Chapter 6:

Long locks of golden hair swirled about pale skin and white garments that covered the body entirely. Outwardly, its form was human, not unlike that of Kamijou Touma, who lay unconscious on the ground. But it was obvious that it was not human. Its figure was thin, almost frail-looking, the shape of its body and face appearing more feminine than anything else. Its figure was too vaguely luminous to be mortal. Its expression seemed composed of many emotions at once and yet gave the sense of emotions that the Princess could not understand, instead just giving off a sense of overbearing calm above all else.

"Hello," it said.

"W-who-who are you?" stammered Luna, her mind faltering as she tried to piece together all the incomprehensible things that seemed to be happening at once.

"Let me explain," it said, before pausing slightly, "No, there is too much. Let me sum up. I am not certain what word in your world you might use to describe me, but among humans I am generally known as an skldjfANGELwncdu...I mean angel. Damn..."

Luna's ears flicked as she heard its voice distort strangely.

"I apologize," it said, "I'm afraid I cannot articulate that level of meaning in this world. In that sense, both your world and the world Kamijou Touma came from are on the same level. I will try to keep this understandable, but it will be...difficult.

"Suffice to say, I am an aneisEXISTENCEakcur...I mean existence that was called forth into Kamijou Touma's world by a magician named Aleister, who sought certain knowledge from me. You may call me Aiwass."

Luna's eyes narrowed. "But why are you here? What reason do you have to interfere in this world?"

Aiwass tilted its head, as though it didn't quite understand the question. "Is that not obvious? I came because Kamijou Touma is here, or rather, I have come to rectify that fact, to remove the foreign element I introduced to this world."

"What do you mean?"

Aiwass spread its arms. "Ah, but it is obvious when you think about it. Imagine Breaker, the power contained in Kamijou Touma's right hand, is the power to 'negate any supernatural phenomenon it comes in contact with.' Its capacity is effective even against the magic of this world, including the magic of your sister, whom he defeated. What then then is the essential question?"

The gears within Luna's mind clicked into place at the exact moment the words left Aiwass' mouth.

"If his power nullifies all forms of magic, how then did Celestia's magic bring him to this world without being neutralized itself?"

Luna's jaw dropped as she wondered how such an obvious question had escaped her. The time she and her mages had spent trying to find a way to return the human to his home had been stymied by that single fact lying in the secret of his right hand. And yet, for some reason, the question of how that had not hindered Corona's summoning of him in the first place, had evaded her.

Aiwass continued. "The answer is, because I enabled it to."

Luna blinked in confusion. "Why?"

"Because I was bored." There wasn't even the slightest hint of hesitation in its voice. "I sensed Celestia's intrusion into Kamijou Touma's world. I also sensed her magic try and bring him to this world. I was interested to see the effect the entity known as Kamijou Touma would have if he were to come to this world, so I prevented his power from destroying the spell."

Simmering anger gathered in Luna's gut as Aiwass spoke. It had allowed an innocent human to be displaced from his home and get thrown into a battle in which he had no reason to be involved solely for its own amusement. However, her temper was kept in check by the unfathomable strength that Aiwass had used to render Trixie and the others unconscious in an instant without the slightest hint of an attack.

Aiwass blinked and, for the first time, a truly recognizable expression appeared on its face, one of surprise. "This is intriguing. You are not reacting as I calculated. I had thought that when you heard that, you would have attacked me and been knocked down already. Perhaps that is the limit of my understanding in this world."

Luna frowned. "So what do you intend to do now?"

"Now that the diversion is over, I will bring Kamijou Touma back to his world. Since the timelines between your world and his are not enaciSYNCHklskn I mean linked, I will be able to return him to the exact moment he was taken without difficulty. I might have done otherwise, but Aleister does not want me to play around anymore, I will have to do as he wishes."

"So that's it?" asked Luna in frustration, "You throw this poor boy into this world for your own amusement. And when you've had your fun, you simply take him back as though nothing happened? Do you have no compassion for the lives he has touched?"

Aiwass frowned. "I would like to explain it to you fully, but I cannot remain in this world indefinitely. At best, I can wait until Aleister is finished before I will have to leave. You see, I am not actually 'here' in the sense that you understand it.

"I could technically say that I have aneifnAPPEARamvd...I mean appeared in the same manner that I have in Kamijou Touma's world, but that is insufficient." It sighed. "It is hard, compensating for the language; but I will try harder. Because I have been made to appear in Kamijou Touma's world, my...body...no...my form was derived from the concentrated AIM Diffusion fields in Academy City using the form of...well...you don't really need to hear that part. I have not actually appeared in this world. Rather, what you see before you is more akin to a projection, like using a prism to bend the path of light so that it can be directed to a different place.

"Suffice to say, I have had to utilize something in this world as a prism to allow me to...manifest...before you. To accomplish that, I used the...what word would work here...fragments, I suppose...yes, fragments in your possession right now."

Luna's horn glimmered, calling into being before her an ornate chest, tightly locked. Within were the weapons she had brought to allow Trixie and the others to fight Corona, the Elements of Harmony. "Are you saying that you used these to come to this world."

"A bit overly simple," said Aiwass, "But close enough to be considered correct. It surprised me to find something like this. In Kamijou Touma's world, those would most likely be considered spiritual items. But it is surprising to find such items that would allow one to wield power from the dkaieAEONcifscxif of Horus, even though the wielders are from Osiris' time."

"I don't understand," said Luna as Aiwass' attempts to explain again seemed to be stymied by the limitations of Equestrian language.

"I do not have the time to explain in full. Suffice to say that it is a higher order of power than what even you or your sister can command. How it operates is currently beyond your comprehension, though you may have ideas. It is at the same level as Imagine Breaker. There is also another in this world who possesses the same power. I believe those fragments may be what contained it."

Luna gulped, realizing just who Aiwass was referring to.

"To give you an example," Aiwass continued, "I would refer to Kamijou Touma's actions. His behavior here is not unique. He has done similar things back in his world. Though his power is considered to be nothing more than 'the ability to neutralize any supernatural phenomenon that comes into contact with his right hand' the things that he manages to accomplish seem impossible to one who possesses such a limited ability. Rather, he often accomplishes his goals, however impossible they may seem, through a unique confluence of circumstance, opportunity, and the actions of others. Some would simply call this phenomenon 'luck.' However, it could also be described as an extension of Kamijou Touma's true ability."

Luna raised an eyebrow. "True ability?"

Aiwass seemed to flinch, cocking its head as though it was listening to something or someone that Luna could not hear. "Ah. I am nearly out of time, so I had better finish what I can. The basic way of explaining it is that Imagine Breaker is not merely an ability that neutralizes supernatural phenomena. Rather, that is a secondary quality of its true nature. When powers clash, the power of a higher order will naturally erase a power of a lower order. This can be countered somewhat through the application of sheer volume, as your sister attempted during their battle. However, Touma perceives nullification to be his ability because he does not realize the true nature of Imagine Breaker."

Aiwass lifted its arm, hefting Kamijou Touma by the back of his shirt. Though it had not moved an inch from the spot where it had first appeared, it had picked up Touma as though it had been standing next to him all along. "I will have to leave it there, as my time is up. I will leave you with this. Should Kamijou Touma realize the truth of Imagine Breaker, even returning to this world would not be beyond his capability. Even without my interference, you may yet see him again. Moreover, if your ponies come to truly understand how to use the fragments, the inverse may be possible as well.

"Aleister wishes for me to erase Kamijou Touma's memories to prevent them from affecting his calculations. But forcing Kamijou Touma to endure further damage to his brain would also be problematic, so I will compromise instead. I shall partition Kamijou Touma's memories of this incident and take them into the kmcjrtRECORDrnaosl, where they will remain sealed until he has obtained wjislaACCESSklejfha. Accomplishing that should fulfill the criteria that is needed for Kamijou Touma to return to this world. It is not much, but I will leave you what little hope I can."

Aiwass' lips curled in an acceptable approximation of a smile. "Farewell. It has been...interesting."

And then, Aiwass was gone, and Kamijou Touma with it. There was no fanfare, no breaking apart of their forms like scattering dust. One second they were there, the next, they simply...weren't.

Luna looked at the prone forms of her ponies in concern. They were beginning to stir now. She wondered how she would break the news to them. They had all become quite attached to the human in the time he had spent in Equestria, Raindrops in particular. She had the feeling that they would not take Touma's abrupt departure very well at all.

Even as Luna appeared before Touma and the others, Celestia managed to return to her temporary lair. She slumped to the ground, her body exhausted from the magic she had used. Zecora, upon seeing Celestia's arrival, moved to help her. Looking around at the modest trappings of her temporary home, Celestia let out a sigh of relief. She was safe.

"That maggot!" she gasped, "That vermin! How could such a creature best me in open battle with nothing more than his primitive fists?"

"It is not so difficult to imagine. That hand once struck down a foe who could legitimately have been said to have reached the level of La Persona Superiore a Dio. Compared to that, a strength such as yours is a paltry thing."

DON!

Celestia let out a cry of pain as she slammed into the stone wall of the room with enough force to crack the rock, leaving an imprint of her form in the wall. Zecora whirled about, unsure about whether to run to her queen's side or strike at her attacker, but was spared the decision when another attack batted the zebra across the room, knocking her unconscious in an instant.

With a low groan, Celestia lifted her head to look at her attacker. It was another human, but completely different from Kamijou Touma. His body had the appearance of a man, yet also a woman, that of an adult, yet also a child, that of a saint, yet also a sinner. His silvery hair cascaded down past his shoulders and his body was clothed in a plain green gown. Celestia realized in an instant that, in her condition, she was no match for this interloper. No! She realized, even if she were at the peak of her strength, she would be no match for the human before her.

"Wh-what do you want," she managed to gasp.

"I have come to fetch that which you have taken," said the man simply, "Actually, Aiwass is taking care of that, I suppose. So instead, I have come to impress upon you the importance of not reaching beyond your station. The Imagine Breaker that you stole from me is an important piece in my plans."

"That right hand? Or is it that thing within the arm?" asked Celestia.

"It is not something you need concern yourself with," replied the man easily, "One such as you is fixed to this world's equivalent of the Aeon of Osiris. You have no hope of grasping the truth in your current state."

"What do you want with me then?"

"I had thought to completely relieve you of the memory of your encounter with Imagine Breaker. However, if I did that, I imagine that you might be motivated to meddle with my world once again. You are fortunate that he can be returned to the same time he was taken, so your actions will not alter my calculations once the proper steps have been taken. It is only for that reason that you remain alive. Instead, I will make certain that you are unable to breach the boundaries between our worlds again."

He lifted his hand, as though grasping an invisible staff. Even though she could not see anything, Celestia could feel the presence of something that did not exist in the same sense that she did, something that gave the illusion of a silver staff.

"And so, Celestia Equestris, I shall leave you with this final impression, that you might confine your antics to this world from now on."

"Who are you?" asked Celestia as the man raised the staff.

"You may know me as Aleister Crowley. There is nothing more to be said." He swung the staff and Celestia knew pain like she had never known before.

It was cool in the shade beneath the tree. Raindrops' blank stare settled at a vaguely upward angle, as though she was contemplating the empty sky. The battle had only been a few hours ago. Fortunately, because the quarry was a safe distance away from town, no damage had been done to Ponyville. The ponies had resumed their lives with little fanfare, content in having escaped Corona's wrath yet again. Some, like Applejack, seemed even more at ease, knowing that Touma was no longer living among them.

Raindrops hadn't said a word. She had simply gone to the tree where she had spent many an hour with Touma, watching the world go by, and sat. Nopony bothered her. Given her reputation, nopony wanted to provoke her either, so they let her be.

As it was, she was barely conscious of the warm body settling at her side. Trixie rested next to her, leaning up against the jasmine pegasus lightly. For a moment, nothing happened. Then, slowly, Raindrops lowered her head and rested it against Trixie's shoulder. The tears leaking from Raindrops' eyes were few and far between and her sobs were almost inaudible, but they didn't escape Trixie's notice.

"I'm sorry," she said softly.

"We woke up," said Raindrops, her voice choked, "And he was just gone. I...I...I didn't even get to say goodbye!"

Trixie reached out with her foreleg and pulled Raindrops against her. "He really was important to you, wasn't he?"

"He was the first pony-I mean the first person in a long time to really get through to me," she said, "I don't think I've felt that anypony understood me as well as he did."

"So what will you do?" asked Trixie.

Raindrops' gave one last sniffle before lifting her head and smiling at Trixie. "I'll see him again someday," she declared, "And when I do, I'm going to show him that he was right about me, that I can change."

"Will you wait for him?"

Raindrops shook her head. "Nah. He wouldn't want me to waste my life just waiting around. Besides, I won't be able to change anything if I just do nothing. No. Someday, I'll find him and show him what I've made of myself."

"I'm glad to hear that," said Trixie, "We'll all help as much as we can."

"Thanks Trixie," said Raindrops. Together, they turned and relaxed, watching the sky as the day went by around them. Even though he had appeared in their lives abruptly and disappeared just as quickly, there was no question of the impression that Kamijou Touma had left upon the world. Even though he was gone for now, he had left behind the hope that gave them the strength to move forward.

Author's Notes:

Yeah, I know it's a bit of a cheap trick to have someone show up and restore the status quo with a wave of his hand, but I'd been planning this from the word "go." Besides, Aiwass is best Deus Ex Machina, particularly since, in the Toaruverse, he technically ranks higher than God.

And so, this is it for the story, for now. I might throw some omakes in later on down the line, some "what if" bits purely for comedy value.