//------------------------------//
// Chapter 38 - Sharing The Pain 
// Story: My Little Warcraft - New Friends 
// by Shin Guyviroth 
//------------------------------//

Twilight banged her hoof on the front door of the hut over and over again. "Come on, Zecora," muttered Twilight, "please open the door…!"

Applejack stood by Gai'vahros alongside Tarenar and Gidwin, her hoof placed on the limp elf's forehead. "He's burnin' up a fever, Twi," she said with grief. "He just keeps getting' worse by the minute."

"Come on, Gai," cooed Rainbow Dash from behind him, her head against his ear, "you can pull through this! What kinda knight gets put down by a fever, eh?"

A click came from in front of them, followed by a gentle creaking noise as the hut door opened. In the doorway stood a tall-standing zebra. The equine has a black and white, mohawk-styled mane that matched her coat and dark grey eyes. Around her long, slender neck were several gold rings, as well as a few adorned on her ears and around a single foreleg.

"Ah, Twilight," the zebra welcomed, "how do you do? I see you've brought some… um… strange friends with you?"

"Thank goodness you're here, Zecora," replied Twilight. "We were attacked by timberwolves and Gai'vahros is wounded! Please, we need your help!"

Stirring a little, a soft groan came from Gai'vahros. His head began to lift a little, but his view was none the better. Groggy and weak, he was only met with a sharp pain in his head and heavily blurred vision. "Where… where am I…?" he mumbled.

"H-he's come to!" exclaimed Applejack. "Gai, how're ya feelin'?"

"Can't see… Can't... hear much…" His head hung low again, once more drifting back into unconsciousness.

Zecora gasped and rushed out the door, standing before the barely conscious elf. From his eyes to his midriff she scanned him, seeing his drooping, dark eyes and noticing the wound upon his body. "It is as I thought," she spoke up with a sigh. "It is Oakblight that he has caught. Quickly, bring him inside. With quick treatment, he will survive."

"Quickly, girls," exclaimed Twilight, "get Gai'vahros inside."

"I'm afraid that some of you will have to be denied," apologized Zecora. "My place is none too big, so some of you will have to wait outside."

"I… I see…"

Tarenar smiled as he noticed Twilight's saddened expression. "Don't worry about us," he assured her. "You go in with him. We'll wait out here for you."

"But… are you sure? Will you guys be okay?"

"Pfft! Nothin' I can't handle," scoffed Gilda, brushing her nose with her paw. 

"Nothing we can't handle," correct Rainbow Dash.

"And besides, darling," added Rarity, "I think he would want you to be there for him."

"I… I guess." It was difficult for Twilight to see her friend in such a state, though. With a brave face she channelled her spell around Gai'vahros, coating him in a soft, soothing lavender glow, gently pulling him from Tarenar's support. His limp body hovered a few inches from the ground, dangling in the air like a drowned corpse. Okay… Let's get this done quickly."

"Then follow me, little Twilight," said Zecora as she headed back inside. "I know just the thing to get rid of Oakblight. Or, rather, a friend of mine has the cure. He will be a great help to us, I am sure."

"You give me too much praise, girl," a voice called from within the small hut. Standing tall, the creature was bipedal, clothes in strange, tribal-like garments. His voice was clearly masculine, but was deep and with a strong accent similar to Zecora's. His skin was a dark grey-blue, almost as though it was covered in dust. His limbs were long and slender, with three digits on each hand and two on both feet, with a third protruding from the heels. His body was clothes in a dark brown and gold robe with a dark green shirt that draped past his knees. 

But his visage was what was most intimidating. His face, hidden by a large, intricate tribal mask that looked like a skull, bore two long, sharp tusks that came at least a foot forward. Like the elves, this creature had long, pointed ears. His hair was wild, spiking backwards and slightly to the sides. The eyes and mouth, though, ever glowing a strange turquoise, ever present, kept constant watch over Twilight.

She trembled a little at the sight of such a wild creature. "Z-Zecora," stuttered Twilight, not able to remove her eyes from him, "who -- or what -- is that?"

"This is my friend I told about," responded Zecora. "And please, do not shout."

A heavy, deep chuckle came from the creature, made even more intimidating as it echoed through the mouthpiece of his mask. "I am used to da fear dat I inspire in dose unfortunate souls," he spoke, lifting a bone-carved dagger from behind a nearby table. "Den I take it dat you are not 'ere for me to experiment on?"

"W-what? No!" cried out Twilight, horrified at the thought.

"I told you not to scare off the consumer," exclaimed Zecora. She gave a heavy sigh. "Forgive him. He has a black sense of humour." 

"It only be a joke, mon," he apologized, albeit without much effort. "What can ol' Zakaara do for you today?"

A groan came from Gai'vahros' barely conscious body. Slowly his head raised, but barely enough to get a look at anything in front of him besides the furnace that the cauldron sat upon. "I," he forced from his lips, "I recognize that voice… Troll…"

Twilight raised an eyebrow. ""Troll"?" she repeated. "So… that person is a troll?"

"Ya be correct," Zakaara replied. "From da same world as he. I did not expect ta see anyone else from Azeroth 'ere. I guess da gods be upset with him, too, ya?"

Another grunt came from Gai'vahros. His head began to lift higher, his arms moving from back to front. "You… you are not Darkspear…" His eyes gazed through his fringe, glancing and gazing at Zakaara. Though his vision was blurry, he immediately recognized his presence. "You are… Zandalari…!"

"Ah, so you two have met?" said Zecora. "Well then, at least introductions are set."

But Gai'vahros wasn't one for pleasantries with such a being. His arm struggled to reach for his sword, but his fingers were able to grip the handle and draw it. But with such a clouded mind he only realized that, as he tried to move, he was being held up by Twilight's own magic. "T… Twilight," he grunted, "release me! This troll needs to be killed!"

Zecora, however, wasn't about to let that happen. Quickly she pounced between the two of them, scowling at the weak yet headstrong elf. "If violence is what you seek, then you will have to go through me!"

"Gai'vahros," exclaimed Twilight, "they are here to help you! They can cure you!"

"Do not be swayed by his silver tongue," he cried. "The Zandalari only live to conquer and spread their empire! What makes you think that he is no different?"

"Because he has told me everything," responded Zecora calmly. "What he is, and what he has been."

Gai'vahros looked down at the two of them. "H… he has…?"

"Dat be right, blood elf," responded Zakaara as he began cutting the stems of several flowers. "What you say be true, however, dat da Zandalari only seek ta conquer what they have yet to. But dat is not how I remember da Zandalari. From da day dat I can remember, we had always been scholars, lorekeepers, of da troll empires. But dat changed a long time ago -- before your ancestors even came to be. I was banished for defiling my "people" and my "Loa". I was banished… here."

Gai'vahros relaxed his arm, letting his sword drop by his side. "… I… ugh…" Quickly he raised his hand to his head, placing it on his forehead. "I can't feel my face…"

"Zakaara, please clear the table," asked Zecora. "We'll rest him on there. Hopefully it will be stable."





Fiona gripped her dress tight in her claws, lightly shredding through the cloth at the same time. Her head hung, eyes staring into the dirt in front of her feet. "… Will we ever be able to get home?" she muttered to herself sullenly. "Not that the Plaguelands are any better, but… I have family there, at least…"

"We'll find a way home, lass," comforted Gidwin, who was sat beside her on the step of the hut. He turned to the others. "Ye can get us home, right?" he asked calmly.

The mares looked at each other, looking for someone to reply with some semblance of possibility or hope. But no one could speak up on their behalf, cemented only by their continuous gaze between one another.

Rarity smiled sheepishly, if only to hide her discomfort. "Um, well, darling, I'm sure that there is some way to get you all home," she responded the best she could, doing all she could to keep their spirits up. "I mean, Twilight's spell didn't work for Gai'vahros, but it is possible that it was just a mishap. Yes, I'm sure that's it! When she is done, we'll ask her about it."

"She seems to be a fairly adept mage," praised Tarenar in regards to Twilight. "Do you think that she will be able to transport all three of us back to Azeroth?"

"O' course she will," replied Applejack. "She said she was able to complete the spell for Gai, so she'll definitely be able to do it for all y'all. I just hope it'll work out this time…"

"So, what happened last time?"

"Um… I'm not entirely sure, but apparently somethin' stopped Gai from focusin' on where he wanted that weird magic stone thing to take him."

"You mean his hearthstone, right?"

"That'll be the one! Anyway, Twilight said the spell was s'posed to take him back to wherever it was made so long as he concentrated on it hard 'nuff. I guess with that death knight runnin' around, he wasn't 'bout to leave us none too quick."

"D-death knight?" exclaimed Gidwin, jumping from his seat. "Tarenar, you don't think… the Ebon Blades?"

"I'm not sure," the elf responded, his face stricken with grief almost as much as his companion. "It's not like the Ebon Blade to strike out like this. A rogue assailant, perhaps?"

"Well, whatever it is," interrupted Rainbow Dash, fluttering between them, "we'll be ready for it! Gai already knows what he needs to do, and so do we! Ain't that right, girls?" Her rally was met with support, with them all giving a nod.

Gilda scoffed as she gazed at her raised talon. "If this meathead is anything like those timber wolves," she sneered, "then I'll have fun rippin' it to shreds!"

Gidwin grinned in marvel of Gilda's prowess. "Aye, lass," he said, "with them there great big claws o' yours, we'll be able to kick the arse o' all manner o' beasts 'n' monsters! I'll even ride ye into battle as me trusty steed!"

"Pfft! As if I'd let a bearded tin can like you get on top of me!"

"Hey, don't be a jerk, Gilda," scolded Rainbow Dash.

You would have thought Tarenar would be the one to raise a word, but the only thing that came from his mouth was a belly full of laughter. The elf lurched forwards, slapping a hand on his plated knee as he continued with his hysteria. "Oh, Giddy," he managed to speak through a gasp of breath, "should I try to find a mage to frost bolt you, because you just got burned!"

"Oi," shouted Gidwin as he pointed towards Tarenar, "ye shut yer mouth you ginger, pointy-eared slag!"

"Hey, I wanna join in, too!" cried Pinkie Pie. "Look! I'm yelling, too!"

Rainbow Dash scowled at Gilda. "Now see what ya gone and done?"

"Oh, come on," protested Gilda, "I didn't ask them to argue!"

Rarity sighed, shaking her head slowly. "And the common language breaks down to its Neanderthal foundations of grunts and slurs…"





Gai'vahros lay barely conscious upon the wooden table, his upper body stripped bare, revealing a large gash under the left side of his torso. His eyes were barely open, fluttering as he struggled to keep them so. 

"So then," spoke Zakaara as he stood over the prone Gai'vahros, bone-carved dagger in hand, "which part do I cut open first?"

"Uh, preferably a part that won't kill him?" responded Twilight suspiciously. "Zecora, are you absolutely sure that this guy is the… uh… "troll" for the job?"

"He has my complete confidence," replied Zecora with a smile. "Only he knows of his anatomy, so it would only make sense."

Gai'vahros groaned lightly, rolling his head to one side up at Zakaara and Twilight. "Ugh… Speak for yourself," he mumbled. "You're not the one about to get your side cut open…"

"Ya not ta worry, brudda," reassured Zakaara, "ya not to different from us trolls. Dis should be easy enough."

"Good thing I can't feel anything below my arms…" Gai'vahros sighed before laying his head back, looking up are the thatched ceiling. "If my liver falls out, be sure to put it back in as quick as you can…"

"Heh. I be sure to do jus' dat." Zakaara raised the dagger up to the elf's body, but as he brought the point to his flesh he noticed Twilight out from the corner of his eye turn her head away. "If ye be feelin' uncomfortable, then you'd betta leave. Things are about ta get real messy."

"N-no," denied Twilight, "I've seen blood before. It's just… he's a friend, and… you know…"

"Sadly, Zakaara don't know. But I can begin ta imagine, if only a little. You best not ta look while I work. I don't think ya got da stomach for it." 

Twilight whimpered a little, but nodded before turning away, heaving to one of the corners and staring down at the floor as though she'd been told off and told to stand there.

"Now den… Let's see some o' dat blood…"

The tip of the troll's barbaric instrument punctured a small hole into the side of his patient where part of the wound had closed up. The dagger sank deeper, creating those blood-curdling squelches as the flesh severed and split open. A little gurgling sound came from Twilight as she shut her eyes, trying not to pay attention to it as her stomach turned.

The sharp edge ran upwards, reopening the entirety of the wound as trickles of blood began to pour out. the squelching noises became louder and clearer the more Zakaara ran the dagger through, to which Twilight had no choice but to cover her ears with her hooves.

"That be da first step," muttered Zakaara. Removing the dagger from the side he held it up in front of him, twisting it in his hands as he examined both sides of the blade. "Ya blood is a little on da green side," he responded, noticing the change in colour, albeit slightly. "Dis definitely be a case of Oakblight."

Gai'vahros struggled to raise his head, trying to look past his body to see the damage that Zakaara had done. "… My liver's still in there, right?" he asked groggily, a hint of humour on his tongue.

"Aye, ya still got it," replied Zakaara, "but it's probably been infected, too. Nuttin' a little potion couldn't fix."

"… You know a lot about these things. How long have you been here for…?"

Zakaara chuckled as he scraped the flat side of the dagger along the rim of a bowl, letting the blood drip into it. "Zakaara be getting' old, mon. De mind can't keep track of da times… Maybe a month. Sure feels like it."

"A whole month…? Longer than me, then…"

"You don't say? So tell me, "blood elf", how long ya been in dis world?" 

"… four days."

"Gyeheheheh! Ya been 'ere for four days an' ya get yaself roughed up dis badly? An' ye be da one to save Azeroth, eh?"

"… Just shut up and work…"

Zakaara could only snicker while he ground some pink petals and silver-shining dirt into a mortar and pestle. "I only be yankin' ya chain, brudda. But, in truth, Zakaara be havin' great respect for ya and ya companions."

"An interesting confession for a Zandalari," sneered Gai'vahros.

"Aye, but all confession are from da heart, wouldn't ya agree?" Gai'vahros didn't reply, only allowing his silence to reflect upon his agreement. "Da Zandalari only care 'bout demselves. Only care about conquerin'. But you are so much more dan dat. You help, you aid, and you make da world a place worth livin'. Without you, brudda, dere wouldn't be an Azeroth for da Zandalari ta conquer."

"… You keep calling me "brother"."

"Aye. Dere be a reason Zakaara said dat we are more alike dan you might think."

"… You suggest that we are related? You going to pull out the "I am your father" card?"

"Hah! Not on ya life, or ya infected liver. Ya see, elf, da trolls have been around for thousands o' years -- before da night elves. Da dark trolls o' Mount Hyjal stumbled upon da Well of Eternity. From its magics, dey evolved into night elves."

"… So you suggest that all elves, at the beginning of all things, were born from trolls?"

"You have some dark troll blood in ya veins, brudda, but dat be de extent of it -- so minute, o' course, but it be dere."
"Oh, good. Not only is my blood infected, but it has a bit of scum mixed in, too."

"Pretty much." Pouring the blood into the mortar, the ground petals and dirt began to fizz and bubble, creating crackling and popping sounds, spluttering some of the mixture onto Zakaara's thick fingers. "Seems ta be workin'."

Gai'vahros raised an eyebrow as he asked, "is that supposed to happen, then?"

"Aye. Da herbs attack da Oakblight in da blood, stopping it from spreadin'. When it is done reactin', den we inject it back into ya wound and let it do its work."

"And how long does it take to take effect?"

"No more dan an hour, so Zecora says. No idea how long it will take for you, mon. Could see some side effects, too."

"Great… So my liver will me disease-free but also have a chance of exploding."

"Hah! Ya liver won't explode. Dissolve, maybe, but not explode."

Zecora sighed and rolled her eyes. "No part of you will explode," she assured him. "You just need to rest, relax, and take off a load. But be sure to eat your greens and drink plenty of juice -- or you can mix them up in a nice, delicious soup."

"You know, I could really do with some tomato and herb soup," responded Gai'vahros with a weak smile. "I think I'm feeling better already…"

"Dat just be da anaesthetic soothing your senses," replied Zakaara. Taking the bowled concoction, he carefully poured the liquid into a small vial. "Da potion be ready, brudda. I'll pour a bit in ta see if dere be any ill effects." 

Gai'vahros couldn't help but bite his bottom lip, trying to look over to see what would happen. As the liquid poured into the wound the sound of that familiar crackling began to occur, although with no harmful after effects -- or if there were any then he certainly couldn't feel them past the strong anaesthetic. "Is that supposed to happen, too?" he asked.

"Not that I know of," responded Zecora, walking around the table to Zakaara and looking down at the wound. "Perhaps it is just reacting with your blood. I don't think anything bad will come of it. We should just wait for a little bit."

The noise began to dwindle quickly until it was no more. The both of them looked closely at the wound, gazing at the lacerated flesh and bloody opening for any malformations or any other ill effects that may have occurred. But there was nothing. The flesh remained its pinkish colour with no discolouration or breakout of growths or anything else out of the ordinary. 

"I believe dat it's been a success," concluded Zakaara. Quickly he poured the rest of the potion into the wound, then grasped at the two folds of flesh, holding the opening closed. "Zecora, can ya get me da needle an' thread?"

"of course," she responded as she turned to the table behind her and grasped at a large spool of thread and a sewing needle before passing them over. "Just try not to put too much force."

"Ol' Zakaara 'ere has a steady hand. Hold da needle, please," he responded as he took the end of the thread and, with Zecora still holding the needle in her pursed lips, threaded and tied it through the eye single-handedly before taking it from her. Quickly and with precision he began to thread it through the two folds of flesh, stitching the wound close with great haste and professionalism before doubling back over. "Dat's da wound closed, but we should bandage it up in case it opens again."

Slow hoofsteps made their way over to the three of them as Twilight slowly walked over, still trying to avert her eyes from the wound. It was inevitable that she would end up seeing it, however, but as it came into view she sighed in great relief. "It… looks better already," she spoke up with a small smile. "Gai'vahros… how are you feeling…?"

"Like a paraplegic," responded Gai'vahros. "I still can't feel much below my abdomen. But at least I haven't got a splitting headache anymore…"

"Here, I'll give you a hoof sitting up. or a horn, rather."

A faint glow surrounded both her horn and Gai'vahros' body. Slowly she sat him up, his body raising off the table slowly while he tried to support himself with the use of his arms. 

"Ah… Thank you, my Lady Twilight…"

"It seems that cure is more than true," said Zecora. "You look as good as new."

"Aye, it seems da potion is more effective of you than others," added Zakaara with intrigue. "perhaps it be da spirits, or da Light, dat aids you. Or maybe elves are betta with antidotes. Zakaara needs to confirm dis…"

"Um, maybe some other time," intruded Twilight in opposition. "I think Gai'vahros needs a little rest."

"Or perhaps never," added Gai'vahros. "I would like to keep my body as experiment-free as much as I can."

"Hah! A wise decision, brudda," agreed Zakaara, though somewhat disheartened at the decline.

"I think we should get you home now," said Twilight. "Thank you -- both of you -- for all your help. I really appreciate it."

"Not nearly as much as I," added Gai'vahros. "Zakaara… Thank you. Thank you for all that you've done for me. May the light embrace you, friend."

"Spirits be wit' ya, mon," replied Zakaara in kind.





"Would someone get this guy off me!?" screamed Gilda, swinging her body from one side to the other.

"I'm tellin' ya this is a good idea!" exclaimed Gidwin as he desperately held on for dear life a top of the bucking griffon. "I can make ye go faster if ye would stop buckin' 'round!"

"I told you already" -- she panted heavily -- "that I don't want you anywhere near be, with that stupid beard of yours!"

To add even more frustration to the helpless griffon, the rest of them had no intention of lending her a hand nor a hoof. Instead, they all decided to shower her with fits of laughter as they watched her flail around madly and aimlessly, including Rainbow Dash. 

"Hoo-ee!" cried out Applejack, waving her hat above her head. "Now that's what I call a rodeo! Keep it up, Gidwin! Ya doin' great!"

"This. Isn't. Funny!" Gilda let out a screech as she tried with all her strength to shake the dwarf from her back, but no matter how hard she tried she couldn't get the tin man to budge. She could have sworn that he had glued himself to her back somehow.

"Feel the energy, lass!" exclaimed Gidwin, a single hand gripped around her shoulder as he held aloft his mighty hammer as though he was leading a charge. "Feel the power of my crusader's aura!"

"You'll be feeling my power when I get my claws on you! Now get off me!"

Rainbow Dash couldn't help but chortle through her hooves as she pressed them hard against her mouth to stop her from laughing so much. "Pfft! Come on, Gilda," she goaded, "you can do better than that! Or are ya aiming to get outsmarted by a dwarf?"

Gilda gritted her teeth and growled. "Shut up, Dashie!" she cried out. She stopped, seemingly giving up. "I… won't… LOSE!" With great force she pounced up into the air and somersaulted forwards, finally flinging Gidwin from herself, sending him flying over everyone.

But at that same time Twilight carried Gai'vahros from Zecora's hut and unknowingly in the way of the path of the zooming dwarf. Before either one of them had a chance to react, Gidwin ploughed into the elf and smashing him several meters backwards into the shrubbery behind. 

Twilight gasped heavily. "G-Gai'vahros!" she cried, rushing to him as he sat slumped a top of the bushes. "Oh, my gosh! A-are you okay?"

Even with no feeling in his body Gai'vahros still had the wind knocked out of him. "Ugh… Can't an elf catch a break?" he mumbled, trying to push himself from the bush. "What in the hell happened?"

The rest of the group rushed over, doing whatever they could to help Gai'vahros -- pulling him upright by him arms, untangling his feet from the branches, and trying to brush his ponytail back into perfect shape.

"I-I'm sorry about that," apologized Gilda, pulling him from the bushes from under his arms as Twilight kept him upright, "but that stupid tin can with a beard kept trying to ride me."

As Tarenar let go of Gai'vahros he turned his head towards the greenery, trying to gaze into the distance. "But where did Giddy go?" he said.

A low, muffled voice was all that responded, sounding frantic.

"I think he's over there," spoke Fluttershy, pointing towards one of the trees. Tarenar, Fiona and Gilda made their way over, brushing past the low-hanging branches and the undergrowth. several meters from the edge, the three of them found the backside of Gidwin -- the other half of him stuck in a large rodent hole under a tree.

"Hah! You look so good like that, tin man!" taunted Gilda before cracking up.

"Get me outta this bloody thing!" muffled Gidwin as he frantically kicked his little legs.

"Oh, I don't think so…" With a sinister grin, Gilda touched the rump of his armor with a single claw and traced a few circles, one inside the other, leaving a pattern similar to a target. "… Not until I've had my fun."

Fluttershy gasped. "Oh! Um… please don't hurt him," she pleaded.

"I've got to go tell the others," spoke Tarenar as he headed back. "They'll definitely want to watch this!"

Gidwin began to struggle harder. "H-hey! Hey!" he yelled. "L-let's talk 'bout this, lass! W-we can sort this out another way, right?"

Gilda didn't miss a heartbeat as she bucked her hind legs into Gidwin's backside, letting out a huge smack from his armor and an ever bigger cry of pain from the dwarf.

"Wrong," sneered Gilda. "Maybe after five or ten minutes. Maybe."