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...