Arrival Arc, Chapter 1: Armored saviors

Equestria, The Everfree Forest, 2577 CLR (Celestia and Luna's reign)

Nonononono! Twilight thought as she ran through the forest, a pack of fifteen Timberwolves on her tail. Why did this have to happen?!

It had started out so simply, she and Spike had gone to get a few remedies from Zecora, but after getting lost on the path, they had run into a pack of Timberwolves on the hunt. Upon spotting them, the wooden canine constructs gave chase, causing the two to run deeper into the forest. Not for the first time, she cursed leaving her weapon and armor back at home. Her “Cura” pattern magica rifle had been specially made to fire energy blasts that could be enchanted with her magic.

“Twilight, they're getting closer!” Spike yelled as he clung on for dear life.

Faust help us! “Hold on Spike!” She said as she jinked left and right. I hope I can lose them...

The baby dragon dug his claws deeper into the alicorn's mane and closed his eyes.

Twilight quickly looked back to see the pack was only a few feet away from her, but this would prove to be a mistake as she didn't see the root until too late.

Both she and Spike were sent tumbling into a nearby tree. “Oof!” “Ow!”

Twilight then tried to stand up, only for a jolt of pain to shoot through her right front leg. “AGH!” She cried out.

“Twi! You okay?” Spike asked. She nodded before charging up her horn and prepared to fight.

The Wolves advanced, lips raised in snarls. A massive wolf then strode to the front of the pack, Twilight instantly recognizing it. An Alpha… oh no… she thought, her eyes widening in fear. With a flick of the Alpha's ear, the entire pack readied themselves to pounce.

A series of loud bangs suddenly sounded from behind the pack, and two of the Wolves suddenly imploded, exploding outwards as bits of twigs. Another wolf yelped and fell, a series of holes riddling its body. What… what was that?! Twilight thought in shock as the rest of the pack spun around to meet this new threat.

“Um, Twilight?” Spike said.

“Y..Yes?” She answered, her voice shaking.

“What in Equestria are those?” He asked in confusion, pointing to three figures approaching their position.

Twilight looked at them in disbelief and fear. They were unlike anything she had seen, they were bipedal, as tall as Celestia, with hands like a dragon but they shone like they were metallic. She then realized that they were wearing armor, but it was very strange armor. Two were in streamlined high tech red and silver armor, with the number 915 on one, and 719 on the other. Both numbers were on the left part of their chest armor. The third was larger and had dark green armor that looked even more high tech while looking archaic with massive pauldrons, but what confused her was what was on his shoulders, he had what looked to be a winged sword on his right shoulder while on his left he had a sideways red double headed arrow with the number 2 in a strange style over it while an odd looking backpack was mounted on his back, with two protrusions sticking out of it while a single red stripe was across his knee. On its chest was a double headed golden eagle. The whine and hiss of hydraulics could be heard as the three advanced.

But what made her afraid of these unknown creatures was that they seemed to have no faces, instead, they had full face helmets, the larger of the three had what looked to be an open mouth, but she could see it was just how the helmet was made with two red eyeholes staring at her., the smaller two had different looking helmets, one had an odd looking helmet that had a pointed chin and a skull on its yellow visor, which looked like a strange bubble. The other had a more pointed helmet, the visor also yellow but the helmet was silver while the other's helmet was red.All three were holding strange devices, all of which of which were aimed at the Timberwolves. As two of the creatures advanced, the third moved into the shadows, and leaned against a tree. Bursts of fire spat from the devices and the bangs she had heard earlier emanated from them, causing her to cut off her magic and cover her ears. It was obvious that these were weapons.Two more Wolves were felled by the creatures, cut down by whatever the devices spat. The Alpha snarled a challenge at the two advancing, not willing to give up the pack's prey so easily.

Then to Twilight and Spike’s surprise and shock, one of the figures spoke perfect Equish.

“You know, I’m really tired of encountering you mutts! As if getting attacked by a freaking Manticore was bad enough, we’ve had to tango with you hounds once already!” It spat before strapping its weapon to its back. Twilight then watched in shock as a handle suddenly materialized in its right hand. With a flash of light and a hiss, two blades of energy suddenly sprung out from the handle “And I'm gonna make sure you're on a one way trip to Hurt-ville!” it growled, getting into a fighting stance while the two others aimed their weapons at the wolves to support it.

The Timberwolf Alpha howled before it and the rest of the pack charged forward at the two figures, only for two to be mowed down from the larger figure’s weapon. The smaller figure ran forward to meet the Alpha, his energy blade raised to deliver a killing blow, only to be intercepted by three other wolves while a fourth was brought down by the third creature’s weapon.“Get off of him!” One of the creatures spoke up for the first time, firing its weapon in its left hand while an ornate sword with an arrowhead for a point appeared in its right. Two of the Timberwolves were blasted off, giving the first figure room to drive his blade into the remaining wolf.

All this time, Twilight and Spike watched in shock and amazement. What… what are these creatures? She thought, And.. how did they get here?

She was so focused on watching the fight that she didn't notice the Alpha backtracking towards her until Spike yelled, “TWILIGHT, LOOK OUT!” She spun around to see the wolf charge at her, teeth bared.

“AAAAAAH!” She screamed. The three creatures jerked their heads at the scream only to stare shellshocked at the sight of the unicorn. The larger figure then shook itself from its shock and raised its weapon, a single bang split the air and the Alpha jerked as a massive hole appeared on its shoulder before an internal explosion blew it into splintered remains.Twilight flinched as splinters showered her. Thankfully, none of the splinters got through her coat, but she was covered in sap from the now disintegrated Timberwolf.

“Okay, now that we're done with those mutts, can someone tell me why there's a Alicorn right in front of us?” The first creature said. “As if this day wasn't crazy enough!”

The third creature had moved out of the shadows, and Twilight gasped as she saw it for the first time. While she had caught a glimpse of it from behind the two other creatures, she was still unprepared for what she saw. Its right arm was heavily armored, and the hand ended in a clawed gauntlet. The weapon it held was a strange box like structure with two struts poking out at the end, and what looked like a thin barrel. She then realized that what the three were holding were guns, very advanced guns, more advanced than the Magica rifles and auto-muskets that the EA (Equestrian Army) used. But what really surprised her was the sword mounted on its back.

“Viktor, I'm just as confused as you are. But we heard someone scream, so there must be humans around here somewhere…” It said, and Twilight received another shock as the voice was female, which meant that the other two were stallions. But what were humans?

“Um… excuse me?” She asked hesitantly. The three looked around for the source of the voice that they heard. “Down here!” She said impatiently. The three then looked at Twilight in confusion. The confusion then turned to shock as Spike walked up to the unicorn and stood next to the mare.

“That's… that's a freaking baby dragon…” the larger of the three whispered, his voice sounding like he didn't want to believe it.

“Of course I’m a baby dragon! What the heck are you, a mutant Minotaur?” Spike retorted.

“And it talks…. please tell me this is a dream or something…” the first creature muttered.
The third creature then punched him. “Ow! The heck was that for Alex?!” He asked in an indignant tone.

“Just testing your theory.” She said. “And I think we can call this busted.”

Twilight then spoke up, “What… what are you exactly? I’ve never seen your species before…. I don't even think you even exist in Equestria!”

Even though she couldn't see their faces, she got the feeling that their mouths were hanging open in surprise.

“Okay…. I'm calling it, we’ve gone insane….” The first creature said before he realized something. “Wait, did you say Equestria?!” Twilight nodded, giving him a confused look. “Son of a….”

The two other creatures also had shocked body postures. “You mean that Merchant sent us to another world entirely?!” The larger creature asked, getting a nod in response. “Damn it!” Twilight's confused look grew even more. What in Faust's name are they talking about?

“So what now?” The mare asked.

“We may as well try and find the nearest town… You wouldn't know where one is, Miss…?

“Sergeant Twilight Sparkle, of the 1st Elemental Strike Unit, former student to Princess Celestia and Princess of Friendship. And this is Spike, my assistant.” She said.

The first creature nodded in greeting. “Nice to meet you Twilight, the name’s Viktor.” He said.

The mare then spoke up, “I'm Alexandra, or Alex for short.”

The second stallion was the last to speak, “The name's Sebastian, or Sasha for short.” He said.

“Nice to meet you three.” She said with a small smile before Viktor spoke up.

“I noticed that you gave a military rank, along with a division. Is there a war going on or has it recently ended?” He asked. Twilight nodded, her eyes turning hard.

“ Yes, there still is a war going on. A crazy stallion named Flame Tail had managed to take over the government in Stalliongrad, and he convinced many other city leaders in seceding from Equestria, only to declare war on us. I was sent to Ponyville to check the defences, but… I ended up encountering Nightmare Moon while there and made five new friends. And just recently, I became a princess. Now, we’re our own special squad, the 1st Elemental Strike Unit.” She said. “Besides being a military unit, we’re the bearers of the Elements of Harmony. But now, with this war going on, we’re expecting to be called into action.”

“How long has this war been going on?” This time Sebastian spoke up.

“ It started after we defeated Tirek, so four years ago”

Alex then opened her mouth to ask who this “Tirek” was, but was interrupted by the sound of jet engines. The three looked up to see what looked to be two VTOL jets streak past. Twilight chuckled at their reactions. “Those were “Gryphon” VTOL fighter jets, equipped with 2 “Manticore” pattern magica heavy machine guns and at least 6 “Sunfury” missiles. The EAF(Equestrian Air Force) has a ton of them.”

“Maybe we can discuss this more after we find a town.” Sebaste said.

Twilight opened her mouth to reply when she heard a familiar voice calling her name. Both she and Spike turned to see a cyan Pegasus mare with a rainbow mane and tail wearing lightweight Pegasus marine armor (think of the armor the Wonderbolts wore in the Sombra timeline), her two front hooves ending in gauntlets with dragon like claws that gripped an “Typhon” pattern light Auto-musket ,a long barreled automatic gun that could fire up to twenty shots,with an extended mag flying towards her. The gauntlets were an ingenious invention that an earth pony inventor named Gear Claw had created, that allowed non unicorns to hold weapons without having to use their mouths. They tapped into the latent magic around the ponies’ hooves, allowing for whoever had the gauntlets on to be able to grab anything, or hold, aim and fire a gun. With this new invention, the weapons of the Equestrians evolved rapidly, soon they were armed with automatic weapons, and a new type of rifle was also born, the “Cura” pattern magica spell rifle, a rifle that could be charged with any type of offensive spell. When at full power, it could wipe out up to ten soldiers, before it had to be recharged. This rifle soon found its place with the unicorn soldiers of the EA (Equestrian Army), easily complementing the more common “Typhon” pattern Auto-musket. “What happened?” Rainbow Dash asked. “When Zecora showed up asking where you were, we thought you…” she trailed off as she saw the three strange beings behind both her friend and Spike. “Twi, Spike, get behind me! I’ll take these creeps out!” She yelled, bringing her weapon up to bear.

“Rainbow, wait!” Twilight shouted, but the pegasus had already started opening fire.

“Scatter!” Viktor yelled before the three separated to avoid the hail of bullets. Alex somersaulted to one side before blue arcane energy suddenly arced through her gauntleted hand. Pointing her hand at Rainbow, she unleashed a blast that formed into three arcane projectiles.

Twilight's eyes widened in shock upon seeing this. “Rainbow, watch out!” She yelled.

Rainbow spun around only for the arcane missiles to slam into her and explode, sending her crashing into the tree. “Oof!” she grunted. Uuugh, that hurt…. And how the buck did that thing use magic?! Only Unicorns can use it! She thought as she got up, standing on her hind hooves as she aimed her weapon at Alex, a glare on her face. “You made a big mistake with attacking Twilight!” She yelled. The three could see burn marks where the missiles hit.

Viktor sputtered. “We attacked her?! We were the ones that saved her from getting eaten!” He said, giving her a glare from under his helmet. Rainbow snorted.

“Yeah right, next you’ll be telling me you’re not from Equestria!” She snapped.

Oy, dumber than advertised….. Viktor thought sarcastically. “That's closer to the truth than you think….” He said, causing both Rainbow and Twilight to look at him in shock.

“Y... You're kidding, r...right?” Rainbow asked, her voice shaking. It has to be a joke…. there's no way these guys aren't from Equestria! She thought. Her hopes were dashed when Viktor shook his head. Thoroughly unnerved, she nearly dropped her weapon but managed to keep hold of it.

Twilight was also shaken by the revelation. No wonder they have strange armor and weapons… she thought before she said, “Let’s get back to Ponyville, we can talk more at my house.” She then turned to Rainbow Dash. “Let the girls know that I'm okay, and then you and I will be having a little chat after you get those burns checked out.”

“Yes sir…” Rainbow said, her ears flattening in embarrassment. Twilight chuckled before she gave her a hug.

“I'm glad you came out to find me. I’ll hang out later after this is taken care of.” She said. Rainbow nodded before streaking off towards Ponyville in a blur of blue. The trio stepped back in shock.

“Gulliman's blood, how fast is she?” Sebastian asked.

“She’s the only pegasus that can do a sonic rainboom.” Twilight replied.

“Please, there's no such thing!” Viktor snorted. Twilight frowned.

“Doesn't it exist where you're from?” She asked. The three shook their heads. Her frown deepened.

“Can we just get of this forest? I’d rather not see what will come after us next.” Alex asked, shivering under her armor. Viktor put a comforting hand on her shoulder, pulling her close.

Twilight nodded before her horn glowed and the five of them vanished in a flash of lavender light.

They soon reappeared in front of a crystal like castle, the size of it shocking the three arrivals.

“Holy…” Viktor stammered. The three were even more surprised when they entered the building. “Sheesh, you certainly have some castle! Puts some of the others from where we came from to shame!” He said as they entered the throne room.

Twilight giggled at that before she turned to them.“Welcome to my home. Now, what exactly are you? And how and why are you here?” she asked, her eyes both nervous and curious.

Sebastian then spoke up. “We’re called humans, basically a furless ape except for the top of our head. And as for how we got here… this is how we ended up in that Throne forsaken forest….”

Arrival Arc, Chapter 2: Merchant troubles

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Earth, NY Comic-con 2016

“Geez, get a load of these people!” Viktor chuckled as he, his sister Alexandra and his friend Sebastian, walked into the convention hall. “So many costumes, and you thought we were gonna stick out!” Both Alex and Viktor were dressed as Spartans, Viktor as a Halo 4 Orbital, while Alex had gone with the Halo 5 style of Scout armor. Sebastian meanwhile had dressed up in MK VII “Aquila” Armor from Warhammer 40,000, in the colors of the Dark Angels .

Alex however had made a modification to her suit, instead of having a regular Scout Arm, she had changed it into Ivy’s armored right arm complete with the familiar clawed gauntlet while Viktor had an AI chip in his helmet.

“Okay, we get it….” Alex grumbled. “I was just nervous….”

Sebastian chuckled, before he realized something. “Damn it, I forgot our weapons!”

The two siblings groaned. “Seriously man? You forgot our weapons!?” Viktor asked.

“Hey, was a bit rushed for time!” Sebastian said, holding his hands up in a helpless gesture. “Sorry.”

Viktor sighed before he said, “Okay… We’ll keep an eye out for any stands that sell props. But if the vendor tries to shortchange us, we’re leaving.” The other two nodded before the three entered the massive room. While they walked through the aisles, Sebastian took a look at the Mega Bloks stand, having heard about the new 40K line they were showing there while Alex stuck with Viktor.

It was Viktor who first noticed the strange looking vendor. Don't remember seeing this guy until now… he thought. He then heard footsteps behind him, and turned to see Sebastian coming up to him after looking at the new Mega Bloks line.

“What's going o-?” He asked before seeing the vendor. “Is that… a Rogue Trader?”

“Looks like it. But I don't remember seeing this tent here before.” Viktor replied.

“Let's check it out, maybe it’ll have the weapons we need to complete our costumes.” Alex said.

“All right, but if this guy tries to swindle us, we’re looking elsewhere.” Viktor warned.

Alex rolled her eyes as the three walked to the stand. The vendor looked up and smiled at them. He was wearing a smart looking suit with two coattails at the end and he had a bionic eye prop over his real eye on the left side of his face. And the stuff he had for sale was mind boggling. From lightsabers to Power Ranger morphers, he had tons to choose from.

“Greetings M’lord, are you and your companions looking to purchase something?” He asked, his voice raspy. That started to ring alarm bells in Viktor's mind.

This guy looks like a Rogue Trader, but he sounds like that Merchant from the Resident Evil series… He thought, before he could say anything, he noticed a Halo MA4B Reach pattern Assault Rifle. He sighed mentally and said, “I’ll get the Assault rifle.”

Sebastian spotted a “Tigrus” pattern Bolter and got that while Alex bought a replica of Ivy’s snake sword “Valentine” and a Halo 4 era sniper rifle.

“That’ll be $150.” The vendor said. The three paid for their weapons, noticing as they did so that the weapons had a bit of weight on them. “Godspeed you three.” The Merchant said before the three cosplayers felt a blinding pain in their bodies so powerful, they blacked out. As they fell to the floor, a portal opened up and swallowed them. The Merchant watched before he said quietly, “Equestria needs you…”

Equestria, The Everfree Forest

Uuugh, what… what happened? Last thing I remember was buying that Bolter… Sebastian thought as he woke up, but as he moved, he felt a double heartbeat. Was… that my heart? Wait, double heartbeat… Oh you have… he mentally swore. He quickly sat up, and as he did so, he could feel the muscles in his arms and chest. I'm an actual Astartes!!

He then noticed the Targeting reticle on his visor. Hmm… so the suit is real now… but how is this possible?!

After a few minutes, he spotted his Bolter lying nearby and as the Astartes grabbed his weapon, an ammo count appeared on his visor with the ∞ symbol on on it. At least I won't have to run outta ammo… he chuckled.

He then stood up and took a look at his surroundings. He appeared to be in some kind of clearing in a forest, with trees on either side of him. Okay, so I somehow ended up in the woods as an actual Space Marine… but where the heck are Viktor and Alex?

Nearby….

“Spartan, are you okay?” A female voice asked Viktor, her voice emanating from inside his helmet.

“Whu…. WHAH!!!” Viktor yelped as he sat up in shock. Next to him, Alex groaned.

The voice chuckled. “At least you're awake now.” It said.

Wait… it can't be… “Kyra?” He said

“Yes Viktor?” The voice asked.

This… this can't be happening… He thought, standing up. There's no way that AI chip is real…. It was just a prop…. He then noticed that he had an actual HUD on his visor and that he felt… different. “What… what happened to me?” He muttered, his eyes wide with shock. “Where… where the hell are we?”

“We appear to be in some kind of forest. I'm picking up multiple life readings, but they're… unusual.” Kyra said.

Viktor pulled the chip out of the slot of his helmet and a female AI appeared on his palm. She wore a WH40K Imperial Guard flak jacket over an army shirt and a pair of Khaki pants and boots. Her hair was short and she glowed a deep blue.

“Unusual how?” He asked, his voice calm while his mind raced.

“They don't match any Earth creature or alien species in my database.” Kyra said. She then stiffened. “I'm picking a human signature about 50 feet from us. I… I don't know what the heck this guy is.”

Human signature… Sasha! He must have gotten separated from us somehow! He then heard another groan from Alex before she sat up, the faint light glinting off her right arm.

“Vik…? Where… where are we….?” She asked groggily, “What…. What happened…..?”

“I don't know, as for where we are, we’re in some sort of forest.” Viktor said.

“How… how did we even get here?”

“That… I have no idea.” He replied. “But we need to find Sasha, Kyra says he’s nearby.”

“Kyra? That fake AI in your helmet?” Alex asked in shock.

“She’s… not fake anymore…” Viktor said, the AI appearing on his shoulder RvB style as he put the AI chip back in his helmet.

“Nice to meet you Alex.” Kyra chirped.The female Spartan looked the AI in disbelief. As she opened her mouth to say something, a chorus of growls sounded behind her. She and Viktor spun around to see ten glowing green eyes glaring at her before five lupine shapes stalked out of the shadows. Kyra quickly vanished as the two Spartans readied themselves.

“Kyra? The hell are we dealing with?” Viktor asked the AI nervously.

“I don't know, they look like wolves, but something's not right. They're made out of wood, but some kind of energy is holding them together!” Kyra said.

Spotting his assault rifle, Viktor ran towards it only to get jumped by two of the strange wolves. While their teeth and claws didn't penetrate his armor, the impact managed to knock him down and brought his shields down to 15%. Damn it, I need something to take these guys out! He thought before he felt the weight of something in his left hand, looking at it he was shocked to see a M6D-A Magnum pistol in his hand when it was empty earlier.

Where the hell did this come from?! He thought, glancing to see the ∞ symbol on the ammo count. And how did I even get it? He didn't get to think more on it as the two creatures bit down on the arm fending them off. “Gah! Get off of me you blasted mutts!!” He growled before putting the pistol straight on one of the creature's head and pulling the trigger. A single bang echoed through the air and the wooden wolf was dropped in an instant. He then yanked his arm out from the other's mouth and delivered another headshot to it, this time making it fall apart. He turned to Alex and stopped in disbelief. Her right hand was glowing and in front of her were the scattered remains of the three other wolves. In her other hand was a rifle of alien design, with a rotating cylinder in the middle. A plasma repeater, one of the more nastier weapons in the Covenant's arsenal.

“Vik? What's…What’s happened to us?” She asked, her voice shaking as she looked at her glowing gauntlet, energy arcing over it.

“I don't know… but we’ll get to the bottom of this….” Viktor said before looking at the remains of the wooden wolves. “Kyra, designate these as “Timberwolves”. And keep an eye out for anything else that's hostile…”

“Yes sir.” Kyra said, then she suddenly shouted “Human signature heading this way! He’s armed!”

The sound of heavy footfalls were clearly heard as the two Spartans readied their weapons, Viktor having grabbed his assault rifle from its spot on the ground. Alex had drawn her sword while her Sniper rifle was mag locked to her back. With a crash of foliage, an armored figure ran into view and skidded to a stop upon seeing the drawn weapons. “Vik? Alex? What happened?”

“Sasha? Oh thank goodness!” Viktor said, lowering his weapon. “Some weird wolves attacked us and managed to catch us, to quote Preed: “With our trousers down.” But… we also ended up discovering something else…”

Sebastian took off his helmet and gave his friend a confused look. “What are you talking about ?”

“Kyra? C’mon out.” The AI appeared on Viktor's shoulder just in time for her to see a shocked look appear on Sebastian's face.

“Impossible…. That's the AI you had in your helmet? I thought she was just a prop!” He said in disbelief.

“That’s… not the only thing I found out.” Viktor said, before a ARC-980 Recoilless rifle materialized in his left hand. “Turns out I'm able to do this, Alex also. But with her… Her gauntlet was glowing with some kind of energy…”

“How does your body feel? Stronger than normal?” Sebastian asked.

“Yeah actually, wh-?” Viktor started to ask before he realized what Sebastian was asking. “You don't mean…”

“Yeah, we’ve become what we cosplayed as. I have no idea how, but we're now actual Spartans and an Astartes.”

Viktor staggered back as the realization struck him like a hammer blow. “This… this can’t be real…”

Alex was also shocked. “So we're stuck like this?! Damn it!” She swore, “I don't want to be stuck as a Spartan for the rest of my life! I just want to get back home!”

“If we're even on Earth…” Viktor muttered.

“Let's just try and find a town. Hopefully there's some sort of civilization here…” Sebastian said. The two Spartans nodded before the three headed deeper into the forest.

Soon, they were moving through brambles and vines. “Oy… for a forest, this is more like a jungle…” Viktor muttered as he sliced through the foliage with an Type-1 Energy blade. Alex murmured in agreement while Sebastian kept an eye out for any hostile creatures. It was nearly night time that the three encountered another creature in the forest, one that surprised them in more ways than one.

Viktor had just set up a campsite when he heard a lion like growl. Then a startled yelp from Sebastian made him spin around to see a creature he thought only existed in mythology charge forward and smack the Astartes aside. “Oof!” He grunted, the wind knocked out of him.

The creature halted and Viktor got a better look at it. It had a lion’s face and body, but from its back sprung two wings and a scorpion’s tail arched over its head from the rear.
Oh you have to be kidding me… a freaking Manticore…. He thought before he pulled out his assault rifle and unleashed a tirade from it.

The beast spun around as the bullets hit, causing it to roar in anger and pain as the bullets hit. Alex by that time had drawn her sword and was advancing towards it, blade ready. The manticore’s eyes narrowed before it swung its tail at her, the stinger aimed at one of the gaps in her armor. “Alex, watch the tail!” Viktor yelled. She managed to block the blow, but was staggered by the power behind it.

“Alright you poor excuse of a mad scientist’s lab reject, you want some? You’ll get some!!” Alex yelled before her gauntlet started to glow, a faint wind whipping her hair around.

“She's channeling that energy that held those Timberwolves together!” Kyra said in a shocked voice.

“What?! How is that possible?” Viktor asked in disbelief.

“I don't know, but her energy levels are climbing steadily…” the AI said.

Alex then thrusted her hand out and a blast of energy shot from her palm and smashed into the monster, sending it crashing into a tree.

What in the world was that?! Sebastian thought as he watched the creature struggle to its feet. He looked over at Alex just in time to see her unleash three more blasts of energy at the Manticore, each one arcing to smash into the creature. How…. How the devil is she doing that?!

The beast staggered to its feet, teeth bared. These creatures had hurt it with strange noisemakers and magic, but it was no fool. They were more powerful than it and it wouldn't risk getting killed by these new beasts. With a final growl, it retreated back into the forest.

The glow soon disappeared from Alex’s gauntlet, she then staggered and fell, Viktor managing to catch her before she hit the ground. Her deep breathing showed that she had fainted and was now unconscious. “She's okay, just really exhausted.” Kyra said, scanning her.

“Let's… rest here for the night. Sasha, you take first watch, I’ll take over later.” The Astartes nodded before he headed towards a hidden spot and crouched down, bolter at the ready.

Both Viktor, Sebastian and Alex had a broken sleep. Viktor from getting woken by strange noises, Alex and Sebastian from nightmares, unknown entities stalking through their subconscious, a figure in corrupted power armor and what looked like a cybernetic Pegasus, a black and blue Spider-Man with Amy Rose standing next to him.

The three woke up the next morning, bleary eyed. “Ugh…. That was not something I want to dream about again…” Alex muttered.

Sebastian muttered agreement as he sealed his helmet back on. “Let's get moving. I don't want to stay much longer in this whackjob of a forest.” He said.

The two Spartans nodded before the three of them began their trek again. A few miles into their journey, they heard the howls of the wolf like creatures Alex and Viktor had fought when they had woken up, but they then stopped when they heard a cry of pain from a few feet from them. “That… that sounded like someone in pain! There's humans in this world!” Viktor said, his voice sounding shocked.

“And they're getting attacked by those mutts….” Alex growled, pulling her sniper rifle out.

“Whoever it is, we’d better go stop those wolves from making them their meal.”Sebastian said. The three then ran towards where the cry of pain had come from, and halted at the edge of the clearing, where they saw a pack of 15 wolves surrounding a tree.For some reason, I'm getting deja vu, like this has happened to me before... Meh, I'll worry about it later... he thought.

“Alright, let's take them out.” The Astartes said. The three advanced, Sebastian and Viktor opening fire and taking three out. The pack spun around and a larger wolf snarled a challenge at them.

Viktor then spoke up, “You know, I’m really tired of encountering you mutts! As if getting attacked by a freaking Manticore was bad enough, we’ve had to tango with you hounds once already!” He then locked his assault rifle on his back and stretched out his hand. In seconds, he had the energy sword in his hand activated and ready. “And I'm gonna make sure you're on a one way trip to Hurt-ville!” Sebastian and Alex quickly raised their weapons and prepared to open fire

The Alpha then howled before the pack charged. I'm really getting tired of this forest… Viktor thought before he launched his own assault.

Arrival Arc, Chapter 3: Meeting the rest of the team

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“...And the rest you know.” Sebastian said as Twilight sat on her throne, her expression shocked.

“So you were sent here by an unknown being?” She asked, “One that posed as a merchant?”

Sebastian nodded, his eyes narrowing at the memory. “To be fair, we didn't even realize that he was selling stuff that would send us to an alternate universe. So he’s not exactly at fault.” He then chuckled. “It's as big a surprise to us as it is to you.”

Twilight then frowned as she remembered seeing Alex blasting Rainbow with the three arcane missiles. She looked at the three. “You said you three became soldiers from games your kind created?” Viktor nodded at this. She sighed. “The thing is… we need help in this war. Especially with defending Ponyville.”

“And you want us to help?!” Viktor asked in an incredulous tone. “We don't even know anything about where we are, let alone what exactly we’re fighting!”

A new voice entered the conversation. “From what I can tell, this “Flame Tail” has basically become a Tyrant bent on taking over this country.” Kyra said, appearing on Viktor’s shoulder.

Twilight looked at the AI in shock, her mouth hanging open in disbelief. “I think you broke her.” Viktor joked to the AI. He then looked at the Alicorn and said, “This is Kyra, my AI companion.”

“T….That’s the AI you were talking about?” Twilight stammered. Viktor nodded. The Alicorn then looked at Kyra with an interested look. “I’ve never seen anything like it!”

“I could say the same thing about you.” She said, her tone a bit miffed at being called an “it”.

Twilight flattened her ears in embarrassment. “Sorry.” Just then, the doors swung open and Rainbow flew in, the burned spots from where Alex’s magic missiles had hit her covered in bandages. She was out of her armor and gauntlets, so the three humans were able to see some sort of picture on her flank. Sebastian then realized that Twilight also had a picture on her flank, but it was completely different. While Rainbow had a cloud with a single multicolored lightning bolt, Twilight had a starburst with six more stars around it. Following the pegasus were four other mares, a yellow Pegasus with a bright pink mane and tail and green eyes, a orange pony with a blonde mane and tail, the mane put in a ponytail. She also had what looked to be an earth style Stenson hat and like the pegasus, she also had green eyes. Besides the two, there was a pink earth pony with a slightly darker pink mane and tail and a white unicorn with an indigo mane and tail. Their marks were three butterfly for the pegasus, three apples for the orange Earth Pony, three diamonds for the unicorn and three balloons for the pink earth pony.

The four were talking amongst themselves as they entered the room, before the orange pony noticed Twilight and the three strangers with her and Spike.

“Whut in tarnation are these critters?” She asked in a southern accent, “And why are they here with Twi?”

The Pegasus eeped and hid behind the unicorn, who charged up her horn in preparation to attack. “Oh son of a…” Viktor swore.

“Rarity, stop!” Twilight shouted. Taken aback, the unicorn cut off the energy surrounding her horn and looked at the Alicorn.

“But these brutes looked like they were about to attack you!” She said in a Atlantic accent.

“These “brutes” have names you know!” Alex snapped, her eyes flashing angrily behind her helmet.

The four mares looked at her in shock. Feeling the atmosphere getting tense, Twilight hurriedly said, “Girls, these three are Sebastian, Viktor and Alexandra. They just recently arrived to Equestria.”

“It's… nice to meet you four.” Viktor said, his voice sounding awkward.

The four mares nodded hesitantly. As Viktor turned to Twilight, he was confronted by a wall of pink with two blue eyes looking at him. “What in the…?!” The SPARTAN yelped, leaping backwards in shock.

“Hi, I’m Pinkie Pie and I’ve never seen you before which means you're new which means I can throw a “Welcome to Equestria” party!” The mare said, bouncing up and down before noticing the weapons aimed at her as Sebastian and Alex had drawn their weapons on instinct at her sudden appearance. She then froze in mid-air and stared at the two before zipping to where she had been originally, causing the two to be flabbergasted.

“What in Dorn's name?! That… that shouldn't have been possible!” Sebastian said.

“That's Pinkie for you.” Twilight said with a chuckle. “Just… don't try and figure out how she does what she does. I tried it once…” She shuddered at the memory. “You’ve already met Rainbow Dash, and these three are Rarity, Applejack and Fluttershy.” She continued.

“If I may ask, what exactly are you?” Rarity asked. “I’ve never seen your kind before.”

“We’re called Humans.” Sebastian said. “We’re basically a hairless creature except for the top of our head. But we're not exactly from Equestria, we were sent here.”

“Hue-man?” This time Rainbow spoke up. “That's a weird name for a creature.”

“Says the flying horse called Rainbow Dash.” Viktor snarked only to dodge as said Pegasus sped right past him. She turned around, a look of anger on her face.

“Say that to my face Tin Man!” She shouted. She made to charge again, only to be grabbed in a magical grasp.

“Rainbow, calm down.” Twilight said, while giving the SPARTAN a stern look. “We’re called ponies.” She continued. “So please don't call us horses.”

“Yes ma'am.” He said. He then heard hooves clopping on the floor but they sounded smaller. Turning his head, Viktor was shocked to see a black Alicorn filly in her teens trot in, the most surprising part were her eye, they were blue with reptilian like pupils.

“Mom? Why is Rainbow yelling…?” She trailed off as she saw the three armored figures in the room. “Who… Who are they?” She asked, her voice starting to shake.

Twilight's eyes softened. “Nyx, they're new arrivals to Equestria.” She said gently to her. The Alicorn then turned to the three humans. “This is my daughter, Nyx.” She said, nudging the filly forward.

Alex took off her helmet, letting her long black hair flow onto her shoulders, and knelt down to Nyx. “It's very nice to meet you Nyx. My name is Alexandra, but you can call me Alex. and this is my brother Viktor and his friend Sebastian.” She said, giving a small smile to the filly.

Nyx also gave a smile, Albeit a shy one. “Nice to meet you too Miss Alex.”

Alex chuckled. “Please, just call me Alex.”

“If Ah may ask, why are you three here in Equestria?” Applejack asked.

“We… were sent here after we bought these at a con.” Sebastian said, the three bringing out their weapons and putting them on the table. Everyone's eyes were riveted to the three guns and the sword. “As for why… we don't know.”

Applejack opened her mouth only for a shudder to go through the castle. Twilight looked up in shock. “An attack?! But how?”

“Twi! We have enemy soldiers advancing on Ponyville!” Spike yelled, “ I sent a message to the Princesses alerting them of what's going on!”

“The Civilians… We need to make sure nopony gets hurt!” Twilight said before she started to run to a separate room. “Girls, get in your armor, we need to stop them from getting to Ponyville!”

“Ma’am, we’ll hold them off until you are ready.” Sebastian said.

“And just how are you gonna stop an army? You barely even fought me back in the Everfree!” Rainbow asked.

Viktor chuckled. “Rainbow, we are an army.” He said, before picking his assault rifle and walking to the door. Both Sebastian and Alex followed, their weapons at the ready.

The three quickly ran outside to see a town in chaos. Ponies were scrambling to reach a safe place as shells smashed down. “Nuts… Guys, let's try and help the civvies and if you see any enemy soldiers, take them out.” Viktor ordered, getting an affirmative nod from the other two. But as they advanced, a hail of bullets and energy blasts smacked into them. Ahead of them were ten Ponies, five Pegasi and five unicorns. The Pegasi were armed with the gauntlets and rifle that Rainbow had shot at the three, but the rifles that the unicorns had looked like the las-guns from Warhammer 40,000 and were held in their magic. All were in infantry style armor, colored red with yellow lightning bolts across them. One of the unicorns then stepped forward and spoke to them, his voice haughty.

“And what are you supposed to be? The Princesses’ pets?” He mocked.

“You have two choices, either back off and run back to your boss or get pounded into the ground.” Viktor growled, mag-locking his assault rifle on his back before a massive hammer appeared in his hands, the head crackling with energy. “You made a big mistake by attacking civvies with no warning. So what's it gonna be?”

The unicorn looked surprised that Viktor could speak for a moment before returning to his grin. “So you can talk, nice trick, let me teach you how to play dead.” he mocked again, aiming his gun at them.

“Pounding it is then..” the Spartan chuckled before the thrusters in his suit activated and he ran forward at high speed, catching the soldiers by surprise. “It's hammer time!” He shouted before swinging his weapon. When it hit, a shockwave erupted from it, sending three of the unicorns flying. “Kyra, activate music file number 61, codeword Blow Me Away.” He said to the AI.

“You’ve got it.” She said before music began to play inside his helmet. He then turned to the remaining soldiers, who looked shellshocked.

“And I thought you were supposed to be tough…” he taunted in the mocking tone the leader of the squad had used. “Guess I was wrong.” He then stepped forward menacingly. “Now unless you want to get sent flying like your three mates did, you will back down and surrender!”

The leader however had managed to recover from the hammer blow and glared at the SPARTAN. With a snarl, he raised his weapon and fired, only for it to bounce off the Human's armor. A single bang rang out before the unicorn was obliterated in an instant by a mass reactive shell. Viktor looked over to see the muzzle of Sebastian's Bolter smoking as he lowered it.

“Drop your weapons…. NOW!” The Astartes roared. Shaken, the soldiers dropped their weapons. “Alex, bind them.” He said to the female SPARTAN, who nodded before her right hand glowed and the soldiers found themselves in manacles of energy.

Another hail of gunfire smacked into them, causing them to turn and see a ten man squad of earth ponies charging towards them. Sebastian rolled his eyes before he let rip with his Bolter, the mass reactive shells easily punching through their armor. Within seconds, the squad was no more.

“What… what in Tartarus are you?!” One of the Pegasi asked, her voice shaking.

“I… am an angel of death. And I shall know no fear.” Sebastian growled as he spotted more enemy troops advancing.

Twilight and the rest of her friends soon arrived after two hours, their weapons ready. Twilight was armed with a double barreled version of the guns that the unicorns had while Applejack had a heavier version of the autoguns the Pegasi were equipped with. Both Rarity and Rainbow were equipped with the same weapons as the soldiers while Fluttershy was armed with a scoped energy rifle. Pinkie was armed with what looked like a grenade launcher.

The six mares stopped and looked in amazement and shock at the scene before them. The three humans had managed to stave off any more enemy troops from advancing while also holding prisoners. Bodies littered the streets, but the three hadn't gotten through the fighting unscathed. Sebastian winced as his now enhanced healing ability repaired three bullet wounds in his arm while Viktor sat on the ground, his leg being healed by Alex. All three had their helmets off and the mares could see their tired faces.

Rainbow was the first to break the silence. “Okay… I take back what I said to them, they are definitely 20% cooler.”

Sebastian chuckled. “Wasn't easy. But at least they didn't have tanks…”

Twilight winced. She had seen footage of a single “Atlas” Tank leveling whole squads with its armament. The whine of an engine was suddenly heard as a “Phoenix” class shuttle landed nearby. The hatch opened with a hiss and two Earth Ponies in more ornate armor armed with heavy autoguns exited, followed by two Alicorns in heavy battle armor that blocked their marks from view. One was white and had a flowing rainbow mane and tail that flapped in a nonexistent breeze. The other was dark blue, with a lighter colored mane and tail that like the other Alicorn, flapped in a nonexistent breeze. As they approached, the six mares bowed. Sebastian and Alex however drew readied their weapons and stood in front of Viktor, causing the guards to aim their weapons at them.

The two Alicorns looked at the three armored figures in shock. “Who are you three?” the white one asked, her eyes narrowing

“Warriors from a different world.” Sebastian said. “And who are you if I may ask?”

One of the guards spoke up. “Is that how you address the Princesses?” He snapped.

Oh crap… the Astartes thought, gulping as he felt the glares of the two on him.I have a feeling we may have ticked them off...

Arrival Arc, Chapter 4: Displaced

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The two Alicorns took a single step forward. “Are you allies of Flame Tail? Or are you mercenaries hired by his soldiers?” The blue one asked, her horn glowing as a massive gun was upholstered from her back and brought to bear on them, the single barrel aimed at Sebastian. Sensing that things were about to get out of hand, Twilight spoke up.

“Princess, they helped us fight off the enemy! They're not allied with them!” She said.

The white Alicorn looked at her before she spoke to the three armored figures. “Is this true?” She asked.

“Yes, we held off three waves of enemy soldiers while holding a squad prisoner.” Sebastian said, jerking his head towards the now terrified squad of soldiers.

With a nod of her head, the two guards walked towards the remaining members of the enemy squad and escorted them to a nearby transport.

“I am Celestia, and this is my sister Luna. May we ask who you three are?” The white Alicorn asked.

“The name’s Sebastian, or Sasha for short.” The Astartes said, “and this is Viktor and Alexandra.” He continued, pointing to the other two.

“Tis very nice to meet you. But how exactly did you arrive here?” The smaller blue Alicorn, Luna asked.

“We were sent here. But from a different universe.” Viktor said as he began to stand up, only to wince as he put pressure on where a lucky shot from a enemy energy rifle had managed to get through his shields during the fighting earlier and wounded him. The wound was mostly healed thanks to Alex, but it wasn't fully healed. “We encountered a being called the Merchant that sold us replica weapons, but he somehow sent us to here…”

Celestia frowned. “This is interesting… But why would this “Merchant” send you here?”

“We… don't know.” This time it was Alex that answered. “That's the thing we’re trying to figure out ourselves.”

Rainbow then opened her mouth to say something when she noticed a disturbance near the shuttle. “Um, Twi? What is that?” She asked, pointing one claw at it. Twilight turned her head and gasped.

“Princess! Behind you!” She shouted. Celestia spun around to see a vortex open near her shuttle. The three humans also looked on in shock as the vortex opened up.

Out of the vortex came a humanoid machine with rust all over it, it’s eyes glowing red, some type of gun was mag locked to it’s back.

“Who the hell are you?!” Sebastian said, his weapon raised.

Its head snapped to him. “Answer: HK-47. Query: Who are you?” it said in a mechanical male voice.

“Sebastian.” The Astartes replied. Celestia then spoke up. “Are you a friend, or an ally of Flame Tail?”

“Answer: I do not have any idea who Flame Tail is. Query: Are you new Displaced? Statement: You seem like it.”

“Dis-what?” Alex asked. “Speak English! What the heck is a Displaced?”

The machine seemed to groan. “Rhetorical query: Why do I always find the new ones…?” HK asked himself. “Answer: A Displaced is a human or other creature that have been sent to Equestria as something they cosplay as by a Displacer, such as the Merchant.”

“That’s the bugger that sold us our weapons!” Viktor snapped before he grunted in pain. “AH! Fracking leg wound….”

“Vik, don't move.” Alex said, looking back at him. She then looked at HK-47. “Where are you from?” She asked the robot.

“Answer: I am from another Equestria, one corrupted by Mafias.” HK answered.

Rainbow snorted, the noise muffled by the rebreather on her face. “Please, another Equestria? That’s a load of rubbish!” She pointed a claw on her gauntlet at the robot, “How do we know you're not some new prototype sent to attack us?”

“Query: If I were, then why am I simply talking with you? Statement: If I wished it you would already be dead.” HK replied, his voice somehow growing deeper and less mechanical.

Unnerved, Rainbow backed away, but Twilight then spoke up. “If you are from a different Equestria, why are you here?” She asked.

“Answer: Simple, I am a business droid, I jump from planet to planet to find those who need or want my help… for the right price of course.”

“So basically you're a con.” Sebastian growled. “But how exactly do you get around if you don't have the abilities you have right now?”

“Explanation: Each Displaced has their own way of getting around, I use my ship, the Ebon Hawk, to Hyperjump around and then beam down to the planet via portal. However most Displaced just use what is known as Tokens, Tokens allow Displaced to be called by other Displaced which will drag the first one to the one who got the Token.” HK pulled a small disk off of his hip. “For example, this is my Token, a Holopad with a message I’ve recorded onto it.”

“How does one make a token?” Luna spoke up, her voice interested.

“Answer: Only a Displaced can make one, but basically they grab an item that they want to represent them then they tell the item whatever message they want to introduce them then toss it into the air and the Void will split it into billions of copies and transport them to any Displaced it wants to. At least that’s how I did it.”

“Hmm…” Sebastian then looked at the two Spartans who nodded. But as he turned to HK-47, he saw an energy bolt streak towards Celestia. “Celestia, LOOK OUT!”

The white Alicorn quickly summoned a shield but was too late to block the shot, which struck her on the wing. “AHH!” She cried out, falling to the ground as Luna summoned a shield around them.

“Damn it, we’ve got a sniper!” The Astartes said as another shot bounced off Luna's shield. “Twilight, you and the others take defensive positions! Alex, try and take whoever's sniping out!”

“Statement: Allow me to help deal with this, free of charge.” HK said as he whipped around drew his gun and fired a single shot at where the bolt came from.

A single unicorn fell from a first story window, a single hole in his head. As if this was a signal, a squad of both Unicorns and Earth Ponies charged out, their weapons discharging. “Death to the false rulers of Equestria!” One of the soldiers yelled only to get shredded by a hail of bullets from Viktor.

“Sorry, couldn't hear you over the sound of you dying!” He snarked, the barrel of his gun smoking. Both Luna and the six mares were returning fire, but their shots weren't having any effect, the soldiers kept ducking into cover as the mares opened fire on them.

Sebastian quickly summoned a frag grenade and tossed it, seconds later, the blast took out five enemy soldiers. Luna managed to bring down another soldier, but Twilight and her friends suffered a casualty when a bullet struck Rainbow in the leg, but she was quickly healed by Twilight. “HK, can you cover Alex while she finishes healing Viktor?” The Astartes yelled as he took out a unicorn with his Bolter.

HK turned from shooting the ponies. “Answer: As you say.” he said before going over to where Alex and Viktor were and started shooting the hostiles that could see the two.

Sebastian quickly charged forward, a power sword materializing in his hand. Still can't believe I'm able to do this…. He thought.

“Sasha! What are you doing?!” Twilight yelled.

“Giving you guys time to evac the Princesses!” He replied as he lashed out with his blade and sliced a Earth Pony in half, guts spilling out.

“Rarity, Applejack, help Luna get Celestia to the shuttle.” Twilight ordered. The two mares nodded before Rarity put up a shield and the two ran to where Luna and Celestia were.

Meanwhile, Sebastian had hunkered by a building, having drawn most of the fire from the remaining soldiers.Bullets and energy blasts smacked into the wall in front of him as the ponies poured fire on it. Right… let’s see just how far I can take this “summoning” weapons thing… He thought before he felt his backpack change and a massive gun appeared in his hands, an energy coil mounted on top of it and wires connected it to the now changed backpack. “Oh… yeah….” He chuckled before he walked out from his spot and charged up his weapon. The ponies and the remaining Displaced except for HK-47 watched in shock as a massive ball of energy shot out of the weapon and annihilated the remaining soldiers, the blast turning them to ash.

“What in Faust's name…. was that?!” Twilight asked, the other mares sharing her shocked look.

“If I remember correctly… that was a plasma blast.” Viktor said, a tone of disbelief in his voice.

“Plasma technology!? That's decades ahead of us!” The lavender Alicorn said. “We’re still in the electrical stage!”

“Seriously?” Alex asked in disbelief. Twilight nodded before the group heard the whine of the shuttle’s engines. They turned to see it lift off and fly to Canterlot, Rarity and Applejack standing where it had been.

HK walked over to the corpse of one of the hostiles. “Query: How long has this war been going on?” he asked, examining the corpse.

“Just a few years now. It started a few weeks after Tirek had been defeated, Princess Celestia had gotten word that a pony named Flame Tail had taken over Stalliongrad and had persuaded other city leaders to secede from Equestria. But then…. He declared war on the Princesses, claiming that he was the rightful ruler of Equestria and the Princesses were false rulers.” Twilight said, shivering. “Since then, he’s been leading a massive assault on the other cities that refused to follow him, and he won't stop until he takes Canterlot.”

Sebastian walked back to the others, the massive gun still in his hands. “How many battles have Flame Tail's forces won?” He asked.

Twilight's ears flattened. “Fourty-two. We’ve managed to only win thirty-five battles.” She admitted.

HK looked up from the corpse. “Statement: I might be able to help a little bit.” he started. “Explanation: As I’ve said I am a business droid, I own the Hunter Killer Productions, a business that makes and sells HK-50 Assassin droids, HK-51 Protocol droids, and T3 Utility droids. I would be willing to make a deal.”

“What exactly do you require?” Viktor asked, a note of distrust in his voice.

“Answer: Bits and information. How about I sell you five HK-50 droids, one HK-51 Protocol droid, and one T3 Utility droid for fifty bits every month?” HK proposed.

“Hmmm…” Twilight gave the droid a indiscernible look. “I’ll need to talk to the Princesses about this, but if they agree, then we have a deal.” She said finally.

“Afterthought: I should probably add that they won’t have any personality whatsoever, they will know how to take orders just fine though. And this is a big discount as well, the normal price for just one HK-50 droid ranges around three thousand bits, and that’s just for the basic droid.” HK added.

Twilight paused, as if she was listening to something. “I just got a message from Luna, Both she and Celestia will make the deal. They’ll send the bits to you after the droids are delivered.” She said.

“How many Displaced… are there?” Alex asked. “Because… I think I saw some in a nightmare I had…. Someone in Astartes armor like Sasha's, but… corrupted… with a cybernetic Pegasus. Along with Amy Rose and a Spider-Man with a sword…”

“Answer: There are billions of Displaced in the Multiverse. And the droids will be here in a second.” HK said as the droids in question appeared behind him, six of them looking like HK-47 except they were chrome and a small droid with it’s head looking like a disk and two legs on it’s top half.

In a flash of light, a bag containing 50 bits appeared at the droid’s feet.

“Statement: Thank you.” HK said as he picked the bag up.

Twilight nodded before she looked at the other three “Displaced”. “Now you see why we need help. Flame Tail… won't stop until he has control of Equestria. And as you’ve seen, he doesn't care if civilians are caught in the crossfire.” She said, pointing at the wounded ponies, some sobbing as they saw a dead friend or family member.

Sebastian sighed. “I honestly don't think we’d be able to get back to Earth. So we may as well help here.” He then looked at HK. “You said a token could be something that represents us, right?”

“Answer: Indeed I did, find an item to represent you then give it a message.”

The Astartes nodded before the two Spartans walked over to him. Viktor chose an Energy sword while Alex created a copy of her blade, as for Sebastian, he chose the power sword he had used earlier. The three then crossed their weapons and spoke: “This is Sebastian of the Dark Angels, and Spartans Viktor and Alexandra of the UNSC. For those out there, if you are outnumbered and need help, or if your world and its inhabitants are in danger or you just want to hang out, call upon the protectors of Humanity’s future, from both the 41st Millennium and the 23rd century. Ave Imperator! For the Emperor and the UNSC! For Equestria!”

Alex’s hand then glowed before a small portal opened above them. In one motion, the three tossed their blades into it where it then closed with a pop.

Alex then turned to the droid. “Thanks for the help. I don't think we could have survived another wave.” she said. She then turned to the assassin droids. “Your orders are to patrol the town and make sure no enemy soldiers get in, if you see a larger force, alert the Princesses. Understood?” she ordered.

“Answer: We will do as you ask.” one of them responded, sounding exactly like HK-47, before the five with guns on their backs started walking to the edge of town and patrolling. One of them and the little droid stayed behind though.

“HK-47, as a princess of Equestria, I would officially like to thank you for helping us.” Twilight said, bowing her head. “You have done us a great service.”

“We’d also like to thank you.” Viktor said. “If you hadn't arrived… this war would have been over faster for these ponies. Not even the three of us are invincible.”

“Request: Please don't thank me for this.” HK asked as he started fiddling with the Holopad. “Statement: I might be able to help one last time… for a bit of information.”

“Whut exactly… do ya need to know?” Applejack asked warily.

“Answer: Something Sebastian might know, how to mine Adamantium and where it’s most commonly found.”

Sebastian frowned. “I'm afraid I can't really help you there, the lore never really told where the Imperium mined their Adamantium. So I don't know where it’s found or how to mine it.” He said.

HK-47 groaned. “Rhetorical query: Why is the Multiverse trying to hid things like Adamantium from me…” He asked himself, before the Holopad started beeping. “Statement: One moment.” HK said before pressing a button on it and holding it in front of himself.

A blue sphere with a blackish color appeared over the pad. “47?” a deep foreboding voice spoke from the pad.

“Query: What do you want Psi Splitter? Statement: I’m in the middle of making a business deal with three new Displaced.” HK replied.

“Psi Splitter? Why does that name sound familiar…” Sebastian muttered to himself. “Meh, probably nothing….”

The sphere, now named Psi Splitter, had heard him and seemed to turn around. “No… a Dark Angel and two Spartans… you’re the ones Kronoculus told me about.” he turned to HK-47. “I’m afraid I must speak with you later, I must speak with these three first.”

“Statement: You always do this when Kronoculus tells you something…” HK said before holding the pad out closer to the Displaced.

“How… how did you know about us? We have no idea who the hell you are!” Alex said, pointing with her gauntlet at Psi Splitter. “We don't even know what is going on!”

“I know… but a friend of mine, Kronoculus, is capable of time travel, they told me about you three and some of the hardships you’ll go through…” Psi Splitter answered.

“If you ask me, this is just crazy!” Viktor said, “I know we're new to this whole “Displaced” thing, but time travel? That's not even possible!”

“”Vik, we pretty much left impossible behind when we arrived here.” Sebastian said. He then turned to Psi. “It does beg the question though, what exactly is going on here?”

“I’ve been told to tell you three to prepare for three wars, the Equestrian Black Crusade, the War of Shadows, and the War of the Chosen. I’ve also been told to tell you to be wary of the names Warriors of Chaos, Time Spinner, Darth Folteren, Lee Connors, and Ahriman.”

Sebastian frowned. “Three more wars? As if we haven't gotten enough on our plate with this war we got involved in…”

Psi seemed to be thinking for a second. “HK-47.” he began as he turned to face said droid. “In exchange for one hundred HK-77 Assassin droids to be given to these Displaced, I will pay one million Credits and give you five hundred tons of Adamantium.” Psi said as a small chip appeared in HK’s right hand and a small cube of Adamantium appeared behind him.

“Statement: Psi Splitter-” HK began just as the Holopad turned off.

Twilight had a confused look on her face, and she wasn't the only one. “Equestrian Black Crusade? Warriors of Chaos? Who or what the buck are they?” Rainbow asked.

“I don't know… but they sound like bad news…” Viktor said.

“Statement: I’ve heard the name Warriors of Chaos from some of the Bounty Contractors, they are a group of Chaos Champions named Ahriman, Zhufor, and Khârn. I don’t know what the Equestrian Black Crusade Is though.” HK said.

“We’ll be on the lookout of them. But hopefully, this business won't happen until after we take Flame Tail out…” Sebastian said. He suddenly got the feeling he and the others were being watched, but when he scanned the area, he didn't see anything.

“Statement: That will be much easier with the order Psi just made, HK-77 Assassin droids are my best droids, they have my Assassination Protocols and have no Self Preservation programming like the other HK units… And Psi had paid three times the normal price.”

Sebastian then looked at the droid. “We appreciate your help, and with these reinforcements… this war will be over in just a few weeks.” He then chuckled. “It's funny really, I never planned on being a soldier, yet now I'm risking my life to stop a tyrant from taking a country.”

“Resuscitation: I remember when I was first Displaced… ran into something that gave me this rust that is slowly eating me away… I had to become a Bounty Hunter to get the money to pay for medication for it…” HK said as he slumped down.

“We’ll let you know when we need those reinforcements.” Alex said, taking her helmet off and letting her hair whip in the wind. “But for now… we need to focus on protecting this town from any more attacks. And maybe find a way to have a normal life here.”

“Statement: I sadly must be off, I’ll send six HK-77’s as bodyguards for you, Twilight, and the other two princesses for free.” HK said as he picked up the cube and walked back to where he first came from, said droids appearing near the group.

“Godspeed HK. May the Emperor protect you.” Sebastian said.

HK stopped and turned around. “Statement: And may the Force be with you all.” he said as he disappeared in a flash of light, the Holopad left in his place.

Sebastian turned to Twilight. “Let's head back to the castle. I need to wrap my head around what just happened…” He then looked at the droids. “Four of you will be teleported to Canterlot where you will be guarding Celestia and Luna, the rulers of this land. Make sure nothing hurts them or I will make sure that you're scrap metal for failing to protect them. Understood?” He said.

Four of them saluted him. “Answer: In the name of the Princesses, we shall not falter!” the four answered in unison.

Twilight's horn glowed before the four droids vanished in a flash of lavender light. Alex meanwhile had grabbed the Holopad and stashed it in a hidden slot on her armor.

“C’mon Twi, let head back.” The Astartes said before the two remaining droids and the group headed towards the castle. Whatever happens in the future… we will fight for Equestria...

Meanwhile, hidden in a building, a shimmer went through a shaft of sunlight before a figure in strange looking red and black armor appeared from thin air. “Better keep an eye on this…. But Flame Tail will pay for killing Civilians…” it muttered before it then vanished again and walked towards the Everfree.

Arrival Arc, Final Chapter: This is only the beginning....

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Ugh… where the hell am I? Viktor thought as he woke up. Looking around, he saw that he was on a single mattress in an unknown room. Memories of what had happened the day before suddenly went through his mind. He looked down at himself only to find that he was now in the clothes he had been wearing under his armor, a grey T-shirt with the Halo logo over it, two arm sleeves and a pair of jeans . Wha?! Where's my armor!? As if he had summoned it, his Spartan armor appeared on him in a flash. Okay, this is getting weird! The sound of footsteps were then heard from outside the room before there was a tap at the door.

“Vik? You up?” Alex's voice called from outside the door.

“Y...Yeah.” He said, still in shock over what happened as his armor changed back to his clothes. He also noticed that he also had his old sneakers on.

The door opened and Alex walked in. Like Viktor, she was wearing a T-shirt, this one green, with arm sleeves, and jeans. He looked at Alex’s right arm and sighed, remembering the accident that ended up with her real arm getting amputated and replaced with the prosthetic arm she asked to be designed as Ivy’s right arm armor.

“You okay?” She asked, her eyes worried.

“Yeah, just got surprised by seeing myself in my clothes instead of my armor.” He said.

“You don't remember Twi using a spell that allowed you to hide your armor so that you didn't have to wear it all the time?”

“Heh, guess not.” He chuckled. “Was there a reason you came to wake me up?”

“Twi has breakfast ready. Pancakes.”

Viktor chuckled before he walked over to his sister and put a hand on her shoulder. “It's weird… we buy those weapons and now we're part of a multiverse…”

Alex put her right hand on his arm, the servos softly whirring. “We don't know what exactly we’re dealing with, what if these ponies turn on us?”

“If that happens… we have the weapons to take them out. But I don't think they will, I saw Twilight's eyes when she was talking to us. She was clearly desperate for any kind of help, and you heard her admit that they're losing this war. If she was planning to back stab us, she would have done it after what happened yesterday.” His blue eyes met her green eyes. “C’mon, let's go get some pancakes.” The two headed out of the room and soon found the others digging in at the throne room. Twilight looked up as the two walked in, her face then looking confused at Alex's arm still being armored.

“Alex, why’s your arm still in its armor?” She asked, “Isn't it part of your suit?”

Alex stiffened and looked away, her eyes starting to tear up.

“It's… not something she likes remembering.” Viktor said. “Back on Earth, she and my mom were driving back from the store when an drunk smashed his car into the one they were driving. Thankfully both of them survived, but... Alex's arm was crushed, it couldn't be saved so they had to amputate it. Thankfully, there was a company that made custom prosthetic arms, and since my sister was a big fan of a game called Soul Caliber, they made an arm based after one of the characters.”

At that moment, Sebastian walked in, nodding at the two HK droids standing guard as he passed them.. Both Viktor and the mares looked at him in shock. Back on Earth, he was more wiry than buff, but now he looked like a powerhouse. He wore a black T-shirt with the Warhammer 40,000 logo on the front, like the others, he also had arm sleeves, but instead of jeans, he had khaki pants on. His short dark brown hair was mussed up from tossing and turning on the bed. His brown eyes, once nearsighted, noticed Alex trying hard not to cry and he frowned. “Is everything okay?” The human turned Astartes asked.

“Yeah, was just explaining about what happened to Alex's arm…” Viktor said. Sebastian sighed, remembering when he had gotten the call from Viktor about what had happened.

Twilight, Spike, Nyx and the five mares looked at Alex, sympathy in their eyes. “I'm so sorry you had to go through that…” Twilight said. She shifted her wings, and they heard a small whirring. “I know what it's like to lose something…”

The three humans looked at her in surprise. “I… I lost my wings during a firefight in Manehatten. A shockwave from a tank blast sent me crashing onto my back and… as I was getting back up, my wings were starting to fold up but before they could fold up completely, two enemy soldiers shot them. They crippled my wings and I ended up… getting them amputated and replaced with mechanical versions.” Her voice shook at the memory, tears filling her eyes.

The five other mares looked at Twilight in shock. None of them had known of what had happened in Manehatten, only that Twilight had been wounded in combat.

Manehatten? Geez, this place has freaking pun names of cities on Earth! Sebastian thought.

Alex looked at Twilight, her own eyes filled with tears. “Seems we both went through the same thing…” Nyx ran over to Alex and gave her a quick hug.

Surprised, Alex then returned the hug, blinking back her tears. She then looked up at Twilight. “Are there anymore pancakes? I'm starving.” She said with a chuckle, causing the others to also chuckle and relax. “And thanks Nyx, I needed that…”

“Three plates of pancakes cooooooming up!” Pinkie said before she zipped off.

“Oy… sometimes I wonder just how she's able to bloody do that…” Viktor muttered.

“Trust me, you don't want to know…” Twilight said, rubbing her temples. Pinkie soon re-appeared with three plates heaped with pancakes.

The three thanked Pinkie before Twilight asked, “So what exactly are humans like?”

Sebastian winced. “They're not like the ponies here, our people are war like. From what I can remember, we’ve had too many wars to count. But for every sin humanity has done, there are others that have done great good. In April of 2011, a massive earthquake hit an island nation and created a massive wave called a tsunami that did even more damage. People from all over the world stopped everything to help that nation recover. But… the good deeds of many are overshadowed by the terrible things we’ve done to each other.”

Twilight frowned before she then asked, “What do human eat?”

“We’re an omnivorous species, so we can eat fruit, grains, vegetables, dairy and… meat.” He admitted, feeling embarrassed.

The ponies looked at him in shock. “Y’all eat… meat?!” Applejack asked, sounding queasy.

“Yes, but not ponies, mostly pigs, cows, fish and chickens.” Viktor said, looking from his pancakes. “But there are those that don't eat meat. And honestly, the three of us rarely eat meat, so you don't have to worry about us.” The ponies relaxed at that.

Rarity then spoke up. “I’ve never seen armor like what you were wearing before, what exactly is it?”

“These two wear the Gen2 MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor, or Spartan armor. It has personal energy shields and allows the Spartan inside to react faster and hit harder. The armor that I wear is known as power armor, a more advanced version of the Spartan armor, but with no shields. It's made of both Adamantium and an alloy called Plasteel and covered in a ceramic compound called Ceramite.” Sebastian explained.

“Hmm… Our armor is magically enhanced to repel most enemy shots. But sometimes we do install a shield generator in our armor for added protection.” Twilight spoke up.

“That is interesting. But now I have a question for you, what's Nyx's story?” Sebastian asked, nodding towards the filly.

“It's a long story…” She said before she launched into the story of how Nyx came to be.

(Read “Past Sins” and the related stories by Pen Stroke for full story.)

After Twilight had finished, the three had shocked looks that turned into sympathetic ones as they looked at Nyx.

“So Nyx is basically an old foe turned daughter?” Viktor asked.

Twilight nodded while Nyx flattened her ears in embarrassment.

Pinkie then remembered something. “I’ve gotta get something ready! I’ll see you later!” She said before she sped out, leaving a dust cloud shaped like her behind before it dissipated.

Alex blinked before she said, “The heck is this, a cartoon? That isn't even possible!”

“It's just Pinkie being Pinkie.” Rainbow said with a chuckle. “Speaking of which, I need to go do weather duty. See you guys later!” She said before she zipped out of the Castle.

“Weather duties? Does she predict the weather or something?” Viktor asked.

“She moves clouds around to where they're needed.” Twilight replied only to look confused at the disbelieving stares she got. “What?”

“You're kidding, right? That's not possible, clouds can't be moved by physical contact!” Viktor said. “They're only moved by the wind!”

Twilight's eyebrows furrowed. “Didn't your weather have anyone to control it?” She asked.

The three humans shook their heads. “No, if there was one thing we learned back on Earth, it’s never mess with Mother Nature.” Alex said.

Twilight nodded in understanding. “Applejack, mind giving these three a tour of Ponyville? I need to talk to Mayor Mare later.” She asked the southern mare.

“Can do Twi.” Applejack replied. “C’mon Y'all, let me show yah the town.”

The three nodded before their armor re-appeared on them and they and the two other mares followed Applejack out the door.

Twilight then turned to Nyx. “Let's get this place ready, Pinkie's gonna be back to set the party up.” She said as her daughter giggled.

Sweet Apple Acres

“Geez, talk about a big orchard!” Sebastian said as the three walked through the farm Applejack called home. The tour had gone smoothly so far, the three meeting the various residents of the town, including a stallion that reminded them of an actor back on Earth, but the strange thing was that he had looked at them in shock before he went up to meet them, as if he had seen them before. Both Rarity and Fluttershy had shown them their homes and now Applejack was showing them where she lived

“Eeyup!” Applejack said. “ Family owned since the creation of Ponyville!”

Viktor chuckled before Kyra spoke up. “I'm picking an unknown signature… but I can't pinpoint its location...”

“Hmm… Try and find out what it is.” He said before he looked at Applejack. “Just how big is this orchard?” He asked.

“250,000 square acres.” She said proudly.

“Dang…” Before he could say anything else, he suddenly felt an impact that knocked him down. Hearing the other two grunt, he guess they had also gotten knocked over by something also.

“Awww, still no cutie mark…” a rough female voice suddenly spoke up from above him.

“ Guess the Cutie Mark Crusaders Monster Catchers was a bust…” a much younger voice said.

“What the hay are these things anyway? Ah never seen them before…” a third voice asked, her voice having the same accent as Applejack.

“Applebloom! What have I told you and your friends about jumping other ponies?” Applejack scolded.

The weight on Viktor’s back vanished and he stood up to see three fillies, slightly younger than Nyx, looking embarrassed. One was a white unicorn with a purple mane and tail with pink streaks running through them. Another was an earth pony with a red mane and tail with a bow on her head while the third was a orange Pegasus with an all purple mane and tail.

“Sasha, Viktor, Alex, meet mah sis Applebloom, and her friends Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo.” The country mare said with a chuckle.

“So you three were the ones that jumped us?” Viktor chuckled. “Didn't even catch you on the radar!”

The three nodded. “Nice to meet Y'all.” Applebloom said. “Sorry for jumping you, we were trying to get our cutie marks.”

Alex then asked in confusion, “Who are the Cutie Mark Crusaders?”

“Us! We’ve been trying to get our cutie marks for a while now.” Scootaloo said.

Just as Sebastian was about to ask them how long they had been trying, a screech was suddenly heard from the orchard.

The three fillies huddled together while the three humans stood back to back, weapons ready. A rustle of vegetation was then heard before a reptilian like creature leapt over the fence and roared. It had a chitin covered back and a mouth full of razor sharp teeth. Two powerful legs propelled it, while its four arms were tucked under it, each tipped with a claw, the front two bigger than the middle ones.

“Whut in Equestria is that?!” Applejack shouted in shock.

“TYRANID!” Sebastian yelled, firing his Bolter at the creature. It dodged the bullets and leapt at the Astartes, only to be impaled on a power sword that he had summoned.

Ten more of the creatures soon appeared, followed by a much larger creature, that stood upright and was equipped with massive claws and a strange weapon that was held in the middle arms.

“Oh son of a… Vik, you’d better have a heavy weapon!” Sebastian shouted, “because we have company!”

Viktor concentrated and in seconds, a massive gun was in his hands. He turned and pulled the trigger once. A massive BANG was heard as a supersonic shell smashed into the creature, causing the ponies to cover their ears. A massive hole opened up on the beast’s chest and it roared in pain. It then aimed its weapon and returned fire, an object that looked like a maggot flying towards them. Sebastian's eyes widened in fear. “Alex, I need you to put a shield up, NOW!”

“Sasha, I don't even know how!” Alex said. But as she said this, a red and black blur skidded to a halt and activated a Bubble shield just as the object hit and exploded on impact, the hiss of acid clearly heard as the slime from the projectile hit the ground.

The new arrival then turned and looked at the three. “You guys alright?” The stranger asked. The group nodded, still shocked over the figure's arrival. Like Viktor and Alexandra, the stranger was in Spartan armor, but it had red shoulder pads, red chest plate and red leg armor, the arms, boots and helmet were black. The helmet had a gold visor that looked a little bit like a squiggle.

“Who the hell are you?!” Viktor asked, “and how did you even get here?”

“My name's not important right now, just call me “Eliteslayer”.” The figure said. “I'm guessing this is your first time in Equestria?”

“Yeah…” Alex said.

“These guys won't be the only thing you’ll encounter here, every Displaced encounters at least one or two foes from the universes their characters came from. But they're just minor threats.” Eliteslayer explained before an energy sword appeared in his hand. “I’ll deal with the Warrior, you guys handle the Hormagaunts.” As he said this, the shield shut off and he then charged forward.

Sebastian quickly summoned an odd looking pistol that fired smaller shots of what had incinerated the soldiers the day before, taking at least two out. “Applejack, get the fillies out of here!” He ordered, “I don't want to risk you or these three hurt!”

“Forget it, I'm not leaving you three!” She said.

Alex meanwhile had managed to bring down five of the creatures, her sword in its whip form. As she swung, the blade cut a bloody swathe through them, but one Gaunt managed to get inside her guard and slashed at her only for the shields to take the hit. The impact managed to send her skidding and knock the wind out of her. Viktor quickly unleashed a barrage of bullets from his assault rifle, cutting the creature down before it could press its attack.

A screech from the Warrior caused Sebastian to turn and look in shock. Two other Spartans had joined Eliteslayer, but they shimmered as if they weren't solid. But the weapons they used were real enough. As one, the three stabbed the Warrior with their energy blades. It screeched one last time before it then toppled over, dead.

“Where did… where did those two pop up?” Viktor muttered. The two Spartans then vanished before Eliteslayer walked towards the group.

“You’d better head back to Twi’s castle. She may want to hear about this.” He said.

Sebastian nodded before he turned to the girls. “You okay?” He asked. The three nodded.
“Let's get back to the Castle then. Eliteslayer, you want to-” He then started to asked before he saw that the Spartan was gone. Just who is he? And how did he get here? Shaking his head, he let Applejack take the lead as they left the orchard and headed back for the castle.

In a tree nearby, the Spartan codenamed “Eliteslayer” watched them leave, his eyes narrowed. That Astartes looks familiar, but I don't remember seeing a Spartan with Ivy’s right arm… but what ever the reason, I need to keep an eye on those three… he then pulled out a pic that showed a Astartes next to an Orbital and an Ivy Valentine. Alex, Sasha… I will find you someday… he thought sadly before he jumped down and vanished.

Castle of Friendship, 1 hour later.

“Y’all saying your sister jumped after stepping on a bug?” Applejack chuckled as the group laughed at a story Sebastian had told them of a scare his dad had pulled on his sister as they walked through the halls to the throne room.

“Yeah, and she did what we humans call “the Scooby-Doo run” where basically she simultaneously jumps and starts running.” Sebastian said. He chuckled at the memory. He then halted at the ornate doors before noticing that they were ajar. “Weird…” he muttered before pushing them open. Applejack then held the door as the three humans entered the room, only to find it pitch black.

“Okay, I can't see anything…” Viktor said before a multitude of voices shouted “SURPRISE!”, causing the three to jump in shock as the lights came on.

The majority of Ponyville was gathered in the room, and on the rafter was a sign with the words: WELCOME TO EQUESTRIA AND THANKS FOR SAVING PONYVILLE!

“Bloody hell…” Viktor said. “That definitely was quite the surprise…”

Alex however looked at the banner then at Pinkie. “You… set this up for us?” She asked in shock.

“Yepperooni!” The pink mare replied. The three humans chuckled before Pinkie grabbed the three of them and gave them a massive hug.

Viktor then noticed a DJ stand nearby and walked over to it. A white unicorn mare with tinted sunglasses and a two toned blue mane and tail was manning it, and when she saw the Spartan, she jumped in shock.

“Whoa, didn't expect you to come over here dude!” She said, “What can I do to help?”

Viktor pulled out a flat object and showed it to the Unicorn. “Mind if I plug this in and play a few songs from it?” He asked.

“Go for it dude!” She said. Spotting the Auxiliary cords, he plugged in the device and selected something on it. A single song then began to play. Alex, recognizing this song walked up to where Viktor was and began to sing along to the song, Viktor providing the back up lyrics.

As the song ended, the ponies applauded, a few even whistled in appreciation. Alex bowed before she said, “Here’s another song you might like, and this is for those that stop at nothing to save this country. For when worlds collide, only one shall reign…” She then began the next song.

She then walked towards Twilight. “Thank you… for helping us.” She said. “You gave us a place to stay when we didn't know if there was anywhere to stay.”

Twilight chuckled. “I should be thanking you, you three saved me from those Timberwolves and the town from those soldiers.” She then looked towards Sebastian and Viktor, both of whom were roaring with laughter at a failed prank story that Rainbow had told them. “I wish most days were like this…”

“I have a feeling that may happen someday… but you never know…” Alex said. Twilight then nodded her head toward the others.

“Let's go join them, I want to hear some of your stories from back on Earth.” She said.

Alex smiled at the Alicorn, and the two headed towards where Nyx, Spike and the others were, both putting their worries aside and enjoying each other's company.

Displaced Arc, Chapter 1: Soldiers assemble!

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Ponyville, 1 day later

“Whew… Even for someone that's been turned into an augmented human, this is hard work!” Sebastian said as he dumped a bushel of apples into the wagon. He and the two Spartans had volunteered to help Applejack with harvesting this year's crop, and so far, had managed to get 100 trees done.

“You’re telling me!” Viktor said. Both he and Alex had paused in their work and were taking turns drinking from a flask filled with Apple juice. Just then, the three suddenly felt a tug before a portal like the one HK-47 had appeared from opened up beneath them.

“What in-?!” Sebastian yelped before the three fell through. The portal then vanished, leaving an open flask behind as the only indication the the three had been there.

[Mother Base]

[1000]

Snake sighed as he exited the chopper, for some reason he never felt completely comfortable when he was away from Mother Base. Of course, that feeling soon ended as he noticed something. He quickly motioned to a maintenance worker, “Why is there a sword stuck in the deck?”

“No clue,” he replied as they looked at the broadsword stuck halfway to its skull engraved cross-guard, “about 5 minutes ago, it just dropped out of the sky, along with these.” He gestured to the cart he was pushing, which had another sword and a strange device on it.

“So, why is it still there?”

“It’s stuck good, another of the boys has gone for a hoist, although if that doesn’t work we might have to use the cargo derrik.”

“Let me have a go,” Snake said as he walked up to it. He took a few breaths before grabbing it with his mechanical hand and pulled. After a bit of resistance, it slid right out, “Doesn’t seem so stuck to me.” However, just then, the other items on the cart rose in the air as the device sprouted a pair of plasma blades, before they shot towards the one in his hand and hovered beside it. Then, three voices emanated from them.

“This is Sebastian of the Dark Angels, and Spartans Viktor and Alexandra of the UNSC. For those out there, if you are outnumbered and need help, or if your world and its inhabitants are in danger or you just want to hang out, call upon the protectors of Humanity’s future, from both the 41st Millennium and the 23rd century. Ave Imperator! For the Emperor and the UNSC! For Equestria!”

Snake frowned as he released the one he was holding, “What the hell is this?”

The blades then clattered to the floor before a portal opened up and spat out three heavily armored figures. All three landed on the pavement in a heap and groaned. The portal then closed with a pop. Then one of the figures spoke up, “Well that happened….” It said as it stood up, towering over Snake. The armor it wore looked both high tech and archaic at the same time, colored dark green, with two massive shoulder pauldrons that had what looked like squad identification on the left one but the right one had what looked to be a winged sword on it. The massive helmet then turned to Snake and the figure stepped back in shock. “Who the hell are you?!” It then looked around in confusion. “Matter of fact, where the hell are we?”

“Mother Base,” Snake said as he whipped out his shotgun and pointed it at his face, “now, you have 5 seconds to tell me what you’re doing here. And before you think about simply shooting me, I recommend taking a look up.”

The figure looked at the shotgun before sighing and crushing the barrel with one hand. “I'm as stumped as you are, one minute, I was helping Applejack with harvesting apples with Viktor and Alex, next minute, we’re here!” He said, just as the other two figures stood up. One of them looked up and froze. “Um… Sasha?” A female voice emanated from the pointed helmet. “You might want to look up…”

“What is i-” The figure said as he looked up to see 2 dozen soldiers, along with turrets and missile launchers aiming at him and the other two. “Oh frag….”

“You come into my home, heavily armed, and expect the welcome mat?” Snake smirked, “last chance, why are you here?”

“I told you, I have no idea!” The figure said. “I'm not even from here! Wait…” it then took a closer look at Snake. “Okay, and I thought seeing a droid from Star Wars was surprising…” it muttered. “But this.. just takes the cake…”

Snake stared at him for a minute before grabbing the swords, “It looks like you’re telling the truth, but you might want to be more careful with these, they could have hurt somebody, falling from the sky like that.”

The figures looked at the weapons in shock. “Those… those are our tokens!” The first figure said. “How…” it then seemed to realize something. “Oh you have gotta… great, we’re in another Equestria…” it said, raising its hands in frustration. “Basically, you just called us from a different Equestria with these blades.”

Snake looked at the blades before placing them on the cart the deckhand had abandoned, “I thought she looked familiar,” he said to himself before turning to them, “perhaps we should continue this inside?”

“Aye, that would be a good idea.” The third figure spoke up for the first time and then chuckled. “And to be fair, we would’ve reacted the same way you did.”

The first figure then spoke up. “The name’s Sebastian, or Sasha for short, and these two are Viktor and Alexandra.” He said, gesturing to the other two.

“Call me Snake, Mythic Snake,” Snake said as he led them into the main building.

“Sorry about surprising you with our entrance, we’re still a bit new to this whole “Displaced” scenario.” Alex said. Snake then noticed that her right arm didn't match the armor that was on the left arm, the armor on her right arm looked a lot more heavier and her hand ended in a clawed gauntlet. She noticed him looking at her arm and shifted it out of sight.

“Displaced huh?” Snake said as they arrived at an office, “sounds like a story.”

“It's what we get for buying those prop weapons from that Merchant…” Viktor muttered. “One minute, you’re at a Comic-con, next thing you know, you’re thrust head first into a civil war where some loony is trying to take over a country that we’ve never even heard of and the inhabitants are freaking horses!”

“I’m dealing with an unknown party who’s got no qualms about selling magi-tech weapons to terrorists, so I think we’re about even there,” Snake said as he pulled out a folder, “by the way, correct me if I’m wrong, but is this girl familiar to you?”

The three looked at him, their confused looks hidden beneath their helmets. “Um… what girl?” Viktor asked. He then took a look at the file and froze. A past memory surfaced and he blinked. “Yeah… I recognize her, Sunset Shimmer. But she was in a movie called Equestria Gi-” He then realized something. “Son of a…..” he swore. “I knew the name Equestria was familiar, but I didn't realize it until now! MLP… crap…”

“Yeah, my niece was completely into that, couldn’t go for a visit without her shoving a new DVD in my face and asking me to watch it with her,” Snake chuckled.

“I wasn't really into the show that much, mostly the fanfics.” Sebastian said. Both Alex and Viktor chorused their agreement. “So we're in the Equestria Girls universe?”

“Somewhat far ahead, but yes,” Snake said as he put the file away, “Sunset’s working for me, for one thing.”

“Huh, and I thought the universe we got dropped in was different from the Canon universe…” Sebastian muttered. “For one, a pony named Flame Tail is trying to take over Equestria, and the ponies have more advanced guns and even vehicles…”

“Sounds bad.”

Alex snorted. “He doesn't even care about civvies getting caught in the crossfire. We had to stop at least 4 waves of soldiers from taking over Ponyville!” An arc of energy fizzled on her gauntlet.

Snake crossed his fingers, “Does Ponyville have defenses?”

“We have a squad of HK-50 droids helping defend the town. But if they fail, we have reinforcements awaiting our call.” Viktor said. “Then there's us. We have the ability to summon any weapon from Halo or Warhammer 40,000, which means we can keep the enemy guessing on which weapon we will have next.”

“A good start, but what about watchtowers, guard posts, gun emplacements, walls, anything like that?”

“Unfortunately, no. But attacks there are rare. The main fighting is near the Stalliongrad border and the surrounding towns.” Viktor said.

“Tell me, how many times has it been attacked?”

“At least three times, that's the official count.” Alex said.

“Sounds like enough times to warrant at least some defenses. I could probably sell you some surplus gear I pick up, gun turrets, mortars, everything you need to keep the place safe.”

“If any major threat is detected, the Air force usually launches a flight of “Gryphon” VTOL jet fighters.” Sebastian replied, “But Twilight has asked the Princesses if turrets can be built on the outskirts of Ponyville.”

“Sounds like a start, but turrets won’t do much good if they go where they aren’t,” Snake said, “better get some earthworks built up too.”

“Not every pony is gonna be happy about that.” Viktor said. “But we’ll see what exactly we can get done.” And maybe find out more about this “Eliteslayer” while we're at it… he thought.

“Still want some gear from me?”

“We’ll pass for now.”

“Fair enough,” Snake said, “so, about this Displaced thing?”

“A Displaced is someone who's sent to Equestria as the character they cosplayed as, there are many ways a but the most common is someone buying something from a being called the Merchant.” Viktor explained. “We’re.. also newly Displaced. A few days actually.”

“About 2 months for me, but I only met Sunset 2 weeks ago.”

“Anyways, the way Displaced get around the Multiverse is through a Token. Basically their calling card and a way for them to help others. That's how we ended up here. You somehow activated our tokens and they pulled us here.” Alex explained.

“Accidentally I assure you,” Snake said, “so, how do you go about it?”

“Just pick something that relates to you or the character you have now become, say a message and send it into the Void.”

Snake thought for a minute before reaching into a drawer and pulling out a cassette player and pressing record, “I’m Big Boss, if you know who that is my reputation should speak for itself. If you need a hand, play side B.”

“Not bad.” Alex said, the other two nodding in agreement. Her gauntlet then glowed before a small portal opened in front of them. “This portal will transport it to the Void. After that, it’ll be turned into hundreds of copies.”

“Here’s hoping I don’t get summoned by any wackjobs,” Snake said as he tossed it in.

“Heh, same here.” Sebastian chuckled. “So how did you end up in this Equestria?”

“Home on leave during a convention, I was a NAVY SEAL before all this. My brother invited me and gave me this costume, except my niece took the eyepatch for her’s, I believe she called it ‘Future Twilight’. Anyway, I figured that an eyepatch would be easy to find, just my luck that I had to buy it from that bastard.”

Sebastian busted out laughing. “Oh man, I remember that, a lot of fans called it “Solid Sparkle.” He then turned serious. “We also had an encounter with the Merchant, he was dressed as a Rogue Trader. Hell, he’s the reason I'm now an Astartes!”

“Mine was dressed as Vulgrim, but it sounds like the same guy.”

“A word of warning, you might start meeting foes from the game universe that you dressed up as. I know first hand what that's like…”

“Thanks for the heads up, although I have mixed thoughts about meeting Sahelanthropus.”

“Sal what the wha?” Alex asked in confusion.

“It’s a Metal Gear, multi-story robot that shoots nukes, very hard to bring down. In the game you keep it as a trophy when you beat it, but I’m thinking I’ll fix it up.”

“None of us really played Metal Gear, we’ve seen gameplay of it, but that's it.” Viktor said. “We mostly stuck to games like Halo and Soul Caliber. Although Sasha does a tabletop miniatures game called Warhammer 40,000 also.”

“I’d say check it out, but…”

“Yeah, we know.” Viktor said before an armored human shimmered to life on his shoulder.

“Viktor? Where… where are we?” It asked in a female voice.

“Another Equestria Kyra.” The Spartan answered.

“An AI huh?” Snake said, “Spartans get all the best toys.”

“Speaking of which, there's another Spartan in our Equestria, but… he’s a mystery. He shows up out of nowhere, has the same abilities as Viktor and Alex, but he also has armor abilities, he even created solid Holograms that can damage foes…” Sebastian said. “And I don't think that's all he’s able to do… and from he said to us, it seems he was Displaced before…”

“Someone to watch, regardless of his alignment,” Snake said.

“From what I've seen, he helped defend three fillies and Applejack from a Tyranid attack. That shows he’ll defend the ponies allied with Celestia and Luna. But you are right, we will keep a close eye on him.” Viktor said.

“As fun as it’s been, sounds like you should head back.“ Snake said.

“Agreed. Oh yes, one more thing, you’ve heard of Nyx right?”

“Not really, as I said, my niece was the pony enthusiast.”

“Long story short, she’s Nightmare Moon reborn as a filly, but she became Twi’s daughter after a series of events.” Sebastian then looked at Alex. “Alex, let’s get back home.”

She nodded and stretched her right hand out. As she did so, Snake heard the faint whine of servos before a portal then opened. She then turned to him. “It was nice meeting you sir.” she said.

“Likewise,” Snake said, giving them a two fingered salute.

The three returned the salute in their own ways, Alex and Viktor giving a full military salute while Sebastian crashed his arm across his chest armor before the three entered the portal and vanished. The portal then closed with a silent pop and disappeared.

The three soon re-appeared in their Equestria, only this time appearing in the castle and surprising Twilight.

“Where were you three?! We were looking all over Equestria for you!” She yelled.

The three humans looked at each other before Alex said, “It's… a long story…”

Displaced Arc, Chapter 2: I think we're gonna need a bigger gun.... (Part 1)

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A few days after being summoned by Snake, the three were talking with both Twilight and Rainbow about putting up defences around the town.

“I'm not so sure that this’ll please every pony….” Twilight said.

“Twi, we have to at least put up some kind of defense, the turrets and Droids won't be enough to stop the enemy if Flame Tail sends forces to attack again.” Sebastian replied.

“He has a point, I’ve seen footage of those tanks the enemy uses and unless you have anti tank weapons, we need to set up walls.” Viktor said.

“Like walls are gonna really do anything against a tank shell.” A new voice entered the conversation. Twilight jerked her head around and gasped.

“E… Eliteslayer?!” She said in shock, “What are you doing here!?”

The Spartan chuckled. “I wanted to surprise you. Besides, I haven't gotten to see you and Nyx for a while.”

The Alicorn practically flew over to him and glomped him. The three other humans looked on in shock.

“Okay, just what the hell is going on here?!” Viktor asked. “How do you know this guy?”

“Because I’m part of the Equestrian Royal Guard reserves. I arrived here way before you three, and ended up meeting Celestia and Luna. It was after the battle of Los Pegasus that I was asked to join the reserves and was stationed here to keep an eye on things.” the Spartan explained

“I met him a few days before you three appeared. He’s… been like a father figure to Nyx.” Twilight said.

Rainbow grinned. “I was wondering when you'd show that helmet of yours!” She said to him

Eliteslayer also grinned, the smile hidden under his helmet. “Still getting yourself into trouble Dash?” He asked the pegasus.

“Eh, been doing this and that…” she said. Alex then spoke up.

“So that's how you knew Twilight?” She asked. Eliteslayer nodded, but before he could say anything else, two separate portals opened under them.

Impossible! My token hasn't worked since I was sent here! The Recon thought before he fell through, Twilight hanging on for dear life.

Rainbow was also dragged in, trying to rescue Alex from falling in. “Rainbow, hang on!” Alex yelled before the portals closed.

(Josh’s perspective

A few hours have passed since my meeting with the rulers, and I was currently on my way to the Everfree to look for that cache of tokens. “You seriously couldn’t have given me better direction?” I muttered to myself, referring to the guy who informed me of the tokens.

And, just like that, the universe laughs at me as i find the cache on the outskirts of the forest. “Fuck you, Luck,” I muttered as I went to investigate. The ones that stood out to me were an old, battered Assault rifle. It looked familiar, but I couldn’t place it. Another was what I did recognize to be an Energy sword hilt, though the lines on it were red instead of blueish white. Though three in particular glowed.

The first was some kind of sword which-wait a minute, isn’t that Ivy’s sword? Yeah, think so, though I can’t remember. Damn it, where’s youtube when you need it, I need Death battle. Okay, sorry. There was also a sword which had an upside down skull on the crossguard, which in and of itself looked like wings, and another Energy sword, though this looked like the in game models.

“Looks like those are it,” I said as I went to them, and picked them up. A challenge, given I have two hands. “Yeah, um,” I said, “no idea who you guys are, but I need help, especially if you’re good at covert snatch and grabs.” No sooner had I finished speaking when a portal opened in front of me, and out popped six figures. Four were humans in some kind of armor, though three were in Halo Spartan armor, while the third was in I think Warhammer armor? Never played it. The other two were pony shaped. Sure, why the fuck not.

“Ugh…. Twi? You okay?” A familiar rainbow maned pegasus asked, getting a nod from the Alicorn.

“Okay, got four humans and a pony Rainbow and Twilight,” I said. “Somehow, this is not as weird as everything else right now.”

Rainbow spun around, and I noticed that she was wearing some kind of armor with gauntlets that gripped what looked like an automatic gun. “Who the buck are you?!” She asked.

“One: I’m the guy who apparently summoned you,” I said. “Two: name’s Josh, General of the Equestrian Cybran forces and probably on par with Princess Luna in leadership right now. Three: don’t try to use the gun, my armor can't be pierced by bullets, only lasers. Trust me, I tested it a few weeks back.”

The four humans soon stood up and I noticed that one of them had Ivy’s right arm armor instead of the regular Spartan armor. “So, who are you four, exactly?” I asked.

“Name’s Sebastian, these three are Alexandra, her brother Viktor, and the Recon is Eliteslayer.” The human in Warhammer armor said.

“Nice to meet you four,” I said. “I’m guessing you four are Displaced too?”

“Yeah, for a few days now.” Alex answered. The pony Twi trotted over to them and looked on in curiosity.

“For me, a few weeks,” I replied. “So, quick question: how good are you guys at stealth ops?”

Eliteslayer stepped up. “That would be my department.” He said.

I sighed in relief. “Thank god, because I seriously need some help,” I said. “If you’ll follow me, I'll take you to my current war room.”

Eliteslayer nodded before a Pelican suddenly appeared next to him, the troop bay hatch open.

“No need for that, it’s close, and it can’t hold the Pelican,” I told him. “Come on.” With that, I turned around, and made my way towards Ponyville, hearing heavy footsteps and hoofsteps behind me. Once we got close to Ponyville, I heard pony Twilight gasp.

“WHAT THE BUCK IS THAT?!” she yelled. I turned around, saw her pointing, and followed her hoof to see she was pointing at my ACU.

“That, Twilight, is an Armored Command Unit, or ACU for short. It is essentially a heavily armored command vehicle with combat capabilities capable of creating whole armies. And that fucker is mine,” I said.

Viktor whistled in amazement. “Dang, it's practically a mobile 40K forge world!” He said.

“I have no idea what that is,” I said. “Still, the others are waiting, and trust me, a few do not like being kept waiting.” With that, I continued towards the crystal palace that this world’s Twilight called home. Upon reaching there, I mentally entered the passcode- a security precaution given circumstances- and the doors opened, allowing us entrance. Once the last of us- pony Rainbow- entered, the doors closed. From there, it was a short walk to the throne room, doubling as the war room. “Now, Rainbow, whoever you see, do not shoot.”

“Why?” she asked.

“Changelings,” I replied before opening the door, revealing Luna, Cadence, and Chrysalis. For those who have forgotten, Chrysalis and Cadence, using Aeon units, wore the Aeon pilot suit, a skintight-why?- thing made mainly of black material with the chest piece and actual armor being silver with green lights, while Luna wore a basic military outfit. My Twilight was currently trying something with the satellites in orbit to find Rarity.

“Well… this is something…” Sebastian said, causing everyone in the room to look at him and the other new arrivals in shock.

“Josh, you mind telling us why we’re seeing more humans and quadruped versions of Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle?” Luna asked.

“From another universe,” I replied. “Ponies got dragged along, and they’re willing to help with the Op.”

Eliteslayer then saluted to Luna. “Pleasure to make your acquaintance, your highness.” He said.

“Thank you,” she said. “So, I assume Josh has filled you in?”

“No I have not,” I said before turning to them. “Essentially, this world’s Celestia has been mind raped into becoming a fanatic for a stupid religion, and has brainwashed who knows how many others, including Rarity and her sister. We were hoping you guys could help.”

“Whoa, whoa whoa! Hold it a sec, you mean you lost Celestia to a Zealot that brainwashed her?” Alex asked in confusion.

“No, she is the zealot,” I replied. “Something about what happened around a thousand years ago. Ask Luna for the whole thing. And don’t worry, you’ll have support for the mission.”

Twilight then spoke up, “Nightmare Moon. Celestia must have been harboring a lot of guilt over banishing Luna.” She shifted her wings and I heard a small whirring of servos.

“No, this is before that happened,” I said. “Point is the fact that as long as she has one Element, we’re at a huge disadvantage right now.” I then looked at Twilight, and my neural implant showed specs for her wings. “Huh, that’s new. So, how’d you get the mech wings?”

“I… I lost them fighting enemy troops in Manehatten.” She said.

“Ah,” I said. “Sorry about that.”

“Can we get back on topic?” Chrysalis asked. “The more time we spend talking is more time for Rarity to plan an attack on us.”

Sebastian looked at me, “So what's the plan of attack?” He asked

“Whichever one of you is best with stealth sneaks into the camp, finds Rarity, and uses this,” I said, bringing out a small device, “to signal for evac, which my Twilight will handle. If things go south, you’ll have some support.”

“You know where they are?” Rainbow asked.

“Currently,” I said , “n-” I was interrupted as Twilight, the anthro one from this universe, burst into the room.

“Josh, I have the location of the camp Rarity’s at!”

Displaced Arc, Chapter 3: I think we're gonna need a bigger gun.... (Part 2)

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The visitors jumped as Twilight burst in. “Geez, and I thought our Twilight bursting in was surprising!” Viktor muttered, getting a glare from the pony version of the Princess.

“How?” Josh asked.

“By scanning for Rarity’s magical frequency and cross checking it with Seraphim tech signatures,” the anthro lavender alicorn said excitedly before noticing the guests. “Uh, who are they?”

“Visitors from a different Equestria,” Eliteslayer replied.

“Multiverse theory, don’t think on it too hard,” Josh said. “So, where is she?”

“In Zebra lands, near where those extremists who attacked your main base were last seen.”

Josh put a hand to his chin. “So we either attack and risk pissing off the zebras, or don’t, and have them at full strength?” He then looked at the other Displaced. “Of course, nothing has recorded you guys before, so they may think it a third party.”

“And that’ll play in your hands because while we're distracting them, you’re able to pull off your mission,” Sebastian said.

“Somewhat what I have planned,” Josh replied. “Whichever of you’s the best in stealth ops moves in and takes Rarity and Sweetie Belle if you can find her, and high tail it to the extraction point. In the mean time, I’ll have a combat Engineer and a deceiver move in and capture Rarity’s ACU if it’s there before moving a transport into move it here. Of course, I’ll have units on standby for support if need be.”

“I can handle both Rarity and Sweetie,” Eliteslayer said, smirking as a hardlight copy of himself appeared next to him. “Hardlight Holograms.”

“Nice,” Josh muttered. “Still, best if each of you come in case of support. Also, may want to make sure you’re shielded, as we’re heading to Alpha, and the only quick way there is gating.”

“What the buck’s gating?” the pony Rainbow asked.

“Think teleporting but using a structure for it,” Josh replied. “Come on, you’ll need to ride on my ACU.”

“Copy that,” Eliteslayer replied. “Let's roll!”

With that, the other Displaced, along with their pony allies, followed Josh outside, where his ACU was right next to the castle. He climbed up it and into the head, where the control area was as the others took position on the shoulders of the thing, the two Twilight’s putting a shield up to protect from the adverse effects of gating. Once they were all situated, the ACU lurched forward as it began to move toward the forest before a purple glow lit the night up. Josh maneuvered his ACU towards it and, upon reaching it, the ACU and those riding it vanished in a flash of light.

a few hours later-Zebrica-Seraphim loyalist camp

“G’day!” Eliteslayer said before he knocked out two guards while still in active camo. “And G’night!”

“I thought you said were good with stealth,” Josh said over the comms. “Stealth does not involve yelling as you knock people out.”

“Hey, they never saw it coming! And I wasn't that loud!”

“Doesn’t mean their friends didn’t hear it!”

“Whatever, I'm near Rarity's tent, the other guards are more occupied with the other three at the moment.”

“Long as no explosions occur, I think we’re good,” Josh deadpanned. “Make sure she’s out, grab her and Sweetie if she’s in there, and get to the extraction point. Hurry up, too. Spy planes show unit patrols you were lucky to avoid on the way in, and they’re comprised of Assault tanks. Trust me, those things are a bitch to ground forces.”

“Roger that. And if it comes to a tank fight, I have armor of my own. Eliteslayer out.” The Spartan said before he headed towards the command tent. Peeking in, he saw two unicorns, an adult and a filly. “Gotcha…” he whispered before he snuck in and with two powerful blows, rendered them unconscious. He then concentrated and a hardlight copy of himself appeared. With a nod, the two picked the unicorns and retreated before the troops could even spot them.

“You got ‘em?” Josh asked

“Yep, heading towards the rendezvous point as we speak.” Eliteslayer replied.

“Copy that, sending capture team bravo to get the ACU or, failing that, the SACU, or maybe a Seraphim ACU, whichever they encounter first,” Josh said. “Evac transport’s waiting for you and the others.”

“Roger that, I’ll let them know.” Eliteslayer then switched to a different channel. “Vik, Package has been retrieved, fall back to the rendezvous point!”

“Copy that,” Viktor replied, “We’ll be there in a few minutes or so!”

Before Eliteslayer could reply, he heard Josh say, “Oh, shit, forgot about those.” He then heard a beep, which indicated Josh had gone to all frequencies. “All groups, pull out now. Fucking Spy Plane got us, and any enemy units nearby are on their way here. Suggest you hightail it. My forces and I will buy time.”

“Copy that!” Eliteslayer said before skidding to a halt and summoning a Pelican. After making sure Rarity and Sweetie were secured, the Spartan then activated the engines and flew to where the others were. “Anyone call for air support?” He radioed before unleashing a burst of machine gun fire on the enemy squad. He then opened the bay door and yelled, “Get in!” Both Twilight and Rainbow quickly flew in while Viktor and Alex used their thrusters to make the jump. Sebastian also managed to make the jump, but nearly fell out before Alex grabbed his hand and pulled him in. Josh's Twilight was the last one in as the hatch closed and Eliteslayer opened up the throttle, flying away from the base.

“Also works,” Josh said over the radio. “You got air superiority fighters gaining. Sending some of my own after ‘em.” Soon after he said this, five, jagged aircraft zoomed past the pelican, and explosions were heard. “Get back to the castle, I can handle these ass hats.”

“Copy that. Erm… what if a nuke hits the ACU?” Eliteslayer asked.

They heard laughing before a reply. “With how I modified this thing, that won’t fucking stop me! Hell, a lower health version of this survived Celestia drilling a hole in it’s chest! And even then. . .well, let’s just say I’m a huge sci-fi fan, and I would be ashamed of myself if I didn’t make a mech to hold another mech. You guys seen Pacific Rim?”

“Hell yes!” Sebastian chuckled. “I loved that movie when it came out in theaters!”

“I made a Gypsy danger that can hold my ACU and take three Experimental Strategic nukes, and still function. Not at full strength, but still function. Oh, and also three mechanized Otachis. The winged ones.”

“Geez, that Kaiju was just nasty! But we'll see you at the castle, ETA, 30 minutes.” Eliteslayer said before aiming his vehicle towards the direction of the Castle.

“Egg-xactly, and copy that. But I won’t be there. I’ll be having fun here.” Josh said before he spoke to the oncoming hordes of mechanical enemies. “Come and get me you fuckers!” Various explosions were heard soon after.

Twilight’s castle-thirty minutes later

The Pelican landed with a thump of hydraulics in front of the Castle, causing the ship to shudder. “Alright, let's get these two inside.” Eliteslayer said as he got up from the pilot’s seat. “Everyone okay?” He then asked.

“I’m good,” anthro Twilight said. “Just wondering how Josh is doing.”

“I'm guessing you two are an item?” Eliteslayer chuckled. “You’re not the first Twilight to fall for the Displaced in their world.”

“Yeah,” she replied. “We started dating just after this whole thing began and before Celestia actually declared war.”

“I don’t think you need to worry about him,” pony Twilight said as she got out the Pelican and pointing in the direction they had come. “Look.” The group did so, and saw a single transport-a tier three UEF heavy transport- on it’s way to their location with Josh’s ACU on it, along with a weirdly shaped machine that didn’t seem to have wheels. The transport itself was protected by five Gemini air superiority fighters and five renegade class gunships.

“Holy throne….,” Sebastian muttered in shock. “That's some firepower!”

“And he didn’t even have Experimentals with him,” anthro Twilight said.

Viktor and Alex soon walked out, carrying the two bound prisoners. “What should we do with these two?”

“I guess the cells in the basement,” anthro Twilight said. “Oh, I just remembered. Josh told me before we left to get Rarity and Sweetie to offer you guys an ACU if you want one, but it won’t be the same model. He also said something about an extradimensional communicator you can use to summon him if you need help.”

“Honestly, we need the firepower we can get. So we’ll take an ACU.”

“Right,” she said, nodding. A second passed before she said, “A UEF model is on it’s way to the gate we used to get to Alpha. He built most gates with the intention of bringing an army from other dimensions if he had allies there, so you just need to put something from that universe into a receiver at the base, and it’ll open a portal up to it.”

“Hmm… that will be interesting…” Eliteslayer said.

“Guess we’ll see you guys later, then,” anthro Twilight said. “It’s been interesting.”

“It was nice meeting both you and Josh. And I have a feeling you two will pull through this and survive. As for your Celestia, hopefully you'll find a way to restore her, but when you do, she’ll need all the support she can get to help recover.” The Spartan said.

“Thanks,” anthro Twilight said.

Half an hour later, Rarity and Sweetie-now awake and thrashing about in their prison cells- were being guarded as Josh was in his room going through tokens and talking with his Displacer to find someone to help with the mind control on the two unicorns, and the Displaced that had helped him were getting ready to leave next to their newly acquired ACU.

A knock on Josh’s door made him look up. Standing at the door was Eliteslayer, his helmet under one arm, revealing his face for the first time. With a mop of short reddish brown hair and green eyes, he looked like he was in his early 20s, but the most discerning feature on his face were two slash scars across one eye.

“Slayer?” Josh asked. “Figured you’d be with the others at the ACU.”

“I just wanted to say goodbye before we left. That Assault rifle you had that summoned me… it wasn't supposed to work. Until I do a new token, my old one wasn't supposed to work. Guess it didn't get that memo.” He chuckled.

“New token? You’re an old Displaced?” Josh asked. “That’s a new one. First time I’ve heard of that happening.”

“Yeah, I was redisplaced into the universe the others are in. But I have seen more than those three would ever believe. But when I was sent to their Equestria, a good majority of my memories were blocked, so I now only remember those I’ve encountered.

“Huh. Interesting,” Josh said before reaching into the pile of tokens, and taking out what looked like a gauntlet that was colored red and had ridges on it, the forward edge glowing as if it had flames inside it. “So, you know who this belongs to, ‘cause my guy isn’t telling me who.”

Eliteslayer looked at the gauntlet in shock before he then chuckled. “So the big guy actually did it… His name is Mau’ual, a Displaced that I had the pleasure of meeting with an… old colleague of mine before I was re Displaced.

“Thanks for letting me know,” Josh said before taking an Energy sword hilt out of the pile, and tossing it to Eliteslayer. “Got two of those, and my guy’s telling me it belongs to a Displaced neither of us have met. Just says the guy’s name is Ruso ‘Tafam, and he’s having to deal with a war against flame creatures or some shit like that. Given the hilt, I figured you’d be interested. Helping out a fellow Halo Displaced, and all.”

“I’ll give him a call when I have the chance. But right now, the war against Flame Tail is my top priority.”

“I was told the guy took on an entire army by himself with just two swords and daggers. He may be able to help you.”

Eliteslayer nodded before he extended his hand to Josh. “It was an honor meeting you Josh. I wish you luck in this, and you’d better be prepared for Twi’s… OCD.” He chuckled.

“Dude, I’m somewhat OCD myself,” Josh said as he took Slayer’s hand. “I should be able to handle it.”

The Spartan gave a rare grin before the two shook hands. “Until then, good hunting.”

“Thanks,” Josh said. “See you later.”

Eliteslayer gave a quick military salute before he then left. Soon afterwards, a massive flash of energy was seen outside as the four and their Twilight and Rainbow entered the portal, along with the ACU. Soon after, the massive portal closed, leaving no trace of the visitors.

But what they didn’t see was a shadow of a figure approach the gate, and scan it. “Perfect,” the voice said. “May the Way guide us,” it said before vanishing in a smaller flash of light.

Displaced Arc, Chapter 4: An Old Friend

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A few days after the four Displaced, Twilight and Rainbow had returned from helping rescue the Rarity in Josh’s Equestria, Eliteslayer was chatting with Twilight while Nyx sat next to them when Alex ran in and skidded to a halt. “Whoa, what's the rush?” The Recon asked in surprise, standing up.

“We found something. It dropped from a support beam on that barn we're demolishing and we don't know what it is.” She said, panting.

Eliteslayer frowned under his helmet before he turned to Twilight. “I'll be right back. This may be something we can use.” He said before he turned to Alex. “Can you teleport us over?”

She nodded before the two flashed over to where Viktor and Sebastian were. Viktor was holding what looked like an amulet that looked familiar to Eliteslayer but he couldn't place it. “That's what you guys found?” He asked. Sebastian nodded before replying, “Never seen an amulet like this, it’s got both Celestia's and Luna's cutie marks on both sides but it looks like that sword from a Zelda game.”

Eliteslayer then grabbed the amulet, but as he did so, a voice then spoke out.

Hi my name is Craig. If ever you are in danger, are scared, frightened or even just need an ally to stand by your side in your darkest hour. Call on me and I will come and do everything in my power to aid you.

The Spartan then dropped the amulet as if it had shocked him, the other three looking on in surprise. It then glowed before a portal suddenly opened up and a figure fell out.

As the figure stood up, they saw that he was wearing what looked to be a black trench coat on top of a black shirt and with what looked to be a guitar resting against his back, he then looked towards everyone before he said “So… i’m Displaced again… just great, their ain’t no rest for the wicked.”

“I... Impossible…..” Eliteslayer said, looking at the figure in shock.

“Why am I impossible?” The figure asked in confusion.

“Because the last time I saw you… we were in the War of Shadows…” The Spartan said.

“Huh… sorry who are you… I don’t recognise you, are you sure we’ve met?”

“Maybe this will jog your memory…” he said before two Holograms then appeared on either side of him.

“Nope… still not sure who you are,” The figure admitted sadly.

“Wait, if you don't remember… then… Son of a taint…”

“Maybe… Wait if you remember me… what is your name?”

“You should already know my name. But maybe this will help…” Eliteslayer said before his armor then shimmered and changed into a set of Orbital armor, that looked exactly like Viktor's but with a small change, the number 917 on his left chest plate.

“I… I don’t rem…” The figure then collapsed to the floor holding his head in pain before he shouted “You are not getting out Discord! You will not use me as a weapon to kill people! You will not control me!”

Alex stepped forward, her sword drawn and gauntlet charged with arcane power. The other two were also readying their weapons but Eliteslayer got in between the three and the figure. “Lay down your weapons! That's an order!” He snapped before turning. “Craig, you can fight it, you have before.”

“I… I…” Craig said as his eyes began pulsating between the colors orange, red and green randomly. “I can’t do this… we can’t hold him back.”

“Think of Scootaloo and Twilight. Let their memory give you strength.”

“I… I… Wait…” A look of realisation appeared on his face “S… Sebaste?!” the red in his eyes fading slowly.

“Heh… long time no see mate.” The Spartan chuckled before his armor shifted back to Recon.

Craig then slowly tried to stand before he said “Why do I know that name… I… I don’t remember meeting you before today… but that name seems so familiar.”

“Because we did meet, a long time ago. You may not recognize me, but I remember you, even after I was dropped here by some Displacer that looked like an Astartes… losing a few memories in the process…” The three looked at the Spartan in shock and confusion

“If only I could remember you…” Craig muttered angrily.

“I had a friend, an Astartes named Sebastian… both of us fought in the War of Shadows.”

A sudden smirk appeared on Craigs face before he said “Frickin writer, rewrote my existence… I can’t believe I forgot both of you… I feel like a idiot right now.”

Eliteslayer chuckled. “Right now, I'm helping these three learn the ropes of being Displaced.” He said, nodding towards the other three. “Alex, Sasha, Viktor, meet Craig, the first Displaced I met in my old Equestria.”

Craig then smiled before he said “It’s a pleasure to meet you three…. I’m sorry for the scare before.”

“It's nice to meet you.” Alex said, sheathing her sword. The aura around her gauntlet faded soon after that. She then suddenly swung her right arm and sent Eliteslayer flying into a tree, the servos in her arm whirring.

“Well… I guess you have something with good ol Sebaste.” Craig admitted as a orange AI that looked like a spartan appeared sat on his shoulder.

“Not really, but he does have a few things that need answering.” She replied.

Viktor looked at the AI in interest. “Hey Kyra, c’mon out.” He said before the female AI appeared on his shoulder. “So… how long did you know Eliteslayer?”

“Well… in this reality… not at all, from the last one… a fair bit… the good and the bad times… for both of us.”

Eliteslayer groaned before he got up and brushed himself off. “Geez, the heck is that arm made out of, Titanium?!” He asked Alex.

“Maybe adamantium… who knows with Displacers,” Craig chuckled.

“Titanium mixed with Steel.” Alex said, crossing her arms.

“Well it definitely hurt… and that thing could easily bust through a wall!” The Spartan chuckled painfully. “How’d you even get that arm?”

“She lost her real arm in a car accident. The arm she has now is a custom made prosthetic.” Viktor replied.

“I'm sorry to hear that…” Eliteslayer said. He then turned to Craig. “Out of curiosity, how is Scootaloo faring?” He asked.

“At the moment, she’s doing okay, she’s getting a hold of her new skills, she’s becoming a pretty powerful gal even if she’s not a Displaced.”

“She's out of her coma already? Huh….”

“Wait… what Coma… since when… explain now!” Craig said hectically fear clear on his face.

“The last time we saw each other, you had mentioned that she had been in a coma after she encountered Chrysalis.”

“...” Craig just stopped silent “no… no… god no, that can’t happen.”

“I would remember more, but the rest of my memory is a blank after getting re Displaced.” The Spartan said. “I remember your mom and brother… Asuna and Kirito…”

“That I already know… along with that adopting Church.”

“You mean that Spartan from Red vs Blue?” Viktor asked, “There's a Displaced that's him?”

“Well… yeah… he’s my adopted brother… along with his daughter,” Craig smiled.

Eliteslayer busted out laughing. “I remember her! She gave him quite the scolding after he took out an entire Covenant fleet!”

“He’s done a lot of things that are questionable… but most of us experienced Displaced ain’t a lot better.”

“Heh, ain’t that the truth.” Eliteslayer said. A flap of wings caused him to look up as Twilight, Nyx and Rainbow flew in and landed. Rainbow was in her armor while Twilight was unarmored, all three looked at Craig in surprise.

“I’m about to have a bad time ain’t I?” Craig muttered as he lay on the floor with his hands behind his head as his guitar resting on his chest.

“Who are you?” Nyx asked, her voice curious.

“An old friend of mine from a long time ago.” Eliteslayer said. Rainbow raised an eyebrow.

“You know him?” She asked, sounding suspicious.

“Yes, I met him back in my old Equestria.” He replied.

“In that case, welcome to Equestria.” Twilight said, nodding her head in greeting to Craig.

“Thanks for the welcome Twilight, it’s weird… old memories being forgotten whole fates being rewritten, just because someone wants to start again.” Craig admitted.

“Agreed…” Eliteslayer muttered. Twilight shifted her wings, the prosthetics whirring as they moved.

Rainbow then spoke up, “So how exactly did you two meet?”

“Which time, before or now?” Craig asked.

“Before he came here.” she replied.

“Oh the first time we met he was attacked and I helped save him… that's all.” Craig admitted with a smile.

“And he was literally the first Displaced that shocked me.” Eliteslayer chuckled. “He did a Skyrim shout that called down lightning bolts on a hoard of orks.”

“I did that… seems unlike me to do something like that.” Craig admitted

“...” Eliteslayer looked at Craig in dumbfounded silence.

“What?” Craig asked as he pushed off the ground using his hand and floated in the air.

“Never mind…”

Kyra suddenly spoke up. “Enemy signatures approaching! They're Flame Tail's men!” She warned.

“Nuts… Twi, get Nyx out of here! I don't want to risk you two getting hurt!” Viktor yelled. She nodded before the two flew off.

“Huh… Flame Tail, who’s that, someone who won’t learn how to die?” Craig asked.

“He’s a psycho that's hell-bent on taking over Equestria. He’s declared war on the Princesses and he won't stop until he takes Canterlot.”

“So… a guy with a superiority complex then?” Craig said as he placed his hand near the back of his guitar.

“More like a dictator. And how the hay are you gonna fight off the soldiers? You don't even have a weapon!” Rainbow asked as she brought out her Auto-musket.

Oh if you only knew… Eliteslayer thought with a chuckle.

“Trust me i’ll be fine,” Craig said as he placed his hand on the back of his guitar as it turned into a sword while a black chestplate appeared under his trenchcoat along with a black shield on his arm along with a pistol at his side and a sniper rifle on his back.

Two walkers suddenly appeared, a single gun mounted underneath the chassis. Five unicorns followed after.

“Do you lot need any help?” Craig asked as he sighed.

“It's the creatures! BRING THEM DOWN!” A unicorn yelled before a hail of energy bolts streaked towards them.

A bubble shield suddenly appeared before the shots could connect, the blasts glancing off it. “Our turn…” Eliteslayer chuckled before the four super soldiers opened fire with their own weapons.

“Do you think you’ll need my assistance buddy or shall I sit this one out

“Take the walkers out, our bullets can't really bust their armor.” Eliteslayer said.

“I can do it faster than Rainbow can clear the skies,” Craig smirked.

“How is a sword, shield and two guns gonna take out a walker?!” Alex asked as she dodged an energy blast.

“Sebaste, you know the drill, as soon as I move stop firing,” Craig said calmly as his hair went gold and stood on end.

“You know it.” Eliteslayer smirked. He then delivered a single headshot to one of the unicorns.

“Okay then give me a count when I move… I want to prove a point.” Craig admitted as he brought his right hand in front of him as his hand glowed white and he stepped forwards calmly.

“Cease fire in 3… 2…. 1…. CEASE FIRE!” Eliteslayer yelled before Rainbow and the others stopped firing.

Craig then exited the bubble before a long beam of light flashed forwards going straight through one of the walkers as it exploded before he moved his arm across killing the other soldiers before it hit the second Walker causing it to explode as well. He then stopped the blast as it just disappeared as Craig turned back around and placed his hand behind his head as he said “Done.”

Rainbow looked at him in utter shock. “What in Celestia's name… was that?!”

“What, never heard the saying, never judge a book by it’s cover, it was an energy attack called Spirit Sword.” Craig admitted with a smirk.

“Craig is one of the most powerful Displaced out there. But there is another Displaced that's a literal demigod called Jason.” Eliteslayer said, gaining a surprised look from Rainbow and the other three.

“What, like Percy Jackson kind of Demigod?” Sebastian asked with a snort.

“Well… replaced with Norse Gods and being related to almost all of them along with knowing some of them then yes.” Craig admitted

“Plus, he’s a Jotun, a Frost Giant. He’s not to be trifled with as he’s able to freeze you in your tracks.” Eliteslayer continued. “I may not have all of my memories, but some events I can remember, meeting Jason is one of them. And he was definitely someone I wouldn't fight.”

“Geez… I bet…” Viktor said. He then looked at Craig. “Eliteslayer mentioned Asuna and Kirito, I'm guessing they got Displaced as SAO characters?”

“Well… yes they are… but they were somehow drop earlier in my time stream and were stoned before I arrived in Equestria.” Craig admitted.

Alex then took her helmet and looked at Eliteslayer. “You do realize you have a lot of things to explain after this?” She said.

“Trust me there is a lot you will each learn in your own time, be it your own limits or the other Displaced around the Multiverse.” Craig said

“We’ve already encountered three different Displaced. But I have a feeling we may encounter more…” Sebastian said. “But that's in the future.”

“The future is yours to take… just don’t make the mistakes we made… in fact you have Sebaste to guide you around that.”

Eliteslayer winced under his helmet before he said, “I’ll make sure the mistakes I made never happen here.” He then looked at Craig. “It was good seeing you again after all this time. Honestly, I wasn't expecting to see anyone from my past life after I had been re Displaced…”

“I wasn’t even expecting to know you so that outweighed my expectations… actually... ” Craig then stopped in thought.

“Everything okay?” Eliteslayer asked.

“Umm… Sebaste… I don’t know if you’ll call me crazy for this… but… dammit why is this so hard to say.”

Eliteslayer arched an eyebrow at this. “Why would I call you crazy?”

Craig then took a deep breath before he said “Sebaste… how would you like to join my family?”

Eliteslayer jerked back in shock. This was one thing he was not expecting. He looked at Craig in disbelief.

“If you don’t it’s no problem… I just… needed to say it,” Craig said looking down feeling rejected.

Eliteslayer then chuckled and put a hand on Craig's shoulder. “Craig, I would be honored. It was just a shock being asked.”

Craig then looked up in surprise before he said “I honestly thought you’d call me crazy… with my memories how they are.”

Eliteslayer smirked as he said, “Dude, crazy comes with being Displaced. That's what makes all of us unique one way or another.”

“I guess you're right,” Craig admitted before looking to the others as he said “Guys… this can go for you all as well.”

The three looked at each other as they thought about it. Viktor then nodded. “We may not be able to get back to our families back on Earth… but we’ll accept your offer.” He said.

“...Umm… actually, I wouldn’t say it’s an impossibility, to get back where we came from I mean,” Craig admitted.

“As much as we want to go back… we can't. The ponies need our help here.” Alex said. “They’ve already lost too much ground to the enemy.”

“You know… you sound a lot like me right now… I wouldn’t give this life up for anything.” Craig admitted happily as he reverted back to his civilian form.

Eliteslayer chuckled. “Neither would I…” he said as Sebastian guffawed at a joke Rainbow had told.

Craig then smiled as he strummed his guitar “I have a life, family and friends I wouldn’t abandon easily… why would I ever give that up?”

“Because you're able to make your own future. Same with us.” Eliteslayer said as a song began to play in his helmet. “In a sense, we’re all cosmic castaways… but we each shape our future.”

“As always you know just what to say to pull me back.”

Eliteslayer chuckled. “That I do… brother.”

“... I swear to you I will find Sebastian and get him back to you,” Craig proclaimed.

“In a way, I’ve already found him.” Eliteslayer said, nodding towards the Astartes. “He may not exactly be him, but he reminds of my friend.”

“Well he is family now as well,” Craig pointed out.

“Agreed.” He then chuckled. “It's funny, besides three new brothers, you get a sister also.”

“True and you get Church, Amor, Kirito, Asuna, Me, Scootaloo, Nick and Hichigo,” Craig admitted.

Eliteslayer then snorted. “Oh god, I have a feeling Church is gonna be surprised… and Amor is either gonna be excited or she’s gonna flip out.” He chuckled.

“She will be excited no doubt,” Craig chuckled. “Why do I always feel like performing?” he added as he strummed his guitar again.

“Kinda like me cracking jokes.” The Spartan chuckled. “Guess it's in our blood that we feel like doing something.”

“...Do you guys mind if I get it out my system?” Craig asked nervously.

“Go for it.” Alex said, a smile on her lips.

“Thanks,” Craig said with a smile as multiple instruments appeared behind him along with multiple clones of himself.

“This should be interesting…” Viktor chuckled.

Rainbow looked at the clones in shock before she suddenly curled up in a ball and started rocking back and forth. “It's like the Mirror pool all over again…” she muttered.

Craig just smirked before he said “Rainbow’s taking this badly.”

“I heard the story, didn't think it's leave a mark that badly…” Sebastian chuckled.

“Eh, could have been worse,” Craig admitted before he began to perform Battle Scars by Paradise Fears.

Oh-ohhhh-oh-ohhhh, Oh-ohhhh-oh-ohhhh, Oh-ohhhh-oh-ohhhh-ohhhhh, Oh-ohhhh-oh-ohhhh, Oh-ohhhh-oh-ohhhh, Oh-ohhhh-oh-ohhhh-ohhhhh

This is an anthem for the homesick, for the beaten, The lost, the broke, the defeated. A song for the heartsick, for the standbys, Living life in the shadow of a goodbye.

Do you remember when we learned how to fly? We'd play make-believe; we were young and had time on our side. You're stuck on the ground, Got lost, can't be found. Just remember that you're still alive.

This is a call to the soldiers, the fighters, The young, the innocent, and righteous. We've got a little room to grow. Better days are near, Hope is so much stronger than fear.

So if you jump, kid, don't be scared to fall. We'll be kings and queens in this dream, all for one, one for all. You can light up the dark, There's a fire in your heart, Burning brighter than ever before.

I'll carry you home. No, you're not alone. Keep marching on, This is worth fighting for, You know we've all got battle scars. You've had enough, But just don't give up. Stick to your guns, You are worth fighting for. You know we've all got battle scars. Keep marching on.

On and on, like we're living on a broken record. Hope is strong, but misery's a little quicker. Sit, and we wait, and we drown there, Thinking, "Why bother playing when it's unfair?" They say life's a waste, I say they lack belief. They tell me luck will travel, I tell 'em that's why I've got feet. Left, right, left, right, Moving along to the pulse of a heartbeat. This could be the last chance you have to fly. Do you like the ground? Want it to pass you by? Man, you had it all when you were just a kid. Do you even remember who you were back then? What do you want in life? Will you be twice as strong? What would you sacrifice? What are you waiting on? Don't stop, march on.

Oh-ohhhh-oh-ohhhh, Oh-ohhhh-oh-ohhhh, Oh-ohhhh-oh-ohhhh-ohhhhh, Oh-ohhhh-oh-ohhhh, Oh-ohhhh-oh-ohhhh, Oh-ohhhh-oh-ohhhh-ohhhhh.

Keep marching on.

The four super soldiers clapped as the song ended. “Dang, amazing job with the song!” Viktor said. He then looked at Alex and Sebastian, “Let's add a song of our own. Kyra, Activate external speakers and play music file 2351, keyword Black Veil.”

“You’ve got it!” The AI said before a song began blaring from Viktor's helmet, both Sebastian and Viktor singing the main lyrics while Alex provided backup.

Huh, In the end as you fade into the night…(Whoa…)

Who will tell the story of your life?

In the end, as my soul's laid to rest, what is left of my body?

Or am I just a shell?....

And I have fought, and with flesh and blood I commanded an army!

Through it all, I have given my heart for a moment of glory! (I gave it all…)

In the end as you fade into the night…(Whoa!)

Who will tell the story of your life? (Whoa!)

And who will remember your last goodbye? (Whoa!)

'Cause it’s the end and I'm not afraid, not afraid to die!

I'm not afraid, not afraid to die!

Born a saint, but with every sin I still want to be holy….

I will live again…

Who we are, isn't how we live, we are more than our bodies!

If I fall, I will rise back up and relive my glory!

In the end as you fade into the night (Whoa!)

Who will tell the story of your life? (Whoa!)

And who will remember your last goodbye? (Whoa!)

'Cause it’s the end and I'm not afraid, not afraid to die!

In the end as you fade into the night (Whoa!)

Who will tell the story of your life? (Whoa!)

And who will remember your last goodbye? (Whoa!)

'Cause it’s the end and I'm not afraid, not afraid to die!

Who will remember this last goodbye? (Whoa!)

'Cause it’s the end and I'm not afraid, not afraid to die!

I'm not afraid, not afraid to die!

Not afraid, I'm not afraid to die!

The song then ended, and the three stepped back. Craig then smiled before he said “Wow… you guys are amazing… and I don’t say that often to singers… I normally take the joke and rip of Rainbow Dash.”

“Hey!” Rainbow said, causing the others to laugh.

“Anyway, I think the three of you need this,” Craig said as he tossed three copies of his token to Alex, Viktor and Sebastian before he asked “actually what are your guys tokens?”

Sebastian summoned a power sword, while Viktor brought out an energy sword and Alex made a copy of her snake sword. “These are our tokens, three blades.” Viktor said as they impaled the blades into the ground.

“Seems to fit you all perfectly,” Craig then looked to Sebaste and said “Also… I don’t have your anymore… after all my memories are what I got back from breaking the fourth wall.”

Eliteslayer then summoned a single assault rifle, but this one had an energy bayonet attached. He then handed it to Craig.

“I don’t suppose it’ll have the function it did last time,” Craig asked with a chuckle at the memory’s returning to him from his previous life.

The Spartan then summoned an exact copy of the weapon he had handed Craig before saying, “For those who are in need of a scout, a commander, or a friend, I will answer the call. My name is Eliteslayer, but for those who knew me back then as Sebaste, I have returned… and I am ready to serve and protect…” He then threw the weapon into the air where it vanished in a flash.

“Hey… you think Sebastian will find it and call you?” Craig asked.

“I don't know…. But we'll have to see…” Eliteslayer said.

“If he ever does tell him I see him as family as well.” Craig admitted with his characteristic smile before he cringed in pain once again.

Noticing him wincing, Eliteslayer said, “Craig, our contract is complete. Tell Asuna and Kirito that an old friend says hello.”

“I will, don’t worry about that.”

“And we’ll see each other again sometime, until then, take care brother.” The Spartan said before the four soldiers gave Craig a salute just as a portal opened up behind him.

Craig then saluted them back before he walked back through the portal.

“C’mon, let's get the rest of that barn brought down.” Viktor said before he saw that it had been destroyed during the fight, and an irate Applejack was glaring at them. “Oh son of a…”

Displaced Arc, Chapter 5: Enemy turned Ally

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It had been a week since they had met Craig, and it was obvious that Eliteslayer was more than a bit shaken with the encounter. Sebastian still couldn't believe that the Recon Spartan was an old Displaced that had been sent here by an unknown being from a long time ago, while both Alex and Viktor were more than a little suspicious of why he was here.

“So… you only remember bits and pieces of your old life?” Viktor asked, a frown on his face as the three, along with the Mane 6 confronted the Spartan in the throne room.

“Yeah… that Displacer removed quite a few memories that I would rather have kept.” Eliteslayer replied. Not like I can really remember anyways...

Alex then walked up. “What is your real name? Before you were Displaced?” She asked gently.

“Sebaste… my real name’s Sebaste.” He replied. “I took on the name Eliteslayer to avoid using my real name.”

Just as Sebastian was about to speak, he saw a massive flash of light outside.

Looking outside, Sebastian saw a vortex rip itself into existence outside the castle. As he watched, a group of metallic looking ponies stepped out in two perfect lines, with a familiar rainbow-maned pegasus in the middle of the two lines.

“What the…. Guys, you may want to take a look at this!” The Astartes yelled. Rainbow was the first one there and she halted in shock upon seeing herself outside.

“Alex, teleport us out there!” He said. She nodded and in a flash, the four Displaced and along with Rainbow and Twilight were outside. “Okay, first off, who the hell are you guys?! I don't recall seeing you guys before!”

The Alternate Rainbow Dash glared at him before speaking. “I'd be quiet and let me read out why I'm here if I were you.”

Alex stepped forward. “If you're allies of Flame Tail, then we can show you the same hospitality we give to his troops.” She said, her gauntlet beginning to glow with arcane power. “but if you're not, then why are you here?”

She snorted, before extending her hoof. “I'm just the introducer this time, Sebastian.” She cleared her throat, “Presenting the Third Warmaster of Chaos, Conqueror of Equestria, and Lord of the New Black Legion, Ahzek Ahriman!”

Viktor flinched. “Isn’t that the guy Psi Splitter warned us about?” He muttered.

Out of the Vortex stepped three beings. One wore blood red and yellow Astartes power armor, and carried with him a massive chainaxe, his helmet bearing two massive horns. The second one was more equine, her body draped in a cloak, with runes circling around her absently. Her oddly familiar face was covered in dark purple fur, while her eyes glowed with psychic power. A long horn jutted from her head, while two blackened wings sprouted from her back. A small smile was displayed around her muzzle as she walked towards the group.

But the one in the middle caught everyone’s attention.

Covered in what looked like terminator armor, with only his face shown, was what the two ponies guessed was the Warmaster. On his right hand was a massive claw, with a combi-bolter strapped to the side. In his right hand was a staff, with strange baubles hanging from it. His eyes were odd, with multiple rings surrounding the pupils. Eight lines sprouted from the pupils, forming a Star of Chaos.

Sebaste stepped back in shock, as if he recognized the figure. Impossible… my past is starting to catch up to me.. the Spartan thought.

Kyra appeared on Viktor’s shoulder and said, “These guys look like they mean business, and… I'm picking up strange energy readings on two of the figures, while that pegasus… she's got cybernetics all over her.”

“Never mind that, how the hell did they know my name?!” Sebastian asked.

“What, you really don't remember me?” The pegasus asked. “Well, maybe this will jump your memory, especially since I was already scanned by the AI.” At that, the pegasus suddenly faded, replaced by what was essentially a nightmare made real. Where once normal equine legs held up the pegasus, now cold adamantium and hidden technologies stood. Her body was replaced by a heavy amount of armored plating, while her face now had one organic eye, and one glowing red eye. Her mane remained, though it's color seemed a bit drained.

“Firefly, make sure we aren't scanned fully.” She stated, and a glowing red AI version of her appeared.

“Yes, Rainborg. I understand.” It stated, before vanishing.

“Sorry, not ringing a bell in my mind.” Sebastian said.

Sebaste then spoke up. “Rainborg. Long time no see.” He said, but his voice was tense.

“You know these guys?” Alex asked in surprise.

“We’re old acquaintances.” He said, “Last time I saw them, Rainborg was pregnant.”

“Yes, I was. And I now have a nice half-demon filly. I didn't bring her along since she is still a bit young. Glad at least one of you remembers us.” The Cyberpegasus stated coldly, a small bit of hatred in her organic eye as she glared at Sebaste.

“You don't even recognize me do you?” He asked.

“Just because you had a fancy new armor color doesn't mean I don't remember the one who beheaded my friend.” She growled.

“You what?!” Twilight exclaimed, looking at the Recon in shock, Rainbow and the other three giving him the same look.

“You honestly didn't think you guys would have gotten away Scot free without losing some of your forces in the War? I acknowledge that you won that war, but that's behind us now. I have other things to deal with in this universe.” He said, gritting his teeth behind his helmet.

Before Rainborg could reply, the one in the middle cleared his throat. “If I may interrupt,” he stared pointedly at Rainborg, “We have business to attend to here.”

The three looked at him in confusion, but before they could say anything, they heard Nyx run out of the Castle and skid to a stop by Twilight. “Mom, what's going on?” She asked, looking fearfully at the newcomers.

“I don't know honey, but it's not safe right now.” Twilight replied.

Sebaste then spoke up. “What business do you mean, Ahriman?” He asked.

“Mostly checking up on you all, making sure the seals are still intact, and that the universe is still stable.” He stated simply, looking around.

“Let me guess, my Displacer put you up to this?” The Spartan growled.

“Considering I assisted in the displacement of you all, I can technically be counted as half of your Displacer.” He corrected, “But no. I came here of my own accord.”

“Wait… You helped Displace us!?” Alex asked, her face starting to contort in anger. Her hand closed with a whine of servos as it clenched.

“Why yes, I did. I mostly helped in sealing your memories, as well as a bit of recoding to your universe.” He said, matter-of-factly. “It was mostly because I wanted to experiment on the effects of sealing a Displaced’s memory.”

Both Sebastian and Viktor looked ready to launch an all out attack on the group in front of them, but Sebaste stepped in front of them. “Don't. He’s become a being called a Void Dweller, a literal god. He’ll destroy you before you even get within a foot of him.” He said.

“Fine…” Viktor growled before the two backed off.

“Oh, I'd definitely enjoy a battle!” The red Astartes chuckled. “It's been ages since I last fought you guys!”

“Oh can it Khârn.” Sebaste snapped. “And I wouldn't really be that confident…” he then chuckled before five dots centered on the Astartes. “Thanks to a certain droid visiting, we have a few droids defending this place, and we have 100 more awaiting our call.”

“Oh? The more the merrier.” He stated, pointing to the twelve silver ponies, who now had Lascannons pointed at the Spartan.

“These aren't the run of the mill droids the Empire use, they're HK-50 and HK-77 droids.” The Spartan chuckled. He then radioed the droids, “Weapons down, I don't want to risk Twilight, Nyx and Rainbow getting killed.”

The dots then disappeared from Khârn’s chest as the droids retreated. “I'm not going to risk another war in this universe after last time.” The Spartan said. “Besides, I have other problems on my hands.”

“Yes, that Flame Tail fellow I created,” Ahriman chuckled, “After all, he has a decent sized attack force coming as we speak.”

“Permission to say a quote?” Viktor asked. Sebaste nodded. “FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK! FUCKIE FUCKIE FUCKIE YOU!”

“Watch your tongue, lest you lose it.” Ahriman chuckled, snapping his fingers. A zipper appeared over Viktor’s helmet, zipping closed. Viktor was suddenly unable to talk.

“Really? You had to use that Markiplier quote?” Alex chuckled. Viktor rolled his eyes under his helmet.

“As long as it's mostly infantry, we should be okay.” Sebaste said, “If there are any tanks, I can take them out with a Kodiak.”

“I believe there are fifteen squads of heavy infantry, escorted by two three tank squads, two anti-infantry and one anti-vehicle per squad.” Ahriman said. “Hmm.. I wonder if now is a good time to give them the items I brought.”

“... Shit….” Sebaste swore before he then remembered something. “Vik, Activate the ACU.” He said. He nodded before he then ran off to an unknown spot. A minute later, the ground rumbled before a massive mech came into view.

“...Perhaps I should have given Flame Tail access to Titans…” Ahriman muttered.

Sebastian chuckled. “A little gift from a Displaced we helped.” He said before he summoned a plasma cannon while Alex pulled out her sniper rifle. Sebaste however, summoned a heavy machine gun and strode towards the outskirts of the town.

He then looked at Ahriman. “I will warn you once, you try anything funny, I will hunt your commanders down one by one, and their deaths will not be pretty.” He snarled.

“I personally shall not be involved,” Ahriman said, pulling out a notebook and pencil, “I shall merely observe. Though any act of murderous intent towards my military within my universe, or any attempts to assassinate them, will lead to an escalation to war. And this time you won't have a fleet to defend this world.” The Warmaster warned. “Khârn, you may aid them if you wish. Same goes for you, Rainborg.”

A Pelican then appeared next to Sebaste, the troop hatch open. With a nervous look at each other, the three Displaced entered before the Recon entered the Airship and began the ignition sequence.

“Before you go,” Ahriman spoke up, tossing three chips into the Pelican, “Those chips contain a few of your old memories. I'd recommend only using them after the battle, and you'll know why later.” Ahriman explained.

“We’ll see…” Sebaste muttered before the Pelican lifted off, the troop bay hatch closing,and blasted towards the outskirts.

“What memories did you give them, my lord?” The Sorceress asked, glancing to see Khârn had grabbed the underside of the Pelican and was now hitching a ride.

“Oh, only a few traumatizing events during the war, I assure you.” He said, before noticing Twilight and Rainbow.

“While I may have agreed to let you help me re Displace those three, this doesn't mean you can do any of your plans on them Ahriman…”

“Head's up!” Sebastian yelled as he decapitated an enemy soldier.

“That pun was bad and you should feel bad!” Rainborg growled, flying overhead and dropping radioactive grenades upon the foe.

Alex meanwhile cut and blasted a swathe through the soldiers, the snake sword whipping through the air and delivering devastating blows while the Spartan unleashed a barrage of arcane missiles on another squad. “I'm really tired of your beliefs!” She snapped. “Time to show you what I'm capable of!” She then sheathed her weapon and summoned an odd looking gun that then spat out five missiles that locked onto their targets and blew them into pieces of meat.

“WOO! CARNAGE!” Khârn yelled, pretty much bathing in blood at this point as his chainaxe ripped through any pony standing in front of him. “BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD!”

Sebaste strode forward, firing his assault rifle at the enemy. He then leapt forward and a gravity hammer appeared in his hands, with one swing, he sent five ponies flying, shouting “FORE!” along the way.

Viktor chuckled as he watched him from a monitor in the ACU

“Kyra, activate music file 3221, keyword Bushido.” he said.

“You’ve got it.” The AI chuckled before a heavy metal song began to play in his helmet. A tank shell then smashed into the mech’s shield, causing it to stumble backwards. “Shield at 85%.” She warned.

Spotting the tanks, Viktor saw that they looked like Baneblade super heavy Tanks, with a few Leman Russ type tanks mixed in. “Ah crap….” He muttered.

“Hey Rainborg, mind dealing with our problem over there?” Khârn yelled. The Cyberpegasus glanced over at the Baneblades.

“Alright Firefly. Locate a weak point in the armor.” She ordered, her left foreleg transforming into a Lascannon. A targeting reticule showed up in her HUD, while a detailed image of the Baneblade appeared to the right, before pinpointing a portion of the armor that was far weaker than the rest. It was also near the power core of the thing. Taking aim, Rainborg fired the Lascannon arm, hitting the weak point exactly. The Baneblade stopped, before erupting into a massive fireball. The Cyberpegasus dropped down, steam venting from new openings in her sides.

“Alright, I need thirty seconds before I can do anything.” She stated, taking cover in a nearby house. “Heavy Weapons use a lot of power.”

“Yeah yeah, cut with the exposition.” Khârn groaned, ripping a pony’s head off. “I'll make sure no one jumps you.” The Khornate Berserker pulled out a Plasma Pistol, blasting anyone who got close. “Hey Seb, why don't you go Dreadnought mode or something? I may be Chosen of Khorne, but I can't really cut off a tank’s head.”

Sebastian gave the Berserker a confused look. “The hell are you talking about!?”

A massive energy blast smashed into another tank, slagging it instantly. The Astartes looked over to see the barrel of the ACU’s gun smoking as it took aim at another tank.

“Never mind, that things got it handled.” Khârn shrugged, tossing another corpse into a group of enemy soldiers. “Rainborg, you ready yet?”

The Cyberpegasus flew out of the building, her left hoof turned into a bolter. “Yeah, I'm ready!” She let loose on the squad, her bolter ripping into their armor and the fragile organic a underneath. “These guys are just plain easy!”

“Rainborg, incoming!” Sebaste shouted, having noticed a squad of Pegasi equipped with heavier versions of the Magica rifles. The squad then opened fire, catching the others off guard. “Damn it!” The Spartan swore before he activated a Bubble shield that surrounded him, Khârn and Rainborg. Alex quickly cast a shield spell both on her and Sebastian before the two returned fire.

“I would have been fine,” Rainborg growled, her hoof switching from a Bolter to an unusual device. Before the others could ask, it fired, launching what looked like boomerangs very quickly. Before the pegasi could blink, the boomerangs flew up to their necks, cutting clean through before returning to Rainborg’s waiting hoof. It switched again to a large barreled weapon, and the Cyberpegasus took off, her wings transforming into chainswords, with engines keeping her screaming towards the enemy, blasting the first with a sonic blast, before ripping the next to shreds with what looked like deadly spiked pellets.

The chainswords took care of anything that got close, and within seconds, what was left of the squadron was falling to the ground in bloody pieces.

“Can you ID the leader of this force?” She asked, looking down at Sebastian. A lone pegasus charged towards her with a sword in his mouth.

“Look out!” Sebastian yelled.

Rainborg turned, her hoof transforming yet again, this time a long, glowing blade sliding out of the mechanical devices. She countered the enemy’s blade, the power sword cutting it in two, along with the pegasus’s head. She glanced at Sebastian.

“Proximity detector.” She stated simply, before flying off towards where the enemy had come from.

“Show off…” He muttered before he then summoned a pair of gauntlets with four blades each mounted on them that crackled with energy. “FOR THE PRINCESSES! FOR EQUESTRIA!” He roared as he charged forward towards the next enemy squad. A series of loud bangs were heard before a large mech ran past, a single cannon firing before a large fist smashed an enemy soldier to paste in one blow. The legs were double jointed, while a large cockpit could be seen from the side.

Alex froze in shock. “Is that… a Cyclops?!” She stammered.

“A what?” Khârn asked, looking at the mech in confusion. “Is it an enemy?”

“If it is, I'll blast it with what I've got.” Rainborg growled. A Warp Portal appeared, and Midnight stepped out.

“Ahriman has allowed me to aid you in dealing with what's left of the enemy force.” She stated, her eyes beginning to glow a bright blue. “I would recommend you stand back.” The odd color in her eyes spread, what almost looked like bright blue flames erupting across her body, her dark purple armor almost turning into a robe of the flames. Eight black orbs circled around her back, having suddenly appeared. Her wings extended, she floated up into the air, holding out one of her arms.

One of the orbs flew out in front of her hand. The mech dodged out of the way and Sebaste's voice was heard from it. “Oy, watch where you're shooting those! I'm not invincible in this Cyclops y’know!” He said as he opened fire on a nearby squad.

“I do believe I stated to clear the area.” Midnight said.

“Alright, alright!” The Spartan muttered as he retreated, laying down suppressing fire with the heavy cannon mounted on the mech’s right arm

“Golden Wheel Reincarnation Explosion!” Midnight stated, gripping the orb in front of her hand. A burst of power shot out, taking the form of a massive sword. “All who dare to defy the New Black Legion, and any who wish to fight the Dark Gods shall meet this fate.” She growled, raising the blade of energy above her. The enemy fired at her, only for their shots to be blocked by a shield of Warp energy. “Surrender now or be destroyed.”

“Sheesh, you guys must be a lot of fun at parties…” Alex muttered.

“Hey, I'd recommend not insulting Midnight.” Rainborg warned, “That chakra blade of hers, when at full power, can cut the moon in half.”

“Ugh… Effing Naruto…” Viktor groaned.

“Hey, we take what weapons and powers we can get.” Rainborg shrugged. “Plus, it was a gift from that Madara Uchiha Displaced.”

Sebaste looked over the Battlefield as three EAF Gryphon VTOL jets enacted a hit and run on the remaining enemy troops, missiles and energy blasts smashing into them. “About time they got here…” he chuckled.

“Tch.” Midnight deactivated the chakra blade, instead grabbing her staff. “It's been too damn long since I've been able to exert my powers.” She said, blasting a couple stragglers with warp flame.

A tank shell smashed into the ground nearby, causing everyone to stumble from the shockwave. Three of the enemy super heavies had managed to disable the ACU, and were now targeting the Displaced.

“Damn it!” Viktor swore as he ran up. “It's gonna take weeks to repair the ACU…”

“Looks like my wish was granted,” Midnight said, a small grin on her face as the flame cloak reappeared. As the blade reformed, she slashed at them, the energy blade ripping through the first two.

“Actually, the ACU should have an auto repair function.” Rainborg said, collecting some of the enemy weapons. “And if it were destroyed, we'd all be dead too.”

“I’ll worry about it later…” the Spartan said just as Sebastian summoned a Lascannon and fired, striking an exposed gas tank and causing the vehicle to explode.

“It looks like the enemy is in retreat,” A voice said, before Ahriman appeared from a ripple in reality. “Well done.”

The Cyclops then vanished as Sebaste walked up. “Heh, it’s funny that I’ve now encountered two Displaced from my past life… something tells me that's gonna be a thing in the future.” He said.

“Possibly.” Ahriman said, glancing to the battlefield. “Before we go, might I get a meeting with the current leader of Equestria? I want to see who currently is in control.”

“I’ll see if Celestia and Luna will be able to do the meeting.” Sebaste said, “But if they don't, then you’ll respect their decision.”

“Ordering me now, are you?” Ahriman said in a dangerous tone. Then his face brightened, “I'm only joking. I'll respect their decision.”

The Spartan nodded before he activated a private channel to Celestia and Luna. While he talked, Alex looked at Khârn’s metal arm in surprise. I thought I was the only one that had a mechanical arm… She thought, rubbing her own arm.

“He lost it in an accident during the War of Shadows.” A voice seemingly slithered into her mind, “Though Rainborg is currently researching a possible way to recreate a missing limb and successfully attach it.” Alex looked over to see Midnight staring at her.

Alex snorted. “I had already lost my arm before I was Displaced.” She said bitterly, “So it's nothing new to me. And I would prefer if you stayed out of my mind.”

“It wouldn't happen if you knew how to protect your mind,” Midnight shrugged. “Your thoughts are mostly just flying out of your head.”

Viktor then walked up to his sister and gave Midnight a curious look. “It's funny, but there's a character named Midnight Sparkle from where we came from. But she looked waaaay more different than how you look.” He said.

“Well, that's probably due to the fact that, unlike my counterpart in Canterlot High, I have become what is commonly known as a Daemon Prince. The Changer of Fates gifted me this power a few years ago.” Midnight shrugged.

Sebaste then turned to Ahriman, a frown on his face. “I’ve managed to convince the Princesses to allow the meeting, but they're a bit… upset about you appearing with heavily armed troops out of nowhere. But they’ve agreed to meet you in Ponyville at Twilight's castle.” He said.

“The troops are merely a precaution. For your sakes more than mine.” Ahriman stated, looking out to the forest nearby. “After all, if you had attacked us immediately, better to fight my soldiers than to fight me.”

The Spartan snorted. “This’ll definitely be a tale worth telling Craig…” he muttered.

“I'm sure it would.” Ahriman replied, turning towards Ponyville’s direction. “Now, I have a meeting to get to, unless you're supposed to escort me or something.”

“We were supposed to head back to Ponyville anyways. Alex has magic training with Twilight.” Viktor said.

“I see.” Ahriman said, looking over to his group. “You three, we are moving back to Ponyville.” He ordered, and they quickly set up a defensive formation around him.

Sebaste turned to his own group and said, “I think it's time I showed you guys what else you’re able to do. Concentrate on what vehicle you want, and it’ll appear next to you like this.” A Warthog appeared next to the Recon.

Nodding, Sebastian soon had a Space Marine Bike, while Alex and Viktor jumped into the Warthog that Sebaste had summoned, the Recon taking the driver's seat. With a roar of engines, the four soon drove towards Ponyville, Sebastian taking the lead on his bike.

When they arrived, they found Ahriman and his group waiting for them.

“Took you long enough,” Khârn snorted.

“Unlike you, we don't have a Void Dweller to transport us.” Sebaste said, rolling his eyes.

“Whatever.” Khârn shrugged, before turning towards the town. “So, a meeting with Celestia and Luna, eh? Can't wait to see old Lulu again!”

“I wouldn't call her “Lulu”, not unless you want to be hit by a shot from her “Charybdis” pattern Auto-musket, that thing can easily bust titanium. It could easily put a dent in that armor of yours.” The Spartan warned. “I did that once, took at least 3 days for me to recover.”

“Eh, whatevs.” Khârn shrugged, before turning to Ahriman. “Hey, Ahriman, didn't you work as Luna’s closest commander and her top Mage during the Civil War?” He asked, and the Warmaster nodded.

“This took place before the start of Season 1?” Sebaste asked.

“Yes, a couple years after Discord was sealed in stone. Celestia and Luna went to war, and during the final battle, Luna turned into Nightmare Moon and was banished to the moon. We were also banished to the Warp.” Ahriman replied, spotting the castle in the distance.

“Seems a lot of people I’ve met were either banished or stoned by Celestia… and in some cases both her and Luna.” The Spartan said, his voice distant.

“I see.” Ahriman said as they arrived. “Now then, I suppose the meeting is in the Throne Room?”

“Aye. They're waiting there as we speak.” Sebaste said.

“Alright then. I'm guessing your gonna have us leave our weapons with you or something?” Ahriman asked, stepping into the castle.

“You’re allowed to keep your weapons as long as you activate the safeties on them. Other than that, if you don't comply, leave them near the door.”

“Alright then.” Ahriman stated, leaving his weapons where he was told to. The others did the same. The group then entered the Throne Room.

Celestia, Luna and the Mane 6 looked up as they entered. “I assume you're Ahriman of the New Black Legion?” Celestia asked, her tone steely.

“Yes, I am.” Ahriman said, turning towards Luna and giving a slight bow.

Luna gave a slight nod in return before asking, “Why are you here, if I may ask? And with armed soldiers at that?”

“The armed soldiers are more of a security measure, in case someone attempts to attack me. As for why I'm here, just a bit of a checkup, to make sure that nothing particularly bad happened during the recoding of this universe. And to make sure these three,” he pointed to Sasha, Alex and Viktor, “Didn't end up insane upon arrival.”

Celestia raised one of her eyebrows. “What in Equestria are you talking about?” She asked.

“He’s what's known as a Void Dweller, a literal god.” Sebaste explained. “Able to create a universe and Displace anyone into it.”

The eyes of the ponies in the room widened at that. “So he was the one that sent you here?” Rainbow asked.

“No, that was a person I worked with. I merely did some reprogramming of the universe. It was a total wreck before all this.” Ahriman answered.

“And why do you think?” Sebaste snarked, “If you hadn't decided to attack my old universe, it wouldn't have been like that!” His tone turned dark at that.

“Are you trying to turn this peaceful conversation into a hostile one?” Ahriman asked, his eyes turned red, with a black star of chaos in the center of the iris.

“No, just still a bit ticked off at that.” Sebaste said, before he turned to Celestia. “Your highness, if you need me, I’ll be outside.” He said before he then left the room.

“Well, now that he’s gone, where were we?” Ahriman said, deactivating his Sharingan.

“You were sitting on the toilet.” Viktor said with a straight face while Alex and Sebastian both groaned at that, Twilight and the others stifling their giggles.

“So this is the me of the current version of this universe?” Midnight asked, looking down over Twilight’s throne. “A bit more cheerful than what I was expecting.”

“Midnight, you can chat with her telepathically later.” Ahriman said. The Daemon Princess sighed, before floating back over to where she was earlier.

Twilight shifted her wings nervously, the prosthetics whirring as they moved. She eyed both Midnight and Rainborg with both fascination and fear.

“Yo.” Rainborg said, nodding towards Twilight’s wings. “Nice wings. I'm detecting some pretty good metal alloys off of it, though it could be better. They still look a bit frail, and could probably get totaled by a stray bullet. If you want, I could sometime give you some reinforced armor for them. Light armor, mind you, but armor nonetheless.”

“They have a shield spell woven into them, so they won't be shot down anytime soon.” Twilight said, her ears twitching nervously.

“I see.” Rainborg replied. “So, why are you so nervous?” She walked over. “Is it because I'm more Machine than Pony?”

Twilight nodded. “I’ve never seen a pony with that many… augmentations before.” She admitted.

“Well, originally, it was just a few simple augments, like my right eye and my forelegs. My wings got ripped off by some Displaced, and then I just started adding more to myself.” Rainborg shrugged.

Sebastian chuckled, “So you went all Iron Hands? Never really understood why they went whole hog with the augments, but that's just me.”

“Yeah, well the Displaced who outfitted me with the original upgrades later gave me a piece of hardware that allows for me to look and feel like my old self.” Rainborg said. “Though you've already seen that firsthand.”

“I’ll admit, that was a surprise for me too.” Sebaste said as he re entered the room. “I'm guessing that Rainbine gave you that upgrade?”

“Yeah. She also gave me a few other software updates, like a music player for instance.” The Cyberpegasus replied.

“Hey Rainborg, I think I have a song or two you might like.” Viktor said as Kyra appeared on his shoulder.

“Do you have a data port or cord thing? I mean, I do have my own personal wifi, but I generally refrain from using it.” Rainborg shrugged.

“Yeah, hang on…” He then opened a slot on his arm armor and pulled out a plug in storage device. He then plugged it into his armor and said, “Kyra, add music files 4433 and 2008, keywords Factory Remix and Sister Location.” In a just a few minutes, the two songs were added to the device

“Alright, the data port is next to my left ear. Please try not to damage it, and please don't try anything funny. Firefly can and will turn your suit into your coffin.” Rainborg warned, the data port popping open.

Viktor rolled his eyes before he carefully plugged the device in. “There ya go.” He said.

“Good. And yes, the threat was necessary. I'm essentially giving you access to my freaking mind.” Rainborg stated, before downloading the files.

“I’ll mind what I do around you.” The Spartan chuckled nervously as he removed the device and returned it to its slot. “Hope you enjoy the songs.”

“Eh. But anyways, Twilight, if ever you need a mechanic for your wings,” Rainborg pulled out a small button, “Press this. It's essentially a homing beacon for my teleporter.” She tossed it over to the alicorn.

Twilight grabbed the button with her magic and put it in a small slot in her armor. Celestia then cleared her throat. “If there's nothing else to be discussed, then this meeting is adjourned.”

“Yes. It was good to see you, Princess Celestia, as well as you, Princess Luna. I still have some fond memories of serving under you during the civil war back in my universe.” Ahriman said, rising from the table.

Despite looking confused, Luna said, “Twas nice meeting you, Ahriman. May Faust protect you.”

Sebaste then spoke up. “I may have had a bad start when we first met, but now, maybe you redisplacing me showed that there's always a second chance to start things over.” He then chuckled. “If I had said this when I was younger, I wouldn't have believed what I had just uttered from my mouth.”

“Well, if you ever need us,” Ahriman gestured to Khârn, who tossed a plasma gun to them, “That's Khârn’s token.”

Sebaste grabbed the weapon before he asked, “You still have my old token?”

“I believe so.” Ahriman said as he walked out to the main hall.

“If it's changed to an AR with a energy bayonet, then that means my token has reactivated.” He said

“Alright.” Ahriman said, opening up a rift to his universe. “I bid you farewell, Princess Celestia, Princess Lulu, and the others.” He said, stepping through the portal. The others followed him.

“Farewell Ahriman.” Celestia said.

Sebaste watched as the members of the New Black Legion entered the rift, his eyes distant. He then sighed as an old memory surfaced, one of when he had joked with the Mane 6 while relaxing at the Golden Oaks library.

Suddenly, a knock came to the door. “Special delivery for one Sebaste!”

The Spartan walked to the door, a confused look hidden under his helmet as he opened the door.

A mail pony looked up at him. “Are you Sebaste?” He asked, nodding with his head towards a large crate. “This came on the mail for you.”

The heck is this? “Yeah, I'm Sebaste… but most of the ponies know me as Eliteslayer.” The Spartan replied.

“Just sign here please.” The mailpony held out a clipboard with his mouth.

The Spartan took the clipboard and after signing it, handed it back to the courier.

“Alright, have a good day!” The Mailpony said, before walking off, leaving the large crate behind.

“Yo, Eliteslayer! What's going on? And what the heck is with the crate?!” Viktor asked as he walked up.
[P
“I have no idea, but stand back.” The veteran Spartan said before he smashed one side of the box, ripping the side off and knocking the top away. He then looked at the occupant in shock. “It… it can't be…” He stammered. “You… you were declared dead!”

“S-Sebaste? Where am I?” Huddled on the floor, while heavily augmented, was the Rainbow from his old universe.

Displaced Arc, Chapter 6: Feet first into Hell

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Viktor stared at the pegasus in the crate in shock. “Seb… why is there a Rainbow with cybernetic and robotic parts in here?” He asked.

“W-who are you?” She asked, her voice shaking in fear.

“Rainbow, you’re okay.” Sebaste said, kneeling down. “It's been a long time.”

With a sob, the pegasus ran towards the Spartan, who braced himself as she glomped him, tears pouring down the right side of face. Her front legs and wings clanged on his armor. He then looked up to Viktor and said, “Get Alex and Sasha, we’re gonna need to discuss what to do.”

Viktor nodded, but as he did so, a portal suddenly opened up under him. “Son of a-!” He yelped as he fell through. From the yelps coming from the castle, Sebaste guessed that the other two had also fallen into a portal. He quickly got up and looked at his old world’s Rainbow.

“Dashie, I need you to go into the castle. I’ll be back in a few hours.” He said just as a portal opened under him. He then yelled, “INTO THE FIRES OF WAR!” as he fell in.

(Moments before the Summoning…)

The next day, the citizens of Ponyville were about to start their normal routine, only to hear and feel the sounds of marching. Wondering what that could be, most of those outside, turned towards where it was coming from; The Everfree Forest. As to what came out from there, was an army. A hundred strong, they marched into town their armour was all the same, looking like that of a Crusading Knight, or Templar, from the old tales of human history. But these weren’t ordinary humans, these were the Knights of Doom; The Night Sentinels.

Those within the streets quickly got out of the way, quite frightened by the sudden display. As they marched onward, the children were in awe, seeing such beings in ancient, yet highly advanced armoury and such. Until it all clicked together, yet surprising them still; this army was for the princess's Doom Marines.

And when the Hell Marchers stopped by a simple motel, the Doom Marines themselves, all but jumped out through a second floor window, landing in front of their forces, and they all cheered and praised amongst each other. Although, for the last Doom Marine, The Hunter of Silence took the civilised way out of the motel, followed closely by the Princess of Tartarus herself.

But, in the midst of all of their joyous moments, it was all shattered. An attack was made on the town, by none other, than Queen Cocoon’s Hive. Apparently, she had sent out an massive army, over 2000 of them. But all the Changeling army had done was piss off the Doom Marines and their Night Sentinels. And they would soon learn, how dead wrong they were to try and invade their reunion.

Enraged, the Bloody-handed Berserker, and his faction, consistent of twenty forces, charged right into the heart of the invaders, along with the Princess of Tartarus. With their swords drawn, they engaged the enemy, ripping and tearing their foes asunder. While this was happening, the rest of the Changeling army scattered, flying away from the bloodthirsty berserkers, and focused on capturing the town. Easier said than done, as they got shot down by the rest of the defenders, who quickly spread themselves out in defensive positions. No matter what they did, it never made much of a difference; whether they in the air or on ground, they were slaughtered.

Still, some did manage to slip by, working their way around these powerful beings. Some of these ones decided to call in some reinforcements, upon which they teleported inside the town, and started wreaking havoc wherever they can. In one house, Button Mash and his Mother were hiding inside their basement. Holding her son tightly, they heard their front door getting broken through, hearing voices along with it.

“Search this place! We’ll get these monsters to comply with our demands with hostages!” One of the Changelings said, as many hoofsteps were heard going about.

“Mom… I’m scared.” Button Mash whispered.

“Don’t worry honey. I won’t let them near you, I promise.” His mother vowed.

“They’re in here! Can you sense their fear?” The Changeling cackled, as he started busting down the door.

While this was happening, something fell in front of Button. His mother never caught it, too focused on the door getting smashed in. Picking it up, he looked it over, not really sure on what to make of it. That is, until he heard a voice coming from it.

“This is Sebastian of the Dark Angels, and Spartans Viktor and Alexandra of the UNSC. For those out there, if you are outnumbered and need help, or if your world and its inhabitants are in danger or you just want to hang out, call upon the protectors of Humanity’s future, from both the 41st Millennium and the 24th century. Ave Imperator! For the Emperor and the UNSC! For Equestria!”

Now that, was even stranger. But before he could do anything, he heard the door, their final barrier between them and the Changelings, came crashing down. Horrified, he clutched onto his mother very tightly, while also whimpering and crying. “Please… Somepony help us? Anypony?”

Just as they were losing hope, a portal open up from the ceiling of the basement, and three figures came crashing down in front of them. Before they could think on this, however, the Changelings made it down stairs.

“Alright then, let’s get a move… What in the--!?”

“Ugh… anyone get the number on that Pelican?” One of the figures groaned as two more stood up next to it. All three were heavily armored, but each armor was different. Two were more sleek looking while the third was a bit more bulky, but all three towered over the Changelings, the third even towering over the other two. “Where the hell are… WHAT IN DORN’S NAME?!” The third figure exclaimed as he spotted the Changelings. “Who the hell are these guys?!

“JUST HOW MANY OF YOU DAMN THINGS ARE THERE!?” The first Changeling exclaimed, as the others behind him were just as surprised as he was. But before they could do anything, the Changelings were gunned down, with the first getting both of his legs shot at, crippling him in the process. “AGH! MY LEGS!”

Just then, they heard heavy footsteps coming down the stairs. It was a Night Sentinel, but this one was carrying a hammer in both hands. Placing a boot on the downed Changelings back, he lifted his hammer over his head, and crushed it into oblivion. Looking back at the new comers, they looked towards him, then at the two Equestrians behind them.

“Wait, is that a pony with a human body?” The first figure asked in confusion. “What kind of Equestria is this?!”

“Ahem!” The Night Sentinel coughed, getting their attention back to him. “If you’re quite finished, may we take this outside?”

The three nodded before they walked up the stairs. “What exactly is going on here?”

“War.” The Night Sentinel answered them. “If you couldn’t tell from the gunfire and battle cries ringing outside.”

“Great…. We go from one war to another …..” The second figure muttered, her voice annoyed.

“That’s odd. I thought you lot were warriors, not whiners.” The Night Sentinel said.

“We have our own problems back in our own Equestria.” She snapped.

But this only made him realise for what they truly were. “Ah, so you lot are Displaced yourselves. I’m sure our Lords will want to hear of this.” When he said that, they were thoroughly surprised by this. He knew exactly who and what they are.

Just then, a single portal opened and a fourth armored figure slammed into the ground. As he stood up, he took one look at the Night Sentinel and stepped back in shock. “How… How the heck did a Templar get into Equestria?!”

“Sorry to disappoint you, but I’m no Templar. Also…” As he said that, he grabbed the newcomer and jerked him out of the way, as a half torn, dead Changeling body came flying through a window. “Mind the body parts. The young ones tend to get rowdy in a fight. I’m a Night Sentinel, by the way, now follow me, and killed anything that’s a pest.”

“I can see that…” the figure said. Spotting a Changeling charging towards a pony, a odd looking weapon suddenly appeared in its hand, and with an ear-splitting BANG!, the Changeling was quickly dispatched. “Stupid bugs…” the figure muttered.

“Quite right and nice aim. Now come…” The Night Sentinel said, as he steps out the front door and starts running through the Chaos, like it was a normal thing to do. Looking at each other, they didn’t know what to do, until one of the other Night Sentinels started yelling at them.

“WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING!? EITHER YOU GET A MOVE ON, OR GO KILL YOURSELVES!” She shouted angrily, as she killed off five Changelings, at once, within a second. They didn’t know how she did that, but she was already gone before they could say something.

“How wude!” One of the figures said in a funny voice.

“Can it Vik, we need to get moving. Alex, Sasha, clear a path for us.” The fourth figure said.

“You got it, Seb.” Alex said as she unsheathed her snake blade and activated its whip form.

Sebastian quickly summoned a pair of bladed gauntlets and charged forward, bringing down three Changelings in a flurry of blows while Alex unleashed blasts of magic from her gauntlet while delivering devastating blows with her own weapon.Viktor and Sebaste followed the two, both opening fire on any changelings that tried to attack from the air.

The four soon found the Night Sentinel nearby. “Who exactly are these “Lords” you mentioned?” Sebaste asked.

“If it isn’t obvious to you, then I’ll explain it; they are like you. They, too, are Displaced.” The Night Sentinel answered, as he splattered one Changeling against a wall, killing it in an instant.

“Why doesn't that surprise me…” the super soldier muttered.

“Whoa. Who’s the mopey Spartan over here?” A new voice spoke up, from behind them. Surprised, they looked behind them and saw the figure, carrying a bloody Chainsaw on his shoulders.

“A Doom Marine?!” Viktor asked in shock. Sebaste was also surprised at this.

“Yes, that I am! I’m one of the five Doom Marines; Deaths Runner. You can call me Runner, for now.” Runner introduced himself to them.

“Eliteslayer, and these three are Sasha, Alex and Viktor.” Sebaste said. Sebastian nodded in greeting while Viktor gave him the peace sign. Alex gave a small wave.

“Nice to meet you.” She said.

“You too. Although…” Runner then looked towards the Astartes.

“Uh… What is it?” Sebastian asked, confused as to why Runner was staring at him.

“... Pussy Slayer.” All four of them did a double take-back from that.

“Excuse me?!” Sebastian growled, taking a step forward in anger before Sebaste stepped forward to stop him.

“Oh, come on. You should have seen that one coming, Lion Lover.” Runner said, not seemingly afraid of the Dark Angel’s growing wrath.

“He mostly just stuck to the books and DoW series.” Alex chuckled as she sheathed her blade. “Although he did see the Prologue to a recent fan animation called “The Lord Inquisitor” before we got Displaced. So he wouldn't really recognize that reference.”

“Hm…” Runner hummed. “I don’t suppose you all remember “If The Emperor Had A Text-To-Speech Device” parody on YouTube, would you?”

“Never watched it.” Sebastian said.

“Well then, here’s a references that one of your own brothers used when he saw Leman Russ in the Warp: “Lion for life, dogfucker.” So you can see why I said that.” Runner explained, which made them all stare at him dumbfounded. “What’s worse, was that little shit was in Deathwatch itself. So most of the Inquisition got thrown in through the Warp, when they invaded the Golden Throne. All in attempt to save the Emperor, when really, they just pissed him off…”

“Sir, if you’re quite finished with your bantering with them, we have a battle to win.” The Night Sentinel said, as he killed off another.

“Who exactly is in charge of the Changelings attacking? Chrysalis?” Sebaste asked as he delivered a headshot to a nearby changeling.

“Nope! We are allied with her because her fucked up bitch of a sister; Queen Cocoon, set the whole thing up with that Canterlot Wedding thing. By tricking her sister to invade and take Canterlot and Equestria, only to get stabbed in the fucking back by her, so she can take over the world.” Runner explained, with that last bit being sarcastic. “Seriously, cliché as fuck. I’m just wondering when we’re gonna kill her.”

“We have our own problems back in our Equestria. You’re not the only one fighting a war!” Viktor said as he gutted a changeling with a pair of energy swords.

“Bro, shut your fucking whining already, okay? You are what you paid for. That’s how the whole Displacement goes.” Runner stated, as he pulled out his Super Shotgun and started blasting away.

“I know that the hard way…” Sebaste muttered, as he unloaded a heavy machine gun onto a group that tried to flank them. “And this is the second time I’ve been Displaced…”

“Oh yeah? Try being entombed for over ten thousand years, then we’ll talk.”

“Geez, seems a lot of Displaced seem to get Stoned… and I've met a pair a long time ago.” The Spartan chuckled.

“News flash! If you’re talking about the Elements of Harmony, or whatever the fuck you call them…” Runner stated, as he broke a neck in the process. “One: the Elements NEVER existed way back then. And two: someone else placed me and the other three in Tombstones.”

“Let me guess… Celestia?”

“No you fucking dumbass! She may have done that to the Berserker, but she didn’t make them!”

“Then who did? Did you even see who put you in the Tombstone?” Alex asked as she fired three arcane missiles into a throng of changelings.

“You try seeing them when you get blindsided!” Runner growled at her. “Can we not talk about this!?”

“Alright, sheesh…” Viktor said. He then leapt up and slammed into the ground, sending a visible shock wave that sent the remaining changelings flying.

Just as they were done, Runner got a message. “Alright ass-fuckers, over to Twi’s castle, let’s go!”

A blue, red and white shield suddenly smacked into Runner, and Pinkie's voice sounded from behind them, “Language!”

“FUCK YOU! DON’T MAKE ME GET BERSERKER!” Runner shouted back.

This was so random that the four busted out laughing.

“Alright, you heard him. Let's roll out.” Sebaste said before a Warthog appeared next to him. Sebastian jumped onto a Space Marine Bike, while the two other Spartans took their spots in the Warthog.

“This ain’t a Michael Bay movie. Also…” As Runner got up, he pulled out a Kunai, and popped one of the tires. “Race ya!” And just like that, he was already gone in a flash.

“Oy!” Sebaste growled before the tire was repaired and with a screech of tires, the four roared forward, Sebastian easily catching up to Runner. “Low blow buddy!” He said, startling the Doom Marine.

“Oh, you want low blow now!” Runner then threw a red glowing sphere which hit the windshield of the bike, but when it went off, it sucked everything dry and shuts it all down. “There’s your fucking low blow, bitch!” He shouts, leaving them in the dust.

“Why you…” Sebastian then pressed a button on the handle grip, and the twin bolters opened up, causing Runner to dodge and giving Sebaste time to zoom past. He then concentrated and with a roar, the engine powered back on and he zipped forward.

If only he didn’t driven too close to Runner, who then grabbed a hold of the driver's wheel, and ripped it out. “Oops! My bad!” And with a tiny push, the Warthog turned off the other way.

“Shit!” Sebaste swore before the three jumped out. “Two can play at that game…” he chuckled before the three were soon mounted in a Falcon and flying towards the castle.

“Do you get the feeling that I’m just dicking with you lot…” They all froze at the sound of Runners. Turning to face him, he was sitting with Sebastian, who was glaring at him in annoyance. They didn’t know what to make of this! “If so… I’m not apologising.”

“How the bloody hell did you even got on here?! And last time I saw Sasha, he was on his bike!” Viktor said

“I circled back around at the last second, and he nearly crashed and died. Because he somehow lost control.” Runner said, upon which they all looked at Sebastian.

“You sabotaged my bike, ya bloody wanker!” He snapped. “You’re lucky my armor protected me from the impact!”

“OK, one: how could I have possibly sabotaged your bike? It was on the fucking move, and I wouldn’t even know how you managed to fling yourself from point A, to point B.” Runner said to him.

“Let’s not worry about this right now, we’re arriving at the castle.” Sebaste said as he brought the Falcon in to land in front of the building.

“Well, let’s see if Hunter left us a few.” Runner spoke as he exited the Falcon, whipping out a Plasma Rifle, with the Stun Bomb mod on.

The other four pulled out their original weapons, two Assault rifles, a sniper rifle, a “Tigris” pattern Bolter and a snake sword. “Geez, I feel an Avengers vibe right now.” Viktor joked.

“Eh, whatever.” Runner shrugged, as he walked up to the doors and kicked them open. Showing a lot of dead Changelings lying about inside. “Aw! Greedy fucker took them all!” He whined. This just confuses the rest and creeped them out.

Moving in, the team scanned the place, finding a lot of Changelings in pieces of themselves, even seeing a couple of new variants. Reaching a familiar room, Runner opens it up, to see, not only Hunter, but some of his faction along with him, tending to the wounded Lunar Guard. Although what really surprised the four, was the fact that a couple of them had guns on them.

Looking up, the Captain of the Lunar Guard spoke up. “Sir? Who are these four?” She asked.

“Newbs. That’s all you need to know about them.” Runner answered her.

“Buddy, I’ve fought in two wars, so I'm no newb.” Sebaste said. “As for the guns, that's not exactly surprising to me. Both the Solar and Lunar Guard in our Equestria are equipped with firearms, albeit more advanced than these.”

“Right… Won any of those wars?” Runner asked.

“The first war, no. The second one is still ongoing as far as I know.” Sebaste replied, a warning tone in his voice that hinted he didn't want to pursue the matter further. “But they were against other Displaced. But the one that I lost… it was fought in my old Equestria.”

Runner didn't say anything as he walked over to the other Doom Marine, who had been rather silent throughout the whole thing. As he neared him, he saw the Mane Six and the CMC with him. “Hey guys, brought some company.” He said.

Looking at the new arrivals, they were quite frightened by them at first, but settled down. Seeing them in advanced armour, Twilight was the first to ask Runner. “So, who are they?”

“Displaced, just like me and the bros. Speaking of which, how’s our Berserker brother doing?” Runner answered her, while asking Hunter.

Sebaste then stepped forward. “The name’s Eliteslayer, and the three behind me are Alexandra, Viktor and Sebastian. Nice to see you Twi.” He said, nodding to the lavender Alicorn.

“Nice to meet you, too.” She replied nervously. “Although, I kinda wish it was under...better circumstances.”

“Believe me, I'm no stranger to being called into a battlefield by other Displaced.” The Spartan chuckled.

“... Yeah, I guess so…” She sounded depressed by that.

“Hey. Don't be like that, I may look like a soldier, but that doesn't mean I don't care about others. If anyone did anything to harm my Equestria or any other Equestrias, they would be in a massive amount of trouble with me.” He said gently.

“Sorry, it’s not what I meant. I know you’re not some killing machine, but it’s just that… This war really has taken a toll on us, especially me and my family.” She started explaining, as Cadence came over to her and hugged her. “We lost Shining Armour. He was killed before we could ever save him and Cadence both. The Crystal Empire was captured, before Cocoon made her move on Canterlot. But if it wasn’t for the Doom Marine, we would have already lost, and I’ve seen how powerful he can get when enraged. Even seeing my brother dead was enough to send him into a blood frenzy, and he killed my brother’s murderers with his bare hands.”

Sebaste looked at the two Alicorns with sympathy in his eyes as he took his helmet off, revealing a face in its mid 20s with two slash scars over one eye and a mop of reddish brown hair. “I'm truly sorry you lost Shining. I know what it's like to lose those I was supposed to protect.” He said, his tone bitter at the memories. “How long has this war been going on?”

“Only about a couple of months or so, give or take. Chrysalis came to us, warning us about her sister’s plot and such. We tried to ready ourselves, but it didn’t matter, Cocoon’s forces were already in motion before we knew it.” Cadence explained. “She already poisoned the Crystal Heart, turning our defences against us, trapping us within our own city. And it only took one Doom Marine to liberate both Canterlot and the Crystal Empire within one day. He even went so far as to build a Memorial Stone for our Fallen. I think he still blames himself for failing to save Shining…”

“They are literally meant to be one man armies capable of taking out Daemons.” Sebastian spoke up, “So him taking out all those Changelings with his hands would be child’s play to him.”

Sebaste gave the Astartes a warning look before he said, “I know the feeling myself. I failed to save the Celestia and Applejack in my old Equestria before I was re Displaced to the universe these three are in. And I still blame myself for not being fast enough to save them…”

Just then, Runner spoke up. “Good news people; the Changeling Fuckers are in full retreat. Or what’s left of them dumbasses!” He said with a laugh, one that sent chills down everyone’s spines, save for the Night Sentinels and Hunter.

Alex looked at Twilight with a bemused look that was hidden beneath her helmet. “He always like this?” She asked.

“We don’t know them that much. They rarely, ever, tell us about their past. That and Luna told us not to question them, since they’re very secretive.” Twilight answered her.

“So now what? Do we wait for the others to get here?” Viktor asked.

“Nope! We go to them, follow us!” Runner said, as he and Hunter started moving outside, with the rest trailing them. “Also, when we see Berserker, let us do the talking. You lot just stay where I tell you to, got it?”

“Yes sir….” Sebastian muttered sarcastically.

“Cut it the fuck out. No need for that bullshit, and I’m only doing this, so that you can stay alive, without having your fucking Geneseed ripped out of you.” Runner warned him.

“If he’s anything like Khârn, but without the being devoted to Khorne, then I’ll be glad to let you do the talking.” Sebaste said.

“He would rather rip off Khorne's head, then be devoted. But then again, where would any of us be without the Blood God?” Runner said, as they made their way to the open fields. Once there though, the place was filled with so many mangled bodies, it would make normal people queasy.

“Geez, and I thought Khornates were messy…” Viktor muttered.

“He isn’t known as The Bloody-handed Berserker for nothing. Now, stay here, and don’t make anymore wise-ass jokes. Hunter, stay here and watch the little kitties.” Runner said as he walked off through the field to find Berserker, while his brother’s faction killed off any survivors.

The four Displaced watched as Runner left before Kyra then appeared on Viktor's shoulder. “Well he certainly seems fun…” The AI said.

Viktor rolled his eyes. “Tell me about it.” He said, only to get an unexpected smack behind the head. “OW! What the--!?” Surprised, he turned to find that it was Hunter who did the deed.

“Yo, the heck was that for?” He asked indignantly, but Hunter didn’t answer him. “Are you gonna answer me, or not?” Again, no reply.

“Vik, leave it.” Sebaste ordered, the Orbital nodding while rubbing the back of his head.

“So… What exactly is the story behind the Doom Marines?” Sebastian asked Twilight, “Are they supposed to be guardians of Equestria?”

“I’m not so sure myself. I think they are, but at the same time, they just do what they need to do. When we awoke the first one, apparently Celestia sealed him up inside a Tombstone, which they all got sealed up. There’s actually five of them in total.” Twilight explained. “The Hunter of Silence we found in Manehattan…” She pointed towards the aforementioned Doom Marine. “... While Deaths Runner was found in the Badlands. Right now, there’s only two left to find.” She finished.

“So they're looking for the other two Marines…” Sebaste said, looking at Hunter with a thoughtful look. He then frowned. “There's one thing that confuses me, how did those humans wearing old Knights Templar armor get here? Them being here shouldn't even be possible, as they need something to send them to Equestria…” he asked.

Before anyone could answer, a Changeling corpse was flung at him, hitting him square in the chest. Staggering backwards, he was confused by this, until he saw who did it. Walking towards them, Runner, Berserker, and a Night Sentinel came to stop in front of them. Berserker still held his sword in hand, looking ready to cut down another person.

“Geez, ask an honest question and I get a bloody Changeling in the chest….” the Spartan muttered.

“Hey! What did I say about wise-ass jokes!?” Runner reminded them.

“I wasn't cracking a joke that time, idiot!” Sebaste snapped. “I was honestly curious about something and got interrupted by that changeling getting thrown at me!”

Hearing Berserker growl, they backed up from him. “Wow, okay! Maybe we were getting a little too personal with that question! Don’t you think ES!?” Viktor stated, nervously looking at the Doom Marine.

Sebaste sighed in exasperation. “It was about the Night Sentinels, I was just curious as to how they even got here. Then again, I’ve seen Equestrias that have Clone Troopers and Droids from Star Wars….”

The Night Sentinel standing beside Berserker placed a hand on his shoulder, and calmed him down. “Let me tell them. They are only curious…” They were surprised that this Night Sentinel was female, but even more so by her actions, that seem to have calmed him down.

Then they heard him speak. “I know that overgrown Cat Licker right there…” He said, as he pointed his sword towards the Dark Angel. “He’ll kill you for what you really are, if you tell them. I’m not risking that.”

“Buddy, I'm not an actual Astartes.” Sebastian said, “I just happened to be at the wrong Comic Con when I bought that Bolter from that blasted merchant.”

“Oh really? Well then, if you want to know, then fine. The Night Sentinels are Demons from Tartarus!” Berserker growled. Surprising the four with that answer.

Sebaste looked at the Night Sentinel with interest. “Interesting, I’ve fought against Chaos Daemons, but I can tell you're something different. I have heard of good demons, but never seen one myself.” He said.

This got a chuckle from her. “Good demons? Really? That’s a first for us.” She said amusingly. “Although, I wouldn’t say good, but nor are we bad. We are the Wardens of Tartarus itself. It’s our duty to punish those who have wrought sins, such as Tirek. Besides, someone has to do the deed. Wouldn’t you agree?”

“So you're the guards of Tartarus itself?” Sebastian asked, his eyes thoughtful.

“Indeed. But for me, I’m actually the Princess of Tartarus.” She answered them.

“Say wut?” Viktor asked in a dumbfounded tone, the other three also shocked by this.

“You heard right.” She said cheekily to them. Which actually got a dark chuckle from Berserker and the other Night Sentinels, that send an even chillier feeling down their spines.

“So why exactly are you allied with the Doom Marines?” Kyra asked, her voice curious.

“If it wasn’t for them, the Armies of Hell would have killed us off, and taken Tartarus into their realm as their spoils of victory.” She answered the AI. “But we weren’t humans back then, at least not in appearance.”

“Then in this case, I’d like to introduce myself and my cohorts. The name’s Eliteslayer, and these three are Alexandra, her brother Viktor and Sebastian.” Sebaste said, the three Spartans snapping a military salute while Sebastian crashed his arm across his chest.

“Greetings, my name is Visilia. Nice to meet you.” She replied, giving a bow towards the four.

Sebaste nodded in return before looking at the Berserker. “So you're the Marine that single-handedly managed to take back two cities in just a day… I'm impressed, not even a Spartan could manage that.” He chuckled.

Berserker just shrugged at this. “They didn’t even see it coming, and they weren’t technologically advanced either. Although, I was so close to killing that bitch Cocoon, she got away from me. No thanks to that cheap shot her Changeling gave me at the last moment.” As he said that, he placed his sword on his back, mag-locking it into place. “Other than that, I finally get to punch Tia in the face.” At the mere mention of Celestia’s name, Visilia clutched up a fist, growling in the process.

“Bad blood?” Sebaste asked. “You’re not the first Displaced to be sealed in stone by Celestia, although in their case, the Elements of Harmony were used while you got sealed in what the Doom Marine was in from the rebooted game was in.”

“True. But at least there has been some good things made, without the need for war. So that’s something to look forward to, I guess.” He said. Then he asked them. “What’s your war anyway?”

“A pony called Flame Tail had declared war on the Princesses, he’s managed to persuade many of the other cities to join him and so far, he and his allies are winning.” Sebaste replied. “I had done a few infiltration missions to see what we were up against when these three managed to turn the tide by stopping an attack on Ponyville.” He said, gesturing at the other three behind him.

Nodding his head, he asked them another question. “So… How much ground has been lost? And which cities as well?”

“Right now, the main body is being held at Fillydelphia, but raiders from the main base in Stalliongrad have hit Manehatten, Cloudsdale and Ponyville.” Sebastian said, “The three of us, along with Eliteslayer are stationed at Ponyville, our job is to assist the Mane 6 until they're called into duty.”

Visilia looked at Berserker, and asked. “You want to bring retribution upon the Betrayers, don’t you?”

“We already have support in the form of HK droids and a ACU. And we plan on making an assault on the main base in two months time.” Sebaste said.

“That’s not what I meant.” She stated.

“Then what did you mean?” Alex asked hesitantly.

“Reclamation is what I mean.” Visilia answered. “Rather than hit them at their main base, he would retake lost ground, while killing the Betrayers and sending their souls into eternal damnation. With my father waiting on the other side to greet them.” She explained.

“I’ll need to talk to Luna and Celestia before I give my decision. But if they allow it, I will call upon the Doom Marines to take the cities back.” Sebaste said, frowning. “But understand that you will be given orders as to where you would be needed, other than that, you will be free to deliver retribution to Flame Tail's forces.”

Visilia chuckled at this and replied, “You can give them directions, but not orders. What you must understand is that they can’t control them, or us. We care not what they think. Although, they are welcome to try it.” That last part didn’t sit well for them, as they look upon the field, reminding them of what one Doom Marine can do.

“Very well.” Sebaste said. “If you ever need our help, we’ll assist you.”

“Thank you.” Said the new voice. Lifting up a hand, Berserker signalled them to turn around, and standing there was a cloaked figure.

Surprised by this, Sebastian shouted. “Holy Terra! Where in the Emperor’s name did you come from!?”

“Out of thin air.” She answered him. “But in all seriousness, I am the Doom Marine's Guardian. I take care of this universe.”

“So you’re technically a Displacer of sorts?” Sebaste asked.

As he asked, he suddenly felt his neck tightening, causing him to gasp for breath. “Do not make me out as those disgusting Void Dwellers. I was created by the Merchant himself, and even then, I am not counted as one, for I have forsaken that kind of power.” She told him coldly.

“I… meant… no disrespect …” The Spartan gasped. “...I wasn't… aware… of that…”

“Silence.” She commanded. “I do not associate myself to those low lives, and would rather kill them off.”

“Then… we have… something… in common…” Sebaste chuckled hoarsely. “I… have no love…for the Merchant either…”

“He’s not included.” When she said that, she let go of his throat, making him breathe normally again.

He coughed and said, “I'm not a fan of the Void Dwellers myself, hell, a friend of mine even fought one.”

“So I’ve heard. But do not mistake The Merchant as those things.” She stated. “He may displace many, but he does not start wars. Those happen by themselves most of the times, while others are created for those so-called God’s entertainment.”

“Got it…” He then looked at the three Doom Marines before his token appeared in his hands. Tossing it to the Berserker, he said, “If you ever need me, use this to call me.”

Nodding his head, he placed it away, and look towards the Guardian. “Can you get them back home?”

“Of course, I will need to see their princesses, and show them your Token.” The Guardian answered, as she opens up a portal to their Equestria.

“Wait.” Alex said before she, Viktor and Sebastian each summoned their tokens and impaled them into the ground. “These are our tokens, a Power Sword, Energy Sword and a replica of my Snake sword. Use these if you ever need our help.” Her right arm whirred as it moved back down to her side.

“Are we ready to proceed?” The Guardian asked them.

Sebaste nodded before the four entered the portal, followed by the Guardian.

Once back in their own Equestria, Twilight flew out and started to berate the four for disappearing so suddenly, when she noticed the figure behind them. She then asked them. “Uh… Who is that?”

“This is Guardian…” Sebaste answered her. “A being from a different Equestria.” As he said this, he saw Rainbow land next to Twilight.

“Any reason why there's a copy of me with cybernetic parts at the castle?” She asked, a confused look on her face. “And who's the cloaked pony behind you four?”

“I’m here to see if I could possibly get an audience with your Princesses. If they're not too busy.” The Guardian replied.

Twilight answered her. “I’m sorry, but I’m afraid they are currently busy. Perhaps I could hear you out in their stead.” She suggested to Guardian.

“I hope you don't mind, and apologies for having the four whisked away like that.” Guardian said.

“Wait a minute! Are you saying you had us transferred to your Equestria!?” Viktor exclaimed.

“Not exactly. I just dropped your token next to the young one, so he was the one that summoned you lot. Or would you rather they get captured instead?”

“What-- No!! I didn't meant it like that! I-I-It's just…” Viktor tried to find the right words, but Guardian held up her hand.

“Relax. I understand it was all so sudden and out of the blue. One thing everyone must understand is that a Displaced lifestyle isn't normal, by any means. It's far more dysfunctional than one would ever dare want.” She explained to them.

“Don’t I know it…” Sebaste muttered.

“Oh… I see.” Twilight said, a frown full of sadness. “But, they can still try to live a normal life though, right?”

“They can, but only for so long until someone calls for aid.” Guardian said with a sigh. “And I’m afraid my Doom Marines already know of this kind of predicament.”

“By the way, what was with Tall, Dark and Silent back in your Equestria? Was he a mute when he arrived there or something?” Sebastian asked.

“Oh right, Hunter. Well, believe it or not, he was always a mute. He was born that way. But that never stopped him, and he got by just fine.” When she explained about The Hunter of Silence, everyone was stunned by this information.

“Huh… I’ve heard of people like that.” Sebaste said, before he then turned to Rainbow. “That cybernetic version of you at the castle… is the Rainbow from my old universe before I got redisplaced. She was kidnapped by one of Ahriman’s lieutenants during his invasion… And was turned into a combat drone.” He replied, his tone turning steely at the memories.

Guardian placed a hand on his shoulder. “I’m sorry about that, but from what I've heard, you are allied with that very same person, are you not? How do you feel about it?”

“It’s in the past… But the memories of what happened, I still remember. It may be over, but I can still hear Applejack’s cry of pain before the life was crushed out of her… Seeing Celestia’s terrified eyes as she was torn in half…” The Spartan sank to one knee.

“Oh throne damn it…. He’s got PTSD…” Sebastian said. “Guess whatever happened really shook him up…”

“Yes, it would.” Guardian stated as she held him in her arms. “War is no different, no matter where you end up…”

“I concur…” A new voice called out.

A massive armoured figure appeared in a flash of light and looked at Guardian. “The Equestrian Black Crusade was… a mistake on my part….”

“Why?” Guardian asked, until she shook her head. “Actually, no. Don't answer that, I think it would be best if we didn't know. It's not worth knowing.” As she said that, she helped Sebaste back up on his feet.

“Yes, of course. I understand…” The being said, voicing out his guiltiness and regretful decision of the past.

“So, why are you here? Have I overstepped something?” Guardian asked him.

“No, of course not. You have not done anything wrong.” He said as he walked over to them. “I was just curious as to why you wish to speak to both Princess Celestia and Princess Luna?”

“Well, seeing as how things here aren't looking so good, I was hoping they would allow some more assistance.” Guardian stated to him.

“I’m sensing there is more to this than just that. What else are you hoping for?” He inquired.

“Well…” Before she could answer him, they both felt a sudden change, a shift within direction. “Oh no…”

“Oh no, indeed.”

“W-What is it? What's wrong!?” Twilight spoke up.

“I don’t know… but it can’t be good…” Alex said.

“No, it isn't good.” Guardian said as she and the being both pointed towards the doorway, where it was slammed opened by Applejack.

“Applejack? What happened?” Sebastian asked as Sebaste looked over at her.

“Guys, we just-- Who the hay are these two!?” She shouted in surprised shock.

“The displacer of these four and a being from another Equestria, named Guardian.” The being said.

“Applejack, what’s wrong? Did something happen?” Twilight asked, getting her friend to come back down to earth.

Shaking her head, she looked at Twilight and answered her. “It's Fillydelphia… We just lost it, Twilight.” She answered her.

“What?! That's impossible, I had Celestia and Luna send the best troops to protect it! They even had at least one armored corp to assist!” Sebaste exclaimed.

“It was Flame Tail! He lead the assault, and he somehow managed to get inside of town to do so! And only one survivor made it back from that…” Applejack explained.

Sebaste looked at Guardian. “I’ll have your answer in at least a week's time. But understand that they won't be the only Displaced that will be called on.” He said.

She nodded. “I know, but it’ll take a while for them to work with others. They're not exactly used to working with others they don't know or trust. So I’ll see if I can get Berserker to behave himself, he’s especially worse with social interactions.”

He nodded in understanding. “Very well. I’m guessing I’ll need their token to notify you of when the princesses give their answer?” He asked

“Of course, here…” She reached within her robe and pulled out their token. “Just, keep in mind that this is a lot more different than your typical one.”

“I’m guessing it’s an actual Runestone from the Doom game?”

“Well, that and its message is a… Special one. I’ll help you through it, it holds pieces of their memories, so you won't have much of a psychic backlash from it. Trust me, it’ll hurt a lot.” She warned him.

Sebaste nodded before he took it. Once he did, the Obsidian Runestone showed him flashbacks on what they had to fight over ten millennia ago. The many Demons, all coming in many different shapes and sizes, have begun their conquest through Equestria. “They are Rage…” A voice stated, as he was shown the many horrors the Demons have committed upon the weak and defenceless. “... Brutal and without Mercy…” It showed him how some of the unfortunate souls had to suffer throughout this terrible nightmare, one with no end. As many fell victim to their hellish rituals and sacrifices, all so they bring in more and more Demons quickly. “... But you, you will be worst…” Then it showed him all five of the Doom Marines, battling it out against the Demonic Horde, carrying out the most bloodiest and cruelest barbaric acts towards the Demons, with no remorse or pity. There are even some events where they tricked the Demons into traps, that not even they would have thought possible to fall prey to. “... Rip and Tear, until it is done.” Finally, it showed him their power-ups in action. Once they're in that state, nothing could ever hoped to stop them. No matter how hard the Demons tried to fight and kill the Doom Marines, it all ended in failure and death.

Once it was done, Sebaste held his head, as he groaned in pain. “Faust above…. I was expecting the regular voice routine… Not the Doom intro…”

“Sorry about that, but actions speak louder than words.” Guardian said, as she helped him with his headache. “And like I said; not your typical one.”

“Duly noted. I’ve seen gameplay of Doom, and the Doom Marine is not one to be underestimated.” Sebaste said.

“True, but to be completely honest with you, I think you're the only one they'll ever trust at this point. Reasons why? You have more experience than these three.” She stated.

“Hey, what does that suppose to mean!?” Viktor snapped.

“They might not have had much experience, but they’re a team I can count on to watch my back.” Sebaste said.

“I know, but it’ll take time for them to warm up to you. Fighting Demons for so long have made them weary of others. They even have to deal with cultists that worshipped the Demons.” She stated.

“I’m sorry they had to go through that. Fighting a war can be… hard on you.” He said. He then sighed. “I need to let Celestia and Luna know of this. And when they give their answer, I’ll alert you and the Doom Marines. And tell the Berserker… He’s not the only one that blames himself for not being able to save those he was supposed to protect.”

“Of course. Although, should they decline, what then? Will you accept that, or not?” Guardian asked him, as if testing him.

“I’m… Not sure. I mean, they're not that stupid enough to refuse help. And I’ll be damned if I couldn't convince them otherwise.”

“Well, you could always do what Berserker does.” Guardian suggested.

“And risked being turned to stone, sent to the moon, or shot at!? Hell no!” Sebaste shouted, laughing along with Guardian.

“But if they do refuse.. We have other allies to help us.” He said.

“Indeed you do… Flame Tail will regret defying the Princesses, I can assure you.” The Astartes growled, his helmet lenses flashing. He then turned toward Guardian. “Be careful of who you have the Doom Marines encounter… There are those who would use them to further their plans.”

“Trust me, I know who to bring in. I can actually control the flow of Summoning Tokens easily. That way, they won't have to worry about it. They're in safe hands.” Guardian assured them.

The Astartes nodded before he started to fade. “I must take my leave now, two other Displaced require my attention… You could say that these two are about to enter a Brave Frontier…” He gave a small chuckle before he then vanished entirely.

“Well then, I guess I should… Hmm.” Guardian started, but stopped and looked down at her right hand. “Strange…”

“Guardian, what's wrong?” Sebaste asked her.

“I’m not sure, but it felt like… I can't be certain, but I do know it’ll involve the Doom Marines, and possibly you as well.” She clarified.

Sebaste frowned under his helmet. “Weird… But I think it’s time you’d better head back to your Equestria. I need to go notify the princesses of what's happened.” He said.

She nodded and opened up a portal back to her own Equestria. “Alright then… Oh, and by the way Sebaste.”

The Spartan turned and asked, “Yes?”

“Believe it or not, they don't mind fighting wars. Especially The Hell Wars.” When she said that, it left everyone dumbfounded by this.

“I’m sorry, but what?” Viktor asked.

“It's true. They just fought right then and there.” She answered him.

“Were they not… Freaked out?” Sebastian asked next.

“A little bit, but they got over it. They couldn't do much but fight through Hell and back again. Just a heads-up I thought I let you lot know. Farewell for now.” With that said, she entered through the portal as it closed behind her.

Sebaste then looked at Alex. “Alert the others… things just got complicated.”

Displaced Arc, Chapter 7: Super Soldiers and Conduits (Part 1)

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Crossover with "InFAMOUS Displaced" by Wayward Shadow

(3rd Person POV)

“GAHHH!” Sebastian yelped as the three fell through the portal, their destination unknown.

“Guys, I think we might be reaching the end of the road, brace yourselves!” Alex said as a bright light appeared in front of them.

An hour before the summoning
(Delsin's POV)
We (being Tia, Lulu, Stella, Dusk and myself) exited the portal from Tito’s world to our world, Celestia’s office specifically. I could honestly say that it felt good being home.

But, it's usually around that time that Karma decides to be a $#@&¥.

“Your Highnesses!” An Eagle Guard officer barged into the room and bowed. “An update on our search for the Skullcap leaders in Manehatten!”

“Rise, and report.”

“We've discovered an abandoned hideout, but it's what is in the hideout that may catch your interest.” The guard pulled out some photos and hoofed them over to me. I looked at the pictures with some interest.

“What is this?”

“We're not sure, but we're hoping you could help us identify the device.”

“Alright, I'll depart immediately...and Tia’s coming-”

Tia suddenly activated a teleportation spell.

And we arrived in the Manehatten Guard post.

“-with,” I finished.

Tia simply giggled at my deflated statement. “I had the feeling you would allow me to come.”

“Well, don't get used to it,” I said, playfully poking her nose.

She swatted my hand away. “Just go find that device.”

“Where is it?”

“Just a few blocks North,” a nearby guard said. “You'll notice it easily. The place is crawling with Guards and Anti-Skullcaps.”

“Thanks.” I exited the guard post and trekked the few blocks north to the site. The guard that gave me directions wasn't really lying with his description of the place. Guards and Anti-Skullcaps constantly moving. It took me a while, but I was able to find somepony to take me to the device.

The room the device was in seemed impressively built. The interior alone seemed like it could take the very Wrath of God and survive with barely a scratch. The device itself, however, caught my attention. It was a large circular frame with blast shards attached to said frame. The machinery was more complicated than I could adequately describe. The only thing I could say about it was that there was a spot for something to go on the device to activate it.

“This must be the Mother Ship,” I jokingly commented as I walked into the room...only to trip on something and knocking over a desk that had two odd looking swords and a handle for something. The swords clattered to the ground harmlessly, but the handle, in a fit of Bad Karma, decided to bounce onto the device's activation pad.

The portal kicked to life and flung three armored beings on top of me.

“Gah!”

“Dooof!”

“Owww!”

I unceremoniously pushed one of the armored beings off of me, just in time to hear the door to the chamber closing. “Oh CRAP!” I smoke dashed to the door just as it closed and latched. “CRAP!”

“Ugh… anyone get the ID of that Pelican Gunship?” One of the figures spoke up.

I whipped around, smoke trailing my arm as I got a better look at the newcomers. Two of them looked like Spartans from Halo, although one had a mismatched arm. The third looked like a better outfitted version of the Iron Armor MK 1.

“Where… where the heck are we?” Another figure asked, surprising me as the voice was female.

“Better question is, who are you?” I asked, silently prepping a smoke grenade.

The three spun around to face me, their bodies showing their shock. “Vik? You’re not the only one seeing this guy, right?” The third figure asked.

The first figure shook his head. “Buddy, we weren't expecting to do a house call. We have no idea why the heck we were even called here!” He said.

I lowered my arm, canceling the smoke. “I was meaning your names, since we might be stuck in this chamber for a while.”

“Name’s Viktor, and these two are Alexandra and Sebastian, Alex and Sasha respectively.” He said.

“Delsin Rowe,” I said as I used a ray sphere pulse to check the three. Viktor and Sasha were clean, but Alex had the gene, and it was active. “I'm going to avoid shaking your hand for the time being,” I said to her.

She nodded before Sebastian seemed to realize something. “Wait… Delsin? Tito mentioned you when we were in his world….”

Something felt off about what he said. “That's interesting. I just actually was done in his world a few hours ago...at least, according to my perspective.”

“Weird,” he said, “you were there a few days ago, according to him. Time must be different in each Equestria.”

“That...actually makes sense. Maybe synchronization may happen once I...HEY!” I saw a young colt placing the item handle in the portal device. It turned on, sucking the colt in and then exploded, sending blast shards into the walls.

“Ah shit….” Viktor growled. “How the hell are we supposed to get out now?!”

“Let me see if somepony outside can help us out.” I walked to the door and banged on it. “Hey! Could somepony help us out here?”

A loudspeaker suddenly crackled to life. *Who's in the chamber!?*

“Nobody but us chickens.” Viktor wisecracked before Alex whacked him on the back of the head.

“Thank you,” I muttered before responding. *Delsin Rowe and three-*

*The demon has been captured! Retake the base!*

“Sheesh, and I thought Spartans being called demons by the Covenant was original…” Alex muttered.

*Let us out of here or-*

“Or what, darling?” A seductive, feminine voice said from the loudspeaker.

Wait a minute. “SASHA!?”

“I was wondering when you'd find that trap,” she said, “It took a lot of effort to plan out.”

“Old friend of yours?” Sebastian asked. “And why the heck does she sound like Rarity?”

“For one thing, I've heard of her, just never met her. Second, she sounds like that because she's practically a-”

“Now, now. No need to call me names until we at least have our first date.”

“Put a cork in it lady.” Viktor growled. “You already blew this out of proportions when you got us involved.”

“Delsin, dear? Would you kindly keep your pets-” I fired a cinder missile at the speaker, shutting up the transmission.

“Boring conversation anyways… so how the hell are we supposed to get out of here?!” Viktor asked.

“Only one idea left.” I extended my hand for Alex to shake. “I'm gonna need your help. And I'll apologize after we shake.”

Alex hesitantly nodded and took my hand. Our hands then suddenly lit up in blue auras and both of us fell unconscious.

(Alex's mind)
My life had been perfect. I had a brother that cared for me and two great parents, but then one day, when my mom and I were coming back from a mall, a man that had had too much to drink crashed into our car and totaled it. My right arm smashed into the door and was crushed between it and the car. My mom survived also, but when we got to the hospital, the doctors said my arm couldn't be saved and they had to amputate it. The next few days were a blur for me, but a company that made custom prosthetic arms offered to make one for me. Since I was a big fan of SoulCalibur, and of Ivy Valentine in particular, I asked if they could make it after her right arm armor. A few weeks after I got the arm, Viktor, his friend Sasha and I went to the New York Comicon, both me and Vik went as Spartans from Halo 5 while Sasha went as a Astartes from a game called Warhammer 40,000. Unfortunately, Sasha forgot our weapons, but we soon found a vendor that was dressed as a trader from the same game. After we bought the weapons we needed… all three of us blacked out. I woke up next to Viktor who had been looking around at the forest we were now in. Soon after that, what looked like wooden wolves attacked us, I was so scared, I thrust my hand out to deflect any attack. What I didn't expect was a burst of energy that shot out of my hand and smashed into them, turning them into nothing but bits of twig. I realized then that I was able to use magic, and to this day, I'm still scared of my power… but I know that I will use it to protect others.

(Back in the real world)
After the power vision, I woke up to see the business end of a rifle pointed at my face. “Umm...trigger happy, lately?”

Viktor raised his weapon and gave me a hidden glare. “What did you do to Alex?!” He growled. Sebastian was lowering his own weapon, a more heavy looking automatic weapon that was clip fed and from the look of it fired heavy caliber bullets. “You shake her hand and she suddenly faints! So what did you do!?”

“You guys familiar with InFAMOUS?” I asked them.

“We’ve heard of it, never really played it.” Sebastian said, his weapon suddenly vanishing from his hands.

“Third game in the series, the protagonist has the ability to absorb the powers of others of his kind.” I pointed at Alex, who was just beginning to stir. “She's one of them.”

“A conduit? Please, the character her arm’s based off of used magic herself. She wasn't a conduit.” Viktor snorted.

“I've met two Displaced that had their conduit genes active, but in ways related to the character. Sora for light, Vanitas for darkness.”

“Hang on, I’ve heard of those names, they're characters from Kingdom Hearts. You mean there are KH Displaced?!” Sebastian asked in disbelief.

“Can we get back on the topic of escape?” I asked. “I need to see what I can now do.”

“Sorry.”

“Now, you see the glowing crystals that are embedded in the walls?” The two nodded just as Alex shakily stood up. “Grab them. They'll come in handy later.” The three began extracting the blast shards as I examined the door. I closed my eyes and began to feel an energy flowing into my eyes. When I opened them, I was able to see the lock mechanism in the door. “What do you know, this door wasn't designed with intelligent beings in mind.”

Alex looked over to me. “So it can be lock-picked?” She asked.

I turned to her, seeing her armor’s weak spots. She recoiled a bit upon seeing me. “In a way, yes. But no pick will be needed in the process.” I turned my attention back to the door and carefully examined the three bolts that held the door closed. I tested my telekinesis on them and found it was like those trial and error puzzles. It took a few seconds, but the lock was disengaged.

“Say hello to Freed-” The door was suddenly impaled by eight rock spires, forcing the door to stay closed.

“What in Dorn's name?” Sebastian yelped. “Who the hell did that?!”

“Must have been one of the Skullcaps,” I growled. “Most of them are rock conduits.”

Sebastian growled before his entire form suddenly began to glow. “I'm not gonna stay in this room and let those idiots try and harm anypony!” He shouted before the glow became so bright, me and the others had to block our eyes. When it died down, we stared at him in shock. Towering above us was a massive robot, with what looked like a rotary type cannon and a massive fist with a built in gun underneath. Sebastian's voice then emanated from it. ++Well… this was unexpected…++

Viktor whistled. “Dang dude, you’re a flipping Dreadnought!”

I shook my head. “If you're going to go crazy, aim for the ponies painted in red, have bone armor, and have black veins on their faces. Everypony else is not to be harmed under ANY circumstances.”

++ I'm not a bloody Berserker, I do know enemies from civilians.++ Sebastian muttered before he pulled his fist back. ++To a quote a certain Marvel hero: IT'S CLOBBERING TIME!++ He roared as he swung his fist forward. The door flew off its hinges and crashed into the wall. He then changed back into his power armored form and staggered. “Geez, that… took a lot out of me…”

A glowing chunk of rock suddenly flew into the chamber and exploded, sending shards of rock over the four of us. While the three armored Displaced had protection, I wasn't as lucky, getting hit with a few chunks in the ribs and abdomen.

As one, the three suddenly had ranged weapons that weren't in their hands before, and opened fire on our attackers. The rapid chatter of an assault rifle was accompanied by the heavy thud of Sebastian's gun.

Alex quickly ran over to where I was, what looked like a high tech energy rifle in her hands. “You okay?” She asked.

I pulled the rocks out of me, the blue light of magic ‘leaking’ out before the wounds sealed up. “Just the day in the life of a Conduit.” I stood up and unraveled my chain. “Now, let's beat these guys into next Tuesday.” I ran forward, teleported in front of a few Skullcaps and lashed out with my chain. The chain transformed into ethereal ruins and struck hard, behaving like a whip.

The three others soon also charged in, each armed with a different melee weapon. Sebastian was armed with a mace that crackled with energy while Viktor was armed with a massive two handed hammer. Alex however was armed with what looked like a normal sword until she flicked her wrist and the blade transformed into a whip.

“Let's see you fly!” Viktor yelled before he swung his weapon. When it hit, a visible shockwave sent five Skullcaps flying.

I teleported to a catwalk above the combat and began firing off bolts of magic at the Skullcaps below. I charged a shot and fired three homing bolts of magic that hit and restrained them. “Oh, I'm SO going to use this!”

Sebastian smashed aside a Skullcap and shouted, “I'm getting tired of you boneheads! This isn't exactly humerus!”

I dodged a rock bullet and tossed the attacker off of the catwalk. “Now’s not the time for silly puns,” I shouted out. “Save them for tomarrow...DANG IT!!!”

“Fine, I'll finish punishing these guys and leave the jokes for later.” Sebastian chuckled as he punched a Skullcap and sent him sprawling.

I jumped off the catwalk and slammed my fist on the ground, causing several Skullcaps to be sent flying from the magical shockwave. “You guys may want to hold onto something!” I then summoned my magic and began to gather energy into the center of the room. All the Skullcaps, loose boxes, and debris were then sucked into it. I held the energy for a few more seconds before I released it in an explosion that blew the Skullcaps against the walls, wrapped up in magical restraints. The boxes and debris were vaporized. I then collapsed onto my knees, exhausted.

“Holy throne…” Sebastian muttered.

“So what do we with these guys?” Viktor asked, looking at the restrained Skullcaps. “Wait until the authorities arrive?”

“That’s usually best,” I said. I then looked around the room briefly. “Now to find our way out of here.”

“Kyra’s picking up an exit a few feet from us.” The Spartan said, looking around. “I have a nav point on it.”

“Then lead the way. This definitely wasn’t the back alley hideout I entered earlier.”

Viktor nodded before he lead us out of the room. We wandered through the seemingly empty corridor checking every door we came across. “Cheerful place,” I commented after searching the fourth room, finding it empty.

“Trust me, I’ve been in places that would kill.” Sebastian muttered. Viktor then halted and held up a hand.

“I’ve got eyes on the exit. But I'm hearing footsteps outside…” he said. “Wait… I'm hearing a female voice outside and it's not that mare from earlier… geez, she’s got a quite a mouth on her, she… Ouch, Celestia is not gonna be happy about being called that name!”

Suddenly, something small came running from the exit and hid behind my legs. “That crazy robot pony is after me!”

“Who’s this?” Alex said, taking her helmet off and letting her black hair flow onto her shoulders before kneeling down and looking at the colt.

“Yah!” The colt suddenly jumped up and held onto my neck. I was able to get a better look at him while struggling to climb onto my head. He looked like the kind of painted horse you would see Native Americans ride in old west pictures. His barrel was covered with an apparatus of some kind with a variety of tubes coming out of it. And his hooves looked like they were scarred by something.

“Please, don't eat me!” The colt shouted. Hearing his voice suddenly brought something back to me.

“Wait a minute, you're that conduit that begged for my help using that neuro-tar on me!”

“I recognize him, that's Pipsqueak! But… what happened to you?” Sebastian asked the colt.

“He was tortured,” we heard from the door. Looking, we saw Dusk walking through the door, an odd combination of a scowl and sad face on her face.

“So you're Dusk…” Sebastian said, with a nod.

“Yeah? What's it to you?”

“Dark and Rainbow mentioned you when we were in his Equestria. They weren't kidding about you being one moody Alicorn.” He chuckled.

“Don't remind me,” she said, “Anyway, you found Pipsneak and I'll leave you five to deal with Sasha.” She began walking off.

“Dusk.” Alex said, causing her to turn around. “You’re not the only one who went through a hard time.”

“Don't try to sympathize,” she said nonchalantly. She then static teleported out of site.

“Geez, she must be really fun at parties.” Viktor said sarcastically. He then looked at Pipsqueak. “So why did you need Delsin's help?” He asked.

“Well, the power that I have was forced upon me,” he said, “It hurt for it to happen. Then they tried to make me do things...bad things.”

Alex's eyes narrowed in anger and her tone was steely as she said, “Whoever did this… just pissed off the wrong Displaced.”

“I think we should definitely take care of Sasha. If she goes down, that's one less problem for me.”

“What do you know of her?” Viktor asked.

“Tar conduit that looks like the very spawn of Tartarus itself...from what I remember from the game,” I said. “And I hope she has the decency to wear better covering clothing than what the game depicted.”

“So I'm guessing her weakness is fire?” Sebastian asked.

“No,” Pipsqueak answered. “She wears a thing like me.” He pointed to the tube covered apparatus on himself. “You pull the tubes out and it gets harder for her to control her powers.”

“Or take the tubes out from afar…” Alex mused.

“Sounds like a plan,” I said, pointing to the door. “So, this way buddy?”

“Yup!” Pipsqueak answered.

We followed him down the hallway as it began to slope downward. As it began to level out, we noticed that there was a black liquid up to ankle depth.

“Ugh… even though my helmet I can smell the stuff… it’s gonna take forever to get my armor cleaned.” Sebastian groaned.

I knelt down and examined the liquid. “Guys, when we take on Sasha, don't let any of this stuff touch your head or spine.”

“Let me guess, it does something to you?” Alex asked as she resealed her helmet.

“Brief contact will mess with your head a bit, longer exposure, ingestion, or injection will mean a complete takeover of your mind.”

“Good thing we wear helmets and armor then.” Viktor said. “Otherwise, that wouldn't be good.”

We advanced into the neuro-tar, but partway in, Alex was suddenly pulled under the surface of the tar.

“ALEX!” Viktor shouted.

“You really don't know proper dating etiquette,” Sasha’s voice came out of a loudspeaker. “Bringing another girl with you to pick up your date? How heartless.”

“That girl is my sister!” Viktor snarled, what looked like a handheld railgun appearing in his hands. “And you just made the wrong choice, you Tartarus spawn!”

“Delsin, we need to talk in private, away from your pets.” I felt my leg get tugged by something. When I looked down, I was suddenly pulled under and instantly blacked out.

(3rd person POV)

“Delsin!” Viktor shouted as the Conduit was yanked under.

“Pip, can you guide us to where we need to go?” Sebastian asked the colt.

“I think so,” he said nervously.

“Don't think you're off the hook either, welp!”

Pipsqueak shouted out in fear, jumping up and latching onto Viktor’s visor.

“You want him? You go through us…” Sebastian growled. “You think we're scared of you? We’ve seen things that would give you nightmares…”

“I can show you nightmares,” she said as something was formed from the liquid.

Sebastian snorted. “Please, that's not scary.”

The Alien suddenly sprouted a unicorn horn and wings. Its tail then morphed into multiple, whip-like tails. Sebastian’s gun arm was snagged by one of the tails as it flew at him, bio-blades brandished.

“If that's supposed to scare me, then you need to do a better job.” He said before a handheld flamethrower appeared in his hand. “CLEANSE AND BURN!” He roared before a jet of flame engulfed the construct. The construct howled in pain as it burned, but it managed to land a strike with its Bio-blade before dissolving.

“Stronger than I thought,” Sasha said, “And to think I fell for Delsin.”

“Sorry, but I'm not in the mood for dating.” Sebastian growled, wincing as his enhanced physiology healed his wound. “Now give Alex and Delsin back!”

A door nearby opened up, revealing a larger, more flooded room. “Claim them if you can.”

“Kyra, keep an eye out for any movement.” Viktor said, after repositioning Pipsqueak on his helmet.

“You got it.” The AI replied.

The two entered the room, their weapons at the ready. Knowing now that the tar was vulnerable to fire, Viktor had replaced his weapon for a flamethrower and was now sweeping it back and forth in case an attack happened.

Once they were in the room, they heard footsteps up above them. They looked up and saw that both Delsin and Alex were being suspended by tendrils of tar coming from a bald woman in jogging pants and a zipped up jacket with tubes coming out of it.

“Let me guess, you’re Sasha?” Viktor asked.

“Very perceptive,” she said.

“Why go to all of this? You could be helping ponies, not enslaving them and having them do your bidding!” Sebastian said, glaring behind his helmet.

“Answer me this,” she said, “Was Hitler truly a heartless monster?”

“Depends on who you’re talking to.” Viktor replied, his voice guarded. “But what you did to Pipsqueak… even someone like Hitler wouldn't want that to happen to someone.”

“And yet he did it to the Jews.”

“Just what is your point?”

“The same as him. Destroy those who would deny safety for freedom, and bring down the false rulers of this land.”

“By enslaving others? Killing the Princesses? That's not freedom, that's tyranny! You’re just as bad as Sombra!” Viktor spat, “He tried the same thing as you are doing now and failed miserably, what makes you think you'll succeed?”

“Simple, unlike him, I’ll have a proper means of escape, should I fail.”

“Then I have one thing to say.” Viktor said. “Boom.” She looked down to see a plasma grenade glowing blue at her feet.

She simply giggled as the explosive went off. She was dissolved in the explosion and the tar tendrils holding the prisoners were now coming from the flooded floor.

“Vik, now!” Sebastian yelled before the two unleashed a flamestorm from their weapons.

“Bet you did Nazi that coming!” Viktor snarked.

“Clever pun,” they heard her say. She suddenly rose from the floor and began to grapple with him. He was surprised by her strength, her lithe frame hiding it.

“You honestly have no idea who you're dealing with.” He growled before he rammed his head against hers, the helmet multiplying the impact force and stunning her. He then kicked her away and after summoning twin SMGs, took a few pot shots at the hoses and disconnected four. “I'm not some police officer you can overpower, I'm a Spartan of the UNSC, the elite of the elite.” He then activated his thrusters and slammed into her, sending her smashing into a wall. “And you just pissed me off big time.”

She smiled and dissolved. A giggle was heard behind him and he was hit hard with two tendrils, sending him flying into another wall. “And I’m not your average succubus.”

“But you do have one thing that applies to any living being.” Sebastian said. “You can BURN!” He growled as he unleashed a blast of flame at her.

She screeched in pain and dissolved. More tendrils came from the pool and began knocking the two warriors every which way, hitting every other wall.

Alex suddenly yelled, “HEY!” before she suddenly teleported out of the tendril holding her. “You want to fight someone? Then bring it on!” She snarled, her gauntlet suddenly charging with arcane energy. She then whipped her sword out and flicked her wrist, the blade separating into its whip form.

“Since I’ve managed my escape,” she said, raising from the floor. “I can spare a few minutes.”

Alex smirked under her helmet before she suddenly teleported before Sasha could react and delivered a combination of blows from her weapon and magic blasts to the Conduit. “Still think you can beat me? I was trained by Twilight in magic and in combat by a Spartan named Eliteslayer!” She said as she delivered a powerhouse blow with her right arm, the punch sending Sasha into the wall. She then walked forward, restraining the Tar Conduit with bands of magic. “I'm called the “Spartan Mage” for a reason, I'm both a UNSC Spartan, and a powerful magic user.” She then sheathed her sword and summoned a single pistol. Taking aim, she then fired and disconnected the rest of the hoses. “And you just failed.”

Sasha coughed in pain, but continued to giggle and laugh. “Are you sure that I’ve failed?”

“Unlike you, we care about the ponies and their well-being. And we will defend them at all costs.” Sebastian said as he cut Delsin down from his tendril.

“Did you forget what I said. I said, ‘I’ve managed my escape.’” The sound of another portal device opening then exploding was heard. The fake Sasha then dissolved.

“...shit…” Viktor swore.

“She may have escaped… but we managed to save Pip.” Alex said, looking at the colt.

“Well, now another world is going to have her as a problem,” Delsin commented. “I just hope this won’t be like my doppleganger.”

“I think she'll end up hitting the wall. The Multiverse isn't a picnic for the uninitiated.” Viktor said. “But if we do encounter her, she’ll find us ready and waiting.”

“How much do you know about my doppelganger?”

“Enough to know that he’s a threat to the Multiverse. But he’ll find out that there are beings that can easily remove his powers for good.” Sebastian said, his tone steely.

“Let’s not resort to the authors or whatever they’re called just yet,” Delsin shuddered. “I already had a bad encounter with mine or whatever.”

“I wasn't talking about the authors. There are beings known as Displacers and Void Dwellers that are more than a match for any Displaced.” Viktor explained.

“They haven’t interfered yet in my dealings with him. He’s limited to where I’ve been or summoned from in the Multiverse. So, you’ll have a wacknut to deal with when it comes to your world.”

“If he does attack, he’ll find he’s bitten off more than he can chew.” Alex spoke up.

“He is resistant to death,” Delsin answered, leaving the group speechless. “Your point?”

“The point is, there's a Displacer that guards our universe. Along with a void dweller named Ahriman, who used to be a Displaced himself apparently.”

“Okay, I’ll admit, I may not have to deal with him on your world, but I’ll still need to head to your world to at least find that colt that, for some reason, activated that portal and traveled to your world.”

“Right… Let's hope your Celestia doesn't get too worried about you…” Sebastian said. “Incidentally, congrats on being engaged.”

“Ah, so you heard,” Delsin said. “There are some invitations, should you be open to come.”

“Hopefully we’ll be able to, if this damn war ends soon…” Viktor said.

“Okay, let’s get to the surface.” He turned to Pipsqueak. “Pip, lead the way.”

(Delsin’s POV)

After Pip led us out of the underground hideaway, we found ourselves just outside one of the warehouses at the edge of the city.

“This is frustrating,” I said to no one in particular. “I went just a few blocks north of the guard station and now, I’m who know’s how far away from that original spot!”

“Let me try something.” Alex said before she launched a burst of magic into the air, the orb exploding after it hit a few feet. “Magic flare, should get the guard’s attention.”

A bolt of neon suddenly came flying from a nearby rooftop, hitting Alex in the leg and causing her to be bound up from head to toe in neon bands.

“Hey! What was that for!?” The Spartan asked indignantly.

In response, a rock grenade landed and exploded between the other two.

“Oy! We’re friendlies!” Viktor shouted.

“NEON!!! OBSIDIAN!!! GET YOUR FLANK ENDS DOWN HERE RIGHT NOW!!!” I bellowed. Two earth ponies were suddenly standing at attention in front of me.

“You called?” Neon asked.

“When are you two gonna stop doing that!? Seriously! I leave homeworld for a few days and you’re both already at each other’s throats!”

“Um, mind getting me out of these?!” Alex asked, struggling against her bonds.

“Just give me a sec.” I walked up to a shop window and drained the neon sign in the front. I unraveled my chain and swiped at the bonds, cutting them clean off.

“Thanks.” She said, rubbing her wrists.

“No problem. Stay here for a moment, I’m gonna see if there is any guard movement that saw your flare.” I then ran up the side of a tall skyscraper in a blur of neon. Once I arrived at the top, I was able to see some of the pegasi from the Solar Division making their way to our position. I jumped off of the building and landed just behind Sebastian.

“Anyone coming towards where we are?” He asked.

“A few pegasi from the Solar Division.”

“Welp, while we're waiting, I'm gonna listen to some music.” Viktor said, “Kyra, active music file 8300, key word For Freedom We Rise.”

“Do you happen to have Calling or Twister in your music bank or whatever?”

“No, never even heard of those songs.” He said, just as the music file in his helmet activated.

“Oh, okay.” I suddenly remembered something. “Hey, you remember your ‘disbelief’ over a few Kingdom Hearts Displaced?”

“Yeah…” Sebastian replied.

“Well, get this. Sora’s Equestria is partial r63.” I pulled out the picture of Solaris in a dress and showed it to him. “And look at what he did to the Solar Diarch.”

Sebastian took one look and busted out laughing. “Well that's definitely something! And Eliteslayer mentioned that in a Equestria he visited, there was a male version of Ruby running around.”

“I can see that you’re already acquainting them with an alternate version of myself.” I turned to the sound of the voice to see Tia walking towards us.

“Heh, you got that right, honey,” I said.

The three Displaced knelt down in respect. “It's nice to meet you Celestia.” Viktor said.

“Don’t overstress it, Dude,” I said.

“I agree,” Tia said. “Set your formalities aside. Anyone who is on good terms with my fiance, is on good terms with me.”

“Sorry, just kinda used to doing it with our Celestia.” Sebastian chuckled. They then stood up and he continued, “The name's Sebastian, and these two are Alexandra and Viktor.” He said, nodding to the two Spartans.

“A pleasure to meet all of you.”

“The pleasure is all ours, it’s not often we meet a Celestia that's engaged to a Displaced.” Viktor chuckled.

“I heard suspicions from Delsin that another Displaced is in love with his Princess Luna.”

Sebastian frowned. “Sebaste mentioned that a Displaced he met mentioned a Gilgamesh… but I haven't really heard much about the guy to know much.”

“She was talking about Sora,” I mumbled.

“Wait, the guy who's version of Celestia was in the dress? Huh.” He then chuckled, “This’ll definitely be a tale to tell Twi and Nyx…”

“All talking aside, I think we should return to Canterlot,” I said. Turning to the three I said, “You're free to tag along as well to rest up before we tackle trying to rebuild the portal tech.”

Viktor nodded. “We're fine with that, but are we teleporting there? If not, we have our own transportation.” he asked.

“Where is it?” I asked, looking around, trying to find it.

While I couldn't see it, I had the feeling he was smirking. Suddenly, a large aircraft appeared next to the three, the troop hatch open. I recognized it as a Pelican Gunship from Halo 3. “When you're able to summon any weapon or vehicle from the games, you don't need to have others transport you.” He chuckled.

“Holy...can I try flying a Banshee?” I asked in fanboy like excitement.

“Sorry, I can only really do one vehicle at a time.” Viktor said, rubbing his head in embarrassment. “If I do anymore, it’ll leave me too exhausted.”

I slumped in defeat, “Okay, but I call co-pilot position.”

He nodded, “That's fine with me. Let's get this show on the road!” He said as he headed inside the Pelican.

I was practically shouting in excitement until Tia boarded as well. “I'm personally kind of curious how this works,” she said. “I hope you don't mind if I ride along, mostly to keep Delsin in line.”

Sebastian chuckled before a new vehicle appeared next to him. It was heavily armed, with twin rotary cannons underneath, heavier versions of his gun and missile launchers. Two VTOL like engines were mounted on the sides and the whole thing was boxy, like it could take a lot of punishment.

“I’ll do escort duty, don't want anything to take out a transport with a VIP.” He said before he jumped into the cockpit of the new vehicle.

The two aircraft started up their engines and began making their way to Canterlot. I was excited to actually see the inside of a video game vehicle, but even then, the cockpit seemed like what you would see in a military aircraft.

“Alright, I'm opening up the throttle, so you better buckle up!” Viktor warned. “Kyra, put a nav marker on Canterlot.”

“Copy that.”

“Everyone strapped in?” I asked, mostly to Tia.

“I am,” she confirmed.

“Alright, brace yourselves!” The Spartan said as he opened the throttle and the transport shot forward, Sebastian's ship managing to keep up, the underslung guns tracking left and right.

We soon arrived at the castle, both Viktor and Sebastian bringing their vehicles to land in the courtyard.

“That was Awesome!” I shouted out as the transport opened...and a paper shuriken struck and stuck into my shoulder. “Gah!” I looked out the transport and saw at least 20 Bio-guard or so, each with shocked looks on their faces.

“Delsin!” Alex shouted. She began to advance out of the Pelican, but I held her back and stepped forward, pulling the projectile out of my shoulder, neon leaking from the puncture.

“Who threw this?” The guards all moved out of the way, leaving a lone guard with an embarrassed look on his face. I dropped the shuriken and fired a neon bolt at the pony’s leg, restraining him. “He's got janitorial work for the rest of the week.” The guards nodded and took him away.

“Noobs, they always manage to goof up.” Sebastian chuckled as he walked up to us.

“At least he hit me and not anyone else.”

“First rock, now paper? What's next, scissors?!” Viktor asked.

“Who knows? Because I don't.” I stretched a bit. “I'm still a bit worn out from helping teach Dash, getting a few powers stripped from me, and nearly getting killed by a psychotic woman. I'll be napping if anyone needs me”

(3rd person POV)
Delsin walked off, leaving the Princess with the three warriors. “Jet Second!”

A pony in silver armor walked up. “Yes, your Majesty?”

“Show these three to the guest bedrooms.”

“Yes ma'am. Follow me, please.” The guard began leading them into the castle.

“So I'm guessing you're related to Jet Set?” Alex asked as the walked through the halls.

“Yes, but I'm not proud of it,” he said.

Viktor snorted. “I'm not a fan of the nobles myself. At least some of them are a lot nicer, like Fancy Pants.” He said. “Others just grind my teeth at how they act.”

“The nobles that fit in the annoying category in your world are more than likely criminals here.”

“That wouldn't be surprising, nobility usually ends up getting corrupted, at least those that lord it over others.” Sebastian spoke up.

“There's more to it than that, but you've got the basics down.”

“So how long have you been serving the Princesses?”

“A few months, actually. The Bio-guard is relatively new. Before that, I was considered for the Eagle Guard.”

“The Eagle Guard?” The three looked at him in confusion.

“An Akomish exclusive Division of the Royal Guard,” he answered, adjusting the armor on his right arm to show the Akomish tattoo. “That's another reason I'm not proud of my father. He treated the Akomish like trash.”

A stony silence came from the three. “So not only is he a jerk, but he’s a bloody racist.” Viktor muttered.

“Let's not forget tribalist, anti-alicorn, second in command of the Descendants, and various criminal charges for being an all around idiot.”

“Yeah, he’s lucky Sebaste isn't here. I’ve seen the guy get angry, and trust me, if he had heard that, Jet Set would not be having a good time.” Viktor said with a nervous chuckle.

“I would pity him in that instance alone,” Second said. The group arrived at a series of doors. “Here are your rooms, I hope to see you three again.”

“You too Jet.” Alex said before her armor disappeared, revealing the T-shirt and pants underneath, the same thing happening to the others. Only Alex’s right arm was still armored. “We’ll see you later hopefully.”

He nodded and walked off. Just as he rounded a corner, he was suddenly bowled over by an young almost black alicorn.

“Sorry! My bad!” She said. She kept running past the three, but stopped after she passed them.

“Nyx?!” Sebastian asked in shock before he saw that she was completely different from the filly he knew back in his Equestria.

“Huh?” The alicorn looked at him with confusion. Said look suddenly changed to wonder. “Wow, you’re tall!”

Sebastian chuckled and knelt down. “Being turned into a Space Marine can do that. My name's Sebastian, but I'm usually called Sasha. What's your name, young one?” He asked.

“My name’s Stella. Wait, you said you were a Space Marine? Did you have to fight a crazy alien to get here? And are they Space Marines too?”

The others chuckled. “No, we’re called Spartans, and the three of us are Displaced. I'm Viktor, and this is my sister Alexandra, or Alex for short.” Viktor said, nodding his head towards the female Spartan, who was helping Jet Second up.

“Get back here!” A somewhat larger, yellow alicorn came careening around the corner, knocking Alex and Second down again.

“I recognize that voice!” Sebastian said, turning to see the Alicorn charging towards them. “What the… Luna?! What in Dorn's name happened to you!?” He asked in surprise.

“I’ll explain later!” Stella yelled. She then ran past them with Luna on her tail.

“Ugh…. Anyone know why there was a yellow Luna running around?” Alex groaned as she and Second got back up.

“This happens almost on a regular basis,” Second said. “Luna and Stella have been pranking each other since they got here.”

“Oh god… right, royal prank war…” Viktor chuckled. He then opened the door to his room. “I'm gonna grab a power nap, someone wake me up when we're needed.” He said before he entered the room and closed the door.

“See you later Jet.” Alex said before she and Sebastian entered their rooms.

Displaced Arc, Chapter 8: Super Soldiers and Conduits (Part 2)

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(Delsin’s POV)
A few hours after resting I walked into the guest wing, absorbing the smoke of a pipe I held. Standing just outside of one of the rooms was Viktor. “Hey, you’re up.”

“Yeah, had a bit of a power nap. Alex and Sasha are still resting in their rooms. Saw Luna earlier, but she was… yellow for some reason and chasing a Alicorn teen named Stella. Apperantly it was part of a prank war or something…” he said.

“Oh, that,” I said. “Must have been payback for the catapult incident.”

“Catapult… you know what, I'm not gonna even ask.” He said. “By the way, how did Stella even appear? She reminds me of Nyx a bit,” He then asked.

“My telepathy mixed with the magic of the Elements of Harmony when fighting Nightmare Moon.”

“Wow, that must have been quite the shock for Celestia and Luna.” he said, a surprised look on his face.

“It was, but Sora was a little over the top in making her seem nonthreatening.”

Viktor chuckled. “Things for me have been.. hectic to say the least. You’ve heard of Doom?” He asked.

“I have an idea, but fill me in.”

“Well recently the three of us and another Displaced that lives in our Equestria named Sebaste were called into another Equestria that was guarded by three Doom Marines, and to be honest, they were absolute jerks. But anyways, we met a being they called “Guardian” and she's asked if the three can help stop a crazy pony named Flame Tail. Right now, we’re just waiting on their answer before we can let them know.” He then frowned. “Honestly, I’d trust them as far as I can throw them. But we need all the help we can get.”

“So, you’re asking for help from some twithead against somepony that sounds like Brooke Augustine.”

“You don't know what our Equestria is like, Flame Tail has managed to convince other cities to join his Crusade against the Princesses, and unlike other Equestrias, the tech level is more advanced. And we didn't really ask for the Doom Marines. Like I said, I don't really trust them. They're too unpredictable, a wild card if you will.” He said. He then shook his head. “I don't really like thinking about it, so I'm not gonna say any more on the topic.”

“Okay. Either way, problems are your life and you’ve got lunkheads that you’re not fond of willing to help you with or without your permission.”

He snorted. “You can say that again. But enough of that, what brings you here?” he asked.

“Well, the sooner we get a portal device up and built, the better,” I said. I then let smoke flow around my arms. “So a few smoke grenades for wake up calls were in order.”

“What…” He began to ask before two thumps were heard in the rooms Alex and Sebastian were in. The two soon burst out, coughing as smoke followed them from the rooms.

“*cough* Who's the wise guy *cough cough* that set off that smoke bomb?!” Sebastian asked, an irritated look on his face.

“Just don’t turn me into swiss cheese after I say ‘guilty’.” I took a deep breath, raised my hand, and said, “Guilty!”

Viktor chuckled. “Well that's one way of getting a wake up call.” He said.

The other two rolled their eyes before their armor reappeared on them. Viktor soon followed their example, his own armor reappearing on him. “So how exactly are we supposed to get a portal working? From what I've seen, the devices here are a bit too flimsy to hold a portal.” He asked.

“Then we analyze the tech that make up Dusk, scan the energy of a blast shard, then run it through your A.I.s and see what happens,” I theorized.

“Or I can open one myself.” Alex said. “I’ve done it before.”

“Not to insult your abilities, but there’s another reason for a device to be built,” I said. “Just by hearing from you guys that Dark’s world runs on a different time axis, I’m guessing that if I have an easily accessible portal to his world, time will be synced in both worlds.”

“That would make sense.” Viktor said. He suddenly stiffened as a message suddenly appeared inside his visor. “Just got a message from Sebaste, he says a colt just suddenly appeared in Ponyville. It must be that same colt we saw that ran into that portal!”

“Has he noticed anything odd about him?”

“He did notice that… okay, this isn't making any sense, he says that a few Kirins had just popped up besides the colt and he’s moving in to engage them… and that's it.”

I jumped a bit when I heard that. “Wait, Kirins? That colt’s gotta be a conduit!”

“That's impossible!” Alex said. “How could that colt be a conduit?”

“Probably the same way your hair is its current color,” I answered. “It's in the DNA.”

“If he’s a conduit… oh no… we have no idea what his abilities are, and neither does Sebaste!” Sebastian said.

“Then we'll build the portal device after we take care of getting him back here! Alex! Portal! Now!”

She nodded before her hand glowed and a portal opened in front of them. “Let's go!” Viktor said before he ran into the vortex.

“Right behind you!” I then ran into the vortex.

(3rd person POV)
Just as Delsin came out of the portal, Sebaste came crashing into him, a pixelated residue covering him.

“Tartarus damn it!” The Recon Spartan growled before he saw who he landed on. “Oh geez, sorry mate!” He said, scrambling up and helping the Conduit up. Viktor and the other two were standing nearby with two Rainbow Dashes, one however had cybernetics replacing her tail, wings, right eye and front legs.

“That's okay,” he responded, “I've had...LOOK OUT!!!” He smoke dashed past the two Rainbow’s and wrapped his chain around the neck of a Kirin, strangling it until it dissolved into red pixels.

“Right… time to fight fire with fire.” Sebaste snarled before two Holograms of himself appeared, both equipped with energy swords. With a roar, he charged forward, a Gravity Hammer appearing in his hands. He smashed aside one Kirin while his copies gutted two more, all three dissolving.

“Video...I was wondering when I'd see that,” Delsin commented as he pelted one Kirin with smoke.

“Who the buck are you?” One of the Rainbows asked, her front hooves having two clawed gauntlets that gripped what looked like some sort of automatic weapon.

“I'll explain once we stop Tartarus from figuratively boiling over!” Delsin shouted out, dodging a slash.

The cybernetic Rainbow rolled her eyes before her right hoof suddenly split and a gun barrel poked out of it. Targeting a nearby Kirin, she opened fire, the bark of the weapon being the last sound it heard.

“Rainblade, over here!” Viktor called over to her. She quickly swooped over and began to slash at the Kirin Viktor had engaged, the built in blades in her wings dealing massive damage.

“Okay! That's it!” Delsin pulled what looked like a phone out of his pocket. Electricity then began flowing from the phone into his hand. He replaced the phone in his pocket and his eyes began glowing a bright blue and he shot lightning at ten Kirins in two seconds, killing them instantly.

“Yow! Watch the lighting!” Sebaste yelped as a bolt managed to miss him by a few inches.

“You just focus on fighting!” He shouted back. “I'll...What?!”

“I think we took all of them out…” Alex said as she looked around.

“Uh, Guys! I’m gonna need some neon! I’ve got the location of the Conduit!”

“Here you go!” Pinkie said, setting up a neon light. Sebaste and the others looked at her in shock. Delsin simply nodded and drained the sign of its neon. He then ran off in a blur of neon, following what looked like a bright blue alicorn in medieval armor.

“Okay, can someone explain what is going on here?!” Sebaste asked in annoyance.

“We’ll explain on the way, right now we need to follow Delsin!” Viktor said. “Looks like the kid’s headed to the…. Oh son of a… he’s headed towards the EAF HQ!”

Sebaste swore before he was in a Broadsword Fighter and streaking towards the EAF base. The other three were soon following him in their own vehicles. When they arrived, they found that a good portion of the personnel were seemingly trapped in bubbles of neon, their movements in slow motion. A few others were held down by a few bright blue swords stuck in the ground around them.

“Looks like Delsin was here…” Viktor said. Sebaste then looked at the Orbital Spartan, a raised eyebrow hidden under his helmet.

“The guy Dark told us about?” He asked.

Viktor nodded before he led the way inside. As they walked in, Kyra suddenly appeared on Viktor's shoulder and said,"Guys, take a look at the monitors! They’re getting drained by something!”

Sebaste quickly ran to one of the monitors and saw that the screen was fading to black. “Damn it, that kid is gonna cause the system to crash!” He growled.

"I'm picking up two signatures nearby, proceed with caution.” Kyra warned. The four nodded before they advanced to the room ahead. Upon entering, they found...nothing. The only thing that stood out were three sets of glowing monitors.

“Where the heck is Delsin?!” Sebastian asked, looking around. In response to his question, Delsin suddenly appeared from one of the monitors...face first onto the ground.

“What in Faust's name?!” Sebaste yelped. Delsin shakily stood up, spitting some blood out of his mouth.

“You can run, but you can’t hide,” he taunted.

“Kid, we don't want to hurt you. We just want to get you back to your family.” Viktor called out.

Delsin walked up to another monitor and suddenly disappeared.

“Sheesh, talk about pulling a Blue Skidoo!” Sebaste joked before he suddenly found himself sucked in also. “Ah frag…”

When his senses cleared, Sebaste found himself on a stone pedestal in the middle of a massive lake of lava. “Geez, this puts a whole new meaning to heating things up!” He chuckled nervously.

An explosion was heard above him, followed by yelling. Looking up, he saw Delsin plummeting into the lava near the pedestal. A splash later, the yelling ended.

“Delsin!” The Spartan yelled. Steeling his resolve, he ran to try and jump in to save him. He stopped when he saw Delsin already at the pedestal trying to climb out of the lava.

“I don’t know about you, but I’m not excited to be COOKED ALIVE!!!” He bellowed.

“Sheesh, the heck's the kid’s problem?” Sebaste asked, looking up to where the colt was, disguised as a giant, bright blue alicorn.

“Once we wear him down, I’ll get the answers we need,” Delsin responded. “In the meantime, do you have an RPG or something?”

“How about a Hydra launcher?” Sebaste asked, a gun that had what looked like a revolver and Missile launcher mated with a rifle appearing in his hands. Taking aim, he fired a salvo of five rockets that smashed into the illusion, detonating on impact. The illusion dissolved into pixels and both Sebaste and Delsin were ejected from the computer...this time, Delsin landing under Sebaste.

“Is this gonna become a regular thing with you mate?” Sebaste asked as he helped Delsin get up.

“You make it sound like getting punched by Tia everytime I go through a portal home isn’t.”

“Wait, she does that?” The Spartan snickered.

“She knocks me back through and then drags me home by my leg.”

The four super soldiers burst out laughing at that. Sebaste then frowned as he turned to the monitor. “Okay, so looks like it's round two for us…” he growled.

“Three,” Delsin corrected. “And this time, we all go through...And I get a chance to fly a Banshee while in there!”

“Alright, sheesh…” Viktor muttered. Delsin then led the group into the last monitor, everyone arriving in the lava land. They appeared on a platform that was suspended in the air above the lava lake. Nearby, a bunch of pixels began to gather, until it formed a giant alicorn, supported by a few dozen smaller ones.

“Ye are all persistent! Thou shalt fall before me!”

“Doth mother know you weareth her drapes?” Sebaste snarked, earning an eye roll from the others.

“Last chance, Thanatos!” Delsin called out. “Surrender or get de-rezzed!”

“I bow NOT to the whims of mere mortals!”

“And what does that make you, the Pope?” Viktor spoke up. “Or does it make you a chicken?”

Thanatos responded by firing a bunch of pixel missiles at the group. “Scatter!” Delsin called out, running and jumping to another floating platform. “And where’s that Banshee!? He needs some plasma to the face!”

It soon appeared next to him, but when he turned to look at the four, he saw a bubble shield surrounding them. “For a so called god, you hit like an amoeba!” Sebaste taunted before the four Displaced charged out and unleashed heavy ordinance on the Alicorn, Both Alex and Viktor were armed with Rocket launchers while Sebastian had a massive cannon that fired bolts of plasma and Sebaste had the Hydra launcher.

After a few minutes of being peppered by attacks, the Alicorn dissolved into a bunch of pixels and smaller alicorns, that flew off over them. The summoned Banshee suddenly came flying in and began dog fighting with the more braver alicorns. “Did you guys call in for an airstrike?” They heard on the comms.

“That we did.” Sebaste chuckled.

“Sorry I didn’t come sooner. I got some of the controls mixed up, and I think I dented the back bumper or whatever.”

“Won't make a difference, whatever damage the vehicle we summon takes gets instantly repaired when we resummon it.”

“I still don’t like damaged vehic...Oh, No you don’t!” An explosion in the direction of the flock of Alicorns was heard. The Banshee came screaming back and around as a beam of pixels followed it. “Get firing before I decide to go Kamikaze!”

“Too bad it’s not Bushido dignified.” Sebaste joked before he opened fire. The missiles stopped short, hitting a force shield of some kind. “Damn it, target’s shielded!”

“Take out the smaller ones, I’ll keep the big guy busy!” The Banshee then peppered Thanatos with plasma, not damaging him, but getting his attention, nonetheless.

Sebastian then summoned what looked like a AFV, but it had two triple barreled cannons that could rotate independently and bracers that dug into the platform. The guns then took aim at the alicorns and roared into life, AA tracers zipping through the air. “Say hello to the Stalker AA tank!” He roared through the comms.

The alicorns surrounding Thanatos suddenly began to try and dive bomb the group, most of them getting shredded by the AA tracers.

“Not so fast!” Sebastian growled as he guided the guns.

Viktor and Alex meanwhile had switched to a Hydra launcher, and with Sebaste, they each locked onto multiple alicorns and fired, the missiles streaking to their targets and eliminating them. Within a short amount of time, the alicorns were eliminated, leaving Thanatos vulnerable.

“What should I prescribe? A lethal dose of HURT PERHAPS!?” The Banshee suddenly began unloading everything it had on him while going on a collision course.

“Delsin, the hell are you doing?!” Sebaste commed.

“Trust me, once he’s down, we all will be ejected before I crash and burn.”

“I hope you're right…” the Spartan said as he watched Delsin scream towards the Alicorn. The Banshee struck the alicorn, turning it into pixels. Before he could crash into the lava, everyone, minus the vehicles, were ejected from the computer.

On the ground, in front of the monitor they exited was a brown colt, part of his face was covered in a black goop. Delsin wasted no time and grabbed his foreleg, pixels flowing from the colt into him and both fell unconscious.

“Neuro-Tar!” Sebastian swore. “He must have escaped from Sasha!”

“Well while we wait for these two to wake up, mind telling me what this is all about?” Sebaste asked. Viktor nodded and explained what had happened after they had been summoned to Delsin's world.

“So let me get this straight, you fought a conduit that controls tar?! That's just nasty!” The Recon said, sounding disgusted.

“Tell me about it…” Sebastian muttered just as he heard Delsin groan.

“I think my other favorite game, Rome Total War, will become reality...once I figure out these powers,” he muttered.

“We’d better get that tar off the kid. He’s suffered enough.” Viktor said.

“Then you go do that,” Delsin said, pointing at him. “I’m gonna find a bed, and go cry myself to sleep.” He then began walking out of the room, acting as though his back was thrown out.

“Wonder what he saw…” Sebastian muttered as Viktor removed the tar from the colt’s face and picked him up.

“Dunno, but let's get out of here.” Sebaste said as the four followed Delsin, the colt slung over Viktor's shoulder. When the five got out however, they say both Luna and Celestia waiting for them, along with Twilight, her mechanical wings folded along her back.

“I’m guessing you’re here to either congratulate us, or beat us up the side of our heads for destroying a military base,” Delsin said. “As much as I want to face the scourges, I’ve seen enough for one day. I’m clocking out.” He then fell face first on the ground, unconscious again, but asleep.

The three Princesses looked on in confusion. “Um… is he usually like that?” Twilight asked.

“Only when he’s fought very hard.” Viktor chuckled. He then shifted the colt, “This little guy’s the reason the base is shut down, he controls video images and has to drain stuff to power him. But he’s from his Equestria.” He said, nodding his head at Delsin.

Celestia nodded in understanding. “We’ll speak to him when he awakens, right now, take him to Twilight's castle. He looks like he could use the rest.”

“Yes your Highness.” Sebaste said, saluting the two elder Princesses. Twilight's horn then began to glow before she, Delsin and the other four were inside her castle. She then levitated Delsin and said, “I’ll put him in a guest room, you put Button Mash in another room.”

“Button…” Viktor looked at the unconscious colt in shock. “No wonder I didn't recognize him, he’s missing his beanie!”

“We’ll worry about that later, right now, we need to put him in a guest room.” Alex said, opening a nearby door. Soon, the colt was tucked in and the four Displaced were walking out of the room. “I’ll stay with him until he wakes up.” She said.

Sebaste nodded. “Let me know when he does, right now, I need a rest…” he said as he headed to his quarters. The other two followed suit, after telling Alex that they would see her later.

(Delsin’s POV)
“GAH!!!” I sat up suddenly on the bed that I was apparently given. A hand then pushed me back into a laying position.

“Be still, my Lord. Ye have been through a terrible ordeal and still need to rest.” A deep voice said. I turned to the voice and saw a Video Angel standing over me, holding me on the bed.

“Please tell me I’m in Heaven.”

“I’m afraid not, my Lord. Ye fell unconscious after dealing with a young colt and his servant, Thanatos.”

“And you are?”

“I am He Who Dwells!” He proclaimed, pounding a fist on his chest.

“Delsin, you alright? I heard you cry ou- WHAT IN DORN'S NAME?!” Sebastian exclaimed as he saw the angel standing next to the bed.

“Welcome, Sir Sebastian. I am He Who Dwells, the Servant of Lord Delsin, Future Prince of his Realm of Equestria,” he said with a bow.

“He Who Dwells? Sounds like a cheesy name from Skyrim.” The Astartes replied.

“What is this realm, ‘Skyrim’, that ye speak of?”

“Guardian Angel, or whatever. Stand down,” I commanded as I carefully sat up on my bed.

“How are you feeling mate?” Sebastian asked me.

“Like Tartarus decided to empty its contents on my face,” I said.

“That video conduit we fought? It's Button Mash.”

“Haven’t met him officially yet.”

“Well, he’s in another guest room a few doors down from you. Alex is keeping an eye on him.”

“Sounds okay. Anything else going on?”

“Not really, other than the Princesses are waiting to talk with you. They understand why we trashed the base, so we’re not in trouble.”

“True justice considereth all that goes into an action,” He Who Dwells agreed.

“Okay, time to meet with Royalty.” I eased myself off the bed, my angel helping support my weight.

“They're in the throne room, and also, welcome to the Castle of Friendship.” Sebastian said.

“Lead us forth, Sir Sebastian.”

He nodded and led the two of us to the throne room. Twilight and the rest of the Mane 6 were there, along with Rainblade and a black Alicorn teen with a dark bluish purple mane and teal eyes that had a reptilian look to them. Sebaste and Viktor stood by the door, along with what seemed to be two droids.

“Greetings stranger.” Celestia said. “I understand you came here to retrieve a colt that caused some trouble earlier?”

“Indeed, your Majesties,” He Who Dwells spoke. “The colt, as we currently understand, was not in his right mind when he activated the device that brought him here.”

“Dude, let me do the talking, and you watch the door.” The angel nodded and stood by the door, his hand on his sword. “Anyway, what he just said, and also to see if, with your help, the portal tech that brought Button here can be properly replicated.”

“Portal tech?” Twilight spoke up, her wings beginning to raise in excitement.

“Great, you just got her into egghead mode…” Rainbow said, earning a chuckle from the others and a glare from Twilight.

“I can think of one other thing that could get her academic side further excited.”

“What would that be?” Rainblade asked.

I scanned the room with my ray sphere pulse, checking everyone’s DNA. “Aside from Alex, there is one other in this room with a unique DNA gene that allows powers like mine,” I said.

Pinkie suddenly popped up behind me and asked, “Is it me? Is it, is it, is it?!” She asked.

“No, it’s her,” I said, pointing to the black alicorn. “But the gene isn’t active.”

“Wait, Nyx has the Conduit gene?!” Sebastian asked in shock. “That's impossible!”

“How so?”

“It’s… it’s just that she doesn't seem like she's really ready to handle that kind of power...”

“Don’t overstress about it. I said that the gene is still inactive, so you have until...whenever it activates to NOT stress about it. And when it does, I can help train her.” I pulled out my token for Sebastian to take.

“An Eagle feather?” He asked, taking it and looking at it. He then heard a small set of hooves clopping before Button, a bright blue alicorn, and Alex walked in.

Both Sebaste and Viktor made to summon their weapons but Alex said, “They're not going hurt anypony. Button, you have something to say?”

“I’m sorry for ruining your base...I didn’t mean to.”

Celestia chuckled before she said, “Other than the data bases wiped, no harm was done. But I must ask, why were you here in the first place?” she asked.

“Lord Button had his mind taken over by a Succubus by the name of Sasha. She wished to cause havoc in more worlds than that of Lord Delsin’s,” The alicorn stated.

“Why that…” Sebastian growled. “If she ever comes here, she’ll find herself as a wanted woman.”

“If she even manages to make it here,” I said. “Remember, the portal tech she had built was sketchy at best. It exploded after being used.”

Celestia nodded before she turned to Button Mash and said, “I'm truly sorry you had to go through that.” Luna and Twilight murmured agreement. Nyx then spoke up.

“How exactly are you even supposed to get this… portal built?” She asked, her voice curious.

“The only thing we have to go by was what she used as both energy sources and portal stabilizers,” I explained. “Guys you still have those crystals I asked you to grab?”

They nodded and pulled them out of hidden compartments in their armor. I took one of them and placed it on the table. “These are called Blast shards, magically irradiated pieces of crystal and debris.”

“What's so important about these?” Twilight asked, her eyes curious.

“They serve as pretty good energy sources, or,” I picked the shard up and absorbed the radiation. “They can strengthen a Conduit’s power.”

“So they're power enhancers?”

“Mostly for conduits, but yeah.”

“And you're using these “blast shards” to build a portal?”

“Sasha was successful in the short run. I aim to make a portal last longer, so that I don't end up missing a few weeks to a few months of a friend's life. In short, I'm trying to sync the time axis of my world with another world.”

“Hmm…” Sebaste rubbed the chin of his helmet. “If you think this will work… then we'll see how this goes.”

“Let us then make haste!” Dweller and the alicorn bellowed.

“Alex, open a portal to Delsin's Equestria. Time to get this show on the road.” Sebaste said. She nodded before a portal was soon swirling in front of us. “We’ll see you guys after this is done.” The Spartan said to the ponies in the room before he turned to me. “Delsin, mind leading the way?”

I nodded and entered the portal, with Dweller right behind me. Shortly inside, I met an obstacle.

*DING*

I was knocked back through the portal with Dweller practically plastered to my back. Tia then came through and dragged me home by my leg.

The others followed, trying and failing to hold in their laughter at what had happened.

Dweller shook his head and looked at the alicorn, who had a somewhat confused look on his face. “Do not over think their relationship, Thanatos,” he told him.

“I doubt I will need to.”

(3rd person POV)
Delsin was dragged out of sight from the four as a small company of Bio-guard and Eagle Guard rounded a corner.

Sebaste was still snickering from what had happened earlier as he looked around. “Lot of guards here, and I don't recognize the divisions…” he muttered as he calmed down. The symbol of the Royal Guard Reserves soon appeared on his left shoulder pad as he spotted Luna nearby.

“Ye have returned,” Luna commented. “I'm sorry for my appearance and behavior when we first met. It was embarrassing what Stella did.”

“Stella?” Sebaste asked in confusion. “Who's she?”

“She is her sister, created from the telepathic abilities of Lord Delsin and the Magic of the Elements of Harmony,” Dweller explained.

“And who are you?” Luna asked him and Thanatos.

“I am He Who Dwells.”

“And I am Thanatos.”

“Thanatos was created by this little one here.” Sebastian said, nudging Button Mash forward. “He like Pipsqueak was under the control of Sasha, at least until now.”

“For that, we thank thee,” he said, giving a nod in the Astartes’ direction.

“Trust me, the next time I see her, she won't be getting away as easily as she did in that warehouse.” Sebastian growled. He then turned to Luna. “We were never really formally introduced, the name’s Sebastian, and the three Spartans are Alexandra, Viktor and Sebaste. Sebaste wasn't with us the last time I was here as he was defending our Equestria.”

“That is understandable. It took a lot for me to visit a different Equestria at one time.”

Sebastian chuckled and said, “I know what you mean, it was a shock to visit another universe the first time I was summoned. So why were you yellow earlier? I know it had something to do with a prank war you two have…”

“She mixed yellow food coloring into my personal hygiene products. The coat, mane and tail were okay, but the Royal Dentist had a fit over my teeth.”

“Oh throne, she got your toothpaste?!” The Astartes burst out laughing. “Not even Rainbow Dash and Rainblade go that far in their pranks with Pinkie!”

“SURPRISE!!!” Pinkie suddenly said from an explosion of confetti.

“GAHH! What in Dorn's name?!” He yelped as he stumbled backwards. “Throne damn it Pinkie!” He swore as the Spartans chuckled.

“About time you showed back up again, I was hoping to show someone this cool trick I learned AND a ‘Welcome to this Dimension’ party!”

“So I'm guessing the Element Bearers are Conduits here?” Sebaste asked while Sebastian recovered from the shock.

“DUH! I mean, how was I able to replace my Party cannon with the PARTY MISSILE!” Her forelegs became covered in confetti and a missile was fired down the hall, exploding and decking out that section of the hall for a party. Two Solar Guards that were in that section had their helmets replaced with party hats and had party favors in their mouths...which they blew into, unenthusiastically.

“Merciful Emperor…” Sebastian muttered, “As if she wasn't hyper enough, now we have to worry about party airstrikes from her….” The three Spartans also gawked at Pinkie in shock.

“What? It makes parties easier to host.”

“Not everyone is really gonna appreciate seeing an airstrike come down on them Pinks.” Viktor chuckled nervously.

“I was talking about my powers in general, but I'll keep that in mind. SEE YA!!” She suddenly vanished into a pop of confetti.

“Faust above… I’ve met many Pinkies, but this one ranks high in the WTF meter.” Sebaste said, his mind still reeling.

“At least she stays in Ponyville...for the most part,” they heard Delsin’s voice say. They turned to where the voice came from, but he wasn't there. Button, Thanatos, and Dweller began trying to hold back laughs.

“Delsin? You trying to hide from Celestia?” Sebaste asked with a smirk.

“No, she let me go, so long as I managed to pull off something,” he said from a different portion of the hall.

“And that would be…?” Alex asked, noticing a blip on her HUD.

Three glowing blue swords suddenly appeared above Viktor, causing him to fall on his back in surprise. The blades then impaled the ground around him, trapping him.

“What the…?!” He yelped. “Damn it Delsin!”

The air pixelated behind Sebaste and Delsin appeared. “And that was done on the fly,” he said proudly.

“Yeah, I get the point.” Viktor snarked. He then smashed the blades, his augmented strength more the the swords could take. They then dissolved into pixels and vanished. “But I'm not a pincushion. That would be Sonic's domain.”

“So, now that I'm free, let's get started on figuring out the portal tech...and see if we can get a cell phone to text and call across dimensions.”

Sebaste nodded. “So where is this tech being stored?” he asked.

“We've got the blast shards, all we need is an idea of Dusk’s tech that make her up and begin tinkering.”

“Somehow I don't think she's gonna let us analyze her tech… She's more grumpy than Granny Smith!” Viktor said.

A mechanical arm came flying down the hall, hitting his force shield. “I heard that!” She shouted from down the hall, her left arm missing.

“Just telling the truth!” Viktor shouted back as Sebaste shook his head. “You should learn to lighten up sometime!”

Two mechanical wings came flying down the hall. “There! I'm lightning up! Much less of a load now!

“I didn't mean that literally! I meant you need to cheer up a bit!” The Spartan said as he dodged the parts. “Geez, I feel like I'm talking to Drax here!”

“I'm not even gonna ask,” Delsin said as he picked up the pieces. “By the way, thanks for letting us borrow some of...your tech.”

“You're...WHAT!?”

“And now we hit the the deck because of the angry Alicorn cyborg…” Sebaste muttered. “I hate being a Displaced sometimes…”

A few bolts of lightning came flying down the hall. Delsin placed himself in the line of fire, getting hit by most of the bolts. A few minutes of being peppered with electricity, Delsin pulled up a static shield, blocking the bolts for the others. “Take the tech and run!” He shouted with sarcastic desperation. “I'll hold her here!”

Sebaste nodded before he activated a Promethean shield and stood in front of the other three while they grabbed the wings and leg. As soon as they had the parts, they bolted, the three Spartans activating their thrusters while Sebastian pounded along behind them.

Meanwhile, in the Canterlot Garden, a statue composing of various animal parts began to crack.

Displaced Arc, Chapter 9: Super Soldiers and Conduits (Part 3)

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(3rd person POV)
The group had been working on the portal for nearly a week. Aside from a few interruptions from Stella and, at one point, Screwball, the project was going smoothly.

“Okay!” Delsin called out from under the device. “Throw the switch!”

“Why did I just get a henchman vibe from that?” Sebaste muttered as he flipped the switch, only to duck as a wooden ruler spun past him. He glared at a now embarrassed Pinkie. “Really? You had to pull that gag?”

Before Pinkie could respond, the sound of electrocution, minus the screaming, was heard from where Delsin was. Sebaste quickly turned off the power and waited as some smoke curled up from under the device.

“You alright mate?” Viktor called over.

The smoke then flowed back under the device. “Note to self: don't place the wires like that.”

“My Lord, is the device ready?” Dweller asked.

“Just had to know if the electrical wiring was set...and...Done!” He pulled himself out from under the device. “Now for a test run. Second, you have that box of tokens?”

“Right here, sir,” Second answered. Delsin began sifting through the box. After a few moments, he pulled out a small bell. He looked at it as if listening to something.

“This should do.” He placed it in the connection reader. He then flipped the switch and pressed a few buttons, causing the device to start humming.

“Fingers crossed it won't blow up…” Alex remarked.

The portal frame lit up, a blue portal forming in it. Then a ringing was heard from the token and the frame began to shake violently. “Uh oh! HIT THE DECK!” Everyone, except Pinkie dropped to the ground. Pinkie simply pulled out a deck of cards and hit it, scattering cards in front of the three new people in the room. The portal then closed behind them.

Sebaste slowly stood up. “Who are you three?” He asked, his posture showing that he was ready to summon a weapon if the three proved hostile. One of them, tall and wore dark leather and a face mask with hat, looked around. His right arm was in some sort of clawed gauntlet. Beside him was another being with the same outfit but shorter with a cane. The last one wore a futuristic suit of armor.

“Well, this is new.” The tall man said ignoring Sebaste.

“Huh?” Delsin stood up, slowly his chain at the ready. “What do you mean?”

The man looked over to the one with a cane and nodded. It pulled out a small orb thing and threw it up in the air. It spun a few times before letting out a blue light for a second. It fell back down and the being pushed a few things on it.

“The rift brought us to another world, let’s hope it’s not filled with marshmallows.” the being with the cane said.

“I thought you like marshmallows?” The man said.

“The ones not trying to eat me.”

“Right…” The man looked up to Delsin and tilted his head. “Hello.”

“About time you noticed us,” Delsin said in annoyance.

“Oh, I already noticed you. I just chose not say anything until now.” the man replied.

“Sheesh, Arrogant aren't you?” Sebaste asked, an eyebrow raised under his helmet and his arms crossed.

“Call it all you want, doesn’t matter to me.” he said as he turned around to the device. “Nice Rift gate by the way.”

“Rift gate?” Alex asked, her voice sounding confused.

“I believe that's his terminology for the device,” Delsin said, wrapping his chain back around his wrist. “And to be honest, it's better than what I called it.”

Sebaste then looked closer at the man before he suddenly jerked back as a realization hit him. “I recognize the game he’s from, Bloodborne or something like that…”

“First name was right.” The man said before looking around. “What’s with the mess?”

Before anyone could say something he flicked his wrist and everything started to move and cleaning itself up. It took a few minutes but everything was soon clean and the man was holding a deck of cards.

“Much better.”

“Well that was new…” Sebastian spoke up, eyeing the three from where he was.

“To explain the mess, we were building that Rift gate and we were fearing an explosive malfunction. I told everyone to ‘hit the deck’ and Pinkie took it literally,” Delsin explained. The three of them looked at the pink mare for a moment.

“Oh, it’s one of these worlds! Awesome.”

“What the… it’s a pink horse!”

“Hey! I'm a pony, thank you very much!” She complained.

“Hey don’t be rude.” the man said.

“You three are new to being Displaced, aren't you?” Sebaste asked.

“They,” he pointed at the two. “Kinda, not really Displaced, me on the other hand have been through this.”

“I didn’t join the Rift Hunters for this.” the being, who sounded female, said.

“Don’t lie, you totally did.” the man said.

Sebaste sighed, “Just who are you three exactly?” He asked. The man and woman looked at one another before removing their headgear. The man had dark blue hair, beard and blue eyes with a scar under his left eye. The woman had short brown hair with green eyes. They both, plus the being in the suit, bowed.

“Apologies for not saying before, name's Jace Belaguard and this,” he gestures towards the woman. “Is Ynra, head hunter for the Rift hunters.”

“The name’s Eliteslayer, and behind are Alexandra, Sebastian and Viktor. The Displaced next to me is Delsin.” Sebaste said, gesturing to the others as he introduced them and himself.

“Nice to met you all, oh and this…” he turned to the person in the suit, his expression changed a bit. “I need to talk to you, now.” he grabbed the being and disappeared into ash. Ynra looked at the rest of the group and shrugged.

“Family matter, the head doesn’t like the fact his family came with.” she said.

“His… well, that's not exactly surprising to me, I know a Displaced who has family spread across the Multiverse.” Sebaste chuckled. Ynra turned to the device and looked at it.

“So, oddly enough that you all were doing a test on a rift gate at the same time as we were, funny that it’s so big.”

“Hmm… that is a bit surprising.” Sebastian then walked forward, the thump of his metal boots echoing through the room. “But what are these “Rift Hunters” you mentioned?”

“It’s a branch that stems from a group known as Hunters, who have been around for a very long time.” she gestures at the device. “Some time ago rifts started to pop up all over the place bringing creatures with them, so the Head Hunter, who was the man was just here, made the Rift Hunters. A group to research the rifts.”

She turned to look at Sebastian. “If you have any other questions better ask the head.”

“There might be one question you could answer,” Delsin said. He pointed to the Rift gate. “Would this device be able to sync the time axises of two different worlds?”

Ynra thought about it for a moment and shrugged. “I have no idea, never tested it.”

“It’s okay, I’m just trying to avoid a “Chronicles of Narnia” time axis difference with a friend of mine.”

“That begs the question, who’s Equestria are you trying to time sync with?” Sebaste asked.

“I’m trying to sync up with Tito’s world. I don’t know why, but I feel that I’m going to be working with him quite frequently. As of right now, a month or so could have passed in the time it took for us to even get this far.” Delsin emphasised that by pointing to the Rift gate and then Ynra.

“Hey, we been looking into rifts for some time now yet we still have no idea how they keep popping up.” she said. She looked back at the device. “Jace might know of a way but that’s a long shot.”

“I know of one long shot and how it somehow end up working,” Delsin began. “Back a few thousand years, blast shards and blast cores would neutralize a pony’s magic. The then Prince Sombra of the Crystal Empire had crystal ponies immigrate to Equestria, where their descendants later passed on their immunity to said problem. Now, ponies can handle them without said negative effects.” Delsin took a breath and finished, “It was a long shot for their genetics to do that for the entire current population, and yet it happened. So any shot is worth the shot.”

As Delsin finished Jace reappeared with someone else. A woman with long pink hair, glasses and tan skin. She wore a tank top with the sun on it and blue jeans.

“Sorry, what did I miss?”

“Just wondering about time synchronization and if the Rift gate can do that,” Delsin said. Jace looked at him and back at the device.

“For one you don’t really need that big thing to open Rifts.” he said.

“Well we don't exactly have any other way to open a portal.” Viktor remarked. “Unless you have a token that can hold a portal open for a long time?”

“What he just said,” Delsin agreed. Jace thought about it and frowned.

“What do you mean, time synchronization?” he asked.

“Two worlds operate on different time axes. One hour in one world could be a week in another. The thing I’m trying to accomplish is to make it so that one hour in one world is the same amount of time in another.”

“Oh well… that… well that could be done.” He looked back to Delsin. “You’ll also destroy both worlds on the way but it’s possible.” He said in a carefree way.

“Can it be done WITHOUT the potential of cosmic destruction?” Delsin asked. Jace stared at him for a moment.

“How much do you know about Rifts? Nevermind, don’t answer that. You know that each of the realities for each Displaced are there own, different time wave and all that junk. Rifts are a tear that cuts through the thread that keeps one reality from another. A rift forms or opens if a strong surge of chaos cuts said thread.”

“So tokens are part of this ‘surge of chaos’ you’re talking about?”

“No no no, tokens are different, think of it like a wall with gates and tokens are a pass. Rifts on the other hand are someone taking a hammer to said wall and make a hole in it.” Jace explained.

“Discord.” Sebaste said.

“I don’t think he would do something that dumb. Anyway back to the question before, no, it’s impossible to get the times of two worlds that are different to be the same but other means without blowing the two worlds up.”

“What about using the ‘official gates’ of this ‘wall’?” Delsin pulled out his token and Tito’s token. “Make it easier to access that world by way of a special portal or whatever. I heard from my fiance about a Sunset Shimmer using a mirror portal, and the world she’s on, it’s theorized, runs on the same time axis as this world.”

“If it was different realities but what your fiance is explaining is a parallel universe. Completely different.” Jace explained. “Getting the times the same of a parallel universe is different from doing so of a different reality, the world won’t blow up. As for the gate thing, still won’t work, this is stuff I was told by someone who can make rifts with a snap of his fingers.”

“Did someone mention me?” A voice spoke.

(Delsin’s POV)
I jumped at the sound of that voice. “Discord! Where are you!?” Smoke flowed down my arm, ready to attack at a moment’s notice.

“No need to be antagonistic. I’m not being antagonistic. Your other worldly friend, on the other paw…” I turned to Jace with a questioning look. Jace looked at me for a moment then away.

“Nope, not you, not even close.” he said.

“Aww, I hate the filter that Wayward put on my internet site! I never was able to get the manuscript of your story!” Jace looked up at this.

“Right… better you not read it, I’ve dealt with beings that make you small.” Jace said.

“I’m not even going to ask,” Discord and I said.

“Anyway, I just want to point out that what you said isn’t entirely true, but neither is it false.” Jace looked at the ceiling.

“So who’s world am I in?” he asked, ignoring Discord.

“Well this got awkward fast…” Viktor muttered.

“You’re in my--”

“Wayward’s world,” Discord interrupted. “It’s rude to switch subjects, you know.”

“I don’t really care, you’re being nosy.” Jace said. The woman giggled at this.

“Well, the author, Wayward, just finished his research on the subject and came up with something.” A small manuscript titled, “When lightning strikes…” appeared in front of him. “Read chapter 18. You’ll be surprised what you may find.” Discord paused, as if you could imagine him thinking. “Another thing I should mention would be that if you still say it’s still impossible, the author will manipulate a wormhole or do whatever to allow a time synced portal to be possible.”

Jace took the manuscript and looked at it for a moment before it turned into dust. “Not my world, not my rules, just don’t mess with things that you don’t understand.” Jace said as he looked at me.

“You telling me that or him,” I asked. He stared at me for a minute.

“Discord, this one acts like he can do whatever he wants so I don’t care, I’m telling you that.” he said. He paused for a moment and turned away. “I’m not trying to tell what you want to do, just be careful at what you are doing.”

“I think Delsin knows what he's doing.” Alex said, her right arm whirring as she crossed her arms.

“I believe, he was addressing me,” Discord said, physically behind her. Only to be sent into the wall after being sent flying from a magic blast by the startled Spartan. “Frighten easily lately? Or just magic happy?”

“You try being in a war and expect an attack from enemy forces at any moment.” She retorted.

“Ah, of course,” he said, pulling himself out of the wall. “Your story is kind of vague on the details of that, so I wasn’t properly informed.”

I heard Jace mutter something. “Anyway I know that feeling all too well.” he said to Alex.

“Really? How?” She said, her tone starting to sound steely. Jace looked at her and his face went dark.

“You try surviving in a world that everything and anything can kill you without a thought. Even the land itself.” he simply said.

“So, Discord,” I said. “How do we get a special portal up?”

“It’ll take me, your friend’s me, and both yours and his token,” I held out the tokens for him to take. “I’ll get this end up, and my other me can get his end up.” He took Tito’s medallion as his paw arm glowed yellow. A door then formed on one of the empty walls. Discord floated to it. “I’ll be right back.” He went through the door and was gone.

Sebastian sighed before his armor disappeared, revealing him in his normal clothes. “So what now?” He asked.

“Explore? Never been here.” Jace said. He seemed to find a few chairs as the pink haired woman and Yrna sat down.

“So who's the lady with you?” Sebaste asked, nodding to the pink haired woman. Jace raised an eyebrow.

“Full name or short?” he asked.

“Short.” Jace looked over at the woman.

“You can call me Tia.” she said. I stared at her in shock.

“Celestia?!” Sebaste stepped back in shock. The Royal Guard symbol on his left shoulder pad suddenly caught Jace's and Celestia's eyes.

“Huh, that’s something.” Jace said as he nodded to the symbol.

“Got it a long time ago. Back when I was in a different Equestria.” He replied.

“I never really noticed it,” I said, still shocked about seeing a human Celestia. “Then again, there are cases where I’m completely clueless. I guess it’s just one of many possible side effects of being alone for a thousand years.”

I heard Jace snort at this. “Only a thousand? That’s young.”

“I’ve heard of Displaced that were imprisoned longer.” Sebaste said.

“The times of imprisonment, is it important right now?” Jace asked.

“Age is,” I threw in. “Somewhat. I ended up getting punched in the face for trying to help a Displaced who was roughly three thousand years old. That’s old compared to my one thousand.”

“Well you know someone older and unless you tick me off I won’t punch you in the face.” Jace said with a smile.

“I’m BACK!!!” Discord said from the door. “The portal is synced and everything. I even threw in Cell service into the deal.”

When he said that I pulled out my phone and texted a quick message to Tito. ‘Respond five minutes after receiving this text.’

“I must say, this Discord is more… untamed than ours.” Tia said to Jace.

“Have you ever considered reforming your Discord?” Sebaste asked. Jace looked at him.

“Do you mean this one or mine?” he asked.

“Yours.” Jace looked at him for a moment then looked away.

“He’s… well not reformed but he’s not like this unless you push him too far.” Jace said.

“Huh, our Discord is reformed, but he’s been a bit busy as of late…”

I heard a chime from my pocket and I checked my phone. Tito responded in the time frame I asked. ‘Delsin? Hey. It’s been a little while.’ I smiled and muttered, “Yes, it has been.” Another chime. ‘You would not believe what happened the last week.’

I texted back, ‘Hold on. I’ll contact you when I’m on your world.’

‘Wait, what are you talking about?’

‘You’ll see.’

‘Okay...hopefully you like my...daughter…’ Daughter?

I looked over at Jace and saw that he was making three orbs of… something, float around his hand.

“What in Dorn's name are those?” Sebastian asked in confusion, the other three echoing his confusion.

“Just some orbs of chaos, nothing big.” Jace said nonchalantly. The orbs just kept spinning around his hand as they started to change shape to a star, a square, and a ring. “What? Never saw chaos before?”

Sebaste snorted. “I’ve faced off against a Chaos sorcerer and his cronies in a war back in my old Equestria, so yes, I’ve seen and faced chaos.”

“I’m sorry about interrupting, but I need to go somewhere and I don’t mean any offence but, I think you all--” I gestured to all the Displaced in the room. “--need to head home. Who knows what may have happened if time is off kilter or whatever wherever and such.”

Sebaste nodded before he looked over at Alex. She nodded in return before her gauntlet glowed with arcane power. A portal soon opened front of the others but before the four Displaced headed to their Equestria, the Recon turned me and the other three and said, “It was an honor meeting you all, and I wish you all luck in your endeavors.” He then entered the portal and vanished.

Alex then looked at me before saying, “Good luck with your engagement Delsin. Hope things go well for you.” The other two gave a farewell salute before they too began to enter the portal.

“Hey! I just remembered something!” This caused the soldiers to stop. “Am I able to use your tokens as weapons?”

“Yep.” Alex replied.

“Say what now?” Jace ask as he looked at the three.

“Our tokens serve a dual purpose, they allow for another Displaced to summon us, but they are also weapons for those that will use them wisely.” She replied. She then turned and caught what seemed to be an assault rifle with an energy bayonet flying out of the portal. “This one's Sebaste's token.” She said, tossing it to me. “Infinite ammo, so you don't have to worry about reloading.”

“That’s good,” I said, before hefting the rifle and putting a few rounds in the portal device, causing a controlled explosion. “That’ll do it.”

She giggled before waving goodbye and vanishing into the portal. “Hope we'll see each other again sometime mate.” Viktor said. Then he too vanished into the portal.

Sebastian rolled his eyes before he looked over at me. “They may be my friends, but sometimes they forget to ask things.” He chuckled. “Do you have an invitation for the wedding of you and Tia?”

I pulled one out of my pocket and handed it to him. “There you go. See ya!”

“Later Delsin, tell Stella we said hello.” He said before he then entered the portal and it then closed with a pop. I looked back at the other three and saw Jace still making orbs spin around his hand, now there’s a blue orb and an orb on fire.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

“Training, you were all talking so I was just doing this to keep me in tip top shape and stuff.” he said. He looked at me before making them disappear. “So you want me to leave as well?”

“I don’t mean to offend you when I say yes.” He shrugged and stood up.

“Eh, doesn't matter to me that much.” He looked around and flicked his wrist. The bell from before appeared in his hand. “If ya need help, don’t be afraid to call.”

I took the bell and handed him an invitation a well. “I’ll see you around.”

Jace looked at the invitation for a minute. “A wedding between you and your Celestia, huh that would be interesting, anything else ya need to tell me before I go?”

I tossed a Banishing Key to him. “I have a doppelganger that’ll try to kill you. Just use that, and he won’t be back.”

“A doppelganger? Well there’s a story behind that but let’s cut that part to later and just give me some info about him, powers, weaknesses, fears and personality.” he said.

“Smoke, neon, video, concrete, and chaos magic are his thing. He’s resistant to death, fears stronger chaos users, and is an all around idiot with half a brain,” I listed off. “Oh! And he looks like me, except his jacked is red and his vest shows a Vulture instead of an Eagle.” I turned around, showing him the back of my vest.

“Resistant to death? That’s… disturbing.” Tia said with a frown.

“Not a problem with me, in truth with what you said then I’m going to be his worst nightmare.” Jace said with a grin.

“Sounds good to me,” Discord said, twirling a yo-yo contrary to gravity. “While I may be ‘irresponsible’ with my chaos powers, Nisled takes it to down right...urgh, I can’t even find a word to describe how disgusting it is.”

“Right, again the way you said it then… Nisled is probably the weakest chaos user there is if he thinks like that.” Jace said as he put the invitation in his pocket. I raised an eyebrow at him.

“What he means is that anyone that thinks chaos as magic isn’t that strong with it.” Tia said with a smile.

“Just don’t traumatize him too badly,” I said. “He may be sadistic, but he shouldn’t be taken down too far.”

“No promises but I’ll see what I can do.” Jace said until he jerked his head over. “What’s that?”

I stared at him confused as he waved his hand. I looked over and saw another blue orb float over to us. Inside was something black.

“Is that… tar?” Yrna asked.

“Dude I don’t know what you do here but make sure you clean up, black tar is just gross.” Jace said as he looks at it.

“That’s what was leftover from some issues involving someone who could control that stuff. Incinerate it please.” Jace eyed me for a second and made the orb turn red. The tar burst into black flames and after a few seconds there wasn’t anything in it.”

“Should I be worried about this one?” he asked.

“Not sure. She built a portal to another world, but I’m not sure which one. I’ll be able to find her and take her down,” I told him.

“Depends on if she build the portal right, some of them will take you to other worlds while others… well all that was left is ash. The void is a dangerous place.” he said.

“It was unstable, but it worked. That’s how three of those four you saw earlier got here...unintentionally. After its second use, it self destructed,” I said. “Probably a safety feature.”

“Right… Just to be on the safe side I’ll keep an eye out for her, mind give me a picture so I know what I’m looking for.” he said.

Discord pulled out a picture from his ear and handed it to Jace. Jace took it and looked at it, he tilted his head a bit.

“Well… that’s something.” he said as he pocketed the picture. “Anything else you need to do, say, or show me?”

“Don’t let her tar touch your spine or head. She can then control you through it...if that’s even possible with you.”

“If she tries then she will have one big surprise.” Jace said to me. “Last call for anything to show me and other stuff.”

“Nothing else that comes to mind,” I stated, before suddenly remembering. “Oh, wait! Another Displaced managed to get his Diarch of the Sun dressed up weird.” I showed him Sora’s picture of Prince Solaris. The three of them stared at it for sometime.

“I don’t get it, it just shows a horse with a horn and wings in a dress.” Tia said.

“I agree, what’s the point of this?” Jace asked.

“In most Equestrias, the inhabitants are sentient ponies, and their Princess or Prince is a horse,” I sighed in annoyance. “The joke is that Sora, the Displaced that took this picture, wants the rest of the multiverse to not take him, meaning Solarus, seriously.”

“I don’t know, even if I would look like that, which would be kinda cute, I wouldn’t take myself seriously if I was a winged horse.” Tia said.

“Until you actually see her angry side, you wouldn’t normally take her seriously...or him…”

“Are you saying that I’m not threatening as it is?” Tia asked me. Her gaze seemed to pierce through me. “Even if you see me as a horse?”

“I’ll just say no comment and please stop...you’re scaring me.”

“Good,” she started with a loving smile as she cracked her knuckles. “I would hate if you have to tell your Celestia that you got beaten to a bloody pulp by something else.”

“Just go please. I’m close to wetting myself in fear.” She eyed me for a second before turning around. In a bright flash a white portal opened.

“I’ll see you when you get back brother.” Tia said before she and Yrna walked through it. Leaving me and Jace alone.

“Well she’s a bit ticked, sorry about that. She can be caring but the idea of anyone seeing her as a joke rubs her the wrong way.” Jace said.

“I deserved it. Foot-in-mouth disease issue I’ve had.”

“Luckily it wasn’t Luna, she would just punch you if you insulted her.” Jace sighed at this. “Growing up with those two, the most oddest sisters ever.”

He thought about it until he snapped his fingers and a piece of paper appeared. “Speaking of family, mind keeping an eye out for this one.” He passed me a picture of some girl with brown hair, eyes and some goggles on.

“Who is she?”

“My sister, she’s a displaced as well.” he said as he looks away. “She’s a bit of a knucklehead but nice.”

“I’ll keep an eye out, but no guarantee of finding her.” I checked my phone before looking back at him. “I’ll see ya later then?”

“Yup, see ya.” with that he turned into ash. Now I was alone.

“Well, I’m suddenly confused as to why I’m alone when there were some ponies and a draconequs here earlier.” I shrugged. “Meh, I needed a nap anyway.”

(3rd person POV)

The four soon exited the portal, only to find Celestia and Luna waiting for them. “We’ve been thinking over your request for the Doom Marines to assist. We agree, but only on the grounds that you have other allies to assist them.” Luna said.

Sebaste nodded. “I’ll let Guardian know of your answer and terms. It's time we bring down Flame Tail for good.” He said.

Meanwhile…

A lone Pegasus stallion looked over a map of Equestria, the flags showing his forces and the enemies. He cursed as he looked at the flag that represented Ponyville. Ever since the four creatures had appeared, his forces had been defeated or destroyed every time they attacked the town. He then closed his eyes and chuckled, his voice suddenly sounding feminine as flames wrapped around him. He then opened his eyes to revel slitted green pupils as his, or rather her true form was revealed. “I’ll get my revenge on those blasted Princesses and those creatures will also pay… the Changelings shall rise again!” Chrysalis cackled as she looked over the map. “And those fools won't even know what even hit them…”

Displaced Arc, Chapter 10: A Legend rebuilt (Pt 1)

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Warning: contains spoilers for The Legend, Rebuilt. Viewer discretion is advised

Sebastian grunted as Viktor landed a blow to his midsection before he retaliated with a backhanded strike that sent the Spartan sliding. The two had been training for four hours now and were starting to tire out.

“Nice reversal, now attack while he’s recovering!” Sebaste called out, Alex and Rainblade standing next to him. The Astartes charged and slammed into Viktor, knocking both of them into the ground.

“Alright, that's enough for today. Let’s head back and- FAUST DAMN IT!” Sebaste yelped as a portal opened beneath him and Alex, Rainblade being dragged along for the ride.

“Seb! Hang- WHOA!” Viktor yelled as another portal opened beneath him and Sebastian, the two of them falling through. With a twin hiss, the portals then closed. In seconds, the five were spat out onto floor tiles in a heap and left groaning.

“Ugh… Next time, I’m gonna have a chat with whoever decided portals were a good transport choice….” Sebaste grumbled as he pushed the others off him and looked around, only to freeze as he saw they were not alone. “Guys…? You might want to get up… Now…”

“Wait… where’d they come from?” an unfamiliar voice asked, belonging to a biomechanical figure in brown armor, wearing a bullet-shaped mask.

“They’re my Hail Mary… I hope…” said another, whose armor was mismatched.

The other four stood up and stared in shock. “Okay… Anyone have a clue as to why I’m seeing the Toa Mata and the Mane Six in armor?” Viktor asked. “And what's with the walking crystals?!”

“I’m not so sure myself,” said the figure in black-and-white armor, “but we can explain later. Right now, we gotta fight these ‘Shardlings’ off…”

“Don’t you mean Changelings?” Alex asked as a spiker materialized in her left hand and arcane energy began to charge on her gauntlet, causing her palm to glow. Sebaste and Viktor each summoned a different weapon, with Sebaste opting for a heavy machine gun while Viktor went with dual SMGs. Sebastian settled for two Heresy style lightning claws while Rainblade flew up, her left hoof splitting open with a hiss, and aimed her built-in bolter at the foe. “And I’m guessing you’re the Displaced that summoned us?”

“Wait!” Cried the unfamiliar Toa. “Some of them might still have captive ponies inside them, like the Iron Patriot in Iron Man 3, but we can't tell which are which! And how did y--”

There was a dark chuckle from someone amongst the enemy lines. “Ah, yes, and now you see the beauty of our plan!” They said, their voice both familiar and strange at the same time. “The crystal armor also serves as a walking energy source for our hive, feeding off the very ponies who serve as our hostages! They’re unable to do anything but watch as the black crystals rob them of even their very will, and forces them to destroy their own homes and families, who themselves are loathe to fight back! It’s the ultimate weapon!” The large, crystalline-looking copy of Chrysalis then submitted to a short batch of maniacal laughter, standing momentarily on her back legs as she spread her forehooves to the sky.

“Seriously? You’ve got us practically where you want us, and you chose now to start monologuing?” The outspoken Toa asked, incredulously, as Pinkie tried and failed to stick a lampshade on his head. “I mean, now that we know about it drawing power from the folks trapped inside, all we have to do is overload them or something! Not to mention the fact that you're essentially using baby armor, or whatever you’d call it here, to hold us off...”

“I forgot to mention earlier, but they also regenerate damage really fast!” Supplied the resident Twilight.

“And does anypony wanna tell me why there's a robot version of me flying around?” The resident Rainbow Dash demanded.

“Look,” Tahu growled, “are we going to fight, or not?”

“Oh? Tell me then, stranger…” the crystalline figure said, “how can you 'heroes’ possibly fight me, when you're already so busy fighting yourselves?” With that, one of the Shardlings blasted Lewa in the face, and dark crystals slowly began to poke out of him in odd places. The Toa of Air turned and looked at the others, his eyes now vacant and glowing red.

“Shit… Alex, bind him before he can attack!” Sebaste ordered. She nodded before a burst of magic lanced out from her hand and slammed into Lewa, forming binds on his hands and feet that caused him to topple over. Sebaste then looked over at Chrystalla, and when he spoke, there was a note of steel in his voice. “If there’s one thing that ticks me off… it’s lording it over others and taking away their free will. And you…. just crossed that line.” he growled as he dismissed his machine gun in favor of a pair of CE magnums. He turned to the unknown Toa. “Keep those bugs busy, I’ll deal with Ms. Crystal over there.”

“Actually, I think she might be a fusion between Chrysalis and Sombra,” the seventh Toa remarked, “but I could be wrong. Name’s Caldoric, by the way.”

“Eliteslayer.” Sebaste then activated his suit’s thrusters and charged forward, knocking a good majority of the Shardlings out of the way.

“Rainblade, give us some covering fire!” Viktor yelled as he tossed an energy drain bomb at a group of shardlings. As soon as it activated, the shardlings around it were suddenly weakened as their magic was drained by the alien device faster than it could regenerate.

“Alright,” said Caldoric, who summoned a Bruteshot (of all things,) and stepped forward… only to freeze for a second. “Shit, I don't have a Gunkind abstratus…” he then growled, re-summoning his sword and teleporting after Eliteslayer, with Tahu on his heels. “EULALIAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!” he cried.

Rainblade meanwhile, was swooping over the shardlings, laying down suppressing fire from her built in bolter. “The heck’s wrong with the rest of you?! Do you guys want to be like greenie there?” She asked the others.

That seemed to snap everyone into action, as Onua and Gali moved over to their fallen brother, along with Fluttershy and Twilight, and tried to bring him back to normalcy. Gali, however, caught Onua muttering something about a “second time,” but filed it away for later. Everyone else from Mata Nui and Equestria charged into the fray, tossing spells, kicks, and elemental blasts as they went.

Sebastian landed two slashing blows with his lightning claws before punching the shardling he had been fighting unconscious. “And I thought the Zerg were bad enough!” He taunted. “But I guess all you guys really do is just bug ponies!”

“Hah!” Exclaimed Pohatu, nearby, as he punted a Shardling into a wall. “Nice one! Kopaka would approve!”

The Astartes gave him a thumbs up before he dismissed a lightning claw for a bolter, and opened fire. “I’d say let’s rock, except that pun’s beneath me... but I’m gonna say it anyways; let’s rock!” he roared as he gunned down a group of Shardlings that were headed towards him.

Pohatu chuckled lightly as he charged towards a group of Shardlings that had begun to recover from their energy drain. “How 'bout we kick this into high gear?” He suggested. Leaping forwards and landing on his hands, he spun on his palms and Shifted into an Earth Pony slightly bigger than Celestia, and delivered a devastating kick with his new back legs, then Shifted back and punched another 'ling in the face. There was an audible crack from the impact.

“What in Holy Terra?!” Sebastian exclaimed, a dumbfounded look hidden behind his helmet, though his body language transcribed it perfectly. “That…. That shouldn't be possible! Since when did the Bionicle universe have that!?”

“Since forever, or so I've heard,” returned the Toa of stone, who abruptly stamped on the ground in the Astartes’ direction. “Heads up,” he added, as a spire of rock shot from the ground near Sebastian and pinned a 'ling that had been sneaking up on him to the far wall. “Maybe you should use that Kanohi Hau built into your helmet more often,” he finished, turning back to the 'lings around him. Sebastian facepalmed at that, muttering something that the Toa didn't catch, but it seemed to annoy the Astartes greatly.

Kopaka just rolled his eyes, and fought on silently.

Meanwhile, Alex and Viktor were fighting back to back, both having resorted to melee weapons. With a flick of her wrist, Alex wrapped her snake blade around a snarling Shardling and slammed it into one of its fellows, knocking them unconscious. “I’m really starting to hate bugs right now!” She growled. She raised her hand and unleashed a massive arcane blast that sent a majority of the Shardlings flying. She noticed Rainblade fighting alongside the resident world’s Rainbow, her wingblades slashing at a ‘ling and her bionic eye glaring at it.

The expresionless 'ling, in desperation, tried charging up a spell, only to be knocked sideways by Rainbow. “Don’t give 'em a chance to fire off a shot!” She chided, jokingly. “Haven't you fought Changelings before?”

“No… I had to fight and sometimes even kill other ponies.” Rainblade replied, as she blasted another Shardling with her sonic shotgun. “It’s not something I like remembering…”

“Oh, man, that sounds--” Rainbow began, only to be tackled by a crystalline Twilight-lookalike, which quickly brought its fangs to bear, ready to tear her throat out.

“RAAAAAAAH!” Rainblade roared before she smashed into the Shardling, her wingblades slicing into it. She kicked it back and flared her wings, both her organic and bionic eye glaring daggers at it. A ray of sunlight glinted on her metal wings as she displayed the built-in blades that gave her her name.

Rainbow took the opportunity to buck the 'ling off of herself and into the air, where Rainblade then grabbed it and it found itself staring down the barrel of the bolter sticking out of her forehoof. “I’m not letting anypony get hurt… Not after what I’ve gone through!” She shouted before she fired and let the Shardling fall, a massive wound showing where the mass reactive bolt had hit. She panted before she flew back down, the bolter retracting back into her hoof. The Shardling, however, merely crumbled into a useless (and distinctly smaller) pile of inert black crystals as it landed on the floor.

“Th-thanks, man,” Rainbow said, as she shakily regained her footing, then took to the air once more.

Alex shook her head as she knocked out another Shardling, Viktor stunning another with a Spartan charge. In a way, both Seb and Rainblade are the same... She thought, but I need to focus on this battle! If what Caldoric said is true… I don't want to risk killing any of the ponies this ‘Chrystalla’ enslaved.

Meanwhile, Pinkie and Rarity were holding their own in the crowd of foes, with the seamstress firing blast after magical blast, and the party-planner following suit with her party cannon. “Rarity,” asked the latter of the two, a bit of concern edging into her voice, “I've been wondering… d’you think Changelings have parties? I mean, I didn't get the chance to ask Thorax before he went into hiding…” She then blasted another group of 'lings.

“Pinkie, darling, I think that’s the least of our concerns at the moment,” Rarity replied, blasting three 'lings with magic and kicking a fourth with her hind legs, “but if I were to guess, they probably didn't do anything of the sort under Chrysalis’ rule.”

Pinkie halted for a moment, firing off one last blast. “Well then,” she stated, her voice going a bit weird as she stowed her cannon in her flattening mane, “let’s show them a party they won’t soon forget!” And, with that, Pinkamena Diane Pie pulled a very strange device from her straight, cascading locks of hair: it looked like a cyborg dolphin, into whose mouth had been shoved the mechanical workings of some form of gattling gun. This was Terraria’s legendary Space Dolphin Machine Gun, and it was equipped with the former rock farmer's favored ammunition.

With a whirring sound, the barrels spun up to optimum velocity, and Pinkamena pulled the trigger, deploying endless waves of tightly-packed, confetti-filled capsules at the horde of Shardlings, each shot exploding on impact with a small cloud of colorful bits of paper. She began to laugh maniacally, and pressed forward into the throng of crystalline bodies, walking on her hind legs as she cut a swath through the foes before her. Rarity, for her part, turned and cast a shield spell about herself and her presently less-than-sane friend, and followed behind the pink tank as she shouted “Waaaaaah! Cry some more, it makes me happy!” at the 'lings in a heavy Slavic accent.

Seeing this, Viktor facepalmed. “Really…. A TF2 reference?” He asked as he delivered a ground pound, the impact sending a few Shardlings flying. “What’s next, Nightmare Moon shows up?! Or a dragon does a song and dance number!?”

Almost in answer to his question a huge blast of wind raced around the room, unbalancing several Shardlings and throwing others on both sides somewhat off-guard while they braced against it.

“Wahoo!” Cried Lewa, getting up, “I'm back in the battle-fight!” he then sent out another bust of wind, blowing a channel of 'lings against the wall. This was followed up with a beam of water from Gali, and several magic blasts from Twilight. Onua, however, seemed to have vanished...

“Kyra, activate music file 9091, keyword: For freedom, we rise.” The Spartan said before a single song began blaring from his external speakers, accompanied by a “Hell yeah!” from Caldoric's general direction. Viktor then paused and concentrated before a single large mech with a heavy machine gun mounted on the left arm appeared next to him. “It’s Cyclops time!” He said, before he leapt in and sealed the cockpit. The walker then stood up and slamming a metal fist into its palm. With a roar, Viktor then opened fire with the heavy cannon, targeting only the non pony shardlings with help from his scanners and striding forward.

Meanwhile, Caldoric, Tahu, and Eliteslayer were practically fighting for their lives against Chrystalla, the four of them enclosed within a circle of magical, color-changing flames.

Caldoric momentarily took notice of the giant, unfamiliar mech's appearance as he fought, and did his best to speak without breaking his rhythm. “What the hell,” He began, dodging to one side and delivering an upward slice to Chrystalla's abdomen that merely glanced off, “is that thing? It’s not a Mantis, and I’m pretty sure I--” Again, he rolled out of the way, and attempted another attack, “that I’ve never seen one of those before!” He finished, to nobody in particular, then lunged forward alongside Tahu for a double thrust, which failed to do more than scratch her crystalline hide.

Just outside the circle of flames, a black, three-clawed hand shot up from beneath the flagstones and seized a Shardling by the leg, pulling it under before it could blink. The whole was almost immediately backfilled, as another few 'lings were sent flying over their heads from somewhere else in the room.

“Heh, Vik always did like using the Cyclops…” Sebaste replied as he leapt into the air and fired round after round from his pistols, the armor piercing tips easily negating Chrystalla’s crystal armor. “So I’m guessing you bought something from an unknown vendor at a Con, dressed as a character from a video game or some other fandom and got sent to Equestria as said character?” He asked as he landed, his pistols raised and smoking.

“Uh…” Caldoric replied, a little confused, “more of an OC, but…” He ducked a wild kick from the now-enraged Chrystalla. “I’m not exactly sure what I'm capable of! I mean, I'm afraid to find out, really!”

“Most new Displaced are like that. I know, I was like you once…” Sebaste responded as he flipped over a swing and fired at Chrystalla before slamming into her with a Spartan charge.

“Wait, you were human too?” Caldoric asked. “Were you ever familiar with a webcomic called 'Homestuck’?”

“I’ve heard some of my friends mention it back before I was Displaced, but I never really got into it, and to answer your other question, I’m still human, just augmented!” He said as he jumped back, a massive hammer that crackled with energy now in his hands.

“Still human? Oh, you lucky bastard!” Caldoric replied, putting extra stress on the final word as he attempted a drop kick on the Shardling Queen, then rolled out of the way of her retaliatory stomp. “I’ve got some questions for you, assuming we make it out of this…!”

“And I’m assuming my friends might have a few questions for you, judging by Sasha’s startled yell earlier.” Sebaste chuckled before he swung his weapon. As it hit, a massive shockwave sent Chrystalla skidding backwards. “Now then, call off your bugs and release the ponies, or I’m bringing the hammer down!” he growled at the queen.

“I’d be careful with him!” Caldoric added. “He really loves his hammer…!”

“Less talking, more fighting!” Kopaka snapped as he skated by, momentarily leaving a trail of ice on the floor, and a more permanent trail of angry Shardlings hot on his tail.

“Sounds like a pl--!” Caldoric began, only to receive a solid kick to his back from Chrystalla, which sent him out of the flaming ring and slammed him against the nearest wall. He sat there, dazed momentarily…

~~~~
Ian shook his head in an attempt to clear it, and looked at the battlefield around him. Things didn't look good, and there were always more 'lings pouring in from the various entrances, though it did seem to be slowing slightly… He sighed, and looked at his sword. He really shouldn't have allocated his Strife Specibus to Bladekind, as cool as it was… he had nothing that could do more than scratch her.

An idea came to him, then. A stupid, crazy idea, which had no chance of working, but… maybe. Summoning the two lightsaber replicas he'd been wearing at the convention from his Sylladex, he pushed it’s “on” button, and was rewarded with a lime-green blade of light springing from its emitter.

“Oh, now we’re cooking with uranium…!” He exclaimed softly, as he ignited the other, blood-orange blade, eager to return the fight.

~~~~
“Y’know, you’re really vexing me!” Sebaste growled as he dodged another swing from Chrystalla. “But I bet you can't tell which is the real me!” He said as two duplicates of himself appeared on either side,each armed with the same weapon.

With an unfamiliar battle cry, the three combatants who remained in the circle turned to see Caldoric, back in action, swinging two glowing and humming blades around himself in a simple yet mesmerizing “X” pattern, carving a bloodless path towards the circle. Any Shardling near him backes off, unsure what to make of these strange weapons…

With a triumphant yell, he leapt over the Technicolor flames and performed a scissor-cut with the two blades in empty air. “C’mon!” He challenged. Tahu raised an eyebrow.

“Oooookay… Moving on…” Sebaste said just as he received a blow from Chystalla, sending him skidding on the floor, and knocking his helmet off in the process. He turned his head to reveal a mop of short reddish brown hair, green eyes and most distinctively, a face that had two slash scars over his left eye. Locking onto Chrystalla, Sebaste’s eyes narrowed into angry slits and with a growl, he summoned a pair of energy swords and charged forward.

Caldoric followed his lead, with Tahu not far behind, his Flame Sword ablaze. Soon, the three of them were landing flurries of blows upon her that bit deeper into her crystal-built body than anything had before. No blood came from the wounds, but they still pained her nonetheless.

“Time for you to pay for your crimes, Chrysalis…” Sebaste snarled as he stalked forward to land another blow.

“No… no!!” she cried, creating a thaumic shockwave that pressed all three of her foes nearly to the edge of the circle. “I will not be bested by the likes of you… you… you alien freaks! I will see this world fall to my whim! And you have no chance of stopping me!”

“I’ve heard that so many times, it’s gotten old! I’ve fought Chaos Marines, Covenant, even a Daemon Princess version of Twilight and won! I’m a defender of Equestria, and I don't give in, no matter what!” Sebaste roared before his thrusters activated and he slammed into her, sending her skidding and disrupting her spell.

Tahu tried to take the opportunity to attack her from behind, only for his blade to rebound off of her hastily-cast shield spell, which sent him flying backwards. Meanwhile, Caldoric was circling the errant Queen, with small green electrical arcs beginning to cascade up and down his frame, as he shook slightly with… was it anger? Fear? Suddenly, he stopped his pacing.

“Do you know what your sins are… Chrysalis?” He asked, slowly, calmly. “Pride. Envy. Wrath, and Greed. And now, you feel that sensation on your spine? That tingling feeling creeping up beneath the hair on your scalp?” He settled into an aggressive crouch as the small lightnings seemed to intensity. “Those are your sins, crawling up your back. Chrysalis, you have failed this world, and have forgotten the face of your father. For this, and the harming of innocents across nations, you're gonna have a bad time.”

Sebaste jumped back and summoned what looked like a massive closed missile launcher, but as he pulled the trigger, the front of the weapon opened up, and a whine was heard as a small laser locked onto Chrystalla, and energy began to build in the barrel.

“It’s a terrible day.” Caldoric stated, with that strange calm. “Birds are starving, flowers are wilting… on days like these, bitches like you…” purple smoke began to filter through his mask's eyeholes as the electricity around him began trying to discharge to the ground around him, playing a familiar tune (MeGaLoVania,) and small bits of debris began rising. He held his hands off to one side in a pose anyone familiar with Dragon Ball Z would recognize, as his deactivated lightsabers hung in midair.

“Ş̕͡HO̴U͏̷̵L̷͡D ͝BĘ B̧UŔ̢N͟IN͝҉G̛̕ ͏Ì̷͏N͞ ̕H͢͠E̴̕Ĺ̢Ļ̶!” He exclaimed, his voice going wierd. “̕ KA͘M̶҉̧É.͢.̶.͏ ̴̵̵R̕͠AS͜E̴̡͟N̢͠.̸̀͝.́̕.̧͏ ҉Ḩ̸͡A͘M̀E̵̛,̀ ͏G͝AN̸͠,҉ ́̕H̴A-DǪ͢͏ƯK̕E̴̶̛N ̡͟F̸U̢C̵̨K͘Y̴͟O̸U̕̕͠Y͠O̴̧U̶M̧̨O͡͡T͏HÉRF͘͏UC̨̕͏K̨͡IN͜͠G̛͘B̸ÍT͝Ć̴̢H̴͡͞!҉͢!͢”͢

At that moment, both Caldoric and Sebaste released their pent-up attacks, which shattered Chrystalla's shield and sent her flying through a wall. The smoking hole she’d left allowed a bit more of the grey daylight to enter the room, but it didn't do much else.

Everyone in the room stopped what they were doing to see what had just happened, with Onua popping his masked head up from beneath the floor to join in.

Caldoric, bent over and panting from the apparent exertion of the combined attack, held up a hand, in which appeared a swirling ball of energy, the color of which matched his eyes and heartlight. “Y̶o͟u Sh̵a͏rdlin͝gs h͜ave ͞ti͢ll thȩ ̧c҉óuņt ͏of ͟te͞n t̕o̕ ̵g̕e̕t ̢y̸ou҉r̢ lousy,̀ ly͢ing,̶ ̢n͡o͜-gòod̴ cąrcàsses͜ ͘ou͏t ̷o̵f̢ ̵t̢hi͜s c̛as͡t̸l͢e̡,̢ ͡b͢e̕fo̡r̴e ͜Ì p̧u̷m͡p̷ ́your g͘u͞t̕s ful͢la p̨l҉a̵sma̸.” He stated,the lightning dying down, though the song it had produced was still going.

“O̧ne̢.̛” he said, and the Shardlings began to scatter, going any way they could before Caldoric could--

“̷́T̨ẁo̴͘.͏.̶̛̛.͞” There was an increased intensity in his voice, which the everyone present seemed to pick up on.

“̛T̵E̸̷̵N̶̨!́͟͏!̷!͘͢” He cried, and slammed the ball into the ground. Immediately, more green electricity lanced out from the point of impact, skittering across the stonework and leaping through the air, striking each and every Shardling in the room, with other tendrils snaking off into the rest of the castle. The arcs of energy totally ignored the Toa, ponies, and former humans, instead latching onto every Shardling present, encasing them in an electrical prison, and they began shaking, some more than others.

“Caldoric, stop! You're hurting--!” Gali began, as Twilight charged up a spell and Tahu made ready to hit him with the pommel of his sword, but then everything changed. The crystal of the Shardlings began to crack and fall off, some of them revealing different colors underneath, while others merely began to crumble from the inside. Soon, the trapped ponies (and a couple of captured Changelings,) were taking in gasps of air and retching, as Lyra had done, while the fully-crystallized Shardlings merely disintegrated.

The floating debris around Caldoric dropped to the ground again, as did his lightsabers. “Keep the change, ya filthy animals,” he spat sarcastically, then joined his lightsabers in a heap on the ground. The electricity that had danced across his armor moments before was gone, and the colors thereof seemed almost... faded.

“Holy Tartarus, the hell was that?!” Sebaste asked, having grabbed his helmet after spotting it lying nearby. Rainblade then flew up to him.

“I don’t know, but his power levels spiked to over 10,000.” She remarked, earning a facepalm in response.

“Of course you would have the equipment to make that particular meme….” the Spartan muttered, earning a confused look from the Cyberpegasus.

♪Mmmm, whatcha saa-ay...?♪ Pinkie intoned, sitting next to Caldoric's prone form, a forehoof resting next to his unblinking heartlight. ♪Oooh, that you only meant well? Well, of course you did...♪

Caldoric, for his part, suddenly sat up, jabbed a finger in her face, and said three words: “Too. Fucking. Soon.” His hand then delved into his chestplate, where it fiddled about a bit, before the heartlight finally flickered to life once more.

“Faulty wire?” Viktor asked as he walked up, with Alex and Sebastian behind him, the Cyclops having vanished. “Those can be a real pain. I’ve had to fix Alex’s arm more than once because of those!”

“Well, it’s more loose than faulty, but yeah,” Caldoric said, retrieving his hand from his armor, “though it’s been doing this since I put the costume together. Could've gone with a steady blinking light, but nooooo, I decided to have it so it actually picked up on my heartrate for the added realism. Stupid me.” he looked over at the Toa Mata and the Mane Six, who were gathering and comforting the former Shardling captives.

There were a few blasts of green magic that flew in through the Chrystalla-shaped hole in the wall, though they missed anything important by a mile.

“Now that Chyssie got sent flying Team Rocket style, those Shardlings can't hit the broadside of a barn!” Sebaste chuckled as Alex face palmed with her right hand, servos whirring.

“Come out and face me, you cowards!” Chrystalla’s voice commanded, from outside the castle walls.

“Yeah. I thought she might still be alive…” Caldoric complained, coughing slightly and attempting to get to his feet, his armor still paler than normal. “The bad guys have a nasty habit of doing that. But hey, that’s the Narrative Imperative for ya… what’s it look like out there?”

Alex quickly teleported to where the hole was, and peeked out. “We’ve got more Shardlings, along with Chrysalis and… what the….” She sounded confused.

Caldoric staggered over to the hole, and his eyes widened.

“What… what are those?” She asked.

“Shale imps,” he said, as if in explanation. “Basically cannon fodder, they’re from Homestuck, though they can be potentially problematic if there are too many ganging up on you unawares… I'm more concerned about how they got here… I only hope she doesn't have anything worse.”

“That's another thing about Displaced… you get enemies from the series you dressed up as in the same world.” Alex said grimly as she unsheathed her sword, before reconsidering and resheathing it and pulling out her sniper rifle.

“Hey, how d’you keep doing that, by the way?” Caldoric asked, looking askance at her. His armor seemed a bit less faded, but it was still faded nonetheless...

“Our weapon summoning? It’s my only power, besides being able to use magic. I can also use different armor abilities, but that's the extent of what I can do. Seb and the other two are able to summon different vehicles from their respective game universes.” She explained. “Honestly, I don't know how it works, but from what I can guess, whenever we think of a certain weapon, it appears in our hands.”

“Hmmm…” Caldoric said, gazing off into the distance. A second later he held out a hand as he leaned against the wall, and a simple-looking ring with four pearl-white orbs on it appeared in his palm. “Nice, but what about…” the ring disappeared, and was replaced by a strange, somewhat cylindrical object, half black and half silver.

“Yeah, that’s cool. I can pull from both realities…!” He began, before Chrystalla's voice cut through the silence again.

“Answer me, or I will bring that blasted castle down around your ears!” She demanded.

“Kiss this, Chrysalis!” Alex shouted back before a sniper round grazed the Shardlings Queen's side. “Next shot I fire will be in your skull!”

“Not if I can help it…” Caldoric muttered, as the large object vanished, and was replaced with a slightly smaller and stockier six-barreled apparatus. “Eat Cordak missiles, assmunch!” He exclaimed, and fired off six shots. Six missile-like objects flew from the barrels, but none flew straight at the intended target. Instead, the projectiles slammed into random sectors of the amassed army in the streets, leaving behind craters, dead 'lings, and… large Gusher-looking objects.

“Oh I forgot, those were torpedoes. But hey, they drop grist!” Caldoric noted, before the army responded with a barrage of their own. “Pohatu, seal this hole!”

Alex quickly ducked behind the wall as it hit before peeking back out and sniping a few shardlings from their perches. Sebaste and the other three quickly ran to some of the holes punched by the blasts and returned fire with their weapons.

A second later, the hole in the wall seemed to melt and seal itself, and Pohatu gave a grunt of satisfaction.

“Toa and Elements, I have an idea!” Caldoric said, remembering something. “To the door!” Everyone minus the Spartans, the Cyberpegasus and the dark green Hulkbuster-lookalike made their way to the door, where Caldoric revealed his idea.

“Alright, you ponies put a forehoof against the doorframe. Good, now…” he turned to the Toa. “Do the same with your weapons.”

“Why?” Asked Onua. “What will this accomplish?”

“Just do it and see, it’ll be aweso--” Caldoric was cut off as the castle shook, raining dust on their heads. “Do it! Do it now!”

As one, the Toa Mata placed the ends of their weapons against the doorframe, (with Pohatu merely placing his foot against it,) and it glowed momentarily with energy. Soon, so too did the whole room, as did the entire castle, presumably.

“Caldoric, you’d better hurry! I'm not sure how long we can keep this up- AAH!” Alex cried out as a lucky shot from a shardling hit her right arm, the pain sensors built into it alerting her of the hit. She fell to the ground, grasping her now damaged arm. Sparks spat from where the shot hit.

“Blast…!” Tahu cried, and hurried to her side, as the glow from whatever had happened faded. He saw, through the few remaining holes in the walls, that beams of energy were now shooting off from somewhere else in the castle, bathing the enemy army in swathes of fire, or ice, or having small chasms open beneath them. What in Mata Nui's name is going on? he wondered.

“Alex!” Viktor yelled as he ran over to her. He skidded to a halt and stared at the damage the blast had done. “Kyra, I need you, now!” He said before a small blue glowing humanoid figure armed with a high tech laser rifle and flakk armor appeared in his hand. “I need you to scan her arm and tell me the damage report.” He ordered.

“Right away!” The AI said before she vanished.When she came back, her tone was grim. “She’s lost part of her motor functions in her arm, the blast somehow hit a major power line. I recommend fully replacing the entire thing, and fast.” Viktor slammed a fist into the wall, leaving an impression of his fist in the stonework.

“Damn it! Alex… I need you to stay here for now. I’ll be back to fix your arm as soon as I can. Will you be okay until then?” He asked, getting a nod from her.

Caldoric came rushing over too, and tried to slide to a stop, only for him to trip over a bit of rubble and slide the rest of the way there on his mask. “I may have a solution or two, if there’s a problem,” he groaned, his voice slightly muffled by the floor as he held up a finger. Tahu got up and joined his fellow Toa in providing defense through the holes in the wall.

“Unless you know how to fix a prosthetic arm, and a custom one at that, I don't think we can really do anything.” Viktor snapped. Sebastian put a hand on the Spartan’s shoulder.

“Let's hear him out, he might be able to get this done faster.” He said.

Caldoric sat up, and looked at the damaged prosthetic. “Oh dang, that's some damage. There’s a Mask for that, though, if I remember correctly.” He then held up his right arm, indicating the plate of slotted silvery metal on the forearm. “And if that fails… I could always try to simulate Alchemy from FMA!” He then held his hands in front of himself, and a Kanohi Mask appeared between them. He then put it on, and his armor immediately brightened back to its original luster as he nearly fell over.

“Whoah, head rush,” he muttered, as he then held his hands over the damaged arm. “Alright… fix!” the new mask began to glow with an inner light, and then, with a slight grinding of metal and a few sparks, the arm glowed too, beginning to stitch itself back together. In seconds, it was done. Caldoric was ecstatic.

Alex flexed the arm a few times before she stood up. “Thanks.” She said, giving the Toa a nod of appreciation.

“No problem,” the Human-turned-Toa replied. “So, an actual prosthetic, eh? What’s it based off of? I mean, assuming it's not a custom… design… that is.” He finished awkwardly, and switched to his original mask. “Probably a sore subject, I shouldn't've mentioned it… bad Ian, bad!”

“It's okay. I had it based off of Ivy Valentine's right arm armor, I’ve always been a bit of a Soul Calibur fan, so after I lost my arm in a car accident, we saved up enough money to have a company make it.” Alex replied. “But… it was really hard for us during that time.”

Caldoric gave her a half-smile. “Never heard of either the character or the game, but they sound fun. I personally would've gone for an Automail replica, but that’s just me. Heck, there was this one time I heard that a kid got an Iron Man prosthetic, and Robert Downey himself was involved in making it happen… but that was a few years ago, before Trump got elected, and the war started…” He sat up a little straighter, oblivious to the others’ confused looks, and pressed on. “But enough about the past, we need to focus on the now. How’re we gonna take back the city?”

Sebaste rubbed the bottom of his helmet. "I may have an idea..." He said before revealing his plan.

Displaced Arc, Chapter 11: A Legend rebuilt (pt 2)

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Caldoric looked at his silent visitors, who were in turn looking at each other, as if in confusion. “What, did I say something wrong?” He asked. “Or were you all in the middle of something important when I summoned you?”

“You said take back Canterlot. Just what exactly happened here in this Equestria?” Sebaste asked. “The last time I had to take back Canterlot was in a different Equestria… and it was in a war.” He then sighed, pinching the bridge of his helmet, and said, “All I know right now is that we have Chrysalis in what appears to be crystal like armor, Changelings I've never seen before and from what Sasha told me, Toa that turn into ponies. Just… what exactly is going on here?” The other four murmured agreement, the three other humans having taken their helmets off and were now holding them in the crooks of their arms.

“Long story short,” Caldoric replied, “shit’s kinda fucked. Apparently things here kicked off after the season 6 finale, when Thorax took control of the hive from Chrysalis, reforming it in the process. After she went off in a rage, she apparently teamed up with Sombra, and they took both the Crystal Heart and young Flurry Heart, about three months ago. Then, she abducted Trixie and Starlight Glimmer, learned a few things about Zecora from them, and killed the poor zebra. She also stole the Alicorn Amulet. Then she and her newly-formed Shardling army took over the entire country, and it seemed like some of the neighboring nations also were suffering attacks, according to reports received before communication was cut off. Then the Elements got themselves tossed through the mirror to Mata Nui by Discord, who apparently scrambled its destination settings, while Canterlot finally fell.” Caldoric paused to take a breath.

“Also, Discord, Celestia, and Luna are under Chrystalla's control, and Cadence and Shining are nowhere to be found. I have no idea about how the Toa Mata and the rest of Mata Nui are capable of ‘Shifting,’ as they call it, though.”

“So Sombra's somehow still alive even though he was completely destroyed by the Heart?” Sebastian asked. “That's impossible.”

“Unless he was just banished… again. I mean, he could've left a part of himself somewhere outside the heart’s radius in case of failure, like a Horcrux.” Caldoric shrugged. “Or maybe some sympathetic local freed him, maybe even allowing him to take them over. Poison goes where poison’s welcome, ya know?”

“So what exactly is your story? How do you fit into this?” Viktor asked.

“I was dropped on Mata Nui about a day ago, somewhere on the lava fields near Ta-Koro, after buying a few cool-looking things from this vendor dude at Comic-Con San Diego, who was dressed like Slenderman. Of course, my sister and I only went to the con because, about a week before I was supposed to report to the local Draft Office, a bomb got dropped on it. Fortunately, this meant that I could go ahead and wear the costume I'd been putting together since late 2018. It was, uh, supposed to be a sort of self-insert Toa OC. Completely overpowered, too, since it was based off the 'Knight of Space’ classpect, but I figured I might as well get the itch to do that out of the way for my first con.”

“Yeah… that vendor is known by many Displaced as the Merchant. He’s responsible for the majority of the Displaced in the Multiverse.” Sebaste explained before he realized something. “Wait, did you say it was 2018 back where you came from?”

“No, I said I started my costume late that year. It’s currently 2020, which is kinda funny because, in hindsight, we never should've allowed Trump or Hillary to run for President in 2016, or allowed the former to keep office after Russia tipped the elections in Trump’s favor. Not with that war they started.” Caldoric said. “Er… it is 2020, right? Or, was? Oh, he better not be yanking people from multiple points in the timeline… that never ends well in stories.”

“It was 2013 when I was Displaced…” Sebaste said. “Obama was still president.”

“2015 for us.” Sebastian put in. “Trump was still running in our timeline. Wait, what do you mean Trump and Hillary started a war in your time?” He asked.

“Maybe we can discuss this when there isn't a legion of Shardlings outside the castle?” Viktor spoke up, looking towards the nearly shattered window, where everyone could see Shardlings patrolling the streets, trying to find a way in.

They were quite obviously staying well out of range of the castle’s newly-acquired defenses, occasionally tossing a spell toward the structure. The crowd of recently freed ponies were doing their best to try and help take out what few Shardlings came too close, but there was little else to do.

“I have to agree,” Caldoric said, rising from his crouched position, “but what can we do? They have us surrounded, as far as I can tell. I doubt we could get out through the crystal caverns below, since Chrystalla probably remembers those from last time she was here. Actually, we should probably seal those off, if possible. And without some sort of “deus ex machina” type of superweapon squirreled away in the castle somewhere that can target a specific entity’s signature or whatever, I'm not liking the odds of facing her full force head-on. Yes, even with the assembled Element Bearers, the Toa Mata, and ourselves.”

Sebaste smirked under his helmet. “You seem to forget what my team and I are capable of. Vik, Sasha and I can summon different vehicles, be it land or… air support.” He said. “Sasha has access to tanks that put the Scorpion to shame, while Vik and I can switch between UNSC or Covenant vehicles. I believe you got a glimpse of that during that warm up fight in here when Vik summoned that Cyclops. But Sasha recently unlocked a new ability that allows him to actually turn into a type of vehicle.”

Caldoric cocked his head to one side. “Whaa--? No, nevermind,” he said, almost to himself, then shook his head to regain focus. “Alright, improbable as that sounds, it might be useful. I’m just… I'm not sure I'm ready to go to war. Like, if I'm psychologically able to. Killing other living things, risking my life, potentially failing to save someone in danger… not to mention I’m not sure of my own powers, among other things…”

With a blur of green, Lewa was abruptly amongst the circle of former humans. “Do not worry-fret too much, brother,” he said, placing a hand on Caldoric's shoulder, “the answers will be reveal-shown in time.”

Caldoric smiled gratefully, then abruptly seized the Toa of Air in a tight hug. Lewa, surprised, gingerly returned the gesture.

Sebaste chuckled as he and the others watched. “Alright… Let's teach those bugs not to mess with a Displaced and his home turf.” He said as Sebastian’s form began to glow brightly and he began to shift into his Contemptor Dreadnought form. In seconds, a massive walker armed with a massive rotary cannon and a fist that had twin gun barrels poking out of its palm. A single helmet could be seen in the head opening.

“Mata Nui!” Lewa exclaimed, backing off a few steps as Caldoric released him, and turned around.

“I totally second that…” Caldoric muttered, as the ponies and other Toa in the room noticed it too. “That… holy fucking Gadunka, that thing’s huge as fuck. Couldn't we have done this at the front door though? I’m not sure it’ll fit through the halls… unless you're just going to bust through that wall again.”

++ Erm…++ Sebastian's voice had gotten deeper as a result of his vox unit. ++Well, I was thinking of keeping them occupied while you guys snuck out and flanked them.++

“Whatever you think-say,” Lewa said, holding his hands up placatingly, “just don't step on us.”

“Agreed,” said Rarity, coming over with the rest of the heroes.

There was a snort from Sebastian. ++ Trust me, there are walkers called Titans that are way bigger than me. In fact… Just one Titan would be as big as the mountain. ++

With a faint “eep!” Fluttershy fell over, unconscious.

“Wow,” commented Caldoric, “Attack on Titan, much?”

“Ah’m not sure whatcha mean by that,” Applejack supplied, “but it seems like it’d be a darn good distraction, if’n we e'er needed one.” Tahu merely eyed the giant mech with envy.

Sebaste chuckled. “There’s a reason the Imperium call Titans ‘God Machines’. They have enough firepower to wipe out entire armies.” He said. “Sasha is one of the smaller walkers called a Contemptor Dreadnought, a devastating force in its own right. They’re piloted by injured Adeptus Astartes-”

There was a large explosive sound that shook the castle, followed by a loud groan, an unusually deep silence, then a huge crash as something hit the ground outside.
[
“I think they knocked off a tower…” Rainbow said, a trace of worry touching her normally confident voice.

“Yeah, how about we get out there while there’s still a city to save?” Asked Pohatu.

“Yeah,” added Pinkie, “the readers are probably getting a bit restless with all this Blood Gulching…”

Caldoric looked at her questioningly. “Wait,we’re being chronicled?” He asked, but got no further with his inquiry.

“Can we just go and save this city already?” Demanded Tahu.

++ Right, I’ll go and draw their attention, you guys go and flank them! ++ Sebastian yelled before he smashed through the wall, the barrels on his weapon spinning to life.

“Right, front door’s this way, everypony!” Twilight exclaimed, leading the way.

“And another thing, I think that term needs to--” Caldoric began.

“No time!” Several others interjected. Soon, they were at the front doors, where they paused.

“So, what’s the plan?” Kopaka asked.

“Seriously?” Caldoric asked. “When have any of the plans we put together ever worked? We plan, we get there, everything goes to hell. I say we just say 'fuck it,’ and attack stuff.”

“Vik and I can provide armored support. And if we get into a spot where we can switch to aircraft, you’ll have some air support.” Sebaste said. “Alex, you and Rainblade are with Caldoric and his gang.” The two nodded in response.

“Alright,” Caldoric replied, his voice taking on a steely quality, “but we’re essentially gonna just wing it. Don't go looking to me for strategies. I want this over with so I can go home...” And with that, he slipped out the doors and charged into the fray, lightsabers drawn and humming.

“Vik, Scorpion Tanks on three.” Sebaste said, “1…2...3!” The two Spartans slammed the doors open and charged out before two tanks materialized next to them and, after the two had jumped in, the group then advanced, with the two tanks leading the way.

Caldoric turned momentarily, after dealing with a few stray Shardlings, and made a mental comment to himself about the viability of picking up chicks in the metal monstrosities, before snapping out of it.
[
Spotting what looked to be a small group of imps nearby that seemed in a hurry to be somewhere, he followed their trail. Unfortunately, he soon discovered that it was actually part of a rather large group of the Stygian menaces, which quickly had him surrounded. It was also only then that Caldoric realized that the small objects they had been carrying were large-bore flintlock style pistols and rifles.

“Oh, quiznak,” he said, and prepared to fight.

++ FOR THE LION! ++ A hail of Adamantium-tipped bullets tore through the group, catching the Imps off guard. A few seconds later, Sebastian came charging in from the left side, the massive gun that served as his right arm spewing bullets at an incredible rate. ++ What are you waiting for, Naming Day?! Get a move on! ++

“I thought you were supposed to keep the main force busy so we could flank 'em!” Caldoric shot back, going to town on the imps. “Yet here you are, leading it right at us! Did things really go to hell that quickly?!” He then did his best to gather the intangible “grist” the imps dropped on death, (they were game constructs, after all,) as well as picking up and storing a few green-edged Strife cards. To his satisfaction, they’d already been allocated to various Gunkind settings.

++ Well someone had to save your ass from becoming a strainer, and besides, you’re a bit far from the others to help flank them! ++ the Astartes retorted. ++ Besides, if I know Seb, he already has a battle plan. ++

With a smile that would've set anyone on edge, Caldoric swapped out his lightsabers for his bruteshot, flipped its switch to “∞,” and opened fire on the now very worried imps. ♪Boom, boom, boom!♪ He sang, barely to be heard, ♪I can't stop singin’ this bloody tune, tune tune! It’s gonna make my brain go boom, boom, boom! I can't stop singin’ this bloody tune, tune, tune! I’m the volatilest sort! What a violent force, that’ll frighten Spartans! Hark and hear Leonidas talk when he sees me: Tonight, we dine indoors!♪

“It’s official, a ballistic missile couldn't get this ‘rizzle’! I blow through 'lings like a seven-foot chisel! Think you better shiver when you hear that sizzle, fo’ ‘shizzle!’ Caldoric continued his mad rant as he ran off in search of more foes, oblivious to anything else at this point. “Take a listen! It’s a premonition of my mission: death by demolition! If I don't come home, there’s a sign in my kitchen to describe why I'm missin’: gone fission!”

Meanwhile, the Toa Mata had split ways with the Elements, with each group taking a tank as they sought out strategic positions, from which to flank their foe.

*Vik, what's your situation?* Sebaste radioed as he and the Elements, along with Alex, sat on a small hill overlooking the battle going on below.

*The Toa and I are in position to engage. Sasha and Caldoric are in the thick of it at the moment. * Viktor replied from where he, Rainblade and the Toa were. *Awaiting orders to engage.*

*Not sure how I'm able to hear you guys’ radio transmissions,* Caldoric's voice suddenly cut in, amongst distant explosions, *but I say strike while the iron’s hot! Fill our quarry’s souls with dread, and their bodies with lead! Hyaaaaaaa--!* His voice then cut off mid yell.

*You hear him, let’s engage!* Vik said. Sebaste sighed before he said to the Element bearers, “Alright ladies, let’s kick some bad guy butt!” With a roar, the engine gunned to life and the Scorpion rumbled forward. Its turret turned to target a large mixed group of Shardlings and Imps before a massive BOOM emanated from the single 108 mm cannon, and a sizable chunk was instantly vaporized by the blast. There was a clang as the shell casing ejected from the back of the turret and clattered onto the ground behind it.

“Hey, watch it with that thing!” Rainbow said, as she hovered over to the cockpit. “Some of them are still ponies, remember? I mean, we could do with a few less of the snobby nobles, but that’s no way to go about it!”

“I have my scanners set to target the Shardlings that aren't ponies, so don't get your tail in a twist!” Sebaste retorted. There was a second boom in the distance as Viktor’s tank advanced with the Toa. A second later, more Imps were vaporized by the blast caused by the tank shell.

*Bullseye!* Viktor shouted. *Alright guys, pick your targets with ‘Imp’unity!* There were groans heard on Vik’s end as a few of the Toa caught the pun.

Sebaste chuckled before the built in machine gun next to the main cannon opened fire and mowed down a few more imps. “Okay guys… CHARGE!” He roared before the tank vanished and a Mantis Walker replaced it. But what caught the eyes of the mares was the glow coming from the barrel of the weapon on its left arm and the orange and blue color scheme.

Twilight charged up her horn for a particularly powerful blast, ready to support him, with Rarity not far behind.

“For the Emperor and the UNSC! FOR EQUESTRIA!” The Spartan yelled as the Gauss Repeater opened fire, the slugs flying at hypersonic speeds. Alex summoned a Missile Launcher that had a red and white color scheme and when she pulled the trigger, a single Missile fired before four more shot out of the projectile, and caused untold mayhem among the enemy ranks.

*Now that's what I call a High Five!* Viktor radioed. Alex groaned at the pun.

*Really Vik? You had to make a joke about the weapon?* She asked.

*Cut the chatter, you two. We still need to deal with these mooks.* Sebaste said as he caused the Mantis to stomp its foot and sending a few Shardlings flying from the shockwave. The cockpit then swiveled and from the weapon on the right arm, six missiles screamed out before the warheads spat out multiple munitions before they impacted, saturating the area in a massive confliguration of ordinance that wiped out a good majority of the enemy forces. Alex smirked at the dumbfounded looks on the six mares faces.

Just then, as they began to close in on the Shardling army, a heavily-armored silver and black figure came stomping across their field of view. It had its left arm raised, and a device mounted on it was firing what appeared to be 12-inch wide balls of light back the way it came. The four-meter-tall being, who they soon recognized to be Caldoric in some form of mechatronic armor, was soon followed by several mutant Shardlings of various shapes and sizes.

“Fucking die already, Makuta-spawn!” He cried. With a brief flash, the armor’s lower left arm and the device mounted on it glowed and changed into a long, blunt-nosed device, which fired off some form of rocket at his pursuers. The resulting explosion took out two or three of the monstrosities, and damaged a few more, but there were still others coming his way.
[
++ Oy, get back here you blasted scions of Slannesh! ++ Sebastian's voice yelled behind the creatures before a Shardling was incinerated by a blast of heat. Two more suffered the same fate before the Astartes-turned-Dreadnought charged in, his Assault Cannon having switched to a twin barreled gun that fired a blast of heat hot enough to melt metal.

Caldoric, for his part, turned to face another mutant 'ling that had tried to sneak around and flank him, and thrust his right arm forward with a punching motion. The forearm of the suit seemed to fragment, revealing a complex extension mechanism that landed the attempted punch directly between the eyes of the monster… from more than 20 feet away. The heavily stunned abomination was thusly sent flying over a nearby roof, disappearing from sight.
[
Returning his attention to the main crowd, which had been thinned slightly through the combined efforts of the other heroes, the right arm of Caldoric's armor glowed. Seconds later, it had switched to a normal-looking hand, holding a giant sword that looked like an explosion of lightning and flattened crystals that had been frozen in time, and subsequently plated in gold. He gave it a swing, embedding the tip in the ground, and a storm of lightning-laced fire swept down the road, engulfing the crystalline calamities.

++ I cast FIST! ++ Sebastian growled before he smashed his power fist into another Shardling and blasting another with a gout of flame from the heavy flamer that had replaced the Combi-Bolter inside his palm. ++ Burn in hell! ++

“What do you think this is?” Caldoric demanded, momentarily turning to look at his fellow armored behemoth. “D&D or something? C’mon, let’s get some real trash-talk going!” He was then pounced on by another of the monsters, which sent the two rolling down the street. Caldoric came out on top, his right arm having returned to the clawed punching configuration and raised to strike.

“Go to sleep, go to sleep, go to sleep, GO TO SLEEP…!” Caldoric told the monster as he hammered its face several times in quick succession. Unfortunately, the creature's face had become too concave to successfully comply by the time he stopped.

++ Hey, not my fault I heard that ITEHATTS meme so many times! Besides, if you want to talk trash, tell it to these guys! ++ Sebastian retorted as he tossed an Imp into a nearby trash bin, which spontaneously caught fire.

“Gah, why did I have to be so careless with those Kanoka disks?” Caldoric roared at no-one in particular, as a final mutant latched onto his back. “Note to self, never go slinging 'Reconstitute at Random’ disks around without proper foresight!” He then reached over his shoulder with his left arm, and fired off another rocket in his aggressor’s face.

“No, Spike!” Twilight suddenly cried, catching everyone's attention. As they turned to look, they found that the brute Caldoric had punched over the rooftops not a minute before had shown up again, and was holding the young Drake by three of his spines.

«If you don’t surrender immediately,» it said, it’s mouths moving unsettlingly as it relates Chrystalla's voice from wherever she was, «then this little lizard will be the first to die! Meet me in the city center in five minutes, or…!» The creature didn't get much farther, because Spike managed to turn his head just right, and spat a massive gout of emerald flame that left behind little more than a charred pile of crystals. Twilight gently caught him with her magic as he fell, easing his descent before clutching him tightly to her barrel.

“So she wants us to meet her in the city center… that has the word ‘trap’ written all over it.” Alex said as Viktor ran up to them.

“Shiny! Then let’s spring the trap,” Caldoric said simply, dismissing the armor and landing heavily on his feet as the Toa Mata rounded the corner behind their Spartan chaperone.

“I simply must agree,” Rarity said, trying to comfort the shell-shocked Spike, “nopony threatens my little Spikey-wikey and gets away with it!” There was a noticeable smile of appreciation from the young dragon as she said this.

“Yeah, 's time somepony put that overgrown salt lick down fer good!” Agreed Applejack, stamping her hoof.

Sebastian stomped over, but as he did so, his form began to shift back to his power armored form. As he completed his shifting, he suddenly stumbled, falling to one knee. “Gah… forgot how much of a drain becoming a Dreadnought has on me…” He said in an exhausted tone. He grunted as he slowly stood up. “Seb, I think we can pull off a ‘Flight of the Valkyrie’ attack now.” Sebaste nodded before turning to the others.

“Hope none of you guys are prone to airsickness, because we're about to take to the skies.” He said as a single massive aircraft armed to the teeth appeared next to Sebastian, with missiles everywhere, two gun turrets on both the front and the wings, two wing-mounted laser cannons, and a single cannon on the back. It was also the same color as the Astartes and on either side of the vehicle was a symbol of a winged sword.

“I’m so sorry,” Caldoric said, chuckling a little, “but, not to offend, that looks like a brick with wings. Can it actually fly, or does it just… fall with style?”

“I hate to agree,” Pohatu added, “but even the bulkiest of statues made by Hafu, a master carver in my village of Po-Koro, would be more aerodynamic than this… transport.”

“Hey, don't disrespect the Thunderhawk! This is one of the most heavily armored dropships in the Space Marine arsenal, hell, it’s a tough nut to crack! And for your information, it does fly.” Sebastian said in a offended tone. He then smirked under his helmet. “And it's capable of carrying up to 30 passengers. So imagine 30 of me charging out from this, guns blazing.”

“Thirty robo-Hulks, eh? Sounds like something you wouldn't see everyday…” Caldoric snarked. “Shotgun, by the way. Now, let’s go.”

“Astartes, not the bloody Hulkbuster!” Sebastian muttered as the front troop bay door opened with a hiss of hydraulics. “Seriously, how no one in the multiverse besides Ahriman and his gang knows about Warhammer 40,000 is beyond me…” With a shake of his head, he walked into the Thunderhawk, muttering under his breath.

Caldoric smacked his fist into his open palm as he made to sit in the co-pilot’s seat in the cockpit. “Warhammer 40K! That’s what it was called! I could never remember the name of that particular game… I was more into D&D, myself, though I never played either of them.”

“Glad you’ve heard of it, I used to play it a lot back before I got Displaced. Now I'm stuck as an actual Adeptus Astartes, or as they were called, Space Marines.” Sebastian said. “It's… kinda hard to get used to having the secondary heart and the other stuff that these guys had.” Looking out the cockpit window, he saw that both Sebaste and Viktor had gone with Hornet gunships and were already in the air, the VTOL engines keeping both aircraft in the air.

“Oh, you think having two hearts is weird, mister Timelord?” Caldoric asked, leaning back in the chair. “Imagine trying to sleep, but every time you move, you’re jolted back to wakefulness by the motors and servos in your own body. Last night wasn't a fun first experience, let me tell you. And then, when I woke up this morning, I found myself as a human again… for about ten seconds. Well, mostly human. Freaked me the hell out.”

“Wait, you mean you turned back into your original human body before changing back into a Toa? Huh…. That is odd.” The Astartes then flipped a few switches before the whine of the engines could be heard. “Alright, everyone strap in, and brace yourselves…” He warned. “We’re taking off in 10…” He began to count down.

Caldoric did his best to figure out how the various belts and buckles of the seat were supposed to work, before giving up entirely and just tying them together.

“3...2...1…” The countdown finished, Sebastian threw the throttle forward and the Thunderhawk blasted into the sky, engines (and Caldoric) screaming. He then heard startled yelps from the others in the troop bay at the sudden acceleration. He pressed a single button and activated the comlink. “Everyone alright?” The Astartes asked as he slowed the gunship so that Sebaste and Viktor could catch up and escort the massive aircraft to their destination. As he did so, he readied the weapon systems, and a rattle was heard as the autoloaders on the heavy bolters loaded mass reactive shells and a clang as the massive cannon on the back of the Thunderhawk primed a single massive shell.

There were various exclamations along the lines of “sweet Celestia!” and “Mata Nui!” but everyone seemed to be ok. Caldoric, though, was sunk several inches into the chair he was occupying.

“You alright there Caldoric?” Sebastian asked, looking at the Human-turned-Toa.

“I…” Caldoric's expression somehow managed to convey just how startled and unsettled he had been by the sudden motion. “I wasn't expecting to jump halfway to lightspeed just then…” He finished.

Sebastian snorted. “This thing's capable of going into space, so it needs those powerful engines to punch through the atmosphere. And you’ll get a taste of how much firepower this thing packs soon.” He said, an amused look hidden under his helmet. “There's a reason why the Astartes had better weaponry than say, an Imperial Guard. They're literally genetically enhanced super soldiers.”

“Well, if those weapons are half as loud as this tub is fast,” Caldoric said, eye twitching as he looked out the front windshield, “then I'm about to go deaf in two seconds, because we got company!” He then pointed toward the large swarm of Shardlings that were coming up towards them in midair.

“Pfft, target practice..” Sebastian chuckled before the four twin linked heavy bolters opened fire with a muffled roar, 8 streams of mass reactive death smashing into the swarm, assisted by machine gun fire from the two Hornets. Two lances of light then streaked from the sides of the Thunderhawk and cut a line through the swarm, their bodies cauterized by the searing beams.

Once the carnage was complete, and the few remaining survivors had fled the way they'd come, Caldoric spoke up. “Remind me not to make you guys mad,” he said. “Though I’m pretty sure we’re gonna find more than a few dead ponies when we get through this… or if. If is good.”

“The only ones that would tick us off would be those that would harm innocent lives. So you don't have anything to fear from us.” the Astartes replied. “But I’ve seen Seb get angry before… and the last guy who got him mad was lucky he didn't kill him outright.”

“Are we going to hover here all day, or are we going to take out this Chrystalla character?” Tahu demanded, from the cargo hold.

“Hey, chill, hot head. We’re arriving right now.” Sebastian retorted as he brought the gunship to land, Sebaste and Viktor staying in the air. With a soft thump, the Thunderhawk landed, the landing gear taking the impact. Getting up, Sebastian summoned a weapon that Caldoric had never seen before: it was a bolter that had what looked like an energy coil on the top and two barrels, the bottom one glowing with energy. “Right, let's see what Chrystalla has to say, but don't attack unless she engages first. So for the love of Dorn, please tell Tahu to keep a lid on his temper.”

“I heard that!” Came the reply. “You left the voice boxy thing on!”

The Astartes facepalmed before switching the comlink off. “I'm never gonna get used to meeting actual characters from other series, and the only other Bionicle Displaced I’ve encountered was a Makuta Teridax…” he muttered.

“Dear Lord,” Caldoric said, as he struggled with getting the straps untied. “He can hop dimensions? That sure as fuck complicates things… and I don't think I'm ever getting out of this chair either.”

“What? No,no,no,no! Different Makuta! He’s not the one from the Bionicle universe!” Sebastian said, as he pulled out a combat knife. “Hold still for a sec…”

“Eep!” Said Caldoric, pulling away slightly. With a precise slash, Sebastian cut through the knot, barely scratching the Toa's armor in the process. “You know…” Caldoric began, shakily, as he stood up from the chair, “in hindsight, I probably could've just used my mask… sorry about the seat. Let’s go.”

“Hey, power to summon any Space Marine vehicle remember? That seat will be good as new the next time I summon this bad boy.” Sebastian chuckled as the two of them climbed down to meet with the others at the troop bay door. Both Alex and Rainblade were standing to the side, waiting for Sebastian.

“Alright,” Caldoric nervously addressed the 14 other heroes in the bay, “los gehts, and all that, I guess.”

The ramp lowered with a hiss, and the group walked out, weapons relaxed, but at the ready.

“Ah,” came Chrystalla's voice as they came into her line of view, “so you actually did come to surrender. We didn't think you had it in you. And you’ve brought us such mighty ships to swell our forces, too… how quaint.”

“Actually, we came for your surrender.” Sebastian retorted. “This isn't a battle you can win, Chrysalis.”

“Yeah, and that’s not the only point you got wrong,” Caldoric added, as the giant Thunderhawk vanished, “we have a saying back on Earth: ‘beware of Spartans Bearing gifts,’ right?”

Sebastian nodded before he looked at the Queen. “You've already had a taste of what my friends and I are capable of. And that was just us going easy on you. We have more powerful weapons and vehicles that can reduce your entire army to ashes in just seconds.” He growled.

“I ain't even touched the Homestuck stuff yet, either,” Caldoric added, holding up the ring with four alabaster orbs from before, “because I theoretically could level at least this city with just this ring, assuming it works.”

“An’ Ah’ll say ya got yersel’ a beatin’ comin’ yer way,” Applejack added.

Chrystalla just laughed. “Oh, we almost hoped you’d say that. Of course, we also planned for you to come and start making threats, it’s so typical of you hero types. Which is why we aren't really here at all…!” And with that, she vanished in a flash of green light as Caldoric lunged forward to try and stop her. “Enjoy this in our stead, however,” her voice echoed, as the lone Toa backed off and two other Equestrian figures appeared in Crystalla’s place: Nightmare Moon, and her fiery-maned sister.

“Oh bugger me with a plasma gun….” Sebastian groaned. “Seb… we need some backup here!” He voxed.

*On it, Vik, light em up!* Both Hornets opened fire with both weapon systems, a storm of bullets and missiles streaking towards the two princesses. With barely a glimmer of energy on each of their respective horns, the twin Alicorn nightmares erected reactive partial bubble shields, which appeared only where they were needed to intercept an incoming projectile and annihilate it.

“Such control, such power…!” Twilight remarked, fearfully. “Even Celestia couldn't normally do that on her best day! What…?”

“Then allow me to introduce you to her dark side: Solar Flare, or Nightmare Star, as she dubbed by the fans on my world…” Caldoric replied, gesturing at the fallen Celestia.

*Okay, that didn't work… Vik, desummon your Hornet, we’re engaging on foot!* Both Hornets suddenly vanished, causing both Spartans to fall, only for the thrusters on their armor to arrest their flight. They both executed a combat roll as they landed, assault rifles in hand.

“Gali, Kopaka! Remember your visions! You’ll know what to do!” Caldoric cried, readying himself to face the threat. “Together we stand, but united we soar! Three shall become Wairuha, and walk the path of wisdom! Three shall become Akamai, and walk the path of the warrior! Only by uniting will the Toa find the strength to triumph!”

“Meanwhile, the Spartans play tag with Solar Flare and Nightmare Moon!” Sebaste yelled as he dodged a blast from Nightmare Moon. “Gah, next time I see whoever came up with the Nightmare version of Celestia, I'm gonna send them through a wall!”

“Ooh, ooh! I love tag!” Pinkie exclaimed, effortlessly keeping away from the thaumic bursts and beams of the dark duo. Seconds later, she popped up next to Nightmare Moon and booped her on the nose with a forehoof. “Tag, you’re it!”

“I thought it was supposed to be a semi-canon idea, with everyone having a Nightmare side!” Caldoric retorted to Sebaste, as he vainly tried to get close enough to land a blow. “So blame Faust for that!”

“Hey Nightmare, what has wings, a horn and is black and blue?” Viktor's voice asked from behind Nightmare Moon, but he was nowhere to be seen.

There were two flashes of light from where the Toa Mata were standing, and suddenly a new voice cut through the chatter.

“Ah, it’s good to be back!” One of the two new giant biomechanical figures exclaimed. “How 'bout you, Wairuha?”

The other figure shrugged and chuckled. “I’m not so sure I'd define it as 'good’ that we were needed again so soon, Akamai…”

“Dear Celestia!” Rarity exclaimed, momentarily distracted.

“Vik, whatever you have planned, now's a good time!” Sebastian grunted as he ducked a blast from Solar Flare. Nightmare Moon suddenly flew into the side of a building while Solar Flare was sent sliding as Viktor appeared from thin air, a Gravity Hammer in his hands. “Sorry, didn't see you there!” The Spartan snarked.

“Hold, little ones,” Wairuha said, “my brother and I can take it from here. the rest of you should worry about the mass of foes around us.”

“Though the largest of you warriors and the golden-domed one are welcome to stay.” Akamai suggested.

“If it’s alright with you, I’d rather have my whole team with me.” Sebaste said. “Rainblade, help the girls!”

“You got it Seb!” Rainblade saluted and flew off to where the Mane Six were fighting. Alex walked up, her sword drawn and a magnum in her left hand, while Sebastian had summoned the pair of lightning claws he had fought with in the castle. Viktor appeared next to them after having used his active Camo to retreat, his Gravity Hammer in his hands while Sebaste had gone for dual energy swords.

“Hey, toss me one of those, will ya?” Caldoric asked of Sebaste. “I’ve always wanted to use one with a Lightsaber…”

“Don't you already have one?” Viktor asked.

“Everything vanished when I summoned you!”

Rolling his eyes, Sebaste tossed one of the energy swords to Caldoric, summoning a Spiker to replace it. As he did so, a single song began blaring from Viktor's external speakers.

Caldoric caught the blade, its energy turning from bluish-purple to a lime green as he drew a lightsaber. “Thanks man, and good luck. Shit’s 'bout to get real with those two around!” He said, before he rushed off to help the Elements.

Sebaste chuckled before he looked at the two princesses-turned-Nightmares. “Okay, Caldoric said they're being controlled by that armor they're wearing. Remove that, they go back to normal.” His eyes narrowed, as the two Toa Kaita engaged the fallen sovereign sisters. “I'm so gonna make Chrysalis and Sombra regret doing this to the ponies…..” With a roar, the four charged, their battle cry ringing through the air: “For the Emperor and the UNSC! FOR EQUESTRIA!”

“Blood for the blood god!” they heard Caldoric's distant voice answer, unhelpfully.

The two Kaita, aided by the Spartans and Astartes, were a worthy match for the two dark Alicorns, and this time, the battle raged on more furiously than ever. Nothing less than victory would satisfy these proud warriors.

Dodging between the two Kaita, Sebaste fired a burst from his Spiker, the iron spikes smashing into Solar Flare’s armor, causing her to turn and leave herself open to a strike from Viktor's hammer, sending her flying towards Akamai. The armored titan, for his part, delivered an airborne roundhouse kick that sent her flying through a building.

“What, you scurry away like a tiny Hoto bug?” He taunted her, shaking his sword in her direction and then mimicked the delivery of several powerful blows with his fists.

“Do not taunt them, Akamai,” Wairuha warned his brother, as he dueled the younger of the two sisters. “Remember, that they are unwilling servants of darkness. We should finish this quickly.”

“Agreed.” Sebastian said as he blindsided Nightmare Moon, delivering powerful slashes with his weapons, before his backpack changed into a jump pack, and he leapt into the air as a blast of arcane energy from Alex smashed into the moon goddess, sending her skidding before Sebastian slammed into her as his jump arc intercepted her.

Showing a remarkable dexterity for a being of her general build, Nightmare Moon quickly recovered, and then leapt an impressive distance straight at the foe she deemed most dangerous: Wairuha. She delivered a mighty flying kick with her hind legs.

Despite his immense strength, the strike sent Wairuha staggering back a few steps as she enclosed him in her telekinetic grip. Using all his might, he barely managed to rip through the thaumic envelope, and then sent her flying into a wall with a blow from his shield.

“Get ready, they're gonna be very ticked off…” Sebaste warned. No sooner had the words left his mouth, than Nightmare Star blasted apart the building she's been knocked through, and slammed into Akamai, sending them both back several meters along the square as she summoned multiple spectral halberds to strike him with. Nightmare Moon, however, slowly began advancing on Wairuha once more, several stellar swords appearing around her, which then entered into a hypnotic weaving dance.

“I don't know why you have chosen to oppose us, ancient ones,” the fallen guardian of the night said, “but for your treachery , you shall pay.”

Turning towards her once more, and raising an eyebrow, Wairuha sucked in a deep breath, feeling his powers -- of ice, water, and wind -- expand and merge within him. A moment later, he let it out in her direction, and a raging blizzard exploded around them all, encompassing the square, then the city, and finally the mountain itself.

“Brrrr, who turned on the cold?!” Viktor asked. Alex gasped as the abysmal temperatures started to freeze the gears in her prosthetic arm.

“Shit! Wairuha, you big idiot, your blizzard just handicapped Alex! The gears in her arm can't withstand the freezing temperatures!” Sebaste snapped as he used his thrusters to slam into Nightmare Moon and sending her tumbling into a rock wall.

“Then allow me to turn up the heat! Head’s up!” Akamai said, as the ground beneath them began to rumble: he, too, had begun to use his combined powers. A giant crater exploded where the fountain had once stood, spraying stone, earth, and lava in every direction. Soon, another appeared elsewhere in the square, and another, more and more of them erupting into existence throughout the area and driving the two sisters together, finally encircling them in a moat of lava. They couldn't safely take to the air, for fear of being hit with chunks of flaming stone: they were trapped.

Wairuha focused his energy into the blizzard, bending it to his will, controlling it. He concentrated with every fiber of his being, everything he had -- logic, instinct, and impulse, guiding him all at once. Soon, he had managed to compress the might of the massive storm into a single, narrow beam of pure, cold energy.

He turned it towards the two sisters, who in turn fired their own beams of energy, meeting his just shy of the moat. The very air around the longer beam crackled with frost, as the sister's power was slowly pushed back. With a flash, Solar Flare vanished, leaving her sister to fend for herself, as the beam washed over her, freezing the younger sister in a huge chunk of ice. The elder sister reappeared elsewhere in the square, only to be tackled by Akamai.

“Well that's one way of getting your enemies to chill…” Viktor joked.

Suddenly, Nightmare Star blasted a gout of fire from her mouth, straight into her aggressor’s golden-masked face. It did little more than annoy him, however, as he tightened his grip on her windpipe ever so slightly. “She’s wiley, this one.” He stated.

“Hold her still, brother!” Wairuha cried, as he slowly, laboriously turned the beam in the fallen Alicorn's direction. Akamai moved just in time to avoid being frozen in place with her, and soon, an uneasy peace had settled over the courtyard. Fighting could still be heard throughout the city as the blizzard slowly dissipated, indicating the rescued ponies from the castle had joined in the fight as best they could.

“Well, that was a fun warm-up, what’s next?” Asked Akamai, stretching his shoulder.

“I’ll get the armor off Luna. Sasha, you get Celestia’s armor off.” Sebaste ordered as he leapt over the moat and landed in front of Nightmare Moon's frozen form. Using his energy sword, he carved an open large enough to remove the armor from Luna.

Being adapted to the cold of space, she put up a little bit of a fight as they tried to remove the armor, but eventually they got it off. Celestia proved far less troublesome, even with her fiery mane starting to melt the ice ever-so-slightly. She mostly just held still and shivered, her coat having taken on a slight blue tint from being in the ice.

Once they had freed both princesses, Wairuha held out his massive hand for the armor. “Give them here,” he said, calmly and politely.

Both the Spartan and Astartes tossed the armor to Wairuha, before heading over to Celestia and Luna.

Wairuha carefully pried the largest crystal from the chestplate of both sets of armor, and handed them to Akamai. He then crushed both sets of armor into one solid lump of metal, and dropped it into the lava moat. Akamai, however, looked at the gems in his hand: one flaming crimson as the desert sun, the other the midnight black of a solar eclipse. “Strange,” he commented, “that something so small could be infused with such evil… some other dark force is at work here.” And with that, he, too, crushed the gems, and scattered their dust into the lava moat.

“Well, it seems that takes care of that,” Wairuha said, brushing off his hands.

“Not quite, brother,” Akamai disagreed, before he bent down and laid a hand against the ground. With a much softer rumble than before, the edges of the lava moat and the various other magma-filled holes that had appeared throughout the city shrunk and closed, like scars healing over. “There,” he said at last.

For now, the square looked normal once again, if you didn't count the shattered fountain, mounds of ice, and occasional snowdrift.

Sebaste meanwhile had stopped in front of the princesses, a symbol appearing on his left shoulder pad. “Are you two okay?” He asked gently.

“Ungh… whaa?” Celestia asked, groggily, her mane how back to its normal pastel-rainbow appearance.

“Did anypony get the number of that haycart?” Luna asked, sitting up and rubbing an eye with a fetlock.

There was a sudden clanking and grinding of gears, almost on a level with the sound effects of a Michael Bay Transformer’s movie, which drew everyone's attention. Where the two massive Toa Kaita had once stood, there were now two multicolored, biomechanical Dragons, each looking eerily similar to Wairuha and Akamai.

“Princesses, it has been a long time…” the green, blue and white one began, with Wairuha’s voice.

“Yes, perhaps a millennia, if not more,” agreed the red, black, and brown one, sounding like Akamai.

Sebaste gaped under his helmet. “What in Tartarus?! That… that's not even possible!!!” Alex, Viktor and Rainblade also had shocked expressions, while Sebastian chuckled quietly.

“It is good to see you, old friends,” Celestia said, standing up awkwardly, “we thought you and your constituents lost aeons ago, before we found the Elements and went to challenge Discord. What happened?”

“Wait, hold it for a sec!” Viktor interjected. “You mean you encountered the Toa… before they even arrived on Mata Nui?!”

“We are not sure what you mean by 'Toa,’ but if you are referring to the six Elemental Guardians,” Luna said, “then perhaps there has been a misunderstanding. We did not meet them…”

“We created them, as an insurance policy against Discord.” Celestia finished. “But, when we needed them most, they vanished, and we had to find something else.”

“Whoah, wait, what’s going on here?” Caldoric asked, arriving with the Element Bearers, Spike, and a disheveled-looking Lyra. “I thought that they came into being under the eye of the Order of-- um, nevermind…!”

Sebaste chuckled as Rainblade landed next to him. “That would be wise. But it does bring up a question… just how exactly are they able to… shift?” He asked, looking at the two princesses.

“Shift?” Both Princesses asked, looking at each other.

“Perhaps we should show them?” Akamai suggested. His brother nodded.

“They would find out sooner or later,” Wairuha replied. Then, with the same clanking of metal as before, and some Michael Bay-worthy mechanical transforming effects, there they both stood, humanoid once more.

Both princesses backed up several steps with startled sounds escaping them, as Caldoric stood there slack-jawed.

“H-how?” Celestia asked. “We never designed that to happen!”

“Agreed, and I'm sure I saw at least five pieces moving through each other as they did that…” Luna added.

“It’s because they're from an alternate universe.” Sebastian spoke up, the clank of his heavy boots heard as he walked up.

“Uhhhhhh… not exactly,” Akamai said, holding up a finger. “We’ll have to keep this brief, we don't have much time.”

“Indeed, I too feel the Toa within me beginning to seek individuality once more.” Wairuha said. “From our scattered memories, we can tell you this. Both stories are true. You two created these Elemental Guardians ages ago, in this world, and the Toa were created by the Order around the same time, in their world. Something happened, however, when they were finally deployed in that other reality…”

“Yes, perhaps when Teridax caused the Great Cataclysm,” Akamai continued, “or perhaps not. But whatever it was, your Guardians were yanked from this world, and their discorporeal forms latched onto their then-unconscious alternate selves. Or, so we surmise…” Suddenly he began glowing, as did his brother, and they both vanished, replaced by the Toa Mata, who staggered momentarily.

“Wh… what was that?” Tahu asked.

“That was the six of you becoming what we called you back on earth, the 'Toa Kaita’.” Sebaste replied. “Your most powerful form ever.”

“Well, there's always the possibility of a Toa Nui, but that's only hypothetical.” Caldoric added. “Nonetheless, these are the Toa Mata, heroes of the tropical island of Mata Nui.”

“And… who might you be?” Celestia asked. “You look so like them, but… so unlike them at the same time. And these others, they are wholly unfamiliar to us.”

“I am called Caldoric, for the time being.” Caldoric replied. “I kinda summoned these other guys a while back, though I'm not sure how… the smaller ones are Spartans and the big dude is an Asta… Astra…” he struggled to remember the word. “A Space Marine. Sorry.”

“Astartes…” Sebastian corrected. “It's alright. It’s not exactly the easiest thing to pronounce.”

“Yeah, especially since his author has never actually heard it pronounced,” said Pinkie as she bounced by them, her frazzled mane a little scorched, and still bearing a few bouldering embers. “He’s only ever seen it in writing…”

“Oh, cme on, enough fourth-wall breaking.” Caldoric demanded. “As much as I hate to play this trope, we’re not fictional characters in some story, as much as I wish that were true right now. Sure, someone somewhere in some backwater reality may be chronicling us, but stop implying we’re not real.”

“Anyways… You mentioned that you had questions for my team and I?” Sebaste asked Caldoric.

“Now’s the best time, ah reckon,” Applejack said, pointing at the skies as cheers rang out through the city. Clouds of Shardlings were seen fleeing the city, retreating for the time being.

“Well, that's convenient…” Twilight said.

Caldoric narrowed his eyes. “I’m a bit suspicious about their sudden retreat, but I'll let it go… for now.” He then turned back to the four visitors he’d called upon back in the castle. “Perhaps we all have a few questions for you guys. My first, however, is this… have you four considered trying to replicate that Halo Forge weapons glitch? The one that makes a weapon have the attributes of something else?” The Toa, princesses, and Elements looked at each other in confusion.

“Not exactly… I have been toying with the idea of doing that, but with the war back home going on… I haven't really been able to test it out.” Sebaste replied.

“Ah. Well, you’re welcome to try here, for as long as you’re willing to stay.” Caldoric said, then paused. “If… it’s ok with the Princesses, I guess…”

“I need to get back to our Equestria… I don’t exactly like leaving it unguarded, and right now, Ponyville is under threat from rebel forces.” Sebaste said. “But I guess I can linger for a bit. Unless… Alex, mind opening a portal?” She nodded before her gauntlet glowed and a vortex opened up in front of the two. Sebaste seemed to concentrate before a hardlight version of himself appeared next to him. “Tell Twilight that me and the others are gonna be awhile.” He said. The hologram nodded before walking through the portal, which closed with a hiss.

“What was that, a Shadow Clone?” Caldoric asked, sitting down and stowing the green energy sword. He had a feeling it was about to be a long story. He was also tired.

“Hardlight copy. It's an ability I’ve had since I was first Displaced, but I didn't use it until…” His tone darkened. “You see, I’ve been Displaced not once, but twice. The first time I had been Displaced, a friend of mine and I fought a group called the New Black Legion, lead by a Displaced named Ahriman. The Equestria we had been living on… was devastated, and we lost both princesses and Applejack. Rainblade was kidnapped by Ahriman's version of Rainbow Dash and became what she looks like now. A few years later, I was sent the Equestria I live in now by a being called a Displacer. But my past is not something I like remembering.” The Spartan sighed. “Next question?”

Caldoric sat there for a moment, taking it all in as Rarity came up to the Spartan and placed a comforting hoof on his shoulder. Caldoric was about to speak, but Lyra beat him to it.

“What’s ‘Displaced’? And where are you five from, exactly?” She asked, eagerly.

“A Displaced, or Dimensionally Misplaced, is a human that's been sent to Equestria as a character from a game, movie, comic book, or any fandom, by either a being called a Void Dweller, or as the four of us found out, a being called the Merchant. You're familiar with the Multiverse theory, right?” He asked Caldoric.

“Pretty much…” The Toa started, before Lyra made a 'Squeee’-ing noise, and fell over from excitement. “So, we’ve been shunted to different versions of Equestria to aid in their defense against various evils, and if we mess up bad enough, we get 're-displaced,’ yes?”

Sebaste sighed. “I was a special case, but yes, there are multiple versions of Equestria, each with its own Displaced. And each Displaced is different, you have some good, and some… I personally wish I could teach them a lesson. We come from one such Equestria. But the way we contact each other is through objects called tokens. That's how you called us over. You basically choose something that relates to you or the character you’ve become, and after saying a phrase, you send it into the Void, or the space between universes.” He explained.

Caldoric nodded. “Sounds… simple enough. Unfortunately, the items that I found kinda, y’know, vanished before you arrived. I think I mentioned that… so, if I need to contact you again, how would I get in contact?”

Sebaste chuckled, before the assault rifle that served as his token appeared in his hands and he tossed it to Caldoric. “Nice thing about this power, you can summon your token at any time. And don't worry about it disappearing on you the next time you call on me or the others.” He said as he took his helmet off, revealing his scarred face.

“It better not,” Caldoric said with a playful smile, “though I was wondering if I could get another one of that whip-blade? There was a type of character in a game I used to play, called 'Maplestory,’ that used a similar type of weapon, and I wanted to see if I could try and… recreate some of the skills they used.”

Alex stepped up and drew her sword, but then a copy of her weapon appeared in her gauntlet. She then embedded the blade into the ground. “It's actually called a snake sword. But I guess a whip-blade is also accurate.” She said as she stepped back. She also took her helmet off, allowing her raven colored hair to whip in the wind.

“I’ll make sure to remember that…” Caldoric said, stepping forward and carefully pulling the sword from the ground.
“Although I've also heard of this type of blade being called a ‘chain sword.’ the more you know…”

Luna finally broke the silence that she and Celestia had been sharing. “Where are you from, exactly? And… how did you come to be here, in our land?”

“It’s kind of hard to explain… the short of it is that we come from a entirely different universe, from a planet called Earth. It's very different from Equestria, being we don't have magic and rely on technology, and that the human race is known for one thing only… war.” Sebaste said, a note of steel in his tone.

“Yup,” Caldoric agreed. “We humans can be rather violent, although I think that’s mostly to do with our genetics. We’re descended from primates, like gorillas and other large Simians. We kinda get it from them. As to how I got here… I came through the mirror, kinda, after it was 're-dialed’ to the Toa’s universe. I can explain later. But we’re all from different points on our home timeline, and from different places on Earth.”

“Anyways, any other questions for me and my team?” Sebaste asked, as Rainblade stood next to him. The Princesses shook their heads, a slight look of worry touching their regal faces. Twilight seemed interested, but refrained from asking anything just yet. Lyra, on the other hand…

“Tell me everything about your history!” She demanded. Caldoric facepalmed.

“Geez, and I thought Twilight was the egghead…” Rainblade remarked with a smirk, shifting her metal wings.

“Oh, she still is,” Rainbow replied, “but she’s toned it down a smidge since everything went down the drain. Especially after her niece, Flurry Heart, was kidnapped…” She looked away awkwardly.

“Believe me, I intend to have Chrystalla and Sombra pay for what they've done. But that's for another time…” Sebaste growled, his eyes turning hard. “Do any of you have anymore questions about the Displaced?” He then asked.

“Um… any jerks I should be wary of, or just avoid in general?” Caldoric asked. “Like, any particular tokens I should or shouldn't use?”

“I would advise caution if you encounter Ahriman. He’s an Astartes like Sasha, but more… corrupted. He usually has a reunite of three, a Khorne Berserker named Khârn, his version of Rainbow, a more heavily augmented version of Rainblade, and a Dæmon Princess version of Twilight.” Sebaste warned. “And he’s also a Void Dweller, after he and I had a little… spat in my old Equestria.

“Oh, joy,” Caldoric said, sarcastically. “Got a picture so I know what this Horrorterror-wannabe looks like?”

Sebaste activated the hologram projector on his helmet, and played the most recent encounter with Ahriman. A massive figure with blue and gold armor appeared in front of him, equipped with a staff that carried a gemlike eye between its twin prongs, and a helmet like Sebastian's, though with a different design that bore multiple horns, before it shifted to the same figure, but in much bulkier armor, with both a massive mace and a claw that had what looked to be a twin-barreled gun mounted on top of it. “This is Ahriman, leader of the New Black Legion.”

Lewa gave a low whistle from behind Sebaste, startling him with how silently he’d moved, then spoke. “That’s one nasty-ugly guy. Not even Makuta could love-cherish a face like that.”

“Looks sorta Egyptian in design…” Caldoric muttered, gesturing to the armor. “Though that could just be the color scheme.”

“In a way, it actually is. The Thousand Sons were actually made to look Egyptian in the 40K lore.” Sebastian explained.

“Anyways, some Displaced I do recommend you meet are an Anubis Cruger Displaced, a Spiderman OC of sorts, and a mother/nephew duo that got Displaced as the two main characters from SAO.”

“Ooh, I like that last one.” Caldoric exclaimed, his body language showing that he was starting to fanboy ever so slightly over the idea. “But yeah, that about sums it up for me… any news on if your world’s in danger? I’d hate to keep you too long, cool as you are.”

“One of us can head back. Besides, I need to report to my Celestia and Luna and give them an update.” Sebaste chuckled, before he remembered something. “Oh yes, if you're interested, a guy who got Displaced as Sun Wukong is opening up a school for Displaced to help train them to better control their powers. I'm actually one of the combat trainers there, but there are other classes.”

“Sounds fun, I might just swing by sometime.” Caldoric admitted. “Maybe I'll bring the Toa Mata with, if they're willing… how would I get there?”

“Talk to Sun, he might be able to admit you.” He tossed what looked like a gold coin to him. “This is his Token. Just… be prepared to see a ton of RWBY Displaced there.”

“Well, if that’s all,” Pinkie interjected, “I think it’s time for a 'we-just-kicked-Chrystalla's-flank,-retook-Canterlot,-and-survived’ party! Yeah!”

“Oonnn second thought…!” Caldoric responded, clapping his hands together and looking at his new allies with a nervous smile, “why don't we see if we can find the Crystal Mirror and get it up and running again? Then I can give you lot a tour of Mata Nui--!”

“Ohhhhhhhh, no you don't,” Pinkie said, tackling him, “you’re not getting out of one of my parties, mister grumpy-gills.”

“Help.” Caldoric groaned from the cobbles.

The four humans and Rainblade roared with laughter at what had just happened, soon followed by the others in the small crowd. “Sorry, but once Pinkie starts a party, there's no getting out of it.” Sebaste said as he caught his breath. He then looked at Alex. “Alex, open the portal. I'm heading back.” She nodded and a portal opened up.

Meanwhile, Caldoric used his Mask power and vanished from underneath Pinkie’s friendly pin, reappearing on a nearby roof. “Can’t stop what you can't catch!” He called, and vanished again.

“And you can't outrun what’s already here! It is on!” The party-planner replied, before she, too, disappeared in a blur of pink and a cloud of dust.

Sebaste chuckled before he gave a salute to the remaining Elements, Toa and the Princesses. “It was an honour meeting you all. I hope we see each other soon, and may Faust and Mata Nui protect you all.” He said.

“I agree,” said Celestia, as Luna nodded along, “though I hope our next encounter would be under less… pressing circumstances. Perhaps young Pinkie is right, though: a small party would do wonders to raise everypony’s spirits, and provide some relaxation. You are all welcome to join us, if you wish.”

“I would, but a soldier's work is never done. Especially one that's the leader of the Royal Guard reserves back in my Equestria.” Sebaste chuckled before he gave a nod to his companions. “You four have fun, you honestly deserve it.” He then walked through the portal and vanished, the portal closing after him with a hiss.

Seconds later, Caldoric reappeared in the courtyard, said “Catch!” and tossed several identical items at the three before vanishing again, with Pinkie appearing hot on his trail. As they caught the small trinkets, they each heard his voice as if he was speaking right in front of them.

”I am Toa Caldoric, Knight of Space. If you need a mountain moved, or an island lifted, then I'm your guy. Merely solve this small logic puzzle and I'll be there… or, if you're in a hurry, chuck it on the ground and call my name. Either way, I'll be there in a flash.”

Taking a closer look at the items they had received, they were revealed to each consist of a bronze Möbius loop bearing several long bumps along it’s length and a tiny cut near one side, and a silvery coin with a cut most of the way through it that allowed it to move somewhat freely around the loop itself.

Soon, everyone had made their way back to the castle, where a party was already in full swing, with Caldoric trussed up and hung from the ceiling like a piñata.

“I have no idea how this happened, honestly,” he said, as the Toa, Elements, Princesses, Rainblade, Spartans and the single Astartes entered the Throne room.

“It's Pinkie, you don't question it.” Viktor and Rainblade said at the same time in a deadpan tone.

“I question everything. How do you think I'm still alive?” Caldoric retorted.

Just then, four small figures burst into the room, three of them panting and scared. The fourth, while mostly composed, gave off a slight air of concern as she adjusted her yellow propeller beanie atop her purple hair.

“Oh no…” Alex whispered.

The three scared young fillies turned to her, gave a shout of shock, and zipped off to hide behind a pillar.

“Well, there goes the CMC, the brave leaders of the Canterlot rebellion,” remarked the fourth filly with a facehoof, whose flank bore an image of a large screw alongside a baseball.

“And that's the second Screwball I’ve met…” Viktor muttered as Alex knelt down near where the CMC were hiding.

“Hey, it’s alright.” She said gently, “There aren't anymore Shardlings to hurt you three.”

“Ah’m more concerned about you…” Applebloom said, her voice shaky as she backed away a bit.

“Applebloom!” Came Applejack's excited and relieved voice.

“Sweetie!”

“Scoots!”

In a flash, Rarity, Rainbow, and Applejack were there, comforting their respective charges and holding them so tight it looked like they’d never let go again.

Alex gave a sad smile as she remembered doing the same thing with her parents whenever she had gotten scared. A stray tear streaked her left cheek as she watched.

The party lasted long into the night, with the Displaced humans occasionally offering up music to the DJ, Vinyl Scratch, who had also survived the fight. Caldoric’s “music privileges” were revoked by Pinkie, however, after the third or fourth time he tried to use it as an opportunity to escape. Didn't stop him from continuing to try, though.

The next morning, after everyone had gotten caught up and the visiting Displaced had almost finished saying their goodbyes, they were approached by a five-foot-two human wearing grey cargo pants and a white long-sleeved T-shirt under a short-sleeved black one. His long, dirty-blonde hair was tied back in a single braid, and he had a single piercing in his right ear. He also had some robotic elements to him, but otherwise looked normal.

“Caldoric?! Dang, you weren't kidding!” Sebastian said, his own armor having vanished thanks to the spell that the Twilight of his Equestria had put on it, revealing the shirt and jeans underneath. The other two were also out of their armor and, like Sebastian, were in the clothes that they had worn underneath the armor.

“Yeah, but it gets cold when I'm like this…” replied Caldoric. “At least, it’s been cold the last two mornings, so that's nothing to go on… and I'm rambling. I wanted to give you something.” He then held out four identical cubes, each one having something different sticking out of each side.

“They're called ‘Fidget Cubes,’ I thought you might find them useful if you get bored or whatever… or need to contact me without summoning me with my Token. They’re the ‘gamer’ color scheme.” He then took one and fiddled with it a bit, demonstrating his next point. “Just enter that old cheat code: up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, A, B, A, B, start.” He mimicked the sequence on the cube, using first the joystick, then two of five buttons on one side, then clicking the lone ball bearing on a third. He then passed them to the others.

Sebastian nodded as he took his, before he summoned the single sword that served as his token, Viktor doing the same. “We never got to hand you the last two tokens that’ll summon us. If you ever need our help or Seb’s, don't be afraid to call us. And as a bonus…” He pulled out what looked like a floating blue crystal. “Seb forgot to mention the two that have this token. They’re old friends of mine that got sent to their Equestria as characters from a game called Brave Frontier. But don't underestimate them, they’re quite nasty when their friends get threatened.”They're known as the Blade Queen and Thunder Phoenix.” He tossed the crystal to Caldoric. “Who knows, you guys might encounter each other sometime soon.”

“I’ll keep that in mind, then. But, one last thing...” said Caldoric, catching it. He then held out his hands, and four silvery metal rods appeared in his grasp, one of them thicker and longer than the others. “You might have need of these. They’re lightsabers, except for the big one, which is technically a light club, and they should adopt a hilt design, blade style, and blade color that suits you upon the first activation… I had Twilight's help on making them last night, so use them well. Now… group photo, for the memories?”

The four nodded, Alex giving the Toa a small grin.

And so, Caldoric pulled out his phone and took a selfie-style picture of the five of them, four mostly-humans and a cyber-pegasus, then took another with everyone in their armor.

“It’s been fun having you guys,” Caldoric said, “and I hope you can visit soon. Just remember…” He then slipped into a song from “The Road to El Dorado” for a moment.

♪Friends never say goodbye… never say, goodbye…!♪

“...that, and if that ‘hairy-man’ guy shows up again, you’ve got a potential God-Tier Space player on your side.” Caldoric then hitched a thumb at himself.

Sebastian smirked. “We’ll see. Hope to see you at Beacon!” He said as Alex opened a portal. With a wave, he walked through the portal.

“See ya then!” Caldoric called. “Also, if you run across a young woman dressed like someone from Ranger’s Apprentice and calling herself ‘Lucid’ or ‘the Mage of Breath,’ tell her that her brother’s looking for her! I don't know if she was Displaced or not, so keep an eye out for me!”
Alex frowned as Viktor and Rainblade walked through the portal. “Seb mentioned that Displaced that are family or friends are usually sent to the same Equestria… so she may be in this universe. But we’ll keep an eye out all the same.” She gave a small wave. “See you guys then!” She then walked through and with a hiss, the portal closed.

Caldoric gave a wan smile and crossed his arms as he stared at where the portal had been. He had a feeling it was going to be a long and hard time before things started looking up for him, but it was easier to bear now he knew he wasn't alone in being Displaced. Now, to find that mirror, and see if he couldn't get it up and running again…
[
~~~~
Meanwhile,
With the Spartans...

The four burst out of the portal, only to be confronted by a scene of chaos. Rainbow and Rarity were lying on the floor unconscious, and what looked like electricity arced through their armor. Nearby, Pinkie and Applejack were in a similar state. Fluttershy was the only one that had managed to survive unscathed, while Twilight laid next to her, blade slashes scoring her armor and a few deep wounds on her unarmored parts. She shakily looked up as the four ran up. “Twilight, what the hell happened?!” Sebastian asked, looking around. “And where’s Nyx?”

“She's -nnng- in her room. As for what happened… while you guys were gone, a new human suddenly appeared in the castle, and it had armor like yours, but instead of shoulder pads, it had rings on its arms and its helmet was more ornate. When Sebaste asked who it was, it suddenly pulled out a gun and opened fire on us… it also shot lightning and used what looked like claws for close combat. All I know now is that Sebaste went after it, but he’s badly wounded after the two clashed while they were in here.” Twilight winced as Fluttershy wrapped a bandage around one of her wounds.

Sebastian frowned. “Did this human look like he or she was panicking?”

Twilight blinked. “Yes, actually… it did look like it was trying to get away.”

“And whoever that was just got away.” Sebaste's voice came from the doorway. “It's like he or she vanished…” The Spartan limped in, and Rainblade gasped. He had ruptures on his armor that looked like claw marks, and blood leaked out from them. There were also scorch marks that showed where he had been hit by lightning. He took a single step and collapsed. Rainblade quickly flew over to him while Alex ran over and began healing him.

'Whoever just showed up managed to rupture a high tech armor system… just who is this guy?’ Viktor thought.

Meanwhile, in a secluded corner of Ponyville, an armored figure landed gracefully behind a building and looked around, before removing its helmet to reveal a feminine face. 'Great, trapped in some sort of whacko pony world and nearly got killed by a Spartan… At least those martial art moves came in handy…’ she thought. 'But… how exactly did I even get here? All I remember was picking up those Venka claws from that Merchant at Tennocon, and next thing I know, I'm in some kind of room! I just hope that Alex and Vik are okay…’ Teresa thought, her thoughts going to her two younger siblings. '...and I need to figure out what exactly is happening here…’

Displaced Arc, Chapter 12: The Piraka and the Tenno

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It had been a week since Sebaste had returned from Caldoric’s universe and was nearly killed by the panicked actions of a new Displaced in his world. He had managed to heal, but it would take weeks to regain his strength. As he and Sebastian walked through Ponyville, he thought back to the encounters he had had in his past, from Tom the Ork, to a group that had fought with Ahriman during the Equestrian Black Crusade.

“Hey Seb, take a look at this.” Sebastian's voice snapped him back to reality as the Astartes picked up a strange looking weapon that the Spartan swore he had seen before. “The heck is this?” It had three prongs, almost to hold an item inside it. Some sort of catapult device was built into its back.

As Sebastian held it, he heard a series of voices in his mind:

“We are the Piraka. If ever you require us to steal something, or if you need our aid, we will be sure to help. We expect payment though.”

The Astartes shrugged before he said, “Alright, 'Piraka’, you mind helping look for a new Displaced that showed up?” The name caused Sebaste to jerk his head towards the Astartes.

“The Piraka?! Sasha, wai-!” He was cut off as a portal opened in front of the two, gaining the attention of the ponies that were outside at the time.

Six figures fell out of the portal, landing on top of each other in a heap. Each had some sort of spikes on their back, connected to their head and trailing down to their legs. The one on top, clad in Crimson metal, slowly got up, a massive grin on his face. Red eyes squinted as it shook his head.

“Ow…what in Mata Nui just happened?” It asked, glancing around, and noticing the ponies. “Oh...crap. Hey guys, might want to get up…”

The one under him, a blue one, groaned. “Well maybe you should get the hell off of me, Hakann!”

“Oh, right.” The red one, ‘Hakann’, jumped off.

“Sasha, you and I are gonna have a chat after this…” Sebaste growled as he walked up to the six. “Sorry about the abrupt summons. My colleague didn't recognize a token when he saw one.” Sebastian gave the Spartan a slight glare at that. “I assume you're the Piraka?”

“Yes, are you Celestia’s latest attempt at capturing us?” The blue one asked as it got up, before looking at Sebaste. It's red eyes squinted, though the grin never left its face. “Do I know you?”

“You and your friends gave me a bit of trouble in my old Equestria when Ahriman attacked.” Sebaste growled as his old armor appeared on him. “I believe Avak got slagged by a Melta gun during that time.”

“Hmm….” the Blue Piraka hummed, examining him. “I vaguely remember something like that… Hey, Zaktan, do you remember this guy?” He asked, turning to the others, who had climbed off of each other.

“Yes, I do, Vezok.” The emerald Piraka, Zaktan, said, walking up. “You are that one guy that other armored Displaced hired us to fight. It's certainly been a while.” In his claws was a large, golden triblade, tucked away under his arm.

“It has…” Sebaste growled. “Last time I saw you six, you didn't even have a token.” He arched an eyebrow under his helmet. “Who taught you to make one?”

“We had a token back then, we just didn't give you one. You were our enemy, after all.” Zaktan shrugged, turning around. “As for who taught us, some moody spider guy.”

“Moody…” Sebaste facepalmed. “Faust damn it Dark….”

“Heh, doesn't matter anyway.” Zaktan shrugged, turning back and leaning up close to Sebaste’s helmet, his teeth bared in a grin as he growled. “So...what business do you have with the Piraka…?”

Sebaste sighed. “A week ago, I was talking to Twilight and the others when a new Displaced suddenly appeared in the throne room and panicked, pulling a gun and opening fire. I was badly wounded after I engaged in close combat, and now this Displaced has vanished. While I'm capable of doing this myself…” He said with a glare at Sebastian. “I’ll accept your help in trying to find this Displaced.”

“A rookie, eh?” Zaktan grinned. “Sounds easy enough. Though I'm surprised. You say you were badly wounded, yet only a week later, you’re up and walking again. You must have some impressive medical tech.” The Piraka’s grin seemed to grow a bit wider.

“It helps when you have unicorns for doctors. Along with a Spartan that can use magic.” Sebaste retorted. “But I can't fight for a while, otherwise I end up aggravating my injuries again.”

“A shame.” Zaktan shrugged. “I suppose we can find this Displaced easily enough. Reidak, step forward.” The black Piraka stepped forward, a large drill and buzzsaw in his hand. “Reidak here is capable of tracking down your missing Displaced. Avak, did you ever complete that stun weapon you were building?”

“Yes, Zaktan.” The brown Piraka nodded, pulling it out. It looked similar to their token, though it had a few modifications.

“Good.” Zaktan said, turning back to Sebaste.

“A word of warning, this Displaced is faster and stronger than you think. He or she is equipped with some kind of machine gun, apair of rapid fire pistols and fighting claws” Sebaste said, “They're also in armor that can blast lightning.”

“Oh, worry not, little Toa,” Zaktan chuckled, his left arm dispersing into a green cloud, reforming again into his arm. “We are much more powerful than you give us credit for. After all, our side won, remember?” His grin grew wider.

“We gave you a bloody nose in the process. You lost quite a lot of men yourself.” Sebaste smirked.

“Perhaps. But you have yet to fight a Piraka at full strength.” Zaktan grinned. “Anyways, have you heard of anything odd happening recently?”

“There was a report of a pair of enemy soldiers that were found with claw and scorch marks outside the town near the Everfree… and a few bullet casings nearby.” Sebaste said. “I had Alex and Rainblade investigate, but they couldn't find out anything else.”

“Well, why don't we head there first?” Zaktan asked, motioning for the other Piraka. “After all, a new Displaced would need a place to master their powers. Even a little.” Zaktan chuckled as he walked off towards the direction of the forest.

As the Piraka walked off, Sebaste commed Viktor. “Vik, I have a mission for you…”

“All right Reidak, let's see if you can find some heat trails.” Zaktan said, patting the black Piraka on the back. “I’d say look for any foot prints, or anything that can help us find the Displaced. Everyone else, fan out and establish a little wall. Once we get a direction, I'll give you new orders.” With a nod, the others stepped away as Reidak activated first his Thermal Vision. He looked around the small scene of the firefight, looking for anything.

A heat trail quickly caught his attention, looking closer, he saw a pair of footprints that led into the Everfree before they suddenly ended in the middle of the path.

“Of course this idiot would head for the Everfree…” Reidak growled. “Zaktan, there's a line of footprints leading into the forest, but ending before it gets there. Judging by how it’s made, I'm guessing our target is a female.”

“So, either she ran into the Everfree, or she darted off the path.” Zaktan muttered. “Alright, ideas on how to do this?”

“If she went into the forest, we could try flushing her out by setting it on fire,” Hakann suggested.

“No, I'd expect Sebaste to get pissed with us, and we wouldn't get paid.” Zaktan replied, shaking his head. “Anyone else?”

“Hmm….why don't we leave two of us here, and the rest search the forest?” Avak suggested. “Two of us can search around here for anything else, everyone else can go scour the big old forest.”

“That could work… Avak, Thok, Hakann and myself will go into the forest. Reidak and Vezok, you stay here.” Zaktan ordered, before walking towards the forest. The other three followed, while Reidak and Vezok stayed behind, searching a nearby bush.

What they didn't know, was that they were being watched by two different pairs of eyes. One stayed at the Ponyville border while the other stared from the undergrowth before disappearing into the forest. ‘So they want to find me? I’ll give them something to look at… if it gets them to leave me alone.’

“Alright you three,” Zaktan growled, cutting apart another tree branch. “I am going to move towards the castle. I want you to begin searching. Try not to get separated, and if she appears, send us a signal.” Zaktan then burst into millions of protodites, which then moved off towards the direction of the Castle of Two Sisters. The other three glanced at each other, before blinking, their grins slowly growing wider. They then walked off in a random direction, Thok using his power over plant life to clear their path. A shadowy blur zipped behind the three, too fast to be seen.

“Well that was fast.” Thok growled, pulling out his ice pick. The other two brought out their respective weapons, Avak with his Seismic Pickaxe, and Hakann with his Lava Launcher.

“Do you mean whatever just passed us, or how quickly it was for something to happen?” Avak asked, glancing around.

“Both.” Thok growled.

“And if you three don't want to be shredded like that Spartan, you’ll leave.” A feminine voice said above them.

“Ooh, arrogant, aren't we?” Hakann chuckled, his eyes glowing brighter.

“No, I just want to be left ALONE!” This was accompanied by a blast of lightning that nearly missed Thok.

“Sorry, but that ain't happening, doll.” Avak grinned. “You'll have to force us out.”

There was a moment of silence before a hail of bullets rained down on them, causing them to scatter.

“Avak, do your thing!” Hakann growled, to which the brown Piraka nodded, erecting a wall of stone between the three and the hail of bullets. He then fired off an Explosive Zamor Sphere out over the wall, taking cover immediately after. A few seconds later, the sphere detonated, scattering green electric energy all over the place.

As it hit Teresa, the coils on her arm quickly absorbed the electrical energy and boosting her powers to nearly overload levels. With a yell, she unleashed a powerful blast of lightning that smashed one wall and sent Avak flying before it connected to the other two, shocking them both.

“Mata Nui dammit….” Hakann cursed, glaring up at the target and barely managing to unleash a mental blast into her head as he dropped to his knees.

With a cry of pain, the human turned Tenno fell to the ground and barely managed to catch her fall. As it was, she landed on her chest, getting the wind knocked out of her in the process.

Zaktann reappeared, the green mass of protodites surging out from the forest to reform the Emerald Piraka.

“Good work, you three. While not exactly as planned, it worked.” Zaktan chuckled, glaring down at Teresa. “I'm surprised somewhat. For a rookie, you sure got a bit of talent.” The emerald Piraka grinned as Avak staggered to his feet. “Restrain her.”

“I don't think so…” the Tenno spat out, before a dome of electrical energy shot out from her, smashing into the four Piraka. She slowly stood up, unsheathing a pair of mounted claws in the process. “I’ll fight to the death before I’ll let myself get tortured!”

“Like hell!” A gruff voice growled, before two bursts of force blasted into her back, knocking her back to the ground, along with knocking the air out of her lungs. From the trees, Vezok and Reidak stepped out, Vezok’s eyes bright from using his Impact Vision. Reidak jumped forward, binding her hands with rocky binds spewing from the earth. The Black Piraka placed a clawed foot on her back, leaning closer.

“So, how about we bring you back to Ponyville nice and quietly? Or would you rather be brought back unconscious?” He asked as Hakann and Thok got back up, backing away slightly. “We got Zaktann’s signal, so we rushed here as quickly as we could. Nice work distracting her.”

“Be careful, she can control electricity.” Hakann warned.

“That's not gonna do anything to the little rock binds I made.” Reidak growled. “Now hurry up and get her ready for transport.”

The two Piraka nodded, and Hakann hit her with another mental blast, while Thok used his Spellbinder Vision to disorient her and ruin her sense of balance.

As she fell unconscious, she felt her helmet fall off, revealing her face and her long dark brown hair.

“All right, let's get her back to Ponyville.” Zaktan muttered, walking over. Reidak hauled her up onto his shoulder.

“You know, she looks kinda cute, in a “I will destroy you with Zappy-Zappy powers” kind of way.” Vezok chuckled.

As they arrived back in Ponyville, they immediately went to the castle. Zaktan knocked on the door, and waited patiently, checking to make sure the girl didn't wake up.

Sebaste soon came outside, followed by a Spartan Scout with a more heavily armored right arm that ended in a clawed gauntlet and the world's Twilight, her barrel wrapped in bandages.

“As promised, one captured rookie Displaced. You want us to make her a cell of stone, so she doesn't use her lightning magic?” Zaktan asked, noticing the bandages.

The Spartan next to Sebaste suddenly stepped back in shock, a shocked gasp coming from her. “I... Impossible…” Her voice began to shake.

“Alex, what's the-” Sebaste began to ask before he saw the girl's face. It looked a bit like Alex’s and a bit like Viktor's. “Holy Tartarus….”

“I'm guessing you know her or something.” Zaktan sighed.

“She's... She's my sister.” Alex said.

“Ah, family. Alright then, in return for our services, we want five Assault Rifles, fully loaded, and six pistols.” Zaktan replied.

“Magnum, or Plasma?” Sebaste asked.

“Two Magnum, four plasma.” Zaktan answered, his grin now obviously permanent.

Sebaste nodded before five Assault rifles with energy bayonets dropped into the Piraka’s hands. “They have unlimited ammo, so you don't need to worry about loading them. Same with the pistols.” He said as the pistols requested dropped down at their feet.

“Thank you.” Zaktan chuckled as Reidak placed the girl onto the ground, sealing her hands in rock.

“It's to keep her from zapping you all.” Reidak explained.

“I have a feeling she’ll be out of it for a while, that’ll be enough to get her to a room.” Sebaste said.

“Well alright then.” Reidak shrugged.

“I suppose we are finished here then.” Zaktan said, walking over and extending his hand. “What happened in the past was simply a small business deal, you should know. I hope it won't complicate future business between us?”

Sebaste looked at a point past the Piraka, his helmet hiding his expression. He then extended his own hand and shook Zaktann's hand before saying, “I’ll try and leave the past behind, but I’ll keep one eye on you the next time we need you.”

“Good. If ever you require weapons and arms for your little war, you know who to call.” Zaktan said, before the Six Piraka vanished.

“Alex, let’s get your sister to one of the guest rooms… you and her are gonna have a lot of catching up to do.” Sebaste said. Alex nodded before the two lifted Teresa and entered the castle. Twilight followed after looking at the spot where the Piraka had been.

‘These Displaced are getting more confusing by the year…' she thought with a shake of her head.

For the Emperor and the UNSC! (Rebooted version)

by Titan Commander Sebaste

Arrival Arc, Chapter 1: Armored saviors

Arrival Arc, Chapter 2: Merchant troubles

Arrival Arc, Chapter 3: Meeting the rest of the team

Arrival Arc, Chapter 4: Displaced

Arrival Arc, Final Chapter: This is only the beginning....

Displaced Arc, Chapter 1: Soldiers assemble!

Displaced Arc, Chapter 2: I think we're gonna need a bigger gun.... (Part 1)

Displaced Arc, Chapter 3: I think we're gonna need a bigger gun.... (Part 2)

Displaced Arc, Chapter 4: An Old Friend

Displaced Arc, Chapter 5: Enemy turned Ally

Displaced Arc, Chapter 6: Feet first into Hell

Displaced Arc, Chapter 7: Super Soldiers and Conduits (Part 1)

Displaced Arc, Chapter 8: Super Soldiers and Conduits (Part 2)

Displaced Arc, Chapter 9: Super Soldiers and Conduits (Part 3)

Displaced Arc, Chapter 10: A Legend rebuilt (Pt 1)

Displaced Arc, Chapter 11: A Legend rebuilt (pt 2)

Displaced Arc, Chapter 12: The Piraka and the Tenno

Cancellation notice