//------------------------------// // 9 - A Velvet Preview // Story: Displaced: Human In Equestria but the Human becomes Twilight Sparkle only more, also Pokemon are there // by SilverStarApple //------------------------------// Dawn didn't remember hearing the expression “To feel a real heel” before, nor did she remember what a heel was. But she remembered enough to know one thing. Winning this match like this, with what felt like a cheap trick, one much cheaper than using the walls to his advantage... was lame. Winning a match because her opponent couldn't harm one almost-completely-invincible Pokemon Twilight probably felt tempted to take away or turn into something more easily defeated left a foul taste in her mouth. “Applejack, I'm sorry.” Dawn said to the farmer. “No need fer that, Sugarcube.” She said good-naturedly, and looked to the better Alicorn. “Twilight, how do you beat the horseapples Dawn just pulled?” Dawn flinched in surprise. What, was Applejack only furious on the inside or something? She didn't seem the type, but then, she'd never seen the pony on the receiving end of the scummiest, most disgusting strategy Dawn could ever think of. At least, Dawn hoped it would be the scummiest, most disgusting strategy she'd ever think of. She didn't know why thinking of ways to cheat and claim she was “Just optimizing” came so easily to her, but she didn't like how this felt, and she didn't want this to be who she would become. “Normally, only Grass-type and Electric-type attacks would be able to hurt Dawn's Water-type Shedinja, but his second ability, Motor Drive, means he's also immune to Electric-type attacks. So, Grass attacks. However, Pokemon born in Sinnoh have the unique ability to harm Pokemon with Wonder Guard, but only when using the move Fire Fang. Scientists still aren't sure how that's possible, but for a more readily available option, a Ditto with Impostor can become a near-perfect replica of Dawn's Shedinja, but with more HP, and she doesn't have any powerful Grass-types that could harm this Pokemon herself. And if you want to keep your Fighting-type theme, any Pokemon with Mold Breaker can bypass Wonder Guard entirely,” Twilight explained. “I want one,” Applejack decided, taking a Pokeball from her belt with her tail and throwing it to Twilight. “Mah third Pokemon's a Fighting-Ground Conkeldurr with Speed Boost and Pure Power, better make that second one Mold Breaker instead.” “Got it,” Twilight nodded, catching the Pokeball with her magic. Fluttershy spoke up, reminding everypony that she existed. “Can I have one?” Just as Twilight was about to say something, something... changed. Time slowed and froze, and the world grew colder. Everything grew paler and whiter, as if a malevolent force was draining away all the colour and life in the world. Dawn looked around in shock, poking Twilight in the face, but she couldn't move. A small blue butterfly flew down to her, incredibly eye-catching against the faded white world. She stuck out her right hoof, and the butterfly landed on it, taking her away in a blinding white flash. The blinding light around her lessened, and she gradually regained the ability to see. She stood alone in a raised white circle ten feet wide, ten stairs high and made from solid marble. Four sets of stairs spread out from this circle in the cardinal directions, three pointing to paths that stretched off into the distance, framed by rows of massive bookshelves filled with identical white-covered books. The fourth pointed to a wall with an empty mahogany desk and plush velvet-seated wooden chair that directly faced her. Her horn lit up and she grabbed a book from the first bookshelf she saw, opening it up. She saw letters, but they didn't form words. Letters were strung together at random, spaces here and there to make the random sequences of symbols seem more like words. She dropped it and grabbed another book, flipping through it in shock. Each page was filled with garbled nonsense, as though someone had smashed his face into a keyboard to fill each book. The first book levitated itself on its own, shocking her into dropping the second book. Both flew back to their original positions, and a deep chuckle caught her ear, causing it to twitch. Her head whipped around to the sound's source, and her eyes locked onto that desk and chair, where three beings were waiting for her. An elderly grey Vulture-Lion Griffon with wild wide eyes and an absolutely massive beak stared directly at her, seated on that wooden chair. He was flanked on either side by a little bone-white filly with matching gold-trimmed deep-blue Prison Guard uniforms, matching golden eyes, and pale platinum-blond manes. On the left, a mane curled into a right side-bun, and on the right, a mane tied into a tight ponytail. On the left, a Pegasus, and on the right, a Unicorn. Both fillies had their eye furthest from the Griffon covered by matching black eyepatches with a ornate golden 'V' wreathed in golden laurel emblazoned upon both. “You two are so cute!” Dawn squealed like she had just spotted a puppy, picking up the Pegasus on the left with her magic. “Will you play dress-up with me?” “Let me go, Blank!” She snapped furiously, throwing a black police baton at Dawn's face, stunning her and negating her magic. The Pegasus grabbed her Baton and flew back to her original position, holstering it. Dawn clutched her face. That hurt! More than she felt it should have. And, that name... She had never been called a 'Blank' before. Was it some kind of insult in this world? “You're only experiencing this as a daydream,” The Unicorn to the Griffon's right explained serenely, in this strangely detatched, slightly-bored way. “You're in the presence of our Master, Blank! Stand up straight!” The Pegasus to his left snapped, and Dawn did so, standing to attention and saluting. “Blank Page...” The Griffon said with in a shockingly deep, rumbling voice. ”Welcome to my Velvet Room.” Stunned, Dawn raised a hoof. “I... have SO many questions. First of all, why are you calling this a velvet room when nothing but the chair is made of Velvet? Second, how big is this place? Third, if this place only exists in a daydream, how did you make me daydream while I was with my friends? Fourth, why are all the books nonsense? Fifth-” He raised a palm with outstretched talons, and she instinctively stopped. “Don't bother, you won't remember any of this.” He rumbled. ”It isn't time for your true awakening just yet. But remember this: The hour of disaster is soon approaching. You're going to need power, and a great deal of it.” “Capture strong Pokemon, make sure nothing bad happens to Twilight, got it.” Dawn nodded. He chuckled again. “You'll need more than that, Blank Page. The bonds between friends can be powerful things, but your bonds aren't strong enough yet. Nor do you have enough of them.” “Make friends with everypony just like Pinkie Pie, got it.” Dawn nodded. “Shut up, Blank!” The spirited Pegasus snapped at Dawn. “Shallow friendships won't do,” The Griffon explained. “You need deep bonds, with ponies who can be... useful to you, in your goals.” “What goals? Becoming Equestria's Pokemon Champion?” Dawn asked. “Surviving,” The Griffon explained, “And making sure your friends do the same.” “That disaster you mentioned...” Dawn began, concerned. “It's big, isn't it?” “Indeed.” He confirmed. “How do you know this? Who are you?” Dawn asked. “I am Igor, the caretaker of this library. These are my assistants, Chamomile,” He glanced at the spirited Pegasus, and then, the serene Unicorn. ”And Justice.” “What does Blank mean?” Dawn asked. “In all the stories of all the worlds, all the tales of heroes and villains... There are Tricksters, Truthseekers, Messiahs, and more. But no figure is as prevalent or as full of potential as the simple void, the empty cup, the blank page.” He explained. “You are like the number zero...” “Your mom's like the number zero.” Dawn retorted. Chamomile almost lost it right there. She violently slammed her baton onto the ground with a harsh crack, a sliver of plastic flying from the weapon's tip, her wings flaring out. “Watch your tongue, Blank!” She roared, ready to attack. Igor chuckled, and she relaxed. “It's a compliment, Blank Page. You are like the number zero...” He explained. “You are empty, but at the same time, you hold infinite possibilities. Words of wisdom or absolute nonsense, you are free to fill your page with whatever you please.” “Then why are all these books filled with nonsense?” Dawn asked. “Shut up, it's symbolic!” Chamomile shouted. Igor suddenly had a deck of Tarot cards in his hands. Taking one from the deck and placing it on the table before her, he showed her the tarot card known as The Fool. From her perspective, upright, and from his, reversed. And the card was subtly wrong, according to her instincts. The card's image was painted in greys, blacks, and whites on a wall of red diamonds. A Jester's hat on his head, an equine Stallion on two legs carried a hobo-bundle on a stick, while a dog gnawed at his left leg. A frown graced the pony's eyeless face. Colour began to fade from the world. “Find useful ponies, and get closer to them,” Igor told her, as the world faded into whiteness. “We'll meet again, when the time is right.” “Certainly,” Twilight said to Fluttershy, “Which Pokemon would like to have Mold Breaker?” “Did anypony else just see that?” Dawn panicked and asked, looking around and forgetting why she was doing that, calming down. “See what?” Twilight asked curiously. “I... Nevermind, I must have just flashed back on something.” Dawn said shyly, unwilling to admit she'd remembered and then forgotten something so quickly. “Anyway, Fluttershy, what are you the Gym Leader of, again?” “Grass-type Pokemon,” Fluttershy said. “Let's battle tomorrow.” Dawn offered. “First, I need to train hard and find some stronger Pokemon, so I never have to rely on cheap strategies again!” “I can help with that,” Fluttershy offered. “I live next to the Everfree Forest, and, um... If you'd like, I could take you to any Pokemon's habitat you want.” “Hmm... Sounds good, but I think I should add a Dragon or Ghost type to my team.” Dawn decided. Sure, she could mathematically work out what types her current team was weak to, and build her final three Pokemon around countering anything that could threaten her best three Pokemon, or she could get a powerful Grass-Type Pokemon who could defeat anypony that thought of using a Ditto on her Shedinja... Or, she could throw an awesome Dragon and an awesome Ghost into her team, and fill slot number six with some awesome sixth thing that covered her team's biggest weakness or countered something that countered her team's greatest strength. “There are plenty of Ghosts at the old Castle of the Two Sisters, in the Everfree Forest,” Fluttershy explained. “Fluttershy, lead the way!” Dawn declared happily. “Hey, we have Flight Lessons today.” Rainbow Dash reminded the Alicorn. “Oh, right. Fluttershy, lead the way! ...In two hours from now!” Dawn declared, and teleported to the Pokemon Center.