//------------------------------//
// Endless Love 
// Story: A Hoof In Two Worlds 
// by Raven Smite 
//------------------------------//




A Hoof in Two Worlds
‘Endless Love’


“You mean to tell me it was all just a dream?” Tory asked Princess Luna.

After waking up from his little escape into the past, Tory had spent a good hour with his wife, glad to be back with her. Fluttershy was the most special pony in the world to him, and he wasn’t going to let her escape him again. But then she had to return to her cottage, and finish taking care of all the animals. After that, Tory had decided to find Luna, and they had walked back to her room, where Tory explained what happened…mostly

“Yes, it was.” Luna answered. Your subconscious picked up the memories as they returned to you, and interpreted them as dreams. Therefore, you gained control over them, and were able to alter them at least a little. The memories didn’t change, and neither did the timeline, thankfully.”

“So, you really did all of that to Tails in one night?” Tory questioned, kind of scared now.

“Do what?” came Luna’s confused question.

“You know…” Tory implied. “In your room…the scuffling…forcing him into your bed…”

“Oh, that!” Luna said quickly, turning away from him. “Please tell me you didn’t do anything…”

“Of course not,” Tory replied with a smile and a light blush. “I took the gentleman’s choice, and slept on the floor.”

“R-really?”

“Yeah,” Tory nodded, withholding part of the truth. “I DO follow certain mannerisms, Princess Luna.”

Luna turned back to him, and he saw a slight blush on her face. He couldn’t help but smile at that. If only she knew what really happened in that crazy dream. But that was something he couldn’t tell her about. Instead, he decided to change the topic.

“So, any chance I can get that one spell?” Tory asked her.

“What spell?” the dark alicorn questioned.

“You know, the one that allows for the sharing of memories?” came his reply.

“Oh yes,” Luna said, remembering. She walked over to one of her bookshelves, and used her magic to pull down a small textbook. She passed it over to Tory, and he plucked it out of the air. “I believe the spell is on page 24.”

“Actually, it’s on page 28,” Tory told her.

“How do you know that?”

“Control F,” Tory shrugged, then he burst out laughing.

“What’s so funny, I don’t get it?” Luna asked him.

“Nothing, just a human joke,” Tory told her. “Actually, it says so in the table of contents.”

“Oh,” Luna nodded.

Looking at the page with the spell, Tory quickly memorized the details and how it was performed. If this worked, he could make things much easier for everypony when they all traveled back to Earth. That thought still made him uncomfortable. He and his friends were almost guarenteed to attract plenty of attention. Tory was absolutely positive they would, thinking about it. He, Cory, and Grace had all vanished for over a week. How were their classmates going to react when they suddenly returned?

“You look troubled,” Luna commented. “What’s wrong?”

“Just thinking about when we go to Earth again,” he replied. “I don’t think we’re going to have an easy break.”

“Well, there is one other thing that is going to happen, most likely after we get back,” Luna admitted to him. “I’m not supposed to tell you, but Tia decided that it would be good for everypony and you humans to go to the Grand Galloping Gala.”

“…Did you say the Gala?” Tory questioned, his voice lowering.

“Um, yes?” Luna replied, taken aback by his sudden change of attitude.

“Why do I have a feeling that it won’t really be fun?” he asked her.

“Are you thinking about what happened last year?”

“Yeah, but there are a few problems that I think will prevent me from going,” Tory told her. “First off, I can’t dance…at all! Second, I still have to worry about fixing things between me and Rainbow Dash. If I don’t do that, then I’ll feel like a complete ass! Third…I’ve…”

“What? You’ve what?” Luna pressed.

“I’ve never really…” Tory trailed off again.

“Wow Tory, you’re acting more shy that Fluttershy and Fantasia,” Luna commented. “Just say it, I won’t laugh.”

“I know,” Tory said, nodding. “It’s just that… Well I’ve never really been to a dance of any kind! I get nervous around large crowds, and that makes me lose myself. I’ll end up embarrassing Fluttershy, Rainbow, and every one of my friends. Plus, there is this thing about these kinds of events for people my age. If you go to one, not only are you expected to have a date, there’s always that one thing that runs through everyone’s heads. And that’s…”

“Come on Tory, tell me now,” Luna prompted. Her eyes gleamed playfully for a second. “If you don’t, I’m going to force it out of you.”

“That’s scary,” Tory commented. “Okay fine!… At any sort of dance, it’s almost expected for the two attending, to end the night with a bang…so to speak. Their supposed to…”

He leaned over to Luna, and whispered something explicit into her ear. She turned a light shade of red, and Tory did as well, thinking about it too. If he went, he and Fluttershy might have to… Tory shook those thoughts from his head. He had to keep him mind out of the gutter!

“Are you serious?” Luna asked him, flabbergasted. “You mean to tell me that others expect you and her to…?”

“Kind of!” Tory said, his voice rising. “And that’s what makes things difficult! I have more respect for Fluttershy than that! I’m a gentleman, and I will wait patiently for her! I refuse to pressure her like that!”

“At least you have some chivalry in you,” Luna commented, grinning at him.

“Maybe, but this is too uncomfortable right now,” Tory told her, turning away. “Can we please change the subject?”

“Well uh,” Luna began. “Maybe you’d like to practice that spell?”

“That sounds like a good idea,” Tory agreed, accepting the change. “But what should I try it with?”

“How about your little dream?” Luna suggested. “I’m kind of curious to see what crazy things your mind imagined.”

“…You don’t wanna know!”

“Oh but I do,” she insisted. “Why don’t you want to show me? Is it dirty, or naughty?”

“Um, uh, I’m not supposed to talk about it!” Tory lied. “I promised somepony!”

“You’re just like Split Ends in one thing then,” Luna commented with a sigh. “You both are terrible liars.”

“Well we were the same character at one point,” Torysaid. “I’m just a slightly improved version…in some areas.”

“You’re also modest,” she laughed.

“…Maybe we should focus on that spell.”

“What, did I say something wrong?” Luna asked.

“No, it’s just Karma suddenly has issues with me apparently,” Tory said.

“Um, Karma?”

“Don’t worry about it,” Tory told her, waving off the question. He turned to the book, and looked at the spell once more. “I guess I don’t have a choice when it comes to that dream, since you’ll probably pester me about it until you do see it, and I right?”

“You evidently know me better than I first thought,” she commented. “Okay then, hit me with the spell!”

Tory held the book up in his left hand, and aimed his right at Luna, palm facing her open, with fingers spread wide. He focused his thoughts on the dream, and the idea of them separating and cloning. After he felt the finished result, he took the cloned memories, and concentrated on them flowing out of his mind, and into his hand. It created a rushing sensation all along his arm and head. He looked at his hand to see it was glowing dark green, and it had an aura about it.

“I think I got it,” Tory said carefully, and he slowly walked over to Luna. “Let’s see if this works…and if it does, please don’t judge me.”

“What are you-”

Tory cut Luna off as he placed his hand on her head, and the glowing seeped from his fingers into her. Her eyes widened for a second, and she held completely still. He looked at her, and saw that her eyes had clouded over. He wondered if he did the spell right, and was about to check the book again. Before Tory could open it though, a large weight crashed into him, and he fell to the floor. He tried to move, but something held him down.

“Certain mannerisms, huh?” came Luna’s teasing voice.

“”That memory played out fast,” Tory commented.

“Now I see why you didn’t want to share that memory,” she told him. She stepped off of him, and Tory turned around to see her blushing.

“I guess that counts as the payback for sending me in there in the first place,” Tory said with a laugh. “Well, now that you know, let’s try to keep this between us, okay?”

“As if I’d let such…instances get around,” Luna told him carefully, trying to avoid using any descriptive words.

“And don’t worry, I’ll keep my hooves to myself so long as you do as well,” he teased.

“You don’t even have hooves,” the dark alicorn countered. “At least, not any more.”

“What are you talking about?” Tory asked, shrugging and showing Luna that his hands had disappeared, and had been replaced by a pair of hooves. “I do too have hooves!”

“Oh my!” Luna gasped. “How did you…?”

“Really?” Tory asked exasperatingly. “Hello, magic? Remember, I can cast magic?”

“Oh, right,” Luna nodded, embarrassed that she fell for such a simple ruse.

“Heheheh, such fun times,” Tory said, laughing gently. Then his smile vanished, and his voice became serious. “…But I’m afraid that they won’t last. Luna, I’m married, and I can’t feel these things. I shouldn’t be feeling them, not when I’m so insane about Fluttershy!…I’m sorry, but I think I should leave.”

Tory turned towards the door, only for Luna to put a hoof on his shoulder. He looked back at her, and saw the tears forming in those dark, lovely eyes of hers. He slowly shook his head, and turned away. He had to keep away from Luna, or else risk his relationship with Fluttershy. That was something he wasn’t going to put on the line, ever!

“I…I understand,” Luna said sadly. “You’ve got to do what is right for the ones that you already have. It would be best if we didn’t talk like this.”

As Tory nodded, feeling tears well up in his eyes, he couldn’t help but stop and look back at the alicorn. She smiled at him kindly, but her eyes said something else. He reached out for the door, and gripped the handle, but his arms refused to pull it back. His vision blurred a bit, and his arms lost all strength. Why? Why did he have to be so caught up in all of these girls?! He was just setting himself up for more hurt each time!

Luna came up to him and rested her head on his shoulder. He let his hand fall to his sides, and he breathed in her scent. The violet smell that surrounded her made Tory feel lightheaded, and something in him just gave in. Without consciously realizing it, he turned to Luna, and kissed her. It wasn’t a passionate kiss, and it wasn’t very long. But it said more than any words could express. 

Luna had felt something for Tails, and had carried that love over to Tory when it was revealed. He had always felt something for the badass alicorn of night, from the moment she changed from Nightmare Moon, to Princess Luna. His interest in her had only improved when she had come to fight Discord beside him, even though she had only slowed the demon down. And when she came to Tory once more inside the Cloister of Love, her eyes had said everything then.

Now, they said the same thing, just stronger this time. Her dark eyes began to water up, and Tory had to turn away, unable to see her cry. He knew that he would too if he saw those tears. Gripping the door handle once again, he successfully managed to pull it open this time. He stopped before he completely went though, and spoke to Luna once more. Tory didn’t look back, he just kept his eyes focused on the halls.

“Just know that even if it was short lived, it was still great,” he said. “Don’t give up Luna, there is always somepony out there…”

With that, Tory closed the door, and his connection to the dark alicorn. Luna turned back to her bed, and collapsed onto it, letting the soft pillows absorb the tears that flowed out. Two Tail had said something so close to that before he died. Tory truly was his reincarnated soul, just remade into a new body, and given the chance to rise above.

“You say don’t give up,” Luna began, talking to herself in sadness. “But you already have! I already met that special somepony, and he just walked out that door…for the second time in my life!”


I.I.I


Rainbow Dash was feeling a similar sadness right now herself. Crying once again on her cloud bed, the blue pegasus couldn’t clear out the thoughts about that human that she had spent so little time with. It had been the most pleasant four days in her life, and she had given it up so he could be happy.

Yet every time Tory looked at her, Rainbow could see the pain in his eyes. He still held her close in his heart, and was sad that she wasn’t beside him, that much she could read from his expression. Even though the whole reason the two of them had brought Fluttershy back to life was so that Tory could be happy, it was obvious that he wasn’t. In that sense, Rainbow had screwed up, and made the situation worse! She too held him close in her heart, and that just made being near him too painful. She had tried to keep away from him, but it seemed almost like the two were forcefully drawn to each other.

When Rainbow had followed Pinkie Pie because she said something great was going to happen, Tory had been sitting there, waiting for her. When she arrived at the castle, Tory had shown up soon after. When it came time to put a team together, she’d been picked to go with him on an undercover assignment.

“I just don’t understand why this had to happen,” Rainbow said to herself with a sigh. She slammed a hoof into her pillow, letting all of her rage go with it. “He’s always there, and he always has that look in his eyes! Why? Why does he still care?!”

“Because that’s who he is,” came a soft voice from the doorway.

Rainbow jumped at the sound, freaked out that somepony had entered her house without even so much as a hint. Turning over to look at them, she noticed it was Derpy, who looked slightly different. She looked, almost normal. Her eyes were less spread out, and they had an intenseness to them that reminded the blue pegasus of the day most of Ponyville tried to kill Tory. Derpy had been one of the few that stood by Tory from the beginning.

“Did…Did you talk Derpy?” Rainbow asked. “Or am I hearing things?”

“It…It was me,” she said quietly, shying away a bit. “B-but listen! Tory doesn’t want to forget about you! He wouldn’t even think about it!”

“But he’s miserable like this,” Rainbow Dash argued. “If he would give up on me, he could be happy with Fluttershy, like he used to!”

“…What about you?” Derpy asked suddenly. “Would you be happy, knowing that he was enjoying himself with Fluttershy, and not you?”

“Yes!” the blue pegasus said, getting up. “I’d be much better off knowing that! If Tory’s happy, then I’m happy!”

“Then stop lying to yourself and go talk to him!” Derpy snapped quietly. “Do it for him…”

Rainbow looked closely at the gray-ish pegasus, and saw her amber eyes watering up. Placing a hoof on the pony, Rainbow led her outside, where a gentle breeze greeted them. The sun was setting on what was her third day back from the Cloister. It glowed golden on the horizon, causing Rainbow to squint a bit.

“Derpy, do you like him too?” She asked calmly.

“…Y-yes,” she admitted quietly.

Rainbow smiled at her gently. Even though the gray-ish pegasus held feelings for the human, no matter how small they were, she was trying to fix things between him and one of his other lovers. That was something only a true friend and somepony that really cared would do.

“Well then, I guess I don’t have a choice, now do I?” Rainbow questioned, smiling kindly at Derpy. “I mean, you’re trying so hard to help all of us, when you could be trying to get him for yourself. I like your style Derpy, we should hang out some time!”

“M-maybe,” she agreed softly.

“You’re like Fluttershy almost, so quiet and timid,” Rainbow commented. “I think you and I are gonna be good friends! C’mon, let’s go find Tory. Me and him need to talk!”


I.I.I


Walking down the halls slowly, Tory felt something inside him pulse. It wasn’t like the previous times though, this was something completely different. This time, the pulsing wasn’t just in his heart, it was all of him. His hands, his legs, his very soul, they were pulsing in perfect synchronization. 

The suddenness of it caught Tory completely by surprise, and he fell to the floor, not even able to resist. It couldn’t be any outside force, he knew that much. Ever since he’d returned from the Cloister, Tory had created a force field around himself and all of Ponyville, preventing any evil intentions from entering. It had succeeded in resisting all opposing forces, at least it did, until now.

Trying to build up his magic to fuel his own little force field, Tory shut his eyes and pulled out every ounce of energy he had within him. Doing so only sped up the pulsing inside his body though, and Tory quickly stopped. He tried to get to his feet, to find somepony that could get Celestia, Luna, or even Twilight to help him. He slowly and painfully moved forward, leaning against a wall to help hold his weight, as his legs were so weak right now.

When he rounded a corner, Tory saw a light gray alicorn walking down the hall. The pulsing in him slowed as he neared them, then it rapidly increased. Tory cried out in pain at the sudden increase, and it attracted the alicorn’s attention. He held out a hand, and tried to ask him to go get Celestia or some other powerful magic user, but he couldn’t hear what he said. The pulsing was blocking out his hearing now, and it dimmed his vision.

“And here I was, thinking that I’d managed to stop all of these attacks.” Tory thought to himself. “That Discord is a persistent one! Even now, he’s probably trying to increase the pressure on me so that I’ll die from the overload!”

“Yet it is not him,” came a voice inside Tory’s head. It sounded so much like his, just more majestic and bold. “You must learn to relax Tory, just let yourself go…”

“Who are you?” Tory asked the voice, worried that another villain might be trying to take him down. “How do you know me?!”

The voice did not reply, and the silence worried Tory. His energy left him, and he fell to the floor, panting. His vision remained dim, but he was vaguely aware of the alicorn in front of him. A massive weight landed on his shoulder, and Tory cried out in pain. The weight was quickly removed, and he forced his body to turn so he could look at the alicorn.

There was something familiar about the figure, but Tory couldn’t identify who it was, as he couldn’t see clearly. He tried to ask for help again, but all of his energy was gone, and his voice wouldn’t come. The figure turned around, and rushed down the corridor, hopefully to go find help.

Tory felt the last of his energy leave, him and he closed his eyes again. He let the exhaustion take over him, and passed out once more…


I.I.I


“Someone has a flair for the overdramatic, don’t you think?” came the majestic voice. “Have you been taking lessons from Rarity?”

Opening his eyes, Tory saw he was back within the Cloister of Love, in the final room where the statue of Two Tail was. Getting to his feet, he looked around, hoping to find the voice of the one who knocked him out. Upon inspection, Tory found the large room was empty, and that the voice seemed to come from the walls.

“Show yourself!” Tory called out, issuing his challenge. “Or are you a coward?”

“Only about as much as you,” the voice laughed, echoing around the room once more. “Drop the tough guy act Tory, it doesn’t suit you.”

The statue of Tails glowed brightly for a second, blinding Tory. As it died down, he could feel a strong presence about him. The scent of pine struck his nose, and he smiled. Things had taken an interesting turn for him. A being could only have the same magical scent as another if one of two conditions were met. The first, being that both were twins, and the second, that one was reborn into the second’s form.

“Let me guess,” Tory started, regaining his vision. “Split Ends, I presume?”

“I don’t know, do I have two tails and carry the scent of pine?”

Tory looked at the owner of the voice with a grin. Standing in front of him was a deep green alicorn with spiky, dark brown hair. His eyes were a light shade of blue, and they held a playful gleam in them. His two tails flowed out behind him slowly, some of the spikes curling up as a wave passed over them. Yep, this was definitely Two Tail.

“I see you’re a smartass like me,” Tory commented.

“Don’t you mean like ME?” Tails replied, puffing out his chest. “After all, I came before you.”

“True,” the human nodded. “But anyways, were you the one that called me? Couldn’t wait until I was asleep, huh?”

“You’ll live,” the green alicorn said dismissively. “And yes, I did call you. I thought you might like to actually meet your old self.”

“Well if you’re anything like the new version,” Tory started, crossing his arms and putting his weight on his left leg. “You’re probably a prick, enjoy being idiotic, spoiling everypony’s fun, and have no idea what to do most of the time. Am I right?”

“Depends,” Tails told him. “Do YOU spend your life doing those things?”

“…Okay I give up, you’re me and I’m you!” Tory said, shrugging. “So, now what?”

“…Want to spar?” the green alicorn suggested.

“Sure,” Tory said adopting his fighting stance from his old days when he took karate.

The stance was a simple one really. Tory turned his body 90* to the right, and extended his left arm down along his side, slightly bent, and a bit out. His right arm was raised to his left shoulder, and slowly moved back and forth between his face and chest. His left foot was angled towards Tails, and his right foot was facing the same direction as his body. Tory shifted his weight between each leg every second slowly, but he was always moving, ready for anything.

Tails looked at him strangely, and crouched down. He extended his left hoof forward. His hair spiked out even more, standing on end and releasing small electric bolts. His eyes still held that playful gleam though. He showed his teeth, which looked to have fangs, making Tory wonder what else the alicorn had lying in wait for him.

“Just try not to kill me, okay?” Tory smirked.

“Then don’t hold back!” Tails cried out as he lunged at the human.

Tory used his lowered hand to deflect the charging alicorn, and used his right hand to grab his tails, and spin him around. Two Tail was flung across the room, draining most of Tory’s strength with the throw, as he had not anticipated Tails to be so heavy. The alicorn twisted in the air, and landed on all four hooves, skidding on the floor with the momentum.

Tory used a bit of magic to recharge his arm, something he’d been trying to get down for a good while now, so he could fight longer and harder. The technique wasn’t finished, as it drained more power and gave less energy, but it was still something. Tory had also developed a reverse technique for when he was fighting a magic user. He wanted to be ready for any sort of situation. The second one was already finished, giving more magic for less strength.

Returning to his former stance, Tory awaited Tails’ next attack, which would most likely come from the side, as the human often found that strategy worked pretty good. The issue was figuring out which side the alicorn would come from. If he turned one way to early, he would leave his other side completely exposed. And while the stance could be mirrored, Tory had difficulty working like that.

The alicorn silently slipped around Tory, using the shadows to make his dark coat blend in. He managed to get all the way behind the human, and then bared his fangs. Tails slowly crept up to Tory, and jumped his back, catching him completely off-guard.

Tory had not anticipated a back attack, even though most all sneak attacks came from behind. He was so focused on the concept of Tails being like HIM, that he forgot the alicorn had more fighting experience than he did. Tory only had two years worth, and his classes had only been on two days out of the week, sometimes cancelled if there was another event going on, since their dojo was a school gymnasium.

Acting instinctively, Tory reached behind him and threw Tails over his shoulder, adding magic to his strength to increase the impact of the alicorn hitting the ground. Two Tail, hit the stone floor…hard! The actual impact cracked the floor and sent a vibration along the walls.

“Gah!” Tails cried out in pain.

“Leave no room to recover!” Tory thought to himself.

He charged at the alicorn, and grabbed his mane, throwing him into the air. Using his silver wings, the human charged after him, and delivered a devastating roundhouse kick to Tails’ stomach. The green alicorn flew backwards, but Tory didn’t stop there.

The human flew at him with a speed that could rival Rainbow Dash, and sent a weak uppercut at his face. Tails careened into one of the walls, and shook his head, snorting out some dust that had landed on his muzzle. It was time to get serious!

The green alicorn warped behind Tory, and bucked him down onto the ground. Tails then proceeded to charge at him, spiraling as he nosedived towards the ground. Tory’s back crashed into the stone floor, and something in him snapped. The human cried out in pain, but gritted his teeth as he wasn’t going to be brought down by a small injury like that.

Looking up, Tory say Tails charging at him, and rolled to the side, skidding into a crouch. Two Tail landed with a loud thump, and turned to the human. The two of them locked eyes, each showing an intensity that could almost rival Fluttershy’s patented ‘Stare’. Literal sparks lept from their eyes, and collided midway, creating a slightly larger spark that created a small glow around the room..

Tory slowly got up, and pulled out his daggers. He forgot he had them with him up until now. Getting into a low stance, the human held both blades upside down, and crossed his arms in an ‘X’ fashion. He balanced all of his weight on his back leg, and waited for Tail to make the first move.

Tory had never really trained with weapons before, only practiced using them on that wooden dummy of his. He lacked the knowledge on how to use a blade efficiently, and that was going to hurt him. His only real battle knowledge came from the one lesson Tory had actually taken to heart in his classes: ‘Let your enemy come to you. Block, then strike while they are open.’ It was a simple, but effective strategy.

As expected Two Tail charged at him. The only thing that caught Tory off was the weaving he did as he dashed forward. One second he was on the left, the next he was on the right. The second after he was on the left- nope on the right again! The feinting eventually got to Tory, and he fell for Tails’ trick. The alicorn jumped at his exposed side, and knocked the blades from his hands.

Falling to the ground, Tory did something that only animals ever did: he exposed his stomach. It was a simple concept really. The first part was to make your enemy think you’re giving up, the second was to catch them with their guard down, and deal a finishing blow.

It had the desired effect, as Tails dropped out of his fighting stance, and slowly walked over to Tory. He extended a hoof, which the human took. He gripped the alicorn’s hoof tightly, and grinned visciously. Tossing Two Tail into the air, Tory used his magic to draw his daggers to him, glad for the moment to catch his breath. He looked up to see a furious alicorn glaring at him.

“That was a dirty trick!” Tails snapped at him.

“All is fair in love and war!” Tory called back. “C’mon, you should’ve known I’d pull a little trick like that!”

“That’s it! No more Mr. Nice Pony!” The green alicorn shouted angrily.

Tails, began to radiate with his magical energy, actually creating an aura around him. Tory saw he was charging up for a massive magic blast, and decided now was the perfect time to pull a classic skill out of his anime arsenal. The human crouched low to the ground, and brought his hands together, palms open, and fingers extended partially like two claws. He placed the ends of his palms together, and brought his hands behind him, keeping his gaze on Tails. Then Tory began to call out the familiar words that almost any older fan of anime would know about…

“KA-A-A, ME-E-E, HA-A-A, ME-E-E!” Tory began, shouting out and storing a massive amount of his magic in his hands. They began to glow as the energy seeped ouward, making a ball of white light shine from his hands. Beams of light surged past his fingers, illuminating the walls.

“I REFUSE TO LET MYSELF BE DEFEATED BY THE LIKES OF YOU!!!” Tails cried out, aiming his horn at Tory. “THIS IS MY STRONGEST SPELL!!! GRAND BURST!!!”

Tails released all of the magic into one giant blast, creating an extremely large ball of energy that raced towards the human. Tory was unfazed though, and actually grinned at how familiar this scenario was. It was almost like living the show! Tory let the blast reach a certain point, then extended his hands outward, and aimed the ball of energy at it.

“HA-A-A-A-A-A!!!” Tory finished, letting all of his power surge outward. A great white beam erupted from the ball, and charged at the opposing magic attack.

The two forces of energy colloded, and sent a shockwave around the room, shaking Tory and Tails to their bones. Both attacks kept trying to force the other one back, but since Tory’s was a constant stream of energy, he could put more behind it. The downside would be him unable to counter quickly if the alicorn managed to dodge and strike. Of course, Tails could also add more power to his by throwing more energy at the ball, but it would drain him too. Tory didn’t really have a choice now, since he had to either force this attack away, or let his energy run out and be obliterated.

“God I’m blessed when it comes to cheating,” Tory whispered to himself with a smile. His eyes grew fierce, and a red aura began to glow around him. “KAIO KEN TIMES THREE!!!”

The sudden surge of power within Tory fueled his attack, creating a bulge along the beam of energy that flowed up to the end, and sent Tails’ blast backwards, splitting it in two and causing an explosion that engulfed the whole room. Tory lost his focus as the blast swept him away, and his own attack was cut off.

As the smoke in the room cleared, both Tails and Tory looked about to see the room had barely sustained a scratch from the explosion. That confused the hell out of Tory, since he sent Tails into the floor and cracked it! Just what was the alicorn’s head made of anyways, adamantine?!

“Wow,” Tory huffed as he realized how tired he was. “Goku…really…goes crazy…with that skill!… He‘s got… so much energy!”

“How the…hell?” Tails asked, also breathing heavily. “How…did you…manage…to stop my…best attack?!”

“I don’t know!” Tory said, laughing tiredly.

Still laughing, the human fell back onto the floor. Tails slowly limped over as well, and flopped down beside him. The two layed there for what felt like hours, just trying to catch their breaths. Eventually, Tory broke the silence.

“So, shoud we…call it a draw?” he asked.

“I think so…” the alicorn replied tiredly.

Moving to a sitting position, Tory held out a hand, which Tails accepted. They shook once, and got off the cold floor. The human stretched his back, and felt his spine pop into place, still sore from his earlier impact onto the hard ground. The alicorn stretched his legs, weak from all of the fighting that had been done.

“Jeez, I pray that nopony felt all the energy we released here,” Tory said worriedly.

“They shouldn’t,” came Tails’ reply. “This is all just a mindscape I made for us to talk in. If any power was released, your body expelled it like it was air. You should be fine, just try not to do anything drastic for a while, like go across enemy lines!”

“So you know huh?” Tory asked, scratching behind his head. “Let me guess, you’ve been watching all of my life as though it was some sort of TV show?”

“That’s about right,” the alicorn nodded. “I know everything you know, and then some. That was something I wanted to talk to you about actually.”

“Oh?” came the human’s question, a hint of curiosity in his voice.

“Yeah, since you got some of my memories, I’m able to communicate with you now,” Tail explained leisurely. “Now that I get to add my two cents in, maybe you’ll actually do some good with your life.”

“And I haven’t already?” Tory joked. 

“The only good thing you had going for you was Fluttershy, then Rainbow, and then that short time with Luna.” Two Tail commented. “Besides that, you sucked completely at everything else!”

“Cut me some slack man,” Tory argued playfully. “I’m still young and learning!”

“Whatever,” the alicorn said dismissively. “But anyways, it’s time to send you back. Celestia and the others must be going crazy right now, wondering what made you collapse.”

“Um, am I allowed to tell them about you?” Tory asked curiously. “Or would it be better to keep my ‘inner me’ a secret?”

“I don’t really care either way,” Tails shrugged.

With that, Tory blinked once, and the room vanished. It was completely replaced by a white light glaring in from a window. Getting up, the human’s body shrieked, a testament to the dream Tory just had. Looking around, he noticed Fluttershy by his bed once more, asleep and looking like she had been crying. He reched out to stroke her soft hair, but he pulled it back, not wanting to wake her.

“I’ll let her sleep for now,” Tory thought to himself. “She’ll be glad to know that we won’t have to leave for enemy territory…yet.”

Letting his head fall back on the pillow, Tory turned towards his wife, so beautiful and amazing. Her soft breathing made him smile, and the adorable expression on her face just made him want to pull her in and kiss her. He kept his emotion in check though, knowing it could wait until later. Thinking like that made him sad though, as he never had to restrain himself when it came to Fluttershy, or any of his loves.

“You’ll get over it,” came Tails’ voice, so much like Tory’s. “Get some more sleep. Your body is exhausted from the strain you put on it while we sparred…And yes, before you ask, you did feel everything that happened. Your mind believed it was real, so it perceived all of the actions and used energy accordingly.”

Tory didn’t even feel like thinking right now, knowing his thoughts weren’t private any more. Letting his eyes close, he took once last glance at his wife…HIS wife. Damn, it felt good to say that.

“I imagine,” replied Two Tail. “Just don‘t let yourself become so blindly devoted to her that you can‘t focus on anything else!”

Tory ignored that last comment, and let sleep claim him. He wasn’t going to let somepony else tell him how to run his life, even if it was…himself? That was confusing still. Either way, Tory would run his marriage and his life the way he wanted to, and nopony had a say otherwise…beside Fluttershy. It was just the two of them versus the world…

I.I.I

“Hmmm, he wasn’t at Fluttershy’s and I don’t know where he would go,” Rainbow Dash thought to herself aloud.

“Maybe Tory is at Twilight’s or Rarity’s place?” Derpy suggested, speaking louder.

The two pegasi have been searching for Tory all day, and not a single pony had even seen him. But Ditzy was enjoying being with a friend. She was slowly getting more confidence in her voice, and was building a solid friendship with Rainbow. The two of them had spent all day getting to know each other. At one point, Ditzy had said she needed to make a delivery, and Rainbow had decided that their search could be put on hold so she could help. That had really made the gray-ish pegasus’ day, hearing her say that.

“Good thinking Derpy,” Rainbow said, smiling at her friend. “Now, which would Tory visit?…Twilight! He has to send her off to that mountain pass in the morning! He might be helping her and Cory prepare!”

The two pegasi dashed off, heading straight for the library. As they approached, Ditzy took the lead, and naturally crashed into the front door. She fell onto her flank, and Spike opened the door. He looked at Derpy and Rainbow with a strange curiosity.

“Um, do you two need Twilight, or are you here to read?” he asked.

“Just wanna know one thing,” Rainbow told him, walking past the small dragon. She looked around, and became disappointed when she saw the place was empty. “Dang it, he’s not here either!”

“Who, Cory?” Spike questioned. “He and Twilight are spending the night at the castle since they’re going on that one thing tomorrow.”

“…That’s it, the castle!” Ditzy said, coming up to Rainbow. “Maybe Tory is still at the castle!”

“You’re looking for Tory?” Spike asked them, getting annoyed that they were ignoring him. “Why, do you need him for something?”

“Just to talk,” Rainbow Dash told him bluntly.

“Oh, I see,” the small dragon said with a smile. He walked over to one of the smaller shelves, and pulled out a dark green whistle with a gold insignia on the side. “If you want, I can call him up for you?”

“How, with that?” the blue pegasus asked, pointing at the whistle.

“Yeah, Tory made it for Twilight and me in case he was off somewhere and we needed to call him back,” Spike explained. “He said that it works pretty easily. Just blow into the whistle, and it opens a portal that leads directly to him.”

“When did he have time to make that?” Ditzy asked curiously.

“Well, he made it with his magic, so I assume it took him like, five seconds to make it,” Spike shrugged. “He did it shortly after he came back from the Cloister. Made a…what did he call it?…Clone, that’s it! He made a copy of himself and sent it over to assist in some extra defense preparation. This whistle is just the tip of the iceberg actually.”

“Huh?” came Rainbow’s reply.

“You see, he said that recently, his attacks from Discord have been getting worse, so he’s been trying to learn a few spells to keep the guy out,” the purple dragon told them. “Said something about a force field spell, and then he walked off with one of Twilight’s books. It was a very detailed volume too, so he must be trying something very difficult. The only spell that he could probably use is that massive force field spell that can cloak large areas. It’s the least complicated out of all of them”

“When did you get so smart Spike?” Rainbow asked.

“I live…in a library,” came the dragon’s monotone reply. “What do you think I have around here to do after cleaning? I don’t really have friends in this town! I just sit at the table and flip through the books!”

“Okay there, easy Spike,” the blue pegasus said casually. “Just askin’.”

“Right, well do you want me to call Tory or not?” he asked, drawing them back to the whole purpose of their visit.

“Um, yes please,” Ditzy asked quietly.

Taking the whistle in two fingers, Spike blew into it. Not a sound came out, but a portal spawned in front of them. A second later, the human that Rainbow had been searching for stepped through, looking around. He turned his gaze to Spike, who was at his feet. The small dragon waved at him, and pointed at Rainbow. Tory looked in her direction, and his eyes softened a bit. Rainbow looked away, trying to avoid his gaze. Now that he was in front of her, the blue pegasus wasn’t sure if she could go through with it. Too late now though!

“I’m guessing you wanted to talk Rainbow,” he said, getting eye level with her.

“Um, right,” she agreed. She looked at Ditzy and Spike, and the two nodded, leaving the room. As they closed the outside door behind them, Tory smiled. “Um, how should I say this?”

“I wouldn’t say anything yet,” Tory stopped her, holding out a hand. He walked over to the door, and quickly yanked it open, causing Spike and Ditzy to fall on the floor. “Not when we’ve got two little spies at the door.”

“How did you…?” Spike trailed off.

“Gut feeling,” Tory replied simply. He opened a portal, and motioned for them to walk through. “Go on you two. She wants to talk in private, so respect her wishes. This little portal will make sure you do. It’ll send you out to the edge of town, with five extra pound weights attached to your limbs. Don’t ask why, you’ll see in about…ten minutes.”

Rainbow watched as her friend and Spike walked through reluctantly. She knew what Tory had done. He added the weights so that they would use energy faster, and would be forced to slow down sooner, to keep going. It was a fun little exercise that she’d gone through back at Flight Camp.

“Now then, just to make sure we’re completely unheard,” Tory said slowly, raising his arms. The walls gained a strange sheen to them, and he smiled at Rainbow. “I just soundproofed the walls, no one outside can hear anything we say. Getting back to business, you wanted to talk with me?”

“Um, right,” she started again. “Well, I know that lately I’ve been avoiding you, and I bet you know why?” Tory nodded. “It’s just that, since you have Fluttershy back, you and I can’t…”

“I know,” he said shaking his head. “I also know what you’re going to say next. You’re about to tell me to stop loving you, that I should forget about you and get on with my life, am I right?”

“Mind reading?” the blue pegasus guessed.

“Nope, took a shot in the dark,” he replied smiling at her. Then his expression became serious. “But the thing is, I can’t do that, not to you Rainbow Dash. I know we only spent a few days together, and that’s normally not enough time to build a relationship, but I DO feel something towards you! I’ve known who you were a good amount of time before you met me, and back then I thought you were just amazing. When I got to experience the real deal, I just…went head over heels! You can’t expect me to just give up on all of that, do you?”

“Well, no but-”

“Rainbow Dash,” Tory cut her off, indicating that the question was rhetorical. “I have no intentions of giving you up! Just because I have Fluttershy doesn’t mean I should just throw away everything you and I had! That would be like me asking you to give up every single happy memory you have! I know you wouldn’t do that, so please Rainbow, don’t ask me to forget you!”

“But Tory, you’re married!” she argued.

“That doesn’t mean we can’t stay friends!” he countered. “Yeah, things will be a bit awkward at first, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try!”

“But the more I’m near you…” Rainbow trailed off.

Tory slowly moved his hand over to her, and slowly lifted her head to face him. He kissed Rainbow gently on the lips, putting all of his passion for her into it, and making her blush. She looked into his eyes, and they pierced her soul. He smiled at Rainbow, and she turned away, trying not to succumb to the temptation.

“Listen Rainbow Dash,” Tory said once more. “Maybe we can’t be together, but let’s at least try to be friends, okay? That right there was just a parting gift, something to remember our time together…C’mon, let’s go for a fly around Ponyville. I want to show you something.”

Tory walked out the door, with Rainbow close behind him. He jumped into the air, and flew straight up. The blue pegasus followed his lead, and soared into the sky. They traveled upward for a few minutes, until the human stopped and angled himself down back at the town. Rainbow slowed as she neared him, and looked down at what he was staring at. She gasped at what she saw.

“That right there is something I thought might help the town,” Tory explained. “It’s not perfect, but it keeps away all the things that go bump in the night.”

Covering the entire town was a large turquoise sphere of energy. It shifted upward at a fast pace, showing the amount of power behind it. At certain spots, the sphere changed colors, from red, to orange, to yellow, and back. Rainbow looked at Tory in awe.

“Yup, it’s a force field, made in our colors.” he smiled at her. “The main color is a combo of your natural appearance, and of my magical power. The smaller, interchanging colors represent your hair, and how unique it is. You are the most loyal, most brave pegasus I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing! It only seemed right for your colors to help protect the town we love so much, you know?”

“But, doesn’t this drain your magic?” Rainbow asked, knowing that no magic spell was permanent.

“Barely,” Tory replied. “I have smaller ones going around me, you, Fluttershy, and the rest of our friends. So far, I’ve barely felt any drain in my power. Even now, I’m actually gaining energy, instead of losing it. It took some time to work out the details, but I got it JUST right!”

“But…But…” the blue pegasus trailed off, not knowing what to say to all of this.

“Look at this,” Tory said, raising his hand towards the large sphere around the town. He focused his thoughts for a second, and the colors began to change.

The turquoise changed to a soft purple, and the red deepened. The orange and yellow looked unchanged, and Rainbow smiled. Not only was Tory protecting the whole town, but he was doing it in style! Rarity would be proud if she knew!

“I tampered with the spell a bit to alter colors as the light hits it at certain angles. Most anypony won’t see the force field, but it’ll still be there,” Tory told her, grinning all the while. “Just a little something to help keep the ones I love safe. And by that, I don’t just mean Fluttershy. I’m not even talking about Grace, or Cory, or any of the others. I also mean you Rainbow Dash.”

The blue pegasus turned away, unable to hide the blush on her face. Tory gently flew over, and wrapped his arms protectively around her. She looked up into his piercing blue eyes, and found she couldn’t break away from them. Tears began to blur Rainbow’s vision, and Tory smiled at her.

“I’m never gonna stop loving you Rainbow,” he whispered into her ear, tickling her. “That’s a promise. But I know we can’t be together. Please, just tell me that we can still be friends?”

“…Of course Tory,” she whispered back, turning in his arms. She kissed him lightly on the lips, and flew out of his embrace. “We can still be friends.”

Giving a big smile with a thumbs up [and adding a bit of a flash when the sun bounced off his white teeth (Gai-smile!)], Tory turned back towards the town, and motioned for her to follow. As they descended back towards the library, Rainbow noticed two figures also making their way there. She smiled, recognizing them as Spike and Derpy.

“I got them,” he said, smiling at her. He snapped his fingers, and the two of them fell onto the ground.

Landing beside them, Rainbow noticed the weights were gone. Both of them were panting lightly, Spike was even cursing Tory for making him work so hard. The human simply laughed, saying the exercise would be a good way to work off those gems he ate everyday. This made Rainbow laugh, and that got Derpy going.

“Hey, who’s laughing without me?!” came an all too familiar bubbly voice. “Nopony had better be telling ‘knock knock’ jokes without MY permission! I lOVE those!”

Pinkie Pie charged at them from out of nowhere, being followed by an auburn pegasus. He looked somewhat familiar to Tory, but he couldn’t place it. As the two of them neared, the human noticed that Pinkie wasn’t slowing down. He knew what she was about to do.

“What Pinkie, don’t jump me! I‘ve got an injured ba-aack!” Tory tried warned her. His warning fell on deaf ears though, as she crashed into him, enveloping him in a death hug. “Gah! Ow my back!”

“Oh Tory there you are!” Pinkie exclaimed. “I’ve been looking for you for like, the whole day, and I tried searching for you at the castle but they wouldn’t let me in, don’t you think that was rude of them, oh they were just doing their job I know but still, we need to throw a party for all of you and Fantasia and Derpy!”

“We can…talk…after you…let me go!” Tory gasped out. As the pink earth pony let go, he jumped into the air where she couldn’t grab him. Catching his breath, Tory looked at her carefully. “OW! I tried to tell you my back is hurt!…No Tails, I’m not going to prank her!”

“Um, who are you talking to,” Rainbow asked.

“Just arguing with myself again,” he said so casually. This made Ditzy bust out laughing. “What?…Oh, right. You probably think I’m crazy, don’t you? I’ll explain later.”

“I don’t think you’re crazy,” came a slightly commanding voice. They all turned to the strange pegasus that had followed Pinkie.

“W-who are you?” Tory asked.

The pegasus looked at him with his multi-colored eyes, the right one was red, the left was green. His right eye twitched once, and he turned in that direction, muttering something under his breath. Tory felt something weird about this guy. He was kind of creepy. But then again, HE had no right to judge, as the human had an old alicorn of legend inside of his head.

“The name’s Raven Smite, liutenant of both pegasi generals of the Equestrian militia!” he said, puffing out his chest. “I was talking with um, Pinkie was it?…Anyways, I was talking with her when she suddenly dashed off without warning. I followed, expecting some sort of tragic incident.”

“That would explain things,” Tory nodded. “That’s where I remember you from, you were there at the war meeting, standing off to the side. You know your generals suck completely?”

“Preaching to the choir,” Raven sighed. “They haven’t been able to agree on anything, ever. I was glad when you came in. Probably saved our flanks back there.”

“Just trying to help,” Tory told him calmly. “Don’t want to see Equestria fall into those Griffon’s claws.”

“Right,” the pegasus nodded. He looked over at Ditzy, and something in his eyes sparked for a second. Tory was the only one to notice. Raven walked over to her, bowing formally in front of her. “Hello, who might you be?”

“D-Ditzy Doo,” she said nervously. “Um, wh-what’s w-wrong?”

“Nothing,” Raven replied with a smile. “I was just caught by your exquisite beauty.”

The suddenness of that statement caught all of them by surprise, except for Tory. He was growing used to strange occurrences around him. Having fought a legendary demon twice, and then proceeded to fight with a legendary alicorn, having traveled between worlds, watching his lover be revived…it was going to take a lot more than a simple pick-up line to surprise the human.

“O-oh m-my,” Ditzy stammered in an adorable way. She was still so shy. “I-I ummm…”

“Shhh,” Raven said soothingly, placing a hoof over her mouth. “No need to talk. Your lovely eyes say it all.”

"Smooth!” both Tails and Tory thought. Then the alicorn interrupted, ticking Tory off. “He’s definitely got more skill than you!”

Ignoring that comment, Tory just let the scene unfold in front of him. Ditzy was blushing madly while the rest of the group watched, completely stunned. This guy worked fast. He was already asking her if she wanted to go on a date. The gray-ish pegasus looked at Tory, who smiled and nodded. He had no idea why she looked at him, but something didn’t feel right suddenly. The human shrugged it off as he watched Ditzy walk away with Raven.

“Hey peeps, what’s happening?” came Cory’s voice from behind them.

Everypony and Tory turned to look at him, who was carrying two large grocery bags. The puffy-haired human looked from one face to the next, confused as to why they held such shocked looks on their faces. Tory could barely suppress his laughter at this.

“Well, a pegasus just asked Derpy to go on a date with him,” Tory explained. “He just took one look at her and played the smooth move guy. They just walked away.”

“Wait…what?” Cory asked, doing a double take. “Did I hear you right? Did you just say…somepony asked Derpy on a date…out of the blue?”

“Eeyup,” Tory said, mimicking Big Macintosh.

“I need to hear this!” the afro-lover exclaimed, and quickly dropped his bags inside the library. He rushed back out, and pointed a finger at Tory. “TELL ME WHAT HAPPENED!!”

“I can’t really,” Tory admitted. “I shouldn’t even be about right now. I need to get back to the castle before Fluttershy wakes up. What would she say if she found out I left the castle without waking her? I can’t hurt her like that.”

With that, Tory opened a portal, and stepped through. Cory looked from one pony to the next, eventually stopping at Pinkie Pie. He shouted for her to tell the story, which she did with exuberance. The rest of them just went back to whatever they were doing before. All except Rainbow Dash, who trotted away happily, humming to herself…

I.I.I

Down at the local café, Ditzy was chatting with Raven, still a bit nervous around him. He kept asking questions about what she liked and what her hobbies were. Every now and then, one of his eyes would twitch, he’d turn in that direction and start muttering something.

“So, you like muffins?” Raven asked her. “I’m a big muffin fan myself!”

“Th-that’s nice,” Ditzy said quietly. She looked at his flank, and noticed his weird mark.

It held a shield with two strange swords crossing. The shield was white along the border, and blue in the center. It held a strange archaic symbol with three triangles forming a larger one in the center. The left blade was wide with a weird black hilt, and held a strange round part near the top and back of the blade. The right sword was a simple katana but it also had a different piece along the back of the blade. Looking closer, Ditzy could see that both hilts had what looked like a trigger of some sort.

“Oh, seen my cutie mark have ya?” Raven asked, noticing where her eyes were focused. “I can’t quite explain the mark itself, but it basically means I’m really good at crafting and using special weapons.”

“Y-you’re a smith?” Ditzy asked him.

“Only in my spare time,” the pegasus answered. “It’s sort of my hobby. My main job is to protect Equestria from foreign attacks. I‘m always on the front lines.”

“Th-that sounds…hard,” the gray-ish pegasus whispered.

“Not really,” Raven smiled at her. “Just a bit dull every now and then, when the griffons are silent. The pay is really good though.”

To prove his point, Raven picked up the bill, and carried it to the counter, where he handed the cashier the required amount of bits, plus a thirty percent tip (Yes, Raven is trying to show off). He returned to the table, and pulled Ditzy’s chair out for her, like a gentlecolt.

“O-oh, th-thank you,” she blushed, getting up.

“Are you okay?” the pegasus asked her. “You seem to be upset about something.”

“It’s…It’s nothing,” Ditzy said, shaking her head.

Raven escorted Ditzy home, saying goodnight before he went back to the inn he was staying at. Collapsing on his bed, the auburn pegasus smiled at the day he just had. He hadn’t expected to come to Ponyville, and see such a beautiful mare beside…CRAP!

Raven slammed his hoof into his forehead, remembering the whole purpose that he came to this town in the first place. He was supposed to inform Rainbow Dash to go to the castle for an important meeting with Princesses Luna and Celestia. Getting to his hooves, Raven, galloped out the door, and headed straight for Cloudsdale…


I.I.I


“Fluttershy…Beautiful…Time to wake up,” came a soft voice beside the golden pegasus. 

Something nudged her gently in the side, and she turned over. Opening her eyes, Fluttershy saw shockingly blue eyes in front of her, shining with warmth. She smiled, and reached over, wrapping her hooves around Tory’s neck. Evidently, she had crawled into his bed, during the night and snuggled up to him to keep warm. He kissed her softly on the lips, letting her scent wrap around him.

Stretching slowly, Fluttershy got out of bed, and walked over to the window. She opened it, and was greeted by a warm breeze that promised a pleasant day. Her soft pink hair flowed out behind her, covering the room with the scent of rose. Tory could barely contain himself, looking at his beautiful wife. The sun and the breeze made Fluttershy look so gorgeous. Her smile warmed his heart so much, and the look in her eyes just caught his breath.

“What a beautiful morning,” the golden pegasus said, looking at her husband. “It’s almost like all of Equestria is at peace.”

“When it wakes up to you, Equestria would do anything,” Tory told her, running his fingers through her lovely hair. She giggled as he did that. He leaned down and whispered into her ear. “Just like I would do anything for you.”

“Q-quit Tory!” Fluttershy giggled, trying to shy away from him. “T-that tickles!”

“Only because you asked, Mrs. Mills,” he said playfully, stressing her name. “How does that sound, Mrs. Fluttershy Mills?”

“…I love it!” the golden pegasus exclaimed quietly, turning towards her husband.

She wrapped her hooves around Tory’s waist, forcing him to stop moving. That led to him falling onto the floor, and Fluttershy laughing. As he shifted to a comfortable postion, the human decided to use his wing to tickle her, and she rolled on the floor laughing so hard that her side hurt.

Okay, I give!” Fluttershy gasped in between laughs. “Hahahahaha please Tory, I can’t breathe!”

“All you had to do was ask,” Tory whispered into her ear, stroking her soft mane.

Before they could continue though, a few knocks came from the door. Tory got up quickly, causing his back to cry out in protest. Opening the door, he was quickly greeted by one of Princess Celestia’s royal guards. The stallion handed him a slip of paper, bowed, and walked away. Closing the door, he walked over to the bed, where he sat down beside his beloved. He unfolded the slip, and slowly read out the message:


Dear Tory and Fluttershy Mills,

I have reviewed recent events, and found that your marriage ceremony was not a pleasant one. Taking into consideration recent events, I have decided that we will redo the entire wedding, allowing both of you to actually enjoy this one. This will be one to remember, with all of Equestria in attendance. Only the best for those that have given so selflessly to help others.

Do not worry about any details, everything is being taken care of as you are reading this. The wedding dress and tuxedo is already finished, made with love and care by your close friend Rarity. The décor is being set up by Pinkie Pie, all food is being prepared by Applejack, and each task is being overseen by Twilight Sparkle.

The wedding will be held tonight, so until then, relax by each other’s side. You two will be cared for by the best groomers and chefs Equestria has to offer. If you have any questions or concerns, please consult Raven Smite, who will be offering all of his services.

Just know that tonight will really be a night to remember…
Princess Celestia 


“…Did I actually read all of that right?” Tory asked Fluttershy in surprise. “Or am I crazy?”

“It’s…It’s true Tory,” his lover said quietly. “We get to redo our wedding!”

This sunk in immediately, and the two of them cried out in joy. They bounced about, laughing and acting giddy. It was a chance to actually enjoy their marriage, the way it was supposed to be done! Their last attempt had been… depressing to say the least. Now, it seemed like the universe was smiling at them today.

“Well, what should we do first?” Tory asked his beautiful bride. “We have the whole day to ourselves.”

“Why don’t we go and look at the shops around Canterlot?” Fluttershy suggested.

Tory nodded in acceptance, not caring where he went so long as he was with his beautiful girl. The two left shortly afterwards, only delaying so Tory could shower and change into something clean. His newest pair of clothing was a pair of dark blue pants with brown strands running between the fabric, adding just a hint of the color, and a deep brown shirt.

Walking around the bustling market, Fluttershy got swept up by the crowd, and she had decided to make it into a game of hide-and-seek with Tory. They played that for about an hour, with Fluttershy stopping just outside a large shop. Tory caught up with her easily, parting the crowd with a gentle wind to ease their passage. He saw her looking in the window, and noticed that they were in front of a pet shop. Fluttershy was looking closely at one of the smaller creatures in the back.

It was a small wolf cub, barely old enough to be away from it’s mother. From the window, Tory could identify that it was a male. His coat was light gray, but the human knew it would darken as he got older. Hie left ear was torn, almost like he had an ear problem like Tory. He was shaking in his little corner, away from all of the other pets that were playing. It was upsetting to see that.

“Poor little critter,” she whispered. “He must be so sad and lonely.”

“If you want, we can go pet him or something?” Tory suggested. “If he’s lonely, then he needs to see a friendly face. And who else should he see but you, the best pony in Equestria with animals?”

“Okay!” she smiled, and bounced happily into the shop. Tory laughed at how fun she was today, and followed her in.

“Good morning!” the shopkeeper called out. It was an older mare, a gray earth pony. Her eyes widened when she recognized who they were. “…Well if it isn’t the lucky couple of the day! What brings you two into my humble shop?”

“Well, my bride was looking through the window and saw how lonely this littile guy looked,” Tory explained to her as Fluttershy went over to the large area where most of the pets were playing. “Would it be alright if she played with him, just for a few minutes?”

“Oh, little wolfie?” the shopkeeper asked. “Yeah, he’s so shy around other animals. I’ve tried every passive method I know to get him to open up, but he just shies away each time. She can play with him if he‘ll open up, even just a bit.”

“Fluttershy has spent so much of her life to animals, it shouldn’t be hard for her and the little guy to become friends fast.” Tory smiled. “She just has that personality.”

Fluttershy slowly lowered her hooves towards the wolf pup, whispering soft, soothing words to him. He shied away at first, but then he raised his right paw towards her. Tory’s eyebrows flew up when the pup did that. Was he trying to shake her hoof?

Fluttershy held out her right hoof, and the two shook for a second. She had to be good with animals to understand them based off a simple action like raising a paw. But that begged the question, when and how did this little guy learn about their ways of greeting?

Tory took a step towards them, very slowly and carefully. He didn’t want to spook the pup. As he approached, he decided to try tuning his ears to wolf. Getting down on his knees, the human extended his hand towards the wolf cub. The pup raised his emerald green eyes up to Tory, looking at him curiously.

“You’re not like the others,” the cub said in a quiet voice. “You don’t have a tail, and your hair is so short! You don’t have fur all over you…What are you?”

“I’m what they call a human,” Tory explained to the pup. “My name is Tory, what’s yours?”

“I don‘t have a name,” he whined softly. “None of the others ever talked to me, and I was taken from my mother before she had ever given me one.”

“How sad,” the human gasped. “Well, would you like me to give you one? Every creature deserves a name, you’re no exception.”

“Would you?!” the wolf asked, bouncing a bit. Tory laughed at how joyful he was.

“How about…Graypaw?” Tory suggested.

“Graypaw…” the wolf cub repeated to himself. He began to bounce again. “I like it!”

“Heheheh, I’m glad!” the human smiled.

“Um Tory,” Fluttershy started. “What just happened?”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” he apologized. “I forgot to tell you I can sort of tune my ears to different languages. I’m not quite sure how it works myself, but I’ve found it has it’s uses. Right now, me and our little friend are talking about names.”

“So, you gave him the name Graypaw?” she asked.

“Well I suggested it to him,” Tory admitted. “He is still a living being, so he should have a choice in his name.”

“This is amazing!” the shopkeeper exclaimed. “Nopony has ever managed to get him to make any sort of contact with others! You two must really be something else to do all of that!”

“It just takes a bit of understanding and love,” Fluttershy said.

“Um, Tory?” came Graypaw’s voice, catching the human’s attention. ”Is it okay if I go with you?”

“Well, I’d love to take you home with me,” Tory started. “But I don’t think I can Graypaw. I don’t have any money to make the purchase that would allow you to come with me and Fluttershy.”

“…You know what?” the shopkeeper asked after a few seconds of silence. “I don’t think anypony is going to really buy a wolf cub. And he seems kind of attached to you two, so maybe I can let you have him.”

“But, that wouldn’t be right,” Tory argued. “It’d be like cheating you out of your hard earned money!”

“No no, I insist!” she said. “Consider him my wedding gift to you, the lucky couple. Besides, you’re both well known around Equestria now. Both of you, and what you’ve done. You should be rewarded for fending off that villain Discord! Just let me see him when he’s fully grown is all I ask. I’ve been watching him since they took his mother away.”

“That reminds me,” Tory started. “How did you come across him anyways?”

“Well,” the shopkeeper began. “I found a starving wolf in an alley one day about a month ago. She was sick and pregnant, and I knew I couldn’t just leave her there! I managed to get her back here, where she gave birth to a single pup, Graypaw as you named him, and she…”

“I see,” Tory nodded solemnly.

“What is it?” The pup asked, not sure what they were talking about.

“N-nothing,” Tory lied. He turned to the cub, and smiled. “But the good news is you can come with us! How about it Graypaw?”

The wolf cub answered him by pouncing on the human. He scuffled with Graypaw for a few seconds before the pup tired out, still too young for rough playing. Tory picked up Graypaw, and held the cub in his arms. He smiled at Fluttershy, who thanked the shopkeeper once more. 

Walking out of the shop, Tory suddenly realized how loud the market was. Looking around, he quickly stepped into an alley, confusing Fluttershy. When she came after him, Tory explained that wolves had a high level of hearing. All the noise of the market would hurt the cub’s sensitive ears, and the only thing the human could do was escape into the alley before the sounds overpowered Graypaw’s senses.

Yawning in a cute way, Graypaw squirmed in Tory’s hold. Fluttershy giggled at how adorable they looked together. A boy and his pet, it might be cliché, but it was still nice. Tory noticed the look in her eyes, and gave her a light kiss on the cheek.

Making a portal, Tory brought all three of them back to the room they had in the castle. Laying Graypaw on the bed, Tory stepped out of the room, catching Raven by surprise. The human surprised him even more by asking if they could have three meals delivered, two for the couple, and one for a wolf.

“Where did you get a wolf?” the pegasus asked, stepping into the room. He saw the cub on the bed, and lowered his voice. “…Know what? Nevermind. I’m not sure I want to know. I’ll just get the food up here. I’ll be back in about ten minutes.”


I.I.I


The rest of the day had gone smooth for Tory and Fluttershy. They didn’t really leave the castle after getting Graypaw, as they didn’t want to attract too much attention with the cub, or leave him behind. ESPECIALLY not the second choice! But during the time they were in the room, some interesting things had been learned.

First off, Tory made a little magic tag for Graypaw that altered his vocal cords so he could speak their language. The cub could still talk wolf, but now he could change between the languages whenever he wanted. But that was only if he had the tag on. The moment it was removed, Graypaw wouldn’t be able to speak like them.

“This is great!” he exclaimed. “Now everypony can understand me!”

“You might want to watch it though,” Tory warned. “If others hear a wolf talk like them, they might panic.”

“Oh, okay,” Graypaw said, lowering his head. Then he snapped back up, a grin on his muzzle. “But it’s still nice! I can talk with Fluttershy now too!”

“Yep,” she agreed with a smile. “And our other friends when you meet them.”

“You mean there are more like you?” the cub asked in awe.

“Not really like us, but they are nice,” Tory admitted. “Just be careful around some of them. One of our friends is still coming to grips with the concept of magic.”

“Grace?” Fluttershy asked.

“Grace,” he agreed.

“Who’s Grace? Is she nice?” Graypaw questioned curiously.

“She’s a human like me, but she has a different personality,” Tory explained. “You’ll meet her one day.”

A knock came at their door, and Tory opened it to find Rarity standing there, her saddlebag bulging a bit. Tory smiled, and invited her in to their room. When the white unicorn saw Graypaw, she instantly became infatuated, and started cooing over him. Tory couldn’t help but laugh at that.

“His name is Graypaw,” Fluttershy told Rarity. “And he’s not like other wolves. Go ahead Graypaw, say hello.”

“…Nice to meet you,” the cub started, extending a paw nervously. “Wh-what’s your name?”

“…” Rarity just stared at Graypaw with her mouth open. Tory burst out laughing until Fluttershy cuffed him on the shoulder.

“Um Rarity, You might want to close your mouth,” the human advised, grabbing her attention. “Don’t want flies nesting in there.”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” she apologized, regaining control over her body. She shook the wolf cub’s paw, smiling kindly. “My name is Rarity. It’s a pleasure to meet you Graypaw.”

The pup grinned, and began asking Rarity all sorts of questions about herself. Graypaw might be nervous at first, but if he saw his owners trusted somepony then he opened up to them much more easily. Tory thought it was cool how intelligent the cub was. That was going to make things much more interesting while raising him. Graypaw wasn’t going to be just a pet, he was going to be like a brother, or maybe a son.

“Oh my,” Rarity spoke up after another second. “I almost forgot the reason I’m here! I apologize Graypaw, we will have to continue this another day.” The unicorn turned to Fluttershy, and began to open up her bag. “Time to prepare deary! You’re going to love your dress, it just screams ‘beauty and nature’!”

“Then I’ll take my leave,” Tory smiled, heading for the door.

“Why?” Fluttershy asked.

“On my world, it was considered bad luck to see a bride in her wedding dress before the ceremony,” he explained. “I’ll just wait in the hallway with Raven until it’s my turn to get ready. Hey Graypaw, want to join me?”

The wolf cub answered him by scrabbling to his paws, and jumping into the humans arms. Tory laughed kindly, and walked out of the room. Fluttershy smiled at how perfect the two looked together.

“You know,” Rarity began, grabbing the pegasus’ attention. “I never thought I’d be making a wedding dress for you darling. You used to be so shy, and avoided almost everypony that came near you. Then Tory came along… You started changing almost right away, and lost some of that shyness you had. Now look at you, so beautiful, and about to be married! Such a momentous day for you!”

Fluttershy blushed as Rarity began to outfit her in the gown. The golden pegasus was thinking about how great today had already been, and what was still to come. A single tear rolled down her face, the feeling of happiness welling up inside her.

“Oh darling, I know!”Rarity smiled, seeing her expression. She continued to adjust a part of the dress. “You’ll remember this day for the rest of your life, and think on all of the good moments that you’ve shared together.”

“And I’ll have all of my friends beside me the entire night,” Fluttershy said, looking back at the unicorn. “Or will you be hunting down Prince Blueblood?”

“Unfortunately, he’s away from Canterlot at the moment,” she huffed. “He won’t be back until tomorrow evening. But tonight isn’t about me, it’s about YOU! You and Tory! Don’t think about others, just enjoy this night with him. You’re only wedded once during life, don’t let it be spent worrying about friends.”

“If…If you say so,” Fluttershy smiled after a moment. She knew it was pointless to argue with Rarity when she was in ‘The Mood’. “Just promise me that you’ll be happy. Even if it is my wedding, my friends should be enjoying themselves.”

“Don’t worry darling,” the white unicorn nodded, flashing her a quick grin. “We’re all happy when we see something as touching as you getting married. Now then, let’s try on the headdress.”


I.I.I


Tory walked down the corridors, not really sure where he was going. Graypaw padded along at his heel, smiling happily, and tail wagging rapidly. Raven Smite hadn’t been outside the room when Tory left, so they had decided to go for a walk. The two just wandered aimlessly, only stopping to memorize certain key points so they could find their way back to the room. At the moment, they were walking down a narrow corridor that seemed familiar to Tory.

Deciding to test a theory, he turned left, then right, and right again. Sure enough, he ended up outside two large, dark doors with crescent moons on them. He smiled, then quickly turned around. At least he was slowly learning his way around the castle. He started walking forward, until he felt something tug at his leg.

“Um Tory,” Graypaw whispered, hoping nopony would hear him. “Where are we?”

“Just outside a…friend’s room,” Tory smiled, trying to find the right word for Luna. “But we can’t go in there, she’s probably busy right now.”

“Aww,” the cub whined.

Tory picked up the cub, and walked away from the doors quickly before he was noticed. He was about to be…would it be remarried, since he technically already had Fluttershy as a wife? Whatever the term, he was going to have a proper wedding with his lover, and going near Luna would stir up his feelings for her. It would be better for him to keep away, at least until things settled down.

“You’re just afraid you’ll make out with her and be caught!” Two Tail laughed inside his head.

“Stow it,” Tory growled quietly. “I don’t want to hear your crap today. Just shut up and leave until the night ends.”

“Fine, but you owe me!” the alicorn mocked. “When you fall asleep tonight, you’re going to be reliving some more of my memories. Try not to get your ass handed to you!”

Tory was about to ask what he meant when he noticed Graypaw looking at him, upset about something. He crouched down and stared into the cub’s emerald eyes. Scratching behind the wolf’s left ear, Tory asked him what was wrong.

“Why did you tell me to shut up and go away,” Graypaw asked sadly , looking down.

Tory stared at him for a second, before slamming has hand into his forehead. He forgot that he was the only one that could hear Tails. To the cub, it sounded like Tory was rebuking him for whining. The human boy shook his head, realizing that he would need to control his choice of words more carefully. It wouldn’t do to have his friends and family thinking he was angry with them for no reason.

“I wasn’t saying that to you,” Tory soothed the wolf pup. “I have a voice inside my head that I argue with. Today has been so nice, and I don’t want it ruined by him saying something rude. Don’t worry Graypaw, I’m not mad at you or anything.”

The gray cub brightened up at hearing that, and bounced a bit. Tory laughed, his liveliness was entertaining. Catching Graypaw mid bounce, he carried his pet down the hallway. He rounded a corner, and ran straight into Twilight Sparkle. They both fell to the floor, Tory’s pup landing on his paws a few feet away.

“Ow,” Tory groaned, placing a hand on his back. “That hurt.”

“Did I just walk into a brick wall?” Twilight asked, rubbing the sore spot on her face.

Are you okay Tory?” Graypaw whispered, padding up to the human.

“Did somepony say Tory?” questioned Twilight, looking around. Her eyes fell on Tory, and then she noticed the wolf cub beside him. She got up quickly and trotted over to Graypaw. “Aww, he adorable! Does he belong to you Tory?”

“Well, belong isn’t really the word I’d use,” Tory replied. “His name is Graypaw, and he’s part of the family.”

“How did you find this little guy? “she asked, never taking her eyes off the pup. “His breed isn’t found in this area!”

“Me and Fluttershy saw him in a pet shop,” he explained. “He was a bit shy and didn’t really act like the other pets. Fluttershy started talking and soothing him, then he opened right up. Didn’t you buddy?”

Graypaw looked at Tory, and nodded happily. His tail was wagging back and forth, and his emerald eyes were shining with a playful gleam. His expression was one Tory assumed asking ‘Am I allowed to talk to her?’ The human smiled, and nodded.

“It’s nice to meet you,” he said politely. He held out a paw like before. “As Tory said, my name is Graypaw.”

“He…He talks?!” Twilight exclaimed. Without hesitation, she shook his paw vigorously. The cub’s tags jingled, and jumped off his neck, landing at the purple unicorn’s side. “In all my years of research, I’ve never seen or read of a talking wolf! Quick, tell me what you think of Equestria!”

Graypaw opened his mouth, only for a high pitched wolf bark to escape. He looked confused for a second, before noticing that his tags had flown off of him. He looked at Tory, who sighed in a faux annoyed tone. He had expected this to happen, especially since it was with Twilight, the bookworm of the Mane 6.

“Graypaw doesn’t speak our language on his own Twilight,” Tory explained. “He has an impressive level of intelligence on his own, but his vocal cords aren’t capable of mimicking the way we talk. Those tags beside you, I made them so that he could talk. They’re enhanced with a low level spell that acts as a translator.”

Tory crouched down beside them, and picked up the tags. He placed them on Graypaw’s neck, and petted the cub. Ducking out of his hand, the pup swiped playfully at him. His emerald eyes shown, and he turned back to Twilight. 

“He’s right,” Graypaw said, speaking calmly, even though it was obvious how energetic he was at the moment. “These tags are the only thing that allow me to speak like you ponies and Tory. I’d like to add that it’s much easier to let you guys know things this way.”

“Now if only I had a better spell,” Tory muttered, flicking the pieces of metal. “I’d be able to make the effects permanent, or at least less likely to be separated from you.”

“I’m sure you’ll think of something,” Twilight reassured him. “You’ve done good up until now, so why let something like this trip you up?”

“True,” he agreed. Then his mind snapped into focus, and he wondered something. “Um, why were you on your way to Luna’s room?”

“Well I have to tell her it’s almost time and to get ready…” the purple unicorn started. Then she realized what she was saying and shut her mouth. Her expression was a guilty one, as her eyes avoided Tory’s gaze. “I mean um, was this the way to Princess Luna’s room? I thought I was going to Princess Celestia’s! Thank you for telling me that Tory, I’ll just be on my way now!”

Before the human had a chance to ask her anymore questions, like ‘what are you hiding,’ she galloped away, and rounded the first left corner she saw. Tory shook his head, knowing that she was keeping something from him. He didn’t want to press it though. Everypony had secrets, and even he was no exception. If they didn’t want to tell him, he had no right to force them. After all, Tory wouldn’t want that done to himself, and he was raised based on one belief: ‘Do unto others as you’d have done unto you.’ They were good words to live by.

“Well. I guess we should head back to the room and get my tuxedo, huh Graypaw?” Tory asked, looking down at the wolf cub.

“Um, what is so special about today?” the little gray pup asked. “Is something big happening?”

“Majorly,” Tory replied quickly and happily. “Do you know what a wedding is?” The cub nodded, which surpised the human. He hadn’t expected this little guy, who was maybe a month old, to know so much about a culture that he wasn’t a part of. “Well me and Fluttershy are to be married today…Well, remarried. The first time had been under depressing circumstances, but our good Princess Celestia has decided we should try again, and make things right. Honestly, I think this was a good idea. Fluttershy deserves nothing but the best, and this definitely counts as ‘best’.”

“I’m happy for you!” Graypaw exclaimed, jumping on him. “Nothing but the best for you too Tory!”

“Heheheh, thanks,” Tory said, laughing as he held his pup close to him. Then his expression changed as something crossed his mind. “…You know, I just realized something. I don’t have a best man, or a ring-bearer, or anything. Where am I going to find someone or somepony to take those positions on such short notice?”

“Oh, oh,” Graypaw spoke up in his arms, shaking excitedly. “Can I be best man?”

“I don’t think so,” Tory replied with a laugh. “You’d have to give a speech at the reception, and you still don’t know much about me or Fluttershy. If the position is open, you can be the ring-bearer, does that sound good?”

“Okay,” the cub agreed with a nod. “But…do you have any rings?”

That stopped Tory dead in his tracks. Rings, he forgot about those! How the hell was he going to get two before the ceremony?! He still had to prepare, and that would take up all of his remaining free time! Thinking quickly, Tory made a portal that would take him straight to Twilight. She was in charge of the preparations, maybe she had already figured something out?

Walking through it with Graypaw, Tory saw that he was in the throne room, right beside the purple unicorn. In front of him was Pinkie Pie and Rarity. She must’ve finished getting Fluttershy ready. The three of them looked at him in surprise. Tory turned to Twilight, and got down to eye level with her.

“Twilight, I realized something,” he started. “I don’t have any rings for the event! Please tell me you’ve got something, or at least an idea!”

“Is that it?” she chuckled, smiling at him. “Your look had me really worried for a second. Yes, we’ve got rings ready. Rarity, Princess Celestia, and I spent a good five hours getting them ready. Don’t worry Tory, we’ve thought of everything already. You should go and get dressed, time is running out.”

“Right,” Tory said, scratching at the back of his head in embarrassment. Then he remembered something. “Um, did you already get a best man for me, or maybe a ring-bearer?”

“I thought Cory would be best for the first job,” Pinkie said, bouncing like usual. “But we can’t think of a good pony to fill in the second!”

‘Maybe Graypaw could do that?” Tory suggested to Twilight, his eyes pleading. “I’ll just remove his tags, and he’d be perfect!”

“But he doesn’t have any dress clothing,” she protested. “And we don’t have much time left.”

“Ahem!” Rarity coughed, grabbing everypony’s attention. “I believe you forgot about the best designer in Equestria. I could make our little friend something nice in ten minutes flat!”

“Would you?” Tory asked her nicely. “I’d be sure to pay you back soon!”

“Oh please!” the white unicorn smiled at him. “I couldn’t take money from you Tory! Not when I’d be making it for your wedding, and on something so cute! He’ll be fun to work with!”

“Oh thank you Rarity,” the human sighed happily. “But, I guess you’ll need to get back to your boutique, huh? Would you like me to teleport you there?”

“Thank you Tory,” Rarity nodded. “I’d appreciate it.”

The human created a portal, and she walked right through without hesitation. Graypaw followed more slowly, stopping to glance back at his owner. Then Tory realized that Rarity had no way of reopening the portal. He quickly dashed through, and created a green whistle. As he appeared outside her shop, he called Rarity’s name out to grab her attention.

“Here, it’s a whistle that’ll allow you to get back to the castle,” Tory explained. “Just give it a blow, and I’ll have another portal ready for you to return through.”

“Good thinking,” Rarity nodded with a smile. “I’ll make sure to have Graypaw’s clothing ready right away. Come along now my cute little friend.”

“Um, Graypaw?” Tory said before the cub was inside. The little wolf turned to him, and cocked his head to the side in an adorable way. “Try not to get in a fight with Opal, okay?”

“Who?” the pup asked.

As if on cue, a low hissing could be heard from inside the shop. Graypaw turned to see Rarity’s white cat glaring at him, threatening to claw the cub to death if he came near the shop. Before Tory had a chance to explain though, Rarity lifted Opal with her magic, and placed her inside the cage. Sealing the latch shut, the white unicorn smiled at the two of them.

“It’s a good thing you remembered, Tory,” she said. “We wouldn’t want our furry little ring-bearer to get hurt on today of all days, would we? Don’t worry Graypaw, Opal can’t escape this cage, so you have nothing to fear. Now let’s get you outfitted with something…bold! I’m thinking dark blue, or maybe white, to contrast your lovely coat!”

“Heheheh, I guess I’ll leave you to it Rarity,” Tory smiled. He looked at Graypaw, and whispered into his ear. “Don’t worry, she’s good at what she does, even if she is a bit…eccentric about it. Just do as she asks, and you’ll be back with me and Fluttershy at the castle. I’ll see you soon, okay?”

Graypaw smiled, and nodded. Tory got up, and walked back through his portal. Stepping back into the castle, he saw Pinkie Pie standing there, looking at him with a strange curiosity. Then he remembered she hadn’t met Graypaw yet. Slamming his hand into his forehead, Tory walked up to her and awaited the barrage of questions. Sure enough, the pink earth pony overloaded him with her massive talking skills.

“Who was that little guy, was he yours, did you find him somewhere nearby, was it in an alley or on the street, no it couldn’t be like that because he looked so well groomed, but then again you and Fluttershy could’ve done that if you found him soon enough, but then again-”

“Okay Pinkie,” came a country voice behind Tory. “Don’ kill tha guy with all yer talkin’. Let ‘im tell us ‘imself.”

Tory turned to see Applejack walking up, with Ditzy and Raven close behind her. He smiled as he saw those two pegasi together. Ditzy blushed a bit, and Raven just smiled back. Evidently, she was shy about it still, but he was happy as could be. They would make a cute couple one day. 

Getting his mind back on track, Tory explained to them how Fluttershy saw a wolf cub in a pet shop window, and how timid he looked. He told them how she managed to get the little wolf to open up to her a bit, and how he came to be called Graypaw. Then Tory told them how the shopkeeper was nice enough to just give the pup to them, saying it was a wedding gift and that he already seemed attached to them. The group just listened in silence, except for Pinkie Pie, whose energetic bouncing was the only other sound in the room.

“And that’s how we came to have Graypaw,” Tory finished, looking at each of them in turn. “Right now, he’s with Rarity, getting outfitted for the ring-bearer position…That is, if Twilight will let him?”

“…I guess,” the purple unicorn smiled at him. “He is part of your family after all. What kind of pony would I be to keep him away?”

“…The bad kind?” Pinkie randomly asked, making everyone there wonder what mental frequency she operated on.

Before anypony could say anything, the two large doors leading out of the throne room opened, and Princess Celestia walked in. The group bowed as she approached, and she waved for them to rise. She whispered something into Twilight’s ear, and the pony adopted a worried look. She galloped out of the room after excusing herself.

“Um, is everything all right?” Tory asked.

“Don’t worry,” Celestia reassured him. “Just a minor detail that had almost been forgotten. How has your day with Fluttershy gone?”

“Great so far,” Tory smiled. “Got a new family member today!”

“Oh, mind if I browse your mind to find out more?” the princess asked with a gleam in her eyes.

“…Maybe.” Tory replied uneasily.

The human had read stories where Celestia was always reading others’ minds, never allowing their thoughts to be private. Those little pieces had been funny, but Tory knew it wouldn’t be if the alicorn directed her powers at him. Maybe he could just share the memory with her, like he did for Luna?

“I think I have a better solution,” Tory eventually said. He extended his hand, which began to glow green with his magic. “This is going to feel weird, but it’ll give you the memory of how there came to be a new piece of the family.”

Placing his hand on the Princess’ head, the memories began to seep trough his skin, and melded with Celestia’s. Her eyes grew wide as they merged into her mind, and she experienced what Tory had. After a minute, she shook her head, and looked at him.

“Well then,” Celestia smiled. “It seems like you’ve had a fun day.”

“And there is still more to come,” Tory returned with a grin. “I’ve got to thank you for this Princess. It was so kind of you to allow us to experience this the right way, going to extreme lengths just so that we could have a proper wedding. If there is anything I can do to repay you…”

“Please, don’t worry about it,” the white alicorn said, waving a hoof at him to show that formalities weren’t needed. “After what you two have gone through, I thought you deserved to have a chance at this again. This time though, it’ll be pleasant.”

“Indeed it will,” Tory smiled brightly at her. “Today will be one of the most memorable for both of us. Thank you Celestia, from the bottom of my heart.”

Before she could reply, he heard a quiet, high-pitched sound. If his guess was right, that was Rarity calling for him. It’s been over ten minutes already? Excusing himself from the conversation, Tory opened a portal to Rarity’s boutique, quickly poking his head through. He smiled as he saw the two of them, and pulled his head out of the portal. The white unicorn walked through, followed by a finely groomed, and stylishly dressed wolf cub.

Graypaw held his head up high, and walked forward, showing off his new duds. His gray fur was thouroughly washed and brushed back. His emerald eyes shone brightly in the filtered light, and he smelled faintly of freshly fallen leaves. He wore a white dress suit, with a top hat and everything. He even had white gloves on, and a monocle to make him look more royal.

“Introducing, the new and improved Graypaw,” Rarity smiled, looking at her friends and Tory.

“New? Yes. Improved? Maybe.” Tory laughed. He stopped as he saw Rarity‘s expression. “Kidding, kidding! He really looks nice though. I knew you could do it Rarity, you ARE the best after all.”

“Maybe not the best,” she replied modestly. “But certainly somewhere in that skill range.”

Everypony, Tory, and Graypaw laughed at that. The wolf cub walked up to his owner, and sat down beside him. He prodded the human gently, trying to get his attention. When he finally succeeded, Graypaw indicated his clothing, then pointed at Tory. It took a moment for the human to understand what he was getting at.

“Oh snap!” Tory said suddenly. “I’ve still got to get ready! I need to hurry up, or else risk being late and hurting Fluttershy’s feelings!”

“You been taking lessons in being overdramatic from Rarity?”  Pinkie Pie asked, bouncing happily.

“Pinkie has a point, even if she said it in a rude way,” the white unicorn commented, giving the pink earth pony a look of disapproval. “You should know by now that Fluttershy won’t be offended it you’re a tad late. She’s always been the most patient and forgiving out of all of us.”

“Yeah, but still,” Tory replied. “It still wouldn’t be right for me to arrive to MY OWN wedding late. I’m going to go suit up. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

“Wait Tory,” Rarity called out, halting him with her magic. “Fluttershy is still in the room! You can’t go in there.”

“Oh, good save,” he told her, giving her a thumbs up. “I guess that I’ll have to change in a bathroom or something nearby.”

“That you will,” the unicorn said with a nod. “Wait right here, and I’ll go fetch your cloths for you.”

Rarity trotted out of the room, leaving Tory and the rest of the group behind. They looked at each other for a second, wondering just how long she would take. Nopony said anything, but the room was filled with the now loud and slightly annoying sound of Pinkie’s bouncing. Every time her hooves landed on the tiled floor, they created a springing sound that made Tory flinch. Rarity could not get back with those clothes fast enough!

“Whew! That was quite a jog,” she huffed exhaustedly when she finally returned. “Here you go Tory, one freshly made tuxedo.”

“Thanks Rarity,” the human smiled at her. “I’d best get ready.”

Dashing off to where an empty room where Tory could change, he rounded a corner and slammed into an old, gray alicorn. They both fell to the ground, one rubbing a sore spot where a horn nearly stabbed him, the other wondering where that brick wall had come from.

“Man, that’s twice today,” Tory commented, getting to his feet. He walked over to the alicorn, and extended a hand to help him up. “Um, I’m sorry sir. I didn’t mean to bump into you. I was in a rush, and forgot to be careful around these corners.”

“Well you didn’t kill me, so I don’t care,” came a deep, old, monotone voice. It sounded familiar to Tory. “Just watch where you walk from now on.”

“Yes sir,” the human nodded, pulling the old alicorn to his hooves. “I’ll be more careful from now on.”

“Hmmm,” the gray alicorn started. “You’ve got a very familiar presence about you. It reminds me of an old student I used to have many centuries ago.”

Getting a closer look at the alicorn, Tory saw a scar running across one of his eyes, both of which were red. He had a chipped horn, and his wings held no color in them now. The alicorn’s hair was mostly gray, with a few thin streaks of black here and there. Tory recognized him almost instantly.

“Ah, Master Katsu!” Tory smiled at him.

“…Do I know you?” The elder alicorn leered at him suspiciously.

“Well, sort of,” the human replied with a shrug. “You know who I WAS.”

“Was?” Katsu questioned. He readied himself into an offensive stance. “Explain yourself.”

“Well,” Tory began. “I’m Two Tail reincarnated.”

“T-Tails?!” the old alicorn exclaimed. He sniffed at Tory for a second. “…That would explain your energy. It smells so strongly of pine.”

“I know, and I like it,” Tory smiled. Then he remembered he was in a rush. “Oh snap! Um, I apologize Master Katsu, but I need to be going. I’ve got to get changed right away! I don’t want to keep my lovely bride waiting!”

As the human dashed down the halls, Katsu smiled. It seems that his old student had managed to achieve his goal after all. Turning back towards the path he was walking, the elder alicorn chuckled to himself. It was the first sign of emotion he’d shown in decades…


I.I.I Ten Minutes Later I.I.I


Tory was nervous, extremely nervous. After taking about five minutes to change out of his normal clothing into his very nicely made tux (compliments of Rarity), the human had walked back to the throne room to see the last of the décor and sitting pillows placed in a neat and orderly fashion.

Right now, Tory was standing at the alter, looking at his best man and good friend Cory. The puffy haired brony smiled at him, giving a thumbs up. It slightly helped to calm the groom’s nerves. He’d been to maybe three weddings in his life, and two of them he’d been extremely young, so his memory of them was foggy to say the least. The last he had only been there for the ceremony, not getting a chance to check out the reception. So Tory had little knowledge on weddings.

“Just relax,” Cory whispered to him, patting his shoulder reassuringly. “Don’t worry so much about how things will turn out. Everything will be f-”

“Don’t!…Don’t jinx it,” Tory cut him off quickly. “Besides, it not so much me worrying about how things go. I’m actually just excited. I’ve waited for a chance like this for years, always looking for that girl that had the best qualities that just drew me to them. I never thought it’d be to Fluttershy, of all the characters in my wide collection of attractive cartoon and anime beauties. If anyone, I thought it be to Hinata Hyuuga, Soi Fon, or even Sakurako from Psyren. But instead, it’s to the lovely Fluttershy, who’ve I’ve known for two months. Life is strange Cory. Strange, but pleasant. It is that same pleasant feeling that’s making me all jittery and active right now.”

“Do you need me to punch you in the face to force you to calm down?” his friend asked, pulling his fist back and aiming at Tory.

“No! I mean wait,” Tory said quickly, ducking under the puffy haired teen‘s right hook. “Cory, think before you act! I can’t get dirty, or bloody right before I get married. That would make Fluttershy look bad, for one!”

“Oh, right,” Cory replied, scratching the back of his head in embarrassment. “Sorry, my brain is runnin’ slow today.”

“…I wonder if it’s too late to get a different best man?” Tory joked, dodging another strike from his friend. “Kidding, kidding!”

“I could still do that job Tory,” Graypaw said from his spot nearby. He looked around to make sure none of the ponies in the room could hear him.

“Again, I don’t think you could,” Tory told his little friend.

“Woah, a talking wolf!” Cory said, getting loud.

“Sh-h-h-h-h!” Tory stopped him. “We can’t let this get out! Keep your voice down!…Now let me guess. You’re wondering how I got him and why he can talk, am I right?” Cory nodded vigorously. “Well, short version is me and Fluttershy found him in a pet shop earlier today, and those tags around his neck allow him to talk like us. Which reminds me…”

Tory reached down, and slowly pulled the pieces of metal from Graypaw’s neck. The pup barked at him in annoyance, but didn’t try to get the tags back. Instead, he yawned and curled up beside the human. His expression said something like, ‘Wake me when we begin.’ Tory smiled, and petted him gently on the head, scratching behind his ears for a second.

“Man, now I want a pet!” Cory complained. “When we get back to Ponyville, I’m so having Fluttershy get me a vulture or something!”

“You’ll have to wait about a month man,” Tory warned. “Don’t forget, my beautiful bride and I still have a honeymoon to go on.”

“Right,” his friend nodded with a grin. “Well I guess I can w-”

Cory was cut off as the organ began to play the ceremonial music that Fluttershy would enter to. Looking towards the door, everypony stood up, and waited for the arrival of the bride. Tory gulped once. It wasn’t a nervous gulp, but instead one of anticipation. Today had been a pretty good day so far, and now it was finishing with him and Fluttershy having a proper wedding ceremony.

The doors began to open slowly, and Tory smiled as he saw his lovely bride. The wedding had begun…


I.I.I Author’s Note I.I.I


Haha, I so messed with your minds, didn’t I?! Yes, I DID just build up that whole thing for half a chapter, only to stop right before the actual event began. Oh Celestia, you all probably hate me right now!

But in all honesty, I didn’t really have a choice. You see, my internet sucks…completely. I don’t HAVE internet, my brother is using one of those prepaid wireless things. As of tomorrow, he will be preparing to move out of my house, mostly because our dad says he has to leave when I go on summer break in Pennsylvania. That being said, he’s moving out within the week, taking my only connection to Fanfiction with him. My school blcoks the website, so that leaves me in the dark for about a month. I know, it sucks! I had to rush this last piece so guys would know about it and wouldn’t panic over the sudden stop in my story.

With that said, I won’t be able to post anything for the whole duration, unless I somehow get lucky. This doesn’t mean I’m not going to keep writing though! I plan on spending all of my time away getting you readers something you’ll enjoy. After all, you guys have been so awesome with me, I should keep you happy as well. Which is why this hurts me so much.

On a different note, most of you know why I started this story right? My whole inspiration for ‘A Hoof in Two Worlds’ was a story by Kovuthelion15, called ‘If This Is A Dream, Please Don’t Wake Me’. Well, due to an incident that I will explain later, he had to stop his story and remove his files. But because Kovu likes his fans so much, he asked me his friend and co-writer to keep his piece alive. If you take the time to look, you’ll see I’ve reposted his chapters. I suggest reading it, as his work is quite nice, and it makes me smile like crazy!

I know how you fans must feel right now, being cut off from my work for over a month, and when I left a cliffhanger for you too. Sorry about that, but I felt the wedding scene deserved a whole chapter on it’s own. You’ll see why in about a month or so. Until then, keep reading, reviewing, and telling me where you think I went right and wrong. I love it when you tell me what you think! If you have anything to say, don’t hesitate, even if it’s a burn, a hole in the story, or just a simple ‘good job’. If you’ve got an idea, I’m also willing to listen.

If you want to talk with me personaly, just contact my email Silverwingbrony. It’s a gmail account. Don’t be afraid to contact me. I’m always at a computer at about 11-11:45 a.m, and 1:15-1:55 p.m on school days, which is Monday through Friday for those of you that are not from America, and don’t really know of our ways.

Oh, and before I forget, I found two interesting things recently. Most of you bronies probably know about this by now, but there are two games coming out featuring the MLP cast. The first is a fighting game called ‘Fighting is Magic’. It is obvious what it is about, and features 17 characters, the Mane 6 being in it of course. The second is called Ponymon. Basically, someone hacked Pokemon Firered, and altered the coding, changing the names, sprites, and whatever else, so that instead, you fight with ponies. There are two versions, Dawn and Dusk. Look it up if you are interested.

Keep reading, and I’ll return within a month to six weeks…tops!

Silverwing the Adamant [(Tory Mills) Yes, I did adopt my pony name, with a bit of awesome at the end!]