“Oh yeah. That.”
Chrysalis looked up at me. “What?”
“Forgot about you there for a second.”
“You said, ‘be right back, sneezed, disappeared for a second, and reappeared. How in Tartarus could you forget I was here?” “Only a second huh?” I looked at her. She was telling the truth. That’s interesting. I’d swear I was gone longer but oh well. Picking up Fluttershy I started to leave, but a bolt of green fire flew past. Rolling my eyes I turned around. “Yes?”
“Put my changeling down.” The Fluttershy in my arms gave me an angry glare, and I chucked it casually towards a tree which snapped and the bugs disguise vanished. Sighing I spoke up, “Where’s the real Flutters?”
“As if I’d tell you, Essence,” she snarled.
A little ticked I made myself look like a changeling, a very specific one at that. “Chrysalis. Tell me or you get punted.” I waited for her to comply but instead of responding she just gaped at me in pure fear.
“Its-Its, but you can’t be! She’s dead! She died over a thousand years ago!” She said.
“Oh. I’m very much alive.” I grinned evilly.
“No. No. No…” She kept repeating it. I raised my eyebrow and waited but she kept repeating. I stepped forward and found myself in a soccer uniform. Running forward I swung my foot back and kicked, no help, no magic. Speaking into a mic, now dressed as an announcer, I yelled, “GOAL!” as she sailed far over the trees. A faux crowd cheered and I walked into the trees. My main goal was to rescue Flutters. The second, destroy the changelings.
“HALT!” A buzzing voice called out, “Who approaches?”
Even changelings have guards? Wow.
“I am the Goddess Carpace. Come to see my children!”
I heard a thud as, I assume, the guard fainted and another voice called out, “Oh goddess, you may enter!”
Grinning at my foresight I walked into the hive.
I am sure you know what a beehive looks like? Imagine that but about, eh, 300 times the size, and underground. Oh, and black with green ooz. I wrinkled my nose, it stunk, like, really stunk. Heading towards the back where the queen usually resides I found a changeling who looked to be a queen but smaller. Her neck snapped up and she gaped when she saw me.
“Go-go-goddess?”
Smirking inwardly I replied, “Yes?”
She jumped, startled by my response, and spoke, “We appreciate your presence but why are you here?”
“A mare, yellow and pink, was brought in. She is important to me and I require her release.”
“O-of course.”
Way, way too easy when you’re disguised as their goddess. Then again it’s not really a disguise since I invented her to begin with. Following I entered a room full of cocoons with mainly skeletons in them but one had yellow pony with her hair in her face. I opened the cocoon and she dropped into my arms as I had let the disguise go as I caught her. Looking I found something that angered me beyond belief.
“YOU! YOU HURT FLUTTERSHY! That is a sin only punishable by DEATH.” I had found the small pony to be covered in cuts, a broken leg, a twisted wing, in short? She was very very hurt.
I was seething with anger. Steeping forward the ground began to glow as dark, haunting music came from my form. The queenling stepped back but she suddenly began to warp into a sword.
“You idiots,” what is up with my voice? It’s like the Royal Canterlot Voice but… more angry and pissed off, “Your final day has come!” I swung at a changeling and another attempted to latch onto Fluttershy and the world went dark…
Another…
The group of beings watched the orb closely. It contained a moving image of a catgirl swinging a sword of flesh and bone destroying bug-like creatures in anger before it went dark and when the image came back a literal hole in the universe was found where the changeling hive had been. As they watched the hole closed and a perfectly cut section of that universe was gone.
“Damn…” came one voice, “She’s really that strong? I know we sent her there in such expectations but literally ripping a hole in the universe leading to a whole other Multiverse? That is just… shit…”
“We know… But she’s the embodiment of madness and literally controls music. How could we not expect something like this?
“We know, we can only hope she returns. Otherwise the Displaced may have issues.”
The other figures nodded in agreement.
Somewhere Outside It All
I opened my eyes to find myself in a forest with Fluttershy right next to me and a figure next to a nearby tree leaning on it.
“Welcome to the Outside, or, Nowhere in particular.”
I groaned, my head felt like it was on fire, but I spoke none-the-less, “Who are you?”
“Auric Fulcrum is my name.”
“Where are we again?”
“Outside the Multiverse. So, nowhere.”
“What? How can that-“ I was cut off as memories flashed through my head and I sat there, fire in my skull gone, and just gasped in shock. “No… That’s…I can’t be…”
“You? Who are you?”
“Oh I’m Essence.”
“Nice name. What’s your story?”
I relayed my time in Equestria to him and he sat there taking it all in quietly before saying something, “So… You’re a Displaced?”
“In a sense…”
“What do you mean?”
“I kinda just broke through an unknown memory block.”
“Meaning?”
“I’m a void dweller as well.”
Auric raised his eyebrows but sighed, “Unsurprising to be honest. You don’t look like a typical Displaced.”
“Ya…”
Memories Abound
The other void dwellers and I sat at a table wondering how to best stop the Merchant. I’m the one called, The Musician or, more commonly, Madness. The Scientist, The Trainer, The Cook, don’t ask why he’s here, The Magician, The Writer, The Historian, and several others sat around the table with an orb at the center, which glowed blue.
“So,” Scientist spoke up, “We know why we’re here… It seems our ‘friend’ the Merchant has decided to screw with, well, everything. His actions are starting to break certain important barriers between particular worlds. From what we’ve gathered these are the main supporters of his cause, The Torturer, The Reaper, The Silent, The Ripper, and The Illusionist. The Illusionist happens to be a friend of Madness here, and has deigned to give us this information out of respect. She also agreed to play as a double agent. Any questions?”
“What’s our agenda?” asked The Trainer.
“Send someone to infiltrate the worlds.”
“But, the Fausticorn. She’ll stop them. She only let The Merchant through because he tricked her.”
“I spoke with her recently. It was a very distressing matter as she distrusts us at large. Letting her know our allegiance allows us to put a champion in.”
“Then who?”
“There is one obvious choice,” They all looked at me.
“Me?”
“You also have the titles, The Strategist and The Warrior, correct?”
“Yes, but that doesn’t mean I’m a good choice.”
They shook their heads. “You’re the only choice, seeing as though you are closer tied to Equestria.”
I groaned. Brilliant, using one of my own abilities against me.
“Fine, but don’t cry to me when I fail.”
“Meeting adjourned.”
Back To Outside It All
I looked up at Auric again.
“So how do I get back?”
“I don’t know. I’d assume using a relic or something to pull you back.”
I dug through my pockets before remembering an ability all void dwellers possess.
“I am Essence, The Musician, wielder of divinity, madness incarnate of the Void, reaper of tyrants, Bubble mistress, and a Displaced being. If you can hear my plea, please call out to me for I find myself beyond it all.”
Auric looked at me, “That’ll work too.”
I sat back down and waited. The whole scenario playing through my head. In the mean time I struck a conversation with Auric.
“So, you had the ability to Understand all things?”
“Yes.”
“And how’d that work out?”
“War, in effect.”
“Oh?”
“Yup. From what I remember some called it The War of Understanding.”
“Really? That’s interesting.”
“Mhm.”
He explained a bit further into the subject before I felt a strong tug.
“It seems I’ve found my way back. Thanks for the company Auric.”
“Not at all.”
“Farewell.”
I gently lifted Fluttershy as the world faded away and I found myself in a bedroom which was trashed. Confused I laid her down on the bed and stepped out into something that made me distressingly angry and sad all at once. Everywhere I looked bodies lay strewn about the room. Only three beings, and they were very battered, still remained alive. I immediately recognized them.
“Writer? Historian? Trainer?”
Their heads turned and they gasped.
“Madness! You made it!” I looked at the bodies, all of them familiar, and shuddered.
“What happened?”
“The Merchant. He and his lackies burst in during a meeting and slaughtered them. Only we survived by hiding outside of this room. Scientist escaped but we don’t know where,” this time Trainer answered.
“So, he killed them!?” I gaped. My anger merely pushed aside by my astonishment.
“Yes, and he said Illusionist told him.”
My anger roared.
“He what?” I said.
“Yes. He still majorly wounded us in fact, I’d put us at just having a few sparse moments,” said Trainer, “We must tell you. Merchant is plotting to destroy several worlds. Starting with yours.”
“Oh no…” I said, and suddenly the figures began to wobble.
“Madness,” they cried out, “Take our powers and vanquish Merchant.”
“I accept your plea and shall do so before my final breath,” I said.
The figures fell, lifeless to the ground.
I clenched my fists. No time to mourn yet. Got to save my world. I went back to the bedroom as the meeting room crumbled, and dove into the void and reached out and landed in my world. What I saw scared me to death. Scientist was holding a deep black beast back who was jumping out of a crack.
“You’re here?”
“Yup. Surprised?”
“Yes.”
“No worries, I’ll be gone soon. I’m dying as we speak,” he said jovially “but this world is another matter. It’s falling apart into the void and another, darker, world seems to be breaking in.”
“What?”
“Just call on one of the Displaced or whatever.”
“But what about you?”
“I’m borrowing time as we speak. Call them.”
I nodded and called out with all my power, “Hear me as you heard me before! My world is dying, breaking into the void and monsters crawl forth, I call for the aide of a fellow Displaced. I cannot offer much, but I do offer this, those who help me get my help no matter the cause. Please, Displaced, hurry now or my world will be gone and millions of lives with it!”
Scientist smiled and dissolved before I grabbed and pushed the dark black beast into the crack. The one thought that filled my mind as I fought the demon back?
That bastard is going to hell.