Chapter 25
The sun was long gone behind the horizon. The moon had long since taken its place, full and bright, high in the sky. Yet for all its luster, the pale white light could not pierce the thick veil of leaves and vines, trunks and branches. Only a fraction of its light reached the forest floor. By then, the light itself had grown almost sickly. Not enough to truly see by, just to illuminated the gnarled trunks and twisted branches. An unnatural haze clung to the ground like a blanket, smothering yet more of the moonlight and hiding what may yet lie ahead. For any normal creature, even one who had not grown up in its ever-looming shadow, the Everfree Forest was a dark and foreboding place. One to be avoided. A place where others would warn you not to enter, lest you never return.
But there were those who did not heed such warnings.
Looking through the mist, an observer might not see the traveler making its way through the forest, obscure by the mist as it was. A short, hooded figure, wrapped in a black cloak to obscure every inch of its body, wandering through the forest. Not even its eyes could be seen beneath the darkness of its hood. Here in the unnatural shade, in the forest that was home to creatures able to devour the miniscule traveller in a single bite, one would expect it to feel and show fear, or at least apprehension. But it displayed no such emotion. It moved instead with purpose, with confidence, as though it had travelled this exact route numerous times in the past.
Nor did it falter as the mist suddenly faded away into nothingness. The air here was no longer foreboding, no longer filled with the threat of danger at any moment. The danger was here. The threat had been made manifest. It was all around. The air itself tingled with foul energy. The trees and undergrowth reeked of tainted power. And the mist - the seeming embodiment of the forest’s hidden threats and dangers - even it drew away from this place.
Up ahead, a sheer cliff rose from the forest floor. A vertical wall of stone, broken only by a single small hole. A symbol had been carved into the stone wall above the opening, which periodically pulsed with a sickly green energy. The figure did not hesitate in approaching the pulsing rune. Instead, it stretched out one hand towards the rune. From underneath the hood, a pair of red orbs momentarily lit up. The rune, in the middle of a pulse of green energy, suddenly turned a brilliant violet, and then faded away. The cloaked figure seemed satisfied, for it walked towards the opening and entered, disappearing into the darkness.
The darkness did not last for long. The roughly-hewn passageway twisted and turned this way and that, but a small, faint light from the end gave just illumination to see by. As the figure rounded the last corner, the source of the illumination became clear. The passageway opened up into a well-lit cave, with multiple additional paths branching off here and there. It was difficult to see into the cave, however past the two Felguards and the Voidwalker that stood guard over the entrance.
The cloaked figure came to a stop as the Felguards readied their axes. The Voidwalker, though without eyes, seemed to peer down at the small figure before it. “State the password,” It demanded in its deep, echoey voice. “Or die.”
“Felsworn.” Though smaller than any of the demons before it, the voice that came from the figure was unnaturally deep. Dark, throaty, dry.
The demons seemed appeased by the cloaked figure. The Felguards lowered their axes and stood to the side, while the Voidwalker floated backwards to allow the figure to step forward. “The masters have been expecting you for some time,” it commented as the Felguards resumed their defensive positions in front of the entrance.
“Then let us not make them wait any longer,” the figure replied. “Take me to them.”
The Voidwalker turned and led the figure towards the right-most tunnel, leading deeper down into the bowels of the earth. Here, the ground itself had become infused with the fel energy that filled the air. The stone glowed ever so faintly, the earth beneath the figure’s feet had become dry and cracked, and even red-orange flames rising from the mounted torches were tinged with a hint of green
This second passage curved in on itself as it led downwards, but was not nearly as long as the entrance tunnel had been. It opened up into another cave, this one much larger and far more open. Though clearly recently-cut from the stone that made up the walls, it had been done so with a great deal of precision. The room itself was nearly perfectly square, with four pillars holding up the ceiling near each corner.
On the far side of the cave, two more figures stood face-to-face - a hunched-over biped, and a similarly hunched-over quadruped. The biped turned towards them as the pair entered the room. Its hood fell down, revealing bright green braided hair, a pair of tusks pierced with golden rings, and glowing blood-red eyes. “Finally,” he exclaimed. “We were startin’ t’ tink ya weren’t comin’.”
“My apologies, Zinju,” the figure replied as it waved one hand dismissively. The Voidwalker bowed slightly before turning and floating back up the passage it just just emerged from. “I was delayed. But not unnecessarily so. You will find that the path is clear for our operation.”
“Dis be a risky move, mon,” Zinju growled. “It betta be worth it.”
“Calm yourself, Zinju,” the final figure wheezed as it trotted forward. “This operation is necessary to activate the second rune. Only when all four are active can I return to my full power.”
“And do not worry about your own obligations, Zinju,” The smaller figure continued as the Troll opened his mouth to object. “Using the runes to unlock Lord Tirek’s power will still leave you with plenty of power to bring the rest of the Burning Legion to Equestria. I assure you, you will not feel Kil’Jaeden’s wrath. Azeroth will fall.”
“But first, we must activate all of the runes,” Tirek added. He reached into one of the pockets on his cloak and withdrew a small, polished stone. It appeared almost perfectly smooth, save for the symbol carved into one side. “The second is very nearly ready, but it must feed on even more fear.”
Zinju shook his head slowly. “I know, mon, I know. I just be worried. We only got one shot at dis. And dey gonna come lookin’ for us after dis.”
“Leave that to me,” Tirek replied. He turned his head towards the smaller figure. Tirek stretch out one withered arm and dropped the stone, which the hooded figure caught. “Our forces await your command,” he added.
Though the figure’s face was still concealed beneath the hood, it was clear that it was grinning. A sinister grin, borne not of happiness but of dark, grim pleasure. “Lord Tirek,” the figure began. “Begin the preparations.” The stone was pulled into the cloak, disappearing beneath the folds.
“We march at dawn.”
---
The sun was already rising by the time Kyle awoke. As the light crept over his eyes, he muttered incoherently and rolled over to the side, intent on shielding himself from the sunrise. But the sun continued to bother him, as it reflected off of the mirror on the far side of the room right onto his closed eyes. With another round of grumbling, he pushed himself upright and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. He yawned and stretched his arms, grunting as one of them gave off a satisfying pop.
His clothes had been laid out neatly across a chair the night before, but he wasn’t ready for that quite yet. Instead, he made his way to the left-hand wall of the room. There, he pushed a door open and walked into an ornately-decorated bathroom. A large, glass-enclosed shower was set into one corner, right next to a large bathtub - or it might have been a small swimming pool. Neither of these, however, drew Kyle’s interest. Instead, he moved towards the sink and turned it on. He cupped his hands under the faucet and filled them with cold water before splashing it across his face. He repeated this a couple of times before reaching for a towel, drying his face, and exiting the bathroom.
It wasn’t long before Kyle was fully dressed in his suit once again. He tightened the tie, which he had simply loosened the night before rather than completely undoing, and stepped into his shoes before taking a look at himself in the mirror. His hair was a bit more unkempt than the night before, and he tried in vain to flatten it down. Still, it’s not like there was another party that day. It was just a simple train ride back to Ponyville with Twilight.
Twilight.
And just like that, memories from the night before came rushing back to him. Baine, the dance, the walk, her nuzzling his hand, him scratching her cheek. Thoughts of Lyra’s possible reactions once again flashed before his eyes. And once again, none of them were pleasant. He took a sharp breath, but quickly let it go. Uncertainty still ate away at his mind, but he already knew who he could turn to to help him. Someone who was an expert in these sorts of problems
Princess Cadence.
Yes, surely she’d be able to help him. She was the Princess of love, after all. She had to have some saying, some piece of advice, some something to help. With that thought in mind, Kyle pushed the door to his room open and stepped out into the hallway. A quick word with the guard later, and he was being led down the corridor towards Cadence’s quarters.
It was a fair distance away, on nearly the opposite side of the palace from the general guest rooms where Kyle had been staying. Still, he eventually found himself staring at a large oaken door with Cadence’s name and cutie mark emblazoned in gold upon it. One of the guards stepped forward towards the door, raised a hoof, and knocked three times on the door. “Princess Cadence?” he called out.
There was a brief pause. “Yes?” the response came a few seconds later. “Who is it?”
“Kyle Slater has asked to speak with you, ma’am.”
“Ah! Mr. Slater!” There was another moment of silence, during which time Kyle and the second guard exchanged a quick glance. The door opened a moment later, revealing Cadence on the other side. It was clear that she had not been up for very long - a brush had been run hastily through her mane, though a few hairs still stuck out here and there. She smiled as her eyes locked on Kyle. “Please, come in, come in,” she said quickly, ushering Kyle into her room. As Kyle stepped through the threshold, the door closed behind him.
Cadence’s quarters in the Canterlot Palace were designed very similar to those of the guest rooms on the opposite ends. In fact, Kyle would have called them identical, save for a few small differences. The room was considerably larger than the other guest rooms, with one corner containing a fireplace and a number of chairs and sofas situated around a dark wooden table. Otherwise, the room was indistinguishable from the one Kyle had stayed in the night before, and during his previous visits to the palace.
Cadence led Kyle over to the corner and laid down on one of the couches, while Kyle sat down in one of the chairs. He glanced around the room once again, and found that other than himself and Cadence, the room was unoccupied. He turned his attention back to Cadence just as she began to speak. “So, Mr. Slater. What brings you here this morning?”
“I’ve got a problem,” Kyle began bluntly. “Given your… area of expertise, I was hoping you might be able to help me, or at least give me some advice.”
“Area of expertise, hm?” Cadence’s lips curved upwards slightly. “Does this ‘problem’ happen to involve my sister-in-law?” Kyle nodded. “Yes, I saw you two last night. I must say, you seemed to be enjoying yourself quite well. Especially after your little walk around the palace grounds.”
“You saw that?”
“Of course,” Cadence chuckled. “I was watching you two with great interest last night. And it seems that, once again, my senses were correct.” Cadence’s smile slowly faded away. “However, you mentioned a… ‘problem’? What’s wrong?”
“It’s a bit complicated.” Kyle sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Just suffice it to say that… the events of last night may not sit particularly well with another friend of mine, whose romantic advances I have turned down more than once.”
“And you fear that, by accepting Twilight’s, you will anger and alienate this friend and lose her friendship,” Cadence finished. “Tell me, who is this friend of yours?”
“Her name’s Lyra. Lyra Heartstrings.”
“Heartstrings, Heartstrings…” Cadence murmured. She closed her eyes and hummed softly. “The name is familiar for some reason, though not somepony that I encountered directly…”
“No matter.” Cadence’s eyes snapped open and locked on Kyle’s. “So, you’re afraid of losing this friend of yours.” She shifted herself and sat up a bit straighter. “Now, the first question, I suppose. You know that Twilight likes you. Quite a bit. How do you feel about her? The same?”
“Light, I don’t even know,” Kyle groaned. “She’s one of my best friends here in Equestria, and I’d trust her with my life… actually, come to think of it, I’ve done so. Several times. But… I don’t know.”
“Hmm.” Cadence tapped her chin with one hoof. “And this Lyra mare,” She continued. “You’ve said you’ve turned her down in the past. What is she like?”
“Well… she’s my other best friend, besides Twilight,” he began. “Really nice, really friendly. A bit eccentric, has quite a number of quirks, but still a great friend.”
“What kind of quirks?”
“Well…” Kyle rubbed his chin for a moment. “If you asked anyone in Ponyville to describe her, they’d call her odd. She’s always had a fascination with the possibility of life existing outside of Equus. So you can imagine how excited she was when I was revealed to the public. She’s always been kind of a loner. She says she only had one childhood friend really, and all of her other friends besides me have come through her job as a harpist in the Ponyville Symphonic Orchestra.”
“And how did you meet her?”
“Funny story, that,” Kyle snorted. “When I was revealed to the public, she was obviously ecstatic at the news that life did indeed exist outside of Equus. And she wanted to meet me, to get to know the alien who had confirmed her lifelong beliefs. But She was nervous I guess, so she didn’t just come up and introduce herself. Instead she… well, quite bluntly, she took to stalking me. I first met her face-to-face in the train station when I confronted her.”
“And how did that go?”
“About as well as someone confronting their stalker can go. I basically told her to quit, and that maybe we could talk if she stopped following me everywhere. That was when she first asked me on a date. Which I declined, obviously. I had to go after that, because my train to Canterlot was leaving. But she took it… to say she took it bad is very mild.”
“What happened?”
Kyle closed his eyes and shook his head. Memories played before his eyes - the encounter with an angry Bon-Bon, the approach to the house with Fluttershy, the dilapidated and disrepaired state of the building, the fire roaring in the fireplace… Her maniacal grin… and those eyes. Those empty, emotionless, soulless eyes. “She was possessed,” he finally explained. “By the Sha of Misery. Scootaloo and I fought her off as best we could, but really, only Pinkie Pie’s arrival stop her from killing us both.”
“After I got out of the hospital, I went to go see her. I wanted to make sure she was alright, check her for any lingering signs of Sha corruption, and then hightail it out of there. I stopped by around noon for a five minute visit. But… well, five minutes turned into ten minutes, ten minutes turned into an hour, and next thing I know I’m making us both dinner. I’d only ever seen her at her absolute worst, and that day I got a chance to see who she really was.”
“And?”
“Well, We’ve been friends ever since. She’s helped me with training Scootaloo, we’ve gone to each other for advice… She asked me on another date a couple of weeks ago, but I turned her down again.”
“And then asked Twilight to the dance.”
“...Yes.”
“And that’s the point where you messed up,” Cadence commented. “Why didn’t you just ask Lyra to go to the Gala with you?”
“I didn’t want to give her the wrong idea,” Kyle explained. “Send the wrong message.”
“I see… So, my next question - Why did you turn Lyra down? Is there something about her that does not appeal to you?”
“Well the first time, it was… yeah.” Kyle rubbed the back of his head. “She’d just been stalking me, and then asked me out on a date. I was a bit creeped out, to say the least.”
“But you became friends. What about the second time?”
“I, uh…” Kyle began. He cut himself off, however, as he began to realize just how foolish he was about to sound. His primary reason for turning Lyra down, for not even giving her a chance, had been the fact that she was a Pony. And yet, he hadn’t held that against Twilight the night before. Cadence continued to stare at him as he realized his blunder, and he looked away. “Well.. a, uh, a pretty poor reason, in hindsight…”
“Right.” Cadence’s tone was sharper now, a bit harsher. “Well then, you seem to have dug your own grave here, Mr. Slater. Your own poor judgement has caused this.”
“I know!” Kyle exclaimed suddenly. “I know, damnit, I know. I was an idiot, alright? I just want to fix this whole mess I’ve gone and made.”
Cadence’s gaze softened. “I’m afraid I can’t help you there,” she admitted. “You must follow your heart from here on, Mr. Slater.”
“Right,” Kyle sighed. He pushed himself back to his feet and walked past Cadence towards the door. “Thanks. I guess.” He could feel Cadence’s gaze boring into him as he walked away, but he didn’t look back as he stepped out into the hallway and closed the door behind him.
The guards that had led him before were waiting for him outside, and they snapped to attention as he stepped into the hallway. “Commander,” the one on the left greeted. “Princess Twilight came looking for you, sir. She says that your train leaves in half an hour.”
“Right. Could you lead me to the entrance hall? I think I can make my way to the station from there.”
“Of course.” The guards turned away from Cadence’s room, and Kyle turned to follow them. The trio wandered through the labyrinth of rooms and corridors, down several flights of stairs, and finally emerged in the entrance hall. The large double door was open, and Kyle nodded his thanks to the guards before stepping through out onto the palace grounds. He followed the long path out towards the main gate and waited as it was opened for him, stepping through that and emerging into the streets of Canterlot.
As Kyle attempted to maneuver his way through the roads, he came to a somewhat obvious conclusion - Canterlot was a big city. And big cities come with big crowds. His movement through the streets was slow, hampered by Ponies and carts and stalls and all manner of obstacles. There was no way he’d make it to the station in time.
Unless…
Without warning, Kyle sped up into a full sprint, startling several Ponies around him. He leaped on top of a cart on the side of the road, and then onto a sign hanging above one of the doors. From there, he was able to clamber up the wall until he pulled himself onto the rooftops. Here, high above the streets, he could see the railroad that led to the station, near the edge of the city. Ignoring the cries of surprise from below, he set off at a run down the sloped roof and leaped across the gap, clearing the street and landing on the roof on the other side.
Kyle continued like this for a while, sprinting across the roofs of Canterlot and leaping across the streets below. It had been a long time since he had been able to just run like this. Not running into battle or away from something. Not since before the Battle of the Crystal Empire, at least. Though sweat beaded his brow and began to run down his neck, he felt relaxed. At ease. It was peaceful up here, with no one to tell him what to do or not to do.
But alas, his run had to end. The train station was just on the next street, and he’d have to make his way down from the roofs to get in. Kyle smirked and put on an extra burst of speed as he leaped across the largest gap yet. Too large, in fact. Even as fast as he was going, he wouldn’t be able to clear the double-lane street below.
But he hadn’t intended to. Instead, he dropped into a tree resting in the median of the street, using the branches to slow himself as he clutched at them. It wasn’t long before he dropped out of the tree and landed on his feet in the small strip of grass below, with a few broken twigs and leaves falling after him. He appeared to have arrived unnoticed, for no one around stared as he walked out from under the tree and into the train station. A quick word later, and he stepped aboard the Friendship Express. And not a moment too soon. As soon as the door closed behind him, the whistle sounded, and the train jerked into motion. Next stop: Ponyville.
It didn’t take him long to find Twilight’s car. It was the only one with the compartment door still open. She was waiting for him. He stepped around an elderly mare pushing a food trolley and into the compartment, sliding the door closed behind him. Sure enough, Twilight was laying down on one of the benches, her nose buried in a book. It didn’t even appear that she had noticed him enter.
It wasn’t until he sat down beside her that Twilight looked up at him. “Oh! You made it!” she exclaimed. A bookmark floated over into her book, and she closed it and set it to the side. “I was wondering where you were. Looks like you had to hurry to get here,” she added with a glance towards his sweat-lined forehead.
“Yeah. Too many Ponies on the ground, so I took to running on the roofs,” Kyle admitted. “I didn’t mean to be so late. I had to go meet… someone, and it took longer than I expected.”
“Well, I’m glad you made it.” Kyle glanced down at Twilight as she scooted over closer to him. She leaned in close and rested her head on his knee, with one wing, draped over the back of the seat behind them. If it hadn’t been there, Kyle had no doubt that her wing would be draped over his shoulder instead.
Kyle sighed and shook his head. She liked him a lot, there was no doubt about that. But he still had to consider Lyra. The ultimate question crossed his mind yet again - was this worth potentially losing a friend for? And despite his best attempts, despite the advice Cadence had given him… he didn’t know.
“Twilight?” he finally said. His voice was quiet, hesitant. And Twilight seemed to sense his troubled state, for she almost instantly looked up at him. “We… need to talk.”
---
A more awkward train ride, Kyle had never experienced before in his life. Including the one where Luna had ended up falling asleep in his lap.
He and Twilight now maintained a healthy space between them on the padded bench they were sitting on. It had been several hours since their conversation had ended, and their level of discomfort had not dropped one bit. In fact, it had only been amplified by the passage of time.
It was only when the train finally slowed down, and eventually jerked to a stop, did they even make eye contact. Kyle was the first to rise. He moved over to the compartment door and opened it, allowing a wave of fresh air to rush into the room. It was as through a great breath had been released. Twilight was a few steps behind him as they both joined the small crowd exiting the train.
As they stepped onto the platform in Ponyville, Kyle made sure to slow down, waiting for Twilight. Soon, they were walking side-by-side, though they still refused to meet eyes. “Twilight,” he finally began. “Look, I know how that sounded. I’m hoping that, for now at least, we can still be friends. I’m not saying yes. I’m not saying no. I just… I need some time to think.” Twilight looked up at him, but didn’t say anything, so Kyle continued. “I mean… I could be risking a friendship here. I just… need to think it over. Alright?”
“Yeah. Yeah, that’s fine.” Twilight smiled, but it was obvious that it was fake. Forced. It didn’t reach her eyes. Kyle knew she was hurt. But he also knew that he was, at least for now, making the right choice by being cautious.
Twilight’s fake smile disappeared as she sniffed the air. “Do you… *sniff*... Do you smell that?” she asked.
Kyle took a deep breath. He frowned. “Yeah,” he murmured. “Smoke. And not from a campfire.”
As the pair emerged out onto the streets, Kyle’s frown deepend. Several Ponies were glancing over the shoulders towards the west, a concerned look on their faces. Almost frightened. Kyle and Twilight both turned to see the cause of their concern. They didn’t have to look hard. There, rising above the streets and buildings, a large plume of smoke rose high into the sky. A smoke column like that could only come from a large fire - far too large to be even the biggest of bonfires. And it seemed to be coming from…
Kyle and Twilight both gasped at the same time. They glanced towards each other, eyes wide in shock.
“Ironwall!”
Alright, alright, enough with the relationships and shipping. Back to the fighting 
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*had 2 unrewad chapters in following*
*clicks on it*
*your story just popped up as a third...*
goood timeing
To quote the Joker in The Dark Knight
"And here... we... Go!"
God damnit, one step forward, two steps backwards.
I cut you.
Man, Kyle gets all dem bitches.
Also, I wanted to point this out:
I bet you guys can connect the dots with this one.
Yup, it's clearly an imp in disguise.
Ya not too happy about the shipping, but this is the only decent MLP/ Warcraft crossover on this site.
6119256 Rebirth of the Damned? Fate of the Warchief? Two of my favorite fics, both popular (Warchief not as much as it deserves).
6119324
Rebirth of the damned was very good in the beginning, but getting to the middle, started to get awkward (Sex and innuendo)
6121505 Rebirth of the damned had the sex tag from the start if you don't want to read stories with that in them then avoid the sex tag
6126600 6121505 and seeing as this one does not have the sex tag, guess what that means.
6127650 From now untill the last chapter it's one big clop party?
6119256 yeah it seems as thou Kyle likes to kill sha, demons, and relationships
Btw Krya ship live on!!!?
Honestly I like romance. Shame every time a relationship pops up it suddenly stops.
I will say that I like Kyle with Twilight more because Lyra should be paired with BonBon.
Great chapter and all that, can't wait for the fighting to start, but onto the important stuff. With 6.2 here, we can finally decide which shipping stays, and which goes. We just need to name one of our ships in the shipyard Kyle x Lyra and another Kyle x Twilight, then send them on a mission with around 50- 70% success rate until a mission fails and one of them sinks. It's a fool proof way to finally settle this and we might as well use the place for something, right?
... I'm actually going to go do that right now and post tomorrow what the results are.
I will admit though, I will be disappointed if Kyle gets with Lyra, I'm rooting for Kyle x Twilight.
Certain aspects of society are missing which if present would save him in his relationship woes. But realistically its a minor point at this time now isnt it?
6143041
Okay, I chose to low a success chance and they both sunk... The Shipyard has spoken! All hail the Shipyard and it's shipping knowledge!
Now if you excuse me, I got to go rebuild a couple ships...