//------------------------------// // Warzone // Story: A Hoof In Two Worlds // by Silverwing Strong //------------------------------// "Warzone" "AGES HIGH!!" Tory roared as he attacked. The winged human jumped upward at impressive speeds, his blade charged with lighting and poised to strike Discord, still wearing the body of Eric. Tory swung his broadsword in an arc over his head, hoping to shock his opponent with the electricity coursing through the blade. But his mortal enemy simply deflected the assault with his new O-Katana, and moved for a body slam. Tory moved with the deflection, using his wings to give him a push and dodge the counter. He turned and performed a spin kick, to which Discord grabbed his ankle. Then the demonic human swung his held opponent over his head and threw him to the ground below. The winged human spread his wings out entirely and caught himself, landing and pressing a finger to his collar, activating a small microphone. "Bravo, Charlie, Delta!" he shouted into it. "Report! How are your ends?!" "Bravo Squad has evacuated everypony to a safe location outside of Ponyville!" another Tory responded through the ear receiver the original wore. "Charlie Squad has encased the town in a barrier!" a second clone answered as well. "We are adding layers as we speak!" "Delta is still converting the Mane Six!" a third spoke up, sounding exhausted. "We need an estimated three minutes!" "Delta Squad, you've got two and a half!" the original Tory shouted, avoiding a blast of concentrated magic from Discord. "Argh! Echo, Foxtrot! Give me some good news!" "Echo is in position!" "Foxtrot Squad has send out two now! Assume all unknowns are tangos unless they respond 'Shades'!" "Two?" the original Tory thought, bringing his sword up to block a strike. "I hope they get here soon... I can't win at the rate I'm expending energy!" The winged human jumped back and tossed his sword upward, bringing his hands up to his face and crossing his arms, palms facing outward to the opposite arm's shoulder. It was his new spellcasting stance. He glowed a faint silver, which turned gold and then purple. The sky darkened for an instant, and Discord looked up to see a massive god-sword composed entirely of golden energy. He sent a short burst of energy to his legs as he kicked off, propelling him backwards and out of the impact radius of the sword. The demonic human watched as the golden god-sword made contact with the ground, but instead of a burst of energy like he expected, it merely phased through the ground and vanished. It had been a ruse! And that was when Discord felt a hand grasp him on the shoulder from behind. He looked back and saw Tory there, who was glowing dark purple. "Umbra Ragnarok..." the winged human muttered as he gripped his enemy tight, broadsword held to his captive's neck. "Ragnarok as in..." Discord muttered, starting to realize something. He looked over at where the illusion god-sword had been, and put the final piece together, casting his eyes upward at the sky which darkened once more. The dark storm clouds overhead began to circle about, making a vortex that started to pulse with a visible amount of power. Finally a god-sword emerged, except this one looked like it was real. It had many cracks and gauges down it's length, and glowed the same shade as Tory. "You plan on killing us both?" Discord scoffed, looking over his shoulder at the human that angered him so. "I have no intention of dying." the winged human replied, smirking. "Then you can become a part of me instead!" the demonic one laughed, his back liquifying. Tory felt himself being pulled toward Discord, his body slowly sinking into that of his enemy's. He was being assimilated! Without hesitating, he sheathed his sword and pulled out a knife. He raised the small blade above his head and swung down, slicing his own wrist and severing his hand from his arm. Tory jumped back and gasped, falling to one knee while clutching what remained of his wrist. "A bold move, cutting your own hand off to escape my absorption." Discord smirked, his body slowly rising into the air as he gripped his O-Katana in one hand. "Now you shall feel the cold embrace of death..." Tory watched as the demonic human held up his empty hand and stopped the fall of the Umbra Ragnarok. Then the blade began to sink into him, and Discord glowed a dark purple, which turned black. This was very bad... He had just absorbed all the power Tory had spent in summoning what he had hoped would weaken his foe. "TIME TO DIE!!!" Discord/Eric roared, bringing his blade upward. "BLIZZAJA!!!" came the royal and majestic voice of Luna. At that instant, three massive and crystal-shaped glaciers fell from the sky and slammed into the demonic human, knocking him to the ground. An instant later he was struck by a barrage of lighting bolts, and then a powerful inferno that seemed as though it came from Hell exploded around him. If one could hear through the ice that shattered like glass, through the ear-splitting hisses of lighting and the roaring explosions, they would hear the screams of agony that erupted from Discord's mouth. It was a sickening cry, and Tory had to avert his eyes, lest he take pity upon that monster. "TORY!!!" came Fluttershy's voice. The winged human turned towards her, and was quickly tackle-hugged by her. She nuzzled and kissed him repeatedly, not letting up until the others had arrived. It was then that Luna, Rainbow Dash, and Octavia glomped him onto his back once more. Fantasia and Twilight came up as well, but kept their distance so that the lovers could have their moment. "We were so worried!" Rainbow cried into his shoulder. "Stop being so reckless!" Octavia sobbed, clinging to his arm. "I'm sorry..." Tory apologized. He then looked them over and grinned. "Are you all wearing what I think you are?" Luna wore a deep blue robe that had a large collar which hid half her face and covered all of her body except for her wings. She had on a wide and tall straw had cast a dark shadow over her face so only her eyes could be seen. It was tilted back a little though because of her horn. She carried a wooden staff in her magic, one with a crescent moon on top. Behind her, Fantasia wore the same outfit, except her staff had a castle in place of a moon. Luna had a deep blue aura around her, almost hidden by the robes, while Fantasia had a cloudy white one that stood out against her garments. Fluttershy had on white robes with red trimming that covered her entire body as well, except for her wings. In place of a straw hat, her robes had a hood that went over her mane. It came out through the front where gravity claimed it, and her ears twitched cutely under the hood. She also carried a staff, except hers curled forward into a large spiral of wood. If one looked closely, they would see a faint yellow gold aura on the staff. Rainbow Dash wore silver blue robes, or at first they were. They were very slowly changing colors if one took the time to notice. They changed to every shade of the rainbow, and back to silver. She had a large red hat that was rounded at the top with a single white star in the front. It was tilted to one side and looped around one of her ears. She carried no staff, but one could see a multicolored rainbow aura about her. Octavia was wearing a light blue traveling cloak, with a deeper blue garment under it. She caught Tory's gaze and looked away, blushing faintly. One ear was pierced and had her cutie mark hanging from it. The cellist shuffled her hooves a little, pulling her cello close and hiding behind it somewhat. Twilight Sparkle wore a large red cloak with white trimmings. She had on black boots, and sported a red cap with a white feather sticking out. She grinned over at Tory, tipping her hat at him then looking around to inspect any damage. "Those outfits are..." Tory started. "I'm a... Um, Black Mage?" Luna said, looking unsure. Tory nodded and chuckled, making her realize something. "Hey! You called me a Black Mage a while back!" "And it works for you!" the winged human laughed kindly, hugging her again. "After all, you look beautiful in that outfit and you saved my life with that Blizzaja!" "What about me?" Fantasia asked, then tried to hide under her hat when his gaze turned to her. "I mean um... I helped too..." "Did you cast the Thundaja?" Tory questioned. He continued when the cloudy white unicorn nodded. "You did great. Thundaja is a hard spell to work, and you pulled it off flawlessly." "But flawless isn't enough to kill me!" Everypony and Tory turned around to see Discord climb from a small crater within the ground. He looked almost pitiful in Eric's body. His clothes were scorched and barely clinging to him. Small bolts of electricity shot from one part of his body to another, making him shake violently. At the end of his short hair, he had icicles forming, with his skin a sickly blue. The demonic human panted with the effort, and was leaning on his staff heavily. "You can't kill me so easily..." Discord growled. "Damn..." Tory thought, grasping his sword in his off-hand. "This is gonna be bad." "Tory, you can't fight him like that," Fluttershy whispered, placing a hoof on his shoulder. "You need to-" "Hyah!" Tory shouted suddenly, his severed arm held out from his side. With a sickening 'shlick', Tory grew a new hand. It shot. Out from his arm rapidly, covered in blood. He panted after his little exertion and knelt down, unable to keep his balance after using so much of his remaining energy for a task his magic wasn't up to take. Everypony and Discord stood there looking at him, surprised that he was able to do such a feat as that. "... I-Impressive Tory," Discord smirked eventually, overcoming his surprise first. "But it seems that you merely drained yourself of everything. You cannot stand, let alone fight me. Now I'll kill you!" The demonic stepped forward, raising his O-Katana above his head. Luna rushed at him, prepared to stile him with her staff, but he easily batted her aside and knocked her down. Fantasia used her magic to slam the castle staff against him. Discord caught it in his free hand, and lighting shot out of it, sending massive jolts down his arm. With a roar of rage and pain he let go and stepped forward, backhanding the cloudy white unicorn into a building. "ENOUGH STALLING!!!" the demonic human shouted angrily. "All of you are going to die!!" "Stop!!" Rainbow shouted, flapping her wings with her aura flaring up. Rainbow Dash's aura glowed sparked to life, and a faint orb of light emerged from her circlet. It made it's way to the demonic human, and though he tried to bat it aside, the orb continued on, phasing through his hand. It reached his chest and turned into a floating clock with both hands spinning rapidly. Yet they began to slow down and eventually stop. Discord simply stood there, unmoving and frozen under the spell that had stopped all the time around him. Rainbow rushed past him, making her way to Luna and Fantasia. Yet as she moved to his side, the demonic human came back to life and grabbed her around the neck. The blue pegasus yelped and squirmed in his hold. She kicked and batted at him with her hooves, yet Discord would not relinquish his grip. Once, Rainbow Dash even tried magic but her attacker simply laughed and squeezed her neck tighter, slowly choking Tory's wife and killing her concentration. "You may be a Time Mage," Discord smirked, leaning in to whisper in her ear. "But you don't know all the rules yet. Tory must have forgot to mention that Haste and Slow cancel each other out." "B-But I used... Stop!" the rainbow-maned Pegasus coughed out. "Oh? I didn't notice," the demonic human laughed. "Probably because I'm Discord, ruler of chaos! Your rules don't apply to me!" "Likewise..." Rainbow's attacker turned around to find a fully healed and VERY angry Tory leering at him, daggers at his neck and back. There was a moment of silence that lasted for an hour, until finally the winged-human struck, his small blades lancing through their target rapidly. Each pierce brought a pained grunt from Discord, who found himself unable to act. His body felt shockingly cold and slow, yet his thoughts raced along trying to make the muscles he had stolen from Eric respond. Tory pulled his daggers back and spun around, smashing his heel into the demonic human's stomach. Discord released his grip on Rainbow Dash, and was sent flying into an empty home nearby. But it wasn't over yet, at least one human didn't think so. He tossed his daggers skyward, and entered his spellcasting stance once more. His aura flared brightly and the ground shook violently. Tory brought his hands forward, palms facing outward and aimed at the building Discord had crashed into. "ADAMANTINE SPIRE!!!" the winged-human roared loudly. From the collapsed home emerged a massive spike of deep green crystal. Debris flew everywhere as the spire grew upward and out rapidly. Tory gasped for air, yet his aura remained active, and the tower continued to rise. Everypony there looked on as it's ascent slowed, and eventually stopped. They were amazed that such a power existed, but what really held their attention was the figure within. Trapped inside the adamantine spike was Discord, his expression one of pain. He looked as though he had been pierced through the back, for his body arced forward and was facing up. "Is..." Rainbow Dash started, getting to her hooves. "Is he dead?" "N-Not even... Close," Tory gasped, on one knee. The winged-human got to his feet slowly, his legs shaking from the effort. He held his hands out to the side, and his daggers descended from the sky. Tory caught them and placed the blades in their sheaths, his eyes never leaving Discord for even a moment. Panting heavily, the human stumbled over and rested his hand against the durable crystal. "S-Still takes a lot out of me.." he said breathlessly. After taking a swig of a thick liquid from a bottle in his pocket, Tory pressed a finger to his earpiece. "Glad I... Brought a few potions along just in case... All squads, report." "Bravo Squad is keeping a perimeter around the citizens," a clone responded, sounding tense. "We're still on the lookout for Discord should something happen." "Charlie Squad is moving in with the barrier to minimize expended energy, and isolate the spire." a second informed. "I... I can feel the malice from here. How much did we underestimate him?" "Too much," the original answered back. He opened his comm link and spoke again. "Delta, what is your status?" There was static on the other end as Tory tuned to their frequency. It lasted for a few seconds before going silent, and starting up again. Through the white noise, the winged-human thought he heard dark laughter, and then a loud groan. A shiver went down his spine as the ear piece began to return a voice. "I-It was a trap," the clone on the other end gasped out, his voice on the verge of death. There was a bit of coughing and he started again. "Engage... E-Echo... D-Discord is-UGH!" "...Delta?" Tory whispered, fearing the worst. "DELTA, RESPOND DAMNIT!!!" "Your little plan failed Tory," came the voice of Discord on the other mic. "Your little Delta Squad is dead and gone. And don't worry, Echo is next." Static replaced the malicious voice, and the winged-human remained silent. He removed his finger from the ear piece, and looked at the others with him. His face looked so grave at first, but then he broke out in laughter. His wives and Fantasia looked at him incredulously. They had no idea what Tory had heard, but he had been deathly serious. Now suddenly he was laughing as though he had won. Luna was the first to speak their thoughts. "T-Tory... Why are you..." she trailed off. "Heheheheh! Because we won!" he declared. "Dopey Discord attacked Delta Squad right?" "Uh, yes?" Rainbow confirmed, unsure where this was going. "Delta Squad was a trick," Tory grinned. "They were a group that LOOKED like they were doing something important, but were really part of our plan in case our idiot enemy had something up his sleeve, which he did." "But... In what manner did we win?" Octavia inquired. "Alright," the winged-human started. "Let me run you through our plan one last time..." I.I.I Ten minutes ago. I.I.I "TORY I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!!!" Discord roared, his blade brandished and aimed at the winged-human. "Oh shit..." The demonic human rushed forward, charging right for his nemesis. Tory's new reflexes caused him to jump, his wives in his arms to pull them from harm's way. He landed on the other side of the Library's main room, depositing the girls and turning back to face his enemy. With a flash of magic, the golden sword he wielded came to existence, the rubies ingrained in it's hilt and blade glowing fiercely. "You'll not best me today, monster!" Tory spat, getting into an attack stance. "I can feel your magic, it is still sealed!" As he finished that sentence, Discord vanished in the blink of an eye. The winged-human brought his blade up and moved his palm along it's length. The ruby began to shine radiantly, and the scent of earth filled the air. Tory's eyes began to glow silver, as did his body. Soon the entire room was a cross between pure red and silver. The others could only watch, the massive level of power emanating from their friend actually pressing down on them as though the gravity had multiplied ten fold. "Rise of the Seventh Sector!!" Tory roared, twirling his blade in one hand. He held the broadsword over his head and it flashed golden, then red, and lastly silver. The energy around the group vanished, and smoke replaced their visions. Discord's voice was heard giving off a weak cry of pain right before a loud crashing noise came from the side of the building. The sound of many footsteps could be heard going in that same direction, and everypony there began to wonder what was happening. The smoke slowly began to clear, and the group looked about. The entire library was a mess, with books littering the floor, a giant gaping hole in the wall, and dust in the air. Around each member of the group were at least three copies of Tory, with Luna, Octavia. Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy having at least fifteen copies around them. The sounds of a massive fight grabbed their attention. Twilight moved to go after Discord, but one Tory stopped her. "No, I've got a plan," he started."I need each of you to stay here while I buy some time." "What did you do?" the purple unicorn inquired. "I made a clone army of myself," the winged-human smirked. "Not enough to obliterate that monster, but enough to weaken him and buy time for the most intricate plan I've ever had. But for it to work I need each of you to follow my instructions." "What do you need of us?" Luna asked, stepping forward. "All of us here are clones," Tory mentioned, motioning to each of the copies. "Me included. We're the part of Sector Seven known as Foxtrot Squad. Our job is to protect and empower each of you so that Discord is not only outnumbered, but outclassed as well." "How are all of us supposed to get stronger than..." Rainbow trailed off, looking out the hole and seeing a war zone. There was a massive cloud of dust that blocked what each of them assumed was the real Tory and Discord. The residents of Ponyville were scrambling to get away, other clones leading them to safety. The sky began to darken, the immense levels of power and energy drawing clouds toward the epicenter of the battle. Rainbow suppressed a shiver of fear. "Simple," the clone Tory began, smiling as he gave his hand to the blue pegasus. "We're going to unlock your hidden potential, give it form, and teach you how to use it." "But how're you gonna-" the rainbow-haired mare asked but was cut off as the clone pulled her close and rested a hand on her head. There was a flash of silver energy, followed by a burst of prismatic light around Rainbow Dash. Everypony, the clones, and Cory had to shield their eyes from the intensity or risk going blind. The sound of many ticking clocks were heard, until it was the only sound they all thought existed. Eventually the ticking faded, and the light waned. Each member of the group opened their eyes and gasped when they saw the blue pegasus. Now, she was clothed in the garments of a Time Mage. "Uhn..." Rainbow groaned, raising a hoof to her head in a daze. She noticed her clothing and her eyes grew wide. "W-Wha-?! What is this?" "Looks like you're a Time Mage," the clone Tory grinned, looking her over with a drained expression. "Fitting for a speedy daredevil like yourself." "Wait, you called her a Mage," Twilight pointed out, frowning. "Mages are unicorns only," Trixie commented, stepping forward with a semi-confident look in her eyes. "Even Trixie knows that. And time magic? Trixie does not mean to be rude but... Not even Twilight Sparkle, Trixie's rival, can manage such a feat." "Heheheheh, normally that would be the case," the Delta leader began. "But with Maker Magic, I can tap into Rainbow's DNA, bringing forth any and all unicorn connections from her ancestors. Once it's active in her, Dashie here can use magic, even without a horn. She doesn't know HOW yet, but with my guidance I should be able to teach her quickly, and time spells will come flying out of her like clockwork, pun intended." "So you're gonna teach me how to beat Discord with Time Magic?" Rainbow Dash asked, a confident glint in her eyes. "Not just you Dashie," the clone Tory replied, looking at everyone within the room. "I am going to grant each pony here skills that would enable them to stand up to Discord. Since you will all be something I am familiar with, odds are he will know how to counter you. That's why you can't ever travel alone until we know FOR SURE that he's dead. That bastard won't be able to withstand the different types of onslaught." "So..." Octavia began hesitantly. "You intend to enhance all our capabilities?" "Exactly, my sweet Bard,~" the Delta leader nodded with a loving tone as he spoke. "Each of you here can grow even more powerful. And the skills you learn from me will probably tie into your own amazing abilities. Then we'll split into groups and hunt down Discord." "One question though," Twilight spoke up again, stepping forward. "What about all those other clones? Surely your plan has more than just making us stronger..." "Very astute Twilight," Tory grinned. "As I said, the clones here are part of Sector Seven, more specifically we are the Delta Squad. There is also Bravo and Charlie Squad. Bravo is in charge of the evacuation, making sure everypony in town gets away safely. Charlie is setting up a forcefield around the fight to contain damage, which should minimize casualties. I know there are more squads but they were made after us, so I am unaware of their orders. We were tasked with empowering you, and that is what we plan to do." "If you could guess, how many others would there be?" the purple unicorn pressed. "I'd wager there are Echo and Foxtrot Sqauds," the clone shrugged. "Probably taking care of other things to boost our chances." "Bravo, Charlie, Delta!" the original Tory called out through his mic.. "Report! How are your ends?!" "Bravo Squad has evacuated everypony to a safe location outside of Ponyville!" "Charlie Squad has encased the town in a barrier! We are adding layers as we speak!" "Delta is still converting the Mane Six!" the clone before them answered wearily. "We need an estimated three minutes!" "Delta Squad, you've got two and a half!" came the original's reply. “Understood!” the Delta leader confirmed, looking to the other Squad members. “Alright, you heard me! Finish converting and dispel!” “Dispel? But wouldn't going out there to join the fight be better?” Luna inquired. “If we had the energy to act that would be better,” Tory sighed, his exhaustion from the conversion on Rainbow Dash evident. “But as you can see, I'm pretty weak after doing what I did for Dashie. The other clones here will be tired too. The most we could do after making each of you stronger is either teach you by transferring the knowledge, which will drain the clones, or dispelling and giving the original back the power used to make us. You can see how many clones are here...” Luna nodded as a couple other clones began to work on everypony within the Library. One copy took Cory into a different room, something that the dark alicorn noted but let slide. Instead she turned her attention to the rest of her comrades, detailing how Twilight glowed red, Fluttershy glowed a golden white, Octavia a stark blue with the sound of music about her, and even her own pupil Fantasia seemed to be engulfed in a cloudy white light. “So, what are they changing to?” the dark alicorn asked the Delta clone leader that was sitting beside her. “Well, from the looks of it,” the copy Tory began pointing to the Element of Magic. “Twilight looks like a Red Mage. She'll be able to do all sorts of spells. Fitting... Fluttershy seems to be a White Mage, meaning she can cast healing spells. Fantasia, she'll be a Black Mage it seems.” Immediately the clone broke into a fit of laughter, making his wife fall over in surprise. She watched him for a few seconds before getting up and leering at him suspiciously. Tory just broke into another burst of crazy chuckling when he saw her expression. “I-I'm sorry!” he laughed. “Just... Just you'll see!” The ground shook violently, grabbing everypony's attention. A clone that had finished converting Pinkie stepped over to the gaping hole in the wall and gasped. He looked over and the expression on his face sent a cold chill down the clone leader's spine. “The Original is using Umbra Ragnarok!” the scout shouted. “Estimated time of impact within thirty seconds!” “Alright, we're breaking now!” the Delta Squad leader ordered, standing up. “Raven, I want you to lead everypony out of here! Most of you haven't learned your new skills yet, so you're not combat ready! Rainbow Dash, Twilight, Fantasia, Fluttershy, Luna, and Octavia. You six head over to the main battle and guard the Original! Mobilize!” Everypony began to evacuate the Library in a haste. Many clones formed a perimeter around Raven and the others, acting as the first defense against possible attacks. Tory's wives, Fantasia, and Twilight made their way out the hole in the wall and rushed to the site of the battle. Before they could get far though, Discord came up with a malicious grin. He was different though. He wasn't in Eric's body now. “Where do you think you little ponies are going?” he laughed in a dark voice. “You don't scare us!” Rainbow Dash challenged. “You don't even have that one person anymore!” “I do so like my chaotic skin better,” the demon chuckled, looking over his body and admiring the imperfections. “Chaos is a wonderful thing!” “DARK MAGIC ATTACK!!!” came a deep voice from nearby. There was a strange pulse of magic, followed by Discord changing to warped colors, and shattering like glass. The girls looked around for the one that had shouted, and two figures came forward. One looked like another human, but his hair spiked out everywhere in different colors and he was somewhat tall. He wore blue pants and a blue jacket over a black shirt. Around his neck was a strange triangular object bearing a strange eye in the center. On his left arm was a strange device, holding a card deck in the center, with one on the flat part of the device, and a few in his hand. “Yugi Moto!” a clone Tory shouted. “What a 'Hollow' meeting...” “Perhaps it will be better under the 'Shades' of a tree,” the human grinned at him. “Worry not, I am no enemy.” “No you are not,” the copy nodded, looking at the other figure. “Nor is your Dark Magician.” The second figure regarded Tory with silence, giving only a nod. This one wore purple armor from head to foot, and carried a small, green staff. He had purple hair that hung down to his neck, and his eyes were a strong blue. He was also human... or at least he looked the part. He floated just inches above the ground, and was far taller than the other humans there. “Um Tory?” Twilight started, stepping forward. “Who is this?” “This is a human named Yugi Moto,” the clone explained. “He's a card duelist from.... GET DOWN!!!” Every copy of Tory pushed everypony and Yugi to the ground. They held their places on the ground for a minute before they all looked up in confusion. One clone pressed his ear piece and called up another clone. There were a few seconds of silence as they all waited to hear what had happened. “This is bad,” the leader told them. “Looks like the original Discord absorbed the Umbra Ragnarok... Yugi, can I get a favor from you?” “What is it you need?” the duelist asked. “The Magnet Warriors Alpha, Beta, and Gamma,” Tory answered. “And Celtic Guardian please.” With a nod, Yugi pulled a few cards from his deck on the device and placed four onto the flat part. A few seconds later, four figures emerged around them. One that looked like a swordsman cloaked in green armor, a pink-ish figure, a yellow one, and a metallic one, although the pink and yellow ones were also composed of some metal material. “Alpha, Beta, Gamma, and Celtic Guardian, please heed the words of the one there.” Yugi said to the four creatures. “He and his friends need our help.” “Very much we do,” Tory nodded. “Celtic Guardian, make towards the skirmish in the center of the town. Try to help the original me fight Discord. Alpha, I want you and your counterparts to split up and assist the other groups. Alpha, you're with Charlie Squad. Beta, with Echo Squad. And Gamma, you're with me.” “What would you have of me?” Yugi asked as his summoned monsters split up and took off. “Yugi, I need you to go around and look for civilians that couldn't escape in time.” the clone leader responded. “You probably won't need any help since you've got a whole deck to protect you. Scan around and find everypony you can that might be stuck or otherwise unable to get away.” “Alright then,” the duelist nodded, and dashed away. “Hrm...” the copy Tory began, adopting a thinking pose. “I've got a bad feeling....” “About what?” Octavia asked, looking up at him from his side. “The original me...” he answered. “We should send someone-” At that moment, the clone fell to his knees, panting heavily. Fluttershy and the girls went to him quickly, the worry on their face evident. Tory looked up and gave them a grin, a strained one, but real nonetheless. He looked back to the library and chuckled, coughing as he tried. “Looks like.... the plan worked,” copy Tory coughed. He turned to Luna and beckoned her closer. “Time to wrap things up...” “What do you mean?” the dark alicorn questioned as she leaned in. The clone grinned and kissed her quickly, catching the mare by surprise. There was a surge of energy and Luna felt herself growing stronger. Her vision began turning to that of her aura, then a faint silver light emerged in front of her. All feeling left the dark alicorn and as she blinked, her environment changed entirely. Now she found herself floating in nothingness, an indigo nothingness. Luna looked about, wondering what was happening, when she saw a figure approaching her. She turned to them and after a few seconds saw that it was her husband Tory. She galloped over to him with a smile, hugging him tightly. “Tory, what's going on?” she asked as her nuzzled into his shoulder. “I'm so confused...” “I needed to talk with you alone for a minute,” he answered, stroking her mane gently. “This is a parallel mindframe I created with a bit of my remaining power. It's apart from the regular time around you.” “I don't understand why.” “Because you need to know,” Tory started, looking into her eyes, a serious appearance in his. “Things are about to get really rough.” “What do you mean Tory?” Luna pressed. “Delta Squad was also a ploy,” the winged-human told her. “To open up the potentials of everypony there would actually take no more than five minutes with one clone. But the Original had us act like we did to throw off Discord.” “You're not making any sense,” the dark alicorn sighed, holding him tightly. “Didn't you chase Discord out of the Library?” “Yes and no,” came the reply. “What I forced out of the Library WAS Discord... Now it's only a clone in Eric's body. During that initial scuffle when that monster vanished, he actually split himself from my friend, and placed a clone within the container. It was an attempt to throw me off. It almost worked, had I not been scanning for his energy...” “But you said his power was still sealed!” Luna protested. “I thought it was at first,” Tory shrugged. “But when he vanished I latched onto his energy signature and realized that he had cracked the barrier I set up in his mind. It's not a full break, but he's able to leak some energy through. That crack will grow though, and it did when I felt him absorb the Umbra Ragnarok. He turned the energy I spent against me...” “Does that mean he can absorb all of your attacks?” the dark alicorn gasped. “Only if he can match my aura down to it's very essence,” the winged-human answered. “If he had invaded my mind after I regained my own aura, he might be able to... No, the only reason he absorbed that attack was because it was impure. I used my energy in tandem with the excess energy he had spent.” “Why? I don't understand.” “So I could free Eric,” Tory said. “If my attack was absorbed, then it would enter Discord's mind. I put some of my being into that attack and he absorbed it, then I could find the barrier he cracked and reach in to pull Eric free.” “You knew he would steal the energy?” Luna questioned as he smiled at him. “You're so smart.” “Heh, I gambled on that one actually,” the winged-human chuckled, scratching behind his head, embarrassed. “I theorized he'd either absorb it, take the attack, or somehow deflect it. That I guess right amazes me...” “Still, you are amazing,” the dark alicorn replied, kissing him. “Regardless, I have to tell you my message.” Tory responded. “Like I said, that WAS Discord. Now the real one is in the Library.” “But, wouldn't he have attacked us?” “Not if he was possessing someone...” Luna thought about this for a moment. She thought of each member of their group, and who would be easiest to gain control over. It wouldn't be Tory's wives, since their lover would place the highest amount of protection on them. Probably not one of the Elements of Harmony, since they would be very important if Discord was to be defeated. Then she recalled that a clone had pulled one figure away from the group... “CORY!” she gasped. “Exactly,” Tory nodded. “He has his own knowledge on many things that I don't know about. So Discord could use that and my friend against me...” “That's horrible!” Luna protested. “How can he-” “It's to try and stop me,” the winged-human cut her off. “But under no circumstances are you to go back there and challenge him, am I clear?” “But-” “No, you've got to help the original me,” Tory told her sternly. “I'm running low on power, and I won't last long.” “What would you have me do?” Luna asked, looking into his eyes. “Take the others, keep the real me alive,” he answered. “If the original me dies, then all the clones will vanish, and Discord will win.” “But how can we-” “You don't realize it, but your magic is stronger than ever.” Tory grinned, ruffling her mane. “When you emerge from this place, you'll find you have your potential unlocked as well.” “But how will I use it?” the dark alicorn pressed, “You'll know,” the winged-human answered, his voice fading slowly. “But time is running out... I've got one last thing to tell you...” “W-What?” his wife stammered. “Delta.... it's all a ploy,” Tory started. “Besides bringing all of you to your best, the clones are a trap. When they're alone with Discord, they'll try to seal him away fully. If that fails, they'll dispel and summon a sealing barrier around the Library...” “What will that accomplish if Discord is getting his power back?” Luna asked. “It's designed to sap his power very slowly without him knowing,” the winged-human human answered, his voice sounding like it was coming through a radio. “I've run out of energy... I gotta go. Get to the real me quick...” And just as suddenly as it began, Luna found herself on the cold ground of Ponyville, the war around her raging in her ears once more. Tory's other wives and Octavia were shaking her, trying to wake the alicorn. “LUNA WE HAVE TO GO!!!” Rainbow Dash shouted as the mare stood up. “DISCORD IS ATTACKING THE LIBRARY!!!” “We've got to get to Tory!” Octavia called over an explosion that rocked the ground under them. “Right, let's go!” Luna ordered, turning towards the battle in the center of town. “Tory needs us!” I.I.I Current time, center of Ponyville. I.I.I “So he's trapped in there right now?” Twilight asked. “Yeah but probably not for long,” the real Tory said. The group was in the clearing, taking a moment to go over the plan. Fluttershy was healing Tory the whole time, and he looked as if he hadn't fought today. The aura of power around him was stronger than ever. Everypony besides Fluttershy had trouble getting close to him, what with the gravitational force his energy radiated. “What's our plan?” Octavia asked. “I think it's time to go renegade,” the winged-human sighed. “No more plans, just action. We do what we feel. We're gonna kick logic to the curb and do the impossible!” “What?!” Twilight gasped. “B-But logic is-” “It's nice but on Earth, unicorns and pegasi and magic and all that are considered illogical.” Tory cut her off. “Same as portals, talking ponies, and monsters able to do just about anything. So I'm going to just act.” Tory stood up and his form glowed for a second. He was wrapped in a white light which blinded the others, and as it faded they saw his clothing had changed. He now wore black pants with a silver shirt, combat boots, and a long black trench coat. On his right wrist was a leather bracer, on his left was a long black line that traveled up his arm. If one followed it they would see a tattoo that held a silver shield with four familiar cutie marks on it. Below the mark there were three symbols that said “VII”. Over Tory's back was a large bow and quiver while his sword and daggers were sheathed at his waist. “Time for Silver to finish what he started,” Tory said, his eyes flashing the same color as his aura. “Silver?” his wives and Octavia asked in unison. “There is no Tory now, just Silver,” the winged human smiled at them. “It's high time I shed my old form.” “So you're... Silver now?” Twilight looked at him. “That's right,” he nodded to her. “But we'll talk more about this later. I've got a battle to finish.” Silver dashed forward with lightning speed and took off into the air, causing a massive gust around where he was. The others looked after him, then at each other, and took off for the Library. It was obvious he intended to finish off Discord. They had to go and help him. The winged-human arrived moments later and looked on. The Library was a complete mess, with holes dotting the entire tree. Books were strewn everwhere, and some ripped pages were littering the floor. Around the whole building was a faint silver glow, contesting to the barrier the defeated clones had summoned. With a smirk, Silver stepped inside and looked around. Almost immediately the winged-human was greeted with a battle cry from above. Silver unsheathed his blade and looked up to see his friend Cory bring a massive war-hammer down to crush him. With only an instant to spare the attack was blocked by the flat of the blade, and the head of the massive weapon loomed over him. “I'm surprised you came alone,” Discord/Cory smirked evilly. “And here I thought you were going to keep away, leaving me to rot inside this pathetic attempt at a seal!” “We both know you'd have broken free within no time,” Silver countered calmly, lifting his knee up to catch his mortal enemy in the stomach. “Ugh!” Discord grunted as he was then roundhouse kicked into a wall. He fell to his knees and cracked his neck. “Not bad Tory, you're getting better. Almost good enough to actually match my new strength.” “I'm not Tory anymore,” the winged-human returned, stabbing the ground behind him with his blade. He turned back to Discord/Cory and started to glow once more. “I'm nothing like I used to be. And you'll find this next move will prove my point.” “Oh I already know that stance you've taken,” the new demonic human laughed. “You forget, everything you know of, I know since I've watched all your memories. Anything you do, I have a counter for.” “Oh, but then you know that this can't be countered,” Silver grinned, his hair starting to change color as well as his body. “You going to go Super Saiyan,” Discord/Cory stated, climbing to his feet and gripping his war-hammer with both hands. “But you forget, I can power up as well. I know everything you know.” The demonic human assumed the same stance and his orange afro began to glow golden. The area around them began to shake, and gravity seemed to almost change. The books scattered about began to levitate from the sheer level of energy. Discord/Cory gained a golden aura that flowed upward like a flame about his form, his hair acting similar and flowing upward with the immense power about him as his eyes changed to a greenish-blue. “Heh, you're funny Discord,” Silver grinned, his body flashing golden before vanishing completely in an instant. “I never said I was going Super Saiyan...” A massive bolt of purple lightning struck down where the winged-human had stood, and a dome of black energy appeared, expanding with small arcs of blue lighting about it. Another second later and the dome faded out of existence and there stood Silver, his hair glowing a yellow gold, his clothing even changing shade to match it. “I was going Kaiser,” he finished, gripping his blade tightly in one hand. “Let me show you just what I can do!” Without giving his enemy a moment to respond, Silver vanished in an afterimage. Discord/Cory would've looked around had the winged-human not reformed from the same afterimage right in front of him, lightning quick in his assault. Silver brought his broadsword down on the demonic human, slashing diagonally down his chest and leaving a deep wound there. He vanished in another afterimage and reappeared where he had started. It had taken mere seconds, but the whole event had dealt a devastating blow to it's target. Discord/Cory stood there, looking down at his wound. Then he looked up and grinned at Silver, the bloody gash healing almost instantly and the crimson red that flowed down his body vanished. The winged-human looked at him calmly, and shrugged as he spoke. “So you healed a small wound like that...” Silver laughed as he shook his head. “Don't get a big head, this is just the start of our fight.” “So true,” Discord/Cory agreed, grabbing his war-hammer and hefting it up to his shoulder. “Then let's go from where we left off!” With that said, the demonic human kicked off the ground in a rapid air dash, spinning with his weapon out to add an extra bit of power to the attack. Silver simply ducked, punched his enemy in the stomach, and rolled out of the way. Discord/Cory barely flinched from the punch and was already advancing on the Kaiser-formed human, his massive war-hammer raised for a heavy downward strike. Silver gripped the back of his blade and held it before him, blocking the strike with the sharp of his sword. He grunted as he pushed hard against the weight that threatened to crush him. Being so close to such a deadly weapon, the winged-human could now look at the details of his enemy's weapon. It was a sickly green, rough in shape with a large spike jutting from the top, and a ruby stone embedded within the side of the head. It was a large war-hammer, with a pole about three feet in length, and the top being half a foot that weighed a good ton to the one almost being crushed by it. Smaller spikes were protruding from the sides and the ends, the one that was aimed at it's target now digging into the broadsword. “Prepare to lose everything to a single stroke of my hammer!” Discord/Cory roared loudly, increasing the weight of his assault. “Not today!” Silver countered, vanishing in another afterimage, reappearing behind his enemy and slashing quickly. As his blade made contact, the demonic human vanished as well. The winged-human's eyes widened and he quickly rolled forward, Discord's massive war-hammer smashing into the ground where he had been just an instant before. “Tsk tsk tsk Tory,” the villain scolded evilly. “Did you really think that would work twice?” “Like I said, my name isn't Tory anymore,” Silver replied, smirking as he crouched there, catching his breath. “Then what is your new name?” “...I'm Silver,” came the dark whisper behind the demonic human. Discord/Cory had an instant to react, but it was not enough as the Silver in front of him vanished with a poof of smoke, and a sharp jolt of energy arced through his back. He looked over his shoulder to see eyes that glowed a metallic gray, angry yet full of heart. Slowly, the power that sustained the demonic human's form began to vanish, and the golden aura about his being diminished until it was no more. Silver gripped his broadsword in both hands, letting his energy flow through the ruby strip along the golden metal that was slowly turning crimson with blood. He was exerting even more energy by causing lighting to flow into his sword and racing into Discord/Cory's body. It was a gamble, but if this worked he could pull that menace from his friend's body. “Get out of my friend!!!” Silver roared, tossing his blade into the air and smashing a palm into the back of Discord/Cory's head. A silver aura flared around his hand, and it seeped into it's target's skull, causing the demonic human's body to radiate the same shade of energy. It flared a few times, shifting to a blackish-purple, but it returned to silver just as quick. A roar of pain escaped Discord/Cory's mouth as two minds now fought to eliminate that of the Draconequus. “Y-You... can't beat me... that... easily!” Discord shouted as he resisted the mind attack. Silver continued to press his assault, letting his mind slam into that of his target, with that of Cory's striking from the other side as well. They continued their barrage until it seemed they had won. But right as they felt the power of Discord diminish to nothing, it flared up quickly. They had both attacked at that very instant, causing a massive surge in energy around them on the outside. But none of them noticed as everything turned black... I.I.I Location: Unkown It was odd, but Silver felt his body tingling. His head had this quiet buzz, with an incessant ringing in his ears. His mouth felt dry, and something smelt burnt. He tried to open his eyes, but found that even when he did nothing was presented before him He knew he wasn't in some parallel reality like when he was training. He could feel actual ground below him. Despite the tingling, the winged-human was able to feel some fabric under his hands. With a groan, Silver tried to sit up. “Please don't push yourself too hard,” said a quiet voice nearby. It was female by the sound of it. “You fell pretty hard.” “F-Fell?” Silver questioned, not sure what she meant. “Yes, you hit your head when you fell from that big tree,” she answered. “I don't...” he started, confused. “You should rest more,” the voice said, closer now. Something warm and wet was placed on his forehead. “It hasn't been long since your heavy landing...” “C-Cory...” Silver remembered, recalling his attempt to remove Discord from his friend's mind. “Where's....” “I don't know who you mean,” the girl replied, slight confusion evident in her voice. “You were alone when you landed in front of me.” That tore it for Silver. Ignoring the voice's protests, he rose to a sitting position, one harm against the ground behind him for support. With his free hand, the winged-human reached up and found a cloth tied around his head. He removed the fabric and opened his eyes once more, letting them adjust to the evident dim light within the room. Silver found himself in what looked to be a small shack, falling apart badly. There were gaps in the wall that a cool breeze entered from, and the entire place looked to be of a slightly rusted metal. It was generic, but he understood that such was the way life could be. He turned to find the one that had helped him, and found something he had not expected. Before him was indeed a girl, a human girl. She had black hair, dyed blue half way down to her locks that fell to her shoulders. She wore a simple black tee-shirt with standard blue jeans, and for some reason she had on sandals. She also wore glasses that magnified the size of her stark green eyes which showed a slight compassion that Silver understood. “Please, you must rest more,” she stated, trying to push him back down gently. “I can't,” Silver returned, pushing back and slowly getting to his feet. “I've got to find Cory. I've got to stop Discord...” “You're in pain,” the green-eyed girl started. At that very moment, the winged-human felt his head start to throb painfully. It ached horribly, and caused him to fall back onto the makeshift bed that had evidently been prepared for him. He clutched at the side of his skull where he felt the fire was strongest, and tried with all of his might to subdue the pain with his aura. Yet he felt none of his energy there, not even in the slightest. “You see?” “I... something isn't right here,” Silver started, still able to think despite the burning within his head. “That was... too coincidental to be true. A-And the fact that you're in Equestria confuses me to no end.” “Equestria?” the girl asked, sounding genuinely confused. “You must have hit your head really hard. You're on Earth, not some horse world.” Something snapped inside Silver and he grabbed the girl by her collar, bringing their faces together, his eyes screaming for blood as he stared into hers. He snorted once as he let his glare, his full anger sink into the moment. The girl flinched and had to look away after a few seconds. “Never,” Silver growled in a low voice. “Insult Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Luna, or Octavia.” With that he pushed the girl away, getting up and looking around. His clothing felt lighter than normal, and he looked down to see that he was wearing a normal white shirt with khaki pants. That worried him, because he needed his equipment if he was going to find Cory or take care of Discord. “Where is my sword, or my bow?” he asked the girl. “Where is all of my equipment?!” “Y-You didn't have a-any of that when you fell,” the girl stammered weakly, still down on the ground. “You only had what you've got n-now.” “You're lying!” he roared at her, turning quickly as he shouted, making her flinch. “I don't know who you are but you're lying to me!” “I-I-I'm not!” she cried out, covering herself with her hands. Without another word, Silver stormed out of the shack, looking around to get a grasp of where he was. He saw a large town in the distance and looked back at the shack. He noted how generic that was and made his way for town, hoping to get some sort of clue as to his location. I.I.I Ten Minutes Later Stepping onto the sidewalk that presented itself before him, Silver noted that the city wasn't actually as large as he first thought it was. There were a few taller buildings, but not many. This place was more like a large town than a city. Walking up to a newsstand, he grabbed a copy of the latest newspaper and noted everything he could. What he saw did in fact make his eyes widen quickly. The date on the paper said “March 21st, 2010”, and the town was one Silver knew of from a long time ago in his past. So he really was back on Earth... but then what did that mean for Cory? What about Discord, or his wives and Octavia? He had to get back to Ponyville, and quick. Silver tossed the paper down and dashed into an ally, looking about to make sure nobody saw him. If he opened a portal right in front of anyone, there would be hysteria. The government would step in and who knows what would happen if they got a hold of the ponies of Equestria. Not to mention what Discord would do during all of that... No, the best way to avoid any trouble was to keep these skills of his under wraps and if he needed to open a portal, than it would have to be in secret, just as Silver was about to do. He held out a hand and called upon his aura, expecting a portal to appear before him immediately. But after a good minute, nothing had appeared, not even his aura. Silver tried time and again to call upon his powers, yet nothing happened at all. Then he noticed something horrible. His wings were gone! He hadn't payed them any attention at all since he had awoken, being so used to having them there he didn't even feel them anymore. It would also explain why none of the townspeople gave him odd looks. Now in a slight panic, Silver looked at the scenario. He was on Earth with no wings, no magic, and Discord could be loose about in Cory's body destroying everything in Equestria. His wives and friends were stronger, but not enough to take down that villain. What were his options? He could keep trying to use his powers, that was one of them. Maybe on Earth he needed to do something to call upon them. Like in Harry Potter or.... That's when it struck him! There was one way that was almost guaranteed to work, because it was such a common method, yet so forgotten in this day and age! “How could I have forgotten the powers of incantations?!” Silver sighed to himself, feeling stupid. “Alright, just like in Negima...” Silver held out his hand once more and concentrated on his aura, his power that he knew was tucked away somewhere in his mind. He grasped at something within and tugged hard, and suddenly felt knowledge unlock for him. His mind exploded with answers and he spoke quietly in a language he had never learned. “Testor eorum est magica infra arcessentes Equestria portam!” As he spoke, the pool of energy Silver knew he contained focused on his hand, and shot forward to the ground, a portal opening before him, the same color as his aura that now flowed about his body. He smiled as he understood what had happened. Just like how Fluttershy changed when she came to Earth, Silver did as well since he had powers. It was restricted, he could feel that much, but all of his magic was very much there. “I wonder...” he thought aloud to himself. He focused the magic he could grasp around his body and spoke again in that other language. “Testor eorum ad vocandum mea magia infra alis argentum!” The sound of ripping fabric could be heard as Silver's back arched forward, a sharp pain lancing through him. He fell to his knees and bit his lip, trying to quell the urge to scream in pain. It was so sudden, the lightning that raced through his back and threatened to consume him. Yet just as quickly, the pain vanished. All that remained was a slight throb on his back. Getting to his feet, Silver looked over his shoulder and smirked. Though his clothes were ripped, he once again had his wings. He stared at them while testing how flexible they were. As good as ever, just needing a wash now from the sudden growth. While he observed how well they were working, the winged-human also took the time to finally admire his new appendages. Though covered in blood, he could see a healthy silver glow along each feather that protruded from the underlying flesh. He smiled at how well formed it was, how it crested at the top and descended down to his knees behind him, and how both wings seemed to react to his emotions. They quivered from what Silver could only assume was his excitement. Bringing them out to their full length, he guessed they were about four feet from one wingtip to the other. “Amazing,” he smirked, folding them against his back. “Now I just have to get home an-” Silver was cut off as something hard smashed against the back of his head, and he fell forward. As he hit the ground, the winged-human looked up to see the girl from the shack. She stood over him, holding a wooden plank. He would've gotten up and struck back if not for the fact that the hit had made him start to lose consciousness. The last thing he saw was the girl bending over him and speak into his ear. “You're not going anywhere...”