The Pony Loa

by Leila Drake

Chapter 25: Into the Catacombs

The shaman is singing. The shadow pony is singing. The old words come to him as he forms them, reaching him from days past. He remembers his wife teaching him the songs, the ones that you do not learn as a child at the celebrations.

As he dances around the pony and as he beats the drum, he can feel part of himself rising up and spreading out. He is sinking away, woven into the stars and the earth. The currents of the ground carry him away, into the sea.

The waves welcome him like an honoured mother, like a princess of water they embrace him. He floats towards the shore, towards a large city.

Stormwind swallows him up.

The house of the Light stands tall on the hill, surrounded by the houses of the humans, like a flock crowding their shepherd. The bright stone building is taller on the inside, much like the royal palace of the Crystal Empire.

He rushes through the corridors, a cloud of smoke like he was when he fought Sombra. He sinks through the ground and finds himself in a large round chamber of stone.

There, Levinia, the spirit from the pony world. She is lying in a ring of unholy runes, magic symbols that bind her to the ground.

The Spirit of Earth weeps as they feel Levinia struggling against her unnatural bonds.

He apologizes to the spirit, promising to them that he will free his friend.

Levinia looks up and turns her head, her ears swiveling around.

"Who are you?" she whispers, fearing the answer.

A shockwave runs through him, separating him. He feels himself fading away, falling backwards, shrinking.

---

Eclipse gasped, inhaling as if for the first time in his life. He coughed but no water came out.

"What in Tartarus was that?!" At some point, the drum had fallen from his hooves. He stood up, his legs shaking a little, and blinked rapidly. "I f-feel heavy."

Darren quickly walked over to him and caught him before he could stumble and fall.

"Eclipse! You alright?" he asked, frowning deeply.

"I think so," Eclipse muttered. He felt dizzy as if he had been in a swing and gotten out too quickly. "It's just... I never realized how heavy my body is. The legs and the head and... whew!"

Vol'Shalai took off the mask and sat down, also exhausted. Sweat glistened on his skin. "Dat was some trip, mon," he said. "But good news, my friend! We found her!"

Darren's eyes widened. "So she's alive? I mean, unharmed?"

Vol'Shalai scratched his neck. "She's in a vault -"

"- under a big church," Eclipse finished.

"The Cathedral of Light?" Darren asked.

Both nodded. Eclipse slowly left the circle, supported by Darren. "There are corridors and big rooms below the Cathedral. And she's in one of the rooms."

"Bound by unholy runes," Vol'Shalai grunted.

"I think she noticed us," Eclipse muttered.

"So she's in the catacombs, as a prisoner," Darren summarized.

"I don't wanna do this again," Eclipse groaned. "It was so weird to fly around as a ghost."

Darren took Eclipse into his arms, holding the dazed pony against his chest. The colt wrapped his forelegs around his neck to ease the weight on Darren's arms.

"Before we go, you need some rest," stated Darren. "Perhaps Khadgar has a brew to get you back on your feet."

---

"What happened back there?" Darren asked, watching Eclipse slowly drinking from a brass cup.

Eclipse set the cup down on the table before him. Darren poured more of the potion into it. The vial looked old but the contents were fresh; he had seen Khadgar fill it with the brew. He had given it to Darren along with three special scrolls, each marked with a differently coloured ribbon. Then, the wizard had opened a portal for everybody to step through. Darren had been glad that he could already see the interior of his room on the other side or else he would have feared that the portal led someplace else.

"I'm not really sure," Eclipse said, wiping his mouth with the back of his hoof. "I think I was - I was one with Vol'Shalai and the Elements. We were... It's hard to describe." He looked at Darren. "You know I can be this kind of smoke cloud, right?"

As Darren nodded, Eclipse took another sip from the cup. He paused for a moment, thinking.

"It was a bit like that. I wasn't a body, I was just me, along with Vol'Shalai. I bet you he remembers it exactly the same. We were weightless and felt kinda nice but also really weird. He must have known how to find Levinia because I didn't know what to do. I mean, I did, but only because he did." He held his head, rubbing his forehead. "I swear I'm not gonna do that again. If he needs somepony for another ritual, I'm not it."

"Noted." Their eyes met again. "Glad you're alright," Darren said, a faint smile on his lips. "Even though you're now fluent in Orcish."

"W-what?" Eclipse stammered, blinking. His ears folded back. "Oh. We just talked in Orcish? I didn't even realize..."

"Maybe it's an after-effect of your joining of minds," Darren mused. "It'll probably pass."

"I sure hope so," said Eclipse with emphasis, sticking out his tongue. "It's getting kinda crowded in my head."

---

Darren stood in the lounge, clad in full leather armour, his sword on his back. Leaning against a wall with his arms crossed, he watched Nylene and Vol'Shalai descending the stairs, both also in fighting gear. Vol'Shalai's sea green armour looked distinctly Darkspear with its tribal patterns and bright red feathers while Nylene had added a new chestpiece to protect her vital organs. Eclipse stood up from the couch he had been sitting on. He tugged at his short blue robe and reached for his shield to fasten it to his back. Among the much taller humanoids, the little grey pegasus looked out of place. The determination on his face made up for that, though. Darren was glad he had remembered to ask Allison to clear the lounge. They needed space and privacy for what they were about to do.

"Inventory check," Darren suggested curtly, uncrossing his arms.

Vol'Shalai nodded. He pointed at his broad, patterned belt. Bottles of different shapes and sizes were tied to it. "Totems, axe, healing potions, brews for all kinds of purposes," he said.

Nylene put her hands on her hips. "Warglaives, bandages, scrolls," she continued.

They looked at Eclipse. "I've got my shield," he said hesitantly, adjusting his purple saddelbag, "and mana potions."

Darren nodded. "Runeblade right here. Nothing else. Nylene, would you pass the scroll with the blue ribbon to Vol'Shalai and ready the green one?"

She did as Darren had asked. Vol'Shalai took the scroll and looked at Darren, a confused frown on his face.

"Khadgar prepared a little something for us. Illusions to get the two of you through the cathedral. They don't take kindly to Horde or demon...ic people."

"I don't like where dis is going," Vol'Shalai said slowly. He looked like someone who was about to eat something disgusting. "But for you, my friends." He unrolled the parchment and read the runes on it. The letters seemed to glow as he did so, shining a purple light on his face.

A flash blinded them and Vol'Shalai grunted in momentary pain. When they looked at him again, he was gone. Instead, they saw an irritated Night Elf with long brown hair, clad in mail armour and armed with an elvish axe. "Thank da Loa my wife don't see dis," Vol'Shalai huffed. "I have way too many fingers." He wiggled his hands at Eclipse who giggled.

"It's definitely... different," Darren said vaguely, trying to hide a grin.

Vol'Shalai swallowed down a rant that sat on the tip of his tongue. Then, he sighed in defeat and shrugged. "It ain't permanent, I'll bet."

Nylene readied her own scroll. "Let me guess," she said, "This is going to turn me into a Night Elf, too. Oh, wait!" Her voice was drenched in sarcasm. She read the text on her scroll and twitched as another flash of light made Darren squint his eyes.

Darren felt uncomfortably warm in his armour as he saw that Nylene's wings and tattoos were gone. Her bandage was no more, either, and her burns and scars were replaced by healthy violet skin. She looked at him with eyes of silver.

"Told you so," she said, grinning wryly. Only her canines were pointy now, the other teeth back to their original shape. "How do I look?" She spread her arms.

Darren cleared his dry throat. "Even better than normally," he said honestly.

Vol'Shalai raised his night-elf eyebrows and chuckled like a troll.

Eclipse looked at Darren, then Nylene, his mouth slightly agape as if he was just realising something.

Darren nodded. "Well, we're ready to go, then," he said, trying not to stare at Nylene.

"Wait," said Nylene, "what about the third scroll?"

"Not yet," said Darren. So Nylene gave the parchment to Vo'Shalai who bound it to his belt.

The elves strode past Darren as he held the door open, Eclipse cantering behind. Darren sent a short prayer to the Light that this whole charade would not blow up in their faces.

---

Despite Khadgar's illusions, they still were not allowed to go to the catacombs right away. As soon as they entered the huge church, Vol'Shalai and Nylene seemingly nervous, Darren was stopped by a priestess in white and golden robes. The woman looked serious as she cast a look at his disguised friends and Eclipse.

"How may I help you?" she asked, her way of saying, "What do you want?"

"We wish to visit the catacombs," said Darren politely. "I have family buried down there."

The priestess frowned. "But fully armed?" she said sceptically. "That't a little unusual."

Darren raised his brows. "Oh, right," he said off-handedly. "We are just passing through."

"There is no point in leaving our things anywhere; we intend to leave soon," Nylene added.

The priestess looked into Darren's eyes, trying not to stare at his facial tattoo. "You're telling the truth," she said slowly. "Alright, go on, but please don't be noisy. This is a place of worship."

Darren nodded, smiling at her, and walked sedately over to the east side wing of the cathedral. Nylene and Vol'Shalai exchanged a look.

"Did you know there would be a test?" Nylene asked quietly.

Darren shrugged. "I suspected it."

"You really got family down dere?" Vol'Shalai asked in a hushed voice.

"Most likely." Darren raised his brows. "Likely enough anyway that I could believe it when I told her."

"Oh, I see," Nylene said. "It's not about a general truth but rather what you believe, then. Huh."

"This is the entrance to the catacombs," Darren said, pointing at a heavy wooden door. He pushed the iron-wrought handle down. "Unlocked," he remarked.

Right behind the door, steep stairs led downwards.

Darren sighed. He always seemed to end up in one tomb or another. They entered and Vol'Shalai, who was the last of the group, closed the door.

They were engulfed in darkness. Everybody stopped moving, staying on the step each of them was standing on. Darren drew his sword. The ragged edge scraped at the scabbard. Cold blue light from the unholy runes illuminated their faces. The staircase smelled like dust, rotten eggs and mould. The floor and walls were surprisingly clean, though, so somebody had to come here at regular intervals to look after the place.

Eclipse muttered something.

"Pardon?" said Nylene.

"I need to learn that spell with the floaty orb of light," Eclipse said. "That would be useful right now."

"Our eyes will adjust," said Darren. "The scroll. It's for Eclipse."

"Right." Vol'Shalai nestled at his belt and gave the pony the scroll.

Eclipse unrolled it and read the text on it. This time, there was no flash of light. He frowned, shaking the scroll slightly, but of course nothing fell out. "Did I do it wrong?" he asked, grimacing.

"Perhaps it's not an illusion but a different sort of enchantment," Nylene suggested. "The archmage does not seem like somebody who would get a spell wrong."

Eclipse gave the scroll to Vol'Shalai who fastened it to his belt again.

They walked down the stairs in silence, careful not to trip. There was a hand rail, making their descent a little easier. Eclipse steadied himself with the help of his wings.

The stairs ended at another door. This one was already open. In the light of Darren's sword, they saw alcoves left and right, some filled with candles, others closed, yet others holding stone crates as long as a person.

Eclipse shuddered.

"You alright?" Darren asked the colt.

"Yeah," said Eclipse. "I've never been in a tomb before. I'll be okay." He muttered under his breath, maybe a prayer.

Darren stroked Eclipse's mane for a second, then they went on.

Around a corner, there was a junction. Darren turned and exchanged a look with Vol'Shalai.

A rare sight: a Night Elf using trollish totems. Vol'Shalai muttered something, stretching out his flat hand. A spark of fire ignited in his palm. He held his hand up a little, using the contained flame to light the place up. He closed his eyes, moving his hand around as if he was looking for something. He reminded Darren of somebody using a magnet to find North.

"There," said Vol'Shalai. "Da left one."

"Left it is." Darren nodded a thanks and the warm light disappeared, getting replaced by the eerie sheen of the runes.

---

"This place is enormous," Nylene commented as they passed the fifth junction.

"Yeah," Eclipse agreed. "But we're getting closer."

Another door. They stepped through and found themselves in a torch-lit corridor.

"Now we be gettin' somewhere," Vol'Shalai whispered.

Darren raised a hand to quiet him. He held a finger in front of his mouth. Vol'Shalai nodded, giving Darren a thumbs-up.

They tried to remain as quiet as they could as they followed the new corridor. This one was clad in white stone and surprisingly bright. Yet Darren did not sheath his blade.

Eclipse watched the knight stalking ahead like a predator. At a corner, Darren pressed himself against the wall, holding his sword at the ready. Everybody copied him; Nylene took her warglaives and Vol'Shalai gripped his axe. Eclipse quickly took his shield into his foreleg.

Footsteps became louder, nearing their position. When two robed humans turned the corner, Darren twirled around. Attacking from behind, he put his arm around the male, covering his mouth. His eyes widened in fear as Darren's blade was suddenly only an inch from his windpipe.

Nylene had seized the other human, a female, and pressed her hand onto her face. The woman's eyes turned upwards and she lost consciousness. Nylene grinned like a filly who had just gotten a huge ice cone. Greenish vapours lingered in the air.

Vol'Shalai hit the man on the skull with his fist. Darren let the human collapse, gently, so there would not be any noise.

Eclipse was impressed. He had not expected tall people to be so quiet. And they had done their best not to kill the humans, too.

Darren pointed at an empty alcove. Vol'Shalai nodded and together they heaved the unconscious into the recess. Vol'Shalai pursed his lips, thinking, then he arranged their arms in a way that made them look like mummies.

"Dis be ironic," Vol'Shalai remarked quietly. "Tellin' from their robes, they worship Death or someting dat has to do with it. Putting dem in the place of the Dead..."

Darren raised his brows. "Know what you mean. But down here, you expect something in these niches so they'll have to look twice to notice the living... bodies."

---

They incapacitated half a dozen patrols in the same manner, hiding them in alcoves or corners and binding their mouths and hands with bandages from Nylene's seemingly endless supply.

Using Vol'Shalai's flame, they found the way to a heavy door. It was guarded by two guards in plate armour who immediately noticed them. One of them opened his mouth to call for help.

Nylene threw her glaive. The curved blade spun around its own axis, decapitating the guard. Eclipse quickly averted his eyes with a disgusted groan. The demon hunter caught her weapon - it had not even slowed down on its bloody arc.

Vol'Shalai threw his axe at the other guard. The blade pierced his chest, denting the cuirass. His blade low, Darren ran towards the startled guard. Eclipse could not see what he did but blood splattered across the floor, mingling with that of his dead comrade.

"How do we hide them?" Eclipse asked, swallowing his bile down.

"We don't. We hurry up." Darren pulled at the doorknob. The door was locked from the inside, Eclipse could hear a key rattling as Darren shook the wooden barrier. The knight grunted, making a decision. He looked at Vol'Shalai who raised his axe.

"No, wait!" Eclipse said, raising a hoof. "I've got an idea."

"Alright," said Darren.

Eclipse had no difficulty to find the shadows inside. He was already on edge as it was, with all the tension and the murdered guards, and close to feeling sick. He took a deep breath and dissolved into a hazy cloud, then he flitted through the keyhole as a steady stream of smoke.

He was in a round chamber which he recognized at once. It was the vault he had seen in his vision. Levinia was there, held down by the circle of runes. Everything looked smaller than he remembered. There was also a human.

Eclipse quickly assumed his pegasus form and turned the key. The loud noise startled the human; the man jumped to his feet, looking at the door. When he saw Eclipse standing there, he frowned in confusion.

Levinia's jaw dropped, then she smiled hopefully.

The door sprang open. Darren, Nylene and Vol'Shalai dashed inside. Vol'Shalai raised his axe to throw it at the human, but the man raised his arms to cover his face.

"No, stop, please!" he called.

"Don't hurt him!" Levinia shouted at the same time.

Vol'Shalai's arm froze. He slowly lowered the axe.

"Levinia!" Eclipse ran past the shivering human, towards the ghost. "Are you okay? Did they hurt you?"

"Get me out of here, please," said Levinia. "The runes - I can't leave the circle..."

The man turned around, bending down to touch the ring.

Darren thrust a hand forward and threw a bolt of dark lightning at the man, pulling him into his reach. He grabbed his arms and twisted them behind his back, making the man bend over to avoid injury to his joints. "You stay right here," he hissed angrily into his ear. Ice bloomed on the floor, climbing up the man's legs. His eyes widened in fear and his arms went limp as he gave up his resistance.

"You can touch the ring," the human pressed out. "Only Levinia can't. As soon as you lift it, the spell is rendered inactive."

Darren nodded at Nylene who quickly stepped over to Levinia. She touched Eclipse's shoulder, then she firmly gripped the metal ring. She winced in pain as the tattoos in her skin resisted the magical pull of the containment. The runes on it glowed brighter, then went dull as Nylene managed to lift it from the ground.

Levinia shivered, twitched, then slumped down. She slowly rose to her hooves. "Thanks," she said weakly, "whoever you are."

"Nylene," the elf whispered so the man did not hear her. Levinia's brows knit together in confusion. Nylene tossed the ring aside with disgust. It landed on the floor with a metallic clang. The runes on it glowed ominously.

"Now to you," said Vol'shalai angrily, facing the human. "I shoulda held my tongue back den. Never trust a human in prison. Eh, Mark?"

Mark, still shivering in Darren's tight grip, looked up at the Night Elf. "D-do we know each other?"

"Not really, it seems." Vol'Shalai made a fist and rammed it into Mark's stomach. Mark doubled over and retched.

Levinia squeaked and galloped over to them.

"Wh-, Vol'Shalai!" barked Darren. "There's time for this later!"

"Stop it!" Levinia said sharply. "It's not his fault I'm in here!"

"Yes," said Mark, wiping his mouth and holding his hurting belly, "it kind of is."

Darren grunted angrily. He grabbed Vol'Shalai's shoulder. "Calm down! This is getting us nowhere! Let's get out of here and deal with the fallout later."

"No!" Vol'Shalai hissed. "I wanna know why that dog sold Levinia out to dis cult. He's comin' with."

"Oh dear," Nylene sighed.

Comments

[keroko]

Oooh, a touch of betrayal on top of it all? Well now, let's hope the remorse is worth it.