Dimension: Magic Tree House

Planet: Earth

Specific Location: Honolulu, Hawaii

Time: 2014 A.D., ten days after the Paradox took control of Equestria

Wild looked around at his surroundings. He was on a small beach in a quiet cove. He glanced at Alyss who was looking around as well.

"Desmond is here?" asked Wild in a cynical voice.

Alyss smiled and nodded. "Emilee Walter enjoys beaches, and you know how Desmond will go to the ends of the multiverse to make her happy. I believe they are taking leave here. They were both fairly bruised and beaten during defending a village in the Looking for Group dimension with me against a large band of demons. That was before the Paradox invaded the Infernal Realm. Now we have no demons at all. Perhaps we should be thanking the Paradox for doing the impossible: bringing the Grand Demon to his knees."

Wild gave Alyss a side-long glance. "Yeah. Sure. We can thank him after he activates the Tree of Harmony."

Alyss sighed. "I suppose you are right. Well, follow me. Desmond has a small house over by that palm tree grove."

Wild and Alyss moved off in that direction side-by-side.

"What has Desmond been doing all this time, then?" asked Wild as they walked.

"He's been trying to gather about him people he can trust," replied Alyss, her eyes straight ahead.

"Any luck?"

"No. There are probably only twenty Dimensional Travelers who can call themselves heroes now. It is terrible."

"I would like to point out that it was the Paradox's plan that brought about the Era of Anarchy. He rigged the traveler database to sow dissent and lies."

"I know. Wild, I understand that you don't trust me, but you must understand that I am with you. The Paradox must be brought down."

With that, the two pushed through a couple of tropical bushes and entered a clearing of palm trees. A small bungalow sat in the middle of the clearing. Outside, on a large blanket, was a young man, about 1.7 meters in height, broad build, with snow-white hair was lying on the blanket. A girl about 1.6 meters in height, scrawny build, with flowing golden hair was lying next to him, her head propped against his shoulder. The two were sleeping peacefully. Wild inspected the two. Despite the fact that the two were fast asleep, Desmond had his right hand placed defensively on Emilee's left shoulder. Wild could tell that he would be able to move to protect her at a moment's notice. Knowing the perilous life that a traveler lead, Wild could imagine how many times that position of that hand had saved Emilee's life.

"Emilee is the second non-traveler human to travel the multiverse, besides Trent DeWhite," whispered Alyss. After a pause, she said, "I will wake them. You stay here. Your legacy is less than friendly."

Wild nodded in acknowledgment, and Alyss strolled up to the two sleeping forms of Desmond and Emilee. Alyss squatted down and gently shook Desmond's left shoulder. Desmond grumbled a little, then his eyes snapped open and he quickly sat up. However, he calmed down when he saw Alyss.

"Alyss," said Desmond quietly, glancing at Emilee to make sure she was okay. He smiled as Emilee murmured a little, but stayed fast asleep. He then glanced back at Alyss and said, in hushed tones, "What do you want?"

"I have someone who wishes to talk to you," whispered Alyss. She then motioned to Wild. Desmond's eyes immediately light with an internal fire, and he whipped out a beretta 45 custom cutlass handgun, a weapon that he kept on his person at all times. Wild immediately threw up a shield of pure shadow energy around him. The two beings stared at each other for a moment. Finally, Wild said, "I am not here to hurt you, Desmond."

"I'm not worried about myself. Last time you were nearby, you turned into that monster… Feral… and attacked Emilee," said Desmond, his eyes still filled with anger.

"I lost control of myself," said Wild, carefully choosing his words, "But now I need us to put aside our personal vendettas of each other and work together."

"Why should I help you?" asked Desmond. Suddenly Emilee opened her eyes and smiled a bright smile.

"Because it's the right thing, Desmond," she said calmly. She sat up and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. She looked at Alyss and smiled sweetly, "Hello Alyss! How are you?"

Alyss nodded her head, almost regally, "I am doing fine Emilee." It was obvious that Alyss was wary of Emilee due to the fact that she was a dimensionally-travelling non-traveler.

Emilee then turned her bright eyes to gaze upon Wild. Wild felt like a deer in headlights when she looked at him with her innocent, yet wise, eyes.

"Emilee," he said, "I am sorry for attacking you."

Emilee winked. "It was nothing. I only needed twelve stitches. I forgive you."

Wild gaped, and Desmond smiled. He put an arm around Emilee and said, "Well, if she's good with you, then I suppose there would be nothing wrong with hearing what you have to say. What do you need done?"

"I am sure Alyss has already told you about the treachery of the Paradox, and how the Harmony Tree dimension, which is now under his control, is actually a weapon of mass destruction," started Wild.

Desmond nodded his head. "Alyss has told us everything. I've done a bit of digging and can say truthfully that I understand the magnitude of the Paradox's crimes now. He must be brought to justice, and it is the right thing to do."

Wild grinned. Though he himself was slowly beginning to understand what it meant to be a hero thanks to the mentoring of Finnian Jones, he still was greatly amused (in a somewhat cynical way) when anyone ever mentioned the words "justice," "right," or "good."

"Wonderful," he said, "I need you two to come with me. I will explain the job when we get there."

Desmond nodded. But before he got up, he leaned in close to Emilee.

"Are you up to the job, Emilee?" he whispered, his voice full of concern, "You broke your leg pretty bad in that fall."

Emilee glanced at her left leg. Then she looked at Desmond and whispered back, "It's all fine now. Let's do it! We haven't really done anything amazing as a team recently."

With that, Desmond got up. He held out a hand to Emilee, and helped her up on her feet as well. Then he turned to Wild and said, "Okay. Lead on, Wild."

Wild closed his eyes and searched his mind for the location of Abbington Falls using the special mental trick Jetfire had showed him a couple of days ago. In a couple of minutes he found it and opened a portal.

"Enter," he said with a grin.

Emilee winked at Wild and stepped through. Desmond nodded in thanks to Wild and followed her. Wild then turned to Alyss and said, "Do you wish to come with us?"

Alyss crossed her arms and shook her head. "No. I will continue to work against the Paradox on my own. The best of luck to you, my friend."

Wild bowed his head deeply in respect. "I wish you all the luck in the world, Alyss Heart."

Alyss gave him a genuine smile. Wild then turned and exited through the portal.

As he entered Abbington Falls, he saw Emilee hugging Finnian Jones tightly.

"Ah, Emilee," said Finnian happily, "You are a sight for sore eyes. When we met in the Clifford dimension, I felt sure it would be for the last time. I have been worried about you ever since."

"Well, I've had a couple of close calls here and there," said Emilee happily, releasing Finnian, "But Desmond takes good care of me."

"More like she takes good care of me," said Desmond quietly. He looked rather nervous with all the people around him, especially Mattimeo and Doxia, but didn't let it show too much.

"What do you need?" asked Desmond after a pause.

"We need you two to infiltrate the Skyrim dimension," said Mattimeo decisively, "We need you two to find a unique source of Imagination Energy."

Desmond nodded his head, "That sounds easy enough. Where is it?"

"That's the difficult part, kiddo," said Doxia, "We don't have the slightest darned idea. It's in the dimension, the scans confirm it, but we have no way of localizing it using mere scanners."

"That is where you two come in," continued Mattimeo, "You two will go to the planet and search for it the hard way. However, you two will have to be careful. Considering the fact that we can detect the unique energy signature using our scanners, we must also assume that the Paradox can sense the energy signature as well. No doubt he will have sent troopers, or worse, travelers, to find it as well. However, you two will have an advantage."

Mattimeo nodded to Doixa. Doxia snapped a finger, and a silver-wrought box made of polished Brazilian Rosewood appeared in his hand. He opened it up and pulled out an elaborate blue-colored metal mask.

"This is a Kanohi Elda," said Doxia dramatically, "Also known as the Great Mask of Detection. It allows a wearer to detect targeted hidden objects, like the Imagination power source. We've already rigged the mask to search for it, so all you will need to worry about will be wearing it."

"I'm not wearing that thing on my face," snorted Desmond.

"I'll do it!" interjected Emilee enthusiastically. She took it from Doxia and admired it. "If only it was a shade of gold," she chuckled. She then placed it on her face. The mask suddenly shimmered and vanished.

"How do I look?" asked Emilee, striking a pose.

Doxia immediately conjured up a mirror and handed it to her. "You look like yourself," said Doxia jovially, "I conveniently forgot to mention that the mask would turn invisible when activated. However, if you search deep inside your mind, you should find something that feels like an invisible switch. If you mentally 'will' the switch to activate, the Kanohi will turn on, and you will be able to receive directions through a series of impulses, like a sixth sense."

"Really? Cool!" said Emilee cheerfully, still looking at her face. "Desmond! You never told me that my bangs looked this way!"

Desmond grinned. "It's because you look beautiful any way you put your hair," he murmured.

Doxia clasped his hand together. "Awwww!" he said vehemently, "Young love! I can hear those spring birds signing! Now, seriously, are you two up to this little gig?"

"We are," said Desmond, "We will leave now."

Emilee nodded, she then proceeded to wave enthusiastically to all of her new friends. Desmond quickly opened a portal to the Skyrim dimension and the two stepped through.

Dimension: My Little Pony

Planet: Equestria Earth

Specific Location: Ponyville

Time: Ten days after the Paradox took control of Equestria

The Paradox stood, facing the bubble of energy. After a week of thought, he had finally reached a conclusion: it was un-breach-able by him. But there were other ways to access it…

At this point, Pictor strolled in. The Paradox could tell that his enforcer was very happy.

"Well, Pictor? What news do you have for me?"

Pictor nodded his head. "I have some news. I have some very good news."

The Paradox sighed. "Very well. What do you have for me?"

"The Grand Devil wants a parley," said Pictor dramatically.

"He does?" said the Paradox. The phrase was set in a question, but the Paradox knew very well that it had only been a matter of time.

"He does," confirmed Pictor, "He contacted us just as we breached the seventh circle of Hell. The Infernal Realm is in shambles."

"Excellent. Does he have a time and place for the meeting?" asked the Paradox.

"He does. He wants to meet right now, aboard the E.E.S. Cheona," said Pictor.

The Paradox nodded. He quickly opened up a link with Ravencroft Solace and said, "Solace, I am going. You are in charge."

"Understood," came the deathly quiet response.

With that, the Paradox opened a portal and strolled through. The room he entered was pure white all around, illuminated by a mixture of light blue and white lights. Holographic screens adorned the walls.

In the center of the room was a long, white, metallic table surrounded by a set of comfy, white chairs. Sitting in the chair at the head was a tall being.

He looked like an angel, but his wings were black like a ravens. His armor was silver, set with obsidian stones, and his hands were wrought with black and silver metal, adorned with red silk. His cloak was long and flowing, and was made of what seemed like ribbons of lava and fire. His face, however, was what really set him apart. Unlike the glorious angels of the Celestia Heaven, his face was exposed. It was fair and flawless, with perfectly white teeth and golden hair. His eyes were nothing but slits, and were blood red. This was the fallen Archangel, the Deceiver, the Grand Devil, Leviathan.

"Hello Leviathan," said the Paradox calmly. To him, the Grand Devil was nothing more than a lesser king. Like the Caesar of the Roman Empire meeting up with a tribal leader from Africa.

"Hello, my servant," replied Leviathan evenly.

"He is not your servant, fool," snapped Pictor, who was more than ready to kill the Grand Devil, and burn his remains.

"Oh, he is my servant, and so are you," laughed Leviathan.

"Says the one begging for parley," snorted Pictor in return, "There is no plausible reason for you to call us servants of you, weak one."

"Oh, there is," said Leviathan, "You see; I am the Prince of Lies, the father of all that is evil. What you two have been doing consists of nothing else but deceit and evil. Thus, you are my children, and I am your father."

"Stop, Leviathan," said the Paradox calmly, "You have no power over us. Even as we speak, we have twelve Archetype Class warships positioned around the seventh circle of Hell. With a single command, I can bring down your home."

Leviathan's eyes twitched slightly. It was obvious that he was furious. After a dangerously quiet pause, Leviathan said, "What is it that you want?"

"We want… the Maelstrom," said the Paradox.

Leviathan laughed. "The Maelstrom? Forgive me for laughing, but I could have sworn you were present when lord Kytax cast me down, and the Special Ones destroyed the Maelstrom themselves. It's gone."

"You lie," said the Paradox.

"But of course!" exclaimed Leviathan, "It's what I do for a living."

"So, wait… are you being sarcastic, or are you confirming what we have said?" asked Pictor slowly.

Leviathan nodded his head. "I am confirming it. I may have felt some sort of attachment to those countless demons you slaughtered, but what you seem to be proposing offers glorious joy for me… so arrangements can be struck."

"Very good," said the Paradox, "We know that you have been assembling masses of Dimensional Energy and Pure Evil Essence for eons now, and we know that your second Maelstrom is ready. The question now is… are you ready?"

"No," said Leviathan, "It took me 1.4 trillion years to assemble the first Maelstrom, so this one is nowhere nearly as powerful. However… with the Enigma Empire out of the picture…"

"You misunderstand, Leviathan," said the Paradox coldly, "We are not giving you license to unleash the Maelstrom on the Earth Multiverse. We are telling you that if you give us control of the Maelstrom, we will use it to cause death, pain, and destruction where we see fit. Do you understand?"

Leviathan smiled a crooked smile. "Death, pain, and destruction are offers that I can hardly toss aside, my friend… Done.

The Paradox nodded. Leviathan then extended a clawed hand. Suddenly a small crystal vial appeared. Inside it was a small mass of black and purple material. It thrashed around inside its container, and a faint screaming could be heard resonating from inside the crystal walls.

"You open this up, and you unleash the Maelstrom," said Leviathan, "It will link telepathically with you, Paradox, and you will be able to command it. But be careful, near the end of the first Maelstrom war, the Maelstrom became sentient, and broke free of my hold. It became a demon far more powerful than even me, and almost ended everything. You will need to keep it in check."

The Paradox nodded. "My mind is… ready for those things."

The Paradox nodded and handed the vial to Pictor. Pictor snapped the wrist of his free hand, and the vial disappeared.

"So… is there a thank you coming?" asked Leviathan in a sadistically cheerful voice.

"Very well… Thank you, Leviathan," said the Paradox, "Now return to your prison on the endless plane of Earth Prime."

Leviathan grinned voraciously, and then disappeared in a blast of black mist and smoke. There was a pause, and then the Paradox opened up a link to the commander of the warships surrounding the seventh circle of Hell.

"Commander," the Paradox said emotionlessly, "Open fire. Destroy it all."