Rarity, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie left the police headquarters with tears in their eyes. They had filed a missing pony's report with the city's chief of police, but despite his reassurances that he would put all of Equestria on high alert, they still felt pessimistic about Twilight, Rainbow and Applejack's chances of being rescued. There was no telling where Team Umbra had taken them, and the longer they were stuck in Team Umbra's claws, the greater danger their lives were in.
Fluttershy stomped her hoof on the granite steps of the police station. "We have to do more," She declared, "If it were us, our friends wouldn't stop for anything to save us."
"I agree completely dear, but what else can we do?" Rarity asked, defeat plain in her voice, "None of us are strong enough to fight Team Umbra on our own, and that's assuming we could find them in the first place. It pains me to say it, but I'm not sure we can do anything by ourselves."
Pinkie Pie smiled knowingly. "Who said anything about doing it by ourselves?" The other two mares looked at her quizzically, unsure what she meant. "Think about it this way," She explained, "We might not be able to take on Team Umbra with just us, but I think we know a few ponies who could help."
Realization dawned on Rarity's face as her eyes lit up like gleaming stars. "Pinkie Pie, you're a genius! We can get in contact with some of the ponies we've helped during our travels! Surely some of them will be willing to lend a hoof! Give me some change girls, We've got some phone calls to make!" Rarity broke off into a gallop toward the nearest pokémon center with Fluttershy and Pinkie keeping pace behind her. They had some favors to call in.
Cadence peeked out from behind her desk to observe the Pyukumuku on her desk. She was still running experiments on the little pokémon to try and understand its strange ways. It had become a bit of an obsession in the last few weeks, ever since she had left it and some Hayburger leftovers on her desk overnight and come back the next day to find the food gone but no sign that Puku had moved. Now she had set up a stakeout in her own laboratory to see if she could catch it moving. There was a pile of fresh Hayburger about a foot away from its face, but a ring built from toothpicks and string around that would get knocked over if it moved. But her intense focus was broken by a knock at the door to her lab. "Coming!" She called, turning her back to her pokémon while she went to answer the door.
"Good afternoon professor," Trixie smiled, "It's good to see you again."
"The same to you too Trixie," Cadence said. She had seen little of Trixie since she had given her a pokémon, Cadence was always happy for a visit from one of her trainers, especially when they seemed to be in such high spirits. "How was your trip to Griffonstone?"
"There were some difficulties with Team Umbra, but Trixie was able to overcome them. With some help from Twilight Sparkle."
"I'm glad you're safe," She smiled sweetly. Secretly, Cadence was just as pleased that Trixie and Twilight seemed to be getting along better. She was unsure why, but Cadence had detected quite a bit of hostility toward Twilight the day she sent the two of them off on their journeys, but that seemed to be water under the bridge now. "What brings you here today?"
Trixie shrugged. "Trixie thought it would be nice to visit Canterlot for a day or two before heading out to Cloudsdale to challenge the Gym. Trixie may be great and powerful, but she also requires some R&R every now and again."
"I understand," Cadence chuckled. The buzzing of her video phone caught her attention and brought her back into the lab, with Trixie following curiously behind. The call seemed to be coming from a Pokémon Center video phone in Manehattan. She clicked the answer button, unsure what to expect. "Hello?"
"Princess Cadence?" Asked the porcelain mare who appeared on the screen. "Might I speak to you a moment? Please, it's an emergency."
Cadence turned her head at the mare on the screen. "Who are you? I'm sorry, but I don't believe we've met."
"Rarity?" Trixie exclaimed, shoving her way into the frame of the camera. "Is everything alright?"
"You know her?" Cadence asked.
Trixie nodded. "Of course. She's one of Twilight Sparkle's friends."
"Thank Celestia, it's good to see you Trixie," Rarity said with a measure of relief in her stressed voice. "We need your help. Twilight was abducted by a group of Team Umbra agents not two hours ago, and we need your help to find and rescue her."
"WHAT?" Trixie and Cadence shouted in unison. Cadence ran out of the frame and came back with her belt of pokéballs. "Say no more. Where should we meet you?"
"Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy are off speaking to somepony at the Silph Company building right now. Can you meet us there?"
"Sure thing, I'll get a helicopter and we'll be over there in-" Before Cadence could finish, she already heard the roar of Trixie's Charizard as they took off toward, presumably toward Manehattan. "Okay then," She sighed. Might as well just follow on Togekiss. She fastened her belt around her waist and quickly tidied up the lab before she left. As she went to close the door, she took a last look at Pyukumuku. The food was gone, and the circle of string was somehow undisturbed. "DAMMIT!" She angrily screamed. She grabbed Puku's pokéball and put it back inside, grumbling to herself as she clipped it onto her belt.
For Chrysalis, it had been another day of tests with the Genesect Command Unit. Research had been progressing rather smoothly since Team Umbra had given her the chance to field test the machine. With actual battle data to work with, refinements were being made at unbelievable speed. All I need to do now is figure out how to take it out of the lab… She sipped from her coffee cup nonchalantly. It was her third of the day, and would certainly not be the last. While science didn't depend on caffeine, it certainly expedited progress.
"Ma'am, there's a call for you on channel 2," One of her drones announced. Chrysalis sighed. If it was another one of those dating services Cadence kept signing her up for, she might have to bite somepony's head off.
Chrysalis walked over to the main computer console with her coffee in hoof and answered the call. "Hello?"
"Professor Chrysalis? This is Rarity, one of Twilight Sparkle's friends. Might I speak to you for a moment? It's an emergency."
Chrysalis raised a dark eyebrow. She had kept in loose contact with Twilight ever since she had left to keep tabs on how Type: Null was doing, but had not heard a word from any of the others.
"Please, we need your help. Twilight, Applejack and Rainbow Dash were taken hostage by Team Umbra just a couple hours ago. We have been trying to get some hooves to come to Manehattan and help us try to find her. Please, I beg of you, can you help us?"
Chrysalis had stopped listening after 'Twilight was taken hostage'. Her eye twitched as she realized both young mare she had taken such a shine to and the pokémon she had so lovingly engineered had both been taken by Team Umbra. The coffee mug fell out of her hoof and crashed onto the floor. The burning black coffee on her hooves snapped Chrysalis back to reality. "I will be there within the hour." Without another word, she hung up the phone. I really need to get a battery pack installed in that helmet. As much as she wanted to bring her heavy artillery with her for some very violent testing, Chrysalis would have to stick to her normal pokémon for today. Chrysalis quickly retreated into her personal quarters to retrieve her pokéballs and get a clean shirt to replace the coffee-stained one she had on. As an afterthought, she pulled open the door to the mini-fridge under her bed and grabbed a six-pack of iced coffees for the road. When she met Team Umbra, they would feel the fury that only comes from two caffeine-fuelled all-nighters in a row. It would be just like college all over again.
Rarity met Fluttershy in the lobby of the Silph Company. Pinkie Pie had managed to talk her way past the secretary at the door and was making her way to Beauford Trottingsworth's office to see if he could help them. "Did anypony agree to help?"
"Gilda and her grandfather have their claws full with a hunt for Team Umbra hiding in the Griffonstone Desert, but Cadence, Chrysalis, and Trixie were all very eager to lend us their support." Rarity answered, satisfied with the group she had managed to assemble. "I only hope Pinkie Pie is having similar luck with Mr. Trottingsworth. We may have strong trainers to help us, but if we can't locate where Team Umbra took them, I fear it may be all for naught."
Trixie was the first to arrive. She came into the lobby of Silph Tower and immediately made her way over to the sofa where Rarity was waiting. "What happened?" She asked. There was an intensity in Trixie's eyes that she had not seen before. No, there was the time when Twilight was burned by Gible. Trixie was the same way back then.
"Team Umbra laid a trap in the caves on the beach. Despite our best efforts, Twilight, Rainbow Dash and Applejack walked straight into it."
"You're better than that Twilight…" Trixie grumbled. She immediately shifted gears to discussing the rescue. "Do we have any leads? Any idea where Team Umbra might have taken them?"
"Not yet, I'm afraid. Pinkie Pie is currently speaking with the director of the company to see if he would be willing to lend a hoof in tracking them down."
Chrysalis arrived soon after, asking the same questions as Trixie did. The three then began to talk about potential courses of action, although without much information to go off of, there was little to discuss. Trixie could not help but notice the bottles of iced coffee that were sticking out of all of Chrysalis' labcoat pockets.
Cadence's entrance followed a few minutes after Chrysalis'. It brought the conversation between the four already present two an end, and instigated a staredown between the two scientists as each of them began to pace in a circle, never breaking eye contact with the other.
"Chrysalis." Cadence glared.
"Cadence," She hissed back, "It's been awhile."
"It has," Cadence agreed, "What have you been up to? I noticed that you thought to give Twilight one of your 'experiments' as a gift."
"The usual," Chrysalis hummed with a snicker in her voice. "You know, top secret things that I can't quite yet discuss with you. And yes, I did. She's quite the excellent young mare. Type: Null couldn't be happier with anypony else."
Cadence groaned, finally giving up on the farce. "Alright, let's cut the theatrics. We don’t like each other. But we're both here because we care about Twilight and want to help her. So can we put our differences aside long enough to make sure that poor filly doesn't get hurt by Team Umbra?" Cadence extended her hoof outward, keeping her eyes fixed squarely on Chryalis'. "Let's bury the hatchet at least for now."
"In this, we are in agreement," Chrysalis said finally. She extended her own hoof to grip Cadence's. Their personal disagreements would remain, but they would be put to the side until Twilight was safe and sound. "Now, the first order of business is how are we to find her?"
As Chrysalis finished, the elevator opened. Pinkie Pie walked out, head hung low. Rarity, Fluttershy and Trixie swallowed. They knew there was not going to be good news to report.
"Mr. Trottingsworth said he's really sorry about what happened, but he doesn't have any gadgets that can help us." Pinkie sighed, "I don't know if there's any way for us to find her…"
Cadence smiled knowingly. "Don't be so sure about that." Everypony turned to her, surprised. "I've been working on the pokédex for awhile now. One of the features that a lot of ponies asked for was a GPS locator to be put in the system. So that you can find your pokédex if it gets lost or so parents can have an idea where their young trainers are."
"Does Twilight's pokédex have that feature enabled?" Trixie asked.
"Of course. I turned it on myself." Everypony raised an eyebrow at Cadence, who adopted a defensive tone in response. "What? Her brother is my coltfriend, and he insisted. All I need is a PC and I can find out where Twilight is. As long as they didn't think to break her pokédex, we'll know where she is within 100 meters."
While the Silph company may not have been able to provide the technological assistance they needed, the company did have a PC that visitors were welcome to use. Cadence sat down in front of it with everypony else crowding around the screen as she typed out her login information and navigated to the 'Find My Pokédex' tab on the main menu.
"Alrighty, let's see where they've got you…" Cadence clicked the locate button, causing a map of Equestria to pop up onto the screen. Grey text reading 'Locating' pulsed slowly on the screen, leaving the six in anxious anticipation as the GPS network worked to track Twilight's pokédex. Finally, the text vanished, replaced with a bright mark a long way north of Manehattan.
"That's not far from Rainbow Falls, is it?" Trixie asked.
"Yeah, but it looks like they're still moving," Cadence pointed out. They all took another look at the screen. Cadence zoomed the map in to make it easier for everypony to see. Surely enough, the locator would jump a bit further north every few seconds.
"Wherever they're going, they haven't made it yet," Chrysalis observed, "Either we wait until they arrive at their destination, or we take this chase on the hoof right now."
"But how can we follow them if we don't know where they're going?" Fluttershy asked.
Chrysalis' answer was a pokédex of her own. A heavily modified version that was twice the size of a standard one, but a pokédex nonetheless. "I built this for field research some time ago. It's a powerful wireless transmitter I used for sending information back to my lab. All we should have to do is put the login information into here, and I should be able to track her pokédex from anywhere."
Chrysalis gave the device to Cadence. She logged onto the PC network, making sure to leave the 'remember me' box unchecked. She looked astonished when the system actually worked. "This system isn't supposed to be accessible from anywhere other than PC consoles. How the hay is this working?"
"I've spent the last two years making a machine that links my brain with a robotic insect. Do you really think working around your systems is a challenge to me?" Chrysalis laughed. Cadence ignored the jab and looked intensely at the GPS map. The map flared to life on Chrysalis' screen, showing the same information that was presently on the PC console.
"If we have the means to track them, I suggest we get moving," Rarity said. With a way to find out where their kidnapped friends had been taken, Rarity wanted to do everything she could to get her friends to safety as soon as possible. The only question was how were they to get out towards Rainbow Falls quickly enough? While there were train tracks that went out that far, there would only be precious few going throughout the day. They might have to wait for hours, which was time they did not want to waste. The six exited from the Silph Company building to prepare their plan of action.
Chrysalis had a solution. "We fly," She said simply. She threw two pokéballs into the air, releasing her Volcarona and Yanmega to take wing. "Each of them can take somepony."
Trixie followed suit with Charizard. "We can hold two. Might get a bit tight but Trixie is certain that Charizard is strong enough to carry two of us and keep up."
"So can Togekiss and me." Cadence added. Rarity inched herself over towards Cadence. Fluttershy, anxious around large draconic pokémon, choose to go with Chrysalis' Volcarona. This left Pinkie to fly with Trixie. Each mare grabbed onto their ride pokémon, and took off into the air with Cadence in the lead. "We'll meet up at Rainbow Falls and then go from there!" She yelled as the pokémon flew into the sky.
Fluttershy marveled at the vast stretches of Equestria as they passed along far below. Volcarona had proven an agreeable mount. Its movements were gentle enough to keep her nerves calm, and came with the benefit of generating enough heat to keep warm at this altitude. She looked around to see Rarity and Pinkie on their pokémon rides, Rarity in front of her with Cadence, and Pinkie and Charizard off to her left. Were they not on a rescue mission, Fluttershy might have been able to enjoy herself more. I have to be strong for my friends. Buneary, Teddiursa, Chansey. We have to do our best.
The group landed in Rainbow Falls after nearly two hours in the air. Once on the ground, Chrysalis wasted no time starting up her tracker to start gauging Twilight's location. The indicator had stopped moving a few miles northwest of town, towards an isolated lake deep in the woods. "Sendoff Spring, hmm?" She mumbled. She pointed a hoof off in the direction of the lake, vaguely toward the setting sun. "Let's get going. I swear, Twilight and the rest will be freed by dawn tomorrow."
Twilight had been thrown into a cell inside the Team Umbra facility. She had been left without the scantest idea of where she was, both in the building and in Equestria. The lackeys who had taken her from the van had put a sack over her head to make sure she couldn't look at her surroundings or see where they were bringing her, her friends, or her stuff. They had taken everything but the clothes off her back: pokémon, items, pokédex, even her gym badges. All of them were somewhere inside this facility, but she had no idea where. Not that she had any way to get them. The bars of the cell were stiff steel. Nothing she could do could so much as scratch it.
She called out several times to find Applejack and Rainbow Dash but heard nothing in response. They must have been spread out across the facility to keep them as isolated as possible. Without them or her pokémon, Twilight felt truly alone for the first time in memory. Ever since she had left Canterlot, she always had at least one of her friends or a pokémon at her side to keep her spirits high. Now she was utterly isolated, without another living thing in sight. Not even a Team Umbra grunt standing guard to remind her that she was still among the living.
The easiest thing for Twilight to do was to sleep. The cell was cold, save for the pile of straw that had been thrown in the corner to be used as a bed. Twilight huddled in the itchy material, desperately trying to hold onto whatever warmth she could. In her struggle, she did not notice Sunset Shimmer approach the bars and unlock the door.
"Hey," She said awkwardly. Twillight's attention snapped onto her. Her first reaction was to attack her, pounce like an enraged animal and try to fight her way past. Her second was to try and run past her and out the opened door. But Sunset's demeanor gave her pause. She hadn't come to gloat. She sounded genuinely ashamed. "It's not much of an apology, but here." She held out a folded blanket, made of heavy wool. Twilight eagerly accepted it. It was itchy like the straw but she didn't care. It was wonderfully warm.
"Anyway," Sunset continued, "I came to tell you that I think your friends are coming to save you. When we were in the van, I noticed somepony had activated the tracking feature on your pokédex. I promise, I didn't tell the others, and I don't think they noticed."
"Why are you telling me this?" Sunset had been callous, cruel, and aggressive in all of their previous encounters. Twilight was unsure what to make of this change of heart.
"I don’t think this is right. I think the others don't either, but they're too afraid to do anything about it. Team Umbra has a new Admin named Tempest Shadow. She's the one in charge of this facility, and the one who ordered you captured. I didn't want to go along with it, but apparently she's my superior now."
Twilight thought back to the other thing Sunset had said, about her pokédex. "You said you think somepony is coming for me?"
Sunset nodded. "Yeah. Now listen carefully. Me, Adagio and the others are going to be leaving this facility soon. That means the only strong trainer here is going to be Tempest. If you go onto the third floor, there's a room marked 'Storage' that has a bunch of cardboard boxes in it of stuff from when we moved in here. One of those boxes has all of you and your friends' gear and pokémon in it.
"One more thing. Tempest is dangerous. She somehow was able to capture the legendary pokémon Kyurem, which can freeze you solid with a single breath. She's also absolutely ruthless towards anypony who gets in her way, and if she catches you trying to escape, she will try to kill you. Heck, she might try to put me on ice if she figures out what I did here."
"Then why did you?" Twilight couldn't understand why Sunset would risk so much for her. They were enemies after all.
"I hate Tempest." She said plainly. Sunset walked out towards the cell door. "Hey, I know it's unfair to ask, but do you think you can do me a favor?"
"What?" Twilight asked. The conversation had her intrigued, and it just kept getting more interesting.
"When you're getting out of here, you want to go down this hall to the left. There's a garbage can with pokéball in it by the entrance. I want you to take that ball and give it to Professor Cadence, along with this." Sunset slipped a folded sheet of paper to Twilight, and locked the door behind her. Twilight got out of her pile of straw to watch Sunset as she left. She twirled the key in her hoof as she sauntered over to the door. She looked at the garbage can, and dropped the key in. "Oops." She said, pretending to be embarrassed. Without another word, she opened the door and left, leaving Twilight alone again with the letter.
Unable to stand her own curiosity, Twilight unfolded the paper. It was a hastily scribbled letter addressed to Cadence.
Dear Professor Cadence,
There's no excuse for the things I've done these last few years. I joined Team Umbra out of misplaced feelings of anger and betrayal. I know I am as far as possible of deserving it as is possible, but I must beg of you a favor.
If you are getting this note, that means you were also given a pokéball. That pokéball contains my Arcanine. Yes, the same pokémon you gave to me all those years ago as a young Growlithe. Even after I took up the mantle of Team Umbra, I could never bring myself to use him, or any of my old team to commit crimes with. I guess I didn't want to take them down this path with me. All I ask is that you take care of him, and if the time comes and you come across a trainer who is deserving of a partner as loyal as he is, I ask you give him to that trainer. May they be a more worthy trainer for him than I was.
Your disgraced pupil,
Sunset Shimmer
Twilight was taken aback by what she had just read. The Sunset writing the note seemed to be completely different than the Sunset she had come to know as a Team Umbra Admin. Had she always had these misgivings? Or had what had happened today truly affected her? In a strange way, Twilight pitied her. We're both prisoners. The only difference is I can see the bars. Sunset was just as trapped by Team Umbra as she was, and it seemed like at least a piece of her wanted to escape.
Maybe there is still some good in her. There was in Trixie. The risks Sunset had taken to give Twilight a glimmer of hope were not the actions of a wholly evil mare. They were those of somepony with a guilty conscience, somepony who wanted to atone for their actions.
I will Sunset Shimmer. Twilight resolved. I will free us both.