Thank you to The Terror of Dimensions for writing with me! I enjoy writing with you and hopefully we can work more together in this story in the future!


Chapter Six: Relationship Advice

Chris was pacing back and forth in his room, trying to come to a decision. It had been months since he and Twilight had started dating, and he wanted to take their relationship a step farther, but was afraid of how she would react.

He glanced at his saddlebag, remembering something he had found in there; an odd quill which seemed to have a shard of a dragon scale as a nub.

"Michael…" Chris murmured, going over and pulling the quill from the saddlebag along with a book. "I hope you gave me this to stay in contact with you."

Sitting down, he began to write.


In another Equestria…

Michael Watcher was relaxing in his two story stone cottage he had built. He was enjoying the relaxation that came from being in TD's Equestria; he had made a bunch of new friends, and was actively trying to gain success as an author under his favorite pen name Sunrise Shield.

When a letter suddenly appeared in front of him, Michael raised an eyebrow. The human was currently in his human form, sitting at his desk. He grabbed the letter and read it:

Michael,

Hopefully this letter finds you. I am in need of help on a matter very close to me, and any advice you could give me is welcome. You probably won't be able to come in person, but writing back will be just fine.

Sincerely,

Chris

Michael grinned, before he stood, grabbing the letter as he went to the door, grabbing his axe and hanging it from his belt. He walked outside and changed into his form as Sunrise Shield, slipping the letter in his saddlebag before taking off towards Twilight's castle.

As he entered Ponyville, Michael decided to ask other ponies around if they knew TD's current location, as the entity of a human usually wouldn't stay in one place for too long. The first pony he happened to see was a blonde unicorn mare sitting at a table outside one of the restaurants in Ponyville, beside her a blue hippogriffin who seemed to be blind. The two of them seemed to be a couple, as they both were nuzzling against each other. The unicorn Michael could guess was Diana, TD and Twilight's adopted daughter, but he wasn't sure who the hippogriff was.

Michael flew down and landed, before walking up to them, deciding to wait for them to notice him instead of speaking up, although he decided if it took to long he would say something.

Eventually, Diana noticed him and gave the hippogriff a small nudge to let him know that someone was there to speak to them.

"Hello Sunrise," she greeted. "Is there something you need help with?"

Michael smiled. "I'm trying to find your dad. Any idea where he might be?" He asked.

"Try the Mirror Pool in Everfree. I heard he was trying some experiment over there," Diana suggested.

Michael nodded. "Thanks Diana." He said as he took off. As soon as he was certain he was far enough away from Ponyville he changed into his human form, his saddlebags shifting into a backpack as he flew as fast as he could towards the Mirror Pool.

He found TD inside the cavern that housed said pool standing on the surface of the magical waters as if it was a perfectly natural thing to do, chanting something in the language of the dragons. The most Michael caught that he understood was "time" and "fire". Upon noticing him, the human smiled and ended his chant abruptly. Or at least he personally did; the words could still be heard somewhere in the cave continuing the chant as TD walked over to Michael.

"What can I help you with friend?" he asked with a smile, still standing on the water's surface.

Michael beat his wings, hovering above the ground before he landed, folding his wings flat against his back as he reached into his backpack, pulling out the letter and holding it out to TD.

"My friend asked me to give him some advice." He said, grinning. "And it's on a relationship he's in. Based on who his significant other is, I thought you might want to tag along and give him some advice as well."

As he spoke, he moved his fingers on the hand that wasn't holding the letter, and a glowing hologram of Twilight's cutie mark appeared. He grinned as he watched TD for his reaction.

TD read the paper, then gave a fake deadpan expression.

"How many stories out there have the main OC in a relationship with Twilight?" he asked no one in particular. "At this rate, you might as well call me up as a psychiatrist." He then sighed and chuckled. "But alright, I'll do my best." He looked to Michael. "Just let me explain to Twilight- my Twilight about the situation and we'll be off."

Michael nodded. "But one rule; We have to be in our pony disguises. No one in that world has seen a human yet, and I think it would be the best idea to keep our true forms a secret from everyone except my friend."

"Would a Changeling disguise work though?" TD asked, switching into said form as he spoke. He now was a Changeling drone with red skin, orange eyes, yellow wings, and a black exoskeleton. When he spoke, his tongue was also black. It looked almost like a recolor of one of Chrysalis's Changelings.

He blinked flatly. "If you want to have something slightly similar to what Thorax experienced in that one season when he was first introduced happen, sure." He said dryly.

"I'm just saying, it's less intimidating than this form," TD replied, switching to his pony form. Now he was a blood-red unicorn with a darker shade of red for his mane and tail, both styled in a manner similar to Shining Armor's. His Cutie Mark was an open scroll with a dragon breathing fire upon it. But his eyes is what truly ruined the look. They were dragon eyes and were yellowish-orange in color, almost like that of a Sith Lord's from Star Wars. In the interior light of the cave, they glowed brightly, giving an intimidating glare off despite the non-aggressive expression he had been sporting earlier. The only thing that made it better was a pair of black sunglasses he would occasionally wear over them.

He blinked, before shrugging. "Fine, just meet me at my place when you're ready." He said, before he spread his wings, taking off.

It was only about fifteen minutes later before TD arrived at Michael's house, still in his pony form with his shades on.

"Ready when you are, I suppose," he stated. "It took me awhile to convince Pinkie Pie to not come. If what you say is true, the last thing we need is the Changeling version of a pink party pony to be seen in your Equestria. The only one that would like that would most likely be Pinkie Pie herself."

Michael snorted, but he changed form into a dark blue pegasus with green eyes, his cutie mark being a couple clouds.

"I can't disguise as Sunrise Shield since there's actually a Sunrise Shield in that world." He explained, before he put a pair of saddlebags on his back. "Ready?"

"Ready and waiting friend," TD replied. "Let's just hope that no one tries hitting on me for fear of making Twilight jealous."

Michael rolled his eyes, before teleporting them.


Chris sighed as he stared at the book he was writing in, waiting for some reply from Michael. He was startled when there was a loud cracking sound, and the gray pegasus whirled to find two ponies behind him.

One figure he was familiar with, but the red unicorn with black shades was a new one for him. He was staggering as if about to pass out.

"That's it! Next time, I drive..." he stated before falling to the ground for a second. At first, he seemed to be out cold, then he suddenly bolted back up to his feet and shouted loudly, "I'm okay!"

Michael hissed at him, before dipping his head at Chris.

"Hey Chris, I got your letter, and I decided to bring my friend along. I think he'll have more advice to give you on your relationship then I can." He nodded at TD. "Chris, meet TD. TD, Chris."

"Nice to meet you," TD greeted, holding out his hoof for a hoofshake. "So you have a Twilight too, huh?"

Chris blinked, extending his hoof and taking TD's, shaking it. "Uh... I guess?"

Michael facehoofed and shot a glare at TD that seemed to say 'You do realize that he's completely new to the whole 4th wall breaking thing, right? He doesn't know yet there can be multiple versions of one world.'

"Who says that's a thing?" TD demanded, turning to look at Michael. "Everyone knows it to some extent. Granted, it's considered a theory, but still!" He sighed. "But it seems I already spilled some of the beans."

Chris blinked. "Wait, you're saying that there's another version of this world in which you're married to Twilight?" He asked.

"Guilty as charged," TD joked, causing a table to appear out of nowhere with a judge's hammer. He slammed it on the table and said in a joking fashion, "There will be order in the court."

Chris blinked.

"Okay... see, my problem is that we've been dating for a while, and I want to propose to her, but I don't know how to do it."

TD giggled. "To be honest, I never did know how to do that myself. We both ended up proposing to each other at the same time." He giggled again. "Oh, that was a fun night." He then looked serious. "How long would you say you've dated?"

"I'd say maybe... eight or nine months." Chris said as he paced around.

"Okay, that's good," TD noted, then he asked, "What was your first date? Was it a good one? Did she know who or what your really are then?"

Chris blinked. "Uhhh.. Our first date was at a restaurant, yes it was a good one, and she knew who and what I was because the ghost of the actual Damiadon Thunder possessed me and explained everything to her." He said, summarizing everything.

Michael glanced at TD and cocked an eyebrow like 'You ever heard something like that in all your years?'

"Wouldn't be the first time I've run into something like that," TD answered. "That's actually quite common in the 4th dimension. But that's another story." He then gave a cheeky smile. "Does she know about your... origins?"

"I've told her, so yes." Chris said, before smiling slightly. "And she was perfectly fine with it. Twilight truly is amazing."

"Oh, that's only the fifth of it," TD remarked. "Though that does make this easier."

Chris blinked. "So, what advice can you give me? Twilight means the world to me."

TD smiled. "Personally, I feel like if you're going to propose to her, you could take it in many different fashions. In our case, she ended up taking the initiative and recreated the night she first started to... reform me. Yes, I'm a reformed villain; but that's another story, which you can read about on my profile on this site." He blinked as if registering his own words. "Sorry, temporarily went off topic. Anyways, there's a lot of ways you could approach this. You could ask her while on a date, you could take a trip down Memory Lane with her, you could be unorthodox and ask her out of the blue... it's up to you to decide how to approach it. But whatever you do, no matter how you do it, remember the most crucial details are these: speak from the heart, and just be yourself."

Chris thought to himself, before smiling slightly. "I think I can do that stuff." He said

"Then go for it buddy," TD encouraged. "I have a feeling it will be an enlightening experience."

Chris grinned, extending a hoof. "Thanks TD." He said.

Michael glanced around, his eyes narrowing slightly as he though he saw a flicker of darkness in a corner of the room before it disappeared. He glanced at TD to see if he had noticed.

TD didn't say anything either, but a subtle, almost undetectable nod at Michael told him that he had least sensed it as well.

Michael stood, nodding politely at Chris.

"Well, since it seems you've gotten enough advice, TD and I will be going." He said, before thinking And there are a few things I need to check on... I have a bad feeling I know what that was.

Chris smiled. "Glad to meet you TD. Hopefully we'll see each other again!"

"Likewise," TD agreed. "Cya next time, Chris."

He turned his head enough so Chris wouldn't see his change in expression and looked to Michael. His expression was questioning, asking him if he knew what was up.

Michael nodded slightly, before he telepathically said to TD 'I'll tell you once I'm sure about what it is... but if I am, you and your family may not be out of danger from my employers yet.'

"Oh boy!" TD muttered almost inaudibly so Chris wouldn't hear. "I hate it when this happens..."

Michael grinned, before saying "So, you want me to take us back or do you want to do it?"

"I'll do it," TD replied. "I use less energy in the process."

His horn glowed and in a flash of light they disappeared.

Chris sighed, before he turned to his bed. He needed to sleep on what he had just heard.


In the other Equestria…

Michael glanced around as him and TD materialized in his cottage. With a growl, the human returned to his real form and stormed towards a wall, punching it and causing it to crack.

"You know how I told you that the first time I used shadow elemental magic, I had such a bad experience that I didn't want to talk about it?" He hissed. "Well, now I'm going to tell you, because it appears the information is extremely relevant now."

"Heh, and I thought Twilight caused me to break one-too-many walls," TD chuckled, noticing the cracked wall. He then looked to Michael. "What do you know?"

"The figure is known as The Shadow. Accredited for over 1,000 assassinations in the past thirty years." Michael said softly. "I created him on accident when I was overwhelmed by shadow elemental magic. I cast it out of my body, but it gained a form similar to my own, as well as darker versions of all my abilities." He shuddered. "If my employers have sent him after you now, nobody that you love is safe. He'll kill them all just to get at you... starting with the one you love the most."

TD's fists clenched as he realized who that was.

"No... not her..." he stammered.

"I can provide some level of protection." Michael promised.

"That is a bit reassuring," TD admitted. "But if they harm even a hair on her... I'm afraid I'll snap and lose it." He sounded scared and sad at the same time. "The last time that happened was when Chrysalis went back in time and caused all life as we know it to be destroyed, and essentially killed Twilight in the process long before I had met her. In my rage and sorrow... I destroyed Equis. Nothing was left alive."

Michael nodded, before he spoke again. "Look, every assassination I've looked into by The Shadow has major things similar. He'll kill off your loved ones one by one, starting with your most loved one, but he'll use them as ransom for you to turn yourself in... if you don't by a deadline he sets, he kills one and moves on to the next."

The human sighed as he glanced to where his desk was. Underneath it there was a metal box visible. He glanced at TD.

"TD, many centuries ago you visited and destroyed a world called Pyrus, correct?" Michael asked, going off of vague rumors he had heard and intelligence he had collected.

"I think so," TD answered. "But I'm not too sure. Any details about it you could give me that would jog my memory?"

Michael stared flatley at TD, before spreading his wings pointedly. "The home world of humans who had dragon wings. The world of which of its billions of inhabitants, I was and still am the only survivor of your attack."

"Oh, that place," TD hung his head in shame. "That's where I learned to do something similar for myself with the dragon wings. Sorry about that, by the way."

"Well, I kind of owe my powers to you. The ship my parents shot me off in fell through a black hole somehow... I shouldn't have survived, but I did and I crash landed on Earth... I spent my teenage years in hiding and by the time I was an adult I could disguise myself as a normal human." Michael walked over to his desk and knelt, pulling the box out as he began to open it. "I never forgot about my childhood home though. I learned blacksmithing to make the thing that all of my race used when we were going into battle. You may remember that mainly you fought dragons during that attack?" He said, getting the lid off and reaching inside, a metallic sound coming from the box.

"Yeah. Terribly easy to take down too," TD remarked. "All's the more pity that I had to be their enemy."

Michael shot a glare at him. "They were easy to take down because of one reason. Their aura. Most of the inhabitants had the same level aura. The more powerful the aura, the stronger we are." The human pulled a metal helmet from the box, and the immediate noticeable detail was that it was painstakingly shaped into the head of a dragon, ancient runes etched into the metal as blood red glass covered the eye holes.

"That and dragons in particular seem to be where I excel in combat," TD commented. "Though that would explain why they were easier than any others I had taken on."

"Anyways," Michael grunted. "These are what we used to change to dragon... my aura is super high, which means I would be the strongest in my dragon form... if worse comes to wear, I'll fight as a pure dragon."

"Neat. But you dragons always have one mistake I can't help but notice," TD stated. "By doing that, you're making yourself a bigger target. And the bigger they are, the easier to hit you, and the harder you fall. Math."

Michael stared at TD, before he put the helmet down and held his hand up, before he started vibrating it at superspeed. He lowered his hand and slowly put it through the wall of his house, pulling it back through before he stopped vibrating it. "I can go intangible TD."

"So? That never stopped me," TD remarked. "Though it will make things easier for you."

Michael snorted as he put the helmet away. "You know you'd never get near me, right? My main type of elemental magic is your one weakness."

"Ice?" TD raised an eyebrow. "To be honest with you, I never really use my full power these days. Too many accidents may occur. In truth, while ice is my weakness, I'm somewhat resistant to it, thanks to training with my brother. Me struggling against such power is me trying to increase my power and go beyond the limit I've set."

He raised an unbelieving eyebrow. "Why don't you train some with me? I'm a full fledged elemental magician whose specialty is ice magic."

"It has nothing to do with me not being trained," TD argued. "I just don't want to use my full power. I'm afraid I'll go too far. It's an addicting power, and once you allow it to go freely through you, it's hard to stop."

Michael reached into his shirt and pulled out a golden necklace that held a pure white crystal. The gem pulsed with a faint light.

"You think you have it bad? I literally have to wear this all the time to keep my powers from clashing with one another." He said in a low voice. "If its off for longer than a minute, my powers cause a chain reaction that can split an entire planet in two."

He tucked the necklace back into his shirt, his eyes angry. "Don't tell me what a burden your powers are when mine literally are trying to tear me apart. That's the side effect of getting your powers from a black hole."

"Well, my powers literally split my being into THREE personalities! Two of which constantly fought for control! Without them, I'd die because of how powerful my magic is!" TD yelled. He then added calmly. "Still, a black hole? What are those things? Gateways to another dimension? Openings into an endless void? Gravitational pulls that will turn you into mush? Make up your minds, people!"

Michael took a deep breath, calming himself down.

"Let's just stop fighting. TD, you go do whatever you were going to do, and I'll try to figure out some protection spells that will keep the Shadow away. But remember this: The Shadow can possess fully anyone who isn't resistant. So be wary." Michael said, before grimacing as he added. "And for some reason I have the feeling this is going to be the next chapter of your story."

"I don't know; I've got several others I've been making that could come first," TD noted. "And in regards to possessing someone, then I think my family is safe. Zach has a darker side to him like I do, and both Twilight and Diana have had experience with dark powers before. It's the others I'd be concerned about. But anyways, thanks for the warning."

"Anytime." Michael said, turning away as he closed his eyes. "Goodbye TD, for now."

"Adios, Michael," TD replied, then with a mock salute he disappeared in a burst of flames and was gone.

Michael sighed, before he opened his eyes again, which were now pure silver.

"One with wings and one of Chaos, against the darkest one,

A fight shall come, inevitable to prevent.

Whether it shall be lost, or it shall be won,

Must be decided before all are content."

The human spoke, his voice echoing strangely before he shook his head as his eyes faded back to normal, and he quickly grabbed a piece of paper and wrote down the words.

"For some reason," He said softly. "I think this is relevant to our current predicament."