I'll Get The Job Done

by Reborn Brony

First published 14th of May, 2017

Nick Taylor thought it'd be a good idea to attend a local comic convention, after buying an Omnitrix from a merchant he is sen t to Equestria and sent down the heroes path as a result. Welp, this is his life now! Better get used to it.

(Inspired By And Then There Were 10...Er...67)

So we got a new one? Another guy disappearing with the powers or equipment of a fictional character? Yeeep. Nick Taylor attended a comic convention in an attempt to disconnect himself from the growing struggles of adulthood, however attending that convention would change his life forever since now he's stuck in Equestria with a replica Omnitrix from Ben 10 Omniverse. While being in this new enviornment with a land filled with bizarre creatures, he'll have to learn what it truly means to be a hero and try to find some sense of normality in a place that naturally is anything but normal to him.

[Mostly M rated for language, possible gore, slight sexual and dark themes]

[Gender-bending may occur]

The More Things Change...

Well, this was certainly something. The convention seemed loaded with people today. Amongst the crowd of people that seemed to practically swarm over everything was a man, a man wearing a bright blue hoodie with a matching silver V pattern wrapping from his chest over his shoulders and on his back. Wearing a pair of loose jeans which were further complimented by his solid black tennis shoes, this man was named Nicholas Taylor. A 21 year old African American with a small afro and dark brown eyes. However at this moment and time? He was very much lost in the crowd.

“Christ... How am I supposed to find anything through this ridiculous crowd?” He asked himself, although what else was he supposed to expect, a small crowd? Hell no, this was Comic Con! He probably would've been just as agitated if no one showed up! Regardless, his conundrum still rested before him. As his gaze glanced from side to side, he let out a small sigh and continued on his way. About 30 minutes or so passed him by as he wandered around the maze of attractions and merchandise, only losing track of where he was about 10 minutes ago. "Egh..." The low grumble escaped him as he shook his head, surprisingly, nothing that was on one of the many stands interested him. Except for one wandering participant. Getting a closer look at the man that seemed too closely resemble the merchant from the Resident Evil series. The Merchant himself didn't catch Nicks eye, but his wares certainly did.

Approaching the man, Nick slipped his hands into his pockets as he began to rummage, much to the Merchants glee. He certainly had authentic looking gear, web shooters, the Master Sword, the Super Shotgun, hell even some bizarre looking biker gloves that had the words Hurt on one, and Heal on another. But what appeared to catch his eye the most was a slick and nice looking wrist watch with a faceplate on the front of it. Square in appearance, resembling more of a smartwatch than anything, the faceplate's design was what caught Nick's immediate attention. Black with two green stripes forming an outline of an hourglass on the front.

“The intergalactic peace symbol, which would make this the... Omnitrix?” He pieced together, intrigue visible in the tone of his face and the expression on his face.

“Ah yes, a man who also finds himself enticed by the allure of the Omnitrix I see? ” The Merchant inquired with a warm smile on his face, reaching into his bag and pulling out the device casually and holding it firmly. "Although this one is by all accounts, one of a kind! Having a nice authentic feel to it, and this can be yours for only $250!"

Nick’s heart dropped slight, for something so perfect looking and certainly nice $250 was a steal! Unfortunately he did not have that type of money on hand. Rubbing his chin and looking intently at the merchant, he had to think about this carefully...

“$200?” Nick attempted to bargain. The Merchant cocking an eyebrow as he smiled slightly, “Hmmmm... You have yourself a deal! Honestly I wasn't expecting for you to be just short of it, but I will take your bargain young man!"

“Sweet!” Nick replied as he without any form of hesitation pulled out his wallet, pulling out ten twenty dollar bills and handing them to the merchant, they proceeded to exchange items, money for the watch. Feeling slightly giddy inside, Nick began to look it over intently. “It looks so... Life like! Like it was pulled straight-up pulled out of the show and into real life!” He complimented as he wrapped it on his left wrist, locking the device in place after adjusting a bit for comfort. He then turned his wrist slightly. Moving his arm up and down as a sort of test, “wow. Feels like there is barely any weight on me at all!”

The Merchant's smile only grew more and more at the sheer delight Nick seemed to have as he examined his new item, “it has more features. You just have to dive deeper Mr. Taylor.” He said rather ominously, although Nick at this moment and time was too wrapped up to particularly care. Tilting his head as he gazed at the watch, he pushed down his two fingers onto the faceplate of the device and pushed down, it sliding back which in turn popped up the core which was glowing softly.

“Hey that’s amazing detail dude!” Nick complimented yet again the Merchant still there and holding his smile, although Nick however was now at full attention to something other than the Omnitrix "Wait, how did you know my name..?" Nick asked, his hand gliding down unconsciously to the core and pushing it down. The once faint green glow now growing brighter as the light enveloped him in an almost blinding fashion, an indescribable washing across Nick's body as his eyes turned bright green. Fur growing all along his body as his fingers stuck together, forming four large canine like claws, a muzzle extending out from his face alongside two large fluffy ears that pushed out of the top of his head. A tail growth from his backside and his normal clothes disappearing for a new batch. A green jumpsuit forming over his body along with two green wrist bands, with a metallic collar materializing along his neck with the Omnitrix's core now relocated to the center of the collar. He had transformed, transformed into a god damn alien!?

Everything felt different, his body, his fingers, down to his very tongue and the way he heard things, the ground below his prehensile feet was different too. No longer rough concrete, but the soft and malleable feeling of slightly wet dirt. Regardless, Nick's newly green eyes glanced around the area, almost scanning it as his heart raced in his chest, this was crazy, it was stupid, it was inconceivable! But all he could do? Was smile widely, that smile never fading as he let out an animalistic howl into the woods that seemed to have enshrouded him, running in a quadrupedal stance into them, into the unknown with a nice amount of confidence.

~~~

“Thank you, thank you, thank you big sis for actually coming to one of my visits to Zecora’s!” Applebloom thanked in a rather joyful manner, practically bouncing up and down with excitement and shaking the saddles at her sides as they made their way to the Everfree Forest in a rather casual manner. Applejack, her older sister, adjusted her hat, a bashful smile spread across her face. “Ah it's nothin'. To be honest ah think I've been rather overdue on payin' Zecora a visit, so why not?” The earth pony said in an almost joking manner as she chuckled a tad, her eyes peaking at the bags at Appleblooms sides curiously. “Whatca got in those saddles there anyway?” She asked, Applebloom being quick to reply to the question. “Oh! Some supplies to help Zecora make a new potion...or was it a food…? Either way, I'm gonna be there to help and you're gonna see how awesome I am at making stuff with her!”

“Heh whatever y'all are in there makin' gotta be important.” AJ commented, extending a hoof to ruffle her little sister's mane, with Applebloom giggling slightly. As they approached the entrance to the forest, a rustle came from a nearby bush. Halting their continuous stride as Applebloom blinked slightly, her heart almost sinking into her stomach. Applejack's eyes narrowing at the rustling as she took a low stance, her sister being swift to hide behind her. "Nothin' ever comes out this close to the edge of the forest. Stay behind me Applebloom, we don't got a clue what it may be.." She instructed in a low tone, Applebloom almost scoffing as she nodded. "Don't gotta tell me twice!"

Then suddenly from the bush, a wild wolf leapt out! Standing in a bipedal stance with clothes that certainly did not appear native and a figure that just seemed unnatural, its wide green eyes looking around the area, taking in the scenery until its ears twitched at the sound of breathing. Looking forward and eyeing the two ponies before it, an eye cocked in a confused expression. "Uh... What..?"

Both ponies practically jumped back at that, this strange creature could TALK! “We ain’t ever come across anything like that before! Specially with the amount of times we go in them woods!” Applejack stated in shock, her skepticism now rising. The creature tilted its head, unknowingly showing the bizarre green collar with a soft glowing green hourglass symbol outlined in black on it.

Applebloom examined this fine details and sat on her flank, extending her forelegs out and opening them up “you understand us?” she asked in an unintentional condescending tone, however the creatures seemed to catch that. A small annoyed huff escaping it, “yes. I can.” It replied rather flatly.

The sisters still looking surprised as Applebloom stepped a bit forward toward the creature, Applejack using her hooves to pull her back, the filly pouting as she looked up at her older sister. Applejack was still skeptical at this thing and not exactly trusting, “what are yea then?”

It looked at its massive claws, tail, and proceeded to feel up its muzzle. “I guess Blitzwolfer.” It said as it looked at the two ponies, many thoughts seeming to run through the creatures head from how it glanced at the Apples. Applejack narrowed her eyes, “well that's not exactly helpful... I reckon y'all come with us, I’ve got a friend that should help us with yah.”

~~~

Do-doo do-doo do-doo do-doo do-doo dodododooo

Blitzwolfer’s ears perked up once more at the sound of the Omnitrix timing out, that similar bright flash of light reverting him back to his human form right in front of the ponies who just stared at him in complete disbelief! Nick in the meanwhile looked at the Omnitrix on his wrist his entire body tingling with joy and a child like excitement he hadn't felt in a while! In this complete joy he jumped up and down repeatedly, “YES, YES YES YES YES YES YES YES!” He shouted overjoyed, “this is awesome!” He followed up as he took a deep breath, quickly gathering back up his composure as he coughed a tad, “well. Uh should I-”

Applejack then promptly shouted, “CHANGELING!!” To which the mare leaped forward and tackled Nick to the ground, having the wind knocked out of him by the pony as he landed back first onto the grassy ground. Applebloom practically gasped, her eyes widening as she then shouted for her sister. "Applejack! A-Ah don't think it's a Changeling!" She spoke out, with Nick struggling underneath the surprisingly strong earth pony above him. Applejacks snout directly in his face. "of course it's a Changelin'! It transformed right in front of us!" The mare retorted, simply shaking his head, Nick used his superior size to kick out from underneath the earth pony, knocking her behind him as he rose to his feet hurriedly.

“I’m not changeling! I don’t even know what that is!” He exclaimed in his own defense, to which a fourth party chirped up, or more so beeped. "Uncatalogued DNA detected." Looking down at the source of the voice which happened to be the Omnitrix attached to his wrist, Nick tilted his head. The faceplate automatically sliding back as a now yellow core popped up. A yellow ray then promptly scanning over Applejack. “New DNA in the Omnitrix? And it’s a pony? Eh, not really that cool but I guess it’ll do...” He muttered under his breath, watching the Omnitrix retract itself back into its idle form, however the ruffling of Applejack rising back to her hooves snapped him back to reality.

The human then looked at his Omnitrix again and with a grin quickly placed both of his fingers on the top of the device, it showing a circle of alien heads as he slid his finger up looking for something. Applejack with her lasso now pulled out began to swing it as Nick licked his lips, quickly pushing down on the on the plate of the Omnitrix the holographic interface disappeared as the core revealed itself once more. Slamming his hand down on it, muscles began to convulse and throb along his body. Slimming up intensively as a tail grew out of his backside once more, his fingers being replaced with three razor sharp claws, his dark brown skin being replaced with a light blue color as his clothes shifted to another jumpsuit, black all over except for the front of the torso going up from his groin area and to his neck. With balls now on his raptor like feet, Nick looked himself over one last time as the light died down in the area. “XLR-8? I chose Astrodactyl, but hey! I’m not complaining!” He said as a sort of metallic mask slammed shut over his face, quickly zooming around Applejack before dashing off into the horizon, disappearing in a blue and black blur.

“I don't know what that was all about, but right now I am loving the hell out of this watch! Although the question is... Where the hell am I with this watch?” He asked as he continued to race along the grass.

~~~

Applejack stopped dead in her tracks once the creature had spun around her at a speed that was beyond anything she had ever seen, with the black, blue, and green blur leaving her and off into the horizon Applebloom looked up at her sister, “Applejack, we gotta inform your friends! Ah don't think that creature really was a Changelin'!” She continued to press as she looked up at the kicked up dust.

Applejack nodded in agreement, “we won’t be able to catch that varmint running. We gotta get Dash first , she may be able to stop it. You get Fluttershy since she's closer, I’ll get Dash and the others!” She said, practically disregarding what Applebloom said as the filly huffed. Regardless Applebloom nodded and quickly galloped to Fluttershy’s cottage.

Arriving at the quiet little cottage, the pegasus was tending to her animals as per usual before the door swung open, “FLUTTERSHY!” Applebloom shouted in a panic, the mare in question jumping and comically attaching to the ceiling after having been spooked by the sudden and rather violent arrival of the filly.

“A-Applebloom?” She asked confused finally dropping down as she looked at her, “What is it?"

Applebloom who was taking a few deep breaths spoke up further, “We need to get the others! Me and Applejack, we might have encountered a Changeling but ah don't think it was a Changeling! But we just need to round everybody up!” Applebloom stated, Fluttershy gasping in shock “CHANGELINGS?!”

Tentatively the mare poked her fore hooves together. “O-oh dear...I don’t know, are you sure..?” She asked, rather hesitant on the matter. Applebloom however was holding onto her leg. “Cmon we gotta stop it before it inevitably reaches Ponyville!” She said looking up at her with an almost pleading look.

Fluttershy looked at the face long and hard, and eventually sighed as she stood up, “ok… I just hope we don't have to harm it, the creature could be scared!" She stated, the realization slapping her like a brick wall!

Applebloom looked off to the side, nodding in silent agreement as the filly began to think to herself.

'Me too...'

Author's Notes:

So this is Reborn-Brony from the future, much like And Then Were 10...Er...67, for those unfamiliar with Ben 10 and the aliens I attempt to describe. I will provide wiki entries for the aliens Nick transforms to in a chapter.

Hey! Reborn Brony from a further, FURTHER future, if you're confused as to why this is showing up in your notifications, it's because I am revamping previous chapters of this story by editing them! Just FYI, hope you enjoy!

https://ben10.fandom.com/wiki/Blitzwolfer

https://ben10.fandom.com/wiki/XLR8_(Classic)

Shedding Some Light on the Situation

The girls had grouped together in the middle of town, Applejack had explained their current dilemma. Twilight rubbed a hoof against her chin, "and Applejack you are sure when it changed it stood in a bipedal position with weird clothing and fingers?" The princess asked the earth pony, Applejack nodding.

"Ooooo I wonder if it likes parties! I like parties!" Pinkie Pie said as Rarity sighed, "Pinkie darling we know you do."

Rainbow Dash rubbed her hooves together, "well it has been a while since a good monster attack!" She said grinning widely as she started to hover over the group, Twilight smacked her face with her own hoof. "Girls we just need to find it, who knows where it could be now?" She asked them.

From Applejack's description it sounded like a human...but she had to be sure herself, Fluttershy spoke up. "W-well I may have an idea where it could be...maybe s-still in town? Applejack did say it had a weird green hourglass collar around its neck...when it was a wolf.."

Twilight looked at her, "good idea! We either look for the hourglass or anything else that has a weird physcial appearance similar to a bipedal stance."

The girls thought for a moment before nodding, "split up it couldn't have gone far if that's the case." Twilight said as the gang all split off into different directions.

---

Nick was laying on is back looking at the Omnitrix, "dude this is so awesome! Aside from getting stuck in a 9 year old girls dream this Omnitrix is awesome!!" He said as he looked through the list of aliens, clicking the top it sliding back and he slammed his hand down on the dial. Instead of his choice of Four Arms his bones stretched out as fur grew along him. Spike like weapons popping out of the top of his hands along with claws growing from his finger nails.

He blinked a bit before looking at his hands, "LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHING OMNITRIX! RATH DID NOT CHOOSE RATH! RATH CHOSE FOUR ARMS!" He shouted at the device, Nick seemingly was near the entrance of the Everfree Forest as he looked around growling to himself.

"While Rath is pretty cool Rath chose Four Arms!" He stated as he growled a bit before shaking his head. Looking back at the town he then said, "Rath wonders if their still looking for Rath." He said as he heard the beeping of the Omnitrix shifting back to his human form.

"God Ben is right that is inconsistent." Nick said to himself as he then looked at his watch, sliding his fingers up a bit to look through them more, the sound of hooves making him jump a bit as he quickly whipped around, his hand over the popped up dial.

His eyes fell upon what looked like a Pegasus, Unicorn or both? His eyebrow raising as he narrowed his eyes, “Wait!” she shouted holding her hooves up defensively.

Nick narrowed his eyes, “who are you? You're the first pers- pony...To not immediately attack me!”

“You're a human right?” she asked as Nick's eyes widened a bit, “well. Yeah. I am human.” He replied.

“What are you doing here? How did you even get here?” She asked Nick.

“No no. You're gonna answer my questions first, where the hell am I? What are you? Who are you? And how do you know what a human is?” He responded taking charge of the situation.

She sighed rubbing both her hooves against her eyes and letting them slide back down, “my name is Twilight Sparkle, where you are right now is Ponyville in a place called Equestria, I am one of the 4 princesses that rule this land with the power of friendship and kindness. As for how I know what a human is? I went to the human world on a mission assigned by my fellow princesses.”

Nick blinked a bit, “well I think you're the most friendly pony I've seen. An orange one with a cowboy hat attacked me.” He said moving his hand away from the Omnitrix the dial being pushed back down and the top popping back over it automatically.

Twilight narrowed her eyes his looking at him, "now could you answer my questions please?"

"Well...I don't know what I'm doing here. And as to how I got here?" He raised his right arm showing the Omnitrix to her, "this watch. It sent me here after I bought it from a merchant in a convention." He said as he chuckled to himself, Twilight tilted her head.

"What's so funny?"

"Ah nothing I just realized how insane this situation is!" He said as he leaned his head back laughing harder as he rubbed his eyes before shaking his head. A purple aura surrounding his arm as he was pulled forward toward Twilight.

"What is it? I don't believe I've ever seen a watch like this before." She said curiously examining the watch.

"It's called the Omnitrix. It allows me to turn into various alien forms, while also being nice and snug attached to my wrist." He said feeling the force of her magic trying to pull off the device.

She sighed relinquishing her grip on his arm with her magic, Nick shook his arm a bit as he put his hands in his jacket pockets. "You think your friends will not try to kill me again if you talk to them?" He asked her, Twilight gave a sheepish smile. "I hope so."

"Well that's really assuring." He replied. He then sighed, "names Nick by the way." He said as Twilight nodded smiling at the human.

"So what? We headed back into town?" He asked looking at her his Omnitrix flashing yellow, "Uncatalogued DNA detected." It said a yellow beam scanning over Twilight, "amazing..." She said looking at the watch as it finished turning back its bright green.

"Yeah, it scans and copies any new species so I can transform into them." He said as he looked at her, grinning a bit at her confused face.

The alicorn just shook her head to get out of her trance like state at the information, "we should probably head back to the town." She simply replied as Nick nodded, "aye. That should be fun."

---

A few minutes had passed after Nick and Twilight's initial run in, the time giving Nick to fool around with his Omnitrix out of curiosity. 'Nicholas Devin Taylor, messing around with the most powerful piece of technology in the known universe! God.' He thought to himself a smile on his face.

"Bloxx, Heatblast, Swampfire, Four Arms, Frakenstrike, Brainstrom, Greymatter. Jesus Christ there's more aliens in here then I thought!" He said as he looked at the alicorn, the two hadn't talked since their walk back to Ponyville.

The only form of talking was coming from Nick either talking to himself or talking about the watch.

"There's the vermin!" A familiar voice filled Nick's ears as in the blink of an eye something slammed into his back making him fall forward and roll along the ground as he groaned a bit. Looking up he saw a rainbow blur fly into the air and stop as a pegasus was shown floating with her hooves on her waist.

Nick stood up as he felt the all to familiar orange pony slam her head into his chest, the force actually knocking flat on his ass. "Ok that's it!" he shouted as he jumped up scrolling through his list of aliens before pushing down the pad as the dial popped up and he slammed his hand down on it.

His skeleton growing as his hair disappeared and a reptilian like skin grew along his body as his size increased. A green belt wrapped around his chest with the Omnitrix symbol on the middle of it, "Humungousaur? Oh hell yeah!" He said as he felt another strike from Rainbow Dash shaking his head as he looked at her, seeing her come back another time he dodged and quickly grabbed her tail throwing her into the ground.

Pinkie Pie's eyes widened, "Dashie don't worry I got him!" Pinkie said as a wide smile spread across her face, then pulling out her Party Cannon out of nowhere she fired a round.

A cake hitting Nick's left eye as he roared trying to get it out of his eye, it stinging from the fact cake was in his eye.

"Girls stop!" Twilight shouted Fluttershy shivering standing beside her, Rarity using her magic to surround Nick's legs with a blue aura managing to trip him and make him fall on his back.

Rainbow Dash recovering and dashing forward snatching Applejack's lasso and flying toward Nick wrapping him in it.

"U-um girls I would listen to T-" Fluttershy was cut off as Pinkie Pie shot another cake at Nick who was laying on his back trapped in the lasso. It hitting under his chin as he growled at them.

"GIRLS STOP!" Twilight shouted all of them pausing as they looked at her, "listen. This thing, Nick. He isn't a changeling! He's one of those humans I was telling you girls about!"

"But then what the buck is he now?! Only changelings transform like that!" Rainbow Dash replied.

"If you'd let me go I could show you how." Nick said looking up.

"No way buddy! We finally got you!" Rainbow Dash said narrowing her eyes getting face to face with Nick, Twilight gave Rainbow Dash a look. "Rainbow Dash. NOW!" She said asserting herself as the rainbow maned mare growled and flew back ready to take the lasso off.

Nick simply sitting up and growing, increasing his size easily snapping out of the rope. The ponies jumping slightly especially Dash and Applejack.

"W-why didn't you just do that before?" Rainbow Dash asked Nick.

Nick smacking the Omnitrix on his chest reverting to his normal form, "because I wanted to see if you'd let me out, or cool your hot head off. And because I wanted to see your faces." Nick said grinning widely letting out a small chuckle.

Applejack grumbling a bit, "girls this is ridiculous!" Twilight stated.

"Well he did slam Dashie into the ground the big meanie." Pinkie Pie stated as she looked up at Nick.

"Only because she smacked me in the face full speed." Nick responded to the bubbly pink mares statement.

Rarity rubbed her chin looking at Nick, "now darling you where going to explain how you transform? So we know you're not a changeling?" She asked raising an eyebrow. "Then after that we have to talk about your wardrobe, those clothes are horrendous!"

Nick looked at her, "hey I like my clothes. And as for how I transform?" He pulled his sleeve down showing the Omnitrix resting on his wrist. "This is the Omnitrix, a piece of alien tech that allows me to turn into I believe 99 or more different aliens. But trust me there are a hell of a lot more forms in here, millions." He explained as he used touched the faceplate of the watch, sliding it up scrolling through the holographic list before pushing down on it, it sliding back as Nick slammed his hand down on the dial.

His body seemingly shrinking down, his hair extending and changing a pure black. Green fur growing along his body as his fingers shrunk down hooves forming, a tail growing as his eyes turned a bright green the transformation complete as he stood up straight looking at them.

The Mane Six staring at him as they examined him, the Omnitrix logo on his flank. "I got this one from the orange ponies DNA." He said.

"Darling I like your mane! It looks amazing!" Rarity complimented as Nick chuckled a bit.

"And you're sure you aren't a changeling?" Rainbow asked him, "YES!" He and Twilight shouted in unison.

Pinkie Pie bounced around Nick, "this is awesome! We gotta throw a party for you Nick! Don't worry I won't forget I'm great with names!" The pink mare said smiling widely.

Applejack rubbed her jaw a bit before shaking her head adjusting her hat, "well...I suppose if you got the trust of Twi, then I guess I'll give you a second chance."

"Agreed." Rarity said as Pinkie stopped standing in a bipedal stance scooping Nick up in a big hug. "Yes of course!" She said with a wide smile.

Fluttershy looking at Nick, looking at him shyly for a bit before giving him a soft cute smile. Nick smiling back as he looked at Rainbow Dash.

The mare looking back at him, "yeah whatever.. she grumbled.

Nick smiled as he heard the beeping of the Omnitrix it reverting him to his human form as he stretched a bit, "thanks guys I guess."

"If you want you could stay at my house." Twilight said smiling at Nick, the human nodding. "That would be nice." He said smiling back at her.

Rarity's eyes then sparkle, "I could make so many custom designs for you! YOU HAVE TO COME OVER TOMORROW AFTERNOON!" She said excited.

"I'd be fine with that. But for now. I'd like to just get some shut eye." He said letting out a small chuckle.

The girls nodding as they lead him back to Ponyville.

Author's Notes:

I apologize if there are some grammatical errors in this chapter. I'm still in search of a consistent editor for this story. But I hope you enjoy the chapter regardless!

https://ben10.fandom.com/wiki/Rath_(Classic)

https://ben10.fandom.com/wiki/Humungousaur_(Classic)

Quite the World We Live In Now

The moon hanged over the town of Ponyville, its rays shining off of Twilight's crystal castle. In the top floors, Nick was fast asleep, all the stuff that's happened to him opened his mind. Making his mind much more clear along with helping fuel his dreams & or nightmares. Nick snoring slightly a pillow over his head as he slept.

Nick ran throughout the Everfree Forest quickly jumping over a fallen log as he landed, running faster as he whipped around looking forward, a massive goo monster looking down at him, its slimy tongue sliding out of its mouth as it eyed him. The beast mustering up a smile, it sending chills down Nick's spine as he narrowed his eyes. "So we playing are we?" The monster spitting a ball of slime at Nick, the human rolling to the side and running deeper into the woods, jumping over a rock and hiding behind it as he panted heavily. "Ok this has been a coo coo crazy night." He said as he looked over the rock, the slime monster waiting for him as it growled shooting a blast of slime at him.

Nick running forward and rolling to the side, clicking his Omnitrix's faceplate, it opening up as he slammed his hand on the dial, his body liquefying and his bones disappearing. "Goop?" He asked looking up at the slime monster as he looked over his head at the Anti Gravity Projector above his head, "this could work." He said to himself the Projector hoovering carrying him as it flew around the goo monster rendering Nick to a pile of goo.

It looked rather confused by his actions as he used it to hoover above the monster and diving inside its mouth. It rubbing its belly satisfied, the Gravity Projector beeping and taking control of the monster itself, slamming it against the side of a tree making it go everywhere a beeping heard from the Gravity Projector as Nick reverted to his human form rolling along on the ground as he coughed a bit shaking his head.

"Well done." A voice said as Nick looked around seeing no one.

"Uh hello?" He asked a bit confused.

A light flashed in front of Nick as he covered his eyes, the white light blinding him, as when he uncovered his eyes he saw her. A flowing mane that resembled the night sky, a crown on her head her blue eyes looking at his.

Nick wiped the slime off of his clothes, "uh. Who are you?" He asked. He could tell she was a pony, obviously.

"I am Princess Luna, Goddess of the Night." Her voice boomed shattering the surrounding area, Nick and her seemingly in a black nothingness.

Nick's eyes widened as he crossed his arms, "and apparently you can pull off some Freddy Kruger shit. Lemme guess magic?" He asked the very obvious question.

The Princess gave the human a confused questionable look before simply ignoring his statement, "We came to watch the dreams of our sleepy subjects when we sensed an...abnormality in the dreamscape. Your dreams, thou are not a being from this world. Perhaps beyond the mirror?" She asked him.

Nick shook his head, "I come from a different universe. I got sent here by this little joy." He said showing off his Omnitrix.

"Ah, the device Twilight Sparkle has been sending letters about to our dear sister. We witnessed its astounding transformation ability when we sent the monster after thou." She said. Nick narrowed his eyes, "that was you? Well I did outsmart it using Goop."

"Indeed, now thou may question us." Luna said looking up at him.

"Well first off, I was having a fine dream before you showed up with your little slime monster. Which really isn't a question as much as it is a statement." He yammered.

"That and do you interfere with dreams this much?" He asked her, the Princess shaking her head no.

"Not for all of our faithful subjects. Only those that seem to require our aid or special beings like you."

Nick rubbed his chin nodding, "alright alright. I suppose that makes it some what understandable then."

"Now aside from coming into my dreams is there something else you where here for?" Nick asked as Luna kept staring at him, "nothing we can think of at the moment. However all we can say is that we shall be seeing thou very soon." The Princess said as a smiled appeared on her face.
As she seemingly faded from the dream. Nick looking at his hands, as they seemingly fell apart like broken glass.

Nick jolted awake as he rubbed his hair, "what the actual fuck.." he asked himself panting a bit. Looking out of the window he saw the sun was out as he shook his head, "god. Well at least I know more of the rulers here." He stated.

Grabbing his jacket and shoes he pulled them both on as he walked downstairs seeing around the corner Spike and Twilight enjoying breakfast. "Hey Nick! Would you like anything?" The mare asked the human, he looked seeing nothing but vegetables and gems.

"Nah I think I'll be good for a bit." He said as he rubbed his hair, walking he plopped himself down on the couch to think of the dream he had. Was it all just a figure created by his imagination made from being in Equestria, or was Luna real. Either way he was kinda paranoid of the whole, 'we'll see you soon.'

Nick shook his head as he sat up, standing and deciding to walk out of the castle without saying anything.

Rubbing his chin, 'maybe I'll find something else to do.' He thought as he looked to the side, seeing Rarity's home he shrugged. "I suppose I could pay her a visit." He said to himself walking into the house.

The bell above him ringing, a pair of hoof steps heard from above. Nick looked around at the dresses made by Rarity. "Huh, these ponies have a lot of clothes for people who don't even wear anything at all." He stated as he looked seeing a small filly with a purple and pink mane, her bright green eyes looking at Nick as she let out a scream and ran back upstairs.

Nick's eyes widened a bit, "well I guess everyone didn't get the memo heh." He said as he crossed his arms hearing voices from the upper floor, then seeing Rarity coming down. "Ah Nick darling! I wasn't expecting you so early!"

"Well I was walking around town and I thought I'd pay you a visit. Nice glasses by the way." He said smiling at her.

The mare smiling back, "thank you! Well since you are here you must meet my younger sister Sweetie Bell!" She said rather enthusiastically.

"I think I already did heh, she ran upstairs the moment she saw me like. Harsh!" Nick said in a joking tone Rarity rolling her eyes at him, gesturing for him to follow her up the stairs in which he followed without question.

"Sweetie Bell I'd like for you to meet my new friend Nick." Rarity said looking at her sister who was in her workshop.

The filly looked up at Nick who gave her a two finger salute.

"Sis...your friends to a bald monkey..?" Sweetie replied.

"SWEETIE BELL!" Rarity shouted narrowing her eyes at the filly, Nick putting his hand in front of her shaking his head. "It's fine Rarity, I've had worse insults thrown at me heh." He said as he crouched down in front of Sweetie Bell.

"Well my species did evolve from monkeys, so I guess you could say I am a monkey." He said as he stuck his hand out as a friendly gesture smiling at her. The filly reluctantly put her hoof in his hand as Nick held it and shook her hoof.

Nick then stood, "Uncatalogued DNA detected." His watch said as he pulled his sleeve down, a yellow beam going over Rarity the mare tilting her head in confusion. "Really? I didn't get unicorn DNA? Huh." He shrugged.

"Oh Nick before we begin! Could you show Sweetie your magic?" Rarity asked looking at him.

"Not magic. Science of Galavain's." He replied to her as he looked Sweetie in the eye, "now Sweetie Bell. This is called the Omnitrix. Long story short it allows me to do this." He double clicked the faceplate, it sliding back as the dial popped up Nick slamming his hand down on it. Being replaced with the Necrofriggen Big Chill, Sweetie Bell's eyes widening at Nick.

"Woah! That is AWESOME!" She shouted looking at the Nick who had his wings wrapped around his massive body, acting almost as a shroud his breath showing in the air from how cold it was. "This is a Necrofriggen. AKA Big Chill."

"Can he freeze things?" She asked curiously.

Nick would've smiled if his form would allow him, he nodded. "He can. And he can do this." He turned almost see through fazing through the ground.

"And he's a ghost? Best monster!" Sweetie said jumping up and down in exictement, Nick fazing back up making himself solid as he tapped the Omnitrix logo on his wait reverting to his human form. "You've gotta come with me to the Cutie Mark Crusader Club House! You could help us find our Cutie Marks!" She said excited.

Nick shrugged once more, "I have no idea what that is. But sure why not heh." He replied, Rarity coughing a bit. "Shall we get to helping you get some news clothes?" The fashionista asked as Nick nodded.

"Yeah. That I'm gonna need new clothes, and I think I have a design in my head I may like a lot." He said, "how about. a black hoodie, with white outlines and a big white line going down the middle. And a number on the back. 10. Yeah." He said nodding smiling widely.

Rarity nodded taking his measurements taking mental notes of the specs of his unique jacket design. "I must apologize if I get it wrong the first time. It is my first time designing for a human."

He put a hand on her her head, "oh it'll be fine." He said smiling widely before chuckling a bit.

"Hey Sweetie while your sis works on my new jacket you think I could meet these Crusaders? I'm curious." He said crossing his arms.

Sweetie Bell rubbed her chin, "yea sure!" She said smiling widely, "where too?" He asked.

"Sweet Apple Acres!" She said smiling widely as she ran down the stairs, Nick looking at Rarity. "Take care of her Nick." She said, "yea don't worry I've got it. And if Twilight asks where I am. Say I am hanging with your sis and her friends." He said as he looked at his Omnitrix clicking the plate, messing with the holographic interface before slamming his hand down on it. His muscles changing as balls appeared underneath his feet, his fingers and toes sticking together to make three fingers & toes. He looked like a odd blue raptor as a faceplate slammed down over his face and he dashed down the stairs picking up Sweetie along the way before dashing out of the home.

"WAHOOOOOOO!!!!" Sweetie shouted waving her hoof in glee.

Author's Notes:

Yeah I know this chapter seems all over the place. School kinda got in the way of my work. I just hope you find some enjoyment out of this chapter!

https://ben10.fandom.com/wiki/Goop

https://ben10.fandom.com/wiki/Big_Chill

Cutie Marks and Bug Bears...Quite The Combo

After some weird introductions Nick found himself walking with the CMC, with his hands buried deep in his pockets he walked beside Applebloom. The human coughed slightly getting the attention of the small fillies, "so what are even supposed to be doing?" He asked curiously.

Scootaloo perked up at the question, "well. We are the Cutie Mark Crusaders! We help ponies find their cutie marks!" She said pointing to her flank. "See here? This is where it's supposed to be." She asked.

Nick turning his head away the moment she showed him her flank, "Uh yea sure..." He said rather uncomfortable as the fillies tilted their heads in confusion by his actions. Applebloom shrugged, "so girls what shall we do?"

They all looked away, Nick looked down at them. "How about you guys give me a proper tour of the town?" A spark formed in all three of the fillies eyes. "CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS TOUR GUIDES YEAH!!" They shouted, Nick letting out a small chuckle in response.

The three fillies walked with the human, Sweetie Bell speaking up. "This is Sugar Cube Corner! Where Pinkie Pie works!"

"Ah. I assume it's a type of restaurant?" He put together as Sweetie nodded. " We can stop there if you want!"

"Not now, hell I don't even think you ponies accept dollars."

"What's a dollar?" Scootaloo asked with a confused look on her face along with the other CMC, Nick reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet. Pulling out one dollar and showing them.

"Why would we accept paper? We use bits!" Applebloom said pulling out the golden token.

"Wait what. You guys use ACTUAL gold?!" He asked surprised at the fact, the country pony giggled softly. "Well yea! Why would we take paper like I said!"

Nick took a deep breath and slipped his wallet back into his pocket. "Also just saying I already know the big glass castle is Twilight's. She's letting me crash there for a while." He said as he shrugged again.

Applebloom nodded, "lets keep going then!"

Nick nodded as he followed, "that is the spa!" Scootaloo pointed out, "Rainbow Dash went there a few times after her first time there!" She said smiling as Nick raised an eyebrow.

"Huh. Sounds like she's your action hero, I have one of those." The human said chuckling.

Scootaloo looked to the side pouting, "Rainbow Dash is my idol!" She said as Nick chuckled again, rubbing and ruffling the fillies mane. "Ah I can tell just from the passion in your voice!"

Scootaloo looked away again her cheeks glowing softly in embarrassment as Sweetie Bell chimed in, "this is the town hall where a lot of the ponies come to gather! And the center of town!"

"Well it is a town hall so I'd assume it'd be in the middle." Nick replied rolling his eyes as Applebloom pouted at him. Nick grinning slightly, the trio looking at their rumps. "Hmmmm.. maybe we haven't shown him everything!" She said.

"Well I mean...I kinda am alright I know everywhere I need to know..." He said as the fillies looked up at him. Giving him puppy doggish eyes as if begging him to allow them to show him more, he couldn't help himself as he took a deep breath rubbing his eyes. "Alright!" He said.

The fillies smiling widely Sweetie Bell using her magic to pull Nick's hand dragging him along.

---

Hours passed as Nick groaned softly, sitting at Sugar Cube corner taking a deep breath with the CMC happily eating a few muffins and cupcakes. Nick had began to eat the cupcake in front of him, it had been pretty damn great while he didn't eat as many sugary treats as he did during his childhood.

The CMC had been sitting at a separate table from him, conversing on ways to get their butt tattoos. 'Cutie Marks. Fuck forgot.' He thought as he sighed softly, Pinkie Pie sliding in front of him. "You ok Nick? You need to turn that frown upside down!" The bubbly pink mare stated.

This received a snort from Nick as he leaned back in his chair, "I suppose since I do have one of the greatest wristwatches ever. Although I didn't expect to end up in Equestria, I feel so alien here.."

"That's because you are a alien silly! A alien from a different dimension! You're better then a alien!" She said as she sat beside him.

The human laughed a bit in response, "well then yea I suppose it'd only be logical I feel this way. I guess I am kinda special here, and it does feel nice to be...unique!"

The mare giggled, "I know right?" She replied smiling widely sliding a cupcake in front of Nick.

"Shouldn't I actually pay for this one?" He asked raising an eyebrow, the mare shook her head. "This is the last free one! I swear!" She said smiling.

Nick smiled back as he picked it up and began to eat it, before standing up. "We're leaving. Cmon, I'm taking you all home."

The CMC's ears perked up as they looked at the human who was eating another cupcake, "alright!" Applebloom chirped up as she and the other two stood up walking behind Nick who walked outside the bakery. Yawning slightly the human took a bite out of his cupcake, "do we have to go home yet? I enjoy hanging out with you!" Scootaloo said as Nick chuckled softly.

"Well I mean hey I gotta get you guys home or else your siblings are gonna fuckin kill me." He said laughing a bit.

The fillies laughed with him as Nick began to take each of them to their respective homes, dropping Scootaloo off to Rainbow Dash who due to their sisterly bond Rainbow had allowed the pegasus to stay with her for a while.

Then dropping Applebloom off to Applejack who had given the human a warm hug, it making him blush immensely.

Finally he walked Sweetie Bell back home who he was carrying on his back, "I had fun today Nick!" The unicorn stated as the human chuckled, he was honestly exhausted from his tour.

"I had fun to Sweetie, thank again for the tour." He replied as he chuckled softly smiling at her.

Nick smiled as he felt the filly nuzzling into his neck, he couldn't help but feel happy as he knocked on the door at Rarity's door the mare opening it as she smiled at Nick. The human chuckled putting the filly down, "I believe this is yours?"

The unicorn nodded as Sweetie gave Nick one more hug on his legs before running inside into her room.

"Thank you for watching Sweetie Bell for me Nick darling." Rarity said smiling as the human chuckled rubbing the back of his head. "Anything for a friend." He replied.

The sudden sound of a roar filling his ears, ponies screaming and running past him. Rarity looked back at Nick in shock, "Darling! Get inside I'll get the gir-" She was cut off as Nick ran forward past the ponies who ran in the opposite direction from him.

The human had planned on taking a nap once he got back to Twilight's castle but the sound of roar, it was calling to him. A call to action perhaps?

Nick stopped at the town hall seeing a mix of a Bee and Bear with vibrant purple eyes floating off the ground using it's wings.

"What...the fuck...is that..?" He asked as the monster looked him and roared in his face taking a slash at the human, he quickly jumped back and looked at his Omnitrix, clicking the faceplate and slamming down on the dial.

His body shrunk down as his hands and feet turned into very skinny legs as his skin turned yellow, the transformation complete he looked himself over.

"Are you fucking serious?! Ball Weevil?!" He asked as the Bug Bear took another slash at him, he dodged as he slid on the ground opening up his mouth and shooting out of his mouth a green ball of slime. Jumping on top of it he began to roll it instinctively as he rolled around with it.

The ball collecting rocks and grass as the Bug Bear attempted to sting him with it's tail.

Nick jumping out of the way, the creature instead of stabbing him stabbing the ball of slime. A massive explosion occurring as he landed on the ground, taking a deep breath as he looked at his tiny legs, "ok...maybe I can I work with this!" He mumbled to himself the Bug Bear picking itself back up as it road back at him.

Lunging at Nick, he quickly leaped onto a wall as he spat out three more sticky balls of slime before rolling pushing them together making a bigger ball as he rolled it along the wall. The inside of the rather large orb glowing a bright green, the Bug Bear looked at Nick as he ran the ball into the bear.

The last thing heard was a massive explosion, the Mane Six finally arriving taking a battle stance. The dust cleared as Nick walked out, straightening his jacket the unconscious body of the Bug Bear on the ground. "Why. The FUCK! DID NO ONE TELL ME BUG BEARS WERE A THING?!" He asked as Twilight gave him a sheepish smile.

"S-sorry heh..forgot to mention that..." She said blushing in embarrassment.

The sound of cheering could be heard as Nick raised a brow, ponies huddling around him. This made the human chuckle slightly, "hey it was nothing..." He said as he shook his head.

Pinkie Pie appearing on his back, "FINALLY PARTY TIME TONIGHT!" She shouted, Nick ready to object before looking at the ponies who had been cheering him and extremely grateful that he had saved them.

Nick paused before sighing and smiling, "Yeah. I guess it is party time!"

Author's Notes:

https://ben10.fandom.com/wiki/Ball_Weevil

That One Guy At A Party

Later that day Nick sat in a chair at Sugarcube Corner, to be honest the party itself reminded him of a birthday party he had when he was three years old. The streamers and the banners and hell the sign outside that said, "HUMAN SAVES TOWN" outside made him feel rather selfish.

He would've saved the day or at least helped had their had been no form of reward but Pinkie Pie insisted on throwing a party for the human.

"I suppose I can have a moment of fun," He said as he snickered to himself.

"Nick!" He heard a voice call his name as he turned his head. Seeing the purple alicorn who was smiling at him, "cmon join us!"

"Pin the Donkey? Huh." He said as he stood up stretching slightly standing beside the ponies, much taller then them all Applejack was up as a blindfold was wrapped around her eyes.

Nick hadn't seen this game in ages, "still don't understand how you pick things up with your hooves. God. Logic is none present."

"Says the guys with the advanced piece of technology in Equestria?" Twilight replied looking up at him. Nick grinned slightly as he rubbed the Omnitrix resting on his wrist. "You're not lying. And to be honest it's probably the most advanced thing in the world."

She rolled her eyes as AJ took the blindfold off of her eyes, having missed the tail on the donkey by a few inches. "Ah. Missed by a few inches, oh well." The earth pony said as she trotted back to the ground, Rainbow Dash stepping up.

"See AJ. Watch how the pros do it!" The rainbow maned mare said rather confidently.

Nick raised an eyebrow as he nudged Applejack who had moved beside him, "hot head I assume?" He asked as the country pony nodded. "Like y'all wouldn't believe..."

The mare soon found herself with a blindfold as she quickly pinned the pin on the donkey, missing rather horribly and stabbing the cloth donkey in the stomach. Nick snorted to himself as the mare pulled off her blindfold her head snapping to him as her eyes narrowed. "How about you try this hmmm?!" She replied in a rather defensive and challenging tone.

The room grew silent as Nick shrugged. "Sure why not? Then after this what we're gonna race?"

The mares eyes sparked, a flame of confidence and interest. "You know what, yea! We will race! And I WILL win!"

The room filled with, "OOOOO's" As Twilight used her magic to hold Nick's hand and shaking her head. "What? It'll be fine, that and it'll show me if she's more salty then McDonald's french fries."

The ponies in the room tilted their heads in confusion as Nick sighed, "nevermind. Forgot, alternate universe or different world or whatever." He said as he took a deep breath, "gonna miss that good old phone..." He muttered before continuing, "anyway. I'll let you know when we'll race, I do not know when. Probably when it's most convenient or something."

The mare hovered up as she looked him in the eyes, "better remember. And prepare to lose. Now pin the tail on the donkey.."

Nick moved out of her way and grabbed the blindfold, wrapping it around his eyes before taking the tail. He took a deep breath as he guided his hand, his knuckles rubbing against the cloth before he pinned the tail. Pulling up his blindfold, his pin had been basically on the donkey as he grinned widely.

Glancing at Rainbow Dash he raised an eyebrow as the mare turned her head shaking her head. "Salt." He said grinning more.

A few minutes passed as Nick had been standing beside Fluttershy, Rarity walking up to him. "So darling, I believe I have the design you wanted yes?" She asked.

Nick's ears perked up as he looked at her, using her magic to hand him a rolled up piece of paper. Opening it up he looked it over a few times, "hmmm...yea! This is what I wanted!" He said rubbing the stubble on his chin.

The fashionista smiled at him widely as he handed the paper back to her, "then I'll get right on that darling!" She said smiling as she disappeared back into the party.

Nick had looked to the side, moving to Pinkie who had been diving into the cake. "Hey Pinkie? Where's the bathroom?" Nick asked as the pink mare directed him.

Deviating and walking up stares he opened up the window on the second floor before climbing out and landing on the ground, his drink of juice still in his hand.

Nick then began to walk down the empty streets of Ponyville, most of the ponies having been at the party. The human just found himself...wandering.

Thinking to himself, 'how did this all start again? Oh yea. Merchant. I suppose I can hate and love him, he gave me my favorite device from any media, the Omnitrix. But for some reason he puts me in a childs dream?' He shook his head as he climbed up a building, soon finding himself sitting on the edge of it as he side taking a sip of the drink.

"Although it is nice to be you know special here." He said as he watched the party from afar on the building.

Nick's eyes then fell upon his wrist as he pulled up his sleeve. The Omnitrix glowing softly sitting idle, "heh. I assume I'll be fighting more then bugbears while I'm here." He said as he looked back up to the night time sky, the stars twinkling softly as the moon shined over the town of Ponyville.

His mind drifting back to the dream he had a few nights ago. "Soon..." He mumbled to himself as he took a deep breath and then reaching into his pocket, pulling out his cracked phone as he rubbed his chin. Clicking the home button the device sparked to life before shutting off almost instantly. Nick shook his head as he slipped it back into his pocket.

"When there's no one else to carry on.." A small song started to come from him as he mumbled the tune. Closing his eyes before stopping and drinking once more.

Ice To Meet You PT1

Nick had been sitting on a rooftop, his legs swinging and a drink right next to him as he looked at the ponies cleaning up from the massive party they had. ‘Why are Bug Bear’s even a thing and I still refuse to believe it.’ He thought as he jumped down, landing on his feet as he straightened out his jacket before deciding to take a walk.

His eyes glancing around the town as he took a sip of the drink he had sipping in satisfaction before crushing the cup and putting it in his pocket.

Something caught his eye...it was glowing a light green. Looking to the side Nick walked over to the light kneeling down and seeing a, “Unitrix? In Equestria? What the hell?” He asked as he picked up the device looking it over.

“If I didn’t already have my favorite device from Ben 10 in general resting on my wrist I’d be fanboying right now.” He said as he then rubbed his chin, popping it up and pushing the top back down.

A flash of light blinded him, and when it faded, a trio of humanoids had appeared.

“I told you Trixie, people were going to stare at you. You’re like a walking symbol of Rule 34,” one of them spoke, being male. He stood around six feet tall, wearing well worn jeans and a t-shirt, proudly displaying what looked like an album cover. His hair reached down to his waist, and a familiar device took up most of his forearm.

“I am a pony, not a... sex symbol!” ‘Trixie’ responded with a growl. Despite her claim of being a pony, Trixie stood on two legs, being around 5’7. Her fur was a light blue, her mane a silverish color, and she wore a strange purple jumpsuit, with a heart symbol on the front.

“Coulda fooled me,” the third person spoke. This one was a young woman, around 18. She had short black hair and piercing red eyes. Her bountiful chest was barely contained by a tank top, with a matching pair of shorts. She was shorter than the others, at 5’4. Hanging off her shoulder was a greyish black furred weasel like creature, sporting a crown of pink feathers.

“Ok first.” Nick pointed to the man. “I like you, you said exactly what I was thinking.” He said grinning slightly before looking at Trixie and the shorter girl. “Both of you are kinda asking to be on the internet and the sights of Rule34, and ThatPervert. And E621. Many places is what I’m trying to say!” He stated.

Crossing his arms he looked at the three, being around the same size as Trixie just slightly taller. “Now, please explain. Where the FUCK did you three come from? Can’t get enough craziness with a bugbear?” He asked as he took a deep breath.

“Fuckin bugbear...stupid…” He mumbled shaking his head putting a hand on his face sighing. “Also one last time.” He said looking at Trixie, “are you positive you aren’t a sex symbol? Like absolutly positive with that answer? Trust me I’ll know if you're lying.”

Trixie growled, drawing her hand back and slapping him across the face. “I do not dress for your pleasure!”

“That looked like it hurt,” the man commented, scratching at his cheek. “You also had it coming.”

Nick rubbed his cheek taking another deep breath, “not my fault she can’t take the fact that she’s a walking Tumblr post.” He said rubbing his cheek more, “just know that I know she’s probably your friend and I’m not looking for a fight but I’m gonna let that slap slide because I’m in a good mood.” He said as he regained his composure.

“Now...my name is Nick,” he introduced himself. “Also I speak my mind a lot unless I know not to piss off the wrong people. Just kinda my thing.”

“I assume she’s Trixie just from very very obvious context clues.” He said pointing to her. “What about you two?” He asked crossing his arms.

“I’m Jason,” the man spoke. He gestured to the shorter girl. “This is my daughter Rita, and her Weavile, Chill. We’re from a different Equestria.”

Nick rubbed his chin, “that’d explain why I’ve never heard of a Rita before. Do love me some alternate universe theories...well guess they aren’t theories anymore.”

His eyes gazed down to Jason body to the side and to his right forearm, “lemme guess.” He said raising his left arm showing the Omniverse Omnitrix on his arm. “Merchant?”

“I’ve had mine for a lot longer.” Jason held his own up. “Only paid a hundred for it.”

“Hundred..? I paid twenty five extra for this thing..although it was fuckin worth it.” Nick said smiling widely looking back at Jason. “So I assume you’ve been at the Equestria game for a while? Cause I mean cmon. That hair is awesome, and you have a daughter sooooooo one can assume time runs differently in most Equestria’s.”

Jason nodded. “Time is relative. I’ve been in Equestria for around twenty years or so. Best thing that ever happened to me.”

“I guess it is nice to actually be appreciated, always knew there was something out there for me. Just didn’t know it was gonna be this heh.” Nick said looking to the side a bit his arms crossed.

“Buck up,” Rita chided. “You’re stuck here so, you might as well enjoy it.” Her Weavile chittered, snickering. “Chill, I’m not gonna translate that.”

“I suppose I might get nice and cozy here,” Nick replied as he grinned slightly. “Although I have no idea what I’m gonna think about when I fall in love with one of these ponies...which I hope doesn’t happen..” Nick said as he shivered slightly.

“Oi, when of my moms is a pony,” Rita protested, crossing her arms under her chest.

“And mine is a self centered cunt, I’m pretty sure I am not falling in love with a cartoon horse yet. And for a while...or ever…” Nick replied as he looked at Rita narrowing his eyes slightly before looking at Jason, “nothing against your wife, just pony fucking…” He took a deep breath a hiss coming from in between his teeth. “Not a thing that I wanna imagine..” He finished.

“Right. Whatever.” Jason shrugged. “You're a shapeshifter now. Who the hell cares?” Jason gestured to Nick’s watch. “I mean hell, it’s not like you can’t make things less weird using that.”

“That is true..” Nick responded as he looked at his watch narrowing his eyes at the device. “I guess if it’s a pony fucking a pony it’s passable. Although I don’t see myself with any fuckin kids in a while.”

Nick snorted to himself a bit at the thought as he crossed his arms. “So since you’ve been in your Equestria for a while. And had a Omnitrix longer then me, wouldn’t mind showing me the ropes?” He asked raising an eyebrow.

“Because when that damn bug bear attacked I got Ball Weevil which was not fun for me or anyone!”

Jason stared at him. “I’m guessing you’ve been acting like an idiot and slamming the dial down, haven’t you?”

“It’s a possibility, kinda a habit I’ve had since I got the original toy Omnitrix when I was a kid. Always slammed that dial and I can’t help myself.” Nick said shrugging.

Pinching his nose, Jason sighed. “There is no ‘I can’t help it.’ Slamming the dial causes it to malfunction. It was your own damn fault you got stuck with Ball Weevil.”

“Well now I know that.” Nick replied as he frowned a bit looking at his Omnitrix, “alright fine so if I want say....I dunno Heatblast.” He slid his fingers along the holographic interface and clicking the faceplate the dial popping up, “so instead of slamming the dial down which I love doing. I’ll just very calmy…” He pushed the dial down rocks surrounding his body as his head sparked on fire turning him into Heatblast.

“Are you kidding..? The one time I actually want someone else to prove a point you give me Heatblast? I hate and love you, Omnitrix.”

“Right.” Jason sighed, rubbing his head. “Anyway, your watch isn’t going to be able to do half the stuff mine can, so, that limits what I can help you with.”

“Wait seriously? But technically in terms of Ben 10 lore this is the definitive Omnitrix?” Nick then slapped his forehead, “What am I talking about, I’m talking about someone that just traveled through space time and saying he can’t modify a Omnitrix?” Nick shook his head, “alright. What can your’s do that mine can’t?”

“Ultimate forms and various other utilities,” Jason explained. “Your’s also seems busted. Otherwise it should have scanned myself, Rita and Chill.”

Nick’s ears perked up as he then thought to himself. He glanced at the device on his wrist, noting that it was still green. “Uh…” He gave it a quick flick with his finger it turning yellow for a split second before going back to it’s green. “Oh shit…” Nick mumbled to himself.

Flicking it again this time getting nothing as he growled to himself, “oh cmon!”

Jason reached out, grasping Nick’s arm. “Stop being a spaz. Omnitrix.” His watch chirped in response. “Mind seeing if you can interface with his?”

“Affirmative,” the watch replied, changing to a bluish color.

Nick looked to the side, “thanks for the help.” He said as he tapped his foot against the ground, Nick was patient, but always impatient when it came to certain things. Like long car trips, being at the store, and waiting for someone to get done talking to get something he wants to get done, and especially fixing stuff.

“Interface complete,” Jason’s watch chirped.

“Okay good, now see if you can patch the damn thing or something.” Jason glared at Nick’s watch. “Azmuth’s a shoddy ass inventor.”

“Well I mean he did make the original Omnitrix, and the following ones aside from the Ultimatrix.” Nick piped in, “I’m just surprised he didn’t fix the randomizer malfunction when you slam the dial down.”

“He’s an arrogant jackass,” Jason snapped. “If I ever see him again, I’m going to shove him in a blender and hit puree.”

“Damn I’d keep it down with the gore, these ponies are staring.” Nick smirked looking at the ponies of his Equestria who had glanced at the four rather confused but going inside nonetheless.

“I don’t really care,” Jason replied as the watches flashed blue. “There your shits fixed. “ He let go of Nick’s arm, nodding as Nick’s Omnitrix passed a yellow light over him.

“Uncatalogued DNA detected.” His Omnitrix sounded as the usual yellow beam scanned over Rita and Chill.

“Ok that’s three new forms, awesome. And again Jason was it? Thanks!” He said smiling slightly. “Behind the scowl and amazing hair you seem like a great guy!” Nick said shrugging.

“You say that now.” Rita grinned. “Just wait until he starts murdering things and gets someone you know knocked up. It happens in a lot of the places he goes.”

“So he’s a sex demon is what your saying? Wow. I kinda didn’t take him for that, Murdering shit yea, hell I’m probably gonna do that with the next Bug Bear that dare wakes me up during a really tiring day with the CMC..” He grumbled.

Jason narrowed his eyes at his daughter, slapping her upside the head. “I’m a jotun, not a demon. Anyway, you shouldn’t rely on the watch for everything. Always have a backup plan.”

“Like? What a big weeaboo stick on hand? Although I would like a sword…” Nick said rubbing his chin thinking about the possibility. “Yes I do see what you mean though.”

“Although here’s some bad news. I’ve never taken any self defense classes and or swordsmanshipping skills in my whole existence.”

“Neither did I.” Jason shrugged. “Doesn’t matter.” Jason leaned down, glaring into Nick’s eyes. “You shouldn’t casually talk about taking life, like you're trying to be tough. It makes you sound like a try hard.”

“Ok I get that but can you please stop glaring at me like that...it’s freaking me the fuck out…” Nick said looking back at Jason’s eyes leaning his head back.

Jason leaned back, cracking his knuckles. “First tip to give is, get over your preconceived notions on what you are. If a form works, it works. Doesn’t matter what it is.”

“Any form?” Nick asked as he looked up at Jason raising an eyebrow sliding through the holographic interface a small smirk on his face.

“Yes. Any.”

Nick nodded as he clicked down on the faceplate, pushing down on the dial as his body grew rather skinny a white layer of skin wrapping around his body along with chains. He had chosen the Ectonurite Ghostfreak, “this should be fun.” Nick said in his newfound ghostly voice.

Jason raised his eyebrow, looking unimpressed. “And what are you gonna do?”

“Well since Ghostfreak is one of my favorite aliens, I plan on being a Ghostfreak.” Nick said as he laughed slightly phasing into the ground giving a peace sign with his left hand as he did so in an almost childish manner.

“Right.” Jason pinched his nose. “Why am I not surprised?” He shock his head.

“You act like you weren’t like that dad.” Rita grinned, waving at some ponies that passed by.

They waved back to her smiling slightly before continuing to walk past, Nick poking his head out of the floor looking up at Rita. “He acted like me? Well being a dad is stressful.” He said as he phased back into the ground and behind Jason putting his boney fingers on his shoulders.

“It's ok. We all act childish with immense power like the Omnitrix.” He said as he flew back into the ground reappearing where he was, “but. It’s how we use it that really matters.”

Trixie snickered, taking pleasure in Jason’s annoyance. “It seems the high and mighty aren’t so mighty after all.”

Nick found himself grinning underneath the layer of white skin on his face, his eye going between the black cracks and to his back as he looked at Trixie. “He does have a high horse in your universe doesn’t he?” Nick asked.

Jason took a deep breath. “Alright, enough. I’m not in the mood for this. Now get outta Ghostfreak. He wasn’t what I was talking about in the slightest.”

Nick moved his eye back to its proper spot looking at Jason, “kay.” He said clicking the Omnitrix on his chest reverting to his human form and stretching. “Then what were you talking about?”

Jason shifted in a bright flash of light, being replaced by a tall green skinned woman. She wore a black and white dress, matching the Omnitrix’s symbol. The device itself positioned above her ample cleavage.

Nick looked at Jason and blinked once or twice, “huh. Didn’t expect that, I don’t even know what that is. I know it’s not human.” Nick said as he scrolled through the holographs of his Omnitrix looking for a form.

“Of course not,” Jason chided, stretching out rather seductively. “This is Savage Rondo, my humanoid siren form.”

“Ahhhhh. Siren, that’d explain the very generous form and seductive flare which is making me uncomfortable.” Nick said as he rolled his eyes.

“You need to relax,” Jason replied, putting her hands on her hips. “Let go of the petty notions that hold you back.”

“Not saying I’d never use a female form, it all depends on the effectiveness of said form.” He said as he shrugged looking through his list of forms.

“Who ever said it had to be effective?” she asked, a purr to her voice. “It’s not about ‘being effective’. Every scan you take, is safeguarding a species from extinction. I honestly think you’re not taking this seriously.”

Nick sighed slightly as he rubbed his face, “then what is me taking this seriously? Hmmmm?” He asked looking at her. “What is your definition of ‘serious’ Jason?” He asked slightly agitated.

“Serious enough to put your life on the line. To do what you have to to keep people safe.” She leaned back, crossing her arms. “To take a life if you have to. Can you do that, Nick? Can you look into someones eyes and kill them?”

“As much as I’d say I’d kill someone with ease I don’t want to, but if the situation is dire and it requires me stare someone in the eyes...and take their life...I will…” Nick replied, “while I’ll try to evade that possibility unless I know there is no other way…”

Jason stared at him, before letting up. “More merciful than I am.”

“Those are personal morals I hold, I don’t like killing. But I will if pushed far enough.” Nick said as he then looked to the side crossing his own arms.

Rita tilted her head. “How do you know you don’t like killing, if you haven’t done it before?”

“That is a fair point but your telling me, that because I haven’t killed before. Taken an actual physical life that I’ll just be like, ‘Oh now I can just solve all my problems by murdering everything!’ No.” He responded narrowing his eyes at Rita, “I don’t know how things work for you guys. But it won’t be easy for me to take a living creature's life. It probably never will be.”

“Hey, I don’t kill people.” Rita put her hands up. “I like to fight, but, killing people isn’t my thing. Dad’s the one who does the ‘viking warrior thing.’”

“And that’s who he is, and I respect him for not changing in the slightest. That and I expect it from him coming from a nordic background. Their merciless. But unlike him, I am merciful.”

“Right.” Rita rolled her eyes. “Anyway, you got new forms, try them out.”

“Yep,” Nick said as he slid through the holographic interface, clicking down on the faceplate the dial popping up as he pushed it down turning into a bright greenish weasel like creature as he looked himself over a bit, the Omnitrix logo resting on the top of his paw as he looked at it. “Huh…”

“Oooh a shiny!” Rita wasted no time in scooping him up. “Aren’t you special?”

Nick’s nose twitched his dark green eyes looking at her. “What are you doing?” He asked, “I am not a pet.” He stated.

“Your a pokemon,” Chill responded, now perfectly understandable. “Get used to it.”

“Just because you're not a pet, doesn’t mean you aren’t adorable!” Rita grinned, hugging him to her chest.

“And it’s like this for you everyday..?” He asked Chill, struggling against her grip on him in his fuzzy weazel like form.

“No.” Chill snickerd. “You’re just a curiosity, green boy.”

“Greeeeat.” Nick said as he sighed, his skinny tail swaying from side to side slowly.

“But hey, a lot of males wouldn’t mind being in your position.”

“Well my 14 year old self would be screaming in glee. But me now is like. What?” Nick replied as he began to think. “Now I need a name for this guy...I don’t fuckin know..”

“Frost Claw,” Rita replied. “I think that fits for you. Or, if you wanna get all edgy, Black Forst.”

“Frost Claw is better,” he said as he looked at his paws. “Can I get back on the ground now..? Actually hold up.” Nick wiggled his way out of her grasp crawling up her body and onto her shoulder.

“Huh, this is actually a bit comfortable in this form..” He said as he wanted to get comfortable and snug in but didn’t knowing eventually he’d timeout in maybe, 15...20 minutes?

Rita reached up, scratching his ear. “I’m glad you’re enjoying it.”

Nick’s leg twitched slightly at his ear being scratched his tail wagging a bit more before he shook his head. “So since I have no idea what Frost Claw can do I’m gonna ask, he has ice powers just from the name? Am I right?”

Rita stopped, staring at him. “You’ve never played Pokemon?”

“Wait.” Nick thought to himself as he face palmed slightly, “ok I only played one Pokemon game and that was the original Red. That was the only good one.”

“So what is this? Ice type, water type? Ooooo I like water type Pokemon. Beating the Elite Four with fucking bubble is awesome.”

“Weaviles are Ice/Dark.” Rita pinched her nose. “Red is an archaic, obsolete game, that didn’t even work right.”

“Still took up most of my time when I was a kid.” Nick replied as he hopped down looking at his claws, “wait. Dark and Ice? That’s even better!” Nick said as he flicked his wrist a shadowy aura covering his claws. “Shadow Claw? Ghost Type. Eh. Ok yea, I’m gonna love this form.”

Rita shock her head. “Right.” She pat his head. “Alright, off my shoulder before you get too big.”

Nick nodded as he hopped down stretching a bit as he tapped the Omnitrix on his chest reverting to his human form. Nick rolled his shoulder slightly, “ok that is one form down...two more to go right?” He asked looking t Jason for a quick second before scrolling back through the list of aliens in his Omnitrix.

“Do you not know how to count?” Jason shot back, giving him a flat look.

“Ok fine two Jesus...so serious I swear, although serious is good. But you gotta lighten up sometimes.” Nick said as he shrugged.

“Just pick a form.”

Nick nodded as he took a deep breath scrolling through his list of forms, stopping on one of his newest forms and clicking the faceplate the dial popping up. Looking at it for a second he clicked down on the dial, the Omnitrix logo shifting to on the top of his hand as he grew a bit in size having a striking resemblance to Jason.

“Ok, what am I supposed to do with this form? I don’t know.” He stated as he looked at Jason crossing his arms.

“Make ice,” Jason replied, creating a sword of ice. “You know the obvious.”

“Ooooooh, ok ok.” Nick looked at his hands starting off with a small ice dagger, “at this point I might as well be Grandmaster of the Lin Kuei.” Nick then rubbed his chin.

“Although this is pretty cool, suppose I am being pretty chill about it.”

“Yeah, you’re better than that,” Jason spoke, watching him. “Much better than that.”

“So I’m better then Sub-Zero? Damn.” He said as he then formed an ice hammer in his left hand.

“Of course you are, you’re a force of nature. You’re not just some guy who throws ice at people,” Jason scoffed at the notion.

“I suppose.” He said as he then formed finally an ice sword in his hands replacing the dagger. “Ok, this is awesome. I think I’ll name him...Iceberg. Good enough.”

Jason stared at him. “No, you’re not naming a jotun form ‘Iceberg’. I mean really?”

“Then what would you name it?” Nick replied raising an eyebrow.

Jason smiled. “I’d name them Utgard.”

“Utgard? Huh, I guess that’ll do.” Nick said as he then formed a snow ball tossing it in between his hands.

Jason watched him, keeping his eyes on the snowball.

Nick watched Jason as he kept tossing the snowball. “That interesting my friend?” The snowball impact his hand, suddenly exploding into ice. It coated Nick, leaving only his head exposed.

He blinked at this before eyeing Jason, “did that make you feel good?” He asked rather flatly.

“No, I’m just being a dick.” Jason walked around him. “Helps me let off steam.”

Nick blinked again, “I suppose I can understand then.” He said as he stepped out of the snow switching back to his normal state. ‘I could learn a lot from him...although I feel like this is gonna be hell…'

Author's Notes:

Thank you shagohad12 for allowing this crossover to happen with Jason and Nick! Please guys go and check out his: "And Then There Were Ten...Er...67.." Story! It's a masterpiece!

https://ben10.fandom.com/wiki/Ghostfreak

Ice To Meet You PT2

“I don’t understand what the hell I’m supposed to do…” Nick said as he crossed his arms looking at Jason, “elemental magic..? I mean, I could just switch forms and be done with it but I’m pretty sure I can’t.”

He and Jason had been out in an open field just outside the Everfree Forest, much like Nick’s first appearance into Equestria.

“The point is to learn not to rely on the watch,” Jason responded, leaning on a tree. “That’s why we’re out here.”

“So if I fuck up nothing happens, smart. Just one more time, run by me exactly what I’m supposed to do, gotta make sure I get this right the first time.” Nick said as he then looked at his hands popping his fingers.

Jason shook his head. “Just focus on your inner energy, and command it to light something on fire.”

Nick took a deep breath as he sighed and looked at his hand, focusing on the inner energy in his body. His eyes closing for a few seconds before opening them back up, then looking back at Jason. “This fucking stu-” He jumped slightly at the sudden spark of a small flame in his palm.

His eyes widening slightly, “nevermind..” He said as he stuck out his hand, catching a small bush on fire with a moderately large stream of fire.

“Ok maybe just maybe that’s cool!” He said before quickly clenching his fist the flame disappearing stomping out the flames.

“There we go.” Jason smiled.

“OK I'm gonna at least try and not fuck up when I go back into the town..and you're sure there are no form of drawbacks to using this magic?” Nick asked raising an eyebrow as he sparked another fire and smothering it again.

“I use it, and I taught it to my kids. It’s fine.” Jason shrugged. “You’ll just need to get a good nights sleep after heavy usage.”

“Alright, so I'll just be a bit exhausted. I've got it.” He said as he rubbed his hair, “so I'm assuming you didn't just figure all this out on your own? Someone else taught you didn't they?” Nick asked before pushing his hands in his pockets.

“No, no one taught. Just a spell book and a lot of free time on my hands.”

“A lot of free time meaning three things. A. Not wanting to deal with anyone, B. Not fucking anyone's brains out. And C. Not saving the world? That just screams me, seems like something I'd do.” Nick said in a joking manner chuckling to himself lightly.

“Well aside from B and C. C’s probably gonna roll around at some point knowing my luck.”

“Let’s stay on topic here.” Jason gestured to his hands. “I want you to call down a bolt a thunder.”

“Alright..” Nick said getting rather into it, focusing once again he raised his hand up and waited slightly, a small delay occurring before a crack of of a lightning bolt struck the ground almost a few inches away from him making him jump.

“Hey, you’re getting the hang of it.” Jason gave a thumbs up. “Excellent.”

“Gonna take a bit of practice to not electrocute myself but yeah, I get the basic gists of it.” He said as he looked at his hand then at Jason.

“Good.” Jason reached into his pocket, pulling out a book. “Catch.” He tossed it over. “It’s a spell book. It’ll teach you most white and black spells.”

Nick quickly catched the book looking at it before opening it up, “gotcha. Thanks it'll come in handy.” He said as he put it in his armpit to hold it.

Jason nodded. “Now. Do you know how to fight?”

“Sadly no, I've wanted to take any form of self defense class but parents wouldn't allow it. Why?” He replied looking up at Jason. “Oh wait you're gonna teach me that? OK awesome! It won't be...painful will it..?” He asked raising an eyebrow skeptically.

Jason shrugged. “It’ll probably leave you bruised to hell.”

“Oh boy…” He took a deep breath before cracking his knuckles. “Well when do we start?”

---

A few hours passed as Nick had been horribly bruised, rubbing his almost broken kose and sore arm as he took a deep breath. “O-ok...I did not expect it to be that fucking rough! But...I think I’ve got the jist…” He said every part of his body either feeling sore or like it was on fire.

“A-also I’ve been meaning to ask...how many more unique forms do you have in your Omnitrix?” He asked managing to stretch a bit letting out a groan filled with pain.

“A lot,” Jason said simply. “I have a lot of them.”

Nick nodded slightly having a slight headache, before then saying. “You think I could scan a few? You know...just outta curiousity since you’ve been a pretty big help as of late.” Nick finished.

Jason walked around her, stroking his beard. “I dunno kid, any reason why you think I should?”

“Oh you know, Equestria or whatever it’s called is a pretty crazy place and I need every advantage I can get, plus this is sorta an opportunity for me to at least get maybe 2 or 3 forms.” Nick replied as he rubbed the back of his head, dirt in his nappy hair.

“Alright, I can spare a few.” Jason popped up the dial on his watch, sorting through it.

Nick smiled softly as he pulled down his jacket sleeve showing his Omnitrix taking a deep breath, “thanks. This’ll help alot, aside from you know, magic 101 and combat training. Which I will admit was not very fun in the slightest. Although then again it wasn’t meant to be fun-” Nick rambled as it eventually became low mumbling to himself before shaking his head.

“You mumble a lot,” Jason pointed out, eyes still focused on his watch.

“I do, it’s a habit I’ve had for a while. I am completely aware of it but I’m just too lazy to actually do anything about it.” Nick admitted as he shrugged slightly.

Jason nodded, finally coming to his first choice. “Alright, lets see if you can handle this one.” Tapping a few places on the dial, both watches flashed yellow before resuming their normal green.

Nick looked down at his Omnitrix sliding his fingers against the faceplate scrolling through the holographic interface. “Please let it be Krombopulos Michael from Rick and Morty.”

Jason just stared at him. “No, no it’s not. I don’t even know what that is.”

“Alright gotcha, just from another great Tv show.” Nick said as he kept looking at his watch thinking to himself, ‘Oh boy. Here I go killin again.’ Making him snicker to himself, “so what did you even put in here?” Nick asked raising an eyebrow.

“You’ll have to pop it, and find it.”

Nick looked up at Jason, clicking down on the faceplate the dial popping up. “Hmmmmm…” He just looked at Jason then back at the dial before pushing down. A bright flash of green light forming as Nick seemingly disappeared, until you look at the ground. Seeing a green gem on the ground with a shrunken down Omnitrix on it’s center.
Jason looked down, a smirk on his face. “You are now a Peridot. Figure out how to project a physical form.”

The gem just sat there for the next maybe 35 minutes, before something actually happened. A physical form appearing, the gem projecting a blank green body around it, before finalizing its appearance. His hair a lime green along with his skin and clothing, his hair sticking straight up in a triangle like fashion and his height shrunken down to 5’4, Nick’s eye twitched as he looked at Jason. “Did that make you feel good? Fuckin 35 minutes I was a GEM! I’m surprised Rarity’s Fashionista senses didn’t start fuckin tingling!”

Jason reached down, flicking him on the head. “Relax. You got it, didn’t you?”

“I did! But a warning would’ve been nice!” He retorted before taking a deep breath and rubbing his face, “ok...whatever. I know absolutely nothing about Steven Universe, like. At all, I know this is a Peridot from what you’ve said and being on Tumblr long enough. I just wanna know, what I can do in this form and I’m all good.”

“You can move metal, with untrained ferrokinesis.” Jason reached over, fiddling with Nick’s Omnitrix.

“Soooooo basically what I could do with Lodestar?” Nick replied raising an eyebrow looking up at Jason.

“Yup.” With a blur of motion, Jason retrieved a sword from his pocket, running Nick through the chest. After a moment of silence, Nick’s body exploded in a burst of green smoke, his gem falling to the ground. “Sorry about that, I needed you popped.” Lifting the gem up, he tinkered with the omnitrix some more.

Nick back in his gem state had been internally screaming in what little thoughts he had, his Omnitrix flickering a bit from bright green to it’s neutral green.

“And done. Go on and reform,” Jason stated, placing the gem down.

Nick quickly reformed himself as his eye twitched again before he took a deep breath, “ok...what did you do?” Nick asked as he gave Jason a puzzled look.

Jason sighed, pinching his nose. ‘Look down.”

Nick did so looking at his arms, mechanical limbs attached to his real limbs as he raised an eyebrow examining them. “This is..well...this is…” He paused as a green energy ball fired from his left hand actually making him jump. “Ok! That’s actually awesome!”

Raising his eyebrow, Jason eyed Nick critically. “What? Did you think I gave you something useless?”

“No not really, I was hoping it'd be something good considering you fucking stabbed me to get these.” Nick replied, “I'm assuming these are some sort of power enhancers? Limb attachments of course.” Jason nodded his head.

“Well then I suppose that would come in handy.” Nick replied smiling a bit, “any other surprise powers you wanna show me with this form?”

“Nope. Peridot’s are kinda short handed like that,” Jason explained.

“Gotcha.” Nick said as he clicked the Omnitrix, reverting to his human form. “Well anything else my friend? Are you going to show me the wonders of growing your hair to an amazing length?” Nick asked in a joking manner.

“No, I’m going to keep giving you a few scans, because you’re not gonna get them yourself.”

“Hmmmm alright perfect. Well I'm ready when you are.” Nick said taking a small breath.

---

They spent the next few hours going over forms, with Jason bestowing a further ten forms on Nick.

Nick after receiving all the forms had been preparing for Jason’s departure, his eyes looking to the side slightly as he looked at Trixie and Rita who had been ready to go. Tapping Jason on the shoulder, “hey do you think we could uh...talk for a moment?” He asked looking up at him.

“Yeah?” Jason turned, looking down at Nick. “Whats up, kid?”

“I need to know...is there is really no way of returning to earth..? Like permanently?” He asked.

Jason shock his head, a melancholy look on his face. “Not for you kid. You’re stuck here.”

“Oh...hmm..just it feels weird you know? Being ripped away from everything you know just to be flung into a completely new world you can barely understand…” Nick said as he took a small sigh, “i just feel so. Alien here…”

“You’ll do fine.” Jason slapped him on the shoulder. “Just buck up and deal with it.”

Nick let out a soft sigh before forming a smile on his face, “ha yeah I suppose so. I mean I guess a lot of people would love to be in my position.” He said crossing his arms.

“If you ever need anything, just give me a call.” Jason pulled away, moving to stand next to the others. “You have my token afterall.”

Nick nodded as he rubbed his hair, “gotcha. Thanks for everything by the way. Maybe we can hang out or something.” He said chuckling a bit.

“Anyway, to send us home, just say, ‘Jason, our contract is complete.”

Nick took a deep breath as he repeated, “Jason. Our contract is complete.” Giving the trio a two fingered salute, and similar to how they arrived a green light seemingly blinded Nick and by the time he opened his eyes they were gone.

Nick stood there for a bit looking at his hands, contemplating what to do next. “I suppose I should head back to town, the girls are probably looking for me.” He said as he began to make his way back to Ponyville, his hands in his pants pockets as he just thought on his way back. He’d never return home, but hey it’s not like he was important on Earth anyway. Just another average joe trying to make a living but now? He felt special, letting out a small chuckle he smiled. “Suppose now this where the journey begins truly.”

Author's Notes:

Well it's finally here! It's not dead thank god! "I'll Get the Job Done" is back baby! I promised to finish this story and I am.

Please check out shagohad12 this corssover couldn't happen without him! Follow and give him more attention then he already has XD and it'll be a while before Nick's next crossover and it'll be a dozy heh.

Royal Meetups and Chaotic Stalkers

The sun slowly rose over the town of Ponyville, Twilight Sparkle sleeping peacefully in her bed as she turned on her side. Her mane ruffled from sleep, Spike sleeping just as peacefully before letting out a burp.

The burp causing him to wake up, grumbling to himself as a letter fell to the ground. His eyes having bags underneath them as he slowly opened up the scroll. His eyes skimming through the scroll before shooting open, “TWILIGHT!” He shouted.

This caused the mare to jolt awake rubbing a hoof against her head, “yeah Spike..? What is it..?” She asked looking extremely tired.

“Princess Celestia and Luna have requested an audience with all of us! Even Nick!” The baby dragon stated.

Twilight’s eyes widened as she quickly stood up, “Spike! Go wake up Nick! I’ll get ready and go gather the girls! I didn’t expect this today! This was so sudden!” She stated clearly nervous. Under any other circumstance she would’ve been fine visiting the Princess again, but bringing Nick along? That may complicate a few things…”

Spike gave her a salute before quickly bolting out of her room. Twilight gulping slightly.

---

Nick sat in the train rubbing his hair as the train moved almost at Cantrolot, “ok. So we’re going here to see the princesses?” He asked raising an eyebrow.

“Of course!” Rarity spoke up sitting next to him, Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash sitting in front of him. “Trust me darling, you’ll love Cantrolot! So much to do and it’s so beautiful!”

“I hope so, cause I was actually sleeping pretty good before Spike woke me up. But hey, I can finally meet this Princess Luna.” He grumbled the last bit to himself, Rarity raised an eyebrow looking at him. “Oh? You know about Princess Luna darling?”

“Well...she did just sorta visit me in my dreams a few nights ago and it was just, weird and kinda creepy. So I am kinda anxious to meet her…” Nick admitted Twilight piping in from behind him. “Nick there is nothing to be anxious about, the princesses are amazing and will be intrigued in you!”

“I guess, plus no turning back now. We’re almost there.” Nick said as he looked out the window gulping a bit, Nick was honestly nervous about meeting the princesses yeah but he just felt...something else. He felt like he was being watched, and usually when he felt that he is always right.

Looking around in the train he saw Applejack and Rainbow Dash talking and having their casual rivalry, Pinkie Pie jittering and watching from the side intently. Fluttershy rubbing her mane with her hoof looking more on edge then Nick.

‘Maybe I’m just being paranoid...yeah...hopefully…’ He thought to himself as he took a breath the train slowing down, the doors opening as the girls where the first out.

Nick looking through the window seeing the huge group of ponies outside, fancy looking ponies. ‘Hmmm...better not take THAT chance…’ He thought to himself flicking through his watch.

“Where’s Nick?” Rainbow Dash asked raising an eyebrow, Applejack shrugging. “Who knows with that boy, he disappeared during his Thank You party and now this? Shucks I have no idea.”

“Well hopefully he can get his flank out here soon! The princesses will be expecting him!” Rainbow Dash said rather aggressively, “maybe he’s doing something? I know if I was him I’d be scared to go out in front of all these ponies…”

Twilight watched the windows, a bright flash of green light going off as the doors stayed open. An lime green unicorn walking out, “ah much better. This should help with peering eyes.” He said walking off the train.

“Hmmm...I suppose so, c'mon we better get going.” Twilight said Nick nodding.

Nick walking through the busy streets of Cantrolot making sure to stay close to the Mane Six, some of the ponies giving Twilight looks and a few murmurs. “The Princess of Friendship is here? And who’s that stallion with them..?”

Another voice said, “I don’t know but he is rather attractive.”

Nick let out a small chuckle, ‘tsk...if only they knew…’

Pinkie Pie walked beside Nick as she nudged him slightly, the unicorn looking at her. “Yeah?”

“I wanted to ask what it feels like!” Pinkie Pie said rather vaguely as Nick responded with a puzzled expression, “what?”

“To transform silly!” The bubbly mare said as Nick let out a, “ahhhhh.”

He put a hoof to his chin, “to be honest I don’t know how to describe it without putting you through a transformation. But maybe...to me? It feels weird, having your whole body change and adjust to fit a specific form. Like my pony form for example, having limbs change and having a horn grow from your head and your nose and mouth adjusting is weird but. I kinda got used to transforming pretty fast.”

Pinkie Pie let out a small “hmmmmm…” Then said, “ok!”

Nick let out a small snort as he walked beside the girls, his green eyes examining and scanning every detail of the city. “Hmmm. It does seem pretty nice here.”

Rarity piped up, “see darling told you! Cantrolot is the most beautiful city in Equestria!”

“I thought that was Manehattan!” Rainbow Dash said laughing as Rarity narrowed her eyes at the cyan mare, “ok Dash...first best city with Manehattan right behind it..”

“Manehattan? What is this? Sounds like a disgusting rip off of Manhattan. The Big Apple, my favorite city.” Nick said as the group looked at him, “Nick we’re gonna have to take you to Manehattan one day, if it’s anything like it is in your world then you’ll love it there!” Twilight said smiling widely at him.

He scoffed, “yeah sure.”

The guards at the entrance of the Cantrolot castle allowed the group in with no problem but stopped Nick, “is he with you princess?” They asked in unison.

“Yes he may proceed.” Twilight replied the group waiting as the guards lifted their wings, Nick passing through.

The way up to the throne room was surprisingly silent aside from the sound of hooves clicking against the ground, the gigantic doors to the throne room opening as Nick finally clicked the Omnitrix on his flank.

Reverting to his human form, “ah much better.” He said as what sat in the back of the room was Princess Luna and Celestia.

Both their manes flowing in the room with no breeze, “ah! You must be Nick!” Princess Celestia said smiling at him.

Nick got a vibe from her just from her words and how she held herself, friendly and yet assertive and ruling. ‘Traits for a princess obviously.’ He thought to himself.

“This is the human Twilight Sparkle has been talking about along with us sister. He is quite the interesting character.” Princess Luna said as Celestia just stared at him. Almost examining his form and features.

“Correctamundo! I sure am.” Nick stated proudly, “well welcome to Equestria Mr. Taylor. I am Princess Celestia Goddess of the Sun.”

Luna then followed up, “we have already made our introductions Nicholas.”

“Ah yes, I am well aware when you sent that slime monster after me in my dream.” He replied narrowing his eyes, “yes thy performed beyond our expectations that night. Certainly we were impressed.” She complimented as Nick rolled his eyes but gave a small grin.

Celestia watched as he rubbed the back of his head, “Nicholas. May me and my sister speak to you in private? Preferably the gardens?” Her expression seemed a bit agitated about something.

NIck gulped a sweat bead dripping from his forehead as Twilight looked at the Princesses, “may I join? Considering me and Nick are pretty close?”

“We all are!” Pinkie Pie said as the group let out a, “MHM!” In unison.

Celestia let out a small sigh before smiling, “ok. Walk with us then, we have much to discuss.”

Nick looked at the girls as he smiled slightly, ‘huh....these guys are actually awesome…’ Stuffing his hands in his pockets he and the girls followed Celestia and Luna down the hallways of Cantrolot, and to the back door past the two sisters chambers.

Opening it and making their way to the entrance of the garden multiple statues outside as Celestia turned. “You can reveal yourself now.”

There was silence as Nick and the girls looked around confused, even Luna. “Sister? What is thee doing?” She asked.

“Reveal yourself NOW.” Celestia’s voice almost grew commanding as there was a feminine chuckle in the air, Nick turning seeing a ripple in the air a large skinny brown creature appearing. It having a mish mashed body, the tail of a dragon, the wing of a pegasus and bat, the paw of a lion and the claws of a eagle. Very unique indeed as her white hair her antler and horn.

“Why do you have to be such a buzzkill Celestia?” the creature asked.

“Why are you here Eris?” The princess responded, Nick looking at the girls seeing Fluttershy almost go pale he was rather confused.

“Well. A week ago I was sitting in Fluttershy’s cottage and felt this weird flow in the magic in Equestria. Next thing I know I teleport to the disturbance and I see our new friend.” Eris said pointing to Nick with her talon.

The human scratching his chin, “probably residue from my initial arrival in Equestria…” He grumbled to himself.

Eris nodded, “and because I care about Fluttershy and our resident heroes of Equestria I decided to keep an eye on our new friend. Even when he brought over a playmate yesterday!” She said as the group looked at Nick.

He rubbed the back of his neck, “well uh...heh...I have a lot of explaining to do don’t I?”

Everyone nodded as Eris grinned widely at him. Nick gulping slightly, this already felt like it was gonna be another very. Very. VERY long day...

A Ghost In the Shadows

A few minutes passed of Nick’s explanation, explaining everything. From the Unitrix, to being slapped by a anthropomorphic Trixie, to his new transformations. The girls surprisingly took it all rather well, Nick laughing a bit as he gave a sort of sheepish grin.

“Yeah, probably should’ve said something sooner!” He said giving a sort of sheepish smile, Eris floating above Nick’s head, the human grumbled slightly. “Thank you for informing us Nick, now if Eris would inform us as to WHY exactly she’s here.” Celestia said rather commandingly.

“Glad you asked and it’s something I stated earlier Sun Butt!” Eris snapped her fingers disappearing and reappearing, now wearing a business suit and glasses.

A statistics board behind her, “you see. As I said before hand, I’ve been following Nick as a way to sort of keep an eye on him, as he’s been staying in Equestria the previous magical residue that I followed slowly faded over time.” She said pointing a ruler at what seemed like green bars with labels of dates along them, seeing them decrease and shrink over time into essentially nothingness.

“Then what are these?” Nick asked as he pointed to the red bars, Eris smiled softly. “I was about to get to that. You see, our friend Nick’s residual magic has seemingly disappeared. Yet here, the magical readings are off the room. I believe that something followed Nick during his arrival. Yet what it is? I do not know, surprisingly the creature in question has kept its tracks relatively spotless, even with all that magic I can’t trace it.”

“This magical build up…” Celestia took a step forwards toward the board, rubbing a hoof against her chin. “From the way it's constantly increasing it reaching…”

“Tirek levels…” Luna finished for her sister, “which is why we wished to talk with Nicholas privately. To see if he knew anything about this build up, we have noticed it as well.”

“And it can’t possibly be Tirek!” Rainbow Dash said as she took a step forward, “all six of us sent him packing back to Tartarus!”

“Which is why I fear this may be something unlike Equestria has ever seen before…” Celestia said as Eris snapped her fingers again her clothing and the board disappearing along with herself, reappearing beside Fluttershy as she floated upside down. “You’re weeeelcome!” Eris stated grinning widely.

Nick rubbed his chin, “perhaps I can help. I mean hey this new threat is unlike anything Equestria has ever seen, and I’m something good Equestria’s never seen.” He said as he raised his left arm, sliding his sleeve down showing the Omnitrix.

“Young Taylor, this is unlike the Bug Bear or Slug Monster. We would advise thee-” Luna was cut off as Nick took a knee. His hand on his heart, “allow me to have princesses. I may have brought this thing here, but I sure as hell can send it back!”

Luna looked at Celestia, “very well...I would suggest you all return to Ponyville, gather some rest.” Celestia said as Nick stood up.

Walking off with the ponies, Nick nudged Fluttershy. “Hey you ok? You seemed a little pale back there?”

“I-I’m sorry Nick...I just...I didn’t know Eris was stalking you this whole time...I-I was wondering when you could meet her but I didn’t expect like this...she’s really nice though!” The butter colored mare said, Nick chuckling softly to himself.

“Tsk. Yeah, she’s something alright.”

---

On the train ride back to Ponyville Nick had been looking out the window, ‘what could I have brought to Equestria? I didn’t remember anyone following behind me when I came through. Then again, all I did was turn into Blitzwolfer…’

“Whatcha thinking about Nick?” Pinkie Pie asked sitting beside him.

“To be honest a lot, I’m hoping we’re able to contain this creature before things get out of hand…” Nick said as he looked at the pink mare. She smiled at him, “hey. You’re on our side Nick! We are guaranteed to succeed! We always have!”

Nick looked into Pinkie Pie’s optimistic eyes as he smiled softly, “yeah. I suppose so.”

“Hey try not to think about it Nick!” Eris said her head suddenly in his lap. Nick quickly jumping and pushing it onto the ground, “WHAT THE FUCK!” He shouted actually a bit startled by the Chaos Goddesses antics.

His shout attracted the attention of the other ponies, all of them laughing a bit as Nick narrowed his eyes and crossing his arms blushing softly. He was honestly embarrassed but decided to laugh with them, seeing as that was kinda funny.

‘You know what, maybe Rita was right. I should enjoy Equestria while I’m stuck here, I made new friends. Found a home and hey, maybe this creature their hyping up isn’t as big and bad as they think! But I think I’m gonna love being here.’ He thought to himself, finally accepting his fate and overcoming a fear of the unknown.

Looking at his watch, he smiled at its low green glow. Equestria was his new home and well, he finally believed that. ‘But if that threat is bad, you’re damn sure I’m gonna protect Equestria.’ He then looked to the side at the ponies who were talking among themselve rightfully leaving Nick to his thoughts.

‘Along with it’s inhabitants to the best of my ability, then as Ben Tennyson would rightfully say. It’s Hero Time…’

---

In the Everfree Forest a tall slim figure stood, a soft red glow emitting from his body. Wearing what seemed like very high tech and a helmet only showing black slits representing his eyes. His glowing red visor shining in the darkness, “suppose coming to a new Equestria now wasn’t a good idea.”

He looked at his wrist tapping a few things into his gauntlet, “argh...warp is down, I need more crystals and no doubt this universe's alicorns and Discord had to have sensed my arrival. Although the new kid masked my scent.” He grumbled to himself as he looked up. The skin showing from his fingerless gloves was a ghostly white, a type of grey cloak covering most of his body only torn at the bottom and up to his knee.

He let out a soft sigh, a rebreather in his mask actually showing his breath as he looked up. He paused as he heard the low growl of a wolf like creature, turning and looking at it he came face to face with a timber wolf.

A small cackle of laughter coming from him as the beast leapt forward toward him, and in one swift motion he slammed his hand onto it’s head pushing it into the ground. The wooden wolf whimpering underneath his crushing strength as a sort of red aura surrounded it, spines growing from its back as its eyes began to glow a vibrant red.

It’s teeth sharpening as it increased in size, the human like creature grinning widely at this from underneath his helmet, pulling his hand back he watched. The mutated Timber wolf standing up and looking at him, as if awaiting a command.

He simply stroked the Timber wolf's head with his fingers, “good boy. Now, we shall begin our what shall we call this? Ah who cares, let us just find what we need, I have big plans for this universe....very very big plans indeed…” He said his helmet almost distorting his voice as he climbed onto the back of the Timber Wolf, the Mutations he had given it along with the spines had a small opening, just perfect enough to fit his size as the creature began to run deep into the Everfree Forest.

---

Nick stepped out of the train taking a deep breath, “AH! HOME AGAIN HOME AGAIN!” He said smiling widely as the ponies followed behind him, “indeed darling!” Rarity replied as Nick smiled softly.

“Well y’all I better get back to the farm, I had to put off a few chores in order to go to Canterlot and need to get them done by the end of the day.” Applejack said adjusting her hat, “and I gotta get back to the Wonderbolts academy! Their gonna need their top flyer!” Rainbow Dash boasted receiving an eye roll from Nick and most of the group facehoofing.

“I better get back to Sweetie Bell we planned on having a nice sewing lesson tonight!” Rarity said as Nick smiled softly, “gotcha.”

“Stay safe.” Pinkie Pie said bouncing a bit as the three departed, “I should get back to the Bakery! Pound Cake and Pumpkin Cake need foalsitting for the day!” She said bouncing away.

Nick crossed his arms as he looked at Fluttershy who seemed to be contemplating something, “whatcha thinking about Shy?”

She looked up at Nick and gave him a heart warming smile, “oh it’s nothing. I was just going to say I was heading home, Angel and the others must be starving!” She realized as she opened up her wings taking flight to her cottage.

The only ones left were Nick, Eris and Twilight.

“Sooooooooo…” He said as Twilight’s ears perked up, “Eris I’m surprised you’re not going with Fluttershy.” The alicorn stated slightly confused.

“Well I have to watch Nick don’t I?” She said twirling a small watch like device on her finger, “wait a minute…” Nick quickly pulled up his jacket seeing the Omnitrix resting on it as it had been before.

“HA PRANKED BUDDY!” She exclaimed as she disappeared and reappeared rubbing Nick’s shoulders smiling widely at his sudden panic.

Twilight just shook her head as Nick smiled softly, Eris actually getting a chuckle out of him. ‘You know, yeah. She really isn’t that bad.’ Nick thought to himself managing to get out of her grip. The small trio making their way back to Twilight's castle.

“You know I could turn into XLR-8 and run us over there right?” Nick asked as Twilight looked at him, “I was actually hoping to study each of your transformations and ask a few questions about the Omnitrix, if that’s ok?”

“Of course. We just be doing it for a while, this thing has a LOT of forms.” Nick replied, “considering this is Twilight Sparkle? She’ll enjoy the longevity of the studying.” Eris said laughing.

“She isn’t lying!” Twilight said giving Nick a sheepish smile, he simply sighed and smiled softly ruffling the alicorns mane.

Omnitrix History and Understandings

“So you want an in depth back story as to the creation of all Omnitrixes or just this one in particular?” Nick asked Twilight, the Alicorn was sitting on her haunches, Eris floating back and forth through the room as Spike stood beside Twilight.

“There’s more than one?” Twilight asked a small spark of interest in her eyes that eventually evolved into a determined fire, Nick nodded he could already feel this was gonna be long.

“Let’s start from the prototype up, the original Omnitrix was created by Azmuth of the Galavan, essentially a hyper intelligent species of tiny grey aliens. Azmuth is the smartest being in three galaxies, well arguably five. He originally created the prototype to bring the beings of the universe closest to each other, due to its ability to transform the wearer into any other species I suppose he wanted the wearer to experience what another species experienced.” Nick began to explain as he rubbed his chin feeling the stubble starting to grow.

Twilight had been looking down at her notepad writing all of this down at a rather impressive speed, “continue.” She said as she looked up smiling widely.

“However, an evil being known as Vilgax has been after the Omnitrix for years. Which he is the reason the wearer of the Omnitrix Ben Tennyson better known as Ben 10 discovered it when he was 10 years old, after Vilgax blew up a ship the Omnitrix landed on earth in a drop pod and well. He used it to save the world multiple times.”

“At 10 years old? He was a filly and was out saving the world?” She asked amazed, Nick nodding. “Well the universe in general. Sorta a normal thing for him but anyway, the original Omnitrix only had ten transformations which increased over time. Now I believe over a million DNA samples are in this one, but only like maybe 100 have been shown.” Nick said giving a rough estimate.

“Eventually the prototype recalibrated itself and fixed a common problem with it which was Mistransformations, I had the same problem before Jason told me I just had to simply push it down not slam it down. Not gonna stop me from slamming it down occasionally but you know.”

Twilight just kept writing following every word Nick said as the human chuckled softly, “so this device could potentially scan me?” Eris asked hovering upside down in front of Nick’s face.

“Already did Eris. But don’t get your hopes up for repopulating your species, I don’t role that way…not saying I’m gay I’m just saying my junk is firmly locked away in my pants.” Nick said rather quickly, a yellow beam hovering over Spike. “See this is the scanning process, I didn’t get Dragon DNA the fuck Omnitrix..? Kinda late to the party.” He grumbled softly rubbing his hair.

“So you could turn into a dragon?” Spike asked him looking up at Nick, “I’d prefer not to but I will demonstrate my Draconequus form.” Nick said as he clicked the faceplate of his watch, scrolling through the holographic interface.

Eris watching intrigued her eyes firmly locked on his, Nick clicked the faceplate one last time as he then pushed down on the dial, a dark green beard extending from his chin, his body parts changing and mimicking Eris’s. The Omnitrix logo appearing on the right side of his chest almost covere by his lime green fur. His lime green furry head popping out as he flexed his talons.

Eris’s eyes widened, she had NEVER seen a male Draconequus before. “Why are you giving me Goo Goo eyes?” He asked raising an eyebrow, Eris coughed slightly Spike chuckling softly as Twilight examined Nick.

Nick shook his head as he snapped his fingers, a Icy appearing in front of him as he lowered himself reverting to his human form with the cool drink still in his hands, “Equestria probably has Icy’s but they’ll never make them like humans do.” He said taking a sip of it as he smiled, “anyway. After the recalibrations the original Omnitrix was destroyed in a last ditch attempt to stop Vilgax, so Ben now older and more experienced took the Ultimatrix from a Galvan named Albedo who was evil by the way.”

“Ultimatrix?” Twilight asked looking up from her notes, “ok here lemme just give you a rundown of it real quick. The Ultimatrix acts and has the same properties of the Omnitrix, except it has a feature called the Ultimate Feature, it takes the DNA of the selected alien and basically puts it in a quick simulation I believe, it simulates a none stop warzone for essentially millions of years and the selected species would evolve as to cope with it. So imagine an Ultimate Alicorn, stronger and better than the original however having a few drawbacks.”

“Incredible...I never believed that devices like this would ever even exist...I was honestly surprised when I first saw you transform it debunked so many things I believed was impossible!” The alicorn stated.

Nick smiled softly and rubbed her mane, “yeah I know, which leaves us with the Omnitrix I and Ben share. This is the finished product of the prototype Azmuth made all those years ago, having fixed all the problems of the original, having voice recognition in case someone else wore it, the Life Form Lock which genetically locks me into a form with no chance of a timeout, and many other amazing features. Along with in my opinion looking sleeker and cooler than the original and previous incarnations.”

Twilight finished down the last few words as she looked at Nick intently, “I’d love to examine the Omnitrix! It would be very beneficial to my research!” She said smiling widely, “I suppose as long as you don’t attempt to dismantle or hack it.”

Twilight took a disappointed sigh, “I suppose it’s better than nothing…”

Eris shivered slightly, her whole body shaking as Nick looked at her with an raised eyebrow. “What’s wrong with you?”

“I felt a powerful surge of magic…” Eris said as she looked around a bit nervous, Nick narrowed his eyes slightly. He felt as if she was lying, for absolutely no reason.

Nick rubbed his chin as he took a deep breath, standing up he motioned for Eris. “Eris, walk with me. We need to have a talk one on one.”

The Draconequus gave Nick a quizzical look, as he made his way for the door. “Will you be back for the examination?” Twilight asked him, Nick simply nodded.

Nick opened the door to the castle and exited, Eris following behind him as he closed the door. “Sooooooo what did you wanna talk about?” She asked him now hovering above him.

“Many things actually, let’s start with one small. You care for Fluttershy a lot?” Nick asked as he raised an eyebrow, putting his hands in his jacket pockets.

“Who wouldn’t care for Fluttershy? She was the only pony who did not judge me by my past actions and gave me a second chance!” Eris said, Nick chuckled softly.

“Is that so? Well then, isn’t that something. What exactly did you do?” Nick asked, “I ruled over Equestria with Chaos until being trapped in stone. In which case many years later I was released yet again and decided to finish what I started and put Ponyville into absolute chaos and nonsense until I was defeated again by Twilight Sparkle and the others.” Eris explained looking to the side rubbing the back of her head.

“Damn,” Nick said as he took a deep breath, moving one hand up he rubbed his hair. Eris snorted slightly, “yeah damn. However I wasn’t finished, after being showed the error of my ways by Twilight and her friends mainly Fluttershy I turned over a new life...but…”

“Evil is tempting and you betrayed them? I knew something felt off about you when we first met in the garden.” Nick sighed softly, “well Eris see here’s the thing. The past is the past, you cannot change that but it’s what you do now in the present that really matters the most. As my dad used to say before he passed away and came here, ‘Your bed. You can either sleep in it. Or make it up.’ What he meant by that was we all have problems, and we can either sit there and do nothing.” He then paused as he made eye contact with Eris, “or we can do our best to fix them…” She finished for him.

“I just don’t know Nick…” She said, she was actually opening up to him. “I don’t want to be seduced by evil again but it’s harder to break than fall back into…”

“Believe me I know what it’s like to be obsessed with something, you just can’t allow the past to haunt you forever. I learned that the hard way and well I finally got rid of that thing and while I felt off at first without it...I adjusted and realized I was better off without it, that my own obsessions and insecurities were holding me back. That is what evil is like for you Eris, it is going to try to haunt you forever but you cannot allow it back in. Don’t fall down the same path, because another thing my father said before he passed away. You must overcome your inner twists and you’ll be glad you overcame and resisted. Because if you can’t overcome them, then you cannot grow stronger..."
Eris looked at Nick allowing the words to sink in, an awkward silence forming among the two, the only sounds audible were Nick’s shoes crunching against the ground and the sounds of ponies daily lives.

Eris finally spoke, “your father sounded like a wise man…”

Nick smiled softly, “yea. He really was, he was awesome. Cracking jokes all the time...doing his best to understand what I went through growing up…” Nick looked at his wrist, a slight tear shedding down the side of his face. “I feel he’d be proud of the man I grew up to be…”

Eris noticed the small tear on his cheek, leaning forward she used a talon to wipe it away. “I believe he would Nick. I believe he would.”

He looked at her and smiled softly, “but enough about me...you wanna go grab some Ice Cream or something? Maybe relax from all this crazy shit?” Nick asked her, she rubbed a talon against her chin. “Sure and Nick?”

“Yeah?” Nick then felt her warm arms wrap around him. Her chest pressing against his as she held him close, Nick was taken aback at first. But smiled softly, wrapping his arms around her hugging her back. “Thank you…”

Nick smiled as he closed his eyes, a smile on his face as he rubbed her back. “It’s alright. I’m always here to listen or do my best to help you Eris...we may not have gotten off on the right foot when we started with you stalking me...but I understand. I’m here for you.”

The Draconequus smiled softly in the warm embrace before reluctantly letting go. “Now we should go get that ice cream!” She said as Nick grinned slightly, “can’t you just form it out of thin air?”

“Yes but it won’t be the same.” She said as Nick raised an eyebrow. “How?”

“Let’s just go get the bucking Ice Cream!” She said frustrated but realized inside, she felt...better than ever! It was incredible! She looked at the laughing Nick before smiling softly.

Heroes and Villains

Later that day the moon hanged over Ponyville, Nick standing outside in the cold of night. His eyes watching the small town as he smiled, standing on Twilight’s balcony he rubbed his chin. Feeling the hairs grow as he then felt his head, his hair growing a bit to big. "I may have to get a haircut soon, although you know shaving cream probably isn’t a thing. Although I could probably get Grey Matter or Brainstorm or something to make makeshift shaving cream.”

Nick looked up at the moon thinking of all the events leading up to this, from his earliest memory to his conversation with Eris. He could still taste that amazing Ice Cream as he smiled softly, clicking the faceplate down on his Omnitrix he scrolled through the holograms once more, stopping he allowed the dial to pop up as he clicked down, his body shifting and changing once more this time taking the form of Stinkfly.

Flapping his bug like wings he took flight making a soft buzzing noise as he watched over Equestria with his eyes, a small smile still spread across his face. However his eyes picked up something, looking to the side he saw a red glow.

Flying over he hovered over Ms. Cheerilee’s school. Landing behind it as he reverted to his human form, hearing the soft painful moans of a beast.

“The hell is that..?” He asked himself as he looked closely, seeing a shadowy figure bent down over the much larger creature. A bright red aura surrounding its body as Nick watched intently, he heard massive roars of pain taken aback by this as the creature placed its paws over its head.

Moaning and groaning in pain, it’s spiky spine extended from it’s back. Red flames oozing from it’s mouth as its fur turned a dark red, its eyes turning bright crimson red. Before finally standing.

Nick looked, before realizing what it was. “A manticore?!” He asked himself, ‘do I get told nothing around here?’ He thought to himself.

Claws extending from the Manticore’s paws as some of it’s fur and skin melted away revealing bone. Letting out a massive beastal roar, the human like figure turned his head to where Nick was and pointed.

‘Oh shit.’ Nick thought to himself the Manticore roaring at him as it ran forward, spreading its wings and flying toward him at incredible speeds.

Crashing through the school the Manticore headbutted Nick’s chest, sending him flying back and rolling into a tree. “AGH!” The human grunted in pain as he rubbed his aching head, standing up the Manticore was already on the move once more.

Nick taking off in the other direction a bit woozy, “ok c'mon Omnitrix! I know Jason said click down but I can barely even see what I’m selecting!” He said as the Manticore gained and by the time it caught up Nick slammed down on the dial.

The beast's mouth clamped down on his arm as the light died down, a shiny crystal head showing through. “DiamondHead? Hell yeah!” He shouted as the arm the Manticore held onto with its crushing grip befor feeling sharp pains in its upper jaw. Letting go its mouth was bleeding showing Nick’s arm with multiple spikes around it and covered in a bit of blood, grinning widely the Manticore eyed the human as it took a swipe at him with his tail, Nick grabbing the length of its tail and swinging around sending it flying into the swing set.

“And he’s outta here!” He said grinning widely, the Omnitrix timing out as it finally said. “Uncatalogued DNA detected. A yellow ray scanning over the poor Manticore, “well. That was ea-” Nick paused as he heard the roar again.

The Manticore ripped itself free as it opened it’s mouth, massive red flames shooting out as Nick quickly dodged. Rolling to the side, he raised his hands a spark forming in them as he grinned widely responding to the Manticore’s flames with his own.

Digging his feet into the ground he felt a little resistance, ‘ok those are some strong flames!’ He thought to himself struggling, the beast only amping up its power as the clash sent Nick back, flying through an intact window.

Landing on his back he rubbed his head, multiple cuts along his clothes and skin from crashing through the window. “Fuck ok that hurt...fighting fire with fire wasn’t a good idea…” He said as he heard the charging of the Manticore, quickly swiping through the list of aliens he stopped on one and clicked down the dial.

The Manticore attempting to leap in the window after Nick only to have powerful blasts of water send it right back. Nick leaping out of the window and landing on the ground, “you fight fire with water! Why didn’t I do this originally! Waterhazard is the way to go!” He said as the Manticore growled, its flames sparking back up as it leapt forward.

Taking a slash at Nick with its extended claws he quickly jumped backwards evading two slashes before the third the Manticore smacked him with its whole paw sending him flying and spinning in the air the skidding against the ground. Nick shook himself before standing up, and turned around only to find the Manticore slashing him, thank god for his extra armor in this form as it repeatedly slashed and swiped at his face.

“Get...off...ME!” He shouted firing another blast of water sending the Manticore in the air in which it recovered and flew back down toward Nick. Tapping the Omnitrix on his chest he quickly changed forms, Waterhazard being replaced with Four Arms.

Slamming his fist into the jaw of the Manticore he sent it against the ground roughly, Nick cracking his knuckles. “C’mon kitty! I’m not done yet!” He said grabbing the Manticore by its tail with all of his arms. Slamming it against the ground he flung it up in the air and slammed his fist directly into its muzzle sending it backwards into the same broken tree it flung Nick into. Nick put his hands on his hips as he grinned, “well? You done?” He asked and in one quick motion the Manticore lashed its tail out at Nick.

The barbed end striking him directly in the shoulder, “AGH FUCK!!” He shouted in pain holding his shoulder, dropping to his knees Nick’s vision grew slightly blurry as he groaned. Reverting to his human form he fell to the ground, he groaned in pain. Each time he blinked darkness filling his vision as the last thing he heard was, “sleep young Taylor. We have some discussing to do.”

---

The morning rose as Twilight and the group stood examining the sight of the fight. “What do you think could’ve caused this?” She asked, Fluttershy examining locks of a coat on the ground. “A-A manticore but...I’ve never seen this kind of coat before! Perhaps a breed never seen before..?”

“Well this looks terrible regardless darling!” Rarity sad as she looked around, “thank Faust Sweetie Belle, Applebloom and Scootaloo weren’t here to witness this…”

“Nick had to have been here though,” Spike piped in rubbing a talong against his chin. “I mean he wasn’t in bed when I went to check on him and he wasn’t on the balcony.”

“Than the question is, where is he?” Twilight asked raising an eyebrow.

---

Nick felt woozy, his eyes fluttering open as a foul stench fell upon his nostrils. Gagging a bit he coughed as he attempted to rub his head, only to find resistance. Looking down he found himself bound to a chair, his Omnitrix covered by a metal gauntlet surrounding his whole hand and wrist, “ah I see you’re awake.” A voice said, Nick’s vision fixing itself.

He looked around seeing what looked like a workbench with a small black and red box and torches lighting the room. Nick’s eyes falling upon the wounded Manticore in the corner of the room and then a massive wolf made of wood.

But what truly got his attention was the human like figure walking toward him, kneeling down he smiled underneath his mask. His red visor glaring in Nick’s face as he turned away. Before eventually looking back, “who the fuck are you..?” Nick asked as he laughed a bit.

“Well if I told you that, it would just ruin the surprise but call me...Erebus.” He said as he put a chin underneath Nick’s chin lifting up his head, he turned away as Erebus laughed softly. “To be honest I am mildly impressed, for a new displaced you sure have done a lot.” He said grinning.

Nick narrowed his eyes looking at the black slits that were Erebus’s eyes. “Ok if you know I’m a displaced...what are you doing in my Equestria?” He asked.

Erebus’s face gave a creepy grin, even his mask projecting a toothy grin on it. “Believe me Nicholas, my presence will not only affect your Equestria but the whole universe itself, and more...” Nick frowned slightly. “Thought I’d be able to get the classic villain monologue outta you…”

“Believe me, I’m just as aware of all fictional tropes and cliches as you are.” Erebus said narrowing his eyes, “I just brought you here to not exchange pleasantries but to ask you one thing. To join me.”

Nick looked at Erebus and listened to his offer, Nick clenching his fists. “If you’re just as aware of tropes and cliches as me. Than you’d know the hero trope and already know the answer.”

“Fuck no.” He growled slightly at Erebus. He sighed softly, “should’ve known. I thought you’d be different but clearly not.” He said a hint of disappointment in his voice, “well with or without your assistance the outcome of what I have in store shall not change.”

Erebus stood up as he put his hands behind his back, “but I’ll allow you to have some fun before I kill you. I wouldn’t suggest getting too attached to the citizens of Equestria, although from what I’ve seen that is far too late.” He said chuckling softly.

Nick kept a look a sternness but in his mind he was terrified, ‘what if that Manticore venom is still in me? What does he have for my Equestria? Will I be able to stop him? Who is he re-’ His thoughts were cut off as he then felt a fist slam into his face. Forcing him unconscious once more.

---

“I think he’s coming around…” Twilight’s voice said, Nick’s eyes fluttering open as he groaned. “Ugh christ...what happened..?” He asked sitting up shakily, bandages poorly wrapped around his shoulder. Blood stains on it as his shirt and jacket sat on the chair next to him.

“You’ve been out for hours! Literally appeared in front of Ms. Cheerilee’s school unconscious and bleeding!” Rainbow Dash said as Fluttershy piped up. “We were all worried about you…”

“Darling,” Rarity said taking a deep breath. “WHAT IN YOUR RIGHT MIND TOLD YOU TO ATTACK A MANTICORE WITHOUT OUR HELP?!!” she screamed as Nick was taken back by this.

“Suppose I got too big for my britches and thought I could do it alone…” He said as he looked at his hands and then the Omnitrix, he was still a bit woozy and dizzy from the amount of blood he lost from the massive barbed tail. Falling back down onto his bed he then spoke.

“I-I know what the magical source was...Celestia and Luna were right...he’s nothing good…” Nick said as Twilight raised an eyebrow, “he? Nick what is he?” She asked standing from her chair and trotting beside him, his hand holding onto her hoof. “Erebus...I think he’s human…like me...but I don’t know what he has planned...but that Manticore was horribly mutated and-” He cut himself off groaning softly in pain.

“Rest Nick...we’ll inform the princesses of these details…I believe our time here is up anyway..” Twilight said looking at the lowering sun.

Nick nodded, his eyes slowly closing as the last thing he thought of before he fell into a deep sleep was, ‘can I really save them..?’

Author's Notes:

https://ben10.fandom.com/wiki/Stinkfly_(Classic)

https://ben10.fandom.com/wiki/Diamondhead_(Classic)

https://ben10.fandom.com/wiki/Water_Hazard

https://ben10.fandom.com/wiki/Four_Arms_(Classic)

Dark Interlopers

“And you are positive you feel fine Mr..”

“Taylor.” Nick finished for the doctor quickly, he had been sitting in the hospital for a good two days. Sighing softly, having a LOT to think about during that time.

The doctor rubbed his chin, "I still do not see how you're ma-"

Nick raised his hand, "stop. Right there. I'm not undressing anymore then I already need to, I am male. M A L E! MALE!" He shouted as the doctor looked at him with a raised eyebrow before sighing. "Fine, male it is." He said rolling his eyes and marking Nick down as male before stepping out of his room. The human laying back down as he rubbed his hair groaning softly.

Eris’s head popped out from underneath the covers of Nick's bed. “Hey!” She said as Nick jumped slightly. “Eris! I told you to stop doing that!” He said narrowing his eyes.

The draconequus smiled widely, “I know. I disobeyed.” She said as her head disappeared and her whole body appeared in a chair. “Fluttershy and the others should be coming in soon.”

Nick sighed softly as he turned over sitting up his feet planting against the cold wooden floor as he rubbed his hair. “Mr. Taylor I wouldn't advise you move yet!”

“I'm fine. Hell of a lot better than I was yesterday…” He said sighing softly, Nick had still been beating himself up a bit for what happened with the Manticore and Erebus.

He could still that wave of fear and sheer helplessness wash over him when he was stabbed in the shoulder by its barbed tail. Nick hid his emotions pretty well, having a pretty shit past he learned to hide how he truly feels about things pretty well.

He heard the door open, Twilight stepping forward. "How do you feel?" She asked him, the human rubbed his shoulder giving her a small smile. The princess rubbed her chin looking at him intently, "I'm feeling a lot better actually heh...I heal fast." He said shrugging a bit his shoulder still extremely sore.

"Sweetie Belle was asking about you all afternoon," Rarity said stepping in. The small filly stepping in behind her, her eyes widening. "NICK!" She shouted running forward leaping up and hugging onto him. Nick winced before hugging her back smiling. "Good to see you too kid." He said smiling softly.

---

Erebus narrowed his eyes, working on the small black and red box. "What do you want?" He asked not even looking behind him, "what happened to our agreement Erebus? Me and the others are not happy with your choices.."

"They can shove it Shade," Erebus replied as he turned around looking at a Unicorn, his horn completely sliced off but yet replaced with a red one with the base being grey. "Tsk, be fucking grateful I even gave you power once again."

Shade narrowed his eyes his fur a dark shade of grey and a massive scar running down his side. His cutie mark being twin swords crossing into each other with a dark aura surrounding them. "I wanted MY horn back." Shade said growling softly as Erebus laughed.

"Why would you want your petty excuse of a horn back? I've given you King Sombra's horn, and with my intellect actually tie it to your own magic reserves! I could've used that horn by itself for research to enhance my mutations and experiments! But I took pity on you and the others." Erebus replied.

"I fucking helped all of you, the least you could do is respect my decisions. I'm not some pawn, I am the master." He said narrowing his eyes at Shade.

Shade's eyes mimicking that of King Sombra's as they glowed softly. His horn flashing in color as he fired off a blast at Erebus, who quickly evaded by his warp ability. Appearing above Shade he held onto the hilt of a blade, it exploding to life with a bright crimson red blade. Bringing down the blade Shade quickly dodged to the side, firing another bolt at Erebus who evaded yet again.

The magic hitting the wall growing massive black crystals as Erebus growled softly, leaping forward he prepared to bring his blade down yet again Shade countering with a black shield.

---

Nick walked down the streets of Ponyville as he sighed softly, deciding to hang out with Sweetie Belle for a while. The filly was happy for Nicks safety as the human had his hands buried deep in his pockets. "Rarity has a surprise for you!" She said smiling widely, Nick raised an eyebrow looking at her. "Oh?" he asked his clothing still stained and torn.

Sweetie Belle nodded bringing him back to her home, opening the door. Quickly using her magic she wrapped a blindfold around Nick's eyes and put her hoof in his hands, grabbing onto it Nick followed her. "Just a bit further!" She said before walking up the stairs.

"Huh, this should be pretty good if you've gotta blindfold me. No wonder Rarity took off so fast from the hospital." Nick said chuckling a bit nervously, "Sweetie Belle you can take it off now." Rarity said as Nick felt the blindfold slide off of his face, hovering in front of him was a fresh pair of clothing. Nick's eyes widening as he looked picking them up, but one piece stuck out from the rest.

A large black hoodie with green outlines going around the edges and stitching, and one massive green bar going down the middle as he then turned it around. In bold stood a massive 10 as Nick smiled widely, "Rarity thank you thank you THANK YOU!" He shouted as he hugged her tightly.

The mare smiled softly nuzzling into his cheek, "anything for a friend darling! Free of charge!" She said as Nick's smile grew better, "to be honest I thought the white outlines would being it out but I like the green better! Good pick!" He said as the marshmallow mare blushed, "again darling anything for a friend..." She said smiling at him.

Nick nodded as he looked at them, "I'm actually gonna go try these on! Hold up, lemme just get to the bathroom!" He said excitedly, he never realized how much he would appreciate new clothes until he came to Equestria, slipping into the back Nick went to change as he grinned.

---

Erebus slammed his foot into Shade's muzzle sending him flying across the room. His back hitting a wall and knocking off a torch, leaping forward Erebus grabbed him by the horn the unicorn having a bloody look of disgust on his face.

Erebus smiled widely having barely take any damage at all before flinging the unicorn across the room again, attempting to stand Erebus slammed his foot down on the side of the unicorns skull pinning him to the ground and putting the edge of his blade to his eye. "Tell the others never to trifle with me Shade. I have my reasons for allowing the human to live for now. He won't be staying for long but I have my reasons."

"Y-yes sir.." Shade said reluctantly, Erebus only applying more pressure. Shade's skull felt like it was going to pop, "say it louder worm."

"YES SIR!" He shouted as Erebus grinned widely, moving his foot away he smiled. "There we go much better, now leave me." he said going back to his workbench, the blade in his sword retracting. Shade shakily standing, he had only recently had King Sombra's horn attached to him. He was still inexperienced but when he figured out to use it, Erebus would pay...

Shade used his magic to teleport disappearing as Erebus looked at his Manticore. The beast perking up looking at him, awakened from all the commotion and fighting. "Good kitty, you two will have your meal soon..." He said as he rubbed his helmet.

---

Nick stepped out of the bathroom wearing his new clothing as he rubbed his chin, "hmmmmm everything is great! The jacket fits perfectly and the pants feel amazing!" He said as he stretched a bit.

Rarity smiled at him, "thank you darling! I'm sorry though I put off a lot of my orders to work on that, she said as Nick nodded. "I understand, again thank you!" He said as he stepped out Sweetie Belle smiling.

Nick had been carrying his old clothes in his hands, deciding to head back to Twilight’s castle. Letting out a soft sigh he looked at his new clothes before smiling, “hmm...at least I have new shit to wear…” He said chuckling softly.

Nick looked up as he opened the door to the castle, Twilight waiting for him. “Nick. We need to talk.” She said as the human raised an eyebrow. “About?”

“Erebus.”

Author's Notes:

I'll be honest I'm not very confident in this chapter, I literally wrote it all during school so it may seem a bit all over the place. But I did want to finally give Nick new clothes and do more with Erebus so. There you go :3

But this will probably result me in putting out the next chapter today as well.

Personal Trainer PT1

Nick’s heart dropped slightly as he gulped, “w-what about Erebus?” He asked as Twilight looked at him, finally learning the royal stare. “Before we allowed you to sleep you mentioned Erebus, but we couldn’t get the full story while you were dazed.”

Nick looked at her sweat rolling down his face as the alicorn sighed, “Nick we’re in this together. You need to tell me...what is he..?”

Nick took a deep breath, feeling a tightness in his chest before taking another deep breath then exhaling. “He is human like me...at least I think...from what I could gather he had the same physical traits of a human but, he was a monster on the inside I could tell.” He said moving forward and sitting in front of Twilight who was listening intently.

“Before I even saw him I looked around and saw the Manticore that he used to attack me then a mutated Timber Wolf and...just both of them looked horrible! Bones protruding from their bodies and literally the Manticore had fucking fire circling around it 24/7!” He said as Twilight loosened up on him, Nick’s heart was going a hundred miles an hour before he felt the gentle wing of Twilight wrap around him.

Calming down he continued, he was clearly scared and anxious but refused to shed a tear. “Erebus himself. He wanted me to join him, and when I refused he said no matter what I did that the outcome would be the same, he has something planned for Equestria but he didn’t say...but after that and before I was knocked out he told me. ‘Don’t get too attached to the ponies of Equestria, I’ll let you live for now to have some fun.’ Or something along the lines..”

Twilight looked at Nick before leaning into his shoulder nuzzling him softly, “I’m sorry Nick I just..needed to know that...are you ok?” She asked, concern in her eyes as Nick rubbed her mane with his hand before looking down at his Omnitrix.

“I just don’t know if I’ll be able to help stop Erebus…” He said looking away and to the side, “Nick. Everyone is scared when faced with a new challenge.” Twilight said putting a hoof on his cheek and moving off him. His eyes locking with her’s, “I was scared when I had to face Nightmare Moon, but it’s overcoming that fear that makes us stronger...that makes us heroes.”

“Yeah...makes YOU heroes...I still anxious in the fucking dark by myself!” He said chuckling a bit before standing up, Nick gulped slightly as he walked toward the door a magical aura surrounding it. “Nick…”

The human looked at his wrist clicking the faceplate of his watch and pushing down on the dial, turning into the Ectonurite Ghostfreak he phased through the door before reverting to his human form. Then saying to himself, “I’m sorry…”

---

Nick sulked for a while, his walk took him up to the entrance of the Everfree Forest as he sighed softly. Looking at it he sighed softly taking one step forward before a melody filled his ears. Raising an eyebrow he listened closely attempting to pinpoint the origin of it, going in between a couple of trees in the open field he then saw it a stone. “That’s playing a song? Pft, now I’ve seen everything.” He said chuckling to himself approaching the stone carefully.

Placing his hand on the top he looked through the hole of it, the cravings on it reminded him of a wolf paw. It’s sweet melody kept playing in his ears as he then softly hummed along, finally giving in and attempting to repeat the song softly. Closing his eyes and moving his head to the tune. Finally fully repeating it.

A familiar fanfare melody filled the area as if something was unlocked, a fierce howl filled the air as the wind magic within the eye of the stone began to swirl around. Suddenly, a strange red, grey, and green wolf apparition leaped out from the eye of the stone and landed in front of Nick.

Nick jumped back in surprise, landing on his ass as he looked at the wolf. “FUCKS SAKE DON’T DO THAT!” He shouted aggressively as he panted softly before standing on his feet. “I’m assuming you’re displaced? Never seen anything like you before? Then again I haven’t seen much.” He said as he looked at the wolf apparition intently.

“Fuckin ghost wolf, like this is Skyrim or some shit heh.” Nick chuckled softly.

The wolf made no response, except him shaking his head at Nick. It knelt down before suddenly leaping towards Nick’s head. He was blinded by a bright light before he finds himself high above equestria, Nick noticed he was standing on a solid cloud, yet he wasn’t using a cloud-walking spell.

“OK WHAT THE FUCK! THIS IS TRIPPY AS FUCK!” Nick said his legs shaking a bit, a voice drew his attention, making him look up.

“Not familiar with the scenario, huh?” A red cloak and hooded person asked with his arms crossed over his chest. At a glance, he didn’t seem recognition, but those white tights and leather boots hinted of who he is.

Nick stared at him rather blankly at the cloaked figure, “uhhhh no not really.” He said crossing his own arms, “nice leather boots by the way.” He said not knowing who he was, even with the hint.

He reaches up and pushes the hood back, revealing a pointed eared man, one of his ears looked like they were attacked by a timberwolf a long time ago, especially the scar on his left cheek. He looked just like the man of legend, except he had some facial hair. “My name is Link.” He introduced himself as. “Or Jeff if you wanted my real name. I can only give to fellow Displaced my real name, just don’t ask me why the merchant restricted me to that only.” He said with a shrug of his arms.

“My name Jeff? Dead memes?” Nick replied grinning softly, “so Link huh?” He asked rubbing his chin.

“Never really played Zelda myself, too busy with other fandoms heh.” Nick said as he narrowed his eyes at him.

Link raised an eyebrow at that. “Even after being Displaced or were you just joking?” He asked with a soft chuckle.

“After.” Nick replied as a smiled a bit, “but I’m surprised. He completely turned you into Link or whatever? Huh.” Nick rubbed his chin.

“A fusion of four to be exact, except I’ve grown a mustache and a goatee over the years.” Link said.

“Aaaaah. Well I just got displaced with this little joy.” Nick said raising his arm and pulling down his new jacket sleeve, showing his Omnitrix.

“That’s quite a lot of power there. How long have you had it?” Link asked as he studied the alien-tech watch.

“I’d say maybe a few weeks. I can’t really tell,” he said shrugging. His Omnitrix chirped, “uncatalogued DNA detected.” A yellow beam then scanned over Link as Nick chuckled softly. “Believe me, I know the Omnitrix is VERY powerful.”

Link blinked as the thing scanned his body. “Hopefully it’ll just turn you into a hylian instead of a copy of myself.” Link said joking. “Mighty impressive it can scan despite being in a temporary mindscape.” he said.

“Uh,” Nick looked around slightly as he shrugged. “I don’t know the full functionality of this thing, I am a big Ben 10 geek but they didn’t really show what this Omnitrix could do fully, aside from have a kickass failsafe and possible AI.” He said rubbing the back of his head.

“So what did you even pull me into my own head for anyway?” He asked raising an eyebrow.

“Safety precaution of my token so I can determine if your good or evil. So far, you’ve been alright.” Link explained with a smile.

“Well yeah, be happy I didn’t transform off the bat heh.” Nick said shrugging a bit, “so have I passed your evaluation?” Nick asked raising his eyebrow giving Link a puzzled look.

“Judgement has been passed.” Link said as the area started to brighten and blind Nick, the young omnitrix user is returned to the real world, except with Link standing before him.

Nick dusted himself off as he stood up, shaking his new jacket. “That’s better.” Nick said chuckling a bit as he looked at Link. “Well...uh..” He rubbed the back of his head, “what are we gonna do?” He asked looking at Link intently.

“I don’t know the history of this world, i’m just here for anything you need help with, even if it's just us hanging out. I don’t get to meet many of my fellow Displaced, but you can’t really blame them from how I made my token.” Link said with an amusement chuckle.

“Pft, yeah.” Nick said as he rubbed the back of his head looking to the side, that familiar feeling of distraught falling over him again as he sighed softly. “Yeeeep.”

“Something wrong?” Link asked due to the lack of interacts from Nick.

“Nah I’m fine.” Nick said chuckling softly as he looked at Link, “what makes you think there is something wrong?” He asked raising an eyebrow.

“The look in your eyes tell me.” Link pointed out. Nick sighed softly, “just I sorta...I sorta almost got myself killed fighting a mutated Manticore and...I just don’t know if I’m cut out for this hero stuff even though I want to help…” Nick said as he looked down at his Omnitrix, “maybe somebody better could’ve gotten this damn thing…”

“You remind me of myself when I was first Displaced, I didn’t want to be Link, I wanted to go home. I had eventually accepted my fate and decided to those powers for something worth living. I may not be the original, but I worked hard to get where I am. A hero’s mission is never done.” Link explained as he held out his hand. “I can help you become a better hero.”

Nick looked at his hand and took it into his own, “yeah that’d be great…” the hylian man gave it a firm shake.

“We just need a place I can teach you, somewhere we can practice without harming anyone, anypony, or anything.” Link said as he let go of Nick’s hand.

Nick nodded as he took a deep breath, “well...I know the basics of combat from another displaced named Jason and magic...I’d like to learn swordsmenship, advanced magic and better hand to hand combat fighting..”

“I can teach you my sword skills and my magic spells. As for hand-to-hand combat, my Goron Mask and Zora Mask might help you out with that.” Link explained.

Nick rubbed his chin and nodded, “yeah. And hopefully they stick and I can put them to good use.” Nick paused before then looking at Link, “Well? What are we waiting for?”

---

“Are you sure about this?” Nick asked, they had moved a bit farther away from Ponyville. Link having asked him to show him what he already knew, “I mean I may not know much in human form but alien forms I’m still a force to be reckoned with.” He said a hint of confidence in his voice.

“Trust me. I’ve been through alot, whatever you show me will be no different than the past bosses I’ve fought in my world.” Link said in minor annoyance at Nick’s trust in the hylian.

“Alright then, no holding back than.” Nick said as he clicked his Omnitrix as he then clicked down on the core, his human form being replaced with his kineceleran form XLR-8. “Gonna give you a RUN for your money, or...bits…” He said as his faceplate slammed down.

Dashing forward toward Link he reared his taloned fist back for a punch to the gut. The hylian man didn’t even flinch, but he was knocked back a few feet. “Swift. Tell me, have you ever fought anyone who can control time?” Link asked as he took out a blue ocarina, he started playing a melody before the speedster could ask. Nick doesn’t see anything different, or so it would appear to the hero-to-be.

Nick looked around trying to see if anything changed, “uhhhh. What?” He asked in his raspy bug like voice before shaking his head and dashing forward again going in for a swift kick to the gut. Link, with sudden quickness, has raised his Hylian Shield a lot quicker than usual. Nick was then suddenly hit on the back of the neck by the hilt of a sword.

Tumbling on the ground he rubbed the back of his neck with his talons, “ow...fuck that hurt…” He said growling slightly before standing up. Quickly dashing forward again he jumped up, then quickly tapping the Omnitrix on his chest shifting into the Pyronite Heatblast and unleashing intense flames upon Link.

Link suddenly changed shape in a flash of light, now appearing as some sort of creature made of rock. He raised his arms and blocked the blast, he wasn’t even burned or even scorched by the attack. The way Link moved was as if he was moving as fast the form Nick was in, at the last few moments as Link pulled his arm, his body slowly returned back to normal speed. However the fist was still coming straight for Nick.

Nick didn’t react fast enough the fist colliding with his rocky face as he was sent onto his back groaning softly. “Ok... that hurt…”

“Goron form, slow but powerful, I can survive extreme heat. I used my ocarina to slow down the flow of time around me.” Link explained in a deep voice.

Nick stood back up as he took a deep breath, “ok ok...let’s try something new…” Nick said as he tapped his Omnitrix one more time, his flaming body shifting as he was then replaced with the mummy Snare-Oh, “Snare-Oh?” He asked himself before shaking his head sending his wraps at Link’s legs another pair jutting from his stomach as he wrapped them around Link’s waist yanking him forward. Link crossed his muscular arms and raised an eyebrow at what Nick was trying to do.

“Ok fuck this is heavy…” Nick said tugging a bit. Suddenly, Link grabbed onto the bandage and gave it a firm yank, Nick finds himself being spun around in circles before being thrown far.

“FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK!” Nick shouted his bandages shaking in the wind as his Omnitrix let out a small beeping noise, “OK PUT ME DOWN NOW!” He shouted reverting to his human form and rolling against the ground. Dirt in his mouth. “Fuck…” He grumbled spitting it out.

“Like I said, I’ve been through alot. ” Link asked as he reached up to grab at his face and with brief flash, he returns back to normal with a mask in his hand.

Nick rubbed his hair as he stood up, “ugh I suppose so…”

“Hey, don’t worry. Once you’ve lived in Equestria as long as I have, you tend to learn a lot of things, either from others or yourself. That omnitrix of yours is unlimited as long as there is DNA to scan.” Link said as he put away the goron’s mask into his pouch.

“Well yeah I know, I already have mutated Manticore DNA and all three ponies.” Nick said as he gagged a bit. “But what’s the point in having all this power, if when it runs out I can’t do shit.” He said as he looked at Link. “I would like to learn swordplay first…”

“Heh, I suppose you don’t remember what happened at the season final when Ben managed to tap into something that allowed him to change shape by using his own will. So keep ticking with it till you find the combination, just don’t break it. Afterall.” Link said as he looked at nick. “A sword wields no strength unless the hand that holds it has courage.”

Nick looked at him before smiling softly, “I suppose so. And you mean the Master Control? For this Omnitrix it’s probably voice activated but I could unlock it with my Galvan form.” He said shrugging a bit, “but thanks for the words of encouragement dude...I needed it. Now! Let’s get this shit rolling!”

Author's Notes:

Thank my good friend Displaced Writer he has been REALLY excited for this crossover XD

https://ben10.fandom.com/wiki/Ghostfreak

https://ben10.fandom.com/wiki/XLR8_(Classic)

https://ben10.fandom.com/wiki/Heatblast_(Classic)

https://ben10.fandom.com/wiki/Snare-oh

Personal Trainer PT2

“Now tell me, Nick. Do you have any forms that uses a sword or anything similar to one?” Link asked as he was looking through his pouch for something.

“Uhhhh, I could use Diamondhead and turn my arm into a sword like weapon, but that’s me thinking off the top of my head.” Nick said as he looked at his Omnitrix, “turn into him or no?”

“As long as it's a weapon that can serve as one, otherwise I’d of lended you my Ordon Sword temporary. Actually, I think that’d be a better idea if you ever find yourself not being able to use your omnitrix.” Link said as he pulled out a small sword, which suddenly returned to its original size once taken out.

Nick raised an eyebrow as he moved his hand away, “Gotcha.” He said extending his hand to take the weapon, Link handed it over. At a glance, Nick could tell that the weapon had been through a lot of use.

“Now, most of my sword skills require a shield, but i’m sure you can find a creative way of getting past that.” Link explained as he pulled out only his Master Sword from its sheath that was tied at his waist. “What kind of enemies have you faced thus far?” he asked.

“A mutated Manticore and a Bug Bear,” Nick replied as he looked and examined the blade, “and yeah. I can find a way around not having a shield.”

“I could probably use a combination of a few aliens via quick switching,” he said rubbing his chin. Putting the sword on the ground for a second he pulled off his jacket showing his bright green t shirt as he then quickly turned into Diamondhead creating a small crystal and placing his jacket on it.

Reverting to his human form Nick looked at Link, “sorry new jacket Rarity made me and I don’t wanna mess it up this soon…” Nick said giving a sheepish smile before picking the sword back up.

“Understood. Rarity cares a lot about fashion. Now, I’d like to teach you a little something that has greatly helped me when facing an enemy you know nothing of.” Link said as his eyes gleamed for a moment, information suddenly being revealed to him about Diamondhead’s weaknesses, resistances, current health, and remaining sources of energy. “A batter known as Sans taught me a move called Wide Angle.” he said as he held out his other hand toward Nick. “Shake my hand and i’ll transfer some of its energy to you.”

Nick rubbed his chin, thinking for a moment before taking Link’s hand. His own eyes gleaming in a few seconds after. In Nick’s eyes, he saw Link’s condition status, the moment of magic he has, which remained at one hundred thanks to a blessing by Palutena that helped him regenerate, Nick also saw that Link was wearing a special type of armor under his tunic.

“As you fight me, more information revealed to you. Just a small warning, don’t try using it on any Gods or characters that follow rpg mechanics..” Link explained as he let go of Nick’s hand.

“Huh, this’ll come in goooood handy then, thanks!” He said grinning widely as he took a deep breath closing his eyes and opening them, his vision returning to normal. “So what do I do with this?” He asked raising an eyebrow looking at his sword.

“Swinging it is simple, but what would you do-” Link suddenly leap to the right, rolled along the ground, and held his sword a bit close to the back of Nick’s waist. “When your enemy clad in full armor and wielding a shield? You perform the back slice to get around their defenses where they are most exposed.” he said as he got up from his kneeled position. “Bashing your shield against their weapon or their face will help this be more effective.”

“Hmmm...intriguing…” Nick said as he rubbed his chin with his free hand, Nick blinked reactivating the Wide Angle, narrowing his eyes before taking a deep breath. Nick repeating, leaping to the right he rolled along the ground and gently pressed the blade of his sword against Link’s waist. “Wow, Wide Angle is gonna come in handy learning stuff!”

“Heed my warning through. It helps you learn faster, but you can get a headache from absorbing too much knowledge..” Link said with a smile.

“Ok c'mon, next move! Trust me I’ll stop it once I’m ready to hurl or it’s unbearable…” Nick said chuckling softly.

“Alright, alright. The next move will require some acrobatics, this sword move is useful if the target is fully armored all around, including its backside.” Link said as he leaped over Nick, he is suddenly hit by the blunt of a sword, but it wasn’t enough to deal any real damage. “You swing your sword downward in a flip to slice the targets head in half or slash open whatever protects their head, this technique is called the Helm Splitter.” he explained.

Nick watched intently before feeling the pommel of the sword as he took a breath, “well I did take acrobatics for a few years and tried to stay in shape.” He said stretching a bit, taking a step back Nick ran forward leaping over Link and pushing the butt of his sword against his head. Landing on the ground with a slide he looked at the blade. “You wouldn’t happen to have a sword I can keep would you?” He said grinning slightly.

“You can keep my Ordon Sword if you’d like.” Link suggested.

“Perfect! I’ve already grown a bit attached to this thing,” he said chuckling softly. “Have a free sheath?” He asked before suddenly a sheath hit Nick over the head and fell to the ground. Looking up Eris pressed her nose against his making him fall backwards, “FOR FUCKS SAKE ERIS!” He shouted as the Chaos Goddess laughed widely.

“Ah sweet Celestia I love doing that!” She said smiling widely as Nick stood back up grabbing the sheath the Ordon Sword fitting in rather nicely. “Oh, Link. This is Eris one of my friends.”

Eris then quickly teleported in front of Link, examining him. “Hmmmmmmm...another human but decked out in armor and weaponry? Nick you should take notes!” She said smiling widely, the human rolling his eyes. “I mean Eris I already am.”

“Ah, so your Discord is a female?” Link asked with an amused chuckle.

“Discord? Sounds like somepony I could get behind,” Eris said as Nick sighed. “If Discord is a male Eris then yep. And Eris, just stop.” Nick said looking at her.

“But whyyyyyyyy?” She asked rubbing Nick’s shoulders, “because me and Link are training...this is kinda a serious deal for me. I need to be ready for when I fight a mutated monster, or Erebus himself.”

“It depends on which version of him you meet, Eris. It is a multiverse out there afterall.” Link said with a shrug. “Just be careful which one you go to, you don’t want the other versions of the mane six confusing you for their Discord.”

“Multiverse? Intriguing…” She said rubbing her chin, “yeah I do come from a different universe so yeah.” Nick said as she nodded, “I know Nick. I know.” She then hovered backwards.

“We should probably get on with training Link, while she’s a bit distracted.” Nick said as he unsheathed his sword.

“There are three more sword skills I can teach you. Now, do as I do.” Link said as he crouched down and pulled his sword arm back. “Whatever energy you have, be it magic or whatever, I want you to try to channel it into your weapon.” Link explained.

Nick nodded as he followed Links instructions, closing his eyes as a cloud formed over his head. A bolt of lightning striking the blade as electricity pulsed around it. “Huh. Elemental blade cool!”

“Once you’ve channeled enough, you must swing in a circle or an arc, this may be difficult to do at first but-” Link suddenly spun around, unleash a weak ring of fire, Nick could feel the heat coming from this attack. “I’m sure you can pull it off. This is known as the Spin Attack, or the Burning Spin attack I prefer to call it.”

A moment of silence past though the area before Link broke it. “The last sword technique I’m going to teach you is a powerful but risky move, it requires concentration and timing. This.” Link said as he sheath his sword. “Is known as the Mortal Draw… You first sheath your sword, then wait for an opening, and when it presents itself.” Link suddenly pulled out his master sword, spun around, and swung it very close to Nick’s neck. “This move will leave you without defense, including your shield. If your weapon connects with the neck, it's an instant kill for most enemies, except of course those who follow rpg mechanics, in this case it’s a critical hit.” Link said, snorting in amusement of how two kinds of logic can exist in the realm of reality.

“Ooooooo risky but effective, my kind of a move.” He said grinning widely as he sheathed his sword, waiting for a few moments he spun forward and stopped just as the blade was ready to connect with his neck.

Eris watching in the back as she licked her lips slightly looking at Nick with her snake like tounge. Nick looking behind himself at her, the draconequus looking around when he looked whistling softly.

Nick took a deep breath, “oh boy…” He said a soft blush on his cheeks before he shook his head. “Ok ok anyway!”

Link laughed at the display. “I know that look, my mate Theia would do the same thing.” he said with a knowing grin. “I can see your children now.” he teased.

“Stop immediately!” Nick said his face turning a shade of bright red, Eris raising an eyebrow before giggling softly appearing behind Nick. “Foals with Nick? Ooooooooo sounds like dre-”

“STOP!” Nick said blushing even brighter from the embarrassment.

“All kidding aside.” Link said with a chuckle. “At Least the ice is broken, or in Eris’s case, quite literally.” he said as he brought his sword back. “Continuing where I left off. There is two more sword techs left. First, the Beam Sword, you can only use this if you don’t have any injuries. Now you might need a specially weapon to do this as I can only use it with the Master Sword.” He said as he swing his sword, releasing a spinning beam that followed the blade’s arc.

“Damn!” Nick said grinning slightly as he looked at his own sword, “damn...special weapons only?” Nick said as he sighed softly. Eris gave Nick a small grin, whispering in his ear. “I can make something very very special…” She said her eagle claws running along his arm and his skin.

Shivering softly Nick shook himself free as he quickly looked at Link, “you gave Eris an idea Link! WHY?!” He asked as Eris grinned widely.

“You’ll thank me later.” Link said as his last joke. He went into a moment of silence as he thought to himself. “The Jump attack is too simple, so let’s try a Jump Strike. “ Link said as he held his sword with both hands, causing energy quickly shine along the sword’s edge. He leaps into the air with an upper slash, then brings his sword attack to release an eruption of energy. “Very useful against multiple attacks that are grouped together.” he explained.

“Hmmmm…” Nick looked intently, a small pain going through his head as he rubbed it. “Ok ok...I got it!” Nick said as he gripped the sword with both his hands and took a deep breath. A green energy shining and lingering on the blade moving to the tip before he leapt up, using the upper slash mimicking Link then quickly bringing his blade down causing a greenish eruption of energy. “Ok, HELL YES!”

“Nicely done, you’re giving my skills your own form of uniqueness. That was the last and final sword unique I can teach you.” Link explained.

“Awwww, well then again. When I was younger I did play with metal pipes and sticks acting like they were swords, and I can copy video games so I’ll be fine.” He said chuckling softly as he swung the sword sideways then quickly following up with a forward jump downward slash into a type of sweep kick as he stood up sheathing his blade. “Phew boy I need my own training dummy.”

“Now, I know your omnitrix can pretty much do the same thing as my spells that i’m about to teach you., However, I suggest you try learning and using them in your human form, perhaps use the omnitrix as a source of magic or energy for them.” Link explained.

“I’ll have to tamper around with it myself to figure out if it can do that.” He said as he then snapped his fingers. “Mishmash! I’ll name my Draconequus form Mishmash!” He said grinning widely, “first original name.”

Eris rolled her eyes before grinning, “anyway probably. The Omnitrix is honestly still my greatest weapon. It’s adaptability is what helps a LOT.”

“Plus I know it better than anything else considering I’m a nerd, but I just need more experience.” He said wrapping his sheathed sword around his chest it hanging on his back. Looking at his Omnitrix he chuckled a bit grinning at the device.

“That may be true, but what if your device is nullified? What if it malfunctions or someone or something removes it from your wrist? It may have a lot of adaptivity, however so can the human body.” Link said as he softly poked Nick’s chest. “You need to be ready for everything, don’t let your confident or your reliability be focused on one thing..” Link said with a serious tone of voice.

Nick’s eyes widened as he nodded, “gotcha...suppose that is true…” He then looked at Link, “Ben did get a lot of training from experience, the Plumber academy, and video games even when he didn’t have the Omnitrix.”

Nick looked at the watch, “guess I understand now what he said. It’s just a gadget. I have to be the hero…”

“Remember my words from earlier, ‘A sword wields no strength unless the hand that holds it has courage.’” Link quoted himself.

Nick then looked at Link and nodded, “I’m ready for the next part when you are.”

“Good, you’re another step closer to being a hero. Now, the next lesson will be about magic, and I have a lot of it. Pick an element, Fire, Ice, Light, or Earth.” Link said as he provided Nick’s choices.

“Hmmmmm...Fire.” He said rubbing his chin grinning slightly.
“Alright. The first spell is Fire Arrow, originally it would require an arrow to channel it into, but over the years i’ve learned how to channel it into my other weapons.” Link said as he held his master sword aloft. With a spark, fire magic flares up along the blade and coats itself ablaze. “You can do it with your sword, or you can pick up a rock and channel it into one.” he explained.

“I’ll start small.” He said as he then leaned down and picked up a small rock, taking a breath he channeled the flames to the small rock it sparking to its fiery life, “ahhh ok awesome!”

“Any projectile object thrown will allow it to release the magic upon impact.” Link said as he slashed the air, causing small sparks to follow its path.

Nick looked at the path as he then quickly threw the rock, the flames growing as Nick’s eyes widened. “Damn! Ok, yeah this’ll come in handy!”

“Next is Din’s Fire. The form it takes doesn’t matter how you manipulate it, will always explode on impact. It’s a very destructive force that will use a lot of your magic if you’re not careful. I can’t show it here as it will cause damage to the area, I’d rather not anger whatever princesses rules your Equestria.” Link explained.

“Yeeah, that’d be for the best. Wait, what if I…” Nick clicked his Omnitrix his human form being replaced with his newly dubbed Mishmash. Snapping his fingers a greenish aura surrounded Link, “ok that should mask the surge from the princesses...I think, what else do we need?” He asked raising an eyebrow as Eris piped back in, “an arena?”

“Good idea.” He said as he quickly snapped his fingers again the trio disappearing and reappearing in a massive open field, Ponyville seemingly disappeared. “How’s this?”

“Perfect. Now, as I’ve said, this is quite destructive.” Link said as he held his hands together as if he was going to perform a turtle wave attack. A spark explodes in his hands before he slams them down into the ground, causing a dome of fire to erupt around him, it spreads out, damaging anything in its path, including both chaos goddess and chaos form Nick. Link is confident that they won’t be hurt considering what and who they are.

Nick quickly snapped his finger again a pair of sunglasses forming on his face. Eris looking at him grinning before the flames surrounded them. The flames fade away once they’ve reached their max range. “You can turn it into a fireball, a barrage, a flamethrower. Just remember it will explode when it hits the target.” Link explained.

Nick blinked as he rubbed the back of his crispy head. “Ok OW!!!!!” Nick shouted as he tapped the Omnitrix reverting to his human form. Eris looking at him, “wow that hurt you?” She asked unaffected as she giggled.

“Shut up Eris…” He said as he stood up, “probably use it as a flamethrower in all honesty.”

“Next, is Bombos. Originally, it was a pillar of spinning fire, however my Displacer turned it into a snake.” Link said as he raised his hand, a fiery snake manifested and circled around the hylian protectively. “It will chase after targets.” he said.

“So it’s basically a fire snake pet?” Nick asked raising an eyebrow, “that’s actually really cool. You have a lot of cool shit on you!” He said laughing a bit. “Now how do I do that? If I can?”

“It's from a medallion in my pouch, so either copy it or create a medallion and fill it with fire.” Link said. Nick nodded softly as he put his hands behind his back.

Eris keeping her eyes trained on the human as if thinking about something, before shaking her head. “So what’s next?” He asked raising an eyebrow looking at Link intently.

“I’m ready for the next and probably last thing for magic, Twilight’s gonna be worried considering I just sorta walked out of the castle to sulk around.” He said chuckling a bit nervously.

“Understandable. The next lesson is ice, but we can continue it later and we can continue somewhere else. Tell me, would your ponies be more comfort with another human? If not.” Link said as he reached into his pouch to pull out a unicorn mask. “I’ll assume this form.” he said, pointing at the mask that had a slight resemblance to his own.

“I mean they’ve seen Jason and his daughter and Trixie so I’d assume so, also Eris.” He said as she perked up, “yes?”

“Can you take Link back to Ponyville?” Nick asked as he looked at his Omnitrix scrolling through the holographic interface. “I wanna stretch my legs for a bit.” He said chuckling softly, as he clicked the core turning into XLR-8.

“You fine with that?” He asked in his new raspy voice, his tail stretching a bit along with his legs.

“As long as your Twilight doesn’t start Nerd-ageddon like my twilight used to do when she freaked out at new magic.” Link said in joking tone of voice.

“She went in a trance when I explained the Omnitrixies to her so she probably will.” Nick replied chuckling softly as he got into a position ready to dash off. Eris snapping her fingers the two disappearing in explosive confetti and reappearing in the middle of Ponyville in front of Twilight’s castle.

Nick dashed off soon after, leaving a trail of dirt behind him as he ran.

---

It took a few seconds before Nick reappeared in Ponyville as he skidded against the ground, “WOOOOO! I LOVE THAT!” He said hearing the beeping sound of his Omnitrix as he reverted to his human form. “Aaaah that felt good.”

Eris floated above Link with her arms crossed looking at him, “I suppose it would!” She said grinning a bit as Nick looked at Link. “And you’re SURE I can keep the sword before we go in?”

“Yes, I’m sure. I know it's design, I can alway get Celestia’s smithes to recreate it if I ever need another.” Link said with a wave of his hand. “It's only a steel sword, nothing special.”

Nick nodded before opening the door, Twilight not in the main room as he raised an eyebrow. “Probably upstairs.”

“I’ll go get her-” Him and Eris said at the same time, Nick looking at Eris who grinned wider at him as he slowly made his way upstairs. ‘God what is up with her..? That is gonna be a whole other adventure fuck…’

Author's Notes:

https://ben10.fandom.com/wiki/Diamondhead_(Classic)

https://ben10.fandom.com/wiki/XLR8_(Classic)

Personal Trainer PT3

A few moments passed after Nick had walked upstairs to get Twilight, Eris poking and prodding at Link’s massive pointy ears. “So what are you? A elf?” She asked tilting her head looking at him intently. She pinched the tips of his ears as she giggled slightly grinning a bit in amusement.

“Hylian.” Link said as he reached up to push the chaos goddesses’s paw away. “Elf ears are more pointy while Hylian elfs have a slight curve at the end of their ear.” he corrected.

“So dare I say a curvy subspecies of elves?” She asked intentionally trying to annoy Link grinning even more.

“Elves don’t even exist in Hyrule, Eris.” Link said with a raised eyebrow at the hybrid’s attempt at annoying him. She pouted slightly snapping her fingers disappearing and reappearing on a chair. “No fun Link, no fun.” She said.

“Yep, you finally get to see another displaced that isn’t me and well he’s like my mentor.” Nick voice could be heard coming down the stairs, Eris’s ears perking up as she looked Twilight coming down first as she looked seeing Eris sitting in front of Link. “Is this him?” She asked Nick who followed suit.

“Yup, Link this is my Twilight.” She said rubbing the back of his head as the mare stepped forward rubbing a hoof against her chin looking at Link before extending her hoof smiling.

“It’s nice to meet you, Twilight.” Link said as he extended his hand to meet hers, although he wasn’t sure if it was going to be a handshake or a hoof-clop.

Twilight looked at him a bit awkwardly before putting her hoof in the palm of his hand, “see. Told you I was learning human gestures from Lyra.” She said smiling at Nick.

The human shrugged softly as he then followed it up with a small chuckle. “So Link, you ready for the nerdgasm?” Nick asked Link as he raised an eyebrow looking at him with a questioning look.

“It’s to be expected.” Link answered as he shook Twilight’s hoof. “Nerdgasm?” She asked as Nick coughed. “Link knows magic never seen in Equestria before.”

Twilight’s eyes sparkled in curiosity as she stepped closer to him, “you DO? What kind of magic? What’s it do? Is it able to be used by Unicorns? What about Alicorns?!” She asked him rather fastly completely interested.

“It can be used by anyone and anypony, I mean I taught Nick a few of them, there’s still a lot I need to teach him though. So far, I’ve taught him a few fire spells. As for what kind of magic I do, a lot of it is hylian in origin while some of it is Terminian.” Link explained as he patted his touch. “A little bit of it is void magic like with most Displaced.”

“Fascinating…” Twilight said as she rubbed her chin, Nick chuckled softly as he rubbed her mane. “I’ll teach you later. Just kidding, me and Link will probably hang out more. All depends if I stop Erebus or not.”

Twilight narrowed her eyes looking at him as Nick shrugged, “I mean technically I COULD use Alien X and erase him from existence. But it’s not that easy, and well. Alien X is only a last resort.” He said as he rubbed the back of his head.

“Nothing is ever easy.” Link said with a shake of his head and a sigh before looking at Nick. “Much like me using the Fierce Deity Mask, it's powerful but it's not guaranteed to work against an enemy who may have resistance against magic.”

“Well yeah, but I’m pretty sure Alien X would work against Erebus. Or something,” Nick said as he shrugged, “Celestial Sapiens have no limits Link. I could potentially do anything as long as two other voices agree with what I want to do.” Nick said shrugging slightly.

“I remember that episode, one male, the other female, two floating green faces?” Link asked as he looked down at Twilight and the gears that are probably turning in her head.

“Yeeeep. Bellicus and Serena.” Nick nodded as he then looked at Twilight himself, the mare simply staring before snapping out of her trance. “O-oh! Sorry! Just thinking!” She said giving a sheepish smile.

Nick rolled his eyes before rubbing her head again, “it’s fine Twi.” He said chuckling softly.

“At least you’re tame compared to my Twilight when she was a filly.” Link said as he looked over at Nick. “So, what would you like to do? I’ve got all the time in the universe.” Link said, in somewhat of a literal sense.

Nick rubbed his chin, “hmmmm...lemme think.” Nick said as he rubbed his chin, “to be honest? I do not know myself.” Nick looked at his Omnitrix, “I could maybe play around with this thing or practice.”

“Remember what I said when you wanted to learn hand-to-hand combat? I’ll allow you to copy the DNA of Goron and Zora.” Link said as he reached into his pouch to pull out two masks.

Nick rubbed his chin, “yeah, that’ll work. Let’s do it then.” He said as he raised his arm the back of the Omnitrix pointing to Link, it sitting idle.

Link placed the mask onto his face and with a brief flash, he became the mask’s identity, a red zora whose colors fade to green and blue, his battle damage still there. Except Nick noticed a scar on Link’s chest that reminded him of his own wounds.
“Manticore?” Nick asked raising an eyebrow looking at Link. “Uncataloged DNA detected.” His Omnitrix chirped to life as a familiar yellow beam scanned over Link once more, once finally covering his whole body the beam disappeared. Nick looking down at his Omnitrix and scrolling through the holographic interface seeing the holographic head of the new form. “Ah perfect it’s there. Next, I wanna get both of them now and then tamper with them later.”

“Do these...masks work differently depending on the user?” Twilight asked having a notepad in her magical grip as Eris rubbed her chin floating around Link. “Hmmmmmmmmmmmm….”

“The mask gives the powers of the spirit it contains, I got those masks by a song known as the Song Of Heal, a spell that heals trouble spirits and curses and turns them into masks. Nick here however will have the form but not the experience and persona of the Mask. This Mask here contains the spirit of the music artist Mikau, guitar of the zoras in Termina. “ Link explained as he looked at Twilight. “It’s work for me, although i’ve never seen a non-humanoid wear it.” he said as a mental image of a zora unicorn appeared in his head. “Every person who wears the mask will look different compared to other users who wear it. In my Mask some of my clothes have blended with the form.”

The long head tail fin was faded in blue and red much like the cloak he wore in his form. “By the way, Nick. The Zora form will allow you to fight and swim underwater very swiftly, fight with arm fins, use them as boomerangs, and last allow you to create an electric blue shield that shocks those who get too close.” Link explained.

“So another good form underwater? Awesome,” Nick said chuckling softly as he nodded softly looking at his Omnitrix and scrolling through the Holographic interface a bite. “It’ll be useful.” He said as he then looked up the interface disappearing.

“Thanks,” he said smiling slightly as he rubbed his hair.

Link grabs as his face and pulls it off, reverting back to his original form. He put it away and then pulling out the Goron Mask and putting it on, assuming the form of a proud goron hero. “Goron form, capable of shattering boulders, immunity to high temperatures, strong fiery punches, rock hard body, and you can roll around with spines popping out of your body when your activate your magic.” Link explained.

“Uncataloged DNA detected.” The Omnitrix chirped once more as it scanned Link’s Goron form. A few seconds passing before the yellow beam disappeared again, “perfect.” He said smiling as he checked the interface once again before moving his arm away it disappearing.

“Wait hold up, Omnitrix. What is my name?” He asked as the device beeped slightly, “Nicholas Devin Taylor of Earth.”

“Has my voice been saved in case of an Omnitrix hijack?” He asked raising an eyebrow, “affirmative.” The watch replied as Nick nodded.

“Perfect then,” He said grinning as he rubbed his hands together. “I’ll have to tamper with the advanced security systems.” Nick said as Eris rolled her eyes, “well...intriguing.” She said as she appeared beside Nick Twilight haven taken all the knowledge in her notes even making a rather decent drawing of Link’s Goron form.

“These masks could have lots of power in the right hooves…” She said looking up at Link.

“Before you ask, no. They can’t be replicated, each one contains a unique spirit.” Link explained as he removed the mask, he turns his attention to Nick. “There are three other masks, but one is too weak, the other is too strong, and the last you already have unicorn DNA.”

“Sure do and I could’ve guessed that.” Nick said laughing a bit, “but yes I have unicorn DNA anyway.” Nick said shrugging softly.

“The Deku Mask won’t be much use to you, except goofing around and being cute. The Fierce Deity Mask may be too strong as it contains a oni demon god in a weaker form.” Link explained

“Gotcha so one is to useless and the other is too powerful.” Nick then rubbed his hand against his chin. “Well, anyway is there anything else you have for me?” He asked Link raising an eyebrow.

Twilight’s horn sparking slightly as she looked up at it, a hoof rubbing against her horn. “What in Celestia..” She said a headache shooting through her head. Eris raising an eyebrow as her claw and paw began to shake, “what..even I don’t know what this is-”

Twilight let out a squeal of pain as her horn shot a magical bolt, Eris quickly catching it and using her magic to project a screen.

It was blank for a minute before sparking to life with a red visor peering out of it. Nick’s eyes widened as he clenched his fists.

“Erebus…” Nick said as Erebus laughed a bit, “of course. And I see you’ve made a new friend.” He said the black slits looking at Link, Twilight holding her head with her hooves. Tears streaming down her face as she screamed in absolute pain, the energy in her horn turning bright red.

“What do you want?!” He shouted clenching his fists tighter, “I want you. It’s about time I finally killed you anyway, funs over.” He said grimly.

“Erebus just tell me where and when now!” He said taking a deep breath and attempting to care for the alicorn and Eris at the same time. Eris even unable to bear the sheer pain of it, “the center of the Everfree Forest, in one hour. Be on time Taylor, because I don’t think little Twilight and Eris can handle another shock of energy from me.” He said laughing a bit before the projection disappeared, the red energy disappearing as Twilight took deep breaths holding her head still as Eris panted softly falling onto her side.

Nick clenched his fist a bit tighter as he stood up. “I gotta go fight him…” He said not even looking at Link his heart beating a bit.

“Do what you must and remember what I taught you.” Link said as he reached up to tap the side of his head. “You’ve got new tricks to use that he is unaware of.”

“I know...and trust me...after this..?” He knelt down beside Eris rubbing her white hair, “he’ll be lucky to see fucking tomorrow…” Nick said as he stood back up as he took a deep breath. “I’ll use the 58 minutes to care for these two. Then turn into XLR-8 and go to the Everfree Forest.” Nick said as he clicked his Omnitrix turning into Four Arms and picking up Eris and Twilight with each pair of his arms.

“Link, I’ve got this...thanks for the mentoring but this is my fight now…” He said as he took a deep breath using his foot to open the door. “Good thing Spike is with Rarity, I don’t wanna hear him flip.” He said walking out.

“If things get bad, don’t hesitate to ask for my help, alright?” Link asked as he took seat on the floor, sitting indian style. He points up at the necklace around Nick’s neck. “Something I forgot to mention, I use my token to become a wolf. Just incase there’s something you need to find, just sniff the air in that form and you’ll see scent colors by your eyes.” Link explained

“Gotcha, how do I end our contract for now?” He asked looking at him with two of his eyes.

“You don’t know? I know i’m not the first Displaced you met.” Link said with a raised eyebrow.

“Lemme guess, Link our contract is done.” He said raising an eyebrow.

“Exactly.” Link said before he was encased in a blue crystal, he raises up a few feet before suddenly spinning and vanishing out of thin air.

Nick looked at where Link was as his heart pounded against his Tetraman chest. “Forget this...Erebus is going down for this…” He said as he ran forward carrying Twilight and Eris to the hospital.

Author's Notes:

Thank Displaced Writer for allowing this crossover to happen! It was perfect for Nick's character and for him to learn new stuff. Next chapter is gonna be quite the smack down chapter.

https://ben10.fandom.com/wiki/Four_Arms_(Classic)

Hostile Takeover PT1

Nick sat in the hospital, sweat running down his face. He had 2 minutes left from what the clock said, taking a deep breath he gulped, he had only been taught a few pointers in magic by Link along with a few spells that weren’t even the full package he could’ve learned!

Nick took another breath, the cool air of the hospital making him shiver slightly as he looked at the unconscious Eris and Twilight. From what the doctor had told them it’d be a bit before they fully woke up. Then Nick had to face the big bad himself Erebus, he was nervous, he was scared.
Anxiety building in his chest before he shook his head, “no!” He said as he took a breath.

I’ve got this, I have to be cautious but I’ve got this…” He reassured himself as he looked at his Omnitrix, he didn’t have that much time left. The others had been on their way to the hospital, the perfect time for Nick to slip out.

Clicking the faceplate he scrolled the list of aliens before clicking one form, fur growing along his body as a sort of black mask formed on his eyes, almost Wolverine like with a thunderbolt design going down his chest. Nick had been replaced with the alien Fasttrack as he dashed out of the hospital and past Applejack who jumped at the blur dashing by.

“What the hay was that?!” She shouted as Rainbow Dash rubbed a hoof against her chin, “I’m pretty sure Nick, but I don’t think he’d leave Twilight and Eris without a reason…”

“M-maybe he just needed time to think…” Fluttershy piped in, Applejack shook her head. “He had time to think before from what Twilight told us. Should we follow him?” Applejack asked looking out the window seeing the blur move fast to the edge of town.

“That would be a good idea darling, but who will stay back to watch Twilight and Eris?” Rarity asked, Applejack adjusted her hat. “Let em go ahead, I hope he’ll be alright…”

---

“Are your forces prepared?” Erebus asked in Shade’s ear, the unicorn grumbled slightly. “Yeah yeah yeah, they are. The princesses will know when Nick is close to death, I put the idea in Celestia’s head while she was sleeping. Once their gone Canterlot will be ours for the picking.”

“With the Princesses gone, we can converge on the other kingdoms. The dragons, the griffins, the Crystal Ponies. Along the way killing the Mane Six, as they’ll be an inconvenience we do not need.” Erebus laughed a bit as Shade narrowed his eyes at him, “Changeling territory?”

“Shade, we’ll take over all of Equestria once we’re done. If not more, and believe me this is just a small start for me. You can have this Equestria. But let us focus on these two, I must go to my duel.” Erebus stated as he quickly disappeared, Shade grumbling slightly. ‘

Behind him stood a rather large group of mutated Unicorns, Pegasi, and Earth ponies, along with the Timber Wolf. “I got off lucky, I’d rather have Sombra’s horn attached to me then be a mindless combat pony.” Shade said as he looked at the ponies, there was maybe a town's worth of them.

The ponies stood tall, their horns and or wings extended widely. For the unicorns their horns curved at the tip covered in armor that Erebus had obtained through means he did not discuss. The pegasus had it worse, their wings having grown along with the fur on their muzzles exposing skin and occasionally their skull.

The earth ponies looked horrible, their bodies covered in spots of random exposed skin and flesh. Most of them covered head to toe in complete sets of armor, that protected almost their entire body aside from their hooves.

Shade looked back at the beautiful city of Canterlot, his forces ready to strike on his command, “sad Razor isn’t here to experience this battle. He would’ve loved this.” Shade said grinning to himself.

---

Nick dashed in his feet skidding against the grassy floor of the Everfree, Erebus standing in waiting. “Ah welcome!” He said grinning widely, Nick reverting to his human form. “Why..?” Nick asked looking at Erebus.

“Why did I target your Twilight and Eris? Had to draw out the hero somehow.” Erebus said mockingly, ‘hero…’ Nick thought to himself clenching his fists.

Nick shook the thought from his head, gripping the handle of his sword tightly he whipped it out pointing it toward Erebus, both his hands clenched tightly on the handle. Erebus laughed, “HA! You call that a sword?!” Erebus said laughing harshly before coughing.

Grabbing the handle of his own weapon, the blade had not extended until he flicked it the large crimson red blade showing. Nick taking a deep breath, a spark forming along his blade. Flames erupting from it as a large fire formed on his blade.

Erebus grinned, “this’ll be fun!” Starting to run at Nick he reeled his blade back, taking a downwards slash at him. Nick dodging to the left thinking to himself, ‘ok I’ve got this!’ Nick thought, taking a quick sideways slash at Erebus, the crimson blade of the villains blade collided with Nick’s. Erebus removing one hand from the handle and then slammed his gloved fist into Nick’s chin sending him back a few feet.

Nick shook his head a bit, Erebus already following up taking a swing at him again. Nick dodging narrowly and leaping backwards, slamming his foot into Erebus’s stomach he elbowed his helmet before then spinning around and going for a angled strike with his sword.
Erebus recovering quickly saw this, throwing his blade into the air he dodged angled slash and punched Nick square in the face. Then going for a gut punch, Erebus did so mercilessly, grabbing Nick by his jacket and slamming his knee into Nick’s crotch.

Nick’s eyes shot open as he let out a shriek of pain, Erebus not allowing him to cover the dirty strike and headbutted Nick sending him on his back and forcing his sword away from his grasp. “You gotta go for those low blows..?” Nick asked as Erebus snorted.

“Nothing is considered low Nick,” he said as he pointed his blade at Nick’s face. The tip pushing against his nose. “Do you accept death?” Nick looked at his Omnitrix but shook his head, grabbing a rather large rock nearby it sparked to life catching fire as Nick flung it into Erebus’s helmet.

Sending him back as he rubbed his visor grumbling, ‘an opening!’ Nick thought as he leapt up, ignoring the pain as he slammed his fists into Erebus’s chin, his movements were natural. Kneeing Erebus in the chest he spun slamming his left fist into his visor with astonishing force actually sending Erebus on his back.

Jumping up, Nick slammed his foot down only for it to connect with the ground where Erebus’s head had been. ‘Fucker...that dick and his warping…’

Erebus grinned widely as he appeared slamming his fist into Nick’s jaw sending him backwards and against a tree, falling onto the ground Nick shook his head. “Can’t...quit…” Nick said rising to his feet.

Erebus looked at Nick, the human spitting some blood onto the ground. ‘Gotta try something before I use the watch if I can even stay alive for it..’

Nick had not tried this out himself, but desperate times call for desperate measures. Putting his hands together he closed his eyes, sparks forming in his hands. ‘Only saw Link do this but I think I get the gist…’ Nick thought to himself, before slamming his hands down on the ground. Erebus raising an eyebrow before a large expanding dome of pure flames overtook him.

“ARGGGGHH!!!!!” Erebus shouted, Nick pulling his hands away. Smoke and fire surrounding him from the burning trees, Nick was exhausted. Falling onto his chest and below the smoke he gagged slightly at the horrible stench, it being rather hard to breath.

Coughing and spurting his vision grew slightly blurry, before a bright flash of light surrounded his body and blinded him.

---

Erebus patted himself down, his armor and clothing covered in scorch marks as he narrowed his eyes. The forest was burning down, “I’ll have to fix that later.” Erebus grumbled as he tapped his gauntlet, “the Princesses did not appear to fight for Nick. Instead pull him away, initiate the attack. He isn’t getting back up for a while,” he said into his gauntlet.

Erebus grinned as he walked through the flames, his bright red visor shining in the burning of the Everfree and the screams and squeals of surprised animals, his form disappearing.

---

Celestia panted softly, Nick sprawled out on the cold floor of the Canterlot castle, Luna pushing against his side with a hoof. “Is thy finished?” She asked her sister, “no. He’s suffered a lot of injuries but we may be able to heal him.”

“Sister shall we inform Twilight Sparkle of our plight?” Luna asked as Celestia before she could respond heard the immediate cries and screams for help outside her castle. This drew her attention immediately, looking down seeing her subjects being attacked mercilessly. “Luna yes! Inform Twilight and the others of our trouble! Canterlot is under siege!” The sun goddess said, Luna taking off.

She looked down at Nick, who had been breathing very lowly and slow. Using her magic to carefully pick him up and dashed off.

A feeling of dread washed over Celestia, there was a storm coming she didn’t think her and the others could fix...her eyes then fell on the unconscious Nick before she shook it. ‘He’ll help…he has too…’

Author's Notes:

Sorry for the long wait and yes I know this chapter is MUCH different from the one I removed, I decided this would be a good point in my story to finally have Erebus make a big move on Equestria, which I firmly stand by. I hope you enjoyed it =3

https://ben10.fandom.com/wiki/Fasttrack

Hostile Takeover PT2

Screams could be heard from the city of Canterlot, smoke starting to rise as Shade walked through it smiling widely. The unicorn chuckled softly, seeing the mutated ponies provided to him by Erebus to allow this attack to happen. He let out a cackle of laughter before a bright blue blur crashed into the ground, sending the guards valiantly defending, himself, and the mutants back.

Landing on his hooves he looked up smiling widely, “THOU DARE ATTACK OUR SUBJECTS?!!!!” The booming voice of Princess Luna shouted.

“The princess is mine. Take care of the rest of her guards,” Shade said as he took a stance. Luna covered in her old battle armor, her horn sticking from her helmet as it began to glow. A series of magical blue swords forming in the air. “Thy would be wise to run while thy has the chance…” Luna growled.

Shade laughed softly, his horn sparking with a red aura. “I am surprised your sister hasn’t turned up, and frankly I was hoping you’d stay in Canterlot. I wanted the pleasure of killing you myself.” He said with a massive creepy grin.

Luna’s eyes narrowed, ‘King Sombra’s horn...he possesses the horn…’ She thought to herself, a small shiver running down her spine before she shook her head. Spreading her wings she dashed forward, the blades behind her following as Shade galloped forward. Luna took the first slash, going for a overhead with two of the blades.

Shade dodged to the left. A black crystal rising from the ground and smacking Luna in the muzzle sending her back onto the ground.

Breaking her concentration the weapons dissolved as she rubbed her muzzle shaking her head, Shade moved forward toward her. Another black crystal shooting from the ground, Luna using her magic to make a sort of magical barrier between the two. More crystals forming as Shade even fired dark magic bolts at her.

“You seem to have lost your skill Luna! Perhaps someone isn't as well rounded as they once were!” Shade shouted mockingly, the Princess actually struggling against him and his constant onslaught.

“And I’m just getting started!” Shade stated as he grinned widely, the ground below Luna shaking a bit before a massive crystal struck her in the chest, breaking the barrier finally and shooting her up into the air in which Shade followed by teleporting in the air with her and reeling his head back.

Shooting a massive surge of magic at Luna and sending her flying through the window of one of the nobles homes.

---

Nick coughed and sputtered slightly as he groaned, “easy Nicholas. I’m accelerating your healing process.” Celestia’s soft voice spoke, “Erebus...what happened with Erebus?!” He asked frantically.

“If you are speaking of your opponent, I teleported you out before he or you could kill you.” Celestia explained, Nick rubbed his head. “Agh fuck what was I thinking...full out explosion or whatever Link called it…”

“Now is not the time to question yourself! That is for another day, Canterlot is under attack!” She said as Nick’s eyes widened. “Now?!” He asked as he attempted to stand Celestia’s magic holding him down helping his bruises and wounds disappear.

“Celestia, you know we can’t stay here just so I can recover! People are counting on us…” Nick said as he struggled against her magic, Celestia looked at the human intently. “Nicholas this isn’t your fi-”

“Don’t give me that bullshit!” Nick shouted rather aggressively at the princess, “I brought Erebus here. If not for me these ponies would be living their lives! I gave him the power boost he needed to reach Equestria! That’s horse shit it isn’t my fight! Now let me GO!” He shouted at her, his eyes narrowed.

The sun goddess sighed softly, her magical grip on Nick relinquishing. The human sitting up, his body was sore but thankfully he could breathe normally.

Looking out of the window of the castle and down at the streets being over run he narrowed his eyes, ‘those poor ponies...mutated and forced to do Erebus’s bidding…’ Nick clenched his fist, a familiar fire erupting in his chest.

Looking around intently he looked up on a wall, seeing a masterfully crafted golden sword mounted on the wall. A gold handle on it and the blade sharpened and ready. “Celestia I’m going to borrow this, I’m assuming you called the others.” Nick said grabbing the handle.

Swinging it for a second Celestia simply nodded, “Then I want you to go get them they can’t be too far away by now, I’ll hold them off for as long as I can. It’s the least I can do.” Celestia looked intently at Nick, she saw something from inside the human. Nodding her head again she followed his directions, “Nicholas. Please stay safe you're still not fully recovered.” Celestia mumbled as Nick nodded, “I’m aware…”

Driving the blade through the window, Nick took a deep breath and he leapt out of the broken window, “a hero’s heart…” Celestia muttered to herself as she shook her head using her wings and flying off herself.

---

Luna stood tall, swinging her sword at Shade who countered with a black crystal spear he had made himself, “your kingdom will fall!” He shouted as he laughed slightly, Luna’s eyes narrowed and her teeth grinding against each other. ‘We can’t keep this up for much longer…’ She thought to herself, pushing Shade back she took a breath.

“What are you going to do Luna? You can’t do anything!” Shade said as he took a sideways swing at her with his spear, Luna blocking with her sword. Only for Shade to swing his spear again, not letting up only going faster and faster with his attacks.

Luna’s parries and blocks growing slower as she eventually dropped to her hooves, panting softly. Shade ready to plummet his blade through her throat before a green energy like whip wrapped around the spear.

The unicorn looked behind him as a red fist collided with his nose sending him onto the ground. “What a way to make an entrance if I do say so myself!” Nick said as he floated in the air, his large yellow beak extended from his face as he let out a squawk. He had transformed into Astrodactyl on his way down, Luna looking up at Nick smiling softly.

“The human? No matter...let us make this quick….” Shade said as he fired a large bolt of energy at Nick, who quickly dodged by dashing to the left, using the jetpack attached to his body to assist his retractable glider like wings.

Opening his beak wide a large green beam shot from it, Shade quickly narrowly evading the projectile before two large glowing green energy whips extended from his wrists and into his hands.

Taking a swing at Shade the Unicorn dodged firing a blast at Nick who evaded with a barrel roll, hovering above the ground he flew down attempting to tackle Shade.

The Unicorn evaded the initial charge and using his magic to suspend Nick's ankle, yanking him back he slammed him against a table and threw him against a wall.

“SQUAWK!” Nick let out instinctively as he groaned softly, shaking his head he took off back in the air and reformed his energy whips.

Cracking one against the ground near Shade, the dark unicorn let out a roar of agitation a large black crystal shooting from the roof of the building him, Nick and Luna were in. This causing Nick to collide with the ground as he groaned and rubbed his head, Shade picking up his black spear.

“Erebus was right...you're just a nuisance…” Shade said as he raised the spear right his magic. Nick smiling a bit before raising his head and opening his beak, “surprise!” He shouted a green energy beam shooting from his mouth and directly into Shade’s face.

The blast sent the unicorn flying backwards and out of a window, “AHHHHHHH!!!!!!” He screamed.

The sound of Nick’s Omnitrix powering down imminent as he then reverted to his human form, the sword he had taken in the back of his jacket as he knelt down and helped Luna up. “You ok?” He asked holding his sore side.

“Yes...we are fine...worry about our subjects and guards!” Luna commanded as she rubbed a hoof against her head.

“Yeah I got it trust me, I’ve failed TWICE in stopping Erebus…” He muttered to himself, “I refuse to lose this time.” Nick said as Luna looked up at him and smiled. “I’ll be back in a bit, back up should be on the way!” He said as he ran forward and leapt out the broken window.

Nick had to admit, he had never exerted himself this much ever, specially while he was still a bit banged up. Something in his mind was telling him what he was doing was stupid, it was dumb he was going to die. But something in his heart told him, this is what he had to do.

Landing on the ground he looked at the struggling and injured guards. The mutated and feral ponies overwhelming the last remaining group. Nick taking the sword out as he ran forward, the guards and mutants looking at him. “Just as surprised as you boys! But I’m going with it!”

Leaping up he slammed his foot into the muzzle of one of the mutated ponies and taking a slash at another, cutting one on the side and knocking another to the ground. Punching another in the jaw he sent it tumbling to the ground as another leapt onto his back in which he quickly threw it off.

Nick took a stance, ‘ok gotta remember what Link said...gotta remember…’ An idea then popped in his head as he closed his eyes, green energy shining and lingering on his blade before it moved up to the tip.

Running forward he leapt over the ponies underneath him, and performing an upperward slash. The ground below him erupted in green energy before the mutated Earth ponies and Unicorns went in all different directions. Nick taking a breath as he rubbed his hair.

One of them attempting to stand, Nick standing and readying his blade before a cyan blue and purple magic bolt struck it knocking it back down.

Nick looked up, seeing a rather shaky Twilight with Celestia and the other Elements. “Twilight!” Nick said as he ran forward and hugged the shaky princess who winced before smiled. “Hey Nick…” She said smiling and rubbing her hoof against his back.

“You decided to have a party without us Nick?” Rainbow Dash asked narrowing her eyes, “frankly I could’ve used your guys help…” Nick replied chuckling softly before looking at Celestia, “thanks.” He said as the princess smiled at him.

“Shall we save Canterlot then?” She asked her horn sparking, “oh yeah! This should be more fun than the changeling invasion!” Rainbow said clapping her hooves together floating in the air.

“Before we go in, don’t hurt these ponies to bad. They’ve been mutated and I may be able to change them back.” Nick said as he narrowed his eyes before a red energy blast shot the ground around the group. Sending them all back as Nick slid against the ground on his back groaning softly, “that’s assuming you ever survive long enough to save them.” Shade said stepping forward his eyes narrowed and the purple glow coming from them.

Nick smiled softly as he stood up, “yeah I was going at it alone. But this time I’ve got some back up...and great friends…” He said as he gave a smirk. The girls standing up and taking their battle stances, “more to kill then!” Shade shouted as his horn sparked to life, charging at them. Nick, the Mane Six and Celestia charging back.

Author's Notes:

https://ben10.fandom.com/wiki/Astrodactyl

Hostile Takeover PT3

“GAH!” Nick shouted as his back hit a wall, landing on the ground on his hands and knees he rubbed his head. “Ouch….fuck…” Nick groaned looking up, Rainbow Dash charging forward. Her hoof reeled back as Shade growled. “INSIGNIFICANT WELPS!!!” He shouted his horn glowing as a black crystal rose up from the ground Rainbow Dash’s eyes widening as she evaded it only to come face to face with a red magic bolt.

Twilight narrowed her eyes, “RAINBOW DASH!” she shouted, Celestia rising in the air the sun behind her. “HOW DARE YOU?!” She shouted as she fired a massive surge of energy down upon Shade. In which Shade quickly pulled up a bright red barrier, “Celestia! You already know how this will go!” He shouted grinning widely as he redirected the blast made by Celestia.

Applejack’s eyes widening as the bolt struck her dead on in the chest, sending her back. Groaning softly, Nick picking himself up as he gripped his golden sword. Leaping forward Nick took a swing at Shade who quickly evaded, and slammed his hind hooves into Nick’s chest sending him back against the ground.

Jumping back up Nick leapt off of some debris performing a downward slash on Shade who blocked with a newly formed black crystal sword. The blades colliding as Nick narrowed his eyes, he kicked Shade’s muzzle sending him back as Nick eld the blade tightly.

“Pinkie Pie? Show our buddy a good party!” Nick said grinning as Pinkie Pie’s eyes widened, “YES!” She shouted as she pulled out a large cannon, “PARTY TIME!!!” She shouted taking a bite out of cupcake and rapidly firing an assortment of sweets at Shade.

“Rainbow Dash you ok enough to fight?” Nick asked running over to the cyan mare who was rubbing her head, “yeah yeah…”

“I need you to attack him from above, I think I have a plan.” Nick said as Rainbow Dash nodded quickly dashing up in the air and down on Shade the unicorn grunting making a magic dome around himself to block both attacks. “Whatever your plan is! It’s pathetic!” He shouted as he grunted, “Celestia I think you get the gist?” Nick asked looking at the princess who took a side repeatedly firing magic at the shield.

“Fluttershy?” Nick asked the butter yellow pegasus, who was shivering slightly. “Y-yes?” She asked as Nick knelt down and rubbed her head. “Be shy.”

“Rarity I want you to keep fire on that shield.” Nick said as the fashionista mare nodded before opening fire on Shade’s dome shield.

With all this oncoming damage the unicorn knelt down trying to keep up the shield as he growled. Nick narrowing his eyes the stats and health of the shield showing. ‘Wide Angle thank you, now I have to wait for a bit..’ He gripped his sword tightly, the guards that Nick had saved earlier watching him. “What is he doing?” One asked as Nick took a deep breath.

“ENOUGH!!” Shade shouted as he expelled massive amounts of magic, the Mane Six and Celestia flying backwards as Nick’s eyes widened. “Now!”

Running forward he leapt forward, and in one swift motion before Shade could react. SLICE! Celestia picked herself up looking as Shade went flying near her, his horn stumpy and missing. Nick holding the severed horn of King Sombra, “can’t use any magic without this correct?”

Shade felt his head, “MY HORN!” He shouted as he galloped toward Nick headbutting his chest sending him on his back, however Nick kept a firm grip on the horn.

Headbutting Shade, he then kneed his stomach and grabbed him by his hind hoof and slammed him into the ground. Slipping the horn into his pocket he picked Shade up by his fur and slammed him back down into the ground repeatedly.

Shade grunting each time before Nick dropped the unicorn down and striked his muzzle with his fist. Nick couldn’t control himself, continuing to pummel Shade into the ground the human growled each time, “fucker!” Nick growled, blood staining his fist the girls watching him in horror, “Nick darling! Stop!” Rarity shouted gasping, Nick not stopping before he reeled his fist back a golden aura surrounding it.

“Nick! Enough!” Celestia said looking at the bloody and bruised face and muzzle of Shade, Nick took a deep breath as he let go of the unicorn allowing him to drop to the ground barely breathing. But alive, Nick looked at the horrified ponies. “I’m sorry I just...I just couldn’t take it anymore…” He said as he took a deep breath.

“I understand Nicholas…” Celestia said putting a hoof on his shoulder, Nick believed her considering how long she had been ruler of Equestria. Probably made some rage induced decisions in war, “thanks…” He said smiling softly at her before a howling was heard Applejack finally fully recovered and rubbing her head.

“What was that?” Rainbow Dash asked, Nick looked up narrowing his eyes. Looking at the top of a building his eyes widened as he then followed with a growl. “Timber wolf…” He muttered as Fluttershy perked up, “Timber Wolf? Here?” She asked looking up at the roof Nick was.

Drool leaking from the mouth of the Timber Wolf as it growled at him, “yeah and it remembers me…” Nick grumbled as he slipped his sword inside the back of his jacket. “I’ve got this one, you guys go help the guards fend off the remaining mutants, I’ll deal with wooden Scooby Doo.” Nick said as they followed running off Twilight stopping.

“You sure Nick?” She asked him as Nick nodded, “I’ve got this.” The alicorn sighed before following after the group.

The Timber wolf dropped down and began to circle Nick, Nick making sure to keep his distance. “Let’s dance puppy…” Nick said as he took a defensive stance, the Timber Wolf leapt forward howling at him.

Nick running forward and sliding underneath it he took a slash at its tail cutting it off as the Wolf growled, its tail almost instantly growing back.

“Regeneration?” Nick asked as he narrowed his eyes slightly, his sword sparking to life with fire. “Lets see how well it does against fire.” He said as he gripped the blade with both hands running forward charging the beast once again.

---

Erebus watched from above, he was slightly agitated about the whole situation. “Shade lost his horn and now it belongs to Nick…” He grumbled as he clenched his fists, “incompetent unicorn…I should’ve given it to someone more worthy.” He growled softly watching intently.

His attack was failing, his troops of mutations were failing and Shade was defeated. He knew he’d have to intervene himself eventually, “this time NOTHING will stop my goal...I want Nick’s head! Then his entire Equestria, as planned.” He growled as he flicked his red blade, clicking a few commands into his gauntlet he quickly disappeared.

---

Standing tall Nick leapt over the Timber Wolf his blazing sword striking down on the neck of the beast as he stood on its back. The wolf let out a loud groan and whimper of pain from the blade penetrating the back of its neck, Nick driving it in only deeper.

The human’s eye twitched slightly, his heart racing as he pulled the blade away. He panted softly before hopping down, the Timber Wolf looking into his eyes. Nick looked back, a coldness striking over his eyes as he narrowed them, the life fading from the dismembered Timber Wolf.

A clapping heard from behind him, “bravo! Congratulations on your first kill!” Erebus’s voice spoke as Nick’s brow furrowed.

Turning around Nick looked at Erebus who quickly took a slash at his blind side, Nick leaping backwards evading the strike. Nick slid against the ground as he looked at Erebus, “much better reflexes than last time…” Erebus growled.

Nick stood tall, “it’s over Erebus! Your forces have fallen! I’ve put the poor wolf out of its misery...with help I’ve defeated your assistant...your finished!” Nick said as he clenched his blazing blade tightly.

Erebus laughed, “unlikely Nick. See unlike you, time is on my side.” He stated, “you do not understand the forces you have unleashed...even if you do win this day, I will come back, with much...much hatred.”

“Yeah, says every villain to every hero ever. Lets just get this show rolling?” He asked, Erebus chuckled.

Twilight, the gang, and now both the princesses coming in beside Nick. “Did I forget to mention now I have friends?” He asked, Nick smiled softly. Rainbow Dash clapping her hooves together, “this is the guy who you talked about in the hospital? Pft, he doesn’t look like all that!” She said.

“Ah, a Rainbow Dash. So confident, I wonder what would happen if I plucked those fucking wings…” Erebus said narrowing his eyes, Nick looked back.

“Don’t underestimate him. We have to give him everything we’ve got…” He said, Luna still slightly beat up from her encounter with Shade but able to stand and produce her magical blades. “If Sir Nicholas believes he is a threat, do not take him lightly.” She stated.

“Agreed.” Celestia followed up as Erebus looked at Nick intently, “so what shall it be Mr. Taylor? Gonna try and fight me sword to sword now with a little group?”

Nick shook his head, “no. I’ve gotta pull out all the stops here.” Nick said as he clicked his omnitrix, scrolling through the list of aliens he clicked down and slammed on the dial. Fur growing along his body as claws stuck out from his fingers, a muzzle forming on his face as he let out a loud howl.

Erebus grinned slightly, Nick taking a stance now in the Loboan form of Blitzwolfer. “Attack!” He shouted in his deep voice, leaping toward Erebus the villain quickly warped, hitting Celestia in the back of the neck with the handle of his blade, only to be blasted by a purple and blue blast of energy courtesy of Rarity and Twilight.

Erebus rolled along the ground before quickly warping and recovering, taking a slash at Luna. The Goddess of the moon countered with a plethora of swords and pushing Erebus back into Applejack who bucked him into Pinkie’s Party Cannon mid fire and covering his helmet in cake.

Nick ran forward and took a slash at Erebus with both of his claws while he was blinded, slamming his foot into his stomach and then splitting his muzzle apart and letting out a loud. “ARRRROOOOOOOO!!!!”

A sonic howl sent Erebus flying backwards into the air where Rainbow Dash flew down with impossible speed and slammed her hind hooves into his back sending him into the concrete.

Erebus stood up with his cracked helmet as he growled, letting out a roar of rage he quickly disappeared and reappeared in front of Nick. Roundhouse kicking the Loboan, Nick’s back hit a wall before Erebus disappeared again and slammed his fist into Rarity’s muzzle sending her face first into the ground. Warping again he flip kicked Applejack’s jaw sending her up in the air where he leapt up and slammed her back down. Landing on the ground he easily evaded Pinkie Pie’s party cannon shots and backhanded the mare sending her backwards.

Erebus then ran forward expertly evading Luna’s formation of swords and magic blasts kicking her nose with the heel of his boot.

Landing on the ground yet again he looked behind him seeing Celestia fly into the air and bring down a large beam of energy upon him, Erebus snickered before clicking a few buttons on his gauntlet and brung up a large glowing red energy shield blocking the attack.

Erebus growled softly before his ears perked up, Twilight charging a stunning spell which he grinned at. Warping out of the way, the spell hit the nearby Rarity square in the face knocking her to the ground unconscious.

Fluttershy was shivering, she didn’t want all of her friends being hurt! This was awful! “Stop!” She shouted Erebus looking at her as the butter yellow pegasus bared down on him.

“I will NOT allow you to harm my friends any further!” She shouted as Erebus’s eyes widened, ‘oh god no…’ he thought to himself as she was then brought to his knees.

Nick rubbing his head whimpering softly Rainbow Dash landing down tending to the wounded, “yeah Fluttershy! Give him the stare!” She shouted as Nick looked confused his bright green eyes showing skepticism.

“What now?” He asked confused his Omnitrix powering down and reverting him to his human form as he held his sword tightly in his hand, his jacket covered in scratches and cuts and dirt along with the rest of his clothes.

“Now APOLOGIZE!” Fluttershy shouted, Erebus hanging his head low. “I-I-I…” He shook softly as Fluttershy’s eyes only grew bigger.

“I’m...sorry...you think I’m that susceptible to your stare.” He said looking up as he uppercutted Fluttershy sending her into the dirt.

Nick’s eyes widened, “FLUTTERSHY!” He shouted standing up and charging forward, slamming his foot into Erebus’s helmet he brought him to the ground pinning his arm with his sword and bashing his head against the hard concrete.

Erebus only laughed before his body began to glow, a bright red aura surrounding him before sending Nick back along with the sword.

Nick’s back skidding against the ground as he groaned, Erebus standing up and holding his bleeding arm. “YOU THINK THIS IS OVER?!” Erebus shouted, elbowing a pissed Rainbow Dash. “I know what I must do now. You’ll regret this Nicholas. I swear it, everything you love here will come cr-”

Nick punched him dead in the helmet, his visor finally breaking. “SHUT UP!” The human shouted as Erebus coughed and sputtered, blood streaming down and dripping onto the ground.

“I WILL KILL YOU PEST!!!” He screamed before giving one final warp away.

Nick panted, the dust settling as he dropped to his knees. The bodies of mutated ponies, the Timber Wolf, and some injured guards and noble ponies. Nick looked up. “I...I won..?” He asked as he smiled widely looking at the sky. “WE WON!” He shouted standing tall letting out a victorious cry before finally dropping down and passing out.

Author's Notes:

Sorry this took long to get out, some stuff just happened in my daily life and shit that kinda prevented me from writing and I was drained when I get home from school. Hopefully we can resume schedule now. Hope you enjoyed the chapter tho! ^^

https://ben10.fandom.com/wiki/Blitzwolfer

When The Dust Settles...

Erebus gagged as he appeared in his lair, choking on the air he grabbed his throat with one hand and quickly pushed away some of his equipment. Having multiple bald spots on his head he typed in a command into a safe hidden behind his desk, it opening sterilized air coming from it two helmets present. One with a glowing blue visor and another with a glowing yellow one, grabbing the blue one he slammed it on his head, connecting the wiring onto his shoulder before he took a deep breath.

The red lights around his armor changing to a bright vibrant blue as he sighed deeply, “fuck...FUCK!!!” He let out a blood curdling scream, his plan blew up horribly in his face. Slamming his fist down and through a wooden table he growled. “Nicholas will pay for this...he humiliated me!” He growled as he looked up.

“He killed my Timber Wolf...my soldiers! He has King Sombra’s horn in his possession!” He growled as he narrowed his eyes, “but what he does not have is your intelligence.”

Erebus wiped around grabbing a pale white unicorn by her collar, “what do you want?! How did you find this place!?” He shouted, the unicorn narrowing her eyes at him.

“My friends call me Gloom-” Erebus pushed her aside, “friends are irrelevant in my questions. What do you want?” He asked taking deep breaths attempting to keep a level head.

“I want to assist you,” she said, Erebus’s ears perked up.

“What could you possibly do, that Shade hasn’t. My acquaintances,Velocity Hoof and Stone will not like a replacement for Shade, and considering one of my helmets is more than likely in the hands of that putrid human...I do not see what kind of assistance you can give me. Unicorn.” Erebus ratted off, he was pissed off.

“I can take you to ponies who share the same hatred for the humans new allies, retrieve your helmet and horn, and single out the human for your revenge.” Gloom explained, Erebus looked at her, kneeling down in front of her. “What is your end goal then ‘Gloom?’”

“All I want? I want in on your plans, I’ve listened in on the conversations the human and the Elements had before you challenged him out to a battle.” Gloom said as she looked back at Erebus with her glowing yellow eyes, “what I want is to assist you in the oncoming storm on Equestria. I want a section…”

Erebus narrowed his eyes, “perhaps...you can be of assistance. Plans have changed due to my most recent defeat, I’ll need many things to plan a new one.” He grumbled as he clicked his gauntlet, a holographic image of items appearing. “I can give you the equipment to deal with the ponies and Nicholas. But, this device will require some components, altering your genetic structure and magic from the Crystal Heart.”

Gloom rubbed a hoof against her chin, “I can gather these things…” She mumbled rubbing her chin. “Good, I must speak with my associates on my recent failure, you go back to your home. Believe me, you’ll know when I call. Dismissed.” He said snapping his finger Gloom disappearing.

Erebus rubbed his face before disappearing himself.

---

Erebus reappeared in a dimly lit room, sitting in a chair he crossed his arms. “I am disappointed in you Erebus,” one voice spoke up. A disgusting and mangled body of a pegasus spoke up, her body half flesh and the other have cybernetically enhanced to assist her in keeping herself together.

“I TOLD you we should’ve attacked the Griffins first! But did no one listen to me?! No!” Another shouted, a earth pony looking at Erebus intently with his bright pupilless eyes. His entire body seemed to be made of stone as Erebus took a deep breath. “SILENCE!” He shouted slamming his hands on the metallic table.

“None of you would have your gifts if not for me! I am your superior! Now allow me to fucking think before I strip you of your abilities and use your organs for my experiments!” He growled.

The cyborg, Velocity growled slightly. “We allowed you to think Erebus, your thinking gave us NOTHING except an aware human and now whole Equestria!”

Stone slammed his rocky hoof into the table, “not to mention the chaos goddess must have recovered by now! For the smartest man in this Equestria, you pulled a dumb move with an all out assault!”

“FINE!” Erebus shouted as he stood up warping in front of Velocity and slamming her head against the table. “From now on we do things the SMART way! I have a volunteer to assist us in our mission to take over this Equestria. Believe me, she is an unknowing subject to my next experiment.”

Velocity spoke with her voice slightly muffled, “what are you planning Erebus?”

“Since Nicholas is a big time Ben 10 fan, he’ll figure out the devices I am crafting from now on.” Erebus grinned underneath his mask, “I will not make the same mistake twice boy…” He growled.

-2 Days Later-

Nick stood on the balcony of Celestia’s chambers, he had to be honest reconstruction of Canterlot looked rather slow. ‘Well considering their rebuilding an entire city I suppose it’s plausible.’ He thought to himself rubbing his chin a beard growing. “Yeah I gotta shave.”

“Maybe Eris can make some shaving cream for me…” He thought to himself, “sir Nicholas? The princesses would like an audience with you.” The voice of a royal guardsmen said.

Nick raised an eyebrow, “alright I guess.” He dug his hands into his pockets as he followed behind the guard. Walking he thought to himself, ‘after everything I’ve been through at this point I wanna go home, and go hang out with Sweetie Belle, or Eris. Or both.’

The guard opened the door to the throne room, Nick walking into the sound of trumpets playing along with a lot of the noble ponies looking at him with disgust. Ignoring them he looked forward through the aisle, seeing Celestia in the middle with a smiling Twilight on her right and aj also smiling Luna on her left.

Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy standing next to Luna as AppleJack, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity standing beside Twilight.

Nick blinked as he finally made it forward, “citizens of Canterlot. I have gathered you all today to commend our young hero, Nicholas Taylor.”

“Commend him for what?” One pony said in the audience, “for assisting in saving our fair city, possibly all of Equestria from complete invasion.” Celestia replied, Nick rubbing the back of his head blushing horribly. His heart beating against his chest.

The ponies in the audience were expecting a dashing young heroic stallion to enter from those doors, and Nick knew this. ‘If I’m being honest I did a mediocre job but I still helped.’ He thought chuckling to himself.

“Young Nicholas Taylor, I am proud to thank you for assisting in saving our city. Without your help I do not believe we would’ve been able to stop Shade and...Erebus from taking over.” Celestia complemented, Nick chuckled softly. “Heh thanks…”

“We shall be honest,” Luna spoke up, “we were not very sure of thy’s alignment when we first contacted thee. However, after watching thee in battle and the showmanship of selflessness in battle and a willingness to do anything to protect us. We are proud of thee, Sir Nicholas.”

“Agreed,” Celestia followed up her horn glowing and a box floating in front of her. “Which is why I am proud to give you my sword.” Celestia said opening the box up, the sharp blade Nick had used to cut off Shade’s horn lying in it, completely cleaned and glowing, showing his reflection in the blade.

“Oh no no no…” Nick said shaking his head, “I can’t take that...I did all that to protect you guys.” He said blushing even more, Celestia floating the sheath around his torso by a leather strap and sheathing the blade on his back.

“Nonsense,” She said smiling softly stepping forward and nuzzling Nick’s chest softly. Nick’s eyes widened, “thank you.” She whispered softly as Nick smiled and hugged her neck. “Your welcome…”

“What could this human possibly have done to assist aside from being a punching bag!” The same pony said standing up from his seat, the audience and the princesses looking at him a soft blue pegasus in a regal suit, his cutie mark a type of crystal Bit.

“Nick, may you explain?” Celestia asked, Nick nodding before coughing a bit. “Well, first off I know magic.” Nick said as he snapped his fingers together, a spark of flames coming to life on his index finger as he then clenched his fist it disappearing.

“The unicorn section of the Royal Guards know advanced combat magic! I am not impressed monkey,” the pegasus stated. Nick chuckled slightly, “I wasn’t finished, alongside magic I have a device that turns me into various extraterrestrial creatures. Aliens,” Nick finished clicking the Omnitrix and pushing down on the dial turning into the Vladat, Whampire.

“You see? I am still me, oh why am I explaining this?” He asked clicking the Omnitrix on his waist reverting to his human form. “But thank you for this princesses, but. Right now? I’d like to go home, back to Ponyville. These have been a loooong couple of days…”

“Understood,” Celestia acknowledged as she slammed her hoof against the ground, “my citizens you may return home, reconstruction should be done overnight.” The sun goddess said, the pegasus grumbling as he followed the crowd.

“Congratulations Nick!” Twilight said hugging his legs, Nick smiled softly as he rubbed her head. “Yeah yeah yeah,enough with the thanks. At this point I wanna go back to Ponyville and pray there's a Bug Bear attack, compared to what just happened? I can take whatever Equestria has to throw at me!” Nick said confidence in his chest, Rainbow Dash hovering above him and roughly pushing her hoof in his head, rubbing it vigorously.

“Yeah! I say the same thing dude!” She said as Nick chuckled softly, “yeah. You guys ready to go home?” Nick asked raising an eyebrow, the group giving a simultaneous, “mmmmhmm!”

“Then onward! To Ponyville!” Nick shouted unsheathing his blade and raising it in the air, lowering it back down he smiled. “Always wanted to do that…”

---

Erebus crouched over a building watching the grumpy blue pegasus open his door, “he will do nicely...pure hatred for Nicholas...just what me and him have in common…” He whispered grinning underneath his helmet.

“Considering he enjoys riches so much, maybe I shall give him his wildest dream...or most terrifying nightmare tomorrow...now I must work on my experiments. Test my newest pet,” he then looked at the ground, seeing Nick and the group walking to the train station. “Soon Nicholas… You want to play hero? Let’s see how long you enjoy the heroic life style fool…” He grumbled as he disappeared in a flash of blue light.

Author's Notes:

https://ben10.fandom.com/wiki/Whampire

Two Shifting Spirits Endearment

Twilight yawned softly, her mane ruffled and her eyes slightly bloodshot, sitting up she rubbed a hoof against her muzzle sighing softly. Crawling out of bed she smiled at the sleeping Spike before moving out of her chambers, rubbing her muzzle again she sighed before hearing an assortment of clanging and thuds on the lower floors. Narrowing her eyes slightly she trotted down the stairs, going down to where her lab was, her eye twitched slightly at the sight she saw. Her equipment had been almost completely gone, a small voice heard. “Make sure to adjust the inter-dimensional couplings…” It said, Twilight’s eye only twitching more as she moved forward.

Looking over a rather large pile of equipment she saw a small grayish creature with green and black clothing toying with the insides of a circular device. “Nick…?” She asked groggily as it turned its head. “Ah Twilight! Welcome! You get to witness me launch my Inter-Dimensional Communicator. Or as my human form would say, a Dimension Hopping Cell Phone.”

“A what..?” The alicorn asked, Nick better have a good explanation for taking apart almost all of her equipment.

“See, when Link and Jason came to my Equestria, it gave me the idea to make a way for me to crossover to other displaced Equestria’s. In which I built this!” He pushed the faceplate down showing a device that had the same green glowing hourglass on it as his Omnitrix dial.

“It is a Plumbers badge, from the Alien Force and Ultimate Alien days of Ben 10. In all honesty I would suggest updating your technology, most galvan's build this technology sleepwalking.” Nick said as he used his finger to slide through the interface of the device, “it is meant to travel across dimensions via a built in teleportation device, along with having a comm link that shoots directly to my Omnitrix. In case of an need of my assistance there is a sort of teleportation device called summon, and how I return called return.”

Twilight rubbed a hoof against her chin, allowing the insult on her technology to slide. “Amazing...could you teach me in the ways of the Galvan?” She asked, “I knew Azmuth built the Omnitrix which is extremely impressive, but this device is amazing!”

“Thank you, and yes. It all depends on if my human form is free or not, in which case he probably will be.” Nick said as the sound of his Omnitrix powering down was imminent, punching in a few commands into the device it rose to the air, a green like beam forming around it as it disappeared into nothingness.

Reverting to his human form Nick rubbed his eyes, in nothing but shorts and a tee shirt. “Yeah sorry about that, Galvan's tend to build when bored. But I did manage to make my own token, now I suppose I wait to see who picks up.” He said chuckling softly.

Twilight nodded at this, “Nick? Do you think...maybe one time I could come to a different Equestria with you? I am rather fascinated with the idea of multiple Equestrias...” She explained looking up at him with tired puppy doggish eyes.

Nick rubbed his chin before shrugging, “why not. It’ll be fun, you should probably get back to bed though.” He said chuckling and looking at the bags underneath her eyes.Twilight couldn’t help but giggle, “I had to see who was down here fumbling around with my stuff...thanks Nick...and night…” She said as she walked back upstairs.

Nick chuckled softly yawning slightly, "night Twilight."

---

A month and a half had passed since Nick and the gangs return to Ponyville along with Nick launching his token the day after, Nick laying on the top of a building. Looking up at the sky and the pegasi working on the clouds, it had been rather quiet since Erebus failed attempt of taking over Canterlot. Sure yeah, there were monster attacks here and there, but nothing mutated.

Nick wasn’t complaining, it gave him time to train and hone his swordsmanship and use his new found magic in new ways. He had decided today he’d just lay back and relax, ‘wonder how long it’s gonna last…’ He thought as he closed his eyes for a few moments and taking a breath of fresh air.

Personally Nick was never really an outdoors person, but he was enjoying himself. A small smile on his face as his nose twitched slightly, opening his eyes he was met with two massive yellow and red eyes.

Nick jumped slightly from the sudden arrival of Eris, “Eris what the fuck! We’ve talked about this!”

Eris giggled wildly at his reaction clearly being amused, “I know. I decided to ignore the entire conversation!”

Nick pinched the bridge of his nose, “of course you did…” Taking a deep breath he opened his eyes looking at her, “so what did you want?” He asked raising an eyebrow.

The female draconequus grinned widely, disappearing in a burst of confetti before reappearing behind Nick her body wrapped around his own, her nose pressed against his and his claws and paw on his cheeks. “Wanna hang out again?” She asked with a mischievous grin.

Nick blinked, “but we hung out yesterday...actually come to think of it. You’ve been basically everywhere I am since you recovered from Erebus’s assault on your magic.” Nick narrowed his eyes at Eris.

“Not everywhere silly! I don’t follow you to the bathroom or when you shower or when you go to shave your growing beard!” Eris replied smiling at him, the two still extremely close this making Nick’s cheeks flush slightly in color.

“Uh...yeah…” Nick said nervously as he sighed softly, “but uh to answer your question...sure we can hang out today…”

“Awesome!” She said enthusiastically and quickly unwrapped herself from Nick making him spin in an almost cartoonish manner as he held his head a bit. “Ok yeah…” He said shaking himself slightly.

“Oh! We can go get ice cream again! Or vandalize the Royal Gardens! Or cause a bit of chaos in the Everfree!” Eris said, more excited than normal.

“I’d say get ice cream. We’d get in massive trouble doing the others…” Nick said rubbing the back of his head, Eris pouting. “Fine.” She said as she snapped her talons together, the two appearing in SugarCube Corner.

“Huh, no oversized Ice Cream? No Ice Cream pool? This is just like-” Nick was cut off as Eris made strong eye contact with him. “When we first hung out…” Eris finished for him.

“Yeah…” Nick replied Mrs. Cake looked at the two, “oh! Eris and Nick! Welcome back, I assume the usual?”

“Actually Mrs. Cake, I was gonna try the chocolate Ice Cream this time,” Nick said chuckling softly, Eris rubbing a talon against her chin. “I could make an ice cream out of nowhere...but I’ll…” She choked at her last few words. “I’ll order a vanilla ice cream…”

Nick raised an eyebrow, he was suspicious and confused. ‘Eris is acting odd. She’s trying to be normal, well. As normal as she can get. It’s weird....’ He thought to himself.

Eris looked at Nick as Mrs. Cakes moved away to gather the ice cream, Nick looked around nervously whistling slightly. ‘I’ve made eye contact with Eris before! Why can’t I do it now..?’ He asked himself in his mind, Eris grinning at him.

“Yeah I know right? It’s weird…” She replied to his thought, Nick’s face turning a bright vibrant red. “U-uh...Eris stay out of my head! Christ!” He said suddenly looking to the side.

The draconequus knew what made him tick from reading his thoughts and snooping around inside his memories, “but Niiiiiiiiick I want to~,” she said, her voice suggestive as she leaned her head against his chest.

Only adding to the blush that spread across his face, “I can fight a mutant Timber Wolf, a Bug Bear, fucking Erebus! But I can’t handle a draconequus..?”

His heart was beating against his chest, stuttering up a storm now every time he opened his mouth. “I-I-I...Uh...words...UGH!” He said as Eris moved away from him laughing up a storm.

“BWHAHAHA! YOU SHOULD’VE SEEN THE LOOK ON YOUR FACE! OH SWEET CELESTIA THAT WAS PRICELESS!” She shouted laughing even harder, forming a tissue out of nowhere and wiping away her tears of joy.

Nick looked away taking a small breath and calming down, “Eris don’t do that again…”

“Oh you’re gonna be slightly disappointed then Nick. That’s the theme today!” Eris retorted grinning widely at him, Nick gave her a nervous chuckle in response and took a deep breath. ‘Oh god what did I get myself into…’

---

“Eris do you REALLY have to be that close..?” Nick asked, the draconequus leaning against him. Nick took another breath, she was acting really weird. Eris looked at him and narrowed her eyes. “Yes.”

Nick used his free hand to rub his nose, “you know you have an unhealthy obsession with me right? You've been teasing and stuff essentially all day and its...I don't know what to even say to it."

“I wouldn’t consider it an obsession…” She whispered softly, Nick raising an eyebrow. “Then what would you consider it then?”

Eris looked to the side, “eh...I don’t know…” She said as Nick’s expression was one of concern, was she being shy of what to tell him? ‘You’d think a spirit of chaos couldn’t get shy and always be direct…’ He thought to himself, coughing a bit he let up on her.

“Hey there’s a hill up ahead. You wanna, I dunno. Sit up there and watch the sunset? I know that’s cliche as hell. But you know what, it’s the only thing I can think of at the moment.” Nick said in a half joking manner, Eris chuckling a bit before perking up.

“I could teleport us up there you know?” She said Nick walking toward the hill with her at his side, “well yeah but I gotta walk every once in awhile right?” Nick replied smiling as Eris sighed.

“Fiiiiine,” she said giving a fake strenuous sigh. She couldn’t explain why at the moment but, after spending essentially countless hours and days being intrigued by the human and the fact that he was already a good person from what she could tell and from what she experienced.

The talk she had with him brung her even closer to him, she could never open up to even Fluttershy about something like that considering she just, just didn’t think Fluttershy would understand what that felt like...

Eris looked at Nick who continued to walk, with a small smile on his face. She could only give her classic grin following beside him staying close, a few more minutes passed before the two reached the hill.

Nick putting his hands on the grass as he sat down with both his legs crossed and leaned back slightly. “Hey Nick?” Eris piped up.

“Yes?” Nick replied looking at her, Eris chuckled slightly. “I don’t understand these feelings that I’m having right now…”

“Uhhh, I’d say having a close friend?” Nick asked raising an eyebrow, Eris shook her head laying on the grass next to him, her head pressed against his shoulder. “No it feels...like more than that, ever since that day we had that talk I just...I don’t understand what I’ve been feeling lately! I’m not used to this feeling!”

Nick looked at her, a small blush on his face as his heart began to beat fiercely against his chest. Shakily he leaned down and rested his cheek against hers, “it's probably a leap in logic but...maybe it’s love..?”

Eris looked at Nick, her cheeks flushing in color as Nick’s eyes connected with hers. She pressed her nose against his, the sun setting in front of them.

Nick’s heart only beating faster and faster before he felt her paw press against his chest, “that wouldn’t be that much of a leap big boy…” She whispered to him, Nick’s face exploding red. His eye tracing down her body and to her tail which was swaying sensually.

“O-oh! Look! The sun is setting already!” Nick said as he finally broke eye contact with Eris looking at the sun, his mind going a million miles an hour.

The draconequus smiled and put her head in his lap, “you know...today I tried acting normal because I decided today was the day I told you how I felt about you.” She sighed softly looking at the sun.

Nick let out a shy and almost cute chuckle, “y-yea…” He stuttered, he had experienced love in past yeah sure. But almost always it ended in his heart aching and him walking around a school or his house staring blankly at everything and fighting back that feeling of total loneliness.

But today, it felt different...it felt new...his heart began to slow down as he looked down at her. His nose pressing against her cheek as he let out a sigh of happiness and closed his eyes, Eris smiling softly and wrapping her tail around his leg.

“This was nice Nick…” She said softly as Nick opened his eyes, “yeah...it was…” He said as the sun finally set and the moon began to rise.

The two stood up as Nick rubbed the back of his head, “well I should uh...I should get going…” He said still blushing softly as Eris smirked at him even blushing herself. “Ahhhh is the big strong hero shy about a little affection?” She teased smiling at him as Nick shook his head.

“Man get outta here Eris!” He said chuckling softly as the draconequus seemingly popped out of existence, Nick putting his hands in his pockets.

He looked up and back at Twilight’s castle, it shining in the moonlight as he smiled. ‘Here I am thinking of dating a Spirit of Chaos…still firmly stand by the fact I won’t fuck any ponies but her? I can get behind…’ He smiled softly as he walked.

The night blanketing the land as Nick continued to walk. “God I am so gonna make her blush tomorrow if she shows up...which she probably will, not that I ever complain.” Nick yammered as he continued to walk, no alien forms today, no magic, just him and his good two legs and feet.

Author's Notes:

I finally had the guts to FINALLY launch Eris and Nick as a couple, now I have been working on this chapter for a while scared to put it out because of backlash. But I'm still hoping that is is enjoyable regardless and well, you guys can see how the relationship between Nick and Eris develop ^^

https://ben10.fandom.com/wiki/Grey_Matter_(Classic)

Who Knows You Better Than Yourself?

-In the Crystal Empire-

“STOP THAT THING!” A guard shouted, as a shadow ran down the hallways of the Crystal Empire castle. It was Erebus, narrowing his eyes underneath his helmet, “GET THAT THING! UNICORNS OPEN FIRE!” Shining Armor ordered as Erebus looked behind him seeing a number of magic blasts unleashed upon him.

Erebus jumping up and leaping off of the wall then quickly flipping over a number of the blasts, grabbing a large dagger like weapon, clicking a button on the bottom of it and turning around throwing the blade quickly, it lodging and pinning one of the guards legs to the wall.

The blade beeping before a massive electric discharge occurred, blasting and going directly for the unicorns horns as they all let out howls of pain including Shining Armor who was holding his horn with his hooves.

“Pegasi...stop him!” He said as the forces moved past him and his squadron of unicorns.

Erebus stopping as he turned around looking at the ponies who pursued him, “Velocity prepare for Stone’s arrival. Gloom, I need you to hurry up with sucking out at least a quarter of the Crystal Heart's energy. I’ll be honest I’m impressed with Shining Armor’s persistence…”

Velocity spoke up in his earpiece, “keep your head on Erebus we’ve got this.”

Erebus leapt off of the head of one of the earth ponies, pulling out his retractable sword and quickly cleaving off a pegasus’s wing. Landing on the ground he whipped around slamming his foot into the muzzle of another Earth Pony before feeling another pegasus slam into his chest sending him against the wall.

Standing up he narrowed his eyes, “stand down! You have nowhere to go!” One of the earth ponies said as Erebus laughed softly, “idiots. Now.” He said as he looked up, the ponies looking up themselves as Stone crashed through the roof and slamming down on top of one of the ponies, blood underneath his hooves. “FINALLY! SOME ACTION!” He shouted as he began bludgeoning and mercilessly beating the guards.

Erebus grinning softly as he put his fingers to his helmet ear again. “Gloom?”

“20%, give me two more minutes!” She replied looking at the heart, a small tube like device syphoning the energy from the heart.

“Good good, all of this is for the benefit of my research,” Erebus said looking up. “We can’t snag the heart, we’ll need a constant stream of fresh energy now.”

“You never even told us what this energy is for!” Stone shouted slamming his rocky hooves into the breastplate of a guard sending him flying backwards and through a wall.

“I need it for enhancements, with just a quarter of the energy from the Crystal Heart, I could use it to either upgrade my weapons, my mutations, anything!” He replied grinning widely under his mask, “then why don’t we go after the Elements of Harmony?” Velocity piped in.

“Because the tree won’t allow me anywhere near those damn things, as much as I’d like to take that power but again I can’t.” He said a guard managing to get past Stone and go in for a headbutt.

Erebus stepping to the side and dodging the earth pony, his head hitting a wall.

“It’s done!” Gloom shouted as a few of the guards chirped up, “hey! What do you think you’re doing!?” They shouted galloping toward Gloom, Velocity swooping in and quickly carrying her up in the air.

“Thanks for the save,” Gloom said as the mare looked down at her. “Just because I saved you doesn’t mean I like you.” Velocity replied narrowing her eyes.

“Enough! We shall be returning to my workshop now.” He said as he typed in a few commands on his gauntlet. Him, Gloom, Velocity and Stone disappearing in a flash of blue light. ‘

Shining Armor and the other unicorns having recovered from the attack, “commander. What did you think they want?” One unicorn asked.

Shining Armor rubbing his head still a little beat, “probably something to do with the Crystal Heart. I want the Crystal Empire on lockdown for the next few hours...with the baby coming we can’t afford to deal with this!” Shining Armor retorted the guard nodding.

“Shall I get the Elements?” The unicorn asked, “no. Not yet…” Shining replied the guard running off.

---

Nick groaned softly as he awoke, rubbing his head. “God what the…” He felt the pillows below him looking, seeing he was all in his clothes. “Wait what was the last thing I did after I left that hill..? Oh yeah. I went back to Twilight’s castle and passed out in my bed. Standing up he sighed softly.

“Ok, I’m assuming this is another Luna thing?” Nick asked looking around with his arms crossed, he was in what looked like...his old house? “Wait. This is my house when I was a kid? What the hell?” He asked raising an eyebrow.

“Yeeeeep, sure is your old house…” A voice said Nick looking around then at a table, seeing what looked like his teenage self. Wearing his old blue and silver hoodie along with his old favorite pair of red shorts and red shoes. Unlike Nick now, he looked much more apathetic. Bags underneath his eyes, “oh no...please don’t tell me your-”

“The embodiment of your teenage, and adult insecurities? Sure am.” He replied a small grin on his face, “uh...well...this is weird…” Nick said rubbing the back of his head.

“No, he’s weird.” The teenager said pointing behind Nick to another figure, it being another Nick except he was wearing a hoodie with a massive spider logo on it, cargo pants and sandals.

“So what are you supposed to be?” Nick asked raising an eyebrow, “I’m the embodiment of all your weirdest habits.” He said grinning widely.

“Wait, all of them?” Nick asked as he nodded, “ALL OF THEM!”

Nick gulped slightly before shaking his head, “ok ok...because we all can’t be Nick...I’ll call you edgy teen...Cody, and you? Weird Nick? I’ll call you...Travis.”

“Ah, the names of both our brothers? That’s cool.” ‘Cody’ said as he looked at Nick, “so would it be considered incest if w-”

Nick looked at ‘Travis’ and narrowed his eyes, “don’t. Even. Start.”

Travis grinned even more at Nick, “oh c'mon a part of you knows you want to ask that!”

“I didn’t because it’s a dumb question! We’re essentially in the mindscape!” Nick replied rubbing the bridge of his nose, “well. We aren’t limited to your dreams Nick, remember Belikus and Serna?” Cody asked.

Nick blinked slightly, “you’re the two voices I’m gonna have to debate with aren’t you?” Nick asked.

“You bet! It’s gonna be awesome!” Travis said as he wrapped his arms around Cody and Nick, “three idiots all debating on something that could save the world?”

“So I’d be debating with angst and weirdness? Ugh...I guess I can’t choose my voices can I?” Nick asked as Cody shook his head, “no dumbass you can’t.”

“What do you think the baby would look like of Eris and Nick?” Travis asked rubbing his developing chin hairs.

Nick’s eye twitching, before he could speak up Cody spoke first. “That’s assuming Nick will be able to keep her.”

“Ok fuck both of you ok? Don’t tell me you’re STILL broken up over that girl dude?” Nick asked Cody, he narrowed his eyes, “what do you think?”

Nick took a small breath feeling a small tightness in his chest before pushing it down, “like Raven told us dude. You can’t save everyone, especially if you’re not there. We put up a good effort to keep her, but alas. Even we knew we couldn’t keep her forever.”

Cody shook his head, “no. Nick I’m the embodiment of your insecurities, conquered or not. I cannot move on which is kind of-”

“Depressing?” Nick and Travis said as they looked at eachother, Travis smiled at Nick who moved away slightly.

“So I assume I’m staying in my brain until sunrise?” Nick asked raising an eyebrow, Travis nodded, “sure are! It’s being treated like a normal dream, while it isn’t really dream more just us deciding to introduce ourselves.”

“Although frankly we really didn’t need to.” Cody said as he snapped his fingers a chair appearing in front of him as he sat down, Nick sighing softly as he rubbed his chin.

“Have you ever thought about like...fucking yourself if you were a girl? Would it then be considered incest or masturbastion…?” Travis asked as he rubbed the bridge of his nose, “I am so happy I fucking grew out of that habit…” Nick said as he sighed softly.

“What do you mean? You ask dumb questions all the time.” Cody jumped in rolling his eyes, Nick looking at Cody.

“Shut up Cody, christ.” He grumbled as he sat down in a chair in the middle of the table with Cody and Travis sitting on opposites sides of him.

“So I assume that when I turn into Alien X it’s gonna be impossible trying to get you two to agree with me?” Nick asked looking between the two.

“Not impossible, just very unlikely. We’re made to argue.” Cody stated sighing softly and putting his elbow on the table and burying his chin in his hand. “And I was made to have my head in the gutter! You should’ve heard me when you and Eris we’re cuddling!” Travis said laughing.

Nick’s face turning a bright red, “we weren’t cuddling! I was just comforting and allowing her to get close..”

“Because you like her!” Travis said grinning widely at Nick, “pft. Just as long as he doesn’t screw up this relationship, or have fate screw it for him again.”

“Fate isn’t gonna screw him. He’s gonna screw Eris-”

“OK BOTH OF YOU SHUT UP!” Nick shouted as he took a breath, “considering your both a part of me, you should know that I do have a crush on Eris, just when we sat at the hill together it felt good...it felt great and loved that feeling…” Nick said looking to the side. Cody shaking his head, “don’t get too attached Nick. It’s just another disaster waiting to happen.” He spoke up as Nick narrowed his eyes.

“Will you shut the fuck up you edgy cunt? I know you’re the physical embodiment of every doubt I’ve EVER had, but along with that I can sense lots of teenage angst.” Nick stated as Travis opened his mouth to speak.

Nick looking at him, “and you need to stop thinking with your dick and start thinking with your brain! Oh god I sound like Raven when we were teenagers…” Nick said rubbing his cheeks.

“Next your gonna start yelling about pilots using the Smart Pistol in Titanfall 2 and screaming Don’t lock onto me.” Cody said in a joking manner making Nick actually grin.

“Oh god I remember that!” Nick said laughing a bit, “ah those were...semi good times when we didn’t fight all the damn time.”

“And when you didn’t screw up and play with his emotions all the time?” Cody stated raising an eyebrow.

Nick falling silent as he looked to the side, Cody grinning slightly before leaning back in his chair. Travis looked at Nick and tilted his head, “hey buddy? This should help cheer you up.” He said snapping his fingers and sliding his old middle school/high school phone in front of him.

“What am I supposed to do with this? This isn’t the real world if you're implying I do the explicit stuff, I haven’t done that since high school.” Nick said narrowing his eyes and throwing the phone back it phasing through the ground, Nick sighing and looking between the two.

“So what do you guys wanna talk about?” He asked raising an eyebrow, “well considering you’ve said it yourself before. Conversation usually comes to us, we don’t go to it.”

“True.” Nick said as he rubbed the back of his head, “I mean. I’m not gonna lie-” Travis spoke up as Nick eyed him his eye twitching slightly. “Don’t.”

“Eris is-” He cut himself off intentionally as Cody said, “Travis I’m not in the mood.”

“Hot. And Cody you’re never in the mood,” Travis said shaking his head.

Nick looked out the window, from what he saw he could outside of his physical bodies eyes regardless of them being closed. Seeing what seemed like sunlight shine in, in the small holes he left open in his covers to help him breath considering he slept underneath the covers all the time. “Sunshine! Welp boys! I suppose it was fun seeing how much of a jerk I was in the past with my insecurities and weirdness...but as you’ve said you’ll let me go when the sun is up!” Nick stated.

Cody narrowing his eyes, “you do realize me and Travis can hold grudges right?”

Travis shook his head, “don’t worry. He’ll regret it when he turns into Alien X and needs our immediate help. For now let him go.” He said, “besides, who’s gonna keep Eris ‘company!’”

“I will kill you Travis.” Cody said to the copy of himself sighing, “very well. You can return to the real world. We’ll meet again Nick,” Cody said looking at his older self.

Nick blinking slightly, “yeah.” Nick said as he disappeared in a flash of green light.

---

Nick sat up as he rubbed his head, “ok...that was seriously really weird...I’m hoping I NEVER turn into Alien X, EVER!” Nick said gulping slightly and looking out the window, “don’t think about it! Today is a good day! I can feel it!” Nick said as he stood up looking out of the window seeing the ponies below.

A small smile forming on his face, “what’s the worse that can happen?” He asked raising an eyebrow.

A pale white unicorn with a collar looking up at him from the ground, “do you have the target in sight?” A voice asked in her ear, “yeah I’ve got him in my sight. Seems like he’s just waking up. Do we engage?”

“No. Not yet, I found a good...creature for my experiments. It’ll test the effects and side effects of the positive energy. Which will help us Gloom, under my wing you will learn in time.” The voice said.

The unicorn Gloom grinning as she looked at the human who finally walked away from the window, “this should be fun to watch.” She said grinning.

“Indeed, now return home. I’ll inform you when it is time to return, for now however go home.” The voice said static filling her ears before complete silence.

She grinned widely before trotting away back to her home.

Author's Notes:

This is about Nick being introduced to the two personalities of his past self that he buried deep in the past, so yeah it's filled with lots of sexual jokes but it adds to the character that is "Travis" being the embodiment of Nick's weirdness.

Along set up the next chapter with Gloom.

Doom and Gloom

-Later That Day-

Gloom laid in her bed as she looked out her window, her headset laying in her bed as she rubbed her hooves. She had a very dark room as she sighed softly, barely any sunlight coming inside it. ‘What plan does he even have for me? And what experiment is he sending now?’ She thought.

A small mumble coming to her lips as she looked at the pitch black ceiling, “Nightmare Night is almost here...my favorite time of year...where the night rules…”

She heard the small buzz of her headset occurring as she raised an eyebrow, using her magic she pulled it on her head. “Yes?”

“Gloom, it’s time. I have decided to take a note from Vilgax’s book but made it better, I’ve decided to make a hunter out of a smaller dragon. I did not anticipate the mind of the elder dragons, do not worry. This one is but a prototype.” Erebus said as he chuckled softly.

Gloom smiled, “and he shall be under my control?” She asked as Erebus replied, “temporarily. Until the job is done.”

“Well then, at least he’ll put on a decent show.” Gloom retorted, “are you doubting my experiment?”

Gloom grinned slightly, “of course not sir...just send him in.” She said as Erebus growled slightly before a massive roar was heard outside of Ponyville. Catching the attention of all of the ponies and especially Nick.

Gloom grinned, “it’s time to go…”

---

Nick heard the roar, having literally just walked outside of Twilight’s castle as he sighed slightly. “Of course. The MOMENT I walk out there’s trouble.” He said his sword in its sheath on his back.

“Uncataloged DNA detected.” His Omnitrix chirped up, what seemed a like a map forming on the faceplate as it the said, “new DNA closing in fast.”

Nick looked around and then up, seeing what looked like a mutated undead dragon flying straight down toward him.

Quickly jumping to the side and rolling on the ground the drake hit the ground quickly and looked at Nick, a weird green ooze leaking from his mouth. A yellow beam scanning over the dragon as what seemed like a pure version of itself popped up in the holographic wheel of aliens.
“Huh, maybe the same happened with the Manticore DNA...the Omnitrix must purify and get rid of any genetic impurities…” Before he could ponder further the dragon’s tail struck him across the chest and sent him back hitting a cart.

“Ok...OW!” Nick said as he stood up grabbing his sword and unsheathing it, then charging forward and sliding on the ground evading a fireball. Slicing the Hunter’s ankles he quickly stood up looking at it, blood was indeed oozing from the wound. However it was quickly healing, “Nicholas. This time it is the end for you,” the dragon spoke.

‘It’s almost like a puppet. Clearly Erebus is involved but he’d make his presence more known. Shade? No he’s rotting in the dungeons of Canterlot.’ He thought trying to narrow down the possible culprits before the dragon backhanded him and knocking him through a window.

---

Gloom watched the fight intently, “you really outdid yourself with this one Erebus.”

“I know, and as a prototype this is only the beginning…” Erebus said grinning from his side of the comm link.

Gloom narrowed her eyes as she watched, Nick quickly parrying the dragon’s claws with his sword and then leaping up and slamming his foot into its snout. “Was the regeneration intentional?” She asked as Erebus replied with, “no. It was a side effect, however it is proving more useful than predicted. However I believe it is temporary.”

“Well it’s a good thing that you’re using it now,” Gloom said as she clicked a button on the side of her comm link. A microphone reaching to her snout, “BEG FOR MERCY WELP!” She shouted, her voice coming through the dragon.

---

“Sorry I have a problem with begging for mercy. I don’t do it,” Nick said as he then quickly dodged a tail whip from the dragon, jumping off of its tail and taking bringing his blade down on its thick hide. It not penetrating as the feminine voice laughed and smacked him away sending him onto the ground.

The dragon standing over him, its green ooze dripping down onto him before opening it’s mouth side. Ready to chomp down on Nick, who reacted by using his sword to stop the dragon from chowing down on him. His hands shaking as he growled and pushed the blade upward, actually overpowering and pinning the dragon down, its tail wrapping around his waist and repeatedly slamming him into the ground before throwing him aside.

Nick fell onto the ground, coughing and sputtering holding his chest. Some of the ponies actually helping him up, “are you ok human?” A mint green unicorn asked him as Nick looked at her and nodded, “y-yea...just a couple of cracked ribs...:” He groaned, his body shaky before he took one big breath. Clicking his omnitrix he flicked through the list of aliens and then pushed down on the faceplate, the on the dial in which his form quickly changed. Two extra limbs sprouting from his side as his form shrunk down, blue hair growing all along his body and a tail sprouting from his backside.

“Spider-Monkey should be better than my human form in maneuvering…” He said to himself before charging forward, the dragon roaring and charging back.

Nick leaping upward once it took its slash at him, flipping off of it’s claw his tail aimed and fired a stream of webbing onto the top of its snout. Swinging around and managing to keep the dragon's snout shut with the webbing and releasing. Sliding on the ground Nick looked at the beast he growled and grumbled, using its claws to tear off the webbing infuriated.

“Awwwww, is the little baby dragon mad?” Nick asked laughing slightly before the dragon charged forward, “YOU WILL DIE TODAY NICHOLAS!” The voice screamed at him before attempting to slam Nick with it’s tail.

The dragon however taking his moment in the air to smack him away, flying toward a wall the dragon’s tail pushed against Nick’s chest further adding to his speed and forcing him through the window of a building and behind it.

The sound of Nick’s Omnitrix depowering filling his ears, shakily he rose to his feet. “Ok...everything feels broken...where the hell is Twilight and the others?!” He shouted as the dragon leapt onto the top of the ponies home he crashed through hissing at him.

“What is a matter Nick? Unable to handle me alone?” It asked laughing at him, Nick clenching his fist. “I can! And I will!”

---

Gloom couldn’t help but snicker to herself, she was having a blast watching the human being tossed around like a rag doll! Gloom controlled the dragon yet again, a creepy grin forming on its face as it lashed out at Nick once more.

This time the human turning into XLR-8, dashing and dodging the dragons initial attacks and running up to the roof of a building and jumping off. His form changing again to that of the Sonorosian known as Echo Echo, Gloom watched intently seeing the human splitting himself apart into identical clones of himself.

“Echo…” They all said in unison, Erebus quickly piping in and screaming in her ear. “COVER YOUR EARS!”

Gloom did so without hesitation, her hooves covering her ears as Nick screamed. “STORM!!!!!”

Massive waves of a sonic scream coming down onto the dragon, the civilian ponies actually managing to escape the blast of the scream.

The dragon letting out roars of pain as it attempted to cover its ears from the scream, however the blast and force of the scream actually kept him down.

Most of the Echo Echo clones forming back inside Nick as he changed form yet again, now in the air, the dragon looked up only for the massive feet of Humungasaur to slam down atop its back.

The dragon seemingly defeated Nick reverted to his human form and fell to the ground on his hands and knees, panting softly. “Fucks sake…” He said panting before looking up seeing the dragon climbing back up onto its feet. Looking at Nick as Gloom grinned, before hearing Erebus yet again.

“Call it back.” He said flatly.

Gloom blinked before listening in, “but Erebus! We have him! He’s injuried! He’s ready for death!”

Erebus growled in the comm link, “who is the leader here? Who created that dragon? Pull my creation back NOW! Twilight and the others should becoming outside any moment. Keep your identity hidden, you’re useful when they don’t know you.”

Gloom wanted to object but growled in spite of herself, speaking through the dragon it growled at Nick. “We will have to continue our little dance later Nick. Until then I’ll be watching you.” The drake said before spreading its wings and taking off into the sky.

Gloom reluctantly returning the creature to Erebus and thinking to herself, “Erebus is delaying...he doesn’t understand Nick is getting more and more powerful and more adaptive with that little device…” She grumbled trotting and seeing the human enter the main street limping slightly.

“Ok...I gotta get to Twi’s castle...where the hell was she..?” He asked himself slightly concerned and making his way to the castle, Gloom whistling and using her magic to trip him up.

---

Nick suddenly fell to the ground, his face hitting the floor as he groaned loudly and held his head, it ringing from his previous battle. Along with having some internal damage but nothing to fatal, just maybe a few cracked ribs and a odd pain in his ankle. In which case he felt EXTREMELY lucky that’s all he got from that whole ordeal.

Looking around he did feel a force keep his left leg in place and suddenly release causing the trip only seeing a rather cute white furred unicorn mare standing behind him with a headset on. “Oh I’m sorry Mr. Nicholas! I didn’t mean too!”

Nick sighed and rubbed his face dusting it off, “it’s fine I guess…” He said before making his way again. The mare grinning widely at this and slipping away.

Eventually Nick made his way to Twilight’s castle, opening the door to the map room and much to his surprise indeed the whole Mane Six were there...but a new pony seemingly sat and conversed with them.

Twilight smiled at Nick, “oh Nick! I didn’t tell you! This is our former enemy and now new friend Starlight Glimmer!”

Nick blinked slightly as he looked at the new unicorn who blushed slightly looking away from him. His simple response being, “what.”

Author's Notes:

https://ben10.fandom.com/wiki/Spidermonkey

https://ben10.fandom.com/wiki/XLR8_(Classic)

https://ben10.fandom.com/wiki/Echo_Echo

https://ben10.fandom.com/wiki/Humungousaur_(Classic)

Starlight Who?

A few minutes had passed afterwards, Nick sitting in a chair with most of his top clothes off and sitting on the floor. “How did you even get this wounds darling?” Rarity asked Nick.

“Well...I had a run in with one Erebus’s monsters…” Nick said chuckling as he rubbed his chin, bandages around his chest and his leg sat up, Twilight’s magic holding his foot and ankle and slowly healing it.

“Well what kind of monster was it this time?” Spike asked him, Nick replying with. “A mutated dragon…”

The room fell silent, as Nick nodded. “Yeah, but I managed to drive it away...or more like it flew away. But, this...Starlight Glimmer character? What do you mean former enemy?” Nick asked raising an eyebrow.

Pinkie Pie piped up, “oh! Starlight enslaved an entire village of ponies and took away their cutie marks to make them all equal! And just now apparently she traveled through time to stop us from coming together!”

Nick blinked looking at Starlight, the mare looking back at him. “Pinkie Pie…” She said softly.

Nick’s eye twitched slightly, “y-you...you fucked with the timeline?” He asked, see Nick back on earth was a major comic nerd. Reading up on Marvel and DC events. Including Flashpoint, “yes she did actually! It was rather fascinating but...terrifying…”

“Yeah ok, fascinating. WHEN WE’RE ALL FUCKING DEAD! JESUS CHRIST THE TIME STREAM IS A VERY FUCKING FRAGILE LIVING BEING! EVERY TIME YOU FUCK WITH THE PAST YOU INJURY SAID CREATURE! AND IMAGINE BEING ABLE TO DO IT REPEATEDLY!? YOU’D KILL THE DAMN THING!” Nick flipped as Starlight took a step back from his rage.

Taking a deep breath Nick calmed down, “I’m sorry. Just, my inner nerd was screaming at me to flip…” He said taking steady breaths.

“You shouldn’t overexert yourself Nick...what will Eris sa-” Fluttershy was cut off as the draconequus popped into the room. “What will Eris say?” Eris asked raising an eyebrow.

“O-oh! Eris! I didn’t expect you to be here so soon!” Nick said his face flushing a deep red, the Chaos Goddess looked down at him with an unmoving look of disappointment on her face.

“You were late to our hang out today…” She said, Nick rubbing the back of his head. “Well uh...something kinda popped up that needed my full attention…” He said nervously giving a nervous chuckle and looking at the others.

Fluttershy spoke up, “oh Eris. You know Nick wouldn’t miss one of your days together.” The mare spoke as she smiled softly.

Eris narrowed her eyes pouting a bit at Nick and putting her nose against his, “oh alright I’ll let it slide...considering you are hurt and in no condition to for a bit of tomfoolery…”

Nick snorted slightly looking back in her eyes, “did you SERIOUSLY say tomfoolery?” Nick asked giggling a bit to himself.

Eris’s cheeks turning a soft red before she pulled her head away, “oh shut up Nick…now! If you’ll excuse me I have...important chaos things to get to!” Eris said ready to snap her talons before Nick stopped her.

“Important chaos things or thinking about our ‘hangout’ tomorrow?” Nick asked raising an eyebrow, the draconequus blushing even deeper before simply disappearing.

The group of ponies aside from Fluttershy was dumbfounded by this, “N-Nick and Eris are bumping hooves..?” Rainbow Dash asked, tears swelling in her eyes as she bit her bottom lip. A small laugh coming from her as she held it in.

“Well, I wouldn’t really consider it bumping hooves or whatever...I’d say we’re getting there but-” Nick was cut off by Starlight who he had noticed had been examining his Omnitrix wrist. “What an intriguing device…” She said rubbing a hoof against her chin.

“Well Starlight! It’s the Omnitrix!” Twilight stated before Nick could even say anything, “created by Azmuth! First Thinker of an alien race known as the Galvan! That device allows Nick to transform into different alien species!”

Nick blinked looking at Twilight before chuckling, “yeah...thanks..?”

Rubbing his eyes he sighed softly, “how long am I gonna need to stay with that spell on anyway?” He asked looking down at Twilight who was still focusing her magic into his ankle.

“Well...it should be all better in a few more minutes! So keep chatting!” Twilight said happy that both of her new friends could converse, Nick and Starlight looked at each other.

The others talking amongst themselves, “soooo...enslaved a whole village huh?” Nick asked as the mare nodded.

“Any justification as to why?” He pushed the subject further, the mare nodding again. “An old friend kind of went away due to a talent he had acquired and well...pain is what made me think my actions were justified…”

“Huh...I understand, well hey. The past is the past, as long as you don’t fuck with it!” Nick said in a half joking manner, Starlight giving a slight nervous chuckle at his remark.

“So I’m assuming since Twilight is awesome she helped you see the errors of your ways and reformed?” Nick asked raising an eyebrow.

Starlight nodded as Nick shook his head, ‘why is it always the god villains?’ He asked in his mind before smiling at her. “Well, I’d hope to get acquainted with you at some point.” Nick said, Starlight smiling at him.

“Alright that’d be nice…” She said as Nick nodded. “Well you two can get acquainted now!” Twilight said, Nick wincing. “AH FUCK! That hurt!” He shouted hearing a snap in his ankle before moving it around.

“Don’t move it to much Nick, you should be able to walk though..” She said as she examined it, “and about my ribs?” He asked raising an eyebrow and sliding off of the chair.

“Those need to heal naturally,” She said smiling at him as Nick held his chest. “Great...alright Starlight c'mon…” Nick said as he shakily pulled on his shirt and jacket.

Starlight Glimmer looked at Nick and nodded, before nudging Twilight. “I-is this really a good idea..?” She asked nervously.

“Of course! This can be a great start for you, a new unique friend!” She replied smiling at her.

Starlight sighed and rubbed her mane, “I suppose…alright Nick c’mon.” She said as Nick nodded, “yep.” He said standing up and taking a breath.

---

Nick sat at a table with Starlight in Sugarcube Corner, Pinkie happily serving them as Nick sucked on the straw of his milkshake. “Sooooooo…”

“So what happened to you? How did you get here?” Starlight asked rather nonchalantly, Nick raised an eyebrow before taking a breath.

“Well, I went to a comic convention with some friends and bought the Omnitrix from a creepy merchant. In which case I won’t ever regret it again, because it brung me here…” He said smiling.

Starlight nodded, “right right...what about your life before going to that convention?” She asked, Nick’s brow furrowed as he took a heavy breath.

“Well, my life before coming here was kind of shit. Actually, attending that convention was the idea of my friends to help brighten my day.”

Starlight rubbed a hoof against her chin, “care to elaborate?” She asked as Nick took a look into her eyes, narrowing his own the same coldness he gave the Timber Wolf before killing it flashing in his eyes before he spoke up. “Sure.”

“From Middle School to High School, I was a complete emotional wreck. To me nothing was going right, I had two parents that just wanted the best from me. Even if their approaches kind of went back and forth with what was right and what was wrong…” Nick pushed his milkshake away rubbing his nose. “To be honest, I can only remember a few selective things from my early childhood. Hell I even forgot my birthday and had to ask what it was, probably me being a dumbass though.”

Starlight listened closely leaning forward as Nick sighed, “that’s well...when I met a really close friend named Jewel who frankly had as many problems as I did just approached them the wrong way.”

Nick adjusted himself a bit before looking at Starlight, “see how I approached my problems and learned to cope was making other people happy and always being the wise cracker. You know? The guy someone can look to for help. I pushed down the emotions I had for any type of topic and allowed myself to let them out in small bursts.”

“Which I’m assuming only helped for a certain time?” She asked him, the human simply nodding.

“See I can take a blow, I’ve developed a tough skin. It’s the people that I’ve already let inside that are really the ones that can hurt me...and well, when I let Jewel in? Probably the biggest naive mistake I could’ve made.” He said as he lowered his head.

“Why would that be? I thought you two were having the same problems just taking different approaches!” The mare spoke as Nick rubbed the bridge of his nose.

“That was the thing...I eventually learned from a good friend of mine Raven that, you can’t save them all. Where I was able to pull myself away from my problems and eventually overcome them with the help of amazing friends, Jewel couldn’t. She kept herself in the dark and essentially lied to me about how she felt about our friendship…”

Nick’s chest began to rise up and shakily descend from a mix of pain and the grief of remembering the betrayal. “I know she didn’t intend for it to hurt me that bad, but it did...I let her in and she might as well have stabbed me in the gut with what happened...and I don’t feel like elaborating any further…”

Starlight blinked looking at him before scooting close and nuzzling his side, “well hey...you’ve got great friends here Nick...we both have a lot to learn about trust don’t we..?” Starlight asked him before Nick chuckled and rubbed her mane. “Yeah...I suppose so...so more on this Sunburst character?” He asked flipping the subject. Starlight chuckling nervously before sighing, “well...me and Sunburst were best friends as fillies…were as I was still getting a grip on magic he might as well have been a master..”

Nick raised an eyebrow but stayed silent, “it didn’t take long for him to get his Cutie Mark which lead to him leaving our home village to pursue his goals more...eventually going to Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns well...it left me alone...in which case ambition began to swell up inside me and I thought, without Cutie Marks! If everyone was equal-”

“No one else would have to suffer the lose of a friend exceeding them in something? I get where you were coming from.” Nick said as he wrapped an arm around her pulling the mare close. “While it may have come off as villainous I understand your reasoning. Well, like you said I guess we’ve both got a thing or two to learn from the Princess of Friendship right?” Nick asked laughing a bit his light heartedness returning.

Starlight gave a sheepish smile, “yeah but do you think the others will REALLY trust me..?”

“Starlight. I’m a human from another dimension with the most powerful device in this universe. Who also appeared as a wolf man, they’ll trust you.” He said giving her a reassuring smile.

Starlight smiled back at him before nuzzling into his side again and closing her eyes in the warmth of Nick’s embrace.

Eris watching all of this however...her face scrunched and her brow furrowed. She had been watching Nick and Starlight the whole time and she was none too pleased with this. “I see how it is Ms. Glimmer...let the games begin…” She growled slightly sinking into the shadows in which she stalked.

Nick shivering slightly, ‘I have a horrible feeling something is going to go wrong tomorrow…’ He thought to himself gulping slightly.

Author's Notes:

Oh boy, Eris is jealous...this can't end well. Also chapter has been slowed down due to you know, school and now my wisdom teeth are about to be pulled. So...yeah...god help me...

Jealousy Is A Powerful Thing

Author's Notes:

Sorry guys! But no Halloween special this year ;3; maybe the next if this story is even up around that time but I hope you enjoy this new Eris heavy chapter! The last few parts I had to write on my phone so I apologize for any mistakes you may come across.

Eris closed the door to her home, blinking a bit to herself as she walked up the stairs which wrapped around and went along the ceiling, “he hung out with Starlight without even telling me....” She said to herself as she continued to walk up the seemingly infinite flight of stairs before finally stopping at a door. Opening it she walked inside and slumped onto her oversized bed made of jello, turning over she looked up at the ceiling. “Me and him had a heart to heart! That’s what made me see him as more than a hairless ape! If Starlight has that same revelation...no no!”

Eris turned over onto her side, picking a piece of her bed off and eating it. “No no, me and Nick are to close...he’d never do that to me…” She said laughing a bit.

For once the chaos goddess was actually nervous, her large red eyes looking at the wall. “Ha! I am the goddess of chaos! A second rate nopony would ever DARE to take Nick from me!” She said sitting up and snapping her talons, a Starlight Glimmer doll appearing in her talons. “Yes...nopony…” She whispered softly the doll suddenly catching fire before she shook her head and pushed the thought into the back of her mind.

“No Eris! You’re reformed, can’t go around catching ponies on fire!” She sighed as she took another bite out of her jello bed.

“I’ll just...check up on him tomorrow? That isn’t bad. Just checking up on someone I care about!” She said laying back and looking at the ceiling snapping her talons again.

The Draconequus sighed as she closed her eyes, remembering the smile Nick gave her when she wiped his tear away. A smile of her own forming on her face.

-The Next Morning-

Eris stayed on the ceiling watching Nick intently having taken the form of a nat, “Twilight! I’m going out to go get some food ok?” He shouted out to the alicorn.

Eris watching him intently, “ok he seems to be doing good..” She said softly as the alicorn replied, “make sure to take Starlight with you!”

“Alright,” Nick replied as the unicorn came down and stood beside him smiling. “You ready to go?” She asked as Nick nodded, “ready as I’ll ever be.”

Eris’s eye twitched slightly as she looked at Starlight, letting out a massive scream of frustration.

Nick’s ear perking a bit, “you heard something?” He asked Starlight, “uh no why?” She asked Nick shaking his head.

“Just thought I heard something.” Nick said chuckling as he rubbed his hair walking out with Starlight.

Eris flying after them reverting to her normal form, however she essentially turned incorporeal floating beside Nick. “C’mon Nick!” She said as she floated beside the two, Starlight nudging Nick. “What were you planning on getting anyway?” She asked.

“Eh, I’m gonna have to eat a lot more vegetables but suppose I’ll have to get used to that too huh?” He asked chuckling softly as Starlight gave her own nervous chuckle.

“Suppose so,” she said smiling at him. Eris hissing in her face and waving her claw at her only for it to go through her.

“The things I have to do to watch him! UGH!” She shouted as she crossed her arms floating beside them.

“I needed to check out Ponyville’s market anyway, considering you know everyone’s used to me now.” He said chuckling, Starlight rolling her eyes. “Suppose so, hey thanks for taking me along even though Twilight asked you to. Hope I’m not a bother,” She said as she rubbed her mane nervously.

“Hey it’s fine really dude,” Nick replied smiling at her. Eris throwing her hands out, “cmon! Why are you conversing with this second class character, when you’ve got me!” Eris said as she rubbed a paw against her face.

Eris continued to follow the two around, the group eventually reaching the market. Nick whistling as he looked through the inventory, “well lets see...green...green...green...wait...is that a fuckin carrot hot dog?”

Starlight’s ears perked up, “oooo Nick! I love Carrot Dogs!” She said smiling as Nick rubbed the bridge of his nose, “jesus fucking christ...ok. Well Twilight did give me a few bits so we can get maybe two, then keep looking for stuff?”

“Sure. Sounds like a good idea,” Starlight said smiling as Eris let out a loud grunt of frustration.

---

An hour or two passed of Eris spying on Nick and Starlight, the Draconequus sighed as she followed. “Is this some cruel game Faust? Must you force me to watch Nick and Starlight?” She asked fully aware she was doing this on her own accord.

Currently Nick and Starlight had been sitting in front of Sugarcube Corner, “well that was fun wasn’t it?” Nick asked as he smiled widely.

“I suppose it was,” Starlight replied chuckling and rubbing her mane. “I don’t think that carrot dog agreed with me right…” He said rubbing his belly a bit.

“Really?” Starlight asked raising an eyebrow as Nick nodded, Eris’s eye twitched slightly. “I can’t take it anymore!” She shouted as she popped up tiny on the table in front of Nick.

“Ah Nick! I was looking for you!” She said giving him a frustrated smile, Nick raising an eyebrow. “Yeah? What did you need Eris?” He asked tilting his head at her.

She smiled widely, before looking at Starlight with a brief sense of hate before appearing beside Nick her normal size. “Could you by any chance meet me somewhere private?”

“Well actually me and Starlight were about to-”

“To late!” She said snapping her talons together, the two suddenly disappearing and appearing on a small boat in the middle of what looked like a river of chicken noodle soup.

Nick giving her a confused look before rubbing his nose, “OK Eris. What's up? I assume you were spying on me? Again..” He asked.

“Nick...can I ask you something? And I want you to be a hundred percent honest with me…” She said as she rubbed her arm.

“Yes?” Nick replied crossing his arms.

“Do you love Starlight?” She asked looking him dead in the eyes, Nick blinked rubbing his hair. “Dude, Eris. I've only known Starlight for a day.”

“Yeah but you two have gotten so attached so fast! I felt a bit threatened..” Eris retorted looking Nick deep in the eyes, Nick looking back.

“Eris you have nothing to feel threatened about! We've spent probably months hanging out and-”

“Well maybe I want more then to hangout Nick!” She replied quickly to his statement.

Nick looking at her as his cheeks blushed brightly, “ever since we had that heart to heart Nick I saw you as something more! Something better than what I initially saw you as!” She said as she snapped her talons together, a hairless ape appearing in front of him.

“I thought I'd take things slow! Which really isn't my style of things considering you know, goddess of chaos! I’m a bucking nut case! And I thought if I took things slow we’d get closer and closer and maybe just maybe I'd be able to be your special somepony!” she continued.

“I just...I just don't know what to do and it's UGH!” She shouted as the boat began to shake a bit, Nick looking at her before taking her claw and paw in his hands.

“Eris, you are dumb for thinking that I'd love Starlight over you. Now allow me to prove to you WHY I don't love Starlight in a romantic manner.” Nick said as he pulled her close his lips pressing against hers.

Eris’s tail stood straight up at this, her face turning a bright vibrant red before she pushed back against Nicks kiss.

Her arms wrapping around his neck as Nick kept the kiss going, closing his eyes and pushing his forehead against hers. Eris soon following after and closing her own eyes, enjoying the moment.

‘I can feel it…’ She thought to herself, her heart beating fast. ‘I can feel the passion...he does love me…’ She thought to herself. her tail unstiffening and wrapping around his ankle, tripping him up and making her fall on top of him.

Nick only continuing the kiss further for another few seconds before pulling away. “Do you believe me now?”

Eris looked at him as she snuggled up against his body, holding him close and closing her eyes. “Can we just stay here for a moment longer..? Please..?” She asked him Nick looking down at her and smiling.

“Of course...as long as you want…” He said smiling and closing his eyes enjoying the moment. A feeling of happiness washing over the two of them.

---

“Erebus! Erebus! Ugh where is that bastard...EREBUS!” Velocity shouted in his workshop, Erebus suddenly appearing an irritated expression on his helmet.

“What do you want Velocity?” He asked as the cybernetic mare looked up at him intently.

“Me and the others have been starting to question our motives! Frankly we don't even know what the hell kind of plan you even have in store! You keep talking about the multiverse, and how most Equestria’s fates are intertwined with that of a displaced but never fully told us what you want to do!” She shouted at him.

Erebus’s eyes narrowing at her as he picked her up by her fur, “you will not question your motives you insignificant welp! And do not dare speak to me in such a tone ever again! Alas your bravery shall come at a reward. Gather the others, it is about time you and your colleagues learned about what I have planned.”

Pushing her aside Erebus clenched his fists watching the Pegasus take off from the room, his Manticore coming up behind him.

“Not now,” He said as he looked at the beast it moving away from him. “I suppose I have to tell them now don't I?” He asked himself slipping into his normal work area. A plethora of pictures strung up on the walls as he looked at one of them, his eyes narrowing.

The pictures seemed to be numerous pictures of humans with the Mane Six, most of them crossed out as he looked at one in particular. “He thinks he can defeat me…” He said as he grabbed the picture of what looked like Nick leaning against Eris and the other Mane Six in a silly group photo.

“Many Equestria’s I have gone through...all having a displaced...all falling to me…” He said looking up at the series of pictures, there was one wearing a Danny Phantom jumpsuit, another wearing a Spider-Man costume, the last looking exactly like Agent Venom and many more.

“He will be no different...Omnitrix wearers are special to me...I have killed many and he just as the others will die by MY hand..” Erebus growled as he clenched his fist putting the picture back up and stabbing it with what looked like an energy dagger.

Erebus walking away from the picture and narrowing his eyes quickly warping away.

Evil Never Sleeps...

Author's Notes:

Due to the fact this is the first time I started writing on my phone I decided to proofread and fully edit my story. This should be better then the original I posted.

Feedback is appreciated!

“What do you do when your whole world is ripped away from you? From someone who did it because they could? When pure human emotion takes hold of what others claim to be good people. Greed...hate...and an unquenchable thirst for power…I am Erebus. This is MY story.”

Velocity, Stone and Gloom sat in the meeting room deep within the side of a hill thanks to Erebus.

This meeting room had been located inside of the Everfree Forest, however was rather well hidden and protected by mutants and such.

“Where is he?” Stone asked growing impatient, “patience Stone. He'll be here soon.” Gloom spoke as Velocity snorted.

“And what makes you think you can make Stone stay silent newbie? I'm still questioning why the hell you are even here in the first place,” Velocity spoke, venom and hate coming from her words as Gloom narrowed her eyes at the pegasus.

“I want to help in Erebus’s efforts, the princesses need to be taken down a peg anyway. Their so certain that good and the light will prevail when the darkness shows up...it disgusts me.” Gloom retorted.

Velocity rolled her eyes at the unicorns explanation, “you sound like an angsty filly.” She said as Stone chuckled.

“Her attire doesn't help either.” The rocky earth pony spoke as Gloom growled, in agitation she slammed her hoof into her chair.

“Do you want to start something?” She asked as Velocity stood up. “Maybe I do! I had to save your flank before, but I'd much prefer to kick it-”

The confrontation was cut off as Erebus appeared in the room, silence filling it as the cyborg mare sat back down. Erebus taking his seat and looking at them, “any progress with your separate missions?” He asked them.

“I got the Amulet. That zebra didn't even know what hit her when I took it…” Velocity said sliding the Alicorn Amulet onto the table.

Erebus looked at Stone who slid a plethora of gems onto the table, “I do not understand why I had to take these from those disgusting Diamond Dogs...” he grumbled under his breath.

“Because I knew without anything to fight you wouldn't be interested in gathering them.” Erebus replied as Stone turned away, "I would've done it anyway..."

“Gloom?” Erebus called as he looked at the unicorn, who slid a massive scale onto the table. “From the largest and toughest dragon in the dragon kingdom..” She said.

Erebus reaching for the items only for Velocity with blinding speed to seize them all, “ah ah! You haven't explained our plan! Don't think I forgot!”

Erebus looked at her and narrowed his eyes, “your interference is rather inconvenient...however I shall reward this act of foolishness ONCE.” He said as he put his hands on the table and spoke.

“Unlike most humans I lived a life of wonders...having two successful movie parents can do that for you. Suppose they could've watched me better however. As I got older I started...seeing things, a world on fire with another human standing at the peak of it all laughing. Naturally I was confused, until I came to an Equestria...my Equestria. No special powers...no special attributes...nothing.”

“I loved my time there more then anything life on earth could've provided me, I had everything I could've asked for...until they came…”

“They?” Velocity interjected raising an eyebrow, Erebus giving her a hard cold stare. Silencing the cyborg.

“It was two displaced...someone or something removed from their own home and sent to another, however the two were battling it out. I forgot to mention heh, back on Earth I was quite the nerd. Two key things I noticed on that day, one of them had a functional Omnitrix and the other looking exactly like Ben 10’s Eon. Naturally this caused a confrontation, the Omnitrix wearer fighting without a single thought about the ponies of my Equestria. Killing ponies without regard because he considered it not HIS Equestria…”

“Naturally this tore me apart...watching my home...the ponies I cared about being mercilessly slaughtered by them! Finally...after days the fighting finally stopped. The Omnitrix wearer had been returning home via a teleportation device, but I did not allow it...I stopped him and without thinking killed him. Quick stab through the neck with a dagger I had made myself for such an occasion.”

“Nobody I've ever met felt that void I felt watching my whole world burn, that is when I found the body of the Eon displaced, taking his equipment and modifying it to fit my own personal preferences. I discovered from that day, the way to save the Equestria’s I come across from the pain of the displaced. Is one of two things, destroying them...or capturing them. Most Equestria’s fought alongside the displaced in attempts to stop me, none were able to stop my onslaught of terror. And with the items we have now...this Equestria will fall into the same darkness mine did when it met that god forsaken Omnitrix wearer…”

The ponies around the table looked at Erebus who stood up, Velocity speaking up. “That still does not explain what the hell we're building!” She shouted slamming a hoof down on the table.

“Velocity shut the buck up…” Stone mumbled as the mare shot him a glare, “I will not comply without knowing HOW we're going to win!” She shouted at Erebus.

Erebus looked at her and said coldly, “you do understand Velocity, replacing you wouldn't be impossible. And with the modifications I made to your body I could just easily kill you by removing your life support systems and slowly watch you choke on your own blood."

Velocity looked at him and got in his face from the table, “try it…” She growled.

Erebus grabbing her by the ear and disappearing with her.

“Where did he go?” Stone asked as Gloom shrugged.

A sound could be heard above them however, “wait...wait what are you doing! WAIT BOSS I WAS KIDDING!”

Velocity’s voice could be heard, a buzzing sound along side her voice. The buzz however sound like the buzzing of a buzzsaw starting up... "OH SWEET CELESTIA! EREBUS STOP! NO! NO! NO-” Her screams only increased as the sound of the blade cutting through flesh filled the room, Gloom shivering at the sound and closing her eyes.

Stone’s eyes widening as he looked away. “STOP PLEASE! THIS IS TOO MUCH! Celestia...help me…”

“AIEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!”

Her squeals of pain were increased tenfold and eventually were silenced. The meeting room being filled with complete and utter silence before a portal open up, something plopping down onto the table.

Gloom opened her eyes, and immediately vomited. “Sweet Faust…” Stone said.

It was the heart of Velocity completely sliced in two, Erebus reappearing in the room his gloved hands dripping with blood. “Take this as an example, I can easily replace the lot of you. It’s an inconvenience, not an impossibility, and don't ever misinterpret those words. ” Erebus said gathering the items Velocity had been keeping on her side of the table.

“I shall be in my workshop, Gloom prepare the Hunter. We're sending it back out into the field, however not after Nick. We're attacking the Crystal Empire in a few days , possibly a week or two. All depends on how fast I finish my project.” He said warping away.

Never in Gloom’s life had she heard something so awful...but she had to comply. “You should probably get some rest Stone...we're gonna have a long week ahead…” She said as the earth pony nodded walking out of the meeting room.

Gloom walked off alone that day, the screams still in her head as tears of fear swelled in her eyes. She was terrified, did she make the right choice joining Erebus..?

She galloped deeper into the Everfree forest, Erebus hanging in the trees watching her. “Not now...I need to be sure to know if I need to strike her down, I will no longer tolerate noncompliance. Velocity’s first mistake. Was thinking we were equals.” He said teleporting away.

---

Nighttime fell over Equestria, Nick and Eris fast asleep cuddled up next to eachother smiling happily.

Erebus watching the two from a nearby building, a look of disgust underneath his mask. "Do not worry Nick...your happiness will soon end...nothing lasts forever..." He growled his arms crossed.

An alarm going off on his wrist gauntelt, "unification of the two materials is ready..." He said before looking up at the sky at the stary night and namely the moon. "Now for one more thing." He said as he disappeared yet again.

Reappearing in the castle of Canterlot, Erebus stayed against the wall. His eyes narrowed as he looked at the bed room chambers of Princess Celestia which was guarded. 'Around this time of night Luna should be out dream searching while Celestia rests.' He thought as he put his hand against a wall.

A moderately large blue portal appearing and swirling as he stuck his arm through, a large energy blade plunging into the neck of one of the guards. It slicing through his neck armor like butter.

This alerted the other guard however, Erebus an the portal disappearing as he pinned the guard down. His hand cupping over the guards muzzle as a type of gas filled his nose, "shh shh shh..." He whispered softly the pony's eyes glowing a bright blue as he looked at Erebus who pointed to the door and handed the pony a needle.

The guard nodded and walked into the chambers of Celestia, who was sleeping soundly completely exhausted from a hard day of her royal duties.

Walking up to the side of her bed the hypnotized pony stuck the needle in Celestia's neck and drew blood from it.

The princess jolting awake,"Commander Storm-Breaker! What are you doing?" She asked him.

"What he wants..." The pony said in a zombie like state as Celestia narrowed her eyes at the vial containing her blood. In which it was quickly snatched by Erebus who landed on the ground and bolting for the glass doors which lead to a viewing point.

Celestia still a bit groggy jumping out of bed and giving chase, firing a magic blast at him in which Erebus easily dodged and fired from the wrist of his gauntlet a small dart which struck Celestia's chest.

Sending her to the ground her vision grew blurry as Erebus looked himself over. "This new equipment is a trip. Thanks for the blood donation Princess of the Sun." He said giving her a joking two finger salute before crashing through the glass doors and leaping over.

Celestia eventually passing out only able to listen to the sound of her guards coming to her aid.

Erebus fell fast as he looked at the ground, then looking at his wrist gauntlet. "Time for some work..." He muttered as he disappeared on his usual bright flash of blue light into the night sky.

Trial By Ordeal Part 1

Nick's eyes slowly fluttered open as he groaned softly, his arms where swinging back and forth underneath him and land flying by below him. He was...in the air?! He shook his body a bit, only to find resistance someone or something was carrying him...

"Stop struggling felon...we have you restrained." A voice said above him, Nick looked up as his eyes came into contact with the snout of a fully armored dragon. His vision clearing up as he then looked around, there was seemingly a whole squad of fully grown dragons around him.

'What did I do?' He asked himself in his mind, Nick knew he had to get away however. "So I assume you didn't do any background checks on me huh?" He asked the dragon carrying him.

The dragon snorted, "We’ve seen what you can do creature...you kidnapped one of our brothers, and you shall face trial!" He replied growling.

Nick arched an eyebrow, "listen man. I don't know what you're talking about, but I do know that this has to be one big miss understanding...but. Rule of thumb or...er...claw." Nick raised his hands up, "never leave the arms free."

Nick clicked the faceplate of his watch, scrolling through the list of aliens and then pushing down on the popped up dial.

His body shifted and changed in the dragons talons. His form grew yet his limbs grew skinny, a pair of icy blue wings forming on his back. His green bug like eyes opening up, "because this may happen." He said, the dragon looked down at Nick with a confused expression, his talons starting to freeze as Nick phased through his talons.

Floating in his air with his wings spread the whole squad of dragons stopped looking at him, he gave them a two fingered salute with his boney fingers before bolting. "AFTER HIM! DO NOT LET HIM ESCAPE OR THE QUEEN WILL HAVE OUR HEADS!" The dragon that was carrying him ordered. The squad gave chase to Nick, the Necrofriggen looking behind himself at the massive dragons.

"Persistent..." He said to himself as he began to pick up speed, smoke was coming up from what looked like volcanos nearby. Nick’s bug liken eyes looking at them intently, he would’ve smirked by now. ‘I could lose them there, at least one of us can phase through walls.’ He thought as he flew, quickly dodging a dragon trying to swipe at him. Nick countered by blowing his icy breath in his face, frost forming over his snout and eyes.

Nick then quickly turned as he flew, a plethora of dragons getting on each side of him, opening their mouths Nick’s eyes widened as he quickly darted downward, evading the flames barely.

Just as the dragons predicted, a massive form smashed over Nick, his arms wrapped tightly around his body as the two crashed into the ground, “AGH!” Nick grunted, as the dragon pinned him to the ground.

“Do not try to run!” The dragon shouted at Nick, the Necorfriggen found he couldn’t phase, “w-what!?” Nick shouted, he looked at his neck.

There was a collar with a gem on it, the soft blue glow shining brighter. “It’s an inhibitor collar. We don’t know what you are, but we do know you WILL go to trial, I am the captain of this squad. The prince- Queen…wants you to stand before the Dragon Kingdom for your accused crimes.”

Nick growled slightly, he turned his head away from the dragon as he looked seeing what he was headed toward, a sky filled with dragons.

‘So much for escape…’ Nick thought as the dragon wrapped his talons around Nick and pulled him up. Suppose he actually had to go to trial for what exactly? Suppose he just had to find out.

---

“Bring forth the accused!” A voice said as Nick’s eyes slightly adjusted to the sudden light in his eyes, the smell of smoke filling his nostrils and making him cough. The extreme heat made him feel a bit uncomfortable but he could manage, Nick having returned to his human form along the way looked up at the Queen.

He snorted and then laughed a bit, a blue dragon that he was taller then? That was there Queen? He hallowed in laughter, the dragons watching the trial staying silent before the Captain yanked Nick’s collar making him gag a bit. “Silence welp, Queen Ember, we bring forth a creature that meets the description of Regincards kidnapper. It tried to run but we caught him.”

“No shit…” Nick muttered under his breath, Queen Ember approached Nick. “Do you have any say creature?”

“Yes actually, what is the circumstances of the kidnapping? What proof do you have it was me? Because trust me. I know who did this…” Nick said as he looked Ember in the eyes.

“Then let the trial begin!” Ember said as the dragons let out a massive uproar. Nick sighed softly as he shook his head.

“So do I take my seat oooooor?” He asked as Ember looked at him. “We will have many dragons having to take a vote on your innocence. Seeing if you are proven guilty, as a last trial to test you. You shall face my champion. But until all votes are cast, we shall be questioning you in the dungeon.” She explained.

Nick sighed softly, “fine. FINE! I’m getting a weird sense of deja vu…” He said softly as he and the captain made his way to the dungeon. Ember watching him as she narrowed her eyes, her personal guard speaking up for the first time. “Shall I inform the ponies of your actions?” He asked.

Ember rubbed a talon against her chin before pushing the thought into the back of his head, “no. This is a dragon matter, if the ponies would like to see their friend executed so be it. He must face justice for his actions.” She said, “prepare the voting booths.” She then made her way to the dungeon.

---

Nick sat in the cell as he sighed, his hand on his cheek as he heard the clicking of the door.

Queen Ember standing in front of his cell with a large staff, Nick looked at her and sighed. “So, shall this interrogation start?” He asked rolling his eyes slightly.

The dragon nodded, “now. My subjects say they have seen a creature matching your description kidnapping a member of my personal guard.”

Nick sighed as he rubbed his nose, “when was this?” He asked as Ember replied, “a couple of days ago.”

“Listen then ok? There’s this guy, he’s named Erebus and he’s trying to take over Equestria with mutants. I remember fighting a mutated dragon not only a few days ago...but he had this weird symbol on his back.” Nick explained.

Ember began to think to herself as she closed her eyes, “that was him then. But it is not up to me to decide your innocence. It is up to the public.”

Nick’s eye twitched, “BUT THEY’LL BE COMPLETELY FUCKIN BIAS!” He shouted as Ember nodded. “I know. Which is why we give our accused the chance to fight in the arena, a sort of second chance to not being executed.”

“Who is this...champion anyway?” Nick asked as he raised an eyebrow, “he is a ruthless dragon not to much like you. In terms of a physical body, he’s tall. Muscular but slim, fast but strong, patient but aggressive. Many of the most dastardly dragons have fallen to him in combat, of all shapes and sizes. The Merciless Executioner is what they call him, we rarely even have to execute the dragon or creature in question...he finishes the job for us.” Ember said as Nick raised an eyebrow.

“Well gee, I’m liking my odds then.” Nick said as he took a deep breath, “fucks sake…” He grumbled.

“Considering I’ve never seen a creature like you…perhaps you will stand a chance,” She tried reassuring him as Nick rubbed his eyes. “Yeah gee, thanks for the words of encouragement…”

“I should be getting back to check on the votings, stay here and please don’t try to escape. It’ll only look worse for you…” Ember said as she stood up and began to walk away.

Nick leaned back in his damp cell, looking at the ceiling. He was sweating, “god damnit Erebus…” He growled to himself. Closing his eyes Nick decided to get some sleep, when he awoke he was more than likely gonna have to fight for his fucking life. Again...

Author's Notes:

Yes guys I am finally back in full force! I've had the idea of Nick being in a sort of gladiator pit for a while, considering I've wanted a good action chapter again since my time gone. But I do finally have my computer working better then ever! SO except the next part up tomorrow or the day after!

https://ben10.fandom.com/wiki/Big_Chill

Trial By Ordeal Part 2

“Wake up creature! The votes have been cast!” A voice shouted at Nick, the human awoke groaning softly and rubbing his head. “Ugh my head…” He said as the dragon opened up the cell, grabbing Nick by his jacket hood, pulling him up the dragon pulled him out of the cell as Nick groaned still a bit groggy.

The sound of voices could be heard from the arena he was being brought to, suppose he was found guilty? Nick soon found himself thrown to the ground, slowly standing up he rubbed his head hearing the sound of dragons booing him.

Nick shook his head before stretching a bit, looking up he saw Queen Ember standing on a balcony, a much larger dragon behind her as she looked down at Nick.

“THE ACCUSED HAS BEEN FOUND GUILTY! BRING FORTH THE EXECUTIONER!” Ember shouted, Nick sighed as he rubbed his chin.

“Ok...here we go…” Nick said as he looked at the gate opposite from him. A dragon stepped out of the darkness, his black scales mixed with blue stripes along his body along with many scars along his body, the most visible being a large star like scar on his stomach, leather armor that wrapped around his left shoulder and his back. A metal plate in the middle of it and bracers along his arms and ankles. A broken sword wrapped around his thigh acting as a sort of dagger, but a larger broadsword on his back. It was dented and covered in dry blood. It didn’t seem to be kept in well condition.

The dragon’s bright purple eyes spotting Nick as a low growl escaped his lips as Nick gulped slightly. This dragon looked like he had been through alot. Nick felt his wrists, feeling a metal brace around his Omnitrix arm. He was gonna have to do this on his own, at least for now.

The dragons around went wild at the sight of their champion, Queen Ember speaking up, “are the combatants ready?” Ember asked.

“Yes. WE ARE!” The dragon shouted, Nick nodded. “Then let the combat begin!” Ember exclaimed.

The Executioner began to circle around Nick as Nick circled around him as well, “look man...this is just o-” Before Nick could even finish a foot slammed into his chest, sending him onto the ground Nick’s jacket was grabbed as he was pulled back to his feet.

The dragon slamming his fist into Nick’s jaw as Nick went in for two punches, the Executioner dodged each punch, slamming his knee into Nick’s stomach before grabbing the back of Nick’s head, the dragon slammed his knee into Nick’s face.

Nick backed up, his world was shaking. He did not expect that attack to happen so suddenly, “this is the thing that kidnapped my brethren?” Executioner asked as he snorted. “Pathetic.” He said.

Nick looked at Executioner, his vision coming back to him as Nick charged forward. Going for a kick to the side of the Executioner’s head, he grabbed Nick’s ankle and flipped the human over his back and face first onto the ground.

Nick groaned, spitting blood from his mouth as the Executioner leapt in the air attempting to slam his knee into Nick’s back.

Nick rolled to the side, elbowing Executioner’s snout and using this time to go in. Clapping his hands together a large strike of electricity came from his fingers and striking the dragon champion in the chest sending him flying backwards.

Nick took this moment of breather to gather his bearings, he looked at the dragon who seemed unphased by the attack. ‘Where is Twilight!?’ He asked himself in his mind as he sighed, he had to fight one way or another. Running forward Nick prepared his attack as the Executioner snorted charging back his “dagger” in his grasp.

---

The Mane Six had been searching for hours for their human companion, Nick having suddenly disappeared in the night causing a rather wide panic among the group of friends. The worst being Starlight and Eris, their only leads being large scorch marks around the room and a broken door, Twilight had deduced this was the work of dragons.

The group had decided to make the trip to the dragon kingdom, Eris speaking up. “Why can’t I just teleport us all in again…?” She asked as Twilight was ready to speak up. Only to be interrupted by Starlight, “because if we do we’d be surprising hundreds upon HUNDREDS of fiery dragons of death...we don’t want to all be scorch and ash. Or even take that chance.” She said as Twilight looked at her.

“Yeah, we’ll have to travel on hoof…” Applejack spoke up as Rarity rubbed a hoof against her chin, “I hope Nick is ok...what would the dragons want with him? Perhaps he did something wrong?”

“Not that I can recall in my time watching him…” Eris replied as she rubbed her talons together, “perhaps something to do with Erebus?”

“More than likely, he did mutate a dragon...that would’ve gone noticed, especially by Ember…” Spike spoke up, having decided to tag along for this journey to the dragon kingdom as well.

“We’ll just have to hope Nick’s temporary punishment isn’t to bad.” Twilight said hopefully as Eris sighed, looking at the mountains up ahead. “I highly doubt that it is a easy one…” She muttered to herself.

---

“AGH!” Nick yelped in pain, the Executioner having punched his stomach and attempting to stab into Nick’s skull with his makeshift dagger.

Nick dodged at the last second, feeling the blade slice his cheek open. Blood dripping down his cheek before Nick retaliated with another punch, Executioner grabbing his arm and twisting around and forcing the human to turn onto his back. Nick letting out cries of pain, the Executioner kicking him away as the human rolled on the ground.

On his hands and knees Nick attempted to recover only to be kicked in the ribs and sent onto his back, his stomach facing up.

Executioner grabbing the hilt of his blade with both hands and bringing it down attempting to stab Nick’s throat.

The human clapped his hands together, in a streak of luck catching the blade before it dealt the final blow.

“Your worthless, those ponies have made you soft. You’re facing a REAL threat now creature.” Executioner said as Nick grunted, sweat and blood dripping down his face. Slamming his knee in Executioner’s stomach Nick took the time to take the weapon from his grasp and roll onto his feet recovering.

The dragon smiled, “good. Put up a better fight then what you have been.” Executioner grabbed the hilt of his sword, pulling the weapon out.

Nick rubbed his chin panting, grasping his stolen broken sword tightly the blade ignited into a massive flame.

The dragon smirked as he dashed forward with almost blinding speeds, Nick managing to dodge and going for a downward swing of his blade.

The Executioner blocked the strike with his own blade, kicking Nick’s ribs and sending him back a few feet.

Nick grunted as he slid against the ground keeping his footing, the audience was going wild at this amazing fight.

Ember watching Nick’s attacks closely, he was skilled she had to admit. But not as skilled as the Executioner.

Nick went for a wide arc slash of his dagger, Executioner dodging yet again and backhanding Nick sending him onto the ground. Grabbing his jacket hood he picked Nick up and slammed him onto the ground with a massive SMASH!

Nick’s body was sore, but he knew he had to keep fighting...attempting to stand up Executioner shook his head and kicked the side of Nick’s face. His claws digging into Nick’s skin as it sent him back, taking a slash at Nick this one hit. Slicing through his jacket and leaving a horizontal slash mark in his skin.

Nick felt the blood soak into his clothes as he panted heavily, taking a weak swing at Executioner, he easily dodged pushing Nick away and making him fall backwards.

The human was breathing deeply, his eyes closed. Feeling the rough hands of Executioner’s hands grab his jacket again. Nick was pulled up to eye level with the dragon.

“I haven’t had this much fun in years, such spirit...that fire in your eyes...you’re not the one who did this are you?” He asked.

Nick’s breathing was ragged, his body covered in bruises and his clothes tattered. However he did reply, “yes...I’m the guy...trying...to stop him…”

Executioner narrowed his eyes at Nick and laughed, “what a pathetic hero then.” The dragon said throwing him aside.

Nick falling to the ground and dropping his blade, slowly rising up Executioner walked toward him. “How do you expect to save Equestria if you can’t save yourself from me?”

Nick tried to crawl away, needing just a moment to catch his breath. Only to be pulled back by his ruthless opponent.

---

The closer the six approached the dragon kingdom, the louder the cheering of the arena could be heard. They had moved much faster thanks to magic and the wonders of speed trotting. Soon they found themselves outside of the arena, two dragons stopping them.

“Halt. No pony may have entry while the arena is in progress.” One dragon said extending his wing stopping the group.

“Wait, who’s fighting?” Rainbow Dash asked, above the sound of the crowds roars a scream was heard, one of sheer pain.

“AAAAAARRGGHHHHHH!!!!”

They knew that voice...that scream, “NICK!” Starlight shouted as Eris quickly snapped her fingers, the two guards seemingly disappearing as they made their way inside. Seeing the light at the end of the dark hall they ran and ran and eventually reached it, finding Nick crawling away from the Executioner on the brink of death.

“Please...stop… The human groaned as the Executioner kicked his side sending him away.

“No creature, I won’t stop. You had your chance to save the day, these ponies won’t doing you any favors. I will be the thing that will haunt your spirit when you pass into the afterlife. I will be the thing you could not defeat. I will haunt you for the rest of eternity, but perhaps. The end will treat you better.” Executioner said grabbing Nick by his shirt collar and pulling him up to eye level, his blade ready to plunge into Nick’s body.

“STOP!!” Rainbow Dash shouted as she slammed into the side of the Executioner, sending him tumbling to the ground from the sudden attack.

Nick’s body fell to the ground as he gasped for air. His breathing ragged and his clothes completely torn, he was shaking.

Eris quickly went down to comfort him along with Starlight and Spike as the group stood to defend Nick.

The dragons around booing, completely outraged as Ember growled looking at the captain. “I said DISCREETLY!” She shouted at him. The dragon growling at her as she flew down to the ponies.

“Twilight. Spike. What are you doing?” She asked, Twilight looked at Ember with a look of pure displeasure and anger. “What do you think you were doing!?” She shouted at the dragon Queen.

Ember kept a rather neutral face, “I was watching a public execution. Your creature friend has been accused and found guilty of kidnapping one of my subjects and was found guilty.”

Twilight trotted toward Ember, Rainbow Dash returning with the group as Executioner stood back up.

“On what account!? That he looks similar to the actual culprit! You have kept a associate of a princess in your kingdom without my knowledge, you’ve imprisoned, and had this savage brutally beat him on the verge of...ending his life! WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU!?!” Twilight shouted as Ember narrowed her eyes, “perhaps you do-”

“NO I GET HOW THINGS WORK HERE!” Twilight cut Eris off, the alicorn was furious. “YOU KEEP OLD VERY FLAWED DRAGON JUSTICE SYSTEMS THAT HAVE MORE THAN LIKELY RESULTED IN THE DEATHS OF HUNDREDS AND YOU HAVE THE NERVE TO COME TO MY CASTLE AND KIDNAP MY FRIEND!?”

Ember took a step back, she had never ever seen Twilight this angry before. She looked at Spike who gave her a almost disappointed look, shaking his head as he continued tending to his human friend.

“I am taking my friend and leaving, try something like this again. And you will personally see you turned to stone.” Twilight growled, the dragons above going quiet as Ember narrowed her eyes at the alicorn princess.

The two staring at each other before Ember raised her hand, “fine. I will allow this to slide this once. I...apologize for the mix up.”

The group looked at Ember coldly as Twilight and Rarity used their magic to carefully raised the now unconscious Nick, Eris looking at Executioner who simply looked back at her.

The draconequus wanted to finish him off personally, but had decided that was for a later date.

The Mane Six, Starlight, Eris, and Spike made their way out of the arena. Ember watching them leave as the dragon queen looked at her talons. She clenched them and simply flew off back to her balcony to return to her home.

Author's Notes:

Hope you enjoyed this smackdown chapter, there is gonna be a LOT of conflict with the dragons in this now...yay!

Reunited

The low sound of Nick’s breathing could be heard in the hospital room, he had been battered, bruised, and beaten. He was almost motionless aside from the slow rise and fall of his chest. His eyes shut. The doctor had finished his examination, the unicorn letting out a soft sigh and pulling his glasses up, exiting the room Twilight and her friends, including Eris had all been silent in waiting. “Doctor...how is he?”

The unicorn sighed, “your friend has suffered massive damage to his skull, even with the help of magic he won’t be at a hundred percent for a while…now for the worst news..”

Rainbow Dash’s eye twitched, “there’s WORSE news..?” The cyan pegasus asked, the doctor nodded. “He seems to be in a comma of sorts...we’re unsure if he’ll wake or not..” The group’s hearts all universally sank.

Tears forming in Fluttershy’s eyes as she buried her face into Rainbow’s chest, the usual brash mare staying silent to comfort her longtime friend. Pinkie Pie’s mane deflated in a almost cartoonish manner, as she looked to the side. Trying her hardest to contain the sheer negative emotions swelling inside her at this news, Applejack pulling off her hat and putting it on her chest as Rarity began to cry out as well, Starlight doing her best to comfort the mare along with Spike. “Nick…” Twilight muttered clenching her eyes shut as Eris then exclaimed, “no! He has to be ok! He’ll wake up! He will!”

The draconquus refused to believe what she was hearing, her emotions getting the better of her as Twilight spoke. “Eris...the beating he took, the blows that dragon gave...it was terrible..we ju-”

Eris grabbed Twilight’s snout and kept her mouth closed, “don’t finish that sentence! He WILL be ok! Nick is tougher than that...he has to pull through...he HAS to…” Eris said, tears forming in her eyes. The doctor put a hoof on her back, “all we can do now? Is wait and see what happens...in the worst case...I...I’m sorry for your lose…”

The room fell silent, and the hospital air seemed colder than usual. Nick’s body unmoving as he laid on his back…

---

“Where am I?” Nick asked himself, air was chilling as all he saw was pitch black. Slowly, something began to form in the darkness. A large one story house. Looking around Nick slowly made his way to the house, feeling tied to the building.

Pushing the front door open he was blinded by light, blinking a bit his vision soon returned to him as he examined his surroundings, a comfy and furry couch to his right and what seemed to be a wooden guitar on its stand to his left. Nick was shivering, this seemed so familiar… That’s when he heard a voice. “NICK! I’M HOME!”

Nick’s heart sank, he knew where he was. “Dad? You’re home early!” He heard another voice say, he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. His heart was racing in the pit of his stomach as he saw something he’d thought he’d never see again emerge from the well lit kitchen.

“D-dad..?” He asked, his father was wearing a UPS uniform with a wide smile on his face as Nick’s younger self walked out of his room down the hallway to the left. “Mhm, I was supposed to come home earlier but I thought I’d grab some food so you know we could hang out, oh that and I wanted to take the Banshee out for a drive!” His father said.

The real Nick stood in silence, he was stunned, he was confused. Emotions flowing through his body as he walked forward, “yeah that sounds awesome!” Younger Nick said as Nick shook his head, ‘this can’t be real...I remember this day...I...I..’

“You don’t understand?” His younger self asked, real Nick looked at his younger self. “Wait you can-”

“Yes I can see you, we both can.” Young Nick motioned to his father, who was staring right at him. Dead in his eyes as real Nick stared back, sweat forming on his face. “D-dad...I’d thought I’d never see you again…”

“I never thought I’d see you here so soon son. What happened? And why are you wearing that toy?” His dad asked, having the classic smile that Nick loved so much.

“I-I, dad...so much has happened...I…” Nick was cut off, his father placing a hand on his shoulder and chuckling. “Nick, walk with me.” His dad said moving his hands away from his shoulders and floating out of the house and through the front door, back into the black nothingness.

“Dad! Wait!” Nick shouted as he chased after him, blindly running into the nothingness. Trying to catch up with his father who was floating away faster and faster before the world shifted and changed to the outside neighborhood that his father's’ house was on. Panting Nick looked up, his dad standing in front of him. “Now Nick, tell me. What has happened to you in these past years since I passed on?”

Nick stood tall, walking down the street with his father. Explaining everything, from him going to the comic con and grabbing the Omnitrix, to him having his ass kicked by the Executioner. His father nodded as Nick said, “dad I just...I don’t know if I can do it...from nearly dying to Erebus the first time to now this..? I can’t save anyone..I can’t save Equestria…”

“Nick, do you remember what you always told me when you were a kid?” Nick’s father asked, Nick shook his head. “Daddy, I wanna be a superhero! And when I looked into those young eyes, I saw a fire. That spark of determination to become a hero, to do something good. To do it, because it’s the right thing to do.”

Nick stayed silent, “upon my death when I didn’t return that night. And when I looked down upon you to view you when you became a senior, that fire died. As if I was the motivation for you to do something good because of how good of a person I was.” His father sighed, “Nick. I’m not perfect, I’ve done some dumb shit in the past that I regret. But it’s from my mistakes that I want you to grow from, you’re being presented the opportunity to be what you wanted. To become a hero to these ponies and a weird hybrid of a woman who is head over heels for you.”

Nick looked to the ground not responding, his father pausing and getting in front of him. “Nick, you are a good person. But you are not perfect, as a hero you are going to make mistakes. You’ll lose and there will be a lot of heartache, but you can’t let that stop you. What have I always told you?”

“A-a father and son who pray together…”

“Stay together. And while in this life there is no definitive god, I will always be there to help you. To guide you.” Nick’s dad could see the tears rolling down Nick’s face and begin to soak in his clothes. Grabbing his father, Nick hugged him tightly and bawled out. His father rubbing his back to help reassure him he closed his eyes.

“You have a chance Nick to save a world...to be the hero you want to be...and even in your darkest hour, you will never be alone...however the choice is left up to you.” His father said, releasing his grip on Nick he backed up.

A light opened up behind Nick, a figure standing in front of the light. “You can choose to take the hard way out and return to the world of the living, or stay with me in death.”

Nick looked between the two options, “dad…”

“Yes son?” His father asked raising an eyebrow.

“I love you...very much...but people need me.” Nick said turning his back to his father, his eyes red from crying so much, tears still forming. His father closed his eyes before smiling, “I’ll always be here Nick.” He said before disappearing, like sand being blown into the wind.

Nick was stopped by a figure that looked like Twilight, “Nick! You can’t go back! You failed us! We can handle ourselves, you did your best!”

Nick looked at the Twilight, “no...I have to go back..” He said as Twilight smirked. Her body began to shift and buckle, bones forming out of her body as the flesh and fur of her body slowly disappeared. A hood forming over her head as long boney fingers formed at her hooves holding a scythe.

“Your soul is mine Nicholas Taylor...NOBODY ESCAPES DEATH!” The creature shouted, it lunged at Nick. Nick narrowed his eyes and dodged to the side, slamming his fist into the creatures face he jumped back. “Tch, trust me pal. I’ll be making my way out of here…” Nick said, trying to bring back his joking attitude.

Death looked at him, swinging its scythe in a wide horizontal slash. Nick leapt over the swing and slammed his fit into Death’s spin, it wiping around and slamming the butt of its scythe into Nick’s face and knocking him to the ground. Raising the blade up, Death slammed it into Nick’s stomach.

Nick letting out a shriek as Death’s hollow eyes stared into his. “I admire your bravery...but you are foolish, you cannot hide from Death. I am everywhere! Your soul will be mine!”

Nick leaned his head back shakily, the ground beginning to envelope him into the black eternal nothingness as he stuck a hand out, no he couldn’t do it...

…

…

...

That’s when he felt a rough hand grab his, pulling him out of the darkness Death backed away. “Impossible…” It said as Nick looked at his father and then at Death. “No, nothing is impossible. I have no reason to hide...because we’re stronger than you think.” Nick said, his father walking into him and almost merging with him.

Nick smirked, “shall we dance?” He asked, Death charging at him and swinging its scythe. Nick rolled along the ground and evaded the swing, slamming his fist into Death’s jaw in a crushing uppercut. Memories of his past flooding into his head with each strike he dealt Death, from his birth, him and his friend Jacob playing Pokemon on the school bus, and him being bullied. To him meeting the Mane Six for the first time, to him fighting Erebus and pausing upon him cuddling up against Eris.

Letting out a cry, Nick formed both of his hands into fists and brung them down over Death’s skull. The entity laying on the ground, its skull actually cracked as it tried to rise to its feet. Nick walked past it, and back toward the light, pausing before looking up. “Thank you Dad…”

“Anytime Nick, you now know I’m always here.” His father said from above, Nick walking through the light. Death weakly grabbing its scythe as it panted, a small smile forming on its skull. “Well played Taylor...well played…”

---

Nick’s eyes slowly opened up, bandages around his head and most of his body as his eyes looked around. It was night time, most of the group had left the hospital. But a few members stayed, such as Twilight, Starlight Glimmer, Spike, and Eris who were all asleep. Nick’s eyes then fell upon a clock which was in front of him, ‘4:56 AM…’ He thought.

Letting out a low groan, his body was still EXTREMELY sore, but seemed to be in much better condition then his initial fight with the Executioner, he was a little woozy as well from most of the medicine and such that was being pumped into him.

“H-hello..?” He said softly, his voice was weak. But he managed to form that, Starlight Glimmer’s ears perked up at the sound of Nick’s voice, slowly opening up her eyes she rubbed a hoof against her face. That’s when her eyes widened, “Nick? You’re awake!” She said, joy filling her eyes as the mare restrained herself from hugging him tightly. Nudging Twilight and Eris, the two slowly began to awake.

Twilight was the first to react, tears streaming down her face as she couldn't control herself. Hugging Nick tightly the human let out grunts of pain, “hugs...hurt!” He said as Twilight blushed and backed away, giving a sheepish smile at him.

Eris however, when she saw Nick was awake she shouted. “WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU!? YOU HAD ME WORRIED SICK!”

Nick winched slightly, but then found Eris’s arms gently wrapped around him, her head nuzzling into the side of his neck as she began to cry as well. “Don’t EVER do that again..” She said snapping her fingers and grabbing the literal tissue box and blowing her nose with it.

Nick gave a dopey smile, “happy to see you all too…” He said as he looked up, envisioning his father who had his arms crossed and a wide smile on his face giving Nick a thumbs up.

Nick felt a tear roll down his face, he knew his purpose...he knew he could do it now. His father was with him the whole time, he just never saw it. And now? Once he got out of this bed and the clutches of Eris. He was going to save Equestria and make himself, and his father proud.

Author's Notes:

I'm back baby! Sorry for the very long hiatus, writers block was awful. But I'm back now, and I hope to continue this story since all of you seem to really enjoy it. So I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and ciao! ^^

Remember Him?

The sound of clicking and shuffling was heard in the dark dungeon, a pair of ears perking up at the sudden arrival of noise, chains clanking against each other. Hooves clopping against the stoney ground as a low chuckle came from the dungeon cell, a soft click was heard from the locking mechanism. Princess Luna and Celestia standing in the doorway once the door opened, lights shining into the cell and showing the prisoner.

“Shade. We are surprised thou hath managed to stay so resilient after thines defeat all those weeks ago.” Luna said, the hornless unicorn snorted as he looked at the two sisters and stayed completely silent.

Celestia then spoke up, “Shade. We know your background, you used to be a highly skilled magic user with a bright future, before attempting to be a hero cost you your horn. You can have a chance to be that again, to be a hero if you just tell us what Erebus is up to and where he hides out at.”

“If I told you that, it’d spoil the surprise.” The grey unicorn said smirking, Luna growled slightly. Her horn beginning to glow before Celestia stopped her and shook her head, the moon goddess narrowing her eyes as the light died around her horn. “Shade, listen. I cannot guarantee that your imprisonment will be comfortable. But I can assure you, it is a lot better then a private execution.”

Shade laughed, “You seriously believe Celestia you have the stomach to kill one of your precious little ponies? You’re a fool if you’d think I’d be intimidated by that empty threat.”

Celestia kept a straight face, but in her mind, she knew she couldn’t stomach a execution. She could barely handle Nick pummeling Shade into the ground and watching the head roll off of the Timberwolf in the battle for Canterlot. Luna’s horn began to glow once more, a magical sword pressing against Shade’s neck, sliding up and to his chin and slightly raised his head up. Her bright blue eyes looking deep into his, “unlike our sister. We can stomach blood. Do not test us welp, or else we will personally execute thine.”

Shade looked into Luna’s eyes and could see the fire behind it, he narrowed his own eyes. The unicorn sighed, “I would tell you, if I knew what the bastard was up to. He only let me on about the attack on Canterlot, and expected us to come out victorious. Plan B sadly was not explained to me, more than likely for this very reason..as for where he is?”

The princesses ears perked up at this, they were listening intently. Shade then said, “if I said one bucking thing, Erebus would torture me in ways you all couldn’t even think of…”

Celestia sighed, and began to turn away with Luna to go out of the cell. “However…” Shade spoke, the two princesses stopping and looking at him with a raised eyebrows. “Look no farther than the Everfree Forest...Erebus stages most of his experiments in the east, and holds most meetings with the other members of his little crew on the west.”

“And for Erebus’s exact main bases location?” Celestia asked, “that I cannot tell. To minimize my chances of suffering a horrific death. Enjoy searching..” Shade said, alicorn smiled at him. “You did the right thing by telling us Shade. We will have two pairs watching the outside, and inside of your cell.”

Shade closed his eyes, “yeah yeah...they won’t help. But thanks for the attempt.”

The princesses walked out of the cell, closing the door and locking it before walking out. Leaving Shade alone, whos spine tingled. He was going to die either way, the unicorn closed his eyes and began to think about his life. From his earliest moments as a colt, to earning his cutie mark, to accepting Erebus’s offer to become powerful again. He chuckled slightly as he hanged his head down, being alone in the cell. Only him, and his thoughts.

---

“I would suggest not moving it around all to much mister Taylor. While the enchanted wraps around your left leg will allow you to walk while your bones are healing, too much pressure on it may negate the healing done, and if you continue after that? Permanent damage to your leg will be imminent…” The doctor told Nick, who was currently sitting on the edge of his bed wearing his clothes. A massive bandage still on his head, “and this?” Nick asked pointing to the bandage.

“Alongside the medicine we have given Princess Twilight, it should help stop the splitting migraines you may feel in your head, just follow all that. And you should be good in the next week or two.”

Nick rubbed his chin, “alright. I can do that.” Nick said standing up, cautiously testing his leg before stretching. “At least I feel a lot better then when I woke up last night..not as sore.” He said, the doctor nodded. “I hear Pinkie Pie is throwing a party for you finally waking up after those few days.”

Nick looked out the window, seeing the massive signs at Sugarcube Corner and the mass amount of ponies gathered around. The human laughed, “yeah. I can tell heh, anyways. Thanks dude, here’s to hoping this is my last visit..” Nick joked as he walked out the door. Stepping out of the main door, Nick took a whiff of fresh air. “Feels good…”

Nick began to walk to the party, a number of ponies on the side giving woos to him. Some even holding up signs. Nick rubbed the back of his head as he chuckled a bit, ‘I suppose I did save them from that Dragon. And saved their princesses and the main capital city.’ Nick laughed more as he made it to Sugarcube Corner, Pinkie Pie slamming the door open and smiling widely at Nick. “NICK!!!!!! WELCOME!” She shouted as she lunged at him, Nick quickly side stepped.

“Sorry Pinkie, but I kinda can’t do a lot of hugs...still a bit sore and still recovering.” Nick said, Pinkie pouted. “Fiiiiiiiine, at least you’ll be able to play the party games!” The pink mare said joyfully.

Nick nodded, “you know it!” He said smirking.

Pinkie Pie walked Nick inside, almost every pony in the building looking at him with wide smiles. Especially the other members of the Mane Six, who quickly swarmed Nick and forced him into a group hug before he could even say anything. The human laughing before letting out a few groans of pain, prompting the ponies to back off him. “It’s nice to see you all too.”

Rarity was the first to speak up, “darling. Sweetie Bell was asking about you constantly when she found out the news of what happened to you.” Nick raised an eyebrow, before shrugging. “I’ll have to visit her and the other crusaders. Assuming they aren’t at this party.”

“Sadly they are not, apparently important Cutie Mark Crusader business popped up.” Applejack spoke up, Nick laughed a bit. “Ah it’s alright. Just feels good to finally move again!” He then turned to a few of the party games, being a lot more involved then the previous party that was thrown for him.

“So, who’s up for some party games?” Nick asked with a wide smile.

Author's Notes:

It seems Erebus is going to get a rather rude knock on his door. LOL, apologies for the chapter being so short, I have a schedule of writing on the weekends, more then likely on Saturdays, so expect the next chapter to be out on Saturday or Sunday, I was kinda pressed for time on this chapter as well so yeah. Otherwise hope you find some enjoyment and ciao!

A Stay in Tentacle Land PT1

A low sigh escaped Nick, the human currently was looking up at the sky and the clouds on top of a building. The part that had been recently thrown for him by Pinkie Pie ended a couple of minutes ago, and he just wanted to clear his head up a bit and relax.

Nick closed his eyes, still having a slight headache and bandages wrapped around his forehead, whistling softly. The human hated to admit it, but he was bored. Very, very bored. Nick looked at his Omnitrix, tapping the faceplate of it and interacting with the holographic interface.

As this was happening, a rip into the Void opened up above him. Looking up at it, a flash of gold shot out and hit the human in the forehead. Scrambling in both surprise and pain, he ever so gracefully landed on the ground in a painful manner. “That’s exactly what I get, for even fucking FEELING bored.” Nick muttered, rubbing point of impact from the offending object.

“Fucks sake...” He muttered, looking around slightly. Attempting to locate the flash of gold that had made his headache a hell of a lot worse.

What he found was strange. It was a small gold earring with a gold cylinder hanging off of it. Nick reached forward, grabbing it. Then he heard a voice in his head.

“My name is Roronoa Zoro, the World’s Greatest Swordsman! For those of you who seek a challenge, and those in need, just call for me! If you just want me as a tool in your plan, don't even bother. The only requirements are that you give me a great story and your best alcohol!”

Nick blinked, looking at the small golden earring. “Displaced. Aie aie aie…” He said before thinking to himself, “although then again...he did say in need, and he's the greatest swordsman...hmmm…”

“You’re damn right I did,” the same voice from the token said in his mind.

“Well, as of right now. I may need some help.” Nick spoke up, as he looked at the earring. “I’ve had two teachers, one teaching me how to properly use my displaced power. The other teaching me powerful magic, but I need one more skill...can you teach me swordsmanship?” Nick asked.

There was a moment of silence before he got a response. “Possibly. I’m not the best, and it will take a while. But, I’ve got questions for you, first. You up for that?”

“Yes. I am,” Nick answered.

“Alright. Name and displaced power.”

Nick took a small breath, “my name is Nicholas Devin Taylor, I came to this Equestria with an Omnitrix from Ben 10 Omniverse.”

“Another Omnitrix? By Laozi you guys pop up everywhere. Do you have voice command or master control unlocked?”

“No, not right now anyway...Omniverse never fully explained how to unlock the Master Control. And hey, Ben 10 is fuckin awesome, so I’m not surprised there are so many Omnitrix wearers.”

“And I agree with you, but you’re the fourth I've heard of. Anywho, do you have a decent idea of how to use a sword or is it just the wave like a stick thing that every kid does?”

“I have a...decent idea on how to use a sword. I’ve fought off a few monsters with Celestia’s signature blade. So, I’d like to think I’m mediocre at best with a sword.” Nick replied, a low chuckle escaping him.

“‘Sword’ is a broad term. What we talking here, broadsword, rapier, claymore?”

“Enchanted broadsword,” Nick stated. “Probably the sharpest blade in my Equestria. Probably due to the fact it was made for Celestia, but she let me have it after I saved Canterlot from a displaced hunter dickbag named Erebus.” Nick said.

“Okay, final question; Can your place handle a few visitors? This will take a while and I don't know how the hell time lines up for your place.”

“Yeah, I think so. I live in Twilight’s castle, I don’t she’d mind a few visitors.”

“All I needed to hear.” With that, another, larger portal opened up next to Nick, startling him. And then he saw bodies flying out.

Out flopped three people, a classily dressed blonde man, a voluptuous woman with ebony hair, and a tall skeleton with an afro. After they all flopped onto the ground, out of the portal emerged one last person.

It was a man in green clothing, three swords on his hip, and green hair. On his left ear were three earrings exactly the same as what harmed Nick in the first place.

He took a low stance and held his arms out wide.

“WELCOME TO AN ALTERNATE EQUESTRIA, TEAM! Don't spoil the future for our horses back home or break anything here.” He straightened up, leaving his companions to pick themselves up, and extended a hand to Nick. “Hey there, kid. Roronoa Zoro.”

Nick took and shook his hand, smiling softly. “Nick, as you already know.” He said, slightly looking at Zoro’s ‘team’ with a quizzical look. “Is that skeleton rocking a sick afro?” Nick asked in confusion.

“Yes I am,” said skeleton answered. “I am Brook. This is my daughter Robin. And this is Vinsmoke Sanji. How do you do?”

“I am quite alright, just recovering getting my ass kicked by a dragon. But that’s about it heh,” He said rubbing the back of his head.

“The hell did you do to piss off a dragon,” the blonde man, Sanji, asked. “Steal his hoard?”

“More like have their dumbass guards mistake me for a displaced hunter who kidnapped one of the dragons for a sick experiment.” Nick then sighed softly. “That was not a very pretty fight at all…”

“Sorry to hear that,” Robin replied.

“Alright, enough of that,” Zoro stated.

Nick nodded in agreement, “yeah enough of that. Now as for my problem, I need help with my swordsmanship...to face the threats coming in my future.” Nick looked at Zoro, “so you down to teach me?”

“Damn straight I am! Now, call your Elements and possibly Sunny and Moony, Kid. They’ll probably hate being out of the loop if this takes long.”

“True,” Nick said as he clicked his watch, the faceplate moving back as he then pushed down on the dial. His body shifting and changing into XLR-8, “alright. Be right back!” Nick said as he quickly dashed off in a black and blue blur.

“Did he just-”

“Yes he did, Daisy,” Zoro told her. “Now, let's go find the meeting room.”

All the humans followed Zoro as he somehow navigated the crystalline structure, arriving in a large room with six chairs surrounding a map table.

After a few minutes, all the Elements, who had had varying reactions towards Brook,had arrived. After a bit, Nick returned with the Princesses who just stared in wonder as Pinkie and a Skeleton were singing a song while a raven haired woman was snuggling Rainbow Dash, scratching her behind the ear and the pegasus melting into her touch.

“Sunny, Moony, always awkward to see you again,” Zoro said to the alicorns. “I'm Roronoa Zoro. Blondie is Sanji. The girl with Rainbow is Robin. And the skeleton is Brook. Don't shoot him with holy magic, he isn't magical, just crazy Displaced crap he’s got to deal with.”

Celestia looked at them all with a expression of curiosity and pure confusion. Luna’s eye twitched slightly. “Must inform Nick to ask us before he brings others over..” Luna muttered to herself, Celestia then spoke up. “Why has Nick summoned you?”

“Well, I'm one of the best swordsmen amongst us Displaced, so naturally he asked me to help him learn. But there is a catch,” he said, causing their eyebrows to rise.

“Catch?” Celestia repeated in a questioning tone, Nick also raised a brow interjecting. “Wait, catch?”

“For my training, it's going to take three months at minimum, and I don't know how long until shot hits the fan here. In going to take him to a different… dimension for this. For us, it will be quality training time. For you, maybe a week at most. I was wondering if you’d be fine with having my group stay here as temporary Displaced to help.”

“We...would, outside help watching over my Equestria would be appreciated. Especially considering we’ve gained intel on Erebus’ current whereabouts…” Celestia said, Nick’s ears perked up in response to hearing that bit of news. “Wait, are you serious?” Nick asked as Celestia nodded.

He rubbed the back of his head thinking things over, ‘if I take the three months to train and get better...Erebus won’t know what hit him...but if I go for the attack now..’ He paused his train of thought, pushing his hasty nature to the back of his head. “Ok, I’ll go with Zoro to the discount Hyperbolic Time Chamber, but Celestia.”

“Yes?” She asked.

“Do not attack Erebus. DO NOT,” Nick said narrowing his eyes.

Celestia nodded again in response. “Understood.”

Nick then sighed softly before looking at Zoro, “I’m ready when you are.”

“Alrighty then,” the green clad human clapped his hands together, gathering everyone's attention. “Sanji! I want you to stay in Canterlot with these two. Anything that tries to mess with them, screw them over.” The blonde man grinned at that, nodding. “Brook, Robin, stay here. Brook, only go out at night, as people are less likely to see you. Also helps to surprise enemies.” They both did a soldier salute. “And Equestrians? Please don't keep them in the dark. If shit happens, I want them prepared.

“As for you and me, Kid, we’re taking a trip to Apocrypha.”

Nick rubbed his chin, the name striking him as familiar before it clicked. “Wait a minute, you mean that weird hentai fantasy place in Hermaeus Mora’s book? From fuckin Skyrim? Holy shit I haven’t even TOUCHED that game in years.” Nick said laughing a bit.

“Damn Skippy! Own the bit of it that we’ll be in.”

“Alright hold up,” Sanji interjected. “I can believe that you’ve been there. That you own part of it, I don't buy. The hell did you manage that?”

“Well,” Zoro started, puffing up his chest a bit before exhaling. “Me and Clover landed there by accident, Herma Mora found us and was bored, so he gave us a bet. Won it and now I have part of the demon library as my home away from home.”

“You won a bet with Hermaeus fuckin Mora. My friend Raven would be fucking squealing in either amazement, or complete and utter confusion. Probably both.” Nick smirked slightly, crossing his arms.

“Honestly, I only use it for storing all of the crazy shit I've collected over the years. Helps to safeguard your stuff when its on what’s basically a book island in hell.”

Nick rubbed his chin, “True. Hmmm…well here’s to hoping it isn’t a fuckin junkyard.” Nick snorted.

Zoro just smirked as he touched one of his earrings, opening up a portal, and motioning for Nick to follow as he walked through.

What Nick found was exactly what he was expecting. Perpetual sickly green lighting, walls and structures made out of degraded books, and freaky architecture. It was a pretty big island, around the size of Ponyville if his guess was right, and completely surrounded by an oily sea with a tower in the center. Occasionally he saw the one weird object that struck his curiosity, but he’d get over that soon.

“Oh god...this place unsurprisingly smells just how it looks…” Nick said gagging a bit, his mystical broadsword attached to his back.

“Meh, you’ll get used to it. Now… Oh for Tao’s sake,” he muttered that last part as a ripple appeared before them. “Kid, say nothing and follow my lead.” Nick wasn't sure if he was excited or scared.

Before them was Hermaeus Mora in all ‘his' tentacly glory. When looking at him, Nick felt insignificant, as though he would be crushed in an instant or sucked into the abyss that was this feeling of dread. He was shaking in his boots.

“Roronoa Zoro,” ‘he’ drawled on in that slow speech. “It has been a while since you’ve returned to my realm.”

“Stoning can usually lead to that,” Zoro replied, a hard glare sent at the mass of eyeballs and tentacles.

“And who might this one be. A sacrifice, or possibly a new servant. And what a fascinating device he has there.” Hermaeus Mora extended one of ‘his' tendrils towards Nick, filling him with terror, before Zoro placed an arm in front of the other displaced. The glare he was giving the Deadric Prince would have all but scared the piss out of almost anyone. The demon pulled it back, eye squinting in either distain or amusement, Nick couldn't tell. “Very well, Roronoa Zoro. I shan’t interfere with your business. And child, I'm always open for you, should you be seeking knowledge,” he said before dissolving into the air.

Nick fell to his knees, clutching his chest in realization that he had dared not even breath in that… thing’s presence. Eventually, he mustered the courage to speak up, his fear managing mechanism in his mind kicking in. “S-so, didn’t know uh...Herma was into uh…” He paused in the middle of his fear filled joke, looking around the area. His spine tingling. “Black guys...h-heh…” His heart was indeed racing.

“Kid, don’t. What just happened was your first experience with a seven-dimensional entity and didn't end up his chew toy. Masking the fear is a bad idea in case he decides to visit again. Might end up scarring yourself mentally.”

“Well I’m sorry, jokes are sorta what I do under any kind of stress...especially in a fight.” Nick said, shakily rising to his feet. Taking a deep breath, he attempted to calm himself. “Ok...I’m good,” He said, still holding his Omnitrix without even realizing it.

Zoro just guided him towards a small cavern like area, decorated as one would a normal home. Couch, kitchen setup, a door leading to hopefully a bathroom, two bunk beds, and a few shelves covered in either books or miscellaneous items.

“Welcome to the Cave. Fridge is something I bought from a shadow merchant, never runs out of food. We have a toilet, sinks, and shower that thankfully use water, and beds. Get used to the place and get back to me when your ready. I'll be planning out our schedule.”

Nick nodded, scoping out the place. Rubbing his chin as he nodded, “yeah. Oh yeah, a lot roomer then my room in Twilight’s castle. And what’s this?” Nick asked, crawling onto the top bunk. “A bed made for a human? Where most of my legs don't hang over? Thank you lord Jesus.” He said jokingly before jumping down, taking off his jacket and wrapping it around his hips.

“Ok, well I’ve seen everything I’ve needed to see. And here I was worried I was gonna have to sleep outside of the cave with…” He shivered, stiffening up. “Squid boi watching me..” He said, pushing the thoughts away.

He went to check out the fridge, finding that it was indeed filled with fresh food. Much to his delight, there were the meat products that he had oh so missed; beef and pork. He spent a good deal of time making a sandwich that even Arby’s would be jealous of. Part of him was loving this, but the other was reminding him that he was just distracting himself from Demon Squidward. That part was quickly ganged up on and was shot/stabbed by the rest of his brain.

“Now. How are we gonna do this?” He asked, finally stepping outside from his lunch.

He wasn't sure if he was excited or terrified by what he saw. Zoro was talking with a High Seeker and three Lurkers. One of the Lurkers pointed at him, getting Zoro's attention.

“Ah, Kid, good to see you aren't crazy yet.”

“Well, I’m just as surprised to be honest here..wouldn’t want to go crazy in a place like this. EVER, or get lost. But I trust myself..” Nick said rubbing the back of his head.

“Alright. Anyway, this Jeeves, the Seeker. Those are the Brothers. Names are what I came up with. Jeeves is sort of the librarian here. All of these three together should be around the difficulty of small dragon, so think of them as a final test in three months. For now, they’ll just be sparring partners.”

“It ish good to meet you, Mashter Nicholas,” Jeeves slurred in English to the best of his ability, extending a hand. “I am told thish ish how humansh greet each other, no?”

“Yeah, it is. Don’t worry you got it.” Nick said his hand was a bit cautious, but he did shake Jeeves hand and put a smile on his face.

Zoro motioned for everyone to follow him. They went up the giant pillar in the middle of the island via stairs wrapping around the sides. And they walked upwards.

And walked.

And walked.

And kept walking.

“How tall is this thing,” Nick complained.

“Around a mile,” was Zoro's disheartening reply.

“I feel this would go by a bit faster if I used XLR-8 and zoomed up there.” Nick said as he kept walking, “but alas. I’m gonna take the hard way.”

For a second, Zoro stopped, motioned for Jeeves and whispered something to him. After nodding, the Seeker poofed away, and the group continued.

When they made it to the top, Nick felt an extreme sense of deja vu. It was almost exactly like the area where one fights Miraak at the end of the DLC, but with no center fountain of black sludge and rows of weapons and dummies.

“Welcome to our training area, Kid.”

Nick looked around, clicking his tongue against the roof of his mouth and making a rather loud clicking sound he followed up with, “nice. Haven’t been here in a while..” He said. Nick then almost instinctively looked over the edge, nodding his head.

“Ok, I’m down with this.” He then turned his attention to the rows of weapons and dummies. “Yeah, I’m down with this.” He repeated crossing his arms.

“Before we start, I need to tell you a few rules about this place. One, you physically cannot die here. The sole exception is when Herma Mora wants you dead. Two, if you get an injury you would die from, you just go comatose for a day. Its weird but apparently that's how it works.” When he finished, a poof of green smoke went off near him, revealing the Seeker, a book in his hands. “Ah, yes, thank you.”

Zoro took the book and flipped through it rapidly, eyes turned red. When he got to the page he wanted, he nodded and turned his eyes back to normal.

Walking towards Nick, he grabbed the arm with the Omnitrix and messed with it a bit, with some complaining from Nick. After a moment, something happened.

“Voice Command protocol active.”

Nick just stared at it, wide eyed. “Wait a diddly darn-”

“Authorization code Galvin Beta 1010. Set time, one fourth Earth Year.” The omnitrix chipped in confirmation before returning to its standby mode. Then it went dark.

Nick looked at the Omnitrix then at Zoro, then at the watch, and back to his mentor. “How did you do that, I’ve tinkered with this thing for a good while and got nothing.”

Zoro held up the book, a familiar design on the cover. “Manual. Apocrypha has a book on almost everything.”

“A manual...fucks sake..” Nick rubbed his nose before shaking his head and then saying, “something tells me I’d be more satisfied figuring this thing out, without Omnitrix 101 for Dummies.” He chuckled to himself, putting his hand on his hip.

“If it helps, it’s all in Taiwanese, so you probably wouldn't be able to read it anyway.”

“I suppose that helps a bit.” Nick replied snorting.

“In any event,” Zoro said, now walking around the area. “I've just turned off the Omnitrix for the remainder of your time here. As this is only for swordsmanship and not combat in general, no alien forms.” He picked up a random longsword and tossed it at the other Displaced before drawing Shusui. “Now, lets see what you can do.”

Nick grabbed the grip of the longsword, gripping it with both hands he took a deep breath. “Ok.” He made the first attack, going in for a vertical swing of the weapon.

Zoro deflected it with ease, pushing Nick back, and waited for another attack.

Nick narrowed his eyes, popping his neck he went in for another attack. Swinging his sword at an angle and following up with a quick horizontal slash.

“Decent form,” the swordsman commented, deflecting those, too. “Attack is okay, now what about defence?”

Zoro then unleashed a flurry of swings at Nick, who barely blocked in time. But unlike Zoro, he was getting a few scratched in his efforts. He felt something wrong and instinctively leaned to the left. He saw the tip of Zoro's sword right where his head used to be. Holy shit, he thought.

“Reflexes aren't too bad either.”

“You kinda gotta learn fast when your Equestria is being attacked by a dickhead of a displaced..” Nick retorted.

“Fair enough.” With that they continued to spar for another hour or two. Well, Nick’s pride said it was sparring. The majority of it was just him trying to not get stabbed while Zoro played with him.

Nick fell to the ground, gasping for breath and covered in small cuts. “So, teach… how’d I do…”

“Well, you’re better than most people who pick one up at first,” Zoro responded, helping pick him up. “Your main problem is that you aren’t confident enough in your abilities, and that makes you stiff and easy to read.”

Nick snorted a bit, which was followed up with a little cough. “Well, I always do second guess myself when it comes to every damn action I make! But, that shit only disappears when lives are in stake. Excluding mine.”

“That's more common than you think. But fret not, my young Padawan. When we’re done here, you’ll be at least competent guardsmen level. Oi, one of you get some water, please,” he shouted at the Lurkers. One nodded and started heading down the ungodly staircase. “While that's happening, I need to know some things. First off, what type of swordsman do you want to be?”

“Well…” Nick took a deep breath, slowly picking himself up. “Personally I've never really thought about what kinda of swordsman I wanted to be. I usually just copy people from action movies back when I was on earth.” Nick admitted as he chuckled a bit.

“Well, there are three basic ones: Offence, Counter, Defence. They’re all pretty self explanatory. Offence is exactly how it sounds. You rush in and start hacking away, and rarely focus on anything besides hitting the other guy. Most who go this route end up dead early, but deadly if they’re experienced.

“Counter is my whole deal. Dodge or block until you have a chance to counter attack. It's the middle ground for the three types.

“And finally defensive. It's just block until they’re weary then cut off their heads. This is usually best with multiple opponents. So which seems more like you?”

Nick rubbed his chin, “well. Rushing in is pretty damn stupid to me, and being super defensive has never really been my style. Counter, that middle ground sounds perfect to me.”

“All right then,” Zoro said, pulling him up. “After he gets the water, we’ll go over the basics.”

Nick took another breath, he was still covered in cuts but he'd hopefully manage through. This was going to be an agonizing, but much needed form of training. And he was willing to put his best foot forward for his Equestria.

Author's Notes:

Crossover time! At an intriguing point none the less. Do not worry, shit will happen with Erebus and such. My schedule has been all over the damn place and I'm never really on, but I must thank this lovely lady for sticking with me through my bullshit LOL

https://www.fimfiction.net/user/307519/PrincessMoonzilla that gal right there, check out her story. Tis better then mine. Anyway enjoy!

https://ben10.fandom.com/wiki/XLR8_(Classic)

A Stay In Tentacle Land PT2

For three months Nick was training in Apocrypha, and the only way he could and would describe it would be “pain slathered on top of suffering in a hell bowl.”

Not a day went by when something didn't hurt. On easy days he was forced to learn the vital points of most everything he would find in any Equestria, ranging from griffins to dragons to fairies, which he learned were all scary as hell. On the ‘testing' days he felt like his muscles were melting and his skin went through a barb wire scrubbing. The worst part was that almost every day he had to jog up those ungodly long stairs to the training area, and that was a warm up! Before Equestria, the most he ran was to the bathroom.

And after Nick was on the ground, panting and regretting his choice of teacher, Zoro pulled potions out of somewhere and healed him. ‘Heals the ripped muscles so you can train harder, longer, and get stronger quicker.’

He probably just enjoyed watching me suffer, were Nick's thoughts on the matter.

Sure, there were fun parts, like watching a few old but great shows on the Multiverse equivalent of Netflix, but it was all overshadowed by the suffering that Zoro called ‘training.’

So when the Omnitrix chirped, signaling its activation, he was both excited and worried. Excited that he would be ready to go back to his Equestria, but worried about his Final.

Throughout his stay in the Hentai Library Theme Park he had only faced off against Jeeves and the Lurkers separately, but almost always ended the fight in defeat.

But while each fight ended in defeat, Nick kept pushing to try harder every time. His persistence pushing him to greater heights he never even dreamed he'd be able to reach.

Nick during his training did not stop pushing himself to the brink of his abilities, but this Final would decide if all of the training, all of suffering and pain would be enough. Nick rubbed his face, he had visibly gotten a hell of a lot slimmer and more muscle toned then when he entered. His semi-afro cut down and he actually managed to fully develop a type of beard.

Nick currently was laying in the bed he had been sleeping in for the past few months, a notebook underneath his pillow with scribbles of all his available alien forms. A sort of strategy guide to using their abilities to their fullest. If I go from XLR-8 to Diamondhead while moving at top speed, it wouldn’t take much for me to simply slice Erebus in half, but I don’t think it’d ever be that easy. Nick thought to himself, still writing down the idea anyway.

“You’d need to make the blade pretty fast,” a voice said from over his shoulder, causing Nick to jump. “I’d personally go NRG. At least then I'd know I do some damage with that bulky suit of his that I'd be able to walk away from.”

Nick just glared at his teacher. Zoro made it a habit to have his input in almost everything he did, but damn if some of the advice he gave wasn't brilliant.

Nick took a breath and sighed, “I could potentially walk away from the attack with Diamondhead as well, the chances would just be very damn slim. My first taste of using my quick switch feature came from when I had to fight that undead mutant dragon back at Equestria. Ran up a wall as XLR-8 and wailed on him with multiple Echo Echo clones. I could’ve gotten closer and dealt a LOT more damage..”

“Ugh, don't get me started on undead. They’re the only bastards that can get past Haki. I call bullshit.”

“Pft seriously, good thing I only had to deal with one...but something tells me my Equestria’s Luna and Celestia are going to do something stupid before I get back...in terms of time outside of this book. We’ve been in here for 3 months, how much time passed out there?” Nick asked, not remembering specifically.

“Eh, it depends,” he shrugged his shoulders. “Could be a few hours at least, a week at most. I just
know my place, so on others it's kind of swing and miss.”

“I’m hoping only a few hours. Because if my Celestia and Luna do what I think they’re gonna do...well, it’s not gonna end well for them.” Nick said sitting up from the bed, putting the notebook down and beginning to stretch.

“They got my crew, so it could be alright,” Zoro said as they started walking towards the Summit, as they took to calling it. “But enough about stuff we got no control over, you ready for this?”

“As ready as I’ll ever be.” Nick replied, rolling his head to pop his neck. He then took one more deep breath and exhaled, grabbing his blade from the wall. “Still have butterflies in my stomach. Pretty sure I’m using that saying wrong...but to be honest i really don’t care.” He said chuckling to himself slightly.

“Don't worry, Kid, you’ll do fine. Last you faced them was, what, a month ago? Plenty of room for improvement.”

“You’re not wrong about that.” Nick said gripping his blades handle tightly.

When they made it to the top, the Lurkers and Seeker were waiting. The entire area had been cleared of most of the usual clutter so there was a less likely chance of someone dying by trip.

“Alright, ground rules,” Zoro started. “One, no transformations. Two, if the Kid is mutilated or killed, you four stop and wait for him. When this is done, everyone gets alcohol.” The Lurkers looked… happier, if you could tell the difference, at the last part. “Ready to start, Kid?”

“Sure but I need one thing before we start, that second rule...I want them to keep going, Erebus and his lackeys won’t stop when I’m down. I need to be ready for that.”

The Swordsman grinned at him. “Sure thing. You heard him, guys.”

“Yesh, Mashter Zoro. We will endeavor to reshpect his wish.” Was he grinning? It's so hard to tell with the… the tentacles and the face.

Nick stepped forward, his eyes on the Lurkers and the Seeker. He took a stance, putting his dominant foot which was his right forward. His sword in his hands tightly as he kept his eyes trained on them.

"Begin!"

It was one of the Lurkers who moved first, bringing down an overhead strike. Nick dodged quickly, surprising himself with how fast he was compared to the creature. Nick shook the thought of his improvement in speed.

In that brief moment, another Lurker had gotten behind him. It smacked him hard in the back, sending him flying towards the third. Thinking quickly, he duck and rolled under it the moment his feet could touch the ground, barely dodging as it spew out tentacles. He slashed the back of the leg, but not the knee as the first Lurker was upon him.

He dodged it’s blow, slicing its arm as it missed him. He could have gotten in another bloq had it not been for the Seeker. He felt the wave of energy go through him, stumbling long enough for another Lurker to get a blow in.

Dammit, forgot about him. That spell though…Nick was having an idea, and he grinned. Now it's time to stratergize.

He spent the next few minutes dodging and weaving, attacking and counter attacking whenever he could, but he stayed on the defensive. Eventually, all of them were in the places the human needed. One enemy covered each of his sides, but he only had eyes on one. When the Seeker launched another spell, Nick threw his sword towards the Lurker opposite. On normal occasions, this wouldn't do jack shit. But this is a Displaced we’re talking about here, crazy shit is basically in the job description. The sword penetrated it’s head, yes, but didn't do much damage. The Seeker’s spell gave Nick much more momentum than he could've gotten normally. Using the momentum, he pushed the blade through the Lurker’s head, bringing the body to the ground. One enemy defeated.

He didn’t have time to pat himself on the back over the small victory, moving in on the next Lurker he used his smaller form to slide underneath it, pressing his feet roughly against the ground he stopped his momentum and then ran forward. Cutting open the back of its leg, he returned to being in front of it. Leaping up and slamming both of his feet into its stomach which he followed up with by launching himself off of it effectively knocking it over, sliding on the ground to recover he stood up and charged forward. Not pausing in the slightest he jumped in the air, ramming his sword through its throat and then pulled the blade upward, splitting its throat and head right down the middle.

He contorted out of the way of another blast before rushing to its source. Seekers were basically mages, and that meant they weren't as well versed in close-combat as the other Daedra, right? Mostly.

They had very durable skin… hides? Whatever they had, it was as tough as a rhino. But there was one place not as protected, if you didn't count the eyes. As it was readying another spell, Nick slashed at it’s mouth, causing the spell to backfire and injure it internally.

Nick then landed on the ground, standing tall and very proud. He looked at the remaining Lurker, his eyes narrowed as he stayed still, almost daring it to attack with his stature.

It roared, shooting acid covered tentacles towards him. He barely dodged, his arm getting a small cut in the process. Rushing forward, he dodged and weaved it’s attacks. When he was right up to it, he sliced the Lurker in the stomach, making it ooze green blood. He put all of his strength into a kick to the left knee, bringing it into a kneeling position. Nick jumped into the air and plunged his blade into its skull, penetrating it down to the heart.

“I’ll admit,” he began to speak up, “I did not expect to do this well! This is good, I feel stronger! Faster!” Nick looked at Zoro, who seemed to be watching all of this unfold. Nick tilted his head, giving a cheesy smile and a thumbs up to his mentor.

The Swordsman chuckled, turning off the music and standing up. “Congrats, Kid. First person to graduate from the University of Zoro Badassery. And for your consolation prize, Skyrim Loot!” He bent over the Lurkers’ bodies, taking something from each of them. In his hand he had jewelry. A Gold Necklace, a Gold Sapphire Ring, and a Silver Ruby Ring. “A necklace that fortifies Magic resistance, the gold ring resists poison, and the other Fire, each at maybe… 40%? Been a while but feels about right. Perks of being sensitive to magic, I guess. Here, they’re yours.”

Nick sheathed his sword, and tilted his head. Taking the enchanted jewelry and rubbing his chin. “Thanks. But here’s to hoping I won’t need it,” He said smirking and pocketing the items. He rolled his shoulders, trying to loosen them up a bit.

“Ha! In our line of work, we need everything we can get our hands on. It's why I've got, like, six lightsabers.”

“Fair enough,” Nick replied chuckling a bit, “now. What now? Considering I believe I passed my final exam rather well.”

“Well, as I see it, we have two choices: Go back to your home, or finish that last season of Friends. But it's your choice if you think hanging around an old dude like me is too uncool for you.”

“I think I should probably get back. However we can finish Friends another time. Maybe after I deal with this whole Erebus situation.” Nick said pounding his fist against his hand, “I’m ready to finally put that dickweed in his place…”

“Alright, now then-” Both humans froze, feeling a familiar presence. This time however, Nick didn't quake in his boots. Only shivered when he gazed at the Daedric Prince.

“Good show, Nicholas. You’ve certainly improved since coming here. Most impressive.”

“Thanks, gonna be honest I’m probably gonna miss this place. I finally gained the courage to sleep and not be woken up by the slightest noise.” Nick said joking.

“Well we can't have that, now, can we?”

“Hermaeus,” Zoro growled at the Prince.

“Don't worry, Roronoa Zoro. I have no interest in giving him the same deal I gave to you. I am simply… rewarding him. Yes, rewarding him for his splendid display throughout his stay. Nicholas, I shall grant you a… gate, to Apocrypha. Whenever you want.”

“I...thank you. As long as I am welcomed, I’ll probably come back. It is nice to have a TV again, and another mentor when it comes down to it.”

"Such a polite young mortal. Why ever can't you behave like him, Roronoa Zoro?” All the Prince got in return was an almost animalistic growl. “Always rebellious, aren't you? No matter, soon you’ll fulfill your end of the deal. But you, Nicholas, shall always be welcomed. And should you... find anything to your liking,you are free to trade Knowledge for Knowledge.”

“Kid, we’re leaving, now.” Zoro opened a portal and almost shoved Nick through, sending Hermaeus Mora one final glare before jumping through himself.

The Daedric Prince simply ‘smiled.’

===oo00oo===

When they exited the portal, arriving back into Twilight’s Castle, the Library wing. They noticed it was around midnight. No one was awake.

“Well, at least Celestia and Luna aren’t completely dunce...also, I’m gonna be honest. I couldn’t tell if tentacle god himself was hitting on me or not, and that is a tad concerning..”

Zoro sighed, rubbing the back of his head as he took a seat. There was a flash of purple on the table, revealing a small, black book with a familiar looking logo on the cover. The emblem of Apocrypha. “... Think that's yours.”

“Thank you, very much appreciated. I’ll try and keep it from Twilight… along with Eris-” Nick was cut short as a massive explosion of energy erupted from the trees of the Everfree Forest. A mix of gold and a nice vibrant blue. “God dammit spoke to soon…”

“I'm guessing that's either the Sisters or this ‘Eris?’"

“I’m hoping it's Eris, but something tells me I’m not gonna be that lucky…” Nick sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. “It’s always when I fuckin get back from training to, I swear…”

Zoro got up and grabbed a calendar. “Heh, week vacation and people decide that it's time to do shit. Welp, nothing we can do about it. I'm sensing, Sunny, Moony, my crew, and their guards decided to go on a little man hunt for E-something. Sound about right??”

“Yeah that’s what I was thinking...god damnit.” He muttered, taking a deep breath. A bright light flashing from Nick as he transformed into XLR-8.

“Well, I need some stress relief. Wanna go crash their little party?”

“That’s what I was planning on doing,” Nick said in his raspy Kineceleran voice.

Zoro pulled out Kitetsu and Shusui. “Then let's get going,” he said running towards the area of the blasts, almost appearing like a green blur.

Nick’s facemask slammed over his face as he raced toward the forest, MUCH faster then before. Leaving a trail of dust and smoke behind himself as he approached the forest.

This is going to be a long night.

Author's Notes:

Thanks again to PrincessMoonzilla for doing this crossover with me! And actually being patient with me, hopefully part three will go up next weekend! Assuming nothing important happens that weekend! Otherwise, ciao my boys and gals!

https://ben10.fandom.com/wiki/XLR8_(Classic)

A Stay in Tentacle Land PT 3

Sanji was having a very okay week.

It started off with the green haired bastard pushing them through a portal to another Equestria, this one not filled with furries but actual almost-horses. His masculinity wouldn't allow him to even utter the name of their race. He was then ordered to basically be a glorified bodyguard/retainer for Royalty with no say in the matter. But at least he had a week living in a nice castle, where the beds were slightly too small and no one decided that keeping meat was good, so he basically introduced them to tofu burgers despite hating himself after eating one.

What? Go buy it from the market? Quick run through the town and using Observation told him that there were no species of carnivores in the Capital of Horseland. Go hunting? The nearest area to do that is hundreds of miles away, where the horse copies of his… associates were.

But hey, comfy beds, showing off his culinary skills, and kicking some pompous unicorn in the dick easily make up for the inconveniences. Thus making it an okay week.

But when he overheard the two Alicorns talking about some E-dude, that he sort of remembers the kid Zoro took to Apocrypha (which he really wanted to call bullshit on) telling them not to, he decided to just go along with them because why not. Not like he was there to stop them from doing something stupid.

“Sister? Are you absolutely sure you want to go through with this plan?” Luna asked Celestia, the princess pulling her armor over her body with her magic.

“I'm absolutely sure, we know of Erebus’s location Luna. We can put an end to this. Not to mention that Nicholas has taken too long, and I can't take sitting and waiting for Erebus… that monster, to strike again.” Celestia said, pulling her helmet over her head.

“Assemble our elite guards, we will need as much help in this endeavor as we can get…” Celestia said, Luna let out a low grumble. Not fully agreeing with Celestia’s plan, but complied nonetheless. The Solar Princess turned to Sanji. “Did you require something, Sir Sanji?” She asked.

“No, not really,” he responded. “Just waiting for the go ahead. I've been needing to stretch my legs.”

She smiled at the human. “Nonetheless, we thank you for agreeing to join us.” Celestia took a deep breath, her horn lighting up and forming a golden energy replica of the blade she bestowed Nick. “This may be our only chance to catch him off guard and end this all once and for all…”

Sanji raised his viable eyebrow at that. He didn't know how this will ‘end’, and if he were on Earth or back in Tartarus, that would usually be death from what he’s heard about this guy. But this was Equestria, Land of Friendship and Rainbows. Granted they somehow weaponized those, but that isn't the point. Even in extreme cases, both here and in his version, the worst they’d do would be to imprison him in Tartarus.

Oh well, he thought, lighting another cigarette from his somehow unlimited supply. It's their home, their rules. I'm just here to play babysitter.

“Turning him to stone may not be an option considering how Eris managed to escape her captivity...Tartarus would welcome him. The spell to bound him however takes a lot of me and my sister...so if you join us, you may have to distract Erebus long enough for us to actually get the spell in full effect.”

He chuckled, exhaling some smoke. “I'll do you one better. I'll see if I can kick his before your time limit.”

“We should get moving then..” Celestia said as she sighed softly, this was going to be difficult. A lot more than Sanji realized…

~~~

Erebus narrowed his eyes underneath his helmet, the sensors in his lair picking up some abnormal activity. “Gloom! What is it?” Erebus asked, he was currently working and adjusting one of his gauntlets.

Gloom’s eyes landed on the small screen in front of her, the unicorns horn emulating a hand and clicking a button. “I-It's the princesses! And a large number of Royal Guardsmen! I can tell it's them, their signatures are to unique…” She said. While Gloom still worked for Erebus, her loyalty wavered in the past few days because of what happened to Velocity for giving Erebus lip. She was more scared of him than anything at this point, she flinched when Erebus let out a low growl. “STONE! Get the dragon ready, I want you to tear through the Princesses and her little army. I need to work on my gauntlet.” Erebus ordered in through the intercom in the lair.

“Yes sir.” Stone answered back, Erebus let out a sigh. “The princesses are ahead of schedule when it comes to a solo siege…no doubt, I was not expecting this kind of resistance from a novice displaced.” growling to himself, his head rising back up. “Pilot the dragon Gloom. I need to finish this modification and I will finish those two once and for all…” He said, Gloom shakily nodded, making her way to her station.

~~~

Before they went into the forest, Sanji made a quick stop to Ponyville to pick up Brook and Robin. The guards and princesses were unnerved by Brook’s… condition, but were quick to ignore it due to his daughter’s glare. On the way, the Chef filled them in on what was going down.

Quite honestly, if he hadn't been filled in on what this bastard could do, he'd have thought this to be complete overkill. Now, it's just mostly overkill. Not that he was complaining.

And then they saw a dragon coming towards them.

Hurriedly, the Equestrians started setting up their defences, while the humans were standing in the same place as before, mentally preparing themselves.

The dragon landed, the ground shaking at its weight, glistening red scales crushing the rocks beneath it. And on top was the villain himself.

“That's him? He looks like someone who couldn't decide in Power Rangers and Iron Man and just said ‘fuck it.’”

“Sanji, it's not nice to judge someone based purely on their looks. It's extremely rude, no matter how true.”

“Says the skeleton David Bowie with an afro.”

“Touché.”

Erebus was watching the humans warily as he descended from the dragon, seeing as it wasn't his usual adversary, but a blond man in a tux, a black haired woman, and the aforementioned skeleton. While he was glad to not have to deal with what amounted to the ultimate wild card, he didn't like unknowns. Especially when he felt like he knew them, or at least their characters.

Celestia was the one who stepped forward in front of the army and the others. Her and Princess Luna standing side by side, Celestia pointed a magic blade at Erebus. “Erebus! The madness stops here! You have committed horrible crimes against Equestria and her people, slaughtering whoever gets in your way, torturing living breathing creatures, defiling corpses. With Faust as my witness, I shall see to it you never hurt another pony again!” Luna glanced at Celestia, she had never seen her sister so full of spite. Was she actually planning to kill Erebus, right here...right now?

Luna looked back at the corrupted displaced, the glow from his helmet and his equipment outshining his face, making it hard to read his facial features. “This madness..? This is no madness. I have to give you this Celestia, you have more guts than most of the other princesses that have fallen under my heel. Or died trying to fight against me and my reign.” Erebus then looked at Sanji, Brook, and Robin. “You three. You displaced. The damage you cause to these universes, the chaos that follows when any of you drop...you do not fathom the amount of lives you ruin by simply existing in Equestria. Your pointless struggles, your attempts to be heroes...it makes me sick.”

Erebus clenched his fists tightly, his prototype glove on his other arm as he reached for the grip of his blade. Flicking the new bright blue energy blade to life, it was shaped like a modified Armor Slayer. “I hope Nicholas arrives here soon. Because I want him to feel what I felt, alone. Left in the dark by you disgusting creatures...but enough talk. No more monologuing.” He stated, raising his blade up in the air. Pointing it at Sanji, Brook, Robin, Celestia, Luna, and the small army behind them. The mutated cybernetically enhanced dragon charged forward, taking a swipe at the hoard with his tail. Stone jumping off its head and slamming into the army of guards to begin the massacre.

Sanji rushed ahead, covering his leg in Armament, stopping the dragon’s tail dead in its tracks, much to everyone's surprise. He pushed his leg forward, knocking the dragon several feet back, which shocked almost everyone, before doing something else insane. He started flying.

“Okay, so I'm just going to be real with you man,” he started. “You're sounding kind of petty. I was literally locked in Hell for years due to a misunderstanding, and I'm not nearly as ‘conquer all through evil, asshole means’ as you are. And I am not trying to be a hero. I am a chef! Hellfire Spectrum: Greed!” His right leg erupted into purple flames.

He blurred, suddenly appearing before the dragon. “Mâchoire Shoot!” Sanji kicked the giant monstrosity so hard in the jaw that it was sent flying into the air, metal bits starting to fly out of it. “Poitrine Shoot!” He sent another into its chest, sending it further into the air. He blurred once again, appearing above the dragon this time. “Brochette!” He shot down, spinning as he drove his foot down into its spine, sending it rocketing towards the ground.

The impact sent dust and debris in every direction, everyone covering their faces so as not to get a rock in the eye. The chef landed in front of the now mostly broken dragon, shaking off his cigarette. “And just because I've always wanted to do this. CNRK!” He performed a roundhouse kick, hitting the cyborg dragon so hard he kicked its head clean off, sending it flying towards the sunset. He grinned. “Thank you Chuck Norris.”

Stone looked up at the now headless dragon, a small group of guards ganging up on him and attempting to beat him down. Stone however slammed his hoof into the ground, sharp rock formations forming underneath them and quickly digging into their bodies, coming from the other end in easy impalement.

Celestia watched the head of the dragon fly, looking back at Erebus. Pointing her blade at him, the princess charged him. Going in for a arked slash of her construct blade, Erebus dodged to the side. Slamming the bottom of his boot into Celestia’s chin. There was a sharp flash from where Erebus was, only to instantaneously appear behind Sanji, kicking out one of his legs and wrapping his arm around his neck. Judo flipping him backwards only to raise his main gauntlet arm up, firing a small precise dart of energy at Sanji.

Taking this opportunity. Erebus pressed his glowing blade against the ground. Quickly swiping it upward, a massive slash of blue energy escaped the blade. Hurtling toward not only Sanji, but the other displaced that had followed him to the battle.

Their response to these attacks varied. Sanji decided to juggernaut it, encasing himself in Armament. Robin’s eyes widened before crossing her arms over her chest, dissolving into hundreds of flower petals. Brook decided to book it, running away from the sword laser beam like any sane man would.

When it hit the only human insane enough to not dodge, it pushed him backwards into the corpse of the protodragon. That energy mixed with the impact did the only reasonable thing that it could in this type of scenario.

It exploded.

The Princesses quickly threw up a shield spell, enveloping their soldiers and Brook, protecting them from the intense blast.

Stone decided to take this opportunity to charge towards the two Alicorns, seeing as how they were distracted. Unfortunately, he found himself being constricted, unable to move. Dozens of arms held him in place, not giving him even a little wiggle room. He suddenly felt a weight on his back as more hands grabbed his head.

“Hello,” the feminine voice of Robin said. “You try anything, and you'll be doing a very accurate impersonation of an owl.”

Stone blinked as he looked at Robin, his eyes narrowed as he let out a low growl.

Erebus’s eye twitched underneath his helmet.

“Useless! ALL OF YOU!” He shouted as he clenched his fists tighter then before. ‘Ok. Tone it down Erebus. If there is one thing I know how to do,’ He clicked a button on his wrist gauntlet. “It's to somewhat plan ahead…” He said as his body quite literally split in half. A second Erebus forming from the clone of himself, and then another from that clone. “Have any of you seen that episode of ‘The Batman,’ with the Multiple Men?” His clones asked in unison. The main Erebus being a slightly lighter shade of purple from the others as they all had their eyes trained on the invaders of his base.

“Think that. But much. MUCH! Worse.” The True Erebus said, as he pointed his blade at Sanji, his comrades and the princesses. Each and every one of the Erebus...Erebi? Erebi taking multiple slashes of their energy blades at the groups, the ones that missed simply went through the remaining guards.

“Cloning..? That's difficult for even us!” Celestia said as she raised yet another magical barrier with her horn, taking a defensive stance as the barrage of energy slashes hounded her shield, along with her sisters.

And then, they heard music playing. A majority of those at the battlefield were even more confused, looking around for the source. Only the three visiting humans knew what was going on.

“God dammit, Zoro,” Sanji muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose.

Within the middle of the field of Erebi, a green clad figure appeared, and he had the largest shit eating grin. “You guys miss me?”

Erebus was confused a bit before fully taking in the man, and noticed the three swords. Zoro, green hair, three swords… Oh! OH! Oh. Oh… oooooh...

And it was at that moment, he knew he fucked up.

There was a gust of wind and then a flash of green light, which turned into a large yellow blur. Dogging down on one of the formed Erebi, a large yellow and black armored ball simply sat in the dirt. Uncurling, Nick in the form of the Arburian Pelarota or best known as Cannonbolt stood up straight, flexing his claws. “Never thought I'd use this form to be honest. But it’s quite fun!”

Erebus eyeballed Nick, his eyes narrowing under his helmet as he clenched his blade. “Nick…”

“Erebus. How's it going buddy?” Nick asked, reverting to his human form having the biggest shit eating grin on his face as he patted his jacket. His sword sheathed on his back with the strap wrapped around his torso and jacket. He was starting to develop a bit of a beard, but Nick was quite content with it. “I was hoping my entrance could be a little more badass, I had a superhero landing planned and everything..”

“Yeah, I'd give it four out of ten,” the swordsman said, tapping his foot to the beat. And, in an act that unnerved him more than it should have, Zoro looked at the real Erebus. “And cloning yourself, really? Didn't know I'd find a Naruto fan underneath all that angst.”

“Naruto is an overrated shitstain. I look more to, the Multiple Men from ‘The Batman.’” Erebus said, gritting his teeth underneath his mask. ‘I can see the look on his face...He's gotten stronger...some Hyperbolic Time Chamber like training? With the other displaced,’ Erebus thought to himself. “I gotta say, I really love this sense of dominance you're putting forth. It is quite cute actually, a mask to help you realize the fact you're fighting me again. When all you'll do is lie down, with my boot on your thro-”

Nick slammed his fist into Erebus’ helmet, kneeing his stomach and wrapping his arm around his neck. Bringing him down to the ground and throwing him against a tree. “Caught you monologuing. Maybe it's an instinctive thing with you villain types. Doing bad stuff for a stupid reason,” Nick said crossing his arms. “Now c'mon. I'm tired of listening to you drone on. You want to take over my Equestria? I've made it quite clear you'll have to do it by force.”

Erebus growled as he stood up. “At this point your Equestria isn’t my main priority, I JUST WANT YOU DEAD!” Erebus shouted, disappearing in a bright flash of light. Grabbing Nick’s jacket and disappearing with him in another flash. This left the Erebus clones, the constricted Stone, and Gloom who was safe in the base. At least for the moment.

“Well, now that that's taken care of,” the swordsman said, gaining everyone's attention as he pulled out two swords. “Do you wanna see something cool? Dragon Twister!”

He spun his blades, making a torrent of air that pulled all of the clones in, reducing a majority of them to shreds. Those that didn't die were either on the verge of it or clawing uselessly at stumps and massive cuts that bled profusely. But soon enough, their pain was ended.

Amaterasu made sure of it.

Well, all except for one. This one found Zoro up in his face. “So you're trying to take over worlds, huh. Tell me, what was your plan when meeting someone outside your abilities? Because as far as I can see, you're screwed, and I ain't even in the higher tiers of 'Strongest Displaced.’ At my absolute best, I'm maybe a 6-A. What would you have done against, say, Vegeta or Auric? What would you have done against a competent military? You're just a stupid kid who's too drunk on power and his own ego.” He grabbed the clone, crushing the helmet to reveal Erebus’ terrified face.

~~~

Skidding down the side of a hill and rolling to a halt, Erebus rubbed his helmet. His plan was falling apart, he didn't expect these new displaced to be so damn powerful! He felt a slight crack on his visor, looking at his gauntlet he could see the ticks of his clones disappearing one by one. He narrowed his eyes, looking up at Nick who was slowly rising to his feet.

“Are you happy now?” He asked, genuine hatred in his voice.

Nick stood all, stretching a bit and popping his back. “Yeah I'm pretty content! You're base is comprised, you've got nowhere else to run. Not this time.” Nick said as he grabbed the grip of his sword, pointing his blade at Erebus his narrowed his eyes. “This can either end with you dying tonight, or it can end in you surrendering and at the very least being banished, or being turned to stone or whatever. No fuckin inbetween.”

Erebus practically growled at him, too angry at the fact that surrendering to these rainbow loving morons was even a viable option at this point. No, angry wasn't nearly as strong a word. He was completely, irrevocably pissed off!

“You know, I think I'm just done,” he said, pulling out his energy sword and what looked like a pistol. “I'm done with this fucking Equestria, I'm done with my incompetent fucking minions, I'm done with those fucking Displaced, but most importantly, I AM DONE WITH YOU!” He fired his gun, shooting blue energy blasts in Nicks direction as he rushed forward.

Nick dodged to the side of the blasts, charging back at Erebus. Taking a diagonal slash at Erebus, he put the weight of his body into the slash ready for the possibility of his frontal up close attack to miss.

He brought up his blade, not blocking so much as redirecting, firing point blank into his side before trying to slash at Nick. Said shapeshifter, using his new speed tried backing out as soon as possible, but did get a few blasts. They hurt like a bitch, but he would push through.

And like that, he had an idea.

“Ghostfreak,” he said, the Omnitrix obeying and transforming him into the spector-like alien. He turned intangibile, flying backwards and upwards as Erebus fired what amounted to potshots in his direction.

“Really, running away,” he taunted. “And here I thought you were actually going to put up a fight!”

Ghostfreak stopped in mid air, and then charged downwards, his arm pulled back into a punch. “Humungosaur!” Green light enveloped him as he turned into the large lizard, and much to Erebus’ shrinking pride, the alien was getting bigger.

He rushed out of the way as Nick crashed into the earth, causing severe damage to the surroundings while a large dust cloud rose. Before Erebus could steady himself, he was struck by a giant brown tail, sending him flying while breaking more than a few bones.

“You know. The more and more I think about it, and as cheesy as it is. You want to know why I lost to you the first time we fought Erebus?” Nick asked, Erebus at the moment having trouble breathing through broken bones and fractured ribs.

“It was the fact that at the time, I didn't have anything in particular worth fighting.” Nick said, suddenly turning into Fast Track, running forward and getting in Erebus's face he slammed his knee into the evil displaced's helmet. Forcing him to skid against the ground, Nick quickly catching up and field goal kicking him into a tree.

“But over time. As I grew more and more accustomed to Equestria. It's people. It's scenery, and how different it is from earth and how much I love it here.”

Erebus slowly sat up, looking upward only to gushed with high pressure water from Nick, who was now in his Water Hazard form. The armored bipedal like crab clenching his clawed hands into fists as he slowly approached Erebus. His body shifting yet again to Ampfibian, “I do have something worth fighting for, and it's right here.” He said, pushing his tentacle like appendages against the ground, and causing a high voltage shock with the nearby water that was currently covering Erebus.

“Kinda like that 30 Seconds to Mars song...This is War?” Nick stated as he hovered over to the now smoking Erebus, his body reverting back to his human form. “Tch, man. I never realized how outclassed you really are. Where is the Omnitrix EMP? Where's the Nemeitrix? You say you're just as much of a nerd as I am, but at the end of the day. Your just a lonely dick, that wants everyone to suffer like you have. And in my Equestria? That shit isn't fucking flying.”

Erebus narrowed his eyes as he looked at Nick, “you don’t get it Nick...none of you displaced will ever understand...understand th-”

With Erebus trying to get the last word in, Nick ran forward. Performing a flying knee to his masked face, “shut the fuck up you pretentious asshole!” Nick shouted, Erebus slumping over. Finally...after so long...he was defeated.

~~~

With most of the Erebus clones already defeated by the combined forces of Zoro and his acquaintances, along with the assistances from the Royal Guard. The clones continued to come, up until they all froze in place. Disappearing in the air in a puff of smoke, Luna being the first to comment on it. “Did we succeed?” The princess asked, Zoro smirking softly. “If it’s what I know it is. Then yes. We succeeded.”

There was then a cackling in the woods not to far away, Nick returning to the princesses, his mentor, and the displaced that tagged along with his mentor. Holding Erebus up by his armor, his visor flickering on and off. “It’s over, Erebus is defeated. For good this time.”

Author's Notes:

Sorry for the massive delay! Here is the final chapter for the crossover A Stay in Tentacle Land, due to the massive delay of this chapter. I plan on putting out a second chapter this weekend as an apology for all the people that waited patiently for this chapter. I thank PrincessMoonzilla for sticking with me through this corssover. This was loads of fun! So expect the next chapter of I'll Get the Job Done soon! Peace!

https://ben10.fandom.com/wiki/Ghostfreak

Brand New Day

A few hours had passed since the Everfree Forest battle. With Erebus finally defeated Zoro, Sanji and the other displaced that helped Nick through this endeavor returned home to their universe. Nick's eyes slowly opened up as he was resting in his bed in his old room in Twilight's castle. A smile spread across his face as he quickly stood up, after all the trials. All the tribulations, all of the pain. He did it. He beat Erebus. A wave of confidence washing over him, looking in the mirror that was next to his bed and over his dresser. Nick rubbed his chin raising an eyebrow, his beard was growing a bit to big for his liking. "I'll have to cut it down to size later, but for now...I've got some stuff to do!" Nick was fully aware of what the princesses intended to do with Erebus considering he damned answers after his defeat and he was taken into custody. Being sent to Tartarus was fair in Nicks eyes if he was being completely honest. But for now, Nick didn't want to dwell on that, he had things to do that did not include worrying about Erebus or going through some more emotional trauma!

Getting dressed for the day, Nick looked in the mirror one last time and smirked widely, today was going to be a great day. A brand new day. After exiting his room and making his way down the hall, Nick passed the Map room. Pausing and looking inside, he spotted Twilight who was currently conversing with Spike as to test out a new original spell she created. Nick smiled but then frowned, the princesses didn't want him to go into details about the defeat of Erebus or his fate now. The Mane Six, his friends only knew that Erebus had been defeated the night before while they were all sleeping.

Nick sighed heavily, walking past the door, but not completely evading his friends. Twilight hearing his sigh and teleporting beside Nick. "Good morning Nick!" She said as Nick looked at her, having a smile on his face. The human greeted her back, "good morning! What's up Twi?" Nick asked, the alicorn princess looking up at him. "Oh nothing much, I was just wondering what you were up to is all."

He smirked and patted the top of her head, "I was planning on hanging out with Eris today. Considering for me, I haven't seen her in a long time while I was inside the book training. So I am very eager to see her again!" Nick admitted, rubbing the back of his head a little embarrassed. Twilight smirked and bumped Nicks side, "aaaaah, I'm still interested in the fact that book holds its own universe..ruled by..."

"Hermaeus Mora." Nick stated as he shook his head, "if you want, after I get done chillaxing with Eris for a while. I wouldn't mind telling you about it."

"Thank you!" Twilight said, hugging Nicks legs and wrapping her wings around him. Nick looked down at her, a smile forming on his face as he patted the top of Twilights head. 'I actually forgot how much I missed the sweetness of the girls.' Nick thought to himself as he smiled softly, "don't mention Sparkle Butt." He said smirking as he then moved away from her embrace, going to the main doors of the castle, he pushed them open. Only to be slightly spooked by Eris who was waiting directly in front of the door for him. "Nick!" She said, the Mistress of Chaos wrapping her body around Nick and pressing her head against his.

Nick blinked and blushed softly, it was gonna take a bit of readjusting to get used to Eris' form of affection after not having it for a phat minute. Nick leaned his head back into hers, returning her affection by giving her a soft kiss on the nose. "Hey sweetie! What's on the agenda today?" He asked.

Eris giggled as she disappeared and reappeared in front of him, "well I wanted to show you something in particular!" She said extending her paw out to Nick, he raised an eyebrow. But took her paw regardless, Eris snapping her talons together and making both of them disappear.

~~~

Reappearing inside of a very VERY chaotic living room, Nick blinked as he looked around. Some of the furniture was on the ceiling and there was a flight of stairs that where upside down. Along with a few statues of Eris that stood on the walls, "welcome to my home Nick!"

Nick looked around, "well, its just as I imagined it...very chaotic. But at least it isn't as fucking creepy as Hermaeus' book..." Nick had grown rather number to staying in a sort of fucked up pocket dimension, "but it is a very lovely house." He said looking at Eris and smiling.

She blushed and rubbed a talon against her hair, "well..I heh, I try! I was just thinking I'd maybe show you around just in case you wanna...y'know, live here with me..." Eris said as she bit her bottom lip. Nick then began to look around intently, his finger stroking his beard. "Yeah I wouldn't mind moving in, but not right now. Considering I just got back to sleeping in my bed in Twilight's castle. Besides, me, her, and Starlight where gonna be testing some potions. But lets not dwell on that now! Today is about me and you babe," Nick said as he took her paw and claws.

Eris smiled as she blushed even more, leaning down and pressing her nose against his. "Heh..I'd like that~" She said as she leaned into him and kissed him deeply. Nick kissed her back, a low groan escaping him before his eyes then snapped open. "Hey woah...uh, Eris..." He said as he then wiggled out of her grasp.

"Yeah? what's wrong?" She asked raising an eyebrow, Eris was kinda hot and bothered now. "If we're gonna do a lil bit of BUMPING AND GRINDING, we need a bed first." Nick said in a half joking tone, Eris blinked as she looked at him and snapped her talons together. The two reappearing on her jell-O bed, with Eris over Nick as she leaned down and pressed her nose against his neck. "On second thought...maybe it'd be best if we just sorta...relaxed? Y'know? Considering Erebus is now put away, we can finally fully relax."

Nick smiled and nodded, "yeah. I'd like that a lot...a good nap next to the best looking gal in all of Equestria sounds good right about now..." Nick said as he leaned in and kissed her forehead, Eris smiled and closed her eyes. "I never understood why couples take things slow..but now I understand, this feels nice..." She stated.

"Damn right." Nick replied as he closed his eyes to fully rest and take a nice little nap.

Author's Notes:

So this is really short, I know. Buuuut the next chapter after this should be a lot longer, we're doing a few chapters of Equestria mishaps before we go into the next big 2 parter! Ciao~!

Season of Giving

A few weeks went by since Nick and shared that rather quiet night together, with the defeat of Erebus and his eventual eternal prison, Equestrian had become peaceful. With Hearths Warming Eve having finally arrived, Nick took this time to relax fully. Currently sitting in Twilight's castle wearing a new black and green sweater Rarity had made for him the day before. Along with a stylish scarf that had his name written on it, Nick was currently relaxing in the map room. Having a mug filled hot coco in front of him, Nick took a deep breath, a smile forming on his clean shaven face. While a good majority of the Mane Six had taken the time this year to spend time with family, Nick was in the castle. Granted Twilight, Starlight, and Spike where with him, but this time of years was making him a little...homesick.

Which was strange considering Nick knew he'd be staying at Equestria for the rest of his days, and he had accepted that and really appreciated it. But seeing as Hearths Warming Eve was the pony equivalent of Christmas. Nick did really miss his old Christmas traditions. Having his family and friends visit to watch the Grinch for the gazillionth time, the bonding with his friends Raven and Jack, along with family members. Nick had to admit, he missed all that. He let out a low groan, "I suppose being used to Equestria doesn't stop me from being homesick." Nick stated as he took a sip of his coco.

The sound of footsteps where audible to his ears, Nick turned his head to see who it was. Too which it was Spike, "hey Nick! Happy Hearths Warming Eve!" He said smiling widely at the human. Nick rolled his eyes as he smiled down at the small drake, "Happy Hearths Warming Eve Spike, say. Shouldn't you and Twilight be headed out to meet with your families as well?"

Spike then replied, "Twilight did hatch me from an egg. So she is my family, as for her meeting the rest of hers...sadly, no. Everypony seems to busy this year this time and its kinda bummed her out, even if she won't admit it..." Spike then let out a soft sigh, Nick looked to the side slightly. "Damn...the one time her duties as a princess aren't swamping her, everybody is busy with something else. Yeah, I'd be a bit bummed out too.." Nick said as he took another sip of his coco. "Yeah...anywho, I wanted to give you this. I didn't really know what to get you, so me and Twilight decided to get you this!" Spike said handing Nick a wrapped package.

Nick raised an eyebrow, it was skinny and a bit rectangular on the bottom, but thicker on the top. A puzzled look came across the humans face as he took the present. "Ah Spike...you didn't have to get me something, Twilight probably deserved a gift more then me-" Spike then crossed his arms over his chest. "Don't lie, you where wondering on when you where gonna get a present."

"Yeeeeah, if I'm gonna be honest even now I still like getting presents." Nick said as he looked at the label.

To: Nicholas Taylor
From: Twilight Sparkle & Spike

Very nicely written and everything, Nick then used his nails to tear the wrapping off of the gift. What was beneath was what appeared to be a book of Equestrian Legends, and underneath that massive book was a limited time volume of the Spectacular Spider-Mane. Nick had to admit, on earth he was a huge Spider-Man fan, so this got a good laugh out of him. He looked down at Spike and smiled, scooping the young dragon up and hugging him tightly. "Thank you Spike! I'll make sure to tell Twi, I was actually looking into studying Equestrian Legends!" He said as he smiled widely. Spike's face was turning more purple than usual, a gasp for breath escaping him. "G-glad you, LIKE it! I need a-air!" He said as Nick let out another laugh, placing Spike back on the ground. He took deep breaths of air, sighing softly. "Sweet Celestia Nick.."

He rubbed the back of his head laughing, "sorry!" He said as he looked at the books in his hands, his heart felt a little lighter. "Hey Spike, do you wanna help me find something for Twilight?" Nick asked the dragon. To which Spike tilted his head in confusion, "dude...all stores are closed on Hearths Warming Eve...but me and Starlight where planning on heading out to grab Twilights presents from Pinkie, had to hide them outside the castle this time." Spike stated as Nick let out a hiss through his teeth., "awesome...well, I'll have to think of what I can do for Twilight...let me go put this stuff up." Nick said as he began to make his way. Spike splitting off to grab Starlight.

Nick on his way to his room looked at the comic in his hand and smirked, "the Spectacular Spider-Mane...even across universes he's an icon." Nick muttered under his breath, he then paused. Looking at the door to Twilight's room as he rubbed his chin. Knocking on it, he heard a very disingenuous, "hmmm..?"

'Damn, she really is upset about not being able to spend time with her family-' He thought to himself, Nick then said. "Hey Twi, it's Nick. Can I come in?" he asked, as there was a little pause. But she said, "yeah sure."

Nick then pushed open the door to her room, Twilight had covered herself with her pillows. Nick raising an eyebrow as he approached her, laying on the side that he knew she was facing. Having his hand on his cheek, he then said. "Happy Hearths Warming Eve Twilight," he said. The mare using her magic to pull the pillow away from her face, her eyes on Nick. "Happy Hearths Warming Eve Nick.."

The human smiled as he laid on his back, "so Spike tells me you're bummed out that your family was busy this year." Nick said as Twilight let out a long drawn out groan. Pulling the pillow back over her face. Nick frowned and then pulled the pillow back off her face, "I thought you and the girls spent a Hearths Warming Eve together doing that play about how Equestria was formed or something." He pointed out, the purple Alicorns raising an eyebrow. "Pinkie told you didn't she?" She asked, giving Nick a quizzical look.

Nick nodded, "yepper doodles. She sounded quite proud of that to be honest, so hey. Cheer up," He said smiling at her. She looked at him and sighed softly, sitting up from her self-put pillow prison. Her mane was ruffled and there where actually bags underneath her eyes. Nick then stood up from her bed. Having his hands on his hips, "me, Spike, and Starlight are all headed out to go do some stuff. I just wanted to make sure that you knew just in case you thought we went missing or something." He said, the purple mare looking at him and nodding. Nick then gave her a thumbs up, "awesome. We'll be back soon. You try and enjoy yourself Twilight, alright?" He asked for her assurance.

"Yeah, sure..which reminds me before you go..." Twilight said as she finally got out of bed. Nick gave her a quizzical look, "yeah? What's up?"

"This is Starlights first Hearths Warming Eve in Ponyville...while you three are out could you try and make it special for her..? I would but you know," She then looked down to herself. Letting out a low chuckle, "I'm uh...anything BUT prepared this time."

Nick smiled and then patted the top of her head, "I'll do my best. Which aye! I don't think they'd mind waiting a bit longer, get ready. You're coming with us!" Nick stated. Twilight's eyes widening, "a-are you sure? Even like this?" She asked, Nick nodding. "Yep, and take it from me Twi, I'll make this the best Christmas for you and Starlight!" Nick stated proudly as he put his hands on his hips. Twilight tilting her head in confusion, "Christmas?"

Nick blinked as he then rubbed the back of his head, "sorry. It's the human equivalent of Hearths Warming Eve. But I'm sure the message is still the same!" He said, a little embarrassed blush forming on his face as Twilight giggled a little. "Alright Nick...just give me a bit to freshen up and I'll join you all."

Nick then gave Twilight a thumbs before making his way back to his room to put his presents away. He placed them on his nightstand, taking a deep breath as he quickly made his way back down to the front door where Starlight and Spike where waiting. "So, you ready to go Nick?" Starlight asked, wearing a scarf that matched her main, while Spike was wearing a purple scarf with a green jacket.

"Weeeeeell...not really....well I mean I am ready, but I threw a monkey wrench in our plan..." Nick said as he rubbed the back of his head laughing a bit nervously.

"And that means?" Starlight continued, raising an eyebrow as she then narrowed her eyes at Nick. "Well, I sorta kinda MAYBE, invited Twilight. Who accepted..." He said as Starlight facehoofed, Spike's eye twitching. "You what?! This trip was meant to get Twilights gifts!" He said as Nick then nodded, "I know that...but Twilight needs our company right now. I think she'd really appreciate it since she's bummed out about her family and stuff."

Starlight then piped up, "personally Hearths Warming Eve was never really my thing...but I'm doing stuff in it now because it'd probably make Twilight happy." She said as Nick then shook his head, "well either way. We gotta roll with this." That was when the sound of hoofsteps where heard behind him, "I'm ready!" Twilight called out almost excitedly.

"Awesome! Cmon, we're about to go!" He called back, Nick then looking at Starlight and Spike and whispering. "I'll make sure to keep her distracted while you two get your gifts for her. Alright?" He stated, Spike then asking. "How will you get her a present if you can't search with us?"

Nick then raised his arm up, his sleeve lowering and showing his Omnitrix. "I have my ways." He said before turning, Twilight just arriving. Her mane was now in its good condition, the bags under her eyes gone as she was currently wearing a cute little dark purple scarf with her Cutie Mark near the end of it, along with dark purple hoof gloves. Nick smiled, "alright everyone's here! Lets get this bread!" he said as he pushed open the door to the castle, it was snowing outside in Ponyville. The nicely themed Hearths Warming Eve lights that where strung up on the homes and businesses in the small town was pretty. Especially due to the fact it was quite dark outside. Fillies and foals alike playing in the snow as their parents watched and took pictures.

Nicks smile became an ear to ear smile, a low satisfied sigh escaping him, his breath visible in the air as he then put his hands on his hips. "Man I love this town..." He muttered to himself, Twilight standing in-between Spike and Starlight while Nick stood on the end. "Ponyville does get quite festive around this time of year...so it's very beautiful to see the lights, especially when the snow rolls around.." Twilight stated as Starlight then said. "I'd say there are a tone of other holidays that have similar the-" She then got nudged by Nick who shook his head. "Right...yeah, it's pretty cool!" She said as Nick than rolled his eyes.

"Regardless we should make our way into town." Spike spoke up as he glanced at Nick, who nodded promptly. "Yeah." He said as the 4 of them began to walk/trot into Ponyville. Looking around at the scenery, Nick snorted as he looked at a filly who managed to get their tongue stuck on a lamp post.

Spike then saying, "hey Twilight and Nick, I kinda just remembered I needed to grab something from Rarity if that's ok!" He suddenly said, Starlight glancing at the baby dragon and then saying. "Yeah same here, I'll make sure to watch over Spike until then." The unicorn said, Spike giving her a confused look. "Watch over me..?" He muttered under his breath. Twilight then saying, "o-oh! Ok...me and Nick will hang out then..."

"Thanks Twilight!" Spike said as him and Starlight went off on their own, Nick glancing down at Twilight and nudging her. "Hey Twilight, now that they're gone. Would you mind if I showed you something cool?" He asked, the purple Alicorns looking up at him and nodding.

Nick smirked and put his hand on the top of her head, leading her to the center of town where the most ponies where accumulated. "Give me a second, I'll be right back." Nick said as he was enveloped in a familiar flash of green light, shifting to his Kineceleran form of XLR-8, he dashed off. Still wearing his scarf as he quite literately dashed out of town. Twilight giving his actions a puzzled expression, but then looking to the ground and sighing, "hmm.." She groaned as she turned to return home.

Only to feel a swoosh behind her, turning around she came face to face with what was a massive at least story tall tree. Nick standing on the very top of it, still in his alien form. Dashing down it, he began to ran into stores, leaving the required bits, but taking their holiday lights off the shelves. Returning to the tree, a blue, black, and slight green blur enveloped the tree, and before the town even knew it. A massive tree with Hearths Warming Eve lights was planted in the middle of town, to Twilight. XLR-8 appeared in front of her, but the trail of snow that he ran from to get to her was visible, his faceplate sliding up as he said in his very raspy voice. "I saw the town didn't have a tree...so I decided to make one of my own." Nick said as he motioned to it, at the very tip of the tree was what appeared a decoration of Twilight's cutie mark. The Alicorns mares eyes widening as she quickly galloped toward XLR-8 and nuzzled him, Nick reverting to his human form as he rubbed the top of her head. "This may not be you spending some time with your family, but this is me saying to you, Happy Hearths Warming Eve Twilight, you're the best pony a human like myself could've met. And I may not say it enough, but you're the greatest friend I could ever have." Nick then kneeled down and hugged Twilight's neck, the ponies around smiling at the display. Some even coming out of them homes to watch, "I'll say it again. Happy Hearths Warming Eve Twilight Sparkle...so-"

He couldn't even finish his sentence before she hugged him back, "I'm just glad I and the other girls managed to do good by you...you didn't have to do this Nick...but you did it anyway..." She said as she closed her eyes, Nick smiling. "Yeah, might've overdone it a little heh...but hey...you deserved it. Yah big nerd." He said jokingly.

Happy Hearths Warming Eve to all, and to all a goodnight!

Author's Notes:

Yeah yeah, I know...chapter came out two days after Christmas. But I was so caught up playing KH 2.5, I'm sorry! But I hope you all are enjoying your presents and such, the next chapter of I'll Get the Job Done shall be up soon! So Merry Late Christmas!

Also side note, I couldn't resist doing a Christmas chapter, I'm sorry-

https://ben10.fandom.com/wiki/XLR8_(Classic)

Work In Progress...

“Turn the circuit at a 45 degree angle and adjust the artificial cerebral cortex and then connect that to the primary power source.” Nick as Graymatter stated, he was currently teaching Twilight. Making a small handheld device that was currently laying on the table, resembling that of a flip phone, Twilight had her tongue extended from her mouth as she worked. Her magic holding onto her tools as she meticulously worked.

“And with that, you close the device, and allow it to boot up.” Graymatter explained, looking at Twilight with his arms behind him.

With that, Twilight took a deep breath. Triple checking the device, she closed it cautiously. It took a moment, opening the device up as a bright green screen formed.

“P.A.I version 1.5 activated. How might I help you today?” The device spoke, Graymatter smiling as he hopped down, reverting to Nick. Crossing his arms over his chest, he smiled as Twilight actively gasped.

“It worked! This, this is a breakthrough in Equestrian technology! An artificial intelligence!? Nick, how did you come up with such a thing?” She asked, P.A.I simply sitting on the counter confined to the small cellular like device. Nick rubbed the back of his head laughing at the unicorns excitement. “Well..meh. It’s something we have back home on Earth, but this model, P.A.I, or Pai, the Personal Artificial Intelligence is one of a kind.”

That was when Pai spoke up, her voice stating. “And due to the fact that weather in Equestria is moved by magic, a weather report on my end is unnecessary.”

A curious Nick rubbed his chin, “well. Not particularly per say. I’m gonna need you to investigate Erebus’ lair in the Everfree forest to learn what exactly he was up to aside from murdering us.” That was when Twilight spoke up herself, “but doesn’t the princess have that under constant surveillance by the guards? Even with Erebus and his crew in prison waiting for their banishment to the sun, we could only assume his home base he booby trapped.”

Nick smirked widely, “which is why I’m bringing a royal escort!” Nick stated, “besides by all accounts, I’m a hero of Equestria. So I’m sure I could MAYBE go in by myself, but I thought you’d be interested in seeing what that psychopathic dick had.”

Twilight rubbed a hoof against her chin, thinking it over and having a mental conflict before giving in. “Very well, I’ll go with you seeing while he is insane, what he was capable of doing was astonishing.”

Nick gave her a thumbs and smirked. “Trust me, it’ll be worth it since you know, if anyone ever decides to use it again, we’ll be aware of what they’re using. And I kinda wanna dismantle and use his tech to make more advancements for Equestria.”

“This has a 95% chance of no external conflict.” Pai stated as Nick clipped the AI device to his belt, that might be some of the best odds I’ve seen ever.” He stated with a smirk, Twilight nodding in agreement before the two disappeared in a bright flash of purple light, reappearing at the edge of the Everfree Forest, Nick rubbed his hands together with a grin on his face. “Ah shit, here we go again!”

Nick was the first to begin the trek forward, Twilight trotted close to his side.

“Scanning area...recording structure...memorizing...scan complete.” Pai stated, her screen flashing as Nick unclipped her from his belt, placing her on the ground, she showed a large map of the Everfree Forest and its layout. Nick rubbing his chin as he scrolled through the holographic layout with his finger. “Alright, the base of Erebus isn’t to far off from the Tree of Harmony, thankfully he didn’t get the brain to use it to power his stuff.”

Twilight piped up, “I’m sure he tried, but I’m also sure the Tree of Harmony wouldn’t allow such a disgusting display of villainy use it’s power.”

“Agreed.” Nick answered as he stood up, swiping the projection away and clipping Pai back to his belt.

“Alright, let’s continue the journey to the home of this monster?” Nick asked, Twilight nodding quickly. “Let’s!”

—

“Hey! We are number one! Hey hey!”

After a few minutes of a treacherous walk through the forest, Nick soon began to sing the We Are Number One song, unfortunately unaware of what had recently happened on Earth. Upon until Nick’s eyes landing upon a large rock blocking what appeared to be a cavern entrance, along with the two royal guards. “Huh, well. I’m surprised the princesses managed to find this place, surprisingly enough there are a lot of spaces like this in the forest. Who would’ve guessed it would be so...unoriginal with caves?”

“Most likely due to the types of species that moved in.” Pai stated as Nick nodded his head in agreement.

“Princess Twilight? An honor to be in your presence.” One of the guards piped up, to which Twilight smiled. “You two noble guards are relieved of your duties for now. Me and my guest Nicholas Taylor are here to examine the innards of Erebus’ base.”

The guards nodded, “very well. We shall return to Ponyville to grab some early lunch. Stay safe.” One stated before trotting off.

“Well, thankfully that wasn’t difficult.” He clicked the faceplate of his Omnitrix, scrolling through his list of aliens and pushing down on the dial. His body changing to that of Humongousaur. Casually picking up, and placing it down before reverting back to his human form. “Stay close behind me Twilight, I know Erebus has SOME type of booby traps in here...”

Twilight heeded his advice, following behind Nick closely as the two entered the rather normal looking cave, up until they made a right turn.

What was before them was a massive opening full of equipment, along with a table stained with immense amount of blood, a metallic wing to the left of it, and numerous amounts of blueprints on the walls. Along with a wall of targeted displaced.

Nick raised an eyebrow was he walked forward, “well. It’s certainly...homey...” He stated, looking at the wall of targeted and eliminated displaced. Seeing himself in the middle with a massive circle around him, even with a picture of his original mentor Jason. “Huh, the note says next to Jason that he’s an unmanageable displaced. Probably because he’s stupidly powerful.”

Twilight began to look around for herself, using her magic to raise up the disembodied cyborg wing. Turning it around and examining it, she looked inside it and saw the inner...workings, flesh and blood underneath the wires and metal as she nearly vomited, throwing the wing aside as she kept her composure. “That is horrifying! We were told of a sort of...machine Pegasus, but in the official final battle report, no such thing was mentioned which was bizarre.” Twilight’s attention turned back to Nick, who was looking over at the blueprints, his eyes widened as he looked intently. There where a few torn, but the one that was notable, was also the one that scared him, being something he hadn’t seen in a while...

“Nick? What’s wrong?” Twilight asked him as Nick grabbed the blueprints, “Twilight. Had we not stopped Erebus when we did, he was working on big finale for us...”

Twilight walked forward, hovering beside Nick to see what was on the table. “Like?”

“Twilight, you won’t know what this is...but I do, it’s a-“

That was when a massive roar erupted from just outside the lab, Nick looking back as his eyes narrowed. “Twilight! Take the blueprints and go!” Nick exclaimed as Twilight then said, “but, won’t yo-“

“JUST GO! GET OUT OF HERE WITH THEM! And take Pai with you!” Nick stated as he unclipped the AI from his belt and handed Pai and the blueprint to Twilight. The mare promptly ran out with the two devices in her magical grasp. Nick having his fists clenched as a bead of sweat ran down his forehead. “The one time I didn’t bring my sword...although I don’t even need it!” And it was then, when the wall was busted down.

The large mass of a...Chimera!? Silhouetted in shadow, Nick smirked as his Omnitrix casually scanned the beast. Keeping a positive exterior. “Well now! Isn’t this not a surprise! I wondered how long it was gonna take before I ran into a Chimera!”

That was when the beast took a swipe at him with a tiger claw, Nick ducking underneath it and running around the lab. Jumping up onto the bloody table, the Chimera went in with a snake strike, only for Nick to leap forward toward it. Actually evading the snake strike and grabbing the reptile by the throat. With one hand, and the other hand holding onto its head to keep its mouth closed. Yanking back on the snake tail, Nick actually made the tiger and goat yelp from the pain, only for the Chimera to go ballistic. Running around the lab trying to shake Nick off, the human actively holding onto the tail for dear life as he was being thrown around by the rampaging beast.

Nick finally letting go, he was launched forward and landed on the beasts back, hopping off it and landing on the ground. He grinned and motioned for it to come at him. “Olay.”

The Chimera was very aggravated and frustrated, leaping at Nick full on. He rolled to the side and stated, “you may have the rage and aggression down to a tee! But you lack the common sense!” He stated as he kicked the snake tail’s head. Upon it recovering, it went in to strike at Nick again, only for him to grab the metallic wing off the ground and use it as a shield, blocking the strike and tearing out some wires from its interior to wrap around its dazed head and deliver a good punch directly to the nose. Effectively KOing one part.

The goat and tiger were all that was left now. The tiger portion of the Chimera roaring as it and the goat charged Nick yet again.

“Aaaaand... wait for it...” He waited for it to come closer before pulling a nice maneuver, leaping between the two and karate chopping the back of both their necks, the beast landed on the ground unconscious.

Nick smirking as he rubbed his hands, “and that. Is that.” He said, his smile soon fading as he looked down at his Omnitrix. “XLR-8, I need to get back to Twilight, NOW.”

The Omnitrix quickly responding to its wearers command, transforming Nick into his chosen XLR-8 form as he dashed out of the lab in a hurry and out of the forest.

Twilight was casually waiting at the edge, XLR-8 approaching as he skidded to a stop, reverting back to his human form. Nick approached Twilight as the mare looking up at Nick seeing as she had been studying the blueprint briefly. “Nick...what is this..?” She asked.

Nick clenching his fists as he looked at Twilight, “Erebus’ goodbye present. One last thing. That Twilight...in terms of Ben 10? Is one of the most dangerous pieces of technology in existence. The Anihilaarg...”

Author's Notes:

Sorry this took so long to get out! My schedule has been all over the place! But my writers block is hopefully over! I’m so happy to know people can still enjoy my story even after this long hiatus, so I won’t let you down! I WILL finish this!

https://ben10.fandom.com/wiki/Grey_Matter_(Classic)

https://ben10.fandom.com/wiki/XLR8_(Classic)

Speak No Evil...

A couple of hours had passed since Nick and Twilight took the chance to examine Erebus’ lab, having quickly gathered the other 6 including Starlight and Spike, they caught the earliest train to Canterlot and hightailed it.

“Nick, darling? Why are we running so fast?!” Rarity asked actively huffing from the intensive run to keep pace with her friends. Nick’s eyes narrowing as he stayed in his human form, “because everyone needs to be here to hear about this! And to make sure I don’t leave out a SINGLE detail, I need to talk about this only once while I have the blueprints on hand!”

Running through the streets of Canterlot, Nick quickly evaded and passed the blue pegasus that attempted to belittle him way back during his initial victory celebration/knighting for pushing back Erebus’ siege of Canterlot.

The pegasus huffed as he watched the group run off, adjusting his clothing and slinking back into his home as a smile forming on his face. The shadow just over his shoulder forming a pair of bright yellow eyes as it watched Nick and the group intently, singling out Nick, the creature taking the form of a shadow grinned widely as it eyed him.

~~~

Pushing open the doors to the throne room, Nick and the others entered. “We received your letters Nicholas, what is wrong?” Celestia asked, the others huffing and puffing from the frailty of trying to keep up with Nick, except for Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Twilight. Nick stepped forward, beginning to explain.

“Princesses...just a few hours ago me and Twilight went to investigate and examine Erebus’ lab for a limited time, I came across two things. First off, a Chimera, which was AWESOME, but the other thing was well...” He pulled out the blueprints, showing the sheet to the princesses who hovered it up to view themselves.

“The Annihil..? Annihilaaaaar-“

“The Anihilaarg... Ok, so I have a lot to go over when it comes to this device, so buckle the fuck up, because this actually threw me for a loop when I saw the print...” Nick stated as he took a deep breath, every pony and dragon in the room all ears to him.

“Before the universe was created, it was just a vacant void of black nothing. No matter, no nothing. Up until these fifth dimensional beings called the Contemelia show up, the Anihilaarg in the canon that it comes from in the Ben 10 universe has the power to if a universe is already present, it has the ability to completely annihilate EVERY trace of it.”

Luna, Celestia, and all of the girls eyes widened. “WHAT!?” The group of girls exclaimed as Spike rubbed his hands together, sweat dripping along his forehead, “t-that tiny box, could destroy EVERYTHING!?” The baby dragon exclaimed, Nick raising his hands. “IM NOT DONE!”

Taking another deep breath, Nick then continued. “In the stories I just talked about, the Contemelia would go from universe to universe destroying them, however part of this is false. Yes the Contemelia would destroy universes, however the Anihilaarg isn’t just an intense nuke on the universe, but if there isn’t a universe present in the dimension they travel to-“

Starlight spoke up, “the Anihilaarg won’t destroy the void...it’ll create a new universe!” That was when everyone in the room including Nick glanced to her, the unicorn pressing her hooves together bashfully. “Just a...hunch..?” She said with a sheepish smile. “Well, your hunch was absolutely correct. Princesses, the Anihilaarg requires an intense amount of energy to fuel and power it! Something manageable, in the canon of Ben 10, it’s uncertain what they needed to power or even craft the device...unless I didn’t fully pay attention to Maltruants construction of it, which is very possible, however regardless if forged, this thing would not only wreck havoc on Equestria, but the universe itself!”

Luna then stated, “Sister! We have to interrogate Erebus again! WE NEED TO FIGURE THIS DEVICE OUT!” She stated, Celestia shaking her head and thinking logically.

“Even if we where to interrogate Erebus to get the parts of the Anihilaarg, he’d manage to somehow escape and take them back from us at the tail end of our journey. So the best thing to do at the moment is to leave it alone. Erebus will be sent to Tartarus post hast, and with him fully gone, the device and its parts can be properly destroyed.”

Nick rubbed his chin thinking, Twilight piping up and asking. “But what if this information gets out of this room? What if the civilians learn about something that could potentially- what am I saying...if activated, WOULD wipe out all of the amazing existence Faust created!?”

That was when Applejack piped up, “that’s assuming any of us tell such a thing. And I highly doubt any of you gals would ever tell anypony about this, especially with the eventual chaos that ensues..” The Element of Honesty stated as Pinkie Pie nodded quickly and viciously. “Mhm! My lips are sealed tight!” She said, actually somehow zipping her lips shut LITERALLY.

Nick snorted at it as he looked up, a pair of eyes forming on the shadow just at the back wall, roaming from guard shadow to guard shadow, it finally made its way out of the castle and into the hime of the blue pegasus Nick had bumped into. Returning to the stallion, the shadow of what appeared to be a mare on the wall began to bellow in laughter.

"Poker Chip! We have a new goal!" She exclaimed to the Stallion, narrowing his eyes as he looked at the shadowy mare before he stated. "You know, for a shadowy mare that's only a quarter of the Pony of Shadows, you really bounce between plans to trap Celestia and Luna in nightmare dimension."

"SILENCE FOOL!" She stated as she rubbed her hooves together, "we might not have to anymore...a revelation has come up in the castle with the human you despise and the princes...the other one, Erebus, was assembling a device to either make a new universe, or destroy an existing one!" The glee in her voice was apparent as she giggled.

"And I assume you want one of the two Shadow Mare?" Poker asked as he looked at a schedule of new potential gambling nights.

The Shadow Mare then growled, "of course you bucking dummy! Imagine it, an entire universe...in the image of me and my other half! Where Luna and Celestia could still exist...yet suffer DEARLY, harming them would harm Starswirl assuming he returns from limbo with my other half! And then? The after party slaughter of the Pillars begin.." To which Poker yawned, the Shadow Mare letting out a frustrated yell. "Are you even listening to me!?" In which Poker casually shook his head no.

"You DARE ignore me? I am-"

"The Shadow Mare, part of the Pony of Shadows and eventual ruler of Equestria, yeah I get it. What makes you different from Tirek, or Chrysalis, or hell even Sombra with the Crystal Empire?" Poker asked as he narrowed his eyes.

Using herself which was attached to Poker's shadow, the Shadow Mare pulled him against the wall she was on, her bright eyes looking down looking into his own.

"Because boy, I have the luckiest stallion Equestria has ever seen as my host, and because this will most definitely be the plan I'll stick with~! The ability, the power to wipe this universe clean, or remake it in my vision? Is what I could only dream of! That much power, NEEDS to be in my hooves!" She bellowed, letting go of Poker as he stepped backwards. "And as per my end of the bargain?"

The Shadow Mare rolled her eyes and crossed her hooves over her chest, "you may have your freedom. However... Do not think I don't sense your irrational anger for that Nicholas Taylor."

Poker then narrowed his eyes as he looked up at her, "just drop it yeah? I've got more bits to win tonight, and I don't need you breathing down my neck."

The Shadow Mare giggled softly, "very well." Before slinking and reverting to his normal shadow.

~~~

Three hours had passed since the meeting, the group fully returned to the castle of Twilight as Nick paced back and forth in the Map room, rubbing his chin as he thought to himself. "What are we supposed to do if Erebus assembles this...Annihilaarg?" Fluttershy asked, nervously pushing her hooves together as she was currently in her own head.

To which Rarity replied, "darling! I am sure we'll be fine, as Nick stated, the Annihilaarg was PLANNED on being built, but wasn't yet! Which means that dreadful good for nothing Erebus doesn't have the device!"

"Regardless of if the varmint doesn't have the parts, the possibility of being assembled period is still a possibility we have to account for, so when the princesses finally send Erebus down into Tartarus with Tirek, we'll go on the hunt for the parts to this Annihi-doohicky and destroy the parts." Applejack piped in, Rainbow Dash simply hovering in the air in deep thought along with Pinkie who was sitting in her chair eating a cake, which unsurprisingly got the attention of everyone in the room excluding Nick.

Pinkie Pie tilted her head curiously, "what? I always eat cake during these big discussions about the fate of Equestria, just known of you are fast enough to see!" The pink mare stated, Twilight giving her a doubtful expression up until she blinked and the cake was gone. "I-I- Remember Twilight...it's Pinkie Pie..." She mumbled to herself rubbing her face with her hoof, Pinkie Pie pouting.

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?" The pink mare asked narrowing her eyes in a silly manner, pushing out her lips as she looked at the Element of Magic.

There was a brief silence, that was then followed by the laughter of the girls as Nick approached, grabbing the girls attention as he put his hand on the table.

"The revelation that Erebus could make an Annihilaarg, while unsettling, isn't something we should dwell on. With the princesses having him in custody in the castles dungeons everything thing should be fine, and even better when he gets thrown in Tartarus," Nick stated as he smiled. "And believe you me, as the heroes of Equestria. We won't let that dick weed remake, or destroy this Equestria or universe!" He stated triumphantly as the girls and Spike all began to chuckle and giggle.

"What?" Nick asked as they motioned to his side, showing Eris, Nicks mare/draconequus/girlfriend mocking him and copying his movements. "Aloha sweetie!" She greeted as Nick smiled and chuckled softly, kissing Eris' nose. "Aloha, what brings you here Eris? Usually you don't bother with a group meeting unless you want or need something?" he asked.

"Well! I came by to say hi, how are you doing? See the girls and Starlight, see Spike and such...oh, and say that the Towns Hall is burning down." Eris said as Nicks eyes widened. "Wait, WHAT!?" He exclaimed as he made his way to the window seeing the ponies run off in the direction of a massive cloud of smoke in the air, with the Towns hall indeed smoking. Pushing open the window, Nick shouted. "JETRAY!" Before his body began to change and shift, his skin turning a darkish red with wings forming underneath his arms, a large tail forming out of his backside along with black and yellow patterning as his green eyes opened. The aeropnhibian known as Jetray flying off in the direction of the large clump of smoke.

Author's Notes:

And now? I believe with Erebus on the bench for a while, it's time to finally introduce, GASP, new antagonists!? Huhuhu, Y E S

https://ben10.fandom.com/wiki/Jetray

The Heroes Crucible

Nick flew overhead in his Aerophibian form of Jetray, the mass of smoke filling his nose as he swooped down, arriving at the Town Hall as he landed. “Mayor Mare is still inside!” One of the assistants stated with clear smolder on her fur, Nick narrowed his eyes, raising his three fingered hand just above his Omnitrix ready to switch until there was a massive crash through the window to the left. Grabbing the crowd of worried ponies attention, landing on the ground with Mayor Mare on the back of a mysterious pony, it was evident it was a mare from her eyes and general physical shape, clad in what appeared to be a sort of bright red and yellow costume with all sorts of bizarre equipment around her lower stomach as a sort of utility belt.

“Have no fear citizens of Ponyville, I’ve got this taken care of!” She stated as she pulled out from her utility belt what appeared to be some type of retractable super pogo stick, using it to hop up and directly over the Town Hall, she then pulled out what appeared to a Water Gun...which let out a MASSIVE gush of water, covering the entire building as the fire fully died down from the massive overflow.

The crowd cheered, along with the promptly gathered Mane Six, with a completely baffled Nick. Reverting to his human form, he raised his eyebrow, “that must be Equestrias strongest super soaker.” The wielder of the Omnitrix jokingly stated.

Mayor Mare adjusted herself as she looked at the mysterious mare, “oh sweet Celestia! You saved my life! What is your name mysterious hero?” She asked, the mystery mare then smiled widely.

“I am the monkey wrench in the plans of evil, I am the terror that gallops in the day and night, I am the bringer to the end of evil across Equestria with Celestia as my witness! I am the mare, Piercing Beam!” She introduced herself, taking a pose as a wider smile formed on her face.

“Wait...Piercing Beam? THE Piercing Beam?” Twilight asked curiously with a raised eyebrow herself, Nick having his arms crossed over his arms in a look of casual stoicism. “Who?”

Rarity perked up, “Piercing Beam is a hero that goes from city to town all over Equestria saving ponies with nothing but her self made gadgets and her wits!”

“She’s an icon to lil fillies like my sister, something for them to aspire to be. But she disappeared years ago...” Applejack followed up as Nick then asked. “That so huh?” He then glanced back to Piercing Beam, taking a step forward and approaching her. The grey furred mare with a nice black mane with yellow streaks in it tilted her head upward to look at the human. “You must be the famed Nicholas Taylor I’ve heard about over Canterlot. An honor to meet you.” She said as she extended her hoof to him, Nick narrowing his eyes. Something felt off about her.

Regardless, he took her hoof in his hand, shaking it firmly. “Good to meet you!”

The interaction of the two got the attention flashing cameras, taking photos of this meeting. “However I have come here on official business regarding you Nicholas,” she stated, Nick raising an eyebrow curiously. “Just call me Nick, and yes?”

“I challenge you, to the Heroes Crucible!” She shouted as she pointed a hoof toward Nick, the ponies of Ponyville gasping at this request. Nick’s curiosity grew.

“The Heroes Crucible? The gauntlet of trials that tries to show which hero is superior to the other? Banishing the loser to another town?” Nick’s explanation of the Crucible was spot on, Twilight looking at him with a confused expression before Nick chuckled. “I read too Twi. But to say to your offer? No.” Nick replied as Piercing Beam tilted her head.

“No? What do you mean no?” She asked.

“I mean no, negatory, outta, notta, zilch. I don’t want to.” He retorted, “the Heroes Crucible is nothing but a glorified dick measuring contest, which is why it was lost to the Equestrian History books, only needed to determine the disappearance of certain heroes. And I quite like my home in Ponyville, so. No.” Nick explained as he put his hands on his hips.

Piercing Beam approached him, getting directly in his face as she huffed. “You WILL accept the challenge!” She commanded as Nick narrowed his eyes. “Nope, I won’t, I’m gonna grab something to eat.” Nick said as he turned and waved them off, slipping his hands in his pocket as he said. “Stay a while though Piercing, the fillies like you.” He said glancing back with a smirk.

Piercing growled, her own eyes scrunching as she then said while the human walked away.

“Oh...I’m not going anywhere until my challenge is completed, and until I am considered a better more fit hero then you...”

~~~

“You can’t just ditch the challenge of the Heroes Crucible Nick!” Twilight stated, her and the girls having tagged along with Nick as an hour passed. The gang was currently sat outside a small restaurant, Nick leaning back in a chair as he drank what appeared to be a soft drink, popping the drink from his mouth, he said. “I can, and I did. The Heroes Crucible isn’t for me, and seeing as I’m rather brushed up on it, there is no penalty if I don’t accept the challenge in the first place. It’s meant to trap prideful unfit heroes, in which I am neither of those. Soooooo, nope.”

That was when Fluttershy spoke up, “oh I don’t know...I think it’d be fun for you to show off your powers and abilities in a more controlled environment that ponies aren’t running from! Along with that, my birds have been looking to be a part of an event again..”

Nick’s brow scrunched, “as much as I love the sound of giving your birds some more to do. We’re talking about banishment from Ponyville, and I sincerely believe that neither of us are unfit.”

“I wouldn’t say so...” Rainbow Dash responded as she put her hooves down on the table, “while it may sound hypocritical from me, do you find it odd how aggressive she was with challenging Nick? It reminds me to much of when I first saw you all dressed as the Mysterious Mare-Do-Well.”

Rarity rubbed her chin with her hoof curiously, “now that you mention it, she did almost command Nick to accept her challenge...which is-“

“A sign of almost extreme pride and disbelief that I refused.” Nick took a deep breath as he heard a zipping noise, the legs of his chair being pulled underneath him as he fell backwards, his drink spilling all over him as he landed on his back. A note attached to a rock landing in front of him, sitting up, Nick took the rock and removed the note.

“Dear Nicholas Taylor, I inqu- inquer? She spelled in inquire wrong...bleh whatever, I inquire you reconsider my challenge, or else I will tarnish your name throughout the lands of Equestria that you are scared to face a mare in the Crucible.”

He shook his head and tossed the note aside, “so what if she tarnishes my name. Will anybody believe her anyway?”

Applejack sat in front of him, her hooves crossed over her chest. “Sugah you may have saved Equestria like we have, but regardless of that, I believe you should take the opportunity to really show your stuff. It takes a lot to build a good PR. It don’t take much to bring it crashing down.”

“And along with that, the lose of respect, means lack of coordination and cooperation from the civilians, making saving them way more difficult.” Twilight added further.

“AND NOBODY WILL COME TO YOUR PARTIES IF YOUR HATED!” Pinkie exclaimed as Nick glanced to her, the mare thinking. “Well...except me!”

That was when Starlight patted Nick’s shoulder, “I think you should do it Nick. It’d be a fun thing to watch for the kids, and along with that, you can at least knock Piercing down a peg for ruining your drink.”

“This is true...” Nick muttered as he looked down to his soaked jacket, Twilight pouting as Starlight shrugged. “What? I mean it’s true!”

Nick then stood up, “alright then. I’ll accept the challenge.” He smirked widely as he clenched his fists, “when do we start this showdown? 11 AM tomorrow?”

“In terms of the standardized rules, yes.” Twilight responded as Nick smirked even wider, “alright. Well. Guess I should change clothes... Get ready for my big day tomorrow!” He said as he made his way to the castle, “this should be-“ Nick paused as he muttered under his breath. “Interesting...”

~~~

“And today we have the first active Equestrian Heroes Crucible, between two of our heroes! Nicholas Taylor, the human far from home, and the returning Piercing Laser! Who will come out on top durning this? We’re not sure!” An announcer stated, three sitting at a table as Nick stood beside Piercing Beam with his arms crossed. The mare glanced up to him, smirking as she rubbed her hooves together. “Prepare to lose severely...”

Nick rolled his eyes, “well. I’m prepared for someone to lose badly.” He replied as the mare narrowed her eyes, bearing fangs that poked out from her teeth. “Why you little-“

That was when the announcer piped up, “the Heroes Crucible will be decided in 6 to 8. The victor is given bragging rights along with free reign to stay in the town they operate in. The loser? Is banished.”

“Like I said, major dick measuring contest.” Nick mumbled under his breath.

“Well, what are you waiting for then? What is the first trial?” Piercing asked anxiously. The announcer looking down at a piece of paper. “As any hero should have, the strength to save ponies. So, we have arranged these boulders in front of you, generously provided by Pinkie Pie.”

Rainbow Dash glanced to the side with a skeptical look to the party pony, who asked. “Whaaaaat? I’m still a Pie! We can tell good rocks from bad ones at a basic level!” She said proudly as Rainbow Dash then muttered, “yeah sure Pinkie..”

Nick rubbed his chin, “strength huh?” Clicking the faceplate of his Omnitrix, the holographic wheel presented itself.

“Well, while he fiddles with his toy! I will be lifting! As an earth pony, I am naturally physically stronger then unicorns or pegasi, however through proper use of leverage and equipment...” She wrapped a rope around her waste and around the boulder in front of her. Using what appeared to be climbing claws and digging them into the rock, with extreme difficulty, regardless she raised it up. Her hind legs shaking as she held it upward toward the sky. The ponies surrounding clapping at her success, up until the sound of Nick activating his Omnitrix core popping up was present.

“Any challenge of strength is a no-brainer...however,” he slammed down on the dial. Orange fur with tiger like strips growing along his body as the mass of it increased, his muscle growing as two large claws formed at the top of his hands. Letting out a massive roar, Rath the Appoplexian yelled.

“LEMME TELL YOU SOMETHING PIERCING LASER, WINNER OF MANY OF THESE POINTLESS HERO CRUCIBLES! RATH WILL SHOW WHY RATH IS THE STRONGEST IN THIS CHALLENGE!” Digging his fingers into the boulder, he raised it up, throwing it in the air. “THE RATH SPECIAL, SERIOUS ROCK KICKING!” He exclaimed as he leapt up, kicking the rock past the residence of Ponyville and out into the Everfree.

Unleashing another massive roar, the sound of the Omnitrix timing out was present, Nick returning to his human form as he rubbed the back of his head. “Yeah, sorry about, but there isn’t anything wrong with variety...right?” He asked, the announcer stating, “the victor of this trial is Nicholas Taylor! The immense strength of his monster forms is astonishing, let’s see how much more we can see by the end of this day?”

Nick was ready to correct him and say aliens, but stayed quiet, making his way to the next trial, the sound of Fluttershys birds singing in harmony signifying the advancement. Piercing Laser dropped the rock, relinquishing her equipment as she followed not to far behind Nick. Her eyes narrowing as she looked at the human. Arriving at what appeared to be two building very lazily constructed with help from Rainbow Dash, who giggled softly as she sat in the stands with her friends. “A hero can be strong sure, however they need speed to accommodate this! So, we have set up a fake scenario!” The two buildings caught fire, “with two dolls resembling that of fillies inside! Rescue them and the first one out with the filly unharmed will be declared the victor!”

“Ha! Could the announcers not given me such a simple task, grabbing what appeared to be a grappling hook, she swung it up and attached it to the window.

Nick seeing as he had to leeway to dial up, “Omnitrix, recommended form?”

The Omnitrix began to beep and chirp to life, “Omnitrix recommends Cascan DNA. Would you like to nickname it?”

“If it’s what I believe it is, give it the Ben Tennyson name of Overflow.” He stated as it chirped in acceptance before transforming Nick. Water flowing over him as a nice red armor formed over his body, a breathing brace connected to the armor along with two top wrist mounted water propulsion devices, his fingers forming into three on each hand as he looked up at the burning building. “Alright, let’s get this filly!” He said as he launched himself in the air and crashing through the window, Piercing Beam having just entered the building as the race began.

Overflow taking the time to snuff out the flames in his way as he called out, “lil filly! Where are you!?” The raging inferno not penetrating the armor as he made his way, eventually coming upon a closet. Grabbing it and tearing it open, his green eyes came across the doll as he picked it up and held onto it tightly in one arm, using the other to continue to blast and control the fire before he launched himself out of the front door, his eyes narrowing as he looked at the perfectly maintained doll, handing it to the announcer, Piercing Beam came out soon after, placing her doll on the table as well with a little burn mark on its hoof.

“We declare Nicholas Taylor the victor!” The announcer exclaimed, the crowd stomping their hooves at his stellar victory. Overflow waved at them, his eyes glancing to Piercing who looked away from him with a huff. The sound of Fluttershys birds chirping once again, notifying the competition had advanced to the next round!

~~~

After an intensive day of trial after trial, the results were in. Piercing Beam looking to the side as Nick had an eyebrow raised, “this Crucible was a complete landslide! With contestant Piercing Laser only gaining a two points out of Nicks four! So, as announcers and judges. Nicholas Devin Taylor, we declare you the winner!” The main announcer spoke, approaching Nick, the human leaned down, allowing him to put a medal around his neck. “Every town is provided with at least one Crucible medal! So accept this!”

Nick shook smiled widely at the number of old timer cameras taking pics of him and Piercing.

“YOU HUMILIATED ME!” Piercing exclaimed as she narrowed her eyes at the human, Nick raising his hands up defensively. “Woah! Woah! It’s just a contest! Chill!” He stated, Piercing growling. “It’s more then that you have baked naked monkey! This contest was to put me on the map! Make me relevant again after the arrival of the Elements of Harmony, and especially you..” Piercing Beam walked off. Nick tilting his head, “uh. Where you going?”

She narrowed her eyes, “to plot. You will RUE the day you crossed paths with me Nicholas Taylor!” She shouted, galloping off.

Twilight stood beside him, “huh. Y’know? That weirdly reminds me of Trixie.” She said as Nick then nodded. “The showboating unicorn? Oh yeah, I agree with that wholeheartedly. Can’t be helped though. Pride is the downfall of people and ponies apparently.”

The alicorn nodded, “couldn’t agree more, now you’ve got a few reporters asking about the contest in further detail and what you thought of it. Sooooo, hop to it famous.” She said in a joking town as Nick simply rolled his eyes turning. “One at a time, please!” He stated.

Author's Notes:

Thought I’d have a lil fun with this chapter before we moved onto the next one, Piercing Beam is meant to be more of a gag villain then anything. But she’ll have her potential serious moments! Right now is a time for finding some things to do in Equestria outside of Erebus and the overarching plot, so, FILLER!

https://ben10.fandom.com/wiki/Jetray

https://ben10.fandom.com/wiki/Rath_(Classic)

https://ben10.fandom.com/wiki/Overflow

A Rat on the Run

"Ok so, basically what I'm getting is that this magic map, gave Starlight the ability to travel through time yeah?" Nick asked, his arms crossed over his chest, him and the other Elements of Harmony, Spike, and Starlight where currently gathered in the Map room. Spike scratching at the inactive map, slightly knocking at it. "Mhm, and since then it's been inactive due to Starlights messing with it!" Spike followed up, Twilights face forming into a frown as she rolled her eyes. "Yes, since then." Starlight gave a sheepish smile, rubbing the back of her head with a hoof before Twilight continued, "however as a part of her studies under my wing Starlight's been assisting me in crafting a spell to revitalize the Map!" The Alicorn princess said proudly.

Everyone in the room clapping and cheering joyously, except for Spike who was still scratching at the Map. Up until he was picked up by Nick and placed on the ground beside him.

A smile formed on Twilights face as her and Starlights horns began to glow, "now! Without further ado..." The two ejecting their energy as a orb formed just above the map, expelling energy into the seats of each of the Elements even tagging Nicks Omnitrix, actively making him flinch, the struck objects then reflected the energy to the Map. Sparking in and out, it finally settled and revived itself, the detailed almost holographic map of Equestria showing as Nick raised an eyebrow.

"Oh? Ok, that's dope, this is my first time seeing the map!" He said as Applejack tilted her head, "really? I could've sworn you've seen it once..." She muttered as Nick shook his head, "if I have, I more then likely wasn't paying attention due to the whole Erebus thing, y'know?"

That was when the cutie marks began to appear over the map, Pinkie Pie pointing out each of their locations, including the weird Twilight and Twilight glitch.

"Whats happening with the Map?' Nick asked curiously, Twilight giving it a once over. "More then likely due to being reactivated, it needs some type of recalibration...Pai?" She asked, the device at Nicks waist chirping to life. "Yes ma'am?"

"Could you take the information from the map into a more advanced scan of Equestria?" Twilight asked, Nick raising Pai up as the device took a scan of the map below, taking a moment to load up. She then said, "data transfer completed." Nick pulled her back down, clicking a button at her side and activating a smaller yet almost identical holographic scan of Equestria. "Unfortunately I cannot replicate the Cutie Mark summoning feature the map has, however I know can give an estimate of how long traveling takes and many useful features."

That was when the actual map popped up the final set location, Pinkie Pie and Rarity had been called to Canterlot. While Rarity went off on why she was super excited to go back to Canterlot, Nick’s Omnitrix began to obnoxiously beep, an eyebrow raising as he looked at the device curiously.

”SKKKKKR- Hello? Doe- anyone hear me? They’re after me! Pl- help!”

Nick’s face was one of confusion, the Omnitrix was a communication device. Pai piping up from his belt, “a vessel is approaching Equestria.” She stated, Nick’s ears perked up to it. The sound of Rarity and Pinkie drowning out Pai’s statement.

“How far away is it?” Nick asked as Pai began to calibrate and calculate, "approximately 140,234 miles away."

"Nick! NICK!" Pinkie screamed, Nicks attention was finally grabbed, Rarity and Pinkie Pie standing directly in front of him as he rubbed the back of his head. "I'm sorry! I was kinda zoned out," a frown formed on Rarity's face as she then spoke up. "Well, regardless! Me and Pinkie Pie are headed out to Canterlot!"

He gave a thumbs up, leaned in and hugged the two mares. Rarity's scowl disappearing into a warm smile as she hugged him back, Pinkie Pie giggling softly. "Don't go alien hunting today Nick! I'm sure you'll find some weird rat alien and get thrown into a massive- oh! We have to get going Rarity! Come on!" The pink mare shouted, getting a grip on Rarity and running out. Nick simply blinked as the two left, Rainbow Dash nudging Nick. "You seemed lost in your own head there?" Nick chuckled as he rubbed the back of his head, a sheepish smile forming on his face. "It's nothing, honest." To which the rainbow maned mare looked at Nick with a shifty expression. As estimated in his head, it was going to take that vessel until nightfall to land in Equestria, in which case Nick would be ready for it, and whatever it held inside...

~~~

That night, while everyone including Eris was asleep, Nick was sat on the second roof attached to Twilights Crystal Castle. Laying back, his hands where behind his head as he narrowed his eyes looking at the stars. Pai right beside his head as she spoke up, "less than 5,000 miles and counting." She stated as Nick sat up, he did see something in the nighttime sky burning up, "what even is that..? I can barely tell from the fire." That was Rainbow Dash suddenly appeared in front of him, "What fire?"

Nick actively jumped from her sudden appearance, "why does everyone keep doing that!?" He yelled, Rainbow Dash laughing at his reaction, rolling in the air as she took a deep breath. "Woo Celestia..because your reactions are awesome! Anyway," She was still snorting and cackling under her breath. "What are you doing up this late anyway?" Nick exhaled deeply, "listen Dash. I won't lie to you, when we where inside the Castle earlier today, my Omnitrix picked up a distress signal and Pai detected something entering Equestria's system and heading right for us."

"And you were planning to do what?" Rainbow Dash asked with a raised eyebrow, Nick crossing his arms over his chest. "I was going to investigate it and see what's up."

She frowned and narrowed her eyes, looking deep into Nicks eyes before smirking, he then nodded, "ok. I believe you, although you can't keep me out of this! I always love smacking an alien in the face!" Listening to this statement, Nick rolled his eyes as he stood up. "Yeah, I can tell from when we first met." Nick pressed down on his Omnitrix's faceplate, scrolling through his playlists of aliens, he eventually came upon the holographic icon of his pegasus form. Slamming down on the dial, his bone structure began to change as his body shrunk, his fingers and hands turning into hooves as a tail grew from his backside, his short afro style hair extending and spiking up into a short spiky style, dark green highlights visible in the mane. The Omnitrix relocating itself to his flank as a muzzle extended from his face, a pair of wings growing on the top of his back. Large emerald eyes opened. "Emerald Skies should do the trick nicely for some varied flight." He said in his now more higher pitch and teenager esc voice, his voice emulated that of Yuri Lowenthal and it was bizarre.

"Emerald Skies? Couldn't have picked a better name?" Rainbow Dash asked as Emerald Skies rolled his eyes, taking flight as his wings flapped. "Just follow my lead Rainbow." He said, lowering his head and picking up Pai by his mouth.

"1,000 miles away." Pai stated as Emeralds eyes turned to the skies above. The clouds parting as a massive flaming ship was headed straight for the clearing just outside Ponyville, "500 miles...400 miles." Pai continued to count down until the ship finally touched the ground, digging itself into the dirt, Emerald and Rainbow Dash flew over to the ship as the fire raged. Emerald before touching the ground saying, "Omnitrix, Terraspin."

In response, before Emerald Skies touched the ground, a shelled body grew on him, his arms extending and flattening turning into flippers, the hind legs forming into more stumpy legs. His head resembling that of a turtle, to which well. He was a giant turtle, the Omnitrix directly on his chest. “A giant turtle? How does that help?” Rainbow Dash asked as Terraspin glanced to her, “well. How about you see.”

Floating up in the air and retracting his head into his shell, his legs formed one larger limb resembling that of his arms as they began to spin intensely, speeding up the flames moving in the opposite direction of the wind before fully snuffing out. “That’s why I picked Terraspin.” Nick stated as he reverted back to his human form. “Pai? Any signs of sentiment life that survived the crash?”

“From the design of the ship, it appears to be a one man station. However I am detecting a single life form inside.”

As if on cue, the top haul of the ship flew off, Nick raising his hand over his Omnitrix as Rainbow Dash lowered her stance. A pink hand landing on the top of the ship along with another following suit. Gagging and coughing heard as the creature fully revealed itself, rat like in appearance wearing a orange jacket with white highlights, his head landed on the haul as he crawled out, falling out of the ship and landing face first on the ground. Nick’s eyes widened as Rainbow Dash stayed in her stance, Nick’s Omnitrix returning to its idle style as he stood straight up. Tilting his head, he asked with shock in his voice. “Argit!?”

The alien patted his jacket, looking up at Nick with a confused expression of his own. “Uh, and who are you exactly?” He asked, Rainbow Dash standing up as she looked at Nick. “You know this creep?” She asked, Nick nodding. “YEAH! He’s fictional! He comes from the same place as my Omnitrix, the Ben 10 continuity! But how th- aaaaand I answered my own question. Displaced?” Nick asked Argit, the alien giving him a quizzical expression.

“A Displaced? What? No! I’m Argit! And what do you mean fictional? I’m as real as could be buddy, and did you say Omnitrix? I thought that was just a legend of the Galvan..” Argit stated looking at Nick’s wrist, a grin forming on his face as Nick gave him a glare. “Don’t even think about it, I know about you Argit. Grew up in the Null Void and eventually broke out with Kevin Leven, then you became an intergalactic Con-Man who’s one of the most disloyal people I’ve ever seen.” Nick explained, Rainbow Dash floating over to him and narrowing her eyes. “I already don’t like him, can I knock his lights out?”

Argit scoffed, putting a hand on his chest and leaning his head back over dramatically, “how could you accuse me of such a thing? I did nothing wrong to you! Besides, in this kind of business pal, you need to be dishonest, and disloyal! But that’s not why I crash landed on this dump, this planet is barely level 2 and WAY worse then Earth. So I thought I could hide on here...”

Nick raised an eyebrow, he or Rainbow Dash wasn’t buying this in the slightest. “Oh yeah? From who?” The cyan mare asked, that was when a spaceship landed on the ground. Nick’s eyes narrowing as he clenched his fists, “friends of yours? Maybe the Vreedle Brothers?”

“Thankfully, no. Just worse...” Argit ran behind Nick, the ship opening up to show 5 bipedal creatures. Having frog shaped heads, three fingers and frog like feet along with masks and black/slightly purplish suits, they pointed their weapons at Nick, Rainbow Dash and Argit.

“Hand the prisoner over to us! NOW!” One spoke up, Nick’s eyes widening even more. “Incurseans!? You pissed off Emperor Milleous?!”

“No! No! I’m not stupid enough to do that! Just a small squad of his forces you see?” Argit replied, Nick shaking his head. “No, you’re a Con-man Argit! You pissed off the Emperor and now you put the ponies of Equestria in harms way by coming here!”

“Who even are these Incurseans? If it’s these frog losers, Equestria has nothing to worry about!” Rainbow Dash replied, her insult gaining a reaction from the squad, blasting at her. The mare quickly dodged and weaved around the shots.

Nick and Argit dodging to opposite sides to avoid a blast as Nick then commanded. “Omnitrix, Kickin Hawk!”

As a response, his Omnitrix changed Nick’s size. Increasing his muscle mass, feathers grew over his body as a small beak formed on his face. His fingers forming into massive claws as a green mask formed over his eyes and extended past his head, a green strap vest forming as the Omnitrix relocated itself to the vest hooker. Lowering his stance. Kickin Hawk narrowed his eyes and ran forward toward the Incursean, slamming his foot into the helmet of on and bouncing off his head. Spinning horizontally in mid air only to bring his foot down upon the next. Landing on the ground stylishly as Rainbow Dash dealt with two Incursean soldiers of her own, dodging and weaving between them, she slammed her hind hooves into one of their stomaches, knocking the wind out of him and quickly wiping around to elbow the other. Landing on the ground, the mare stood between the two aliens, both of them diving for her to take a step back, having them both slam into each other.

The last Incursion took a step back as Kickin Hawk cracked his hands, rolling his neck as he grinned widely. Rainbow Dash standing tall as she smirked, and Argit sitting in the background thinking of ways to sell the Omnitrix and the amount of profit he could make from it. Or all the things he could do on his own...

Making a break for it, the Incursean ran full speed. Not getting fair seeing as Rainbow Dash flew in and sweep kicked his legs, launching him in the air for Kickin Hawk to slam his foot against his helmet, breaking half of it off and forcing the Incursion on his back. Approaching him, Kickin Hawk used his claws to grab his shirt, raising him up with his eyes narrowed. “Alright listen slime ball. Me and my friend over there don’t want any trouble, so I’d suggest you start talking! How many are coming?” He asked, growling in his face. The Incursean simply pointing upwards, “all of them...”

Kickin Hawk looked up, an Incursean warship directly overhead as his eyes widened. Dropping the Incursion, “oh no...”

“They actually fully followed me here!? It’s an Incursion Warship! We’re all dead!” Argit exclaimed as he ran for the town wailing and crying out in absolute fear. Rainbow Dash looked up at the warship along with Kickin Hawk, the chicken/hawk like alien reverted to his human form, Nick clenching his fists. “We need to gather the girls, NOW!”

Author's Notes:

It was a long time coming, but yes. We are finally fully introducing characters like heccing Argit into this story from the Ben 10 lore.

You wouldn’t believe how many times I rewrote this chapter because of a swell of ideas, but I managed to get it done, and now well? Here we are! I believe the quality of the story is improving drastically, even if I believe no one is reading it anymore-

https://ben10.fandom.com/wiki/Terraspin

https://ben10.fandom.com/wiki/Kickin_Hawk

https://ben10.fandom.com/wiki/Milleous

https://ben10.fandom.com/wiki/Incursean

The Incursean Invasion PT1

Nick clenched his fists tightly as he looked up at the Incursean warship, his eyes narrowing as he stood up. “We need to gather the girls, NOW!“ He shouted, Rainbow Dash flying off, leaving a rainbow streak behind her. Nick looked to the Incursean that was still slightly conscious, grabbing him by his body suit and quickly dragging him off. The Incursion warship looking over head.

~Inside the Incursean Warship~

Emperor Milleous sat on his throne in his warship, a sigh escaping him as he shook his head. His daughter, the princess Attea kept her arms behind her back. The screen in front of the two of them showing a scan of the planet ahead, the planet nicknamed in the cosmos Equis. “Daddy, why are we back on this backwater planet? This can’t be where Argit is hiding,” Attea pointed out, Milleous glancing to his daughter. “You’d be surprised how cunning he can be daughter, unfortunately, retreating to Equis was probably the worst idea he’s had.”

“But I thought you had been banished from this disgusting planet? I recall the Equis/Incursean war not going to well for us with due to their magic and surprisingly versatility on such a nasty planet.” Attea commented, Milleous bellowed out in laughter, “daughter. Of course I’m banished from this planet, and you truly call my visit here a war? It was more like...Equis presenting its strongest fighters to us, which we demolished, and their gods had to step in and destroy my ship with this magical trinkets.” Milleous explained as he looked stone faced at the planet ahead.

“Celestia and Luna have had this coming a long time now, and Argit only made my job much easier.” He then let out a ribbit of triumph, Attea narrowing her eyes as she began to think to herself. A mischievous plan forming in her head as she grinned widely, “I agree father! I agree whole heartedly...”

~~~

“When’s the soonest that I can get some witness protection? Maybe moved to the moon! Or maybe some type of place deep in the planet I can hide!?” Argit screamed as he slammed his hands against the Map, the Mane Six sitting around the table along with Starlight and Spike. Nick standing beside Argit said, “you do realize, that nowhere on this planet can keep you safe from Emperor Milleous.”

Twilight nodded, “the Incursean and Equis war is one of the most devastating battles our planet has ever faced. However the two that played an essential part in it was Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, and that battle was many MANY years ago, before any of us where even born.” The alicorn stated as she rubbed her hoof against her chin. Nick crossing his arms over his chest as he then piped up, “well. We still have the Incursean in the back of the room.”

The frog like alien was still very much unconscious, half his helmet on the table directly in front of Starlight with Pai hooked up to the damaged helmet, the AI stored inside the device chirped up. “Download complete. All Incursean warship data has been uploaded to my systems,” Starlight then slide Pai to the middle of the Map table, showing a massive holographic projection covering that of the entire table.

“Pai, upload the information to my Omnitrix, I have an idea.” Nick stated as he clicked the faceplate of his Omnitrix, the dial popping up as he pushed down on the dial. His body shrinking down into that of a fairy-like alien with blue skin. Purple fairy-like wings sprouting from his back as blue hair replaced his small afro, sticking straight up. His clothes replaced with that of a green dress-like outfit with black zigzags. His eyes turning a nice green with feminine eyelashes growing, along with pink markings on his cheeks and chin. “Pesky Dust should do the trick.” He stated, Nick’s usually loud voice with slight deepness, now replaced with that of a more feminine voice to fit his fairy like body.

“Whatever this alien does, make it quick Nick!” Rainbow dash stated, Rarity forming a frown at the mare before shaking her head and looking at Pesky Dust. “While I wouldn’t be as forward as Rainbow Dash, yes. Please do hurry, we need you to plan further with your extensive knowledge.” Rarity followed up, Pesky Dust giving the both of them a thumbs up. “Don’t worry, I’ve got it.”

Floating over to the Incursean, Pesky Dust placed his hand on his bumpy frog head. The process was quick, but Pesky Dust had used the natural ability of his species, the Nemuina, which made them one of the most feared species in the Ben 10 continuity. Dream manipulation and observation. Using this ability to manipulate the Incursean, known as Eltra from his observation to gain more information on Emperor Milleous’ warship, such as key armory locations, the throne room, and mainly what Nick needed to worry about. The layout and location of their main world ending cannon at the belly of the ship. Removing his hand, Pesky Dust reverted to his human form as Nick stood up, approaching the table and placing his hands on it.

“Ok, we know the best entrances for the ship, which is hijacking one of their teleportation beams at the belly of the ship just behind world destroying cannon. When we enter from there, we break off into teams of two, however I don’t want to get to far in on explanations until I know we have EVERYONE.” Nick stated as he then muttered, “that includes you Eris.”

That was when confetti appeared out of nowhere, the Goddess of Chaos appearing as she stood on the table, obscuring the holographic projection of the ships exterior. “Oh? I finally get to be on an adventure with my Stallion-Friend! It seems that my talent has finally not been overlooked!” Eris flexed her talons, smirking widely as Nick then said. “Eris, not now. We’re not playing hero. This is serious, you need to listen so we can be ready for anything.”

Eris pouted, but nodded teleporting beside Nick and having her arms crossed over her chest. “Now we only need two more.” Nick stated, as if on cue a bright flash of blue and yellow light filled the room, Celestia and Luna standing in their royal armor resembling that of, of course, day and night. “Apologies for our tardiness. We had to calm own the people of Canterlot, we never expected to have the Incurseans return in another attempt to enslave us...” Celestia muttered as Nick then said. “And you believed him? Incurseans are naturally coldblooded, they’re manipulative, dirty, and slimy backstabbers. Almost like the dude on my left.” Nick stated looking at Argit, who crossed his arms over his chest, a frown forming on his face.

“Ok, THAT, was uncalled for.” Argit stated as Applejack then exclaimed, “y’all put the entire planet in a war and frenzy! Nothing is uncalled for sugah!”

Argit huffed as he rolled his eyes, “please. It’s not like you all couldn’t survive the planet exploding. You have magic.” To which Starlight piped in, “if the planet is destroyed, our magic will be next to worthless! We cannot go back and undo all this without breaking ethics!” To which the Mane Six, Spike, Eris, and Nick glanced at her, the mare shaking her head. “Without ethics! I will never time travel like that again!” She stated as she huffed.

“Well if that’s the case, then I suppose I should go on the ship as well. I may not look it, but um. I’m a bit of a smooth talker.” Argit said with a smirk, Nick pinching the bridge of his nose. “If by smooth talker, you mean look for the nearest scout ship and hightail it to the nearest inhabited planet with higher then level 5 technology. Then yeah, you’re a real smooth talker Argit.”

“You’re one to talk! Mr. Wielder of the Omnitrix! You could’ve left this sorry excuse for a planet with one of those alien forms! You have level 20 technology attached to your WRIST!” Argit said grabbing Nick’s arm and raising it up showing the Omnitrix to the room. “I guarantee you, you have at least ONE transformation in here that could solve this whole problem in the blink of an eye!” Argit stated, the ponies actually looking at Nick and considering the odds of that.

Grabbing Argit by the face and slamming him back into his chair, “it doesn’t work like that! There’s a reason I’ve never used my more...extremely powerful transformations to fix my damn problems you rat!”

Celestia then asked, “what transformations is he talking about then Nick?”

Silence struck the room at that, taking a deep breath, Nick then spoke. “He wasn’t particularly specific, but I do have a form like that in the Omnitrix. Alien X. A Celestialsapian with the power to do pretty much anything, bend reality, space and time, ANYTHING.” Nick stated as chatter formed in the room, Eris scoffing. “Sweetie, I could do all that-“

“No, no you couldn’t. Not to the extent of Alien X. Listen everyone.” Nick took a deep breath as he pulled he lowered his head, looking at his hands on the table. “It took me a while to realize this, but I started piecing it together after Jason left to return to his Equestria. I’m NOT a god, I’m human. It’s not my place to alter reality just because I can. The universe isn’t my own custom playground, and if I treat it as such with that type of power, what would I be saving? It wouldn’t be real. It would be manufactured, an illusion of life that I would NEVER be truly happy in ever again.”

Then raising his left arm up and showing the Omnitrix, his eyebrows lowered, “every alien, every DNA sample in this damn watch matters, as an Omnitrix wearing Displaced, I have to be an example of that. If I managed to master Alien X, if I managed to remove the inhibitors from the form and used it to save the day all the time. The ponies of Equestria wouldn’t look to Celestia, or Luna, or any of the princesses for approval. They’ll look to me. As if I was a determining factor, a key player and the maker between right and wrong, justice and doom, hope, and sorrow. It’s nobodies right to feel that way, to feel that they can do ANYTHING because they want to, regardless of who they are as a person or pony. It’s why I didn’t let Erebus win, and it’s sure as hell gonna be the reason why we’re going to drive back those Incurseans, save Equestria, and laugh about it tomorrow.”

Everyone in the room smiled at Nick except for Argit who did not believe Nick, Luna then saying. “At the very beginning of your time in Equestria, you believed yourself to be an inadequate hero. And now look at you? You’ve grown Nick.”

Eris wrapped her arms around his neck, smiling as she grew over him in a cartoonish fashion. “You’ve grown a lot!”

Nick smiled as he then said, “thank you all...I couldn’t have gotten here without you all, this watch, being in Equestria? It’s been the best damn thing that’s ever happened to me.”

That was when Argit growled, exclaiming. “Uh, hello!? We still have an oncoming invasion on our hands! No time for sentimental crap when our lives are in danger!” That was when Rainbow Dash flew in his face, letting out a growl of her own as she stared deep into his eyes, Argit backing up.

“No, Argit is right. We have to stay focused on the task at hand, so everyone in this room, you all need to listen up. This is very, VERY important.” Nick stated as the planning fully begun.

Author's Notes:

I know this chapter is relatively short, but I managed to get everything I wanted in it so I apologize. However the next chapter and part two of the Incursean Invasion has the potential of being very, VERY, VERY long, however I won’t make any promises. Have a great day!

https://ben10.fandom.com/wiki/Pesky_Dust

The Incursean Invasion PT2

”Attention inferior pony vermin! This is Emperor Milleous, it has been decades since I've been back to Equis. It's quite apparent that this place has been in a time of peace, and thanks to Argit, we can ruin that peace! My warship will bring hell down upon this planet, we will enslave and kill, and that's just that. But no hard feelings! Unless they are toward your rulers.."

Nick's Omnitrix stopped flashing, signifying the end of the communication broadcast, "Milleous isn't messing around. Thankfully Equestria doesn't have much technology advanced enough to receive faster than light transmissions." Nick stated as everyone continued to ponder, "well. If he's already declared war on the planet, then we need to start making our stand." Luna commented as Rainbow Dash grinned, clapping her hooves together. "Yes! I want to kick some more froggy butt!"

Nick narrowed her eyes, a serious expression spread across his face as he then said. "Rainbow, this isn't your average smackdown of a villain, we NEED a plan to take this down and cause as little damage as possible."

“If that’s the case, then do you have one Nicholas?” Luna asked, Nick closing his eyed and thinking to himself. Tapping his index finger against the table before grinning, “actually! I just thought of one!” Grabbing Pai from his waistband, Nick made his way to the unconscious Incursean, pulling something from his belt as well. It appeared to be a glowing reception device, blinking green, Nick placed it on the table. “Omnitrix, Greymatter.”

Nick’s body shrunk down and morphed accordingly to his request, Greymatter twisting and adjusting a few dials and buttons on Pai as Applejack asked, “uh, sugah. I’m not following, what exactly is the plan?”

"Incursean teleportation works inherently differently from Equestrian teleportation, Incursean teleportation is precise, using quantum teleportation, which is essentially a process by which quantum information can be transmitted from one location to another, with the help of classical communication and previously shared quantum entanglement between the sending and receiving location. With this device, we'll become the senders, and the ships teleport will be the receiver, making travel like that much easier." Greymatter began to explain, "what I'm doing is syncing back up this helmet to the Incursion teleportation system, and by doing so with Pai connected to this helmet wirelessly, I should be able to manipulate the teleportation system to send us all to the hanger of the warship."

Taking a deep breath, Greymatter then turned to everyone. "Now for the plan, the Incursions are ruthless, cold blooded, and untrustworthy. Kind of like Argit," he elaborated, Argit scoffing as he grumbled to the side at Greymatters disrespectful comment. "I believe it would be for the best if we all worked with jobs that we are actually good at. So, Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, Pinkie Pie, and Eris. When we clear the original horde of Incursean soldiers, I want you three to stay and horde off any and all Incurseans that come your way if they do."

Celestia and Luna nodded, Eris picking out her ears as she yawned. "So simple stuff? Can't the Goddess of Chaos get a job that's a little more...interesting..?"

Greymatter rubbed his face in agitation before he then nodded, "ok Eris, look at it this way. You get to pester both Celestia and Luna, WHILE causing massive chaos in the hanger. Plus that and you'll be with Pinkie Pie, the second most chaotic thing here." This put a smile on Eris' face, licking her lips as she put her clawed hand and paw on her cheeks. "You always know how to convince me to do things~!"

Greymatter took a deep breath once again, shaking his head, "with the Incursions distracted in the hanger, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity and Spike, I want you all in the hallways looking for potential prisoners of the Incursions, I will give you Pai to guide you to the cell blocks."

Rainbow Dash thought it over and agreed with the matching of teams, "yeah that seems about right." She said as her and Applejack bumped together, Rarity gagging. "Moving around in a nasty old alien prison? Yuck...but I'll try my best!" Greymatter nodded to this, then glancing to Starlight, Twilight and Argit. "You three will be on me, we're going to Emperor Milleous' throne room, and we're gonna have a chat with him."

Argit fell back from his chair, standing up quickly and exclaiming. "WHY DO I HAVE TO GO!?"

Reverting to his human form, Nick picked Argit up by his jacket. Staring him dead in the eyes, "because Argit. I know at any heel turn you'll betray us...so I'm gonna keep an eye on you..." To which Argit gulped, the plan was ready. Now they had to set it in motion. Nick grabbed Pai, "everyone get ready, you might get a lil motion sick." He then pushed the button, Nick, the Mane Six, Starlight, Spike, Argit, the two princesses, and Eris had been transported in respective beams of light.

~~~

"Make sure your blasters are calibrated! We don't want to fail Emperor Milleous in conquering this backwater planet!" An Incursean exclaimed, at 50 troops casually preparing for the oncoming invasion, enslavement, and destruction of Equis. Up until Nick, the Mane Six, the Princesses, Argit, Eris, and Spike showed up.

"See, if aliens keep calling this a backwater planet I may have to take a decent amount of offense to that! I do live here after all." Nick stated as their weapons turned to him and the group, Nick grinning widely as he lowered himself, "take them down everyone!" Nick exclaimed as they charged forward. Blaster fire filling the open space as the group of heroes moved in. Nick knocked away a blaster, kicking out the leg of one Incursean and pushing him into another. Twilight and the princesses holding a tight grip on air superiority, evading gunfire and retaliating with rapid bolts of colorful magic down upon the invaders.

Meanwhile Applejack and Rainbow Dash tag teamed at least 10 Incurseans, breaking their helmets along with potentially a few bones, the two mares worked rather well back to back. In the meanwhile, Rarity let out a battle cry, ramming herself into an Incursean and knocking him to the ground as she gagged, "they're so SLIMY!" She exclaimed in horror, an Incursean getting ready to open fire on her only for Nick to elbow him and send him to the ground. "Focus Rarity! Wait, where's Fluttershy?" Nick asked, glancing up and to the left, he saw a group of crying Incurseans with Fluttershy in the middle.

"There there...your emperor doesn't appreciate anything you all do? He sounds like a big bully! Even by tyrant standards..but maybe it's because he himself is projecting his anger on others?" She asked, the Incurseans beginning to think, Nick blinked flabbergasted. Shaking his head, he then stated. "time to wrap this up...Omnitrix, Amfibian!"

With that simple command, Nick's body changed once again. Blue liquid sliding over his limbs as his eyes turned a bright green, his hands and legs turning into that of tendrils with white stripes along his cyan blue body. Resembling that of a jellyfish, Ampfibian raised himself above into the sky, "Twilight! Starlight! Cover everyone!" Ampfibian exclaimed, the two mares nodding in agreement, everyone huddling around them as the two of them worked and formed a bubble of light pink and cyan energy. Ampfibian lowering himself to the ground and allowing water to escape his body. Covering the floor beneath the remaining Incurseans, Ampfibian slammed his tendrils against the ground. Discharging a MASSIVE amount of electricity, the frogs letting out ear piercing screams of pain from the shock as they collapsed to the ground. Glancing back to the gang, Ampfibian nodded as Twilight cautiously lowered her shield, using it as a sort of large disk to keep the ponies off the ground regardless.

“Everyone knows their roles! GO!” Ampfibian exclaimed as he raised up a tendril, the ponies raising their hooves and saying behind him. “FOR EQUESTRIA!” Before splitting off, flying through the air with Twilight behind him and Starlight having Argit encapsulated in a magical bubble with the rat alien having his arms crossed over his chest as he sat. Luna watching Ampfibian fly off with a smirk on her face, Eris raising an eyebrow as she glanced down to the mare.

Meanwhile in the corridors of the warship, Ampfibian flew beside Twilight, glancing to the mare, he then said. “So Twilight, I should probably tell you, Emperor Milleous has a daughter, Attea. I’m gonna need you to NOT try and bring her into the fold.” He stated as Twilight glanced at him quizzically. “Why?”

“Attea is more ruthless then Milleous, allowing her to hang in Equestria and try and learn the magic of friendship could be dangerous to everyone here, I just don’t wanna take that chance.” Ampfibian replied as Twilight then smiled and nudged him. “Nick, I managed to bring back Starlight from the brink of despair, me and my friends managed to change Eris for the better. We even helped Princess Luna return to her true self I mean, just look at them all now! Risking their lives for their home, the magic of friendship can help anyone if given the proper chance.”

Ampfibian narrowed his eyes and took a deep breath, “I suppose. If the opportunity arises, we can try. For now, let’s focus on just saving Equestria.” To which Twilight nodded in agreement. The two the lowered to the ground, Ampfibian being promptly replaced with Nick. Landing on the ground, Nick then glanced to Twilight and stated through a slightly aggravated breath. "I'm nowhere close to having Master Control yet, so I need to let it recharge a little bit."

Twilight rolled her eyes, "I know, I know. But I do wanna ask you a question..." She said, Nick giving her a curious look. "Yeah?" Not too far behind Starlight and Argit, Twilight and Nick paused for a second. "Ever since that...Argit creature showed up, your knowledge of the cartoon you say the Omnitrix and all this is comes from, it already existed in Equestria. The two stories conflict...so I was curious as to if you had an explanation on it or not... Do you?" The purple princess of friendship asked. Starlight glancing back to the two, then backtracking to them with Argit. "Everything ok back here?" She asked,

Nick crossed his arms over his chest, letting out a low groan as they all began walking together once more, it was a good question that he didn’t think he could really answer outside of an educated guess. "I assume when I purchased the Omnitrix from the merchant and I was hurled through dimensions and into a completely different multiverse that the dimensional portal sort of...I dunno...found a universe were Equestria and the Ben 10 continuity are sorta fused? So while it may be normal for you all in this universe, I'd assume there is a sort of...base prime Equestria where it is its own standalone thing." He attempted to explain, "that'd explain why the Incurseans are here, along with Argit. Hell, even possibly the entire Ben 10 continuity and more...I'm not sure..."

"Well, I suppose that would make some sort of sense...so then what else could potentially be in Equestria?" Starlight asked with curiosity, the sound of alarms filling their ears as the halls began to flash a bright red. "We're gonna have to focus on that later...they got wise to our plan! Let's get moving!" Nick stated, the two mares nodding as Argit rubbed his chin, a grin forming on his face as he looked at the three before they all took off running full speed into the halls.

~Minutes Ago~

Milleous tapped his finger against the arm rest of his throne, eyes narrowed as he looked at his holographic screen. “KROKER!” Milleous exclaimed, a smaller and skinner Incursean General stepping up. “Yes sire?”

“Why aren’t the ponies responding to my declaration of conquest?” The emperor asked, Kroker then took a deep breath, rubbing his chin. “Well sire, this planet is barely level 2, so they do not have FTL transmission softwares yet.”

This got an aggrevated growl from Milleous as he tapped his foot against the ground. “That’s ridiculous...after all this time they still do not have that technology?" Milleous asked as he huffed, Kroker then saying. "Although my lord...our ground forces should be ready at any moment to attack!" That was when an Incursion ran into the throne room, "Emperor Milleous! The ponies...they're stopping our troops from fully landing on the planets surface from the hanger!"

"WHAT!? Attea!" Milleous exclaimed, Attea walking into the throne room. "Yes Daddy?" She asked, Milleous huffing. "Are SixSix and SevenSeven ready? We have intruders abroad the warship!" Milleous exclaimed, Attea raising an eyebrow as she pulled out a communication device, raising it to her mouth. "Sound the alarms! We have intruders aboard, if you find them! Mutilate them, and bring their bodies to me!" She states, walking away and then grinning widely. "Bring me SixSix and SevenSeven as well!"

With the alarms sounded, Milleous sat up, "well. Where are they all aside from the hanger?"

As if on cue, the main entrance to the throne room was blown open. Nicholas, Twilight, Starlight, and a contained Argit. "Yo MILLEOUS! We've got some talking to do!" Nick stated as he smirked widely, Argit slinking to the very back of the magical containment bubble. "M-Milleous! Hey man...been a while..? How’s the kid..?"

Milleous raised a nonexistent eyebrow, snapping his fingers as the soldiers in the room opened fire on the group. Twilight forming a protective wall in front of them to stop the blasts, "go Nick, go!" She exclaimed, Nick clicking the faceplate of his Omnitrix, dialing up an alien quickly, he slammed the dial down as orange fur grew along his body. Spikes growing just between his his middle knuckles. A black and green colored luchador uniform forming over his body along with a mask, black boots on his feet and black gloves over his hands along with the Omnitrix relocating to his waist, the alien let out a massive roar. Rath then leapt up and over the shield.

"LEMME TELL YOU SOMETHING INCURSEANS!" He exclaimed, grabbing a solider by the face slamming him into another, the blaster fire hitting him in the back as Rath turned around. Growling, the Incursean quickly folded and laid on the ground. "Equestria is off limits...so long as Rath is here to protect it!" He exclaimed in pure rage, his ears perking up as Milleous got a cheap shot off on the back of his head. Digging his claws into the ground, Rath growled again and charged Milleous, elbowing his stomach and whipped around him acrobatically, twisting his arm to which Milleous croaked, "what are you doing?" The panic in his voice apparent as Rath grinned. Running forward and recklessly slamming Milleous' face into a control panel, he then shouted. "EFUCUS FACEPLATE!!" Before grabbing him by the back of his royal garments and slamming him belly first into the ground. Roaring triumphantly.

Starlight and Twilight blinked as Starlight asked, "is he always like that..?" She asked, Twilight laughing a little bit, "only when he transforms into Rath...his aggression is turned up to eleven..." Rath then snapped to Starlight, Twilight, and Argit. "Lemme tell you something Princess of Friendship Twilight Sparkle, and her new apprentance Starlight Glimmer, Rath was the best choice to safely deal with the Incursean throne room! RATH CLEARED IT OUT EASILY!" He exclaimed, up until he was shot in the back by rockets, skidding belly first against the cold steel ground slightly dazed.

"An Appoplexian? Well well, I did always want a giant cat skin..." Attea stated as she grinned widely, her grin fading once she saw Argit. "Well well well, the con artist crawling for help from the Incurseans sworn enemies!" Attea stated, Twilight stepping forward and getting in front of Starlight and Argit. "Starlight, now might be a good time to let Argit go, we'll need all hooves on deck!" She stated, which was even more true with the arrival of SisxSix, the mutated Sotoraggian, and SevenSeven, a normal Sotoraggian.

Argit then gulped, placing his hands on the bubble. "SixSix and SevenSeven!? You unicorns are gonna need to let me out now!" Argit stated, Rath then promptly standing up. "NO! Argit goes nowhere! I CAN HANDLE THIS ON MY OWN!” Rath exclaimed boldy as he lunged at SevenSeven, the assassin like alien gracefully dodging his angered strikes, elbowing Rath, the tiger like alien fell on his back as he then launched himself upward, kicking his chin into the ceiling of the ship. Rath dodging and weaving the blasts from both SixSix and Attea, narrowing his eyes, he promptly took cover behind the throne. "Ok! Nevermind, Rath may need some slight help!"

Nodding in agreement, Starlight released Argit. Who promptly ran off, the moment he was released. "wow...Nick wasn't kidding..." Quickly using her magic to redirect the blasts aimed at Rath and firing them back at both SixSix and Attea, the two mares went to Raths aid. To which he stated, “Rath has this under control!”

Starlight raising an eyebrow in skepticism. “But you just sai- you know what. Then by all means, proceed.” She said motioning, to which Rath leapt over the throne and back into the fight. The sound of battle and an actual meow heard from behind as Twilight looked to Starlight with a confused expression. “Uh...shouldn’t we help?”

“Wait a sec.” Starlight said as Rath flew over the throne, slamming back first into a wall with his body smoking. “Uuuugh...Ok...I need some more help!” He exclaimed, “there you go. Now we can.” Starlight stated as she ran out from behind the throne, firing magic bolts at both SixSix and Attea who were actually surprised, skidding against the ground from the attacks.

SevenSeven letting out a growl as he looked to Twilight, his helmet scanning her intently as he extended his red hard light sword from his gauntlet, charging the mare, he took an overhead swipe at her from the left to which Twilight dodged, moving in to fire a magic bolt, SevenSeven interrupted her by simply football kicking her muzzle, sending her backwards and onto her back. The mare rubbed her head, using a hoof to feel her nostrils and see her own blood, standing up. She took a deep breath and flew toward SevenSeven at alarming speeds, slamming into him and knocking him to the control panels once more and blasting him further into them.

With SevenSeven distracted, Attea leapt forward away from one of Starlights blasts, slamming her foot directly into Starlights jaw before following through and kicking the side of her muzzle, sending her flying backwards onto her side. “Game over pony.” She stated as she twirled her blaster, only to be tackled directly by Rath.

“LEMME TELL YOU SO-“ He was cut off once SixSix got him in a headlock, pulling back as Rath growled. “You interrupted Rath..? NOBODY INTERRUPTS RATH!” He shouted as Rath jumped up, grabbing at SixSix while charging forward, running Attea down and knocking her aside as he grabbed SixSix by the helmet and then bashing him against the cold metallic floor and then through the entrance door.

Starlight looked to Twilight, who was currently spinning SevenSeven around with her magic. “Twilight! Do you have literally ANY idea as to what’s happening?”

The Princess of Friendship let out a low huff, shaking her head. “Absolutely not, although I think we’re winning-“

That was when she was cut off, having a massive tongue attach to the aide of her face and yank her, dragging her along the ground and smashing her into a wall. Milleous having recovered from Rath’s assault, “alright, I’ve had just about enough of ALL this!”

Rath was currently underneath both Attea and SixSix, shot himself up from below. Letting out a massive roar, “YOU’VE HAD ENOUGH!? I’VE HAD ENOUGH OF THIS FROG FACE! SO LETS FINISH IT—“

“CEASE! EVERYBODY PLEASE, CEASE!”

The fight stopped suddenly, with Rath having SixSix by the face before punching him away. The man calling the cease fire was Kroker, and it wasn’t because he didn’t enjoy watching them all kill each other.

“We all have a problem! The main power core just reached critical mass, the influx of magic is messing with the systems, the main engine is going to explode!” He explained frantically, hands on his head as the sound of beeping could be heard, Rath reverting back to Nick. “If the main engine goes down, ponies and creatures from blocks, hell MILES around could be killed in the crash! Even more from the ensuing explosion!”

Attea let out a scoff, “good. Serves the little ponies right for trying to deny the Incursean Empire.”

That was when she got a slap on the back of her capped head from Nick, “you do realize WE’LL die in that crash too? Actual dumbass!” This slap got an alien pistol pointed at Nick’s face, with his hand on his sword as he growled, Twilight coming between the two. “Well regardless of that, we have to stop this ship from crashing! Anybody have any ideas!?”

There was silence from the room, no one knew how to stop the ship from plummeting into the land below. So many lives would be lost... So many! There HAD to be a plan!

There just... Had to be...

Author's Notes:

Yeah, sorry for the long wait AGAIN. To be honest I’m probably one of the most on and off again writers on the planet.

But I plan on finishing this bitch, so, WE FINISHING IT EVENTUALLY! So enjoy the extended chapter please!

https://ben10.fandom.com/wiki/AmpFibian

The Incursean Invasion PT3

Pacing back and forth in the ship, Nick was pondering an idea in his mind. It was stupid, highly dangerous and in every sense should be discarded as an idea in the first place. So it would be the perfect idea! Stopping dead in his tracks, Nick smacked his fist dead into the palm of his hand.

"Ok, I may have an idea! A solution to our current crisis!" He exclaimed, with Attea snickering slight at his hopeful deposition. "Oh really? Does this plan involve us all crashin' and burnin' in a massive flame of glory?" She asked condesendingly, Nick's expression souring at her tone, but instead he simply shook his head. "I may be able to save us all, I'm not particularly sure how effective it may be, or how over exerting, but it's worth a shot. I'm going to tear the ship in half, and I'm going to hurl it back into space."

There was a brief silence in the room, a very long and drawn out silence, only consistently pierced by the loud blaring of sirens. Looking for possible alternatives Twilight finally perked up, "no! There may be another way other than just risking your life for a gambit that may not even work!" She outspoke, with Nick opening his mouth to reply, only for Starlight to interrupt him. "You could use Alien X..."

Silence returned to the room once more, with Nick holding his head as he clenched his fists tightly. Twilight gasped in response, with everyone from the previous teams arriving. Looking at Nick with quizzical expressions, almost as if they heard Starlights statement. Nick then looked to them, and said bluntly with damn near anger in his voice.

"No."

To which Celestia began to speak, "but it's the safest route to ensure my subjects are safe! Nicholas, I know you've expressed how much you do not want to use Alien X, but this is a threat to my subjects, to my little ponies!" She retorted in a shocked tone. Nick shook his head again, simply saying once more. "No." Only for Rainbow Dash to ask, "aw c'mon! Why!?"

"Because this isn't a threat that requires that level of power!" He then shook his head again and began to speak up further, "I can't believe I have to argue this with you all! I will not use Alien X for this! I have other options to save the day! I don't have to use my most powerful transformation for something like thus!" Rubbing the temples on his forehead, he cycled through his memory, his vast memory of everything Ben 10 related to decide on what he wanted to do next. Way Big would be plausible but would cause too much damage to the ground below trying to brace himself, Atomix might be able to do something, but he does not particularly trust his friends being shielded in space for long. Wait, that was it! Space! Not the literal space anyway, but he needed space for any of this to work!

With time being very limited, and everyone aware of Nick being the independent variable in this scenario, the human then pointed to both the Princesses, Starlight, and Rarity. "I need you all to form a magical bubble around everyone here except me. I'm going to jump out of the window." He said as he approached the compromised glass casually with Rarity quickly piping up. "D-Darling! Aren't you going to discuss the plan!?"

Nick then looked at her she had a bag wrapped around her torso, that certainly was a new feature, although now wasn't the time to comment on it. With a small and almost reassuring smile on his face, the human exclaimed loudly, "just trust me!" Twilight however was one to pipe up before Nick launched himself out of the window, "wait! Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, and myself can help you! You should wait!" To which Nick simply shook his head. "We barely have any time for this and I need to make absolutely SURE that everyone will survive a fall from this height, or at least have enough magic to protect the ponies down below if I fuck up somehow, which I won't! Believe me Twilight! I know I can do this, I don't need help!"

"But-!" The princess was ready to refute, only for Celestia to nudge her and shake her head simply. The Princess of Friendship sighing and nodding, "be careful... Ok..?"

He smiled warmly at her and gave her a small thumbs up. "I'll be as careful as possible!" He said before then busting out the window to the command center, promptly being sucked out into the debris filled sky.

With Nick gone, Twilight was quick to take up a leadership role, “ok, everyone gather around us and get ready!” Glancing down to her faithful student, Celestia nodding before she began to flash her horn. With everyone falling in, Argit being the one to make it in first as he looked around at all the other ponies coming inside. With him looking around intensely with a grumble. “It’s WAY to crowded in here! Can’t you guys make the bubble a little bit bigger!?”

“It’s either that, or you can stay with the crashing and burning ship.” Rainbow Dash commented, with Argit scoffing. “Yeah, fair point.”

Opening a small hole in the bubble for them to climb through, the ponies and Argit began to flee from the scene. With Twilight looking back slightly at the falling ship with worried expression in her eyes.

~~~

Meanwhile in free-all, Nick put his arms close to the sides of his body to increase the speed of his fall. Taking a deep breath and closing his eyes, clenching his fists tight, and then turning around fully to the collapsing ship before him.

"OMNITRIX, LODESTAR!"

With that command, the watch flashed a bright shade of green. Inevitably surrounding Nick was a mass of brown structures that quickly raced into, forming around his body and changing his hands, feet, and collarbone into something akin to crab like claws. With his head forming into a large metallic sphere with bright green eyes and a large yellow eyebrow-like crest. Arms crossed over his chest as he then looked up and opened them up. A large pulse of magnetism spreading from both his claw like appendages and to the ship before him. Attached to the ship and any debris that may have attempted to fall from it, Lodestar outstretched his claws and pushed them forward. Actually managing to push the large structure back with extreme difficulty, buckling from what was presented to him. Many things pushed him to keep going, friends, relationships, the adventures he's had and will have, everything.

He looked up, steadied himself, and continued to push the Incursion warship back, letting out a guttural scream from himself as he continued to push it back. However the buckling did not stop, his flight now limited as he put all forward power into pushing the ship back. But it just wasn't enough, "no... NO! I can do this!"

Lodestar shook his head and let out another scream, the burst of magnetism increasing in size as the ship began to shake, cracking and breaking at the seams, Lodestar pushed his hands together, and with one final and large yell...

"HHHHHRRRAGH!!!!"

Tearing the ship into two separate and massive chunks, with the object split in half, thrusted his arms forward and lobbed the wretched warship back into orbit. With it floating in Equestrian space, Lodestar watched it until a loud noise filled his ears.

FAABOOOOOM!

Sending him flying back and towards the earth below him, Lodestar crashed back first into the ground behind him forming a massive creator and groaning in pain. Reverting back to his human form and looking up at the aftermath of the massive explosion, seeing two pods escaping the wrecking after the fact as his eyes narrowed slightly. "Ugh... God..." He rubbed his forehead and began to slowly pick himself up, dusting himself off and watching the wreckage practically float off into space and out of sight. "Hmmm."

~~~

"Well, I guess that is that!" Argit said as he dusted his hands off, with the group of ponies sitting in a field watching the warship float off. "If anybody is looking for me, I'll be somewhere on this planet trying to find any sort of entertainment." He muttered as he began to slide out of view, a turquoise wall forming in front of him and blocking him. "No. You will stay. If our friend perished due to YOUR arrival, punishments will be warranted."

Argit scoffed and then looked at the midnight alicorn with a confused expression. "It's not my fault your friend has morals against doing the easy thing rather than the sensible and safe thing! If he dies, it's his own fault for trying to be a god damn hero!" He spat back, with Applejack then cocking an eyebrow at him. "And what would be the sensible thing for y'all? To run away like a coward from your problems?"

"Absolutely!" The rat answered as he adjusted his collar. To which a voice grumbled slightly from behind the bickering group. "Fucking rat..." The owner of that voice being Nick who made his way up the hill, stretching slightly. With the mares gasping in surprise and extreme glee at the return of the human, "Nick! Thank goodness you're ok!" Rarity said aloud as she let out a low huff, Pinkie Pie practically bouncing up and down. "That was super duper stupendously fun! Those frogs said pew pew with their weird alien things, then I said, 'PARTY CANNON!' We totally need to do that again!"

With Rainbow Dash inevitably jumping into the conversation along with AJ, Nick only smiled and shook his head. Glancing at Argit and narrowing his eyes. "So, tell me Why in the HELL did you bring the Incursean's to Equestrian Space? What did you do?" He asked before then thinking about it for a second, "on second thought, what DIDN'T you do?"

Taking a deep breath, Argit began to recount his previous run-ins with the Incursean's. "Well, I kinda sorta sold them overpriced faulty weaponry during their conquest of another planet, then I managed to strand a couple of their soldiers on a lifeless planet, the list just sorta goes on and on really... But can I stay here to lay low from them?"

Nick's eye twitched at this request, this obscene request, this ridiculous request as he looked back to the ponies that were conversing. They took him in even when he first arrived to Equestria, they treated him like a hero, they were the ones to make him feel... Special.

Looking back to Argit, his nose scrunched up as he then took a deep breath and narrowed his eyes at Argit. "Fine, you get one chance. Just, don't do anything stupid. Alright?"

Argit looked from left, to right, and then rubbed the back of his head, Nick's judgmental gaze becoming fiercer. "Fine, fine! I won't do anything stupid!" Nick took a heavy breath and sighed with slight relief.

“Then get the hell out of here would yah?” Nick asked, with Argit then QUICKLY taking off. Turning back to the girls, with Eris now having returned with a yawn. “You abandoned us Eris!” Celestia stated as she looked at the draconequus with slight anger. To which Eris yawned again, “I didn’t abandon you, I just... Lost interest and simply left!”

“That’s the same as abandonment Eris!” The princess of the sun stated, with Eris then shrugging. “Eh, you live and learn I guess. I still did teleport some Incursean’s away though. They’ll be fine.”

Fluttershy raising her head and saying softly, “at least we managed to beat the Incurseans... So that’s good!” She said, with everyone nodding in agreement as they smiled proudly and warmly. “We can’t settle for that though. This completely blows the LID off of everything I thought I knew about Equestria. Literally everything.” Nick suddenly interjected, gathering the attention of the ponies and chaos goddess.

“What do you mean?” Rarity asked with a confused expression, Starlight than pitching in as well, "how does this change anything?" To which Nick simply shook his head. "If the Incursean's existed here, that means that possibly everything from Ben 10 continuity could have folded over into Equestria! Argit, the Incurseans, and god knows what else, this could bring either disaster or ruin! It's... Complicated, I need time to think, but before I go and... Well, check. Did anyone else find anything else that was weird on the warship?"

Everyone exchanged glances with one and other, a low huff escaping Rarity as she reached for her newly acquired bag. "Yes... I found something, while rummaging through the dungeon I managed to find these... Bizarre grey looking small creatures that seemed to argue all the time!"

Nick blinked, his eye twitching as he rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Please don't tell me it is who I think it is..."

There was a hefty amount of shuffling in the bag, only for two Galvans to pop their heads out. One wearing a bizarre looking cap and the other being relatively overweight for the race. Taking a deep breath and sighing heavily, Nick simply shook his head.

"Blukic and Driba..." He grumbled as the two Galvans glanced at him with a questioning gaze, "do you know who this is Blukic?" Driba asked his almost inseparable comrade, who simply shook his head. "No I have never seen him in my life Driba." He stated with his thick country accent showing, which earned him a small smile from Applejack.

"Well he knows our names, he has to know us-" Driba then paused, glancing further at Nick and eventually landing his eyes on the Omnitrix on his left wrist. "Is that- Is that the Omnitrix? Azmuth's last invention on Galvan Prime after he returned home?" He asked in an almost shocked manner, Blukic then looking at it and following up. "No it's not."

Driba looked at him with a confused expression and then stated, "yes it is! It looks exactly like the description Azmuth gave us!"

"No it doesn't, and even if it was how would a human land his hands on an Omnitrix?" Blukic asked skeptically.

"I don't know how, it just is!" Driba replied, with Blukic simply shaking his head. "No it's not." A low grumble escaping Driba before he replied, "yes it is!"

Rubbing his temples, Nick just began to rub his temples and groaned. "Look, look. Yes, this is the Omnitrix, well, technically. It is a beat for beat perfect replica of it, but still, it's an Omnitrix. So by technicality, neither of you are right, just, be quiet. I need to go..."

This got a perplexed expression from Luna, who asked, "why? Where are you going?" Nick glanced at her after the question. "To Canterlot, I need to just... I need to ask him something."

There it was again, that silence, but this time it was almost choking. He could feel it, the eyes of his friends, the people who helped him into this new world questioning him, was he right to do it? To go to him for understanding, even after he finally defeated him? After everything he had done to this place he loved so much? He was unsure, but it was the only way to get proper answers.

Starting a casual stride, Nick made his way forward and busted out into a full on sprint, leaping into the air and softly muttering. "Astrodactyl."

With a bright flash of light enveloping him, and the human being promptly replaced with the bipedal space pterodactyl, his wings popping out of the jetpack like structure on his back, a blast of propulsion shooting out from the bottom of his 'jetpack' as he took off into the sky. Enveloped in his own thoughts, Astrodactyl on the way to Canterlot, his mind began to race and swell.

'He had to have known, there was no way he didn't. It makes sense, he was going to build an Annihilarg and he resembled Eon closely, it has to be. Erebus had to have known. And if he knew about this odd merger... What other pieces of information is he withholding from me? I have to know, and I WILL make him talk.'

Author's Notes:

Oh boy I love cliffhangers! With the Incurseans now finally gone, this only leaves more questions then answers for our boy Nick, like what else from Ben 10 is here?

I know the delays have been horrific, but I'm going to make up for them in terms of revamping previous chapters that I had written! I'm hoping to fix inconsistencies and bring in a new audience of readers, and as always, if you see any inconsistencies, typos, or anything, please bring it up! Feedback is highly appreciated, and as always, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter!

https://ben10.fandom.com/wiki/Lodestar

https://ben10.fandom.com/wiki/Astrodactyl

https://ben10.fandom.com/wiki/Blukic

https://ben10.fandom.com/wiki/Driba