The bats swiftly sailed across the bay, the coast always to their left. Twilight felt exhaustion take over even though it was cold and the saddlebags were heavy on her back. She had not had the time to pack them properly, with the weight equally split up between both sides. On top of that, she had to hold on to the saddle with her hooves since there were no safety belts this time. Her head tilted forward, bopping against the back of the bat rider. He turned his head back to her, mild concern on his pale green, half-rotten face.
"Sorry", muttered Twilight, too tired to even care about his features being horribly distorted from decay.
•°
Vol'Shalai dragged himself along the street, careful not to bump into any of the elves that crossed his path. There were not that many of them around, it was after sunset and everyone was either having fun at the taverns or heading home.
Once again he had been unsuccessful. He sighed even though he was still feeling a bit high from the 'shrooms. While not all Troll Shamans used this method, he could usually get good visions by meditating, chanting and exposing his lungs and stomach too all kinds of... medicine.
Two weeks ago or so, he had actually seen a grey pony just like Twilight in his visions, except she'd had no horn, just wings. And, he had to admit, she had been prettier than Twilight. The pony had a really long flowing mane and tail and a slender build. When he told her that she was pretty - with all the respect one had to show the Loa - they had talked for a while. She had asked where he was. Which was weird. Usually the Loa knew where everybody was. Vol'Shalai had told her about Silvermoon and the ponies and she seemed to be very interested. Once his vision of the pony Loa faded away, he promised himself to shut up about it until he'd figure out what it meant.
He had failed to get another vision since then which angered him a bit. The Sparkle pony was not supposed to know but Vol'Shalai had gathered enough from her talking with the boys that he knew what the experiments were all about. He just had been too chinked to respond properly. However, as he noticed Twilight and Arcus getting more and more edgy with time he put even more effort into trying to get an answer from the Loa what his role was in all of this. That, of course, resulted in him getting even more unresponsive in the evenings.
Vol'Shalai stopped as his feet bumped against a door. Whoops, he was already back. Good thing he knew the way by heart. He pushed the door open and -
Wait a tick. This was no door. This was an upturned table. He let his gaze wander about the room.
The house was a mess. The furniture was strewn about the floor, most of it broken or burned. There was nothing left of the curtains except smoldering blue heaps of cloth in the corner. The pillows looked like they had been through a goblin shredder machine. The crystal jug was no more; crystal shards covered the floor, surrounding a block of ice that was slowly melting. There was the smell of burnt wood with a hint of fresh blood in the air. And there were suspiciously dark smudges on the carpet.
Vol'Shalai frowned. Apparently he had missed all the fun. He picked up the ice block, sniffing on it, then licked it cautiously. This looked like either Darren's work... or a frost mage's. Jonnie's backpack was gone and so were the saddlebags. Had the ponies been abducted or had they managed to escape?
He crouched behind the charred sofa as he heard heavy footsteps approaching, accompanied by a woman shouting commands. Two elves entered the house, one of them making some noise with their plate armor, the other almost none.
"Search the house." Vol'Shalai rolled his eyes. That must be Sarithra. Annoying bitch that she was. She sounded pretty aggravated.
He risked a look around the sofa. Yep, that was Sarithra. And Gladius. The knight stopped, noticing the movement, then relaxed a little as he recognized the shaman.
Vol'Shalai raised his eyebrows, asking a silent question.
The corner of Gladius's mouth curled upwards. Then he started searching the house while thoroughly ignoring the troll. So that's how it was. Vol'Shalai nodded, retreaing behind the sofa again. Nice to know someone among the elves was not a selfish ponce after all.
Vol'Shalai closed his eyes and took a totem from his pouch, focusing on his connection with the Spirits of the Wild. He could feel himself shifting over to the spiritual plane as he shrunk in size. Vol'Shalai crouched down until he was on all fours.
Sarithra did not even notice the spirit wolf that jumped over the table in the doorway.
The wolf picked up the pace as soon as he was on the street. He hurried through the alleys and gates, passing unconscious guards and some healers on the way without slowing down. It did not take him long to get to the Shepherd's Gate. The wolf ran across the white stone bridge that marked the entrance to Silvermoon. Turning to his right in a wide arc, he skipped over a group of annoyingly well-cut bushes, heading into the woods.
Once the walls of Silvermoon were out of sight, the wolf slowed down into a trot, then stopped walking. He reared, shifting back to the material plane while turning into a troll.
Vol'Shalai laughed. If Sarithra was in such a bad mood it could only mean one thing. He raised his fist, happily punching the air.
Good for them to escape. He did a little dance, waving his axe around to thank the Loa, then calmed down again.
He took a sip from one of his many pumpkin bottles, then rubbed his long chin. Where would they go now? He pondered that for a moment. Somehow, it seemed unlikely to him that the ponies would return to the Plaguelands. No, Jonnie would probably lead them back to Lordaeron as quickly as possible. Wherever they meant to go, in order to get someplace else they had to regroup and restock. Plus, the zeppelin tower was halfway between Undercity and the neighboring town Brill so it was likely they would head there.
Vol'Shalai nodded, wiping his hands on his pants. Alright then, Undercity it was. He started walking, heading straight for the Dead Scar. He was pretty sure the flight master was to be found somewhere around these parts.
•°
They kept flying for hours. Thankfully, neither Twilight nor anyone else fell off the bats. She woke up to the cold wind and to a jolt as the bat abruptly changed altitude.
Twilight looked back: The sea was still visible in her back but there was no more water below. Instead, tall brown mountains spread as far as the eye could see. Their tops were covered with snow. She poked the Forsaken rider in the back with her hoof. He turned his head a little, indicating that he had noticed.
"Excuse me", shouted Twilight over the wind, "Where are we headed?"
"Western Plaguelands, then Undercity", replied the Forsaken. Twilight nodded, more to herself.
"Are we going to land soon?", she asked.
The rider nodded, pointing at a small valley Twilight had not previously noticed. His hand was covered by a gauntlet. A bony wrist was exposed as he stretched his arm. Yes, definitely undead. He took the reins again. "Just a little longer, then we can get you a blanket." He turned his head a little for Twilight to see his smirk.
She smiled back sheepishly and nodded a Thanks.
Behind her, the other bats squawked as they also changed course. They turned to their left in a wide arc, descending quickly. Twilight managed to catch a glimpse of Arcus. He was splayed over the saddle of a bat, looking rather unhappy. He left a trail of food behind which disappeared between the few clouds that were scattered about. Twilight grimaced and faced forward again.
•°
"Oh, look", said Jonathan, drawing his hand out of Twilight's blue saddlebag. "Herbs."
Twilight blushed. "I completely forgot about those. They could have made such great healing potions! We used up all the others in Silvermoon..." She rolled her eyes. "Wait", her ears perked up, "do I still have the cauldron?"
"Yep", said Jonathan, "I could feel it in there... somewhere..." His hand disappeared in the saddlebag once more, revealing the small black cauldron. "Catch." He tossed it over to Twilight who caught it in her magic. She happily set it down on the small fire that sat in a circle of brown rocks. Then she lit her horn, casting a spell to suck humidity from the air. Miniature clouds gathered above the cauldron. Twilight stretched out a hoof, carefully poking the clouds. Raindrops sprayed from the clouds, which quickly dissolved. She repeated the process until the cauldron was almost full.
"That is really cool." That was Arcus. He was leaning against one of the big rocks that surrounded the campsite. His mood had improved considerably since the Forsaken had surprised them with a big sack of cloth which was packed with all kinds of food and also more blankets. They had distributed the bread, roasted the vegetables over the fire and cooked tea. Well, at least something that was close to tea. Arcus suspected that they had added dried mushrooms to the mix since he felt a bit more relaxed than he should after fighting, running and riding a bat for hours. Everything tasted slightly bland but that was to be expected from a meal prepared by people who had mostly lost their tastebuds.
The first thing Jonathan had done after the landing was to empty two entire waterskins. After that, he had called to the Light to heal the worst wounds. His left elbow was now bandaged to keep the tender new skin protected for a few days.
Arcus had suffered the most injuries. He had not really noticed during the fight but now he felt sore in all kinds of places, the worst being his right flank where an arrowhead had been buried. How the hay had he managed to run so fast with that thing stuck in his hindleg? He had no idea. Still, it was good that Jonathan cleaned out and bandaged the wound, even though it hurt like Tartarus while he did it. Arcus absent-mindedly tapped his left hindleg. He had been so angry during the fight that the emotion had blocked out everything else. Was that normal? He was sure he had thought about that before at some point.
Arcus eyed Darren. The Death Knight had not eaten anything, as usual. He sat next to Arcus, cleaning his sword by sticking it into the ground, then wiping it with some kind of cloth. Darren handed Arcus the cloth with raised eyebrows.
"Oh yeah, right", said Arcus, suddenly understanding. He took the cloth and started wiping his own blades clean. He was still not used to having to take care of his weapons. Was he really cut out to be a warrior? Even though the fighting felt kind of natural to him he could sense that something was off. Funny enough, now that they were out of Silvermoon, he felt so suspiciously... docile.
"Darren, can I ask you something?", he said after a while.
"Of course."
"Um... in private?", added Arcus, smiling awkwardly.
Darren sheathed his sword, nodding. He rose to his feet and waved his gloved hand, offering Arcus to leave the circle first.
"It won't take long", Arcus told Twilight, who nodded and returned her attention to the cauldron. He folded the woollen blanket he had covered himself with and put it down next to his saddlebags. Both he and Darren disappeared behind the rocks, Arcus with a slight limp.
"What is it?" Darren put his hood down, eyeing Arcus curiously.
Arcus hesitated, shivering despite his cloak. While Darren waited patiently, he tapped his hindleg, unsure how to formulate his question.
"How do you do it?", he blurted out eventually. "How do you deal with f-fighting?"
Darren raised his eyebrows. "I must kill to survive. Our situations... differ."
Arcus hung his head, digging at the ground with his hoof.
"Was that the first time you killed somebody?", asked Darren cautiously.
Arcus nodded, his head still low. "I - I stabbed that mage to death. Her eyes broke. I saw it." He jerked his head up, his eyes pleading for understanding. "I was - I was so angry. That I - killed her." Arcus blushed, ashamed, as he felt tears blurring his vision. He looked down again, a big lump in his throat.
Darren sighed, watching Arcus. He sat down next to the pony, oblivious to the cold.
"I have long forgotten what that feels like", he admitted after a while. "After all these years, you should think that the faces blur together. But I can still remember every single one. The worst part is that I had to stop caring at some point."
Arcus flinched, looking at Darren incredulously.
"Yes", said Darren. "There are only two things you can do, Arcus: Wait until the memory fades. Try not to repeat your mistakes. Well, and pray for the dead, I suppose, though you better ask Mr Baker how to do that", he added, rubbing his neck.
"How long until it stops h-hurting?", asked Arcus, tears still dropping from his muzzle.
Darren remained silent.
"I want to undo it", sobbed Arcus. "I don't want to be so angry that people die." He buried his face in his hooves. "I don't want to be a warrior anymore."
Darren snorted. "This is not what being a warrior is about", he said. "At least it should not be."
Arcus sniffed, rubbing his muzzle.
"It is about standing up to protect what is important to you." He stretched out a hand, slowly putting it on the pony's head. "We escaped to keep you, the Princess and Mr Ba-... Jonathan from harm. They put a curse on you. You cannot have forgotten that."
"No, no... I just... I don't know. It's confusing...", Arcus stammered. "I don't know. Even if it was their fault, too, it was still me..."
"Maybe the mage did not have to die. But you cannot change it. It is done. It is over. You are free now."
"I don't think I will ever be free again", said Arcus sadly.
Darren nodded hesitantly, leaving it at that. There was no right answer to this. So he just sat with the crying pony, carefully stroking his mane.
•°
Jonathan was beginning to worry when Arcus and Darren finally returned from their talk. Arcus's eyes were bloodshot and his cheeks damp. Jonathan did not ask.
Twilight eyed Darren, who gave her a short nod. She smiled sadly, suspecting what the talk had been about.
The potion bubbled away inside the cauldron, filling the silence. None of the Forsaken seemed to be up for any talking. Three sat around the campfire, two others stood facing away from the fire, keeping watch. The sixth one, the woman, tended to the bats, feeding them bloody meat.
As Twilight turned away from that with disgust, her gaze fell upon the blue wisp that lazily circled the camp. It seemed that Levinia did not have anything to do either. Twilight shifted her weight. She did not feel as happy as she had expected. There had been a lot of fighting. Maybe she had permanently hurt somebody. She poked the fire with a stick to keep it going, then stood up to join Levinia.
"Hello", she said.
The blue light exanded until a pegasus floated next to Twilight.
"Hello, Twilight", said Levinia. "How are you feeling?" She eyed the alicorn with concern.
Twilight sighed. "I'll be okay", she said after a while. "I hope." She turned to face Levinia. "So how did you find us?", she asked.
"Well, I got caught in a dream", admitted Levinia. "Not the first time, I know." She rolled her eyes as Twilight giggled. "But the dreamer was on Azeroth. That sure was new."
Twilight's ears perked up. "Oh?", she said curiously. "Who was it, then?"
"Sylvanas", smirked Levinia.
"The Banshee Queen? You are foaling around, aren't you?"
Levinia shook her head. "No, I'm not. Sylvanas tried to have a vision but she had a dream instead. And Princess Luna noticed the dream. I mean, how could she not when it stretched even across the Great Dark Beyond?"
"Must have been some dream", muttered Twilight.
"I wouldn't know. As soon as I got there, the dream was already dissolving. I ended up in a dark chamber of stone, next to the, uh, elf. At first, she wanted to vanquish me. But when I told her about Priest she was ready to listen." Levinia crossed her forelegs. "Sylvanas is not easy to deal with, let me tell you that. I haven't met many ponies that were this difficult."
"How does she know Jonathan?", asked Twilight, frowning. "I wasn't under the impression that they ever met up close."
"Ah, you see, the Banshee Queen has spies everywhere. It's the Capital city, so yeah." Levinia rolled her eyes. "She knew that a weird Forsaken had returned to Undercity and that he behaved like a living person. And that he had two colorful ponies with him. But not much more." Her ears went down. "I'm afraid that I told her Priest has been healed. I hope that's not going to be a problem."
Twilight groaned. "So that's why she sent the Death Guards to fetch us..."
Levinia shook her head. "I don't think so", she said. "I told her about another dream that I got caught in. That's when she agreed to help." She floated closer to Twilight, a smile spreading on her muzzle as she tilted her head. "Does the name Vol'Shalai ring any bells?"
Twilight nodded slowly.
"He told me you were in trouble and that Blood Elves experimented on you. When I passed that on to Sylvanas she got so mad she stabbed one of her guards. Good thing the woman was already dead so nothing bad happened." Levinia grinned. "After that, she ordered a few Death Guards to extract you immediately. It helped that we found Bane in the Eversong Woods. He could follow Houndslayer's trail, you see. Undead souls bound to each other or something like that."
Twilight smiled. "Thank you", she said. "For getting us out of there. We couldn't have made it on our own." Her ears splayed back. "I wish we could hug", she muttered.
Levinia shrugged with her wings. "Can't be helped", she said. "I'm just glad that we can talk to each other. I had not expected that, to be honest."
"Hm, yes, that's probably because there's more magic on Azeroth than in Equestria. I have a feeling we shouldn't return to Undercity, though. How can we be sure Sylvanas won't try the same thing as Sarithra?"
"We can't", said a hoarse voice next to her, making Twilight jump.
"Goodness, Jonathan, you startled me!"
"Sorry." He smiled apologetically. "But I agree with you, we probably shouldn't go to Undercity." He sighed in defeat. "At least we got the pine stick for the wand. Would have been nicer to find a star ruby, too, but we better get back before..." He trailed off as he noticed the wide grin on Twilight's face. "What?"
"We found several gems", said Twilight. "There was this maggot, remember? The huge one?"
"Hard to forget", muttered Jonathan.
"Darren went inside and looted its previous victims. It was really disgusting." She stuck out her tongue. "Anyway, maybe there's a star ruby among the gems. Want to have a look?"
"Sure." Jonathan nodded enthusiastically. "Nice to see you again, by the way", he added, facing Levinia. "Thanks for saving us."
"You're welcome", grinned Levinia.
He nodded, then followed Twilight to the campsite. She was already approaching Darren who sat next to the fire, reading in that little book of his. He looked up when he noticed her.
"Hey, Darren. Do you remember the gems you took from the maggot?", asked Twilight.
"Of course", answered Darren. He rummaged in his small bag. "They must be somewhere in there", he muttered.
Jonathan smiled as Darren handed him a dark green leather pouch.
"Thanks", he said. His smile broadened as he drew a red gem from the pouch. It was about as big as a cherry and had an unusual cut for stones of this size: It was almost round.
"Well, Princess, you know what this is?", said Jonathan.
Twilight's face lit up. "It's a star ruby, isn't it?"
"Yep." Jonathan returned the gem, then closed the pouch and stuffed it into his backpack. "You know what else?", he said, his grin fading a bit as he grew serious. "Let's go home."
•°
When they told the Forsaken about their plan, it turned out to be a problem.
"No", said Mr Carpenter firmly. "We have our orders from Lady Sylvanas herself. We are to rescue you from the Blood Elves and bring you to Undercity. You are to be presented to the Banshee Queen as soon as we arrive."
Jonathan's expression turned sour as he heard that. Arcus also frowned, glancing at Darren.
"To what end?", asked Darren, trying to keep his voice neutral. Arcus doubted that anypony else but him noticed the anger that made the Knight's body tense up.
"I don't know", admitted the warrior. Mr Carpenter was apparently the leader of the Forsaken who had rescued them. He was taller than Jonathan but with a similar slim build. An axe as big as a full-grown pony was fastened to his back, along with a jagged iron mace in form of a horned human skull. Symbols of the Horde and the crest of the Forsaken adorned both weapons as well as his tabard. His plate armor had a purple tint to it and he wore a dark violet hood that covered most of his head. All in all, he looked like a typical Death Guard as Arcus had seen many in Undercity. His hair hung down in shaggy green strands, his haggard face was relatively intact. The only thing Mr Carpenter' face did not have was a nose.
Right now, this face was scrunched up in irritation as he tried to convince the ponies and Jonathan not to make his work so hard.
"Mr Houndslayer, the Dark Lady is not obliged to inform us of her intentions. If she orders us to fetch you, fetch you we will."
"Maybe Lady Sylvanas just wants to have a talk", suggested Twilight, bottling up her fresh potions. She stored the corked vials in the saddlebags she was wearing, then continued, "Is there a way we can get her promise that we won't get hurt?"
Mr Carpenter stared at her. "No."
Her ears folded down. "Oh... In that case, why did you bring us food and supplies? That would not make much sense if we were prisoners - again", she added in an annoyed tone.
"One point for the mage", muttered one of the other Forsaken to his comrade. Both grinned. Mr Carpenter shot them a glare.
"Will you come along willingly", he asked Twilight, "or do we have to use force, little pony?"
Arcus narrowed his eyes at the 'little pony' but gave Twilight a nod when she looked at him.
Jonathan hesitated, then nodded as well. He turned to Darren. "You don't have to come with us, you know. I can pay you right here."
Darren shook his head. "My work is not done yet." A faint smile touched his lips as he eyed the ponies. "Sometimes you have to do more than you were asked."
"Then it's decided", said Twilight. "We will trust you for now. We will come with you. Who knows, it might be interesting to talk to the Queen."
Mr Carpenter kept staring at her. His gaze was beginning to unnerve her, her wings twitched under her cloak as she tried to keep the smile plastered to her muzzle.
"Can we please just go and get it over with?", begged Arcus.