When Lightning Strikes- Moonlight
Mane Six Headquarters
As Lance ate dinner alongside Hiro, both of them were watching the News Anchors describe the events that transpired in Downtown Sun Fransokyo while Lumen was fast asleep with Kai and BAYMAX in Power Save mode. Many ponies had different and sometimes “colorful” ways of describing what happened. Especially with the transformations that occurred after the so called “terrorist attack” by multiple eyewitnesses that recalled the event.
All of these things made Lance feel like somepony was trying to get underneath his skin. Like he failed at his job. Even though it wasn’t his fault, he knew that a call from Twilight would come in any minute and he would have to explain what happened. The moment that he began thinking of this, Hiro got a message on his communications device and turned towards the Adept.
“It’s Masked Matterhorn. She wants to talk to the both of us.”
‘Speak of the devil...’ the Adept thought as soon as the communication screen lit up. The Two of them could now see a magical hologram of the Alicorn like it was a scene straight out of Star Wars. Except for the fact that the Alicorn was no Princess Leia right now.
“Hello-.”
“What… Happened?” Twilight asked with a stern tone. “One moment you were going to Sun Fransokyo and the next moment, I get reports of the total Annihilation of a city, only to be rebuilt seconds later and multiple civilians undergoing species transformations.”
“Well first off…” Lance spoke. “I was minding my own business-.”
“CRABAPPLES!!!”
“I WAS!!!” The Adept shot back. “Next thing I know, A Displaced was crashing into our transport and with his arrival, another villain from his world also showed up. We fought, but the one moment that I hesitated was when she tried to destroy the entire city and wipe it off of the map. If it weren’t for Jason and HodgePodge, the town would be buried under a pile of rubble.”
“Jason?”
“That was his name. Jason Hughes.”
“What about this HodgePodge figure that you mentioned?”
“He’s… something else. Think a being that can punch a hole in reality in order to travel through dimensions and is also the reason why Bicorns and Taltzponies are showing up across the planet.”
“Great… It feels like running into Captain Goodguy again. Thank Celestia that we got Saddle Ranger to reform him.” The Alicorn sighed. She now turned a bit, facing Hiro this time. “Hiro?”
“Yes, Twilight?”
“Is Lance giving you any trouble?”
Hiro shook his head from side to side, smiling a little. “No actually. Things have been quite interesting lately thanks to him and BAYMAX has taken a liking to Lumen. Even Vinyl likes Lance and wants to do some missions with him within the next few days.”
“I see. In that case, I’ll leave you two be and contact you within the next couple of days. Just focus on your training, listen to Hiro and for the love of Celestia, don’t cause any trouble!!”
“I’ll try, but I can’t make any promises Twilight. Crazy things happen to me daily.” Lance finished his statement as the Alicorn cut the transmission. He finished his pizza that he was having for dinner and then walked over to where Kai was. Unlike BAYMAX and Lumen, he was just leaning against a wall in a standing position with folded arms. Like he was waiting on his partner to be done with his meal before he could come on over.
“Hey Kai? You awake?”
The reply from the Blaziken was a low chirp and it opening it’s eyes & unfolding it’s arms. It seemed to be waiting patiently for him.
“Can you watch everyone for a little while. I’m going to go for a walk to clear my head for a bit.”
The Pokemon nodded again, in which Lance replied with a brief “thanks” as he stepped outside. Soon, the Adept was greeted by the light of the moon as he continued to walk onto a grassy hillside by a tall oak tree. He sat down and watched the stars come alive as they danced with the night sky. The Azure Striker liked it. He felt free as a bird because of it.
But he did not know about the strange ‘Visitor’ that was nearby. Or the one that was going to call upon him.
Meanwhile…
Princess Luna was in the city of Sun Fransokyo along with a huge battalion of the night guard at her side as they delivered emergency aid to all the victims that were in the city’s hospital. Despite there being no property damage and major chaos roaming in the streets, many of the civilians were extremely hurt based on what had happened and had undergone unexplained transformations. Some ponies now had two horns on their heads while others now resemble the form of a snake. These in itself shocked and surprised the Princess as she met with each one individually. Some ponies being as young as fillies had undergone this change and her visit had hope return to them. Hope in which turned to confidence that they will get use to their new forms and overcome this personal setback.
After about twenty minutes inside the infirmary and seeing the wounded, Luna went to the head of the guard that came along with her. “Nightwing, I need to excuse myself for a moment. Can you please watch over everypony while I am gone. I promise that I won’t be gone long.”
“Certainly, princess.” The Batpony mare replied to the Princess. As the Night Guard Captain returned to assisting her fellow troops, Luna herself went on a brief walk towards the location of a crater in which was left behind from the events that had transpired. According to the reports, the entire town for a moment was briefly wiped off of the map, but then somehow was reformed together like nothing happened. In addition, after the city returned to normal, citizens began to change into the two unknown species that began showing up all over Equestria.
Calmly, the Alicorn’s horn illuminated as she casted a spell. It was a recollection spell that can show onepony that was skilled in magic the events of the past that occurred hours to even days ago. In a way, it was like time travel. However, it was just showing her holographic images of what actually took place.
What Luna saw though was quite mind bending and at first, she couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Three bipedal creatures. Two with certain crests on their chests while another one had a blue coat and a strange weapon. The Alicorn watched them skirmish between each other and heard each one of them speak all the way till the point where the one named “Jason” and the fiend responsible for the destruction of the city. But the one with the coat stayed and in fact, after the spell faded away, Luna came to see that same figure upon a nearby hill, watching the stars of her night sky.
During this moment though, as she got closer, something made Luna feel like the boy was going to disappear just like the other two individuals that she saw. In truth, that did happen. The boy that Luna saw got up on his feet as he looked upwards. “Hmm… Guess the stars need me elsewhere tonight.” With it though, he faded away, crackling electricity around him as he disappeared into the night. Right in front of Princess Luna.
Equestria (Home of the Prophet)
“Damn etiquette, making me put my hair up,” Max muttered as she rummaged through the collection of Displaced tokens that she had. “Well, I do have this one ribbon. No it doesn’t match the dress. Dammit, how am I supposed to-” She stopped as she pulled out a simple yellow lightning bolt hairpin with unfolded, silver wings near the top. As soon as her hand touched it she heard, “I am Gunvolt; The Azure Striker. Adept of Lightning. Call my name and when Lightning Strikes, I will fight for you.”
She blinked and shrugged, “Oh well, whoever this ‘Azure Striker’ is wouldn’t mind me using his Token as a hair clip. Just hope he doesn’t get summoned by accident.”
Just as she was adjusting the pin though, a warm glow began to course through her hands and the cracks of electricity began to fill her room.
“Wha- Damn it Murphy!” She said as a thunderous roar erupted from nearby her, almost like if Thor from the Marvel movies crash landed in her bedroom.
The one who arrived though was nothing like Thor. In fact, this “Gunvolt” was a lot younger in appearance. He wore an azure overcoat and gear from top to bottom and also seemed to have a long braid on the back of his head. However, the one thing that really caught her attention with this boy was that the metal clip at the end of his braid was the same token that Max was trying to adjust in her hair.
She sighed, drawing the attention of the boy, and said, “That’s what I get for trying to use a Token as an accessory, isn’t it?”
Instinct had Lance on edge as he turned and went for the holster that held one of his pistols. But when he realized that it was a girl trying to talk to him, he stopped. He noticed the sight of his token trying to hold up Max’s hair and sighed. “Trust me, I’ve had worse experiences. One Displaced tried to-. Oh Sh-!” Turning around did not do any help for Lance though as the girl who summoned him was only in her underwear. “I’ll just… step outside for a moment.”
Max glanced around, noticing her dress was still hanging on the chair. She got a devious look in her eye and stepped closer to Lance, making sure he knew she was looking below his belt. “And miss getting a show?”
“I’m invading your privacy aren’t I? Plus, I don’t even know your name.” Lance told her, feeling like his back was against the wall.
Max took a few more slow steps towards him before she stuck out her hand and said, “I’m Max. The only way you’d be able to ‘invade’ my privacy.... Well, you know~.”
Lance sighed a little, noticing the dress on the chair that was nearby. “Do you have something going on tonight? Because that looks a bit formal.”
“Yeah, another formal party being thrown by an influential pony,” She said, shaking her head. “I’d rather not go, but -- being as I’m ruler of Equestria -- I have to go to every party I’m invited to.”
“I see… Hey, since I’m here… would you mind if I come with you? I don’t want you to feel like you’re forced to go somewhere alone. That way, you can feel comfortable.”
“Hmmm....” She looked him over carefully, even circling him once and brushing a hand against his backside.
Lance felt a little unsure of what to say next, but reflecting back on what Max said earlier, he then made his next statement. “And maybe afterwards……… Then we can have a… show?”
Max gave him a seductive smile. “Oh, we’ll have more than just a show,” she said, walking over to her dress. Once she was standing next to the chair she slowly reached up and unhooked her bra, leaving it hanging on her shoulders as she glanced back at Lance and winked before shrugging it off and tossing it onto her dresser. Keeping her back to him she picked up her dress and slipped it over her shoulders, hiking up the front to remove something and then tossing it onto Lance’s head.
“U-uh… Okay then. Lead the way, my lady.” Lance said, trying to hide the blush that tried to appear on his face. He opened the door for her, allowing Max to walk out into the hallway when she was ready.
Max levitated her crown over, slipping her accessory onto her head. Sliding her feet into the high heels that came with the dress she called, “Sol, can you make sure Mun gets Golden and Light to bed in an hour? Rainbow’s already asleep on my bed.”
“Who’s Sol? A servant?” Lance asked in a low toned voice so he wouldn’t unintentionally hurt anyone’s emotions.
“She’s an AI I bought from Nono -- the one who sent me here -- after I was out of stone for... roughly a week. She has a ‘twin’ named Mun. Their first names are Zenith, since they came from the same AI core, but they have separate hulls and organic bodies,” Max explained as she took one last look in the mirror and walked towards the door. “They’re basically my family’s bodyguards and friends, rather than actual servants or something.”
“I see,” Lance said, tossing the garments that were on his head before closing the door behind them, “Lead the way, Ms. Max.”
“I have been married, Lance. If you’re going to use a title, please use the correct one,” she said as Sol matched her pace and Mun’s hull followed behind.
“I apologize… Mrs. Max? Would that work?” The Adept asked, a little unsure.
“I’d rather you just called me Max, but yes.”
“Okay Max. Lead the way.” The Adept said, offering a kind gesture that would have her take the lead.
Max lead the group to the main hall where she stopped briefly in front of a statue of a pink Celestia on one side of the door to the throne room, laying a hand on its dais reverentially. “I’ll catch him. He’ll be coming after me tomorrow, but I’ll catch him instead,” she whispered.
“I’m sorry, but I’m a bit lost in translation.” Lance whispered back. “Care to explain who’s ‘He’?”
Her expression soured and she turned to the main entrance. “The one who killed them.”
“Oh… I’m sorry to hear that… Does he have a name?” Lance asked, puzzled on the name of the one who killed the pony Max was looking at; which he saw as a memorial.
Max gestured at the statues and said, “Commander Hurricane killed Celestia and Luna.”
“Oh… and if you say that he’s coming after you… Do you need a bodyguard?”
Max sighed and started for the door. “With Sol and Mun to protect me, and my own powers besides, I don’t need anyone else. But Gilgamesh is around here somewhere and said he’d help me.”
“If you say so. I have powers myself, but you had probably already seen them when you summoned me.”
“Anyways,” she grabbed his arm and pressed herself to him. “How’s it feel to be the escort of the ruler of Equestria?”
“Quite… nice. Especially for someone as beautiful as you.” Lance complimented.
Max gave him a small smile and loosened her grip, glancing at a silver stallion they were passing as she did so. “Ugh, etiquette....”
“Is something wrong, My lady?”
“No, but if I don’t follow etiquette, Silver Plate there won’t forget it. Or shut up about it.”
“Would it be the same thing for me or am I okay?” The adept asked. Despite his appearance, not many would probably consider it as proper attire. Especially for what he carried underneath his coat.
“Probably not. If you don’t stay through the day that is.”
“Well, I’m not in a rush or anything, so I’m all yours.” The Azure Striker said happily.
Lance was really enjoying Max’s company. For being a Displaced, she was not like the other ones he had met previously like Zinnia, Saber, Caster or even the Twilight from Lee’s world. Not to mention that she was like a goddess in the outfit she was wearing. As the two of them approached the ballroom where the party was held though, Lance had a question to ask her. “Will the guards have to search me for weapons or is that not accustomed here?”
“If they did, they’d have to arrest Sol and I as well,” Max said goodnaturedly.
“So would that mean I can keep these?” Lance asked, showing the two guns he kept in his holster underneath his coat. “Or would I have to set them aside at the door?”
Max immediately closed his coat. “It isn’t the guns you have to worry about, it’s those muscles,” She said, stroking his chest before reluctantly withdrawing her hand. “I might just take you to a closet and have my way with you~.”
Lance honestly had no idea what she meant, but just rolled with it. If this was flirting, then Max was doing a pretty damn good job at it. When they went inside the ballroom, Lance could see hundreds of ponies dressed up in fancy clothes. But out of all of them, there was one in particular that wasn’t a pony that stood out the most. They looked almost human like, but had a heavy set of armor that even covered his face. “Max, Who’s that?”
Max looked over and watched as the figure pulled a monocle and a top hat from somewhere and placed them on the giant green wolf-like figure beside him. “That would be Gilgamesh. I don’t know who that wolf is though,” she said, noticeably trying not to facepalm. “I don’t think he was invited to this party, judging by the way Fancy Pants is smiling.”
“That would definitely put a term on the phrase ‘letting themselves in’. Oh and I think he’s waving at you.”
Max waved back, giving him a smile. “Well, he was good in bed last day. I guess I can forgive him of this.”
“Wait, he slept with you?” Lance asked, a bit surprised by the statement. “I thought you were married.”
“I said ‘was married’. Celestia... didn’t mind anyways if I had others, just like I didn’t mind if she did.”
“Wait… are you said that you married Celestia or am I getting this mixed up?” The Adept asked, a bit taken back by that sentence.
Max motioned towards the dance floor. “Why don’t I explain while we do a song?”
Lance took up her hand and followed her in stride, nodding his head. “I’ll take you up on that offer, my lady.” The two began to dance in motion with the beat of the song, orchestrated by an earth pony who was very talented with a Cello.
“Marriage here is more simple than earth. There are the occasional flashy ones like Cadence and Shining Armor’s, but mostly it’s just two ponies sticking together,” Max said as she watched a white mare with a spiky, two toned, blue mane walk over to the stage the cellist was on. She was beginning to prep her station, which had the electronic vibe mix into the spaces that the melody of the Cello had left open. “Most are open to... I guess you could say mistresses, but none were as loose as Celestia and I.”
“I-I’m sorry for your loss… It must be tough for you to go on since you lost someone you cared for.” Lance said. He felt the same pain before. Both of his parents had died for different reasons and both times he felt like he was to blame. This pain was only visited again in the brief moment that Eclipse wiped Sun Fransokyo off of the map before Jason and HodgePodge fixed everything. But Max… somehow filled that void. That emptiness that chewed out at him.
Max gave him a sad smile and said, “She didn’t want me to save her. She... felt that it was her time to go.” She shook her head. “I wasn’t about to go against her wishes.”
“Faithful to the end? What about her sister?”
“I had to stop her a thousand years ago from killing herself when she had to banish Celestia,” Max sighed. “She spent a thousand years without her sister, and didn’t want me to save her either.”
“I-I’m sorry you had to go through that. It just…… bothers me a little. In the world I’m from, I’m suppose to help other ponies that can’t help themselves with my gifts,” He paused for a minute, trying to catch his breath, “However, it feels different with you because in a way, I’m not sure if there’s anything I can do to help. I feel like Somepony’s trying to get under my skin. Show to me that I’m a failure. That I can’t save everyone, even if I wanted too.”
“That is a hard truth for a hero to learn. That’s why I’ve settled for just being neutral,” Max said before smirking. “But I’ll be as bad as you want in bed~....”
Lance now realized Max and the words she was saying and smiled. “Indeed, but for now, shall we have this dance? Thanks to you, I can see I’m not a failure. Not with a beautiful goddess such as yourself.”
“‘M not a goddess,” Max pouted as she leaned into his shoulder, unconsciously rubbing her cheek into it.
“True. Not a goddess, but… my goddess.” The Adept cooed, caressing Max so she could be comfortable in their current situation as they danced throughout the ballroom. Time seemed to slip by quickly as Lance enjoyed Max’s company. Thanks to her, he felt whole again. He felt confident again. And in a way… he felt a new emotion.
Love.
All too soon, the song ended and they turned towards the drink table. Max chuckled and said, “And here I thought I wouldn’t enjoy this. Thanks for joining me.”
“You’re welcome. Thank you for allowing me the chance to escort you, Max.” The Adept replied, now noticing that Gilgamesh and his companion were moving across the room.
“It was either that, or send you back right away with only a ‘sorry wrong number’,” she said before catching sight of Gilgamesh coming over and her expression soured a bit. “Great. Just when I forget about tomorrow night, I get reminded of it.”
“Ouch. Is that what you think of when you look at me? Maybe I should just avoid you for the night then,” Gilgamesh replied, holding his chest like he’d just been wounded. “So, who’s your date?”
“That isn’t what I meant.... This is Lance he’s... something called a Gunvolt?” Max asked, looking at the person in question.
“My Name is Lance Walker. Gunvolt is just a code name. I’m an Adept.” He properly introduced himself to the one called “Gilgamesh”. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“Likewise, kid. You moved pretty well on the floor there, too,” he complimented, extending his hand for a shake. “Oh, and this here’s my travelling companion, Enkidu. Say hi, buddy.”
The dog barked and sat in front of him, wagging his tail as he actually tipped his hat.
“Wow. That’s quite talented. Oh man, if only Lumen were here to meet you. She’s a Breezie that I work with as a partner on the squad we’re on. Which makes me wonder, have you two ever heard of the Power Ponies?”
“Only from that one episode in the show,” Max replied. “Didn’t really seem like the writers knew what they were trying to do with that one.”
Lance chuckled, unsure of what Max was talking about, but just rolling with it. “Actually, my Equestria is the same Equestria as theirs. Twilight and the others are the same heroes you might’ve heard of. But things aren’t quite as easy as what you saw in that episode that you were referring to.”
“Huh. So is Twilight an alicorn, or a pegasus with a horn attachment like some fans think the Masked Matterhorn was?”
“Alicorn.” Lance answered Gilgamesh’s question.
“You know, I’ve been thinking of how I could turn her into an alicorn without knowing exactly how it happens. Might just shove all the paperwork onto her once she’s one,” Max stated.
“She might have her own responsibilities too. Split it evenly amongst you and her and you should be fine.” He suggested. “Wherever there’s a badge, there's always a burden.”
“Tell me about it. That’s why I didn’t take command of the military initially,” Gilgamesh muttered.
“Being a commander isn’t my thing either. I work well with partners, but huge groups is another thing. I am learning though and that is something.”
“Heh, and here I am, trying to guide Equestria through a forest of knives while blindfolded,” Max said, shaking her head ruefully. “Still, I’d rather it be me instead of one of those once nobles.”
“Let me guess, they would want to seize power for themselves? Typical selfish jerks.”
“Most of the time, yeah, but sometimes they can surprise you. You’ll never guess who told all the panicking nobles to shut the hell up and get their sh*t together when the war in my dimension started,” Gilgamesh said.
“Fancy Pants?” Max suggested.
“Prince freaking Blueblood.”
“That child abandoning piece of crap?”
“That might be who he is here, but in my universe he was just a pompous p****. Then Canterlot got attacked by the demons of Tartarus, and a near-death experience gave him a wake-up call. He even fought on the front lines.”
“Huh, and here I had him executed. If I had known that I would’ve just sent him to Tartarus for a few seconds,” Max said as she filled a cup with some wine.
Lance right now felt a little lost in translation as he heard the two Displaced continue to converse. But he didn’t let this bother him. He just needed to wait for the subject to change to something he could fit in with. That happened when Lance heard Max ask about the Displaced that Gilgamesh had met.
“So how many Displaced have you met so far? Aside from Kat and Typhon, that is.”
“Oh boy, let’s see here… first was Xante, then there was Auric Fulcrum… Pyramid Head, Nemesis, Jason, Ben 10, Aaron-”
“Excuse me for interrupting, but did you say Jason? As in Jason Hughes?”
“Oh, you met my son?”
“Yeah recently. Had to fight with him when one of his enemies showed up in my world after trying to massacre the Breezies in Vanaheim. I think she was called… Eclipse?” Lance asked himself. “Not only that, but I happen to have met HodgePodge as well. I just didn’t know that he was your son.”
“No wonder you were worried about illegitimate kids,” Max interjected.
“Actually, it’s kinda adoption. He’s actually the grandson of Hel, goddess of the dead, but he was raised on earth by two humans. His mom actually visited Equestria as a kid waaaaay in the past, and she went back with him when he paid the realm a visit. He never had any real attachment to his earth father. Apparently he was a religious nutcase, and asked if I’d like to fill the role.”
“Well, that’s quite a story Gilgamesh.” Lance complimented the Warrior. “Jason kind of told me about his family and I told him sometime that I should visit his family and what not. That is… if the villains that broke out of the Equestrian version of Arkham Asylum aren’t stalking the streets and causing problems… Then there’s the Ghoul issue…”
Max suddenly grabbed Lance’s arm and said, “You know, you can always come here for some relaxation~.”
“Well, I did tell myself that I needed a break.” Lance said, looking at Gilgamesh. “Oh and here, I wanted to make sure I didn’t forget to give you my token.” The Adept handed him what resembled a hairpiece, but it had a pair of unfolded Silver wings that represented Freedom. Like the one on the end of his braid.
“Got it. I’ll look you up some time,” the warrior said, and pocketing the token before stepping over to the boy and whispering in his ear. “Watch yourself, kid. She’s both on the giving and receiving end of the kinky spectrum, and she’s got stamina a succubus would be jealous of. That being said, if you got any fantasies, now’s probably your best chance to make them real. I know I did.”
Lance himself swallowed what was in his throat and nodded ‘What did I just get myself into?’ he thought.
“Anyway, Maxie, do you and your new partner need a distraction out of this dull party to go play?”
Max perked up and nodded her head saying, “I think everyone would like to know about Gabriel ‘Fluffy’ Iglesias.”
“You think this crowd will be up for that? I may be childish at times, but I’m not gonna make a fool out of myself.”
“And yet you gave your wolf a monocle and a top hat.”
“There’s a difference between looking silly and looking stupid.”
“True, but I have a feeling that they’ll love an impression of Fluffy.”
“Fine, but if they don’t, you owe me some more… compensation.”
Max thought for a minute before saying, “Only if you don’t pull out at the last second.”
“Fine, but in that case you’ll have to put that mouth of yours to good work instead, because you still don’t know how to work a contraceptive.”
She smiled lasciviously and said, “Isn’t it better without?”
“Yes, but I’m not taking that risk. Now go have fun with your new boy toy, I’ve got to get myself a little more buzzed for this,” he finished walking off, Enkidu following behind him. “Alright bartender, time to test your mixing. I want a long island iced tea, a manehattan and rum and cola, stat!”
“I’m sorry sir, but... what’s a ‘cola’?” The bartender asked as he started levitating the ingredients for the other drinks.
“Well, we’re off to a great start,” he said sarcastically.
“Just get him a sex on the beach instead,” Max called over her shoulder as she led Lance out onto the floor for one last dance.
“Isn’t that your thing?” he snarked back.
Lance was lost in translation at this point as Max was leading him out onto the dance floor for one last twirl. Or so he thought… as they went into another room and she closed and locked the door.
(The Authors would like to apologize for the Lack of Romantic content in this chapter. However, this is totally justifiable since this is a Teen rated story and we don’t want it to turn into 50 shades of grey. So please, enjoy the rest of the chapter. For something a little more focused on the story and less obnoxious.)
Back in Lance’s World (Thirty Minutes Later)
When the Azure Striker returned home, it was a few hours before dawn as he re-emerged from the rift he created to come back into his room at Mane Six headquarters. In his hand, he still had Max’s parting gift, which he would now called “Testament”. A fitting name for a Heirloom that use to be part of a Warhammer wielded by Celestia herself. Taking a chain from a dog tag he found in the closet, he hung the token on the chain and around his neck.
“Thank you Max.” He told himself, right before he laid down on the bed in his room and went to sleep. Unknowing of the Goddess that would be watching over his dreams.
End Strike 16