Author's Notes:

Hey everyone, this chapter is a crossover with Dj A String's fic The Terrarian Tank (And to all you long time readers, sorry about the weird placement of the chapter. This has been on my shelf for a while, it's just taken a while to reformat it.

I was walking down the halls of the Castle of the Two Sisters with a spring in my step and a smile on my face. I was on my way to the courtyard that morning. The day before Morning Star invited me there for training to keep the two of us in shape. I wasn't all that keen on training, but I did love spending time with her. I closed my eyes and started to whistle a made up tune as I walked down the familiar halls. Unbeknownst to me, a portal opened up in front of me and I walked through it. When I opened my eyes I was standing in a room that nowhere near resembled the castle I had been in.

“Uhh, I didn’t think I made a wrong turn at Albuquerque, where am I?” I said to no one in particular.

“Who the hell are you?” The guy who must've been the Displaced said, drawing a strange blade with a cat cross section, turning it into its full size form and pointing it at the me as I came through the portal. My eyes seemed to widen behind my glasses and I threw my hands up in a panic.

“Gaaaah! H-hey, there’s no need to point anything that dangerous at me! Weren’t you the one that summoned me?!”

“The hell are you talking about?! I didn’t summon anyone! Just who the hell are you?!”

“Keep it down in there! Some of us are trying to nap!” Came the angry scream of an elderly pony.

“Sorry Granny!” The Displaced yelled before turning back to the intruder and talking softly. “Who are you? And what do you mean, ‘I summoned you’?”

The intruder’s head drooped slightly and let out a sigh while keeping his arms extended. “Didn’t you get the message on my bullet? I’m Vash… well that’s not my original name, but it’s what I go by now.”

“Mhm. Alright, I don’t believe that.” Richard said. “Seriously, who are you?”

“Really, you don’t believe that?” Vash said as he let out a little huff. “I guess this is your first time running into another Displaced, huh?”

“The hell’s a Displaced?” The Displaced questioned.

“Well, I’d be more inclined to answer that If there wasn’t a sword pointed right at my jugular,” Vash replied with a weak grin.

“Fine. But don’t do anything… questionable.” The Displaced said, lowering his sword. He then remembered the whole reason why he got out of bed. “And you can wait for me to use the bathroom first.”

“Yeah, take as long as you want.” I replied with a sigh of relief as I put my arms down and sat on the bed. “It’s not like I can leave and go anywhere.”

After taking a quick trip to the bathroom and taking me outside -as well as explaining why I was here-, The Displaced and I were out in the Apple Family orchard, walking around and talking about things.

“So… Again. The hell’s a Displaced?” Richard asked me.

“Well, a Displaced is someone who gets something from a shady individual and gets sent to a version of Equestria. Once there a Displaced can make a ‘token’ with a message that serves as a sort of business card I guess and allows us to be summoned to other Equestrias. And from what I understand all of us were in a costume of sorts when we became displaced. I’m guessing you dealt with someone who ran a stall at a convention? Possibly dressed as the Merchant from Resident Evil 4?”

“Eh. It was a shady merchant. I was at Minecon.” Richard explained. “All I know is that he kinda just handed it to me while I was playing Terraria in a corner.”

“Really? Because I had to deal with a creepy guy giving me a pedo smile before I had to deal with my merchant.” I admitted as I slumped over slightly, “And then the merchant took fifty bucks off of me for my gun.”

“You still have the gun?” Richard asked. “I got handed a replica of Star Wraith from Terraria. Got trapped in one of my items via Discord and lost all my stuff. Hell, I even lost my cell phone, and that was the last of my possessions from Earth!”

“Yikes, well I still have my phone, but considering there aren’t any outlets in my Equestria it’s about as useful as a plastic brick at the moment. Plus, I helped the Celestia and Luna of my Equestria trap Discord in stone and turned him into an ornament for the castle garden.”

“Sounds like fun.” Richard said. “Well, anyways, anything else I should know about Displaced?”

“Well, I’d recommend wearing a helmet or something. All of the tokens I’ve gotten so far have hit me right in the head. Also, if you make a token then be prepared to get summoned at anytime. I’d say that you should be careful what you do in your private time.”

“Right…” Richard said before stopping in his tracks and grabbing Vash by the shoulders. “Wait a second, is that a dick joke?!”

I turned my head and scratched my cheek a little. “What, of course not.” I said with a weak chuckle. “I was just warning you not to do anything embarrassing like playing with dolls that you would claim to be action figures, or ‘collectibles’ when really you know you’re lying to yourself to spare your ego.”

“... I thought you were talking about…” Richard said. “Nevermind. You sure that’s all I need to know about Displaced?”

“Well, I’m fairly new to all this myself so I can’t tell you all that much. I suppose I could help you make a token.”

“And how, exactly, do I do that?” Richard asked.

“Well, you first have to pick something that represents you, like my bullet does.”

“Well, the only thing I can think of is the Last Prism, here…” Richard said, taking out the Last Prism. “But it’s a bit too powerful for me to turn it into a token, considering what you told me… Then again, people would only know what it does if I told them… No. I can’t use this. I’m sorry Vash, but I don’t have anything to use as a token.”

“Don’t worry about it too much, I’m sure you’ll find something to use eventually. Until then, do you still want me to explain the process?” Vash said as he gave Richard a pat on the back.

“Sure, why not. Afterwards maybe we can actually go look for something.” Richard said dejectedly. “Might find something good.”

“Hey, buck up there little buddy. You just learned about tokens and you’re acting like it’s the end of the world that you don’t have one.” I replied with a chuckle as I tried to cheer Richard up. “Anyway, after you have a token picked out you concentrate on it and record your message on it. Oh, and a word of advice from another Displaced, don’t make your message stupid like Wade’s.”

“What’s his message?”

“I don’t know exactly,” I admitted, “but apparently it’s pretty bad. ‘Pathetic’ was the word the guy who told me about it used.”

“Sounds interesting. I’ll keep an eye out for the guy.” Richard said. “So, about that little ‘adventure’. You have any ideas?”

“Hmm, well I don’t know where we are in this version of Equestria so I wouldn’t know about any hotspots or anything. Well, considering we’re on a farm civilization can’t be too far behind. Wanna just look around the nearest town and see what we can find there? Elements from the IP your costume is based on are supposed to show up in this Equestria so we might find a suitable token in a shop.” I suggested.

“... I wasn’t wearing a costume.” Richard said. “I mean, I did get my Terraria character’s equipment, but I lost all of it when Discord trapped me in the Last Prism. Don’t ask me about it, I don’t like talking about it.”

“Okay, well I’d still be willing to bet that this Equestria is going to incorporate elements from Terraria, maybe because you were playing it when the merchant essentially slipped you a dimensional roofie?” I wondered.

“That’d be the Star Wraith replica. I told you that’s what he did!” Richard said. “And you’re right, elements of Terraria did make it over here. I had to fight off cultists and the Moon Lord! You know Cthulhu? Well the Moon Lord is Space Cthulhu! Fucking dick!”

I blinked at that and tilted my head. “Uhh, isn’t Cthulhu already Space Cthulhu?” I questioned with a strange look on my face.

“Shut up. This guy shot lasers at me and had eyes in his palms. Was NOT fun.”

“Okay,” I replied as I threw up my hands defensively, “sorry if I touched a nerve there. Still, what do you think about exploring the local town?”

“Sounds like fun.” Richard said. “I mean, I was stuck in what’s now the Tree of Harmony for a thousand years.”

“Yikes, from what I’ve been told, being trapped for a thousand years isn’t all that uncommon for a Displaced. Still, I have to imagine that’s not a pleasant experience-”

“Since I was part of the Tree of Harmony, if not the cause, I was connected to it and its assets.” Richard said. “That means the Elements of Harmony. I watched what happened to Discord. I FELT what happened to Luna. I saw everything… and I know that shadow is still alive...”

“Wait, what are you talking about?" I asked as I grabbed Richard’s shoulders. “What happened to Luna? What shadow are you talking about?”

“I’m not talking about it.” Richard hissed. “What happened to me and my world while I was in my prison, stays with me. You’re better off not knowing, anyways. Just drop it and let it go.”

“Damn it, Luna is one of my best friends and you just want me to drop this?!” I growled. “How do you expect me to just do nothing when I might be able to help her?”

“Because I don’t know anything about it. I only know what happened in the end, not how it happened or why.” Richard said. “Sorry Vash, I just don’t know. I only know the pain that I felt when it happened… I… I’m sorry…” Richard started to break down crying at that point, unable to contain his feelings.

My expression softened at that point and I relinquished my grip on Richard’s shoulders, allowing him to fall to his knees. “No Richie, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have reacted like that. It’s just.... I want to be able to protect my friends. I don’t want to lose them before I have to.” I finished as a tear rolled down my own cheek.

“Trust me, I feel the same. I just wish I could have been there to prevent everything.” Richard said, drying his eyes and getting back on his feet. “L-let’s just get to that ‘adventure’.” Richard took a few more steps before falling down a hole that he didn’t see.

I looked over the edge of the hole to see if Richard was okay. “Hey, you didn’t break anything did you?”

“Just my legs!” Came Richard’s voice. “Don’t worry, I’m just joking! Just come on down here. I think I found our adventure!”

A devious grin worked its way on my face. “Okay, but I have to warn you that I don’t have much experience exploring holes with other guys!”

“You’re missing out on an awesome threesome, then!”

“Ha,” I replied with a light chuckle, “whatever you say dude. I’ll just hop down there and we can get started on our adventure.” I finished as I jumped into the pit.

“Welcome to mole town, population two weirdos.” Richard said when I reached the point where he had fallen to. “Now come on. I think I saw a light further down this way.” Richard started walking deeper into the darkness.

“Yeah I’ll be right there,” I said as I slipped my glasses into a pocket and followed after Richard. “Because nothing says good idea like walking towards the light in a long, dark tunnel. Where is this ‘light’ you saw anyways?”

“What do you mean? It’s just around the corner.” Richard said. “What, you can’t see it?”

I squinted a bit and tried to see what Richard was talking about. “Uhh, you might’ve hit your head during that fall because I can’t see anything.”

“Oh great, it’s this shit again.” Richard complained aloud. “Let me explain, this shit happens from time to time. Sometimes I can see things that the others can’t. Like, sometimes things in Terraria give off light. Apparently, no one else can see the lights, though. Makes me think I’m crazy now and then. I mean, I could have given you a potion, but I lost all my potions when I got trapped.”

“Umm, the both of us were ripped from Earth and are suddenly in a world of magical, technicolor ponies. The jury is still out on whether or not either of us is crazy.” I said flatly.

“Yeah.” Richard grumbled as he ducked through a hole in the underground passage. “It’s just over here. In fact, it should...”

Vash ducked into the passage as well and quirked an eyebrow at Richard. “It should what? You’re not suddenly suffering from a concussion are you?”

“No way in hell. There’s no way.” Richard said eying something on the floor. “Vash, check it out. See that flower? Look what’s around it.” Richard pointed to a rather large and out of place bulb that was growing out of a small patch of grass in the underground tunnel they were in. Around the base of the bulb was a strange red-pink necklace.

“Well, that’s certainly conspicuous. Is there anything I should know about that thing?”

“Which one are you talking about? The bulb or the necklace?” Richard asked as he bent over the bulb and attempted to take the necklace off the bulb, only to find it snuggly stuck onto the plant. “This necklace is my Star Veil. It’s one of my items that Discord took away from me when he trapped me.” Richard went back to trying to take the necklace off of the flower bulb without damaging the plant.

“I was talking about the bulb. I’m no botanist, but I’m pretty sure that flowering plants don’t usually grow underground. Also, sounds like Discord pulled a Metroid on you and spread all your equipment all across this world.”

“Yeah, pretty much.” Richard said as he attempted, and failed, once again to take the necklace off the bulb. “Ugh. Wanna give me a hand with this?”

“Alright, stand back I think I know a way to get that thing to let your necklace go,” I said as I pulled out my revolver and leveled it at the bulb. I let off a shot right beneath the necklace in an attempt to get the thing loose. The bullet, however, ricocheted off the ground and into the bulb, somehow destroying it completely.

“... You IDIOT!” Richard yelled as he quickly picked up the necklace and put it on as a monstrous roar echoed through the underground tunnel. “As happy as I am for having this back, do you even KNOW what you just unleashed upon us all?! That thing summons a boss from Terraria known as Plantera! She’s a near endgame boss, and thanks to you, we just summoned her in noobish conditions! Everyone knows to summon her in a large open space, otherwise she can corner you in a small tunnel!” Just then, the flower started growing back at an alarming rate, growing even past the bulb that was originally there. “RUN!” Richard took off back through the tunnel as fast as he could.

I was close behind and proceeded to scream as loudly as I could. “Why didn’t you tell me about that damn thing?! I’ve never played Terraria before!” I screamed.

“Well sorry! I didn’t know!” Richard screamed as he ran for his life. “Just know that if that thing gets close to the surface, it’s not gonna be fun to fight.”

“I’ve got a crazy idea… maybe we can cause a part of the tunnel to collapse and trap the thing so it can’t follow us.” I suggested.

“Well, it might work. I’ve only ever fought the normal creatures and Moon Lord, and Moon Lord was out in the open. Hopefully she doesn’t do what she does in Terraria and just phaze through the wall.” Richard said as he drew Meowmere and charged energy into it. “Here goes nothing.” Richard slashed his sword out in front of him, sending out the usual strange cat-shaped rainbow projectile that exploded upon contact with the ceiling of the tunnel. Dust started to fall a little from the ceiling before it started to shake and rocks came tumbling down in a torrent of stone.

Richard and I heard an aggravated roar as Plantera came upon the impromptu blockade. I looked at Richard with a hopeful expression. “Do you think it worked?”

“I’m not sure. If I had my phone, I’d have a map that would have told me.” Richard said. “The maps in game translated to being on my phone, and that map always displayed bosses… Well, it displayed Moon Lord. But to answer your question-” Another roar from Plantera caused Richard to pause. It sounded a bit more far off and… not there. “I think it worked. Sounds like Plantera is going back to whatever state she was in. Hopefully no one else summons her on accident.”

“I know what you mean… maybe we should tell the Apples about this hole on their property and help them fill it. Do you think they have cement in this Equestria?”

“Not a clue.”

One hole filling later, as well as enough time to explain what the hell just happened…

“So, Vash. Mind explaining the whole token thing again?” Richard asked as he looked at the Star Veil that was hanging around his neck.

I nodded as I scratched my chin in thought. “Well you hold what you want to use as your token and concentrate on it while recording your message.”

“Yeah. Now, here’s a question, will I get a copy of it?” Richard asked.

“Uhhh, I wouldn’t know. I used a bullet and for some reason I don’t think I can run out of the things. Like I said before, I’m fairly new to this whole Displaced thing myself.”

“Ah. Great.” Richard said, taking off the Star Veil. “Well, might as well see. So, just say an oath or something that tells people about me?”

“Yup, just say whatever comes to mind. Don’t be afraid to get hammy with it either.” I replied with a nod and a grin.

“Alright then…” Richard said. He started to concentrate energy into the Star Veil before saying his ‘oath’.

“For those of you who need someone to take a hit for you, those of you who need an extra hand, call on me, the Terrarian Tank, to help. And while I may not be the nicest of people, I can still help out in a pinch.”

“How’s that?” Richard asked.

I had a big smile on my face as I gave Richard a thumbs up. “That’s perfect! Now, concentrate on sending that across the ether and toss it as hard as you can.”

“... Really? That’s it?” Richard questioned. “No demonic ritual, no crazy summoning, just toss it?!”

“Well, once you’re done with that we’ll have to sacrifice a goat and chant in ancient Sumerian to Baal, but other than that, yeah, that’s all.” I replied with a shrug and a chuckle.

“Oh ha ha. Very funny.” Richard groaned before chucking the Star Veil as hard as he could, a portal opening up and accepting it. Immediately afterwards two identical portals opened up, one in front of Richard, the other behind me. Identical Star Veils shot out of the portals. Richard caught the one that came at him, while I got pelted in the back of the head. “WOO! I get to keep the damn thing!” Richard put his on right afterwards.

“Ow! why do I always get hit in the head with these things?!” I cried as I picked up my Star Veil. “Does the Multiverse hate me?!”

“Dude. That sounds hilarious.” Richard chuckled. “Anyways, you might want to know what the Star Veil does. Basically, if you get hit, ‘stars’ will be called from the heavens to strike whoever hit you and you’ll be given a minute of invincibility, and that’s pretty much it.”

I grinned a little as I slipped the necklace into one of my pockets. “I’ll have to save that for later. Never know when a minute of invincibility will come in handy. I could get a lot done in that amount of time.”

“Well, I mean, it’s not a one time use, so yeah.” Richard explained. “All you need to do is wear it.”

“Really, well I’ll still put that on later. My marefriend likes to use me as a sparring partner and the last thing I need is for her to get attacked by stars.” I replied with a chuckle.

“Alright then, glad to see you care about someone… Just makes me think if she still cares about me the same way as she used to…”

I saw the look on Richard’s face and tried to cheer him up. “Hey,” he started with a slap on the back, “don’t you worry about that kind of thing. A guy like you can’t be so easily forgotten by whatever lady-friend you’re thinking of.” I finished with a massive grin.

“Yeah, probably not. Hell, she and her sister carved their marks on the Tree of Harmony when they realized what happened to me.” Richard exposited. “I miss her so much… Her cheery smile… Always brightened up my day. Maybe I’ll see her again soon.”

“Here’s hoping you do.” Vash said with another pat on the back. “So, is there anything else you need from me?”

“Well, considering summoning you in the first place was an accident, not really.” Richard said. “So, uh… How do I send you back?”

“Well, first you grab a chicken and cut its head off. Then you draw a pentagram in its blood and…”

“Dude. Enough of the cult jokes.” Richard said, annoyed.

“Alright, there really isn’t much to it.” I replied with a chuckle. “All you have to do is say, ‘Vash, our contract is complete,’ and I’ll go back from whence I came.”

“Well, that seems simple enough.” Richard said. “Vash, our contract is complete.”

A swirling, green, triangular portal opened up behind me and I turned to start walking into it. Right when I was just about to enter it I turned back to Richard with a smile and a wave. “See ya later Richie. Use that bullet to call on me whenever you need me.... or when you just need someone to remind you that you’re not as insane as you’re thinking you are at the moment.” I said with a chuckle.

“Later, weirdo!” Richard called back as I stepped through the portal.