//------------------------------// // Chapter 23 // Story: Beyond the Portal II: Flames of War // by Firestar463 //------------------------------// Silence. No one spoke. No one dared to move. Eyes flicked back and forth, observing the newcomers, the Princesses, the King. Kyle was acutely aware of how rapidly his heart was beating, how tense his muscles were, how loud his breathing was… or maybe that was just the silence. Even the distant echoes of the guests in the ballroom seemed to have faded away. Everyone was watching. Waiting. Unwilling, or perhaps unable, to act. Finally, someone dared to make the first move “Greetings, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna.” Baine Bloodhoof’s bassy voice shattered the fragile silence like a stone thrown through a glass pane. He inclined his head respectfully towards each royal sister in turn as the rest of the room suddenly remembered how to breath normally. “I hope the evening finds you well.” Varian scowled angrily and opened his mouth. His words were silenced before he could utter them, however, as a hand reached out and was placed upon his shoulder. Anduin looked up at his father and reached up to murmur something to him. Varian’s expression did not soften, but his son’s words seemed to have placated him, for he took a step away from Baine and sat down heavily upon the seat he had risen from. Instead, it was Princess Celestia who met the Tauren in the center of the room. “High Chieftain,” she inclined her head slightly. “We were not expecting somepony of your position. I must say, your arrival is… surprising. ” Baine’s eyes met Celestia’s. “I am hoping that it is not… entirely unwelcome,” he replied. “That would depend on the circumstances of your arrival,” Luna spoke up for the first time, taking her place beside Celestia. “We have heard many tales of your Horde, Baine Bloodhoof. Very few of them are pleasant.” Celestia turned her head to look at her sister. “Luna, please…” “No no, she has reasons to be less than trusting,” Baine interrupted. “After all, it isn’t every day that a Tauren appears unannounced at an Alliance gathering.” Celestia nodded. “Indeed. Which I suppose brings me to the first question.” There was a short pause. “High Chieftain Baine Bloodhoof, why have you come here?” “A number of reasons.” Baine glanced over at the Minotaur beside him, who remained silent. “My new friend here, Chief Longhorn, invited me to join him for tonight’s festivities. Warchief Vol’jin and I agreed that it would be beneficial for both parties if we were to discuss a few… items of interest.” “You mean your stronghold?” Varian demanded. The King locked eyes with Baine. “We know about your fortress in the mountains, Bloodhoof. And if you think we -” “You will find that that stronghold is not under our jurisdiction, King Varian,” Cadence interrupted. “That is the land of the Minotaur Tribes. Assuming that it was built with their knowledge and permission -” “Which it was,” Longhorn added. “- then we have no say in whether or not it should be allowed,” she finished. Varian’s eyes narrowed at the young Alicorn. To her credit, Cadence did not allow her expression to change as she met his glare with a visage of calm collectedness. It was only when Anduin leaned in again and whispered to the King once more that they broke their eye contact. Varian closed his eyes and shook his head with a snort, but followed his son as Anuin walked past Baine and Longhorn. Anduin’s eyes met Baine’s and Kyle swore he saw a small smile on Anduin’s lips - a smile which was not mirrored on the Tauren. Even so, Baine’s eyes seemed to soften as they broke eye contact. The door closed as Anduin and Varian left the room. Kyle let out a low, soft growl. He could understand Varian’s anger completely. A leader of the Horde had the audacity, the gall, to step foot into Canterlot?! If Baine had not been there as a guest of the Minotaur’s ambassador, Kyle was certain he would have attacked the Tauren on the spot. As it was, he simply sat there, closing his eyes and desperately trying to control a sudden wave of rage flooding through him. All eyes had been following the Wrynn’s as they left, but now returned towards Baine and Celestia. Baine’s expression returned to its neutral state, while Celestia had not let any emotion show during Varian’s departure. As usual, it was impossible to tell what she was thinking. Finally, it was Baine who broke the silence again. “I understand that you have reason to distrust the Horde,” he began. “You say that you have heard much about us from your allies, including unpleasant tales… Some of which, I must admit, are true. But I assure you that my intentions here tonight are nothing but peaceful. I simply wish to speak on matters, nothing more.” Celestia closed her nodded slowly. “Very well. We will speak on these matters,” she said. Her eyes opened and locked on Baine. “The first of which, I must insist, being the trespassing of Horde scouts on Alliance territory.” Baine did not speak, so Celestia continued. “We have evidence that, several months ago, the portal connecting Stormwind and Canterlot was used by several enemies of the Alliance. It does not take much guesswork to find that the Horde was behind at least one of these intrusions.” Baine nodded. “Yes, a Horde agent did indeed use the portal. A Blood Elf, to be specific. But tell me, Princess…” He paused for a moment. “Did this agent cause any disruptions to the city?” A brief silence. “No.” “Did he break any laws while in Equestria? Harrass any of your citizens?” “Not that we are aware of.” “Is there any evidence that this agent did anything at all except use the portal?” “No.” Baine nodded, a faint glimmer of a smile on his face. “Then I see no issue,” he said calmly. “Our agent left the city, and later Equestria itself, and brought us into contact with the Minotaur, who agreed to allow us to establish a settlement within their territory.” “Within the mountains?” Kyle spoke up. All heads turned towards him. “Why not build somewhere… I don’t know, safer? Less secluded?” His eyes narrowed. “If you were really trying to be peaceful as you claim, why all the secrecy?” “Our intent was not to provoke the Alliance,” Baine replied evenly. “We knew how you would react should you find our settlement. And so we attempted to conceal our presence for the time, so as to avoid conflict. Although, I will admit,” he continued, “that the mountains do possess their own dangers. Why, we have already lost two of our Wyvern scouts to the local wildlife.” Kyle felt his heart hammering in his chest as Baine spoke these last words, the Tauren’s eyes never breaking away from his. “He knows,” he cursed silently. Then again, of course they knew. There was never really any hope that they wouldn’t find out what had happened to those riders. “Shit… and we killed them in an area where they had permission to be…” So that entire fight had been his fault. Technically, it had been an aggressive move by the Alliance against a thus-far peaceful operation by the Horde. “Oh please don’t let this come back to bite me in the ass…” “Now Princess, I wanna make one thing very clear,” Longhorn interrupted Kyle’s thoughts. “Yes, we’ve allowed the Horde on our land. Yes, we understand that you’ve made an Alliance with their enemies. And yes, we’ve even begun to talk of trade. But the Council of Clans has made no move to join in an alliance with this Horde. We’re trade partners, nothing more. I’m hoping this arrangement won’t complicate the relationship our two nations share too much.” Celestia closed her eyes. For a long moment, she was silent as she stood before the two creatures towering before her. Finally, she shook her head. “The King will not like it,” she began slowly. “But I see no reason why this should change any of our agreements. Your guests have done nothing illegal or malicious to our kingdom, save for the questionable means of entry… Which can be overlooked.” She peered up at Longhorn. “Assuming that such a peaceful existence continues,” she added. “And as for your stronghold, High Chieftain,” she continued as she turned her head towards Baine, “Please refrain from placing your lumber operations close to the border. We wouldn’t want to scare my citizens… again.” Baine inclined his head. “Noted,” he replied. “If I may?” Cadence asked from the back of the room. Baine nodded towards her. “I’m just wondering, what brought you here in the first place? Here to Equus, I mean.” she asked. Baine nodded. “A fair question,” he began. “You have no doubt heard of the war on Draenor. Even now, the forces of the Horde strike out against the Iron Horde all across the planet. But our resources run thin. Even the scant few we have managed to recover from our garrison on Draenor has not been enough to sustain us. We had hoped to gather resources here to supply our war effort, and to aid in the reconstruction of Orgrimmar. A new trade partner was a welcome addition.” That seemed to satisfy Cadence’s question, for she offered no more. Instead, it was Baine once again who was the next to break the silence. “I am also hopeful that, perhaps, Equestria would be willing to engage in trade as well?” he proposed. There was silence. Finally, Celestia shook her head “Perhaps one day,” she said calmly. “But not today. One step at a time.” “I expected as such,” Baine replied. “I shall reinforce to the outpost that they are not to trespass into Equestrian territory.” A pause. Baine’s gaze shifted over to Kyle once more, the unspoken message clear in his eyes. “I’m certain that my presence inside the ballroom would cause a bit of a stir. Therefore, I believe I shall take my leave. Should you wish to contact us again, one of your Pegasi will be welcomed into our outpost to deliver a message. Otherwise, I am hopeful that we shall be able to coexist in peace, and that we shall not need to meet like this again.” With that, Baine reached into his pocket and withdrew a small, flat, disk-shaped white stone with blue markings in a spiral on one face. He clutched it tightly in one hand, and it began to glow with a calm green aura. It pulsed twice, and then flashed brightly. When the light died down, Baine had vanished. All eyes slowly made their way over to Chief Longhorn, who was now leaning up against the doorframe with his eyes closed. It took him a moment before he opened his eyes and saw everyone staring at him. He glanced around the room and spread his hands open slightly. “What?” “Perhaps the Gala wasn’t the best time to introduce your new… trading partner?” Kyle suggested. Longhorn shrugged. “Well, I was already making the trip up here,” he replied. “And my mate wasn’t gonna come up here with me. She hates this kinda massive party. So I figured I’d bring Baine along. Kill two birds with one stone, so to speak.” “Will you be staying, Chief?” Luna asked. Longhorn nodded. “Yeah, I’ll hang around, if you’ll still have me,” he said. “Think I’ll excuse myself from the dance floor, though.” “Understandable.” Celestia gave him a small smile. “You are, of course, welcome to stay, Chief Longhorn. Officially, this arrangement between you and the Horde changes nothing between our nations.” “And unofficially?” Celestia sighed. “Your trading with the Horde is a matter that will have to be taken into consideration for any future negotiations or trade agreements we work upon,” she admitted. “But that is a bridge we will cross when we get there. For tonight, we should not concern ourselves with the Horde any longer. The dance will begin soon, and I am certain that King Varian is growing impatient outside. We should make our way to the ballroom to begin the Gala.” Kyle watched as Celestia, Luna, and Longhorn made their way out of the room ahead of Iron Wing and his partner, with Cadence and Shining Armor right behind them. He pushed himself to his feet and turned to follow, but something hard poked his hand. He turned his head to see Twilight looking up at him, concern clear in her eyes. “Hey… you okay?” she asked. It was at that point that Kyle realized that his hands were curled into fists, squeezing so tightly that his knuckles had turned white. Kyle took a deep breath and nodded as he unclenched his fists.. “Yeah. I’m alright,” he replied. “Not entirely happy about the Horde, but…” his voice trailed off and he shook his head. “Doesn’t matter,” he muttered. “But the Horde isn’t going to be bothering us.” Twilight cocked her head questioningly. “That Tauren just said that they’re going to stay in the Minotaur’s lands.” Kyle snorted. “Yeah. Right,” he scoffed. “Look, I don’t trust the Horde as far as I can throw ‘em. I’m agreeing to keep my troops from making a move against the Horde, but that doesn’t mean I’m trusting the Horde to do the same for us. Experience has taught me better.” He shook his head again and forced himself to smile. “Forget it,” he said. “Princess Celestia is right. No more thinking about the Horde tonight. Let’s head on over to the ballroom. It’ll be time soon.” Kyle felt his own heartbeat quicken, and a small trickle of sweat rolled down the back of his neck. If the twitching of Twilight’s feathers we any indication, she was just as nervous as him as she walked past him out into the hallway. Celestia and Luna were standing on the opposite side of the corridor, speaking in hushed tones to Varian, with Anduin right beside him. As Kyle glanced over, Varian closed his eyes and shook his head slowly. Their conversation was kept from Kyle’s ears, however, as he and Twilight rounded the corner, following Cadence and Shining Armor towards the ballroom. “I wonder what Secretary Iron Wing thought about all of that,” Twilight murmured. as she stared at the retreating forms of the two Griffons “No idea,” Kyle replied. He forced another smile and nudged Twilight’s shoulder. “Hey, I thought I said no more thinking about the Horde tonight, hm?” Twilight giggled softly and nudged him back. “You’re right,” she relented. “No more. Let’s just enjoy the rest of the night.” “You nervous?” Kyle asked as the pair crossed the entrance hall towards the ballroom. “A bit,” she admitted. “My dancing… isn’t exactly the best. I’ve been practicing with Rarity, and she said I’ve gotten a lot better, but...” her voice trailed off, and she glanced away “Well if you fall down, I promise I’ll fall too,” Kyle grinned. “We can look like idiots together.” That seemed to help. Twilight smiled up at him - only a small smile, but unforced this time. Ahead of them, the two Griffons, Cadence, and Shining Armor were pushing their way through the door into the ballroom. Kyle and Twilight exchanged a quick glance, and Kyle pushed the door open as well, standing back to allow Twilight through before he entered and closed the door behind them. The ballroom now was full of Ponies. Ponies as far as the eye could see, some standing around the edges of the room or around the pillars, some seated at tables. All were dressed up for the occasion, wearing tuxedo jackets and fine silken shirts or elegant dresses of every color of the rainbow. A few of the stallions bore monocles or top hats, while several of the mares wore fancy hats on their heads. Here and there, Kyle could see a few Azerothians - Humans, Gnomes, Dwarves, a scattered Worgen or two. Kyle and Twilight slowly made their way through the crowd towards the table they had been sitting at before. They found that it had not been occupied by another couple in their absence, and gladly took it for themselves again. “So…" Twilight began as they sat down. “I believe you were about to tell me something about… Kulak?” “Kalu’ak,” Kyle corrected. “Aye, I was talking about how Morkie got me back for the Harpie incident. So, this was up in -” A series of eight loud chimes echoed through the ballroom, cutting Kyle’s story off before it could begin. The buzz of conversation that filled the rest of the room quickly died down as the eight chimes rang out. It did not continue as the bells faded away. Everyone was looking around expectantly. It was eight o’clock. Time for the Gala to start. Time for the ball to begin. A small ripple of movement from near the entrance to the ballroom caught his eye. It expanded outwards as Ponies made a small aisle leading from the door towards the dance floor. Sure enough, Celestia and Luna soon emerged from the crowd and stepped onto the dance floor, with Varian and Anduin hanging back among the crowd at the edge of the dance floor. On the far side of the room opposite the other princesses, Kyle saw Cadence also make her way onto the floor, with Shining Armor also waiting near the edge of the dance floor. “C’mon,” Twilight murmured as she nudged his arm. “It’s time.” Kyle nodded and rose to his feet, following her through the crowd. As with Varian, Anduin, and Shining Armor, Kyle waited just outside the dance floor among the crowd as Twilight stepped into the center of the dance floor. She, Luna, and Cadence formed a small line behind Celestia as Celestia’s horn lit up. A golden glow surrounded her throat, and quickly faded away. “Fillies and Gentlecolts,” she began, her voice magically amplified so as to be audible even in the far corners of the room. “Citizens of Equestria, and esteemed guests. Welcome to the 957th Grand Galloping Gala.” Her words were met with polite applause, which quickly died out as she continued. “Tonight, we celebrate the completion of the construction of Canterlot. But this evening, we also celebrate another grand occasion. The opportunity to make new allies from far away. To enjoy the company of others, whether they walk on four legs or two. Our friends from the recently-discovered world of Azeroth have joined us tonight, and I hope that you will make our new friends feel welcome here in Equestria.” There was another spattering of light applause. “Now, please welcome our conductor for this evening's orchestra, Sir Pyotr Tchaiclopsky, and the Ponyville Symphonic Orchestra” The spotlight, which had been focused on Celestia, quickly moved across the floor and onto the large raised platform on the opposite side of the room as Kyle. It came to rest on a well-dressed grey stallion standing on the large platform on the wall oppostie Kyle. Behind him, Kyle could see the outlines of dozens, perhaps hundreds, of Ponies sitting in seats, though he couldn’t make out any of their features due to the spotlights that shone around Tchaiclopsky. His own throat became enveloped in a grey aura for a brief moment as he cast the same spell that Celestia had used to enhance her own voice. An item floated up from the podium in front of him. A small, slender stick, which hovered beside the stallion. It began to make swift, crisp movements through the air… And the music began. It opened with a soft mix of wind and stringed instruments, accompanied by a lovely harp sound in the background. As Kyle listened to the music, the conductor began to speak. “Fillies and gentlecolts,” he began. His voice was rich and deep, and carried the same accent that Kyle recognized from many Gilneans. “Introducing tonight’s opening dancers.” “Princess Celestia and her partner, King Varian Wrynn.” At that moment, Varian stepped out onto the dance floor. Princess Celestia walked over to meet him halfway. They stopped a step apart and bowed to each other. “Princess Luna and her partner, Prince Anduin Wrynn.” Prince Anduin followed his father out towards the center of the dance floor. He and Luna met each other and moved closer to the orchestra on stage before bowing. “Princess Mi Amore Cadenza and her partner, Prince Shining Armor.” By now, most of the instruments had faded away, leaving only the harpist playing an impromptu solo section. The chords sung out as Cadence and Shining Armor met each other halfway and, as with the two Princesses before them, stopped a step apart and bowed to each other. “Princess Twilight Sparkle and her partner, Commander Kyle Slater.” Kyle’s heart leaped into his throat as his name echoed out across the room. He gulped nervously and took a tentative step forward. His heart was racing, and he desperately wanted to look around. But he forced himself to maintain eye contact with Twilight as the two approached each other. They stopped a step apart and, as with the three pairs before them, bowed to each other. As they rose back up, their eyes met again, and Twilight flashed him another smile. A smile which he tried and failed to return. Was she not nervous? She didn’t look it. She looked as unfazed as Celestia or Luna… “Dancers. Meet your partners.” Kyle and Twilight both took a half-step forward, as did the other six dancers on the floor. As one, the Ponies rose onto their hind hooves and leaned forward to support themselves against their partners. Celestia and Luna both towered over their partners, their heads easily reaching over those of Varian and Anduin. Twilight, however, was smaller than both Celestia and Luna, and her eyes came up to the same level as Kyle’s, with her horn reaching just above his head. She leaned against his shoulders and wrapped her right hoof around his back. “Relax,” she murmured, soft enough for only him to hear. She smirked slightly. “Or it’ll be you that ends up making us fall over. Kyle couldn’t help but chuckle softly. He wrapped his left arm around her back, and his right arm extended outwards to grasp her left hoof. Out of the corner of his eye, he noted that Varian and Celestia had assumed a position identical to the one that he and Twilight had taken. So at least they had that right. At that moment, he realized that the harp had faded away. Silence filled the room - silence so pure that he could hear his own heartbeat. The conductor had now turned to face the orchestra, and the slender stick was raised above his head. He brought it down… And the music began again. It was a classic waltz - a three-beat rhythm in a warm, rich key, the melody being slightly bouncy and yet maintaining its elegance. Two sets of this three-beat rhythm passed before Twilight spoke, again just loud enough for Kyle to hear over the music. “One two three, here we go.” Kyle barely reacted in time as they both took their first steps in time with the rich sounds of the brass instruments. He noted that the other three pairs had begun at the same time as they had, alleviating his fear that he had begun to early or too late. A couple of Ponies applauded from the crowd as the four pairs began to dance their way across the floor. As Kyle and Twilight danced around the room, Kyle felt himself begin to relax. He hadn’t messed up yet. No one seemed to be paying him any more attention than the others present on the dance floor, and indeed a faint buzz of conversation wafted through the air. He felt himself smile as the music began to grow more powerful. Not far away, Kyle spotted Cadence and Shining Armor, each looking as relaxed and content as could be. As he watched, Shining Armor twirled Cadence around on the spot before catching her again and resuming their movements. Kyle glanced back at Twilight again, thinking for a moment. Finally, he smiled. “Spin?” “Hm?” Twilight raised an eyebrow before glancing over towards her brother. “Oh. Yes.” “In three.” The pair took three more steps in time with the music and, just as the first chorus hit, he released Twilight’s extended hoof and spun her. She twirled on the spot, wobbling only slightly as he caught her again. His hand met her hoof again, and she grinned as they continued their dance. As the song went on, Kyle and Twilight tried a few more moves. There were several more spins, including one in the opposite direction. Twilight even led him into lifting her into the air, a move that had to have been pre-organized, as the other three princesses were also lifted into the air at the same time. As they came down, there was more applause and even a cheer from the back. And so it went on. Kyle and Twilight danced and spun around the dance floor to the melody of the waltz. His earlier nervousness was gone. This wasn’t nearly as bad as the anticipation had been. No other couples had joined the original four on the floor, but Kyle didn’t mind. It just gave them more room to work with. Everything else was gone. The Horde, the crowd, the Gala, the other dancers, even the music to an extent, it had all faded away from his mind. He had long ago stopped paying attention to the melodies and harmonies, instead only sub-consciously using the beat of the music to direct when he should step. Likewise, Twilight seemed to be lost in the moment as well. Her face was flushed red, and she was smiling non-stop now. Her nervousness seemed to have faded as well, for she moved with confidence in time with him. Another twirl, another lift, and her smile only grew wider. She was certainly enjoying this. And if he was honest, Kyle was too. This was even… dare he say it… fun. But all too soon, it came to an end. Kyle registered in the bag of his mind that the finale had begun. They only had a moment more before the song ended. The final measures. Kyle and Twilight locked eyes again, and with an unspoken acknowledgement, they swapped their hands. Now, instead of Kyle’s right hand holding her left hoof, his left hand was holding her right hoof. They took four more steps, and Twilight did a slight turn. The final note of the song rang out, and she leaned backwards, coming to rest at a slight angle against Kyle’s extended right arm. Loud applause rang out from around the room as Kyle helped Twilight back upright. They were both breathing heavily as their eyes met, and they both grinned. He released her hoof, and she fell back down onto all fours. Around them, the other Ponies were likewise dropping back down onto their front hooves. All eight of them bowed to the applause before making their way to the edge of the dance floor. And suddenly, another song began. This time, several other couples moved out towards the dance floor - half a dozen, perhaps, including Iron Wing and his partner. The melody this time was faster, a bit more bouncy. Kyle glanced down at Twilight, and their eyes met. Slowly, Kyle grinned, and he extended his hand. “Another?” Twilight smiled as well and placed her hoof in his hand. “Absolutely.”