Of Magic and Machines

by FrostTheWolf

Log 19- Souls and Swords

Author's Note:

Crossover with Urimas Ebonheart and his Bleach Displaced, Shinigami in Equestria.

Next chapter will take longer than expected and the same goes for Lance as well. Now to get some much needed sleep.
-Frost

Of Magic and Machines- Souls and Swords

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Ponyville (Nicko)

It was the day after meeting Dio and right now, Nicko had spent almost the whole night trying to help Moondancer begin to understand the newfound magic she was capable of. Eris was helping watch her during the night and also explain to the unicorn the same fundamentals of training that Ryu did when the Rune Slayer first met him. This, to the Rune Slayer, allowed for the opportunity to get him some much needed sleep while they were talking, practicing and learning about magic.

However, when he woke up, he was greeted by a whole different scenario. His eyes were readjusting when he seemed to notice that Faith, his niece, was sitting in a chair and watching him. “Morning Sleepyhead.” The Rune Slayer himself was confused. He was sure to have locked the door, so how come Faith was in here with him.

“H-how-?”

“I had Moby and Remy slip through the keyhole and unlock the door from the other side.” Faith replied, getting up from off the floor as she walked over. “So… what do you want to do today, Uncle Nicko?”

“I-i’m not sure Faith… I was trying to help Moondancer with her Magic but-.”

“She and Eris are asleep on the living room floor.” Faith replied, pointing outside the door to see that the two of them were practically snuggling with one another. Oh goddess, that is TOO CUTE!! IT’S WEAPONIZED CUTENESS!! WE’RE ALL GONNA DIE!!! After Nicko got himself back to his senses (by mentally punching himself in the throat), he redirected his attention back to his niece as he looked at her.

“Where’s-?”

“Uncle Leo and Dad had to go help some Caliburn guy back in Baltimare while Grandma and Grandpa were going out shopping with Jane, Amy and Molly.”

Nicko sighed a little, looking at Faith with a simple grin. “Why do I get the feeling that they might be raiding the store like it’s an after thanksgiving black friday sale?”

“Umm… end of the year sale?” She faintly spoke. The sudden realization of this had Nicko snap back to reality and soon realize what she was talking about. Nodding his head a little, he agreed with what the Code: Nemesis had told him, unaware that she had gotten out the box of tokens that was on his shelf and dumped everything out onto the floor.

“What the-? Hey! What’s the big idea?” Nicko asked her as she began to go through the pile of tokens, organizing them into two separate stacks.

“I was thinking that maybe we could organize these. It seems to be a little disorganized since you can’t tell what tokens you have used before and which ones you haven't.” She explained, moments before having to set everything aside in a dramatic rush when she felt a strange pressure all around her. “Uhh… Uncle?”

“Yes Faith?” He asked, noticing the change in his niece's voice as she looked back at him with a look of concern on her face.

“Is it just me or does it feel like the air in the room is trying to choke you?” She asked. Now realizing it, the weight of the room did feel like it was trying to crush them. Not only that, but an unknown force was trying to pull them out of the room. It only had the Rune Slayer realize one thing. They were being summoned. By who though? That was something else. Before he could say anything, Faith herself felt herself slip away at the same time he did. Disappearing with the rest of the room and leaving it completely empty.

---

Realm of the Living

Ichigo was about to head into Applejacks home when a small portal of some kind with some kind of void or space behind it opened next to his head.

"What the fu... OW!" Ichigo yelped as a stone comes out and hit him in the face.

“What’s that?” Applejack asked him while trying to not laugh.

The man rubbed his face and picked up the stone. “Dunno. Looks like a stone to me.” He replied sarcastically. The Shinigami rolled the stone around in his hand and looked at the rune pattern on it. ‘Huh. Kinda looks like a fancy three.’ He thought to himself.

Suddenly, a voice began to speak inside his head.

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

“Jesus Christ!” The Soul Reaper yelled and dropped the stone.

Applejack looked surprised by his sudden outburst. “Ichigo!? What in tarnation ya yell like that fer? Ya tryin’ ta give me a heart attack!?” She scolded him.

Ichigo smiled sheepishly at the apple mare. “Sorry about that. I heard a voice in my head speaking to me… And no. It wasn’t Zangetsu or Bob.” He told her.

The man picked up the stone again and looked it over. ‘What the hell is this thing?’ He Thought.

‘I can feel a presence coming from the stone’ Zangetsu told Ichigo.

The man dropped the stone again with surprise. “Applejack. Can you stomp on it? Zangetsu says there’s a presence in it. Maybe if we break it, it’ll be free?” He asked her.

“Yer sure we should be doin’ that? What if it’s a Demon… Ah mean Hollow inside it?” The mare asked him.

The young Death God drew his Zanpakuto. “Well then. I’ll just slay it if it is.” He replied.

Applejack still looked unsure. “Well… Alright. But if somethin’ goes wrong, it’s yer fault!” She said as she reared up and slammed her hoof down on it. That single slam caused a powerful burst of magic to erupt from it, tearing open a hole in the void as something slammed into a nearby tree. When the smoke cleared, the Soul Reaper and Farmer were surprised by what had arrived in their world.

“Great… seconds after being brought here, I had to slam my head into a tree…”

“Land sakes! Mah tree!” Applejack shouted out seeing the damage done to her apple tree.

“Forget the tree AJ!” The Shinigami told her. He then turns to the new arrival. “Oi! Who are you!?” He demanded.

The figure looked up, noticing who was calling him as the smoke cleared up. He had red hair with three bangs. Two at the sides and one ponytail in the back. He was wearing a Black half jacket and thick cargo pants with belt like straps around his hands and a golden disk at his waist. One with the same symbol that Ichigo found earlier on the stone.

“I could ask you the same thing.” He replied, brushing the dust off of his clothes. “But if you want to know my name, it’s Nicko.”

The Soul Reaper and Farmer watch the young man with caution. “So ya ain’t a Hollow?” Applejack asked him.

Nicko himself tilted his head at that. “Hollow? Oh no, I’m not one of… those.” He soon noticed the stone by Applejack’s hoof and sighed a little. “Well now, it looks like you found my summoning token.” The Rune Slayer said, pointing at the stone at Applejack’s hoof.

“Summonin’ token? This little pebble?” She asked and kicked the stone toward The Soul Reaper.

Ichigo picked it back up and frowned. “What’s a summoning token?” He asks Nicko. The Rune Slayer sighed for a minute, looking back at the Soul Reaper for a second.

“Oh boy… looks like I have some explaining to do…” He muttered, looking back at Ichigo. “Ichigo right?… I’m going to take a wild guess here that you were brought here after some creepy merchant dealer sold you something?”

The Shinigami’s eyes widen at the information. “What do you know about the Merchant?” He asked.

“Not much… But a brief news flash to you… You’re not the only person that had that happen to them.” He explained. “You’re looking at living proof right here.”

‘What? Orihime and I aren’t the only ones sent here?’ Ichigo thought to himself. “I wasn’t the only one sent here. A girl dressed as Orihime was also sent here after me. But I arrived over a thousand years ago, she just popped up yesterday.” The orange haired man replied.

“Interesting… Now, you might be wondering how the summoning token that I was talking about relates to this? Well, that’s the thing. Those who ended up in the situation we’re in are called Displaced. Short for Dimensionally Misplaced. Each one has a token where they can either use it to summon someone from another realm or have it be used to bring them to that person. I know this personally because my brother, niece, and a couple of friends are also Displaced and my niece probably came here with me, but is somewhere else.” The Rune Slayer soon finished speaking, looking back at the two of them. “Does that help?”

Ichigo just stared at him with a raised eyebrow. “Wait wait wait. Hold up. Another realm? You’re not from here?” The Soul Reaper asked skeptically.

“Yeah. To put it in basic terms, Multiverse theory.” Nicko explained. “Where I’m from, Celestia has a brother instead of a sister.”

Applejack just looked confused from the explanation. “What in Tartarus is he talkin’ about?” She asked.

The Soul Reaper just waved her off. “I know what he’s talking about. So… What are you going to do now that you’re here?” He asked the boy with narrowed eyes.

Applejack then tilted her head toward Ichigo. “I know yer tall and so is Orihime… But why is this Human so short?” She asked the Shinigami. However, that did not go well with the Rune Slayer that overheard that.

“What… Did you just call me?” He growled, anger radiating in his tone as he gritted his teeth and clenched his fists.

Applejacks eyes widened at the sudden change of his tone. “What? I just asked why yer just smaller then Ichigo? Are you a foal compared to him or somethin’?” She asked confused. All that did was have Nicko stare them down like an angry lion.

“I’m freaking twenty five years old… Never… CALL ME… LITTLE! Ebalon!!” He said, using his magic to summon one of his swords to his side, startling the two of them.

“Whoa nelly! Where did that come from!” Applejack cried in alarm.

Ichigo griped his Zanpakuto. “Hey. Calm down buddy. She didn’t mean it.” He said and turned to Applejack. “Right?” He asked her.

“What? Ah just asked an honest question!” She replied. Unaware that Nicko used his magic to detonate two runes at the soles of his feet to accelerate forward and have his blade clash with Ichigo’s.

The Soul Reaper used both hands to hold his sword up and block the enraged Rune Slayers attack. “Bloody hell! You need to calm the f**k down!” He said and pushed back as hard as he could. To the Shinigami’s surprise though, Nicko used a free hand to conjure a rune in between where Ichigo’s face was and his blade was.

SPLASH EXPLOSION!

The Rune detonated in Ichigo’s face, throwing him backwards a few yards as Nicko used the force of the explosion to repel himself backward onto a tree branch before dropping down.

Ichigo clutched his face with his left hand. “That little motherfu… You’re going to regret that pipsqueak!” He yelled at the Rune Slayer and with his left hand still over his face, he pulled it down and formed his hollow mask. “Let's see how you handle this!” He shouted in a distorted tone and rushed the Slayer with great speed. Nicko himself personally grinned, moving backwards as his opponent moved forward. But at one point, his attacker slowed down. The Rune Slayer himself just pointed his finger down at the ground.

To the Ice Rune trap that he laid for him. This rune was combined with powerful Ice magic to either freeze an opponent in place or slow them down. In his case, it was for Nicko to get some breathing room. The only thing that he did not take into account though… was the farmer joining the fight.

“Shake the earth! Furue!” Applejack yelled ten meters in the air. Her Zanpakuto changed into her heavy brown metal boots. She then collided with the Slayer, knocking him away.

While in flight, Nicko flipped around, feet colliding with the trunk of the tree as he used it to soften the blow against him. “Well… That happened. Guess I don’t need to go easy on you two anymore.” He smirked, wiping the small amount of blood from the corner of his mouth off of his face. “Time to raise the stakes.”

“Easy? Don’t make me laugh. A scrawny little fella like you is holdin’ back?” Applejack taunted him.

“Dammit AJ…” The Soul Reaper muttered with a facepalm.

“Yes I am… Let me make things interesting then,” He replied, surprising the two of them when he actually dismissed the first sword that he had. Only to say another name. “Rovaniik.” This blade was a lot different. Around the same length as Tensa Zangetsu in Bankai form, but wider. However, it wasn’t what was on the outside that would cause someone to worry.

‘Ichigo. Be careful. That sword has a soul in it. It’s not just an ordinary blade. Stay on guard.’ Zangetsu told the Shinigami.

‘What? Is it some kind of Zanpakuto?’ Ichigo asked.

‘No. It is not.’ Replied Zangetsu.

‘Oh stop worrying about it and kick his ass already!’ Bob told the Reaper.

“So…” The Shinigami started. “What’s so special about that sword?” He asked Nicko.

“Let’s just say that the blade has the power of another Displaced’s token in it. A friend known as the Earth-Warden. But maybe it’ll be more ideal…” Nicko spoke, channeling his magic into the blade. “... If I show you!!” Without warning, when Nicko charged and swung his sword, a fissure in the earth was caused, almost cracking the planet’s crust because of the sheer force of the blow. It also caused Spikes of stone to be uprooted from the ground below Ichigo’s feet and Applejack’s hooves.

Applejack kicked off the stone spike under her, barely avoiding being impaled. “MAH FARM!” The mare screamed out seeing the large scar now in her land.

The Soul Reaper took to the air to avoid being hit and stood in mid air looking down at the damage. “Bloody hell… Hey! Watch where you swing that thing! There’s children in that house dammit!” He yelled at the angry Rune Slayer.

“I never hit the barn.” He shot back. “You just thought so. Look.” When they turned around, the two could see a transparent dome around the building. “And with that… That could only mean one thing…”

Ichigo growled under his breath and looked back at the Slayer. “That’s it. This is getting out of hand.” He muttered and got into a stance with his sword pointed forward.

“BAN…” Before the Shinigami could say anything, a small but powerful beam of light hit Ichigo in the forehead, shattering his hollow mask and throwing him backwards into a nearby tree with him soon hanging by a tree branch. When the Rune Slayer turned around, he smiled a little as he waved his hand at a girl in the distance.

“Uncle Nicko, what the heck is going on here!?” Nicko sighed, dismissing his sword, looking at a girl with white hair and a few metallic spears right behind her. “Who’s the guy in the pajamas? … Did one of them call you little?”

“What was your first clue?”

“You were using only thirty percent of your total magic, yet you decided to use the blade that had Deathwing’s token infused in it. Plus, dad always said that you get angry when you’re referred to by your height.” The Code Nemesis replied. Looking back over, she could see the earth ponie’s eyes twitch a little and the Shinigami look at her with a mix of confusion and anger.

“Wait a minute! You mean to tell me that he was throwing this huge hissyfit because he has a height complex!” The Reaper yelled, causing him to fall from the branch. “OUCH MOTHER FU….ARGH!” He shouted after hitting his head on the ground.

“Ichigo!” Orihime said and ran over to him.

“There isn’t a need for him to be inspected for injury,” An unknown voice spoke, causing her to stop. “It’s just a bump on the head.” For a moment, everyone was looking around for who was speaking, until Faith herself deeply sighed.

“Moby, you know it’s rude to speak like that without showing yourself.” Seconds after she said that, the two earrings she wore soon glowed, transforming into two Nasod Drones that were floating by her side.

“My apologies, Miss Faith.” The Drone replied, looking back at everyone.

“By Celestia! What are those things?” Applejack asked startled.

“We are Nasod Drones and are in service to Lady Faith. Mechanical lifeforms with our own conscience. We are her guides as well as her guardians. Our will is her’s and her will is ours.” The second drone spoke. “He is Moby and I am Remy.”

“Oh…” The farm mare replied, then looked at Nicko with a glare. “As for you Mister. How do ya expect to repair the damage to mah farm! Ah doubt even twilight could magic this hole closed!” She yelled at him with anger in her tone. Nicko sighed, taking a few shards of emerald color in his hand and forming a rune with his magic at the damaged areas. Soon, the Rune glowed and turned into magic as it slowly restored any damage that was there.

“Restoration Runes. I combine a normal rune with a few Nature and Light El Shards to heal any damage that might have been caused.” He explained. “Also, to what Ichigo was saying… Try having yourself be overlooked for all the possible talents you have because of your height… Once that has happened, you’ll know exactly how I feel.” He soon looked at Orihime, putting his hands in his pockets. “So… How exactly did you find my niece?”

Orihime turned from examining Ichigo to the Rune Slayer. “Oh. I was having tea with Fluttershy when this tiny hole opened up and this cute little hairpin thing came out. I then tried putting it on, and then she popped out of a bigger hole! It was very confusing… Then we all had some tea together!” The orange haired girl replied with a smile.

“Well, that explains how you and I got summoned to two different places.” Faith replied, shrugging her shoulders. “Is Mr. Pajamas alright?”

Ichigo grumbles as he stood back up. “I’m fine. Been through worse.” He replied. ‘that zap I got back in the Soul Society hurt a lot more.’ He thought to himself.

‘You’re just as much of a pansy as the Princesses are.’ Bob told him.

‘I’m not in the mood for your lip right now Bob.’ The Reaper replied bitterly.

“So now that we’ve calmed down.” He said glancing at the Slayer. “What happens now?” He asked the two of them as he sat down.

“Maybe we should get the chance to talk a little. Orihime and I were just about to talk about how I got Displaced until I felt my Uncle’s magic rise-.”

Applejack looked surprised. “Wait? Uncle? Ya look older than he does. How is he yer Uncle?” She asked the girl and sat beside Ichigo.

“Well, when my father was raising me, my uncle was in stone for a short amount of time. Seven years in our equestria is twenty one years back home.” Faith explained, having Moby and Remy verify her story.

“In addition, I wasn’t turned to stone like some people being seen as villains. Some insane Esper used his weapons to rebound a blast from the elements of harmony that was going towards my brother Anson. Instead, I took the hit for him so he could keep on fighting.” The Rune Slayer added on. “I’m twenty five and my brother is almost forty. Ironically, we used to be twins. How I got out of stone though was a little more… interesting.”

Ichigo crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow. “Let’s hear it then. How’d you get out?” He asked. Orihime and Applejack also listening with interest.

“Faith. She and a friend got both myself and my partner out because only those of the same bloodline could break them free. Faith got me out and Chaotic, a friend of hers, got Eris out of there as well.” The Rune Slayer added on.

“I see. I had to break out of my own stone prison myself.” Ichigo told them. “Orihime is just lucky she only just arrived. She was spared that horror. At least I wasn’t alone for mine.” He said with a shudder.

“We… well… we aren’t exactly the only one’s in our world.” Faith replied. “There’s dad, Uncle Nicko, Uncle Leo, Grandma and Grandpa along with our family friends Amy, Molly, Jane, Yuri and Jade. So… Yeah… Not to mention that my grandparents are a pair of demons, Yuri and Jade are Fox ladies, Uncle Leo has a mechanical arm and Amy wields blood magic and basically causes havoc wherever she goes.” All Nicko did was just looked at her, surprised. He honestly did not expect Faith to remember every single one of them.

The Soul Reaper sighed sadly. “At least you can remember them. Orihime and I can’t remember our friends and family before the Convention that brought us here. Or much of anything really.” He replied.

“Actually… All the family members that Lady Faith mentioned happened to arrive on similar circumstances.” Moby corrected. “Just at different points in time. For one thing, Nicko’s parents were the guardians of Celestia and Artemis.”

“Hold up.” Applejack said. “Ya said yer Grandparents were Demons? Did they come from here? Wait… Does that make ya part Demon as well?” She asked the two Humans.

“Not quite.” Remy interjected. “They were Displaced as Demons. Luke, Nicko’s father, was a Royal Guard and Ciela, Nicko’s mother, was a Noblesses. Before they were stripped of their old powers and turned to stone, they raised Celestia and her brother Artemis. A thousand years later, at the time Nicko and his brother Anson had finally arrived in our world, the two of them were set free. Despite their demonic appearance and abilities, they use their abilities for good purposes… One other thing to note is that a spell was casted on Ciela to where she is stuck in the body of a child.” The Nasod explained, pulling up a picture of them before and after the change. “Does that answer your question, Miss Applejack?”

“Errr. That sounds mighty… Awkward…” She replied.

“Not quite when her gauntlets can grow twice her size,” The Rune Slayer deadpanned. “Trust me, I know firsthand. She chased Diamond Tiara all around Canterlot after she had the guts to insult her. And I had to fight against her once.”

“Ichigo!” A voice from above called out. The group look up to see The Princesses both glide down and land behind the Soul Reaper. “Are thou alright? We felt thy magic rise. Did thou fight a Hollow?” Luna asked him, then looked at the two new Humans. “And who are they?” She asked confused. Celestia just narrowed her eyes at the two newcomers.

“I’m Nicko. She’s my niece, Faith.” The Rune Slayer pointed out.

“And the reason for the fight was because one of these two decided to comment about my uncles height… which is quite a sensitive subject to him.” Faith finished for the Rune Slayer, having Nicko look back at her. “While that was going on, I was trying to have some tea with Orihime and Fluttershy until my Uncle’s magic rose.”

“So he has the temper of a foal?” Luna asked with a raised brow. “One’s height should not let thee lose thy temper.” Luna told him.

“One… I’m twenty five. Two, try having yourself overlooked for your height instead of your skills and you would understand. Three, I’m not a foal for Land’s sake.” Nicko replied, irritation dripping from his words as he spoke. “Ironically, this isn’t the only time that this has happened. The other time was when I first met my teacher.”

Luna smiled at the chance for some playful banter. “One. We are over a millennia old. Compared to us, thou are a foal. Two, We understand the feeling of being overlooked…” She said with a hint of sadness. “And three… Yes thou are.” She said, her smile returned.

“I was taught by an elder dragon and the magic I know is rare to the point that only one pony could master it.” the Rune Slayer explained, standing up and conjuring another rune with all of his magic pooled into it, the sheer pressure of it causing the Princesses manes to be blown backwards. When he dismissed the spell, Nicko said three words. “Starswirl the Bearded.”

“Starswirl the Bearded!? He never knew such magic!” Celestia said with alarm.

“In your world, yes. In mine, he was the only other pony besides my student that could master it. However, he died before being able to complete his research.” Nicko explained, noticing Faith nod her head to verify his story. “Plus, things are kind of different where I’m from.”

Luna raises an eyebrow at the Slayer. “How different?” She asked him.

“For one thing, you are a prince instead of a princess. Yes… you are a Stallion back where I’m from.” The Rune Slayer said. “Also, Celestia is married.”

Celestia lost her glare for a surprised expression and a light blush. “I’m what?” She asked. Luna just stood there stunned with a twitching eye.

“Uncle, I think you forgot to mentioned that we’re not from this world.” Faith pointed out. “Those circumstances only occur back where we are from.” Turning around to Celestia, she then sighed a little before speaking again. “And Yes, you’re married back in our world.”

Celestia narrowed her gaze again.“To whom might I ask…”

“Discord. Don’t worry though, by then he’s… changed.” Faith spoke again, trying to not have this Celestia freak out on her by the answer. However, despite her best intentions… the opposite happened. “Why does it feel like I did something wrong?”

Celestia looked like she was about to throw up at the thought alone. “Erp. You must be joking! Discord is a cruel and vicious being. He tried to turn the whole world into a… I don’t even want to think about it…” She replied looking a bit green. It was around then that the Rune Slayer felt a small tingle in magic behind him as he stood up for a minute and turned around.

“Well, you might want to believe it. Eris is stopping by… and in our world, she’s one of your kids.” Nicko soon waved his hands a little as he opened a small tear in the void for the Female Draconequus to pop on through.

“Nicky, I was wondering where you and Faithy were…” She said, noticing the Shinigami. “Who’s Mr. Pajamas?”

Ichigo frowned at the new creature. “Hey! These are called a Shihakushō. It’s standard for Soul Reapers!.. And what’s your problem? You look like you can’t decide what you want to be…” He replied.

“May I remind you that I’m a Draconequus… Something tells me that you we’re getting along with my dear Nicky earlier.” She smiled, floating over to where Nicko was before going behind Ichigo and ruffling up his hair with her lion paw. “Please do me a favor and keep my partner in one piece.”

“OW! Watch it! I’m still sore there…” The Soul Reaper said with frown.

“Oooh. Someone seems to be a bit sensitive.” She chuckled.

“Eris… Let’s not go overboard here.” The Rune Slayer advised. “I already had to talk to this Celestia about your father and she looks like she’s sick to her stomach.”

“I have a spare bag if she needs it.” The Chaos spirit replied, snapping her eagle talon and having a doggy bag appear over by the sun princess.

Luna looked from the Draconequus to Celestia. “Sister… She resembles Discord… But she has no mask…” The night princess said.

“Mask? What, is there a masquerade that nopony cared to inform me of?” Eris replied, a little confused by what Luna meant.

Ichigo grinned at a chance to get back at her from agitating his headache. “I think she means like this.” He said and held his left hand over his face. Black reishi gathered in his palm and he pulled his hand down, forming his Hollow mask. He then gave a light breath which was then distorted. Eris soon paid attention to Ichigo for a brief moment, but then looked back at Nicko. “I’m not even going to ask about what exactly have you been through. Remind me to look back through your memories later so I can be caught up to speed, dear.”

“Noted.” Nicko replied, nodding his head and looking back at Luna. “Eris isn’t a demon like you would think. She’s just a spirit, conjured by my Discord because he didn’t want himself to feel alone when he was stuck in stone. Eris is Discords daughter… and one other thing too… My Fiance’.”

Celestia just blinked and shook her head. “I think I’ve heard enough. I’m going back to canterlot and wiping my own memory of this talk…” She said and starts flying off.

“Aww, we haven’t gotten to the part about how we are from another Equestria… What a buzzkill.” Eris groaned in disappointment.

Luna sighed and walked away a few steps. “We shall also head back to Canterlot… Ichigo. Please keep an eye on our… Visitors.” She said and flew after Celestia.

Nicko himself breathed deeply, using the moment to catch Ichigo and Orihime up to speed on a lot of things, including information about Eris and how she had been helping him since he was first Displaced. After a little while though, Eris decided to reside inside the Rune Slayer’s mind as she dissolved into his body and left the five of them in order to talk.

“One thing though… Let’s not tell your Twilight about any of this. She might flip out or crash because of the amount of information we’ve said… and the fact that she might go all fangirl on me with the part on Starswirl the Bearded.” Nicko sighed, looking back at the Shinigami and his companion.

The Soul Reaper chuckled. “No problem there. She’s preoccupied trying to figure out how she and the others became Soul Reapers themselves and how their Zanpakutos work.” He told him.

“Trying to take the logical approach? Expected… But with finding out the other part… Something tells me that it would take time to figure it out… Which reminds me… who has figured them out? I noticed Applejack did when she kicked me, but who else besides that?”

“Only Applejack and Luna have spoken to their Zanpakutos so far. I helped Luna overcome her fear, and Applejack did it to protect her sister. Though Pinkie has as well, but I don’t know how she did it.” The Soul Reaper replied.

“Well, she’s Pinkie Pie. It’s to be expected.” Faith replied.

The Shinigami shook his head lightly. “Don’t remind me. I can’t even sense her reiatsu... And she knows Shunpo as well.” Ichigo told her.

“Hmm… I’m going to take a guess and say that the way they find out their weapons true potential is that when they overcome a huge personal challenge or something that they care for is put in harm's way and they would do anything they can to protect them.” Nicko guessed. “That’s what I say based on what you told me. Hell, I wouldn’t know because I have three swords, but can’t use all of them at once.”

The Reaper nodded. “Possibly. But I think Pinkie just invited hers to a party or just said ‘Hello, be my friend’ or something like that. But each Zanpakuto has their own personality, likes, and dislikes.” He said. “For instance. I know of a Shinigami named Kenpachi. He’s so battle hungry that he treats his Zanpakuto as a tool, not his partner. Thus, the sword won’t speak to him… By the way, you mentioned three blades. I’ve only seen you use two so far.”

“The third I only use partially, but there’s a reason why.” Nicko replied, using his magic to summon Void Edge. “It’s infused with the power of the void and can be used to cut open tears in the void. I only use it on certain occasions.”

“And what’s in this void?” Orihime finally spoke up.

“The void is used to travel between worlds, but is also used to cast your summoning token out into the world as well.” The Rune Slayer explained.

“Speaking of Tokens. Do I have to make one?” Ichigo asked the Slayer.

“You can… But there isn’t a need to rush yourself. Unless of course you have an item that could work well as a token for you.” Faith replied this time. Being sincere with her words so it didn’t like she was forcing the Soul Reaper to make a decision on the spot.

“Hmmm. If I did make one. Would I be forced to the one who summoned me like you were? Or can I set up some kind of rule?” The Reaper asked.

“Some call upon the Displaced that they try to summon. For example, with my teacher, I have to ask for permission to be summoned into his world. It just depends on the people you meet.” The Rune Slayer replied. “Trust me… We’ve met our fair share of Displaced and not all the time are some people… nice. A few of them have good intentions, but are real assholes.”

“Huh… Would a phone work well as a token? That way I could talk to the person who has it before making a decision on being summoned myself.” The oranged haired man asked.

Faith nodded, “I think that is a possibility. A Displaced I know named Robin has his token be a book and he can communicate with whoever writes within the pages of the book. It’s worth a shot.”

The Soul Reaper opened the pouch on his waist and pulled out a small flip phone. “This is what I bought at the convention that sent me here. So how do I make tokens from this? And do I keep the original?” He asked the girl.

“First… You need to leave a message or saying for them. Not after the beep though, you’re not calling them. And yes, you do keep the original. When you send your token out into the void, it sends out copies into the multiverse and lets you keep the original.” Faith giggled, looking back at Ichigo.

“So I just say a pledge like you did and what? Focus my reiatsu into it or something?” The Shinigami asked confused.

“That should do the trick.” Nicko replied back, answering his question.

“Alright. Here goes.” The Reaper said and held the phone out. “Hello. I’m Ichigo Kurosaki. And I’m a Soul Reaper. If you’re a good guy looking for a helping hand. Just give me a call and tell me what you need.” He said and focused his reiatsu into the phone. It glowed purple for a second before it settled down. “Okay… Now what?” He asked.

Nicko motioned for him to give the phone to him for a moment as the Shinigami did so. With a single slice from void edge, he tore open a hole in the cosmic void and tossed it in. Ichigo watched as the single item split into more as they disappeared into the void of space. When it was done, Nicko only had two tokens on him. The original one for Ichigo and a spare for him and Faith to keep. As he tossed it back, Nicko smiled a little as he looked back at him and Orihime.

“You two should be able to contact us whenever you need help since you already have our tokens. But we’re going to need to take our leave from here. I got an apprentice to teach and need to make sure Faith comes back safely or else my brother will freak out. He’s… overprotective at times.” The Rune Slayer sighed as he and his niece stepped into another tear that he created with Void Edge. “See you around.”

“Wait! Before you go. Are there any of these Displaced or tokens I need to avoid?” Ichigo asked Nicko.

“That… depends on you. One you might need to watch out for though may be Gremmy.” Nicko said. There were only three words afterwards that Ichigo could hear briefly afterwards. But they were three words that sent a chill down his spine.

“He’s a Quincy.”

---

As Nicko was returning to his home world, he remembered that he had to get Moondancer up so he could help her with the last of her training that she needed before she could control everything that he had learned so far. The Unicorn was learning at an exceptionally fast pace, but Magic was only half of being a Rune Slayer. The other half was combat. Swordsmanship. Mastery with a blade in one hand and magic in the other. And the only way in order for that to be properly done is if you practiced the art instead of reading it out of a book.

As of now, Nicko was holding onto a training sword. One of two that were lent to him by Caliburn from the town guard barracks. The Rune Slayer had requested these swords because he believed that his apprentice needed to get use to the feel and control of a normal blade in her hands before using the sword he gave her. Right now, she was swinging her sword with one arm from different directions while Nicko just dodged, blocked and parried. They had been practicing for almost an hour as Eris watched them.

The point of the exercise was for Moondancer to try to break through his defenses. She only needed to do so once in order to understand the lessons and was allowed multiple attempts to do so. Right now was attempt number 13. Through the previous twelve attempts, she had studied her teacher’s movements and tried to use her newfound speed to her advantage. However, the second she thought she had an opening, she felt Nicko’s foot against hers as she fell face first into the snow.

“That was impressive, I have to admit.” He replied. “However, the placement of your hooves needs to be firm. Even in these conditions.” The Rune Slayer made an excellent point. The snow at their feet across a hard and frozen surface meant that the ground they stood on was partially slippery. “We should conclude for today, It’s close to sundown-.”

“No, not yet.” Moondancer interjected.

“Moondancer, I know you might not see it, but even though you weren’t able to strike me, that wasn’t the intent of the exercise.”

The Unicorn blinked, staring dumbfounded at Nicko for a second. “It wasn’t?”

“No. The intent of the exercise was for me to see two things.” The Rune Slayer explained. “The first was whether or not you can combine swordplay and sorcery into your combat style. The second part of it was to see your stamina. One might have strength and power, but if they can’t last long in battle then they would be defeated quickly. In both categories, you passed.”

“B-but that wasn’t what you told me to-.”

“When in combat, your opponent is not going to tell you how to beat them.” Eris pointed out, catching both of their attention. “Ryu taught Nicko that a long time ago and it’s the same thing he’s teaching you now. Think of every battle as a challenge and every opponent as a puzzle. If you solve the puzzle and figure out your opponent, then you have a higher chance of winning.”

“That is a good analogy, Eris.” Nicko replied. “Both of you are very good as not only friends, but comrades. You’re like family to me and family members help out each other all the time.” That single moment had a small blush appear on Moondancer’s face, shortly before it faded a little while later. “Let’s go on inside. I hate to be Anson right now. Being stuck in the cold on the other side of the country.”

“Did he ever say why he had to go?”

The Rune Slayer shrugged as he looked back at both his apprentice and his fiance’. “All Faith told me that it was something important and urgent. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s being left in suspense right now.”

---

Meanwhile...

“Leo, why exactly is Caliburn calling us out here in the first place?” The Infinity Sword asked his friend as they made another turn past the market district. Both Anson Nocte and his once-friend-turned-adopted brother, Leo were asked by a good friend of theirs in the Royal Guard to come out to one of the locations in Equestria that had been all but peaceful. Until something that occurred on Heart’s Warming had the whole town in shock.

“Well, to tell you the truth, it’s the last thing that you would expect in a peaceful world such as this one.” Leo replied.

“What? Some crazy hot shot villain trying to take over the world or some crap like that?”

“Not even close,” Leo groaned, handing a file to him using his mechanical arm. “Read it for yourself.”

“What exactly am I looking at?” Anson asked, looking at the outside of the folder. “Is this some sort of field manual?”

“No… It’s an autopsy.” The Reckless Fist told him. “Somepony was murdered here yesterday. Caliburn needs us to look into this as soon as possible because the suspect of the murder was the white hooded Chaser that Nicko and Faith encountered before. The one they called Arma.”

“What would he be doing out in this neck of the woods anyways?” Anson then asked.

“That… we need to find out as soon as possible. Caliburn is concerned that Arma is planning something and that this is the first of many incidents to come. Also, look at these.” With that, the Reckless fist opened his metal hand, showing a few shell casings with what looked like different color crystals attached. “Do you recognize what these are?”

“Holy sh*t. They’re El Shards.”

“That’s right. He’s found a way to turn the crystals into ammunition. Meaning that he had multiple ways to turn the tide of battle in his favor. The same can go for Spellshards if he finds out about them,” Leo continued as he put the casings back in his pocket. “We got to stop him before he reaches his next location.”

“I agree with you there. Because one thing is for sure,” Anson said to Leo before gripping his blades for a minute. “I’m not letting that hooded freak try and attack Faith. This time, he’s got another thing coming if he thinks he can get away with harming anyone of my family members.”

---

End Log 19

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