Inga gave the chestpiece on her knee a last finish. Arcus had already reattached the other two parts and examined himself in a polished round brass shield that was leaned against the wall and served as a mirror.
"Thank you, Inga, this is perfect." Arcus smiled happily.
"I do what I can", replied the dwarf and handed him the chestpiece. "There's something odd about yer armor, though."
"Oh? What do you mean?"
Darren took the plate as Arcus passed it on to him. He helped him to attach the piece of armor to its designated place.
"The colors. They're the colors of the Forsaken tabard."
"Uh, w-well, I guess so", stuttered Arcus. "A friend of mine made the cloth parts, I don't think she was aware of that."
"But ye seem to know about it", insisted Inga, leaning forward and frowning at Arcus. Only a few noses away from his face, she studied him closely. "And I've never seen a sentient pony before. Strange coincidence, dont'che think?"
"It's not a tabard, for Celestia's sake", replied Arcus testily. "I just happen to like the colors. Do you see a white broken face on this? Because there isn't." His ears flopped down and his face blushed as he glared back at Inga.
"I must ask you to refrain from intimidating my friend", chimed Darren in. His voice was neutral on the surface but Arcus - and probably Inga, too - sensed a thinly veiled threat. Inga leaned backwards, raising her hands defensively. She looked half amused, half offended.
"Fine, I'll drop the issue. But ye should consider different colors, ter be on the safe side. Just a thought, lad."
Darren silently payed Inga and she put the money away, still grumbling a little. Arcus went outside first, breathing a sigh of relief when the door slammed shut behind them.
"Luna's mane", he muttered to himself, still frowning.
"Now that she mentioned it, the semblance to the flag is there", commented Darren.
"No, really?" Arcus gave him a deadpan look, then trotted off to the inn. "Come on, let's go back. I gotta fill that gaping hole in my stomach."
"Certainly."
After a few moments of quiet walking, Arcus mused, "Maybe it would have been better to go to the other half of Andorhal. The armor wouldn't have been foreign over there."
"Are you already forgetting Mr Baker's dilemma?"
Arcus sighed. "No, of course not. It's just... uch, nevermind." He shook his head in annoyance.
The knight just nodded and let the matter slide.
That was good enough for Arcus. He felt his heart getting lighter. Darren was obviously not the most outspoken kind of guy. And Arcus liked that a lot right now.
He could feel a strange connection with the knight. He was not sure why or how. Was it because of how the human seemed to respect him? Whatever it was, Arcus was glad that he was not alone. Jonathan was a nice guy, of course, but he seemed to prefer hanging out with Twilight. They had met each other sooner so that was kind of a given. Arcus did not want to feel like the third wheel.
He remembered what Darren had said to Inga. I must ask you to refrain from intimidating my friend.
A friend. Now Arcus felt a little bit less lost. He grinned at the death knight and pushed the inn door open.
•°
It took Darren a moment to spot his employer in the candle-lit room. The young man sat in a corner halfway to the stairs, with his back to the wall. Even though he was talking to Twilight, whose hood concealed her features, Mr Baker's eyes kept darting around the room, constantly alert.
Darren followed Arcus as the earth pony happily trotted over to his friends. Again, curious glances met the death knight, but his arrival was not as big a surprise as the last time. He shrugged it off and focused on his own group.
Baker was done eating but made no attempt to stand up. Twilight's ear twitched as she noticed their approach; Darren could make out the movement underneath the unicorn's hood. She rose from her chair and smiled broadly.
"Hello, you two! Did everything go well?"
"Yep", confirmed Arcus, slumping down on the seat next to Baker. "See? All fixed. Aw, I'm so hungry I could eat a pasture. What's for dinner?" He expectantly tapped his forehooves on the table.
Baker smirked. "Soup. But make sure to tell them you're a vegetarian."
Darren cleared his throat and proclaimed he would be spending the remaining evening upstairs. Baker simply nodded, muttering a confirmation. Twilight yawned, covering her mouth with a hoof.
"I think I'll go upstairs, too", she said. "Reading a bit and then taking a good night's sleep would be great." She ascended the stairs and used her freshly acquired key to unlock the door to their room.
It was equipped with three beds. One of them was a regular bed, the other two were in fact a bunk bed. A small window looked out at the town square. It was so dirty that you could hardly see through the glass. The furniture, however, was sturdy, in good shape and clean.
Darren found a candle in the tall closet, lit it and placed it in the brass candlestick on the table. He sat down on one of the three stools and pulled his little book out. Twilight, however, still stood in the doorframe.
"This can't be right", she said.
Darren lowered his hood and raised an eyebrow. "How so?"
"We don't have enough beds! I'll have to talk to Jonathan about this."
"No", said Darren.
"But the sooner we get this corrected - "
"It is alright", stated Darren. He put his book down. "Remember, Twilight: I do not require any sleep."
"Oh." Her ears folded down and she smiled sheepishly. "Of course. I forgot for a second. Sorry!"
How nice of her to treat him like a living being! "Do not worry about it", said Darren.
•°
Arcus tried something new. He eyed the pint he had just taken a sip from.
"The beer's good", he said. "Where is it from?"
"I'm not sure", admitted Jonathan. "I think they got it from Khaz Modan."
Arcus gave him a clueless look.
"The continent to the south", explained Jonathan. "It's where most of the Bronzebeard Dwarves live. And this is definitely dwarven beer. The only poeple who can rival their brewing skills are the Pandaren. I've never had the chance to try their drinks. But I heard that if you overdo it you can lose your eyesight. Dunno if it's really true, though." He grinned and drank from his own glass. "So what do you think of Azeroth so far?"
•°
Twilight sat on the upper mattress of the bunk bed, a book between her forelegs. A roll of parchment (Darren knew by now that Twilight used the word merely as a synonym for paper) floated beside her. Now and then she would take notes. She paused for a moment, eyeing Darren. The knight was still reading in his book. It was much quieter than downstairs but she could still hear music, shouts and laughter filtering through the planks of the uninsulated floor. Twilight's left ear twitched as she tried her best to ignore the noise.
•°
"And then he says, 'Oh, thank thee very much, thine Majesty art as generous as thou art benevolent', and he looks King Sombra in the eye and adds, 'Actually, if it's all the same to thee, I wish for a one-way train ticket to Canterlot.'"
Jonathan snorted, bending over the table and holding his belly to contain his laughter. He carefully pushed his glass aside, shaking with suppressed giggles, and wiped his eyes.
"Excuse me", said somebody. Jonathan and Arcus looked up, trying to quickly regain their cool.
"Would you mind if we join you?" A couple of Night Elves stood next to their table.
Jonathan quickly looked around the inn and noticed for the first time how full it was.
"Ah, not at all", he lied, rising to his feet. Arcus did the same, topping it off by pulling out a chair for the female elf. She raised her eyebrows in surprise but did not object, sitting down elegantly on the offered seat. Her partner or colleague took the last remaining chair and nodded a greeting at Arcus and Jonathan. Both elves wore the golden lion of the Alliance and light leather armor. They were significantly taller than Jonathan or any human for that matter. Arcus immediately felt some kind of careful respect for them. There was something in their movements that made him think of tigers. The look in their eyes was friendly, though.
"I am Ivadryn", the male elf introduced himself, "and this is my wife, Sariya."
"Jonathan Baker, nice to meet you."
"Arcus Tangens."
Arcus registered with satisfaction that the elves made no comment about his non-humanoid appearance.
Sariya's lips curled upwards and her eyes twinkled as she regarded him. Maybe she just mirrored the grin that still lingered on his face.
Jonathan leaned back to make room for a barmaid who approached the table and served them another round of beer, this time including two more for the new guests. He still smiled but his eyebrows were low and his gaze wandered around the room. "Hm, can't think of another one yet."
"Are you telling jokes?", asked Sariya curiously, brushing a strand of her long moss green hair out of her face. Most of it was bound together with a ribbon. After a long day's work, some strands had slipped out of the knot. Was she a hunter? Or maybe a warrior?
"Yup", said Jonathan aloud. "Do you know any good ones?"
She shook her head. Ivadryn leaned forward, shifting his weight on his arm, and took a sip from his beer. "I do not know any jokes", he said slowly, "however, there was an incident that once occured to my wife and I when we were on an expedition in the Hinterlands."
Sariya smirked, lowering her head to hide her amusement. "That one", she said, more to herself.
Ivadryn ignored her comment. "We were lying peacefully on our backs, watching the sky, when she said, 'What do you see?'
"I replied, 'I see the stars and the moons. Over there we have the Centaur, and there's the Raven. That is the Lion and those two bright ones are the Sail.'
"She said, 'What does that tell you?'
"I answered, 'It means that it is Spring. Elune is smiling on us tonight. And it also means that beyond our little world, there is so much more to see. In comparison, we can seem so very insignificant, just two small beings on a mote of dust.'"
"But then I frowned at him", concluded Sariyan, "and said, 'Ivadryn. It means that somebody stole our tent.'"
•°
"Do you have any family?"
Darren froze, then he slowly lowered his book. Twilight had torn her eyes from the pages and was looking directly at him.
"I did", he said very quietly.
Her ears folded down, a sign of her regret, he assumed. "Sorry", she whispered. "I should have expected that answer." Twilight inhaled, then she changed her mind, closed her mouth and resumed reading.
She flinched when Darren spoke. "What is your book about?"
Twilight smiled and levitated the tome over to him so he could read the title. It was written in the Common language.
"'Potions for the Battlemage. Alchemy fit for Use in Combat and Healing'."
"It's basically a book of recipes", elaborated Twilight quickly. "Those healing and stealth potions are especially intriguing."
"You might want to study potions with long-term effects as well", recommended Darren. "I imagine you would find the Troll's Blood Potion rather useful."
"Ew!" Twilight scrunched her nose. "Wait, is there actual Troll blood in it?"
He shook his head. "The term refers to the potion's effect. Trolls have highly regenerative abilities. So does the elixir."
"I see. Hm, that does sound useful", mused Twilight. She flipped through the pages. "Aha! There it is! It's very simple. I think I'm going to try and brew it soon. Maybe together with that one, an Arcane Elixir to boost the power of my spells. The book says they can be used at the same time! I wonder where I can get some vials -"
A rustling on the windowsill interrupted her. Baker's paper bag shivered and almost fell off. Twilight quickly caught it in her magic before Darren could lift a finger. She drew the sunflower out of the bag and into the light.
She looked at Twilight with limp leaves dangling off the pot's sides. The flower kept her head steady with way too much effort, frowning miserably. Twilight's expression softened and she jumped from the bunk bed. She looked around the room.
Darren pointed at the closet. "There is a jug of water in there."
Twilight opened the closet's doors and found a blue ceramic jug with small stubby handle. She carefully floated it over to the flower, then poured some water into the pot, watching with joy as the sunflower relaxed and raised its head. It smiled thankfully at her.
"You're welcome!", beamed Twilight. SHe tapped her chin with a hoof. "I think we need to have a talk with your owner."
•°
"The captain and the sailors already jumped off", said Jonathan, "And there are only four parachutes.
"The first passenger takes a parachute, saying, 'I am Varian Wrynn, the leader of the Alliance. My people need me, I cannot abandon them', and he jumps.
"The next passenger grabs a parachute and explaines, 'I am Lor'themar Theron, Regent Lord of the Sin'dorei. In this time of crisis, I must serve the Blood Elves in any way I can.' Then he jumps."
Arcus felt his ears fold back when Jon mentioned the Blood Elves. He deeply hoped that the human did not notice his uneasiness when it came to that subject.
Jon continued, "The third passenger says, 'I am Garrosh Hellscream, Warchief of the Horde. I am the most important and capable warrior of the Horde and will not let some puny zeppelin accident prevent me from leading them to victory.' Then he jumps and pulls the string."
Half the inn's guests were listening by now. Arcus wondered whether the other conversations had been that boring or if their table was just the loudest of them all.
"Now there are only two left: The Prophet Velen and Muradin Bronzebeard. The prophet, despite the extremely high altitude, says, 'Go ahead, I will pray to the Light that it may save me.'
"Muradin just grins at him and says, 'There ain't no need for that, Sir, we still got two parachutes left, ye can take one, too.'
"Velen is confused. 'How so?'
"Says Bronzebeard, 'The most important and capable warrior of the Horde just jumped with me backpack.'"
Jonathan leaned back and grinned as the crowd broke into laughter and cheers. It did not take long until dozens of Horde jokes were being told. Former warchief Garrosh was the one most laughed about, with Sylvanas the Banshee Queen following close behind. Arcus was not sure if Jon found the saucy anecdotes about the two half as funny as he led on.
•°
"What the hay are they doing down there?" Twilight shut her book with an audible slap and put it in her saddlebag.
"The amount of noise suggests that either the guests are having a good time or a bar brawl is in full swing. Possibly both." Darren smirked for a second, then returned to his book.
"Doesn't it worry you? Shouldn't we go downstairs and make sure our friends are all right?"
"No", said Darren evenly without interrupting his reading.
"Okay", replied Twilight meekly, thinking it over. If this inn was anything like the ones in Northrend, they were going to have security, even though she had not noticed any obvious guards standing around. They would throw the troublemakers out. So Jonathan and Arcus were going to be fine. Twilight took her cloak off - at least it was warm enough for that - and slipped between the blankets.
"Good night, then", she said, shuffling around until she felt comfortable enough.
"Good night", answered Darren, sitting down on another stool. Now he was sitting between Twilight and the candle he needed for reading, casting a large shadow over her head.
Twilight hummed her appreciation and was soon fast asleep.
•°
When Twilight woke up, her mane was a mess. She blinked several times to get the last bit of sleep out of her eyes and leaned over the bed rail.
"Good morning, everyone - huh?" Her eyes darted from bed to bed. They were still untouched! "Where are Priest and Arcus?" She flew off the bed, hurriedly producing a hairbrush and straightening out her mane. Then she quickly put on her cloak.
"It is morning, isn't it?" Twilight went to the window. It resisted her at first, but with a decisive pull of her magic she ripped it open. The town square was dipped in the golden light of an early sun. So it was probably around eight in the morning. People went about, soldiers hurried across the square and an old woman sold talismans from her caravan. Twilight felt a tinge of amusement - there were two unintelligent horses, a black one and one with a pinto coloring, something that was not very common among Equestrian ponies. They stood in front of the caravan, turning their heads this way and that, uneasily shifting their weight from one hoof to another.
Flight instinct, she thought. There's a lot of noise, making them nervous. She closed the window again.
Darren frowned. "They never came upstairs. I intend to investigate this matter. Do you wish to accompany me or would you prefer to eat something first?"
"Breakfast can wait", decided Twilight. "What if they are in serious trouble?"
They went downstairs. The inn was almost empty; only a few customers sat around, eating or drinking. Twilight cantered past them, heading for the counter. A young human with short blonde hair stood behind it, washing glasses. He looked up and bid them a good morning. His face fell when he saw Twilight's concerned frown.
"Is everything in order?", he asked carefully.
"The service is", said Darren from under his hood, his polite voice in stark contrast with the icy aura he gave off.
Twilight felt a shiver run down her back. Was Darren already this worried? She half-reared to rise to her full height, supporting her weight by placing her hooves on the counter. Now she was almost eye to eye with the bartender. "My name is Twilight Sparkle. We have a room together with Mr Baker and Mr Tangens - you can't have overlooked him, he's a green earth pony. Did you see where they went?"
The bartender shook his head. "No, ma'am. But there was a commotion yesterday so it's possible that they ended up in the tower."
Twilight's ears flopped down, her wings folded tightly at her sides. "You're kidding me. They got arrested?"
The man shrugged apologetically. "I don't know. Sorry, ma'am. You might want to ask a guard what happened to them, they usually know that kind of thing. Anyway, if your friends really are in custody, the guards will definitely know about it."
"Thank you, sir." Twilight stepped away from the counter, dropping back on all fours, and looked at Darren. "What do you think?"
"Let us go to that tower and see what we can find out." The knight nodded at the bartender and followed Twilight who was already outside.
She stopped suddenly and turned around. "Which of those towers is the one we're looking for?"
"Follow me." Darren strode confidently past Twilight, leading her towards a grassy elevation that could only be called a hill if you were very generous.
"So they did get into trouble", muttered Twilight.
It was a beautiful morning; a few birds sang their song despite the cold and Twilight could hear ther murmur of a nearby stream over the noise of the crowd - but she had no eye for the scenery. The sour air around her was almost tangible. On top of that, she was worried that they would not get past the guards.
However, after Darren talked to them, the guards instantly led them into the tower, through a series of small rooms and downstairs. The staircase was so steep that Twilight skipped it altogether and glided down with half-stretched wings, careful not to bump her head on the ceiling. During the entire time she kept muttering under her breath, switching between worrying about her friends and thinking of a proper scolding in case they were unharmed. Darren made sure to keep his more or less indifferent air; he had no interest in becoming the target of her agitation.
The basement was an undecorated single room, poorly lit by a handful of torches. Its stone walls were designed to keep the water from the nearby river out but it was still damp and cold and smelled accordingly. The room was divided by an iron grid and the separated area itself was cut into three sections by additional bars. Each of the three cells was equipped with a wooden bench, chained to the wall, also a heap of straw and a bucket with a lid. That was probably where the worst of the smell came from.
Only one of the cells was in use. Its occupants stirred when they heard Twilight's wings and the clinking of Darren's armor as they descended into the jail.
The guard ordered the arrested to stay away from the bars. Then he turned to Darren. "Do you recognize these individuals?"
"Yes", stated Darren, stepping closer to the bars. Twilight was faster; she almost slammed into the grid as she tried to get as close as possible to the man on the bench.
"Priest! What in the name of Celestia happened? What's that on your eye? What are the charges? How do we get you out of here?"
A groan from the green armored bundle of misery on the straw interrupted her. "Twilight, slow down, or else you gonna tear down the buildinnng."
She gaped at Arcus dumbfoundedly. "What?"
"And please, not so loud. My head feels like a tribe of buffalo went stampeding through it."
"Are you having a...", she began.
"Hangover, yes", grinned Jonathan humorlessly, rubbing his neck and standing up slowly. "Needless to say, we were kinda busy last night."
Twilight gave him a deadpan look.
"But why are you here?", she demanded, impatiently tapping the bars for emphasis.
Arcus gave off another dismal groan. "I... I can't remember", he admitted.
Jonathan shook his head. "Apparently you have zero tolerance when it comes to dwarven beer. It wasn't even the heavy stuff. In fact, I'm still nearly sober."
"How good for you." Arcus turned around. Now he was lying awkwardly on his back instead of his belly. "A kingdom for Spirit Rez and his coffee spell."
"We had a great time", remembered Jonathan. "That was until they started picking on Arc..."
•°
"What do you mean, 'condition'?" Arcus fixed his eyes on the human, his frown deepening. He was already a little shaky on his hooves, clutching the table for support.
"How should I know? ...Was it a magical accident? A Scourge Cauldron? Or does your owner love you just a bit too much so he arranged a little spell?"
"Ignore him, he's drunk. Probably more than you." Jonathan put his hand on Arcus's barrel, trying to appease him. "We better leave."
"See? See?" The man laughed dirtily, getting chuckles from the surrounding crowd. "They're hugging already. I wonder how long it takes until they -"
•°
"Buuuck." Arcus squeezed his eyes shut. "I'm startin' to remember. But he totally had it coming to him!" He raised his head to look at Jonathan. "I bucking owned that sonofabitch."
"He took you out with the second strike", corrected Jonathan, rolling his eyes and ignoring the atypical swearing.
"Totally. Owned. Him", muttered Arcus. He dropped his head again and started to snore.
"When I tried to carry him upstairs, the guards came in and started arresting people", said Jonathan. "Stallion plus armor, that's pretty heavy. I didn't even make it to the stairs."
"Arcus, you fool, you should have known better", muttered Darren under his breath.
"What's with the black eye?" Twilight raised her hooves in exasperation.
"Collateral damage."
"Ugh! Now what?"
The guard cleared his throat. "These two have been registered as troublemakers. At least they were cooperative enough to tell their names. Once you have paid the fee you will all be banned from Andorhal for three days. After all, this is a military base of the Alliance, we cannot let civilians disturb our business like this."
Or their own bar brawls, commented Twilight sourly in her mind.
"You may gather your things from your current residence before you leave."
Twilight sighed. "That sounds fair enough. Pretty harmless actually", she admitted after a few deep breaths. She materialized the key to their room and passed it on to Darren. "Can you please bring our things to the well on the town square? We'll meet you there."
The knight nodded and left. The basement door clacked as the guard upstairs opened it to let him out.
"I'm going to buy some food for the journey", continued Twilight, pacing up and down in front of the cell. "And then I'll find a way to pay the fee."
"About that", interrupted Jonathan, "just use my gold, okay?" He untied the leather band of his purse to get it off his belt, and held it up, his arm outstretched towards the bars. "Sorry for the trouble." He blushed as his shoulders sagged forward.
Twilight smiled at him. "Apology accepted. You're the one who got the black eye in the end. Just, please, don't let Arcus drink that much again. He may be an adult but we ponies tend to overestimate our limits for drinks." She took the purse and kept it afloat in the pink aura of her magic.
"We're gonna have a talk about it, that's for sure", grumbled Jonathan.
"Good. Well. See you later, then. You stay right here, I'll be back in twenty minutes!" Twilight flashed him another smile and left. The last guard followed her and the basement door slammed shut.
Jonathan sat down on the bench again, watching his buddy snore on the straw. He leaned back and sighed.
•°
Twilight was back in the basement exactly twenty-two minutes later. Jonathan had already woken up Arcus - with some effort - and the earth pony slowly trotted out of the cell. He stammered incoherent apologies, spiced with so many oaths that Twilight suspected that it would take another two days until the effects of the alcohol would subside. They quickly made their way out of Andorhal. Darren had loaded his griffin with their supplies and the group hurried through the gates to the north, trying not to run while the mount swiftly walked next to Darren, apparently unaffected by the weight. Twilight made a mental note to ask if they could use the griffin as a pack mule (no offense to mules, of course).
Darren himself was more alert than ever. Since Jonathan and Arcus were tired and a little listless, it was up to him to watch their front and back. He did not complain even once which impressed Twilight a lot. Her face was like stone almost the entire time, her mouth a thin line. She was still slightly mad at the two brawlers but after receiving their apologies she tried more or less to hide her foul mood.
•°
It took three days and a healing spell for Jonathan's black eye to disappear. Afterwards, his own mood improved immensely.
They had no tent so they slept under the open sky, always lying as close to the small campfire as possible. The sky was blue for the entire week. In exchange, it was getting colder with each passing day. Twilight was glad that Rarity had remembered to give them scarves; she and Arcus had more trouble with the cold than Jonathan who was better prepared. He had insisted on wearing unusually warm clothing in the first place.
She thought that the bushes, trees and flowers in this area were in pretty good shape but Arcus observed that the bark of the trees and the wildlife were anything but healthy. After his lapse at the inn he tried his best to be useful. He kept his eyes peeled for good campsites, water and edible plants. When they sat around the fire in the evenings, Darren always at a distance from everyone else, Arcus told them stories of his travels all around Equestria.
They tried to stretch their resources by falling back on Twilight's magic and eating the occational mana cupcake, mana strudel or loaf of bread.
"I really like them", said Jonathan one evening after eating three cupcakes, "but I keep getting hungry after an hour or so. They are probably better suited for emergencies." He stood up and walked off to a group of trees, out of sight of the others.
Twilight pawed at the thin grass that covered the clearing and sighed. She rested her head on her hooves, looking up into the starry sky.
"Don't worry about him, he's just grouchy because we haven't found anything yet", Arcus reassured her.
"Maybe..." Twilight closed her eyes. "It would be much easier if I knew Rarity's gem-finding spell." She crunched up her nose.
"You're missing your friends, aren't you?", poked Arcus. "You don't have to deny it. I miss them, too. Especially Maple Leaf." He frowned and hung his head.
"The last time I went to Azeroth, I was amazed how differently time passes here compared to Equestria. She probably won't even be back from her own vacation when we return."
"If we return", corrected Arcus pointedly.
"Arcus, don't worry! We still have plenty of time. Maybe we will find some gems tomorrow." Twilight smiled at him.
Arcus shook his head, his ears folding back. His own attempt to cheer Twilight up had failed, making him more miserable in turn.
"Unlikely", he couldn't keep himself from saying.
"It appears that the rocks we searched did not contain any valuable rocks or gems", added Darren, tearing his eyes from his mysterious little book.
"Not you, too", pleaded Twilight. Her wings rustled in annoyance.
"I am merely stating a fact", said Darren. He took a log from the small pile of wood and added it to the campfire, then poked the embers to keep it going. "Arcus may be right. Perhaps this region has already seen too many miners."
"If the resources in the hills are depleted we'll have to think of someplace else", suggested Arcus.
The grass rustled as Jonathan returned to the camp and sat down on his blanket.
"Hey, Jon", said Arcus, "how big exactly are the Western Plaguelands?"
"Big enough to keep searching for a while, if that's what you mean", said Jonathan, frowning.
"Okay, okay. No need to get snappy."
"I'm not -!" Jonathan sighed and hung his head. "Sorry."
Arcus smiled generously. "Already forgotten."
Darren raised an eyebrow, shaking his head.
•°
They spent the next days combing through the country, turning over stones and generally heading eastwards. Arcus asked Twilight for a large piece of parchment and started cartographing the land, marking the area with little signs depending on what they had found. Darren helped him with that, naming the landmarks and giving advice. The fuller the sheet became, the more irritated grew Jonathan's mood.
"I'm beginning to doubt we're ever going to find anything", he declared darkly, checking and re-checking the map for blank spots. "There aren't that many possible places left."
Arcus pointed at the squiggly vertical line on the right half of the map. "How about heading south, then further east? We could cross the river, whatsitcalled, Thunderhill? and search on the other side."
"Thondroril", corrected Jonathan automatically. "I really would have preferred avoiding that."
"Why? What's so bad about it?"
"The Easterns are very different from the Western Plaguelands", said Jonathan, scratching a pice of dried mud off his cloak. "The West has started to heal but large parts of the Eastern Lands are still under control of the Scourge."
" 'Control'? I would not call it that. But the remaining Undead and various monsters roam the land", Darren interrupted him. "Still, given that we avoid the city of Stratholme and the mountains directly below Acherus we should be fine."
Jonathan hummed thoughtfully. "How much food have we got left?"
Twilight emptied her bags. "Well, your supplies are still almost untouched. I haven't got much, though. So if we rationalize it... I would say two weeks. That's only a rough estimate, of course."
"That would suffice for a journey to the Chapel", concluded Darren. "We can refill there. But chances are high that your search will soon be successful. Few people dare to enter the East and the Scourge cares not for rubies. At this point, the way back to Tirisfal is about as long as the way to the Chapel."
"Let me think about it", said Jonathan, still picking dirt off his cloak. "This is way more dangerous than Silverpine."
"Very well." Darren went silent after that and idly watched the fire, the shine of the flames reflecting on his grey hair.
'Your search', not 'our search', thought Twilight. Darren was trying to regain his distance again, talking less every day. What was he brooding over?
She had not overlooked the moments when Darren would occasionally disappear from their camps in the evenings, only to return with a slightly improved mood afterwards.
I really hope we can still trust him, she thought several times, then chastising herself for it and trying to be extra nice to Darren. He did not seem to notice her uncertainty - but what if that was part of a deception?
On the other hoof, he and Arcus seemed to get along so well...
Jonathan was a different matter. It was about time he got cheered up or else he was going to be miserable for the rest of the trip. Not to mention that he was dragging everyone else down with him. How would Pinkie Pie deal with this?
"I'd like to ask you something", Twilight began carefully.
"Shoot." Jonathan perked up, finally letting go of his cloak.
"Can you sing?"
"More or less", admitted Arcus.
"No", said Darren.
"I can. Theoretically. Where is this coming from all of a sudden?", asked Jonathan, raising an eyebrow.
"Oh, nothing... except I've been thinking about what pon-, uh, people usually do at campfires", said Twilight, blushing a tad. "And it's been an eternity since I have sung my last song. How about it?"
"Why not." Arcus grinned. "Can I start? I know a nice one for this place."
Everyone nodded in agreement.
Arcus sat up, clearing his throat, and raised his voice a little as he began,
"Come with me to find the Fairy House
that rests upon the hill under the tree.
The wind howls through the portal, dark and cold:
The most dismal of places one can be.
But when you step inside the empty halls
where ponies lived and walked like you and me
you cannot help but hear the ghostly calls
of friends that you may never hope to see."
Jonathan raised his eyebrows in disbelief; that was apparently not what he had expected to hear from a pony. Twilight didn't know the song but the ancient tune struck a chord inside her. Arcus put an emphasis on the last tone of every line which made the song sound almost like a hymn. His voice was the same soft tenor as always but a little clearer and fuller than when he talked.
"How strange to touch a hearth that's never warm
and enter without knocking or a key!
No guest will be denied the sight of dawn
and lodging, food and water are for free."
As the song was over, Arcus smiled, an almost shy expression on his face. "That's all." He cleared his throat again.
"That was beautiful", said Twilight, blinking as she snapped back to full attention. "A little sad, but still very nice."
"It was not what I had expected." Even Darren seemed impressed.
"Well, you know. I'm always good for a surprise. Now one of you's gotta sing", grinned Arcus, returning to his usual outgoing self as he stretched his forelegs and shifted his weight.
Twilight tapped her chin. "Let me think..."
•°
Twilight intoned a different song, this one with much more cheer, and Arcus soon joined in. It was a song about the light of friendship and getting through a harsh, cold winter, perfect for a night as chilling as this one. When the chorus repeated for the third time, Jonathan was able to join in, though he exchanged a few of the words in his mind. The text was centered around ponies which was not really that much of a surprise.
It sounded a lot like the carols he used to sing. He could almost see himself standing in church, flanked by his sister and parents, singing the traditional songs of Winter's Veil.
The song ended. There was a moment of silence.
"Thank you", said Jonathan.
"Why?", asked Twilight.
"Just... like that." He hesitated, then admitted, "My dad used to sing really well. He even was in a choir."
"Like the Ponytones?" That was Arcus.
"Right... Rarity is one of the Ponytones", remembered Jonathan. "Yeah, something like that, only bigger, about two scores of people, I think."
"Wow." Arcus was impressed. "We only have that many voices when half the village sings."
Jonathan straightened his cloak. "Well, I've decided. Let's try the Eastern Plaguelands. Everybody with me?"
Arcus and Twilight nodded enthusiastically.
They sang a few more songs. By the time they were done, all the tension had fallen away.
The only one who did not partake in the singing was Darren. He insisted on keeping watch, as he always did, walking around the campsite in small circles or standing a few yards away, watching the fields and mountains. Now and then he would cast an eye on the others. Jonathan could not tell whether he was relaxed or tense at all. His expression was completely neutral. His hood could have been up and it would not have made any difference.