//------------------------------// // Academics and Lessons // Story: Redeeming Darkness - 'Displaced' // by KukriRyuTsukino //------------------------------// Canterlot- Charlemane Street, Equestria  ‘Interesting duo. I get the sense that Octavia seems to lean more towards the classical music, though she has an innate talent for softer rock and probably country music as well,’ Thomas mused as he walked alongside Minuette, his crystalline teal-aquamarine irises scanning instinctively for threats. He couldn’t explain what bothered him, but he had a strong sense of being watched, and not by anything friendly. He had never told anyone that he had had a fondness for music, though he had never actually done what he’d just done… actually playing not only in front of a crowd, but with someone else and in front of someone else. It genuinely surprised him how… relaxed it had felt. A small smirk crossed his face as quite a bit of the music he knew of was more… intense…. compared, he was sure, to anything these ponies were likely used to. “Guess that weapon convention did more than gain me those,” he muttered. “Huh? What do you mean?” Minuette said curiously, trotting alongside him. “The last thing I remember… before finding myself… here… wherever here is compared to Earth… was buying a pair of blades, ones that were usually molded plastic but this guy had done more… forged them as actual blades yet they looked identical to the usual fake blades that were usually sold as props. The only real difference was the weight, though to me, they aren’t heavy, strangely, they’re almost… light,” he said carefully. He was telling the truth, just not everything in detail. He blinked in mild surprise as they came around a wall, seeing a building he didn’t recognize. ------- 𝌜𝌐𝌚𝌲𝌡------- ------- 𝌜𝌐𝌚𝌲𝌡------- His eyes narrowed fractionally as a sudden plume of dust detonated to the right side of the building, which he got the sense was some sort of school or academy. He darted forward at high speed, followed closely by Minuette. “W-what is that thing? And those… things with it?” Minuette said fearfully. There were several young women and men cornered by them before she heard a sharp inhalation. “I don’t know what the larger thing is, but the Bārohei, I recognize… they’re essentially fodder… if I’m right,” she heard Thomas say before she gasped as he darted at the creatures. ------- 𝌜𝌐𝌚𝌲𝌡------- The larger Android turned, its drill torso whining as Thomas’ eyes narrowed as he pushed off the ground as he summoned Byakōshinken from his subspace pocket. “That doesn’t look good. Let’s make sure those people are okay,” Byakō said with a slight whine. “Agreed. Not too sure what the larger one is, but I don’t see it as harmless, though those Bārohei should provide a decent workout,” Thomas deadpanned. He also had the distinct sense that he wasn’t alone as his hand darted behind him, pulling out the first Coin he’d forged. “Ōtakebi, Tōra!! Henshin,” he barked, swatting the switch with the tip of his finger as golden white fire erupted, shoving the larger droid back with several blasts of sparks spitting forth before it wrapped around him, forming into a far more streamlined form of the Kibaranger’s armor. He twisted Byakōshinken so it rested along the underside of his forearm in a reversed grip before slamming the butt of the hilt into the gut of the Bārohei nearest to him twice in a short jabbing strike that slammed the weaker droid into the corner of the wall, spinning it onto its face. A very faint smirk crossed his face as he rolled his shoulders, slashing the Bārohei across the chest in a burst of sparks before he felt two thick metal bo staffs slammed into his chest and shoulder, shoving him backwards. He grunted as he rolled backwards onto his feet, wincing a bit. He cocked his head as magenta and violet bursts of energy flared, detonating either directly on the ground inches from the Bārohei or directly on the Bārohei droids themselves, tearing three of them apart, leaving only four and the larger droid. He shifted his weight as he kipped up from the ground, narrowly evading sharpened discs that ripped into the grassy ground before his eyes narrowed beneath the visor, noticing the hud picking up two power signatures similar to his own. “Let’s see you handle this, Kirameki Yari,” he snapped as he drew the pads of his forefinger and middle finger along the edges, absently noticing the golden fire that trailed after his fingers before he thrust Byakōshinken at the Bārohei droids, impaling one with a spear of golden light that detonated in a fireball that ripped the other two apart and shoving the last into the larger android who was running up. ------- 𝌜𝌐𝌚𝌲𝌡------- ------- 𝌜𝌐𝌚𝌲𝌡------- “You’re not attacking my school, and especially not when I was busy elsewhere,” he heard a female voice speak with tight annoyance. He glanced over his shoulder, tilting Byakōshinken so he too, could see the odd girls. One had light yellowish gray skin, a messy red mane falling over her shoulders and an equine tail with purple highlights, deep purple eyes, and a design of a crescent moon and three stars upon her shirt whilst the other had moderate violet eyes, dark sapphire blue hair streaked with moderate purple and raspberry in a bob cut, and light mulberry skin. He noticed the pink starburst surrounded by five smaller white starbursts. He didn’t think twice about the horns, though he absently did notice them, more focused on the rising whine as his gaze flicked back to the larger drill themed robot as its arms shifted to be angled their direction, the gun barrels obvious to him. His eyes widened as bursts of light detonated from them, making him cry out in surprise and pain as a dense blast of sparks blew from his chest as well as several more on the ground, probably from shrapnel from whatever hit him as he was hurled backwards onto his back, Byakōshinken flying from his grasp as the sentient blade yelped as he managed to catch the Tigerzord Coin as it was ejected hard, making him wince as the armored form dissolved into motes of light as he felt the mulberry skinned girl help him to his feet. “Any idea what to do?” the other girl said. “Get the ones they were trying to apparently kidnap out of here, for one… though how we’re going to delay that thing or distract it, I have no idea,” he said quietly, wincing. “I know we haven’t gotten along lately, Moon Dancer, but this isn’t about us, but about them,” the mulberry girl spoke then. “You must be Twilight, then,” Thomas said, noticing how the mulberry skinned girl stiffened in surprise. “Celestia said something about meeting a ‘new student of hers’, though she didn’t say who it was,” he clarified. Twilight exhaled, shaking her left wrist, exposing a pale pink copper bracelet with a open Coin hatch. She glanced at Moon Dancer, who had done the same but exposed a golden copper bracelet with the same Coin hatch. Simultaneously, they slid what he recognized as the Gingaman Pink and Yellow coins, made of rose quartz and golden topaz respectively, into the hatches before clear lenses slid over the coins before the Coins flared with light. He checked the case, finding that those Coins were missing from his case, along with quite a few of the others. He noticed something hard underneath his hand in the smoking soil and pulled free what he immediately recognized as the Gingaman Red Coin, made of ruby which hadn't been easy to acquire or carve, unfortunately. ‘Well, shit. Looks like I may end up recreating those teams here, since the Zyuranger Coins are also missing, and I never made the crystals for the Dairanger Blue, Pink, or Yellow… so it’s entirely possible that they may be found elsewhere by others,’ Thomas realized as he tugged out the ruby Coin, brushing away the dust. He inhaled sharply in surprise as the crystalline Coin flared with flames before wrapping around his left wrist, forming into a reddish copper bracelet with an identical hatch opening. He winced as he stood slowly, coughing a bit not only from his aching body, but the smell of burnt soil and grass. He noticed, out of the corner of his eye, that all but one of the students had fled out of sight. As the drill android turned towards her, he slapped the Coin into place, his eyes narrowing as he gritted his teeth, feeling like fire was rushing through his body as the Coin flared with energy. His eyes drifted closed as flames whirled around him in a wild cyclone, forming the bodysuit before motes of light formed into the helmet over his head. His eyes snapped open as he inhaled deeply, feeling the heat rushing through his body and soothing his injuries. His eyes flickered to the sides, where Twilight had become Ginga Pink and Moon Dancer Ginga Yellow. “Let’s see how this thing handles this,” he said wryly. “Right,” both girls echoed, though he could hear the awe in their voices. Fortunately, he was able to keep his own awe in check. His hand dropped instinctively to his left hip, finding the Seijūken sheathed. He tilted his head slightly, seeing the drill droid angling its arms again before pulses of light flared out. He leaped to the side, not that surprised to see Twilight do the same in an acrobatic cartwheel as she reached behind her, drawing out what he recognized as the Jizaiken Kiba. His hand dipped behind him, finding the Jizaiken Kiba sheathed at the small of his back as he exhaled softly, pulling it forth. He tilted it, folding the blades outside of one another, forming its crossbow blaster form. “Huh, that would be wisest. It seems to be strongest at close range, so we should rely on long range attacks,” Twilight remarked, flicking her wrist so her own did the same. “Heh, let’s see how easily we can distract it, though… destroying it may be best,” he replied wryly. He saw the drill android stagger as Moon Dancer blasted it, several bursts of sparks following it. He fired several bursts of ruby light, making it yelp in pain and surprise as it spun before Twilight’s consecutive blasts made it stumble and fall flat on its ass. “You aren’t going to kidnap nor harm anyone,” he started. “Anypony else,” Twilight interjected. “Whatever. It’s not going to harm ‘anypony’ else,” Thomas said dryly as he shifted his weight, drawing the Seijūken although he kinda ignored Twilight’s gasp as the sword blade seemed far too long to fit into the dagger sized sheath. “Honō Issen… kiri,” he muttered, swiping the blade upwards diagonally to the right before slashing downward from the left to the right as electrical flames from the thick arcs of ruby red energy impacting flared and danced over the droid’s body before it collapsed and detonated in a large fireball, fortunately more than far enough the Academy was undamaged. “I doubt this would be a lesson anyone would want to learn, that’s for sure,” he sighed as he sheathed the blade as Moon Dancer darted to them, a golden white aura flaring before dying as she stumbled, only for him to catch her before she sprawled on the ground. He could feel the scrapes and bruises on his body already as his own suit dispelled, though he noticed the flare of pink out of the corner of his eye before Twilight pulled Moon Dancer's arm over her own shoulder.