In the early hours of the morning, Ryan’s herd awoke to find that their human was not amongst them. In fact, as they wandered about the castle halls, they still could not find him...or their inter-dimensional guest.
“Where do ya reckon they could be, Twi?”
“I’m not sure, AJ.”
Lyra tapped a hoof before speaking up, “Maybe the Princesses have seen them? Odds are they might be together and if so, someone had to have seen them.”
Figuring that was a good enough idea, they headed towards the throne room to see both Luna and Celestia looking a bit perplexed.
“Good morning my little ponies...I assume you’re looking for one human?”
Fluttershy nodded, “Oh yes. Ryan seems to have gone missing...along with DJ.”
“They were together last I saw them.” Luna brought a hoof to her chin in thought, “DJ was apparently having a bit of a rough moment and was thrilled to discover our alcohol was actually potent compared to that in his world. Though I know not where Darkness pulled it from, Ryan couldn’t leave him be and thus I left the four of them to enjoy themselves. When I went to check on them later they were missing. All that was left was some empty bottles and the residual traces of some type of food Ryan no doubt cooked up.”
“Ah, so that is why the kitchen was a bit messy this morning.” Celestia laughed softly, “Perhaps he merely made a midnight snack to cheer up his new friend.”
“That’s nice and all, Princesses, but that doesn’t get us any closer to finding where he is.”
“Impatient as always, Rainbow Dash. Haha. Well, I can only assume they’re still on the castle ground so we—”
“Sister?”
“Does anyone else hear that music?”
And with that the throne room doors, which had been closed by the guards, were kicked in before in danced Ryan and DJ wearing the most unusual headgear: one silver and the other gold. That, however, was not what caused them all to just stand there in stunned confusion. The fact that what appeared to be five mini-Discords dancing along behind them and provided backup vocals is what truly confused them as the song continued on!
Like the legend of the Phoenix
All ends in beginnings
What keeps the planets spinning (uh)
The force from the beginning
(Look)
We’ve come too far to give up who we are
So let’s raise the bar and our cups to the stars~
She’s up all night to the sun
I’m up all night to get some
She’s up all night for good fun
I’m up all night to get lucky
We're up all night to the sun
We're up all night to get some
We're up all night for good fun
We're up all night to get lucky
We're up all night to get lucky
We're up all night to get lucky
We're up all night to get lucky
We're up all night to get lucky
The present has no ribbon
Your gift keeps on giving,
What is this I'm feeling?
If you wanna leave I'm with it (ah)
We've come too far to give up who we are
So let's raise the bar and our cups to the stars
She's up all night to the sun
Ah'm up all night to get some
She's up all night for good fun
I'm up all night to get lucky
We're up all night to the sun
We're up all night to get some
We're up all night for good fun
We're up all night to get lucky
We're up all night to get lucky
We're up all night to get lucky
We're up all night to get lucky
We're up all night to get lucky
(We're up all night to get
We're up all night to get
We're up all night to get
We're up all night to get)
(We're up all night to get (together)
We're up all night to get (let's get funked again)
We're up all night to get lucky
We're up all night to get lucky)
(We're up all night to get lucky
We're up all night to get lucky
We're up all night to get lucky
We're up all night to get lucky)
(We're up all night to get lucky
We're up all night to get lucky
We're up all night to get lucky
We're up all night to get lucky)
We've (we're up all night to get lucky)
Come too far (we're up all night to get lucky)
To give up (we're up all night to get lucky)
Who we are (we're up all night to get lucky)
So let's (we're up all night to get lucky)
Raise the bar (we're up all night to get lucky)
And our cups (we're up all night to get lucky)
To the stars (we're up all night to get lucky)
She's up all night to the sun
I'm up all night to get some
She's up all night for good fun
Ah'm up all night to get lucky
We're up all night to the sun
We're up all night to get some
We're up all night for good fun
We're up all night to get lucky
We're up all night to get lucky
We're up all night to get lucky
We're up all night to get lucky
We're up all night to get lucky
We're up all night to get lucky
We're up all night to get lucky
We're up all night to get lucky
We're up all night to get lucky
“Talk about yer random memories to access, DJ. Now I see why ya said ya like ta sing so much. That was awesome!” Ryan turned to face the mini-Discords, his headgear’s visor showing a very happy expression, “And you five! Yer a total riot! Awesome job!”
“Told you it’d be fun, Ryan! And I have to say, you’ve got a decent set of vocal cords there. It’s a surprise you don’t sing more!”
As the duo continued to laugh and have dialogue all while their headgear flashed the most dazzling colors, Rainbow Dash decided to finally break the stunned silence she and the others were in, “Rys? Two questions? One, what the hell was that? And two, who the hell are they?”
DJ beat Ryan to the punch. “That was a musical interruption, quite common where I come from and very fun. These fine gents,” DJ waved a hoof over the five Discords, the tallest being Ryan’s height and the shortest about as tall as his knee, “are the sons of Discord. Make yourselves known boys!” The five of them went on to say ‘hello’ in typical barbershop format. “They are my assistants: Uno, the leader, Dos, the second-in-command, Tres, the moron, Quatro, the organizer, and Cinco, the treasurer. They have been helping me ever since I arrived in Equestria, and they also make great foalsitters for Nyx and Scootaloo.
“You let creatures of chaos foalsit your children?” Luna asked with a look of disbelief.
“Do you know how hard it is to get a foalsitter for them? How many foalsitters do you know in Ponyville who can handle a daredevil pegasus and the alicorn filly who is Nightmare Moon reincarnate? Here’s a hint: there aren’t any!”
Luna simply stared at him, her mouth going slack before she finally spoke up, “....say what?”
Ryan snapped his fingers, “Oooooh! Okay! At least now another one of the things you said last night makes sense. Curious...Ah’m guessing that’s yet another difference between our worlds. Sort of like how you said you don’t have a Fluffle in yers, we don’t have a Nyx in ours. But as for the Mini-Ds, they seem like rather fine gents so Ah don’t see why ya wouldn’t trust them with watching yer kids. Ah do find it a bit funny the shortest one is the one that handles yer money, though.”
‘Yeah, let’s hope he doesn’t ever short-change you.’
“Oi!” Cinco appeared in front, with a gray beard and a big black hat. His appearance was a very familiar one...although not exactly the best choice.
DJ looked at the draconequus with a deadpan. “That’s incredibly racist you know.”
Cinco merely shrugged. “Still funny.” DJ facehoofed immediately.
Ryan facepalmed as well, “...we’re gonna get so many letters for that.”
‘Don’t worry, partner, I’ve already got the mailbox set up. But...ya gotta admit, those facts all lining up are still kinda silly.’
“...let’s...let’s just move on, shall we?”
Luna coughed quietly, “Agreed. Now then, please answer my question about your daughter, Nyx. You say she is my...other self reincarnated?”
“Yep! That’s my Nyxie, former queen of Equestria! She’s reformed, though, and all of that ‘take over Equestria’ stuff happened years before I even arrived. If I remember right, it was about a month or so after the Crystal Empire returned. Anyway everything’s been set straight, though there has been some...trouble.”
“I see...what a curious deviation from our own world.” Luna nodded before frowning, “What do you mean by “trouble”?”
“There are still some ponies out there who don’t want to forgive Nyx for her mistake. Plenty of them still want ‘Nightmare Moon’ to pay for what she’s done. You haven’t seen either me or Twilight angry until you threaten to kill our daughters.”
“How terrible.” Luna looked to the ground, “To think that a filly has to pay for simply being my true potential.”
What? What’s moon-butt mean about that?
‘...watch it, Malice.’ Dark growled softly but let it slide for the moment, ‘What Woona means is something she told me not too long after we got back and we had a bit of...private time in the dreamscape. Apparently, Nightmare Moon is the full power and potential she is capable of. Normally, she would have developed this and built such power over the hundreds of years just like Tia did. However….because I wasn’t there to help ease her troubled thoughts, she took a shortcut in her anger. I think we all know what happened because of that...’
“Indeed.” Luna sighed, “I still have trouble forgiving myself for that even now. I was so foolish.”
Celestia smiled and placed a wing over her sister, “While we cannot change what happened in the past, we can always make the future a better place for the present. Just remember we’re always here for you, sister.”
“I will. Thank you, sister.”
“At least you’re looking to the future, like my world. That reminds me, do you think you’ll be able to send me home soon? Mom is expecting me to join her at the first annual Amare-ican Convention next week. Twilight was gonna help go through some research I need to be prepared.”
That and we were hoping to visit Scout’s memorial.
Twilight turned to the Princesses and wasn’t sure what to say, “Well...crafting a spell to duplicate what sent you here isn’t exactly an easy thing to do. From what it sounded like, you were trying to make a self-sustained teleportation field that anypony could use. That in and of itself is something I haven’t even thought of doing, let alone anypone else as far as I know.”
“Twilight Sparkle is correct.” Celestia made a soft ‘hmm’ noise, “Replicating that is not the issue...rather, replicating the results of it that sent you hurtling through time and space are. However, if there is anypony that I believe can do such, it is my dear student.”
Twilight gasped, “Me? But...creating a trans-dimensional travel spell. That’s...that’s beyond anything I’ve ever tried.”
“Come on, T-Sparks. Where’s the unending enthusiasm for knowledge?” Ryan ruffled her mane, “Surely you can’t be saying that you, mah always on it bookworm, don’t think you can do it.”
“I’ll do my best! If DJ can help assist me in terms of finding the right magical frequency, we might have a shot of putting something together. I can’t make any promises on it being quick, however.”
“...Well, that sucks, but I do have faith in you Twilight. If you’re anything like mine, then I know you can do it. Speaking of her, I hope Twi isn’t freaking out too bad. If anything, Mom is freaking out the most. What with my sister being missing since last year, me suddenly disappearing is gonna put Cellie in a massive funk.”
And, yet again, the ponies there were completely stunned at this little revelation as several of their jaws hit the floor.
‘Oh yeah, you mentioned being the adopted son of Tia, didn’t you?’
Celestia recovered enough to respond, “Well...I must say that was not something I expected. Though perhaps it helps explain why I felt we could put our trust in you, DJ. There’s one thing I must know, though.”
“And what’s that, Celestia?”
“....am I thinner? I’m sure my other self loves the cake as much as I do, but I just wanna make sure I’m not falling behind in the Celestia standings.”
Dark audibly facepalmed, ‘This again, Tia? I already told you you look fine.’
“I...I’m not sure how to respond to that.”
I know how!
“Malice shut up now before you get both of us banished to the sun!” DJ simply shook his head as Malice started laughing up a storm. “Anyway, I’m starving. Let’s get some breakfast! And while we do that, I’ll even tell y’all a story!”
“Yay! Story Time! What story is it?”
“It’s the story of tragedy, patriotism, bravery, and sacrifice. Tis the tale of the Changeling Revolution and the rise of the United Hives of Amare-ica!”
“That pun...this Ah cannot wait to hear! Come on everypone! Me and Pink will whip up our famous Struepleberry Pancakes!”
“Oh yay! Those are the bestest, Rysy-Wysy! Race you ta the kitchen!”
“Yay! Pancakes! The ultimate breakfast!”
“Ah’ll say, DJ.” AppleJack chuckled, “Ah still don’t know what all they put into their pancakes, but it’s certainly addicting. That being said…”
AppleJack then ran off behind Ryan and Pinkie, soon followed by the others leaving DJ standing there alone.
Hey! Kid! You’re letting the ponies beat us to food! Get moving!
“Okay, y’all! Super pancakes are go!” Ryan remarked, bringing out a large tray of them to match the tray Pinkie had, “Get ‘em while they’re hot!”
“Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!” DJ gasped after smelling the delicious aroma.
Snickering, Ryan helped dole out the pancakes before sitting down himself with his own. As the ponies (and one human) began to munch, Dark couldn’t help but comment, ‘Heh, I think DJ is a fan of your pancakes. So much so, he’s too busy stuffing his face to talk...or notice he’s getting syrup all over his muzzle.’
“Hmm?” DJ looked down to see himself covered in food and syrup. “Oops, well it’s easy enough to fix.” DJ suddenly licked himself clean with one big lick, like he was a cartoon. “Man, I love Pinkie Physics! By the way Luna, what was it like on the moon? My aunt once told me that both of her imprisonments were very lonely, yet the view was very beautiful. Celestia said that after her own banishment, she would much rather be on the moon instead of the sun; turns out she’s not a big fan of fire. Just want to compare facts just in case Malice dooms us both.”
Luna got really quiet at mention of her banishment, setting down her fork and staring at her plate, “...it was quiet. And desolate...even with my palace there, it just...reminded me of all that had angered me...and disappointed me. Of things that should not have happened...of what I lost...and my thoughts. All these led me to be so corrupted in my thoughts despite parts of Nightmare Moon being stripped from me after sister had to act to save our world. I...missed Dark...but I also hated him for dying. It was like I was arguing with myself. The silence would be enough to drive one mad…”
‘Woona...’
“I even began to hallucinate, and think Dark was there with me. That he didn’t blame me for what I did, and that he felt it unfair that Tia didn’t listen to me more. The longer time marched on, the more I molded this imaginary Dark into my perfect knight, whose love for me surpassed what I knew was wrong.” Luna sighed, “And so my anger and frustration grew until I wasn’t sure who I was anymore. Then my day came, 1,000 years later, and my rage was unleashed…”
“Sister…”
“Heh, but thankfully all turned out okay in the end. The moon is beautiful, and the view of Earth is spell-binding in a way. But without anyone else there, it is quiet. Far too quiet for one to bear. I hope that has answered your question, DJ Sparkle.”
“As for the sun...while I know not why your Celestia was banished, the sun is...well it is hot. To me it is not all that unpleasant, as I know how to handle it, but I can imagine one that does not would find it an unnerving experience.” Celestia grimaced slightly before looking towards DJ, “So then...do those answers suffice? Though these additional banishments...they intrigue me as to what must have happened to cause them. Hopefully something that will not befall our world as well.”
“Oh, I doubt it will happen here, considering it was Nyx who banished the both of them when she took over Equestria. I don’t think it was longer than a month, though. It wasn’t her fault, lots of crazy stuff went on back then.”
Celestia smirked, “I see. That eases my mind, though I have the feeling that lots of crazy stuff still happens, most likely thanks to you, DJ.”
“...Why do I keep getting blamed for all this stuff?”
“That’s an easy one, DJ: as humans, shenanigans are bound to follow us no matter what we do. So we’re kinda doomed in those regards, partner.”
“Damn it! Well, I promised you a story, so allow me spin a tale. A little over a year ago, my family and I went on a little vacation. I can’t go into the details of said vacation because it will play its part here, no doubt. Anyway, near the end of our trip, we were attacked by Chrysalis and her changelings. I was able to get Twilight, Spike, Nyx, and Scootaloo away, but I ended up being left behind. Trying to find my way back, I ended up in the middle of Chrysalis’ hive and was imprisoned almost immediately.”
“Wait, so yer Chrissy is still...nefarious? Ah don’t wanna say evil because Ah don’t know if that fits her. Seein’ as ours ran off from a broken mind after she thought she’d killed me, Ah gotta wonder something: what in tarnation happened in yer world during the events of Shiny and Cadance’s wedding? It’s obvious she didn’t win, but how did it end?”
‘...I’m actually kinda curious about that too. Ever since Mallie said something about beating up Chrissy, I’ve been wanting to know how different that event went...and what came about because of that difference. How did the other versions of the herd stop the invasion? And what did that set in motion?’
“Basically, Cadance and Shining Armor blasted Chrysalis and the changelings back to the Badlands with a super-powerful love shield. To put in simple terms, it was like getting beat with a sandwich for them. After that went down, she wanted revenge for her humiliation and failure, blinding her to everything else. When I arrived at the hive, there were piles and piles of dead and dying changelings in the streets. And you want to know the main difference between our Chrysalises? One word gentlemen: Communism.”
“What an odd word...what is this, Communism?”
“Simply put, T-Sparks, it’s both a social viewpoint and form of government from mah world...apparently DJ’s as well it seems.” Ryan tried to think of the best way to put it for the pones, “Basically, everyone is supposed to be equal in everything. With work. With belongings. With everything. There is no ‘I’, so to speak. It is all ‘for the people’ and things are done not for your own gain, but for the gain of all.”
“Well that doesn’t sound all that bad.”
“Unfortunately, hon, it’s not all that clean-cut. It seldom ever stays in its utopian-esque description and so you mostly end up with a whole bunch of people at the bottom living in misery and those that “rule”, if you will, being above everyone else and living off their work in a unbalanced mess. There’s a reason not many countries are left using it, as it’s a nice theory...but in practical application it’s terrible since most people have no opportunity to become anything.”
‘So if your Chrysalis was communistic, I can only imagine that things there must’ve been pretty shit for there to be so many dead changelings. She became too focused on revenge and let her people suffer, didn’t she?’
“In a nutshell. She was so hell bent on taking over Equestria, that she even tried to turn me into a changeling! Several times, over two months! Not fun. She wasn’t the brightest bug, since she basically wanted to rule over the ponies with an iron hoof. She wanted the love Equestria has, but she was being stupid about it. Taking over the ponies would have destroyed the love, Sombra proved that.”
“...that is a pretty big difference.”
Rainbow Dash eyed her human oddly, “What d’ya mean, Rys? Isn’t that exactly what bug-butt tried to do?”
“Don’t ya remember what Ah told ya, about how Ah talked with her before things went south really fast and she stabbed me? Chrissy, the real one and not the one drunk on our love, only wanted to look out for her family. She said she wanted to take over, but that she didn’t want to hurt anyone. Ah’ve thought on that for a while, and Ah think she wanted Equestria to remember that they were still around. That they wanted to reintegrate into society so that she could protect her children.”
“Still around? Children? What are you guys talking about?”
‘It’s simple, DJ: in our world, back when I was still my own self all those years ago, there was a hive of Changelings nearby that myself and my mentor, Star-Swirled, visited on behalf of Tia and Woona. We made peace with them and worked out means to help each other live. Though in the time since then, it’s pretty obvious that pony-kind forgot about them for one reason or another...until the wedding incident anyway.’ Dark sighed softly, ‘As for children...well, Chrissy was just a mother that wanted to do whatever she could to save her children. In other words, the Changelings of her hive.’
“Huh, I guess that’s the kind of person Chryssie wanted to be in my world. She was the mother of all changelings, too. Although, she did have a birth daughter, Queen Insectum, and the rest were hatched from eggs. Back to the story, during my imprisonment, I befriended my two day guards. They were pleasant, unlike those bastard night guards. They would hit me with a spear if I was smiling while I slept! Jerks. Anyway, as the weeks went on I got to know Scout and Sting and we became fast friends. I learned changeling culture from them and I taught them about my home country. After a while, I was introduced to Insectum, who brought me into her resistance movement against her mother. She, too, realized that if things continued as they were, their race would starve off. I agreed to help them in exchange for my freedom, as well as to get back my swords.”
“Yer swords, huh? Hmmm….”
“How very interesting. I was not aware that Changelings were capable of live birth.” Celestia tapped her chin, “When we made contact with the Hive that lived here all those years ago, we never thought they reproduced other than by hatching. Though...thinking on it, they did have those that were of the royal family...so odds are they birthed them. How curious...Perhaps Chrysalis here is the same and has a daughter or son as well?”
‘...if she did, that explains her actions even more…..!’ There was an audible noise, as if Dark smacked his forehead, ‘Ryan!’
Ryan sighed and hung his head, “Ah know partner...Ah just had the same thought. The one changeling that was unfortunate enough to impale himself on Malus Domestica. She took his death really, really, really hard. Ah...could he….and if so then….”
Sensing their distress, Luna leaned over and nuzzled Ryan’s cheek, “Her fury was indeed that of a mother in grief...while we may not know the truth, my dear human, it is perhaps a good guess.”
“Dammit...Ah wish...Ah wish Ah could find her and make things right. One day, perhaps….maybe.” Ryan took a deep breath, “Anyway...sorry about that, DJ. You were saying...about this resistance? Ah’m assuming ya ended up getting yer weapons back….and that things went well enough since yer here talking to us.”
“...Um, not exactly,” DJ said with a sad look. “Let’s continue. After three weeks of intensive training and planning, everything was ready and it was time to strike. I was sent ahead to make sure the path was clear, being that I’m not a changeling, when lo and behold I run into my rescue team! Twilight, Spike, Shining Armor, Pixel Berry and a few other guards had come to get me out. Good thing my message got through. They agreed to help with the revolution and together we stormed Chrysalis’ castle. That’s when everything went bad. As we all got stuck fighting other changelings, Scout had a shot at Chrysalis, so he took it. She stopped him, however, and from what little I overheard, she said that if he was going to refuse his place in the hive, then he would have no place in it. And then... she ran him through with her horn, tossing him away like trash.”
“Ugh. That’s...pretty rough.” Ryan lifted his hand up and rubbed the right side of his chest, “Ah know from experience just how much that horn of hers can hurt. Seeing as you said memorial...Ah’m sorry, DJ. Scout sounds like he was a pretty awesome guy, and losing someone like that is a definitely a tragedy.”
Yeah, but now we get to the fun part! Let me tell the rest kid, I so love regaling!
“Fine, ya chaotic prick. Don’t go overboard and don’t reveal too much!”
‘Oh yes, please leave some surprises for later, Mallie. Otherwise it won’t be as much fun when we get to test our might, so to speak.’
Once you hear my story, Dark, you may not be so eager. Anyway, once Scout had taken the fall, Insectum asked the kid to aid her changelings. See, we originally had been told not to touch Chrysalis, as a changeling needed to be the one to usurp her. The princess basically gave us permission to beat the shit out of her mother. Lo and behold, DJ here says it’s not him that will be fighting, but me! That’s right, ol’ Malice was released on bug bitch! Oh she thought she was strong enough to beat me, but I started out strong by bashing myself right into her. Then, with a little magic, I shot some spears at her, the first of which completely sheared off her left wing! Ah, that was a marvelous sight, seeing her scream in pain like that; music to my ears, I tell ya. After a few more, I decided to end things, so I started to choke her to death. Only Insectum stopped me before I could finish the deed, so I gave her one of our swords and told her to finish it. After that, I let the kid take back over.
“...my, what a….charming story.”
“Ah’m with Rares there...Ah guess she did kinda have it comin’ fer being so blind, but damn Malice. Me thinks there’s a bit of pent-up frustration within you.”
‘I don’t know, Ryan, seems about right to me. And you were strong enough to take Chrissy down, eh? Albeit one that was probably a little love-starved. Still...’ Dark chuckled softly, ‘Intriguing.’
Luna eyed her human oddly, “I do not think intriguing is the word I would use, my dear Darkness. Psychotic is more the word that comes to mind.”
“That’s an understatement, Luna. Story doesn’t end there. After I was put back in control, Insectum spared Chrysalis’ life, but instead severed her horn. Changeling horns are the source of their magic, including their transformations, and they don’t ever grow back. Insectum took control and sentenced her mother to a prison cell for the rest of her days. As we gathered around Scout, Insectum allowed him one final request. He asked if the Changeling Hives could be renamed now that they had a new way of life. He asked if it could be called Amare-ica, a homage to the stories of bravery and rebellion I told him and Sting. Insectum gladly accepted, renaming her country the United Hives of Amare-ica, or UHA for short. Scout died with a smile on his face. All in all, a hundred and one changelings were lost in the coup, but everything worked out. When I returned, I helped forge a peace treaty between our two nations, one that still stands strong. Changelings are now a common sight all around Equestria, mostly as traders and salesponies, but some have moved out into the country. Sting even has a vacation house in Ponyville so he can visit every now and then. Things have been nice since then.”
“Okay...ow to the horn bit. Not that yer Chrissy didn’t have it coming, honestly. And it’s a pity this Scout fellow isn’t around to meet, with a play on words like that...Ah think we would’ve gotten along quite well. At least it worked out in the end…” Ryan frowned, “At least now Ah know what all you were going on about last night while we were getting hammered. Hmm….”
“Ah know that look, Apple Ryder...yer thinking about our Chrysalis ain’tcha?”
“Heh...you always do seem ta know what Ah’m thinking, Apps. Yeah...it’s funny to see how just something as simple as mah presence could alter events so much. The collective of realities is a very curious place.”
“You have no idea. As Doc says, wibbly wobbly timey wimey stuff. That’s the shiz we’re dealing with Ryan, my boy. If my little sis was here, she’d probably be freaking out and having fun! Aaaaand now I’m sad again.”
“Hmmmm, you know the Doctor?
“Who?”
“Exactly!” Ryan snickered, “Though Ah doubt ours is the same as yers given how ridiculous things already are. Sad again? Well now, we can’t have that, can we?”
“No we can’t, Rysy-Wysy!” Pinkie nodded so fast her head seemed like it was going to fly off, “No friend of ours will be sad!”
‘Hmmm...but what ta do? What can we do to cheer up our new bestest friends DJ and Mallie-kun?’
I don’t know about him, but kicking your ass right now would definitely put a smile on my face. A sick, demented, and twisted smile, but a smile nonetheless.
‘Oh Mallie, yer such a jokester...’ Dark did the equivalent of narrowing his eyes and smirking, though only Malice could see it, ‘You make it sound like that’s an easy thing to do...while I have no doubt you’ve got some strength to you, rest assured a fight against me would not be easy nor would it mean the kicking of my magnificent posterior.’
One, I never joke. Every threat I have told since we met has been very real and I meant every word. And I do indeed realize that a fight between us would be difficult and you know what I have to say to that? It’s about fucking time! We need a challenge, even though I know you aren’t stronger than us.
“He’s got you there, guys.”
Ryan stopped mid-bite, the pancake piece he was about to chew dramatically falling out of his mouth as he very slowly put the fork down and turned to face DJ, “Ah’m sorry...it would appear there was something stupid in my ear there. Ah swear Ah just heard ya say that you and Malice are stronger than us….but Ah must be mistaken. There’s no way that’s what you said.”
‘Uh oh...Ah know that look.’ AppleJack thought as she looked at Ryan nervously, ‘Hoowee, this is gonna end only one way: crazy!’
The rest of his herd in general had also come to the same conclusion, sharing the same nervous glances, as Ryan waited patiently for DJ’s response.
DJ looked back at Ryan with a smirk. “I can sense your power, Ryan. It is nothing compared to mine. I don’t know what that ‘element’ thing was earlier, but it is nothing compared to a true rage shift. You know not the powers that I possess.”
To that Ryan simply laughed, “True, Ah’m sure you can sense mah power. At least, that is the power that Ah let you sense. And trust me, an Elemental Sync is nothing to be dismissed. My adventures lately have certainly shown me that much. Yer pretty cocky, kid, but youth does that to ya. It’s not yer fault.”
I think he needs a taste of what we can do, kid.
“I think you’re right, Malice. So then, Ryan, why don’t I give you an example of what true anger looks and feels like.” DJ went still, closing his eyes, and his breathing slowed. Nopony or human moved… and then a rush of power spread through them all. DJ opened his eyes, making several of the mares recoil as they revealed pure black nothingness. “This is a rage shift, my friends. Magic in its purest state, released through what is commonly referred to as ‘killing intent’. Quite the impression, don’t you think?”
‘Hmmm...well now, that’s about what I expected from one that’s had time to master it. I’d say that puts you….what say you, Woona? Is his Rage Shift about the same level as Jessica’s Elemental Sync?’
Luna regarded DJ’s new state for quite a bit before nodding, “Yes. It would appear it is the same style as hers, though he still has some way to go before actually mastering it.”
“Were I wager a comparison, it would seem his is on par with my student’s Elemental Sync.” Celestia looked to Twilight and then back at DJ, “The pressure is the same...but something seems different. Rougher. Not the ‘killing intent’, that parts about the same. The only thing I can think of is that somehow that crude spirit of DJ’s is causing a strange interference effect. That might explain his eyes.”
“Even if that is true, Princess, I feel this is a bit intense for breakfast.” Rarity went to swoon, but as usual Ryan caught her easily, “Oh thank you, darling.”
“Heh, no problem Rare-bear. Ah know that the whole fighting thing isn’t yer strong suit.” Ryan helped Rarity sit up before he got up himself. Cracking his neck and then his knuckles, he laughed softly before staring into DJ’s stoic eyes, “That certainly is a rather nice bit of magic...but come now, boys, no need to go off so fast. We haven’t even gotten a suitable arena yet. If we’re to truly take you seriously and unleash all of our potential, we need somewhere—and the assistance of someone—to make that happen. Ah think Ah can handle those details, so what do y’all say?”
“Hmm, let me check something first.” DJ cleared his throat and looked down at his watch/necklace. “Hey, Omni? How much power I got?”
“I currently am at 99% capacity, sir. More than enough for yours and sir Ryan’s duel.”
“Thank you, Omni!” DJ turned back to Ryan with a smirk. “You got yourself a fight, Ryan mah friend. But believe me, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet.”
“Hahaha, that’s good ta know. Ah’d hate ta be the only one giving out such lovely surprise gifts at this little shindig, after all.” Ryan took DJ’s hoof and shook it, “By the way...it’s nice ta see yer a fan of those movies too. Makes the Omnitrix sound quite classy. Now then, if you and Malice would give us just a short amount of moments to make the preparations, we can get to lighting the fireworks. Oh...and Ah hope ya liked breakfast. Always gotta make time for the most important meal of the day!”
Pinkie giggled, “But Rysy-Wysy, you say that about every meal of the day!”
Ryan sighed, facepalming at Pinkie being herself. This was clearly what was needed to ease the tension some as everypony there began laughing at the human’s annoyance. Still, Ryan and DJ couldn’t help but fiercely stare each other down as the laughter slowly faded before he and Dark finally left to prepare a fitting arena for their throwdown.
“....what is this place?”
‘This, DJ and Mallie, is a lovely little room that I’m actually surprised is still here. It was created so many years ago by a close friend of mine to allow me ample room and safety in which to practice my magic and other skills.’
“Okay, but...why did we access it through a bathroom closet.”
‘Oh! That...that’s a good question.’ Dark thought on it, ‘One that I can’t answer as the layout of the castle has changed a bit since then. Woona? Tia? Any answers?’
“Uhm…” Celestia seemed caught unaware, “Well…you know...when one gets to be as old as I am you can’t always remember where every door goes in this massive place so….”
“So it would seem that, while I was imprisoned on the moon, Tia did some redecorating and accidentally placed a bathroom near where your training room was.” Luna sighed, “Oh sister….well, look on the bright side my dear Darkness: should you find the need to go, at least you needn’t go far to answer the call.”
‘That’s my gal for ya!’ Dark laughed, ‘But yes...this large area should fit our needs nicely. I always liked the good old wasteland, prime for some kick-ass training! And I didn’t even have to be a Yoshi to do it!’
“....why didn’t you tell me about this place, Dark?” Ryan looked around, “This would’ve been helpful with my training.”
‘...I forgot?’
And everypony promptly crashed to the ground at that, sighing at they stood up.
‘What?! I do have amnesia to a degree, ya know? It’s not like I remember everything from a thousand years ago! Sheesh.’
...I knew he was a good for nothin’, senile, old man.
“Malice, be nice. At least until the fight starts, then you can insult them however you feel like.”
You really know how to make this demon’s day, don’t ya kid.
“We were once one in the same, plus I get the feeling I’m gonna need the you-know-what for this fight.”
Sweet!
“...the “you-know-what”?” Fluttershy fidgeted a bit before seeming nervous, “Oh...what could that be?”
Ryan smiled, scratching her ears to calm her down. “Relax, Flutters. What’s an epic crossover fight without some suspenseful secrets? Heaven knows Ah’ve got mah fair share of secrets for this. But at any rate, we have our arena….and now then, we simply need the other component necessary for us to truly get down with our bad selves. Dark?”
‘Hmmm? Oh, right! Seeing as we’re here now and If I’m not mistaken, we should only have to wait till….now.’
There was a loud noise, like one blowing a huge party-favor, and then with a poof of confetti and—were those candy streamers?—delightful chaotic magic smoke there appeared the one, the only….
“I’m Discord, baby! YEAH!” Discord struck a pose, “Hmmm...it would appear you were right, little dragon, that was the dear boy and Darkness we sensed.”
“See?! I told you we should cut our training short and check this out!” Spike proudly beamed, “But uh….hold on a second here? One, two….three? Three alicorns? That’s not right.”
“Oh my, it would seem you’re right.” Discord poofed over to DJ’s side and looked him over….and then sniffed him, “I say, you aren’t from around here….but you have this very familiar chaotic scent about you. Have we met? If we have, please forgive me, but being the loveable chaos deity I am there’s just so much going on upstairs that sometimes things just slip my mind.”
With that Discord’s mind literally slipped out of his head, bouncing across the ground and landing on Ryan’s head.
“...okay. Ew.”
“Oh poo, and to think you’re supposed to be the one that minds my antics the least.” Discord scoffed, removing his brain from Ryan’s head and placing it back in his.
‘Did...did you have to unscrew the top of your head to do that, Cordy?’
“No. But that was more fun.” Discord chuckled, “But all fun aside, who exactly is this unknown alicorn? A new friend? Oh, I hope so. I do so love making new...friends.”
Yeah, that came out creepy.
“Eeyup.”
Discord frowned, “Well there’s no need to be so rude about it. I’m only trying my best. It has been quite some time since I’ve tried my hand at this making new friends thing.”
‘It’s okay, Cordy. You’re just a bit rusty.’
Discord nodded, instantly rusting over and squeaking as he moved, “Perhaps so, Darkness. But, and I know this is rare coming from me, in all seriousness...who are you?”
“I’m DJ Sparkle, Prince of Magic from an alternate Equestria, as well as a former human.”
I’m Malice, the kid’s discorded side. Also known as the Demon Within, all I crave is death, destruction, and of course chaos, baby!
“Chaos? Oh, I love that subject! It’s what I got the most ‘A’s in!” Discord poofed over and placed an arm around DJ, “So let me see here...I am a quick study, just ask Cels and Moona that one. Judging by things, you’re married to your Equestria’s Twilight, you obviously know the other me—oh if only I could meet him, the things we’d do—and Malice? That would explains the smell….”
Hey!
“...but discorded? So then this is what would happen if you discorded a human…hmmmm.” Discord stroked his beard before sighing, “I must say I’m disappointed. Such a one-track mind. I’m actually glad now I could not do that here, it would’ve been rather boring otherwise.”
‘Oooooooh! Somebody get a rubber band, cause ‘Oh snap!’’
Pshh, like I need this Discord’s approval. The one back home already pretty much shits himself whenever I get involved. He’s actually sworn off ever discording anything ever again because of my creation. And I do not have a one track mind! I just have my priorities straight.
“Basically from our research, the discording of a human is very much similar to that of a ponies,” DJ said, going into the very familiar ‘egghead’ mode. “It simply takes it a step further by creating the discorded being in a separate form. Malice is the way he is because he is my opposite, being a creature of pure chaos, where I am considered, by my mother’s own words, a creature of harmony. It was certainly an interesting subject when Twi and I were having our Spring Research session.”
Ryan smirked as he gently ruffled Twilight’s mane, “Remind ya of anypony?”
Twilight rolled her eyes before nudging Ryan’s side, “Don’t be rude, dear.”
“Hmmm...yes, the whole Yin-Yang thing. Balance is key, many have noted that after all.” Discord nodded before shrugging, “Boring, but needed. Also, whatever helps you sleep at night, Mallie. The other me certainly doesn’t sound like he’s seen the shit I have, but then again he probably didn’t have Darkness Shade to deal with so….”
‘Hey!’
“Sorry, Darkness, but I do mean that with all the love my friendship can muster. You did drive me to places I never dreamed I’d go alone, so it’s more compliment than insult. Now then...dear boy, what is going on here?”
“Oh, nothing, just me and Dark getting ready to have a little fun and show DJ and Malice that they might not be as tough as they think they are.”
Discord grinned, rubbing his hands together maniacally, “You don’t say? A little smack talk is always fun! But, these two don’t seem weak...you’re incredibly excited, aren’t you?”
“And you wouldn’t be, Disky?”
“Alas, dear boy, you’ve read me like a book. I suspect, however, that you wish for some help from me.”
‘That was the plan...glad to see you showed up like I hoped.’
“Say no more! I know exactly what you want!” Discord raised his hand high, snapping his fingers, “There!”
“....okay, what did he do?” DJ looked around, “He put himself and the others in...are those stadium-style seats? I guess so they can watch the fight but...what else did he do?”
Ryan cracked his knuckles as he let his magic start to flare up, “Oh, he simply made it so that we can go all out. You see, we don’t have to hold back. While our attacks will hurt, they won’t do any permanent damage. So those little cylinders hanging off ya? You can set those lightsabers of yours to full power. And you’ll want to, if ya wanna try and win anyway. I wanna see all that yer capable of, and that includes any other forms besides pony you’ve got.”
‘And as for our friends and family...’ Dark smirked as Ryan lifted his hand and let loose a blast towards them...where it harmlessly evaporated long before it ever got near them, ‘They’re nice and safe behind Cordy’s magic. So we can truly go hog-wild and not worry about any collateral damage. Oh, Mallie-kun, I can sense yer excitement from here~’
Kid? Do whatever you have to to shut him up!
DJ smirked. “Was already planning on it. Now let’s get started strongly, Saiyan Up!” DJ returned to a human-like stature, but the girls noticed that he seemed much more muscular as well as a monkey-like tail on his rear. DJ opened up his jacket, revealing his two prized weapons and summoned them to his hands, igniting them on contact. A blue blade, held in a reverse position, sparked to life in his left hand, while a green one was held normally in his right. “Are you ready for this?”
“Curiouser and curiouser you become, DJ. Heh, and that form of yers will only make what Ah have planned even more fitting.” Ryan reached behind himself and slowly drew his sword. Malus Domestica’s orange apple jewel reflected brightly in the magical sunlight of the wasteland as he slowly brought it into position before readying his stance, “Let’s see just how well you can handle those things.”
With that, Ryan lifted up his other arm, upturned his hand, and gestured for DJ to bring it. DJ smirked in response and lifted his right hand towards Ryan. The next instant, a storm’s worth of lightning was released from DJ’s hand heading straight towards his opponent. An eyebrow raised at the impressive light show, Ryan brought Malus Domestica up in front of him and dashed at the lighting. As his blade met the magical electricity, it parted the storm and sent the split fragments spreading outwards where they created a massive dust cloud upon exploding on the ground.
“Not bad, not bad.”
“Most impressive, Ryan. You are honestly the first to have ever taken on my Force lightning like that.”
“Well, ya know what they say: sometimes the best defense is a good offense. Then again, Malus Domestica isn’t exactly a normal sword….but you’ll find that out soon enough.”
“Perhaps, but you have yet to see anything.” DJ charged forward, his speed unlike anything they had seen before.
‘He’s fast.’ Dark noted as Ryan quickly tapped his hand to his feet, ‘But we can be fast too.’
“Eyup.” Ryan smirked, the now glowing bottoms of his feet allowing him to dash backwards staying just out of reach of DJ’s swords as they practically flew across the ground, “You’ve got some skill, dude, Ah won’t deny that. Let’s see how far ya can push me. Can you unlock all mah tricks? First, however, something sweet!”
Reaching behind his back, Ryan pulled out a massive shoulder-mounted cannon of sorts that any fan of his would instantly recognize from a certain birthday incident. Taking aim at DJ and smirking, he lined up his shot and took it, “Tasty Cannon! FIRE!”
...what the hell is he up to? Is that…!
“...that looks like a Tesla Cannon, but that’s not lightning he’s firing. It’s….what is that?” DJ threw his hands up and shot lightning at it, only for it to be diffused by the attack, “The hell?!”
...frosting? He shot us with...pink frosting!?
‘And sprinkles, Mallie! There’s sprinkles in that too!’
DJ simply stood there, confused as all out at this bizarre attack of Ryan’s. In fact, he simply just gave Ryan a look as if to say ‘what the hell was that?’.
Ryan smirked and stuck out his tongue, “What? All mah attacks have ta be serious? You’d be surprised how much a hoot Sweet Revenge is at parties! Oh, hold on a second!”
Aiming the Tasty Cannon towards his herd, he fired and wasn’t surprised when a certain pink pony broke through the shield momentarily to gobble it all up before landing back in her chair.
“Thanks Rysy-Wysy! Yer the bestest!”
“Heh, anytime Pinks.” Ryan holstered and poofed away Sweet Revenge before striking a stance with his sword once more, “Sorry about that, but that lovely party pone of mine just loves that move...mostly because she said it’s the best sugar rush she’s ever had. Though...Ah do have to wonder just how she doesn’t get fat eating such a massive amount of frosting like that.”
"Trust me, you don't wanna know." Both he and Malice shuddered. "Some things can never be unseen." DJ flicked his wrist, bring all the frosting that covered him into a ball that floated above his hand and let it drop to the floor. "I'm glad this jacket is enchanted. Rarity would probably kill me for getting it covered in frosting. Then Spike would probably get mad that I made his mare friend mad."
‘Ah. I did always have ta wonder if Ryan hadn’t ended up here whether or not Spikester and Ra-Ra would have hooked up.’ Dark laughed softly, ‘But I hear you on the jacket thing. Nice to see you appreciate them just as much.’
“You can’t be a real fighter without one,” DJ quipped with a smirk. “Now, enough with the tricks, Ryan. If you aren’t gonna take us seriously, then we might have to change the rules a little bit.” DJ’s smile turned dark, and his eyes once again reverted into black voids.
“Oh, but we are taking you seriously. Ah don’t just use that move on anypony after all.” Ryan laughed softly, “Rage Shifting already, eh? Haha, well then...Ah suppose if you wanna upgrade our fight to the next step this early in the game...Ah’m more than happy ta oblige.”
With that Ryan formed a fist with his left hand before yelling loudly as a burst of cold magic exploded outwards from him. When it settled, his hair was in icy spikes and his eyes had changed as well, taking an iced over look that was much more focused than his usual one.
“Of course, Ah’m no dummy. That snowflake on yer butt pretty much screams ice magic being your forte...which kinda confuses me that yer Rage Shift is fire-based. Either way, you’re not gonna get any kinda advantage with me using ice moves. That being the case, it’s best Ah match you in number as well, lest things get boring.”
“Good, I was afraid I had to do something drastic to get your attention, now then…” DJ jumped up into the air, spinning around for a quick moment before dive bombing. “Let’s see how you handle that sword!”
Ryan smirked, placing a hand over the hilt of his sword. “Oh, yer about ta see just how Ah handle mah sword. Propogate! Malus Domestica!”
...what? Kid, what the hell did he just say?
“I don’t know, something about the mating rituals of apples? Either way, I don’t know why he’d say such a thing now of all times.”
Just as DJ was about to make contact, Ryan pulled his hand away to reveal another Malus Domestica that he used to help block and hold back the incoming attack.
“Oh… that’s why. Neat trick, but not enough!” Still locked in combat, DJ flexed his fingers just enough to exert a burst of Force energy in Ryan’s direction, sending the human back a few feet. DJ landed on the ground, still smiling widely. “If ya got tricks like that up your sleeve, I can’t wait to see what comes next!”
“Heh...so that’s what that feels like. Neat.” Ryan smirked, spinning his katanas once before striking another stance, “And don’t worry, there’s plenty of surprises in these sleeves of mine...even though technically right now Ah’m wearing a short sleeve shirt, don’t let that think mah surprises are few. Just felt like clarifying that. Anyway…”
‘Here we come, Mallie!’ Dark shouted as Ryan sprung forward on his magnetically enhanced shoes and brought Malus Domestica slicing towards DJ, ‘Let’s see what kinda fancy swordplay you two can do!’
DJ, relying on his enhanced instincts, dodged the first slice, propelling backwards before charging forward himself. “You’re gonna wish you never said that!” He swung out his right blade, aiming for Ryan’s neck.
Thinking quickly, Ryan crossed the component of Malus Domestica in his right hand over his left arm to block the energy blade aimed straight for him, “Heh...well, that actually worked. Ah’ll admit, Ah had mah doubts, but it seems the Doc certainly wasn’t boasting falsely when he mentioned what he did to Malus Domestica. This really will be something fun! Also…yer actually trying to kill me. Good! That’s the whole point of this little set-up anyway! To go super crazy!”
‘Hmmm, got some skill in ya, that’s for sure. And yer not afraid to get in close...not bad, Mallie.’
I’m just glad the kid is actually listening to me for once!
“Well, you are a master battle strategist, partner. I’d be a fool not to listen to you in this fight. But don’t think I’ve gotten serious just yet, Ryder. Trust me, when I really let loose, you’ll know… because you won’t be able to stop me!”
“Oooh, Ah like the sound of that. Hahaha, let’s see how deep the rabbit hole really is then!”
With that Ryan dashed back before bringing his swords up again and charging DJ, the two clashing over and over as sword met saber. The others were rather drawn to the fight, mostly because they were a bit surprised at how well DJ was keeping up with their human.
“Oh...oh…eeep! Ryan…” Fluttershy hid behind Rarity, “Oh! I hope he’s okay...that other pony is crazy!”
“Well, Ah reckon Ah didn’t expect something like this happening. He’s some kinda human but more like monkey with that tail. Apple Ryder sure didn’t seemed too phased though. Ah wonder why?”
Discord munched noisily on his popcorn, “Oh why bother with such trivial details, ladies? I can only hope the popcorn I brought with me will last the whole fight.”
“Oh that’s okay, Discord! If you start to run low, my portable hole has a huge stockpile of snacks in it!” Pinkie giggled, “If you’re a good boy, then I’ll let you enter my hole.”
‘....wow, the innuendo on that one, partner.’
Ryan couldn’t help but grin despite the fact that DJ’s latest blow sent one of his swords flying off where it embedded itself in the ground, “That’s Pinks for ya. She sure knows how to pick a moment.”
Dashing backwards quickly, Ryan took a breath before nodding, “Not bad...that stance is certainly something else, but Ah can tell one thing: you’ve had some scuffles with Shiny haven’t ya?”
“Well, him and Spike. Little bro’s pretty good with those brace blades I made him. One of the few inventions that didn’t blow up in my face,” DJ panted out, starting to feel the effects of the fight. “You should see the scars I got from making the first batch of TVs, that was something painful!”
“So yer little bro can fight too, huh? Well, that’s pretty interesting we’ve sparred with the same people-pone-dudes. Although our Spike uses some pretty interesting gauntlets. And man...those things hurt.” Ryan laughed softly, “Oh man...Ah feel ya on inventions blowing up dude. While Ah haven’t had one explode in my face like yer TVs apparently did, there’s been a lot of fires…a lot of fires.”
“I know about fires, too. Bet I got one that can beat anything you ever had!”
“Heh. Well now, that sounds interesting. What did you do, burn down the castle or something? Oh wait! No, you burned down the library didn’t you?”
DJ gave him a confused look. “Do you really think that if I burned down the library I would still be alive to speak with you?”
Ryan thought about it for a moment before nodding slightly, “Good point. If yer Twilight is anything like mah T-Sparks, you’d probably be a dead man, er, pony. I remember one time I accidentally creased a page in some ‘super, special, first print’ edition of ‘Daring Do and the Something or other’...you’ll forgive me if Ah don’t remember, but my memory of that whole moment is a bit foggy. In fact, Ah don’t really remember what happened, Ah just know that after that gap in mah memory, there’s this feeling of shame that Ah can’t quite explain.”
“Be careful with your wording! I don’t need any innuendos about you and Twilight, it was already creepy enough seeing her snuggling with you the other night. Anyway, back to the invention. It was a remote control submarine I dubbed the U.S.S. Celestia. On her maiden voyage, she sunk to the bottom of the lake. Only, she sunk… while on fire. You know the worst part about it? There was not a single bit of flammable material on that craft, yet it still randomly burst into flames six feet below the water.”
“Wow. So you sucked so hard on that invention, you literally set water on fire.” Ryan doubled over in laughter, “That’s like being such a terrible cook you burn water! How does one even get something to burn underwater?”
“Honestly? THAT’S WHAT I WANNA KNOW!! I know one thing, though. Never making another submarine, unh uh. I’m gonna stick to my TV business. Last fall’s season was a big hit and this year’s is turning out better than we hoped!”
“Well, Ah always did think the pones would love television...heh, maybe one day Ah can bring it here. Maybe...Ah do kinda like how peaceful it is. Still, Ah am about to introduce the iPone thanks to T-Sparks, Cellie, and Lunes’ help in reverse-engineering the tech that came with me so we’ll see how that goes first.” Ryan took a deep breath before smirking, “Oh yeah...so...let’s see. Yer skills on the ground are pretty good...there’s no doubt. And you handle that form pretty impressively, though Ah do wonder how long yer limit is using Omni like that.”
‘From what I can tell of your memories...he’s using it freely so there’s no time limit on forms?’
“...Ah do recall the series having a moment like that, something about that’s how the unlocked Omnitrix functions. Heh, but Ah highly doubt you’d share that fact with us, fellahs.”
DJ shook his head. “Sorry, but Omni’s secrets are not to be told, classified beyond your reach by beings you only thought legend. As his wielder, I am privileged to certain properties, but not even I know all of his powers yet. Don’t worry about him timing out anytime soon, though. You ain’t luckin’ out that way. Omni’s set on form lock, keeping us in this form until he runs out of power in…”
“Five weeks, three days, thirteen hours, and twenty seven minutes, sir.”
“So… ready to continue?”
“Good, good. That’s what Ah wanted ta hear. Ah’d just hate to have mah fun taken away from me.”
‘Oh, we’re more than ready to continue but as Ry said, yer skills on the ground are pretty good. However, Ah’m curious about your skills in the sky as well...’
“If you’re asking if I can fly…” DJ began to lift of the ground, nothing but air between him and the floor. “Does that answer your question?”
A smirk soon blossomed into a grin as Ryan watched him levitate off the ground, “Oh...most assuredly so. Haha, ready, partner?”
‘Hit it!’
With that Ryan began running towards DJ’s floating form before raising up his free hand and snapping his fingers. After doing such, a very familiar pair of shades as well as a leather jacket emblazoned with a very curious mark appeared on his body. The most eye-catching part, however, was the pair of jet-black pegasus wings that sprouted out of his back just before he was upon DJ. At the last moment, Ryan jetted straight upwards before going sufficiently high enough and staring down at his sparring partner, “So...ya gonna join me up here or what, Deej?”
Let’s turn him into a chicken!
“Sounds like a plan, I could go for some good ol’ fashion wings!” DJ sped off toward Ryan, bring his left sword to slash at Ryan’s midsection.
“Whoa!” Ryan flipped backwards and felt the heat of the saber narrowly miss him, “Dude...do Ah look like Ah wanna be Kentucky Fried? Although some fried chicken does sound good right now. Mmmm...wait! We’re fighting! Gotta focus!”
‘Ryan!’
Heeding Dark’s warning, Ryan brought Malus Domestica up to block DJ’s other saber before spinning in mid-air and sending a kick straight for DJ’s head. DJ was unable to dodge in time, and was sent sprawling to the floor below, just barely stopping himself from crashing hard. He glared up at Ryan, then smirked.
“If that’s how we’re gonna play it…” DJ deactivated his swords, clipping them to his belt. Ryan only stared in confusion as DJ raised his hands and clapped once, sending out a loud ‘ding’. “Let’s bring things down to ground level again!” He slammed his palms to the ground, causing electricity to arc out. The floor beneath his hands began to morph and change into a massive fist that charged right for Ryan and Dark.
“...ALCHEMY?!” Ryan shouted before seeing the massive fist coming right for him, “Shit!”
‘Pegasus Barrier!’
As the fist collided with Ryan in mid-air, he was sent tumbling about before landing with a loud thud on the ground below. When the dust settled, the only thing visible at the bottom of the crater was what appeared to be...a ball of wings? Slowly the wings unfurled to show Ryan was—mostly—unharmed, but certainly shaken up after taken such a blow, “Ugh...nice timing, Dark.”
Hopping out of the crater, Ryan flapped his wings once or twice before cracking his neck. Turning to DJ, he seemed puzzled by something, “So...Edward or Al? Edward or Al? Hmmm...Ah’m leaning more towards Edward, ya know...cause yer shorter than me. Still...not bad, dood. Certainly wouldn’t have guessed you could alchemize Elric style.”
“No one ever would. And 5’ 10” ain’t all that short!”
“Yeah, but Ah’m still taller than you by half an inch, so...ya know, mah point is still valid. And when yer in yer pony form, well...Ah don’t think Ah have ta say any more than that.” Ryan snickered, “But hey, seeing as ya put yer swords away, how about Ah do the same and we do something Ah’ve always wanted to take part in? A no-holds-barred, fisticuffs spar fest that would make Goku and Vegeta blush.”
‘Yeah! Let’s pot-mark this wasteland till it looks like swiss cheese! What say ya, Mallie-kun~?’
“Well… honestly, I’ve never been in a fistfight before so, I think I’ll sit out on that. Malice, on the other hand…”
Please! Please! Please! Oh Please let me shove my boot up his ass and make him beg for me to kill him!
‘Well he’s certainly an eager-beaver. Then again, it isn’t exactly fair if only you and Ryan get to fight, eh?’
“Well...Ah do have ta say, Ah’m a little curious at what Malice can do...and Dark certainly seems to want to have some fun with him.” Ryan tapped his foot before taking his sword and holstering it, “Ah assume you have a way for him to take over, DJ? Otherwise Ah doubt he’d be begging as hard as he is to fight.”
“Indeed I do, something Twilight, Discord, and most everypony else hates me for creating. Uno! The potion, if you will!”
“Do I have to?” came a familiar voice from DJ’s pocket. “It’s already bad enough we can hear him, don’t make this any worse.”
Uno, shut your goddamn mouth and give us the potion before I shove my boot up your ass!
“Yes Master Malice! Sorry Master Malice!” Out of DJ’s chest pocket, flew a vile of gray liquid that DJ caught deftly in his hand.
“Ladies and gents, say hello to the Discord in a Bottle! For all your discording needs! Well, through the lips, over the gums, look out stomach, ya ain’t gonna like this!” DJ drank the potion in one gulp, immediately doubling over in pain as his color drained away. His body lay motionless on his knees, not a single sound coming from him.
“...DJ?”
‘...Mallie?’
Ryan watched his body carefully before holstering his sword and smirking, “Malice, Ah’m a bit hurt. You really think Ah’d be dumb enough to walk over when Ah know full well yer playin’ possum hopin’ Ah’d get close to you this early on?”
Still, the body simply sat there, but then they heard something. It wasn’t very loud, but the volume began to grow. Ryan recognized that kind of noise immediately: laughter. It was the kind of laughter that haunted many before him, and it continued to increase in volume as it escaped his friend’s lips. Suddenly, his head shot upwards, releasing a deafening cackle that echoed into the sky, thunder and lightning echoing in the background. The head fell back to look him in the eye, a deranged, almost evil look was returned. “It’s show time, bitches! Malice is in the waking world once again! AHAHAHA!!!”
“Huh...yeah, that’s about the look Ah figured you’d have.”
‘So this is Mallie in the flesh. Oh! Before I forget, if it works how I think it does and DJ is still aware, he should be able to talk just like Mallie was earlier. Go ahead and give it a try, dood! Ya know...before my bestest buddy here gets done laughing and decides to jump right into the fighting.’
...Eeyup. This is weird as all hell. By the way Malice, when was the last time you picked up in here? Ya got beer mugs all over the pool tables! How am I suppose to waste time in here, if I can’t even play a quick round of pool?!
“I never said you could! It’s my bar, and ya need a three drink minimum before you can play the games! Now sit back and shut up while I show our ‘friends’ how a true chaotic being fights.”
Jerk.
‘I told ya it was a mess up there! At least it sounds like he’s consistent about being a slob.’ Dark chuckled, ‘But yes...let’s see what you’ve got, Mallie. For the moment, Ry can keep having fun...’
“Ya sure, partner?”
‘Yeah, yeah...best we all get a taste of the fun, after all.’
“Alrighty then.” Ryan struck his pose before nodding, “Alright, Malice. Let’s see how chaos unwinds!”
“First, let’s make things a little more… to my style.” Malice chuckled darkly, before snapping his fingers. Ryan looked around, but nothing happened.
You didn’t!
“Damn right I did!” Malice charged forward, his speed and focus much more refined than DJ.
Ryan, look out! He disabled the protective charm!!
“...say what?” Ryan gasped before he felt the punch from Malice connect with his gut, sending him flying backwards and skidding along the ground, “Guh! Sheesh….you must really be upset with Dark to go this far.”
Seeing Malice bear down on him all too quickly, Ryan quickly rolled to dodge before springing back up on to his feet and eyeing his opponent.
‘...Ry...’
“Ah’m alright, Dark. While Ah should’ve expected Malice to modify the game, it still caught me a bit off-guard.” Ryan swiped some blood off his face with his thumb, “He’s certainly strong, just like DJ.”
“You’re not giving up on me already, are you?” Malice asked with a mocking tone, a wicked smile still plastered on his face. “A fight like this just doesn’t have the same feel if you don’t have the constant fear of death! You’re going to need all you got to stop me, you two! Because if you can’t…” Malice glanced over to their audience and licked his lips. “I’ll give you the perfect reason to.” Once again, Malice started back to his chuckling, reminding Ryan all too well of a certain comic book villain.
“...now that was expected. A killing joke from you is on par with what Ah planned for.” Ryan felt his aura flare, sending spikes of ice everywhere, “You lay one hand on them, Malice, and even hiding inside DJ’s mind won’t save you from our wrath. Your fight is with us, got it?! And now then…”
With that Ryan ran towards Malice before roaring loudly, cloaking his fist in jagged pieces of ice before aiming it square at his chest. Malice’s smile only widened as he dodged punch after punch that was thrown at him, until deftly catching one that was aimed at his face. Malice grinned as Ryan tried to move his fist, only to have Malice begin to twist his arm.
“My fight is with whomever or whatever I choose, Ryder. If I want to bring them into this, I will. I’ll probably start with Luna; can’t have Nightmare Moon coming after me in revenge, now can I? And you aren’t even worth my time!” He shoved Ryan back with the Force, nearly sending him to the ground. “I want that jackass of a spirit in your head, kid. And if he won’t fight me, then I will find another challenge. I’m sure a nice little murder spree through Canterlot will change your mind!”
Ryan grunted in pain, gritting his teeth at Malice’s rant as he was cast aside and watched as his sword flew off from the impact and embedded in the ground not far from his body. “Fuck you, Malice. Yer just another maniacal, one-track minded madman...just like Disky said. But hey, if you want Dark to kick yer ass all over the place…”
Laughing softly, Ryan clenched his fists before staring down Malice and smirking maliciously. As he focused his magic, he could only continue laughing, “...then far be it for me to stand in the way. Soul Cross!!”
Anyone else read that with the voice of the guy from ‘Soul Train’ or is it just me?
“Bout damn time he finally shows himself,” Malice says with his arms crossed and a wicked smile on his face.
Meanwhile, back with the crowd watching, things seemed a bit worrisome for certain ponies.
“...Discord, while I do appreciate your warning and such, why exactly are we staying behind you again?”
“Oh dear Cels, it would seem that the moment that one-tracked minded fellow was let loose he promptly spat all over the lovely charm and barrier I put up.” Discord grumbled, slightly annoyed by this fact, “So, being the friend that I am, I’d rather you be behind me so that I can help protect you in case Malice does something else that is rather stupid.”
“...ya mean like try ta attack us?”
“Yes, AppleJack. He’s dumb enough to try such a stunt, that much is obvious.”
“...so wait, why don’t you seem all that worried then?” Rainbow Dash frowned, “I mean...this guy is strong and did some freaky stuff to your already freaky magic. Not to mention he seemed just slightly beyond what Rys could handle.”
At that Discord simply smirked, “Oh Skittles, that is a very easy thing to answer. He broke the rules…”
Twilight looked to the Princesses for a further explanation when Discord simply let his sentence end. Celestia and Luna shared glances before turning back to Discord.
“Oh come now, have you forgotten after only such a short amount of time? Do you not remember when I first came back, and you lot broke the rules?”
Rarity gasped before frowning, “Oh yes...you did those horrible things to us and then declared the game to be over.”
“Quite right, Fashionista.” Discord snapped his fingers, donning an outfit that matched Dark’s, “And guess who hates it when the rules are broken just as much as I do? In fact, he’s the one that showed me just how important honoring the rules of engagement are. He just showed up by the way...and I can tell he’s quite cross.”
“...D-Dark?”
“Quite right, Fluttershy! Though he seems oblivious to it, Malice has asked for more than he may have bargained for by invoking Dark out in such a manner.” Discord flipped up his shades and smirked, “You’re about to see just why Dark is as confident as he always acts….and that’s bad news for O’Mallie the alleycat over there.”
As the dust settled—it’s been doing that a lot with this fight if you haven’t caught on yet—Malice could see what appeared to be Ryan’s body, but a few things were different: his posture was more focused, his shades seemed to shine, his hair had turned dark grey, and the look on his face was emotionless.
“So old man, you finally—” And that was when Malice was interrupted by Dark instantly teleporting the short distance between them to plant a fist in his face.
“Never threaten Woona.”
“What?” Malice gasped before feeling something plant into his back and send him spiraling upwards. Said something was Dark’s foot, wrapped in the strangest lightning, “Never threaten my family.”
Malice grunted, for perhaps the first time in his life completely caught off-guard at this bizarre series of events, “...how?”
Already on him once again, Dark brought his interlocked hands down while growling to send Malice plummeting back towards the ground. Vanishing once more, he appeared below Malice before snapping his fingers, “And most of all: Never break the rules!!”
With that he pulled out Eclipsis and impaled Malice’s falling form on it, the midnight blade easily slicing through his chest. Grunting a bit, Dark tossed Malice’s body aside and watched him just lie there on the ground, “I know full well that the pain is nothing you can’t handle, and that with me fixing the rules you should still be alive and kicking. Now get your demonic ass back up so I can beat some more sense into you!”
Malice staggered to his feet, wiping off a trickle of blood from his mouth. He stared at the blood for a second before turning to Dark. Then his glare turned harsh. “How dare you. How. DARE. YOU!! What kind of a fool do you take me for?! You’re still holding back! I won’t stand for you holding back on me, Darkness Shade!”
Dark smirked before laughing, “Holding back? Oh no, I’m merely getting started. Before this is over you’re going to be more than satisfied, Mallie-kun~.”
“Don’t you dare call me that now! I put up with it before because I thought you would finally take me seriously, Dark! But now I see that even you still doubt the lengths I’ll go to make you fight at your limit. So, you better give me all you got right this instant or else…” Malice raised his right hand, mimicking a grip. Dark wasn’t sure what it meant until he turned around to see Luna and Discord rising from the ground, grabbing at their throats. “Show me everything, Darkness, or they die.” Malice began to slowly close his grip, the clenching of Luna and Discord’s throats getting tighter and tighter.
“Malice…..” Dark growled before lighting began arcing from his body in every direction, “I. Told. You. To. NEVER THREATEN MY FAMILY!”
Roaring, Dark unleashed a ridiculous amount of lighting before he was upon Malice. Channeling it through his sword, he brought it to bear while loudly shouting, “Feel the wrath of Heaven! Lunaris Ignis!” Malice instantly threw the blue lightsaber to his awaiting hand, activating on contact to block the incoming sword.
“Haha...just as planned.” Dark snickered, allowing Eclipsis to contact the lightsaber...before sending the lightning directly into it, “So...tell me, Malice, as I’m a bit out of the loop with these things...but that saber of yours? Just how much energy do you think it can take before it overloads?”
Malice smirked in return. “This thing has more than that, Dark!” Instantly, Dark’s lightning cut off as soon as it hit the blade. “Because they are immune to all types of magic! And it looks like you’re finally ready!”
Dark stared hard at Malice for a moment before shaking his head. Batting away his saber, he grabbed him by the jacket and laughed, “Oh no. We’re not done yet. I still want to have fun with you.”
With that, Dark flipped Eclipsis so it pointed towards the ground. “Ready for some fun? Obfuscate! Eclipsis!”
“Obawhat now?”
“Obfuscate….” Dark spoke, watching as Malice looked about and stared at him standing horizontally in mid-air, “In other words, to make things unclear or, in terms I’m sure you’ll understand: confuse. Much like Ryan’s sword, my Eclipsis is certainly a tricky little devil.”
“I’m sure it is, and I can’t wait to find out what it-- UNO NOW!!” Another vial of liquid was tossed out of Malice’s pocket, this one rainbow colored. Dark moved for it, not wanting Malice to get away, but the demon went and crunched the vile, glass and all. As a thin trail of blood escaped his lips, Malice spoke once more. “All according to plan!”
Take it kid!
DJ returned to his body, still held by Dark. “Hey Dark! Nice to finally meet ya!” DJ threw up his hands and shot a burst of lightning, causing Dark to release him. “Sorry about the whole threatening thing, but we needed to get you to use your full strength for the grand finale!”
“Hmmm...spicy.” Dark commented at the lightning burst before waving his hand and removing Eclipsis’ effect, “And good to see you too, DJ. Yer other half is an asshole…but I still wanna call Mallie-kun my buddy.”
With that Dark leapt back a bit before powering down his Elemental Sync and returning to normal before twitching a bit as his features changed once more.
“And like that Ah’m back, baby. Also...you two weren’t kidding about Malice’s place being a total sty! The placed looked like a tornado, earthquake, tsunami, and a giant penguin all decided to have a field day on it. But it’s okay now! While you and Dark had yer fun, DJ and Ah got to cleaning things up! You won’t even recognize the place!”
Great… now I got more problems to deal with. And what’s your deal powering down! You were supposed to stay all supercharged so it would be fair and our plan would have worked!
“Oh, don’t worry Malice, we’ll get to that.” Ryan wore a very giddy grin, “But first Ah thought Ah’d take a moment to teach ya a thing or two about Elemental Syncs, starting with the basics.”
“Oh goody, who do you think you are? Goku? Stopping a perfectly good fight just to explain yourself. Now I know how Bobbidy felt.”
“Oh...Ah know yer going to love this now, trust me.” Ryan laughed softly, “As yer well aware, this is mah normal state.”
Flaring his magic so that his hair spiked into ice, he smirked slightly, “This is an Elemental Sync.”
“And this...Soul Cross!”
“Is an Elemental Sync that has ascended past an Elemental Sync.” Dark explained, his lighting fluctuating wildly, “Or, you can just call this an Elemental Sync MK.II”
“Interesting, I’ll admit. Is there a third one, or is it our turn yet?”
Ryan and Dark both snickered at this, “Just wait.”
Twilight seemed a bit puzzled by all this before turning to her teacher, “Princess...I know we’ve talked about that state many times, but...is there really a level past what Dark, you, and your sister have achieved?”
Celestia thought this over for a bit, pondering what the implications of such a thing could possibly be. Thinking on it, she tried to form an answer, “While neither of us have ever been pushed far enough to even think of such a place, it is not entirely impossible.”
“Couldn’t he be bluffing? Ya know, ta throw those two fellahs off. Otherwise Ah’m not sure what to call that...double ascended? That right there is some fancy mathematics fer sure!”
Hardening his features, Dark and Ryan continued, “And this…”
Even Discord was perplexed by this strange fluctuation in the air, “Darkness...what are you up to?”
“Is to go...even further beyond!”
With that both Ryan and Dark’s voice could be heard as they yelled loudly, sending bursts of magic and wind every which way as they did whatever it was they were planning to pull off. All those there merely watched, slightly stunned by what they were witnessing for a multitude of reasons. Luna was simply shocked, “My dear Darkness...what have you uncovered?”
Spike, however, was totally pumped, “Do it, big bro! Show that guy what you’re made of!”
“Tarnation! Ah’m glad we’re in some fake place for this, Ah can’t imagine what might happen if’n we were in the real world.”
Yet, it certainly didn’t stop Ryan and Dark’s presence from being felt as far north as the Crystal Kingdom. Princess Cadance and Prince Shining Armor had been hard at work returning their kingdom to it’s former glory after the events a few months ago, when they were both shocked by what they felt.
“Is that...Ryan?”
“...yes, but...Dark as well. What could possibly be happening right now? Did my aunts send news of any trouble?”
Shining shook his head, “No. He’s…they...they’re putting out more power than I think I’ve ever felt from them before. It’s unreal. What are they doing?”
Cadance frowned, “Whatever it is...I only hope they’re okay. All of them.”
As Ryan and Dark’s screams intensified, one had to wonder just how long it would last. And then...they felt it. Magic user or not, there was a strange spike in power sensed by all before one voice rang out above the screaming, “Soul Synchronization!!!”
A blinding light followed that, hiding Ryan’s body from sight as the battlefield began to settle down once more following that ridiculous sequence of events. As the light died down, DJ couldn’t help but give a whistle at the sight before him. Ryan’s body had changed quite a bit: his wings were now of a white and black checkerboard pattern, the Applemon cutie mark on his jacket was glowing, but most striking of all was the strange particles floating about him. Upon closer examination, they were electrically charged snowflakes that danced about the magical currents surrounding his body.
“We’re sorry if that took so much longer than the others, but in all honesty yer the first person to ever see this form since we stumbled on to it.”
“Damn, now I really feel special. I say it’s time to repay them for their kindness, don’t you Malice?” DJ’s eyes once again reverted to their voidless look, but they seemed much more menacing this time around.
It’s time! Take it kid, take it all!
“You got it!” DJ summoned both of his lightsabers to his hands and lowered into his battle stance, his aura growing more powerful and darker. “So you basically have the ultimate rage shift, eh boys? Well, let’s see if you can handle the most powerful magic in all the land!” The ponies seemed confused by DJ’s words, then growing to shock as he continued. “Generosity!” Upon his right lightsaber, a purple diamond flashed into existence. “Honesty!” An orange apple gem appeared on the left sword. “Kindness, Laughter, Loyalty, Magic!” The respective gems appeared, each one representing an aspect of the greatest magic of all. DJ smirked at everyone’s shocked expression. “HARMONIC CONVERGENCE!!” DJ was surrounded by golden light, blinding everyone.
As the light died down, DJ stepped forward, coated in a golden aura. “Can you handle the full power of the Elements of Harmony, boys?”
Standing there, the figure opposite DJ smirked, “Well, we’re certainly intrigued by that. But let’s correct one thing: I am neither Ryan nor Dark, I am the one that will defeat you. I suppose you should call me Kurayami Kouki, after one of Ryan’s old stories. It’s only fitting after all, seeing as my Elemental Sync MK.III+ will be your end. Suffice ta say, however, you’d be best to remember what you learned here…and that will give you the answer to yer question on the Elements, DJ and Malice.”
Kid… we are never learning any fusion techniques. That is just creepy.
“Agreed. But let’s focus here!” DJ flared his aura, letting the harmonic chaos flow through the air. “You may have turned my favorite element against me, Kouki, but that won’t stop me from winning this fight! No one has ever fought the Elements and won, so you’re in for it fighting a being who embodies them! Now let’s get this party started right!” DJ charged forward, his speed nearly triple what it was prior, almost teleporting over to Kouki as he swung his right blade.
“Loyalty! Magic!” Kouki stated just loud enough to be heard as he moved inhumanly fast before catching the right blade in his hand, “Well now...fancy that. We’re not the only one!”
DJ was initially shocked, but he steeled himself and began to swing wildly at Kouki with his other blade, hoping for a good strike. Much like the other, Kouki deflected the blade with his other hand, amused that despite being shocked at his invoking of the Elements, DJ still wanted to keep going.
“I won’t give up! You hear me, I refuse to lose to you!” Little did any of them know, the Elements of Harmony were steadily eating away at DJ’s magic levels, weakening him by the second the longer he fought.
“We’re glad ta hear that. We’d hate for this to end too quickly.” Kouki snickered before grabbing hold of both blades, the symbol of Magic glowing brightly on the back of his hands, “Let’s make this fun, shall we? Honesty!”
With that Kouki hopped up and planted both feet straight into DJ’s chest as hard as he could, wishing to test his strength against that of his beloved apple pone’s. DJ grunted in pain as he was sent flying by the buck to the chest, impacting on the far wall, his lightsabers rolling to the ground by his sides. Kouki watched as the lightsabers rolled around before he instantly teleported over towards DJ’s body. Bending down and picking one up, he flicked it on before stepping back to test it’s weight, “Fascinating. We always did wonder what it’d be like to hold one of these, given most of those stories had characters using some form of them. Heh, even one time having it mixed with a keyblade. Now that was silly! We wouldn’t trade them in for Malus Domestica nor Eclipsis but they are an elegant machine, that’s for sure.”
Flicking it back off, he walked over and set it down with the other lightsaber before putting some room between himself and DJ. “Now then, get up and let us continue. We will not strike an opponent such as yourself when you are down.”
DJ struggled to get up, spitting up a little blood from the initial impact. “How? How are they this strong? I ran all the calculations, we should still be stronger than them.”
“Sir, you must stop this now! The Elements are draining you, if you continue as is your magic will be completely gone!”
Kouki raised an eyebrow at Omni’s sudden interruption, “DJ? What does Omni mean? Is this fight taxing your body toward something permanent?”
DJ smirked slightly, even though it was pained. “If our calculations are correct, if I were to use the Elements to the point where I ran out of magic, I would lose it forever. The Elements, of course, would still require something to power them, so if I didn’t cancel them after that, the next logical choice would be my life force. So… I don’t know. I’ve never used them this long before.”
“Well, we’re not sure we can continue on in good conscience if we take away something vital like yer magic from you...as much as it pains us to say so seeing as we are having quite a bit of fun.”
“You shut your Celestia damn mouth!! You are not ending this match like that! I will defeat you! I will win!” DJ began to glow brighter, focusing more and more energy into the Elements.
That’s it kid! Push beyond our limit, break the barrier! You are the embodiment of Harmony and Chaos, they’re just some punks! You. Can. Win!
“I. WILL. WIN!!” DJ screamed as his aura suddenly burst into a column of golden light that shot upward into the sky. Everyone could feel the massive amounts of magic being outputted by this strange occurrence. Even Kouki was a little surprised at the astonishing amount, his eyebrow slightly raising in response. Little did they know, several places around Equestria were feeling the magic as well, reaching to parts all around the world. Still DJ screamed, summoning more and more and then suddenly… it stopped. The column of light disappeared, leaving DJ staring up at the ceiling. He fell to his knees and then flat on his face, his golden aura completely dissipating as he fell into unconsciousness.
Kouki waited for a moment or two before walking over to DJ’s prone form and noting that he was back to his normal saiyan state, though Omni was blinking rather alarmedly. Figuring he’d take a stab at asking, he talked to him, “Omni? What happened? We’re going to guess by trying to straight up power up more he burned up his time, didn’t he?”
“I-I am not quite sure,” Omni admitted in a worried tone. “Such an event has never happened before. For a moment…” Omni trailed off, further raising Kouki’s suspicions.
“For a moment…? We get the feeling yer hiding something, but not necessarily because you don’t trust us. This is one of those things DJ mentioned to Ryan and Dark earlier, isn’t it? About secrets and such involving you?”
“No… it’s just that, I think my sensors were broken. Because for a moment, just a moment, the good sir’s power… it didn’t have an end.”
“Really now? How curious. Hmmm….” Kouki looked at DJ’s prone form before smirking, “Oh, the folly of youth. It’s kinda refreshing to see, honestly. Kid kinda reminds us of, well, us in a way. We wonder...perhaps he is close as well to a breakthrough, given this moment. Heh, not how we wished to win, but it was still fun while it lasted. Omni? We think yer functioning fine, so how are his other vitals? He’s unconscious, that much is clear, but what about his magic or pulse?”
“His magic levels are low, but stable. His vitals, however, well it seems your charm was not as ...effective as you hoped. He has four broken ribs, a punctured lung, and a bit of internal bleeding. It’s quite possible that your two powers negated the charm, because this is some extensive damage.” The next instant, there was a green flash and DJ reverted to pony form. “No need to waste energy after all.”
“Quite. That’s probably a good theory. Both of our powers are fueled by the Elements in various ways, so the chaos source of the charm probably didn’t care much for that.” Kouki motioned for his herd and friends to head over before he placed his hand over DJ’s chest, “Generosity.”
“Sir, before you do that, may I scan you for a moment. Something is off.”
Kouki paused his actions, willing away the diamond mark on his palm, “Scan us? Wait...what do you mean by something is off?”
“The good sir’s energy is reading differently than usual, if I may, I wish to test a theory.”
“Hmmm...well, seeing as they are our friends, if we can help then go ahead, Omni.” A beam of green light was fired from the center of the watch, that went up and down Kouki’s form before retreating back into itself.
“Oh my! Simply fascinating. Now it makes perfect sense!”
“...we truly hope you didn’t jack our form when you did that. We’d be most displeased if you did that since we just now remembered you can do that. Regardless, what is it that makes all the sense?”
“Kouki, are you aware that when you used your powers on DJ, that you were being drained?”
Kouki raised an eyebrow curiously, “Say what? No...in all honesty, we felt nothing unusual or out of the sorts. For all intents and purposes, we were exactly as we were the first time Ryan and Dark pulled off their ‘Soul Synchronization’ move.”
“Well that’s because I was not referring to your normal powerful magic, but your Elemental magic. It appears that when you used your world’s Elements on the good sir, his body instinctively started to absorb them. It appears his affinity for those gems is not restricted to his own world’s set.”
“Well that’s certainly some curious news.” Luna remarked as the group had finally traversed the battlefield to where Kouki and DJ were at, “So are you to say that he was channeling both sets of Elements of Harmony across realities? Would not such a thing be...problematic?”
“I believe it is much worse than that. For you see, I have never had a chance to scan our world’s Elements, seeing as the girls were forced to give them up some time ago, nor has DJ ever been in contact with the Elements in his past. No, I fear that DJ does not channel one set of Elements. He channels all of them.”
Twilight’s jaw dropped, “They had to give them up?! Wait! All of them!? As in….”
Kouki nodded, “As in every set ever across the entire Omniverse. Wouldn’t that lead to messy complications resulting in some weird distortion of time and space?”
Surprisingly, it was Celestia who spoke. “The Elements are powers that are far more ancient than anything else on this world, my friend. Not even my sister and I know their true origins. Although, there is a legend, one that I never actually thought could be true.”
Discord, curiously, seemed a bit worried as he glanced at Celestia, “Are you sure you should be telling them such a thing? If it’s what I think you’re talking about…”
Celestia nodded. “Yes Discord, I am referring to the legend of the beings of Harmony and Chaos. The legend states that there are two beings, each gifted with amazing abilities that could wield the Elements at will to their greatest potential. I always believed it to be a myth, now however…”
Rainbow Dash, interestingly enough, was the first to speak up, “Hold on, hold on, hold on…now I’m not the smartest pony when it comes to this old time stuff—that’s Twilight’s job being the bookworm—but you aren’t possibly suggesting that…”
“Yes, it is possible that DJ, and possibly Malice as well, are the beings of legend. Alas legends do not speak of a happy fate for those who bear such a title.”
Kouki looked at the pony still lying unconscious in his arms and wasn’t sure what to make of it all, “...but how can they be them when he was just a human from another Earth? How could they possibly be the legend when it seems the legend existed before they did? We know time can be really brain-breaking at times thanks to the Doctor, but this…”
Discord looked at the unconscious pony sadly. “It is quite possibly linked to the fate that awaits all those who are said to be beings of Harmony and Chaos.”
“Disky, what are you hinting at here? It’s not often we see you this serious.”
“It’s not often a creature exists that shouldn’t. I really shouldn’t be telling you this, but… if they truly are the Beings, then they are not the first.”
Twilight looked at Discord like he was crazy, “...what?”
“We’re more concerned by the fact that being a creature of Chaos yerself, Cordy, that what you say might apply to yerself as well.” Kouki twitched a bit, “Also, Omni? Would it be okay for me to finish what I was going ta do to help DJ before we got into the exposition?”
“Of course, sir Kouki, apologies for making you wait.” Kouki called upon the power of Generosity again and got to work healing the unconscious DJ.
“I am being serious here, you two,” Discord insisted. “I know that’s rare for me, but this is no joking matter. If DJ and Malice are truly Beings, well, then they are doomed.”
“D-doomed?”
“Yes, Fluttershy, doomed.” Celestia looked upon the prone pony sadly. “He is the next in line of a series of tragedies; of fates worse than death.”
“Look on the bright side,” Discord added mournfully. “If he can master those powers before his destiny removes him from all existence, he’ll be more powerful than anything we’ve ever seen.”
“...somehow that brings us little comfort.” Kouki remarked, sighing as he finished doing what he could to help DJ, “There. While he’ll be sore as hell for a while, we managed to repair most of the damage he took. His ribs and lung are fixed up, and we stopped the bleeding so now it’s just a matter of giving him enough time to rest up from it. And with that accomplished…”
Kouki closed his eyes for a moment, there was a brief discharge of static snow, and then his features disappeared and returned to those normally associated with Ryan. Ryan took a deep breath, “Man...while there isn’t any kind of time limit per se when we do that, at least the theory Dark and Ah cooked up seems true.”
‘Indeed. The longer we’re Kouki, the more exhausted we are when we turn back to our normal selves.’ Dark’s stomach made a terrible rumbling noise, ‘...and the hungrier we get, too.’
Lifting DJ’s prone body in his arms as he stood up, Ryan turned to his friends and family, “Disky, Ah know yer being serious...Ah just refuse to think there isn’t some way we can help him avoid any of that.”
‘We already know how bad it can be, after everything that happened to you, Cordy. And that’s why I just…’ Dark sighed, ‘Let’s just get him to the infirmary and patched up so he can finish healing for now. We’ll...deal with everything else after he wakes up.’
“I can understand that you won’t give up on him, Darkness, but the facts remain. It’s too bad that when their time comes, you will no longer even care about either of them.”
‘...that’s some cryptic shit there, Cordy. I don’t like it.’
As all of that had been going on, an uninvited guest was skulking about in the Royal Archives in hopes of finding the one thing he needed.
“Oh blast it all! I don’t know what all that crazy magic is, but I do not want to be on the receiving end of it. I need to make this quick before somepony shows up and catches me here. Eep!”
The weird pony quickly hid behind some statues as the Royal Guard on duty made his rounds before pausing.
‘Oh...oh...just go.’
The guard had stopped to watch the rattling of the ceiling as whatever was happening outside reached it’s climax and caused a small piece of it to break off. Noting this, the guard headed off to get someone to repair it, leaving the strange pony with the opportunity he needed.
“Phew...now then...Star-Swirled...Star-Swirled…ah-ha!”
Having found the Star-Swirled section, he quickly began shuffling through the various books there looking for one in particular that would be the final key in his devious machinations.
“Hmmm...where could it be? Oh, think Shadow Die, where would you hide a spellbook like that if you were some old fart of a magician?”
Continuing to look around for what he hoped to find, a particularly powerful shockwave from whatever the odd disturbance was rocked the library and caused a rather large book to fall down and clonk Shadow on the head. After blinking his eyes and watching as tiny versions of a certain chaotic entity circled his head, he shook it off before looking at the offending book that had attacked him.
“Stupid book…what the hell is going on out there anyway? Either way I should—”
And that’s when he paused and looked harder at the book that had fallen on his head. Examining the cover carefully, he flipped through it and began to smile as he found just what he’d been looking for.
“Yes…hahahahaha. Those fools didn’t think I could find this, and they didn’t believe me when I thought to fix the errors that human saw fit to make, but soon...soon things will be right where they belong. Soon he’ll be who he should be...and then order will be restored!” Shadow cackled as he held the book tight, “But...I need to get out of here first. With all that rattling and power going around, I’d be in a bad spot if I was caught.”
With that, the strange pony took his leave before anyone was the wiser.