//------------------------------//
// Log 33- Harmony 
// Story: Of Magic and Machines 
// by FrostTheWolf 
//------------------------------//


Of Magic and Machines- Harmony




Ponyville

        It had only been a week or so after the defeat of the demons and the eruption of Smoky Mountain and slowly, everything was beginning to come back to normal. Again, slowly being the appropriate word here. After Amy went back to go get some much needed rest with Rainbow Dash and Nicko was personally recovering from some of the wounds he received, there was still one other item that had to be addressed. That of course was the wedding. Originally, the idea for it was supposed to be a small scale event. Yet, because of Discord wanting the ‘best’ for her daughter, it soon became a full scale event that resulted in possibly all the displaced that Nicko knew or had met once before being invited to the festivities. 

        Something that Eris herself was not entirely happy about as she was talking with Applejack when she decided to stop by to check on them. “So let me get this straight… Your father thought it would be great to invite every one of those Displaced friends you have to the wedding? Why the hay would he do that?”

        “He has a sense for the dramatic while also wanting the best for me… even though those two things collide with one another all the time.” The Draconequus told the mare as she straightened up on the couch she was on. It would’ve been fine for her to have some cider or something in order to ease her mind a bit. However, with the pregnancy, the doctor told her that she wasn’t allowed to have alcohol. To which, really irritated her to an extent. “Think about it like this… this is the first time that he gets to see one of his own kids get married and have grandchildren. Normally, parents would want things to work out just right and not have anything else crop up along the way…… but in the process, he completely disregards the way I want to handle this unintentionally.”

        “I… see what you mean… What does your mother think about it?” Applejack asked, expecting a simple answer. But it was then that Eris told her something that she honestly did not anticipate.

        “I don’t have a mother.”

        “…… I beg your pardon-?” Before Eris had the chance to answer her question… and before Applejack was able to finish her sentence, that was when a flash of magic went off as Twilight soon came in shortly afterwards.

        “Hello there-” The alicorn started to speak, before she got hit in the face with a crumpled up newspaper that Eris didn’t need anymore. “Was that really necessary?”

        “Was teleporting into our home unannounced necessary?” Eris countered what the alicorn said with a deadpanned glare. “You know that we have a door and a doorbell for a reason, right? If I were some other pony, I would have the guards try to arrest you for breaking and entering into my home for Chaos’ sake.”

        “O… kay,” Twilight sighed, before looking back at both of them as she tried to think of something to change the topic of the conversation. “So, did I miss anything?”

        “Well, Eris told me that she doesn’t have a mother…” Applejack then told her, which had Twilight utterly puzzled in response as she tried to process what her friend just told her.

        “ …… Wait a minute, I thought-”

        “If you think the little sun princess that uses magic to have a ball of gas orbit the planet is my mother, then both of you are mistaken,” The draconequus replied. “Celestia is Chaotic’s mother, not mine. He came from both Discord and Celestia, while for me, it’s much different.”

        “How can it be different? Normal children are born when a stallion and a mare-”

        “Okay, just stop right there…” Eris told her, using her chaos magic to have a stop sign directly show up in Twilight’s face. “First off, you don’t need to give me the talk like I’m a colt who just went into puberty. Secondly, you need to understand the fact that my father and I were not entirely born how most creatures are. I call him father because he created me so he wouldn’t have to be alone for all the years that Celestia, Artemis and then eventually you at one point had his ass encased in stone. Chaotic came in after he was redeemed.”

        “But what about Discord?” Applejack then asked. “How exactly did he originally… well… take form exactly?” It was at that point that Eris decided to stop relaxing for the moment and then straighten herself up as she looked at both of them. 

        “Both of you are familiar with how Lord Tirek was originally imprisoned, right?” She replied, which had both ponies look back at her with a confused look as Eris sighed. “Look, despite what the history books say, they leave out the part as to how Tirek ended up being imprisoned. Both Celestia and Artemis originally sentenced Tirek to Tartarus, but it was Starswirl the Bearded who had to do the work… Yet, in order for him to actually be able to get him imprisoned because of how much power Tirek had at the time, Starswirl had to use something that all wizards would see as forbidden.”

        That… soon had Twilight realize what she was talking about as she blinked several times. “Wait… you don’t mean… Starswirl used chaos magic?”

        The draconequus nodded her head. “Yes… Starswirl himself was a lot younger at the time and did not know the reason why the magic was seen as forbidden when he used it. But it was in the days that followed that the effects began to kick in. And it almost drove him mad. It was bad enough because at the time that this was going on, he and his student Clover the Clever were the adoptive parents of three sisters that you may be familiar with. They had a rather good singing voice from what Yuri told me.” That… had Twilight’s eyes widen immensely as she looked back at Eris in utter shock at the bombshell that the draconequus had dropped on her right now.

        “No way… You’re telling me… that Starswirl raised the Dazzlings!?”

        “When he was younger, he found the three of them freezing to death off to the north of the Celestial Sea. Everything they knew originally was destroyed when a group of ponies raided their homes and murdered their parents. In the years that passed, Starswirl had tried to raise them to where they could fit in with society. Two of them, Adagio and Aria, were actually seen as heroes. However, when before Starswirl encountered Tirek years later, the Centaur told them that Starswirl was holding them back… and that he would ultimately betray them… You can probably guess what happened next.”

        That was when Applejack realized what Eris in particular actually meant. “So when Starswirl’s… symptoms started showing up… The sirens took that as a sign that Tirek was telling the truth.”

        “Exactly,” Eris replied, while clapping to make the whole scene seem rather dramatic. “They used the chance that Starswirl was in a town called Hollow Shades and meeting a few other heroes from different parts of Equestria to attack him. Ultimately, he was forced to banish them… the hardest choice he had to make.”

        “What about the effects of the chaos magic that he used?” Twilight then asked. “Did he get rid of it?”

        “That came afterwards. Banishing the Dazzlings served as a wake up call to him that this needed to be dealt with and that he could no longer put it off… so, he created a spell that would expel any chaos magic that would be inside of him and separate it for good.” The Spirit of Chaos described to both of them. “Yet, there was a flaw in his plan that he didn’t foresee. One of the side effects of ponies using chaos magic was that the chaos magic that was left over, if it wasn’t dealt with immediately, would slowly take on a persona of it’s own. Like a voice in your head that couldn’t exactly stop talking. When Starswirl created the spell, he originally thought that the voices and everything were a hallucination. But… when he cast it, that was when the magic he released… began to take up a body of it’s own.”

        That… had both mares caught off guard. “No… way. You mean…”

        All Eris did was just give them both a confirming nod. “Yes… Discord was the manifestation of the Chaos Magic that Starswirl severed from his body. And the reason why I know this and about the Dazzlings is that my father had Starswirl’s memories right up to the day that he was cast out. Those same memories he told to me as stories when I was younger… Though, I’m sure I know why Celestia or Artemis never said anything. I mean, with the Siren’s being seen as ‘downright villainous’, telling the entire country that one of their most prominent figures in Equestrian History raised a trio of them is not entirely going to look well for the history books.”

        “That… is a rather valid point,” Twilight then admitted. “But anyways… can I ask you about something on a different topic?” Eris herself nodded her head briefly as she looked back at the alicorn, who seemed to use her magic to get out a pad of paper, a vial of ink and a quill. “I was wanting to help with organizing the wedding that you were going to have. I already know that Discord had sent out the messages everywhere, but since Applejack told me that she had been helping take care of both you and Moondancer while Nicko was away, I thought I would do whatever I can to help.”

        “You do realize that when my father decided to ‘help out’, he basically turned it into something where it’s not just people from our world that are attending, but also some people from outside our world too right?” Eris asked her.

        “Yeah, why?”

        “Because it’s likely that a lot of Nicko’s friends also somehow either know Amy or act just like her.” The draconequus deadpanned. To which, it caused Twilight to freeze up upon hearing that… and lead to Applejack suggesting something else.

        “Perhaps we should focus on who will be attending here first before we start thinking about everypony out there?”

        “That… actually sounds like a better plan,” The princess then told both of them as she had her quill ready. “So, we already know that the girls will be coming along with Celestia and Artemis. My brother, Cadence and Flurry are likely to come once things have calmed down in the crystal empire. Nicko’s family are likely to be there. I rather not get too caught up in the details. Amy, Molly, Yuri, Jade and Jane are TBD.”

        “What the hay is TBD?” The farmer asked.

        “It means ‘to be determined’. We don’t entirely know if they’re going to attend or not,” Twilight replied. “Even though it’s likely that they won’t make it, it would be rude to assume that so we’ll include them on the list for not until we hear from them… Hmm, now that I think about it, there’s onepony who I like to invite that we haven’t seen in sometime.”

        That had Applejack look back at her friend for a moment as she raised an eyebrow. “Oh? Who would that be?”

        “Remember Starlight?” The question itself was something that Applejack looked to be familiar with as the earth pony nodded her head in response. “Well, I have been telling her about Nicko while she has been on travel with Sunburst, so I thought this would be a great opportunity in order to be able to see her again.”

        “Yeah… One question,” Eris soon interjected shortly after Twilight was done speaking, which in turn had both mares look directly at her. “Who’s Starlight?”

        That… caused Twilight to blink for a moment before facepalming herself as she sighed deeply. “Oh horseapples, I almost forgot. We haven’t told you about her yet… Starlight is… a bit complex to explain.”

        “Not really…” Applejack sighed. “Eris, remember when Fluttershy helped your father by redeeming him? Think that… but different.”

        Even though that sounded simple when it was first explained to her, Eris still was missing out on some important details that she would like for both ponies to explain. “How different exactly……? Wait, what’s this mare’s full name?”

        “Starlight Glimmer.”

        Now that part in particular, rang a few bells inside her head. “Hunh… Oddly enough, I heard that name before. When Nicko and I were with Faith and meeting a displaced named Neltharion, he told us that a mare by the same name was able to steal Cutie Marks. Is that who you’re referring too?”

        “That’s the one,” Applejack replied back. “About several months after you and Nicko got encased in stone, Amy, Yuri and the rest of us went to the town where she was the mayor and ran some kind of weird ‘sameness’ cult where everypony had the same cutie mark. However, after Yuri dropped the town’s water supply on Starlight’s head and basically revealed that she was tricking the entire town, the mare ran off and swore revenge.”

        Shortly after the earth pony said that, Twilight picked up where she left off. “Several weeks later, she had an entire plan figured out as to how to go back into the past.”

        “Let me guess… alternate universe paradox BS?” Eris interjected.

        “Pretty much… yet, when she witnessed Amy causing the walls of the castle to bleed red, she fainted and dropped the paper that contain the time spell and we sent it back to Canterlot to be put under lock and key,” The alicorn told her. “By that time, we gave her a choice… either be reformed… or have Amy and her sister come after her.”

        “Should’ve guessed that she had some kind of role into that.” Eris grumbled. “What happened after she became your student?”

        “Well, she helped us out on several occasions throughout the years and currently, she’s traveling around Equus as a teacher with her foalhood friend, Sunburst,” Twilight then used her magic to conjure up what looked like a photograph of both of them so Eris could see for themselves. “Most recently though, the two of them have been traveling around Mount Aris to the south of Equestria-”

        Eris, for a moment, sounded disgusted by that name. But… mostly for the wrong reason. “Seriously? Who would name a place Mount Arse? That’s just beyond me.”

        “Wait til ya see their caves…” Applejack snickered… which of course, didn’t entirely help the situation and just caused Twilight to facepalm herself in the process as she looked at both of them. More specifically, at Eris.

        “No… It’s not named that. It’s Aris… Think your name, but replace the E with an A,” It took Eris a moment in order to process that, but after realizing what she meant, that was when Twilight took a seat on a nearby couch and looked back at them. “Mount Aris is known as the kingdom of the Hippogriffs with their capital being Hippogriffia. Three years ago, we invited their leader, Queen Novo, to attend the Friendship Festival that we were holding in Canterlot… What happened next is a VERY long story…”

        “Let me guess… The kind of story that you could put in a two hour theatrical release, have critics look at it and judge it by it’s quality while all the die hard fans think it’s the best thing ever before shipping it to DVD and loading it with a bunch of bonus features?” Eris then asked… and the question itself bewildered the two ponies that heard that. “What? I’m just saying… It’s a common trend when it comes to filmmaking. What do you think ‘deleted scenes’ are for?”

        Twilight herself was still trying to wrap her head around things for a moment as she was trying to think of a way in order to change the topic of the conversation. “Right…… So, who else do you think we should have come to the wedding? Maybe Apple Bloom and the Cutie Mark Crusaders can be the flower girls like at Cadence’s wedding?”

        “Those kids would be alright as long as they don’t do anything to mess up the festivities…” Applejack mumbled, before realizing something as she looked back at Eris. “Speaking of kids though… Have you got around to what you want to name yours Eris?”

        “That… is a valid point,” Eris admitted. “But no. I haven’t gotten around to naming them yet because it’s already hard for me to think on it. While Nicko was gone, Moondancer already thought of a name for our daughter… and I think she’s doing it as a way to thank Princess Celestia.”

        “Well, Celestia was open minded to letting your father be reformed instead of keeping him in stone…” Twilight pointed out as she scratched her chin. “Not to mention the fact that if your father hadn’t been reformed, you wouldn’t have met Nicko in the first place.” That… was something that Eris honestly didn’t realize until just now. But before she could comment on that, Twilight spoke once again as she asked a question. “So what did she name your daughter?”

        “She… wanted to name her Dawn,” Eris sighed for a moment before looking down at her belly. “But she has it easier than I do. I need to name two sons after all.”

        “Why not name the other one after Artemis?” Twilight suggested.

        “Oh please, that’s just cheap… If you want to follow that naming logic, you would then suggest to name my other son off of Princess Cadence,” Eris rolled her eyes before looking back at them. “But… I haven’t really had a lot of time to think about it.”

        That was when they heard the door to Nicko’s room open and notice the Rune Slayer stepping into the Room. “Think about what, Eris?” He originally asked, before noticing both Applejack and Twilight in the living room with her. “Oh… Sorry, am I interrupting something here?”

        “Actually no… but I think maybe you can help us out,” Applejack then replied back. “Eris told us about how Moondancer already thought of the name for one of your children and right now, Eris is having some trouble thinking of the names for your two sons.”

        “And I told them that I thought that naming our little girl ‘Dawn’ is somehow referencing Princess Celestia and that all suggestions so far are making me think that they’re trying to name our kids off of royalty,” Eris groaned in response as she looked back at him while he walked over to the couch. “Sure, I would be fine with naming one of my kids off of royalty, but not all of them.”

        Nicko looked back at the draconequus that was his future wife and folded his arms for a minute as he was lost in thought. “Well… I only have one thought that comes to mind. I’m fine with naming one of them off of Celestia and Artemis, but I have a different idea for the last one.”

        “Oh? Who would that be then?” Applejack asked, raising an eyebrow in response.

        “I’m glad you asked,” Nicko sarcastically replied before telling her his answer. “You.”

        That… was something that Eris and Applejack were both surprised by as they looked at one another, before the Draconequus asked a question. “Wait… you want to name it based off of Applejack? What are you going to call it, Apple Nocte? Because that honestly just sounds like your trying too hard.”

        “Eris, when I was gone, Applejack was the one who was helping take care of you and Moondancer while I had to stop the demons from taking over Equestria… and I didn’t say I was going to name it off of Applejack specifically,” The spellsword replied as he took a deep breath. “I was going to name it off of her and her element of harmony. Back home in a country called japan, the name ‘Naoto’ literally means ‘one who is honest’ in their language. I thought it would be fitting given how she’s been helping us out a lot.”

        “I… don’t know what to say,” Applejack responded, honestly shocked that the Rune Slayer was wanting to thank her in such a way. She honestly didn’t believe it at first, but after she had it set in for a couple of moments, the earth pony couldn’t be more thankful. “Sugarcube, t-thank you… it means a lot.”

        “No worries.” Nicko smiled as he looked at her. Shortly before he heard Twilight say something.

        “So… we have Naoto and Dawn… yet, how are you going to name the last one after Artemis?” She asked for inquiry as the Rune Slayer looked back at her.

        “Well… I was thinking Noctis Caelum. Noctis being the first name and Caelum being the middle name. In latin, it means ‘Night Sky’.”

        “Oh… That sounds… good actually,” Eris replied back, looking at her future husband. “I swear, I want to use ‘Night Sky’ as a nickname for him now…” Nicko chuckled for a moment, looking back at the three of them before Twilight decided to get up and head for the door.

        “Hey Eris, we can pick up on our conversation about the wedding later. If you do happen to hear from any of Nicko’s friends, be sure to let me know so that way I can add them to the guest list.” She told them, before teleporting out of the room… and leaving a burned scorch mark on the floor.

        “Dagnabit! I just cleaned that!!” Applejack groaned, taking a deep sigh before looking back at Eris and Nicko. “I’ll come back later to check on you. Rather not make Granny Smith worried by staying out too long.” She took a moment to clean up the mess that Twilight accidentally made before using the door in order to leave, allowing Eris and Nicko the chance in order to spend some time together.



        A couple of days after the invitations were sent out, Nicko did not get a lot of replies back for the wedding. Instead, many of the displaced that he had originally met who were sent an invitation like that of Gon or Gremmy got the same letter back, only with a big blood red stamp that said ‘RETURN TO SENDER’ on it. Of course, at first it was just a couple of them… but then a few more came back with the same stamp on it. Including one that he personally found as surprising because he thought he would surely get a reply back from her.

        Max Caulfield.

        In all honesty, for someone that had met her before and was invited to her world for dinner, Nicko thought that she would be one of the first people to reply back. After all, she did take it upon herself to help him take his relationship with Eris and Moondancer to the next level. Not to mention the fact that after Nicko had asked if it was possible that she and Lance could be the godparents of his kids, Max quickly said yes. So in all honesty, seeing something like this was rather… confusing to him.

        At first, he wanted to ask Lance about it. Especially since he didn’t recall getting her token. But it was as he was thinking about this that he happened to see something that occurred near the edge of his desk. A small flicker was seen for a moment as a small tear in the void opened up… and what looked like a blue scarab emerged from it. Not an actual scarab, but something like it. However, it didn’t move at all and instead just sat there on the desk motionless. At first, Nicko thought that it was just some weird space insect that just came out of nowhere and decided to just make itself at home on his desk. But the longer he looked at it, the more that he began to wonder if this was an ordinary beetle… or if it was something else.

        Eventually, curiosity got the better of him… and he decided to pick it up to have a closer look at the object in question as he picked it up with his left hand. Upon feeling it, he didn’t feel any form of living shell or outer surface if you were touching an actual beetle. Instead, it was more metallic and it felt a bit cold on the outside. Yet the center of it actually looked like a button someone could press. The Rune Slayer was careful, but nevertheless pressed the button anyways as the object began to buzz for a moment. Shortly before having a holographic screen emerge from above it.

        “Hang on!! I’ll be right there, Teal!” Nicko heard a feminine voice on the other end of the line spoke up, to which surprised him. Aside from Robin’s journal, this was the first kind of object that he had come across that allowed for direct face to face communication with who was on the other end of the line. And from how it sounded, it made him think it could possibly be a displaced.

        Shortly after he heard that statement, he soon came face to face with a dark brown haired woman, who was wearing what appeared to be a grey t-shirt with what looked like a logo of some equestrian sports team on the front. “Sorry for making you wait… I didn’t startle you now, did I?”

        “Um… No?” Nicko replied back, raising an eyebrow. “I’m sorry but… I don’t think you and I are familiar with one another. My name is Nicko and… If I may ask… Who are you?”

        The woman blinked for a moment, before realizing that she forgot something as she facepalmed herself. “Ah right… Sorry. I forgot to introduce myself. I’m Katy, otherwise known as Blue Beetle. Member of the newly formed superhero team by Gunvolt called QUILL.”

        That… rang a couple of bells in Nicko’s head. But just to be sure, he decided to ask her a question. “Hold on… By Gunvolt, do you mean… Lance Walker?”

        “Yeah! Do you know him?” With that, the Rune Slayer felt like he was getting somewhere as he looked back at the screen at the lady.

        “Yeah, I’ve had the priviledge to meet both him and his family. They even invited my fiance’s and I to have dinner with them.” Around now though… was when he noticed a change in expression on Katy’s face. From one of joy… to what looked like an expression of concern. With this in mind, he proceeded to ask her a question. “Why… is something wrong?”

        It took a moment for Katy to try to compose herself, before she took a deep breath and began to speak. “Well… There was a mission that happened most recently. Lance was teaming up with someone he knew in order to try and stop somepony who kidnapped Aurora and planned on trying to take over the world and such.” She paused for a second to take a deep breath as she looked back at him and sighed. “When Lance went to face him and rescue them… we found out that this villains actions caused the link that was established between Max’s world and ours to become severed… and with it, everyone in Max’s world was devoured by the void. In a sense… he lost everything. His kids… the family Max let him be apart of… Max herself… and their unborn child.”

        That… stunned Nicko. To think that in a matter of days… a friend that he knew would go through such a tremendous loss like this. It was just heartbreaking. But… with it, it also made him wonder… did the invitations that were sent out to some of the displaced he knew come back because of the same circumstances. Yet, he did not have the capacity to think about that on such a level as he looked back at him. “I’m…… very sorry to hear that. Is… he doing okay?”

        “Not entirely… He had originally promised to keep Max and them safe and since this happened a couple days ago, he’s been in a bit of a… slump,” She replied back with another sigh. “He hasn’t eaten much, only comes out of his room a couple times a day and some of the other team members have had to cover for him because of what’s been going on. In all honesty, I’m concerned for him. Especially if the first thing that he might think about if I tried to talk about it with him is how he failed to help them when they needed it most.” That was definitely concerning. Especially with the fact that hearing him act this way was almost unheard of.

        Yet… there was something in what Katy had told him that caused him to look back at her with a raised eyebrow. “Hold on… you haven’t talked to him about it? Why?”

        “Well, originally, a couple of us thought that we should give him some time to cope, but the more I think on it, the more I feel like I should do something even though I’m kind of scared about how the conversation might turn out,” She explained for a moment before looking back at the Rune Slayer. “There was a time where he was summoned to originally help me out… but the more and more that we worked together, the more and more that it felt like we were more than just friends. I… don’t want him to push me away if all I want to do is help him.”

        Nicko… had to take a few moments in order to try and think of what to say. But after a little bit, he soon thought of his answer. “Katy… you care for Lance, right?”

        “O-of course, why-?” She asked, a little puzzled.

        “Then you should tell him that… You should tell him how much he means to you… and let him know that he didn’t lose everything…” Nicko said, before sighing himself. “I-i’m sorry, I would normally give better advice if I think on something for a bit, but-”

        “No… it’s fine actually…” That, caught the Rune Slayer off guard as he looked back at her with a raised eyebrow. “Thank you… It means a lot to hear that. I… really care for him a lot. Like more than a friend, but I haven’t had the chance to tell him. I’ll be sure to do that now.”

        “Okay, but before you go, can I ask you some-” Before Nicko could be able to fully finish his sentence, the screen disappeared as Katy closed it down from her end. Leaving the Rune Slayer talking directly at a wall. “-thing…” After the abrupt end to his call, Nicko himself just dropped his head down for a moment as he began to try and process everything from his conversation with Katy. Learning that Max was gone was a rather huge thing to take in… even more so by hearing about how she had disappeared.

        All of that thinking and processing though had to take a rather short break when he heard a knock on the door to his room. “Who is it?”

        The door opened up, showing none other than his mother on the other side. “Hey there, Nicko. Is everything going alright?” The Diabla asked, shortly before noticing that her son didn’t normally have the calm and relaxed expression that he would normally have. “Nicko? Is something wrong?”

        After hearing his mother close the door, that’s when Nicko took a deep sigh. “I just got some bad news… Max isn’t going to make it to the wedding…… she’s gone?”

        “Gone?” Ciela originally asked… before realizing what her son meant by that. “You mean-?”

        “Yeah… One of Lance’s friends told me that her world got swallowed by the void after something happened in Lance’s world…” Nicko replied, sounding a bit down. “It… kind of hits home a bit… I mean, she’s the reason why Eris, Moondancer and I are going to start a family and now she’ll never be able to see us again… It’s like losing a family member.”

        Ciela didn’t know what to say… All she could do was just try to comfort her son in this moment. Sure, she had the priviledge to meet Max with her husband Luke, but this was something completely different. “I… see what you mean… Max felt like a sister to me… and reminded me of my own sister.”

        That part… caught Nicko’s attention. “Your… own sister?”

        “She was your aunt, but neither you, nor Anson would got the chance to meet her… or will get the chance,” Ciela deeply sighed before looking back at her son. “Her name was Sophia… I cared for her just as much as she cared for Luke and I, even though your father never cared for her husband and really had a grudge against him… After you were originally encased in stone and we found a way to go back home to earth, I tried to get back in contact with her because it had been so long since I last heard from her… Unfortunately, I found her at a gravestone in the cemetery closed to the town I was born.”

        That… surprised Nicko on a number of different levels. But before he could be able to say anything… that was when Ciela continued to talk. “It’s a shame really… She never got the chance to see you guys and you never got the chance to see your Aunt, Uncle and Cousin.”

        “Did you… know what their names were?”

        “Her husband was named Raegan and they decided to marry under our last name,” Ciela told him, before looking back at her own son. “Other then that, I never found out much about your cousin or what he looked like. Other than his name.” Her son looked back at the Diabla with a raised eyebrow, shortly before then asking one last question.

        “What was his name?”

        All the Diabla had was one answer for him. And that answer was also the same thing that began to pour down from some of the storm clouds that began to drift over Ponyville.



        “So I got your invitation some time ago and I gotta say, congratulations on you, Eris and Moondancer finally deciding to get married.”

        It had been a few days since the original invitation had went out about the wedding and right now, Nicko had personally decided to take the time to come back to Beacon. Especially after being away for so long. Many of the other teachers that were at the school were surprised to see him being back so soon, especially those who had assisted his brother in the Crystal Empire. Now, he was getting the chance to catch up with the displaced that had originally asked for him to come to the school as he had the Rune Slayer come talk to him. “Thank you… It’s good to hear you say that, Sun.”

        “Come on now, you’re doing a lot better than Fluttershy and I are right now. We’re still trying to figure out how to do it and it seems like you have things all figured out,” The Faunus replied back. Nicko happened to notice a few things that were different this time around, but decided to not ask about it. “Though, there was another reason that I wanted to be able to talk to you on the side. And not in the way of congratulating you on your wedding.”

        That had him raise an eyebrow for a minute as the spellsword looked back at his friend. “Oh? And what would that be?”

        “Well… Let’s just say that there’s someone I would like you to meet.” He replied as Sun lead him to another section of Beacon. Going up an elevator and towards a part of the school that looked like it had the inner workings of a clock. He could even see some cogs and gears turning as they moved through the entire hallway.

        By the time they reached the top floor, they stepped out to see a closed door as Sun knocked on the door. “Professor, it’s me. May I come in?”

        “Why of course, you may,” Nicko heard a voice on the other side of the door speak up as he looked to Sun for a moment. The Faunus himself opened the door as both of them stepped inside. It was then that the Rune Slayer was greeted by some he had not seen before in person. A man with white hair, shaded glass spectacles, long dark green pants and a black suit that was covering a black vest, green shirt and the cross shaped cowl on their neckline. “Well Mr. Wukong… I believe this is the first time I’ve met your friend here, is it?”

        “Yes, but I do believe I have told him about you before,” The faunus mentioned. “Ozpin, I want to introduce to you my friend and fellow displaced, Nicko Nocte. Nicko, this is Professor Ozpin, Beacon’s new Headmaster.”

        That, lead to Nicko thinking that this was rather a big deal. Especially if he was meeting someone with the title of Headmaster and was in charge of Beacon. “It’s an honor to meet you.” He replied, thinking it was the best way for him to respond in a sensible manner.

        “Why, I could say the same for you,” Ozpin told him in response. “After everything that Sun had told me about what you can do and the abilities you have, I really wanted to be able to have the chance to meet you in person and learn more about you. After all, you are going to be a teacher at Beacon.”

        Nicko himself was rather surprised to hear that personally. He didn’t expect for anyone, let alone the headmaster of Beacon, to speak about him with such praise. “Wow… I don’t know what to say… Out of curiosity though, what did Sun say about me?”

        “He’s told me a lot about you, but nothing bad, I can assure you that,” Ozpin assured him as he looked back at the Rune Slayer. “I just wanted to get the chance to hear you tell me about it.” With that, Sun took it as a cue for him to leave the room so Nicko and Ozpin can have the chance to talk with one another.

        Which, made Nicko begin to think over what he should say next, before asking one question to Ozpin. “Well… where would you like for me to start?”

        The headmaster only had one response for him as he placed his hands together and leaned forward on his desk. “From the beginning…”



Few Weeks Later…

        In the weeks after the original invitation was sent out, several changes were made to the event in order to make sure and accommodate who might be attending. For one thing, there was now a set time for when the wedding was to be hosted. Which also included a practical location for the event too, much to the relief of Nicko, Eris and Moondancer. Despite the mistake that Discord had made in sending it out to everyone, it turns out that they had not gotten a lot of feedback from their friends at Beacon or around the multiverse. So it meant that they could be able to not make a big deal out of this.

        That included the fact that shortly after the fight with the demons was over, it turns out that Amy and her family had decided to go on a vacation. Claiming that they ‘earned it’ after all the crazy shenanigans from what happened in the Crystal Empire and everything else in between. Which was fine… and also a sigh of relief. Amy had been known for crashing important events like Twilight’s presentations on Friendship or meetings with Delegates from around Equestria, so learning that she wasn’t going to be there was actually a good thing. The last thing that they wanted was for someone to go all ‘wedding crashers’ on the day that was of most importance to the Rune Slayer.

        In fact, when it came to finding a place to host it, Applejack had a rather good idea on where to do it. She told Eris and Moondancer about a secret grove where her parents got married that was big enough to host a small venue. Good for a few friends and family… even though Discord really wanted to go all out for his daughter.

        Though, there was one thing that he was still trying to sort out internally… that he was still unsure about. So, he decided to have ask Twilight about it. But when he told her, she seemed rather surprised by what he was suggesting. “You want to talk… with Sunset? Is there any particular reason why?”

        Nicko honestly wanted to ask himself that very same question. But, nothing really came to him. “I just… well, I thought that given what had happened when I was last there, I would want to be able to stay in touch with them. But, given how you currently have the only direct form of communication between both this world and the mirror world, I thought I would ask you about it… there was someone that I wanted to make sure that she was okay.”

        Twilight thought about it to herself for a moment, before looking back at Nicko. “Nicko, I’ll talk to Sunset about it, but there’s only so much that I can be able to do to help. Right now, you should focus on your wedding. It’s coming soon and I really don’t think you would want to be stressed out for it. Especially with all your friends there.”

        That part had a bit of a chill run down his spine. Sighing as he looked back at her. “Yeah… Thanks, Twilight.” Still, even with that vote of confidence from the princess, it didn’t do anything to lighten his spirits up. He originally wanted to invite Sunset to attend, but given what Twilight just told him, the thought of that happening now was really unlikely. Still, he knew he had to talk what Twilight was saying seriously… given that the big day was almost here.



        The day had finally come… and with it, Nicko felt ready. Well, to be fair… mostly ready. There were a few details that he wasn’t informed about as the ceremony came closer and closer to starting and by the time he was standing by where the pastor would be, he was already beginning to sweat a little. Mostly because he had no actual idea as to who was going to watch over the ceremony today and if there was other details he might have overlooked. Not only was his nervousness not helping… the longer that he thought about it, the more that he felt like the guy on the movie ‘OfficeSpace’ when his boss was like ‘Did you get the memo?’ when he forgot the cover sheet for his TPS report.

        As he was waiting in the shade under the trees, Nicko honestly did not know who was possibly going to show up first. He knew that the girls were probably helping Eris and Moondancer get ready, Leo and Anson were preparing for afterwards when they would celebrate the marriage and there was no sign on his parents at all. And right now, he felt as if there was something he could do in order to help out some more.

        However, the first person he heard come in was… someone he honestly thought would not actually be coming at all. “There you are… I was wondering where in the world you might be.” When the Rune Slayer looked up in the direction of the voice, his eyes widened for a moment. Surprised at who exactly he was looking at.

        “L-lance?” Nicko blinked. Honestly thrown off guard by the sight of the adept. Unlike his normal clothes that he had seen him wear before, Lance was wearing a black suit and slacks with a cyan collared shirt underneath. Something very formal for someone who’s had a very strange dress code for his line of work. “H-how? Katy told me you two weren’t going to make it.”

        “Well, I heard from Katy that you gave her some advice…” That had Nicko personally become a bit worried. Because he was unsure about what he was going to hear Lance say next. “… And I wanted to thank you for helping her. With it, she was able to help me out and get things back on track. Which is why we were able to make it today.”

        The Rune Slayer himself personally let out a sigh of relief in response… until he realized the full extent of what the Adept told him. “Hold on… We?”

        “Katy’s here too. She’s helping out Eris right now with preparations.” Lance clarified.

        “Right uh… Are you sure that you two can be here? I mean… forgive me if this sounds a bit bold but… with you two being part of a hero team, I thought that would be seen as a full time job.” The Rune Slayer replied back as his friend took a deep breath.

        “Yeah, my team and everyone on it is going incognito for the moment given some… incidents that played out back home,” The Azure Striker informed him. “Katy already told you how things were distorted in my world right?” Nicko nodded, prompting his friend to continue speaking. “Well, let’s say that because of that, a lot has changed… including my aunt, Aya. So much so that as time passed, a chain of events went off to which it placed both her team and mine against one another in a civil war. Even though none of us actually started it.”

        Now that threw Nicko off guard. Immediately. “Did anypony get hurt?”

        “Not really, but even though only a few people got hurt, it’s affected a lot of people that I know. Which is the reason why QUILL’s had to go into hiding for the time being.” Lance sighed, closing his eyes for a moment before looking back at Nicko. “But enough about me. Today’s about you, Eris and Moondancer. I wanted to be there and see you guys be happy once you were married. Max would’ve wanted to see that too, I imagine.” All Nicko could do was think that last part through and nod his head in response as he looked back at his friend.

        “I’m sorry for your loss… She was a very good friend to us too, Lance.”

        “I know… But if Max were able to talk to us, she wouldn’t want for us to be depressed and mope about her. Instead, she would want for us to keep moving on and not forget about her when she was with us,” Lance replied back to him, before extending his hand out to Nicko in order to give him something. “To which… I think you should be the one to have this.”

        The Rune Slayer extended his hands forward, cupping them so Lance could give him what was in his hand. When the Adept let go, Nicko was surprised to find a pair of rings in his hand. A set that looked… oddly familiar. Until he realized where he remembered seeing them before.

        “Lance… these are-”

        “Yes… This was the ring that once belonged to Max. It somehow ended up back in my old clothes after everything that happened. So, I asked for one more from Radiance to form a pair and decided to bring them here for you. Consider it an early wedding gift,” Lance replied back to him, noticing everypony else that was coming inside the venue and taking a seat. “Well, I better go take a seat. Best of luck.”

        “T-thanks…” Nicko replied, looking back at him for a moment and nodded his head. All before taking a deep breath as he felt a light breeze come from behind him. Turning around, he happened to notice Princess Cadence walking up from behind him as she was making her way up to where he was right now. “P-princess? What are you doing here?”

        “Well, today is the day for the ceremony. And even though Discord personally thought that he should be the pastor at today’s ceremony, I was able to convince him that somepony with a little more… experience should be best for the role.” The Alicorn told him. Even though Nicko personally questioned the thought that she had done something like this before, he decided to go along with it. She was the princess of love after all.

        “If that’s what you think would be for the best, than what do we have to lose?” He replied, shrugging his shoulders before looking to the front of the aisle. Watching as some of the fillies that were the flower mares began to walk down the aisle, while a cello could be heard from the side, noticing that Octavia had taken the liberties of conducting the music for the ceremony. The only oddity that he noticed was that Faith herself… was not wearing a dress. Instead, she opted for a suit that made her look like she was a butler.

        That was only for a moment though as he soon looked to the end of the aisle… and watched Discord guide both Eris and Moondancer down the aisle, dressed in their wedding gowns as they strode down the aisle. For a moment, Nicko was stunned by how beautiful they were before they reached the end of the aisle, the music slowly dying down as they faced him. Even watching as what looked like a girl that was a little bit younger than Faith had brought up a pillow that had one of the rings on there as the Rune Slayer took a moment to set down the two rings that Lance had given him, before the ceremony began.

        “Ladies and Gentlecolts,” Cadence began to speak. “We are gathered here today to celebrate the union of three special individuals. Each one of them being just as unique and kind as the last. Now… who would like to go first?”

        “I would like to, if that’s okay…” Eris spoke up, to which the princess nodded her head as Eris turned to face Nicko. “Nicko… when I first came across you, I honestly did not think that it would lead to something like this. Looking back though, both of us have gone through many things together and… I believe that our bond has only gotten stronger ever since. I’m really looking forward to what the future has in store for us. And the same goes for Moondancer as well.”

        “I guess I-i should go next then,” Moondancer replied, straightening her glasses for a moment. “Nicko… Eris… When I first met you two, I… didn’t know what to think of at first. I mean… I knew that I was trying to find some kind of purpose in life that was outside of the walls of Canterlot, but I did not know where exactly to look… You showed me that. Not to mention that you also taught me things that I never thought was possible before. Because of you, I… feel like myself again. And I both of you to thank for that. I will love both of you for eternity.”

        With that, it left Nicko to be the last one to speak. It was nerve racking… but soon, he was able to clear his throat and begin. “Eris… Moondancer… When I was younger, I didn’t think any of this was originally possible… better yet, I didn’t think that a lot of the things we would see on a day to day basis would be somehow possible either. But both of you have been able to help me open up my eyes to what can be possible… and for that, I am rather grateful. I will love both of you with all my heart… and nothing will change that.”

        Cadence nodded her head as Nicko finished his statement, smiling as she looked over the crowd. “Alright… I’m not sure if this part is necessarily needed, but if anypony objects to this union, speak now or forever hold your piece.” For a little while, things got rather quiet. The only thing that anypony could hear was the sound of chirping birds and a calm breeze.

        That was… until everypony heard a loud voice shout out from what looked like the bracer that was underneath the sleeve of Lance’s suit jacket. “Oh for the love of Celestia, JUST BUCKING KISS ALREADY!!!”

        All that did was make Katy giggle, while causing the adept to facepalm himself and groan deeply. “Ugh… Lumen… what did I tell you about-?”

        “What? I thought you were the one who originally told me that I can speak my mind.” They heard, which made the adept turn towards Nicko and the others at the front of the aisle.

        “I’m really sorry about this-”

        “N-no, it’s fine actually,” Cadence insisted, turning to the young girl that was still holding onto the pillow. “In fact, can we have the rings please?” The girl at first… seemed rather timid for a moment as she looked towards them. But, after a little bit, she was able to raise the pillow up as Cadence used her levitation magic to place them on the ring fingers of Moondancer and Nicko along with the Ring Talon of Eris’ eagle claw. Thanking the young girl as she then took a seat next to Lance and Katy. “Now, by the power vested in me, I now pronounce you… husband and wives.”

        As Cadence heard that, Nicko turned to see everypony that they knew that were either friend or family cheer for them. Shortly before hearing one last thing from Cadence. “You may now kiss the brides.”




End Log 33