13 Years After The Fall of Canterlot

“Khârn, how's the new security systems working?” I asked. After our encounter with Jason, we had decided to beef up security, and after three years, it had finally been completed. Creating that token use detector thing had been quite the pain.

“As far as I know, Warmaster, they are finished and in perfect condition. You'll have to ask Rainborg about it for more detail, though,” Khârn replied. I nodded, and he left the office. Sitting back in my chair, I sighed. Checking the cameras, I noticed a small item behind my chair, I turned around, and picked it up. I suddenly felt a sense of Deja vu as a voice echoed around my mind. ‘If you wwant a wwuss to associate wwith, then wwe are not your choice. On t)(e ot)(er fin, if you want a competent pair, then we ARE, in fact, your c)(oice. Choose wwisely.’

I stared at it. “The recording is distorted a bit. Wonder how that happens… oh well. I'm interested. Now, how to summon them…..” I moved it left and right, before scratching the back of my neck. “How do they think themselves competent if there are no instructions?”

At “competent” a swirling portal popped into existence. It dispensed two figures, who managed to avoid falling flat on their faces.

They stood. The female one was dressed in a skirt-and-swimsuit combo, equipped with multiple golden jewelry and carrying a double-ended trident of the same color. The male wore striped blue pajamas and a purple cape. His annoyed expression was completed by a pair of rectangular glasses and a shock of purple in his hair.

Both creatures had grey skin, black hair, fins at the sides of their faces and odd candy-corn-colored horns rising from said hair.

I raised an eyebrow at their appearance, before remembering to be a good host, for as long as I have to be. “Greetings. I am Ahriman, Warmaster of The New Black Legion. Who are you?” I greeted, holding my hand out.

The male took in my appearance, before donning a tired expression and extending a hand adorned with multiple golden rings. “Name’s Orphaner Ampora. And this lovvely lady you see here calls herself Dualscar Peixes.” His voice had an odd, wavvy quality to it.

Ignoring the odd voice quality for now, I nodded. “Welcome to Canterlot Castle. How about we go somewhere better for a conversation? You seem to be well mannered,” I asked, shaking his hand. ‘Definitely better than Jason.’ I thought in my head.

Orphaner inclined his head. “That wwould be acceptable.”

Dualscar, who had been quiet up until now, opened her mouth. “Canterlot, e)(? Is the place safe? Any possibility of various Princesses s)(owing up and ruining fin-times?”

I shook my head. “No, Nightmare Moon is currently aboard the Scion, and Celestia is dead. As for Cadence, a fellow displaced has decided to take her in,” I replied.

The creatures exchanged glances. “Sunbutt?” “D-EAD?” Their looks of shock became looks of glee. “I already like this place.” “You know it, my dear!” They turned to me again. “Wwe don’t suppose...” “...T)(at you mig)(t )(ave a banquet room or...?”

I nodded. “Indeed we do. It also shows a grand view of the Canterlot Ruins. Still haven't gotten to restoring the city, though. Follow me.” I said, opening a door, and stepping out.

They followed, occasionally glancing around, taking in differences. “Ruins, eh?” Orphaner commented. “That rings a bell.”

I looked back at them. “So you are the enemies of Celestia in your universe too, eh? Glad to find someone who has the same idea,” I told them.

Dualscar tossed her hair. “As if. We are Sunbutt’s anemones, not t)(e otter way round.” She let out a humorless chuckle. “Our actual anemones )(ave, )(ow did Za)()(ak put it... ‘bled t)(roug)(‘ from our Baseline. Y’know,” she added, “t)(e world a Displaced gets t)(eir costume from, and w)(ich subsequently crosses over into -Equestria.”

Orphaner gave her an odd look. “Wwhat, you actually listen to wwhatevver Zahhak is babbling aboat?” Dualscar nodded smugly. Orphaner made a noncommittal noise.

“Well, here we are,” I said, opening the door in front of me. The dining hall was the same as it normally was, with a window revealing the remaining debris of Canterlot City beyond it. I sat down at the head of the table, and a servitor quickly came up. I looked to the two guests. “What would you like to eat?” I asked.

The two exchanged a minute glance. “S)(ark?” “Shark.”

Orphaner grinned. Sharply. “Shark, if you wwould be so kind.”

“Very well. Servitor, bring these two a shark,” I said, blinking for a moment. The Servitor nodded, before pulling out a harpoon gun, and heading off. I stared at it, before turning back to the two. “Well, while we wait, what would you like to talk about?” I asked.

Dualscar shrugged with an air of feigned nonchalance. “O)(, I don’t know... )(ow about... S-EAPONI-ES?” Her grin was full of teeth. Shark-like teeth.

“Well, I have yet to encounter any, but then again, we don't usually have sea based operations. There might actually be some down in the depths of the ocean,” I said, thinking about it the whole time. If there was an actual underwater civilization, I would need to...deal with them, peacefully or not.

The sharp grins remained on both faces. “You knoww...” “If you did )(appen to find any...” “Can wwe take ovver?” Orphaner shrugged. “Unless you are against it, of course.”

“I don't see any reason not to,” I shrugged.

With almost lightning speed, the two switched the topic. “So.” “Tell us about yourself.” “Shorely you must )(ave some... interesting tales to tell?” “Honestly, wwe wwouldn’t mind.”

“Well, I suppose so. Where would you like me to begin? The first day of my displacement? Or during the Final battle between Nightmare Moon and Celestia?” I asked.

Orphaner ran a hand through his hair. “Tell us about the Sunbutt. Especially potential wweaknesses. For... no reason at all,” he added with an air of uncaring.

“Well, let's see. During the battle, she would have been quite weak, if not for that blasted armor. She gets very emotional at points, and cares deeply for her ponies, to the point where she had been draining the other nations of their money. If the nation is poor and in disrepair, I would suggest convincing them that their poverty is because of Celestia. As for weakness… wings, I would bet, and her motherly love for her sister. Perhaps hold Luna hostage, and demand her surrender. Then go in for the kill. She has a decent amount of magic stored inside her, but it is mostly used for moving the sun. If it weren't for that, she would be extremely powerful. Anything else?” I listed off the top of my head.

With each sentence, both Trolls grew more and more glum. It was Orphaner who spoke.
“Pretty much all that advvice is useless. The nation is in disrepair all right, but evverypony knowws wwho wwas at fault there. Also since Luna is ashes, that point is like a dull pencil. And her infuriating magic has doubled thanks to some trick evven wwe are’nt sure of. Also,” he added as an afterthought, “threatening any of her little ponies is also right out. Givven wwhat happened last time somebody angered a pony wwith a mothering instinct.” He shuddered. “That wwas the single most terrifying moment of our livves, and wwe faced Condy at her full powwer.”

“Anymonemore brig)(t ideas?” interjected Dualscar with a wry smile.

“Well, if that doesn't work, then perhaps something else will….hold on a second,” I said, activating my vox feed. “Midnight, please come to the dining hall.” I said into it, before shutting it off again. I turned back to the pair. “Midnight has the ability to create a virus of sorts that can inject itself into targets through the air, and nullify their most potent ability. We learned about it when That Jason guy showed up three years ago. He turned into something called SCP-682, which could adapt to anything. This virus nullified that ability. However, it can only be used in a universe where the Warp is present, so I would need to give you something...tainted by the Warp,” I explained to them.

Orphaner snorted. “A vvirus that specifically targets one’s most potent ability? Jeez, if only wwe had something like this before... Oww!” He turned towards Dualscar, who has slapped him upside the head. “Wwhat wwas that for?”

The Troll didn’t even blink. “I )(ope you realize that even if we were to accept somefin like t)(at, we can’t actually use t)(at on Celestia?”

“Wwhy not?”

Dualscar rolled her eyes. “O)(, I don’t know... )(OW ABOAT ALL TH--E OTH-ER ----EN--EMI-ES W--E MIGHT --END UP FACING?” She sat down again.

“Well, we can of course give you a few extra vials of it, in case there's an opponent you can't be defeat at the time,” I offered.

Orphaner sighed. “If only our univverse didn’t wwork on narrativve tropes. This wwould be so much easier...”

“Well, if not, I could give you something else,” I said, before thinking on what to give them. ‘A greater daemon? No, that would kill everything in sight. Power Armor? Perhaps. We do have an abundance of it in the armory.’

Dualscar leaned forward with a glint in her eyes. “Now we’re talking. W)(at do you )(ave?”

“Well, we have enough sets of Power Armor to fit a whole extra Legion, as well as twenty sets of Tactical Dreadnought Armor, plus a wide array of Necron weapons, Eldar Weapons, two Life Eater Virus Warheads, a few Tau weapons, and a large storage facility full of bolter guns, heavy bolters, and other Imperial class weapons,” I listed off the top of my head.

Orphaner looked at Dualscar. Dualscar looked at Orphaner. Sudden grins broke out on both faces. “O)(, t)(is is going to be fin.” “Are any of them wwaterproof?”

“Well, considering that they were forged for pretty much any operation, I believe so. I do remember a water operation during the Great Crusade by the Emperor's Children Legion, and they performed as usual,” I replied, shuddering at the thought of those… things that the 3rd Legion had become.
“No, no... I mean, is it possible for evven one of these things to support an air-breather underwwater for an extended period of time?”

“Yeah. Space Marine Power Armor is airtight, and pressurized. You could survive in space with it on if you wanted to.” I replied.

Dualscar gave a wide and toothy grin. “I t)(ink t)(at t)(is is t)(e start of a fintastic friends)(ip.”

“Indeed it is, Dualscar. I'll order a set to be delivered here. How many suits of armor do you require?” I asked.

Orphaner gave Dualscar a quick glance. “You sure wwe wwant one?” His friend’s response was a glare. “Stupid question, of course wwe do.” He raised his head to look at me. “Twwelvve.”

“All right then. Just one second,” I said, before activating my vox. “Rainborg, please prepare twelve sets of human Power Armor, MK.IV. Also, prepare a few sets of bolters, with twenty clips of extra ammunition.”

Dualscar snickered. “Poor Toreadork. If only )(e )(ad smaller )(orns...”

Orphaner rolled his eyes. “Obviously, modifications need be made.”

“I can also add in a Mechanicus Adept suit for repairs, as well as any modifications you might require,” I added.

“Wwhat’s a Mechanics Adept?” Orphaner asked. “And so long as wwe’re on that line of questioning, wwhat exactly are these things supposed to do for us? Standard guns and strength boost and protection and stuff, right?”

“Indeed. If you were to be fully connected, which would require implantations, you could also be given chemicals that increase focus, and reduce most of your bodily reasons for being ‘tired’ among other things. However, such implementations would take about five to ten years, give or take. The power armor, without that, will still do the increased strength. Each bolter uses something around a .55 caliber mass-reactive round, which explodes on contact.These are big rounds, by the way. Think water-bottle sized. Very lethal in all worst case scenarios.” I explained.

“Oh, wwe are so going to dominate evverything in our wway.”

“AgR--E-ED.”

“As for a Mechanicus Adept, they are the, to put it simply, mechanics of the Legion. They fix our armor, occasionally making it better, and keeping our weapons in perfect condition,” I added.

“And can it accommodate for, say, massivve bull horns? Any kind of horns, for that matter.”

“Yeah, I'm sure it can.” I waved the question off. “Most of our helmets actually have horns as well, so we can simply hollow those out to make room.”

Orphaner sighed. “Peixes, my lovve, forgivve me for ripping off a pony. But I swwear, wwe’re going to look so awwesome!”

Dualscar rolled her eyes. “S)(ut it, you.” She addressed me again. “Tell me, A)(riman... Are you a lone Displaced? Shrimply curious,” she added.

“No, I have two Battle brothers and a Dreadnought as well. Khârn, Zhufor, and Khadeth. They are less mannered, except for the Dreadnought, who doesn't speak much. Khârn is a war-crazed lunatic, Zhufor is a silent, war-crazed lunatic, and so on.” I replied, thinking of my two allies.

“Sounds familiar enough,” quipped Orphaner. “Less mannered, except for Zahhak, wwho doesn’t speak much.” He cracked a smile. “Wwe evven havve our share of lunatics.” He looked thoughtful. “Except in our case, wwe’re the lunatics.”

“Well, you're well-mannered enough. Ah, here's Rainborg with your suits.” I pointed to the Rainbow-maned pegasus as she brought in a shelf full of different parts of the armor sets.

“Each one is set to automatically reform once activated, so then all you have to do is remove the top, step inside the legs, and replace the top piece.” She said, reading through her datapad.

Both seadwellers stared at the arrival. “Wwell, that’s...” “A familiar sig)(t.” “A strange sight.” “T)(at too.” “Wwhy Rainborg? Wwhat’s the significance of that name? Did Star Trek invvade?”

“Uh, isn't it obvious?” she asked, before her body flipped itself around a bit, and in moments her skin was replaced with gleaming red armor. “I'm a cyborg.”

The Trolls executed a synchronized facepalm. “Ten points for awwesomeness.” “Minus several million for t)(e pun.”

“Hey, Rainbine already existed, so I just went with what came to mind first,” she shrugged.

Dualscar rolled her eyes. “Rig)(t. Now we just need to figure out w)(o )(as enoug)( space in t)(eir sylladexes. Because mine’s full.” She sent a pointed stare towards Orphaner.

“Nope, mine’s full too. You’d be surprised how many choice cuts you can get off a Hydra.”

“I could probably make a pocket dimension sack for you,” Rainborg shrugged. “Ever since Epsilon came along, I've been making thing a bit easier.”

A smile uncontrollably spread across Orphaner’s face. “Isn’t it just wwonderful to livve in a multiverse wwhere those exist?”

“Indeed it is,” I agreed. Rainborg nodded, before pulling out a small cube.

“Here, just press the button, place it near the armor, and step back.” She tossed it over. Orphaner caught it with a practiced motion. He dashed towards the nearest armor, before activating the cube and stepping back with an air of curiosity.

A vortex appeared around the tiny box, absorbing the armor racks and weapons in an instant. The vortex then closed as quickly as it appeared. Dualscar stepped up to the cube and pocketed it.

“Well, anything else?” I asked, and the servitor from before came back in, carrying a dead shark.

“Not at t)(e moment. )(ey, is t)(at food I see?”

“Apparently. Fresh from the ocean as well, it seems.” I replied, noting the harpoon sticking out of it.

“-Excellent, I’m starving,” groaned Dualscar as she sliced her trident through its tail, cutting it clean off. “Tail, my love?”

The two fish trolls dug into the raw shark with gusto.

“I'm glad to see that over ten years of service in the Black Legion has steeled your appetite, Rainborg.” I commented to the Cyberpegasus. She snorted.

“I've seen most of our army eat meat before. Add to the fact that I'm part machine, and not much fazes me anymore.”

Meanwhile, in another part of the planet…

“Come on, Rainbow. Actually try!” Pinkie Pie said, dodging each hit with ease.

“Shut it, Pinks! Just stop moving!” The Rainbow-maned pegasus growled, swinging her forehooves at Pinkie. They had been training for thirteen years, and yet still Pinkie still managed to out maneuver Rainbow. After five minutes of this, Pinkie came up behind her, and, grabbing her waist, flung her into the ground.

“Looks like I win again! That makes four hundred and twenty one to zero!” The pink mare chuckled. She looked down at the groaning pegasus. “Oh, come on Dashy, it's not that bad being a pony.”

“I miss my hands. At least then I could throttle you.” Rainbow sighed, looking at her hooves. “It's too bad that we really don't have a choice anymore, to participate in this war.” She muttered.

Back to the others….

Orphaner idly ripped the dead shark’s heart out of its chest, before reaching for a can of pepper and sprinkling some on top of it. He then took a bite. “Crunchy,” he commented.

“Well, I must ask if you would like anything else?” I asked, looking between the two. They exchanged glances once again. “Na)(.” “Wwe’re good.”

“Well, then I guess we shall see each other again? It's hard to find allies out in the multiverse, after all.” I tossed them my token/staff. Orphaner caught it.

“Howw’s that one wwork?”

“Well, I've been getting annoying summons every time a certain displaced I met slams it into the ground, so try that. Just don't break it. Trust me, there are things worse than death packed in that thing.” I replied, thinking about all the Daemons trapped inside to fuel its power.

Dualscar gave a wry eyeroll. “We’ll keep that in mind once we decide we want more anemones to deal wit)(.” She gave me an approving nod. “T)(anks for t)(e s)(ark, and until we meet again. A)(riman, I declare our contract complete.” They blinked out of existence, as if they had never been here.I think that wraps it up for now. The outside crossover gets an acknowledgement from our end, too.

(now, I will edit in some fish puns for Dualscar. Just because it's a thing she does.)

(edited. Current lines were surprisingly fish-pun-free.)

(as to how they left, Voidy Tricks.)

Author's Notes:

IM ALIVE!!!
Hope you enjoyed!
I've been working on overdrive to get either crossover chapters done or normal chapters for others, and have been working on multiple stories all at once. It is really mind boggling. So expect the season 2 first chapter to be a little late. I remember what I first said coming onto this website, saying that I would take it slow....now look at me.