//------------------------------// // Aftermath // Story: A Passing Through Kamen Rider // by thunderclap //------------------------------// “Alright, looks like that’s about it unless someone else has a laser burn they don’t want to bother me with. The only pony that hasn’t fully recovered is the filly, who scans like she was hit with a full-strength police taser and is probably going to be sore as hell when she wakes up. We got lucky here with only one broken bone and most of the injuries being mild.” Liz sighed as she took a seat at the kitchen table just to relax a bit. Wyatt stepped into the kitchen, having changed out of his bloodied shirt and into a sleeveless shirt that Big Mac had lent him. Needless to say, the giant of a stallion’s shirt was a little big on the young man. “Yeesh, I think Rarity’s gonna kill me when she sees what happened to that shirt she made me,” he commented, pulling out a glass from the cabinet and getting himself some water. “Unless it was made from something like moonsilk I doubt it.” Sarah commented before pausing to rub her temples. “Of course, that may be just another thing that doesn’t exist in other worlds, and all I’m doing by mentioning it is just making things even more confusing for you people.” “This isn’t a D&D world, so no moonsilk here,” Wyatt told her, leaning on the sink and taking a long drink. “Doesn’t change the fact that Rarity is a class A drama queen.” “Makes sense, I mean, we haven’t stumbled across any other worlds based on D&D yet either, so who knows how many or few there are?”  Liz pulled out a tiny package from her subspace pocket and placed it on the table before opening it and removing a piece of glowing crystal like the backpack she’d given Wyatt, but this one roughly the size of a piece of candy. This was quickly popped into her mouth. “If what I’ve learned from sci-fi stories is anything to go by, then that number is abstract and can’t be represented with anything a normal human can compute,” Wyatt commented, putting his glass down. “Thanks again for the gun, it came in handy against Goldar.” Liz only gave a half-hearted thumbs up in response as she carefully crushed the crystal in her mouth, then waved a hand at Sarah. “Sorry, she had a bit of a long day before you called her over, and she literally needs to recharge a bit. You certainly did put it to good use, but I’d suggest making a different charge system for the gun if you’re going to use it regularly. Raw energon crystals can be volatile if they get damaged by the right kind of force. Anyways, you lot have questions I’m sure.” “I think I know the basics,” Wyatt said, looking between the pair. “You two were dressed as Sarah Kerrigan and Blackarachnia before getting sent to Equestria. The details are probably interesting. You guys run into any other displaced? I've met a few; one of them was an actual person from Tamriel.” “We’ve met a few. One repeat offender, as Celestia calls him, is a guy named Jason. Nice guy, but he wasn’t even born human and then got sent by a guy who sold him an omnitrix. His world is...weird is the best way to put it. He had to make a few random changes to our world as a concession to a reality-warping chimeric being in order to reverse a centuries-old genocide, which put him on our Celestia’s short list of banned people, but he’s kept in touch. That gun, for example, was in a crate of weapons he sent to Liz at random.” “Okay, that does sound weird,” Wyatt said, nodding to Twilight as she entered the kitchen. “And I’ve fought a monster that was a fusion of a starfish and Hitler before.” “Starfish Hitler? This is why I don’t follow anime.” “Tokusatsu, not anime,” Wyatt corrected, sipping his water again. “Still insane.” “I had a question I’d like answered,” Twilight chimed in, looking at Sarah. “How did you know Wyatt and I were dating? I don’t think anyone mentioned that.” “To quote a very bad movie: the boy’s pheromone levels suggest he wishes to mate with the female.” This earned Sarah a punch right to the bony part of her forearm and a glare from Liz.  “Liz has adapted her sensors to picking out injuries, while I’m a mix of a human being and an alien superpredator species. It took me years to piece together what all the different scents and such actually mean, but pheromone levels combined with the surface thoughts I was picking up when the two of you were flying together? It might as well have been a theater marquee.” Twilight blushed, looking away from the pair of guests. “W-well, I guess that’s a pretty succinct explanation.” “Sorry, I realize that some people view mind reading as an invasion of privacy, but I had to lower my barriers to coordinate with combatants that aren’t linked to the hive mind of the zerg. I have those back up and your thoughts are private once more.” “All’s forgiven,” Wyatt said, putting a hand on Twilight’s shoulder. “At least on my end. Thanks for the help with all those guys.” “Thanks for giving me the opportunity? I know that sounds a little odd, but it’s rare that I get to charge in and save the day with a mass assault against something other than a rampaging hydra or a senile dragon. The thirst for combat and to improve oneself by ingesting fallen foes is not so easily removed. I’ve mostly managed to eradicate the latter part of that, but my girls and I are always eager for a good fight.” “Your girls?” Twilight questioned, her embarrassment forgotten momentarily. “Were they the ones doing all that singing?” “Yup, and one of them is seeing to the restoration of the orchard by getting all the trees put back in place. They’re not, technically, my daughters, but I did put some of my own genetic sequence into them when I was creating them so...anyways, yes. All six of them trained at the Canterlot Music Academy for years to learn how to play and sing.” “Sounds like you taught them some songs from Earth,” Wyatt said, a grin on his face. “Certainly made fighting more interesting. At least my ass was getting kicked to some good tunes.” “I didn’t exactly teach them. One of the little treasures Jason gave us was a cube that could play any song that anyone who’s ever touched one has heard, and that was what taught them the music. They learned to play it by hearing what it was supposed to sound like...and they’ve chosen a few times to put one over on the locals with music at the Gala.” “Oh, they should let me touch that cube!” Wyatt beamed, flexing his fingers. “I bet I’d be able to expand their playlist. Think of it as my way of giving back for everything you’ve done.” Sarah pauses, then groans softly. “Usually we don’t keep that with us when we travel, for good reason since we can’t replicate it, but apparently Serenade was listening to it and brought it with her when she pulled hive maintenance duty for this mission. I’ll never understand how she’s the only one that’s able to hide things from me.” “Sounds like she takes after you more than you realize,” Wyatt joked, chuckling. “Twi and I have an adopted kid and he’s really taking after her. Specifically her near OCD levels for organization.” “He is not!” Twilight protested, bristling at the idea. “I’m teaching him how to be neat and tidy.” “Twilight, I saw him organizing his legos by color and size,” Wyatt pointed out. “That’s a little more than being neat and tidy.” “Well, sometimes they take more after me than they do after Sarah. I couldn’t stop laughing after they played ‘The Bad Touch’ in front of a bunch of nobles. I have never in my life been more thankful for a language barrier that only one person can pierce if we want to stealthily insult people.” Liz smiles and glances over at Sarah. “She usually gives them a rant after they pull things like that about how we have to be careful in case someone’s making an effort to learn English over there.” “For good reason. We can’t afford to insult nobles to their faces if we’re trying to come off as nice people, and even Celestia thought that one was a little much after I explained that it was a song that was nothing but thin innuendo.” “Heh, that sounds like my kind of party,” Wyatt said, nodding at Liz. After a moment, his eyes widened in realization. “Oh! We still have to talk about those displacer beasts!” “D&D world. The displacers are Prelude’s preferred form of zergling because of the fact that a local opponent will be aiming at things other than the beast itself. She likes playing with illusions and subverting expectations.” Sarah leaned back and stretched for a few seconds as she thought. “You wouldn’t have seen Nocturne’s, she found some kind of large chameleon creature that really does turn invisible. Serenade and Requiem were building up a base in the Everfree in case I needed bigger units than one of our platforms can provide. Minuet’s look like timberwolves. Bolero usually has flaming salamanders, but she can have hers look like plain stone if fire’s bad for the situation. I’ve kept mine looking relatively unchanged, except for better wing structures and a dash of XLR8 for a higher running speed, at the cost of some...durability issues.” “Meaning her zerglings tend to die faster, even if she can just replace them in a minute or less.” “Uh huh, uh huh, very interesting.” Wyatt nodded along, half-paying attention. “Any chance you could give us a displacer beast kitten?” “Ummm, not right now, no.” Sarah replies almost immediately. “I’d have to find an actual displacer beast litter and then convince the mother to not maul me for trying to take away one of her children. Zerg units are basically clones, and I actually can’t create completely clean clones without any zerg influence in the result, which is causing some problems with my living prosthetic limb plans.” “Why would you ask for one of those things in the first place?” Twilight questioned, looking up at her boyfriend with a confused glance. “They’re dangerous.” “Simple, if their world follows D&D logic, then it’s possible to tame displacer beasts. And I figured that Sombra’s been hinting at wanting a pet of his own, so why not get him something cool?” “Awww, that’s so sweet. You do know that ‘tamed’ isn’t the same as domesticated, right? It’d still be a wild animal in the end, just one that tends to obey you.” Liz spoke up, then started snickering softly. “Of course, I could make that whole acquisition process less painful, but it’d require you visiting us.” “I wouldn’t mind that,” Wyatt said, grinning like an idiot. He looked down at Twilight and asked, “What about you, Twi? You wanna get Sombra a Cthulhu Cat?” “I’d rather not have our son try and ‘tame’ a dangerous animal,” Twilight responded, crossing her arms. “Which is why I suggested a kitten,” he reiterated, making a gesture to indicate the size. “If we get one that’s a baby, we can get it used to the idea of not attacking ponies.” “Another version of you told me that you have a friend who’s good with animals. Maybe they could help you out?” Sarah suggested while looking between Wyatt and Twilight. “Exactly,” Wyatt chirped, giving a thumbs up to Sarah. “Fluttershy was able to make a bear act like a total sweetheart, I bet she’d love to help us with this.” “We’ll discuss this later,” Twilight insisted, shaking her head. “Let’s move onto a more productive topic.” “I'll hold you to that,” Wyatt replied, leaning in and kissing her muzzle. “Go ahead, let's be productive.” “Very well, what else did you want to ask us about? I mean, I’m sure you have a bunch of questions about, well, everything.” “You said you’d been in your Equestria for forty years,” Wyatt started, turning his attention from Twilight. “What's that been like?” “Frustrating. I want my old flesh-and-blood body back.” Liz responded instantly in a fairly grumpy tone. “It’s been hit and miss. There have been both good and bad things that have come out of it, like the fact that we both still look like we’re in our late twenties at the worst due to Liz not really aging faster than a geological scale if she keeps herself maintained, and I just stay young as long as I, err, well, as long as I consume the essence of something decently strong every few weeks.” Wyatt coughed, ignoring the growing gag reflex. “We know a guy named Agito; he was displaced here before me. Been here a thousand years.” “Ouch, and he’s still alive? I wonder how that works for him...oh, date...what’s the date? In post-nightmare or discord expression please. I need a frame of reference if I’m going to bring any advantages back home with me as foreknowledge.” “Sarah, you and I both know that we can’t really rely on anything we learn about local history as applied to our own world. There’s too many differences; it’s like a million butterfly effects at once.” Wyatt rubbed the side of his head, looking to Twilight. “Uh, care to help, Twi? I always forget the dating system.” Twilight gave him a slight shove. “You really need to start paying attention. It’s the second year of the aptly named Resurgence era.” “Okay, and what does that mean when compared to the banishment of Nightmare Moon?” “What Sarah isn’t saying is that even though we’ve been in Equestria for forty years, we were sent to a point in time that starts roughly fifty years behind the arrival of most Displaced, so the dates we have for reference are a little...odd.” “Oh, it's almost been one thousand and three years since her banishment,” Twilight clarified. Sarah thinks for a moment and sighs in relief. “About twelve years ahead of where we are, I’m finally running out of time for vague hints about the future as far as events of great significance that I should avoid meddling in versus ones I might be able to fudge a bit.” “Well, Discord will probably return in your world,” Twilight told her. “As well as the Crystal Empire.” “Oh, we’re aware of the Empire. We got dumped in an arctic region and Celestia mentioned not expecting to see anything there for about fifty years. We got the truth out of her after we earned her trust.” “Right.” Wyatt nodded, leaning on a counter. “Do you have any questions for us? You should ask them now before Twilight’s adrenaline wears off.” “Yeah, about how much longer do you think we have before your Celestia bursts in here demanding to know what’s going on with the giant centaur in the Everfree, because that thing’s kinda impossible to hide.” Liz smirks as she asks this. “Just because ours panicked until she learned we had complete control over it doesn’t mean all of them will, Liz….but I do feel a bit underdressed considering I’m seeing everyone wearing clothes for the first time in a long time.” “Considering we’re fighting a war with a multiversal empire and just had a big fight in a major city a few days before this? I’m surprised she isn’t here already,” Wyatt explained, crossing his arms. “So, no real time to do more than throw on a bedsheet so I’m not flashing her, then...think she’ll assume this is just armor?” Wyatt shrugged his shoulders. “Not like there's anything explicit showing. The armor thing is probably a safe bet.” “Ah, but I do so love the explicit bits.” Celaeno made her way into the kitchen, her talons and peg leg clatter against the hardwood floor. “Don’t think we’ve met. Admiral Celaeno of the Equestrian Air Force.” Sarah looked over at the new arrival and couldn’t help smiling a bit. “I assume you’re the smart one that knew to fire on the tanks rather than shelling the floating platform of unknown origin?” Celaeno tipped her hat, a grin on her beak. “That'd be me. The tanks were firing on civvies while that platform was holding a concert. Pretty easy choice.” tapping her pegleg on the floor, she straightened up. “Now, if you’d be all be so kind as to explain why a farm was being attacked, I can crack open that bottle of zebrican mead I had shipped in.” “The Apple Family had a rider belt,” Twilight explained. “Luckily, we were able to protect it.” Shifting on her hooves, she glanced behind Celaeno. “Is Princess Celestia coming or are you acting on her behalf?” Clicking her beak, Celaeno crossed her arms. “The ole’ Fireball’s busy negotiation orichalum mining rights with the minotaurs. Luna should be along shortly.” “Luna? But it’s the middle of the day. Most worlds we’ve been to she’s usually sound asleep now.” Liz actually sounded a little alarmed at this development. “Oh trust me, she'll be a little cranky,” Celaeno said with a chuckle. “But, Fireball has more experience negotiating and the bulls would only talk today.” Striding over to the fridge, she rummaged through it until she extracted a bottle of cider. “Our precious Luna might even slip into Ye Olde Ponish!” Sarah smiles even wider at that little revelation. “Perhaps this shall be more interesting than I thought, and wouldn’t it be nice to give the younger sister valuable materials and knowledge to better this version of Equestria?” Her eyes seemed to lose focus for a moment before she glanced towards Liz. “How many copies of those spellbooks have you made, and did you bring any with you?” “Over a dozen, and yes, but you and I both know that ponies don’t tend to like ‘war’ spells.” Celaeno popped open the bottle of cider, draining it in a few gulps. “If you haven’t noticed, Tin-Mare, Equestria’s at war.” “Liz has a point, though. There’s a difference between being at war and being willing to use the best tools available to bring you success in that war. You have soldiers that hesitate to strike when the enemy provides an opening for a lethal or incapacitating blow. Yes, my daughters are used to somewhat more vicious combat conditions since our own world has a rogue cerebrate that’s managed to keep itself hidden and with enemy zerg it truly is kill or be killed, but one of your riders told them to stop attacking an enemy because she didn’t need to be killed.” Celaeno pinched her brow, shaking her head. “Let me guess, the drake with the fancy pocket change? Someone his age belongs on a playground, not a battlefield. He doesn’t need the stress of being in battle.” “I have no idea what he actually looks like, all my daughters saw was his armor. All pink with wings and a horn, then the same kind of armor in three different colors later.” “Aye, that's the drake,” Celaeno confirmed, glancing at the fridge. “He's even younger than the boy there. He doesn't represent Equestria's military. Least of all my crew.” “Representative of the army or not, he’s representative of your untrained field operatives. Wyatt and Twilight had the nerve to risk their lives taking down a giant cyborg monkey. My troops and those of my daughters saw no fewer than five riders who were not them on the battlefield, counting the child. How many of the other four have any kind of regimented combat training?” “The drake and the boy and schoolgirl there are being trained by a veteran guard. The dual-colored one says her family has their own training regimen, same as the one in white armor. Those are the ones I know about,” Celaeno elaborated, tapping her pegleg on the floor. ”That leaves two unaccounted for, one of which, judging by her statements, is just an Apple, and has no previous training at all other than tending to a farm. I can’t really say anything bad about her, especially if this was her first time in anything like this situation, but she needs to be trained as well. Beyond that there’s the matter of a number of other factors at play such as some form of chain of command.” “‘Just’ an Apple?” Everyone turned their head, seeing Applejack standing in the doorway. “Ah'd be offended, but Ah get what yer sayin’. Ah've never used a weapon before today iff'n ya don't count lassos. Ah felt greener than Granny's fur out there.” “Oh my god, it’s little Jackie…” Liz couldn’t stop herself from staring for a few seconds. “Well, good to know you’ll grow up strong.” “Only person who calls me Jackie is Granny Smith,” Applejack explained, her muzzle scrunching up. “And t’be honest, Ah’m not exactly comfortable with her calling me that.” “Huh, so AJ is Gaim,” Wyatt noted. “You don't feel an urge to dance now, do you?” Applejack shot him an odd look. “Do Ah look like Ah’m in the mood to throw a square dance?” “Focus, people.” Sarah couldn’t help smiling a bit as she stood up and stretched for a moment. “Noted, Applejack, but in our world you’re much younger and we’ve been friends of your grandmother for a couple decades. I hope you’ll forgive us if we slip up.” “Fine, all this other world nonsense is confusin’, but Ah'll manage,” Applejack retorted, gesturing with her hand. “What were ya’ll talkin’ bout?” “Frankly, we were talking about combat readiness and how there’s no way to accurately measure how well you riders can do your duties if even one of you is unwilling to kill. I realize I’m the outsider looking in here, but without having some form of command structure things can fall apart. Compassion has a place, sure, but not on the battlefield during combat.” “Within reason, of course. You know there are some things I won’t do to anyone who can think for themselves, Sarah.” “That’s different. There’s a big difference between feeling like something would be torture and almost helping the enemy stab you.” “I understand your point,” Twilight started,her muzzle scrunched up. “But I don't like the idea of getting my little brother comfortable with killing. I’m barely comfortable with him being a rider as it is.” “And what happens when you encounter a monster that will not surrender, or one who can imitate others? What happens when it’s the only option you have to save a life?” Sarah sighed and sat back down after a moment. “I’m not sure what events are in your recent past or immediate future, but many other versions of equestria have beings called changelings who attack during a wedding. In some worlds this attack is relatively safe, if panic-inducing. In other worlds; ponies died.” Twilight and Wyatt looked at each other. “Actually, the changelings are our allies,” Twilight spoke, summoning up a notepad. “Somber Shield, the leader of Dai-Shocker, impersonated my brother and attacked the wedding. Queen Chrysalis helped fend him off.” “That’s an interesting bit of turnaround. We’re still trying to figure out how that event’s going to be altered in our world since our Chrysalis is like a mutated pony-zerg hybrid who has no shapeshifting ability.” “Liz, she’s not a hybrid just because I was able to stabilize her exoskeleton into a pony-like form and the hive she was part of was mutated from flutterponies.... Wait.” Sarah facepalmed while Liz just smirked. “Did I really just do that?” “Yeah, and it’s nice to not be the one who spoke before thinking. It’s so rare to goad you into it and catch you out.” Liz practically cackled. “Your world sounds interesting,” Wyatt commented. “And I hate to say it, but I have to agree with you on the killing thing.” He sighed, tilting his head down and closing his eyes. “And we do have monsters that can imitate people.” Sarah nodded and looked at Twilight. “I used to be a pharmacist. Liz used to be a paramedic, and still practices medicine, and has done much to introduce medical practices from our homeworld into our new home as technology advances and new spells are made. Neither of us really likes killing, but we have no choice, and I completely understand your dilemma. My daughters may have been made artificially and with an explicit purpose of eventually helping me out in battlefield situations, but that doesn’t mean I liked teaching them how to kill. That’s why they’re trained as bards first and for various psionic abilities second, and when we’re at home to always offer an intelligent foe a chance to surrender unless presented with zealot mindsets.” “Those sentries? Zealots. Some of them sounded like there was only a language barrier stopping them from chanting ‘heil Drakkon’ half the time.” “I noticed,” Wyatt said with a scowl. “All that animal talk was enough to make any reservations about killing go down the drain.” “Yeah, definitely made it hard to not kill them by losing control a bit. A little hard to not take that kind of thing a little personally when you spend a good percentage of a fight as a spider instead of a robot.” “At least it's over for now,” Twilight offered, sighing in relief. “We should enjoy these moments of peace while we can.” “Indeed. Speaking of which,” Sarah looked pointedly at the Admiral, “were you planning on repaying the civilian family for taking a bottle, or are you some kind of pirate in disguise?” Celaeno laughed, scratching the empty bottle with her talon. “Funny you should say that. I was in fact a pirate not too long ago.” Reaching into her coat, she tossed Sarah a coin. “I’d be on the lookout for the Storm King when you get back. Flea bags pillaged and razed at least a dozen countries. Last I heard, he had his sights on Abyssinia.” “Noted.” Sarah said while tossing the coin over to Applejack. “I’m assuming a different continent, then, because we’ve mostly avoided crossing oceans.” “The Storm King doesn't have that same aversion,” Celaeno retorted. “And something tells me the egomaniac would get it in his head to try taking on Equestria. Bet my peg on it.” Reaching down, she rapped her knuckles against her peg leg. “We’ll keep an eye out. Might get around to seeking him out sometime after we finish stabilizing the border of the southern desert so that it stops expanding. For some reason the ground there is just hostile to pony magic.” “Hostile how?” Twilight inquired, quirking her brow. “In our world we had a town of earth ponies report the kind of fatigue previously only associated with unicorns who overchanneled for weeks on end, with five deaths from unknown causes until a medical expert found the bodies to be completely and utterly devoid of even ambient, settled magic. No idea if the same kind of thing can even happen here, since it sounds similar to a curse on a desert in a different world from D&D.” “Deserts suck anyways. It took me a week to flush all the sand out of my gears.” “Tundras are my least favorite environment,” Wyatt said, thinking back to the Crystal Empire. “I grew up in scorching heat, so me and the cold don't get along.” Sarah smirked before stiffening for a moment. “We’ve got incoming. Navy blue chariot with silver and grey markings like a spiderweb. Sound familiar to anyone?” “That would be Princess Luna.” Twilight snapped out of her writing trance. “We should go greet her.” Lighting her horn, Twilight teleported the group onto the front porch. Making sure her clothes were in order, she watched as a pair of bat ponies brought the chariot in for a landing. Wyatt put a hand over his mouth, fighting a wave of nausea. Turning his head, he shot a flat look at his marefriend. “We were less than twenty feet from the front door. Teleporting was excessive.” Liz immediately fell flat on her rear out of a combination of surprise and inertia keeping her from standing up quickly without leverage. The only reason Sarah didn’t suffer the same fate was her wings whipping out and digging into both the floor of the porch and a nearby wall. “A little warning would be polite, at least.” Twilight giggled sheepishly, poking her fingers together. “Sorry... it’s a force of habit...” Noting Luna’s approach, she straightened up. “It’s good to see you again, Princess Luna. I hope you weren’t doing anything too important.” Luna visibly held back a yawn, nodding at Twilight. “Sleeping.” Gazing over at Liz and Sarah, Luna shifted on her hooves. Her gaze landed on Celaeno. “Admiral, have your crew cordone off the farm. I want any non-equine remains taken back to Canterlot.” “I would recommend against attempting any experiments aside from a simple study and autopsy of any zerg remains. If you were to reanimate one of my soldiers without a hive mind here to guide it, it would tear at least one pony apart in an instinctual aggressive frenzy.” Sarah’s tone was purely polite as she worked to free her wing from the wall where one spike had managed to get stuck. “And I have a few gifts for this world that might entice you to simply allow an ally to remove their own corpses instead.” Luna gazed her Sarah for a moment, frowning. “You are one of the Displaced Wyatt summoned, I presume. I will not deny an ally from collecting their dead, if that is indeed what you are.” Two identical beings that looked like a combination of birch saplings and an oversized venus flytrap  walked out of the treeline carrying one large chest between them. This was immediately placed on the ground without a word before the two things took a few steps back and sank into something like a crouch that left them looking like a pair of odd bushes. “Your suspicion is not without warrant, Princess, but I wouldn’t dare assume that you will trust me based upon my own words. I’m sure you have a spell of some kind that can tell you if any of us on the porch are under a compulsion effect.” Luna scrutinized the group, her muzzle an unreadable mask. After a moment, her horn flashed with her blue aura before quickly fizzling out. “Very well, it seems I can continue to treat you as friends. For now.” Sarah nodded before finally pulling her wing free and reaching back to actually massage the chitinous point. “That is all one can truly ask for in times such as these, at the sight of a recent battle with two people you’ve never met before. Twilight, where did you leave the box my sister gave you with the cubes that healed Wyatt?” Twilight tapped a ring to her belt, the accessory giving its usual chime. A small magic circle appeared beside her and she fetched the box out of it. “Here it is.” Liz carefully brushed herself off as she took a step forward. “That box had a hundred doses of potent magical healing in it, in sugar cube form. Each one is able to be dissolved in water and drank instead of chewed. Keep it; it’ll reduce hospital visits for anything other than a broken bone. We have stronger, and weaker versions of that same thing and more in that chest, if you will allow us to present them for context?” “Of course.” Twilight held the box out to Liz with a smile. Liz smiled and accepted it even though she’d just said to keep it. She held her free hand up and open while her other hand held only the box as she approached Luna to hand it over for examination. Meanwhile, Sarah carefully moved over to the chest and unlatched the clasps keeping it shut. Wyatt turned his attention to the chest, idly wondering what could be inside that needed two treants to carry, even if they were small. “Forgive us for the writing not being in English on the box, but the strength and directions and such were written for ponies in our world, who use a different language with the same basic letter forms in a different order.” Liz held out the opened box towards Luna while Sarah pulled several more out of the chest, followed by a stack of thick tomes. “Are those spellbooks?” Luna asked, lifting one up. She raised an eyebrow. “Unfortunately, I do not think I can read this.” Liz looked over the cover and then the next in the stack. “These are in English...great, another writing system issue. I’m pretty sure Wyatt can help get it translated for you, unless you have someone among the diplomatic delegations who specializes in casting translation spells?” “According to Wyatt, our writing system closely resembles the one used in ‘Russia,’” Twilight explained, glancing over at the books. “I know a few translation spells; it’s been a Faustsend in teaching Wyatt to read Ponish.” “Alright. These are mostly copies of spellbooks delivered to us at one point or another by various people, both native to our world and Displaced from others. We collect things that are both useful and useless to us in case others can use them. We’ve gotten a fair bit of use out of the book of spells that Sarah says come from the Final Fantasy series. All zerglings can even burn their life out to heal allies with one spell just because it’s that useful.” “They only burn out their life because I can’t figure out how to fully integrate aetheric channels into a sequence that simple without sacrificing other, more useful general adaptations.” Sarah stated as she reached back into the chest. “Anyone who can channel even a passive magic field should be fine.” “That is... good to know.” Luna placed the book back on the stack. “Perhaps we should discuss matters inside?” “The house is a little full right now,” Wyatt said, glancing back at the door. “The Apples were having their reunion before the attack. Plus, I doubt we'd want to talk in front of so many civilians.” “Not to mention I have a bunch of other things to pull out of this chest...aha!” Sarah removed what looked like a piece of folded black silk and tossed it in Wyatt’s direction. “You recognized the displacer beast, I assume you know what one of these is?” “Is that a bag of holding?!” Wyatt asked, a giddy grin on his face as he caught the fabric. “Bags of holding look like, you know, bags.” Liz laughed at this. “That’s a good, old-fashioned portable hole. Unfolds and allows you to reach into a portable storage room that holds a thousand cubic feet in volume. Ours are a tiny bit smaller, but cold enough to preserve meat almost indefinitely.” “Darn it, portable hole was my next guess,” Wyatt said, sticking his hand into the fabric. He shivered, pulling his hand back. “Did you mean to give me one already full of meat?” “We have a ‘pet’ hydra that we regularly harvest, one head at a time. Protein sources aren’t exactly rare for us, and it stops me from having cravings for anything that can think.” Sarah finally stood up with a bag dangling from one hand that held a tube of crystals, and her other hand holding up a thick slab of metal and a few sheets of parchment. “I know I’m only a few degrees away from a monster, and I manage it carefully.” “I know a thing or two of being a monster,” Luna spoke, moving past the group. “I would like to take this conversation indoors. Perhaps we can offer you something as well?” “Why are you so insistent on going inside when we’d just be crowding the Apples in there? It’s easier for us to talk out here, and you won’t have to worry about a random civilian overhearing any state secrets.” Luna pointed out towards the Everfree. “Because I don’t want to be out in the open with that huge...thing any longer than I have to be. Do you have any idea how unsettling something that looks like Tirek is?” “Would we be able to speak candidly around civilians?” Wyatt questioned, turning to Sarah. “Can you do something about the big guy over there?” “He’s numbed, and paralyzed in preparation for being reverted to biomass to fertilize the area of forest we had to destroy for the base and to grow him in the first place. Making that go any faster would undo either the numbing or the paralysis, and it could fluctuate. Nobody here would sleep tonight if something that big started making involuntary pained noises.” “Can we not talk about that kinda stuff?” Applejack asked, looking a little green. “Why don’t we head to the barn? We’re all a bit too old ta use the Crusaders’ treehouse, so the barn’s our best bet.” “Barn works for me,” Wyatt relented, turning on his heel and heading towards the structure. “I call the comfiest hay bale!” Sarah carries the last items effortlessly while Liz easily hefts the tomes. “Sorry, it’s just...so hard to remember what things aren’t really normal after so long. I can’t imagine how people who’ve been like this for longer than us stay sane.” “Pretty much nothing is out of the question for me anymore,” Wyatt replied with a shrug, opening the barn door for the two. “Between Kamen Rider stuff becoming real to all the pony stuff, I think I’ve lost the ability to be surprised.” “I recall you being dumbfounded at Starfish Hitler,” Twilight teased, placing a kiss on his cheek. “That was a very specific exception due to the context,” Wyatt defended. “A context that I will not share due to it being extremely sobering and depressing.” “She was talking about how she forgets that pretty much nobody else can really talk about casually killing something they brought into existence without being a complete sociopath, and how much it constantly worries her about the e-” “Shut up, Liz. Have SOME respect for confidentiality protocols, please, even if these people will never be able to tell people in our world about it.” “What? You think telling them that you’re worried about the children you’re expecting because of how your think about things is going to make them hate you?” Wyatt found a pile of hay bales and took a seat. “I feel incredibly lost right now.” Luna took a spot by some crates. “Everyone, please, let’s try and stay on topic. It would please me to have everything in order for my sister when she arrives.” “Thank you, Princess.” Sarah said while shooting one last glare in Liz’s direction and holding the slab of metal flat before letting go. It stayed floating in midair at about stomach height, and only sank a little as she placed the crystal-filled tube and bag on top of it. “This metal is known as cloudsteel on our world. It is more durable than traditional stainless steel, and, as you can see, it is neutrally buoyant in air. It floats without applying magic. This material is perfect for forging into armor or building tall structures.” “It also used to be ten times more valuable than gold where we’re from because even an experienced fabrication team could only create a cubic inch per day.” Liz interjected. “Right. Liz has access to a device that allows her to convert certain compounds into any metal she wants, but we have a document detailing how this is traditionally made, and it uses the innate energy of all three common pony subspecies, with thestrals easily taking the place of pegasi if needed.” “So an alchemy machine,” Wyatt simplified, nodding in understanding. “Sufficiently advanced science that even I don’t understand completely. Stupid tangled mess mid-80’s lore.” “Anyways, the gist of it involves a unicorn and pegasus both directing their respective channeled magic into a stormcloud and creating a chunk of this metal that only an earth pony can easily manipulate via traditional forging. Your world is officially in a state of war, and this can help, so it is a gift with no strings attached.” “Thank you,” Twilight replied, moving over to the floating slab. “I'm sure the G-Project will find a good use for this steel.” Sarah nodded and held up the tube of crystals off of it. “This is raw energon in crystal form. It can be unstable, and explosive if broken, but can also be shaped like any other crystal by someone with skill or patience. It has been found to be a natural capacitor for spell energies, and can hold a magical charge ten times longer than most other substances. We can’t reasonably test it against most gemstones due to there being some older than Celestia that still function on our world. This could be a simple solution to any power source concerns should you figure out the best way to integrate it into your own technology. These crystals have been found to absorb excess magical energy in order to grow, and can even help ease magic flare intensity in infants.” Wyatt rubbed his neck. “We don’t... have any technology...” “Not even a phone or a laptop? And I thought I got screwed having mine merge with my body. Ponies are smart, they’ll figure out some use for it just like they could find a way to magically power that gun I gave you. Ours figured out how to duplicate a railgun with spells.” Liz rubbed her right shoulder as she said that. “Actually, we do have a laptop,” Twilight chimed in, turning from the slab. “It belonged to someone displaced before Wyatt.” “From what I can tell, Equestria has weirdly inconsistent tech levels,” Wyatt began, looking at the floor in thought. “We got a hydroelectric dam outside of Ponyville that doesn’t seem to power anything. Projectors. We still use candles. Maud made her own tech from scratch something without a computer, same with Trixie’s family. The only thing ‘modern’ is that laptop, which we only have one of.” Sarah simply shrugged at this and turned to look over at Luna. “Your thoughts, Princess?” Luna levitated the sheet of Cloudsteel over, inspecting it. Moving it a bit away from her, she conjured up a warhammer. With untold ease, she slammed the hammer into the sheet, humming at the shrill sound of metal on metal. “Quite strong. Should make a good replacement for Orichalum.” Dismissing the warhammer, she returned the sheet to Twilight. “As for our technology; if you have more of these ‘computers’, we would accept them with immeasurable gratitude.” “Regrettably, the phone I had fell apart over twenty years ago, and neither of us were carrying any laptops...but I could see about getting in touch with Jason to see if we could work something out to get you guys a few computers from the mid 30’s.” Sarah looked back at Liz as she spoke. “What? You expect me to flash him some leg and get free computers? He’s got enough tails getting shoved in his face that he isn’t gonna chase after me.” “Computers from the 30’s?” Wyatt noted, chuckling. “Uh, there weren't any computers back then.” “But there will be in twenty years from the time most people seem to have been displaced from. Jason has full access to his home Earth due to his universe’s unique cosmology, and his Earth is currently in the mid 2030’s.” “Ah’m lost.” Applejack frowned, scratching her cheek. “All Ah know is, ya’ll are helpin’ ta make Equestria safer.” Stepping over, she slapped Sarah on the back. “Ah kno-woah!” Acting faster than most eyes could follow, Liz immediately shoved herself between Sarah and Applejack and pinned her sister’s wings in place with her entire body by wrapping her arms around Sarah’s waist. “Everyone stay calm, she’ll be fine in a second. Just need to keep the alien parts of her body from doing something we’d all regret.” “Did Ah do somethin’ wrong?” Applejack asked, an apologetic look on her face as she stepped away from the pair. “No,but only because there was no way you could have known, or time to warn you when I thought you were just going to hug her. She has issues with being hit in the back, and these wings don’t just flare out like a pegasus if she goes into panic mode.” “Liz... let go. You’re pinching righty.” “Ah, sorry. Saw you tense up and assumed the worst there.” “I’ll be fine for now. Need to get home soon so I can relax with Orm and Tsul though.” Sarah sighed and relaxed as Liz let her go, then turned to face Applejack. “We weren’t able to save six trees in the northwest field, and a few will have crooked trunks where Goldar first fell, but I think losing only six trees with a foe that big is pretty good work.” Applejack whistled, running a few numbers in her head. “Ah think we can make due with that. Bloom’s gonna be sore fer a while; probably have her do some plantin’ while Mac and I get to bucking.” “Right. There’ll be some premium compost a few hundred meters into the Everfree if you need it.” She tilted her head for a moment before nodding. “Nocturne’s drones have finished dragging Goldar to the royal chariot for you, Princess.” “Ah, please, have any bodies brought to Celaeno. The Invincible is far more suited  for transporting a corpse than a chariot.” Luna glanced over at Wyatt. “As I understand, many of our attackers were human. As gruesome as it is, dissecting them will afford Equestria’s doctors far greater understanding of the human body.” “With how many times I've been sent to the hospital, I've given them a head start,” Wyatt joked, not wanting to picture the bodies in the field. Luna beamed, her eyes twinkling. “A marvelous point, young Wyatt. I shall have the bodies sent to Ponyville’s hospital. It would be remiss of me not to ensure Equestria’s sole human get the medical care he is due.” Sarah relayed the message before tossing the last thing she’d held onto, the bag, over to Wyatt. “This one is a bag of holding with a few minor protection trinkets and a ‘wand quiver’ with a few single-target attack spell wands. Magic missile, Agnazzar’s scorcher, Melf’s acid arrow, Tasha’s hideous laughter...I forget what the last one is, but nothing too dangerous. Pass the trinkets around to the other riders for a tiny bit of extra defense in case you’re caught with your belts off. I think I need to have that chat with ‘granny,’ so Liz can handle any further questions you may have.” “Better you than me,” Applejack muttered, pulling her hat down. “Old mare’s as stubborn as a tree stump.” Sarah actually paused to laugh. “Sounds like Edith alright.” Applejack blinked. “Who the hay is Edith?” “Huh, your grandmother’s name wasn’t Edith Smith Apple in this universe?” “Granny Smith’s name is Maria,” Applejack clarified, shaking her head. “Interesting to know that even with minor fluctuations like that you still ended up as Applejack.” With that said, Sarah stepped out of the barn and allowed the door to swing shut, or not, behind her. Liz rapped her knuckles against a wooden support briefly. “She’ll be fine, but I’ve had something nagging at me since we sat down at the table. No offense meant if ‘nagging’ is a slur in the local dialect.” She looked right at Twilight. “Did your mother get seduced by a cat, or did something else happen to change your eyes? Aside from the two ‘evil counterpart’ universes we’ve seen; you never have slitted eyes.” Twilight burst into giggles, shaking her head. “No, I’m not part cat.” She smiled wide, revealing her fangs. “My brother Spike found his biological family and we joined his clan. Each member of the Sparkle family has a sliver of dragon essence, even Cadance.” “Not me though,” Wyatt added, tapping the corner of his eye. “Smaug said I'm not allowed because I'm not Twilight's official mate.” Liz actually frowned at Cadance’s name. “Let’s not talk about the goddess of love and fertility, please. She’s half the reason I really want to get back into a fleshy body. Stupid hormonal teenage love god can’t leave well enough alone...” Luna raised an eyebrow. “While alicorns are powerful, I could not call us gods. The only god ponies know is Faust herself.” “Different world, different laws of reality. Your counterpart in our world is a full deity, and I’m pretty sure her evil side is one too, but they’re both still trapped at the moment. Jason comes from a reality where his grandmother is the last known living deity, Hel.” “We’ve gotten way off topic,” Wyatt cut in, calling his driver. He took his belt off, offering it to Liz. “You’ve given us a lot, why don’t you see if you can’t get anything from us. I’ll go get Trixie and Maud and you can take a look at their belts too.” “How about you gather them at Goldar’s body? I want to give that a scan and see if I can isolate what components allow him to grow. With luck I could figure out how to create a similar effect in case my hypothesis about a few legendary beasts turns out to be true and I need a sudden growth spurt. Anyone else have any questions about anything so far?” Wyatt nodded, and everyone else shook their heads. “Alright, then the only thing I have left to say right now is to remind you to never, under any circumstances, put your portable hole into your bag of holding, or your bag of holding into your portable hole.” Granny Smith sighed, placing a damp rag onto Apple Bloom’s forehead. “Ya headstrong filly. What made ya think ya could make that belt work?” Bloom’s room was messier than the filly herself had left it; a consequence of a few panicked family members. She shook her head, more than a little impressed that her youngest had discovered how to even get at the belt. “Too smart fer your own good.” “Some might say the same thing about the young filly that discovered the tastiest jam on the planet with a tingle that just can’t be faked.” Sarah’s voice came from the open doorway, but even after announcing her presence she still knocked. “Mind if a friend of the family tries to ease your heart a bit? My sister’s a good nurse, but I’m better at pulling minds out of possible coma situations.” Granny eyed Sarah for a moment before grunting. “Ah don’t see why not, even if Ah don’t know ya from a can of paint!” Sarah chuckled as she walked into the room and over to the side of the bed. “My sister’s the one who was in the house earlier treating injuries, but I couldn’t help but notice a couple ponies missing from the crowd...or any displayed photos.” Her voice was gentle as she brushed Apple Bloom’s mane away from the side of her head before pressing the back of her hand against the filly’s temple. “The photos are kept in the attic,” Granny said with a frown. “Pear Butter and mah son went missin’ years ago. Never found a trace of ‘em.” Her eyes lingered on Bloom. “Ah’m just glad they had Bloom ‘fer they left.” “Sounds like something you haven’t had to say in a while. I’m sorry to have to bring it up at a time like this, but I was worried about them since they made such a nice couple in my world.” She removed her hand and nodded slowly. “She’ll be fine in a couple hours, shaky and sore for a week at worst, but most likely up and running in a few days.” “That’s good.” Granny Smith sank back into her chair, sighing tiredly. “At least all the youngin’s are safe and sound.” “Right.” Sarah moved over and placed her hand on Granny’s shoulder in a comforting gesture. “Your hip’s bothering you worse than they did about ten years ago in this world?” Granny let out a dry chuckle. “Need’s ta be replaced. Jacky’s tried ta get the money a few times but nothin’ ever panned out.” “You really should tell your granddaughter before she bucks herself out too. Some things just aren’t worth tradition.” She crouched down just enough to look Granny in the eyes. “Tell er’ what?” Granny asked, looking back at Sarah. “Oh, doctors here never made the connection between your bucking tradition and your hips degenerating?” She sighed and looked away briefly. “It always seemed obvious to me, really. I can help you out with the hips. Better than new, as the shysters always claimed. I’d just need a sample of your skin and a few weeks to be sure everything grows right. I can’t revitalize everything about you, but I can make it so that it doesn’t hurt to stand up anymore.” “Eh, don’t quite get what yer sayin’,” Granny admitted, standing up with some difficulty and walking over to the window. “But how much does this here miracle cure cost?” “A two-week wait and five days of pain while recovering from the surgery. Less than that if we use the same medical-grade potions that healed Wyatt up. The cost to me would be a couple days worth of frustration making sure the cloned muscles, bones, and various connective tissues grow correctly. At home we charge a tiny service fee for growing the replacement parts: ten bits.” Granny Smith grunted, her gaze lingering on the orchard. “Ya ever have a secret? One that ya knew iffin’ yer family found out it'd cause a mess o’ problems?” “Worse. I had a secret that caused my wife to leave me and take both children while accusing me of molestation. That same secret had my religious parents disown me as a demon, and nearly do the same to my sister when she took me in to help me get through it...and it wasn’t even anything remotely illegal.” Nodding, the old mare turned her attention to a specific patch of trees. “Ah can't say Ah know what that's like, but Ah've kept two of those kinds of secrets. There use'ta be another farm next to ours, run by the Pears-” “Grand Pear. You hated his guts for years… I’m guessing in this world you didn’t have a friend who was able to show you what was going on with your kids in time to spare some heartbreak?” Granny Smith let out a sad laugh. “Ah didn't even know they were in love until that rotten Pear and Ah caught’em tying the knot out in the orchard.” Her body shook, decades of pent up rage bubbling to the surface. “That bastard made her choose: Bright Mac or him. She wrote him every week, always hoping he'd come back.” Unable to sustain her anger, she let her shoulders sag. “Never even bothered to find out why she stopped.” Gripping the windowsill, she sighed. “Seein’ those two at that secret altar, it brought somethin’ back. Ah realized mah son had taken after his folks when it came to romance.” Sarah sighed softly as she gently hugged this version of an old friend, lending herself as a bit of extra emotional support. “I can see why you would still be angry about that. Could you just promise me that you’ll be gentle if he ever shows his puckered old face around here again? Even in my world he wasn’t all that nice about leaving, but her at least gave the deed to their orchard as a wedding gift instead of selling the farm...mostly because that version of you had someone like me who could have made life hell for him, and he knew it.” “Ah don’t know what we’d have done with that land if we had been given it,” Granny huffed. “Mah liebling ehemann, woulda had t’stop me from puttin’ a torch to those trees.” “It’s all water under the bridge at this point anyways, and even you used to tell me there’s no point complaining about seeding the wrong field once it’s done.” Sarah chuckled a bit at that. “Took me months to realize that saying meant more than farming.” “Heh, yeah, farmin’ terms tend t’slip into all walks o’ life fer the Apple clan,” Granny agreed, managing a sly smile. “Even when talkin’ about some good ole fashioned hanky panky.” “I’m guessing the other secret is related to why ‘Little Jackie’ had no training in how to use her weapon other than like it was a big knife today, and why she’s...how would you have put this? ‘Madder than a rattlesnake in a seed spreader?’ I was never all that good at coming up with metaphors on the spot…” “That belt was made by an old ancestor, Fuji,” Granny relented. “Came up with the darn thing after marryin’ into us Apples and thought about fruit as a power source. After he passed, his work was spread among the clan, only t’be used if somethin’ like those darned Gurongi showed up again and there were no Riders t’fight ‘em.” “And I’m guessing you figured that there was no way anyone could find out about it who might want that power for themselves, or be able to track it down until a war broke out in your backyard. I can’t fault you for wanting to keep secrets to minimize the chance of word getting out about it, but your family should have kept a tradition of training to use it in case a need arrived so that it wouldn’t be anyone’s first time if a monster actually showed up.” “The problem there is that belt is made t’only work for whoever uses it successfully. Only way someone besides Jackie could use that thing now is if she were to…” Granny trailed off, shuddering at the implication. “And Ah never wanted mah grandchildren t’fight. Bright Mac got it in his head t’train himself t’use it. Went out lookin’ fer somepony that could teach him how t’throw a punch before he disappeared in that swamp.” “Which swamp?” “Flame Geyser Swamp,” Granny answered simply. “I see. Well, that’s where I live in my world. I have no idea what it’s like in this one, but I wish I could find some way to help you find closure about him. How long has he been gone, here?” “They disappeared back when Bloom was ‘bout four, so nearly ten years ago.” “Hmmm, and Flame Geyser’s got enough dangers to it even without the wild beasts that almost nobody’s going to willingly explore it other than the loonies that built a village there. I’m sorry for your losses.” “All the able-bodied Apples searched as much of that swamp as we could,” Granny explained, letting her head sag onto the windowsill. “Found no trace of ‘em ‘cept for some of their supplies. It took four stallions t’drag Big Mac outta that swamp, and he was only half the size he is today.” Sarah quickly cleared her throat and shifted to stand a little further from Granny. “So, getting off the subject of loss, what do you say? No untoward or artificial extension of your life or anything remotely magical aside from the healing afterwards, but you’ll spend your remaining years with a bit more physical comfort than you’ve spent the last decade? I can only imagine how much easier it will make hopping around the watering cans…” “Now hold on there,” Granny said, smoothing out her clothes and straightening up her stance. “Extend mah life how? Cuz Ah wanna live long enough t’get called Great Granny Smith and the way things are goin’ between mah grandkids, that could be decades from now.” “I was honestly mostly saying that to not sound like a two-bit snake oil salesman when I was already promising a free medical procedure that would fix your hips better than whatever procedure they’d use here. Something like that, an elixir of youth that could give you back a few decades...that’s something I’d have to bargain with our version of death for, and I don’t think you’d be comfortable with the cost that would entail in things other than money.” “Ah saw the giant thing ya made, lost any reason to think y’all were a shyster.” “There’s a world of difference between being able to make that thing for combat and being able to grow precise parts of a person to replace things that have been damaged when their body can’t keep up anymore. I’ll see if I can get something from Celestia instead, maybe something based on her pet phoenix?” “Alright, but Ah better not wind up becomin’ a newborn outta ashes.” “Aw, but just imagine the looks on their faces when you tip over the urn and fall out.” Sarah started laughing, and actually had to sit down on the floor as she ended up picturing it herself. “Hydraulic muscle...fiber-optic nerve replacements…” Liz pointed at various exposed mechanical bits as she examined the body of Goldar. “Looks like they did their best to fit things that were never meant to work together...together.” “Stop lights,” Wyatt added, having picked up Goldar’s swords. “Big, goofy stop lights.” “You might want to see about copying that so you can play a silent version of red-light-green-light with any kids you have if their mother needs rest.” Liz teased as she adjusted her optics to scan deeper. “So far I’m not seeing anything that can’t be identified on pure mechanical function alone. The growth might not be induced by an artificial component.” “It wasn’t anything artificial,” Wyatt dismissed, putting Ninjor’s sword to his hip and giving it a test quickdraw. “Goldar there has parts from Ninjor on him. And old Dudley Do-Right had the power to grow at will.” “Yeah, I recognize the oversized blue armor bits, but I was hoping there’d be a mechanical component for that rather than some mystical body integration bullshit.” “What, wanted to film Attack of the 50-Foot Spider?” Wyatt joked, feeling pretty satisfied with the feel of the blade. “There are five ‘ancient colossi’ on our world, kiddo. A roc of bone, a golden orthos, an amethyst dog, a steel bulette, and an iron two-headed dragon. I’ve seen the roc and we know the bulette is active somewhere even if the other four are currently in stasis lock from energon depletion.” She looked up from the corpse and squinted before creating an illusion of a bird made of bones and what looked like mossy stone with thousands of ants crawling around it. “The ‘bone roc’ is Cutthroat. I don’t know if that name means anything to you, but the things that look like ants in that image there? Those are kobolds.” “Well, that puts things to scale,” Wyatt muttered, trying to accurately picture the monster. “That thing’s a menace, getting adorable kobolds to take up base on it.” “That thing’s a Terrorcon; one of five decepticons that combine to form Abominus. The other four ‘legends’ pretty much match the other four members of that same team. I was hoping to find a component that I could extract and scan to obtain a schematic to unlock the lost art of mass-shifting just in case a local idiot in our world decides to ‘kill the invading aliens’ by waking up the ancient engines of destruction. As strong as Sarah and I have become over the decades, and as impressive as her magilisk strain has become since the first iteration, none of us can stand up against a plasma cannon that’d probably make a freight train look small.’ Wyatt shuddered at the thought. “Yeah, probably best to have a defense against that.” “We’ll at least have some forewarning if they do start to wake up. That one’s buried under the home of a deity...hang on…” She tapped at the ring that had been holding the ruby. “When he enlarged, you were able to grab the ruby out of this with both hands?” “The ruby looked like it hadn’t grown much, if at all.” Reaching into his bulging pocket, he produced the dimly glowing gem. “Considering it was his power source, growing might’ve put a strain on it.” “Maybe, but then again power source plus growth plus part that doesn’t grow... Replace ruby with energon crystal… scan next mechanical layer under crystal housing...no wonder this guy screamed when he grew, they bolted it to his ribs and it didn’t grow.” “Almost makes me feel sorry for him,” Wyatt noted, staring at the remains. “Even he didn’t deserve that kind of treatment.” “Judge people for how they treat others. Drakkon’s a monster, and this guy was a loyal pet, but even so he was still little more than a rabid dog in the end.” Liz steps away from the body suddenly and smiles. “It’s not perfect, but I think I have a starting point to work from.” “Glad to hear it,” Wyatt said, letting Ninjor’s sword hang from his waist. “And I think I’m keeping these. I just have a good feeling about them.” “So, those belts you guys have...they summon armor and provide extra power? Sorry for sounding like I know nothing, but something about yours keeps causing glitches and I can’t focus on it to get a scan to figure it out.” “Well, mine was just a prop until I got displaced,” Wyatt started, summoning the buckle in question. “Ugh. Void Dweller magic. No wonder it’s giving me a headache.” “I may not like those guys, but this bad boy’s been interesting,” he told her, shaking the buckle back and forth. “I actually get forms based on the Displaced that I meet.” “Really? I wonder how that works in my case considering I have two forms. Do you get one for the humanoid and one for the spider, or is it mostly cosmetic changes?” “Let me take a look.” Putting the belt to his waist, he summoned his booker. He opened the case, looking for his new cards. It took him a few moments, but he pulled out a card, his eyes twinkling with excitement. “No way, the spider form is a motorcycle!” “That makes sense considering it is my alternate mode, which were traditionally vehicles to begin with. I’m not going to lie and say I’m not curious about how that would look.” A look of disgust crossed her face after a few seconds. “Please tell me it doesn’t look as goofy as the motorcycle mode they gave Tarantulas in his second season upgrade.” Wyatt grinned, flicking the card into the belt. “Then let’s see test this bad boy out.” With practiced ease, he attempted to press in the handles on the belt. Only for them to not budge. Blinking, he firmly gripped the handles and tried again. “Aww come on! Why won’t you work?!” “Error: Machine Ride not detected!” “Sounds like it’s an upgrade rather than a base form. Let me guess, no motorcycles exist here because they haven’t had a need for mechanized transport and only developed the steam engine fifteen years ago? I know that’s a recent thing back home.” “Aww man,” Wyatt said, letting his belt disappear. “I was looking forward to using this one. I got my motorcycle license and everything.” He let his shoulders sag as he spoke. “Cheer up, hero. You have forms based off of my sister and I at least. Depending on what those give you, you could still kick some serious ass. Even if it only gives you things from our characters; Sarah’s will let you fire off a chain lightning-like effect.” “Chain lightning is cool,” Wyatt conceded, sighing before standing up straight. “But you should check out everyone else's belt too.” “I doubt I’ll get much out of discount fruit ninja, but who knows, maybe there’s one that’ll impress me, or provide some interface potential. Over the years I’ve managed to figure out ways to reconfigure almost every possible part of my onboard weapons systems, and the stuff I have in subspace fills in the gaps where it’s needed, like with physical projectiles. More than once; Sarah has stated that I’d make Mega Man jealous.” “Well Maud’s belt utilizes Gaia Memories. They contain the planet's knowledge on any one subject.” “Interesting. I wonder if there are some gaps in what she’s considered condensing into them?” “I find the memories, not make them,” Maud stated, slowly walking into view. “I just reshape them so they'll work with the driver.” “Well, you might want to consider looking for version 2.0 if you found any based on magic or metal before, since we just gave Luna a new metal and a bunch of magic tomes from other worlds...oh, and I’m made of a different metal, so that’s two new metals the planet knows about.” Liz smiles, clearly meaning this more as a joke than anything else as she approaches and offers her hand. “Nice to meet you without the mask. I’m Liz.” “Maud Pie,” she answered, giving the transformer's hand a gentle shake. Gentle for her anyway. Liz closes her eyes briefly before slipping her hand out of the grip. “Sorry, forgot to turn off the medical scanner. Did you know your muscles are three times denser than anyone who was injured today, including the big red guy?” “The Pie diet does that,” Maud answered, letting her arm dangle. “It's rich in minerals.” “Well, miss Pie, I would consider it an honor if you would allow me to examine your work. I can guarantee they will be returned to you in the same condition.” Maud slipped her belt from around her waist, holding it out to her. “How hard would you say you are on the Mohs scale?” “The base form of the metal is almost identical to scandium, so a combination of that and Dark Souls.” She knew the pony wouldn’t get the joke, but it was one of the few video game ones she could make. Mauds eyes scanned over Liz's form. “Do you think I could get a sample?” Liz actually took a step back for a moment, looking at Maud intently before reaching up with her right hand and carefully detaching one of the spider legs from her left bicep. “I have a way to repair damage and remake lost parts, but giving you anything other than a single leg could be slightly crippling in the meantime, and anything smaller would hurt just like any injury you get, because I’d have to break a part off.” “Thank you,” Maud said with a nod.  “I'm sure I'll learn a lot.” Turning the limb over in her hands, she examined where it had been disconnected. “The parts I’m seeing look incredibly advanced.” “Try not to think of it as a part from a machine, but a limb from a mechanical organism. Yes, I know that’s a self-contradicting pair of words, just roll with it.” Liz pauses as if taking a breath to steady herself. “Sorry, I’m telling you not to think of it in the exact same way I had to force myself to think about it in order to-” “Hey!” Trixie cut in, leaving the group of birds she had been conversing with. “I see your game, Robo-Spider, trying to woo Trixie's girl.” Closing the distance, she poked at Liz's chest. “Tempting her with geology! Well I won't have it!” “First off, you’re more annoying than Alpha 6. Shut up.” Liz’s tone carried a force with it as she said this to Trixie. “Second, even if I were currently interested in ‘wooing’ someone, your girlfriend’s lacking a crucial component that my sexuality depends on. In other words, you paranoid bitch, I’m straight!” Trixie snorted, her hand closing around her knuckle. “Oh, so now she's not good enough for you?! Trixie is tempted to turn that ugly head of yours into a bucket!” “Trixie, calm down,” Maud said, the air around her seeming to turn cold. “I'm dating you, not her. I would like it if you didn't act like a dragon losing their hoard. Are you questioning my faithfulness?” Trixie adjusted her hat, putting the knuckle away. “No, of course not. Trixie was just putting on an act. One that was clearly not going over well.” “Right.” Liz pinched the bridge of her nose for a minute and shook her head slowly. “Look, we’re all on the same side here and nobody’s interested in anybody from another dimension. I’ll take your assessment of my body as a compliment, but if you poke me again you’re going to have nightmares, okay?” “Trixie already fights nightmares,” Trixie rebutted, a smug look crossing her lips. “Things that go bump in the night.” “I think I’ll pass on examining your driver. You’ve clearly stroked your own ego so hard that you’re just edging all day long.” Liz turns back to Maud and smiles as kindly as she can manage. “So, may I please take a look at your device?” “You may examine Trixie's.” Clipping the knuckle in place, Trixie offered the belt to Liz. “Think of it as an apology." Maud ignored Trixie, holding her belt out to Liz again. “Of course you can look at the belt. Would you like to see one of the memories too?” Liz accepted both belts, and casually placed Trixie’s on a nearby table while turning her attention to the two-sided device Maud had offered. “Please, though this design clearly needs two to operate. I’m assuming some issues came up requiring a balance between powers from one alone causing too much strain?” “The belt requires one body and two compatible minds,” Maud explained, passing over her Joker memory. “I provide the body, Pinkie supplies her mind.” Liz turned the memory over in her hands a couple times before carefully examining the interface at the end of it. “Looks like a simple enough connection to make. Slightly different from your standard USB port, but less complex. Larger connectors, fewer in number. I have no way to know just how much storage this has, or how much space a copy would take up without just straight up plugging it in…” She trailed off for a moment before her head jerked back up to look right at Maud. “You said you find these?” “The world's memories gather in crystals,” Maud elaborated. “I tap into the knowledge and copy it into those devices.” “Ask Granny to show you the Zap Apple orchard sometime. Something tells me the wild magic in those trees means there’s one or two memory crystals in the area.” “I've already found a few memories in the area.” Maud blinked slowly. “They don't really have anything to do with magic.” “Oh, don’t bother looking for one for magic. I don’t think you even could find one for such an all-encompassing force. The idea just popped into my head that there might be some correlation to magical phenomena in an area and a powerful artifact.” With a flick of her wrist; a small panel opened up on Liz’s left forearm, revealing a selection of various slots and ports. “Mind if I try accessing the information on this? See if it’s even readable?” Maud nodded. “Just don't break it.” “Honestly, I’m more worried about it causing  something in me to break.” A perfectly-sized port slowly opened in her arm as various panels and components reconfigured with a few odd noises. “If I lock up for more than a minute, pull it out, okay?” “Of course.” Liz carefully inserted the memory, and twitched slightly as it clicked into place. “Joker...or ace. Reflex and skill enhancement. Fifty-eight petabytes?!” Liz quickly pulled the memory out of her arm and slid the access panel closed. Wyatt gazed down at the memory, confused. “how big is that number?” “Fifty-eight times two to the fiftieth power.” Liz replied while looking down at the memory. “I could copy it easily, but it’d take over an hour because I’d want to make sure nothing is lost in the transfer, not one hiccup in the data. Alternatively I would prefer to ask if you could make a copy of these memories of yours, Maud.” Maud hummed, considering the request. “It would take me a week to get the memories ready.” “You have all the time in the world. Wyatt can just call me over for a short visit when you have everything ready. Is there anything you’d like me to bring in return? I’ve got a bunch of different metals, energon crystals. I could even see about getting one of Sarah’s more intelligent advisors to cobble together a simple motorcycle to kick-start vehicle development for you guys. Energon crystal power would even mean no pollution.” “Motorcycle's are good,” Wyatt spoke up rather enthusiastically. “Can't be a Kamen Rider without one.” “Maud? I was asking what you would like since you’re the one providing the service. I can get a motorcycle cobbled together to cover the ‘shipping charges’ easily enough.” Maud reached into her smock, pulling out the Rock memory. “I have nine complete memories and three more in development. What is your honest offer?” “Honestly, there is no way to attach a value to what these memories could do for our world in terms of emergency measures alone if the others even have only half of the potential applications of this one. I could offer raw materials, enchanted or psionically-enhanced items, or even golems to serve and assist you and not reach an equitable balance with all combined.” She handed the Joker memory back over to Maud, then tapped one hand against her hip as she began pacing. “More potions would be virtually worthless, because what we brought should last close to a year even with multiple people drinking two a day. Most of you wouldn’t be able to utilize items that manifest psionic powers...but extra weapon options never hurt, and I know for a fact I can embed a dorje into a gun grip and the ‘fire’ impulse most people generate when pulling a trigger is sufficient. Amulets and other extra defenses could keep you safe if you’re ambushed without your armor, but they’d need to be something comfortable so you wouldn’t notice they’re even there…” Maud closed her hands around Liz's. “I'll accept any payment you deem appropriate.” Liz looked down and smiled, but continued to think in silence for a few more seconds. “Spiked chains that can catch an enemy unaware with an attack because a thought causes them to double in length. A hammer that can cause enemies to trip from range. ‘Guns’ powered by crystals that require actual intent to kill or injure to fire and thus cannot be fired accidentally just because the trigger is pulled. Boots that ensure you land on your feet after a fa...horseshoes that ensure you land on your feet after a fall, and cushion that landing.” “This all sounds good,” Maud acknowledged, nodding at the gynoid. “Any one of those will be fine. I don’t like putting a price tag on the exchange of knowledge.” “Sorry, it’s hard to break old habits, and my sister and I have had to work out trade deals every time we want something for our own use even though we provide medical services to the world practically free, and limb replacements at a miniscule cost. I’ll pick a few suitable powerful items and you can distribute them to your friends and family as you see fit. Primarily defensive boosters for those that don’t have special armor suits.” “That should come in handy, thanks,” Wyatt told her. “And we’re not nobles, farthest thing from them,” he concluded with a cheeky grin. “Very well. Give me a call back in about a week’s time in your world. Who knows how much time that’ll be in mine, but we’ve found that time tends to synchronize while worlds are connected. I should have a fair selection of things for you to choose from by then, even if I have to dig up things that Sarah and I haven’t used in years for one reason or another.” “Alright, I can put that on my schedule,” Wyatt said with a nod. “Let’s go get your sister and I’ll send you two home.” “In any other circumstances I’d say just send me off and she’d be sent away too, but since she’s talking to Granny Smith I know that’d be a bad idea unless she got an answer out of her.” “Yeah, I sensed heartfelt talk vibes,” Wyatt agreed, heading for the path back to the farmhouse. “I’d hate to cut someone off mid-sentence.” “That old mare’s been a good friend to both of us over the years. Sarah does everything she can to ease her old-age pains since neither of us are feeling any and she is.” Liz shrugged. “I’ve long-since made peace with the fact that we’ll both eventually outlive her, but I do what I can to help.” Wyatt rubbed the back of his head, a frown coming over his face. “Here, Kuuga and Agito, the two displaced before me seemed to not age after a while. In fact, Agito is still around, looking young. It’s made me wonder if the same thing will happen to me. Gotta say, immortality is a hard concept to wrap my head around.” “Yeah, well, can’t say you’re wrong there.” She pointed out that the platform was already moving farther away from the farmhouse. “Looks like business has concluded. Sarah’s probably asking where to find us.” “Need a lift?” Wyatt asked, summoning his driver. “I can fly you up there if you want.” “Nah. I don’t need to be in proximity for the piggyback systems to trigger properly, and I’ll see my nieces again soon enough. You make sure you check every corner of that bag of holding, okay? Chances are good that Sarah put a few of our duplicate tokens in there and just doesn’t know which ones are in which bag. I know we have multiple genji gloves and we’ve found a few digivices, for example.” “Can do,” Wyatt assured her, giving a thumbs up. “See ya in a week. Our Contract is complete.” Liz, the platform,and Sarah, even if the latter was unseen, all vanished from the world in a brief flash of purple light. Somber sat at the head of the council table, gazing out at the assembled group before him. “It seems, Drakkon, your enforcer wasn't up to par. No matter, we have what we wanted.” “I have a question,” Drakkon started, ignoring the slight against Goldar. “That boy you’ve got your eye on. He is entirely unimpressive. Why are you bothering with him? Surely you can find someone better.” Somber chuckled, a black sound devoid of humor. “I'll Grant you that, Drakkon. He is young and inexperienced; something each of our little terror attacks improves on. You see, it matters not what losses we take, as long as Wyatt is fed improvements, Dai-Shocker will reap the rewards.” “And what did we gain this time?” A new voice demanded. At the far end of the table sat Emperor Zero, head of the Garanda Empire. Sporting grey Knight armor and a rather obnoxious wing themed headdress, he didn't stand out much from Dai-Shockers more flamboyant leaders. “Our newest member failed to take a simple farm!” Somber tossed the lockseed onto the meeting table, the lock unfolding into a rose-themed motorcycle. “The farm was not our goal. While we did not get the belt, we gained something far better, another realm.” “Finster 5 was able to trace the two Interlopers back to their world,” Drakkon added, regarding Zero coldly. “My sentries were successful in sending a probe to their little Haven.” Somber nodded, waving a hand. “Taiga, fetch some of your fangires and have them commence a scouting operation.” Glancing over his shoulder, he beckoned Apollo over. “Recall Eternal and Lupin, I may have need of them.” Apollo bowed, adjusting his gloves on his hands. “Of course, Great Leader. I’ll get Lupin first, he’s much more agreeable when being pulled away from his personal time.” Somber nodded, waving Apollo off. There was no need to micromanage Apollo. The man got results and Somber felt no compulsion to hinder him. “Now, Zero, if you have any more uninformed questions, please feel free to ask them.” Zero sat back in his seat, a grimace on his face. “No, Great Leader. I have no other questions.” “Good.” Somber gestured to the door. “Now go down to the Nexus and review our most recent batch of intelligence reports.” Zero rose from his chair, flourishing his cape behind him as a dimensional portal opened behind him. He muttered to himself, the words being lost as he passed through the portal.