It was a few hours before the wedding ceremony started. Sirius along with Iclyn were walking towards the Canterlot Castle. They needed to be a bit early — the former human thought it would be better to explore the layout of the castle before the main event began. He knew some of it, but more information would be useful.

The day before, a pink-colored bubble of magic appeared around the whole city. Sirius quickly made a conclusion that something wasn't right. A wedding wouldn't need so much protection in this peaceful country of Equestria. So, he bought a pouch for himself, one he would be able to store his revolver and the box of ammo in. The pouch didn't stand out too much since it was made of fake leather from which his swords' sheathes were also made. It looked more like a fancy accessory.

He made sure Iclyn didn't see him putting the revolver there. He wasn't ready to reveal such a weapon to her. Besides, he hoped he wouldn't have to use it. He saved it for the most dire circumstances where his swords would be useless or if he were unable to fight in his usual style. Only then he would reveal the revolver and use it accordingly.

It was safer to carry the gun around since the Alicorn Amulet could be felt by magic users. Sirius wasn't stupid to let every single unicorn and alicorn know he carried a weapon of such caliber, so to say. Though, he would still need to be careful — he didn't want to expose his revolver. This world didn't need it, and he hoped it would remain this way forever.

On the previous day, Iclyn received the dress she asked her mother for. It was simple and yet elegant, as well as colored accordingly — it was a slightly deeper blue than her fur. The filly also tied her mane behind her head, revealing the sides of her muzzle and neck.

As the two walked, Sirius' mind was blank. He was focused on looking out for possible danger. For all he knew, he could be attacked from around any corner. He didn't trust in the magical shield much, no matter how strong it could be.

Iclyn's mind was buzzing with excitement. It was rare when a common pony was invited to such a grand event like the wedding of a princess. The pegasus filly was looking forward to it — she definitely wouldn't mind seeing the princesses so close, as well as be in their castle for a while. Iclyn didn't strive for becoming famous among the nobles that would surely be at such an event, but visiting the castle would be nice.

Unfortunately, she found her mind being invaded by the thoughts about her companion Sirius. She had to admit that his constant negativity and sadness affected her as well. She became less cheerful around him, she could certainly feel it. She tried to help him become more happy, but only found herself being dragged down. She knew helping someone like him would be difficult, but knowing it didn't make anything easier at all.

In truth, she didn't blame him for it. He had been through bad things she might've not been able to imagine. Though, his refusal to talk about his issues grew weary on her. She didn't want to push him or abandon him, but something needed to be done. Unfortunately, Iclyn didn't know what to do with him, how to make things better.

Though, she had to admit that Sirius became noticeably more open and somewhat better since the two first met. It was a subtle difference, but Iclyn saw that he was relaxed around her, as well as friendlier than around any other pony. While not accepting anyone else and ignoring the signs of deeper affection from the opposite gender, he became a nicer person to be around with. He was way more casual with Iclyn than he was at first. He indeed tried very hard to be a good friend to her.

It didn't pass her that Sirius was still carrying weapons around, a thing anyone rarely did those peaceful days. Iclyn thought he was afraid to be left defenseless, and he wanted to compensate it by intimidation and actual skills. She saw how proficient he was in fencing, and it really impressed her. She would never be able to be as good as him in fighting.

It also scared her. Practice makes perfect... How much of it had Sirius had when he was still in his world? How could it transit so well from his previous form into his equine one? Iclyn could only guess.

"Is something wrong?" Sirius asked. He noticed the strange expression Iclyn had on her face. He could clearly see she was deep in thought. He didn't know the nature of those thoughts, however.

"I don't think so..." Iclyn said. She wasn't certain about her statement, though. "I'm just thinking about things, you know? You do it all the time."

Sirius nodded without adding any words. Indeed, he thought a lot about many things when his mind wasn't occupied with anything else. Mostly, those thoughts were about his life which became existence. He didn't want to think about it at the moment, though. He had more important matters to attend to.

First of all, he wanted the wedding to go without a hitch. He wanted the magical shield to be just an unused precaution and nothing more. He wouldn't mind releasing his emotions in a fight, but he also wanted to avoid it.

Second, he wanted to make sure Iclyn was safe. He didn't want to lose his only friend to any possible danger. If she died, he would follow her without hesitation. He still didn't see purpose in life, and the only thing he truly enjoyed was being close to his only friend. He feared she had become irreplaceable. He wouldn't be able to move on from her loss. He still hadn't moved on since he was once rejected in love by another person. It was almost four years since it happened, and he still found his mind returning to it from time to time. Unrequited feelings still hurt him a lot, as well as the inability to fix anything or return to his world to say his sorries and goodbyes. However, he wasn't sure they would be accepted from someone like him.

Sirius shook his head slightly, shaking off the saddening thoughts. Why was he returning to them all the time? It was time he locked them deep inside his mind to never see the light of thinking again. And so he did, suppressing those thoughts just as he did to many others.

Finally, Sirius and Iclyn reached the Canterlot Castle. After the invitation was checked, they were let inside. The former human noticed that there were more guards than he had previously seen. Some of them even recognized him, judging by their glances. Sirius didn't fear them — he had already defeated their best. There was nothing they could possibly do against him. Maybe use magic, but their fencing skills were inferior to his. They would have to accept it sooner or later.

Sirius wasn't searching for a fight, of course not. He was wary of them. He knew that a wrong step might cost him his freedom, but he wasn't going down without a fight. Never. If anyone were to try to apprehend or even attempt to murder him, he would retaliate in kind. There was nothing holding him back. He had little to lose.

Though, there was Iclyn — the only person Sirius cared about. She was kind to him, and he hoped to return that kindness and be a good friend to her. So far, he wasn't doing that good of a job. However, he knew he could become better and improve.

Soon, the two reached the celebration hall. A few ponies were already there, and one of them was very familiar to Sirius.

"Good day, sir." Fancy Pants approached the colt with a polite smile on his face. "It's good seeing you here, Sirius. May I inquire who that beautiful filly by your side is?"

"Iclyn is a friend of mine." Sirius replied as the pegasus blushed slightly. "She has helped me a lot to adjust to the city."

"Oh, I see now." the noble stallion nodded. "Forgive me, I thought you two were in a more close relationship. In truth, you look good together."

"Thanks, but we're just friends." the former human replied slightly dryly.

"Alright, then." Fancy Pants nodded. "I'd suggest you look around. Her majesty Mi Amore Cadenza and captain Shining Armor did a fantastic job at decorating the castle for this marvelous day."

Sirius nodded politely, and then went off to look around with Iclyn. He heard the words the noble stallion said, but he dismissed them. A human and a pony? Such a relationship would never work, no matter how alike the two looked. Sirius was against starting a relationship like that, too. He wouldn't want to hurt his friend. He could never be a good lover to her, he was sure of it.

He took a moment to look around. Indeed, the place looked nice: it was richly decorated with different flowers, as well as stripes of different colors hanging from above. It looked slightly weird for his tastes, but Sirius liked it. It was colorful in moderation and nothing seemed too much off.

He had never been to a wedding before, but he had an idea how it happened in a few countries. He had also seen it on TV or the internet. He had seen various pictures of it. Some weddings were small, some were grand, and a few were completely blown out of proportion. The one he was currently in seemed to be slightly below grand at that point in time. Maybe it would change in just an hour, he didn't know.

Soon, he was able to see the bride herself. She was walking alongside her soon-to-be husband Shining Armor. Something made Sirius squint his eyes at the two and look with more attention, as well as listen closely. He felt the impulse to do so, and who was he to disobey his sense of danger?

"My love has migraines troubling him ever since he raised this shield." the princess explained something to a pony. "I'm afraid all those preparations have taken their toll on him, too."

The pony replied something, but Sirius wasn't really able to hear it.

"Oh, I believe he will be alright once I ease it with my magic." the alicorn replied. "Forgive us, we need some privacy. Don't worry, the wedding will go as planned."

Soon, the two disappeared in the hallway, leaving some thoughts in Sirius' mind. He noticed something very unusual. The groom looked obviously tired, but there was something... wrong about him. His eyes were strange, but Sirius couldn't quite place it. The stallion seemed like he was looking at nothing in particular.

Something was off about him. The posture, the overall look... It wasn't what Sirius had seen once. He remembered seeing the captain a while back. He was proud and strength radiated from him. Something changed, and now the stallion looked weaker and more fragile. If anything, he was fatigued. Was Shining Armor keeping the shield up all the time? It might've been costly, but Sirius felt it wasn't the only part in the equation.

There was definitely something going on. Sirius tensed, his senses at full alert. The shield, the weird behavior, everything had a connection. They wouldn't need the shield if something didn't happen just recently. But what? What could possibly happen in Equestria that would require such defense? Sirius hadn't heard of any wars starting or rebellions rising. It was calm as always.

Maybe it was just his paranoia. He took notice of its development. He didn't like it at all, truth be told. But how could he trust strangers? Better expect them to play a trick on him than to rely on them. He had learned from the past indeed.

Sirius decided to leave it be. However, it didn't mean he would let his guard down. Something suspicious was happening, and he needed to make sure he and Iclyn were safe as much is possible. He didn't want to be hurt or his friend to be harmed. He cared for his roommate, maybe in more ways than he could admit at that time.

"Sirius, are you alright?" the filly asked him with worry, sensing his tension. She became slightly nervous due to this. If he was so tense, then something serious was happening.

"I am, but something isn't. It's not about me." Sirius replied. "Something is wrong. Stay close, alright?"

"Are you sure it's needed?" Iclyn asked, her worry growing. She didn't know whether Sirius was right or wrong, but she somewhat trusted in his sense of danger. Better safe than sorry, she thought.

"Not completely." Sirius admitted. "Though... I better be on my guard. Just in case, that is."

***

They spent some time wandering about the castle and watching the preparations. Overall, everything was going more or less fine. However, something interested happened as they walked.

The two noticed a mare running away through the hallways. Sirius wondered who she was and why she ran away. All he could see about her was her being a unicorn and having lavender fur and dark-blue mane and tail. She quickly disappeared around the corner, and the former human decided not to pursue her. It would be suspicious of him, and he didn't want to cause a scandal.

"Sirius, I really need to use the bathroom." Iclyn complained after a while of doing almost nothing but walking around. They arrived a bit too early, it seemed.

"Alright, I'll just stay by the door." he nodded, and the two went to the restrooms.

Once they reached the restrooms, Iclyn quickly went into the section for mares. Sirius stood by the door, looking out for any danger.

He failed to notice that the door opened behind him and he was struck in the back of his head. He fell to the ground, his vision instantly going black. He didn't have a chance to react.

Author's Note

I hate to leave you at a cliffhanger, but I promise to deliver action-packed chapter soon.

Your predictions, ladies and gentlemen? I've read what you had written, but now you're able to make something more detailed and interesting, as well as more accurate. How will everything go?