“Are you sure the Empress will know what’s going on?” Scootaloo shouted past the rush of the wind.
“As sure as I can be,” Kyle replied loudly. He leaned forward and urged his hippogryph onwards, pushing it to go as fast as it could. The ground beneath him was a mere blur, a streak of brown. Any rocky features among the desolate landscape left his field of vision before he could even register that they were there. They’d only been in the air for half an hour, and yet to Kyle it felt like an eternity. Surely the entrance to the Hive should be showing up by now…
Aha. There it was. A large, nearly perfectly-round hole sunk into the desert floor and sloping down beneath the surface. He’d only seen the entrance once before, under the cover of night, but there was no mistaking it in this wasteland. He pulled back on the hippogryph’s reins and flew in a wide circle around the hole in the ground. Scootaloo followed suit, and soon the two of them touched down at the top of the slope.
No Changelings were waiting for them. None announced their presence as they slowly descended into the mouth of the Hive. Not that he expected a welcoming party. He had no doubt that they were even now being watched by the inhabitants of the hive, but he knew that their observers would not reveal themselves. Not unless they had a good reason to. And for now, he was content to not give them that reason.
As Kyle looked around the slope leading into the bowels of the hive, he noted a stark similarity between the Changeling architecture and the designs of other races on Azeroth. It looked very much like a cross between the Mantid’s architecture and the ruins of Ahn’Quiraj that he had explored. The dominant colors were brown and purple, with intricate patterns and carvings displayed on the walls and floor. Amber lanterns dotted the walls, while the ceiling was illuminated by glowing amber crystals. On occasion, a side passages would jut out to the side. Each one was wide enough to comfortably fit half a dozen Humans side by side, with room to spare. Each one, he noted, had a different series of runes inscribed on the floor leading into the corridor - perhaps labeling what lay beyond.
The upper levels appeared deserted, or else the Changelings within were hiding themselves very well. There were no signs of life - no movement, no noise besides their own footfalls, nothing. As they descended lower, however, Kyle would notice increasingly frequent signs of life. A flicker of movement off to the left. A faint green glow in the shadows. The faint buzz of wings. A single glowing blue eye to the right. They were watching, alright.
And then, he saw them. Dead ahead, a row of seven Changelings, standing shoulder to shoulder, fully covered in ebon-colored armor. He sensed Scootaloo’s movement become more tense as she caught sight of them too. He couldn’t blame her. It was all he could do to keep his own pace casual as he approached the line. He came to a stop a half dozen paces from the Changelings and stretched out his arm, stopping Scootaloo as well.
Kyle locked eyes with the Changeling in the middle of the line, who returned his stare evenly. Seconds passed. Seconds that seemed to stretch on for an age. Finally, the Changeling took a step forward. “You have entered the realm of the Changelings,” he announced. “Be you friend or foe?”
“Friend,” Kyle replied calmly. “We come in peace.”
“Why have you come at all?” The Changeling demanded. “You are certainly a long way from home.”
“I must speak with Grand Empress Yxia.”
The Changeling glanced over his shoulder at the line behind him before returning his gaze to Kyle. “The Empress is not receiving visitors, Human.” he retorted, sneering on the last word.
Kyle’s posture hardened. “She will receive me,” he insisted.
The Changeling’s eyes narrowed, and he crouched ever so slightly closer to the ground. “Leave. And do not return.”
Kyle returned the glare. “You will inform your Empress that Kyle Slater is at her doorstep,” he hissed. He didn’t miss the fact that half of the Changelings remaining in the original line stiffened at the mention of his name. “Or you will answer to her when she learns that he has been turned away.”
Nor did he miss the Changeling in front of him draw back half a pace. “Slater…” the Changeling hissed softly. He glanced to either side again before returning his attention back to Kyle, whose gaze had not left him. “Fine,” he growled. He turned towards the Changeling to Kyle’s far left. “You. Stay here with Slater’s beast,” he commanded. The Changeling saluted and moved forward to take the hippogryph’s reins from Kyle. The first Changeling then turned back to Kyle. “Follow us. And do not stray.” Kyle chose to ignore the threat behind the Changeling’s words, and instead fell into step alongside Scootaloo behind the seven Changelings as they descended further down the slope.
As they descended even deeper into the hive, the signs of life became far more obvious. Changelings no longer hid themselves, but instead walked openly among the side streets and up and down the main slope. Many of them starred as Kyle and Scootaloo walked past, and some of them leaned close to each other and began to speak in their language of hisses and clicks. It was clear that they didn’t see visitors very often. “Not that that’s a surprise,” he thought as he shot another look at the Changeling who had confronted them.
The group of guards leading them took an abrupt turn down one of the side passages to the right, and Kyle and Scootaloo turned to follow. Here, the street was lit far better than the main slope. The path itself was completely flat and curved slightly to the left. Various doors branched off of the street on either side
The guards turned and walked through the third such door on their left, and Kyle and Scootaloo followed. A short, narrow hallway lay beyond, leading to an even narrower counterclockwise spiral staircase that stretched both up and down. The group of eight followed the staircase upwards for a minute or two before reaching the top, which opened up into a vast hallway. Amber pillars lined the sides, each one ornately carved and decorated with fine gems and precious metals. Between each set of pillars, a detailed statue of a Changeling stood tall and proud, with a plaque at the base of each statue written in the Changelings’ native tongue. One, however, was barren - just a pedestal and a blank plaque. At the end stood a large double door, flanked by half a dozen armored Changelings on each side.
The procession stopped outside of the double doors, and the lead Changeling turned to face Kyle again. “Wait out here,” he ordered.
The Changeling turned to open the doors, but was forced to take several hasty steps backwards as the doors were flung open from the inside. Another Changeling raced forward, this one much smaller and leaner than the guards. The newcomer yelped as he barreled straight into the lead guard, sending both of them collapsing in a heap on the floor.
The guard was the first to rise, bristling. Hisses and clicks flew furiously from his mouth as he gestured angrily at both the door and the smaller Changeling cowering before him. The smaller Changeling seemed to stammer as it produced a sealed envelope. The guard blinked and glanced towards Kyle. He then pointed. The smaller Changeling’s gaze followed the guard’s hoof, and its eyes opened wide. “Kyle Slater?” it asked in a distinctly feminine voice. Kyle nodded. “Excellent! The Empress wishes to speak with you.”
Kyle couldn’t help himself as he saw the look on the guard’s face - a mixture of shock and outrage. He shot the guard a smug grin as he and Scootaloo strolled passed the guards and into the room beyond. The doors slammed closed behind them, leaving them alone in the the room.
Kyle recognized the room instantly. This was the throne room - the heart of the Changeling hive. They stood upon a path leading towards the throne, seemingly made of pure amber while the rest of the floor was stone. Four intricately-carved pillars on each side of the path towered high above them to touch the ceiling, each one wide enough to conceal both Kyle and Scootaloo easily. A small door leading to the Empress’s quarters lay near the throne on the right side of the room. And though it was now concealed, Kyle knew that the secret entrance into the throne room lay in the corner behind him and to his left.
The throne itself lay at the top of a flight of stairs. It appeared to be carved of solid amber, with purple velvet attached to it for a seat and back-rest. A trio of stained-glass windows lay behind the throne, each one depicting a Changeling - presumably great Emperors and Empresses from the past.
And speaking of Empresses…
The only other creature in the room besides Kyle and Scootaloo was a lone Changeling, sitting upon the throne. Her appearance was far different from that of the others - For starters, her eyes had fully-formed pupils, rather than being pure blue spheres. She was far taller than any other Changeling, with her head coming up to Kyle’s. Her horn, which was jagged - unlike the normal curved horns of the others - stretched far above Kyle’s head.
Yxia, Grand Empress of the Changeling Empire.
Kyle saw her raise an eyebrow as he and Scootaloo approached the throne. She hopped off of her throne and descended down the stairs to meet them at the base. “Kyle Slater.” Kyle blinked. Her voice no longer had the same Draenei-like accent that the others had. It had become smoother, more feminine, less accented. Similar to how Chrysalis’s had been, but distinctly higher-pitched. “It has been a while since last we met face-to-face,”
“Indeed,” Kyle replied. For a moment, the two of them locked eyes, neither willing to break eye contact. Finally, Yxia smiled. She extended one hoof towards Kyle, who returned the smile. He took a step forward and embraced the Empress in a light hug.
They broke the hug, and Kyle stepped backwards next to Scootaloo again. “The hospitality of your Hive leaves a bit to be desired,” he commented. “Your guard was prepared to chase us out before I mentioned my name.”
Yxia’s smile faltered slightly. “Yes, your name seems to hold power over my Changelings. They remember the death you unleashed upon the empire, but also the salvation you helped to bring. You must forgive my guard’s reaction.” Her voice became drier. “You can imagine that we do not entertain guests often. Ponies never seem to want to stop by and visit.”
“But that brings me to a question,” she continued. “I had only just sent a courier to Ironwall, not two minutes before you entered. You came of your own accord. What brings you to Hive Regali? And with your apprentice, no less?”
“I’m afraid that we’re not here to stop and visit, either,” Kyle replied. “I’m hoping you can help us.”
“Oh?” Yxia cocked her head. “How so?”
“We need information.”
“Go on.”
“There was a disturbance in the forests south of the Appleoosa Apple Orchards a few days ago,” Kyle began. “Right in the foothills. There were -”
“Trees missing and strange prints?” Yxia interrupted. Kyle hesitated for a split second before nodding. “Funny that you should come asking about this, when I had just sent a courier to you requesting you to come speak to me about this very same thing.”
Kyle raised an eyebrow. “So you clearly thought that this was something I should know about anyway,” he said.
“Indeed. One of my scouts noticed the harvesting of the trees in progress. I sent another squad of scouts out to monitor the situation. They stayed in the forest, out of sight of the cutters, and followed them.”
Kyle smiled. “Excellent. So you know where these guys are hiding out?”
“Yes. High in the mountains, farther than our patrols scout.” She paused, and Kyle gestured for her to continue. “I’m assuming you’d wish to see for yourself?”
“Yes, please.”
“Very well.” Yxia took a step backwards and closed her eyes. For a moment, she stood perfectly still. Finally, her eyes opened again. “I am told that you have brought a beast of flight with you?” she asked. Kyle nodded. “Then I and a flight wing will accompany you to their stronghold.”
“Stronghold?” Kyle repeated.
“Aye. Stronghold.”
Kyle felt his heartbeat quicken. “By any chance,” he began slowly, “did your Changelings describe to you what they looked like? Were they Minotaur”
“No, they were no Minotaur,” Yxia closed her eyes again. “Though they did stand on two legs as a Minotaur does. Let’s see now… There were two different types of creatures. Both were green. One, however, was far taller than the other, with large muscles. The smaller creatures were -”
“Let me guess,” Kyle murmured. He felt his heart tighten as he took a deep breath. “Large ears - many of them pierced - long noses, arms that nearly touched the ground, some of them riding big machines with buzz-saws attached to them?”
Yxia nodded slowly. “How did you know?”
Kyle shook his head. “Damn it all to hell…” he muttered. “The Horde is in Equestria.”
---
“Up ahead. Quiet now,” One of the Changelings murmured. Kyle nodded and glanced around him for what felt like the thousandth time. He and Scootaloo had been accompanied by Yxia and half a dozen Changelings out of Hive Regali, and together they had flown almost directly west, right towards the Macintosh Mountains. They’d flown over the foothills and past a few of the mountain peaks before settling on the western slope of one of the mountains, next to a large lake. Two of the Changelings had remained behind with Kyle’s hippogryph, while the rest of them had pushed on ahead.
And here they were. Skulking through the forest like a pack of bandits, creeping up on their target. Kyle glanced back towards Yxia, who waved with her hoof. “Go on,” she gestured. “We’ll wait back here. You go take a look.” Kyle nodded, and he and Scootaloo pushed through the trees closer towards their destination.
For a minute, the pair crept through the forest in silence. A faint smell of smoke reached Kyle’s nose. He turned his head towards his apprentice. “You okay?” he murmured to her. “You’ve been pretty quiet.”
“Not much for me to say,” Scootaloo replied quietly. “You seemed to have it covered.”
“Nervous?”
“A bit,” she admitted. She glanced over towards him. “I’m just remembering the last time I saw the Horde. That Tauren up in Kun-Lai.”
“Oh yeah…” Kyle had almost forgotten about their encounter with the Druid high in the mountains of Kun-Lai Summit, where the Tauren had saved them both from an attack by the summit prowlers. “What was his name… Tulstag?”
“Yeah.”
“Let me tell you right now,” Kyle warned, “Don’t expect every member of the Horde to be like Tulstag. He’s by far the exception, not the rule. We’re not exactly going to be welcomed with open arms if we’re spotted. So keep low and keep quiet.”
“Assuming this is actually the Horde,” Scootaloo added.
Kyle hesitated for a moment before nodding slowly. “I’m praying that I’m wrong,” he murmured. “But I doubt I am.”
The two fell into silence again. The only sound besides the rustling of the undergrowth as they moved through it was the sound of birds overhead. By now, the smell of smoke was far stronger. There was definitely something up ahead. And it wasn’t far away.
Kyle pushed another branch aside and instantly drew back. “Down,” he hissed as both he and Scootaloo dropped to the ground. For a moment, there was silence. Kyle barely dared to breathe as he waited. Finally, after a full minute, he slowly moved the branch to the side again and peered under it. “Patrol,” he murmured. “A Troll and an Orc. They were headed the other way. Let’s move uphill and see if we can avoid another run-in like that.”
The two slowly made their way uphill, being careful to keep their sense open for any approaching patrols. Thankfully, there didn’t seem to be any around them as they crept up the mountain. It wasn’t long before Kyle pushed another branch aside and looked upon his target.
Kyler and Scootaloo stood upon a sheer cliff-face overlooking a fortress of iron and stone, tucked in a corner between the cliff they were standing upon and a second cliff. It was well-fortified, and had clearly been built up for a while. Solid stone buildings, metal walls, red roofs, large metal spikes. But most telling of all were the two large, red banners draped on either side of the largest building pressed up against the mountainside, with identical black symbols drawn across them. If the patrol wasn’t enough evidence, the stronghold before him left no question.
Horde.
Kyle muttered a series of expletives under his breath. The Horde was in Equestria. As if dealing with Zinju and the Burning Legion wasn’t bad enough. He looked back over the stronghold before him. Large towers rose out of the walls, each manned by two or three archers - some Troll, some Orc, and even an Undead. As he watched, a trio of wyverns sailed overhead and landed atop the large building pressed up against the mountainside. “How did they even get here?” he murmured.
It was at that moment that his mind flashed back. Many weeks ago, back to that day when he had met with Celestia and Twilight in Ironwall. “Several intruders, on separate incidents, made their way through the portal before one was caught in the act. Intruders that, to our knowledge, are enemies of the Alliance.” That’s what Celestia had said. “Damnit,” he swore again. “I should have found those intruders before it got this out of hand.”
“Hm?”
Kyle blinked and looked over. He had almost forgotten Scootaloo was there. “Doesn’t matter,” he murmured. “That’s the Horde. No doubt about it. Let’s get back to Yxia before we’re spotted.”
“Shouldn’t we do something?” Scootaloo whispered back. “I mean, we’re right here. Maybe we could -”
“Maybe we could get ourselves killed,” Kyle interrupted. “We are two Monks. Skilled Monks, but still only two. Against a stronghold like that? We’d be lucky to reach the front gate past all those archers. No, we pull back and live to fight another day.”
Kyle and Scootaloo began to make their way back down the mountain, being careful to avoid the scouts that patrolled the forest. It seemed to Kyle that in the short time that they had observed the fortress, the number of patrols had increased dramatically. More than once, they had to freeze as they spotted a patrol dangerously close. One particular encounter had a Tauren’s hoof not half a dozen feet from where Kyle lay prone in the undergrowth.
Still, the pair slowly made their way away from the Horde’s fortress. It wasn’t long before they pushed their way past another set of branches and spotted Yxia and her Changelings waiting for them. Yxia’s head popped up as they approached. “Did you find what you were looking for?” she asked.
Yes. It’s the Horde alright,” Kyle replied. “Thanks for showing this to us, though I’m afriad that there’s nothing we can do right now except get out of here. We need to head back to Ponyville and inform our leaders about this. And if I may be so bold, I’d suggest you keep yourselves quiet. If the Horde doesn’t see you as an ally, then you’re an enemy.”
Yxia nodded. “Your suggestion is noted. Your beast of flight is waiting for you by the lake.” She turned towards her Changelings and spoke quickly to them in their native language. The five Changelings then spread their wings and took to the sky, flying out of the trees and away from the mountains.
It didn’t take Kyle and Scootaloo long to make their way back to the hippogryph. As Yxia had promised, it was waiting next to the lake, drinking deeply from the crystal-clear water. Kyle mounted the hippogryph and looked down at Scootaloo. “Think you can manage the flight back to Ponyville?” he asked. “We’ve already done a lot of flying today…”
“Let’s try,” Scootaloo replied. “I’ll let you know before we reach the Everfree Forest if I don’t think I can make it.”
“Right. Let’s fly.” Kyle nudged his mount with the heel of his boots, and the hippogryph spread its wings. A moment later, he and Scootaloo were soaring over the mountain forests and around the peaks, headed north towards Ponyville.
But they weren’t the only ones in the sky.
Kyle turned his head to look over his shoulder. There, in the distance, back towards the Horde’s fortress. There were two black shadows. Two big, black, winged shadows. And they were getting bigger. Which meant they were getting closer.
Wyvern riders.
“We’ve got company!” Kyle yelled over the rush of the wind. Scootaloo risked a glance behind her, and her eyes shot open. She turned her head towards Kyle, who was now focused straight ahead. “Just keep flying!” He yelled again. “Maybe they’ll give up! If not… well, we’ll deal with that then.”
The pair continued to fly away from the Horde fortress, but it became increasingly clear to Kyle that the the riders were not about to let them get away. Their Wyverns weren’t as agile as a hippogryph or a Pegasus, but what they lacked in grace they made up for in raw speed. The distance between the Monks and their pursuers became increasingly small.
“Alright squirt! New plan!” Kyle yelled. “I hope you’ve been practicing your aim, ‘cause we’ve got a fight on our hands! We’ve got to take these guys down! Stay airborne, stay mobile, don’t let them hit you! Remember, don’t aim where they are, aim where they’re going to be! Break left!”
At his command, Scootaloo veered sharply to the left, while Kyle angled his hippogryph right. An instant later, a fireball flew through the space where his body had just occupied. Kyle whipped his hippogryph around and flew straight at his pursuers. A burst of lightning flashed from his fingertips, but was too far to the right as he soared past the Wyvern riders. One of them broke off after Scootaloo, while the other circled around and gave chase to Kyle.
Another fireball soared over Kyle’s head, forcing him to duck. This rider was a good shot. It was only a matter of time before Kyle’s luck ran out. He needed to end this quickly before that happened. Another flash of lightning arced out at the rider, this one crackling underneath his target.
For a few tense moments, Kyle and the Wyvern rider traded shots, neither able to connect. Kyle’s hippogryph was certainly more agile than the Wyvern, but the Wyvern’s speed was throwing Kyle’s aim off time and time again. Finally, the stalemate ended as Kyle clipped the Wyvern’s right wing. The creature screeched in pain and rolled to the right, flipping its rider off. Kyle couldn’t help but flinch as the rider’s scream was suddenly cut off as he impacted on the ground. The Wyvern itself spiraled down to the forest floor after its rider.
It didn’t take long for Kyle to spot Scootaloo. By now, they had left the mountains, and were in the foothills leading back into the Badlands. The rider chasing her was, if anything, even more skilled at flying than Kyle's pursuer had been. His Wyvern was making turns much faster and shorter than Kyle had believed possible out of a Wyvern. Still, it lacked the pinpoint turning that Scootaloo had, and the rider didn't seem to be nearly as good a shot as Kyle's pursuer had been, allowing her to easily avoid the ice lances that flashed out at her.
As Kyle watched, Scootaloo launched a counterattack of her own. As she and the rider sailed past each other, she flipped upside down and fired a sphere of Chi energy wildly to the right. For a moment, Kyle thought that she had missed badly… Until the rider swung to the right as well. Kyle cheered as the Chi Burst connected with the rider and exploded, sending the rider and his mount flailing to the forest floor below.
Kyle and Scootaloo reconnected in mid-air, and together they covered the small distance that still lay between them and the desert. They landed at the edge of the forest. Kyle hopped off of the hippogryph and stroked its beak a few times. The hippogryph snorted in agitation, but appeared unharmed, and so he left the beast alone. Instead, he ran over to Scootaloo, who had collapsed on the ground. “You okay?” he asked as he knelt down next to her.
Scootaloo was breathing heavily, but she grinned back up at him. “Yeah, I’m alright,” she panted.
Kyle returned the grin. “Hell of a shot back there,” he patted her on the back. “I’ve seen some good shots in my time, but that has to be one of the best. How’d you do it?”
“We’d passed each other like that a few times,” Scootaloo replied. She paused as she tried to get her breathing back under control. “Every time, I noticed that afterwards he’d turn right. I just shot where I thought he’d be, and it worked.”
“No kidding. Great job,” Kyle praised.
Scootaloo beamed, but her smile quickly faded. “But won’t the fortress notice if two of their riders went missing?” she asked.
Kyle’s own smile faded. “Yeah, they will,” he muttered. “If we’re lucky, they won’t find the bodies. We took them down a fair distance from the fortress. They might assume that they got taken down by wildlife or had an accident, if no one else saw us and if the riders didn’t tell anyone before they started chasing us.”
“That’s a lot of ‘ifs’,” Scootaloo muttered.
“I know, but it’s the best we can hope for.” Kyle rose back to his feet. “We should get out of here before anyone else spots us. Still think you can fly back to Ponyville?”
Scootaloo shook her head. “Not after that fight, no.”
“Then hop on.” Kyle walked over and mounted the hippogryph once more. “This guy can carry us both back.”
Scootaloo slowly pushed herself up and hopped onto the hippogryph as well, laying sideways on its back behind Kyle. He made sure to hold onto her as the hippogryph took to the air again and set out over the Badlands back towards Ponyville.