Author's Note: I'd like to apologize in advance for the super obvious Helluva Boss reference in this chapter. I saw the opportunity and I took it.

"Ugh, seriously?!" Devon shouted as she used her staff to blast away a few oncoming ghosts before scooping up a panting Grim to get him out of harm's way. "How many damn retainers does an already dead princess need, anyway?!"

"And all because someone called Riddle short, huh?" DJ commented, linked back with Devon courtesy of a now rested and refreshed Dominic. Devon had given them a brief rundown of what had transpired since Dom had severed the link last time and they were both standing by, mostly silent so as not to distract their sister but ready to jump in to help if she needed them.

The group had managed to fight their way through the guards at the front gate and make their way into the main building, but there were even more ghosts waiting for them inside-apparently the one Riddle had blasted with fire had alerted the others-, which meant they'd had to book it from the moment they'd crossed the threshold.

"No matter how many times we beat 'em, these ghosts just keep revivin'!" Epel said as he whacked one in the face with his bouquet.

"We can't stop now!" Ace told them. "We've gotta get to the cafeteria! That's where-"

"Watch out!" Riddle shouted as he deflected an attack from the ghosts that was headed straight for Ace and Epel.

"Dorm leader! You okay?!" Ace asked.

"That was close," Epel said. "We would've been toast if Riddle hadn't blocked that attack."

"Hmph! Nothing but petty trickery with this lot!" one of the ghosts huffed.

"We'll capture them yet!" declared a second. "We cannot let them ruin the princess' wedding!"

"You have no room to talk about ruining anything considering you're the ones who seized our school and disrupted our lives!" Riddle countered with a stony glare. His expression caused the ghosts pursuing them to shrink back just slightly.

"My word," one ghost commented. "He has such a tremendous presence for someone so small!"

"Maybe so, but we can't back down!" called out another in an attempt to rally the rest of the guards. "Let's show him how terrifying ghosts can be!" The call to arms did its job and countless ghosts began to swarm around Riddle.

Epel's eyes widened. "The ghosts are circling Riddle! Hurry we have to-"

"Leave me!" Riddle interrupted as he immediately beat several of the ghosts back. "I'll hold them off. The rest of you have to make sure the operation succeeds!"

"But there's a ton of ghosts and just one of you!" Epel argued.

"For real, Riddle," Devon agreed. "You can't expect us to leave you-"

"My temper was what got us into this mess, Devon," Riddle reminded her. "I need to take responsibility for it." He moved his bouquet in an arc, hitting even more ghosts all at once and causing them to disappear in a sea of petals, before turning back to them with an encouraging smile. "You don't have to worry about me. Just who do you think I am?"

"Respect," DJ commented approvingly. "Always nice to see a person own up to their mistakes."

"He's right, you know," Ace agreed. "Our dorm leader's got this in the bag!"

Epel looked hesitantly between Riddle and the direction of the cafeteria. "But…"

Devon placed her hand on Epel's shoulder. "We've gotta believe in him, Epel. The guy's top of his year for a reason. But just for a little extra reassurance…" She held up her staff. Fuego, Terra, and Cosmo emerged, floating over to Riddle. "The Wisps can help buff your spells in addition to using magic of their own. Never hurts to have a little backup, right?" She smiled and gave Riddle one last look. "We'd better see you at the end of this."

"That's the spirit," Riddle said with a nod of agreement before moving to block the ghosts from chasing after the others. "Until we meet again."

Meanwhile, Eliza sighed dreamily as she took in the wedding venue. The final touches had been finished on the decorations and she could barely contain the giddy excitement she felt. "To think I'll finally be able to walk-erm, float-down the aisle like I've always dreamed…" She beamed over at a still-frozen Idia. "And with my perfect prince, too! Oh, I can't believe it! I'm finally getting married!"

"Idia attempts to flee…," Idia mumbled to himself, trying with all his might to get his body to move. "But his body is numb all over and he can't move! Looking for a healer with skills that can remove debuffs!"

"Argh!" Deuce grunted in frustration as he struggled to move as well. "If only there was a way to undo this dumb binding spell…"

"Stop squirming!" Chubby admonished with a glare. "You about to take part in a sacred ceremony. Our dear princess' wish is finally coming true, after all!" He looked over at Eliza wistfully. "Hers is a pure and noble soul and she's held onto this dream since she was young. And tonight, at long last, her loving heart will finally be joined with her perfect prince." His smile fell as his words sunk in, replaced by a longing, forlorn look. "It is only natural that we should celebrate such a happy occasion…"

Suddenly, a guard ghost came charging into the room. "Pardon the interruption, but we've got trouble!"

"Hmm? What's the matter?" Chubby asked, all traces of his earlier sadness gone.

"A group of rapscallions got through the gates!" the guard reported. "They're tearing through our troops and making their way here as we speak!"

"What did you say?! And just who are these rude wedding crashers?" Eliza demanded as she joined them.

"I do not know their names, but there's a short boy with red hair, one with a heart on his face, one with rather delicate features, a boy with a blond bob cut, and a girl with blue curly hair and a talking fire-breathing cat," the guard supplied.

"That sounds like Riddle and Ace-" Trey began.

"-and Epel and Rook-" Vil continued.

"-and it sounds like Dev and Grim are with them too!" Deuce finished happily.

"Hang on, so we could've just muscled our way in here from the start?!" Jack asked in annoyed realization.

"What happened to winning the bride's heart?" Azul asked rhetorically.

"I just want it on record that I suggested the strong-arm approach when this whole mess started but noooo," Leona complained.

"I'll bet you all a bread roll that Riddle snapped first," Cater called out.

"Ahahaha! Yeah, I can see that!" Floyd agreed. "Count me in, Seabream! I'll throw in two bread rolls of my own."

"You can't really call it a bet if you're all on the same side, you know," Jade reminded them with an amused smile.

"Can't really argue with that!" Cater agreed as the other frozen students erupted into laughter.

"Nice to know that you guys are able to joke around while my life's hanging by a thread!" Idia snarked.

"There's something else you should know about the girl," the guard continued. "Those in the guard that are more attuned to magic have noticed that there seems to be some sort of spell active that's allowing someone or something else to watch what's happening through her eyes."

That statement got both Idia's attention and he managed to block out his schoolmates' voices in favor of listening in on the guard's report.

"And why is it that this is so concerning to you?" Chubby asked. "I doubt you would have brought it to my attention otherwise."

"As you know, my Unique Magic allows me to read minds and replay the thoughts I hear," the guard elaborated. "The girl is able to communicate with the being that's been watching through and some of what I've been able to pick up is…alarming, to say the least." He waved his hand and small ball of light appeared. "Just listen."

"Ghostie's goin' down, ghostie's goin' down, ghostie's goin' down…," chanted a male voice from the ball of light in a low growl, sounding more unhinged with each utterance. Idia immediately recognized the voice as Dominic's and the thought of him (indirectly) coming to Idia's rescue was enough to turn his cheeks and the tips of his hair a light pink. He'd never heard Dominic sound so feral before, though, but he couldn't deny that it was doing something for him.

"Okay, I know you guys are movin' as fast as you can, Dev," came a second male voice, "but I'm not sure how much longer Dom's gonna be able to keep his grip on his sanity at this rate." The voice took on a slightly teasing tone. "I'd hate to think how he'd react if that bride actually manages to take Idia's-ow! Devon, Dom just bit me! He literally just bit me!"

"That's your own fault, DJ. You should know better than to push the Idia button right now," a female voice chided. "But Dom, you really do need to bring it down a bit. I can feel how upset you are right now and it's not gonna do you any favors to stay that keyed up. I mean, you do know that you can't actually destroy the Ghost Bride with your mind, right?"

"No Devon, I don't know that. Do you?!" Dominic growled again, his voice intense enough to cause Eliza to shrink back slightly despite knowing he wasn't actually there.

Idia's flush deepened as he heard a string of Spanish swears and curses leave Dominic's lips-partly due to flattery that Dominic was so angry and concerned on his behalf and partly because he was growing to find these rants increasingly attractive. Dominic had taught him a little Spanish but he still wasn't able to understand most of what he was saying. However, the words "my Idia" came through loud and clear, causing his face and hair to turn even pinker. The growing swarm of butterflies in his stomach and the euphoric floating feeling he was experiencing left him blind to the fact that this meant it was all but certain that the other two triplets knew he and Dom been in contact with each other.

"This is certainly cause for concern," Chubby remarked as the ball of light disappeared. "I don't know the nature of this magic but anyone who seeks to harm Her Highness will be shown no mercy."

"We won't allow anyone to spoil the princess' big day!" another attendant agreed.

"Those intruders must be apprehended at once!" shouted a third.

Eliza immediately rushed back to Idia's side, determined to give him the comfort and reassurance she was certain he needed after hearing about those awful intruders. "Don't you worry, darling. The guards will take care of those ruffians and whomever it was that girl was talking to. I know it must have been frightening for you, listening to the snarls of that beast, but just-"

"Do not talk about him like that," Idia interrupted sternly, the fear he'd been feeling since he was taken now-at least temporarily-replaced with a surge of protectiveness. The room suddenly fell silent; nobody, especially not the other students, knew Idia was even capable of speaking so forcefully. Unfortunately, all the eyes on him caused him to revert to his usual shy self and he mumbled something under his breath while averting his eyes from everyone.

Eliza perked up quickly, rationalizing Idia's quick outburst as she had done with all of his other protests. "Oh my! You just keep surprising me, Idia! You're willing to extend such kindness, even to those who aren't worthy of it. You really are a perfect prince!"

"Uuuugh! Just how in denial are you?!" Idia exclaimed.

"Hold it right there!" a squad of guards shouted as the last group of would-be suitors rushed down the staircase to the first floor.

Epel swung his bouquet and hit several of them, but it seemed like each time one disappeared, two more would show up to replace them. "These retainers just keep multiplying!"

"I'm not surprised at this tenacity in the slightest," Rook replied. "They've been waiting for this wedding for 500 years, after all."

"Tenacity, nothin'!" Ace shouted as he beat another group back with his bouquet. "They're nothin' but a nuisance!"

"Heheheh," Rook chuckled. "Perhaps you have a point. But don't you find their fervor at least a little admirable?"

"Uh, no," Ace replied with a shake of his head. "I've kinda been too busy runnin' from 'em to do any admiring."

"Every one of us has something we refuse to yield," Rook told them. "I know very well what it means to devote yourself to a cause and fight for it with everything you have. In fact…" He banished his own group of ghosts with a swing of his bouquet, including one that looked to be hidden away as they waited to strike. "My desire to protect all of you is just as fervent!"

"No! Our archer is down!" a guard cried. "They were lying low, trying to line up the perfect shot, and the blond got them anyway!"

"But of course!" Rook chirped with a smile. "There's nothing in this world or the next that can hide from me." He turned to the freshmen. "May I ask the rest of you to go ahead without me?"

"What?!" Ace exclaimed, incredulous. "Look, leaving the dorm head behind was one thing but this-"

"Let's go, Ace," Epel said, cutting off his protests.

"Well you sure jumped on that real quick, considering the fuss you made about Riddle," Ace pointed out.

"I know Rook's Pomefiore's vice dorm leader, but are you sure…?" Devon asked uncertainly.

"Do you see the look on his face?" Epel replied as he nodded toward Rook.

"His face…?" Ace and Devon followed Epel's gaze over to Rook. He showed absolutely no indication of fear or apprehension, not that he had at any point during the mission, but now he looked giddy to an almost creepy degree. He cast a menacing smile at the ghosts closing in on them from behind.

"Okay, blond bob guy seems like someone I'd either wanna run away from really fast or someone I'd really want on my side, " DJ commented.

"Yeah, I think that's the general consensus when it comes to Rook," Devon replied. "I don't really know him that well and Leona doesn't have anything nice to say about him-"

"Leona never has anything nice to say about anyone," Dominic interjected.

"-but this whole thing is makin' me think that maybe we should hang out more," Devon continued. "He's definitely someone I'd rather have firmly in Camp Devon than not."

"I've long wondered how I might go about hunting a ghost!" Rook declared happily. "You no longer have physical bodies, but would you solidify if I struck you with magic? Or perhaps you would disperse like mist. I wonder if I might trap you in a bottle…"

"You intend to bottle us?!" one of the guards exclaimed.

"Oh, you've no idea how my hunter's blood sings when I'm faced with an unknown quarry!" Rook exclaimed joyously as he stepped menacingly toward the ghosts.

"Eeek!" one of them shrieked. "S-Stay back!"

The freshmen watched the back and forth between Rook and the ghosts with expressions ranging from awed to disturbed. Ace was the first to speak out. "Pfft. Protect us? Yeah, right. The guy's like a kid in a candy store right now."

"See what I mean, though? Rook will be just fine," Epel assured them. "I hate to admit it, but he's way stronger than any of us."

"Fine, he's strong, but I still don't wanna go anywhere near him," Grim commented.

"Yeah, he's kind of an odd duck, huh?" Ace agreed as he rubbed the back of his head.

Devon held up her staff again and this time Marina, Aloe, and Raio emerged and made their way over to Rook. "Less judging, more running!"

"Take care of them, Devon," Rook said as his underclassmen made it the rest of the way down the steps and into the hallway. He looked over to the Wisps that had joined him and offered them a bow. "And I thank you for your assistance, my friends. What say we have a most pleasant waltz with these ghosts?"

Back in the cafeteria, the royal wedding was already getting underway, the timetable sped up slightly in the hopes that the ceremony would be completed before the wedding crashers arrived, leaving only the kiss to seal the union and part Idia from his mortal body. Idia and the other frozen students had been moved to their places at the front of the room while all the ghostly guests were seated at their tombstone chairs. Bride and groom stood facing one another, one the picture of bridal bliss and the other looking desperately around the room as if hoping some miracle would appear to unbind him and get him out of this mess.

"Do you, Idia Shroud, take this woman, in sickness and in health…," the attendant serving as the wedding officiant trailed off before sniffling. He dabbed his eyes with a handkerchief before quickly blowing his nose. "Oh goodness, I do apologize, but I can't seem to stop tearing up! It's all so moving!"

"Oh, you're so silly, crying on such a happy day!" Eliza chirped gleefully. Despite this, her eyes began to grow misty as well. "If you keep that up, I might… I-I might…" She sniffled daintily as well while tears began to form in the corners of her eyes. "Oh my, but I'm just so happy!"

"They're really workin' themselves up, huh?" Jack muttered to Deuce.

"There has to be a way to stop this wedding somehow!" Deuce said determinedly.

"How are we supposed to do that when we can't move a muscle?" Sebek asked.

"Heeeeey so, real talk, I'm kinda over this whole thing," Floyd drawled. "We can go once Firefly Squid kisses the bride, right? So let's move it along, already!"

Lilia nodded. "Yes, I really must agree. My lower back is killing me from being stuck in this position for so long. Hurry up and give her the ol' smoocharoo so we can be done with this mess."

"You heard Master Lilia! Make haste and "smoocharoo" the bride!" Sebek ordered.

"Dude, I will literally die if we smoocharoo!" Idia protested incredulously. "Seriously, what is wrong with you people?! Do you have any sense of compassion? What, do you go around posting joke comments on tragic online videos too?!"

"Goodness! We haven't even finished our vows and you all are already clamoring for the kiss? There's no need to rush, you know. The kiss will come soon enough~!" Eliza assured them with a giggle, once again oblivious to the downtrodden expression on Chubby's face as he watched the exchange from his place among the guards.

"Okay, so with Riddle and Rook outta the picture, that just leaves Epel and Ace to propose," Grim recounted as he and the others charged down the first floor hallways. "Heh. With those odds, it looks like the mission's success is all gonna come down to me after all!"

"By golly, I'll show you-" Epel began, only to stumble over his words once he realized he was slipping into his accent. "I-I mean, don't write me off just yet!" He turned to Ace. "C'mon, let's show our upperclassmen that us freshmen can pull our own weight!"

Ace nodded. "You got it! We should be getting pretty close to the cafeteria by now-whoa!" He glanced to one side and quickly ducked into an empty classroom, pulling the others in with him as a blast of magic swept past them an instant later.

"Tch. So you managed to dodge that, did you? You're a quick one," commented the guard who had fired the blast and Ace and the others emerged back into the hallway.

"You okay, Ace?!" Devon asked, checking over him quickly.

"Please. There's no way a lame spell like that could get the better of me," Ace assured her, never taking his eyes of the ghost that had attacked them.

"How have the ghosts already caught up?!" Grim wailed. "We've booked it as fast as we could ever since Rook held off the last pack of 'em!"

Epel stepped in front of Ace, Devon, and Grim with a resolute look on his face. "Get back, you guys! I'll hold them off while you…" He blinked in confusion as the ghosts that had been chasing them turned away from him. "Wait, what? They aren't attacking us anymore… Why are they turning away from me?"

One of the ghosts approached Epel, looking at him imploringly. "Please princess, you must flee!"

"What princess?" Epel asked, still confused. He turned and looked around. "Did the Ghost Bride wander out here or something? Or are you talking about Devon?"

"I'm referring to you, Your Highness," the ghost supplied to Epel, taking off his hat and dipping into a bow. "You have such lovely features. You must be here to attend the ceremony, yes?"

Ace snorted with laughter. "Are you for real right now?! Epel? A princess?!"

"Come now, princess," another guard said as they tried to usher Epel behind them. "It's far too dangerous for one as weak and frail as yourself to be near such violent creatures! Please, stay behind us while we-"

"WHO ARE YA CALLIN' WEAK?!" Epel shouted suddenly, his country accent on full display as he struck out with his bouquet.

"Whoa!" the ghosts exclaimed in shock, barely managing to dodge him.

"Dang. He really becomes a completely different person when he gets worked up, huh?" Grim commented.

"It still throws me for a loop no matter how many times I see it," Devon agreed.

"You're a rather assertive one, aren't you," one of the guards said to Epel before finally noticing what should've been obvious. "Hold on… That's definitely a boy's voice!"

"Seize him! Stop him at once!" shouted another.

"Get goin', you guys!" Epel ordered as the ghosts began to close in again.

"Excuse me?! There's no way you can handle that many ghosts on your own!" Ace argued.

"They called me weak and frail," Epel reminded him, taking a step closer to the ghosts and cracking his knuckles. "Well, I ain't about to take that lyin' down! I'm gonna make sure they regret it!"

"Epel…," Ace replied, looking at him uncertainly, only to blink in surprise when Flapjack and Nyx suddenly appeared next to the purple-haired boy. He and Epel both looked back to see Devon holding out her staff again.

"Not that I don't think you're more than tough enough for these ghosts, but…," Devon trailed off with a smile.

Epel smiled back. "I appreciate the vote of confidence, Dev. And the assist."

Ace sighed and shook his head, but there was a smile on his face too. "You got a real competitive streak, huh?"

"Heheh," Epel chuckled softly. "Go on and get to that wedding! And as for you-" He turned to face the ghosts again, his expression dead serious. "I'll show you who's weak!" He glanced at Flapjack as they rested on his boutonniere, ready to help when needed. "Okay Flap, think we can pull off that flashy quick step thing I've seen ya do with Dev before?"

Flapjack pulsed and Epel was instantly warped behind the unit of guards that had come after them. He stumbled a bit-much like Devon had the first time she used Flapjack's magic, except he didn't fall on his face-but managed to stay on his feet and whack the ghosts with his bouquet again.

"Okay. I get why Dev likes using your magic so much," Epel commented as Flapjack pulsed happily. "This is amazing!"

"Ya know, sis, out of all the friends you've made since you got to Twisted Wonderland," DJ said, "I think Epel's becoming one of my favorites. He's another one I'd want on my side in a fight."

"Yeah, I'll admit that he does the Purple Hair Squad proud, but we really don't have time to be marveling over him right now," Dominic reminded them.

"Yeah, Dom's got a point," Devon agreed. "We've still gotta get in there and save his man, after all!" She hopped sideways onto her staff as Zephyr used wind magic to make it float and elongating it so that Ace could ride with her. "Let's go, boys," she said, addressing both her brothers and her remaining NRC companions. Grim hopped onto her shoulder instinctively, making sure to get a good grip without digging his claws into her too much. "We're doin' a Shrek."

"We're doin' a what now-aaugh!" Ace shouted, barely able to get a grip on the staff before Zephyr rocketed it down the hallway. "Give a warning next tiiiiime!"

Meanwhile, most of the students forced into groomsmen service for the wedding were becoming even more impatient to get the whole thing over with so they could leave. Like Lilia, plenty of them were sore after being stuck in one position for hours and many were still salty about being so arbitrarily rejected and slapped. The chants of "Smooch that ghost!" were growing louder by the minute.

"Would you cut that out already?!" Idia shouted, unable to turn his head in their direction but glaring at them as fiercely as he could.

"All we can move is our mouths; we've got nothing better to do at this point," Lilia replied.

"It's almost midnight," Eliza said as she looked at the clock on the cafeteria wall. "Soon it will be time for our kiss! Once that happens, our marriage will be sealed and my darling and I will live out our eternity in the land of the dead." She smiled blissfully. "I'll finally be happy!"

'This is it. I'm really gonna die here,' Idia thought in despair as tears formed in the corners of his eyes. 'I'm gonna die before I got the chance to read that manga I bought, before I got to see the ending of my favorite anime. I didn't get to say goodbye to Ortho, either. Or Dominic…' An image of the purple-haired triplet flashed in his mind. 'Come to think of it…I never thought I'd ever say this about someone, but it really would've been great to get to meet him IRL. I could just be reading too much into it, but he seems to like me as much as I like him, so…maybe he would've let me see if his hair really is as soft as it looks…'

"Alright, enough joking around," Vil chided. "We really do need to start taking this seriously."

"I'd love to, but there's nothing we can do," Trey reminded him. "It'd take some kind of miracle to-"

Suddenly, there was a loud bang as the doors to the cafeteria were blown open and something flew into the room at lightning speed.

"WE OBJECT!"

Ending Notes: I'm really excited for the next chapter. Ace's big speech to the bride about finding the perfect partner was amazing! We've got about 2-3 chapters left in this arc since I've also decided to cover Ace's SSR card vignette. I think it's a nice little epilogue to the event and we'll get some insight on the freshman squad's thoughts and experiences with romance, Devon's included. After that, it'll be time for the Scarabia fiasco!

We stan protective boyfriend Idia in this house! I know he and Dom aren't actually dating yet, but I love the idea of Idia getting legitimately scary when someone insults Dom or Ortho (and to a much lesser extent Devon and DJ; whether he likes it or not, Idia has a very strong big brother instinct that extends to his future siblings-in-law too).

Thank you all so much for reading! As always, feedback and constructive criticism are welcome. Geekinthepink, out!