//------------------------------//
// Log 18- Red Dawn 
// Story: Of Magic and Machines 
// by FrostTheWolf 
//------------------------------//


Of Magic and Machines- Red Dawn




Ponyville (Day of Hearth’s Warming)

        As the snow began to fall and the day began to progress, mostly everypony was excited by the presents that they received on Hearth’s Warming. Pinkie had gotten a special baking cookbook so she could plan to bake more recipes whenever she had the time, Twilight had received a vast amount of research material to continue her studies in the developments of magic and all of the guests that were at the celebration on Heart Warmers eve got gifts that were related to each one’s interest and personality. Spike had even received a limited edition Power Ponies Annual that was so rare, it was no longer sold in stores anymore.

        But the biggest gift that Nicko was grateful for was the gift of seeing his family again. The Nocte’s now had a new home in ponyville, Eris had accepted his proposal for marriage and now they were all under one roof. One happy family together at last. But it also meant that Nicko had to inform his parents, his student Moondancer and his friend-turned-brother Leo about the Displaced. He had talked about it with Eris and the two of them agreed that the best way for them to learn about it was to see it in action.

        Even Anson agreed to help with the matter. That to him, was progress. But on the other hand, talking to Twilight about it seemed to have brought up some incidents that had happened in the past. As it turns out, Ponyville had it’s fair share of Displaced moments even before Nicko was released from his stone statue. And that was because of Amy. A golden bear named Freddy and a gravity queen named Kat were amongst the few Displaced that had caused some… trouble for Celestia and the Elements of Harmony.

        Despite this though, things had gone quite smoothly this morning and even Prince Artemis had decided to stop by the Nocte’s new home to see how the family was settling in. When Nicko had caught him up to speed on what he was planning to do, Artemis surprised him by saying that he wanted to join in and learn a thing or two about them. He had a very interesting experience with Kat when she was here and he was interested in learning about the Displaced ever since meeting her. So what a better way to start than by listening in on the explanation?

        It all sounded good in theory and it was off to a great start. The Rune Slayer had showed them the research report that was composed by Clover the Clever on the matter and that did wonders. Around the moment where they were about to talk about summoning a Displaced was when things did not go according to plan. Around then, Nicko felt like he was being yanked by a bungee cord. A sign that a Displaced was going to summon him.

        “Well, that’s ironic.” He mumbled, just as he was getting off the floor and grabbing his red coat. “We just started talking about summoning a Displaced and one of them is trying to summon me.”

        “Should we wait til you get back?” Artemis asked.

        “Actually, I had something planned for if this came up,” Eris interjected, using her magic to conjure an orb the size of a bowling ball and set it on the floor. “Thanks to this scrying orb, we can see everything that Nicko encounters while he’s in the world of the Displaced that is calling him. Sometimes, it’s better just to show you how something works than just telling you and I think this could be a perfect case.”

        “I couldn’t agree more,” Nicko’s brother, Anson, replied. He remembered when he summoned Orpheus in order for The Infinity Sword to defeat Eric. Now, somepony was probably relying on Nicko’s help. “Just be careful. Not all Displaced are considered friendly.”

        “I already had to deal with an undying juggernaut that tried to bash my head into the ground if it weren’t for Faith’s actions and my quick thinking,” The Rune Slayer retorted, recalling the incident with Solomon Grundy back at Celestia’s school for gifted unicorns. “I think I got this.” With that, he let the pulling sensation overtake him as he soon faded out of the room and all the people inside watched Eris’ Scrying orb whir to life.



Canterlot (Realm of the Shadow)

        To say that everything was calm and peaceful in this version of Equestria was a bit of an understatement. Discord had only been freed for almost two days and within that timeframe, he managed to cause a lot of chaos and make a few mistakes. One mistake being that he didn’t realized how Celestia’s student would free herself from being discorded. And now, it was most likely that the rest of the elements were free as well.

        Honesty, Generosity, Kindness, Laughter, Loyalty and finally, Magic.

        Time was limited for the Draconequus. Very limited. So, he did the only thing that he could in that instance and struck a deal with the other powerful being that he had freed. Now, he was going to enact a plan that the two of them had put together. It was now in the late afternoon and sundown was only hours away. Once the plan was successful, his “partner” could take care of the rest.

        Of course, that would be the case if something else didn’t catch his attention at that moment. Earlier, a stone with a weird inscription dropped on top of his head and landed at the base of one of the statues. The copy that he had specifically created. But in that moment, a small flash of light went off. Unaware to the Spirit of Chaos at all.



        The first thing that Nicko felt as he emerged in this new world was being thrown like a ragdoll into a stone statue. The Rune Slayer have had his fair share of crash landings, but out of all of those times, none of them involved a stone statue in Canterlot’s royal garden. He had a blistering headache and was trying to make sense of what was going on. The first thing he did notice was all the things in the air that were floating around. Chairs, books, filing cabinets. Anything that wasn’t held down by a superior force was floating in suspended animation. Which lead him to believe the most likely case for something like this. 

        Discord.

        Back home, Eris had told him of the past mistakes that her father had committed and right now, he was in someone else's timeframe that was years behind his own. When he got onto his feet though was when he notice the statue that he crashed into. A bipedal creature with a headband that held back his hair and wore very strange clothing. Pointed shoes, strange baggy pants that reminded the Rune Slayer of his old garments and other pieces lied in a pile. But the metal nameplate that was there before still remained. It only had one word across it.

        “D… I… O…” Nicko spelled out. At first, he thought that there was a spelling error. Maybe they meant “Diego” or something along those lines. But he had no time to think. He felt the presence of this world's Discord looming closer. He had to hide.

        Quickly, he took cover by a wall of a hedge maze and saw this world spirit of chaos survey the scene in front of him, scratching his head with his eagle talon. “Now this is bizarre. I swore that the fake statue I had here for Dio was still standing last time I looked.”

        “So that person’s name is Dio,” Nicko thought to himself, wondering why exactly would someone name himself the italian word that meant “God”. He didn’t have much time to think on it though as he began to hear some commotion from nearby.

        “There he is!!”

        “Let’s get him, girls!!”

        “Hang on a second… Is that… Twilight?” The Rune Slayer questioned, seeing that the Alicorn Princess that he knew back in his realm was only just a Unicorn here. He looked on as he watched the Mane Six seal Discord away in stone and have everything go back to normal again. Even this world's version of Celestia came down to congratulate them on their success. However, her kind words soon turned into shock as she looked at the crumpled pile of what was once a statue.

        “T-that’s impossible. How can—?”

        “Princess, is something wrong?” Twilight asked, now looking at the pile of rubble as Rainbow Dash floated over and started to poke it. “It’s just a broken statue.”

        “It’s not just an ordinary stone statue, my dear student.” The princess said to her, with words of caution in her voice. “This statue was of another creature that my sister and I had to seal away long ago. A creature that was only seen during the night and brought fear to all those who saw his face. Seeing this here only makes me think of two possibilities… Either this creature is no longer a threat… or we have a much bigger problem to worry about.”

        It was only then that Rainbow, who was messing around with the stone pieces, saw something that caught her attention. “Uhh… girls. I don’t think it’s no longer a threat,” Using her hoof, she pulled out a small piece of plastic that had some writing. “This thing was a prop.”

        “What!?” Princess Celestia gasped, casting a spell that caused what remained of the statue to disappear in a cloud of pink smoke. “I should’ve known that Discord would do something like this to make things more troublesome. Have the guards search every inch of the palace and the garden!!” 

        “Maybe I should get out of here—” Nicko thought to himself, before turning around and beginning to slowly walk out of the garden. That was, until he stepped on a twig and caused it to snap.

        “What was that?”

        “Well there goes Plan A.” Nicko sighed. As Celestia rounded the corner, the Rune Slayer made a break for it and used his magic to blast off right in front of the Alicorn and all the way through to the other end of the garden.

        “What in tarnation was that!?”

        “Whatever it is, I’ll get them!!” Nicko heard Rainbow Dash call out. He personally groaned. This was Griffonia all over again. Just that Eris was not here to help this time around and neither was Ryu. But the most unlikely of voices soon rose up, stopping Rainbow in her tracks.

        “Dash, wait! That can’t be what Celestia was talking about just now.”

        “What do you mean?”

        “Didn’t you hear her say that it was only seen during the night?” The Pegasus pointed out as Nicko took up a new hiding place in the branches of a tree. 

        “Wait… That could only mean that it’s Nocturnal… But what is this creature anyway, Princess?” Twilight asked her teacher. Nicko saw this as a personal cue to exit stage right and make a break for it while everypony’s back was turned. Upon getting on the castle wall though, his presence caught the attention of a young Alicorn as Nicko leaped off of the edge and landed on top of the friendship express. She was curious as to who they were, but when her sister called her, Luna had to focus her attention elsewhere as the storm clouds overhead began to rumble.

        Celestia herself lead the ponies inside, explaining everything she knew of the figure she and her sister knew as Dio. By the time he was done, all six of the Elements had mixed feelings about him. But Luna herself had a suspicion that she had shared with her sister. A suspicion of a possible place where he might be hiding.



        When it rains, it pours. And right now, Nicko felt like he was getting assaulted by bullets of raindrops. After going train surfing for the past twenty minutes, the Rune Slayer had began to travel through the Everfree Forest, hopefully to find shelter from the storm as the sun had finally set. Some places he had already looked either had a hydra wanting to eat him alive, a hibernating Ursa Major or a pack of Timberwolves. But he noticed that the Timberwolves in this forest were acting rather… strange. Like they were afraid of him rather than wanting to eat him alive.

        Soon though, The Rune Slayer came across what he thought would help him until the storm passed. A castle that looked like it was abandoned on the outside. Carefully, he walked up to the doors and slowly pushed them open. Walking in though, those same doors soon slammed behind him shut and locked themselves.

        “Great… something tells me that I’m not alone,” he thought as he continued to walk. “Hello? Anyone home?”



        Almost immediately, Dio knew that something was wrong. Discord had been gone quite a while, and for what he had said to be a “simple errand”, he was taking a suspiciously long time. The out of phase orbits of the sun and moon also seemed to have been corrected, restored to their natural harmonic pattern.

        He thought back. “This all started since I picked up that peculiar stone. Two strange events happening in such a short time is hardly a coincidence.” 

        As a bolt of lightning went off outside, Dio heard the doors to the front of his castle slam shut. Could that have been Discord? He wasn’t the kind of Draconequus that would use the front door though. Something didn’t feel right.

        “Hello? Anyone home?”

        Strange. Was that a visitor? At this time of night? Dio moved, cautiously. “That’s not possible,” Dio whispered. “Nobody ever comes out this far. Judging from the voice’s pitch, I'm certain that it’s a male of some species, although it’s accent is unfamiliar.”

        Thinking ahead, he used his inhuman strength to cling to the bricks on the wall and climb to where he was on the ceiling. The rain thundering outside served to drown any sound he might have made.

        He moved—silently—into the main chamber, settling right above the massive door entrance which he knew would give him as much vision as possible. He’d designed the place after all. There weren’t any secrets his domain was hiding from him. In this position, any normal creature would’ve been tired in moments. Dio wasn’t. The full potential of the human body still occasionally caught him off guard.

        Dio looked down. He gasped, genuinely surprised for the first time in what felt like an eternity. The intruder wore a black undershirt and pants with a blood red coat and ebony gloves that had a silver cross on it. In addition, he also has a set of silver shoes that were almost like his and the boy also had hair that resembled fire. 

        That wasn’t what surprised Dio however.

        “That shape,” Dio breathed to himself. “It’s….. –” Dio paused “– human.” It was strange really. Until that moment, Dio had almost completely forgotten where he’d come from. He’d been too busy conquering Equus to worry about it.

        “Whoever this person is, I need him alive.” Dio looked on, observant. The boy turned around slightly; Dio pulled out the strange rune-inscribed stone, focussing on what looked like a tattoo on the boy’s left arm. “They both have the same design. Far from a coincidence. He should be able to tell me what has happened to Discord.”

        Dio descended, climbing down. It was impolite to not personally address a house guest. He bared his fangs. It was time he introduced himself.



        Nicko was trying to figure out how the hell to see through the pitch black darkness that surrounded the halls of the main chamber he had walked into. Conjuring a fire rune in the palm of his hands, he held the Rune above his head as he walked around. There were swords, shields, empty suits of armor and a lot of other things that made him feel like he just stepped into the Castle of Dracula in Castlevania.

        “Geez. First, there was seeing Discord getting stoned earlier today, me having to bail out of Canterlot like I was a criminal and now I’m stuck in a spooky castle.” He said to himself as the Rune Slayer noticed the coffin on the other end of the room. The only letters on the lid being DIO. “There it is again. Dio… First, there was the statue of him I was thrown into, Discord mentioning his name along with Celestia and now this?...... He’s right behind me, isn’t he?”

        “You are most definitely correct in that regard,” the Rune Slayer heard, causing him to turn around. The light from his flame now illuminated a figure with pale alabaster skin. “This certainly is a bizarre encounter. I heard you enter all the way from the other side of my castle.”

        “You must be Dio, then?” Nicko asked, trying to clarify his assumptions of whether or not this was him. He knew that some Displaced could make copies of themselves, so he tried to air on the side of caution.

        Dio smirked. “That is correct. I AM DIO. My full name is Dio Brando, but you may call me Dio if you prefer.” He raised his arm, holding out a stone with a strange rune inscribed on the surface. “From you already knowing my name, I assume you’ve heard about me before. This is my castle, most of  which I currently possess lies within. By what I assume to be no mere coincidence, my ally Discord went missing a short while after me finding this. Judging from the tattoo underneath your coat, I guess you have some kind of involvement.”

        “I never met your Discord, but I did see him get resealed by the Elements of Harmony after they caught him by surprise. When I originally came here, I crashed into the statue of yourself that he created?” Nicko replied, now noticing the object in Dio’s hands. “And as of that, you seem to have found my token.”

        “So suddenly?” Dio questioned, before letting out a deep sigh of disappointment. “The fool. He got himself into that mess. I’d expected him to have learned something from last time. I told him to create that statue to buy me some time, but if it’s been destroyed it won’t fool anyone now.” His voice changed, giving off a more serious tone. “You said that you arrived in Equestria and something about a token. You mean that you’re not from this world, don’t you?”

        “It’s a bit complex to explain, but you’re spot on.” Nicko explained. “Are you familiar with the Multiverse by any chance?”

        “I am,” Dio replied. “It’s the theory of how there are an infinite possible number of universes, and how it comprises everything that exists.” He smiled. “That seems to no longer be theoretical.”

        Dio walked across the room, lighting a small fireplace in the side of the wall. A second source of light illuminated the room. He sat down—book in hand—on a throne-like chair that seemly appeared from nowhere; a smaller, worn-down chair appearing beside Nicko. “But pardon my manners, I never offered you a chair. Please” – Dio waved, offering – “take a seat. We have much to discuss.”

        Nicko thanked the man for his kindness as he took him up on his offer and sat down. “Well, to put it in simple terms, there are an infinite number of Equestria’s. Each one being either similar or different from one another. Your world is different than mine because of a few things. But most importantly, it’s ten years from this current point in time and a lot of things are different. I can’t go into specifics though because it may upset the space-time balance or some crap along those lines,” he explained. “Do you have anymore questions, Mr. Dio?”

        “Just a couple more,” said Dio, opening his book. “Let me be frank and cut to the chase. Who are you? From how you act—carrying yourself like a hero—I’d say that you’ve already done this before. You yourself don’t seem fazed at all by being in a different dimension. Have you met others such as myself? And how do you create one of these curious tokens?”

        “Well, my name is Nicko, for starters. Yes, I have done this a couple of times here and there. Met people, I have, but like you in personality? Not really… Unless if you count my teacher Ryu. As for the tokens, that’s a little… complicated.”

        Dio turned a page of his book. “I’m unsure whether to take that as a compliment or not. Depending on, I’ll let it slide. However, this Ryu sounds like an interesting person. As for this token business being complicated, I’d still rather know as much about it as possible,” he said. “I hate being uninformed.”

        “Well, first, you need an item you want to cast into the void. Second, you need to channel a bit of your power into it so another Displaced could know who the token belongs to. It may seem simple, but the summoning portion of it is different. It works two ways and it depends on willpower,” Nicko explained, taking a rubber band out of his jacket to demonstrate. “Either you can summon someone here to you, or they can resist and instead pull you to them. It’s like a bungee cord. Also, about Ryu… He’s not in the best of states as he is. Plus, he’s a Kaiser and the Uncle of Applejack. Despite those though, he taught me a few things that have helped me over time.” The Rune Slayer notice Dio twitch a little at the mentioning of the earth pony. Something internally told him that he wasn’t very fond of her or her friends, so he decided to avoid the topic in general.

        “Back to the original topic though, I need to warn you that the circumstances are different depending on what your abilities are. For me, I have Rune magic and it wasn’t that hard for me. But for those who use other sources of power, it could be a little harder for them. But something tells me you wouldn’t have any difficulties,” Nicko told him as he shifted a little in his chair. “After all, I can feel your energy. And you have an IMMENSE amount of it.”

        “So he can feel my energy. That’s valuable information,” thought Dio, making a mental note. He stood up. Scanning the room, he finally settled on an arrow hanging on the wall, a bow resting behind it; the wooden shaft having worn with age. The arrow head was gold and curved, with an odd insect-like carving on the flat face. Dio took it off the wall, bringing it towards Nicko. “This item was valuable to me, however its usefulness had recently ended. It should serve well for another purpose such as this.”

        While Dio didn’t have any magic, Nicko had said that he’d felt an “immense” amount of energy coming from him. This encounter had revealed to him an infinite range of possibilities, not just with travel–but also new ways to manipulate that energy. His fighting spirit. Dio began to channel it, in a way different than what he was use to. It felt strange to him. The overflowing power coursed into the arrow, sparking with energy. Immediately he knew that something about the arrow’s properties had changed. He handed the arrow to Nicko.

        Nicko held the arrow, inspecting it carefully. “Usefulness you say? What exactly do you mean by that?”

        “Whomever is pierced by that arrow,” said Dio, waiting “is granted a special type of power known as a Stand: a mystical spirit guardian of sorts. They are said to be the physical manifestation of a person’s fighting spirit, requiring huge amounts of willpower to control. Unfortunately, there is only a sole person truly capable of using one in this dimension. Myself.”

        “Well, let’s just say you putting in the energy needed just might make it useful again. Hang on a second, I need to get out Void Edge.”

        “Void Edge?”

        Before Nicko could respond, a sword appeared in Nicko’s hand. One with a purple crystal around the handle. “Void Edge is one of three swords I carry that I can summon. It’ll allow me to cast your token out into the void. But first, is there something you want to say? Most Displaced add a saying to their token that other Displaced can hear. You can hear mine from my Rune Slayer mark,” he told him. Looking at the token, Dio could now hear the voice of the Displaced. 

        I am Nicko. The Rune Slayer with a kind heart. The power that's in my grasp and that you control will become the power that the darkness will fear. May there be light on the roads that you travel

        “Of course, each one is different and not necessarily are all of them the same. Hell, some tokens have other special traits, but I can go over that once were done with yours Dio.”

        “Very well then,” said Dio, satisfied. He thought for a moment. “I believe I’ve decided on a message.” He spoke it out loud.

        Everyone strives in pursuit of peace of mind. I am Dio. Dio Brando. Lord of the Dark. Master of The World. If you seek perfection, summon me, and I will grant you peace of mind that will last forever.

        “How’s that?”

        “That sounds… interesting, but I’m not one to judge.” Nicko retorted. Using his sword, he cut open a small hole into the void and casted out the arrow into it. Dio watched as the single arrow multiplied before disappearing completely. With a tug of his wrist, Nicko brought two arrows from the rift back into his hand before closing it. He tossed one to Dio, while holding onto another one. “It’s always good to keep one of your tokens on hand. You can use your powers to multiply it as well, so you keep one on hand. Now, I want to ask you about something, Dio. About these… Stands. You said it involves being pierced by the Arrow. Do you think that it still might work?”

        “I don’t see why not,” replied Dio. “It’s not the arrow itself that grants Stands, but rather the physical properties of the arrowhead. As long as it remains undamaged, it should still be able to grant Stand powers to those it pierces.” He grinned at Nicko. “You’re...  not planning on using it on yourself are you? Or perhaps someone you know? I should warn you, if the person doesn’t have enough willpower to control their Stand–they will die; quickly or slowly though I have no idea.”

        “We won’t know unless we try, right?”

        “Indeed. But –” the arrow Nicko was holding onto vanished, appearing in Dio’s hand “– you are still so young. So naive. Please don’t take it this wrong way, I understand you're a very powerful warrior, and I don’t doubt that you, or your friends, would be excellent Stand users. Honestly, it’s a shame to waste anyone with so much capability.”

        Silence erupted throughout the castle as the rain finished its assault. Nicko sighed a little, looking back at Dio. With a snap of his finger, the token reappeared back in his hand as he placed it in his coat pocket. “Yes, I fully understand that. I’ll wait until the time is right then,” he told the Lord as he straightened himself up. “Maybe my student could use one. She has a lot of will, but is just beginning to learn a rare form of magic that she had just discovered. Are Stands based off of anything in particular? Because I heard you mention “The World”?”

        Dio himself sighed, taking a moment to explain how the original Stands were formed off of the Major Arcana Tarot cards while other Stands were based off of the Egyptian Gods based on the Tarot’s origins. He also mentioned the fact that different stands have different powers.

        “Interesting…” Nicko told Dio as he thought to himself. He remembered the ancient egyptian goddess of magic, Isis, and thought that something like that could help make his magic easier for Moondancer to control back home. “Now Dio, I was curious on something… What exact powers does The World control?”

        “I thought that’d be obvious,” Dio told Nicko, laughing as a golden flame-like aura surrounded his body. “The power of The World is the power to rule over the world itself.”

        “Like bend the earth to your will or the way the world flow—” Nicko paused for a minute, thinking the words through. “Time. It’s time isn’t it?”

        The air itself seemed to catch its breath. Dio clapped his hands. “Perceptive. Congratulations, I, Dio, am impressed. Yes, the power of The World is” – he began to pose, energy radiating from his body  – “the power over time itself.”

        “ I had a guess on that. When you said rule over the world itself, I was originally thinking of elements like the earth we walk on or the air we breath. However, I realize that those are things that can cease. The ground can stop moving at any point. Water could be blocked by a water dam. Fire can be smothered and air can be cut off. Time is the only thing that some wish they had more of or can control.” Nicko explained his hypothesis. “Now, have you had the chance to practice these gifts? If not, I can try something if you would like.”

        “Indeed. Time is something must never cease marching forwards. Try to imagine a world with no time; a world in which rain never fell; particles never moved; the conversion of energy which never transpired. Everything takes time. We can’t feel it, but it's there. Without time, nothing is possible. Therefore, it is everything,” Dio explained. “As for whether or not I’ve practiced with my new gift, I already have–while we’ve been in this exact same room in fact. Just not as much I would’ve liked. I do wish to practice this ability more. I was only released recently, and obtained this Stand even more so. I’d like to see what you’d do. This could very well turn out to be a perfect opportunity for the both of us. Perhaps though, we may want to move into a bigger venue?”

        “Lead the way. It is your castle after all, Dio.”

        “Very well.” Dio opened the main door, leading Nicko into a large hallway. Moonlight shone through the stained glass windows above. As they walked, Dio explained to Nicko the castle’s history, how it had been the center of his power in the ancient days, and how the it seemed that Celestia and Luna had taken it for their own purposes after he’d been sealed away. They continued walking until Dio turned a corner, revealing what appeared to an extremely large chamber of some sort. He turned over to Nicko. “This place should hopefully suffice.”

        “Yes it will,” Nicko agreed, picking up a stone that was on the floor. Dio was at first confused by why the boy would need a rock for this test of his, but soon, the Rune Slayer began to explain. “Okay, for this test, I’m using one of my Spells on this rock called Splash Explosion. Because of that, the stone will set itself off and explode like a grenade a few seconds after I throw it. Try using your Stand’s powers to catch all of the stone shrapnel that would burst forth from it. Sound simple enough?”

        “I believe so. This should be an easy task for my Stand; The World, to accomplish.”

        “Alright, let’s give it a shot then.” With that, Nicko took the stone that he was idly tossing and threw it towards Dio. Even though it was meant to act like a grenade, The Rune Slayer still threw it like a baseball.

        “Now I shall show you the power of my Stand!” Dio shouted. The stone hurtled towards him, exploding with tremendous force. His Stand manifested beside him. It had a humanoid shape with an incredibly well endowed and very muscular build. On its head was a headpiece, slanted at a steep angle, giving the look of an inverted triangle.  It appeared to have diving cylinders on its back; clock faces on both of its hands; and heart shaped guards on its knees, crotch, the base of the abdomen, and chin.

        “Za Warudo! Toki yo Tomare!”

        Everything around Dio, including the stone which had just exploded, froze. Everything around him looked Monochromatic, except for him and The World. Unsure of how long this state would last, Dio focused on his current task. Quickly he proceeded to remove the pieces of shrapnel in the air. He had to be careful though, as he couldn’t tell whether the pieces would still be carrying whatever momentum they might’ve previously had before. He grabbed them, leaving the pieces in his hands. “It’s strange to think of time moving while frozen like this,” he thought.

        He surveyed the area. Sure that he had removed all the shrapnel in the area, he moved to his original spot and began to feel the pull of time.

“Soshite Toki wa Ugokidasu.”

Time began to move again. Life regained colour, and he felt the force of the shrapnel dig into his palms. Blood began to drip out before quickly stopping as his body healed.

        “Well done, that was a very marvelous display of power—” Nicko stopped talking, turning around a little at the back wall to where the entrance of the castle would be. To Dio’s surprise, he summoned another sword. One that was named Rovaniik, the word for Wanderer in the dragon tongue. But what would make him feel like that?

        “Someone else is here.”

        “I suspect so.” Dio faced towards the doorway. “Show yourself intruder. Who dares to enter the realm of the Lord of the Night?”

        Nicko paused a minute, placing his hand on the floor. He closed his eyes for a minute, took a deep breath, and sighed. “It’s using magic. An invisibility spell to hide themselves from our field of vision. Clever… But…” He soon took a fire rune in one hand and merged it with an ice rune in the other as it formed a ball of water. “Also easy to outsmart.”

        The ball of water soon dispersed as a large blast of it landed on the caster of the Spell. Surprisingly, Dio knew them. Nicko also could recognize a bit of it, but he too knew that he was in another world and that the circumstances might change.

        “That was clever of you,” said Dio, speaking to the figure. “You knew that I couldn’t sense magic. I was genuinely surprised. You probably followed my associate all the way here didn’t you, Luna.”

        “W-who are you?” The Young Alicorn that was standing there asked. “W-why do you look so… scary?”

        “Hmmm, that’s an interesting development. She doesn’t seem to remember who I am. What exactly happened to her?” he thought to himself. “I can use this. She may be a valuable pawn for me to use against her sister.”

        “Um, Dio. If I may…” Nicko whispered. “She still seems to be recovering. Before Discord was freed, she turned to Nightmare Moon and the Bearers of the Elements of Harmony had to free her. It’s not my place to say this… but maybe her memories of you are gone.”

        “It seems that way,” he replied. “If that’s the case, I have no reason to fear her telling the Elements—or her sister—where I am.” He turned to face the young Alicorn. “Don’t worry,” he spoke, softly. “There’s nothing to fear from us. What are you doing all the way out here? This is a dangerous place.”

        “W-well… I was feeling some rather… odd magic out here and… I just wanted to see what it was.” She stammered, trying her best to be brave.

        Dio smiled. “That was my red haired associate, Nicko.” He pointed towards the Rune Slayer. Nicko, in response, conjured a small rune in his hands. The magic had the younglings face light up once she felt the magic’s energy radiate from his palm before putting it out with his hand. 

        “You seem cold,” said Dio. “It must’ve been rough, coming through Everfree by yourself. I’d help if I could young one but unfortunately I cannot cast magic. Nicko on the other hand seems more than willing to show it off.”

        “Less of showing it off and more of seeing if it’s what she was sensing.” The Rune Slayer retorted. “You are pretty brave to come out here.” That comment though, made Luna’s head drop down a little. From the looks of it, she had the bravery and willpower, but was too scared to show it. Possibly because of what other ponies might think of her. The circumstances seemed right for the Stand user that was next to Nicko.

        “Luna. In her state, she could turn out to be a very powerful Stand user. This may also work out well, since one of the cards of the Tarot is the Moon. It seems to fit perfectly.” Dio brought out the arrow inside his jacket. “Young one, you are troubled. Lost even. You have willpower and strength that anypony would admire. I have the means to help you overcome your fear. If I offered to you the opportunity to overcome it, would you accept?”

        She seemed hesitant at first. Possibly because her mind still had doubts. But after a few minutes, the Young Alicorn had an answer. “Y-yes.”

        “Very well then.” Dio began to walk towards the young princess. “Nicko, you wanted to see the birth of a Stand user didn’t you. Well tonight is your lucky night.” He moved the arrow into position, placing it underneath Luna’s chest. She seemed surprised. “I promise this won’t hurt. From this moment forward, the fears you feel inside will no longer control you. Instead” – he drove the arrow all the way through her body with it leaving out the other end – “you shall control them.”

        Luna screamed as the arrow left her body. Strangely the wound caused by it didn’t leave any blood, healing–leaving a mark about the size of an average coin.

        From behind Luna, a separate shape began to take form. It almost resembled the Alicorn, but this time, It looked to be two legged. Almost like The World, but feminine in appearance. It had heavy plate like armor and carried a scythe that took the form of a crescent moon. It’s fur and mane resembled the night sky as it looked at Dio. Shortly before it faded away.

        “Interesting.” Nicko replied, putting his hands in his pockets. “That figure reminded me of a latin word that fits the description well. Tantabus. Latin for Nightmare… Tantabus Moon.”

        “Indeed,” Dio replied, approvingly. “It is the definite manifestation of all her fears. Including those she may not yet remember.”

        “Which means she could use those abilities without having her fears consume her?” Nicko asked, the only answer he got was a nod of Dio’s head. “You, my friend, are a genius.”

        “Thank you. I’m proud of my intelligence.” Dio walked besides Luna, helping her up as she gathered her composure. Checking herself, she noticed she only had a small marking from what she was sure would’ve been a greater injury. She looked upwards, seeing Dio’s face. “You did very well Luna. Look behind you and there you shall find culmination of your immense bravery.”

        She did turn to look, surprised to see the figure standing behind her. “I-is that a ghost?”

        “Sort-of,” replied Dio, kindly. “But surely you aren’t afraid of no ghosts, right? That is Tantabus Moon. A Stand. Its name originates from the Tarot card known as The Moon; representing intuition, dreams, and the unconscious. It shall protect you from all those who mean you harm.”

        Nicko shifted himself, standing upright as he looked back at Dio. “Well, it’s been fun. But I think that it’s best if I return to my home. If you need me, just summon me and I’ll come help. Teach her well, Dio.”

        “That’s always been my intention. Perhaps the hands of fate will grant me a visit to your version of Equestria next time. It does sound quite, bizarre.”

        “You’re correct. But the people you will meet, including my family are just as bizarre.” Nicko told them as a rift opened behind him. “Besides, both of my parents were Displaced as demons and I now have a Niece that freed me from stone.” With that, he stepped through the rift as it began to close behind him. But before he did, Dio asked one last question.

        “You said that you’re parents were sent to their Equestria. Did they or maybe anyone in your extended family happen to buy anything from a strange looking merchant at something like, a convention perhaps?”

        “My brother and I got here by getting something from a store. My parents however, got here on the evening of a Masquerade.” Nicko told him briefly.

        “I see. I asked because I was looking for him. That merchant ruined my previous life by sending me here. Simply speaking, I wish to repay him in kind.”

        “Not all of them are seen as bad. Mine brought me to my world for a reason—” Before Nicko could fully say what that reason was, the rift in the void zipped shut, leaving Dio and Luna on their own inside the castle.



Ponyville

        When Nicko returned back to his new home, he was surprised to find just Eris and Moondancer waiting for him. After asking about what happened, Eris told him that Caliburn needed to see Artemis and his parents while Anson & Pinkie were helping out around Sugarcube corner. Leaving only Eris and Moondancer to wait for his return. “Well, I’m glad you two stayed around to wait for me.”

        “Yeah, but with that said, the two of us felt something earlier today that didn’t feel… right.” Eris told him. “It was the same presence of that hooded fellow at the Academy, but he was down south in Appleloosa.”

        “Appleloosa?” Nicko asked. He knew the place as a desert town that his brother first woke up in, but had never been there personally. “What do you think he might be doing there?”

        “Beats me.” The Draconequus shrugged. “But I’m getting a bad feeling that it might be something important.”



Unknown Location

        The cold winds blew along the east coast of Baltimare as the ponies down below in the city celebrated the holiday of Hearth’s Warming. However, one figure on top of the buildings was looking out towards the ocean as he looked at an object in his hands. It looked like a piece of molten earth as it glowed orange in the figures hands. Arma sighed, looking above him to the skies and in front of him to the waves. 

        He was promised that he would be reunited with his sister by the Demon King, Ran. All he need to do was bring the three keys of tartarus that were used to seal him away. The Key of Land, The Key of Sea and The Key of Sky. He deeply sighed before picking up his cannon and preparing to move.

        “One down, two to go.”

        As the Deadly chaser left, a small crimson puddle was left behind from where he had set down his cannon a few moments ago.




End Log 18