Void

The Gate of Truth

Silence. That's all that ever was heard in the Void. Aside from the different areas of the Void, the one that housed the most powerful source of all knowledge was always quiet, that is until someone arrived. Truth appeared, guarding his gate as usual, taking on the form of a man with slender build, when Guardian arrived. He stood in his human form, his face bearing a very irritated snarl.

"Hello there, All-Seer." Truth echoed throughout the emptiness. Guardian merely scoffed at the title, simply being it one of his least favorites.

"Just because I'm the only being in existence who completely passed through the Gate and learned everything," Guardian groaned. "You don't have to call me All-Seer." Truth simply chuckled.

"Whatever you say, but you can't change the will of a God." Truth giggled.

"Try me." Guardian said, stern and forceful. "I've done it before, and given the circumstances, I've killed Gods before."

"Very well," Truth sighed, levitating towards the angry man. "Why is it you are here? Forget your keys at home and can't use your Rifts and Gates to get back?"

"Har-ditty-har." Guardian sarcastically laugh. "You should damn well know why I'm here!" Truth raised a finger to his chin, mockingly pondering.

"It's that Alicorn, isn't it?" Truth chuckled, snapping his fingers. In a ball of light, Truth levitated a perfectly preserved eye with a blue iris. "You've come for her eye?"

"Exactly," Guardian answered. "She mistakenly tried to read my dreams without permission, and thusly came to you. If you value your well being, and not being flung so far into the Void, not even your god-like prowess could save you, then fork over the eye." Truth floated above the ground, yet again pondering.

"What is so important about this Alicorn, I wonder?" Truth queried. "Does the All-Seer of Worlds finally have an eye out for this pony?" The ethereal keeper giggled at his own pun. "Has he found true love yet again?" A gloved hand shot around Truth's neck suspending him high off the ground.

"Do not talk about love." Guardian growled, a dark aura resonating from his body. "You know nothing of true love."

"Look's like I've *cough* struck a nerve." Truth choked out. Guardian released his grip and threw the spirit to the floor.

"And no, Princess Luna and her sister are old friends. I'm simply doing the right thing and returning her stolen eye before the world falls apart." Truth floated off the ground, a wide grin appearing across his face.

"You really want this eye back?" Truth chided. Guardian responded with a swift nod. "Then you know that anything I give is not free. You remember that in exchange for the eternal knowledge, I severed your ability to transform to your true identity."

"Truth, you son of a bitch, I don't have time for your games!" Guardian shouted.

"In exchange for this eye, I need something of equal value. Equivalent exchange is the first rule of Alchemy after all. As an alchemist of high caliber yourself, you should know this." The black-suited man groaned loudly and clenched his fists.

"Fine, what do you want?"

"For the eye of the Princess of the Night, I desire a fragment of the greatest strength of light. Bring this to me, and the bargain shall be complete." Truth and the eye vanished, leaving Guardian standing before the Gate of Truth.

"Damn you and your riddles!" Guardian shouted to into the Void. Now with some idea on what Truth would want, he opened a Rift back to Equestria and stepped through, hopefully to figure out what the greatest strength of light is.

Canterlot Castle

Canterlot, Equestria

Once Guardian left to go and deal with whatever stole her sister's eye, Celestia rose the sun and had her schedule cleared. She needed to be by her sister's side, especially when she would awake. Sitting in the Lunar Princess' bedchambers, Celestia made it very clear that she and her sister were not to be disturbed. She sat waiting for Luna to awaken, hopefully not to shock.

"GIVE IT BACK!" Luna shouted, springing out of the bed, wings fully extended and her natural eye glowing a bright white.

"Luna!" Celestia said, startled. "You're awake!" The dark blue alicorn managed to calm down, realizing she could see out of two eyes, despite that being, Truth, taking one of them.

"Tia, I had a horrible dream," Luna softly said. "I was in an empty white area, but there was this large stone door and a white ethereal creature named Truth, and it...." She raised a forehoof to her holographic eye. "Stole my eye." Then, she blinked. The rub against her eyelids felt different, as if against a warm metal object. She stared in front of a mirror, then noticed an odd appearance. Her eye shimmered.

"I'm sorry, Luna," Celestia solemnly stated. "Guardian told me it was a spell meant to keep people out of his mind, but it backfired on you. A god-like being known as Truth claimed your eye." Silently sitting in the room, the two royal sisters never broke gaze. Then, Luna's horn began to glow.

"I will not accept this!" She shouted. "I shall recover my eye, the magic of the night shall not fail me!" Magic aura glowed around the holographic eye, as Luna tugged at it with her magic. Tia, remembering Guardian's warning about using magic to heal the wound, quickly sprung up and tried using her magic to counter, but the anger of the Lunar Princess was too great. Soon, another battle would spring up, and bring a greater catastrophe than the destruction of the Castle Everfree.

*BANG*

Both the Princess' magic fizzled out, their focus broken by the sudden sound of a loud gunshot. They turned to the doorway and saw an incredibly muscular human standing in the doorway. Dressed in a white t-shirt and ragged blue jeans, the man had messy black hair, a pair of sunglasses resting over his eyes, and his entire body was covered in scars, ranging from cuts, burns, bruises, and even healed holes (presumably from gunshots). The man twirled the small pistol in his hand and blew smoke off the barrel.

"Oh, I'm sorry," The man sarcastically apologized. "Did I break your concentration?" The man slid his gun into a holster on his side and bowed to the princesses.

"And, who exactly are you?" Tia queried.

"Your Highnesses, I am Sam Zeal." The man introduced. "More commonly known as the Agent of Dimensions and the right hand man to the 'Whatever-His-Title-Is' of Worlds. He sent me to tell you he made progress with Truth." Luna leapt upward, a wide grin on her face.

"Out with it! Can he really get my eye back?!" Luna excitedly asked. Sam gently pushed Luna's muzzle back, for invading his personal space.

"Well, it goes like this: Truth is a godly con-artist and indeed has your eye, Princess Luna. However, since the world he comes from follows the law of equivalent exchange, my best friend and your trusted universal ally has to trade him something of equal value." Both Luna and Celestia visibly shrunk at the news, upset at this turn of events.

"But there's more!" Sam continued. "Like the snot he is, Truth told my pal what he wanted in riddle form! After that trip to Gotham City, I absolutely HATE riddles now."

"That's not important right now." Luna sternly said. "We need to know how I can get my eye back." Sam removed his sunglasses, revealing two golden irises, and loomed his face to Luna.

"Well, excuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuse me, Princess." Sam snidely said, slowly drawing back with the word 'excuse'. "But riddles aren't my forte. He sent me to see if you know how to answer it."

"Out with it then." Celestia groaned, her patience wearing thin.

"'For the Eye of the Princess of the Night, I desire a fragment of the greatest strength of light.'" Sam recited. "Unless Truth wants a sun, then I've got nothing." All three people sat in the room, each pondering this difficult riddle. Celestia was the first to break the silence.

"Before we continue, why are you a human, not in pony form like the Guardian?" The Sun Princess asked.

"I'm not a magic expert like the boss," Sam explained. "So I have to use a special machine to change form. I kinda rushed here when Guardian called me from a special ops mission in one of the alternate Earth Universes, so I kinda forgot the Transmogrification Badge. And now, here I am! A muscular and nigh invincible human, covered in scars, standing here with a 10mm Pistol with two magical alicorn ponies."

"What about your mission?" Luna asked.

"Whatever, it's no big deal."

Elsewhere, in an Alternate Earth Universe

Venture Industries Compound

They had overrun the entire building, Headcrabs latched onto released clones covered in body-plating, and had pinned Brock Samson, Dr. Venture and his two sons in the laboratory. Brock held his bowie knife at arms length, unable to fight the parasitic head-humpers, while his employers and close family stood behind him.

"When is your friend going to get here?!" Dr. Venture shouted, amidst the screams and growls of the zombies.

"Relax, Doc," Brock causally reassured. "Zeal's a great help, he'll get here when he does." Just then, a note materialized in midair, floating inches away from Brock's face.

Hey, Brock old buddy. I know you sent out a request for special assistance, but the C.O. had a different idea and now I'm elsewhere. Good luck with the headcrabs, and here's a tip: Kill the brain, kill the ghoul.

~Sam Zeal, the Agent of Dimensions

O.S.I for Hire

"God dammit, Sam." Brock groaned.

Back in Equestria

"So yeah, nothing important." Sam said, completely ignorant of whatever was going on. No soon after, a letter appeared in front of Sam's face, and he quickly read it over.

I figured out the riddle. I'm going off to that one Alternate Earth that was nuked into the Wasteland. I know exactly what that prick Truth wants. Tell the Princesses I'll be back in a few hours.

~The 'You-Know-Who' of Worlds

Sam smiled and crumpled up the paper. He turned to the royal sisters and gave a hearty laugh.

"Guardian's figured out what he needs," Sam stated. "So he'll be back with your eye, Luna, in a few hours or so." Sam then tapped his belt buckle, and a blue rift shot out. "Now if you'll excuse me," The man then pulled out a shotgun from seemingly nowhere, and an insane grin took hold of his face. "It's hunting season!" Sam gave a joyous laugh and ran through the rift, closing right behind him. The two sisters turned to each other, unsure what to make of the situation, but simply were relieved that the madness will be over. Next Chapter: Chapter Ten: Fight the Night Estimated time remaining: 11 Minutes