//------------------------------// // Chapter 20 // Story: Beyond the Portal // by Firestar463 //------------------------------// Panic. As Kyle sprinted through the city, chaos reigned. Ponies were yelling and cowering, all running in the opposite direction that he was. It wasn’t hard to guess why. Looking up, Kyle could see that the sun, normally high in the sky, was nowhere to be seen. Instead, dark, ominous clouds rolled in from all directions, all swirling towards a central point. At the center of this unnatural storm was an eerie, tangled web of black energy, fading into a pure white core. Kyle had seen this before, in the Dread Waste. There was no doubt what it meant. The Sha. The arrow that Kyle and his friends were chasing suddenly veered to the right, heading down another large street. Kyle slowed his pace until he was running evenly with Celestia. “Where do you think… it’s going?” he asked. “If I had to guess, I’d say it’s headed towards the park.” Celestia replied. “That’s where the center of that storm seems to be.” “The Sha… at the park… on a nice sunny day?” Kyle panted, taking another sharp turn to keep up with Discord and his arrow. “I didn’t think they’d appreciate… that sort of thing.” he chuckled weakly. “There would be many Ponies there.” Celestia muttered grimly as they approached the entrance to the park. “Let us pray that they all made it out safely.” The arrow stopped suddenly in front of the park, pointing straight in. “Well, this is the place.” Discord announced. “By all that is holy...” Kyle murmured, his eyes going wide. The park was in ruins. What had once been lush green grass was now barren earth, scorched by the twisted energies pulsing around them. The trees were barren, burnt and charred. Peering deeper into the park, Kyle could see swarms of minor Sha milling about, searching for victims. “”Hoo wee. That’s a lotta varmints t’ take care of.” Applejack whistled. “Well what are we waiting for?” Rainbow Dash asked, hovering just outside the gate. “Let’s get in there!” “Hold on!” Twilight called out, grabbing Rainbow Dash by the tail and dragging her back. “We can’t go in yet. What if somepony is trapped in there, hiding? If we attack, we might hit them by accident, or worse, drive the Sha right to them!” “Good point.” Kyle muttered. “We need to see if we can find anyone out there, and get them out of there. And we also need to see where the Prime Sha is.” “One of the Prime Sha is here?” Celestia asked, her expression growing even more worried. “No doubt.” Kyle nodded, pointing up at the swirling vortex in the sky. “That’s a dead giveaway that one of the Prime Sha is here. If it wasn’t, even with all of these minor Sha out there, the vortex wouldn’t have appeared.” “Alright. So here’s the plan.” Twilight announced. Everyone gathered around to hear her better. “Rainbow Dash, you’ll carry Kyle on your back. The three of us will scout out the park through the air and look for anypony who’s trapped. If we find one, Kyle and Rainbow Dash will clear the area while I teleport them to safety. Everypony else, wait here. We hopefully won’t take too long. Any questions?” Rainbow Dash blinked once, looking a bit uncomfortable, but said nothing. “Then let’s go.” Twilight said, taking off into the air. Kyle walked over to Rainbow Dash and slung his leg over her. “Not too heavy for you, am I?” he asked. Rainbow Dash shook her head. “Not a chance. I’m the best flyer in Equestria. If I can’t keep you in the air, nopony can.” She spread her wings and gave a powerful thrust, pushing herself into the air. She wobbled a bit, and Kyle was forced to throw his arms around her neck to keep his balance, but she finally evened out and took off after Twilight. Looking down, Kyle could see that the situation was even worse than it had appeared from the gate. The ground was absolutely swarming with Sha - some crawling along the ground, their eyeless heads swiveling in every direction; others more akin to the prime sha, with the skeletal torsos hovering above the ground. “I’ve never seen so many Sha…” Rainbow Dash murmured as the trio flew over a grove of scorched trees. “Neither have I.” Kyle admitted quietly. “Even in Kun Lai Summit, even in the Dread Waste… Something has really riled these things up.” “Which one do you reckon it is?” “No idea. But we’ll find out soon enough.” The trio flew over another grove of trees, searching intently for any trapped Ponies. So far, there hadn’t been any, but the Canterlot Park was massive. If the Sha had taken over quickly, those at the center of the park likely wouldn’t have had time to escape. As the trio approached the heart of the park, Kyle felt his blood run cold. A shiver underneath him told him that Rainbow Dash was feeling the same thing. “You feel that?” Kyle asked Twilight. “Yeah. Something big is coming up.” Twilight grimaced. “We’d better check it out.” She angled herself to the right, and Rainbow Dash followed. A moment later, they entered the central area of the Park. What Kyle saw made his heart stop. There were no Sha in the center of the park. Instead, there was a massive vortex of darkness, pulsing with power. Bolts of dark energy flew from the center of the vortex, arcing towards the ground and slamming into the scorched earth with explosive power. Looking up, Kyle could see that the vortex in the sky was directly overhead. Kyle felt a sense of dread wash over him as Twilight and Rainbow Dash hovered in place, unwilling to move any closer. No sane creature would have stayed and hidden here. “What the… somepony’s down there!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed, pointing towards the vortex. Kyle leaned forward, trying to get a better look. Sure enough, standing near the vortex was a Pony, apparently unfazed by the energy swirling around him. A Unicorn, dressed in a black tuxedo top, with a top hat upon his head. His coat was a light chestnut color, and his mane was dark grey. On his flank was a picture of a whirlwind. “Who is that?” Rainbow Dash asked. “No idea. But he’s too close to that vortex. It’s too dangerous to try to get to him right now,” Kyle replied. “We need to get back to report this.” Twilight said, turning around. “And we need to stop the Sha from spreading. Come on!” She flew off, away from the vortex and the Unicorn. Rainbow Dash gave one last look behind her before flying off after Twilight. A few minutes later, the trio landed at the entrance at the park. Already, the Sha were patrolling closer to the entrance. Within the hour, they would start spilling into the city proper. “Did you find anypony?” Celestia asked anxiously. “Yes. But we couldn’t get to him." Twilight sighed. “He was next to this black... vortex… thing… It was spitting out bolts of energy. We couldn’t get close enough.” “Do you know who it was?” Celestia asked. “No. But it was a Unicorn. Chestnut coat, grey mane, dressed all fancy-like.” Rainbow Dash replied. “Had a tornado for a cutie mark.” Celestia took a sharp breath. “That… sounds like Senator Wordtwist.” she remarked. “What is he doing in there? “I’m not sure, but I have a couple of ideas. And none of them are pleasant.” Kyle replied “What do you think, then?” “Well… There’s two possibilities. Either he’s been ensnared by the Sha, like Scootaloo was, and is being possessed, or else…” “Or else…?” “Or else he’s working with them.” Kyle sighed. “Trying to use them to further some plan of his.” “You’re right. Neither option is pleasant.” Celestia murmured. “As much of a pain in the flank as he is, we’ve still got to get him out of there, and get rid of the Sha.” “So, what’s the plan, oh wise Human?” Discord asked, raising an eyebrow. “Plan… right.” Kyle muttered, turning towards Celestia. “How many entrances does the park have?” “Two. One at either end.” She replied. “Okay. So, if we all push from one side, the Sha will simply congregate on the other side, and spill out into the city.” Kyle mused. “And once they’re in the city, it’s over. So, my idea is to split up into smaller groups and approach from opposite ends. That way, we’re pushing them all towards the center, towards the vortex, where we need to go anyway.” “So… w-who’s going to t-the other s-s-side?” Fluttershy stammered, poking her head out from behind Discord’s tail. Kyle jumped slightly as Fluttershy spoke. He had completely forgotten that the timid pegasus was there. “Let’s see… We need to get to the other side quickly, and the fastest way to get there is to fly. So our two strongest flyers - That’s Rainbow Dash and Princess Celestia - and me. That would leave Applejack, Twilight, Fluttershy, and Discord over here. Any questions?” Silence. “Then let’s get to it.” “Ah, before you leave.” Discord announced as Kyle moved towards Celestia. He snapped his fingers, and a sharp metal spear burst from the ground, eliciting a small squeak from Fluttershy. “If memory serves, the last time we fought the Sha together, you requested a weapon. Shame you left it behind.” he added with a short chuckle Kyle plucked the spear from the ground and gave it a twirl. It was short and lightweight, but as Kyle jabbed it against the stone pavement, it held strongly. “This’ll do nicely, Discord. Thank you.” Kyle grinned, giving a short salute. Discord returned the gesture as Kyle climbed onto Celestia’s back. Celestia took to the sky, and Rainbow Dash followed suit. Kyle and Rianbow Dash glanced behind them just as Twilight charged into the park. A sphere of lavender energy flew from her horn, striking a nearby sha and vaporizing it. Discord and Applejack followed behind her, but Fluttershy remained behind, shivering. “Is she going to be alright?” Kyle asked. “Dude. It’s Fluttershy.” Rainbow Dash huffed, sounding annoyed. “She’s afraid of her own shadow. She’s going to be about as useful against those Sha as Angel would be.” “So, is there any trick to fighting these Sha?” Celestia asked as they soared over the park. “Anything special you need to do?” “Just steel your mind.” Kyle replied. “Fighting them can be mentally taxing to the unprepared. If you hear whispers in your head, ignore them. If they continue, step back for a minute. Just keep a clear mind, and we’ll get through this.” The trio soared over the far gate moments later. Already, a pair of Sha had left the park, and were headed towards one of the large buildings nearby. “Oh no you don’t.” Kyle growled. He pushed himself off of Celestia in mid-air and let gravity take over, falling towards the ground. As he neared the ground, he channeled Chi into his feet, and they were enveloped in the familiar green glow of his magic. His right foot slammed through the head of one of the Sha, disintegrating it on contact. The second Sha spun towards Kyle just as the spear swung around, cutting its head off. “Crude, but effective.” Celestia commented as she and Rainbow Dash touched down next to Kyle. Already, several of the Sha in the park had noticed them, and were rushing towards them. “Shall we begin?” “Stay sharp.” Kyle replied as he readied his spear. Rainbow Dash took to the air once more as Celestia and Kyle charged at the Sha. The next few minutes were a frenzy. Kyle fought with vigor, his spear moving so fast that the tip was merely a blur as it sliced through Sha after Sha. What few Sha made it past the spear quickly found themselves destroyed by his fists and feet. He was destruction incarnate, a whirlwind of flesh and steel. One would almost mistake him for a warrior, were it not for the way he moved about the battlefield - not charging and leaping, but almost dancing, moving as if lighter than air. Rainbow Dash, meanwhile, quickly developed her own rhythm. While she didn’t have the experience or strength that Kyle did, her speed made up for it. Her powerful wings carried her through the air as she swooped down low, plowing through two or three Sha at a time before soaring back into the air, out of reach of the Shas’ claws. While not as destructive as Kyle, she could strike where he could not, taking out multiple Sha as they emerged from the treeline before they could reach the front line. Celestia, however, outstripped both of them, by far. Her fury was unparallelled as she charged forward, horn aglow. A single blast of energy from her horn annihilated a dozen Sha, while her hooves slammed through two more. The wrath of the sun fell upon the Sha, who continued to throw themselves against her and continued to fall by the dozens. Watching her mow through the Sha, it became quite evident how Celestia had managed to remain in power for so long - no one would be foolish enough to challenge her to combat. Kyle also felt a newfound sense of respect for the princess. Having that much power, and yet not abusing it for her own gain… Some of our leaders could learn a thing or two from her. he thought as his fist flew through yet another Sha. After a few minutes, the fighting ceased. The Sha had stopped flowing from the treeline, and those that had already cleared the trees were quickly destroyed. The trio reconvened in the center of their section. Rainbow Dash was breathing heavily, as was Kyle. Celestia, however, showed no signs of fatigue. “They have stopped coming.” “So… we win?” Rainbow Dash asked. She hovered in the air, creating a small breeze that Kyle gladly stood in. “Not yet.” he replied, wiping some sweat from his forehead. “We’ve still got to deal with the vortex, Wordtwist, and the Prime Sha. Which means we’ve got to go deeper in.” “No problem. We can fly over to the center in no time.” Rainbow Dash smirked. “No, we can’t.” Celestia replied. “Just because they have stopped coming at us does not mean that they are not still lingering in the trees. We will have to weed them out as we go.” “Be careful.” Kyle warned as he stepped into the grove of trees. “We’ve got a lot less maneuvering room in here.” For several minutes, the three walked through the trees, eyes peeled for any lingering Sha. Though their presence was quite strong, there were no further Sha waiting for them in the trees. Soon, they emerged into another clearing. A fountain sat in the center, with several benches situated around it. Fluttershy, Twilight, Applejack, and Discord were already waiting, sitting on the benches. “There you are. We were starting to get worried.” Twilight called out as the trio approached. “There were a lot of Sha on our side.” Kyle replied, sitting down with a small grunt. “Gotta say, if Princess Celestia hadn’t been there, I don’t think we could have gotten through.” “She kicked their flanks!” Rainbow Dash added, smacking one hoof into the other. A faint red hue could be seen on Celestia’s cheeks as she cleared her throat. “Did you encounter much resistance, Twilight?” she asked. “Not as much as you did, it sounds like.” she replied. “Applejack, Discord, and I were apple to handle them pretty easily. We’ve got here about five minutes ago or so.” “And how did Fluttershy do?” Celestia asked. “I notice you left her out.” “Well… the thing is… well…” Twilight glanced over at her friend, who was busy talking with Discord. Twilight leaned in closer. “It’s Fluttershy. She didn’t defeat any of them. She didn’t even fight.” “Well now, I wouldn’t say that that was all Fluttershy’s fault.” Discord interjected, suddenly right beside Twilight. “After all, the Sha seemed to swarm to us three, but avoided Fluttershy at all costs.” “Really?” Kyle asked, leaning forward. “Well… that’s true.” Twilight admitted slowly. “They didn’t seem to really go for her. At all. And if she ever got close to one, it would turn tail and run.” “Well now, that’s interesting.” Kyle murmured. “And… helpful, I think.” “How so?” “Well, remember how the Sha of Deceit ran from Applejack?” Kyle asked. “Well, if these Sha were running from Fluttershy, then it stands to reckon that these Sha stand opposite to her element. Her element is… Kindness? Which means that we’re most likely up against the Sha of Cruelty.” “BRRRIINNNGGG!!” Kyle jumped as a loud dinging sound echoed through the clearing, as did everyone else. “What the hell was that?” he asked, looking around wildly. “It’s my machine that goes ‘ding’.” Discord replied. “Otherwise known as the Sha Radar. it’s locked onto a massive source of Sha energy.” He stepped aside, revealing the glowing arrow. It was now pointing into the trees once more, directly to the south. “This Prime Sha, perhaps?” “Only one way to find out.” Kyle muttered. He pushed himself back to his feet and snatched his spear up off of the ground before following the arrow into the tree line once more, with everyone else close behind. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The group emerged from the trees after about 10 minutes of wandering. As they walked, the Sha Radar had detected more and more Sha energy, and Kyle had sensed it as well. As they emerged from the trees, they finally found the source of the Sha energy. The vortex they had seen earlier was larger than ever before, with bolts of energy flying farther and farther away. The Unicorn was still standing in the same spot as before, and was now partially submerged in the dark energy of the vortex. “Oh my.” Discord murmured as the arrow whimpered and cowered behind him. “So that’s what you saw earlier. Interesting. Very interesting…” “So how do we take care o’ this thing?” Applejack asked. “Ain’t no Sha ‘round here, and I don’t reckon fightin’ that thing there is gonna do us much good.” “I’m not sure.” Kyle murmured. “Maybe if I just…” Kyle hesitated for a moment before taking a tentative step closer towards the vortex. BOOM! A massive explosion ripped through the park, nearly deafening Kyle. The force of the blast knocked Kyle clean off his feet and hurled him backwards. He barely managed to flip in time to have his feet slam against the trunk of a tree, and not his head. The others, however, had not been so lucky. Twilight and Celestia had managed to shield themselves with their magic, but Applejack and Rainbow Dash had been sent tumbling straight through a tree, which had collapsed. Fluttershy had likewise been launched, and had only been saved from the same fate by Discord, who had used himself as a living shield against the trees. Kyle looked back up at where the vortex had been. Wordtwist was no longer there - he had been hurled away by the explosion as well, and was now laying near Applejack and Rainbow Dash. The vortex was no longer there either. Instead, a black, skeletal, clawed hand was grasping at the ground. Twilight and Celestia gasped as the clawed hand pulled a monstrous form from the ground. The Prime Sha had arrived. Kyle rushed over to Rainbow Dash and Applejack, who were still dazed. Rainbow Dash was unharmed, but Kyle could see that one of Applejack’s rear legs had been pinned underneath the tree that she had crashed through. Discord, meanwhile, was carrying Fluttershy over, his expression full of concern. “She’s out cold.” he said quickly, glancing up at the Sha. “She fainted from fright I think.” A loud cackling sound came from the Sha, causing everyone’s heads to turn towards it. “Cower, mortals. Your doom has arrived!” it boomed. One of its clawed hands moved to point at the unconscious Wordtwist. “I must thank you, oh summoner.” it announced, its voice dripping with sarcasm. “Your cruel desires and intentions were delicious. I could feed on them for years, and never be sated.” “What have you done to him?!” Celestia yelled, her wings spread wide open. “Ah, ask not what I have done, but what he has done.” the Sha cackled. “His cruelty has fuelled every decision he has made since he learned to hate the Zebras. His dark brooding… I could feel it half the world away. And so I came. The Sha of Cruelty.” “You will pay for what you have done, monster.” Celestia said coldly. Her eyes were burning with fury as she took to the sky, flying directly at the Sha. A large beam of energy flew from her horn striking the Sha in the face. She rolled to the right as the Sha swiped at her, and another blast of energy hit its legs. Kyle, meanwhile, was kneeling down next to Applejack, who had finally come back to her senses. “Hey partner. Mind gettin’ this thing offa me?” She asked, groaning slightly. “It hurts somthin’ fierce.” “Hold on.” Kyle grunted, pushing hard against the trunk. The tree groaned as its weight shifted, and Rainbow Dash threw her weight against it as well. Together, they managed to roll the tree off of Applejack. She pushed herself to her hooves, only to fall over again. “Dagnabit. Hurts like fire.” she groaned, stretching her injured leg out. “Is it broken?” Kyle asked. “I dunno, but I ain’t walkin’ away from here, I can tell ya that much.” she replied. A bright light drew Kyle’s gaze. Celestia’s horn shone as bright as the sun, and a large ball of energy formed at the tip. Even from this distance, Kyle could see that Celestia’s normally flawless coat was drenched in sweat and covered in dust and dirt. She grunted as the energy ball flew away from her horn and towards the Sha. The ball impacted and exploded with enough force to shake the ground. A large cloud of smoke and dust obscured the area as Celestia flittered about, trying to see the damage she had done. A clawed hand swung out from the smoke, pulsing with dark power. Celestia screamed as it hit her, sending her spiraling towards the ground. She hit the earth hard, leaving a small crater where she landed. Kyle and Twilight both gasped and ran forward. They hopped down into the crater, staring at Celestia. Blood coated her side, and for a horrifying moment, she appeared to be dead. Suddenly, she coughed violently and opened her eyes. She pushed herself unsteadily to her hooves as the Sha cackled once more. “Fool. You thought that you, a child of the usurper, could defeat me? You were doomed from the moment you laid eyes upon me!” it boomed. “No child of the Titans can harm the Sha!” “Then let us try fighting fire with fire.” A voice said darkly from behind Kyle. He turned his head to see Discord walking forward, his eyes full of hate. “You mess with Fluttershy. You mess with me.” he growled. His wings remained still as he hovered into the air, rising to stare the Sha in the face. “I remember you, Zwietracht.” The sha taunted. “Discord, you are called now, correct? Come back to watch me break your toys again? You must really care for them.” A booming laugh filled the air as Discord snarled. “You have sunken low, Zwietracht, to allying yourself with the children of the usurpers. And your concern for the weak one… pathetic. You disgrace our kind. Then again, that’s nothing new.” The Sha cackled once more. Discord, however, said nothing. Instead, his snarl disappeared. He smirked slightly and raised his talons. He snapped them. The Sha of Cruelty grunted and stumbled slightly as a blast of energy slammed into its back. “You underestimate me, Alp’tauum.” Discord smirked as the Sha recovered its balance. “I may have been weakened by the Elements of Harmony, but I am still an Old God. Alive and whole. You… you are a mere shadow.” His smirk disappeared, and was replaced by a wicked snarl once more. “I will enjoy this.” he growled as he flew forwards. Kyle, meanwhile, was leading Celestia away from the battlefield. She limped heavily on her left side, so Kyle made sure to support her as they retreated back among the trees. “I have never seen such a powerful foe.” Celestia groaned as she flopped down on the ground. “Perhaps Discord, but he never used his full power.” “Until today, it seems.” Twilight murmured, staring at the battle raging between Discord and the Sha. Each party was unleashing powerful, chaotic magic, each fully capable of annihilating a Pony in an instant. A small groan from behind Kyle, made him turn around. Fluttershy was stirring, shaking her head to clear it. “What… what happened?” she asked. “You passed out.” Kyle replied. “The Prime Sha came out and you got really scared, apparently. It set Discord off. He’s out there right now, fighting the Sha.” “Oh… my…” Fluttershy gasped, quickly pushing herself next to Kyle to watch the battle. “Do.. Do you think he can win?” she asked, looking at Kyle. “It’s an Old God against the shade of an Old God.” he replied. “Of any of us, he has the best chance to win in a contest of power. But even still, it’s not enough. Discord may be fighting fire with fire, but I've always said the best way to fight fire is with water. Even if Discord wins, the Sha will simply reappear somewhere else. The only way to vanquish it permanently is for it to come in contact with its respective Element Bearer.” “Which is Fluttershy.” Applejack finished. “But… well, let’s face it girl, yer too scared to get close enough.” “And I can’t really say I blame her.” Kyle murmured. “But… maybe I can help.” He closed his eyes and gathered Chi in his hands before unleashing it. A small ring of energy pulsed outwards from Fluttershy, filling Kyle with a sense of tranquility. “Ring of Peace.” he murmured as Fluttershy took a deep breath, looking slightly more confident. “And, to help some more.” He added, pulling a pouch from his belt. He offered the Tigereye brew to Fluttershy. She sniffed it once before taking a careful gulp. She gasped as her back arched, and her wings flapped outwards. A particularly loud explosion drew Kyle’s attention back to the fight. He watched as Discord dipped low and flew underneath the Sha, barely avoiding the Sha’s spiked legs from impaling him. He flew behind the Sha and blasted it in the back again. He smirked as the Sha stumbled forward. His smirk was quickly replaced by a look of terror as a clawed hand whipped around, grabbing and ensnaring him. “Pesky gnat.” The Sha hissed, raising Discord to its eye level. “You’ve buzzed around for far too long. Time for this fly to be squashed.” Discord groaned in pain as the Sha tightened its grip around him. The Sha cackled once more. “Even whole, you are powerless before me. I will miss you, Zwietracht. I will miss your look as I break your toys. Give my regards to Y’shaarj.” “Put him down!” Kyle jumped as he heard Fluttershy yelling from beside him. His eyes went wide as she strode forward, wings flared open. The Sha turned towards her and took a step backwards as Fluttershy glared at it. “Listen here, mister! You may be big and mean and scary, but you do not - I repeat, YOU DO NOT! HURT! MY! FRIENDS!” Fluttershy flapped her wings once, pushing her into the air, and rocketed towards the Sha. Kyle felt his jaw drop, and saw that Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and even Celestia were all staring at her with open mouths as well. Did… did my brew do that? he wondered, trying to come up with some explanation for Fluttershy’s sudden burst of confidence. He had never expected the shy pegasus to be so fierce, but apparently hurting her friends was a bad idea. A bad idea that the Sha was quickly regretting. Kyle could see it growing smaller as Fluttershy flew closer. “I-I was told you were too timid to attack!” it stammered, fear clear in its voice. It released Discord in a panic, allowing the injured Draconequus to limp to the ground before collapsing. “Stay back!” It yelled, now stumbling backwards as quickly as possible. Fluttershy would not be stopped. The Sha began to disappear as she approached, trying desperately to teleport away. It was too slow. Fluttershy’s front hooves slammed into the Sha, and a guttural roar pierced the air. The Sha writhed and twisted as it began to dissolve into a fine black mist. “Our plans… continue… This is merely… a setback.” It roared as its head dissolved. The smoke cleared and revealed a small, black crystal. The crystal hovered for a moment before dropping onto the ground below. The Sha of Cruelty was dead. Kyle ran forward towards the crystal. He picked it up and deposited it in his pocket as Discord groaned and pushed himself to his feet. “You alright there?” Kyle asked. “After spending a millenia trapped in stone, I can honestly say that I’ve had worse.” Discord grinned weakly. He was covered in scrapes and bruises, and sported a large black right eye, but appeared surprisingly well off. “Fluttershy seemed really concerned for you.” Kyle commented as the pair walked back towards the trees were the group was huddled. “Of course. We’re friends.” Discord replied. “Friends worry about each other. And they stand up for each other in times of need.” “Well this is new.” Celestia smiled as they approached. “Discord giving a friendship lesson? I do believe it is a cold day in Tartarus.” “Don’t expect a report, Princess.” Discord scoffed. “You two should get up to the hospital wing.” Twilight interrupted. “Get those wounds taken care of before you get any infections. And take Applejack too. Get her leg looked at.” “What about Wordtwist?” Kyle asked, pointing at the unconscious Unicorn. “Oh my! I almost forgot about him.” Twilight exclaimed. “Yes, if you can, take him too.” “Very well, Princess Twilight.” Celestia giggled. “We’ll go get taken care of.” She, Applejack, and Wordtwist disappeared in a flash of light. Discord snapped his talons, and he too vanished, accompanied by a loud ribbit. “Hey, Fluttershy.” Kyle said, turning to face the pegasus. “Good job. You did it.” “I… I guess I did okay.” she murmured, turning her head away. “I have to ask… Why did you go off like that?” “Well, Discord was in trouble.” Fluttershy replied slowly. “And I always help my friends out when they’re in trouble.” That thought stuck with Kyle as he, Fluttershy, Twilight, and Rainbow Dash walked out of the park. Looking up, Kyle could see that the vortex had disappeared, and the Sun had returned, shining down on the scorched, barren landscape. “This is gonna take a while to explain.” Kyle remarked as they exited the park. “There’s Princess Twilight! She’ll know what’s going on!” Kyle whipped his head around just in time to see a crowd of Ponies running at them. A barrage of questions assaulted his ears. “What happened?” “What was that thing?” “Is Princess Celestia alright?” “Where did it go?” Kyle looked over towards Twilight, who groaned. “Yep. This is gonna take a while to explain.” she agreed.