//------------------------------// // Chapter 2: A Really Bizarre Reunion. // Story: The V-Team // by Reizthefakebrony //------------------------------// Looking at the mirror, Zade was having a hard time to accept his new situation. The fact that he was also in a medieval dungeon wasn't helping his case. He wasn't used to walk four legged and yet it felt so natural for him. But that wasn't the only strange thing. Zade felt something inside him, something lingering from his body. As he was feeling some kind of arcane power flowing through him or so he thought. Zade immediately shrugged off this idea. "I don't even know if that is real." Zade said in muted denial. "I refuse to believe that. I rather believe that in reality we are actually in a coma after Virum knocked us out." He paused to think about what he said. "Ok, that was a grim affirmation." And then shook his head. "Let's analyze the situation very carefully, shall we?" Before Zade could even start, he was interrupted a half demonic voice coming from the entrance "Zade? Is that you?" He said. Reasonably creeped out by that, Zade turned toward him and got a full view of the stranger. He appeared as a slightly tall quadrupedal, demonic abomination with a very long blonde mane and tail, menacing full red eyes and his body being flesh-metal dark blue coat instead of furry one. Three-digit claws protruded from each one of his forelegs and has canine fangs. That sight was enough for Zade to fell back and screaming in fright. "AAAH! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU!?" "Calm down, Zade!" The demonic pony. "It's me. I know what you think about my appearance. I don't even what happened to my body or where we are." Zade calmed down a little bit, seemingly recognizing in part the voice. "Chris?" "Yes, I am." Chris groaned as he approached Zade. "I... I'm sorry for that. Is just... you looked very-" "Please, Don't even make any other comment about that. Besides, that look of mine looked very familiar to me." "So... That guy sent us into Equestria. I guess." Zade affirmed. "Zade, are telling me that you are actually starting to believe Jace's Deplacer idiocy?" Chris asked a little worried. "Honestly, I don't even know what to think." Zade replied. "If it is not the case, then how do you explain that?" Chris took a moment to think about and the said reluctantly. "Ditto." "Guys? What happened to you?" Said a familiar female voice with a shocked tone coming from the entrance. "Sera. Thank goodness. I-" Zade suspended his sentence as soon as both he and Chris looked at Sera's new appearance, which caused them to react in shock. Her body was that of a almost cadaverous, pale white unicorn with soulless red eyes, a very long violet mane and a not so long violet tail. She was wearing golden, metallic accessories on her hooves with a cyan crystal encased on the ones on her forelegs, a red retro cape and a bizarre looking golden-violet crown that covered her forehead, her ears and her newfound. There are also three golden-violet triangles being attached to her back and her sides. "Sera, what-" Zade was interrupted by Sera giving a piercing, almost death glare at him. which instantly chilled his blood. "Don't even get me started with that," Sera declared while slowly approaching them. "I'm still having difficulty to accept my own new situation. I don't even know what I look like because there's no mirror in this dungeon." Chris suddenly realized to be in the same case a her and glanced at the mirror while gesturing at it. "Sera, can I use that first?" "Sure... Why not?" Sera replied, a little disturbed by Chris' demonic appearance. As Chris approached the mirror, Sara looked back at Zade, who felt a little intimidated by her, and yet he couldn't turn his eyes away from her either. Sera's new form gave him some impression to him. "That looked very familiar," Zade commented. "Can you stop staring at me, Zade?" Sera muttered. "You are creeping me out." "Hey, now who's talking?" Zade retorted. "Guys, I know that you're in pony form already but making this ruckus won't help your case!" A half demonic and yet familiar brass voice said from the entrance, that almost startled them. They recognized that voice, preparing psychologically for what was waiting for them. "Jace?... You sounds like a little demonic." Chris commented while turning toward the entrance. "I know, right?" Jace replied, stepping inside the room and revealing his shocking appearance. His form was that of something that of a literal pony devil hybrid. He has a dark red hardened coat with fissure glowing in golden like flames being present in his neck, his chest, his abdomen and sides. He has also two slightly imposing devil wings instead of the feathered ones, a dragon like tail and four pseudo volcanic horns, which two of them were also his ears. His eye are fully glowing into a infernal golden bright. The rest of them gasped upon seeing him in that state. Sure, they saw themselves being turned into ponies in the most bizarre way possible, but seeing Jace turned into something coming from hell was really something for them. However, Sera was almost about to laugh. She managed to contain herself as Jace was getting a little nervous. That form may made him look like the devil. Unfortunately he was also accidentally adorable if compared to Chris' demonic form. To prevent any other incident, Chris decided to deflect Jace's attention. "There's a mirror if you want to look." Chris said, hesitantly and yet a little crest fallen for he had become. "Whatever. Let's see how grave is my condition." Jace approached the mirror and looked at his reflection, which made him flinch in disbelieve. "The hell!?" "Exactly." Zade commented. "Don't joking with that, Zade!" Jace muttered. "That is ridiculous! Even for my standards!" "Why not? As you said before, the Deplacer-" Zade interrupted to correct himself. "I'm sorry. 'That Virum guys that you attempted to kick in the ass' can transform someone before dislocating him into another universe... Oh, I forgot something." "What?" Jace asked. Zaid, Sera and Chris looked at each others, nodded in agreement and turned back at Jace just to giving him a louder declaration. "YOU HAD SCREWED US UP!!" "Ugh!" Jace felt his ear-horns ringing a little badly from that scream before saying. "What!?" "I'm sorry, Jace. But is clearly your fault." Chris pointed out. "You know that Virum was a Deplacer, a mysterious warlock that studied for several years, and yet you were so stupid to rush against him like not-matter-what-happens, without even giving us the time to call the police. And that is the result." "What is wrong with you!?" Sera shouted. "I had to do something before he made he could doing something to us!" Jace replied. "That happened anyway." Sera pointed out before realizing in shock what she said. "Oh my god, I can't believe that your idiocy is actually happening!" "Guys, can I have you attention for second?" Zade asked, with the other three turning toward him. "When Virum knocked us out, he said something before I passed out." "What is it?" Jace asked. "He said that he had to use us," Zade said. "That means that he would had transformed into ponies and then sent into Equestria anyway." "Are you telling me that Virum was looking for us from the very start?" Sera inquired. Their own discussion was brought to a abrupt halt by terrific, powerful voices coming from outside the room. "WHO'S THERE!?" "COME OUT ALREADY!" "Now what?" Zaid said startled. "Don't tell me is the Equestrian Police!" Jace muttered. The four ponies rushed into the corridor outside the room and saw two menacing demon-like gray ponies in black armors with fangs, horns and stained glass-like multicolored wings. And that means serious bad news for the four. "No way! Alicorn Royal Guards!?" Jace exclaimed in shock. "Are you fucking kidding me!?" "Jace, you shouldn't had said that." Zade pointed out. "Who the heck are those creatures!?" One of the demon guards said. "And how did they managed to sneak here unnoticed!?" "Are they allies of the insurgence?" The other one replied. "Insurgence?" Sera demanded. "Don't play dumb with us!" One of the guards said. "Allies or not, your presence is not welcomed in Neo Canterlot!" "Let's get them!" The other one said as he and his colleague flapped their wings and flew toward them. Sera, Chris and Jace, being mentally unprepared for that attack, were about to turn around and escape. Zade, still feeling that lingering sense of power, has another opinion regarding that. He stood up two legged and seemingly tried to face them. "Hey, what the hell are you doing!?" Jace screamed. "Don't play hero! We don't need another one acting reckless!" Sera yelled. "I just wanted to test my theory." Zade said confidently before grinning. As the guards were reaching the four, Zade's hooves were glowing with a purple energy as he was charging them with that said power. What he was about to do was far ridiculous, even for himself. "DOUBLE REPPUKEN!!" Zade improvised while shooting two waves of energy to create a powerful wave that dragged the two guards away and blasted through the wall at the end of the corridor in front of them. The four ponies were left speechless, including Zade. He subconsciously guessed how that worked but he never thought that would happen. He slowly regained his composure and returned four legged. "As I had suspected," Zade affirmed. "Suspected what?" Chris demanded confused. "When I was looking in the mirror, I had perceived some kind power." Zade paused as he then realized something. "Maybe that could be your case too, except that you had, well, the powers of someone else." "Zade, what do you mean?" Sera asked. "I'm sorry to tell you. You appearances looked like the pony form of some videogame villain." Zade responded. The other three looked at him with perplexity and then looked at each others. At that point, they recognized them being something familiar. Then Jace came to a very ridiculous and yet logic conclusion. "Wait," Jace began. "Are seriously you telling me that I'm Diablo, Sera is Hades Izanami, Chris is Nightmare and you are fucking Geese Howard? In pony form!?" "Well, I don't look exactly like that guy. He has blonde hairs, not amber ones," Zade paused. "So yes. I know that is absurd but... That is what we looked like. Minus me because I may have some different powers." "What do you mean by different powers?" Chris asked. "Maybe is because that energy wave was colored in purple and not light-blue one?" Jace asked. "I suggest you to put aside these questions for later," Zade said. "We have first to know where we are and what is going on in this moment." "Wait!" Sera halted, looking horrified. "What do you mean with Izanami!?" The boys didn't have the time to talk with Sera that she quickly rushed back to the treasury room. As the three stepped in the room, they found her looking in the mirror in shock. "Is this some kind of sick joke?" Sera demanded, one second before laughing quietly and yet nervously. "I look exactly like her." "Sera, are you alright?" Chris said, worried for sanity. "Alright you said?" Sera replied sarcastically before turning toward him with a insane, upset expression. "I am turned in the pony form of one of Ragna's sister clones! It's unacceptable! If I had see him in my dreams, I certainly won't to be in the form of Izanami! Not even in pony form! I may be obsessed with him, but even so, I HAVE STANDARDS!" The ponies fell silent as Sera's last declaration almost echoed through the room. The boys looked at Sera with a freaked out face as she looked at them with a crazed face. A face that slowly shifted into a crest fallen one as she looked down on the ground. "The only comfort is that I don't wear his earrings in this moment." Sera said to herself. "Wow." Jace said. "Talking abo-" "TIME UP!" Zade screamed, getting their attention. "We don't have time to screwing around. If we DON'T move, more other guards or even... Some convoluted monster that may or may not be the king of this place will come here and kill us all! That will happen because we didn't had learned to use our powers or had the time to do so!" Being reminded of their situation, the other three ponies looked at each other and then looked back at Zade with a apologetic look. "You are right, pal." Jace said. "So... What is your plan?" "Normally I would had asked to Sera, being the erudite of us," Zade explained. "But since this is Equestria and you are a brony-" "Wait, wait!" Jace interrupted. "I know what are you going to. I don't know entirely the whole spectrum of the MLP's lore. And most of all, I never saw this place to begin with that." Sera facehoofed. "You are disappointing. "What's that!?" Jace muttered irritated. "Calm down you two." Zade ordered. "Let's just take a look in the wall at the end of the corridor." "You mean the wall that you had destroyed while you were blasting the black armored alicorns away?" Jace asked enthusiast. "You can said that." Zade confirmed. "They may had attacked us but... Maybe they misunderstood us. I just hope you didn't had killed the guys." Chris hoped, disturbed by that idea. "Nah, Zade probably propelled them away without pulverizing their bodies." Jace assured, vaguely. "I saw that in the distance." "I don't think this world works with these physics." Sera retorted. "Just follow me." Zade said impatiently. They went out the treasury room and headed toward the destroyed wall at the end of the wall. The peered in the huge hole and saw the outside world in front of them. But what they saw destroyed their expectations. They realized to be inside a tower, being about thirty-three foot away from the a city below them that looked like Canterlot, except much different. They expected the landscape in front of them to be at least cheerful and tranquil. Instead, that was almost the opposite of that. Chris, feeling to his aversion toward the heights kicking in, flinched and retreated behind the wall while trying at least to take a little look. The other demonic ponies wouldn't even blame him for it and continued to watch the grim scene that was in front of them. The sky was azure-gray one, thought the air wasn't any polluted at all. Below and in front of their eyes, there are houses, spires and any other structure being made in black metal while being adorned with emerald crystals that seemed to grow out of the walls. Various black armored alicorns, hounds made of crystals and some bronze armored unicorns were patrolling the skies and the streets respectivelly. Almost all the buildings were adorned with golden banners sharing the same symbol. A magenta colored six-pointed stars with each tips, except the top one, having a symbol on it's own: A apple, a butterfly, a diamond, a balloon and a rainbow colored lightning. Behind the star, there was a sword pointed downward, piercing the sun and the moon, simultaneously. Zade and his companions admired in awe the grotesque landscape. Whatever was the world that is present to them can't be good. "Guys." Jace began. "Let me tell you... This is not what Canterlot was supposed to be." "Insanity comes from a screwed up mind," Sera said. "Huh?" Jace looked at her puzzled. "I don't know anything about MLP, but I can say for sure that is not a enchanted happy place either." Sera admitted. "Zade, did you recall what the guard said before?" Chris asked. "If I remembered, he said Neo Canterlot." Zade informed. "Neo... Canterlot!? You mean right in the future!?" Jace asked. "I don't think there's anything futuristic in this place, which why we have to investigate." Zade pointed out. "Shouldn't we run out of there?" Chris pointed out. "That would be difficult," Zade said. "If only I knew how to fly, maybe I would had distracted the alicorn guards to gain some time." Jace said. Sera glared at him. "Jace." "Whoa... What?" Jace asked. "Do you want to get killed by me instead?" Sera asked, almost going in yandere mode. "A-absolutely no!" Jace stammered. "Then don't do anything this time." Sera replied, instantly calmed down as Jace's awe was then replaced by frustration. With nothing else to do and not wanting to be spotted, they hidden themselves behind the wall. Zade put his hoof under his chin and pondered about the situation. Jace, still peering through the hole, locked his gaze at the banner, mentally visualizing the most screwed up type of conspiracy. Chris was recovering from his issues and Sera was just nervous. "Ehm... Any plan?" Sera asked. "As Chris suggested we should escape from this Neo Canterlot," Zade paused. "The problem is what is waiting for us." "And how to control our powers, right?" Jace asked. "Correct," Zade confirmed. "We have never acted as a demolition team, so we better be careful about our actions." The group was about to discuss the next part of the plan until a multi vocal, almost powerful female voice called out to them angered. "I don't know what you are plotting," She said. "But as the ruler of this kingdom, founder of the Order of Harmony, I'm done being the Princess of Friendship to these like you. After what you had done to my guards, you won't leave my castle alive." For Zade and his companions, one thing was sure. There won't be any Equestrian delight for them. "Oh, shit."