//------------------------------// // Level 3 - My Sewer is Your Sewer // Story: In Want for a Wand // by Leila Drake //------------------------------// "Come on, hurry up!", Jonathan urged the ponies. "Chill, dude, we are hurrying." Arcus frowned, galloping right next to him. "She might have noticed", explained Jonathan. Twilight huffed, "I think we can relax now." She pointed at a large cave entrance. The hole in the rock was so big that an entire carriage could have driven through it. Twilight wondered why it was unguarded if this was the entrance to a city. Jonathan smiled a strained smile and entered first. The tunnel wound down into the mountain at a steady rate, changing direction now and then. It was easy to see where they were going; torches lit the way, casting a dull light at the walls. The way down was slippery. Streaks of green slime covered the floor, making it easy to stumble and fall. Blue-capped mushrooms sat in the corners between rocks, emitting a faint glow. "Ugh!", groaned Arcus, sounding a little sick. "What the hay is that stink?" Jonathan sighed curtly. "Right. That. Twilight?" "Yes?", she responded, forcing her own bile back down. "Do you think you could cast that spell? The one that makes us not smell that?" The alicorn frowned. "Hm... It wouldn't be exactly the same as the anti-smell spell I cast on you because it is passive... let me think." She paused, drawing a piece of parchment and a quill from her blue saddlebags. Lighting her horn, Twlight scribbled wildly, casting an occasional glance at her two friends. "If I derive that...", she muttered, "and then it should... no, that's wrong, that would contradict the law of... ah! Hmmm. But that would cancel out everything else", and so forth. Arcus dug at the ground, exchanging looks with Jonathan. They grinned, impressed and amused by Twilight's genius. Everyone shivered a little since it was getting really cold now that the sun was gone. Jonathan put up his hood and crossed his arms, treading on the spot to keep himself warm. Finally, Twilight beamed at them with satisfaction. "Got it! Are you ready?" Jonathan and Arcus nodded vigorously. Twilight lowered her head and closed her eyes to concentrate. Then her horn's light grew brighter, sparkling with strong arcane magic, and she pointed it at both of them. A flash of light later, she asked, "Did it work?" Arcus sniffed the air, his muzzle high like a dog, and smiled. "Yeah, definitely." Jonathan nodded. "Thanks, Princess." While Twilight, encouraged by the success, cast the spell on herself, Arcus looked down the tunnel. "You didn't answer my question", he pointed out. Jonathan coughed. "You, er, you'll see for yourself in a moment. I guess I should warn you. We call them abominations for a reason." He fumbled with the edge of his cloak. "But I personally think that their smell is worse than their looks." Twilight widened her eyes. "That stench was almost unbearable!" He scoffed, now definitely annoyed. Or was it the nervousness? "Okay. Once again: Un-Dead. The only living things down there are some other Horde members, maggots and rats. Oh, and roaches. You better get used to them real quick. Need I remind you that you wanted to accompany me?" "I get your point", sighed Twilight. "I'd be real glad if we didn't have to discuss this again", grumbled Jonathan. Arcus frowned. "Relax, human. I still remember when you arrived from Canterlot, rags and all. We just want to be prepared, know what's waiting for us down there, you know?" Jonathan grimaced. "Well, now you have been warned." Twilight smiled at them and it seemed just a little bit forced. "Now that we can't smell the decay, we should be fine. I for one can't wait to meet your friends!" Jonathan smirked involuntarily. "Thanks for trying", he said. Her smile fell. "I mean it. Shall we go on?" She nodded in the general direction of the tunnel winding down. "Sure..." •° "So here we are", said Jonathan lamely, waving at the two guards standing on either side of the pipe. The tunnel opened up into a small torch-lit cave, a large puddle of green slimy water in the center of the room. At the far end of the cave, the tunnel continued as a proper corridor-like pipe built of large stone tiles. Twilight noticed that they were both more or less humanoid. She tried not to look at their open bellies. Open, as in you could see the exposed innards. Twilight looked at their heads instead. Bad move. She squeezed her eyes shut for a moment to gather strength. She would not yet dare to look at them again. Abominations alright. They looked like the patchwork experiment of an extremely deranged scientist who had no respect for life, death or aesthetics in general. The additional arm on their backs, holding an axe, was not helping. Of course, the gurgling that came from their baggy, swollen bodies could still be heard when she kept her eyes closed. Arcus gulped. "Ew", he remarked. "Twilight? You okay?", asked Jonathan. She opened her eyes again, beaming at him. "Oh, yes, fine, everything is fine, lets go, hehehe..." Her voice was about an octave higher than usual. Jonathan put a hand on her back, applying just enough pressure so she could feel the touch through her cloak. The alicorn sighed and smiled at him. "Your friends are my friends", she said with determination. He nodded, then approached the guards. Jonathan decided to casually walk past the abominations. He raised a hand, saying, "Hey", and stepped into the pipe, with some difficulty since it was a bit of a climb. "You coming?", he asked over his shoulder. Twilight and Arcus climbed up after him, trying not to stare at the two guards hulking over them. They didn't react in the slightest. Then, when Twilight passed them, one nodded at her, still completely ignoring Arcus. "Should I feel offended or relieved now?", muttered Arcus when they were out of earshot. "I can't believe this actually worked", whispered Jonathan back. "I was afraid they wouldn't recognize me anymore." Arcus shook his head. "You hardly look the same as before!" "I know, right? Without the robe and all." Twilight frowned. "Are you sure you're okay?" It didn't sound like a question. Jonathan froze, then his shoulders sagged forward. "No." He spun around, spreading his arms. "I mean come on, who'd believe I am still undead? Who am I kidding?" He hung his head. "This is going to become a problem, isn't it." "The guards believed it", remarked Arcus. Jonathan glanced at him. "They are dumb. Idiots. Brainless. They literally have less brain than an average - oh, nevermind that! They remember faces, that's about it." "But your face is different, too!" "Huh? No, it's not! Except for the cheeks maybe -" "Yes, it is!", insisted Arcus. "Before Nightmare Night it looked like this!" He grabbed the edge of Twilight's cloak and held it over the left side of her face. She twitched back, letting the cloak fall back into place. Twilight was right, thought Jonathan. This did not make any sense! Why did they let him through anyway? Maybe enemies would try to sneak past them or run through the tunnel. Or had they actually recognized him? The last time he had been here was years ago. So that was extremely unlikely. Was it the clothes? "We are wearing the colors of Undercity", he said aloud. "That must be it", said Twilight. "But I very much doubt this is going to work for us once we have to get past smarter guards. This is more or less a secret entrance. Usually for flying mounts." Jonathan sighed. "Right." He stared at the two ponies. "This wouldn't be a problem if the Forsaken didn't despise the living..." "What, you -?", asked Twilight. "I don't", said Jonathan quickly. "Not anymore", he added more quietly, rubbing his chin. "Now, are we going in or what?" Arcus threw his front hooves into the air. Jonathan set his backpack on the ground. "In a moment." He opened and rummaged in the bag until he found it. "At least I washed it", he said, holding up a pale green, ragged piece of cloth. "Rarity would kill me for this." He tied it around his head, covering his left cheek and his chin. "There. What do you think, does it work?" "Meh." Arcus was not impressed. "I haven't been here in years..." "I don't think that the dead forget that easily", said Twilight critically. "Point", said Jonathan sourly. Twilight eyed the human from head to toes. "Your hair", she realized eventually. "It was much more untidy." Arcus rolled his eyes. "Mares", he muttered. "Hey!" Twilight nudged him playfully. "But it's true. Try it, Jonathan, make it messy." Jonathan ruffled his hair, then looked at her expectantly. Twilight nodded, satisfied. "I think that was it", she said. "Amazing what a big difference it makes!" "Hmm... Yeah." Arcus pursed his lips, tilting his head to the side. He looked at Jonathan, then at Twilight, his eyebrows knitted together in doubt. "Heh, Arc, you don't look so convinced", remarked Jonathan. "Pon- er, people often judge others by their mane and tail", said Twilight. "Unfortunately. I mean, there's so much more to everyone than meets the eye!" Jonathan smiled, deciding to leave the 'mane and tail' uncorrected. "Come on", he said. "Let's try and find an old acquaintance of mine." "Not a friend?", asked Twilight. "No. Those are rare." •° They continued walking down the pipe until they arrived in another small cave. The pipe went further down on the opposite side. Arcus stepped towards it until Jonathan grabbed his cloak and cleared his throat. He pointed at a door in the right wall of the cave. Following that new corridor was difficult for the ponies. Arcus cursed under his breath about the size of the stairs they had to descend. It was still bright enough to see; more torches along the walls made sure of that. Now that the stink was gone - at least for them - it was only half bad. But there was still a chilling draft. They finally exited the corridor and found themselves in a wide torch-lit hall. It had a peculiar shape. If Twilight had to guess she would have assumed it was part of a circular structure. It appeared that they had entered the outer ring of the city. The ceiling was so high that they could hardly make it out. Tall stone arches, decorated with countless skull carvings, stretched upwards into the dark. In the lower parts of the cavernous halls, Twilight made out small stands and alcoves, some with shelves, others contained tables and chairs. Each corner was occupied by at least one merchant - all of them undead humans. Smiths, herbalists, scribes selling parchment and strange powders – Twilight made a mental note to return to the outer ring to restock later. Ragged banners and curtains decorated the arches that separated different segments of the circle. Crooked lanterns lit the halls, leaving many corners dark. Small groups of undead stood together or walked beneath the arches. They cast glances at the new arrivals, then returned to their conversations. And then there was the canal. Twilight was not sure whether the term 'water' was appropriate here. The liquid was not clear at all but so terribly green that it appeared to be glowing. It flowed suspisciously slowly. Bubbles the size of her head ascended to the surface now and then, bursting with an audible 'plop'. Twilight pointed at the liquid. "Is that toxic?", she asked carefully. Jonathan hummed, waving his hand. "No, not much. I wouldn't recommend drinking it though. There are some messed up creatures in it." "I'd never drink that slime anyway", scoffed Arcus. "But these arches are amazing! How old is this place?" "I dunno. The canal is pretty old but the big halls came later, maybe seven years ago? It was brand new when I first came here. Didn't look very new then but I think that's intentional. We've got a rep to uphold." He grinned, then pointed upwards. "Look, a bat." Twilight and Arcus gasped. A screech echoed through the halls as a huge bat emerged from a circular hole in the wall high above them. Arcus assumed it was the pipe he had almost entered, suddenly glad about the stairs. The opening was easily thirty feet above the stone-paved floor they were standing on. If he had stepped into the pipe he would have fallen to his death. Looking closer, he realized that the bat was flying steadily, much unlike the tiny bats of Equestria. And it was wearing a saddle! A small bony figure sat in it, a double-handed sword sheathed on its back. The face was hidden under a dark hood. The bat turned right and disappeared behind an arch, flying high above the circular canal. "Cool", said Arcus. "I want a mount like that." Twilight frowned and said nothing. "What?" Arcus turned to her, still grinning. "I don't like flying on mounts", she said. "Really? But you've got wings!" Twilight coughed. "Yes, I do, but it's not the same. Not by far, I can tell you that. Jonathan likes flying much more", she added, noticing the human's enthusiasm in the corner of her eye. They used one of the many stone bridges to cross the canal, then followed it until they found a corridor that led deeper into the city. Another dark tunnel, much shorter than the pipe, then they were in the next hall. Its ceiling was lower, maybe twelve feet high, dark and very dirty. This hall was a ring just like the first one, this time with a much smaller radius. That was the first time that Arcus saw orcs. As the ponies followed Jonathan through another gate and up a small flight of stairs, Arcus felt someone's gaze piercing his back. He looked over his shoulder. On the narrow balcony that surrounded the central hall there was a large wooden board. The sigil of the Horde, a red dot surrounded by an arch that might symbolize a shield or a horned and winged head, marked the wood. A green humanoid stood next to it. He (for Arcus assumed that telling an orc's gender was similar as with humans) was much taller than the average human, much more muscular and heavily armed. He appeared to be guarding the board. The orc looked back at Arcus, narrowing his eyes to slits and baring the large fangs protruding from his jaw. Arcus flinched and quickly caught up with Jonathan and Twilight. "The green guy - is that an orc?", he whispered to Twilight. She nodded. "It seems that he's a herald of some kind. I saw them in Orgrimmar, too." They had reached the top of the stairs. Twilight inspected the small stone building that was before them. It seemed to be in the exact center of Undercity. A sign at the side of its walls said, "Bank of Undercity". Each side of the bank had a big window in it. There were a few individuals inside: three undead men and, as it seemed, a ghost. Judging by the unnerved stare on Arcus's face, he could see it as clearly as she could. Twilight wondered how the bankers entered or left the builing. Through the intricate stone windows or a hidden trapdoor maybe? The bank, however, was not their destination. Jonathan turned left and ascended another flight of stairs. None of the stairs had any handrails. Most of the floor consisted of a basin that surrounded the bank island so it would be a soft landing, should anyone fall off the balcony. The basin seemed to be connected with the canal. The green water gave it away. Now they were on the balcony. They passed by the orc, Arcus walking on Jonathan's other side so that Jonathan was between him and the herald, and approached one of the many alcoves in the wall. "The topography of this place is utter nonsense", remarked Arcus once the orc was a few feet away. "Going round and round just to get to the center of the city..." Twilight giggled, then yawned. Jonathan looked back at them. "Almost there." The torch-lit alcove was quite roomy. Shelves stood along the left wall, flowing over with books. On the right side of the room, open coffins were lined up. A small table stood at the back wall of the room. Some burning candles stood on it, emitting a warm light. Twilight would almost call the place cozy if it had not been for the coffins. Jonathan greeted the owner of the inn, a wiry man who appeared to have died in his fifties. They shook hands, then exchanged some muttered words with each other. The innkeeper nodded, looking at the ponies, them smirked. Twilight could make out a "Thanks", then Jonathan smiled at them. "Twilight, Arcus, this is Norman. He is the innkeeper." Norman nodded at the ponies, saying nothing, then sat down on his stool, returning to his book. "He is a good guy but you better don't eat the food he sells", whispered Jonathan. •° Twilight pulled a blanket out of her saddlebags and spread it on the bottom of her coffin. A tired sigh made her look up. "Are you okay?", she asked. Arcus shook his head. "I'll be fine." He was already sitting in his own coffin, trying to get comfortable on his blanket. "It's just..." He stopped shifting around and looked at Twilight. "This place. It is kinda creepy. No offense, Jon." "None taken", came Jonathan's voice from the next coffin. Twilight could only see his left hand holding the book he was reading. Arcus leaned out of the coffin, towards Twilight. "My work took me to many strange places", he told her, "but this one is unlike anything I have ever seen. I get that Jon was undead, I saw him that way, but facing an entire city themed like this is something else. I don't think I realized what I agreed to do. Where I agreed to go." He hung his head. Twilight looked at him, her thoughts racing. She had been to Orgrimmar, to Dalaran and even seen the Icecrown Citadel from a distance. She had had time to get used to Azeroth, first seeing only tauren who were so similar to minotaurs. The time in the barrens had left her the space she had needed to adjust. Her mission had been clear, her determination to get home driving her to try and make the best of her situation. Arcus, on the other hoof, had only had a tiny glimpse of what Azeroth was like. And for Celestia's sake, the first thing he had to see was murlocs, a half crazy woman and lots and lots of corpses. "I'm sorry if it's a bit much", she muttered, keeping her voice down so that Jonathan didn't hear what she was saying. "I can only guess how you feel. But please believe me when I say that there's many beautiful things in this world. These humans may be undead but they took us in. That counts for something, don't you think?" He nodded, frowning. "I guess." She smiled at him. "Jonathan seems to be pretty relaxed. I think we can sleep in peace here." Arcus snorted. "I do hope I'm gonna wake up in the morning, preferably with a beating heart." "You will", promised Twilight. "We all will. And then we can get supplies and go on the quest." "The quest", echoed Arcus. "Yeah." He laid his head on his pillow, disappearing in his coffin. "Good night, Twilight", he said. "Good night." "Night", echoed Jonathan. •° Twilight couldn't sleep. She tossed and turned around in her coffin, still thinking about Undercity and Amanda and the forest. If there was always such a dark mist in the sky, would she be able to see the moons in Tirisfal? Why didn't Amanda think that Jonathan was harmless despite their clothes in the colors of Undercity? Did Murlocs have children like ponies? What would they look like? Why didn't anyone notice that Jonathan was alive? And why would Jonathan go to Undercity if he was so scared of being discovered? She looked over to her friends. Arcus was asleep, hugging his blanket like a foal. Jonathan snored almost as badly as Rainbow Dash, his book had fallen to the floor. Twilight sighed and grabbed her saddlebags which were at her feet in the coffin. She drew an empty scroll, a quill and her inkpot from it and started writing. •° Someone poked Twilight. Her eyes fluttering, she slowly raised her head. "What...", she mumbled, still confused. "Is it time yet?" No sun, she noticed. The inner part of Undercity had no windows. "Morning", said Jonathan. "Ready for breakfast?" She squeezed her eyes shut, then yawned. "Just a minute, please, I need to take care of my bedmane", she pleaded. Jonathan leaned over the next coffin to wake up Arcus. Twilight slowly climbed out of her coffin. "Breakfast?", she asked. "Yeah, I made some." Jonathan pointed at the small table. A loaf of bread, a block of cheese and some flowers were arranged on a wooden plate. To Twilight's relief, the plate was clean. She remembered putting it into her - "Where are my saddlebags?", she asked, a hint of panic in her voice. "Over here", said Jonathan. "Sorry, I don't have any plates." She waved it off, reliefed. "It's all right. Thanks for preparing the meal." "Sure." They ate in relative silence, still tired. Arcus kept yawning, muttering something about coffee. After cleaning the plate, Jonathan rolled up his blanket. "I'm going to get some stuff", he said. "And maybe visit the priests. How about you?" "I'm coming with you", said Twilight. "Can we go to the outer ring again? I want to buy some parchment and a cauldron." "A cauldron?" Jonathan raised his eyebrows. "For the health potions, remember?" "Oh, right. Whatever, I've got enough gold, I think. So Arc, you coming, too?" "Mh. What do we need?" "More food", said Jonathan, counting on his fingers, "water, a map of the Plaguelands. Uh..." He looked at them expectantly. "And more blankets", added Twilight. "I had no idea Tirisfal's winters would be so cold. This is almost as bad as Northrend." "Northrend?", asked Arcus. Jonathan grinned. "Come on, Princess, you can't compare this to the freezing winds of Dragonblight." "Or the ghoul hordes roaming Wintergrasp", said Twilight, now smiling as well. "Or the demon portal in Crystalsong", giggled Jonathan. "Hey, what about Lady Eventide herself? She really gave me the shivers in the end." "Shivers? She cast a Fear Spell on Tak. That was just plain evil." "I need some air", said Arcus suddenly. "See you later." He turned on his heels and stomped off into the next corridor. "W-wait!" Jonathan spun around, intending to go after him, but Twilight's hoof held him back. "He's save here, isn't he?", she said slowly. He frowned. "Yes, but -" She shook her head. "Arcus is the one pony I know that will never get lost. Except Pinkie Pie maybe - and I'm not entirely sure about her. My point is: He'll come back. Please understand; this is a bit much for him. Give him time." Jonathan grunted. "You are taking it pretty well..." She grinned sheepishly. "I didn't even answer his question. He wanted to know what Northrend was. Do you remember the tavern in Dalaran?" This made Jonathan laugh. How could he forget? "The night Twilight Sparkle owned two orcs..." Still grinning, he muttered, "But I get it. You had time to get used to all this craziness... You think he'll cope?" Twilight nodded, serious again. "Trust me, earth ponies can be tough. If he says that he wants to help you he means it. He'll come back", she repeated. "Fine." Jonathan pointed with his thumb at the building in the center of the hall. "Come on, let's check my mail. Haven't done this in a long time." "But it's a bank", said Twilight. "The sign above the counter says so!" "Yes, it is." "So it's not the post office." "Yes, it is." "Why?" "They can store money and things, why not mail?" Twilight lowered her gaze. "I suppose that makes sense..." Jonathan approached the counter, facing the aetheral creature that was floating behind it. Twilight felt faintly reminded of Nightmare Night. The spirit might have been a human once. But maybe not. The shape of its transparent body was hard to make out, its hair and robes shimmering and shifting in a breeze Twilight could not feel. It turned its head toward Jonathan, giving him its full attention. "I wish to have a look at my account. Baker, Jonathan." Twilight admired how casual Jonathan sounded. On the other hoof: It was a casual thing to do. Even if the bank clerk was a ghost. The ghost wailed and turned around. It raised its arms above a small crystal orb Twilight had not noticed before. The orb was resting on a stone table in the exact middle of the small room. When the ghost touched the orb, it immediately floated off the table and in front of Jonathan. He touched it without hesitation. "Let's see... first things first", he said, staring into the crystal. Twilight could not make out anything except for tiny streams of arcane mist flowing inside the orb but Jonathan seemed to see something else because he nodded. "Could be worse", he said, then turned to Twilight without retracting his hand from the floating orb. "Twilight, could you please open your saddlebags?" "Er... sure", she said, confused. He focused on the orb again and, to Twilight's surprise, a small bulky bag appeared in midair. She quickly caught it with her magic. It was heavy, bound together with a thick thread and it clinked as it slowed down in her magic field. "What's in there?", she asked. "Coins", said Jonathan. "All right, now the mail." The orb glowed brighter for a second but nothing happened. "No letters?", commented Twilight. Jonathan let the orb float back to its place. The ghost sighed creepily and the orb's light died away. "Thank you", said Jonathan. He nudged Twilight. "Over there." "Oh! Very clever! You summoned it into the mailbox", realized Twilight. "If I could have just one more look at that orb..." Jonathan smirked. "I doubt they would let you analyze it. You are only allowed to touch it if you have an account. If you don't and touch it anyway it electrocutes you." "What?!" He shrugged. "At least that's what they say. I actually never saw it happen." Jonathan walked past Twilight - who was temporarily petrified except for her twitching left eyelid - and emptied the mailbox. In his case, this meant four envelopes. One of them was sealed with the eye of the Kirin Tor, the mages of Dalaran. "Huh." He turned it around. No address. So he broke the seal and opened it. "A thank you letter", he told Twilight. She had just unfrozen and joined his side. "From Dalaran? That seal looks familiar." "Yeah. They say I can return whenever I want." He raised an eyebrow. "Seems like that's not possible for just any Forsaken anymore. Strange..." They exchanged clueless looks. Something must have happened. There had been political tensions before but maybe something had made it worse during their absence. "All right, next one." Jonathan opened another envelope. "I won an item at an auction. They attached it to the letter. Heh, I totally forgot." "Ooh, can I?", asked Twilight excitedly. "Sure, why not." He held the parchment in front of her. Twilight touched the seal on the paper with her hoof. The letter immediately started to glow in a red light. A flash right before her eyes, then there was a small leather bag on the floor. She took it into her magic and opened it. "I know these herbs!", she said happily, drawing small leaves and light blue flower petals from the bag. "They are used for health potions, aren't they?" "That's what the auctioneer said anyway", admitted Jonathan. "I don't know how it works but I wanted to ask an apothecary to brew some potions for me. It's cheaper overall if you bring the materials." The alicorn smiled. "Well, it seems you are in luck. I can brew it, I think! There was a book in Dalaran that I read and I have a hoof for these things." "That would be nice. Thanks!" "Of course! So what's in the next letter?" Jonathan opened said letter, stacking the empty envelopes on top of the mailbox. He snorted when he read it. "A reminder that there's food in my vault. We can ignore this one. I gotta throw it away some time." "Why would you -? Oh, no..." Twilight rolled her eyes, rubbing her temple. "Don't tell me it's rotten food." "Alright, then I won't." She shook her head in disgust. "Give me a break, I would have eaten it eventually", said Jonathan, annoyed. "That's just it", said Twilight through clenched teeth. Jonathan sighed and opened the last letter. He unfolded the paper, then he suddenly went very quiet. "What is it?" Jonathan passed her the paper. "Oh my goodness!" Twilight's eyes went wide. The letter was from Tak Rivermane. •° Arcus hurried along the corridor, panting with frustration. He had to get out of here, if only for just a few minutes. All those undead! The cold! The darkness! After a few steps, he found himself in front of a heavy stone door, guarded by a pair of abominations. Before Arcus could find out how to open it, the door lifted with a hiss and quickly disappeared in the ceiling, revealing a circular chamber. The chamber floor was made of some greenish stone. Arcus shrugged and entered the chamber. The door closed and he felt a strange sinking feeling in his gut as the floor moved upwards. This was an elevator, he realized. The chamber stopped very soon. A door opened, this time on the opposite side, and Arcus quickly left the elevator. He followed the short corridor and arrived in a big round hall. It had a high ceiling, balconies all around on the second floor, and a round window in the ceiling that let a beam of light fall into the room. Arcus was impressed; this room was obviously for council meetings or something. Heavy dark blue curtains decorated the arches that supported the balconies and ceiling. No one else was here, no busy Forsaken walking around like in the lower city. There was a mosaic on the floor, in the exact center of the room. The lines formed an intricate letter or symbol Arcus could not read, combined with a sword and some spikes that might be thorns. He assumed it was the insignia of Undercity. The throne behind the mosaic was empty. Arcus approached the throne. Curious, there was no sign that anyone was using it nowadays... It was dusty and dirty like the rest of Undercity. He jumped when he heard a whisper behind his back. Arcus turned around but there was no one there. He turned back to the throne, the hair on his neck rising, and listened as hard as he could. There was another whisper, another voice. It sounded surprised. A clang followed, then the sound of something metallic rolling across the floor. Arcus's golden eyes followed the noise. Again, there was nothing... except for a small red stain on the marble tiles. Was it blood? He shivered and decided to move on. This was a riddle he could not solve on his own. •° "'Little Stardust, It has been a year since Dalaran. I have returned to my family and started a business when the Siege of Orgrimmar started. I hope that you are save, wherever you are. Just in case, you can write me a letter using Thunderbluff as the address. I pray that the earthmother may guide you home safely. Hoping that you will find a quick way back to your friends and never need to read this, for it' - This one's hard to read - 'for it means you made it home, I remain your friend, Tak Rivermane P.S.: I am sorry, Priest, for looking into your journal. It was the only way to determine your real name.'" Jonathan touched the seal on the parchment and wordlessly summoned a small book. "This message is confusing", said Twilight. "Why would anybody write a letter which they hope won't be read at all?" Putting away his journal, Jonathan frowned. "Because as much as he hoped that you would make it back to Equestria, he also feared that you would fail. Maybe he waited for a message but thought that writing too soon would put you in danger. It's as good a guess as any." "I want to write back. Come on, let's go to the scribes." Jonathan started. "Wait a minute. 'Siege of Orgrimmar'?" •° Arcus walked through another hall. There was no ceiling. That had fallen in a long time ago. The sky above was brighter than yesterday, but it was still covered by a grey-green mist. Arcus could not see the sun from here. For some reason, this part of Undercity seemed to be much more neglected than the rest. Or was it actually Overcity here? Probably not. He would ask Jonathan when he returned. His eyes rested on a fallen bell as he passed through a tower which served as a gate to the throne room's antechamber. For a moment, Arcus could have sworn to have heard the huge bell tolling again. He looked up. Another bell, as big as an orc, hung in the mouldy wooden contraption above him. No, it must have been his imagination. He left the tower behind and was finally outside. The yard, surrounded by a sturdy, high wall, seemed to be the last thing that separated Undercity from the surrounding forest. It was desolate. A large fountain basin in the center, empty and cold, failed miserably at trying to make it look more inviting. Arcus looked back and saw that the wall from which he had emerged was surrounded by another canal. The earth pony sat down next to the dead fountain and sighed. So nice and quiet... He felt ashamed for his reaction. Celestia knew he had tried to pull himself together but for some reason Jonathan's casual behaviour had unnerved Arcus to no end. How could he treat this curse as if it was the most normal thing in the world? This was just wrong. Maybe he should have stayed at home. But now it was too late. How was Arcus supposed to deal with this nightmarish place? He hung his head. Spirit and Mara would know what to do. A wheezing breath interrupted his train of thoughts. "What have we here? A little green pony... this is new. And it's alive and fresh! Hah! Today's my lucky day!" •° Shroom-Kah jumped across the yard, hiding behind stone columns and rocks. The ruins of Lordaeron were the perfect place for it. Shroom-Kah didn't like the other Forsaken much. Shroom-Kah was no Scourge ghoul, no, sir! It was a good ghoul. It liked mushrooms and ate them and sold them. But besides that it stayed away from the other undead. But now something interesting was happening. Even more interesting than Shroom-Kah's last trip to the lake, yes. Maybe Shroom-Kah could help. Sell some mushrooms or something. It sneaked out of its hiding place and followed the strange green thing. •° Arcus stared at the creature before him. An undead human – male, if Arcus was not mistaken - had drawn his sword and was currently pointing it at the earth pony. He gulped, his knees suddenly very wobbly. The undead grinned, revealing one and a half row of pointed, rotten teeth. "Now, little pony, hold still so I can stab you..." "No thanks", uttered Arcus and ducked as the Forsaken swung his sword. He scrambled to his feet and prepared to run but the undead managed to catch his hind leg. Arcus, his face in the mud, felt anger rising in his gut. "The pony can talk", laughed the Forsaken, still grinning wildly. "Scream then, for I will show no mercy." His head swimming, Arcus rose to his feet, the Forsaken looming behind him. Now he was properly pissed. All the tension, all the uncertainty from before turned into rage. Arcus was angry at himself, his own weakness, but even more angry at the arrogant, creepy attacker. Arcus decided to let him come a little closer, then he shifted his weight onto his front legs and bucked the Forsaken into the ribcage as hard as he could. The undead fell to his knees, dropping his sword. He cursed in a language Arcus didn't understand, then picked up the sword. "Not so fast!", he snarled. Arcus ignored that and charged, shouting like a madpony to gain courage. He jumped at him, kicking against his knees. A sharp pain made Arcus yowl. There was a shallow cut on his back. That damned sword! He had to act quickly before he would get seriously wounded. Arcus backhoofed the undead, then kicked him once more for good measure, making his opponent stumble. Then, when he was sure that the Forsaken could not go after him anymore, he ran across the yard, up some stairs and through an archway. He listened carefully but it seemed that the Forsaken had lost interest. Apparently Arcus had turned out to be less fun than expected. He sank to the ground, panting heavily. Shit, he mouthed, hitting the grass with his hoof. How was he supposed to get back now? •° Shroom-Kah watched the green doggy run away and cackled. Stupid Gary. Served him right. That idiot was always looking for trouble. Shroom-Kah hobbled over to the frustrated man and offered him some mushrooms. For a few silver coins, of course.