//------------------------------// // Case 44: Triple Training // Story: SPD Emergency // by cyberlord4444 //------------------------------// Twilight sighed, after the near disaster of the Grand Equestrian Pony Summit, she was looking forward to heading home. As she heard the door open, she turned to see Spike. “All the delegates are headed home, although Celestia said she’d like us to join her and Luna for lunch before we go.” “Sounds like a nice idea,” Twilight said as she folded her business suit, “I haven’t had a chance to just talk to them in… what’s this?” Under her skirt was a silver medallion with 3 black battle axes crossing each other. “Think it might be one of those Token things?” asked Spike. Twilight’s eyes sparkled as she considered it, “Oooh, so much to learn.” Twilight then cleared her throat as she picked it up, “Greetings, I would like to make your acquaintance if it isn’t too inconvenient.” Nothing seemed to happen... “Huh,” Spike said, “guess it’s just an ordinary pendant that got mixed up with your stuff somehow.” “Guess we’d better find out who it belongs to,” Twilight said as she put it down. As soon as it touched the desk a faint rainbow glint flashed over its surface. “Let’s get to the dining hall then.” “I still can’t believe that Spike didn’t just close the window,” Luna said. “Well, you know how he can sometimes miss the simple solutions when he’s focused,” Twilight said as Spike blushed. “I can’t imagine where he gets it from,” said Cadance, causing Twilight to blush. “Now Cadance, you know it’s… what the hay?” “Something the matter sister?” asked Luna. “The chef’s made a very nice spinach quiche that I was keen to try, and now it’s gone,” said Celestia. Suddenly a dish on the table full of apple wedges became surrounded in a light pink aura as it was slowly dragged to the edge of the table furthest from the four princesses and dragon before disappearing. “What’s going on?” asked Twilight. “Looks like we have a few uninvited guests,” Cadance said as she ducked her head beneath the table. When she came back up, she was slightly pale, “Um, you should see this.” “Then let us not waste any time,” Luna said before levitating the whole table into the air. Once the table had been removed The ponies and Dragon stared in surprise at a pair of fillies, one a thestral with light blue hair and the other a white unicorn with a pink mane, the both of them looking like they had just gotten caught with their hooves in the cookie jar. The two fillies immediately then grabbed whatever food they were munching on, including Celestia’s quiche, before galloping for the door and out of the room as fast as their little hooves could take them while leaving a trail of various crumbs. “Wonder who they were?” Luna wondered aloud. “They shared a similar body type to the Trixie who came with…” Twilight trailed off before looking at Spike, “You don’t think?” “Don’t see any other explanation,” Spike replied. “What are you talking about?” asked Celestia. “Well,” Twilight started, “just before we came down for lunch, I found a strange pendant in my room. I thought was a Token, and tried using it, but nothing happened. Looks like that might not be the case.” “Obviously,” Luna said as she set down the table, “but they do not appear to be Displaced themselves.” “Must have tagged along. Spike, send a message to Cruger, he’ll want to meet them. Cadance, if it’s not too much trouble…” “Say no more,” Cadance said as she got up, “been a long time since I’ve had to do this.” “Excellent,” Twilight said, “Celestia, Luna, mind looking for the actual Displaced? If it’s not too much to ask.” “Sounds like an excellent idea,” said Celestia. “You know,” Twilight said as she swiped at the Thestral filly to no avail, “when I first came up with this plan, I thought this would be the easy part.” “You clearly haven’t taken care of kids,” Cadance said as the Unicorn ducked a shield spell meant to trip her up. The fillies then suddenly ducked into a hallway leading to the castle basement, knocking over a couple pieces of furniture with flower vases on them to delay the two princesses in their wake. “I’ll have you know that I’ve been tutoring three little fillies not much older than them,” Twilight said as they followed. “So that’s a no then,” Cadance replied. “You’ll never catch us alive!” The fillies sang before ducking back into the passageway they had decided to run into. “Alright,” Twilight said as they resumed the chase, “I must admit that even they weren’t this much trouble.” After a few minutes, they finally managed to corral the two fillies into a passageway that was a dead end. “Nowhere to run now,” said Cadance, “now why don’t you just come here.” Looking around nervously, the now scared fillies tried to look for a way out of their current trap while backing up further and further into the corridor. “Don’t worry, we’re not going to hurt you,” Twilight said, a few of her hairs springing from her mane, “now where are your Displaced?” The two fillies, not knowing what Twilight meant bolted for the end of the corridor opposite of the princesses, crying in fear as they ran. “In my professional opinion,” Cadance said, “you’d make a horrible foalsitter.” “Then it’s a good thing that I’m a librarian-slash-inventor-slash-princess of friendship,” Twilight said before they followed. They ten watched as the fillies ducked behind something hidden by the shadow which filled the end of the unlit corridor. Cadance sighed as she leaned down as she pulled a pair of cookies out of her pocket, “Don’t worry, you’re not in trouble, we just want to talk.” “Go away!” the fillies shouted in unison, causing whatever they were hiding behind to shift slightly. “Are you sure?” Cadance asked as she crawled closer, “because good fillies get cookies.” Suddenly, a gigantic double edged ax crashed into the ground just in front of Cadance accompanied by a pair of glowing green eyes revealing themselves looking down at her. “And just WHAT are you planning on doing when they do come out miss?” the owner of the ax and glowing green eyes demanded. As Cadance chuckled and moved back, Twilight giggled, “Finally, I get to meet the Displaced who they came with. Cruger will want to meet you, but I think he’ll be willing to wait until I’m done.” “I have no clue what you're talking about lady, but you scared our charges, so don’t expect us to cooperate.” Said a second voice as a pair of glowing blue eyes appeared, this being only being half as tall as the one wielding the ax but still much taller than both of the princesses. “Oooh, there’s two of you,” Twilight said, “well I suppose Cruger and I can just flip a coin as to who gets first crack at who.” “Are you planning on dissecting us or something?” asked a third voice, a pair of golden horns and a large green gem on his chest the only part of him that could be seen, though this one seemed to be as tall as Cadance if she stood on the tips of her hooves. “Three, oooh the things we could learn. I need to get my notebook.” “Is she for real?” The second voice asked, sounding a little annoyed. “Sorry,” Cadance said, having regained her composure, “she tends to get a little unstable under extreme stress, like having to chase those two fillies halfway across the castle.” “Castle? What castle?” The third being asked as he seemed to turn to face the other two unknown beings. “I don’t know, but it seems that tunnel we fell into leads to civilization, this should prove interesting.” The second being said, addressing the third. “You’re in Canterlot Castle, the catacombs of it anyway. Oh, and where are my manners, I’m Cadance, and this is Twilight.” “I’m Axonn,” The first of the beings said, pulling his ax out of the ground. “This is Knightmon,” He then said indicating the second being, “And Magna defender, or magna for short.” He finished by indicating to the third being as they all stepped into the light. “Anyway, Cruger should be here by now,” Cadance said, “why don’t we go meet up with him.” “Cruger? We don't know who you're talking about, though the name rings a bell.” Magna stated, putting a hand on the sword at his waist in warning towards Twilight. “Don’t worry,” Cadance said as Twilight was muttering under her breath, “I’ll keep her under control until she calms down.” “What are you talking about, I’m perfectly calm,” Twilight said, “is that axe made of the same stuff as your skeleton?” “... what were you saying about keeping her under control?” Knightmon asked, giving the two mares a bemused look. “This is her under control during one of her episodes.” “Whatever you say.” Magna quipped, causing him to get a look from Axonn. “What?” As they returned to the dining room, Twilight had managed to regain most of her sanity, and Cruger was waiting for them, “I trust you managed to recover the quiche thieves? They must have been hungry if they went for the spinach.” “Oh? And what makes you think they might dislike spinach?” Magna joked as he and his two companions entered the room, the two fillies sitting on Axon’s massive shoulders. “Because they’re 6,” Cruger chuckled, “by the way, pleasure to meet a fellow Ranger.” “I knew we remembered the name Cruger from somewhere.” The three beings chuckled in unison. “So someone mind explaining what is going on?” Knightmon asked. Cruger raised an eyebrow, “You mean this is the first time you’ve been to another Verse?” “If you mean other than waking up in the middle of a forest with these bodies then no, that's about all we can think of.” Axon replied. Cruger turned to Spike, “You sure you found a Token?” “See for yourself,” Spike said, holding up the medallion in question. “Wait, what's a token? and someone seriously needs to explain what's going on…” Magna grumbled, rubbing his temples. “That may take some time,” Cruger said. “Why don’t you join us for lunch?” said Celestia. “Might as well.” The three of them said in unison as they shrugged. “Just don't bring out any meat, these two young ones were about to be turned into stew by Skakdi before we rescued them and essentially adopted them.” Axon then informed Cruger and the princesses just to be safe. “Fair enough,” said Celestia, “by the way, Twilight’s message said you were named Axon, Knightmon, and Magna, correct?” “That is correct.” Knightmon replied with a nodd. “And what is your name miss?” “I’m Princess Celestia, and this is my sister Luna.” “You can't be celestia and luna!” The unicorn filly shouted, “Because I’m Celestia and this is my friend Luna!” She then said while pointing at the Thestral filly. “Err, that can’t be right,” Twilight stammered, “Celestia and Luna are Alicorns, you are not.” “What’s an Alicorn?” The filly Lina asked. “Apparently they are little one.” Axon said while pointing at the Alicorn Celestia and Luna. The fillies blinked a few times at their counterparts before merely glancing at eachother in confusion and shrugging. “They do kinda look like you two did when you were their age,” said Cruger, eliciting a chuckle from Magna. “So, since everyone of importance has been introduced, you mind explaining that dimensional stuff you mentioned now?” Knightmon asked Cruger. “Sure thing, but first,” Cruger turned to look at Twilight, who currently had litteral steam coming from her ears, “Spike?” “I’ve got it,” Spike said before pulling her away, “come on Twi, let’s see if the library’s got any new books.” As Twilight was lead away, Cruger sighed, “Sorry about that, it’s just that she needs time to process this stuff. So, is there a place you want me to start, while I start on this lovely Alfredo.” “Well, you could start from the beginning? We know next to nothing about the situation and are barely holding onto our collective sanity.” Magna said as the fillies jumped from Axonn’s shoulders and onto the table before attacking a plate full of salad. “Sounds like a good place to start. So, what’s the last thing you remember before arriving on your Equestria? Was it, a convention perchance?” “Nope,” Knightmon replied. “I was sitting in my living room having a chat with a strange old man who had asked to come in to rest his legs...” “Then the next thing I know he gives me three items that represent our current forms claiming that they belong to me…” Magna continued.   “And once I picked up the three items out of curiosity I was surrounded by a bright light and passed out before we woke up in a crater in the middle of a forest in our current forms.” Axonn finished. “A mite outside of standard Displacement, but not by much,” Cruger said. “Wait, I?” “Before being displaced my name was Maximus Garrison.” The three of them said in unison. “And you split apart upon Displacement,” Cruger said, “have to admit, that’s a new one.” “Funny thing is, we wouldn't have ever suspected to end up like this ever. After all, we didn't have anything like multiple personality disorder or anything.” Magna chuckled, making light of their situation and causing his two counterparts to roll their eyes. “As interesting as it may be, we can come back to it later,” Cruger said. “Anyway, unless I’m very much mistaken, that old man was probably The Merchant, who’s responsible for the vast majority of all Displacement. Before you ask, there are hundreds of us, at least, although I’ve only met a handful.” The three beings just stared at Cruger in shock. “Well, this will certainly be interesting…” Axonn then managed to say, getting nods of agreement from his counterparts. “Understatement of the year,” Cruger said, before taking another bite of his pasta. “Well, at least we got a pretty good loadout if this is going to turn out how we think it might.” Knightmon chuckled nervously. “Don’t you just,’ Cruger chuckled. “Kanohi powers, digital combat, and of course the Power Ranger’s signature, pretty well rounded group if you ask me.” “Indeed, especially since that Kanohi is the mother of all lie detectors.” Magna joked as he elbowed Axonn. “Only problem is that the three of us have next to no experience in combat or in using whatever abilities we now have…” Axonn said as he tried to remember all the powers he and his two counterpart’s forms had. “Well, you could come over to my base, we could do a little research, a bit of training, get you basically combat ready before you head home.” “Well, that would help a lot… don't know how it will work out though.” Knightmon said. “Don’t worry, this isn’t my first time doing this kind of thing,” Cruger said before opening a portal, “what say we leave the little ones here? Keep them out of trouble.” “That's probably a good idea.” Axon agreed, glancing at the two fillies currently busy stuffing their faces. “Thought as much, follow me,” Cruger said before walking through the portal. The trio gave one last quick glance at the fillies before turning and following Cruger through the portal, hoping that the two fillies didn't cause too much trouble while they were away. On the other side, they saw Cruger at a computer terminal, “So, shall we get started?” “We have no clue.” The trio said while shrugging in unison. “Anyway, step one is to figure out your full capabilities, luckily this base came with a read-only internet connection to earth, still not sure how or why though. Who wants to go first?” “Might as well start with me.” Magna stated, “After all, it only gets more confusing from here.” He then joked. “Don’t really need to do much research for that, I’m a Ranger fan myself. Your main weapon is your sword, when inserted into the scabbard and the hilt tilted down it becomes a burst fire energy rifle. All that with the addition of your Zord gives you a well rounded attack range, while admittedly without too many defense options besides your armor.” “Yeah, I’m starting to remember some of this…” Magna said as memories of watching Power Rangers as a kid started flooding back. “I wonder if I can summon the original Magna Defender’s zord… don’t know if I will ever end up using the megazord but it would be awesome to know how.” “Now don't get too excited Magna, we don’t need a zord crazed kid with ranger powers on the loose.” Knightmon joked, causing Axonn to chuckle as Magna groaned at the bad joke. “Anyway, might as well get the next one done, who’s next?” “Like I said, in order of craziness. So Knightmon is next.” Magna said. “Ha ha, very funny Magna.” Knightmon retorted, rolling his eyes. “Alright then, let’s just pull up the Digimon Wiki. Here we go, Knightmon, nearly indestructible armor, massive sword, known for their loyalty. Here are the cliffnotes, your main attacks involve swinging that massive sword around and group attacks with allies. Also, removing that armor may result in unleashing uncontrollable power, so just a heads up.” “Huh, well that’s interesting. Now the only thing I have to do is worry about what I might evolve into if I ever do.” Knightmon chuckled, remembering that the few times Knightmon had appeared in the show they never gave much info on him. “That’d be Crusadermon,” Cruger said, pulling up the page, “not too many differences, except you get a few ranged options, and might become a prick.” “You certain? there might be more possibilities if my days of playing the videogames in the past mean anything.” Knightmon said as he walked over and took a look at the screen as well. “Let’s take a look… ah here we go, Craniamon. Looks like a lot of requirements, but since the main one is friendship it should be easy. Seems like a superior option to Crusadermon too, look at that weapon.” “Hey look, Alphamon…” Knightmon said as he pointed at the screen before clicking the link to the possible evolution. “Now it would be awesome to turn into him.” He added as he pointed at Alphamon’s moveset. “That it is, gotta say, if you feel like going this route, I wouldn’t blame ya. I guess it’s your turn Axonn, that 1 or 2 ns?” “Two.” Aconn replied simply. “And I already know my mask power but looking it up along with my other abilities may prove educational for you.” He added with a smirk. “We’ll see. Hmm, Kanohi Rode, Great Mask of Truth, make lying to the wearer impossible, plus can negate invisibility and illusions. Other abilities include healing, energy and electrical blasts, stasis field generation, and mental protection. Gotta say, you’ve got an excellent move set.” “It is pretty impressive isn't it.” Axonn said with a sagely nodd. “And that might not even be all of my powers since the original Axonn never used his full capabilities.” “Just watch your temper, says here Axonn’s a Berserker class.” “Whatever you say.” Axon commented. “So, whats next?” “Well, a bit of sparring might be a good bit of practice,” said Cruger. “Alright then, though who is going to spar with Axonn?” Magna asked. “I will,” said Cruger. “You shure? Wouldn’t a Zord make a better challenge?” Magna joked. “He CAN split mountains in two you know.” “1: he needs to practice against opponents his own size. 2: so have I.” “Huh, impressive.” Knightmon muzed. “But one problem, you aren't even half his height so how would that count as fighting someone of the same height?” “It’s close enough. What say we take this to one of the training halls?” “Lead the way.” Axon said as he and his counterparts fell into line behind Cruger. “So, aside from adopting the future rulers of your Equestria, anything else happen?” “Wait, what?” The three of them asked in shock. “Oh yeah, probably should have mentioned. Things from your base’s verses might start popping up in your Equestria.” “We know about that, we did mention the Skakdi that tried to make stew out of Celestia and Luna right?” Axon said, “But what do you mean by future rulers!?” “Did you forget who you were having lunch with?” Cruger asked, “Celestia and Luna, rulers of Equestria, and the adult anthro alicorn forms of your two charges.” “How…” They stammered, their eyes twitching as they tried to process this. “Well, it varies, but eventually they become alicorns and wield the Elements of Harmony. To be honest, you three actually embody 3 of them. Or rather, your bases do.” “What are the elements of harmony… and why do we feel like we just walked into a children’s tv show?” The three of them asked. “In reverse order, you have, watch this,” Cruger said, handing them a tablet, “as for the Elements of Harmony, they’re a group of 6 magical items that each represent a portion of Harmony. They’re Loyalty, Honesty, Kindness, Generosity, Laughter, and Magic/Friendship. Knightmon are known for their loyalty. Axonn, your mask is basically Honesty given form. And Magna, your base’s relationship with his son screams Kindness.” The three of them just stood there, staring off into the great beyond once they finished the first two episodes and managed to process Cruger’s words. Their situation finally fully dawning on them. “Yeah, on a side note, make sure Luna doesn’t get all mopey.” “Got it…” The three of them said, having seen what would happen according to the two videos they had been shown as they continued to follow Cruger. “Good, ah here we are,” Cruger said as they arrived at a reinforced door, “looks like it’s not in use, excellent.” “What’s with the reinforced door?” Magna decided to ask. “This thing was designed to handle extreme combat situations, so no need to hold back in fear of breaking anything. By the way, observation hall’s the door to your right.” “Alright, then who’s first?” Knightmon asked. “I believe Axonn volunteered,” Cruger said as he opened the door. “I did?” Axonn asked, giving Cruger a questioning glance as his two counterparts shrugged and entered the observation room. “Something along those lines,” Cruger said, “oh hello Dusk.” The shadowy mare squeaked in surprise as Cruger walked in on her training by herself inside of the room he and Axonn had just entered. “H-hello Commander… Can I help you?” She sheepishly asked as Axonn gave her a questioning look. “Just wanted to use the training hall with a few rookie Displaced, scanners didn’t pick you up, practicing stealth techniques?” “U-um… Y-yes? Excuse me, I’ll get out of your way!” Dusk quickly stammered out before exiting the room in a hurry. “That was… interesting?” Axonn said, “Do you usually hire creatures made of shadow? Because I know that that couldn't have been a makuta.” “Relax, she’s a good kid. And don’t mention anything, she’s nervous enough without the whole base knowing.” “Ah, I understand.” Axon replied. “Though you should probably know that she was lying when she said she was practicing stealth techniques.” He then added as he made his way towards the center of the training room. “I was giving her an out,” Cruger replied, “she doesn’t even know I know, only reason I do is because I’m one of the few beings in this Equestria who even knows her race exists.” “Ah, I see. Heh, smart.” Axon muttered as he took out his gigantic axe. “Now, shall we?” “Fair enough, fair warning though,” Cruger said as he drew his sword, “I’m almost certainly stronger than you.” “Don’t worry, we're fast learners.” Axon said, a glint coming off one of his eyes as he hefted his axe over his shoulder. “Alright then, come,” Cruger said as he took a stance of his own. Axonn suddenly threw his axe at Cruger, causing it to fly at him like it was shot from a railgun. “Good opening,” Cruger said before using his sword to redirect it straight back at him, “although a bit of spin next time would definitely increase it’s effectiveness.” The Axe suddenly shot back into Axonn’s hand as he smirked. “Duly noted.” He said before smashing the axe into the ground and creating a large crevice that made its way towards Cruger. “Impressive,” Cruger said as he leapt in the air, “but not very effective against single opponents, save it for routing an army solo.” “Hey, I’m testing out the moves I saw in the comics before I do anything really showy.” Axonn laughed as he grabbed one of the pieces of floor that was knocked loose when he created the crevice before tossing it into the air and using his axe like a baseball bat hit it towards Cruger. The piece of floor promptly shattered before launching in Cruger’s direction like the buckshot of a shotgun. “Good use of the environment,” Cruger said before vaulting over one of the larger pieces and planting his feet against it, “time to see how you do in close quarters.” Cruger leapt off the rock, and shot towards Axonn, sword ready to swing. Axonn’s mask became a poker face as he brought his axe back for a swing with one hand, before using it as a feint to clobber Cruger in the gut with the other and firing a beam of energy out of it at the same time, launching the SPD commander across the room. “Hows that?” Axonn then asked. “Impressive,” Cruger said, revealing that he had blocked the punch with his sword, “time for one last test before we wrap up.” “Oh? And what would that be?” Axonn asked, quirking a mechanical eyebrow. “How you handle a superior opponent,” Cruger said, before becoming a blur. Before Axonn could blink, Cruger had struck him everywhere, twice. “Okay, that I didn't expect.” Axonn admitted as he flexed his limbs to get the tingling out of them. “Let me guess, you were holding back?” “I haven’t even morphed, what do you think?” Cruger replied, “so, think you could beat me?” “Hold you off, possibly. Obtain final victory, not yet.” Axonn said as he shifted into a ready stance. “But that doesn't mean I’m going to concede during a training fight.” He then added before charging at Cruger shoulder first. “Excellent,” Cruger said, sidestepping the charge, “the ability to gauge an opponent's strength relative to your own is a vital skill, and one I’m glad I won’t have to teach you. By the way, your analysis was spot on, assuming I didn’t morph of course.” Axon planted his axe in the ground just as he passed Cruger and using it as an axis point spun around and delivered a drop kick as large as the ranger to his back. “It's easy when you can tell truth from feint with ease.” Axon commented as Cruger went flying again. Cruger chuckled as he recovered, “I must admit, haven’t had this much fun since that match with Gilgy. But what say we call it for now, have to leave some gas in the tank for your brothers.” “Might as well.” Axon chuckled as he relaxed before pulling his axe from the ground and returning it to its slot on his back. “Alright then,” Cruger said as he pressed a button on the wall, “just need a bit of clean up first.” With a whir, the scattered rubble turned to dust before filling the newly created crevice and re-solidifying. “Impressive, I bet that really comes in handy if there are more beings out there like us.” Axonn whistled as he made his way towards the entrance. “To be honest, it’s a recent addition,” Cruger said, “so, who’s next?” “I would say Knightmon since Magna will need the most training.” Axon said before exiting the room and making his way into the observation room, and after a bit of commotion Knightmon made his way into the training room. “So. I’m up next I’m told?” Knightmon asked for confirmation as he took a ready stance. “It appears so,” Cruger said as he did the same, “let’s see what you can do.” “Might as well.” Knightmon shrugged before drawing the sword at his waist and removing his shield from his back before charging Cruger, shield at front and sword pointed ahead. “A joust is it?” Cruger said before generating an energy shield and charging himself, “most appropriate.” Knightmon rammed into Cruger’s shield at full tilt, his sword knocking the ranger’s aside as he stood his ground. “I’m just following through with what feels right for this body.” He said in a monotone. “That’s good,” Cruger said before jumping back, “let’s see how you handle ranged.” With that, Cruger launched a charged energy slash. Knightmon braced himself behind his shield as the energy slash connected before deflecting away from him. “That all you got?” Knightmon taunted as he charged towards Cruger again. “Not even close, you?” “Don’t know, but this is certainly funner than larping back on earth!” Knightmon said with a glint in his eye as he rammed into Cruger only to be blocked easily. “That I can agree with,” Cruger said as they began clashing swords, “don’t forget your feet.” “What?” Knightmon said before Cruger hooked his leg with his own, knocking him down. “You have to make sure you have solid footing at all times,” Cruger said, holding the tip of his sword to Knightmon’s throat, “if this was a real fight, you’d be dead.” “Heh, Well it appears that I’m currently the weakest member of the group until I learn to digivolve it seems…” Knightmon said as he slowly put his hands up in surrender, dropping his shield and sword in the process. “Doesn’t mean you’re weak though,” Cruger said as he helped him up, “I know they say that a knight in shining armor has never had it tested, but you seem to be the exception, not even a scratch.” “Really?” Knightmon asked as he quickly gave himself a once over. “Huh… Guess I have the highest defence of our group. That will certainly make up for my lack of versatility for now… Unless I fight someone with Digizoid weapons then I may be in trouble.” “That may be a while, give you plenty of time to learn how to deflect blows. Now, one left for the crucible.” “The crucible?” Knightmon asked as he picked up his shield and sword that he dropped before returning them to their proper resting places. “Just a figure of speech, now send your brother in.” “You got the brother thing from the fact that one of our members is a Bionicle didn't you?” Knightmon asked with a chuckle as he made his way towards the room’s entrance. “No, the three of you used to be the same person, therefore you are related, I’m treating you as triplets.” “Hmm, makes sense.” Knightmon replied before leaving the room, only for the space outside to be filled with laughter followed by the sound of metal connecting with heads... “Ouch… Never knew I was so touchy…” Magna said as he was rubbing a comical red lump on the top of his head as he walked into the training room. “Let me guess, Knightmon took umbrage at you commenting on his performance,” Cruger said as he rolled his shoulder. “How’d you guess?” Knightmon asked as he stopped rubbing the top of his head and drew his sword at the same time as the lump disappeared. “Just a bit of deductive reasoning, now don’t expect me to go easy on you just because we’re both Rangers.” “Wouldn't dream of it.” Magna said dramatically. “Alright then,” Cruger said, taking a ready stance. “show me what you can do.” “Ok then.” Magna said before he started running sideways in an arc around Cruger before putting his sword back into its sheath and converting it to gun mode. He then took the blaster from his belt and took a shot at Cruger from the commander's right. “Looks like you know how to shift your weapon’s modes,” Cruger said, blocking the shot with his sword, “although your aim could use some work.” “Hey, you're the one who told me that it could do this and how to do it.” Magna chuckled as he started backing away. “That and we have never fired a gun before. Though we have built robots that are capable of firing guns back in college.” Cruger whistled, “Which one was that?” “University of military robotics. One guy had gotten ahold of a mech suit prototype which he was working on before we wound up here.” Magna laughed. “Man, sounds like fun. Back on topic, let’s see your swordplay.” “Ok then~” Magna said before converting his blaster back into a sword and charging Cruger, who leaned to one side and out of harm’s way, except for a foot, which tripped him up. “Knightmon had the mass to make a charge work, and his shield prevented me from using that trick. Next time, plan to stop before you reach your target, not after.” “Got it…” Magna said as he pushed himself up off the floor after Cruger caused him to faceplant. “Yeash, Those two really made it look easier than it really is.” “Because they have the bulk to back up a heavy blow, lightweight fighters like us need to use finesse, which is much harder.” “No kiddin…” Magna sighed as he stretched before jumping away from Cruger and getting back into a ready stance. “Ok, let's do this!” Cruger chuckled, “At least you’re enthusiastic.” “Hey, someone has to be the clown of the group. and it certainly isn’t going to be one of those two.” Magna said with a shrug before charging Cruger again... “Well, at least you’re learning how to fall right,” Cruger said, standing over a dazed Magna. “And they said that was a useless skill!” Magna joked as he stuck his fist in the air before proceeding to shakily stand up. “Woah… I think I’m having deadpool vision right now.” He then said as everything around him seemed to be spinning along with rainbows and other things that shouldn't be there appearing and doing random stuff. “Hope that’s all you develop, I’ve already met an actual Deadpool, and trained his daughter, that’s my limit thank you.” “Wut?” Magna asked before shaking his head, causing his vision to return to normal. “You met Deadpool? And he had a daughter? That sounds… both awesome and painful at the same time.” “With his verse’s Luna. And yes, it was.” “Yeah, definitely not letting him near the kids now.” Magna said as he wobbled his way towards the entrance to the training room. “Hey guys I know you're listening! Come over here and give me some help… Please?” The door to the training room opened and Axonn stepped in before lifting Magna up and tossing his counterpart over his shoulder. “Hows that?” “Just… Peachy…” Magna replied, causing Knightmon to snicker. “Ok, so we have enough combat training to not instantly get ourselves killed. So now what do we do?” Knightmon said before both him and Axonn turned to look at Cruger for guidance. “Well, assuming there’s nothing else we need to do here, we need to head back to Canterlot and pick up your charges,” said Cruger. “I guess, I just hope they haven’t caused any trouble…” Axonn said, shortly followed by the sound of thunder booming overhead. “...That didn't sound ominous at all...” Cruger looked out the window as they stepped into the hallway before muttering under his breath, “Of course, it would be you wouldn’t it?” “What are you talking about?” Knightmon and Axonn asked. “Nothing really, just one of my personnel being dramatic. Shall we?” “Were right behind you.” Axonn said. Cruger nodded before opening a portal and stepping through. But when they arrived they found the dining hall empty. “Um… how long were we training for?” Knightmon decided to ask. Cruger checked his Morpher, “About an hour. That said, this is the dining hall.” “Then they must be somewhere else right about now then.” Axonn sighed in relief. “Probably,” Cruger said before noticing a note on the table, “looks like Twilight took them to her castle.” “Oh dear…” Knightmon groaned as he facepalmed. “Hopefully it won’t be too bad,” Cruger said as he opened another portal. “Yes, lets hope.” Axonn chuckled nervously, Knightmon nodding in agreement. After they passed through, they couldn’t believe what they saw. The floor was flooded with water and the ceiling was filled with smoke coming from the direction of the library… and that was only the beginning of the chaos they found. “You adopted them right?” Cruger asked, “hope Digimon don’t need sleep.” “Don't worry, there are enough of us to take shifts even if they did.” Knightmon said as he and his two counterparts looked on in astonishment at the chaos before them, before a bone chilling scream broke the silence. “Uh oh, that sounded like Twilight,” said Cruger. Axon, Magna, and Knightmon all looked at eachother before suddenly running off in the direction of the scream. When they arrived, they saw Spike holding Twilight back, who had an incensed look on her face, and a slightly scorched and damp book in her hand. “How dare you practice fire magic in a library!” she yelled at a penitent, and scared looking, Celestia, “if I hadn’t placed fire prevention magic on them, they would be ashes.” “Scawy lady stay away from my sister!” Luna shouted before kicking a thundercloud over Twilight’s head, zapping the alicorn with a lightning bolt as a result. Twilight turned to look at her, too mad to register the, admittedly weak, bolt, “And you, while I appreciate you trying to save the books, rainclouds are not for inside, you could have caused the ink to run from here to Appleoosa, to say nothing of the other mess you made.” *Squeak!* Luna replied before speeding over to Celestia’s side where they cuddled up to one another and cowered like puppies that had just been kicked. “Alright Twilight,” said Cruger, “I think they’ve learned their lesson.” Twilight glared at him for a second before stomping off, muttering to herself. “Ok, now that THAT’s over,” Magna said as he and Knightmon stopped restraining Axonn, who immediately ran over to the fillies and scooped them up into his arms while trying to comfort them. “What are we going to do next? Because I feel like something should have happened by now seeing as two rangers from different seasons have met.” “Doesn’t always happen, had a Kamen Rider OOO Displace here for a week of training and nothing happened. Besides, what do you call this?” Cruger asked as he gestured to what used to be the reading room. “Uh, good point.” Magna chuckled as he rubbed the back of his head. “So, any questions before we send you home?” “Well, I guess.” Knightmon said before he go nods from his two counterparts. “Will we be able to contact you somehow when we need to? And do you have any idea what we should expect when encountering others like us?” “My Token has a built-in communications function,” Cruger said as he tossed it to them, “although I don’t think I’ve explained them yet, have I?” “No you haven’t.” Axonn said as Magna caught Cruger’s token. “Well, a Token is a Displaced’s calling card, you can use them to summon other Displaced to your Verse if you need help or just want to hang out. Normally this would be where I’d teach you how, but it appears that the Multiverse has seen fit to create one for you.” “Ok… So now that you have given us a rundown on this thing, what about the original question about what we should expect when meeting other Displaced?” Magna asked as he tried to figure out where to store Cruger’s token. “To be honest, it depends on the Displaced. Some are nice, others are jerks. And don’t judge them based on their base, just because they’re Displaced as a villain, doesn’t mean they are one.” “Ok then. So, how do we get back to ‘our equestria’?” Knightmon asked. “Normally, the one who summoned you could send you back by saying ‘Our contract is complete’ or some variant, but I don’t think I’m the only one who wants Twilight to cool off.” “Wait, what? You mean we fell into that hole because she called us with one of these token things?” Magna asked, him and his counterparts being somewhat surprised at this. “Great, so we have to wait on her then I guess?” Axon groaned as he rolled his eyes. “Not necessarily. While summoning does have a random time limit, I happen to know how to zero the timer early, so to speak.” “And how's that?” Knightmon asked. “Last lesson before you go, some Displaced gain additional abilities that their Base don’t. For example, I have Dimensional Magic,” Cruger said before turning to Axonn, “how did you think I moved so fast?” “I see, that is certainly unexpected.” Axonn admitted. “Anyway,” Cruger said as he opened a portal, “that leads home, hope to see you again someday.” “Agreed, and good luck.” The trio said before walking through the portal with the fillies in their arms. However, before Magna passed through, Cruger grabbed his arm, “Before you go, there’s something you need to know.” “What is it?” Cruger handed him a rolled up poster, “Some guys dressed as villains are evil. This guy makes it a hobby to wander the multiverse and murder every Displaced he comes across. You see Basco, you call me.” “... got it…” Magna said, taking the poster from Cruger. “Feel free to tell your brothers, only reason I didn’t tell you earlier is because I didn’t want to scare the little ones.” Cruger then added before the portal closed, "now, I'd better get out of here before Twilight lights up." Cruger turned as he heard a sound similar to the R&D team's super-grill igniting, "Too late."