Rarity's tape measure hadn't moved from my thigh, Looking down, I saw her staring wide-eyed at my body, her face a bright red. I snapped my fingers at her, breaking her from her stupor.
“Almost done,” I asked with a grin. “Or d'you see something you like?”
Gasping, Rarity turned her head away, writing down the last of her measurements. “I believe I have everything I need.” She took another glance at my body before quickly looking away. Her face hadn’t dropped that shade of red yet. “Now, with your coat color, I’m thinking a nice light grey with a…”
“Black and Red,” I interrupted.
She blinked, turning back to me. “Pardon?”
"If I'm going to wear a suit or tux, it’s gonna be black and red.”
She let out a breathless laugh. “Y-You’re joking, right?” A simple stare told her everything. “Y-You’re not… you can’t be serious!”
I merely cocked an eyebrow. And yet, Rarity fanned her face, her red cheeks turning pale at the mere thought of a red and black tuxedo.
“I like red and black,” I explained, crossing back to my clothes and pulling my pants on.
Rarity looked to Twilight for help, but the alicorn just shrugged. Sighing, Rarity buried her face in her hands.
"I'll make this horrid tux for you,” she muttered. “So long as you never make me use those colors on anything else again!” And with that, she marched off to craft my suit.
Leaving me and Twilight standing alone in her measuring room. For a moment, we just glanced around at the clothing.
“So… red and black?” Twilight asked.
I shrugged, rubbing the back of my head. “I like those colors,” I replied.
Twilight hummed, looking away, before a thought made her eyes widen.
“Hang on,” she said, turning back to me. “Earlier, you said the man who sent you here told you the Equestrian Necronomicon was banished from this world by Starswirl the Bearded, right?”
“Yeah,” I replied. “Why?”
Instead of explaining, Twilight vanished with a burst of light.
"Aaannnddd you left me with the stuck up snob," I noted sarcastically. "Nice.”
"Another word from you, and I'm making your suit hot pink!" Rarity yelled from the other room.
For a moment, I fidgeted there. I didn’t like the idea of Twilight being out there on her own. What if the demons came for her, and I was sitting here with my thumbs in my ass? Thankfully, she alleviated my fears when she returned, completely fine and with a thick journal pressed to her chest.
"Okay so I have a theory,” she explained. “Since Starswirl banished the Sirens to the human world. Or... at least a human version of our world. So, what if he banished the book to the same place?”
I peered at the book, faintly recalling the Equestria Girls movies as Twilight opened the journal. “It’s… possible, I guess,” I noted.
“Right?” She grinned. “So, I contacted Sunset Shimmer and my friends in that world to search for anything that could be related to the book.”
I grinned. “That’s awesome, Twi!” I reached for the book. “The sooner we find that book, the sooner we can send those demons back to H-ELLO!”
The last part was due to several threading needles suddenly piercing my good arm.
“What the F-ACK!” I yelped as a bare mannequin knocked me upside the head.
“My little sister and her friends are upstairs,” Rarity declared angrily, poking her head back into the room. “And I will not have them picking up any of your foul mouth!”
“Geez… sorry,” I muttered, pulling the needles out.
“Just don’t let it happen again,” she declared. “Or else I’ll send those needles somewhere you can’t pick them out.”
I whistled, turning to Twilight. “Did I mention you have some badass friends?” I noted.
Twilight giggled, and Rarity came out, looking somewhat sated by my words. My tux was floating behind her, a perfect black overcoat with a bright red collared shirt underneath. Beautiful.
“Anyway,” Rarity said, floating the tux over to me. “Your clothes are ready.” She indicated a changing room. “You can change over there.”
I barely glanced at the changing room. “I’ll pass,” I replied, but I couldn’t help but grin as I held the suit, peering at it’s design. I narrowed my eyes at the tie. “Um… did you add a regular or a clip-on?”
Rarity blinked at me like I had insulted her. “Do I look like some pony who would ruin a proper suit with something as atrocious as a clip-on tie?”
There was a rebuttal to that, but it was beneath me.
“Fair enough,” I replied, tucking the tux under one hand. “Now let’s go, Twilight; I need to get some target practice in before tonight.”
“Right,” Twilight replied, her horn glowing as she waved at Rarity. “See you tonight, Rarity!”
The white mare waved us off, and with a flash of light, we reappeared in Twilight’s room. The first thing I noticed was Shining, leaning against the wall and panting like he had run through a war zone. His armor was half on, part of it falling over his shoulder like a girl with a loose shirt.
“You look like you had fun,” I commented.
He glowered up at me. “You suck, Ash,” he grumbled.
“That’s your wife’s job,” I replied.
“Will you two stop going at each other?” Twilight demanded. “You already went after Cadence’s throat.”
Shining Armor and I blinked at her. We looked at each other, before we burst out laughing.
"I can't believe my little sister just said that!" Shining cackled, holding the wall for support.
“So…” I asked, still grinning. “You hiding, or is she satisfied?”
“You don’t satisfy a Princess of Love,” Shining replied. “At least not forever. She’s snuggling a practice sword that I cast a clone spell on, so I can get a few minutes of rest.”
“Sounds like I’m hitting the targets myself then,” I replied, setting the tux on the vanity before grabbing my weapons from Twilight.
Unfortunately, as I went for the door, I was knocked back when the door was kicked open, a fake Shining Armor toppling me to the ground.
“Oh, no!” Shining squeaked, as a light blue aura seized him.
“Who said you could leave the bedroom?!” a husky, lust-riddled voice that sounded vaguely like Cadence boomed.
Shining Armor wailed as he was dragged away, clawing at the floor. As he vanished out of sight, I shook my head. Normally, I should’ve been jealous. Yet, I also couldn’t help but feel bad for him.
"Welp! I'm going work on my aim, as well as my blade skills,” I said, looking to the princess. “Promise you won't leave the room?”
"I promise,” Twilight assured me, levitating a book from a shelf as I left to train a bit.
~One Hour Before the Gala~
Twilight was getting ready in her room while I was changing in the bathroom.
I'm pretty sure if Rarity saw me right now, she would blugeon me to death with her fashion mannequins. My shirt was entirely untucked. My belt hung in the air around my waist. The buttons left undone leaving my chest completely exposed. My laces were a mess. And I had long given up on the tie which hung around my neck.
I was about to scream out my frustrations when a knock on the door distracted me.
"Are you done in there, Ashley?" Twilight asked.
Sighing, I opened the door, rolling my eyes at her surprised face.
What made it worse was that she looked immaculate, with a blue and lavender dress that showed off her figure perfectly. On top of it, she had a light touch of eye shadow that really made the purple in her eyes pop.
"Do I look done?" I muttered in defeat.
"How are you..." She began, only to look to my stump arm. "Right."
"Yeah," I agreed coldly, lifting the stump. "Kinda hard to do all this with only one hand."
Twilight sighed, but I could still see a smile behind her resignation.
"Here, let me help you."
With a flare of her horn, my shirt tucked and my laces tied them selves. As the magic worked, she buttoned up my shirt and overcoat with her hands. A hint of embarassment flushed my chest as she tried to avoid looking at my chest.
"I'm sorry you have to do this," I apologized.
"It's no trouble," she assured me, buttoning up my overcoat and moving on to my tie. A smile spread across her face. "In fact, I remember having to help Shining with his tie all the time. His wedding day, his graduation..." She giggled. "I even had to help him with his armor when he was promoted to Captain."
She tightened the tie and stepped back, and for a moment, we simply observed each other.
"You look great," I complimented.
"You don't look bad either," Twilight noted, inching closer to me.
Before she could say anything else, a knock sounded at the door, making us both jump. Twilight scurried over just as the door opened, revealing Shining Armor with a bright red military uniform and a box in hand.
"Am I interuppting?" he asked, trying not to sound suspicious.
Neither of us spoke, and he just sighed, handing the box to me.
"This is from Cadance," he explained. "As a thank you for saving my sister."
I opened the box to find a metal gauntlet waiting inside.
"It belonged to a soldier that Cadance saved once," Shining explained further. "When he passed, he gave it to Cadance so she could give it to another who might need it."
I lifted the gauntlet out. It was perfect for my stump. I grinned.
"Well, who am I to refuse a gift from a princess?" I commented, fitting the armor over my stump. To my delight, it fit like a glove. Which I suppose it was in a way.
My eyes widened when the gauntlet opened. I pretended to flex my hand... and the gauntlet flexed for me.
Twilight gasped in glee. "Now you can walk through the gala without your chainsaw," she noted. I looked at her in confusion.
"That doesn't mean I'm just gonna leave it here," I noted. "What if something happens?"
Her eyes widened. "Ashley..." she stammered.
"This may be a fancy party," I insisted. "But I'm still your bodyguard. I gotta be armed and ready in case we're attacked." I chuckled before I could stop myself, lifting the gauntlet. "Heh, 'armed' and ready... that, uh, pun wasn't intended."
Twilight chuckled as well, before resting her hand on the gauntlet.
"Ashley, please, we'll be fine," she assured me. "Besides. I was hoping we could use this opportunity to talk to some of the ponies so they don't fear you so much." I scoffed.
"My job is to kick ass. Not make small talk," I grinned and made a small bow. "But if you insist, I won't bring the chainsaw."
She relaxed, only to frown as I snatched the harness to my boomstick.
"However my boomstick is out of the question," I declared, strapping the harness to my torso before sheathing the gun. She sighed.
"Alright fine," she acquiesed. "As long as you don't threaten anyone with it."
I extended my arm, and she hooked her own around my arm.
"As you wish," I replied.
And together, the three of us left for the ball room.
It didn't take us long to come across the three princesses, all still adorned in fine dresses with regalia. Cadence crossed over to Shining and wrapped her arm around her husband, her silk pink dress having a slight transparency to it that really showed off her figure.
"Hey Twilight," the Princess of Love declared, before giving me a more flirtatious glance. "And hello, Mr. Williams." She glanced at my new armament. "How'd you like the hand?"
"It's awesome," I declared, forming a rocker's devil horn with it. "Fits like a glove."
"Welcome Twilight," Celestia said before sparing me an icy glance. "Jacob."
"Ash, if you would please," I replied, glancing to the lunar princess. "Can I speak with you a moment?"
Luna perked, but after glancing at her sister, she nodded. Unhooking my arm from Twilight, Luna and I walked out of earshot of the group.
"What can I do for thee, Sir Williams?" Luna asked.
"I would like you to keep an eye on Twilight's dreams," I asked. "Last night, she had a nightmare. It was... bad."
"Bad?" Luna asked, looking to Twilight in concern.
"She didn't want to sleep alone," I noted, my face turning slight red.
"Ah," Luna nodded in a gentle voice. "Truly, it tis my duty as Princess of the Night to watch over my citizens. Never fear, I will keep a watchful eye over Twilight's dreams."
I nodded in thanks. But before I could speak it...
SLAP!
The sound echoed through the hall. Luna and I whirled back to see Twilight glaring at a shocked Celestia, who was holding her reddening cheek.
Twilight seethed at her, whispering something I couldn't hear, before whirling around storming towards me.
"Dang," I noted. "What happened?"
Twilight fumed for a moment, her own face turning red. "I don't understand Celestia," she whispered. As Luna and I tilted our heads in confusion, she began to explain.
"So Twilight," Cadence noted to me, "You seem to be in better spirits as of late." She gave me a cunning grin. "Anything good happen?"
"Oh, just... glad I'm alive and all," I replied, smiling at my former foalsitter.
"Just alive?" Cadence asked, as my smile slowly faded to horror. "Or could it be your new bodyguard?"
My cheeks burned red. I glanced over at Ash. The way the red and black tux actually looked on his body. His toned, striking body...
Immediately I shook my head, trying to purge the thoughts from my mind.
"We're just friends, Cadence," I insisted. But it didn't sound right to me.
Ashley was strong, handsome, had a will to protect me no matter what. And he's actually really funny. Honestly, I don't think I'd have the nerve to ask him to dance with me.
But as I pondered the demon slayer, my eyes grew wide in horror as Cadence's grin widened. Her horn was shimmering with a pink light.
"Cadence!" I yelped, but she just laughed.
"You can't hide how you feel from me," Cadance laughed amicably. "After all, knowing when a pony is in love is my special talent!"
My face burned redder as I noticed Shining and Celestia grimacing. "She... projected what I was thinking over to you two, didn't she?" I mumbled, burying my head in my hands.
"I honestly want to strangle him now more than ever," Shining grumbled. He shook his head, but gave me a sincere smile. "But he has my respects for wanting nothing but your safety."
Celestia's grimace, however, refused to fade.
"She may have feeling for Jacob, but he isn't staying," she declared.
My heart stopped. "What?" I asked.
"Once we stop this evil, he will return home. Or at the very least into the world where Sunset resides."
My blood ran cold. "Princess Celestia," I insisted. "If you would just sit down and talk with him..."
"Twilight, he has killed several ponies trying to save you," Celestia insisted. "As well as the two he killed arriving here!" She shook her head. "As far as I'm concerned, he is no better than the demons he fights."
My fists clenched. My blood boiled. For once... I couldn't control myself. Before I knew what had happened, my hand smacked across Celestia's face.
Silence reigned. I should have been mortified, but my anger was still bubbling in my chest.
"You're wrong, Celestia," I seethed. "I've followed your guidance for years. But you're wrong on this!"
Then I stomped back to Ashley.
I couldn't help but feel Twilight had left something out of her and Cadence's conversation. But, judging from how she was holding her hands and the redness already in her cheeks, I decided now was a bad time to confront her about it.
"You shouldn't worry about it," I noted. "At this point, I'm used to her talking about me that way."
Luna flinched. "Still," she noted. "It is no way to speak to you, Sir Ashley."
I turned to her, my eyes narrowing in a death glare.
"It's Ash," I hissed.
Luna blinked, looking at Twilight. "But..." she tried to say.
"Twilight can do it," I said. "Shining Armor..." I glanced over at him, before shaking my head. "No, only Twilight gets that privilege."
Twilight swallowed. "Sorry, Luna," she said. "I didn't know..."
Luna nodded softly. "Ah." She bowed to me. "Apologizes... Sir Williams."
Twilight scratched her head. "Wait... why am I the only one that can say it?" Twilight asked.
"Because for some bizarre reason," I replied. "When you call me Ashley, it doesn't bother me."
Twilight blushed, turning away from me. I followed after her, even to the bathroom.
"Um..." she stammered when I continued to follow her.
"Bodyguard," I replied. "Remember."
"Oh... yeah..."
Twilight steered clear of the bathroom, before we parked ourselves at the nearest wall. Twilight glowered at Celestia as she conversed quietly with Shining Armor. The purple alicorn shook her head.
"I don't understand," Twilight lamented. "How can Celestia act like that to someone she knows nothing about?"
"You can fix some problems and some machines," I replied. "But you can't fix people." I glanced up as the band started playing, and hooked Twilight's arm. "Best not to dwell on it."
As the music filled our ears, Twilight noticed how her arm was wrapped around mine. I tilted my head, grinning coyly as she glanced back and forth at the dance floor.
"So, um..." Twilight swallowed. "Ashley, would... um... would you... or... if you'd like..."
She grimaced, fanning herself with her free hand. I, however, got her message, and took her free hand, moving my armored hand to her waist.
"Care to dance, Princess?" I asked smoothly.
She stared up at me, eyes wide and jaw agape. Her face was red as a tomato, but she managed a smile.
"I'd love to," she whispered, lacing her fingers around mine.
Music played. Ponies watched. But neither was important to me. All that mattered was the princess in front of me, as we danced for what felt like hours.
When the music stopped, I felt disappointment at first. Then I noticed the stunned stares of the nobles. Then her friends melted out of the crowd and made their way to us.
The minute I saw Rainbow Dash's face, I knew what was gonna happen. Reluctantly, I let Twilight go, and we stepped back from each other.
"Twilight!" Rainbow Dash stammered. "What were you doing? Dancing with that... thing?"
"Last time I checked," I replied, staying right by her side. "She's free to dance with anyone she wants. If she didn't want to dance with me she could have easily said no."
Rainbow Dash glowered at me, and Twilight put her hand on my shoulder.
"Allow me," she said.
Raising my hands and giving a small bow, I backed up as Twilight rounded on Rainbow Dash, the others chiming in with their own opinions. I backed up towards the food table, almost wondering if it would result in a cat fight. Or... mare fight?
Before I could even figure out what that meant... I felt my back bump into a pony.
"ECK!" a voice shrieked behind me. "How dare you bump into me, you commoner filth!"
I turned, and let out a groan. I had bumped into Prince Blueblood. Out of all the snobs at this place, I had to bump into the most disrespectful shit in the entire show.
"Sorry," I grumbled. "Didn't see you there." I tried to walk past, but his mumbling didn't just catch my ear. More like forced it's way into my ear canal.
"Murderous Freak..."
I stopped. Slowly, I started to turn around. Thankfully, Twilight had almost teleported there, and was glaring at Blueblood with all the anger that was bubbling in my own veins.
"Blueblood," she hissed. "Out."
Blueblood blinked at her. "B-But Princess," he objected. "This creature shouldn't be here. He's..."
"My bodyguard," Twilight finished for him. "And the one who saved my life." She jabbed a finger into his chest. "He goes where I go, and I will not have him insulted by the likes of you! Now you can either walk out, or I can have him throw you out. Your choice."
Prince Blueblood stared at her in mutinous rage, before casting a nervous look at my armored hand and muscular figure. Gulping down his anger, he scurried out of the room.
Twilight and I shared a grin, and headed to the food table. There was a plethora of food and drinks waiting for us, and we honed right in on the champagne.
We handed glasses to each other, and tapped them in a toast.
"To..." Twilight started to say, before grimacing in doubt. "Hm...?"
"To saving this party from snobs?" I asked.
Twilight chuckled. "I'll take it," she replied.
We started to drink, but I paused, staring down at my glass.
The liquid was rippling. Out of the corner of my eye, the other drinks were rippling too.
I set down my glass. My eyes flicked over the rippling glasses. Twilight followed my gaze, her smile fading.
"Ashley?" Twilight asked.
"Something's wrong," I said, watching the table shake. Twilight took a step back, glancing at the ground as it rumbled.
"What's... happening?" she asked, struggling to keep her balence.
"Whatever it is," I growled, reaching for my boomstick. "I don't like it."
A tinkling sound drew our gazes up; the chandelier was shaking. If the rumbling continued, it would fall. The others had noticed and were backing well out of the crash zone.
"An Earthquake?" Twilight guessed, as we moved to one of the walls.
I placed my hand on the wall, narrowing my eyes. The shaking was almost like footsteps. But they were in quick succession. Something was coming at us.
No, something was barrelling at us.
My eyes widened. Yanking out my boomstick, I fired into the air.
"Everybody run!" I boomed, just as the wall exploded inward.