Chaotic Forceby Wayward ShadowChaptersPrologue: Morning's StartChapter 1: Introductions and HistoryChapter 2: Chaos ControlChapter 3: Sorrowful Nostalgia (Revised)Prologue: Morning's StartMorning in Canterlot was a time to be savored. The city’s position on the mountain allowed for a postcard picture-perfect view of the sunrise. However, not all could easily appreciate the rising sun. A perfect example laid in the Canterlot Garden, just inside the hedge maze and near the statue of Discord, Spirit of Chaos. It was a red and black anthropomorphic cat. However, not just any kind of anthropomorphic cat, it was a Mobian cat. The rising sun somehow managed to position itself to blast a direct beam of sunlight into the cat’s eyes, stirring him from sleep. In a bit of reflex, he raised his hand to his head to rub the sleep from his eyes as well as protect them from the light, but only ended up punching himself. The clang of metal against bone sounded out from the garden, followed by a loud and robotic meowling-howl of pain. The cat had stood up at this point and was practically dancing around while clutching his face. Unbeknownst to him, the Statue of Discord had started to crack. (Inside the Castle, a few minutes earlier) Celestia wasn’t happy. However, contrary to popular belief, the unhappy feelings she had weren’t because of a minor slip up from a servant or guard, it was from the fact that she had to raise the sun and rule a country. For almost two millennia, she had lived with these responsibilities, and her dislike of them only started to show in the past few years. Granted, she learned how to hide her discontent from everypony she met so as not to unintentionally instigate the papers and their rumor columns. There were only two ponies that could see through her masks. One was her sister, Luna. She shared a similar discontent for some of her tasks, primarily for constantly messing with her sleep schedule. The other… “Your Highness, this is not the time to try to be stubborn about staying in bed,” Raven Inkwell, Celestia’s assistant, admonished the alicorn. “The sun is just barely peeking over the horizon, and it is slowing down...again.” With a huff, Celestia threw her covers off and moved to her balcony in her pajamas. She raised the sun without any ceremony or immediate fuss. When she turned back to Raven, she saw that she was blushing. A quick look at herself and she saw that she had chosen that night to wear her more risque blue and banana patterned pajamas. Before she could attempt to cover herself, she heard something metal hit bone and a loud cat yowl that sounded electric for some reason. After quickly grabbing a bathrobe and covering herself up, she moved back to the balcony and used her magic to sharpen her sight to try to find who and/or what made and is making the noise in the garden. It didn’t take her long to find the noise source. It turned out to be a cat. However, unlike most cats that I’ve seen, even among the Abyssinians, this one was unique. For one, he wore more clothes than the standard Abyssinian, as most often wore just a simple shirt or a trench coat. The cat here seemed to wear a set of Feudal Japony Samurai clothing, specifically the sleeveless kimono shirt and the hakama pants. Another thing that seemed unique about the cat was his arms and legs. While Abyssinian arms and legs resembled standard cat limbs and paws, this cat’s limbs looked like a pony’s limbs, except for his ‘hoof’ region, which looked more like oblong pads. They also looked like metal. Has this cat seen some form of heavy combat and lost limbs? As she finished examining him as he started slowing down in his pained dancing, she noticed some cracks forming on the nearby statue...the statue of Discord...which also happens to be his prison. Celestia sighed as she pulled out a scroll and quill pen. “Of all the times to remember where and when I imprisoned him, it had to be when he’s just escaping.” She said out loud to herself. She looked back at Raven and spoke. “Raven? Could you be a dear and send a few guards to collect our new guest from the garden? I’ve got to ready a message to send to my student.” Raven simply nodded and left the bedroom. (Back in the Garden) After the pain started to ease, the cat stopped his ‘dancing’ and began to examine his surroundings. After a few seconds of looking, he spoke, “Where on God’s Green Earth am I?” He instantly moved his hand to cover his mouth upon hearing the robotic voice, only for his hand to clang against something metal just in front of his mouth. The cat could only look at his hands in a form of fascination and a bit of fear. His voice was robotic, his forearms and hands were cybernetic….he took a better look at himself to see he was in a set of clothes that aren’t ‘normal’ by any means and noticed that his feet (and presumably, his lower legs) were cybernetic as well. Let’s not forget the tail, one can’t forget the cat tail. Anxiety began to build up in the cat, but before it could ‘explode’, the nearby statue did, shattering into small chunks and sending out a shockwave that knocked him down...and seemed to have knocked a white gem and a red spiraled gem out of his pockets or wherever they were kept. Upon seeing the two gemstones, the cat’s vision blurred a bit before he was suddenly standing in a barren wasteland with the red gemstone in his hand while a sun was plummeting towards the ground toward a large army of anthropomorphic animals. His vision blurred again and he was standing in an abandoned lab area and was holding the white gemstone in one hand and the red one in the other. Both seemed to be emitting some sort of energy that clashed between them...violently. The cat’s vision returned to the garden and he landed on his back just as some anthropomorphic pony guards in ancient greek styled armor appeared. They got between him and a shadow that was in the smoke from the explosion. Suddenly the spears were holding turned into sunflowers and a maniacal laugh sound off before the shadow literally popped and was gone. All of the guards tossed their sunflowers aside and all but a few began to search the area for the shadow, or whatever made the shadow. The few that stayed behind with the cat helped him to his feet. “Are you okay sir?” The cat nodded and answered, “Yeah, just shaken from a few memory flashbacks.” The cat looked around the area before noticing that the two gems were gone. “Wait, where did the gems go?!” “What gems?” “They were knocked out of my pockets when that statue exploded,” the cat said. His chest practically seized up in anxious fear. “Whatever that that shadow was or whatever made that shadow must have them! Hold me back from panicking!” The guards took his request seriously and quickly cuffed his hands behind his back and started to move him into the castle. “Thank you.” One of the guards rolled his eyes and quietly answered, “You’re welcome.” Author's Note Much better Displaced Crossover thing than I had originally began writing. Chapter 1: Introductions and HistoryThe trip to the throne room from the gardens was relatively short, but it was long enough for the cat to calm down and be released from his cuffs. The cat and guards soon arrived in the throne room, the guards bowed to Celestia as she sat on her throne. The cat hesitated for a moment before he bowed as well. The Royal Alicorn was a wonder in the cat’s eyes. She was wearing a royal purple dress with gold accents, it was styled in the ancient greek style. She wore golden bracelets and anklets near her hands and hooves and her golden crown was decorated with a sun-shaped purple gem. All of this matched well with her white coat and light themed, rainbow mane and tail that seemed to blow in a gentle, but non-existent wind. “You may rise,” she said in a gentle and motherly voice. They did so and Celestia stood from her throne and walked closer. “Report on the garden situation.” The frontmost guard stepped forward and spoke, “Your Highness, the statue of Discord seemed to have exploded in a blast. Our spears were transformed and disposed of, so a party of guards is searching the garden for it, and whatever it was that blew up the statue.” “Good on the initiative in beginning a search, but I want you to recall the search party immediately,” she said. “I know what it was that caused the explosion you mentioned, and I want you to stay here when my student, and her friends, arrive for the same story. Also, for your promptness in acting, and your exemplary service thus far, effective immediately, you are now Captain Shining Armor.” The newly-promoted Shining Armor had a brief shocked expression before he straightened up and gave a salute. “Thank you, Your Highness. I will do my best to live up to the rank you have given me.” Celestia nodded and turned to the other guards. “You may return to your posts, or the barracks if your shifts are over,” She said to them, to which the two remaining guards saluted and left the throne room. When the door closed behind them, she turned to the cat. “And what is your name, My Little Kitty?” The cat’s tail suddenly moved back and forth in a combination of nervousness and agitation. “My name is...umm…” The cat began before giving a defeated sigh. “I can’t remember my original name, but another name seems to come to mind. Rookie?...Tomcat?...Not sure what’s going on entirely, but until I can remember my original name, I’ll be officially called Tomcat, but you guys can call me Tom.” “You have amnesia?” Celestia asked in concern. “I’m not sure, but I think you may be right,” Tom said in a sad tone, his ears at the top of his head drooping. “I mean, I can remember that I wasn’t a cat to begin with, but it this form feels natural.” He then started to feel a bit of anxiety and knelt, breathing heavily. “Then there was that moment when the statue exploded, it knocked two gems out of my pocket… pockets… whatever, and I saw two different visions when I noticed. The first one was me standing with one of the gems in hand while a sun was ‘falling’ from the sky to burn me and an army up. The other one was me holding both and the gems were releasing some sort of energy that didn’t seem to agree.” “You mentioned those gems and panicked when we were getting ready to bring you inside,” Shining mentioned. “What makes those gems so important, or dangerous? If your tone and panic was anything to go by” “I don’t know,” Tom answered, shaking his head. “I feel like I should, but it isn’t coming to mind.” Before more could be said, the throne room doors opened with a bang and a purple unicorn entered the throne room, followed by four nauseous ponies, and a hyper looking pink pony. Said pink pony saw Tom, and with a gasp, she was up in his face and was talking faster than he could comprehend. Tom was suddenly on the floor and breathing heavily. One of the other ponies grabbed the pink one and stuffed an apple into her mouth. “Sorry about her. She’s easily excited.” The pony, dressed in country clothes and speaking with a southwestern accent, explained. “You okay?” Tom mindlessly nodded before sitting up. “Kinda. She triggered a bit of my claustrophobia.” The pink pony’s mane, which was curly and poofy, suddenly and audibly deflated until it was flat and straight. “Oh, I’m so sorry. I was just wanting to get to know you, but I just made you upset.” Tom shook his head and looked at her while standing up. “First off, you didn’t upset me, you just gave me a bit of an anxiety attack. Second, claustrophobia is a fear of tight spaces, and you moving close to me as you did, triggered it.” The pink pony’s mane slowly regained some of its former shape and poof. “Oh, either way, I’m sorry,” she apologized. The cat nodded, accepting her apology. “You’re good.” He took on a contemplative look and then spoke, “Now, I’m not a medical expert, but maybe you should get your hyperactivity checked out and see if you need some medications.” The pony nodded. “Okay, I’ll see about that. But first, introductions.” “I’m Tomcat,” he introduced himself. “But you can call me Tom.” “I’m Pinkie Pie, Ponyville’s Personal Party Pony Planner!” She said excitedly. “I’m Twilight Sparkle,” The purple unicorn said. “I’m also Princess Celestia’s student.” Shining Armor stepped forward and spoke, “And she’s my LSBFF.” “Shiny!” Twilight hugged her brother. “I didn’t notice you were standing there, BBBFF.” “I have the feeling that those acronyms have a story, but not one for now,” Tom said. “Continuing introductions…” He pointed to the orange, and western earth pony. “I’m Applejack,” she said. “I run Sweet Apple Acres down by Ponyville.” “Rainbow ‘Danger’ Dash!” A blue pegasus with rainbow mane and tail proudly said. “The Weather Captain for Ponyville, and future Wonderbolt!” “I’m Rarity, owner of Carousel Boutique in Ponyville, where everything is Chic, Unique, and Magnifique,” the white unicorn with curly purple mane and tail. She then pointed to a shy, yellow pegasus with long pink mane and tail. “And this is Fluttershy. She is rather shy around new people, but she’ll warm up to you eventually.” Fluttershy waved shyly before hiding her face and muzzle behind her pink mane. “Thank you. Now that we have introductions out of the way, follow me,” Celestia said, strolling forward through the doors. “Twilight, you are very well versed in some of the ancient legends of Equestria. What can you tell me about the legend of Discord? And be brief, and simple, so all can understand.” Twilight got giddy for a moment before calming down, and then began to explain. “Discord is known by ancient ponies as a god of mischief and chaos. Legends state that two heroes, using magic just as ancient as Discord was, banished him from reality, allowing the world to become normal after unknown centuries of pure chaos and madness.” “And that is what the legends state,” Celestia said. “At least, as it has been written. The legend of Discord is true, just as the legend of Nightmare Moon was true, but both had their moments of false information, as the two heroes were Luna before her banishment and myself, and Discord was imprisoned, not banished.” “Where was he imprisoned?” Tom asked. “He was imprisoned in stone,” Celestia answered, holding a pause for a contemplative look to cross her face for a brief second. “And admittedly, I should have had the statue he became be placed into a vault, and not in the garden, exposed to the chaos of life.” “So, the statue that exploded held the God of Chaos?” Tom asked, to which Celestia nodded. “At this point, I’d ask if you’re out of your mind, but I don’t think now is the time.” “I agree,” Celestia said as we found ourselves in a cathedral-like room with various stained glass windows depicting various scenes. “The ancient magic in the legend was the Elements of Harmony, the same ones you used to free Luna from the Nightmare’s influence.” “Why do you bring that up?” Applejack asked, a confused look on her face. “Hey, why have us come up here when you and Luna could easily just use the Elements to put him back into stone and not bring him up to anyone?” “It’s because Luna and I are no longer connected to the Elements,” Celestia said. “Our connections to the Elements broke when I had to banish Luna to the Moon.” “Then how will this Disco guy be dealt with?” Rainbow asked with a slightly panicked look. “That is where you six come in,” Celestia answered as she stopped in front of a stained glass window that depicted the six present mares using some sort of jewelry on a dark alicorn. “The day...or night you used the Elements of Harmony to free Luna, it was the time you all were bonded to them.” “So, we need to use them to fix or imprison him?” Fluttershy asked timidly. “Seems to be that way,” Tom said, carefully sliding beside her and placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder, getting an ‘Eep’ from her. Celestia nodded. “Now this location in the castle is where I’ve stored the Elements of Harmony,” She said as she placed her horn in what seemed to be a decorative hole in the wall, only for it to glow and cause the wall to open like a vault. Everyone looked inside, hoping to see the Elements, but instead, the vault was empty. Celestia stepped back in shock. “Where did they go? I had locked this vault to only respond with my or Luna’s magic.” Tom suddenly gasped and stumbled backward before starting to fall. Rarity reacted quickly and summoned her fainting couch and placed it where he would land, catching him and allowing him to recover from his sudden fall. “Are you alright, Darling?” She asked. “Physically, yes,” Tom answered. “Mentally, no. I just had a bit of a flashback or something concerning the gems I was talking about.” “What gems?” Twilight asked in curiosity. “He said that he ended up losing two gems of importance when Discord escaped after he woke up in the Canterlot Gardens,” Shining told the gathered ponies. “And the reason for my panic when I mentioned them was because one of them, the Phantom Ruby, is a gem that can mess with your perception of reality,” Tom told them. Rainbow then flew into his face with an accusatory glare. “I knew something was screwy!” She shouted. “He had to have had something to do with Discord’s escape!” She raised her fist to punch him, but he redirected the punch and sent her sprawling into the ground behind him. “I’m only guilty of proximity!” Tom responded. “And besides, he also has your Elements, but you aren’t pointing fingers at Celestia, or Luna, for ‘giving’ them to him.” “But it’s the only thing that makes sense!” Rainbow complained, helped up, and then held back by Applejack. “I’m not one to usually defend someone, but the only role he played in my release is just being there.” A disembodied voice said, spooking everyone in the room. Celestia recovered first and shouted out, “Discord! Show yourself!” An ethereal serpentine creature appeared at the door of the room. “Greetings.” Discord called out. Rainbow shouted a war cry, broke free of Applejack’s grip and charged the Spirit of Chaos...and forgot that he’s a spirit, and flew through him and into the door, crashing comically. Discord huffed and started walking towards the group. “How rude. Anyway, what do you want Sunbutt? You want me to go back into stone with no ‘ifs, or buts’, right?” “If only it were that easy,” Celestia said while glaring at the Spirit. “Give us back the Elements of Harmony, and we might allow you to go free, provided you keep your chaos to a general minimum.” “Well, that is a complicated request,” Discord said as he conjured the Element Gems. “For I can, and will give the Elements back, and none of my chaos will grace the land.” The Elements floated towards their bearers for a brief moment before floating back to above his head. “Unfortunately, a new Age of Chaos will begin, but unlike what I threw out, it’s worse. So I need to do what I can to prepare the gathered for.” A clear gem appeared in his hands and rainbow beams shot from it into the Element Gems, changing them from their symbolic shapes to gem shapes similar to the clear gems. Tom reeled back in shock. “You’re turning them into Chaos Emeralds!?” He shouted. Discord nodded with a devilish grin before turning to Celestia with a mean glare. “Yes and no,” he snarled. “I merely showed you an illusion of the Elements. They are actually in a pocket dimension and these Chaos Emeralds contain a similar power to them.” Celestia scowled back at him. “What is your plan?” She questioned. “I’m giving your Element Bearers a chance in the coming Age of Chaos,” he answered. “Fight fire with fire.” He then floated the Emeralds to the six bearers and teleported the clear one away. “Now, I have created a pony that has the seventh Emerald and can reveal another Element of Harmony. Defeat that pony, and then face me in Ponyville...and I promise by all things Harmony and Chaos that I will leave the townsfolk unharmed.” He then vanished, leaving Celestia, the Element Bearers, and the newly named Captain Shining Armor to examine the newly bestowed Chaos Emeralds. Tom moved to the nearest wall and began gently banging his head against it. “What are you doing?” Fluttershy asked quietly. “Just thinking about how I need to teach you six on how to use those, since they are different from your Elements,” he answered. “And that’s assuming I’m correct on how they are used...don’t tell me, I’ll find out on my own. Just give me a moment and I’ll teach you all that I can.” Chapter 2: Chaos ControlA few dozen strikes against the wall, and an ice bag later, Tom was lead by Captain Armor to a training field with the Element Bearers following behind. After his headache had eased up enough for him to talk without his head throbbing, Tom began explaining the properties of the Chaos Emeralds. “Using the Chaos Emeralds is easy, but difficult at the same time,” he began with. “That doesn’t really make sense,” Twilight interrupted politely. “Okay, rephrasing,” Tom muttered. “Have you ever done something so easy that you end up being proud of it?” “A few times,” Twilight answered. “Well, the Chaos Emeralds can be used easily, but the difficult part is to keep focus on not losing yourself to pride,” Tom continued. “What’s wrong with pride?” Applejack asked. “I’m proud of my family, and my apples, and that hasn’t cause problems.” “Pride is only a problem if you let it be,” Tom said. “A good example of pride is when a person believes that they can do no wrong, but they are doing a lot of it, and ignore other’s advice, or attempts to help.” Those words got Applejack to cringe, remembering her two weeks of apple-bucking with no help. “So, you’re saying that these emeralds can corrupt us?” Fluttershy asked with a fearful shiver. “Not necessarily,” Tom answered. “The corruption itself by choice. Only you can prevent yourself from going over the edge, as it were.” “So, if I could make all sorts of treats with a Chaos Emerald, it would be up to me to keep myself from turning the world into one giant jawbreaker?” Pinkie asked. “An extreme example, but correct,” Tom answered as they were led into the training yard. “Now, to give you some examples of what you can do with the Chaos Emeralds, I’m gonna need to borrow one of them.” Fluttershy stepped forward and offered her pink emerald. Tom nodded in thanks and took the Emerald. “When using a Chaos Emerald for the first time, it is best to think of your desired effect before saying or shouting, ‘Chaos Control’!” The pink Emerald glowed brightly as time and space briefly warped, and Tom was suddenly standing a few meters from where he was originally standing. “And it will cause time and space to warp to accomplish your goal in the most logical way.” Tom then beckoned Fluttershy to retrieve her emerald. “Bending of time and space,” Twilight said as she wrote down notes on some parchment she summoned along with a pen and ink. “Sounds like Chaos Magic, but following some rules rather than just breaking or completely throwing them out the proverbial window.” “Exactly,” Tom said. “Now, before we get into practicing using the emeralds, I am kinda curious about the Elements of Harmony, and I’m partially thinking that these new Chaos Emeralds will be linked to what they mean in some fashion.” “The Elements of Harmony are six, probably more if Discord is right, magic gems that represent Honesty, Kindness, Laughter, Generosity, and Loyalty, with Magic being the Element that represents all of the Elements working together as one.” Tom hummed in thought before speaking, “If what I’m thinking is correct, the Emeralds should give a type of power boost to provide its user in Chaos Control, based on the Element it is based around.” Tom then looked to Shining as he continued, “Like Kindness being more for healing and repairing.” Shining, understanding Tom’s intent, drew a dagger and cut open the palm of his hand. Immediately, Fluttershy flew to Shining’s side and was muttering something while the Pink Emerald glowed. Shining’s hand began to seal itself until there was no hint to what happened in the spot. Tom nodded and spoke to Shining, “See about having them practice teleporting, pausing time, and shooting energy projectiles while I think on how to further test my theory on a potential link between the Emeralds and the Elements.” Shining nodded and started to drill the Element Bearers. Tom left the training yard and began wandering the castle halls. As he walked, he admired the architecture and artwork and gave acknowledging nods to the various guards and servants that he passed. When he was passing a pair of dark blue doors, they opened and he nearly ran headfirst into a dark and night themed alicorn. He was able to avoid a collision, but that didn’t stop him from stopping and beginning to apologize for not looking. Almost as immediate as the apologizing began, the alicorn covered the cat’s ‘mouth’. “No need to apologize,” She said. “If anything, I should apologize for not being careful when opening the door.” Tom nodded and began to walk again, with the alicorn following behind in curiosity. “What is thy name?” “I’m Tomcat, but Tom is okay for most purposes,” Tom responded to the alicorn. “And you?” “I am Princess Luna, Guardian of Dreams, and Steward of the Moon. Is my sister aware of you wandering the castle, unsupervised?” She asked. Tom looked at her with a look of confusion. “Celestia is my sister.” With that understanding, Tom shrugged. “She’s aware that I’m in the castle and part of something important, but not my wandering. My wandering is to help me think concerning some training I was requested to give the Element Bearers.” He then explained what happened a few hours earlier and his hypothesis of how the Emeralds and the Elements might have a bit of a link. “To think that Discord would care about others is odd,” Luna commented. “But, considering that his chaos is generally harmless, it is understandable that he would oppose chaos that would harm others.” “Without anyone to see his wacky side, his chaos is mundane,” Tom added. “Anyway…” “Yes?” “Just still thinking on my hypothesis,” Tom said. “The Emeralds being hidden by the illusion he showed when he was told to hand over the Elements...I just can’t stop thinking that was symbolic of how the Emeralds are linked to the Elements.” “Have you tested this link?” Luna asked, looking as curious as he was. “Only with Kindness, but even then, not enough data,” Tom answered. “Had a recently promoted captain cut open his hand and Fluttershy healed it with the Emerald.” “Perhaps I can provide a few suggestions on how the Emeralds can be tested for this link,” Luna said. “It can be possible that I can even help in the testing itself.” “Then let’s head to the training yard and start testing,” Tom said, leading the way to the yard. Upon arrival, the duo found the Element Bearers practicing their general Emerald use. Twilight and Rarity were firing spear-like projectiles at some targets. Fluttershy and Pinkie were teleporting from one end of the yard to the other and in-between. Rainbow and Applejack were engaged in a sparring match that constantly jumped between slow-motion and super sped up. Tom ‘clapped’ his hands together, causing a clanging that stopped the current practice. “Its good to see that you are getting a hang of the basic powers the Emeralds offer,” he said. “However, I still feel that we need to see if the Emeralds have a type of link to the Elements.” The ponies lined up in front of Tom and Princess Luna as Shining joined the two. “Now, let’s start with Honesty, just to follow Twilight’s order she gave when she told me about the Elements. Who has Honesty?” Applejack stepped forward. “The rest of you, go back to practicing. I’ll call you by Element when I’m ready to test you.” Tom, Luna, and Shining led Applejack to a secluded corner of the training yard. Luna then spoke, “This test will work in a reactionary fashion.” “What?” Tom sighed and translated for Applejack. “Meaning she will attack you with no warning and what you first think when shouting ‘Chaos Control,’ should provide an idea of your Emerald’s power.” As soon as he finished his words, Luna teleported in front of Applejack and went to punch her. Applejack shouted, “Chaos Control!” and when Luna’s punch landed on the mare’s nose, it was Luna’s nose that broke. Luna ended up cringing and almost crying in pain, but not for long, as she worked a simple healing spell and was back up. The rest of the tests went similarly, each with a form of reaction and Luna in some form of pain or embarrassment. Fluttershy’s test caused Luna to experience emotional pain for every punch attempted. Pinkie caused Luna to be teleported to the nearest tower and she fell off from the momentum of her punch. Rarity had some of Luna’s nerves sent into some sort of shock, paralyzing her. Rainbow had her and Luna switch places, making Rainbow the puncher, and Luna the punched. Twilight’s test...well, let’s just say that the door to the training yard is now bigger, Luna was unharmed, and Twilight would need therapy. As everyone, except Twilight, examined the expanded doorway, said unicorn was shivering on the ground, muttering about magic kindergarten and poor grades. At the fourth or fifth repeat of her muttering, Tom gave Shining a questioning look. Understanding the look, Shining explained, “She’s not one to slack when it comes to learning, and has a bit of a fear of getting poor grades and said poor grades getting her sent back a grade or two.” “What’s her definition of a bad grade?” Tom asked. “A-minus or below,” Shining answered, slumping in shame. Before they could continue the conversation, a guard ran through the doorway and stopped in front of the captain. With a salute, he spoke, “Captain Armor, Princess Celestia has called for you, the Element Bearers, and our cat friend to the throne room.” His words roused Twilight from her broken state and teleported everyone there to the throne room. As everyone was recovering from the surprise teleport, Celestia giggled and approached the group. Tom then spoke up, “So, what’s going on?” Instantly, Celestia’s smile went into a serious stare. “The guards have found the pony who is using the last Emerald and may provide us a lead to the seventh Element.” “Who?” Luna asked. “Blueblood.” Author's Note I think I had a headache after finishing this. Chapter 3: Sorrowful Nostalgia (Revised)When Celestia said that Blueblood had the last Emerald, she expected everyone to be shocked, but when there was no shock from them, she showed shock, albeit briefly. “What’s with the face, Sister?” Luna said, a straight yet smug look on her face that was directed at Celestia. “Why are you all so nonchalant about my nephew possessing a dangerous artifact and causing havoc with it?” She asked, more shock showing on her face. “You don’t truly know your nephew, Sister,” Luna responded. “Need I remind you that there are dreams that show a person’s innermost desires and ambitions.” “What does that have to do with him?” Celestia snapped. “The fact that his most recent dream involved overthrowing us both and using us as personal relief and entertainment...that should say something about his character,” Luna calmly responded. “And that’s just what his mind is thinking. He’s done more than just imagine overthrowing us.” “The incident at the Gala, though overall isn’t to be overly concerned about, is a good example,” Rarity shared. “Let’s not forget the number of times he’s hit on me or even attempted to use me,” Twilight spoke. “Attempting to fire maids and guards for no reason other than that he didn’t like their faces,” Shining provided. “Siphoning funds from random locations, as if we’re dumb enough to not notice it,” Applejack shared. “Prioritizing national funds for things around Canterlot, and not providing what is needed for other towns and cities,” Rainbow grumbled. “Almost closing down a small-town bakery for looking ‘too sweet’,” Pinkie provided. “He also wiped an entire forest off the map for lumber and land to build a private resort for himself,” Fluttershy whispered. “And Blueblood is in a position of power and abusing it,” Tom pointed out, stepping to the front of the group. “A true test of one’s character is to give them power and see what they do with it. This Blueblood has had a lot of political and economic power and blew it. What is he doing with the Chaos Emerald?” Celestia hesitated before drooping in defeat and sorrow. “He’s attacking and demolishing the poorer and non-unicorn districts of the city,” she said quietly. “Then we know where to go,” Tom said, turning toward the throne room doors. “Let’s get going.” “Before you go,” Celestia spoke up. “Don’t hurt him too much. Especially don’t kill him.” Without turning, Tom asked, “How many chances have you given him?” “Over a dozen chances,” she answered. “Then no promises,” Tom firmly said. “You gave him that many chances, and he blew all of them. I won’t hesitate to kill if the need arises.” Celestia opened her mouth to object, but she paused, closed her mouth, and nodded in sorrow. “Then, I will accept your judgment,” she said. “It is clear that I only enabled him. Having only worked to repair the damage he made, my actions must have given him the thought that I approved of his actions. So if I must permanently lose a family member as punishment for this mistake, do what you must.” Tom turned to look at her with a slightly sympathetic look. “You aren’t the one that made the mistakes, he did,” he told her. “The only mistake you made was not taking proper action when it mattered. Everything past that is his fault. Take your time to grieve now. Blueblood will pay for his mistakes, dead or alive.” Tom then turned and left, the Element Bearers following behind. After they left, Celestia turned to her sister. “Luna, will you and the guards leave me for a short while?” She asked. Luna nodded, snapped her fingers, and gestured for the guards to leave and she followed. As soon as the door closed, Celestia closed her eyes and wept. After exiting the castle, finding Blueblood was easy since screams and explosions were heard. They followed the screams and explosions into the lower parts of the city until they found several city blocks that looked like artillery and bombs leveled them. With no words needed, everyone sprung into action. Rainbow began gathering rainclouds to extinguish any fires, while Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie, and Fluttershy began digging through the rubble to see if they could find any survivors. Twilight and Tom kept a general lookout, just in case Blueblood showed up. After a few minutes of no sign of Blueblood, other than the general screams and explosions, the two relaxed somewhat and watched the rest of the group do their tasks. “Goodness, to think that my life changed from grunt work to saving my world to now helping save another one,” Tom said, before jumping a bit at the brief influx of memories. “What do you mean?” Twilight asked, turning to me with curiosity. “More memories came back,” Tom answered, lifting his robotic hands and flexing them. “Some harrowing, some pleasant. Used to live in a Mobian Village, until Infinite came.” “Infinite?” “A jackal that was using the Phantom Ruby I mentioned back inside the castle,” Tom provided. “He attacked my village and decimated the local militia...I was the only survivor.” “What?” Twilight quietly shouted, her eyes widening with shock. “Yeah,” Tom said. “When the rest of the militia was killed, and I was pointing a gun at him, he pinpointed my fear and said he’d spare my life if I gave into said fear. In defiance, I shot at him, and in retaliation, he took my arms, feet, and slit my throat. The last one luckily didn’t hit any vital blood vessels, but it did destroy my vocal cords.” “If he destroyed your limbs and vocal cords then-” Twilight began, but was interrupted by Tom flipping a panel on the back of his left hand, revealing the servos and circuits inside. “Cybernetics,” he answered, closing the panel on his hand while giving Twilight a small glare. “Oh, sorry,” she said. “You wouldn’t have known,” Tom said. “Anyway, after that, I had my limbs replaced and some cybernetics installed before I was recruited into the Head Squad, all of the commanders grouped into a ‘squad’ for organizational purposes.” “And that’s where you started your ‘grunt work’ as you put it?” Twilight asked, to which Tom nodded. “What about saving your world?” “That…” Tom began to say but stopped, his eyes suddenly narrowing. “Is to be a story for another time. You go help your friends in their search and evacuation, Twilight. Something's coming and I don't want you in the crossfire.” Twilight looked like she was about to protest, only to scream in fear when a nearby wall was blown to bits. After the dust settled, a large group of armored unicorns stepped up and arrayed themselves around us. One of them stepped forward and removed his helmet. A look of recognition crossed Twilight's face as she glared at the unicorn in question. "Blueblood." Author's Note Took forever for me to figure this out. Doesn't help that I have personal issues that cause me to be easily distracted. 11/3/2020: kinda had to edit things because of a lack of a crossover partner after going silent after confirming...or the partner is busy with other projects and it's best I try to continue what I have and not base my story progression on other's stuff.
Prologue: Morning's StartMorning in Canterlot was a time to be savored. The city’s position on the mountain allowed for a postcard picture-perfect view of the sunrise. However, not all could easily appreciate the rising sun. A perfect example laid in the Canterlot Garden, just inside the hedge maze and near the statue of Discord, Spirit of Chaos. It was a red and black anthropomorphic cat. However, not just any kind of anthropomorphic cat, it was a Mobian cat. The rising sun somehow managed to position itself to blast a direct beam of sunlight into the cat’s eyes, stirring him from sleep. In a bit of reflex, he raised his hand to his head to rub the sleep from his eyes as well as protect them from the light, but only ended up punching himself. The clang of metal against bone sounded out from the garden, followed by a loud and robotic meowling-howl of pain. The cat had stood up at this point and was practically dancing around while clutching his face. Unbeknownst to him, the Statue of Discord had started to crack. (Inside the Castle, a few minutes earlier) Celestia wasn’t happy. However, contrary to popular belief, the unhappy feelings she had weren’t because of a minor slip up from a servant or guard, it was from the fact that she had to raise the sun and rule a country. For almost two millennia, she had lived with these responsibilities, and her dislike of them only started to show in the past few years. Granted, she learned how to hide her discontent from everypony she met so as not to unintentionally instigate the papers and their rumor columns. There were only two ponies that could see through her masks. One was her sister, Luna. She shared a similar discontent for some of her tasks, primarily for constantly messing with her sleep schedule. The other… “Your Highness, this is not the time to try to be stubborn about staying in bed,” Raven Inkwell, Celestia’s assistant, admonished the alicorn. “The sun is just barely peeking over the horizon, and it is slowing down...again.” With a huff, Celestia threw her covers off and moved to her balcony in her pajamas. She raised the sun without any ceremony or immediate fuss. When she turned back to Raven, she saw that she was blushing. A quick look at herself and she saw that she had chosen that night to wear her more risque blue and banana patterned pajamas. Before she could attempt to cover herself, she heard something metal hit bone and a loud cat yowl that sounded electric for some reason. After quickly grabbing a bathrobe and covering herself up, she moved back to the balcony and used her magic to sharpen her sight to try to find who and/or what made and is making the noise in the garden. It didn’t take her long to find the noise source. It turned out to be a cat. However, unlike most cats that I’ve seen, even among the Abyssinians, this one was unique. For one, he wore more clothes than the standard Abyssinian, as most often wore just a simple shirt or a trench coat. The cat here seemed to wear a set of Feudal Japony Samurai clothing, specifically the sleeveless kimono shirt and the hakama pants. Another thing that seemed unique about the cat was his arms and legs. While Abyssinian arms and legs resembled standard cat limbs and paws, this cat’s limbs looked like a pony’s limbs, except for his ‘hoof’ region, which looked more like oblong pads. They also looked like metal. Has this cat seen some form of heavy combat and lost limbs? As she finished examining him as he started slowing down in his pained dancing, she noticed some cracks forming on the nearby statue...the statue of Discord...which also happens to be his prison. Celestia sighed as she pulled out a scroll and quill pen. “Of all the times to remember where and when I imprisoned him, it had to be when he’s just escaping.” She said out loud to herself. She looked back at Raven and spoke. “Raven? Could you be a dear and send a few guards to collect our new guest from the garden? I’ve got to ready a message to send to my student.” Raven simply nodded and left the bedroom. (Back in the Garden) After the pain started to ease, the cat stopped his ‘dancing’ and began to examine his surroundings. After a few seconds of looking, he spoke, “Where on God’s Green Earth am I?” He instantly moved his hand to cover his mouth upon hearing the robotic voice, only for his hand to clang against something metal just in front of his mouth. The cat could only look at his hands in a form of fascination and a bit of fear. His voice was robotic, his forearms and hands were cybernetic….he took a better look at himself to see he was in a set of clothes that aren’t ‘normal’ by any means and noticed that his feet (and presumably, his lower legs) were cybernetic as well. Let’s not forget the tail, one can’t forget the cat tail. Anxiety began to build up in the cat, but before it could ‘explode’, the nearby statue did, shattering into small chunks and sending out a shockwave that knocked him down...and seemed to have knocked a white gem and a red spiraled gem out of his pockets or wherever they were kept. Upon seeing the two gemstones, the cat’s vision blurred a bit before he was suddenly standing in a barren wasteland with the red gemstone in his hand while a sun was plummeting towards the ground toward a large army of anthropomorphic animals. His vision blurred again and he was standing in an abandoned lab area and was holding the white gemstone in one hand and the red one in the other. Both seemed to be emitting some sort of energy that clashed between them...violently. The cat’s vision returned to the garden and he landed on his back just as some anthropomorphic pony guards in ancient greek styled armor appeared. They got between him and a shadow that was in the smoke from the explosion. Suddenly the spears were holding turned into sunflowers and a maniacal laugh sound off before the shadow literally popped and was gone. All of the guards tossed their sunflowers aside and all but a few began to search the area for the shadow, or whatever made the shadow. The few that stayed behind with the cat helped him to his feet. “Are you okay sir?” The cat nodded and answered, “Yeah, just shaken from a few memory flashbacks.” The cat looked around the area before noticing that the two gems were gone. “Wait, where did the gems go?!” “What gems?” “They were knocked out of my pockets when that statue exploded,” the cat said. His chest practically seized up in anxious fear. “Whatever that that shadow was or whatever made that shadow must have them! Hold me back from panicking!” The guards took his request seriously and quickly cuffed his hands behind his back and started to move him into the castle. “Thank you.” One of the guards rolled his eyes and quietly answered, “You’re welcome.” Author's Note Much better Displaced Crossover thing than I had originally began writing.
Chapter 1: Introductions and HistoryThe trip to the throne room from the gardens was relatively short, but it was long enough for the cat to calm down and be released from his cuffs. The cat and guards soon arrived in the throne room, the guards bowed to Celestia as she sat on her throne. The cat hesitated for a moment before he bowed as well. The Royal Alicorn was a wonder in the cat’s eyes. She was wearing a royal purple dress with gold accents, it was styled in the ancient greek style. She wore golden bracelets and anklets near her hands and hooves and her golden crown was decorated with a sun-shaped purple gem. All of this matched well with her white coat and light themed, rainbow mane and tail that seemed to blow in a gentle, but non-existent wind. “You may rise,” she said in a gentle and motherly voice. They did so and Celestia stood from her throne and walked closer. “Report on the garden situation.” The frontmost guard stepped forward and spoke, “Your Highness, the statue of Discord seemed to have exploded in a blast. Our spears were transformed and disposed of, so a party of guards is searching the garden for it, and whatever it was that blew up the statue.” “Good on the initiative in beginning a search, but I want you to recall the search party immediately,” she said. “I know what it was that caused the explosion you mentioned, and I want you to stay here when my student, and her friends, arrive for the same story. Also, for your promptness in acting, and your exemplary service thus far, effective immediately, you are now Captain Shining Armor.” The newly-promoted Shining Armor had a brief shocked expression before he straightened up and gave a salute. “Thank you, Your Highness. I will do my best to live up to the rank you have given me.” Celestia nodded and turned to the other guards. “You may return to your posts, or the barracks if your shifts are over,” She said to them, to which the two remaining guards saluted and left the throne room. When the door closed behind them, she turned to the cat. “And what is your name, My Little Kitty?” The cat’s tail suddenly moved back and forth in a combination of nervousness and agitation. “My name is...umm…” The cat began before giving a defeated sigh. “I can’t remember my original name, but another name seems to come to mind. Rookie?...Tomcat?...Not sure what’s going on entirely, but until I can remember my original name, I’ll be officially called Tomcat, but you guys can call me Tom.” “You have amnesia?” Celestia asked in concern. “I’m not sure, but I think you may be right,” Tom said in a sad tone, his ears at the top of his head drooping. “I mean, I can remember that I wasn’t a cat to begin with, but it this form feels natural.” He then started to feel a bit of anxiety and knelt, breathing heavily. “Then there was that moment when the statue exploded, it knocked two gems out of my pocket… pockets… whatever, and I saw two different visions when I noticed. The first one was me standing with one of the gems in hand while a sun was ‘falling’ from the sky to burn me and an army up. The other one was me holding both and the gems were releasing some sort of energy that didn’t seem to agree.” “You mentioned those gems and panicked when we were getting ready to bring you inside,” Shining mentioned. “What makes those gems so important, or dangerous? If your tone and panic was anything to go by” “I don’t know,” Tom answered, shaking his head. “I feel like I should, but it isn’t coming to mind.” Before more could be said, the throne room doors opened with a bang and a purple unicorn entered the throne room, followed by four nauseous ponies, and a hyper looking pink pony. Said pink pony saw Tom, and with a gasp, she was up in his face and was talking faster than he could comprehend. Tom was suddenly on the floor and breathing heavily. One of the other ponies grabbed the pink one and stuffed an apple into her mouth. “Sorry about her. She’s easily excited.” The pony, dressed in country clothes and speaking with a southwestern accent, explained. “You okay?” Tom mindlessly nodded before sitting up. “Kinda. She triggered a bit of my claustrophobia.” The pink pony’s mane, which was curly and poofy, suddenly and audibly deflated until it was flat and straight. “Oh, I’m so sorry. I was just wanting to get to know you, but I just made you upset.” Tom shook his head and looked at her while standing up. “First off, you didn’t upset me, you just gave me a bit of an anxiety attack. Second, claustrophobia is a fear of tight spaces, and you moving close to me as you did, triggered it.” The pink pony’s mane slowly regained some of its former shape and poof. “Oh, either way, I’m sorry,” she apologized. The cat nodded, accepting her apology. “You’re good.” He took on a contemplative look and then spoke, “Now, I’m not a medical expert, but maybe you should get your hyperactivity checked out and see if you need some medications.” The pony nodded. “Okay, I’ll see about that. But first, introductions.” “I’m Tomcat,” he introduced himself. “But you can call me Tom.” “I’m Pinkie Pie, Ponyville’s Personal Party Pony Planner!” She said excitedly. “I’m Twilight Sparkle,” The purple unicorn said. “I’m also Princess Celestia’s student.” Shining Armor stepped forward and spoke, “And she’s my LSBFF.” “Shiny!” Twilight hugged her brother. “I didn’t notice you were standing there, BBBFF.” “I have the feeling that those acronyms have a story, but not one for now,” Tom said. “Continuing introductions…” He pointed to the orange, and western earth pony. “I’m Applejack,” she said. “I run Sweet Apple Acres down by Ponyville.” “Rainbow ‘Danger’ Dash!” A blue pegasus with rainbow mane and tail proudly said. “The Weather Captain for Ponyville, and future Wonderbolt!” “I’m Rarity, owner of Carousel Boutique in Ponyville, where everything is Chic, Unique, and Magnifique,” the white unicorn with curly purple mane and tail. She then pointed to a shy, yellow pegasus with long pink mane and tail. “And this is Fluttershy. She is rather shy around new people, but she’ll warm up to you eventually.” Fluttershy waved shyly before hiding her face and muzzle behind her pink mane. “Thank you. Now that we have introductions out of the way, follow me,” Celestia said, strolling forward through the doors. “Twilight, you are very well versed in some of the ancient legends of Equestria. What can you tell me about the legend of Discord? And be brief, and simple, so all can understand.” Twilight got giddy for a moment before calming down, and then began to explain. “Discord is known by ancient ponies as a god of mischief and chaos. Legends state that two heroes, using magic just as ancient as Discord was, banished him from reality, allowing the world to become normal after unknown centuries of pure chaos and madness.” “And that is what the legends state,” Celestia said. “At least, as it has been written. The legend of Discord is true, just as the legend of Nightmare Moon was true, but both had their moments of false information, as the two heroes were Luna before her banishment and myself, and Discord was imprisoned, not banished.” “Where was he imprisoned?” Tom asked. “He was imprisoned in stone,” Celestia answered, holding a pause for a contemplative look to cross her face for a brief second. “And admittedly, I should have had the statue he became be placed into a vault, and not in the garden, exposed to the chaos of life.” “So, the statue that exploded held the God of Chaos?” Tom asked, to which Celestia nodded. “At this point, I’d ask if you’re out of your mind, but I don’t think now is the time.” “I agree,” Celestia said as we found ourselves in a cathedral-like room with various stained glass windows depicting various scenes. “The ancient magic in the legend was the Elements of Harmony, the same ones you used to free Luna from the Nightmare’s influence.” “Why do you bring that up?” Applejack asked, a confused look on her face. “Hey, why have us come up here when you and Luna could easily just use the Elements to put him back into stone and not bring him up to anyone?” “It’s because Luna and I are no longer connected to the Elements,” Celestia said. “Our connections to the Elements broke when I had to banish Luna to the Moon.” “Then how will this Disco guy be dealt with?” Rainbow asked with a slightly panicked look. “That is where you six come in,” Celestia answered as she stopped in front of a stained glass window that depicted the six present mares using some sort of jewelry on a dark alicorn. “The day...or night you used the Elements of Harmony to free Luna, it was the time you all were bonded to them.” “So, we need to use them to fix or imprison him?” Fluttershy asked timidly. “Seems to be that way,” Tom said, carefully sliding beside her and placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder, getting an ‘Eep’ from her. Celestia nodded. “Now this location in the castle is where I’ve stored the Elements of Harmony,” She said as she placed her horn in what seemed to be a decorative hole in the wall, only for it to glow and cause the wall to open like a vault. Everyone looked inside, hoping to see the Elements, but instead, the vault was empty. Celestia stepped back in shock. “Where did they go? I had locked this vault to only respond with my or Luna’s magic.” Tom suddenly gasped and stumbled backward before starting to fall. Rarity reacted quickly and summoned her fainting couch and placed it where he would land, catching him and allowing him to recover from his sudden fall. “Are you alright, Darling?” She asked. “Physically, yes,” Tom answered. “Mentally, no. I just had a bit of a flashback or something concerning the gems I was talking about.” “What gems?” Twilight asked in curiosity. “He said that he ended up losing two gems of importance when Discord escaped after he woke up in the Canterlot Gardens,” Shining told the gathered ponies. “And the reason for my panic when I mentioned them was because one of them, the Phantom Ruby, is a gem that can mess with your perception of reality,” Tom told them. Rainbow then flew into his face with an accusatory glare. “I knew something was screwy!” She shouted. “He had to have had something to do with Discord’s escape!” She raised her fist to punch him, but he redirected the punch and sent her sprawling into the ground behind him. “I’m only guilty of proximity!” Tom responded. “And besides, he also has your Elements, but you aren’t pointing fingers at Celestia, or Luna, for ‘giving’ them to him.” “But it’s the only thing that makes sense!” Rainbow complained, helped up, and then held back by Applejack. “I’m not one to usually defend someone, but the only role he played in my release is just being there.” A disembodied voice said, spooking everyone in the room. Celestia recovered first and shouted out, “Discord! Show yourself!” An ethereal serpentine creature appeared at the door of the room. “Greetings.” Discord called out. Rainbow shouted a war cry, broke free of Applejack’s grip and charged the Spirit of Chaos...and forgot that he’s a spirit, and flew through him and into the door, crashing comically. Discord huffed and started walking towards the group. “How rude. Anyway, what do you want Sunbutt? You want me to go back into stone with no ‘ifs, or buts’, right?” “If only it were that easy,” Celestia said while glaring at the Spirit. “Give us back the Elements of Harmony, and we might allow you to go free, provided you keep your chaos to a general minimum.” “Well, that is a complicated request,” Discord said as he conjured the Element Gems. “For I can, and will give the Elements back, and none of my chaos will grace the land.” The Elements floated towards their bearers for a brief moment before floating back to above his head. “Unfortunately, a new Age of Chaos will begin, but unlike what I threw out, it’s worse. So I need to do what I can to prepare the gathered for.” A clear gem appeared in his hands and rainbow beams shot from it into the Element Gems, changing them from their symbolic shapes to gem shapes similar to the clear gems. Tom reeled back in shock. “You’re turning them into Chaos Emeralds!?” He shouted. Discord nodded with a devilish grin before turning to Celestia with a mean glare. “Yes and no,” he snarled. “I merely showed you an illusion of the Elements. They are actually in a pocket dimension and these Chaos Emeralds contain a similar power to them.” Celestia scowled back at him. “What is your plan?” She questioned. “I’m giving your Element Bearers a chance in the coming Age of Chaos,” he answered. “Fight fire with fire.” He then floated the Emeralds to the six bearers and teleported the clear one away. “Now, I have created a pony that has the seventh Emerald and can reveal another Element of Harmony. Defeat that pony, and then face me in Ponyville...and I promise by all things Harmony and Chaos that I will leave the townsfolk unharmed.” He then vanished, leaving Celestia, the Element Bearers, and the newly named Captain Shining Armor to examine the newly bestowed Chaos Emeralds. Tom moved to the nearest wall and began gently banging his head against it. “What are you doing?” Fluttershy asked quietly. “Just thinking about how I need to teach you six on how to use those, since they are different from your Elements,” he answered. “And that’s assuming I’m correct on how they are used...don’t tell me, I’ll find out on my own. Just give me a moment and I’ll teach you all that I can.”
Chapter 2: Chaos ControlA few dozen strikes against the wall, and an ice bag later, Tom was lead by Captain Armor to a training field with the Element Bearers following behind. After his headache had eased up enough for him to talk without his head throbbing, Tom began explaining the properties of the Chaos Emeralds. “Using the Chaos Emeralds is easy, but difficult at the same time,” he began with. “That doesn’t really make sense,” Twilight interrupted politely. “Okay, rephrasing,” Tom muttered. “Have you ever done something so easy that you end up being proud of it?” “A few times,” Twilight answered. “Well, the Chaos Emeralds can be used easily, but the difficult part is to keep focus on not losing yourself to pride,” Tom continued. “What’s wrong with pride?” Applejack asked. “I’m proud of my family, and my apples, and that hasn’t cause problems.” “Pride is only a problem if you let it be,” Tom said. “A good example of pride is when a person believes that they can do no wrong, but they are doing a lot of it, and ignore other’s advice, or attempts to help.” Those words got Applejack to cringe, remembering her two weeks of apple-bucking with no help. “So, you’re saying that these emeralds can corrupt us?” Fluttershy asked with a fearful shiver. “Not necessarily,” Tom answered. “The corruption itself by choice. Only you can prevent yourself from going over the edge, as it were.” “So, if I could make all sorts of treats with a Chaos Emerald, it would be up to me to keep myself from turning the world into one giant jawbreaker?” Pinkie asked. “An extreme example, but correct,” Tom answered as they were led into the training yard. “Now, to give you some examples of what you can do with the Chaos Emeralds, I’m gonna need to borrow one of them.” Fluttershy stepped forward and offered her pink emerald. Tom nodded in thanks and took the Emerald. “When using a Chaos Emerald for the first time, it is best to think of your desired effect before saying or shouting, ‘Chaos Control’!” The pink Emerald glowed brightly as time and space briefly warped, and Tom was suddenly standing a few meters from where he was originally standing. “And it will cause time and space to warp to accomplish your goal in the most logical way.” Tom then beckoned Fluttershy to retrieve her emerald. “Bending of time and space,” Twilight said as she wrote down notes on some parchment she summoned along with a pen and ink. “Sounds like Chaos Magic, but following some rules rather than just breaking or completely throwing them out the proverbial window.” “Exactly,” Tom said. “Now, before we get into practicing using the emeralds, I am kinda curious about the Elements of Harmony, and I’m partially thinking that these new Chaos Emeralds will be linked to what they mean in some fashion.” “The Elements of Harmony are six, probably more if Discord is right, magic gems that represent Honesty, Kindness, Laughter, Generosity, and Loyalty, with Magic being the Element that represents all of the Elements working together as one.” Tom hummed in thought before speaking, “If what I’m thinking is correct, the Emeralds should give a type of power boost to provide its user in Chaos Control, based on the Element it is based around.” Tom then looked to Shining as he continued, “Like Kindness being more for healing and repairing.” Shining, understanding Tom’s intent, drew a dagger and cut open the palm of his hand. Immediately, Fluttershy flew to Shining’s side and was muttering something while the Pink Emerald glowed. Shining’s hand began to seal itself until there was no hint to what happened in the spot. Tom nodded and spoke to Shining, “See about having them practice teleporting, pausing time, and shooting energy projectiles while I think on how to further test my theory on a potential link between the Emeralds and the Elements.” Shining nodded and started to drill the Element Bearers. Tom left the training yard and began wandering the castle halls. As he walked, he admired the architecture and artwork and gave acknowledging nods to the various guards and servants that he passed. When he was passing a pair of dark blue doors, they opened and he nearly ran headfirst into a dark and night themed alicorn. He was able to avoid a collision, but that didn’t stop him from stopping and beginning to apologize for not looking. Almost as immediate as the apologizing began, the alicorn covered the cat’s ‘mouth’. “No need to apologize,” She said. “If anything, I should apologize for not being careful when opening the door.” Tom nodded and began to walk again, with the alicorn following behind in curiosity. “What is thy name?” “I’m Tomcat, but Tom is okay for most purposes,” Tom responded to the alicorn. “And you?” “I am Princess Luna, Guardian of Dreams, and Steward of the Moon. Is my sister aware of you wandering the castle, unsupervised?” She asked. Tom looked at her with a look of confusion. “Celestia is my sister.” With that understanding, Tom shrugged. “She’s aware that I’m in the castle and part of something important, but not my wandering. My wandering is to help me think concerning some training I was requested to give the Element Bearers.” He then explained what happened a few hours earlier and his hypothesis of how the Emeralds and the Elements might have a bit of a link. “To think that Discord would care about others is odd,” Luna commented. “But, considering that his chaos is generally harmless, it is understandable that he would oppose chaos that would harm others.” “Without anyone to see his wacky side, his chaos is mundane,” Tom added. “Anyway…” “Yes?” “Just still thinking on my hypothesis,” Tom said. “The Emeralds being hidden by the illusion he showed when he was told to hand over the Elements...I just can’t stop thinking that was symbolic of how the Emeralds are linked to the Elements.” “Have you tested this link?” Luna asked, looking as curious as he was. “Only with Kindness, but even then, not enough data,” Tom answered. “Had a recently promoted captain cut open his hand and Fluttershy healed it with the Emerald.” “Perhaps I can provide a few suggestions on how the Emeralds can be tested for this link,” Luna said. “It can be possible that I can even help in the testing itself.” “Then let’s head to the training yard and start testing,” Tom said, leading the way to the yard. Upon arrival, the duo found the Element Bearers practicing their general Emerald use. Twilight and Rarity were firing spear-like projectiles at some targets. Fluttershy and Pinkie were teleporting from one end of the yard to the other and in-between. Rainbow and Applejack were engaged in a sparring match that constantly jumped between slow-motion and super sped up. Tom ‘clapped’ his hands together, causing a clanging that stopped the current practice. “Its good to see that you are getting a hang of the basic powers the Emeralds offer,” he said. “However, I still feel that we need to see if the Emeralds have a type of link to the Elements.” The ponies lined up in front of Tom and Princess Luna as Shining joined the two. “Now, let’s start with Honesty, just to follow Twilight’s order she gave when she told me about the Elements. Who has Honesty?” Applejack stepped forward. “The rest of you, go back to practicing. I’ll call you by Element when I’m ready to test you.” Tom, Luna, and Shining led Applejack to a secluded corner of the training yard. Luna then spoke, “This test will work in a reactionary fashion.” “What?” Tom sighed and translated for Applejack. “Meaning she will attack you with no warning and what you first think when shouting ‘Chaos Control,’ should provide an idea of your Emerald’s power.” As soon as he finished his words, Luna teleported in front of Applejack and went to punch her. Applejack shouted, “Chaos Control!” and when Luna’s punch landed on the mare’s nose, it was Luna’s nose that broke. Luna ended up cringing and almost crying in pain, but not for long, as she worked a simple healing spell and was back up. The rest of the tests went similarly, each with a form of reaction and Luna in some form of pain or embarrassment. Fluttershy’s test caused Luna to experience emotional pain for every punch attempted. Pinkie caused Luna to be teleported to the nearest tower and she fell off from the momentum of her punch. Rarity had some of Luna’s nerves sent into some sort of shock, paralyzing her. Rainbow had her and Luna switch places, making Rainbow the puncher, and Luna the punched. Twilight’s test...well, let’s just say that the door to the training yard is now bigger, Luna was unharmed, and Twilight would need therapy. As everyone, except Twilight, examined the expanded doorway, said unicorn was shivering on the ground, muttering about magic kindergarten and poor grades. At the fourth or fifth repeat of her muttering, Tom gave Shining a questioning look. Understanding the look, Shining explained, “She’s not one to slack when it comes to learning, and has a bit of a fear of getting poor grades and said poor grades getting her sent back a grade or two.” “What’s her definition of a bad grade?” Tom asked. “A-minus or below,” Shining answered, slumping in shame. Before they could continue the conversation, a guard ran through the doorway and stopped in front of the captain. With a salute, he spoke, “Captain Armor, Princess Celestia has called for you, the Element Bearers, and our cat friend to the throne room.” His words roused Twilight from her broken state and teleported everyone there to the throne room. As everyone was recovering from the surprise teleport, Celestia giggled and approached the group. Tom then spoke up, “So, what’s going on?” Instantly, Celestia’s smile went into a serious stare. “The guards have found the pony who is using the last Emerald and may provide us a lead to the seventh Element.” “Who?” Luna asked. “Blueblood.” Author's Note I think I had a headache after finishing this.
Chapter 3: Sorrowful Nostalgia (Revised)When Celestia said that Blueblood had the last Emerald, she expected everyone to be shocked, but when there was no shock from them, she showed shock, albeit briefly. “What’s with the face, Sister?” Luna said, a straight yet smug look on her face that was directed at Celestia. “Why are you all so nonchalant about my nephew possessing a dangerous artifact and causing havoc with it?” She asked, more shock showing on her face. “You don’t truly know your nephew, Sister,” Luna responded. “Need I remind you that there are dreams that show a person’s innermost desires and ambitions.” “What does that have to do with him?” Celestia snapped. “The fact that his most recent dream involved overthrowing us both and using us as personal relief and entertainment...that should say something about his character,” Luna calmly responded. “And that’s just what his mind is thinking. He’s done more than just imagine overthrowing us.” “The incident at the Gala, though overall isn’t to be overly concerned about, is a good example,” Rarity shared. “Let’s not forget the number of times he’s hit on me or even attempted to use me,” Twilight spoke. “Attempting to fire maids and guards for no reason other than that he didn’t like their faces,” Shining provided. “Siphoning funds from random locations, as if we’re dumb enough to not notice it,” Applejack shared. “Prioritizing national funds for things around Canterlot, and not providing what is needed for other towns and cities,” Rainbow grumbled. “Almost closing down a small-town bakery for looking ‘too sweet’,” Pinkie provided. “He also wiped an entire forest off the map for lumber and land to build a private resort for himself,” Fluttershy whispered. “And Blueblood is in a position of power and abusing it,” Tom pointed out, stepping to the front of the group. “A true test of one’s character is to give them power and see what they do with it. This Blueblood has had a lot of political and economic power and blew it. What is he doing with the Chaos Emerald?” Celestia hesitated before drooping in defeat and sorrow. “He’s attacking and demolishing the poorer and non-unicorn districts of the city,” she said quietly. “Then we know where to go,” Tom said, turning toward the throne room doors. “Let’s get going.” “Before you go,” Celestia spoke up. “Don’t hurt him too much. Especially don’t kill him.” Without turning, Tom asked, “How many chances have you given him?” “Over a dozen chances,” she answered. “Then no promises,” Tom firmly said. “You gave him that many chances, and he blew all of them. I won’t hesitate to kill if the need arises.” Celestia opened her mouth to object, but she paused, closed her mouth, and nodded in sorrow. “Then, I will accept your judgment,” she said. “It is clear that I only enabled him. Having only worked to repair the damage he made, my actions must have given him the thought that I approved of his actions. So if I must permanently lose a family member as punishment for this mistake, do what you must.” Tom turned to look at her with a slightly sympathetic look. “You aren’t the one that made the mistakes, he did,” he told her. “The only mistake you made was not taking proper action when it mattered. Everything past that is his fault. Take your time to grieve now. Blueblood will pay for his mistakes, dead or alive.” Tom then turned and left, the Element Bearers following behind. After they left, Celestia turned to her sister. “Luna, will you and the guards leave me for a short while?” She asked. Luna nodded, snapped her fingers, and gestured for the guards to leave and she followed. As soon as the door closed, Celestia closed her eyes and wept. After exiting the castle, finding Blueblood was easy since screams and explosions were heard. They followed the screams and explosions into the lower parts of the city until they found several city blocks that looked like artillery and bombs leveled them. With no words needed, everyone sprung into action. Rainbow began gathering rainclouds to extinguish any fires, while Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie, and Fluttershy began digging through the rubble to see if they could find any survivors. Twilight and Tom kept a general lookout, just in case Blueblood showed up. After a few minutes of no sign of Blueblood, other than the general screams and explosions, the two relaxed somewhat and watched the rest of the group do their tasks. “Goodness, to think that my life changed from grunt work to saving my world to now helping save another one,” Tom said, before jumping a bit at the brief influx of memories. “What do you mean?” Twilight asked, turning to me with curiosity. “More memories came back,” Tom answered, lifting his robotic hands and flexing them. “Some harrowing, some pleasant. Used to live in a Mobian Village, until Infinite came.” “Infinite?” “A jackal that was using the Phantom Ruby I mentioned back inside the castle,” Tom provided. “He attacked my village and decimated the local militia...I was the only survivor.” “What?” Twilight quietly shouted, her eyes widening with shock. “Yeah,” Tom said. “When the rest of the militia was killed, and I was pointing a gun at him, he pinpointed my fear and said he’d spare my life if I gave into said fear. In defiance, I shot at him, and in retaliation, he took my arms, feet, and slit my throat. The last one luckily didn’t hit any vital blood vessels, but it did destroy my vocal cords.” “If he destroyed your limbs and vocal cords then-” Twilight began, but was interrupted by Tom flipping a panel on the back of his left hand, revealing the servos and circuits inside. “Cybernetics,” he answered, closing the panel on his hand while giving Twilight a small glare. “Oh, sorry,” she said. “You wouldn’t have known,” Tom said. “Anyway, after that, I had my limbs replaced and some cybernetics installed before I was recruited into the Head Squad, all of the commanders grouped into a ‘squad’ for organizational purposes.” “And that’s where you started your ‘grunt work’ as you put it?” Twilight asked, to which Tom nodded. “What about saving your world?” “That…” Tom began to say but stopped, his eyes suddenly narrowing. “Is to be a story for another time. You go help your friends in their search and evacuation, Twilight. Something's coming and I don't want you in the crossfire.” Twilight looked like she was about to protest, only to scream in fear when a nearby wall was blown to bits. After the dust settled, a large group of armored unicorns stepped up and arrayed themselves around us. One of them stepped forward and removed his helmet. A look of recognition crossed Twilight's face as she glared at the unicorn in question. "Blueblood." Author's Note Took forever for me to figure this out. Doesn't help that I have personal issues that cause me to be easily distracted. 11/3/2020: kinda had to edit things because of a lack of a crossover partner after going silent after confirming...or the partner is busy with other projects and it's best I try to continue what I have and not base my story progression on other's stuff.
