Beyond the Portal

by Firestar463

Chapter 10

“So, how long do you think this appointment will take?” Twilight asked.

Kyle shrugged, turning to face the door of the boutique. “She was pretty vague. Not very long, she said, though I suppose that could be relative.” He raised his hand and rapped three times on the door.

“Yeah, ‘not very long’ for Rarity is generally a couple of hours.” Twilight smirked. “She might be done with your measurements pretty quickly, but the sketches and designs will take a while. Hope you brought something to do.” With that, Twilight turned and walked away towards the market.

Just as Twilight turned the corner, the door in front of Kyle opened. “Ah, darling, come in, come in!” Rarity exclaimed, ushering Kyle into the boutique and shutting the door behind him. “I was beginning to wonder if you’d forgotten our appointment. Even Sweetie Belle beat you home from school.”

“Sorry, I had a long night, and plenty to think about.” he said, his mind wandering back to the events of the night before. Scootaloo’s anger, and then excitement… her desire for Kyle to teach her…

“Never mind, you’re here now, so let’s go ahead and get started.” Rarity’s horn lit up, and a drawer opened. A clipboard, pencil, and a measuring tape floated out. “Alright, go ahead and take off your clothes.”

“Oh… uh... can’t you just measure around them?” Kyle asked, feeling blood rush up to his face. “We humans tend to be very… uncomfortable when not wearing anything. Kind of taboo to be seen without clothing by someone you’re not very close to, especially the lower half.”

“Whatever do you mean, dear?”

“Well, Human males tend to be a bit more… exposed… than Stallions.”

“Oh dear… Rarity murmured, a hint of pink appearing on her cheeks as well. “Well… I suppose I could try to compensate, though I won’t promise they’ll fit perfectly on the first try.” The tape measurer floated over to Kyle, and he felt magic grip his arms and legs. “Just relax. The measurements will only take a few minutes.” Kyle’s left arm was lifted up, and the tape measurer began measuring almost every detail of it, while the pencil scribbled furiously on the notepad.

“So, Sweetie Belle told me something quite interesting when she got home.” Rarity commented, appearing to not even pay attention to the measurements. “She told me that Scootaloo said that you were a guard back in your homeworld. Is that true?”

“Kind of.” Kyle replied. “It’s a bit more complicated than that, but you can think of it as being very similar to a guard’s position.”

“And that would explain how you were able to fend off those Timber Wolves a few days ago. We were wondering about that.”

“We?”

“The girls and I, of course.” Rarity replied. “We were all wondering how somepony could take on an entire pack of timber wolves, defeat them all, kill a monster that had been possessing their pack leader, and walk away with a couple of relatively minor pokes in the chest. But if you were a guard, I suppose you had some sort of martial training.”

Kyle chuckled, memories of his training flashing through his mind once more. “You have no idea.”

“Then enlighten me.” Rarity said, her eyes locking with Kyle’s. “What kind of training did you go through that you are able to fight so well, and unarmed? Who are you really, Kyle Slater?”

Kyle grimaced. Rarity had managed to lull Kyle into a sense of security with her silver tongue, and now had him backed into a corner. With her taking his measurements, he couldn’t exactly leave the area, and he did not have the kind of verbal ingenuity to worm out of explaining. Nor did he trust himself to lie at the moment. “I’m a Monk.” he finally conceded.

“And what, pray tell, is a Monk?”

“It’s a kind of… well, Warrior, for lack of a better term.” Kyle explained. “We Monks hone ourselves - physically and mentally - to defend those weaker than us.”

“And are all of the guards where you come from Monks?”

“Hardly.” Kyle scoffed. “Most of them are Warriors - clad in heavy armor and wielding a large weapon. The ways of the Monk were only brought to our attention a couple of years ago. Since then, many have undergone the training, but only a handful of us have actually succeeded.”

“Why’s that?” Rarity asked as her tape measurer moved to his legs. “To me, it sounds like you would just use your hoofs to fight as a common pony would, something anypony could learn. And a common pony would stand no chance hoof-to-paw against even a single Timber Wolf, much less a pack.”

“Again, we hone not just our bodies, but our minds.” Kyle explained. “To control one’s emotions and gain perfect mental clarity is the goal of every Monk in battle. In doing so, your vision is no longer impaired, your mind no longer clouded by the heat of battle. You see things you’d miss otherwise. You move faster, think faster, react faster. Everything you do is enhanced by having mental clarity. It is this speed that makes us so powerful in close-quarters combat.”

“And at a range?” Rarity asked. She smirked as Kyle cocked his head in confusion. “Please darling, just because I live in a small town does not mean I am uneducated.” she chuckled. “I studied at the University of Manehattan for a few years, and took a class about the Griffonian Empire during my time. Much of that class involved learning about military tactics used by their army. So I repeat, how would you deal with an enemy at a distance?”

“Admittedly, our use of punches and kicks does mean that we are less effective when not in close to our opponent.” Kyle conceded. “But we are naturally light on our feet, and have a few tricks like rolling to quickly catch a fleeing target. Besides which, we can harness Chi - the life energy that flows through all living things - to perform certain feats of… well, magic, for lack of a better term.”

“I see.” Rarity murmured. “And what made you decide to be a Monk? Or a guard, for that matter?”

“That’s all I’m willing to share right now.” Kyle replied. “It’s a subject that i’m not comfortable discussing in depth here. Twilight can tell you more if you’re wanting more answers.” It was at that point that Kyle noticed the tape measurer had stopped moving. “How long has it been since you stopped measuring?”

“Oh? Oh, right. I finished a moment ago.” Rarity admitted. “But the subject we were discussing was quite interesting, so I figured it wouldn’t hurt to just keep talking for a bit…” Kyle simply gave her a deadpan look, and she chuckled. “Fine. I’ll get to work on a couple of sketches. This is going to be the long part. Any special requests on the style?”

“Plain.” Kyle said simply. “Nothing fancy or flashy, just practical. Something I could work in. Something I could slip my leather over easily.” he added, missing the weight of his armor on his body, even though he had his belt and brews. “If the Sha show back up, I want to be able to throw my armor on quickly.”

“Very good. I’ll just be in the back room. Just hang out here and I’ll show you the sketches when I’m done.” With that, Rarity turned and walked through a curtain into another room.

Kyle stood in the middle of the room, unsure how to keep himself occupied. Seconds turned into minutes, which seemed to stretch on endlessly. Finally, Kyle sat down cross-legged in the middle of the room and closed his eyes. He began to open his mind to the world around him.

“Hey Rarity! I’m done with my… oh! Oh, hi Kyle!”

Kyle opened one eye and looked over towards the staircase. Sweetie Belle had her head poked over the railing, staring right at him. “Hey Sweetie Belle. Rarity’s in the back working. What’s up?”

“What are you… oh, that’s right. Rarity said you were coming over to get measured today.” Sweetie Belle finished walking down the stairs. “So, she’s in the back working on sketches, hm?”

“Yep.” Kyle replied simply, closing his eye again.

“What are you doing?”

“Meditating.”

“Meditating? That’s what Scootaloo said she was doing earlier today!” Sweetie Belle exclaimed.

“Really?” Kyle asked, opening both eyes once more.

“Yeah. We were about to take this pop quiz and everypony was really nervous, but she just closed her eyes for a couple of minutes and seemed to calm down. Applebloom asked her what she did when we got out of school, and she said you had taught her this thing called meditation that was supposed to help you not be scared and stuff.”

Kyle felt a small smile form on his lips. “Yeah, I showed her how last night. Sounds like she’s already starting to work on it.” And if it’s already starting to help her calm down… either she was more emotionally unstable than I thought, or else she’s learning really fast.

A loud snapping sound brought Kyle’s attention back to his surroundings. He whipped his head towards the sound, and found that one of Rarity’s mannequins had been transformed, and was now replaced by a certain draconequus, now wearing the tuxedo that the mannequin had been displaying. “Well Discord, I’d almost say that look... suits you.” Kyle smirked, standing up

Discord snapped his eagle claw again, causing the tuxedo to teleport off of him and onto the floor in a heap. “Leave the corny puns to a professional.” he grinned. “I was hoping to find you here, Human.” Discord’s grin vanished, and was replaced by a much more serious look “We’ve got a problem. I was just in my thinking tree - that’s where I do all of my really deep thinking - and my Sha-radar started going haywire.” He snapped his claws again, and a small device with a flashing screen appeared. It was emitting a rapid beeping sound. “The Sha are out and about today. And they’re close.”

Kyle’s smirk immediately vanished. He spun around on the floor so that the tips of his toes and the tips of his fingers rested against the ground, and then pushed off, running towards the curtain. “Rarity!” he yelled, bursting into the room.

“Kyle!” Rarity screeched, dropping the clipboard she had been drawing on. “Whatever could you be making such a ruckus for?”

“Discord just showed up.” he explained quickly. “He’s sensed more Sha energy. Go get the rest of the girls!” Before Rarity could speak, Kyle span around and dashed back through the curtain.

Sweetie Belle was still sitting where Kyle had left her, looking confused and frightened. “Sweetie Belle, go up to your room and hide until Rarity gets back.” he ordered. Sweetie Belle’s eyes got small, and she nodded hurriedly before dashing up the stairs. “Now, Discord, take me to the Sha.” Discord saluted and ran out the door, with Kyle right behind him.

The pair certainly got many odd looks as they sprinted out of the town, and Kyle could hardly blame the townsponies for staring. An alien was chasing the reformed God of Chaos at top speed - it wasn’t exactly something you’d see everyday. Still, Kyle couldn’t care less about their thoughts as he and Discord headed for the edge of town, towards the richer neighborhoods. Discord weaved in and out of side-roads and back-alleys, and Kyle often had to leap over carts or trash cans to follow. Soon, however, Kyle was standing in front of the Sha energy that Discord had sensed.

Kyle was standing in front of the largest house in Ponyville - more of a mansion than anything. The front gates had been smashed in, and one was knocked completely free of its hinges. Spread throughout the grounds of the manor were multiple swirling pools of black and white energy, while black and white tendrils of power lanced out of the house itself. Several minor Sha were stalking throughout the grounds, and even as he watched, they turned and headed towards the gate to engage the new arrivals. Looking up, Kyle could see that a vortex of black and white energy had appeared in the sky. And that only happened when…

“Well, Human?” Discord interrupted Kyle’s thoughts, his voice only slightly betraying his nervousness. “What’s the big plan, hmm?”

“It’s Kyle, not Human.” Kyle snapped. “And the plan… kick some Sha ass.”

Kyle thrust his right arm forward, and a spinning ball of flame tipped with a jade green head shot forward. It slammed into one of the approaching Sha, exploding and disintegrating its target. As the next Sha leaped forward, Discord snapped his claws, and a strangely-shaped wooden pipe appeared in his hands. He swung the wood at the Sha, and the head was sent sailing over the house while the body dissipated. “Home run!” he exclaimed.

“Oi, Discord. Any chance I could get something to use?” Kyle asked as he brought the back of his right heel down upon a Sha’s back, smashing right through the monster. “A weapon would be really handy about now.” As another Sha leaped at Kyle, Discord snapped his claws again. The Sha suddenly found itself impaled upon a spear that erupted from the ground. Kyle plucked the spear from the ground as the Sha dissolved and gave it a twirl. It was light and short, but sturdy and with a sharp tip. “It’ll do.” he said simply, jabbing forward and impaling the final Sha before slamming it to the ground. The pools out in the yard began to shrink, the Sha that were linked to them vanquished.

“So, Sha are dead. We win. Party back at the library!” Discord exclaimed, a shower of confetti flying from both ears as he blew a party horn.

Kyle, however, strode forward, his face expressionless. “We’re far from finished here.” he said grimly. The swirling vortex in the sky was a sure sign that the fight was only just beginning. “One of the Prime Sha is in that house. Once the girls get… here… damnit!” he swore suddenly. “They don’t know where they’re going! Discord, go get the girls!”

“As you command, oh wise one.” Discord bowed, his voice dripping sarcasm. He snapped his claws and vanished with another loud snap, leaving Kyle alone.

Kyle closed his eyes and prepared for a brief meditation session. The last Prime Sha he had faced had been the Sha of Anger in Kun-Lai Summit. Dozens upon dozens had attacked the monstrosity, and a great many of them found themselves consumed by their own rage, turned against those they had called ally. Kyle had nearly numbered among them. He was not about to charge against another Prime Sha so unprepared once more.

A scream from the house brought Kyle hurtling back to his own body. His eyes snapped open and he gripped his new spear tightly. His plan to meditate went out the window - There was no time for that now, not while someone was still in immediate danger. He charged towards the front door, swerving around the still-shrinking Sha pools. He leaped over the final one and landed right in front of the wooden door. He raised his right foot and slammed it into the door, bursting into the main entrance.

Nothing.

Kyle snarled and glanced around the room. While Sha energy was certainly present, there were no Sha waiting for him. He growled in frustration and charged through the house, searching the rooms and vanquishing the scattered minor Sha he encountered, but did not find either the creature that had screamed nor the Prime Sha. Every passing minute, Kyle’s frustration grew, as did his fear for the life of the Sha’s victim. Finally, in desperation, Kyle flung the back door open.

His eyes went wide as saucers. By the Light…

Standing in front of him was a colossal, black and white monstrosity. It had four spikes acting as legs, splayed out from its body like a spider. Its lower body was comprised of black smoke, and its arms were tipped with two razor-sharp claws, each easily as big as Kyle. The only tangible thing connecting its torso and legs was a thick, skeletal spine. Its head sported six cruel, glowing white eyes and a series of jagged horns. Its ‘hair’ was glowing white energy that floated upwards towards the Sky. Even as he watched, the creature grew taller.

The Prime Sha.

Kyle froze, his instincts screaming at him to run. He had known what a Prime Sha looked like already, knew its power, but even he had not been prepared for this. This thing was monstrous - even larger than the Sha of Anger had been. And it was growing. Which meant… it was feeding.

Kyle blinked and noticed that the Sha was not focused on him. In fact, it had its back turned towards the Human. Instead, it was focused on a creature in front of it. A Pony. The stallion had a chestnut-brown coat, and his cutie mark depicted three money bags. A stream of black energy poured from the stallion, who was collapsed on the ground and apparently unconscious.

Kyle snarled in frustration. Normally, he would never charge a foe this large - it would simply be suicide. However, with this Pony being drained by the Sha, Kyle had little choice - either act, or watch the Pony die. Kyle focused his Chi and rushed right at the Sha, gripping his spear tightly. He leaped at the Sha and brought the spear downwards in a powerful, two handed overhead strike, ramming it into the Sha’s spine. As the blade buried deep into the monster, Kyle released the Chi he had built up as a surge of Jade Lightning, channeling it through the metal spear and into the Sha.

Kyle quickly released the spear as the Sha screeched in pain, shattering several windows on the manor. Even the brief contact had sent Kyle’s mind reeling for a split second, and he had little time to brace himself for the mental assault. The Sha was now focused entirely on him, the creature that had dared to lash out at the Sha. Kyle glared at the Sha, and enacted phase two of his plan.

Run away!

Kyle dove into a roll underneath the monstrosity just as a set of claws buried themselves in the ground where he had just been standing. He landed on his feet and sprinted away as a pool of black energy erupted just behind him. He grinned viciously as he felt the ground tremble, indicating the Sha was pursuing him. True, he now had the undivided attention of an angry Old God spirit, but that also meant that the Sha was not feeding off of its victim, and thus not growing stronger.

A shower of spikes thudded around Kyle, knocking him off his feet. He scrambled to recover, leaping backwards just in time to avoid being impaled by one of the Sha’s spiked legs. On instinct, he jabbed out, his fist striking the leg. His fist made a dull thudding sound, but otherwise had little effect on the colossal creature.

Kyle grunted in pain and stumbled backwards, clutching his head. Another blow from the Sha landed just next to him, sending him flying through the air. He landed several dozen yards away and rolled to a stop, battered but otherwise physically uninjured. However, he still continued to hold his head. He had made direct physical contact with the Sha without steeling his mind against its influence, and now he was paying the price.

You have not been given what you are deserving of. A deep, cruel voice echoed through his head. Each word was pain, and the pain grew worse with every second. They keep what is rightfully yours from you. I can change that. Submit. Serve me, feed me, and you shall be given what you deserve. The greatest gift of all. One that someone of your strength is truly worthy of.

“And what would that be?” Kyle spat venomously, pushing himself back to his feet. He was stalling for time, trying to summon the willpower to make a resistance against his assailant. “You’ve nothing to offer.”

I’ve more to offer than you would believe, mortal. This is what I offer you: the power to take what is yours. No creature is entitled to what they cannot stop others from taking. All that stops you from claiming your birthright is your pathetic moral code. I will remove this barrier from your path to greatness. All I demand in return is your unwavering loyalty.

Kyle grimaced and groped at his belt. A bottle found its way into his hands, and he took a swig. His eyes flashed lightning blue for an instant, and he gave a mighty yell as his energizing brew took effect. He used his newfound energy to struggle against the Sha’s influence. For a moment, the pain eased, and Kyle grinned. It was actually working!

And then, just as suddenly, his newfound energy was expended. The pressure on his mind increased, and he groaned in pain, rising into the air as black tendrils of energy lifted him by his arms. He raised his head, and stared directly into the Sha’s eyes. So full of cruelty and hatred…

He spat.

So… You will not submit willingly. the voice chuckled wickedly. I will enjoy breaking you…

The Sha screeched, and the pressure on Kyle’s mind was suddenly lifted. He found himself falling, and landed on his side in the grass. He gasped in shock and relief as he hit the ground, and risked a glance upwards. The Sha was reeling backwards, and slowly beginning to shrink

A set of hooves paused right in front of Kyle’s face, and Kyle, pushed himself backwards, landing on his rear. In front of him was Rarity, her horn aglow and her eyes smoldering with a violet fire. “Get away from him, you ruffian!” she yelled, her eyes glowing even more fiercely.

The Sha screeched again, its body now less than half the size it had been before. It began to dissipate, turning into black smoke. As it did so, the spear embedded in its back fell towards the ground, sticking into the earth. Unlike the other vanquished Sha, however, the smoke did not vanish into the air. Instead, it seeped into the ground, retreating away from the pair. Its presence steadily dwindled as it retreated towards the Everfree Forest, until it could no longer be sensed.

“Rarity! Kyle!” a voice rang out. Kyle turned his head to look behind him. He saw Twilight running at a full gallop towards them, with the rest of her friends right behind her and Discord floating lazily along at the rear. The group slowed as they approached, and finally stopped. Kyle pushed himself to his feet and shook his head to clear it. “Hey girls. What’s up?” he asked casually.

“‘What’s up’?” Twilight demanded, glaring at him. A sense of deja vu ran through Kyle, and he could help but chuckle. “What in Tartarus were you thinking?! That thing could have turned you into goo with a single step, and you attacked it by yourself?! Are you out of your mind?!”

“Not at all.” Kyle answered. “That was a Prime Sha - the highest echelon, basically. There is only one Prime Sha per emotion. That Sha was feeding when I found it. It had some Pony on the ground in front of it, and it was feeding on him. I had the option to either strike and draw its attention, or let him die.”

“Feeding?” Fluttershy asked, poked her head around Twilight. “As in… eating a Pony?!” A collective gasp resounded through the group.

“No no no, not eating him physically.” Kyle shook his head. “Feeding off of his Chi. It’s how the Sha gain strength. They find someone who is overwhelmed by negative emotions, and feed on that emotion, using their Chi as a medium to transport the negative emotion to the Sha. If left to feed too long, the Sha can actually drain them completely and leave them to die, though I doubt that happened today.”

“Which emotions do they feed on? Does it depend on which Sha it is?” Twilight asked.

“Essentially, yes.” Kyle nodded. “The Sha tend to feed on those overwhelmed by their corresponding emotion - the Sha of Anger feeds on Anger, and so on.”

“So, which one do you reckon we just chased off?” Applejack asked. “And that’s another thing - why’d it skedaddle on outta here so quick?”

“Well to answer your first question…” Kyle began, scratching his chin in thought. “When I was being influenced by the Sha, it kept talking to me in my head. Offering me the ability to take anything I wanted. It wanted me to steal what did not belong to me. So… Greed? I know we mentioned Greed before with the first Sha, back in the forest. It’s certainly nothing like any of the Sha I faced on Azeroth.”

“So, greed it is. The Sha of Greed.” Rarity interjected. “So now the question becomes, why did it run away when we got here?”

“Actually, Rarity, it ran away when you got here.” Pinkie Corrected. “I mean, you were all like ‘go away!’ and we were all still running up and really far away, but that big old thing just -”

“Alright Pinkie, we get it.” Kyle interrupted, shaking his head. Listening to Pinkie speak always seemed to give him a headache.

“Actually, Pinkie may be on to something.” Twilight murmured. She began pacing back and forth, seemingly lost in thought. “Seems a bit strange, don’t you think?” She said suddenly, stopping and looking up at the group. “The Sha of Greed seemed quite afraid of Rarity. Rarity is bearer of the Element of Generosity… which is essentially the opposite of Greed. Coincidence?”

Something clicked in Kyle’s mind, and his eyes lit up. “I think not.” he replied. His mind flashed back to the story of Nightmare Moon he had read that uneventful day in Fluttershy’s cottage, and her defeat by the Elements of Harmony. “My father always told me that there was no such thing as coincidence. Everything happens for a reason. So, you believe that this Sha of Greed fled from Rarity because of her tie to the Element of Generosity?”

“As you said, everything happens for a reason.” Twilight nodded. “I believe there is a connection there.”

“But you realize what that could mean, right?” Rainbow Dash said grimly. “If there’s a Sha that stands counter to the Element of Generosity, then it stands to reason that there’s probably Sha that stand counter to ALL of our Elements. Not just Generosity, but Loyalty, Honesty, Laughter, Kindness, and Magic as well.”

Kyle could feel his heart rate increasing, and a chill ran down his spine as the weight of theis implication fell over him. They weren’t just up against one Sha, but six. The Horde and Alliance, combined with the strength of the Pandaren, had barely been able to contain the seven on Azeroth. Here in Equestria, where there was no standing army to speak of outside of the royal guard…

Kyle looked around. Based on the nervous pawing at the ground and constricted pupils of the Ponies around him, they were all sharing similar thoughts - dealing with six Sha would be next to impossible. “Well, I mean… we’ve only seen one so far.” Kyle said, trying to sound hopeful. “Who’s to say that the other Sha - if there even ARE five other Sha - are going to show up anytime soon? Maybe they’ll come at us over… time?” He fell silent as he realized how foolishly hopeful his words sounded.”

“So… what do ya’ll reckon we should call these other five?” Applejack finally asked. “I mean… we gotta know which one’s which.”

“We could discern their identities by looking at the elements, and then thinking of their opposites.” Twilight mused. “So, Loyalty, Honesty, Laughter, Kindness, and Magic.”

“Treachery.” Rainbow Dash replied immediately. “If you’re disloyal, you’re a traitor.

“Deceit.” Applejack answered a few seconds later.

Everyone turned to look at Fluttershy as she began to stammer. However, it appeared she was still too shaken by the knowledge of six Sha running around to form a coherent sentence. She struggled for a moment before glancing over at Discord, who sighed. “Cruelty.” he said lazily. “The opposite of Fluttershy’s kindness would be cruelty.”

“Yeah, you’d know all about that.” Rainbow Dash grumbled angrily. “Turned us all into our opposites when you broke out…”

“Misery.” Pinkie Pie interjected suddenly, her voice unusually serious. “Laughter makes everypony really happy, and to me, the opposite of happiness is misery.”

“So… the sha of Greed, Treachery, Deceit, Cruelty, and Misery… ” Kyle summarized, turning to face Twilight. “… And… the opposite of Magic?” he faltered, racking his brain to try and think of a suitable quality.

“Uh… Oh jeeze.” Twilight sighed. “I guess… Ordinary? Mundane? I honestly have no clue, and even less of a clue how Mundaneness or ordinariness is a negative quality… at least, not on the level of cruelty or greed…”

“Close enough.” Kyle shrugged. “The Sha of Greed, Treachery, Deceit, Cruelty, Misery, and Mundaneness.”

“Hey, you there!” A voice called out. Kyle jerked his head towards the sound. A stallion was approaching from the damaged mansion. Kyle quickly recognized the stallion as the one the Sha of Greed had been feeding off of. The stallion stopped just in front of the group. “Did any of ya’ll see what happened?” he asked, eyeing Kyle suspiciously. “Some monster came by and knocked me unconscious. Any idea where it went?”

“Yes. We chased it off.” Twilight explained, stepping forward and nodding towards Kyle. “Kyle here actually lured it away from you before it could hurt you too badly.” The other Ponies nodded in agreement.

“Is that so?” the stallion asked, his gaze softening instantly. “Well then, I suppose I oughtta thank you, mister Kyle.” The stallion smiled. “Name’s Filthy Rich, but you can just call me Rich. Owner of Barnyard Bargains, best store chain throughout Equestria. If you ever need anything from my stores, just let me know and it’s yours.”

“Uh… thank you.” Kyle stammered, taken aback by Mr. Rich’s sudden 180 spin from suspicion to gratitude. “I’ll keep that in mind. Sorry about the damage to the house. It was like that when I got here.”

“Ah, think nothin’ of it. Nothin’ too severe to fix in a couple of days.” Filthy Rich waved his hoof dismissively. “Now, I hate to be ungrateful, but I gotta get back to the house to make a few calls. Ya’ll take care now.” he turned and trotted back towards the manor.

“So, was it just me, or was he seemin’ pretty generous?” Applejack asked. “I mean, he basically offered Kyle anythin’ from Barnyard Bargains for free. Ain’t exactly greedy o’ him. What exactly was the Sha of Greed doin’ feedin’ on him? Is that normal for a Sha victim, Kyle?” Kyle merely shrugged, similarly confused.

Kyle and the Ponies soon turned and headed back into town. Discord gave the confirmation that no other Sha were in the vicinity of the town, and so the Ponies went their separate ways for the day. Twilight and Kyle finally made it back to the library. She flung the door open and closed it behind Kyle. “Spike!” she called out. “I need you to send another letter to Princess Celestia!”

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Princess Celestia smiled as the doors to the throne room closed. The final proposal for the day had just been finished, and Day Court had just ended, two hours ahead of schedule. “Finally, a chance to relax for a bit.” she murmured to herself. Her horn lit up with a golden glow, and a book floated out from behind her throne, coming to rest in front of her.

A swirl of green smoke floated in the window as the book opened, and Celestia sighed. Her book would have to wait a little longer. the smoke swirled in upon itself and formed a scroll with Twilight Sparkle’s seal on it. Celestia opened the scroll and began to read to herself.

Princess Celestia

I am afraid circumstances in Ponyville have taken a turn for the worse. When last we spoke, we had just discovered the presence of the Sha - malignant creatures of negative emotion. We also decided that Discord would keep an eye out for any signs of Sha activity and report them to us.

Today, Discord informed Kyle and Rarity at her boutique of the presence of a Sha in Ponyville. he led Kyle towards the Sha, while Rarity came to find the rest of us. Discord appeared just as we were getting Rainbow Dash from her home, and told us that Kyle was engaging the Sha at Mr. Filty Rich’s manor. Rarity ran off without us, and we followed as soon as Rainbow Dash came down.

When we arrived, we saw a terrible creature standing over Kyle. I have included a sketch of the Sha, with Kyle next to it for size reference. We later learned that Kyle had saved Mr. Rich from the Sha, but the Sha had overpowered him and was now assaulting his mind, attempting to bend him to its will.

Rarity approached the Sha, and it seemed both angry and afraid. It began to shrink,and quickly fled. Based on Kyle’s recollection of his mental struggle with the Sha, we have agreed that this was the Sha of Greed. We believe that this Sha’s departure is somehow linked to Rarity’s connection to the Element of Generosity. It is my belief that the Sha of Greed fears the element of Generosity, and is somehow weakened by its bearer’s presence. Kyle was shaken when we arrived, but appears uninjured. More information will be coming as I continue to observe him after his encounter with the Sha.

While we may have found a potential weapon against this Sha, other implications are far more dire. If there is a Sha that stands counter to the Element of generosity, it stands to reason that there are Sha opposite the other elements as well, putting our count of Prime Sha - the most powerful Sha of each emotion - at six. We have named these other five Sha the Sha of Treachery, Deceit, Cruelty, Misery, and Mundaneness; standing opposite Loyalty, Honesty, Kindness, Laughter, and Magic, respectively. We are not entirely sure if Mundaneness is correct, but without having encountered this particular Sha, we have named it after the opposite of Magic.

By Kyle’s account, it took over two years for the armies of Azeroth’s most powerful nations, combined with the Monks and defenders of the land of Pandaria, to triumph over the Seven Sha of Azeroth. He has also said that this victory came at the cost of thousands of lives - many innocent civilians - and the destruction of one of the most beautiful locations in Azeroth. We are now dealing with potentially six Sha of similar power, if not more numerous or more powerful.

I would ask for your advice as to what to tell the citizens of Ponyville - the attack on Mr. Rich’s manor didn’t exactly go unnoticed, and Ponies are beginning to panic.

Your Faithful Student
Twilight Sparkle

Celestia simply sat on the throne for a minute, reading and re-reading the letter. Finally, she stood up. “Bulwark, I need a quill and parchment. Immediately.” she said, her voice urgent. “I’ve a letter to write to the Griffonian Empire. And the Minotaur Tribes. And the Dragon Elder Council…” Her guard saluted before spreading his wings and flying away through the halls.

By the Titans… Celestia thought, rubbing her forehead with one hoof. She got up and began pacing around the throne room as her remaining guards watched her, nervousness flickering through their eyes. This is bad… very bad… Her eyes began to wander around the throne room, until they froze on a particular spot. A plaque, hanging just above the throne and centered between her throne and her sister’s. Inscribed upon it were three words, three words that she had lived and ruled by for over a thousand years.

Friendship is Magic.

“Let us hope that our Friendship with the Griffons and Minotaurs, and our… peaceful coexistence with the Dragons will be the Magic we need to stop this threat.” she murmured as Bulwark returned with her writing utensils. She quickly sat back on her throne and dipped the quill into the ink. Before it’s too late...

Comments

[Greatmane]

You know, I've spent some time thinking about what the opposite of magic would be in Warcraft. The Light? The lore states that, unlike magic, a Paladin/Priest harnesses their inner will and faith (albeit, in different ways - a Paladin is more 'specialized' in it, as it were), and, in the Tillers Short Story and in previous Warcraft works, Light users are shown to be able to counter magic, and, in the case of Humans, many Paladins/Priests (during the Second War era, at least) are shown to be rather intolerant towards Dalaran/Magi. The Sha of Faith would be quite the irony :P.

On the other hand, Death Knights are supposedly a strong counter to magic as well. Creating anti magic zones and shields to counter act magic of any form that they come in contact with. Perhaps the opposite of Magic is Death? That would be ironic, of course, considering that the Death Knight is kept 'alive' by powerful necromantic magics. Sha of Death does have a nice ring to it, but Death is less an emotion but a state of not being. Of course, Magic is not an emotion either...

The Blood Elves have created anti-magic warriors through magic as well, in the Spellbreakers. Again, using powerful magic to counteract magic, and not exactly the 'opposite'.

Maybe the only real counter/opposite to Magic is Magic. After all, it seems, unless there's a Sha made out of robot parts and Technology, the only that seems to beat magic is magic.

[Grahf]

So whats the opposite of friendship?

[Firestar463]

4453763 I'd have to agree that in the Warcraft-verse, Magic is its own opposite, simply because it's so varied. Frost vs Fire magic, Nature vs Fel/ Unholy, etc. Technology is another semi-counter, but more because of what it isn't rather than what it is.

Of course, the Pony-verse is an entirely different story. I have the final Sha already planned (Of course ;) ), but I'll leave it up for speculation.

For now.

[Greatmane]

4453827 So far, ponyland has been playing by Warcraft rules, or, at least, does in some way, since Celestia is thanking the Titans.

I mean, if it had it's own rules, would a Monk's power necessarily work, even though he does not use magic? Or a Paladin, who does not use magic either? What if a Mage was in Equestria; a Mage whom draws his power from the innate magic in the air and Leylines. Would Equestra be the same? Or could, say, an Earth Pony be able to learn any of those three, since the methods/techniques/faith/casting requirements are different.

[Firestar463]

4453925 Whether Equestria / Equuis does play by Warcraft's rules in this story is still up for debate. The way I'm setting things up is that, as a Windwalker, Kyle draws his power from two sources. The first is from himself - the energy that he has himself, fueling his physical strikes and such. The other source is Chi, the life force that permeates all life (I took a bit of inspiration from the Force from Star Wars and magic from the Inheritance Cycle for how Chi works). This Chi fuels his 'magic', like Crackling Jade Lightning and Spinning Fire Blossom, and is a universal force. So long as there is life, there is Chi, and therefore it can be harnessed.

Mages, on the other hand, have a deep focus on Mana, and also on the leylines that criss-cross Azeroth. How Equestria's leyline system (Or potential lack thereof) works may affect how magic fueled by mana works.

As for the Earth Pony / Pegasus learning how to use this kind of magic... well, keep an eye on Scootaloo and let's see what happens ;)

[alarajrogers]

In a story I am writing, the opposite of Magic is defined as Order. Specifically, Magic is the power to make the rules of the universe bend to the will of sentient beings, and Order is the power to enforce consistent rules that affect everything equally. (In that particular cosmogeny there's a connection between Magic and Chaos, explaining why Discord is so damn powerful, and Harmony is what ponies worship rather than Order because Harmony is not the absence of chaos, but chaos controlled by order, and Harmonic magic involves harnessing the primal chaotic force of magic through willpower and systems of rules, aka spells.)

However, for purposes of your story, Magic's opposite might best be defined as Antimagic; something like Tirek that drains magic and grows strong from it, but does not actually then turn around and use it as magic like Tirek did. It just feeds, the way the Sha of Greed fed on Filthy Rich's greed. If it's smart, it will target Trixie, not an alicorn -- Twilight and the other alicorns are all smart enough to realize that if something is eating magic, don't directly use magic against it, but Trixie would likely keep throwing more magic at it in an attempt to subdue it, thus falling right into its trap.

[werty12345]

If Friendship is Magic, that means that the Sha that corresponds to Magic also corresponds to Friendship. The opposite of friendship is enmity (The extreme ill will or hatred that exists between enemies). Boom. Sha of Enmity.
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[Europa]

Why did Discord have him run instead of... you know... teleporting them?

Huh, Rarity is Super-Effective against Greed. Makes sense. Though... on Prime Sha anatomy, I don't think they even have a spine. If you look closely at Pride, or Fear, their rib-cage like torsos rain a fountain of smoke down which connects to their legs and sort of spills over, forming a 'tail' behind them. Though I suppose you can chalk it up to the Sha of Greed being weak.

Strange that Filthy became less Greedy. From what I've seen of the Sha when they feed on someone they actually amplify that emotion. Almost like they're 'farming' the emotion, making it grow and taking the surplus.

I think that instead of Mundaneness, it'll be Loneliness. Afterall magic is Friendship, and the opposite of that...

CELESTIA KNOWS ABOUT THE TITANS?!

[Kusac]

Ohh I really like enmity as the opposite of magic. Much better than what I came up with (Slavery). Like what Celestia just said friendship is magic. The mane 6 were no match for Nightmare Moon just by looking at their abilities. It was their bonds of friendship that was forged into a weapon to purify Luna's corruption.