Chapters Author's Note
This story takes place after the episode "Bats!" (Season 4).
Prologue
"Hey, Twilight, what's the matter?", asked Spike the dragon. His mentor and best friend, Twilight Sparkle, sighed and hung her head low.
The newly ascended alicorn tried to force a smile and straightened up as she put down her new crown on the table of her bedchamber.
"I am not sure, Spike. Maybe it's because last time I was in this room Sunset Shimmer stole my crown. Granted, it was also symbolizing the Element of Magic and therefore a powerful artifact and this crown is just... well, a crown . Or maybe, actually, more likely, it's the experiment tomorrow. I am pretty sure I did all the calculations right, but how sure can a pony be about that anyway? What if the whole thing collapses or causes an explosion that destroys half of Canterlot? What if nothing happens and the portal remains closed forever?"
She started pacing up and down the room nervously, a few strands of hair sticking out of her mane at weird angles. Spike recognized the signs immediately. It was about time he stopped Twilight before the stress got the better of her.
"Come on, Twilight, you are a princess now and everypony knows that you took care of all of the factors. Princess Celestia trusts you, remember? Even if something went wrong, she and Princess Luna will be there to make sure nopony gets hurt, right?"
The alicorn stopped pacing and took a deep breath. The she smiled at Spike.
"Right. I'll try and keep that in mind. I will still keep the crown here, just in case." She took the crown into her magic and locked it inside a chest that stood next to her bed.
"There. Now that this is done, let's try and get some rest. Tomorrow is going to be a long day."
"With pleasure", said Spike. He was already pretty tired after the train trip to Canterlot. This was the third time for Twilight to come here without her friends, only her Number One Assistant, Spike, had the time to accompany her. Most of the day Spike had been busy helping Twilight in the Royal Library, getting all the books for her from the shelves, refilling the ink and asking the Castle staff to get her food and drinks while she worked on a new formula on the magic mirror portal Princess Celestia had shown her weeks ago.
It had bugged her that the portal only opened to one world, and only for a limited time. A new challenge was what Twilight needed right now. She had grown more and more tense and Spike knew that she needed answers to her questions.
The quest for the six keys had been put on hold for a while. It was Applebucking Season which meant that Applejack was busy on the farm and Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie seemed extremely eager to help her with the cider-making... but, as Twilight had said yesterday, "the mystery of the portal still needs further investigaton."
But not today. Spike yawned and climbed into the basket provided for him as Twilight turned off the light.
"I don't know what I would do without you, Spike", she said as she stretched and struggled to get her wings to fit under the blanket. "Sleep well, my dear Number One Assistant."
Spike did not answer. He was already snoring.
Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter. Dear Earthmother!
Tak could not believe his eyes. This creature was not only capable of speech but of arcane magic , too. That made it superior to many sentient species. It had moved the herbs with such ease that it would have embarrassed even a blood elf. That pony really was something else.
It would probably not hurt to ask the Spirit of Fire once again to help him, this time with a thin shield, barely visible, to protect him in case she attacked him.
He was glad about his decision when the creature's horn glowed again. The aura expanded until she was completely encompassed by it, then it dissipated.
Nothing else happened. She just looked at him expectantly.
"Um. What was that?" asked Tak.
"Yes, it worked !" cheered Twilight. "So you can understand me now?"
Tak slightly shook his head to make sure the fumes had not done any damage to his brain.
"You don't? Aw, what could I have done wrong? I am sure I cast the right translation spell on myself..."
"No, no, I am just... having trouble... um. Excuse me, what kind of creature are you?" asked Tak.
Twilight eyes widened with realization. "Oh. I... I am a pony. An alicorn. My name is Twilight Sparkle and I'm afraid I got... very lost. Where am I?"
"You are in the Barrens. This is not a very safe place but I guess you already figured that out by now... Wait a moment. Did you say, 'Twilight'?! "
"Yes," said Twilight, "is that an uncommon name here?"
Maybe I should have thought of an alias , she thought. I need to add that to my list. Then she remembered her saddlebags were gone.
Tak grinned. "Something like that. If I were you, I would think of a cover name that does not contain the word 'Twilight' for as long as you are here. Not that it's not a pretty name", he added when the alicorn's ears flattened.
"It's just that there have been certain... people who took that name and meant to destroy the world so... well, as I said, it's not the safest name to go by right now." He grinned again, this time more friendly.
"Oh. All right, then you can call me... Star Dust", she said as she glanced at her Cutie Mark.
"Nice to meet you, Star Dust. I am Tak Rivermane of the Bloodhoof Clan. And I am glad you seem to be unharmed. Those roots are a killer. Once they got you in their grip..."
"...Yes." Twilight smiled. "Thank you."
She poked at the ground. "It's a pity I lost my saddlebags. All of my notes are gone now."
"I'm sorry, I did not see any bag with you. You must have lost it in the fight."
Twilight nodded. "Probably. But thanks again." She stood up shakily.
"Whoa, wait", said Tak. "You can't have recovered yet. You've been out for an entire day!"
"A Day?! Oh no, there is no chance the portal stayed open this long! Now I am stuck on this world forever! "
Tak's heart filled with pity as he saw the alicorn sit down in despair. She shook hard, trying to cover up her sobs, but in vain.
"My friends... my family... Princess Celestia... I am never going to s-see them again..." She curled up and started crying for real now.
"I am so sorry", said Tak. "If I had known..."
Twilight raised her head. Tears were streaming down her face. "It's not your fault. It's all mine. Why didn't I put up a beacon or send an object through the portal first to make sure it was safe? How could I have insisted on going alone? I... I..."
"Shh", said Tak and sat next to her. At first, this beautiful alicorn had seemed so sure - but now that her friends were out of reach she seemed to shrink like a flower without water.
The tauren recognized that look in her eyes. It was the look he had seen in too many eyes, too many times. The last time it had been in the eyes of his father as Tak had told him he would become a merchant, trading herbs for gold, beyond the Barrens in the biggest city of the Horde, Orgrimmar. He had meant well but his father had disapproved. To the old tauren, the Barrens were equal to death. The problem was, he would most likely be right.
Tak sighed and hugged Twilight carefully, trying to comfort her without intimidating her.
After a while the sobbing stopped and Twilight looked up.
"Sorry", she said and tried to smile. "I didn't mean to break down like that."
"It's all right", Tak reassured her. "How about we try and get some proper food and shelter? There is a small outpost not far from here. Then we can think of a solution for your problem. Are you sure you can walk by yourself?"
"I think I can."
Twilight stood up and brushed a bit of dust off her fur. "Let's go."
As they quietly but steadily made their way uphill, passing dry bushes and the occasional tree, Tak watched Twilight from the corner of his eye. He had trouble understanding how this small creature could be so trusting to a complete stranger. At the same time, he felt honored. His family did not depend on him. If he went missing, only his customers in Orgrimmar would know.
This alicorn, however, seemed to share a strong bond with her friends and missed them. She tried to hide it now but Tak had seen her breakdown so he knew. Though her current situation was obviously terrible, he still envied her a bit.
The sun was close to the horizon now. Tak estimated it would be down in a quarter of an hour. But they had been lucky – nobody had crossed his and Twilight's path. He would be able to sleep in a tent this night.
Tak tried not to think about his financial problem. His gold was gone and Twilight had eaten some of his herbs. At this rate, he would have to hunt in order to make it to the city.
Crap.
Twilight eyed the big minotaur – Tauren , she reminded herself – as they walked up a mountain. He seemed to know pretty well where they were. Maybe he really could help her to get home. It was hard for her to admit, but Twilight knew that she needed rest, if only for a night. Then she would try and figure out a way to open a portal.
Goodness, she was still not used to how tall he was. Now and then she had to flap her wings to keep up. When she did, he stopped for a moment, then, when he was sure she was all right, he resumed his pace.
When night fell, Tak led Twilight into a tauren camp on the hill. It reminded her of a buffalo camp except the tauren seemed to own better equipment. All of them wore light to heavy armor and bore weapons of different kinds. Twilight recognized hammers like Tak's, spears, swords, bows and axes. There were other weapons not familiar to her like small versions of Pinkie Pie's party cannon though Twilight suspected that their ammunition was more harmful to creatures. She shuddered.
Everything was so big!
I want to go home so badly right now, she thought.
Tak seemed to sense her discomfort. He tried to hide her with his body and after talking to a female tauren who held a decorated staff – maybe some kind of leader, Twilight thought – he led her into one of the five big tents.
They went to sleep next to a small campfire, protected by the tauren guards outside.
Level 3 - About the Horde
"Wake up, Twilight", whispered a deep voice.
The alicorn was awake at once, jumping up and looking for who had spoken.
Oh, right. The tauren.
She hung her head. So yesterday had been real.
Twilight sighed and shot a glance at Tak. She cleared her throat. "I guess it's better if we stick to the alias. If what you said is true..."
Tak nodded. Then he smiled. "I got you some food. I thought... well, since you are a pony, you'd probably like something with hay in it."
"You thought correctly." Twilight grinned and accepted the small bag he offered her. She did not use her magic this time. Maybe it was better to keep a low profile with her magic, too. She smiled at Tak, then took a mouthful of the salad.
"Hmm, not bad, actually. Are those... daisies? "
"No", said the tauren and sat down next to her, unpacking his own food he had just purchased from a vendor outside. "They are called 'peacebloom'. I had them with me but I can get some more later when we enter Durotar. So help yourself."
"Durotar? Is that a country?"
Tak nodded. "Right. Different world, I remember. Hm, how should I put it... See, on Azeroth – that is we call this world – there are four known continents: The Kingdoms of the East, Pandaria in the south, Kalimdor in the west – that's where we are – and Northrend.
"There are many peoples on this world, fighting over resources, land, power... you name it. One of the most war-loving race are the orcs."
Twilight's eyes widened. She opened her mouth, but Tak raised a hand. "Please let me continue." She nodded.
The Tauren drew a rough map into the sand and Twilight tried to memorize it as he kept explaining. "How the orcs came to Kalimdor is not important right now. What you should know is that they are allies of my people, along with the Darkspear Trolls, the Blood Elves, the Goblins of the Bilgewater Cartel and the undead Forsaken. Ah, and some of the Pandaren joined the Horde recently.
"Of course, some individuals don't care much about politics or choose to use them for their own advantage... So this is the Horde. Then there's another main faction, the Alliance . They have members consisting of Humans, Night Elves, Dwarves and other races. I meant to get some information about the other races next time I get to Orgrimmar. That's where we are going."
He marked a spot in the east of "Kalimdor", not too far from the scratch that symbolized their position. Twilight noticed that there was a strange wobbly spiral in the middle of Tak's crude map, right between the continents. She wondered what it stood for. Maybe a maelstrom?
"But didn't you just say we were heading to Durotar?"
"We are."
"I don't get it."
Tak smiled. "Durotar is orc-land. Orgrimmar is the capital city."
"Oh. I see. Well, that's a lot of information. I wish I had my ink and quills at hoof to take notes...", Twilight sighed.
"Don't worry. I don't want to tell you what to do, but you could come to Orgrimmar with me. They don't just have books about other species," - Twilight's ears perked up – "but also paper and anything a mage might need."
"Well," said Twilight, "since this seems to be the only option that makes sense right now, you can count me in. I couldn't possibly turn away the chance of getting a look at those books! Do you think they might know something about portals?"
"I have no idea", admitted Tak. "But if the Horde has got any accessible information on portals, there's a high chance that it is in the capital."
Why am I telling her all of this? , he wondered. I must have lost my mind! Someone could have put a spell on me, tricking me... or worse! But wouldn't they know that I am just a simple tauren who does not give a kodo's crap about politics or arcane stuff?
And still, there was something about her that made him trust her. Even more, he wanted to protect her.
He turned to Twilight. "I will get you there safely, I promise by my honor."
Twilight blushed slightly and smiled. "Thank you, Tak."
After finishing their meal, they bought some more food and medicine - meaning that Tak did the talking and Twilight watched him curiously without saying anything. He got her a small cape to protect her from the heat of the day and the cold of the night and two blue bags which she managed to wear like saddlebags. They were so small that she would still be able to use her wings.
Twilight did not dare to ask about the material. She had read stories about how the griffins made things and armor out of animal skin and was suddenly glad Fluttershy did not have to see this. She noticed that Tak had emptied his purse with the purchase and did not want to embarrass him in front of all those other Tauren by refusing the gift.
They left the camp heading north, the mountains to the left, a steep cliff to the right.
The clouds still hung low and they were unable to see very far.
"Watch your step", warned Tak. "This is a safe road but you never know. The sun is so kind to hide us while we are this exposed. We might make it down to the Crossroads before nightfall."
Twilight had thought that Canterlot High had been strange, but dear Celestia, had she been wrong! Tak urged her to hide now and then when other creatures crossed their path. Lions slept in the shade of lone trees and Zhevras grazed quietly. They faintly resembled Zecora but on their foreheads they had curved horns and these creatures seemed unable to talk.
At one point they went around an Alliance outpost with heavy towers of white stone and armored bipedal guards – humans, as Tak said – and turned east afterwards. They found the pale stone road that lead through the Barrens straight to the Crossroads.
Tak kept looking around a lot and asked Twilight to stop now and then so he could pick flowers and roots. When Twilight asked him about it, he explained that he collected them to sell them to alchemists and scribes.
They got to the Crossroads in the evening, both sweaty and exhausted. Tak took her to a tavern in the middle of the small settlement and traded some of his herbs for a bed and a blanket. He used the blanket to make a bed for twilight and lay down on his own.
He stirred when he felt a small muzzle touch his arm.
"Hm?"
Twilight looked at him with a nervous frown. "What are those big armored creatures in the Crossroads?" she whispered.
"Which ones?" he whispered back. "The sturdy green ones or the smaller stinking guy?"
"Both, I guess..."
"The green ones are orcs, the other one was a Forsaken. A former human. Disgusting fella if you ask me. I can't believe Thrall actually asked them to join the Horde..."
"Tak, what made him look so ill? I think I could even see some bones showing!"
Tak sighed. "He is not ill, he is actually dead."
"What?! " shrieked Twilight.
"...Yes. That was very dark magic. Don't ask. But they got their free will back so they work for the Horde now. At least I hope that they will hold on to their promise." He groaned. "Can we go to sleep now?"
Twilight's ears flattened and she hung her head. "Of course", she mumbled.
Tak frowned. "Are you all right?"
She looked up at him. "I don't know. This world is getting scarier with every moment that passes. Enemies, dangerous beasts in these Barrens, war-loving and undead creatures... I feel like I don't belong here. I know I don't...
"Tak, I have never felt so out of place before. Not even when Discord... ah, nevermind that. And I miss my friends so much..." she finished with a small voice, a single tear making its way down her cheek.
Without a word, Tak shuffled around on his bed until there was enough place for a little pony next to him.
Twilight took the offer without hesitation and lay down on Tak's bed, curling up under her blanket. His warm body made her relax a litte, knowing that the big tauren would make sure that nothing would harm her while she was asleep.
Five minutes later she was out like a light.
After some more days of wandering, the tauren and the alicorn entered the gates of Orgrimmar. Twilight was definitely scared now and she stayed as close to Tak as possible. The city stretched along narrow valleys, stuck between orange and red walls that had been shaped by wind, water and time. Twilight realized that the stripes on the walls were layers of rock that varied in composition and size. Rarity would have been amazed by the subtle glimmering...
What bewildered Twilight most was that everything – the buildings as well as the inhabitants – looked ready for war. Metal spikes adorned red roofs and walls made of wood and stone. The orcs had put up big sheets of cloth and skin to protect the citizens from the sun which made the valley look gloomy and uninviting. There was a foul smell in the air, coming from a higher valley at the left.
Shops and vendors seamed the streets and Twilight heard the deep and rough shouts of an auction coming from a building on the right. Various species walked around, all of them on two legs and heavily armed: green, muscular orcs with sharp teeth and glowing eyes, tauren as big as Tak, smaller green goblins with large ears, lean and beautiful elves and occasionally a blue wiry troll or a stout pandaren.
Huge torches illuminated the scene and the beating of a drum was heard over the grunts of practicing orc warriors, both male and female. They were covered in heavy armor. Sweat glistened on their green and brown skins. An even bigger warrior, almost as tall as Tak, stood nearby and shouted at them, giving them instructions. Twilight cringed, unable to imagine even her brother or Princess Luna shouting this aggressively with the Canterlot Royal Voice. In the middle of the valley a giant, stout fortress dominated the cityscape, as menacing as all the other houses combined. Twilight suppressed a shudder.
Luckily, everyone seemed to think of her as Tak's pet and left her alone even though she attracted some curious looks.
The passed through another metal gate and went up some stairs carved into the rock. After the staircase followed a narrow passage that lead along the wall. When Twilight looked down, a goblin with a pointy nose walked along the path at the bottom of the valley, pushing a cart filled with toys and miscellanious small gifts. The toys looked harmless, one of them seemed to be a foam sword, but the mischievous grin on the vendor's face would have kept Twilight from buying anything. She did not have any gold bits anyway.
"Come on, the shop is this way", said Tak.
Twilight followed him into a tall house that had entrances both on their own level and ground level.
She gasped with surprise. The room was the opposite of everything outside. Two orcen women took care of many kinds of beautiful flowers and herbs. Their fragrance filled the room and made Twilight forget for a moment what the rest of the city looked and smelled like. The plants were in pots and boxes of different shapes and sizes, some of them looked very old and worn. The walls were decorated with small carpets that bore tribal patterns.
One of the orcs turned around and asked with a hoarse but friendly voice, "What do you want?" Then her eyes widened. "Tak Rivermane! What the hell are you doing here, I thought you wanted to go back to Mulgore!"
"I was there, Brunda, but not for that long. I am bringing you some more herbs, including silver leaf."
"Ah, that's a relief. You have no idea how short we've been on supplies recently. Everyone's supposed to prepare for open war. But I guess you already know that..."
Tak sighed. "Well, those war machines and fences in front of the gates are hard to miss. What's with the training warriors in the Valley of Strength? I thought the Pandaren were a peaceful people."
Brunda snorted and the other woman rolled her eyes. "Who is talking about them? Our warchief ", she said the word with a snarl, "is very eager on claiming the new continent as his own. I can't say I have anything against new resources... but this is kinda eccessive if you ask me. I mean, the Pandaren already own the place and there's still a lot to get out of our own ground. And don't get me started on the trouble with the Darkspear trolls..."
"Shh, keepit down, will ya?" the other one said. "They might be listenin'!"
"Oh come on, Muraga, you know when a tauren blocks the door, there's hardly someone else before. It."
Tak rolled his eyes. In fact, he had ducked a little when he and Twilight had entered the room.
Brunda grinned and shrugged, revealing two long tusks protruding from her lower jaw. "Just kidding, you old rag."
"Your rhymes are as terrible as I remember them", said Tak dryly as he opened his bag and took out the herbs.
Brunda frowned at the leaves and examined them carefully. "Not bad. They look pretty fresh. I'll give you two gold for these."
"Come on", grumbled Tak, "just two?! They're at least three gold's worth! Look at that one, it's still completely intact, roots and all! Straight from the marshes of Durotar."
"Hm. Considering those two are already kinda dry, I'd say two gold and twenty."
"Two eighty!" insisted Tak.
"Two fifty and I won't go higher, you greedy goblin!"
"Done." Coins changed their owner and Brunda gave the herbs to her assistant who stored them in a small shelf at the back wall.
"When did you decide to become a hunter?" asked Brunda. "I thought you were a shaman."
"Huh?" wondered Tak. "I still am."
"Then what's with the pet?" Brunda asked, pointing at the alicorn.
"She's... uh... not that kind of, uhm...", mumbled Tak, suddenly embarrassed.
"I'm nopony's pet ", hissed Twilight.
"Shh!" Tak hissed back.
"She's not... from around here. Pretty, huh? As purple as the tabard of the Kirin Tor... um. The trade was a pleasure as always. See ya!"
Tak grabbed Twilight around the barrel and shoved her outside.
"Now wait just a minute, what was that?" demanded Twilight as they made their way to the neighboring house.
"Sorry, I wasn't able to come up with anything. What did you expect me to say?" Tak mumbled.
Twilight stopped. "This is stupid, Tak. I can't walk around all the time pretending to be some kind of pet of yours. It just feels wrong. No offense."
"Right", sighed Tak. "But it's at your own risk if you talk and all. You know what? I have an idea!"
Twilight's eyes filled with hope. "What kind of idea?"
"You like books, right? And you do arcane magic?"
"Yes...?"
"Are you a mage?"
Twilight lowered her gaze. "Well, magic is my special talent so I guess you could call me that."
A rustling noise made her stop talking. When she turned her head, Twilight saw a female elf with long red hair and a black robe walk past them and enter the herbalism shop.
"As I said", Twilight continued with a quiet voice, "I am a mage. But I am not powerful enough to create and stabilize the kind of portal I need for returning home on my own. So I am not really that great of a mage after all..." She hung her head.
"That's not my point. Look, now that I have sold my herbs, I have to go and pick some new ones. How about we do that in Northrend ?" Tak grinned happily.
"You lost me there. What's so special about Northrend?"
"O dear Earthmother...", sighed Tak. "Of course you would not know."
Twilight blushed and looked away, ears flattened and wings folded.
"Sorry, I did not mean it like that!" Tak stammered. "I just meant... well... there is this big floating magical city in Northrend."
Twilight's ears went up again.
"It is a city under supervision of a magical order, the Kirin Tor", continued Tak. "I would bet my herbalism bag they have got loads of books on portals!"
"You really think so?"
"Of course! They might even help you with setting one up."
"Oh, Tak, that would be amazing!" whispered Twilight happily. "But", she hesitated, "would you really do this? Take me to that city? Aren't you at home here ?"
Tak huffed and folded his arms. "I wasn't lying when I said there's good herbs there. And honestly?" He lowered his voice and bent down, looking into Twilight's eyes. "Orgrimmar sucks. I hate this place. It's just rocks and orcs." He straightened up again, adjusting his belt. "So, yes, I will take you there. Wouldn't you need a guide anyway?"
Twilight smiled sheepishly. "Oh. Yes."
Tak nodded, pleased with himself. "Then that's settled. Come, let's get you some scrolls and ink. You are going to love Northrend. Even though it's as cold as Sylvanas's cursed behind, it's gotten much better since the undead Scourge left the Borean Tundra."
"Wait, what?! "
Level 5 - Fight on a Zeppelin
Twilight stood in awe as the Mighty Wind approached the western dock tower in the middle of Orgrimmar. A giant long balloon floated above her, carrying a boatlike structure with strong ropes. The goblins who ran the airship had painted the baloon skin to resemble a shark in defiance of the dangerous cold winds of Northrend.
Tak led her aboard and below deck where they got themselves more or less comfortable on the wooden floor.
"Thank you for the scarf and also thanks again for the cape", said Twilight. They were the only passengers yet so they could talk openly. "Is Northrend really that awfully cold?"
"Oh yes", sighed Tak. "Though I hope it will be slightly better with the Scourge being defeated. I heard they added some wicked ice magic to the mix."
"Have you ever been there before?" asked Twilight.
"No", he admitted, "but I have memorized the maps for years now. I've always wanted to go there but the Scourge war and my, um, financial situation kept me from going. Both problems are gone now, the Tundra has become more or less safe and I managed to get all the stuff together that I needed for the journey.
"Do you still have the bottle and book I gave you?"
Twilight opened her bag. "Yes, and I even conjured up some water and there was an interesting spell about muffins and cinnamon rolls that I tried. Look, the muffin looks a bit small but the cinnamon roll turned out nicely, don't you think? I'm sure I can try the mana cupcakes and biscuits next."
"Amazing", commented Tak, completely astonished. "Are you aware that this spell is way above the average of a mage and takes years of training? This is incredible ... May I taste it?"
Twilight used her magic to float a cinnamon roll into Tak's hand. Her cheeks were red when she could not help but smile at the compliment. He took a bite, then smiled approvingly.
"It's a really good book", she said. "Actually, I chose the spell because I already knew the recipe. I thought it would probably be easier if I knew the components of the object well and..."
Tak's eyes widened. "So you are not just a mage, you're a cook, too."
"No, no", laughed Twilight. "My friend Pinkie Pie taught me. She is the one who knows all the recipes and..." She stopped and sighed, then raised her head again and smiled sadly. "Well, she is the best baker I know if certainly the most unconventional . If she knew about this new spell she would most likely throw a BBPFF party."
"'BBPFF'?"
"Best Baker Pony Friends Forever", explained Twilight.
Tak rolled his eyes. "Uh-huh..."
They got interrupted when the other passengers boarded the airship. Two leather-clad goblins, one wearing a ragged scarf that swung in the breeze, and a wiry troll with a chipped tusk entered the room and sat down in one corner, followed by an undead in a ragged robe who sat down in another corner. Twilight wrinkled her nose.
The corpse smelled terribly, his left elbow was just a bone and his colorless hair was very messy. On his slightly damaged face there was a strange expression. Was it sadness? While the other three creatures just looked plain mean, he looked disgustingly... wrong . Everything inside Twilight made her want to leave the airship so she would not have to bear his presence. The group in the other corner eyed him occasionally, murmuring things that were indistinguishable but certainly not friendly.
Sheer willpower made her stay put and smile a weak smile at him. To her surprise, he smiled back. At least she thought he was. It was hard to tell because half his face was covered by a dark green-grayish cloth. Twilight shuffled uncomfortably.
The journey north was more boring than Twilight would have thought. She and Tak did not talk to each other, the other group mumbled among themselves and the undead stared at the opposite wall. Once in a while they went to sleep or ate something. Tak insisted on keeping watch while Twilight slept. She did not understand why but decided to trust him.
The sound of a small explosion made Twilight jump with shock. Tak stood up, drew his hammer and hissed, "Trouble! Stay behind me."
"No", said Twilight. "Not this time."
The goblins and the troll were gone. Only the undead was left, still sitting in his corner. He turned his head slowly and threw a curious glance out the door. With a dusty, crackling voice he asked, "What is going on over there?"
They heard the clanking of metal on metal, then a thud.
"O crap", said Tak.
"Now that's it!" shouted somebody from above. "Get them up here prrronto !"
The wiry troll from earlier and one of the goblins – the one with the long ragged scarf - entered the room. Wiry had armed himself with a bow. He nocked an arrow which he pointed at Tak and pulled the string. The goblin held a crossbow in one hand and a spear in the other with blood glistening on the tip.
"Ya heard the boss!" shouted Rags. "Get up and get going!"
"Who are you?" demanded Tak.
"Shut up and move it! We're taking this Zeppelin!"
Tak groaned and made a sloppy movement with his hammer as if he was annoyed.
The sneer on the goblin's face turned into a grin.
The hammer went up again.
The grin froze.
A fierce wind took the zeppelin and everyone save Tak lost their balance when the floor shook.
"What the hell?! It's a shaman! Get the tauren first!" screamed the goblin.
Twilight started flapping her wings and lit up her horn.
The troll shot at Tak, missing his chest. Twilight heard the tauren grunt. Still, he swung his hammer again and with a deafening sound it came down on Rags's head.
Twilight suppressed the urge to throw up and focused on the troll. She managed to take away his bow, but he merely hissed and crouched menacingly, drawing a long curved knife.
"Ya nevah gonna get me, mon!" he declared. Then he ran over to Tak who was still fighting the goblin. It was a mystery to Twilight how that thing was still alive after such a blow to the head.
She did not have any time to ponder on that, though, as Tak was now being attacked from two sides. Somehow he managed to keep the goblin at bay who was trying to beat and poke him with his spear, the crossbow long forgotten... but he had not noticed Wiry sneaking up from behind.
"Watch out! " shouted Twilight, trying to shoot a beam of arcane magic at the troll. She missed him when he jumped at Tak's back, the knife ready.
A blinding light made all of them stop. Twilight raised her hooves to shield her eyes.
The undead was standing now, with arms outstretched, both hands glowing with bright light. He raised them and Twilight saw a shield of light covering Tak's back. It had prevented the knife from cutting him. The light started to fade away, though, and the troll shook his head, trying to blink away the afterimage. For some reason he and the goblin had been affected by the light the most.
Tak's hammer came down again and with a sickening crack the green menace froze, then fell.
"Ya cheatin' maggothead!" shrieked Wiry and turned to the undead.
Twilight shot another beam of arcane light and this time she hit her target.
Surprised, her opponent almost dropped his knife.
Then Tak swung his hammer again. Twilight looked away as she heard another sickening crack, then everything was still.
The light faded. They looked at each other, Tak huffing and panting, the undead silent. Then Twilight noticed what was wrong.
She perked up an ear. "A-Are we still moving?"
With his teeth clenched, Tak pulled an arrow out of his left forearm. He kept panting and Twilight's eyes widened as she realized that he had kept fighting despite the wound.
"Let's go and check", suggested the undead. "But first - your wound."
Tak lowered his injured arm and picked up the hammer. "I'm fine."
Twilight frowned. "No, you're not . Please... he saved you, didn't you feel the light protect you? Let him take a look, all right?" She tried to put up a begging puppy-eyed look but failed when Tak whinced.
Then the tauren grumbled. "Fine. But do it quickly, we don't know what's the matter on deck."
The undead raised his hand and moved it closer to the wound.
"The light's with you here, tauren, there's no poison."
A sigh of relief escaped Tak which turned into another grunt. "Argh! Still hurts like a mother", he said through clenched teeth. "You know, as a shaman I could-"
"Hold still", said his doctor with a level tone, then he mumbled a prayer. His hand started to glow. As Twilight watched with awe, the glow expanded until it covered Tak's wound which started to heal rapidly.
"Wow", she said. "That's ... amazing..."
The light faded again and Tak tried to move his arm freely. When he felt no pain, he smiled. "Thanks, man. I guess I owe you one."
"Shut up", said the undead. "I am going upstairs first."
Twilight had been right. During the fight they had lost altitude and even though the two orc guards had made it possible to retake the small airship, their captain as well as two other sailors were badly hurt. Without them the rest of the crew was unable to get the Mighty Wind up on their own.
"Sorry", said a goblin sailor whose left arm was in a sling, "but we must land now. We are close enough to the coast so we can make it there before the ship's too low. If you go straight to the north, you should make it to Warsong Hold."
"Hm", said Tak. "If you say so. Do you have a healer?"
"Yes, he's below deck, taking care of the Captain. We'll be fine."
"We are not going to Warsong Hold", declared Tak.
As they crossed the shallow but icy water, Twilight was glad she could fly and did not have to swim between icebergs.
"Why?" asked the undead. He did not seem to be troubled by the cold as he swam steadily alongside Tak who shivered and threw longing glances at the beach fifty yards ahead.
Tak did not answer until they were out of the water. In his mind he asked the Spirit of Water for mercy – and it answered. A few moments later he and Twilight felt a bit warmer and Tak's armor dried up as if it was nothing. "Ugh. That was close. I could have died if I had to stay in there for much longer..."
"I'm glad you didn't", smiled Twilight. "But back to the question at hoof, Tak, why not Warsong Hold? You told me it was the next Horde settlement."
"It is, but I have a bad feeling about this. The Warsong Hold is an orc fortress and right now things are not looking so good. We might get into trouble if we got there and told them about the zeppelin."
Twilight frowned. "Why? It wasn't our fault, was it? We even managed to" – she gulped – "take out the attackers and make it to the coast. If anything, shouldn't they be grateful that ship and crew are mostly okay?"
"They should", said the undead. "But they won't."
"He's right, Tw- Star Dust. We are not orcs and right now we can't be sure they will take us in. It will be safer for us to go north and east, to the village of Taunka'le. They are distant relatives of my people and will welcome us with open arms and hearts. On top of that, Warsong Hold is still surrounded by Nerub'ar as far as I've heard and nothing is getting me near those wretched spiders if I can help it.
"Thank the sun we still have our supplies and food – and a mage who can conjure up some more of it", he added, winking at Twilight who smiled and nodded.
"That makes sense to me", she said. "What do you think – actually, what's your name?"
The undead hesitated. Then he said slowly, "I don't remember."
Twilight's eyes widened. "I am sorry - I had no idea -"
He shrugged, his shoulders creaking. "Whatever." He started walking but was stopped by Twilight who flew in front of him.
"But we need to call you something ", she insisted. "I don't want to have to call a friend 'you' or 'the undead' all the time!"
The undead raised his head, a strange glimmer in his yellow eyes. "You think that I am your friend."
"Wh- of course!", said Twilight. "You saved us! You healed Tak's arm and you are still coming with us. Why would you do that if you were not our friend?"
Tak frowned. "Don't force it, we don't know him-"
"I know what I need to know", stated Twilight.
"I see", said the undead. He scratched the remains of his chin. "Then – you can call me... Priest."
Tak grinned and shook his head. "Now that's not a name, dude. That's your class ."
Priest looked at him. "So?"
"Fine", shrugged Tak. "Come on, let us go and find some shelter."
They followed the coast and after two hours of walking the group was lucky. Ancient ruins were scattered along the beach, some were covered by water, some had fallen apart, but a group of columns still supported a piece of roof. At one side of the stone ruin there was a wall. Twilight felt reminded of the buildings of Cloudsdale. This was probably what they would look like if unicorns wanted to copy their style. Minus the decay.
"The Riplash Ruins", said Tak. "We can rest here. Let's just hope there won't be any naga attacking us."
"Now what are... ugh, nevermind, I don't want to know", sighed Twilight.
She and Priest sat down while Tak gathered some frozen wood that lay on the beach.
"So..., Priest, have you ever been here before?", asked Twilight.
"Yes."
"Ah. Um. Do you like the tundra? Doesn't the cold bother you?"
"No. No."
Twilight sighed, gave up and magicked a scroll out of her bag, followed by a bottle of ink and a quill. She levitated the scroll in front of herself and started scribbling.
When Tak returned, he put the wood down, sat down and closed his eyes. Moments later, sparks that seemed to come from nowhere in particular ignited a fire.
"What are you doing, Star Dust? Is that a map?"
"Uh-huh", said Twilight.
"Don't tell me you are actually keeping a journal."
"Sorry, what? Ah, yes, of course. Everything needs to be documented. What do you call that projectile weapon the goblin had?"
"That's a crossbow. They fire wooden bolts. Are they unknown in the place you are from?"
Twilight raised her eyebrows. "I've seen some pictures in books about the griffin lands but the author called them differently. When we have to fight, ponies prefer weapons that have more than one shot and don't need reloading– or short-range weapons like spears or swords."
"I guess that makes sense", mumbled Tak.
Priest got up and walked away until he stood next to one of the ruins covered by water. Twilight saw him tipping his bony foot into the water and moving it around.
Tak frowned when he saw a shiver run down Twilight's spine. "What's wrong?", he asked.
Twilight shifted uncomfortably and turned to him. "Tak, there is something about Priest that really bothers me but I don't know how to tell him", she confessed.
"What do you mean? He doesn't have to talk if he doesn't want to", said Tak.
"That's not it." She hesitated, then whispered, "He... he smells... really bad. I mean, not just the regular bad but the stomach-turning, awful kind of bad, and I'm so sorry but I don't know if I can take it much longer! I feel so terrible about this because how could I ever tell him without hurting his feelings?"
Tak inhaled but he got interrupted by Priest before he could reply.
"I heard that", said the undead. Twilight spun around. He was standing right next to them.
Level 7 - A Taste of Friendship
Tak groaned.
"How much did you hear?", asked Twilight with a small voice.
"All of it."
"Oh, Priest, I am so sorry-"
"Shut up."
Twilight closed her mouth, ears flattened.
Priest sat down next to them. He poked at the fire. "Can't help it. I'm rotting. So yeah."
Swallowing the lump in her throat, Twilight asked, "Would it be okay if I cast a spell on you?"
Priest stopped poking the fire, still looking at it. "What kind."
The alicorn started scribbling notes on her scroll as she mumbled some words, then replied, "An anti-smell spell? Oh dear Luna, that sounds so cheesy ..."
"Why not. As long as stopping the smell is all it does." He shrugged, a popping sound that make Twilight cringe inwardly. "If it sucks, I'll ask the light to cleanse it." He stood up and faced Twilight, his face unreadable.
Twilight's horn fired up as she squinted her eyes and lowered her head in concentration. A purple spark of magic expanded at the tip of her horn until it hit Priest. When he was completely surrounded by the light, it glowed brighter for a moment, then it faded away.
She raised her head, panting.
Priest looked at his hands, then at Twilight. "There's no difference."
"Yes, there is", said Tak and Twilight in unison. They broke into laughter, even Priest grinned a bit.
"Thank you, Star Dust", he said, serious once again.
"Y-You're welcome", replied the alicorn. "But my name is Twilight Sparkle."
He nodded. "Twilight. I can see why you are so humble. Someone with your abilities would be envied by many."
Twilight blushed. "I don't mean to make others envious."
"I believe you", said Priest. "So I might change my mind."
"About what?", asked Tak.
"Nevermind", mumbled Priest.
They made their way along the coast until they could see a lighthouse from afar. Then Tak led them north and soon they discovered a broad path. As they followed it, the red and grey earth started to show green patches of grass until the entire ground was coverd by juicy, healthy pastures. Animals grazed on it. Elephant-like creatures with woolly fur and giant tusks, deer and other peaceful inhabitants of the tundra showed themselves.
Twilight smiled as she drew in the air. It was much clearer than the air of the beach which had borne the stench of death, foul mist and decay. The sky was clear as well and even though it was still cold, the ground felt warmer with each hour. Beautiful colours painted the atmosphere above, like a curtain made of rainbows. Twilight sighed and thought of Rainbow Dash. She would have been amazed by the silent spectacle.
"How come the earth is this warm?", asked Twilight. "Shouldn't it be as cold as the air?"
Tak smiled. "We are getting closer to the geysers."
Priest nodded solemnly. "Good", he said. "I want to wash my robe. Cold water never does the trick."
Twilight's eyes widened with curiosity. "Are you saying there are hot currents of water below the surface?"
"Exactly", nodded Tak. "This means another day and we – get behind that rock! "
They hurried behind a long pillar of stone and ducked under a thorny bush. Priest hissed a curse when his ragged robe got torn even more.
A few moments later, three horses ran past them. Twilight threw a look at the humans riding them. Tak had explained to her that they looked like elves, except elf ears were longer than humans' and they rode birds instead of horses. She wondered how it was possible to ride a bird unless it was as big as a cow.
The humans wore heavy armor and seemed to be in a big hurry as they passed by them. Tak urged Priest and Twilight to be as quiet as possible but that was not even necessary – fifteen seconds later the riders were already out of sight.
"Whatever that was", said Tak, scratching his back, "I bet it's not good. Did you see the one in the middle was unarmed? Those were Alliance couriers. I suggest we make haste until we get to Taunka'le."
Priest gazed at Tak. "Then go faster ."
Tak frowned. "Be careful what you are saying, Forsaken. I don't take orders from the deceased."
"It was a suggestion ", emphasized Priest. "Should have known you wouldn't get that though."
"It's not what I get , it's what you can't keep to yourself."
"What are you implying? Spit it out", snarled Priest.
"Um, guys", said Twilight.
"Why? You been away from Undercity too long to figure it out by yourself ?"
"What the – I don't give a shit about politics, you insensitive grazer", spat Priest, standing up.
"That's not a surprise. Otherwise you woulda stayed in your grave!"
"Guys, listen", demanded Twilight.
"Oh you blasted – what is your deal? Isn't it the same shit everywhere we go?!"
"Well, maybe that's exactly it! If YOU ever-"
"Guys!! ", shouted Twilight, unfurling her wings in a gesture of authority.
Both of them were inches away from each other, Tak's hands crackling with magic fire, Priest with a look in his eyes that would have made an orc shrink away in terror.
Twilight sternly looked at the tauren, then the undead, not caring about their menacing air in the slightest. "What in the world is going on with you two? Didn't we get along just fine until now? Please stop shouting at each other and just tell me what your problem is!"
The fire in Tak's hand died. His tail twitched a little. "I – I don't know, I just – he insulted me! Twice! I won't allow the likes of him to get any dirt on my honor!"
"'The likes of me'?", hissed Priest. "See, that's what I mean. You don't give a crap about my people, do you? It's not as if I chose to get raised from the dead, thank you very much!"
Both stared at each other.
Twilight said, "Well. I think I might have a solution."
"What", said Priest.
She smiled a little. "You could apologize."
As they opened their mouths to protest, Twilight said, "Shush! Both of you. I can see that there are hard feelings on both sides... but are they really personal? It didn't really sound like that to me! We only just met after all. Are you sure you want it to end like this? Because I know I don't. We saved each other's lives, laughed together and... and... you are going at each other's throats as if all of that didn't count anymore and..." She sniffed, unable to keep talking, but her pleading eyes said enough.
Tak raised a brow and pointed his hammer at Twilight. "Did you just shush us?"
Priest narrowed his eyes. "She did."
"Nobody's ever shushed me before", said Tak.
"Me neither. Especially not a... purple pony mage that's not even... half as tall as me." He coughed dryly.
Tak stared at the ground and gestured half-heartedly. "Look, I am-"
"Shut up and forget it", snapped Priest. "I started the blaming routine."
Twilight's ears perked up.
"Hm. That's good enough for me", grunted Tak and nodded.
They stared at each other awkwardly.
"Then let's get moving before I get all sappy", said Priest. He turned around and started walking again.
Tak and Twilight followed him.
Confused, Twilight whispered to Tak, "Was that an apology?"
Tak threw a glance down at Twilight. "You shushed me."
"Yes", she said. "Yes, I did."
"But you didn't take any sides. How did you do that?"
Twilight smiled. "We are friends, Tak. We helped each other and were there for each other, all three of us. And I care about you. I just wanted both of you to remember that. I thought maybe then you wouldn't be so angry anymore."
"I guess it worked", said Tak. "Weird."
Level 8 - On Wyvern's Wings
Several days later, the tents of Taunka'le Village appeared in the distance. Behind it Twilight made out a dark snow-covered mountain. It seemed they were leaving the warm geyser fields now and as soon as the last hot spring was past the group, the two living party members huddled up under their cloaks.
"Wow", said Twilight. "Is that an ancient city at the foot of the mountain?"
Tak snorted. "It was. Now ruins are all that's left. It has been cleansed of the Undead Scourge and nobody has set foot or hoof there ever since."
Twilight frowned. "Then how come the tents of that village are this close to it?"
"The taunka lived here first", commented Priest. "Then the Scouge attacked the village. After some time, the survivors started to return here and rebuild the village."
"Oh", mumbled Twilight.
"Look: Two houses are already finished. The taunka are faster than I thought", said Priest.
Twilight noticed that he had been warming up recently, at least figuratively. Since he did not smell like death anymore it had gotten much easier for her and Tak to talk to him. She was even starting to get used to his furless and in places skinless face. His honesty and occasional stubbornness were kind of refreshing and reminded her a little of Applejack.
Tak sighed with relief. They approached the village now and could see movement between the tents and sturdy wooden houses. The taunka had put up fences and stone walls to mark and protect the new village's boundaries - though those walls were not higher than two ponies standing on top of each other. Thus the guards were able to stand within the walls and still look over them. Tak waved at them.
Priest groaned, "Let's get this over with."
As Tak stopped waving, he asked, "What now ?"
"Uh", said the undead, "In case you didn't notice, I don't get along too well with the living."
Twilight smiled encouragingly. "Don't worry, we just need to get two of those windriders Tak told us about. I'm sure there won't be any problems as long as we pay for them. Right?" She looked at Tak expectantly.
He just nodded and threw a look at Priest. The undead stared at the tents with narrowed eyes.
In the end it was Tak again who did the talking. As they entered the village, almost all of the inhabitants put down their work to watch them walk over to the keeper of the windriders, a brown-furred taunka who introduced himself as Omu Spiritbreeze. He gave them two windriders and suggested "the Forsaken and the pet should take one wyvern together". Twilight rolled her eyes at the "pet" but did not complain.
She was not sure whether it was such a good idea to travel by windrider. They resembled the manticores of the Everfree Forest more than she liked it, a muscular lion's body ending in a scorpion's tail and the leathery wings not unlike those of a giant bat. They seemed wild and confident to her and triggered her flight instinct.
"Are you sure they are not aggressive?", she asked with a hint of a shiver in her voice as Tak mounted his windrider.
"Of course I am", said Tak. "They've been with the taunka for years. Come on, you have wings, too, that's more than I can say about the two of us. I bet you are going to enjoy the flight."
Priest climbed onto the second wyvern's back. The beasts had been equipped with saddles to ease the flight. Twilight had no idea how to sit on them properly.
She stretched her wings and flew on top of the windrider, to the free spot right before Priest. Then she awkwardly tried to sit down with one foreleg and one hind leg at each side. It was extremely uncomfortable, reminding her of her first night as an alicorn in Canterlot when she tried to persuade her wings to stay folded to her sides.
"That doesn't look right", observed the undead.
"Guess how it feels." Twilight frowned. "Let me try something else."
"Can we take off?", asked Tak from the back of his mount.
"Just a minute", said the alicorn desperately. "I just need to – aha! "
She decided to sit down sideways which still was not so comfortable either - but bearable. She just hoped that the windrider would not do any barrel rolls or dives. Priest secured them with a leather belt that was sewn to the windrider's saddle.
"In case of a fight", he explained.
Twilight went pale.
"We are ready," said Priest.
"No, we're not", whispered Twilight.
"All right, take off", announced Tak and bent forward, pressing his knees into the sides of the mount. His windrider started to run, followed by Priest and Twilight's mount. Both animals flapped their wings and when they had enough speed they jumped off the ground, heading straight for the village gate.
"Watch out!", shouted Twilight, ducking instinctively as if she could prevent the collision this way.
They missed the lintel of the gate by inches, making Twilight gasp. The beast growled and flapped its wings even harder, heading in the direction of the mountain in the east. The temple ruins below them were clearly visible by now, spiky towers and crumbling walls and ziggurats.
Priest laughed, a loud, dusty, cackling noise in the depth of his throat. "That's more like it!" he shouted.
Twilight turned her head. His robes moved wildly in the wind like a ragged flag. There was a smile on the undead's face that made him look much more alive than ever, and he looked down at Twilight who sat in front of him and held on for her dear life.
"Flying is great", he declared.
She could not help but grin.
They left the village behind very fast, flying higher and above cloud level. The wind felt like icy knifes trying to cut Twilight's skin, making her shake despite the thick cape enveloping her. Priest noticed her shivering and cast a spell. Suddenly her chest started to feel warm as if she had drunk a hot tea. The feeling did not stay there but expanded to her limbs and head, chasing away the numbness. It took another minute until the shivering stopped.
Twilight lay her head upon her forelegs, trusting the belt and Priest to keep her safely on the wyvern's back, and dozed off.
When she woke up again they were still airborne, flying over a giant row of mountains. From up here it looked like a toymaker's dream. Everything was covered by snow and ice. There were hardly any trees. More ancient ruins were scattered on the ground, sturdier than the Riplash ruins and their golden edges shining in the sun. From what Twilight could tell at this distance they seemed much older.
On their port side a gigantic fortress sat on top of the highest mountain, its spires and fortified walls shining with a cold, menacing dark blue. Twilight had never seen such a material before. The fortress seemed oddly out of place but the alicorn was unable to put her hoof on it.
Still, the citadel dominated the entire landscape not only because of its size. Even the ruins in the valley below were dwarfed by it. Twilight could easily imagine King Sombra building a new castle like this in the Crystal Empire had he not been defeated again. He would have used more crystals, obviously, but the eerie air of the fortress would have been just like it.
She looked up and saw Tak's windrider slightly ahead. It was starting to struggle, exhausted by carrying such a big passenger for this long and Twilight hoped for Tak's sake that the flight would be over soon.
They left the citadel behind and soon approached a patch of clouds hanging in the sky. As the sun climbed higher, the clouds slowly dissipated, revealing a gigantic city.
Twilight felt like she was coming home: Tall towers pierced the sky, elegant white buildings with golden balusters and balconies stood closely together bearing purple, red or blue domes. Long purple flags blew in the wind, windriders and griffins flew about, taking off or landing on a circular terrace-like structure on the edge of the city. A majestic blue dragon landed on the terrace, folding its wings. Trees and bushes surrounded the city walls and opposite the terrace, on the other side of the city, there was a small park.
"Here we are", shouted Priest over the wind. "This is Dalaran, city of the magical order of the Kirin Tor, and that big building is the Violet Citadel. The leader of the Kirin Tor is a human mage, Jaina Proudmoore. This is where the real trouble begins, Twilight."
They flew around the city to lose altitude and Twilight discovered that Dalaran was actually floating in midair . It stood on an enormous lump of rock and earth as if someone had digged it out somewhere and been uncertain where to but it afterwards. A faint glow covered the city and Twilight recognized it as a protective force field.
"I think I am going to like this city", she shouted.
"Wait for it", warned Priest.
The terrace came into sight again and they glided down to it. The windriders roared and Tak dismounted from his ride. Priest unbuckled the belt and jumped off his wyvern as well. Twilight stretched her own wings and flew off the beast.
A blonde elf greeted them and offered to take care of the mounts.
"Greetings, Master Whitecloud. We're coming from Taunka'le", said Tak. "Please keep them here so we can use them again later."
The elf nodded and called for assistance. Two humans approached with blankets and meat for the beasts.
Master Whitecloud leaned closer to Tak and whispered, "I'd be careful if I were you. The Horde is not very welcome here anymore."
The tauren nodded. "I'll remember that."
He beckoned Twilight and Priest to follow him.
They walked through the city in silence. It was mainly occupied by elves, humans and a race similar to humans but as small as Twilight – gnomes. They eyed the new arrivals suspiciously, some humans showing open hostility.
"What's going on?" asked Twilight.
"Ignore them", said Priest. "They're just envious for my good looks."
"Over there", said Tak suddenly.
They walked around a corner and beheld the Violet Citadel. It was a building consisting of several towers standing closely together. The spire in the middle of the elegant castle was not only the tallest of the Citadel but also of Dalaran itself.
Twilight still felt the piercing looks of the citizens in her back as they climbed the stairs to the portal. It was not locked; Tak pushed one door open and as soon as they had entered the entrance hall, the portal closed by itself with a click. A large stairway led up to a balcony and everything was illuminated by small torches that hung on either side of each door in the room.
"Phew", sighed Tak. "Now, Twilight, how would you like to proceed? I bet someone will come here soon. We could either talk to an experienced mage or seek out the libr-"
"The library, please", said Twilight quickly and with an enthusiasm that made Priest shake his head.
A door opened and a human robed in a purple tabard with a yellow eye stitched on it entered. His short brown hair looked as if he had just gotten out of bed. He cleared his throat nervously when he saw them, obviously not used to visitors this tall or purple – or dead.
"Welcome to the Violet Citadel", he said. "Can I help you with something?"
Tak opened his mouth but Twilight was faster. She stepped forward, smiling at the befuddled wizard.
"Hello, good sir. My name is Twilight Sparkle. I am an alicorn from a distant land and I had a portal accident recently. Now I am stuck here but I really want to get home. Would it be possible to get access to some books on portal magic?" she asked.
Priest facepalmed and Tak let out a little cough.
"What?", demanded Twilight, confused. "Isn't it best to try with the truth?"
The human paled and stuttered, "Please excuse me for a moment." He hurried back to where he came from.
"Oh, Twilight ", groaned Tak, "That was not very clever. The Kirin Tor don't give away books on magic just like that – but portals are an especially delicate subject! Couldn't you have asked just for access to the library or something...?"
Twilight blushed and hung her head. "Sorry."
Priest pointed at the door with his thumb. "That guy's been away for quite a while now. Kinda suspicious if you ask me..."
"I have a bad feeling about this", mumbled Tak.
The door opened again and the mage entered again.
His hair looked less messy now but the unreadable expression on his face was not an improvement.
"Follow me, please", he said.
The wizard led them into a large room at the backside of the hall. It was completely round, very high and hardly decorated. Torches lined up along the bare stone walls lit up the room just enough to move around safely.
"Wait here", requested the mage, then left the room again.
Tak's ears twitched as he walked around the room, trying to calm himself.
Twilight looked up to the ceiling. High above a circular window allowed a look into the night sky. She blinked, then looked again.
The sky was bright again, still no light from above reached the bottom of the room.
She shook her head.
The door opened and a female elf entered. She had long silvery hair and wore a robe similar to the mage's. It also bore the yellow eye on purple ground. An air of authority was around her and even though her face had no wrinkles she did not seem to be young anymore. Twilight felt distantly reminded of Princess Celestia.
Tak looked at Twilight who opened her mouth, then closed it again. He sighed. "Go ahead, little one."
She nodded and repeated her request.
The elf looked at her suspiciously, frowning. "I have never encountered your kind before. If I may ask... what land are you from?"
"It's called Equestria", said Twilight. "I was in a city named Canterlot. My mentor and I created a portal trying to build a bridge between worlds - and we succeded. But when I entered it, it became unstable and I landed somewhere else than I had intended. Tak told me that you call this place Azeroth."
She stopped, looking at Tak and Priest. They remained silent. She was not sure how much she should reveal. Would Celestia talk this openly to a mage of another world?
The elf raised her eyebrows. "Where did you intend to land then?", she asked.
Twilight shook her head. "I don't know. C- my mentor was the one who defined the direction of the portal, I just helped to open it. We didn't expect it to close this fast, in fact, we intended to keep it open for a longer period of time. If the world on the other side would have had friendly inhabitants, this would have been a great chance for both worlds."
"Please take no offense, Twilight Sparkle", said the elf, "but this sounds a little naive to me to be the truth. History has shown us that when someone opens a portal, they normally intend to either travel one way or – if they keep it open – to use it to invade the world beyond. If what you say is true and you are really from another world, I must take this matter to Lady Proudmoore herself. This cannot be taken lightly."
Twilight nodded. "I understand. Is she here at the moment? Can I talk to her?"
"Of course not", replied the elf, raising an eyebrow.
Twlight hung her head, her ears down.
The woman's expression softened. "Do not worry. I will take your request for help to her as soon as she arrives."
"Thank you very much!" said Twilight. "Could you give me an estimation of when she might return?"
"In about six weeks, for the celebration of Winter's Veil."
"Oh. ...Would it be possible to check some books in the meantime? This way I could do some research in advance and find out what went wrong."
The elf thought for a moment. She raised her left arm, palm upwards, and mumbled a few words. A transparent orb of blue glass appeared in her hand. It shone brightly and steadily. She examined it and said, "Very well. It seems that you told the truth after all."
Priest frowned. "I didn't know there were any spells like this, only truth potions. What's going on here?"
The woman pointed down at the floor beneath their feet. There was a circle drawn into the stone, marked with strange symbols and lines.
Twilight shivered. They had been standing inside a magic circle all the time.
The elf was the only one outside it. "If you were of small power, a single word of untruth would have trapped you", she explained.
Tak groaned. "I knew something fishy was going on! What is this all about?" He stepped closer to the elf who raised her arms in defense and took a step back.
"However ", she said loudly, "you have proven yourselves worthy. Therefore I, Lilandra Eventide, head librarian of the Violet Citadel, will grant you access to this part of the Grand Library." She gestured again, saying some words in a foreign language.
Suddenly the room filled with dark wooden shelves that went all the way up to the ceiling. Colorful carpets appeared at the floor and the torches' light increased, now illuminating the entire room with a golden light. A few smaller carpets floated a few inches above the ground, ready to carry visitors to any spot in the library. Tables set themselves up, equipped with ink, quills and empty scrolls.
The elf spoke again and the shelves filled with books af all kinds and sizes.
"I think you might find some hints in the upper left section of shelf sixty-eight b", said the librarian and smiled.
Level 10 - Research for Yourself
Twilight's eyes lit up and she beamed.
"Wow, this is amazing ! This library is even bigger than the Canterlot Royal Library! Oh my gosh! Thank you so much!" She spread her wings and inspected the shelves, looking for the number the librarian had mentioned, and completely ignored Tak and Priest.
Priest turned to the elf. "I think she is going to be occupied for the next two months."
Lady Eventide frowned. "It seems that way. If you need anything, you may ask Mr Cordelius. I will tell you when Lady Proudmoore is ready to talk to you. I have one more question, though."
Priest raised the part on his face where his eyebrows used to be.
"Could you tell me what spell has been cast on you? I'd like to try it on a... colleague of mine..."
Tak laughed and said, "I think I'm going to get some food. See you later." He left, shaking his head slightly and grinning.
"You can ask the one who cast it", said Priest and pointed at Twilight who flew around and took books from the shelves with her magic. The undead turned on his heel and followed Tak.
"Excuse me, Miss Sparkle", said Lady Eventide.
The alicorn flew down to her and levitated a pile of books onto a nearby table. There was a spark in her eyes and a spring in her step as she approached the librarian.
"Yes?" she asked, barely able to contain her excitement.
"Now that your companions have left, I can talk openly. Do you have a moment?"
Twilight's smile died and she nodded.
"Let us sit down", suggested Lady Eventide and sat on a carpet.
Twilight took a carpet that floated next to the table. "I am listening", she said.
The lady took a deep breath, then said slowly, "I am sorry but even if she were here, Lady Proudmoore would not help you to open a portal to another world. It is just too risky."
Twilight's ears stiffened and she frowned. "I see. Lady Eventide, I want to assure you I really just want to get home. If I can open a portal, I would not keep it open if you don't want further contact... even though that would be a pity. My mentor would understand this decision for sure. But why did you wait with the truth until my friends are gone? I am not keeping any secrets from them. They might have an idea how to do this on my own."
"They are Horde", said Lady Eventide simply. "They cannot be trusted as far as the High Council is concerned. But your species is unknown to us. That's why I need to evaluate you and your position before taking further steps."
Twilight shook her head, then started to pace around. "I don't get it! First you say that we won't get any help soon, then you grant me access to your books , then I won't get help after all and now you are saying 'before taking further steps'! If you do not or cannot help me, please just tell me. This constant change is starting to get me upset and when I'm upset it's hard to concentrate and how am I supposed to find a solution this way?!" She stopped in front of the Lady and stared at her with flaring nostrils.
"I am not allowed to help you with your request", said the elf, seemingly untouched by Twilight's display of irritation. "However, if you give me some time, I will still try and figure something out."
"I'm sorry", said Twilight and blushed as she realized her own behavior. "I guess I lost my temper for a moment."
Lady Eventide raised her hand and conjured up another glass orb. This time it was a red one and it was significantly smaller than the truth orb from before. It glowed and pulsated. Red and orange mists were dancing inside it. She gave the orb to Twilight and said, "I need to leave now but I will return tonight. If you have an urgent question, feel free to use this orb to contact me."
Twilight took the orb with her magic and levitated into her bag. "Thank you", she said.
The lady rose and bowed. "Have a good evening, Miss Sparkle."
She cast a spell and was gone before Twilight could answer.
After hours of reading, Twilight had learned a lot about portals in Azeroth. She discovered that most mages could cast simple portal spells that opened paths to the capital cities. She found short-ranged teleportation spells, also called Blinking Spells which didn't really help her since she was already able to do that.
Then she found a tome that described the opening of a giant dark portal to another world, followed by a bloody war between the invading orcs and the human kingdoms. The book did not describe the spell that had been used so it wasn't of any use either. It had some gory woodcut images which Twilight tried to overlook while flipping through the pages.
She kept searching and discovered more simple spells and history books on interdimensional wars. One book was about a blue-skinned bipedal species called the Draenei who used a vessel or "spaceship" to travel between worlds. They had crashlanded and, eventually, joined the Alliance. Since her resources were limited and she had no idea whether Azeroth was another planet or another dimension entirely, this option was out of the question.
Her search went on and on and it was getting late. Twilight was just starting to wonder when her friends would come back from their trip to the city center when she heard a pair of hooves and bony footsteps on the library floor.
She looked up and smiled sadly.
Tak and Priest waved at Twilight and beckoned her to join them for dinner.
As they sat down on the carpets, Twilight said, "Lady Eventide and I had an interesting talk after you left."
"Let me guess: She declined your request", said Priest harshly.
"Well", replied Twilight slowly, "kind of. She said Lady Proudmoore wouldn't help me but she would try to think of something anyway. I think I am beginning to get an idea why she hesitated."
"Hm", mumbled Tak, chewing slowly. "The Dark Portal?"
"Yes", confirmed Twilight. "The last time a really big portal got opened it lead to a terrible war and losses on all sides. Ever since there have been many wars involving demons, undead and all kinds of monsters, dangerous dragons and so on.
"Azeroth is almost falling apart and a new world connecting to this world so torn with war is... not exactly high on the Kirin Tor High Council's priority list. I can see that now. In fact, I can hardly understand how I could dare to ask for something like this in the first place." She hung her head.
"I think I might have... to face the fact... that I'm never going to s-see my home again. Or my friends."
Twilight started sobbing and turned away.
View Online
Level 12 - The Mage, the Shaman and the Priest
The magical pressure was getting heavier, making Twilight fall to her knees.
"What's going on?" she shouted. "Tak, Priest, please help me!"
"I can't!" barked Tak. "I wish I could - but this is beyond my knowledge!"
Please, he thought, I must stop the warlock. If I don't, this world might be lost.
He charged again.
Priest stood beside the circle, opening his mouth, but nothing came out.
Eventide cackled as the tauren swung his hammer. She dodged it easily, her hair dancing in the wind.
But he never tried to hit her with the hammer in the first place. As Tak stroke again, lightning crackled and hit Eventide. The earth burst and shook, making her lose her balance. Then a cold wind took her, rain fell with an intensity that hit her like a wave. As she started to shiver, she tried to cast another spell.
Tak did not let her finish. He stomped his hoof and made the earth shake again.
"This is for Twilight!" he shouted as he fought her with all the power he could muster.
Priest closed his eyes for a second, then ran to Twilight.
"Hey, princess! Can you use that?" He raised his arms and added his strength to Twilight's.
As the golden light hit the wild flames, they returned to their original color and calmed down enough for Twilight to sigh with relief.
She was starting to slowly regain control. Focused once again, she repeated the last part of the spell, this time with Priest's help.
Finally, the portal opened.
Twilight and Priest fell through it like marbles through a trapdoor.
As they started to feel a current draw them to the other side of the swirling colors, they could hear an angry scream from behind.
Lady Eventide fell to the ground, defeated. After Tak Rivermane's outburst and the collapse of the portal, she realized everything was lost. When the guards of the city, led by powerful mages, arrived to apprehend her she did not resist.
Tak sighed. As the elf stumbled away as if she was sleepwalking, the mages said something to him, probably thanking him in the name of the city or whatever. It did not matter to him.
Twilight was gone.
In the short time she had been on the face of Azeroth, something truly amazing had happened: Tak had found a real friend. Now that she had left he had no idea what to do.
Why was he here again? Right. He wanted to pick herbs in Northrend.
Tak exhaled again and sat down for a moment. He would probably pick extra flowers for his sister this time. For the first time in a decade he actually started to feel the urge to see his family again.
Twilight and Priest stumbled out of the portal, falling over each other. The swirling and burning circle behind them shrank and disappeared.
As they tried to figure out which body part belonged to whom, they could hear a voice shout, "Twilight!"
A little purple dragon ran to her and hugged her before she got back on her own hooves.
"Spike! I missed you so much!" Twilight hugged her friend back and beamed, tears in her eyes.
She raised her head and saw the ceiling of Canterlot Castle's throne room. In front of the thrones she noticed two more familiar faces.
"Princess Celestia! Princess Luna!"
The two alicorns hurried down the stairs and smiled at her.
Twilight finally managed to disentangle herself from Priest and hugged Celestia. Her mentor's voice sounded strangely hoarse as she said, "I am so glad you are back, Twilight."
"You were gone for three days. We had suspected you lost your way when the portal closed but we did not know how to get a message to you", said Princess Luna. "It seems you have found a way back after all."
Twilight's eyes widened. "Three days ? As in, sunrise- sundown- moonrise- moondown three days?!"
"Yeah", confirmed Spike. "We were pretty worried."
Priest and Twilight looked at each other. Twilight stuttered, "I have been on Azeroth for almost three months !"
Princess Celestia gasped. Her sister Luna frowned. "It seems time runs differently on that other world... how strange. Still, welcome back, Twilight. You must tell us everything."
"But who is your companion?" asked Celestia, facing the undead. If she was disturbed by his 'rotten' situation she did not show it. Twilight secretly admired her for that and wondered if she had seen anything similar before.
Priest bowed and said, "I am Jonathan Baker but you can call me Priest. I had the honor of helping Twilight Sparkle on her quest to return to her home."
Twilight smirked. "So you do have a name - and manners."
"Yes", said Jonathan, sighing. "I'm afraid I haven't been completely honest with you. You see, Lady Eventide hired me to find powerful mages and bring them to her to Dalaran. I didn't even have to do much since Tak had the idea to go to Northrend first. When I felt that a powerful mage boarded the zeppelin I decided to follow you."
He frowned. "I had no idea she would use the portal like this."
"That was getting obvious at the end", said Twilight. "I was busy keeping it stable... but I still saw you when you snarled at her like a mad bear."
He grinned for a moment. "Still, it was worth it to help you, I guess. I never gave much of a f- um.. cared much about money anyway. But if you don't want to be my friend anymore, I'd completely understand."
The undead hung his head and crossed his arms.
Celestia and Luna looked at each other, confused by Baker's explanation.
Twilight smiled and held her hoof to where she assumed his heart was.
"I am still your friend", she said. "And thank you. You left your world behind to help me get home to mine. The least I can do is to make sure you find a new home in Equestria."
As Jonathan smiled a little, Celestia stepped closer.
"Come, my dear Twilight. You and your friend are probably hungry. Let us invite you for a meal. Then you can tell us everything that happened on the other side."
Spike shuffled uncomfortably, obviously swallowing a comment about Jonathan's metabolism. Twilight winked at him reassuringly to keep him from saying anything embarrassing.
As they walked to the dining hall, Spike now skipping happily next to Twilight and Jonathan with slow steps - he was the tallest of the group – the priest said, "Thanks for the invite. I don't get hungry but I think I could use a strong drink right now."
Author's Note
Yes, short ending is short but isn't it always like that when you say goodbye? One moment the friend is there, the next they are gone.
So anyway, thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed the little story.
A Taste of Friendship
Priest tilted his head. "You know, you could just do your research about the portal here and try to open it somewhere else."
Twilight turned to him, her face wet with tears. "That's not the point!" she said. "I am pretty sure a portal like this would not stay a secret for very long. I might get you into trouble for this!"
Tak nodded. "I guess you are right. It comes down to three options, doesn't it: One," he counted with his fingers, "get permission by the High Council for a portal, maybe even their help to stabilize it. That's extremely unlikely. Two, secretly open a portal. Anyone who gets left behind is screwed. And three, no portal. Twilight, if Lady Eventide doesn't return, would you consider..." The tauren hesitated.
Priest shook his head. "Tak, you dumb cow. Shut up, and give the alicorn a hug. Look at her."
Twilight sniffed and tried to wipe away her tears with a hoof. "I'm sorry", she said. "I can't just ignore it when the most powerful mages say it's too dangerous. It just feels wrong. All the time... before I came to Azeroth... I've been relying on the judgement of my mentor and now... I have no idea what to do. I would never want to risk a war or rifts in the space-time-continuum or other scary catastrophies like that..."
Tak hugged Twilight carefully.
And suddenly the alicorn felt safe. The warmth of his tall body and the detemination in his eyes to make her feel better made something click in her. She hugged him back, then she stepped back and raised her head.
"I think we should talk to Lady Eventide. Maybe she will help us after all. If she won't, I will" – she swallowed – "stay on Azeroth."
Tak nodded.
A flash of light made them look at the door.
Lady Eventide stood there, a red orb like Twilight's in her hand. The three guests could see a distorted image of themselves in it and realized that the elf had heard everything they had talked about.
"Let us open this portal", she said.
It took them some more weeks to figure out a way to determine the destination of the portal and to practice setting it up. Lady Eventide had requested to keep the library safe so the group had decided to camp in the Crystalsong Forest below the floating city.
"The glow of the crystal trees and their magical interference will hopefully leave us undisturbed", explained Lady Eventide.
She had bought amethyst powders which they used to draw a summoning circle on the violet grass. It was hardly visible but the faint glimmer of the gems was enough to set up a proper magic circle.
Twilight went through the books from the library to find some basic teleportation spells. She modified them for long-range travel and added reverse summoning charms to define where she wanted to go.
Once the spell was finished, she turned to her friends.
"I think this is it. I can't thank you enough for your help."
Tak frowned. "Thank you , Twilight. This is the first time I was truly helpful to a friend - and it feels great. The biggest reward for me would be if you got home safely. I will ask the Spirits to guide you."
Twilight nodded and they hugged. The little pony cleared her throat, then faced Priest.
"Goodbye", she said. "I wish you all the best. By the way, the spell is permanent. Maybe you will find some more friends here. You would deserve it."
Priest straightened up and folded his arms. "I already have one. It's a furry cow who never shuts up. Annoys the crap outta me but what can you do."
Tak grinned and nudged him with his elbow.
Lady Eventide said nothing. She smiled at Twilight and beckoned her to begin the spell.
So the alicorn stood in the center of the circle and concentrated. Her horn started to glow as she started the spell. Violet sparks shot from her horn and ignited the magic circle. It burst into blue flames that shot high into the air.
As the fire burned brighter, everything inside the circle started to fade and distort.
"Lady Eventide!" shouted Twilight, sweating and panting with effort. "Please help! I need to adjust the destination!"
The elf smirked and stepped forward.
"Very well."
As she raised her hands and started an incantation, the flames burned more wildly than ever. A strange, screeching howl filled their ears and drowned the words she sang.
Then the flames turned from blue to a sickly green and dark purple.
"She's tainting the portal!" shouted Priest over the noise. "Tak, she's not a mage but a warlock!"
The tauren gasped and understood. The elf was not helping Twilight.
She was using her. Now that he thought about it, it made sense. Lady Eventide had never been more than courteous to Twilight but still so eager to help her get home. Tak had always thought that the elf just was not the extraverted type but this...
What if she just waited for a random powerful mage to show up who was naive enough not to get suspicious when trying to open a portal? Tak was certain that Eventide had not exactly expected to meet someone like Twilight but she probably preferred some anonymous strange creature. If a young yet powerful magic student from the Citadel went missing there would be investigations after all.
I have to take her down , thought Tak desperately.
If Tak did not stop her, they might summon a demon or worse. The void between the dimensions was filled with evil spirits. Beyond it there were other worlds, worlds of fire and brimstone where nothing sane could survive.
Tak remembered his journey to the Blasted Lands. A Dark Portal had been opened there. The demonic magic that filled the lands beyond had started to taint the ground surrounding the portal, leaving only red charred rocks behind. Nothing was able to grow there anymore. No bird would be heard and demons haunted the area, giant monsters and vile beasts. The air was filthy and made you choke and dread was a constant companion for every living creature that dared to stay near the portal for longer than a few hours.
That had happened years ago and the Blasted Lands still looked like this. Tak had hated it there and as soon as he had gathered the last remaining roots he had gladly returned to the healthy grasslands of Mulgore, his home. He had tried to never think of the Blasted Lands again.
But if Eventide succeeded, Northrend would be turned into the new Blasted Lands.
Tak raised his hammer and attacked the elf.
She hesitated as the giant tauren charged her with a hammer in his hand and a furious glow in his eyes. Then Eventide swirled around elegantly and dodged his first blow.
"So you get it now", she laughed. "You Horde are so slow ."
She spoke a word and green flames erupted around Tak, trapping him. He screamed with pain and shook, then he raised his own hand again and called the Spirit of Fire to aid him.
Lightning struck the elf and the flames of her curse died.
Eventide snarled, her pretty face distorted so much that it looked like a mask. "You cannot stop me!" she screamed. "Your petty nature tricks are nothing !"
The warlock stretched her arms out as far as she could and recited another spell.
This time there were no flames.
Instead, the world ended.
As everything went dark, Tak felt a rush of despair. The falling sensation in his stomach made him trip and stumble, then fall down.
There was no physical pain, neither sound nor light, just emptyness.
A black hole absorbed him, took his core away. It did not end; it dragged on and on and eventually Tak wondered what it had been that had made him live in the first place.
The Nothing was everything.
He did not belong here. He did not deserve to exist at all.
As he started to cry, he could hear the calling of a distant voice.
The Nothing started to tear apart, letting Tak peek through the shreds. Beyond he saw a familiar scene: Twilight struggling inside a magic circle that burned with flames of solid green and purple, trying to keep it stable... and next to it the one who had made the Nothingness, Eventide.
As sound and light fully returned to him, Tak realized he had been here the entire time.
He prayed to the spirits once again and thanked them for letting Priest's voice through the void. Now he could even understand the words.
"...won't obey you anymore! I brought them here from Orgrimmar, all right - but not for this! Never for this!"
As the last bits of shadow dissolved, Lady Eventide snapped at Priest, "You did it for the money, remember? And you got it. I owe you nothing , Baker. So assist me or leave this instant!"
