//------------------------------// // VII- Burns // Story: Blazing Skies // by SwimmingDalek98 //------------------------------// Blazing Skies VII- Burns One week before Geo meets Gilgamesh "Are you sure you won't stay?" I stare at the ponies who have gathered for my farewell. "I'm… positive… After what happened… I can't stay here… Just too easy to think about it…" I turn around, and run my claws over my PokéBall. I press my forehead against it, breathing slowly. "Besides… there are others out there… who need my help. I can't just sit by and do nothing…" I slide my claw over the button, and push it down. The ball grows larger, and I hurl it into the air. It stops mid-air, and turns around, firing a red laser at me. I relax, and feel myself be absorbed into it. As I drift through the void, I begin to ponder. Why is it that the Merchant chose me? Or, any of the Displaced, for that matter. How many of us are there? Are we supposed to be an army or something? Or is it all for his amusement? Or maybe he's doing it for the sake of an experiment? Maybe it's to prove a point to someone? Maybe he's doing it for his own sake… Maybe I shouldn't be worrying about this kind of stuff. That's also a good idea. Keep what's left of my shattered mentality together. That's a brilliant long-term survival strategy. "If anyone can hear us, we could really use some help right now!" A high-pitched, feminine voice breaks the monotonous silence of the void. Oh, look! Something to take my mind off the issue at hand! I'm coming, lassie! The dark space around me is filled with a bright light, and I fly straight into it. "GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGHHHHHH!" I come flying down, and I see a large area, stained with battle scars and flames. All around, I see odd… things… It looks like they're a bunch of stop-motion paper cut-outs of… anthropomorphic batteries? I hear one of the creatures emitting a strange, eerie chant. It suddenly leaps forwards, and begins sparking. I simply Dragon Tail the damn thing into oblivion. As I walk past its fading remains, I mutter, "Thanks for the warning…" I turn, and see more gathering still. "Where are you abomini coming from? No matter… I'll make short work of all of you! Flamethrower!" The wave of heat consumes the crowd. After letting the flame clear up, I observe the survivors, lean low, and stretch my claws, "Looks like I'm getting sloppy… to have missed that many, I guess I need more training. No time like the present, right? Aerial Ace!" I jump forwards, fast enough to create a minor shockwave from the point where I ran from. Damn, that's awesome. As I close in on one of them, I notice a sudden blur of red, and he's gone, "Huh?" I try to come to a halt, and see where the bugger went. Unfortunately, I begin to remember my college physics lessons. Specifically, Newton's First Law of Motion. "Oh, bugger." "GAH!" WHUNK "Not!" THUNK "This!" CRASH "SHIT!" WHACK "AGAIN!" SLAM "Okay, does the universe have it out for me, or something?" I rub the back of my neck, trying to stand up. Behind me, I hear another one of the anthropomorphic batteries, and as I turn to face it, I see it be knocked away in a blur of red. "Okay, C'MON! THAT WAS MY KILL!" "Ya sure 'bout that? Cause last I remember, it's all free game, here…" I hear a young, feminine voice from behind me, and as I turn, I see… holy feckin shiteburgers. It's the Puella Magi crew… "Hello." Madoka gives a somewhat strained wave, while the others more stare in outright confusion. "Who're you?" "Uh… I'm Geo." I stretch my claw out, and wave back. I hear the chomp of an apple, and see Sakura glaring, "Oi, I'm not in the mood to drag this crap out. If yer gonna do something, then quit gawking…" She picks up her spear, spins it, and points it at me, "Then get up and do it." "Bitch, say what?" I begin trotting over until I'm in front of them, "So… mind telling me what the hell's going on? And who you donne might be?" The five generally stare at me, "You ever heard of Puella Magi Madoka Magica?" "Yes, I did. I get who you are. Homura, Sayaka, Sakura, Mami, and Madoka. I also know that you five are all probably cosplayers who bought something from a weird looking guy selling something at a convention, and somehow y'all wound up here." I take in the priceless looks on their faces. "How'd you know that?" Homura looks genuinely astonished. Considering how little that was shown in the anime, I honestly notice that more than the others. "Same here, deficiente." I look around, noting the strange smells and sights the area presents. "You, too?" "Yeah. We're not the only ones. Turns out that guy's been causing a whole lot of people across various universes to have the same fate. I know there's a Freddy Krueger out there somewhere, a Nemesis from Resident Evil, a strange-ass shadow demon you need a mirror to summon for some strange fucking reason. We call ourselves the Displaced, and we owe our status to a multi-universal mechanic called the Merchant. Seeing you ragazze coming here as the Puella Magi doesn't surprise me any at this point. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if someone came as Indiana fucking Jones." "Really? We're not alone? Thank GOD. So, where'd you come from?" "I wound up in another version of Equestria. But there, ponies are weird. It's a furry's heaven. Feckin' ridiculous, if you ask me." "Seriously? That's freaky. How far along are you?" I stop, "Whaddya mean, 'how far along'?" Sakura chews, "I mean, in the story? Season one? Two? Three?" "… I genuinely have no idea what you're talking about." Y'know that moment when you feel like everyone else was informed of something and you were left out? I'm having one of those moments. "… Uh, does the name Hasbro ring any bells?" "Oh, ya mean the Transformers guys? Fuck yeah, I know 'em! But honestly, Bay could've done better with those movies." "OK, and does My Little Pony ring any bells?" "My Little Pony? The feck's that?" "… What year did you leave Earth?" "2018. Of course, I'm probably from a different Earth than you lot, so I could've left 40 years before any of you were born in your universe, and time just flowed differently." "Uh… hate ta break it to ya…" She takes a bite, and nervously swallows, "But… My Little Pony is a girl's toy line… That was started back in the 80's." "No. You can't possibly be saying…" Non c'è modo in inferno è questo accada. "And in 2010, it got a new cartoon…" I don't like where this is going... "My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. It was quite the hit… even among people… outside its intended audience." You mean, all this time, when I was thinking that this was all just another world, like something you'd come across like on Star Trek… I was on a LITTLE GIRL'S TV SHOW? "Uh… Charizard? You okay? Charizard? Chari-" "fffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU-" Meanwhile, in another universe As Auric Fulcrum was counting inventory, he heard a sound drifting over his ears. "Huh? What's that? Measured? Are you screwing with me? Hello? Wait… Teridax?" Meanwhile, In ANOTHER universe As Teridax toyed with various strings of universal coding, his well-tuned ears picked up a sound, "Hm? Is that… Geo? Oh, my… it seems like he's finally found out… my son's report should prove to be interesting, no doubt." Meanwhile, in ANOTHER another universe While Gilgamesh meditated, tuning himself to the sounds of nature itself, something interrupted him, through the Rift. "A sound… the sound of pure, unadulterated rage… I dread to be whoever has drawn up such an unparalleled well of hatred. I hope that such anger is justified, at the least." Meanwhile, in- Y'know what? I'm done. No more of this sh*t. … Okay, I'm the new narrator. Meanwhile, in another universe "Uh…" Kat rubbed her forehead, feeling several bruises sitting in her cell, "What… is that noise?" And now, back to the story. "UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!" I try to catch my breath, while the five stare, somewhat unimpressed. "Ya done?" Sakura deadpans, chomping her apple. "Yeah… I'm done." I notice that the air around us distorting, like heat waves over concrete. "Good. Because the labyrinth is appearing." The five of them generate a flash of light, and return to their normal forms. "The crowd we dealt with before you got here wore us out. We'll need time to recharge. Can you hold your own for us?" I turn, and steel my gaze, "You have no feckin' idea." I jump into the air, and zoom straight into the warped space. "HAVE AT 'EM, LADS!" "This is a Witch's Labyrinth. Whaddya think?" The entire place is twisted beyond all design. The architecture resembles those paintings of multiple staircases that are upside down, sideways, and every other which way. "Wow… y'know, from what I saw on the show, it was almost bearable. But now… I can see why Witches go under 'eldritch abomination' on TVTropes." "You're a troper, too?" I turn, and notice the look of absolute glee on Sayaka's face. "Fuck yeah, I'm a troper! Sir-Swears-A-Lot, Gratuitous Italian, and Genius Bruiser, right here!" "Guys, as nice as it is for us to start having bonding time and whatnot… we have a problem." I turn, and notice the large amount of walking batteries staring us down. "Huh, when did all those get there?" "Doesn't matter. Ready to kick some ass?" I turn, and see the five of them reaching for their Soul Gems, "Hell yeah! Let's- GWAGH!" The five of them are all hit by bursts of electricity from the familiars. I notice one coming at me, "I got 'em! Dig!" I leap into the ground, and burrow until I'm sure I'm underneath them. "Overheat!" The stream of flame bursts through the twisted ground, and hits a large crowd of them into the air, where they dissolve into cinders. I jump into the air, and look around, "Who else wants some?" I see a swarm of them leap at me, and I grin, "Aerial Ace!" I flash past them, and they all tear into pieces. As I turn, I see a larger one, with a charge of electricity in its… hand… thing. As I'm about to leap into the air, it zaps me with extreme precision. Crap, I'm weak to Electric-type attacks. Suddenly, a barrage of musket fire from the side tears him open, with Mami grinning. "Can't make a bad first impression in front of our fellow Displaced, can we?" As I pick myself up, I notice the others donning their Puella Magi outfits, and blasting away the familiars. Mami waves her hand, and a large set of muskets appear. She begins flipping in place, blasting the batteries that run at her. I gaze in amazement at the sheer speed each of the five boast. Sakura spins around her segmented spear flawlessly, like she were the real thing. "Hah! Is that all ya got? C'mon!" She whips around, and I barely duck my head, "Hey! I'm standing right here!" "Then quit sitting around and do something!" I huff, and leap into the air. "Fly!" I descend onto a single one, and grab it, "Strength!" I raise him up, and throw him into others, in true Warner Brothers bowling ball style. As the victims are propelled into the air, Madoka draws back a magic arrow, and when she lets loose, an entire barrage of arrows hit the airborne crowd of familiars. "Nice work, lassie!" I give her a 'thumbs-up', and then I proceed to jab my thumb-claw into another battery. As it sparks, I pull my talon out, and Mega Kick him into the path of Sayaka, who conjures a saber that he lands on. She proceeds to summon another few, which she runs about with and stabs a single target with each. "Ha-ha! These familiars are weak! But there's a lot of them! Must be a pretty tough Witch to make all of these!" Sakura dances through their ranks, slices and ripping the masses of battery familiars apart. Suddenly, a thought appears in my mind, "Hey… don't Witches come from Puella Magi? So where'd this Witch come from?" I absent-mindedly smack a familiar away in a single blow. "… We really don't know. All I know is that they started popping up on their own a little after we appeared." Sayaka stabs a battery through the arm, and tosses it aside. A musket sounds off behind me, hitting a battery right on the head, "But they have to come from somewhere." "We'll figure that out in due time. For now, we must slay the Witch. Before anypony gets hurt." Homura fires off her shotgun, and destroys the small cluster of monsters in front of her. I chuckle at that, "Already adapted to the local vocabulary, eh? That's honestly kinda cute." "Well, we've been here almost a year." Sakura lands next to me, and her spear telescopes to its natural size. "… Time sure flies when you're having fun, eh?" I snort a spark of flame, and they all chuckle, to a degree. "Right. C'mon, the Witch is… that way!" They all begin running, and I follow quickly, "Hey! Uh… Which way, exactly?" "The Witch must be past this door." We're standing before a large, fortified gate, filled with various German designs and scribbles. Considering the general theme of Madoka Magica this isn't a surprise… "C'mon. Let's do this..." Madoka slowly pushes the door open, and as it creaks, I witness what could only be described as utter madness. A large stone chamber, filled with wires and gears and other steampunk-like machinery. It was gears that built on gears. Plates of metal that expanded over themselves. Wires that coiled in perfect circles, yet ran parallel to themselves. Ą̷̣̬̫͔̩͐̐ͦ̿ͅn͉̟͇ͨ̏͋̏n̮̪ͯ̇̌͐͡͞ỉ͖̻̦̹̝̽ͪ́̾̇e͕͉̣̹͎̥̮͔ͤ̓͆̋ͥͯ̃̍͟ "Santa merda… This is a Witch? Maybe I should've stuck to the anime…" "Enough moping. Let's do this!" Sayaka and Sakura leap forwards first, quickly striking the Witch. The gears and wires groan in response, and begin to shoot out at them. "Alright, thumbs up, let's do this! LEEROOOOOOOY JEEEEEEEEENKIIIIIIINNNNSSSSS!" I fly out into the fray myself, dodging the gears and quickly replying with a swift Fire Blast. The Witch's gears shudder from the heat, but stay strong. "Damn, this one's quite resilient. Probably gonna be the most fun I've had in a long time! HAVE AT IT, THEN!" I unleash a Flamethrower, watching as the gears turn red, and begin to melt. It roars in response, and wires begin to launch out. They coil around me, and I feel a large electrical burst go straight through me. "GRAAAAAAGH!" "Gotcha now!" A barrage of musket fire hits the base of the wires, and they release me. Mami summons another horde of muskets, and proceeds to lay the smack down on the machine. "No more games." Homura waves her hand, and summons… FUCK! THAT'S A GODDAMN GATLING GUN! She proceeds to unleash lead-based hell onto the Witch, which merely groans in response. Sayaka summons hundreds of sabers, which she throws with ludicrous precision at specific joints on the mechanical beast. "Okay… Now it's MY turn to show what I'm made of! Inferno!" The wave of flame I project absolutely tears into the Witch's defenses. It screams and recoils as we continue to display our raw power. As Madoka fires off a volley of arrows, she stops, and then jumps onto my back, "I've got an idea! Trust me on this one!" "I get it, I get it! Okay, ready?" "READY!" "Fire Blast! Fire Blast! FIRE BLAST!" The waves of flame and magical arrows tear off whole chunks of the eldritch machinery. As it falls apart, I see a single set of wires, pistons, and parts in the center, tightly clustered together. "There! The core! Giga…" I fly forwards so fast, Madoka falls right off of me. Around my entire body, a golden aura flares around me, and I feel all of my muscles, barring my wings and tail, tighten and solidify. "IMPACT!" I slam into the core with all of my might, and then feel myself fly back from the force. As I tumble, I notice the metal parts falling off. I catch myself, and stare as the Witch shatters. All that's left is… a person? Oh, shit. Now we're back at a small cove in the 'Whitetail Woods', which I do not recall seeing on any map of my Equestria. Of course, I also can't read my Equestrian, mainly because it's made of horseshoes, hay, sticks, corn, and other random bullcrap. We placed the man we found on a small table, and Mami's putting on a kettle of tea. I finally decide to speak since we finished off the Witch. "Is… is that another human? What's this guy doing here?" I notice that the man wears plentiful dull yellow. He has brown hair, and a lot of horseshoe-themed items upon his clothing. He appears to make them for a living… I dunno. "No… that's this world's version of a pony. They call themselves 'Equines'." I turn, and give them a raise of the eyebrow, "So… are they ponies?" The five try to direct their gaze to anywhere but me. "Uh… ever heard of gijinka? Or humanization?" That sounds familiar. "Ah. I see. but… it's kinda weird to know that they are 'ponies', and they still look like… this." I motion to the clearly human form in front of me. "This is what they call a 'Hyur', their version of the common earth pony. And yes, we get it, it sounds like a Final Fantasy reference." Sakura takes a large bite from a cookie. "… WOW. Out of ALL the ones I played, they just HAD to make reference to the ONLY ONE I can coherently remember." Damn, I'm starting to feel old now. "Their version of pegasi are called 'Seraphs' and their unicorns are 'Arcanus'." Sakura gives an unfeeling stare in my direction with that last statement, "Got that?" "Uh… yeah! Yeah, I got it!" Wonder what her problem is... "Good." A high-pitched whistling immediately follows Sakura's statement. Mami jumps to her feet, "Tea's ready!" "Hmm… not bad. Now, before I go out there and do something else that's incredibly stupid, should I be aware of any other species that have been altered by this… unique version of Equestria?" "Well… griffons have similar changes to this, except they have eagle feet and large, slightly padded hands. And wings." I spit out my tea, "There are griffons? Why did nobody tell me there are griffons in Equestria?" I feel myself grinning like a child on Christmas day. Say, it might be Christmas back home… "Wait… you LIKE griffons?" That takes my mind off of that train of thought. I look around, "Well… my friends back in elementary decided we'd all take a mythical animal nickname… We drew from a small lottery… I got the griffon. So… they've kinda always gotten my attention. I remember when we'd run out late at night to prank our teachers. They'd call em out, and I'd hand them the water balloons… Ah, that was fun." The five look at me, then giggle. Madoka takes a small sip of tea, "Wow… So you were a naughty little boy, I take it?" Uh… I don't like how they're all staring at me the same way… all at once… "Well…" WHOA! When did Sayaka get behind me? "Maybe a big, strong dragon like you could use some down-time, am I right?" "Uhm… I… need an adult?" Mami steps forwards, and places her hand on my stomach, "We are adults." "Wait… girls, y'all can't be feckin' serious! I'm a goddamn Pokémon, here! I don't think this is gonna work out!" I start to back up, waving my hands frantically, trying to shoo them away. "C'mon, what's the harm in it?" Out of the corner of my eye, I notice- Gesù bambino dolce su un becco Bunsen, Homura's feeling up Mami! Wait, then they're all… "Lemme guess… Bi the Way?" Sayaka laughs, "Yep, that's us!" "And… you've all been here how long?" I leave the question in the air, hoping they get the meaning. Homura merely quits feeling up Mami, and- GODDAMNIT, she flipped her hair! "We've always been like this, even before leaving Earth. It's just who we are. Do you have something against that?" "Er- no, tat's none of my business… it's just-" "Ngh…" We hear the man groan in the back room. Thank god for that. Sayaka and Homura run to his side, "Hey, easy… You're alright now…" He tries to stand up, "Oh… my head… Hey, where's Sassaflash? She was with me on a walk, and then… everything just blacked out…" Homura puts her hand on his shoulder, "Calm down, man. What's your name?" "… Caramel. Now, what's going on?" Sayaka looks around nervously, "We… kinda found you unconscious… We're not really sure what happened, either…" I listen in carefully through the wall, piecing together what may have happened. Let's see… he was with this 'Sarsaparilla' or whatever… then he blacked out… but how does he go from taking a goddamn walk with his girlfriend to being inside a Witch- oh, shit. I toss a look to Madoka, who shares the same expression of shock I do. "Uh… are you SURE you don't remember what happened?" "Well… as we were walking about a mile or two through Whitetail Woods, I suddenly felt really woozy. Sassaflash told me we should go back. As she tried to pick me up, she said she was suddenly really tired, too… Next thing I know, I'm in here..." Wait a fucking minute. Sudden drowsiness? Selective sudden drowsiness? I motion for Madoka to come closer, and I whisper a question into her ear. She steps forwards, "Uhm… Mister Caramel… did you happen to hear… a strange noise?" I hear Caramel's head swivel around, "Uh… maybe? I dunno… what kinda noise?" "Kind of a… deep, low, wailing noise… Like someone's singing a tenor note underwater…" Caramel's voice carries a note of recognition "A sound… kinda like this?" He began to utter a strange, garbled, and distorted note of sound. I immediately recognized the noise. I grab a feather, some ink, and a piece of paper, and make a quick rough sketch. I hand the paper to Madoka, and when she shows it to Caramel, the sound of him screeching fills my ears. I watch as the paper flutters back to the hallway, and it stares straight back at me. Caramel was taken back to Ponyville swiftly and quietly. Now, the six of us sit in the cottage, all of them bearing worried looks after my explanation. Sayaka breaks the silence, "So… you're saying that there's a Displaced running around as Makuta Teridax… and he might have been the one responsible for making Sassaflash into a Witch?" "Well, Caramel responded when I showed him the mask's rough sketch, didn't he? That means he saw it." I snort, releasing a puff of smoke, "And that means Teridax is doing something here. Would you mind explaining, little one?" I turn to the potted plant in the corner, and from out of it comes a Kraata. The five jump back, and reach for their Soul Gems. "Hold it! I'm no enemy of you! I have no ill will towards these Equines, and the Makuta certainly doesn't, either!" I recognize the Kraata, with its black head with bright yellow tail, as a Sonics Kraata. The design on his forehead indicates he's at least level 4, if not higher. "I see that the Makuta has decided to allow all of you to speak. Now, what's your name?" He stiffens up, and then raises his head, as if to demonstrate some sense of superiority, "I am Hauser. I was sent to observe Geo, and to insure that he may not attempt to backstab my father." "Interesting. He chose a Sonics Kraata because of my naturally super-sensitive hearing. Now, why do you suggest that the Makuta is not behind this? It was a clear example of- Okay, y'know what? FUCK the cultured warrior image! Why the hell d'ya tink dat yer pa didn't do it? It was obviously Sleep! He feckin' used Sleep on the two of 'em!" I gnash my fangs, to which Hauser merely stares in a form of boredom, "Because even if my father were to want to inflict damage upon this world, do you honestly think he'd do it in such a manner as to indicate his own involvement? Or that he'd go to specifically ONE anime's villains for reference? Especially when there are Displaced specifically suited to combat them right in this universe? Come now, Geo. We both know he's better than that. He's a schemer, a long-term plotter. What gain could he acquire from this world? Besides these Displaced, of course. Even then, their usefulness may be dependent on his mood… which is utterly unpredictable, to boot." My jaw swings, "Well… who could possibly want to frame Teridax for this? I mean, it's not like there's some kind of space police or some crap like that to get him, is there?" "Well, maybe it's not someone out to frame him… so much as it is another Teridax, of sorts." Sayaka steps in, "Alright, hold the fuck up! I can accept that there's a Bionicle Displaced, that much I get. But seriously, the idea that there's more than ONE of them? As the same guy? It's ridiculous. You guys see where I'm coming from, right?" Hauser shakes his head, "That's because it's not more than one. It's the same person. See, the multiverse is literally built upon 'what-ifs' and 'may-have-beens'. The Teridax we're dealing with now may be just another version of my father… one who's substantially more sloppy, at that." My eyes bug out at the thought. Mami steps forwards, "So… that means there's more than one of each of us?" Hauser nods, "Technically, there's an infinity of everything. But that's the extremely shortened version, anyways. And yes, it's always possible another Teridax found his way here, and, knowing how my father's brain probably works, this alternate version of him is using the design of your Soul Gems and attempting to see if they work on other creatures, likely or the point of using them on himself. A Makuta who could survive solely on one tiny phylactery, and begin granted a plethora of new abilities atop their old ones… Now I can see where he's coming from… We're wholly unprepared to combat this. I must see my father, at once, and inform him of this revelation. We'll need his assistance to stand a smidgen of a chance against this parody of him. Trust me, just because he's a spin-off, doesn't mean he's not as powerful. For all we know, he could be the strongest of all Teridax's." As he says this, he draws a strange hermetic circle into the ground, filled with BIONICLE runes. "Come along, then, chaps." The runes all glow, before generating a grand light. All of us slowly step forwards, and then we are greeted with emptiness. "Geo! I thought I wouldn't see you again! How've you been? i see you're aware of the true nature of Equestria. That must've been fun to learn." Teridax doesn't even bother to hide his mocking tone. "Cut the crap, Teridax. Merda di andare giù." I allow Teridax a brief moment to turn to Hauser, who bows his head. Teridax places a claw on Hauser's head, and reads his memories. Teridax's eyes turn a bright blue, and he retracts his hand like a child touching a hot stove, "WHAT!? Another me? This… this certainly throws a wrench into the plans… TAVISH!" The six of us cover our ears. He clearly used Power Scream for that one… A completely brown Rahkshi steps up, which I recognize as Shattering. "Whot can I do fer ye, father?" "It appears that something's come up. I'm going out for a bit. Keep all projects of the Lambda level and lower going, but everything higher is to stop immediately. Is that understood?" As Teridax talks, he reaches for a sheathed sword, of which seems to glow faintly. He also picks up a Midak Skyblaster, Teridax's signature Staff of Shadows, and a Zamor Sphere Launcher. Damn, I love remembering my old toys. Tavish stands at attention, "Y-yes, sir… I'll get right on it…" He turns, and runs, barking orders at other Rahkshi, who nod and begin projects of their own. Makuta turns back to me, "Well, shall we get going?" We're back in the Whitetail Woods, in the general area where Caramel was swiped, according to Teridax's memory scan. Teridax is reaching through shadows, while the rest of us search for physical evidence. "Damn, all I can smell is that same old Kraata smell…" "Mayhaps he had Kraata assistants?" Teridax calls, while the shadows of reality itself jump and fizzle around him. "Uh… Mister… Teridax?" Mami nervously stares at him, looking like she's trying not to wet her pants or something. "Can I help you? I am rather busy, here." "C-can I… touch you?" Everyone stops what they're doing immediately. "Uhm… what?" Next thing I know, Mami's touching his thigh armor, "Wow… so smooth…" Is this really happening? This is just too funny. "Uh… Uhm..." I'm gonna milk this for all it's worth. "That's what she said!" "P-please stop that… I'm… trying… to work!" Is he getting flustered? This IS too feckin good to be true! Look at that! His eyes are turning purple! "I remember… back when I was a kid… my cousin and I… he always told me who cool BIONICLE was… Makuta… was my first crush…" Alert: anyone who's found a pair of draconic jaw hinges, please report to the giant orange Pokémon. "… What?" "My first time on the internet…" Now she's slowly rubbing her hand across the back of his shin, "I looked you up…" The sudden smell filling the air easily allows us to recognize the ending to this story. "… What?" "Makuta Teridax… was ma husbando…" Okay, you can't expect me to hold out this long. "BWA-HA-HA-HA-HA! OH, OH MY… Just… GWAHAHAHAHAHA!" I feel myself fall to the ground, "Whoo! GAHAHAHAHAHA! AH! MY SIDES! GWAHAHAHAHAHA! IT'S SO FUCKING WORTH IT! Non riesco a ottenere abbastanza di questo! GYAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHA!" "Please… stop… this is just sad..." Teridax grabs onto her head, and gently applies enough force to remove her from his leg, "I am not the being that you and your cousin toyed with. I am my own man." Teridax's eyes turn to a light yellow, and he tilts his head slightly. I'm guessing that's the eye color he uses for smiling. Kinda creepy. "Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. I do believe that statement is no longer valid with my entry." A voice resounds all around the woods, in Teridax's exact likeness. All seven of us rapidly begin turning, trying to analyze the position of the supposed enemy. "Hello, brother. I do believe you're better off stepping down. We both know how this is going to end." I look around, "Is it just me, or is it impossible to tell who's talking?" "Relax, Geo..." Teridax tosses a look over his shoulder, "This will be swift. And very, very painful on his part." He reaches onto his back, and draws his Midak Skyblaster. He aims around for a moment, before locking onto a space in the trees. He pulled the trigger once, and then immediately turned around, and fired at another tree. "Blast… I may have to redact the 'swift' part. It seems he's more prone to using Dodge and Teleportation than I am..." He stops, then aims at the air, and fires a trio of shots. Teridax suddenly turns, and then he's knocked into a tree. Where his face was, now sits another BIONICLE fist in his exact likeness. A whole other Teridax stands, tall and proud. But he's also somewhat more rusted in appearance, and covered in scars. "Finally… after countless years of waiting… of countless sabotage and infiltrations… hoping you would come… now here you are, Teridax Prime." He spits the last words as if they were venom. "The Primes of every existence… always get such perks, don't you? Freedom to travel to other worlds, to interact with other versions of people… but us? Your 'parodies'? We're stuck in place. We move nowhere. We're set in stone. You realize how painful it is? To sit here and watch as Displaced come in and out? To watch as what may be the most noble Displaced ever is set in stone for his simple structure? And now I'm greeted with five girls who fuck each other like animals every chance they get? Of course you don't. Because you're a pathetic sack of shit that doesn't deserve your position as Prime. But I'll be rectifying that… post-haste." From Faux-Teridax's chest, a giant hand appears, and lunges forwards. Teridax Prime's eyes turn blue, before he vanishes in a burst of energy. He re-appears above Faux, now wielding his Staff, of which he brings down with a sickening thud. But Faux is already gone. Prime scoffs, "I am sorely disappointed. Out of all of the other versions of me that I've come across, and that is a large number, you are by far..." He swings his staff to the left, and Faux barely ducks under, before vanishing, "The most..." He pulls up the Zamor Sphere Launcher, and sends a few bolts downwind, and Faux barely deflects them with Chain Lighting, "Whiny..." Prime ducks under a bolt of Plasma, before using Laser Vision, and grazing Faux's shoulder, "Self-pitying..." Faux warps away, and when he tries to sucker punch Prime from behind, Prime simply backhands him, "Moronic..." Prime stomps on Faux's foot, before giving him a Density-enhanced headbutt, "Version I have ever encountered. And that is saying a lot." Prime summons his Staff, and holds it up as to stab Faux through the chest, "Worry not, though… I'll make sure you're not a complete waste… I'm certain my Generals would love to have some high-quality armor..." Faux chuckles, "Funny… So would MINE!" Suddenly, a barrage of Laser Vision attacks come from nowhere, and begin bombarding the lot of us. "Gah! Che diavolo sta succedendo? Fire Blast!" A bolt of flame goes into the forest, and the explosion casts forth a squadron of Rahkshi of varying colors. "He has Rahkshi? Damn it all!" Prime aims his Staff, and then bludgeons the bare earth where Faux was but a moment ago. Faux now sits in the trees, laughing like a madman, "Gahahahaha! Well, Prime! I guess we can call it even for now! Worry not, we WILL meet again! I shall CONSUME you, and claim MY rightful place as TERIDAX PRIME! GYAHAHAHAHAHAHA- OW!" He rubs his jaw, and looks back to the Puella Magi, from where the shot was fired. Homura, of all people, is holding her shotgun, and she looks pissed as all hell, "Shut the fuck up already! We don't give a damn about your stupid-ass personal problems! Just go back to whatever fucking hole you crawled out of before I bust a cap in yo ass!" Faux now has a look of complete bewilderment, "… Who do you think you are, striking me with such a puny weapon, girl? I should Disintegrate you on the SPOT for such insolence!" Another shot rings out, this time from Mami's musket, "She's right, y'know. If you don't get out of here, we will kill you. Right now." "B- Bah! Farewell, for now, little fools! But know that I am not yet finished!" He, along with his Rahkshi, disappear in an instant. Teridax sighs, "Such an incompetent truly is a parody of me? The thought is sickening… But I suppose I shall deal with him later. You girls worry not. I shall isolate him from your world, at the least, and mayhaps deal with him in my own. I am serious when I said I'd make use of him. His skill with Dodge and Teleport may actually be slightly superior to my own. Of course, I find that my arsenal of mental powers are far greater in terms of versatility, but I suppose that the extra tools might help. Geo..." He turns to me, "Can we talk in private for a moment?" "Uh… sure." He walks me over to a small section of untarnished trees, and then gives me a dead serious glare, "The war dawns fast. Be wary, for there are things that lurk in the edges of reality that are willing to take a bite out of all things involved. Many of these… 'Scavengers' would find Displaced such as you or I to be a meal in all practicality. If you DO encounter them, do NOT engage them. I found one of them chewing on a parody of you, incidentally enough.. And because of the nature of the Void, that means it has already eaten you and gained full knowledge of your strengths and weaknesses. And those skills have extended to all of its species. However, I am coming up with a solution… It shall make you unpredictable enough to stand against them..." "Okay… thanks, I guess?" Teridax shakes his head, "That's not all, unfortunately. After the war, I know that they will be tracking all of our scents. You will have to hunt down as many of these things as you can, and slaughter them before they eat any parodies of our fellow Displaced. I fear the possibility of one eating myself, or our foe in the war, Auric Fulcrum. He is a Displaced who also can Understand, much like I. He is extremely powerful. The thought of even one of the Scavengers taking a bite out of my greatest foe..." Did he just shudder? Damn, it must be bad… "Alright… I'll… make sure they don't eat Auric. I suppose the same applies to all versions of you?" That nod is all I need. Yep. The fate of the Displaced will probably be on my shoulders. "That is all I have to update you with. I shall tell you when my solution to their knowledge of you is achieved. Although it IS near ready, that much is certain." I jump up, "Do you know who to unlock my Mega Stones?" I hold up my Mega Bracelet, hoping he'll have played X or Y. "Uhm… No. Although, I may try to look into that… Mega Evolution, you say?" Crap, he read my mind. Literally. "Yes, I did. One last thing:" He pulls out a book, "Give this to them. It contains the biographies of all the Displaced that my Kraata spies have located. It should serve them well. That is all for now. And, ladies..." He turns to the Puella Magi, "I highly recommend making Tokens of your own to contact other Displaced with. Trust me, it has its perks. With that, I bid you all, adieu." He dons a Kanohi Olmak, and then disappears into the Void. "So… do you wanna make a Token?" Madoka raises her hand, "Question: Does it have to be a token?" Cue my best shit-eating grin ever, "It doesn't have to be a token." Sayaka screams, "NOT AGAIN!" "So… we can actually go to other worlds? Just with this little trinket?" The girls now poured their magic into a single target, a Soul Gem that had a pure white core. "Yeah. And you can call to others. Normally, the tradition is, after making the Gem, you rattle off some kind of fancy-schmancy speech, and then it copies itself and spreads to other worlds for Displaced to use. Madoka nods, "Alright. Let's give it a go. To those who find themselves surrounded by evil..." Homura drones, "And sit in a sea of despair..." Sayaka grins, "Take this Soul Gem..." Mami pops in, "And we shall come to your aid..." Sakura swallows her bite of a cake, "And we shall bring a grand fury..." All five speak in perfect synchronization, "For we are the Puella Magi. Know that you are not alone, and reach out to us!" They raise their hands up, and the Token flies into the air, before vanishing in a burst of light. "Well… that was certainly dramatic." "Heh, ya think so?" "I know so. Probably better than mine, to be honest. But I gotta ask… Faux Teridax said something about a 'most noble Displaced set in stone'… Any idea what that's about?" Sayaka shrugs, "Beats me. From what we've observed, this Equestria's no different from the show. Aside from the obvious differences." "Yeah, about that… is it REALLY a TV show? For little girls?" Madoka chuckles, "Yep." "Well, mind explaining this bullshit to me, before I lose my mind?" "Fairly certain it's too late for that…" Homura mutters as we return to the cottage. "… And that's My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic up to Season 5. Whaddya think?" Sakura grins at me as I lay my oversized behind on the couch. "That… is ridiculous. An absolutely ridiculous story. Without a doubt. Definitely a children's TV show." "Yeah, that's the point. So, you know where you are?" I lean back, and lay myself flat on the couch, "I had an… incident with Tirek. It sounds like I may have drastically altered events. because Tirek wasn't beaten like how you say he was, so I guess Twilight doesn't have a castle. Oh, well." I shrug, "Coulda been worse." Homura nods, "Indeed. Now, I've done some research, and it says here that an ancient villain is sealed in Canterlot Gardens in stone. He's even older than Discord." "Huh. That might be our guy. Does it say that he had an 'unexplained origin' or 'appeared out of nowhere'?" "To sum it up: Yes. And the stories of the Displaced in Teridax's book match up. Generally, Displaced are sealed at least one to four thousand years before the events of the series, normally being released with Discord in the Season 2 opener." "Wow. Sounds like a bunch of shitty fanfiction writers taking an easy pot-shot at an open wound." "Yeah. wan an try and see what we can find?" "I ain't got anything better to do." We're now looking among various statues, and each of them are extremely… curious, to say the least. Some of them resemble great heroes. As we pass through, I stop, and look at one in particular… "Wait… is that their feckin' DISCORD?" Sure enough, it's Discord. The body may be human, but there's no doubt about it. His wicked eyes, the mismatched wings on his back, the odd-looking clothes, the goddamn wine glass. It's definitely the god of chaos. I stare at him, before feeling Mami nudge me, "C'mon. He's this way." As we walk away, I give a sharp stare at the statue, and somehow, I feel it stare back. We walk for another few minutes, and I decide to speak up, "So… you five have been here a whole year? How'd that work out fer ya?" "Really boring, to be honest. Not much happens." Madoka "From what you said about the show, there should be shit going down every damn day." "That's because we're not even at the season one premiere. but it'll be rolling around in a couple of weeks, so we've been preparing for it. It shouldn't be too hard to face Nightmare Moon. To be honest, she's really, really stupid. No sense of tactics. She only puts one problem in front of the ponies at a time. Should make it even easier for us." Homura holds up her hand, "Wait right here. The area here has a detection spell. We don't want them catching wind of us." She flips her hair, then holds up her Soul Gem. The other four hold up their Soul Gems. Shit, wait a minute! I quickly grab at Homura's, catching their attention, "Hey, while this may not be hard, don't you girls need Grief Seeds to operate? I mean, c'mon. You've transformed thrice in under eight hours. You can't have much energy left." Homura takes her Gem back, "Our Soul Gems recharge from the ambient mana in the air. We needn't rely on Grief Seeds anymore. Those merely hasten the process of recharging our magic sources." I notice that all of the Soul Gems are just as full of color as before, "Huh… never noticed that… That's cool, I guess…" "Here it is. The Azure Knight." Wait, it can't be… "Holy feckin shiteburgers." While he may be turned to granite, and he's lost all color, that's definitely the wielder of Soul Edge, without a doubt. Speaking of which, where is the dam blade? It's not in his hand, where it belongs... Sayaka leans forwards, staring at the carved description,"It says… 'He was once a mighty warrior who helped the Equestrians claim the savage, wild land of Equestria 2000 years ago, but he experimented with dark magic, went mad, and began eating the souls of the innocent. It was only when Lord Solaris and Lady Artemis, the parents of Celestia, used the Elements of Harmony, was this demon sealed away. But his dark magic was so great that his evil blade refused to be frozen in stone, and his many dark followers used it repeatedly over the centuries to wreak havoc until the Princess sealed it away.' Wow." "That explains why the Nightmare is without his prized Soul Edge. I just hope he hasn't lost his mind in there. I mean, c'mon. 2000 years. Guy must be itching terribly." I choose to ignore the stares given to me, "So, we getting this guy out or not?" "Well… it may be kinda complex… This is the Elements of Harmony we're talking about… but if Discord could escape, then that means their seal isn't infallible." Homura raises her Soul Gem up to the statue, "Maybe if we try hard enough… we could end up getting it right…" "Good. Then, let's free our fellow Displaced." The five raise their gemstones, and they all glow. In response, Nightmare's stomach begins catching the light, until it shines a bright red all its own. From there, its light intensifies, and as it spreads along the body, the stone cracks, until the entire thing falls off. "GRAGH! HYAGH! C'MON! WHERE ARE YOU!? FACE ME, I SAY! FACE ME!" Nightmare begins lashing out, with black mist swirling from between the plating in his armor. "Woah, woah, woah! Take it easy, take it easy!" I grab onto Nightmare's demon claw, and hold it steady, while the five try to hold fast his other parts, all while he writhes and shudders and roars. "C'MON! WHERE ARE YOU!? SHOW YOURSELF, SOLARIS! FACE ME! YOU DO NOT INTEND TO HIDE AFTER ALL YOU'VE DONE TO ME, HUH? C'MON, C'MON, C'MON! I REFUSE TO- … Huh? Wh-where am I?" Nightmare looks about, before suddenly staggering to his knees, "Gah! Damnation… where… is Soul Edge? Gyagh! It… it hurts… I… need… my blade..." He reaches out to the open air, before collapsing entirely. "Shit! Did he really need his sword to survive?" "I think so… OH MY GOD! I THINK WE KILLED HIM!" My eyes jump from their sockets, "Oh merda Oh merda Oh merda Oh merda Oh merda! I didn't wanna kill him! He might thane been a nice guy!" Suddenly, his body is consumed by the black mist flowing from his form. It swells up, before plummeting down on him. When it leaves, all that remains is… as Madoka puts it, "A naked hunk? With a nice ass?" Eloquent, Madoka. Real eloquent. You outdo Rarity in terms of lady status. A true noblewoman, that's for damn sure. Sayaka conjures up the best anime face of shock I have ever seen, "Uh… that's about it, Madoka. That's about it…" Not quite. I decide to take a moment to use my Sherlock Scan on the guy. Alright, here we go: Approximately in his mid-twenties, judging by the shown half of his face. This is his true body; the fingers have the sign of long periods of writing. He must've been a writer of some sort before winding up here. The extra long, red hair is certainly not natural, probably a result of him being turned into the Nightmare. Not gonna make any more assumptions over wether it's natural. A large series of seemingly ritualistic tattoos on his back and seemingly spreading to his front. Perhaps an occult fan. But the designs all follow one constant pattern: Lovecraftian. Too much for simply being a fan, too modest to be a super-fan. They're meant to be hidden. This means he doesn't want people to see it. But then why have them? He couldn't have gotten them from being drunk. They're too numerous for that. He would've learned his lesson. Conclusion: He wants them, but he doesn't want people to see them. Which means they might serve a purpose. A secret society? Potentially. His Earth may have those which use Lovecraftian markings. but the specifics of that is a billion to one. And, not counting how billion-to-one chances happen nine times out of ten, this means that he has them for a similarly important purpose. And that means… I should be going. "Uh… I think I should go home... You girls can deal with him on your own, yeah? I'm fairly certain I've set you all on the right path." The five nod, "Yeah. We'll get him dressed, then we'll try to set things right." "Good… you do that… you do that…" I look up, and see a PokéBall appear out of thin air. Its red light envelops me, and all goes dark. The white light of the PokéBall fades as I reform, back in my own Equestria. "Heh, it's weird to say it, but… I'm home?" I look around, and see myself in a large, somewhat spacious room. I walk over to the window, which is covered in frost. Wow, it's winter already? I move to gaze out at the forest, only to see- wait… shit, is this Canterlot? Oh, crap, crap, crap! Thinking fast, I jump into the air, and position myself above the door frame. There's someone else in here, I can smell them. They must've been looking away when I warped in. Please don't notice, please don't notice- holy feckin' shite, it's Celestia. She's in the same room as me. We are literally only two meters away. Merda, merda, merda. What's she doing? She's walking over to that piano? Why? And what's with that letter in her hand? Wait… now what's she doing? She sits still, slowly stroking the piano keys, "… Geo…" My blood turns cold instantly. "Are you proud of yourself?" My cover's blown! Okay, gotta move, gotta think, gotta prepare. Can't fight her, don't even wanna try. She stands up, and walks to the window, staring out at her city, "Are… you really satisfied with what you've done? All this wanton destruction?" I drop silently behind her, and let her continue speaking, "It never had to be like this. You could've easily just served your punishment and none of this would've ever happened. It's Hearth's Warming Eve, and you have no friends… I can't help but feel sorry for you..." She releases a sigh of contempt. "Well, maybe I never wanted friends." She jumps and turns, "Geo! How long've you been there?" "Long enough to know you can sing an entire song all by yourself. But… you weren't talking to me just now?" I tilt my head, in mild confusion. "Uh… No…" To quote Ron Perlman; ah, crap. So, I just blew my own cover. That's fantastic. "Well, that's… rather interesting… I know that I have no hope of fighting you, Celestia. If you're going to take me in, better do it now, before I get an idea and run." I drop to my knees, and hold out my claws, waiting for some sort of cuff. "No, Geo." She pushes my hands down, and holds a soft smile, "I know that many aren't very fond of you, but I also know that you're not as bad as everypony else sees you. You just need a chance to show it." She raises me off my knees, "It's Hearth's Warming Eve, you deserve this much." "Whazzat?" I look at Celestia oddly, and then notice as she points out the window, "Hearth's Warming Eve is celebrated at the end of the year, to remember when the three pony tribes united and cast aside their differences. During this time, gifts are exchanged, songs are sung, and many a merry time is had." "… Sounds like Christmas." Now it's her turn to look at me funny. "Christmas?" "Same deal, but instead of that, it's just an end-of-the-year celebration. The basics are the same, but the reasons are completely different. If I were to explain, we'd be here for hours." Celestia chuckles, "Well… nonetheless, I feel that since nopony else would even think about it, I've taken the liberty of acquiring for you a present." Now, back to me being shocked, "A present? For me? Wow, are you sure you're feeling alright?" She holds up an average-sized box. I slowly take it from her, and open it. When I do, I'm greeted with, "Santa merda, is this…" It is. It's a scarf. Alabaster white, with the mark of the sun on it, and an orange serpent moves around it in an ouroboros style. "You said your flames are akin to the sun. I figured this would be the best way to symbolize it." "But if someone sees it, and they know you gave it to me, people are gonna talk." Celestia laughs in response, and magically pulls the mysterious letter to her hand, "Somepony arrived earlier today, and told you liked this song. Would you like to hear it?" I look at the paper, "Sure… I guess…" She walks back to the piano, and taps the keys slowly. Wait, is this... Made a wrong turn once or twice Dug my way out, blood and fire Bad decisions, that's alright Welcome to my silly life Mistreated, misplaced, misunderstood Miss 'No way, it's all good' It didn't slow me down. Mistaken, always second guessing Underestimated, look I'm still around Pretty, pretty please, don't you ever, ever feel Like you're less than fucking perfect Pretty, pretty please, if you ever, ever feel Like you're nothing, you're fucking perfect to me You're so mean when you talk About yourself. You were wrong. Change the voices in your head Make them like you instead. So complicated, Look how we all make it. Filled with so much hatred Such a tired game It's enough, I've done all I could think of Chased down all my demons I've seen you do the same Pretty, pretty please, don't you ever, ever feel Like you're less than fucking perfect Pretty, pretty please, if you ever, ever feel Like you're nothing, you're fucking perfect to me The whole world's scared, so I swallow the fear The only thing I should be drinking is an ice cold beer So cool in lying and we try, try, try but we try too hard And it's a waste of my time. Done looking for the critics, cause they're everywhere They don't like my jeans, they don't get my hair Exchange ourselves and we do it all the time Why do we do that, why do I do that? Yeah! Oh! Oh, pretty, pretty, pretty Pretty, pretty please, don't you ever, ever feel Like you're less than fucking perfect Pretty, pretty please, if you ever, ever feel Like you're nothing, you're fucking perfect to me (You're perfect, you're perfect) Pretty, pretty please, if you ever, ever feel Like you're nothing, you're fucking perfect to me. Celestia breathes slowly, "Geo… what'd you think? Geo?" "…" I try to suppress a sniffle, "Tch… grgh!" I collapse to my knees, "That's… that's… mama's song… It was her favorite song…" I place my face in my hands, "You…" I grab her by the throat, and slam her into the wall, "WHO TOLD YOU TO SING THAT SONG? WHO? TELL ME, NOW!" "Princess!" My head snaps back, and there's some guards, standing at the door, armed with spears. "Release her, immediately!" "No, wait! Calm down! He's just upset-" I tighten my grip on her throat, and then drop her. "GRAAAAAAAAGH! STRENGTH!" I barrel through the guards, then grab one by the head, and point him at Celestia, "IS THIS WHY? IS THIS WHY YOU SAND THAT SONG? TO GET ME INTO ONE OF YOUR TRAPS? HUH? No. No, I REFUSE to fall for it! Si può andare morire in un buco, disgustoso puttana." I spit at her, then throw the guard at the piano. I shoot an Ember at the window, and then Fly out, towards the Everfree again. I won't ever let myself get tricked like that. She's a dirty puttana who tried to make me let my guard down with nice words and gifts. She deserves to burn. Her and her despicable sister. They'll all burn. I know they will. In due time, though. I'm crazy, but I'm not stupid. I slow down, and let myself sit down in the castle I am forced to call 'home'. I look to my claw, and notice that damned scarf is still there. I snarl, and toss it to the side, letting it land on a suit of armor. She almost got me, that time. But I must wonder, how did she know? It's strange. That song… who could've given it to her? "C'mon out, Charizard!" A voice echoes from nowhere at all, "Grande, qualcosa per prendere la mia mente fuori i miei problemi." The PokéBall materializes, and I lose consciousness as its red light envelopes me. GYA-WOOM! I now look seem to be in a palace of some sort. I look around momentarily, before my eyes lock onto a single human. Wearing green, and he looks like he's in his… mid-teens? He's scared shitless. Oh, this is gonna be fun...