, waving his hooves. "Are you saying that Darren is - somehow - getting healed?"
Jonathan shrugged, grimacing. "Maybe. I mean, maybe the Crystal Heart..."
Twilight stood up. "Of course! That must be it! Darren, that could be - we must test it! Here," she shoved her plate under Darren's nose, "you should try some food!"
The knight just glared at her. Twilight fought the sudden urge to use her magic and put up Darren's hood, just so she would not have to see his cold blue eyes.
Jonathan cleared his throat. "Princess, you shouldn't push him."
Twilight lowered her gaze. "Sorry," she mumbled. She turned to Darren. "I didn't mean to. I just hoped..."
"Don't mind that," he said curtly. "I will try to eat later. Not here." He raised his brows and jerked his head towards the guards.
"Still, is there anything we can do?" asked Twilight desperately.
Darren hesitated. "One thing comes to mind."
"I think I know what. We'll do it. We'll stop you if we have to," promised Jonathan in a tone so serious that Twilight gulped.
"With any means necessary?" countered Darren.
"Yes. But," said Jonathan slowly, "I don't think it'll come to that. We should still wait a bit and see if the Heart really does something and the bloodlust fades. If not - I'll pray about it. Maybe the Light can help us out. It's my job, about time I did it, I guess."
"I can offer three days," said Darren after a while. "More seems unrealistic."
Arcus and Twilight exchanged uneasy looks.
A quiet plink made the two ponies jump. The orange juice was melting again.
"Let's eat," muttered Twilight without any enthusiasm whatsoever.