//------------------------------// // Chapter 46 // Story: Beyond the Portal // by Firestar463 //------------------------------// Silence. The battlefield was quiet enough to hear a pin drop. Every sigh, every sneeze and cough, every clink of armor bumping against armor was heard. Though it was the dead of night, not a soul was asleep. They were all wide awake. And they were watching. Waiting. Ready. At the head of them were two heavily armored figures. One stood upon two legs, the other on four. One had hands, the other hooves. One had wings, while the other did not. So very different from each other, and yet working together. Matthias turned his head towards Bulwark. “How long d’ya think it’ll take?” he murmured. Though his voice was soft, it was easily audible in the deathly silence that filled the air around them. “Dunno,” Bulwark replied just as quietly. “But we spotted their forward scouts when we left the forest. They know we’re here.” “We’re camped on their front doorstep. Of course they know we’re here. We’ve poked the hornet’s nest. I just wish I knew when they’d start stinging.” Silence fell once more. The moonless night had been dragging on for hours, and every soldier had been at the ready ever since the infiltration party had left. The darkness that fell over the army was broken periodically by magical flames, or the eerie glow of the occasional Warlock-summoned demon. But that didn’t make the night any less eerie. Matthias shifted his grip on his shield and frowned. He was a warrior. A man of action. Sitting here, waiting for their enemies to come at them… he didn’t like it. For all they knew, the Changelings were even now sneaking up behind them, ready to fall upon them like a terrible nightmare. He twirled his sword in his hand and let out a soft growl. “Patience.” Though his tone hadn’t changed, Bulwark’s voice pierced through the silence. “I hate this waiting,” Matthias hissed. “If they won’t come out to us, we should go in after them.” “Right into their territory?” Another voice hissed from just behind Matthias’s right shoulder. It took all of his willpower to not swing his sword at the voice. After all, this Changeling answered to Queen Yxia. It was an ally. For now. “If we go in there, it’ll be nothing short of suicide,” The Changeling continued. “They’ll have innumerable secret passages to move through and flank us. Out here, in the wide open, we at least have an even chance.” “The Changeling speaks the truth,” Bulwark nodded. “Besides, we’re not trying to kill them, remember? We’re a distraction. Buying our strike team time to kill Chrysalis.” “Doesn’t mean I have to like waiting,” Matthias growled in reply. Still, the two had a point. From the sounds of the soldiers behind him, he was not the only one who was impatient. But the battle would come on its own accord. He was a Knight-Captain. He had to show control, or the men who followed him would not show it either. And so he waited. And waited. And waited. The minutes stretched on and on, and the night began to grow bitterly cold. For the first time since Icecrown, Matthias was thankful for the hot armor he wore - it helped to stave off the chill of the desert’s autumn night. Thud. Matthias’s head snapped upwards towards the entrance of the hive as a soft sound reached his ears. Thud. He gripped his sword tightly and let out a low growl. Behind him, the rest of the army likewise grew tense. Thud. The light hum of magic filled the air behind him as their magic users made the last-minute preparations for battle. Water elementals were summoned, the bindings on demons were re-cast, last drinks of liquid were consumed. Thud. The ground itself now shook lightly with the sound, which had grown louder and closer. It was the sound of thousands of hooves, marching in perfect unison. Thud. The tops of the Changeling’s heads were now visible as they emerged from the entrance of the hive.  They rose from the ground, wave upon wave of nearly identical black heads, pointed ears, curved horns, insect-like wings, emotionless turquoise orbs that glowed against the dark. Thud. Matthias felt a feral grin form across his features. “Show time.” Thud. The Changelings fell to a stop a few dozen yards away from the front lines of the Alliance. For a long moment, neither side moved. The two enemies stared each other down, waiting for the other to make a move. A lone Changeling stepped from the ranks. It took three steps forward and halted. “By orders of her royal excellency, Grand Empress Chrysalis!” it announced, its voice echoing across the wastelands. “You and your army have initiated an aggressive act against the sovereign nation of the Changeling Empire! You shall leave now and return to your land, or you shall perish!” “Leave?” Matthias’s voice was barely a whisper, but in the silence that followed the Changeling’s announcement, it was just as audible. “You expect us to simply leave?” And then, he laughed. A laugh devoid of humor or goodwill. An empty, emotionless laugh, and yet conveying more meaning than any words ever could. “Save what breath remains in you, Changeling. You have no idea how many times I’ve heard a variant of that same pathetic speech,” he continued. “And it never works. We do not retreat. We do not surrender. We do not quit. We are Alliance! We never die!” The roar of the soldiers behind him was deafening. The Changeling waited until the roars of the soldiers had finally faded. Even by the dim light of the stars and its glowing, hate-filled eyes, Matthias could see it smirk. “I hoped you’d say that.” The Changelings charged. “Steady!” Matthias bellowed. He and Bulwark stepped backwards, falling back into their positions amongst the front line. Matthias raised his shield, while Bulwark presented the incoming army with his heavily-armored right shoulder. Beside him, Matthias could see Yxia’s Changeling assume a form similar to Bulwark’s, and it too lowered its shoulder to block. Matthias peered over his shoulder at the advancing tide of Changelings, rushing at him like a wave of death. And he felt no fear. Only a grim pleasure for what was to come. The first wave fell upon them, crashing against their shields like a wave against the cliff. With a grunt, the front line pushed the Changelings back. From behind them, arrows and spells alike whistled through the night air, falling upon the Changelings like a rain of death. And then, as planned, they broke. Matthias rushed forward and brought his sword down upon the first Changeling unfortunate enough to be caught in his gaze. His blade cut easily through its neck, severing its head in a shower of green blood. He spun around and lashed out again, this time finding his mark against a Changeling’s chest. He raised his shield to block a blow, and then slammed his shield forward, bashing a Changeling over the head. A few yards away, he could see another Warrior being assaulted on all sides. Though a fearsome combatant, he was steadily losing ground against the trio of Changelings besieging him. Matthias roared viciously. He leaped through the air, empowered by the rage and anger that flowed through him. He soared easily through the air, high over the heads of the combatants, before slamming back to the ground. His shield crushed one Changeling to the ground, and his blade quickly pierced the heart of a second. The other warrior, suddenly relieved of two of his attackers, quickly brought his mace down upon his final opponent’s head, caving it in. The second wave of Changelings was now descending upon them, rushing to replace their fallen comrades. Matthias and the other warrior stood side-by-side as several other warriors rushed to their aid. Together, the half-dozen men stood against over three-hundred Changelings. Matthias narrowed his eyes as the second wave drew closer and closer. “Now!” Matthias followed up his command with a fearsome roar. A roar echoed by five other voices. He felt an ancient power flow through him, and channeled the newfound strength into his voice. A great shockwave flew from the warriors towards the advancing wave. Their Dragon’s Roars fell upon the Changelings and knocked them from their hooves, flinging the backwards towards the rest of the Changeling army. Meanwhile, more spells and arrows flew from the Alliance army. With their Dragon’s Roar now complete, the six warriors broke apart and prepared as several more waves of Changelings advanced. Meanwhile, many of their foes had taken to the skies, filling the night sky with a horrible buzzing sound. Bolts of green magic flew from their ranks, only to be deflected by the Alliance’s shield-mages. With the situation seemingly under control for the moment, Matthias fell away from the heat of the battle and towards the back. As he reached the first lines of tents that marked the camp, he could see that several soldiers were already present, being treated for various injuries. Among the medics tending to them were two Ponies that Matthias had often seen Kyle talking to - a white unicorn with a purple mane, and a yellow pegasus with a pink mane. But they were not his objective. Instead, he pushed further back into the camp. Finally, he reached a small clearing in the tents. There, a dozen soldiers were fiddling with knobs and levers on a trio of large, hollow tubes. A pink Pony bounced happily around them, seemingly oblivious to the battle that raged mere minutes away. “You! Pinkie Pie, was it?” Matthias called out. “You’re sure you can aim these things?” “Don’t be silly! Of course I can’t!” she said, her voice bubbly. “I don’t have any fingers to work those little twisty thingies.” “Don’t play dumb! You can tell us where to aim them without hitting our guys?” he said, his voice full of fury. Though normally not this hostile when conversing with allies, the rage of battle still flooded through him, tinting his vision red and filling him with anger. “Yep!” “You’re positive?” “Knight-Captain, sir,” One of the engineers glanced over from the mortar tube he was working on. “WIth all due respect, she coordinated our attacks in the Crystal Empire, and we didn’t hit a single one of our guys. If she can do that there, she can do that here.” Matthias shook his head. He didn’t buy it. There was no way - no way - that this pink Pony could direct their mortars that effectively. But High Command had given her their vote of confidence for some reason, so he couldn’t deny her. “Fine, but if one of our guys gets hit, you’re responsible,” he growled. “Okie dokie lokey!” “We’re all ready over here!” another engineer announced. “Alright. Fire when ready,” Matthias ordered. He turned and rushed off towards the battle as the Pink pony began twitching erratically. He couldn’t help but hiss irritably. He was seriously trusting that spaz with coordinating their mortar team? They’d be lucky to not bring the shells down on their own army. Soon, the battlefield lay before him once more. The two armies had now fully engaged each other, splitting off into clusters of combatants. Bolts of energy flew in each direction, some finding their mark and some missing wildly. One Changeling caught his eye as it rushed towards one of their priests. Time seemed to slow around Matthias as he rushed forward, moving faster than should be humanly possible. He barreled into the Changeling, knocking it to the ground just before its fangs could rip into the healer. Matthias’s armored boot quickly fell upon the Changeling’s head, ending its life with a loud crunch. And so it continued. Time lost all meaning as Matthias threw himself at foe after foe. His blade was an extension of himself, his shield an impenetrable fortress, his body a living weapon. None who rose against him could stand. Time and time again, his opponents fell to the ground, bloodied and broken. And yet for every Changeling he slew, three more flew in to replace it. They rose from the ground, flew around him, an unending swarm. They threw themselves at the Alliance Army, uncaring for their own lives. The will of their empress drove them to this suicidal frenzy. They just kept coming, never stopping, never relenting. Matthias soon found that the Alliance Army was being pushed back. Though they had only lost a few soldiers to the swarm, The Hive’s numbers were simply overwhelming. They found themselves pushed slowly but steadily back towards their own camp. Next to him, a bolt of green energy slammed into a mage. The mage fell to the ground as arcs of green lightning shot up his body, sizzling through him with incredible power. Matthias was forced to divert his gaze in order to drive off another pair of Changelings that threw themselves at him, but when he looked back, smoke drifted from the Mage’s cold, dead eyes. Matthias felt the ancient power within him rise up again, and let loose a bellowing shout. But rather than knocking his foes backwards, he felt the power within him reached a frenzied state. His gaze was now perpetually shaded red, and it flashed even redder still as he stepped forward. His blade lashed out with frightening speed and strength, cleaving three Changelings in half with one strike. He was an Avatar of strength, a colossus on the battlefield. His peripheral vision caught sight of several other warriors around him likewise unleashing themselves as Avatars, losing themselves in the rage of battle. He slammed his foot into the ground, and a large pole of rock rose from the ground. A black banner with a red skull upon it unfurled itself from the pole. Around him, Matthias noted that his fellow soldiers grew stronger from the presence of his Skull Banner, and their retreat was reversed. Now it was they who pushed the Changelings backwards, towards the hive. And it did not end as the power of the Avatar left his body, nor as the Skull Banner retreated back into the ground. The tides had been turned, and the might of the Alliance Army would not be halted. Elementals and animal companions alike surged forward through the Alliance ranks, falling savagely upon the Changelings. Claws and Fangs and blasts of elemental energy tore through their ranks, and for a moment, it looked as though the Alliance would push forward into the hive itself. Until the Sha arrived. They rose from the ground by the hundreds, blacker than the night around them and whiter than the purest snow. They fell upon the Alliance’s flanks unexpectedly, cutting through the first few soldiers with ease before they had a chance to defend themselves. These monsters were far superior fighters than the Changelings, and the Alliance quickly found themselves being pushed back once more. Only this time, it was not just the Changelings, but the Sha as well who assaulted them. Matthias hissed as the Sha he was combatting slammed hard upon his shield. Surely that had left a dent. He spun around and slammed his shield forward once more, catching the Sha under its skeletal chin. He thrust his sword upwards into its jaw and quickly withdrew it, allowing the Sha to dissolve into nothingness once more. Another Sha rose to meet him, but Matthias was ready. He ducked under the strike and spun around, his sword cutting right through his attacker. The Changeling behind it quickly found a blade buried deep in its skull as Matthias pushed forward, attempting to reverse their retreat. But it was no use. He was forced to step quickly backwards as his enemies surged around him, threatening to cut him off from his allies. He snarled in rage as the sun started peeking over the horizon, bathing the battlefield in a red glow.. By now, they were very close to the edge of the camp, and the enemy was threatening to force them among the tents. In there, in the tight corridors, against a much larger force and with much more limited mortar coverage, their chances of success would be destroyed. “Look! Up there!” Matthias glanced towards the voice. Bulwark was staring off towards the eastern horizon, and Matthias quickly followed his gaze. Against the glare of the rising sun, several black shapes could be seen flying towards the battlefield. At first, it was three. Then six. Then twelve. Then… Hundreds. Hundreds of winged beasts, all flying towards the battle Matthias felt a pang of dread fly through him. Whatever these creatures were, the Alliance hadn’t summoned them. So it stood to reason that they were minions of the Changelings or the Sha. The odds had just tipped further against them. But Bulwark seemed to have a different opinion. A great grin broke across his face, and he laughed enthusiastically. “They’re here! The Griffons have arrived!” “Griffons?” Sure enough, as they entered the battlefield, Matthias recognized the half-lion, half-eagle creatures. They descended upon the Changelings and the Sha, catching them by surprise. Hundreds of Changelings suddenly found themselves lifted into the air by cruel talons and assaulted by wickedly-sharp beaks. In the wake of the surprise assault, the Sha seemed to have abandoned their Changeling allies - they all faded into nothingness, leaving the Changelings alone on the battlefield. Alone and under assault from both the ground and the air, the Changelings quickly found themselves fighting a losing battle. The combined forces of the Griffons and the Alliance quickly forced them back, almost faster than the Alliance army could keep up with. Their retreat only ended once they had reached the sloping entrance into the bowels of Hive Regali, where once again they clumped up to defend against the Alliance. Matthias lowered his shield and prepared to charge once more. And suddenly, it was over. The Changelings before him stood rigid, showing nothing but shock on their faces. Their expressions were nothing short of stunned and bewildered. Many collapsed to the ground, unconscious. Those that did not simply stood there in stunned silence. Matthias slowly crept up to one and nudged it with his shield. It rocked backwards slightly, but otherwise did not respond. “He did it,” Matthias murmured. “By the light, he actually did it.” “The Changelings are defeated!” Bulwark announced. “Chrysalis is dead! We are victorious!” Thunderous cheers echoed through the early morning light, nearly deafening Matthias as he strode over to an important-looking Griffon. This particular creature was outfitted in striking steel armor, and decorated with numerous medals. “Impeccable timing,” Matthias announced over the cheer of the soldiers. “Yes well, Emperor Gurfon did not want your Alliance to have all of the fun,” The Griffon replied. Despite the victory, his tone was neutral, almost condescending. “I am Iron Wing, Secretary of State for the Griffonian Empire, Veteran of the Battle of Gyth Isle, Savior of…” Matthias tuned out the pompous griffon as he continued to rattle off his various battle achievements. As soon as he registered that the Griffon had stopped talking, he returned his attention. “Knight-Captain Matthias Slater of the Grand Army of the Alliance, commander of this army,” he announced. “Slater?” Iron Wing stared intently at the warrior. “You aren’t by chance related to a Kyle Slater, are you?” “My brother.” Matthias smirked slightly. “You might have heard of him.” “I had the… pleasure… of meeting him.” Iron Wing’s tone indicated that, to the Griffon, it had hardly been a pleasure at all. “Well, our orders are to round up the rest of these Changelings and keep them held for now,” Matthias said. “We could still use a hand… er, claw.” “Fine. I suppose while we’re here…” The Alliance and the Griffons set to work rounding up the Changelings - a much easier task than Matthias had feared. The Changelings had become completely docile, barely responding to their captors as they were herded away. Matthias’s mind flashed back to the reports of the Orcs after the second war, and their lethargy brought on due to the removal of the demonic influence that had once controlled them. Perhaps Chrysalis’s command had been similar. Perhaps… BOOM. Matthias was forced to abandon that line of thinking as the ground beneath him shook violently. Many were thrown to the ground by the vibrations. Matthias was one of the few that managed to remain upright. “What in Tartarus was that?” One of the Royal Guard asked as he pushed himself back to his hooves. “I don’t know…” Matthias murmured. A loud gasp drew his attention. He looked for the source, and saw a Hunter staring off to the south. Matthias directed has attention towards the south as well, and fert his jaw drop. There, a few miles to the south, a large vortex had formed in the sky. A vortex that, even now, was rapidly expanding outwards. Soon, the land had been plunged into darkness once more as the vortex blocked out the sun. Matthias’s heart froze over as he recognized the vortex. He knew what had caused it. “Sha.”