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Chapter 1 - Dealing with Tirek2,056 words
Chapter 2 - Sending messages2,194 words
Chapter 3 - The needs of the one outweigh - that is not how that saying goes.2,918 words
Chapter 4 - Well that was a once-in-a-lifetime thing. Even with my lifetime.2,494 words
Chapter 5 - A crushing blow to friend...or was she foe?6,222 words
Chapter 6 - Nosce te ipsum2,188 words
Chapter 7 - Even a poisoned blade is good for scrap...3,234 words
Chapter 8 - All of life's a stage...2,780 words
Chapter 9 - ...and all the men and women are merely players...4,095 words
Chapter 10 - ...they have their entrances, and their exits...2,424 words
Chapter 11 - ...and one man, in his time, may play many parts.2,711 words
Chapter 12 - The fall of a robot3,494 words

Chapter 4 - Well that was a once-in-a-lifetime thing. Even with my lifetime.

The boy looks at the mirror and sighs. It's inert, merely a reminder. He'd toyed with making a new looking-glass, but given it up. And then he sees the photo attached to it, of himself and his wife.

Most notably, he remembers when it was taken, which was just after their latest ceremony on Pivot. Cadence had officiated that wedding. But it was not the first time they'd been married...

-----

“Auric Fulcrum, I presume? I heard your message while riding the Void currents. Teridax sounds–and looks–like an asshole and I’d like to help in any way I can. Apologies, I haven’t introduced myself properly have I? I’m Umbra Shadow-Walker, nice to meet you.”

I turned around to take in the one who I'd invited in. Measured had gone to check on the wards, as they'd picked something up not too long ago. And right now, I have to say that seeing something that is literally made of shadows with lights for eyes and a mouth? Preeeety creepy. If it wasn't for the lights, I wouldn't have noticed him against the obsidian that coats every wall in the Black Lab.

I shook myself from my daze and responded to him. “Didn’t expect you to literally be made of shadows...Then again, the Multiverse is vast, I’m sure there’s a version of everyone as everything out there somewhere.”

I managed to draw myself up from in front of my mirror, and he noticed my hooves, or rather, I noticed him looking at my hooves.

“Y’know, when I first scanned your Universe, I did notice you had a crystal-blue sword; any relation to the color of your hooves?...Wait a minute. I think we came from the same Universe...or the Merchant visited you after he visited me. I distinctly recall your sword hanging on the wall of the Merchant’s stand at Comic-con. Say what you will, but I’m honestly thankful for that asshole giving me my mask...even if it did cost about a hundred dollars...asshole.”

I smiled as I recalled the tale, even though it still did sting a bit. “It’s a long story involving a Halloween party, a Dullahan costume, and a foolish wish, along with a Golden Sun and me breaking my Immortality. Apparently, if you can’t fend off Equus’ natural Harmony field, it makes you more Harmonious, so this is what I get. I’ll get better. Eventually.”

“Man, sucks for you. Sucks worse for me, since if I lose all my magic, I dissipate and won’t reform until I can get at least ten percent of my magic back. Thankfully, it hasn’t happened yet.”

I shrugged. “Could be worse. It could always be worse. Anyways, I saw you wanted in, mind telling me any ideas you had to help? Frankly, I’m just now finding out how...powerful this guy is.”

“Well, to be honest, if, and I do mean IF, I shelved my morals I could just...erase his Universe with him in it. I’ve coded Universes into being before and I can damn well code them out of existence. But, I’m pretty sure you don’t want me to do that. Aside from my OP coding abilities, have you ever heard of a series called Fate Stay/Night?”

I shook my head as I responded to his query. “Sorry, not much for manga or anime when I was on Earth. And yeah, I really wouldn’t want you to for various reasons. Mostly because that’s not how I would do things. Ever. But also because you’d attract the attention of Equestria’s Guardian. True, you could probably justify it, but She’d still not likely take it well that you’d wiped an Equestria out of existence, even if it was to kill Teridax.”

“Equestria’s Guardian? Oh yeah, Fausticorn! We’re pretty cool, she’s my...advice pony/mentor. And yeah, she’d kill me if I destroyed another Universe. Anyways-”

“Wait. Another. You mean you’ve done it before. And you’re still breathing. How?!” How are you this powerful and inept and still ALIVE?!

“Long story short: Conversion Bureau and frank inexperience. She sees me as a child, and we all know how destructive children can be. Anyways, in Fate Stay/Night, two of the characters can produce nigh endless amounts of magical swords. Gilgamesh, not the one you’ve met, though, has a literal endless armory full of ‘his’ treasures and Archer can copy any weapon he sees instantly. I can reproduce just about anything with a shadow–in varying degrees of difficulty–and so I can make anything they can. Gilgamesh has a sword called Ea, Sword of Rupture. On a scale of one to ten, Ea’s attack, Enuma Elish, is about maybe a thirty. I can replicate it at about a level of twenty, though I’m useless for the next three hours. Think that’ll do anything?”

I looked to the side and sighed, the abilities he'd mentioned sounded like blatant cheating to me. “I’m not normally helpless, y’know. And while I would appreciate some grand power to instantly win a battle...it’d cheapen it somehow, you get what I’m saying? Like starting a game and instantly becoming max-statted. I mean, I know I face something terrible. But if we were to use your strength to its fullest capacity...then what room would there be for anyone else to try?”

I hummed and put a hoof to my chin, various plans playing across my brain. “Though, I can think of a few things, right now, that I could ask of you to do. Can you replicate any item, or do you have restrictions on that based on what you’ve just said to me?”

“Well, one: I know how you feel, I try not to use any of my OP attacks unless I’m in very real danger. Two: Anything that gives off an intensely magical light is going to shred me to pieces, so I can’t replicate just anything. Three: I’m more of a support type guy anyways. If you guys need help, hey, that’s what I’m here for.”

I nodded as a plan solidified in my mind. “D’you know of Psynergy Stones? Don’t answer. I need to find enough large ones, the ones that never run dry, for all the towns. After that, I’m free to drain whatever I find, to fuel my own re-ascension to Immortality. What you choose to do with that information is up to you. And then there’s thing two.”

I paused for a minute before smiling cheekily. “D’you think you could pass a request on to Fausticorn for me?”

He nodded a bit, “Yeah, I can help with both. I got a few artifacts that you could drain, and Fausticorn usually likes to help me, since I’m really the only one she’s spoken to for a while...as far as I know at least.”

“There people go, making assumptions that Time is a thing that matters in the Void Eternal,” I quipped. “Anyways. I have a message, c’mere…”

He shifted a bit closer and leaned in, “What is it?”

The request would have made his face go pale. If he still had a face. Or blood.

I requested that the Lady Faust officiate a wedding between myself and Measured Thought.

-----

The venue was simple: a field under the night sky, which had been cleared to show the stars and moon above. Terribly romantic.

The guest list was even simpler: Umbra, myself, Measured, the Lady Faust...and once Celestia and Luna had noticed, they naturally joined in as well. Something about honoring their creator or some such.

“So...I guess we don’t exactly need a best man for this, now do we?” Umbra was out of sorts or something if that's the best his brain can come up with.

I snorted and rolled my eyes before turning on the sarcasm. “Sorry, Richard’s in another dimension, Dullahan’s guarding the only weakness in the World-Barrier, and Newvale’s probably asleep.”

Measured Thought pitched in then. “Mom and Dad are also probably asleep. And in Canterlot. And recovering from having so many of their colleagues found out to be a part of Omega’s conspiracy. I think they were getting better when I last checked.”

“Ask a stupid question, I suppose. Anyways, you two lovebirds get on with it, I’m sure Lady Fausticorn’s getting impatient just standing around doing nothing. Hey...are Celestia and Luna bowing? What am I saying, of course they are, not everyday that your goddess shows up to officiate a wedding, after all. Am I right?”

I rolled my eyes again, but focused on Measured Thought. “Measured, when I first saw you, there was only one thing running through my mind: Why is that crazy unicorn doing that?” She laughed softly. “But then I freed you from the control of Omega, and as I spent more time around you, I went from wanting to get you help for your attachment complex...to actually caring about you. And then that bastard Omega sent a final command before I Banished him.”

I held one of her hooves in both of mine. “I broke my immortality, just for you. I saw...things, from beyond all realities, that told me of possible futures. And now, I wish to make sure that whatever the future holds, whatever this foe does to us, we face it together. It would be an honor if you agreed to marry me.”

Measured Thought smiled and softly complained. “How am I supposed to best that?” Still, she cleared her throat and tried.

“Auric Fulcrum, you’ve saved me time and again. From Omega, from myself, and from certain death. And while I did look up to you, as I spent more time around you, I became more and more irritated that you became unpredictable in nearly every circumstance. Save one. Whenever I’m in danger, you run to my side to save me. And then I noticed...you do it for everyone. Your spirit, your nobility, that’s what drew me in, and while the road ahead may be bumpy...I promise to be there with you for it, no matter what. It would be my honor if you agreed to marry me.”

We nodded and looked to the Lady Faust, who also nodded. “Do you have the rings?”

Oh crap, the rings! I lifted a hoof and stomped the earth, sending my magic, my Alchemy, searching for the base materials. I then quickly formed them into the requisite rings, both bearing matching diamonds. The drain hit me hard, and I leaned on Measured Thought more than a bit as she levitated one to both our horns. “Transmutation...why you so difficult now?” I managed to wheeze out.

Lady Fausticorn watched on for a moment, then continued. “Then by the Authority vested in me as Guardian of this Realm, I, Lady Fausticorn, Pronounce thee, Auric Fulcrum and Measured Thought, husband and wife! As the saying goes, you may now kiss the bride.”

I could feel the authority in her statement, as though it reverberated across and Beyond all realities. Suck it, Teridax. Measured Thought capitalized on my distraction and basically force fed me her tongue. She eventually came up for air, though, and the first words I could come up with were “Somepony’s enthusiastic. Wonder why.”

The moment was nearly perfect, and then Umbra spoke up.

“Hey Auric, I’m really happy for you, and I’mma let you finish, but when you said something about draining things, what did you mean?”

I looked over to him with a deadpan expression. Which is worse, that I recognize that as a meme, or that I can't name it anymore? “Remember the Alicorn Amulet? Well, my hooves act as natural magic syphons. Once my ‘normal’ tank for a unicorn is full, the overflow goes to my nigh-empty one that’s supposed to contain the power the Golden Sun gave me. I ate it’s power, in other words, and got a good ten percent in that loading bar back.”

He radiated smugness then. “I’ve got some stuff in my subspace pocket that might interest you then. At one point I stumbled upon a Universe with an albino changeling named Abel. Well, we struck a deal, and I got a few vats of gelatinous magic out of it. Since I haven’t used any of it, it’s worth maybe, I dunno, some few hundred thousand arbitrary mana units or so. Think you could use it?”

I thought for a moment before shaking my head again. “Nah...but thanks for the lead and reminder to talk to the changelings. If they can do that sorta thing in this dimension, then we might be able to strike a deal of our own.” Seriously, note to self, TALK TO CHRYSSY.

I eventually disentangled himself from my new bride and walked towards Umbra. “And seriously, Umbra? Even if you decide to do nothing with my other request? Thank you. I will admit that there was...an ulterior motive to me asking Faust to marry us, but being married to her? Thank you for asking Faust for me. I’d be honored to count you among my friends in the Displaced.”

“‘S all good. But remember, if you need anything, anything at all, and I’m talking everything from kittens to reality bombs here, I can probably provide for you. I guess you could call me a more friendly, less creepy Merchant...without the whole “Send you to another Universe for the hell of it” thing. Just… give me a call, alright?”

I smirked as I looked at him. “Personally, I was going to go with a Matrix reference...Morpheus. But alright. Take care now, y’hear?” After all, if I need guns, lots of guns, I'll come to you.

I then turned to Lady Faust and bowed deeply. “And thank you, Milady, for agreeing to this. It truly means the world to me.”

Lady Fausticorn smiled down at me. “T’was my pleasure, Auric Fulcrum. And also thank you for the opportunity to visit one of the Realms I so lovingly created.”

Umbra sighed and looked up at the night sky. “Well, I guess that’s my part played, I’ll be back if you need me, maybe I’ll be back even if you don’t need me. It was fun.”

The next thing I know, Measured Thought has a firm hold on me and is sorta-whispering into my ears. “Time to go consummate our marriage, love…”

That night promised to be interesting...

Author's Note:

This was a crossover with Jsyrin and his story So...that happened. More specifically, you can see his version of this chapter here.

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