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// Chapter 16 
// Story: Friendship, magic and pokémon 
// by daniboyi 
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”This is all a dream. All a dream. When you wake up you will be back in a normal world with Nurse Joy and Officer Jenny’s all over the place.” Repeated Brock as he rocked back and forth in a rather pathetic position, looking down in his knees in shock.

Celestia, who had arrived an hour after this began, sighed and said “Well… I should have expected this would be a reaction that was possible… At least we can be sure he won’t go violent and attack innocent ponies, but we need him to accept what happened. I just have one question Ash, What or who is this ‘Nurse Joy’ and ‘Officer Jenny’ and why does he say their names like there is more of them?”

Ash chuckled at the memory and says “Oh yeah. I almost forgot about that… You see Nurse Joy and Officer Jenny is two women that Brock here got his sight on, sadly they don’t even know about it and if they do, it often becomes uncomfortable with him quickly.”

“Why is that?” Asked Rarity confused, but interested in this subject.

“Because Brock’s idea of a romantic was to say he like somepony is going in front of them on his knees the first time he meets them and confesses his eternal love for them. No matter if they are in public or not.” Ash explained while laughing a little.

Rarity looked uneasily at Brock as Celestia asks “That doesn’t answer why he mentions them as there are several of them.”

Ash grins and says “That is because over most of the regions in my world, each pokémon hospital is in charge of a Nurse Joy, who is also twins or sister to all the other Nurse Joy’s around the world. They all looks exactly alike and only Brock can tell the difference.”

Celestia raised an eyebrow and said “That sounds rather confusing, is that normal in your world?”

“Well…” Continued Ash “Not normal, but people have getting used to it. Took me some time to get the message in.”
Brock had by now stopped muttering and looked around uneasily and looked at Ash and asked “So this is real?”

Ash turned to Brock and answered “Sure is Brock, and you better get used to it, because you might have to be here for a while.” He turned to Celestia and asked “Might I ask how far you have come with the portal project?”

She smiled a little and said “Not very far I’m afraid. This portal is of a whole other kind of magic that I have ever seen and my best team of magic students have not even figured out how this magic works.”

Ash looks thoughtful and says silently “There must be a way…” Neither of them noticed Pinkie’s worried and sad look at Ash, except Applejack, who frowned and thought she would have to talk to Pinkie later about that.

Ash looked at Brock again, who still had not gone back to normal, and sighed before moving over to Brock and raises his hoof. Before anypony could object, as they knew what he was going to do, he knocked Brock in the side of his head, sending him to the floor. Brock looked around shocked as Twilight asked with a tired voice “Did you have to hit him Ash?”

Ash grins and says “Not really, but it was faster and funnier.”

Brock grumbled and gave Ash a light kick in the side and a light glare as he asked “So this is all real heh? Going to take some time to get my mind into…”

Ash grinned brightly and swung a front leg around his shoulders and says “Don’t worry about it Brock. At least we got each other now. I have missed you.”

Brock smiles to his best friend and replies “Yeah. I guess that is a good part of the whole thing. Would also be nice with a small vacation from the breeder business…”

Ash chuckles as the other girls looked at them curiously or with a smile. Twilight especially curious as they moved into another subject about Ash’s world. He looked at Brock and asked “Getting busy in the clinic?”

Brock rolls his eyes and says “Don’t even talk about it Ash. Sometimes I wish I hadn’t been on that TV show. People are coming from all over the world.”

“And you love every second of it. Don’t deny it Brock.”

In return Brock punched Ash in the side, making him chuckle again as they both heard Celestia clear her throat. All the ponies looked at her, Brock gaping lightly as he had never seen Celestia before, as she said “Now that the confusion have been cleared and Brock have been introduced I will take my leave. I trust you take good care of our new guest my little ponies.”

Twilight smiled and says “We wouldn’t dream of doing otherwise. A friend of Ash is a friend of ours.”

Celestia smiles one last time to Twilight, before she disappears in a flash. Leaving Brock gaping, looking at the place she just had been. The rest ignored him as Applejack asked “Where is he going to stay. Ah doubt the Cakes got another room to rend.”

Twilight looked thoughtful and says “That is correct. I know I got room for him, but so does Rarity, Fluttershy and you Applejack.”

Brock looked at them and says “Can I ask of a request please?”

Twilight looks at him with a smile and says “Of course you can.”

“I have to live near an open field that is not of use, as one of my team members is quite large and needs a place to be without destroying anything.”

Applejack looks up with a smile and says “Then ma place would be perfect, we have a huge unused area we bought many years back that trees can’t grow on for some reason. We have thought about selling it, but Ah guess it can be of use now.”

Brock smiled nervously to Applejack, who smiled kindly back, and says “Then it will be a good idea for me to move in with… Was is Applejack again?”

She chuckled and said “Don’t be so nervous partner. Ah don’t bite, unless ya are going to try to steal some of ma apples.”

Brock chuckled weakly, still nervous about the whole new world thing and about being a pony too “Don’t worry. I won’t try to steal anything…”

She laughed and hit him lightly on the shoulder “Ah’m kidding with ya partner. Just follow me. Ah show you the way to ma home.”

Brock grinned slightly, but quickly looked back at Ash with doubt. Ash just grinned and gave him a quick nod. Brock sighed and followed Applejack to her home.

After a while they arrived outside the large house in the middle of the farm and Brock couldn’t help but smile at the sight. Applejack apparently noticed this and said with a proud voice “Welcome to the Apple Orchard. Home of the Apple-family and Sweet Apple Acres and Ah will eat ma hat, if ya can manage to find a place more homy than this.”
Brock chuckled, quickly relaxing to her accent and says “It does look peaceful and very welcoming. I think I can quickly learn to enjoy this place.”

“Ah be damned if ya don’t.” Applejack said with a smile to him, which he returned before he entered with Applejack into the large house.

They both were immediately met by a smaller yellow filly with a mane as red as the clearest apple, who jumped up and down in excitement as she said “Applejack! Did ya see the Pokémon battle! It was the coolest thing ever! Pinkie and Ash was amazing!... Who is this Applejack?” She asked as she looked at Brock, who looked back at her with surprise, unbeknown to Applejack and Applebloom, his thoughts was “Must not die from cuteness.”

“Well Applebloom, our guest here is a friend of Ash and have travelled from far away to look after him. He will be staying here for time being.”

Applebloom gasped and looked excited up at Brock, who took a nervous step back “Are you really from the land Ash is from?! Do you have pokémons too? Can I see them? Please please please please!”

“Applebloom! What have ah told ya about pestering the guest of the house?” Applejack said with a frown.
Applebloom lowered her head and said “Ah’m sorry Mister Brock…”

Brock smiled to her and said with a caring tone “It’s ok Applebloom. I can understand your excitement. Right now it is late, but I promise to show them to you tomorrow. Now go to bed. It is late and the faster you sleep, the faster it turns into morning and I can show you my team.” She smiled brightly and rand upstairs to the bathroom to get ready to get to bed.

Applejack stood with an astounded look and said to Brock “How did ya do that? We always have trouble getting her to bed!”

Brock chuckled lightly and said with a tired smile “It is all about getting her ready to expect something from tomorrow. Trust me. Back in my world I have five younger siblings, who I had to take care of myself.”

“Five by yerself? Must have been quite the task.” She commented with a raised eyebrow.

Brock laughed “Oh it was. Making food, cleaning the house, washing the dishes, sewing the new clothes and on top of that almost not having enough money to make a decent living.”

Applejack looked at him surprise and asked “But where were ya parents?”

Brock growled lightly, still feeling a certain bitterness towards his father and answered “My mother died after her last birth to my youngest brother and my father left me, when I was 15…”

Applejack looked sadly at him and all of the sudden, gave him a hug and says “Ah know how ya feel. Ma papa and mama also died when Ah was a young filly. Leaving me and ma brother with ma granny and little Applebloom, not much older than a few months… They didn’t even get to see me get ma cutie mark.”

Brock found himself accepting the hug and smiled as he returned it. He yawned lightly, causing Applejack to laugh lightly and say “We better get to bed too. It has been a long day. Ah’ll show ya where ya will sleep.”

Brock nodded with a smile and followed her upstairs to a room that looked very homely and had a certain charm over it. He smiled as Applejack went outside and let him sleep.
Next morning

Brock woke up early at the sound of a loud bell ringing and Applejack’s voice yelling “EVERYPONY UP! WE GOT WORK TO DO AND APPLES TO BUCK!” He groaned loudly and placed the pillow over his head, not wanting to get up yet, as he had spent most of the night thinking about what happened and what he should do with the situation.
He heard a knock on the door and an unfamiliar male voice saying shortly “Wake up partner. Apples to harvest and work to do.”

Brock mumbled tired and got up of the bed, having forgotten how it was to get to early up after all those years of Pokémon care.

He walked heavy eyed down the stairs and was met by the whole Apple family who sat around the table. Applejack grinned and said “Tired partner? Don’t worry. We’ll teach ya to get up early and ready.”

Brock glared lightly at her, not meaning any harm, but really annoyed by her cheerful attitude, that he personally thought should be forbidden by law at this time in the morning. He sat down and pulled the nearest apple to him and tired grunted in response and began to eat it.

She chuckled in good nature and began her own breakfast happily. Big Macintosh did the same as Brock and pulled a few apples to him and didn’t make a sound as he began to eat. Granny Smith was still asleep and Applebloom was looking at 
Brock with interest. He noticed this after a few moments and looked at her and asked “Something to say Applebloom?”
She blushes embarrassed and smiled a little as she looked hopefully up at him “Can ya show me ya Pokémon after we finished morning work? Please?”

Brock smiled, unable to say no to her, and replied “Sure, but how about we wait until the afternoon and invite all of our friends? That way we won’t have to show them all again.”

She nodded eagerly and happily began her breakfast too. They all finished after a few more minutes and went outside. 
Brock followed Applejack out to the apple trees and was quickly set to work with the applebucking. He was fairly good at it, but nothing like Applejack. He secretly wondered if they needed any house help, and noted to himself to ask her that later.
Many hours of hard work later and a friendship that had formed between Applejack and Brock. The group met out in the empty fields behind the farm. Ash and Pinkie standing close to each other, while the rest of the group looked at Brock, Celestia and Luna had also arrived, after Twilight sent them a note, stating Brock would reveal his team.

He smiled and placed his pokéballs on the ground, and opened the first one. The group quickly shielded their eyes from the flash, and when they looked again, a lightly blue dragon with red wings was standing in front of them. Fluttershy gasped and moved a step back, while Luna looked with big eyes at the dragon. Brock walked up with a smile and says “How are you doing Salamance? Ready to stretch your wings a little?”

Salamance looked at him, sensing and smelling the pony was his trainer and growled in approval and with a quickly flap he was in the air, flying around as Brock turned back and explained “This is Salamance, a dragon flying type and one of my strongest pokémons.”

He went over to the next pokéball and clicked it, calling “Come out Steelix!” In another flash, the huge steel snake was towering above all the ponies on the ground and Applejack dropped her jaw with Rainbow Dash who stared in awe.

Celestia smiled, also surprised by the size and said “I believe, by the name and look, that this is one of the steel type you spoke of Ash?”

Ash nodded and walked over to Steelix and said cheerfully “How are you doing buddy? Still feeling strong?”  Steelix growled in approval, while Applebloom looked at it with big eyes, not afraid as she walked over and carefully placed a hoof on the snake.

Applejack looked worried a bit her lips slightly, unable to not feeling unease for her little sister. Steelix looked down at 

Applebloom and made a friendly growl, lowering his tail down to the little filly and picked her up, careful not to hurt her. She laughed in response and held tightly to the tail. Celestia smiled at the sight, while Applejack still looked worried, but not as much as before.

While Steelix was still playing with Applebloom, went Brock over and opened the next pokéball, revealing a pink and white Blissey. She happily smiled and said “Blissey!”

Fluttershy, who previously had been terrified by Salamance and Steelix, perked up and looked interested at Blissey as Brock said with a smile “This is Blissey, her kind of Pokémon are mainly used for healing purposes and in Pokémon hospitals. Say hello Blissey.”

Blissey looked curiously over at the group, before smiling brightly to them and waved happily “Blissey Blissey!”

Fluttershy was immediately over by her side and smiled as she said to the healing Pokémon “H-Hello Blissey. My name is Fluttershy and are you really a healing Pokémon?”
Blissey nodded with a smile and the two proceeded to have an talk about healing of animals and pokémon.

In mean time had Brock released his fourth pokémon, a huge golem that grunted at the sight of Brock and face palmed with his rocky hand and rolled his eyes. Brock chuckled as Ash said “Charizard had similar reaction. I think I will let them out after Brock have released the rest of his team. I believe they will be happy to get some time with some old friends.”

Brock looked at Ash and said “Good idea Ash. Steelix is getting rather slack lately and I’m sure Charizard will be more than happy to set him back in shape.” This caused Steelix to sweat drop and look rather nervously at Brock and Ash, forgetting about the filly that was lying on his back.

Twilight had, while the two friends talked, wandered over to Golem with wide eyes and gently placed a hoof on his shell and said “Looks very solid and have a stone texture. If I am not wrong, this is one of the rock types that Ash spoke about…”

“Actually he is a Rock/Ground type.” Commented Brock, who stood next to her, making her jump in shock and Golem snicker in amusement.

She sent him a amused glare and said “So I guess you specialize in rock and ground types?”

Brock nodded with a fond smile “Yeah or I used to. But after meeting Ash I have learned that many different types of pokémon makes a stronger team.”
Twilight nodded, understanding the logic behind it and takes a quick note and asks “So what kind of pokémon do you have?”

Brock grinned and answered with ease “All kinds, but mostly rock and ground types. Rock types are known to be really defensive and can takes a lot of hits, but they are weak against both water, grass, steel and fighting types and therefor fairly easy to take down if trained wrongly.”

“I see…” Said Twilight, taking more notes about the different yet interesting specie.

Brock nodded and walked over to the fifth pokéball and released the pokémon inside, in a quick flash of white light, a magnificent tall fox looking creature with a pale blond fur and nine long tails sat on the ground, her head raised lightly and looking around curiously. She laid her eyes on Brock and let out a happy “Niiine!” Before her eyes glowed blue and Brock was lifted in a blue aura, laughing and calling “Ninetails! Let me down please.”

Ninetails just ignored him and pulled him closer and nuzzled against him happily, he laughed and gently pushed her head away as she lowered him to the ground. He looked at the others again with a smile and said “I present my favourite fire pokémon. Ninetails.”

Rarity looked at her with a gleam in her eyes as she said “She is just gorgeous! That fine fur and those beautiful tales.” 

She moved closer and moved her hoof towards the tails to stroke them, but Brock quickly swatted her hoof away and said quickly “Bad idea miss. While never proven, it is a well-known legend that Ninetails tails is going to curse anyone who touches them without her approval.”

She looked a little shocked at Brock, before turning to Ninetail, who nodded to what Brock said. She looked back at Brock with a small smile and said “Then I thank you for warning me. If you ever need some clothes just say it.”

He nodded, acknowledging her words, and moved over to the last pokémon. He sighed and looked pleadingly at Ash and asked “Do I have too?”

Ash looked a little confused, before he grinned, holding back a laugh as he realized who the pokémon was, and said “Of 
course Brock. Do you really want to disappoint the girls and the princesses?”

He grumbled and sent an annoyed look at Ash, before opening the last pokéball. A bright flash once again filled the area and a second later, stood a deep blue toad looking creature, that stood on two legs and had two red spikes on its hands and a swelled red area just below its chin, placed on its neck. It looked around as Brock said with a nervous look at it “This is Toxicroak. He is a poison/fighting type and one of my main pokémo-UHG” His speech ended as Toxicroak drove his spiked 
hand into his side, knocking him out instantly as it let out a croaky laugh.

“Wha?” Asked Applejack confused, as Ash laughed.
“D-Don’t worry. T-That is v-very common. H-He will be ok, just give him a few minutes.”

The group just sighed, not understanding how somepony could just shrug something like that off, but accepting they might have different ways of doing things from their world.
A/N I hate the ending, but people have been asking for a new chapter…