The Displaced Tournament of Power

The Knight and a Prince of Equestria; who would have thought? The two tournament participants sat across from each other at a table with bottles of alcohol nearby with empty glasses. They sat next to each other. Arkham himself had a bottle of Jamaican Rum in hand. He was pouring it into a glass as he looked at the Fiery Equine, “So, you get on your Luna’s nerves, huh?” He began. His mask shifted slightly to allow a straw size hole to form in front of where his mouth would be. He grabbed a straw from a basket and plopped it into the glass of rum to take a sip.

Sol chuckled, swirling his glass of wine. “Comes with the territory for siblings. Trust me, she gives as good as she gets.”

Arkham snorted, “Tell me about it; she’s a Luna-tic…” he paused for a moment. “...Luna-tic,” he raised a hand, “That wasn’t intentional.”

Sol smirked. “Coward. Intend your puns like a man!”

“WHAT WOULD YOU KNOW ABOUT BEING A MAN, HORSE-HEAD?!”

“MORE THAN YOU, SORA! I KNOW YOU SUB IN THE BEDROOM!”

“HE DOES HAVE AN EXCELLENT-”

“SHUT UP, LUNA!”

The Knight nodded, “You do have a point. He called me ‘daddy’ during our fight.”

Sol snorted. “All joking aside, that was probably just to mess with you. Sora rarely gets serious; it’s rare that he has a conversation that doesn’t include a half-dozen quips at least. As far as coping mechanisms go, I’ve seen worse.”

“Case in point,” he pointed two thumbs at himself, “But to shift the conversation slightly, let’s do a play by play of what happened during the tournament. Like, you smashed in like a fucking meteorite, covered in fire and smoke, and the first thing I did is give Noel a goddamn bomb. The fuck was I thinking? I wasn’t even hit that hard, so there’s no valid excuse for what I just did, I was just being stupid!”

Sol let out a loud, boisterous laugh. “Friend, this entire tournament has been stupid! Do you really think that I was justified in manifesting my quasi-divine might by turning into a miniature sun? As Sora was quick to point out, I could have given everyone cancer!” He shook his head, amused and unapologetic. “This tournament was structured such that no injury would be permanent, and we all took full advantage to pull out insane abilities we would never have otherwise dared to use.” He raised an eyebrow. “Or do you think that that sweet, blushing Coco mare regularly pulls out living volcanos to fight for her?”

“I had to fucking blow myself up to wipe those things out,” Arkham laughed, “I pulled out a bomb, said: ‘Y’all motherfuckers lame as hell’ and blew myself up! I don’t know how I survived that!”

They shared a laugh and drank a little more in comfortable silence.

“I am glad that I had this opportunity to let loose,” Sol eventually said, staring off into the distance. “My full power is so destructive by its very nature. Sora can go all-out against titan-class heartless, and Luna’s quasi-divine form is… disturbing, but not ruinous to be near. But me? If the heat and radiation don’t get you, the oxygen deprivation will. It has been far too long since I had the chance to fully stretch myself.” He sighed and took another sip of wine before smiling into his drink. “Then again, that also means that it has been a long time since I’ve had to.”

He nodded, “Aye. Our Tenth Commander shares that sentiment. Akainu, he can go extremely hot, like white fire. But if he gets past that, then it gets to the hottest color something can be.” he shook his head, “Yet despite all the heat you and Akainu bring to the table. I still think I would have had an easier time fighting you than Luna.”

A shiver ran down Sol’s spine. “Luna’s true form is… terrifying. Even I flinch at the sight of it, and I love her more dearly than my own flesh. I might be a walking natural disaster, but at least my attacks are all physical. The psychic horror she brings to the battlefield…”

“The fucking psychic damage is insane. She was dunking my emotions like she was LeBron James! Not only that, she jumped me!” The Knight exclaimed before taking another sip. He cleared his throat, “With those little minions she summoned and Tantabus who gave me the Hawk Tuah, I’m sick! And do you know what she did to put me to sleep?”

Arkham turned to Sol and sat up straight, “She became fucking Caspar and kissed me on my mouth like she was Big Dick Randy and I was Digbar! She stole my first kiss and I was like: ‘what da fuck?!’ that’s what got me tweaking, not the fact she put me to sleep, but the way she did it!”

Sol’s eyes went wide. “She stole your…” A massive grin split his face. “OY! LUNA!”

“SOL, I SWEAR! I’M TRYING TO-”

“HE WAS A VL!”

“...no.”

“OH, YOU’RE A- HEART BREAKER! DREAM MAKER! LOVE TAKER! DON’T YOU MESS AROUND WITH-”

“NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!”

Sol snickered at Luna’s broken, desperate wailing. “Oh, that’s gold. She won’t be able to live that one down for centuries.”

“Went into a tournament for the ages and stole someone’s first kiss. I’m sick,” A small piece of paper floated over to him and he curiously caught it. “Ay, bruh, this you?” He turned the paper around and revealed a photo of Sol in a frilly, pink dress.

Sol glared at the photo for a second before shrugging. “Eh, I lost a bet. It happens. Just a little humiliation spread across the multiverse; no big deal.”

Arkham gave him a nod, “Ay, that’s how we do, big dawg, we power through it and–”

A portal opened next to him and Kyle ran out of it. Bumping into the table and nearly falling down, “Arkham! Arkham!” He turned to the Knight, “Arkham!” The Eliatrope turned to Sol, “Uh, you too. I got a hypothetical, can you guys handle a hypothetical.”

“Oh brother…”

Sol raised an eyebrow. “Let’s hear it.”

Kyle sat down across from them, “Alright, say, listen, hypothetically, Majin Buu comes along.”

“The Personification of Evil? That Majin Buu?”

Kyle nodded rapidly, “Yeah, yeah, yeah. Him. That guy, what if, like, hypothetically, he wanted to eat your ass. Like, tongue out and everything–”

Arkham put a hand over where his mouth would be and leaned back. Letting the Commander talk.

“But like, before he did, he absorbed the hottest girl in the world. So, like, he has all the goodies,” Kyle gestured to his chest and mimed out breasts, “What would you do?”

“It’s… It’s Majin Buu,” The Knight said, “He can destroy the universe.”

“But like, he won’t if he eat your ass.” The Eliatrope said before he raised a finger, “You see, what I would do–”

Arkham stood up, “I DO NOT WANNA HEAR IT! I DON’T WANNA FUCKING HEAR YOUR GODDAMN ANSWER! YOU’SA FREAKY ASS NIGGA! FUCK YOU MEAN?! THAT IS MAJIN BUU!” He pointed a finger, “KYLE, IF YOU EVER PRESENT ME WITH A GODDAMN MOTHAFUCKIN’ HYPOTHETICAL LIKE THAT AGAIN, AND I WILL HAVE YOU EXECUTED BY FIRING SQUAD!”

Kyle turned to Sol, “What would you do?”

“DON’T ANSWER HIM!”

Sol shrugged. “I’m missing most of the context here, but however hot this ‘Majin Buu’ is, there is probably someone equally as hot out there that isn’t the personification of all evil that you could convince to… do whatever it is you’re talking about. Not worth the risk, in my opinion.”

He shrugged, “Eh, maybe. But, hypothetically, what if, like, the Goddess of all that is good appeared at your doorstep. Said she had to toss your salad or your world will be destroyed, what would you do?” Kyle asked, leaning back with his fingers pressed together. The Knight at the other end of the table just had his face in his hand.

Sol gave Kyle a deadpan look. “I would tell Luna to be more subtle with her dream pranks.”

Kyle opened his mouth to speak but Arkham stood up and whipped out a glock, “I WILL POP YOU!”

“Got it!” Kyle squeaked, forming a portal behind him before falling through.

“God, I hate freaks like him, bruh. Don’t include me in that mess,” Arkham sat back down with a sigh.

Sol shrugged. “Eh, it takes all sorts. Even freaks have their place. Take Sora, for example.”

The Knight sighed, “Now this has me thinking of some crazy shit. Sol, do you know if Luna turns into an eldritch horror during the act with Sora? ‘Cause like, now I’m curious. I feel like I’m opening Pandora’s Box with this; but I’m curious.”

Sol gave Arkham a bemused stare. “Friend, I do not like to imagine what my sister and my best friend do in the bedroom under the most vanilla of circumstances. Why in Equestria do you think I would willingly contemplate that scenario?”

He managed out a laugh, “Shit, man, I don’t know. The alcohol might be getting to me, man. Speaking of, you ever try Jamaican Rum? Pretty good shit,” he offered the bottle.

Sol eyed the bottle for a moment before politely declining. “I prefer fine wines as my alcohol of choice. Luna is more the type to explore new flavors of inebriation. Thank you for the offer, though.”

He nodded, “Aight.” he looked off towards the distance before turning to look at Sol, “What would you have wished for if you had won?”

“Hm.” Sol contemplated that for a moment. “To be honest, I would leave the wish entirely in Sora’s hands.” He gazed off into the distance, his expression worn and his eyes old. “I spent a thousand years ruling alone, building Equestria into the most prosperous and happy nation I could. By my blood, sweat, and far too many tears, I held my nation together and made it prosper. And now, despite the constant threat of the Heartless, we live in a time of peace.” He smiled softly and shook his head. “What more could I wish for than to see the fruits of my long, lonely efforts continue? But I do not need a spell from beings incomprehensible for that. The little efforts of everyday ponies are all that are needed to see my fondest desires fulfilled.” He turned back to Arkham, the facade of youthful vigor having fallen away entirely to reveal the ancient underneath. “I am content - happy, even - with the world in which I live and the future that lies before it. What need have I of a wish?”

The Knight nodded, “You’re right. You have everything to make your life complete, you have great friends, family, and a Kingdom to rule. Though, I can imagine being the Prince of Equestria all the time starts to feel taxing. Especially given the length you rule along with your sister. Are there any plans for retirement in the future? Who would you want to be your successor?” Arkham was now sitting up straight and gazed at the Alicorn with curiosity and attention.

Sol laughed again, loud and boisterous once more, his masterful mask of youth back in place as he gave Arkham a confident smirk. “Retirement? Hah! It’s far too soon for me to be thinking of such things.” He took a quick look around before lowering his voice. “Do not let this spread to the others from my world, but I do have plans to lead Twilight Sparkle along the path to ascension. She will doubtless make us all very proud. Still, it is far too soon to consider leaving the entire kingdom in her hooves.” He took another sip of his wine. “No, Luna and I plan to rule and reign for many centuries still to come. Besides, what would we even do with retirement?”

Arkham chuckled, “Well, do you have any hobbies? Anything you wanted to pick up that you couldn’t from being a Prince of a lovely nation?”

“Oh, several,” Sol answered with a smirk. “But I have also organized my reign such that I am able to delegate most urgent tasks to ministers and local governments. There are very few matters which require my immediate attention on any given day, and I can easily work through any backlog that accumulates by going without sleep for a few nights. Trust me, I have plenty of time already to indulge in my… hobbies.”

“What, like ‘golf’?” Arkham snorted out a laugh.

“More like a daytrip to Tartarus.”

The Knight blinked, stunlocked from that, “Tartarus? Aren’t there better places like…” he snapped his fingers, “Do you guys have a ‘Miami, Florida’? Or a Flhoofda? Flor… Yeah I don’t know how to do pony-pun names.”

Sol waved him off. “Oh, I could take a trip to Mareami if I wanted to relax in the sun. But the thing is, I am the sun. The tropics don’t really do a lot for me. No, Tartarus is a lot more fun. Just me, my trusty warhammer, and legions of fiends, monsters, and villains desperate for revenge upon me for putting them there.”

“Some nice training while also kicking some ass, shit,” He crossed his arms, “Maybe I should go to Tartarus some day. Or maybe Hell… I’m sure Berserker would know a thing or two about that. He kills demons, devils, all the like. Though… Another thing,” he turned to Sol.

“Have you ever watched One Piece?”

Deltorix stretched a bit. “Well this has been fun. You guys chat a bit with the others, I am gonna prepare a feast.” He said before he disappeared.

Jackson was looking at the other displaces before going towards Fujitora to see if he could either teach or give him advice on how to get Haki, while his Twilight followed behind as Rainbow talked to Gar’s Angel assistants as the rest were talking to their counterpart.

Fujitora was scarfing down a bowl of ramen, sitting down at a table. As he ate, he gave respectful nods to the waiters and waitresses that kept supplying him the bowls. He stopped his feasting when he felt Jackson’s presence, “Ah, konichiwa, Jackson Keon,” he said without turning his head to face the Saiyan.

“Sorry to interrupt your eating but I wanted to see if you could teach me or give me advice on how to gain Haki,” Jackson asked while asking one of the waiters to bring him a massive plate of different foods. As Twilight asked for a large bowl of fruits covered in hot sauce and red peppers.

The Eighth Commander hummed and used gravity to lift up a napkin and pull it over to him. He wiped his face clean with said napkin, not even lifting a finger. “Well, Armament Haki is spirit made manifest and Observation Haki is a sixth sense. But with Conqueror’s, you need to be born with the spirit of a King. I can give you advice on Armament and Observation, I cannot do it for Conqueror’s.”

“That's fine, just having those two is more than enough; Besides I would like to use Observation Haki mixed with Ki to at least increase my senses,” He said while enjoying the plates of different meats and ramen.

“Though I would like to watch and take notes if possible,” Twilight said while taking a bite of her fruits.

“You came to the right blind man,” Fujitora noted, “training to get Observation Haki is simple. Don’t use your eyes, don’t use your ears. Don’t use any of your normal senses. I recommend blindfolds and earplugs. And then get hit on the head repeatedly until you dodge one-thousand-times without getting hit once.” He said as if it was the most simplest thing in the world.

“Have any of you seen the red bastard I call a brother?” Ichigo growled, “You know what? Don’t answer! Ed where the hell are you! You owe me you damn prick!” he blurred away.

Fujitora paused and turned to Jackson, “Did you catch what I said, young man?”

*Oh I definitely got it, do ki attacks get the same results with Observation Haki training or maybe chakra?” He questioned while looking at Fujitora before hearing a collective voice screaming. “Huh? I wonder what's going on over there?”

Fujitora hummed and sat up straight, “Well, young man, I do not know. But it is wise to not use Ki or Chakra and just focus on instinct.”

Jackson nodded at Fujitora advice on Observation Haki training before saying. “And for Armament Haki training?”

“I recommend fighting with no Ki, no Chakra, nothing but your bare hands. Armament Haki is willpower weaponized. So, you must fight like an animal, fight like a warrior, fists, feet, head, tail. The stronger the foe, the faster you’ll grow.” The Eighth Commander said.

“Damn, the only person I know that’s stronger than me is Ed and I think Asta is probably busy so I could ask my version of Vegeta and Goku to help but they probably have to fuse to overpower me in strength,” Jackson muttered while pulling out a notebook and started writing out plans.

He gave a nod to the Saiyan, “You’ll manage.”

The sixteen-feet-and-eight-and-a-half man stood tall and strong. Gazing over the party with a soft smile underneath his scarf. Elia was close by, watching everyone too, but not as much of a good view as her husband. He took notice of this, and picked her up so she could sit on his shoulders. She giggled at this and hugged Katakuri’s head with one arm,

“I knew it would be good!” The Eliatrope Queen grinned, which made Katakuri nod.

“I had my doubts, but you did it,” The former-Tenth-Commander nuzzled her chest with his head. “I’m proud of you.”

“Proud of us,” Elia pointed out, “We did this, Kata. You and I.”

Katakuri hummed and looked on, “I suppose.”

“It was very interesting to see the outcomes this time around,” Ed saaid appearing next to the couple, “You two deserve to be proud of it. Sorry to interrupt your couples moment I just wanted to speak with you about the next tournament, if its not to much to ask.” The alchemist studied the participants of this tournament, “They would’ve given even Ryker a run for his money.”

Katakuri gave Ed a look, he wanted to rebuke the statement but he shook his head. “Indeed. Everyone’s gotten stronger.”

“Oh!” Elia stood on Katakuri’s shoulder, “I already have the next one planned out! The next Displaced Tournament is gonna be an eight-man one, just like the one with Black, Eric, and Thanos. This time, the participants should be more even in power. That dumb Irishman,” a portal appeared in front of her and she grabbed something from it. When she pulled it out it was a notebook, she opened it and flipped through the pages, “he couldn’t make an even tournament to save his life! Thanos had it in the bag. But if anyone would have made the Titan struggle, it would have been Dr. Doom, but he kinda just… Left.” Katakuri nodded.

“Doems aren‘t known for fighting,” Edward twirled his finger around, “If it doesn’t peek their overall interest or have something they stand to gain from then they pretty much piss off.”

“WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU YOU RED BASTARD!?!” They all heard Ichigo yelling as he looked for Ed.

“I just wanted to let you both know you have my ful support and resources to back you in the next one. I’m looking forward to seeing all the new powers and displaced,” Ed smirked, “Oh and if you really want your commanders to fight Ryker level threats I can provide a couple of substitutes to train with,” he snapped and a couple of red vortexes opened to allow a rather red and black and boone cover set of creatures to come through that heavily resemble the alchemist and Quell, “These are Void Eaters. I defeated them in Quill’s universe and earned their loyalties. Think of them as Displaced Hunters. They hunt and feed off the void energies they help create Displaced. In doing so they become more and more complete and also gain more power based on the Displaced energy they devour. They won’t attack unless told to. Once defeated, they pledge loyalty to the victor. If you want your commanders to grow in strength then feel free to use them. They won’t eat anyone,” Ed threw a red crystal to Katakuri, the king caught it with his left hand.

Katakuri looked down at it, his expression like a blank canvas. Elia nudged him, “Don’t be rude.” The King tossed it up into the air and it faded away.

“I’ll keep it in my inventory,” he muttered under his breath.

Ed shrugged, “Anything you need just let me know,” He tossed an alchemist pocket watch to the eliatrope queen. “It can be used to contact me. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a soul reaper that needs an ass whooping,” he waved and walked off.

“...I see,” The King hummed.

“He’s nice,” Elia smiled.

Ichigo blurred back into sight as he frantically looked around for his target, “DAMN IT WHERE THE HELL IS HE!?!” He yelled tot the ceiling, “Matter of fact, where the hell am I?” he tiled his head and crossed his arms before noticing his atomic sword starting to shutter slightly..

“Just wait for a moment, will you?” The Shinigami heard a voice and turned to see the green armored Displaced known as Berserker, without his helmet. “Also, why are you like your captain, Zaraki?”

“I’M NOT LIKE THE SWORD SWINGING IDIOT!” Ichigo shouted, “I just don't literally know where I am. Or where the red bastard who pulled me is. I would’ve won if he hadn't pulled me! Also,” Ichigo proudly puffed out his chest, “I AM THE HEAD CAPTIAN OF MY FORCES!” he prounced as rays of light shown around him.

“Who still can’t tell which way is North?” Berserker retorted and the light went out like a lightbulb, which left Ichigo stunned for a moment. “Stupid ginger cunt.”

“I’m not ginger, my hair is orange!” Ichigo growled as he rushed in with a slash, Berserker narrowly managed to stop the blade with both hands. The sword started to shake against, “Hey wait a minute,” the shinigami remarked as he proceeded to kick the armored displaced and throw the wall behind him, “This thing keeps vibrating. I guess lets find him first then,” he rubbed his chin as he looked over at Berserker who was shaking off the rubble, “Hey greeny, know where Quill’s ass is located?”

“No.” Berserker answered before looking off to the right.

Suddenly the wall Berserker had just been kicked into exploded, revealing Quill who stopped his rapid movement by flipping his body and landing on the opposite wall in a crouched position. A crater formed in that wall as Quill looked up, blood trickling down the right side of his face as he had a battle crazed look in his eyes.

“Nice punch, jackass! But is that all you can manage!?” He roared, smiling as he dropped back to the ground. Only to then notice Ichigo and Berserker, a cheery expression coming to his face. “Oh hey guys!”

“Hey its that one dude that offed himself trying to beat me!” Ichigo pointed out with a smile, “How ya feelin buddy?! You look like shit warmed over,” he pointed out again, “Got something for ya, catch.” he tossed the atomic sword to the dragon slayer.

Catching the atomic sword, Quill looked at it for a few moments. “Hey, ain’t this the sword you made from my Magic Dynastone Explosion?” He asked.

“Half,” ichigo pointed with a single finger. “I ate the other half of that explosion. That is not an ordaniary sword either but your zanpakuto. When you died you also infused that explsoion with your spirit energy. I was hoping to get dragon slayer magic by eating half of it and a decent sword from the other one but through our combined efforts we created a zanpakuto. Its a piece of your soul and has your magic in it to, which also mean now I have it to but cant use it at this time!” he laughed, “It worked but not in the way I wanted…”

Inspecting the blade, the Dragon King hummed a bit before smirking. “Huh, neat.” He said simply before placing it within his Requip Space with a puff of navy blue and gold particles. “Well, I thank you for the sword. And I gotta say, being a ghost is weird as fuck, I mean, I barely remember the experience but it was still trippy.” Quill commented, rolling his shoulders as he crouched down into a runner’s pose, aimed towards the mass amount of broken walls in front of him.

“Yea that tends to happen alot when you die,” Ichigo shrugged, “Oh and before you leave, you can know see all sorts of dead thing, can fight them with that sword,” he lested off, “And the sword is sentient and once you learn its name you can gain cool ass fuck powers and use anotehr transformation in two stages for it. Oh and when your body dies, your soul will continue to exist for thousands of years afterward. Got all that, also you saw the red motherfucker cause I need to kick his?”

“Nope, haven’t seen him.” Quill responded. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go dropkick Bullet in the chest.” The Dragon Slayer chuckled as golden magic began to waft from his body, and in the blink of an eye, he vanished, a golden streak of light speeding down the path of broken walls.

“Not even an hour and already, we’re fucking up the town.” Berserker shook his head in disappointment.

Lord Twigo walked over with Ankhseram in his arms, “It’s gonna come off our paycheck too. We get paid to protect…” he sighed with slumped shoulders, loosening his grip on the Goddess.

“What else is new,” Ed said with a bucket of popcorn as he munched away.

“Oh, hello, Edward.” Ankhseram nodded as she looked at the path of destruction left in Quill and Bullet’s wake. “Wow, Quill is way more of a battle-junkie than I originally thought.” She whistled a little.

“You really have no idea,” Ed snickered, “Quill is really the only one of you guys I have any respect for. He was actually able to hold his own against me before the last tournament and ended up breaking my personal sword. Not a small feat mind you.”

A bead of sweat rolled down Lord Twigo’s head, “You think?”

“You bastard!” Ichgio lunged at the alchemist only to be bitch slapped by the popcorn and sent flying through several walls in the opposite direction.

“I’M GOING TO LOSE ANOTHER GRAND!” Lord Twigo exclaimed and fell to his knees. Letting go of the Goddess. “I NEED THAT FOR TEA!”

Covering her mouth with a hand as she landed on her feet, Ankhseram failed to stifle a giggle as she looked at Twigo. “Technically, we could just blame that on Bullet and get it pulled from his paycheck. I mean, he is the one Quill’s fighting after all.” She suggested.

“ED I’M GOING TO KICK YOUR ASS!” Ichigo suddenly showed back up.

“Fuck off,” Ed snapped and his popcorn back sprang to life and staart to wreck shit using Ichigo’s face as is blunt weapon. It threw him away and gave a flex of power.

Lord Twigo groaned, “TheCommandersareateamweallworktogetherit’sasinktogetherorswimtogethertypesituation…” he muttered and slurred together.

“Oh… well I have a lot of gold, if that helps.” The Goddess offered, gently patting Twigo on the back.

“Oh, I couldn’t do that to you,” he rose up to his knees and shook his head. “You’re my bestest friend in the whole wide world, I could never do that to you.” Lord Twigo went to his feet.

Ankhseram smiled at this. “Aw, Twiggy! You’re my bestest friend in the whole wide world!” She then waved a bit, “Besides, let me spoil you. It’s my gold and I wanna spend it however I want, even if it's to spare your paycheck!” She declared.

Lord Twigo looked at Ankhseram with tears in his eyes, “Oh my God, you’re so amazing!” He gave her a side hug, “This is why you’re my bestie,” the Holy Knight went for a kiss to her cheek.

But Ankhseram turned her head at that exact moment, just starting to open her mouth to respond to Twigo. Then, her lips locked with his, and Ankhseram’s silver eyes widened, her face literally glowing red, black feathers shaking and bristling with shock. Lord Twigo similarly glowed, but his glow was a bit brighter. He let go of Ankhseram and turned away, his hand clasped firmly over his mouth.

“I–I… I apologize… I, uh… Didn’t mean to…” Lord Twigo tried to say, trying – and failing – to hold back a bright blush that could rival a red star.

“O-Oh, n-n-no! It, uh… it was m-my fault! I was the one who… w-who…” Ankhseram stuttered and trailed off, covering her face with her hands only to fail at hiding her blush, before letting out a small squeal of embarrassment.

And even if she could have, the fact that her two lower wings were about five times more fluffy than before, while her upper wings suddenly popped out to their full wingspan with an audible pomf. Ankhseram noticed this almost and immediately began wrestling with her wings, trying to pull them back to her sides as she failed to string a coherent sentence together.

“W–was…” Lord Twigo had to physically stop himself from asking the question, choking himself with a hang. It was definitely not a wing boner… Right?! “W–we… Uh… Let’s just get some apple juice…” he hesitantly grabbed Ankhseram’s hand and pulled her along.

“Y-Yeah…” Ankhseram all but mumbled, barely audible, as steam wafted from her still red face, and while she’d managed to get her wings down, they were still supremely more fluffy than before.

As they walked off, Katakuri and Elia watched them. She turned to the King with a grin, “You owe me a kid if Ankhseram confesses to him first and gives him a big sloppy one.”

Katakuri scoffed, “You’re on. You owe me donuts if Lord Twigo friendzones her.”

Elia gasped, “Oh, he better not, or I’ll hang him by his nutsack!”

“Ah young love,” Ed snickered, “So cute,”

“You know I can very easily restore everything right?” Ed pointed out as the popcorn had Ichigo in an arm bar before it started to hit the shinigami in the face with his own fist.

“Alchemist Magic.” Berserker mentioned and the Golden Eye Sage nodded.

“No prob,” Ed snapped and in a bright flash everything was right with the fighters all bound gagged in front of everyone. Ichigo was hog tied with an apple in his mouth as well. “How’s that?”

“Nice.” Berserker complimented before he snorted. “Twi, you can’t hide from us. Come on out.” His Twilight squeaked and teleported next to him, her face flustered red in embarrassment. “Let me guess, you want to ask him if you could learn Alchemist Magic?” She nodded.

“I didn’t use Alchemist Magic, just time magic and creation magic,” Ed shrugged, “But still… it's called alchemagic but no sorry dear you can’t learn it. Far too dangerous and it takes over a hundred or so years just to get the basics right.”

Twilight slumped at the rejection.

“But if you want to learn alchemy I can teach you that and give you several books so you can practice and learn on your own,” Ed suggested as the popcorn bucket proceeded to jump on Ichigo’s head.

“How the hell can a popcorn bucket be kicking my ass?!” Ichigo shouted as it nailed him with a kick to the cheek.

“He never learns, does he?” Berserker asked rhetorically while Twilight beams at Ed.

“Only the hard way,” Ed remarked as a red holo-display popped up in front of him and he typed on the keyboard. A picture of a book and Twilight popped up on the screen and he hit down lord and a small progress bar appeared between the book and Twilight before quickly saying complete and the display vanished. Twilight was standing there wide-eyed as Ed held out a bag, “This is an infinite storage bag with all the rest in it. Have fun reshaping matter itself,” he handed the bag to the purple pony.

“Thank you, Lord Ed~!” She bowed to him and teleported away with a happy giggle.

Ichigo was now on a spit roasting over a fire with the popcorn bucket setting a place at a nearby table.

“Thanks for giving her a safer and more viable option. I was going to shoot down her request myself.” Berserker informed Ed and was patted on the back.

“I just gave her the knowledge and what is supposed to be done,” Ed waved him off, “What she does next is on her, though. Alchemy is still very dangerous, so when she starts, watch her closely.”

“Got it.” Berserker nodded in acceptance.

“Now if you excuse me for a moment, I have other matters to tend to, the idiot can save himself,” Ed shrugged as he poofed away, with the word poof where he’d been standing.

Walking down one of the many, many hallways of this place, Zeref’s eyes were closed tightly as he mumbled reassurances to himself that Ankhseram wouldn’t re-curse him with the Curse of Contradiction. And those words were still only words, so they did little to quell his anxiety over it, but if at first it doesn’t succeed, he’d keep trying until it does.

However, because his eyes were closed, Zeref was very unaware of his surroundings. So, he didn’t notice the Alicorn that was right in front of him until he ran right into her, stumbling back with a grunt as he landed on his ass.

Opening his eyes, Zeref looked at the person he’d run into and sighed softly. “Shit, my bad.” He apologized.

The mare turned around to face him and raised an eyebrow. “It is alright, though we advise not running into a mare’s backside often.”

The other alicorn nearby rolled her eyes with a frown. “Don’t waste your breath Luna, he is a human, he probably wanted to cop a feel of you.”

Looking up at Luna, Zeref then turned and stared at who he assumed was Celestia. “Well, for one; I wasn’t. Two; I have a…” He paused and thought for a moment before blinking and shrugging. “Huh, guess we never did get married. Something to finally do when I get back home, I guess. Anyway, three; why’d you assume I was trying to… “cop a feel” just because I’m human?” Zeref questioned before turning to Luna once more. “Also, again, apologies for running into you.”

Luna was about to speak but Celestia cut her off. “Because all humans are horrible monsters. All they do is fight and kill.” She said while glaring at Zeref.

“Still as shallow minded as ever, like a human.” Berserker called out as they saw him walking by.

Celestia glared at him next. “Don't you dare compare me to you!”

Luna rubbed her temple. “Sister, please…”

“Already have, super horse-cunt. What are you gonna do about it?” Berserker retorted as he continued on his merry way back to his group. Much to the chagrin of Celestia.

Zeref tried to open his mouth to say something when there was an explosion and Ichigo came bouncing in, hitting several buildings in the process, much to everyone's surprise, “Popcorn bucket’s went boom boom!” he said with spinning eyes, “Hey mom I’m staying home today…”

Luna shook her head and looked back at Zeref. “I must apologize for my sister, she has a…problem with humans due to something that happened in our world after my banishment.”

Ichigo shakily stood up and shook his head, “Damn that bastard. Making a physco strong popcorn bucket that wanted to eat me,” he looked over, “Hey you're that moon and sun set from Del’s universe. Sorry I didn’t stop and say hi last time. Hi!”

Zeref stared at Ichigo for a second before shaking his head and looking back to Luna, glancing at Celestia for a moment. “Well, it’s alright I suppose. But, I’d like to know what kind of justification your sister has for such an… archaic and rather bigoted thought.” He said, thinking of how the Acnologia he originally knew thought that way of both dragons and humans.

“Good luck trying to find out,” Ichigo scoffed as he crossed his arm, “She hates humans so much she doesn’t even tolerate anthromorph ponies from what Asta told me.”

“If you are talking about that sickening humanoid clone of me, yes I hate them too. How a human could make such creatures is disgusting.” Celestia said with a frown and glare.

Holding his hand up, Zeref’s brows furrowed a bit. “W-Wait, humans don’t make anthropomorphic creatures. Especially not when they’re directly from Alternate Universes.” He then paused for a moment. “Well… I technically have but they were all their own unique beings. And some of them weren’t even humanoids, like Deliora.”

“She won’t listen,” Ichgio threw up a hand. “If its even remotely related to humans she doesn’t want anything to do with it let alone make since of it.”

“Of course I won't listen to your lies! I am glad I destroyed that island those humans infected before they could kill all my ponies!” Celestia shouted at Ichigo as parts of her mane waved in the air faster.

“Wait, wait, wait, just… hold on a moment- you destroyed an island of humans, simply because they were… human?” The Black Wizard asked for clarification.

“You might want to dial back the heat honey,” Ichgio snarked, “You do know Zeref is on a really good basis with Edward right? And I mean a really good basis.”

“While I am not defending her actions, technically she glassed the island after a few peaceful envoys were sent and went missing. Including her own son. Then when she went to speak to them herself they shot at her.” Luna said with a small sigh.

“Okay, that makes sense. They were the aggressors in that situation,” Zeref reasoned, “but that doesn’t apply to every single human from every single universe.”

“Well while that is what happened, from what Deltorix has shown me, it turns out a group was responsible for both our ponies and some humans going missing, pushing both sides closer to war.” Luna clarified.

“Hmmm… this new information on the princess coulde’ve been quite useful early on,” Ed remarked as he walked up out of nowhere, Ichigo lunged at him only to be sent into the wall with a metal bitch slap. “Why didn’t you say this on my earlier visit your highness?” he looked at Celestia.

“Like I would tell you anything after you cursed my nephew!” Celestia shouted at Ed.

“Yes, the fact that they were more than likely a group of extremists and war profiteers does make sense.” Zeref nodded, holding his chin in his hand.

“More like cultists.” Spike said as he walked over to the group. “Del showed me what happened, and he is fighting the same cult that did it now.”

Zeref, upon immediately hearing that they were cultists, recoiled with a mix of disgust and empathy. “Ugh, cultists. Fuckin’ hell, I know more than anyone what cults can do. Hell there was one foolishly based around the attempt to bring me back from the dead.” He then gestured at the ground with annoyance. “Despite the fact that I couldn’t have been brought back, considering I wasn’t ever dead to begin with. The Goddess Ankhseram had cursed me with the Curse of Contradiction, which gives the victim immortality.”

“Yes I was quite shocked when we saw them myself,” Ed nodded. “They're dangerous and have quite powerful methods and magic.”

“Yes, Deltorix has been facing them as they seem to have deeply spread within our guards. We are still trying to weed them all out.” Luna said with a frustrated sigh.

Zeref then looked at Celestia with a critical eye. “But I’m guessing you don’t care about weeding out the cancer. You just want to amputate the limb, or in this case; all of humanity.” He waited to see her reaction.

“I am working just as hard to weed them out! And as far as I know there are no more humans in my world.” Celestia said before her eyes glowed slightly. “So watch your tone or I will see just how immortal you are!”

“Celestia, I have lived for over four hundred years. And while the Curse of Contradiction no longer affects me, thank Ankhseram for her mercy, I am still very immortal.” Zeref said calmly as he took a few steps closer. “But not all humans are evil. Not all ponies are good.”

Luna put a hoof on her sister's shoulder. “I am sorry, while she hates humans, she also hates false gods as they make the rest of us look bad.”

Ed soffed, “If you're claiming to be a god but let your hate fester your headed down the path you claim to be have wiped an entire race out for,”

Zeref chuckled as he heard Luna. “Well, you’ll never hear me claiming to be a false god or any kind of deity, period.” He then let out a nervous breath. “But Ankhseram isn’t false. She’s a legitimate Goddess, the Grand Goddess of Fiore in fact, and Curses and Death are her domain.”

“The night and dreams are mine while my sister's is the day and light.” Luna said before she smiled a bit. “We are both goddesses.”

Zeref stared for a moment as he looked between the two, putting his hands on his hips. “Huh…” He then looks up at the ceiling, or more specifically the sky. “Why do you make me run into Goddesses all the time?” He softly asked whatever entity wove his fate.

He got no response however, so instead he sighed and looked back at Luna and Celestia. “Well, either way I’d still like to know what else has happened to you to give you such an opinion on humanoids in general.” Zeref told Celestia.

“They killed my son, that is enough!” Celestia said with a glare.

“Sister, many have told you already, the cult took him.” Luna said with a frustrated sigh.

“You sound like Acnologia.” Zeref said without missing a beat. “So I guess murdering everything related to humans is the next logical step in that line of thinking.”

“If only it was that simple. All the humans, except for that fake dragon, should be killed by now.” Celestia said, ignoring her sister.

Zeref clapped his hands together loudly, a feigned smile on his face. “Ah! I guess I was mistaken, you don’t sound like Acnologia…” Zeref’s smile then vanished and with a blink, his eyes had gone from black to spiral red. “You are Acnologia. Just a different face, different species, different name. But your thoughts are the same.”

Celestia glared at Him. “And Who is that? One of your human gods?” She said with a scoff.

“No. Far from it.” Zeref shook his head. “There was once a human, who lived in a city hidden from the world. This city was protected by a dragon named “Acnologia”. However, when the war between humans and dragons broke out, Acnologia explained to the doctor who’d healed his every wound that he had to go see what this war was all about, if it would reach the city they both held dear.” Zeref began retelling the story to the two sisters. “But when Acnologia returned, he’d changed. And he burned the city to the ground, saying that humans were a plague.”

Luna covered her mouth in shock. “That is horrible, what happened to him to change his mind?”

Celestia rolled her eyes. “The humans probably stole his horde.”

Zeref shrugged. “I don’t know what happened to him. But I do know what happened to the only survivor of Acnologia’s rampage.” He looked directly at Celestia. “The doctor that had healed Acnologia’s every wound had lived, he saw how his friend had burned his home and everyone he’d loved to ash. And it changed him. So, he sought the power to kill dragons… and he got it.”

Zeref then leaned closer to Celestia. “Do you know what he did when he got that power?”

“He probably turned on his fellow humans.” Celestia said with a disinterested scoff.

“Wrong.” Zeref hummed. “He killed dragons with that power, that power called Dragon Slayer Magic.”

“Not all dragons though, right?” Spike asked with a frown.

The Black Wizard looked at Spike sadly. “Would Celestia pick and choose which human to kill, should she be given the chance?”

Spike frowned and looked down as he clenched his fists. “That is so messed up.”

“Indeed it was, but as is all wars.” The Fioren Wizard nodded. “But that’s not where the story ends. Now, I don’t know what happened to Acnologia, but the doctor continued to kill every dragon he came across. And once, when he stumbled upon a village that was sacrificing people to the dragon that threatened to destroy them all should they stop. Guess what he did then?” Zeref didn’t wait for their reactions. “He killed everything and everyone. Man, woman, child, elder. It didn’t matter. And while I only saw the aftermath of it all. There were no survivors. But it did do something to him.”

“So he did turn the power on his fellow humans like I said.” Celestia said smugly.

“Well at that point to call him human would be untrue.” Zeref raised his finger. “You see, almost all Dragon Slayers, when given and learning their magic, have something unintentionally planted within their souls.”

“A lacrima right?” Spike asked as he remembered the stone Del gave him.

“Well, not exactly. See, only Second Generation and Third Generation Dragon Slayers are given lacrima. Fourth Generation Slayers are lacrima, artificial beings with no emotions nor souls. The Fifth Generation, like the Arkham Knight, are granted their magic via the consumption of dragon blood or body parts.” Zeref then dropped his hand. “But back then, only the First Generation existed. Beings who were taught by real dragons, much like the Third Generation, but unlike them, they were not given lacrima. However, this thing I referred to is known as the “Dragon Seed”.”

Deltorix reappeared a moment and a huge group of clones was made before they spread out. Del walked over to the group and raised an eyebrow. “Whoa, aren't you that dark wizard from fairy tail?” He asked Zeref.

“Oh, well, yes I am from Fiore, but I was never apart of my brother’s guild.” Zeref said, his eyes becoming black once again as he smiled a little.

Del Scratched his Head. “I was thinking of going there on my road trip, I never saw the whole show. Just up till that wind dragon slayer joined the group.”

“Oh, you mean Wendy Marvel, right?” The Black Wizard hummed. “I thought she was the Sky Dragon Slayer.”

Del shrugged a bit. “She probably is, I haven't watched the anime in years.” He tapped his chin. “Think Natsu would love to meet a dragon?” He laughed a bit.

“Oh undoubtedly.” Zeref chuckled, remembering his brother’s excitable nature.

Del looked over and frowned a bit. “Oh I see you are talking to Sunbutt. I hope she isn't causing problems.”

Zeref shook his head and smiled. “No, she’s being rather polite, all things considered. I am merely telling them a story.”

“Oh? Well while I am here, does anyone want anything for lunch? The real me is making food for everyone.” Del said with a smirk.

“Well, while you all are deciding what to eat, I'll continue with my story.” Zeref's smile dropped a bit. “Now, where was I? Ah, yes.” He remembered, snapping his fingers. “Well, this thing I mentioned is known as the “Dragon Seed”. I won't get into the nitty gritty details, but what you need to know is that this Seed will eventually cause all First, Third, and Fifth Generation Dragon Slayers to turn into dragons themselves, should they overuse their magic.”

He then looked at those in front of him. “And guess what happened to the doctor?”

Zeref didn't wait for them to answer him as he continued. “He became a dragon, but him doing so was a catastrophe. You see, with the war things were taking a very shaky but ultimately hopeful turn, and a peace treaty was supposed to be signed between the leaders of man and the leaders of the dragons. Tens of thousands of both had gathered in the capital for this moment. What once was the capital at least. I only saw it from afar, but what I saw was horrifying.” Zeref's eyes looked haunted.

“I saw the doctor slaughter everyone, bathing in and drinking the blood of every man, dragon, and slayer there. And the doctor was then draped in feathers and scales of black. No one escaped. No one survived.” Zeref said, hammering in the fact that the doctor was no longer human. “This doctor, once a man of healing and kindness, had everything ripped from him, and in his grief to get revenge against the beings that had taken them from him. He became exactly what he hated most. The human became a dragon. And standing atop the mountain of corpses that he'd torn the souls and life from he proclaimed that he and he alone was the Dragon King.”

“What's more, he'd lived and sought nothing but revenge for so long that he'd forgotten his name. So, he decided to take from the dragon who turned him into a monster. He claimed the name, Acnologia. The doctor. Is. Acnologia.” Zeref spoke slowly, his eyes turning red once more. “And that is how the Black Dragon in the Book of Apocalypse came to be. That is the story of the Dragon King Festival.”

Zeref then got into Celestia's face, eyes burning red with enraged emotions. “That is how the one who killed every single dragon in Fiore was born.” He took a few steps back, turning around to leave, only looking over his shoulder to stare at Celestia with black eyes, the red fading and vanishing from them. “So, if you wish to become just like Acnologia then by all means, continue striving for the death of all humanity. But just know that you may accidentally bring about the death of all ponykind as a result.”

And with that, Zeref Dragneel left, unwilling to continue exchanging words with someone who, in all honesty, likely wouldn’t listen. He’d talked to a brick wall before, and he didn’t want to waste his breath talking to another. He just hoped that this time his words would stick a bit better.

“Thank you for telling her that but I know it only made things worse,” Ed sighed. “I know her hate too well and I honestly sympathize with her on her reasoning. But that still doesn't justify her action.”

He looked at Celestia, “Losing one's child is unbearable. I've lost my own more times than I can count at this point in my life, be it natural or unnatural causes and I always hate the reason why, Especially if it was a sentient being that was that reason, but that doesnt mean I should kill everything just cause I want to…”