//------------------------------// // Rogue Vampires // Story: My Little Pokémon: Grander World // by Amarvax //------------------------------// Equestria. Magehold. Magehold Chamber. Day. "S-Sylveon..." Struck by the Power of Love which transcended what Cadence was usually capable of, Sylveon felt everything fall silent for a moment. A breakthrough of magic got through her Dark Field which was filled up with fake hatred that felt real due to how powerful it was. It was supposed to beat down on everyone but it did not succeed in stopping Cadence, who managed to reach Sylveon with her magic. All she remembered was everything going white in an instant. But her vision was returning and a more welcoming sight met with her. But before that, a voice travelled through the space she was in. "Sylveon! Sylveon!" It was Cadence's voice. It got louder and louder as Sylveon slowly opened her eyes, seeing nothing but white around her. And in that white space, Cadence was approaching her with a warm embrace. "Sylveon?" She said with a weak voice, speaking Cadence's name. The familiarity of this alicorn was returning to her but it was still rather faint. The voice was barely familiar too. That is until Cadence spoke once more. "Come back to me!" Cadence yelled. But while approaching Sylveon, the Dark Magic within in her tried pushing the Princess of Love back. Cadence groaned as she was met with a powerful burst of darkness. And right behind Sylveon, towering over her was the avatar of her Dark Self. The Dark Sylveon roared at Cadence, trying to keep her back. However, Cadence refused to let this stop here. This Dark Form of Sylveon was simply in her way. With her Magic of Love radiating to its peak, she would send that pink wave once more as the Dark Sylveon attempted to obliterate it. However, the darkness failed as the love enveloped the Corrupted Sylveon. "Sylveon!" And at that moment, she yelled out Cadence's name. But this cry was one of happiness as a smile formed on her face. With all of her might, she would overpower the darkness that was holding her back, leaping forward. She would finally embrace her beloved trainer. The two of them embraced for a hug as they would roll on the white floor. This was a tackle of love as they laughed in unison, finally reunited. The white space would be coloured, showing the area they were originally in as Sylveon's vision was fully returning to her. "I missed you! I missed you so much!" Cadence cried, relieved that she got one of her loved ones back. After losing Shining Armor, getting Sylveon back to her senses brought solace to her heart. And around Sylveon, other familiar faces such as Applejack, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie and Flurry Heart could be seen. "Syl! Sylveon!" Sylveon even started crying, remembering what she had done. The fact that she attacked her friends greatly gutted her and she felt sorry for it, even feeling sorry for not being strong enough to break free from the control. But with Cadence's comforting hug, she wasn't to blame for this. It was the Dread League that was responsible. "This can't be...!" And slumped against some rubble was Sweet Fang, who failed to fully control Sylveon. The power of love beat out her Controlling Magic and even removed the Curse Magic she injected into Sylveon. "She erased the Curse Magic!? But that's not possible!" Shrivel yelled, confused and aggravated by this realization. "Good to have you back, SYlveon!" Rainbow Dash ran over, as did everyone else now that they got one of their friends back. Things were looking up for them. "But it's not over yet. You two are gonna have to pay for what you did." Her eyes then shifted towards the two vampires that got in their way, intimidating them. "We need to retreat!" Shrivel saw this as an opportunity to retreat. For once, she knew when she was beaten and couldn't afford to engage with them here any longer. She would pick up the slumped Sweet Fang as the Despair Plant Cobras would get in front of her to shield her. "You're just gonna run after all of that! Get back here!" Rainbow Dash roared at their cowardice. She and Braviary would try and chase them down, only for the Cobras to lunge at them. "Steel Wing!" "Bra!" Braviary would harden his wings before slashing them at the incoming Despair Plants. With their durability dropping, the damage the Despair Plants took was now starting to look significant. Braviary's Steel Wing would whack some of them, staggering their bodies as they were sent flying. Despair Plant Chimera would soon get in the way, attempting to use its powerful vine arms to catch the two aerial intruders. Steel Wing met with Chimera, hitting its upper body. The Fused Despair Plant was almost moved as the steel managed to cut a part of it. This was never possible before but now the Despair Plants were slowly starting to become as fragile as ordinary plants. "We still have the Lich Queen to count on! As well as other methods to get rid of-" However, Shrivel's words were promptly stopped once a powerful presence stood before her. It made her shudder as it felt so familiar. Familiar enough to remind her of the Lich Queen. But this was not the Lich Queen as it was a presence that not many in Magehold had ever felt since it was still new to them. It was Dimstar. "Dimstar?!" Shrivel gasped as the Half Lich stood before her. She wasn't actually a Half Vampire and Lich but instead, Half Lich and Siren. But the vampiric wings were simply the cause of a Lich being the ancestor of vampires. "Move aside. I need to find answers." Dimstar ordered as she was finally out of her healing tube. And her reason for that was to search for answers. She did not even bother to help with the Black Crusade anymore as something far more important to her was on her mind. "Hey, it's her." Rainbow Dash said after spotting Dimstar who was responsible for bringing Ash and his many friends here in the first place. "Oh, you're not going anywhere! I've been waiting to speak with you! You're the one who caused this mess in the first place!" Shrivel yelled. "Bringing them all here has greatly disrupted the execution of the Black Crusade. "She's the one who brought you here?" Cadence looked back at everyone else, who nodded to confirm this. "You can make up for it by crushing them though!" Shrivel pointed her hoof back at the intruders. "We could use your magic in this instance." "I refuse." However, Dimstar gave out the most shocking answer that any vampire or even Equestrian could hear. "Y-You refuse?!" Both Shrievl and Sweet Fang stammered. "I'm not partaking in this. Not when the words of my father still escapes me. I need the full context. I need to find out what the first Lich King, my father Grevyine, said." "Heh. Good luck with that." Sweet Fang cackled. "The first Lich King is long gone so you have no way of getting that answer." "She's going to get that answer." But there was another. Dimstar was not alone. She was joined by someone else. Emerging from the smoke that formed during this fierce brawl within the chamber was another face that Rainbow Dash remembered. Only Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie recall meeting this pony. It was Merry Dread. The Vampire who controls the bones of others with her Curse Magic. Making her appearance once more, she stood next to Dimstar. "Merry Dread?!" Rainbow Dash yelled her name out. "She should get that answer. Ever since I told her." Merry Dread continued. "So we have to find these answers as soon as possible if there's a way for us to do that. And right now, the Black Crusade isn't getting us anywhere." "Merry Dread? What do you think you're doing vouching for this one?" Sweet Fang questioned. "Don't tell me you're going rogue too?" "What is happening right now?" Flurry Heart asked, confused as to why there was suddenly trouble in paradise for the vampires. She didn't expect them to bicker now of all times. It also seemed like the worst time to bicker. "I have to. For two reasons. And one of them is that I found out where my missing sister was. Mom spoke of our third sister before and that confused me since I thought my family was just my brother and sister. Fractured and Opal." "It is just the three of you." Sweet Fang groaned. "There's no mystery behind that. And like your sister, you should be getting to work and you can start by rendering their bones useless." Not at all. Fractured Note is my brother, not my sister. It doesn't add up with what mom said. Not only that, but even though he's older than us, he suddenly appeared when we were at least 7 years old. That confused me when I found out about it but for centuries, I never got the answer to that. But it turns out, my second sister has been in Magehold all along in secrecy. It's none other than Dimstar." "I'm sorry what?!" Shrivel yelled in shock. "Merry Dread personally came to me while I was in the Healing Tube. I was aware that news of what I did got out there. But more importantly, my name became more noticed by others. Previously, I was just a Half Vampire that appeared out of nowhere during the conflict in the Despair Plant Garden. For centuries, I was practically non-existent. Even when I was freed, only a select few vampires and the Lich Queen knew about my existence." "That's when I heard that a pony named Dimstar brought the intruders here. I blew myself up when trying to approach one of the cities in Unova and came back as soon as possible." Merry Dread even stopped her attack just to get answers from her family. "You two are sisters? So you probably are planning to go rogue together." Sweet Fang stood up. "You still won't get that answer though. A Lich can't live as long as a vampire, which is why her majesty is going to change that. "I know that. That's why I'm going to ask the one who lives just as long as us. I'm going to ask my mother. Somewhere out there, my mother Vivace is still around." "Vivace?" Rainbow Dash and her friends paused for a moment, processing that name. Where have they heard it before? It came to them in an instant. Even though they haven't heard from the Dazzlings in a while now, the name of their mother did not escape them. "VIVACE!?" "You mean the Dazzling's Mom?! No way!" Rainbow Dash held her head, blown back by what she was hearing. "That means that those two are their sisters! As well as Opal?!" Pinkie Pie's jaw opened so wide it was urging to hit the floor. She even started to believe that the Dazzlings were Half Liches. "Say it ain't so!" Wait, so they're half sirens too?!" Applejack was even realizing that they weren't full-blooded vampires. They had one part that was a Siren thanks to Vivace. "You know about the rest of our family?" Merry Dread looked over to Rainbow Dash's group. "Seems our encounter wasn't just random at all." "So, you're giving up on the crusade, which has been planned for centuries now, over some family issues? Pathetic." Sweet Fang scoffed at this. "The Lich Queen will be made aware of this. She's fully focused on the events happening here afterwards." "We know. Which is why we're turning against the Black Crusade. After all, we're the children of the first Lich King. So if anyone deserves to be on that throne, it's either one of us." "How dare you!? I should-" Right as Shrivel attempted to take action upon them, Merry Dread activated her Curse Magic. With just a glare, she affected the bones of the two targets in front of her. Shrivel and Sweet Fang felt their bones come to an immediate halt, ceasing all function from their owners. Merry Dread now had full control of their bodies as her Curse Magic was simply another variation of Sweet Fang's magic but on the more painful side. Sweet Fang and Shrivel then dropped to the floor as Merry Dread rendered them immobile, forcing them to stay on the ground. As for the Despair Plants, the moment they tried attacking the traitors, Dimstar would use her invisible tendrils to retaliate. Unfortunately for the Despair Plants, they had no way of seeing the tendrils, thus, they were unable to react to this. They had their bodies restrained by the tendrils, unable to move as even the Despair Plant Fusion was made immobile. After holding the Despair Plants in place, Dimstar would throw them away, sending them to other floors. "I'm glad she's on our side now..." Fluttershy said, realizing how terrifying it would've been if Merry Dread continued with the Black Crusade. Things would've been very different. "So...you're seriously going to help us?" Rainbow Dash asked. "Sort of. We're doing our own thing and finding answers." Dimstar answered. "I know my mother is out there somewhere and she can maybe give me some answers. You spoke of her as if you know her. Is this true?" "Oh, it is!" Pinkie Pie nodded. "Vivace is her name! I'm pretty sure it's the same siren. Right?" "She is a Siren," Dimstar replied. "I remember that much from my mother. I am the product of a Lich and Siren's love. But it sounds like I have other siblings I have not seen of yet." "Adagio, Aria and Sonata. It sounds like those two come from here as well." Rainbow Dash answered, unaware that Vivace had two husbands in her life. Greyvine was simply the first. "I can't believe you two are their sisters. Then that means..." "Opal is their sister too." Fluttershy finished the sentence for Rainbow Dash, still finding that hard to believe. "Please! You have to take me to them!" Dimstar pleaded. "My father is gone but I can still speak with my mother! She has to know something!" "Uh..." Rainbow Dash backed up as Dimstar got incredibly close. "That's gonna take a while. We don't have that many gateways anymore and the Sirens are pretty far away right now. I mean, we'd be glad to repay the favour since you brought us here." "Plus, we have bigger problems. Something's happening to this chamber. Or rather, the entirety of Magehold. It feels like it's falling!" "It is falling." Merry Dread answered. "I hate to break it you, but the Lich Queen is moving the Nation of Magehold with her magic. We're no longer in the same location we were. And right now, she's attempting to crash it into the Crystal Empire." "She's what?!" In unison, Cadence and Flurry Heart screamed at the top of their lungs as they greatly concerned them. Their home was on the verge of being destroyed by a falling nation. But there was a reason why it hasn't happened yet. Ash and his Pokemon were the reason for that. Dragonite was currently evading Yveltal's Oblivion Wing, making sure none of them landed on her. At the same time, she had to keep Magehold from falling as the Windigos were already using all of the cold wind they could to keep the entire nation in the air. "Drago!" Seeing that she couldn't stop to use Hurricane, the best thing to just unleash Hurricane and continue evading. as Yveltal followed her, she would descend, joining the Windigos who were right underneath the massive landmass that had been ripped from Magehold's original location. With all of her might, she flapped her wings, summoning a powerful and massive Hurricane that would help keep Magehold from crashing. Afterwards, Dragonite would fly to the side, just narrowly avoiding an Oblivion Wing. That Oblivion Wing struck the ground, blowing away an already damaged roof here at the Crystal Empire. Now that the Hurricane had been made, Dragonite had to keep Yveltal from spreading any further destruction as she would approach the Destruction Pokemon, ready to get up close and personal. Yveltal prepared yet another Oblivion Wing, but before he could pull it off, Dragonite tackled him at full force, interrupting his attack. The Destruction Pokemon cried out as he was pushed through the air before receiving a swift yet heavy slash from Dragonite's Dragon Claw. However, despite their efforts, the nation was still leaning towards crashing into the Crystal Empire. And by this time, the residents of the Crystal Empire were already jetting away, attempting to leave the empire in case the nation does drop on them. They couldn't risk staying behind. Dragonite's Hurricane did help in holding it back, but that only prompted the Lich Queen to add more power and speed to the nation's movements, worsening things. A strong wind pressure came and it wasn't from the Windigos but the Lich Queen's actions instead. "It's useless! You're not powerful enough to stop it from crashing!" Rosa Maledicta cackled as the turning nation threw Ash and his Pokemon's balance to the other side. Ash held onto his hat before grabbing onto a nearby crooked tree while Pikachu held Ash's leg. "Don't count on it! It's not gonna drop on the Crystal Empire, no matter what!" Ash roared while holding onto three with all of his might. "Is that what you think? As long as I add magic to it, it will continue to move in whatever way I wish! After all, even if my magic isn't enough, if I just let go, it'll drop!" The Lich Queen fully believed that the nation would crash regardless, no matter how hard Ash and his friends struggle. The Windigos and Dragonite's Hurricane were the crutches keeping Magehold from obliterating the Crystal Empire. But even the Windigos were struggling. Their strength grew weaker and the Hurricane could not last forever. By now, the turning nation was felt by almost everyone. They could feel the whole place turn to the other side and no other area was as affected as the Magehold Contest Hall. All the citizens watching the remainder of the contest noticed the turning nation but thanks to Fantina's encouragement, they would power through it, trying to use this as entertainment. On top of that, they had the Pony of Shadows granting them some protection with his shadows. The Hurricane was starting to die out as two of the Windigos backed away, unable to keep the nation up. The nation was starting to close in on the Crystal Empire with seemingly nothing being able to stop it. Ash felt the distance between the Crystal Empire and the Sky closing. The high clouds were getting further out of reach However, that was when a massive golden beam flew in, striking the nation and keeping it from falling. This golden beam held up Magehold, assisting the Windigos. Rosa Maledicta felt the change in momentum as Magehold was stuck in midair by an extra power that she didn't see coming. "What was that?!" She questioned, but it wasn't from the Windigos or any of Ash's Pokemon. Instead, it was Princess Celestia. Her golden magic was striking the nation of Magehold, having enough power to hold it in place. The Ruler of Equestria was already aware of the nation moving across the sky and the moment she saw that it was threatening to crash into the Crystal Empire, she took immediate action in the best way possible. And while she started on the ground, she soon ascended, lifting herself off the ground as her powerful magic helped the Windigos and even powered up Dragonite's Hurricane, giving it some extra longevity. As she ascended, she appeared before Ash and Rosa Maledicta and beside her was her partner Gardevoir. "Celestia!" Ash and Rosa both said but with different tones. Ash had happiness and excitement while Rosa Maledicta had anger and agitation. With Equestria's Ruler here, the tides were shifting once more. But for Rosa Maledicta, this saved her some trouble when trying to go for Celestia since Celestia came straight to her. "Ash! I can only keep it steady and that's about it! The best thing we can do is send it elsewhere so it won't harm anyone else!" Celestia shouted, seeing that the only thing they could do was send Magehold to another location. Preferably, one that was empty and devoid of life just so it can crash there. "Try all you want!" Rosa Maledicta replied before summoning her massive roots, targeting Celestia. "When it drops, the damage will be outrageous! And you have to admit that not even you can stop this, Celestia." "I'm not the only alicorn involved though." The Sun Princess smiled, knocking Rosa's smile off her own face. According to her, there was another alicorn involved. Rosa Maledicta expected it to be Princess Luna, who would be the other alicorn that would assist Celestia. She looked around for Luna, seeing if she was hiding somewhere. She wondered if Luna was right underneath the nation, using her magic to push it away from the Crystal. However, Luna was nowhere to be found and neither was her magical presence felt anywhere. Instead, it was another alicorn and she was right at the Crystal Empire, staying behind to protect the empire she will one day rule. Baby Flurry Heart was the other alicorn and the staunch defender of her home. The Baby Alicorn giggled playfully as her prodigal magic which has yet to be fully controlled were free to be unleashed. And when unleashed, they made a stark difference as she unleashed a powerful beam all the way from the castle. With Baby Flurry Heart getting involved, the nation was starting to move away. "Golurk!" Flurry Heart wasn't the only defender though. All of the Golurk flew in, pressing their massive hands on the landmass. This was done by the Canterlot and Crystal Empire Golurks were plentiful in numbers, bringing a ton of muscle power that could only be outdone by a Machamp. Rosa Maledicta stumbled for a moment while on her balcony as Magehold was moving further away from the Crystal Empire. The combined might of Dragonite's Hurricane, the wind of the Windigos and finally, the strength of the Golurk the power of the two alicorns led to the Crystal Empire's safety. The entire nation was brought back to the higher heights of the skies above. Cheers of relief and happiness filled the air as they came from the Crystal Empire's residents who managed to avoid certain destruction. Once again, their home has been saved from yet another close call. Or so it seemed. Rosa Maledicta would not give up so easily. With that Dark Magic from her body growing, this forced her to give it her all when trying to smash the nation into the Crystal Empire. She groaned, entering the fiercest clash with all of these forces. "Man! She can still do this much?!" Ash was amazed by how much the Lich Queen could give out as his hair was blowing fiercely from all of this struggling. "You will not beat me!" Rosa Maledicta declared as her voice howled in the sky, making sure everyone nearby could hear it. All the Crystal Empire residents certainly heard it as the anger in her voice was coming out. The sky itself was shaking violently from this clash as the snow was beginning to fly everywhere. Nature itself had no idea what to make of this or even how to respond. It was similar to when one of the demons from the Box of 100 Demons attempted crashing into Equestria, but on a smaller scale and yet the severity of it was just as big if not bigger. Those below could only watch in awe as it felt like two powerful beings from above were locked in a fierce battle. It even looked like it too. Anyone would be starstruck as these great superpowers went at it. This was possibly the biggest battle of Light and Dark they've ever seen. And before they knew it, the entirety of Magehold was suddenly launched at high speeds, creating a powerful shockwave. The nation went elsewhere, but it wasn't exactly what Princess Celestia was hoping for. Thanks to this intense Magical Struggle, the nation of Magehold was blindly flying away as even Rosa Maledicta did not expect this. Celestia gasped, knowing she had to pursue it now that it was flying off. And judging by the direction it was flying in, it would be nowhere near where it originally came from or even the Hyperborean. Instead, the distance it was moving at was leading to somewhere warmer than here. Magehold went far. Incredibly far. The speed it was moving at forced Ash and his Pokemon to hold onto something else for guaranteed safety. The best they could do were either the trees of the walls of Magehold's many buildings. Rosa Maledicta even had to hold onto something as Yveltal and Dragonite were forced to cease their actions as they latched onto the castle walls. Magehold was about to crash but not where Rosa Maledicta expected. Everyone inside each building felt the great emergence of turbulence that made them all hold on for dear life. Rosa Maledicta tried using her power to stop it before doomed her as she was afraid that not even the Pony of Shadows could stop this. She barely managed to regain control as it was too late to keep it in the air anymore. The best she could do was guarantee that it would land safely. As for where Magehold was landing, it crashed into the ground at full force, damaging the lush green environment instantly. But rather than just make a massive crater and be done with it, Magehold was instead dragging itself across the ground. It felt like multiple earthquakes hit the nation once it hit the ground as the environment was being torn apart by this rough movement. The nation went far, even passing by a lake that could be seen nearby as a huge amount of dust would envelop it. Eventually, it would come to an end, stopping by a mountain formation. But the location was all too familiar. It was none other than Exploud Canyon. Home of the Exploud as Magholed went this far across Equestria, "Hm?" And even from another world, Roseluck, who was still at the Ketchum Household, felt that something was amiss, The tremor was just that powerful, managing to reach Pallet Town. But Roseluck, and all those staying at Pallet Town to rest up, had no idea what was coming their way. Or even when transpired before that. Magehold was now glued to Exploud Canyon, residing in a massive crater as the Black Crusade was nearing its climax. Greater forces had shown up and the struggle was swaying in either direction. However, with Rosa Maledicta pushing her hoof out of the rubble, this would not end until one side gives up or faces true defeat as the journey continues. Chapter 183 End.