"Will he be okay?" I asked Alad as my brother, who looked as he did as a teenager, lay on a cot with a blue and red jumpsuit with an odd helmet that peeled away from his head, the lining colored yellow.
"He's alive, Oryx," Alad said. "He simply needs time to wake up. What concerns me, however, are the other three Tenno."
"So there were actually four people?" Cybis asked.
"Yes," The Corpus scientist replied. "However, Excalibur; who is the one we've come to physically know, Prime; the gold one, and Umbra; the one with the scarf are all clones of Josh, who, if we are using some variation of Warframe lore, is still a conduit for the Void, which grants a Tenno their power. A warframe simply focuses it. That is why an Excalibur can not create flames like an Ember can or a Chroma with red or reddish orange colors for energy."
Rhino rubbed the equivalent of his forehead, just under the horn. "So Harmony created three clones of Josh in his adult form, then reverse aged him and put him to sleep after switching him with Excalibur?"
"Yes."
"Someone get me a damned anti-magical nuke."
"Not even sure that would work," Rhino," Josh-the Hunter- said. "Still, I think we should do what we can to destroy the Element of Sacrifice and remove the Darkness abilities in us. I don't know about you guys, but I con't use anything Harmony gave us knowing this."
"I'm more interested about the Excalibur Josh arrived," Didact said. "I'm thinking that was actually him, but when Harmony changed the color, she swapped 'em out, and put Josh into the Second Dream. That's what it's called, right?"
"Bingo," Alad said.
"Right. Given the flash he said occurred when that happened, along with when he first went Prime which led to the switch between Excalibur and Prime," Didact said, "it stands to reason that the same thing has happened with the other Tenno in his Equestria, but that are not aware of it."
"And they're all ponies who are annoyingly loyal to Harmony," The Hunter said. "Well, that and a single changeling, far as we know." He sighed. "Christ, this is going to be a shitstorm, I just know it."
"Fortunately, I've sent messages into the void using some magic and bit of tech," Alad said. "It's keyed to Harmony's magic from the sample you three gave, and will go to any who have been directly touched by it. It'll warn them to not trust her, and even a bit of an invitation to something Oryx and I have been planning."
"What's that?" Cybis asked.
"A Displaced Brotherhood," Alad said. "Not a faction for war. The Brotherhood's supposed to be an alliance of Displaced in positions of power such as all of us who are currently conscious and in this room that will allow them to send an army to support an ally or request our help. Of course, with this, most will probably need to be able to take on an actual goddess."
"Like I said: shitstorm."
"Anyway," I said, ignoring the Hunter, "what have you done with the other three Tenno?"
"In containment bubbles in my lab meant to cut off the flow of magic and, by extension, void energy, making them powerless. No telling what they'll do upon waking up," Alad said. "And they will wake up. My sensors picked up Rapid Eye Movement, an indicator of dreams. Unfortunately, Didact won't allow Balance to see what it is they're dreaming about."
"She may be this Equestia's Luna, but she still hasn't had much training in that magic, and it's a Tenno," Didact said. "True, one that has essentially been asleep for its whole life, but still. I will not risk my daughter's well being on something like that unless the odds are very much in her favor. By which I mean ninety nine point nine percent in her favor."
"Just saying," Alad said as he held his hands up before one of his assistants rushed into the room.
"Your majesties and sirs, it's the three Tenno," He said in a panicked voice. "They're awake and trying to break out!"
"Called it," Alad said. "Follow me everyone," He said as the collar he used to control Zanuka activated. "Zankua, keep them contained."
With that, the three Guardians, Didact, and Alad left the room. I, however, stayed behind to watch over my brother, hoping if he woke oon, he could help keep the three Tenno contained.
Alad-ten minutes later
"FUCK!" Rhino shouted as he was embedded in the wall by a punch from Excalibur. That is to say the one who Josh had been controlling for the most part of his time as a Displaced.
"Someone get him out of the wall!" Didact shouted before he ducked under the slice wave of an Exalted Blade. He then straightened and fired off a few shots from his Scattershot at Prime, who had his Exalted blade out.
"Kinda busy!" Cybis shouted back as he fired a Lance Nova bomb at Umbra, who sliced it in half with a Nikana Prime, and then used Slash Dash to avoid a Razor's edge slice by Josh.
"That's right, bitch! Run from your god!" he yelled before chasing Umbra through my lab. Zankua was now trying to get Rhino out of the wall as I was analyzing the data to see just how the three of them broke out.
"Damn it, those containers were able to hold Oryx's taken, how did they get out?" I muttered as I looked over the recordings using my visor from outside the room. I was looking at the footage for a tenth time when a frame caught my interest. "Hello," I said. "Pause, rewind five seconds, speed at twenty five percent, enhance and zoom next to left most occupied pod." The footage did so, and what I saw was a gray mare in a white dress with rainbow hair and tail with an orb of rainbow magic in her hand. "Play," I said. "Keep at current speed."
The recording played, and I saw Harmony look at the camera and wag a finger to it before releasing her magic, shattering the containers, and ten teleporting. "That bitch!" I then activated my radio. "Guys, Harmony freed them!"
"Okay, we need to to start planning on how to kill the bitch," Rhino yelled. "Shit!" he yelled as he fell out of the wall.
"Kinda hard to since she's multi-dimensional being!" Cybis replied.
"Working on something right now," I said. "More of a side effect of that Displaced Brotherhood thing, but still, I'll put more focus on it."
"Do it," Oryx said beside me, making me jump as my visor went up. "No need to inform me of the situation, Alad, I know enough to know Harmony has declared war on us."
"Yes, well," I said, "we're still having an issue containing the three Tenno, to the point where they may destroy us more than the other two factions we're facing."
"Then let me try something," I heard another voice say from behind Oryx before Josh walked out from behind him. "Open the door. This is my fight, my problem to fix. Don't try to stop me."
"But how-"
"By being a motherfucking Tenno, that's how," Josh said as the hood of his suit, which looked like a mutated face with two lidless eyes combined over his head, showing he was wearing the full Zariman suit that in game Operators wore by default.
"I hope you know what you're doing," I said as I opened the door, through which he entered the micro war in the lab.
Operator Josh
I walked into the lab to see that it was pretty much in ruin, the three Excaliburs having utterly destroyed their containers and forcing the others into a literal corner. Once I walked into the room everything seemed to stop, and the three Excaliburs looked at me, causing the others to as well. I stood at the entrance with my arms crossed behind my back. "Well," I said. "You want revenge on me for controlling you, right. Here I am. I won't stop you."
"W-why?" Umbra growled out, him being the only one I hadn't controlled.
"Because I'm a Tenno, and a Tenno must pay for his mistakes," I told them. "If you must kill me, so be it, but the others are simply allies of mine, and had nothing to do with this." Here, Excalibur slash dashed over to me, and placed the blade of a Skana at the side of my neck.
"What about our brothers and sisters?"
"Still alive, far as I know," I said. "I can't guarantee, however, that you'll be welcomed back. Harmony, if this is any indication, will do anything to prevent the unfiltered truth from coming out." I then inhaled, then exhaled. "You may kill me if you wish, but if you do, ask yourself this: who made me control you, and what did I do upon finding out? I know you know it, Excalibur. You were the one I was controlling upon finding out."
This made him pull his blade back a little. "Because of her, I unknowingly controlled you for the better part of two years, Prime for not even a day, and Umbra is the only one who hasn't been controlled," I continued. "If you want my head, you can have it, but think about how many others are being controlled by her or will be. Now, what do you consider yourself?"
"Tenno. What else could we be?" Prime said as he pointed a Lato Prime at me.
"Then are you going to kill another Tenno for something he fixed as best he could as soon as possible, or the one manipulating him and you to prevent it from happening again?" I asked before another voice-one I knew well, spoke up from behind me.
"I knew I should have killed you before you opened the door," Harmony said before Oryx and Alad were teleported into the room, and Excalibur and I jumped further into the room, and I saw Harmony at the entrance. "Oh well. Better late than never." With that she unleashed a beam of magic focused on me, but I simply held up my hand, and it stopped as green void energy coursed along my arm.
"I thought you'd know," I said. "As a Tenno, I am a conduit of the void, and have access to every Warframe ability at reduced strength unless specifically focused on it. Right now, I'm using a localized snow globe to stop it." I then snapped my fingers, and a small explosion radiated from me as the world around me became dull and subdued in color, and the snow globe piece vanished, and the beam hit me, only to do nothing. "Rift walk." I then teleported in a cloud of smoke in front of her and left the rift plane, creating a set of green claws on my right hand as I did so before stabbing her in the stomach. "Teleport plus hysteria," I said to her shocked face as I saw blood course down my hand. "So you're just another one, then," I said. "Farce is up," I said before making a green Skana in my left hand. "Gods can't bleed, after all," I said before stabbing the Exalted blade into her head and sending a bolt of lightning into it, frying the brain.
As the body fell to the ground, Oryx walked next to me. "I assume given this you think Harmony is just a pony who found out how to access other dimensions at will, found some sort of longevity potion or the like, and took up the position of Goddess as a power trip when she is just as vulnerable to blade and gun as us?"
"Bingo," I said. "Also, it stands to reason that there is some sort of center point in the Multiverse where all the variations of a person exist, and that's how each Harmony is aware of the others plans in nearly an instant. Two are dead, but more live. Only way to kill 'em all is there."
"I'll get to work on finding a way there one I send the beacons out," Alad said.
I nodded. "Thanks. Also, once this is all over, think you can get a portal to the human variation of my Equestria."
He nodded back. "I'll see what I can do."
I then looked at the three Excaliburs who walked out next. "What about you three? If you don't want a part in this, you won't be forced to."
"She manipulated the four of us and many others," Prime said. "And besides, Excalibur and I do have your memories. Our actions were in a blind rage and perhaps her controlling us."
"If she wants a war," Excalibur said. "She'll get one from the new Tenno order."
"And I know bits and pieces," Umbra said. "Enough to know the four of us are genetic clones, making us brothers. I'd personally be ashamed if I didn't stand next to my brothers."
"I can work on getting you a warframe, Josh," Alad said, to which I shook my head.
"Nah. Right now, I'm good having access to the abilities." I then created an orb of green flame in my left hand, and an Exalted blade in the right. "So then, who's gonna be the first faction we decimate so we can start planning on how to kill the bitch?"