//------------------------------// // 20. Spartan Reunion // Story: Spider in Equestria // by DarkSpider //------------------------------// I was just sitting on a wall, reading a book, Mike resting on the floor below me, when Cece came in with Emily, looking confused. “Tito, can a token change?” “Not that I know of. Why?” I asked, jumping down to her. “Something happened to your gun.” She then pulled out something from her hammer space. It was Sebaste's old token, but it looked completely different. The gun stock was thicker and what looked like a bayonet made of energy poked out from under the barrel. “And there's something you should hear.” “What happened?” I asked before grabbing it, but as I did so, I heard a voice I thought I would never hear again: “For those who are in need of a scout, a commander, or a friend, I will answer the call. My name is Eliteslayer, but for those who knew me back then as Sebaste, I have returned… and I am ready to serve and protect…” I shook my head in disbelief. “Sebaste?” Cece nodded. “Look like he's still around. And I'm sure that Sasha and Alex are with him as well. So...you gonna use that thing to call them or what? I looked at the gun before saying, “Hey Sebaste. We'd like to talk to you.” A single portal opened up before a lone figure stepped out of it. It was a Spartan, but with completely different armor. I recognized it as Recon armor from the Halo games, but I had no idea who was in it. Cece then walked up to the Spartan and said, “Hello?” “Heh, don't recognize me Cece?” He asked before his armor suddenly shimmered and a more familiar armor appeared on him. Cece chuckled. “Must say, it's a surprise to see you again Sebaste. You have no idea how crazy the last few weeks have been.” “As crazy as mine have been?” He asked wryly. “Trust me, mine could easily top yours in craziness.” He then looked over at me. “Hey Dark. Long time no see.” I smiled. “Good to see you again, dude. But Cece's right. The last few weeks have been insane.” “If you think you had a few crazy weeks, mine have been utter chaos. Try meeting three Doom Marines and convincing Celestia to allow them to come help stop a crazy pony named Flame Tail.” he chuckled. “Not to mention helping three other Displaced in the same world…” “Three? Who?” “Two Spartans and a Astartes named Sebastian, Alexandra and Viktor.” He replied. “So Alex and Sasha are okay. And I'm guessing Viktor is who the guy was talking about. Wait, if you're here then...well now I have another reason to talk to Sarah and Tomas again.” I couldn't see his face, but I had a feeling he was wincing. “Yeah… I'm really sorry for what happened at the party. I wasn't expecting to be redisplaced by that Displacer.” “Yeah...anyway, as for what happened to US, a couple of days after...that, I was summoned for the first time.” “You mentioned Tomas and Sarah… I'm guessing Screwy summoned you to get her out of trouble?” He asked. “Because that's how I managed to meet those two.” “I swear you're psychic. Anyway, I was actually summoned by accident. She was surrounded by Beedrill and threw my token at them. Cece and I, as well as Twilight, were pulled in. After we took care of the Bug types, we found Screwball and...it didn't go well.” “Yeah,” Cece said. “Tito called her a kid and weird, and she threw that green blob thing at him.” “Yeah…. She can be a right pain sometimes.” Sebaste replied. “How are the girls by the way?” “Oh, they're good,” I told him. “Rainbow’s a Conduit now.” “A what?” He asked, sounding confused. “You know the game inFAMOUS?” “Oh, that game. Yeah, I’ve heard of it, never seen it played.” He said. “I saw a lot of videos on the third game. Anyway, a Conduit is someone with a gene that can control an element or type of item, from electricity to liquor. And Rainbow apparently has that gene and is now a Conduit.” “So what does she control?” The Spartan asked, sounding intrigued. “Water. And not just in liquid form. She can control ice and vapor as well. Heck, she can create swords made out of ice for crying out loud.” “To be honest, that would actually suit her, seeing as she's Ponyville’s lead weather mare.” Sebaste chuckled. “I thought she retired that job for that other one she talked about,” Cece said, tilting her head. “She's not a full member of the Wonderbolts, she's one of the backup members in case one of the others are hurt.” Sebaste said “Um, no, she's an actual WonderBolt now,” I said. “When she was a reserve she was a backup, but now she's an actual member. Only difference is she won't go on tours with them for a while.” “Right… I forgot about that…” he muttered before noticing the two Pokemon nearby. “Um… since when did your world start hosting Pokemon?” He asked. We looked at our partners. “Oh, those are our partners. Caught them before we left Sarah’s and Tomas’ dimension. That Frogadier, who I named Michael, actually evolved almost two weeks ago.” “Huh…” Sebaste then looked around at his surroundings. “I'm guessing we're in Canterlot right now?” He asked. I sighed. “Yeah. You see-” I then heard armor clanking. Facing to where the sound came from, I saw a guard walking towards us. “Sir, madam,” he said to Cece and I. “The Princess would like the two of you to join her for lunch.” “Okay. Thanks. And let her know we'll be bringing a guest.” He nodded and walked away. “Well… that was unexpected.” Sebaste said. “So you were explaining why both you and Cece are in Canterlot, what exactly happened?” “I'll explain when we get to the dining room. But I'll tell you this right now, it's related to how Rainbow unlocked her powers. Now let's go. Can't leave Celestia waiting.” He nodded before his armor shifted back to Recon. “If anyone unfamiliar asks, who I am just introduce me as Eliteslayer.” He said. “Okay, but I'm still calling you Sebaste around Celestia and Luna, as well as the Mane 6.” “Fair enough.” The symbol of the Royal Guard Reserves then appeared on his shoulder pad. “Shall we mosey to the dining room?” he asked. We nodded and walked to the dining room, a few ponies looking at Sebaste, but turning away after seeing the symbol on his shoulder. After five minutes of walking, we made it to the dining room, Celestia sipping on some tea. When we saw us, she said, “Tito, Cece.” She then saw Sebaste. “And who are you?” “Sebaste, your highness. I'm sure you’ve heard my name mentioned by Tito.” He said, going down on one knee in respect. “I'm one of the Displaced that he met.” “Really? Well it's a pleasure to meet you, Sebaste. I am Princess Celestia, but I'm sure you are already aware of that.” “I already know who you are, Celestia. I serve you and Luna in a different Equestria as part of the Royal Guard Reserves.” He replied, showing the symbol of the Reserves on his shoulder pad. “I see. Well any friend of Tito and Cece is a friend of mine.” Sebaste then took his helmet off, revealing his face and causing everyone in the room to look at him in surprise. While I had seen his face before, it was now completely different, he now looked like he was in his mid 20s with two scars running across above and below his left eye. “What? Do I have something on my face?” He asked. “It's just...you look different,” I said. “Being redisplaced can do that to ya.” He chuckled ruefully. “Not to mention seeing old faces again.” We just blinked at that. After a few moments, Cece and I shook our heads and took off our hoods before filling up our plates. Sebaste also took a few things to eat before he then asked, “So what exactly happened to the both of you that you're hanging out in Canterlot? And how does this tie into Rainbow becoming a conduit?” I sighed. “It happened two weeks ago. Long story short, Rarity stumbled upon a token and accidentally summoned a Delsin Rowe Displaced and his Celestia. After meeting them, Delsin told us about Conduits and that Rainbow had the gene. After a…certain conversation with him he had a vision and passed out. After that, his Celestia left to her Equestria.” “Why would his world’s Celestia be with him? Last time I heard, none of the Celestias usually leave their Equestrias.” Sebaste asked, a confused look on his face. Cece shrugged. “If I remember correctly, his Celestia went to another Equestria to get him and literally drag him back to their dimension before they ended up here.” He then snorted in laughter. “If I didn't know any better, I’d say she had the hots for the guy!” “Oh, they're engaged.” At that moment, Sebaste had been taking a sip from his cup and when he heard that, he suddenly did a spit take and coughed. “Seriously?! Damn, he’s one lucky guy!” He said after he recovered. I chuckled. “Twilight’s face when she found out was hilarious.” “I bet. How… how did they fare after my… disappearance?” He asked, suddenly looking nervous. “They were a little sad, but they later got better.” “Tito was pretty depressed the first few days,” Cece said, drinking some milk. “Speaking of which, did you guys go through the mirror?” He asked. “Yeah. A couple of days after the whole Pokemon thing. Cece went first, and I was summoned with Mike and Emily. Met a few Displaced who became characters from Assassin’s Creed.” “Oh man, I’ve played that once, that game was pretty cool.” He chuckled. “Yeah. Helped them make a token, explained Displaced to them, and met a few ponies. Crazy thing, Vinyl, Octavia, and LUNA, are all members of the creed. Oh, and they're in Season One territory.” “Luna I can understand, but the DJ? That is just too hard to believe.” Sebaste said, a surprised look on his face. “What about Octavia Melody? You know, the earth pony cellist that lives with Vinyl?” “True, but not much is really… known about her other than she's a cellist that puts up with Vinyl.” “Well here's a rundown. She's a member of the Canterlot Orchestra and a pony you wouldn't be surprised to see here in Canterlot. But she's not an asshole like most nobles here. Actually pretty decent.” “Ugh, don't get me started on the bloody nobles… at least Fancy is one of the nicer ones, but back to the topic, what happened after this Delsin character woke up?” “Right, right. Anyway, Pinkie wanted to surprise him, but bringing a party cannon and yelling “SURPRISE” to a guy with PTSD, and who, at the time, had power over darkness, isn't a good idea.” “Ouch, I bet.” Sebaste said, wincing. “So what happened after?” “I found Pinkie pinned to a wall by a vine made of shadows. She was fine, but sad since he broke her party cannon. After freeing her and talking to Delsin, we went into the topic of Nisled…” “Nisled? Who the hell is that?” Sebaste asked. “You know that thing about evil doubles?” “Yeah, but what…. Oh bloody hell no…” “Yeah. Nisled is a version of Delsin who became a villain instead of a hero. From what I remember, he only has five powers and can't get anymore.” “Let me guess, he showed up here?” Sebaste asked, his tone tense. “Aye. And I did most of the fighting. Delsin did a huge explosion on him and banished him, and Cece here threw her hammer at him.” “But why are you in Canterlot instead of Ponyville?” “I'm getting to that. During the fight, which was in the middle of Ponyville, Nisled turned invisible and knocked Cece and Delsin to the side. When he did, Cece's cover fell off. Mine fell off too when Delsin did his Orbital Drop. Then I fought him some more before he was able to get the advantage. He weakened me and was about to stab me with my own sword. That is, until Rainbow came and saved me. She fought Nisled and allowed Delsin to banish him. But...after the fight, most of Ponyville saw our faces.” “Oh no… and I’m guessing they were terrified?” “Most were and still are, according to Twilight. After getting so many stares, insults, and a letter from Celestia here, we decided to come here, and she offered for us to stay until everypony calms down and we can go back.” “Faust above… I’m truly sorry mate. Back in the Equestria I got redisplaced in, my old Equestria’s Rainbow Dash was returned by the group that took her in the first place and she's.. having a hard time fitting in herself as a lot of ponies are not really comfortable with seeing her augments she received from Rainborg. So she can relate to you.” Sebaste said. “Oh, and there's the whole thing with Rainbow.” Cece said, tossing a twig, which Emily caught in her mouth and began nibbling on it. “Don’t tell me she went back to her old ways…” the Spartan groaned. “Oh definitely not. The complete opposite actually. She risked her own safety saving Tito from Nisled.” “Wait… you mean…” a grin started to form on Sebaste's face before he began to roar with laughter. “Dude, you’re definitely lucky! When did she show that side of herself?!” “First off,” I began, “you better not be talking about what I think you're talking about. Second, what do you mean about that last part?” “I’m talking about her caring side! She almost never shows that side of herself, usually she’s usually acting all tough and tomboyish!” He chuckled. “I do not know how to answer that.” Sebaste shrugged. “Anyways, besides Delsin, Sarah and Tomas, and those Assassin’s Creed Displaced, what other Displaced have you met?” “Just a Kamen Rider Displaced. First one I helped to understand the whole Displaced thing. And he gave Cece advice on a certain power.” “Kamen Rider ey? Interesting… the only Kamen Rider Displaced I remember meeting was in a Equestria Girls universe.” He said, rubbing his chin. “The recent Displaced I’ve met was a Displaced that had gone as a character from a computer game called Supreme Commander, a trio that were Displaced as the Doom Marines from the 2016 Doom game and a Spectrobes Displaced.” “Hmm. By the way, here's a bit of advice. If you ever meet Delsin, be wary. Unless he is banished from the Equestria, Nisled would attack the world of any Displaced Delsin summons, or who summons Delsin. We're okay now, but you aren't.” “Obviously he’s never encountered a Spartan or Astartes Displaced before.” He chuckled, but his eyes showed that behind the humor, he was burning with anger at what Nisled had done. “Here's another bit of advice, DON’T underestimate him. Cece did and he wounded her enough to stay out of the fight. At the very least, do what I did. Just focus on fighting him and only calm down when he's gone. Can't be cocky. Oh, and whatever you do, keep your version of the Mane 6 away from him.” “What happened to… Why that….” He snarled as he realized what Nisled had done to his own Mane 6. “Trust me, if I ever encounter that guy, he’s getting a Kodiak shell in the face point blank. If the Displacer doesn't get him first.” “Oh, almost forgot to mention, he's practically immortal. I stabbed him through the back and he just flipped me off. Literally I mean, he didn't flip the bird. And Rainbow beheaded the guy and he just acted like it was an inconvenience until Delsin banished him.” “I’ll be sure to make him pay for the atrocities he’s done if he does show up. No one harms any of the Equestrians and gets away with it…” “Anything else…. Oh, and one more thing. When fighting him, make sure he isn't anywhere near smoke, neon, video, or concrete. It'll just refuel him and give him a new way of fighting.” “Got it. So have you seen the girls recently?” We shook our heads. “They have their own lives to worry about, so it's no surprise they're still in Ponyville or following the timeline, if they still can.” Sebaste nodded before he finished what was on his plate. “My compliments to the Chef, your highness.” He said to Celestia. “I'll be sure to let him know,” she said with a smile. “Now, I know a lot of unfortunate events have happened and may happen, but we should look at the brighter side of things.” Sebaste frowned at that. “Celestia, with all due respect… not everything is sunshine and rainbows. The attack on Ponyville is not a thing to take lightly. If anything, it shows that things are starting to change, whether for better or worse is to be seen however.” “What do you mean?” “Nisled is only the beginning, what if one of your ponies decides to go crazy and attack Manehatten? You can't cover up an attack like that and pretend that it's nothing bad.” He replied. “I never said I'll cover anything up and pretend it didn't happen. I'm only saying that we should try to find a brighter side to all this.” “And how exactly are we supposed to find a brighter side to this? Ponies have long memories, and this attack won't be forgotten in just a few weeks. For all we know, they’ll calm down but still be wary of Dark and Cece for months, even years before they finally forget what happened. I’ve seen it happen Celestia, and it's never a good thing when something like this happens.” “I still don't understand why they're afraid of Tito,” Cece said. “I mean, he said it himself. He almost singlehandedly saved Ponyville from the psycho, and so many of them looked at him like he'll snap their necks or something.” “Dark, when you were fighting Nisled, did you happen to have an expression that would have frightened the ponies?” Sebaste asked, his eyes furrowed in thought. “Well...maybe…” I said. Cece looked at me, confused. “What do you mean?” “Well, according to Delsin, when he told, and showed, me what happened to Nisled's Mane Six, my eyes were literally red with rage. I don't know how it looked, but it was enough to make him jump when he saw it.” “Hmm… if you combine that with a expression of rage… you’d scare even a Wh40k Commissar.” Sebaste said. “And they're not easy to scare.” “So you think during my fight with that bastard, some ponies saw me with demon eyes and that's why they're scared of me?” “Yeah, pretty much.” He said. “I honestly would be too if I saw that.” “Ooookay…” Sebaste then turned to pick his cup up only to see two red and yellow eyes staring at him. With a startled shout, he stumbled backwards, a M6D Magnum appearing in his right hand and aiming at the figure on the table. “Discord, you don't surprise a soldier like that mate!” He growled, lowering his weapon. Discord then appeared above the table. “Well pardon me, but I was looking for our local Displaced and when I saw you, I couldn't resist giving you a bit of a fright.” Sebaste snorted. “Believe me, I’ve met other versions of you, so I know of your antics. So why were you looking for Dark and Cece?” He asked, the pistol vanishing from his hand. “Well, I finally finished a small project I've been working on for the last few days, and I figured they should be the first to see.” “A project?” The Spartan asked, his tone suspicious. “Discord, if this is a practical joke, I'm not in the mood.” “No joke of any kind. I'm sure this project can be nice for these two,” the draconequus said, pointing at me and Cece. “It wouldn't happen to involve a certain beanie wearing filly, would it?” Sebaste asked. Discord chuckled before looking towards me. “I'll let her answer that.” Before I could ask, I felt a presence nearby and a strange case of deja vu. Looking to my right, my vision was filled with two purple swirls. “AAAH!” I screamed, falling off my seat. “Hi,” I heard a female say. “I'm-” “Screwball…” Sebaste groaned. “Aaaand this is now the second world that I’ve been to that has Screwy in it… Guess this is my screwed up life….” “Wait til you meet Delsin, he has one of his own,” I said, climbing back onto my chair. “And I loved the fanfic with that name.” I then looked at the laughing pink filly floating in front of me. “So you actually made her?” “Indeed,” Discord said, putting his paw on her shoulder. “Our own version of Screwball.” “No ponies were hurt during her creation?” Sebaste asked, a single eyebrow raised. “Of course not. There was no problem at all. Well, besides the “building her” part. Kinda hard to come up with a good personality for somepony with chaos magic, but on our side.” Screwball then floated between me and Cece, staring at us with a smile. Sebaste chuckled before he noticed two swords leaning against a cabinet. Two very familiar swords. “What the devil?!” He muttered, his eyes widening in shock before he strode over to where they were and picked them up. “What are those?” I asked as the three of us (Screwball, Cece, and I) stared at him. He turned with a smirk on his face. “Guess you’ll be able to see the others now.” He then shouted, “Sasha, Alex, Vik, Come say hello to an old friend of mine!” A portal soon opened up and three more armored figures were spat out, but just as the portal began to close, an cyan and metallic blur crashed into the three, knocking them down just as they were getting up. “Ow! Rainblade, watch where you land!” One of the figures, a Spartan Scout with Ivy's right arm armor groaned. “Sorry! I'm still getting used to these wings!” A pony version of Rainbow with a metallic tail, cybernetic wings and front legs and a bionic eye said. “Huh,” I muttered. “First Dusk Spark, and now this. Are there any other versions of the Mane 6 that are cyborgs? Also, she doesn't emit electricity, does she?” Rainblade looked at me in confusion and shock. “Who the buck are you?!” She yelped, jumping into the air. Her right hoof suddenly separated into two parts and what looked like a gun barrel stuck out of it. “Oh great, another hostile Rainbow,” I said with sarcasm before webbing the barrel. “Rainblade, stand down!” Sebaste ordered. The gun barrel soon retracted and her hoof soon returned to its normal form. “She's not hostile Dark, she’s just unfamiliar with being in a different universe.” Screwball floated up to “Rainblade” and stared at her with a frown. “Why do you look like that?” She asked with a bit of a sad tone in her voice. Rainblade flattened her ears and looked away. Sebaste then answered, “She was augmented by another Rainbow Dash, who also uses cybernetics. She… served as a combat drone for Ahriman until Rainborg returned her a few months ago. It's… not something she likes remembering.” By this time, the other three had gotten up. Both the Spartan Scout and the Astartes were looking at me and Cece as if… they had seen us before while the Orbital looked on in confusion. “These are the three I was talking about earlier, Sebastian, Alexandra and Viktor.” Sebaste said, nodding towards the trio. “Wait, Alex and Sasha?” I asked. The two flinched as I said their names before they suddenly fell to one knee holding their heads. Sebaste stepped forward, a worried look on his face. “You two okay?” He asked. “Y...yeah, We’re okay. Wait… The party! Last thing I remember was a flash of light then… nothing...” Sebastian said as he shakily stood up. Viktor looked at him as if he had sprouted a second head. Cece and I just stared at them, while everyone else looked at them in confusion, excluding Discord, who was lounging on the air. “Dude, the heck are you talking about?” Viktor asked. “I believe that he's talking about his last meeting with these two,” Discord said, gesturing to me and Cece. “When did he meet these two? I’ve never seen them before in my life!” The Spartan said. “It's… just a few memories… I still don't remember anything else….” the Astartes said. “But I remember meeting Dark with Sebaste and the Hearth's Warming party, but other than that… nothing.” “Well that makes sense. Considering what he said…” I said, remembering what the ‘author’ said. Cece nodded. “I can only imagine how the others would react, knowing you guys are okay. And that Sebaste is still around.” Alex groaned. “Uuugh, who put a sledgehammer to my head?” She said before she looked up. “Dark? Cece? What… what happened? I remember the party, but my mind’s a big blank after that… and… why does my arm feel wei-!?” She cut herself off as she heard her right arm faintly whirring as it moved. Cece and I blinked. “Um...what was that?” Cece asked. She didn't answer as she looked at her arm in shock. She moved her fingers and then her hand, each movement accompanied by the same faint whirring sound. “What's… what's happened to me? Why’s my arm mechanical?!” She asked, her voice starting to panic. “Alex, calm down. You lost your arm in a car accident and ended up getting a custom made prosthetic.” Viktor said. “I think these new memories are scrambling your mind a bit.” “I feel like I seen something like this before,” I muttered to myself. Sebaste glanced over at me in confusion. “Where exactly did you see something like this?” he asked I shrugged. “I watched a lot of shows before being Displaced, and read a lot of stories. Probably one of them.” Alex meanwhile had managed to calm down after her panic attack and was now looking around in confusion. “Um… why are we in Canterlot?” She asked. Having already heard the story, Sebaste gave them the lowdown on what he had heard. “Been here for a little over a week now,” Cece said, petting Emily. “And I'm pretty sure that things haven't gotten better.” Sebastian sighed before saying, “I'm sorry you two had to go through that. But I understand things weren't in your control and this happened.” “Aye,” I muttered. I then looked to Screwball, who was eating some spaghetti. “Why did you wanna show her to us?” I asked Discord. Discord just shrugged. “Well, I figured you'd like to know. Considering the fact that you two are the only ones who knows anything about Screwball besides Twilight. I thought that you would be the best to help her “fit in”. Not to mention SOMEONE needs to watch her, and before you say anything, Fluttershy already has her hands full with watching me as well as those animals of hers, so she can't.” Sebaste arched an eyebrow at that. “Too busy making chaos to really watch her?” “Sort of. Not to mention I'm not exactly the best person to raise somepony, now aren't I?” “Good point.” Sebaste then chuckled as Viktor tried out his active camo for the first time and surprised Cece. “It's been awhile since I've been able to relax…” “Why you little…” Cece said, before disappearing. Sebaste jerked back in shock. “What in Tartarus?!” He exclaimed. “When was she able to do that!?” “Remember when I said a Kamen Rider Displaced gave her advice on a new power?” I asked. A second later, Viktor was flung to the wall. “Yeah, she can turn invisible now.” Cece then reappeared with her hammer. An arcane shield suddenly sprung up between her and Viktor. “I think he gets the point.” Alex said, a smirk hidden behind her helmet while her right hand glowed with magic. “Like I told Sebaste, I only like being scared on Halloween,” Cece said, dismissing her hammer. “To be fair, this is his first time meeting you guys…” Sebaste said. “Well either way, he should know better than to try and scare someone with a giant mallet.” “Well he’s learned his lesson,” Alex said. That she tilted her head. “Um, anyone hearing wings flapping? And I’m not talking about Rainblade flying.” Said Pegasus gave her an annoyed look. Hearing that, Cece and I immediately put on our hoods. “Seb, you should put on that helmet,” I told the Spartan. Sebaste nodded before he slammed his helmet back on and sealed it. And not a moment too soon. The doors opened and a pegasus with a yellow coat and orange mane came through with a blue pegasus stallion with a black mane. “Spitfire and Soarin. Glad you can come,” Celestia said, getting up and walking to the two newcomers. “Of course Princess,” Spitfire said. “We're happy to come over.” She then saw the rest of us. “Oh, sorry. Are we interrupting something?” “Not really.” Sebaste replied. Then what looked to be a small glowing blue woman in army fatigues and flak armor appeared on Viktor's shoulder and asked, “Vik? Where are we?” “Another Equestria Kyra.” He replied. “And it’s another anthro one at that.” We all just stared at him and the figure on his shoulder. “Um...explanation please,” I said. “This is my AI companion Kyra. Kyra, this is Dark and Cece, the Displaced of this Equestria.” Viktor said. “It's nice to meet you both.” She said. “So she's pretty much your version of Cortana?” I asked. “Who?” Cece said. “Halo character, not important right now.” “You could say that,” Viktor chuckled. “She helps keep an eye on the systems in my armor.” I nodded before looking back at Spitfire and Soarin and saw their confused faces. “Um, what's going on?” Soarin asked. “Oh where are my manners! The name’s Eliteslayer, and these four behind me are Sebastian, Alexandra, Viktor and Rainblade.” Sebaste said, nodding to the three Displaced and the augmented pegasus. When they saw Rainblade, they both did a double take. “Rainbow Dash?” Spitfire said. “It's Rainblade. That was the old me before Rainborg turned me into this…” She said as she raised her hoof, which then split in half with a hiss of bionics and a Bolter muzzle poked out of it. She lowered it and it returned to its original form. “How did this happen? We just saw you a few minutes ago, and you were fine, and didn't look like...that.” “Wait, you think she's….” Sebaste began to roar with laughter. “She's not this world’s Rainbow! She… She's from my old Equestria.” “Wait what?” I got up and walked to the door. “You guys explain this. I'm outta here.” Mike then got up and followed me as I walked down the hall. “Excuse me…” Sebastian said before I heard him come up behind me. “Dude, you okay?” He asked as he caught up. “Yeah. Just annoyed and confused.” “About the business with Nisled?” “Yeah. Only good that came out of that encounter was Rainbow activating her Conduit gene.” “Sebaste mentioned that she had Aquamancy. But how has she been since the… incident?” “You mean Hearth’s Warming Eve?” “Yeah.” “I think she's been okay. She left after the party and was in Cloudsdale with her family for the next week, so I don't know how she handled it.” Sebastian chuckled, “If I know Rainbow, she’s not one for showing her feelings in public.” He said. “Sebaste said something about how it's amazing that I saw her “caring side”.” “Why would he say that?” He asked, sounding confused. “Cece mentioned how she risked her life saving me from Nisled and he started laughing and said that.” “She what? Huh… that's rare even for her to do. Only way I’ve heard of her doing that is if she had feelings for someone she really cared about…” Sebastian remarked. “But I'm not pointing fingers, it could be that she wanted to buy you guys time for you to be taken to the hospital.” “Funnily enough, I was the only one who needed to be sent to the hospital. Cece was just hit with her hammer, and Delsin was hit by Nisled launching her at him. I on the other hand nearly bled out.” I then used my spider-sense to survey the area. When I didn't pick up anything, I leaned towards Sasha and whispered, “And don't get it in your head that Rainbow has feelings for me. I’ve had enough of that from Aurora and Delsin.” “I wasn't implying it, although people say denial is proof, but I don't get involved with other’s lives.” He said. “But how's Twi and the rest of the gang?” “They're fine, last I heard. Twilight’s trying to fix things up in Ponyville for us and the others are most likely doing their usual thing. It's kinda sad. Only had a job for a few days and then we had to leave for a while.” “Things have been a bit insane for us as well. We just lost Fillydelphia a few days ago.” He said. “Sometimes I don't know why we were sent to that Equestria….” “Who knows…” “Maybe you're supposed to protect your Equestria,” I heard someone say next to me. Turning around, I saw Screwball looking at us. “Gulliman's Blood!” Sebastian yelped, stumbling backwards. “Gah, I hate it when that happens!” “Sorry. I'm not entirely used to my powers yet.” She said, chuckling. “It's… to be expected, seeing as you were recently created.” He said. He then noticed a blue and yellow blur with a familiar prismatic mane flying nearby. “Um Dark? Wasn't Rainbow recently inducted into the Wonderbolts?” “Yeah, why?” “Because I'm seeing her a few feet in the air near us in Wonderbolts garb.” “Wait, what?!” Sebastian then pointed towards where she was. “Over there!” I looked over and saw Rainbow flying around, looking for something. Before I can say anything though, Screwball teleported in front of her. “Hi.” Rainbow immediately jumped and nearly hit the ceiling. “What the hay?” “Ooh, that's gonna leave a mark…” the Astartes muttered. “It would've, if A: she wasn't a Conduit and can heal fast, and B: she actually hit the the ceiling.” “Point for your side.” I nodded before looking back to Rainbow staring at Screwball with confusion. “Well, we should go to her.” He nodded before the two of us headed towards where she was. “Excuse me, but I think you're in the wrong castle.” He said as we halted below her. “I'm afraid I’m gonna need some ID.” “What are you talking about?” Rainbow asked, landing in front of him. “Geez Dashie, you honestly don't remember me ?” He asked, sounding hurt. “You’d think vanishing like that would leave quite the memory…” “Vanishing? What are you talking abo-” her eyes then widened. “Sebastian?” “Anyone else here that's dressed like an Astartes?” He asked with a chuckle. “It's good to see you again, and from what I've heard, you’re quite the powerhouse now with those powers you acquired.” Rainbow chuckled. “Yeah. Though, still have a bit to learn with these powers.” “I bet. It's…. weird having to relearn my abilities. At least Eliteslayer helps with that.” He said, carefully avoiding saying Sebaste's name. “He’s definitely quite the teacher.” “Who?” “Someone in Halo armor,” Screwball said. “He’s actually chatting with Spitfire and Soarin if you want to meet him.” Sebastian said. “Alex and Viktor are there also along with… well, a pony version of you, but she's… had a bit of a rough time.” Rainbow did a double take. “Wait, Spitfire and Soarin saw another version of me?” The Astartes chuckled, “They thought she was you, only with augmentations. Don't know how they didn't notice that she was an actual pony, and not… well, anthro like you guys.” “In case you didn’t notice, they were shocked by both the cybernetics, AND her shape,” I said. “Right… Speak of the devil herself…” he said as Rainblade flew in and landed next to us. “The others were wondering where you two were and sent me to find you.” She said as her wings folded, the built in blades glinting in the sunlight. Rainbow’s eyes widened. “Another cyborg? Seriously?” Rainblade’s ears flattened. “I didn't ask to get kidnapped and turned into what I am now! Blame Ahriman for that, his Rainbow Dash did this to me when that war happened in my old Equestria!” She snapped. Rainbow shrugged. “Just don’t attack my friends, and I won’t hurt you.” She then lifted one of her hands and it started glowing. Rainblade snorted. “You must have your head in the clouds if you think I would want to hurt anyone. You don't know what it's like to wake up as a combat drone for the New Black Legion. I hated it! I never wanted to hurt anypony… but I was forced to.” She said, flaring her wings. “And I now have to deal with ponies looking at my “upgrades” and giving scared looks!” “I’m just saying. A cyborg version of Twilight attacked Dark just because he called her Twilight.” “Let me guess, she encountered Nisled?” Sebastian asked. “She was Nisled’s version of Twilight,” I said. “Turned into a cyborg after everything he did to her. Oh, and she’s an electricity Conduit.” “Yeesh, I’d hate to tick her off…” he said. Rainblade then looked at us. “I’ll let the others know where you guys are, unless you three are coming back to the dining room?” “Before you go, do they know what I am?” I asked. “Yeah, Sebaste…” she corrected herself after seeing Sebastian shake his head frantically. “... Eliteslayer explained about the Displaced just as you two left.” “Wait, what did you say about Sebaste?” Rainbow asked. “Goof up on her part. Pay it no mind.” Sebastian said. Rainbow had a suspicious look that I knew all too well. “Okay…” She said, putting on her goggles. “C’mon, let’s head back. Better not let the others worry too long.” He said. I shrugged. “Okay.” “You coming Dashie?” “Sure. Might find her on the way.” She replied with a shrug. The six of us then headed towards the dining room, along the way, Sebastian asked Rainbow, “So how's the life of a Wonderbolt?” “Pretty good. Might be able to convince Spitfire to let me use my powers for a show or two.” “It’s funny, but back on Earth, we had a show where humans actually controlled the elements, so Earth, Fire, Water and Air. But they didn't turn into clouds or the like.” He chuckled. “Really?” “Yeah, ran for a whopping four seasons before it ended.” “What show are you talking about because the one I’M thinking about only had three seasons,” I said, tossing Mike’s pokeball in my hand. “The Legend of Korra.” “Ah. I was thinking Avatar.” “Well, they are part of the same series, one just happens later after the team has grown up.” He then tapped his helmet in annoyance. “Something must be wrong with the wiring in this helmet, I keep picking up a signature on the motion tracker other than you guys…” “And by grown up, you mean most dying and those still alive being around Granny Smith’s age. And that signature might just be Cece again. Or, you know, ANYPONY ELSE! We're in Canterlot. The place has a LOT more ponies here than Twilight’s castle.” “Except this one keeps flitting in and out of range, like it’s trying to keep out of sight. Almost like Pinkie's around…” “I think I know who it is,” Rainbow said. “Who would be acting like Pinkie? I don't think I know anypony that’s as random as she is…” Rainblade said. Wait a minute… “She's a WonderBolt who came with us today named-” “SURPRISE!” I heard someone screamed right behind me. “AAAAAHHH!” I screamed, jumping to the ceiling and sticking to it. “GULLIMAN’S BLOOD!” Sebastian yelped. Rainblade lept five feet into the air, a new gun poking out of her hoof as she looked around in shock. “Surprise,” Rainbow said, shaking her head. I looked at the pony that had yelled and saw that she was a white pegasus with a poofy blonde mane and looked identical to Pinkie, even having a cutie mark of three balloons as well. A single pair of armored boots running sounded from the hallway before Sebaste appeared and skidded to a halt. “The hell was with the yelling? We heard you and Dark shout as if you got spooked by something!” He asked. He then looked up. “And why is Rainblade looking like she's about to open fire?” The pegasus quickly withdrew her weapon and landed. “Pinkie’s G1 counterpart came in and scared the living hell out of half of us,” I said as I dropped down. “Wait, you mean Surprise? Bloody hell…” he sighed. “It's not the first time I've encountered her in a different Equestria. There's one that goes around with a Mask Displaced.” “Mask? …Are you talking about what I think you're talking about?” “Guy with a green mask and can do all kinds of 4th wall mayhem? Yep.” “Oh dear Lord, Discord would have a field day with that guy.” “Tell me about it…” he muttered, before he noticed Rainbow giving him a strange look. “Um.. yes?” “Who’re you?” She asked. “The name’s Eliteslayer. I’m an operative of Celestia and Luna and a member of the Royal Guard Reserves.” He said. Rainbow just continue to stare at him. “I feel like I’ve seen you before…” “You sure it wasn't some other Spartan?” He asked. “Because there are a bunch of other Spartan Displaced out there.” “Other what?” “A guy in underwear and a cape, basically,” someone said. Looking over, I saw Cece walking to us. She stopped though when she saw Surprise. “Um, since when can Pinkie become a pegasus?” “Cece, meet the Pinkie from the G1 ponies, Surprise.” Sebaste said, and then added sarcastically, “And yes, that's what I was talking about…not.” “Oh God there's another one.” “I’ve met another Surprise in a different Equestria. Both she and the Mask make quite the… duo.” He said. “Okay then. You guys can deal with the Pinkie clone, I'll find something else to do. Maybe find another guard to beat.” Cece then walked away and ran down the hall. “Wonder when she'll stop with that,” I muttered to myself. “She's been doing that a lot lately?” Sebaste asked “Yup. Finds a guard to challenge and beats em. Not like they're a challenge to be honest.” “Let’s hope she doesn't go over her head…” The Spartan muttered. Out of reflex, a Magnum appeared and then vanished in his left hand. He quickly looked at Rainbow to make sure she hadn't seen that. “It's mostly her version of training. Might help toughen the guards up too. Though it'd be useful to find someone who's actually a good opponent for her.” “She should take it out on a dummy instead.” He chuckled. “Dummies aren't exactly useful for dodging and thinking on your feet. Heck, it'd be more useful if we had some LMDs.” “LMDs? What are those?” Rainblade asked. “Life Model Decoys. Basically, think robotic changelings used for training. They can turn into anyone, allowing you to train to fight that person. “You mean what that droid in The Force Unleashed was?” “What are you… Oh right. Proxy. I loved that game. And to answer your question, pretty much, but not having actual consciousness. Just normal AI.” “Hmm… maybe we can try doing a bit of practice with my Holograms…” Sebaste mused before he suddenly cursed himself for letting that slip. “Wait what?” Rainbow said. “Slip of the tongue.” He said. “Dude, just tell her,” I said. “If you don't, I will.” Sebaste sighed. “It's been awhile, but it’s me.” He said as his armor shifted to a more familiar look. Rainbow eyes widened in shock. “Sebaste?” The Spartan nodded. “Yup. In the flesh.” Rainbow just stared at him, her mouth hanging open. “I-I thought you were replaced.” “I was. I'm more of a teacher for Sasha and the other two now. But I'm still alive and kicking.” Rainbow chuckled. “Wait until the others find out.” “Gives me another reason to talk to Sarah and Tomas,” I said. “Who?” “Two Displaced that both Sasha and I met before we were re-displaced.” Sebaste said. “Okay, but what does that have to do with Dark?” “From what he told me, he encountered them a few days after… you know…” “Really?” “We caught Mike and Emily in their dimension,” I told her. “And, according to Tomas, Discord may be able to open a portal there with their token.” “Oh, maybe I can do that for you,” Screwball said. “Well, we’ll cross that bridge when it comes.” Sebaste then looked at Rainbow. “I heard about you fighting Nisled. That in and of itself is bravery in its highest form.” He then took his helmet off and gave her a small smile. “Especially if she knew how risky it was,” I told him. “Agreed. But sometimes events makes heroes out of ordinary people.” He said. I chuckled. “Ain't that the truth. Isn't this is a world where six normal ponies became heroes of a nation out of nowhere, saving this place at least four times?” Both Sebastian and Sebaste chuckled. “That it is, Dark, that it is…” Sebaste said. “Um, can we go back to the dining room please?” Screwball said. “I’m pretty sure the others would be wondering where we are.” The rest of us nodded before we continued on our way to the dining room. And when we got there, we saw Spitfire and Soarin talking to Celestia. Both Viktor and Alex were in another part of the room quietly chatting. As we entered, they both looked up and Alex gave Rainbow a small wave. “Who're they?” Rainbow asked. “The Orbital on the left is Viktor, while you should recognize the Scout on the right, take a look at her right arm.” Sebaste said, nodding to the two. She looked at the arm. “Alex?” He nodded just as the female Spartan walked up to them. “Hi Rainbow….” Alex said. Rainbow smiled. “Nice to see you again Alex. Like the new look.” “Thanks…” Alex then shifted her right arm, the faint whirring of gears being heard as it moved. “What was that? “I’ve… changed since you last saw me, my right arm is now completely mechanical.” Alex said. “So...you're a cyborg too?” “No, I lost it in a car crash. The arm’s just a prosthetic.” She replied. Viktor then walked over and stood next to her. “So you're this world’s Rainbow Dash? Nice to meet you.” He said. “You too…” She said. “So you're Seb's “replacement”?” “Um… what?” Viktor asked in confusion. “Forget about it,” I said. “Just something we were told a few weeks ago regarding Seb, Sasha and Alex.” “Oookay…” he said. “So what's your story Dark?” He then asked. “Huh?” “He’s asking about when you got Displaced.” Sebaste spoke up from where he was talking to Rainblade. “Oh. Um, I'm not sure I'm comfortable telling everything with those two present,” I whispered, pointing at Spitfire and Soarin as they were talking to Celestia. “Good point.” Alex said. “So what do you guys want to know about us?” “How's the new life?” Sebastian chuckled. “To put it simply, war is hell.” He said. “Luckily we’ve only fought off a few attacks from the enemy. Other than that, we just help around the town.” “Hmm. By the way, where in the timeline are you?” “Fifth, or at least, it would have been…” Sebaste said from behind me. “Huh… How bad is it?” “Try having a crazy pony convince leaders of other cities nearby to secede from Equestria and then declare war on the Princesses. That's how bad.” “So it's in a civil war?” “Pretty much.” “Wow. Wish I can help with that.” “Unless you want to get targeted by tanks and automatic weapons, I wouldn't risk it.” Sebaste replied. I sighed. “But there is one pony there you might be surprised to see.” “Really? Who?” “Ever heard of Nyx?” “Nyx? Isn't that what you called Stella?” Rainbow asked me. “Yes,” I said, before turning back to Sebaste. “Why?” “Well… we have the actual Nyx. She's more of a teen than a filly now, but she's in our Equestria.” “Really? So Past Sins happened or something else?” “I'm guessing it happened a few years before we even arrived in Equestria….” “Huh.” “Um, details please,” Rainbow said. “Long story short, filly Nightmare Moon some cult created using Nightmare Moon’s remains and Twilight’s blood. They wanted to bring her back, but failed. I don't remember most of it, but it ended with Nyx being a filly again, and the cult was disbanded. Oh, and she's a good guy and basically Twilight’s daughter.” “Wait what?” “I know, crazy isn't it?” Viktor chuckled. “To say the least,” I said. “It was quite a shock for me when I learned Nyx’s story.” Rainblade spoke up. “Back in the Equestria I came from, Nightmare Moon was no more.” “I honestly don't remember how I found out about Nyx.” “Anyways, we’ve encountered some new Displaced over the past few weeks, along with a few old faces.” Sebaste said, but as he did so, a noticeable strain entered his voice. “I met a lot of Displaced over the span of a week, as you already heard. So who’d you meet?” “The first Displaced we met was an HK droid from the Star Wars: KotOR and a few weeks after that, we got summoned by a Solid Snake Displaced.” Alex said. “Sebaste wasn't with us that time.” “Huh. All I understood about that first one was Star Wars. As for Snake, cool. I only played Phantom Pain though.” “A month after that, we were summoned by a Displaced that had gone as a pilot from the Supreme Commander series, and that time Sebaste was with us.” “The what series?” “Long story short, it’s a game where you basically get to control a giant mech and experimental vehicles and weapons. I believe it's an RTS PC game.” “Okay…” “Anyways… After we helped him capture his world's Rarity so that she could get un-brainwashed and got back to our world, we encountered an old friend of Seb's from his old life named Craig. He’s…. also our adoptive brother.” I blinked. “Okay then…” “A few weeks after that… we met Ahriman.” Sebaste spoke up, his voice suddenly tense. “That guy who did...that?” I gestured to Rainblade. “That was one of his subordinates, but yes, him. Apparently he had a hand in re Displacing me and blocking most of my memories and the majority of Sasha’s and Alex's memories.” “On what?” “Their old lives.” “Ah.” Rainbow looked to me. “Um, Dark? Isn't there something you're supposed to do before they leave?” “What are you-OH RIGHT!” I then pulled out my phone. “What is it that you want to show us?” Sebastian asked. “It's not necessarily what I want to show you, more what I want to do.” Rainblade and the four soldiers gave me a confused look as I said that. “Translation?” Sebaste asked. “Well, after what happened to you guys, I did a bit of thinking, and I figured I could have a better way to remember any Displaced I meet than just by their tokens.” “That… actually makes sense.” Sebastian said with a nod. “So you want to take a picture of us?” “Aye. I've been taking pictures of all the displaced I've met and those they're close to. Here, check this one out.” I pulled up the picture of Ashur and Aurora and tossed it to Sebaste. Sebaste caught the phone and looked at the picture. “These are the two Assassin’s Creed Displaced you were talking about? You’re lucky, I haven't had the chance to encounter one.” He said as he showed the others. “Yeah. Them, Octavia, Luna, and Vinyl. They're all pretty nice but Aurora is a bit of a shipper.” “A what?” Rainbow asked. “Not important,” I immediately said. “It has something to do with boats, not really your kind of thing.” Viktor joked. “Okay…” She said. “So where do you want us to stand for the pic?” Alex asked. I shrugged. “Anywhere I can see your whole bodies.” “Maybe out in the hallway by the window?” Sebastian suggested. “Sure.” We then headed out into the hallway, Rainblade and the four halting at the window and turning to face me. “Okay then.” I faced my phone towards them. “Say “Soldier”.” I took the photo and put my phone in my pocket. “Okay, that's done.” Sebaste nodded. “It was good seeing you and Cece again after all this time.” He said. He then looked at Rainbow. “Same with you Dashie, it's crazy that the first time we met, you were raring for a fight, but now here you are, a Conduit and a Wonderbolt. You’ve definitely come far from the hot head that tried to deck me because of a nickname.” Rainbow chuckled nervously. “Right...forgot about that.” He chuckled. “Tell the girls I said hello. Alex, open the portal.” The Spartan Scout rolled her eyes and muttered, “Yes, your wizardry…..” before her right hand glowed with arcane power. Within seconds, a portal was open besides us. “Well, it was nice seeing you again,” I said, sticking out my hand to Sebaste. He took my hand and shook it. “You too Dark. I hope things get better for you mate.” Both he and Rainblade then entered the portal and vanished. Viktor then walked up and said, “It was nice meeting you mate, I… still find it crazy that Sebaste knew you from a different Equestria. But I wish you luck for whatever the future holds.” “You too Vik. Until next time.” He nodded but as he walked towards the other two, a portal suddenly opened beneath the three. “Ah shi-!” Viktor swore before he was cut off after falling into the portal which then closed with a hiss, Alex's portal also closing. “Um...what just happened?” Rainbow asked. “I don't know, but it was nice seeing them again.” “Yeah. It was. Come on. We should get back to the others before they wonder where we went.” I nodded and we started walking back to the dining room. “Hey, before I forget, why exactly are you guys here?” “Spitfire said we got an invitation from Celestia to have lunch here, and I was specifically asked to join.” “Really? Huh. Wonder why.” “If I had to guess, it’s so I had an excuse to see you guys again.” We walked in silence for a moment until she said, “Hey, I have a question for you.” “Yeah?” “You said you’ll be going back to the dimension you got Mike from soon?” “Yeah. Why?” “Whenever you guys are going there, let me know.” “Why?” “So I can go too. I’ll actually be able to meet these guys you and Sasha were talking about, and if something happens, I can help.” “You sure?” “Yeah.” I shrugged. “Okay, if you say so. I'll send a letter to Spike to let you know when we're going.” She nodded. And we continued to the dining room.