I idly flicked through the Equestrian multiverses, not all that concerned. After all, I had found plenty of potential allies, all of whom would aid me in the actual plan. Finding another one, amidst all these very strange universes which seemed to exist for no apparent reason, would be a godsend... that is, if I actually believed in God. I acknowledged God's existence as a Sys Admin, but I didn't see any point in believing in God just because I know he exists. Only the insecure about their own knowledge of God believe in him.
It was when I spotted something that shouldn't be there that I took pause. A Charizard, quite large and bulky. It was also talking, which meant that it was either from a Mystery Dungeon universe or it was a Displaced. I watched, then idly examined the destiny of the Charizard. After all, nothing bad would become of this one, even IF he was a rather bloodthirsty and brutal warrior... right?
When I saw what they were planning, I stopped. "You want to do that?"
In this universe, it seems that the Charizard had foolishly befriended Tirek, who repayed that trust as I expected him to. Tirek beat the Charizard into the ground, tearing almost an entire wing off, draining him of magic. After that, the Charizard recovered, and a long training sequence commenced. Then, he fought him off, unleashing a Mega Evolution Y and melting Tirek's armour, then a simple series of Sky Drops and Flare Blitzes to ensure his demise. After that, the timeline split in several ways, but the predominant destiny was that he was imprisoned, stripped of his power and eventually reduced to a vegetable. At this point, I was shaking with rage. I disliked destiny at the best of times. Now, with such a promising warrior presenting himself to me... I had to act fast.
I barked telepathic orders to my Rahkshi of Teleportation, getting them ready. I wasn't ready to make a fight just yet; I would prefer to stay out of the way of this Celestia. I could definitely curbstomp her and this Discord, but it would leave me severely weakened, and I couldn't afford to be overly weakened; Auric might call me during those moments, and I KNOW that if I was issuing the challenge, I would do the same thing. Thus, I was going to briefly step through and have him teleported here. And thus, when everything was ready, I waited for the opportune moment. During this time, Houdini, the General of Teleportation stepped up to me. "Sir, why are we teleporting him here? Surely he isn't that important?"
I gave the impression of smirking. "I'm choosing him because he's a loyal warrior. He's strong enough to be of use, yet weak enough that should he rebel, he won't be a problem to deal with. He's smart enough to carry orders out with some degree of imagination and interpretation, but stupid enough to not ask too many inopportune questions. And finally, he has the perfect combination of raw cunning and genuine brutality that makes killers around the world so deadly. He's perfect in every respect."
With that, I opened the portal to his dimension, briefly, He briefly looked confused as the teleportation was completed, and then he snapped into existence at my feet. I ordered my Rahkshi through my head, intent on making sure he knew who, exactly, was in charge. If you give an inch, they'll take a mile.
Anyway, he looked around confusedly, and tried to get up. A bad move on his part, I believe. I gave the mental command, and my loyal sons all pointed their spears at his throat. His mind... that was the really interesting thing: his mind was considerably shaken up, reconstructed in a rather crude way. Still worked, but I could only really pull feelings and memories, not distinct thoughts... then again, that would be more than enough to predict his actions. He looked nervous, then shifted into a combat mode, and I lazily shifted into my more relaxed persona to deal with it.
"That won't be necessary. We don't resort to such… violent means here. Relax, you are among friends." He looked around, seeing all the Rahkshi surrounding him. I gave the mental command, and they withdrew their spears from his throat. He looked relieved at first, then his face turned into one of dawning horror. It was good that he knew who I was generally, but I needed to teach him some respect and discipline.
"Hello. You may refer to me as Makuta Teridax." His feelings were generally of 'oh crap' and general terror. That would not do. Only I got to decide when he was afraid or angry.
So I put on my most placating tone and tried to get the Charizard to relax. "You needn't worry. You should feel at peace here."
In response, he glared at me, sitting up slightly. "You SERIOUSLY sound like a Bond villain right about now… I do NOT feel comfortable, and I am CERTAINLY not going to relax until I learn WHY THE FUCK I'M HERE!"
I backed away, though my actual level of fear for the Charizard was very low, I wanted him to get a bit of confidence. Then I could tear him down easier. "That is a rather complicated explanation, but I shall do what I can do explain it to one such as you." Unfortunately, he got offended by that, and moved up, flames building in his throat. I could handle temper tantrums, but this behaviour was NOT acceptable. He would definitely need some house training.
"Before you do something foolish, NO. I did NOT imply you were… 'retarded', as they say. I simply meant that I am on a higher level than you. After all, I don't expect you to be capable of Understanding the universe like I do."
He was confused, and that got a dark thrill of my power over him. I decided to explain it to him, just to rub it in about how much better I was than him. "You see, there are multiple realities that exist in the universe… parodies, so to speak. What-ifs, Could-bes, and similar concepts." I held up my palm and created illusions of the Pokemon universe,, accidentally including a rather strange universe where Ash started a romantic relationship with his Butterfree. Still not exactly sure how that worked, and I know everything about the multiverse. The Charizard looked mildly disgusted by it, and I was as well.
"Erm, I DO apologize for showing you that… Note to self, get a filter. You're not Google images..."
Geo the Charizard was confused. It likely hurt itself in the confusion. "…"
I looked at him, plain and simple, knowing but asking anyway that he understood the basics. "Do you understand, so far?"
Geo nodded, looking mildly confused and disgusted. "Y… yeah… I think… I've been scarred for life, but yeah. I get it."
I nodded and began to pace, getting a good feel for my speech going. "Well, see, YOU were sent from YOUR version of Earth to the world of which you've become… familiar with. A version where the ponies are anthropomorphized versions of themselves… with clothes, to boot."
Geo got a rather confused look on his face. I sighed mentally, but then again, he had never watched the show back on Earth. "Judging by your expression, you don't know about the base Equestria, do you? Well, that's not important now."
Geo finally seemed to come to the important question. "And where do I play into all of this?" He tried to intimidate me by giving me a glare, but I wasn't exactly intimidated by him.
"You see, in the… 'multiverse', as it's been coined, there is… a 'script', of sorts. A way that things absolutely must happen. Fate. Destiny. It applies to everyone, even those that think they are freed from its influence. It was created… by the Admins."
Geo definitely felt angrier at that one, the flame on his tail intensifying. "You're… you're fucking kidding me, right? First, you tell me that this all has been pre-determined, and no matter what, I can't do shit about it, and then ya tell me that some goddamn computer wiz stronzo tells me who to live my life?"
Oh, he didn't get it at all. Time to catch this fish, hook, line and sinker. "I do not refer to the admins of the Internet you are familiar with… What I refer to is THE Admins. Those who create, monitor, and write the 'script' of the multiverse. Now, I have several simple goals. One of them being to eliminate the Sys Admins, as they prefer to be called. Now, see, I have a gift that normally only they possess… Understanding."
I felt his anger and confusion boiling and seething away inside of him, and I glorified in the sensation. "Understanding is the ability to see the 'code' of the multiverse, and, by extension, everything the Sys Admins have planned. I, and only one other who is NOT a Sys Admin, have this power. I have foreseen what they would've done to you, 'Geo', and I do not approve at all."
I felt the fear coursing off of him, and I delighted in his suffering. It would only make it easier for me to ensnare him. "Do you want to know? What it is they would've made you into? Quite pathetic, really."
…
I turned to him, and I felt a genuine stab of concern and compassion for him. He had barely done anything wrong, and he would have been punished for it. "It's alright if you don't want to know. Frankly, I wouldn't recommend it. Even creatures MUCH greater than yourself have collapsed and never recovered from seeing my visions."
With a deep breath, he looked me right in the eye. "Show me."
Well, that was unexpected. "… What?"
"I said…" at this point, he gripped me by the throat, and leant in, blowing smoke at me. I was angered by this show of disrespect, but right now, I only really felt compassion and understanding of his situation. "Show. Me. My. Destiny."
After a pause, I pried his claw off my throat with minimal effort. "… Very well, then. Prepare yourself..."I placed a single finger on his forehead, and psychically transmitted everything I'd just seen of his future. His eyes widened as he took in the information, and I could feel the shock an growing horror of his destiny growing. I decided to explain, twisting the knife so that I would have his complete loyalty, but also to express my own loathing of the system.
"During the battle of Manehattan, the one I just saved you from, Tirek steals magic from the guards you felled, and then takes out the Mane Six as you cast them aside. Afterwards, he betrays you, and you lose almost all of your wing in the process. You recover, in due time, and combat him, utilizing Mega Charizard Y in order to melt the armor you forged for him through his very flesh… And then you Sky Drop him, break his arms, Sky Drop him again, and finally, perform a barrage of Flare Blitzes. Those, coupled with the damage you sustain, is enough to almost cripple you. Afterwards, you are taken by Celestia's guard in your weakened state, and sealed in a specialized cell, free of your Mega Stones and Ring. From there, you constantly attempt to break out, and eventually, the magical defenses whittle away your mind until you're nothing but a vegetative shell. A husk. A useless lump of orange-scaled flesh."
He stared at the visions, before speaking, in a tone of shocked disbelief, "I… how? I PLANNED for Tirek! I KNEW he would probably betray me! His ARMOR was DESIGNED to melt through his flesh! All I had to do was use ONE Incinerate! I MADE that pile of rust MYSELF! I KNOW it was useless! I can't even forge for SHIT! The whole THING was one giant weapon that he was in! And I KNOW he's a Dark-type, so I coulda used a lot of Focus Blasts and Power-Up Punches! So… how?"
For the same reason why Spock would always beat Wolverine in a fight, obviously: "The Admins' code demanded it. This is why I had to recover you at this here point. Here, you are still at your physical best, but not wounded by any of Tirek's attempts on your life. You're the only version of yourself that hasn't already reached this point. Honestly, WHY they would decide to throw away such an AMAZING warrior like yourself is BEYOND me… It almost brings a tear to my eye, well, if I still had tear ducts, of course..."
I felt the despair coming off of Geo, and at that moment I stepped back a bit as Geo roared into the air, and began thrashing about, slamming into my walls. "USELESS! EVERYTHING I DO IS USELESS! I AM USELESS! ALL OF MY EFFORTS ARE WASTED TIME! MY ATTEMPTS TO EARN MY WAY THROUGH LIFE ARE PATHETIC! Inutile, patetico, stupido, me!" He dropped to his knees at that, and started crying. Some vestigal sense of pity entered me at that point, and I decided to comfort him awkwardly.
"There, there… You don't have to worry anymore… The moment I pulled you here is the moment you deviated from the script… Look!"
I opened my hand, and it shows Manehattan, just as it was. Only, unlike the vision I and he had seen before, Rainbow sees Tirek while searching for Geo. It helps Geo a bit, though I mentally frowned when I saw how little it had helped him exactly. But now it was time to reel him in. I already had him in my employ, just needed to sweeten the deal.
"Now, I give you a simple choice, Geo. Go back there, and try to change what you saw, or let me take you in. I will mold you into a powerful warrior. More powerful than EVER before! Your voice shall make mountains TREMBLE! Your fire shall burn brighter than STARS! You, Geo, shall become my finest creation. The last piece of the puzzle I need for the sake of accomplishing my true goal..." A little bombastic, but it did the job- he was now thinking about it. So I turned away and waved my hand, giving the telepathic order to send him back to his own universe.
Several teleportation Rahkshi walked up to his side, and in that moment, I felt a sense of worry emanating from him. Knowing him, he was probably worried about whether or not he would fight Tirek. "Worry not. Once this goal is accomplished, you shall get your fight. And honestly, you're better of training with me if you want it to be remotely fair… Your version of Celestia is quite powerful… Possibly one of the most POWERFUL iterations of the Lady of the Sun thus far... She has several abilities that no other possesses… Mainly because she actually bothered to train..." I trailed off when I saw him looking at me weirdly.
"…"
"… Send him-"
"Wait!" He raised his claw and I paused my order to send him away. The Rahkshi back off, and walk away, knowing they won't be needed here.
I turned, giving the impression of anticipation. "Oh? Did I finally convince you?"
Geo cocked his head a bit, looking at me with a squint. "What the hell d'ya mean by 'no tear ducts anymore?"
Well, I will admit that he managed to surprise me with that question. I regained my composure after a second and told him exactly the lie he wanted to hear. "You are not the only one who was transformed from a man into something greater. I, too, was once human. But I acquired this mask, the Kanohi Kraahkan, or at least what I assumed to be a replica of it, online. I purchased it, back on Earth, or at least my Earth, and, feeling nostalgic for the lost BIONICLE series, placed it on myself. Next thing I know, I'm in this Equestria. I mastered my powers, but I was sealed in Tartarus, alongside my Tirek, for at least four thousand years. We're not the only ones. There are others, Displaced, we call ourselves." The truth of how I gained my mask was that I found it in an alleyway, and put it on in my own home.
A dawning comprehension came up in his mind. "… Lemme guess, anonymous seller?"
Yes, let's go with that. "Indeed. Now, most of us attribute our transportation to one called 'The Merchant', a Sys Admin who seemingly sells artifacts with the intent of making us Displaced, with no known goal. With that in mind, know that my war will bring the Merchant to justice. Will you join me?"
This war was nothing to do with destroying the Merchant; I wanted him to continue doing that, but he didn't have to know about that just yet.
He glared at me, and I immediately knew that he wasn't going to be easy to predict in any sense of the word. "Lemme make ONE THING CLEAR, pal! Your whole fumo e specchi might work on others, but NOT ME! Yer gonna tell me what I need to do, but I ain't a pawn on some goddamn BOARD, ya hear? And I know when yer gonna try and make me do crap I dun wanna do! So, unless yer looking fer a dig in the snot locker, DON'T try and play any puppet bullcrap wit me!"
I paused. Hmm. This defiance would be tolerated, but only because I pitied him, and because I could just kill him if he wasn't useful. "… My, you certainly are stubborn… Very well, then. That is how it shall be. We shall begin training in due time. I have other preparations I must attend to. In the meantime, the Rahkshi shall escort you back home." I started walking away, intent on carving him a Piece. Probably a Bishop, all attack and no defence. As I was leaving though, I turned over my shoulder. "Welcome to the Brotherhood of Shadows, Geo."
As my sons directed him away, a thought struck me. I pulled out one of my Makuta stones, and recorded a simple message for him when he came to.
"Hello, Geo. This is a pre-recorded message. This is here to inform you that until I have finished preparations, you will have to wait. If you find yourself too bored to wait around until then, create a beacon. One can send these through the Void, allowing others to summon you for their aid. You will find several in the room you've come into. Either respond to those or make your own. Your choice. I shall not make you do anything you don't want. Until we next meet, Flame Pokémon."
With that, I quickly opened a portal and dropped it through. That done, I walked off, intent on rewriting my plans to deal with the inclusion of Geo into my Brotherhood of Shadows.