Beyond the Portal

by Firestar463

Rating: teen
Tags: Violence, Crossover, Human, Twilight Sparkle, Main 6, Gore, Original Character, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Profanity, Scootaloo, Adventure
Length: 73500

Sergeant Kyle Slater was stationed at the Dark Portal when the attacks began. He was among the first to encounter the Iron Horde. He pursued the enemy beyond the portal, and when he did not return, was assumed dead. But that was far from the truth.

Kyle Slater was your typical soldier in the Alliance army. He was one of the few Human monks, but aside from that there was nothing truly remarkable about him. However, when the Iron Horde began their initial invasion of Azeroth, the unstable Dark Portal hurled Kyle across the universe to an uncharted world.

This strange new world appeared friendly and inviting, but dark forces threatened its safety. Facing a familiar foe he had hoped to be defeated, Kyle was forced to rely on his strength and wits to survive. Still, he was a soldier of the Alliance. This wouldn't be a problem. He was prepared for anything.

Except, perhaps, colorful talking Ponies.

---

World of Warcraft crossover

Beware the comments - They contain spoilers.

First Fic attempt. Please let me know what you think and where I need to improve.

Featured 10-29-2014! Holy cow, you guys are awesome!

Goodfic Bin approved!
[img]http://s13.postimg.org/5a2dthj87/Giz_Vyc0.png[/img]

Published 2014-04-13 14:00:03 UTC
Last updated 2014-11-29 16:08:49 UTC

Chapter 2

“What is that thing Twilight?”

“I’m not sure, Spike. It kind of looks like a minotaur, but it doesn’t have any hooves or horns…”

Pain lanced through Kyle’s body as he slowly regained consciousness. He heard voices nearby, but any meaning behind their words was lost upon his clouded mind. By the Light.... What happened… he thought to himself, still not moving. Memories flashed through his mind, fragmented and blurry, with only a few thoughts clear enough to register.

The Dark Portal, flashing between red and green. Brown-skinned Orcs, roaring in fury. A large ramp, slick with blood. A gunshot as a man fell backwards down the ramp. A flash of blinding purple light, and then blackness.

Kyle dared to open his eyes, and immediately regretted his choice. Even the dim light filtering through the trees were like white-hot blades gouging into his retinas. He quickly snapped his eyes back shut, waiting for the pain to fade. When it finally did, he braced himself before cracking his eyes open again, allowing a small amount of light through. The pain was less sharp this time, and he slowly opened his eyes as they adjusted to the light.

Everything was blurry at first, but as Kyle opened his eyes more, more coherent shapes began to form. Finally, Kyle was able to identify his surroundings. He was apparently in a forest, laying on his side next to a large tree. Kyle saw a small dent in the tree, and his headache returned in full force. He groaned and held his head, trying to stifle the pain. He was distracted, however, by a female voice from behind him.

“Sweet Celestia, it’s alive!”

For a second, Kyle didn’t dare to move, barely dared to breathe. Something had seen him, and he was in no shape to fight. Kyle scrambled to his feet, but a wave of dizziness and nausea overwhelmed him. He stumbled, leaning on the tree for support as he retched, trying desperately not to fall over again. He knew he was weak, but if he was going down, he was going down fighting. As his dry-heaving stopped, he looked around for the source of the voice.

Kyle instead saw a most peculiar sight. A few meters away stood two small horses. One was cyan-colored, with a mane and tail comprised of every color of the rainbow. The other was purple, with a darker purple mane and tail that had a streak of magenta running through them. What was more unusual was that both of the horses seemed to have wings, and the purple one had a horn shooting out of its forehead. Standing alongside them was what appeared to be an overgrown lizard. All three creatures were staring at him with a look of curiosity and barely-contained terror.

Kyle shook his head to clear it, and winced as sharp pain shot through his forehead. These creatures were distracting him from his goal. “Who’s there?” He called out, trying to sound intimidating despite his pain. “Show yourself!”

“It talks too!”

Kyle’s head snapped to look back at the purple horse. Its eyes were wide open and staring directly at him, and its mouth was slightly open. If he hadn’t known better, Kyle would have thought that this horse had… No. No, that was impossible.

“Can you understand me?”

Impossible just went out the window.

For a long moment, Kyle just stood there, dumbfounded. His mind was still waking up, still trying to process what had just happened, trying to resolve the conflict between his preconceived notions of impossible and what his senses had just observed. Slowly, he slid down the tree, his back against the trunk as he came to rest against the ground.

“I think you broke it, Twilight.”

This time, it was the cyan horse that spoke. There was no doubt this time. Kyle’s mind went into overdrive, attempting to adapt to this new fact: Horses can talk. Finally, Kyle swallowed, feeling multiple knots in his stomach as he nodded, wincing slightly at the movement. “Ye-yeah… I… I understand you.” he stammered, still trying to make sense of the situation.

The two horses seemed to relax slightly, though maintained their distance. The lizard, however, still seemed quite afraid. As his brain finally caught up to the situation, Kyle shakily returned to his feet. Nausea once again flowed through him, though less severe this time. After leaning on the tree for a few more second, Kyle was able to keep his balance on his own. He looked back at the horses and blinked in surprise.

The cyan one was flying.

Kyle had seen large creatures fly before, such as dragons, demons, griffons, and hippogryphs, but never a horse. Even as he watched, the horse hovered closer to him, looking him over. “What are you?” she finally asked.

Kyle stood there for a moment before answering. “I am a Human.” he replied. “Kyle Slater, Sergeant in the Grand Army of the Alliance.” he added, staring back at the cyan horse. “Now, how is it that a horse can fly and talk?” he asked, his voice still wavering a bit.

The cyan horse appeared to pout. “We’re ponies, not horses.” She retorted, sounding offended. “We’ve always been able  to talk. And in case you hadn’t noticed, I have wings. Kinda helps with the flying thing.” she added, doing a backflip in the air.

Kyle raised an eyebrow, feeling annoyed. “Well  where I come from, hor… ponies don’t talk and don’t fly. Excuse me for not expecting one that can do both!”

The cyan pony opened it’s mouth to speak, but was suddenly surrounded by a faint purple aura and pulled backwards. Kyle looked at the purple pony, and noticed that her horn was surrounded by that same purple aura. As the aura faded from the horn, it also faded from around the cyan pony. Oh great, they can use magic too.

The purple pony glared at the cyan one, clearly telling it to be quiet. “Sorry about her.” the purple pony said, stepping forward a couple of steps. “My name is Twilight Sparkle, and this is Rainbow Dash…” she nodded towards the cyan pony, “And Spike.” She nodded towards the lizard, who gave a nervous wave. As Kyle hesitantly returned the wave, Twilight spoke again. “You’re not from around here, are you?” she asked.

Kyle raised an eyebrow. “Depends on where ‘here’ is.” he replied, looking around. The trees were close together and created an oppressive canopy that barely let in any light. It reminded him of Dustwallow Marsh, which was not entirely reassuring. The closest intact Alliance outposts would be across multiple areas controlled by the Horde. Unless… “Could you point me towards Theramore?” he asked. Even with the city gone, a boat still ran between Theramore and the Wetlands.

All he received were a couple of blank stares. “Okay… how about Thousand Needles?” he asked. The confusion on the ponies’ faces intensified, as did Kyle’s impatience. “Alright, just point me south.”

“Uh… you don’t want to go that way.” Spike said uncertainly, his voice sounding like that of a young boy. “Even if you got through the rest of the Everfree Forest, you’d just end up in the Badlands.”

Now it was Kyle’s turn to feel confused. “No way is this Loch Modan!” he countered. He then realized what the lizard had said. “Wait… Everfree Forest?”

Rainbow Dash looked at Twilight. “Definitely not from around here.” she said. Twilight nodded in agreement. Kyle tried to take a step forward but stumbled as the world spun around him. He fell forward, but his fall was interrupted as Rainbow Dash braced herself against his right shoulder. “Easy there, big guy.” she said, sounding slightly amused. “Looks like you hit your head pretty hard there. Might have a concussion.”

Kyle nodded and elected to sit down again, not wanting to risk another fall. Instead, he pulled a pouch off of his belt and opened it. The bitter stench of his Energizing Brew quickly filled the air, and Rainbow Dash recoiled, gagging. Kyle ignored her and quickly took a swig. His taste buds protested vehemently, but he was rewarded for enduring the taste. The effects were nearly instantaneous, and while he knew they were only temporary, so too were the effects of all but the most serious concussions. Energy flooded through him, and the throbbing in his head was reduced to a dull ache. The fog surrounding his mind lifted, and he stood up without any nausea or fatigue. The ponies stared as Kyle began to take a few tentative steps, and then more confident steps. Satisfied that he would be able to walk, he turned back to the ponies. “So… Where exactly am I?” He asked.

“You’re in the Everfree Forest.” Twilight answered. She looked up at the sky and noticed the sun moving towards the horizon. “We should get out of here. Quickly.” she added nervously. “Nighttime in Everfree is dangerous. We’ll head back to Ponyville an-”

“Woah woah woah.” Kyle interrupted. “Ponyville? I’ve never heard of a town called Ponyville.”

“It’s a couple of hours by train away from Canterlot.” Twilight explained, seemingly unfazed about being interrupted.

“...Canterlot?”

Rainbow Dash and Twilight exchanged a confused look, while Spike chuckled. “Definitely not from around here.” he said, seeming a bit more relaxed now.

The ponies, however, were visibly tensing up. They spoke to each other in hushed tones, occasionally glancing up at Kyle. Kyle was able to catch a few words here and there. “How… not… Canterlot… Never seen…” Kyle was starting to get a little irritated again, not appreciating that these ponies were clearly talking about him.

A rustling sound from nearby made everyone freeze. Spike looked terrified, and the ponies hardly looked better. “There’s… something out there.” Kyle said warily. Spike gulped and nodded, eyes darting back and forth. Kyle reached for a branch lying not far away. It was a sad replacement for his staff, but better than nothing. Kyle began to focus his Chi once more, preparing for a fight.

Suddenly, an idea came to his mind. His hand began to glow with a green energy as he prepared to unleash a spell. “Tempestatis, exaudi vocem meam.” he muttered, and the energy from his hand was released as a green mist. The mist swirled around his body for a moment as the ponies looked on, eyes wide open. Finally, the mist coalesced into a spectral copy of Kyle, glowing with a blue energy. Kyle grinned and pointed into the bushes. The spectral copy ran away, disturbing the brush as it ran. A snarl was heard nearby, and more rustling as the creature gave chase to the spectral clone. The group let out a collective breath. Whatever had been skulking around in the bushes, it had taken the bait. “We’d better get out of here. Storm won’t get too far.” Kyle said, looking at Twilight. “So… Ponyville?”

Twilight shook her head to clear it. “Uh… yeah.” she replied nervously. “Yeah, we’d better get out of here.” With that, the four set off to the North.

As they walked, Kyle hung behind the others, occasionally spinning around to check that nothing was following them. Meanwhile, Twilight pulled out the Inkwell, quill, and parchment and gave them to Spike, who hopped up on her back. “Spike, take a letter please.”

Princess Celestia stood atop the tallest tower in the palace. Her horn glowed a bright yellow and her eyes were closed in concentration. Beside her, Princess Luna’s horn was likewise engulfed in a dark blue aura. As they stood atop the tower, the sun slowly set in the west as the moon rose in the east, the stars revealing themselves in the darkness of night.

In unison, the glow surrounding the two sisters’ horns faded and they opened their eyes. Luna let out a long sigh and stretched, her neck popping as she did so. “Did anything interesting happen in court today?” She asked, walking back inside and sipping from a glass of water.

“Not much, sister.” Celestia replied, sounding almost disappointed. “Just more paperwork and bureaucrats trying to jockey for any power they can get. As usual.” Celestia picked up a glass of wine and took a small sip. “There was a report of a bright flash of light from the Everfree forest… again.” She added with a small chuckle. “I might take such reports more seriously if they didn’t come in every other day.”

“Is Senator Wordtwist still trying to convince you to cut it down?”

“I think he’ll keep trying until the day he retires.” Celestia replied, shaking her head and sighing. “No matter how many times I turn his request down, no matter how many times I explain that it’s a historical site, or that wood can be obtained more easily elsewhere...”

Celestia stopped as a green smoke floated in through the open balcony door. It curled in upon itself until a scroll appeared in a small flash of light. Celestia picked it up, recognizing the seal upon the scroll as Twilight Sparkle’s seal. “Let’s see what Equestria’s newest Princess has to report today.” Celestia said with a smile as she opened the scroll.

As she read, her smile quickly disappeared and was replaced with concern, which in turn was replaced by curiosity.  “Well, sister?” Luna asked, pacing back and forth. “What does it say?” Celestia merely levitated the scroll over to Luna, who began to read aloud.

Dear Princess Celestia,

I apologize for sending a letter at this hour, but a matter of some urgency has arisen.

Earlier today, Spike claimed to see a large explosion coming from the Everfree Forest. While I at first believed him to be seeing things, my friend Rainbow Dash told me a similar story. Upon investigating the approximate area where the explosion was reported, we indeed found traces of some force, including charred grass and burn marks.

Most surprising of all, however, was the strange creature not far from the epicenter of the blast. This creature appears to be built similar to a minotaur, but lacks any fur, horns, hooves, or a tail, and is covered in clothing. It was unconscious at first, but woke up not long after we arrived. It introduced itself as Kyle Slater, and claims to be a creature called a ‘human’. He claims to be from a place where ponies cannot talk and have no wings. I believe that the explosion may have had something to do with his arrival.

This ‘human’ claimed to be a part of what he called the ‘Grand Army of the Alliance’. He does not appear aggressive, and we have established communication. He has, however, displayed the ability to perform magic: specifically, the ability to summon a doppelganger. He also seems to have access to some elixir that grants a reprieve from injuries; though clearly suffering from a moderate-to-severe concussion, Kyle was able to stand and walk (on only his hind legs!) with little difficulty after drinking this elixir.

We are currently moving through the forest towards Ponyville. I am taking the human to my friend Fluttershy so that she may determine if he needs further medical attention for his concussion. Your advice on what to do next is most appreciated.

Your Faithful Student

    Twilight Sparkle.

Luna lowered the letter to look over the parchment at her sister. Celestia’s eyes were closed, and hey eyebrows creased in a frown of thought. “Sister…” Luna began, but Celestia held up one hoof, indicating that she wished for silence. Finally, she opened her eyes once more. “I am going to Ponyville.” She said. “I would meet this ‘human’ for myself.”

“I’m going with you.” Luna replied immediately.

Celestia shook her head. “No. I’d like to keep this quiet for now. My guard will believe that I am in my quarters. You, however, have Night Court tonight, and cancelling that will draw suspicion that something is amiss."

Luna sighed, looking down and feeling disappointed. She was curious about this strange creature, and she desired nothing more than to go investigate as well. However, she knew that her sister was right. Keeping this creature’s existence a secret for the time being would be wise, and that meant making sure that both of the Royal Sisters appeared to be where they normally would be. "Alright, Tia. I will remain in the castle."

"Thank you, Luna" Celestia said warmly, nuzzling her sister. "I promise I'll fill you in on all of the details when I return."

As Celestia pulled away, Luna grinned slightly. “Can I at least cancel Night Court? One of those old windbags is almost certainly going to try to tell us that our ponies want him to to be head of state.”

Celestia only chuckled as the pair descended down the stairs.

Chapter 3

“We’re here!” Twilight called out, looking behind her. For a moment, there was no sign of movement from the forest. Finally, the brush rustled and Rainbow Dash emerged, followed a second later by Spike and an exhausted-looking Kyle. The walk had taken longer than anticipated, and the effects of Kyle’s Energizing Brew were quickly fading. He was leaning on the branch he had elected to bring along with him, using it as a walking stick as he spoke to Spike. A red lump had formed where his head had slammed into the tree.

“So… you’re a… a dragon?” Kyle stammered as he stumbled over a tree root. Spike nodded in confirmation. “Where I come from, Dragons look a bit… different.” Kyle continued as he walked towards Twilight. “Even the whelplings have wings, and can at least hover at birth.”

“Alright, that’s enough. Save your energy.” Twilight silenced him. She flicked her tail towards a nearby cottage. It looked almost as if someone had picked up a small hill and deposited it on top of another small hill before hollowing it out and building a house inside of it. As Kyle looked, an owl flew out of a window, giving a loud ‘hoo’ before flying out towards the small town Kyle could see not far away.

“Nice place you got here.” Kyle said tiredly. Not that he cared much what the house looked like on the outside. At the moment, all that mattered was whether it had a spot for him to lay down and sleep.

Twilight chuckled lightly. “It’s not my house.” She replied. “This is where my friend, Fluttershy, lives. She’s kind of a caretaker and doctor for non-pony creatures. And don’t even try to tell me you’re fine.” she added as Kyle opened his mouth. “You could barely stand when we first met you, and you’re barely standing now.”

Not feeling like wasting his energy arguing, Kyle merely nodded and slowly followed Twilight up the path leading to the front door. He leaned against the wall of the structure as Twilight raised a hoof and knocked on the door. From inside, Kyle could hear the sound of hooves against a wooden floor, and a moment later the door opened, flooding the front walk in light.

“Oh, hello Twilight, Spike, Rainbow Dash.” a timid voice came from the doorway, only slightly louder than a whisper. “What are you doing here?”

“Hello Fluttershy.” Twilight said with a smile. “We were hoping you could help us out with something. We found an unusual creature called a human, and we were hoping you could take a look at him. He’s hit his head pretty hard.”

“Oh my, of course I’ll help the poor thing.” The voice said. From the doorway emerged another pony. This one had wings as well, with a butter-yellow coat and pink mane and tail. She looked between Rainbow and Twilight. “Where is he?”

Rainbow Dash nodded towards Kyle, and Fluttershy turned, seeing him for the first time. “Eeep!” she squeaked, taking several steps backward. Kyle tried to give a reassuring smile, feeling guilty that he had somehow startled her. Instead, It came out as a pained grimace. His hand slipped off of the wall and he tried to stand on his own. However, his Energizing Brew had worn off, and he lost his balance and fell to one knee.

Kyle began to fumble with the pouch around his belt, but a hoof stopped him. He looked up to see Rainbow. “I know that… stuff… seems to help you.” She said, shuddering as she remembered the foul stench. “But it doesn’t seem to last very long. Hiding your problem behind that stuff is just gonna make it that much harder to deal with it later.” Kyle merely sighed and grasped the branch with both hands, pushing himself to his feet again. He took a step forward, relying heavily on the branch to help him keep his balance.

CRACK! With a jolt, Kyle found himself sprawled in front of the doorway. The branch had finally given out under his weight. Within seconds, Fluttershy was next to him, nosing at him. “Oh my goodness, what happened to you?” she asked, concern flooding her voice. Kyle merely pointed at his head, the red welt showing up clearly.

Twilight walked over to Kyle, who was pushing himself to his knees again. He wobbled slightly as he looked at her. “I could pick you up and put you on the couch.” she offered, her horn glowing with that same purple aura. Kyle hesitated for a moment, uncertain whether or not to take her up on the offer.

“Alright.” he finally said, his fatigue winning over his caution. With a nod, Kyle was encircled by the same purple aura. A feeling of weightlessness washed over him as he floated in the air and into the cottage.

The first thing Kyle noticed as he floated into the room was the number of animals, most of whom were asleep or preparing for sleep. There were numerous birds in bird houses, rabbits, squirrels, a couple of deer and… no. No way. That could not have been a bear walking up the stairs.

Twilight carefully lowered Kyle onto the couch. As his head touched the soft material, Kyle felt waves of sleepiness washing over him. However, he was to be denied for a while longer. Fluttershy walked into the cottage behind Twilight, followed by Spike. Rainbow Dash, however, remained outside. “Sorry guys, but I gotta split.” she announced. “Tomorrow’s rain shower isn’t gonna start itself.” With a flap of her wings, she took off, flying towards the town.

Kyle raised an eyebrow, raising his head to look at the two remaining ponies. “What did she mean… start itself?” He asked.

Fluttershy and Twilight exchanged looks. “Well, somepony has to move the clouds into position and start the rain.” Twilight said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

“So you mean to tell me…” Kyle began, but was forced to stop to stifle a yawn. “... You mean to tell me that you ponies… control the weather?”

Twilight gave Kyle an odd look. “...Yeah. Don’t they do that where you come from?”

Kyle shook his head. “No. Some of our more talented mages can cause a localized Blizzard, and Shaman can call down some Healing Rain, but those are over small areas… probably 5 yards in diameter at most. Even that requires extensive practice and a lot of natural magical ability. We could never control weather on a large scale. It just… works on its own.”

Twilight paused for a moment, looking down. Fluttershy took the opportunity to move towards Kyle. He glanced over at her and she stopped, uncertainty in her eyes. He gave a weak smile and nodded, and Fluttershy walked over to him, examining his arms for injuries. Kyle’s eyes began to close, hoping that he would finally be allowed to drift off.

Twilight began to speak again, crushing that hope. “So where you come from, the weather acts like it does in the Everfree…” she murmured, more to herself than to Kyle. She then looked back up. “Well here in Equestria, every town and city has its own dedicated team that controls the local weather. Rainbow Dash is one of the managers for the Ponyville weather team.”

Kyle nodded sleepily. “So… this place is called ‘Equestria’?” he asked. Twilight nodded in reply. “Alright... can all ponies fly?”

Twilight looked confused for a second, but soon realized what Kyle meant. Since he had arrived, Kyle had only seen three ponies, and all of them had wings. “No.” she explained. “There are three types of ponies. Pegasi have wings and can fly, Unicorns have horns on their heads and can use magic, and Earth ponies have neither wings nor horns, but are generally have greater physical strength and connections with the earth.”

“What about you? You have both wings and a horn.” Kyle asked, propping himself up on one elbow as Fluttershy began to check his legs for injuries. He was still sleepy, but curiosity drove him to figure out more about this strange new land. Clearly he was no longer on Azeroth, but some new, uncharted world.

“Oh, right.” Twilight paused for a moment before continuing. “I’m what we call an Alicorn, a pony with both wings and a horn. We can fly and use magic, and share the Earth Ponies’ connection with the earth.”

“Sounds like you get a pretty sweet deal.” Kyle responded with a chuckle.

“I guess.” Twilight replied modestly.

Before the conversation could continue, Fluttershy moved over to speak to Kyle. “Alright, mister human. You’ve got a few cuts and bruises but nothing too serious. Now let’s check out that head of yours.” She motioned for Twilight to come over, and whispered something in her ear. Twilight nodded, and her horn glowed. “We’re going to check your eyes and make sure they’re responding normally.” Fluttershy explained. “If… if that’s okay with you.”

“Go ahead.” Kyle responded. Twilight stood off to the side, and a thin beam of light shot from her horn, similar to the way sunlight would break through openings in clouds. She directed the beam into Kyle’s right eye and held it there for a moment before moving to his left eye. Kyle tensed up against the pain as the light aggravated his headache once more.

“Well, your eyes seem to be responding normally.” Fluttershy said with a soft smile. She noticed Kyle’s grimace, and her smile vanished into a look of concern. “Oh no, did I hurt you?” she asked

“Just a headache.” Kyle explained. “It came back when the light hit my eyes.”

Fluttershy looked back at Twilight, who nodded. “Well, you have a concussion.” She began slowly. Kyle nodded slightly - that much he had already worked out on his own. “Your eyes are working fine and you don’t seem to have any cognitive difficulty, so it’s probably not too severe. Still, you should rest for at least a couple of days, and see how you feel then.” Before Kyle could reply, a knock from the door resonated through the room. Twilight walked over to the door and opened it.

On the other side stood a massive pony, easily a head and a half taller than Twilight, and about the same size as one of the horses back on Azeroth. Her horn and wings identified her as another Alicorn. Her coat was as white as pure snow, and her mane and tail shone with multiple shades of blue and purple, flowing in a non-existent breeze.

Fluttershy and Twilight quickly dropped onto their front knees. “Princess Celestia!” Twilight exclaimed.

Princess Celestia smiled warmly. “How many times must I say that you need not address me so formally now?” she said softly, her voice expressing kindness and wisdom. Just the sound of it made Kyle feel more at ease. “We are equals now.”

Twilight quickly rose from the ground, looking embarrassed. Fluttershy rose as well, staring at Celestia with wide eyes. “Uh… He-hello Princess Ce-celestia.” She stammered. “Wh-what brings you h-here?”

“Twilight here sent me a letter not long ago.” Celestia explained. “She told me about a very unusual discovery that she had made. A strange creature, never seen before. She told me that she would be bringing this ‘human’ to you so that you could tend to its injuries.”

“I’m over here.” Kyle said, raising his right hand and waving. With his other hand he pushed himself upright into a sitting position. Celestia turned her head to look directly at him. Kyle suddenly felt incredibly vulnerable. It was as though Celestia was staring beyond his mortal body, staring directly into his soul.

Celestia walked over to Kyle. “Greetings, Kyle Slater.” She began, speaking very formally. “I am Celestia, Princess of Equestria. I hope you are finding this land to your liking.”

“I… uh… I haven’t had much of a chance to look around.” Kyle replied awkwardly. He had never been one for speaking to royalty, preferring to leave it to those who knew how not to embarrass themselves. “But what I’ve seen so far has been… nice.”

Celestia looked Kyle over for a moment, and Kyle felt a trickle of sweat run down the back of his neck. What if she said he couldn’t stay? He was in no condition to be wandering around in the wilderness; he couldn’t even stand on his own without falling on his face.

Finally, Celestia looked back into Kyle’s eyes. “May I see your teeth?” she asked suddenly. Kyle was confused, but nodded and displayed his teeth for the Princess.

Celestia took a sharp breath and stepped backwards. “Carnivore.” she stated, her wings flaring out defensively. Twilight and Fluttershy both gasped and backed away, fear clear in their eyes.

Kyle began to panic, realizing what had happened. She had seen his incisors, which were present only in creatures that consumed meat. Ponies were obviously herbivores. Celestia was afraid that Kyle would see her citizens as food!

“Woah woah!” He exclaimed, holding up his hands in the air. “Calm down, I’m not going to hurt you! Let me explain.” Celestia looked at him warily, but folded her wings up once more.

“Very well, Kyle Slater. You may explain yourself.”

Kyle sighed in relief. “First of all, I’m not a carnivore.” he explained. “I’m an omnivore. True, we humans can eat meat, but we also eat plants.” To prove his point, he opened his mouth and used a finger to expose the molars in the back of his mouth. “Secondly, I’m not going to eat you. We have horses and ponies back in Azeroth, but they are not food. We humans have developed a symbiotic relationship with them - We protect them from other predators, and they help us transport ourselves and our goods.”

“So ponies are beasts of burden to you?” Celestia demanded.

“No! Well, yes… but… again, let me explain.” Kyle stammered, cursing himself. “Ponies in Azeroth are not intelligent like we are. You and I have the capacity for higher thought - language, architecture, and so on. Ponies on Azeroth do not. Which brings me to my next point.” Kyle took a breath before continuing. “We Humans are not the only intelligent life on Azeroth. There are others… Elves, Dwarves, Gnomes… Many more. We live alongside many of them as allies As such, eating any other intelligent creature is highly taboo. I couldn’t do it. I promise you, you ponies are not the type of creatures we eat.”

Celestia glared at Kyle, and he notice that her horn was glowing with a golden aura. He closed his eyes and braced himself for the end.

It never came.

Kyle dared to open one eye and saw that Celestia had closed hers. After a few long moments, Celestia’s horn stopped glowing and she opened her eyes once more, her expression much softer than before. “Very well, Kyle Slater.” she stated, the harshness gone from her voice. “I can sense no dishonesty in your words. I will hold you to your word that you do not intend to harm my ponies.” Kyle nodded vigorously, wincing again as the movement reminded him of his headache.

“However,” Celestia continued, “I am afraid that meat is very difficult to come by in Equestria. You may have already guessed, but we ponies do not consume meat. To obtain it, one would have to travel across the seas to the Griffonian Empire. Would a lack of meat be a problem for a Human?”

Kyle closed his eyes. Loath though he was to part with eating meat, he realize that he had narrowly dodged a bullet on the whole carnivore situation. Pressing his luck would not be wise. “Humans can survive without meat.” he explained. “The lost nutrients can be replaced by eating beans, nuts, and… do you ponies eat eggs?” he asked. Celestia nodded. “And eggs as well.” he finished.

“And are there any foods that we may eat that Humans cannot?”

Again, Kyle closed his eyes, trying to recall anything a horse might eat that could harm him. “Well… the only thing I can think of is hay and other grasses.” he finally replied. “We can technically consume them, but we can’t digest them properly. No nutritional value.”

Celestia nodded turned to Twilight and Fluttershy, who were looking relieved now that Celestia had declared Kyle not a threat. “Twilight Sparkle, I would like a report within the next two days about anything you can learn about Kyle Slater, these humans, and this… Azeroth.” she said, to which Twilight bowed. “Miss Fluttershy, I would like you to continue to care for him until he has made a full recovery, at which point we will decide what to do.” Fluttershy nodded, looking very nervous. “I would like to keep this incident a secret until then. The other element-bearers may know of this, but nopony else.”

Celestia then turned back to Kyle. “As for you, Kyle Slater…” she began. Kyle instinctively flinched back. This pony had an indomitable presence; he doubted even Garrosh could stand strong against her.

“Welcome to Equestria.”

With that, the Princess walked over to the door and stepped outside, closing the door behind her. The soft rustling of wings could be heard as the Princess took off, flying away into the night.

Kyle let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. Twilight, meanwhile, approached him once more, more cautious than before. “So… do you really… eat meat?” she asked apprehensively.

Kyle nodded. “Normally yes, though I suppose I’ll be living without for now.” he replied. There was a long, somewhat awkward silence. “Say… where did Spike go?” he asked, looking around. He hadn’t seen the dragon since he had entered the house.

Twilight looked around a bit, concern covering her face for a moment. However, it was quickly replaced with a warm smile. Spike had curled up on a pile of towels in the corner of the room and fallen asleep, presumably before Princess Celestia arrived. “We’d better get home.” Twilight said, levitating the sleeping dragon softly onto her back. “He’s had a big day, and he’s still just a baby dragon after all.”

As she walked over to the door, Twilight turned around again. “I’m going to bring a couple of my closest friends over tomorrow and introduce you to them.” She said to Kyle. “You’d probably better get some rest. Good night.” She stepped out into the cool evening and closed the door behind her.

As soon as Twilight left, Fluttershy got to work. Within a minute, Kyle had a pillow behind his head, a warm blanket draped over him, and a glass of water on the table. “If you need anything, you just call for me and I’ll get it.” she said, smiling. A tinge of nervousness was still there, but not nearly as bad as before. Apparently, Celestia’s trust (wary though it was) was enough to calm her down.

“Thanks, Fluttershy.” Kyle said sleepily, taking a sip from the water before laying his head down. Seconds later, he was out cold, lost to the sweet bliss of sleep.

Chapter 4

Celestia could see a crowd of ponies exiting the palace as she flew above Canterlot. The trip to Ponyville and her encounter with the Human had taken more time than she had expected, and Night Court had apparently just let out. I’ll have to raise the sun before I can talk to Luna. She thought to herself, groaning at the prospect of her daily duties. And then I’ll have to deal with Day Court… No. This is too important to postpone. Court can wait another day.

Celestia circled the palace and entered through the balcony to her quarters. She walked over to the mirror and examined herself. She looked tired, for sure, and a few hairs in her normally flawless mane were sticking out. Despite the fact that she was an immortal Alicorn, even she had to deal with mortal needs such as sleep. Celestia ran a brush through her mane until the offending hairs were flowing once more, and emerged from her room.

The two guards stationed outside her room bowed as the doors opened. As they rose from their bow, the one on the right looked up. “Are you feeling well, your highness?” he asked. He had apparently noticed how tired Celestia was.

“Nothing to be concerned about, Steady Shield.” Celestia replied. “However, I would ask that you deliver a message to the guards outside the Throne Room. Day Court is to be cancelled today.” Steady Shield nodded, only letting his confusion show for a split second before extending his wings and flying through the corridors.

Celestia sighed and set off. Cancelling court was quite rare for the princesses, particularly Celestia. Ponies would be upset that their proposals and queries were delayed, and would question what was going on that caused the cancellation. She’d have to think of some excuse. But that was future Celestia’s problem.

Celestia walked through the corridors of the palace, making her way to the tallest tower. Eventually, she reached a winding spiral staircase and began to ascend. As she reached the top, Celestia found that Luna was already present, waiting for her. With a nod, Celestia and Luna closed their eyes. In unison, their horns lit up. Slowly, the crescent moon descended in the west, and the sky in the east was filled with a beautiful amber glow. The sun began to rise over the horizon, hiding the stars once more behind it’s brilliant glow.

Finally, the two princesses opened their eyes and let their magic fade. Without a word, the two retraced their steps back down the tower. Celestia nudged her sister and motioned for her to follow. As they arrived at Celestia’s room, Celestia turned to her guards once more. “Nopony is to enter until Princess Luna emerges.” she ordered. The guards saluted crisply, and Luna followed her sister into the room. Celestia climbed onto her bed and closed her eyes, sighing.

The bed shifted slightly, and a weight flopped down next to Celestia. She opened her eyes and looked over to see Luna, looking at her expectantly. Celestia smiled softly and sighed once more. “How was Night Court, little sister?”

“Senator Wordtwist brought forth his Everfree Deforestation Proposal to me.” Luna replied, her voice icy. “He took up two hours with his rambling. Two hours! And from what I can tell, it was exactly the same as the proposal he laid before you yesterday morning. Several other proposals had to be cancelled because of his long-windedness.”

“And what did you say?”

“Well, it’s the fourth time in the past three Court days that he’s brought it up. So I dismissed it, and banned him from bringing it up again in either Court unless he can provide significant evidence based in specific facts, rather than the vague generalizations he seems to rely on.”

Celestia chuckled. “Well, you’ve likely made an enemy this evening.” She said warmly. “But not a very powerful one. I thank you, Luna. Though a bit rash, your decision this evening has likely saved us quite a bit of headache in the long run.”

“Indeed, but enough about Court.” Luna said in a dismissive tone. “I believe you owe me a story, Tia.”

“Indeed I do, Lulu. Indeed I do...” Celestia closed her eyes once more, her brows furrowed in thought.

“Where to begin…”

Kyle slowly returned to consciousness, sunlight falling directly on his face. He sat up, rubbing his eyes and yawning. Man, what a dream. He thought to himself. Gotta stop hitting that Darkmoon Special Reserve before bed. He slowly cracked his eyes open, allowing them to adjust to the light. Kyle froze up as he realized where he was.

Kyle wasn’t in the tent he normally slept in. Instead, he was on a couch in a small house, with a blanket draped over him. He instantly recognized the place from what he had assumed to be his dream. So… it’s not a dream… He slowly realized. I’m actually stranded here… with no way back…

Matthias! Kyle’s mind flashed back to what had happened just before he had charged through the portal. A gunshot. His brother, falling down the ramp leading up to the Dark Portal, blood flowing freely from his shoulder and chest. For a long moment, Kyle just sat there, fighting back the tears.

“He’s dead…” Kyle’s voice was barely a whisper. “Two bullets and a fall like that… And I can’t even go back to help…” Fear washed over him like a tidal wave, threatening to drown him. I have no idea where I am, no idea what to do, and no way back home. Panic flooded through Kyle’s mind, and he nearly screamed.

Suddenly, Kyle froze once more. The words of his instructor flowed through his mind. Fear. It is among the most insidious of the Sha. The old Pandaren voice said, gentle and reassuring amidst the turmoil in his heart. From it, the seeds of Anger and Despair, of Violence and Hatred are born. Do not let it take hold of your heart. Let go of your Fear, and find Courage.

But.. Kyle had said that day. But… I’ll never be as brave as you. You don’t seem to be afraid of anything.

Ah, my young apprentice. You, like so many others, confuse courage with bravery. A brave Pandaren will run into a burning building to save a young cub with no thought for his own safety. A courageous Pandaren will realize that he is placing himself in terrible danger, and run into the burning building anyway. I have my fears, young one, but I do not let them stop me. True courage is not moving on without your fear, but moving on despite your fear.

Kyle closed his eyes once more and began to turn his mind inwards as he had so many times before, focusing on the few facts he had to hold onto. These creatures, these Ponies that had found him, they appeared to be friendly enough. They trusted him enough to let him stay. And if he had been able to enter this world, then surely there had to be a way out. Matthias is tough. Kyle thought to himself. He once took an axe to his chest and was on his feet again in three weeks. After a few minutes, Kyle got his breathing back under control and managed to relax himself Feeling more at peace, Kyle took the blanket off of himself and stood up. He wobbled slightly, a testament to his concussion, but managed to remain on his feet. The night’s rest had done him a world of good, as he was able to walk around with little difficulty.

Kyle heard a noise behind him and turned around. The yellow Pegasus - Fluttershy, he reminded himself - was walking down the stairs, but froze as she saw Kyle. “Oh, um, good morning.” she said quietly. “Are you feeling any better?”

“Much.” Kyle replied. “Thanks for letting me stay overnight. I owe you one.”

“Oh, it was no trouble.” Fluttershy replied. “Are you hungry? I was about to fix some lunch.”

“Lunch?”

“Oh, yes. You slept in pretty late. I wanted to wake you up for breakfast, but I wasn’t sure if you were feeling better.”

Kyle walked over to the window and looked outside. Sure enough, the sun was close to its apex in the sky. In the short time he had been awake, the sky had become overcast. Even as he watched, a Pegasus pushed a cloud into position to fill a gap in the cloud cover, hiding the sun. “Well I didn’t mean to sleep so late.” He said sheepishly. “Lunch sounds nice.”

“Alright, I’ll get started. Would you like to step outside for some fresh air?”

“Sure.” Kyle replied. Fluttershy walked over towards the kitchen, and Kyle headed to the back door and stepped outside.

As Kyle looked around, he quickly noticed that he was surrounded by animals. Rabbits, squirrels, deer, birds, chickens, and… Yep. That was definitely a bear, staring at him with wide eyes. Kyle suddenly felt very uncomfortable as every head turned to stare at him.

A few seconds passed, and nothing moved. Then, a white rabbit shook his head as if to clear it. It stepped forward and… glared at Kyle? Kyle hastily choked back a laugh as the rabbit attempted to be intimidating, but instead wound up merely looking grumpy due to its size.

The rabbit was clearly unamused by Kyle’s reaction to its glare. It thumped its foot against the ground and picked up the carrot it had been about to eat. Without a second’s hesitation, the rabbit threw it at Kyle. Kyle merely raised an eyebrow and snatched the carrot out of the air. The rabbit looked dumbstruck as Kyle smirked and took a bite.

That seemed to really irritate the rabbit. It reached over and grabbed an apple from one of the deer, which bleated in unhappiness. Again, the rabbit threw the apple at Kyle. Kyle frowned as the red projectile flew towards him. Deciding to try to end the rabbit’s aggressiveness with his own display of force, he jabbed forward with his right hand

Several birds took to the air and chirped in alarm as the fruit exploded in a shower of pulp and juice. The rabbit was once again shocked, but this time along with irritation and anger there was a decent amount of fear mixed into his expression. Kyle, having made his point, dropped the carrot and turned to head back inside

“Angel Bunny, that was not very nice!” Fluttershy called out sternly, causing Kyle to jump backwards in surprise. The yellow pegasus advanced on the rabbit, who stood defiantly before the much larger caretaker. “This Human is our guest, and that is not how we treat guests. Say you’re sorry.”

The rabbit folded its arms up and shook its head.

“If you don’t say sorry, you won’t get any dessert tonight.”

The rabbit let out a raspberry towards Fluttershy.

Kyle watched with fascination as Fluttershy towered over Angel Bunny. Her eyes opened wide in a ferocious glare, and the rabbit froze up, petrified in fear. Kyle suddenly felt as though he had been dumped into the middle of a lake in Icecrown, and began shivering. What sorcery is this?! He wondered, slowly backing up. He wasn’t even the main target of this, and he was shaking in his boots.

Angel Bunny, meanwhile, was trembling even more violently. Slowly, the rabbit backed away and approached Kyle, hanging its head and trembling. It managed to squeak out something in a clearly apologetic tone. Kyle bent down and picked up the half-eaten carrot before handing it to the rabbit. The rabbit grabbed it and held it close, trying to calm itself. Kyle reached down and scratched it behind the ears for a moment before standing back up. Fluttershy had already gone back inside, and Kyle followed.

Fluttershy was sitting at the table with a pair of plates. One contained a hay sandwich, while the other had a pile of peanuts and an apple. The two ate in silence. Kyle wanted to bring up what had happened, but something prevented him from doing so. Finally, Fluttershy broke the silence. “I’m sorry about Angel Bunny. He can be kind of cranky around new creatures.”

It’s… it’s fine.” Kyle stammered. “But… what exactly did you do to him? I was only watching and I felt like I had been dunked in a tub of ice water.”

“Oh, did you get hit by it too? Oh I’m so sorry!” Fluttershy exclaimed, looking ashamed. “I didn’t mean to hurt you, I just -”

Kyle held up a hand to stop her. “I’m fine.” he said calmly. “But what happened?”

“It’s… it’s one of my talents.” Fluttershy said meekly, her ears drooping. “Other ponies call it ‘The Stare’. If an animal acts badly, I can use The Stare to make them behave.”

“Fascinating… A Mind Control for animals.” Kyle murmured. “How does it work?”

“I don’t know.” Fluttershy admitted. “It just kind of… happens. I don’t really control when or where.”

“I see…” Kyle said quietly, taking another bite from his apple. The rest of the lunch was passed in silence. As Kyle finished, he picked up his plate and moved it over to the sink, looking for a bucket of water to clean with. When he found none, he muttered under his breath and snapped his fingers. A ball of mist coalesced in front of him, and he condensed it tighter than normal before dropping it onto the plate. He cleaned the now-wet plate and dried it before putting it away.

“Well that was… um… interesting.” Fluttershy commented. “But, um, you could have just used the faucet.”

“The what now?”

Fluttershy walked over to the sink and pulled upwards on a lever. Water began flowing freely from a pipe. Kyle watched in fascination as Fluttershy cleaned her own plate and put it away before shutting off the lever. “So… you just pull up on that lever… and water comes out?” He asked incredulously.

“Yes… Do they not have that where you come from?”

Kyle shook his head. While he had seen vaguely similar designs in Gnomish engineering, nothing like this had been introduced to the common man in Azeroth. “Incredible… I wonder what else I’ll learn about while I’m here…”

“Oh, yes. That reminds me.” Fluttershy said suddenly. “Twilight came by earlier to check on you, but you were still asleep. She left this behind in case you wanted to read it.” Fluttershy walked over to the other side of the counter and picked up a book before giving it to Kyle

“A visitor’s guide to Equestria.” he read. “For all of your questions regarding the homeland of Ponies.” The volume was quite thick. While Kyle had never considered books to be an interest of his, he was eager to read this one. Fluttershy smiled as he settled himself on the couch once more and began to read.

After what felt like minutes, but in reality had been over half an hour, the animals began to make their way into the house. The last few had wet fur, and sure enough, as Kyle looked out the window, he could see a steady stream of rain coming from the sky. Perfect day to… not be outside. He thought to himself, looking around at the animals.

Most of the smaller animals seemed to be avoiding Kyle like the Plague. Maybe it was the meat-eater inside him that they could sense, or maybe it was the way he had been able to brush off Angel Bunny’s attack earlier, but the rabbits, birds, and squirrels all maintained a healthy distance, while the deer trotted upstairs.

In fact, only the bear seemed at all comfortable with Kyle around. It walked over and sat down next to the couch. Kyle looked over at it nervously, and the bear returned the look, speaking in a guttural moan. Though he couldn’t understand the bear, the tone was clearly passive. Kyle reached over and scratched the bear behind the ears. The bear’s eyes half-closed and its tongue stuck out of its mouth in a very comical display of pleasure as Kyle returned to his book.

As the day passed, Fluttershy trotted about the house, tending to the various creatures. From what Kyle could tell, most of them seemed to have some type of injury or illness that Fluttershy was tending to. As time went on, a few of the animals began to investigate Kyle more closely. Kyle was careful not to startle them as they sniffed and occasionally pawed at him. One robin actually worked up the courage to land on his left shoulder for a few seconds before quickly flying back to its birdhouse.

A knock on the door drew Kyle’s attention away from the book. He had only made it part way through the third chapter with all the activity going on around him. Fluttershy trotted over to the door and opened. “Oh, hello girls. Please, come in, get out of the rain.” She said quickly, standing aside. A second later, Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash entered, followed by three other ponies Kyle didn’t know. One was an orange Earth Pony with a country blonde mane and tail and a cowboy hat on her head. One was a bright pink Earth Pony with a curly, darker pink mane and tail. The last one was a white Unicorn with a highly-stylized, violet mane and tail.

What’s that on their flanks? Kyle thought to himself as he observed the three new ponies. Each one of them had some sort of symbol on their flanks. The pink one had a trio of balloons, the orange one had a trio of apples, and the white one had a trio of diamonds. Upon closer inspection, Kyle realized that Fluttershy also had a similar symbol, showing a trio of butterflies. Indeed, it appeared they all had these tattoos, which Kyle had neglected to observe before. Rainbow Dash had a rainbow-colored lightning bolt, while Twilight seemed to have a star surrounded by 5 other, smaller stars.

“Girls, I’d like you to meet Kyle.” Twilight said, flicking her tail towards the human. Kyle waved and smiled.  “Kyle, you’ve already met Rainbow Dash. This is Applejack” - the orange pony - “Rarity” - The white one - “And Pinkie Pie.” - the Pink one. Shock.

“Hello ladies.” Kyle said, standing up and stretching after having been sitting down for the past few hours. He watched as Fluttershy walked out of the house, shutting the door behind her. He was about to inquire about it when one of the newcomers spoke up.

“Well now, yer a tall one.” Applejack exclaimed, nearly drawing a laugh from Kyle as he remembered some of the Gnomes on Azeroth saying almost the exact same thing. Applejack then turned to Twilight. “You sure he’s a predator? Ah mean, he’s tall n’ all, but he don’t look all that strong ‘r durable. Reckon I could beat ‘im in a hoof-wrastlin’ contest.”

Kyle coughed, drawing Applejack’s attention once more. “Don’t think that we’re just muscle.” He said, trying to make a point without sounding intimidating or threatening. “A Human’s greatest asset isn’t his brawn, but his brain. We don’t necessarily overpower our p… our opponents - we out-smart them.” he finished, deliberately avoiding the term ‘prey’.

Applejack opened her mouth to speak, but Rainbow Dash spoke first. “Hang on… where’d Pinkie go?” She asked. Doing a quick head count, Kyle found that Pinkie Pie had indeed vanished.

“WOO HOO!” A voice yelled right next to Kyle’s ear, making him jump forward and land in a fighting stance. Pinkie was right behind where he had been. Somehow, she had managed to get a decent-sized cart into the house. As Kyle watched, she hit a button on the side of the cart. the top flipped open and revealed a conglomeration of flags, horns, pipes, and what appeared to be an oven. Music began blaring out of the horns, and the pony began singing and dancing around the room.

“Welcome Welcome Welcome!

A fine welcome to you!

Welcome Welcome Welcome!

I say, ‘how do you do?’”

Welcome Welcome Welcome!

I say hip hip hooray!

Welcome Welcome Welcome!

to Ponyville todayyyyyyy!”

As Pinkie Pie finished her song, the entire room was quiet enough to hear a pin drop.

“Wait for it…”

The door of the oven opened suddenly, and a cake was flung forth onto the coffee table. From the pipes, a shower of confetti erupted. “Yes! I got it right!” Pinkie exclaimed happily, bouncing on her rear hooves and clapping her front ones together excitedly.

“...Got what right, exactly?” Kyle asked, still trying to process what had just happened.

“Last time she used her Welcome Machine, she put the cake and confetti in the wrong places.” Twilight explained, sounding as though this was a regular occurrence. “Uncooked cake batter everywhere, and confetti blasted into somepony’s face.”

“Okay then…” Kyle began, but he was quickly cut off by a Pink head right in his face, which began to speak very quickly..

“Hi, my name is Pinkie Pie. Were you surprised? Were you were you were you? Of course you were, you jumped forward and were all like *Gasp*. Anyway, Welcome to Ponyville! Oh, I’ll have to get a ‘Welcome to Ponyville’ party together super-duper quick! I’ll need balloons and streamers and confetti and cake and more streamers and-” Pinkie Pie was suddenly cut off when a white hoof was shoved in her mouth.

“I’m terribly sorry about her.” Rarity said, her voice sounding almost Gilnean. She pushed the pink pony aside, where Twilight began to talk to her with a serious expression her face. “Rarity, at your service.” the white unicorn continued, bowing.

Kyle returned the gesture. “Kyle Slater.” He replied.

Rarity rose from her bow and looked Kyle over, tsking all the while. “Oh dear, whatever happened to your clothes?” She asked.

Kyle looked down at his padded leather tunic and greaves, which rested atop a simple pair of black pants. He also wore a pair of burnt-leather boots, and had steel-studded leather vambraces around his wrists. While a bit disheveled, and flecked here and there with dried blood from the day before, they looked relatively normal. “What do you mean?” He asked.

“Why, that hideous outfit… What in Equestria drove you to wear something like that?”

Kyle paused for a moment before chuckling. “I don’t exactly wear this stuff because it looks good. I couldn’t really care less about how it looks” he replied, earning a scoff from Rarity. “I wear it because my line of work demands it.”

“Which reminds me.” Rainbow Dash suddenly butted in. “I meant to ask this last night, but… What exactly do you do where you come from? I’m not as big into fashion as Rarity here -”

“Or at all.” Rarity interjected.

“-But even I can tell you that that getup is ugly. What could you possibly do that requires you to look like a tanning rack?” By this point, Twilight and Pinkie had finished their discussion, and Twilight was now listening intently. Pinkie, meanwhile, was furiously writing on a long scroll of parchment, the pencil clutched between her teeth and lips.

Kyle sighed. “I can’t exactly tell you that.” He said slowly. “It’s… a bit much for me to discuss right now. Just know that I need it for my work. Which I doubt I’ll be doing here.” he added quickly, praying that he was correct.

“Well, whatever your occupation, you’ll need something a bit more sightly than… that.” Rarity said, eyeing Kyle’s tunic with a look of disdain. “Come by my shop at some point. I’ll take your measurements and fashion you a new set of clothing.”

“Well that’s very kind of you, miss Rarity.” Kyle said, figuring that Rarity must be some kind of tailor. “But I’m afraid I’ve no money to pay you.” Indeed, Kyle had left his coin pouch back at the camp.

“Think nothing of it.” Rarity said dismissively. “I’d be happy to do it for free. The prospect of creating a set of clothes for a brand new creature… Just the thought of it makes me excited!”

Kyle paused for a moment before smiling. “Well… Thank you.” He said finally. Hell of a lot more generous than the tailors back on Azeroth. He thought to himself, remembering paying over 20 gold bits for a bag that he knew could not have cost more than 5 gold bits and 10 minutes to create.

The group conversed for a while longer, discussing a few of the differences Kyle had noticed between the two worlds so far. Everyone laughed as he recalled the faucet incident. Kyle also learned about what each of the ponies did for work. Applejack was an apple farmer - shock - Rarity was a designer, Pinkie Pie worked at some bakery called Sugarcube Corner, Rainbow Dash was a manager for the Ponyville Weather Team, and Twilight was…

“A Princess?” Kyle asked, raising an eyebrow. Sure, Twilight had seemed important, but she seemed a bit… naive… to be a Princess. “I guess that explains why Princess Celestia called you two equals.”

“Hardly.” Twilight scoffed. “I’ve only been a Princess for a couple of months, but she’s been ruling Equestria for over a thousand years.” Kyle nodded. That would explain her seeming lack of experience.

Applejack let out a mighty yawn, earning a glare from Rarity. “Sorry ya’ll, but I gotta get goin’.” She said, moving towards the door. “Gotta get some rest fer tomorrow.”

“I apologize, but I must be off as well.” Rarity agreed. “I promised Sweetie Belle I’d help her with her homework tonight, and I have an important order to finish as well. It was lovely meeting you, Mr. Kyle.’ she finished, backing out of the door with a small bow.

Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie made their farewells shortly after, leaving Kyle and Twilight alone. Fluttershy was still off doing Light knows what. As the door closed once more, Twilight turned to Kyle. “Alright, Kyle.” She said sternly, causing Kyle to hold a small breath.

Great, what did I do this time? He growled mentally.

“You said you didn’t want to talk about your line of work.” Twilight continued. “But one of the questions Celestia explicitly asked me to find out was what your occupation in your home world was. We need to know.”

Kyle closed his eyes, releasing his breath. While not as bad as some of the worst-case scenarios that had flicked through his mind, it was still a subject that he wasn’t sure the peaceful-looking ponies were ready to deal with. “It’s not exactly pleasant.” He finally said, vainly trying to deter Twilight’s curiosity.

“Oh come on.” Twilight scoffed. “What’s the worst that it could be?”

Now Kyle got angry. She was treating this like a small deal, as if he were a farmer or something. She lived such a sheltered life, and here he was, putting his life on the line everyday… and she treated his reluctance to talk about it like an inconvenience to her? He was prepared to say something harsh, something he would later regret, but a small voice warned against it. Instead, he closed his eyes and meditated for a moment, shoving his anger aside.

“Fine. I’m a soldier. A fighter.” Twilight’s eyes went wide in shock as Kyle continued. “I told you that this stuff was a requirement for my job. It’s armor. Armor designed to protect me from those who are trying to kill me…. And whom I am trying to kill.”

For a long moment, Twilight was silent, and Kyle became nervous. Now she knew that he was dangerous, perfectly capable of killing another creature, and in fact did it for a living. And he had just admitted it to a Princess. Finally, she spoke back up. “Well I guess that explains the Army you mentioned last night. But… why?” she asked. “Why did you choose to be a… a soldier?”

“So that others do not have to.” Kyle replied..

“What do you mean?”

“My world - Azeroth - is a dangerous place.” Kyle explained, choosing his words carefully. “In the past ten years, we’ve dealt with over a dozen situations of apocalyptic proportions. It seems every other month we get some new threat rearing it’s head, trying to destroy everything we love. That’s where men like me come in.” he added, beginning to feel that surge of pride for his position once more. Though reluctant to speak of it to peaceful folks, Kyle was indeed proud of what he did. “We stand between these monsters and their victims. I fight and kill - and one day, perhaps die - so that others do not have to deal with these burdens.”

Twilight slowly nodded. "So... You fight to protect others from what you have to do." She said slowly. Kyle nodded in confirmation. "Well, that explains the leather armor. But I'm curious... You seem to be familiar with metal.” She glanced at Kyle’s vambraces and the steel studs embedded within them..” I'm assuming you have knives and such that can be used to... uh… Hurt each other."

Kyle nodded. "Among other things" he said quietly, thinking about all the different weapons that had been utilized in Azeroth. Glaives, guns, swords, axes, warhammers...

"Right. Well, my question is... Why leather armor? It doesn't seem to me that it would provide much defense against a knife. Wouldn't a suit of metal provide more defense?"

"You're partially correct." Kyle explained. "Metal does indeed provide more protection, but I use leather for a few reasons. First, it's a whole lot more comfortable in the desert sun. Second, while it does provide more protection against physical attacks, it does nothing against magic. You'd have to dodge those kinds of attacks. Finally, my style of fighting requires a lot of agility. I’m no warrior. Plate armor just gets in my way.”

“So you’re a soldier, but not a warrior?” Twilight asked. “I… don’t quite follow.”

“Warriors are a special group of soldiers.” Kyle explained. “They wear heavy metal armor and use either a sword - that’s a long knife - and shield; a single, large weapon; or two weapons, one in each hand. They charge into battle, relying on their armor to protect them.. Whereas I… I am a Monk.” Kyle said this last part with great pride.

“And you fight differently?”

“Very much so. I told you that Warriors use powerful weapons. While this is true for us as well, we Monks place far less emphasis on our weapons. In fact, most of us only pull out our weapons when dealing with heavily armored foes. Instead, many of us tend to use our fists.”

“I’m failing to see how that makes you much different from a simple street-brawler.” Twilight admitted. “I mean, Let’s say a human just walked up next to you with some leather armor and raised his hooves. What separates him from you?”

“Chi.” Kyle said simply. “Chi is what separates me from the common brawler. Chi is the life energy of a being, what gives them life. We monks can harness raw Chi energy from our surroundings, or from ourselves if necessary. With this chi, we can enhance our physical abilities many times over, and infuse simple beers and ales with supernatural enhancements. You’ve already seen me use one of these drinks - My Energizing Brew, back in the forest. In addition to focusing on the fighting style of the windwalker, which I have just described, we can also focus on the use of these special chi-infused brews to avoid attacks while protecting our allies, or in the restorative magics of the mistweaver.”

“And you harness chi to use this ‘mistweaver’ magic?” Twilight asked. It sounded so different from the magic that she was used to, but then again, Kyle was from another world. Maybe things worked differently on Azeroth.

“Not exactly. Chi can be channeled into certain spells, but most magic, for my people at least, comes from another form of energy called mana. The only monks that can harness mana are the mistweavers. They can use both Chi and Mana to perform spells. Certain spells utilize the energy from Chi, and some require Mana. I have a little bit of mistweaving training, but I’m mostly a windwalker. I specialize in polearm and hand-to-hand combat.”

“I’d like to see a bit of that.” Twilight commented innocently.

Kyle blinked. “Trust me, no you wouldn't."He replied. “If you see a monk in action, it means that someone’s life is in danger. Usually the monk’s target. I’ll be honest and say that I’d rather not have to use my combat training while I’m here.”

“Well how about some magic then? Can you show some of that?”

Kyle hesitated for a moment before nodding. “I can show you a spell or two.” He said. “But we’d probably better step outside. Don’t want to scare the animals.”

Kyle stood up, and the two walked out the front door. The sun was beginning to descent behind the horizon, and the moon rising in the opposite end of the sky. The rain had stopped and the clouds long since left, leaving a clear, star-filled evening. As he prepared to demonstrate some magic, Kyle heard a rustling noise coming from the forest. He turned his head and raised his fists, but quickly lowered them as he saw Fluttershy emerge.

“Oh thank goodness.” she sighed before looking up. “Oh… um, hello.”

“What were you doing in the forest?” Twilight asked.

“Oh, well, you see, Zecora had some herbs I needed, so I went to go get them, but she was out when I got there so I had to wait for her to get back.” Fluttershy paused for a moment. “Um, if you don’t mind, what are you doing out here?”

“Kyle was just about to demonstrate some of his magic.” Twilight explained, sounding excited.

“Right. So let’s start with something you’ve seen before. A spell we call ‘Storm, Earth, and Fire’” Kyle said as Fluttershy settled down next to Twilight. Kyle focused his Chi once more. “Tempestatis, terram, ignis, exaudi vocem meam.” Mist swirled from Kyle’s hands around his body, and pooled into two separate spots on the ground, forming a pair of clones. One glowed blue like before, while the other glowed green. Kyle, meanwhile, had taken on a red hue, looking exactly the same as the clones save for the color.

“Doppelgangers.” Twilight nodded. “Can you summon more of them?”

“No, only two so far.” Kyle admitted, snapping his fingers. The two doppelgangers faded into a mist that quickly dispersed, and Kyle stopped glowing red, resuming his normal appearance. “Next… Can you hold up a bit of log for me?” Kyle asked. Twilight raised an eyebrow but nodded, levitating a chunk of log from a pile of logs near Fluttershy’s house and holding it in the air with her magic.

“Don’t drop it.” Kyle warned. “Viridi fulmine.” He quickly thrust his right arm forward, and arcs of jade-green lightning shot from his fingertips, lancing out at the log. Twilight yelped in surprise, nearly releasing her grip on the log, while Fluttershy bolted into her house. A few seconds later, the top of her head peeped up behind her front window as she watched.

After a moment, Kyle released the spell. Twilight quickly brought the log over to her, and sure enough, the bark was burnt and blackened in several places where the electricity had seared it. She looked up at Kyle, who smirked slightly. “Crackling Jade Lightning.” he explained. “One of a Windwalker’s only options for dealing with an enemy out of our reach. Quite effective, I think…”

“Yes, well…” Twilight coughed, trying to regain her composure. “Maybe you could try something a bit less… violent?”

“Agreed. But I’ll need a volunteer to demonstrate this last spell on.” Kyle noticed the panic on Twilight’s face and laughed. “It’s a healing spell.” he reassured her. “Intended mostly for Mistweavers, but a Windwalker can use it as well in dire situations… or if focused enough. Maybe we could ask Fluttershy if she has any animals with injuries that need healing?” Without waiting for a response, Kyle walked over to the door and walked inside, with Twilight following a moment later.

Fluttershy let out a small ‘eep’ and dove under the couch as Kyle walked in. Kyle instantly felt bad for scaring her so badly. He knelt down next to the couch and reached under, scratching Fluttershy behind the ears in an attempt to calm her. After a few minutes, she slowly climbed back out, still looking at Kyle with apprehension.

“Sorry about that.”Kyle apologized. “I didn’t mean to scare you. I’ll not be using that one again.” Fluttershy slowly nodded, accepting his apology. “Now, there’s another spell I’d like to show. A healing spell.” he said quickly, hoping to deter a panicked reaction. “Something that fixes injuries. Do you have an animal that’s injured that I could use this spell on? Preferably an exterior injury. I don’t think I could fix broken bones or the like.”

“Um... Well... There's a… a deer with a nasty cut along her side.” Fluttershy admitted. “She’s upstairs. I’ll show you to her…. but you promise you won’t hurt or scare her?” She asked.

“I won’t hurt her, and I’ll do my best not to scare her.” Kyle assured. Fluttershy nodded and led him and Twilight upstairs. She opened the first door on the left and walked inside. In the middle of the room was the injured deer, laying in the middle of a pile of blankets. Kyle slowly approached and extended his right hand. The deer leaned in and sniffed his hand before laying allowing him to scratch her behind the ears. The poor thing was obviously in a fair amount of pain, and judging by her muted reaction to Kyle’s presence, she was probably pretty weak as well.

Kyle placed his left hand over the deer’s injuries. His hand began to glow green as he built up the energy needed for the spell. “Perfluctuo.” The green light spewed forth a rapid torrent of mist, which settled over the wound.The deer looked concerned for a second, but as the spell took effect, she quickly relaxed, letting out what sounded suspiciously like a sigh of relief. The mist fell along the long gash in its side, and the flesh and sinew knitted itself back together. As the spell faded, fur regrew over the area. No one could tell that there had been an injury there 30 seconds before.

“Oh… my…” Fluttershy whispered, her eyes wide. Twilight was staring at the deer, flabbergasted. The deer turned her head and sniffed at where the injury had been before licking it. Satisfied that it was healed, she curled up and started to drift off to sleep.

Kyle wiped the sweat from his brow. Performing such a spell as a Windwalker was fairly taxing. As he recovered his energy, he stood up and looked over at Fluttershy and Twilight, grinning at their reactions. “If you could only see the look on your face.” He said to Twilight. “Priceless.”

“What the… how is it… I… how did you do that?” She stammered. Sure, she had seen some Unicorns work some healing magic, but never anything as potent or rapidly-working as what she had just observed.

“Magic.” Kyle said simply. “Maybe I can teach you sometime.” With another grin, Kyle walked out of the room and back down the stairs, sitting down on the couch once more. Moments later, the two ponies followed him.

“Well today has been… enlightening.” Twilight announced. “But I’m afraid I must be off. I have a letter to send to Princess Celestia about what I’ve learned.”

“Twilight…” Kyle paused for a moment, trying to find words to voice his concern. “You… you do realize that, even with what I’ve told you today, I’m not here to hurt anyone. Just… just make sure the Princess knows that, alright? I kind of like being… you know… alive.”

“I’ll try to weave it all in a good light.” Twilight replied. “It’s not exactly what we were expecting, but from what you’ve said, and from what I’ve seen, I can tell that you’re not a bad Human.” With that, Twilight turned and left, closing the door behind her.

For a moment, there was an awkward silence in the house as Fluttershy and Kyle just sat, not talking, barely looking at each other. Clearly, Fluttershy realized that she had missed something important, but Kyle wasn’t about to go through all that again.

“Um… Are you hungry?” Fluttershy finally asked.

“Yeah… a bit.” Kyle admitted. At that moment, Angel Bunny hopped up on the cuckoo clock and pointed at the face, tapping his foot impatiently. “And it looks like they are too.” Kyle chuckled. “Tell you what. You fix their dinner, and I’ll fix us some omelettes.”

“Some what?” Fluttershy asked. “What’s an ‘omelette’?”

Kyle grinned. “You’ll see. They’re good.” he promised, walking over to the kitchen. “Do you have any eggs?” he asked. Fluttershy nodded and motioned to the icebox. Kyle pulled the eggs out, along with various other ingredients, and set about cooking.

10 minutes later, Kyle set a pair of plates at the table. He had made them each an omelette stuffed with mushrooms, green onions, tomatoes, and some cheese. Fluttershy joined him at the table, and he watched as she tentatively took a bite. “It’s… very nice.” She said with a smile.

Kyle grinned. “Told you they were good.” he said, picking up his fork and turning to his own plate. Dinner passed in silence, each one lost in their own thoughts. Finally, when dinner was over, Kyle took the plates and washed them off - He was still amazed by the faucet - before drying them and putting them away.

As Kyle settled onto the couch once more, he had to stifle a yawn. “Well, I think I’m going to call it a night.” he said to Fluttershy as she walked past him. “Good night, Fluttershy.”

“Good night, Kyle.” Fluttershy replied as she walked upstairs.

Kyle laid down on the couch and pulled the blanket over himself. He closed his eyes and felt sleep pulling at him once more. What a day. he thought groggily. Well, the worst is behind me. Twilight knows about my bloody occupation, and she seems to accept it. With that thought, Kyle finally gave in and lost himself to slumber once more

Chapter 5

Kyle’s eyes slowly opened as he awoke from his dreamless sleep. Day three. He thought to himself. Lying on the couch under the warm blanket, he contemplated simply falling back asleep. Unfortunately, as the discomfort in his waist informed him, that would not be an option today. Kyle rubbed his eyes and stretched before tossing the blanket off of him, standing up and walking towards the bathroom.

A few minutes later, after having taken care of business, Kyle stepped outside. The night was still strong, the air cool and crisp. Kyle looked up at the sky and noticed the moon at the western horizon. Must be nearly sunrise he thought to himself as he looked upwards once more. The sky was illuminated by countless stars. Each one, he knew, was a sun, many with their own planets. I wonder if Azeroth is up there… Kyle quickly shook the thoughts from his head. Such thoughts would only lead to despair.  Instead, he headed towards the stream that ran past Fluttershy’s cottage.

The water was cool and refreshing as Kyle dipped his hand in. He took off his leather armor and boots and set them aside before removing his shirt. Without hesitation, he grabbed some of the water from the stream and threw the it upon his face, washing away the dirt that had accumulated there in the past few days. He did the same for his exposed arms and chest before submerging his head, rinsing the dried sweat from his hair. Finally, he stepped into the stream, allowing the water to rinse away all the dust and blood that had accumulated on the lower half of his body.

Satisfied that he was now cleaned, he bundled up his shirt and submerged it as well. He brought the now-soaking shirt out of the stream and began to clean his armor, using the cloth to remove the dried blood, dirt and sweat off of the leather. Once that was finished, he dunked the shirt into the stream once more and rinsed all of the grime out of it before wringing it out. He placed his wet clothing on a tree branch near the forest to dry.

With his washing out of the way, Kyle looked up at the sky again. The moon was beginning to set over the horizon, and the sun was beginning to rise, filling the eastern sky with the vibrant hues of the morning sunrise. Kyle figured he would still have an hour or so to spare before the day truly began. Still, he wasn’t entirely unused to waking up at this hour. Feeling too awake now to go back to sleep, he instead decided to practice a bit. He may have been stuck in an alien world, but that was no excuse for allowing himself to grow lazy.

Kyle began with a few simple rolls, making sure that he could still move around and land on his feet. Once he finished those, he closed his eyes and focused his Energy before unleashing it in a powerful Spinning Crane Kick. Satisfied that he could maintain his balance while spinning, he finished his physical training by jabbing and kicking at one of the trees just inside the forest, being careful not to hurt himself against the hard trunk. Even this close to the edge of the forest, the gloom of the place and thick canopy still blocked out most of the sky. Kyle reminded himself to never venture far in without a good reason.

Feeling good about his physical skills, Kyle stepped out of the forest and looked up once more and felt his jaw drop. The sun was now fully risen. It was still low in the eastern sky, but it had moved past dawn and gone straight into the full brightness of day. No way… I wasn’t training for that long, was I? Kyle wondered incredulously. Sure, he could sometimes get lost in training, but never had he lost himself for that long. He must have been at it for at least an hour and a half, even though it only felt like ten minutes. Kyle went over to examine his shirt, and sure enough, it was still wet. Something fishy is going on…

Kyle shoved the thought into the ‘will inquire about it later’ category in his mind. Sighing, he forced himself to complete his morning training. He sat down near the stream and folded his legs, preparing to meditate. Meditation had always been Kyle’s least favorite activity as a Monk. Even though it had real results that he had seen himself firsthand, it was boring and, at the same time, often overwhelming. Still, it was a part of the routine that he had been forced into by his mentor for over a year during his training. Kyle closed his eyes and reached out with his senses, allowing himself to be lost in the world around him. A small breeze circled around him, but he barely paid it any attention, simply allowing himself to become one with the world, with the Chi, the life-force of all the things around him.

His senses seemed to leave his body, and he flashed through the minds of a thousand other creatures nearby all at once. An ant, returning to the colony with a drop of water 20 times its own weight balanced on its back. A spider, wrapping up a fly foolish enough to have gotten caught in its web.  A pony, walking to a door and opening it. A fish, gliding through the stream, looking for food. An owl, returning to its hollow tree to sleep through the day.

This was the part Kyle disliked so much. His senses flying from one creature to another, never getting more than a fleeting glimpse and yet at the same time seeing and feeling everything. So many different sights and sounds and smells and feelings… The first few attempts had left him over a bucket, heaving due to the incredible mental strain. Now, it was almost second-nature, though it still made his stomach churn. Even so, doing this allowed him better access to the Chi in the world around him, allowing him to utilize more Chi for more powerful abilities.

The sound of a door closing and a small gasp snapped Kyle back to his own body. He felt a small thump against his backside, and realized that he had been floating in the air slightly - not an uncommon feature of Monk Meditation, but still a bit of a shock to the unprepared. He opened his eyes and saw Fluttershy standing outside of the cottage staring at him with gaping eyes. Kyle immediately glanced up at the sky. He guessed that he had been meditating for half an hour, though with the incident earlier that morning, he couldn’t rely on the sun anymore for accurate timekeeping.

“Oh, um… g-good morning.” Fluttershy stammered, still staring at Kyle. “Um, what are you doing, uh, out here…?”

“Washing up.” Kyle explaining, motioning to the branch the held his shirt and armor. “And meditating.”

“Oh… right… well, um, somepony might see you out here, so, maybe we should head back inside… if you don’t mind, that is.”

Kyle sighed. He had been looking forward to a chance to stretch his legs for a bit today. Still, he knew Celestia wanted to keep his existence quiet for now, and the last thing he wanted was to anger the ruler of the land he was trapped in by exposing himself. He nodded and went to gather up his things off of the tree. His armor was dried, but his shirt was still damp. He left it hanging on the branch to continue to dry, and took the armor inside.

Once inside, Kyle placed his armor in a corner of the living room. He doubted he was going to need it anytime soon, and the tunic chafed a bit without a shirt on underneath. After grabbing an apple and a cup of water to settle his stomach, he settled back down on the couch with the book from the day before. He opened the book to the page he had left off, and scowled. He had just finished reading about the war between the pony races, how they had almost been driven extinct by the Windigos and their own hatred, until three ponies had finally driven them back with the power of friendship. Or something like that. Either way, ancient history wasn’t what he wanted. Instead, Kyle flipped to the Table of Contents and found what he was looking for, near the back of the thick volume - Modern Equestrian Society.

Over the next couple of hours, Kyle learned much about this world that he was in. Equestria was simply one country - the world itself was called Equis. Equestria rested in the middle of a large continent, situated between the Badlands to the South and the Frozen North. The primary species in Equestria were ponies (Of course), though not the only. He noticed several familiar creatures such as Deer, Cows, Dragons, Phoenixes and Griffons. A few, however, sounded completely alien, like Changelings, Diamond Dogs, and Buffalo. Finally, a few sounded familiar but not entirely accurate. The Minotaur sounded very similar (at least in appearance) to the Tauren, while Zebra sounded like a hornless Zhevra.

Kyle learned that the tattoos on the ponies’ flanks were called cutie marks, and apparently displayed what their special talent was. They would only appear when the pony displayed their special talent. This presented an odd paradox to Kyle. How can you display your special talent if you don’t know what it is? he wondered. He quickly sorted this conundrum into the ‘will inquire about it later’ category.

Finally, Kyle reached the part concerning the government. At the top of the government sat the two princesses: Celestia and her sister, Luna. It seemed very similar to the way the Alliance operated, with the two sisters at the top; many advisors and aristocrats surrounding them; and local governments whose officials were subservient to the princesses, but elected by the people. Where Twilight fit into this, Kyle was unsure - the book had apparently been written before she was made a Princess. Finally, Kyle read that Celestia and Luna apparently controlled…

“No way.” Kyle stated incredulously. “No way. That’s not possible.”

“What’s not possible?” Fluttershy inquired. Kyle looked over at her, having been unaware that she had heard him. “Um… if you don’t mind, that is…” she added quietly, looking away.

“This book says that the Princesses control the Sun and the Moon.” Kyle replied. “They control the seasons by moving these objects closer to and farther from Equis, control their orbits… but that’s impossible. Even the smallest child on Azeroth knows that our sun is far larger than our planet, and that we orbit the sun, not the other way around.”

“Oh, well, you see, our sun orbits our world.” Fluttershy replied, sitting down next to Kyle. “It’s a bit larger than the moon, but also a bit farther away, so they appear to be the same size.”

“Even if that is true - which I doubt -,” Kyle continued, “The sun and moon are massive! The amount of energy required to move those objects through the sky is… inconceivable.”

“Well they are the princesses.” Fluttershy replied. “They were the first Alicorns ever. They have more magical power than anypony.”

Kyle sighed and folded his arms. “Nope. Until I see it happen, I’m not believing it.”

“Oh, well, I guess I can’t make you believe.” Fluttershy said, sounding a bit dejected. “Maybe someday you’ll get to see them raise and lower the sun and moon.”

“Mhm. Yeah, right.” Kyle retorted as he turned back to the book.

“Um… Mr. Kyle…” Fluttershy began, but was cut off by Kyle’s hand.

“Please, no Mister.” Kyle said. “I’m only 25. Calling me mister makes me sound old. Just Kyle is fine.”

“Oh, right, sorry. Um, Kyle, I was just wondering… um, if you don’t mind, but why are you reading about our society?”

“What do you mean?” Kyle inquired, marking his spot and closing the book.

“Well, um, aren’t you worried about how to get home?”

“Of course I am.”

“Then why aren’t you trying to find a way back?”

Kyle scratched his chin, feeling the stubble starting to grow in. “Well, a few reasons.” he began. “The way I got here was a massive portal in Azeroth, which snapped shut behind me. Odds are that it won’t open again anywhere near enough to me for me to slip back through, assuming that it’s still going haywire. Which basically means, I don’t think I’m taking the same cart out of this world that I used to get here.”

“Okay… I understand…. I think… but, um, why aren’t you looking for another way back?” Fluttershy asked.

“I’m no mage.” Kyle replied, leaning back into the couch and closing his eyes. “I never studied the theory and principles behind magic. I can do my basic Mistweaving and all that, but portals? That’s advanced-level magical study right there. I’d be about as useful looking for a solution as a Gnome would be in trying to reach the highest shelf. Don’t get me wrong - I want to go back.” he added hastily. “But I have no idea how to even begin designing a spell that can do that.”

“Oh… I see…”

“But I guess I haven’t really answered your original question.” Kyle admitted. “Why am I studying your society? Well, again, for a few reasons. Firstly, it’s interesting how similar your society is to ours. Even though this world is much… calmer.” he quickly covered, not willing to get into the whole soldier thing again. “But there are differences. I figure, if I don’t know how to get home… well, I might as well not make myself look like an uneducated ass while I’m here.”

“A very smart decision.” A voice said from the doorway. Both of their heads snapped up to look at the source of the voice. Standing in the doorway was Princess Celestia, her mane still billowing beside her and actually blowing against the wind today.

Fluttershy immediately dropped to the floor, while Kyle lowered his head in a respectful bow. Even if the story about her controlling the sun was bogus, it wouldn’t be smart to show disrespect to the leader of Equestria. “Princess Celestia.” he murmured before raising his head to look at her. “What are you doing here?”

Celestia’s face was expressionless for a moment, and Kyle felt a familiar trickle of sweat run down the back of his neck. Twilight had mentioned she would be sending her findings from the night before to Celestia. Had she considered him to be too great of a threat? Was she here to banish, or worse, kill him?

Finally, Celestia’s face broke into a warm smile. “Ms. Fluttershy, how is our patient doing?” she asked the still-prone Pegasus.

Fluttershy looked up, her face the epitome of nervousness and anxiety. “Um, well, that is… I, uh… I think he’s, um, alright.” she stammered. “He, uh…”

“I’m feeling much better.” Kyle interjected. “I can walk without trouble, no more headache…” he trailed off with a shrug.

Celestia raised an eyebrow. “I’ve never heard of a creature recovering from a blow to the head so quickly.” she said, the question behind her statement clear.

Kyle shrugged again. “Neither have I.” he admitted. “But the results don’t lie.” To prove his point, he stood up with no difficulty

Celestia nodded, her eyes closed. “Interesting… In that case, Mr. Slater, I would ask that you walk with me.” she stated. “I believe we have a matter of some importance to discuss.”

Kyle hesitated, doubt flowing through his mind. What did the Princess want to discuss? Did she really just want to talk? Was this a trap? A million deceptive thoughts flowed through his mind in an instant. Kyle took a deep breath and, with great effort, forcibly shoved them aside. If she had wanted him dead, he would be dead already, of that he was sure. Even if the stories of her strength were likely exaggerated, she did radiate a great amount of power, much like the Naaru. “Alright.” he conceded. “Lead the way.” Celestia turned and exited the house. Kyle followed, waving goodbye to Fluttershy as he close the door behind him.

Kyle had expected Celestia to head towards the countryside, away from the town. Instead, she seemed to have turned to walk towards the town. Kyle ran over to the tree and grabbed his shirt before jogging after her, pulling it over his head as he did. An awkward silence descended as he matched her pace.

As the pair approached the outskirts of the town, Celestia suddenly veered off of the path, stepping towards the forest. Kyle paused for a moment, but followed anyway. Sure enough, the Princess stepped into the gloom, and Kyle followed behind her.

Celestia stopped in the middle of a small clearing only about half a minute from the edge of the forest. She turned to look at Kyle, her expression blank. “I must say that I am impressed.” She said suddenly. “Few of my Ponies could follow me into here without questioning my motives or destination.”

Kyle blinked, surprised by the compliment. “I figure I’ll find out when we get there.” he commented. “I figured you weren’t gonna try to hurt me. If you’d wanted to, I’m sure I’d already be dead without you having to take me into the Everfree.”

“You are quite perceptive, young one. I would not have expected such a trusting train of logic to be followed by a species whose members are so… violent.”

“So, Twilight told you about that already, eh?” Kyle asked, to which Celestia nodded. “So I’m guessing you’re here to question me further about that?”

“Partially correct.” Celestia nodded. “I would indeed like to know more about your people. However, I would hazard a guess and say that asking a member of a species to describe his species, especially in the context of war, would lead to a… biased answer.”

“I suppose so.” Kyle admitted. “But unless you have a better idea, I’m not sure how else you intend to get more information on Humans.”

“As a matter of fact, i do have a better idea.” Celestia said with a smile. Kyle’s heart rate increased as Celestia continued. “There is a powerful bit of magic, unusable by any but the most advanced Unicorns and Alicorns, that allows the caster to see the memories of their target. I would use this on you, in order to see your viewpoint of Humans firsthand.”

“Couldn’t I just tell you what you wanted to know?” Kyle asked. The idea of someone else rummaging through his memories wasn’t exactly a pleasant thought

“Perhaps. But it would take far longer than the memory-reading spell, and would be biased. With this spell, I can see what there is to truly see of Humans through your eyes, without the bias your explanation would have.” When Kyle hesitated, Celestia cracked a small, reassuring smile. “I won’t continue without your permission.” she said gently. “But it would be beneficial for us both for me to know more about your people.”

Kyle closed his eyes for a moment, not saying anything. Finally, he nodded his head. “Alright.” he said quietly. “You want to see my memories, my knowledge of humanity? You’ll see them. But I don’t promise you’ll like what you see.”

Celestia closed her eyes, and her horn glowed with an aura similar to what Twilight had done when she used magic. However, instead of a purple hue, this aura glowed a vibrant gold. A beam of light shot from her horn and hit Kyle in the head. He instinctively flinched back, expecting pain or to be thrown backwards. Neither happened. Instead, it simply connected the two. As he watched, Celestia’s eyes twitched under her eyelids, and sweat began to form at her brow.

Finally, just as Kyle was beginning to wonder whether anything was happening at all, the beam stuttered and faded. Celestia’s eyes snapped open, and she collapsed to the ground, breathing heavily. Kyle rushed over to her, helping her rise to her hooves once more. “That was… enlightening.” she grunted, her voice not quite carrying the same power that it had before.

“Are you alright?” Kyle asked.

“Nothing I won’t recover from.” Celestia replied, brushing Kyle’s question aside. “It’s been a long time since I’ve looked into another being’s memories. I'd forgotten just how strenuous it can be. However… the information was worth the effort.”

She pushed herself away from Kyle and stood on her own once more. “I feel I have a better understanding of your people now.” she stated. “Your people are young… very young… and yet, in your short existence, you Humans have developed and conquered much. You constantly strive for that which you do not have, or have not yet done, and yet when you accomplish these goals, you simply set your sights higher. A sad fate, really, to never be truly content with what you have, but to always desire more. A journey with no end, no satisfaction...”

“You are warriors, yes, but out of necessity, not choice. You have recently found yourself at constant war, whether against this Horde that pervades your modern history or some other, more sinister force. In the face of constant peril, you have banded together with those who are not like you in common, mutual self-defense - a Grand Alliance, you call it. And yet you seemingly shun other races… this Horde that I have found.”

“This Horde is fascinating to me. I see that you have a great dislike for the Horde and its members, because they have hurt you. But I know not their motives. Survival? Retaliation for past transgressions? Fear? An interesting missing piece of this puzzle…” Celestia paused for a moment, seemingly lost in thought. Just as quickly, she snapped back and continued. “Yes, you, personally and as a species in general, are capable of inflicting great suffering, and have in fact done so, but almost never out of malice.”

“Did you catch all of that?” Celestia asked suddenly, looking over her shoulder into the forest.

“Yes, Tia.” A voice replied. Another pony stepped forward and emerged from the gloom of the forest. This pony was another Alicorn like Celestia, but her body was slightly smaller. Instead of the white body and multicolored mane of Celestia, this Alicorn’s coat was a bluish-purple, with a translucent blue mane that blew in a non-existent wind. Her face was expressionless, her eyes locked squarely on Kyle

“You must be… Princess Luna” Kyle said, inclining his head respectfully.

“Indeed. My sister has spoken much about you, as has Twilight Sparkle.” Luna’s gaze moved over to her Celestia. “I have seen your memories as well, young one, through my sister’s spell.” Kyle raised an eyebrow at Celestia, who averted her eyes, almost seeming embarrassed. He shrugged and looked back at Luna. “I must say, considering your position, you are handling this situation quite well. Many lesser ponies would have gone mad by now.”

“This is hardly the strangest thing that’s happened to a Human.” he commented, trying to play off the craziness of the past couple of days as if it were normal. “Time travel, fighting madness incarnate, defeating Death itself… After all that, traveling to an uncharted world seems routine.”

Luna laughed. “A brave facade.” she said with a smile. “But your courage is still to be commended.” Luna turned to Celestia, who was still looking embarrassed at having been caught sharing Kyle’s memories with her sister. “I believe that we have come to a decision?” Luna asked.

Celestia cleared her throat. “Oh, right. Yes… yes we have.” she replied, quickly resuming her regal demeanor. “Our decision is two-fold. Though you Humans have the potential to spread much chaos, you also have the potential to spread much harmony. The first part of our decision is that we will have our best and brightest researcher of magic begin investigating for a way to send you back home.”

“Well there’s some good news.” Kyle grinned. “What’s the second part?”

“As I said, you have the potential to spread much harmony through our lands, by showing us new magic, new ways of healing, new ways of doing things. Things that we may never have thought of otherwise. With your consent, I would introduce you to the rest of the world. Though I would like for you to remain in Ponyville, in order to maintain close proximity to the researcher assigned the task of sending you home, I would also like for you to interact with the rest of the town, and perhaps the country or world at large. Let others see what Humanity is like, ask questions, and the such. Maybe you could learn a few things as well while you’re here.”

“So… what, I’m an ambassador for my entire world?” Kyle asked incredulously. “I dunno about that…”

“Only in a symbolic sense.” Luna reassured him. “No negotiating settlements or contracts, no listening to some stuffy old senator endlessly rabble on even though you’ve told him to shove his hoof up…” Luna trailed off as Celestia glared at her. “No no, none of that.” Luna backtracked. “Just… letting everypony know what Humans are, and answering questions mostly.”

“Well… I guess I could do that, though I still think you could have gotten a better guy for the job.” Kyle conceded. “Alright, let’s do it.”

“Splendid!” Luna exclaimed, clapping her front hooves together.

“We shall send out messages to the other nations tonight to inform them of the situation.” Celestia added, turning to leave the forest. Kyle and Luna moved to follow her. “Tomorrow, we shall have a press conference at Ponyville Town Hall where we shall introduce you to the world.”

“Yeah… sure thing.” Kyle stammered, suddenly incredibly nervous. “Uh… just out of curiosity, how big is this press conference going to be?”

“Probably several dozen reporters and journalists.” Luna replied. “Plus the live crowd open to the public…” She trailed off as she noticed a bead of sweat form on Kyle’s forehead. A mischievous grin appeared on her face. “Mr. Slater, you wouldn’t happen to be afraid of crowds, would you?” She asked innocently.

“Afraid of crowds? No.” Kyle replied, wiping the sweat from his brow. “Afraid of speaking in front of crowds? Very much so.”

“Oh just relax. It’ll be fine.” Luna said, elbowing Kyle in the ribs.

“Right…” Kyle said sarcastically, not believing Luna’s reassurances. “So… I’ve a couple of question to ask you two.”

“Go ahead.” Luna’s head turned to Kyle.

“Well, Twilight left a book for me to read over at Fluttershy’s house, concerning the history of Equestria and modern society. The book claims that you two control the orbits of the Sun and Moon. But that’s impossible… isn’t it?”

“No, Mr. Slater, the book is accurate.” Celestia said as the trio stepped out of the forest. The sun was high in the sky, signaling that it was midday. “But I have seen that you Humans feel the need to observe things for yourself in order to accept new facts. ‘Seeing is believing’, I believe the phrase goes.” Celestia turned to her sister. “Perhaps you could demonstrate, Luna?” she asked. “Maybe raise the moon slightly for a moment??”

Luna nodded and closed her eyes. Her horn lit up with a dark blue aura, and at first, nothing seemed to happen. Then, something on the eastern horizon moved. Kyle watched in awe as the pale white sphere rose just above the horizon, and then fell back down.

“Wha… How…” Kyle stammered, looking between the two Princesses in shock. Clearly he had underestimated their powers. Celestia giggled at Kyle’s flabbergasted expression. “How… how did you do that?”

Luna opened her eyes and chuckled. “It is my special talent, to control the moon and the night skies.” She explained. Her eyes flickered back to her flank, where a cutie mark of a crescent moon against a black sky rested. “Just as Tia’s special talent is to control the sun.”

“Okay, yeah, the mages back home would be throwing a hissy fit right about now.” Kyle said in wonder. “You have effectively decimated our entire understanding of how the moon and sun work. At least now I know why it looked like an hour and a half had passed in ten minutes earlier...”

“Indeed?” Luna asked a non-question as the trio set off towards Fluttershy’s house again. After a moment, Luna spoke up again. “You said you had a couple of questions, and yet have only asked one. What else did you wish to know?”

“Oh right. Well, I was just wondering who this magical researcher is. After all, I assume I’m going to be spending quite a bit of time with him.”

“Her.” Celestia corrected as Fluttershy’s cottage came into view. “And you have already met this Pony. Her name is Twilight Sparkle.”

“Really?” Kyle raised an eyebrow. “I thought she was a Princess, not a researcher.”

“She has been a Princess for only a few months.” Celestia explained. “Before that, she was my personal student at the Academy for Gifted Unicorns in Canterlot. She was on a long-term research project here in Ponyville. Her special talent is magic, and it clearly shows - Before her ascension, she was the most skilled unicorn since the legendary Starswirl the Bearded himself. Becoming an Alicorn will only have increased her skill. And if I recall correctly, she was particularly adept at teleportation magic. If anypony can find a way to send you back home, it will be her.”

“I see.” was all Kyle could say. Before anything else could be said, a terrible sound pierced the air. The sound of something - no, someone - screaming. Kyle immediately focused his Chi and raised his fists, looking around for the source of the noise.

“That came from the forest.” Luna said gravely. “Somepony is in danger.”

“Well then what are we standing around here for?” Kyle demanded, rushing towards the treeline. “Let’s go!” The two sisters exchanged a glance and a quick nod before galloping after the human.

Chapter 6

The world rushed by as Kyle dashed through the forest, the trees blurring into a collage of browns, greys and greens. Just behind him, he could hear the thunder of hooves and the rustle of bushes as the Princesses charged after him. Though most likely far faster than him under normal circumstances, their larger size was apparently hindering their ability to move through the dense undergrowth.

Another scream pierced the air, much closer this time. Kyle veered to the right, following the sounds of the screams. Not too far away, he could see the bottom of a cliff. The sound of the Princesses behind him grew fainter as he outpaced them, his feet and hands allowing him to better navigate the terrain than their hooves.

Kyle heard a snarl from a clearing just in front of him. He looked around for a split second before hopping on top of a boulder, and from there leaping onto a low-hanging tree branch. He scrambled up the tree and to the other side, where he could observe the clearing. Poking his head through the leaves, he was met with a most unusual sight.

A pack of wolves, at least half a dozen, were crowded around the bottom of the cliff he had seen earlier. Unlike the wolves he was used to, however, these wolves appeared to be made up of thick sticks and branches. “Those must be... Timber Wolves.” he muttered. He paused and covered his face with his hand. Oh sweet Light, that’s horrible. he groaned to himself at the terrible pun. Returning to his observation, Kyle noticed that one of the Timber Wolves had its paw inside a crevice in the rock face, grasping for something.

Another scream rang out. It sounded like it had come from the crevice. Dammit… someone’s in there! Nearby, the other wolves paced impatiently. One of them was noticeably larger and angrier-looking than the others. While the other 5 had green eyes, this one’s eyes glowed a vibrant, feral yellow. That must be the Alpha Male. Kyle mused. If I can get him down, the others should flee… Just gotta plan out my strike... Looking back down, Kyle saw the two princesses just outside the clearing, looking up at him. He held up 6 fingers to them, and Celestia nodded. Luna nudged her head forward in a clear signal of ‘whenever you’re ready’.

Kyle nodded grimly, regretting his decision to leave his armor behind at Fluttershy’s cottage. He had even been foolish enough to leave his brews behind! Still, it wasn’t like he could saunter off and go get them before coming back here. Kyle took a deep breath and focused himself, gathering his Chi into his feet. He pushed off from the branch, flying silently into the air above the clearing. As gravity took over and he began to fall, he extended his right leg, aiming for the wolf reaching into the crevice.

The wolf yelped in shock as Kyle landed heavily upon its shoulders. With a resounding CRACK, its front two legs and neck fell apart, the head rolling away as the rest of the body crumpled to the ground. Kyle spun around just in time to see Celestia and Luna charge into the clearing. Two of the Timber Wolves turned to confront the new intruders, while the other three, including the Alpha, circled Kyle, the one that had already defeated one of their own. The Alpha let out a blood-chilling howl, and a second later another howl could be heard not far off. Calling in reinforcements eh? Kyle growled to himself. Let’s make this quick, then.

The closest wolf to Kyle leaped at him from the right. Kyle took a step forward and gave the wolf a solid kick that sent it flying into the cliff behind him, where it landed on the ground, dazed from the impact. The other two growled menacingly and continued to pace, seeing another comrade go down. Kyle risked a glance behind his two foes to see how the Princesses were doing

Celestia and Luna were circling with their foes. As he watched, one of the wolves leaped at Celestia. Her horn glowed, and bright light shot out. It hit the wolf square in the eyes, and its snarl turned into a whimper of pain as it landed on the ground in a heap, rubbing its eyes with its paw. Celestia backed away, spreading her wings in an attempt to make herself look larger. Kyle could have sworn that she was going easy on her foe, trying to force it to retreat rather than kill it.

Kyle’s attention was jerked back to his own opponents as the second wolf charged. Having been distracted, Kyle, had no time perform the same maneuver he had before. Instead, he ducked underneath the leap and caught the wolf with both hands. It was heavier than it looked, but with the momentum from the leap, Kyle was able to heave it upwards into the air. Its howl turned into a yelp as it was sent skyward. Kyle waited for just a couple of seconds before flipping backwards, bringing his feet upwards in a Rising Sun Kick. A great snapping sounded told him that his feet had hit their mark, and as he landed, the wolf’s decapitated body thudded to the ground, the head slamming into the cliff face and shattering.

Kyle felt a sudden shiver run through his spine as he looked the Alpha in the eyes. An unnatural chill seemed to grip him, filling him with dread. He hadn’t felt anything like this since his time running around the Townlong Steppes and Dread Wastes, dealing with the Mantid invasion. He tried to shake the feeling off, but it still lingered as he returned his full attention to the Alpha.

A howl from behind was all the warning he got. Kyle spun around just as a wolf slammed into him, knocking him to the ground. Of course! He had been stupid enough to think that the wolf he had dazed earlier was out for the count! The wolf in question jumped on top of Kyle, claws punching into his chest. Kyle hissed in pain, and the Wolf bare its fangs, preparing to bite down on his throat.

It never got the chance.

Kyle had been in this situation before, pinned underneath a predator. He had seen several good men go down after getting leaped on like this. This was not going to be the end. Instead, Kyle reached up with both hands and grabbed the wolf’s head. The wolf’s eyes opened in shock, and Kyle smirked grimly as he violently twisted its head to his left.  A sickening snap filled the air, and Kyle pushed the now-lifeless wolf off of him.

Kyle scrambled to his feet, eying the Alpha again. He could feel his shirt beginning to grow damp with blood from the wolf’s claws, but even though his wounds hurt, they were not life-threatening. Still, the close call left Kyle trembling slightly as he eyed his final foe. Behind the Wolf, Celestia and Luna were combating the reinforcements the Alpha had called for. If he didn’t do something soon, they could very well be overrun.

“Let’s finish with a light show, shall we?” He hissed, gathering his Chi in his hands. As the Alpha charged at him, Kyle smiled darkly. He thrust his right hand forward, and green lightning shot from his fingertips, lancing out at the Alpha. The wolf howled in agony as Kyle ramped up the energy flowing from him, leaving dark scorch marks along the wolf’s flank.

Finally, a particularly harsh blast had the intended effect. The wolf’s midsection caught fire, and the rest of the creature was soon engulfed in the blaze. Kyle could hear the other wolves fighting Celestia and Luna yelp in terror, and watched as they all fled from the creature who had turned the strongest among them into a living torch. The Alpha collapsed to the ground, and the eerie yellow light in its eyes faded as the inferno devoured it.

Kyle looked over at to the two Princesses. Celestia appeared uninjured, while Luna had a couple of scrapes but no blood. Kyle then examined his own injuries. The puncture wounds left by the wolf were not deep, but they were still oozing blood and stung something fierce.

A noise from behind drew Kyle’s attention once more. The bodies of three of the wolves he had killed were shuddering. Only the scorched husk of the Alpha remained still. Suddenly, the wolves’ bodies reconstructed themselves, and the wolves rose to their feet, growling menacingly. It appeared that they had had enough, however, as they looked at the remains of their Alpha and backed away into the brush before turning tail and fleeing.

Kyle then turned his attention back to the crevice, where the wolves’ original target had been. He knelt down beside the crevice and took a peek inside. “Hey, you can come out now.” He said gently. “The wolves are gone. You’re safe.”

“Go away!” A terrified voice yelled back. “Ah’m not comin’ out ‘til yer gone!”

Kyle looked back at Celestia. She smiled slightly and walked over to the crevice. “Come on out, little one.” she spoke into the crevice, allowing whoever was in there to see her face. “There’s nothing to be afraid of now.”

Slowly, a small head poked its way out of the crevice. The small pony had a light yellow coat with apple-red hair that was messed up and tossed around. On top of the pony’s head was a bright pink bow. Must be a female. Kyle thought to himself as he stood aside, trying not to scare the little filly.

When the filly saw Celestia and Luna, she bolted out of the cliff, rushing over to the princesses and cuddling up next to Luna. “Ah, Applebloom.” Luna said with a smile. “It’s been a while, hasn’t it? Last Nightmare Night, I believe.”

“Yep.” Applebloom replied, pulling back. She glance around, and her eyes landed on Kyle. Her pupils shrunk, and she dove behind Luna. She peeked her head out from behind her legs, shivering.

Celestia giggled. “Kyle, this is Applebloom. She’s Applejack’s sister.” she introduced. “Applebloom, this is Kyle Slater, a Human from another world called Azeroth. He helped us fight off the Timber Wolves to save you.”

Applebloom stepped out from behind Luna, staring at Kyle. “Are… are ya really from another world?” she asked in awe.

“Yeah, I am.” Kyle replied. “But that’s a story that can wait. What were you doing out here?” he asked. “The Everfree Forest is a dangerous place. Does your sister know you’re here?”

“Uh…” Applebloom began. “Well… Ah was off to go see Miss Zecora. Ah’ve been helpin’ her a lot with makin’ potions and stuff. So I was on the path, and then Ah saw some juniper berries, and Zecora had told me last time that she was runnin’ outta juniper, so Ah went to go get some, and then those wolves showed up and chased me here.”

Kyle close his eyes and sighed. He hadn’t heard of this Zecora before, but from what Applebloom had just said, she was an Alchemist who apparently lived in the Forest for some reason. He opened his eyes and saw Applebloom walking over to the Alpha. By now the wolf was just a corpse, a pile of ashes and wood that had been charred black and white. However, something seemed off. The char marks seemed a bit too… vibrant.

“Wow… ya sure did a number on this feller.” Applebloom said quietly. She reached out a hoof to touch the wood.

Kyle’s eyes shot wide open as he realized what was wrong. ‘NO!” he screamed, rolling forward and shoving Applebloom aside. She hit the ground with a thump as Kyle landed on his feet. She scrambled back to her hooves, shivering violently. Meanwhile, Luna had extended her wings, looking at Kyle warily, but he couldn’t care less about that right now. “Did you touch it?” he demanded as she cowered. “Did you?!”

“N-n-no…” Applebloom whimpered, clearly terrified.

Kyle sighed and stepped back from the terrified filly. “Sorry about that.” he said calmly. “But I had to make sure you didn’t touch it.”

“Why not?” Luna demanded, stepping forward. She looked angry, and it wasn’t hard to figure out why. “We’ve handled Timber Wolf bodies before. There’s nothing dangerous about touching one that’s dead.”

“Maybe not normally.” Kyle agreed. “But tell me… is that normal?” he demanded, pointing at the body. By now, the signs had become much more visible. The ground beneath the corpse, which had not caught fire even while the wolf was burning, was now scorched and blackened, all life absolutely extinguished. Surrounding the dead zone was a ring of white energy. As Kyle watched, the ring expanded outwards slightly, burning even more ground.

Celestia took a sharp breath, while Luna and Applebloom both took several steps backwards. Kyle, meanwhile, stepped forward, “Please let me be wrong…” he murmured, stepping into the dead zone for a second. A surge of energy flew through him, and he quickly stumbled backwards as a whirlpool of black smoke appeared where he had been standing. From the whirlpool, a terrible sight appeared, one that shattered Kyle’s last hope that he was mistaken.

It was a small creature, not even reaching Kyle’s knees. It’s body was entirely black and white, with no other color or middle ground. It had two arms with three wickedly-sharp claws on the end of each, and a mass of tentacles composed its lower body. It appeared to have no face save for it’s enormous mouth, which was easily half the size of its body.

The creature let out a horrible screech and leaped at Kyle. Kyle stood there with unnatural calmness and extended one hand, grabbing the creature around its throat. It struggle violently, trying to bite Kyle, but its head was too large for it to maneuver its mouth into a biting position with its throat held like that.

As Kyle held the creature, a terribly familiar wave of cold swept over him. His mind was suddenly flooded with the desire to… Applebloom’s bow was quite interesting… Surely she had others. Maybe he could… NO! he yelled mentally, shaking the thoughts off as the creature thrashed around, trying to get free. Kyle practiced the techniques he had learned during his training, refusing to allow this creature to corrupt him.

Kyle’s other hand glowed green, and he jabbed forward, punching a hole through the creature. Instead of blood and guts, however, only a puff of smoke came from the wound. The creature stopped struggling and went limp as Kyle dropped it to the ground. He raised his right foot and slammed it into the creature’s head, causing the entire body to dissolve into the same smoke. As it dissolved, the ring of white energy stopped expanding, and in fact began to shrink. However, the areas that had already been touched by the energy remained burnt and lifeless.

“What… what was that thing?” Luna stammered. Applebloom was trembling in fear, and even Celestia seemed shaken, her eyes dilated and wide open. Kyle slowly turned to face the ponies, his expression grim. He only said one word, one word that would mean nothing to the Ponies at the moment, but to Kyle signified some of the worst horrors he had ever dealt with.

“Sha.”

Chapter 8

“Nervous?”

Kyle jumped a bit as a voice came from behind him. He spun around to see Celestia giggling at him. He glared for a moment before allowing his face to return to its hopefully neutral expression. He risked a peek out of the window and glanced up at the sky. Almost midday. It would be time very soon. “A little.” he admitted, not allowing the full extent of his anxiety show. He knew he was far from pristine-looking - hell, He was still wearing the same clothes he had come to Equestria in. At least the bandages wrapped around his chest to cover his wounds were concealed.

Kyle looked around for what felt like the thousandth time. He was in a small room on the second floor of city hall, not far off from the main area. He closed his eyes, thinking back to how he had gotten here. It had been very early when Fluttershy had woken him up from his slumber, hunched over the table with a pencil in one hand and his head on a stack of paper.

Celestia had been waiting for him, so he quickly washed the dirt from his face and hair before following her. The moon had been high in the sky, but descending towards the west. Early morning. he had thought groggily. TOO early. Still, Celestia had had a good idea. She had snuck him into town in the dead of night to avoid other Ponies detecting him until the big reveal. Even the mayor was unaware as to why she wanted to hold a sudden press conference. Silently, Kyle wondered how Celestia had managed to secure permission without those details.

Oh, right. Princess. Duh.

Kyle glanced out the window again and felt his nervousness come back in full force. There had to be at least two hundred Ponies out there, all huddled around the front steps to City Hall. “Are… are you sure I need to speak?” he asked, his voice a higher pitch than normal.

“So Luna was right - you do get stage fright.” Celestia joked. “Just relax, Kyle. They’re not going to bite. You have the word of three princesses to vouch for you. All you have to do is answer some questions that they’ll undoubtedly have.”

“And then back to Fluttershy’s?”

Celestia shook her head. “While I appreciate her hospitality, Fluttershy’s cottage is a bit… small for a Human. Twilight Sparkle has agreed to take you in for the time being, as her residence is considerably larger. It would also keep you in close proximity to her in case she needs your help in researching how to send you home. Is that is agreeable to you?”

Kyle nodded slowly. He opened his mouth to speak, but a knock at the door silenced his thoughts. The door swing open, and Twilight’s head poked inside. “Two minutes.” She warned. “The coast is clear. Everypony’s outside. We’re the only ones still in the building.”

“About time.” Kyle muttered, more out of nerves than anything. He had been hearing the sound of hoofsteps trotting past the door all day. Celestia merely smiled and trotted out of the room behind Twilight.Kyle was much slower in leaving, his fear threatening to boil over. No. Not now. he thought viciously. He took a deep breath, forcing his muscles to relax as he walked down the stairs leading to the main area.

The doors to the outside were swung wide open, allowing a cool draft to blow through the room. However, a dark red velvet curtain covered the entrance, shielding the room from the curious gazes of the ponies gathered outside. Voices could be heard from the other side as the Ponies talked amongst each other. Celestia was standing next to the doorway, her face the epitome of calm collectedness. “It is time.” she said as Kyle stood opposite her. “I will introduce you, and then you will step outside. Just relax, answer some questions, and it’ll be over with.”

“Sure… whatever you say.” Kyle said quietly, closing his eyes. he heard the curtains moving as Celestia stepped outside. The voices stopped almost instantly. Kyle took deep breaths, forcing himself to calm down. On instinct, he let his mind flow freely, opening himself to the Chi around him. Kyle’s muscles relaxed as he felt the familiar, if not entirely pleasant, sensation wash over him.

Chi energy rolled off of the Ponies in waves, drowning out the energy of the other life forms around. They were all focused on one thing - the Princess. Their unrestrained emotions bled into their Chi, granting brief, fleeting insights into their state of mind. Curiosity and excitement flew through Kyle as he rapidly hopped from mind to mind, getting snippets of what was going on outside.

Suddenly, the Chi changed - a subtle change, but one Kyle could easily notice, immersed as he was in the life-force. Curiosity was still present, for sure. If anything, it was stronger than ever before. However, much of the excitement had been replaced by other emotions. He sensed wariness from several of the gathered Ponies. Fear rolled off of many of them. Still others were filled with anticipation.

Kyle quickly realized that Celestia must have just revealed his presence. That was the only logical reason for a change in energy such as that. He forced his mind back into his own body, shaking his head to clear it. He heard Celestia’s voice coming from outside. “...here to answer a few questions you may have for him. Kyle Slater, please step forward.”

Show time. Kyle thought, sweat forming on the back of his neck once more. The little meditation session had helped, but not as much as he would have liked. Shaking his nervousness off, Kyle reached forward and pushed the curtain aside. Bright sunlight flooded the room as Kyle stepped forward, through the doorway, out to meet his fate.

Ponies. Ponies as far as the eye could see, filling the courtyard in front of the building, flooding out onto the streets that led to the courtyard. He could only make out two familiar faces, both right in front of him - Celestia, standing by the podium with her trademark smile; and Twilight, standing off to the side of the door he had just walked through. By the light… Kyle blinked as he looked out over the crowd. There’s so many of them…

Twilight coughed softly, and Kyle realize that he had frozen in place. With a weak chuckle, he forced himself to move up to the podium. Celestia nodded and stepped to the side, taking a position opposite Twilight next to the door. “H… Hello.” Kyle spoke to the crowd. His voice rang out over the audience, magnified by some spell to reach farther than normally possible.

Nobody spoke. Nobody moved. All eyes were locked on him, the alien among them. “Well… I, uh… l-let’s start with s-s-some questions then?” he stammered, sweat rolling down the back of his neck. For a long moment, silence prevailed. Finally, a pony near the front raised a hoof. “Yes?” Kyle asked, fearing the worst.

“Are… are you really from another world?” A female voice asked.

Kyle blinked. He had been expecting to be bombarded with difficult questions about himself his world, his people… he hadn’t been expecting such a simple opening question. “Y… Yes I am.” he said, feeling slightly relieved at his luck.  “I am from a world called Azeroth.”

Another pony raised a hoof, this time further back and off to the right. Kyle pointed, and a head popped up above the crowd. “How did you get here?”

Kyle paused, taking a moment to collect his thoughts. So far, things were going a lot more smoothly and a lot less stressful than he had feared. “I walked through an unstable portal.” he explained, his voice sounding a bit stronger now. “It seemed to be firing off to random places. I happened to walk through as it opened in the middle of the Everfree Forest, and it closed behind me.”

A murmur ran through the crowd, and Kyle could easily imagine why. In hindsight, charging through an unstable portal firing off to Light knows where might not have been the best idea. Another hoof on the edge of Kyle’s vision caught his attention, and he nodded towards it. “Yes?”

“Are there Ponies where you come from?”

Ah, there it was. One of the difficult questions Kyle had been dreading. “Yes… kind of.” he began slowly forcing himself to not stumble over his words. “You see, on Azeroth, we do have Ponies… but they’re very different from you all.” Silence. “Firstly, there are no Pegasi, Unicorns, or Alicorns - only Earth Ponies. Secondly… well, they’re not intelligent.” A collective gasp rang out. “Yeah… on Azeroth, ponies have no capacity for higher thought like you all do. They’re just... animals.”

Kyle was dreading the silence that he was certain would follow. To his surprise and relief, another hoof off to the left shot into the air almost immediately. “So, you Humans are the only intelligent life on your world?”

“No.” Kyle shook his head. “There are many others besides us. Gnomes, Dwarves, several different races of Elves, Trolls… That really only scratches the surface. There are several dozen different sentient creatures on Azeroth, each with varying intellectual capacities. Some are really smart, like the Gnomes and Elves. Others, like Murlocs… not so much.” A few Ponies chuckled at this.

And so it went for several more minutes, with more and more Ponies asking questions. Kyle began to relax, feeling more at ease. This was a subject he knew better than anyone else present. The crowd began to relax as well, talking amongst themselves and asking questions more frequently.

Celestia walked up to Kyle. “We’re about out of time. Just one more question.” she said to the crowd before stepping back. Several hooves shot into the air and Kyle had to suppress a chuckle at their enthusiasm. He pointed at a mint-green hoof, and all the others were slowly lowered. A matching-colored unicorn head shot out of the crowd.

“What are you going to do now that you’re here in Equestria?”

Kyle paused, and silence prevailed once more. He hadn’t given that subject too much thought. The events of the day before had driven the future from his mind, but this question brought it right back to the forefront of his mind. “I… I don’t really know.” he said finally. ‘I mean… I want to go back home, but I don’t know how. I guess until I figure that out I’ll… try to start fitting in. Get a job, maybe?” he shrugged. “Whatever I need to do, really.”

That seemed to satisfy the crowd. Kyle let out a sigh of relief and stepped back as Celestia took the podium again. “That will conclude this meeting.” she announced. “Again, I ask that you please accept Mr. Slater and treat him as you would anypony else.” The crowd murmured in agreement. Celestia smiled and stepped back, motioning to Twilight and Kyle as she walked through the curtain. The crowd began to disperse, and Kyle took one last glance behind him before walking after the Princesses.

“So, was it as bad as you thought it would be?” Twilight asked. Her grin was somehow both reassuring and teasing at the same time.

“You have no idea.” Kyle chuckled, wiping the sweat from his forehead. “Thank the Light it’s over, at least.”

“Oh come on, it wasn’t that bad!”

“Maybe not as hard as I’d feared.” Kyle admitted. “But still something I could do without doing again.”

Twilight sighed and rolled her eyes good-naturedly. “Well fine, when we find a way to send me home, you can come with me and introduce yourself in front of half of Stormwind, and we’ll see what your opinion is then!” he laughed, the relief of finishing the Questioning session filling him with mirth.

Kyle’s laugh was quickly cut off as the wounds over his chest made themselves known once more. He hissed quietly, clutching the punctures with his right hand.

“Are you alright?” Celestia asked, her expression quickly changing to that of worry.

Kyle waved his left hand dismissively. “Just the wounds from the other day.” he grunted. “Must have aggravated them just now.”

“Timber Wolves are no easy opponent to deal with.” Twilight remarked. “A pack of them nearly killed Spike and Applejack not too long ago. You’re lucky you got away as well as you did.”

“Question.” Kyle said suddenly, looking at Celestia. “You have the power to raise the sun, to move a giant ball of fire through the sky. Why didn’t you take care of the Timber Wolves yourself?”

“Besides the fact that I dislike hurting other creatures unless absolutely necessary?” Celestia remarked. “You claimed to be a soldier, one who fought with fists and agility rather than weapons and brute strength. I wished to see a demonstration. Call it curiosity, if you will.”

Kyle opened his mouth to argue, but didn’t speak. No matter how much he argued against this choice, it was in the past. Nothing could be done now to change it. “Just ask next time.” he grumbled, rubbing his wound again.

“Why not just heal yourself?” Twilight asked. “You took care of that doe the other day just fine.”

“Injuries are nature’s ways of letting you know you made a mistake.” Kyle explained. “This wound might hurt, but it is shallow, not life-threatening, and will heal relatively quickly. To try to heal it with magic would use far more energy than it is worth.”

At that moment, the curtains fluttered and another Pony waked in. This one was a beige mare, with a white-and-grey striped mane. She wore a pair of spectacles across her nose, and a white collar (With no shirt, for some reason Kyle couldn’t fathom). Her cutie mark depicted a scroll tied up with a blue ribbon

“Ah, Mayor Mare.” Celestia said with a smile. “I was wondering when you would arrive.”

Mayor Mare gave a respectful bow. “Just taking my time.” she said. “I figured you all would want a post-announcement meeting.”

“We were just finishing up.”

Mayor Mare noded and walked up close to Kyle. Kyle leaned backward slightly, a bit perturbed at the close proximity. Mayor Mare narrowed her eyes, looking Kyle up and down. “Well… I suppose if the Princesses say you’re alright, you’re welcome in Ponyville.” she said, finally stepping backwards. “Though you seem a bit… rough for my comfort.”

“I haven’t exactly had an opportunity to wash up properly.” Kyle grunted, slightly irritated at this mare. “Give me a tub and a razor and I’ll be fine.”

“A razor?!” the Mayor exclaimed, taking a few steps backwards. “What could you possibly need one of those for?!”

Kyle groaned and covered his face with his hand. Of course the Ponies wouldn’t shave. They were literally covered in hair. “Human males grow beards - rough, bristly hair on our face.” he explained, brushing his own stubble with his hands. It was clearly visible, though short, and gave him a bit of an unkempt appearance. “We either need to shave, or else grow it out and keep iit groomed to keep up appearances. My job on Azeroth encourages being clean-shaven, and I personally prefer it. A lot less messy, and a lot less work. Plus, it’s takes time to grow a decent beard, and during the in-between time you look like a wreck.”

“I see…” the mayor replied, taking a step forward. “My apologies. I was unaware of this.”

Kyle gave a dismissive wave. “Not a problem.”

“So… what exactly did you do for a living in your home world?”

“I’ll give you the full details in just a moment, Mayor.” Celestia interjected. “Twilight, would you mind showing Kyle to your home? He has agreed to stay with you for the time being, as we discussed earlier.”

“Alright. Come on Kyle. Let’s go get your arm… er, leather.” Twilight hastily corrected. Kyle nodded and followed Twilight out the door.

“Finally made it.” Kyle sighed, slamming the door shut behind him. The trek through town had certainly been an… interesting experience. After the Question and Answer session, the few Ponies who had not been present had apparently been quickly brought up to speed. Kyle had gotten many strange looks as he walked through the town towards Fluttershy’s house. Most of their expressions were curious or even welcoming, but a few had been rather… guarded.

That mint one though… Kyle sighed and closed his eyes, rubbing his temples. He had recognized the mint-green unicorn from the announcement. She had been the one to ask the last question. He spotted her no less than half a dozen times throughout their journey. Every single time she had been staring directly at them with a big grin, and every single time he had caught her she had looked away as if she wasn’t interested. They had finally given her the slip at the edge of town, and hadn’t seen her at all on the way from Fluttershy’s cottage to Twilight’s house.

Kyle opened his eyes, looking around the building he was in for the first time. He had been surprised to learn that Twilight lived inside a tree, and was surprised again at the interior. The walls were lined with rows upon rows of shelves, each stocked full of books. “You live in a library… inside a tree?” he asked incredulously. He had seen the Night Elves make their homes in trees, sure, but never something like this.

“Yes I do. A bit unusual, I agree, but it works.” Twilight replied. “Do you like books?”

Kyle shrugged. “Not really my thing, but I’m not against them.”

“Well we have them in abundance, on nearly any subject you’d be interested in.” Twilight wandered up the stairs, looking around. “Spike?” she called out as she reached the second floor.

“In here!” Spike’s voice rang out from behind the staircase. Kyle moved over towards the stairs and saw another room, clearly a kitchen. Spike was standing on a stepstool over a stove, stirring a pot. Kyle sniffed, and the smell of cooking food sent his stomach growling.

“Oh, hey Kyle, what’s up?” Spike said offhandedly, turning back to the pot. “Twilight said you might be coming to live here for a while.”

“Yeah, I am.” Kyle said. He sniffed the air again. “Whatever you’re cooking, it smells amazing.”

“Thanks. It’s my specialty - Dragonfire Chili.” Spike looked over his shoulder at Kyle. “I know a lot of Griffons and Minotaurs use meat in their chili, but this one’s vegan. Sorry.”

“Eh, I didn’t expect meat” Kyle replied, only slightly disappointed. “Would have been more surprised if there was any, to be honest.”

“It’s still good. But you’d better make sure you have a drink on hand.”

“Hmm?”

“It’s called Dragonfire for a reason.” Spike chuckled.

Kyle smirked. “I ate a Cindergut pepper on a bet once.” he boasted. He neglected to mention that the experience had nearly killed him. “Do your worst. I can take it.”

“Alright, that’s enough you two.” Twilight chuckled as she walked into the kitchen. “That chili’s for dinner, right Spike?” Spike nodded. “Right. So Kyle, if you want lunch, we can have a daisy sandwich, maybe some hay fries…”

“Hay? Flowers? Sorry Twilight, I’ll pass.” Kyle said quickly.

“Huh? Oh, right! Sorry. Uh… Apples?”

“That’ll do just fine.” Kyle snagged an apple from the counter and took a bite with a satisfying crunch.

Twilight, meanwhile, looked at the apple closely. Kyle noticed this and raised an eyebrow “Fascinating… Those front teeth of yours leave some very interesting marks” she murmured to herself, writing on a notepad.

Kyle shrugged and took another bite, quickly finishing off the apple. Satisfied for the moment, he looked over at Twilight. “So… which room am I staying in?” he asked.

“Upstairs, first door on your right.” Twilight replied, not looking up from the paper she was writing on. Shaking his head in amusement, Kyle walked out of the kitchen and up the stairs. The first door on the left, he noticed as he passed, was the bathroom. He passed it up and instead opened the door opposite it, walking in.

The room was fairly spacious, more so than the tent Kyle had been used to. A single bed was pressed up against the far wall underneath a window. A nightstand with a candle and a box of matches lay next to the bed. A bookcase sat next to another door, which opened into a small closet. Otherwise, the room was barren.

Kyle removed the leather armor he had slipped on at Fluttershy’s and placed most of it in a corner. His belt, however, was laid out across the nightstand. Even if he didn’t wear his armor all the time, Kyle was resolved to not be caught in a fight without his brews again. He sat down on the bed, marvelling at how soft it was. His boots slipped off of his feet, and he laid down across the bed. His eyes immediately felt like lead weights, the stress of his early-morning wake up call catching up to him. Within seconds, Kyle was out cold.

Chapter 9

“Alright. Let’s try this again.”

Kyle focused his Chi into his hands once more, feeling the familiar tingling sensation as power laced through his body. He closed his eyes and stretched out his right hand until it hovered just above the bottle in front of him. The movement stirred the air - not much, but enough to bring the scent of the bottle’s content to his nose once more. Apples.

Kyle shifted his focus from gathering Chi to releasing it. A stream of green energy oozed from his fingertips, snaking its way towards the open mouth of the bottle. The energy finally reached the opening and touched the amber liquid inside. At once, the pathway the energy was taking straightened to a line, rather than the meandering path through the air it had previously been traversing. Energy began to flow more freely now that a destination had been connected with the source. Kyle sighed in relief. The most difficult part of this task was always setting up the flow of Chi. Now it was simply a matter of regulating that flow properly.

Of course, there was no guaranteeing this would work. After all, cider is very different from beer.

After a few minutes, Kyle severed the connection. The last few bits of energy dropped from his fingers and into the bottle, which was now glowing a vibrant Jade green. Kyle picked the bottle up and gingerly brought it towards his face. He wafted his hands over the mouth of the bottle, bringing the scent to his nose. The scent of cider dominated his senses, but there was something different about it now. Something new. It wasn’t a scent so much as a feeling. A feeling of power. Stamina.

Energy.

Kyle eyed the concoction dubiously. Sure, it seemed to have worked, but he had also created it under very different conditions than normal. Rather than in the heat of battle, he was sitting cross-legged in the middle of the room Twilight was letting him stay in. And rather than using Stormstout ale or Dwarven mead, he was using something called SAA Special Reserve - hard cider.

Oh well. Only one way to find out.

Kyle braced himself and brought the bottle to his lips, taking a very small mouthful. His eyes widened in shock. Instead of gagging on an incredibly bitter liquid, Kyle found the taste surprisingly refreshing. Good, even. He swallowed. Instantly, a sense of renewed energy flooded through his body. He felt as though he could jog from Stormwind to Ironforge without breaking a sweat.

“Oh now that’s brilliant.” He muttered with a grin. “Wait til the guys back home hear about this. Energizing Brew that doesn’t make you want to lose your lunch? “

Kyle was broken out of his train of thought by a sharp rap at the door. “Kyle? Are you in there?” Twilight called out.

Kyle stood up and walked over to the window. “Just a minute.” he called over to the door as the window opened. He removed a brown pouch from his belt and opened the top before dumping the remaining liquid out of the window. No more need for that swill. He grinned as the last drops landed on the ground below. He strolled over to the bottle and poured about a quarter of the contents into his pouch before replacing the cap and putting the pouch back on his belt. Finally, he closed the bottle and stowed it under his bed. “Alright, come on in.” he called out.

The door opened, and Twilight poked her head inside. “Hey, how’s it going?” she asked with a smile.

Kyle shrugged. “‘bout the same as usual.” he replied casually. “So, what’s up?”

“Well, Spike and I are headed over to Sweet Apple Acres here in a little bit. That’s Applejack’s farm.” Twilight added quickly upon seeing the look of confusion on Kyle’s face. “Applejack offered to cook dinner for us, as well as the rest of our friends, and she and I were hoping you’d come along with us.”

“Who all’s going to be there?”

“Well, let’s see. Me, Spike, and Applejack.” Twilight began,going over the list in her head. “Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Pinkie Pie… Hmm… I’m not entirely sure who else is coming, though.”

 “Doesn’t sound like too big of a crowd.” Kyle grinned. He was in a particularly good mood now that he had managed to create an improved version of his Energizing Brew. Plus, he hadn't been out of the house much in the two days since he'd moved in with Twilight. “I’m in.”

“Great!” Twilight grinned happily. “We’ll be headed out of here in about half an hour.” With that, she turned and closed the door behind her.

The sun was just edging towards the horizon as Kyle, Twilight, and Spike found themselves looking over the white picket fence leading to the farm. Not far beyond the fence was a large red barn, followed by apparently endless rows of trees, each covered in apples. “So… that’s Sweet Apple Acres huh?”

“Yep. Biggest apple farm this side of Canterlot.” Twilight replied as they walked through the gate. The trio walked past the building and started heading towards a small hill not far off to the west. The hill was bathed in the blinding light of the setting sun, forcing Kyle to shield his eyes from the harsh glare. He could barely make out a silhouette of a building on top of the hill

“So, the house is over there?” Kyle asked as they approached the building. Normally, he’d expect to see the farmhouse right near the front of the property. “Seems a bit unusual.”

“No, we already passed it. Didn’t you see…. oh.” Twilight said, a look of recognition appearing on her face. “No, that’s not the barn back there.” She jerked her head over her shoulder. “It’s the house, it’s just looks like a barn on the outside.” Kyle looked back over his shoulder, and then back at the building they were headed towards. Sure enough, now that he was in the shadow of the building and the sun wasn’t right in his eyes, he could tell that this was indeed a barn.

“So… we’re having dinner in the barn, not the house?” Kyle asked, raising an eyebrow. “Wouldn’t it make more sense to eat where the food is prepared so you don’t have to haul it around?”

Twilight’s smile of amusement quickly became much more forced and awkward. She chuckled nervously. “Well, uh… The Apple family… uh…” her eyes suddenly lit up. “They don’t normally serve crowds this big. We can’t all fit in the dining room in the house, so we’re using a larger space!”

Kyle raised an eyebrow at Twilight, who was smiling nervously. Neither one let their eyes wander from each other, fighting a battle of wills. Their staring contest continued as the sun finished setting - much more quickly than Kyle was used to on Azeroth - and the darkness of night surrounded them. It was only when Spike cleared his throat and tapped his foot impatiently that both Kyle and Twilight dropped their gaze.

Twilight and Spike both walked over to the barn door and opened it, dashing inside and closing it behind them. Kyle opened the door again and peeked inside the barn. It was pitch-black inside, the only light coming from the rising moon behind him. “...Hello?” He called out, tentatively stepping into the barn. The door slammed shut behind him, making him jump. He stood there in the darkness, every muscle tense.

The lights flicked on, and Kyle hissed in pain at the sudden glare. He shut his overly-diluted eyes to protect them, effectively blinding him.

“Surprise!”

Kyle yelped and instinctively lashed out with his fist. The right hook hit its mark with a loud crunch, smashing straight through its target. Something spilled past his hand, rustling out of the hole his fist had made and onto the ground. Kyle slowly opened his eyes as they readjusted to the light.

His fist had gone straight through a paper-mache star and out the other side. Candy spilled from the inside, coating the ground below it. Not four inches to the side was a pink face, eyes wide with shock. “Wowee!” Pinkie Pie yelled, a grin breaking onto her face. “That’s got to be the best reaction I’ve gotten from a surprise party ever! I mean, I was all like ‘Surprise!’ And you were all like ‘AHHHH!’ …”

Pinkie continued to speak,but Kyle paid her barely any attention. He glanced around the barn, noting his surroundings. There were a few stalls and an upper floor accessible by a ladder on the wall, but otherwise the area was clear. A table sat in the middle of the barn, covered in various foods and punch bowls. All the Ponies that Twilight had mentioned were scattered throughout the room, along with a couple of others - A large, red stallion, and a trio of fillies off in the corner. All eyes were locked on Kyle, who slowly withdrew his fist. Pinkie stopped talking as more sweets fell from the piñata.

“Uh… sorry about that…” he said nervously. “I uh… tend to overreact when I’m startled.”

An awkward silence descended upon the room. Only Twilight’s face showed any lack of suspicion, instead showing worry and a hint of anger. Finally, the silence was broken by Pinkie. “Oh, it’s alright!” she said happily, a smile breaking out on her face again. “Ponies say I tend to overreact when I get startled too!” Her face adopted a more thoughtful expression. “Come to think of it, they also say I tend to overreact when I’m excited and bored and happy and sad and…”

“Alright Pinkie, we get it.” Applejack interrupted. She still seemed uncertain, as did everyone else, but the tension in the room had been broken.

Kyle sighed in relief at having dodged yet another bullet. Luck’s gonna catch up with me eventually… “What is all this?” he asked, gesturing at the table. It was covered in food, but not what he had expected to be dinner.

“It’s the ‘Welcome to Ponyville’ party I promised you, silly!” Pinkie exclaimed. “A surprise party, for you! So, do you like it? Huh huh huh?!”

Kyle looked around the room once more. Now that he had a chance to look around and take in some details, he noticed that there were balloons tied to various planks, and a large banner hanging from the rafters that read ‘Welcome Kyle!’ “Well it was…. a surprise.” he finally replied. Pinkie beamed and literally bounced away to go talk to Rainbow Dash.

“Kyle, a moment please?”

Kyle looked up and saw Twilight looking at him expectantly. The others were helping themselves to snacks and punch, while she was standing over in the corner. Kyle nodded and walked over to her. “What’s up?”

“‘What’s up’? What was up with that?!” Twilight demanded. “You could have broken Pinkie’s jaw with that swing!”

“Hey, I came expected dinner, not a surprise party!” Kyle replied, anger rising in him.

“That doesn’t mean you need to knock her head off!”

“The lights were off, the doors just slammed behind me, no one was there as far as I knew, and suddenly I’m blinded and something’s yelling in my ear.” Kyle hissed, glaring daggers. “Now, you might feel a bit differently, but that kinda spooked me. And experience has taught me to punch first and apologize if necessary later!”

Twilight sighed. “Look, just try and keep yourself under control from now on, alright?” she said, exasperated. “I doubt you’ll look very good if you end up punching somepony.”

“Fine. But you warn me about any future surprises, and I can act surprised without hurting someone.”

Kyle looked away from Twilight and glanced about the room once more. Applejack was standing next to the red stallion from earlier. When looked at her she beckoned him over. Kyle nodded and walked over to the table, grabbing a glass of punch before walking over to her. “Kyle, this is my brother, Big Macintosh, or Big Mac fer short.”

“Hey there.” Kyle said, extending a hand without thinking. Big Mac simply stared at the hand with an amused expression. Kyle blinked and slowly lowered his hand.

“Howdy.”

Another awkward silence descended upon the trio. Big Mac simply looked back and forth between his sister and Kyle. Finally, he opened his mouth to speak. “I’d better go check on Granny.” he said, turning away and exiting the barn.

Kyle raised an eyebrow as he watched Big Mac leave. Applejack chuckled. “He ain’t much of a talker.” she explained. “Stallion o’ few words, but a heart o’ gold.”

“Right… and who’s that over there?” Kyle asked, nodding towards the trio of fillies over by the cake. “I recognize Applebloom, but who are the other two?”

“Well, the Unicorn is Sweetie Belle - that’s Rarity’s sister.” Applejack explained. “And the Pegasus is Scootaloo. She ain’t related to none of us here, but she and Sweetie Belle and Applebloom are thick as thieves.” Applejack paused, her brow furrowing in thought. “Come to think of it, I don’t reckon I’ve ever seen her parents…”

Kyle watched as the trio chatted amongst themselves. They soon began to walk away, clearly trying to look innocent. “Looks like they’re about to start some trouble.” Kyle murmured to himself, a small smirk playing across his face. One quality one would not expect from a seasoned veteran like him would be a soft spot for children, and yet he often found himself amused at the antics he would see youngsters doing. Let’s see where this heads, shall we?

“Hang on.” He said, looking more closely at the trio. “Those three… they don’t seem to have cutie marks.”

Applejack sighed. “Yeah, don’t mention it to ‘em. They’re the only three left in their class that ain’t got ‘em yet. They have this club goin’ on, the Cutie Mark Crusaders. They’re always off doin’ some new crazy idea to try to get their cutie marks.”

“Sounds like they’re a handful.” Kyle smirked, draining his cup of punch. It was laced with the distinct taste of alcohol, and Kyle made a mental note to keep the fillies and Spike away from that particular bowl.

“You have no idea.”

Kyle glanced out of one of the windows. The black cloth previously covering it to stop the moonlight from entering had been removed, and Kyle could see apparently endless fields of apple trees “So, is it just you, Applebloom, and Big Mac on the farm?” he asked. “Seems like a whole lot of trees for just three ponies to handle.”

“Na, two of us take care of the harvest and such. Applebloom ain’t big enough to help out just yet, though she will be soon. Big Mac and I have always been able to get through applebuck season just fine. But to answer yer question, we also have Granny Smith. This kinda party ain’t quite her thing - she’s pretty old, after all. She’s back at the house, probably asleep by now.”

“Still, can’t be easy handling all this crop and maintaining the buildings and raising Applebloom AND taking care of Granny Smith with just the two of you.” Kyle remarked. “You all ever called in any outside help?”

“Well, one time Twilight and everypony else came to lend a hoof when Big Mac had hurt himself.” Applejack admitted. “But every other year we’ve managed just fine with the two of us. Don’t see that changin’ anytime soon, neither.” Applejack raised an eyebrow. “Why you so curious anyhow?”

“Well, I was thinking that if I’m going to be here for any length of time, I’m gonna need to get a job of some sort.” Kyle explained. “I can’t live off of Twilight’s generosity forever. I figured if you needed a helping hand around the farm, I’d be up for it.”

“Sorry partner, we’re not really lookin’ fer any outside help at the moment. You asked Rarity yet? She always seems swamped with large orders and whatnot.”

Kyle laughed. “The last time I tried to do anything involving fabric was when I tried to mend a hole in my shirt.” he chuckled. “I needed a new shirt once I was finished. I can’t do any tailoring worth spit.”

“Well, just keep lookin’ ‘round.” Applejack said, turning to walk away. “Small town like Ponyville, there’s sure to be somepony lookin’ for a helpin’ hoof.” With that, Applejack walked away, moving towards Twilight and Rainbow Dash.

Kyle walked back over towards the table to grab another glass of punch. For some reason, all of the food and drink in Equestria so far had seemed much more satisfying and flavorful than their Azerothian counterparts. As he finished off an apple fritter, Rarity trotted over. “Kyle, darling, you can’t possibly still be wearing those same clothes you came here with, are you?” she asked

“What? No ‘hello, how are you’?” Kyle asked with a chuckle, walking over towards one of the walls.. “If you haven’t noticed, I’m kind of the only Human around these parts. Kind of hard to find clothes to fit me.”

“Well stop by my boutique tomorrow. I’ll take your measurements and make you those outfits I promised you before. No charge.” she added, seeing Kyle open his mouth to object. “I insist on helping a friend not look like a complete train wreck.”

“Oh come on, it’s not that bad.” Kyle countered. Rarit simply gave him a deadpan look, and he held up his hands in defeat. “Alright, fine, I’ll show up tomorrow afternoon.”

“Excellent. It won’t take very… long…” Rarity trailed off, her eyes focused on something behind Kyle. The lights behind Kyle cast a shadow on the wall in front of him. Three shapes were crouched down in the rafters behind him. Three small, filly-sized shapes.

“CUTIE MARK CRUSADER HUMAN WRESTLERS! YAY!”

Kyle felt something small but heavy land on his shoulders. He rolled off to the side to disperse the energy of the sudden weight, making sure to roll towards a nearby stall full of hay. Applebloom was hurled into the pile of hay, giggling, while Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo pounced on top of him as well. Sweetie Belle was quickly tossed into the hay pile as well, and Scootaloo soon followed.

Kyle could see Rarity and Applejack running over, yelling reprimands at their sisters. Kyle, however, had other plans. He growled playfully and leapt into the hay as well. The fillies squealed in surprise as he burst into the stall. The adult ponies could only stare as the hay pile was promptly shredded and thrown everywhere as Kyle wrestled with the trio, taking care not to hurt them.

Finally, Kyle flopped out of the remains of the hay pile, and Scootaloo leapt on top of him, ‘pinning’ him to the ground. “One two three four five six seven eight nine ten!” Sweetie Belle yelled quickly. Kyle gave out an exaggerated groan of defeat as Sweetie Belle and Applebloom lifted Scootaloo into the air, where she posed and flexed in triumph.

“A’right you three, that’s enough now.” Applejack said, her voice laced with humor.

“Did I get my cutie mark?” Scootaloo asked suddenly. All three fillies promptly spun their heads around to check their flanks, and all three gave out a simultaneous sigh as they saw that they hadn’t gotten their cutie marks.

“You alright there Kyle?” Rainbow Dash asked as he picked himself off the ground.

“Like I haven’t had worse before.” he shrugged, brushing a scrap of hay out of his hair.

Rainbow smirked. “You got beaten up by a bunch of fillies dude.” she chuckled. “That’s just sad.”

Kyle glanced over at the trio, who were already huddled up - planning their next idea, no doubt. “You know damn well I let ‘em win.” he grinned, punching her lightly on the shoulder.

“Yeah yeah, sure, whatever you say.”

The rest of the party passed without further incident. Kyle made sure to limit himself to two glasses of the spiked punch, and switched to non-alcoholic afterwards. At one point, Pinkie Pie invited him to play pin the tail on the pony, which Kyle found amusing for a time. Fluttershy actually managed to pin the tail right where it was supposed to go, while Kyle put it on the pony's eye. The piñata was unfortunately ruined, but the candy was still good to eat. The crusaders slipped off into a corner at some point, and when they were finally discovered they were curled up, fast asleep.

“Alright ya’ll, I think that’s the sign to end it fer the night.” Applejack said, picking Applebloom up and draping her across her back. “These fillies have school in the mornin’ after all.”

“Indeed. I should get Sweetie Bell to bed.” Rarity agreed, doing the same thing with her younger sister. “Oh but… who’s going to take Scootaloo home?”

“I can do it… hic!” Rainbow Dash slurred. Unlike Kyle, she had continued to drink the spiked punch well into the night, and she was now wobbling around the room. She slipped and nearly fell on her face, but Applejack managed to prop her up with her shoulder.

“Hold on there, sugarcube.” Applejack said sternly. “You ain’t in no fit state to fly by yerself, much less take a little filly ‘cross town. Yer sleepin’ in the guest room tonight… again. ‘Sides, you don’t even know where she lives.”

“Neither do… hic!... you.”

“Look, I’ll take her.” Kyle interjected. Every head turned towards him. “You all have stuff to do in the morning, and I don’t really. You all head home, I’ll take her to her place.”

“And how will you know how to get there?” Twilight asked.

Kyle blinked. “Well, we could always ask her.” he replied, nodding towards the orange filly. She was now sitting on her haunches, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

“Wha? Wait, I can take myself home!” She cried out.

“Nonsense. It’s far too late at night for a young filly to be wandering the streets alone.” Rarity countered. “And don’t even try to argue.” she cut Scootaloo off as the filly opened her mouth. “Kyle will take you home, and that’s final.”

“But… I… *sigh* alright…” Scootaloo conceded. “Cmon, let’s go.” She turned away from the others and trudged towards the door. Kyle waved goodbye to the others and followed her.

The two walked in silence through the Apple property, past the farmhouse, out the gate, and down the road. “You okay?” Kyle finally asked as the pair entered the town limits.

“Yeah.”

Kyle frowned. Her tone of voice, her curtness, her body language… “No you’re not.” he said. “Something’s bothering you. What’s up?”

“I said I’m fine!”

Kyle flinched at the angry tone in Scootaloo’s voice. He hadn’t expected such a vehement response so quickly. Scootaloo quickly turned her eyes down. “Sorry. It’s just… I’m tired of everypony treating me like a little foal.”

Kyle paused. He looked over at Scootaloo to see her staring at her hooves. “What do you mean?”

“I mean… everypony treats me like I’m some helpless foal who needs pampering and protecting.” Scootaloo sighed. “I’m a big pony. I can take care of myself.”

“I know you can take care of yourself, but -”

“No you don’t.” Scootaloo interrupted, backing away. “You treat me just the same. You said I needed to be walked home. I don’t. I can do it myself!” She pointed an accusing hoof at him. “And I know you let me and my friends win in that wrestling match. Just like everypony else, you go easy on me.”

Kyle sighed. “If I hadn’t gone easy on you, you wouldn’t have stood a chance. Where would the fun be for anyone if the outcome was decided before the match even started?”

“You’re wrong! I can take you on!” Scootaloo yelled, charging at Kyle much faster than she had before. Her hooves pounded along the pavement, and she leapt and Kyle, her wings buzzing furiously to propel her even faster through the air. Kyle raised an eyebrow, perplexed by her sudden aggressiveness and speed. He had seen arrows moving slower than her before. He had to admit, she was fast.

Not fast enough.

Kyle ducked under her leap and reached up with his right hand, grabbing her around her hind legs. He used her forward momentum to sling her downwards, where she landed on her back with a soft thud. Kyle was on top of her instantly, pinning her to the ground. Scootaloo struggled, but Kyle easily kept her pinned.

“Wha… but.. how could you be that fast?” Scootaloo demanded, her eyes wide. “Let me up!”

“First, you need to calm down.” Kyle said gently. “Quit fighting.”

Scootaloo struggled for a minute longer before finally going limp. Kyle released her, and she slowly got to her hooves. “How… how were you so fast?”

“My job on Azeroth required me to have lightning reflexes.” Kyle explained. A firefly buzzed past him, and his left hand snapped out, snatching the bug from the air. “It required strength.” His grip around the firefly tightened. “And it required discipline and self-control.” He opened his hand, releasing the unscathed firefly.

“The only ponies besides the Wonderbolts who I’ve seen think and act that fast are the royal guards.” Scootaloo said, her previous anger gone. “Were… were you a guard?”

Kyle paused for a moment. “In a sense, I suppose I was.” he finally said. “But not for any one specific person. I was, and am, a Monk. I guarded all of my people.”

“Can you teach me to be that fast? To be like… well, like you? To be a Monk?”

Kyle froze again. A thousand memories of his own training flashed through his mind. “You know not what you ask.” He said finally. “There is more to being a Monk than being fast. It requires a level of commitment and discipline that very few can achieve.”

“You don’t think I can do it.” Scootaloo seethed. ”You still think I’m just a stupid foal!”

“I would say this to anyone who asked me to train them, no matter their age.” Kyle countered. “Stronger and faster men than myself have failed to become a Monk because they could not control themselves. Just as you cannot control yourself.” Scootaloo blinked, surprised by Kyle’s words. “Being a Monks means learning how to control your emotions. You have instead allowed your emotions to control you.”

“Then teach me! Teach me how to control my emotions!”

Kyle sighed. “That is one thing I cannot teach.” he said. “It is something you must discover for yourself.”

Silence descended upon the two as they began walking again. The moon was high in the sky by this point. Scootaloo lead the way, leading Kyle towards the other edge of town. Kyle noticed the houses were becoming shabbier and shabbier, looking more like the remnants of Andorhal after the Forsaken had taken the town. Does this filly really live here? He wondered, praying she didn’t. Some of these homes barely looked fit for habitation.

“Is there nothing you can teach me to at least help?” Scootaloo suddenly asked, almost begging. Kyle turned his head towards the little filly next to him, looking her over. She was wild, reckless, untamed… the exact opposite of what a Monk was.

And yet…

Something… some little voice inside his head whispered to him. There might be a scrap, a shred, a glimmer of potential in this her. He couldn’t quite put his finger on it, but Kyle felt something resonating in this young filly. So she wasn’t polished yet. Neither had he been when he had started…

“I can teach you something. Something to help you control your emotions.” He finally relented. “We Monks often use a technique called meditation to calm ourselves when stressed or fearful. While the complete form of meditation is far beyond your capabilities at the moment, I can at least teach you the most basic technique.” He wandered off to the side of the road.

“Sit down.” he instructed. Scootaloo complied, and Kyle sat as well, his legs crisscrossed. “Can you sit like this?” he asked. Scootaloo tried to work her legs, but she could not keep herself balanced while sitting as he was. “No matter. The technique is not in what you are doing, but what you are thinking.” He closed his eyes. “The goal of meditation is the removal of self from the equation. To become one with the Chi - the life energy - of the world around you. To begin with, you must clear your mind of all emotion, of all thought. Focus on nothing. It is easiest to start practicing meditation in quiet isolation.”

He opened his eyes, and saw the Scootaloo had her eyes closed. Her face was scrunched up in concentration. “Am I doing it?” she asked.

“If you are talking to me, then no.” Kyle chuckled. “I doubt you will be able to successfully clear your mind for months. It took me a long time, too. Until then, if you are serious about trying to become a Monk, then you should meditate for at least an hour each day, preferably before bed. If nothing else, it can help you get to sleep faster and sleep deeper.” Kyle stood, and the noise caused Scootaloo to open her eyes. “Cmon. It’s late, and your parents are probably worried.”

Scootaloo quickly stood up and walked away. Kyle followed her. The homes soon became less and less run down, and by the time Scootaloo approached one, they once again appeared respectable. She knocked three times on the door, and a moment later the door opened, revealing a brown-coated pegasus stallion.

“Scoots! There you are! Your mom and I were getting… worried…” the pegasus glanced behind Scootaloo, noticing Kyle. “Oh uh… hello? Can I help you?”

“Sorry sir.” Kyle said with a slight smile. “I was just bringing Scootaloo home from Sweet Apple Acres. She and her friends got invited to a party by Applejack and her friends, and we all thought a filly shouldn’t be wandering the streets alone this late at night.” Scootaloo turned to glare at him before trudging through the door.

“Oh… right. Well uh… thank you.” The Pegasus said, stepping forward and squinting. “Say… aren’t you that new creature from another world… Human, was it?”

“Yes sir, that’s me.” Kyle replied. “Kyle Slater.”

“Hoof Brake.” the stallion replied. “Well… thanks again for making sure my daughter got home safe.”

“No problem. Have a good evening.” Kyle turned and walked away as the door closed behind him. He glanced back at the house once more, his mind abuzz with thoughts. Finally, he turned his head away and began the walk back towards the library.

Chapter 10

“So, how long do you think this appointment will take?” Twilight asked.

Kyle shrugged, turning to face the door of the boutique. “She was pretty vague. Not very long, she said, though I suppose that could be relative.” He raised his hand and rapped three times on the door.

“Yeah, ‘not very long’ for Rarity is generally a couple of hours.” Twilight smirked. “She might be done with your measurements pretty quickly, but the sketches and designs will take a while. Hope you brought something to do.” With that, Twilight turned and walked away towards the market.

Just as Twilight turned the corner, the door in front of Kyle opened. “Ah, darling, come in, come in!” Rarity exclaimed, ushering Kyle into the boutique and shutting the door behind him. “I was beginning to wonder if you’d forgotten our appointment. Even Sweetie Belle beat you home from school.”

“Sorry, I had a long night, and plenty to think about.” he said, his mind wandering back to the events of the night before. Scootaloo’s anger, and then excitement… her desire for Kyle to teach her…

“Never mind, you’re here now, so let’s go ahead and get started.” Rarity’s horn lit up, and a drawer opened. A clipboard, pencil, and a measuring tape floated out. “Alright, go ahead and take off your clothes.”

“Oh… uh... can’t you just measure around them?” Kyle asked, feeling blood rush up to his face. “We humans tend to be very… uncomfortable when not wearing anything. Kind of taboo to be seen without clothing by someone you’re not very close to, especially the lower half.”

“Whatever do you mean, dear?”

“Well, Human males tend to be a bit more… exposed… than Stallions.”

“Oh dear… Rarity murmured, a hint of pink appearing on her cheeks as well. “Well… I suppose I could try to compensate, though I won’t promise they’ll fit perfectly on the first try.” The tape measurer floated over to Kyle, and he felt magic grip his arms and legs. “Just relax. The measurements will only take a few minutes.” Kyle’s left arm was lifted up, and the tape measurer began measuring almost every detail of it, while the pencil scribbled furiously on the notepad.

“So, Sweetie Belle told me something quite interesting when she got home.” Rarity commented, appearing to not even pay attention to the measurements. “She told me that Scootaloo said that you were a guard back in your homeworld. Is that true?”

“Kind of.” Kyle replied. “It’s a bit more complicated than that, but you can think of it as being very similar to a guard’s position.”

“And that would explain how you were able to fend off those Timber Wolves a few days ago. We were wondering about that.”

“We?”

“The girls and I, of course.” Rarity replied. “We were all wondering how somepony could take on an entire pack of timber wolves, defeat them all, kill a monster that had been possessing their pack leader, and walk away with a couple of relatively minor pokes in the chest. But if you were a guard, I suppose you had some sort of martial training.”

Kyle chuckled, memories of his training flashing through his mind once more. “You have no idea.”

“Then enlighten me.” Rarity said, her eyes locking with Kyle’s. “What kind of training did you go through that you are able to fight so well, and unarmed? Who are you really, Kyle Slater?”

Kyle grimaced. Rarity had managed to lull Kyle into a sense of security with her silver tongue, and now had him backed into a corner. With her taking his measurements, he couldn’t exactly leave the area, and he did not have the kind of verbal ingenuity to worm out of explaining. Nor did he trust himself to lie at the moment. “I’m a Monk.” he finally conceded.

“And what, pray tell, is a Monk?”

“It’s a kind of… well, Warrior, for lack of a better term.” Kyle explained. “We Monks hone ourselves - physically and mentally - to defend those weaker than us.”

“And are all of the guards where you come from Monks?”

“Hardly.” Kyle scoffed. “Most of them are Warriors - clad in heavy armor and wielding a large weapon. The ways of the Monk were only brought to our attention a couple of years ago. Since then, many have undergone the training, but only a handful of us have actually succeeded.”

“Why’s that?” Rarity asked as her tape measurer moved to his legs. “To me, it sounds like you would just use your hoofs to fight as a common pony would, something anypony could learn. And a common pony would stand no chance hoof-to-paw against even a single Timber Wolf, much less a pack.”

“Again, we hone not just our bodies, but our minds.” Kyle explained. “To control one’s emotions and gain perfect mental clarity is the goal of every Monk in battle. In doing so, your vision is no longer impaired, your mind no longer clouded by the heat of battle. You see things you’d miss otherwise. You move faster, think faster, react faster. Everything you do is enhanced by having mental clarity. It is this speed that makes us so powerful in close-quarters combat.”

“And at a range?” Rarity asked. She smirked as Kyle cocked his head in confusion. “Please darling, just because I live in a small town does not mean I am uneducated.” she chuckled. “I studied at the University of Manehattan for a few years, and took a class about the Griffonian Empire during my time. Much of that class involved learning about military tactics used by their army. So I repeat, how would you deal with an enemy at a distance?”

“Admittedly, our use of punches and kicks does mean that we are less effective when not in close to our opponent.” Kyle conceded. “But we are naturally light on our feet, and have a few tricks like rolling to quickly catch a fleeing target. Besides which, we can harness Chi - the life energy that flows through all living things - to perform certain feats of… well, magic, for lack of a better term.”

“I see.” Rarity murmured. “And what made you decide to be a Monk? Or a guard, for that matter?”

“That’s all I’m willing to share right now.” Kyle replied. “It’s a subject that i’m not comfortable discussing in depth here. Twilight can tell you more if you’re wanting more answers.” It was at that point that Kyle noticed the tape measurer had stopped moving. “How long has it been since you stopped measuring?”

“Oh? Oh, right. I finished a moment ago.” Rarity admitted. “But the subject we were discussing was quite interesting, so I figured it wouldn’t hurt to just keep talking for a bit…” Kyle simply gave her a deadpan look, and she chuckled. “Fine. I’ll get to work on a couple of sketches. This is going to be the long part. Any special requests on the style?”

“Plain.” Kyle said simply. “Nothing fancy or flashy, just practical. Something I could work in. Something I could slip my leather over easily.” he added, missing the weight of his armor on his body, even though he had his belt and brews. “If the Sha show back up, I want to be able to throw my armor on quickly.”

“Very good. I’ll just be in the back room. Just hang out here and I’ll show you the sketches when I’m done.” With that, Rarity turned and walked through a curtain into another room.

Kyle stood in the middle of the room, unsure how to keep himself occupied. Seconds turned into minutes, which seemed to stretch on endlessly. Finally, Kyle sat down cross-legged in the middle of the room and closed his eyes. He began to open his mind to the world around him.

“Hey Rarity! I’m done with my… oh! Oh, hi Kyle!”

Kyle opened one eye and looked over towards the staircase. Sweetie Belle had her head poked over the railing, staring right at him. “Hey Sweetie Belle. Rarity’s in the back working. What’s up?”

“What are you… oh, that’s right. Rarity said you were coming over to get measured today.” Sweetie Belle finished walking down the stairs. “So, she’s in the back working on sketches, hm?”

“Yep.” Kyle replied simply, closing his eye again.

“What are you doing?”

“Meditating.”

“Meditating? That’s what Scootaloo said she was doing earlier today!” Sweetie Belle exclaimed.

“Really?” Kyle asked, opening both eyes once more.

“Yeah. We were about to take this pop quiz and everypony was really nervous, but she just closed her eyes for a couple of minutes and seemed to calm down. Applebloom asked her what she did when we got out of school, and she said you had taught her this thing called meditation that was supposed to help you not be scared and stuff.”

Kyle felt a small smile form on his lips. “Yeah, I showed her how last night. Sounds like she’s already starting to work on it.” And if it’s already starting to help her calm down… either she was more emotionally unstable than I thought, or else she’s learning really fast.

A loud snapping sound brought Kyle’s attention back to his surroundings. He whipped his head towards the sound, and found that one of Rarity’s mannequins had been transformed, and was now replaced by a certain draconequus, now wearing the tuxedo that the mannequin had been displaying. “Well Discord, I’d almost say that look... suits you.” Kyle smirked, standing up

Discord snapped his eagle claw again, causing the tuxedo to teleport off of him and onto the floor in a heap. “Leave the corny puns to a professional.” he grinned. “I was hoping to find you here, Human.” Discord’s grin vanished, and was replaced by a much more serious look “We’ve got a problem. I was just in my thinking tree - that’s where I do all of my really deep thinking - and my Sha-radar started going haywire.” He snapped his claws again, and a small device with a flashing screen appeared. It was emitting a rapid beeping sound. “The Sha are out and about today. And they’re close.”

Kyle’s smirk immediately vanished. He spun around on the floor so that the tips of his toes and the tips of his fingers rested against the ground, and then pushed off, running towards the curtain. “Rarity!” he yelled, bursting into the room.

“Kyle!” Rarity screeched, dropping the clipboard she had been drawing on. “Whatever could you be making such a ruckus for?”

“Discord just showed up.” he explained quickly. “He’s sensed more Sha energy. Go get the rest of the girls!” Before Rarity could speak, Kyle span around and dashed back through the curtain.

Sweetie Belle was still sitting where Kyle had left her, looking confused and frightened. “Sweetie Belle, go up to your room and hide until Rarity gets back.” he ordered. Sweetie Belle’s eyes got small, and she nodded hurriedly before dashing up the stairs. “Now, Discord, take me to the Sha.” Discord saluted and ran out the door, with Kyle right behind him.

The pair certainly got many odd looks as they sprinted out of the town, and Kyle could hardly blame the townsponies for staring. An alien was chasing the reformed God of Chaos at top speed - it wasn’t exactly something you’d see everyday. Still, Kyle couldn’t care less about their thoughts as he and Discord headed for the edge of town, towards the richer neighborhoods. Discord weaved in and out of side-roads and back-alleys, and Kyle often had to leap over carts or trash cans to follow. Soon, however, Kyle was standing in front of the Sha energy that Discord had sensed.

Kyle was standing in front of the largest house in Ponyville - more of a mansion than anything. The front gates had been smashed in, and one was knocked completely free of its hinges. Spread throughout the grounds of the manor were multiple swirling pools of black and white energy, while black and white tendrils of power lanced out of the house itself. Several minor Sha were stalking throughout the grounds, and even as he watched, they turned and headed towards the gate to engage the new arrivals. Looking up, Kyle could see that a vortex of black and white energy had appeared in the sky. And that only happened when…

“Well, Human?” Discord interrupted Kyle’s thoughts, his voice only slightly betraying his nervousness. “What’s the big plan, hmm?”

“It’s Kyle, not Human.” Kyle snapped. “And the plan… kick some Sha ass.”

Kyle thrust his right arm forward, and a spinning ball of flame tipped with a jade green head shot forward. It slammed into one of the approaching Sha, exploding and disintegrating its target. As the next Sha leaped forward, Discord snapped his claws, and a strangely-shaped wooden pipe appeared in his hands. He swung the wood at the Sha, and the head was sent sailing over the house while the body dissipated. “Home run!” he exclaimed.

“Oi, Discord. Any chance I could get something to use?” Kyle asked as he brought the back of his right heel down upon a Sha’s back, smashing right through the monster. “A weapon would be really handy about now.” As another Sha leaped at Kyle, Discord snapped his claws again. The Sha suddenly found itself impaled upon a spear that erupted from the ground. Kyle plucked the spear from the ground as the Sha dissolved and gave it a twirl. It was light and short, but sturdy and with a sharp tip. “It’ll do.” he said simply, jabbing forward and impaling the final Sha before slamming it to the ground. The pools out in the yard began to shrink, the Sha that were linked to them vanquished.

“So, Sha are dead. We win. Party back at the library!” Discord exclaimed, a shower of confetti flying from both ears as he blew a party horn.

Kyle, however, strode forward, his face expressionless. “We’re far from finished here.” he said grimly. The swirling vortex in the sky was a sure sign that the fight was only just beginning. “One of the Prime Sha is in that house. Once the girls get… here… damnit!” he swore suddenly. “They don’t know where they’re going! Discord, go get the girls!”

“As you command, oh wise one.” Discord bowed, his voice dripping sarcasm. He snapped his claws and vanished with another loud snap, leaving Kyle alone.

Kyle closed his eyes and prepared for a brief meditation session. The last Prime Sha he had faced had been the Sha of Anger in Kun-Lai Summit. Dozens upon dozens had attacked the monstrosity, and a great many of them found themselves consumed by their own rage, turned against those they had called ally. Kyle had nearly numbered among them. He was not about to charge against another Prime Sha so unprepared once more.

A scream from the house brought Kyle hurtling back to his own body. His eyes snapped open and he gripped his new spear tightly. His plan to meditate went out the window - There was no time for that now, not while someone was still in immediate danger. He charged towards the front door, swerving around the still-shrinking Sha pools. He leaped over the final one and landed right in front of the wooden door. He raised his right foot and slammed it into the door, bursting into the main entrance.

Nothing.

Kyle snarled and glanced around the room. While Sha energy was certainly present, there were no Sha waiting for him. He growled in frustration and charged through the house, searching the rooms and vanquishing the scattered minor Sha he encountered, but did not find either the creature that had screamed nor the Prime Sha. Every passing minute, Kyle’s frustration grew, as did his fear for the life of the Sha’s victim. Finally, in desperation, Kyle flung the back door open.

His eyes went wide as saucers. By the Light…

Standing in front of him was a colossal, black and white monstrosity. It had four spikes acting as legs, splayed out from its body like a spider. Its lower body was comprised  of black smoke, and its arms were tipped with two razor-sharp claws, each easily as big as Kyle. The only tangible thing connecting its torso and legs was a thick, skeletal spine. Its head sported six cruel, glowing white eyes and a series of jagged horns. Its ‘hair’ was glowing white energy that floated upwards towards the Sky. Even as he watched, the creature grew taller.

The Prime Sha.

Kyle froze, his instincts screaming at him to run. He had known what a Prime Sha looked like already, knew its power, but even he had not been prepared for this. This thing was monstrous - even larger than the Sha of Anger had been. And it was growing. Which meant… it was feeding.

Kyle blinked and noticed that the Sha was not focused on him. In fact, it had its back turned towards the Human. Instead, it was focused on a creature in front of it. A Pony. The stallion had a chestnut-brown coat, and his cutie mark depicted three money bags. A stream of black energy poured from the stallion, who was collapsed on the ground and apparently unconscious.

Kyle snarled in frustration. Normally, he would never charge a foe this large - it would simply be suicide. However, with this Pony being drained by the Sha, Kyle had little choice - either act, or watch the Pony die. Kyle focused his Chi and rushed right at the Sha, gripping his spear tightly. He leaped at the Sha and brought the spear downwards in a powerful, two handed overhead strike, ramming it into the Sha’s spine. As the blade buried deep into the monster, Kyle released the Chi he had built up as a surge of Jade Lightning, channeling it through the metal spear and into the Sha.

Kyle quickly released the spear as the Sha screeched in pain, shattering several windows on the manor. Even the brief contact had sent Kyle’s mind reeling for a split second, and he had little time to brace himself for the mental assault. The Sha was now focused entirely on him, the creature that had dared to lash out at the Sha. Kyle glared at the Sha, and enacted phase two of his plan.

Run away!

Kyle dove into a roll underneath the monstrosity just as a set of claws buried themselves in the ground where he had just been standing. He landed on his feet and sprinted away as a pool of black energy erupted just behind him. He grinned viciously as he felt the ground tremble, indicating the Sha was pursuing him. True, he now had the undivided attention of an angry Old God spirit, but that also meant that the Sha was not feeding off of its victim, and thus not growing stronger.

A shower of spikes thudded around Kyle, knocking him off his feet. He scrambled to recover, leaping backwards just in time to avoid being impaled by one of the Sha’s spiked legs. On instinct, he jabbed out, his fist striking the leg. His fist made a dull thudding sound, but otherwise had little effect on the colossal creature.

Kyle grunted in pain and stumbled backwards, clutching his head. Another blow from the Sha landed just next to him, sending him flying through the air. He landed several dozen yards away and rolled to a stop, battered but otherwise physically uninjured. However, he still continued to hold his head. He had made direct physical contact with the Sha without steeling his mind against its influence, and now he was paying the price.

You have not been given what you are deserving of. A deep, cruel voice echoed through his head. Each word was pain, and the pain grew worse with every second. They keep what is rightfully yours from you. I can change that. Submit. Serve me, feed me, and you shall be given what you deserve. The greatest gift of all. One that someone of your strength is truly worthy of.

“And what would that be?” Kyle spat venomously, pushing himself back to his feet. He was stalling for time, trying to summon the willpower to make a resistance against his assailant. “You’ve nothing to offer.”

I’ve more to offer than you would believe, mortal. This is what I offer you: the power to take what is yours.  No creature is entitled to what they cannot stop others from taking. All that stops you from claiming your birthright is your pathetic moral code. I will remove this barrier from your path to greatness. All I demand in return is your unwavering loyalty.

Kyle grimaced and groped at his belt. A bottle found its way into his hands, and he took a swig. His eyes flashed lightning blue for an instant, and he gave a mighty yell as his energizing brew took effect. He used his newfound energy to struggle against the Sha’s influence. For a moment, the pain eased, and Kyle grinned. It was actually working!

And then, just as suddenly, his newfound energy was expended. The pressure on his mind increased, and he groaned in pain, rising into the air as black tendrils of energy lifted him by his arms. He raised his head, and stared directly into the Sha’s eyes. So full of cruelty and hatred…

He spat.

So… You will not submit willingly. the voice chuckled wickedly. I will enjoy breaking you…

The Sha screeched, and the pressure on Kyle’s mind was suddenly lifted. He found himself falling, and landed on his side in the grass. He gasped in shock and relief as he hit the ground, and risked a glance upwards. The Sha was reeling backwards, and slowly beginning to shrink

A set of hooves paused right in front of Kyle’s face, and Kyle, pushed himself backwards, landing on his rear. In front of him was Rarity, her horn aglow and her eyes smoldering with a violet fire. “Get away from him, you ruffian!” she yelled, her eyes glowing even more fiercely.

The Sha screeched again, its body now less than half the size it had been before. It began to dissipate, turning into black smoke. As it did so, the spear embedded in its back fell towards the ground, sticking into the earth. Unlike the other vanquished Sha, however, the smoke did not vanish into the air. Instead, it seeped into the ground, retreating away from the pair. Its presence steadily dwindled as it retreated towards the Everfree Forest, until it could no longer be sensed.

“Rarity! Kyle!” a voice rang out. Kyle turned his head to look behind him. He saw Twilight running at a full gallop towards them, with the rest of her friends right behind her and Discord floating lazily along at the rear. The group slowed as they approached, and finally stopped. Kyle pushed himself to his feet and shook his head to clear it. “Hey girls. What’s up?” he asked casually.

“‘What’s up’?” Twilight demanded, glaring at him. A sense of deja vu ran through Kyle, and he could help but chuckle. “What in Tartarus were you thinking?! That thing could have turned you into goo with a single step, and you attacked it by yourself?! Are you out of your mind?!”

“Not at all.” Kyle answered. “That was a Prime Sha - the highest echelon, basically. There is only one Prime Sha per emotion. That Sha was feeding when I found it. It had some Pony on the ground in front of it, and it was feeding on him. I had the option to either strike and draw its attention, or let him die.”

“Feeding?” Fluttershy asked, poked her head around Twilight. “As in… eating a Pony?!” A collective gasp resounded through the group.

“No no no, not eating him physically.” Kyle shook his head. “Feeding off of his Chi. It’s how the Sha gain strength. They find someone who is overwhelmed by negative emotions, and feed on that emotion, using their Chi as a medium to transport the negative emotion to the Sha. If left to feed too long, the Sha can actually drain them completely and leave them to die, though I doubt that happened today.”

“Which emotions do they feed on? Does it depend on which Sha it is?” Twilight asked.

“Essentially, yes.” Kyle nodded. “The Sha tend to feed on those overwhelmed by their corresponding emotion - the Sha of Anger feeds on Anger, and so on.”

“So, which one do you reckon we just chased off?” Applejack asked. “And that’s another thing - why’d it skedaddle on outta here so quick?”

“Well to answer your first question…” Kyle began, scratching his chin in thought. “When I was being influenced by the Sha, it kept talking to me in my head. Offering me the ability to take anything I wanted. It wanted me to steal what did not belong to me. So… Greed? I know we mentioned Greed before with the first Sha, back in the forest. It’s certainly nothing like any of the Sha I faced on Azeroth.”

“So, greed it is. The Sha of Greed.” Rarity interjected. “So now the question becomes, why did it run away when we got here?”

“Actually, Rarity, it ran away when you got here.” Pinkie Corrected. “I mean, you were all like ‘go away!’ and we were all still running up and really far away, but that big old thing just -”

“Alright Pinkie, we get it.” Kyle interrupted, shaking his head. Listening to Pinkie speak always seemed to give him a headache.

“Actually, Pinkie may be on to something.” Twilight murmured. She began pacing back and forth, seemingly lost in thought. “Seems a bit strange, don’t you think?” She said suddenly, stopping and looking up at the group. “The Sha of Greed seemed quite afraid of Rarity. Rarity is bearer of the Element of Generosity… which is essentially the opposite of Greed. Coincidence?”

Something clicked in Kyle’s mind, and his eyes lit up. “I think not.” he replied. His mind flashed back to the story of Nightmare Moon he had read that uneventful day in Fluttershy’s cottage, and her defeat by the Elements of Harmony. “My father always told me that there was no such thing as coincidence. Everything happens for a reason. So, you believe that this Sha of Greed fled from Rarity because of her tie to the Element of Generosity?”

“As you said, everything happens for a reason.” Twilight nodded. “I believe there is a connection there.”

“But you realize what that could mean, right?” Rainbow Dash said grimly. “If there’s a Sha that stands counter to the Element of Generosity, then it stands to reason that there’s probably Sha that stand counter to ALL of our Elements. Not just Generosity, but Loyalty, Honesty, Laughter, Kindness, and Magic as well.”

Kyle could feel his heart rate increasing, and a chill ran down his spine as the weight of theis implication fell over him. They weren’t just up against one Sha, but six. The Horde and Alliance, combined with the strength of the Pandaren, had barely been able to contain the seven on Azeroth. Here in Equestria, where there was no standing army to speak of outside of the royal guard…

Kyle looked around. Based on the nervous pawing at the ground and constricted pupils of the Ponies around him, they were all sharing similar thoughts - dealing with six Sha would be next to impossible. “Well, I mean… we’ve only seen one so far.” Kyle said, trying to sound hopeful. “Who’s to say that the other Sha - if there even ARE five other Sha - are going to show up anytime soon? Maybe they’ll come at us over… time?” He fell silent as he realized how foolishly hopeful his words sounded.”

“So… what do ya’ll reckon we should call these other five?” Applejack finally asked. “I mean… we gotta know which one’s which.”

“We could discern their identities by looking at the elements, and then thinking of their opposites.” Twilight mused. “So, Loyalty, Honesty, Laughter, Kindness, and Magic.”

“Treachery.” Rainbow Dash replied immediately. “If you’re disloyal, you’re a traitor.

“Deceit.” Applejack answered a few seconds later.

Everyone turned to look at Fluttershy as she began to stammer. However, it appeared she was still too shaken by the knowledge of six Sha running around to form a coherent sentence. She struggled for a moment before glancing over at Discord, who sighed. “Cruelty.” he said lazily. “The opposite of Fluttershy’s kindness would be cruelty.”

“Yeah, you’d know all about that.” Rainbow Dash grumbled angrily. “Turned us all into our opposites when you broke out…”

“Misery.” Pinkie Pie interjected suddenly, her voice unusually serious. “Laughter makes everypony really happy, and to me, the opposite of happiness is misery.”

“So… the sha of Greed, Treachery, Deceit, Cruelty, and Misery… ” Kyle summarized, turning to face Twilight. “… And… the opposite of Magic?” he faltered, racking his brain to try and think of a suitable quality.

“Uh… Oh jeeze.” Twilight sighed. “I guess… Ordinary? Mundane? I honestly have no clue, and even less of a clue how Mundaneness or ordinariness is a negative quality… at least, not on the level of cruelty or greed…”

“Close enough.” Kyle shrugged. “The Sha of Greed, Treachery, Deceit, Cruelty, Misery, and Mundaneness.”

“Hey, you there!” A voice called out. Kyle jerked his head towards the sound. A stallion was approaching from the damaged mansion. Kyle quickly recognized the stallion as the one the Sha of Greed had been feeding off of. The stallion stopped just in front of the group. “Did any of ya’ll see what happened?” he asked, eyeing Kyle suspiciously. “Some monster came by and knocked me unconscious. Any idea where it went?”

“Yes. We chased it off.” Twilight explained, stepping forward and nodding towards Kyle. “Kyle here actually lured it away from you before it could hurt you too badly.” The other Ponies nodded in agreement.

“Is that so?” the stallion asked, his gaze softening instantly. “Well then, I suppose I oughtta thank you, mister Kyle.” The stallion smiled. “Name’s Filthy Rich, but you can just call me Rich. Owner of Barnyard Bargains, best store chain throughout Equestria. If you ever need anything from my stores, just let me know and it’s yours.”

“Uh… thank you.” Kyle stammered, taken aback by Mr. Rich’s sudden 180 spin from suspicion to gratitude. “I’ll keep that in mind. Sorry about the damage to the house. It was like that when I got here.”

“Ah, think nothin’ of it. Nothin’ too severe to fix in a couple of days.” Filthy Rich waved his hoof dismissively. “Now, I hate to be ungrateful, but I gotta get back to the house to make a few calls. Ya’ll take care now.” he turned and trotted back towards the manor.

“So, was it just me, or was he seemin’ pretty generous?” Applejack asked. “I mean, he basically offered Kyle anythin’ from Barnyard Bargains for free. Ain’t exactly greedy o’ him. What exactly was the Sha of Greed doin’ feedin’ on him? Is that normal for a Sha victim, Kyle?” Kyle merely shrugged, similarly confused.

Kyle and the Ponies soon turned and headed back into town. Discord gave the confirmation that no other Sha were in the vicinity of the town, and so the Ponies went their separate ways for the day. Twilight and Kyle finally made it back to the library. She flung the door open and closed it behind Kyle. “Spike!” she called out. “I need you to send another letter to Princess Celestia!”

Princess Celestia smiled as the doors to the throne room closed. The final proposal for the day had just been finished, and Day Court had just ended, two hours ahead of schedule. “Finally, a chance to relax for a bit.” she murmured to herself. Her horn lit up with a golden glow, and a book floated out from behind her throne, coming to rest in front of her.

A swirl of green smoke floated in the window as the book opened, and Celestia sighed. Her book would have to wait a little longer. the smoke swirled in upon itself and formed a scroll with Twilight Sparkle’s seal on it. Celestia opened the scroll and began to read to herself.

Princess Celestia

I am afraid circumstances in Ponyville have taken a turn for the worse. When last we spoke, we had just discovered the presence of the Sha - malignant creatures of negative emotion. We also decided that Discord would keep an eye out for any signs of Sha activity and report them to us.

Today, Discord informed Kyle and Rarity at her boutique of the presence of a Sha in Ponyville. he led Kyle towards the Sha, while Rarity came to find the rest of us. Discord appeared just as we were getting Rainbow Dash from her home, and told us that Kyle was engaging the Sha at Mr. Filty Rich’s manor. Rarity ran off without us, and we followed as soon as Rainbow Dash came down.

When we arrived, we saw a terrible creature standing over Kyle. I have included a sketch of the Sha, with Kyle next to it for size reference. We later learned that Kyle had saved Mr. Rich from the Sha, but the Sha had overpowered him and was now assaulting his mind, attempting to bend him to its will.

Rarity approached the Sha, and it seemed both angry and afraid. It began to shrink,and quickly fled. Based on Kyle’s recollection of his mental struggle with the Sha, we have agreed that this was the Sha of Greed. We believe that this Sha’s departure is somehow linked to Rarity’s connection to the Element of Generosity. It is my belief that the Sha of Greed fears the element of Generosity, and is somehow weakened by its bearer’s presence. Kyle was shaken when we arrived, but appears uninjured. More information will be coming as I continue to observe him after his encounter with the Sha.

While we may have found a potential weapon against this Sha, other implications are far more dire. If there is a Sha that stands counter to the Element of generosity, it stands to reason that there are Sha opposite the other elements as well, putting our count of Prime Sha - the most powerful Sha of each emotion - at six. We have named these other five Sha the Sha of Treachery, Deceit, Cruelty, Misery, and Mundaneness; standing opposite Loyalty, Honesty, Kindness, Laughter, and Magic, respectively. We are not entirely sure if Mundaneness is correct, but without having encountered this particular Sha, we have named it after the opposite of Magic.

By Kyle’s account, it took over two years for the armies of Azeroth’s most powerful nations, combined with the Monks and defenders of the land of Pandaria, to triumph over the Seven Sha of Azeroth. He has also said that this victory came at the cost of thousands of lives - many innocent civilians - and the destruction of one of the most beautiful locations in Azeroth. We are now dealing with potentially six Sha of similar power, if not more numerous or more powerful.

I would ask for your advice as to what to tell the citizens of Ponyville - the attack on Mr. Rich’s manor didn’t exactly go unnoticed, and Ponies are beginning to panic.

Your Faithful Student

Twilight Sparkle

Celestia simply sat on the throne for a minute, reading and re-reading the letter. Finally, she stood up. “Bulwark, I need a quill and parchment. Immediately.” she said, her voice urgent. “I’ve a letter to write to the Griffonian Empire. And the Minotaur Tribes. And the Dragon Elder Council…” Her guard saluted before spreading his wings and flying away through the halls.

By the Titans… Celestia thought, rubbing her forehead with one hoof. She got up and began pacing around the throne room as her remaining guards watched her, nervousness flickering through their eyes. This is bad… very bad… Her eyes began to wander around the throne room, until they froze on a particular spot. A plaque, hanging just above the throne and centered between her throne and her sister’s. Inscribed upon it were three words, three words that she had lived and ruled by for over a thousand years.

Friendship is Magic.

“Let us hope that our Friendship with the Griffons and Minotaurs, and our… peaceful coexistence with the Dragons will be the Magic we need to stop this threat.” she murmured as Bulwark returned with her writing utensils. She quickly sat back on her throne and dipped the quill into the ink. Before it’s too late...

Chapter 11

Pain.

This was the first thing Kyle felt as he awoke from his slumber. Not the dull, aching pain of sore muscles, but sharp, excruciating, debilitating pain. His right shoulder felt like it was on fire, and his chest like a Tauren had punched a hole through him.

He was weak. So weak. He could barely keep his lungs breathing in and out - even such a menial, automatic task required a great effort. Every other task was next to impossible. Around him, voices spoke, but their words were fuzzy and unintelligible. Not that he had the strength to care what they were saying.

Finally, he summoned the willpower to open his eyes. He was laying in a building that instantly brought forth memories of his childhood, growing up in Stormwind. The Cathedral… he thought to himself as the pain in his chest eased ever so slightly.

Looking up and to his right, Kyle saw another Human standing over him. She was draped in snow-white robes, and her hands were surrounded by a golden energy. “Sweet Light! He’s awake!” she called out. Instantly half a dozen others crowded around him. Kyle saw a Night Elf Druid, two other priests - One Draenei, one Human - a Dwarf Shaman, and two Human Monks that he recognized from his training group. Instead of choosing the way of the Windwalker, these two had elected to become Mistweavers.

“How’re ye feelin’ lad?” The shaman asked.

“What… what happened to me?” he asked. Kyle’s eyes would have gone wide in surprise, but he had no control over them. The words that had come from his mouth were not his own.

“You were shot. Twice” The Druid replied as the other Priests knelt beside Kyle and murmured their own prayers. “You are lucky to be alive.”

What… where is my brother?” he asked, glancing around.

The two Monks exchanged worried glances. One stepped forward, not meeting Kyle’s eyes. “I… when you were shot… he flew into a rage.” He said slowly. “I’ve never seen anybody so angry before. He ran into the portal after them.”

“So he led the charge and pushed them back to where they came from.” he grinned weakly. “That’s my bro…”

“No… we didn’t. We dared not follow.” The other Monk replied quietly. “The Portal was so unstable… it was firing off to Celestials know where. Kyle went… alone. We don’t know if he made it to the other side, or even where that other side is. I’m sorry. He’s… gone.”

Kyle froze. Shock rippled through his battered body. For a moment, nothing moved. Suddenly, a scream was torn from his lips. Despite his body’s agonized protests, he tried to push himself up. The Dwarf tried to hold him down, but Kyle’s right fist quickly made contact with his head, sending the Shaman flying. The Priests quickly backed away, looking around fearfully, while the Monks tried to restrain Kyle, to no avail. One by one, they were both flung away as Kyle thrashed around, intent on taking out his fury and hatred on anything around him.

“Sedate him!”

The Druid took a step backwards, and his hands glowed with green energy. “I’m sorry. This is for your own good.” He murmured as a burst of green energy flew from his hands towards Kyle. Kyle felt his eyelids instantly grow heavy, and his limbs grew weak once more. “Rest. The hibernation will lift in a week. You must conserve what little energy you have” The Druid said softly. “ I’m so sorry…”

Kyle flailed his arms one last time, in a desperate bid to stave off the Hibernate spell the Druid had cast on him. His flailing upset his balance, and he slid to his left, off of the bed he had been laying on. He fell face-first onto the polished stone floor…

WHAM!

Kyle jolted back to his senses as pain shot through his face. Still shaking the slumber from his body, Kyle just lay there. He didn’t seem to mind that he had just rolled out of bed and slammed into the hard wooden floor. Tears flowed freely from his eyes, but they were not tears of pain

Kyle’s mind was abuzz with thought and emotion. That dream had been of his brother - there was no doubt about that. But had it truely been a simple dream? It had all seemed so real, so lifelike… But visions didn’t come to Monks. The Light granted visions to Priests and occasionally Paladins, and Shaman were often granted visions by their Ancestors, but there was no record of a Monk ever having a vision like that…

The door to Kyle’s room burst open, jolting Kyle from his thoughts. He quickly wiped his eyes as Twilight charged into the room, her horn glowing with a purple aura. “What’s going on?” she demanded. “I heard a crash. Is everything okay?”

“Relax Twilight.” Kyle said, his voice only cracking slightly. He opened his mouth again to explain, but hesitated for a split second. Though he was tempted to tell Twilight his suspicions about this dream, something told him not to. Why, he didn’t know, but a voice in the back of his mind kept him from opening up to her. “I had a… a strange dream.” he told a partial truth. “I rolled out of bed and hit the floor. Nothing major.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow, and for a moment Kyle was afraid she would enquire further. To his relief, her horn stopped glowing, and her eyes softened. “Alright. I thought it might have been the Sha…”

“No.” Kyle shook his head. “I haven’t heard a peep from them since the incident at Filthy Rich’s manor ten days ago.” Indeed, the Sha had been very quiet since the Sha of Greed had been driven away. Not much had occurred during that time at all, which did little to reassure Kyle. He and Twilight both knew that this lull could only mean that the Sha were gathering their strength.

“Right. Well, the sun came up just a few minutes ago, so we might as well get this day started.” Twilight said, stifling a yawn. Kyle nodded in response, and Twilight walked out, headed down the stairs towards the main floor of the library. Kyle quickly changed into one of the new outfits Rarity had made for him - a white, short-sleeved shirt and a pair of blue pants made of a material called Denim. He grabbed his belt and headed towards the bathroom.

A few minutes later Kyle emerged, freshly-shaven and much relieved, with his belt and elixirs strapped firmly around his waist. Downstairs, he could smell Spike cooking breakfast. He headed down the stairs and into the kitchen, and sure enough, Spike was sliding a pancake off of the pan and onto a plate already stacked high. Spike grabbed the plate and moved it to the table, where Twilight was pouring orange juice. Already at the table were three plates with fried eggs and assorted fruits, with Spike’s also including a few small jewels. The three sat down and began to eat and talk.

“I forgot to ask.” Kyle said as he took a sip of orange juice. “How did your trip to the Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters yesterday go, Twilight?”

“It went fine.” Twilight replied. “Everypony else decided it would be a good idea to show up that day as well. They all wound up scaring themselves silly, and Pinkie kept accidentally activating trapdoors and stuff on them by playing an organ in the basement, but otherwise it was pretty uneventful. No tips on creating an inter-planetary portal, or any mention of the box. Though I did find a diary that belonged to Princess Celestia and Princess Luna when they were little fillies.”

“And you got so enthralled in it that you didn’t hear the organ music or our friends screeching in fear.” Spike added, which caused Twilight to look away in embarrassment. Spike merely chuckled. “So, what’s on the agenda for us today?” he asked, popping a small garnet into his mouth.

“Well, I was going to spend today working on the portal spell again.” Twilight said, glancing over at Kyle. “I’ve found a theoretically possible way to do it, but it would require at least a million Unicorns to open it for any length of time - more to hold it open long enough to send somepony through. And then we’d need even more power to direct where the portal opened to… To make such a spell even reasonably doable, we need to find a way to cut the mana requirements dramatically without sacrificing stability.”

“You use mana for your magic?” Kyle asked, his ears perking up. “Many magic users on Azeroth draw upon mana as well. Can you explain how it works here?”

“Sure…” Twilight replied, swallowing her bite of egg. “Mana is an energy source that flows through all things, living or otherwise. There are also ‘rivers’ of mana that criss-cross all over Equuis, underneath the surface, called leylines. Unicorns and Alicorns draw mana from the air or our surroundings for our basic spells like telekinesis, and from the leylines for our more advanced magic.”

“Huh…” Kyle mused, rubbing his chin. “That sounds identical to mana on Azeroth, and how many of Azeroth’s magic users fuel their magic. Mages, for instance, and some Mistweaver spells also operate in the same fashion. We have to study the leyline layout for years before we can use leylines to fuel our magic, though.”

“Fascinating.” Twilight murmured, scribbling on a nearby piece of paper. “Unicorns and Alicorns are born with a natural instinct that tells us the layout of the leylines, which is necessary to draw energy from them. Quite convenient.” For a moment, no one spoke, and the trio ate in silence. Finally, Twilight spoke up again. “So yeah, that’s my day. How about you, Spike?”

“Well, I’d say relaxing, but knowing how you get when you’re working on a big project, I’d imagine I’ll be running errands for you all day.” he smirked. “Other than that, the new issue of Power Ponies came out, so I’m gonna go get that and start on it.”

Twilight rolled her eyes at the mention of Spike’s comic books, but said nothing about it. “And how about you Kyle?” she asked.

“Well… Scootaloo asked me to go see her.” he admitted. He had told Twilight the other day about him teaching Scootaloo meditation, and while her reaction had been mild, Kyle could tell Twilight wasn’t entirely comfortable with the idea of Kyle training Scootaloo to be a Monk.

“And why’s that?” Yep, there it was, the slight frown and the tension in her voice. “I’d think she and the other crusaders would be off getting into trouble.”

“Well, Sweetie Belle is visiting her grandparents over in Baltimare, and Applebloom is busy on the farm until this afternoon.” Kyle explained. “I think she wants me to see how well her meditation is coming along.”

Twilight sighed. “Alright, but please be careful.” she said. “I know you mean well, but remember that she’s just a little filly. She doesn’t need to learn how to fight.”

“I’m just showing her how to keep herself calm.” Kyle countered. An awkward silence hung in the air as the trio finished their breakfast. It was Spike’s turn to do the dishes, so he started cleaning up the table. Twilight wandered off to the bookshelves and began looking for books to help her on her project, and Kyle walked over to the door and headed out into town.

The walk from the library to Scootaloo’s house was pleasant. It was a beautiful saturday morning, and everyone was out and about. The Ponies of Ponyville seemed to have adjusted quite well to the alien living among them, especially after word got out that he had saved Filthy Rich from a monster. While details about the incident were not known by the general public, the knowledge that Kyle had saved one of their own seemed to reassure them that he meant them no harm. While he didn’t know many of them very well, he got a few smiles and even a wave or two as he walked through the town.

Kyle reached Scootaloo’s house after about fifteen minutes. He was able to make it out much more clearly than that night he had brought Scootaloo home. Though he had to travel through a somewhat run-down part of town to reach it, her house was fairly cozy-looking and well-kept. Kyle walked up to the door and knocked, and a moment later the door swung open, revealing an orange-coated mare.

“Oh. Hello… uh… Kyle, was it?” she asked.

Kyle nodded. “Yes. Is Scootaloo home? She asked me to pick her up for something.”

“Oh… yes, she’s upstairs in the bath.” the mare replied. “I’m Autumn Wave, her mother. She did say something about going out with a friend… Oh! Please, come in. Hoof Brake and I wanted to speak to you anyway. “

Kyle felt his heartbeat quicken slightly, but did not allow his calm visage to falter. He followed Autumn Wave inside and sat down at the kitchen table. While she went to go get her husband, Kyle looked around the house. Like the exterior, the house was quite cozy. It was a bit bigger inside than it looked from the outside, with plenty of room for three ponies to live comfortably. Kyle could faintly hear water running upstairs.

Hoofsteps from the hallway drew Kyle’s attention, and he stood again as Hoof Break and Autumn Wave walked back into the room. “Ah, Kyle Slater. I’ve been meaning to have a word with you.” Hoof Break said, his eyes never leaving Kyle’s as the trio sat back down.

Kyle remained silent, so hoof Break continued. “Scootaloo has… changed, somewhat.” he said slowly. “It all started that night you brought her back. She… well, you’ve probably seen how emotional she can be. I’m afraid part of that is our fault.” Hoof Break sighed and looked away.

“We’re both very busy with our jobs.” Autumn Wave continued. “Hoof Break works at a sports shop repairing scooters and other equipment, and they’re short-staffed. He often has to work late nights and weekends. I’m a researcher for Canterlot University. Both of our jobs keep us very busy, and we don’t get to spend as much time with Scootaloo as we’d like. It’s made her feel very… independent, and she doesn’t like to be reminded that a filly her age still needs adult supervision. She sometimes gets angry when we help her with something.”

“She was very emotional.” Hoof Break sighed. “She’s learned to do a lot of things by herself in our absence, but she hadn’t learned how to handle not doing things on her own. But ever since that night you brought her home, something has… changed. She’s much less volatile now, more calm. She doesn’t get angry as easily. Even her grades have gotten better, and Cheerilee has said that her behavior in class has improved dramatically.”

“And we can’t help but notice that this all started the night you brought her home.” Autumn Wave murmured. “So, I must ask you, Kyle. Do you know what could have done this? What could have calmed our daughter like this?”

Kyle paused for a moment, and then nodded. “Yes. I taught her something on the way home that night. Something that’s helped me many, many times. It’s a technique called meditation. In its most basic form, meditation is the search for inner peace. Practicing it helps to calm yourself and restrain your emotions, especially negative emotions such as anger. I showed Scootaloo how to meditate after she had one of her… outbursts.”

“And how does this… meditation… work?” Hoof Brake asked suspiciously. “Is it dangerous?”

“Not at all.” Kyle replied. “It involves turning your mind inward and focusing on nothing. To remove all thought and emotion from your mind for a time, and find peace within. It is not dangerous at all, to either the one meditating or to those around him. Quite the opposite, in fact. It allows you to remain calm in a stressful situation, and if done before bed, can help you get to sleep faster and sleep deeper.”

“I see…” Hoof Break murmured, his eyes going out of focus as he lost himself in thought.

“Well, if it’s not dangerous… then I suppose thanks are in order.” Autumn Wave smiled. “We were beginning to get worried about Scootaloo’s temper. We were actually thinking of taking her to a psychiatrist. But if you’ve taught her a way to control her temper, then I suppose that’s not needed anymore. You’ve done the three of us more good than you can imagine.” Hoof Brake nodded in agreement.

Kyle smiled, but his eyes went slightly out of focus as his mind buzzed with thought. If Scootaloo was already showing such a marked improvement in her temperament after not even two weeks… after only one very short supervised training session where she was taught the absolute basics, and then eleven days of unsupervised, unscheduled, self-imposed practice...

Hoofsteps from the stairs drew Kyle back to reality. Scootaloo was trotting down the stairs, her mane still damp. “Hey mom, dad… oh, Kyle, you’re here!” she exclaimed, sounding excited. “Come on, let’s go! I wanna show you how I’m doing!” She bolted out the front door.

Kyle shook his head and chuckled. “I’ll try to make sure she’s not out as late as last time.” he promised, waving goodbye to Scootaloo’s parents as he followed her out the door.

Scootaloo was already halfway down the street as Kyle closed the door. He grinned and ran to the street before diving into a roll after her. He gathered his Chi in his feet as he rolled, and when he landed, he immediately launched into a Flying Serpent Kick. He landed only a few yards behind the still-running Scootaloo, and a second roll put him even with her. “Slow down there, squirt.” he chuckled, jumping in front of her.

“But I wanna show you how I’m doing with that meditation stuff!” she pouted.

“I know, but there’s a slight problem with that.” Kyle replied. “For me to see really how well you’re doing, we’d need to distance ourselves about a mile from any other intelligent creature.”

“Well, why don’t we go into the forest?” Scootaloo asked. “I’ve wanted to see that clearing where you came into Equuis, anyway!”

Kyle shook his head. “Bad idea.” he said. “The forest is a dangerous place.”

“Come on! You fought off a pack of Timber Wolves! You fought off some big nasty monster attacking Mr. Rich! Anything in there will know not to mess with you! Besides, it’s only a few minutes into the forest, I’ve been told. It’s not like we’re going deep in.”

This gave Kyle a pause. Scootaloo had a point. At his current, full strength, he was tough enough to fend off any threat in the forest’s outer edges besides the Sha, and those announced their presence miles in advance. Kyle reached out and found that there were still no Sha nearby that he could detect. “Alright, fine.” he conceded. “But only on one condition. While we’re there, you do as I say.”

“No problem!” Scootaloo said happily.

“I mean it.” Kyle warned. “If I tell you to stay still, you stay still. If I tell you to hide, you hide. If I tell you to leave me and save yourself, you get out of there. Understood?”

This caused Scootaloo to pause. Finally, she nodded her head, more slowly this time. “Alright.”

“Alright. Then let’s go.” Kyle sighed, walking towards Fluttershy’s house.

The trek to Fluttershy’s house took about ten minutes. From there, Kyle was able to retrace his steps from his first day in Equestria through the forest. About ten minutes later, he and Scootaloo emerged into the clearing. The ground and trees still bore scorch marks, but plant life was growing once more. Kyle saw the tree he had slammed into and winced, the dent his forehead had put into it still clearly showing.

“Wow…” Scootaloo gasped, looking at one of the trees. “Looks like something exploded here…”

“It did.” Kyle replied. “The portal that brought me here closed in a rather… violent manner. Didn’t leave me unscathed, either. My head did that.” he said, pointing to the dent. Scootaloo groaned in sympathy, flinching away slightly. The pair fell silent for a moment as Kyle reached out through the Chi around him. There were still no Sha anywhere nearby, nor any other sentient creature. “Alright. This is far enough. Now, I’d like you to meditate. I will observe and see what progress you have made.”

Scootaloo sat down in a manner very similar to how Kyle had first showed her, her hind legs crossed beneath her and her forelegs on the ground beside her. She leaned her back against a nearby tree to balance herself, and she closed her eyes. Before Kyle’s eyes, she visibly relaxed, the tension flowing from her body. Kyle sat down next to her, assumed a similar position, and began meditating as well, reaching out to the Chi around him.

As usual, his vision flashed through the eyes of hundreds of creatures around him. One mind that he kept revisiting, however, stood out from them. Scootaloo’s mind glowed among the others like a beacon, her intelligence making her much more noticeable than the nearby ants, spiders, and other insects. This was why they had needed to isolate themselves - any other sentient creature nearby would have made seeing her progress much more difficult. Through repeated glimpses through her mind, Kyle could see how well she was progressing.

What he saw nearly shocked him out of his meditation.

Scootaloo’s mind was not riddled with the turbulence and emotion he had seen on her face during her first attempt. Instead, it was calm - like a pond on a windless day. By the Titans… How has she made so much progress so quickly…

More shocking, however, was what was in Scootaloo’s mind. As Kyle flickered in and out of her mind repeatedly, he felt… something. As if she was seeing something that she could never see before. Surprise rippled through Kyle as he began to deduce just what that was.

Kyle broke himself out of his meditation, and his eyes shot open. He took a moment to allow his stomach to calm after the unsettling sunsations brought on by his mediation. Once he felt better, he nudged Scootaloo, who frowned before opening her eyes. “Well? How am I doing?” she asked, her eyes shining.

“I… uh… I’ll be honest with you here Scootaloo, I’m… shocked.” Kyle said quietly. “I have never - NEVER - seen, or even heard about anyone progressing so quickly. The progress you have made…. it takes most Monks at least six months to accomplish what you have done in less than two weeks.”

Scootaloo’s eyes shot wide open, and a big grin appeared on her face. “Really?!” she exclaimed.

“Yeah. And this also concerns me.” he replied, causing Scootaloo’s grin to vanish. “Progress this fast would leave very little time to train you in other things. It might be hard for you to do this, but… slow down a bit with your progress.” Kyle chuckled slightly. “After all, we can’t have you becoming more adept than me too quickly, now, can we?”

Scootaloo grinned once more. Before she could speak, Kyle cut her off. “Most astonishing is something I sensed in your mind as you meditated. It felt as though you were seeing something you were unused to seeing. Can you explain to me just what that might be?”

Scootaloo hesitated for a moment. “I… When I’m meditating… If I try really, really hard, I can… see things.” she admitted. “Like.. Other Ponies. Even through walls. And you. I could see you while I was meditating just now, even with my eyes closed. Do you… Can you tell me what that is? Why that’s happening?”

Kyle nodded, his suspicions confirmed. “I can indeed. That is what I thought you were seeing, or something similar. You have taken your first steps into seeing and manipulating Chi, a feat that takes most Monks at least a year of hard, dedicated training.”

“What’s Chi?”

“Chi is the life-energy of the universe. It resides in all living things, from the tiniest ant to the largest Dragon. And not just animals, but plants, and fungi as well. It surrounds us, it penetrates us, it binds universe together. “

“So I was sensing… your Chi? Your life energy?” Scootaloo asked, her eyes wide.

“I believe so, yes. As I have said before, this is a remarkable feat for one so young and untrained.”

“So, I can… sense Chi, if I try really hard.. What does this mean for me?” Scootaloo asked.

“A good question.” Kyle replied. “Sensing Chi can be very useful to determine whether someone is injured or sick, though I doubt you’ll have to worry about that too much. It can also be used to detect nearby threats, though again, I doubt you’ll ever use it for that purpose. More commonly, Chi can be manipulated in a way similar to mana to perform feats of magic.”

Scootaloo’s shoulders sagged, and a frown formed on her face. “What’s wrong?”Kyle asked, raising an eyebrow.

“That won’t be happening with me.” She said sadly. “Pegasi can’t do magic. Everypony knows that. Only Unicorns and Alicorns have the natural apti… abtut… Ability, to manipulate mana.”

“But this isn’t mana.” Kyle smirked. “This is Chi. They are similar, and yet very different at the same time. I know that only those with natural ability can tap into mana for magic. However, anyone with the proper training can use Chi, natural aptitude or not. I know at least two Monks back on Azeroth who have no ability to manipulate mana at all. Can’t even sense it. But they can still use Chi, and very effectively.”

“Really?” Scootaloo asked, her ears perking up. “So I’ll be able to do magic like a Unicorn can?”

“Not entirely.” Kyle replied. “It won’t be the same as a Unicorn. Monks and Unicorns draw from different power sources, so our spells are different. However, yes, if you learn to control Chi, you will be able to do some magic.”

“Awesome!” Scootaloo exclaimed. She began bouncing up and down excitedly, but stopped suddenly. “Hey… how long did it take you to first sense Chi?” she asked.

“About three months.” Kyle admitted. “All the Monks before me had not been Human, but another race called Pandaren. When our races encountered each other, they began to teach us the ways of the Tushui - A more calm and collected Monk style than the more reckless Huojin. But I digress. I was the first Human to sense Chi, and it took me about three -”

Kyle paused, his entire body going tense. Throughout his talk with Scootaloo, he had kept his senses open, searching the surrounding area for anything amiss. Something was now definitely wrong. Something had just appeared at the edge of his conscious, from deep within the forest. Something dark and evil. It only flickered through his senses for a split-second, but it was enough to cause the hair on the back of his neck to stand on end.

The Sha were nearby.

“Scootaloo, we have to get out of here. Now.” Kyle said, his voice tense and leaving no room for argument. “Something’s out there.” Scootaloo’s eyes went wide, and she turned to leave. The leaves nearby rustled, and she screamed, bolting out of the clearing. Kyle jumped as well, and fled after her.

Neither of them were around to see the rabbit hop out of the undergrowth.

“Not a word of what happened today to anyone.” Kyle said quietly, sipping on his peach smoothie. “The last thing we need is for the two of us to get in trouble for going into the forest. Understand?” he asked, peering over the table at the young filly.

Scootaloo nodded, swallowing her own mouthful of strawberry-banana smoothie. “Got it.” she replied. Silence descended over the pair as Pinkie Pie arrived, bringing them their lunches. After they had escaped the forest and caught their breath, Kyle and Scootaloo had decided to drop by Sugarcube Corner for lunch. They both needed something to calm their nerves, and the smoothies had definitely done the trick. For the main course, Scootaloo had gotten an apple fritter, while Kyle had gotten a BLT (With non-meat bacon, to his disappointment).

“So… what now?” Scootaloo asked. “Like, what do I do now to keep training?”

Kyle swallowed a bite of his sandwich. “Just keep meditating.” he replied. “For most Monks, at this point we’d be training you how to fight, but because you’ve progressed so quickly, we’re going to hold off on that.” Kyle neglected to mention that he didn’t particularly want to teach Scootaloo how to fight due to her age - She’d likely get angry again if she knew the real reason for him not teaching her to fight.

The Pony sitting at the table behind Kyle sneezed loudly, causing him to jump. Scootaloo snickered as Kyle tried to play it off unsuccessfully. “So the mighty Monk can take on Timber Wolves, but a single sneeze and he’s all afraid?”

“Surprised.” Kyle huffed as the Pony sneezed again, her breathing slightly wheezy. “Any idea who that is, by the way?” he asked, reaching out to sense her Chi. “She sounds kinda… sick.” Kyle glanced behind himself to look at the Pony, who had a pale yellow coat, a main and tail with two different shades of pink, and a rose-shaped cutie mark.

“That’s Roseluck.” Scootaloo replied. “As for her being sick… I dunno, she seemed fine when I saw her yesterday.”

“Hmmm…” Kyle mused. Roseluck’s Chi was fine - she wasn’t sick, but there was definitely something wrong. Her breathing had become even more ragged. Kyle glanced behind him and saw her hunched over, trying to stand back up. She collapsed to the ground and started clutching at her throat. Her face had begun to swell, and she was slowly turning blue.

“Oh fu- MEDIC!” Kyle cried out, diving to kneel next to her. She was still not sick in the traditional sense of having an infection, but something was upsetting her body in a massive way. Her immune system was overreacting to the point of killing her.

Everyone in the restaurant was now crowded around the pair, and panic was starting to break out. Kyle forced himself to calm down and took a deep breath. There was only one explanation for this that he could think of - Roseluck was allergic to something in the food. Energy flowed through his body, and his hands glowed electric blue before a tendril of blue energy seeped from his hands over Roseluck’s throat.

Silence descended upon the crowd as energy swirled from Kyle’s hands, continuing to pour into Roseluck. Her throat and face began to shrink back down as brown particles flew from her body, swirling together to form a ball hovering over her. She gasped for breath as her airways relaxed, allowing her to breath again.

This process continued for several minutes before the brown particles stopped flowing out of her. The ball was now about a quarter the size of Kyle’s fist. Kyle cut off the flow of energy, and the blue magic faded. The ball of brown goop landed next to him as he fell backwards, his eyes growing incredibly heavy. Performing a Detox without Mana was an incredibly laborious task for a Monk, and the experience left Kyle drained of energy for a few minutes.

Eventually, Kyle opened his eyes again. He was still laying on the ground, but Roseluck was gone. He lifted his head just in time to see her being carried out on a stretcher by a Unicorn’s magic. Kyle pushed himself back into a sitting position and picked up the ball of allergens that had nearly killed Roseluck. It was completely solid, with no moisture to be found. The breeze from the open door brought a smell of peanuts from the ball to Kyle’s nose. Kyle took aim and hurled it at a nearby trash can, where it landed with a loud rattling sound.

Another Unicorn approached Kyle from the doorway. He had a light yellow coat with a brown mane and tail, a pair of glasses resting on his nose, and a strange-looking cutie mark that resembled a green box with a jagged yellow line running across it. “Mr. Slater, are you alright?” he asked, walking around Kyle and examining him for any injuries.

“Nothing that a nap won’t fix.” Kyle replied, pushing himself to his feet. “A Detox without mana isn’t exactly the easiest thing to do, but I’ll be fine.”

“Well, I’d say you should come with me to the hospital anyway, but since you know your own anatomy better than we do…” the unicorn replied, trailing off into a quiet mumble. “My apologies. I am Doctor Cast. Mr. Slater, you saved that poor mare’s life. I must admit, when I saw her fall over, I recognized an allergic attack immediately. We can deal with allergic attacks, but not as quickly as you did. You came in and just… Detox’d her, you said?”

“Yes. It’s a spell designed to purge diseases and toxins from the body. In this case, toxins also includes allergens such as peanuts.”

“I see.” Doctor Cast murmured. “Well, Mr. Slater, you have our thanks, and the thanks of Ms. Roseluck as well, I’m sure. Without you, it’s likely she would have died before I could have done anything. If it’s not too much trouble, I’d like you to come by the hospital tomorrow. The other doctors and I would love to know how you performed a Detox like that. If we can learn to do that, we could save hundreds of more lives every year!”

“I uh… Well…” Kyle stammered, surprised by the request. He was also more than a little nervous, his fear of speaking to crowds resurfacing. More than anything, however, was his feeling of a misunderstanding. He hadn’t used mana to do the Detox, as Unicorns would do for their magic. He couldn’t even use mana on Equuis, not until he had the leyline map memorized as he did on Azeroth.

“I suppose I could demonstrate it.” he finally conceded. “But I must warn you, the magic I used was far different from the mana-based magic Unicorns use. It will require an open mind to learn it.”

“Excellent!” Doctor Cast exclaimed. “Just come over whenever you’re ready. I’ll let the other doctors know. Thank you, Mr. Slater.” The Unicorn trotted out of the building, leaving a perplexed Kyle behind him.

“Uh… Kyle?” A small voice asked. Kyle turned his head to see Scootaloo staring right at him.

“Huh… oh, hey.” Kyle shook his head to clear it. “Sorry about that, I just…”

“That. Was. AWESOME!” Scootaloo yelled, grinning  up at him.

“I guess, though I wish I hadn’t needed to do it in the first place.” Kyle sighed. He grabbed the remains of his sandwich and placed a few bits on the table before walking out the door, Scootaloo right behind him. The two began walking along the road to no place in particular, Scootaloo grinning the entire time.

“Scootaloo!”

Scootaloo and Kyle both turned their heads towards the voice that had called out. Applebloom was running towards them with  two other foals. One was a faint-purple unicorn filly with a blonde mane and tail, and the other was a grey pegasus colt with a dual-shade grey mane and tail. Neither one had their cutie marks.

“Hey Applebloom, Dinky, Rumble.” Scootaloo replied. The four foals quickly huddled together and began speaking excitedly, occasionally poking their heads out of the huddle to look at him. Kyle smiled and shook his head as he turned to walk away. The smile quickly faded as he began to face the task ahead of him. If he was going to show those Unicorn doctors how to perform a Detox, Kyle would need to demonstrate it using mana. Which meant that he needed to learn how to manipulate mana on Equuis. Which meant he needed to study the layout of the leylines crisscrossing the planet. He had a day to do it. Kyle sighed and began walking away from Sugarcube Corner

“This is gonna suck…”

Chapter 12

Kyle grumbled as he felt something sharp prodding his side, dragging him from his sleep. He growled softly and turned his head away from the poking. “Cmon captain, five more minutes.” he groaned

“Sorry dude, Twilight told me to get you up. Besides, that doesn't look too comfortable.”

Kyle groaned and cracked his eyes open, turning his head back around to face the creature who had disturbed his slumber. “Oh… hey Spike.” Kyle mumbled, rubbing his eyes. “What time is it?”

“About an hour past dawn.” Spike replied, poking Kyle once more with one of his claws. “Cmon, get up. Breakfast is waiting, and then you’ve got a visit to the hospital to make.”

“Damn.” Kyle groaned. “Almost forgot about that… alright, I’m up.” he lifted his head up and nearly yelped as a sharp pain shot through the right side of his neck. He looked down at his ‘pillow’ to see that it had, in fact, not been a pillow at all, but rather a book open to a picture of Equuis, with a large number of lines running across it.

“Great way to start the day.” he growled. He rubbed the side of his neck, which was very sore from the awkward sleeping position. He had apparently fallen asleep at the desk where he had been studying the night before. Something fell off of Kyle’s left cheek, and Kyle looked over at it. It was a piece of paper with a crude map of Ponyville, including three lines that ran fairly close to the town.

Right. The leylines. Kyle thought, remembering drawing this crude map and the three leylines closest to the town. He had actually managed to get the properties of these leylines memorized before falling asleep. Kyle quickly ran through their properties in his head once more, satisfied that he still remembered them. While the knowledge of the properties of three leylines was pretty minimal, it was sufficient for a few basic spells.

The result of one of those spells was lying on the ground next to the desk. Kyle picked up the bottle and uncorked it, allowing the scent to reach his nose. It was cider, but there was something different. Even the scent had a feel of energy to it, almost electric-like in its power. Mana Brew, he had called it. It was based on the Mana Tea that Mistweavers used to augment their power, but he had substituted Cider for the herbal tea they tended to use. Infused with raw mana from the leylines, a single gulp of the Mana Brew was enough to fuel a couple of basic mana-based spells. Kyle grinned as he poured some of the bottle’s contents into a pouch on his belt before corking it again. It hadn’t been easy to make that brew, but it would certainly be worth it.

After rolling his head a few times to loosen up his overly-tense neck muscles, Kyle picked himself up and dragged himself to the bathroom for a quick shower. I still can’t get over the technology these Ponies have. he thought to himself. The ability to summon water for drinking or cleaning with the turn of a handle was still a very innovative thought to Kyle’s mind, one which he was eager to share once he returned home.

A few minutes later Kyle emerged, several layers of dirt and dust lighter than he had been walking in. After throwing on another outfit Rarity had made for him and strapping his belt back around his waist, he walked down the stairs. He walked into the kitchen, where Twilight was just finishing cleaning up the dishes. His plate, however, was still at the table, with a sunny side up egg and some sliced strawberries waiting for him with a cup of kafa - no, coffee. he reminded himself. He sat down at the table and began to eat quickly.

“Ready for that demonstration?” Twilight asked as Kyle finished the last bite of his eggs.

Kyle swallowed and shook his head. “Am I ready? No. Am I as ready as I’m going to be? Probably.” he replied. “This isn’t exactly my favorite thing to do, you know. Talking in front of crowds.”

“You’ll be fine.” Twilight smiled reassuringly. “You spent all of yesterday afternoon and evening studying those leylines.”

Kyle drained the last of his coffee and brought the dishes over to the sink. Twilight’s horn lit up to take them from him, but before she could, Kyle was already cleaning them. “I guess we’ll see how all that studying pays off.” he finally said as he put the plate away. “Anyway, I’m off. The doctor said to come over any time, but I’m guessing he’d rather have the demonstration as soon as possible.” He walked over to the door and stepped outside.

“Good luck.”

“Thanks.” Kyle replied without even looking back, closing the door behind him. He looked up at the sky. There were a few clouds, but they were scattered and did not threaten rain. It was a beautiful summer day, just as the day before had been. Kyle took a deep breath and sighed before setting off towards the hospital.

Along the way, Kyle couldn’t help but notice the Ponies staring at him. Sure, he was an alien living among them, but yesterday they had been content to spare him only a passing second glance before moving on with their days. Today, he felt their gazes linger for a long time, and a few times a group of Ponies would huddle together and begin speaking quickly. Kyle was able to catch a few snippets of conversation as he passed.

“Yesterday… Corner…”

“…  Magic… Roseluck…”

Kyle finally reached the hospital, which was a few minutes away from Sugarcube Corner. Kyle eyed the building with a bit of apprehension. His mind flashed back to the Cathedral of Light in Stormwind, where injured soldiers were often brought for healing by Priests and Paladins. This building looked nothing like the Cathedral, or any place of healing that Kyle had ever seen for that matter. From the outside, it looked more like a warehouse than anything.

A pair of Ponies walking out of the building stopped and stared as Kyle walked past them, and he could hear them whispering as he entered the building. He chose to ignore them, as he had ignored all of the other whispering Ponies, and walked up to the front desk, where a white unicorn mare was sitting. “Excuse me, miss. I believe Doctor Cast wished to see me today?”

The Unicorn looked up from the papers she had been writing on. Her eyes bulged slightly as she saw who was speaking to her. “Oh… yes yes, of course Mr. Slater.” she stammered. “I, er… Doctor Cast is currently seeing a patient, but he’ll be with you shortly. In the meantime… uh… well, one of our patients has… requested to see you, should you drop by.”

Kyle raised an eyebrow as the Unicorn looked over at another sheet of paper on a clipboard. “Uh… Miss Roseluck, room 314.” Kyle closed his eyes and nodded. Of course Roseluck would have figured out who saved her. “Go up those stairs to the third floor, go right, and it’s on your left. I’ll let the doctor know where you are.”

Kyle nodded and walked away from the front desk and towards the stairwell. He ascended to the third floor and followed the receptionist’s instructions, finding room 314 quickly. The door was open, so Kyle knocked twice to announce his presence before stepping inside.

The hospital room was larger than he had expected, easily fitting two beds in, with a dividing curtain between them and plenty of room to spare. The bed closest to the door was empty, but the window-side bed was occupied. Roseluck looked over as Kyle entered the room, and a smile broke out on her face. She still looked pretty weak, but at least her face wasn’t blue, and she was breathing normally. “You must be Kyle Slater, the Human.” she said. “I hear you’re the one who saved my life yesterday.”

“Just doing what anyone would have done.” Kyle replied, sitting on the unoccupied bed. “The only question I have about this is what triggered the reaction.”

“I’m deathly allergic to peanuts.” Roseluck explained. “I guess some slipped into the brownie I ordered.”

“Could be.” Kyle agreed. “Who’s normally in charge of cleaning the pans and stuff like that, do you know? I’d be willing to bet that’s where the contamination took place.”

“Probably.” Roseluck agreed. “Pinkie Pie usually takes care of that stuff while the Cakes are taking care of customers. This is the first time something like this has ever happened in Sugarcube Corner. She’s usually really good about keeping track of things like that.”

“Well I’ll have a word with her about it.” Kyle assured her. “An honest mistake, I’m sure, but still, she needs to be more careful.”

“Aha, there you are.” A voice said from behind him. Kyle turned his head to see Doctor Cast standing in the doorway, looking at him. “Nurse Redheart said I’d probably find you here. Sorry to cut this meeting short, but we really must be going. All of the other doctors are already waiting. Come with me, Mr. Slater. Good day, Miss Roseluck.” Doctor Cast turned and walked out of the room once more. Kyle sighed and waved goodbye to Roseluck as he followed.

Kyle followed the doctor through the building, taking several turns as they wandered through the halls. Third left… second right… down two flights of stairs… Kyle quickly lost track in the labyrinth of hallways and rooms, but Doctor Cast just kept going as if he could make heads or tails of the layout of this place. Finally, the pair descended one more floor, below ground, and walked through a pair of double doors. A bright light was shining as they entered, and Kyle had to shield his eyes from the harsh glare

Kyle’s eyes finally adjusted to the intense light, and he was able to look around. He was standing on a raised platform in the center of an amphitheatre. His mind instantly flashed back to his treks through Stranglethorn, and the Gurubashi Arena located there, though this arena was significantly smaller. In the stands, he could see a couple dozen other Unicorns, murmuring amongst themselves quietly. Looking back down, he saw a table in the center of the raise platform. On the table sat something. Something that looked suspiciously like a slab of…

“Is that meat?” Kyle asked, his eyes going wide. It had been so long since he had tasted anything besides vegetables. The mere presence of meat made his stomach growl.

“Indeed. Venison, straight from the Griffonian Empire.” Doctor Cast replied. His ears perked up as Kyle’s stomach growled again. “I understand that your kind is… semi-carnivorous.” he said, a trace of nervousness and discomfort entering his voice. “I wouldn’t recommend eating that. This is going to be the subject of your demonstration. We’ve injected it with a powerful toxin. Enough to kill a Minotaur in minutes.” Upon seeing Kyle’s disappointed face, Doctor Cast patted him on the back - quite a remarkable feat considering the fact that Kyle stood at least a foot higher than the Pony. “Do not fret. For your services today, we’ve also imported another piece of Venison. Cooked and untainted. It will be delivered to Miss Sparkle’s library.”

Kyle’s face lit up at the Doctor’s words. “Well then, let’s get to it.” he grinned, already almost able to taste his coming meal. Doctor Cast smiled, a hint of nervousness on his face as he walked away to take his place in the stands. The soft murmuring in the crowd was silenced as Kyle stepped into the spotlight surrounding the table, and all eyes locked on him. Kyle’s eagerness was quickly replaced by nervousness, his fear of public speaking taking hold of him once more. Kyle closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath, forcing the fear from his mind.

“Hello, everyone.” Kyle said, opening his eyes. It wasn’t easy, but somehow he managed to keep his voice level. “As Doctor Cast probably told you, I’m here to show you how to perform a Detox. The same technique that saved Miss Roseluck from her allergic attack yesterday.” Kyle paused for a moment to collect his thoughts before continuing.

“Before I continue, I would like to take this time to mention a few things that are important to this demonstration. Firstly, the magic I performed yesterday was not fuelled by mana, but by the energy within my body. It was physically draining, as all energy-based magic is. In the brief time between then and now, I have taken the opportunity to study up on the leyline configuration of Equuis. Mana-based magic on Equuis seems to be similar to mana-based magic on Azeroth. I have memorized the properties of the nearest leylines to Ponyville. This is not enough to perform a Detox in itself, but it has allowed me to create something to aid me. This demonstration will be done using Mana rather than energy, and with the aid of something I call Mana Brew.”

Kyle pulled the pouch of Mana Brew off of his belt. He looked out at the crowd once more and saw that the Unicorns all had their horns glowing. Kyle paused for a minute before shrugging and taking a swig of Mana Brew. Instantly, he felt the magical energy flow through him. A small spark of blue energy flew from his lips as he finished his drink and replaced the pouch back on his belt.

“And here we go.”

Kyle stretched out one hand over the poisoned meat and closed his eyes. He focused on the leylines closest to him, and opened his senses up to them. He began to drain energy from the leylines, and his hand glowed a vibrant electric blue. HIs eyes flashed the same color as the latent Mana Brew in him reacted with the potent mana from the leylines. The two combined and, as he had hoped, provided the necessary fuel to begin the Detox.

Tendrils of green energy snaked out from his fingertips, seeping into the meat. A clear liquid began floating up out of the meat, hovering above the table and forming into a small bubble of poison. Around him, Kyle could hear the sound of writing as the doctors scribbled furiously. Kyle could feel their own magic reaching out to his, trying to sense what he was doing and recording the technique.

The tendrils of energy stopped, and the flow of mana was shut off as the last of the toxin was removed from the meat. Kyle reached over and grabbed a cup that had been left on the table and put it under the still-hovering sphere of poison, slowly allowing the poison to lower into the cup. It finally fell to the bottom with a small plop. Kyle stepped back away from the table as the writing stopped. “Well, I’m done with the demonstration.” he announced. “You all get that? Any questions?”

For a moment, there was silence. Nobody moved, and everyone was either staring at him, or else looking down at their notes. Finally, one hoof shot into the air. Kyle pointed, and a brown-coated mare stood up. “I must say, Mr. Slater, your technique was rather… unorthodox, but evidently quite effective.” She began. “Are there any other healing spells from your world?”

“There are many ways of healing in Azeroth.” Kyle replied. “All of them very effective, but very different. There are essentially five groups of people who can use magic to mend injuries - Priests, Paladins, Druids, Shaman, and Monks such as myself. Priests and Paladins pray to a force called the Light, which responds and heals the wounds of their allies. Druids call upon nature itself to heal, while Shaman ask the elements for help - specifically, the element of water for restoration purposes.”

“Monks are the only people capable of healing using Mana. We also harness Chi - the life force that surrounds and penetrates all living things - to fuel our more powerful spells. Monk healers focus on the conjuration of restorative mists to hasten the recovery of our allies - hence the term ‘Mistweaver’, which is used to describe a Monk healer.”

“And are you a Mistweaver, Mr. Slater?”

Kyle shook his head. “No. I received some training in Mistweaving, but I’ve never been particularly adept at harnessing Mana. I can do it, but it’s not easy. I instead followed the path of the Windwalker, which again uses Chi to fuel some spells. however, instead of Mana, a Windwalker uses energy, which comes from the Windwalker’s body, to fuel most of our abilities. Windwalkers are capable of some basic healing, but generally do not use mana.”

“And what exactly does a Windwalker do?”

Kyle paused for a minute. He had been covering up his true profession for a while now, but only to individuals. Telling a group of Ponies a semi-lie, having them spread it around, and having it come out later that he was not being entirely honest, would not be good. Instead, Kyle decided to finally come clean. “A Windwalker is essentially a soldier.” The Ponies in the room visibly tensed up at the mention of Kyle’s occupation. “But not a berserker, like a Warrior would be. We are calm and collected, and always willing to protect, but devastating if provoked. We get our name from our natural agility, which allows us to dance around our enemies as if the wind itself graced our steps.”

There was murmuring around the room, and Kyle could sense the Ponies relaxing slightly as he finished speaking. That wasn’t… too bad. He thought to himself as he cleared his throat. “Any other questions?” he asked.

“Would it be possible to demonstrate a… an example of one of these… Mistweaver spells?” one pony asked, standing up. “Not a Detox, but something else. Something to heal… wounds, as you put it.”

Kyle rubbed his chin in thought. He had never been good at Mistweaving, and that had been on Azeroth, where he knew the leyline layout. Here, it was unlikely he could pull it off unaided. But then again, I have an aid he thought, looking down at the pouch containing his Mana Brew. “Alright, I’ll try.” he finally conceded. “But I doubt it’ll heal much more than a paper cut, if it even works.”

Kyle took another swig of his Mana Brew, and felt the familiar rush of Mana surge through him. His fingers glowed Jade Green as he began to conjure the restorative mists, as he had once been taught. A slight feedback surge of energy told him that the spell was ready to be released, and he aimed his right hand at Doctor Cast. The Ponies gasped as Jade Green mist shot from Kyle’s hands like a cannon and impacted with Doctor Cast. The mist continued to flow from Kyle towards the Doctor for a few seconds, during which time the mist surrounded him and faded into his fur.

Finally, Kyle severed the spell as his reserves of Mana granted by his brew were expended. The last of the mist flew into the still-speechless Doctor Cast. All eyes turned towards the Doctor expectantly, waiting for him to say something. Finally, he blinked and smiled slightly. “Well that was… refreshing.” he said. “Not what I expected, but quite pleasant nonetheless. Thank you for your help, Mr. Slater. You’re free to go at any time. You’ve given us all quite a bit to think about.”

Kyle nodded and took one last look around the arena. All of the doctors were crowding around Doctor Cast, asking him questions about the experience. Kyle chuckled and walked out of the room, heading back up the stairs. After wandering the halls for a few minutes, he finally managed to find the entrance again and walked outside.

Almost immediately, Kyle was face-to-face with a certain orange-coated mare. “Hey, Applejack. What’s up?” Applejack looked up at Kyle, and his relaxed demeanour instantly vanished. Her mane was frazzled and messed up, and her eyes betrayed fear and uncertainty. “What’s wrong?”

“‘Bout time you finished up in there!” Applejack exclaimed, causing Kyle to recoil slightly. “Where’s Applebloom? Have you seen her?”

“No, I haven’t.” Kyle replied, regaining his composure. “Why? Is she missing?”

Applejack sighed, looking defeated. “Dagnabit… I was hopin’ you’d know where they were. Everypony said they saw you hanging out with Scootaloo yesterday, so I thought you might’a seen where they… never mind. Applebloom never came home last night.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. I figure she and Scootaloo went off somewhere on their own, but -”

“Hold on.” A voice came from behind Kyle. He turned his head to see a pair of pegasi walking towards them. One was a bulky-looking stallion with a dark-grey mane and a dual-color pale-green mane, while the other was a grey mare with a blonde mane. Kyle couldn’t help but notice that the mare’s eyes were… odd, to say the least. While both showed concern, one was looking at Kyle while the other seemed to be looking off at a passing cloud.

“You’ve got a missing foal too?” the stallion asked.

“Yeah, Applebloom never came home last night.” Applejack replied, raising an eyebrow. “And what do you mean, ‘too’?”

Thunderlane sighed. “My little bro, Rumble. He’s gone missing too. And Derpy’s daughter Dinky as well.”

The mare closed her eyes and gave a silent sob. “She’s never run off like this before. Oh I just know something terrible has happened to my little muffin…”

“Hang on.” Kyle said suddenly, looking at the two Pegasi. “Rumble… and Dinky?” he asked. The two nodded. “Those names… Oh yeah! They were with Applebloom last time I saw them. They were hanging out with Scootaloo. Is she missing too?”

“No idea.” Thunderlane replied. “But if Applebloom and Scootaloo are involved, then it’s likely Sweetie Belle is too…”

“Nope. She’s in Baltimare right now.” Kyle interjected.

“Oh. Well then… what now?”

Kyle rubbed his chin in thought for a moment. “Alright, you all keep looking and asking around. I’ll go see if Scootaloo is at her house. Meet me in front of Sugarcube Corner in twenty minutes. Let’s go find some foals.” Without waiting for a reply, Kyle dashed away, using his agility to maneuver through the crowds of Ponies.

With his maneuvers, Kyle reached Scootaloo’s house fairly winded, but in record time. He knocked on the door, and a moment later the door opened. Autumn Wave looked up at Kyle, concern clear on her face. “Kyle, what’s wrong?” she asked. “Is it Scootaloo?”

“Maybe…” Kyle panted, trying to regain his breath. “Applebloom… Dinky… Rumble…” Kyle paused for a moment before getting his breathing back under control. “Is… Is Scootaloo here?” he asked. “Applebloom, Rumble, and Dinky have all gone missing, and last I saw Scootaloo was with them.”

“No, she’s not here.” Autumn Wave replied, her concerned look deepening. “She came home yesterday afternoon for a few minutes, but left again afterwards. We haven’t seen her since.”

“Damn it all…” Kyle swore under his breath. “Alright, did… did she say anything about where she was going?”

“Uh… well, now that you ask…” Autumn Wave mused, running a hoof through her mane and looking away. “She did say something about a tree with a dent in it. I don’t know if that… helps…” Autumn Wave looked back at where Kyle had been seconds before. There was only empty air there now. He was already sprinting back down the streets towards Sugarcube Corner, using every technique at his disposal to move faster.

Kyle leapt over carts, rolled and slid around and under groups of Ponies, and even did a Flying Serpent Kick down an empty side-street in his haste to get back to the others. Ponies didn’t bother yelling at him for his reckless behavior - the panic in his eyes made it very clear that he had no time to care. How the hell could she be that stupid?! he yelled mentally as he leaped onto a cart, and from there onto a sign and to the roof of a building in an attempt to escape the crowds on the streets below. She took those foals into the Forest! Ponies gasped and pointed as Kyle ran along the rooftops, but he didn’t care. All that mattered was telling the others what had happened.

Finally, the familiar roof of Sugarcube Corner blocked his path. Kyle leaped and grabbed onto one of the beams jutting out of the side of the roof, using it to slow himself enough to allow for a safe landing. He dropped to the ground and rolled to disperse the energy of his impact, looking around wildly. He quickly found the trio of Ponies waiting for him, and he sprinted over to them. His effort had taken a bit of a toll, and he was once again out of breath, so he could barely speak a word before having to gasp in more air.

After a few minutes, Kyle finally managed to get his breathing under control once more, though his panic hadn’t faded in the slightest. “The forest.” he panted. “Scootaloo took them… into the forest…”

“WHAT?!” Applejack exclaimed, drawing the attention of several nearby Ponies. “Of all the reckless… what in the hay was she thinkin’?”

“We can ask her that AFTER we find them.” Kyle said, his voice taking on a commanding tone. “Now come on.” he began to jog towards the forest, with the three Ponies right behind him. “We’ll split up into pairs. One pegasus per pair, in case things go wrong and we need to get help. Applejack, go with Thunderlane. Derpy, you’re with me. We split up and hunt for those foals.”

By now, the group had reached the edge of the forest. “Meet back here at dusk. Go!” Applejack and Thunderlane nodded, apparently happy that Kyle was able to take charge, and ran off into the forest. “Cmon Derpy, with me. I bet I know where they are.” Kyle dashed into the undergrowth, with Derpy right behind him.

“Why would my little Dinky come in this horrible place?” Derpy whispered.

“Because Scootaloo and Applebloom and Rumble were going, and no child wants to feel left out.” Kyle replied. “But as I said, I bet I know where we’ll find them.”

For a while, the pair walked in silence, neither willing to speak further in the oppressive gloom of the forest. For some reason, the forest seemed even darker than usual, with very little light filtering through the tangle of branches and leaves. Still, even through the creepy atmosphere, Kyle and Derpy pressed on, determined to find the runaway foals. Finally, Kyle emerged into a clearing.

His eyes widened in horror, and Derpy screamed.

This was indeed the clearing in which Kyle had first popped into the world, but it was hardly recognizable. The entire clearing was consumed by swirling pools of black and white energy, and the trees were charred and blackened by the chaotic power that surged through the area. While no monsters could be seen, there was no mistaking what had happened here.

The Sha were out and about.

“Derpy. Go back to Ponyville and get Twilight Sparkle.” Kyle said quietly, his voice strangely calm despite the situation. “Tell her that the foals came into the forest, and that the Sha are here. She’ll understand. She’ll know what to do.”

Derpy gulped and nodded, and took to the air, forcing herself through the thick canopy before dashing off towards Ponyville. Kyle, meanwhile, took a deep breath. His hands glowed with green energy as he put one foot into the nearest Sha Pool. Instantly, one of the small monstrosities appeared, screeching in rage. It lunged and Kyle, its jaws aiming for his throat. Kyle casually flipped backwards, his feet catching the Sha under its jaw and sending it skyward, where it dissolved in midair.

Kyle smirked as he saw the monster dissolve and the black smoke disperse. His attention returned to the remaining Sha Pools. He stepped forward, his smirk dissolving into a look of grim determination.

This could take a while...

Chapter 13

Kyle flinched backwards as a pair of black claws lashed out at him, missing his nose by less than an inch. The creature let out a small noise that sounded vaguely reminiscent of a grunt as it spun around, lashing out with its other set of claws. Kyle was forced to flip backwards to avoid the attack, landing on his feet a few feet away from his enemy.

Kyle took a second to eye this final opponent. He had already cleared the rest of the pools in the clearing, saving the biggest one for last. Unlike the other Sha he had already vanquished, this one was larger - not as big as one of the Prime Sha, not by a long shot, but its body was configured in much the same way, missing only the spike-like protrusions that counted as legs. Instead, its torso and head were seemingly floating in the air.

The Sha charged once more, both sets of claws flailing at him. Time seemed to slow as Kyle braced himself for the assault. His eyes flashed as he saw his opportunity. Kyle took a step backward to avoid the first slash. The second one forced him to jump backwards, and as anticipated, the Sha pressed its perceived advantage.

The third slash was aimed at Kyle’s chest, but he was no longer there. He rolled under the Sha’s talons, coming right up next to the monster before lashing out with his own strike. His fist connected with the Sha’s skeletal jaw with enough force to launch it skyward. Kyle leapt into the air after his foe, grabbing its right arm and hurling the Sha back to the ground. The Sha landed hard, shaking the ground with the force of the impact.

The Sha tried to push itself off of the ground, but it was too late. Kyle’s foot was glowing with green energy as he fell, aiming a Flying Serpent Kick right at the Sha. His foot connected with its face, smashing straight through and finally vanquishing his opponent. Kyle pulled his foot out of the dissolving remains of the Sha and turned to look at the pool that had spawned it. Already, the pool was shrinking, leaving nothing but scorched earth in its wake.

“Hoo-wee. Ya’ll weren’t foolin’ when ya said there might be trouble.”

Kyle turned his head to see Applejack and Thunderlane emerging from the brush. they were covered in small scratches, and Applejack had a few leaves in her mane, but they were otherwise unharmed. “No kidding.” he replied, looking back at the Sha pool. “There must have been a dozen of these pools when Derpy and I first got here.”

“Yeah, we heard her scream and came runnin’” Applejack said, stepping forward and looking around. “Figured ya’ll found somethin’. Speakin’ of, where’s Derpy?”

“I sent her back to Ponyville.” Kyle said. “She went to tell Twilight and the other element bearers and bring them here.”

“Did you find Rumble?” Thunderlane asked, looking around. “Or the others?”

“No sign of them yet. Which, given what we DID find here, I’d say is a good thing. I’d be really worried if we’d found them here.” Thunderlane sighed and trotted over towards the opposite edge of the clearing, where he began searching the ground.

“Which Sha are we up against now?” Applejack asked.

“I wasn’t paying too much attention.” Kyle admitted. “I can barely sense these minor Sha when I shield myself from them, which I did before I fought them. Even that last one -”

“I found something!” Thunderlane yelled, cutting Kyle off. Kyle ran over to the Pegasus and looked down at what Thunderlane was showing him. Encased in the dirt were several sets of hoofprints, with a large pink bow next to it. More concerning, however, where the small droplets of Sha energy following the hoofprints.

“Not good.” Kyle murmured, different scenarios playing out in his head. None of them were pleasant. “Alright, so the foals went this way, and were either following a Sha… or were followed by one.” Kyle gulped nervously. “Applejack, you stay here and make sure the others find the trail. Thunderlane, with me.” Both Ponies nodded, and Kyle and Thunderlane charged off into the brush.

As the pair followed the trail, Kyle paid careful attention to Thunderlane. As emotional as he was, it wouldn’t be hard for even a minor Sha to take control. Thunderlane’s face didn’t betray any fear or anger, however - simply determination. Kyle sent a silent prayer to the Light as they burst through a particularly dense clump of foliage.

On the other side of the brush was a sheer cliff face. Surrounding the rock wall were numerous pools of Sha energy, with three Sha already out and about. A cave sat right in the middle of the cliff, with the trail quickly sloping down and to the left. The trail of sha droplets led straight into the cave.

Kyle growled. No doubt, the foals were in that cave, or had passed through it at least. And with the Sha surrounding it… “Thunderlane, stay back.” Kyle hissed quietly. “The Sha are powerful foes. I’ll take care of them, you watch my back.” Without waiting for a response, Kyle leapt forward, his hands crackling with jade energy.

The Sha closest to him spun around just in time to get blasted with a burst of green lightning, vaporizing it instantly. The remaining Sha hissed and slithered forward. The first one leapt with surprising speed, and Kyle was forced to sidestep to avoid the lunge. He ducked and rolled away, landing on his feet just in time to duck under the second remaining Sha.

With the two Sha now between him and Thunderlane, the Sha were unlikely to notice Kyle’s companion. The Sha slowly advanced, and Kyle took a step backwards. A terribly familiar, creeping cold raced up his leg. Kyle’s mind was bombarded by powerful, dark urges. Urges to tell others what was not true, to lie and cheat for his own gain...

Kyle forcibly shoved the urges away and yanks his foot forward, looking down. A look of horror and dread spread across his face as he fully realized what had happened. He had backed into a monstrous pool of Sha energy, and already multiple Sha were spawning from the pool.

A screeching sound brought Kyle’s attention back to the original two Sha. The first one had leapt once more, its massive jaw snapping for Kyle’s throat. Kyle braced himself and grabbed the Sha, hurling it into the pool of energy. An instant later, the second Sha was lunging at him as well. Kyle’s hand glowed red for a split second before a bolt of green fire shot forward. The Spinning Fire Blossom impacted with the second Sha and exploded, destroying the target.

Kyle smiled for a split second before turning to face the pool. Multiple Sha were springing forth, and the final remaining Sha from the original trio was recovering from the tumble Kyle had sent it on. He leapt backwards, preparing for the ensuing battle. As he landed, something fell off of his belt and fell to the ground. Kyle reached down and picked it up, examining it. It was his pouch, filled to the brim with Mana Brew. Kyle grimaced, regretting not bringing his second pouch with Energizing Brew. The Mana Brew wouldn’t help him enough to deal with all of these Sha.

Unless…

An idea sparked to life in Kyle’s head. A crazy, insane idea, but one that he had seen work a few times before. Other Monks had demonstrated this technique back at the Peak of Serenity, and while he had personally never done it before, he knew how to do it.

Or at least, he hoped he did.

“Hey! Come get me!” he yelled, waving his arms at the Sha. A dozen large, black and white heads swiveled to look at the offending noise. As one, the army of Sha screeched and rushed forward, a swarming, writhing mass of black and white. Kyle grinned and took a small sip of his Mana Brew, but did not swallow it. He then gripped the pouch in both hands and tore it apart before hurling the remains at the incoming Sha. The Brew splashed all over the Sha, dousing them in the energized cider.

As the first Sha prepared to leap, Kyle grimaced. Show time. he thought grimly as he gathered the Chi in his hands, cupping them around his mouth. Jolts of Jade Lightning shot from his palms, forming a web of electricity in front of his lips. He spat the Brew from his mouth, through the electric web.

Kyle’s eyes lit up in excitement as the result he had been hoping for played out before his eyes. The alcohol in the Cider was ignited by the electricity, sending a stream of fire forth from his mouth. The flames reached the Cider-soaked Sha, igniting them as well. The screeches of anger were replaced by wails of agony as the monsters scattered, trying desperately to extinguish the flames. One by one, the Sha fell, consumed by the blaze.

Kyle lowered his hands, the electricity fizzling out. He turned to face Thunderlane , who was staring at Kyle, wide-eyed and slack-jawed. “Hey, pull yourself together.” Kyle laughed.

“How… how did you do that?” Thunderlane asked in disbelief.

“Chi.” Kyle replied. “It’s too complicated to get into right now.” Kyle’s face took on a much more serious composure. “We’ve got work to do.”

Kyle turned and followed the sha droplets into the cave, with Thunderlane close behind. Even though the Sha’s presence was very strong, Kyle saw no more Sha pools. Kyle’s nervousness was quickly growing as they progressed further down the tunnel with no sign of either the foals or any more Sha. With Sha presence this strong, and no Sha visible, The chances of there being a Prime Sha around were very high.

“Hey, Kyle, you see that?”

Kyle blinked and squinted, looking forward. Ahead in the distance, Kyle could see what looked like a large cavern. “Yeah. Be careful. Perfect spot for an ambush.” he warned, creeping forward. Thunderlane gulped nervously and followed behind as Kyle poked his head into the cavern. No Sha presented themselves, even though their presence was stronger than ever before. Kyle gingerly stepped into the cavern, looking around.

The cavern was massive, easily the size of the Trade District back home. Stalagmites and stalactites dotted the floor and ceiling. In the ceiling lay a small hole, allowing a small trickle of sunlight to fall into the center of the cavern. It wasn’t much, but it was enough to see a good portion of the room.

Most curious of all, however, was what rested on the opposite side of the cavern. From Kyle’s position, they looked like large, green cocoons. They were not a natural part of the cavern - their odd coloration and strange glow made that perfectly clear. Kyle walked closer, examining the cocoons as he approached.

Kyle froze as he saw what the cocoons held. Behind him, he could hear a sharp intake of breath as Thunderlane made the same observation. “RUMBLE!” he yelled, running forward towards the cocoon.

A spike of Sha energy surged through Kyle’s senses, and his eyes flew open in panic. “Thunderlane, get back!” he screamed. Thunderlane turned to look at Kyle, but continued running. A faint hissing sound resounded through the cavern before a bolt of black energy flew from the shadows, striking Thunderlane in the side. The force of the impact hurled him through the air and into a stalagmite. The pegasus slumped to the ground, unmoving.

A second bolt of black energy launched itself from the shadows. Kyle hopped to the side as the bolt impacted right where he had been standing. Kyle spun his head towards where the energy had been launched from. Though the corner was shrouded in darkness, Kyle could vaguely make out a small shape. “Come out! You can’t hide from me!” he yelled, his hands crackling with Chi energy.

For a moment, the shape didn’t move. Then, slowly, it inched forward, moving from behind the stalagmite concealing it. The sunlight fell upon the creature, revealing a small orange body with a magenta mane. “No…” Kyle whispered in horror, his blood freezing.

Scootaloo smirked. “I see you have come at last.” she said, her voice echoed by a second, deeper, darker voice. Her entire being radiated with Sha Power, and her eyes were wreathed in black, flame-like energy. “The mighty hero, come to save the innocent foals, as he promised. But you are too late.”

“Let her go!” Kyle yelled, his voice shaking.

“You know that that will not happen.” Scootaloo grinned wickedly. “That it cannot happen. And even if I could leave… why would I do something like that?” She asked, chuckling darkly. “This little filly invited me into her heart with open hooves. It would be terribly rude to abandon her, as you did.”

“I never abandoned her!”

“But you did. You gave her a glimmer, a scrap of hope that she may one day find control. And then you told her to control her own emotions. To find her own way. You refused to train her as you know she should have been. Her anger truly was justified… ”

“What are you talking about, monster?”

“Is it not obvious?” Scootaloo smirked once more, circling Kyle. “She knew you all treated her like a little foal. She knew you wouldn’t train her to fight because of her age, and her age alone.”

“And she hated it. She hated being treated like a foal. She kept telling herself, and the rest of the world, that she was a big Pony. That she didn’t need anypony else’s help with anything, that she could take care of herself. A small little lie, a way to cope with her loneliness and isolation while her friends and family were too busy to help her. Perhaps, in the end, she even came to believe it herself.”

“And so she opened her heart to me. The Sha of Deceit.”

Kyle was rooted to the spot, frozen in horror. The Sha had claimed their first victim. An innocent filly, taken and possessed by the essence of evil.

“Kyle!”

Scootaloo’s smirk disappeared and was replaced with a frown as Kyle turned his head towards the entrance of the cavern. Twilight was standing at the entrance to the tunnel, with Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy behind her.

Scootaloo growled, and her hooves crackled with black energy. Kyle spun and rolled away just as the ground below him erupted in a pillar of energy. He landed on his feet and launched into a Flying Serpent Kick, landing just in front of the new arrivals. “Kyle, what’s going on?” Twilight asked.

“Where’s Applejack?” Kyle asked, not bothering to answer her question.

“Applejack took Derpy back to Ponyville. Derpy was pretty shaken up. Applejack said she’d be along as soon as Derpy was safe.” Twilight looked past Kyle, staring at Scootaloo. “Now, do you mind explaining what’s going on here?”

“The Sha.” Kyle said quietly, his voice hollow. He hung his head in defeat “The Prime Sha of Deceit has taken control of her. She’s its slave now.”

“Not on my watch!” Rainbow Dash cried, her wings flaring out. “Just tell us what to do and we’ll save her! So, what’s the plan?”

“There is only one plan, Dash.” Kyle whispered quietly. “We’re too late. She’s already fully enthralled by its corruption. There is only one way to release her from its grip now.” He raised his head, his eyes glistening. “Death,”

Everyone gasped and stared at Kyle with wide eyes. For a moment, no one moved. Finally, Rarity stepped forward. “Darling, you cannot seriously be saying that we must… kill… this filly.” she challenged. “Nopony could do that!”

“Then we damn her to an eternity of enslavement!” Kyle yelled with surprising force. “A fate worse than death!”

“But there has to be another way!” Twilight countered, her voice panicked. “ANY other way than killing a foal!”

“No. I’ve tried before. There is no other way.” He turned to face Scootaloo, who was now staring at the group with an amused expression. “Maybe you’ve never performed a mercy killing before. Ended the life of a friend who was suffering. But I have.” Kyle felt something roll down his cheek, but didn’t bother to wipe it away. “And now I must do it again.”

Kyle took one look over his shoulder. “Do not interfere.” he said quietly. Without another word, he charged forward, his fists glowing jade green. Scootaloo smirked and braced herself, her hooves shimmering with a black aura. Kyle felt another trickle roll down his cheek as he reached her, lashing out with his right fist.

Scootaloo ducked below the blow and aimed her own at Kyle’s torso, barely missing as he swept past her. She spun around and reared up on her hind legs, balancing surprisingly well as she blocked and parried a barrage of blows Kyle rained down upon her. As Kyle prepared to sweep her legs out from under her, she opened her mouth and unleashed a torrent of Sha energy, forcing Kyle to lean backwards to avoid being blasted by the attack.

A swift kick to his left knee knocked him to the ground. Kyle rolled to his right, barely avoiding Scootaloo’s hooves as she slammed them back into the rock. Kyle pushed himself back to his feet and rolled away, avoiding another blast of Sha energy as he ducked behind a pillar to catch his breath.

“You cannot hide from me” Scootaloo yelled as hoofsteps echoed through the cavern. Kyle glanced off to his left and spotted the other five Ponies, huddled behind another stalagmite outcropping. To his right, he could barely make out the crumpled form of Thunderlane.

“No. This has gone on long enough.” Kyle hissed, his hands glowing green once more. “I’m sorry Scootaloo.” Kyle leapt out from behind his pillar and thrust his right hand forward. Flames sprung to life in his palms, and he released the spell, firing the Spinning Fire Blossom right at Scootaloo. She growled and opened her mouth, unleashing her own blast of black energy. The two spells collided and swirled together for a moment, Sha energy mixing with Chi, before detonating in a ground-shaking explosion.

For a time, Scootaloo could see nothing. The smoke and dust released by the explosion obscured her vision. She growled, spinning slowly on the spot, trying to find her target. A cry of anger was all the warning she got, and she spun around just in time to see Kyle flying out of the dust cloud, aiming a Flying Serpent Kick right at her. His foot connected with her torso, hurling her away. She landed against the wall of the cavern. In seconds, Kyle was there, his right hand around her throat and pinning her against the wall. She struggled desperately, pushing against his hand with her hooves, but the Sha energy flowing through her wasn’t enough to overpower the Human.

Kyle’s left hand glowed with green energy again as he prepared to deal the killing blow. But before he could finish his opponent, he paused. Memories of his first encounter with Scootaloo flashed through his mind. Her stubborn insistence that she could do things by herself, her first attempt to strike him, her first attempt at meditation. Her improvement after only a day. After only two weeks, being able to sense Chi. So much potential… Kyle thought sadly, pulling his fist back.

His strike never landed. His fist hovered in the air, inches away from Scootaloo’s face. Her eyes burned with anger and hatred, and Kyle knew that the Sha was in complete control. But he couldn’t strike her. Even to save her from a fate worse than death, he couldn’t bring himself to kill her. Rarity was right. I can’t do it.

“Fool!” Scootaloo cackled. A torrent of Sha energy erupted from her mouth, blasting Kyle in the chest. Kyle howled as he was hurled away, landing in the center of the cavern. He groaned, trying to push himself back up, but found that he couldn’t. The blast had seared his skin and drained him of energy, leaving him weak and injured.

Scootaloo cackled as she strode over towards Kyle. A blast of purple energy erupted from behind the stalagmite Twilight was hiding behind, but Scootaloo barely paid it any mind. Instead, her hooves glowed black once more, and a barrier of sha-colored flames rose, separating her and Kyle from the others. “You are weak.” she growled, kicking Kyle in the side and sending him tumbling. “Your emotions caused you to hesitate. That is why today, victory is mine.” Scootaloo placed her hoof on Kyle’s chest, pressing down hard.“Now, Monk… you will die. And tomorrow, all of Equestria will fall before my brethren and me!” Kyle shut his eyes, preparing for the end.

It never came.

Scootaloo’s laughter switched to a gasp of shock. Kyle felt the pressure on his chest vanish, and he opened his eyes. Scootaloo was recoiling, looking at the tunnel entrance in fear. Standing in the opening was an orange-coated Pony wearing a familiar cowboy hat. “Stay back!” Scootaloo hissed, backing away from Applejack.

Kyle grinned as a plan formed in his mind. “Twilight, block all teleportation!” he called out. “Nothing in, nothing out!” Twilight didn’t answer, but the hum of magic and a flash of purple light provided all the response he needed. Scootaloo’s eyes shot wide open in fear, and she continued to back away, more rapidly this time.

“Alright Applejack. Go and touch her.” he called out, slowly pushing himself to his feet. “It’s the Sha of Deceit! You’re the Element of Honesty! It’s weak against you!”

Applejack grinned, and took off towards Scootaloo at a full gallop. Scootaloo yelped and turned heel, running from Applejack. She buzzed her wings furiously, but couldn’t get the lift required to take off. She was grounded. She was fast, but without her scooter she couldn’t hope to outrun the larger strides of a fully-grown mare. The black energy surrounding Scootaloo’s eyes began to fade, and her steps became more clumsy.

No…” She hissed, raising a hoof in a vain attempt to stop the inevitable. “I have worked too hard… for it to end like this!”

“So have we.” Applejack spat, touching Scootaloo’s snout with her hoof.

An ear-shattering scream resonated through the room. The black energy faded completely from Scootaloo’s eyes, and her body writhed in agony. A black mist emerged from her mouth, twisting and squirming furiously. Scootaloo’s scream was quickly replaced by a deep, dark, guttural howling coming from the mist. Slowly, the mist dissolved, leaving only a small black shard hovering in mid-air. The shard fell out of the air and clattered to the ground.

The Sha of Deceit was dead.

Scootaloo collapsed to the ground, unmoving. Kyle ran over as quickly as his body would allow, stumbling a few times from fatigue. He finally fell to the ground next to her, placing one ear to her chest. Nothing could be heard over his own breathing. Kyle took a deep breath and held it, listening carefully.

…

…

Ba-bump.

Ba-bump.

“Alive!” he sighed, relief washing over him. “She’s alive!”

All at once, the pair was surrounded by six sets of hooves. “Are you alright?” Fluttershy asked, her voice barely a whisper.

“I’ve had worse.” Kyle shrugged Fluttershy’s concern off. “Don’t worry about me. Take care of Scootaloo and… Thunderlane!” Kyle suddenly remember the other Pony who had entered the cavern with him, and he sat up, looking over towards where Thunderlane had been thrown.

The Pony in question was pushing himself to his feet, a bit unsteady but very much alive. “Nice of you to finally remember me.” Thunderlane smirked, spreading his wings and shaking the dust from them. “That was a hell of a fight you put up. Dunno what it was all about, but I’m guessing we won.”

“Yeah. We won.” Kyle sighed. “Rainbow Dash, get Scootaloo to the hospital. I’m not sure if she’s hurt, but I don’t want to take any chances.” Rainbow Dash bent down and picked up the orange Filly before spreading her wings and soaring out of the cavern. “Everyone else, let’s get the others out of those… things.” Kyle continued, pointing towards the cocoons the other foals were trapped in.

Kyle could feel the tension in the room amplify as the Ponies looked towards the cocoons. They hesitated for a brief moment before Applejack stepped forward. She walked over to one of the cocoons and slammed a hoof into it, punching through the membrane.

A small yellow head poked out of the hole, smiling. “Applejack!” she cried, leaping into her sister’s hooves.

Pinkie Pie bounced forward as the two sisters held each other close. “Come on, sleepy heads, time to wake up!” she said happily, tearing the other two cocoons apart. Rumble and Dinky pulled themselves out of the cocoons, looking shaken but unharmed.

Kyle turned and held Twilight back as the other Ponies walked forward to comfort the frightened foals. “I’m probably going to regret asking this,” he began, “but… have you seen this before? Those cocoons, I mean?”

Twilight paused for a moment before nodding her head slowly. “Yes. Once before, about seven months ago. My friends and I, and even Princess Celestia… we were all captured and webbed up in cocoons like those before the perpetrator was defeated by Princess Cadence and my brother..”

“And who was behind it? Whoever it was, they’re in league with the Sha.”

“I know. And that’s what worries me.” Twilight sighed, glancing over at the other Ponies before turning her head back to Kyle.

“The Changelings.”

Chapter 14

Silence dominated the waiting room as Kyle sat on the floor, grumbling to himself. “Stupid Ponies… can’t even get a chair.” he mumbled, hitting the ground beside him with the palm of his hand. Of course, ponies didn’t exactly need chairs to sit in, but still, the hard tile floor wasn’t exactly the most comfortable spot to sit on after a brush with death.

The thought of his recent battle brought his injury back to the front of his mind. Kyle looked down at his chest, which was covered in white bandages. His shirt had been torn apart during the fight, and the last blast from the Sha had burned his chest. Though the doctors said it wouldn’t be anything life threatening, it still hurt pretty badly. Kyle mumbled under his breath, and a familiar ball of jade-green mist formed in front of him. He reached out to touch it, and the soothing mist ran through his body to the burn, mending some of the tissue and easing the pain.

Kyle reached into his pocket and felt his hand brush against something hard. He grabbed the object and pulled it out. It was the black crystal, the one that had been left behind after the Sha’s defeat. Kyle gripped his hand around it and closed his eyes. Inside the crystal, he could feel the raging emotions, sense the turbulent energies of the Sha, begging for release. Yet they held no power, trapped as they were. The remnants of the Sha could not influence even the weakest of minds from its crystalline prison. Kyle smiled slightly, already imagining the other Sha likewise trapped for all eternity.

The double doors across the room from him opened, and Kyle’s head jerked up. Twilight walked into the room, looking tired. Her mane was messed up, with a few hairs sticking out of place. Spike was right behind her, holding a folder full of papers. Kyle stuck the crystal back into his pocket as Twilight turned towards her assistant. “Spike, go ahead and take those back to the library.” Twilight sighed. “I’ll take care of them later.” Spike nodded and walked out of the doors next to Kyle, out into Ponyville.

Twilight, meanwhile, sat down next to Kyle. For a moment, neither of them spoke. Silence reigned again. Finally, Twilight turned her head to look at him. “You doing alright?” she asked.

“I’ve had worse.” he muttered, summoning another Healing Sphere to ease the pain.

“I didn’t mean physically.” she corrected. “I know your body can take a beating, but I also know that the Sha shook you really badly.”

Kyle was silent for a moment. He just looked down at the tile floor, has hand brushing across the crystal in his pocket. “Just… I’ve seen some good men go down because of the Sha.” he finally said. “Earlier today, I thought I was going to see another.”

“Hey, everything turned out alright.” Twilight smiled, wrapping a wing around Kyle’s torso. “Scootaloo’s not hurt, and Thunderlane only has a sprained wing. Honestly, I’d say you got the short end of the stick in that fight.”

“Right…” Kyle closed his eyes, his mind flashing back to the cavern he had fought in. The evil aura permeating the very air, the crumpled form of Thunderlane on the ground, the green cocoons in the back of the room…

“Hey Twilight.” Kyle said suddenly, opening his eyes. “You mentioned the Changelings probably cocooned up those other foals, right?” Twilight nodded. “I read their name once before, in that book you left for me at Fluttershy’s, but there were no details. Can you tell me anything about them?”

Twilight sighed. “Honestly, not much is known about the Changelings.” she admitted, retracting her wing. “We only know a few basic facts. They’re a race of insectoid-like creatures whose natural forms are Pony-like in shape and size. However, they have a hard chitinous exoskeleton, rather than fur, posses both a horn and a pair of insect-like wings, and often have holes in their legs for some reason. They are organized into hives, ruled over by a queen, and it is believed that they possess a hive-mind, telepathically linking them to one another.”

“Changelings get their names from a unique ability. They can transform their bodies and take on the form of a Pony. They often do this and infiltrate cities and towns to collect their food - love. They feed off of the love energy of other creatures, with Pony love being by far the most potent.”

“Does draining the love from a Pony harm the Pony?”

“Long-term exposure has not been documented.” Twilight replied. “However, short-term exposure to their love-draining abilities has shown no negative side-effects.” Twilight sighed once more. “Unfortunately, that’s really all we know about Changelings right now. Most of the world didn’t even know they existed until a hive Queen, Chrysalis, tried to impersonate Princess Cadence a few months ago. She was going to be wed to my big brother until I found the real Cadence.”

“Well if they’re in league with the Sha… I guess the Sha of Deceit was kind of a fitting one for them to serve.” Kyle chuckled weakly. He opened his mouth to speak once more, but the doors across from him opened once more. Princess Celestia stepped forward, her expression neutral.

“Mr. Slater, please come with me. We have much to discuss.” she said simply, turning and walking out of the hospital. Kyle hesitated for a moment before pushing himself to his feet. He summoned another Healing Sphere to keep him going before waving goodbye to Twilight and walking after Celestia.

Celestia led Kyle through the streets of Ponyville, away from the town’s center. Ponies stopped and bowed as Celestia walked by, staring after the pair as they walked away. Eventually, the pair reached the town limits. Celestia continued walking, headed out into the open fields surrounding the town. In the distance, Kyle could just make out Canterlot Mountain, with the royal city barely visible on the side of the mountain.

“I’m certain you’re wondering why I’ve brought you out here.” Celestia said, causing Kyle to jump at the sudden noise. “Firstly, I wish to tell you that Scootaloo is alright. She is exhausted from her experience, and will remain in the hospital for a few days, but is physically uninjured and does not remember the experience. She will recover quickly.”

“That’s some good news.”

“Indeed. Good news that almost was not.” Celestia replied, turning her head to look at him. “I heard all about your fight with her in the cave. How you said the only cure for her possession was death. How you fully intended to kill this little filly.” Kyle suddenly felt very small as Celestia turned to glower at him, her wings fully extended. “Have you anything to say to this?”

“I… uh…” Kyle stammered. Celestia’s glare deepened, and Kyle gulped. “I uh… can explain.” he began, his voice still shaking. “Back on Azeroth we can’t…. that is, we don’t have these harm- Elements of Harmony to uh… defeat the Sha. If someone was possessed, the only way to… well, for lack of a better word, to ‘save’ them was to… well, kill them.”

Celestia’s glare slowly softened. “I understand your reaction.” she said quietly. “This incident will be dropped, for you withheld your final strike and spared Scootaloo’s life.” Kyle let out a breath of relief. “However, you must realize that the rules here are far different from the rules on Azeroth. There are multiple solutions to every problem. Next time, think outside the box.”

“Yes ma’am.” Kyle replied, his voice still shaking slightly.

“Now, for our next order of business.” Celestia continued. “Twilight informed me that you recovered a crystal from the defeated Sha. May I see it?”

Kyle nodded and reached into his pocket, pulling the black crystal out and presenting it. A soft golden aura surrounded the crystal, and it floated out of his hand, hovering just in front of Celestia’s face. She closed her eyes, and a soft hum resonated from the crystal.

Suddenly, Celestia’s eyes sprang open, and she gasped. The aura surrounding the crystal faltered, and it fell towards the ground. Kyle jumped forward and reached out his right hand, barely catching the crystal before landing in the grass at Celestia’s hooves. “Is… are you alright?” he asked, pushing himself back to his feet.

“That Crystal.” Celestia murmured, her eyes closed once more. “It is the prison for the remnants of the Sha’s power, correct?” Kyle nodded. “The energy is dark, evil… and familiar. I know I’ve sensed something like that before. But it was long ago… like a memory, buried by the sands of time.”

Celestia fell silent for a time, allowing Kyle a moment of thought. If Celestia had sensed the Sha energies before, then that meant that she had faced them before. But surely she would remember such terrible creatures. So why had she forgotten about them? Kyle scratched his head, feeling more confused than before.

“We should discuss this with my sister.” Celestia said, breaking Kyle out of his thoughts. “Come, Kyle. We must fly to Canterlot.” Celestia bent down on her front hooves, presenting her back to Kyle. Kyle hesitated for a moment, unsure how wise it was to climb atop someone so important.

When Celestia turned her head to look at him, her expression was one of questioning and slight impatience. Kyle sighed and clambered onto her back. “Hold on tight, Kyle.” she warned, spreading her wings. “I’m sure you’d rather not experience a long drop and a sudden stop.” Without any more warning, Celestia pushed off with her powerful wings, sending her rocketing into the air with a screaming Human atop her.

“Welcome to Canterlot.”

Kyle stared out over the city, his eyes wide with wonder. Stormwind was nothing compared to the grandeur of this city. Even Dalaran, home to the most powerful magi on Azeroth, paled in comparison. In the light of the setting sun, the buildings and roads glowed with a golden hue, shimmering and sparkling like a million precious gemstones. A seemingly endless array of streets and thoroughfares criss-crossed each other in a spider web-like array, all leading towards a single focal point - the Castle, resting up against the side of the mountain. Behind the city, the sun was setting, and a quick glance confirmed that Celestia’s horn was indeed glowing.

Celestia flew over the palace grounds, and Kyle couldn't help but stare once more. The palace was even larger than he had expected from a distance. Despite Kyle’s assumptions, the castle was not actually pressed directly against the mountain. Instead, the grounds completely encircled the building, with the section between the castle and the mountain containing what appeared to be animal sanctuaries. “Fluttershy would love it down there.” he commented, pointing at the sanctuaries. “All the animals and stuff.”

He could have sworn he heard Celestia giggle. “Ask Twilight about the Grand Galloping Gala when you return.” she said, angling herself upwards and banking towards the tallest tower in the castle.

A few moments later, Celestia landed on a balcony atop the tower. Kyle scrambled off of her, falling to one knee as he landed. His knees wobbled slightly as he pushed himself back to his feet. “Need to get my land-legs back.” he muttered under his breath. He turned his head towards Celestia, only to find that she was gone. Kyle whipped his head in the other direction, barely catching a glimpse of her multi-colored tail passing through the doorway. Kyle hurried after her, afraid of getting lost in the palace.

Kyle followed Celestia down a seemingly-endless flight of stairs circling the tower. Finally, they reached the ground floor, and Celestia took off in another direction. Kyle quickly lost all sense of direction as he followed her through the maze-like interior of the palace. “How do you keep track of where everything is?” he asked.

“I’ve lived here for over a thousand years.” she replied. “I’ve had plenty of time to get used to the castle, though I admit it can be daunting to newcomers.”

“No kidding.” Kyle mumbled as they turned yet another corner. Kyle peeked around Celestia and found himself staring at a door flanked by two Pegasi stallions in shining golden armor. The door seemed to be made out of bronze, and had a large orange sun engraved in it.

“Guards, Mr. Slater here is my guest for the evening.” Celestia said. The two Pegasi saluted and stood aside, allowing Kyle to pass. Even with his back turned, he could feel the suspicious glares the two Pegasi were giving him. Kyle sighed in annoyance. Even if they were just looking out for the Princess, surely she could handle herself if she had the power to raise the sun. Kyle pushed the thought from his mind as he followed her through the entrance.

Kyle had been expecting to see a grand, ornate living area behind the door. After all, Celestia was the ruler of Equestria, and the being who raised and lowered the sun every day. Surely she could have whatever grand trophies she desired. Instead, Celestia’s quarters were surprisingly modest. The first room contained a number of large sofas centered around a marble fireplace, with a writing desk propped up underneath a window. Four doorways branched out of the main room. The leftmost one led to a large balcony overlooking the rest of Canterlot. The right-most one led to what Kyle guessed was Celestia’s bedroom. The other two sloped up and down, respectively, with their hallways curving around on themselves, preventing Kyle from seeing where they led.

Kyle looked back towards the fireplace and noticed a large shape resting on one of the sofas, its features hidden by the glow of the fire behind it. As the door closed behind him, the figure raised its head, revealing a long, flowing, dark-blue mane. “Ah, sister, you’ve finally returned.” Luna said, sitting up from her resting position. “How is the young one? Is it serious?”

“Given the circumstances, it could have been far worse.” Celestia replied, taking a seat on her own sofa. She motioned with her wing for Kyle to do the same, and he picked a third sofa, electing to sit rather than lay down as Princess Celestia was. “Scootaloo will make a full recovery and be out of the hospital by the end of the week. Thunderlane sprained a wing, but nothing too serious. Mr. Slater here, on the other hoof, got a nasty burn across his chest.”

“I’ve had worse.” Kyle said, repeating the same line he had used on Twilight that afternoon. The mention of his injuries brought the pain back to the front of his mind, and he grimaced. He summoned another Healing Sphere and touched it, shivering as the cooling mist dulled the pain once more.

“I’m afraid we’ve little time for pleasantries.” Celestia said, her expression grim. “This crystal that you have found, Mr. Slater. It worries me greatly. I know that I have felt something like it before, and I had hoped the flight from Ponyville would jog my memory, but I still cannot…” she trailed off, her eyes closed and her brow furrowed in thought.

“Crystal?” Luna asked, tilting her head slightly. “May I see it?”

Kyle nodded and reached into his pocket, pulling out the black shard. The shard was surrounded by a dark blue aura and floated in front of Luna’s face. She closed her eyes as well, but almost instantly they sprang open. “What is this?!” she demanded, flinging the shard towards Kyle. He had to throw himself down onto the couch as the Shard impacted on the sofa where his chest had just been. “Remove this from my sight at once!”

Kyle scrambled to pull the shard from the sofa, hiding it back in his pocket. Celestia’s eyes were open once more now, and she was staring at her sister in a mixture of confusion and worry. “What is it, Lulu?” she asked. “Do you… remember that energy?”

“Far too well.” Luna replied darkly. She closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths, forcing herself to calm down. “This shard. From where did you recover it?” she asked, staring at Kyle once more.

“Uh… The Sha of Deceit.” Kyle replied. “When Applejack touched Scootaloo, the Sha was purged from her and killed. When it vanished, it left this crystal behind. From what I can tell, it contains the remnants of the Sha’s energy.”

“Sister, you know something.” Celestia interrupted. “You remember that energy from the past as well. Where did we encounter it?”

Luna sighed and closed her eyes once more. “The Nightmare.”

“The Nightmare?” Kyle asked.

“Yes. Surely you have heard of the Nightmare Moon incident?” Kyle nodded his head. “The story goes that I gave into my resentment and hatred and, through my own dark powers, became Nightmare Moon. This is only partially true. I indeed did allow my resentment and sorrow to grow and fester, but I had never dared to think of insurrection. Not until… it… came along.”

“It?” Celesita asked. “What are you talking about, Luna? Why have you never told me any of this?”

“Some things are best left unsaid.” Luna replied simply. “Yes, it. A creature of dark and terrible power. It came to me, spoke to me, kept me company during the lonely nights. While all the Ponies slumbered through my beautiful night, only it would remain to observe my masterpieces. For a time, I thought it was my friend.”

“Do you know what it was called?” Kyle asked.

“It told me its name once. Alp’tauum. Alp’tauum was the only one I ever felt comfortable confiding in. For months, it kept me company. Until one day, when my sorrow and anger were at their peaks. Alp’tauum offered me something I had desired forever. A way to make our Ponies love me and love my night. I accepted its offer. It told me to go to the throne room, and I listened. When I did, it possessed me. It took control. I became Nightmare Moon.”

“After that… well, we all know what happened.”

“And… what happened to this… Alp’tauum?” Celestia asked.

“When your student, Twilight Sparkle, and her friends turned the Elements of Harmony against me - no, us - Alp’tauum was ripped from my body and destroyed utterly. His corruption could not stand against the purity of the Elements of Harmony. I had been purged, and realized what a terrible mistake I had made.”

The trio fell silent. For several minutes, the only sounds that could be heard were the chirp of crickets from outside, and the crackle of flames from the fireplace. Finally, Celestia looked over at Luna. “Well, I suppose that explains why you continued to refer to yourself as ‘us’ once you returned.” she said with a small smile. Luna grinned weakly in return as Celestia turned her head towards Kyle. “What do you make of this, Kyle?”

“I… well, I can’t say I’ve ever met an Old God personally - thank the Light for that.” Kyle said slowly. “But from what you just said, Princess Luna, Alp’tauum sounds like it would be an Old God. Worming its way into your heart and mind, no doubt whispering to you that Celestia and the other Ponies did not love you, turning you away from everyone else. And finally taking control and enacting its plan.”

“Indeed. But, there’s one thing I don’t understand.” Celestia said. “How could that be the same energy connecting the Sha and… Alpta’uum… Unless…”

“My thoughts exactly.” Kyle replied. “The Elements killed it, but failed to destroy its spirit. Thus, we have the Sha, the remnants of the Old God Alp’tauum.”

“But I was released from his grasp years ago.” Luna said, speaking for the first time since she had finished her story. “If the Sha were created back then, why are they only now starting to reveal themselves?”

Kyle was silent for a moment, thinking. If Alp’tauum had really been destroyed by the Elements of Harmony years ago, then surely the Sha would have been around ever since. So why now? What had happened to make the Sha rise up?

“Could it be your arrival?” Luna asked. Kyle’s head jerked up in shock, and Luna ducked her own. “I mean no offense, Mr. Slater, but… the timing is suspicious at best. An alien arrives through an unstable portal, and less than a week later a threat emerges that is new to us but familiar to this alien. Do you see my -”

“No Luna.” Celestia interrupted. “Kyle has nothing to do with the Sha appearing at this moment, intentional or otherwise. I imagine something else has occurred to allow the Sha to roam more freely.”

“Wait a second… that’s it!” Kyle exclaimed. “Twilight told me before that the Elements of Harmony were sealed away now, correct?”

“Of course!” Celestia said, her eyes opening wide. “If the Elements of Harmony were what vanquished Alp’tauum in the first place, then it’s likely that their power was holding the remnants of his spirit at bay. The Elements were put back into the Tree of Harmony last month to stop the Everfree Forest from expanding. With their energy now sealed into the Tree, there’s nothing to hold the Sha back!”

“Except for the residual energy of the Elements left in their previous bearers.” Kyle finished. “It all fits into place! Their sudden reappearance, their apparent counter to the Elements of Harmony, their weakness to the Element bearers… it all makes sense!”

“But wait… Sister, you said the foals in the cavern were held in place not by Sha Energy, but by… Changeling Cocoons?” Luna asked, shuddering slightly. “Where do they fit into all of this?”

A sudden feeling of dread washed over Kyle. “Changelings. The insect-like shapeshifters?” he asked. The Princesses nodded. “I uh… may have an idea, but I… doubt it’s pleasant.”

“Little information surrounding this whole ordeal seems to be pleasant.” Celestia sighed. “Very well. How do you think they fit into this?”

“Well… On Azeroth, we have dealt with three Old Gods in the past.” Kyle began. “C’thun, Yogg-Saron, and the remnants of Y’shaarj. One thing tying them together is that each Old God seemed to have a race of insects serving it.”

“Really?” Luna asked.

“Yeah… Well, kind of.” Kyle admitted, rubbing his chin. “We never really figured out if the Nerubians were actually servants of Yogg-Saron, since most of them were controlled by the Lich King when we found them. But C’thun had an army of insects called the Qiraji, and when it was alive, Y’shaarj was worshiped by another group of insects called the Mantid. Both served their respective Old God with undying loyalty, and the Mantid even seemed to have some reverence for the Sha, even though the Sha of Fear completely wiped out their empire. So… this is kind of a scary thought, but perhaps the Changelings were once servants of Alp’tauum? And now they serve the Sha?”

“This is a disturbing thought.” Celestia said slowly. “But… it is a very real possibility, if what you say is true.” Celestia fell silent for a moment before speaking again. "We must warn our citizens.” Celestia said, pushing herself back into a sitting position. “If they do not know the threats, they cannot prepare for them.”

“But what should we say?” Luna asked, sitting up as well. “That the spirit of the creature that created Nightmare Moon has returned and is being assisted by the Changelings? Ponies will panic, Celestia. There will be chaos.”

“Ponies will die if we do not do something!”

The two sisters fell silent for a moment. Finally, Celestia looked over at Kyle. “What is your opinion, Kyle?”

“Me?” Kyle asked, surprised. “I, uh… I’ve never been good at politics. You’re asking the wrong guy, here.”

“But you know the implications of this situation more heavily than anyone else outside this room.” Luna replied. “If you had to make a choice, what would you do? Speak, or remain silent?”

Kyle took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “I uh… I guess I’d tell them the truth.” he finally said. “But only enough to warn them of the threats. Tell them to stay in groups and not to wander off after dark. Tell them that the Changelings may be coming back. But don’t tell them that the incidents in Ponyville are related to the Changelings. Princess Luna is right. We don’t need to start a panic.”

Celestia nodded. “That sounds reasonable.” she agreed. Luna looked unconvinced, but said nothing. “There will be an emergency announcement tomorrow, where I will tell Equestria of the threats we now face. Also tomorrow, the ambassador from Griffonia will arrive, along with the One of the Minotaur Chieftains and the Dragon Elder Council’s Head Speaker. Kyle, I would like for you to join us at the meeting. Your input would be invaluable.”

“I… suppose that would be alright.” Kyle said. “But… no speaking in front of a crowd?”

“Not unless you count five creatures besides yourself a crowd.” Celestia chuckled.

“Right right, I think I can manage.” he nodded.

“Very well. I’ll inform the guards that you’re to be treated as a national representative.”

“Shame I won’t be dressed for the part.” Kyle sighed, looking down at the remains of his clothes. His pants were torn and caked with dirt, and the tattered remnants shirt had been discarded long ago, being beyond repair, leaving only the bandages covering his chest.

“I’ll have Twilight send a set of the formal attire Miss Rarity designed for you.” Celestia replied. “It would be quite a hassle to send you back to Ponyville for one evening, only to drag you back here at the break of dawn tomorrow. If you’d rather, I have arranged for a room to be prepared for you.”

“I think that would be better.” Kyle agreed.

Celestia pushed herself off of the couch and moved towards the doorway back into the castle. “Come, Kyle. I’ll show you to your room.” Kyle stood up and followed the Princess out the door.

As the door shut behind him, Kyle saw Celestia speaking quickly to one of the guards flanking her quarters. The stallion turned to glance at Kyle with a raised eyebrow before returning his attention to the princess. He saluted sharply and spread his wings, taking off down the corridors. Celestia smiled and motioned for Kyle.

He followed behind as Celestia weaved her way through the labyrinth that was the castle. Again, he was forced to wonder how anyone could find their way around without a guide. After a few minutes of twisting and turning, Celestia stopped in front of a door and opened it. “I hope this is to your liking.” she said, stepping inside. Kyle stepped in behind her.

The room was quite comfortable-looking. Pressed up against the far wall was a rather large four-poster bed atop a slightly-raised platform with steps leading up to it. Cases filled with books lined the walls, and a reading desk was sat underneath the window, with a candle placed on the corner. A doorway on the right side of the room led to what appeared to be a bathroom, and if the steam was anything to judge by, a bath had already been drawn for him.

“It’s… more elegant than I’m used to.” Kyle admitted. “Honestly, I’m more used to a cot on the ground and a simple tarp between me and the stars. But I suppose this is a nice change of pace.” he added.

“Excellent. I’ll leave you be until morning.” Celestia replied, walking towards the door once more. “Make sure you get some rest. Tomorrow’s a big day.”

“Like there’s such a thing as a small day in this world.” Kyle shot back with a smile. The door closed as Celestia stepped into the hallway once more, leaving Kyle alone.

For a moment, Kyle considered just stepping into the bath, but a twinge from his chest told him that stepping into hot water wouldn’t be the most comfortable thing for his burn right now. Instead, he summoned another Healing Sphere, pulled a book out of the shelf at random and sat down on the bed. “The Elements of Harmony - A Reference Guide.” He read the title aloud. “Huh. This might be useful.” Kyle opened the book and…

… was interrupted by a knock at the door. Kyle sighed and set the book aside as the door opened and Princess Celestia stuck her head in once more. “Kyle, this just arrived for you. From Ponyville.” she said, levitating a small package into the room. “Twilight sent it to me through Spike and said it was for you.”

“Thanks.” Kyle said, taking the package. The door closed once more, and Kyle turned his attention to the package. “Alright Twilight, what did you send me?” he murmured as he opened the package. As he saw what was inside, his eyes teared up. He fell to his knees and sent a silent prayer of thanks to the Light before moving the package over to the reading table. “Dinner time.” he grinned, picking up the fork and knife that had been included and cutting into the still-warm slab of venison.

Chapter 15

Knock. Knock.

Kyle groaned and rolled over, burying his head under his pillow. He refused to open his eyes. “Go away…” he mumbled, trying to fall back asleep.

Knock. Knock.

Kyle sighed and pulled his head out from under the pillow. He sat up and rubbed his eyes before opening them. “What the hell is with these Ponies? The sun’s not even up yet.” he muttered under his breath, irritated at his sudden awakening. He had been having a nice dream about… Well, something. Kyle sighed once more. He couldn’t even remember what the dream had been about, but he knew it had been a good one.

“Mr. Slater, are you awake in there?” A voice asked, coming from the door.

Kyle pushed himself up and off of the bed, walking over to the door and opening it with an irritated look. “Do you have any idea what time it is?” he asked.

“Yes sir. It’s 9:30.” The guard replied, seemingly unfazed by Kyle’s irritation. Kyle's eyes flew open, and his head whipped over towards the window. “Package from Ponyville. I’d recommend getting changed, sir. You’re expected at 10.”

“Yeah, sure. Thanks.” Kyle said hurriedly, taking the package from the guard and slamming the door shut. Kyle ran over to the window and threw open the heavy satin curtains covering it. Sure enough, the sun was already up, and shining at just the right angle to fall directly onto Kyle’s overly-diluted pupils.

“My eyes!” Kyle cried, blinded by the harsh glare. He stumbled away from the window, his eyes clenched shut to prevent further pain. He cried out once more as his foot connected with something hard and solid, sending him falling to the ground. He landed on top of the stairs leading to the bed, having tripped over them in his blind state. Kyle groaned and rolled off of the stairs, curling up into a ball and waiting for his eyes to stop burning.

Finally, the pain receded, and Kyle slowly opened his eyes once more, allowing them to adjust to the light. “Hell of a way to start the morning.” he groaned, pushing himself back to his feet. He took another step, and his foot connected with another object, this one significantly softer than the marble steps. Kyle looked down and scooped up the package he had dropped, tearing it open.

Inside the package was a set of clothes. “Of course. The outfit for today’s meeting. That’ll be fun.” he sighed sarcastically as he pulled the shirt and pants out of the package. “Well at least Twilight got me the clothes to play the part.” he said, looking over what Rarity had made. It was a simple white button-up shirt and a pair of long, black pants. Kyle placed the clothes on the bed and tossed the remains of the package into the trash can next to the door. He then walked over to the desk under the window.

On the desk was the remnants of his dinner last night. The mere sight made his mouth water, and Kyle picked up the fork and knife again, quickly finishing off the venison. His hunger now sated, Kyle picked up his clothes from the bed again and walked into the bathroom.

Kyle emerged half an hour later, bathed and dressed. He growled and flattened the shirt collar for what felt like the thousandth time, only for it to pop back up again. “Stay down.” he snarled, pushing the collar back down and glaring at it. Satisfied that it was now properly folded down, Kyle glanced around the room once more, checking to see if he had forgotten anything. His eyes landed on the bed, and Kyle walked over to it, quickly re-making it.

As he finished, Kyle’s eyes landed on a book on the floor next to the bed. He picked it up and looked at the title. “The Elements of Harmony - A Reference Guide.” he read aloud. “Pff. Useless.” he scoffed, putting the book back on the shelf. He had read through the entire book the night before. One hundred and forty-two pages, and not a scrap of information that he didn’t already know. The book didn’t tell where the Elements or the Tree of Harmony came from. It had also been published before the Nightmare Moon incident, so there was no mention at all of the new bearers and their adventures with the Elements.

Satisfied that the room was now in the same state he had found it, Kyle walked over to the door and stepped out, closing it behind him. This presented Kyle with another problem - he had no idea where to go for this meeting. After a moments thought, Kyle turned to his right and walked off, hoping to find a guard or someone to point him in the right direction.

The castle was surprisingly empty as Kyle wandered through the labyrinth of hallways. Kyle had expected to see some nobles or servants, or at the very least a patrol of guards, but instead he found no one. Where the hell is everyone? he wondered, turning another corner.

Kyle found himself staring down a particularly large hallway towards a large double door, flanked by two Unicorn guards. Kyle smiled and walked towards the two Ponies. The guard on the left shifted slightly, while the one on the right looked about nervously as Kyle approached. “Excuse me, sirs. I’m a bit lost. Could you point me towards… wherever the meeting is being held?”

“Mr. Slater? The Human?” The guard on the left asked. Kyle nodded. “Well, you made it to the throne room. The meeting is being held in a conference room on the other end of the castle. Just head in as straight a line as you can to the south.” Kyle blinked. “That way.” The guard clarified, pointing in the direction Kyle had just come from.

“Right. Thanks.” Kyle said, walking away from the pair. He retraced his steps back around the corner, trying to continue in the direction the guard had pointed. After a few minutes, though, Kyle was hopelessly lost, praying to find someone else as he rounded yet another corner.

“Oof!” Kyle grunted as he collided with something hard and solid. He fell backwards, landing on his rear with a thud. A slightly heavier thud echoed his own, and Kyle looked at what he had bumped into. “Oh thank the Light, Princess Luna.” Kyle sighed in relief. “I was hoping I’d run into someone else… though I didn’t mean it quite this literally.”

“Kyle Slater, there you are!” Luna exclaimed, already back on her hooves. “I’ve been searching everywhere for you! Come, we must hurry! We’re already late to the meeting!” Luna spun around and began trotting away at a brisk pace, forcing Kyle to jog to keep up.”

Luna lead Kyle through the castle’s hallways with the same apparent ease that Celestia had. Kyle couldn’t help but envy the sisters’ ability to navigate the halls so easily. “So… what’s this meeting about, again?” Kyle asked.

“Delegates from the other three great powers of Equus are here to be informed about the threats we now face.” Luna explained. “They have also come to meet you, Mr. Slater, the alien from another world who knows so much about this threat. Your insight into our foes will be quite helpful in persuading the other nations to up their security and aid us in defeating this threat… Hopefully.”

“I dunno about that.” Kyle admitted as they ascended a flight of stairs. “I’m a soldier, Princess, not a negotiator. I can supply the info, but I think I’ll leave the persuasion to you and Princess Celestia.”

Luna remained silent for the rest of the trip, which took them up two more flights of stairs and another three minutes. Finally, Luna stopped outside a set of double doors. “We are here.” she announced. “Make yourself presentable, Kyle. Fix that collar.”

“Wha?” Kyle asked, looking down. “Son of a… stay down, damnit!” he exclaimed, shoving the collar back down. He eyed it menacingly, as if daring it pop back up.

Which it did.

Kyle sighed and threw up his hands in frustration, while Luna giggled. “Let me help you.” She said, enveloping his entire collar with her blue aura. The entire collar popped up, and then folded back down. When the aura faded, the collar did not spring back up. “Much better.” She smiled, pushing the doors open.

Kyle followed Luna into the room, and the doors closed behind him. The conference room was quite large, with another set of double doors open to the outside on the other end of the hall. A long table and many chairs occupied the vast majority of the space in the room. However, the room was completely devoid of anyone besides Kyle and Luna. “Where is everyone?” he asked

“Outside, on the balcony.” Luna replied, walking to the far end of the hall. As Kyle followed her, he could indeed make out voices, though their words were unintelligible. Luna stepped through the door, and Kyle followed her out onto a large, round balcony. The doors slammed shut behind them, and Kyle turned his head to see two Unicorn stallions barring the door with a plank of wood.

Kyle turned to look back at the group. Everyone had fallen silent, and they were all staring at him. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were there, of course, sitting side-by-side at a smaller, round table with their backs to him. To Celestia’s left was a large Griffon, looking almost identical to its Azerothian counterpart. The griffon had snow-white feathers, but Kyle could barely see them under the Griffon’s attire. He was covered in a suit of shining steel armor, and numerous medals hung from his chestplate.

On the other side of the Pony sisters was an empty chair, presumably reserved for Kyle. He made his way towards it, but froze dead in his tracks as he saw the delegate who would be sitting to his right.

For a horrifying moment, Kyle was rooted in place, anger and fear burning within him. The creature looked almost identical to a Tauren, complete with the horns on his head and the hooves in place of feet. However, Kyle’s mind started working once more, and he realized that this must be the delegate for the Minotaur clans. The Minotaur was dressed in a suit that looked far too small for him, and he was puffing on a pipe. As Kyle watched, the Minotaur blew out a ring of smoke, which floated up over his head and joined the dozen or so other smoke rings stacked on his horns.

Kyle finally took his seat and looked across to the other side of the table, which seemed rather bare. He leaned over to inquire to Luna about this, but froze before he could. Instead of seeing the mountainside or the city behind the balcony, all Kyle could see was a wall of gleaming, ruby-red scales. Kyle slowly looked upwards and felt his jaw drop.

Resting next to the balcony was the largest Dragon that Kyle had ever seen. He reckoned that the behemoth in front of him could even give Deathwing a run for his money in terms of sheer size.The Dragon returned his stare with an amused expression. It lowered its head towards the table, closed one eye, and aimed the other one towards Kyle. “Nice of you to join us, Sir Kyle.” the Dragon rumbled, its deep bassy voice resonating through the air. “Allow me to introduce myself. I am Valstrath, Voice of the Dragon High Council.”

“H-hi…” Kyle stammered, feeling a cold sweat break out across his forehead. “You’re a lot… larger than most Dragons back home.”

“Indeed?” Valstrath asked a non-question. “I am also among the largest of my kind here on Equus.” Valstrath. pulled its head back and grinned, revealing two rows of razor-sharp fangs, each easily as large as Kyle. Kyle couldn’t help but gulp and shiver slightly as Valstrath hid his fangs behind his lips once more. Valstrath said nothing further, simply shifting his gaze towards the Griffon.

“Ahem.” The Griffon cleared its throat. “Greetings, Mr. Slater. I am Iron Wing, Secretary of State for the Griffonian Empire, veteran of the Battle of Gyth Isle, Savior of…”

“Yeah yeah, we’ve heard all about you and your war achievements.” The Minotaur interrupted, earning him a glare from Iron Wing. The Minotaur seemed not to notice as he turned to face Kyle once more. “Pleasure to meet you. Name’s Longhorn, Chief of the Redtail tribe and ambassador here at this little shindig.” he introduced, patting Kyle on the back. Kyle’s body flopped forward with the force of the impact, and his face hit the table.

“Charmed.” Kyle coughed as he pulled his head off of the table. “I, uh… I’m Kyle. Slater. Uh… Monk of…”

“I must ask once more, Celestia.” Iron Wing interrupted. “Is it really necessary to bring this… Human… to this meeting? If your story is true, then he does not even have a nation to represent.”

Kyle glared at the Griffon, his nervousness fading into irritation. “As I was saying.” he continued, throwing another dirty look at the Iron Wing. “Monk of Azeroth and, apparently, ambassador of the Kingdom of Stormwind.”

“All present are already familiar with us.” Celestia continued. “I am Celestia, Princess of the Sun, and this is my sister, Luna, Princess of the Moon. We are the co-rulers of Equestria. Now that introductions are out of the way, I believe the meeting may begin.”

“As you have all heard, Equestria has recently come under fire from two threats. The first threat is that of the Changelings, who have once again been found to be kidnapping Ponies. The second threat, however, is far more serious.”

“Would this be the evil force that you spoke of at your emergency conference with the news organizations?” Longhorn asked.

“Indeed it is, though I’m afraid the situation is more serious than I let on.” Celestia sighed. “I turn the floor over to Mr. Slater, who is more experienced with this enemy.”

Kyle nodded, looking over the table at the gathered delegates. “This new enemy is one that I have fought before, back in Azeroth. They are called the Sha, the remnants of a dead Old God. Old Gods are ancient, evil, chaotic creatures, and the Sha are what is left behind when one is killed.”

“These Sha take on the aspects of negative emotions or character traits. On Azeroth, we faced seven: Doubt, Despair, Anger, Violence, Hatred, Fear, and Pride. Here on Equestria, we have encountered two separate Sha, and it is believed that four more are out there, each one representing the opposite of one of the Elements of Harmony: Greed, Deceit, Treachery, Cruelty, Misery, and… whatever the opposite of Magic would be.”

“These Sha are incredibly dangerous foes. Besides their razor-sharp claws and fangs, the six Prime Sha also command legions of minor Sha. All Sha can possess other creatures. This can drive their host into a frenzy of emotions related to their chosen element - for example, the Sha of Greed can drive those it possesses to want to steal from others. The Prime Sha can also directly possess another, taking complete control. Whether out in the open or possessing another creature, the Sha often leave puddles of dark energy as a sign of their presence, and can utilize incredibly powerful black magic. Any questions so far?”

“I thought I had sensed the return of some dark power.” Valstrath mused. “One I had not felt for over a thousand years. I must ask, though - How did this supposed Old God meet his end? I remember no battle in recent history in which a monster was slain, save for Sombra.”

“It had nothing to do with the affair in the Crystal Empire.” Luna replied. “The Old God in question was a being called Alp’tauum. A thousand years ago, it possessed me and transformed me into Nightmare Moon. When we returned, the Elements of Harmony were turned against us. I was purged, and it was destroyed.”

“So why are the remains of this Aptlum popping up now?” Iron WIng asked, shooting an accusatory glare at Kyle. “Seems kind of fishy to me. This Human has experience with these creatures, and as soon as he shows up in our world, they start terrorizing the area where he is staying.”

“We have an explanation for that as well.” Celestia replied. “The Elements of Harmony were recently sealed away, and much of their power restrained. We believe that this has given the Sha the opportunity to expand and grow in strength.”

“So the Sha are weak to the Elements?” Longhorn asked.

“Yes, and those who bore them most recently.”

“Well then just pull the Elements out of wherever they’re contained and use ‘em against these Sha.” Longhorn chuckled, leaning back in his chair. “Boom. Problem solved.”

“It is not that simple.” Luna sighed. “The Elements have become one with the tree from which they were first borne, and are holding the rest of the Everfree Forest at bay. To remove them would allow the forest to expand once more, such as it tried to do not long ago.”

“Oh.” Longhorn sat back up, rubbing the back of his head. “Guess I should’ve realized you all would’ve thought of that already, huh.”

“So you’re telling us that these beasts have a single weakness, and that we cannot utilize this weakness against them.” Iron Wing spat. “So what now then? What can we do against an enemy that we cannot kill?”

“Incorrect.” Kyle grinned, reaching back into his pocket and grasping the crystal in his hand.. “They can be killed without using the Elements directly. Gentlem… er, ambassadors, I present to you the remains of the Sha of Deceit.” Kyle withdrew his hand from his pocket and depositing the crystal on the table. “Completely powerless within this crystalline prison.”

Iron Wing and Longhorn leaned forward to inspect the crystal as Kyle left it in the center of the table. Valstrath, on the other hand, kept his distance, eyeing it warily. “Is it safe to be carrying that around, young one?” he asked.

“If you touch it, you can sense the chaotic energies inside, but they can do no harm to you.” Kyle replied. “The remains of the Sha’s energy cannot control anyone from within the crystal.”

“So how did you kill this thing?” Iron Wing asked, looking at Kyle with a straight face for the first time.

“You can defeat the minor Sha with conventional weaponry and tactics.” Kyle explained. “However, be warned that fighting the Sha can be very stressful on the mind. If not careful, one can easily be possessed by a Sha they are fighting. Also, defeating minor Sha does not kill them, per say. It simply transforms them back into dark energy, which will later coalesce again into another Sha. The Prime Sha can likewise be defeated in such a manner, though again the death is not permanent, and it is next to impossible to do so alone.”

“However, as said before, the Sha have one fatal weakness - the Elements of Harmony. The Sha cannot stand to be near their respective element, or its bearer. This Sha that was destroyed was the Sha of Deceit, which stands opposite of the Element of Honesty. When the Sha of Deceit was near the bearer of the Element of Honesty, Applejack, not only was she immune to its mind-controlling powers, but the Sha attempted to flee. It was unable to, and when she touched the Sha, it was destroyed, leaving only this crystal behind.”

For a moment, no one spoke as the new information sank in. Finally, Longhorn turned his head towards Celestia. “So you know how to kill these things, and are able to do so.” he said. “So why ask us for help? The Element bearers are your citizens, not ours.”

“Indeed, but the situation is further complicated.” Celestia sighed. “The Changelings. Based on Mr. Slater's… past involvement with Old Gods and the Sha, and what was seen at the site where the Sha of Deceit was defeated, we have determined that the Changelings are likely serving the Sha. Or, more specifically, the Old God that became the Sha.”

“For this reason, I felt it necessary to inform the other nations of the threat. It may be months or even years before the last of the Sha are finally vanquished. Until then, they and the Changelings are a very real threat not just to Equestria, but all of Equus. The Sha may not work as an army, but the Changelings do. It is my opinion that the great powers of Equus should band together in mutual defense. A Union, so to speak.” she added with a sideways glance towards Kyle.

“Why should Griffonia agree to this?” Iron Wing demanded. “The Sha pose no threat to us. They are here, separated from my people by a thousand miles of ocean.”

“Do you honestly think they won’t find a way to Griffonia?” Kyle asked, barely stopping himself from snarling at the Griffon. “If so, then you are a fool. The Sha are not mindless beasts. They are intelligent, cunning, and masters of manipulation. They and the Changelings will find a way across the ocean. If it means burrowing underneath the seafloor, then that is what they will do.”

“And let us not forget who raises the sun and the moon.” Valstrath added. “Should Celestia and Luna be killed, the plants that our prey feed on would either wither in unending heat or starve from lack of sunlight. And should they become possessed, The Sha will have the powers of the Sun and Moon at their commands. Either situation would mean Equus’ doom, and ours as well.”

The Dragon then turned his gaze towards Celestia. “We dragons rarely involve ourselves in the affairs of the other races, but your words are true. The Sha and Changelings are a threat to all life on Equus. I cannot speak for the Elder Council today, but I will bring your proposal before the Council with my highest recommendations.”

“And I shall do the same with the Grand Chieftain.” Longhorn added.

All eyes shifted towards Iron Wing, who shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He closed his eyes, his face scrunched up in thought. Finally, he sighed and slumped his shoulders. “I suppose I must at least bring the proposal before the Emperor.” he conceded. “If things truly are as out of claw as you have suggested, then your Union will need the might of the Griffonian Imperial Army to back you up.”

“That is all I ask of you today.” Celestia nodded. “Let your leaders know what is going on. If they have further questions, they are always free to contact me through the usual channels.”

Celestia then turned to look at Kyle, who simply sat there. After a few seconds, the heads of the other diplomats turned towards him as well, and he realized that he had yet to pledge to the Union. “I, ah… well, I’m not entirely sure how King Varian Wrynn will feel about this, and I can’t exactly waltz over to Stormwind and ask him.” he said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. “But I can say for myself that I’m in.”

Silence followed, and Kyle looked over to see Celestia smiling at him. “If that is all, then I suggest we move on to the next subject.” Longhorn grinned, patting Kyle on the back again. Kyle once again found himself face-first against the table from the force of the blow. “I’d like to hear a bit more about this Human. Where exactly did you find him, Celestia?”

Celestia smiled and turned her head towards Kyle as he pulled himself off of the table. When she didn’t speak for a moment, Kyle turned to face her. “Oh. Well uh… Kind of a long story, so… settle in I guess.”

The room was very large, adorned with many trophies from past conquests. In the center of the circular room was a large bed, easily able to hold four Ponies, atop a raised platform. Bookshelves lined the walls, and a desk was propped up against one of the walls. However, as much enjoyment as she had for her living quarters, none of that interested her right now. Instead, her attention was focused on a pedestal off to the side of the room.

Atop the pedestal sat a green orb of fire, and within the flame was an image of a peculiar creature. A Human, her new allies had called it. Kind of like one of those wretched Minotaur, but with no fur or horns. As she watched, the Human reached into his pocket and pulled out a crystal.

The two creatures behind her stiffened visibly, and she could understand why. “So there it is.” She hissed. “My Changeling is right there, you know. All it would take would be one command, and I could - “

“No, Chrysalis.” The Sha to her right interrupted. “You know as well as we do that that will not work. If your Changeling reveals herself to not be a guard in front of both Princesses, she would not get five steps. Her cover would be blown, she would be captured, and every infiltrator you have in Equestria would be in danger. We will recover the fallen piece in time. Deceit was a fool to go behind our backs like that. Something I’d more expect from you, Treachery.”

The other Sha turned to face its counterpart and hissed in amusement. “You slight me.” it rumbled, its voice slightly higher pitched.

“How can you two be so indifferent about this?” Chrysalis demanded, spinning around to face the two Sha. “Deceit is dead! This is a fatal blow to our plans! Now we cannot - “

“A minor setback, at worst.” The first Sha interrupted once more. “Deceit will no longer be able to aid us, true enough. But Deceit’s idea to ransom those fillies for the Element bearers was insanity, and it spoke of nothing else. If anything, Deceit’s interruptions were a hinderance. Deceit must pay the price for its stupidity. Meanwhile, we continue with our own plans. Your Changelings are numerous and powerful, and their power and numbers grow by the hour. Once infused with our energy, the army will be unstoppable.”

“A united Changeling army, maybe.” Chrysalis growled. “But we are hardly united. The Grand Emperor has forbidden the other hives from joining our cause. My hive stands alone. If we go to war alone, we will die alone, even with your powers.”

“You know how to fix that little problem.” Treachery sneered.

“We’ve been over this.” Chrysalis growled. “I disagree with the Grand Emperor, but he has led our people for generations. He was Emperor when I was but an egg. The Emperor is -”

“The Emperor is the one who is holding you back.” Treachery interrupted. “No, not just you, but the entire Changeling race. He is the one who is stopping you from reclaiming this world from the children of the usurpers. Even other hives cry out against him now, but his word is law, and his will adamant. Eliminate the Emperor, and you open the gate for your people to march to glory.”

Chrysalis turned back to the orb of flame. The Human had reached out and taken the shard back, and was now putting it back into his pocket. She felt a pair of claws slide over her shoulders, and could feel Treachery place some of its weight onto her. “The Changelings will hail you as a legend.” it continued. “Your name will be remembered for all eternity. Grand Empress Chrysalis, Liberator of Equus.”

Grand Empress Chrysalis. The title rolled through her mind time and time again. She closed her eyes and allowed her imagination to wander. She stood over the corpses of Shining Armor and Cadence, her revenge finally complete. The Element bearers were imprisoned in the dungeons, fated to be living food for the rest of their short lives. Celestia and Luna, standing by her side, possessed by the Sha standing behind her…

And the roar of her people. A thousand thousand Changelings, cheering her name, praising her deeds. The tiny Changeling larvae running up to her with wide eyes, begging to hear the story of how she sacked Canterlot. And above all, the feeling of fullness. No longer would she hunger for love. Her people would no longer starve. The Ponies of Equestria would be enslaved, and her people would feed forever.

Treachery pulled its claws off of Chrysalis, shaking her from her thoughts. “But of course, none of that will happen while the Emperor still stands against you.” it purred. “So, what shall it be? Take a stand? Or cower for all eternity. The choice is yours… Grand Empress Chrysalis.”

Chrysalis stood still for a moment, her eyes closed once more. Finally, she opened her eyes, and a smile split across her face. “The Changelings will rule Equus once more.” She grinned. “It is our destiny. And if Grand Emperor Toxxys will not seize it… Then I shall.”

The two Sha stepped aside as Chrysalis turned and walked towards the door. Though they were not a part of the Hive, they had become attuned to the mental signals that connected every Changeling in Hive Crisali. They could hear Chrysalis call out to her commanders to prepare the armies for war.

Treachery chuckled softly. “It has begun.” it said quietly. “Soon, all of Equus shall fall.”

“One hive cannot overpower the might of all of the others.” The other Sha replied. “Not alone.”

“But Hive Crisali is not alone.” Treachery replied, turning and walking towards the door. “I shall infuse Chrysalis with my power. We will return with the might of the Changeling armies behind us.” With that, Treachery walked out of the door, closing it as it left.

The lone remaining Sha stared at the door for a moment longer. Slowly, it turned to face the green fireball again. The disguised Changeling’s gaze was once again directed at the Human, who appeared to be yelling at the Griffon. The Sha began to chuckle, softly at first, but then more loudly. “I remember your kind, Human, yes I do.” it said as it finally stopped laughing. “The Townlong Steppes was merely a setback. Soon, I shall avenge my Azerothian counterpart.”

The Sha of Hatred chuckled once more as it turned its back to the green flame. “You. Will. Die.”

Chapter 16

The hum of magical energy resonated through the air as Kyle leaned back against the tree. He was in the middle of the park in Ponyville, in an isolated grove of trees that he had discovered a few days ago. It was the perfect place to go to just relax all by himself, and one might assume that that was what he was doing right now, were it not for the Pony across from him.

Scootaloo’s face was scrunched up in concentration, her eyes sealed shut. Kyle seemed relaxed, but in reality he was very focused on the young filly. Her hooves were glowing with a jade green energy, and as he watched, the energy seemed to grow brighter and brighter. Kyle felt himself hold his breath, and he leaned forward as the energy began to pulsate. It flashed brightly, and…

Nothing.

Kyle released his breath and leaned back once more. Scootaloo’s body relaxed, and she lowered her head, breathing heavily. “I’ll… never… get it.” she panted, trying to regain her breath. “It’s… too hard.”

“You’re thinking negatively again.” Kyle reprimanded her gently. “Remember, if you think that you can do it, you’ll succeed. If you think that you cannot, then you will fail. Collect yourself, and try again.”

“Easy for you to say! You already know that you can do it!” Scootaloo snapped. Kyle raised an eyebrow as Scootaloo recoiled slightly. She had let her emotions get out of hand once more, and she knew it. She took a deep breath and held it for a second before exhaling slowly, closing her eyes and laying down to collect herself. Kyle took advantage of the lull in her training to go over the memories of the past few days.

Ever since he had returned from Canterlot two weeks ago, many Ponies seemed to be a bit on edge. It wasn’t hard to figure out why - Princess Celestia’s announcement about the Sha and the Changelings had everyone worried, especially when word got out that four foals had already been foalnapped and rescued.

Still, others seemed less on edge and more in awe of him. Every day, Kyle heard his named whispered as he walked down the street, usually followed by some Pony turning to look at him. In general, there was no doubt in anyone’s mind now that Kyle was there to help, and the few Ponies who were still concerned with him had at least acknowledged that he had helped the town multiple times.

Most interesting of all was the return of the mint-green Unicorn. She had stalked Kyle on the way to Twilight’s library on the day that he had been revealed to the world, but he hadn’t noticed the mare any more than usual after that. Ever since his return to Ponyville, however, Kyle had noticed her hanging around more and more often, usually with a big, goofy grin on her face. It had been cute at first, but now it was starting to get a bit creepy.

Kyle turned his attention back to the filly in front of him, who still had her eyes closed. He couldn’t help but smile as he looked at her. She and her friends had gone up to the Crystal Empire just the other day, and had qualified to be Ponyville’s flag-waving team for the Equestria Games. He didn’t exactly understand what these games were or why they were so important, but Scootaloo had been very excited to tell him of their victory.

He had also noticed a difference between the Scootaloo who left and the Scootaloo who returned. The day before she had left, she had been moping around and not really interested in anything, only buzzing her wings occasionally and looking even sadder afterwards. When she returned, however, something had changed. She was energetic again, happy, playful - the old Scootaloo, essentially.

But there was something… more. She also seemed to have a renewed sense of confidence. Kyle had watched her two days ago as she told off the local bullies, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, for picking on Dinky because of her mother. Kyle’s smile grew wider as he remembered the shocked expressions on the two fillies’ faces as they had backed away. It appeared that his student had taken his lesson about defending others to heart.

Scootaloo stirred and opened her eyes again, dragging Kyle’s thoughts back to the present. “You ready to try again?” he asked. Scootaloo nodded and sat back up, her face expressionless. She closed her eyes once more, and Kyle could feel the Chi around him beginning to bend to her will. A small crackle broke the silence for an instant as Scootaloo’s hooves glowed with green energy once more.

The air began to hum as the glow surrounding her hooves grew brighter and brighter. The light began to pulsate again, slowly at first, but more quickly as time went on. Kyle felt himself hold his breath once more as the hum reached a fevered pitch, and the rapidly pulsing energy became painful to watch. Suddenly, the energy flashed more brightly than ever before. Kyle shielded his eyes for a split second.

As the light faded, Kyle looked back to see Scootaloo on the ground, breathing heavily once more. Kyle sighed and closed his eyes again. “So close…” he murmured quietly.

A shiver ran down Kyle’s spine, filling him with a renewed sense of energy. His eyes sprang open, and his head snapped upwards. Floating above him, twirling lazily through the air, was a small orb of green energy with a long, dusty trail following it. As he watched, it wiggled through the air towards Scootaloo and bounced into her. Her head snapped upwards as well, and her eyes went wide with shock.

Kyle grinned as the Chi Wave faded, and he scooted his way over to Scootaloo, patting her on the back. “See? I told you that you could do it. All you need is a little faith.”

Scootaloo didn’t respond, her eyes still staring at the spot where the Chi Wave had vanished. “Hey, what are you thinking?” Kyle asked, moving his head so that she was staring at him.

“I… did it.” Scootaloo murmured. “I actually did it…” She closed her eyes and rested her head on the ground again. “I can’t believe it…”

“What do you mean?”

“I was starting to wonder if…” she began, but cut herself short, glancing over at Kyle. He smiled encouragingly and motioned with his hands for her to continue. “I just… I was starting to wonder why you were training me when I couldn’t even do this simple spell. I was… I was scared that I’d never be able to do it.”

Kyle patted Scootaloo’s back. “Remember that you have an incredible gift, Scootaloo.” he said gently.” You have such an innate connection with Chi that you learn in weeks what others require months or years to learn. But that doesn’t mean that your talent will carry you everywhere. You still must work hard and devote yourself to learning, or else all of the talent in the world cannot help you. You may have been afraid that you would never get it right, but you didn’t let that stop you from continuing. You were quite courageous to keep trying in the face of failure.”

Scootaloo scoffed. “Courageous? Yeah right. So I managed to cast a spell. That’s nothing compared to what you do. You fight the Sha! I’ll never be as brave as you.”

Kyle felt his heart skip a beat as his mind flashed back to his own training. How he had said nearly the exact same words to his old mentor. But… I’ll never be as brave as you. You don’t seem to be afraid of anything. he had said.

Kyle felt a lump in his throat as he smiled back at his student. “Ah, my young apprentice. You, like so many others, confuse courage with bravery. A brave Pony, will run into a burning building to save a young foal with no thought for her own safety. A courageous Pony will realize that she is putting herself in terrible danger, and run into the burning building anyway.”

Scootaloo’s eyes went wide as Kyle leaned in closely, his voice barely a whisper. “I have my fears, young one,” he admitted, “But I do not let them stop me. True courage is not moving on without your fear, but moving on despite your fear.”

Scootaloo didn’t move a muscle as Kyle pushed himself to his feet. “Well, I think that that’s all for today.” he announced, patting her on the back once more. “Remember - practice at least an hour every day, and don’t use your magic to hurt others. Although intimidating a certain pair of bullies might be acceptable.” he added jokingly. Scootaloo giggled as she pushed herself to her hooves. She gave Kyle an affectionate nuzzle before exiting the grove.

Kyle didn’t follow immediately. Instead, he leaned against one of the trees, thinking. Scootaloo had come a long way - there was no denying that fact. The difference between the filly who had attacked him nearly a month ago and the filly that had just left was astonishing. Kyle couldn't help but smile once more as he pushed his way through the trees and exited the grove.

On the other side of the cluster of trees was the rest of the park. It was a lovely, late summer’s day. Ponies were scattered all around the park - flying kites, having picnics, and just walking around and enjoying the day. In the distance, Kyle could make out Scootaloo riding away on her scooter, her little wings buzzing furiously. I wonder why she doesn’t just fly like the other Pegasi…

“Kyle! There you are!”

Kyle was jerked from his thoughts once again as his name echoed across the park. He turned his head and saw a small purple shape rushing towards him. Though it was still far away, Kyle recognized the voice instantly, and smiled as Spike ran up to him. “I’ve been looking for you for like, an hour! C’mon, we’ve gotta go, quickly!” Spike grabbed hold of Kyle’s arm and tried to drag Kyle back in the direction he had just come.

“Woah, woah there.” Kyle exclaimed, pulling his arm away. “What’s going on? Sha?”

“Wha? No, not Sha, thank Celestia.” Spike replied. “It’s Twilight. She need you back at the library, immediately. I think she made a breakthrough with the portal!”

Kyle’s eyes sprang open, and a grin split across his face. “Well let’s get a move on!” he exclaimed, picking Spike up and tucking him under one arm, much to the young Dragon’s indignation. “Hold on tight.” he warned before sprinting in the direction of the library.

A few moments later, the pair arrived outside of the library. Spike huffed irritably as Kyle set him down. “Dude. Not cool.” he growled. “At least give a Dragon a warning before you haul him off like a sack of flour.”

“Sorry, Spike.” Kyle grinned. “But you’re just a bit too slow to keep up with me, and I’m too excited to slow down for you. If Twilight’s got a portal working, then I can go home! You have no idea how much I -”

“I said she’s made a breakthrough.” Spike interrupted. “It’s not a full-blown portal yet. Not by my understanding, anyway.” Kyle’s grin vanished as Spike continued. “She spouted a whole load of technical mumbo-jumbo - you know how she gets. From what I put together, she needs your help with some kind of test or something.” he shrugged. “I’m just the messenger.”

Kyle closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. Of course it was too good to be true. “Ah well.” he sighed. “Not what I was hoping for, but I guess a breakthrough is still pretty good. Where is she?”

“Down in the basement. It’s her research lab.” Spike walked over to the staircase and opened a door. Kyle had always assumed that it was just a broom closet, but instead he saw a set of stairs descending into the darkness. Spike walked over to the door and descended down the stairs, with Kyle close behind him.

“So Kyle,” Spike began as they walked down the long, spiral staircase, “I hear you’ve been teaching Scootaloo about some of what you do. Magic and whatnot.” Kyle nodded in reply. “So, if you go home before you’ve finished teaching her… what’s going to happen with her?”

Kyle didn’t reply at first. He couldn’t, really. “I… don’t know.” he admitted slowly. “I guess I… hadn’t really thought about it.”

“Well give it a bit of thought.”

The pair finally exited the curving stairwell as the left-hand wall stopped, giving them a good look at the basement. It was round and surprisingly large, easily two or three times the size of the library upstairs. Kyle could see that Twilight had sectioned it off into multiple different areas. One section looked like an alchemist’s lab, with different liquids bubbling in vials . Another area looked like a smaller version of the library upstairs, with books laying everywhere and bits of paper scattered amongst them.

Kyle looked to the far end of the basement and saw Twilight in a large open area. As he watched, her horn flashed purple, and the air around her wavered for a moment before settling once more. He nudged Spike and pointed towards her. “Yeah, That’s her practice area.” Spike explained. “Where she tests out spells that require a bit more than just casting. You know, runes and stuff.” The pair reached the bottom of the stairs and weaved through the basement, being careful not to trip over anything. “Twilight, I found him!” Spike called out as he entered the area where Twilight was working.

Kyle stepped into the area just in time to see Twilight’s head snap in their direction. “Finally! What took you so long Spike?” She exclaimed, trotting over to the pair.

“I was hiding.” Kyle said simply.

“What? But why were you… never mind, it’s not important.” Twilight walked to the other side of the room, where a large chest was resting against the wall. “You’re just in time, anyway. I just finished securing the area with some protective wards, in case this spell goes badly. Not that I think it will.” Twilight opened the chest, and a leather-bound tome flew out, followed by a multitude of clear crystals. The book flipped open, and the crystals began to lower themselves into place.

“I went up to Canterlot the last week and decided to visit the Starswirl the Bearded wing while I was there.” Twilight explained as she inspected each crystal, occasionally turning or adjusting one. “I found this book in there, buried in the master-level section. I don’t think anypony besides the other Princesses and us have ever seen this book. Maybe not even them. It’s certainly something that nopony has seen in several lifetimes. It contains a long-forgotten technique that is supposedly able to amplify a Unicorn or Alicorn’s magic many times over, to the point where one Unicorn can perform a spell that would otherwise require hundreds, or potentially thousands of Unicorns without this technique. It requires a lot of setup time, but for a spell like this one, it’s absolutely worth it.”

“How does a civilization forget something like that?” Kyle asked incredulously. “Especially in the middle of the capital city? I mean, we lost a lot of knowledge when Lordaeron was sacked, but nothing like that! You’d think someone would have thought to remember a way to make Unicorn magic stronger.”

“Discord threw the entire world into disarray during his First Reign.” Twilight explained sadly. “Many books filled with ancient knowledge were completely destroyed in his quest for total chaos. Millennia’s worth of knowledge, destroyed in the span of two decades. To be honest, I’m surprised he let this book survive. As to why no one found it in the middle of Canterlot, the Starswirl the Bearded Wing is restricted - only Princesses, or those with royal permission, may enter.”

“Alright, I guess if Discord was involved, all the rules of logic go out the window.” Kyle sighed. “So, what is this secret technique? I guess it involves those crystals?”

“Correct. I’ve been making these crystals over the past three days. I had to borrow a couple from Rarity, but it’s going to be worth it. These crystals have been modified and attuned to my magic, so that when a spell cast by me strikes them, they’ll resonate at a perfect frequency to set off an internal chain reaction. This reaction will then re-cast the spell, but at a much greater power level.”

“So you cast a spell at it, and it casts it again, but stronger?” Spike asked, looking confused.

“In laypony’s terms, yes.” Twilight nodded. “You can arrange the crystals in certain patterns. Using the correct pattern with the correct spell with amplify the spell far more than without the correct pattern. This pattern… hold on.” Twilight picked up the crystal in front of her and examined it closely before flipping it over and putting it back down.

“This pattern is a derivative of the Krotian Formation. Before the First Reign of Discord, this formation was used to transport large items over long distances, usually to the First Griffonian Empire. I’ve modified it to consume far less energy, since I’m not sure how much power it will take. This modification means that instead of creating a portal, it will instead produce a one-way looking glass. We’ll be able to see through the portal, but those on the other side will not know we are watching.”

“Better than nothing, I guess.” Kyle said. “So, where do I come in? Spike said you needed my help.”

“Indeed.” Twilight replied. “As you can imagine, it would be very, very bad if we were to open portal into some hostile planet, or even outer space itself. I know this is only a looking glass, but all the same, I’d rather avoid that. In the past, to focus the location of the other end of the portal, a small charged crystal attuned to the portal spell would generally be transported or teleported by traditional methods to the desired location, and then the spell would be cast. The charged crystal would provide a focal point for the other end of the portal.”

“I would try to do that here, but there are two problems. Firstly, I doubt I have enough strength to transport even a small crystal to another planet. Secondly, even if I theoretically did have the strength to do so and then cast the portal spell, we’d have no way of knowing if the crystal arrived properly, or at all. And again, opening a portal to the wrong location would be very, very bad. So I did a bit of light reading -”

“Interpretation: You stayed up all night for two nights in a row. Again.” Spike interrupted. “We need more coffee, by the way. You drank it all.”

“Thank you, Spike.” Twilight said curtly, throwing a glare his way. “As I said, I did a bit of light reading, and I found an alternative method. It’s slightly less accurate, but it’s much simpler. All I have to do is channel the spell first through an item made in the desired exit location, and the other end of the portal will open in roughly the general area.”

“So what… you need something made in Azeroth?” Kyle asked.

“Yes, preferably from the town or city where you desire to end up.”

“Well, you could use my belt.” Kyle said slowly, pulling the strip of leather off of his waist. “It won’t be damaged, right?”

“Not a chance.” Twilight smiled. “That’s what one of my protective wards should prevent.” The belt was enveloped in a purple glow and floated in the air next to Twilight. “Are you ready to try it? If it works, we may be able to send you home within the week.”

“Fire away.” Kyle grinned, unable to contain his excitement.

Twilight’s horn glowed with its usual purple aura, and began to pulsate rapidly. Tiny bolts of purple lightning shot out of her horn, producing a steady sizzling sound. She closed her eyes as sweat started to form on her brow. The pulsing stopped for a brief second before a sound akin to a cannon going off blasted through the room.

A jolt of energy flew from her horn into the belt. A second later, the bolt of energy flew out of the other end of the belt and into the first crystal. A soft hum resonated through the room as the crystal began to glow with a soft purple light. As Kyle watched, the light grew brighter and brighter, and the crystal slowly lifted into the air.

Suddenly, three more bolts of energy flew out of the crystal. Each bolt of energy struck another crystal, and the process repeated once more. For a few moments, this process repeated itself over and over again, with more and more crystals hovering in the air. As more crystals flew into the air, Kyle noticed that several energy bolts were flying back and forth between crystals that were already hovering.

Soon, every crystal was hovering in the air, with bolts of magic flying between them. As the bolts of energy became more and more frequent, the bolts became more akin to beams, linking crystals to each other.

Suddenly, one bolt of energy went flying in a new direction, towards an uncharged crystal that was already hovering in the air. This crystal instantly glowed a vibrant lavender, and sent forth multiple curved beams of energy towards another crystal directly below it. The two crystals were connected by the beams of energy, and lavender energy crackled to life between the beams.

The other crystals, meanwhile, were beginning to descend to the floor. As they touched down, new beams of energy sprang to life between the innermost crystals and the central bottom crystal. The energy crackling between the solid beams in the middle of the formation surged with new power, and meshed together to form a solid oval of energy.

All at once, every crystal and energy beam flashed brightly, changing to a pure white color. The oval of energy at the center, however, formed an image. The image was very fuzzy, and Kyle dared not step closer due to the energy beams still connecting the crystals on the floor. This problem was soon solved, however, as a small section of the formation suddenly died out, leaving a small corridor leading to the portal in the center.

Kyle looked over at Twilight. The Alicorn was lying on the ground with her eyes closed, breathing heavily. She opened her eyes and looked over at him before smiling wearily. “I… I think it worked.” she grunted, pushing herself shakily onto her hooves once more. “Go on… See if this is the right place. If so, then we’ve made a massive leap forward today.” Kyle grinned and stepped into the corridor between the energy beams. As he reached the portal, the image became far less fuzzy and more distinct, and he could make out what was on the other side.

On the other side of the portal was a large, dark room, lit by torches held by wall-mounted sconces and a few dangling lanterns. In the center of the room was a large leather hide, drawn taught by ropes and pegs, with a map of Azeroth crudely stitched into it. Multiple chairs and tables were scattered around the edges of the circular room.

On the far wall was a raised platform, with steps leading up to a throne. Standing next to the throne were two figures - A blue-skinned Troll, and an Orc. Kyle’s eyes narrowed in anger. Even having never seen them in person, there was no mistaking the two figures in front of him. Thrall and Vol’jin, the new Warchief of the Horde. While Kyle couldn’t hear through the portal, he could tell that the conversation the two were having was quite serious. Oh how he wished he could eavesdrop in…

“Well? Is it the right place?”

Kyle snapped his head around to see Twilight and Spike staring at him expectantly. Kyle forced the scowl off of his face as he walked away from the looking glass. “Kind of.” he replied. “That’s Azeroth, no doubt about it. But the portal was opened in Orgrimmar, the capital city of the Horde. That’s halfway across the world from Stormwind. If I were to go there, I’d be killed on the spot.”

Twilight sighed and shook her head. “Well, considering we’re opening a portal to a planet potentially billions upon billions of miles away, I’d say getting the portal onto the planet itself is pretty good.” she said. “But that spell was very tiring, even to me. And the spell to create a proper portal will take far more energy. I’ll keep looking for a way to lower the energy requirements, but it might be a while.”

“Still, this is huge!” Spike exclaimed with a grin, running up to the portal. “We can finally get a look at your… homeworld… hang on.” Spike’s expression fell as he squinted through the portal. “Those aren’t Humans… Are they?”

“No, they’re not.” Kyle growled. “The green one is an Orc named Thrall, ex-Warchief of the Horde. The blue one is a Troll, and the current Warchief. Vol’jin, he’s called. The Horde they are a part of stands completely opposite to the Alliance I am a part of.”

“I remember Princess Celestia mentioned a Horde that has been a large influence on your recent history.” Twilight interjected. “Is this them, then?”

“Two of their leaders, yes.” Kyle replied curtly.

“Well… We’ll not send you there, then.” Twilight mused. “Maybe if I adjusted…”

“Hold on a second.” Kyle interrupted, walking over to a nearby table. He picked up a pencil and a piece of paper and began scribbling on it. A couple of minutes later, Kyle held up the paper and showed it to Twilight. On the paper, he had drawn what appeared to be an ornate lion’s head. “If you see this figure in blue and gold colors, you’ll have found the right spot.” he explained.

 “Right. I’ll keep experimenting on the portal and look for this symbol. I still need to figure out how to reduce the energy requirement and up the accuracy.”

“Thanks Twilight.” Kyle patted Twilight on the back before exiting the sectioned-off area. He turned his head back towards her just in time to see her shoot the portal with another blast of purple energy. The portal sputtered and crackled for a moment before fading entirely. Kyle sighed and worked his way back through the basement and towards the staircase.

A few moments later, Kyle flopped down onto his bed. For a long while he just laid there, his mind filled with turbulent, ever-changing emotions that would leave him elated one moment, depressed the next, and confused the entire time.

They were close, closer than Kyle had dreamed they’d be. He had seen Azeroth again. True, it had only been seeing, and it had been Orgrimmar, but it was something. Now he knew it could be done. He could go home.

And yet…

Kyle couldn't help but remember how exhausted Twilight had been after casting the spell. She had nearly fallen over when she tried to stand again. And that spell had used only a fraction of the energy required to open a true portal. It could take months, or even years before they found a way to reduce the energy cost to a manageable level, and months more to get the portal to open where they wanted it to.

But even if the portal was able to be opened today, could he really go home at this point? Spike’s question about Scootaloo echoed through his head time and time again. So, if you go home before you’ve finished teaching her… what’s going to happen with her? He had said that he hadn’t really thought about it.

Indeed he hadn’t. He had been so focused on his excitement, on his own well-being, that he hadn’t even thought about the filly who he had been teaching earlier that afternoon. Even if he was given the opportunity to go home today, could he do so immediately? There was no doubt that he truly wanted to return to Azeroth, but could he leave Scootaloo, who had so much potential, on her own? Especially after starting to teach her about Chi and how to harness it. There was still so much that she had to learn.

So much that he had to learn.

Was he even the right person to teach her? His doubts started creeping back into his mind. He had only been a fully-fledged Monk for a year before coming to Equestria, and though there was no rule forbidding it, most Monks were not given apprentices until they had at least two decades worth of experience. Yes, Kyle was the only one around who could teach her, but did he have enough experience to even try?

“I almost miss the war.” he muttered, his eyes growing heavy. “Even if I was fighting for my life every day, at least I knew what the hell to do. Everything was so much simpler then.” He looked out the window and realized the sun had gone down. “Better get some shut eye.” he murmured, closing his eyes.

"I just hope tomorrow is easier."

Chapter 17

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Chapter 18

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Chapter 19

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Chapter 20

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Chapter 21

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Chapter 22

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Chapter 23

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Chapter 24

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Chapter 25

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Chapter 26

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Chapter 27

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Chapter 28

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Chapter 29

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Chapter 30

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Chapter 31

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Chapter 32

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Chapter 33

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Chapter 34

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Chapter 35

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Chapter 36

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Chapter 37

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Chapter 38

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Chapter 39

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Chapter 40

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Chapter 41

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Chapter 42

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Chapter 43

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Chapter 44

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Chapter 45

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Chapter 46

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Chapter 47

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Chapter 48

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Chapter 49

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Chapter 50

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Chapter 1

The Blasted Lands. A fitting name for a land as desolate as this. Nothing grew here. Nothing could grow. The reason lay at the center of this twisted landscape – an enormous portal, glowing black and fel-green, held together by a massive stone structure and sitting in a gigantic crater. Outside of this crater, there was nothing but red clay and barren, rocky mesas for miles. Only the hardiest creatures could survive in this tainted wasteland – Scorpids and hyenas, ravenously hunting each other - and anything else that moved - for their next meal; Basilisks, whose deadly gaze could turn one to stone in seconds; Ogres, who organized raids on the few settlements in the area; Demons, who had once entered this land through the massive portal and sought to bring about the ruination of the world.

And of course, those who guarded the portal: The Alliance and The Horde.

“Would it kill them to share some of that shade?” Kyle Slater grumbled, glaring at the men standing under one of the only tents in the area. He wiped the sweat from his brow and rustled his short jet-black hair. A snort from his left made him turn his head to his companion.

While Kyle was not exactly short, coming in at just under 5’11, the mountain of a man next to him made him look like a Dwarf. Matthias stood at an imposing 6’5, and was covered from head to foot in shining armor, with a shield strapped to his back and a sword to his belt. “You want to swap places?” Matthias asked, a hint of playful threat in his voice. “This armor isn’t exactly the most comfortable thing to wear in the desert.”

Kyle sighed, shook his head, and returned his attention to the Portal they were supposed to be guarding. Matthias had a point – the armor of a Warrior was certainly far hotter than Kyle’s simple leather attire. Still, it was WAY too hot out in the sun. Kyle unstrapped his weapon from his back. It was a simple wooden staff, save for the sharp metal point fastened onto one end. Twirling it in his left hand, he muttered a couple of quick words under his breath before thrusting his right hand forward. A green mist shot from his hand and coalesced into a pair of orbs hovering at eye level. Matthias and Kyle both reached forward for one, and the orbs disappeared on contact with their hands.

Kyle shivered as the cool mist travelled through his body, refreshing his mind and easing the blistering heat for a moment. A glance at his brother let Kyle know that Matthias was experiencing a similar effect. A moment later, Matthias chuckled. “Tell me again why you didn’t train as a Monk before? Could’ve used those… Healing Spheres? Could’ve used those back in Tanaris.”

Kyle raised an eyebrow in response. “Because the Pandaren didn’t show up to teach us the ways of the Tushui until 5 years after Tanaris,” he said pointedly, turning his attention back to the portal they were guarding.

Matthias sighed again and shook his head. “Ease up, bro,” he said, giving Kyle a quick punch on the shoulder. “The heat’s getting to you. Water should be coming around any moment.” As if on cue, a female with long, pointy ears walked out of a nearby tent with a silver platter covered in glasses filled with a glowing blue liquid. Her long robes, along with the staff strapped to her back, identified her as a Mage. She approached the two men, who nodded and murmured their appreciation as they each took three glasses. The Night Elf walked away, and the two men sat down. Matthias took off his helmet, revealing short-cropped dark brown hair, and brought the first bottle to his lips.

Matthias gulped the first glass down in a matter of seconds, the sweat visibly drying out of his hair as the soothing liquid travelled down his throat. The liquid was not ordinary water – it was mana water, summoned by the Mage who had delivered it. This water was infused with mana – the energy from which nearly all magic-users drew their energy – and provided far more refreshment than regular water. Unlike his brother, Kyle was more conservative, only drinking a few gulps. It would be another three hours before more water came around, and Kyle was due to be replaced at any minute. His replacement would need the water in the hours to come.

Kyle looked up from his drink and glanced around the crater. Opposite them, on the other side of the steps leading to the portal, a large green-skinned Orc Warrior and a blue-skinned Troll Shaman were likewise being served water from what appeared to be a walking corpse – a Forsaken Mage. The Forsaken turned his head towards the two men and shot them a glare that would have made one of the local basilisks flee. He muttered something in a strange tongue to the two guards before returning to the tent he had come from. Kyle returned the glare to all three as the Orc and Troll began chuckling.

“Don’t see why King Varian tolerates those things.” Kyle growled. Matthias glanced at his brother, raising an eyebrow. “We had them.” Kyle continued. “We had the bastards in our hands. In the heart of Orgrimmar, all the leaders of the Horde surrounded by our armies. And what did we do?” Kyle spat onto the ground. “We let them go. They blew Theramore out of existence, burned the Vale to the ground and nearly unleashed the powers of a damned Old God, and we let them go.” Without noticing, Kyle had risen to his feet, his hands curled into fists. The Orc and the Troll were clearly less than amused by this, as they drew their weapons in preparation for an attack,

“Enough!” A stern voice barked loud enough to make Kyle jump. One of the men under the tent, decorated as a Colonel, had seen Kyle rise and walked over to the Monk. “There is a time and place to draw your weapons on the Horde,” He said disapprovingly. “But not here or now.” His voice dropped a few decibels as he shot a venomous glare at the Orc and Troll, who by now were snickering at Kyle’s situation. “Look, I don’t like the Horde anymore than you do, sergeant. If anything, I hate them even more. But the King’s orders are to continue to operate in the same way we’ve operated here since the Portal reopened. If the Burning Legion decides to try to push through again, the Alliance alone cannot hold this position. We simply don't have the numbers. Much as it pains me to say it, we need the brute strength of the Horde here to match the strength of the Legion.”

At that moment, a Dwarf in chainmail armor sporting a long rifle walked up to the trio. Seconds later, a snow-white bear walked up behind the Dwarf and sat down. “Private Firebeard reportin’ fer duty, sir.” The Dwarf announced, saluting the Colonel.

The Colonel nodded and motioned for the hunter to relax. “Sergeant Slater, go find some shade and get some rest. You’re dismissed for the rest of the day.” Kyle opened his mouth to object, but the stern look in the Colonel’s eye left no room for argument. With a sigh, Kyle nodded farewell to his brother and turned to leave.

“PORTAL!” A rough voice suddenly screamed. It had come from the Orc from before. He was pointing up the ramp. Spinning back around, Kyle saw what the Orc was pointing at, and his eyes opened wide in shock. He looked back at Matthias, confused and concerned. The Portal had been rimmed with blue while inactive. It had glowed green while connecting Azeroth and Outland.

It had never turned red before.

Kyle shook his head to clear his apprehension – whatever reason the Portal had for changing colors, it couldn’t mean anything good. Kyle growled and unstrapped his staff, running towards the portal. He grabbed one of the mana water glasses he had left behind and quickly chugged its contents, holding onto the glass. From his belt, he produced a pouch and poured a small amount of a golden-brown liquid into the cup.

As he and the rest of the camp - both Horde and Alliance - gathered at the foot of the stairs, Kyle quickly went over the battle plan in his mind. Demons were likely too much for him to handle head-on by himself, armed as he was with just his fists and a staff. However, his agility made him perfect for disorienting the more cumbersome demons, such as Felguards. All he needed to do was get up close and try to confuse…

The Orcs?!

There was a collective gasp from the entire camp as the Dark Portal produced not an army of demons, but a legion of Orcs, already charging down the ramp. These Orcs did not have the green skin of the Horde’s Orcs, nor did they have the red skin and fiery eyes of Illidan’s Fel Horde. Instead, their skin was a Dark Brown – the same color it had been before the Burning Legion had corrupted the Orcish race so many years before.

“Steady!” A thickly-accented voice called out which Kyle identified as coming from a Troll. “Hold de line!” Kyle grimaced and let out a deep breath, focusing his Chi just as he had done so many times before. As the two armies collided for the first time, Kyle drew back away from the front line. He gulped down the liquid in his glass, nearly gagging on the incredibly bitter beer. Still, he knew how much his Tigereye brew could enhance his skill, and so he forced it down. With another glance at the fighting, which was now breaking into smaller clusters, he hurled the glass at a nearby Orc. The glass shattered against the Orc’s head, causing him to stumble just as Matthias brought his sword down. The blade struck the Orc on his neck, and his head fell off in a shower of blood as the body crumpled to the ground.

An instant later, Kyle leapt into the air, his Chi and the effects of his Tigereye Brew pushing him higher than normally possible. Kyle spotted the Orc who had laughed at him earlier engaged with a foe. Kyle allowed himself to fall, extending one leg as gravity took over. With a sickening crunch, he landed squarely on the enemy Orc’s left shoulder, breaking it. The Orc howled in pain before his foe’s mace caved his face in.

Kyle then found himself standing face-to-face with the Orc from before – the same one who had been guarding the Portal opposite Kyle. His green skin glistened with sweat and was flecked here and there with blood. For a moment Kyle and the Orc looked at each other – hated enemies, forced to cooperate against a common foe. Kyle was unwilling to look away, concerned that the Orc would turn against him. The Orc then smirked slightly and nodded before leaping back into the battle. Kyle let loose a sigh and searched for his new target

It took him maybe two seconds to find it. A shaman was standing away from the majority of the fighting, hurling molten lava and bolts of lightning left and right. Kyle charged right at him. The shaman noticed Kyle and focused his lava at the Monk. Kyle easily dodged the molten rock, avoiding the final one by diving into a roll underneath it. He landed on his feet right in front of the shaman. The shaman began to form a spell on his lips. However, he found himself gagging as Kyle jabbed his throat with his left hand. A strike to the stomach with the blunt end of his staff left Kyle’s opponent hunched over in pain. Kyle finished his opponent with a Rising Sun Kick, flipping backwards as he brought his feet up to the shaman’s jaw. A crack like a gunshot filled the air as the Shaman was lifted from the ground by the force of the blow. He landed hard on the ground, his spinal cord shattered.

Kyle took a moment to survey the battlefield. Slowly but surely, the defenders were pushing the invading Orcs back up the ramp towards the portal. Kyle ducked as an arrow whistled over his head, and looked up just in time to see his attacker explode as a massive fireball slammed into him. Not far away, Matthias was engaged with an Orc wielding a wicked-looking compound bow, reinforced with spikes along the grip. Matthias swung once, and the Orc ducked, having anticipated the strike. What he did not anticipate was the shield that slammed into his face, sending him stumbling backwards. Desperately trying to recover, he raised his bow in a blocking position. It did little good as Matthias brought his blade down once more. The bow shattered under the mighty blow, and the Orc roared in pain as the blade cut through his right eye, dropping him to the ground.

A flash of light drew Kyle's attention up the stairs. As he looked, the Dark Portal seemed to be behaving erratically. For a moment it remained red, and then flashed to green before back to red. Blue, then a second of purple, then back to red. The gears in Kyle's head began to turn furiously. Green obviously meant a connection between Azeroth and Outland. Blue meant inactive. Red meant a connection to… wherever the hell these Orcs were coming from. But what did purple mean?

An angry roar was all the warning Kyle had, and was all that he needed. He dropped into a crouch, feeling the sharp edge of a war-axe whistling just over his head where his neck had been. He spun around as an armored fist slammed into his jaw, sending Kyle flying backwards. He flipped in midair and landed on one knee and one hand. He smirked slightly and spat onto the ground, his saliva laced with blood. As his foe charged right at him, Kyle easily side-stepped the first downward strike before ducking again as the second strike went sailing over his head yet again. Kyle jabbed at the Orc’s stomach with his fist, but was unable to deal any damage through his foe’s chestplate. Kyle was forced to flip backwards to avoid a strike from the Orc’s kneecap. He landed a few feet back, and the Orc charged at him. As the Orc brought his axe down once more, Kyle rammed his staff into the ground and parried the blow with his right hand. He grabbed the Orc’s wrist and pushed hard against the handle of the axe with his left hand. A second later the axe flew out of the Orc’s hand, flying off into the battle.

The Orc looked stunned for a second, unable to comprehend what had just happened. Not wasting this opportunity, Kyle grabbed his staff out of the ground and spun it around before ramming the pointed end into the small gap between the Orc's chestplate and helmet. The Orc tried to scream in pain, but only a wet gurgling could be heard as blood splattered out from under the helmet. Kyle quickly withdrew the staff and the Orc collapsed to the ground, grasping at his throat and thrashing in the throes of death. Kyle quickly spun his staff once more and brought it down, piercing the chestplate right above the Orc’s heart and finishing his foe.

“They’re retreatin’!” A Dwarf called out. Kyle looked up and found that he and the rest of the defenders had pushed the invaders back up the ramp, and that he was now standing beside his brother at the top of the ramp. Indeed, the Brown-skinned Orcs were retreating back through the red portal. “Glory to the Alliance! We are victorious!” Matthias yelled, and his cry was taken up by his companions. Nearby, the Horde was likewise beginning to cheer in their language.

A gunshot pierced the celebration, and Matthias gasped and stumbled backwards grabbing his right shoulder. Kyle looked back at the portal and saw one final brown Orc standing in front of the Portal. The gash over his once-present right eye was still flowing, but he was grinning as he aimed his newly-acquired rifle once more. Before anyone could react, the Orc fired again. The round hit Matthias square in the chest, sending him tumbling down the ramp until he landed at the bottom, unmoving.

Kyle’s vision flashed red with hatred as the Orc slowly backed into the Portal. With a war cry that made even the hardiest Tauren step back in fear, he charged straight at the portal, his weapon clattering to the ground forgotten behind him. He heard a dull roaring that he vaguely recognized one of the Commanders yelling at him to stop, but he refused to comply. He didn’t even falter as the Portal flashed green, then red again.

Another voice pierced through the haze that filled Kyle's mind. "The portal's unstable! Don't go in!" Kyle didn't even react. The words hadn't registered any meaning to him. His only thought was getting through that Portal and destroying that Orc with his bare hands. The portal flashed green again, then back to red, blue, and then purple just as he charged through…

Straight into a tree. Utterly shocked, Kyle stumbled backwards, his eyes closed in pain. A tree? There were no trees on the other side of the Dark Portal. An instant later a purple light flashed from behind him, nearly blinding him even through his eyelids. The force of the explosion flung him forward, throwing him through a bush and face-first into another tree. A flash of pain flowed through him before the dark embrace of unconsciousness consumed him

“Come on Twilight, we’ve been at this all night,” Spike complained as he carefully descended the stairs in the tree-library, a tower of books perched precariously in his claws. “Even the other Princesses have no idea what that box is. I don’t think books are going to help us out here,” Spike and Twilight had been hard at work trying to discover the origin and contents of the mysterious box that had been presented to Twilight a week before.

Twilight didn’t even glance at her assistant as he deposited the stack of books next to her desk. On the other side of her lay an even larger pile of books. “But they might. Books can contain the answers to all kinds of questions we don’t know the answers to, or didn’t know an answer existed for, or even for questions we don’t know exist yet! I’m not taking any chances. I have to know what’s inside this box and how to open it. The fate of Equestria may depend on it.”

Twilight finished reading the book in front of her and groaned. Another book without as much as a mention of the mysterious box. She used her magic to toss the book in front of her onto the larger pile, and pulled out one of the ones Spike had brought to her.

“Twilight, you’ve barely moved since last night,” Spike said, sounding concerned. “At least stand up and stretch your legs for a bit. Get some food and rest. I don’t think an hour or two is going to make the difference between finding something out and not.”

Twilight finally looked at her friend and saw the concern in his eyes. Sighing, Twilight closed the book again and stood up. She stretched her legs and grunted as her neck popped. Spike had been right – she was getting pretty stiff from sitting in front of that desk for 12 hours. And now that he mentioned it, she was pretty hungry, and more than a bit tired.

“Alright Spike, you win.” She said, smiling reassuringly and  rubbing his head for a second. “I’ll make us some lunch and then try to get some sleep. Why don’t you step outside and get some fresh air.” Spike nodded, happy that Twilight was finally agreeing with him. He walked to the door, glancing behind himself to make sure Twilight was actually getting up before opening the door and stepping outside.

Meanwhile, Twilight busied herself with preparing lunch – a pair of daffodil sandwiches. As she put the finishing touches on the sandwiches, something bright flashed in the corner of her eye and drew her attention. She looked up at the window, but quickly looked back. Surely it was just the sunlight reflecting off of something shiny as somepony walked by.

Just as she was putting the plates on the table, the door to the library burst open. Twilight spun around just in time to see a purple blur race across the library and start tugging on her mane. “Twilight!” Spike yelled frantically, his irises a quarter of their normal size.“Outside! Fluttershy! Everfree! Bright light! BOOM!” Spike mimicked an explosion, falling backwards onto the floor. Twilight merely stared at the dragon, raising an eyebrow in confusion. Spike took a second to collect himself before starting to speak again. “I was walking around outside and I saw a bright purple light coming from the Everfree Forest, near Fluttershy’s house. And then it just… BOOM!” Spike mimicked an explosion again and fell backwards once more.

Twilight sighed and shook her head. “You’ve been reading too many comics again, Spike.” She said, sounding half-amused, half-annoyed

Spike stood up, looking insulted. “Manga, Twilight. Manga.” He corrected before shaking his head as if to clear it. “And no I have not! I know what I saw!”

“You know what you think you saw, Spike,” Twilight countered. “Things don’t just glow purple and explode. What you described can only be the result of a spell, and a powerful one. There's nopony in Ponyville besides me who could do something like that, and I've been right here making lunch. Which means that what you described could not have happened.” With an air of finality, Twilight turned and picked up her sandwich once more.

Just as she was about to take a bite, the library door flew open once more and a cyan Pegasus flew in, not bothering to close the door behind her. Sighing in defeat, Twilight put her sandwich down. “Hello Rainbow Dash,” She said, walking over to the door and closing it. “What brings you here? You know that the new Daring Do isn’t going to be out for another four and a half months, right?”

Rainbow Dash nodded, but then quickly shook her head. “I’m not here for the new Daring Do book… though maybe I could borrow the latest one again?” She asked with a sheepish grin.

Twilight rolled her eyes and smiled, nodding. “Of course Rainbow.  Just knock next time,” She said, walking over to the shelf to find the book.

Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash began talking again. “Anyway, I didn’t come here specifically for a book,” She said, trying to find words for what she was trying to say. “I saw something… really strange just a minute ago. I was flying by Fluttershy’s House and I saw a really bright… something.” Twilight froze in place, the book she was holding with magic dropping to the floor with a loud thud. Twilight slowly turned her head to look at Rainbow Dash. “Go on…” she said quietly. “What… what did it look like?

“Well, it was purple.” Rainbow Dash began, looking confused at Twilight’s reaction. “I… don't really know what it was, but it was big. Probably as tall as this room. And then it just… BOOM!” Rainbow mimicked an explosion and fell over in the air before recovering. Twilight’s eyes widened as she looked down at Spike, who looked back with an ‘I told you so’ expression. “I don’t know what happened next,” Rainbow Dash continued. “I got away from there before anything else could happen. Magic's your specialty, not mine. I’ve never seen anything like it before, but I know powerful magic when I see it.”

Twilight furrowed her brow, trying to decide what to do. On one hoof, the occurrence was likely dangerous, and could possibly happen again. On the other hoof, this was something that she had never heard of before, and curiosity burned within her to find out what exactly had caused this explosion.

"Alright Rainbow, we're going to go check this out." Twilight said. "You head on over to Fluttershy's. I need to grab a couple of things. And don't worry about getting Fluttershy" Twilight added as Rainbow opened her mouth to speak. "I hear she has her hands full as it is, what with all the animals scared by the Plunder Seeds last week." Rainbow saluted and flew out the door once more, leaving it open in her wake again.

Twilight gathered a sheet of parchment, a quill, and a bottle of ink, placing them in her saddlebags. Spike climbed on top of her back, and the two headed towards the door. Suddenly, Twilight’s stomach growled. “Oops…” She murmured, sounding embarrassed as she used magic to grab the two sandwiches still on the table. “We’ll eat on the run.” She gave one to Spike and took a bite out of her own before running out of the library towards the Everfree Forest

Chapter 7

Kyle sat on the sofa in Fluttershy’s house, sipping on a rather interesting beverage that the Ponies had concocted. It reminded him vaguely of the Kafa he had tried back in Kun Lai Summit, and apparently had many of the same energetic properties - albeit to a lesser extreme - as Kafa. When he had first tried this new drink, he had originally found it horrid. However, once a bit of sugar and milk had been added, it became much more palatable. Coffee, they called it.

Around him sat eight ponies, all staring at him with varying mixtures of shock, awe, and horror on their faces. He grimaced slightly as he remembered what had put this expression on their faces, thankful that Applejack had sent Applebloom home before he had told his tale. He had just finished telling them about the Sha - how they were the physical manifestation of negative emotions, the shadows of the fallen Old God Y’shaarj; how they could possess and control other creatures, driving them to madness; How they could never be truly defeated, only suppressed for a time.

“And… and you’re quite certain that this is what you encountered in the forest?” Rarity asked. The expression on her face was clearly desperate, clearly praying that this was not what they were up against.

“I’m afraid so.” Kyle replied, shattering her hope. “I’ve battled the Sha before. I’ve faced the Sha of Anger itself - the actual master Sha, not one of the minions. “ He shuddered, painful memories being dragged to the front of his mind once more. “The signs were all the same. A wave of cold, washing over you, threatening to engulf and drown you. Whispers in your mind, filling you with lies, deceiving you into serving the Sha.”

“And which Sha do you believe we are facing now?” Celestia asked. She had remained silent throughout the entire explanation, her expression unreadable. “And could the others be here?”

Kyle rubbed his chin in thought. The Sha that he had encountered in the forest had filled him with a negative emotion, for sure, but which one? “I… I’m not sure which one was in the forest.” he finally admitted. “I’ve felt the effects of all seven Sha - Doubt, Despair, Anger, Violence, Hatred, Fear, and Pride.” he listed, ticking them off on his fingers as he named each one. “But this one… It wasn’t quite like the ones I’ve felt before.”

“What do you mean?”

“The emotion was… different.” Kyle said slowly. “It wasn’t one of the ones I’ve faced before. It was… I remember wanting Appleblooms bow, for some reason.” he added. “This… strange desire to take what I did not have.”

“That sounds like greed.” Rarity interjected. “To the extreme. I mean, taking her bow? No offense, dear, but you’d look absolutely ridiculous with a pink bow in your mane.”

“Yeah, I would.” Kyle agreed.

“So this Sha was a minion of the Sha of Greed?” Twilight asked

Kyle shook his head. “There’s a problem with that theory. There is no Sha of Greed.”

“Maybe where you come from, there ain’t” Applejack said. “But the way Ah hear, things work different ‘round yer neck o’ the woods.”

“Does it matter which Sha it is?” Rainbow Dash asked. “All we need to do is zap them with the Elements of Harmony. Boom. Problem solved!”

“Or it would be, if we still had the elements.” Twilight replied.

“Wait, hold up a minute.” Kyle interjected. “Elements of what now?”

“The Elements of Harmony.” Twilight explained. “The six elements that keep peace and order in Equestria. There’s Loyalty, Generosity, Honesty, Laughter, Kindness, and Magic. When used together, they can purge the chaos and disharmony from somepony; or, if they cannot be purged, it will imprison them until such a time that they can be purged. The spirits of the Elements of Harmony are each represented in one Pony. Each one of us in here is - or was - a wielder of one of the Elements.”

“So… what, you each control part of a superweapon?”

“That’s one way o’ puttin’ it. But we don’t got em anymore.”

“Why not?”

“Oh oh! I know this one!” Pinkie Pie jumped up to her hooves. “Well, a week ago - well, a bit more than a week ago, since it would have been a week ago the day you got here, but anyway, a bit more than a week ago - let’s call it 10 days - these big mean old vines started coming out of the forest! They were huge and black and covered with thorns and growing really really super-duper fast! They kidnapped Princess Celestia and Princess Luna and took them to this really weird tree in the forest, and we had to put the elements in the tree to get rid of all the vines!”

“Right… sorry I asked.” Kyle muttered, his head reeling from Pinkie’s breathless explanation. “So, these Elements of Harmony are out of the picture. So that… means… hang on.” Kyle stood and began pacing around the room, tapping his chin in thought. “Black vines… thorns…” he continued pacing, looking up at Twilight. “Don’t suppose there are any left that I could examine?”

“None physically, but it’s relatively simple to project an image.” Twilight replied. Her horn lit up, and a ray of light shined on the table. Within the beam of light, a shape took form - a long, black vine, covered in blue thorns. As Kyle watched, the vines twitched erratically, almost tendril-like in their movements.

“Interesting.” he murmured. “And… do you know where they came from?

“Discord.” The ponies all said in unison.

“Discord?”

“He’s a creep.” Rainbow Dash spat.

“Scoundrel.” Rarity added.

“The spirit of chaos and disharmony.” Twilight said. “Imprisoned in stone for over a thousand years by the Elements of Harmony. Before that, all of Equis was plunged in eternal chaos. He was recently released from his prison.”

“What?! Why would you do that?!” Kyle exclaimed, looking up at the ceiling as if it would attack him at that very moment.

“Well, um, he’s reformed.” Fluttershy said meekly. “He’s been very good since we released him, using his chaos for good instead of evil.”

“Could have fooled me.” Kyle scoffed. “He kidnapped the princesses and tried to take over with a bunch of evil plants. Doesn’t sound very reformed to me.”

“He planted the Plunder Seeds a long time ago, before his imprisonment and reformation.” Twilight explained. “He actually helped us get rid of them… in a kind of roundabout way, anyway.” she grimaced, remembering how he had convinced her to go back into the forest to help her friends.

“Why’r you so interested in him anyway?” Applejack asked. “What’s he gotta do with these… Sha?”

“Well, I told you the Sha are the remnants of the spirit an Old God, Y’shaarj.” Kyle explained. “These Old Gods delighted in and fed on chaos and disorder. One of the sure signs of an Old God at work is a bunch of tentacles with spikes. Sound familiar?”

“The Plunder Seeds!” Twilight exclaimed. “Discord… you think he’s an… an Old God?”

“Could be.” Kyle mused. “The signs are certainly present. But I’m not sure if any other worlds besides Azeroth have had any Old Gods…”

“Well, there’s one way to find out.” Luna said pointedly. “Ask him yourself.”

“Uh… are you sure that’s the best idea?” Kyle asked nervously. “I mean… if he is, what’s to stop him from driving us all insane?”

“Well, for some reason he’s become pretty good friends with Flutters here.” Rainbow said, nudging Fluttershy. “He doesn’t seem to be willing to risk her friendship. But if he does go rogue, I suppose we could try to go get the Elements and use them again before putting them back.”

“Assuming he lets you.” Kyle muttered under his breath. Still, now his curiosity was piqued. “Alright. Let’s ask this Discord. Where is he?”

“Did somepony call?” A voice asked, seemingly coming from all corners of the room at once. Kyle’s head whipped around wildly, looking for the source of the voice. A wave of unease washed over him, and looking around, he could tell that the others were feeling a similar effect.

Finally, a snapping sound resonated through the room, and the lamp was engulfed in a bright flash of light. When the light faded, it was replaced by the strangest creature Kyle had ever laid eyes upon. Nothing about this creature matched or made sense. It seemed serpentine in shape, but with the head of a horse, and mis-matched claws and feet. Two different wings sprouted from its back, as did two different horns from its head. So… that’s Discord… Kyle thought.

“Oh, now this is interesting.” Discord grinned, vanishing in a flash of light and appearing next to Kyle. “It’s been such a long time since I’ve seen one of your kind. Such a shame too.” Discord clasped his hands together and smiled, his eyes rolled to the top of his head. “You Humans always brought an absolutely delightful brand of chaos wherever you went!”

“I’m not the first Human you’ve met?” Kyle asked incredulously. “But… I thought I was the first Human on Equis…”

“Oh, I’ve certainly seen Humans before. I always enjoyed observing them from my stone prison.” Discord replied, snapping the eagle claws that made up his left hand. A set of marionettes appeared, depicting a pair of Humans. “Helped to pass the time, you know. The chaos you Humans have caused… I’d have been blind to not see it, even halfway across the cosmos! Inventing new things, warring with each other, conquering everything you laid your eyes upon… So beautiful!” The marionettes proceeded to beat each other with their wooden fists.

Kyle began to feel a cold sweat build on the back of his neck as all eyes turned to him. Sure, the three Princesses knew of his people’s war-like history, but the other five had not learned of this yet. Fortunately, the Princesses quickly turned back to Discord, and everyone elses eyes soon followed.

“As for the first Human on Equis… well, I’ll admit, I’ve never seen one of you here before, unfortunately.” Discord admitted. “So I suppose I have to say… Welcome to Equestria!” Discord snapped his fingers once more, and the room was suddenly filled with streamers, balloons, and confetti. A cake rested on the table, and everyone had a party hat strapped to their head. Most noticeably, a large banner had been strung across the living room, reading ‘Welcome Humans!’, followed by what looked suspiciously like a battle axe.

Pinkie Pie’s mouth dropped, her jaw literally hitting the ground as she looked around. Her eyebrows furrowed and her eye twitched as she folded up her front legs and glared at Discord, pouting. “Nopony out-parties Pinkie Pie.” She muttered angrily under her breath. Meanwhile, everyone else seemed equally shocked. Only Fluttershy seemed relatively unaffected as she looked over at Kyle with a kind of exasperated smile. It seemed to say ‘it’s normal, just roll with it.’

Discord snapped his fingers again, and a teacup filled with a red liquid appeared in his hands. A second one appeared next to Kyle, floating in the air. “Try the punch, it’s delicious!” he insisted. Kyle gingerly reached up and grabbed the cup, but didn’t drink from it. Instead, he sat down, eying the drink suspiciously. Discord, meanwhile, drank deeply from his cup. The cup seemed to melt into thin air, leaving only the punch floating in the shape of the cup. Discord grinned, and the punch exploded in another shower of confetti.

“Well, this has been fun, but I’m assuming you didn’t just call me here for a social visit.” Discord said, his face flipped upside down. “Nopony ever does, for some reason.” he rubbed his goatee as if puzzled as to the reason.

“Right… well… uh…” Kyle stammered, still trying to process what was going on. “I guess no beating around the bush with you then. What do you know about the Old Gods?”

Discords grin disappeared almost instantly, as did the party decorations. His facial features rearranged themselves into a much more serious visage “Old Gods, you say?” he murmured, his eyes locked on Kyle.

“Yeah. Old Gods.” Kyle repeated, starting to feel a bit ridiculous. Even if Discord had been watching Azeroth, the chances that he knew about the Old Gods was pretty low, considering the battles with the Old Gods had all taken place underground or inside buildings. Still, he was already asking about them. No sense in backing out now. “C’thun, Yogg-Saron -”

“Ooooo, Yogg-Saron!” Discord interrupted excitedly, his eyes lighting up. “Oh, I do remember that one. Such a delightful fellow. Always was good at stirring up chaos. A bit too good for his own good, if you know what I mean. Never could keep any company, the mortals all seemed to go mad.”

“You know them?”

“Of course I know them!” Discord scoffed, sounding insulted. “We’re beings of eternal chaos! Pegasi of a feather and all that. But we went our separate ways eons ago.”

Throughout all of this, the ponies had remained silent. Now, however, Celestia stood up. “And you know these Old Gods how, exactly?” she demanded.

“Oh, we were created together in the infinite cosmos at the beginning of time.” Discord said dismissively. “I suppose you could consider me an Old God, though the others were always a lot crueler to mortals and more powerful than me. I mean, I know I enslaved all of Equis and plunged it into eternal chaos, but at least I didn’t destroy the planet or drive anypony to true madness.”

“And why did you go your separate ways?” Kyle asked, his unease returning in full force. The knowledge that his hunch had been correct only made Kyle that much more worried about the situation.

“Oh, they were always all about conquering and killing.” Discord said with a dismissive wave of his hand. “I just wanted to have fun, but wherever they went, all of the potential for fun went away as the mortals were driven mad. It’s so unfulfilling when the only creatures around to revel in your chaos can’t even express themselves coherently. So I came here to Equis, and they went to Azeroth. How are they doing, by the way?”

“Almost all of them have been imprisoned by the Titans.” Kyle smirked.

Discords face became very serious again. “Oh, those sticks-in-the-mud were always so boring!” he exclaimed. “Always setting order to things, never allowing any variables… bleh! Wait… did you say almost all? Who hasn’t been imprisoned?”

“Y’shaarj. He…. it… whatever. Dead.”

Discords eyes nearly popped out of their sockets, and his jaw hit the floor. “Dead?” he asked, his voice barely a whisper. “Wha… I mean, we had our differences, but to know he’s just… poof. Gone. Forever. Never to spread chaos again…”

“Well… Not exactly.” Kyle began nervously. “Which brings me to the main reason I wanted to talk to you.”

“Well… fire away. I’m all ears.” Discord was suddenly covered in a thousand different ears, ranging from Human to Pony, and even a Dragon ear.

“That’s just weird.” Kyle deadpanned. “So, when Y’shaarj was killed, his spirit remained behind, and gave birth to these creatures called the Sha. Physical manifestation of negative emotions. They’ve haunted a continent of our world ever since his death.”

“Ah, even in death, he’s still causing mayhem.” Discord said with a sad smile. “Please, continue.”

“Right… well… we found one of these Sha in the Everfree Forest earlier today. I’m certain it didn’t come with me when I passed from my world into Equis. Would you happen to know anything about this?”

Discord rubbed his goatee once more. “I thought I felt something strange in the forest.” he mused. “Well, stranger than normal, I suppose. But no, I couldn’t tell you anything about these Sha.”

“Are you sure?” Fluttershy asked, walking up to Discord. “I’d be so disappointed if I learned that my friend was lying to me about something this important.”

“Don’t you worry your pretty little head.” Discord said, patting Fluttershy’s head. “I’ll admit, Y’shaarj had some marvelous ideas. But I’ve already tried the route of summoning negative emotions during my break-out, and we all remember how well that went.” He shuddered slightly, closing his eyes and gripping his arms.

“Okay then…” Kyle began. Suddenly, he froze up. A small smile began to form on his lips. “Hey, Discord. You said you’ve been to other worlds, right?”

“But of course.”

“Well… I seem to be in a bit of a pickle.” By now, Kyle had broken into a full-blown grin. “I’m kind of trapped here in Equis. Any chance you could help a guy out?”

“I’m afraid not.” Discord replied, sounding bored. He snapped his fingers, and a nail file appeared. He began to file his eagle claw. “A great deal of my power was lost when I was first exposed to the Elements of Harmony, effectively trapping me here in Equis. I suppose that makes two of us. But even if I could still traverse the cosmos, a mortal travelling with me would either die or go insane.”

“Oh… alright then…” Kyle said quietly. His smile had vanished as soon as Discord had begun speaking, and he stared at the floorboards.

Something light and feathery was placed upon him. Kyle looked up to see Twilight sitting on the couch next to him, one wing extended and wrapped around his shoulders. “We’ll find a way to send you home.” she said with a reassuring smile. “I’m sure of it.”

Kyle felt a wave of doubt creep over him, but he forcefully shoved it aside. “Thanks Twilight.” he said, sounding more forced than he meant to. “So… what now?”

Celestia and Luna pulled their heads in close to each other and began muttering quickly back and forth. Finally, Celestia looked up. “Discord, I would like for you to come with me. I will show you where this Sha was found, so that you may sample its energy. Afterwards, if you sense anything like this, let us know. We will have to take care of these Sha quickly if anymore show up.”

“And why should I help?” Discord chuckled, sounding amused. “True, Y’shaarj and I were never really pal-y, but these Sha sound like they could spread some delicious chaos!”

“Because Ponies could get hurt.” Fluttershy said softly.

“And you already said the other Old Gods were stronger than you, before you were hit by the Elements of Harmony.” Luna added, her tone dark and menacing. “Who’s to say that these Sha won’t come after you as well?”

“Well, when you put it that way…” Discord said quickly, a bead of sweat trickling down his forehead. “Alright, alright, I’ll do it.”

Celestia smiled and rose to her hooves, and Discord walked over to the door. He snapped his fingers, and the door opened in such a way that it now rested on the ceiling. A glare from Twilight hardly seemed to faze him as Celestia walked out of the door. “Arrivederci!” he called out as the door closed behind him, letting out a croak like a frog as it slammed shut.

“Well that was… Something.” Kyle muttered, feeling the pressure that had been building behind his temples fade.

“Indeed it was.” Luna replied, rising to her hooves as well. “I must be off as well. Somepony has to inform Mayor Mare about the press conference tomorrow. And somepony else has to prepare what they’re going to say.” she added with a wink. “Have a good evening.” With that, she exited the house and took to the skies, flying out over the town.

The other ponies quickly excused themselves as well, soon leaving Kyle alone with Fluttershy and Twilight. Fluttershy wandered off to tend to her animals, while Twilight sat down next to Kyle. Minutes of silence passed, each one lost in their own thoughts. Finally, Twilight looked up. “What's on your mind Kyle?”

Kyle blinked, not expecting the silence to be broken. “Not much.” he mumbled. He looked back at the wall opposite him, staring out of the window and into the forest. Where so much trouble had already originated.

“I’m sorry Discord couldn’t -”

“Don’t.” Kyle held up a hand to silence her. “You’ve nothing to apologize for. It was foolish to get my hopes up like that.” He stood up, stretching his limbs and grunting as his arms popped. “I’d better start getting ready for tomorrow.” He walked over to the kitchen table and picked up a spare pencil and a piece of paper before beginning to write down his thoughts for his big reveal the next day.

Twilight, meanwhile, was still staring after him. For a long moment, she just sat there. Finally, she closed her eyes and sighed. It didn’t take a genius to see through Kyle’s facade. She stood up and walked over to the door, glancing behind her once more before taking off at a gallop towards Ponyville.