Chapter 72- Clearing the Air
Two days had past since the meeting about Light's fate. Since then, everyone did their best to relax and recuperate from the attack just a few days prior. Cadence no longer felt her horn continuously hurting her, but she still couldn't use any magic yet without hurting herself. Even the smallest spark of magic sent her recoiling from the pain. Those who were affected by Sombra's spell had recovered without any physical or psychological damage done to them, but Luna did have to help quell some of their dreams. Thankfully, it was for only one night that she was needed. However, Rainbow wasn't as lucky.
When the doctors from Canterlot arrived, they ran a few tests on her eyes, but they were unable to repair the damage done to them. Devastated by the news, Rainbow considered just locking herself in her room, but a few reassuring words from Fluttershy gave her hope that she could get her eyes back upon their return to Ponyville. Until then, Rainbow would just have to bear with it. Thankfully, the Crusaders and Soul had to get back to Ponyville for school, so everyone but Dark, Twilight, and the Scaleless Dragons said their goodbyes and gave their thanks for letting them come over before they left. But before they did, Twilight, having also learned Dark's Second Sight spell along with his Soul Eyes, casted it on Rainbow so that she could use them to see until her eyes were restored.
Gray and Emerald were alright for the most part, where as Saph and those whom were revived by Dark's magic on the other hoof were ordered by Shining and Cadence to see a psychologist to talk about what happened to them. While they were happy that they were all alive, Shining and Cadence were also concerned for their mental state from being killed and later resurrected like they were. And while things seemed to be going alright for them, Dark wasn't all that well.
Even though he was feeling a little better thanks to the efforts of Twilight, his friends, future in-laws, and the Scaleless Dragons while awake, he woke up Twilight both nights when he started to cry in his sleep again. While he tried his best to be happy again and not show his sadness during the daytime, his subconscious betrayed him during the night, revealing to Twilight what was hidden beneath it all as he wept for both his brother's betrayal, and his fate.
Saddened to still see him like this, Twilight would gently hold the still-sleeping Dark close to her and let him cry into her chest as she whispered words of reassurance into his ears. For both nights this had happened, and both times she would do what she could to help comfort him. After they woke up in the morning, she told him about what had happened with Dark apologizing afterwards. But, what made this hardest for her was the fact that she felt like she couldn't do more to help him, knowing that this was a problem that only Dark could take care of with time. Until that time came, Twilight promised herself that she would continue doing what she could to help him through it.
Now going into their third morning, Twilight groggily woke up from another night of soothing Dark in his sleep. Sadly frowning, she held him closer as she nuzzled into his mane, eliciting a moan from him. Watching as he stirred, she continued this act of affection towards him until she felt him nuzzling back into her neck.
"Good morning," Dark tiredly muttered.
"Good morning," Twilight returned.
Reaching a hoof down, she lifted Dark's head up to face her before she shared a tender kiss with him. A few minutes later, she broke their kiss and continued to nuzzle against his head.
"Everything alright?" he asked.
Twilight gave a sad sigh as she locked her eyes on his again. "It happened again last night."
Dark bit his lower lip as he felt unsure of what to say. Each morning he would apologize to her, but he knew that no matter how much he wanted to, he couldn't help himself while asleep. With apologies being useless by now in his mind, Dark instead gave a sigh before returning to nuzzling Twilight back and wrapping his arms around her.
"Hey... Dark?" Twilight gingerly asked.
"Yeah?" he answered, noting the caution in her voice.
"Umm... it's just a suggestion, and please don't feel upset by my suggesting this, but maybe you should talk to somepony about what you're feeling?"
"I've already done that, Twilight. I've talked to you and the princesses about what I've been feeling."
"True, but have you told us everything?"
"Yes, I have. I swear, Twilight, I'm not hiding anything."
Twilight took Dark's head in her hooves and pulled back to look into his eyes. Seeing no signs of deceit behind them, she sighed and leaned her forehead against his.
"I know, Dark," she whispered, "but perhaps you should go talk to one of the psychologists anyway. Perhaps they could give you some ideas on how to continue forward?"
"I don't know, Twilight," Dark muttered. "Like I said, I've already talked to you and Princess Celestia and Luna about my past with Light, and how I've been feeling lately. Heck, even the Scaleless Dragons were willing to listen and give me their individual input on it. In the end, you all said that I'll just have to come to terms with it over time. Maybe not word-for-word, but you get it."
"Yeah." Twilight sighed and rested her chin on his head. "Alright. While I think it may help for you to talk to one, I won't pester you further for you to if you don't want to."
Dark leaned up and placed a peck on Twilight's lips. "Never think that you're pestering me, Twilight. Maybe slightly annoy when you're on one of your reshelving rampages, but that just comes with the package that is you."
Twilight gave a playful frown. "You know that I like to reshelve my books."
"I know," he said with a small smile. "That's why I like to tease you about it once in a while, just like how you occasionally tease me about when I became a mare."
Twilight smirked. "Come on now, you know that being a mare isn't that bad." With little effort, she surprised Dark as she quickly pushed him onto his back while she stood over him with a hungry grin. "You know, you should consider yourself lucky."
Dark quirked an eyebrow as a small grin began to show. "And why's that?"
Twilight lowered herself until she was laying on top of him while idly circling a hoof on his chest.
"Because, you're one of the few males who knows just what it takes to make a mare tick."
Recognizing that seductive tone of hers, Dark grinned before he felt Twilight's lips pressed against his and felt her tongue invading his mouth. With a throaty growl, Dark rolled them over with him now on top while fighting back. Feeling her tongue retreat, Dark pressed forward into hers as he heard her moan and felt her hooves wrap around the back of his neck, pulling him in even further. But before they could take this any further, Dark separated their lips, both of them panting with a displeased pout on Twilight's muzzle.
"Why'd you stop?" she inquired.
Dark gulped and glanced down towards Twilight's belly before looking back up to her eyes.
"Should... should we even do this with the baby?" he unsurely wondered.
Twilight looked down at herself with a hint of worry for a moment. Faintly blushing, she remembered the rather embarrassing talk Cadence and her mother had given her about this specific subject... amongst other things.
"Umm... well, it should be alright."
"Are you sure?" Dark questioned. "I don't want to hurt you or the baby."
"I'm sure," she nodded. "Just... be careful... and gentle, alright?"
Dark leaned down and affectionately nuzzled her cheek. "Of course, Twilight. Oh, before we begin."
Dark flared his wings and allowed for the shadows to come flowing off of them. Within seconds, their bed was covered in a layer of black fog before they spilled off the sides and began forming a dome around them. Soon enough, Dark and Twilight were concealed in a soundproof dome of black fog surrounding their bed.
"There," he said satisfactory, "now we can have our privacy and won't disturb anypony with the noise."
"And what if somepony comes in?" she questioned.
Dark shrugged. "They'll probably just leave and think that I need to be alone for a while, which I will... with you."
With a heated, half-lidded gaze, Twilight pulled herself up and nibbled on Dark's ear, causing his body to shudder in pleasure.
"Then what are you waiting for?" she whispered in his ear. "Come on, big boy."
An hour later after their activities, Dark dried himself and Twilight off after soaking under the shower and cleaning themselves up before they left together to grab something to eat. With the exertion from earlier, they were both hungry and needed to replenish their lost energy. Of course, while both of their stomachs rumbled, neither paid much attention with Dark having a content smile on his face, and Twilight walking with a little extra spring in her step. Along the way to the dining hall, they turned a corner and came across another pony, one whom Twilight was happy to see as she ran up and gave him a friendly hug.
"Flash! You're better!" Twilight happily exclaimed, unaware of his pained grunt.
"Ngh. Not quite," he wheezed.
With a squeak, Twilight let go of him as he grunted in pain. "Sorry about that, Flash. I thought that with you wandering around that you were all better."
"Not exactly, Princess."
Twilight's smile fell a little. "Flash, we're friends, so you don't have to call me that."
"I know."
"... anyway, if you're not better, then why are you up and about?"
"I may not be completely healed yet, but I don't need to stay in the medical wing either. Besides, it gets boring when you're cooped up in there."
"Tell me about it," Dark grumbled in agreement.
Flash's eyes hardened at the sound of Dark's voice, his sight peering past Twilight to see him as he walked up to join them. Remembering his training, Flash put on his stoic guard face.
"The doctors said that I have you to thank for my speedy recovery," Flash directed at Dark. "I also heard a rumor that you resurrected a bunch of our guards during Sombra's attack before fighting and defeating Sombra himself."
Dark scratched the back of his head. "You know?"
Flash snorted. "Everypony knows. Hay, the entire Crystal Empire and probably all of Equestria knows by now. Where have you been all this time?"
"Mostly in either my room, the dining hall, or visiting Cadence, Shining, and Skyla. I haven't really explored more than that since the attack."
Twilight placed a hoof on Dark's back and gently rubbed it. "Dark's been having some difficulty with... stuff."
Flash glared at Dark. "You're talking about his brother Light Wing, right, Princess?"
Dark's head snapped up. "How'd you-"
"I'm a Lieutenant of the crystal guard, so it's my job to know of any threats that could endanger the empire. Speaking of, are you going to kill him like your title implies."
Now it was Dark's gaze that'd hardened. "Excuse me?"
"I know what you are as well as who your brother is. So tell me, Lord of Death, are you going to do your job and kill Light or not?"
"Now hold on a minute, Flash," Twilight firmly spoke. "Even if you're my friend, you're starting to get out of line. Nopony talks to my fiancé like that, especially since he's saved so many ponies during Sombra's attack, possibly even you too."
The lights suddenly began to dim as a darkness started to settle in. With the hallway dimly lit, Twilight and Flash looked back at Dark to see his glowing red eyes piercing the darkness.
"Did you seriously just ask me to kill my brother?" Dark growled threateningly.
Feeling like he'd made a mistake, Flash slowly backed away and bowed.
"Sorry for my outburst, Princess," he apologized. "You were right, I was out of line there."
"Thanks, but I don't think that I'm the one that you should be apologizing to," Twilight told him, nodding over to Dark.
"Right." Flash turned to Dark and bowed, but maintained his glare. "Sorry about that."
With a throaty growl, Dark's shadows receded and his eyes reverted back to normal.
"Yeah, sure," he grumbled, noticing the look in Flash's eyes and not completely buying it.
"Well," Flash began as he got back up, "I better get going. I need to report back to Captain Gray now that I'm out of that hospital. Have a nice day, Princess Twilight... Prince Dark. Oh, and congratulations on your foal and upcoming marriage."
Without another word, Flash walked past them down the hall and around the corner. With him gone, Dark massaged his temples while Twilight looked disapprovingly at where Flash left.
"Is it just me, or did his voice have a bit of edge to that last part?" Dark questioned.
"No, it did," Twilight upsettingly agreed. "I don't get what his problem is. I've never seen him act like this before to anypony."
"Well, it better not be because he was hurt and had to miss out on the battle."
"Either way, I'm going to bring this up with Shiny and Cadence. Maybe they'll know what's going on with him."
"Alright." Continuing down the hall, one of Flash's words struck Dark. "What did he mean when he called me 'Prince'?"
Twilight blushed. "Oh, that. Well, you know that once we're married, you'll be carrying the title of Prince like Shiny, right?"
"... huh. Actually, I didn't even think of that."
"Really? You never considered the fact that you would become a prince after we got married?"
"Well excuuuuuuuse me, Princ-" Dark was cut off when Twilight shoved a hoof over his mouth and silenced him. It wasn't until she removed it with a frown that he spoke. "What was that for?"
Twilight gave a disappointed sigh and shook her head. "No, Dark. Just no."
Leaving it at that, Twilight went on ahead, leaving Dark standing there confused before he started to catch up to her.
"What? Was it something I said?"
Twilight and Dark were sitting on one of the couches in Cadence's and Shining's suite with Skyla sitting on Dark's lap. After they got themselves something to eat, true to her word, Twilight and Dark went straight to them to see what was up with Flash's unusual attitude. Having just finished her recount about their meeting with flash, Cadence and Shining shared a knowing look with each other.
"So, do you two know what's going on with him?" Twilight asked.
"We do, Twilight, but it's not that easy," Cadence said.
"Why? What could be so bad that Flash would start acting like this? He's my friend, so what would cause this from him?"
Shining patted Cadence's shoulder. "You can take this one."
"And why's that?" she questioned. "Why can't you tell her?"
"Because you're the Princess of Love and this sort of problem is right up your alley?"
"... okay, fair enough." Cadence sighed and turned to Twilight with a soft yet sad look. "Look, Twilight, you know how you and Flash have been friends for a few years now?"
"Yes, I know, but what does that have to do with this?"
"Just give me a moment and I'll get there. Anyway, you two have been friends for so long that over the course of time, Flash's feelings towards you have... gone beyond just friendship."
Twilight took a moment to process it before she understood what Cadence meant. With rosy cheeks, Twilight's mouth was slightly agape as she looked between her and Shining.
"Really? How long has he felt like this?" Twilight asked.
"About a year after you two met," Shining answered. "To be honest, I was actually kinda pulling for him until Dark and I mended things."
"But why didn't he say anything?"
"It was because of the distance between you two," Cadence sadly answered.
"But he had a chance to when he came to Ponyville with Shining... and why didn't he ask for some time off to come and visit if he felt that way?"
"I'm sorry, Twilight, but I can't answer that. Maybe he was waiting for the right time to talk to you about it, maybe he was nervous and couldn't. Either way, I don't know."
Twilight slumped down into the couch. "And now that he and everypony else knows about my pregnancy and engagement... I can't imagine how he must've felt when he heard it."
"As soon as he did, he requested to go scouting for Sombra," Shining spoke before giving a hollowed chuckle. "I know that it's kinda cruel to say, but thanks to his broken heart, he found Sombra and warned us before his forces invaded the Crystal Empire."
Twilight silently nodded before turning to her side. "What about you, Dark? You've been awfully quiet lately. How do you feel about this?"
Dark looked down to see Skyla having fallen asleep in his arms.
"I feel... conflicted," he admitted. "To be honest, I want to be mad with him for what he said to me, but I also want to feel sorry for him. It's bad enough that he liked you like that and then suddenly learned our engagement and foal, but if we were to actually invite him to the wedding like I'd originally thought, then that would be like a kick to the balls for him."
"Yeah, I can see that," Shining figured with a nod.
"Yeah, but it's not just that. I'm sure his pride's pretty hurt too, not just because of that, but because he's known Twilight for years, and then here I come from out of nowhere and am starting a family with her." There was a silence for a few moments before Dark spoke back up again. "So, what should we do about Flash? Granted he was rather edgy towards me, but I think that was mostly out of him being hurt more than angry."
"I don't want to discipline him considering what this involves, but I'm not sure," Cadence voiced.
"Actually," Shining began, "I might have an idea. Plus, it would have the added benefit for him to try and vent."
"What? Are you going to have him fight me?" Dark chuckled, only to see that Shining wasn't laughing with him. "... wait, you're joking, right? You're not gonna actually have him fight me, are you?"
"... okay, maybe not. It did sound like a good idea at first, but I'm pretty sure you'd just wipe the floor with him."
Dark deadpanned. "I could beat him before he even got off the ground if I wanted."
"Exactly. So, any other ideas?"
Twilight shrugged. "We could always do it the old fashioned way."
Ten minutes later, Twilight, Cadence, and Dark were waiting for Shining to return.
"Are you sure this is a good idea, Twilight?" Cadence questioned. "I mean, yes, this is a good idea, but aren't you worried that they might try to fight?"
"If it does come to that, then I'll stop them," Twilight answered.
"Or you could send them down to the training grounds until they get it all out of their systems."
"You know that more than likely it'll be him who tries to start it, right?" Dark spoke.
"Maybe, but if you two do start to fight, then I'd rather have it outside instead of in our room," Cadence told him.
"Yeah, but still, if anypony's going to have a reason to start something, more than likely it'll be him."
"I hope not," Twilight said. Moments later, her ears flicked as she heard hoofsteps approaching the door. "Sounds like they're just about here."
Few seconds later, Shining opened the door and walked in with Flash following behind him. As soon as they were in, Flash's eyes hardened and he turned around just in time for Shining to close the door on him.
"No. You're going to talk about this," Shining said with finality.
"At least, you, Twilight, and Dark are," Cadence voiced with Skyla sleeping on her back. "Shiny and I are going to go have some lunch with Skyla. Now, I want you three to play nice while we're gone, and if you feel like you need to get it all out of your system and fight, then I'd prefer that you'd use the training grounds."
With her sleeping daughter, Cadence walked over to the door that Shining began holding open for her and left with him. Now all alone with them, Flash sighed and muttered beneath his breath as he stood there.
"Would you come and take a seat, Flash?" Twilight asked, gesturing to the empty couch across from her and Dark with a hoof.
Silently and slowly, Flash made his way past them and took a seat on the couch opposite from them.
"Yes, Princess?" he asked, causing Twilight to sigh again.
"Look, Flash, I understand that you're upset right now, but I'd prefer that my friends not address me by my royal title."
"Yeah... friend..."
Twilight brought a hoof up to her forehead and rubbed it. "Look, Shiny and Cadence already told me, Flash. You don't have to hide your feelings anymore. Come on, tell me."
Flash suddenly felt exposed as his secret feelings towards Twilight was revealed to her. Unable to speak, he directed his gaze away from her towards the ground and remained silent.
"You were called here so that you could talk to us," Dark spoke. "You're not in any trouble. Twilight and I are here to listen to what you have to say without judging you, nothing more."
Flash's head snapped up and directed his angry glare directly at Dark. "You want to talk, huh? Well, what if I have some questions?"
"Then we'll be here to answer them," Twilight answered him.
"Alright then. In that case, why him, hmm? What makes him so special that you would chose him over me? Is it because he's a lord and I'm just a guard?"
Twilight took a breath and remained calm. "No. We didn't even know for sure about Dark's title as Lord of Death until after we began dating. And the reason for why I chose him over you was because he asked me first."
"But that's not fair, though! He's been living with you and-"
"According to my brother and Cadence, you've had a crush on me for years, Flash," Twilight gently interrupted. "You've had plenty of time to ask me, and to be honest, I might've taken you up on your offer before Dark came along. For years you could've requested some time off to come and visit, or you could've asked me when I came up to the Crystal Empire for a visit, but you didn't. Heck, you could've even asked me when you came to Ponyville with Shiny last year before Dark asked me that following week." Even though I more than likely would've declined after the effort Dark and I tried putting into us trying to get together.
"Like I would ask during a stressful time like that," he snorted with crossed hooves.
"Okay, that's a fair excuse for that, but what about the rest?"
Flash bit his lip and looked away. Seeing that he didn't have an answer for her, Twilight's voice took on a more gentler tone.
"Listen, I know that you still have feelings for me and had hoped that we could become more than just friends, but I'm with Dark now, and that's who I'm staying with. Now, I know that we may not be special someponies, but perhaps we can still be friends... right?"
Flash's ears wilted as his face fell from permanently being friend zoned. Yeah... friends...
"Flash?"
"... sure. I guess we are... just friends..."
A small smile formed on Twilight's lips. "Thank you, Flash."
"Sure."
"Um... so, this may be a bad time, but we may not have another chance to ask you in person. Dark and I were wondering that since you're my friend if... well... would you come to our wedding? I know that this is hard for you, but I would like it if all of my friends were there to support us."
Wincing from being asked, Flash solemnly shook his head. "Thank you for the offer, Twilight, but I think that it would be better for everypony if I didn't come."
Twilight's smile faded and took on a saddened and hurt expression. "But-"
"It's better this way. Having to come to terms about all of this is hard enough, but I don't know what I'd do if I did come."
"I... I understand."
Dark placed a claw on her back and rubbed it comfortingly.
"As for you, Dark," Flash continued as he got up and stretched, "I want to see just what you can do."
Dark turned from Twilight to give Flash a deadpan stare. "What."
"Princess Cadence said that we could fight in the training grounds, so come on."
"And what would that prove?"
"Like I said, I want to know what you can do. I want to see just what I'm up against with you."
"... this is a stupid idea, Flash, and you know it."
"Maybe, but I know that I'll feel a little better after I get to hit you a few times."
Dark gave an irritated sigh and got up from his spot on his and Twilight's couch. "You know, after what you said about me and my brother earlier today, I honestly wouldn't mind mopping the floor with you. But, I also know that not only would it not be a fair fight to you, but it'll also get me nothing but grief from others."
"So what? Is that a no?"
"It is. I won't fight you."
"Well, I could always challenge you to a duel. That way, you couldn't ignore it and would have to-"
Flash didn't have any time to react as Dark Shadowported in front of him, and with one of his shadow-covered claws, grabbed him by his neck and lifted him off of the ground with ease. However, instead of feeling a lack of oxygen from having his throat gripped, Flash felt perfectly fine, like a weight had been removed from him. Of course, this didn't mean that he was comfortable being handled like this and threw a punch at Dark... only for his translucent pale-blue hoof to phase through him.
Bringing his hooves up, Flash looked at them in confusion before he noticed something laying on the ground. Moving his hooves off to the side, Flash's eyes widened in fear as he saw his own body laying lifelessly on the ground with its eyes and face locked in a look of shock. Now thoroughly scared, Flash slowly looked back over to face Dark, who still held him off the ground by the neck.
"You said you wanted to know what I can do?" Dark calmly spoke. "Well, this is it."
"What... what did you do?" Flash fearfully asked.
"As Lord of Death, I have powers that are unique, like the ability to sever somepony's soul from their body."
Without another word, Dark slammed Flash's spirit back into his body. A few seconds later, Flash gasped and began to cough as he became reacquainted with his body again.
"Wh-What was that for?" he wheezed.
"I had to put your soul back into your body before it was too late," Dark replied.
"Too late for what?"
"... tell me, when was the last time you killed something?"
"Never. I've never gotten to see any action besides when I found Sombra."
Dark nodded. "Then tell me, do you know what happens when something dies?"
"They die, so what?"
Dark shook his head and looked at Flash with a stern face. "Look, when something dies, not only do they lose their spirt, but also the muscle control in their bodies."
"Just tell me what you're getting at already!"
"When something dies, they lose control of their bowels," Dark bluntly said. "Look, Flash, the aftermath of battle isn't covered in just blood, but also literally crap. Pray that you never have to see it for yourself. That's why I had to shove your spirit back onto your body, so that you wouldn't make a mess of Cadence's and Shining's room."
"I... see..." Shakily, Flash got back up onto his hooves.
"Good. So, are we done here?"
Flash's gaze fell as his ears wilted against his head. "Yeah, we are. Sorry for bothering you two."
With a quick bow, Flash turned around and was about to leave when he felt a hoof gently fall on his shoulder. Turning around, he saw Twilight with a sad look on her face before she pulled him into a hug.
"You're never a bother, Flash," she told him, "and while I may not love you like I do with Dark, I do still love you as a friend. So please, don't let this get you down."
Hesitantly, Flash looked to Dark to see his expression. When he did, he was surprised to see Dark giving him a small smile and nod. With nothing to worry about, Flash wrapped a hoof around Twilight and returned her hug.
"Thank you," he thanked. "Also... I'm sorry for all the trouble I've caused you two today."
"It's alright, Flash. I know that that wasn't the real you there, you were just hurt and upset."
"Y-Yeah."
They lingered for a little longer until Twilight broke their hug. "But our offer still stands. I know that you already said that you wouldn't, but I would be happy to have you at our wedding."
"Like I said before, I don't think that that's a very good idea for me," he said. "... but... maybe I'll think about it... in time."
A small smile formed on Twilight's lips. "Well, if you ever change your mind, just know that you'll have a spot saved for you."
"Thank you." Having better composed himself, Flash looked between the two. "Well, I think I better get back and get some rest. Still a bit sore and all."
"Alright. Take care, Flash, and I'll see you later."
"Sure. Until next time, Twilight, Prince Dark."
Dark snorted with a smile. "I don't care much for titles, so you can just call me Dark. Besides, if you're a friend of Twilight's, then I should offer the same."
Flash nervously chuckled as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Well... I don't know if I could call you my friend just yet."
"I understand. At least we're not on unfriendly terms, right?"
"I guess."
"Alright. In that case, until next time, Flash."
With a silent nod, Flash left the room and made his way back to his quarters to rest. With Twilight and Dark all alone again, they both made their way over to the couch and flopped down on it.
"That could've been a lot worse," Dark mused.
"It almost was," Twilight sighed. "Thank goodness that it wasn't." Twilight shifted around to look up at Dark. "Were you really wanting to fight him?"
Dark had a look of guilt on his face. "Yes. You know that the subject of Light is a tender one right now."
"So what stopped you then?"
"You were," he admitted. "I figured that you would be upset with me if I were to accept his challenge to fight, so I didn't. Besides, I wouldn't have anything to gain by fighting him."
Twilight smiled and snuggled up against his side. "Good answer."
Later that day, Dark, Twilight, and the Scaleless Dragons were by the train station saying their goodbyes to Cadence, Shining, Skyla, Gray, Emerald, and Saph.
"Thank you for having us over," Twilight thanked them.
"Thank you for coming, Twily," Shining said with a hug. Once he released her, he turned to Dark. "And thank you, Dark, for saving the Crystal Empire."
Dark looked away in embarrassment from the praise. "It was thanks to everypony that the empire was saved, not me."
"Destroyed a chunk on their army and stalled them from advancing, charged in with Shining to further hold them off, revived our fallen to continue fighting and letting them return to their families, saved Twilight, and defeated Sombra after doing all the above before that," Cadence listed with a smirk. "If you want, I could go into further detail about them. So, should I go on?"
"Uh.... no, no thank you, Cadence. That's fine. I really don't need such thanks and all that."
"Well, you better get used to it," Gray spoke, "because, from the sound of things, the ponies of the Crystal Empire have all heard about what you did and are considering on honoring you alongside Spike, the Brave and Glorious."
"Really, Captain Gray, I don't need-"
"Hey, it's not my choice, it's theirs."
"He's right," Saph agreed. "The crystal ponies are already working on a statue alongside Spike, the Brave and Glorious'. It should be done in a couple of weeks or months, so be sure to come back and take a look then."
"Well see," Dark said before noticing somepony missing. "Hey, where's Flash?"
"He said he couldn't come," Emerald answered.
"Really?" Twilight questioned, getting a shrug from him.
"Said that he needed to be alone and think on a few things."
"How was he when you saw him?"
Emerald frowned. "He was... different. I don't know if it's a good different or not, though."
"We'll keep an eye on him, Twilight," Cadence reassuringly told her. "He probably just needs some time to get things in order."
"Oh... okay." Though feeling a little down, Twilight smiled regardless and hugged Cadence. "Hope you get better soon, and I'll see you at the wedding, right?"
"What kind of a question is that? Of course you will. I wouldn't miss your wedding for the world, Twilight."
"Good." Letting go of Cadence, Twilight moved towards Skyla sitting on her back and kissed her forehead before affectionately nuzzling her. "Bye-bye, my little birthday filly."
With a happy gurgle, Skyla clung to Twilight face and hugged her. "Bah, Twala."
Joyful for hearing her saying her name again, Twilight placed a kiss on her cheek and stepped back for Dark to have a turn.
"See ya later, little one," Dark said with a nuzzle, causing the little filly to clamp on to his face too as she hugged him.
"Bah, Dar."
Once she released him, Dark placed a small kiss on Skyla's other cheek, causing her to giggle before looking towards the officers.
"It was nice to meet you three," Dark told them. "I hope that we'll be seeing you three at the wedding."
"If Princess Cadence and Prince Shining Armor will allow it, then we will," Gray spoke for them.
"What do you mean? Of course you're all allowed to go," Cadence told them.
"Well, in that case, we'll be looking forward to it."
Dark smiled and extended a claw for a shake. "Until then, then."
Stepping forward, Gray, Saph, and Emerald each took a turn in sharing a claw/hoofshake with Dark.
Hearing the train whistle, Dark and Twilight were reminded that they had to go. With a last goodbye, they began to file into the cart reserved for them where the Scaleless Dragons were all waiting for them.
"It was nice for them to reserve this for us," Aero said.
"Well, I don't think that many ponies would exactly be open to sharing a train cart with four other dragons and a dragon egg," Twilight said.
"Meh, I guess."
Taking their seats, Dark and Twilight waved to Cadence, Shining, Skyla, and the officers as the train began to pull away. Once they were out of sight, Twilight leaned back in her seat and against Dark with a sigh of relief.
"Tired?" Dark questioned.
"Yeah," she answered. "I don't know about you, but this entire trip seemed to have been pretty hectic and exhausting."
"Yeah, definitely not what we'd planned, huh?"
Twilight nodded with a tired yawn. "Hey, you mind if I take a nap?"
"Not at all."
With a tired smile, Twilight gave a peck on Dark's cheek before curling herself up into a ball to sleep. But before she could doze off, she felt Dark curl himself and his tail around her before draping his wing over her like a blanket. Smiling, she nuzzled into the side of his neck, savoring the warmth and security she felt before falling asleep.
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Yeesh, Looks like Flash got a lesson in why it's never a good idea to challenge a lord of death...
7529545
And nice of Dark to put him back BEFORE he made a mess and embarrassed himself *WolfishLOL*
Well, Flash got a good lesson and some reason slammed into him.
Also, minor mistake,
It's actually,
7529625 Clearly, when someone dies, they no longer own their chinaware. I see nothing wrong with the original! :P
Since when did twilight think of him as a fiend? Anyway, Great chapter!
you do realize that the picture on/for this story is of Ancalagon the black. And if you do, is the former Lord of Death suppose to be as big as Ancalagon the Black?
And for you who don't know of Ancalagon the Black. Her is a picture you can compare to. he is from the Middle Earth fantasy world
http://img1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20141124174534/lotr/images/7/70/1401907026475.jpg
edited
P.S he was mentions in the movie wen Gandalf spoke of him as he told Frodo the true origin of his Ring.
7529817
Well, that is correct, but bowls is chinaware and what Dark means is crap a.k.a shit which in that case, bowels is the correct word.
P.S - If that was sarcasm, it's pretty hard to detect online.
7529625 7529915 Thanks for letting me know about those. Already went on ahead and fixed them.
7530195 I didn't know who that dragon was at first. I just saw a really awesome picture of a black dragon and loved it. As for your question about Nocturne's size, going by the scale you linked, he would've been about a quarter as big as what Ancalagon the Black is because, let's face it, that size is just ridiculous.
ci.memecdn.com/777/3094777.jpg
Wow, Dark. Showing down Flash might have been needed, but not that far. You basically just emasculated him, made him eat his own balls, and did a victory teabag there. That was the kind of stuff that will give a permanent inferiority complex there. He did press the evil brother button, but dang Dark.
I've downloaded this story to my phone and have gotten to chapter 55. Besides mixing up your "your/you're"s and "there/they're/their"s, you keep saying that Soul was suffering from anorexia, but anorexia is an eating disorder, and not a lack of available food. The word you were looking for is 'malnourished'. I'm also a bit sad that Nocturne's throne hasn't been referred to as 'the bone throne', to make use of the double entendre.
Well... I think I am starting to run out of ideas to comment on.
I am just BURNING to try and figure something out.
My ideas are just boring me to DEATH.
It would be MAGIC if I ever figured something out.
Maybe I am just too THICK Skinned?
Nah, my ideas are still BLAZING.
But some of them are DEADLY stupid.
Although, some may REAP in cash for comedy.
In total, the count is UN-LIVELY.
.... Wow, I certainly am KILLING it with these puns...
7544145 ...
7544295 ... Okay fine I admit they were quite terrible puns...
But otherwise, I am proud of how far you made it with this story so far. I don't have much patience to do something like this.
Another reason why you are one of my favorite authors
7545915 Thank you for the compliment.
And as for those puns, yes, they were terrible, but in a good way.
7558627
....... crud. I did forget about the shock wave.
7546874 just finished reading through your story and I'm glad i read it. Whens the next chap gonna be?
7559202 At the rate I'm going, the next chapter should be released by this Friday or Saturday morning.
7560049 Sweeeeeeeeet!
I assume you mean:
OK I read the next chapter just to see if you would fix this in this chapter. Why hasn't Dark used his healing flame on Rainbow?? The cause is not magical but an extreme form of flash burn rather like looking directly at a nuke burst.
All right you had Discord fix them in the chapter after this but the question still stands.