I didn’t stop to shift into pony form. I didn’t stop to get my armor from my house. Hell, I didn’t stop to let Twilight’s friends know what had happened, or even write a note to Princess Celestia.

There was probably plenty of time for me to do that, in retrospect. It would have been the rational or logical thing to do.

But then again, The Lord of the Land and Torrentican had both done the one thing that had them signing their own death warrants. They had made the mistake of making sure it has nothing to do with this world; that it’s completely, irrevocably, and ultimately personal. Do you want to know what that means?

It means that I have no reason to hold back. That all of my years of studying, everything I’ve learned throughout my entire life, is available to use.

My sword started to glow brightly, before shifting into its base form: a sleek, white-bladed sword with a simple, blue-leather wrapped hilt, and an orb shaped pommel. At first glance, it would have seemed normal; ordinary, even. But that was just how it looked. The blade seemed to hum with power, nearly endless energy coursing through it. The very air around it shimmered visibly.

Unconsciously, I started to lower the barriers I always kept around my mind. They weren’t ever there for my safety, oh no. If eyes are the windows to the soul, then mine were forced to constantly be a shield to the madness that always lay dormant in my heart. Everything that I’ve seen, that I’ve been, they can see, if they just take even a glance at my eyes.

The sound of approaching hooves from behind me reached my ears, but I didn’t slow down at all. My march through the woods took on a sort of unpronounced grace, like that of a great cat on the hunt.

“Hey, Omnius! Wait up!” Shadow Breeze said, flying alongside me.

I pulled my bandanna out of my pocket, and tied it around my eyes. Didn’t want to accidentally flash-fry whoever decided to try and take a peek inside of them.

“Breeze,” I curtly said, tightening my grip on my sword. Couldn’t really see anything now, but…I felt everything around me. The way that the life around all objects would merge almost seamlessly with the magic in the air of Equestria…I could sense that everyone from the party, save Blaze, Charge, Kyle, and Lance, had decided to follow me into the forest.

“You’re not really gonna go in there alone, are you?” Breeze asked from my right.

“Anything I say gonna turn the rest of you around?”

“Nope!” Anarchy chirped cheerfully from above me.

“Where’s everyone else?”

“Blaze had to take Lance home, since he got too plastered, and you know about Kyle’s heart problems” Graze stated. “Charge is…erm; well…Anarchy somehow gave him her pregnancy…”

I raised an eyebrow at this.

“Chaos is a wonderful thing, isn’t it?” the draconequus giggled.

There was a slightly bemused sigh from a little bit behind me, as Rust said, “Call it what you want, I think it’s more disturbing than that R63-Gun. I will never live that down.”

“Yeah, but you don’t regret it either, do you?” Mobius deadpanned.

“Hell no! I looked sexy as a mare!”

Their banter might have seemed light, but…

A hoof was placed around my shoulders, as Iron Clad stated in a firm tone, “We’re here for you, Om. If there’s any way we can help, we’re going to do just that!”

I tilted my head in his direction gratefully, and said, “Thanks. Thank you all. You know, there is something you can do right now.”

“What would that be?” Mobius asked.

Magic surged through the air, as a low guitar chord echoed hauntingly through the air.

“Follow my lead.”

Twilight Sparkle was trapped, and there was no denying it. Every magic spell she threw against the sides of the crystalline dome she was trapped in did absolutely nothing, she couldn't find any type of weak point, there was no indication of the shield around here disappearing any time soon. And even then, she had no idea where she was. All she could make out were the circular stone walls, chipped away in the style that only years of neglect could bring. There were no windows, only a single cast-iron door.

Of course, there was also the hulking, armor clad figure that had taken her in the first place. His armor was heavily scratched on nearly every single inch of it, while his shoulders, torso, and head were all stained black with the reminders of some horrible blaze. A massive broadsword, almost as wide as a tree, was slung casually over his back. What Twilight though was his most intimidating feature, however, was his bucket-shaped helmet. Two long, curling horns jutted out from the sides of it, and in the marrow slit used for eyes...she could see the cold, steady, gaze of a dead man with nothing to loose.

And she felt no fear at all.

The Lord of the Land cast his chilling gaze at the defenseless Alicorn. "You are the one that the Traveler calls his own?"

Twilight scoffed at him, picturing what Sean would say in a situation like that. "No, sometimes he's mine. We've worked out a time-share plan on who owns who."

Maybe not exactly what he would have said, but she was learning.

His eyes narrowed dangerously, a cold anger rising in them. His gauntlet clenched for an instant,and he stated, "You would do well to watch your tongue, witch."

Twilight met his gaze with a glare of her own.

"You have steel, I will admit that much," The Lord of the Land continued. "I find it a true shame that the circumstances force us to meet as enemies. Your courage and thirst for knowledge are a rarely found trait."

"After hearing about everything that you've done, I'm not too sure about that," Twilight countered. Her newfound wings flared instinctively as The Undead Lord moved as if to strike her.

He seemed to be smirking at her, when he told her, "I am not a man to be trifled with, Miss Sparkle. Your foolish friend should have known that before he forced my hand."

"Why do you even want to hurt him?" Twilight asked, instinctive worry for her loved one lacing her voice.

There was a long silence, as he considered her question. He stood as still as a statue, an almost thoughtful air about him. Finally, he answered, “I’m certain that you were told everything about my…origins. How the father of one of his dear friends,” he spat in contempt, “cursed me, and stole everything away from me. I had the chance to enact revenge on that wizard’s son…At first, I assuaged my conscious by saying that by spilling his blood, I would be freed. As the years passed…well, needless to say, they became slightly twisted, though the goal was all the same.

“But then Omnius and the rest of Gordon’s friends stopped you, didn’t they?” Twilight asked.

“Unfortunately, yes…and it was all because of Omnius that I lost everything in the blink of an eye. For the second time, all I needed was within my reach…and he took it. He wrecked everything,” The former king muttered. “I was back at square one. Even less than that, because he no longer lived on my world. Neither did his wench, for that matter.”

“You took everything away from him that night, too,” the magic prodigy countered.

“He still had more than I did…and he found you, for that matter.”

His broadsword was in his hand in the blink of an eye, dark fires smoldering in his eyes, the only sign of life Twilight could make out.

“This entire room is laced with obsidian,” he continued. “I beat him once in a duel, I can easily best him again. And then, he will be forced to watch…because I won’t kill you. You have his magic flowing through your veins, and I imagine he has yours in his as well. All that means to me is that I can break you. That he will be left with nothing more than a broken husk.”

At this, Twilight did something completely unexpected to the both of them. She didn’t shake in fear, or laughter. There wasn’t a heroically defiant glare, or a cold gaze.

There was only a small, knowing smile.

“You think that’s going to stop him?” she asked. Not even bothering to wait for an answer, she plowed on. “I think you’ve got something wrong here. I’m NOT the frightened damsel in distress, and he’s not the stupid fighter who will make some big mistake that will make you win. You’re not the evil mastermind, and this isn’t an inescapable prison. Let me tell you what all of this really is.”

She stomped her hoof on the ground, and met The Lord of the Land’s glare with a triumphant look of her own.

“This is just a brick house, and you’re just a tin can with a grudge. I’m not a damsel in distress, I’m just waiting for Sean to break me out of here.”

Suddenly, the sound of music started to echo throughout the entire room. Low, haunting, foreboding chords lingered in the air, as Twilight smiled at her ‘captor’.

You can run on for a long time.

Run on for a long time.

Run on for a long time.

Sooner or later, God’ll cut you down.

Sooner or later, God’ll cut you down.

“And right now?”

Go tell that long tongue liar.

Go tell that midnight rider.

Tell the rambler, the gambler, the back biter

“My fiancé is standing right outside whatever this place is, with some of the most powerful beings he’s ever met at his side.”

Twilight sat down, and ignored the nagging voice in her head that was saying how close Sean was to loosing it.

Tell ‘em that God’s gonna cut you down.

Tell ‘em that God’s gonna cut you down.

There it was. The castle where Twilight was being held, and where The Lord of the Land was waiting for me. Nothing about it had really changed since the last time I had come here, all those years ago. Well, years for me at least.

Now, though, there was a giant, translucent dome that covered the entirety of the castle. From the looks of it, it had taken someone with considerable skill to set it up. They had probably spent weeks just getting prepared to cast it, and taken a few days to conjure it up. Hundreds of hours had been poured into it, just to make sure there was nothing that could get through it.

And it only took us ten seconds to completely shatter it, and the front doors to the castle.

Mobius, Rust, Iron Clad, and Anarchy unleashed their most powerful destructive magic at it, bombarding it with wave after wave of energy.

While they did that, Shadow Breeze, Graze, and Vinetion pummeled at it with brute force, and several uprooted trees.

And while THEY did that, I swung my sword over my head, and brought it crashing down on the dome in front of me. There was a vicious crackle of electricity, and a thunderous explosion as the blade collided with my target.

The barrier didn’t just fail. It shattered into a thousand pieces, and collapsed into nonexistence.

 “Next stage of this plan,” I stated, while breaking out into a mad dash for the castle. “Stay back, and snap me out of it if I lose it.”

With that, I aimed my revolver at the floor, and pulled the trigger.

The stone exploded into a massive cloud of dust, and I fell into the pit below.

Instantly, my eyes picked up on the form of The Lord of the Land in his hulking armor, with his sword casually gripped in his hands.

He started to say something that probably would have sounded like an incredibly well thought out monologue about his reasons, why he was doing all of this.

My revolver cut him off with a thunderous “BANG”, and tore his sword out of his grasp. It didn’t stop there, though. The heavy gun disappeared from my hand, as I hurled my sword at his now defenseless arms. As I expected, the blade bounced harmlessly on his enchanted armor.

That wasn’t why I did that though.

Now free of all burdens, my hands shot forward, and sent a massive wave of pure force at The Lord of the Land. He went flying into the air, before another flick of my wrists sent him crashing against the side of the wall. His body created a deep crater in the underground walls, revealing the smooth earth behind it, and I brought my hands down to the floor.

He was forced to go through most of the wall, until he reached ‘ground’ level, and from there, I couldn’t stop.

My bandana slipped from my face to hang about my neck, as I clapped my hands together, this time picking up the stones that had been freed from the walls in my rampage.

As each one slammed into his head, I shouted out, “YOU. DO. NOT. TOUCH. MY. WIFE!”

He didn’t even have time to recover, but I warped behind him, and slammed the base of my palms at his neck. The heavy armor collapsed on him, and I forced him to get back up, and stare straight into my eyes.

No mental barriers to hinder the Soul Gaze, the technique that would allow him to see every trauma, horror, and suffering I had been through in my entire lifetime…and he saw everything.

There were no words to describe the fear I saw in his eyes.

He crumpled to the ground at my feet.

Thirteen days later

I struggled to fit the tie around my neck, my fingers fumbling the knot every time I tried it.

“Gods…freaking…GAH!” I shouted, tossing the damned article of clothing onto the ground. “Hundreds of thousands of years, and I STILL can’t work with these stupid things!”

A soft knock at the door to my dressing room startled me out of my annoyance. Sheepishly shaking myself out of it, I opened to door to find Rarity standing outside of the room in her best dress, a knowing smile on her face.

“Trouble with your apparel, Nathan?” she asked me.

I bent down to pick up my tie, and held it out towards her. “Halp?”

The alabaster unicorn chuckled wryly, before her horn lit up with the telltale glow of magic. Instantly, the most hated of all apparel was fitted perfectly to my neck. I let out a relieved sigh, and thanked the fashionista.

“Think nothing of it dear,” she replied kindly. “After all, we can’t have you late for your own wedding day.

I swallowed awkwardly, and pulled at my collar.

“Why, you aren’t nervous, are you?” Rarity asked incredulously.

“I know, I know,” I sighed. “I’ve literally looked death in the face, and offered it a drink. Why should I be nervous at the day of my own wedding...again?”

Rarity tutted softly, and balanced on her back legs as she threw her forehooves around me in a comforting hug. “You’ll do fine, darling. The worst has already happened. All you need to do now is walk down that aisle, stand by your bride, and say those two words with all of your heart.”

I gently returned her hug. “Thanks, Rarity. You’re a true friend, you know that?”

Bells started to ring loudly, reaching the two of us all the way from the front of the castle.

“Oh! You need to hurry! Go, go, go!” Rarity said, pushing me out of the room.

“Cripes!” I shouted, tearing off down the hall. “Let’s go then! ESPERANTO!”

It was time. All of us were gathered inside of Canterlot Castle, and even Anarchy had been allowed on the premises (provided she was completely sober). Every one of my friends were seated right at the front, where they could see everything in sight.

Rust let out an audible sniffle, before wiping a tissue across his eyes.

“Dude, are you crying?” Blaze asked him.

“I can’t help it...this is just too beautiful!” he sobbed. “And when I cry, I have to drink!”

With that, he pulled out a bottle of rum, and took a long draught from it.

I fidgeted at my place at the aisle, Rarity filling in for my best man. I figured it fit, seeing as how she was the one who helped to plan this entire thing. Definitely saved me and Twi a lot of trouble.

Speaking of her...

The organ started to play the stereotypical “Wedding March”, and a lavender colored mare, wearing a pearl-white dress that flowed about her like it was made of water, started to trot slowly down the aisle. I felt a hard lump form in my throat, as I fought against the urge to just run out there, and skip straight to the good part.

Still, to see her there...it felt undeniably right. I can’t even begin to describe the joy that was in my heart at the sight of her. She looked so beautiful...

And then she was standing at my side, her purple orbs glittering underneath the thin veil over her face.

Celestia smiled at the two of us, before launching into her speech. As she spoke, I couldn’t help but glance out at everyone in the crowd. Everypony and everyone who had shared in our adventures...

Shining Armor nodded approvingly at me, while Cadence winked by his side. Next to them, Rainbow Dash gave me a hoof-pump, Applejack tipped her hat (I made damn sure she was able to wear it), and Fluttershy gave us a shy smile.

Luna’s eyes twinkled from the shadows, while the rest of the audience watched the monumental occasion. Twilight and I had agreed to only let our closest friends be there. So, naturally, the entire place was packed.

I can’t believe it...after all those years, after the endless loneliness, the death, the solitary wandering...I have finally found the one that I want...NEED to be with. Someone who can listen to me, who can comfort me when I fail...and I can always be there for her. We’ve already done our best to help each other, even as friends.

This...this is truly, the moment.

I was so wrapped up in my thoughts, that I almost didn’t notice Celestia ask me if I would stick by Twilight, no matter what happened. Well, she used better words.

I said I do.

When Twilight was asked, she said the exact same thing.

“Then, with the blessing of the Gods and Goddesses of Good, I now pronounce you husband and wife,” she proclaimed. “You may now kiss the bride.

I swept Twilight up in my arms, and held her in the classic, “Gone with the wind” hold.

“Gimme some sugar, babe,” I muttered.

She replied with what would normally be called the greatest kiss in the world.

Me? I called it the beginning.

It was the beginning of our life together.

The beginning of our adventures through out all of Time, Space, and Matter, and across all of the realities and dreams.

And the end of my loneliness.

It was my Twilight.

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