The rustling of feet treading on grass made Darren look up from the fire. For a second, he was speechless.
Nylene was back, once again in her sparse armour, cloak and bandages, but she looked quite different. Her fur-laced, admittedly very short pants and her bracers were bright and clean, the stains mostly gone. The bandages on her arms, chest and legs now appeared more like clothing than makeshift first-aid measures. Her cloak was thrown back, revealing her wings and the demonic tattoos on her muscular shoulders, and her dark hair - its actual colour turned out to be a very deep blue - was woven into a long braid. The dark bandage was firmly wrapped around her eyes and bound a little differently than before. She tugged at the cloth, still unused to the way it was now. A hint of green light shimmered through the threads. As she approached him, her mouth turned into a confused smirk.
"What?" she asked.
Darren cleared his throat and raised his eyebrows, facing the stew again. Without looking at Nylene, he stood up and passed her the wooden spoon. "I need to take a bath, too," he rasped.
"Of course." Nylene sat down in Darren's place, crossing her legs. As he faced her again he saw that her smirk had turned into a confident grin. Darren shook his head and gathered everything he needed for doing the laundry.
"See you later," he said curtly.
Nylene was not entirely sure why Darren had suddenly been so stunned by her appearance but since he treated her with the very same respect as before she did not think much of it. Still, she could not help the satisfaction that came with the knowledge that he seemed to deem her beautiful. Stirring the food in the pot above their campfire, she smiled to herself. The way he had hesitated to say anything was probably out of embarrassment or confusion. She decided to hold her tongue about it; he was obviously preoccupied with other things. He had to take care of that little pony, for instance, until they could find a way back to Eclipse's homeworld.
She looked up and noticed Darren return in clean-smelling clothes, a bundle under his arm: Eclipse's robe. At almost the same time, Tarik emerged from the woods.
"Ah," said Darren, setting the robe down on a flat stone, "you've been successful."
Tarik grunted something. He sat down and took off his armour. Was there blood on it? What had he killed?
"What was it?" Nylene asked aloud.
"Spiders," said Tarik, sticking his sword into the earth, the blade scraping at the mix of clay, loess and sand. "Three of them. Going up to my shoulder, believe it or not. Like those damned Forsaken hunter pets."
Darren whistled, genuinely impressed.
Tarik tilted a piece of his armour in his hands. The shilouette of his cold blue aura shifted when he stood up and stalked towards the river with something in his arms. Maybe Tarik felt her gaze on him because he turned around and said, "It hardly helps but I do have standards." Then, he walked away.
"What does he mean?" Nylene frowned. "His smell?"
"Suppose so," said Darren. "After two weeks aboard a ship with a hold full of people I didn't think much of it. But out here that's an issue, of course. Maybe even the reason why this raven keeps turning up."
"They do like carrion," Nylene muttered in agreement.
"Plus, Eclipse has a finer nose." Darren sounded tired.
"Did you - when you came to Equestria - did you smell?" Nylene asked slowly.
"Yes." Darren sat down on the opposite side of the fire. "Until the curse wore off and the decay was reversed."
"I see."
There was an awkward silence. It stretched on and on, only interrupted by Nylene stirring the stew.
Looking for something else to talk about, Nylene's thoughts shifted to the pony.
"You said that Eclipse was adopted," she said eventually.
"Yes. He was found in the wilderness by some guards, I believe. The couple that took him in already had a daughter. Earth pony. She became his big sister."
"Earth pony?" Nylene stopped her stirring. "I don't understand."
"Right, the pony races. That term isn't entirely accurate, mind you. There are earth ponies, pegasi and unicorns. And alicorns, they've got both horn and wings but they're a special case. Usually, the traits are hereditary." Darren scratched his chin. "But the Crystal Ponies and the Umbrum are a different people even though they have similar characteristics..."
"Now you lost me," Nylene said dryly.
"Umbrum? Shadow ponies. Like Eclipse," Darren explained.
"Oh, like Void Elves?"
"Never heard of them. Hm. I think," said Darren, "it's about time we catch up on who's who."
"Shoo!" Tarik waved angrily at the raven. The bird jumped a step away, fluttered its wings and tried its luck with Eclipse's stew.
"Hey!" Eclipse laughed and pulled his bowl away. "You gotta wait your turn."
Nylene chuckled. She tilted her own bowl so that some stew flowed out and dripped onto the floor, along with a few chunks of vegetables. The raven quickly hobbled over to her and picked at the food.
"You're spoiling that wretched bird," Tarik muttered, shaking his head.
"I think we should name him," said Eclipse. "He comes to us every time we eat."
"Who says it's the same raven?" Tarik said, annoyed.
Darren smirked. "Same wingspan, same colours, same voice. And it's as bold as the last time. Sure it's the same raven. So, Eclipse, what do you want to call it?"
Eclipse looked at the raven. The bird raised its head, tilting it a little so one eye rested on him. Then, it flapped its wings and cawed, fluttering up to Eclipse's head.
"Spunky!" he decided with a grin. His ears twitched, turning towards the raven. "I'll call him Spunky. Cause that's what he is."
The black bird squawked and flew away.
"Aw..." Eclipse's ears went down. "He's gone again."
"Don't worry," Levinia consoled him, patting his shoulder. "I'm sure Spunky will be back." She turned to Tarik. "What's your problem with ravens anyway?" she demanded.
"My problem?" Tarik snapped. "They show up on every battlefield to feast on the corpses, that's what. Every time I see these pests they remind me of that."
Darren sighed, raising his brows, but did not object.
"You can see it that way, I suppose," Nylene said slowly. "But who says that this particular raven has ever eaten anything besides berries and grains and... stew?"
"That's unlikely," Tarik grunted, setting his chin.
Levinia frowned. "I see," she said.
"Well, Spunky seems to like us and we're still alive, I mean, moving around and stuff," Eclipse quickly corrected. "He can't be that bad. Maybe he just wants to be friends."
"Right," Levinia agreed.
Tarik rolled his eyes.
Eclipse dug at the ground with a hoof, pushing his now empty bowl aside. He leaned against Levinia's barrel. She put a wing around him like a blanket.
"Where do you wish to stay in Stormwind?" Nylene asked Darren. "At your family's?"
"No." Darren shook his head. "I need to find out if, one, they're still alive and living there and two, if they even recognize me."
"Did you change that much? I mean, yeah, your mane's white now and there's the tattoo on your face..." Eclipse said slowly. "But you didn't age while you were undead, did you?"
"I meant: recognize me as their family," Darren clarified.
"Oh." Eclipse's ears folded back, then they went up again and he smiled encouragingly. "I'm sure it will be okay. You're really cool, I wouldn't know anypony who wouldn't wanna be your friend."
"That's kind of you." Darren made a face. "Let's hope you're correct. My uncle might be there. He married, oof, decades ago. His son could be a parent by now. If they survived the Plague."
Levinia leaned her head onto her forelegs. "What's his name? The uncle's?"
Darren hesitated. "Janeck," he said curtly. He pressed his lips together and said nothing else.
"Like Darren's dead son," Eclipse whispered into Levinia's ear.
Levinia's mouth formed into an O. She grimaced and fell silent, discouraged from continuing the conversation.
After the awkward lunch they decided to keep resting for another hour. Eclipse and Nylene took a nap in the warm sun. Tarik resumed cleaning his armour and blade.
Levinia turned her attention back to Twilight's notes. She tried to understand what the well-read alicorn had written about portals but after a few pages of formulas and paragraphs in an an accumulation of ant-sized letters she had to give up. Passing a scroll on to Darren, Levinia sighed and hung her head.
"This makes no sense to me," she admitted sadly. "I really have no idea how that kind of magic works."
Darren accepted the scroll, unrolled it and huffed in frustration as he came to the same conclusion.
"Know the feeling." He let go with one hand and the scroll rolled shut. "There's no point without the help of a mage or at least someone who studied magic. We could find somebody in Stormwind. And all the while I should keep looking for the Princess when I sleep. The chances are good with the nightmares I keep having," he added dryly.
Levinia nodded in agreement. She tilted her head.
"We'll need a place to stay. And lots of bits. And Eclipse, he needs education. Think about it, Darren, we have no idea how long it might take us to find a way back home. Oh, sweet Celestia, we'll need jobs," she groaned, hiding her face in her hooves.
"You mean, I need a job," Darren corrected. "They don't employ spirits here. As far as I know. Alright, probably not." He rubbed his eyes and groaned. "Dear Light."
"Are you worried you might not find one?" Levinia asked, frowning.
Darren shrugged. "Just - last time was tedious. It took a while until somebody hired me."
"Well, this time you'll be among humans," Levinia said cheerfully. "Those are better chances, I'm sure!"
Darren raised his brows in doubt. "Right."
"And I'm volunteering to look after Eclipse while you work!" Levinia declared with a grin.
Twilight and Jonathan did not hurry as they walked through the streets of the Crystal Empire. Luna had looked very tired. It was obvious she could not attempt another spell this day.
Jonathan noticed that the crystal ponies did not pay him that much attention. So they were in the neighbourhood of Eclipse's where the residents knew about humans. And here was the house of Eclipse's parents.
Twilight rang the bell. The door opened almost immediately, revealing the face of a nervous mother.
"Hi, Feather," said Twilight.
As she saw the relaxed expression on Twilight's and Jonathan's faces, Feather smiled shakily and exhaled.
"How long have you been holding your breath?" Jonathan asked with a frown.
"Basically all the time," Feather said, stepping aside. "Come on in."
Peridot, who sat on the couch, looked up with hopeful eyes. A glossy new set of playing cards was on the coffee table. Jonathan remembered she had given Darren her previous one when he had been in the City Guard's custody. Apparently, she and Feather had played a game and gotten interrupted by the door bell.
Feather gestured for Twilight and Jonathan to sit down and hurried into the kitchen.
"Coffee?" she asked through the open kitchen door.
"Better not," said Jonathan, "I'll walk up the walls. Just water, please."
"I'd take some green tea, please," said Twilight.
While Feather rummaged in the kitchen, Peridot inched closer to Jonathan who had sat down at the other end of the couch.
"Did you find out anything?" she asked.
"Actually, yes. But your Mom is gonna want to hear it, too." He smiled at her.
While Twilight broke the news to Feather and Peridot who both hugged her the second she told them Eclipse was safe, Jonathan became aware of the absence of Eclipse's father. He stood up and walked over to the stairs. He could hear quick rhythmic pounding coming from a room above. Jonathan cast a quick look back at Feather. She blinked, then nodded. He had permission to go upstairs.
As he ascended the stairs he realized how familiar the sound was. He had heard it many times when he had passed by a certain shop in Undercity. What was White's occupation again?
Jonathan followed the sound to a door at the back of the short hallway. He knocked and the sound went on for a few seconds until it stopped.
"Yes, come in!" a muffled voice called from inside.
Jonathan opened the door and found White Alloy standing at an upright apple tree stump that had to weigh as much as the stallion himself. A sturdy piece of metal that resembled a narrow anvil was stuck into the flat top of the stump. White put a simple cup of silver down on a table next to him. He slid the hammer off his foreleg and sighed.
"Any news?" he asked.
"You're a goldsmith?" Jonathan asked, pointing at the cup.
White nodded, wiping his hoof on his apron. "I've been distracting myself. Hitting something with a hammer helps when you're stressed, you know." His eyes met Jonathan's. "Please tell me," he said, sounding tired.
"Right." Jonathan grimaced. "Sorry. Well, Eclipse and Darren and Levinia are all well und, uh, unharmed. They are on their way to Stormwind City, that should be a safe place. And the Princesses are working on a way to get them back. It's just a matter of time now."
White staggered and quickly steadied himself, using the tree stump as support. He closed his eyes for a second.
"Thanks," he said. With two swift steps, the stallion went over to Jonathan and gave the surprised human a hug. "Thank you." White's voice trembled.
"Sh-sure," said Jonathan, slightly embarrassed. "You okay?"
White let go and rubbed his eyes.
"I am now," he said, smiling. He quickly took his apron off and carelessly threw it over the tree stump. "Let's go downstairs and talk some more."
The zeppelin from Grom'gol was scheduled to leave for the City of Orgrimmar on the same day that Darren and Tarik flew their gryphons across the river to Elwynn Forest, the river that they had used for washing themselves and their clothes. Vol'Shalai was not on that zeppelin. At first, he had urged his wyvern to fly him west but as soon as he was out of sight he had landed and waited for a bit. When he was sure that his friends had departed, too, he rose from the canopy of leaves and followed them.
He was very careful, flying mostly at night and resting in the day. Every time Vol'Shalai landed and each time he took off, he asked the spirits for guidance so he would not lose their trail. His mystical bond with Levinia was a tremendous help. He could vaguely tell in which direction the pegasus was.
Oh, how they would complain if they knew! They would tell him to not risk himself getting caught by the Alliance. He had consulted the Loa about it. They had told him to keep his word, the promise to his wife and to his chieftain Rokhan. Gonk, the loa of forms, had suggested that Vol'Shalai take the shape of a spirit wolf and hide in the ethereal realm as soon as he reached Stormwind City. Vol'Shalai liked that plan. It had worked well before. He would remain hidden until his friends and the pony Loa needed him.
The sun was close to the horizon, big and red, when the gryphons reached the foothills of a broad mountain ridge. They had flown over green trees the entire time. Elwynn Forest was vast and stretched all the way from the fields of Westfall to the Redridge Mountains. Eclipse was relieved that this new forest was better than the jungle of Stranglethorn and much healthier than the gloomy, foggy Duskwood. It was just a regular forest with the occasional clearing, creek or farmhouse. Narrow fields dotted the landscape, holes in the thick carpet of leaves and branches that made it up.
There was a tower in the East and a bridge up ahead, spanning across an entire lake. The broad bridge led to an impressive gate, fortified with towers and a large gatehouse, all built from massive grey blocks of stone. Five gigantic stone statues seamed the entrance to the fortress, greeting anyone that wanted to enter or leave. Eclipse recognized three humans, an elven woman with a bow and a bearded short guy holding up a warhammer - that had to be a dwarf.
"What is that castle?" Eclipse shouted over the wind.
"It's not a castle," Darren called. "Look!"
Eclipse kept looking and soon he understood. Darren made the gryphon rise higher up so they were able to peek over the stone wall. An endless sea of colourfol roofs, blue and red and brown, was hidden behind the gate. There were countless houses and streets, a proud fortress and a huge chapel with a high bell tower in the centre of it all. Though, Eclipse suspected, the chapel was probably called something different when it was this large. There was a park not unlike the one in the Crystal Empire, lush and green, and a port where several ships were anchored. The mountains protected the side of the city that faced away from them, the sea was its border on the left, and the fortress on the right looked as if it used the hills as its backbone. Even from here, Eclipse could see tiny people walking up and down the streets, all kinds of creatures and mounts and carts, and gryphons flying in and out of a hole in the sturdy wall. This was a proper city, its size easily rivaling that of his home, not a shabby town like Booty Bay.
A smile spread on Eclipse's muzzle, his heart pounding faster. He was going to meet all kinds of creatures here and learn new things and finally get to sleep in a proper bed. And with the help of the people who lived here they would soon get back home to Equestria.
"Stormwind City," Darren shouted. "We're here."
Nylene patted Eclipse's shoulder affectionately.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?"
Eclipse nodded.
"Yes!" he called. "It's awesome!"
"I thought so," she said with satisfaction. "We shall find a fine place to rest here, An'dorei."