Jason groaned as he placed a hand to his head, gritting his teeth from the pain. Orm raged inside his mind, demanding to get loose.
"It's only getting worse, isn't it?" Chrysalis asked, moving over to him and placing a hoof on his shoulder.
"I-I'm fine," Jason said, shaking his head, blinking a few times. "Come on... we have a war council to attend." He pulled away, moving down the hall. Chrysalis sighed, following after him. Gathered around the war table were the other royals, along with Seabreeze, who looked absolutely devastated.
"Now that we are all here," Celestia cleared her throat, "Let us begin. Seabreeze has come to inform us that as of now, Eclipse is laying siege to the Breezies' homeworld." She nodded to Seabreeze.
"Please," the tiny pony begged, looking at them all with pleading eyes, "We breezies don't fight, we just want to live in peace..."
"Relax, dear friend," Luna cooed, gently patting his head, "We will not let your people suffer." She turned to Jason. "You have the most experience with the powers Eclipse wields, I believe you should lead these proceedings."
Jason massaged his forehead, nodding. "This is a bit out of my league, so..." He pulled the strange book out, placed it on the table, and flipped it open. "Twilight, quill please." Twilight just blinked, levitating the quill over to him. "Thank you." He started to scribble away.
"Jason? Is that a token?" Cadance asked, raising his eyebrow.
"Yup, I just hope Hodge's info on the guy is correct..." he said, closing the book and looking at it with a sigh.
The next few minutes passed by in silence until it was broken by a purple glow. The eye on the front of the book emanated the soft glow until it slowly died out, returning to its original state.
"Okay... wonder what that means..." Jason muttered, opening the book and flipping through it until he came to a message he had not written.
Quickly reading it over, he picked up the quill once more and scratched out a response. Once he finished, he refrained from closing the book, watching it intently. Minutes later the tome glowed once more, and he watched as words began to appear on the page.
I’ll be there shortly.
"Okay, looks like he got the message," Jason said looking up, "To answer your questions, his name is Robin and he's supposed to be a tactician." Jason rubbed his head again, drowning out Orm's screams with Elvis lyrics.
"A wise choice indeed," Celestia said with a nod, sipping at her tea.
Minutes later and the hum of energy could be heard in the air. Off to the side of the room a black portal came into existence, wisps of the Void flowing around it. All eyes were turned to the phenomenon as an individual stepped from the ether, carrying a sack over his shoulder.
The individual was of average build and height, reaching roughly five foot ten. He had silver hair and was wearing a black cloak as well as a white cloth undershirt beneath. From his garb it was clear to see he was suited for action, the sword attached to his waist highlighting the fact.
His brown eyes narrowed as he took in the occupants of the room, his gaze lingering on each for a few seconds before moving on to the next. His calculative gaze ended upon Jason. “I’m assuming you’re Jason?” he asked.
"Yes, that would be me," Jason nodded, getting to his feet. "Welcome." He held out his hand, giving a smile.
Robin eyed the hand for a moment before returning the gesture, smiling softly as well. “So, I heard you’re having an elf infestation?”
"Well, not us specifically. They're invading Vanaheim, where the Breezies live." Jason explained, gesturing to Seabreeze, who nodded his head.
Robin glanced at Seabreeze, giving him another look over. “I see, and from your letter I can assume you plan on fighting back against these forces?”
"Of course," Luna spoke up, adjusting her position, making sure she wasn't putting too much weight on her stomach. "We will not let the abomination cause any more suffering than she already has."
Robin’s eyebrow raised as he took notice of Luna’s stomach, but he didn’t comment on the matter. “Abomination… I assume you’re referring to the being known as Eclipse?” He returned his focus to Jason. “You mentioned the individual was leading an army into battle, but beyond that you didn’t elaborate. I’m willing to help you, but I need as much information as you can give.”
"Take a seat," Jason said, gesturing to an empty chair before retaking his. "You know of Nightmare Moon, correct?"
Robin nodded as he accepted the seat, setting his bag on the floor beside him. “Yes, I’m aware of Nightmare Moon and her quest for eternal night…” he trailed off as he looked at Jason with surprise. “What, was she not defeated in your timeline?”
"Oh no, she was, and she's sorta... back," Jason said, rubbing the back of his neck. "You, uh... wanna take this Luna?"
"Of course." She nodded. "Some time ago, I asked Jason for his aid in ridding myself of the last traces of the Nightmare in myself... it did not end as we hoped. It was able to use Jason to leave my body, splitting itself into Nightmare Moon, who is harmless, and Eclipse, who made herself a new body from Jason as well as creating her own Omnitrix."
Robin frowned as he listened closely. “Alright, but what exactly is an Omnitrix?”
"This." Jason held up his Omnitrix arm, showing Robin. "The Omnitrix is a device that stores the DNA of over a million species. It allows its user to change into any of those species." He demonstrated, shifting into Wildvine.
Robin hummed as he looked over the new form. “Fascinating. You’re the second individual I’ve met to utilize morphing based abilities. The other goes by the name of Wade and he uses some type of blue cube.”
"Ah, that dope." Jason laughed a bit. "Yeah, I met him too. Personally, I think my device is better than that stupid cube of his."
Robin’s eyes hardened as he looked Jason in the eyes. “While I’ll admit your device appears to be superior, I would prefer if you didn’t insult my apprentice so freely. He’s a bit out there, but he’s a good kid.”
"Guy tried to kill me after being chumped by a psychopathic war criminal," Jason deadpanned.
Robin groaned as he rubbed his temples. “Honestly, I would’ve thought after all the training I put him through he would be wise enough to be skeptical about information from a single source. And negative information to boot, by the sound of it. I’ll deal with him later, hopefully he’s learned his lesson since then.”
"I think we're getting off topic." Twilight coughed, looking at them. "Evil being laying siege to helpless Breezies?"
Robin chuckled as he placed his hands in front of himself. “Believe me, I haven’t forgotten. So Eclipse, a version of Nightmare Moon, is marching onto Vanaheim, the home of the Breezies. Behind her is an army of elves that follow her command. I need every little bit of intel that you have.”
He pulled out a book from his bag and a quill from within his cloak. He opened the blank tome to the first page and prepared to write. “I want to know the size of the enemy forces as well as our own. I want to know about equipment, arms, the technology of your weaponry. The more I know the better I can prepare for the coming storm.”
"I didn't see much..." Seabreeze admitted sadly. "They came out of a rip in the world itself and blocked out the sun..."
Robin paused before he even began writing. “So the forces are not of this world? And what do you mean they ‘blocked out the Sun?’”
"Darkness came out of the hole, it spread over everything," Seabreeze recalled, trembling in fear.
"Okay, how much do you know about Norse mythology?" Jason asked, "Because some of this gets a bit out there."
Robin sighed as he put down the quill. “Joy, religion is being brought in. As for your question, I’m not overly familiar with the mythology. I know small snippets, but anything beyond that is unknown.”
"It's not religion," Jason started, "It's real here. You're currently in Asgard. The Breezies inherited the realm of Vanaheim and Eclipse seems to have taken up residence in Svartalfheim, realm of the dark elves."
Robin appeared annoyed at the information, but he didn’t voice his complaints. He instead began writing down information within his book. “Alright, so we are unaware of the total number of forces that Eclipse is commanding. How many soldiers do we have for the coming battle?”
"We can spare at least 5,000 of our own troops," Celestia said, clearing her throat, "Cadance?"
"We can spare at least a thousand," Cadance spoke up.
"I uh, can't really spare anyone..." Gilda said, rubbing the back of her head, "We're mostly focused on rebuilding..."
"Relax, Gilda, it's fine." Luna soothed, before the table turned to look at Chrysalis.
The Empress sighed, rolling her eyes. "I've been communicating with the queens. In light of the situation, they're willing to commit at least 2,000 drones...on the condition that I take command of them."
"Can you handle that?" Jason asked, his eyes a little wide.
"I'll be fine, I can handle it," she assured him, giving him a peck on the lips.
Robin watched the proceedings quietly before he looked at Jason with a raised eyebrow.
"We're married," Jason said with a smile, putting his arm around Chrysalis.
“Congratulations,” he said in a monotone voice before continuing his note taking. Not breaking stride, he continued on. “So that leaves us with roughly 8,000 troops to deploy. Not bad, but I would have hoped for more.”
"I'll also be able to bring the windigos, and," Jason said, looking at Celestia and Luna, "we should be able to have Xemnas help us."
Celestia sighed, shaking her head. "If you believe it will help, we will allow him temporary freedom."
Robin’s writing faltered once more as he looked at Jason with surprise. He quickly recollected himself and asked, “I really hope you’re not talking about the cannibalistic type of Windigo. In addition to that, why would you want, from the sound of it, a convict helping in this battle?”
"Because he can create an army out of nothing," Jason responded.
“That hardly makes me feel better considering he’s currently imprisoned for a reason I don’t know,” Robin retorted. “How do we know he won’t stab us in the back?”
"Because he helped us stop his brother from destroying the world."
Robin sighed as he eventually relented, “Alright, fine, if you trust him enough then I’ll take your word for it. Still, I’ll be keeping a close eye on him.”
"Of course," Jason said with a nod. "While they're handling the logistics, why don't we go get acquainted?" Jason asked, standing up.
Robin rolled his eyes as he stood up, hoisting the bag over his shoulder once more. “Very well, I need to know all the individuals I’ll be working with anyway. Still, let’s not take up too much time.” He gave the rest of the group a look. “When we return I want to know exactly what you have planned. While I’m here, I want to be informed of every military decision you agree upon.”
Celestia nodded. "I shall send word to have Xemnas brought to Canterlot."
Jason nodded, walking out of the room, gesturing for Robin to follow. The mage followed close behind, his free hand toying with hilt of his sword as he walked. Robin was the first to break the silence. “I’ve met a couple of Displaced, and by far your world has the greatest changes.”
"Well, to be fair, it wasn't originally Equestria," Jason said with laugh.
Robin smiled. “True, but there are other details. You marrying the Empress of the Changelings is a big one. In addition to that it was clear that both Celestia and Luna are pregnant. Even a smaller change can drastically alter the original timeline.”
"Who cares?" Jason asked, shrugging his shoulders. "At least about the timeline thing."
Robin frowned. “You should care, considering what’s happening. After all, it can be considered your fault this war started in the first place.”
"No it can't," Jason said looking into his eyes
“Yes, it can,” Robin repeated with firmness. “Luna said she wanted to be completely rid of the influence of Nightmare Moon. She came to you specifically and asked for help and it was because of you and your foreign device that the Nightmare was able to create a new body.”
"Robin, I was born here."
Robin pursed his lips as he thought on what Jason said. “Is that so? Then I apologize for my assumptions… however, the end result remains the same.”
"You shouldn't be afraid of changing the future," Jason said, looking out a window, "It's not like you're altering the past."
Robin closed his eyes remained silent for a few moments. When he spoke again, his voice was hollow, “You really don’t see the bigger picture, do you? With every action that you, I, or anyone makes, we’re altering the future for better or worse. Events don’t simply die out, they change perspective. It’s not that you shouldn’t be afraid of the future, but you should be wary of it.”
"And the same wouldn't apply if we weren't displaced?" Jason asked, arching an eyebrow.
“Did I say it wouldn’t?” Robin replied, smiling softly.
"My point is, embrace the future, don't shun it."
Robin shook his head as he still held onto his smile, but didn’t respond. The two lapsed into silence as Robin continued to follow Jason through the halls. The quiet was once more broken by Robin, “So, how does the title of Emperor feel?”
"It's prince, actually." Jason corrected.
“Oh? Did you not marry Chrysalis and is she not an Empress?”
"I did but, I'm Equestrian royalty, I was a prince before we married. She and Rarity became pony royalty as well."
Robin grunted as he situated his bag into a more comfortable position. “I swear, I ask a single question and only get more questions for my efforts.”
"It was me though who united the changelings and ponies, with the help of a Displaced named Kat Shifter."
“Never heard of her.” Robin sighed shortly after. “Listen Jason, as much as I’m enjoying our talk, that’s not the reason as to why I’m here. So unless you have any questions for me, I think I’ll return to the war council.”
"You go, I have to go get Rainbow Dash." He nodded, starting to walk off.
Robin shook his head, walking down the hall they came from. He made it back to the council easy enough, the voices hushing as he entered the room alone. He retook his seat and dropped his bag by his side before looking over the faces of the others. “So, what plans have you come up with?”
"Due to the... condition of my sister and myself, we will be unable to join you in battle," Celestia said, sitting up, "We need to keep a portal open long enough to get our forces through all at once."
Robin nodded absentmindedly, his thoughts elsewhere. Just before Celestia and Luna left the room he called out to them, “Celestia, you have a connection with the Sun here, correct?”
"Of course." She nodded.
“Have you tried to move the sun so it’s no longer blocked by the Moon?”
"You misunderstand my friend, every realm has its own Sun and Moon."
Robin drummed his fingers on the table in thought. “I see…”
"I can't believe you're having a war council without me," Hel complained, rising up out of the shadows and crossing her arms.
"Jason explained that you wouldn't get involved," Luna commented, a frown forming on her face.
"Not militarily, but I can help get your army there, I don't think Lady Dash can keep a portal open that long or ferry that many people through." Hel rolled her eyes before looking down at Robin. "Ah hello there, I take it Corypheus summoned you?"
Robin looked up at the giant, raising an eyebrow in question. “I’m assuming you’re referring to Jason? If so, then yes, he did summon me. May I inquire who you are?”
"Forgive my manners," she said, giving a slight bow. "I am his grandmother. Hel, goddess of death. A pleasure to meet you."
Robin looked amused as he returned the bow with a low nod of his head. “The Goddess of Death, hmm? The more I learn about Jason the stranger he appears.”
"Oh, you have no idea." She laughed. "Why, my brothers include a giant wolf, a giant snake and an eight legged horse! But you're not here for me, you're here to help Cory."
“Indeed, but I’ve been called on short notice and I can only do so much. While I can direct the placement of the troops, I am unaware of the battle’s landscape or the size of the enemy force,” Robin explained as he fetched his journal once more.
"I myself cannot commit any forces," Hel spoke, earning a glare from Shining Armor.
"And why not?"
"Because the army of the dead is only permitted to march during Ragnarok," she answered, looking down at Robin. "May I speak to you in private?" She asked, opening up a black portal.
Robin deadpanned as he looked between Hel and the black portal. He sighed and checked the inside of his cloak before rising from his chair. “I suppose so.” He entered the portal, Hel following him close behind. They walked out into a grey expanse that seemed to stretch out in every direction.
"Very few get to see Yggdrasil, it drives most mad to be out in the void," she commented, looking up at the empty black sky, "We can talk privately here, the only one out here is Nidhugg but he's too busy chewing on the roots to bother us."
Robin coughed into his fist as he regained Hel’s attention. “And what exactly needs to be discussed which requires so much privacy?”
"I'll save you the unnecessary details, but Cory has recently gained a form that has given a voice to the rage and bloodlust inside of him and a previous voice has left his mind. This new voice has been eroding his self-control. I would task you with keeping an eye on him."
Robin closed his eyes in thought as he lowered his head. He was silent for almost a minute before his eyes opened once more. “I can go one step further. With a little help from me, I should be able to help him contain the voice. I’ll be unable to fully remove it from his head, but I can push it deeper into his mind, lessening its influence.”
"That's something you'll have to discuss with him, I cannot make that choice for him. I merely ask for you to watch him...in exchange," she waved her hand a little and what looked like a sapling grew up out of the ground, "You may have a piece of Yggdrasil itself."
Robin looked down at the sapling, sensing the power in such a little thing. “I can sense a lot of power emanating from it, however,” he looked back up at Hel, “there might be something else you can do for me. I only ask this because you are the Goddess of Death. Do you know what a Soul Gem is?”
"I do," she nodded, "I don't use them myself."
Robin nodded. “You see, I’m working on a side project in my free time. I’ve run into a bit of a snag, however, and I require a catalyst, preferably a jewel of some kind. The reason I asked about the Soul Gem is because it is designed to hold vast amounts of energy. Would you happen to have any on you, large ones at that? I would rather not strike deals, but I will if I need to. I’m very passionate about this project of mine.”
Hel laughed, easily lifting the sapling out of the ground. "I believe this will do better than any gem you can run across."
Robin inspected the sapling with confusion as Hel handed it over to him. “Are you saying this little thing can hold more energy than a gem designed to entrap souls?”
"This is but a branch of the world tree," she gestured around them, "We're standing on it even now, its size is incomprehensible, really."
Robin’s eyes lit up as he looked back up at Hel. “I’m sorry to ask, but would it be possible for you to reshape it into a gem? I’d like to tinker with it at a later date.”
"I can ask the Dwarves, they can make anything out of anything. They even made actual growing hair out of gold." She laughed, smiling. "You know, I just so happen to be a fan of Fire Emblem, got any spare tomes?"
Robin furrowed his brow. “How do you know about the world of Fire Emblem?”
"I started playing video games in place of reading," she said simply, pulling out a purple 3DS.
Robin’s eyebrow twitched, but didn’t comment on the device. He reached inside his cloak and withdrew a green colored tome, offering it to Hel. “If you can ask the dwarves to alter the sapling, I’ll be more than happy to part with a tome or two. I usually carry a few Arcwinds around, so it’s no real loss to me.”
"Then we have a deal, and no I'm not going to screw you over like Satan or Hades, I have honor." She snapped her fingers, opening up a portal back to the war room.
Robin chuckled and left the void, returning to his seat. “So, did I miss anything?”
"You've been gone a few hours." Jason commented, munching on an enigma berry. "The others left to marshal our forces."
Robin groaned as he placed his head in his hands. “Wonderful, I missed more of the meeting.”
"Want a berry?" Jason asked, offering one.
Robin glared at Jason. “I think I’ll pass. While we’re alone though, I want to talk to you about something that Hel brought up. I heard you’ve been having trouble with a voice in your head?”
He sighed, leaning back in his chair. "She really needs to stop spying on me..."
Robin chuckled and tapped the desk. “Perhaps, but I’m glad she brought it to my attention. You see, I’m talented in many fields, and one of them happens to be of the mind itself. If you want I can help you subdue that voice of yours.”
"If you can help, try. Hell, I'll even throw in a bag of Enigma berries and some spell books."
“You don’t need to worry about repaying me, I got Hel to do me a favor. Anyway, I want to make a few things clear before I try anything. For starters, I cannot remove the voice from your head. It has become a part of who you are the moment you acquired the form. Secondly, it will occasionally come out under certain circumstances. Hel described this voice as one full of ‘bloodlust and rage’. Should you let your anger control you the voice will resurface. Lastly, you’ll need to meditate every once in awhile. I plan on creating a… ward of sorts within your mind. You should be able to maintain it indefinitely through sheer concentration and will alone.”
"You... you realize I'm a berserker, right?" Jason asked, raising his eyebrow.
Robin grinned. “There is a difference between ‘controlled anger’ and bloodlust.”
"I suppose you have a point," Jason said with a laugh. "Try away my friend."
Robin rose from his seat and walked over to Jason. He placed a hand upon his head and closed his eyes. “Try to remain relaxed. You should be able to ‘feel’ me within you, but beyond that nothing else should occur. Just promise me you won’t fall asleep while I mess with your head?”
"Yes, I promise I won't fall asleep."
I focused on Jason’s mind as I probed it and the information it contained. I was surprised by what I found simply on the surface. I could sense three different personalities, with one stronger than the others. I focused on the stronger of the three, and soon I could feel the rage pushing back against me. I grimaced as I felt the bloodlust attempt to envelop my own will. Whatever Jason had stored in his noggin was powerful. I would need to interfere directly.
I pushed a bit harder, and managed to break through Jason’s mental barriers. When I closed the opening behind me, the world turned white for a brief moment. Then it was replaced with a black void.
“Hello!” A cheery voice called, belonging to a grinning... Discord!?
I eyed the creature warily, my arms held behind my back. This wasn’t the presence I had originally felt, but the thought of Discord running around through anyone’s head sent alarms off in my head.
“... Hello to you too. Discord, why are you here?” I asked, keeping my posture.
“I’m not Discord! I’m Hodgepodge! What, you trying to say we all look alike!?” He dramatically pointed a talon at me. “Dat's racist!!!”
I gave him a bored look. “I suppose it is, but as of right now I could care less.” My eyes turned cold as I stepped forward. “I don’t know what purpose you have in Jason’s mind but I suggest you either leave or I’ll force you out myself.”
“I live here.” He rolled his eyes and flicked my nose. “Why so serious?”
I scrunched up my face in annoyance and took a step back. He lived here? I suppose if he’s a separate personality of Jason that’s partially true. I sighed and rubbed my head with a hand. Nothing is ever easy, is it?
“I’m being serious because I offered Jason to subdue a rather bloodthirsty personality he recently picked up. What I didn’t think I’d have to deal with was a draconequus,” I said, glaring at Hodgepodge.
“It must be said, you never realize what you have until it’s gone...” Hodge sighed. “Orm wasn’t that big of an issue until Hughes, that was another guy who lived here, decided to leave. I kind of miss him... except for all the name calling.. and the insults... and the asshole attitude...”
I rolled my eyes once more. He might not be Discord, but he certainly acted like him to some extent. “So sorry for your loss, but I have my own problems. One of which involves sealing a very angry, very hostile personality. So if you’ll excuse me, I need to take care of that now,” I finished as I turned around, starting to walk away from him.
“Oh, you mean Orm!” He floated along beside me. “You’re going to need my help for this!”
I gave him an even look as I come to a stop. “And why exactly do I need your help? I’m quite fluent when it comes to tampering with the mind, and I don’t see this ‘Orm’ giving me much trouble.”
“Because Orm is an expression of Jason’s bloodlust. Now, that might seem ordinary but Jason is a jotun, and his blood is old. We’re talking, millions if not billions of years of rage condensed through the generations, into our sorry friend here.”
My eye twitched as I processed this new information. If it wasn’t one thing it was something else. I sighed and began to massage my temples. Apparently I could get a headache while inside someone else's mind.
“If that’s the case, then I could use some help. If we’re talking a time frame on such a wide scale then it could take me who knows how long to fix this…” I trailed off as I racked my brain for a possible solution to this. Normally I would be able to simply hold off the presence while I erected barriers, but with a being this powerful my concentration would be too diverted. I looked back at Hodgepodge and gave him a once over. “Do you think you can distract Orm and keep his attention away from me?”
“Does the internet have memes?” he asked, giving a bright smirk.
I gave him an unamused glare in response. “I’ll take that as a yes. Now, all we have to do is corral him into this vicinity.”
“That shouldn’t be too hard. He hates everything else that's alive.” Hodge nodded sagely. “He’ll be here soon.”
“Wonderful,” I stated, sharpening my mind. “Now here’s the plan. You’re going to distract him and keep him off of me for as long as possible. I’m going to be creating a mental ‘container’ of sorts to keep him locked away. Just before I close it you need to get out, otherwise you’ll be trapped in there with him… and in a very enclosed space too.”
“Yes, that does sound horrible.. I’ll make sure to avoid that...” he muttered as a roar pierced the air. A large lizard creature barreled out of the darkness, acid dripping from its mouth. “Speak of the devil...”
“And he shall come,” I finished for him. Within my mind I pictured the form of the construct I wanted to create. It would be clear, almost invisible to the eye. With any luck Orm wouldn’t pick up on it until it was too late. Now all I needed was that distraction.
I couldn’t help but smirk as I looked over at Hodge. “I think your roommate is angry. Why not go see what’s wrong?”
“Oh hai Orm!” Hodge smiled teleporting onto the creature’s back. “So... how's your sex life?”
“You waste of existence!” Orm roared, bucking like a bronco, trying to throw Hodge off. “I’ll devour your worthless essence!”
“Ick! I taste terrible! Like pecan swirls!” Hodge made a face, hanging on by Orm’s horns. “And we all know how horrible those are!”
“Cease your incessant prattling!” Orm roared, and I could feel the area filling with rage and hate.
I steeled my mind against the raging emotions, focusing on my task at hand. I began to construct the mental cell around the two personalities. To the unknown eye it would appear to be little more than a thin film of glass. But to those who were experienced with the mind, they would realize the prison I was slowly creating. I focused on the back first, letting my powers flow freely while Hodge had Orm distracted. I constructed the back half of the sphere first, out of Orm’s eyesight. With any luck Hodge could keep Orm occupied until the very end.
“I will grind your bones into dust!”
“I don’t have bones nimrod! We’re mental constructs in Jason’s mind. We don’t actually exist.” Hodge rolled his eyes in a 'duh' fashion.
Orm just roared, thrashing around, shaking Hodge like a wet noodle.
“Ride 'em cowboy!!!” Hodge shouted, waving around a cowboy hat.
I couldn’t help but roll my eyes at the ridiculous display. I think I found the real reason this Orm is always so angry, especially if he has to share a mind with Hodge. I chuckled as I continued to build the sphere, the glass growing around the two rampaging mentalities. I was roughly 75% complete. Soon Hodge was going to have to act if he wanted to escape the same fate as Orm.
“Bye Orm! Have fun being a Rubix cube!!” Hodge gave the lizard a hug before appearing next to me.
“What!?” Orm shouted, only now realizing he was trapped. “I will find you fleshling! I will feast on your bones! Your world will be reduced to naught but ash!!!”
I merely laughed. This Orm sounded more like an angry child then the monster I perceived him to be. “Is that so? Well, I’m sorry to disappoint you, but you’re horribly weak compared to what I have to deal with.”
“Actually,” Hodge cut me off. “Orm’s species can survive and adapt to everything. The can even survive the destruction of universes. If one gets on your world, you're as good as dead, because they won’t stop, feel no remorse and are omnicidal assholes.”
I turned my head and gave Hodge a sad smile. “Then I wish I had him to deal with rather than the alternative I’ll be subjected to in the future.” I shook my head and flicked my hand, expelling my power onto the dome. It was time to put an end to this. I forced the bubble to close in on itself, the sphere shrinking by the second until Orm could barely turn his body.
“He’ll get back out you know, at some point at least,” Hodge pointed out.
“Not if Jason takes precautionary measures,” I argued. “I should know since I’ve held something just as dangerous as your friend here for longer than I care to remember. I’ll instruct him on how to reinforce the barrier himself. I hope he enjoys meditating.”
“Yeah... that won’t last a chapter...” Hodge coughed, looking away. “Anyway, thanks for the help!!”
I gave the draconequus a smile and a wave. “Don’t mention it. Have fun with the extra space.” With that I broke the connection and left Jason’s mindscape, returning to my own.
Robin grunted before he started focusing his magic into Jason. Jason felt a small tingle within his head, but nothing more than that. Time dragged on as he remained seated in his chair, left with little to do other than twiddle his thumbs. After over a good hour and a half of silence Robin opened his eyes, smirking in victory.
Robin returned to his seat, falling into it with a huff as he looked over at Jason. “Well, that was more complicated than I thought it was going to be. For starters, did you know that you have two voices in your head? One appeared to be a draconequus that identified itself as Hodgepodge and the other was the troublemaker who called himself Ormagoden. I was tempted to seal the other as well, but he helped me quite a bit and told me you two were friends, so I gave him the benefit of the doubt.”
"We would have had one hell of a problem if you sealed Hodge," Jason said, giving Robin a flat look. "He's a nice guy and I can't control Alien X without him."
Robin huffed. “Well it’s a good thing I didn’t, then. Besides, I was only aware of a single voice, not two.” He ended with a sigh. “Regardless, Ormagoden shouldn’t be a problem for you any more as long as you maintain your cool and meditate every so often to reinforce the barriers I set up. Chances are you’ll hear him again soon though, as you enter battle, but he’ll fade into the background as things quiet down again.”
"Thanks," Jason said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a small box. " I've been working on this for a while but... this is my displaced care package. It's basically just a bunch of stuff you might find useful."
Robin inspected the box with interest as he accepted it from Jason. He opened it, taking a look at its contents. Inside of the box was a leather bag which, upon closer inspection, held quite a few colorful seeds. The box also contained some form of wrist device, a few books, a glowing cube and Jason’s token.
Robin looked up at Jason with a raised eyebrow. “I appreciate the gesture, but I’m afraid I don’t know what any of this stuff does.”
"Enigma berries will heal you up most of the way if you're injured, you got enough seeds to start a grove or orchard or whatever. That wrist band will play whatever music you can think of, the cube is for storage, that cylinder is my token and those are extra spell tomes I had Twilight make."
Robin looked back into the box with renewed interest. “That’s quite a bit, are you certain you can part with all of this?”
"We have an Enigma orchard already and I made the cube and wrist thing," Jason explained. "Those books are copies of the originals, they teach Final Fantasy spells."
Robin snapped his head up in shock at the name of spells. “Final Fantasy? You wouldn’t by any chance know of a warrior named Gilgamesh, do you?”
Jason smirked a little. “Yup! Dear old dad, he whipped me into shape when I first got here.”
Robin was silent as he stared at Jason, unblinking. He remained in such a way for several moments before he snapped out of his stupor. “... Gilgamesh is your father? That carefree, kindhearted buffoon is your dad?”
“Well, adopted father but father nonetheless.” Jason didn’t lose his smile. “I’m surprised he doesn’t brag about me.”
Robin frowned and glanced down at the table. “When I visited him I stayed with him for a week, helping him and the united armies as a tactician. A lot had happened in that short amount of time, and while he wouldn’t readily admit it, I could tell he was stressed. That was roughly one month ago my time.”
“You mean the war? When dad was last here he told me it was over.” Jason shrugged. “Time is weird. That's why I let Hodge handle it all.”
Robin’s eye twitched and he inhaled deeply. “You know what? Fine. Time travel it is. Fuck it. There’s more important things to talk about anyway. Like the war you currently find yourself in.”
“I’m gonna rip her heart out,” Jason stated calmly, his eyes flashing red.
“Beautifully put,” Robin stated flatly. He took a moment to shake his head before looking back down at the box of gifts. “Are you sure I can take all this? I feel I haven’t done much to garner this boon.”
"You're helping out more than you know," Jason said with a smile. "Though I wouldn't mind taking any knowledge you feel like sharing, I'm a pretty good learner."
Robin chuckled and deposited the box into his sack before leaning back into his chair. “Is that so? Well, I have a few skills under my belt, so I’m more than willing to share what I know. What would you like to learn?”
"Magic, techniques," Jason listed off. "The realms are weird, basically anything goes in this place."
Robin hummed as he vocalized his thoughts, “Well… I can’t necessarily teach you my magic in only a day. The magic I have is powerful, but it requires learning another language as well as intense training. I can, however, leave you with a translation book as well as each of the starter tomes if you want.”
"That would be great," Jason said flashing a smile, "I need all the advantages I can get in this place."
Robin laughed as he rummaged through his bag, withdrawing four tomes and a white covered book. He passed them over to Jason. “Here we have Wind, Fire, Thunder, and Flux; Wind magic, Fire magic, Thunder magic and Dark magic respectively. If you’re as good at learning as you say you are it should be easy enough for you to pick up the language. To master the actual magic itself… takes anywhere from three to four years.”
"Well, I mastered Ultima in a few weeks..." Jason said, holding up his hand, conjuring up a multi-colored distortion. "But time isn't a problem, I have thousands of years ahead of me."
Robin scowled as he examined the distortion, muttering under his breath, “Great… another one.” He sighed and shook his head. “Then this magic should come easily to you as well. Still, there are many branches to this magic so it’ll most likely take longer than a few weeks. If you’re anything like Wade, and you practice enough, you should have this down within a year’s time.”
"Sir," a changeling interrupted, tapping on the door, "The army has gathered, they await your arrival."
"Thank you." Jason nodded. The guard saluted, quickly moving off to resume his duties. "Do you need armor?" Jason asked, looking at Robin.
Robin chuckled, looking at his bag. “I’ll be fine, I have an outfit I got from Rarity that I’ve yet to see any reason to wear. Considering I’m going into an actual war, now’s as good a time as ever to try it out.”
Jason nodded, reaching into his pocket and becoming clad in his armor. "Let's go then." He moved out of the room, taking a deep breath. He stopped when he realized Robin wasn’t following, but the mage waved off his concerns. “I need to change into my armor, and unlike you, I don’t have the benefit of simply reaching into my pocket,” he ended with a laugh. “I’ll be right behind you.”
"Understood." Jason nodded, resuming his walk, reminding himself that he still needed to get his armor looked at at some point. He made his way down to the base of the mountain, where the army had gathered.
Robin joined him a few minutes later, garbed in a red cloak with golden pauldrons, looking more like the general of an army than a tactician. He gave Jason a nod, letting him know he was ready.
"We're ready when you are Jason," Twilight called, trotting over, decked out in armor identical to Jason's. Chrysalis stood nearby, wearing a similar suit of armor.
"Right," Jason said, clearing his throat, firing a Flare up into the sky, "Warriors!" he shouted, making the soldiers go quiet, "Over the past year, we have come under assault from many an enemy that wished to destroy our harmony, and each time, with the help of our friends, we sent them howling back into the darkness, but now that one of our friends is in danger, will we leave them to their fate?"
"No!" came the collective reply.
"Then let us march and show them our unity!" Jason thrust a first into the air, giving Dash her cue. She quickly ripped a portal open, which Hel empowered, opening it up wide enough to let the army pass. With a massive war cry, the soldiers rushed through, Chrysalis and Twilight leading the charge.
"Zed!" Jason whistled, causing the Baskurr to come running. She shifted into Bug Lizard, letting him climb on. "Let's go." Jason held his hand out to help Robin on.
Robin looked wary of the large creature, but took Jason’s hand nonetheless, hoisting himself onto the beast. “And where exactly are we going?” Robin shouted over the yells of the soldiers.
“You see the big portal? We’re going through that,” Jason informed as Zed bounded off. She leapt over a few shoulders, passing through the rift. The scenery changed almost instantly, to a black filled sky with a devastated landscape. Zed landed with a thud, allowing them to dismount. “Zed, hunt.” With a snort, the creature bounded off toward the battlefield. “Robin, hold still.” Jason held his hand out, casting a few spells on him.
Robin smiled as his body glowed a number of different colors, colors he was very familiar with. “Ah, Protect, Shell, and Haste. I thank you for the help, but I’ll need to reinforce them myself. Resistance to all types of magic is usually a double edged sword,” he said as his body glowed once more, recasting the spells himself.
“Let's go then.” Jason nodded, looking toward the battle. The dark elves were an ocean of blackness, already clashing with the arriving Equestrian army. “You ready?” Jason asked, looking at Robin, grim determination in his eyes.
Robin gave Jason a grin as he stepped forward. “More ready than I’ll ever be.” A blue glow came from within his cloak before a green tome flew out of it and into his waiting hand. His eyes scanned the book as the pages turned on their own. When he was finished his eyes were glowing with arcane power.
He lifted his arms towards the sky, forcing his power unto the landscape. Clouds began to form from nothing, and lightning began to shake the skies. When enough clouds had gathered he extended a single finger and began to move it, and his arm, in a circular motion. The clouds reacted to his will and they began to spin in the air, picking up speed with every passing second. Once enough energy had been poured into the spell Robin swung his arm downwards.
A large funnel, easily a mile across descended from the magical storm, slowly making its way towards the earth. When it impacted it did so violently, right in the middle of the enemy army. The two watched as elves were carried upward due to the severe wind speeds, travelling at an angle away from the Equestrian armies.
“Impressive,” Jason commented, watching the tunnel with no small amount of awe. “You want a lift?”
Robin chuckled. “Sure, where to?”
Jason smiled, walking away a fair bit. “Omnitrix, Way Big.” He shifted into the towering alien, then lowered his hand to the ground. “Hop on,” he commanded, his voice booming through the air.
Robin blinked in surprise as he gazed up at the new form of Jason. His smile soon returned though and he hopped onto the offered hand. “So, what’s the plan?” Robin yelled up at Jason.
“Draw out Eclipse. Our main priority however is to find and protect the Breezies.” Jason broke into a jog, bringing his feet down on the elves. He grunted as the elves' arrows pierced his skin, each full of the foulest black magic.
“Well then, you look for them, and I’ll keep them from attacking you,” Robin shouted as a yellow book flew out from his cloak. Soon after he started pelting the elven archers with bolts of electricity. The creatures screamed in pain as thousands of volts racked their bodies before going limp.
“I’m going to put you down now... how about you drop the bomb on them?” he asked, coming to a stop, looking at Robin.
“Sounds like a plan,” Robin called as he dropped down from Jason’s hand. As he landed upon the earth he drew his sword, the metal sparking to life as electricity traveled across the blade. A green book flew out from his cloak and hovered near him at the same time. Robin grinned as he looked at the surrounding dark elves, each of them closing in on him menacingly. He readied his blade as green blades of wind circled around his body.
“Time to take one out of Gilgamesh’s book!” Robin said gleefully as the new watch on his arm glowed faintly. A song started to fill the battlefield, horns piercing the noises of battle. The sudden song caused the elves to pause in confusion. When the introduction reached a crescendo Robin threw himself at the elves. They were unprepared for the sudden attack or the sheer speed at which the mage moved. His blade shimmered as he hacked his way through the army, moving with grace and agility.
He stopped for a moment to gather more energy around him, the wind raging around his body. With a swipe of his hand he unleashed his magic. Green blades of wind washed out over the army, cutting through armor, skin and bone with ease. Elven warriors came apart in a mismatch of bloody limbs. With his concentration diverted, he didn’t have time to evade the blast of dark magic that hit him from behind. The moment the magic hit his armor it turned red and was absorbed by the crystals located in his pauldrons.
Robin turned and gave the shocked elven mage a smile before swiftly decapitating him with a simple gesture of his hand. Robin checked his pauldrons, examining the magic held within. The magic was powerful, and the gems would no doubt overcharge if too much was absorbed over the course of the battle.
“Effectively brutal,” a new voice said from behind Robin, devoid of any real emotion.
Robin turned around and found himself looking at a tall, tan skinned man, his body hidden under a black coat. The mage gave the man a grin. “When it comes to war that’s all that really matters, isn’t it? I’m assuming you’re Xemnas?
“That would be me.” He nodded, looking out toward the elves. “Allow me to join you.” He held his hand out, summoning forth his keyblade. He raised his free hand to the sky, conjuring his Nobodies. “I owe a debt, and I intend to pay it.”
Robin grinned as he readied his blade once more. “Well, if there was ever a time to repay debts, a battlefield is a great place to start.” Robin’s blade glowed yellow as power grew within the steel. He extended the tip outward into the crowd and unleashed his attack. A beam of pure electricity erupted from his sword and skewered a number of elves before they had the chance to retaliate.
Xemnas laughed, moving gracefully through the horde, his keyblade cutting through most of them in a few strikes.
Jason reverted to normal, dropping like a rock. He hit the ground with a shockwave, an explosion of ice rocking through the area, freezing several dozen elves solid. He drew his sword, cleaving his way through the horde, reveling in the bloodshed. He paused a moment to blare his own music before resuming his conquest. A blast of dark magic sent him tumbling, his sword wrenched from his hands.
“Fuck...” he muttered to himself before falling into his newly acquired Pugilist training. Using his armored body as a weapon, he parried and attacked in a flurry of blows, punching holes in several elves. Despite this, the elves kept coming. “Omnitrix, Diamondhead!” He shifted again, firing off shards of diamond into the oncoming elves. He changed his arms into blades, cutting through them. “OK... Breezies... where would a village of tiny pony fairies be located?”
“As if we’d let you get there.”
“Oh come on...” he groaned, turning around to see Hex and Charmcaster, standing in the sea of elves. “What? Didn’t you two learn not to mess with me when I turned your leader into ground beef?”
“Trenderhoof was a fool who trusted too easily.” Charmcaster snorted before tossing a few tokens to the ground. They grew into full sized golems, upgraded from the base design, now powered by dark magic.
“You think those are going to stop me?” Jason scoffed, glaring at them.
“No, but this will...” Hex drew a sword in his magic, grinning. “I do believe you know of this blade... Dainsleif.
“Oh... fuck me...” Jason muttered, taking a few steps back. They stood there for a few moments before the golems charged. Jason cleaved through them, barely rolling out of the way as Hex slashed at him. He reverted to normal and drew Gungnir, fending off Hex’s assault, sparks filling the air.
Charmcaster was wrenched from the fight between Jason and Hex as a voice spoke from behind her. “You have quite a bit of magical power within you.”
“Who are you!?” Charmcaster jumped back, spinning around charging her horn up. “You’re one of those Displaced right? Well back off!”
Robin raised an eyebrow as he looked over the unicorn. “So, you’re not siding with the Equestrians? I can’t see why you’d follow these elves.”
“That's none of your concern!” she snarled, tossing at least a dozen tokens out. They grew into golems, charging at him.
A blue book shot out from Robin’s cloak and circled him once as he linked himself to his tome. His eyes began to glow with power as began to drain the book of its magic. Without so much as a twitch from the mage jagged shards of ice erupted from the golems, causing the constructs to explode violently in a shower of ice and rock.
“It is a concern to me,” Robin began casually as he walked towards the pony, “if you decide to attack me in the middle of a battlefield.”
“I-I said back off!” She fired off a few bolts of magic, gritting her teeth.
Robin sighed as he pushed away each of the bolts with his own magic, letting them strike the ground harmlessly behind him. “That’s strike two, girl. If you try something again, I promise you, you will regret the decision. Know when you’re beaten and run.”
She backed up before turning, tossing out a few tokens to cover her retreat. She didn’t make it far before a squad of changelings descended upon her, quickly cocooning her.
“Why thank you, Robin,” Chrysalis commented, landing next to him. “We were wondering where those two had gotten to...” She looked rather battered, with cuts on her body, her wings slightly tattered and one of her eyes swollen shut.
Robin looked over the cocooned pony. “I figured she was something special given the fact that she’s a pony fighting against the Equestrians. Regardless, I can deal with her later if need be.” He turned towards Chrysalis and looked her over, taking in her battered form. “Do you need a quick patch up? I can heal you with my magic,” he offered, retrieving a black book.
“I wouldn’t mind... I need to conserve as much energy as I can...” she panted a few times, wincing every now and then.
Robin nodded and reached his hand out towards the nearest elf. Black mist erupted from his palm and rushed towards the creature. Chrysalis and the Changelings watched as the elf slowly seemed to age, its skin becoming pale and its bones beginning to show. In only half a minute all that was left of the elf was shriveled skin and bones, the elf letting out one last scream before the light faded from his eyes.
Robin called back the black miasma and then directed it towards Chrysalis. As the black fog hovered around her, she began to feel stronger. Her cuts slowly vanished and her wings knitted back together, giving her the appearance of one not in the middle of a war.
“That was... disturbing...” she muttered, wincing again.
Robin blinked as he watched Chrysalis wince again. “Was that not enough? I can get more for you if you need it.”
“Every one of those winces... is one of my children dying...” she muttered before spreading her wings, taking to the sky again. The other changelings took up positions around Charmcaster, their weapons held high.
“Jason!” Twilight’s yell, powered by the Royal Canterlot Voice, boomed across the battlefield. “I found the village!” She fired off a magic signal visible to all.
“About fucking time!” Jason called back. He knocked Hex away with a blast of wind, shifted into XLR8, and sped over to her. A whining sound filled the air, almost like a rocket. Jason skidded to a stop, opening his faceplate in horror. “Everyone down!” he shouted, dashing forward. A moment later the ground buckled and shook as an earthshattering explosion went off, consuming the tiny village... and most of the area around it.
Twilight could only stare numbly at the crater, unable to process the genocide that had taken place.
“Pitiful little fairies. Worthless in all regards.” Eclipse lowered her arm, still full of magic from her Ultima spell.
Robin blanched as he took in the devastation from the attack. Everything was gone. The town, the inhabitants, even the ground around the impact site. All gone. Robin narrowed his eyes as his gaze moved from the destruction to the one who caused it. A small fire of rage began to grow within Robin, but he quickly and swiftly calmed himself. This wasn’t the time or place to lose control.
Robin made his way towards Twilight and Jason, yelling at them and snapping them from their shock. “We’re still in the middle of a battle! We can grieve for those who’ve perished later!”
Jason stood silently for a moment before throwing his head back, releasing a scream of rage. He summoned his sword back to his hand, the wind starting to howl. A wicked storm began to form and within a matter of moments it was a raging blizzard. He leapt forward, slashing at his doppleganger, who met his sword with her scythe.
“The bait worked like a charm.” Animo stepped into view, his artificial horn glowing brightly. “That idiot always did have an anger problem.”
Robin glared at the one who spoke, and blinked in surprise at what he found. He shook his head before confronting the earth pony. “And just who might you be?”
“I am Doctor Animo,” he spoke with a swell of pride, “And while I know not who you are, I know a prime specimen when I see one. Besides, we can’t have you coming to Jason’s aid.” His horn flashed and several crystalline monkey creatures rushed between them. “Thankfully, Eclipse allowed me access to some of the samples in her watch. I think you’ll find these quite... the hoofful.”
Robin was gritting his teeth by the time Animo had finished speaking. He switched out his blue book for a red one. “A prime specimen? Do you have any idea who you are speaking to you incompetent, narcissistic fool!? I am not someone you speak down to, you lowlife piece of trash!”
“Insult me all you wish, it changes nothing. Get him!” Animo commanded, sending the monkeys howling at Robin.
A red glow surrounded Robin and the area around him began to heat up. The ground around him began to steam and turn soft as the temperatures continued to grow to near unbearable levels. With a scream of rage Robin unleashed his attack upon the nearest monkey. A jet of pure fire erupted from his hand as it fully encased the creature. A hissing sound could be heard over the torrent of flames, and when the attack was finally finished the monkey was gone, not even ashes left behind from the attack.
Animo took a step back, eyes ever so slightly wide. “Well? Get him!” he commanded the other monkeys, who didn’t hesitate to do so.
Robin gave the assorted creatures a large smile as he kneeled upon the ground. His hands grew white as heat generated against his body. The blackened earth became little more than molten lava as Robin altered the landscape to his own desire. With a laugh the mage commanded the makeshift lava to wash over the remaining monkeys. The creatures screeched as they were submerged in molten lava, steam coming off their bodies as they slowly began to break apart. Before long each of the crystalline creatures had vanished under the sea of lava, burnt up due to the sheer heat they had been exposed to.
“Clearly, I underestimated you...” Animo admitted, backing up more, watching Robin carefully.
“That’s usually my opponent’s first mistake,” Robin replied, marching upon Animo, “and it’s almost always their last.”
“If you don’t mind, I could use a little help!” Animo called before a lumbering, green skinned creature with a cage on its head stepped between them, glaring down at Robin.
Robin returned the creature’s glare with one of his own. “Mind moving aside so I can forcibly remove the head of that pony? I find myself wanting a wall ornament for my home.”
The creature just stared before the gate hiding its face started to open... revealing the most hideous thing Robin had ever seen. Utter terror gripped him, freezing him in place. Animo just smirked, trotting up to Robin, taking a sample of his blood.
“I believe our business is concluded, my friend.” He gave a mock bow before galloping off into the sea of bodies.
Robin’s terror stricken face suddenly melted away into absolute indifference. He continued to look into the horrible face of Toepick as he spoke in a monotone voice, “Did you know I can turn parts of my brain off? I can’t feel any emotions right now, including fear,” he spoke in a dead and hollow voice.
Toepick didn’t have a chance to respond before Robin extended his hand, palm facing his head. Robin suddenly squeezed his hand into a fist, and the reaction was instantaneous. Toepick’s head exploded into a shower of gore as face, cage, and brain matter coated the battlefield. Shortly after the headless body collapsed to the floor before the unemotional mage. A few seconds passed before a wave of relief passed over his face. “I hope I never have to experience something like that again,” he muttered to himself, shivering.
Twilight galloped over to him, stopping a few feet away. “Robin are you-” she was cut off as a sword pierced her throat, the young alicorn spitting up blood. She looked down, eyes wide in shock, gingerly touching the tip with a hoof. The blade was yanked back and she collapsed, choking on her own blood. Hex stood behind her, the sword levitating in his magic.
Robin’s face paled as he silently rushed to the alicorn's aid. Without even looking at Hex he pulled out a black tome and quickly read over it. He began to pour his own energy into the unicorn. He smiled when he saw hole in her throat begin to close up… before returning to its previous bloody mess. Robin shook his head as he continued to pour magic into the dying alicorn, to little success.
“C'mon Twilight, don’t die on me,” Robin said more to himself then the alicorn he held in his arms.
“You won’t save her,” Hex stated coldly. “This blade never fails to kill and the wounds it inflicts never heal.”
Robin began to shake as he looked into the eyes of the dying mare, watching as the light slowly left them. So much the mage had experienced lately, so much to strain his already fragile mind. He lost his friend, he came to terms with the purpose in his life, and now he had been forced to hold a mare he called friend while she died in his arms.
“Kill them all…”
Robin’s mind snapped.
~meanwhile~
“I’ll rip your heart out of your chest!” Jason screamed, swinging his sword wildly. He didn’t care that Robin’s work was slipping, that Ormagoden was breaking his chains. He wanted Eclipse dead, dead and buried.
“Please, I’m better than you in every way possible!” she taunted while sidestepping his slashes, countering with a punch to the stomach. Their Omnitricies flashed blue, synching up. “And I just acquired all the scans you’ve gotten since we last met.” She blasted him into some trees, popping up the dial of her Omnitrix. She didn’t get a chance to activate any of her ill gotten forms though, as Jason burst through from the debris, sending a barrage of ice spikes at her. She threw her hand out, melting most of them with a blast of Fire.
“I don’t care what you take! Nothing will save you from me!” Jason screamed, casting Quake. Eclipse stumbled, watching the ground crack and crumble, jumping onto another section as it rose up into the air.
“It must hurt to know that you failed! That because of your incompetence an entire race is dead!” Eclipse taunted, throwing out several blades of darkness. Jason tanked the hits, not noticing the nicks forming on his breastplate.
“You shut your fucking mouth!” Jason roared, ripping a tree out of the ground and chucking it at her. She easily cleaved through it, only for Jason to appear at her side, punching her in the face. Taking advantage of her surprise, he grabbed her arm, bringing his elbow down on it, breaking it. With a snarl, he tossed her down into the crater, following it up with a blast of Flare. He stood there, panting, taking a moment to catch his breath. He gave the battlefield a scan, his heart swelling as he watched the army of Equestria push back the tide of blackness. His blood ran cold however, when he witnessed Hex putting a sword through Twilight’s neck. That sword. He gazed on in mute silence as Robin tried... and failed to heal her. A whirl of darkness brought him back to reality, just in time to see Eclipse swing her scythe.
Jason let out a weak gasp as Eclipse’s scythe buried itself in his stomach, having found one of the nicks in his armor, easily cleaving through his spine. She just smirked at him, hefting him up into the sky, the fires of war painting the dark sky a deep red.
“I have been waiting for this moment for months,” she spat at him, a laugh escaping her lips, “I’m going to enjoy crushing the life out of those pretty wives of yours.” She brought him in close for one last taunt, but he reached out and gripped her Omnitrix.
“A little gift from me to you,” he glared back, surging magic into the device. “Choke on it.” He smirked at her before her Omnitrix overloaded in a spectacular explosion of purple energy, blasting the two of them out of Vanaheim.