AΣ ∆ Alpha Sigma Blade

Crossover with KukriRyuTsukino

Well, I've been a busy body as of late. I took on some of Luna duties to take as much stress off her and the babies. Yes, I said babies. Turns out she’s carrying twins. A boy and girl to boot but we haven’t told anyone this yet.

Safe to say both her and Tia’s bottom jaws hit the floor when I told them I could move both the moon and sun on my own. I told them that I was going to take over for Luna in moving the moon and dreamwalking during her pregnancy and a little time afterward too. Imagine the horror when some of the ponies saw a red moon the first night I took over. Yea no. Tia will not stop complaining about the mass panic and the letters she received the next day. Best part the Nobles have started to ask Luna to change the moon to their favorite colors and one was even stupid enough threatened our unborn if they didn’t get it. I didn’t stand for it and had him thrown in the lower dungeons for his actions. I wanted to do worse and strip him of his title but decided it wasn’t fair to his family.

Nyx was doing well too. I heard in one of the reports that Twi sends that she has taken an interest in Polearm’s work as a guard. She had asked him to start to train her in basic combat, sure hope he takes it easy on her. Nyx is getting good grades in school and making lots of friends except for Diamond Tiara and. She asked Twilight what it's like to have a family since doesn't have one or no memories of one and that she came a spell. Twilight promptly corrected her in that she does have a family. That she is her mother, Polearm is basically her father, Spike is her Uncle and everypony else is part of her extended family even if not by blood. Nyx then asked what kind of family I was and Twi wrote and I quote.

“Edward is like the really scary but fun and loving uncle,”

. My school is up and running in Manehattan. Luna’s Dark Magic took off to. Tack that on to my duties when she has too many classes to handle. Tia got over her piss off at me spell. We still need to talk on certain matters but I’ll let her come to terms with other matters beforehand, like the whole Nyx situation.

But my life has fallen into place for the time being. So much so that other than my royal duties and looking after Luna that I have a full plate most of the day and all night. I get plenty of time to myself thanks to my time chamber but things are really starting to get boring for me around here. That's when I remember those tokens I’d gotten during Twi abduction. One was a rather unique one as it was an orange Dragon scale but had no creed, so no use in trying to use it. The other was an emblem of sorts and had its creed.

‘Tia, Luna meet me in the lab, I’m summoning a Displaced,’ I said over telepathy.

‘Finally something interesting to do. I want some of the duties back Ed,” Luna answered. She’s gotten even more moody cause of the pregnancy but nothing I’m not used to. Faust slapped me through a wall when she was carrying Tia.

‘Ed your lucky court was short today,” Tia huffed. She really has been under some serious stress lately. We’re going to talk after this Displaced leaves.

Around ten minutes later the made their way into the lab. I made sure they were situated, especially Luna. I then pulled out the Token for Zero. I put my mask on to make sure I had a trump card in hiding my power if anything or any pony tagged along with this Displaced.

“I summon you Zero,” I said causing a void portal appeared in the lab center.

“Ugh… still getting used to that, especially shifting due to Harpuia and Leviathan,” a young woman in a black bodysuit and crimson and white armor with dark golden accents.

The closed Bashou Fans rested on either hip and inactive Durga Glaive, appearing as a roughly thirty-one-inch combat staff with energy emitters on either end, crossed over her back from right shoulder to left hip, opposite the Zeta Saber, or Z-Saber.

She cocked her head, noticing Luna, her dark auburn hair streaked with copper and silvery blonde. What was noticeable was that her Token was her belt buckle.

“‘Sup?” she said nonchalantly. She noticed the masked individual in crimson, though something about his clothes struck her as familiar though she couldn't put her finger on what was familiar about it.

“Guessing your Zero. Nice to meet you and welcome to my Equus. This is my wife and sister. You know their names already,” The masked man gestured to Celestia on the opposite side of the room. “My name is Edward Elric. You’re all teched out there. Not common here. What type of Displaced are you?”

“Some of my memories are fragmented thanks to that idiot Merchant. Apparently, when he transported me, he infused my body with a bunch of nano-machines but whatever he did cause my memories to end up locked away. I already found the arms and legs of Zero's Black Armor… or as it was called when I initially awoke like this the Onyx Armor. It seems he left me with most of the BioMetals. I already have access to Zero, Phantom, Harpuia, and Leviathan, with X, Axl, and Fenrir still… I suppose you could say they're still asleep,” she explained.

“Hmm.. a Megaman Displaced then. Never encountered one of your types before. You must be new to the Displaced. I can sense that your void signature is still very raw and immature. No offense,” The masked alchemist smiled under his mask.

“I recognize Celestia… for… well… personal reasons, though I don't recognize her. Though my imōto Twilight has been freaking about someone called Nightmare Moon. I have noticed that the shadows seem…. almost reluctant to act, though I do know that my Shadow Magic doesn't corrupt my body or mind, as I tend to use it for travel most of the time. Makes it rather fun to startle AJ, especially when she's brewing Apple Hazelnut brandy,” she said with a smirk.

“Do you want me to give you the rundown of this world or do you want to do something? As for here, Dark magic is practiced. Luna heads the school. I’m currently filling in for her dream walking and moving the moon while she’s carrying the baby. So watch yourself around her as she can be a little sensitive about certain subjects. She will slap you through a wall. Damn this stuffy thing,” Edward said pulling off the mask causing a great pressure to erupt from where he stood.

Alexis grunted, sliding a few inches back as gusts of crimson and cerulean smoke erupted as a blond guy in red and black body armor with a katana sheathed over each shoulder and cool green eyes as a woman with pale cerulean hair bound in a French braid down to the middle of her back and ruby eyes caught her, revealing that the young woman's armored bodysuit had shifted to a black and gunmetal grey tone with mercurial silver accents.

A dual sapphire bladed, diamond-edged lance rested on Leviathan's shoulder across her back, her eyes watching Edward warily. A silvery sunburst rested just below the hollow of the young woman's throat, identical to Celestia's cutie mark.

“I'm good, you two. I swear Leviathan’s like an overprotective sibling, while Zero's more like a doting older brother,” she sighed.

“I know what that is like,” Celestia said looking to Edward. “Sorry, but what is your name if you don’t mind me asking. And I’m sorry about my brother’s presence. He has that effect when he’s been around for over the last fifteen thousand years.”

“Tia secrets please,” Edward shot a dirty look at Celestia causing Luna to giggle. “Anyways, I’m old, yes. But my master is a lot older. I would like to know who you are as well though.”

“Alexis Carmichael. And i do have a question…. Who gives whom the most gray hairs?” the young woman said cheekily with a grin. “And I could tell you were an old fart regardless… I could almost hear your bones creaking worse than Granny Smith's,” she quipped.

In a flash, Edward was standing in front of the young woman. “Just cause I’m old doesn’t mean I can’t kick your butt up and down the streets, girl.”

Alexis smirked. “Damn, here I thought Phantom had a dry sense of humor. And in my experience, whilst the young may have energy and stamina… the older you get, the more experience you have and the chance to hone to a fine edge the skills you have,” she said wryly.

“And trust me, Z here… he's like an old school samurai and kung-fu master in one,” she sighed.

“As well as an extreme perfectionist, almost more than Harpi,” Leviathan commented, her tone amused but at the same time calm.

“Damn if his training hasn't worked… and that with bloody Sigma roaming about,” Alexis deadpanned.

“Rebels and war. Always fun,” Ed remarked. “How can I help? Any service that's in my power at least.”

“Ed your not going to war again, are you? You just got back from the one with the Transformer barely a month ago,” Celestia interjected.

“Relax Tia. I’m busy here so I’m not universe hopping. I’ve had enough bloodshed for now. Fighting is another topic altogether. Speaking of how good are you with a blade, Alexis?” Edward asked taking off his red coat and upper shirt to reveal a painted metallic red with a golden secondary, metal arm. “That’s better. And no my arm is not standard automail.”

“I'm decent. Though I wouldn't say I'm anywhere close to a master level. Zero tends to go with a balance of speed and power, but my own style tends to be a bit more on speed and misdirection. I'm starting to learn Iaido, along with something called Mitsurugi… something, from Phantom,” she said wryly.

“It's Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu, gaki,” a cool, calm voice drawled as violet-black smoke dissipated to reveal a masked individual with dark red hair falling to his lower back, his Samurai robes a dark purplish black with amethyst edging. The mask looked like Vega's from Street Fighter, but with crimson lenses over the eyeholes. A long katana a couple of inches shy of being a nodachi rested on one hip, his bladed forearm gauntlets a dark indigo tone.

He half leaned against the top of one of the shelves, the sense of coiled, barely restrained power hanging around him.

“Those are some nice specs you got there,” Edward says looking at Shadow as his eye shifted to a red colored snake eating its own tail around three triangles. “Ever heard of the Masamune? Stop ya there. Alexis has if she’s played FF7.” Ed says as a pair of golden doors appeared behind him and open. He reached in to pull out the aforementioned blade. It was close to Shadow’s katana in looks but longer. “This is Masamune. Catch.” Edward threw the long sword to Shadow.

“Hmmm. Heard legends of this blade. Though I doubt it's the blade I'm thinking of,” Phantom remarked, tilting his head as he caught the blade.

“Aye. Not many haven't heard of that particular blade and its wielder… the One-Winged Angel,” Alexis deadpanned. She blinked when Phantom lifted a hand to remove the mask, revealing an ‘X’ shaped scar upon his left cheek and cold dark gray eyes. She had never seen him without that mask.

Strangely, she didn't recognize him, nor did she make the connection whom Phantom, or Yurei, as he'd insisted on being called, was.

“The blade is a hero’s class noble phantasm. So it’s not going to be the one you’ve heard of to a T, but it will stack up to it. Looks like not even you know who your friends truly are Alexis. Come with me,” Ed said walking over to a large pair of white doors with a clock set as the handles. “This is my Hyperbolic Time Chamber given to me by my master. You can keep that sword Shadow. Would you like to use the chamber?”

“Can't hurt. I know I'm nowhere near a skilled Maverick Hunter's level. Hell, I got lucky as hell encountering Soldier Stonekong in the Crystal Caverns beneath Canterlot, and I have the scars to prove it. He had a freaking sword eight feet long and slightly under two feet wide,” Alexis sighed.

She grinned, tugging the Durga Glaive from her back. “Though he didn't expect me to escape his attack he hoped to bisect me with a bit more….” she quipped as she separated the Glaive into dual energy scythes, though she only activated the blades of crackling reddish gold energy for a few seconds before deactivating them.

“Follow me, please. Tia, help Luna to the kitchen. She looks like she’s going to devour everything from the way she keeps staring at me cooler,” Edward said opening the doors to his chamber. “What style of training are we going to use? How long should I set the time? And I hope you can stand changing terrains a fluxing gravity.”

Alexis sensed rather than saw the embodiments of the Biometals merge back within her Mindscape. “I'm open to mid to long ranged training, I think. I'm pretty decent at close range. With luck, I'll awaken more of Leviathan's skills and potentially awaken X or Axl. I don't know how you can set the time, so use your judgment on that. And I rather like the challenge of gravity fluctuations and terrain shifts,” she commented.

As she spoke, she stepped through the doorway.

“Hmm… Mid to long range can be done as for time. How long do you want to train in here is what I should have said. Three hours on the outside is a base time of three years in here. One reason I use this place is I can train without interruptions and I can take brakes without missing much on the outside. I start making cannons,” Without a second Ed started to generate various weapons with his magic and alchemy. “As for mid-range, I can generate puppets if you fine with that. Ever fought a mech before? I can always take you on too.” Edward says pulling out a handmade lightsaber with a katana-shaped hilt from his artificial arm. He then ignited it with the blade taking on a deep red with a black core blade.

“Hmmm… Zero has mentioned a few Mavericks from his past that caught my attention, namely a trio that Zero specifically encountered not long after he became a Maverick Hunter,” Alexis commented.

“Name them and I make them. I can’t create anything greater than a free-thinking machine though. They’ll move and think to a great capacity but will be nothing more than dolls,” Edward said putting his saber back in his arm. “Want any of them to fight with any specific weapons?”

“Storm Owl will force me to train my evasion, while Split Mushroom would likely do his best to create openings to strike. Frost Walrus… would force me to focus on agility and power in my strikes. When Zero fought them, though, it was one at a time. Might try their standard weapons, which would be Double Cyclone and Feather Arrow for Storm Owl, Soul Body and Split Charge for Split Mushroom… and Frost Tower and Frost Spur for Frost Walrus,” she commented.

“Can do,” Edward says as he moved out to open plain of white. Holding out his hands three bots appeared in front of him. “As for what they made of. Can’t be any more realistic than basing the internal structures of that of Cybertronians. They will cry out in pain in other words. As for the area of fighting why not try the ice mountains of Pluto at twenty times gravity?”

Alexis cocked an eyebrow as Storm Owl was a bit over eight feet tall, whilst Split Mushroom was just under six feet and Frost Walrus was almost eleven feet tall and quite bulky in armor. “I guess so. Meh… they don't call it training if it's easy, after all,” she said tentatively with a smirk as we drew the Durga Glaive before spitting it in two.

“I also threw in some of my own abilities to these guys to keep you on your toes. Do you even have toes or eat for that matter?” Edward asked as the terrain shifted to ice and the sky went dark. “Watch out for ice, gas, and wind magic. These guy have a magic generator built in to them and the won’t be affected by the gravity differences either,”

“I do eat, as a matter of fact. Enhanced though I am, human I still am,” Alexis quipped as she engaged her newest BioMetal Armor, Model Y, her boots becoming a deep golden bronze while her shin guards became a deep golden tone with a burning heart emblazoned on the outside whilst her pants became a rich dark reddish orange and her belt became a dark copper. Her upper body was sheathed in dark bronze, almost black, vest with a deep golden amber edge to it over a bright golden armored shirt. Her forearms were sheathed in gauntlets that doubled as shotguns. To her mild surprise, the Durga Glaive shifted forms, as well as her hands, were sheathed in dark gold striking gloves.

A slow, deadly smirk crossed her face as she rolled her shoulders. She hadn't forgotten a tiny secret weapon she had.

“Hmm. Adaptive weapon tech. I wonder if it’s similar to my liquid metal armor or the Nanotech me, Pryo, and Prime used in ATP,” Edward said taking a closer look at the weapon Alexis was holding. “Interesting to say the least. But I doubt you’re pulling on that Glaives full power. No offense but humans rarely try and get to know themselves let alone their weapons.”

“Hey. From what I can guess… whoever came up with these weapons for the games was thinking too small,” Alexis deadpanned with a shrug.

“Give me a sec,” Edward said bringing up an orange holo-screen in front of him. He began typing while a beam shot from the top of the display and Scanned Alexis. “ Hmmm. Interesting” Edward said looking at his screen on the diagram of Alexis on. “It would appear that you at set up with a type of caste system. One your reach certain points in your world or face certain opponents and defeat them you’ll gain new powers an weapons like in the games. Problem is your nanotech seems to be limiting your growth. Like a level cap.”

“Ugh. Really annoying. So, what, this… Nightmare Moon person might be one of these opponents? Although Stonekong did mention something a bit troubling when I encountered him. He claimed that Sigma was resurrecting Mavericks with their data, under his control, though I only know of Sigma because Zero mentioned him. Harpuia and Leviathan know nothing about him, and Axl and X are still dormant, and they'd most likely know the most about Sigma,” she said dryly, grimacing.

“Do you really want to know who Nightmare Moon is Alexis? I’ll tell you all I can on her but most of it will be mixed information on her. A good portion of it comes from my own dealings with Nightmare Moon myself,” The alchemist said in a serious but annoyed tone. “ Nightmare Moon is the name Princess Luna takes when she is consumed by her own jealousy, rage, hatred, and sadness. Most of it is pointed towards Celestia. In other words, Nightmare is the princess of the Night in her negative aspect. You’ll be facing your own mother’s sister. Can’t hide stuff from a sage young one.”

Alexis was struck by a thought. Her eyes narrowed. “Sigma’s true form is that of a virus… essentially a software fuck up… Zero claims that Sigma's last body was an advanced Reploid shell… with a nanite core. What if he found a way to infect biological hosts… with nanites infused with his Virus form… feeding on and amplifying their darkest emotions? If he did… it's possible he could, with enough time, create a viral ‘shell’ that rendered the host little more than a battery for him,” she said softly.

“It’s doable. Ever heard of Transformers Beast Machines. In this version of the Transformers universe, they were able to gain Technorganic bodies. Living tissue but machine in total balance and harmony. Cybertron had once been a purely organic planet until the transformers built over it in layers of cities. Eventually, it was reformatted into a technorganic hybrid planet,” Edward explained taking out an injector of nanomachines. “We did something similar with a Technorganic chamber. I was able to put that process in these little suckers here.”

Alexis hadn't heard of that series, though she’d never really been one for watching television much. “Sounds like that mutant… what was his name…. Apocalypse, I think his name was,” she commented, her eyes on the Mavericks, though she did keep her awareness of this Edward Elric as she was cautious.

“Yes, one of the X-men’s greatest foes. And I’m not talking about the one from the movie. My dad was an x-men buff and it transferred to me with marvel. Come to think of it there were several technorganic species in the Marvel multiverses,” Edward said scratching his chin.

“As long as nobody ends up as Skynet, I doubt we have much to fear,” Alexis giggled jokingly.

“The last thing I want is my wife, child, sister, or any of the ones I love is to end up hurt. I would every last living soul in my body if it meant keeping my loved ones safe,” Edward says looking out to the ice fields of the chamber. “The last thing I need is to cause trouble for others. If the Void’s Displaced weren’t infinite then I’d go and collect my tokens and just live out my days here. War, killing, even in the name of preserving life. It’s still wrong, Alexis, it’s still wrong.”

“The sad truth is that it isn't those who die in combat or war that bear the worst scars… it's those who survive. Dying is easy… living, though, has both rewards and pains,” she sighed.

She knew how scarred, each in their own ways, that every one of the BioMetals were. Even she, herself, had scars, though she couldn't consciously remember them nor the incidents that caused them.

“I want you to have these,” Edward said hold up a small belt of rainbow glimmering shifting vials. “These are the perfected HTN’s Harmony Technorganic Nanomachines. The little guys are infused with Harmony magic as in magic from the Elements of Harmony. You’ll have to make a Sigma antivirus yourself though. perhaps with these, you can save your aunt, Alexis. Not being able to save my wife from herself still haunts me and then to be forced to watch her on the moon for a thousand years only to have someone else save her in my place. Be there for your family.”

“I intend to be… and if Sigma tries to stop me, I'm going to make his digital life a living hell… because I'll find a way to kill him over and over for a few thousand years and then find the nearest digital wood chipper and shove his ass in… and make sure he ends up in the digital equivalent of fluoroantimonic acid,” she said softly.

Edward smiled but there was a warning in that smile. He then turns to Alexis and there was no light in his eye at all. Only the hollow feeling that one gets when they’ve lost everything they cared for. “Anger and hatred has lead to the downfall of many warriors Alexis. Even if it’s righteous don’t let it consume you. Over fifteen thousand years and I still haven’t learned this lesson. Some sage I am. Hehe. I almost consumed an entire planet and its inhabitants when someone I called brother had been lost to mind control and the one who controlled him killed my son. And this only happened a little over a month ago too.”

“Oh, I don't hate Sigma. I pity him. Even if he did make his body adapt to the virus, it still corrupted him. I feel anger at what his actions are causing and the fact he could have well found a way to purge himself of the virus rather than let it screw with his mind and core nature. Because of that, Sigma, directly and indirectly, killed tens of millions, not to mention the fact that the Maverick Hunters had no choice but to terminate those corrupted by Sigma's virus,” she said softly, her eyes flicking to the crimson-coated Displaced then to the Repliforce Captains.

“Makes me thankful I didn't ask for Jet Stingray…. the knowledge of what he'd done, no matter how long ago… makes me feel disgust and hatred,” she mused.

“As long as you know what’s right and what to do when the time comes. Perhaps if you those nano machines are the answer. If you can make an antivirus then you can mass produce them. That way you save as many as possible, maybe even those already corrupted,” Edward paused a moment. “Even those who may not deserve it, or think they may not deserve it. Show them what it means to be human. For those of us that can’t at least.”

Edward starts to think. He remembered she said she could use shadow magic. He also remembered the Ex Skill Zero had in the games. From whenever he played them at least.

“I recently developed a new type of magic similar to the Ex Skill. I call it Improvement of Improve Magic. Magic that was made after analyzing several of Fairy Tail magics. This magic allows the user to absorb then memorize and enhance anything he/she devours thus improving and adapting into him or herself. If given enough information on what they’ve seen then they can incorporate it based on this on knowledge. This list includes souls, magic, attacks, techniques, etc. This magic doesn’t include weapons. Once the object of said time has been integrated into the body it no longer has an effect on the absorber. Depending on how much magical power the user possesses depends on how many of these new magics or skills the wielder retains. Over time old spells or skills will be overwritten and forgotten, so will the immunity to the spells as well.” Edward explained pulling up the magic’s information on his holoscreen. “This screen isn’t tech but the Fairy Tail magic known as Archive. Would you be interested in learning Improve magic?”

“I don't know if I have the potential for that magic. From what we found, the magic seems to flow through my body freely, never immediately focusing anywhere unless I deliberately focus it… like… so,” Alexis deadpanned, her broad seven and a half foot wide wings flaring out from just behind her shoulders, each feather sheathed in silvery bronze metal.

The upper edge of her wings were heated in slightly thicker metal, though where they began sweeping downward, there was a razor-sharp blade arcing like a crescent moon upward.

“I can tell you several things you didn’t know about yourself, Alexis. For instance, your nanites process and incorporate metals you consume into your armor strengthening it similar to Iron Dragonslayer Magic. Also, if magic freely flows through your body already then yes you the potential to learn almost any type of magic from Fairy Tail. Best part though is that Improve Magic is a type of Modification magic that isn’t Fioran but Equestrian. I said I made it by studying Fairy Tail not that it is Fairy Tail,” Edward taking a teacher’s pose began explaining his finding to the young girl. “Hmm, are you getting hungry? I can whip something up for ya to eat before we start training.”

Alexis listened, cocking her head.

“My arm and Leg are made out of proto-adamantium and Uru as well as a few various other metals and other material to promote the flow and control of numerous magics within them. I can whip you up some Uru and Proto-adamantium with my Arc of Embodiment for you to integrate into your armor and help with the flows of magic in it too,” Edward explained as he walked into the kitchen area. “And I want to eat something too. Don’t need to just want to.”

Alexis followed Edward, thinking about his words. “Any idea how, precisely, it would consume these materials? I mean, magically, I can manage Levitation fairly easily, as well as basic combat spells like Magic Bolt or Lightning Bolt. I recently got the hang of Chain Lightning, though my primary forte seems to revolve primarily around Elemental Magic. So far, I have Water and Ice Magic from Leviathan, though being the most recently unlocked, it's not as well developed as my affinities for Wind Magic from Harpuia, Shadow Magic from Phantom, or Blade Magic from Zero. I also train very regularly with my mother, doing calisthenics and physical training on top of my magic training. Unlike Twilight-imōto, I learn better through active use of skills,” she said wryly, noticing Luna. Her stomach rumbled rather loudly. For reasons she couldn't put her finger on, she always tended to have a large appetite, yet never gained weight and she very very rarely got sick.

“It’s your nanites that allow you to eat as much as you do and keep up your health by the way,” Edward says putting on a chef’s hat. “Chili?”

“Yes, please,” Luna agreed greedily. “The babies have a craving for spicy stuff as of late.”

“What about you Alexis? What can Chef Ed fix up for you that’ll satisfy you growling stomach?” Edward said with a devilish smirk.

“I've found myself craving Cajun food lately. They're well known for plenty of heat and spice, although admittedly, the idea of eating alligator and lobster gumbo made for… an interesting flavor experience. Though I did grow up with a gator ‘wrangler’ like an uncle… most called him Crazy Tomas…. because where other gator hunters went with rifle or pistol… he went with a big ass knife, and damn if he didn't make it work. I mean, a six foot one guy pushing a gator twice and then some his own size with a nine-inch blade into the boat?” Alexis quipped. “Hmmm…. wonder if Cragadiles taste like gators,” she commented thoughtfully.

“A cragadile taste a lot like an alligator. So we gonna make up Everfree gumbo with some cragadile and hydra to give some kick. Man, haven’t had gumbo since I left my homeworld.” Edward said as he cracked his knuckles and his ingredients appear in front of him. He first started on Luna Chili with several different beans. He then started on the rue for Alexis gumbo.
Edward zip back and forth from one pot to the next adding spice here or there. One could hardly keep up as he changed gears and magic from one to another. He added powdered Uru and Powdered Proto-adamantium to the gumbo for Alexis. Edward then dished out the bowls.

“Damn. Might have to do what Yang did and open a restaurant… and I tried her applewood bacon wrapped steaks…. they're dangerously good,” Alexis remarked. “Though having her Rarity use me as an impromptu dressing dummy… well, it was decidedly odd, considering that I can shift between my natural male form and a female form… it was still awkward, though I'm pretty sure you know how Rarity is when she feels… inspired,” she quipped, half serious.

That particular Displaced was interesting, though she'd been the first ‘other’ Displaced she's met.

“I know how she can be but she’s never gotten me to model for her and she never will. I make all my own clothes. Mainly because they’re specialty clothes to help promote my magical affinities. See I can’t use pony magic unless I go through and rewrite it for myself, but I could always access the raw magic around me and channel it into gemstones and create elemental magic this way. It was actually a combo of alchemy and magic I call alchemagic.” Edward said leaning against the wall with a raised brow. “As for the gender shift I can do it too thanks to my shapeshifting skill but only do when I ABSOLUTELY have to and I don’t plan to anytime soon.”

*COUGH*

“Yuck, Luna really. Did you have to spit chili on me?” Edward says wiping off his face with the nearest rag he could find. “I mean is it really that surprising to you that I can change genders? Gross. Abc chili.”

“Sorry Ed, but it really is a shock to me. I always wondered what you’d look like as a woman though. I’d imagine you’d be quite beautiful if you were a girl. Why not give me a quick look. Please, for your wife.” Luna said giving Edward puppy dog eyes.

“NO! I will not do it.” Edward crossed his arms and turned away. “Eat your chili and then go bug Tia for a while. I left a shadow clone to do my paperwork and classes for today so I’ll be here with Alexis for the next few hours out in Equus. In here for a few months at least.”

Alexis snickered at Luna's reaction as well as her comments. “I don't know, Ōbachan, he might look like an ugly stepmother as a girl,” she remarked, the corners of her mouth just barely twitching in amusement as she ate her food, her tone and countenance innocent. She didn't miss how Luna's gaze flicked to her when she spoke. “It's a common misconception that the term ōba means ‘grandmother’. It actually means ‘aunt’ whilst sōbō means ‘grandmother’,” she clarified.

“Just watch what you say, Alexis. My wife and my sister will bury you six feet under if you say the wrong thing. Even if you don’t mean it. You said you can use shadow magic but what about dark magic?” Edward said pulling a book from his Re-equip. “Water magic.”

“Haven't tried it, so I can't be sure. Obviously, even if I had a talent for, say, necromancy, that would be one skill I could do without. It disturbs those who should be at rest, and you can never be quite certain if what you're summoning is what it claims to be,” she deadpanned.

Edward slammed his book shut and looked over to Alexis. “ Looks like I’ll just be working on your current talents then. Ice and wind magic with mid and long-range attacks.” Edward then looked to Luna with softness in his eyes. “I’ll see you three later but if you or Tia need me don’t hesitate in coming to see me in here.”

“Alright, Ed. But I doubt Tia will come in here unless she absolutely has to, of course, you know how she's been acting lately since little Nyx‘s birth, I wish she would come and talk to you about her own feelings instead of boxing them up. I know you haven’t wanted me dream-walking with the babies but I had to try to understand her somehow and you know ponies feelings manifest in our dreams as nightmares or strange dreams when something is bothering us. But I was blocked, it seems as Tia locked me out of her dream space. I’m afraid there are things eating her up that she just doesn’t want anypony to know. Even you and me,” Luna worriedly got up and head to the doors of the chamber.

Alexis tilted her head, exhaling softly before her ears twitched slightly, picking up a very faint, soft, jingling sound almost like that of a keychain. Her gaze swept cautiously around before her eyes narrowed fractionally, wary. “Trust me, I know that feeling all too well,” she murmured softly.

“I’m not Tia’s favorite subject right now Alexis. Some of the events of Nyx’s birth were way far from what I knew them to be and ended up going farther than I meant for them to go. So, she’s still ticked off with me over Twilight getting kidnapped and getting hurt. But these feelings are also in conflict with some feelings that she seems to have been harboring for me since she was a young filly,” Edward huffed scratching the back of his head. “I’ve been trying to talk to her about those feelings but the feelings of anger and the fact that she’s kept them buried for so long have her so conflicted with herself that she’s been avoiding me for a whole month now. Only to speak to me on business terms or royal duties and policies. She won’t even call me by Ed or brother only Edward, Sir Edward, or Mr.Elric. I’m at my wits end here.”

“So what? You knew of something possible, yet didn't know if it would happen or when. I get being angry, but being angry with family for too long leads to regrets that only linger, like Celestia banishing Luna… my adoptive mother doesn't know I overheard that little detail,” she sighed. It was clear that wasn't the only thing on her mind, though. “Advise that she gets a punching bag to get rid of frustrations. Nobles annoy her? Punch the bag, though I do know the temptation of punching the noble pricks all too well. Family drives her crazy? Punch the bag,” she commented.

“I don’t really think she’s angry with me so much as she’s more angry and upset with herself. See Luna and I have been trying to have children for many years now. We have adopted before but you get it. Not the same things. See alicorn mature twice as fast as normal ponies. Tia is about three or four years older than Luna is. I knew them when they were children and left when them, Tia was seven to eight and Luna was four to five. Tia would’ve have been around fourteen years old maturely at the time. According to Luna Tia had a crush on me but from the way she’s been acting since we announced the babies I think it’s more than that,” Edward looked into the training field. “I think she’s angry that she didn’t tell me how she felt first and the fact that Luna’s pregnant has finally tipped the scales in jealousy towards her sister. So she’s been trying to keep her distance from me to keep from feeling anything for me at all and she’s started to do the same with Luna now. I WISH SHE JUST CONFESS!” Edward yelled causing the room to rattle as he slammed his on the counter. “Arhaa. I know she’d feel better if she’d get those years of secrecy off her chest. Look at what it did to Luna. If she doesn’t confide in someone soon then she’ll end up turning into a demon herself. I’m going to confront her about it when she comes with me on my next outing. For now, lets deal with you shall we.”

“The sad truth is that everyone has darkness within them. The Virus that corrupted Sigma… was originally part of Zero. Though Zero assured me that what was dubbed the Nightmare Virus wouldn't affect me, yet I can sometimes feel the whispers to crush everything kind and gentle in the back of my mind. I refuse to give in to that darkness, however,” she deadpanned, noticing that her armor had gained a faint glow to it as well as silvery diamonds over the forearm guns and slashes in it, mainly alongside her ribs, over her shin guards and shoulder guards. Her boots also had thin silvery streaks that rippled with pulses of bluish fire; the faint glow was from the incorporated Uru metal, while the faintly silver segments were from the proto-adamantium.

“Too true. But this was a long coming. Should have seen the signs of Tia’s feelings myself but I was too enamored with my feelings for Luna to notice Tia’s. God’s know how much she’s suffered forth the last five thousand years. Thanks for putting up with hearing an old man's problems, Alexis. But we’re here for you problems now. That uru and proto-adamantium look’s good on you by the way,” Edward said looking at the newly incorporated metals on her armor and weapons. He then pulled up his Archive again and started to look over his magics. “One more thing I can do for you before we start training, is I give you any three Fairy Tail magics other than Forbidden and Grand spells. Still working out the kinks in the Dragon Slayer magic as I can give you the knowledge but you have to gain access to on your own via a dragon teaching you how to access dragonic magic and I have yet to successfully create a Dragon Lacrima. Any more than three and you’ll have to pay a price dictated by the Law of Equivalent Exchange. ”

“The only one I can remember off the top of my head is En no Metsujin Mahō…. Fire God Slayer Magic, if I recall the translation correctly. I don’t know of any others, unfortunately,” Alexis said softly.

“God Slayer magic is that really all you remember? Ah well, to each his own I’ll throw two more of my personal favorites to fell in the last two slots. Let’s see here,” Edward started to type on his Archive display. And pulled up a chibi Alexis with a progress bar above it. “I’m giving you Fire God Slayer magic, Archive, and Devil Slayer magic. I’ve left the Devil Slayer Magic Element slot open so you’ll have to pick whatever Element you want for it.”

Alexis shrugged. “I was never really one for sitting around watching television. And when you meet my mother, she'll confirm it. I’m the kind to act rather than watch,” she quipped. ‘Maybe this Fire God Slayer Magic will awaken Fenrir… if the fight with those Reploid doubles don't,’ she thought.

“My friend what do you think I did for over 15 millennia? Sit around on my ass all day. Well, only for two millennia because I had no choice in the matter. Moving on,” Edward quickly cut himself off at the subject. “Pick your poison of Reploid and start training. If at any point I feel like jumping in to test you I will. Just don’t hold it against me.”

Alexis smirked slightly. She knew the increased gravity would make maneuvering a challenge, but she rather relished the idea. Her eyes narrowed fractionally, sliding from one Reploid Captain to the next. “Let’s go with Storm Owl. I know he has a grudge against Zero since he once worked with Storm Eagle, who went Maverick,” she said softly. She was a bit surprised to see Storm Owl smirk at being chosen before he rolled his eyes at mentioning Zero. “That’s exactly why I’m not using his armor… and the tactics I intend to use…” she said with a smirk. Storm Owl seemed to like that idea as he stepped forward. She glanced at Frost Walrus. “No offense, big guy, but even from what memories I gained from Zero of ye, you’re still rather intimidating, but then, I’m pretty sure anyone would be intimidated by ye,” she commented, seeing Frost Walrus shift his weight. She heard Storm Owl’s wings beat as the low pitched whine of his thrusters pushed him into the air before she smirked slightly, pushing back as she slid back several feet as several energy feathers that shimmered before detonating in showers of sparks hit the ground from Storm Owl’s Feather Cannon. She wasn’t surprised that he tried to attack her when she seemingly wasn’t paying attention.

From what she recalled of the games, which was little, but more from Zero’s memories, Storm Owl was the kind to strafe and dash most often, aiming to grab with magnetic grippers embedded in his foot claws to slam those stupid enough to stand against him into the ground. She fired a few plasma-shells at Storm Owl, who evaded all but the last with quick, darting movements. He grunted with the impact of the last shell, though it dissolved in a gout of mist that seemed to block Storm Owl’s sightlines for a dash strike as he darted out of the mist cloud to her two o’clock before dashing forward, a cone of swirling air forming from the speed of his travel as he kicked up methane snow. She concentrated, a mask covering her mouth and nose as she instinctively knew inhaling it would be bad.

Her eyes narrowed, lenses sliding over her eyes as the irises bled crimson, glowing beneath the amber lenses. Storm Owl, she noted, was drawing the air around him into a swirling wind barrier, tinted a pale emerald-white tone. That was an interesting tactic, she mused, as he shot high into the air before dive-bombing her. Her eyes widened as he hit the snowy ground hard, a concussive wind shockwave distorting the air as she employed her shotgun gauntlets to dash away at high speed before she caught an icicle that had been dislodged before swinging around, employing her Dash Glide to move faster, almost as if she were ice skating yet hovering roughly half an inch off the ground. She tackled Storm Owl from behind, who grunted and rolled with her Spear before tossing her off. “You are having fun whilst training, yes? We will push you harder,” she heard Storm Owl declare. That made her blink; she wasn’t sure if that was Edward talking through the Reploid puppet, or the real Storm Owl was somewhere within that body.

Then out of the corner of her eye, Alexis caught site of a red glow. The glow kept growing bright and bright until she realized it was a series of four energy arrows. She looked to the direction the shots came to see Edward hold a large golden bow with a smile on the alchemist’s face. He pulled back on the bowstring causing a golden arrow of light to appear. Before Edward shot he called out “Mars Bane” causing the arrow to turn red as he shot it the arrow split into four shots.

“Just so you know, I’m not puppeting those Reploids. They've programmed off my knowledge of them and a few other things I threw into the programs. Also the more they fight you the more they’ll awaken of their original personalities. I sit back and watch your progress in fighting. Also, removing the limiters I placed in them since you’re so well,” Edward smile evilly snapping his fingers. This caused something in the reploids to shift as the targeted Alexis and began to put more power in their assault.

Alexis grinned. “I like that. Though I think that the games portrayed them in a rather poor light,” she deadpanned, grunting as she leaped backward as spears of ice erupted as a deep laugh escaped Frost Walrus. “Entertain me, little Hunter,” the frozen Reploid bellowed. Even as the larger Reploid spoke, Storm Owl barreled through the ice, sending shards of it flying at Alexis. She ducked and weaved, though she had to blow a few of the larger shards out of the air. She let her HUD track the arrows Edward had fired before she moved quickly, noticing at the last moment the prismatic shimmer as several of Split Mushroom's duplicates shot at her.

To her surprise, the duplicates detonated on contact with the frozen ground even as the real Split Mushroom shot over her head as she lost her footing. She shot a glance upward, seeing the arrows throw Split Mushroom back her way before she felt pain erupt in her back as Frost Walrus punted her hard. She noticed a meter rise near her HUD from the strike as she rolled several times before pushing herself to hands and knees. “Damn, Frost Walrus is a prick,” she groaned before she stood.

“Oh, you think he’s a prick for doing what he does, Aye?” Edward says from behind her. “Really I’m surprised at you lack of the ability to dodge such simple patterns in their attacks. Is the gravity too much for you.” Alexis wheeled around and quickly brought a foot up to Edward’s face but before her attack could connect was blocked by his right arm. “Not a good idea kid. Let me explain how proto-adamantium works. Just like vibranium, it absorbs any kind of force or energy that hits it but it does more damage when it releases that stored energy.”

“Sounds like Yang's Semblance she mentioned to me. She tanks damage, but builds up the energy from said damage and can really kick someone's ass,” Alexis commented. She tilted her head, noticing Split Mushroom was glaring at them both. “Why do I get the feeling he's about to do something stupid?” she thought as Split Mushroom released several projections of his Soul Body at them. Her irises shone brighter as she twisted, spinning on the balls of her feet in several rapid spins as axe heads formed on the outsides of her forearms before the blades sheared through the energy projections. She noticed the prismatic energy was consumed into the ax heads. “Huh, this could be very useful,” she remarked.

“Stupid mushroom it’s really rude to interrupt people when they’re trying to explain things to people,” Edward says walking out in an odd armor. “Know I’m getting ticked.”

Alexis’ eyes narrowed as she noticed an odd gleam in Split Mushroom's eyes, not quite a reflection, but something else… a deadly, cunning intelligence. “Shit… Edward… Sigma is acting through Split Mushroom!!” Zero warned, projecting his voice through her helmet.” That's really bad. He could well try to find a way from my Equus to yours,” she said before her eyes narrowed. She charged her Shadow Magic, feeling it respond to her will as it formed into dark amethyst spears half again the length of her forearms as the prismatic energy from the Soul Body melded into her active magic.

“Null Field,” Edward snapped his fingers and all magic but his had ceased to function. “My puppet strings won’t let you move either Sigma. No matter what body you switch too. This is my realm, not Alexis. I will not allow your presence to remain here. Even if you somehow managed to cross the Void. I will have you tell me why you meddling in the affairs of my home though.” Edward walked forward bringing the puppet bots to him looking at them all. “Come on, they will answer me. I did make them after all.”

Alexis pouted slightly, the spears winking out as the energy matrix forming them was disrupted. She could see Sigma resisting Edward’s commands. Her eyes narrowed. “I think I know what he did… he originally infected them with his Sigma Virus to gain their loyalty, save for Split Mushroom specifically. He dragged his carcass from the literal discard pile… and being that, if I'm right, you tapped Zero's memories and by extension the data to create them… the data infected by Sigma, and I suspected from the games that it seemed far too… simple. You can see through the eyes of those you infect with your Sigma Virus, can’t you?”

Sigma, through the Reploid puppet, sneered. “It wasn't hard to notice the surge of energy. As for your pitiful skills, they will not stop me, as my powers are technological, not magical. Those foolish ponies don't realize my true power and won't until it is far too late!!” he growled.

“I’m pretty certain my abilities are magitech, though I’m almost certain that his, aren't,” Alexis deadpanned. “And by the way,” she deadpanned before kicking Sigma's puppet between the legs hard enough to lift him several feet off the icy ground. “Damn, that's satisfying,” she said with a smirk.

“Your half right. My power is what I call alchemagic. The best part is I can do this,” Edward raised his hand up to his chest as a red sphere formed above it. “Destruction. Close to DBZ. So, nothing of you three will exist in 3.. 2…1,” Edward flicked the sphere at all three bots and as it hit them were consumed in a glow of red with not even dust left. “Tainting my creation with its disgusting virus.”

“Storm Owl couldn't let go of his grudges towards X or Zero, which led him to go Maverick. I suspect he ran across Sigma at some point before that. Frost Walrus… he was an outright bully and was feared amongst his underlings. I doubt it took much from Sigma to turn him, just like Split Mushroom,” she sighed. “What sorts of combatants can we fight without Sigma sticking his ugly ass in?” she said wryly.

“Do you want something that’ll push to awaken a new power or just something that’ll hone your current skill set? Course we can always do both.” Edward smiled at her.

“Definitely both. With those three, I could feel X, Axl, and Fefnir stirring, though I half suspect both Axl and X felt Sigma,” Alexis commented. “They mentioned something about Transformers earlier, and I'm admittedly curious about that, but I get the feeling it might not be a good topic,” she commented. “I wouldn’t be surprised if Fefnir awakens from that… Fire God Slayer Magic… when I tap into it. He was always a hot-headed idiot,” she sighed; from what Harpuia and Leviathan told her, she already saw the infamous battle loving Reploid as an annoying little brother.

“It’s really not the best thing for me right now. Long story short while I was away on a summon I lost something that I was very important and can’t be replaced,” Edward tone died off towards the end. “Sorry, about that. Now, if you really want a challenge that’ll push you to awaken you power then I’ll be more than happy to put up a good fight. Displaced often fight with one another to test their powers as there usually aren’t any on Equus or whatever planet they’re sent to who can match them in terms of abilities or power. It’s up to of course.”

Alexis shrugged. “Can’t hurt. I've sparred with Shining Armor, though he's going for Captain of the Guard back home. His defensive strength against my offensive is pretty even, although both of us tend to hold back a bit,” she said wryly. She rolled her shoulders as she inhaled deeply, tiny arcs of purplish black flames flickering over her armor, showing her Fire God Slayer Magic was very close to being active.

“You won’t be able to use any of your magic or magic-based attacks as long as Null Field remains active Alexis,” Edward cracked his left hand. “Shining is my nephew here and he almost won in a fight with me when I first woke up a little over seven or eight months ago. He was at the level I was when I beat the minotaur king but I was out of shape due to my sleep,” Edward place his armor in his Re-equip. “Then I face off with my nephew Adam Taurus’s Celestia in Solar form. She really made me work for that one. Would’ve kept it up for days and won if my niece hadn’t butted in with her Fairy Sphere. It ended in a draw due to use being cut off from our magic supplies. Fyi, that won’t work on me anymore.”

Edward placed his feet apart from each other and took in a deep breath. Closing his eyes he clapped his hands together and his body began to glow silver and give off red electricity. He opened his eyes and spoke in a foreboding tone. “Seals of Sin release.” Edwards body began to shift into an armored demonic form. Once he was done he stuck the air behind causing it to crack and shatter like glass leaving an open space to which he pulled a two-handed long sword from the space before it sealed itself back up. “Tell you what kid. I’ll push you in my demon armor for along with giving you a taste of what it means to face an army of capable warriors.” Edward pointed his sword at Alexis as he smiled. His shadow expanded behind him and started to rise and take on his form in a huge army of shadowy clones. “This is my semblance Army of One.”

Alexis blinked. “You’re implying that I might have a Semblance as well, though I have to admit I’m curious about that,” she commented. She let her feet spread apart as she hovered slightly off the ground. As she did, the ax heads lengthened up her forearms almost to her elbows in slightly curving blades. She knew of RWBY from the memories she'd regained upon gaining the arms of the Onyx Armor. “Everything that as a soul can exhibit a Semblance,” she recalled.

“As Displaced we gain new abilities from not only other Displaced that are willing to give or teach us new abilities but we also unlock new skills and abilities from just visiting worlds we’re summoned to. You said you visited a Yang Displaced so that got me thinking you might have a semblance. I got mine from my nephew who is an Adam Taurus Displaced,” Edward explained as he retracted his clones. “Semblances as manifestations of some part of ourselves that we want to use to either hide or protect ourselves or they can be a representation of some deep desire in our hearts. Mine is from the fact that I wanted to be unburdened from the souls in my body. Thus giving them a way to manifest independently and feel the world. The result is my shadow produces an unset number of clones but they don’t feel in any way. Hell, they won’t stop unless you cut off their heads.”

Alexis hummed thoughtfully. She did recall watching the web series at some point, though at a certain point, she got bored of watching it. “From the fact that your armor has a demonic appearance almost like a Devil Trigger… I’d guess that those ‘Seals of Sin’ would refer to not only the Homunculi but also that some of those souls within you were assholes, for lack of a better term?” she remarked wryly. She could feel the slightest itching in the back of her mind at that particular phrase before she paused, like a dream half-forgotten. She could feel something tingling just beneath her skin. As if it was something that had slept for a very long time yet wanted to wake up. “Could a Semblance be a part of yourself that hasn’t awoken yet? Or hasn’t woken fully?” she said softly, a slight frown crossing her face.

“Yes, it can actually. A semblance is also a manifestation of a part of your soul. In order to invoke it, you must draw out your aura. This is literally you soul forming around and shielding you while also augmenting your physical body. Aura can be used offensively or defensively,” he explained as held his hand up showing off a silver glow around it. “It might have to do with your memory loss as to what you feeling. It usually takes a few things to trigger a semblance. A. A traumatic experience. B. A specific feeling and action of whatever is going on. C. years of training. Like any skill or power, there are any number of ways to access it but these are the most common. As form my armor yes the Seals of Sin are for my Homunculus powers but that all. My armor is the Manifestation of the entity that was born of my own self-hatred and the collective hatred of the souls in my body have for me. It’s not even my true form. My real self is uglier than sin itself and promptly named Embodiment of Sin.”

Edward reverted back to his human form while is sword faded to dust. A chair formed behind the alchemist as he sat down he rested his chin on his metal arm. Edward looked over Alexis and thought a bit before he spoke. “You said you were originally male. Why do you chose to remain in your female form and even chose to take the name, Alexis? Alex can be used as either a man or woman’s nickname so I get it if it’s this concept. Not trying to step on your toes, I’m just trying to understand you and help you with your powers. It could tie into your semblance is why I ask.”

“Not sure about the female form detail, though I do know that it was influenced by Harpuia and Leviathan. And Alexis is actually my middle name,” Alexis commented. “Needless to say, it was confusing why I shifted to female when Yang summoned me… but I've gotten used to it as I tried shifting to male form to convince Yang's Rarity, but it was like I was locked into my female form,” she sighed. “I’m not quite sure what the Merchant did to me, but whatever it did, it enhanced my body quite a bit. I freaked my mother out when I jumped off of a balcony at four and a half stories… created a pretty good spider-web pattern when I hit the ground and the landing stung, considering I was barefoot,” she commented wryly.

“It’s not actually the merchants that change our bodies but the void when we pass through it to come to our Equus. Some of us get lucky and happen to get a bit more of its power and or develop an ability to use the void’s power. Be careful around those types of Displaced. This means they’re pretty close or are already capable of becoming the next step in our evolution. We call these Void Dwellers. You can either evolve into one by gaining enough power, be forced into by being pushed out of Equus, or lose your world while surviving its destruction. There are those who destroy their own worlds in order to gain the power of the void. Point is we all turn into the things at some point.,” he explained getting up from his chair. “Before you ask I can be one but don’t want to be. Perfectly happy living here, especially since I have a family on the way now.”

Alexis blinked, cocking her head. “That is one thing I’d never do… destroy my own world for my own gain… though I don’t know how someone would ‘lose their world while surviving its destruction’... but then, what most might consider to be ‘common’ sense kinda jumped off the cliff into Hell when I bought those BioMetals,” she sighed, shrugging. She had noticed wavering pulses in the ambient energy in her Equus, though she didn’t know what the source could be.

“Ya alright there kid? Something going on back home?” Edward tilted his head. “Noticed that your void energy wavered there for a bit.”

“Just thinking. I had noticed, back home, that there were… odd… pulses through the ambient magic in the air, like something, went active, then went dormant. It’s only at certain times, strangely. But the energy from it lingers, whatever it is. It’s… dense, yet at the same time, feels almost like it’s not quite active. I can’t really explain it as I’ve noticed it only once for a short time, but the feel of it was… unusual,” she said thoughtfully. She was unaware that what she was sensing was a particular mirror that doubled as a portal. “I’m sure of this much: whatever it was, the energy leak goes both ways. It’s slight, but if one can feel it, it’s more noticeable. It might be because I seem to be able to absorb magic and kinetic-based attacks.

“Hmm. Let me try something,” Edward brought up a mirror and pulled out a black key and placed it on the mirror. The mirror began to ripple like water and the turned black. “Did it feel something like the feeling you get when I do this,” Edward put his hand on the mirror and it went through. “If it does then I might have the answer for you.”

Alexis’ eyes widened fractionally. The sensation tingled and down her spine. It was quite a bit stronger due to the proximity, she was certain. “Hai,” she said softly. She didn't realize her wings were partially unfurled in a near ‘wingboner’.

“Might want to do something about those,” Edward pointing behind her causing to blush. “Hm, this is bad. Like really bad. It means there’s an active mirror portal in your world. There’s only one other one here but any mirror can be used as a portal with these keys but you go to my wife’s Dark Library if you use a key. The other leads to an alternate Equus. Every Equus has these mirror portals, some more than a few, that were created by their respective Starswirl the Bearded. Somehow your’s must have become stable enough for someone to use on a somewhat regular basis.”

“So… from what I can figure, the Multiverse, to some extent, does exist. But whom would have reason to use a…. mirror portal? I mean, if lighthearted, good-beats-evil versions exist then conceivably, a dark counterpart to said version exists,” Alexis figured, thinking aloud as her wings flapped a couple of times before settling against her shoulders. Admittedly, before being Displaced, she didn't even know of anything similar to what she was now living, namely of other worlds, and said so.

“Technically it’s an omniverse we live in if you think of it like that. But there are dark variants out there from what I’ve heard. As for who's using it I can only speculate. First, it could be your mother’s old student Sunset Shimmer that left when Tia didn’t give her the power she thought she deserved and when she left she went through Starswirl’s first mirror portal. The thing is I have no clue what it’s like on the other side as I was entombed the last time it was opened.” Edward explained dispelling his mirror. “Maybe I can get her back from the other side someday.”

“I guess so. Somehow, though, and call it a gut feeling… I don't think it's her. It feels… strangely familiar, almost like something you recognize, yet can't remember why or where you've seen it?” Alexis said softly, thinking.

“Maybe it’s someone or something to do with your past. Someone you wear displaced with but they were sent to another spot,” He thought aloud. “You need to hone your magic sensing abilities in order to pinpoint where the portal is. Not many have that inborn ability like that. You should tell your mother so she can help you better your sense with magically augment your body and other sixth sense.”

Alexis cocked her head. “I don't remember anyone else being near me when I purchased the BioMetals, but anything's possible. For all I know, someone else could have purchased something from that same wanker. I'll give him this, though, he could make some damn impressive recreations,” she commented as she formed her Zeta Saber, the golden red energy blade flaring out with a soft buzz. “For example, the version of this I purchased was made of clear quartz layered over golden topaz. Fully retractable to boot,” she commented. She had to admit she was very curious how'd he done that.

“Sometimes it won’t be someone near you but someone who later gets an object from the merchant later on. Sometimes it can take years before they show up.” Edward explained.

“So, it is possible if someone else was Displaced, it could be someone I don’t know, but might just recognize on sight, somehow,” Alexis thought. “So… what, some people drift through the Void slower than others? Are these ‘Merchants’ Void Dwellers themselves?” she said thoughtfully.

“Yes and yes. The Void is in a sense alive and lets people come through it as it sees fit. Merchants are Void Dwellers but they tend to stick to making Displaced. I suggest if you can make friends with a merchant then do it. The Merchants are actually more powerful than normal Void Dwellers but they have to adhere to a stricter set of rules,” Edward walked looking to the sky of the chamber. “My master knows a Merchant and they’re great friends. He stopped me from completely wiping out all life on Cybertron in a fit of rage.”

“Don’t tell me… it was a version of Equus where that self-proclaimed Queen Bitch from the Last Knight existed?” Alexis quipped. She saw his gaze shift to her with a clear surprise for just a moment. “I guess we should be glad there isn’t one we’ve encountered where the Xenomorphs are… those are creepy damn things,” she said wryly. She had no idea, but she was guessing. “I do know that if I run into that Merchant that ripped us from Earth, I’m going to first kick him in the balls… then… I don’t know….” she thought. She’d considered hugging him but doubted she’d be likely to run across him. “What would happen if someone were able… to kill one of those Merchants? Just curious,” she said softly, thinking.

“Yes it was and she gathered a coalition of Megatrons from across the multiverse of that dimension. That I can’t tell you. Merchant’s tend to have their feelings closed off for the most part. They do look out for each other from what I’ve heard. It takes a lot to earn their trust unless they just like from the first time they meet you,” Edward summons a glass of coffee. “If someone is regularly using a mirror portal then that means they have a great understanding of Starswirl’s magic and they are extremely powerful. Make sure that your mother knows of this. I don’t normally judge people before meeting them but she sounds like a very understanding and loving woman. Even for a Celestia.”

“She's protective, although when she gets annoyed, like around some of the more… annoying nobles… she can be a little blunt,” Alexis admitted. To say when her adoptive mother was annoyed she was blunt was like saying you could ‘just hammer a nail with a sledgehammer’. “You said something about an ‘alternate Equus’ earlier. What does that mean, precisely?” she said carefully.

“Every Equus has an alternate to it if Starswirl existed in it. When Displaced are summoned we cross over Dimensions not worlds. Thus omniverse instead of a multiverse. You said it yourself earlier. Many of the same but also different such as dark mirrors of each other or possibly were one world has humans while its mirror linked counterpart is ponies,” Edward took a swig of his coffee. “I’ve seen ponies, anthro ponies, straight humans, and my world is humans with ponyish features. You’ll never know until you see.”

Alexis cocked her head thoughtfully. “Somehow, I get the strange feeling that certain events, to some extent, are… ‘linchpin events’.. where they tend to, for the most part, play out in mostly the same way, hai?” she said thoughtfully.

“Correct. Like how Nyx was born here a month ago. Things happened that I couldn’t prevent and things happened beyond my knowledge as well. Like you just said Certain events must and will happen. Only if something is extremely powerful can it change fate but not without great consequence,” Edward agreed.

Alexis was struck by an image in her mind, then, which set her to giggle. “I was just struck by the most ridiculous image in my mind… of Luna spanking Celestia…. though I do get what you're saying. Even if one were strong enough to prevent one event, then it's possible, even likely, that something unforeseen would occur, potentially worse,” she said wryly. She thought she saw Edward smirk as if the thought amused him.

“Events that are to come may change even if it’s a smallest of change as a bottle falling on the floor. Look at me, over fifteen thousand years of wandering the planet and I caused Nyx’s creation partially. Now, I’m running automail shops for the ponies not to mention an engineering school. All while I’m finally going to be a father,” Edward smiled at her. “Never miss a step, Alexis.”

“Or you'll be bound to trip over your own feet,” Alexis quipped with a straight face. She shivered as she hadn't forgotten the first time a certain very irritating ‘Prince’ saw her female form. “I can definitely say there is little to no chance that I'd sleep with a stallion… especially Blueballs,” she muttered.

“He’s an ass but he’s also your family just slap him if he annoys you to much. First time I met my nephew he was the typical ass. Then Tia had a wonderful idea, for him to go through the guards’ training program that I came up with for the elite guard. Now all he wants to do is kick my butt and surpass me in combat. He can still be a pompous ass when it comes to certain things but Blues actually turned into a stallion I’m proud of. The ladies are certainly seeing him in the same light if not more so and that where he starts to act with a big head again until one slaps him across the face. Made it leg for the nobles to be brought down a peg and the one that did it can’t be touched as long as it’s justified.” Edward walked around in circles thinking on who else could be using the mirror portal beside Sunset, Starswirl, or another Displaced. “Who could it be?”