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The Bridge: Alternate Possibilities
What If: Xenilla stayed at Canterlot instead of Junior.
What if Xenilla Stayed At Canterlot Instead of Junior?
Xenilla sighed as he put on his armor and went out to the training hall. The blue kaiju was wearing a black body suit that highlighted his large frame as he saw a few guards train nearby. The guards looked at him with a mixture of guarded apprehension and suspicion, no doubt due to his resemblance to Junior, who injured many of them, and due to not being a social butterfly. He was about to start jogging and then practice on the training bag when he heard a voice call out to him.
“Xenilla-sensei. How are you?” A pink filly with pigtails and a heart cutie mark was waving a hoof at them, which caused many of the guards to fawn at her. The stallion, however, sighed as he failed to understand why she was so attached to him. His transformation into his kaiju form should have been a deterrent, but she somehow managed to track him down and asked Luna to train with him. Due to royal decree, he had no choice but to accept, though a part of him grudgingly liked her company.
“I’m doing fine, Chibi Moon. I was going to start my physical training to prepare for my guarding duties. What about you? If memory doesn’t fail me, today is a free day.”
“That’s correct! However, one of my assignments was to make a book report about someone I admire and I chose you since you helped me with my homework last time.” The filly was ecstatic when describing her project and Xenilla couldn’t help but look away to hide a flattered blush.
“I’m flattered, but I don’t think I would be a good subject for your exam. I think I know someone who could…” started Xenilla until he saw Chibi’s gelatinous sad eyes and the disapproving looks of the other guards. He glared back at the guards, but the filly’s look was making him feel guilty until he saw a certain Pegasus walked nearby. “There’s a…friend I would like to introduce you. Follow me.” Chibi was confused, but his nervous smile convinced her to follow him.
Blade Dancer was finishing cleaning the sweat off her face when she saw a tall stallion approach her. A frown entered her face as she and Xenilla got off on a bad start when she educated him on Equestrian history and tried to flirt with the hunk of a stallion…only for Xenilla to flat out reject her for her forward flirting. Their argument caused quite a ruckus and she didn’t speak to him for a few days, but Xenilla was professional enough to apologize and try to encourage a cordial interaction from then on.
Nevertheless, she still found it odd that he was approaching her until a smile crossed her face when she saw the filly that was following him. “Hello, little cutie. You must be this grump’s adorable student. My name is Blade Dancer. It’s nice to meet you.” Chibi smiled back at her and Xenilla sighed in relaxation only for the Pegasus mare to give him a look. ‘I’m not gonna babysit her for you no matter how cute she is.’
“Heya, Miss Dancer. My name is Chibi Moon. I wanted to write a book report about Xenilla-sensei, but he wanted to introduce us first before he could help me out.” The filly was hopping in place before Xenilla interrupted her with a gentle hoof on her muzzle. “To be honest, I don’t think I would be a good influence for her book report. I know you have younger siblings, so I was…hoping you could help me out by being the one that Chibi Moon writes about.” He noticed he was messing up when Chibi got sad and Blade Dancer was glaring at him.
“Oh, no. You are not pulling that move, buster! This filly admires you, the least you can do is help her out…” started the mare before Xenilla added his own bits. “Blade Dancer, I’m a kaiju from another dimension who is fighting his own brother, killed a swarm of Gyaos a few weeks ago, and gives tutoring lessons to a filly. Explain to me how that sounds as hero material for her book report.” Chibi and Blade Dancer just shared an incredulous look at the stallion’s statement.
“Look, Chibi. She is a way better pony to write about when it comes to being a hero. She actually went through a falling building to save a foal, stands up to me despite knowing I’m actually a kaiju that could vaporize with my breath, is admired by most of the guards, and is not a brainless beauty.” The mare was surprised Xenilla had a good opinion of her, but couldn’t help but frown at the last statement. Chibi however looked sad until a sly grin appeared on her face as she looked between her and Xenilla.
“Oh, I get it. Is she your special…” The filly asked before both adults interrupted her. “No, we are not special someponies!” Both of them said simultaneously, though Xenilla grimaced at the ponies’ ridiculous term for significant others. “Really, you seem to have a lot of admiration for her, Xenilla-sensei. Maybe you could help me write a report about her by answering questions about her?”
“Chibi, I don’t think…”
“Favorite book genre?” smiled Chibi as she started to take notes. “She loves romantic novels, but she also loves intellectual books such as mysteries, thrillers, manuals, history books, and magazines about fashion and dancing.” Xenilla was looking at the surprised Pegasus with an expression that was implying that she shouldn’t overthink why he knew all those details.
“Does she have any friends, family members, or former exes you know?” This time she was giving him a teasing look that made it clear she was not going to add that to report and was just testing him. “She is friends with nearly everyone here, except Bold Rush and I think we just have a professional relationship. She is the eldest of her siblings and her father is an Earth pony. As for exes, she…has a few,” the stallion and Blade Dancer shared an awkward look at that question. She, Xenilla, and the rest of the guards hearing the conversation shared the same thought. ‘Understatement of the century’
“What you think about her abilities as a guard?” The filly was serious about the question, so Xenilla replied just as seriously. “From what I gathered, she is a Colonel and is from the same generation as Blueberry Frost and Shining Armor, both being the Captains of the Guard. She is the highest ranked guard amongst the Pegasi guard and the one who instructs them on the use of wing blades since she has the best swordsmanship in Equestria. If it weren’t for the fact that her blades are dull, I would be wary of her. Then again, she is also a great hoof to hoof combatant and definitely strong enough for me to feel her punches even if she injured her hoof against my face.”
Chibi was awed that Blade Dancer was so accomplished and that she was brave enough to punch her sensei in the face. Meanwhile, the Pegasus mare was surprised that the stallion who was frosty with her on their first meeting respected her enough to memorize so much about her. “Okay, sensei. I’ll write a report about Miss Dancer tomorrow since my parents need me to return home soon. It was lovely to meet you, Miss Dancer.” The filly waved as she turned around and walked to the door before stopping.
“Sensei…please stop being a tsundere and ask her out. Pretending you don’t like someone even when you do is immature and is only funny in anime or manga.” Xenilla felt his face redden as he yelled at the filly. “I’m not a tsundere!” The filly and Blade Dancer laughed at his response before Chibi smiled. “Then prove it. Ask her out and if things don’t work out, then you can still be friends. Anyway, see ya, sensei.”
“I memorized information from my coworkers. It’s part of the job description.” Blade Dancer had an unconvinced look.
“Okay, then what do you know about Bold Rush?” The guards winced since they knew he was going to lose. “He is an unskilled idiot who only got his position from his wealthy family and is delusional in his skills with getting dates?” This actually earned a chuckle from her and the other guards. “Correct, but what is his favorite color?” Xenilla just stood still, trying to come up with an answer, which amused the mare until she noticed he was struggling to pull up an answer.
Xenilla sighed in defeat before staring at her blue eyes. “Look, I got nothing on Bold Rush. I admit, out of all the guards I met, you are the one I respect the most along with Blueberry Frost. That doesn’t mean I have feelings for you and we’ll prove it. We are going on a date after the book is finished, nothing will happen, and we can go back to treating each other like coworkers. Okay?” Xenilla extended his hoof to seal the agreement, but got surprised when the mare approached him with swaying hips and pecked his cheek. “Okay, it’s a date. See you tomorrow,” the mare left him with a sway of her hips, though not before using her wing to spank his flank. The stallion just stood there with a glare and flushed cheeks before noticing the other guards were making a betting pool. “What in Tanaka did I get myself into?”
It has been a couple of days since Chibi finished the report on Blade Dancer and the stallion awkwardly shuffled in place. He and Blade Dancer had to agree on a place to meet and he read books on how dating works so that she couldn’t accuse him of not putting effort on the date. However, before he could go on the date, he was ambushed by Blueberry Frost, Cached Ire, and a squad of what he could describe as Blade Dancer’s exes. Standard ‘If you ever do anything to hurt her’ talk aside, they wanted to help on the date and they refused to let him go out of the barracks until he was dressed to impress.
Xenilla was wearing a dark button shirt and pants that somehow managed to fit his quadrupedal frame and his hair was styled like a ponytail. The stallion sighed as his eyes watched the entrance of The Limelight. It was a restaurant/bar that offered classy food and had a ballroom that was meant to be used for both formal dancing and the wild dancing found at dance clubs. “Well, better get this over with. Worst that could happen is an awkward conversation and just fumbling on the dance floor.”
Needless to say, his height attracted lots of attention from many of the people at the place and, though his annoyance, he could see a few mares and a couple of stallions giving him interested looks. “Blade Dancer said she was going to be the mare with the sparkly purple dress, so she must be there.” Xenilla advance towards the mare and grimaced as he remembered how the book said that he was supposed to use a pick up line. However, before he could say anything she turned around and he got the surprise of his life.
As a kaiju who planned to live a short life, he was not interested in things like courting and it certainly didn’t help that the only people of his species were relatives. However, as a pony, he couldn’t help but admire how the sparkly purple dress strategically covered her chest and part of her legs to bring attention to her neck and waist, especially since the dress was transparent and matched well with her eyes and eyeshadow. The golden adornments complimented her white fur and her red mane and tail were more radiant than ever. A flirty, borderline smug, smile appeared on her face since she knew she got his attention along with a few other ponies that were ogling her the moment she sashayed towards him.
She gave him an appreciative look over with her eyes and ran a wing on his neck before laying it on his side. “My, my. You certainly took the time to look handsome for our date. I thought you wanted to prove your student wrong.” The mare teased the kaiju before Xenilla looked to the side and grunted. “You know, according to that dating research I found, I’m supposed to bring up a pick up line, but you look so radiant with that dress that I forgot about it. May I start over?” Blade Dancer felt her eyes widen and a blush entered her cheeks before she laughed and pressed her side into Xenilla’s side. “I know you think that was bad, but it was a great pick up line.”
“Thanks. I swear to Tanaka that the pickup lines I heard from the other stallions were corny and Bold Rush’s made me want to punch him through a wall. It seems that half of the guard loves you as either exes or admirers, since they didn’t let me go out until I dressed up.” Blade Dancer smiled fondly when she heard that her exes wanted to help out
Xenilla felt his heart skip a beat from the emphasis she put on the word doing, but realizes she was just messing with him as they went to the bar and ordered some beer. The first taste was slightly bitter yet the foam was pleasant, though he could see that Blade Dancer was drinking it effortlessly. Two shared mugs became four, then eight and they still kept going. Xenilla was hiccupping and his face was reddened but Blade Dancer still had a tiny blush on her face. “Okay, Blades. You win. Last thing we need is for me to convulse on the dance floor from being drunk.”
The Pegasus guard smiled as she downed her last drink before grabbing Xenilla by the hoof and guiding him to the dance floor. “For such a big stallion, you are surprisingly lightweight. Since you want to sober up, we’ll start slow with the dancing and then speed up.” The music at the dance floor was reminiscent of a ball party, so Blade Dancer stood on hind hooves and encouraging him to do the same as she wrapped a fore hoof around his waist and her other fore hoof grabbed his own. They started twirling to the music, Xenilla making sure his hooves did not step over Blade Dancer’s, but her superior dancing skills masked his clumsy steps as she dodged his drunk steps and made them look classy.
“Sorry for not being a good dancer. It’s my first time.” The mare smiled and pressed a hoof to his lips. “Don’t’ worry. Most ponies don’t know how to truly dance, but they dance anyway to have fun. Since you are learning, how about I show you how to dance?” Xenilla looked up as he considered her proposal before smiling at the prospect of learning a new skill. “I’d be delighted”
The date went surprisingly well! It was a delight watching Blade Dancer showing off her dancing skills from ballroom dancing, sky maneuvering, square dancing, and even a type of Saddle Arabian dancing that made his heart skip a beat. He honestly couldn’t help but admire her coordination, flexibility, agility, and stamina from knowing and performing so many different types of dancing.
Despite enjoying the show and even trying to participate, his eyes couldn’t help but narrow when she saw glimpses of a blue Earth Pony mare staring at him with intrigued eyes. He looked to the side and saw a grey Pegasus mare with a dress that showed of her toned body staring at Blade Dancer appreciateively while also focusing on how he interacted with her. Lastly, he noticed a huge stallion looking imposing and zeroing in on his hoofs, possibly as a warning to not try anyting too bold. ‘Great, three of my coworkers are either chaperones or trying to see who’ll win the betting pool.’
The dinner was tasty, though as a kaiju born from an asteroid, his stomach wasn’t as big as his size would imply. He had a laugh that Blade Dancer could actually eat more than him despite the meals being tiny. They talked about their guard duties, books they’ve read, their impressions on certain ponies, among other things. She tried to get him to open up about his relationship with Junior, but he omitted that part and instead focused on their shared sister Biollante.
“I’m going to assume that you don’t have much dating experience. Didn’t you have any Kaiju boyfriends or girlfriends?” inquired the mare while Xenilla winced as he examined his dating options from his former life. “Taxonomically speaking, Kaijus as a whole are part of the Animalia Kingdom, so there are multiple species of Kaiju and interbreeding is not possible most of the time, so dating is limited to members of the same species. And unfortunately, my species consists of myself, my deceased father, my brother and sister, and our grandfather who went from being a ghost to a robot.” He couldn’t help but chuckled at the mare’s wide eyed reaction along with the other gurads who were spying on his conversation. “Okay, so you don’t have much experience dating. Glad I could be your first,” said Blade Dancer after a pause. ‘That’s the most colorful past ever,’ thought the other guards including herself.
Eventually, both ponies returned to the castle after the date with a content expression on their faces. Blade Dancer tried to lay her wing on his back, but this time he used a shield to keep her from doing that…only to use magic to pull her towards him so they could walk together. They went to his room and stopped as he opened the door. “I’ll be honest, I was expecting the date to go sideways and for you to try to punch me again, but it was surprisingly pleasant.”
“I myself was surprised. I thought you were a stuck up after our first meeting, but you were unexpectedly quite the gentle pony tonight. Would you be interested in having another date soon?” The mare lidded her eyes as she inquired only to widen as he grabbed her hoof and kissed it. “I actually look forward to it. See you so…” The stallion couldn’t even finish the sentence before the mare jumped at him and pressed her lips against his own.
A grunt emerged from his lips as he felt how soft her lips were and how they slid against his own. Her breath was cool and fruity from the beer and the wine and his hooves wrapped around her waist as he pulled her deeper into the kiss. One of her hooves hooked behind his head to deepen the kiss and he retaliated by having one hoof caress her silky hair while the other massaged the bundle of nerves that was the base of her wings. Blade Dancer moaned as her eyes lidded and Xenilla felt his heart skip as his body warned him of something inevitable was coming…until both ponies heard a nervous cough.
They both turned and blushed upon seeing a red unicorn in Xenilla’s room. He was a young recruit named Starlight that had a habit of sleeping at Xenilla’s room since he rarely used it. Although he was nervous around the Kaiju, Xenilla found him to be good company as he tried to know him despite his attitude. “Hey, Xenilla. Sorry for interrupting. I remember you saying that you thought the date would go wrong, so I sneaked some drinks to cheer you up.” The stallion pointed to a few canned drinks that were cold. “I…guess the date actually went well.”
“It…went better than I ever expected. Is it okay if…you could give us some privacy. It’s a lot of firsts for me, so I want to experience this.” The kaiju was blushing and he had a nervous smile on his face as he explained it to Starlight who blushed as he got the message. “Okay, I’ll give you some time alone. Have funs kids…I guess Blueberry won the pot.”
Xenilla sighed as he turned to his date and gave her a serious look. “I appreciate the date and I enjoyed our kissing sessions, but would it be okay if we just cuddle before we do something serious. There is a lot going on with my life and I’d like to take things slow first before determining if I’m ready for a relationship.” To his surprise, Blade Dancer was not upset and instead nodded her head. “It’s okay, I know you didn’t have a normal childhood or dating experience. I don’t mind going slow, but I hope you give me a chance.” The mare smiled as she pushed Xenilla into the bed and she climbed atop of him before giving him another smooch.
The following morning was the most refreshing day of his life. Waking up next to a beautiful mare was not something he was ever expecting to happen his life, but it was a great experience. His shirt and pants were ruffled and Blade Dancer’s shift was still covering her body like a blanket. Both ponies woke up and shared a good morning kiss before they got dressed for practice. To his annoyance, a lot of ponies were clapping and wishing them well, eager to know more about the date. He also saw Blueberry Frost carry a bag of bits as she walked to her office. Nevertheless, the date put him on a good mood when Chibi arrived.
The pink filly only needed to look at them before a cheeky smile crossed her face. “Okay, wipe that smirk, Chibi. You were right, I asked her out and it went surprisingly well. Don’t brag about it.” The stallion grumbled she took the filly to her next lesson and she questioned him for details. He didn’t notice that the filly’s horn was glowing and that it was making a message with luminous letters appear behind him. “When’s the wedding?” Blade Dancer sounded out the words before shaking her head. A part of her enjoyed the date greatly and was hoping she could have another one with the tall kaiju. Considering how well he was getting along with Chibi Moon, he seemed like ideal father material.
The Bridge: Alternate Possibilities
What If: Blade Dancer Remained In Canterlot
What if Blade Dancer remained in Canterlot?
Love. One of the most powerful sources of life and magic in any conceivable universe. Although there are stories about the red string of fate and love at first sight, love itself is constantly changing. People who fell in love in one timeline might fall in love with a different person in a different one. For today’s story, we will explore how the love life of the King of Monsters would have turned out if a certain mare had not left Canterlot.
It has been a tense couple of weeks for Blade Dancer ever since the Gyaos invasion. The mare had just finished her training session with the new recruits and had taken a moment to sit down the wipe the sweat from her face. Her ears perked up as she heard the sound of a sandbag being demolished against a wall by a Kaiju turned pony.
Godzilla Junior. When she first met him, he was a prisoner who hospitalized half the guard and gave Princess Luna the fight of her life before being defeated by her. She then realized that he was a friendly, reasonable stallion when he didn’t offer any resistance while being escorted to the throne room. Her blue eyes had taken in his form and, despite his scruffy gray mane, she could tell that he was tall, strong, and ruggedly handsome. She had to court him!
She took her time introducing him to Equestrian history while failing to seduce him, but she had far better success the next morning when the other guards noticed how flustered he was from her constant touching. She was sure he would have eventually accepted a date with her and then the Gyaos came in.
Seeing a stallion she was crushing on get thrown out of the castle and turn into a giant Kaiju that could singlehandedly shred an army of smaller Kaiju apart was the most shocking thing she ever saw in her life! It didn’t help that she visited him while he was recovering and only saw a stallion covered in scars rather than the giant Kaiju from before. She attempted to sort out her feelings by being transferred to the Crystal Empire, but Blueberry Frost denied the request as some Gyaos managed to hurt the recruits and the Royal Guard needed as many ponies as possible.
For the past few weeks she avoided Junior as she couldn’t pull the image of the stallion she was crushing on being actually a giant dinosaur creature. However, she saw him get along with the other guards and her fear of him started to decrease. She had thought about talking with him again, but didn’t have any way to break the ice after ignoring him for a long time. She was brought out of her thoughts when she felt a large black hoof tap her shoulder.
“Hello, Blade Dancer. Is this seat taken?” inquired the baritone voice of the Kaiju turned stallion. Blade Dancer yelped a bit from the suddenness of his approach, causing Junior to give her a look. ‘What an odd mare?’
“No. I don’t mind if you sit with me. Though I’m a bit surprised. I thought you were scared of how touchy I was,” teased the Pegasus as she combated her heartbeat with some good-natured humor.
“To be honest you are the scariest and most confusing of the guards. One moment you put a dull blade in my neck, the next you give me weird looks and poses, and then Starlight said something about sausage and plowing, so I couldn’t for the like of me figure you out,” said the stallion as he scratched the back of his head while Blade Dancer felt her blue eyes shrink at his words.
Junior frowned as he saw her reactions, especially how red her cheeks got when he mentioned the word sausage and plowing. He thought that he made a social faux-pas before he once again got sidetracked by the sight of the Pegasus laughing loudly for a couple of minutes. “Oh, my word. All this time I didn’t know how to approach you because of the elephant in the room, but you are still the same lovable goof from before you transformed.”
He sighed in confusion but smiled at Blade Dancer when he saw her mood uplifted. “I don’t know what you mean. There is no elephant in this room right now,” began the stallion, which only got a chuckle from Blade Dancer. “Starlight is very observant. He noticed that you were keeping your distance ever since the invasion and he convinced me to cheer you up. Look, there he is! Behind the column! Hello, Starlight!” The giant stallion waved at the poorly hidden red unicorn who hid even further in embarrassment.
Blade Dancer felt her cheeks slightly flushed as she saw the friendly side of the unicorn. Sure, he could turn into what most ponies would declare a giant monster. However, he was still the socially awkward stallion that she met weeks ago. A stallion that, despite admitting to finding her confusing, took the time to cheer her up out of concern for her. It was time for Blade Cheryl Dancer to move on from her insecurity and do what she did best. Seduce a potential partner!
“Well, if you want to lift my mood, I was thinking if you would like date. We could meet at the Lucky Horseshoe Tavern an hour after our shift ends” said the mare in a husky voice as she lidded her blue eyes at the stallion. She smiled in satisfaction as a light blush formed on his face and a shiver ran up his spine when she brought one of her wings along is back.
“O..okay. You’ve been a great help for me in fitting in on Equestria, so I accept this date thing you are talking about,” said the stallion before huffing as he felt the mare hugging him. He couldn’t help but feel her cherry-scented red mane against his nose as she pulled out of the hug. “See you later handsome,” stated the mare as she left the place with swaying hips and a pep in her step.
“This mare is so confusing,” stated the stallion as he went to his barrack. For some reason, some guards were hoof bumping each other and receiving bits while others moaned about losing a bet or lamenting that Blade Dancer was not going to be single for long.
A few hours later, Blade Dancer smiled as she checked her reflection on the window of the tavern. Her long red mane was styled with a braid that hung on the left side of her face and she was wearing a silky robe that matched her fur and a blue collar that combined with her eyes. She was dressed to impressed and was hoping Junior would take notice.
Hoofsteps sounded behind her and she turned around and gave an appreciative whistle as she saw the giant of a stallion wearing a black shirt and pants that clung to his muscles nearly as good as his guard uniform did, albeit with a more formal style. Her eyes drank the sight of his appearance before noticing the stallion was carrying a large bag beside him. “Well, someone made sure to dress elegantly. That shirt looks nice on you,” purred the mare before Junior presented her with the bag.
“Thanks. I was going to go without clothes, but for some reason Cached Ire and Blueberry Frost dragged me to some room and gave me these clothes. They told me to bring you a gift for good manners, so I brought a whole bag of dates we can share with some drinks.” An annoyed look emerged on Blade Dancer’s face as she opened the bag and saw that it was filled to the brim with dates. Meanwhile, a couple of mares and a red stallion that were checking how things were going face-hoofed at the development. ‘Of course the alien from a different dimension thinks that the date I was talking about was the fruit rather than courting,’ thought Blade Dancer before she started chuckling.
“You really are an alien, huh,” said the mare with a smile. “Pretty much. Turning in a stories tall dinosaur should have been a big indicator,” joked the stallion before sighing and taking a breath. “Look, since I don’t get the local idioms and euphemisms, I convinced Starlight to give me a dictionary and he got me one that included slangs. I know that dates can mean either a fruit or a step in courting, so I have to ask. Why are you interested in me?” inquired the stallion with an inquisitive look.
A blush formed on her cheeks as she formulated her response. “Well, you are tall, strong, handsome, your eyes are quite unique, and I love dark fur. You being friendly and acting nervous whenever I flirted with you sealed the deal and I wanted to know more about you.” The stallion flushed as he recalled the events. “Guess I know that those looks were you being interested in me rather than being weird.”
Blade Dancer gave him a mock offended look before continuing with her story. “When I learned that you were not from this world and the struggles that you went through as a Kaiju, I wanted to move out so that I could sort my feelings for you. Unfortunately, I couldn’t leave, so I just had to act awkward around you for weeks until you confronted me. You still the same friendly pony even after I ignored you when it was revealed that you are a Kaiju just made me like you even more.” She then stared at his eyes before laying her own questions. “What about you? Why did you accept the date?”
“Honestly, you are the very first being to ever court me,” admitted the stallion casually. “Seriously?! If your Kaiju form is an analogue of your pony form, then you must be a catch!” stated the mare loudly. “True, but the only Kaijus of my species are my siblings,” explained the stallion, causing Blade Dancer to wince. “Yeah, I can see why your dating experience is so low.” This time Junior laughed at her words before smiling at her.
“The truth of the matter is that I don’t know when or if I will be able to return to Terra. However, I know in Equestria I have the chance to communicate with other people besides my fellow Kaiju and experience things I would never be able to do in Terra. Since a surprisingly amount of guards told me to give you a chance, I figure I would try this dating a chance. Maybe then I won’t panic when you give me those looks,” chuckled the stallion.
Blade Dancer smiled and approached the stallion before standing on the tip of her hooves and planting a chaste kiss on his lips. It was not a deep, passionate kiss that she gave to her lovers, but a small one that only lasted a second at most. “Thanks for giving me a chance, Junior. I know this is all new for you, so I’ll slow the pace until you are comfortable. Now, let’s eat this dates with some beer. The night is still young!” whooped the mare as she ran her tail under the chin of the Kaiju and entered the bar.
For his part, Junior stood still from the kiss and the brush of Blade Dancer’s tail under his chin. He realized a bit of sweat formed on his brow, his cheeks reddened, and his heartbeat increased, but a smile appeared on his face nonetheless. “I swear this mare will be the end of me one day. Still, this warm feeling in my chest is worth the risk,” stated the stallion as he followed Blade Dancer and spent the night with her.
Blade Dancer and Junior entered the tavern, she noticed that there were a lot more gryphons than ponies tonight. She then remembered that the griffin tourism in Equestria was high this month. Consequently, the dishes that were being offered that night were mostly seafood with clam as the specialty, which, to her giddy surprise, she noticed Junior was interested in giving that he licked his lips in anticipation. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Cached Ire, Blueberry Frost, and Starlight infiltrating the place. 'Seems like my two friends and my ex want to see how my date goes,' thought the mare good heartedly as she ordered clams for Junior and a salad for herself
"Hey, big guy. Do you need some utensils to crack open the clams?" inquired Blade Dancer. She knew from a previous visit to beach resorts that clams needed to be open with some tools but Junior shook his head. "Don't worry. I have a great set of clam crackers," said the stallion with a confident smile as he exposed his sharp teeth. The words that came out of his mouth, however, caused Blade Dancer to choke on her salad, Starlight to turn an even deeper shade of red, Blueberry Frost and Cached Ire to spit the beers they were drinking, and some onlookers to actually turn around and stare at the couple.
As Blade Dancer recovered her breath, she stared at Junior with a raised eyebrow. "I'm sorry, did you say a set of clam crackers?"
"Yes. My teeth are sharp enough to break open the clams. I remember one American grad student called my teeth 'a set of clam crackers', some of his fellow students laughed, and then my mother tugged him away by the ear while reprimanding him for being rude. "Does clam crackers mean something diff...why are you laughing?" asked a thoroughly confused Junior as his story was cut short by Blade Dancer and everybody at the bar laughing when he told them what he meant by clam crackers. 'It'll take me years before I understand these ponies. Still, the effort will be worth it,' thought the stallion as he smiled at Blade Dancer's laughter.
'This stallion is the most clueless one I ever met. Still, it'll be up to me to help him mature socially and learn some slangs and idioms. I'll be your backup, Junior,' thought the mare as she finished laughing and just placed her hoof atop his.
The End
The Bridge: Alternate Possibilities
What If: Xenilla The Toymaker
Xenilla the Toymaker
Xenilla sighed as he stared at the blue-slitted eyes of the filly floating in front of him. Her blue eyes along with her red mane and tail and white wings reminded him so much of his beloved mate while the yellow sclera and the streaks of white on her mane and tail were proof that she was his spawn. She was giving him a sad look as he knew what she wanted to ask him.
"Crystal Dancer, you must already know that the answer would be no."
"Why not, dad? I'm not asking you for the real thing. I know mom would freak, but maybe you could get me a living plushie instead of the real thing," said the filly with a pleading tone.
"You mean an animatronic? Where did you get such an idea?!" inquired the shocked kaiju.
"Well, Chibi Moon showed me some magazines of living plushies with that act as companions for kids in her homeland, so that's where I got the idea. Maybe you could build me a cuter version of the pet I want. Just like the one in this pic," said the excited filly as she pulled a photo of the plushie she wanted.
'Of couse she wants something based on that Isekai animation Chibi made us watch,' thought Xenilla. "You do realize only the audience see her cute form while the people in the story see her as a monster."
"I know, daddy. But all the other foals in the Crystal Empire have pets and the one pet I want is something mom would never want. Could you please do this for me?" said the filly as she bit her lip and made her eyes as misty as possible.
'Blade Dancer will either kill me or force me to sleep on the couch for weeks...but I cannot say no to our daughter,' thought the kaiju as he smiled at his daughter with love. "Okay, Crystal Dancer. I will make you the plushie, but you must keep her hidden so that your mother doesn't freak out...huff," he said before the filly tackled him into a hug.
"Thanks, daddy. I love you," said Crystal Dancer as she kissed his cheek and flew away.
"Just as loving as her mother. Okay, time to get to work," said the stallion as he went to the lab. Thanks to the technological advances created by him, Twilight Sparkle, Sunburst, and Key Ring years before, he was able to finish the plushie before the day was over and he gave it to his daughter as present at night along with instructions on how to take care of it. 'Let's hope that this doesn't backfire on me,' thought the kaiju as keeping the project secret from Blade Dancer was incredibly difficult.
ONE WEEK LATER
A high pitched scream resonated along the crystal castle and Xenilla perked up as he recognized the voice of his wife. He stood up and ran up the stairs of his lab, opening the door to go to his wife...only to be tackled by Blade Dancer as they both rolled down the stairs. Luckily, he shielded his wife with his sturdy frame and gently picked her up before his wife snaked around him and rested on his back, her hooves shaking as she wrapped them around his neck.
Gentle wingbeats followed the event as he saw a concerned and guilty looking Crystal Dancer had followed her mother.
"Xenilla, there is an ugly monster around our daughter. I ordered the guards to keep it busy, but I need you to kill it!" Xenilla and his daughter winced as they realized the secret was out.
"Actually, Blades. There is no need to...." said the stallion before a cute voice interrupted him.
"There you are, Crystal. I wanted to apologize to your mother for scaring her, but the guards kept me busy and I had to wrap them up," the family watched as a six foot tall white spider with pink streaks and a stylized anime face talked with them amicably. "Oh, hello my creator,' said the spider as she waved one of her arms at Xenilla.
Xenilla felt that Blade Dancer's hooves stopped shaking and now they were wrapping tightly around his neck while her wings hugged his midsection.
"Xenilla, my love. Explain. NOW!" barked Blade Dancer in a voice that she only used when dealing with unruly guards. Xenilla winced but decided to take responsibility. "Our daughter wanted a pet spider, but she knew you had arachnophobia. She asked me to make her a spider animatronic that was made as cute as possible so that you wouldn't be afraid. Though I remember that she was only a few inches tall when I first gave her to you, Crystal Dancer. Mind telling me what happened?"
The filly kicked the floor guiltily while looking sad. "I was playing some potions, but Kumo fell down a potion and she grew up. I could not hide her anymore, so mom caught her," explained the filly before she looked at her mother's eyes with tears on her eyes. "Mom, please don't kill her. I will shrink her down and keep her away from you, but let me keep her. She is my friend," begged the filly
Blade Dancer sighed as she relaxed her hold on Xenilla and stared at her daughter's eyes with love. "Okay, Crystal. You can keep her, but make sure I don't see her," said the guardsmare. As the filly cheered up and took her companion up the stairs, Blade Dancer's tone became sharp. "And as for you, buster..."
A FEW HOURS LATER
Xenilla grunted as he was sleeping on the couch, knowing that it was going to happen after causing her arachnophobia to spike. He was about to fall asleep when he felt a warm body lay beside him and the scent of his beloved reached his nares. "I thought you didn't want me in your bed anymore," teased the stallion, only to get whacked in the face by her wing.
"Oh, hush! The room was lonely without you and I missed my favorite warm pillow," said the mare as she wrapped her wings around him and nuzzled him.
"I love you too, Blade Dancer."
"And I love you, Xenilla. But you must have known this was going to end badly. Why make the plushie in the first place?" inquired the mare.
"Crystal Dancer is the personification of the love we share between the two of us and of a wonderful future I would have never dreamed about back in Terra. How could I not want her to be happy or give her anything she wants?" asked the stallion.
"Who would have known the arrogant jerk I punched on my first time in the Crystal Empire would have grown up to be such a sweetheart. I'm the luckiest mare in the world," purred the red maned mare as her hooves gently grabbed his face.
Xenilla smiled as his mate gently brought him into a kiss. Her wings were teasing his sides, but his kaiju senses spiked and he stopped his mate from going any further, much to Blade Dancer's frustration until she saw her daughter enter the room.
"I was going to give you a good night kiss, daddy. It was to say sorry for mom kicking you out, but it seems you and mom already made peace with each other. Trying to get me another little brother or sister?" teased the filly with a laugh.
"No/Yes," answered Xenilla and Blade Dancer respectively before they joined their daughter in laughter.
"I have an idea. Why don't you join us in the cuddle pile? It's been a while since the three of us shared a room," suggested the stallion, which caused Crystal Dancer to scream excitedly as she joined her parents under the blanket.
"I love you, mom. I love you, dad," said the filly as she closed her eyes.
"We love you, Crystal Dancer," said Blade Dancer and Xenilla in unison as Xenilla used his magic to turn the lights off and the three of them slumbered together.
The End
Author's Note
This is the plushie that Xenilla made based on a certain anime dealing with a spider, which is named Kumo Desu Ga Nani Ka?
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The Bridge: Alternate Possibilities
What If?: Xenilla and Blade Dancer Met In High School
What if Xenilla and Blade Dancer Met In High School?
Life is full of ups and downs along with twists and turns. We know that the Kaijus arrived to Equestria as adults, but what would have happened if they had grown up in Equestria as ponies. We will now see how a certain Kaiju would have fared in High School.
Xenilla sighed as the bell rang and he entered the school. As expected, most of the ponies in the school gave him the wide berth due to his gargantuan size for his age and his eye condition. The white maned blue stallion made his way to class where he shared a glare with Buck Withers and his cronies. Ever since he arrived at school, they tried to make him join their team due to his size, but he always found their sport to be pedestrian. It also did not help that the unspoken rule was that he would have to become Buck Withers' lackey and he had more productive things to do with his life than being part of a meathead club.
The stallion sighed as he was forced to sit besides the "Princess" Mi Amore Cadenza, who did not hesitate to give him the stink eye. Normally, Cadence was a very sweet pony to nearly everybody in school, but Xenilla found ways to push her buttons in ways other ponies sans Buck Withers never could, such as the incident of their first meeting.
"I am not going to call you a princess, Cadence," stated the stallion with annoyance as they had gone through the same argument three times already. "Your office title is Duchess and that's final," stated the foreign stallion.
"I am a princess, Xenilla. Celestia adopted me as her niece and I ascended as an Alicorn, so my position is princess. It's not that hard to call me by my title, Xenilla," begged the pink mare.
"Cadence. You are not the ruler of a principality and Celestia, who is a queen in all but name, already carries the title of princess, so your title is redundant. Based on my research, the highest rank of nobility that you should carry is Duchess and I'm not bulging," said Xenilla with resolution.
"Why you obstinate..." said the pink alicorn as the memory ended. Truth to be told, despite their less than cordial interactions, both of them had been chosen as project partners in different subjects, so they had an excellent working relationship. It also helped that their grades were high enough that they both qualified as the class' valedictorians, so they developed a cordial frenemy relationship.
As Xenilla was about to focus on his book, the teacher arrived and coughed on her hoof to grab the class' attention. "Good morning, everypony. I would like you all to give a round of applause for the return of one of our very own. Brenda Cheryl Dancer," said the older mare as the class stomped in applause.
The door opened and Xenilla watched as a tall mare with porcelain fur, a red mane tied in a bun, and blue eyes hidden behind round glasses entered. She was wearing a black sweater that hugged her lean frame, making it obvious that she was just as svelte as Cadence, but the nervous expression on her face detracted from her beauty. "Hello, everypony. Call me Blade Dancer. It's nice to be back into this school again. I hope we can all have fun in our final year," stated the red haired mare as the teacher pointed to an empty seat in front of Xenilla.
"Miss Dancer, you may take the empty seat in front of Xenilla. You already know who everypony is here due to being in this classroom last year, but Xenilla is both the foreign exchange student from Neighpon and the first pony in class to skip two grades," said the teacher as her eyes focused on Xenilla.
Xenilla caught the gist as he stood up with a grumble and extended his hoof to the new student. Blade Dancer was about to take a step back at the sight of a stallion twice her height, but stood resolute despite her shyness. "Hello, Xenilla. I hope we can be friends," said the pegasus mare amicably only to get disappointed as Xenilla stared at her blankly with his eyes. "Don't waste your breath, Miss Dancer. I'm not the most sociable stallion here, but I wish you the best as well," stated the stallion as he sat down and resumed his lesson.
The weeks passed and although Blade Dancer rarely spoke with others, she became fast friends with Princess Cadence as they both share the same taste in fashion and romance novels. Ever since Shining Armor and Cadence got together, Blade Dancer also started to hang out with the blue-maned stallion and his group. Shining Armor was buzzing with excitement as he produced four tickets. "Look what I got here, Caddy! Tickets to the play 'Epona and the Passage of the Seasons,' said the stallion before he and every male in the class pressed their ears against their skulls to combat the squees of excitement of their female counterparts.
"I can't believe it! The tickets are sold out and the cast of the play are all members of Canterlot's Dance Troupe, the best dancers in all of Equestria," explained Blade Dancer.
"Correct! Cadence and I will take two tickets and the other two will go to..." said the stallion before three male voices interrupted him. "Not it!"
Shining Armor sighed as he looked at his friends. "Okay, since my friends would rather play Ogres and Oubliettes on the premiere day, it means we have to get two more people to join in. Blade Dancer, would you like to join us?"
"Seeing the best dancers in Equestria on one play. Of course I'd go," said the red-maned mare before Cadence coughed into her hoof. "The ticket says that it's a couples event, so another person must join."
Blade Dancer sighed as her blue eyes scanned the people in the classroom. Truth to be told, she did not have many friends in school, so getting a date from the other classes was not possible. Most of the people she wanted to ask out, such as Shining Armor and Cadence, already had relationships and she was too nervous to ask her other crushes at class. There were only two ponies who could probably help her, but she would rather break Buck Withers' face than ask him out, so she went with the lesser of two evils.
Xenilla was finishing his homework ahead of time before a shadow covered his book. Red eyes on yellow sclera looked up and saw a nervous mare with blue eyes and glasses rubbing the back of her head. "Hi, Xenilla. I was wondering if you...okay, this is awkward. There is a play in town called 'Epona and the Passage of the Seasons and I wanted to know if you'd like to come with me," stated the mare, expecting a rejection before Xenilla took a breath and said his answer. "Okay, mind telling me where and when should I pick you up?" A scratched record resonated around the classroom as Xenilla accepted the invitation.
"What?! It's a wonderful opportunity for me to experience Equestrian culture," defended the stallion against the classroom's reaction. Class continued as normal as Xenilla took the ticket home and checked the date.
"I'm home!" shouted the stallion as he entered his home. The outside of the house looked like a regular Canterlot house, but the inside had bamboo doors and Neighponese style floors and decorations. He saw a giant stallion with gray mane and scars talking with a nearly as tall purple mare with red eyes. Xenilla smiled as his parents nuzzle together, but then assumed his stoic facade. Before Xenilla could talk with them, he grunted as he was glomped by a green mare with a floral motif. "I'm going to assume that your thesis was accepted, Biollante," said the younger stallion as his sister giggled. "That's right, Xen. In a few months, I will become a teacher at Princess Celestia's school. Isn't that exciting?!" exclaimed the jubilant mare. By this point, both of their parents approached them with smiles on their faces.
"Where is our brother? I was betting that Junior would have been the first to hear from you," inquired Xenilla before his mother, Gojirin, interrupted him. "Your brother is hanging out with Lea, Rodan, and Anguirus. The three of them were visiting, so Junior decided to have a sleepover with them at Aoi's home," said the mare. "I'm going to assume that Anguirus and Rodan were the ones who voted for staying at Miss Aoi's place. They did have a crush on her growing up," snarked the stallion only to grunt as his father bonked him in the head. "If memory doesn't fail me, you also used to give her flowers back when you were younger, so don't insult your brother's friends, young stallion," said Godzilla Senior.
"Yes, father. I apologize," said Xenilla as his father smiled at him. "Now, how was school today?" inquired the older stallion.
"Well, I aced my exams along with the Duchess, had to keep myself from punching Buck Withers, drew some designs for my crystal structures...and a classmate asked out to see a theatrical play," said Xenilla only to regret it as the three oldest members of his family got into his face. "YOU GOT A DATE!"
'Dear Tanaka, I should have kept my mouth shut,' thought the stallion as he was dragged around the house for clothing to wear while being bombarded by instructions on what to do on the date.
In another site of Canterlot, Blade Dancer was trying to relax on the cloud she smuggled from her days at Cloudsdale, but she couldn't focus. As much as she enjoyed the idea of seeing her favorite group of dancers participate on the play, the fact that she had to go on a date with the most stoic guy in Canterlot put a damper on her mood. The door to her room opened and her mother, a pegasus nearly as beautiful as Celestia herself, approached her. "Brenda, what is the matter? You are normally playing with your siblings by this hour and you nearly skipped dinner. Is something the matter?" inquired the older mare.
"It's nothing, mother. It's just that I'm going to go to see a play tomorrow with Shining and Cadence, so I'm a bit nervous," stated Blade Dancer.
"I remember Cadence! You used to crush on her badly!" exclaimed her mother.
"MOM!" shouted Blade Dancer, much to her mother's amusement. "It's okay, Brenda. I heard that she is with Shining Armor now. Is that why you are out of sorts?"
"Not really, mom. Shining confessed first and he is very attentive to her, so I'm happy they are both together. The thing is the play only offered tickets to couples only and Shining got four tickets. Shining and Cadence are going together and since his friends are not available...I might have asked the class' grouchiest stallion to accompany me," said the red maned mare, only to regret as she saw her mother's widening smile.
The house rumbled as happy mother squealing resonated. "My baby girl is on her first date!" yelled the mother mare excitedly, which was then followed by a stampede of hoofsteps as a large Earth Pony crashed into the room followed by Blade Dancer's siblings.
"BRENDA IS ON A DATE!" yelled the rest of the family with either jubilation or wariness in the case of Blade Dancer's father. "Look, I don't think he is into me and honestly I think the best that could happen would be if we become friend. There is nothing romantic about it," said Blade Dancer which caused her siblings to get sad while her father smiled...only for him to flinch as his wife stared at him. "Nope. That is not acceptable. As Canterlot's premiere romance novelist and former model, I will not have your first date treat you as if you didn't exist. Come along, my dear. I will get you a makeup that will knock him dead," said the mother as she dragged her daughter into her private quarters.
"Aren't you exaggerating, mother?"
"Brenda. You are about to graduate from high school very soon. If you don't overcome your shyness now, you will have trouble learning how to handle relationships when you enter college or join the Royal Guard. It's better to have innocent dates in high school before your work overwhelms you. Your father can tell you about the multitude of ponies I dated in college..." started the mare before Blade Dancer put her wing in her mouth. "If I agree to the makeup, would you spare me your dating history?" asked the embarrassed mare while her undisturbed mother nodded excitedly.
A few hours later, Shining Armor and Cadence were waiting at the theater. Shining was wearing his blue tuxedo from prom while Cadence was wearing a pink dress that combined with her fur. "Where are Blade Dancer and Xenilla? The play will start in a few minutes," said a worried Cadence before her ears perked up at a deep voice.
"Will you relax, Duchess? Even if this is a fake date, I'm not rude enough to let my date or the hosts who invited me standing," said Xenilla as he approached the two ponies. To their surprise, his white mane was combed until the hair was straight and he had a classy braid that resembled a wolf's tail. Their eyes moved down as they noticed that he was wearing a black kimono that hugged his large frame yet gave an aura of casual sophistication. Xenilla grunted as he saw the ponies' reaction to his new look. "My mother and my sister found out about the date, so they decided to make me look presentable. Anyway, do you both know where my date is?" asked Xenilla until he heard the sound of wings flapping.
"I'm right here. How do I look?" asked a voice that the three ponies were familiar. Their jaws nearly dropped to the ground as they saw Blade Dancer. She no longer wore her mane in a bun and it was instead braided elegantly, which allowed everybody to see how long it really was. The round glasses she wore were replaced with contacts to make her blue eyes stand out, which were also complimented by the dark blue eyeshadow that she wore. Lastly, she wore a purple dress and a scarf that hugged her lean body and made it obvious to Xenilla that despite her mousy disposition, she was toned and in shape.
"You look amazing/fabulous," said Shining and Cadence as they approached and hugged their friend. Xenilla had a tinge of red on his cheeks before he shook his head and approached. "Nice dress, Blade Dancer. It matches your eyes and contrasts your red mane. You'll probably get more attention if you kept that look," said the stallion awkwardly. Solving mathematical theorems and giving expositions about different languages or scientific principles was easier to Xenilla than complimenting a mare!
"Thanks. You also look handsome on that kimono, Xenilla. It suits you," replied Blade Dancer as her eyes couldn't help but admire how the kimono outlined his large, muscular frame and the combed hair allowed her to see his expression more clearly. A blush formed on her cheeks until she saw the clock. "I think we should hurry up, the show is about to start!" exclaimed the pegasus as everypony rushed to the theater.
Due to the ticket numbers, Xenilla and Blade Dancer sat together at opposite booths to Cadence and Shining Armor. Both ponies felt awkward around each other but the play would not start until a few minutes and they decided to talk. "So, I know this is going to be an obvious question considering your name, but do you like dancing?" asked the stallion as he tested the waters. "Of course. I practiced ballet, tap dancing, ballroom dancing, flamenco, and other dancing styles. It's great exercise and is a way to express yourself with your body. I even joined a belly dancing class," admitted the mare, which caused Xenilla to blush.
"Wow. You don't seem to be the type of pony who takes belly dancing," said the stallion with a surprised voice. "I know. I'm shy around ponies, but I am fully confident when it comes to dancing, so I don't mind belly dancing for myself or my fellow dancers," admitted Blade Dancer. 'So she has more spine than I thought. What a pleasant surprise,' thought Xenilla.
"Does that means that you are going to join the dancing troupe once you graduated?" asked the stallion, only to widen his eyes as Blade Dancer shook her head. "Not really. I might love dancing, but I want to make a difference in this world. I'm planning of joining the Royal Guard Academy once I graduate," said the mare proudly only to narrow her eyes at his incredulous face.
"Is something funny?" asked the mare icily. "Not really. If being a royal guard is your dream, then go for it. I just have trouble picturing you in armor or fighting criminals since you act so shy..." said the stallion only to feel the edge of a wing stop close to his throat. His eyes widened and he looked down to see that Blade Dancer had momentarily stood up and swung one of her wings like it was a blade to nearly hit his throat. A confident smile was on her face as one of her eyebrows was raised up inquisitively. "Okay, seems I underestimated you, Miss Dancer," admitted the impressed stallion, causing her to giggle. "There is a reason my nickname is Blade Dancer. Now, would you mind sharing a bit about yourself?"
"Not much. I come from Neighpon with my parents and siblings. My parents have been married for over 20 years. I have an older sister named Biollante and a younger brother named Godzilla Junior. We moved to Canterlot since my sister is taking a thesis in Canterlot to become a teacher and I took some accelerated programs in my native country to skip a few semesters once I entered college, but I needed to take my last semester here to graduate and have the chance to study some Magical Engineering and Thaumaturgy involving crystals," informed the stallion.
"I didn't expected the giant, asocial stallion to be into science," said the mare teasingly as Xenilla's horn shone red and a crystal materialized in front of her. To her surprise, Xenilla used his magic to mold the crystal's structure like clay, shaping it into her cutie mark, then an elaborate tower, and then a bust showing her face. "Sculpting models and architecture are also part of my hobbies," said Xenilla with a confident smiled as the lights dimmed. He took the chance to mold the crystal into a small bracelet that he hooked into her arm, causing her to giggle in surprise.
Before long, a melancholic song resonated across the theater. It was sung on a language that didn't exist, but Cadence and Xenilla recognized that some words had pronunciations based on Neighponese, Carrean, and Latin. 'Okay, this play is certainly more intellectual than I gave it credit for. They created a language by synthetizing parts of modern and dead languages to make a song,' thought Xenilla with admiration as the dancers arrived.
The four ponies watched as the unicorns used their magic to float ethereally while their horns shone with colored magic to form an aurora. The pegasi flapped their wings to the beat of the music, moving in synchrony while shedding some prop feathers to spice up the background and using the auroras of their tails to draw in the sky. Lastly, the earth ponies gracefully ran and leaped across the stage while holding ribbons to highlight their movements. The motions of the dancers kept Blade Dancer and Cadence enthralled and even Shining Armor and Xenilla found their acting entertaining. However, the stallions were more focused on the fantastic elements of the story from the complex architectural props, the unique language and writing, and the magic system. Before long, the play ended after two hours and everypony gave a standing ovation to the dancers.
"I can't believe how good the play was!" exclaimed an ecstatic Blade Dancer. She and Cadence were hopping happily as they discussed the dancing and the songs.
Meanwhile, the stallions were having their own discussion. "So, romance story aside, I love the intricacy of the language they created from the play and the designs of the prompts. Reminds me a bit of the artwork of Ogres and Oubliettes," stated Xenilla as Shining Armor stared at him. "You play O&O?" asked Shining Armor incredulously. "Shining Armor. I have a life outside studies. I don't play campaigns the way other players do, but I enjoy the stories and the models that comes with the game. I even made my own worlds using crystals," said the stallion smugly as he brought out a few of his crystals and transmuted them into small towers and temples. As Shining Armor admired the intricate designs, both stallions heard a cough behind them and they found their dates being unimpressed.
"Well, since you boys prefer discussing about games, then maybe Blade Dancer and I should go to the fair," said Cadence with fake annoyance. "There is a fair?" asked both stallions as their dates facehooved. "Yes. Blade Dancer and I discussed it after class. We knew there was a chance that neither of you would like the play, so we decided to ask you to play some games at the fair. It's a few minutes from here. Do you want to come?" asked the princess as both stallions nodded their head.
The four ponies only had about an hour to enjoy the festivities as their parents would not approve of them arriving so late at night, so they rushed through the stands. Xenilla gagged as he tasted the popcorn and the cotton candy, but still ate them silently since his three classmates enjoyed them immensely. They participated in the rigged ring game and shoot the target game and he was surprised that while all four of them performed poorly at the ring game, they managed to get a perfect score in the shooting game. 'Okay, it makes sense that Cadence aced the game as the Princess probably included combat training and self-defense, but I didn't expect Shining and Blade Dancer to do so well. I guess they are really dedicated to joining the Royal Guard,' thought Xenilla in admiration of his classmates.
They then followed with the hammer game. Not surprisingly, he grabbed the hammer and managed to hit the bell, earning him the big price. Cadence followed and then it was Blade Dancer and Shining Armor's turn. To his surprise, Cadence also hit the bell due to her alicorn strength while Blade Dancer earned second place and Shining Armor earned third place. It seemed her Earth Pony father made the pegasus stronger than expected as she surpassed Shining's score despite his bulky frame. Cadence had to console the sullen stallion as Xenilla and Blade Dancer chuckled.
Next, the group of classmates entered the haunted house, which was filled with animatronics, trick mirrors, and ponies in monster disguises trying to scare everypony. Xenilla felt bored as the costumes were not up to par with some of the horror movies he watched with Biollante, so he entertained himself by watching his companions.
Ironically, Shining Armor was the most scared while Cadence and Blade Dancer found the exhibit hilarious, but he watched in approval that Shining always put himself between the 'monsters' and Cadence despite being visibly afraid. 'He is really worthy of being her protector,' thought Xenilla as Blade Dancer moved ahead of the group and into a corner...only to scream loud enough for everypony to stand still.
Xenilla rushed towards her and was intercepted by the scared mare jumping at his face and twisting her body around until she was hiding behind his back. "Get me away from that horrible thing!" yelled the hysteric mare as she pointed at a small spider that managed to infiltrate the haunted house.
"It's okay, Blade Dancer. It's just a tiny arachnid. You can just squeeze it," said the annoyed stallion in a soft tone to avoid upsetting her. He used his magic to levitate the spider and increased the red color of his magical aura so that she could not see the arachnid. He made a motion with his head as if to throw out the insect, but instead just rapidly moved it to a crack where it could hide in silence. "I don't care! They are hairy, have creepy legs and jaws, too many eyes, and are just disgusting. Can we leave?" asked the shaken mare, which convinced Xenilla and his fellow classmates to escort her out.
Xenilla was patting Blade Dancer's back as he watched the clock. "We only have ten minutes, everypony. If you want to go someplace else before we leave, you better think fast," warned the stallion. The group pondered for a bit before Cadence gasped and pointed at a ferris wheel. There was a promotion that the wheel would stop for 5 minutes at the zenith to ensure maximum romance, so she practically dragged Shining Armor by the hoof, much to his approval. Xenilla knelt down and offered his hoof to the smaller mare. "Look, I'm sorry you had a bad time because of the spider. What if we follow those lovebirds to the ferris wheel. I know you love romance stories, so maybe seeing those two nuzzle while telling each other 'I love you' over and over again will cheer you up," joked the stallion as Blade Dancer took his hand. "You are one sour stallion, are you?" teased the mare as she followed him.
True to his word, Xenilla managed to get him and Blade Dancer a booth behind Shining Armor and Cadence, so he sat besides Blade Dancer as the ferris wheel moved. There was a gap of space between them as the wheel slowly spun in a circle, but he felt comfortable around her to talk. "So, how are you enjoying our...date?" inquired the stallion as he was still unsure to consider it as one.
Blade Dancer blushed and played with her braid as she avoided looking at him. "Well, at first I didn't think about it as a date. I only went since I wanted to see the play and you were the only unavailable pony in class that I personally knew was not a jerk. Still, tonight has been a fun experience. You joined on the fair's games, you told me about yourself and showed me some of your hobbies, and you even protected me from that spider and comforted me. So, I can say that you are dating material," admitted the pegasus with a slight tinge of red on her cheeks.
Xenilla blushed as he was not used to receiving compliments from ponies that were not his relatives. At the same time, he noticed that the booths stopped just as Shining Armor and Cadence's booth stopped at its zenith. 'I guess the five minutes of romance promised by that wheel are starting,' thought the stallion as he looked at Blade Dancer. Truth to be told, he was not interested in romance at the moment as he knew that he would eventually return to Neighpon after the semester was over, but he actually enjoyed spending time with Blade Dancer as she was a smart, graceful, and beautiful mare who did not hesitate to fight despite her shyness. Xenilla then remembered an advice he got from both his mother and Biollante and he audibly groaned.
"What's the matter, Xenilla?" asked the concerned mare. "I just remembered something that my mother and sister told me. Look, I had a surprisingly fun time and you showed me that there is more to you than a shy mare afraid to talk to others. So...what am I saying is..." fumbled the stallion as he groaned and gave Blade Dancer a kiss on her cheek. The mare gasped at Xenilla's boldness while the stallion blushed up a storm. "I don't think I'm ready for a relationship, but at the very least I wanted to say thanks for the date and would love to be friends," admitted Xenilla only to notice Blade Dancer stood still as her face turned red and her wings flared. "Are you okay? Look, if I overstep my boundaries, I want to apologize," said the stallion, but Blade Dancer had other things in mind.
Blade Dancer's mind returned a few hours ago to when her mother was giving her a makeover. She couldn't help but admire how gorgeous her mother made her look with the eyeshadow and her braided hair, so a part of her was excited for the date despite her shyness. "Now remember, Brenda. Many people have different speeds when it comes to romance. The important thing is that both of you go to a pace where both of you are comfortable. If he is a jerk and does not respect your boundaries, you can take your father's advice to smash his face in with those self-defense classes you took. If he is worth it, however, you might want to give him a chance. Though I also hope you don't go overboard with him if you happen to like him," said her mother embarrassedly.
Blade Dancer looked at her mother inquisitively. "Overboard?"
The older mare sighed with a blush on her cheeks. "Look, my side of the family are romantics. When there is a pony we like, we can be very amorous. I was a shy mare like you until my first coltfriend asked me out. A few confidence boosting dates with him later followed by a surprise kiss from him turned me from a shy little thing into a very confident mare who turned him into putty with my feminine wiles. After the relationship ended, I became the one looking for partners rather than the other way around. Got myself a few marefriends and coltfriends before I eventually fell in love with your father and had you and your siblings," admitted the mature pony as her daughter also blushed. "Is that why we have so many 'uncles' and 'aunts'?" asked Blade Dancer.
"Pretty much. However, do bear in mind that if you are like me and he happens to be special, that you don't go overboard. I don't want to be a grandmother so young," said the mare semiseriously. "Mother! Don't worry, nothing like that would happen," said Blade Dancer.
Her mind then returned to the present as she felt her heart speed up like crazy and her cheeks blossomed from a mixture of embarrassment and another emotion she never experienced before. Her wings flared as she looked at the stallion who kissed her. A tall, muscular stallion slightly younger than her and who, despite his grumpiness, was a surprisingly dorky and sensitive stallion. A smile slowly formed on her face and she licked her lips while lidding her eyes at Xenilla, who widened his eyes as she moved over the gap until they were side to side.
"Blade Dancer?" asked the stallion a bit nervously as she cuddled up beside him and used one of her wings to turn his head to the side before pressing her lips against his. Red eyes widened as they stared at a pair of blue eyes and then both pairs closed as Blade Dancer's lips gently slid against his own. It wasn't a passionate kiss between lovers. It was just a chaste kiss that let him know that she was interested on him as she did not go overboard or ignored his boundaries.
The booth started moving away as she pulled away from the kiss with a slight tinge of red on her cheeks. "I would love to be friends with you, Xen. Though I hope you can consider becoming a couple in the future when you feel ready for a relationship," said the pegasus mare while Xenilla's brain rebooted.
The doors of the booth opened and both ponies left the place, though Xenilla was surprised that Blade Dancer now felt confident enough to place her wing on his back. Needless to say, Cadence squealed in glee when he and Blade Dancer met her and Shining after the kiss. Leave it to the Princess of Love to figure out something romantic happened between them at first glance. Eventually, the four young ponies returned home and they went to sleep to meet at school.
Xenilla groaned as he sat on the classroom and had to deal with Cadence grinning at him and asking him for details. She didn't even seem to mind when he called her Duchess, which kept him from getting entertained by her reactions. The only good thing about his day so far was that Shining kept her from bothering him and also shared some concepts he planned for his next game of Ogres and Oubliettes. The only one who was missing right now was Blade Dancer but he had not seen her since their date. He was about to focus on his book before his ears perked up at some incident outside class. He got up and decided to see what was happening only to see everypony gaping at Blade Dancer's new look
This time, she decided to go without a braid, which allowed everypony to see how long and vibrant her red mane truly was and she kept the eyeshadow and contact glasses from last night, bringing attention to her blue eyes. Lastly, she stopped wearing the sweater, which gave everypony complete view of her intricate cutie mark and her toned, slim body. Needless to say, she was swarmed with admirers, but she ignored them with a confident smile on her face.
Buck Withers came from the group and attempted to flirt with her but was met with a wing smacking him in the face as she ignored him and entered the classroom where her eyes zeroed in on Xenilla. She took her seat in front of him but turned around to stare at him. "So, you decided to keep your look from yesterday's play?" inquired the stallion. "Well, a certain somepony told me I look better this way, so I decided to dolly up for him. By the way, I noticed over the last few days that you have lunch on your own. Would you like to join me, Cadence, and Shining Armor at our table for lunch?" asked the pegasus mare with a smile on her face that made his heart skip a beat.
"He accepts," interjects Cadence for him, which causes him to glare at her but otherwise does not refute her statement. Despite everything, he did enjoyed his time with her and he wanted her as a friend, so Xenilla accepted the invitation. His days in high school were happy thanks to his friendship with those three, but due to his responsibilities at Neighpon he did not take Blade Dancer's proposition of dating even with Cadence helping her. They soon graduated and he left Canterlot soon after, but fate would have the four ponies meet again in the future.
Ten Years Later...
Shining Armor coughed as he gathered his best subordinates. He was wearing the purple armor marking him as the Captain of the Royal Guard and he looked grimly at Lieutenant Colonel Blade Dancer and his future successor, Blueberry Frost. "Okay, everypony. The Crystal Empire has returned and we need to save the crystal ponies. Originally, Celestia asked me and Cadence to go alone, but I believe having the help of the best of the Royal Guard will turn the odds in our favor. We also got report from Celesita that Neighpon is willing to help and sent a specialist to help deal with King Sombra. Cadence should be talking with him right..." said the stallion only to stop as he heard his wife yelling. Military experience was momentarily forgotten as he, Blueberry Frost, and Blade Dancer opened the door and peeked their heads out to see who could make Cadence of all people scream her lungs out.
"I can't believe this! We haven't seen you in over 10 years and you didn't think of informing us about your presence! And you still refuse to call me a princess!" yelled the exasperated alicorn to a gigantic stallion that was a head taller than even her adult form and twice as heavy.
"We already went over this in High School, Cadence. I don't care what Princess Celestia calls herself, unless she changes her title to queen, then you are not a princess. Furthermore, I heard she wants you to rule the crystal ponies, but they are part of an Empire. In other words, I refuse to call you a Princess since you are technically a duchess and you are on your way to become an empress. Get over it," said Xenilla as he turned around and saw three ponies staring at him. His eyes widened as he recognized Shining Armor but then he took a step back as a red-maned pegasus tackled him into a hug.
"Xenilla. It's been a while! How you been?" asked the excited Blade Dancer as she nuzzled his face. Despite her training with the guard, Xenilla still grew up to be a powerhouse of a pony, so he remained still as he hugged her back. "I'm doing wonderfully, Blade Dancer. I got my PHD and joined Neighpon's army for a few years. When the Crystal Empire returned, my country tasked me with investigating and here I am," said the stallion. Both he and Blade Dancer lost themselves to the conversation while Blueberry Frost stared at him with surprise.
"Mind telling me what is going on right now?" inquired the blue mare as Cadence brought her to their meeting room. "You see, Xenilla was on the same high school as Shining Armor, Blade Dancer, and myself. He was Blade Dancer's first date and the one who made her confident enough to become the flirt she is today. However, he only stayed one semester and didn't hook up with her despite my best efforts," said the pink princess as she grinded her teeth together. Shining Armor and Blueberry Frost took a step back from the show as Shining knew from personal experience that his wife did not like it when anypony refused to follow their heart. He and Blueberry Frost silently agreed to take her away from Xenilla and Blade Dancer and gave the two ponies their privacy as they escorted the princess away.
"So, are you seeing anypony?" asked Blade Dancer with lidded eyes as she stared at the stallion. Xenilla sighed with a smile on his face. "Not at the moment. My parents and my sister insist I find a marefriend and marry her as quickly as possible. I already accomplished most of my work goals, so I don't mind relaxing a bit and maybe give dating a try," explained the stallion as Blade Dancer wrapped her wing around his back. "Took you long enough, Xen," teased the mare.
"What about you, Blade Dancer? Are you single?" inquired the stallion. "Well, I had a lot of coltfriends and marefriends over the last 10 years. I dated a fellow guard named Cache Ire but she and I are no longer together," said Blade Dancer. "Is she a mare old enough to be your mother?" asked the stallion, which caused Blade Dancer to lose her grin. "No, she is about the same age as me. Why do you ask?" asked the mare icily.
Xenilla just gave her a teasing grin as he made a show of looking up. "If memory doesn't fail me, before you told me that your first crush was Cadence, I found out that you were attracted to mares during Spring Break. I invited you, Shining, and Cadence to go to the beach with me, my family, and Junior's friends. However, you were distracted by the sight of Miss Aoi in a bikini. It was the first time in months that I saw you go from a confident flirty mare into a shy filly," teased the huge stallion as he started laughing.
Blade Dancer blushed from the memory and growled at him. "Hey. Aoi is a gorgeous mare with a mature look, exotic tattoos over her body, and a sexy bikini body. How could I not be attracted to her?" asked the mare with annoyance on her tone. Xenilla moved his head to the side of her head, making her blush as she could feel her breath. "You know, Miss Aoi has retired and will move to Canterlot to spend her retirement. She even gave me her address to visit. She is single," said the stallion in singsong as Blade Dancer's wings popped up. 'Okay. At the very least if things don't work out with Xenilla, I can go visit my first mature crush,' thought the mare absentmindedly before she shook her head to focus.
"Look, Xenilla. Tempting as that offer is, I wanted to know if you would be up for going on a date with me. You can still say no and I'm happy to remain as friends if you are not interested," started the mare only to smile as Xenilla pecked her cheek. "I would be delighted to. I've been on dates before, but I couldn't go all the way," admitted Xenilla.
"Oh, and why is that?" asked a curious Blade Dancer.
"Because they weren't you," admitted Xenilla with a blush as the mare once again tackled him into a hug. Both ponies smiled together as they now had a good reason to succeed in saving the Crystal Empire.
The END.
Author's Note
Based on a scenario from the MLP IDW comics about Cadence and Shining Armor's student life.
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The Bridge: Alternate Possibilities
What If: The Windigos Had Not Invaded The Mirror Universe
What If The Windigos Had Not Invaded The Mirror Universe?
Life is harsh. Sometimes you can try live a happy, fulfilling life when, without reason, monsters or other evil entities decide to harm you and your loved ones. We are all familiar with the damage the Windigos caused to the Sirens during the Winter War. However, what would have happened if they never landed in the Mirror Universe? Follow us as we see the words through X and Aria Blaze's eyes.
The first date. To be honest, those were words that a Kaiju turned human like X would have never thought in the past. However, his last mission ended up rekindling his memories and convinced him to try to open up his feelings with a certain Siren.
He was now standing in front of a large restaurant known as the Sea's Treasure, waiting for Aria Blaze to arrive. As usual, he was wearing his white shirt and black pants along with his black scarf, black jacket, and white mask, which caused the people outside the restaurant to give him funny looks. A normal man would have feel embarrassed by the attention he was gathering, but X was far from a normal man. "Where could she be?" asked the kaiju to himself before he heard the sound of boots walking towards him.
"I know you aren't exactly from around here, X, but I thought you would have come dressed in better clothes," answered a feminine voice as X turned around. It was a pink woman with pigtails wearing a white shirt and a jacket and pants with multiple shades of green and purple. Despite the jab at his fashion sense, there was no scorn to her voice and she approached him with a teasing smile.
"You do realize that I spent most of my life before I met you getting into fights and traveling around? These are the only clothes I have and my courting skills are rusty, so this is the best I can do at the moment," said the kaiju with a shrug of his shoulders. "Okay, old man. Guess it's my job to teach you how to date again. Just follow my lead and you'll be fine," said Aria Blaze as she took her lover's hand and escorted him inside the restaurant.
The restaurant was surprisingly larger on the inside than on the outside with walls and floors painted with varying shades of blue, seafoam green, and coral pink. The tables and chairs were made of handcrafted oak with some gold decorations, almost as if they were themed after treasure chests.
X and Aria Blaze were reading the menus and X was shocked at the wide variety of seafood the restaurant offered. Pictures of salmon, tunas, yellowtails, octopus, calamari, clams, and other fishes galore overwhelmed him. Furthermore, the fish dishes were served in a variety of cooking styles from Maretaly, Prance, and even Neighpon.
X's red eyes scanned his surroundings, forgotten instincts taking over as he watched for the intentions of everybody around him and took notes of exit points. 'Wait, why am I thinking of exit points?' thought the kaiju as Aria put her menu down and looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "X, relax. There are no monsters here," said Aria with a smirk as the waiter approached. Despite her words, X noticed that some of the other clients were warily looking at him due to his outfit and even the waiter was a bit intimidated by him.
"Welcome to the Sea's Treasure. I will be your waiter tonight. May I take your order?" inquired the waiter professionally. X didn't knew how to respond and was silent for a few seconds before Aria Blaze took charge. "We're in the mood for something classic yet classy, so I want to order a Cartoccio and he wants an Eel Matelote," said Aria with a smile on her face. "Excellent choice, ma'am. Both of them are great Maretalian dishes. They will arrive in a few moments," said the waiter as he left.
The Siren noticed X's awkwardness and stared at his eyes. "Okay, dude. What's going on? You are not having some flashbacks right now?" inquired the Siren. "It's not that. Ever since...I became what I am. I have known nothing but fighting. Irys, Megalon, and Gigan were my first friends as we have the same...job, but being surrounded by people and going on dates is out of my scope," admitted X as he rubbed the back of his head.
"Big guy, don't worry. I'll help you through this. You are quite hopeless at romance, aren't you?" teased Aria Blaze and, for a second, the vision of a Xillian woman substituted her own in X's mind before returning back to normal. 'They might be different, but she shares Controller 011's teasing attitude towards me,' thought the Kaiju nostalgically.
"Since this is your first date, let's keep this simple. What do you do for work or for fun?" asked the Siren. The Kaiju hummed as he closed his eyes and thought of an answer. "Well, I work as a mercenary or bodyguard depending on the situation. For professional reasons, I cannot tell you more about my work. However I can tell you that I spend my free time either practicing martial arts and talking with Gigan and the others. What about you?" inquired X to Aria.
"In my case, my cousins and I make our living singing and traveling around. My hobbies are martial arts and swimming whenever my cousins and I are lucky enough to go to a hotel with pool," said Aria with a smile. The both of them kept talking, asking small questions and sharing memories until eventually the waiter returned.
The waiter arrived with two plates and two glasses where he proceeded to pour wine into. Aria's plate had a poached fish with herbs and oils that smiled tantalizing whereas his plate had an eel cooked with red wine and paired with mashed potatoes and brioche. Aria ate her meal with gusto, actually smiling blissfully as she closed her eyes in satisfaction.
X realized that he had to take his mask off to eat and, with some hesitation, removed it from his face. As expected, the waiter and some of the guests were uncomfortable with his scars, but they remained silent and let him be. "Hope this is tasty," said X as he cut the eel with his knife and used the fork to bring the eel into his mouth. As he bit into the eel, his eyes widened from tasting the umami of the eel and noticed the flavor of plums inside it. As he chewed, he noticed other flavors that he never experienced before. The Kaiju cut the eel into more pieces, dragging them across the sauce and mashed potatoes and complimenting it with a bite from the brioche.
He groaned in appreciation and noticed Aria giving him a smug smile at his expression. "So, do you want to come again in the next date?" teased Aria Blaze. "Definitely," answered X with a smile.
A couple of weeks later, X returned to the Sea's Treasure. To his annoyance, his outfit was no better than last time. Bagan, for all his godly power, only allowed him to cross universes, but he couldn't give him currency from this world or any type of clothing. "This world is affecting me if I'm feeling embarrassed for not having more clothes than the ones on my back," said X with annoyance. A snort behind him told him that his date arrived.
Aria, as usual, wore a casual shirt, jacket, and pants that complimented her curvy figure and matched her pigtails, yet differed from the outfit she wore last time. "Okay, X. I seriously need to take you shopping after this date is over. Otherwise, people will think you are hobo for wearing the same thing," said Aria as she rolled her eyes.
"Unfortunately, I don't get to stay around often due to my work, Aria. It's for that reason, that our dates at the Sea's Treasure are the only reprieve I get from work," said X with a shy smile. A blush appeared on Aria's face as she punched his arm. "Flatterer. Let's get inside," said the Siren as she walked ahead of him, making a show of swaying her hips with each steps to get his attention.
X and Aria Blaze sat on the same table as last time, only this time X took his mask off beforehand. Some of the clients were intimidated, but a few others saw his face from last time and, as such, were more tolerant about it. The same waiter from before arrived and he handled himself better than before.
"What would the both of you like to order?" inquired the waiter. "We are in the mood for something different, so we would like some sashimi and sushi. The chef can use whatever fish he or she wants for both meals, but we both are expecting some sake," said the Siren with confidence. "Very well, your plate will arrive in a few minutes," said the waiter as he departed.
"You seem to really love fish, Aria. You know your way around the menu," said X as he noticedf how quickly she ordered. "X, my family and I are Sirens, so you can bet we have a pescatarian diet. This is the only restaurant I know where everything is seafood and has multiple cooking styles, so my cousins and I ate everything on the menu at least once," stated Aria Blaze with a smile.
"To be honest, I rarely ate in my Kaiju form and even when I was known as Praetorian Guard 094, I only ate military rations," said X after a few moments of recollection. Aria groaned as she heard his words. "X, you are not a soldier right now. Live a little, have fun, savor your meal, and enjoy your time with me. That's an order, soldier," said the Siren with a mock authority to her voice.
Once again, his mind flashed to his life before and he remembered how frustrated Controller 011 was when he insisted on spending the date without eating food so that he could stand guard over her. 'This date is bringing up some bittersweet memories,' thought X with a sad smile as the waiter arrived.
The sashimi were cut slices of yellowtail, salmon, tuna, and even octopus over a bed of rice and the sushi rolls that were brought had salmon, tuna, and avocado inside while the top had cream cheese and some salmon roe. Both Aria and X ate their portions together, enjoying the taste of the rice, the chewiness of the fish, the texture of the seaweed in the sushi rolls, and then washing it down with some slightly bitter sake. The two of them left the restaurant with warm bellies and
"Well, it's time for me to go, Aria...Hey," said the Kaiju as Aria refused to take her hand off of his. "Oh, no. I don't mind going out with you while you wear your old clothes, but if we are going to eat here again, then I'll better drag your ass with me to buy you some clothes," said the Siren with conviction as the kaiju sighed. 'So bossy,' thought X with a smile on his face.
Many dates later since then X has become more cheerful. He stopped wearing his mask whenever he went out with Aria and the citizens slowly got used to his scarred appearance, so they did not spare him a second glance. He was wearing a red shirt and a black jacket over it, which matched the black pants he wore. Once again, he was waiting at the Sea's treasure when Aria Blaze appeared before him.
The Siren gave him appreciative lookover and whistled. "Nice to see that you kept the clothes I gave you after our second date," said Aria Blaze with a smirk. "Thanks, though I find it ironic that you decided to wear the same outfit from our first date here," countered X with a smile. Aria Blaze shrugged and sashayed towards X before hooking one of her arms against his own. "What can I say? I was feeling nostalgic," said the Siren as they both entered the restaurant.
The waiter smiled as he greeted Aria Blaze and X. After multiple dates, the waiter slowly warmed up to X, so now he was unbothered by his appearance. "What would the two of you want today?" inquired the waiter. "I would like to try the squid ink pasta," said X as he was curious over the new dish. "I want the seafood risotto," answered Aria Blaze equally as fast. "Very well, I will also bring complimentary wine for the both of you. Please wait a few minutes," said the waiter as he left the table.
Aria Blaze smirked at X's choice of food. "Squid Ink pasta, really?" X shrugged at her answer. "I had my fair share of fighting giant squids and octopus, especially since Gigan is uncomfortable fighting them after hacking Terra's internet. Needless to say, I'm feeling curious," stated the kaiju. "Good point. I was feeling in the mood for something Prench, hence the risotto," said Aria Blaze after a pause. "It helps that the wine they offer pairs well with the seafood here," added X, which Aria Blaze followed with an appreciative nod. Soon enough, the waiter arrived with the food and both of them dug in.
X groaned in appreciation as the pasta was soft and creamy, yet slightly salty from the squid ink. He smiled when Aria laughed at his blackened lips and teeth from the ink, but the napkin cleaned his lips and the wine cleaned his teeth while warming his belly with its fruity flavor. Aria Blaze, meanwhile, ate her risotto, loving the taste of shrimp, calamari, and creamy al dente rice to top it off. Eventually, both of them finished their meal and left the restaurant with smiles on their faces.
X and Aria Blaze took a cab to Camp Everfree. Although X could simply visit Aria's apartment with her cousins, both of them agreed that Adagio or Sonata could ruin the moment if they were to walk in on them, so they went to a private cabin that Gloriosa lent them. He and Aria eventually left the cab and walked to the cabin before stopping at its door.
"X. I hate to be mushy, but thanks for being with me. Ever since I met you, life has become much better. I remember my mother clearly now, my cousins and I no longer have to cause strife to survive, and we even get along better now. Thanks for making me the happiest Siren alive," said Aria Blaze with a smile on her face.
X smiled as he looked at his lover's purple eyes. There was a time where she would say something and look at him in a certain way and he would end up remembering his time as Praetorian Guard 094 and his marriage with Controller 011. However, he was no longer that person and Aria Blaze was no longer a substitute for his wife. He loved her as much as he loved Controller 011 in his old life and he decided to make her know it.
"Since I became who I am, my life has been nothing but fighting and killing. Gigan and the others brought me solace, but you actually made me want to live a life beyond my mission. I am the lucky one to have ended up with you as my lover," said X as he gently placed his hand on her cheek.
Both of them blushed as they leaned forward and their lips touched. The world seemed to freeze as their lips slid together before they eventually decided to pull away.
Aria Blaze gave him a warm smile as she opened the door of the cabin and brought him inside before locking the door behind them. Later that night, red vapor, invisible to the naked eye for anyone who was not a Siren, emanated from the cabin, a testament of the love both of them held towards each other.
The END
Author's Note
I hope you all enjoyed this chapter with one of the Bridge's favorite couples. The dishes that Aria and Monster X ordered at the restaurant, with the exception of the sushi and sashimi, were based on anime dishes. The eel matelote and the cartoccio were based on dishes made by Ryo Kurokiba from the series Shokugeki No Soma. The squid ink pasta was based on the pasta eaten by Joseph Joestar from Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: Battle Tendency. Lastly, the seafood risotto was based on the risotto created by Sanji from One Piece. Highly recommend these anime shows and I hope you all have a wonderful 2025.