The Consequences of Being a Hero

[Canterlot Castle, Jeff's Equestria]

Scott was beginning to develop a vendetta against flights of stairs. First, it was a flight of stairs to a train station, then it was another flight of stairs to Muna’s room. The castle was rather intrinsic and beautiful, inside and out, but it’s not like Scott was there to be a tourist, he was there to get help from a friend.

Scott sat on the princess’s bed, marveling at how… incredibly similar Muna’s room was to his Luna’s, especially down to the candles. “I guess all Lunas share the same taste in decor.” Scott stated.

Muna’s horn glowed and her eyes flickered white for a moment, and it felt as if a pulse of magic pushed past Scott. “There, now I have ensured that our conversation will remain private, no one will hear a thing we say.” Muna stated.

Scott nodded his head. “Well, I’m not gonna beat around the bush with this, so I’ll be upfront,” Scott cleared his throat and mentally prepared himself for what he was about to request. “I need Jeff’s help in researching his world’s elements of Harmony, so I can figure out how to properly utilize the ones in my world, if I can somehow make them work again.” Scott explained.

“Well, he and the element bearers are actually the reason we are what we are. They used the elements to weaken me before removing Nightmare Moon into a mask using the Song Of Healing.” Muna reaches up, however there is hesitation, but eventually she gently grabs her face, giving it a soft tug. Purple energy swirled around her head before with a bright flash blinded Scotts vision. As the light cleared, Luna stood there, looking alot like Scott’s Luna, however there was no crescent moon on her forehead, no red moon, and her hair flowed alot freely, looking a little less misty. As Scott looks down, he sees her holding what looks to be the face of Nightmare Moon in mask form.

Aside from being creeped out by now technically seeing the face of Nightmare Moon for the first time, he was more surprised to know that this Luna was wearing a mask the whole time. “Wow… For the first time in my life, I’m at a loss for words.” Scott remarked, a bit of his boston accent slowly coming forth.

“Oh come now.” Luna said with a huff. “Even from a human my beauty still tends to wow.”

Scott tenses up and starts to panic. “N-No, that’s not what I meant! Not at all! I just- I- I didn’t mean to- Ah crap!!” Scott panicked, more of his boston accent was slowly taking over. His face was becoming surprisingly red, as if he were a ripe tomato dunked in red paint.

“PFFTAHAHAHAHHAHA!” A laughter erupts from the mask before floating into the air. “Oh my stars, look how red he looks!”

“Nightmare please!” Luna said with another huff, reaching out to grab the Nightmare Moon mask, only for it to hover out of reach.

Scott covered his face and groaned in embarrassment. “Wasn’t expecting to be teased today, freakin’ unbelievable!” The alien hero scoffed, he was not having the best time.

Luna managed to yank her down via magic, quickly wrapping her forelegs to hug the mask.

“Awww, come on, let me tease him some more~”

“No, Nightmare. We don’t need to be making his future special somepony to get the wrong idea, Hylia damnit, why are you like this?” Luna said with a scuff.

Scott let out a dry chuckle, and looked at the mask. “You are lucky, so lucky, there isn’t a word that can describe it. How, you may ask? Simple. If it wasn’t Princess Luna, I woulda apologised to my friend in advance for how much damage I can and could put you through,” Scott was mildly seething. “The last time someone thought they could tease me, they ended up dead. Not by my hand, mind you, I’d be out of a job if it were. They didn’t even deserve it, but the scumbag who did it, got his desserts. You’re a mask, and aside from floatin’, from what I heard, you ain’t exactly a saint, from what little I gathered from Jeff and I’s last conversation. Not much you can do against a trained soldier without a body.” Scott ranted defensively.

“...Well now, the tomato turned into a hot pepper..” Nightmare said in mild surprise at the sudden shift in attitude.

“Don’t get any ideas, back on you go.” Luna said as she placed her back on, causing purple energy to swirl around and with a thunderous flash, she was back to her true form.

Scott closed his eyes and slowly took in deep breaths. Scott rarely ever got that heated, but when he did, he certainly wasn’t proud of himself afterwards. Scott’s face eventually returned to its normal color, and he looked at Princess Muna. “Sorry about that, princess. It’s ironic, I can have the thickest skin when it comes to insults, but the moment teasing happens, it’s like a hollow point ripping through a sponge cake.” Scott apologized, feeling ashamed of his outburst.

“You should really work on that then because if there is a special somepony who has interest in you, anger would not shine a good light.” Muna said with a half frown, while the other cheek was a grin for a moment before it got forced down.

Scott sighed. “I’m well aware that anger would likely be a turn off, almost made my folks split a couple times, but they worked it out… If they could do it, I can too,” Scott took a deep breath and locked eyes with the princess. “But, enough about me. Let’s get down to business, then I’ll spill my guts later, if it makes ya happy.” Scott compromised.

“What is it you wish to know about the elements of harmony?” Muna asked as she took a seat by her table.

Scott waited a moment before speaking. “I need to know as much as I can. How were they made, how do they rely on the power of friendship, why do they rely on friendship to work, how does one qualify to wield even one of these elements, where do I find them? Stuff like that.” Scott explained.

“They are known as the elements of harmony, six powerful medallions that an old goddess friend of mine had before she went on her journey. She never came back but the six medallions were found by six ponies, each of the medallions presenting a piece of harmony and a virtue: Honesty, Kindness, Laughter, Generosity, Loyalty and lastly Magic. Combined together and used, can be used to cleanse darkness, seal evil, or correct imbalanced hearts. They used it against me when I was Nightmare Moon, however Jeff, due to his kind heart, and due to a promise he made to Celestia, he sealed her into the mask I showed you earlier. If it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t be here, and we would not be complete, I, as Luna, would only be half of what remains of our true selves.” Muna explained.

Scott was rather surprised, but he was focused on two important pieces of information. Those six virtues, he heard the same thing be said when he asked his Luna, so it must be either a constant across infinite Equestrias, or a random coincidence. Then there were the elements’ uses. Cleanse darkness, sealing away evil, and correcting imbalanced hearts, pretty similar to what his Luna told him before he left.

Scott carefully thought about the information that he was processing, but he didn’t exactly have any concrete ideas, however, Muna did say that six ponies found those medallions, and those were the elements of this world… an idea had come to Scott’s mind, and he was hoping it was a good one.

Scott stood up. “Princess, could I meet with this world’s Element bearers, see if they know anything more? You’ve been very helpful and rather patient with me, but I’ve heard most of this stuff already from my Luna, minus the mention of Jeff and the old goddess, and turning Nightmare Moon into a mask. Maybe if I knew who wields them here, perhaps I can try and figure out more accurately who will wield the elements in my world, once I’ve seen who these brave souls are. If they happen to know Jeff, then I can trust that they may have an answer.” Scott explained.

“You will find all six of them in ponyville. If you wish to get there faster, I suggest going to Jeff’s home to the west side of Canterlot between Faust and Craig street and ask him for a quick transport over.” Muna explained.

Scott sighed and nodded his head. “Let’s hope some of the citizens of Canterlot don’t try to assault and berate me. My Canterlot’s citizens definitely tried that after I saved their lives, didn’t work, and let's leave it at that.” Scott briefly stated.

Muna’s horn glowed as she undid the spell, and the alien hero walked out, waving to the princess as he left.

[Canterlot Streets]

Scott quickly found his way to the streets of Canterlot, and was already seeing a couple of ponies sneering at him. “Just another day.” Scott remarked.

Scott walked down the street, keeping an eye out for any street signs that tell him where he’s going, all the while, he tries to make sure he isn’t stepping on anyone’s hooves. The nasty looks were enough, he didn’t need someone screeching profanities over an accident.

The alien hero looked at the various stores, even seeing that Deku Scrub merchant from the train station, and while the items on sale were very interesting, Scott didn’t exactly have the money to be window shopping at the moment, but at least he could browse the wares.

Even if he had the bits, he didn’t even know what in the hell a “Rupee” was, but judging by the picture of what the currency was, it did look a lot like that one odd gem thing he saw Scootaloo have at one point. “It’s not easy being near flat broke, especially in another world.” Scott remarked.

Scott kept looking out for street signs, but by this point, his feet were aching like no tomorrow. He was barefoot, his only pair of clothes were still ripped and tattered beyond a simple fix, he didn’t have a bit or rupee to his name, and it was basically salt in the wound that he was starting to get lost.

Scott groaned and was about to scream, but as he was about to let out the most guttural and purely frustrated scream that will likely terrify the entirety of Canterlot, his scream was cut short as someone bumped into him. Scott looked down, only to be met by a… Dragon?! Sure enough it was indeed a dragon with a long serpent like body with red scales and an orange belly. It had three digit hands, a black curled horns, glowing green eyes and- wait, was it’s hair on fire?

Scott had to rub his eyes for a moment, just to confirm that this was what he was seeing, and sure enough, that was a dragon, and a very unique one at that. Scott looked down at the dragon, and knelt down. “Uh… hi there. Do uh… do you know which way is Jeff's place of residence?” Scott asked. Of all the times to encounter a dragon for the second time in his life, this was not what he expected.

“Jeff's home is Jeff's home! There!” She bellowed out in half broken English before suddenly zipping off past Scott as she… flew? Scott had to rub his eyes again at seeing the dragoness fly using only the fire of her hair.

Scott, like the first time he encountered a dragon, was in awe, but finally managed to find out what the guard was talking about. This had to be Jeff’s dragon. “Well, that’s one way of finding my way. Now I only hope that I can keep up!” Scott remarked.

Scott ran after the dragon, passing a few ponies in the process as he hoped to find his friend’s home. Scott was not exactly sure what this Canterlot was like, but judging by all the shops, it certainly had a lot to offer in terms of its unique selection, his only had clothing shops and fancy restaurants as far as he could see. There was the soup kitchen, but he didn’t get the chance to explore that, there was work to do.

The dragoness eventually zips off to the right, quickly into and entering what looked to be the mailbox slot. Scott stopped to catch his breath, noticing the rather quaint homestead that the dragon led him to. Scott quickly dusted himself off, despite most of his shirt being torn to shreds and loosely hanging off his body, and his jeans were more ripped than the fashion trend that made it popular, and still being barefoot, he tried to make himself look decent.

Scott sighed and walked towards the door, knocking on it firmly, but also trying to be friendly about it. 'Okay, he doesn't know you were dropping by, just play it cool.' Scott thought to himself.

A moment later Jeff answered and the Hylian suddenly went blinking rapidly. “... How in the sacred realms did you get here, Scott?” Jeff asked in surprise.

Scott smiled and laughed weakly. “Twili Portal above my home, remember?” Scott held out his hand for a handshake. “Your world is crazy, lemme tell ya, but I’m not gonna lie, it’s pretty interesting. I met your world’s Luna… or rather, “Muna” in my dreams, and in person. Lovely lady, very patient, did not care for that teasing mask, though.” Scott stated, clearly exhausted.

“Ah, yea. Nightmare Moon loves to play around and tease, be glad she doesn’t give horrific nightmares like she used to do with me seven years ago. Poor Celestia did not get much sleep back then.” Jeff said as he opens the door fully, allowing Scott inside. “Also, I wish you had contacted me via my token before trying the Twili portal. I’m surprised you’re not in some kind of animal form yet.” Jeff remarked.

Scott’s eye twitched for a moment. “Jeff, whether it was the big version of that ancient stone, or a smaller version of the one you showed me and the princesses, you didn’t give me your token, or a copy of it. But, we can discuss that later,” Scott stepped inside Jeff’s home. It wasn't an expensive place, but it was very comfortable and homey. Scott looked the Hylian in the eyes, a serious and concerned expression on his face. “I’m not gonna sugarcoat this for you, pal, I didn’t have a lot of choices, and believe it or not, two weeks isn’t a lot of time to cover this kind of ground, especially on my own. I need help learning more about the Elements of Harmony, I can’t afford to lose the friends I just made to some psycho blood moon making mare. Please, I’m begging ya. I’ll get on my knees, if I must.” Scott pleaded.

Scott’s never been one to stoop as low as to beg, but this was a particular exception. He was running out of time, and needed Jeff's help. “Check around your neck, Scott. After you summoned me the first time, the statue would have shrunk down and appeared as a necklace. As for the elements of harmony, they’re basically coin shaped objects the mane six use to get rid of threats that either can’t be tamed, can’t befriended, or can’t be solved peacefully. Discord is a good example of this considering his chaotic ways and his constant over the top pranks. The six medallions are in the hands of Twilight Sparkle, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and lastly Applejack.” Jeff explained to the best of his knowledge.

Scott felt around his neck, only to flinch at the feeling of the necklace in question. “How long was that there?! It’s like wearing something so light, like you're wearing nothing,” Scott felt remarkably stupid in that moment, and could only hope he didn’t forget about anything else. “Aside from… my most obvious fuck up, you mean to tell me RD and AJ can use the elements? W-Who’s Rarity? We’ve already met Gleaming in my world, Dash did compare you to a ‘Fluttershy’ when we first met, and… you saw my world’s chaotic pink pony, Carniva… I feel like my head’s spinning.” Scott remarked worriedly.

“SSSSH-!” Jeff said as he quickly covered Scott’s mouth. “Don’t mention that name, you’ll summon her. As for Rarity, she’s a white pony with purple curls, quite a fashionista.” he finished before uncovering the plumber’s lips.

Scott tried to remember if he saw anyone with that description, but the only pony who vaguely matched it was the admiral who… “Question, she wouldn’t happen to say ‘Darling’ at the end of her sentences sometimes, would she?” Scott asked skeptically.

“Yes, quite a lot but only to friends and ponies she’s gotten along with. Why do you ask?” Jeff said with a tilt of his head.

Scott furrowed his brow, feeling the kind of emotion that has no word or meaning, but it was not positive. “I met a pony like that, but she was no fashionista, and had no purple curls. Admiral Tempered Cut, that’s who it was, she was part of the royal guard, had short purple hair and said darling sometimes after sentences. She, along with a few other ponies, were the ones to find me when I was bleeding out because of that damn traitor!” Scott explained, his anger slowly resurfacing due to the memory of that fight.

“Multiverse tends to change things around, but what’s important is finding the following; One, a pony that is good at making others laugh. Two, a pony that is very generous, third a pony who is very kind, fourth a pony who is very loyal to her friends, and lastly a pony who is very good at magic, like very obsessively so. Small thought to take note of is that those ponies may be pegasi or unicorn, maybe even alicorn, even their genders may not be female.” Jeff said as he raised each finger.

Scott thought carefully about what Jeff said, but then something came to mind. “Wait… what happens if it doesn’t turn out exactly like that? For example, there are Zebras and Bat ponies, as well as some kind of strange variant of unicorn… is that possible?” Scott asked.

“Then that’d be a first for me as most worlds just follow the same formula, but nevertheless keep an eye and ear out, maybe even ask your Celestia if she’s had any kind of prophesied visions.” Jeff advised.

Scott was grateful to have some more specific details, and yet, it felt like he was missing something. Scott thought hard on what seemed out of place, and then it hit him. “Jeff, how exactly do I get home? I don’t have a token.” Scott asked.

“The Twili portal should still be in your world, all I gotta do is concentrate on my token and I'll zip over, I can also call on Cadance to send you back.” Jeff said as he gestures with his thumb, showing a smaller Twilight portal in the living room behind him.

Scott was amazed. “Huh… you can do anything, huh?” Scott stared at the smaller Twili Portal for a solid minute, before realizing there was a name he wasn’t familiar with. “Wait, who’s Cadance?” Scott asked.

“Princess Of Twilight.” Jeff said, and after those words were spoken, particles flew out of the portal, soon reforming into an anthropomorphic alicorn with pale skin and wearing a black dress. Her humanoid figure, coupled with the few equine traits she had, coupled with the ancient markings and the blue crystal heart on her leg, and the large wings, Scott was definitely unsure of what he was looking at, but he wasn’t going to be rude, he’s had a rough day, but he’s not gonna be rude, especially to a princess.

Scott cleared his throat and took a deep breath. “Jeff, I’m gonna be the straight man and tell you the first thing on my mind. In the past six years I’ve spent, from a child to now as a teenager, from having my life ruined by changelings, to seeing the galaxy and meeting tons of incredible and fascinating alien species, some even comparable to gods… despite how clearly beautiful this woman is, I don’t know what I’m looking at.” Scott explained.

Cadance let out a soft giggle. “First time seeing a Twili?” Cadance inquired.

Scott cautiously shook his head. “You have a lot of pony features, so in case Twili was the wrong answer, Hybrid was definitely my second guess… wait, there’s a race called the Twili!? I thought it was just another variant of magic!” Scott asked.

“It’s both. Twili magic used by a race of Twili ponies. We’re called Twilis due to living in a realm of constant twilight. I look like this due to a curse Sombra placed on me when he yanked me and my kingdom to his world as a last ditch effort to rule over it. Due to me and my ponies being in the realm of twilight, we ended up transformed by it.” Cadance pauses to raise her hand, causing a crystalized black heart with green runes to appear over her fingers. “After me and Jeff defeated Sombra, I earned my cutie mark and became an alicorn. I wanted to return to my normal size so I tried to use the crystal heart’s magic to cure me, and well, here I am in a more humanoid form similar to Jeff.” Cadance explained.

Scott wasn’t even standing upright, he collapsed and sat against the wall trying to process the rest of Cadence’s words. “Wh-... I feel like I aged five hundred years, everything is not making sense, and I don’t mean that in an offensive way… my head is killing me, and it’s not going fast enough.” Scott stated, trying to gather his bearings.

“Welcome to the multiverse where anything is possible, think of it like the millions of aliens that come in all shapes and sizes. Does that help explain things?” Jeff asked.

Scott hesitated for a moment and slowly nodded his head. “Does anyone have a remedy for headaches? My head feels like it’s going to explode.” Scott asked weakly.

“I’ve got you.” Jeff said as he raised his hand toward Scott’s head. “[Life]” he said in a foreign language, causing cleansing waters to wash over his head, feeling very soothing and calming, like a very nice dip in the pool.

Scott slumped over and could feel his whole body relaxing, as well as his headache subsiding. “Oh man… Thanks a bunch, that was a lot to take in. It’s times like this where I have to wonder how Magister Tennyson went through all this at the age of ten. He must’ve been a stubborn kid, Christ almighty.” Scott groaned, steadily picking himself up as he leaned against the wall.

“Or a very imaginative and open mind. Speaking of which.” Jeff said as he reached into his pouch, soon pulling out the plumbers badge and a green book. “This helped me alot in translating the Book Of Mudora, revealing a lot of Hyrule's history, revealing the location of many artifacts, spells, and items.” Jeff stated.

Scott gladly took the book, but he was rather fixated on his old badge in Jeff’s hand. The alien hero smiled and pulled the Hylian into a hug. “Thanks for putting it to good use, and for what it’s worth, I’m sorry about the unannounced visit. It’s been… a rather stressful couple of days…” Scott remarked.

“I can relate, what with what goes on around Equus. If it ain’t crazed monsters, it's evil trying to stir up trouble.” Jeff said with a shake of his head, he turned to go sit down on the nearby couch along with Cadance; her arms gently wrapped around his neck, dropping a rather obvious hint to Scott.

Scott picked up on the hint and simply smiled, giving the couple a thumbs up. “Good on you both. Not the first time I’ve seen a cross species relationship, just the second time I’ve seen it work out. Just another day being a Plumber Cadet… Man, I’m exhausted,” Scott slumped back down against the wall. “It’s nice to sit down and relax for a moment. No alien activity, no changelings… it’s crazy, I love my job, it’s the one thing I’m good at, but good lord, it takes a lot and rarely gives, and I’ve been at this since I was twelve. Heheh… how am I still alive, I’ll never know.” Scott remarked, letting out a dry chuckle.

“Take as much time as you need, time flows differently in each world, you could spend two weeks here and it’d just be a few hours in your world.” Jeff explained.

Scott chuckled. “As easy as that sounds, and as much as my body wants to relax, a Plumber’s work is never done… I’ll rest a little longer, but then I have to start thinking. I have to think, have to plan, could be the only chance I have… even if I stop Eclipsed Blackheart, nothing will ever satisfy me once I put Chitin in jail… he tricked me, used me, and thought he could kill me… why was I so willing to trust him… I watched him kill an entire race, and still I wanted to trust him…” Scott groaned, the hero was still reeling from the betrayal, it was all so fresh in his mind, as well as the scars on his body.

"But you are not the only plumber, Scott, nor the only hero. Don't be like Atlas who was the only one to keep the sky lifted. So please for the sake of your sanity, call on me or anyone to help you out, alright? I’m one of your only humanoid friends in those two Equine worlds of ours.”

Scott lowered his head, but he got the message. “I don’t want to let them down… I keep pushing and pushing, I’m basically fresh out of a two day coma, I blacked out and bled out for the first time in my life and career, and despite recently recovering, I’m still pushing myself to work… it’s just one danger after the next…” Scott struggled to get up, but managed to stand on his own two legs. He looked at his tattered clothes, no more than shredded remains of what used to be his clothes he’d wear when he wasn’t on duty… now, ripped apart, torn into mere ribbons of cloth. “What am I going to do… If I come up with a plan and it doesn’t work… if the elements don’t work… what the hell am I going to do?” Scott shuddered, terrified of the idea of losing again, and not getting back up.

The fear in Scott’s eyes said it all, he was hurting, physically, mentally, he felt terrified, just as he did when he first encountered the changelings standing over his parents’ dead bodies years back. “I… I need a moment to… think.” Scott requested.

“Think it's time for a cold one, My treat, what kind of drink would you like that’ll help you out?” Jeff said as he got up, causing Cadance to let go of his neck.

Scott looked at Jeff, emotionally drained. “I’ll take an orange soda if you got it, please…” Scott requested.

“Can do, bud.” Jeff said with a soft salute as he headed into the kitchen. Moments later returning with a can of orange soda that was nicely frosty. Jeff tosses the can over to Scott while a can of strawberry was thrown over to Cadance, she caught it in her magic’s telekinetic grip.

Scott cracks the can open and takes a sip, feeling a cooled sense of relief wash over him. For a moment, it felt like he was back in his old world, walking along with his parents enjoying a warm summer day in the city. ‘Oh how simple those times were…’ Scott thought, feeling his nerves finally start to calm down.

Scott sighed and examined the can. “I haven’t had one of these in a long time, not since I graduated from the academy. Usually stuck to alien cuisine and MREs. Thanks.” Scott said, taking another sip from his soda.

“Anytime, sure it ain’t like earth’s soda but it's better than nothing despite its mostly fruit flavors.” Jeff said with a nod and a smile.

Scott chuckled a bit, and while it was nice to be a bit more clear of mind, he couldn’t help but be appreciative for his friend, seeing him happy with someone he found companionship with. “So, how did you two… get together, as it were? I’m sure that’s quite the love story, and… I could do with a bit of a break from constantly worrying about everything.” Scott asked.

“I did tell a bit of it, what with Sombra, my cursed imp form, how I tried to return my body to normal using crystal heart but instead it gave me this form. My guess is that I was in the Twilight Realm for so long that the energy has pretty much fused with my body.”

Scott nodded his head, and without the overstimulation and headaches he was feeling a moment ago, it was beginning to be a lot easier to understand. “Fascinating. It’s like a process of evolution and adaptation, only on a more magical and arcane scale.” Scott commented.

“Kind off. Think of it like the difference between a unicorn using magic while in the Twilight Realm but having to draw upon a different source rather than harmonic magic.” Jeff explained.

Scott was very intrigued by such a concept, but thinking back on previous dangers back in his old world made him glad he was displaced when he was. “Thinking back on it, I’m glad I was displaced where I was, and at the time it happened. If this happened during Aggregor’s hunt for the Andromeda species, or when Albedo managed to complete the Ultimatrix, I couldn’t begin to imagine what Twili Magic could’ve done for either of them. We’d both be in a worse world of hurt.” Scott remarked.

"They wouldn't be able to handle it, they'd turn into a spirit or an animal form.” Cadence explained.

“Not unless they’ve got some kind of holy item like my master sword and triforce of courage. The mane six was able to help me and Cadance out thanks to their medallions of harmony when inside the Twilight Realm.”

Scott nodded his head in understanding. “I wouldn’t put it past them to still try, villainy is like cancer. You can slow it down, but it’ll find a way to persist,” Scott looked at the book he got and flipped through the pages, managing to find a page that talked about the Twilis. “Aggregor has the ability to absorb energy, materials and DNA. If he managed to find a random member of the Twili species, he would essentially gain access to their powers and abilities, but it’d only be at a fraction of the strength. Albedo is a smart guy, and wields a device similar to Magister Tennyson’s Omnitrix, only it can evolve the DNA Samples into something truly monstrous. If he got access to Twili DNA, he could evolve the species further into a true destructive force of unfathomable potential,” Scott shuddered at the idea of a hyper-evolved Twili. “My point is, they are dangerous on their own, and could become even more so if they gain access to Twili DNA or Twili magic. If you happen to see either of those two in your world, don’t hesitate to drop by unannounced if it’s that bad. You’ve helped me out, and it’d be hypocritical of me to not return the favor. I’ll keep an eye out for them myself, can’t be too sure.” Scott explained.

Jeff thought about Scott’s words. “..Twili Magic sure, assuming they don’t get corrupted from using it.” he said, remembering what happened to the games with the Mirror Of Twilight and the Fused Shadow.

Scott was about to ask about what he meant by corrupted, but he could probably find more in the book he got, but he was still confused. “Jeff, how long has it been since our last encounter? Maybe it’s just me, and the few tears still in my eyes, but I could swear you look, well, older. Time really does work differently here, doesn’t it?” Scott wondered.

“I did mention that each world has a different timescale. Your world might be faster than mine.” Jeff said with a nod.

Scott was definitely confused, if he wasn’t already. “How does that make sense?! From what I experienced during my conversation with Muna, the whole mare in the moon thing and finding the elements of harmony have already happened here, whereas neither has happened yet in my world. The mare in the moon is still in the moon, but with the information you gave me about what qualifies you to use the elements, I may still have time to figure this whole thing out.” Scott stated.

“Oh for the love of Nayru, Scott, stop applying logic to everything, you’ll get a headache like trying to figure out how Pinkie Pie does the things that she does.” Jeff said with a frown. “You seriously don’t want to experience the same mental breakdown of what Twilight Sparkle went through, or lesson zero as she called it.”

Scott’s eye twitched again. “Don’t know what a ‘Lesson Zero’ is, but logic is my safety net in times like this. It helps me make sense of things, so I don’t break down. I never said logic was the perfect solution, as you likely saw,” Scott took a deep breath and tried to keep his composure. “Besides, we both know that in my world, it’s a headache on its own to comprehend that odd little ball of pink chaos.” Scott explained.

“Exactly, so think of all of the worlds exactly as said ball of chaos, they either make no sense or they follow a different kind of laws and reality.” Jeff explained.

Scott sighed and held his hands up in defeat. “Alright, let’s say you win this one, before we both break down,” Scott stood up and took another sip from his soda can. “But you gotta admit, it does seem rather strange. Maybe it’s another show of influence from those void dwellers you told me about, it would make sense with how many innocent people they’ve likely displaced, I’m still thankful it was you who I got to meet first. I just wish I wasn’t here in your Canterlot on my own, it’s a shame that Korok I helped out couldn’t go in, for whatever odd reason.” Scott stated.

“Koroks prefer nature rather than busy bustling cities, a lot of them are quite shy.” Jeff explained.

Scott shrugged his shoulders. “I mean, he was getting attacked by three of those Bokoblin things. Managed to use one of my new transformations to calm a couple of them down and convince them to turn themselves into the law enforcement of your world, but the third one, likely their leader, I might’ve broken something in them, but they scurried away, likely nursing their wounds,” Scott flipped through the pages of the book again, managing to find a section about Koroks, though he did notice a lot of paper clips that had what seemed to be translations of the Hylian texts. “It was my first time meeting a Korok at all. Maybe you know them? His name was Deko, he was spreading the seeds of Everfree, and I’m quite surprised to know that the everfree forest is, from what I was told, alive. This all happened yesterday, mind you, the first few minutes I ended up here, and I was already doing the whole hero thing so casually.” Scott explained.

“Well of course I know him, I visit him and the great Deku and Muko trees often in Everfree. And yes, she is the spiritual guardian of her forest’s namesake.” Jeff said with a nod. “..Wait, since you helped him out, did he give you a Gasha Seed?” Jeff asked.

Scott was initially confused, but he did soon notice a bump in his back pocket. Scott reached into the pocket, and pulled out what looked like a blue tear shaped seed. Scott was thoroughly confused. “Now how did that get there? Is this a Gacha whatsit?” Scott asked.

“Gasha Seed, not Gacha. You plant them in the ground, take good care of it, and it’ll bloom into a Gasha Tree, and eventually a basketball sized Gasha Nut. Crack them open and inside you’ll find a collection of goodies, mostly toys, Knicknacks, candy, or whatever small that’d make you happy.” Jeff pauses to show his hand, showing a number of rings. “It's how I got those enchanted rings.”

Scott smirked and laughed. “Okay, show off that magical bling, it’s not a contest,” Scott examined the Gasha seed in his hands, and could only stare in awe. “Maybe, just this once, I’ll let logic take a break, there’s no way to explain toys, candy, and knicknacks coming from a nut that grew from a tree, that was only grown from a seed shaped like a blue tear.” Scott remarked.

“Just remember it's only for one time. If you want more, you’ll need to perform good deeds to encourage it to grow another nut.” Jeff explained, and it made Scott realize why the Hylian had so many rings considering the good he does.

Scott nodded his head. “I’ll be doing a lot of good once I get back to my world, but I do want to do one thing, if it helps any. For putting up with… everything relating to my unannounced visit, is there anything you want in return? After putting up with all of this, I may not have money or a lot to give, still living in a shack mind you, but I can figure something out when the time comes.” Scott offered.

“Honestly, knowing you’re able to take care of things in your world with my help, is enough of a reward for me. Besides, I doubt there is anything you can do I’ve already got now.” Jeff said with a raised hand.

Suddenly, Scott’s hair is assaulted by Volv playfully attacking. Scott flinched for a moment, but simply laughed at the sudden show of playfulness. “I guess it goes without saying I followed your dragon to your home. Never saw a dragon quite like this before.” Scott remarked, reaching out to pet Volv.

“She’s a Subterranean Lava Dragon,” Jeff pauses to lower his voice. “And the only one of her kind since I’ve not been able to find another like her.”

Scott was taken aback. “She’s endangered, on the brink of extinction? T-That… that’s terrible! What kind of heartless monster would do such a thing to such a magnificent creature?” Scott wondered, disgusted by the idea of hunters and poachers existing in this world.

“I don’t know since nothing in Hyrule historian nor equestrian have told me why, for all I know she might be from a bygone age, either that or her race was dangerous when they’re fully grown and easily controlled by evil magic.” Jeff said with a sigh, remembering the manga all too well.

Scott could feel his blood boiling, but he kept his composure, though he was still angry. If this had happened to the dragons in his old world, or in his Equestria… There's no divine force or godlike alien species that could stop him from doing something very out of line, considering his line of work.

Scott put a hand on Jeff’s shoulder and looked the Hylian dead in the eyes. “Say the word, and I’ll be here before your heart can beat, and I’ll gladly find the perpetrators, one way or another. Call it some good ol’ fashioned Plumber justice.” Scott stated seriously.

“If I find out I might.” Jeff said before reaching up to ruffle up Volv’s fiery hair, who was currently laying on top of Scott’s head.

Scott smiled at Volv and lightly scratched the bottom of her chin. “It’s interesting that this breed of dragon can do what most Pyronites can do when they're off their home planet, controlling their natural fire and flames so they don’t burn anything or anyone by accident. Phenomenal, I wonder if this breed of dragon exists on Pyros, might be something to look into if I ever find a way back.” Scott remarked.

“Hey, anything is possible with the multiverse, it's all about finding it first.” Jeff said with a chuckle as Volv wrapped her mouth around Scott’s hand, quickly wrestling it.

Scott laughed and playfully tugged his hand away, playing a game of pseudo tug-o-war with the dragon. Eventually, Scott managed to pull his hand free from Volv’s mouth, and sat down on a chair, letting the dragon sit on top of his head. Scott smiled as he looked around the room, seeing Jeff and Cadance, and noticing the orange soda he still had in his hand, he felt at peace. In a roundabout way, this is the most normal he’s felt in the past few years.

Scott took a deep breath and sighed, chugging what was left of his soda, crushing the can with his hand and pocketing it. “Well, this has been a pretty good visit. Again, sorry for dropping in unannounced, and next time I need ya, I’ll try to remember the necklace. Seriously, it feels like I’m wearing nothing at all, but then again, my clothes are kinda torn to shreds, so I already felt like that anyhow.” Scott apologized, chuckling a bit at his situation.

“Hey, would you like Rarity to make you new clothes? I’m willing to pay.” Jeff offered.

Scott snapped his fingers. “Oh! Right! Muna said that you’d be able to get me to Ponyville. I… if your friends don’t mind another human, or in this case, Hylian-like figure in their presence, then I suppose it wouldn’t be too much trouble… I’ll pay you back for it when I eventually get the bits, it’s the least I can do.” Scott accepted the offer.

“No need, I get plenty of rupees from doing my job as Celestia’s guardian. And yea, I can get you to Ponyville quickly, but it’ll need to wait till tomorrow.” Jeff said with a nod as Cadance got up.

“I’ll see you later then, love~” Cadence said before giving him a goodnight kiss on his cheek.

Scott carefully took Volv off of his head, and sat her gently in the chair he sat in. “There, something more comfortable than my head for you to rest on.” Scott stated, petting Volv’s head as he backed away.

Scott laid on the floor, and simply tried to relax a bit. ‘Second night in another Equestria. At least I’m not at risk of being attacked by a Wolfos or Stalpony. Rough start, but tomorrow is another day.’ Scott thought.

Jeff gave Scott a long stare. “..Scott.” he began as he walked over to the crouch, gently pressing his foot down on some kind of pedal. Slowly out came a bed that was built into the couch. “Unlike most ponies’ homes, you won’t be sleeping all cramped up.” Jeff said.

Scott sat up, impressed by the foldout bed. “Your couch is clearly better than mine, it doesn’t have a built-in bed, but it does the job,” Scott sat up and laid on the bed, adjusting to the softer and more cushioned feeling on his back. “Woah… yeah, your couch is definitely superior to mine.” Scott remarked.

"Hey, it pays to order from Minotaurs as their height is the closest to humans.” Jeff said with a chuckle.

Scott looked at Jeff with genuine confusion. “Minotaurs… like, the ones from Greek mythology? T-Those exist here!?” Scott asked.

“Yes, head of a bull, upper body of a man, lower half of a bull. Damn fine builders, carpenters, and furniture makers.” Jeff said as Volv leaped down from the chair to run off into the kitchen.

Scott blinked his eyes rapidly, then just simply sighed. “The more I learn, the more it seems logic dictates that it wants to punch its own ticket by this point… if I ever encounter a Minotaur in my world, we should definitely see how strong I am as one next time we meet.” Scott remarked with a cheeky grin.

“For someone who met a lot of Aliens before their Displacement, you sure do doubt a lot when you learn or see new races.” Jeff said amusingly.

Scott shrugged his shoulders. “It comes with the territory. Azmuth, the creator of the Omnitrix, was skeptical of magic, despite managing to somehow gain access to the DNA of a Celestialsapien, something that’s very much just godlike and divine in nature,” Scott sat up and thought about his next words. “It’s like introducing a two to binary code, made up entirely of ones and zeroes, the moment a new variable is introduced that it has no prior knowledge of, everything seems to break and dismantle, but it would seem that the Altnetrix is different in that regard. It brought me to Equestria through displacement, and I don’t know who made it. I hope to find out one day, and when I do, I’ve definitely got some choice words for them, to say the least.” Scott explained.

“Funnily with how you act, you're the ones and zeros, and the other worlds across the void are the twos.” Jeff pointed out.

Scott opened his mouth, then closed it again. “Fair point… Hey, speaking of,” Scott pulled Jeff closer and decided to whisper into his ear. “Do they know that some of the stuff in your world comes from a game where you come from? I ask because I don’t want to say something stupid.” Scott whispered.

“Celestia has some understanding of it once she understood about the whole multiverse void and how Displaced can become and do anything. Cadence however I haven’t introduced yet, while Muna is just happy not to know about it.” Jeff whispered back.

Scott nodded his head. “So, tell me more about this “Game”. Is it popular where you come from, or is it like its own separate little niche?” Scott asked.

“Oh very popular, a series infact, but to better understand it, it’d be best if I compare it to something from your earth. Are there anything like some elf swordsmen who goes around exploring dungeons, collecting items, solving puzzles, taking down bosses, etcery?”

Scott looked at Jeff with a deadpan expression. “Aside from the only difference between the game I’m thinking of, and what you’re referring to, you just described Sumo Slammers. Instead of an elf swordsman, we have Ishiyama, a sumo wrestler who battles the monstrous demon known as Kenko.” Scott remarked.

“In Link’s case, the original that came before me, the one he had to take down was Ganondorf.” Jeff said with a nod, but before Scott could ask who, the Hylian raised his hand. “Read the book, it’ll explain everything, think of it as a bedtime story before you sleep.”

Scott grabbed the book and opened it up, flipping through the pages carefully as he tried to find information on this “Ganondorf” individual. As he continued searching, he did find a page that talked about a race of people that lived in the desert. “Hmm… Gerudos, huh? Yet another species I’ve never heard of. Almost seems like they’re exclusively female, least I know what to expect if I ever decide to get a DNA Sample,” Scott flipped through the pages again, finally finding the page that talks about Ganondorf, and seems to recognize some similarities he shares with the Gerudo. “Hmm… that’s odd… either I’m more tired than I thought, or he’s a Male Gerudo… Nah, couldn’t be… then again, alien ancestry tends to show more often after two or three generations…” Scott wondered.

“A male gerudo is born every one thousand years.” Jeff explained.

Scott raised an eyebrow. “Seriously? Gerudo genetics must not be that forgiving of males of their species if one is born every one thousand years… seriously, a whole Millenia for a male? Sounds… disadvantageous. Even asexual species like Necrofriggians still give birth to about twelve to fourteen offspring, just ask Magister Tennyson, he has fourteen Necrofriggian children.” Scott questioned.

"YYeaaaaa, read a little further." Jeff suggested as he gestured with his hand.

Scott did as his friend suggested, and his eyes widened. “Gerudo women, who are almost exclusively female, typically mate with Hylian men to procreate”?! Just how dominating are their genes, and why such disdain for the males of their species? Does it have something to do with Ganondorf himself?” Scott asked.

“You’re close though, it's because he betrayed their trust, and then many years later, he becomes something called Calamity Ganon, some kind of giant boar made of pure malice. Should I explain further or would you like to read it yourself?” Jeff asked. Scott took note that the Book Of Mudora was a little on the thick side.

Scott gulped and closed the book. “Explain it further for me. Please.” Scott requested.

“Well, many years into the past, at the very beginning when Equus was very young, back when Hyrule used to exist, Demise, Ganondorf’s original form and name, went to war with the goddess Vespera, the goddess of friendship and harmony, also known as one of the six goddesses responsible for Equus’s creation.”

Scott rubbed his eyes and sighed, seeming annoyed. “It’s always someone giving their kind a bad name, and simultaneously picking fights with divine forces… if I had a dollar for every time someone did this, I would’ve been able to retire at the age of thirte-” Scott let those words echo around in his skull for a moment. “I’m sorry, Who, the goddess of what now!?” Scott asked.

“Hey, this is very old history that I had to learn from Celestia and Luna, and this planet had A LOT of it. Vespera is the reason why the medallions of harmony exist, in fact they were once her powers before she took on a mortal form.” Jeff explained slowly in an attempt to avoid Scott going blue screen on him metaphorically.

Scott stared at Jeff in silence for what felt like hours, but was just two minutes. “This is insane, and I used to think stories about Ben holding the big bang in his hands were ridiculous…” Scott took a moment to process the information given to him, massaging his temples as he looked down at the closed book. “I can only imagine what kind of strange foreign history exists in my world… Wait, the tapestries! I have pictures of the tapestries in my world! They should be on the Picto Box you gave me, but that can wait till tomorrow, we already got something to do, so this could wait till then. Maybe you can make sense of what they depict.” Scott stated.

“Just a wild guess, you found them in a castle of the two sisters?” Jeff asked curiously incase of parallels.

Scott looked at him with confusion. “Is… is that what Canterlot Castle’s actually called?” Scott asked.

“No, this was Celestia’s and Muna’s first castle back in the Everfree before they moved to have a castle on the side of the mountain,” Jeff explained before pulling out his Picto camera, soon turning it on and scrolling through his pictures. He holds it up to Scott, showing the six pictures of the goddesses with the last one cracked and loss of colors. “Those were glass windows I came across when I explored their old castle when the book of Mudora talked about there being old treasure.”

Scott was rather impressed, but he wasn’t even aware that they had an old castle in the Everfree. “These are some phenomenal photos, but these are the photos I was talking about,” Scott grabbed his Picto Box and pulled up the photos for Jeff to see. The pristine white walls clearly indicated that they were taken inside Canterlot Castle back in Scott’s world. Each tapestry depicted events of Scott’s Equestria’s history, as did some of the glass stained windows, but those photos seemed distorted, or were likely capturing the gleaming light of the flash. One photo showed a tapestry that showed a strange shadowy cloud looking over a kingdom made of crystals, with various saddened and depressed ponies chained together. Another tapestry depicted what looked like UFOs descending on a village, and depictions of a younger Celestia and Luna were saving the day. “Seems like the princesses in my world were pretty busy, and dealt with aliens long before my displacement. I would’ve asked them myself, but my mind was more focused on getting your help.” Scott explained.

“Wait, that one picture, it's almost a parallel to Cadance’s kingdom back when I entered the Twilight Realm to save her, almost the same saddened and depressed look.” Jeff stated.

Scott clenches his teeth and decides to quickly change the subject. “Well, what can you tell me about this tapestry? The one with the UFOs. Does the location ring any bells?” Scott asked.

“I mean, I’ve fought aliens who beamed themselves down in light who were trying to capture Applejack’s cows, but that’s about it, no UFO flying around. But if I had to take a guess, this is either a piece of history explaining alien visitors, or a prediction of visitors to come. Did you ever get whoever made those tapestries?” Jeff asked with a tilt of his head.

Scot shook his head. “No, but I did notice one thing, out of the arrangement of tapestries,” Scott scrolled to a photo of what looked like an empty spot on the wall, shaped the same way the previous tapestries looked, as well as a noticeable pile of dust on the ground. “One of the tapestries was moved. What it depicts, I don’t know. Who made them, your guess is as good as mine. However, it seems a bit odd to leave the other tapestries on display, but move one of them that’s clearly been there longer than the others.” Scott explained.

Jeff began to slowly walk back and forth thinking deeply about it. “..I have a feeling someone doesn’t want you to know something. I’d offer time travel so that we’d see who moved it, but we don’t need a certain doctor who knock off to come after us..” Jeff remarked with caution.

Scott nodded his head in understanding, a slight scowl forming on his face. “Yeah, that’s no surprise. Doesn’t matter what species you are, if you’re a royal, you’ve got secrets to hide. I doubt this was my Luna’s doing, she was willing to discuss the problem with me face to face, it could be my Celestia’s doing, she was pretty cautious of me when we first met, can't be sure though,” Scott wasn’t familiar with this ‘Doctor Who’ Jeff spoke of, but he was familiar with the individual that seemed to best parallel. “Trust me, I’m not that eager to face Professor Paradox again. Also, I know it’s probably a bit late for this, but I’m sorry that he tried to attack us when we first met. I don’t know what provoked such a response, but something clearly happened back in my old world, and I can’t help but feel like that was a sign of worse things to come…” Scott apologized profusely.

“Bah, no worries, I mean I've been living in my Equestria for almost eight years, I'm used to it.” Jeff said with a wave of his hand.

Scott smiled, but he was still concerned, and for the right reasons now that he thinks back on that encounter. “Yeah, but… that was the first time I ever met Paradox, and he was nothing like what magister Tennyson described. Cryptic, yes, but he was so aggressive, I was surprised he knew about your sword, or that you were a Hylian, so that concerns me… I’ve got a lot of shit to do when I get back, but I’ll deal with it one step at a time.” Scott stated.

“Considering he can time travel, he probably knew beforehand before he arrived. What he wasn’t expecting was me attacking him, and it's likely thanks due to Nayru’s blessing that it makes me immune to time shenanigans.”

Scott smirked. “Lucky you!” Scott playfully punched Jeff’s arm. “I’ll be lucky enough that the Altnetrix gives me another extra life if things go wrong. Even then, we both got it bad if someone from my old world has it out for the both of us.” Scott stated, shuddering at the very thought.

“Nothing to do with luck, Scott.” Jeff said as he rubbed along his arm. Jeff would have liked to tell Scott that Nayru is the reason why he’s here, but knowing Scott he’d just get mad.

Scott smiled, and a yawn soon escaped him. “I think discussing the historical differences of our worlds is tiring me out… strange, death metal has the same effects.” Scott quipped.

“You did have a long day, what with you taking a chance with the Twili portal without me knowing, you could have ended up anywhere in Equestria.” Jeff said with a frown.

Scott grinned. “My job is about taking risks. Aliens, supervillains, magic psychopaths, demons, time travel, alternate dimensions… what’s life without a little risk anyhow? At least regardless wherever I ended up, I was lucky to end up in the same spot I landed when I first got displaced, it was familiar to me,” Another yawn soon escaped the alien hero, and his eyes felt very heavy. “Yeah… I think it’s time to sleep. Maybe if I’m lucky, I’ll run into Muna again. Knowing how my nightmares are, she shares something in common with my Luna, saving my ass when I need it most.” Scott remarked, laughing a bit.

“She’s here every night as it's her domain to make sure everyone and everypony sleeps well.” Jeff said as he stretched his arms above his head. “Will the pillow be enough for you to sleep?”

Scott nodded his head. “I’ll be fine. I’m just hoping that the last nightmare won’t be on repeat. Seriously, why the hell was Magister Tennyson this weird elven statue thing?! As if the drowning imagery wasn’t bad enough.” Scott remarked, shuddering at the mental image in his head as he laid down.

“Alright bud, but if you ever need anything, just ask. You are my guest afterall and this is your second time sleeping in another world afterall.” Jeff said with a nod.

Scott gave a thumbs up and closed his eyes, trying to relax. “Goodnight, pal. See ya in the morning…” Scott yawned.

Another day has come and gone, with Scott and Jeff finally united again, the morrow will be quite eventful when the duo's next destination... is Ponyville.