Beyond the Portal II: Flames of War

by Firestar463

Chapter 3

The warmth of the coffee mug on the table before him contrasted greatly against the chill of the morning air, sending waves of steam rolling upwards. Kyle lifted the mug to his face and took a sip, thankful for its presence. The drink had become a staple of his morning routine now, the only thing that could rouse him from the last vestiges of sleep. He had to admit, he thought sleepily, that he had gone a bit soft in Equestria if he had to rely on a drink in order to begin his day.

Still, let it not be said that he was not a morning person. Early morning was actually one of his favorite times of the day. A time when most of the world still rested, when the frantic pace of day-to-day life was instead replaced by an air of peace and serenity. Even now, sitting out in the cold air with naught but his armor and a warm drink to stave off the chill, he found himself smiling.

The first rays of dawn were beginning to peek over the horizon as Celestia and Luna traded the positions of their celestial objects. As the sun slowly rose over the walls of Ironwall, the light fell upon the frost-covered grass, creating a dazzling display of lights from both the ground and the sky. Overhead, the first of the morning birds had already taken flight, preparing to continue their southward journey.

Kyle picked up his mug once more and drained it of its remaining contents, sighing as he set it back down upon the table. He glanced towards the worker’s hut, where most of the men constructing Ironwall were staying. Through the windows, he could just make out shapes moving on the other side. It would appear that he was no longer the only one awake.

The sound of wings overhead drew his attention. He turned his head towards the noise as a white Pegasus stallion circled overhead. The stallion slowly descended down to the ground and bowed his head as he faced Kyle. “Commander,” he said. “Package, from Princess Celestia.”

The stallion stuck his head into the saddlebags upon his back and emerged with a large package wrapped in brown paper, gripping it between his teeth by the string that encircled it. Kyle reached forward and took the package. “Thank you.” The Pegasus nodded once more before taking to the sky again, angling northwest towards Canterlot Mountain.

Kyle watched the Pegasus soar over the walls of the garrison before turning his attention to the package. It was square, about as long each way as the length from his wrist to his elbow, and far heavier than one would expect for its size. Even in the chill of the morning air, it had a faint warmth to it. There was no doubt as to what was within the package. The Crystal Heart.

Kyle felt his own heartbeat quicken as he held the package in his hands. Separated from him by a thin sheet of paper and a small cardboard box was an artifact of incredible power. An artifact crafted and used by the Titans themselves, the originators of this world and indeed all worlds. The artifact that had almost rebuilt Alp’tauum, nearly unleashed the Old God in all of its terrible glory upon Equus.

The artifact that had saved his life.

Kyle found himself overcome by a sense of curiosity. A desire to see the Heart again. To lay eyes once more upon the thing that had saved him. He glanced back towards the worker’s hut. More movement could be seen within. Kyle tucked the package safely under his arm, grabbed his empty mug, stood up, and walked away. He entered the town hall and down the familiar hallway to his office. He stepped inside, shut the door, and turned the deadbolt before sitting down at his desk.

Within seconds, the rope had been removed from the package, and the brown paper discarded off to the side. He placed the now-exposed box upon the desk. For a long moment, he simply stared at the box. A faint ache formed in his chest, right over the spot where he had been impaled upon the Sha’s leg. He ignored the discomfort and extended his hands. Slowly, he removed the top from the box, revealing the artifact within.

Kyle had never had the opportunity to examine the Crystal Heart up close. The only times he had seen it before were from afar in the Crystal Empire, and during his battle with the Sha of Hatred. Now, he was able to see it in detail. It was a light shade of blue, similar to an aquamarine. The edges were not smooth, but instead had clearly been cut from a larger formation, and the crystal itself was flawless. Had a gem like this appeared on Azeroth, it would have been worth the entirety of the royal treasury, he was sure.

For a moment, Kyle simply stared at the Heart. Warmth rolled off of it in waves, and a bead of sweat formed upon his brow. Kyle found himself on the edge of his seat. The ache in his chest grew as he leaned in closer over the Heart, now drawing a frown of discomfort upon his face. Still, he continued to ignore the growing pain.

It was incredible, he thought. An artifact of such incredible power, and only one had ever tried to abuse it before the Sha had shown up. He found his hand hovering over the Heart now. Slowly it descended towards the surface. It was an inch away…

A knock at the door made Kyle jump backwards. As he sat back in his seat, the ache in his chest disappeared, nothing more than a memory. The heat that had rolled off of the Heart seemed to fade away into nothing. He glanced towards the door as a second knock resounded through the room, louder this time. “Commander?” Filwin’s voice echoed from the other side. “Are you in there?”

“Yeah. Yeah I’m in here,” Kyle called out, his voice sounding strained. He glanced back at the Crystal Heart before opening his mouth once more. “Just a minute.” He picked up the top of the box and covered the Heart once more before stowing it in a drawer in his desk. He walked over to the door, unlocked the deadbolt, and swung the door open. The pink-haired Gnome was waiting for him on the other side, and stepped inside, her usual clipboard gripped tightly in her hand.

“Good morning comma-” Filwin’s voice was cut off as she looked up at him. “Are you feeling alright, Commander?” She asked. “You seem a bit pale.”

It was at that point that Kyle realized that his forehead was drenched in sweat, despite the room being only marginally warmer than the outside. “Yeah. I’m alright,” he nodded. Thankfully, his voice sounded stronger and fuller than it had a moment before. “Just…” he opened his mouth and covered it in a fake yawn. “Just a bit tired is all,” he lied.

Filwin raised an eyebrow. For a moment, he feared that she would question him further. But instead, she simply closed her eyes and chuckled, shaking her head. “I told you that these late nights were gonna be the death of you,” she muttered. “Shall I fetch your coffee?”

“Already got it. Thanks though.”

“Alright then.” Filwin hopped up in the chair across from Kyle as he sat down at his desk once more. His eyes fell upon the drawer in his desk once more, but Filwin’s voice drew his gaze away. “So, you told me you were expecting a package today from Princess Celestia -”

“Already received,” Kyle interrupted, beginning to fall back into the routine once more.

Filwin nodded and put a checkmark on the paper on her clipboard. “Right. So, let’s take care of business before your train arrives…”

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The soft hum of energy died down as the green ring faded from around Scootaloo. She slowly fell back to the ground, landing upon the grass with a soft thump. A moment later, her serene visage was interrupted by a slight frown. Slowly, she opened her eyes and glanced around the clearing.

Kyle was leaning back against his usual tree. His eyes were closed, but he was not asleep. As Scootaloo turned her head to look at him, his eyes opened, and a small smile formed across his face. “Not bad,” he said as he pushed himself back to his feet. “Your emotional control grows stronger by the day.”

He bent down and picked up the package that he had brought with him. “I’m going to be out of town for a few days,” he announced. “I want you to keep working on the Ring of Peace technique while I’m away. I’ll be testing you when you return.”

Scootaloo nodded. “Got it.”

Kyle watched as the Pegasus spread her wings and took to the sky. It was hard to believe that just a month ago, she had barely been able to hover in the air for a few seconds. It wasn’t just her proficiency as a Monk that was growing - every day she seemed to be flying better than the last.

Kyle turned his gaze towards the sun. It was still on the eastern edge of the sky, but slowly making its way towards the apex of its journey. With a final glance back at Scootaloo’s retreating form, he grabbed the other bag he had brought with him and pushed his way out of the clearing and back into the main area of the park. As usual, he received a couple of odd stares from passing Ponies, but he ignored them and began walking towards the train station.

The treck through Ponyville was as calm and peaceful as always. It seemed far too rare these days that he had the opportunity to walk through the town, stuck as he was in Ironwall. As he made his way through the town, several passing Ponies waved. Kyle saw several familiar faces as he continued towards the Train station. Derpy sailing through the air, wobbling only slightly as she landed outside of Sugarcube Corner. Lyra, who flashed him her usual toothy grin. Big Mac, standing behind his apple stall with his usual stoic expression.

But it wasn’t just Ponies now living in Ponyville. Kyle spotted a small number of bipeds throughout the small equine town. Some of them, he knew, were troops from Ironwall taking leave to explore the new world. Others, however, were more permanent residents. Humans and Elves and Gnomes who had uprooted from Azeroth and moved to Equus. Whether to explore uncharted lands, tinker with new technologies, delve into unknown magics, or simply try to earn some coin, the trickle of Azerothians into Equus (And vice versa) had not slowed.

It didn’t take long for Kyle to arrive at the train station, where the Crystal Empire Express was already waiting.. A quick glance at the clock above the ticket booth informed him that he had ten minutes to spare before the train would depart. He moved towards the booth, but the stallion behind the counter shook his head and gestured for him to simply go in.

Kyle stepped onto the platform and moved over towards one of the benches lining the wall. He sat down to wait for Twilight to arrive. Steam rolled away from the train in waves, as did the fog from his breath. Though it was now nearly midday, and the sun had been in the sky for several hours, its warming rays had done little to chase away the chill in the air. He couldn’t help but shiver as a cold breeze blew past him. Memories of his first visit to the Crystal Empire ran through his mind, and he grimaced slightly. It was sure to be far colder that far north than it was here. He glanced down towards his bag, thankful that he had managed to acquire some winter clothing from Azeroth. He hoped Twilight had thought to pack some warm clothing as well - he doubted that a Pony’s coat would be sufficient to shield them from long-term exposure to that kind of cold.

A small amount of warmth from his lap caused Kyle to look down. The package which contained the Crystal Heart had begun to radiate heat once more, and Kyle welcomed the reprieve from the cold, no matter how small it might be. Still, he frowned slightly as he stared down at the package. He still vividly remembered his experience that morning, and he didn’t like it. Something weird had happened with the Crystal Heart. Something that didn’t sit right with him. Something he did not intend to replicate in the future.

Still, it wouldn’t be a problem for too much longer, he thought. Soon the Heart would be back in the Crystal Empire. Soon the city would be shielded from the elements once more. Soon everyone would be able to return to their homes and begin to pick up the pieces that the Sha had left in their wake.

The sound of hoofsteps announced her presence a few seconds before she rounded the corner. Twilight stepped onto the platform, wearing a pair of saddlebags slung over her back. She glanced over and smiled as Kyle pushed himself to his feet once more. He gathered up his bag and the package and walked over to join her. “Hey Kyle,” she greeted. “You ready? Got everything packed? Got the Heart?”

“Yes to all three,” Kyle nodded as the pair entered the train. They moved through the coaches until they reached their compartment, near the back of the train. As they passed the other compartments, Kyle noticed that the train seemed to be deserted. Nor were there any other Ponies waiting out on the station to board the train. It seemed like they were the only ones headed to the Crystal Empire. Not that that was surprising, with the city now consumed by the snow.

Hopefully that would change very soon.

As they sat down, Kyle once more felt the Heart heating up through the thin cardboard. For a split second, he considered telling Twilight about what had happened that morning in his office. Just as quickly, he shoved the notion aside. Another experience like that was unlikely to happen if he simply kept the Heart out of sight, and once it was back in place everything would be just fine. No need to cause her to worry about something so minor.

Still, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to get the Heart away from him. Just to be safe. “You got room in your bags to store the Heart?” he asked. “Hauling that thing around along with all this heavy clothing is kinda tough.” It wasn’t exactly a lie.

“Sure thing.” Twilight flipped one of the bags on her saddlebags open, and levitated the heavy package into the sack. “Though I don’t think you’ll have to worry about clothing too much,” she added. “I’ve been practicing a spell that should keep the cold away from you until it wears off. You can just wear your armor up there.”

“Might be a good thing too, not having that heavy clothing bog me down,” Kyle said grimly. “Remember that the Sha and Changelings weren’t alone up there. They had Windigos backing them up, and I’m willing to bet that at least some of them decided to hang around.”

“Good point.” Twilight fell silent as the train whistled loudly. “And if they are up there, we’d better be re-” She found herself cut off as the train’s brakes squealed, and the train began moving with a mighty jolt that nearly threw both of them from their seats.

“I thought Princess Luna said she was going to get these brakes looked at months ago!” Kyle grumbled as he pushed himself back into a sitting position.

“Well you’ve got to admit that these past few months have been crazy,” Twilight mumbled past the seat that her face was currently buried in. She too pushed herself back upright. “Fixing jerky brakes on a train has kind of been low on the list of things to do.”

“Point taken,” Kyle conceded. He leaned back in his seat and folded his arms up, content to stare out the window as Ponyville faded away in the distance. Soon, they were surrounded instead by green fields and rolling hills, broken up by the occasional wooded area or farm.

Twilight, meanwhile, had instead elected to take care of her wings. Kyle saw her in his peripheral vision as she hopped down to the ground, spread her wings and began preening her feathers, plucking loose ones out and making small adjustments to the positions of others. The process seemed slow and dull, with each feather requiring individual attention. He couldn’t help but feel glad that he didn’t have wings that needed that kind of care.

Still, eventually she did finish and hopped back up in her seat. Her horn lit up, and two large books floated out of her saddlebags and onto the table between them. Kyle chuckled silently as she flipped one open. Of course she would have brought books for the trip to pass the time. “Watcha reading?” he asked.

“A couple of books from Azeroth, actually,” Twilight replied, glancing over the top of her book. “This one is on magical theory from your world. Fascinating stuff. You all took magic in a completely different direction than we did. And this other one is a history of the Alliance, from its formation up until about a year ago. I’ve not had a chance to read it yet.”

“Right, I’ll leave you to it.” Twilight returned her attention back to her book as Kyle glanced out the window again. The hills and fields continued to roll past the window, with little else to look at. Already, he was beginning to feel boredom set in. And the ride to the Empire would last for a good while longer. He found himself sighing as he closed his eyes.

“This is going to be a long trip…”

Author's Note:

Kind of a short one. Sorry it took so long. I'll try to get back up to my usual speed once finals are finished.

Comments

[Europa]

 An artifact of such incredible power, and none had ever tried to abuse it

  *cough* Sombra

[Firestar463]

5369767 Y'know those times when you know you forgot something, and then you remember it AFTER someone else already reminds you, and you feel like a moron?

Yep. Just had one o' those moments. I'll fix that mistake here in a minute.

[Marenteius]

Hehe, so here I thought since I wasn't getting I plate emails you were busy, and yet I find I forgot to add this one to my fave lol. Great chapters if I a bit slow... it seems like there may have been more than one faction sneaking through the portal... silly alliance guards and your inability to stop infiltration! On a side note, you and your work has convinced me to make an alliance toon, perhaps on Aerie Peak at that. I feel like a traitor to the horde for even typing such a thing

[Mitsurugie]

5369767 Did he really try to abuse the hearts power? as I recall he hid it away so it could not be used against him. Though I might have forgotten some information about the crystal empire episodes

[Europa]

5381344 Celestia hints that filling the CH with hate/fear would result in Very Bad Things. You can hide something and experiment on it at the same time.