//------------------------------// // Chapter 28: The Apple // Story: The Pony Loa // by Leila Drake //------------------------------// Even though the picnic with Stephen and his kids had been a success, Darren was exhausted afterwards. They went back to the inn at midday. He realized that he had only delayed the inevitable by sheer willpower. After thanking Eclipse and Nylene for their efforts, Darren excused himself to take a long nap. As he went upstairs, he heard Eclipse asking Nylene if she wanted to play another game of cards. A gigantic yawn escaped Darren's mouth now that he was out of sight of everybody. He dragged himself to room 3, shut the door, got rid of his clothes and shoes in a haphazard manner and flopped onto the bed. "Oof." But though he was tired as hell, sleep would not come right away. Maybe it was those infernal cookies. They had been so damn tasty that they had eaten the whole bunch. And Eclipse had mentioned that the dark ones had been with kafa. Or maybe he was just thinking too much about what had been said. And about what had not been said. Apparently, Stephen now believed Darren enough not to think of him as a stranger any more. That was great. Or it would be if Darren could see them again after bringing Eclipse home. He really should talk to Khadgar about that permanent portal. Was that selfish? On the other hand, Khadgar would not just set up a word gate anywhere, unguarded. There would be regulations and precautions, you could bet on that. And Darren was certain that the portal's existence would remain a secret on Azeroth for a long while. Good thing that Levinia and Vol'Shalai were helping the archmage. Khadgar had kindly provided them with temporary quarters in Karazhan. One of his assistants - how many were there anyway? - teleported them to Stormwind now and then. They used their trips to get reagents and items for Khadgar and to meet Darren, Nylene and Eclipse to catch them up on their progress. Nylene had bought a gigantic mirror in the Auction House, investing half of her entire savings to place the highest bid. Darren had tried to pay her back but she had said she wanted to do that. Nylene and Vol'Shalai had carried that monster of a thing to the Wizard's Sanctum and dragged it up the spiral ramp to the tower. The mirror, according to Vol'Shalai, was ugly as the night was dark but they had chosen it because of its size, not the way it looked. It was made of brass, completely round and large enough in diameter for the taller humanoids of Azeroth to step through. A mirror meant experiments. And that meant that Khadgar had translated enough of Twilight's notes to start his first test runs and try some spells. If only it had not taken Darren to recall his time in Andorhal to gain Stephen's trust. Thinking back to losing Grace and the kids still hurt, even after all this time. It would not go away, not ever. At least he had not been the one to kill them. But having to burn them so they would not be resurrected as servants of the Scourge, that had hardly been better. No wonder Darren had eventually gotten the name Childslayer. Survivors probably thought he had set the fires because he liked it. Like that man in Ratchet. Darren dreaded the day that Nylene would ask him about it. He was also surprised she had not done it yet. He should really try and get some sleep. Darren turned to lie on his left side and face away from the window. The kids apparently got along just fine. Eclipse and Carl had bonded over their shared appreciation of Hearthstone cards. Vera seemed to like Eclipse simply because he was a pony - or a unicorn as Carl kept calling Eclipse. That was something that Darren would never understand: How could you confuse unicorns with pegasi? Good thing that Eclipse did not care much about that. All in all, Darren was fascinated by how resilient the colt was. After the fight beneath the cathedral, Eclipse had been shaken but he had recovered surprisingly quickly. Nylene had not said much during their picnic but Darren had still appreciated her being there. She kept sitting just a little closer to him each time the chance provided itself. And he did not mind at all, with her being the way she was. Maybe he should ask her if she wanted to come to Equestria? Or was it too soon? Luckily, there was still a little time to make up his mind. Thinking about Nylene made Darren both calm and nervous at the same time. In spite what you would expect of a demon hunter, her hardships had not made her bitter but more kind and more appreciative for the little things that made up life. The way she moved was... captivating. And when she smiled, her mouth curved in a certain way that was hard to describe. Darren caught himself staring at the ceiling with a silly grin. Darren must have dozed off at some point because he awakened to Eclipse noisily entering the room and quickly trying to be quiet as he noticed Darren on the bed. Darren sighed, grunted and sat up. He had not done his daily exercise in the park yet. "Hey, Darren," said Eclipse as he realized that Darren was done sleeping. "Hey, kid," Darren rasped. "Did you have fun?" "Uh-huh." "Good. I'm going for a run." "Oh, me too!" Eclipse requested. "Alright," said Darren. Eclipse was smaller than him but the pony could gallop so fast that Darren did not even need to slow down when Eclipse came along. "Can I try and glide some more this time?" "Sure. But please wait until we're in the park this time." Eclipse's ears folded down. "Sorry again I crashed into that cart," he muttered dejectedly. "It's fine, nobody got hurt," Darren assured him. "But..." "Yeah, only fly in the park," Eclipse finished his sentence. He grinned sheepishly, flashing his fangs. "That dwarf looked really mad. I mean, until you looked back at him with that Angry! Death Knight! Stare! but still." Darren chuckled. Eclipse still did not fear him one bit. And since their fight in the catacombs, he looked for Darren's guidance on using the Shadow even more. Eager to gain a deeper understanding of his powers, he obediently followed any advice Darren gave him on meditation and self-control. On top of that, Miindra showed up at the inn occasionally. She gave Eclipse a few more lessons about the Light and thus Darren had some time to take care of everyday problems - such as washing clothes or buying groceries. Hopefully Eclipse was not actually covering up a deeper problem. Did he try to compensate for trauma by working harder on his abilities? How well did he really deal with his recent experience? He really had to bring Eclipse home to his family! "Darren?" "Mh?" Darren realized that Eclipse had said something. "Are you okay?" Eclipse asked, concern in his voice. "I'm fine," said Darren. "I'm thinking." "Oh, okay. About the portal? Do you think they'll finish it soon?" Apparently, the colt's thoughts often went home, too. "Hope so. So far, it's looking good. Give them a few more days." "The monster's here! Get out, everypony!" The scream echoes through the schoolhouse, throwing everyone into a panic. Hundreds of hooves clatter on the tiled floor as the fillies and colts run for the exit, almost trampling each other. Only one pony remains on his chair. As the smoke around his coat settles, he closes his eyes. Strangely enough, he can still see everything around him: the chairs that have fallen over, the board at the front of the classroom, the open door. Eclipse stands up and slowly walks out of the room. The corridors are already empty, everyone else has been herded outside. Torches light the hallways and the alcoves left and right. Mummified ponies are resting there, along with unconscious humans. As he follows the winding corridor, Eclipse frowns at the weird posters on the walls. They are showing all kinds of things: The Crystal Heart, a city guard standing at attention, ghouls in Andorhal, books from Karazhan for only eight bits apiece... Eclipse steps closer to one of the posters. The ghouls are so colourful that they might jump off the paper right away. Which, after a moment, one of them actually does. Snarling and screeching, the disgusting corpse crashes to the floor. Twisting its spine in an unnatural way, it looks up at Eclipse. Its long-fingered claws reach for him, bandages are dangling off its bony limbs. With a yelp, Eclipse backs away and kicks at the ghoul. Kicking at his blanket, Eclipse awakened himself. He opened his eyes and stared into the dark room. There was a pattern on the left wall and the door, formed by moonbeams shining through the glass. More shadow than light, the intersecting lines formed confusing shapes. Eclipse sat up and looked to his left. Darren was still sleeping. He muttered in his sleep, the occasional grunt and groan escaping his lips. Dark rings were under his eyes, his face was covered by sweat. Eclipse wondered how often Darren woke up in the middle of the night. And he was afraid that he was beginning to catch up. But there was no point in complaining, was there? And it had to be expected that fighting in the catacombs would not have left Eclipse unscathed. He had intentionally hurt people. To save Levinia, yes, but still. He knew that was what guards did for a living, what knights did for a living. But he was still a kid. Why had he been so dumb to come along? Eclipse had thought that just because he had seen Darren's memories he had been prepared. But remembering something and actually doing it were two different things. He had heard and felt his hooves breaking things in their bodies. And Darren, Nylene and Vol'Shalai had sliced cultists into pieces. Sure, his friends had tried not to kill too many but after hearing Darren read that newspaper article, Eclipse knew better than to assume that everyone got out alright. He let his head fall back into the pillow. All those poor, stupid, mean people. Hurt, killed, scared to death by Eclipse and his friends. Please, Light, let their souls be okay, Eclipse thought, tears running down his cheeks. "I'm sorry," he whispered to the dark. "I'm sorry." Darren gave off a short snore and turned under his sheets. Pulling his blanket up and all the way over his muzzle, Eclipse tried to go back to sleep. Nylene sat on the roof of the Gilded Rose, facing the back yard. Allison had no idea she was up here. Jumping out of the window and making a flip backwards, it had been easy for Nylene to land on the tiled surface. With these wings, stunts like this were easy as pie. She leaned backwards and crossed her arms behind her head. A few sparrows sat on the gable, undisturbed by her presence. They fluttered away when a group of pigeons claimed the spot. Nylene was bored. With Vol'Shalai and Levinia busy with opening the portal and Darren taking care of Eclipse, she had a lot of time for herself. The only problem was that there was nothing to do. Of course, she could look for her uncle. But somehow she did not want to. They had not seen each other since her turning and Nylene doubted that he would recognize her. Or even acknowledge her being a relative. If she thought about it, her situation was a lot like Darren's, except she had chosen her fate voluntarily and was therefore branded a traitor. Anger wormed its way up inside her, then it made way for resignation. No, there was no point in trying. Helping Eclipse and his friends had been a better choice than being like a dog chasing carriages. At least Darren had made up with his relatives. That was somthing Nylene counted as a personal success. If not for Eclipse's resolve and her initiative, it would not have happened. She grinned to herself. It had obviously been tough for Darren to talk about certain subjects with Stephen but at least his cousin had not pressed the issue. Eclipse and Vera had cleverly resolved the tension with their offers of food and the games. Nylene tried to imagine the look on Darren's face when Eclipse had asked him to make ice cubes in his drink. He had been something between embarrassed about using his powers and proud he could do the colt a favour. If she could stay with them, they could remain friends. She liked that warm feeling in her chest when they were around. Especially Darren. She just hoped it was not too obvious how she felt. She had not even been sure about it herself for that long. Darren had claimed that he found her beautiful. A strange notion, but he had said it so earnestly that Nylene decided to believe his words. And that was not all. There was something about him that made her loosen up, feel completely at ease. She felt more like the person she was supposed to be, not the one she always had tried to be... was he aware of that? On the other hand, it did not matter whether he was or not. It was just good the way it was. She could follow them to Eclipse's world. The colt had told her that there were no Night Elves there and hardly any demons. That could be her chance. Her quest on Azeroth was done. Sargeras, the leader of the demons, was imprisoned forever and the Legion had been decimated so much that the other demon hunters could finish the job without her. Was that disloyal? Could she not do anything useful on Azeroth? She could let people hire her as a bodyguard. But a demon hunter as a bodyguard? She would propably have to work for some greasy goblin. Yikes. And to join the war against the Horde? After befriending Vol'Shalai? Just no. But what would she even do once she was in Equestria? She would have to get a job there, too. But if Darren found work as a warehouse clerk, how hard could it be for her to find something, too? She could work in the transport industry, or security, or research... there had to be something. Judging by the way Eclipse and Levinia were, the ponies would probably not let her down. Nylene sighed. She would have to ask Eclipse if she could come along. Hopefully it was even possible to take an additional person along. She twitched when the pigeons suddenly flew up. It was probably time for dinner anyway. Darren had said something about baked potatoes. Nylene stood up and jumped off the roof. Spreading her wings, she spun around and glided back inside her room through the open window. Billions of miles away, it was nighttime. Princess Luna's horn ceased glowing as she ended her moon-raising spell. Blinking, she nodded at Celestia who had just lowered the sun with her own magic. "'Tis time," said Luna. "I have gathered enough strength to try again. How fares Twilight?" "She prepared the mirror as well as she could," said Celestia as they slowly walked inside. "And, as you can probably guess, that means we're as ready as we'll ever be." "Very well." Luna used her magic to close the balcony door which was made of crystal like so many things in the Empire's castle. She frowned. "Then I shall try and visit Darren in a dream. I think I can attempt it twice tonight." As they entered the chamber where Twilight had worked on the mirror, they were greeted by a snoring alicorn. Twilight was sitting at a small desk, her head lying on an open notebook, her usually so well-groomed mane in disarray. Next to her sat a white-haired human, also asleep, his head tilted back. Jonathan had a book on his lap. A small thread of saliva hung from his half-open mouth. Luna stifled a giggle behind her hoof. He twitched as Celestia politely cleared her throat. The book slid to the floor. His head whipped up and he blinked rapidly. "Princesses," he said, picking up the book and wiping his mouth with a sleeve. A hint of red showed on his cheeks. Jonathan gently shook Twilight's shoulder. She shifted her weight and sat up with a little groan. "Spike..." Twilight muttered, disoriented. As she opened her eyes fully, she tensed up. "C-celestia! Sorry!" She hectically sprang to her hooves. "I took a little nap, I didn't expect you here so soon -" "Relax, Twilight," said Celestia with a gently smile. "It's alright. Do you think we can try and create a portal tonight?" "Yes, as I said before, I think I did everything right. The only thing we need is an exit point, eveything else should work just fine after that." She used her magic to point at her calculations on the whiteboards with a pen. Jonathan stretched his limbs, getting an accusing glare from Twilight, and stood up, too. He scratched his chin. "We put your pillow aside," he told Luna, "but it's around here somewhere. Just a second." Luna nodded. Celestia put her hoof on Twilight's shoulder. "I have the utmost confidence in you," she told Twilight who visibly relaxed at the statement. "Here it is," Jonathan's voice sounded from behind a whiteboard. He approached Luna, an almost comically large pillow in his arms. With a little effort, he set it down in front of the princess. "Thank you, Jonathan," said Luna kindly. She sat down on the pillow. "I'm ready," she said. "Good luck," Twilight told her and Jonathan added, "Light guide you." Luna closed her eyes. Her horn glowed as she cast her dreamwalking spell. White threads wound around her horn, reaching out, their ends fading into unknown distances. Twilight, Celestia and Jonathan stood as quietly as they could. Celestia quickly sealed the door with her magic so nopony could disturb them. They had to be ready in case Luna needed their energy for a stronger spell. Luna materializes in the dreamscape as herself. Dark mists are swirling around her, the usual fog that covers everything before she focuses her attention on a particular dream. Lights over lights are appearing: the dreams of creatures, not only ponies but all other entities as well. Luna ignores them; she needs to find one that is extremely far away. There. That is Darren. The light is flickering eratically, something that is not unusual for a violent dream. Luna sighs. He is probably having another one of his nightmares. It is a reason why Luna can contact him so easily but she still does not envy the human. Taking a deep breath, Luna assumes the form of a shadow and dives in. Luna finds herself before a burning house in the middle of a town... that is also on fire. The flames are coming out of every window, the tiled roof is so hot that the air above is bristling. Dense, black, fetid smoke rises into a red sky. It looks a lot like the building site she has seen on a picture Darren has shown her a few weeks ago, except without the inferno. Luna the cloud floats aside as the door of the house bursts open. A coughing Darren emerges, a motionless, black-haired human child in his arms. Darren is in full plate armour, the one made of that strange blue metal from Azeroth, and his sword is on his back. Darren runs away from the house to get out of the scorching heat. He puts the child on the ground and checks for his pulse. "Come on..." he whispers urgently as he compresses the boy's chest with his hands. He listens for the child's breath, then he continues the resuscitation. The boy's eyes snap wide open. They are of a vibrant blue. Jumping to his feet, the child instantly dissolves into black smoke and tries to strangle Darren. Luna groans inwardly. Hopefully this dream does not mean that Eclipse is losing control over his powers. Better to step in before the dream escalates even more. With a determined shout, Luna takes her natural shape and stomps her hooves. Thunder shakes the dreamscape, lightning splits a nearby burning tree. The entire town crumbles like brittle dust until only ashes remain. The fires are extingushed by a stream of rain; the black smoke settles and fades away. As the rain weakens and stops, Darren sighs. He looks at the empty spot where the boy has been. Darren nods knowingly, his hands on his hips as if he wants to assess the situation. "Figures," he says. "I'm still worried about him." He looks at Luna. "Glad you've come. One more night and I think I would have murdered someone. Sleep deprivation is not a joke." Luna stares back at Darren, slightly confused. "I took a potion," Darren says curtly. "To remember my dreams. Last week has been hell." "Darren, where are you?" Luna asks, aware how little time she has before the connection deteriorates. "Stormwind City. But we prepared a mirror in Karazhan. Eclipse can go there and tell Khadgar to light... an arcane beacon is what he calls it." Luna's eyes widen. "You already have a mirror? How fortunate! Twilight hoped for this. Ah, but how soon can you get there?" "Right away," Darren says with a smirk. "I'd say in two hours maximum - after I wake up." "I see. Darren, Twilight recommends you send an organic object through before you step in yourselves. Do you understand?" Luna adds quickly as she notices the fog is closing in on them. Darren nods. "Send a test object, understood." He smiled. "Can't wait. See you soon, your Highness - er, Luna." Luna touches Darren's chest with a hoof while she is already being dragged away. To Darren it must look as if she is fading into the fog. Luna opened her eyes. She jumped to her feet with a smile. "I did it," she cheered, "but now we must hurry. In ten minues the mirror needs to be ready." "Ten minutes?!" Twilight gasped. "We still need to cast the spells! Jonathan, do you have my notes on the adjustment for the time differential?" "Right here," said Jonathan calmly, handing the book that had been on his lap to the anxious pony. "Thanks." Twilight turned to Luna. "What did he tell you?" "They have a mirror and can prepare it in two hours of their time," said Luna. "It will serve as a magical beacon, showing us on this side where to open the portal." "They must have found an archmage," Twilight muttered, tapping her chin. "Yes, Darren mentioned someone," Luna said vaguely. "I do hope he is a mage." "How can we help?" Celestia asked. Twilight nervously flipped through her notes. "I need somepony to stabilize the spell with Light magic as soon as we can see a spark in the mirror." Jonathan raised a hand, now holding his wand. "Ready when you are," he said simply. Darren nearly fell out of bed when he woke up, instantly wide awake. He turned and shook Eclipse's shoulder. "Wake up, kid, it's time," he said. "Time?" moaned Eclipse sleepily. "Time for what?" "Quickly, pack your things," said Darren, beginning to dress himself. "Wha?! Oh! Right!" Eclipse jumped up, suddenly alert, and went to the closet to throw everything he had into his saddlebag. Robe, belt, card packs, mana potions, quill and inkpot, were his hearthstones in there? Yes, good. He checked under the bed and the sheets, then behind the chair to make sure he had not forgotten anything. The last thing to join his belongings was the wooden shield. Darren, already in his boots, snatched everything else from the table and unceremoniously stuffed it into his own bag. He rolled up the trollish blanket und tied it to the bag, then he donned his armour as fast as he could. "Please tell Nylene," he told Eclipse and the colt gallopped outside to knock on the demon hunter's door. Checking the room once again, Darren confirmed they had not left any of their things behind. He put on his sword belt and cloak. A quick look into the mirror - his hair was a mess, he looked tired as hell - it could not be helped. He went after Eclipse and found him standing next to Nylene. She was dressed in her blue combination, bag slung over her shoulder, her warglaives hidden under her cloak. "I'm ready," she said. Darren frowned, confused. "I've been thinking," Nylene declared. "I shall join you. If you let me." She smiled. "I can explain on the way," she offered. "But if what you say is true, we need to hurry, don't we?" Darren and Nylene each dropped a bag of money behind Allison's counter along with a note that explained what it was for. They ran through the streets of Stormwind, the sound of boots and hooves on cobblestone echoing through the almost empty city. It was still before sunset and only a few people walked the streets. Darren was the slowest; Eclipse and Nylene both used their powers to speed up and Darren let them be. They would quickly find one of Khadgar's mages in the Sanctum; that would save them some time. Darren just hoped that his estimation of two hours had been correct. "There it is!" Luna said, excitedly pointing her hoof at an array of yellow and purple sparks blooming in the mirror. "Here we go," Twilight said, lighting her horn. A drop of sweat ran down her neck as she recited the complicated spell. Jonathan put his hand on her shoulder, adding his Light magic to her Arcane one. The surface of the mirror bubbled and twisted. Then it bent outward with a bright flash, almost touching Twilight who quickly took a step back with a gasp. The purple light of her horn faded at the same time as the yellow light around Jonathan's hands and wand tip dimmed. The mirror hummed like an electrical power line as its surface came to rest. "Now it's up to them," said Twilight nervously. There was a little plop as something fell out of the mirror. It rolled across the floor. Luna quickly caught it in her magic. She raised the object into the air and smiled, slightly confused. "An apple?" "There's something on it," Jonathan said, pointing at the fruit. It was a symbol: six stars. One of them, the biggest, was in the middle and surrounded by the other five. Each of the stars had six points. Twilight's Cutie Mark. "It's them," said Jonathan firmly. Twilight nodded. "We need to send something back," she said. "Perhaps the same apple," Luna suggested. "Yes, but we should add something," Celestia mused. Luna nodded. She lit her horn and used a narrow beam of blue light to carve something into the other side of the apple. She threw the apple at the mirror and it disappeared in the liquid-looking substance. "What did you make?" Twilight asked curiously. Luna smiled. "Something nobody else knows over there." Khadgar bent down to pick the apple off the ground, nervous glances of several people resting on him. "Somebody got our message," he said slowly. "But I'm not sure I'm getting theirs." Miindra, her arms crossed, tilted her head. She had helped with casting the spell, adding her Light to Khadgar's portal magic. "Can I see it?" Levinia asked, stretching out her translucent hoof. "Of course. Here." When Levinia saw the symbol on the apple, she snorted in amusement. She turned the fruit so Darren and Eclipse could see the picture. It showed three stylized balloons. Eclipse laughed, full of relief. Darren smirked. "It means they're going to celebrate our return," he said. Turning to Nylene, he asked, "Are you sure about this? There may be no way back." "Even if the Princesses decide to shut down the portal, I still wish to go," said Nylene seriously. "Lead the way." Vol'Shalai cleared his throat. "Ya should probably hold hands," he suggested. "Hm. Good idea," Darren muttered. He raised his voice a little. "It lowers the risk of us ending up in different places. Or times." "A reasonable precaution," Khadgar agreed. "Please give this scroll to your Princesses. It explains how to keep the portal open, permanently. And there's a request from Lord Commander Turalyon. It took some convincing on my part but... well, we'll see how it turns out." Darren took the scroll and carefully stored it in his bag. He turned to Vol'Shalai. "Thank you for your help," he said. "Please, no," said the troll, "I been the one to get ya into dis mess." "Everything you did afterwards was your choice, though," Darren insisted. "But you better keep this a secret for now. I'm not Alliance but from what I've seen so far the Horde tends to take what isn't theirs. An entire new world might be at risk here." "Hmm," hummed Vol'Shalai, rubbing his chin. "Leaving da Horde in da dark don't sit well wit me. I'll tink long and hard about all of dis. Ya may be right. But I don't tink da ponies will let anybody just come and invade their world. Your Princesses seem to have a good hande on everyting. And I'm sure Rokhan and our people would like someone new to trade with. I got no idea where Thrall or Baine or dat new leader of da Forsaken be. But make no mistake, my friend, sooner or later they gonna find out about da portal. Some of dem sooner than others." "If we keep the portal open, we'll figure something out," said Levinia. "I'm gonna miss you - again," said Eclipse, running towards Vol'Shalai to hug him tightly. "And your food and your jokes and how you keep beating me in Hearthstone." Darren and Khadgar shook hands. The wizard seemed thoughtful. Eclipse let got of Vol'Shalai and stretched out a hoof to bump it with Khadgar's fist, then Miindra's. She gave Eclipse a warm smile. Khadgar nodded at Miindra. The Draenei raised an enormous pink crystal hammer and stood at attention to guard the mirror. Vol'Shalai patted Darren on the back. "Spirits be wit you, my friend," he said with a friendly wink. He grinned at Levinia. "Ya be da best pony Loa I ever met. We could use more friends like ya around here." Levinia nodded. "Take care. And say Hi to your wife from me when you get back, okay?" Darren took Eclipse's bag and slung it over his shoulder, adding to the weight already on it. He bound the shield to his belt. Eclipse jumped, flapped his wings, and flew onto Darren's back. He sat down on his shoulders, holding on to the knight's head with both forelegs. Darren offered Nylene his hand. She took it, only hesitating for a moment. "Please let this work," Darren prayed spontaneously before they stepped into the portal. A few seconds later, the surface of the mirror settled again, leaving Khadgar, Vol'Shalai and Miindra behind. "So what now?" Vol'Shalai asked, tilting his head. "We guard the portal until we get an answer," said Khadgar. "What you do personally is up to you, of course." "Hm." The troll crossed his arms. "I tink I wanna stay," he said. "Still got lotsa months to wait until I can go home." Khadgar raised his brows, asking a silent question. "I got a temporary ban for summoning da pony Loa," Vol'Shalai muttered with a sheepish grin. "Can't go back to my tribe for a year." Khadgar and Miindra exchanged a look. The paladin shrugged, the hammer on her shoulder moved. "All right," Khadgar decided. "For now. I still have Twilight's notes; Darren left them here for further studies. I'd be willing to share my research with the mages of your tribe." Vol'Shalai's eyes widened. "Ya sure?" he asked. Khadgar nodded. "M-hm," he confirmed, folding his hands behind his back. "I think dere's someting ya know and ain't telling," said Vol'Shalai slowly. "Maybe," Khadgar said with a mysterious smile.