//------------------------------// // Wedding Disaster // Story: Returning Survivor // by Itchy //------------------------------// Mecha sat on the train to Canterlot, eyes closed as he listened to Twilight and her friends talking on the train. “I can't believe that my old fillysitter is marring my brother!” Twilight exclaimed, squealing lightly with her friends. “I can not believe that you knew a princess and did nothing to introduce us to her!” Rarity replied, a joking tone in her voice. “Well, uh... you could've meet her at the... bachelorette party, had you, decided to, you know, not stay in Canterlot that extra three days...” Fluttershy remarked, hiding behind Big Macintosh after speaking up. When Rarity made to respond, Mecha got up, startling the passengers, before making his way out of the compartment. Stopping at the end of the train, he took a deep breath as Cheerilee, having followed him, walked over and leaned into him. Neither spoke for a bit, the only sound coming from the train as it began to enter a tunnel, before Cheerilee finally asked, “You're still thinking over Hade's death, aren't you?” Mecha nodded his head, keeping silent for a bit longer, before replying, “He was a great friend, and a good scout. Yeah, his advances on me were a bit creepy all things considered, but still.” Nodding her head, Cheerilee remarked, “He sounds like he was a great fellow.” “He was...” Mecha said. “I just hope that the imposter that killed him won't interrupt the wedding.” Cheerilee didn't say anything, but rather nuzzled into Mecha's neck as a silent comfort. LINEBREAKER Stepping off the train, Mecha sighed as he looked around. While he may be depressed about his friend's death, he had a job as a member of the honor guard to do. Giving a quick kiss to Cheerilee, he told her, “I'll see ya at the castle later,” before taking off. He didn't have to go far, as he stepped into the shadows of a nearby alleyway and pulled the goat hiding in them over. “I need you to get a hold of Padre,” he told the startled goat, “and tell him I'm calling in some of the favors he owes me.” Gulping, the goat nodded his head before running off. A few minutes later, Padre walked calmly into the alley, and leaned next to the shadows Mecha had hid in. “You called for me?” he whispered, making it seem like nothing was going on in the alleyway. “Yeah,” Mecha started, “I'm collecting some of those favors you owe.” “I assume this is about the wedding?” Padre asked. “Eeyup,” Mecha replied. “If what I think is going to happen happens, then I'm going to need your entire mob protecting the city.” Letting out a long whistle, Padre asked, “Who has you this worried? I mean, we have Shining Armor's force field to protect the city, we shouldn't be necessary.” Shaking his head, Mecha replied, “The enemy is either already inside or not coming at all... and I'd wager all the bits in the world that it's the former. I can't confirm it yet however, so be ready in case I can't prevent it.” Padre sighed, before saying, “Alright. But just who are we up against?” “You'll know the enemy when you see them,” Mecha told him. “Until then, the less you know, the less stress you have to deal with.” “Got it,” Padre said, before walking away. Waiting a few minutes, Mecha also left, making his way towards Canterlot's branch of Poker Night Potshot. Walking in, he nodded at a few of the customers before reaching the bar. Taking a seat, he signaled for a bottle of hard cider, before turning to the pony sitting next to him. “Shouldn't you be... I dunno, guarding Shining Armor?” Mecha asked Solaris, taking a sip from his drink. “You and I both know that he doesn't need guarding,” Solaris replied, taking a swig from his own drink. “And besides, this is one of the few breaks that I've been able to afford lately with that threat to the city and all...” “All the more reason to be guarding Shining,” Mecha countered. “But I guess a little time off couldn't hurt. How are things going?” Solaris sighed, before replying, “Well enough. I mean, I'm overworked right now, which is probably the cause of all the headaches I've had recently, and I think Spitfire is letting the stress get to her as well... but other than that, well enough.” Mecha took a sip from his bottle, before asking, “Spitfire's getting stressed out?” “Yeah, she's been grumpier than normal,” Solaris said. “Granted, she'd have to work harder to ensure that Cadence is protected at all times, so it's understandable. Still, I can't wait until this is all said and done and she gets back to her normal self.” Nodding, Mecha chugged the last of his drink, before saying, “Well then, enjoy the rest of your break!” Getting a wave from Solaris, Mecha left, groaning at his next duty- greeting the first wave of the guests of honor at the train station. Walking up to the station, he took a breath before plastering a fake smile on his face as three Earth Ponies walked towards him. “Greetings!” he started, before glancing to the side to get their names from the sign next to him. “I'm happy to meet you... Creed Miles... Champion... and... hold on, I can't quite read that name...” he started, stepping closer to the sign. “Ah, Xaratos!” Facing the group, he could tell they weren't really pleased by his lack of knowledge about them. Sighing, he told them, “Look, I've got to ensure security is in top form for the wedding, and didn't get the chance to find out who I was greeting. All I know is you've been granted rooms at the palace, and you get to find out by yourselves. Until then, have a good time!” And he took off, not giving them a chance to speak to him. LINEBREAKER Mecha stopped at the stadium, watching as the Wonderbolts flew overhead. Giving his head a quick shake, he stepped onto the field, before spotting his brother. “Shine Sight!” he hollered, “How's it hanging?” Turning, his brother grinned, before replying, “Mecha! Good to see ya bro,” and turned back to the field. Walking up to Shine Sight, Mecha asked, “How are they doing?” Sighing, Shine Sight replied, “They're fine... but something seems off about them. Or, at least, off with Spitfire.” Nodding his head, Mecha said, “That sounds similar to what Solaris said... but if you consider that she's Cadence's honor guard captain...” “Then it might just be the added stress,” Shine Sight finished. “I know, but still...” shaking his head, he asked, “Is that Rainbow Dash chick here? I managed to convince one of the other scouts to show up for this event and I figured she could show him her stuff while we're here.” “Really now?” Mecha asked, raising an eyebrow. “Who'd you get to show up?” “Mecha? Is that you you old dog?!” a voice called out. Blinking, Mecha turned around to spot a Pegasus with a light purple coat, a dark blue, ruffled, tail and mane with purple streaks, and blue eyes. He was wearing a blood red bandana around his neck, while his Cutie Mark was a lone palm tree on an island. “Kickstarter! How's it been man?!” Mecha asked, walking over and bumped hooves with him. “Well, it's been good,” Kickstarter replied. “Got back from a trip to Camelidaeia recently, was even able to pick up an Iklwa* while I was there.” “Not a bad choice,” Mecha commented, “Although I don't quite like spears myself. Anyways, I should get going, we can catch up later!” he added, before walking off. Giving a quick snort, Kickstarter asked Shine, “What's his deal? He normally sticks around to listen to my trip details.” Shaking his head, Shine Sight replied, “He's part of the honor guard for the groom, and considering one of his friends was just killed...” “Ah,” Kickstarter said. “That makes sense.” LINEBREAKER Mecha was checking the grand hall where the marriage was to take place, when Doctor Whooves trotted in with two Pegasi and a Unicorn with him. “Ah, Mecha! Have you meet Azura, Ryu, or Lovers the Eighth yet?” Shaking his head, Mecha responded with, “I have not, nor do I really have time to do so.” “Very well,” Doctor Whooves replied. “I trust that every thing is in order so far though?” “Eeyup,” Mecha said. “Although you should still keep your eyes peeled.” Nodding, Doctor Whooves faced the three ponies that were following him, saying, “Not much further, we'll have you at your rooms in no time!” Giving the room one more look over, Mecha turned to walk out, only to all but run into Twilight. Blinking, he asked, “Can I help you?” Frowning, she replied, “Maybe. I've been trying to talk with Cadence lately, but she just seems to brush me off. Furthermore, she's been acting rude and mean lately, and it's just... not her! Then, I found her using magic on my brother, and... and... and I don't know what to do! I've thought of asking my brother what's up, but...” Nodding his head, Mecha told, “First relax.” Twilight took a deep breath, before signaling him to continue. “Now, while you have every reason to be worried, don't over react. Just let me handle this- it is my job after all,” he said, smiling at the end of it. Seeing that she was still hesitating, Mecha added, “I'll come to you if I share your worries, but until then, why don't you go see Celestia or Luna? I'm sure they'd be happy to see you.” Twilight gave one small frown before nodding. “If you're sure you can handle this...” “I'll be fine,” Mecha replied. “Besides, worse case scenario, I make myself look like an overly paranoid jerk.” With that, Twilight left, allowing Mecha to frown. “Cadence too...? This can't be coincidence...” he muttered to himself before yawning. “And why do I suddenly feel... so... tired...?” he said, before collapsing to the floor asleep. A few seconds later, Cadence and Spitfire stepped out. “Good, he's out cold,” 'Spitfire' said, walking up towards Mecha's prone form. “Nopony would be able to tell if we dealt with him now...” “Now now,” 'Cadence' scolded, “Let's not be so hasty. He may have his uses yet...” 'Spitfire' nodded her head, before grinning. “Shall I send him to the mines?” she asked. 'Cadence' grinned as well, before nodding her head and saying, “If you'd be so kind.” 'Spitfire's' grin widened, before a green glow surrounded her body and Mecha, before he slowly sank through the floor. LINEBREAKER Mecha let out a groan, before slowly opening his eyes to reveal Spitfire and Cadence hovering above him. Sighing, he asked, “The two up on the surface are fakes?” Nodding their heads, the two mares helped him up, before he continued, “Did I come in straight down?” Seeing them nod their heads again, he let out another sigh before turning and counting out a few paces. When he stopped, he popped his mechanical leg open before removing a small red pouch with a skull and crossbones on it. Opening it up, he picked out a few glowing... orbs, before turning to Spitfire and asking, “Could you please attach these up to the roof real quick?” Shrugging, Spitfire replied, “Sure, but why?” “Well, we need to stop that wedding quick,” Mecha started, as he handed her the orbs, “So I figured making an exit right next to the chapel should work.” Cadence's eyes went wide, before she asked, “What do you need me to do?” Grinning, Mecha walked back next to her, before saying, “Give those orbs a quick blast of magic if you would.” Nodding her head, Cadence waited for Spitfire to get out of the way, before shooting a quick blast at the orbs. When her magic collided with them... BOOM!!! A large explosion rocked the cave, as the roof collapsed, creating an opening into the sky above. Nodding to the two, Mecha was picked up as they flew through the hole, about thirty feet from the chapel. Walking forward, Mecha knew that a little rumble in the ground wouldn't stop the wedding, and before he got to the doors, he told Spitfire, “Go get the Wonderbolts ready, we're going to have a Hell of a fight on our hooves soon.” Seeing her nod and take off, Mecha took in a deep breath before kicking the doors open. Everypony in attendance was startled to see Mecha slowly walk in, Cadence walking behind him. “You know, I'm not sure who I hate more...” he started, glaring at the fake Cadence. “you, Wrath, or Pride...” “Ah still don't understand,” Applejack started, “how can there be two of them?” “Simple,” Cadence started, “She's a changeling!” Laughing, the fake Cadence replied, “Very good, but this changes nothing!” At this point, a giant flash of green magic took place, revealing a large Changeling in her place. “For I fail to see how you can deal with the QUEEN of the Changelings!” At this point, Mecha let out a growl, before shifting his mechanical leg into his gunblade, and fired a shot into the ceiling, getting everypony's attention. “Try again... only this time, don't trade one costume for another.” Everypony in the room was confused at Mecha's statement... except for one. Laughing, the imposter commented, “I always knew I'd have a hard time tricking you Mecha... tell me, what gave it away this time?” Getting up on his rear legs, Mecha started to channel his magic while stating, “You're impersonating somepony who's dead.” “Ah yes... the one that got away told you before he died, didn't he?” she replied, before chuckling. “However, this means nothing...” before another wave of magic began to build up- only this time it was a wave of fire. When it had reached the roof, it exploded in a burst of sparks and flames, miraculously managing to harm nopony or light anything aflame. When the light show was over, everypony gasped at what they saw. Where before an overly large Changeling had stood, was instead a frightening construct of blackened stone, with fiery eyes and molten lava visible in it's chest cavity. With a long tail and sharp looking wings, the creature had everypony cowering except for Mecha and Princess Celestia. “I don't know how you escaped Lust,” Mecha started, causing everypony to gasp, “But you aren't staying long!” “He is right,” Celestia started stepping forward. “I won't allow-” “Oh shut up!” Lust snapped, flames bursting from her horn to restrain Celestia. “I couldn't care less about you- Mecha is the true challenge!” Snorting, Mecha formed a blade from his magic while releasing the runes on his body as the ponies ran past him screaming. He knew that they'd still be in danger as the demons roamed the streets, especially since Lust had managed to incapacitate both Captains of the Guard, but they'd be safer out there than in here, where his battle with Lust was to take place. LINEBREAKER Padre sighed as he watched the battle in the street. Madre stood next to him, silent as she took in the carnage. Demons were laughing as they tore through the streets, ripping pieces from buildings and chasing down stray ponies. They were not uncontested however. Every now and then a goat would appear from the shadows and slice the throat of one open before vanishing again. “You intend to join them,” Madre said. It wasn't a question. “I do,” Padre replied. “I just wanted to tell you one last time that I love you.” Nodding her head, Madre gave him a kiss, before saying, “Be careful.” With a grim look on his face, Padre quickly made his way towards his old armory, intent on leading his goats to victory. LINEBREAKER Cheerilee was all that stood between Apple Bloom, Sugary Spice, Scootaloo, Lively Spirit, and Sweetie Bell and a large demon. Glaring at the beast from Hell, she stood on her rear legs and whipped out two fans, causing the demon to laugh. “What are you going to do?” it taunted, “Cool me to death?” “No,” Cheerilee replied, before quickly spinning and slashing her fan into the demon's chest as it leapt back, “I intend to slice you to death.” Growling, the demon flexed his claws, before saying, “You really shouldn't have done that.” LINEBREAKER BOOM! While other battles might've been quieter and more subtle, Big Macintosh's was anything but. BOOM! “It's been a while since I've had such a worthy foe...” the large demon in front of him commented, before throwing another fireball towards the large stallion. Big Macintosh merely leapt to the side, before throwing one of his weighted balls towards the demon. “Don't say much, do ya?” it added, turning to avoid being hit. “Oh well, that makes it so much easier to focus!” LINEBREAKER “I must say,” Lust started, staring at Mecha. “You've certainly picked up a few things since we last met... A metal leg... some unique weapon... and magic! I certainly didn't expect that!” Mecha didn't respond, content to let the ethereal flame being emitted from his eye do all the talking. “But then again, you did survive Hell,” Lust continued, pacing slightly in front of him. “I suppose it's only fitting that you'd pick up something new...” she stopped, before grinning. “I'm going to enjoy breaking you...” Suddenly, Lust appeared in front of Mecha, horn poised to stab his chest, only for him to knock it away with his gunblade as he made to stab her with his magical blade, which she countered by stepping back. Frowning, she leapt back before attempting to launch a massive fire ball at Mecha. Mecha responded by channeling more magic into his blade, before running forward and slashing at the fire ball, releasing a black wave of magic that sliced it in half, both halves splitting away from him. Lust, however, had expected this, and had followed up the fireball with a charge of her own, her forelegs transformed into sharp blades which collided with Mecha's blades in a flash of sparks. LINEBREAKER Padre ran through town, ignoring the sweat on his brow, leaping from shadow to shadow while slashing the demon's throats with his horns. While he knew Mecha wished for him to focus on repelling the demon's attacking the town, he also knew that while the demon's posed a major threat from outside, there was an equally great internal threat. Slashing yet another demon's throat, Padre continued his rush towards Canterlot prison. LINEBREAKER Cheerilee was beginning to breath a bit hard, having had to dance around all of the demon's aggressive attacks. Her dress had been torn several times, but she herself had yet to suffer any true damage. The demon she was fighting, however, was barely tired, although relatively scratched up. “Forget killing you...” the demon snarled, “When I'm done with you, you'll wish you were dead!” as he charged forward. Licking her lips, Cheerilee stayed focused, leaping up while contorting to avoid the demon's attack. She knew she needed to finish this quick, but she needed an opening first! LINEBREAKER Big Macintosh was spinning both weights of his weapon, focusing on his opponent. So far, both had managed to avoid being hit, but that was bound to change soon. Swinging one end forward, Big Macintosh smirked when his opponent finally leapt into the air, allowing him to swing his second weight towards him. His opponent, however, had known this was his intent, and so grabbed a sign to pull himself out of danger before flinging a large ball of fire at him. Tightening his grip on his chain, Big Macintosh allowed his weapon's forward momentum to pull him out of danger, before sighing. He knew, as well as his opponent, that if either one of them managed to land a strike against the other, that would be it. It was all a matter of who got the strike in. LINEBREAKER Mecha took a leap back, getting some distance between him and Lust. Frowning, he knew that right now the two were equals in combat, and that the longer this continued, the more damage her minions dealt to the town. Taking in a deep breath, he let go of his emotionless state and allowed his rage at Lust to build up, causing the magical aura he'd developed around him to flare. Glaring at Lust, he knew he couldn't hold this state for long, or else he'd burn out. So, rushing forward, his movements started to blur as he swung faster and faster, with Lust barely being able to keep up as she too started to blur. LINEBREAKER Padre had finally made it to the Canterlot prison, where, much like he'd suspected, a prison break was in progress. What he hadn't expected was the Timberwolf fighting off the prisoners trying to escape. “About time some Fenrir forsaken help arrived!” Wolfgang growled as he ripped through the throat of a Nightmare Cultist's throat. “What took so long?!?” “Had to travel through the shadows,” Padre told him, ducking under a bolt of magic before tossing a knife into his assailants chest. “Took me a tad longer than running straight here.” “Whatever,” Wolfgang replied, slashing a wing off as an escapee tried to take flight. “I'm just glad you're here.” Padre didn't respond, focusing on the fight at hoof, ignoring even the corpse of his son as he passed it. LINEBREAKER Cheerilee had no time to wipe the sweat from her brow, or stop for a breath, as she and the demon were locked in a constant dance of death, with one false move being the end of either one of them. 'Sweep, spin, slash, jump, spin, jump, slash...' Cheerilee thought, barely avoiding most of the demon's attacks as he continued his assault, rage clearly visible in his eyes. The demon was not, however, as focused as Cheerilee was. His rage was his driving force, his anger his power. So it was a surprise to him when a knife was embedded into his skull when his opponent clearly lacked one, his confused look visible as he collapsed. Cheerilee quickly followed suit, before turning to Sugary Spice, who'd been the one to throw the knife. “What?” Sugary Spice asked, seeing the confused looks of those present. “Do you really think my dad wouldn't teach me to defend myself?” LINEBREAKER After completely destroying several streets, Big Macintosh and his opponent were both trapped in a semi-narrow road, debris at both ends blocking their routes. They stared at each other, before the demon took in a deep breath. Seeing this, Big Macintosh started to rush forward, leaping up onto a box before leaping high when the Demon let loose a giant fireball from his throat. However, it appeared he hadn't leapt high enough when the Demon saw him enter the fireball, causing him to smirk until a large weight struck the back of his head, shattering it. Big Macintosh landed, panting from having to both leap over the giant fireball and swing both ends of his meteor hammer overhead. He was truly lucky that Mecha had taught him that simple illusion, or else he might not have made it. LINEBREAKER The two blurs disengaged, both breathing heavy. Each eyed the other, trying to figure out how to deal the finishing blow to the other. Mecha was the first to react, channeling magic into both blades, before he started to rapidly slice the air in front of him, sending wave after wave of powerful magic at his opponent, who tried to dance around them, getting clipped here and there. Mecha finally stopped and shot a bullet, straight into Lust's chest. Lust stopped, before looking at her chest. Lightly pawing the entrance wound, she laughed, before saying, “What was that? A pesky metal ball? Surely you don't think that'd stop me!” Shaking his head, Mecha replied, “That was a bullet made out of treated hydra powder. An interesting substance that happens to react quite violently when melted and in the presence of magic.” Lust snorted, asking, “So? What's the point behind your chemistry lesson here?” “Simple,” Mecha started. “Your body is made from molten lava and obsidian and held together with magic. The heat will melt the bullet, while the magic...” Lust's eyes widened as she caught on, before grabbing her chest and trying to rip it open before the bullet went off. However, Mecha's explanation had stalled her long enough that she couldn't reach the bullet, before it reacted, destroying her entire body. The reaction outside was near instantaneous. All the demons under her control grabbed their heads, before screaming as they burst into smoke, their forms flying south as a near unified mass. Lust's form, however, acted a bit differently. It took the form of a skull, screaming as it rose to the chapel, before screaming, “I CURSE YOU!” and flying through Mecha's body. Mecha's heart stopped for a moment, as various images flashed through his mind, before he collapsed and blacked out. LINEBREAKER Mecha gasped as he bolted upright in a hospital bed, grabbing his chest. Looking around, Mecha quickly grabbed Cheerilee by the shoulders, startling her awake, as he asked, “What have I missed?!” Shaking her head, she replied, “Shining Armor and Cadence went ahead and got married yesterday since they weren't sure when you'd wake up... and that's about it.” “Then there's still time...” Mecha murmured, before telling her, “Get Celestia and Luna- quick!” Still slightly shocked at his recent awakening and behavior, it took Cheerilee a second to process his request before she ran out of the door. When she returned with the princesses, they asked, “What's the matter?” Before Mecha could reply, a soldier broke through the door, shouting, “An army of creatures approaches my princesses!” Sighing, Mecha replied, “That. That's the matter.” *Iklwa- A short spear used by the Zulu tribe in Africa.