When Lightning Strikes- System Shock
Present Day
It had been three days since Lance had met Max and in that timeframe, a lot of things for him had changed. Like they had been kicked into overdrive, so to speak. Hiro had him immediately get to the final few training exercises that the Adept needed to complete in order for the boy to see if he was on top of his game. This of course, included having to push him to his limits and do anything to throw him off balance. After all, the “A” in the TESLA method stood for adaptation.
The routine for the first morning consisted of the following things. Breakfast, Bagels, and BAYMAX. The huggable robot was quick to surprise him, having Lance stay on his feet constantly in order for him to not get tackled by BAYMAX. The Adept had to dodge and weave out of the way of the caretakers diving leaps and even had to flip onto the ceiling, using Lee’s token to cling to the wall on the roof. That was only until Hiro told him to knock it off and BAYMAX had gone into standby mode. Turns out, the chase just now was actually the first piece of training that the boy genius had in store for him.
The other piece was for him to demonstrate his combat skills and tactics in a fight against some of the other Mane Hero Six members despite the fact that a few of them were asked to help with the ongoing situations involving locked up super villains that had broken out of Solace Asylum. This included Neon Bass and a earth pony that went by the identity of “canvas” due to her artistic powers that reminded Lance of Epic Mickey.
However, before their fight even began, Sumeragi decided to crash the party. More specifically, Jumper. However, he didn’t stay for long and had the soldiers that were with him try to capture them. A mistake of a fool given Lance’s new tactics, weapons and teamwork as he had Vinyl and Canvas working alongside him to knock out and capture the soldiers.
That, though, was only day one. The next day, Lance stayed behind with Hiro and the others in order to try his best to get some information out of the soldiers who attacked them. With no success. Despite this though, nothing exciting really ever happened for Lance except a call he made to Radiance, involving a gem that he found that the Adept asked for her to turn into a ring. Despite the odd request, Radiance accepted it and Lance sent the parcel by Instant Transmission. To round out the day, The Azure Striker had to leave a message for Arima, telling him that he was close to getting Twilight and the others to making him a fully fledged member of the power ponies before he could convince them to not attack or capture Kaoru.
It was now day three and the day where Lance would be going back to Maretropolis with Lumen and his Blaziken, Kai. As the sun rose up in the sky, the Adept could hear Kai chirp a little as Lumen slept in Lance’s hair and the ring that Lance requested had arrived. The original thought for him was to take the Mega stone in his bracelet and place it in the ring instead, but before even being able to think that through, something began to tug him.
“Guess someone needs me. You ready to roll, Kai?” The Blaziken chirped as Lance had him retreat into the Pokeball that Hiro had constructed for the two of them. “Alright, let’s go.”
The last glimpse of the Azure Striker that Hiro saw at that moment was him disappearing in a bright flash of lightning.
Meanwhile…
The moment that Lance woke up from hopping between worlds, he found himself inside a strange garden. Like a royal hedge maze. It seemed like he was alone, but when his sight had adjusted, the adept found himself looking at a Red haired teen in a Blood red overcoat and a sword on his back..
Lance was the first one of the two to speak. “-The hell? Hey man, are you okay?”
“Y-yeah.” The Red haired swordsman replied. “Are you a Displaced?”
“Yep. I’m guessing you got summoned too?”
“Yeah and I’m betting whoever did it is up there,” The Redhead pointed at the tower above them. “I feel a high density in magic from the tower.”
“Well of course you can.” A voice rang out and appearing in a flash was a creature that looked like a freaky mad scientist experiment and reminded Lance of when he saw HodgePodge. “Hello, name’s Loki, Master of Chaos and Defender of Balance.” Loki said with a bow. “Before you ask... No, this isn’t my Equestria. I was summoned as well.”
“Summoned? By who-?”
“LANCE!!!”
The name caused the Azure striker to turn around. He recognized the voice as he now looked at a figure with a white unbuttoned shirt with jeans, sneakers, a monkey tail and red gauntlets. Could it be…? “Wait a second… Sean?”
“Holy crap man!! It’s good to see you. Oh and call me Sun. I kind of have a reputation here.”
‘No wonder. He definitely looks like Sun from RWBY.’
“Heh… You always do wherever you go.” He chuckled, fist bumping his cousin. He was glad to see him again and personally surprised that all the noise had not woken up Lumen. “Oh right, Introductions. I’m Lance Walker. Also known as Gunvolt and The Azure Striker by the ponies in my world.”
“Sun Wukong. Faunus.”
“Nicko Nocte. Rune Slayer, pleasure to meet all of you-.” But before Nicko could finish, some pink smoke arose from behind him and what took form caused Loki’s heart to race.
“Hello boys… Names Eris. Nicko’s friend, partner, Daughter of Discord and Celestia where I’m from, Draconequus and Spirit of Chaos.”
Loki gave a smile. “Really spirit? Hey Discord come out and meet your daughter thing whatever.” The Astral projection of Discord appeared next to Loki.
“Yes?”
“Names Loki, the second and current god of chaos and this is my Discord the first god of Chaos, until the the elements of Disharmony went all fuse them together.” The Astral projection of Discord though, was annoyed by Eris’ hand passing though his body.
“Stop that.”
“Aww…” Eris pouted. “I wish I could touch him…”
“Eris,” Nicko whispered “Please behave yourself. This is technically what you wanted to call a “date” by your standards.”
“Ooh. Hehe… Sorry.”
Sun himself just sighed. “Okay, so let me get this straight. There’s four Displaced, including me, three versions of Draconequus and a one hundred percent likely of a chance that we would have Celestia come out here any-.”
SLAM!!!
“-minute.”
‘Wait, Celestia? Could that be who Max was talking about-?” Lance thought to himself before he heard a sudden and abrupt opening of doors, followed by the trotting of multiple hooves and the voice of a female that sounded a lot like a Princess in charge.
“Sun, what in the name of-!?” All four of the Displaced turned to see a shocked Fluttershy, Princess Celestia and this world’s version of Discord staring at them. “WHAT IN THE NAME OF ME IS GOING ON!!?!!?”
“Oh… right…… Maybe we should all come inside first. That way we don’t attract any attention.” Lance facepalmed himself. Despite getting a new name, Sun was still the same old him. Crazy and at times, unaware of his own situation
Nicko nodded his head. “I agree with Sun. If Loki didn’t catch their attention just yet, then Eris would definitely would.”
“Ok, I’ll be the one to start as I’m probably the one with the most experience, I am Loki, and this astral being is my Discord, I am the second god of chaos in equestria and a Displaced, what is a Displaced you may ask?” With a snap of a talon around the a bunch of small floating orbs appeared, “Pretend these are all universes, me sun, and the others come from one universe and been scattered around the multiverse… and beyond and now can summon one another via tokens, however I don’t want to brag I’ve learned how to open short universe wormholes..” Loki finished. “Now then they were answer anymore questions for you.”
“Yes. Am I to assume that you are a Displaced as well, Sun?” The Princess then asked.
“Yeah, but I had only been summoned twice. I had never really summoned any before and I didn’t know that the fang I saw earlier was Loki’s token until he told me.”
“Token?”
“Displaced can summon other Displaced by using their tokens. As a demonstration for Princess Luna, I used this stone and this pin to summon both Nicko and Lance.”
“Hello to you as well, Princess.” The redhead which Lance now knew as Nicko replied.
“Wow… I never thought that a handsome one like you would have such dashing manners.” Celestia chuckled. “Care to introduce yourself?”
“Certainly. My name is Nicko Nocte and I’m a Rune Slayer. A Swordsman who fights with Runic Magic.” The Displaced demonstrated by conjuring a ring of red runes around his body. “I can use them for Multiple purposes to help me stay on my game and survive.”
“Well you are a videogame character, what's your score? 10,000?” Loki said with a laugh.
“I don’t play by scores.” Nicko replied. “How about Lance explain about himself this time, Loki?”
“Sure go ahead.” Loki said as he decided to to do something with a map that he kept on him. The Azure Striker, who was using his energy blade to clean out his nails while he was waiting looked back at Loki and smiled, putting the weapon away behind him under his coat. In the brief second that everypony sat it opened, it showed that this Displaced was armed to the teeth.
“Why thank you,” Lance replied to the Draconequus. “My name is Lance Walker, but my Codename that I go by is Gunvolt. As in that name, my powers revolve around my guns and my electricity that I can conjure because I’m an adept.” The boy even had some electricity crackle a little around him for a short amount of time before dismissing the lightning.
“Excuse me, but what is an Adept?” Discord asked, holding Reson and Honeydew in his lion paw and eagle talon.
“Adept’s are humans with Psychic powers. Mine is my electricity, but it doesn’t mean that’s the only thing I can do. Another Displaced taught me how to use energy blasts and sense the energy or “Ki” of others-.”
The Adept was interrupted by the warm humming of an artifact that hung around his neck. To him, this was the artifact of Max Caulfield. A Displaced that he had only met a few days ago. He could hear her voice, desperately calling him.
L-Lance, something huge just ca-came up and I n-need you here!
“I-I need to go! Something just came up! Sorry that I have to cut things short.” He replied, using the token that Max had given him to cut a rift through space as he disappeared in a flash of lightning.
Infirmary (Max’s world)
A bolt of lightning soon went off in the room that Max Caulfield was in, revealing the Azure Striker in his full attire. He saw what looked like her on a Medical examination table, clinging to her chest a little and he thought of the worst case scenario. “Max? Is something wrong?” He asked, seeing her in this state. “Are you hurt-?”
“N-not exactly.... I’ve been throwing up for the past two weeks and just found out why,” she said nervously. This got Lance to be a little bit worried for her condition. Was she sick? Hurt? Worse?
“I’ll leave the two of you to work this out,” The Doctor said as he walked towards a guard that had a sprained ankle. farther back in the infirmary.
“Maxie? What’s wrong?” Lance asked, refocusing his attention on her and calling her a nickname that he came up with on the night they first met each other during the night that Max had summoned him. He tried to hold her close, but thought that it would be best to give her some room. “You can tell me anything, you know that right?”
“W-well, you know what happened after the party?” She asked.
Lance nodded his head, recalling everything that happened from the party to Gilgamesh and to what happened when the two of them were alone and by themselves. “Yeah, I stayed with you through the day.”
Max looked down at the floor, shaking her feet a little and then muttered, “Let’s just say you weren’t shooting blanks....”
Lance was confused by the phrase at first, thinking she was referring to his pistol. “But I wasn’t using my-.” Then it hit him like a ton of bricks. “Oh… Oh my god… A-are you-?”
She nodded as Lance sat down on the bed next to her. “I-I have had children before, and I’m not scared. J-just worried what you’ll do, I think.”
The Azure Striker had to take a few moments to think things through. About what happened. What they did together. What could they do now. But then, he came up with a decision. One that took Max by surprise and filled her with joy. “I’ll stay with you. No matter what you choose, I’ll always support you.” He then reached over and caressed Max in a warm hug to comfort her. “We should be proud… We’re going to be parents.”
Her smile faded a bit as she recalled something. “We live in different universes though. How’ll we be able to support each other without waiting for the summon to go through? I don’t want our son growing up without two parents like my fillies are.”
“No one said that we had to be apart.” Lance told her. “What if we were able to combine our worlds together?”
“That would leave us with two of everyone except us....”
“What if we had a gateway between your world and mine? That way, our worlds are connected. I can talk to my Twilight about it and have you come with me to explain everything. Plus…… I think there’s one other thing we should be ready for.” The Adept said as he got something out of his coat pocket. It was a beautiful gem that he asked Radiance to cut for him. Now in the golden clutches of a grip that made it a ring.
She stared at it in confusion for a second before realizing what it meant. “R-really? You f*** a girl once and bring marriage in? Lancie, as far as I’m concerned, we’re already together.”
“I’m an idiot, what can I say.” Lance chuckled to himself as he took hold of one of Max’s hands. “Plus… I thought we should make it official.” He said as he slipped the ring onto her ring finger. “Do you like it?”
“Yes, but... we don’t know all that much about each other. I mean, you don’t know how old I am, do you?”
“We have time… So why don’t we start now?” He chuckled. “Plus, I don’t care how old you are. You’re always still beautiful to me.” Lance then pulled out a small circular device, which was his communicator that acted like a cell phone and pressed the button in the center; turning it on. It showed a few holograms of places and ponies as he told me about the individuals he met and the worlds he went to. Each one with it’s own story to tell.
“Wow. All that in only a week or two?” Max asked then she smirked. “And I thought my life was packed with action.”
The Azure Striker chuckled a bit. “Well, I’ve been only displaced for almost three weeks. To me, it’s just another day in the life of your average sixteen year old displaced… with superpowers and stuff.”
“Wait, you’re how old!?!?” Max shook her head and continued, “Great, I’m a pedophile now.”
“Not to me, Maxie. You know in other countries back home, marriage happens to children around this age right? Plus… I don’t care how old we are. I care for you and to me, that’s all that matters.” The Adept spoke, true to his word.
Max blushed and gave Lance a kiss on his cheek. “I guess you’re right. Besides, the only one who could match me for age right now would be one of the princesses or Discord.”
“Heh… Yeah… So-.”
“Ugh… W-where am I-?” Came the little voice that was now peeking out of Lance’s hair. “Hunh? Lance, where are we?”
“... So that’s what a Breezie looks like up close,” Max said.
“Max? Remember when I told you about my partner Lumen. Well, this is her. Lumen, I want you to be the first one to meet Max… and she’s my special somepony.”
“Nice to meet you, Lumen.” Max reached out a finger for the tiny pony to shake.
“Same he-.” Stopping for a moment, she nudged Max’s finger to the side. “Wait, special somepony? When did that happen?”
“When Max summoned me the first time and you were getting snuggled to death by BAYMAX back at Hiro’s workshop.”
“Oh… right… that… Not my best moment.”
“So you told me your story. Now I think it’s my turn,” Max interjected. “I think I should mention first that I was a guy back on earth.”
“Same. I don’t really care about the whole creepy gender swap thing-.” Lance interjected, only to feel a little nudge at his waist from the Pokeball that was there. “Heh… Looks like someone wants to say hello.” That’s when the Azure Striker grabbed the Pokeball and tossed it out, letting Kai emerge from the device as he faced both himself and Max.
“Max, meet Kai. Kai, this is Max.”
“I thought he was a Blaziken? At least that’s ho- Whoa!” Max jumped back a little as the little Torchic flashed white and grew into a Blaziken.
Kai himself chirped, using a talon to nudge Max around the cheeks, almost like he was wanting to tickle her. “Yeah, he kind of has that impression on people.”
“So he can evolve at will? That’s a neat little trick.” Max turned back to Kai and said, “You won’t be able to tickle me there, you know.”
“He’s actually fully grown. Zinnia helped me out with that a while ago… Like almost a week I believe.”
“You met Zinnia as well? I had a wonderful time with her during and after Applejack’s bachelorette party.”
“ …… I’m tempted to ask, but I’ll just keep my mouth shut. Plus, don’t we have something to be preparing for?” Lance asked Max, offering his hand to her kindly and in a caring manner.
“Y-yeah, I should probably get back on track,” Max said as she took Lance’s hand.
“Our first order of business though… is that you need to meet my Twilight. If we want to get our two worlds connected, then we need to talk to the brains of the Operation.” Lance said as he used a copy of his own token and channeled some energy into it. “This would be the way back to my world and I believe I should introduce you to the girls… You know… before the wedding.”
“Wait…… WEDDING!?!” Lumen squeaked as Lance had Kai return to his Pokeball. “What the hell brought all of this?”
“It might be the fact that I’m two months pregnant,” Max said. “Or it might be the fact that I’m the ruler of Equestria in this universe.”
“ …… Oh dear Luna, please tell me this is a dream.”
“Sorry, Lumen. But this is actually happening. I told you that Max is my special somepony and now you know the reason why,” Lance chuckled as Max kissed him on the cheek. “Now, are you coming along or staying here?”
“......... Goddess, do children grow up fast these days.”
“That reminds me, we should think of names for the child when we have the time.” Lance said, holding Max by him comfortably.
“Should I dare ask who is the father?” Lumen asked Max as they stood on the brink of the event horizon.
“It’s almost impossible for a stallion to get a human pregnant and aside from Zinnia, that’s all I’ve had in bed for the past two months,” Max replied. “So there’s really only one who could’ve knocked me up.” Max finished her reply by looking at Lance with the most dreamy of expressions before she started. “Stars damn it! I almost forgot about my fillies.”
Just then Mun and Sol walked in with three fillies on their backs.
“Sol, Mun, bring the girls and your hulls. We’re taking a little vacation.”
The two thestrals looked at each other and shrugged, being followed by two miniature Abrams tanks.
“So why were you throwing up?” Mun asked once they were standing behind the couple.
“I’m pregnant, and this handsome man is the father,” Max replied as they all stepped into the portal.
At that moment, from across the universe, everypony could hear the sound of a startled breezie yelling to the farthest corner of the worlds.
End Strike 17