//------------------------------// // Chapter 4 // Story: Beyond the Portal II: Flames of War // by Firestar463 //------------------------------// A slight jolt stirred Kyle, bringing him from his sleep. The sound of movement could be heard nearby, as well as a soft rustling. He frowned and shut his eyes tighter, hoping to stave off the inevitable. Alas, his efforts were in vain, as sleep would not return to him. Sighing in defeat, Kyle slowly opened his eyes. The lights in the car were dimmed, bathing the room in a soft light. Kyle found that his head was leaning up against the side of the car, right next to the window. His breath had created a heavy layer of fog over the glass, but that did not stop him from seeing the subtle glow in the east, signaling dawn’s approach. Outside, a thick layer of white snow rested upon the ground, with even more snow falling thickly through the air. More importantly, Kyle realized that the scene on the other side of the window was not changing. The train had stopped. The same rustling sound found his ears again. Kyle turned his head slightly towards the noise. In the opposite corner of the car, next to the door, Twilight was rummaging through her saddlebags. As he watched, she pulled back. Her horn lit up, and a purple scarf that matched her coat floated out of the bag, wrapping itself around her neck. Kyle covered his mouth as a yawn escaped his lips. He pushed himself fully upright and stretched his arms upwards. As he did so, something fell from his chest and into his lap. He looked down to see a small purple blanket. A blanket that he had not put over himself before dozing off the night before. His boots touched down on the floor as he sat up, and the sound of tough leather against carpet resounded through the car - not a loud sound, but still noticeable against the relative silence. Twilight sat up straight and turned her head towards him. “Oh, you’re awake,” she said. The blanket that had collected in Kyle’s lap suddenly floated upwards and over towards Twilight, where it folded up and was placed inside one of the saddlebags. “I was just about to wake you up.” “I’m guessing we’re here?” Kyle asked. “Yes, the train stopped just a minute ago.” Twilight walked over to the window and wiped her hoof against the foggy glass, peering outside. “Looks like another storm is rolling in,” she murmured. “Lovely,” Kyle muttered. He slide past Twilight and stood up fully, stretching as he did so. His bag was still resting in the corner where he had left it the night before. He pulled it open and reached inside before pulling out a pair of thick leather gloves. Though Twilight had said that he wouldn’t need any warm clothing with her cold resistance spell, rummaging through the snow and ice without any protection for his hands would simply be foolish. “Ready?” Twilight asked. She turned her head to see Kyle standing back up, leaving his pack on the ground. “Good. Now, the train was sent up here specifically for our trip. It’s going to stay here until we’re done, so we’ll have an easy ride back home.” “Well that’s one less thing to worry about.” Kyle moved his foot over and shoved his pack into the corner - bringing it with him would only slow him down. Instead, he had elected to only bring a few things with him - A small supply of rations; two flasks of water, which he attached to his belt; his usual flasks full of his various brews; and his staff, waiting over in the opposite corner. He picked it up and gave it a quick twirl, letting the polished wood glide through his fingers before stopping it and holding it still. “I’m all set.” “Alright. Hold still.” Twilight closed her eyes, and her horn began to glow. A stream of some red-orange substance poured from the tip of her horn, rising into the air and pooling near the ceiling. It twisted and turned in the air, and to Kyle it looked almost as if it were fire that had been turned into liquid. As he watched, the liquid fire surged down from the ceiling, falling over him and Twilight. The substance flowed over his skin, and Kyle could feel heat radiating off of it, but it never made contact with him. Instead, it hovered over his skin, simply floating there. Slowly, the liquid faded away, as did a large amount of the heat. Still, some of the warmth from the spell remained as the substance disappeared from view entirely. The light from Twilight’s horn faded away, and she opened her eyes. “There,” she said. “That ought to keep us safe from the worst of the cold for a few hours.” Kyle nodded his thanks, and the pair moved over towards the exit. The door slid open, and they stepped into the hall outside their compartment. Even just a few feet outside of their compartment, the air was considerably cooler. The pair turned and moved towards the front of the train, passing two more empty compartments. The door to the next car stood waiting in front of them, and Kyle could hear the howling of the wind on the other side. He twisted the handle, and pushed the door open, exposing the interior of the train to the elements. He and Twilight quickly made their way outside and slammed the door behind them. Looking around the frozen wasteland, Kyle realized that had it not been for the spell Twilight had cast on him he would not have survived five minutes. Thankfully, the spell proved as effective as they had hoped. Though he still felt the cold, the spell made it feel as though it were merely a cool morning breeze in late autumn - chilling, to be sure, but not dangerous. The pair hopped down from the train, and Kyle found himself ankle-deep in snow. The train station, abandoned since the fall of the Empire, had been overrun by the elements as well. Looking up towards the front of the train, Kyle saw a massive mound of snow piled up in front of the engine. Silently, he wondered how the train had been able to plow through all of this snow to even get to this point. Twilight had spoken truthfully - it appeared as though a storm was brewing. Snow was falling heavily from the dark grey skies, and it seemed to come down even faster by the minute. The wind was already beginning to pick up. Unhampered by any trees or other obstructions, it ripped across the snow plains, an icy blast that sent shivers up Kyle’s spine even through the shielding spell. The pair quickly turned their gazes northwards. Though they couldn’t see through the thick waves of snow pouring down around them, they knew that the city was not far away. Twilight hopped off of the station and into the snow, the white powder coming halfway up her legs now. With a final look back at the relative shelter of the train, Kyle hopped down and followed after her. For several minutes, the two walked steadily to the north, with the ground slowly sloping upwards as they ascended a large hill. They soon lost sight of the train and the station as they were consumed by the approaching storm. The wind blew stronger and stronger, and Kyle found himself shivering despite the warmth that the shielding spell provided. Twilight seemed to be faring little better - her wings were snapped tightly against her body, and her feathers spread out to full extension. Before long, Kyle felt the ground beneath him even out, and then slope downwards. This, he knew, was the same hill over which he had first glimpsed the dome which shielded the Crystal Empire from the cold. But now, the shield was gone. Instead, all he could see was the endless expanse of snow surrounding them. Still, they were headed in the right direction, and so they pressed on. Within minutes, the first sign of civilization broke through the blizzard as they entered the southern reaches of the city. Here, the Changelings had begun their invasion, and the effects of their assault showed clearly. The streets, snow-covered as they were, were barely visible, and many of the buildings little more than ruins. Several seemed to have collapsed, whether due to magic or mortar fire, while others had clearly burned to the ground. Kyle felt a pang of sorrow run through him as he realized that these piles of shattered stone and charred wood had once been homes. For many of the returning families, the return to the Crystal Empire would be far from the end of their tribulations. Despite the somber mood that hung heavy in the air, both he and Twilight welcomed the shelter the ruins gave them from the wind, which by this point had become a gale. It was not long, however, before they encountered their first obstacle - a large building which had collapsed directly into the street, blocking their path. Kyle opened his mouth to speak, but found that the roar of the wind overpowered his voice. Instead, he nudged Twilight and pointed towards the building on the other side of the road. The pair walked over as Kyle examined the building. Unlike many of the surrounding structures, this one seemed to have survived the battle relatively unharmed, save for a few holes in the walls of the upper floors. Kyle moved towards the door and rattled the doorknob, but found the door locked. He stepped backwards and raised his staff, slamming it into the window to the side of the door. Even against the howl of the storm, the sound of shattering glass echoed through the street. Kyle reached through the broken window, thankful for his gloves, and quickly found the lock. A moment later, the door was open, and the pair walked inside, slamming the door behind them. Kyle walked further into the building, entering a large, open room. He let out a sigh of relief as he slumped down against a wall. Twilight laid down next to him and shook a few clumps of snow from her tail. The steam from their breath rose from them in waves as they recovered their energy. Even the relatively short hike from the train station had been difficult due to the weather, and it didn’t look like things were going to get better anytime soon. The shattered remnants of a wooden railing lay opposite the pair, broken free from the staircase it had once bordered. Kyle pushed himself upright again and gathered a few of the larger pieces, dragging them back towards where Twilight still lying. He gathered them up into a small pile and collapsed against the wall once more. A burst of green lightning erupted from his fingers, and the wood burst into flames before them. Though the shielding spell was still in effect, the warmth of the fire was still a welcome reprieve from the bitter cold. For a long while, Kyle was content to simply sit there with his back to the wall. The crackle of the flames in front of him was a comforting sound against the howl of the wind outside. He reached down to his belt and pulled one of the flasks of water free, taking a few small gulps. He offered the bottle to Twilight, who took it in her magical grip and drank her fill as well. Still, the storm was not getting any better, and the roads would, if anything, be getting worse and worse by the minute. Kyle stood up and scooped up a large armful of snow before hurling it onto the fire, killing it almost instantly. Twilight sighed in displeasure, but stood up as well. Together, they moved towards the side side of the large building. They found their way to the exterior wall, and found that though a window was available for them to climb out of, they could not slip past the fallen building that way either. The ruined structure was blocking their entrance back onto the street. However, another window on the building next to them stood open and inviting, though the building itself looked to be in far worse condition. With a silent nod, Kyle threw their window open, and he and Twilight both scampered back out into the blizzard for a brief moment before climbing into the second building. From there, they moved to the front of the building, which had been completely blown apart, and moved back out into the main street. Despite the storm raging around them, Kyle couldn’t help but smile. The ruined building had blocked their progress for a moment, yes, but otherwise their journey had gone fairly smoothly. The shielding spell still seemed to be holding strong, and the streets were becoming less and less destroyed as they moved closer to the heart of the city. His pace increased slightly, putting him just ahead of Twilight as they continued down the street And then he saw it. Out of the corner of his eye. Just behind the building to his left. A flicker of movement that didn’t seem in line with the blizzard. His smile vanished. He held up his right fist to tell Twilight to stop. Instead, all it did was cause her snout to bump into his elbow. She looked up at him questioningly. He pointed towards where he had seen the movement. Kyle reached behind his back and drew his staff as he crept towards the corner. Though he couldn’t see movement anymore, he was certain that something had just been here. And it couldn’t hurt to check. He reached the corner and stopped. He took a deep breath and leapt around the corner, brandishing his staff in front of him. A blast of icy-blue energy tore past him, narrowly missing his left shoulder. There, in front of him, was a horribly familiar creature. From its haunting, horse-like head to the ethereal trail that comprised its rear half, there was no mistaking it. A Windigo. The Windigo opened its mouth, and another blast of icy energy slammed into the wall next to Kyle. The stone instantly froze over in a solid sheet of ice as the bolt made contact. Kyle ducked beneath yet another attack and charged forward. The snow hindered his movements, but he still managed to duck and dodge around the Windigo’s attacks before finally catching up to the creature. A single thrust from the spear-end of his staff was enough to stop the barrage of energy, but not to silence it. As the blade bit deep, the Windigo opened its mouth once more. A loud, ghostly moan echoed around Kyle, clear even past the howl of the blizzard. Another swipe from his staff ended the Windigo’s existence. But it was too late. A second haunting moan rolled through the streets. And a third. And a fourth. Soon, the noise seemed to be coming from everywhere, chilling Kyle deeper than even the blizzard could. He quickly made his way back out into the main street, where Twilight was waiting for him. “That doesn’t sound good!” she yelled over the wind. “Windigos!” Kyle replied. “And lots of ‘em, by the sound of it! We’ve got to get going! Now!” As if to punctuate his statement, a bolt of blue ice slammed into the snow next to them, turning it to ice. The Windigos were already here. The pair turned towards the center of the city and ran as fast as they could, trying to put enough distance between themselves and their pursuers. Kyle growled under his breath as another frozen blast howled past him. How could he have been caught so off-guard? He should have seen this coming. They knew the Windigos would be here. The echo of the Sha of Hatred’s presence would have certainly been enough to attract them, given their appetite for Hatred. But instead they were running for their lives with a pack of them swiftly closing in. Up ahead, the gigantic spire that was the Crystal Palace loomed ever closer. Their destination lay at its base, underneath the struts that supported the massive structure. Despite the storm, despite the cold, despite the Windigos and the ice and the snow, Kyle felt a fierce grin cross his lips. They were almost there. Just a little bit further… Two ice-blue shapes rose from the snow in front of them, moaning their ghostly moan. Kyle sensed, rather than saw, Twilight hesitate as the Windigos barred their path forward. Kyle did no such thing. He charged right at his foes, rolling and ducking underneath their frigid attacks. As he drew in for the strike, he heard the sound of hooves on snow, and spotted Twilight moving once more. She charged past him and the Windigos towards the Crystal Palace. His spear lanced out at his first enemy, biting deep into its ghostly form. Kyle found his staff ripped from his hands as the spear became wedged in the dying Windigo, and he had no time to retrieve it. The second one was already upon him. Kyle rolled underneath the first swipe of its ghostly hooves. They slammed into the snow with enough force to send the snow around them flying. another hoove barely missed his neck as he leaned backwards to dodge it. The air itself seemed to chill in the wake of this spirit. An unnatural cold gripped Kyle, sending his teeth chattering. He could feel the icy aura rolling off of this monster in waves, along with hatred unending. It was no wonder why they had allied with the Sha. They were practically Sha themselves. Kyle flipped backwards to avoid another strike. He landed on his feet and braced himself before launching himself forward. He ducked under the next attack and spun around, rising back up with a backhanded strike to the head that would have broken the neck of any physical foe. As it was, the Windigo howled as it fell to the ground. Kyle quickly silenced its unnatural moan by slamming his boot into its head. Kyle himself then fell to one knee, panting heavily. That strike against the Windigo… as soon as he had made contact, pain had wracked his body. His arm had felt like it had been frozen solid. In stark contrast, his chest was burning against the icy cold wind, right where he had been impaled upon the Sha. A moment passed, and he began to regain feeling in his arm once more. His chest, however, still sting fiercely. But, as the howls of the Windigos behind him informed him, he would not have time to recover. He pushed himself up once more and quickly strode over to the first windigo. A quick tug later, and his staff was once more back in his possession. The WIndigos howled once more, nearer now. Kyle glanced over his shoulder into the blizzard before running north once more. Before long, he found himself running underneath the supporting struts that held up the monolithic palace. Here, the crystalline tower provided some shelter from the snow and the wind. Twilight was already there, laying on the ground and breathing heavily. She looked up as he approached and smiled weakly. “Good. You’re alright,” she panted. “A tad on the chilly side, but I’ll recover,” Kyle nodded. “How about you?” “There were a couple of them here,” she replied. She nodded towards a pair of Windigo corpses, freshly slain and lying still in the snow. One of them seemed to be smoking. “Turns out they’re not too fond of fire.” “Figures,” Kyle murmured. “Well, we’re here now. Let’s put the Heart back and be done with it.” “Right.” Twilight’s saddlebags opened up, and the Crystal Heart floated out and over to Kyle. “You go on and put it back. I’ll begin charging the spell to activate the shield.” “Wait, there’s a spell?” Kyle groaned softly. “We don’t have time for that! Those Windigos are gonna be here any minute!” “Then I’d suggest you put that thing in its place before they get here.” “It’s always something…” Kyle turned  and ran towards the center of the plaza underneath the tower. There, just ahead of him, the crystal structure that would hold the Heart rose from the ground. And speaking of the Heart… The artifact was heating up once more in Kyle’s grip. The burning in his chest, which had begun to die down, now returned once more. He grunted in pain with every step, each movement trigger another jolt of discomfort. He growled softly under his breath. Why this seemed to happen every time he got near this thing, he had no idea. But it would be over soon. He slowed down as he reached the crystals in the center of the plaza. Slowly, carefully, he extended the Crystal Heart outwards. He placed it in between the stalagmite and stalactite that made up the Heart’s resting spot. Instantly, the Heart began floating in place and spinning slowly. More importantly to him, the pain in his chest began to die down once more. Behind him, Kyle could hear the sound of hooves crunching through snow. Twilight trotted up to the Crystal Heart, her horn already glowing brightly. She leaned forward towards the artifact and tilted her head towards it. Her horn made contact with the Heart, and a loud humming echoed through the plaza. Almost instantly, a chorus of angry wails reached their ears. Kyle turned his head to the south. Just on the edge of his vision, almost entirely obscured by the blizzard that still raged outside, the ghostly shapes of the Windigos raced towards them. First there was one. Then two. Five. Ten… Kyle lost count as they charged towards the plaza. There were far too many to fight at once, and he knew it “Twilight,” Kyle murmured. “Any time now would be great.” No response. The Windigos drew ever closer. The humming grew steadily louder. “Twilight, cmon now…” They were now free of the storm. They were in the plaza. Never stopping. Relentless… “Twilight!” Less than a hundred meters separated them. The humming had reached a fevered pitch. “TWILIGHT!” A sound like a cannon going off roared through the plaza. The very earth itself trembled, nearly throwing Kyle to the ground. A wave of sky-blue energy washed over Kyle, flooding his body with warmth. He raised his head just in time to see the wave of energy slam into the Windigos. The ghostly creatures were pushed backwards by the expanding bubble of energy. Within seconds, they were gone from view. Kyle turned his attention back to the Crystal Heart. Twilight was laying next to the pedestal, breathing heavily, The Heart itself was surrounded by a faint blue glow, and a beam of energy flew from the Heart into the stalactite above it. Kyle slumped down into a sitting position with his back to the Heart. “Cut it a bit close there, eh?” he laughed. “A little bit…” Twilight wheezed. “But that’s… done it. The shield… should be up again.” Kyle nudged Twilight and helped the alicorn to her hooves. “Well, let’s go see what the weather is like,” he grinned. The pair slowly stepped out from under the palace and into the sunlight. Were it not for the snow that still coated the ground, no one would have ever guessed that not a minute before a blizzard had been raging here. But now, the sun shone down upon the abandoned city. The Windigos had been driven back, and the blizzard was held at bay once more. The trek back to the train station was uneventful for the most part. With the snow no longer falling down around them, the city was now far easier to navigate, though no less haunting. Without the blizzard to hide it, the full scope of the destruction that had been wrought upon the city now lay before them. The entire southern quarter of the city was little more than a pile of rubble, and the eastern and western sections had suffered extensive damage as well. Only the northern quarter remained relatively unharmed, though the elements had taken their toll here as well. Before long, they stood at the edge of the dome that once more protected the city from the elements. With a quick nod, the pair charged back out into the blizzard. Thankfully, the Windigos seemed to have fled from the city entirely, for their march back through the snow storm to the train was unhampered save for the snow and the wind. As Kyle locked the train door behind them once more, he sighed with relief. If he was honest with himself, this mission had gone better than expected. He watched as Twilight walked back to the compartment they had been staying in. Rather than join her, he instead moved towards the front of the train. A quick chat with the engineer later, and the train was moving away from the Empire once more. Next stop: Ponyville. Kyle walked away from the engine and towards their compartment. The door slid open, and he walked into the welcome warmth. Twilight was already laying down on the carpet with her eyes closed, but as he entered the compartment she raised her head to look at him. Her eyes were drooping and bloodshot, and her wings lay limply across the floor. “You alright?” Kyle asked. “You look dead on your hooves.” “I’ll be alright.” Twilight let out a large yawn before continuing. “Just… tired. That spell took a lot out of me.” Kyle nodded and moved over to the table, taking a seat where he had been on the trip up here. He watched as Twilight lifted one of her wings and brought it closer to her head. “I just took care of them too…” she murmured. She brought the wing to her face and began to preen it again. But it didn’t seem like she was having much success. Kyle noticed that she kept having to go back over feathers that she had already taken care of, and the occasional grunt of discomfort told him that her grooming was not entirely painless. More than once, she yawned before continuing with her preening. Finally, she tucked her wing back behind her body and sighed in relief. She then extended her other wing and brought it up to repeat the process. Kyle sighed and shook his head. She was in no state to be doing this, not when she was clearly this tired. He pushed himself back to his feet and knelt down next to her, placing a hand on her wing to stop her. “Get some sleep,” he said quietly. “I’ll take care of this.” Twilight yawned once more. “But… but you don’t know how to preen wings,” she countered. “It’s plucking the loose feathers and aligning the other ones up properly, right?” Kyle asked. “Can’t take too long to get the hang of it.” “But you…” Twilight was cut off by another large yawn. “Oh fine. Go ahead. Just be careful.” She laid her head down on the carpet once more and closed her eyes, allowing Kyle to get to work. It wasn’t as difficult as he had thought it would be at first. Most of the loose feathers had already been plucked by her preening the day before. And while the remaining feathers had been ruffled by the fighting and the blizzard, it wasn’t too hard to align them back up. They almost seemed to fall into place on their own if he moved them around a bit. Kyle felt the tension in Twilight’s wing, but as he began to rearrange the feathers her tension seemed to fade away. She began to relax as he moved the feathers back into position, and he thought at one point that he heard a small sigh. His fingers moved with more dexterity than her teeth could, making quick work on her feathers. It took only a few minutes for him to finish, and while he knew that it wasn’t perfect, it was certainly better than it had been. A soft snore indicated that Twilight had already fallen asleep there on the floor. Kyle gently laid the wing back down on the carpet, and it slowly slid back up to tuck itself against her side. With a yawn of his own, Kyle moved over to the seat once more and leaned his head against the wall. A few seconds later, his own exhaustion caught up with him, and he drifted off to sleep.