//------------------------------// // Chapter 14 Trail And Error // Story: Displaced: Crossing Roads // by Slendy //------------------------------// Displaced: Crossing Roads Chapter 14 Trail And Error Silence. Well, between all of us, the sound of the train's gears and rattling rung through our heads with a muffled tone, the tundra of white still unreadable due to its, well, nothingness. To my right was Erebus, now opting for (Gary the Stormtrooper). To what sat in front of me, was the Mane 6, Gel, Selene, and finally, Princess Luna. This was getting rather unconformable. *CLAP* At the sound of my hands clapping, it managed to startle everyone into looking in my direction, but I think Erebus was still questioning why he turned into Gary of all things, but right now, I wanted answers. "Princess Luna, you mind telling me, and I put this as bluntly as possible," I began, before sighing. "What in the actual fuck are these golden army mother fuckers! And why one of them had a cursed weapon in the first place!?" Not my best choice of words, but it got the point across, as one other alicorn stepped in "I have to agree with Lumos, what were those things, and why did one of them have such a weapon? I thought curses were just a fairy tale?" Pot calling the kettle black, aren't we? "Twilight Sparkle, there are many things that may seem like a myth, but all myths come from somewhere, and that 'somewhere' is both the origin of these 'Ciphers' and the cursed weapon, but before I continue," Then she glared at me, pointing a hoof in my direction. "You not only survived another fatal curse from that 'item', but you may have almost doomed us all for shattering that weapon!" "This coming from the person who tried to cover the world in darkness, even though that would kill 'EVERYTHING' that requires light, which is every living thing." I bluntly replied, she and the group all looked shocked at my retort, so I just shrugged. "You don't need half a brain cell to know that light is a very needed resource for life, not my problem that Nightmare had a unoriginal villain complex." "Can we just get back to the backstory already!?" Thank you Skittles, and with that, Luna filled us in on the origin of these Ciphers "Long ago, back before even me or my sister had ascended to that of the rulers, Starswirl had made one final project that he kept a secret from everypony he knew, even his closest friends. He knew that one day, enemies beyond that of any alicorn would rise to conquer all that we took for granted, even Discord would fall to their power," "So he made an army, built from gold and iron, infused with magic beyond our realm, and gave the leader a weapon from which even Sombra feared, the Hollow Fragment, a blade made from the remnants of a reality, infused with the power of a dying world, and the last piece, the ability to control," "He casted a spell, made of three seals. One of Alicorn magic, another of Chaos magic, and the last, of Time-Space magic. With these as the conduits, one could lead an army that feels nothing, and will die to fulfill their task." And with that, we all stared in shock at the how these Ciphers came to be, it would explain how that chick got control of them, since she can do practically anything, sort of "HAHAHAHAHA!!!" Me and Erebus were now in a fit of laughter, their origin, and how they work was so....stupid! Their weakness was so clear, it might as well be glowing in the sky like a comet heading directly for us! "What's so funny!?" Oh Applejack, like you could understand. "Our home is at risk, and your laughing?" "No, were dying from smartness, what do you think were laughing about!?" I barked, as I calmed myself down enough to speak. "We did our job, this is your problem, not ours." "What!? But you can't just-" I didn't let Skittles finish, as I slammed my fist into the seat, before I slipped the ring onto my arm, allowing them all to see my face in pony-form, and to decide it, I showed nothing but a cocky, wide-eye look "Oh? You don't think I can just sit back and watch this happen? News flash Skittles, I. Don't. Care." I bluntly worded for her, but a look from Luna grabbed my tone quickly. "Don't give me that look! The only reason I helped out at the Empire was because I was trying to clean up Erebus' mess, and now I have, so i'm done." "B-But what a-about those....Ciphers?" Fluttershy asked me nervously, so I just sighed, shaking my head in utter annoyance, so I just waved my hoof for Erebus to take the wheel, I didn't need this "We. Don't. Care. Its a simple concept that you all can grasp, and one which will explain that we only came here for the power, nothing more. No Fri-firen...Companionship, no pointless episodic crap, nothing, just so we could skull-fuck a world over, before we get bored and move on." He explained in a way that I found quite accurate, then he continued "I don't like any of you, I can tolerate, but nothing more. Lumos only cares because he's more screwed on right than me, and because he has an irritating motive to help, when he shouldn't, but I can't force him to change. So with that, do your own work, this has nothing to do with us, unless it directly bothers us." Erebus explained, leaving them all to gape in utter shock, then I saw Twilight look at me with sadness, but for once, I gave them an answer "You want the truth? Well if my answer back at the castle didn't stick, then this will. You are constantly pressing matters that lead to nothing more than discord, when you're suppose to be this 'Friendship Princess', so for once, wake up and learn to shut your curious mouth for once." That nearly brought her to tears, but I then turned to the now two angry ponies "Oh buck up you two! You both show more stubbornness than any human being that has even shown cognitive thought, you constantly try to best each other, to the point of near endangerment to those around you, and one of you has a serious problem grasping any concept beyond four words." AJ looked away, and Dash just seemed to freeze, next came like a gun "And don't get me started on you, Rarity," I then saw the look of disgust on her face, which my eye began to twitch. "What? I'm I not your 'perfect guy'? Am I too rude, too annoying, or just downright hideous in your eyes? Because let me tell you something, us humans weren't born perfect little rays of sunshine like all of you, were the most fucked up group of living organisms on the planet, and you're a farm animal to us, so know who's really the one in dirt next time." She nearly fainted "I don't have anything to say to either Pinkie or Fluttershy, since they are about the most realistic out of all of you. And for my final answer, you want to know something 'fascinating'?" At this, they looked at me, and I frowned. "Friendship. Isn't. Magic. Magic is magic, and sub-classes exist within it, but the concept of 'Friendship' being a form is utter bullshit!" "It's fact, magic is the form upon which universal laws and physics don't apply, but using emotions can empower magic, its not a raw form of power, only a non-physical matter that changes the outcome." Erebus added, making them all freeze at the bombshell dropped on them all, then I looked to the door out of the train cart, and I decided to get some air "Thanks Erebus, now if you excuse me, I'm going to go and bash my anger out." I bowed before leaving, not a single regret ran through me, well, not that I could tell, emotions are a rather confusing concept. But then I heard Luna speak up "You have power, just like us, and yet you squander it, just like the attacker back the Empire." What!? "What was that...?" I asked in a low voice, as I kept my back to them, but Erebus just chuckled "You done fucked up." Damn right they did. I then threw the ring off my leg, turning back into Nox, before pulling my sword from the air around us, and slamming it with enough force to completely shatter the world around us into freezing, leaving all of us to move, then my eyes narrowed "Like those Ciphers? Don't you 'DARE' try to compare me to those nats! I have the power to tear reality to hell a thousand times over! I can bend and snap it to my will! I can conjure the very time in every entity to my whim! I was the one who suffered, I was the dirt beneath everyone! And now? Now I have the strength to do anything I please, so don't think for a bloody second that I can't just leave you all to die!" I roared in anger, before the world around us resumed "Erebus can gain power from fear! And right now, he could probably open a rift home for us! We could leave, and we'd never regret it! And you know why?" I seethed, as they all looked at me with terrified expressions, but I tried not to let my voice break in that last moment of anger. "Because....We see reality for what it is...." "A waste of precious life." We both spoke, as the train fell silent once more, only the sound of my footsteps made any indication of life, before I opened the door, and walked out into the open world around me. Funny, I never expected a bunch of animated animals to piss me off so much Well....that could have gone better, then again, these ponies are always so confusing with morals that it makes us Changelings look sane in comparison. But I just sighed, getting up from my seat, before walking over to the door where Lumos had left, I did, however, hit a roadblock. "Wait, where are you going?" I glanced back over to Twilight, who looked a little better than before, I didn't really see why he needed to tear into her like that, but I guess it was already out of my hooves. So I pointed to the door "Unlike most, I don't want a guy, with the power to turn us to dust to be hostile, and since Erebus already dislikes everything, he's an exception, and besides, they have a point about 'friendship' being a source of magic on its own." I answered, but before any of them could argue, Erebus clicked his figures, as he looked at his new 'pony' body "Ok, I don't get how you can deal with this....rather weak body, but, atleast she gets it, even for a....strange equine," He replied, before he turned back into that metal creature....Cayde, I believe was its name. "But little word of warning, he's on a nerd rage, so proceed to ignore his rambling when he starts." "Good to know." I nodded, before using my horn to open the door, before closing it behind me. I then looked at the curves in the metal, as I saw Lumos rubbing his head softly from whatever he was doing. "So, that was quite a show?" "Come to lecture me, too? Waste your breath for all I care." He muttered, as he stared out towards the mountains, as they slowly shadowed us in their size, so I just decided to go out and say it "You are right, and wrong." Point for Gel, as I saw his head glance at me for a second, then back to the view in front of us. "Your right, you have the power to leave if you want, kill if you want, and to be honest, you could leave right now, I don't care. You helped me, you helped us, were even." "Seems like you have your head on right?" He questioned, and I just kept my frown steady, before I hopped onto the railing, sitting myself on its cold edge. "So why bother stating the obvious? That's my job." "Because, if there's one key difference I've seen between you and your friend, even if we've only known him for the day. You care, despite your efforts to put yourself out there as someone who could care less, you still helped Selene in only the first few minutes since you got to this world." And at that, I felt his emotions turn slightly, so I decided to press "You befriended me, and her, along with Twilight and her friends, and even Vinyl's group," I stated, as he finally turned his head to look at me, his mask's face was blank, but his emotions couldn't lie. "You can lie to yourself for the rest of your life, or you can atleast accept this one truth, just this once." "And what might that be?" He asked, as I gave him a very faint smile, even I felt some sort of companionship with him, even if I won't admit it myself "That you have more than just Erebus as a friend now, you have all of us, and if you haven't already guessed, we're extremely stubborn." I chuckled, as he did the same, before nodding. But then we were silent, and his gaze, sadly, fell back to the mountains "Ok, then...." At this, I looked up at him, as I could still sense the others peeking through the door and windows. "I'll help beat these Ciphers, even the bitch who I can guarantee is still alive, but after that, we're leaving. End of." At first, I could understand, since I wasn't too attached like the rest, but some part of me felt depressed by that answer, but I guess it can't be helped. So I just sighed, before holding my hoof out to him. "Deal." And like that, he shook back "Deal." Lumos nodded, before turning to look back at the rail-track beneath us. "Just don't expect Erebus to help, he'll only intervenes if it bothers him." It was good to know he would still be around, even if only for a little while longer. But I still felt guilty, I let him make a deal which would ultimately mean his leaving. But that's not what concerned me, what did, was the emotion I felt behind me, it was faint, but Ive had alot of practice with emotions as a Changeling, and even I can sense when a heart was slowly breaking. To Be Continued...