A Displaced Mask Hunter

by Runic_Soul

5 - An Out-Of-Place Advising

*Whep-Crak-Shhnk*

*Whep-Crak-Shhnk*

*Whep-Crak-Chnk*

“Fraggin’ granite,” Alex muttered as he walked over to the blade, which was embedded in the rock, and pulled the blade free from the stone. After Dox had left, he had been experimenting with both his new element (Which had been a gift from the Great Beings, given the area) and his new weapons. He had gained quick proficiency with his element, but was having some difficulty with mastering the blades. For starters, the chains only had a 15-foot radius, making it so that he had to plan carefully before executing a swiping blow. Not only that, but ever since he had transformed into this new Toa, he had been wary of harming the environment for some odd reason. As such, he had been using the protosteel weapons on nearby boulders, so as to practice his ranged strikes.

“This is pointless,” he said to himself as he laid against the boulder. While he had been practicing, his new aversion to harming plantlife made it vastly more difficult to train. “I need to find a better training spot,” he said abruptly, and sat up. Yes, a place with less plantlife would be perfect to train in! With that thought, he looked around, searching for a clearing or a rocky face where he could train. However, due to the dense brush, there were none in sight. With that, he let out a sigh, and turned towards the mountains that the Stone Ape had went towards hours earlier.

“There’s bound to be a clearing over there,” he muttered to himself, and hoisted himself off of the boulder. Grabbing the twin acid shields, he began his trek towards the mountainside. As he walked towards the mountainside, he noticed less and less trees the size of that he had seen in the Everfree, and more shrubs and scraggly brush poking out of the rocky ground.

As a clearing entered his sight, a strange pulse seemed to emit from nowhere in the air before him. “What in Mata Nui?” he said, moving behind a nearby granite boulder to prepare for whatever came out.

Peering around the rock, Alex spotted a circular ripple of energy in the air. In moments, it opened wide, becoming a dark purplish portal, shimmering like a thin layer of water in the clearing he had sought. Alex looked at the portal in confusion. He figured it might be a Displaced, but considering that he didn’t activate a token (Or at least, he thought he hadn’t), he doubted it…

Suddenly, emitting from the portal, a rush of energy rushed out, thin but quick across the area. Momentarily blinking his eyes, Alex braced himself as he looked around to see what happened…

The clearing he was in now seems to be surrounded by a very thin barrier. But, upon closer inspection, he can see turning clocks fading in and out across its surface… and beyond the barrier, things seem to be moving in slow motion, even the swaying of the shrubs nearby is impeccably slow in comparison to objects within the barrier. Alex, not sure as to what would come out, drew his ‘vine-axe’, ready for whatever happened next.

From within the portal, a hesitant voice spoke.

“Here we go again… sigh… I need to get used to these portals sometime. I just hope that this meeting goes better than the last two. ...but, never hurts to build up some good karma, I guess. ...sigh… here we go.”

Soon after, a figure steps through the portal. The man appears fairly normal, wearing white sneakers, white socks, pants, and a baggy grey sweatshirt, through which a tiny bit of pudge is seen. The man appears to have smooth nearly black brown hair, the ends needing a trim despite some thinning of hair up on top, despite not appearing that old. Though, hard to tell with his thin beard and mustache.

Alex blinked in confusion at this. He has to be a Displaced, He thought. While he hadn’t seen a Displaced as… mundane… as this newcomer, he shouldn’t be so suspecting, considering that the only Displaced he had met was Dox. Stepping out from behind the boulder, he walked towards the man.

The man, seeing Alex approach him, smiled slightly.

“Well… this is nice. Seems my portal was as accurate as I meant it to be,” He shivered involuntarily, “Still feels weird to use though.”

“Portal?,” Alex asked in feigned ignorance, looking at the man with faked confusion on his face, “Was that what you came through?”

The man seems stunned for a moment in surprise, but after a moment, he smiled and shook his head. “No need to try to act innocent. ...You’re Alex, right?” At this, Alex immediately stiffened.

“How do you know my name?,” He asked, lifting his Vine-axe so he could throw it with no troubles.

Seemingly unphased by the weapon pointed at him, the man simply slumped his shoulders in minor apathy, a slightly depressed tone to his voice, “No need to get violent. I actually came to help… sort of. And… it’s actually somewhat complicated.” The man suddenly put his hands onto his back against his spine, pushing briefly to stretch it before stretching his arms a bit. He looked around the clearing for a bit with a slight frown, a sideways grimace adorning his face. He looks back at Alex with tired eyes.

“This may take a while, so let’s make at least the conversation a bit more comfortable.”

After blinking a bit, his eyes moved upwards briefly, as if thinking of something. Suddenly, a very quiet gust of wind was heard… almost as if something was fading.

Blinking in surprise, Alex spots what had made the sound. Behind the man, a genuine Lazy Boy chair seemed to have faded into existence… and it only takes but a moment for his mind to realize that he had heard not one, but two fading sounds, with the other one coming from behind him. Turning around, Alex saw an identical Lazy Boy sit innocently on the rocky ground, its foot rest already out. Alex turned back to the man with a raised eyebrow. “This doesn’t exactly explain who you are, or how you know my name,” He said with distrust evident in his voice.

The man just looked at him, shook his head, and sat down in his own chair. “I SAID it would take a while to explain… but as for who I am, my name is Joshua. Joshua McInnis. ...And, though no longer in my own reality, I’m not, technically speaking, a Displaced. At least not in the technical sense.” Alex, still not trusting Joshua or his ‘gifts’, simply sat on the ground, unsure as to whether the chair would be a modern Hephaestus's chair.

Joshua looked disappointed, dropped his head a bit and shook it with a sigh, “Well, to each their own, I suppose. ...And sorry for the suddenness of this meeting. But, I figured it’d be easier to be upfront and honest about things, rather than sneak around. Though, I made sure to put out this time field first… I figured that our conversation would take a while, and from what I could gather, you were kinda in a rush to stay hidden from your pursuers, so the ‘faster’ things went, the better. This force field… or, magic field, I guess I should say, ensures that it’ll be ‘fast’, relatively speaking.”

Alex stiffened as he remembered his pursuers. I can’t believe I was foolish enough to forget about them!, He mentally gripped. For all he knew, they might be on their way right now! “Very well then,” He said, looking at Josh head-on, “What is it you want to talk about?”

Joshua smiled slightly, “A few things. Such as where you are, since you don’t seem to know, as well as various other things.” Joshua paused before looking at him slightly more focused than before, “What do you know about the multiverse, first off? Might make things easier if I know how much you know of just what mess you’ve gotten yourself into.”

“I know for each world, there is an infinite number of similar worlds, where there could be, as impossible as it sounds, two worlds exactly the same, while for other worlds they could be complete opposites,” Alex said truthfully, then looked at his hand, “Of course, with the fact that me and Dox are in from separate ‘Equestrias’ and that there’s a second Teridax out there, I’ll go out on a limb and say that there’s infinite worlds for each series from the ‘hub’ Earth, as well?”

Joshua took a moment to take in all he said, and shook his head, “Yes and no. To put it simply… all Displaced are within a single ‘continuum’, since all are in a different timeline of Equestria. But… each continuum is linked to each other, but in a way most wouldn’t expect. That way… well, to put simply, every work of fiction in existence is created via subconscious links to other realities... said links creating the fictions, not the other way around. ...and yes, that also explains how I knew about YOU Alex, though things are more complicated than that summary… but it’s enough to explain a bit of things here.”

Alex took a moment for this to sink in, and then rubbed his ‘temples’. “I’m willing to bet that I’m just an OC in someone’s crappy fanfic, huh?,” He said, then abruptly looked at the man as he realized something. “Wait…” Alex slowly said, “If you know that this world is a work of fiction, then that means that you would’ve had to have visited that world, if not have come from there!”

Joshua smirked slightly, “Yeah, pretty much. Was also a fan of Bionicle in my youth, and am still a fan of the reality you’ve wounded up in as well.”

“So you know which series this is based off of?” Alex said, his focus now fully on the man.

Joshua nodded at this, “That’s correct. ...and in truth, I don’t think you really had to worry about the Elements of Harmony’s effect on you, though I can’t blame you for being wary. The Elements seem to have a mind of their own, you see. They choose punishment or cleansing based on the individual. I don’t think you’re evil, so I doubt they would have done anything bad to you. But, can’t blame you for taking caution, considering the circumstances. ...Anyways, as to your question, it’s a series that was made as a remake of a very girly series… but the remake is so drastically different that it has surprisingly gained a global following… called My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic.”

“...Oh god, it’s a remake of that series,” Alex said, his face in his hands as he remembered watching that show for his Contemporary History class, before pointing at Joshua, “And while what you said may be true for the ‘hub’ world, I’m not taking my chances for this world. Besides, what about that alicorn who tried to gut me with the halberd earlier?”

Joshua grimaced, “Unfortunately, the fic I read hadn’t gotten that far yet. Though, I’m guessing that the one that did that was Princess Luna? She’s the more… emotional of the two. She’s the dark colored alicorn of the princesses. If not, I can only see Celestia doing so if you somehow, intentional or not, threatened her subjects, especially her precious student Twilight Sparkle… but then again, different timeline could be different. Or, it could just be a misunderstanding, for all we know. … but can’t blame you for wanting to be cautious, regardless.”

“Well, I can guess that she might consider me a threat, since I did some… ‘hazardous landscaping’ back in the town, as you most likely know,” Alex said, gesturing with his hands for the air quotes around ‘hazardous landscaping’, ”But considering that the entire town was about to mob-pummel me, I’m claiming self-defense on that bit. Also, those ‘Mane Six’ you’re speaking of, who I’m guessing you’re referring to the two xenophobes, the one who sees me as a justifiable punching bag, the one with Class 5 ADD, ‘Twilight’, who wants to cut me up, as given from how she looked at me each time we’ve met after the first, and the quiet one who has, admittedly, been the only one to not do anything wrong so far? Yeeeah, they most likely hate my guts.”

“... I won’t deny that Rainbow Dash likely does. She’s unfortunately quick to judge, though admits when she’s wrong once proven it. As for Twilight… she’s not the type to dissect others… though she sure as heck would want to study your abilities. She literally lives in a library and tends to stay up late with her constant studying. She can be a bit dense when on such a study session, but she’d back off if asked. ...anyways, I think things may go easier for ya if you arranged a peaceful meeting with them to explain the misunderstanding. No doubt, you’d have to use another pony as a ‘middle-man’ for arranging such though. Thankfully, there’s plenty of ponies living on the outskirts of the village to find… but, no doubt, you wouldn’t do such a thing without some incentive, eh Alex?” Joshua said with a raised eyebrow.

“You most likely didn’t see what she was like in the castle,” Alex deadpanned, “Considering that she almost put on a strewn Krana had I not knocked it into the river.”

Joshua grimaced, “...I won’t deny that she can be a bit manic when focused on a topic, but she’s good at heart and wouldn’t, intentionally, cause any harm, even to ‘test subjects’. You could likely snap her out of it if you said something like she’s being like a villainous mad scientist in her obsession, and that she’s being heartless. She’s normally good at heart… but loses sight of herself when excited about her studies… to an admittedly scary degree.” Joshua shivered at that last line.

“I’ll try,” Alex said, though he mentally promised to do so only as a last resort. He wouldn’t touch her with a 35-foot pole unless she had, Mata Nui forbid, gotten her hooves on a Kanohi. “However, I’m surprised that you haven’t tried to justify the other three ‘offenders’. Are they really that bad in the hub world?”

Joshua raised an eyebrow again, “You hadn’t mentioned complaints about the other three, thus why I didn’t defend them. They do something of complaint for you, too?”

“Whitey was a racist, with ‘beast’ and ‘monster’ being a common nickname for her to use for me,” Alex listed, his second finger pausing for a few seconds before being lowered, “Stetson… in hindsight, didn’t do anything wrong besides call me ‘varmint’, but considering I’ve most likely got a wanted poster by now, is fitting for my public status. And Hype, while she most likely wasn’t planning to do so, would’ve killed me when she tried to force-feed me that cupcake. That, plus all six of them were planning on blasting me with the ‘Elements’, which was obvious since ‘Twilight’ has an awful poker face.”

Joshua chuckled at the last comment, “Agreed about Twilight, though she’s not as bad as Applejack, or ‘Stetson’, when it comes to lying. As for the ‘racist’ bit… Rarity likely wasn’t calling you that based on your appearance, but rather, your actions. She’s a ‘high society’ type, and thus, bad manners and dust are really appalling to her. For Applejack… well, it’s likely due to the fact that you, unintentional as it was, have been doing villainous actions (“Arson, assault and battery, attacking royalty, running from the law,” Alex listed at this), though I can’t blame you those actions considering the circumstances. And lastly, for Pinkie Pie… well, she’s considered weird even by her friends’ standards. She means well, but is plain cooky at times. She only wants to spread happiness and smiles to everyone… but can be scarily over-eager and wacky in her methods...”

“I’m guessing that ‘over-eager’ would have trying to force-feed a cupcake that, unless it was made from rice or tapioca flour, would’ve caused vomiting and not being able to breathe, resulting in death within 10 minutes without an EpiPen?,” Alex guessed.

Joshua hesitated for a few seconds before speaking, “...Iiit varies from reality to reality. Despite her focus on sugar, in some, her foods are delicious for humans, while in others… well, they’re as risky as you said. It varies, really, and I can’t blame you for being cautious about that fact. She means well, but despite how scarily intelligent she can be, she can be just as equally dense and naive.”

Alex nodded along with this. “I understand why they all did what they did, for the most part, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to be all chummy with them.” With that said, he ponders his thoughts before turning back to Joshua. “So, with that out of the way, is there anything else you have to add?”

Joshua nodded with a slight smile, “I actually came here to help ya. Though, for part of it, was hoping to make a deal for part of what I’d be offerin’. But, there’d be some freebies provided with… figured I’d handle helping a few others before focusing on myself, with the powers I’ve been granted… before I place my intended limiters on the overpowered abilities I’ve been given.”

Alex looked at the man with a raised eyebrow. “And what, exactly, would this ‘help’ be?”

Joshua leaned back in the chair before explaining, “There’s a few things. For one, from what I observed from part of your adventure, you usually flee when left in human form. I could grant your human body a lot more potential than it currently has, and have your Toa powers tied to it in such a way that when your human capabilities that I grant grow, so would your Toa powers… with said human capabilities based on other fictions. But, like the mask collecting, you’d have to work up the skills I unlock for ya as you go.” Alex looked at the man with some disbelief, then shook his head to show his disagreement. “As if that would happen,” He said, “Besides, I see the fact that I have powers only in each Toa form to be a limiter for me. That, plus power and I… don’t exactly have the best relation. I think it’s best if I’m restricted to relying on my Kanohi. Considering that you’re planning on restricting your powers, you get what I’m saying, don’t you?”

Joshua looked a tad disappointed, but nodded in understanding, “True enough. ...In that case, I’ll switch what was gonna be one of my free gifts into that slot, since I had intended for those upgrades to be the meant for being my side of the intended deal with ya. ...heh, gotta be flexible, eh?” Alex nodded in agreement, but kept silent, awaiting what else Joshua had to say.

Joshua paused for a moment, considering how to state what he planned to say, “... well, for the deal then… what I’d offer to you… is a present time map scan of the world, marking the locations of every Kanohi Mask… though, it would only display the current locations, which can be changed if they’re moved. And there’s, of course, the issue you’d have with travelling to those locations before that happens.”

Alex looked relieved at this. Having a map of where the all of the Kanoh were would be a god-send for finding him! “That would be greatly appreciated,” He said to Joshua.

Joshua smiled, “I’m glad to hear that. But, as said… it’d be part of the deal. And unfortunately for you… the deal is rather lopsided. Thankfully, however, I do not present ya with a time limit for completing your end of the deal. Though… admittedly, doing part of what I had in mind would help ya out anyways, since it’d possibly provide you with connections to allow for easier travel from place to place anyways.”

Alex nodded to this. “If that’s the case, might I hear the deal, then?,” he asked.

Joshua nodded, “Alright. There’s a large number of things. Some, admittedly, are just for fun on my part… but a good number of them are actually things that’d help you in the long run. The starting of which… though you don’t have to ‘be friends with’ them, I would like you to at least make peace with the ponies. You’re in their country, and they likely have many fast ways of travel that could aid you in your quest anyways. The middle-man idea I mentioned earlier would likely work, but the exact method of how you manage peace with them I leave up to you to choose. After all... one works best when certain that their decisions are,” Joshua paused, thinking over his words, “...methods that they’d prefer to use to reach their goals, eh?”

Alex thought this over for a while, mulling over the possibilities. Admittedly, it would be nice if the ponies stopped attacking him. However, it would most likely be some time before he ended up making peace with them, considering that he had attacked one of their princesses…

“Alright, I’ll try to make up with them. It’ll most likely take some time before it gets there, though,” Alex said, putting his hands behind his head.

Joshua shook his head a bit at this reply, “Maybe, maybe not. As I said, this has been shown in a series. The ponies, the princesses especially… though Luna a tad less so… are pretty forgiving. If you approach peacefully with them knowing that you are, it’d go well… thus why I suggest the middle-man approach. If you use a middle-man, you can set up a meeting with them knowing you want peace with them, rather than them attacking by assuming you’re evil and showing overconfidence by meeting them. Besides… I doubt you’d be able to run well, due to a little detail about the princesses, specifically Luna, that you’re unaware of...” Joshua states with a slight glimmer of mischievousness in his eye.

Alex snorted at this. “What is she going to do, stalk me in my dreams?,” He quipped jokingly.

Joshua’s smile widened, “Ironic that you got it right on the head there…”

Alex froze at this revelation for a few seconds, before grimacing. “Oh, joy…” He says, “Guess this means that I’ll have to grab a Hau or a Suletu to at least even the field, or else my ass is moon-toast.”

Joshua chuckled at this, “Thus, why I think getting the peaceful meeting over with early. ...You see, Luna can visit one’s dreams and influence them. ...Normally, she uses this to protect her ponies from nightmares, since… in this reality, it’s possible for nightmares to become SOLID with enough dark energy. But, she’s quite capable of using it for both tracking and information gathering, especially if she can excuse it away as her doing so for the protection of her country.”

“Well, my butt is screwed, then,” Alex said, slouching back slightly, before straightening back up, “However, if she’s at least willing to listen, I might be able to explain my actions that way, and thus, starting up my peaceful relations!”

Joshua tiredly smiled, “Glad to hear it. But, there’s still the matter of how to go about it. ...If you’d like, when we’re done here, I can warp you to a house on the outskirts of Ponyville, just out of site, to allow you to try and get a middle-man from one of the ponies. But, that’s for later… there’s many other conditions for that map beyond just peace with the ponies. But.. thankfully, they’re not as immediately pressing of matters.”

Alex replied to the man, “Nah, I think I’ll look around the Everfree for any more Kanohi before starting up my relations. With how ‘chaotic’ it is, there’s no saying as to how quickly something could grow over a Kanohi or someone takes one. However, you said there were other ‘conditions’?”

Joshua nodded, “That’s right… but if you intend to go through the Everfree… know that there are Cockatrice that can petrify with eye contact, and there are these blue flowers you definitely want to avoid. They’re called Poison Joke… imagine a plant that plays a random magical prank on those that touch it, one that typically CANCELS OUT the victim’s magic to make it harder to cure. Nasty things, those… though it takes a bit for the effects to activate after touching them.”

“Thanks for the heads-up, but I think with my Bo-Toa powers, I’ll be safe from the Poison Joke, what with the botanokinesis I have and all that,” Alex replied.

Nodding again, Joshua said, “If you’re sure. ...Oh, and be grateful you only angered the ponies. There are many sapient beings on this world. The buffalo, griffons, and minotaurs are… a lot more temperamental in comparison. Heck, despite them being the most powerful, the ponies, as a whole, are the most peaceful.”

“Really?,” Alex said, looking contemplative for a few minutes before shrugging, “Geez, this place is one big mythological haven. I’ll be sure to try and be more patient with the others I meet, though.”

Joshua nodded for a third time while commenting, “Glad to hear. Anyways, on to the next condition… when you do have peace arranged with the ponies, though I won’t force ya to succumb to being a test subject, it’d probably be good to tell Twilight all you know about Bionicle in the way of what could show up as threats, thanks to the Merchant putting you here. She’s good at organizing, can send the info to the princesses, and in turn, can lead to all their informants having an idea of what to look for, since the map I’ll be giving you will be a one-time scan for the Kanohi across the globe.”

“Considering that I’ll most certainly will have been on a neutral relation by this point, that will most certainly be a given,” Alex replied in agreement.

Joshua just smirked at that. “Well, after that… considering that your actions effectively will be protecting their world, it’s quite likely that the Elements of Harmony’s bearers will want to help. ...In truth, they’re a lot tougher than the average pony, considering a future event of the origin timeline showed them defeating a huge invading force with no formal battle training, only succumbing after a larger ambush surrounding them… but, they still don’t have formal training. So, IF they do want to come with, make sure you make this stipulation: they’ll only be allowed to come with if all six of them agree to undergo combat training. Considering the dangers of Bionicle, it most certainly will be needed...””

Alex frowned at this. “I do agree with that, but it’ll take some effort and finding working weapons to get them in shape,” He then pointed at Joshua. “Also, you do realize that you’ve given Luna more ammo to use against me now that I, while it’s not specific, know stuff that’s a ‘threat to Equestria’s security’, right? So please, don’t give any more spoilers.”

Joshua frowned, “Even if said threats would also affect you as well? Especially since part of the conditions is an aim to prevent some issues later on? ...after all, you’ll have enough issues with dealing with Bionicle-based threats. I doubt it’s only Kanohi that came in with you… and bigger threats may also be on the rise.”

“No, I’ll most certainly be helping against the invasion, what with my duty as a Toa and all that,” Alex replied, “However, if you keep giving me info, either it’ll be too vague that it’s no use, or it’ll be too accurate, screwing over the timeline if acted on and, in turn, your info.”

Joshua shrugged, “In truth, for the series I mentioned… there’s no changing of the known threats at this point in the timeline. They’re threats regardless. And as for changing the timeline… most of the events of the timeline focus on ‘slice of life’ type stories that teach morals. Thus, the ‘friendship is magic’ part of the title. But, I can understand your caution.”

“Well, that’s life,” Alex said, “However, back on the topic at hand, I’m guessing that you’ve got a few more clauses for the promise?”

Joshua nodded, “Yeah. For one… well, that invading force, many fans have theories about it, but it’s mostly agreed that they invaded due to starving, since they’re… ‘emotion’vore type shapeshifters. But… I’ve seen many a timeline in which these bug-pony Changelings have come to have peaceful relations, though not without some difficulties. I figure, since you’re gonna be travelling the globe anyways, I could give you something to track their main base, or bases depending on which theory is active in this reality, and try to get the starts of that running. And if it works, perhaps even ask to have one per hive accompany you as an ally. Having a shapeshifter to aid in combat would be useful for you, after all. And interesting, as well.”

“Well, I’m already screwing the timeline over, either through stopping the invasion or just being here, so why not?,” Alex said after a few moments of thought.

Joshua smiled, “Glad to hear it. Though, I forewarn… at least the leader of the invasion, Chrysalis, will be hard to deal with. She’s bitter, prideful, and malicious… though she only THINKS she’s cunning, if you know what I mean.”

“Et tu, Pre-HBP Malfoy?” Alex said in reply to this. To be honest, if she was as ‘smart’ as Joshua said she was, he shouldn’t have any trouble at all.

Joshua smirked, “Well, she, in the original timeline, tries to take over the pony controlling a force field over the whole city… while throwing away the Princess of Love… when their kind feed primarily on love. And that’s considering the fact that said princess can enhance any feelings of love someone may already have. ...and when it’s revealed that she’s a Changeling, she doesn’t try to hide it, and then has all her changelings reveal themselves, instead of using cunning to take use of the fact of having at least a tenth or more of the main capital replaced with her hive.”

“So in other words, she was Rube Goldberg-ing it all,” Alex said.

Joshua just chuckled, then answered, “Sort of. And in the ‘comics’ that are like a side story thing, she tries a second attempt, this time more directed at Twilight’s little group by kidnapping their little sisters… and she’s bitter enough to squash a little critter, guts going everywhere, in front of them just to get them to shut up.”

Alex frowned slightly at this. “Do you have any idea as to where she’ll be for the second attempt?” Considering that he’s already going to screw the timelike over, it’d make sense for him to launch a preemptive strike and take her out before she became a threat…

Joshua made a bemused expression, “At the moment, considering that they just defeated Discord, God of Chaos, she wouldn’t be there. You see, after her defeat, she and her Changelings are scattered all over via a blast of sorts… and she has immense luck as to where she lands, making a base out of the new location. However…. not every timeline’s version of her is evil. Some are just bitter and desperate to save her hive, having lived a ‘survival of the fittest’ type life with her hive and hating those that are free and happy out of jealousy… I’m hoping that’s the case in your Equestria, cause it’d mean that it’d be possible to talk sense into her. Though, no guarantees. There are many timelines. Some, she’s pure evil, while others, she’s misunderstood… and others still have it to where she overfed during the invasion and the power drove her mad. ...I have literally no idea which case it is for your timeline.”

“...Looks like I’ll need to do some recon before deciding the next course of action, then,” Alex said after a few seconds of thinking.

Joshua smiled, “Well, since they can disguise themselves, maybe asking for an audience would throw her off her game? Though, doing so as Nuparu would be best, what with the invisibility and whatnot… especially if, before using it, you say words to give off the impression that you’re teleporting away. Heh. Good defense should things go sour that way.”

“That’s most likely going to be my course of action, unless I can come up with anything else,” Alex replied. Considering that the parley would most likely be in an enclosed space, the real Kanohi of Teleportation, the Kualsi, would be useless.

Joshua nodded, “And… that’s not even considering the possibility that this may be a dimension with multiple hives, and thus, separate locations. Not only that, it’s theorized by many that the changelings within a hive share a psionic hive mind connection. So, get spotted once, and the others may be on to you… IF that’s the case in this timeline, anyways.”

“True that,” Alex said before shrugging, “Heck, they might even know I’m here, if one of the changelings was in Ponyville when I was there.”

Joshua nodded, “Good point. Anyways, along with dealing with the Changelings, a few other things. For one… I’ll hand over a gift with a message to the Princesses, basically for a smaller deal for fun. If they agree, it should prove interesting. Oh, and speaking of meeting with them… well, since they’ll likely provide ya with transportation, you’ll likely need to set up a home base at some point. As such, I’d like you to make that SOMEWHERE in that town you first arrived in. Your choice where, though. Could be mixed with the ponies, or some secluded outskirt location. Heck if I know where you’ll choose where in the town for such.”

Alex shrugged in response to this, “To be honest, if I do get a base, it’ll most likely be on the outskirts, or just on an open space where I can train without harming others in the crossfire. Heck, I might even set up shop here in the Everfree, or in another town entirely!”

Joshua grin got noticeably… devious… at the mention of training, “Oh, I wouldn’t worry about that. Had an idea for a training gift to give ya that not only you, but others could also use to great effect. Though, it’ll be an intense, though useful, training tool for ya.”

Alex frowned at this. A training ‘gift’? He better not drop the Tahtorak or the Zivon on me, He thought, and asked with a hint of suspicion, “And what would this ‘gift’ be?”

Joshua smiled, “Imagine this. First, a portable dimensional chamber. Inside, it can split into separate rooms that are fully customizable for terrain. And for the opponents… it scans the one training, then scans the potential timelines for them, then makes a simulated fully confident and experienced version of them, with options to choose from. The default is based of your current equipment, but with full knowledge of how to exploit every skill you’ve yet to discover with said gear. Or, you could take the more advanced route, and choose a version that is fully geared up with gear that can be made or gathered in your timeline to take full advantage of your powers, and for you, that’d include possessing every mask that you seek. All the while, for that training, magics would be in place to ensure there’s no death, regardless of killing blows, so that at most, you’d be knocked out after defeat…. and it can do this for anyone whom decides to use the training chamber, even the allies you gain here. Basically… it allows you to face a version of yourself as what you could eventually become, learning the hard way just how much you can improve yourself.”

“I’ll think about it, but I think it’s best for that to wait until I get a home base set up first,” Alex said. Truth be told, he was very intrigued by what he had heard, but wanted to get a haven before doing so. It would be a pity if he was captured after being knocked out from a training session…

Joshua nodded, “Well, as I said, it’d be portable, and you could activate it wherever you choose to place it. So, I could grant you it, and let you decide where and when to use it.”

“In that case, sure,” Alex said, but mentally promised not to use it until he had a chance to find a safe place before doing so.

Joshua nodded, “Alright then… now, let’s see… oh yeah. I’d also like you to have Luna to try and get her Thestrals to come out during the day more often. There’s little known about their kind. And also… for your adventures, I’d like you to ask them to send with you a mare guard of each type from both the solar and night guards. And you’re more than welcome to state that that wasn’t YOUR idea to ask for that, but part of a deal that was made, if that is what you’d like.”

Alex thought over it for a while, but eventually nodded. “...I guess that is acceptable,” He reluctantly answered. Truth be told, he’d prefer to have worked alone, mainly for the sole purpose of not having to check behind and not get shot in the back. However, if push came to shove, he’d be willing to work with them, provided that they didn’t screw up the mission.

Joshua stopped to ponder for a moment… “And lastly…” Joshua closes his eyes for a moment before holding out his hand… In moments, a glow appears there before a gem appears. He opens his eyes and tosses it to Alex. Alex grabbed the gem in one hand and looked at it with a raised eyebrow. What was he supposed to use this for, currency exchange?

Joshua nodded at his catching, and continued, “Use that only when the ‘mane six’ and the Cutie Mark Crusaders are together. Also, ask for them to bring their families to meet you and hear about what’s going on. Considering how Maud is, the rest would be potential assets, though the choice is there… And to explain about Maud… well, when her sister, Pinkie, was in danger, she proved fast enough to be a blur, faster than even a pegasus, and had enough strength and speed with her punches that she was like a jackhammer when she turned a falling boulder larger than a house into pebbles within moments.”

Alex gulped at this, but kept the gem in his hands, what with having no pockets at the moment. “Of course, but that’ll be some time before that happens,” He noted.

Joshua nodded, “True enough. Anyways… that actually pretty much sums up my ideas for the deal, that I can currently think of. Oh… and to forewarn, though ponies in Ponyville are pretty nice, the politicians and the like in Canterlot are not.. with a few rare exceptions, like Fancy Pants, but his kind are very rare among the ‘canterlot elite’. Also… well, I won’t go into full detail, but one of the threats to come excels… in draining magic. So, best of luck against that one.”

“Oh, I already have ideas as for that,” Alex said, a slight smirk crossing his face and ideas flitting through his head. One of the more prominent ideas would involve the Felnas, but he wasn’t sure as to whether it would work.

Joshua smiled as he leaned back, “Good to hear. So, I take it you agree to these many terms I’ve given?”

Alex thought the terms over, weighing the cons against the pros in his head. Eventually, he simply shrugged and said, “Sure, why not?”

Joshua smiled, “Very well. Time to use these powers of mine to make the items for you.”

At that, Joshua leaned forward, crossing his hands before his face as he leaned and thought.

In a few moments, a sci-fi looking box with crystals embedded appeared before them, small enough to hold. Then, after a little longer, a strange disc appears. The top of it looks like it can be opened, the top see through, showing a button. And right at the edge of the casing is another button. Following that though, Joshua starts some peculiar motions.

His eyes open, glowing as he looks around. He stands up for a moment, walking in a random direction. Motioning his hand forward, he appears to grasp at something, before energy sparkles flow forward in an unseen wind, going down an invisible flow as they fade.

Joshua nodded, “Alright, that finishes setting up the things that I was wanting, with that little input of NEW data added to the world’s leylines. Should make that little bit-,” Joshua’s eyes flick towards the circular device as their glow fades, “-work as intended. That just leaves completing my end of the deal with you, Alex.”

With that, Joshua walked forward, opening his palm upwards as a scroll sealed with a gem appears upon his hand. “Here’s the map, just as promised. You can activate the scan by placing the gem on the map when it’s open. It’s a one-time scan, so only do so when you’re ready. And as for those other items… the box is the training room one. Shouldn’t be hard to figure out. And the circle is for a little deal with Celestia and them.”

Alex nodded in thanks as he took the offered items, and near-instantly set the scroll on the ground before opening it. Taking the gem, he set it on the map, and the scroll immediately began to sketch out where the Kanohi were. After a minute of sketching, the map finished sketching and the gem dissolved into a fine dust, its particles scattered into the air with a strong breeze. Alex picked up the map and looked at it. Sure enough, it was a map of all of Equestria. However…

“It’s a pity it can’t say explicitly say where the Kanohi are,” He muttered to himself. While it did show a massive amount of Kanohi, the size of the map, which was barely three feet wide and two feet tall, made it so that he didn’t know where the Kanohi were or what challenges he would face.

Joshua grimaced, “Well, won’t add details to the map, but I see one problem at least. One moment.” In a flash of light, in Alex’s hand… the map flashes as he stumbles in surprise, the map growing in size to better show where the Kanohi are more clearly, but other than that, it remains the same.

“Thanks,” Alex said, as he looked over the map. It certainly was a gift for the map to be bigger, making it so that he could distinguish all of the Kanohi for where they are. However, now all of the Kanohi’s images have been changed to that of a grey Hau, making it so that he couldn’t distinguish which Kanohi was which. However, unlike before, Alex kept his mouth shut on this flaw. To be honest, he wanted a bit of surprise for when he found the Kanohi, and didn’t mind not knowing which one was which.

Joshua nodded, “No problem. Though, figured you’d have waited till you were sure you had easier travel methods than going on foot before you activated it. But, your call in the end there.” Joshua shrugged at the hindsight there, but Alex chose to, not him. Alex shrugged before taking the mask off, reverting back to his human form.

“So, I guess that is it, then?,” Alex said as he pocketed the smaller items, the objects filling his pants pockets.

Joshua smirked, “Not… exactly,” Joshua’s smirk widened as a crystal appeared with some sort of interface appears, “Here. It’ll show ya some details that’ll be useful for ya, and you might find enjoyable, but best to do so when you’re not busy. But, what it’ll show will be limited if certain individuals are nearby, as to prevent unintended info from getting out. It’ll mark exactly where that cut-off point is, as well. ...You’ll understand what I mean when ya test it.” Alex gratefully accepted the item, and slipped it into the remaining free pocket. Any info on the world around him would be very valuable.

Joshua smiled, “Well, that about does it. I’ll leave the time field here for now. I’ve got one more task to deal with before heading back through the portal to the Equestria I’ll be making my home, so continue on as you wish. And best of luck on your adventures.”

Joshua stood up, stretched a bit, and within moments, vanished. But with the speed of the vanish, and the ‘whoosh’ that accompanied it, it doesn’t take a genius to realize he had teleported somewhere.

Alex looked at the spot where the man once stood before shrugging. “Well, at least I’ve got a good way of finding the masks, now,” He said to himself, then looked down at the map. After memorizing the location of the nearest Kanohi, he rolled up the map and slapped on the Volitak. He transformed in a bright flash of light, the map hidden in whatever subspace pocket the rest of his items go, and then raced in the direction of the Kanohi, eager to get to it as quick as possible.

---

Luna looked to her sister, Celestia, as they stood across from one another. It had been several hours since she had returned from the stallion-hunt for the one named ‘Toa Alex’, and while she had not been able to capture the Toa, she had quickly returned to Canterlot, hoping to find any possible previous info for this ‘Toa’.

“Are you sure that he was swept into the river?,” Celestia asked, her wings spread out slightly in alertness.

“As sureth as we stand before thee,” Luna replied, still dressed in her battle armor. However, the halberd she had brought with her for the battle was snapped in two halves, which were on the ground between the two.

“If that’s the cas-,” Before she can finish her sentence, the sisters heared a sudden, but noticable ‘whoosh’ into their chambers. The two turned towards the sound, only to see a bipedal being standing on the far side of the room. While Celestia was unsure of what this being was, Luna recognized the species immediately and pointed her horn at the being, a spell ready to be fired.

“YOU DARE INVADE OUR INNER SANCTUMS, HUMAN?!,” Luna bellowed, and Celestia’s eyes widened before she, too, pointed her horn at the ‘human’.

At the shout, the man noticeably shivered… but as he turns around to face them, it becomes clear that this is not the same ‘human’ as before. He rubbed his ears before looking at them, a sad apathy in his eyes, as well as a bit of fear… though it seemed he gets over that fear surprisingly fast… though seemingly from disconnection to it rather than suppression.

“A little loud, don’t ya think?,” The human rubbed his ears a bit, before pausing, “...and sorry for the sudden intrusion. The ‘spell’ I used was meant to take me to the location of the currently awake princess. Didn’t know where I’d wind up precisely with it...”

“Enough,” Celestia said with a state of finality, and looked at the ‘human’ dead in the eye, while Luna kept her horn trained on the biped. “Tell me, human,” She said aloud, “What are you doing here?”

The ‘human’ nodded at her, “Mostly, to clear up some misunderstandings that have been had here. Figured I’d do one last thing to help my new friend here before returning to my own ‘adventures’, sort to speak.”

“THOU ART WITH THE ONE CALLED ‘ALEX’?!,” Luna exclaimed, her voice still in the Royal Voice tone, then turned to Celestia and said, “SISTER, WE MUST DETAIN THIS ONE AT ONCE!!”

The ‘human’ winced his ears at her voice, then shook his head, “Please, Luna, calm down. I came here to talk peacefully here, not to start a fight. And besid-,” The ‘human’ paused… as if reconsidering his words, and shook his head, “Never mind. I doubt you’d appreciate that comment if I said it. And I don’t want to start a fight here.”

Celestia looked at the ‘human’ for a few seconds appraisingly before nodding, then turned to Luna. “Luna, I think that it might be best if you stopped with the Royal Voice.”

Luna winced at this reminder, then spoke to Celestia, at a much more quiet tone, “We’re sorry, sister. We did not realize that we were speaking in the Royal Voice.” With that said, the two looked at the ‘human’, awaiting for him to continue.

The human nodded, “Thank you for agreeing to listen to me. May I sit down? This may take a while to discuss.” The two sisters each raised an eyebrow at this. They notice him looking around for a comfy spot to sit, but he seems hesitant to move without their permission, clearly not wanting to provoke them.

Eventually, Celestia conceded to the actions of the ‘human’, and said, “You may sit.”

The human nods with a smile, “Thank you, Celestia.” Spotting a nearby pillow on the floor for sitting on, he walks over and sits down, crossing his legs in an unfamiliar fashion to the alicorns.

“So, tell us, ‘human’: Why did you enter our private chambers?,” Celestia asked.

The human nodded, then said, “Well… I wanted to speak with you, explain some things and some misunderstandings about Alex, as well as what’s going on within your world. ...Oh, and my name’s Joshua, by the way. It’s an honor to meet you two.” Joshua’s smile at the end is clearly genuine to Celestia’s practiced eye… there seems to be no ill intent, no joking tone, to his greeting.

“In that case, perhaps you could explain as to why your colleague attacked my ponies,” Celestia asked.

Joshua nodded, “I’ve seen his timeframe for a limited bit, but that first attack in Ponyville was in self-defense… that, and he didn’t know how to control the powers he was given when he was abducted and sent to this reality.”

“Please, we know that he had attacked our citizens ever since he was summoned by Discord and-,” Luna began.

“He was summoned to Discord, not by Discord,” Joshua interrupted, pausing as he realized he misspoke, but shook his head, looking forward determinedly, “Sorry to have interrupted you, but Discord did not summon him. Discord sensed a ‘source of chaos’... and then summoned to him the living being most closely tied to that, the moment he entered your reality.”

Celestia frowned at this. “I was unaware that other worlds had gained the ability of inter-dimensional magic...,” She slowly stated.

Joshua frowned at this, “Unfortunately, there’s a difference between ‘inter-dimensional’ and… ‘multiversal’ magic. Inter-dimensional tends to be limited to a single ‘continuum’, or the collection of realities focused upon a single world as its basis, both in regards to alternate timelines and alternate ‘universes’ that share similar factors to the origin within the continuum…” Joshua shakes his head, “And I’m sorry to say, but the one that abducted Alex and started this mess is of the multi-versal type. A far higher tier of danger.”

Luna frowned at this. “Perhaps we should be told as to this threat, in case it decided to invade our kingdom,” She said, her eyes still locked on Joshua.

Joshua nodded, “Thankfully for your people, ‘The Merchant’ doesn’t continue his assault after starting his chaos… He just leaves the other dangers he sends with handle it for him, and what that is varies from victim to victim. Alex is FAR from the first to be sent to an alternate timeline of Equestria. They’re actually a group, known as the ‘Displaced’. Usually, just one per timeline. He picks his victims at conventions, usually,” Joshua turned towards Celestia, “In your world, there’s comic books, so I’m guessing there’s at times meetings where fans of such gather, often dressed up as their favorite characters?”

“Indeed, though it is usually for series such as ‘Power Ponies’ and ‘Daring Do’,” Celestia, then cocked her head slightly, “However, I am unaware of any series as elaborate as the one that this ‘Alex’ is dressed up as.”

Joshua shook his head, “He’s not from your reality. You see, this Merchant… he tricks those dressing up as countless series with his merchandise, picking and pulling out items that’d fit their costumes, usually appearing in locations where countless series are being celebrated. He then gets their attention and sells them an item that goes perfect with their costume… only for them to be knocked out as they find out it’s enchanted. The costumed human is then sent, one way or another, to a version of Equestria… all while being transformed into whatever they were dressed as, complete with powers and any problems the character had, whether they be hero or villain for the costume. And not only that… as they’re sent to that Equestria, the Merchant’s powers ensure that things from the series they chose to dress from come along with, including any, and often, all evils that came from that series.” Both of the sisters widened their eyes at this, before sharing a look. To be cursed with a form one did not want… It was something that reminded them well of the Poison Joke that was strewn about the Everfree Forest.

“And what would these evils be?,” Luna said, getting straight to the point.

Joshua paused as he looked at her, “I’m willing to tell you a little bit, despite not being as huge of a fan of the series as Alex was. But… know this, Luna. Alex is NOT a villain… Put yourself in his shoes. He arrives in an unknown world, in an unknown form… and then watches a guy get turned to stone before his eyes by a beam of magic… which, by the way, in the world he’s from, is something so rare it’s considered a myth or fantasy. Magic, that is. ...That’s not to say it doesn’t exist at all, as I know, but still… his world at large focused on technology to survive a world much like the Everfree, and thus thought magic to be a fantasy. Yet, he arrives here, in a form not his own, and sees it used in front of him to turn a guy to stone and completely change the environment. Then, the ones that did this, despite trying to say it’s no threat, intend to use it on him as well… the same exact power that turned another to stone. He flees, only to get surrounded and pursued by the townsfolk. He literally sees a mob of your ponies, many of which charging up their horns. He takes a chance, hoping that his form he gained granted powers to go with, to try and separate himself from his attackers… but not knowing how to control it, overdoes it. And ever since, gets constantly pursued by your ponies. ...Not exactly good first impressions for arriving in another world, are they?” While both were abashed at this revelation, this struck especially hard with Celestia, memories of the other Equestria flashing through her mind.

“Perhaps we did start things off on the wrong foot…” Celestia said, looking at Luna with a pointed look, making the Moon Alicorn hold her tongue.

Joshua nodded, then paused, “...before I state his powers though, there’s something you should know in regards to the Multiverse. But… I warn you, it may blow your minds a bit, figuratively speaking...” This time, it was Luna who raised an eyebrow, not understanding what blowing one’s mind meant, but awaiting his statement.

“You see… when it comes to the multiverse… every work of fiction in existence is made due to subconscious links to other realities, and an ancient artificial ‘god’ of the series Alex dressed from noticed what the Merchant did and decided to aid him. ...Aid Alex, I mean.” Unlike what most would expect, Luna handled it rather well, simply raising her eyebrow more at this statement. It was Celestia that did not expect this, and gaped at this for a few seconds before recovering her composure.

“Surely, you do not mean that we are but a creation of this ‘series’, as well?,” Celestia asked, and Luna, not realizing that, widened her eyes at this.

Joshua smirked a bit, “You misunderstand. I didn’t say the world is created from the fiction, but rather… the other way around. The fiction is created from the dimension’s link to its creator. As for your world, its original timeline is mostly focused on your student and her adventures with her friends,” Joshua takes a moment to look up in thought, “In my world, the series is through its fourth season, and just starting its fifth. Discord’s defeat was the start of Season 2. They always had big events at the end and starts of the seasons… And that’s not even including the two linked movies, set after the third and fourth seasons respectively… Heh, Twilight’s life sure involves dealing with lots of dangers to Equestria, but at least she and her friends have the talents to make it through them,” Joshua finished with a strangely warm smile… well, warm compared to the mostly sad apathetic look he’s had for most of the meeting, much to the shock of Celestia. The sincerity and care in his words. Seems this ‘series’ he has mentioned has quite a place in this human’s heart.

Joshua smiled in remembrance, “Seeing her and her friends’ happy lives were always inspiring… It even gave me many ideas of my ow-” Joshua’s widened as if coming to a realization. He sputters for a moment before looking down a bit, as if angry at himself, “Darn it. I forgot to…” Joshua looks up at the princesses apologetically, “Could you excuse me for a moment? I forgot something during my meeting with Alex… though, the powers I’ve been given allow me to be able to handle this remotely, so we can return to our conversation fairly easily.” Celestia nodded slightly, letting him drop off whatever it was that he needed to drop off.

As he sat there, he closed his eyes, as if in thought. A few moments later, he opened his eyes. “Alright, that is handled. Had to figure out how to send it with the powers first…”

---

Alex let out a curse as he dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding the Nui Rama as it swooped down and tried to pluck him off of the earth. “Damn it!,” He muttered as he focused the ‘Conduit Cannon’ on the flying Rahi before firing, knocking it out of the sky. It had been several minutes since he had started out heading towards the Kanohi, and he had made good progressed before he had been set upon by the Nui Rama.

Suddenly, a flash of light appears before him, as two orbs of light appear. As the light disbursed, it revealed a scroll and a strange circular item on a wristband. Abruptly, the item clamped itself around his arm before disbursing as the scroll floated down gently in front of him. Alex stared at it for a few seconds, before grabbing the scroll with a hint of annoyance. “What is it now?,” He muttered in minor irritation as he opened the scroll.

Dear Alex,

When I left, I had forgotten one of the items to give you. Now, you have it. You can ‘will’ it to appear whenever you want, though it’ll only become active once a certain moment has come to pass, if it hasn’t already. Once it has, it’ll become like a radar, able to direct you to any and all Changeling hives. You can handle it as you wish, but probably best to handle Chrysalis’s before her attempted invasion.

Anyways, with that done, best of luck on your adventure.

Sincerely,

Joshua

Alex let a small growl as he curled up the scroll and quickly switched back to his human form before switching back to Nuparu. “I swear, if he ‘forgets’ one more thing,” He muttered to himself, only to duck as another Nui Rama flew at him.

---

“...Anyways, let’s continue. ...and I’m sorry for the interruption. Part of my deal with Alex for helping him in his current quest was to not only make peace with you ponies, eventually, but also to attempt to prevent one of the future threats to your country from the original timeline, by trying to get peaceful relations before ‘their leader’s attempted invasion.” Both Celestia and Luna looked at him in surprise at this, before glaring at him and pointing her horn at him, a spell once again at its tip.

“Perhaps it is best if we hear it from you, considering that you seem to know much more than him,” Luna said.

Joshua smirked, “Well, the species is one you don’t know of. They’re called Changelings. Shapeshifters that feed on emotion, predominantly love. Their hive is starving, and their leader, inexperienced, thinks the only way to save her hive is by dominating the nation of their ‘prey’. Though, thankfully, I’ve seen a number of timelines where peaceful scenarios become possible between ponies and changelings… though, admittedly, depending on the timeline, there can be anywhere from just one hive to many hives spread throughout Equestria. Not sure which is the case in this timeline.” At this, Luna’s eyes widened in shock at this revelation, the spell dissipating in seconds.

“We have… met them before,” Luna said, and Celestia looked at her in shock at this statement, “Though it was during… darker times. While we were possessed by Nightmare Moon, we were exploring the Badlands, searching for any more potential allies. There, we met the one named Queen Cacoona. We asked for her to ally with us, but she declined, wanting instead to stay out of the war. With that, I left, with a promise that I would not attack her hive if she or her subjects did not attack me.”

Joshua took on a thoughtful look, “Seems this timeline is a bit different from the original then. The war in the original was more about your loyal followers trying to free you, not knowing you were possessed at the time,” Joshua paused before looking down, “And I’m sorry to say, but possession is a common trait among a number of the villains of Bionicle, the series that the Merchant is allowing through to your Equestria.” Luna let out a small growl at this, memories of her own possession running through her mind, while Celestia looked at her sister with a hint of pity and sorrow on her face.

Joshua nodded, “Yeah, there’s many threats to Equestria soon. In just the original timeline alone, though I have no idea how long till then, there’s Sombra, Chrysalis… which I’m hoping to prevent from being a problem as I said…, some old seeds Discord planted long ago in an unexpectedly delayed attempt to negate the Tree of Harmony, Tirek, whose cunning alone was enough to cause a short lived relapse for Discord’s, at the time, recent reformation… then there’s also Sunset Shimmer,” Ignoring the gasp from Celestia, Joshua continued, “Whom Twilight helps redeem despite her choosing to stay living where she is, as well as the Sirens, whom didn’t lose ALL of their powers as Starswirl predicted when he sent them to the same world that Sunset’s in… and that’s all I know from the original timeline… which doesn’t include the fact of the issues that Bionicle brings to your reality...” By the end of his explanation, Celestia and Luna were both looking at him with both sorrow and fear at the thought of all of their past previous threats returning, with even more unknown threats soon approaching.

“Tell us, then,” Celestia said with a motherly tone coming into her voice, though her expression was somber, “How can we stop these threats?”

Joshua’s face sombered, “Which ones? The ones from your timeline, or Bionicle?” The deadpan look he got from both Celestia and Luna gave him his answer to spill all.

Joshua paused a moment… but then chuckled as he gets their meaning, “True enough… well, in the original, Twilight helps stop Sombra with Spike’s help by discovering where he hid the Crystal Heart… though not without having to get through his booby traps. And despite this, apparently, he can survive and slowly recover as long as any part of him survives, even as much as just his horn. The Crystal Heart is hidden via a chamber within the throne room. Twilight figures out how to make it appear. He’s the next threat in your universe, if you exclude Chrysalis, which I’m hoping my actions accomplish.” Celestia shared a look with Luna, then the two nodded, Celestia mentally noting to start searching for any sign of Sombra returning, before looking back at Joshua.

Joshua nodded, “After that… well, your plans to get Twilight to ascend eventually work, though as you know, you can’t inform her of this till after the fact. The remaining threats from the original timeline don’t appear till after that… though, with this being an alternate timeline with Bionicle influencing things, there’s no guarantee my foreknowledge will be of use or not.”

“We see...,” Luna said, before looking at Celestia. “It might be best if we visit this ‘Alex’ when he is in the realm of dreams, so as to find out what threats from ‘Bionicle’ we’ll have to deal with.”

Joshua grimaced at this, “That… may not be necessary. You see… I made a deal with him. Granted him some help for the mission he was assigned by Mata Nui, the artificial god of Bionicle. Mata Nui sensed what the Merchant has done, and is trying to prevent the worst of the threats… but there’s far too many for him to manage. Case in point with Alex having already encountered a Bohrok. But… part of that deal is to make peace with you. However, he’s delaying it since, for his task, he has to hunt down some things that came with him, and one just so happens to be in the Everfree. He decided to find it first before meeting with you.”

“We understand your concern,” Luna said in reply, “But it still may be best if we contact him in the astral realm, so as to meet him without pointless hours of searching the Everfree.”

Joshua nodded, “Very well. I can tell you some of the threats. Planned to after I gave ya the info of the threats in the original timeline. But… it’s been an unfortunately long time since I studied Bionicle, as opposed to Alex, so my memories are vague. But, a decent enough start to go on at least.” With that said, Celestia and Luna both looked at Joshua, awaiting what threats there might be.

Joshua paused as he moved his hands before him, crossing his fingers in front of his face with a serious expression, “As I said before, long ago, without your notice, Discord planted something to drain the Tree of Harmony, something called Plunder Seeds. It’s no doubt still being drained as we speak, but it is not an immediate concern… which is a good thing, ‘cause Twilight and them will need them for Sunset Shimmer. Considering what happens in the original timeline, it’s best to let that hardship go as is, considering that it leads to Sunset Shimmer’s redemption, which is later needed for dealing with the sirens. Twilight… you send her in after Sunset after she steals her Element of Harmony, with Spike sneaking in after her… which proves to be a good thing, considering he helps keep her spirit up when she needs it most during her mission. So, best to just leave that as is, and handle the Tree of Harmony afterwards.”

Joshua’s eyes then shift over to Luna, “In truth, after Sunset helps against the sirens, she ends up achieving the ambitions she had thrown away during redemption, ironically enough. That ‘series’ I mentioned even had her sing a song for it. One that could be quite inspiring for YOU, Luna, considering the words involved in it.” Luna frowned at this statement, mainly due to this unknown being bossing her around, but kept her tongue so as to hear what other threats threaten Equestria.

Noticing her frown, he lightly waved his hands, “Don’t get me wrong, Luna. I’m glad to see you’ve returned to being the kind and caring princess you’ve now become. I just think that the mentioned song you could appreciate, is all. It’s very heart lifting, and its words are good for refreshing one’s heart during dark times. But, whether you wish to hear it before I leave, I leave up to you to choose.”

“As for the other threats?,” Celestia asked, sipping at her drink.

Joshua paused, “Well… around the time Twilight learns a time travelling spell or something, Tirek manages to escape from Tartarus, remaining in hiding till he’s ready to strike.” At this, Celestia did a spit-take, while Luna gaped at this revelation.

“Tirek?!,” Celestia asked with a hint of panic in her voice, “But we had banished him to Tartarus centuries ago!”

Joshua grimaced, “Well, Cerberus ends up leaving post for some reason. He sneaks out then, though making sure to leave the door closed in his wake, to give no hints of having escaped. Thankfully, it takes till the Equestrian games before he has absorbed enough free-floating mana to make his move. Plenty of time to find him. But… before then, you succeed, thanks to Fluttershy, with redeeming Discord… and make the mistake to send him after Tirek. Tirek may be weak at the time they meet… but his mind proves capable of fooling DISCORD of all people, and cause a temporary relapse towards evil… despite the guilt he feels at the time, which only gets worse later. He eventually turns over for good, and helps them figure out a puzzle the Tree gives to Twilight and them, which they then use to defeat Tirek… after he has already absorbed the magic of every pony in Equestria, yourselves included.” Celestia frowned at this. She’ll have to try and find him via scrying spells before he could do so…

Joshua nodded, “Well, that and the sirens, which I honestly hope can be redeemed like Sunset did in the original timeline, are the last of the threats I know of that TWILIGHT faces… Keep in mind, the series mainly showed her adventures. There very well could be other threats as well that you manage to handle without the aid of her and her fellow Element Bearers, ones that I’m unaware of.”

“That’s not including these new ‘Bionicle’ threats that arrived with the one called ‘Alex’,” Luna muttered to herself.

“Unfortunately… And… well, let’s just hope the worst are kept at bay by Mata Nui. There was one threat that could bring to life any and all fears of those near to him, whether it be melting, being destroyed from one’s own powers running out of control, as well as being able to do unrealistic fears. Bet he could even cause one to disappear by regressing into ‘unbirth’... then there was another villain that could turn anyone into dream energy, then ‘wake’ from the dream, permanently erasing the target, along with any memories others may have had of the victim’s existence. And that’s also not including the hordes of Visorak spiders, which have projectiles of various powers, along with venom that can mutate both the body and mind into bloodthirsty monstrosities...,” Joshua shivers at the thought.

After a moment, Joshua noticed no reply, then looked at the sisters. They looked noticeably paler with wide eyes at what he described. Luna’s fur has become a sickly sky blue… and Joshua was not sure how to describe how Celestia’s fur could ‘pale’ like that,though a slight green tinge was noticeable.

“That… is a very descriptive nightmare,” Celestia said.

“There’s worse,” Luna said in a deadpan tone. Celestia looked at Luna in slightly disgusted surprise at this, but stopped when given a look from her younger sister.

Joshua nodded, grimly at that, “And the one I mentioned can make any fear come to life instantaneously, all while feeding on the fears he fosters to make his power even that much stronger… thankfully, with Mata Nui doing his best to suppress the leak that the Merchant made, he SHOULD be able to prevent the worst of the dangers from crossing… but there are plenty ‘lesser’ threats that are bad enough on their own.”

“Such as the ‘Bohrok’ ‘Alex’ fought?,” Luna asked, memories of the bird-like robots coming to her mind.

Joshua looked at her, and nodded, “The Bohrok are spherical mechanical beings, piloted by living mask like creatures… if I recall right, they were called Krana. The Krana can possess anyone they are worn by, and each type has their own special powers. On top of this, whichever type of Bohrok they’re placed in grants them elemental powers, like how you saw Alex use. The six default are Fire, Water, Ice, Acid, Stone, and Earth, with earth typically being a subterranean type and stone being rocks and dessert. However, there’s elite ones as well, having rarer elements, like magnetism, gravity, plasma, and vacuum, just to name ones off the top of my head. And on top of this, many enemy species can fuse together into giant monstrosities under certain conditions… and then there’s the Shadow Leeches, of which, unfortunately, Alex has already encountered one of…”

“Shadow Leeches?,” Luna asked.

Joshua nodded, “You see, when they attach themselves to their victims, they drain the light from their victims, leaving only a husk for darkness to fill. This leads to the victims becoming literal shadow versions of themselves,” Luna let out a gasp at this revelation.

“That sounds quite similar to the Nightmares…” She muttered.

Joshua nodded, “Yeah, but they also tend to appear in numbers. Oh, and also, forgot to mention that the Krana of the Bohrok have a psionic hive mind. Take one, and the others know of it. Not to mention the fact that if they attach themselves to someone, that victim becoming their puppet.”

Luna looked at Celestia, and asked, “Didn’t your student gather a few of those ‘Krana’ to study?”

Celestia frowned at this, then nodded. “It might be best for her to stop her research. I’ll send her a scroll as soon as the meeting’s over.”

Joshua nodded, “Might be best to do more than that. Twilight’s taken an almost manic desire to study Alex… to the point of pinkie promising to use any means necessary to study him. She’s gotten so caught up in her desire to learn that she’s foregone the fact that he’s a living, sapient being, and she’s trying to get info on him against his will… I know she means well, but she really forgets herself sometimes when caught up on something like this…”

Celestia winced slightly at this revelation. “That was one factor that seemed to have persisted since the start of her apprenticeship,” She said reluctantly.

.

“Surely she can’t be that bad, is she, sister?,” Luna inquired.

“Do you remember the ‘Filly Inquisition’ I was telling you about?,” Celestia asked, and Luna nodded before she realized what her sister was getting at, letting out a chortle.

“You’re telling me that your student’s responsible for that?!,” Luna said in between giggles, and Celestia nodded with a small blush from embarrassment, sending her sister into greater hysterics.

Joshua raised an eyebrow in curiosity, “Never heard of that bit from the series. The greatest example I knew of her issues was the Mr. Smarty Pants doll incident. ...thankfully, in the original timeline, she DOES get over those issues… eventually. A large part of which being a lesson she learns from her… to-be sister-in-law. Considering you know their family, Celestia, you can guess whom I mean.”

Celestia raised an eyebrow in return at this. “I knew that Shining and Cadance were dating, but I was unaware that they were getting married soon,” She said.

Joshua grinned, “Well, ‘soon’ is relative. I know that they do at the end of ‘Season 2’, but that series never put exact dates as to how far apart its various parts were. For all I know, he may not have popped the question yet at this point in the timeline. But, if he hasn’t, it won’t be long.” Luna, still giggling from the memories of the ‘Inquisition’, grinned a little at the mention of the proposing before putting a hoof over her mouth in an attempt to smother her laughter.

“Heh. Anyways, back to the task at hand. Along with the Krana, there were also Kraata. I vaguely remember them as almost snake like dual colored things. They had much of the same powers of the Krana, but I vaguely remember that there was something far more dangerous about them, other than the fact that they could move on their own. Don’t recall what though. However, I DO know they were created by one of Bionicle’s greatest villains, Makuta Teridax, and like the Krana having the Bohrok bodies, the Kraata had Rahkshi bodies. Staff wielding lizardmen like forms, who could fly and use various powers with their staffs. Don’t remember all of them, but I do remember that one could cause hatred, another anger, as well as poison, and instinctive fear… and another could disintegrate a target at the atomic level by striking a target’s weak points.” Celestia scowled at this. It seemed as though this ‘Makuta’ is just as powerful as Tirek at his height, but with these ‘Rahkshi’ included…

Joshua scowled, “And that’s not all. Makuta Teridax was apparently the leader of some ‘Brotherhood of Makuta’... but the details on that are vague. One of his greatest power sources is actually something Alex has been tasked with finding. You see… he’s been tasked with finding the Kanohi Masks of Power, which have been scattered across your world… and one of those is the Mask of Shadows. With it… Makuta can see through and control all shadows in all locations, and not just physical shadows… but even the shadows of the heart and mind, seeing secrets one would prefer to keep hidden, and he has great delight with both destruction and corruption. But… that’s not the worst about Teridax…” Celestia frowned at this. This Mask of Shadows’ powers sounded like those wielded by the King of the Shadow Ponies, back when they were still around...

After a pause, Joshua continued, “You see, Teridax is very power hungry… but his ambition is matched by his intellect. In the Bionicle universe, he even succeeded in taking over Mata Nui’s body, that one artificial god I mentioned, the moment he woke up, before sealing Mata Nui’s spirit in a mask and flinging it to another planet… Through sheer luck of circumstance, Mata Nui eventually made it back and got his body back though. But… to truly understand how bad it was, there’s something you should see…”

At this, Joshua waved his hand for flourish, and then before them appeared a map of an island which seems to be separated into six colored areas. And with it is a legend representing its size, and an arrow pointing down to another legend showing what were clearly Equestrian distance measurements. “This… is the island of Mata Nui, named after their beloved deity,” Joshua stated with a bit flare as he watches their reactions to the map, “As you can see, the island is pretty dang big.” Indeed, in comparison to Equestria, while it was only half as wide, it was certainly just as long, if not longer, than Equestria.

Joshua then stands up and walks over to them, seemingly getting situated to face the same direction they are, “Now, to get you to understand how significant Teridax’s plans were… well, note that Mata Nui was as powerful as his size. And Teridax stole that body right as he woke. What I am about to show you is a video of Mata Nui’s awakening from the series in my world. ...and fret not, evacuation was made before this event.”

With a wave of his hand, a large rectangular screen appeared, similar to some illusion diagram spells. And upon it, an extraordinary video played.

After enjoying the nostalgia of watching the scene, Joshua turned towards the two princesses… smirking to see their jaws wide open, their eyes pinpricks at what they just saw.

“...You mean to tell us that is Mata Nui?!,” Celestia said with a whimper evident in her voice. That giant made even a fully grown Tirek pale in comparison when it came to height.

Joshua nodded, “Yes… and Teridax was cunning enough to figure out how to steal his body and all of his magical powers for himself. Thankfully, Mata Nui figured out a way to beat him, though in part by a large amount of luck. Still though, this gives you a good idea of just how much of a threat Teridax is, should he be one of the threats to show up in Equestria.” The two princesses gulped and nodded eagerly, ready to move on to the next topic.

Joshua sighed, “Unfortunately, the remainder of my memories of the threats from Bionicle are vague. Alex has a much better memory of them. But… beyond that, there’s a more pressing matter for you to focus on anyways....” Both Celestia and Luna paled slightly at this.

Joshua continued, “You see, there’s a reason Mata Nui assigned Alex with pursuing the Kanohi Masks of Power… because him, being part Toa thanks to the Merchant... is the only one, that I’m aware of, in Equestria that can handle wearing them, and the only one that can remove them. Anyone else that wears them are… incompatible, would be driven insane for the duration of wearing the mask, all while said mask’s powers run rampant.”

“They can’t be that bad, can they?,” Celestia asked, raising an eyebrow at this. Compared to the Alicorn Amulet, these ‘Masks of Power’ couldn’t possibly be worse.

“MOST of them aren’t, with them focusing on specific powers… but there are some that need to be acquired quickly. Teridax’s Mask of Shadows being one. Its counterpart, the Mask of Light, likely could be bad in the wrong… hooves, as well. After all, if Teridax’s mask can control the darkness within others, it stands to reason that its counterpart could CONTROL the goodness of others towards their own ends. Not only that, there’s the two big ones I know of… The Mask of Time and the Mask of Life.” Celestia took in a sharp breath at this. For there to be something that controlled time itself, let alone one for all life…

Joshua saw her concern after her gasp, “Yes. Those two are very big concerns. The Mask of Time… few Toa had the willpower to control it, risking destroying the very fabric of time in using it, despite needing it for a short time against certain villains’ plots… and the Mask of Life… it can create, destroy, and alter life in both body, mind, and soul. Though, in the original Bionicle, it eventually gained sapience, wanting to be a hero… only to do so by sacrificing its sense of self to re-awaken Mata Nui from his age long slumber as prophesied in order to stop the Brotherhood of Makuta.”

“It may be best, then, if we start searching for this ‘Mask of Life’ immediately,” Luna said to Celestia, who nodded in agreement.

Joshua nodded at this statement, “That may be prudent… here, some images of those four masks, though for the Mask of Shadows, it can be worn two different ways, so I’ll show both states there.”

With a nod, four pieces of paper appeared before them, each with a different mask design. The Mask of Shadows shown in both of its orientations.

“It certainly is… intimidating,” Luna said as she looked at the Mask of Shadows, before looking at the other three sheets. While the Masks of Time and Light were odd-looking, what she could only assume to be the Mask of Life had an outstretched figure on it for an engraving.

Joshua nodded in agreement, “That’s understandable, considering who wielded it. Unfortunately though, that’s about as much intel I can grant ya for now. Alex is the one with the greater amount of memories about Bionicle. I’ve been too far gone from studying the series, unfortunately. But, I do hope that all this helps you two in your timeline.” Joshua stands up and stretches, “With that, though I have one last thing I’d like to do before I go, I’m pretty much done here in this reality. So, I’ll likely just head back to the version of Equestria that I’d be starting my own journey in… along with setting limits on my own powers that I’ve been given. Don’t want to become too compliant on them. Could lead to corruption, and I’d rather avoid that…” Celestia nodded in agreement with his words, though Luna looked somewhat abashed at this. She remembered how easily one could be corrupted.

Joshua turned towards them, “Before I go though, was hoping to show ya something just for the heck of it. Another video, but this one not for fear, but for strength. The individual in the video is, admittedly, different… but there’s enough similarities that I think it could help strengthen one’s heart just from listening to it. ...and considering the dangers ahead for your Equestria, any increase in resolve I think would be welcome,” he added with a grimace. Celestia could only agree with these words. If threats as perilous as the ones described do arrive, then any morale raising would be appreciated.

Joshua looked at them, “Before I show this, know it’s of Sunset Shimmer from the original timeline, after she has redeemed herself through helping defeat the Sirens… and in so earning the place of a SEVENTH Element of Harmony bearer, and even more than that as well…” Both Celestia and Luna gasped, though Celestia’s was slightly more audible. There was the potential for there to be a seventh Element of Harmony?

Joshua smiled, “Yes, she really proves herself after Twilight helps redeem her in that timeline. But, there’s more,” Joshua looked pointedly at Celestia, “Celestia, as you know, Starswirl’s mirror portals lead to alternate worlds, where different duplicates of those you know here exist, correct?” Celestia turned her head down slightly as memories of her and Sombra come into her mind, but she nods, not speaking for fear of betraying her emotions.

Joshua frowned a bit at Celestia’s sadness, but continued, “Well, in the alternate world where Sunset visited, the portal transformed her to fit the residents, losing her magic in the process. In that world, the dominant species is near identical to my own human species, though the ones in that world have the variance in color potential that ponies do, which is different than humans in most of the multiverse. Other than that, though, it’s much like my own world. As such, magic is considered a myth. But, Sunset ends up earning magic. Also… for the video, a section of it shows what she becomes during the time she is still corrupt and seeking magic. You’ll see what I mean... ,” Joshua turned to look Luna in the eyes as he said this, “And Luna, I hope this that I’ll show will be of use to you, as well. After all the hardships you’ve gone through, you deserve happiness like what this hints at.”

With that, Joshua positioned himself to where they can see a single video again, as a surprisingly well-done video played before them.

Afterwards, he turned to look at the princesses… and saw them both smiling with tears in their eyes, for differing reasons. Celestia was happy to see that her former apprentice had finally come out of her inner darkness, while Luna couldn’t help but feel a connection to ‘Sunset Shimmer’ due to them both having fallen to their jealousy, but had gotten out of their darkness with the help of Friendship.

Joshua smiled at them, “You can see why I wanted to show you this. Thankfully, the Bionicle threats are only targeting one reality, not all connected to it… so there’s a high chance that things will be the same for your Sunset as it was for her, if you keep what I told you earlier in tact in terms of actions. Which is good, since it gives a little less to worry about. One dimension at a time, eh?” Celestia nodded in agreement. The last thing that she needed were several universes falling in on themselves, after all!

Joshua stood up and stretched, then told the two, “Well, that’s about all I had in mind to do here. I wish you ladies the best of luck in the trials ahead.”

“We wish you the best of luck, and thank you for telling us of these threats,” Luna said in reply.

Joshua smiled, “Just glad to help. And it’s been an honor meeting you two.”

“The same to you, and we are thankful for the info you’ve provided,” Celestia said, Luna nodding in agreement.

Joshua smiled, then said, “Farewell, you two. And I hope my meeting with your alternate timeline selves in the dimension I seek to make a new home in goes as well.” With that, he bowed before a familiar ‘whoosh’ was heard, the man disappearing in front of their eyes.

---

With a whoosh, Joshua arrived back in the time field by the portal… only to hear pained shrieking. He looks over at the portal… and saw a giant biometal crab attempting, and failing to get in, to which Joshua just raised an eyebrow.

Joshua sighed and shook his head, “Good thing I made it so only I could go through that thing… Hmm…” A wicked gleam appeared in his eyes, “Well, I had another bit I wanted to tell Alex. Why not take care of two birds with one stone?” His smirk was particularly devious as he initiated his plann.

---

Alex grunted as he fell to the ground, before getting up and glaring at the trio of Nui Rama that buzzed around over him. “I’m really tempted to screw the Toa Code over now…” He said as he lifted up the Cordak launcher, three missiles having already been launched from it.

As the missiles flew, Alex noticed something odd. A strange energy overcame the missiles as they fly and explode near, but not on, the Nui-Rama… causing them to fly together, stacking on top of each other in the air… right as a flash above them caused something to appear, landing on and smashing them to the ground.

As the dust clears, Alex saw the three Nui-Rama piled underneath a giant biometal crab, all of them unconscious with an orb of energy floating in front of them. Alex looked at the pile with a deadpan look for a few seconds, then turned towards the orb and asked, “Josh, is that you?”

A chuckle echoed from the orb, “Yep, it’s me. Found this guy trying to get through my portal when I prepared to head out. Good thing I set defenses in place. Figured I’d get rid of him in a way that helped ya out before I left. ...well, that, and I forgot one more tiny detail to tell ya for when you meet with the ponies and whatnot. You said that Rainbow Dash was quite a pest with ya, right?”

“Second only to Twilight,” Alex confirmed.

Joshua chuckled, then said, “Well, I know a perfect way for you to embarrass Rainbow for her problems without hurting her.” Alex raised an eyebrow at this. What exactly did he have in mind?

His voice floating from the orb, “For this, you have to use your human form. Perhaps starting from a headlock, but basically, from what I’ve studied from other timelines… well, start to scratch behind her ears with your human hands, or similar pet related actions. Continue such till her wings pop up, and she’ll become embarrassed as hell, yet still not be able to stop ya once you start.”

Alex chuckled at the image Josh provided. “So she’s like one big winged cat in that perspective, then, huh?,” He said at this.

Joshua chuckled at this, “Actually, that works for ponies in general. May even work on Changelings and other sapients of this world, in actuality. Heck, wouldn’t doubt it if you could get a job as a masseuse on the side of your current adventuring. At least, I plan to do that when I start to make a living in the Equestria I planned to move to. You could likely do the same to Twilight too, BUUUUT, Twilight isn’t so focused on ‘keeping up a reputation’ as Rainbow Dash is.”

“Is that so…” Alex said, contemplating this news. He may have to resort to using Nuparu a lot more than he had thought…

Joshua chuckled, “Yeah. Though, not sure how effective it’d be on Changelings, since they’re part bug. I have some theories, sure, but no ideas which ones are the case in this reality. So, guess you can find out on your own, eh? Oh! Speaking of… as I said, don’t know if there’s more hives than one in Equestria for ya. But, regardless, you’re likely to encounter the one that tried the invasion. Her name is Queen Chrysalis, and before I end the message, here’s an image of her from the ‘show’ I mentioned to ya about.”

As Joshua said this, the orb of energy emitted a cartoon diagram showing a peculiar creature from multiple sides. Alex raised an eyebrow at the image: He didn’t think that someone organic with that many holes in them could still be alive.

Joshua continued, “Admittedly, a cartoon image can only grant you so much detail. You’re there in real life, after all. There’s likely to be SOME differences. But, it should be enough for you to recognize her when you see her.”

“Provided that she isn’t disguised,” Alex quipped in reply.

“True enough… Regardless, this should help ya come the future. But, that’s it for me, I’m pretty much finished in this reality, so just gonna clean up here, and head back through the portal. Oh, and to forewarn ya, I’ll be likely noticeably different next time we meet, since I intend to alter myself with these powers of mine. Should be able to help out in more direct fashions next we meet, since I plan on training myself and such. But, ‘till then, best of luck.”

With that said, the orb flickered before disappearing. Alex looked in the direction where the portal had been, before shrugging and looking up towards the top of the mountain. “Well, at least it’s not too far to the Kanohi,” Alex said to himself, then continued his ascent. A few seconds afterwards, another orb appeared before Alex, this one a purple color, oddly enough.

As Joshua’s voice came through the orb, it sounded oddly younger than before, “Hiya, Alex. Seems I remembered another thing to tell ya after I got back to the Equestria I’m in now.”

“What did you forget now?” Alex asked in exasperation.

Slightly jovially, Joshua said, “Well, I figured, just in case things don’t go completely peacefully, it wouldn’t be a bad idea for you to learn what you’d be up against, in regards to the princesses and the Elements of Harmony bearers.”

“A heads-up for their attacks?” Alex mused, then nodded. “Alright, let’s hear it.”

Joshua’s voice had a humored tone to it as he began to explain, “Alright, we’ll start with the princesses. First off, a detail nearly no pony knows…. alicorns in most timelines are not born. They’re ascended to from reaching enlightenment with one’s cutie mark. In fact, the leader of the Elements of Harmony has the potential of reaching that, though she’s yet to do so where you are in the timeline. No idea if that’ll be the same here or not.” Alex looked at the orb in both surprise and disappointment. Was that really all that he had to fear?

Joshua’s voice continued, “And to forewarn… once assuming alicorn status, not only does their magic greatly enhance… but they gain powers from all the pony tribes. And to give you an idea… well, there’s an earth pony in Ponyville named Big Mac with such strength that he can be hopping forward with a robe tied to a HOUSE… and drag it behind him without a sweat. Admittedly, he was under the effects of a tunnel visioned love potion at the time, but still… anyways, despite him being THAT strong… putting all his strength into a hoof wrestling match with Celestia did nothing for her. Celestia was BORED with the amount of strength that pony put into a match. And many fans theorize that she was once just a unicorn, the more physically weak of the pony types. That give ya an idea of how much of a power boost ascension grants?”

Alex nodded in agreement, then thought over how he could counter this. Perhaps if he found the Olmak, he could trap them in the Shadow Zone to prevent them from attacking him?

Joshua continued a tad jokingly, “Thankfully, ascension isn’t too big of an issue. In over 1,000 years, only the newest Princess Cadance has managed ascension. As it is, there’s only three princesses, and considering that she’s still being trained by Celestia in how to handle being a princess, I doubt Cadance, the Princess of Love, will be an issue for you. Celestia and Luna on the other hand are another matter…” Alex cocked his head to the side at this ‘third’ princess, but nodded in agreement that the two ‘main princesses’ would certainly be a challenge to face. He was certain that had he stayed to fight Luna in the castle, he would have had a hard time winning.

After a pause to think, Joshua continued, “For this next part, I warn you… little is known about Celestia and Luna, though enough is known to be able to warn you of some things. But… their secrets alone could be dangerous, considering they have lived over 1,000 years… and with 1,000 years of experience and magical knowledge under their theoretical belts…” Joshua let that hang in the air, letting Alex understand the implications.

“Point taken,” Alex said, his mind now filled with methods to counteract any offensive maneuvers.

“So, which princess do you wish to hear about first?” Josh asked, curiosity evident in his voice.

Alex thought it over for a while, before eventually answering with “Celestia.” He had already met Luna and had seen how she had fought, but Celestia was still an unknown to him.

“Alright then. For Celestia, ironically like her sister, her battle style and personality are inverse of each other. Celestia goes for the straight forward and brutal combat style, honorable but powerful. But, personality wise… her kind, motherly caring persona hides a deviously cunning side. Many fans call her ‘Trollestia’, due to her method of using ‘trolling’ to ensure that the lessons she teaches stay within the minds of those she teaches to. She’s great at anticipating others’ actions, and often makes plans accordingly.”

At this, Alex froze before slowly saying, “Did you say her nickname... is ‘Trollestia’?”

Joshua chuckled, “Yes, many of the fans love to call her that, for good reason. Admittedly, she only uses such for good intents, but she’s dang good at using ‘trolling’ as a teaching method.”

“I’m afraid you don’t understand,” Alex said as a feral grin slowly grew on his face. “Back on my planet, I was known as the goddamn Prince of Trolling. For someone to attempt to provide competition - Well, that would be a declaration of trolling war.”

Great amounts of laughter erupted from the orb at this, “Oh, you two will get along fine then. She’s often considered a prankster by the fans during her free time, and she’s got well over 1,000 years of experience with living under her belt. ...I’m sure time spent between you two should prove interesting.”

“Oh, it certainly will,” Alex said, the feral grin fully grown by now, then pointed at the orb before stating, “Also, I’ll need some help from you for the first blow: When I give you the signal, could you teleport a literal ton of rubber ducks into her bathroom, but make it so that they can’t fall out of the windows or be teleported away?”

Joshua lightly chuckled, “Sorry, but I won’t take part in your trolling war. But… isn’t one of the masks to find the mask of teleportation? You could use that for such. And if it’s money for the pranks you need, it seems one of the currencies of the ponies are gems. And with your earth Toa powers… well, need I say more?”

“If it’s gems, I’ll need Stone Toa powers, not Earth Toa. Besides, I can’t transport anything thing that’s not on my person with the Teleportation Kanohi, though the Olmak has the effect you’re talking about. I’ll need to find a horde of rubber ducks to pull it off, though,” Alex replied.

Joshua continued with a mischievous lilt to his voice, “Oh, I’m sure you’ll figure out something,” after a pause, he continues, “Well, then that leaves Luna. She’s very straight forward, and can be very smart. However, she can also be impulsive, competitive, and… naive. The latter part not by choice though. Over a thousand years ago, due to jealousy, she became possessed by the queen of living nightmares. This Nightmare’s presence is currently unknown. It’s been defeated twice, but whether or not it’s been killed is… unknown. I don’t know what qualities it needs to possess a target other than negative emotions, but I can tell there’s something else it needs. ...Anyways, due to it, she’s been ‘out of the loop’ for over a thousand years, and she’s quite desperate to make up for it, both towards helping the citizens of Equestria… and to simply find someone she can relate to and the like. Ironically though, despite her straight forward personality, as you learned firsthand, her fighting style is a lot more ninja like, despite the power behind her attacks.”

“Considering that she is called the ‘Princess of the Night’, that’s not too surprising,” Alex replied. Heck, all he had to do was use the Elda or the Rode to keep her from sneaking up on him, and that knocks out her main battle strategy!

“True enough. Anyways, that’s the gist for the current princesses. But, considering how close you are to their home, and their current involvement, you’ll more likely encounter the Elements of Harmony in the future, eh?” The tone in his voice made it quite clear this is a rhetorical question.

“Well, if I’m going to be stationed in ‘Ponyville’, I most likely will,” Alex quipped.

“Alright then. In that case, I’ll let you choose which to ask about first. There’s the unicorns, Rarity and Twilight Sparkle. There’s the pegasi, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy. And lastly, there’s the earth ponies, Applejack and Pinkie Pie. Oh, and though you’ve likely guessed by now, the leader of the group is Twilight.” Alex nodded along with this, and began to think over who he should ask about first. He had already seen how fast Rainbow Dash had flown, how magically adept Twilight was, and how stealthy Pinkie could be. The other three, however, were anomalies to him.

“Let’s start off with Applejack,” Alex eventually said. Given that she was part of the ‘hunt’ yesterday, it’d make sense she was powerful.

Joshua’s voice took on a somewhat studious tone as he began to say, “Alright then. Applejack... Of the Elements of Harmony, she represents the Element of Honesty, so her ability to lie is pathetic, though this is countered with her skill at detecting lies. She’s by far the strongest physically of the group. She spends every day at her orchard, using just single strikes with her rear hooves to shake loose ALL the apples of her trees, per tree. And if it’s enough for her to control her strength precisely enough to do that, one can only imagine if she let her strength go all out. And on top of this, like Rainbow Dash, she’s one of the most athletic of the group, with an extreme skill with a lasso on top of that. And in terms of running speed, she’s equal to Rainbow Dash, which is saying something considering that Rainbow Dash’s cutie mark represents a natural talent at racing. On top of this, though Applejack lacks creativity, her mind is still sharp, her special talent focusing on her managing skills for her farm. Admittedly, her mind’s more structured than creative, but she’s more than diligent and hard working enough to compensate for the lack of flexibility,” Alex heard through the orb Joshua taking a breath after that mouthful, “Oh, and despite all I said, many fans think that Rainbow and Applejack should have each others’ Element of Harmony. Considering that Applejack’s level of ‘Loyalty’ many fans think surpasses that of Rainbow Dash’s.”

Alex nodded along with this, and began to think about how he could counter this should he be on opposing sides of a fight with her. He could certainly use a Kakama to avoid her; heck, any Kanohi that helped with evasion would help! If push came to shove, though, he thought it best if he had the Mahiki, due to her having troubles with illusions. “With that said,” He said once he came up with a counter-plan, “How about we move onto Rainbow Dash next?”

“Heh. Very well. Rainbow Dash is the most… egotistical of the group. The type to leap first, ask questions never. She can also be quite overprotective… sometimes to her own detriment. And she’s not very bright either, despite her brash courage. She trains day in and day out in order to one day pursue her dream of entering the ranks of the Wonderbolts, a famous aerial stunt flyer group, so she gets faster every day. In fact, she’s so fast that twice in her life, she has performed what is called a ‘Sonic Rainboom’... where she, scientifically speaking, has reached Mach TEN speeds. And by the end of Season 3, which you’re near the beginning of, she’s trained enough to reach that speed in less than 3 seconds from a standing position on the ground. However… though she has speed, turning is often an issue for her… Thankfully, she has the endurance to handle crashes, but still...” There’s a noticeable amount of humor at the end of that statement.

Alex nodded at this, and quickly came up with a counter-measure: All he had to do was use the Kualsi to teleport away whenever she got too close so she’d crash while he got away, allowing for him to slowly whittle her endurance and stamina down. Not only that, but with the Rhotuka Shield and Cyclone Spear that would come with it, then he could keep her away should she try hand-to-hand (or would it be ‘hand-to-hoof’?) combat in true Roman style.

Joshua laughed to himself, “Oh, and almost forgot. Rainbow Dash also knows the pony equivalent of a black belt in karate.” This statement only reinforced Alex’s decision to use the Kualsi to counter her.

“Next up, let’s cover… Rarity,” Alex said after his musings, picking a name at random.

Joshua’s voice suddenly took on a serious tone as he began to explain, “With her, whatever you do, do NOT fight her around gems. She has a strong affinity for them with her magic, and though she lacks Twilight’s power, she is incredibly precise and skilled with manipulating numerous items at once, as her dress making job has helped refine. As for her special talent, she’s able to figure out ways to bring out the inner beauty within anyone with her talents, which extend not just to dress-making, but many types of crafts, even armor if the situation called for such. ...Personality wise, she’s a wishful high-society type, but without the pompous ‘better-than-you’ attitude that comes with it. In fact, she’s quite the opposite, with the Elements of Harmony having chosen her as the Element of Generosity. She’s even gone far enough to cut off her own mane in order to help another whom was in need. And though she hates getting dirty, she’s not opposed enough to it to the point where she wouldn’t do so if it meant helping her friends. Regardless, she’s a hard worker, and also ‘her own mare’, sort to speak. She took no charity and worked her way up with her own hooves to pursue her dreams, which she continues to work toward on a daily basis. So, just ‘cause she’s the most ‘girly’ among them, don’t underestimate her should she be forced in a fight. And with her being one of the most creative of the group, I doubt I need state how she can be if forced into any sort of strategically mental based combat. And also, best not encounter her in a fight while in human form. She’d likely be able to use some way to turn your own clothes against you to disable you, considering her immense knowledge about such.” Another deep breath was heard at the end of that long monologue.

At the end of the lengthy explanation, Alex gave one final nod, before diving into thought once more. With her expertise with gems and ‘mind magics’, that automatically eliminated any Toa of Stone or Psionics, and he would be forced to stick with a single form, given that he’d most likely be trapped once he turned human. Considering that she was one of ‘crafts’ though, there was bound to be plenty of needles or pieces of metal on her person that he could use to subdue her if the needs called for it…

“Now, I believe that Pinkie is next?” Alex asked, gesturing to the orb.

There’s a noticeable pause here as Joshua took a deep breath… apparently, this would be a long one, “Pinkie Pie is odd, even for pony standards. To forewarn, first off… she’s like a pony version of Deadpool, what with her ability to see and interact with the fourth wall! ...though it varies from dimension to dimension as to whether your Pinkie can see THROUGH the fourth wall enough to know that her life is viewed as a world of fiction. Though, in some realities, she can see it without understanding what it actually means...” He takes a moment to pause while letting Alex get the implications of just how bad THAT is.

“Oh… joy…” Alex groused, his face turning into a grimace at this. No wonder she was able to sneak up on him, with even the Elda not detecting her! “Anything else I need to watch out for with her?” He asked after re-composing himself.

A grunt was heard from the orb, “Unfortunately, much. Though she is still mortal and lacks Deadpool’s healing ability, she has enough durability to compensate. She can relocate herself and move in ways that completely defy physics, even limited shapeshifting included. She can move ‘off-screen’ in order to reappear at another location in an instant. She can stuff and hide herself in the smallest of cramped spaces, and even shrug off being flattened by a boulder when she’s aware of the danger to begin with. She can even defy physics in plain sight, such as when a friend asked her to try not to swim too quietly, and she then performed a cannonball… which stopped in mid-air centimeters from the water before silently sliding into the water without so much as a dripping sound. And that’s still not all she can do…”

Alex’s heart stopped for a few pulses at this revelation. “You’re telling me,” He said, his face rapidly paling at the thought, “That Pinkie is an irrationality lotus?!” Forget about simply trapping her with the Olmak: There was no way he’d fight her without wearing the Nikila to ensure he had the most luck, and wielding repulsor blades in addition to a Power Lance!

There’s a pause before he replied with, “Not sure what you mean, but by it’s name, it certainly sounds like that’d fit her. She can also pull things out of nowhere, appear in places thought to be locked up without using a door, and… she has limited clairvoyance, to further help her avoid any type of danger, or help her friends to do so.”

“You’re saying she has Spidey Sense on top of that?” Alex said in reply, his tone taking a somewhat deadpan tone to it.

Joshua’s tone was rather nonchalant at the analogy, “Preeetty much. And not only that… she’s bipolar, personality wise.”

“Are we talking ‘Jekyll and Hyde’ bipolar or ‘Teen Titans Raven’ bipolar?” Alex asked in reply.

There was a pause before Josh replied with, “...Depends on the reality. The constant part of her persona is the happy-go-lucky side. She’s super intelligent, but often dense or naive. She’s constantly seeking to make others happy or smile… but she lacks faith in her own capabilities or importance, as well as a fragile self-esteem. When her other side comes out, her hair tends to get flat,” this brought back memories of when Alex had refused the cupcake, marring his face with a frown, “As for how this effects her… in some realities, she gets super sad, and insane enough to mourn by communing with inanimate objects that she personifies…. but in others, her alternate persona becomes a bloodthirsty sadistic sociopath that still has all her capabilities.”

This last part of his statement drew all of the blood out of Alex’s face, leaving it a deathly white. “You’re saying that she’s got a ‘Hannibal Lector’ in her head?” Alex whispered, his mind working rapidly to figure out a counter-measure. Considering that she was mentally unstable, a Ce-Toa or a Suletu would work as a counter-measure. However, all it would take would be a thought in the wrong direction to screw things over royally…

There was a pause, and, “...it depends on the reality you’re in. Hopefully, her alternate self is just the crying type, and not the murderous type. If it’s just the crying type, it’d likely not be that bad for you… but if she’s that unstable, it probably wouldn’t take many harsh events to change what her alternate persona is, eh?” Alex nodded in agreement, and made a note to try to keep Pinkie as happy as possible to prevent her mania from expanding. “Thankfully, Pinkie’s the type to go with the flow, so it’d take something close to her heart to really break her.”

“Shall we move onto Fluttershy, then?” Alex asked at the end of this. The quiet pony hadn’t done anything to him, but it’d be best to get the into on her, nonetheless.

Joshua’s tone got lighter in talking about the young mare, “Fluttershy is a living contradiction. She lacks the willpower to fight unless her friends are in danger, and she’s often a scaredy cat… but when her friends are hurt, she has the courage to float face to face with a dragon whose eye is larger than her body… LITERALLY.” This painted the yellow pegasi in a new light, as Alex realized that she was far more courageous than one would think, given her timid demeanor.

Joshua continued on in warm remembrance, “Not only that, but she was able to talk down the dragon into submission, taking motherly instincts to a new level for reprimanding… Which is understandable, considering that she’s constantly taking care of countless animals. She can understand what they say, and has practically gained an army of loyal animals that love her like a mother… even animals from the Everfree care about her, such as Manticores, and they’d do anything to help her… whether peacefully or savagely…”

“Note to self: If, and that’s an extreme ‘if”, I have to fight her, I had better have the Mask of Rahi Control on me.” Alex said in a deadpan tone to this info.

Joshua smirked at this, “Not sure how well that’d work, cause she has a technique called ‘the Stare’ which she can use on anyone for reprimanding… and it actually creates an actual psychic link to her target while channelling her empathy and emotions to the target to make even the hardest of willed individuals to feel the guilt in their actions…” Alex blinked in surprise at this. For someone that was a pegasi, Fluttershy had some proficiencies in other fields of study the other ‘tribes’ can use… “And were that not bad enough, though she’s typically too weak willed to pull out her true potential… she has shown herself to be able to outfly Rainbow Dash in both speed and control before. And I doubt I need to say how easy to say someone as adorable as her can cause even the coldest of hearts to lose moral when seeing her sad.”

“You sure she isn’t an Alicorn?” Alex asked at the end of the explanation.

Joshua just chuckled and said, “I’m sure. Which makes you wonder how she’d be were she ever to ascend…”

“She’d probably be more powerful than any alicorn before her,” Alex said seriously.

Jovially, Joshua continued, “Yeah. Though, with all that, it’s not surprising she was chosen to wield the Element of Kindness, eh? ...oh, and forgot to mention, Pinkie represents the Element of Laughter… which could potentially be creepy were it to break...”

Alex nodded in agreement to this, shuddering at the idea of a world of no Laughter, but then said, “As for Twilight?” He knew that she would become an alicorn, but besides that, he didn’t know much else of her.

Taking on a contemplating tone, Josh answered, “Well, first off, know this. The sixth Element of Harmony, the one for the group’s leader, changes itself to fit the wielder. Her’s… is the Element of Magic.” Alex frowned slightly at this. If the others earned their Elements for having that trait in spades, it obviously meant that she was most likely on par with Gandalf when it came to magic. “And were that not enough, her family alone is gifted. Her family are not only among Canterlot’s well lived… she herself got babysat by Princess Cadance, her brother became Canterlot’s captain of the guard, and she herself is the disciple of Princess Celestia. And on top of that… well, let me tell you a brief bit from her past…”

After a pause, Josh continued, “Before she gained her cutie mark, which represents her talent in magic by the way, she went to apply to a school for gifted unicorns. She was tasked with attempting to hatch a baby dragon’s egg. During the procedure, a surge of power occurred from her due to being shocked by something that happened. This surge was powerful enough to not only hatch the dragon egg, whom later became an adopted brother and loyal assistant, but she also… temporarily turned her parents into non-sapient plants and super grew said dragon large enough to break through the roof of a ROYAL facility… and considering how high roofs are in just simple aristocratic societies, you can imagine how big he grew and how much power she had just when she was a young filly…”

“...Negatus Mysterium,” Alex said after a minute of thought, “Do not challenge her unless you got something that can negate magic, or learn negatus mysterium to seal her magic away and prevent her from using it.”

Joshua chuckled for a bit, then explained, “That won’t be enough to stop her. Not only is she a prodigy… she also studies all fields of science and magic every day, often far into the night, along with OCD. She’s so smart… she can list the square root of 546 passed the 9th decimal right off her head...”

“She is certainly smart… However, that’s not to say that she knows the knowledge to its best output,” Alex said, then chuckled. “Besides, if she’s OCD, I’ll probably stall her for at least a few minutes by scattering rocks that change color one by one every few minutes around and challenging her to sort them by color.”

Joshua cracked up at this, “True! Admittedly, she actually overcomes the worst of her OCD as she becomes a princess…. But no idea how close she is to doing so at this point of your timeline there. Also… though she has little experience in doing so, she’s fairly skilled at strategy even without practice. No expert, mind you, but no slouch either. And she’s studied more than just magic, so her extreme levels of knowledge could surprise you, so don’t underestimate her. But, other than that, since she’s the leader of the Elements of Harmony, she has a bit of aspects of each without being a master of any specific one. Though, she’s semi-new to the whole ‘friendship’ thing, having been a bit of a shut-in until recent years. Despite this though… her magic also gets empowered without the Element of Harmony just by the strength of her friendships… and you don’t yet know just how powerful she is, even before ascension, eh?”

“Point taken,” Alex said and shrugged in agreement, then frowned as a thought struck him. “So, if she’s ‘average’ with strategy, who would you consider to be the best of the six with strategy?”

Joshua paused a moment, “... Likely either her or Fluttershy, since Fluttershy is surprisingly intelligent, and not just in medical.”

“Okay, just wanted to check,” Alex said, then looked at the orb. “Anything else you want to point out?”

Joshua paused before saying, “Well… there’s just how powerful Twilight actually is. To give an idea… one day, an Ursa Minor visited her town. An Ursa Minor is a baby Ursa Major, a cosmic furred bear whose baby is larger than an average house. ...Well, solo, Twilight used telekinesis to lift it, rock it for comfort despite its struggles, picked up a water tower, emptied it, milked enough cows to fill it, conjured a baby bottle cap, used it to feed it, and carried it to sleep all the way to a cave deep in the dangerous Everfree, all on her lonesome. Oh! And also, one time when practicing transformation magics to turn an apple into an orange, she accidentally misfired and turned a frog into a living orange/frog hybrid.”

“Point taken,” Alex said, then thought over this new revelation of the ‘Ursa’ species. If the beasts were as big as Josh was saying, who’s to say what other constellations are given form?

There’s a bit of hesitation in Joshua’s voice as he continued, “...and since you’re a Displaced, you’ll likely have the bad luck to head to Tartarus for one of the masks, since that’s an ACTUAL PLACE in Equestria, and it’s guarded by an actual good hearted Cerberus.”

“...Why didn’t you say this earlier?” Alex said with a deadpan tone, his eye twitching from his irritation.

Joshua just laughed at this before replying with, “Didn’t think of it at the time. Heck, the show didn’t show how many places exist on Equestria that are dangerous, but there’s been several theorized, and there’s no telling what other places exist on that world that are dangerous. But, that just makes it all the more useful to ally with others that know the world, eh? But… time and place, time and place…”

“True enough,” Alex answered begrudgingly, his hands in his pockets.

There’s a pause, then Joshua sighed, “Well, guess that’ll do it for now. That’s the best I can think of for helping you out. From here, it’s up to you. Best of luck, Alex.”

“You too, Josh,” Alex quipped in reply.

With that, the orb faded from his view, leaving him to his journey. Alex let out a sigh, glad that the interdimensional traveller was done with his advice, then continued closer to the Kanohi.

Author's Note:

Whew... That's the end of the chapter. I wonder how many words are in the fic...
Lemme check... I-IT'S OVER NINE-THOUSAAAAAAND!!!!!!!!!!
What, 9000?!
21,411 words, to be exact!
...No more anime for you.
Hmph. Party pooper.
Well, everyone. This collab chapter was brought about thanks to my friend and editor, Regreme, and his character Joshua from his story, Truths of a Visionary. Unfortunately, he won't be publishing any chapters any time soon due to a few projects he's working on, which includes a separate Displaced fic he's working on. Regardless, I hope that he'll post the first few chapters soon, and until next time, this is Runic Soul, signing out!

Comments

[The Warmaster]

Good job! I honestly am extremely rusty on my Bionicle knowledge. Used to be a wiz at it too. I'm pretty sure I could name all of the characters, but like I said, since Bionicle stopped back in 2010 or something like that, I hadn't kept my knowledge. I also didn't know the names of the kanohi. All in all, I think this chapter should be nicknamed the EXPOSITION chapter!

[Runic_Soul]

6034560 It may be true that the 'Displaced' genre allows for us to make characters that are stronger than what Equestria is used to, that does not mean we should immediately make them over-powered. If you can provide a viable reason as to why they're that powerful, then it's acceptable, but you should not make them more powerful than others immediately, especially if they were imprisoned. After all, if they were imprisoned, then they're obviously not as powerful as they're made out to be.

[Regreme]

6036342 lol True. My character is quite the talker for this crossover. XD Some habits are hard to break.

[nightmaster0]

Awesome chapter.

[Regreme]

6038232 Glad you like our collab chapter.^^

[conigwolf]

The music video has made me want to right a displaced story though I've not written anything, any tips/advice? Additionally I love bionicle, such fond memories of them from elementary school (bunch of us would choose a toa and rp them during recess)

[Runic_Soul]

6097324 If you're going for a Displaced fic, I only have a few words to say: Only choose a character or franchise that you are quite familiar with. For me, Bionicle, as well as few other series (Which I'll be showing as Displaced at a later time...), are ones I'm especially fond of, and are rather nostalgic for me. So if you do decide to write a Displaced fic, be sure to only have a main character whose abilities you can write about, and imagine about, as if it's the back and front of your hand!

[ShadowShrike]

Alex is looking to need mobility, so Lewa's Miru Nuva could work. Due to the Two forms, Alax could probably switch between Nuva, and Adaptive Phantoka Armor.
Kopaka's Phantoka form could be used as a Sniper, due to the Midak blaster with blizzard blade and laser sight, along with the x-ray vision and zoom of the mask.
Vamprah's Avsa, also could provide flight. Though Alex wouldn't be blind because Vamprah was not originally blind. He was blinded by Matoro saving Mata Nui's life with the Ignika. Which begs the question: If Alex puts on the Ignika, would he become Toa Ignika, or Mata Nui (Bara Magna form) or could he become both. also, would he get the rocket board that Toa Ignika had.

And maybe he finds the Cordex vehicles or the Bara Magna Vehicles.

And ALL THIS brings up Alex will need a base of Operation. He can't carry hundreds of mask. (Unless he uses the Axalara T9. I rigged a storage compartment behind the gun compartment on mine by allowing the back panel to open)

[Runic_Soul]

6104705 He's already got the Kadin for flight and mobility, though Kopaka Phantoka mode would be quite useful. However, just because Vamprah has the Avsa, doesn't mean that Alex will turn into him. Or rather, Vamprah in the form we know him as. During his time in Karda Nui, he and the other seven Makuta there were transformed by the energies surrounding it, so expect some severe appearance changes when Alex finds it. With the Ignika, though... Alex will die if he puts it on, so expect no transformations from Alex with the Ignika.

As for the vehicles... I still haven't decided on that yet.

[ShadowShrike]

6105222 When did he get the Kadin? He has Nuparu's Mahri Volitak, Hahli's Inika mask, and some unnamed healing mask.
The Avsa could be used in a Changeling Arc as that could be the scource of why they are emotivores. Chrysalis put it on and it corrupted her. The powers the Avsa has sounds exactly like the Changelings minus the Shape shifting. Might also include Matau's Mahiki, mask of Illusisions.
I'm also wondering if Alex can use creatures such as the Vahki as minions, as the Vahki were robotic enforcers, that only went evil because of Turga Dume (Teridax).

For Tank, Alex might use Axonn's Rode, or even Kraahkan (If he can wear it, though its just a mask, not Teridax himself. Might have to be a mask for emergencies.)

Hewkii's Sanok, mask of accuracy might provide some hilarious scenario's if he fights Rainbow Dash, throwing rocks everywhere, still hitting her. That's gotta be the Ultimate troll mask.

Looked up the Difference between the Volitak and the Huna, Vakama's mask. The Huna makes the user Completely Invisible, where as the Volitak makes the user mostly invisible, while muting the user's sounds. Both leave a Shadow.

I'm Curious if putting on a Krana would turn Alex into a Bohrok or control him. Or would a Bohrok Kal's be needed. Also, Rahkshi.

And what of Bara Magna? might we see Characters from there?

Due to the Nature of the Mahri and Gali's Mask, it opens the door for a story under the Ocean. Lets hope no Barraki.

Bionicle, SO. MUCH. STORY!!! FROM A TOY PRODUCT!! Hero factory failed to accomplish what Bionicle did. Lego, you have won. Good Luck Runic_Soul. (and Alex)

Wait... If Alex gets the Olmak. Maybe he can go fight the Merchant, and Stop him. Never Underestimate the Power of Bionicle.

Oh and you should have started the Story like Vakama's intro in the Mask of Light.

Oh and Please tell me Equestria isn't an Island. Cause that could explain why there were Bohrok in Equestria. DUN DUN DUUUNN!!!

LOTS OF WORDS!!

[Hopelight]

Why do I feel like Alex just got tricked? Maybe because 'Josh' sounded younger, and the energy orb was purple.

[Kelvin Shadewing]

Eh, this all just got way too meta to be enjoyable anymore. I was having fun when it was just Alex, but bringing in another displaced made it feel like a detour, and then Joshua shows up for a huge expodump and just brings the whole thing to a stop. Couldn't read past the title drop. Also, the tense keeps switching in this chapter. It's always jarring when that happens. Don't do it.

[Wagooigi]

You actually forgot twilight's Future pupil starlight glimmer as in time travel spell and former equalist.