“Success!” Jason declared as he slammed the door of the libraries basement open, a grin on his face. “ Tada!” he smiled, holding out a black and green cylinder.
“Um... Jason what is that?” Twilight asked, having been startled by his entrance. The young man had all but taken over the basement for the past few days, working on a project he had refused to comment on.
“Well, after some deep thinking on that badge Ben gave me, I decided to make something like that on my own, so I made a Unitrix!” he said, twirling the tube around.
“Unitrix?”
“Yeah, it’s basically a prototype Omnitrix.” Jason said, tossing the Unitrix between his hands, grinning like a fool.
“How did you even make it?” Twilight asked, watching his antics, rather amused.
“Well I turned into Grey Matter and used parts from your machines.” he replied, sitting down next to her.
“What?!”
“Don’t worry about, I’ll just make you new ones. Now,” he paused, looking at the Unitrix. “What do I do with this?”
“OH! OH! I know!” Pinkie shouted, darting out from under the table. How she did that, Jason didn’t know but it scared the hell out of him.
“Jeez Pink, stop doing that!” he glared, rubbing his head. “So... what should I do with this Pinkie?” he asked, holding the cylinder out to her.
“Thats easy, you gotta think really hard and say a speech!”
“A speech... ?” he asked blankly, staring at her. She just nodded her head, making him groan a bit. “ Ok um...how about this” he cleared his throat.” I am the changer of shape, seeking to understand the many forms of life. Call for the man of many shapes during your hour of need and I will come, a one man army. Activate the cylinder and in a flash I’ll be ready to clash.”
“I thinks it’s ok.” Pinkie said, gesturing with her hoof.
“Whatever Pinkie.” he said, glaring at her. “So what in the name of Odin’s beard do I do with it now?” He honestly had no idea what to do with the thing, it was just him waving around in the dark.
Pinkie took it it from him, her face scrunching up in concentration. She grinned, tapping at the controls until it started to glow, vanishing into thin air. “There!”
“How did you do that... ?” Jason asked, his jaw open slightly.
“I get these weird bursts of ideas. Anyway gotta go!” she exclaimed, rushing out of the library, leaving Twilight to deal with a stupefied Jason.
***
"Ah, good old Everfree!" the tall warrior proclaimed to no one in particular. "Now if only there was something to occupy the rest of my day. Hm. Maybe more songs for the musicians? Tea with shamaness? Or maybe-?"
The warrior was interrupted by a flash of green that appeared above him. Remembering what happened all the other times he quickly jumped back a few feet, letting the object hit the ground.
"Aha! No tokens will be smacking me in the face this time! Now, what are you?"
He approached the object, recognizing the familiar insignia upon it.
Is that what I think it is?
He picked up the object and was soon met with the creator's vow radiating inside his head.
"Oho! 'Ready to clash' he says? We'll see about that!"
He focused on the device, committing the direction of the universe to memory before taking his weapon and cutting a hole in the very air itself, stepping into the space between worlds he dubbed "The Rift" before sailing towards the alternate Equestria.
Maybe I can get another student. But after what happened last time I'll need to make sure he's the material I'm looking for.
***
Jacob yawned as he moved out of the farm house, muttering to himself. He was slowly adapting to farm life, but his erratic sleep pattern did not go well with the early mornings the Apples went with.
“I’m gonna drop dead one of these days... “ he mumbled to himself. “That rooster is lucky he belongs to AJ otherwise i’d turn his ass into chicken wings.” He kept an eye out as he moved into town, still a bit weirded out by his meeting with the bug queen.
Various ponies greeted him, having gotten used to him already. He had asked Twilight about it and she attributed it to the weird things that often happened in town. A strange cawing caught his attention, bringing his gaze towards the sky. A raven was slowly circling the town, most likely looking for food. Jason shrugged it off, focusing on getting to the library.
“Morning Twi.” Jason said walking in, greeted with the sight of Slash, and Twilight, debating about something.
“You meet with Queen Chrysalis and you're just now bringing it up!?” the purple alicorn asked, verging on shouting.
“It’s not that big of a deal, she was just looking for a mate, besides, if she was here for an attack, I’d have eliminated her.” Slash shrugged it off, sipping his tea.
“Well this feels like home, bunch of people shouting in the morning.” Jason said with a roll of the eyes, taking a seat on the floor. “I guess things really don’t change.
"LUCY, I'M HOOOOME!" came a booming voice from outside followed by what sounded like a train slamming into the ground.
“What the hay was that?!” Twilight asked, turning to the source of the sound. Slash just sat there, very annoyed. sizzling tea having splashed in his face.
“Why don’t we go look?” Jason asked, getting up, cautiously moving toward the window. He peeked outside, going silent.
“Well what is it?”
“Ok it’s official, my childhood is trying to kill me.” Jason said backing away from the window, shaking his head. Phantom pain shoot through his shoulder, his body trembling.
“What are you on about?” Slash asked, having finished cleaning himself off. He frowned, feeling the fear dripping off his charge. “Just calm down and speak.”
“Standing out there is freaking Gilgamesh. Oh god, I am so dead.” Jason said sitting down, breathing heavily. He zoned out, listening to the frantic beating of his heart.
The massive being, standing no less than eight feet tall, clad in armor with a shield and a spear strapped to his back and a red scarf flowing from his neck was currently in the middle of town, scanning his surroundings. After a moment he took a deep breath.
”CITIZENS OF PONYVILLE!” he bellowed, the force just shy of the Royal Canterlot Voice. ”MY NAME IS ‘BUSINESS’, FIRST NAME ‘NUNYA.’ I AM AWARE THAT THERE IS ONE NOT OF THIS WORLD CURRENTLY RESIDING IN THIS TOWN, ONE I WISH TO DO BATTLE WITH! BRING HIM OR HER BEFORE ME, OR I SHALL RAZE YOUR VILLAGE TO THE GROUND!”
Everypony visibly froze up with terror at his threat, certainly not helping Jason’s keep his bladder control.
“... You have twenty seconds to comply,” he finished in a less threatening tone.
Jason shakily got to his feet, taking a deep breath. “I’m going out there.” he said, moving toward the door.
“Jason, you can’t just go out there! You said so yourself you don’t have any combat experience!” Twilight argued, only for him to glare back at her.
“I’m the reason he’s here and I’m not going to let him hurt anyone because I’m too much of a coward to fight.” he retorted, looking at the door. “Besides, dying in battle is only proper for a Norsemen.” He gave them a weak smile before walking outside.
Twilight moved to stop him, only for Slash to shake his head. “Let him princess, everypony needs a trial by fire.” Twilight hesitated before nodding reluctantly, looking toward the window in worry.
“You looking for me?” Jason called out, moving toward Gilgamesh, ignoring the survival instincts that were telling him to run.
The warrior turned to face him, his expression somewhat hidden behind his faceguard. Still, his eyes showed some surprise.
“A normal human? No costume? Well this is certainly unexpected. But regardless, hail and fair met young one! Might I have your name?”
“The name’s Jason, Jason Hughes.”
“Oh, not even a different name. You’re quite the odd one, aren’t you? Well then, Jasonjasonhughes, do you know who I am?”
“Yeah you’re Gilgamesh, though I never finished 5.”
“Pity. I don’t suppose you played 8, 9, 12, 13-2, 14 a World Reborn, 4 the After Years, or the remakes of 1 and 6?”
“I played them all, except for the online ones, wait are we really having this conversation?”
“Indeed. I like confusing people.”
“Why me?” Jason asked with a groan. He took a deep breath closing his eyes. “Mighty Odin, guide my hand to strike true. If I am to fall in battle, may you see fit to guide me to Valhalla.”
“Oho! One who worships the glory of Asgard? Don’t see many of your kind, that’s for sure. Although now that I know, you have even more of a reputation to live up to! But first, some proper etiquette.” The warrior cleared his throat. “I, the Mighty Gilgamesh, do so pledge not to bring harm upon the ponies you live amongst on the conditions that you do not flee, that you receive no outside aid, and that you can provide me a glorious and satisfying battle. Choose whether or not to accept these terms and feel free to add some of your own.”
“I agree to those terms.” Jason said with a nod, locking eyes with him. “We fight in the forest, I don’t want anyone harmed.”
“Oh? A relocation to the vicious Everfree? Do you plan to use the terrain and wildlife to your advantage, or are you truly so desperate to keep this village safe that you are willing to risk the hazardous flora and fauna? I feel it only fair to inform you, I eat Hydras. Perhaps you’d like to reconsider? I do so enjoy an audience.”
“How about we don’t? These crazy ponies think I’m family, I’m not going to put them in danger. They’ve already gotten hurt once because of me.”
The warrior paused for a second before grunting in approval.
“Noble, aren’t you? Very well, to the Everfree it is. Oh and one last thing,” he turned to face the library before taking a deep breath. ”CELESTIA’S FLANK COULD CRUSH STEEL!”
There was a loud shout from the library, followed by the sounds of a scuffle, which ended with a loud thud.
“Let’s just go.” Jason said, walking past his enemy, doing his best to stay calm as he walked into the twisted trees. The warrior followed, cackling like a hyena the whole way.
***
I looked to Jason with curiosity. Not only was he a Displaced without a costume, but judging by his movements he hadn’t been here long either. He didn’t have the slightest bit of confidence as it was clear he was only doing this because he felt like I pushed him into a corner. Admittedly that’s what I was going for, but I still felt a bit bad about it.
That Omnitrix, however, is one hell of wild card. If even a know-nothing kid like Ben Tennyson could become a powerful warrior Jason could still put up a decent fight, especially if he’s a fan of the show and knows what he’s doing. I smirked. Whatever happens, it’ll be interesting.
I continued to follow him into the Everfree, as I’d been doing for the past ten minutes. I was getting the feeling he was trapped in his own terrified thoughts and wasn’t really even focused on what was happening.
“So, do you actually have a place in mind, or are you just stalling?” I asked.
“Stalling? Probably.” the young man admitted before stepping into a clearing. “This looks like a good enough place.”
Really? With the ability to transform into aliens that could fly, leap buildings, or even outrun a Bugatti you think a clearing the size of Ponyville’s town center would be enough fighting space? It’s seems this kid’s fighting experience is somewhere between ‘none’ and ‘slap-fight.’ Unless he’s trying to lure me into a false sense of security. Kinda doubt it, but you never know.
“Shall we start?” Jason asked, moving a few pace away. He kept his calm despite his trembling body.
“I don’t think you should be the one asking that question. If I may make a suggestion, it’s possible Rath’s natural aggression might kill your fear. Of course, depending on your proficiency with that device, it may be the only choice you’ll get to make.”
“Well then aren’t you in for a surprise?” he asked, managing a grin. “Omnitrix, Chromastone!” he shouted, engulfed in a green flash, he took the form of said alien, the purple crystals glinting in the sunlight.
“Oh, voice commands? Intriguing. A moment please.”
I unclipped both my naginata and my Genji Shield and thrust them into the ground hard enough to leave them standing up.
“I don’t want a quick fight,” I explained as I cracked my neck and knuckled before blaring my song of choice.
“Wait, you can play your own music?” Jason asked, too confused by the music to be terrified.
“A runic enchantment an acquaintance gave me. I do so love dramatics,” I replied before extending my arm and motioning for him to bring it.
He dashed forward, extending his hands, firing a multicolored energy beam. I simply stepped to the side and let it destroy some of the forest behind me.
Predictable.
“Damn.” he cursed, giving a glare. “Omnitrix, Big Chill.” he commanded before shifting forms again. He spread his wings flying into the air.
“Changing already? Do you really have so little confidence?” I asked with a smirk.
“Actually, I was just about to test something out.” he said touching the Omnitrix, turning it to the side. “Ultimate Big Chill!” He exclaimed as four spikes came out of the Omnitrix, digging into his skin. His body turned red, his wings looking a bit like flames.
Ah crap, the Ultimate forms. Never kept with the series long enough to know what they can do. Well, no time like the present.
“I do hope this isn’t one of your trump cards or I’m going to be sorely disappointed,” I said while bouncing on my soles in a classic boxer’s stance.
“Oh no not even close.” he said taking in a large gulp of air, spewing a torrent of fire. Anything it touched was immediately encased in a thick layer of ice.
Freezing flames? Let’s see how cold.
”PENETRATING BEAM!” I shouted, firing the searing hot beam from my eyes directly at the beam headed my way way.
Jason’s eyes went wide, dropping the beam. He became intangible, the beam passing through him harmlessly. He sunk into the ground, out of sight.
Ah, intangibility. Forgot about that.
I closed my eyes and focused, hoping to hear or feel some indication as to his location. The most likely locations for him to attack from would be from behind or directly below.
Jason flew out of the ground from the side, his hands covered in flames. He threw blast after blast, his aim rather poor. I easily weaved through his attacks with a Dempsey roll, bobbing and weaving between the blasts as I closed the distance. When he was just a lunge away I threw out a left straight punch, using my wind control to cause a spiraling gust of wind to project itself towards him.
He didn’t move quickly enough, getting caught in the vortex, causing him to spin with his arms and legs outstretched, helpless to do anything but watch as I reared back for a follow up. “Corkscrew CROSS!” I shouted as I struck him in the midsection with a hard right straight. “The end,” I said before the follow up wind spiral sent him flying into a tree.
He staggered to his feet, shaking his head. “Hey Gilgamesh,” he asked, panting. “How do you handle radiation?”
“Dunno. I’m curious to find out. Though if I lose the ability to procreate, I’ll make sure to forcibly remove yours in return.”
“Ha. Omnitrix, NRG.” he commanded, his insectoid body replaced by a heavy suit of armor with three red glowing slits on the helmet.
Oh great, another one I don’t recognize. Really wishing I watched past the Highbreed arc right now.
“I guess you’re not worried about the local wildlife then? I bet Fluttershy’s gonna be pissed,” I joked.
“Actually, as long as I’m in this suit, there shouldn’t be any harm to the animals. You on the other hand.” he said, now sporting a Russian accent, slamming his fist into the ground, causing it to fracture, a minor eruption occurring.
Kat, I owe you for this one.
I jumped high into air, enough to even escape the heat of radiation. Jason looked up and, surprisingly, managed to guess the arc of my jump, firing beams of radiation from the slits in his helmet. It was then I activated the gravity powers and changed my direction in mid-air, dodging the blast, before simply hovering.
“W-What!?” he stuttered.
“The powers of a Gravity Shifter. A gift I received. It’s got a time limit though, so I need to make good use of it,” I explained. “Speaking of which.”
I extended my hand at him and increased the gravity around his body. The ground around his feet cracked and he struggled even to look up at me.
“I’ll be willing to drop this if you’d give me another change. Personally I’m a fan of the ones that appeared in the original series, but whatever you pick keep it interesting.”
“I’ll show you interesting. Omnitrix,” he paused for effect. “Way Big.” Another flash and he was replaced by a creature whose size easily matched Canterlot Mountain.
I just stared for a minute before internally sighing.
Well I did ask for it. Hell, he even kept to the original series.
I dropped all the gravity powers and fell to earth as he reared back for an overhead punch.
Pummelling imminent. Employing defensive measures.
I cast Protect on myself before landing, raising my arms above my head and bracing as I touched ground, immediately followed by the crushing weight of his fist.
“Hey, want to see something even more interesting?” he asked, withdrawing his fist. He turned the Omnitrix, grinning his body taking one a blue color. “Ultimate Way Big!”
Ok, now this is getting excessive.
He held his left hand up vertically, crossing his right across it horizontally, firing an energy beam out of his left hand. I quickly cast Shell on myself and covered my face with my arms, bracing for the impact. The beam slammed into with earth shattering force, starting to form a crater.
Damn, I took him too lightly. Time to play possum.
I killed the music and waited, staying as quiet as I could. Eventually the beam stopped, leaving me hidden underneath the rubble.
The air was still for a few seconds before a shrill beeping sound broke the silence, signaling the Omnitrix timing out.
And just the right time too.
“You have got to be kidding me,” Jason said in disbelief, staring dumbly at the Omnitrix. There was a bright flash of red as he returned to Way Big, the back to his human form.
I freed myself from the rubble with a blast of wind, sending debris everywhere. I cracked my neck and shoulders after standing up, smiling as I saw the “oh shit” look on his face.
“Not bad. Not much technique, though. Or even much style to make up for it,” I casually taunted.
“Oh shut up.” he spat, panting.
And now here’s the moment of truth. I think I know what he’ll do, but I need to make sure.
“Unfortunately, I’m afraid you’ve broken your vow,” my tone turning threatening.
“What? What are you talking about? I didn’t run, and I didn’t get any help!” he shouted back in desperation.
“But there was third condition: that this battle would satisfy me. I’m afraid it didn’t, and seeing as how you’re without the ability to transform, you as a mere human aren’t worth my time.” I turned my back on him. “Which leaves me with one option. I wonder how long it will take Celestia and Luna to come down from Canterlot when they hear their subjects screaming in agony?”
Jason had fallen silent, not making a sound. The silence went undisturbed, except for the fluttering of wings.
“Hm?”
I turned my head towards the direction of the of the flapping. Jason stood there, his face obscured by his hair. A pair of ravens sitting on his shoulders. They cawed at me before taking off into the sky. I then, notice the Omnitrix no longer on his arm but on his chest, its four prongs extended, indicating an ultimate form was being used.
What? But he’s still human!
He threw his head back, letting out a scream of pure rage. His hands burst into flames as he sent a torrent of flames at me, his eyes glowing red. I quickly responded by throwing my arms out to the side, flaring my affinity for wind and summoning a tornado around my body and sending it harmlessly upwards.
“Heatblast?” I muttered.
He ended the flames, drawing in a deep breath, letting out, an ear splitting sonic scream. I dodged to the side just in time to see the waves of sound tear part the ground and destroy some trees near the end of the clearing.
“And now Wolf Blitzer? But how? He’s still human!” I asked aloud.
He dashed forward with the speed of XLR8, letting out a flurry of punches that hit with what I assumed was the strength of Four Arms. My arms barely managed to block the attacks, with Protect keeping me from suffering debilitating damage. Recovering myself I let my wind powers flare again, sending him flying into the air with a shout and and hurricane-like explosion of wind. He managed to land on his feet and glared at me, his eye glazed over with some kind of rage. It took me a second to process this before I simply chuckled.
“Well well, this is certainly interesting. I don’t know what this berserker mode of yours is, but you’ve certainly earned another shot. However,” I took a fighting stance before blaring a new musical choice. “I’ve dealt with situations like this plenty of times. Those who know only how to charge head on have no chance against a true warrior!”
He stood still for a second before his body shimmered, going invisible.
“Oh? It seems you haven’t lost your mind completely, have you? But do you really think I won’t be able to notice the moment of your attack?”
The ground started to tremble, a localized earthquake heading towards me.
“NO HIDING!” I shouted before slamming my foot into the ground and unleashing my Earthquake spell. Jason revealed himself, leaping into the air, slamming his feet into my chest hard enough to send me into a tree.
“Not bad. But, NOT GOOD ENOUGH!” I shouted before casting Haste on myself. I dashed forwards and slammed my fist into his chest, winding him. “DORARARARARARARARARARARARARARARARA!” I shouted as I unleashed a flurry of punches upon his body. ”DORA! I cried before hurling him skyward with an uppercut to the chin, enough force to send out a shockwave that knocked back some of the trees.
He slammed into the ground with a thud. He managed to get to his feet, a recent wound having reopened during the flight, blood pouring down his arm and chest. With a final grunt, he collapsed, the Omnitrix returning to his arm.
I don’t know what happened, but it looked like now he was down for the count. He still seemed to be conscious. I decided to go for the emotion coup de grace and turn the hamminess up to eleven.
“HAHAHAHAHAHA! Now that was quite amusing, but still not good enough to satisfy me! My battles have altered landscaped and smashed mountains, leveled cities and razed plains to nothing but burning wastelands! Despite your efforts, you are still weak!”
He managed to move his head and look at me, a mix of rage, fear, and desperation in his eyes.
“That’s right, weak! Not only without your powers but without the ability to even more your body! SINK INTO THE DEPTHS OF DESPAIR, WEAKLING, KNOWING I WILL TAKE ALL THAT YOU HAVE GROWN TO LOVE AND CARE FOR HERE AND WIPE IT FROM EXISTENCE! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!”
Jason struggled for a bit, actually managing to get to his feet. “I don’t care what you do to me, send me on my way to Valhalla for all I care but if you hurt them...” he paused, clutching his shoulder. “I will end you. No matter what it costs me, I will not let you hurt them.”
“So, even without a chance of victory you would still stand against me? Even knowing that your defiance would do nothing but add one more to the death toll you would still try stop me?”
“At least I’d die in battle, unyielding to the end.” he responded, spitting out some blood.
I let that sentence hang for a moment before casually walking towards him. When I was within reach he threw out a punch which I easily caught before raising my other hand. He flinched as I brought it down on his head, only to look at me in confusion as I gave him an affectionate pat.
“Congratulations. You passed.”
He recovered a bit from his confusion, starting to laugh before he passed out in a heap.
I smiled and chuckled at the sight. “Come on, hero,” I said as I lifted him onto my shoulder. “Let’s get you back.”