CROSSOVER:

The Ties that Bind us.

(Part V of a crossover with k12314’s ‘How Did I Get Here?’ and its sequel, ‘Le Retour’)

My Collar was getting on my nerves.

Fidgeting slightly, I pulled at it with my hoof, and complained to Rarity, “Why is the collar so freaking tight?”

She rolled her eyes, and said, “It’s not the collar that’s tight, it’s just your nerves!”

I sighed, and nodded. “Yeah, I guess so. It’s just that I’ve never done something as important as this!”

Twilight looked at me, and asked, “I thought you said you’d saved worlds before?”

“That’s important too…” I took in a deep breath, and said, “But…No one’s ever asked me to do a wedding vows thing before. Hell, this is the first wedding I’ve been to since my own!”

I fell silent as I remembered that day, that day that felt as if it had happened years before…Jenna looked so beautiful in her gown and robe…

Shaking my head, I looked at Twilight, Rarity, and Fluttershy, who were the bridesmaids for Rainbow Dash, and smiled. “Can you believe it?” I asked. “He could have asked Princess Luna or Celestia to do this for him, but instead he chose me!”

Rarity smiled warmly, and said, “Well, you do seem to be the one who is most fitted for doing something like this.”

“How so?” I tilted my head in confusion.

“Darling, wedding vows are meant to be eternal,” Rarity said, a familiar twinkle in her eye that usually meant she was speaking passionately about something. “They encompass the love between two ponies, or in this case, two beings, and the feelings they feel for one another!” She sighed, and said, “And as you’re The ETERNAL Traveler of Good, wouldn’t that seem only fitting?”

“She’s got a point you know,” Twilight said, looking at me with knowing eyes.

I gulped, and said, “Guess you’re right. Oh, geeze, look at the time! The wedding is about to start!” I trotted over to Kyle’s dressing room, and poked my head in. He looked like he had just been sweating bullets, but it also appeared that he had just calmed himself down. Nerves. They happen to everyone on their wedding days. “You ready?” I asked.

Kyle looked at himself one more time in the mirror, and once he was satisfied, he took in a deep breath, and said, “Yeah, I’m ready.”

Nodding, I quickly made my way back to the pedestal thing that I was going to be speaking from, and Kyle stood off to the side, waiting for Rainbow Dash. He started tapping his foot, impatient for this to be started. There was a collective gasp from the audience, and I had to keep my eyebrows from shooting up.

Rainbow Dash had turned the corner, and in all senses of the word, she was beautiful. Rarity had spared no amount of effort in putting together Dash’s dress, carefully designing it to look like a pure white, summer cloud. Her hair was carefully styled in a sophisticated manner, instead of the usual scruffy-type deal she wore it in. White slippers adorned her hooves, and her engagement earrings shined, catching the light perfectly.

As soon as Rainbow was standing next to Kyle, I grinned. Clearing my throat, I started, saying, “Dearly beloved…”

I had to stop then. Holy…shit. My lines! I can’t remember my lines! Trying to appear casual, I looked at the pedestal, and saw that my note cards had been stolen.

SONUVABITCH!

Unfortunately, I fell back to the usual tactic: Say what’s on my mind.

“We are gathered here today to...Oh, screw this.” Everypony gasped, and Kyle had to stifle a laugh. “Kyle, you like Dash? Dash, you like Kyle? Good, you're married, Kiss her! Peace out Bitches!”

Everypony and Kyle just stared at me, and I gulped audibly. “Not good enough?” I said feebly. “Okay then, how about this?”

I thought for a long moment, and then looked at Rainbow Dash…she looked so much like Jenna did…I nodded, and decided to do what I should always do: Speak what’s on my heart.

[I’d highly suggest listening to Dearly Beloved while reading this.]

I cleared my throat, and said, “Dearly beloved…From the moment we are born, we are taught a certain rule…That nothing lasts forever. We learn that this is almost always true, and that all good things must come to an end.”

A few ponies frowned, and I continued. “But there is something else we are taught. Something that is always true, no matter how we look at it: There is an exception to every rule. And true to form, there is something that does last forever. Something that withstands the onslaught of time and that carries over when you have to make that long walk down the dark tunnel.

“Love.”

“Love is Eternal. Whether it’s the love between two best friends, or the love between Husband and Wife, love is always there. Love is what drives us to do greater things, and to better ourselves for the one we love. For love, we would do the impossible, and it has been done time and time again.

“Love is what binds us all together, and for Love, we are gathered here today to join Kyle and Rainbow Dash, in bonds that will last for all of Eternity, and beyond.”

I turned to Kyle, and in a serious voice that seemed to hold everypony’s attention, asked, “Kyle, when you look at Rainbow Dash, do you feel as if you deserve somepony as special as her?”

If anyone else had asked Kyle that, I’m sure he would have gotten pissed at them. Heck, a few ponies thought he would have gotten pissed at me for asking something like that. Thankfully, he seemed to know what I was asking, and he answered in a low, quiet voice, “No…but I hope that someday, I’ll have done enough to be able to claim something as special as that.”

I turned to Rainbow Dash, who now had tears streaming slowly down her face, and asked, “Rainbow Dash, do you feel as if you’re worthy of the love Kyle has promised to show you?”

She shook her head, and said, “No. I’ll do my best to change that…”

Nodding, I looked up and said in a powerful voice, “With these promises, you are both now closer to each other than a simple piece of paper could bring you…Therefore, by the power vested in me, by The Gods and Goddesses of Good, I hereby pronounce you…man and wife.”

Looking at them both, and seeing the love they felt for each other, a few tears brimmed in my eyes. Swallowing a few times, I said quietly, “You may kiss the bride…”

They barely waited for me to finish my line, before throwing themselves at each other, locking lips, and warming my heart. Muttering quietly under my breath so that no one would hear, I said, “Jenna, if you’re watching this…I hope you can help them, in some way…”

[You can stop listening to that music now.]

Just as I finished wiping my eyes with my handkerchief, Kyle suddenly grimaced. Frowning slightly, I listened, as Kyle told Dash that he was going to go to the restroom real quick, and he shot off, barely under a fast jog, as he went into the bathroom.

Now fully suspicious, knowing that Kyle wouldn’t do something like that, I crept next to the door, and put an ear on the wall, listening…

I didn’t like what I heard. Kyle was talking to himself, and I caught very specific words, like “Torrentican” and “Eternal Traveler of Evil” Note to self, tell Kyle that he’s the ENDLESS Traveler of Evil, and that I’m the ETERNAL Traveler of Good. Jeez, that gets annoying…

Wait a second…It sounds like he’s coming to the door. SHIT! I quickly tried to dash behind a corner, but I got the feeling that I was at least partially spotted. Leaning against the wall, I attempted to just look like I was bored, and waiting for my turn in the bathroom, while Kyle just walked by, completely ignoring me.

Conscience…Damn it…

“Kyle, wait!” I called out, trotting after him. He kept walking, ignoring me, and I said, “Who were you talking to?”

He frowned, but didn’t look at me, as he continued down the hall.

Frustrated and concerned, I half-shouted, “Answer me, dude!”

Without even a warning, he spun around on his heels, and glared daggers at me. Shocked, I stumbled back a little, as he snarled, “Nopony. Nopony at all. I don't need any more stress today. So just LAY. OFF.”

Stunned, I just stood there, as he stormed off again. I shook my head, and guessed what had happened. I knew that he would be back, so I waited patiently, taking on a concerned expression. Soon enough, he turned around, and walked back to me, looking slightly guilty.

“Alright, I'll tell you.” He looked around to make sure that no one was listening, and then he whispered, “Torrentican is in my head.”

Fuck. I ignored what my head was telling me I already knew, and instead asked, “Whadd'ya mean?”

"I mean, he's in my head! Sometimes an image of him just appears in my head, and I hear him talking to me... I usually manage to outsmart him, but...” He trailed off, and looked out the window in time to glimpse a dark blur. “He's still watching me.”

“How? Shadow-stalkers?” I asked, wondering what interest Torrentican would have in Kyle.

“You mean those little black foals with the yellow eyes? Then yes,” Kyle answered, still searching outside.

“Well,” I said simply. “I don’t know what to say…”

“Then don't say anything, Omnius. I don't need help,” He said, an angry glare in his eye. “I'll fix this problem myself. I'm going to hunt him down, and give him the thrashing of a lifetime. I don't care if he can't die, I'll make him suffer,” Kyle promised, clenching his fist in anger.

I placed a calming hoof on his shoulder, and tried to dissuade him, saying, “Listen, I know he's making you angry, but do you really think a manhunt is the best course of action? Don't you think that's what he wants? What if it's all just a big trap?”

He brushed my hoof away, and said in a louder tone, “I don't care. With the things he's said and the things he's done, I can't just give up like that. I'll find him if it's the last thing I do.”

With that, he stood up, and walked away.

I still regret not talking any sense into him…

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A few days later

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Kyle and I were both walking down a worn dirt road, heading to the same church dealio that was used for Kyle’s wedding, only this time, we were going for Zephyr’s marriage. I wouldn’t be reading any vows, but hey! Going to a wedding means free cake! Am I really gonna pass up an opportunity to get free cake?

Anyways, free cake aside, I was honestly happy to get to go. I was actually on pretty good speaking terms with Spitfire, at least since I saved her from a nasty “prank” by Discord. So yeah, all in all, it seems like this is gonna be a good day!

As we walked, I had gotten bored, and started telling Kyle about the adventure I had right before I came here

“...And then,” I laughed, “then this tank came out of nowhere and...” I trailed off, and looked closely at Kyle’s face. He wore a vacant expression, as if he were only half-way there at the moment, iffin you catch my drift. “Hey, are you listening? I was in a world where Left 4 Dead was real, and you're spaced out,” I said, trying to get him to snap out of it.

He shook his head, and quickly said, “No, no... I'm fine...”

I looked at him, concerned, and said, “Torrentican bothering you?”

Kyle instantly shook his head, and said unconvincingly, “No! No, it's alright. Really, I'm fine... Don't worry about it.”

Sighing, I reluctantly said, “Alright... I'll trust you on this.” Then, as if I were in my human form, I stood on my hind legs, and put my front hooves on his shoulders, and stared into his eyes. Speaking without any trace of humor in my voice, I slowly and deliberately said, “But listen, you need to believe me when I say that if you go up against him, you need to be strong, and try to call for me, and hold out until I get there. I don't want you making any rash decisions, Kyle. It could be really bad, and I don't want to see anything happen to you. You're my friend, and friends help each other. If you fight him, you need my help, got that?”

I wasn’t exaggerating at all. Seriously, the only ones who can fight Torrentican and come out on top, without benefitting his plans, are Neutra (what I’ve taken to calling the Traveler of Neutrality) and myself. Sure, others have beaten him before, but it almost always ended up pushing one of his plans forward.

And I’ll be damned if I’m gonna let another friend be taken away by Torrentican.

Kyle just stared at him, a strange mixture of emotions on his face, but he finally said, “Alright, I will...”

I knew that the answer wasn’t a good one, but it was probably the only one I could get from him.

XHXHXHXHXHXHXHXH

Just a few moments later, the church thingy was in sight (thesaurus, why u no help?) and I was getting pumped. I would actually be providing the music this time around, as a certain Rainbow colored Pegasus accidentally let slip that I’m the one who’s been writing the new orchestrated music…

Oh, wait, I didn’t explain that. It’ll be explained in another chapter I think, but to ease your confusion now: In order for me to earn money on this world, I’ve been doing a combination of anonymously submitting orchestrated music, and by also writing parodies of famous tunage here. I wasn’t rolling in bits, but I was getting by pretty well.

RIGHT! Back on track. Just as we started climbing the hill, Kyle got a strange expression on his face. “Hey, Omnius? I'll catch up, I gotta... Do my business,” He said, pointing his thumb at a clump of bushes.

Is he really using this excuse again? “Alright, see you at the wedding,” I said, trotting down the path. As soon as I heard him dash behind a tree, I quickly slunk into the woods, and listened, straining my ears to hear what he was saying.

Ye Gods, but this isn’t good. From what I could gather, Torrentican was finally coming out (of the closet…damn my smart-assery!) and challenging Kyle to a showdown. Kyle accepted the challenge, and started walking deeper into the woods.

“Damn it, Kyle,” I said, following. Kyle trekked through the forest for a few minutes, almost noticing me once when I made the mistake of stepping on a twig, but he quickly dismissed it as a figment of his imagination, and kept going. Soon enough, he came into a clearing that held Torrentican, in his human form, much to the surprise of Kyle.

I nodded, and said a silent prayer to the Gods and Goddesses of Good. They said a few things to each other, but I was too busy running back to the church, intent on letting everypony know what was going on, this way if anything happened…

Get it together Traveler! Just let them know that Kyle might not make it, since he’ll be hospitalized…at best.

XHXHXHXHXHXHX

I burst through the door, panting, and shouted, “GIRLS, PROBLEM, KYLE, TALK, NOW!”

I panted, and looked around, slightly embarrassed because I had just burst in on the ending of the wedding vows. The priest frowned at me, and I quickly giggled nervously. “Um…Congratulations?” I said.

“Sir,” The priest said in a disapproving tone, “May I ask you why you have decided to gate-crash this wedding?”

“Hey, Padre’, I’m on the list!” I snapped back. Spotting the girls, I quickly trotted over to them, and said in a quiet voice, “Kyle’s not gonna be able to make it, so don’t try looking for him.”

Rainbow’s eyes widened, and she shouted, “What?! But where is he?”

I hissed, and said, “Dasher, not so loud! Look, something’s come up with Torrentican, and I wanted to make sure that you wouldn’t accidentally walk into one of his traps. I’m gonna go take care of it, but I need you all to stay here!”

“No chance we’re gonna stay here!” I heard Zephyr say loudly. Wincing, I glanced behind me to see both Zephyr and Spitfire, who were looking at me slightly angrily.

“Um…hi?” Wow, today just isn’t my day for witty retorts.

“Who’s Torrentican?” Spitfire asked, looking at me in confusion. “And where’s Kyle?”

Twilight gave me a look, and I sighed. “Damn it, but there’s no arguing with you ponies. Alright, come on, we’ve got an ass to kick!”

I charged out of the church, and everypony followed, leaving the crowd to wonder what the hell just happened.

“Hang in there, Kyle,” I thought. “We’re coming!”

XHXHXHXHXHXHXHX

“Ye Gods…” I muttered, watching the scene that unfolded before us. We were at the clearing I had left Kyle at before, but now…Kyle just went super saiyan.

A huge crater surrounded him, and his clothes rustled, his own sheer power moving them. He glowed with a powerful white aura, and his eyes were bright, fiercely blazing orbs that cast a white shimmering glow.

“KYLE!” I shouted, getting his attention. He turned to look at us, as we took in his new appearance.

Rainbow Dash hesitantly approached him, and said in an awe filled voice, “Kyle... What happened to you?”

“WELL,” Kyle started, his voice extremely loud and echo-ie. Oh great, he’s got caps lock on! Dammit. “TURNS OUT I’M AN ELEMENT...THE ELEMENT OF LOVE, DASHIE.”

Wait, now there’s an eighth element in this world? Ugh, this is gonna come back to bite me in the ass later, I just know it!

...Not to sound rude, but am I the only one who thought that sounded cheesy as all get out?

Torrentican looked pissed off, and I decided, “Screw it, Kyle’s gone badass, and if anything goes wrong, I’ll be able to jump in!” So I stood off to the side, and let Kyle and Torrie duke it out.

For a while, it looked like Kyle was winning. Sure, he got hit a few times, but whatever magic (cough cough, Element, cough) was fueling him must have dulled the pain, and allowed him to keep going. I still didn’t understand why Torrentican was only using his hand-to-hand combat though. By now, he should have used whatever magic he had…

Wait. Torrentican isn’t really fighting him…He’s measuring him up, trying to tell if he’s a threat or not! If that’s true, then that means he still hasn’t unleashed his true plan! Now to make things worse, the magic that’s fueling Kyle is fading now!

I shifted into human form, much to the surprise of Spitfire, and summoned my Traveler’s Blade, in whip form this time.

“KYLE!” I shouted, about to leap in. “GET OUT OF THERE!”

Too late. Torrentican looked at me, and snapped his fingers, summoning several imps to deal with me. I brushed them aside with a few flicks of my whip, but by the time I had gotten rid of them, Torrentican had grabbed Kyle, and pulled him into another world.

“NO!” I lunged towards them, and tried to pick up where The Traveler of Evil had taken him. Unfortunately, Torrentican had thought ahead, and used some sort of masking spell/device on it, blocking my senses.

“NO!” I screamed again, desperately feeling the ground where they both had just been. “KYLE!”

Rainbow Dash flew over, and shouted, “Where’s Kyle!? Where did Torrentican take him!?!” She frantically looked around, and tears started to form in her eyes.

I got up, and ran back to the others, who were staring in shock at what had just happened. “Torrentican took Kyle into another world. I can’t tell which world though, only that it’s somehow connected to this one, in some mysterious way,” I explained, opening a P.D and pulling out a backpack.

Twilight gasped, and said, “What?! But that means-”

“I gotta go find him. Spitfire, Zephyr, you’ve seen too much now, but that can’t be helped. Applejack, I want you to explain it to them,” I said, pointing at each pony in turn.

“I’m going to research a method of bringing him back,” Twilight said, going into her planning mode. “Maybe if we asked the Princesses-”

“No,” I said, grabbing Twilight’s shoulders. I forced her to look me in the eyes, and said, “Twilight, inter-dimensional spells are almost always a bad thing. I want you to promise me that you won’t ever research one unless I’m involved somehow, so I can keep you safe, capeesh?”

Twilight looked away for a moment, but then nodded.

“Good. Same goes for all of you!” I then lowered my voice, and walked over to Rainbow Dash. I knelt next to her, and said, “I promise, I’ll find Kyle. He’ll be back here before you know it!”

A pair of pink hooves were thrown around my neck, and Pinkie whispered, “Be careful Seanie…”

I smiled, and hugged her back, saying, “No worries. I’ll be fine.”

Standing up, I quickly ran to the middle of the clearing, and jumped into the air, warping into another world.

XHXHXHXHXHXHX

Three days of my time later

XHXHXHXHXHXHX

I dusted off my jeans, and jogged into the building, calling out as I ran, “Gibbs! I need your help with something, pronto!”

Leroy Jethro Gibbs, former marine and current NCIS Special Agent, looked up from the computer he was currently glaring at, and glanced at me.

“Nate,” He said simply. “What’s wrong?”

“Long story short, I need someone to run a facial recognition for me,” I said, pulling out a photo of Kyle that I had taken a few days prior to his disappearance. I handed the picture to Gibbs, and said, “This is Kyle Bucy, one of my friends from out of town. Torrie might have brought him here, and I need to make sure he’s either not here, or…ugh, you get it.”

Gibbs nodded, understanding what I meant, and asked, “Why would he be in Government records though?”

“Mental Institution for things he saw that the Government would be very curious about.”

“Makes sense,” He said. Gibbs looked at one of the agents sitting at a nearby desk, who was currently trying to look disinterested in our conversation. “McGee, I want you to run this through the system, see if you can come up with any matches.”

“Yeah Boss.”

As soon as he walked out of the room, I let out a huge sigh. “Thanks Gibbs.”

He grunted, and handed me a can of coke. I accepted it, and quickly chugged it down, suppressing a burp. “Torrentican took a friend of yours?”

“Yeah.”

We stood in silence for a while, before Gibbs suddenly said, “Nate, you seem…older, somehow.”

“Nothing gets past you, huh?” I replied crushing the can in my fists. “Yeah. I’ve decided I’m going to let myself look like I’m aging, at least until I find Kyle. Once I find him, I’ll return to my normal 17 year old appearance, and then we’ll have a party. Pinkie is already planning one I bet,” I chuckled.

“Pinkie? As in Pinkie Pie?” Gibbs said, raising an eyebrow.

“Gibbs…don’t tell me that you’re a…”

I didn’t get a chance to finish my question, as McGee suddenly returned with the results of the search. Unfortunately, there were no matches at all. I thanked both of them, and quickly jumped into another reality.

XHXHXHXHXHXHXHXH

Three years later

XHXHXHXHXHXHXHXH

“Shitshitshitshitshit!” I screamed, pulling out my Boomstick and shooting down a few zombies. “Why won’t you all just leave me alone!?”

“Pipe bomb!” A voice suddenly called out, accompanied by an ominous beeping sound. I threw myself behind the desk, pulling the laptop with me, and the zombies ran out of the room, following a familiar red light. A few seconds later, there was a resounding explosion, followed by a wave of blood.

I wiped off the blood that had hit my glasses, and a bald man with ebony skin and a tattered office outfit walked over, and pulled me to my feet. “Omnius?”

“Good to see you too, Louis,” I said, focusing on the laptop. I scanned through the search results, and found absolutely nothing. “Thanks for the save. How’re things?”

“We’re alright. Zoey is still trying to deal with Bill’s death, but…” He sighed, and I nodded. I still missed the grouchy old coot too. If only Torrentican hadn’t sabotaged that generator…

“Sorry about that. Still clearing out the island then?”

“Yeah, but those were the last of the zombies, so it’s clean now,” He shrugged, and then looked at the laptop. “This place has internet access?”

“Eyup. Sorry to bug you, but I gotta skedaddle,” I sighed, and added, “He’s not here either…”

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Ten years later…

XHXHXHXHXHXHXH

“Omnius?” Michael Carpenter said, surprised. “What are you doing here at this hour?”

It was late at night, and I felt bad about bugging the former Knight of The Cross, but I needed his connection to the Almighty.

“I’m sorry Michael, but this is an emergency,” I then glanced at the T.V in his living room, and asked, “What episode?”

“Swarm of the Century,” He replied, before letting me in.

“Charity doesn’t know that you and the kids are staying up late to watch it, does she?”

“She knows.” He handed me a cup of hot chocolate, and asked, “What’s going on? And are those gray hairs in your beard?”

I said nothing, but instead drank the warm drink. “Friend of mine is missing, and Torrentican might have brought him here. Need to ask God if he’s here.”

Michael understood my connection to the Gods of Good, and he didn’t say anything as he closed his eyes in prayer. I fidgeted slightly, and started humming to myself.

After a few moments, he shook his head, and said, “Amen.”

“Well?” I asked, clenching my cup in my trembling hand.

He shook his head again, and reluctantly said, “I am sorry, Omnius, but your friend is not on this world…What world is he from anyways?”

“…Dude, I’m not saying anything. Thanks for trying though.”

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Four years later

XHXHXHXHXHXHX

The Raider clenched at my throat, strangling me as I attempted to reach for the knife that lay just out of reach. I glared at the drugged up raider, and snarled, “You stinking piece of Brahmin shit!”

Just as stars started to explode in my vision, the faint sound of a guitar chord reached my ears. Suddenly, a loud gunshot went off, and the raider fell off of me, dead. I struggled to refill my deprived lungs with fresh oxygen, and a hand entered my field of vision. I took it, and felt myself get pulled to my feet.

“Thanks,” I wheezed, still coughing.

“Omnius? Is that you?” My rescuer asked, surprised.

“That depends: Are you a mysterious stranger? Or THE Mysterious Stranger?” I replied, smiling wryly.

“Yeah, you’re you alright. Come on, my camp isn’t too far from here,” The Mysterious Stranger said, pointing at a small campfire.

I sat down next to it, and took out a bottle of whiskey. I uncorked the bottle, and started drinking it, grimacing as the alcohol burned my throat. As soon as I had finished the bottle, I tossed it behind me, and saw that the Stranger was looking at me…strangely.

“What?” I asked, somewhat defensively.

“You’re drinking.”

“So?”

“You never drink,” He pointed out, handing me a plate with a hunk of steaming meat on it. I grunted my thanks, and tore into it. “Never, in all the time that you’ve been here, have you had a single drop of alcohol. Why the sudden change?”

“How old do I look to you right now?” I asked, after considering the question.

“I’d wager a guess at 35, maybe?”

“Close. 34. I’ve been searching for a friend of mine, for almost seventeen years now,” I said bitterly, shaking my head. “I’ve got a photo of him and his family, and I’ve had to look at it every night for the last thirteen years in order to convince myself that he’s still out there.”

The Stranger said nothing, but instead poked at the fire, stirring the embers.

“I can’t bring myself to even go back to his home, because I might see his family there…What would they say if they saw me now?”

“That you’re a mess, and need to put away the bottle,” He stated. I glared at him, and he added, “It’s true. Look at yourself.”

I glanced at a nearby puddle, and sighed. My hair and beard were both now flecked with streaks of gray, brought about by stress, and worry wrinkles had formed on my face. My skin was a darker tan color than before, and my clothes were covered in a combination of dust and blood, but that was a more recent addition. Dark bags were under my eyes, and there was another uneven layer of stubble on my cheeks.

“Okay, you’ve got a point there…Hey, you get around a lot, have you seen this kid?” I asked, handing him the photo.

He raised his eyebrows at the sight of the ponies, but didn’t say anything about them. “No, he’s not here.”

“…Fuck.”

He shook his head, and said, “Don’t give up hope though. You’ll find him.”

“How do you know?” I spat, my temper being pushed again.

“Because. You’re the Eternal Traveler of Good, or the Eternal Traveler to the Wastelanders, and you always manage to find a way,” He said, patting me on the shoulder. “Good luck my friend.”

XHXHXHXHXHXHXHX

Three years later…

XHXHXHXHXHXHXHX

Finally. After all of this time, I found him. In retrospect, it was clever of Torrentican to do this: Take him to a world that he’s been too, but fool me into thinking that he wasn’t here.

Back on the world Kyle was born on. So obvious that no one would have thought of it.

I transformed back into my 17 year old self, and glanced at the mental-institution in front of me. Then, for the first time in a while, I got a huge grin on my face.

“They think Kyle is a crazy ass son of a bitch who believe in magic talking ponies…” I shifted into my unicorn form, and grinned crazily. “Karma.”

Walking into the building, I cast a simple camouflage spell, and searched the rooms, looking for…yes! There, in the heavily guarded area with the big-ass guards in front of it…Hey, it’s Smiley!

I dropped the cloak, and in my best voice, yelled, “UL-VAKIIN IS BACK BITCHES!”

Both of the guards took one look at me, screamed, and ran away, while I cackled madly. “Oh, it’s good to be The Traveler!”

I silently went in, and saw Kyle sitting on the bed, his head in his hands, and an air of…I dunno…around him.

I tapped his shoulder with my hoof, and said in a voice that barely managed to hide my relief, “Hey buddy! Long time no see!”

He turned to look at me, and I grinned... Next Chapter: Where Is The Love? Estimated time remaining: 2 Hours, 43 Minutes