My Little Warcraft - New Friends

by Shin Guyviroth

Bonus Chapter: In Our Belief

The gentle breeze swept across the face of Gai'vahros, caressing the pale, cold skin of his cheek and flicking at the bangs of hair that drooped over his unfixed gaze as it carried the scent of the sea with it. The chill of the air numbed the skin and the mind of the blood elf, and the thin mist dulled his sight to where he could only make out the sea before him in swathes of grey and pale blues.

The clopping of hoofed feet patted against the dank, darkened wood of the docks. Mares and stallions of various dulled colours passed by the zoned out elf without so much as a hearty hello or a kind word. No, contrastingly, mostly they treated him as though he wasn't even there, invisible to their eyes like a ghost. But some did snap brief glances at him; glances of disdain.

But despite his lack of focus on anything—not even the view before him—his mind was fixed on only what had happened only some hours earlier this day—a day in which he wished never happened. The thought of it, along with the bite of the wind, caused Gai'vahros to shudder.

'How could this have happened…'

The elf's long ear twitched to the left in direction of a disconcerting voice. With his thoughts interrupted, his head turned slowly, his eyes catching a glance made by two ponies that stood by the ramp to an old sailing ship. Their gaze was not welcoming, shooting daggers at the elf as they refused to relinquish their stares; not even when one of them leaned towards the other to talk.

"Why do they still let this cursed creature live?" the pony asked, his lips barely seen moving beneath the huge black bush of a beard of his. "Shoulda given 'im a harsher punishment!"

"Aye, ye'd think that considerin' his—" the other pony shuddered as he shifted uncomfortably from one hoof to another "—considerin' what he's done."

And yet for all their troubles of whispering, no cross word had escaped earshot of the disdained elf. With everything that had happened and everything that they had said, he could only let out a breath of sorrow and grasp at his cape, wrapping one side around him to shield from the biting chill of the air.

'I didn't do it. How could I…?'

It was the only thing Gai'vahros could think about; his mind rushed through so many of these thoughts and passing images as though he had opened a large tome and flicked through the pages as fast he could, having no time to read, recognize or recall. Just dismembered speeches and blurred memories. And yet one stuck out every single time.

"You are hereby banished from Equestria…"

The sounds of heavy footsteps knocked upon the wooden planks of the docks, getting louder as a tall, burly stallion approached the dazed blood elf. The equine had nothing but a blue and white-striped shirt, a black bandana, and a thick leather eye patch across his left. He looked down judgmentally at Gai'vahros with his one good eye and gave a loud, angered grumble.

"It's things like you that cost me an eye, mate," the stallion said with a deep, gravelly voice as he moved his head closer to Gai'vahros. He snarled as he caught a glimpse of the elf's flickering emerald eyes glowing from behind his split bangs. "Aye, such pretty eyes you have. They don't suit a monster like you."

'…I'm not a monster…'

The stallion snorted as he turned away violently, whacking Gai'vahros' arm with his tail as he did so. "We're headin' off. Git yer flank on that boat now."

Like a stringed puppet, Gai'vahros moved to the command of the pony. Wrapping his gloved fingers around a shoulder strap of his backpack, he made his way to the boarding plank with gentle, slow steps.

Then a fast-paced rhythm of galloping caught the small amount of attention the elf could give. The hoofsteps grew louder and louder, then changing from knocks on dirt to knocks on wood.

"Gai'vahros!" a voice called out from the grey veil, followed by a couple of short gasps for breath. The elf turned to face his caller, seeing the flushed, panting face of Twilight, who was carrying a long, wrapped object on her back. "I'm—just give me a minute…" The exasperated pony breathed harder as she stood before him, drawing in whatever breath she could before speaking, "I'm glad that you haven't… haven't left yet."

Gai'vahros only looked back at her with empty eyes and grimaced before shifting his eyes from her. "I didn't want you to see me like this," he responded in a quiet, stricken tone. "I didn't want you to see me as… As a monster."

"You're not a monster," exclaimed Twilight, shaking her head as she did. "We know you didn't do it. We all know you didn't do it."

"And yet I managed to tarnish my own name—and all of yours too."

Twilight went silent. Her eyes drooped as she turned her head from Gai'vahros. "It wasn't your fault, Gai'vahros. It was that jerk prosecutor who said all those things…"

---

"What more proof do you need, prosecutor Capital Suit? You have six eye-witnesses stating that the accused was with us at the alleged date of the murder!"

"And yet we have in this very courtroom the murder weapon with both the victim's blood and the accused fingerprints. Not only that, but your eye-witnesses are known friends of him. I would go ahead and surmise that you're all lying just to defend this criminal!

"And to think that the 'Elements of Harmony' would lie in a court of law to protect a murderer. How absurd!"

---

"Yet what is done is done all because of me." Gai'vahros sighed heavily as he turned away from the troubled pony. "I should have gone back when I had the chance. None of this would have happened."

"Don't say things like that," snapped Twilight as she paced beside him, turning her head to try and make eye contact.

"Oi!" the large stallion called from the deck of the ship, his tone abrasive and callous. "I told ye to git yer flank on this boat!"

The two looked up to the ship, but only Twilight gave the pony any sort of attention. "Sorry! Can we just have a couple more minutes, please?"

The stallion huffed. "Fine. Let the criminal say whatever last words he has, and then we be rid of him." Swinging around, the stallion walked away from sight.

Twilight sighed as she walked round to the front of the elf, looking up into his eyes. "Look, It doesn't matter what others say about you or us; we are who we are! We're still the Elements of Harmony and we still do our best by Equestria. And you are still a knight who fights for those who can't and for those who rely on you to protect them! We…" Her throat tightly clenched, stopping her mid-sentence. "We need you…" Her head hung low, tears slowly welling up as she clenched her teeth.

The rustling of cloth and armor made Twilight's ears perk up, and she caught a glimpse of the knight's golden armor descend to her level. A single silk-palmed hand gently touched her chin as the fingers curled around and brushed against her cheek. Gai'vahros raised her head, and in turn so did her eyes meet with his caring smile. "Thank you so much, my Lady Twilight," cooed Gai'vahros. "Thank you for reminding me that I'm not the monster I used to be."

" "You were never a monster; just a misguided soul"—Princess Celestia always said this." Twilight gave a forced smile as she swept the tears from her eyes.

Gai'vahros nodded, then looked back up to the ship. Slowly he stood to his feet as he caressed Twilight from her chin to her mane. "I'm sorry things came about like this, my Lady Twilight. I guess this is where we depart."

"I'll find a way, you know. I'll try and appeal to the court, and I'll try and find new eye-witnesses, and new evidence, and—"

"I know you will. You have my faith, Twilight. You have always had my faith."

"… I'll do a better job at defending you this time, Gai'vahros. I swear it!" Suddenly she let out a gasp before turning her head to the item on her back. "Ah! I almost forgot!" The light purple veil of magic enveloped her horn and the burlap-wrapped object, lightly lifting off of her back and towards Gai'vahros. "Speaking of defending—this is for you to take with you. You might need it."

"A going away present? How thoughtful," the elf jested with a smile. He reached out his hand to grab it, but immediately recoiled. His smile quickly dropped, and his attention switched from the item to Twilight. "How… Twilight, how did you get this?"

"Princess Luna gave it to me. She said that, with the trial over, it was no longer needed to be kept as evidence. And it's yours to begin with, anyway."

Gai'vahros gulped, his uncertain hands shaking a little. But slowly he moved both arms towards the object and wrapped his fingers around the burlap, pressing against the two ends that formed the shape of a blade and hilt. A small veil of light shone from the flat side of the blade, forming archaic runes that could be barely seen through the thick covering.

'Quel'Delar… The astonished elf couldn't help but mouth the words he couldn't speak. "… Please give the princess' my thanks… And tell them that I hold no ill will or bitterness towards their decision."

"I will. Please… Please take care of yourself, Gai'vahros."

"I'm an adventurer; there isn't anything that can put me down."

"Except timber wolves."

"Right. Those annoying little—"

"Time's up, ye waste of life! Time to get yer flank on the boat—or I'll put ye on the boat myself!"

Gai'vahros grunted, shaking his head and furrowing his brow. "That guy's gonna be a pain in my flank if I have to spend the whole journey with him. But I'd best be going."

"We'll see you again, Gai'vahros." Twilight pressed her cheek against the knight's cold chest plate. "I know we will."

"In our belief, I know we will." Gai'vahros held the hurting mare close, wrapping his hands around her withers and cradling her head against him. "In our belief, we will make things right." Letting go of her, the elf made his way across the docks and up the boarding plank, ignoring whatever glances were given to him by the others who followed close by.

Twilight could do nothing but watch as the mist took him away from her, but she never took her eyes off of him. Even when he disappeared from sight she still tried to follow his movements from the sounds of his footsteps until he was out of earshot.

"In our belief… You will come home…"

Author's Note:

A bridging chapter between this book and another book. Inspired by this music;

Comments

[Swift_Sword1213]

I am officially confused...

[Evowizard25]

What's going on?...Wait, a sequel? YES!

[DarkLightDisciple]

Just when I thought I couldn't become anymore enthralled by this story then I already was, THIS happens! When we learn more?!?!

Very enrapturing work as usual

[ParadigmShift]

.....

Our Dear Death Knight friend left him a "present", mm?

[GeodesicDragon]

Interesting...

[sirraf]

uh huh.. yeah .. i really believe that they could make him move if they tried lol.

[Bazing]

Well... Interesting...

[Zepher2]

SEQUEL OMG so pumped

[Kichi]

Good story... Just a question, how is that they did not think in the EoH for the sister of Gai'Vahros?

[XxgoldknightxX]

5645774 Nah he can't fly you right, but he can fall with style.

[DauntedSuperior]

Cool, a WoW story... Wait, completed? Oh yeah, definitely reading this later.

[XxgoldknightxX]

5998126 Well wasn't it a poison? if I remember my wow right.. (Haven't played since the new expansion came out.) paladins cleanse can only cure Diseases and Magic Effects right?

[Gerbold]

Silly Twilight ...
She should just have gotten Phenix Wrights ass over there.
Phenix Wright

[Greatmane]

7691943 The spirits said Sylvanas because the Forsaken has the second biggest following out of game in the Horde - and making her warchief after it was her horn that sounded the retreat (so the one the Alliance heard when, in their view, they got stabbed in the back) means that the Alliance will be out for blood.

As we see in Stormheim, when Genn and the Alliance swoops in to save the day. When even Horde players are asking themselves 'are we the baddies?'...

Though I have to say, short of killing the last of her Val'kyr and Sylvanas herself, that's by far the best revenge Genn could have even gotten. Perhaps even better, as he's condemned her and her people to a slow death. As he said, he 'took her future', after all.