Wyatt had his suitcase laid out on his bed. There was only a few changes of clothes and his essentials in it. He didn’t foresee the trip lasting too long. He could hear Twilight excitedly chatting about the trip upstairs with Spike.
“Listen to her go.” Wyatt chuckled, shaking his head. “She’s so happy.” He felt a smile tug at his lips, and he joyfully let it take over. “I haven’t seen her this happy in forever.”
He quickly finished what little packing he had left and dragged his suitcase upstairs.”Hey Twi!” Wyatt called out, displaying his suitcase. “I’m all ready for our trip. I even remembered my toothbrush.”
“Excellent!” Twilight clapped her hands, looking up from Spike’s suitcase. “We’re right on time!” Conjuring up a scroll and quill, she gave it a check. “Now, help me get Spike’s suitcase packed and we can get to the train station!”
Wyatt leaned in and started to help pack. He quirked a brow at some of what Spike was bringing. “Geez Spike, you don’t need to take the entire tree house with you.”
“I have to bring what Twilight forgets,” Spike defended, crossing his arms. “Plus, I wear clothes now so, that’s taking up all the space! And you know, I got Medajalibur in there too.”
“What could Twilight possibly forget for a couple day trip?” Wyatt argued, folding up one of Spike’s shirts.
“Everything,” Spike responded, tapping his foot impatiently. “You’ve seen how she panics about deadlines. When we moved here, she literally forgot her underwear.”
Wyatt couldn’t help but snicker at that thought. “Well, I’m sure she didn’t wear skirts until she got them back.”
“Can we not talk about my clothes?” Twilight grumbled, her face tinted red. “Why are you even putting your sword in a suitcase anyway? It takes up so much space.”
“Hold on, I just have one more question,” Wyatt started, a smirk on his face. “Anything lacey among the forgotten underwear?” He was rewarded by Twilight zapping him in the back and a full blown beard exploding from his face. Despite the pain, he couldn’t help but chuckle weakly. He made sure to keep quiet while he finished packing though. “Well... now I have to shave...”
Spike looked him over, putting a claw to his chin. “I dunno, Wy, I think you could pull off a goatee if you trimmed that beard up.”
“Eh, never been one for facial hair,” Wyatt waved him off, scratching at his chin. “I take it we don’t have any razors here, do we?”
“You live with a mare and a dragon,” Twilight pointed out with a giggle. “What makes you think one of us has a razor?” Taking pity on him, she zapped him again, removing his beard. “Just let that be a lesson to you.”
Wyatt chuckled, rubbing his smooth face. “I dunno, Twi, you should know by now that I’m a slow study. Anyway, we still need to get this suitcase ready, we want to stay on time, ya?”
Twilight looked over to the clock, her eyes widening. “You’re right! We need to hurry up.” Her horn lit up and she started levitating things into the suitcase.” With a spell, she locked the suitcase closed and almost hurled it at Spike. “We can’t be late!!”
“Could’ve done that anytime,” Spike grumbled, stumbling as he caught the suitcase. Tail swishing in agitation, Spike made sure he had his belt and medal case before walking towards the door. “Come on, we better get out of here or we won’t be an hour early like normal.”
“Perish the thought of that,” Wyatt said, hefting his own suitcase. “Then we might not have time to double and triple check the checklist. I mean, it’d be one thing if you were worried we’d miss our appointment with Celestia, but we’re in no danger of missing our train.”
“Keep it up and you two will have beards that drag along the floor,” Twilight warned, grabbing her own luggage. She quickly led them out the door and towards the train station. “I will not be late for my brother’s wedding!”
“Again, one hour before the train pulls into the station,” Spike reminded, walking right behind her. “And it’s a ten minute walk to the station. It’s a nightmare going anywhere with you.”
“Hey, at least she’s better than travelling with someone that’s always late,” Wyatt offered, keeping stride with the drake. “That’s so much more of a nightmare. Bet that's what living with Rarity is like.”
Spike nodded, shuddering. “Yeah, you make a good point. Plus, she basically takes everything she owns with her. It’s murder on my back to help her with it.” He fought the urge to rub his back. “Makes me dread offering every time...”
“But you always do,” Wyatt said, nudging Spike in the side. “She’s got you wrapped around her little finger.” Wriggling his fingers, he grinned. “You have any weird dreams since your sudden entry into puberty?”
“Dude, can we not talk about that with my sister right here?” Spike asked, a faint hint of color to his scales as he adjusted his suitcase. “She’s got her own problems to deal with, and I don’t think she can handle talking about that sort of thing.”
“I’ll take that as a yes,” Wyatt said with a chuckle. “Don’t worry, I won’t press further. But I will ask when we get settled at Canterlot.”
Spike rolled his eyes. “Whatever.” The trio continued down the street, making it to the train station with plenty of time to spare. Putting his suitcase on the bench, Spike shoved his hands in his pockets. “I’m gonna leave all the rider talk to you guys, I wanna take D.T around Canterlot.”
“That’s fine,” Wyatt assured, taking a seat on the bench and leaning in it as much as he could. “You deserve some more bonding time with your newfound family. Maybe you can get her into comics too?”
“That would be awesome!” Spike agreed, turning to Wyatt with a giant grin. “I just have to figure out a series that I think she’d like.” Closing his eyes, he imagined himself and his cousin getting into a heated argument over which of the power ponies was the coolest. “If only she could eat gems, that would be amazing...”
Wyatt chuckled. “Now you’re just getting greedy,” he teased. “Just try to get her into comics and then try for something like O&O. Bet she’d play a mean merchant.”
Spike nodded, an easy smile on his face as he pictured including his cousin in his sessions. He could see her getting into it given her competitive nature. “You make a good point, Wy. Though I do wish I could find another dragon to hang out with.”
“Maybe you could get one of those dragonesses you met to come hang out with you,” Wyatt suggested, putting his hands behind his head. “Might need to convince them to wear clothes, don’t know if pony sensibilities would apply to dragon females as opposed to males.”
Spike scratched his chin. “You make a good point, Wy. Those two were pretty cool. I was just hoping to get some more guy friends. Still, I’m sure Rarity would jump at the chance to make clothes for those two. Not sure where I would find em though...”
“Well, your grandfather would probably know something,” Wyatt offered. “And you’re gonna be seeing him pretty soon.” Wyatt gave Spike a nudge in the side. “You can show him how much progress you’ve made with the medals while you’re at it.”
“Yeah, I got two of his medals back and like four of my dads. Out of dozens...” Spike said, his ear fins drooping. “I really wish I had a way to track them. The world's a big place, how am I supposed to find them all?”
“The same way you accomplish any goal,” Wyatt started, giving Spike a smile. “One step at a time. You can’t expect determination alone to get you all the medals. You also need patience and the ability to appreciate the little victories. It’s been less than a year and you’ve already got six medals, that’s a big deal.”
Spike gave a nod, pulling his medal case close to his chest. “I just wish I could do more. I don’t even know how many medals my dad made.” Opening the case, he held the deer medal up to the light. “I want to make my dad proud of me.”
“I understand how you feel,” Wyatt assured, patting Spike on the shoulder. “But if your dad were able to right now, I’m sure the first thing he’d tell you is how proud you’ve made him. You’ve basically been doing nothing but focus on your rider duties since you got your belt. You’ve gotta remember that you’ve got other needs in your life. Otherwise you’ll get swallowed up by stress.”
“You don’t have to worry about that.” Twilight leaned down, nuzzling Spike’s head. “I’ll always be here for you, Spike. No matter what happens, I’ll always be your big sister, and that means I’ll always be there to nag you to take a break.”
Spike smiled, giving Twilight a quick hug. “Thanks, both of you. There’s also the fact that these medals can cause some serious harm to people. But you’re right, I can only do so much.” Pulling away, he hoped out of his seat. “I’m gonna go see if I can’t help D.T and Rich pack, watch my stuff, ya?”
“Just don’t take too long,” Twilight told him, sliding his luggage close to her. “I might be tempted to board the train without you.”
“Then, i’ll just have to fly there myself.” Spike waved his medal case before jogging back into town.
The drake eventually disappeared from sight, leaving Wyatt and Twilight all alone. He glanced at the mare, watching her as she pulled out her massive checklist.
‘Maybe I should try talking to her about this whole mess?’ Wyatt thought, his hand drifting to his chest. ‘She wouldn’t be able to bolt this time if she doesn’t want to miss the train.’ Just as he was about to open his mouth, Cadance’s advice replayed in his head. ‘No, I shouldn’t put her on the spot if she’s still uncomfortable. That’s no way to have this talk.’
“So...” he spoke, glancing over at her. “How do Equestrian weddings work? I’ve been to a few human ones, so I’m curious how they differ to the ones here.”
“Well, how do they work on Earth?” Twilight asked, looking up from her list. “I’ll tell you if something different comes up.” She smiled, fishing into her bag and pulling out her notebook. “This is actually a good way to pass the time, exchanging information about our cultures’ courtship practices.”
Wyatt watched her with amusement, beginning to describe the various weddings he had attended. Of course, he had to explain how one or two were from different cultures from the one he grew up in.
“Amazing,” Twilight said, quickly jotting down notes. “Wedding practices between your culture and mine are basically identical! Except, we have best mares instead of men.”
“That is pretty cool,” Wyatt admitted, his smile growing at the glint in her eyes. “Though I am a bit disappointed. I was looking forward to a wild wedding on another world. Now I’ll just have to do what I always did at weddings; stuff my face with free food and watch the actual couples dance.”
“Well...” Twilight tapped her quill against the paper. “We could dance... if you want...”
On the inside, fireworks were going off in Wyatt’s mind and he had to stop himself from jumping off the bench and cheering. Instead of all that, he gave her a smile and a nod. “Okay, I’d be fine with that.” He pointed a finger at her. “But I’ve got to warn you up front, I’m a terrible dancer. If you had toes, I would be stepping all over them.” His smile grew. “Still wanna dance with me?”
A giggle escaped Twilight’s lip. “Have you seen me dance, Wyatt? According to Rainbow Dash, I’m like a disaster on the dance floor.”
“Perfect!” Wyatt said, unable to contain his laughter. “Then we can be a disaster together.” He found himself standing up, leaning in close. “We’ll be like if Calamity Jane met Footloose.”
Twilight’s giggling turned into full blown laughter of her own. “Wyatt, I have no idea what either of those things are.” Wearing a bright smile, she moved closer. “I’m going to guess one of those things is a movie or something.”
Wyatt grinned, reaching over to poke Twilight’s muzzle. “Technically they’re both movies, but Calamity Jane was a nickname for a figure in history.”
“Well, why don’t you tell me about this figure?” Twilight ask, poking him back. The pair sat down on the bench, passing the time with a low key history exchange.
“Luna, please relax.” Celestia followed Luna with her eyes as the younger sister paced back and forth. The next few days had been scheduled to be as perfect as possible; weather ponies were pulling double shifts making sure to keep the skies clear and sunny. Of course, they were getting paid extra, Celestia wasn’t a slave driver.
“‘Tis easy for thou to say, sister,” Luna replied, unwittingly switching into her old Equuish as she continued to pace. “Thou hath been seeing to the decorations while we have been handling the guests. We have been working in tandem with the guard to covertly ensure that none of them are monsters in disguise.”
“And you’ve been doing a great job, Luna.” Celestia smiled, patting the seat next to her. “Come, sit and relax. We have things to discuss before our guests arrive.” Celestia’s sunroom had been chosen as the meeting place, both for its privacy and its calming atmosphere.
“Very well,” Luna said, letting out a long sigh as she took a seat beside her sister. She reclined in her seat, looking very unladylike. “I suppose I can afford a minute or two to relax considering we need to talk to your student.”
“Did you have any inkling?” Celestia asked, giving her sister a critical look. Both Starswirl’s sketchbook and Clover’s journal rested on the table in front of them. She hated to do it, but national security was paramount, and both texts had been confiscated.
“No, not even a little bit of one,” Luna said, turning her head to look at Celestia. “But, Starswirl was notorious for keeping secrets from us. To think, he had access to piece of young Wyatt’s powers.” She reached over to pick up the sketchbook and stared at the drawing of the K-Touch. “Misanthropic old curmudgeon.”
Celestia frowned, looking between the two books. “Yes, that certainly was one of his biggest flaws. But, we cannot change what has been done. All we can do is use what Starswirl left behind to help Wyatt attain this device of his.
”And what has he left behind?” Luna asked, waving the book around. “Whatever secrets our late teacher had he took to the grave. Wherever that is.” Dropping the book back on the table, Luna resumed her pacing. “Why make life easier for us, when he can make everything a challenge?”
Celestia let out a dry chuckle, putting a hand to her forehead and shaking it. “That always was his style: drop a problem into our laps and have us figure out a solution. Seems that much hasn’t changed even with this.”
Luna stopped, turning to look at her sister. “And yet, you do the same thing with Twilight Sparkle. Like teacher like student, yes?”
Celestia removed the hand from her head and smiled at her sister. “I cannot deny that it has been an effective method. My student has far exceeded my expectations for her. I think she can go on to surpass even us, sister. She might be ready.”
“In my humble opinion, I think she was ready the instant she bested Discord,” Luna retorted, pausing her pacing once more. “But as always, you had to lay contingency plans before you would admit that. What was the plan if Twilight and her friends failed? Hope Agito decided to return?”
Celestia waved her sister off and put on an easy smile. “Oh, my contingency plan is of no concern now. As expected, Twilight and her friends sealed Discord away once more and our favorite lawn ornament was returned to us.” Her smile grew wider and she put her hands in her lap. “Speaking of my student, have you heard the latest scoop from Cadance?”
“Yes I did. I don’t see how that is relevant to our conversation.”
“We were just talking about her growth,” Celestia huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. “Pardon me if I’m excited that she’s found somebody she’s interested in. I was starting to think that she was asexual.”
“Forgive me if I do not wish to partake in the life planning you’ve started,” Luna responded curtly. “Would I be far off the mark in saying you were the one that steered Shining Armor and Cadance together?”
Celestia snorted, waving her hand dismissively. “Oh please, all I did was have Cadance foalsit for Twilight. They steered into each other all on their own. Honestly Luna, do you think I sit around, meticulously planning out the minute details of everypony’s life?”
“Of course not,” Luna assured, a sweet smile on her face. “Just the ones that you take interest in.” Dropping her smile, she glanced out the window. “You know, you still haven’t told me why Agito left.”
Celestia sighed, rising out of her seat and walking towards the window. “I’m sorry I put off telling you... It wasn’t a pleasant event.” Extending a wing, she wrapped it around Luna’s shoulder. “Agito didn’t agree with your banishment.” Celestia closed her eyes, not wanting to look at Luna. “Some of his last words to me was how disgusted he was that I would do that to you; to just give up on my little sister and lock her away like some kind of monster.”
“Tia, I know you didn’t give up on me,” Luna said, returning the gesture and pulling Celestia into a hug of her own. “If there were any other way to stop me, you would’ve done it. But, I’m sure Agito didn’t want to hear any of that.”
Shaking her head, Celestia pulled Luna closer. “No, he didn’t. He spit in my face and took his leave.”
Luna winced. “Did he literally spit in your face or was that just a turn of phrase?”
“You knew him as well I do.” Celestia pulled away, wiping at her eyes. It felt good, sharing that little piece of information. “Honestly, I can easily sympathize with him. To lose your sibling and then watch someone else cast theirs out.”
Luna wiped at her own eyes, picturing her old friends as she remembered them. “Yes, I can more than understand his actions. Though, to think he’d hold onto his feelings for a millenia puts even my stubbornness to shame.”
“Either way, we need his help.” Celestia sighed, touching her forehead to Luna’s. “I just wish he could have his sibling back as well.” Her ears twitched, a knock coming from the door. “Yes?”
“It’s Twilight Sparkle and Wyatt Matthews, your majesty,” one of her guards replied from behind the door. “They are here to see you as per your orders.”
“Please, let them in.” Taking a breath, Celestia let her feelings smooth out. When Twilight and Wyatt walked in, she was sporting a bright smile. “Twilight, Wyatt, good to see you as always. I hope you had a pleasant trip. Please sit, I’ll send for some drinks.”
“The trip was great,” Wyatt replied, moving over to one of the couches and taking a seat. “And it’s good to see you two again as well. Though, it feels like every time we meet up, I end up having to fight monsters.” Spotting the two books, he cleared his throat. “So... Rider stuff...”
Celestia nodded, a serious expression settling on her features. “Yes, let’s get to that. I would like to start by saying that my sister and I are just as surprised as you to find out that Starswirl had rider powers of his own. We were still adolescents when he disappeared so he kept much of his plans and life to himself.”
“As much as I would like not to destroy Twilight’s image of him, our mentor was not what one would call a ‘nice pony’,” Luna added, folding her hands behind her back. “In fact, he could be downright hostile at times.”
Twilight’s ears flattened to her head, glancing down at the two books. “I can handle it, Princess Luna. Were you able to find any leads on the K-Touch? I went over everything in the library again but I couldn’t find a thing.”
“We’ve begun a search of our own library,” Celestia started, a frown on her face. “But all we’ve managed to find is a brief mention of using an artifact to help seal away Tirek. That might be the K-Touch but there was no mention of where it wound up.” Her frown deepened and she shifted slightly. “It could be that it ended up in Tartarus.”
Twilight paled and her ears flattened to her skull again. “But if it wound up there then it would be impossible for us to retrieve it.”
“Why would it be impossible?” Wyatt asked, looking between them. “What's stopping us from just going there and getting it?”
“The very air of Tartarus is toxic,” Luna explained. “Only those of demonic descent or have fully given into dark magic influence can safely pass through it. On top of that, it is filled to the brim with demons and those locked away by my sister and I. Nopony could go in and come out unscathed.”
Wyatt summoned his driver, looking at it critically. “I mean, I might be protected as long as I’m suited up. How tough could demons be to a rider anyway?”
“Some of the denizens could use the tallest building in Manehattan as a toothpick,” Luna deadpanned. “But your powers would not protect you. Kuuga and Agito tested their own powers against Tartarus and collapsed to the ground within minutes due to the air.”
For a moment, Wyatt didn’t respond. He dismissed the driver and rubbed his neck. “Yeah, you’re probably right. If they couldn’t do it, I probably couldn’t either.”
“Still, we have no evidence at the moment that the K-Touch is in Tartarus,” Celestia pointed out. “Even if your rider powers could protect you, you’d be going there with the distinct possibility of finding nothing.” She tapped her fingers against the arm of her seat and glanced at the sketchbook. “We will devote some of the G Project’s resources to developing a means to traverse Tartarus safely. In the meantime, we should continue to figure out its resting place.”
The four continued their talk for a while, relaying anything that had stuck out during their research.
Spike had an easy smile on his face as he led his cousin through the streets of Canterlot. Their first stop had been Donut Joe’s. Diamond Tiara had only gotten a cup of coffee, but Spike had ordered a dozen donuts just in case she changed her mind.
“I know all the cool spots around town,” Spike boasted, puffing his chest out a bit. “I had to do all the shopping. You think Twilight spends too much time inside now? She used to be a complete shut-in.”
Diamond giggled, picturing Spike run out and buy things for a shut-in Twilight. She gave him a light push in the side. “I bet you just know the best places for groceries and nerd stuff.”
“I know a pretty good spa,” Spike added, waving to a few ponies he recognized. “They do this awesome thing with hot rocks. Really loosens up the muscles. And they always make my scales nice and shiny~”
“Oh, I’ve heard of that treatment!” Diamond exclaimed, a bright smile on her face. “It’s supposed to feel fantastic. So, did you go to this spa with your mom?”
“Yeah, the first time I did.” Spike opened the donut box, tossing one into his mouth. “I got her a reservation for mother’s day and she insisted I go with her. It was just so good, I had to go again.”
Diamond nodded, taking a sip of her coffee. “Oh, I had the exact same reaction the first time Aloe and Lotus gave me their full special treatment.” She put a hand on her cheek. “I felt like I was glowing.”
“Looks like we had way more in common than we thought.” Spike swished his tail, an almost purr like rumble coming from his throat. “This is my favorite comic shop!” Running a bit ahead, he threw his arm out to the store in question. “Shining used to bring me here all the time.”
Diamond looked up at the sign of the store, which read, Marvelous Comics, and then into the window. She could make out figurines and vintage comic covers that would surely entice a fan. She sniffed at the air, pinching her nose and looking at Spike with a cheeky grin. “I think I can smell the nerd coming off this place.”
“That was so funny, I forgot to laugh.” Spike rolled his eyes, returning Diamond’s grin. “Have you actually ever even read a comic?”
Diamond rubbed her chin. “Um, that depends, do the strips in the newspaper count?”
“Come on.” Taking her free hand with his, he pulled her inside. “There’s tons of titles in here. We’re bound to find one you like somewhere.”
Diamond’s muzzle scrunched up, a pang of uncertainty rising inside her. She glanced around the room, finding walls sectioned off by companies she had heard of thanks to the colts in her class. In the middle of the room were several tables with displays of comics that the employees had selected for recommendations. There were also shelves that had toys, figures, trading cards and various other collectibles.
After a bit of perusing, she came across a familiar name. Ponan the Barbarian; issue #12 Lair of the Shadowmancers. “You know, my dad used to talk about reading Ponan when he was a colt.” Looking at the issue number, she frowned. “But, why is it only issue 12? Shouldn’t they be in the hundreds by now?”
“Oh, it’s a common practice to reboot a series or just start over the numbering process in order to attract new readers,” Spike explained, picking up the comic. “Especially for a classic series like this. Seeing issue numbers nearing one thousand can be intimidating to someone looking to get into comics. What you want is an omnibus... something like this!” Moving down the aisle a bit, he hefted up a thick tome. “Ponan the Barbarian omnibus #1! Has issues 1-200.”
Diamond gaped at the book Spike was holding. She had to double check if he wasn’t just holding more than one in an attempt to prank her. “Okay, I see what you mean by intimidating.” She scrunched her muzzle up, scrutinizing the book. “But maybe my dad and I could read this together?”
Spike nodded, passing her the book. “I think that’s a great idea. Even if you don’t like it, I think he’ll appreciate that you tried.” Gesturing with his head, he turned towards the counter. “Come on, my treat.”
“Aren’t you going to get anything for yourself?” Diamond asked, adjusting the book so she could carry it at her side.
“Nah, the next Power Ponies issue isn’t until next week.” Spike shrugged, guiding her up to counter. “Heya, Kirby! How’s it been?”
A middle-aged stallion turned around, he had on a pale sweater and black pants. His fur was a light brown while his mane was black and slicked back. “Heya Spike, long time no see. Things have been pretty good on my end, but the Mrs. and I can’t get my daughter to wear anything else but that Mane-iac costume we got her for Nightmare Night.”
“Mane-iac is pretty cool,” Spike offered. “D.T, this is Kirby Crackle, known him as long as I’ve been collecting comics. Kirby, this is my cousin, Diamond Tiara. And we’re buying her first comic.”
Kirby looked between the two and smiled. “Sounds like you’ve made some progress on learning about your family since the last time we met.” His gaze settled on Diamond and the book. “Classic Ponan, interesting choice. If you come back again then I can help you with some recommendations.” He took the book and ran it through the register, though at the same time one of his hands was moving beneath the counter. “Okay, so that’s a Ponan the Barbarian Omnibus for the little lady and…” he placed a large figure of a costumed mare onto the counter. “An original run Radiance statuette signed by her designer for you, Spike. That’ll be 20 bits.”
Spike glanced that the statuette, grinning at the stallion. “You know, Shining Armor is getting married today. You got any rare O&O stuff in? I’m in charge of his bachelor party and I need to remind everyone how much of a dork he is.”
“Oh, I have just the thing,” Kirby replied with a grin. He stepped into the back room and reappeared with a few figures of a scantily clad unicorn mare with a bow in her hands. Said mare bore more than a passing resemblance to Cadance. “My wife made these the instant we heard the news ole Shiny was tying the knot. Custom figures of the first character he ever ran, Lovesong!”
A long laugh burst out of Spike and he nearly dropped his donut box. “Oh man, those are perfect! He was such a dweeb!”
“Oh, don’t laugh too hard,” Kirby said with an impish grin. “My wife still has your first character sheet handy for the day when you get hitched.”
“Ha! I was eight, Vorpal Claw is an edgelord, but at least he ain’t Lovesong,” Spike countered, reaching into his pocket. “Twenty bits!” Placing them on the table, he offered a donut. “I saved the banana cream just for you.”
“You know my vices all too well,” Kirby said, taking the money and the pastry. “Oh, we got a couple new series in,” he said, pointing a thumb to a wall labeled, new releases. “Somepony was inspired by those Kamen Riders and have started making comics about ‘em.”
Spike nearly fainted on the spot, his eyes going wide. He was in a comic?! Stumbling over to the aforementioned wall, he grabbed the comic in question. He frowned slightly when he saw that it was Decade in the foreground, with OOO and W in the background posing. Though, his spirits were lifted when he saw that all of them had their own solo series. Grabbing all three, he went back to the counter.
“That was quick...” he muttered, giving Kirby a weak smile.
Kirby took the three comics and ran them through the register. “That’ll be three bits.”
Spike paid, passing them to D.T “It was nice seeing you again, Kirby.”
“Don’t be a stranger, Spike. My wife has learned how to make dishes with gems in them hoping you’ll stop by for dinner someday,” Kirby offered, waving goodbye to the drake.
“I’ll have to take her up on that!” Spike called back, walking out of the store as calmly as possible. Once outside, he leaned against the wall staring off into the distance. “I’m in a comic book.”
Diamond smiled, looking over the issues. “That has to be a dream come true.”
“Yeah but, it’s not me though.” Spike set the donut box on the ground, taking the OOO comic from her. “They don’t know anything about the stuff behind OOO. Not that I’m a dragon, or how the medals were made. They’re just gonna make stuff up.”
Diamond nodded, putting a hand on his shoulder. “That might be true, it isn’t literally you that’s going to be depicted.” She held up the issue of OOO’s solo series. “But it’s what you’ve done that’s inspired this. Somepony out there was inspired by your actions to write stories about you. Isn’t that still pretty special?”
Perking up, Spike nodded. “Yeah, it is. And who's to say I can’t correct them someday? You know... what if someone were to anonymously give them a bit of backstory...?”
Diamond giggled, patting his shoulder. “That’s the spirit. And I bet these series will be really good! We should read them together!”
Spike rumbled again, nuzzling Diamond’s cheek. “Yah, I’d like that a lot, D.T.” Pulling away from her, he glanced at a clock store. “We should start heading back. Wedding’s in a few hours and we have to get ready.”
Diamond nodded, an excited grin on her face. “Yeah! I’ve got an amazing dress to wear!”
The two walked down the street towards the castle, chatting about their plans for the reception.
Somber Shield adjusted his suit in front of a full length mirror in one of the spare bedrooms of Canterlot Castle. “His” wedding was quickly approaching and the last thing he wanted was to be late. He couldn’t help but let out a dark chuckle as he fixed his mane. He almost felt bad for how easy it had been to infiltrate Shining Armor’s life. Not even Cadance hinted at figuring out his identity.
“All too easy.” Somber’s eyes shifted colors, taking on a sickly green color. Purple smoke erupted from them, wafting throughout the room. “Not even Chrysalis did it this well.” A predatory smile cut across his muzzle. “I’m a little disappointed, I was hoping this world would be more of a challenge.”
He chuckled darkly and stepped away from the mirror. Glancing around the room, he let the purple smoke take vague shapes. While he had yet to discover any secrets out of one of the princesses that would prove useful, he knew it was only a matter of time before he did.
A perverse hum emitted from his throat, his grin turning ravenous. “I’ll enjoy claiming Cadance as my own, Shining Armor. You wouldn’t know what to do with her anyway.” He held his hand out in front of him, lighting his horn up with a sickly purple aura and letting purple flames dance at his fingertips. The flames converged at his palm and grew in size. Inside the flame, visions of Cadance corrupted by dark magic swirled like smoke.
Taking a breath, Somber shuddered nearly biting his lip hard enough to make it bleed. “One step at a time.” Closing his palm, he waved his hand, creating a ripple in the air. “Apollo, report. Are the combatmen ready?”
Stepping out of the ripple was an older Japanese man, wrapped in a crisp white suit. “Aye sir, they are more than ready. I am eagerly awaiting your signal to begin our attack.” Reaching up, he adjusted his tie. “Midnight assures me that her team will be ready as well.”
Somber chuckled, putting his hands behind his back. “Excellent, I expected nothing less from the lot of you. Stay in position, you know your signal.” As Apollo vanished from the world, Somber glanced in the mirror again. “Soon, the Destroyer of Worlds will be mine, and Dai-Shocker will be forever.”
Outside the door, Chrysalis stood with her ear pressed to it. ‘Sounds like we’ve got some wedding crashers. But what’s this about a destroyer of worlds? Slipping away down the hall, a plan formed in her mind. A perfect way to ingratiate ponies toward changelings and integrate fully into their society.
The time of the ceremony had finally come. Somber stood in his suit, staring down the aisle and awaiting the entrance of Cadance. At his side was Twilight, and even with her being so close she didn’t suspect there was anything wrong with her “big brother”. The wedding march started to play, and Somber had to keep the wicked grin off his face as the grand doors started to slowly open.
Cadance strode into the room, wearing a gorgeous wedding gown. Locking eyes with him, a sweet smile was sent his way. Trailing behind her were three fillies, tossing rice liberally. Just as she was only a few scant feet away from him, the doors were opened once more. White hot anger spiked through Somber as he saw a mare he didn’t recognize leading a dazed Shining Armor into the room.
“Stop the ceremony!” the mare called out. “Princess Cadance, I’m sorry, but whatever that thing next to you is, it’s not Shining Armor. Just being near it makes me want to vomit. There isn’t an ounce of love in that stallion’s body, just the blackest hate I’ve ever felt.”
Cadance took a step back from Somber, looking between him and Shining Armor in utter confusion. “What is going on here?”
“So that’s your game, is it Chrysalis?” Somber asked, taking a step closer. “You won’t invade yourself, but you’ll suck up to them? It matters not, I was getting tired of pretending anyway.”
It was Twilight’s turn to take a step back, looking at Somber in horror. “What? Shiny, what are you talking about?”
“I’m sorry, Twily, I’m not Shining Armor.” Somber summoned a ripple around himself, altering his attire. Military dress gave way to grey plate mail, a red cape hanging from his shoulders. His eyes shifted, nearly obscured by the smoke. Proudly emblazoned across his breastplate was the two headed eagle seal of Dai-Shocker.
Wyatt instantly recognized the symbol, slipping out of the assembled crowd as best he could and summoning his driver. In a matter of moments, he was in his Decade armor and he rushed out to stand in front of Somber. “So, you’re a member of Dai-Shocker,” he said, pulling out his sword.
“I am Somber Shield.” Raising his hands up, Somber summoned more ripples. With a collective cry of ‘Yeee!’ dozens of Combatmen swarmed into the hall. “Created from the union of King Sombra’s black soul and Shining Armor’s empty body. I am the Great Leader of Dai-Shocker and a conqueror of countless worlds!”
Wyatt glanced around at the combatmen before glaring beneath his helmet at Somber. “Your conquering’s over, Somber. Give up now, or we can do this the hard way.”
Lowering his arms, Somber leveled a fanged smile at Wyatt. “Come now, we need not be enemies.” Walking closer, Somber conjured several walls around them. “Do they know, Wyatt, just where exactly your powers come from?”
“That doesn’t matter in the slightest,” Wyatt growled, pointing his sword at Somber’s throat. “Get any closer and you’re dead. Decade’s origin from the show isn’t mine.”
Somber laughed, turning to the now captive audience. “The Decadriver was not made for a hero. It was made for the original Great Leader of Dai-Shocker; Tsukasa Kadoya, to help him conquer all worlds.”
“Last time I checked, I’m not Tsukasa,” Wyatt countered. “I use the driver to save lives, not conquer them. So if you’re done with your meaningless history lesson, there’s a nice opening in the dungeon with your name on it.”
“You feel it, don’t you?” Somber asked, circling around Wyatt. “Just under the surface; all that power. It must be so intoxicating. Why shouldn’t you embrace it, you could even go home, Wyatt.”
Wyatt’s sword shook for a moment as he watched Somber. There was a tugging at his chest as he thought of his friends and family. And with it, a faint feeling, almost like a whisper at the edge of his mind. “N-no, it’s not intoxicating,” he dismissed. “If I embraced it, I wouldn’t be me. My family wouldn’t want to see that thing.”
“And just imagine the good you could do there with your powers,” Somber came to a stop in front of Wyatt, pursing his lips. “Just how many nations does Earth have again? Somewhere around a hundred? Wouldn’t it be better if they were under one rule; your rule?” A grin split his muzzle as Wyatt’s armor started to brighten. “Yes that’s it, Wyatt. Embrace your power! Become the Destroyer of Worlds!”
Twilight’s eyes widened as she saw what was happening to Wyatt. She tried to rush up to him, only to be cut off by a ripple in the world. “Don’t listen to him!” she shouted, pounding against the ripple and firing magic at it in a futile attempt to breach the barrier. “You’re no destroyer!”
Somber cackled, his grin spreading as Wyatt’s helmet shifted, taking on a more sinister bend. “Oh, how easily are the young minds are molded. I’m sorry, Twily, the Wyatt you knew is simply no longer there. Your precious harmony will follow suit soon enough.”
“You’re wrong!” Twilight shouted, continuing to bang her fists as her eyes remained focused on Wyatt. “He’s stronger than you think! He’s no destroyer! He’s the kind of person that rushes to help someone he doesn’t even know! The kind of person that fights even when his body wants to break! And that’s what I love about him!”
Somber stepped up to the wall, leaning down so he was face to face with Twilight. “I do so love crushing the hope from your soul, Twily. That moment when you finally realize I’ve won.” Somber licked his fangs. “Always the highlight of an invasion.”
The brightening of Wyatt’s armor paused for a moment and his consciousness stirred as Twilight’s words bounced around his head. One in particular lingered. Wyatt turned his head, focusing on Twilight. “Took you long enough,” he managed to say, a grin beneath his helmet. “I love you too, Twilight.”
Somber turned away from Twilight, his face contorted into a visage of pure rage. “You idiot! You’re throwing away your only chance at returning to your home!”
“I like my home here,” Wyatt replied, his armor reverting to its default state. “I have friends, a place to stay, a job. Sure, it hurts; not being able to go back, but I can’t wallow in that. I have to keep on keeping on.” He snapped his fingers, striking a quick pose. “After all, I’m the passing through Kamen Rider.” He pointed a finger at Somber. “Remember that.”
His moment was ruined when somber blasted him through the wall and into Celestia. “You weak willed ape! If I can’t tempt you, I’ll simply force you! Apollo, consider that your signal!”
More ripples appeared and an armored figure stepped out of one of them. His helmet was dark purple with metallic wings coming off the sides. The center of the helmet had a blue, stained glass-like pattern that ended with a spike coming off the top of the helmet. On his shoulders was a white cape that went down to his knees. In his left hand was a large shield that resembled a mix between a chariot wheel and a saw blade and in his right was a long rifle.
Around him dropped down a group of teenage human girls, each sporting unnatural skin and hair colors.
“Bow before your new ruler!” Apollo commanded, brandishing his shield and firing his rifle at the feet of the crowd.
Wyatt pulled himself away from Celestia, standing up and helping her to her feet. “I’m not much of a bower. Plus, Equestria’s doing just fine with the current management.” His eyes settled on the human girls. “Um, who dipped the cast of Mean Girls in candy coating?”
“We’re the shadowbolts, idiot,” a pale golden girl responded, summoning up a yellow and purple bow. “Nobody beats us.” Raising her weapon, she fired off a few laser arrows into the crowd.
Spike jumped up, quickly turning into his TaToBa form and swiping the arrows out of the air with his Tora claws. “There’s a first time for everything, shadowdolts.”
Lighting her horn, Celestia teleported to the chamber doors. “Everypony, quickly, evacuate the hall! I shall help the riders hold off these cretins!”
The crowd didn’t waste any time to heed that order, filing out of the hall in a disorganized mess. Twilight lingered for a moment, but a motion of Wyatt’s head got her to finally take her leave.
Maud stopped her, already in the process of transforming. “Take Pinkie’s body with you,” Maud commanded, engaging her driver.
Twilight nodded, picking Pinkie up in her magic. “Don’t worry, I’ll keep her safe,” she assured, carrying Pinkie’s suddenly limp body out of the room. “Wyatt!” Looking over her shoulder, Twilight watched as Wyatt confronted Apollo. “You better come back!”
“Are you kidding?!” Wyatt called back, dodging and deflecting shots from Apollo’s rifle. “Of course I’m coming back! You still owe me a dance!” He charged forward and slashed at Apollo only to be blocked by his shield. “No way I’m dying before getting that!”
“Hey, lay off the boss!” A pink skinned girl rushed in behind him, slugging Wyatt in the back of the head. “You got that, Pink Boy?” Wrapping her arms around his waist, she heaved him into the air and suplexed him.
Wyatt groaned, pulling himself to his feet and staring in disbelief at the group of girls. “Okay, so apparently you’re not your average cheer squad. I might have to get serious.” He pulled out a pair of cards, slotting the first one into his driver.
“Kamen Ride: Kuuga!” the driver called out. The instant Wyatt’s armor settled, he slotted the next card in. “Form Ride: Dragon!” Wyatt’s armor turned blue, a long rod appearing in his hands with gold bits at the end with a blue jewel resting in them.
“You should fight like you mean it,” a bluish gray skinned girl responded, drawing a golden firearm. She fired a volley of shots, while the pink girl rushed in for another punch.
Wyatt twirled his staff in his hands, deflecting as many shots as he could. One managed to sneak its way through, hitting him in the shoulder and causing him to stumble. The pink girl capitalized on this and uppercutted him before he could recover.
“Keep him there, Lemon,” the golden girl ordered, aiming her bow at Wyatt’s prone form. “Let’s see if I can’t get a bullseye.”
“Stop talking and hit him,” the gray girl scolded, firing a few shots at Spike. “We’re not here to play games, Sour Sweet.”
Maud came up behind Sour Sweet and wrapped her arms around her waist. Taking a page out of the girl’s playbook and heaved Sour Sweet into a suplex. “You should’ve listened to your friend,” she deadpanned.
Splitting her bow into a pair of hand sickles, Sour Sweet slashed at Maud’s legs. “You know, what great advice, for an idiot!”
Maud jumped back, one of the sickles nicking her leg. Internally, she hissed in pain, watching from the corner of his eye as Spike and Wyatt were fighting the other four girls. Closing her driver, she slipped both memories out, slotting in the metal memory, and another labelled ‘heat’. Her armor changed, the left side taking on the silver color from before while the ride side changed to a bright red with the accents turning orange.
Grabbing her staff, Maud ignited both ends, leaping in to assist her comrades. “Are they familiar?” She asked, swinging her weapon at Lemon’s legs.
Wyatt targeted Lemon as well, swinging his staff into her side. “Their weapons are from Ex-Aid, but they aren’t in any rider form. Plus, I’ve never seen humans come in gray or bright pink outside of sci-fi shows.”
Cries of ‘yee’ echoed around them. Celestia and Chrysalis had most of the combatmen’s attention; Celestia weilding a fiery pair of chakram and Chrysalis brandishing a black bladed scimitar. A few guards fought by their side; one or two of them having revealed themselves as changelings. Despite how serious Somber came off, the Combatmen diminished it slightly. They appeared to be ordinary humans wearing form fitting suits with the top portion mimicking a human skeleton. Their faces were obscured by black and white luchador masks with the symbol of Dai-Shocker logo on the forehead. Their high pitched cries didn’t help matters either.
“Why would you dress your minions in such silly outfits?” Chrysalis asked, cutting through a trio of combatmen. “It’s like he’s trying to-” Her quip was cut off as one of the combatmen morphed into a missile and collided with her back. She cried out in pain, barely managing to stay on her hooves. “Well, that diminishes the silliness a bit,” she croaked out.
“They’re certainly undertrained,” Celestia noted, spinning her chakram in a series of blinding motions and lighting a line of combatmen ablaze. “I take it, you didn’t bring any other servants with you?”
“I didn’t,” Chrysalis admitted, erecting a barrier with her magic and using it to push back a wall of combatmen. “But, I can send a word through the hivemind and my best warriors can be here soon.”
“Please do.” Celestia panted, her dress torn and bloody. “We can talk about your masquerade later. I’m very interested in how you got past our security.”
Chrysalis nodded, going silent for a moment as she lifted her head upward. Once she was done she twirled her scimitar in one hand and cut down another Combatman. “There, I’ve sent the call. Now, has that G-Project of yours bore any ripe fruit yet?”
“An untested prototype,” Celestia replied, blasting a group of Combatmen that tried to leave. “Hopefully, Luna will arrive with reinforcements.”
Chrysalis frowned, throwing a barrier around Celestia as another Combatman turned into a missile and launched at her. “I’d have to ask why she hasn’t already arrived. The entire city should be swarming like angry bees.” shooting a glance at Somber, she frowned. “Unless we’re not the only ones under attack.”
Somber chuckled, crossing his arms over his arms over his chest. “Oh, I think you’ve got more than enough to worry about here. Besides, I can’t just go carelessly showing all the cards in my hand.”
“If there was a time for you to show up, Agito, it would be now,” Celestia muttered under her breath, glancing at the doors in the vain hope the missing rider would appear.
Instead, Luna appeared in full armor with her hammer in her hands, a band of guards behind her. By her side was a different sight Celestia wasn’t expecting to see, G-1, out of the lab and poised for battle.
“Oh good, you aren’t dead,” Chrysalis snarked, grinning cheekily. “I was afraid you took a wrong turn. This is a big place after all.”
“Pardon my tardiness,” Luna said, bringing her hammer down on the head of a Combatman, “but the research team required some persuasion before they’d let me bring the G-1 armor for a field test.”
“Your Highness,” G-1 greeted, snapping her a salute. “I’m ready to give it my all.” The G-1 armor was almost dead on for Kuuga; if the long passed rider used a mechanical suit. Rivets were clearly visible on the suit’s surface, as were several welding marks. The joints and limbs had obvious divisions with the mechanisms responsible for its ability to bend were on display. Its belt was more rectangular than Kuuga’s with circuits visible just below the surface.
“You think a toy will save you?” Somber asked with a laugh. “Apollo, send that pile of scrap to the junkyard.”
Apollo gave an affirmation, pointing his rifle at G-1’s head and firing a volley of shots. G-1 leapt across the room, the bullets bouncing off his armor. He landed on his feet, throwing a punch at Apollo’s chest.
Apollo quickly blocked the punch with his shield, gritting his teeth as the vibrations travelled along his arm. He growled in frustration, swinging the serrated edge of his shield at G-1’s neck. G-1 slipped under the shield, dropping into a sweep kick. Apollo tumbled down, using his shield and rifle to keep himself from falling flat on his face.
Wyatt snuck a glance at G-1 as he fended off attacks from Sour Sweet and Sunny Flare. “That’s certainly a welcome sight.”
Something caught Wyatt’s eyes, making him look up to see a white thin diamond flying through the air coming toward him, it appeared out of nowhere, not even a portal or anything. Wyatt managed to catch the gem before it could collide with his skull, spinning on his heel to narrowly avoid getting his throat torn out by Sour Sweet’s sickles.
“What the hell is this?” Wyatt muttered, turning the jewel over. “Kinda looks like something out of the Elder Scrolls series.” It looked like a typical gem, except that it was cradled in a wrought iron bracket that surrounded the gem and ended in spear-like points. The sounds of something being scribbled on paper was heard coming out of it.
“...Hmm? Did I establish another connection?” A voice came out from within the stone.
“Uh, yeah, I guess you could say that,” Wyatt said, dodging an attack from Lemon. “We’re kinda in the middle of kicking out some wedding crashers. So if you’re free, help would be appreciated.”
“Place the stone somewhere out of harm’s way, I’ll be there in a few moments.” The voice said, it sounded slightly deep, like the voice had a sore throat.
“Out of harm’s way,” Wyatt muttered, glancing around the chamber turned battlefield. “I’ll see if I can manage that.” He leapt out of the way of another attack, trying to find a spot for the stone. Jumping away from the brawl, Wyatt placed the stone on the ground. “There, that should be good enough.”
The stone floated up into the air and glowed softly, slowly pieces of solid material floated up from the air, taking the form of an arc gate as runes slowly faded in on each piece. They couldn’t be understood for the time being as the language did not exist in this world. Magicka slowly connects between each stone before completing the arc with the gem. Light exploded from its center as a blue hooded and robed being walked through. At first, others would mistake it for just a pony, but the blue tail pretty much told otherwise. Seeing that a battle was brewing, he began moving his arms in a pattern and whispered quietly to himself, causing dark mist to raise from his armored boots; it washed over him as armor started appearing on his upper body having strange bronze onyx armor with yellow patterns, the pauldrons were made of steel while the gauntlets were silver with gold trimmings, the rest of his hands were covered with chainmail. The last thing to appear was a silver and yellow staff in his left hand that held a black and orange opal on top. The man pulled out a axe that reminded Wyatt of the Mithril type.
“Well, that’s certainly an entrance,” Wyatt said, moving over to the figure’s side. “Sorry to spring this on you, but let me get you caught up. These,” he pointed an end of his staff at the Dai-Shocker members, “are the bad guys. And everyone else are the good guys.”
“Just be sure to tell them to be careful near me. Tenmetsu.” The newcomer said before suddenly vanishing from where he stood and appeared near one of the members. With his arm pulled back, he delivered a swift swing at one of them.
Sour Sweet brought up her sickles just in time to avoid being cleaved in two. The force of the blow sent her skidding back a couple feet. “You know, no one invited you!”
“What are you talking about?” Wyatt questioned, jumping up and thrusting his staff into the back of her head. “I invited him. Did you pass out for a couple seconds?”
Before she could answer back, she quickly found herself being blasted by electricity that was fired from out of the newcomer’s axeholding hand. “Shokku Mahi.” He whispered.
Electricity coursed through Sour Sweet, causing her to grit her teeth as her hair stood on end. Wyatt capitalized on her predicament by sweeping her feet out from under her and slamming her forehead with his staff.
Sour Sweet crumpled to the ground, her sickles clattering to the floor. They shimmered, breaking about into green particles.
Wyatt sighed in relief, turning to face the other combatants. “That’s one down, five to go.” He brought his staff up, looking over to decide who to target.
“Kenshutsu.” He whispered, his eyes glowing bright purple within the darkness of his hood. Nothing else appeared to happen rather than the slitted eyes. “Kaen Hakai Suru.” He whispered next as he rotated his arms to gather magic into his hands, he thrusted them forward with staff and axe still in them to send a blazing spear of fire going toward Lemon.
“That is not cool!” Lemon swore, the spear grazing her head, cutting off some of her hair. Materializing a heavy looking handgun, she opened fire on the mage. “You don’t cut a girls hair!”
The mage was surprised by the sudden force that collided with his armor, but it held together thanks to a strange purple glow that cloaked it. He didn’t bother to question the weapon Lemon used and decided to keep the question in his mind for the time being. He placed his clawed hand onto Wyatt’s shoulder before whispering the same word that allowed him to teleport, but this time the Kamen Rider came along with him and appeared behind Lemon in the blink of an eye.
Lemon whirled around, her face contorted in surprise. “That’s even less cool!! Sugarcoat! Sunny! Get the robe guy!” Before she could say anything else, Wyatt punched her in the face, sending her to the ground in a crumpled heap. Her weapon dissipated into green particles as well, letting Wyatt know she was out cold.
“They’re either too shocked, or they appear to less of a threat than I thought..” The robed person said in minor amusement.
Wyatt squared off against Sunny, deflecting the swings of her sword with a series of twirls from his staff. “I’m hoping for the former, the latter would just make me feel weak.” He swore as he had to lean back, one of Sunny’s swings coming dangerously close to hitting him in the face.
Somber tsked, scowling deeply. “Apollo! Stop playing around and deal with that Displaced! We’re already down two shadowbolts!”
“Fujo suru.” the robed humanoid whispered as his body was surrounded by a purple glow, he levitated over to where Sugarcoat was, the spell is dispelled as he comes falling down toward her with axe being swung down on her.
Sugarcoat brought her own axe up and had it collide with the robed figure’s. A loud clang echoed through the hall as Sugarcoat crossed her blade with the figure’s. She grit her teeth, pushing against the other axe.
“Yield.” He demanded toward the light purple girl as he pushed harder against her weapon.
Heeding his master’s orders, Apollo bashed G-1 in the face with his shield. Grabbing the dazed rider, he brought his shield blade down on G-1’s elbow, cleanly sawing through it. G-1 yelled in pain, bringing his free arm up to stop the bleeding from his missing limb.
Wyatt growled, his focus set squarely on Apollo. He grabbed a card off his belt, pushing it into his driver. “Final Attack Ride: K-k-Kuuga!” Wyatt jumped high into the air, thrusting his staff in a dizzying display straight at Apollo.
Apollo tossed G-1 aside, bringing his shield up to block the attack. Wyatt pressed the attack, looking for an opening in Apollo’s defense. His eyes lit up in realization, striking Apollo in his right shoulder with all the strength he could muster. Something finally gave, Apollo falling to his knees. His right arm hung limp, rifle falling at his feet.
Wyatt’s form armor dissipated into his standard Decade form, a firm look squared on Apollo beneath his helmet as he pointed his sword at the prone general. “Maybe I should take one of your arms to make things even?” he said, stepping closer to Apollo. “How’s that sound?”
Somber laughed, clapping his hands slowly. “Very good, Wyatt. There might still be hope to turn you into the Destroyer of Worlds. Go ahead, get your revenge against Apollo. Do it.”
Hearing no response from Sugarcoat, the mage drops his staff and brings his arm over close to her face. “Chamu.” He whispers as wave of pink and white magic washed over her, sending suggestive waves in an attempt to charm her.
Sugarcoat winced, taking a step back. “Get out of my head!”
“Keep her right there for me,” Spike called out, kicking Sunny away from him. Swapping Batta for Wani he charged her, ending in a jump kick to her stomach. The crocodile head chomped down on the disoriented girl. Sunny cried out in pain, trying to pry the crocodile jaws off of her. She bashed at the jaws with her sword, the attacks having no visible effect either.
“You should consider your life choices.” Sugarcoat turned her head just in time to see Maud’s fist flying at her head. When Spike finally released her, Sugarcoat collapsed to the ground, her weapon disintegrating.
“Only two remain.” The mage said as he kneeled down to pick up his battlestaff.
“And today started so well.” Somber snorted, waving his hand. A ripple passed towards the door, sweeping the Combatmen from the world. “Though, I think we’ve made our point.” Lighting his horn, Somber blasted Wyatt clear through the wall and out into open air. “Should have taken my offer boy.”
Mustering all the strength he could, Wyatt called out, “Eat a dick!” With that done, he spun himself around to see the ground was quickly approaching him. He pulled a card from his belt, pushing it into its slot.
“Displaced Ride: Cassie!” Wyatt’s armor changed and he spread the electric wings of his armor to catch himself just in time for the ground to come into focus inches from his face.
Wyatt sagged in relief, letting himself drop to the ground and his armor dissipate to leave him in his suit. “Oh, thank whatever deity is out there that decided to save my ass,” he said, turning to lie on his back.
With an arm outstretched toward Somber. “Terekineshisu, Futan.” He whispered as a blast of yellow and blue magicka fired out in the form of a beam, the moment it hit the unicorn, he felt suddenly heavy as if gravity around him was working against him.
Somber fought against the spell, turning his ire towards the robed figure. “Cute.” He blasted a bolt of dark magic at the figure, a large pillar of crystal erupting from the floor and crashing into the figure’s stomach. However, something appeared to be off, the blue robed figure looked like he was absorbing some of the magic. The rest of the spell however still provided damage to his enchanted armor.
“The stars of the Atronach disagree with you.” The mage said mockingly, and with a strong tug of his clawed hand that he cast his spell from, the unicorn ended up flying into the nearest wall. The mage then took a quick glance around him to see if Spike and the others were doing alright.
A moment later, Somber was in his face delivering a backhand. “You think to stop me, child? You are nothing but a worm who crawled out of the dirt.” Thrusting his hand out, he pushed the mage against a pillar with a shimmering wall. “Think of me as the rain, drowning you in my power.”
The force of Somber’s attack forced his blue hood to fall back, revealing that of a draconic-like head with a green and brown fin on top of his head, he was a blue creature of some sort with darken green along his cheeks. His eyes were now blazing with power. “Power?” The mage said in disbelief of Somber’s ego. “You remind me of the necromancer who said the same thing...” he said. Fire, Ice, and electricity sparked to life in the mage’s hands after dropping both his axe and his staff. “Power is not something to be used in gloried abuse, power is something you respect…”
“Be quiet.” Somber flash stepped forward, driving a crystal covered fist into the mage’s gut. “Do you have any idea how infuriating self-righteous people like you make me?” Drawing his arm back, Somber grabbed the mage’s face, lifted him into the air and slammed him into the floor. Cracks extended from the impact, Somber wrapping his fingers around the mage’s neck. “They make my blood boil.”
Somber’s attention was diverted by a bolt of electricity hitting him in the back. He turned to find Wyatt floating above the room in his Cassie form. “Oh wow, so with a room full of self-righteous heroes I’m guessing your blood pressure must be through the roof.”
“More than you’d realize.” Sombra heaved the mage, tossing him into Wyatt. “Now, do you have any last words, failure?” Raising his hand up, Somber generated a black crystal sword. “I’ll be sure to pass them onto your parents when your homeworld falls.”
“How about we get your last words!” Dash’s voice called out, her and the girls bursting into their room wearing their elements. In the back was Pinkie in a wheelchair, her element around her neck.
“We’re not going to stand by and just let you crash my brother’s wedding!” Twilight boomed, her tiara starting to glow.
Somber took a step back, eyeing the elements. “Have your worthless wedding. No matter what you do, this world’s days are numbered.” Waving his hand, Apollo and the Shadowbolts disappeared. “I’ll enjoy breaking that little trinket of yours, Twily.” Stepping back, he faded out leaving no trace of Dai-Shocker.
Wyatt sighed in relief again, letting his armor fade again and pulling himself out from under the robed argonian. He cracked a weak smile and gave Twilight a weak smile. “Look, Twilight, I’m alive just like I promised.”
“Save the sexual tension.” Chrysalis dropped her weapon, running over to G-1. “Hold still, she ordered, moving his hand from his wound. Leaning her head back, she spat a green goo on his stump. “There, that should stop the bleeding.”
G-1’s posture relaxed and he let his head rest against the floor. “Thank you. That stuff musta dulled the pain too.”
“It’s a general purpose goo.” Chrysalis cracked a smile, easing herself down to the floor. “Just be grateful I was here. You’d have lost more than your arm.”
“Yeah,” G-1 admitted, looking at his stump. “I got careless because of how much of a rush this armor was. That Apollo guy’s shield is some serious bad news. Thanks again for your help, ma’am.” He moved his gaze back to Chrysalis.
“Just Chrysalis is fine.” Picking up the stallion’s discarded arm, she spat goo at the end. “Hopefully, they’ll be able to put it back on.”
“Even if they can’t, I’ve still got my dominant arm,” G-1 replied, trying not to wince as he looked at his severed arm. “But uh, maybe we should get some ice for that? I was pretty attached to it.”
The robed man let out a soft groan as he got up into a kneeled position, he reaches up to feel around his neck due to the iron grip the unicorn had on him from moments ago. “Is anyone else hurt?” he asks.
“I’m a little banged up, but I’m pretty good,” Spike said, cracking a few of his joints. “Thanks for coming when you did.”
The mage began to inspect his armor, there were plenty of damage on it while the enchantment weakened most of the attacks. “What sort of magic was he using? It felt like it, but it felt… emotionless..” he said as he rubbed around his neck. “Risutoa Naosu.” He whispered as the pain slowly eased away. He couldn’t use the spell earlier as it was something that required concentration and time. As he got up, his armor faded away in a mist of purple magic, returning to the realm it was summoned from.
“It wasn’t just magic,” Wyatt corrected, wiping some sweat from his face. “He was throwing around dimensional energy. As for his magic, that was dark magic. Powerful, but highly corrupted.”
“I’m going to write down a reminder for myself.. Atronach be blessed, yet cursed.” He said as he took a gentle breath. “I’ll never be able to forget the feeling..”
“So... you got a name, Magic Man?” Spike asked as he cancelled out his transformation. “You probably know everyone’s name except Wyatt’s.”
“Yes, it’s Athre’us-Ei, or Magic-Eyes if you can’t speak the argonian tongue of my people.” Magic-Eyes said as he glanced at everyone. “Only a few. I do know of your name, Wyatt’s and Twilight, but not everyone’s.. Or rather everypony else’s.”
“Yeah, Somber was tossing my name around like it was petty cash,” Wyatt said with a chuckle, rubbing his neck and doing his best to hide his exhaustion. “But it’s nice to meet you, Magic-Eyes the Lizard Wizard.”
“...My title is Arch-Battlemage, don’t compare me to the prime versions of my species.” Magic-Eyes said in minor offense.
“I thought Argonians were born from a tree in their homeland?” Wyatt questioned, arching an eyebrow. “Or did that bit of lore get changed?”
The blue argonian looked at Wyatt in confusion. “...We’re born inside of an egg first, then when we come of age, we drink the tree’s hist. I doubt our ways have changed since then. However, I will admit our spirits did come from it, we are of the hist and we are born anew in whoever drinks from it.”
“Sorry if I offended you, I just never thought I’d be able to make that rhyme and have it make sense in any way,” Wyatt said, extending a hand to Magic-Eyes. “As for the tree thing, I guess my small screen wasn’t conducive to reading the books in Skyrim.”
“...Small screen?” Magic-Eyes said with more confusion. “I don’t know what you mean by that, since when were the Nords suddenly interested in my people, let alone have books about it?”
Wyatt’s eyes widened in realization. “Okay, you’re not like any of the Displaced I’ve met so far. You’ve always been an argonian. Um, ignore the screen comment, it’s too complicated to explain.” He chuckled and looked at the girls. “Why doesn’t everybody just introduce themselves?”
Pinkie hopped out of the wheelchair she had been placed in, smiling brightly at Magic-Eyes. “I’m Pinkie Pie, and you were really cool during that fight! And that’s my big sister, Maud!” Zipping over to Maud, she raised the mare’s arm and waved it.
“Were you on the sidelines watching?” Magic-Eyes asked Pinkie. He looked at the rest of the mane six.
“Nope! I was right in the middle of the action!” Pinkie answered, showing off the belt around her waist. She tapped her chin in thought, looking up. “Well, technically my mind was right there in the middle of things while my body was all limp and useless. Maud here was doing all the moving and fighting.”
“Our rider system needs two minds to work,” Maud explained, showing her matching belt.
“Your mind… riders.. Hmm…” Magic-Eyes placed a hand to his chin, a spark of interest in his eyes that could remind someone of the same look Twilight would give. “Is this a different power all-together, or a form of magic?”
“No, it isn’t magic,” Maud replied, shaking her head. She pulled out her Joker memory, showing it to Magic-Eyes. “I call these Gaia-Memories, they contain all of the planet’s knowledge of a single subject.”
“Fascinating.” Magic-Eyes said as he thought about it. “Question, does anyone or pony know how many verses are out there? Considering this is the second one my Varla Stone has found, i’d like to calculate how long it’ll take before it will find Tamriel.”
Twilight frowned, sharing a look with Wyatt. “This is the one time I don’t think knowledge will help someone.” Sighing, she turned her gaze to Magic-Eyes. “I’m sorry to tell you this but the running theory on the multiverse is that it’s infinite. Even if you could find ‘Tamriel’, it most likely wouldn’t be the one you left.”
The argonian arch-mage was silent at her words. “..So regardless of my efforts or my research, even if I did find my home, it would not be the same…” Magic-Eyes said as he crossed his arms in belief. “...I just hope Master-Wizard Raminus Polus can run the guild in my absence and find a new Arch-Mage to replace me.”
Wyatt reached out, putting a hand on Magic-Eyes’s shoulder. “Trust me, I know how hard it is to come to terms with being cut off from your home. All of us Displaced are in the same boat. All I can offer you is that you’ve gotta find a reason to keep going in the world you’ve wound up in.”
“Didn’t that Somber guy say you could go home?” Dash asked, giving Wyatt a pointed look. “What the hay was that ‘Destroyer of Worlds’ stuff anyway?”
Wyatt sighed, summoning his driver. He looked down at it, a frown on his face. “I didn’t tell you the origin of the Decadriver from the show. It was created by Dai-Shocker to be a tool for their leader to help them conquer the nine rider universes. I was about to get pulled into what’s called Violent Emotion. Like that, I could wipe out over a dozen riders at once with hardly any effort. But I’d be an empty shell of who I really am.”
“...Like that of an animated corpse..” Magic-Eyes said in a sad tone of voice, he shudders at his memories.
Wyatt let his driver disappear, his frown deepening. “Yeah, that sums it up pretty well. I never thought I’d be so close to slipping into that state.” He shuddered. “It was so cold…” He blinked, stumbling a little as Twilight pulled him into a tight hug.
“I believed in you every second,” she whispered, nuzzling his neck.
Wyatt managed to return the hug, a small smile on his face. “Yeah, you did. Thanks for pulling me out of that. I really did not want to be treated like that asshole’s lapdog.”
“You should try training your mind in the near future so that next time he tries to manipulate you, he will fail. However if he uses some sort of power to control you, a ward or a spell of resist should help.” Magic-eyes suggested after he had a time alone in his mind.
Wyatt looked up to Magic-Eyes with a nod. “Yeah, I’ll be sure to strengthen my mind as much as I can. Not sure how I feel about having spells on the brain, but anything’s better than becoming a world destroyer.”
“Looks like the wedding’s getting pushed back.” Chrysalis pulled a flask from her cleavage. “A shame, the love would been a feast.” Popping the cap off, she took a long drink before offering it to G-1.
“I think we can still have a wedding today,” Celestia offered, having conjured up a new dress to replace the tattered rags that had once covered her. “That is, if our new invited guests, you and your hive would help us redecorate,” she offered, a smile on her face as she extended a hand to Chrysalis.
“A wedding? Who’s being engaged under Mara?” Magic-Eyes said, earning confused looks by ponies who never heard of Tamriel's religion.
“That would be my brother, Shining Armor and Princess Cadance,” Twilight explained, pulling away from Wyatt. “And um, they aren’t being married under Mara, whoever that is, Princess Celestia will be officiating the ceremony.”
“...Forgive me, my mind slipped momentarily. I forgot the mother-goddess of love’s influence doesn’t reach past the Equestria I came from.” Magic-Eyes said as he took a moment to think. “..Would it be alright to offer gifts later on? I can send it through the same method as the Varla Stone.”
“I am sure Cadance and Shining Armor would tell you that your assistance in the battle was gift enough for them,” Celestia said with a smile. “But, if you wish to, we cannot stop you from offering more.”
“Thank you, Princess Celestia.” Magic-Eyes said before he turning to the group of ponies. “If there is no further dangers, I believe this is a day to rejoice.”
Chrysalis took Celestia’s hand, pulling herself to her hooves. “I just hope you don’t mind black and green. It’s kind of our thing.”
“I think as long as Cadance and Shining Armor get to say their I dos, the entire castle could be clad in the most horrid colors for all they cared,” Celestia assured. “And thank you for pointing out the imposter. Who knows what secrets he could’ve pilfered had you not intervened. Not to mention the harm he could’ve brought to my niece.”
“Then I think we can get you a wedding ready,” Chrysalis assured. She looked up, contacting the hivemind again. “There we are, work should start within the next twenty minutes.” Clearing her throat, she thrust her head at G-1. “We do have a stallion missing an arm back there.”
“You can have a wedding without me,” G-1 assured. “Just as long as somepony gets me to the doctor and saves me a slice of cake, I’m golden.” He gave a thumbs up. “Oh, and snap a picture when they open the wedding gift I bought them. I worked really hard to think of the perfect gift and I want their reactions immortalized.”
“Perhaps I can help with that part. Somepony just needs to keep the severed arm in place in its original position, the rest will need to be slow and quiet to allow me to concentrate.” Magic-eyes answered.
Chrysalis nodded, removing G-1’s armor from his severed arm the part that was still attached. She knelt down and pressed the severed arm into place. “There, that’s as good as I can place it.”
“Alright.” Magic-eyes began as he kneels down. “I need you to be perfectly still. Could somepony get him something to bite down on?” he suggested as he hovered his hands over G-1’s arm, preparing himself to use his spell.
Chrysalis held out the missing arm, lighting her horn. “As soon as I remove the resin; he’s going to start bleeding again.”
Luna knelt down next to the stallion, lighting her horn to conjure a bit of smooth wood into her hand. “This is the best thing I can offer you to bite down on, Spearhead.”
After G-1 took the wood in his mouth, Magic-Eyes started to move his hands in a cycle motion to gather up golden magicka into his hands. The moment Chrysalis removes the resin, he slowly thrusts his hands toward the arm as balls of energy lit up and swirl around it. The argonian’s eyes glow bright purple just like before, the power his Risutoa Naosu spell got to work as it quickly focused onto both parts and slowly reattach each individual particle of flesh. At first, it felt numb, then a little bit of tingling, then eventually reawakened pain. Through it all, G-1 tried to keep his muffled screams to a minimum, clenching his good arm’s fist as tight as he possibly could to avoid moving.
Spike winced, turning away from the sight. “You know, I’m going to see how Shining is doing.” Without a second thought, he turned on his heels and jogged out of the hall.
Eventually, each muscle, each blood vessel, vain, even the very bone itself reattached to itself. He cuts off the flow and magicka for a moment. “J-Jotai.” he whispered, providing some temporary strength for the arm. “T-there, it’s finished.” he said before exhaling a breath he was holding. “My reserves are spent for the time being and I won’t be able to use magicka until I sleep or drink a potion of magicka.”
G-1 slowly moved the fingers on his reattached arm, his body slumping. “Thanks for saving my arm. I really did not like the thought of my first outing as G-1 to end like that.” Shifting his gaze to Celestia, he gave a thumbs up. “Though, I dunno if I’m gonna stay.”
“You are well within your right to walk away after the trauma you’ve endured,” Celestia assured, bowing her head at him. “Just remember that your non disclosure agreement still applies even after you leave your station.”
“I didn’t say I was just yet.” Spearhead got to his hooves, flexing his fingers. “I’m going to get out of this tin can and say a little prayer to Lady Faust.”
Celestia bowed her head again, giving him a smile. “May she give you a swift answer.” She motioned for a couple guards to follow him and help him out of the rest of his armor. Clapping her hands, Celestia cleared her throat. “Now, everypony, we have a lot of work to do if we want to get this wedding back on track!”
“I think I can help us get back on track quickly,” Wyatt offered, summoning his driver. “Just hand me a list of tasks and I’ll see what I can do.”
“I can make a list~” Twilight chirped, conjuring a scroll and quill. Under her direction the group, and the soon to arrive changelings, quickly repaired the damaged hall.
Wyatt sat slumped over at a table with his forehead resting against it in the reception hall. He instantly regretted turning into Kabuto to help make the repairs. Whatever energy he had left was gone. He couldn’t even lift his arms to eat the plate of food he had grabbed himself. He managed to tilt his head at the plate, staring longingly at the delicious food that rested on it.
“You alright there, Wyatt?” A voice spoke from behind Wyatt, but it was easily guessed who it likely was with a gruff voice like that.
“I’m fine,” he assured, trying to give a thumbs up but only succeeded in making one of his arms twitch. “Just a little tired is all.”
“The fight took a lot out of us, at least it helped us improve. Hist knows I do considering I can’t regenerate magicka.” Magic-Eyes said.
Wyatt managed to nod his head. “Yeah, I’ll be sure to learn from this fight.” He cracked a s smile. “But, I think my training’s paying off.”
“I can offer you spell training and enchantments if it can help you out.” Magic-Eyes said as he turned toward Wyatt. “Considering what you know, I assume you understand the process of how enchantments work.”
“Yeah, I know the basics,” Wyatt replied. “Though, I don’t think I’d be able to learn any spells.”
“Ah, so your body isn’t adaptable to Magicka or isn’t connected to Aetherius.” Magic-Eyes theorized. “I still have much to learn about the Displaced.”
“Yeah, I’m from a world that doesn’t have any form of real magic,” Wyatt explained. “At least, we never found any evidence of magic.” Magic-Eyes nodded as he crossed his arms and lowered his head, he appeared to be in a mental debate at the moment. “Wanna explain what’s going on in that head?” Wyatt asked, quirking a brow.
“I’ve met two Displaced, one wielded a different kind of magic while you appear to wield a type of energy capable of summoning armor, much like conjuration and alteration combined.” Magic-Eyes said as he shook his head. “Its troublesome to wrap my mind around the possibilities since your world works on a different plane of existence outside the realm of magicka. It is a mystery I’ll need to unravel once I learn more of this ‘Void’ ”
“I wish you luck there,” Wyatt told him. “I’ve never been much of the studious type.”
“It can be good for the mind regardless of its complication. I’ve studied the ways of magicka for thirty two years since the day I joined the Mage’s Guild.” Magic-Eyes explained as he went through his memories.
Wyatt let out an impressed whistle. “That’s nearly twice as long as I’ve been alive. And as for my armor. The best way I can describe it would be like the technology of the dwemer, but harnessing a different power source from soul stones.”
“I’ve seen you yell out certain phases when you do switch armor types, so I assume the energy is bounded by those words?” Magic-Eyes asked as he stroked along his scaly chin.
“That’s not me yelling out those phrases,” Wyatt replied. “It’s the device I wear on my waist. And uh, I guess you could say the armor is bound by those words.”
Magic-Eyes chuckles in amusement. “I feel this will take all day, and that is something I know you don’t have time for, I don’t want my curious to be your burden.” he said.
If Wyatt was capable of waving the argonian off, he would’ve. “Hey, us Displaced have to watch each other’s backs. If I can answer your questions I’d be happy to. Your token seems to work pretty well as a communication device; chime in whenever you like. But if you wanna head out, then I guess our contract is complete.”
“The Varla stone and the enchantment is a prototype design I made based on the Ayleid Portal, although why it went to other verses instead of my own is just another mystery.” Magic-Eye said before he looked around. “I believe yes, there is nothing left if my services aren’t needed.” he said. After the words left Wyatt’s mouth, pieces of the ground nearby floated up into the air to once again form the gate back to his Equestria. “Until we meet again, marsh friend.”
Wyatt smiled, summoning up the energy to wave him goodbye. “May the nine smile upon you, my new friend.”
Magic-Eyes smiled. “Despite the distance, their influence still spreads.” he said before stepping through the gate. The pieces of stone returned back to the ground as if the earth was never touched.
“You know, I was hoping to ask him some questions,” Twilight spoke up, getting Wyatt’s attention. “But, I suppose I can settle for spending some time with my favorite human.” Taking a seat at the table, Twilight gingerly took his hand. “How are you feeling?”
“Well, I can cross skydiving off my bucket list,” Wyatt said, turning his head to look at Twilight and gave her hand a squeeze. “And aside from being exhausted, this cute mare just confessed to me.” He flashed her a smile.
Twilight blushed, reciprocating the gesture. “I thought it was about time I moved past being an awkward nerd.”
Wyatt’s smile grew and he mustered up the strength to lift his head off the table. “By the way, your mane looks great in a bun.”
Twilight giggled, her laugh almost like music to Wyatt’s tired ears. “Who knew you could be such a flatterer?” Stand back up, Twilight glanced at the dance floor. “Think you have enough in you for a dance?”
Wyatt groaned, forcing his legs to cooperate and support his weight. He gave her hand another squeeze, his cheeks starting to strain from his smile. “And miss the chance to make ourselves look ridiculous? Not even Dai-Shocker could keep me from that.”
Twilight locked her arm with his, letting him put some of his weight on her. “Come on, I’ll lead.” Guiding him over to their destination, Twilight got into the position Cadance had taught her. “I uh... took a few dance lessons from Cadance while we were in Manehatten.”
“Oh?” Wyatt’s smile turned cheeky, resting his hand on her waist. “Was it your plan all along to get a dance with me at your brother’s wedding? Is that why you’ve kept bolting every time I try to make my own move?”
“I-it sounds silly but um...” Twilight started to move, making a note not to step on his feet. “I didn’t want to get friendzoned...”
Wyatt leaned in, moving in time with her to the slow beat of the music. “There was never a chance of that. I’d have waited a thousand years if that’s how long it took to make this moment happen.”
“That isn’t exactly fair to you, now is it?” Twilight asked, moving a hand to his back. “Waiting on me to get over my hang ups. All while you’re out there; fighting to keep everypony safe.” Though a little sloppy, the pair weren’t as bad as one would assume they’d be.
Wyatt chuckled, feeling more energetic despite his waning adrenaline. “You mean you’ve been getting lessons from the princess of love and she didn’t teach you the most important one?” Taking his chances, he tried to dip Twilight. “All’s fair in love an-”
His sentence was cut off as Twilight jerked her head forward; stealing a kiss.
Wyatt blinked for a moment before ending the dip with neither of them stumbling and pulled her closer to him. Eventually, the feeling of an intense presence boring into the back of his head got him to end the kiss. “No fair, you interrupted my stupid joke.”
“I thought you deserved something nice,” Twilight said, looking into his eyes. “For putting up with me always dodging the subject.”
Wyatt gave her hand a squeeze as they continued to circle around the dance floor. “I think saving my mind with the power of love was nice enough. But I love you for you, Twilight. Quirks, social anxieties and everything.”
“And I love you for you, too.” Twilight stepped closer, letting her head rest on his shoulder. “Even if you wear pink.”
The two shared a laugh at that, dancing until the music finally faded away. Cadance and Shining Armor gathered the crowd, Cadance bouncing on her hooves as she held her bouquet out in front of her.
“Okay everypony!” Cadance called out. “It’s time to throw the bouquet!” She held it above her head, waving it enticingly. She turned around to face away from the crowd, tossing the bouquet.
“IT’S MINE!” Rarity shouted, almost pouncing on the bouquet. Her magic grasped at the cluster of flowers, only for it to land in Twilight’s unsuspecting arms.
Wyatt blinked, blowing at an errant petal to keep it from landing on his face. “Uh, Twilight, what does a mare catching the bouquet mean? Because I know what it means in human culture.”
“That she’s going to be the next one to marry,” Twilight answered, her face as bright as a tomato. “I get the feeling she did that on purpose...”
“What, so you’re willing to shout your love for me in front of a crowd, but catching a bundle of flowers is making you blush?” Wyatt chuckled and grabbed the bouquet from her arms. “It’s just a bunch of flowers. Are they really scarier than that guy?”
Twilight used her magic to pull the bouquet out of Wyatt’s hand and turned away from him. “I acted in the heat of the moment. The idea of losing you was so much scarier than that Somber could ever hope to be.” Taking in the flowers’ scent, Twilight closed her eyes. “And now, we can move forward.”
Wyatt smiled, taking hold of her hand. “I wouldn’t have it any other way. So, should we have our first official date when we get back to Ponyville? I know you’ve got a serious weakness for Hayburger.”
Snickering, Twilight swatted Wyatt’s leg with her tail. “One step at a time, Wyatt. One Step at a time.” Squeezing his hand, Twilight wondered if this was how Shining felt when he asked Cadance out. She let the thought slip from her mind, spending the rest of the reception with her new boyfriend.