The weather Ponies had certainly held true to their word. As the days wore on, the air became colder, more wintery. The days were shorter, the nights longer. Winter was fast approaching. Even at midday, it was possible for one to see their breath rising away as a faint fog, and frost coated the grass in the morning on a daily basis now.
Kyle didn’t mind. The chill of winter didn’t bother him as much as many of the others. Maybe it was his time in Northrend. Maybe he was just one of those people that could tolerate the cold better. Either way, he found himself unfazed by the chill in the air as he sat outside in the early morning, with nothing but a cup of coffee and a light coat over his usual attire to keep warm. He took a sip and watched as the sun slowly began to melt the frost from the grass. He closed his eyes and allowed his mind to wander.
It had been five days. Five days since the fundraiser. Fluttershy, he had heard, had gone to perform at that filly’s cute-ceanera. And then the next day at a ribbon cutting ceremony. And again at the spa. And at the schoolhouse. And just last night, she and the Ponytones had performed at Sugarcube Corner, even though Big Mac’s voice had recovered by that point. And of course, just as Kyle had predicted, Fluttershy had been exposed when she accidentally knocked over the curtains. From what he heard, the reaction from the crowd had been incredibly positive, though Fluttershy still refused to perform for anyone besides her closest Pony and animal friends.
Five days since he had confronted Lyra. The two had spent a couple of afternoons together since then, and Kyle had to admit that their friendship felt a bit more strained now. Of course, that was to be expected. Their words were more carefully chosen, their actions thought through more thoroughly. Oh sure, they still had fun - Just the other day, they had gone to watch the Ponies play that strange game on the dirt diamond again. Baseball, Lyra called it. But there was a new tension between them, just under the surface, dampening their spirits.
Five days since he had asked Twilight to the Gala. Of course, he had refrained from mentioning this to Lyra - she’d certainly see it completely the wrong way and get angry. He hadn’t even mentioned the Gala to her. He and Twilight had also spent an afternoon together recently. He had watched as Scootaloo and her friends came over and Twilight began to teach them how to do various things - Scootaloo was re-assembling a unicycle, Sweetie Belle was learning her Unicorn magic, and Applebloom was learning rudimentary alchemy. Even though her potion had ended in failure, it at least hadn’t blown up like many first attempts were known to do. It was also at this point that the trio had learned that Kyle and Twilight were going to the Gala together, earning them some smirks from Scootaloo.
It was safe to say that things had become a little awkward between him and Twilight. They hadn’t really talked much that day, even after the crusaders had left. In the end, after sitting around on the couches for a few minutes in silence, Kyle had decided to read up on the Minotaur tribes, since he would soon be attempting to negotiate trade deals with some of them, while Twilight had settled in with one of her own books. That led to nearly three hours of silence between the two, ending only when Kyle said his goodbyes.
Kyle reached for his mug of coffee, only to discover that it was now empty. He glanced towards the horizon, where the sun had now fully risen. He rose to his feet and stepped back into the town hall. A moment later he was seated at his desk in his office.
The stack papers in front of him was quite small, so he didn’t feel the need to begin immediately. Instead, he closed his eyes for a moment. It wasn’t long after that a knock came at his door. He opened his eyes again. “Come in,” he called out.
As usual, Filwin stepped in. She had her usual goggles, her usual clipboard, her hair was tied up in its usual pigtails. But Kyle’s smile fell as he saw the not-so-usual look of concern on her face as she approached. “Good morning, Commander.” Even her voice seemed a bit off.
“Hello Filwin…” Kyle said slowly as she hopped up in the seat opposite him. “What’s the word today?”
“Nothing new around Ironwall. This, however...” She pulled a tied-up scroll from her pocket and handed it to him. “... Is another matter. From Canterlot. Princess Celestia, I’d be willing to bet. The courier said it was urgent.”
Kyle felt his heartbeat quicken as he took the scroll. He glanced across the table, and his eyes met Filwin’s for a brief moment. He nodded and untied the scroll. It slowly unrolled, and he began to read.
Commander Slater:
I hope the day finds you well. We have received several reports from citizens and scouts near Appleoosa of disturbances out in the badlands and to the south. Trees from the forests south of the Badlands have been cut down, and strange markings have been discovered. Neither the Appleoosans nor the Minotaur Tribes in the area have claimed the cutting of these trees or these markings.
At this time, we do not have any evidence that this is related to the Changelings in the area, but we cannot rule anything out. It is likely nothing, but as you are closer to the situation, I would still ask that you investigate into this matter. If you can, contact the Changelings and inquire about this and let us know what they tell you.
Princess Celestia
P.S. I look forward to seeing you and Twilight Sparkle at the Gala. -P.L.
Kyle forced himself to ignore the final line from Luna and re-read the main message. “Trees cut down… strange markings… the locals claim no responsibility…” he murmured.
Filwin walked around to the other side of the desk and looked up at the scroll as well. “That’s… odd,” she said. She turned her gaze towards Kyle. “Should I send an envoy to the Changeling Hives?”
Kyle shook his head. “No. After the battle at Hive Regali, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Changelings would be distrusting of any Humans wandering around. I’ll go personally. At the very least, Empress Yxia and I are on speaking terms.”
“Shall I prepare a hippogryph?”
Kyle shook his head again. “Not yet. I’m expecting Scootaloo over this morning for a training session, and I’d like to at least get that done before heading out.”
“In that case, I shall have a hippogryph ready at midday. I’m assuming you won’t be too much longer than that.”
Kyle shook his head for a third time. “No, we won’t be.” He glanced over at the time. 9:00. “She should be here any minute. Go ahead and do what you need to do.” Filwin saluted and took her leave, closing the door behind her.
Kyle stared after her for a moment before pulling the letter back in front of him. “Ponies, Minotaurs, and Changelings, all living in the vicinity of this disturbance…” he murmured. “And yet no one knows what caused it…” His first stop, he reckoned, should be Appleoosa. There, he could get one of the locals to show him to the disturbances so he could get a look personally. After that, he’d head over to Hive Regali to see what Yxia knew about this. Hopefully it was nothing. Maybe a Minotaur or a Changeling chopping down some lumber. Still, better safe than sorry.
Kyle took another glance at the clock. 9:05. Surely Scootaloo would be here by now. he set the letter aside and made his way out of his office. Sure enough, as he stepped out of the large building, the familiar orange Pegasus was trotting up the road towards him. He grinned as he walked forward and tousled her mane. “Hey squirt,” he greeted.
Scootaloo pulled away from his hand and growled playfully. “C’mon, cut that out,” she said. “You know my parents hate it when my mane gets all messed up.”
“Like our training sessions don’t mess it up enough?” he countered.
“True. Speaking of, what are we doing today?”
“I’ve got something new in store,” Kyle replied. He began to walk away, and motioned for Scootaloo to follow. “Come. We’re heading down to the sparring ring.” Scootaloo quickly fell into step behind him.
The sparring ring, as it turned out, was little more than a crudely-drawn circle in a large open area of dirt, nearly fifty meters across. They were not the only ones there - A heavily-armored Draenei was already waiting in the center of the ring. His armor shone brightly in the morning sun, contrasting greatly against the large, dull wooden sword that he clutched in his left hand.
“Glad to see you’re ready, Nobrul,” Kyle greeted as he shook the Draenei’s free hand. “Thanks for helping out today.”
“No thanks are necessary,” Nobrul replied. He turned his head towards Scootaloo. “It is always a pleasure to aid in teaching others to defend themselves and their allies.”
“Huh?” Scootaloo cocked her head as she looked between the two.
“You’ve done well with what we’ve studied so far,” Kyle began. “We established your control of Chi early on, and honed it through practice. You’ve also learned the martial skills that a Monk utilizes in combat. However, the only opponent you’ve fought - not including the Sha, demons, or the Changelings - is me. Another Monk, whose skills you’ve learned from and learned to counter. Your only other opponents have been essentially mindless creatures, or foes overcome by insatiable bloodlust. Now, it is time to branch out.”
Kyle gestured towards the Draenei. “Nobrul here is a Draenei Paladin - A skilled warrior who also wields the power of the light to smite his foes and protect his allies. His skills and abilities are vastly different from our own. In time, you may have to face a foe such as Nobrul. Someone whose abilities and skills you do not know. Not a common foot soldier, but a skilled foe. You must learn to think in the moment, to react and adjust as you learn.”
“To this end, I’ve asked Nobrul to spar with you today. You and he will duel in the arena, and you must learn to counter his attacks and land your own.”
Scootaloo nodded. “Got it.” She turned to face Nobrul, who was now staring intently at her. She eyed him up and down, from his muscular body to his truesteel armor to the large weapon in his hand. “So when do we begin?”
Kyle glanced towards Nobrul. “Now.”
A golden hammer of light instantly materialized over Scootaloo’s head, knocking her to the ground. She yelped as her face hit the dirt, and scrambled to her hooves as Nobrul raced towards her. She barely managed to roll to the side as moved his sword in a wide uppercut through the space where she had just been. He spun to the side and used the momentum of his uppercut to bring the wooden blade slamming down to the ground, narrowly avoiding Scootaloo as she jumped to the right. She launched herself forward, but found her jab blocked as Nobrul lowered his shoulder to intercept the strike. He flung his arm outward, sending Scootaloo flying backwards.
Scootaloo took a brief moment to recover her composure as Nobrul raced towards her again. She ducked under his sideswipe, but did not anticipate his armored boot coming up to meet her. It grazed her jaw, sending her spinning to the side as she reeled away from the blow. Nobrul did not relent, but instead stretched his hand out towards her. A fist made of the same golden light raced forwards, slamming into the underside of Scootaloo’s stomach and knocking the wind from her. In an instant, Nobrul was on top of her. He tipped her over onto her side with his boot and drove the wooden sword into the dirt next to her head. “I claim this victory,” he declared.
Scootaloo laid on the ground for a moment, gasping for air. She eventually recovered her breath and staggered back to her feet. Kyle motioned for her to come over, and he began to channel a Soothing Mist onto her as she approached. “So… how’d I do?” she asked. Judging by how she refused to meet his gaze, she already knew the answer.
“If that had been a real fight, you would be dead,” Kyle replied bluntly. “But that’s to be expected on your first attempt against a seasoned veteran like Nobrul. But I must ask… do you know where you went wrong?”
Scootaloo shook her head. “You were beaten at the start,” Kyle explained. “When you were knocked to the ground by his Judgement. We’ve discussed this before. If you are caught off-guard, an opponent will have an easy time defeating you. If possible, you must make the first strike. The advantage you get is crucial.”
Kyle patted Scootaloo’s back and nudged her. “Alright. Get back in there. Don’t forget the basics. You can do this.
---
Three hours later, Scootaloo staggered out of the arena again. This time, she sported a bump across her head, and had a small limp. She collapsed in front of Kyle, who stepped aside as a Priest knelt down beside her. It had gotten to the point where Kyle’s own rudimentary Mistweaving skills were insufficient to keep up with the beatings she was taking.
Every time, she was beaten for a different reason. She lost her footing at a crucial moment. She wasn’t fast enough to dodge a blow. She attempted a head-on attack against a heavier, better-armored foe. That last time, she had taken the hilt of his sword to her forehead as she attempted to flip over him. But she was realizing where she was messing up. And that could only lead to improvement.
Nobrul himself seemed as collected as ever. He almost made it look easy, beating Scootaloo time and time again. Only the slight shimmer across his forehead showed the effort he was exerting. The experienced Paladin certainly wasn’t going easy on the young Monk. But not once had she complained. She just walked back into the arena every time, ready to give it another shot.
As the Priest backed away for what felt like the millionth time that day, Kyle gave her body a quick look-over. The bump on her head had faded away, and as she took a few steps, her limp was gone. “Alright. Let’s go again,” she said calmly.
Kyle shook his head. “No, that’s enough for today,” he said. “We don’t want to wear you out too much.” He glanced over at the Priest, who nodded and began to walk away. He then turned his head towards the Paladin still in the ring. “Thanks again for your help today, Nobrul. Would you be willing to join us again next time?”
“Certainly.” He turned his gaze towards Scootaloo. “You have learned and improved from our matches, youngling,” he commented. “More than can be said for many who have faced a challenge like this. I look forward to our next session.”
Kyle and Scootaloo watched as Nobrul effortlessly tossed the wooden sword off to the side of the arena as if it were a toothpick. As he walked away, Kyle turned back to his apprentice. “Are you feeling alright?” he asked. “Didn’t get too beaten up in there, I hope.”
“No. No, I’m alright,” she sighed. She averted her gaze. “I should have done better.”
“Not really.” Scootaloo looked over as Kyle chuckled. “You actually handled yourself better than I expected. You almost had him that last time. I didn’t expect you to beat him. Neither of us did. We wanted to see how well you would respond to a new challenge, and while you didn’t win, you learned a lot.”
“Hm?”
“I could see it as you went back in again and again,” Kyle continued. “Every time, you adjusted something, you tweaked something about how you handled yourself. Your reaction time to his attacks, even new ones he would unleash, became quicker every single time. You’re learning how to handle yourself in an actual fight against a powerful opponent, and that’s exactly what we wanted.”
Kyle saw a small smile form on Scootaloo’s lips, and he patted her on the back. “There you go,” he grinned. “So, we’re probably going to have our next session after the Gala. Let’s say four days after?”
“Sounds good to me.”
Kyle patted Scootaloo’s back once more and rose to his feet. “Well, That’s it for today. If you want to meditate you can, but I’ve got to get going. I have a hippogryph to catch.”
“Huh?” Scootaloo turned her head towards him. “Where are you going?”
“There’s been a disturbance out in the Badlands,” he explained. “Odd markings, trees cut down, no one claiming responsibility. I’m going to investigate, and maybe meet with Empress Yxia while I’m there.”
“Sounds exciting! Can I come?”
“No you may n…” Kyle trailed off his automatic response and glanced towards the sky. Part of him wanted to say no, but the other half asked “Why not?” It would only be a day - two at the most. Plenty of time to get her back in time for the school week. And it’s not like he was off to fight a battle or anything. It was just investigating. And as her mentor, he was supposed to take her out into the world with him.
“You know what?” he finally said. “Sure, you can come along. Go get your saddlebags and get ready for a trip. It’ll only be a day or two.” Scootaloo beamed and spread her wings, taking to the sky. “And tell your parents where you’re going!” he called after her as she sailed over the walls of Ironwall.
Kyle stared after her for a brief moment before turning and walking away from the sparring arena. He had some packing to do himself. Food, water, survival tools... It was the Badlands, after all. Better safe than sorry.