Defending tomorrow, TODAY!

Chapters

Accelerate! A new Champion has appeared!
Energize! The Hero from Tomorrow!
Hammer meets....Runes!?

Accelerate! A new Champion has appeared!

Boston was bustling as usual. Especially today. A convention was going on at one of the local centers, and a group of friends had especially been waiting for the day to come. Said group were on their way to said convention, when of course, SOMETHING, had to happen, right in the middle of their intersection.

Skreeeeeeeeeee!

CRACK! SNAP!

“DUDE! WHAT THE FUCK RICKY!?” Said a VERY angry cosplayer in the back of a silver SUV along with two others. Said two others were hissing a short intake of breath as they watched their friend’s hard work break from the sudden stop.

“Hey man, it wasn't my fault! That guy cut me off! What the hell was his problem anyways!? Fucking speeding in a mustang or some shit.” Returned the driver, who pulled over to the side of the road to let other cars pass while they all assessed the damage.

The doors opened, revealing three people whom exited, all dressed and ready for a group costume competition. The driver, Ricky, was dressed as Varus in his Arctic Ops skin. His compact bow replica was under the driver’s seat. Out of the passenger seat came a girl dressed as Gothic Annie, Ruth. Like everyone else, she was actually of age, but had a growth problem and as such, classified her as a ‘midget’. She grunted and lit up a cigarette. “Heeeeere we go.” She stated with a bored expression.

The last one to come out, was holding what was once a decent replica of a certain hammer, and dressed up in a coat with hard plastic greaves, and a gauntlet that went up his right arm. A golden LED lit up from the shoulder piece, while the gauntlet was a dull golden color. The left was bare of a gauntlet and had a felt glove made to represent a dark leather. All this was connected to a semi-steampunk styled trench-coat mixed with hard plastic to look like armor, and two coat-tails behind him. This, was Bryce, dressed as a default version of Jayce, the Defender of Tomorrow.

His brown eyes glared death at Ricky, with his hair cut to resemble the fictional character’s, and slightly-round face with just a bit of five-o-clock shadow, to complete the look. “Ricky, I don’t even care right now. I spent WEEKS getting the Mercury Hammer replica ready for this. How the fuck am I supposed to do the group contest with you guys when I don’t have the weapon for the costume?”

Ricky, rubbed the back of his covered head gently and sighed, looking around. “I dunno man, how the hell are we-Ya know what?” He started, and then redirected, pointing to a RV that looked ready for the scrap heap, grinning under his mask. “Fuck it, we’ll think of something, for now, all I know is that parked vans or trucks usually means someone selling fruits and vegetables. Let’s grab a bite, and try to figure things out when we’re energized.” He said, walking towards it.

Bryce responded by tossing the broken bits of his work into the suv and slamming the door shut. “FUCK.” He stated, with a minor hint of venom, silently cursing the reckless driver that caused this. Ruth blew out a puff of smoke and shook her head.

“You can’t stay mad at him, B. He didn’t do it on purpose, and NONE of us could control what happened. Shit, if I knew, I wo-””HOLY HELL BRYCE GET OVER HERE!” The duo turned to look at their masked friend, who was bouncing on his feet and cheering loudly like a moron. Bryce couldn’t help but smile with Ruth. Long as one of them was happy, it was a contagious effect.

Bryce and Ruth made their way over to the open door of the RV, and the first thing Bryce noticed, was the strange person sitting on the edge of it. It...Was a moogle. He was staring at a frigging moogle. Ruth smacked his side and nodded to the roof, or, more so, near the roof of the RV. Bryce followed her gaze and gawked. Glistening in the light that was entering the van, was a perfect replica of the Mercury Hammer. There were several other items, but Bryce was gawking at the sheer DETAIL put into the weapon replica. Ricky was still bouncing around like a moron, while Ruth reached into her pocket, and pulled out a few twenties, handing them off to Bryce by stuffing them in his pocket.

“Well! Judging by how that money is changing pockets, I take it you’re the one who wants to buy something, yes?” Said a new voice. Bryce blinked and looked down at the moogle, and smiled sheepishly, a tinge of embarrassment on his cheeks as his mind placed the feminine voice.

“Uh, y-yeah, sorry for ignoring you.” She waved him off from his apology and motioned to her wares. There were actually a tone of items and outfits from popular t.v. shows, animes, and games. But as enticing a ton of the items were, budgets ahoy. “Erm, how much is the Mercury Hammer, up there?”

The moogle looked over her shoulder before humming in thought. “Hm...That took me a good while to get buuuut...I’d say, a hundred twenty?” This got the cosplayer to knit his brow in curiosity. That price was too good to be true.

“Mind if I see it real quick? Just a few seconds.” The moogle grinned. “You can see it from there, can’t you?” Bryce rolled his eyes as she chuckled, and turned, grabbing the hammer with one hand and handing it off to the cosplayer. Bryce hefted the hammer with a raised brow. “Super light…” He knocking on the handle. “It isn't hollow…” He spun the hammer a few times before handing it back. “That...Is worth a lot more than one-twenty….” Ruth and Ricky, who were right behind him now, rolled their eyes at him.

The moogle chuckled and shrugged. “To some people, sure! To me? Nah. That’s a fair price in my mind.” She replied after his examination was complete. He replied with a shake of his head and pulling the twenties Ruth gave him out of his pocket and counting them. Sixty. He dug out his wallet and pulled out another sixty dollars and handed them off to the moogle. She set the hammer on the floor of the van and opened a lock-box, swiftly putting the money in before Bryce could get a look inside.

Then, the bottom of the handle of the hammer was in his face. He blinked in surprise, before chuckling and taking the handle, only to find it wouldn’t budge. The moogle looked him dead in the eye. “Hey, a quick question, hun. Are you happy with your life? Be dead serious now.”

The question sent a new jolt of surprise down his spine. He frowned and reflected on his life. He was a factory worker. He just barely made more than minimum wage. The whole cosplay group thing was to hopefully raise some money to make their lives a little better. He looked to the moogle, and shook his head. “No. I don’t. I wish I was.”

She raised a brow. It then struck Bryce how odd...and realistic this woman’s costume was.. “Well, knowing that, if you could live another life. A better life, would you?” His immediate response was a nod. His ears immediately perked up. It wasn’t what he heard. No, that was the problem. He wasn’t hearing a thing. Not even the wind making the grass way. The moogle smirked, and suddenly, Bryce felt like he just made a deal with the devil himself.

“Then enjoy, cause your life changes….NOW.” She said, letting the hammer go. He stumbled back before he fixed his grip on the hammer, holding it at the base of the handle, right under the head, and frowned at the moogle. “....Ooooookaaaaaay? Rick, Ruth, you guys ready to go?” He waited for the response...Only, there was none. He looked behind him, only to do a full body turn and gawk. His friends were gone. So was the sky, the street...It was all, black. He looked back to the moogle, only to see the same darkness. He looked down at himself. He was still able to see himself perfectly, as if he was still in the light, yet he was surrounded by darkness.

“What. In. The. Holy. FUCK!?” He slowly called out in shock, gripping the hammer tighter. Bryce took a step back, starting to panic, when he heard it. His foot hitting gravel, and the shifting of metal and chain. He spun around, and suddenly found himself looking out to the exit to an alleyway, leading out into a street with light red bricks for a road. He spun around again and found himself backing away from a pale orange brick wall.

His brain honestly stopped working for a few minutes there. Just standing, holding a big ass hammer, and staring at a brick wall. That ended when he dropped the hammer, which hit the ground with a rather loud THUD and Clang! And then, he slapped himself. Once. Twice. Three times even. Two thing were accomplished. His cheek stung, and he knew he wasn't dreaming. He promptly sat down, and struggled to reboot his brain.

“This is so not happening to me right now man…” He said, after what felt like hours. It was to himself if anything. He slowly stood up and, looked at the hammer. It was so odd, that one thing broke, now he was with a new one, in a new place with no idea of where….

Bryce put a palm to his face as he stood up. Removing it, he sighed, and reached for the hammer, only to stop and stare at his right arm. The led light was gone. Now, there was a literal spark glowing on his right shoulder. A living spark of electricity. And the gauntlet, was now a polished, dull gold. Testing it, he bent his arm. It let out a few noises to further shock him. His plastic gauntlet was now real.

He tested his boots, and the chest pieces. Armor. All armor. The only thought that lightened his spirits was how badass he must’ve looked. He chuckled sadly, and picked the hammer up from the ground, only to gawk at what had happened. His drop of the hammer, the simple, three foot drop, had DENTED THE GROUND. Now, this could be done with a hammer its size. But for that to happen it would have to be…

“Metal…” Bryce shook his head, and looked at the hammer, silently demanding answers by, whatever the hell sent him here. He got none.

Rolling his eyes as he started to try to come to terms with the fact that the gold-ish hammer wasn't giving him answers anytime soon, he turned to the way out of the dead-end alley, and started towards it, only to stop and gasp almost silently. A woman walked by, elegantly dressed and with a sun hat...But what stopped him was the fact of what her face was. Large eyes, ears poking through the hat, a muzzle….

‘What the fuck? Was that a horse mask?’ Rationality started bleeding through the cosplayer’s panic, but right before she exited his sight, she blinked, he knew he saw it. Considering he was sent here by a moogle...Yeah this wasn't surprising him as much. Slowly, he edged himself forward, out of the dark of the alley. As he did, he saw more of these horse people all walking out, mingling, all that. Then he did the one thing he didn't do before. He looked up. There was the sky, sure as day, and yet, a pinkish barrier was filtering it, oddly enough. Why the streets weren't tinged pink, he didn't know nor care. He gripped the hammer with his right hand tightly, facing the head down to the ground. This put the handle up against his right arm and peaking over his shoulder.

Bulky, made of metal even, and yet he couldn't feel the weight. He shrugged it off, and wait for the next passerby to go, before homing in on where he was gonna go. Another alley, and from what he could tell, it went to the next street over. Keeping his right arm straight, he dashed across the street, gathering the stares of those who managed to notice or cared enough to stare. At the rate he went, with his head down, they did not get to see his face.

Soon as he stopped in the alley, he stopped to gather his breath. He wasn't the most athletic, but in short, he was indeed ready to go again. Peeking from his spot at the new street, he took time to look at the buildings. ‘God DAMN but do these buildings vary in color. Like a fucking rainbow in this bitch.’ Looking to the right, he saw a donut shop. ‘Landmark, right there. Why is it named Pony Joe's though? Meh. Fuck it. Oh, shit. Another alley right next to it!’

He smiled softly. He was freaking the fuck out right now, so staying out of sight was his main priority. Looking around some more, he noticed most were talking ecstatically. With a gulp, he took a step back, then dashed out of the alleyway, causing a few cries of surprise as he suddenly dashed away and in between the doughnut shop and a dress shop, skidding to a halt and taking a breather again.

And that is when he heard it. The sound of yelling, and suddenly silence. Curious. With a shrug and a grunt, he stood up and made his way to the other end of the alley, and then poked his head around the corner. It was a back alleyway, the kind seen between a set of buildings that are back to back with each other. Idly, he scratched his head. "Ooooookaaaaay? This is getting weird as hell..." He said to no one in particular. With a shake of his head, he went to turn about.

Until he saw a shimmer at the end he was looking at before-hand. Stopping dead, he squinted at the spot. Waiting. Eventually, he groaned. "I must be hal-" Before he could finish the sentence, a black blur flew out of nowhere and bounced off the back of the building to his right. He stopped to stare. It was a creature, JUST like the other horse-anthros he saw. The only difference was that is was pure black, TKO'd, and had holes in its arms and legs. Also, it had bug wings and a curved horn.

Now, normally someone would be flipping their shit. Bryce properly, just, stared. Looking back to the spot where the creature appeared, he frowned. "....Ok. So, I am either tripping BALLS right now....Or that happened." He slapped himself with her free hand for good measure. "OW. OK. Not smoking weed right now." Rubbing his cheek, he glared at the end of the alleyway, just in time for another one of the creatures to be sent into the sky and then land right in front of him. "...."

With a sigh, he walked forward. One step at a time...And then his leg vanished up to his knee before his eyes. His brow shot up in wonder as he pulled his leg back. It returned to his vision. His brows remained perked. HE took three step forward. His eyesight shimmered before he could see what was REALLY happening.

Two of the horse anthros, female by the looks of it, were surrounded by four more of the creatures, and one who stayed off to the side. They hadn't seen him yet, so he took stock of the two females. Now, how did he KNOW they were female? Chest baby. That made shit OBVIOUS. First one was white as snow, with a two tone mane and tail, with a white horn poking through her hair. She wore purple shades with black rims, a white jacket, blue jeans. The other, while having a slightly bigger bust, was more proper, wearing a black tuxedo with a white undershirt and a pink bow tie. Coolness points. RIGHT THERE. Her eyes were a lovely purple, her color a nice shade of grey, with a raven black mane and tail.

Now WOULD have been the appropriate time to make a joke about weird boners or whatever, but two of the creatures charged the grey one. She didn't seem bothered by it, just up and grabbed the fist of one, and threw him into his friend. The white one threw out two light blue bolts, a similar colored aura about her horn, knocking those two flat on their ass while the other two got back up.

Now. Bryce was never one for violence. But judging from what he just saw, this was one of those situations. The one hanging back had a light green aura about his horn. Bryce had now taken the time to slip to the side. The white one seemed to not notice him. Fine with him. He looked to the one with the lit horn and gripped the hammer tighter. Logic was, from what he saw the white one do. Blame it on magic. Which means this shit, with the barrier or whatever? Magic. Ergo, that guy's fault. With a sigh, he charged from the side, gaining the attention. For a moment, things slowed down. Like time nearly stopping. Before him, Bryce watched something shocking. He saw the real Jayce, suddenly punt the guy with his hammer.

For some reason, Bryce found himself drawn to watching how it was done. And suddenly, he got it. Jayce was performing Thundering Blow! Time slowly sped back up, and Bryce shifted his hold on the Mercury Hammer to both hands, roaring as he stepped up like a batter to the plate, and re-enacted the attack, as if his body was on overdrive. The blow connected with the creature's mid section, and sent him flying out of his own barrier. As it fell, Bryce saw he actually punted him INTO THE STREET. Cries of fear and shock were heard. Looking to the females and the other four, who stared, he grinned, suddenly feeling VERY powerful. "Anyone else? C'mon! I got more for ya!" he taunted. The four looked at him, then each other, and then bolted down the other end of the alleyway.

Bryce grinned and looked to the two. "You two alright?" He asked softly, not wanting to scare them off. The white one looked at him, up and down, before slowly walking over under the watchful eye of the grey one, ignoring the panic outside the alleyway. And then raised a still fist towards Bryce.

"Dude. Nice punt. Think ya broke enough of his ribs?" Bryce blinked for a moment, then chuckled, raising one of his fist and meeting hers mid-air for a fist bump.

"Maybe, but hey, if I didn't I can just hit him again." She grinned at Bryce happily. The grey one, however, rolled her eyes, and picked up a large black case before making her way over, extending a hand.

"Well, I do believe thanks, are indeed in order, ser. You did gives us aide after all." Bryce smiled and shook her hand firmly, getting a smile out of her as well. Just in time for a group of three anthros with white coats, wings and golden armor, armed with spears, to land and all point said spears at Bryce, who was still shaking the female's hand.

"....Is THIS the point in time where I find this was all an elaborate ruse to draw me here or something?" He asks somewhat jokingly, somewhat nervously. The guards move the spear heads closer to his neck in response. The two females, however, proved Bryce wrong, judging by their expressions of shock.

"Hey! What the fuck gives!? He's a good guy you pricks!" The white one yelled at the guards. The grey one was also vocal in her anger of the predicament. A shrill whistle got everyone's attention. At the end of the alley in which Bryce punted the illusionist, was another guard, with a horn, and a shield and sword. Two more were behind him, cuffing the knocked out creature. He walked over and waved to the guards, signalling them down, to which Bryce breathed a sigh of relief.

The guard walked over and eyes Bryce up and down, before looking to the two females. "Madams, you say he is a good guy. Is he the one who knocked the changeling into the street, or was it one of you?" He asked in a firm voice. The grey one responded faster.

"Yes, captain he is the one. There were originally seven of them. Four ran off, and he knocked the one casting a soundproofing spell and illusion away, dispelling it. The other two are back in the alley. Myself and Vinyl are responsible for them." She explained. The captain, who had looked back to Bryce, and was eyeing his hammer, frowned. "I expect nothing less from you and Miss Scratch, Lady Octavia. If you don't mind, I'd like you two and your..Friend here, to come to the castle. Frankly, I've never seen or heard of somepony who looks like he does, and I am sure the Princesses would like to speak with him. And if anything, you two should be there to relay the full story of this incident."

Bryce was with both brows raised. 'Ooook! So now I'm meeting royalty? Lovely.' He thought to himself. Vinyl and Octavia nodded, and the Captain made a few gestures. The guards saluted and followed his lead. The captain then looked to Bryce and nodded to the street. "Mind coming with us? If everything checks out, you'll be in and out of this situation in no time." Bryce hummed for a few moments, before nodding and slinging his hammer onto resting on his right shoulder.

"Lead on, Captain."

Energize! The Hero from Tomorrow!

Bryce was even MORE nervous than before. So far, he had learned four things. One, the two females he saved were named Vinyl Scratch and Octavia Phillomarnica. Two. The Captain was in fact the current Captain of the Royal Guard, Steel Shard. Three, they were called Ponies. Not horses. And four, the bystanders who watched as Bryce, Vinyl, and Octavia were escorted by seven royal guards, one of which was floating all three of the knocked out changelings, which is what the creatures who resembled the ponies were called, had a tendency to...Stare. At him.

Frankly it was freaking him the hell out. Especially with one of the guards staring at him as well. He looked to the side and followed his gaze. He was staring the the hammer slung onto his shoulder. Bryce wasn't honestly surprised, he just wished he would stop. With a sigh, he shook his head and looked to the grand castle they were heading towards. Even from the distance, it looked and felt regal. It made Bryce feel so small in comparison. He looked back at Vinyl and Octavia. Vinyl had headphones in her ears and was nodding her head to the tunes. Octavia had her case slung over her shoulder and waving at the ponies who saw and waved, or called out to her.

Bryce decided a new conversation was in order. "So, Octavia? What's in the case, exactly?" She perked up and smiled grandly as she looked to the human.

"It's my cello. I play in the Canterlot Royal Orchestra. Besides that, Vinyl and I sometimes collaborate to create a grand mix. She is Equestria's premiere DJ after all." Bryce slowly nodded, somewhat stunned. So. He had come to the aide of two famous musicians who were already holding their own. His pride just took a blow from that. but besides that, he tucked away the information for later. 'Equestria. Is that where I am now?' He thought to himself, before shaking his head. Seems, though albeit short, the conversation had spared him the painful wait of walking. Because now, they stood at a black gate. Rather simple, compared to the regal palace behind it.

"Open up! It's Steel Shard! Got three changelings plus three!" The captain called out. Bryce raised a brow. No one was on the other side of the gate. And yet, it opened inwards. That's when he saw the culprit. Another one of the guards, one with a horn, appeared with a shimmer. He saluted at Steel lead the group in through the gate. Bryce shook his head. Magic. He knew it right off the bat and it still baffled him. And yet, his jaw still hurt from hitting himself. So he knew it wasn't a damn dream.

As they arrived at the front of the castle, the door guards saluted and let them pass without a word. From then on, Bryce wasn't getting bored at all. He was openly gawking at the beauty of the inside of the castle. From the stained glass windows, to the pillars and then walls that surrounded him. It was like walking through history its prime. And he was loving every second of it. Suddenly, he was mentally kicking himself for having left his cell phone in the suv. He wanted to take pictures. Everywhere.

After a while, he was brought into a waiting area and told to sit by Steel. He obediently sat in one of the comfortable chairs and set his hammer down, gently. Vinyl and Octavia sat on either side of him. He smiled at Octavia, who gave him a comforting smile back. Looking to Steel Shard, he saw the Captain order the guard carrying the changelings to make for the dungeons. Two others were sent with him.

Bryce then watched Steel talk to the two guards guarding a door. Half had half a sun on it and was colored gold. The other half was colored midnight blue and with half a moon. Both halves met in the middle. Once done speaking to the guards, Steel nodded, and then walked over to Bryce. "Alright, Bryce, was it? You're to come with me. Bring the hammer, and don't try anything. Ladies Vinyl and Octavia, you two are to stay and wait for you to be called to give your sides of the story." Bryce stood up just as Octavia nodded. Vinyl still jammed to her tunes.

Steel led Bryce down a number of hallways. It seriously got confusing, but the sheer beauty of the architecture enraptured Bryce enough to let him focus on following Steel, and yet marvel at its magnificence. He had a good grip on his hammer, once more holding it right under the head, the handle reaching up and higher than his shoulder. Eventually, he was brought to a large set of doors. Steel then stopped, and turned to face him. "Alright. I will be blunt. I am about to let you into the Royal Library. You are to go all the way to the back and make a right. You will find a mare with a shimmering mane made of a plethora of colors. She is Princess Celestia and you will address her as such. You will answer her questions and explain yourself while I go take care of my duties. Don't try anything. GOT ME?"

Bryce was confused, and intimidated. They were just letting him in with their ruler. He shrugged and nodded. "I got you. Thanks for everything, Captain." He said, holding out his free hand. The Captain eyed him for a moment, before smirking and giving his hand a firm shake, the stepping aside. Bryce nodded, more so to himself, and pushed open the doors. As they shut behind him, he gawked at all the book, lining shelves all the way to the ceiling. It was amazing! So many colors and titles, and he saw not a speck of dust! Following the instructions, he made his way through the shelves, his boots softly padding against the floor.

Making the right, he continued further down, just then realizing how HUGE the library was. Eventually, he saw her, and blinked to right his eyes. Steel wasn't joking. Her mane was wavering in an invisible wind along with her tail, complimenting her snow white coat as she sat at a table, sipping from a tea cup. She looked in his direction and raised her brow, moving the tea cup from her lips. If the curves, covered in a regal white dress said anything, her eyes said more. True to that, SHE had wings and a horn. Something for notice. Clearing his throat, Bryce made his way over, and bowed his head. "Princess Celestia I presume?" He asked her softly.

The giggle was his first clue. The second was when that regal, yet gentle, motherly voice rose from her lips. "Correct. Perhaps you can take a seat and explain whom I am speaking to?" She requested. Bryce straightened up and sat down in the chair across from her, setting the hammer on its head and letting it stand. Interlocking his fingers, her leaned against the table, making sure to keep eye contact.

"Where to begin. Well, my name is Bryce, your majesty. I'm human, and I'm pretty sure, at this point, that I'm not even on earth at this point. That's my home planet. I am...Was, in college. Three years and shooting for a doctorate in 3D Graphics Design. I was taking a day off to go to a convention with my friends, when an accident caused my replica of the hammer you see me with to break. One of my friends found a merchant nearby, who was selling another. I bought it to try and salvage the situation...Then she asked if I was utterly happy with my life. I said no....And found myself in your city. Then I met two of your citizens, helped them...And then I was brought here, to you." He explained, leaning back in his chair. "So. Is this the point where you call me insane?"

She had watched, and listened eagerly to his story, short as it was. Upon his question being asked, she chuckled and sipped from her tea cup again before answering. "No, actually. It's the part where I find out that the theories our scholars made in terms of a multiverse theory come to fruition, if what you say is true, which I have no reason to doubt, as your eyes speak the truth, Mister Bryce." She returned with a small smile.

Bryce, was chuckling all on his own, in return to her return. "Please. Just Bryce."

She smirked at him and pointed a finger at him. "Then YOU call me Celestia."

He chuckled and reached over, both shaking hand with smiles on their faces. And suddenly, there was a flash and made Bryce cover his eyes and hiss. "Auntie, I've come to infor-Oh! I am terribly sorry! I didn't know you had a guest!" When Bryce cleared his vision, he blinked as he saw the concerned face of a worried male with a golden yellow ane and tail, white business suit with a white rose in it, and crystal blue eyes, looking on at him from his position near Celestia.

Celestia cleared her throat noisily, leaving the stallion flustered for a few moments before he bowed. "Oh! Pardon me, I forgot my manners! Prince BlueBlood at your service, my good ser."

Bryce chuckled and waved. "Nice to meet ya. The name is Bryce." BlueBlood smiled grandly as the cosplayer introduced himself, only for Celestia to chuckle.

"Good to see you making friends, dear nephew. Is something the matter?" She asked him softly.

BlueBlood perked up and blushed, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "Forgive me, Auntie. I just finished speaking with Vinyl Scratch and Octavia. Seems they were attacked by changelings. Three were apprehended. Four got away." Celestia frowned at this, but BlueBlood looked at Bryce and smirked. "And they DID speak of a hammer wielding, and I quote Vinyl, badass, coming out of nowhere to help." He said, nodding to Bryce's hammer.

Bryce, for all his worth, shrugged and looked around. "I have NO idea what you could possibly be referring to my good ser!" THis got a chuckle from both of them, BlueBlood taking a seat between the two.

"Well, I am personally happy to hear about what you did, Ser Bryce. Tell me, are yo-" He blinked as Celestia raised a hand to stop him.

"Nephew, if I may, I think it best if Bryce went to go get settled in. He has nowhere to stay right now, and is no doubt tired from such a long day." Bryce sighed as she spoke. She was right, he was tired, more so mentally than physically. "It is almost time for my sister to awaken and raise the moon anyways." Usually, this would be the point for mind breaking or arguing from someone like Bryce. But the magic factor was practically stamped into his mind now. So care he did not.

What he did care about, was standing along with Celestia. She stopped BlueBlood from standing with a smile. "Now now. I will just get a guard to show him to his room for the night. I will be back in a moment to hear about what happened FULLY. Ok?" BlueBlood nodded and waved them off with a smile. Bryce gave him a nod, grabbing his hammer and following after the princess. She opened the doors of the library and walked out, looking about till she spotted one of the guards. "Pardon me?" She called out. He perked up, as if trained to listen for her voice, and looked to her, saluting. She smiled softly and motioned to Bryce. "Could you escort our guest to a room, please? He will need some rest. He has come a long way."

The guard nodded and beckoned for Bryce to follow silently. And follow he did, after waving to the princess, who nodded before vanishing back into the library. Bryce followed the guard through the twisting halls, before they stopped before single door, to which the guard opened. Bryce walked inside and sighed as the door shut. It was a simple room, with a circular, comfy looking bed in the middle. The only thing he gave a shit about right now. He tried to strip off his vest as one normally would, after placing the hammer next to the bed, but he frowned when it wasn't so easy as it used to be.It took several tries and prodding, but eventually, he discovered two things. One, his suit had been modified. Two. The right shoulder armor? Didn't come off anymore, it had been separated from the jacket and was stuck to his arm.. This pissed him off slightly, but int he end he shook his head and dealt with it. Once he was down to a white undershirt and his pants, he collapsed into the bed, groaning as he snuggled into the covers. "Like a god damn cloud...."

He was out like a light in less than two minutes. Just as Bryce hit the hay, the sun, swiftly, gave way to the moon, its own beauty dominating the sky as the stars came out for a spectacular display.

With a snort, the human woke up and stretched....And stared up at the night sky. He then proceeded to blink. He had to be dreaming at this point. His mind was slowly losing its ability for rationality. That's when he heard it. The sound of a voice being cleared, and demanding attention. He spun around and got into a crouching position. Standing before him, was a pony just like Celestia. Wings and horn. But so different. Curvy yet tomboyish. Her mane and tail were made of the night sky, and she wore a hoodie and jeans. Bryce frowned as he stood up and crossed his arms.

She followed suite. The two stared at each other for the longest time. Before she grinned, and reached out with a finger. and then booped his nose. He blinked and went cross eye as he tried to follow it. They remained like that, for a while...Then both promptly burst out laughing. It was simple fun. Ricky did the same with Ruth back where he was from. It brought some good memories up. Once they had calmed down, he chuckled and extended a hand. "Bryce. Nice to meet ya!"

She smiled and shook his hand happily. "We are Luna! Pleased to meet you! Our sister told us about you earlier." Bryce blinked at her mix of old and new English. Though, he could understand her. Good enough for him!

"Seems the word is getting out then. I don't mind, but don't make me out to be a super hero now ya hear?" She jokingly scolded her. She rolled her eyes and put her hands on her hips.

"You may bite us! We find it would make you into a STAR!" She said in return, doing a heroic pose, pointing to the sky. Bryce burst out laughing and fell onto his ass, while she doubled over. After a new while, Bryce finally sighed and laid back.

"Ya know. This place doesn't seem half bad. Compared to where I'm from, this place is a damn haven so far!" Luna smiled sadly and made her way over, sitting next to him.

"You would think so, but you already know otherwise. Tell me. Now that you are here, what will you do?" Bryce blinked as he listened to her...And sighed as he sat back up and shrugged.

"I dunno. If anything I'm stuck here, sooo...I guess I'll just have to wing it. Maybe try my hand at carving. It was close to what I was doing before hand, so it might as well be the same." He said aloud. First time he thought about it. Shit's just been happening since he got to Equestria. Luna smiled at him...Then frowned and stood.

"Is there someone in your room with you, Bryce? We sense an illusion spell was just cast." Bryce blinked. The word that set him off.

"Illusion..Oh god please no..." He paled, remembering this morning. "I think those...Changelings are mad at me." He said to her. She, responded kindly.

"Well. I guess you better show them your moves." She said, snapping her fingers, causing darkness to overtake his vision.

Three changelings were in the room with the human, one of them had just set up the illusion and soundproofing spell. Another was busy trying to lift the creature's hammer, but it wouldn't even budge. The other was getting ready to tie up and silence the human. That's when two brown orbs suddenly opened, and a mouth full of grinning white teeth glinted at him. "Sup?" The changeling didn't have a chance to speak before the gauntleted hand came up and decked him in the jaw, sending him stumbling. The human hopped from the bed and snatched the hammer from the struggling changeling, kicking him away and raising it to them.

The human seemed to focus on something. But only for a second. His grin screamed hell to the trio. "Oooooh you three dun fucked up!" He called out. Suddenly, the spark on his shoulder turned blue, and the hammer-head SHIFTED till four rods appeared from the now expanded hammer-head, and blue sparks went off inside. "SHOW ME YA MOVES!" The human cried out as the hammer suddenly built up energy. The stunned changelings only had seconds to turn and try to run, before each got hit in the back so hard that they were sent sprawling, dispelling the illusion just as guards arrived in the room and turned the lights on. Bryce chuckled and placed the bottom of the hammer's pole on the ground and somewhat leaned on it. "What? I told em they fucked up."

Hammer meets....Runes!?

Bryce honestly, did not want to stop his mental conversation with Luna. They had some minor fun in his mind, and got off to a great start. If that wasn't something, they he was unaware of what was. But still, he was now sitting on his bed, with Celestia, Luna, and Blueblood in his room as the three changelings were dragged away to the dungeon. Bryce wouldn't admit it, but he got lucky enough to have another one of those moments, where Jayce showed him how to use the Hammer.

Now the trio stood before him, Blueblood looking at Bryce with new wonder, considering he had just knocked out three changelings like flies to a flyswatter. Celestia, was pinching the bridge of her muzzle while Luna had her arms crossed and grinning. Bryce was definitely glad he put his clothes back on. “So… Let me get this straight… You were in your room… woke up to three changelings inside there and then just blasted them?” Celestia asked him, finally removing his fingers from her face.

"Yes, Princess." He answered with a smirk. Celestia rolled her eyes at his formal attitude. Luna chuckled alongside Blueblood. “Luna sensed an illusion spell in my room while I was asleep. Earlier when I fought ‘em, they had some sort of illusion going on, so I made a connection. Luna woke me up in the nick of time, honestly.”

Luna shook her head at the praise. “You are most welcome, Sir Bryce.” She replied earnestly, giving him a smaller smile. “We’re sorry about the disturbance in your rest, yet also happy the wards in the castle worked.” Luna was surprised when Bryce waved her off with a grander smile.

“No worries Luna. And please, none of that Sir on me. I ain’t that old.”

Luna giggled from his response, only to cease it and follow the actions of everyone else in the room, when a flash happened outside, seen through the window in Bryce's room. Curiosity and awareness flooded the room as they all looked out. Then Bryce's face changed to one of a blank stare as he picked up the Mercury Hammer and sighed. “I swear if I see one more god damn changeling…”

Celestia and Luna nodded at each other. Celestia turned to Blueblood, who tugged on his jacket, and gave them a raised brow. "What? You think I would sit this out? No offense Auntie, but fat chance. I'm coming with you." This got smile's all around, and Bryce found himself gaining more respect for the noble. Celestia snapped her fingers, and the group teleported outside to the gardens. A twist of the handle, and the Mercury Hammer switched to the Mercury Cannon, the light on his shoulder turning blue, surprising his party. He looked back and smirked. "What? You think this thing is just a simple hammer?" He said with a cocked grin. The trio of royals rolled their eyes, and the party continued forward under the cover of night.

They eventually saw a silhouette, standing alone in the darkness. As they approached, they turned to the group, eyes staring at them curiously. Then a male voice spoke. "Eris..."

Bryce responded in kind. "Who the fuck is Eris?" He answered gruffly, glaring at the figure as he aimed the cannon. "Anyone got a light?"

The figure responded in kind before the princesses or their nephew could reply, the figure summoned a rune above their head, lighting up the area. “Does that count?” The figured, clad in belts and an outfit Bryce never saw before, and strange tattoos on his arms answered. THe mixed reactions were to be expected. Celestia and Luna each looked to the rune with wide eyes, while Blueblood and Bryce looked to the human before them with two different degrees of shock. Blueblood's was mild, while Bryce's was...

“Woah! Holy mother of-I nearly shot a kid!” He said, dropping the Mercury Cannon as his mind raced.

The human however, dissuaded him from that. “I’m not a kid. I was 18… if you don’t tack on the seven years I was encased. Then I would be 25.” He answered, looking right at Bryce, making him freeze. “Well, I guess we should introduce ourselves. Ladies first.”

Celestia and Luna bowed their head to the human, shutting their eyes as Celestia introduced them. “I am Celestia, Princess of Equestria and Diarch of the Sun. This is my sister, Luna, my fellow Princess and sister, and Diarch of the Moon.” Both princesses smiled as they stood up straight after the introduction.

“Well, I am Nicko Nocte. Rune Slayer and Displaced. If that counts as a title… but whatever. There’s still some differences I need to get adjusted to between here and there.”

“Pardon us, but could you define here and there?” Luna asked, picking up on what he said swiftly, and tilting her head with curiosity. THe human before them sighed, politely.

“Certainly, but to understand it a little. I might need to pick your brains a little… Figuratively, I might add. Not actually.”

Bryce, finally controlling his nerves, rubbed his chine before he picked the Mercury Cannon out of the grass and twisted the handle in a certain way, watching with a smirk as it collapsed in on itself until it was in Hammer form again. He then stuck the butt of the pol in the ground and grinned, leaning against it. “Fire away! I’m just giddy to see I’m not the only human! Just got here earlier today.” He said, his grin turning to a genuine smile.

“Well, this may be a bit of a surprise for you then.” Nicko said to him. “There are others, but they’re not here. They’re like me. They’re Displaced.”

“And what does that term mean, Sir Nicko?” Luna asked before anyone else could, crossing her arms again. The grin NIcko gave them told Bryce that he wasn't gonna like the answer.

“Displaced means Dimensionally Misplaced. According to the Multiverse theory, they’re are multiple versions of Equestria. Some with differences that could range from small to big. Where I’m from, Celestia doesn't have a little sister, but a little brother named Artemis.”

'Aaaaaand there it is. Figures I ain't the only one to end up like this.' Bryce thought to himself. Blueblood, finally got his own question in. “But what other proof do you have that shows your speaking the truth?” Blueblood asked, a cautious expression on his face. nicko answered with a smile, first.

“Remember when you asking me who was Eris. Well, maybe you should meet her.” And then, just like that, a strange being that Bryce had never seen before came out of Nicko's body. She, whatever she was, was a mix-match of creatures from what he could tell. Celestia and Luna seemed to recognize who or what she was themselves, and grew cautious, while Blueblood's eyes shot up in surprise. Nicko, however, did his best to calm them with a few gestures.

“Easy there. She’s a friend of mine and my companion. We’ve been through a lot together and where I’m from, she’s Discords daughter.” The princesses frowned, still a little weary of Eris. Blueblood was rubbing his chin in curiosity, while Bryce? Scratching his head. Again. 'What. The hell? Who the hell is Discord? This is his daughter....She seems nice enough.' He thought to no one in particular.

He just resumed scratching his head and trying to take it all in. Magic. Being sent to Equestria. The changelings. He replied to Nicko either way. “Well. That kills my mood. So there’s more like me, and now I’m a Displaced? What a day….Oh, crap. I almost forgot. The name’s Bryce, by the way. Pleasure to meet you both.” He then gave a grand smile and extended a hand to Nicko.

Nicko shook it firmly. “Same here, Bryce. We should continue this conversation inside where there’s a bit more light. I don’t want to burn all of my mana by keeping this rune up.” He then started shaking his foot, gunk flying off of it. “Oh yeah, you might want to take that Changeling right there into custody. It’s unconscious, but I think I might’ve stepped on it and popped one of it’s arteries on accident.”

Upon noticing the changeling that he had apparently been standing on, the entire time, and the blood pooling from it, Celestia shot several signal flares from her horn, calling for a medic and guards. The arrived just after Eris entered Nicko again, and tended to the changeling before taking it away. Blueblood yawned, and then pardoned himself with a small smile, claiming that they day court had run him dry, and left to get some sleep.

As Blueblood left, the group made their way to the Hall of Elements. Bryce had yet to have been in this area of the castle. Not that he minded. He enjoyed it so far, especially the stained glass windows, which seemed to tell a story... “So, do you have any other questions?” Nicko suddenly asked, snapping Bryce back to him and the others. Before Bryce could get a word in however, Celestia did.

“I have one, if I may.” She began. “If what you say about there being multiple dimensions is true, then how were you able to travel to ours?”

“Ah yes, a very good question if I do say so myself.” The Rune Slayer answered her. “Well, the thing with each Displaced is that they each have something called a summoning token.” NIcko reached into a pocket, and tossed something to Bryce. The new Displaced quickly caught the item and inspected it. A rune. How ironic. “That one is mine, A Mark of the Rune Slayer. As I was saying, different Displaced have different Tokens and either you can summon them to you or you can summon yourself to them; either on your own or accidentally get pulled in like a magnet.”

This got Bryce's attention. So he already had a mark that was sent out across the multiverse. Though, what it could be, he had no idea what so ever. Luna however, wanted to know more than he did, asking before he could get a word in. Again. “And what kind of token did you find to bring yourself here?”

At this point in time, Eris took her leave of Nicko's body and appearing behind Luna. Bryce blinked as she pulled the old magic trick, "Behind your ear," Before floating something extremely familiar to Nicko. He recognized it immediately. A deep blue tear dop the size of one's thumb, with a strange, darker blue marking on it. 'A tear of the Goddess. You gotta be FUCKING kidding me!'

Nicko held the token out as he explained it's presence. “This lead me to here. A little bit of magic channeling lead to me opening a doorway that brought me here once I entered. Next thing I know, I’m in your garden.”

Bryce took a moment before chuckling as he looked at Nicko's mark. "Figures that would be my mark. Was considered as a well recommended item in the game my hammer and outfit come from. It's a Tear of the Goddess. It's a mana regeneration item, but with a second ability. No idea if that one has it, but for every spell cast, the Tear grows stronger, giving the bearer a larger mana pool." He explained before looking back to Nicko.

The sisters were extremely curious at Bryce;s explanation of the item. Though Bryce did not know it yet, such item's were truly rare and considered extremely valuable for their capabilities for unicorns. Or just for show. "Again. This is all new to me. Like I said, I got sent here earlier today. By a frickin' moogle too." Bryce finished as he made to give Nicko his token back.

“I understand man. Oh and keep the token. You can use it to summon me if you’re in trouble or anything like that.” The Rune Slayer reassured him. Bryce chuckled and pocketed the token. I’m also curious about something else. How do you fight with that weapon of yours?”

Bryce blinked. Once. Twice. Then, he explained the abilities and capabilities of the Mercury Hammer/Cannon Form, about what the abilities did, and about the Hextech Core inside the hammer that allowed for it to be lighter while it shifted itself. Course, what he didn't say was that for some odd ass reason the hammer was nearly as light as a feather. Maybe weighed about a pound. Weight, but not an uncomfortable one by a long shot.

Luna, looking for a change in subject, brought up a fine point.“I’m curious on one thing, Nicko. What kind of magic do you use?”

“Rune Magic.” He answered her.

“I’m sorry. Did you say Prune?” She asked for clarification. Bryce facepalmed.

Nicko shook his head in denial. "Rune. With an R." He said, conjuring a smaller version of the rune from the garden in the palm of his hand.

Bryce, curious as ever, set his hammer on the ground and walked closer, leaning over and staring at the rune. “Huh. Kinda like Riven’s sword from League, though in a magic form…” He then shook his head and backed off. "But, that was just her weapon.”

Celestia did her own examination of the rune, humming with curiosity as she inspected it. Soon enough, she smiled gently and backed away as well. "It explains how you summoned the light, Nicko. Though we do not have that here.” She suddenly giggled as a thought came to her. “I am glad my student is in Ponyville. She would be bombarding you with over a thousand questions right now.” Luna chuckled at the remark. Bryce was wondering who the fuck she was talking about exactly.

“I see what you mean. The Twilight in my world would do the exact same thing. In my world though, they did have that magic. But it was an old sorcery that was thought to be lost with the death of Starswirl the Bearded. But I can do more than just conjure runes.” Nicko replied.

This got all their attention back on him, but mainly the two royals in the room. . "Oh? And what more can you do with such magic?" She asked him, slowly locking her fingers together to try and contain her excitement at the prospect. Nicko gave a small smile, and looked to the silent Eris. The Draconequus formed what seemed to be full on transparent cube in her forelimbs, before it suddenly covered the entire room.

Eris started to explain herself before the princesses freaked out. “Calm yourselves, my dear princesses. It’s just a containment spell. That way, we don’t accidentally damage anything within the Hall of Elements.”

Celestia smiled at the thought the two visitors put into the gesture, slowly calming down alongside Luna. . "Sorry. Our Discord has been reformed and all, but even his spells still make my sister and I jumpy." While they conversed, Bryce had picked her hammer back up and was leaning against it again, the biggest shit eating grin on his face.

"I can't wait. If the Tear has its abilities, then it'd be a good thing for you to keep on ya, Nicko. More mana, and less time for it to take in coming back." He explained in a small reminder.

“Tempting, but I’ll pass. Anyways, my runes can take many forms. For example, I can conjure them to have them Detonate as an explosion, have them form blades of magic, slow down my opponents passively and form fire. In addition, I can enhance my powers for a brief amount of time using Phoenix Talon. Of course though, thanks to the teachings of a fellow Displaced named Ryu, he taught me how to use my powers in multiple methods. Diversity can lead to Mastery.”

TO further explain/demonstrate his skills with his runes, Nicko used them on his feet, and went from one end of the hall to another, definitely impressing Luna and Celestia. Bryce let out a low whistle.

And then went on to shake his head as he started to get a headache again. All these god damn magics, and he still wasn't used to it. "Sheesh, Nicko. You could probably hand it to me in a fight, even IF I knew how to fight with this." He said, tapping his Mercury Hammer. "But please do go on. What else can you do?"

“Quite a lot of things, but it all relates to how I use my Mana. Additionally, I have a trump card for if a fight is dragged out too long, but that’s in extreme cases.” He explained in response. “Additionally, there’s the passive ability of mine called The Way of the Sword, which in return refers to the spells I cast and the attacks I do.”

Eris suddenly summoned two clones of Nicko. One was light blue, and the other a dark red. Bryce raised his brows as this happened. “The one on the left is when I obtain the Aura of Vitality, which in turn means that it’ll take less mana for me to cast spells and restore mana over time. On the right, there's Spirit of Destruction. An enchantment that adds more strength to my attacks and can also stagger opponents if they try to hit me. However, these enchantments don't last long, but are useful in emergencies.”

As the trio encoded what he just explained into their minds to fully understand it, Luna rubbed her chin as she made a connection. "Hmmm. It reminds us of the spells unicorns in the guard are taught when supporting a group of their fellows. Though, they can only cast and keep up one spell like this at a time, and each spell has only one effect. Concentration is key in that field."

Celestia nodded. "Indeed, Luna. While such spells so not require too much aptitude, they need to be constantly maintained in a battle, and the amount of strain on the user increases for every other the caster is lending power to."

Bryce chuckled and rolled his eyes. "Wow. And I thought spell casting was easy for you all."

“Like with anything, it takes time. I learned my abilities through my skill book. I bet you’ll become accustomed to your skills once you know how to control your weapon.” Nicko explained to the newly displaced human. “You can probably use both forms of your weapon to assist you in more ways than one. Like launching yourself forward for a boost of speed with your cannon.” Bryce deadpanned, and soon gave off an expression of pure agony as he realized he was right. If he fired off a charged shot and launched himself through an Acceleration gate....He wouldn't wanna be the poor shmuck he hits with the hammer...

Nicko chuckled as he saw the expression on Bryce's face. “Uh, Nicko. I hate to ruin all the fun, but we gotta go back.” Eris told him. “Faith and Yuri are probably waiting for us for Dinner.”

“Ah crap, you’re right.” Nicko responded with, having looked at a nearby grandfather clock, seemingly surprised by the time. “My apologies for having this meeting be cut short. I got places to go and people to catch up with. Turns out, I have a niece who’s stuck in the same situation as I am.”

“Alright, safe travels to both of you!” Celestia said, wishing them well. Using one of Nicko's tokens, theduo opened up a portal in the room.

“You too. Oh and Bryce, if you need any help at all, go ahead and summon us. I’ll be glad to assist.”

"Same here Nicko! Maybe when you call I'll have a few tricks to show off! By the way! What's your niece's name?" Asked happily, and curiously as he stuck his hand out for one final shake.

“Her name is Faith.” The Rune-Slayer answered, before he vanished into the portal with Eris. As he did, the containment spell faded, leaving the human and the princesses in the Hall of the Elements. Bryce, rubbed the back of his head and sighed. Luna copied that sigh, shaking her head.

“Well, I think I speak for everypony when I say that we should catch up on our sleep.” Celestia said, smiling. Luna chuckled.

"Yes sister. And we must get back to the Night Court!" She said, turning, with a nod to Bryce, and left.

The human nodded back before he set his hammer on his shoulder and smirked. "I'm gonna go get some fresh air before I go turn in again Celestia. Need to clear my head. It's been a long day for me." The princess nodded and left the Hall. Bryce soon followed, and made his way outside, back to the gardens, and looked at the night sky. "Displaced huh.....What a fucking concept...."