Operation: Replace

by Thought Prism

Briefing

It was a lovely day in Ponyville. The sun was shining, birds were chirping, and Twilight Sparkle was enjoying a relaxing picnic with her closest friends. She sighed in contentment as she munched on her second daisy sandwich, nestling herself deeper into the comfort of the checked blanket upon which they all sat, under the shade of a willow tree.

"Ahh, I needed this," Twilight said.

"Tell me about it, darling," said Rarity between sips of tea. "A booming business is not solely a blessing."

"It really is a mighty fine day, though," added Applejack. "I'd hate to spend a day like this working from the crack o' dawn."

Rainbow Dash fluffed herself up. "I guess I outdid myself, then!"

Fluttershy chuckled softly at that. "You sure have. My animal friends were all especially playful this morning."

"Uh-huh!" exclaimed Pinkie. "I managed to convince a bunch of 'em to play duck-duck-goose with me, even though none of them were actually ducks or geese!"

Twilight smiled. "That does sound like fun, Pinkie. Maybe next time I could—"

The sound of crackling electricity cut her off. Everypony present glanced over with wide eyes at the source: a figure now lay prone on the edge of the park, arcs of white energy dissipating from around its body.

Twilight let out an exasperated moan, her smile fading instantly.

Fluttershy blinked. "Is that...?"

"Yes. It is," Twilight said as she reluctantly stood and began trotting over. "It's another human."

As she got closer, and the charge faded, Twilight could make out his above average physique, dark grey body armor, and black cowl. After a moment had passed, he groaned and sat up, rubbing his head. "Oww... What just happened?"

Twilight cleared her throat.

The man turned around to face her, and he gasped in surprise. "Bwuh?"

"Hello," Twilight began, her tone clearly reflecting her annoyance. "and welcome to Equestria, land of ponies and friendship. Please follow me to my castle, where I've prepared a short introductory lecture which will explain your newfound situation as a Displaced human in full."

Stupefied, the man blinked at her, then down at himself, then back up at her. He shrugged.

~ 3 hours later ~

Twilight banged her face repeatedly into her desk. "Uuuugggghhhh."

Spike stuck his head around the corner, peeking through the doorway. "Twilight? Are you ok?"

She sat up, and took a slow, deep breath. "No, Spike. No I am not. My day was just ruined."

Spike walked up to her, placing a reassuring claw on her side. "I take it that 'Batman' guy showed up in the middle of your picnic?"

"Yes! Exactly! Dealing with all these humans popping up has gone from being exciting to a complete chore. And tons of them are still living in town!" She threw up her hooves. "We might as well rename the place to Humanville!"

"It's not so bad," Spike said, rubbing her reassuringly. "Besides, didn't you already write a spell that could send them back home?"

Twilight's brow furrowed. "I did. But most of them don't want to leave. They like it here, Spike. I can't just force them to go. Most of the humans haven't done anything wrong."

"But we know who's sending them here, right? That Merchant guy."

In that instant, something flashed behind Twilight's eyes. It was unmistakably the spark of inspiration. An idea of great import was forming in her mind. "Spike?"

"Yeah?"

"I just remembered something critical I needed to get done. Could you please leave me alone for a while?" Twilight stood, and strode with purpose towards her filing cabinets. "You can take the rest of the afternoon off."

Spike blinked. "Don't have to tell me twice." With that, he left the room.

Cackling with glee in the manner only a mad genius can, Twilight reached out with her magic and pulled open the drawer labeled 'Displaced Humans'.

~ The Next Day ~

Starlight hummed in thought, walking through the Everfree Forest in a state of full alertness as the light of the moon filtered between the trees. She had found a mysterious document bearing the royal seal on her bed last night, such that it had probably appeared by magic. Its contents were baffling:

Starlight Glimmer,

You have been summoned by Her Royal Highness Princess Twilight Sparkle for a clandestine meeting tomorrow at midnight sharp in the Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters, directions enclosed. Attendance is mandatory. Tell no one.

Starlight had a right to be confused, considering that she literally lived in the same building as Twilight and could have easily been approached in the flesh. But the matter did sound serious, so here she was.

Soon, she had arrived at the old rope bridge which spanned the canyon in front of the old palace. She had been there a few times before to browse the restored library, but never at night, and the place exuded an ominous aura. Though she stepped lightly across, the planks creaked under her hooves.

"Hey."

"Oowaugh!" Starlight practically jumped out of her skin in surprise, spinning to face the source of the voice, a human male wearing a blue cloak covered in mysterious runes. There were other bits and baubles dangling from the clothes underneath, silver trinkets painted red. She panted for a moment to calm her beating heart. "Don't sneak up on ponies like that!"

"Sorry," he said, nonplussed.

"Did Twilight summon you out here too?"

He nodded once.

Starlight sighed. "Well, I suppose we should keep moving, then."

And they did, finishing their way over. Starlight refrained from asking the man anything else as they walked single-file up to the uninhabited castle. She used her magic to open the huge stone gate, and they slipped inside.

Within, four figures were already present, sitting around an old stone table. At the head of the table was Princess Twilight, expression unusually grim. Beside her, there were three more humans. The first wore a strange mask with two symbols on it and had copper-colored armor plates over his shoulders, knees, and hips. His crimson outfit otherwise made him look like a stereotypical ninja, complete with an absurdly long scarf which somehow held itself aloft in the air like Celestia's mane.

The second man wore a red coat - its tails draping down onto the floor - over black pants and boots, and had spiky blonde hair. Circular yellow sunglasses rested on his nose. Lastly, there was a man wearing a red cape with blue hair and matching armor over his left shoulder. Strapped to his muscular body was an enormous golden broadsword with a hilt of deep black.

Waving politely to Twilight, Starlight took the seat opposite her, while the cloaked man sat in the remaining open spot.

"It seems that everyone has arrived," said Twilight. "In that case, let's get started. First, introductions. As you know, I'm Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Friendship, and the bearer of the Element of Magic."

The man with the sunglasses crossed his arms. "With all due respect, princess, I think I speak for everyone here when I ask what it is you called us here for, exactly."

Murmurs of agreement were voiced around the table.

"Patience," she said. "It will all make sense soon, more so if we introduce ourselves beforehoof. Since you're so eager, why don't you start?" she asked, gesturing with a wing.

"Sure," he said. "My name is Jared. I was sent here over a year ago, as one of the first humans to arrive in Equestria. Since then, I've been trying to live as an art and literature critic."

There was a long pause before Twilight sighed. "Oh, give them more than that, Jared! For instance, who you were turned into, and what you've been doing to help?"

Jared started twirling a finger through his hair. "Well, I went to that con dressed as Vash the Stampede, the protagonist from the Trigun anime series. So I have his body, now, making me arguably the most skilled gunman who ever lived. Trigun was my favorite show, which is saying something, considering how much anime and TV I consumed on a regular basis. Not to mention the comics and games. Put both of those factors together, and I was basically the perfect guy to help Purple Smart here round up any humans who let their newfound powers get to their heads."

"Oh, you're that Typhoon guy!" said the man with the sword. "I've seen you in the papers!"

"That's me," he said. "Why don't you go next?"

"Uh, ok." He straightened his posture a bit. "I'm Ike. I'm... not much for work, usually. Kinda dropped out of school."

Twilight directed at him a look of extreme disappointment. "I did not know that."

"Well, sorry," he said. "Not everybody likes math." Ike swept an arm down, gesturing to himself. "Anyway, Ike is both my name and this character's. My brother invited me to go to a con with him a few months back, and thought it would be funny if I went as Ike 'cause of that, even though I'd never played the game he's from. Or most others. I'm not really a fan of nerd stuff. But everypony's really nice here, so I'm not complainin'."

"Thank you, Ike," Twilight said. She then turned forwards. "Starlight?"

Nodding, she stood. "Hi, I'm Starlight Glimmer, Twilight's student. I've always been an exceptional mage, but didn't realize how much I needed the magic of friendship in my life until Twilight showed me the right path."

"God, that was cringe-worthy," commented the cloaked man.

Twilight smiled at Starlight, but Jared frowned. "What path were you on before?" he asked.

Starlight flinched away. "Short answer? The power-mad sociopath one." Seeing the looks she was now getting, she added "But not anymore! I'm all good now!"

The masked man, who had previously been completely silent, glared menacingly at her. "Good. Because otherwise, I would have to kill you."

As Starlight gasped and fell back into her seat, Twilight shot him an equally menacing glare. "She's fine, but keep up those threats and you might not be. Just save it. If you would..."

He grunted, pushing his seat back. Standing straight, he pressed his palms together and bowed. "Hello. It is an honor to meet you. My name is Ninja Slayer."

Suddenly, a series of fiery explosions went off right behind him, smoke billowing upwards.

"What the hell?" Ike exclaimed. Starlight threw up a shield reflexively as Jared shot to his feet.

"Calm down, everything's fine," instructed Twilight. They did. She then rolled her eyes. "That just happens whenever he introduces himself like that."

Upon closer inspection, the room was actually completely undamaged. "Really, bro?" said Ike, incredulous. "Warn us next time."

"I apologize," he said, sitting back down. "Before my arrival, I lived in Neo Saitama with my wife and son. However, my peaceful days were permanently cut short when my wife and son were murdered by members of the Soukaiya Ninja Clan. It was then that the Ninja Soul within me awakened, and I vowed that I would not rest until I had slain all ninja!"

The cloaked man interrupted with a long, low groan, tilting his head back. "He's staying in character 24/7, isn't he?"

Twilight sighed. "Yes. He's very committed. But effective at what he does."

Ninja Slayer nodded. "That is correct. While there are no ninja here, there is still great evil that must be destroyed."

"This news has yet to be made public, but," Twilight began, "Queen Chrysalis is dead. Ninja Slayer here, upon hearing the news that she had escaped after her second attempt at conquest, decided to hunt her down himself. Popped up out of nowhere and dropped her severed head right in front of me during breakfast not two days later."

Starlight blinked, at a loss in more ways than one. "Wow."

"And I thought murder was even more taboo here," said Jared.

"It is," agreed Twilight. "If it were anypony other than Chrysalis, he probably would have been banished."

Ninja Slayer shook his head. "I would never harm an innocent. Unless they were a ninja. That said," he began, eying the cloaked man, "Who are you?"

"Hazel," he said, leaning to the side in disinterest.

"Hazel?" asked Ike. "Isn't that a girl's name?"

"It is. When I had the extreme pleasure of meeting the Merchant, I was crossplaying as Jace Beleren. So, I'm a guy now."

Starlight gasped, placing a hoof to her mouth. "I'm so sorry. That must have been really hard for you."

Hazel waved her off. "Not really. Use whatever pronouns you want, I don't care. It's not like I was gonna romance anybody anytime soon, pony or otherwise. Only those also of the cold, empty void could ever understand me."

"So, what, you were one o' those reclusive goth chicks?" said Ike.

Twilight zapped him in the face. "Don't stereotype. It's mean and uncalled for in any context."

Ike had nothing to say to that, rubbing his singed nose silently.

"Who was this Jace character, Hazel?" Starlight asked.

Hazel shrugged. "Some mind wizard from a card game, I think? Messes with people's heads? I just saw some neat pics of the guy on Deviantart and wanted to try making the outfit."

"Oh," said Starlight. "What's Deviantart?"

Jared raised his hand in a placating gesture. "Don't get me started. It's not important right now. What is important is why Twilight called us all out here. Which still has yet to be addressed."

Twilight's face hardened. "Let's change that." She then placed her elbows on the table, hooves locked. "I called you all here because I have a secret mission for you. One which only the five of you can complete."

All around, mouths clenched into lines. All around, eyes were pointed directly at Twilight.

"The Merchant is a figure surrounded in mystery," she said. "How does he grant humans powers? How does he send them to Equestria without anyone finding out? Why does he do either of those things? The only thing we know for fact is that he abducts innocent people against their will. And that cannot stand.

"So, you will stop him. I call it Operation: Replace."

Immediately, Ninja Slayer said "I'm in."

"Wait, what?" said Ike.

Still focused on Twilight, Jared asked "Why us?"

"Two reasons," replied Twilight. "First, your powers are formidable, but not overly destructive. The Merchant presumably has access to a near-limitless arsenal of skills, and would be almost impossible to stop alone. At the same time, I don't want too many bystanders harmed in the crossfire if I can help it, so sending in someone like that 'Goku' is out of the question."

"How considerate of you," quipped Hazel.

Twilight ignored her, too busy lecturing. "Second, I trust all five of you, for different reasons."

Ike blinked. "Really?"

"Yes, really," she said. "I also had the roles each of you would play in mind, in terms of the strike team."

"Strike team?" Starlight repeated.

Twilight sighed. "Not every villain can be reformed, Starlight. You were, but not Sombra, or Tirek, or Chrysalis. We can't afford to be optimistic this time.

"As I was saying, Jared, you and Ninja Slayer can both attack at range with great precision. Ideally, a direct fight should be avoided."

Jared pondered this for a few moments. "You want me to be an assassin. Vash himself would strongly object, but in this case, I won't. I'll participate in your operation."

Twilight nodded. "Thank you." She turned to Ike. "If it does come down to a direct fight, you're the best option. According to one of my sources, your character is a warrior of peerless caliber and legendary strength. And that sword, Ragnell, can conjure blessed flames and even fell gods."

Ike looked over his shoulder in awe.

"Hazel, you're going to act as facilitator of both stealth and commutations. With telepathy, you should be able to allow everyone to stay in touch at all times. And you can alter people's perceptions so the group can remain undetected and mobile."

Hazel reclined in her chair, hands behind her head. "Okay."

With a hint of a smile on her face, Twilight finally faced Starlight. "Starlight, you're going to be leading the team in the field."

Her eyes widened at that. "Me? That's... I'm flattered, but aren't you coming?"

The alicorn's resolve wavered. "I can't. Equestria needs me: it's too dangerous."

Starlight's brow creased. "Gee, that's reassuring."

Twilight laughed twice, nervously. "Don't worry. You'll be fine. I taught you well."

"That's true."

Removing her hooves from the table, she spread her wings dramatically. "Each of you can take as long as you need to prepare. Practice, train, learn. When you're ready, we'll meet back here, and I'll use my modified return portal spell to send you to Earth, forms intact. Do you each accept this task I've bestowed upon you?"

Jared adjusted his sunglasses. "I accept."

"My answer has not changed. The Merchant shall perish!" proclaimed Ninja Slayer.

Hazel shrugged. "I've got nothing better to do."

Taking a deep breath, Starlight said "You can count on me, Twilight."

Ike cracked his knuckles. "Alright, team. Let's jam."

Author's Note:

Comments

[Kaffeina]

But can five Displaced - and one pony - really take down the Merchant?

65.media.tumblr.com/8724c40eb2d57d2b5806aa561d837df9/tumblr_inline_nwugm82KTo1rud78w_500.gif

[Xanatos Speed Chess]

Twilight sighed. "Not every villain can be reformed, Starlight. You were, but not Sombra, or Tirek, or Chrysalis. We can't afford to be optimistic this time.

*Cough!*Thecomics.*Cough!*

[bonberjean]

A unique story about the Displaced universe... now I'm gonna follow it and see were it goes.

[Dusty Old Qrow]

The only Displaced story that I'll ever give a thumbs up

[Frogace55]

So, Who wants to take bets on how fast this will go to Hell?

I, myself, will put my bet on first contact.

[Starlight Nova]

Do you know of any other story that has the Merchant as the primary antagonist?

[InfernoRage008]

7838736 The Merchant is neither a Protagonist, or Antagonist. He's the one that - technically speaking - creates them. More or less. "You are what you paid for." Is how he works, it's that simple.

[The Cryptic Cipher]

7838443 *Cough!* The comics are not canon.*Cough!*