> Twilight Sparkle has a Pokemon Journey
>  by Darkmetroidz
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Chapter 1- The Journey Begins
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Twilight's alarm clock went off with a loud ring several hours before sunrise. Today was the big day, the day she had been waiting for for untold months. It was February 27th, the day she would finally be able to finally get her very own pokémon. Ever since Shining Armor had left on his own journey a few years ago, Twilight had been anxiously waiting for when it would finally be her turn. She had gone about getting ready in her usual way; studying. Over the course of two years, Twilight had read every book on the subject the Canterlot library had to offer. Everything from practical knowledge about types, battling and breeding, to less relevant information about the discovery of new species of pokémon and of the mythology that surrounded them. 

She shoveled down a hearty breakfast of oats before grabbing her saddlebags and her hat. She gave her mom and dad a firm hug, and finally galloped out the door. 

The sun had barely begun to peek over the horizon when Twilight left her house. She was supposed to meet with Cadence at the Canterlot castle at eight AM sharp. Princess Celestia, her mentor, had sent away for three exceedingly rare pokémon, and she and another pony would have the pick of them. Twilight wondered excitedly what kind of pokémon she would get to meet. Her entire walk over was spent obsessing over what would be inside those pokéballs. Oh, I hope it's a Lapras. Or maybe a Riolu. But Munna are so cute. After a few minutes, she finally decided to give it a rest. There's no point in tiring myself out before I even start.

She arrived about fifteen minutes early, as was the norm for Twilight. Cadence was already there, as was another unicorn. "Finally. Trixie was getting tired of waiting." The blue mare sneered. 

"I'm so sorry, did I get the time wrong?" Twilight asked apologetically. She was never late, especially not for things this important. Could she have gotten the wrong time? 

Cadence laughed. "No Twilight, we're just early. It's normal, really. Everypony shows up early to get their first pokémon." She produced a chrome case, which she opened with great excitement. "Princess Celestia had these specially imported. It's hard to find these kinds of pokémon here in Equestria." 

"What are they, Cadence?" Twilight asked, eagerly. She stared at the three shiny new pokéballs.  One of them contained what would become her new partner and best friend. 

"We have these three: Bulbasaur, Squirtle, and Charmander." She said with a smile. Three of the oldest known species, they were among the first pokémon listed in the pokédex. Cadence looked at the two eager mares. "Now, I'm going to flip a coin. Whoever wins gets to pick first, okay?" 

Both mares nodded. Cadence held up a bit in her hoof and threw it into the air.

"Tails!" Twilight exclaimed. 

"Heads!" Trixie cried, simultaneously. There was absolute silence as the coin landed with a loud ding. 

"Tails." Cadence announced. "Twilight, you get to pick first." 

Trixie shot Twilight a dirty look. Nervously, Twilight stepped forward to inspect the three pokéballs. A bead of sweat ran down her mane. She had not expected the choice to be so difficult, but the hugeness of the choice was overwhelming. After several minutes of thought, she rested her lilac hoof on the leftmost pokéball. 

"Ah, Bulbasaur, a wise choice." Cadence nodded as Twilight took the ball in hoof. "Well come on, say hello."

Twilight stared at the red and white capsule for a moment. Finally, she smiled. Bulbasaur, I choose you!" She shouted as she tossed the pokéball onto the ground. In a flash of light, Bulbasaur, her pokémon, had appeared before her. 

"Bulba?" It croaked, confusedly. 

"Hi Bulbasaur, I'm Twilight, your new trainer." Twilight hesitantly stretched her hoof out, and started gently stroking it's head. It smiled, and rubbed itself alongside her leg.

Cadence was positively beaming. "This is my favorite part of this job. Nothing compares to seeing how happy somepony is when they meet their first pokémon. Trixie, now it's your turn."

Trixie rolled her eyes. "Well, fortunately, Trixie had been planning to choose Charmander all along." She took the rightmost pokéball and released its occupant, which she began stroking confidently. 

"Well, it looks like I'll be taking care of this Squirtle for the time being." Cadence laughed. "As for you two, here are your pokédexes." She gave each of them a red device that fit in their hoof. "This will catalog all the pokémon you encounter, and-"

"Hold it!" Trixie exclaimed. "Since Trixie has her pokémon now, and you have yours, there really is only one logical thing to do; Twilight Sparkle, the Great and Powerful Trixie challenges you to a pokémon battle!" 

"Wait, here?" Twilight stammered, no, I mean, not now."

Trixie shook her head condescendingly. "Tsk tsk, didn't you learn anything studying with Princess Celestia? A pokémon trainer can't refuse a challenge from another. You should know that."

Twilight grimaced. "Right. But shouldn't we go somewhere else? I mean, this is the castle courtyard?"

"It would be fine." Cadence reassured. "Plenty of battles have gone down here. Besides, your pokémon are still small. They won't cause any damage."

Gee, thanks Cadence. Trixie was right though. And besides, battling was how trainer and pokémon become close. Twilight sighed. "No time like the present, I guess." 

The two trainers took to either side of the courtyard, with Cadence standing on the steps, between the two mares but out of the line of fire. "If both trainers are ready, then their pokémon may enter the battle!" She declared. 

"You ready for this, little guy?" Twilight whispered. 

Bulbasaur nodded. It waddled forward on its four little legs, standing directly in front of Trixie's Charmander. For a moment, there was an energetic silence, as both sides waited for the cue to go. 

"Let the battle begin!" Cadence shouted. Immediately, the two pokémon readied themselves, awaiting their trainer's orders. 

Trixie acted first. "Alright Charmander, use scratch!" Charmander obeyed, rushing forward and scraping Bulbasaur with its claws. 

"You alright Bulbasaur?" Twilight shouted. She had an idea. "Hey, use growl!" Bulbasaur made a rumbling noise towards Charmander, which seemed to unsteady it a little. 

"Go for another scratch!" Trixie shouted again. Charmander attacked, a little more weakly this time. 

Twilight smiled. Perfect. Trixie doesn't realize what's going on. She knew from Shining that an opponent was at a disadvantage when they didn't respect the effects of moves like growl and leer. Soon Charmander would barely be hurting, and then it would be time to strike.

This went back and forth for a while. Bulbasaur would use growl, and Charmander would attack a little less forcefully. Finally, after the fourth or so growl, Charmander was barely touching her pokémon.

Now! Twilight told herself. "Okay, now use tackle!" After so long on the defensive, Bulbasaur eagerly charged to attack. It knocked Charmander flat on its tail. A solid hit, but not enough to knock it out. 

Trixie had finally realized what was going on, but it was too late. "Leer! Use leer!" Charmander glared at Bulbasaur. But it was too late. 
"Tackle! Once more!" With all its strength, Bulbasaur plowed into Charmander. It fell over, and finally fainted. The battle was over. Twilight had won. 

"Stop!" Cadence shouted. "This battle is over! The winner it Twilight Sparkle."

"Yes!" Twilight cried. Happily, she scooped up Bulbasaur in her hooves, and began affectionately petting it. 

Trixie walked over, and handed her a few bits angrily. "Here, you won." She growled. 

Twilight gave her a confused look. "Trixie, we didn't bet any-"

"Wow, you really don't know anything. When you lose a battle, you have to pay some money to the winner. Trixie was planning on using that for lunch, but-"

"That's quite enough." Cadence interjected. "Seeing that was your first battle, I will cover your prize money." She returned Trixie's money and gave Twilight a few coins herself. It was just enough to buy a soda or something, but not much more. "But yes, Trixie is right. From here on out, whenever one of you lose a battle, you will have to pay out money to the victor."

"It's a good thing Trixie doesn't intend on losing again." Trixie pointed a blue hoof at Twilight. "Listen up, Twilight Sparkle, and listen well. That win was a fluke. Once Trixie is able to properly train her pokémon, you will no doubt taste defeat. The Great and Powerful Trixie intends to be the best pokémon trainer there ever was. When we meet again, you will lose. Until then, smell ya later." She galloped off without so much as another word. 

"What was that all about?" Twilight asked, bewildered. 

Cadence chuckled. "Have fun on your journey. I think you just made yourself a rival." 
> Chapter 2- On the Road
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Twilight was still shaken from her encounter with Trixie. There was no logical reason why she had acted so hostile when they had only just met. Still, just thinking about the entire interaction pained her. She had left home that morning excited to make friends, but it seems she had so far only made a rival, out of somepony she had never met no less. Still, at least she had Bulbasaur at her side, and that was enough for now. 

Before she had left, Cadence had given her a few pokéballs, and a town map to help find her way around the long roads that ran between the many towns of Equestria. If she was going to be a proper trainer, she would need to go start earning gym badges from the cities around the region. While the Canterlot City Gym was closer, the Gym Leader was supposed to be incredibly strong, certainly more than she and her little Bulbasaur could handle. The Ponyville Gym, on the other hoof, was reportedly a popular stop for rookies, and to boot was fairly close. She put her map away, and with a last glance back, left her hometown and set off into the wider world. 

Twilight had two goals in mind. First was to win her first gym badge. Second, she wanted to catch at least one more pokémon before she challenged the gym leader. She had no idea what kind of pokémon she would use, so it would probably be for the best to have options for who to use against them. There were two roads from Canterlot to Ponyville. The Mountain Tunnel was shorter and inhabited by wild pokémon, but the place was not considered friendly to rookie trainers, and Twilight didn't feel comfortable going through there alone. The Cliffside Road was longer, but was undeniably the safer route. 

The walk was for the most part uneventful. Aside from the breathtaking view of the heartland of Equestria from the many vistas along the road, there was not much to do on the route. After a few hours of walking, Twilight's hooves and stomach had finally had enough, and both began complaining. 

She sat down with a grunt. She had packed a fair amount of food before she'd left, but she wanted to try and make her supply last as long as possible. She had resolved to forage for food whenever possible, only turning to her packed rations as a last resort. 

She had long ago passed the vegetation line, below which trees freely grew. Twilight gazed through the treetops, and saw a few bright red apples atop the branches of one of the trees. She was not going to be able to climb to get them, and couldn't focus her magic enough to pull one down. But before she gave up, she remembered she wasn't out of options. 

She tossed Bulbasaur's pokéball down, releasing the creature from inside. "Hey Bulbasaur, can you possibly get a few of those apples down? We can share them." 

"Bulba!" He nodded. A pair of vines extended from the bulb on its back, extending skyward towards the treetops. Each vine wrapped around an apple, pulling two fruits down from the treetops. 

"Thanks little guy." Twilight smiled. "You know, it's kind of lonely out here. Would you mind walking with me for awhile?" 

Bulbasaur took a momentary break from munching on the apple and nodded. "Bulbasaur!" It cried happily. 

"Then it's settled." She grinned. They sat for awhile longer, eating a couple more apples before finally getting back on the road. With her hooves rested and stomach sated, Twilight walked with a renewed pep. Her pace was slowed down by Bulbasaur's slow waddle, but she wasn't in any hurry, and besides, having the companionship was well worth it. They wouldn't make it to Ponyville until tomorrow, but the weather was nice and Twilight was looking forward to finally be able to camp out for the night. 

Sundown had begun to approach when Twilight reached a river. There was a bridge spanning the waterway, but what attracted Twilight's attention was the girl sitting on the edge of the water with a fishing pole, shouting at the water. 

"How long does it take to for something to bite?" The girl fumed. "I swear Pidgeotto, something's gotta be wrong with this rod." 

Twilight decided to wave to the girl. "Hello!" She shouted. "What are you doing?" 

The girl rolled her eyes. "What does it look like I'm doing? I'm fishing, or at least trying to. I've been sitting here all day, and I haven't gotten so much as a nibble."  

Twilight cantered closer to the girl. "Mind if I sit down?" She asked. "I'd like to watch." 

She laughed at that. "Not a lot to watch. Pidgeotto and I have been sitting here for hours, and nothing's happened. I'd settle for a Magikarp at this point, but I need to catch something."

"Why?"

"Why do you think? I'm trying to challenge the Ponyville Gym, but the last time I went in there, Pidgeotto and I got our butts handed to us. That Gym Leader is tough, let me tell you."

The mention of the gym leader perked up Twilight's ears. "You're a pokémon trainer too? Are you trying to collect badges?"

The girl gave a cocky laugh. "Sure am! The name's Rainbow Dash. Remember that, because someday I'll be the Champion of this whole region!"

"Have you won any badges yet?" Twilight asked curiously. 

All at once, Rainbow Dash's bravado disappeared. "Well, no, not yet. But I will soon!" She insisted, re-inflating just as fast.  "Me and Pidgeotto haven't been on the road for very long, but we're already a great team!" 

Twilight was almost as caught up in Rainbow Dash's ranting as she was. Fortunately though, she was just able to perceive the tip of her fishing pole bending into the water. "Um, Rainbow Dash? I hate to interrupt, but I think you have a bite."

"What? Whoa!" She exclaimed, snapping out of her talking. She began reeling in the line as fast as she could manage. "Whatever it is, it's heavy!"  The pokémon on the end of the line was pulling Dash towards the water's edge. Without thinking, Twilight wrapped her hooves around her waist, and began pulling the girl away from the water. 

"Almost… got it!" Dash yelled, giving the rod one last hard yank. The two girls fell backwards, pulling the biting pokémon out of the water with them. Twilight saw a flash of pink, but her vision was quickly covered by Rainbow Dash collapsing on top of her.

The two quickly sat up to see what they had caught. "Slow………… poke." The pokémon yawned. 

"Are you kidding me?" Dash growled. "A Slowpoke?" 

"It must have bitten your line while it was floating by, and kept drifting." Twilight hypothesized. "It wasn't fighting back, it was just being pulled by the water."

Rainbow Dash groaned. "I can't believe I waited all day for this." She sighed, and turned to her Pidgeotto. "Alright, we might as well try again."

"Um, Rainbow Dash, you may not be able to…" Twilight giggled, pointing at the Slowpoke. 	

"You have to be kidding…" The line had snapped, and the Slowpoke had eaten Rainbow Dash's lure. "It's okay… I can just wait until tomorrow, and I can go buy a new one. Thanks for your help…" Rainbow stopped abruptly,  "Sorry, I didn't get your name."

"My name's Twilight." She smiled. "And you're welcome. Hey, it's getting dark. I'm going to be finding a place to camp? Care to join me?"

"Sure, I don't have anything better to do." Dash picked up her backpack from the side of the river, intending to leave the lazy Slowpoke on the edge of the water. The clueless pokémon hadn't even moved back towards the water during their entire exchange. As Dash turned away, a pokéball fell out of her backpack. Slowpoke eyed it hungrily, and poked the button in the middle of the capsule with its tongue. 

A bright flash of light startled the two girls, drawing their gaze to the source. Where a moment ago there had been a pink mass of pokémon, now there was a pokéball wiggling on the ground. Twilight remembered something she saw ages ago in a book. "I read once that Slowpokes are so slow to react to things they don't even realize they're in a pokéball until after they've been captured." The ball wiggled a few more times, as Rainbow Dash looked at it with a defeated expression on her face, until it made a faint click sound. Like it or not, the Slowpoke was hers now. 

"You've gotta be kidding me." She moaned. Rainbow Dash picked up the pokéball, and with a sigh of defeat, put it into her backpack. "Let's find a place to camp. Just thinking about this pokémon is making me tired." 

> Chapter 3- Arrival in Ponyville
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Twilight and Rainbow Dash woke up at 8:00 the following morning. They shared a breakfast of foraged berries and bread Rainbow Dash had packed for her trip. They spent the walk to town chatting about the town's Gym Leader. 

"She's a schoolteacher." Rainbow Dash explained. "A lot of the kids around here get their first pokémon with her help." She smiled at her Pidgeotto, which flew alongside her. "She helped me meet my friend here when she was still just a little Pidgey." Pidgeotto cooed affectionately, prompting Rainbow to rub her on the head. 

"Wow, she sounds amazing." This gym leader reminded Twilight a lot of Cadence. Kind, nurturing, and a pillar of the community.
"Don't underestimate her though." Rainbow warned. "She and her Kangaskhan will plow right through you if you aren't ready. I was hoping to find a pokémon to use against her, and I guess that's going to be Slowpoke."

Twilight smiled. She thought it was funny that despite how annoyed Rainbow Dash was when she accidentally captured it, she didn't release it. Rainbow Dash struck Twilight as somewhere between determined and stubborn, and that once she was committed to something, she stuck with it. 

"Well, here we are." Rainbow Dash announced. They had arrived at last at the edge of Ponyville. It was a rustic settlement, tiny when compared to Canterlot. The roads were made of dirt instead of stone, and aside from a choice few, no building stood more than two stories high. Still, the place had a homey charm to it, one that attested to the close-knit community Rainbow Dash had described. 

"What should we do, now that we're here?" Twilight asked. 

"Didn't plan that out, egghead?" Dash snickered. 

"No, I did. Well, sort of. This is all new to me, so I don’t know if anything I thought to do is actually a good idea or not."

"Well, usually when you arrive in a town, you probably want to go to the Pokémon Center first," Rainbow said, "But since neither of us have been doing any battling, I think we can skip that part. I guess the best thing to do would be to look around town."

"And what about the gym?" Twilight asked.

"We'll get to that. Neither of us are ready yet." Dash answered with a wave of her hoof. "But I do know somepony who would help us train. C'mon, she's a friend." 

Twilight followed Rainbow across the village, to the opposite edge of town. She stopped at the front gate of a large farm, which was surrounded by acres and acres of apple trees. "Follow me, we'll go talk to Applejack." Rainbow switched to a louder voice. "Hey AJ! You busy?"

An orange mare trotted out from behind the barn to find the source of the noise. "Just finished my chores, Rainbow Dash. Whaddya y'all need?"

"This is Twilight, we met yesterday while I was out fishing." Dash introduced, gesturing to the lilac mare at her side. "We're trying to train up to challenge the gym leader. If you've got time, wanna have a battle? We need to practice."

A wicked grin spread across Applejack's face. "Sounds fine by me. I've been rarin' for some action all week. Just don't go cryin' when you lose, again." 

The remark turned Dash red in the face. "That last time was a fluke and you know it!" 

Applejack laughed. "And the time 'afore that? Which of you varmits wants to go first?"

"I'm gonna wipe that smug grin off your face." Dash growled, jabbing a hoof at Applejack.

"We'll see about that." She stuck her hoof in her saddlebag and pulled out a dirt-covered pokéball. "I reckon my little pardner is all ready to go. Come on out, Phanpy!" A baby-blue pokémon with a trunk appeared from within the pokéball. "You ready to get beat?" 

Rainbow Dash gave her a dirty grin. "Not today. I have a secret weapon. Remember how I said I was going fishing yesterday? Well, I caught a pokémon that's gonna take you down!" Without an introduction, she threw out the ball, releasing a pink mass onto the ground. 

"Sloooooow… poke?" It yawned. 

"A Slowpoke? Now that's something I never thought I'd see you caught dead with. But it's gonna take a lot more'n surprise to beat me! Use rollout!" She ordered. 

Phanpy used its trunk to roll her form into a wheel, and began rushing straight at Slowpoke. It yawned, then looked up at was rolling its way. "Poke…" It yawned. 

There was an audible smack, but a distinct lack of a cry from the stricken pokémon. "What in tarnation?" Phanpy had scored a clean hit right on Slowpoke. But the pokémon barely reacted. At best, it seemed to frown a little. "Last time we battled, one rollout and your Pidgeotto 
was out for the count." 

Rainbow smiled. "That's because rock moves aren't strong against water types. But you know what is strong against a ground type?" Applejack grit her teeth. "Water types. Slowpoke, hit 'em with a water gun!" In no particular hurry, Slowpoke yawned, and then began spraying water from its mouth, hitting Phanpy square in the head.

"That's no good! Use takedown!" Applejack shouted. Phanpy began making a charge straight at Slowpoke, gathering all the speed it could muster. 

"Yawn!" Rainbow Dash yelled. And yawn it did. Slowpoke gave an incredible yawn, which induced drowsiness in Phanpy almost immediately. It slowed its charge, before finally collapsing on its side, asleep.

To assert its victory, Slowpoke waddled over to the sleeping Phanpy, and laid down atop the other pokémon's defenseless form. Rainbow Dash nearly fell over laughing. "Looks like I win!" She cheered.

"Ah, shucks. Well done, Dash. Looks like that little feller's got somethin' in him all right. Now how's bout you, girlie?" Applejack asked, looking directly at Twilight.	

"Me? Now?" Twilight stammered, "But isn't your pokémon already unconscious? It wouldn’t be fair."

Applejack chuckled. "I've got more'n one pokémon. It ain't smart to be runnin' round with just one." She produced another pokéball from her bag. "C'mon out, Mareep!"

Twilight stepped up to face Applejack. "Okay, here goes. Go, Bulbasaur!" Bulbasaur stepped out from beside Twilight, taking to the makeshift arena. 

Applejack tipped her hat to her opponent. "Good luck, girlie. Just cuz you're a rookie don't mean I'll go easy on ya. Mareep, hit 'em with a thundershock!" The woolly pokémon, bristling with electricity, shot a spark straight at Bulbasaur. However, the grass pokémon seemed to shrug it right off. 

Bulbasaur resists electric moves. Twilight thought with a grin. Good. If I can make this a battle of attrition, I can win. Twilight prepared to issue her own command. "Bulbasaur, use poison powder!" Bulbasaur fired a barrage of toxic spores at Mareep. The effect was instant. Mareep was covered in a sickly purple haze, slowly sapping its strength. 

"Y'all feeling alright?" Applejack asked, concerned. Mareep gave a weak cry in response. "You'll pay for that. Hit 'em with take down!" In spite of its condition, Mareep still hit Bulbasaur hard. 

This isn't good. The poison isn't acting fast enough. Then Twilight had another idea. If there was one thing a Bulbasaur could do and do well, it was outlast an opponent. "Use leech seed!" Bulbasaur fired several seeds onto Mareep, which instantly erupted into vines and began sapping her opponent's strength. The seeds would gradually siphon Mareep's vitality and transfer it to Bulbasaur. 

This lasted for a few minutes. Mareep would attack, and Bulbasaur would retaliate, but while Bulbasaur's attacks were weaker, the ongoing effects of the poison meant that he would be able to outlast Mareep without a doubt. Finally, after going at it for awhile, the seeds and poisoning drained the last of Mareep's stamina, and it collapsed. 

Her defeated opponent nodded. "Hats off to you, kid. That was a mighty fine display y'all put up there. And I wasn't going easy on ya neither."

The sound of children cheering turned their attention from each other. Three fillies had gathered on the fence and had been watching the battle intensely. 

"Applebloom!" Applejack scolded. "Shouldn't you an' yer friends be in school?" 

"Naw, Ms. Cherilee dismissed us early." The yellow one answered. 

"We heard pokémon and thought there might be a battle to watch." Another one added, this one with an orange coat and a purple mane. 

"Well, if you've got time to be gawkin' at us, maybe y'all got time to work on your chores?" Applejack said smartly. 

"Aww, but sis, if I gotta work, me Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle won't be able to go crusadin' today."

"'Crusading?'" Twilight asked.

"Yep." She sighed. "Ever since they went an' got their cutie marks, they got it in their head they're supposed to help folks find their perfect pokémon partners."

"We're just tryin to help make folks happy!" Applebloom argued. Each of them produced their own pokéball, and showed off their partners. Applebloom had a Pichu, Sweetie Belle a Jigglypuff, and Scootaloo a Torchic. "We got our cutie marks the day we found our pokémon. Some day we're gonna go out on an adventure ourselves."

"That day won't be for awhile, sugarcube. Y'all are too young still." Applejack cantered over to her sister and rubbed her mane. 

"What do you know sis? You never left home, even though you're old enough an' you’ve got two pokémon." Applebloom's remark seemed to hit a raw nerve on Applejack. 

"Darn right I never left, and it wasn't my choice neither. Big Mac can't run this place by himself, and Granny Smith's too old to help out. I'm not gonna go runnin' off on some fool journey when I'm needed 'round the house." Finally, Applejack ended her scolding tirade and sighed. "It's part of bein' an adult, Applebloom. Sometimes you gotta put your dreams on hold because you have responsibilities to take care of." Applejack returned her attention to her guests. "Sorry y'all had to see that. I just remembered I got some more chores to do. Good luck with the gym, I know you'll do great." She walked off with a wave, leaving Rainbow Dash and Twilight alone. 

"She seems really upset." Twilight observed. 

"Yeah." Dash sighed. "Her parents vanished ages ago, so it's been up to her and her brother to take care of the farm. AJ and I used to want to leave on a journey together, but now she can't get off the farm." 

*	*	*

Once she was sure nopony was watching, Applejack snuck back around to the farmhouse, releasing her two pokémon from their balls. "Thanks for that battle there, you two." She sighed. Applejack darted up to her bedroom on the second floor. Beside her bed, she had a tackboard she had been debating taking down but could never work up the heart to do it, because the things mounted on it were of sentimental value to her.  	

Three first prize and two second prize junior trainer's ribbons she'd won at fairs. Several honors she had gotten for her skill as a trainer from pokémon summer camp. On the nightstand below it, sitting in an otherwise empty plastic case, was a small polished piece of metal worked into the shape of a budding plant. Ponyville's own Sprout Badge. She let out a long, drawn out sigh. "If only…" There were seven empty slots to be filled, but unless something were to change soon, Applejack doubted she would ever see her collection completed. 

> Chapter 4- Expanding the Team
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"So, anything else you wanna do?" Rainbow Dash asked. 

Her friend's words seemed to go straight through her. Twilight couldn’t stop thinking about what she had seen at Applejack's farm. She felt so sorry for her, but had to respect her dedication to her family. Still, it was a shame. Applejack was of a similar age to Twilight, probably a little older, and this was the time of a pony's life when they should be getting out to see the world. Regardless of how her journey ended, Twilight was eternally thankful to be able to go on it. 

An gentle nudge from Rainbow Dash brought Twilight back to reality. "Huh? Oh, um… I don't know." She said, not entirely sure what the question was. 

"Well in that case, you think you're ready to go face the Gym Leader?" Rainbow asked. 

"Not at all!" Twilight exclaimed, "I still want to at least catch another pokémon before I do. You know anywhere to go?"

"Well, unless you want to spend all day fishing, the best place to find pokémon is around the Everfree forest. You get some scary stuff deep in there, but the ones you find around the edge aren't anything to worry about. Another friend of mine lives around there, maybe we should go pay her a visit."

"Is she a trainer too?" Twilight asked. 

"Not exactly. She doesn’t really like battling, but she's a natural at caring for pokémon. She's training to be a breeder, might end up opening a day-care one day." Dash ran off down the road, with Twilight following as fast as she could manage. The house they were looking for was a few minutes down the road, which skirted along the edge of Ponyville but was for the most part through farmland and near the dark forest. 

They came to a stop near a quiet-looking cottage, which was only a stone's throw away from the edge of the forest. Rainbow Dash walked to the door and gave a single hard knock. "Just a fair warning, she's kind of, well… shy."

A wispy mare opened the door. "Hi Rainbow Dash." She said softly. Then, seeing the newcomer, she closed the door to just a crack. "Um, hello…" She squeaked. 

"Hi, I'm Twilight Sparkle." Twilight smiled, trying to make a good introduction. 

"Im Fluttershy…" She whispered, so softly Twilight could barely hear it.

"Sorry, what was that?" Shy wasn't beginning to cut it. This girl was so sheepish Twilight wondered how she could function. 

"I'm Fluttershy." She said, a tiny bit louder. Her blue eyes nervously scanned Twilight, before darting to the small pokémon at her feet.
"Bulba! Saur!" Her pokémon said enthusiastically. 

"Ohmygosh, is that a Bulbasaur?" She screeched, nearly bowling Twilight over as she burst from her house. "I've never seen a real one, just drawings. Where did you get such a handsome pokémon?"

"My old foalsitter Cadence gave it to me." Twilight smiled. Finally, I may be able to get somewhere with this mare. "She works for Princess Celestia, you know, the famous researcher?"

Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy's jaws dropped at once. "You mean to tell me, you know THE Princess Celestia, the Pokémon Professor?" Rainbow Dash gasped. 

"That's incredible," Fluttershy added softly, "You must have so many rare pokémon if you're friends with the Princess."

"Well no actually, right now it's just me and Bulbasaur," Twilight explained. "I was actually hoping to try to catch a pokémon around here if you wouldn't mind. I was hoping to challenge the Gym Leader soon, but I don't think I'm ready yet."

"Oh my, you like to battle?" Fluttershy asked, again taking a more reserved stance. "I could never battle myself. Right Buneary?" A small pokémon hopped from inside, nibbling on a carrot as it moved. 

"Bun!" It nodded. 

"Oh, but I'm sure that if you're looking for a pokémon, you'll catch a lovely one!" She smiled.

"Actually Fluttershy, that's why we're here." Rainbow explained. "You think you could be our guide? You know the forest like the back of your hoof."

"Well, I suppose I know the woods pretty well." She conceded. "Well, at least the edges. I'm too scared to go in very deep."

"That's all we need." Twilight assured. "Neither of us are fit to handle whatever lives deep in there."

Fluttershy retreated into her house to grab some supplies. She returned with a lantern, a small bag of pokémon food, and a few dolls shaped like Clefairy. 

"They're poké dolls." She explained. "In case we run into anything scary, you throw one of these to distract it while you run."

The trio set off into the forest, walking in single file with Fluttershy in the lead and Rainbow Dash bringing up the rear. From what Twilight could tell, there was only one entrance to the forest, and that was straight along the path. Everywhere else, the trees and underbrush were too thick to enter or leave. 

Immediately after entering, the light level plummeted. "There is a move pokémon can learn that can light up dark places like this." Fluttershy whispered as she continued along the trail. "Flash can light up a dark place like this. Only problem is you need a gym badge to get the move, and there really aren't any pokémon that learn it naturally." Still, the lantern seemed to provide an acceptable level of illumination, at least for their purposes. 

The path, while narrow, was clear of any undergrowth. On either side, however, the grass  grew tall and wild. "You'll be able to find pokémon in here." Fluttershy squeaked. "Be very quiet, and don't make any sudden movements." Twilight waded into the grass, taking every movement slowly and cautiously. The two pegasi waited on the trail with bated breath.

From their left, a rustling came through the grass. "Eevee! Eevee!" The little pokémon cried. It was chasing after a flying Venemoth, which at the sight of the trainers, flew off. With the target of its chasing gone, the Eevee suddenly realized it was all alone, and far away from where it had came from. Its big, expressive eyes scanned its unfamiliar surroundings, and it began to cry out in fear. 

"Oh dear, the poor thing's all alone," Fluttershy gasped, "Eevee aren't usually found anywhere near here. It must have gotten lost." The pokémon had instinctively wrapped itself up in its tail in a vain attempt to protect itself. Its whole body was quaking like a leaf, and its wimpering cries seemed to echo throughout the woods.

Twilight laid a gentle hoof on its fuzzy brown head. "It's okay little one. We can help you get home. Follow me." The Eevee stared at Twilight for a second, before hopping up onto her back with a happy yip. Twilight took the lantern from Fluttershy, and led the group towards the entrance to the forest.

Once they had reached Fluttershy's cottage, Twilight let the Eevee get down. "Alright little one, run on home, okay?" The Eevee stared blankly at Twilight. 

"Vee?" It squeaked, tilting its head sideways.

"Um, Twilight? I could be wrong, but I don't think she wants to leave." Fluttershy said with a slight smile. 

Surprised, her eyes returned to the little pokémon. "Is that true Eevee? Do you want to stay with me?"

"Eevee!" It cried happily. 

"Can't argue with that." Rainbow Dash laughed. "Hey Twilight, you have a pokéball for it?"

She stuck a hoof in her saddlebag and searched around. Cadence had given her two extras back in Canterlot. Finally, her hoof found one. "Yep!" Twilight held out the pokéball and pointed it straight at Eevee. "Alright Eevee, you're mine!" She threw the ball at Eevee, who seemed to be smiling when it hit her forehead. Eevee was absorbed by the red aura of the pokéball, which landed on the ground and began to wiggle. Finally, after three shakes, the ball clicked. 

Twilight held the pokéball aloft in triumph. "Yes, yes, yes, YES!" She cheered. Rainbow Dash gave her a high five, and Fluttershy gave her a shy smile. 

The sun was beginning to set over Ponyville. She looked off toward the horizon, and smiled. "Look out Gym Leader, we're coming for you."
> Chapter 5- The Gym Leader
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Fluttershy had offered Twilight a place to stay for the night, which she graciously accepted. Fluttershy's guest bedroom was small but cozy, allowing Twilight a restful night's sleep. She woke up feeling peppy and alive, and with the smell of pancakes drifting up from downstairs. Following the smell, Twilight walked down the stairs with a spring in her trot. Fluttershy was at the stove, preparing breakfast. "Good morning, did you sleep well?" She smiled, "Are pancakes okay?"

"That'd be fantastic," Twilight answered. Fluttershy returned her attention to her griddle while Twilight sat down, gazing around Fluttershy's house. There were several pictures mounted on the walls of her with all sorts of exotic pokémon, including several kinds Twilight had never seen before. Her bookshelves were stocked with materials on caretaking and breeding. Fluttershy set a piling plate of pancakes down on the table, and after a brief thank you, the two mares dug in heartily. 

"So, are you going to challenge the Gym leader today?" Fluttershy asked. 

Twilight nodded, her mouth still full of flapjack and syrup. "Yep. Everything that I needed to do to prepare is ready, so I think it's time I gave it a shot."

"Will Rainbow Dash be battling her too?" 

"Yep! Rainbow thinks she's got what it takes, so she's gonna go for it." 

Fluttershy smiled slightly. "How exciting. I'll have to come watch."

"Rainbow said you weren't big into battling." Twilight commented.

Her host shook her head. "No, it isn't that. You see, as you probably realized, I'm a little, well… shy." 

"You don't say." Twilight said, trying hard not to roll her eyes. 

"It's not that I don't like battling, it's just I'm no good at it. I'm not very good at giving commands to my pokémon, and I can't make the quick decisions you need either. Besides, Rainbow is my friend, I certainly want to be there to cheer her on." 

Twilight nodded. "That makes sense." 

"Tea?"

*	*	*

Twilight left Fluttershy's cottage full, rested, and invigorated. Fluttershy had remained behind, but promised to meet them at the gym. She was going to find a few of her and Rainbow Dash's friends to come watch the battle. Applejack was one, but the other two she had mentioned Rainbow Dash had not talked about before. 

She met with Rainbow Dash in front of town hall. Her friend was wearing a bright new jacket and hat, both of which had been made by hoof. Their colors, a light red and white, suited her coat and mane well, and were perfect for the springtime weather.

At her side was an alabaster unicorn with a curled purple mane. "Hey Twi, this is my friend Rarity." She said, waving at the mare at her side. "She's a designer, owns the boutique on the other side of town."

She stepped forward to introduce herself. "Hello, my name is Rarity, fashion designer extraordinaire, and this is my partner Kirlia." The small pokémon at her side did a small curtsey, and returned to her trainer's side.

"Hello," Twilight said with a smile, "Are you coming to see Rainbow and I at the Gym today." 

"But of course darling. I've been waiting to see Rainbow Dash finally victorious for ages. And I look forward to seeing you too, of course." She added.

Twilight turned her attention back to Rainbow. "You all ready?"

She nodded. "Yep. Me and the team got a good night sleep and we're ready for a battle. Let's go!" 

Rainbow Dash and Twilight, with Rarity in tow, made their way down the main road north, until they arrived at a small red schoolhouse. "Is this the gym?" Twilight asked, perplexed. Compared to the Canterlot Gym, which she had toured as a filly, the place was downright tiny. There was a small stadium arranged on the grounds nearby, but most parks in Canterlot had similar setups that were better taken care of, and offered more seating. All there was for seats were four small sets of bleachers, which although they would be enough for their audience, it still came off as relatively underwhelming. 

"Yeah." Rainbow answered. "Take a seat, the gym doesn't open for a few minutes. School's still in right now." The mares sat together in the stands and began idly chatting for a few minutes. Eventually, the school's bell started tolling, and a group of foals began to file out of the building. Seeing the older mares seated around the stadium, about half of the class moved to the seats, eager to see a battle. 

After the last of the children walked out, a wine-colored mare stepped out of the building, casting her eyes toward her arena. She noticed the challengers, and began a brisk canter over to the field. "Hello, and welcome to the Ponyville Gym." She smiled, "My name is Cherilee, and it's my pleasure to be your opponent today." 

Rainbow Dash looked over at Twilight. "Alright Twi, this is it. I'll let you decide if you want to go first or second."

Twilight looked behind them. Fluttershy hadn't arrived yet, and neither had Applejack. Supposedly Rainbow was expecting one more beyond that. "I'll go first, give your friends some time to get here." 

"Thanks Twi, now knock 'em dead!" Rainbow gave Twilight a smack on the back, knocking her forward toward Cherilee. 

"I don't believe I've seen you in town before." She observed. "May I ask your name?"

"I'm Twilight, and I'm from Canterlot."

"Well Twilight, I'm sure my students will be very appreciative to watch our battle today. Are you ready to begin?" 

"Yes!" She answered with unparalleled enthusiasm. Twilight stepped forward onto the grass, taking the side opposite Cherilee. 

One of Cherilee's students, an older colt, stepped out into the middle of the field, holding an index card in his hoof. "The Ponyville Gym battle will now begin. The challenger will be allowed to use two pokémon, versus the gym leader's one. The first side to run out of pokémon will be declared the loser. Are both sides ready?"

"Yes." Twilight answered, trying hard to disguise the nervousness in her voice. 

"Yes, and you're doing a great job so far, Rumble." She smiled. Twilight couldn’t help but respect Cherilee. She was so sweet and kind, and worked so hard to build her student's confidence. Allowing her students to play such a large role in her gym certainly made them feel important. 

"Then let the battle begin!" He shouted, trying to hide excitement. Even though he was acting as a professional, the giddiness a youth felt when watching a battle was unrivalled. 

Cherilee produced her pokéball. "Come out, my dear friend. It's time to show them what we can do!" Out from the pokéball appeared a mountain of a pokémon. Twilight cringed. Kangaskhan. She took out her pokédex and pointed it at it. 	

Kangaskhan, the Parent pokémon. Kangaskhan keeps its young in its pouch for protection. They are fierce defenders of their young, and have been known to cause extreme harm to those they deem a threat. 

Twilight cringed. Kangaskhan were supposedly extremely formidable opponents, especially against pokémon who hadn't evolved. She would need to be smart about this if she wanted to win. "Alright, Eevee, let's go!" Eevee popped out of her pokéball with a happy squeal. It understood what was going on instinctively, and despite being dwarfed by the opposing pokémon, still seemed eager to battle. 

"Alright Kangaskhan, use comet punch!" The massive pokémon went at Eevee with a brutal series of jabs, each one knocking the poor pokémon around more and more. 

Twilight cringed. Kangaskhan had too much sheer power to be able to make this a battle of attrition. She would need to hit fast and hard, but first she would need to make sure Kangaskhan wouldn't bulldoze through her team first. "Use sand attack!" Eevee swept up a heap of dirt off the ground and flicked it right into Kangaskhan's eyes. The pokémon made a cry of annoyance, but was otherwise unharmed. 

"Are you alright?" Cherilee asked, smiling through grit teeth. "It will take a lot more than a little sand to stop us! Use bite!" Kangaskhan lunged in to sink its teeth into Eevee, but the small nimble pokémon easily dodged it. 

"Alright, go for a tail whip!" Twilight ordered. Eevee immediately began shaking her tail in an alluring way, causing Kangaskhan to drop its guard. "Now use scratch!" Eevee raked Kangaskhan with her claws, causing the pokémon to cry out. Twilight grinned. She was going to be getting this battle moving now. 

But Cherilee wasn't going down without a fight.  "Use double hit!" Kangaskhan's fist found Eevee, knocking it into the air. The second punch landed, knocking the poor pokémon into the dirt. Eevee could no longer get up- it was surely unconscious.

"Eevee is no longer able to battle!" Rumble announced. "Does the challenger have another pokémon?" 

Twilight cradled Bulbasaur's pokéball between her hooves. "It's all up to you buddy." She whispered. "Yes! Bulbasaur, I choose you!" 

"Bulba! Saur!" Her pokémon cried. 

The battle resumed immediately. Cherilee hadn't lost any momentum, and it was up to Twilight to keep up. 

"Comet punch, again!" She yelled. Kangaskhan obeyed, but hadn't entirely cleared the sand from its eyes. It went in for the strike, but Bulbasaur was able to evade.

"Go for a poison powder!" Twilight exclaimed. She knew she  wouldn't be able to stall long enough for a poison and leech seed combo to work, but the poison would at least keep Cherilee from getting an advantage. 

Cherilee was still smiling. "Alright, Kangaskhan, use power-up punch!" Twilight swallowed. This move would keep hurting her worse and worse if it was allowed to keep hitting. She needed to do something, and fast.

The ground trembled as Kangaskhan charged, its fist cloaked in a red aura. "Use vine whip, on its legs!" Twilight shouted. Bulbasaur immediately reacted, wrapping a vine around Kangaskhan's ankle. The tangling growth ripped its footing out from under it, causing Kangaskhan to stumble into the dirt. It's now or never. This was Twilight's last chance to get something off before Kangaskhan would beat Bulbasaur into the dirt. "Use razor leaf!" 

Bulbasaur fired a series of sharp, spinning leaves from its bulb, each one landing on Kangaskhan's head. The barrage of leaves was too much for the bulky pokémon to handle, and after the attack subsided, Kangaskhan was unconscious. 

"Kangaskhan is unable to battle! The winner is the challenger!" Rumble announced. There was applause from the students, who although disappointed, were nonetheless happy to have seen such a good battle. On the visitor's side, however, there was a much louder cheering from the four ponies now in attendance. 

Rainbow Dash ran over and wrapped Twilight in a hug. "That was amazing! I knew you could do it!"

From the side, Fluttershy joined in. "You and your pokémon did so well. You really should be proud."

"You were divine, simply amazing!" Rarity praised, "You certainly are quite the trainer."

"That was so super incredible!" Exclaimed a pink mare, who dove out of nowhere into the group. "I'm Pinkie Pie by the way, but holy cow you were so awesome!" 

"Thanks, everypony." Twilight gave an awkward laugh as she tried to detach herself from the others. 

Cherilee approached her, balancing a tray on her back. "Twilight Sparkle, you showed that despite the short time you have known your pokémon, you still share a deep bond with them already. It is my honor to bestow upon you this Equestria Pokémon League badge, the Ponyville Sprout Badge."

Twilight took the pin, looking at it joyfully. She felt herself tearing up staring at the small bud-shaped badge. This was the first step on her journey, and above all else, demonstrated that she was truly a worthy pokémon trainer. 

Rainbow Dash approached Cherilee. "Hey, Ms. Cherilee? I've gotten a lot better since I challenged you last. I want to challenge you to a battle!"

Cherilee smiled warmly. "Very well dear, just a moment." She produced another pokéball, releasing its occupant. "Chansey, be a dear and help Kangaskhan, will you?"

"Chansey! Chansey!" It cooed. The pokémon drew the egg from its pouch, and gradually fed it to the downed Kangaskhan. In a matter of minutes, Kangaskhan was on its feet again and ready to go again. 

Rainbow Dash and Cherilee took to the opposite sides of the stadium, and Rumble once again stepped out to read off the rules. 

"The Ponyville Gym battle will now begin!" He announced, reading a condensed version of his script. "The challenger will be allowed two pokémon versus the Gym Leader's one. The first side to run out of pokémon will be declared the loser. Challenger, are you ready?"

"Oh yeah I am!" Dash grinned. 

"Ms. Cherilee, are you ready?"

"Yes I am." She said serenely. 

"Begin!" He cried. 

Rainbow Dash grinned as she cradled her pokéball. "Alright, let's get 'em Slowpoke!" Slowpoke yawned, and started lazily towards its opponent. 

Cherilee giggled. "Aww, how cute he is. Kangaskhan, use comet punch!" Kangaskhan wound up and began jabbing Slowpoke. The pink pokémon didn’t even bother dodging, it just sat there and took it, barely acknowledging the pain. 

"Hit 'em back with a water gun!" Rainbow ordered. Slowpoke spat water at Kangaskhan. The move barely seemed to affect it, and Kangaskhan immediately retaliated with another punch. 

"Rainbow Dash!" Twilight yelled, "You can't win a straight-out fight. You need to use power up moves, or something!" 

Power up moves, power up moves… Rainbow thought. Then she finally remembered one Slowpoke could use. "Alright, use amnesia!" Slowpoke seemed to forget everything, and the freed up brain power boosted its abilities. Kangaskhan hit it with another comet punch, this one just as powerful as the last. 

Okay, something different… Rainbow dug through her brain, trying to think of moves Slowpoke could use. "Hey, use confusion!" Slowpoke channeled its mental energy to disorient Kangaskhan. Its eyes seemed boggled. She grinned. It was confused. 

"Alright, use bite!" Kangaskhan sunk its teeth into Slowpoke, and this time it did show signs of pain. The pokémon fell over from such a strong and super effective hit. 

"Slowpoke is unable to battle!" Rumble declared. "Challenger, do you have a second pokémon?"

"Yes!" Rainbow answered. She stared at the pokéball clasped in her hooves. "Alright Pidgeotto, it's your turn. We have to do this. I believe in you." She unleashed her partner, Pidgeotto, who took to the skies around Kangaskhan. 

Twilight scanned the stands. Applejack was supposed to come and watch, but so far she hadn't seen her. She hadn't struck Twilight as the kind of person who would break a promise, even accidentally. She scanned the area for her, and out of the corner of her eye, saw the brown leather of her hat sticking out over on the side of the bleachers.

"Pidgeotto, use gust!" Rainbow ordered. Pidgeotto whipped up a wind and sent it straight at Kangaskhan, who dodged it just as easily. Her opponent was far too nimble for ranged attacks to work. 

Rainbow Dash noticed that Kangaskhan was still stumbling a bit. Doubtless it was still confused from Slowpoke. Then she had an idea. "Pidgeotto, fly in circles around Kangaskhan, as fast as you can!" Pidgeotto obeyed, encircling her opponent at breakneck speeds. Kangaskhan tried to keep up, but the sheer speed and the effort of turning so quickly made its unsteady gait even more so. 

"Hit it with a power-up punch!" Cherilee yelled. Kangaskhan readied its fist, but stumbled on its own feet, causing it to punch itself in the face, hard. It fell over, leaving it wide open for Pidgeotto to deliver the finishing blow. 

"Peck!" Rainbow yelled, sensing victory was within reach. Pidgeotto soared up into the air, directly in front of the sun, and dove beak first at Kangaskhan. The hit was solid, and Kangaskhan was totally unconscious. 

"Kangaskhan is unable to battle, the winner is Rainbow Dash!" Twilight and the other mares ran over to congratulate their friend. As they embraced, Twilight saw Applejack give an approving nod from the shadows, not moving from her hiding spot. 

"Rainbow Dash, I could not be prouder of you." Cherilee beamed. "I've seen you grow into a first-rate pokémon trainer these last few years. I understand that you're meaning to leave on your own journey as well, correct?"


"Yes ma'am!" She answered. "And if a certain mare wouldn't mind, I'd like to join her on her trip around Equestria." 

Twilight looked surprised. "Who? Me?"

"Yeah you!" Rainbow laughed. "I think you've got a lot of talent, and you aren't bad company either. I wouldn't mind hanging around you. Just don't go and slow me down, K?"

"Um, okay?" Twilight said, confused. 

"I would very much like to join you," Rarity added. "Watching you battle is an inspiration. Surely seeing Equestria would drive my craft to even greater heights!"

"If you don't mind, I'd like to tag along too…" Fluttershy whispered. 

"And don’t forget me!" Pinkie smiled. 

"Heh. Have fun  y'all." They all turned around to see Applejack, smiling wistfully at her friends. "I know y'all will do great. Just remember to write once an' awhile, ya hear?"

Rainbow Dash approached her, looking genuinely sad. "Are you sure there's no way you can join us? We promised we'd leave together…"

"No can do sugar cube." She sighed. "Ain't no way I can get off the farm."

"Well, actually, I got a surprise for you, sis." Applejack's older brother had appeared off near the schoolyard. "I came to pick up Applebloom, and I've been doin' some thinkin. I think me and Applebloom can handle the place ourselves for awhile. You go on sis. I promise, I'll be okay."

Applejack stared at her brother, unable to believe what she was hearing. "A-are ya sure? I mean, there's a lot that needs doin'".

Macintosh laughed. "Nothin' a stallion like me an' my good buddy Piloswine can't handle." His face turned more serious. "Sis, I know you wanna be able an' help out 'round the farm. But everypony should go on an adventure afore they go an' get old. You got plenty o' great friends, and I know that Sprout Badge you won wasn't no fluke neither."

The news was too much for Applejack to handle. She broke out in tears, running into her brother's hooves. "Mac, I can't tell ya how much this means to me." She cried. "I promise I'll make the most of it!" She wiped the tears from her eyes and returned her attention to the five other mares. "Well, I guess I'm going with ya too, Twilight. Let's all meet tomorrow mornin' and ship out." Everypony nodded in agreement, and parted ways to prepare for the journey ahead.

*	*	*

They met outside the gym the following morning, planning to set out for Fillydelphia for their next gym battle. 

"Ready gang?" Twilight asked. Taking their first step simultaneously, the six began a casual trot down the road east. 

A few minutes outside of town, Twilight stopped to read a road sign. Scrawled at the bottom corner in black permanent marker was a tiny bit of text that chilled her blood, and boiled it at the same time. 

Trixie was here, Twilight is a loser. It read.
> Chapter 6- Rivalry
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Twilight had left Ponyville in high spirits, surrounded by five new friends, and with two pokémon at her side. However, the message that Trixie had left had knocked much of the wind out of her sails. She was visibly distraught, and her companions were quick to take notice. 

"Somethin' bothering you, sugarcube?" Applejack asked, laying a gentle hoof on her shoulder. "Don't let that note get to ya, some ponies are just jerks."

"But it's not the note. I only just met her and she seems to absolutely hate me. I didn’t do anything to make her upset, I don't think. She challenged me to a battle immediately after we got our pokémon, but it's like she hated me from the minute she saw me."

"Eh, don't worry about it." Rainbow reassured. "Don't give 'em the satisfaction of knowing they hurt you."

"Aww, did somepony have their precious little feelings hurt?" Jeered a familiar voice. Twilight and company wheeled around to see a blue mare, wearing a wizard's hat and sporting a new cape. "I've been looking for you, Twilight Sparkle." She growled. 

"What's your problem Trixie? What have I ever done to you?" 

"Hmmph, as if you would care. It doesn't matter anyway. Trixie is going to become the best trainer in all of Equestria, and will prove it by defeating you in a battle!" Trixie pointed her hoof at Twilight, "I challenge you to a pokémon battle!" 

"No." Twilight said firmly. Surely that would be the end of it. If she wouldn’t go along, there was nothing Trixie could do. 

Fluttershy tapped her on the shoulder. "Um, Twilight, you aren't allowed to say no to a battle. It's kind of the rule."

"And what happens if I break the rule?" Twilight asked. 

"You can lose your trainer's license." Pinkie answered nonchalantly. 

Twilight sighed. There was no getting out of this now. "Fine Trixie, I'll play your game. Eevee, I choose you!" Eevee came out of her pokéball, ready to fight. 

Trixie scoffed. "Really, is that the best you can do? Ghastly, Trixie has need of you!" A purple mass of gas materialized from inside the pokéball. It screeched at its opponent, and stuck out its obscenely large tongue. 

Twilight wanted to end this as soon as she could. Problem being, most of Eevee's moves would be ineffective against a ghost type like Ghastly. "Use bite!" She commanded. Eevee pounced at Ghastly, sinking its teeth into its gaseous form. Somehow this worked, and Ghastly reeled in pain. 

This was something Trixie was not going to let pass. "Use curse!" An ethereal stake drove itself into Ghastly's form, placing a dangerous hex onto Eevee.

Twilight swallowed. I'd better switch Eevee out before this curse can do her much more harm. She immediately began fumbling through her bag to find the pokéball. 

The action did not evade Trixie's notice. "Oh no, don’t even think about it. Mean look, now!" The pokémon gave Eevee a terrifying glare with its evil eyes, scaring it and trapping it on the battlefield. Unless Twilight could take down Ghastly, Eevee was going to keep suffering. The effects were already becoming apparent. Eevee didn't have much longer before the curse knocked her out. 

"Bite, again!" Twilight commanded. She was quickly becoming flustered. She needed to move quickly. Ghastly easily floated out of the way this time, before taunting them by blowing raspberries with its huge tongue. 

Ghastly hovered up in the air, beyond where Eevee could reach, taunting the poor pokémon all the while. Finally, the black aura became too much for Eevee to withstand, and it collapsed, unconscious.

"Good job Eevee," Twilight sighed, drawing her pokémon back into her ball. "Bulbasaur, now it's your turn!"

Trixie laughed. "Really? You mean even after a gym battle, your pokémon hasn’t evolved? Shame. Trixie hoped this battle might be fair. Go, Charmeleon!" The pokémon that came out of the pokéball was similar to Charmander, but bigger and meaner looking. The flame on its tail blazed even more fiercely, giving the pokémon a menacing appearance that its previous form had lacked. 

Charmeleon was far faster than Bulbasaur could hope to be. Immediately, it came at him with a metal claw attack, slashing at Bulbasaur and sending the poor pokémon reeling. 

Twilight grit her teeth. She knew at this point Trixie was just toying with her. Why else would she use metal claw when one fire move would K.O. Bulbasaur. 

As it turned out, that fire move was coming up. "Fire spin, let's go!" Charmeleon wrapped Bulbasaur in a spinning pillar of flame. It whirled mercilessly for a moment before dissipating, leaving a very unconscious and very burned grass type on the ground. 

Trixie grinned wickedly. "Yes! You had best remember your previous victory, Twilight Sparkle, as that was the first and last time the Great and Powerful Trixie will ever lose!" She tossed down a smoke pellet and vanished, leaving five mares to console a very distraught Twilight. 

"Wow. What is her problem?" Rainbow asked to nopony in particular. "I mean, there's being a showoff and then there's just being a jerk."

"She certainly seems to have a vendetta against you, for whatever reason." Rarity offered a hoof to help Twilight up. Come on dear, let's head back to town. We'd best heal up your pokémon before we venture off again." 	

Twilight nodded and took the hoof, wiping the tears that had begun to form in the corner of her eyes. What could she have possibly done to have made Trixie dislike her so much? Try as she might, Twilight had no recollection of the wizard-robed mare from before the day she started on her journey. Was it just how Trixie was? No, surely not. Twilight didn't believe that ponies could be so cruel to each other for no reason. But then why did Trixie behave so antagonistically towards her? 

They walked the short distance back to town to find the town's pokémon center. "What seems to be the problem, girls?" Asked Nurse Redheart. 

"Our friend lost a battle, her pokémon are in pretty bad shape." Rainbow Dash explained. 

The medic nodded. "Of course. Give me your pokémon, I'll have them fixed right up." Twilight gave her the two pokéballs, which she carried over to the healing machine behind her. Before beginning the process, she inspected the pokémon's conditions on a monitor, frowning a bit. "Your pokémon will be fine, but they are quite badly hurt. Whoever you were battling must either not know about trainer etiquette, or worse, not cared."

"'Trainer etiquette'?" Twilight repeated, the term unfamiliar to her.

"Yes. They're unwritten rules of trainerdom. For example, don't capture pokémon somepony else is fighting. Don’t steal other's pokémon, and don't use excessive force in a battle. Most of them are common sense, but they were written into a code for the sake of being official. Whoever you were battling clearly went far beyond what was necessary to knock out your pokémon. I would advise you stay clear of that individual in the future." 

"Heaven knows she's tried." Rarity protested. "That ruffian of a wizard had been lying in wait for her."

"She really doesn't like Twilight." Fluttershy added. 

Redheart gave a breathy sigh. "It really is silliness that a trainer can't refuse a battle. I can't stand watching trainers abuse other trainers and their pokémon who are obviously weaker than they are." The machine dinged, signaling the process to be finished. "Here you are sweetie. Stay safe, and try to steer clear of the trainer who did this." 

"I'll try…" Twilight sighed. 

The six left the pokémon center and made for the road again. Twilight was still obviously upset. This didn't go unnoticed by the others, especially not by Rarity. She nudged Pinkie Pie in the shoulder, and whispered in her ear. "We have do to something to take her mind off this. Can you think of anything to do she would enjoy?"

Pinkie's eyes lit up. "I have an idea!" She trotted over to Twilight, and gave her a playful shove. "Hey Twilight! Wanna do something super-duper fun?"

"Not really Pinkie, I'm not in the mood."	

Pinkie Pie was not so easily deterred. "Well I bet your tummy is in the mood for some super delicious food!" Twilight gave it a moment of thought, only to be greeted by an outrageous roar from her stomach. 

"I guess that battle worked up an appetite." She giggled. "You know anywhere we can get something to eat?"

"Yeah, follow me!" Pinkie Pie hopped off, with the others following her as fast as they could manage. She led them to the eastern tip of Ponyville, to a small noodle bar named "Cherry Blossom's Noodles". They went inside and took a seat at the bar, and waited to be served. 
"Hello, how may I help you?" A petite mare with a cherry-red mane asked. 

"Six bowls of Paradise Noodles, please!" Pinkie asked. 

The mare nodded, and called out to her pokémon. Two pokémon, a Pawniard and a Dewott, hopped onto the counter. She tossed some unboiled noodles into the air, which Pawniard began dicing with its blades. The mares clapped as the food fell directly into their bowls. They repeated the process with leek and scallions, and finally, Cherry Blossom ordered Dewott to use scald, which cooked the noodles right in front of them. The three took a bow amid applause from the diners, who wasted no time digging into their food. 

A hot meal in her belly significantly improved Twilight's mood. "Thanks Pinkie, this was a great idea. It's really amazing how ponies and pokémon cooperate to do things like this." 

"I shudder to think what our society would become without our beloved pokémon." Rarity commented. She had released Kirlia from her pokéball, and was feeding bits of her meal to her pokémon. Twilight did the same, offering little sips of broth to Bulbasaur and Eevee. 

"By the way, does anypony know anything about the Fillydelphia gym leader?" Twilight asked. Her companions unanimously shook their heads no. 

The bar's owner however, raised her voice. "You mean, Gym Leaders. Fillydelphia has two gym leaders who fight in tandem against challengers." 

"A double battle?" Twilight exclaimed. She used to read about how the addition of a second pokémon into a battle opened up an entirely new realm of possibilities for strategy, as certain pokémon formed extremely effective combinations with each other.  
"Yes. The Leaders are twins, and they are extremely in tune with each other. The road ahead is long, use it to train." She advised, taking bowls as they were emptied and wiping them clean.  "It is very rare a single challenger can defeat them. You would have better luck battling as a team."

They considered the chef's words as the six left the noodle bar. "So, whaddya say Twi? Wanna work together for the next gym badge?" Rainbow Dash asked. 

"Sure Rainbow, that'd be great." Twilight smiled. 

The smile on Twilight's face was a massive relief to Dash and the others. It seemed like she had shaken off her encounter with Trixie, and was ready to focus on moving forward on her journey to become a pokémon master. Twilight stared at the long road eastward, resolving not to let anything stand between her and her dream of becoming a pokémon master. 

> Chapter 7- Team Umbra
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	A long road east would lead the group from the rural fields of Ponyville to the city of Fillydelphia. It was one of the larger cities in Equestria, not quite as large as Manehattan, but regardless it was one of the biggest cities in the region. But to get there, they would have to follow Route 3, a long road that cut through the countryside that would eventually bring them to the urban center that was Fillydelphia. 

"Ugh, how long have we been walking?" Rarity griped, draping her hoof over her head dramatically.

Rainbow Dash just rolled her eyes. "We only left yesterday and we've taken plenty of breaks. You're fine Rarity."

A loud rumble soon came from Rainbow Dash's stomach, quickly turning every pair of eyes towards her. "Maybe lunch would be a good idea?" Twilight suggested with a giggle. 

The six set down their backpacks and began the process of setting up for a meal. Applejack and Twilight went off to forage, leaving the other four to set up for a picnic. Pinkie Pie seemed to be able to carry everything conceivably necessary in her backpack. She produced a picnic blanket, a small cooking iron, and a few canned drinks. She hummed as she set about preparing sandwiches for the group. Hopefully Twilight and AJ would return with some fruit to go along with the meal. 

*	*	*

"I'm not seeing much of anything out here, Applejack." Twilight sighed, her eyes still scanning the treetops. The two had ventured into the woods off the path in order to look for wild-growing fruits, but so far their efforts had been in vain. Furthermore, they had gotten turned around awhile back and now weren't entirely sure which way they'd come from. 

"Rotten luck, I say." Applejack groaned. "Ah well, it can't be helped. C'mon sugarcube, let's get outta here and get back to the gang." She looked around the forest, trying to figure out which way was out. "I think it's this way." 

Twilight followed Applejack. They could see sunlight seeping in through the trees a short way ahead of them. Surely that was the way out. Applejack broke into a canter, and Twilight followed suit. They reached the forest's edge in less than a minute, breaking out into the open. 

"Shoot. Looks like we got it wrong." They had emerged on wrong side of the forest, in the wide-open wilderness that lay beyond Route 3. There was nothing but flowing grass and rolling hills as far as they could see. 

Off to their right, near a small rocky hill there were sounds of commotion. The mares immediately focused their attention that way, their predicament forgotten for now. It sounded like ponies yelling at a pokémon. 

"You'd better fork over the bone, Cubone, otherwise you're going to end up like your mother." One of the two, a red stallion, taunted. 
"Yeah," Added a second, this one a dark blue mare. "That Rare Bone is the property of Team Umbra."

Twilight could tell something was not right. "Hey, what are you doing to that pokémon?" She yelled, beginning to gallop towards the thugs. Applejack followed suit, staying close to Twilight, making sure she had her pokéballs on hoof. 

The two ponies, dressed in sleek black uniforms, turned their attention away from their original target to the two trainers. "Well, well, well. It looks like we have ourselves some peeping twerps. Hey Panic Attack, what are we supposed to do to nosy trainers who stick their muzzles where they don't belong?"

"Beat 'em senseless and take their pokémon, Crimson Comet." Panic Attack answered, flipping her flat purple mane.

Twilight was aghast. "Y-you can't take another trainer's pokémon! That's illegal!"

The two crooks howled with laughter. "Kid, you have no idea who we are." The first one laughed. "We're Team Umbra. And we're bad news to brats like you who get in our way." 

"Our goal is to one day take over Equestria, and to do that we need to make sure we're the only ones who have pokémon. So kindly fork over your pokeballs and let us get back to work."

"If you want our pokémon so badly, you'll have to beat us in a battle!" Twilight cried without thinking. "Go Bulbasaur!" She threw out Bulbasaur, Applejack following suit with Phanpy. 

The goons rolled their eyes. "Alright, if you want to be difficult, fine. Let's make this difficult. Houndour, front and center!" 

"Pawniard, you too!" Cried Panic Attack. 

Their pokémon both growled menacingly at Twilight and Applejack and their pokémon. Twilight was shocked by how hostile these pokémon were. Then she remembered something Cadence had told her long ago, when she had been foalsitting her one summer. "There's no such thing as a bad pokémon. They only follow their trainer's orders." She had said. These pokémon had only become aggressive because their trainers raised them to be like that. Still, it didn't change the fact that neither trainer or pokémon would give them any mercy. 

"Alright Phanpy, let's get 'em with rollout!" Phanpy curled into a wheel and rushed straight at Pawinard and Houndour. 

"Dodge!" The goons ordered. The two pokémon easily jumped out of the way, only to immediately take the offensive. 

"Houndour, use ember on Bulbasaur!" Crimson Comet yelled. Houndour spit fire right at Bulbasaur, threatening to burn the grass pokémon. 

"Intercept that, Phanpy!" Applejack cried. "Use protect!" Phanpy darted in front of Bulbasaur and intercepted the flames. 

With the attack, Twilight and Applejack could make a counterattack on the members of Team Umbra. "Twilight, they're too fast for Phanpy to hit. You reckon you can hold that Houndour down so we can get 'im?"

Twilight nodded to her friend. "I think I have an idea. Bulbasaur, use vine whip on Houndour!" Bulbasaur complied, extending his vines out toward the fire type. 

"What are you stupid kid?" Crimson Comet laughed, "Grass moves barely hurt fire types." What he didn't immediately notice was the vines wrapping around Houndour's torso, keeping it held firmly in place. 

"Phanpy, another rollout!" Applejack yelled. Phanpy curled again and rolled straight into Houndour. With the vines holding him down, it was easy to score a clean hit. As soon as Phanpy made contact, Bulbasaur released his vines, letting Houndour go flying. 

Crimson Comet was furious. "What the heck? These kids are tough."

Panic Attack grit her teeth. "The Boss isn't gonna be happy when we tell him we lost the Cubone."	

"Relax, this was only a job from the Admin. Besides, this job ain't all that important anyway." Crimson Comet turned his attention to the two trainers. "Listen up brats. Next time you run into any of us, you're in for a world of hurt. Team Umbra doesn't take kindly to pests. Consider this a warning." They recalled their pokémon then retreated off into the forest. 

"What was all that about?" Twilight asked, still trying to process what she had seen. 

"I heard bits an' pieces about these Team Umbra fellers, they're bad news." Applejack explained. "They wanna overthrow Princess Celestia and rule Equestria. Most folks think they're just nutjobs, but Miss Cherilee sure took 'em mighty seriously whenever she'd warn us fillies about 'em."

The Cubone, which had ran off and hid when the fighting had started, had come out of hiding and cautiously approached Twilight. "Cubone, Cu, Cubone!" It peeped. 

"Poor little feller's all alone." Applejack observed. "Poor thing musta lost it's momma recently."

"How do you know that?" Twilight gasped. It seemed to be a bold prediction, even after seeing what Team Umbra had tried to do. 
"See that skull it's wearin? It belongs to its momma." She sighed. "It's kinda the hallmark of all Cubone." 

The poor pokémon was truly all alone, and there was still the risk that Team Umbra might come back once they left. Twilight knew there was only one thing to do. "Cubone, do you want to come with me?" 

"Cu! Bone! Bone!" It cried enthusiastically. Twilight dug out a pokéball and gently pressed it onto Cubone's skull mask. It was absorbed by the ball's red aura and was captured. 

Applejack slapped a hoof on Twilight's back. "Well look at you. Darlin' I've never seen somepony who gets on so well with pokémon, at least other'n Flutteshy. Y'all got a gift or somethin'."

"Thanks Applejack, but I don't think so." Twilight laughed. "I'm nopony special." 

*	*	*

It took another fifteen minutes of wandering through the forest for Twilight and Applejack to find their way back to the rest of the group. Pinkie had long ago finished making lunch, and in their impatience, everypony else had eaten already. "You guys get lost or something?" Rainbow asked sarcastically.

"Didjya find any fruit to eat?" Pinkie asked excitedly. 

"No, we couldn't find anything." Twilight sighed.

"But we did find another mouth to feed," Applejack added jokingly. Everypony looked at them confusedly. "Show 'em Twi." 	

Twilight let Cubone from his ball to show her friends. "He was being attacked by some goons who called themselves Team Umbra. I couldn't leave him." The mention of the organization made the group cringe. 

"Be mindful of those ruffians," Rarity advised. I've heard many an awful tale about their antics."

"Thank goodness you rescued this cute little guy." Fluttershy said while fawning over Cubone. "Poor thing most be awfully shaken up. Here, let me introduce him to my pokémon." Fluttershy produced two pokéballs, releasing their occupants. Her two, Buneary and Teddiursa, eagerly greeted the new arrival. 

The rest of the group followed suit. Pinkie Pie tossed out her two. "Come out Lombre! You too Steve!" Her two pokémon, a Lombre and a Hoppip emerged. Twilight couldn't help but notice how strange the nickname was, but she went along with it. 

Rarity revealed her only pokémon, her Kirlia. Rainbow released Slowpoke and Pidgeotto, and Applejack her Mareep and Phanpy. Twilight finally revealed Bulbasaur and Eevee, who eagerly went to meet their new friend. 

If the onslaught of new faces overwhelmed Cubone, he didn't show it. He very casually began socializing with the others, communicating in their poké-speak. Twilight left the pokémon to themselves and sat with the other mares, taking her sandwich and heartily eating it. She'd had a stressful afternoon and needed the food. 

"So, do you know anything else about Team Umbra?" Twilight asked, her mouth still full of lettuce, tomato and cheese. 

Everypony shook their heads no. "They're real sneaky-like about their doings." Applejack explained. "Nopony who ain't part of their team knows much of anything about 'em."

"All anypony knows are rumors." Fluttershy continued. "But all of it is horrible. I heard somewhere they cut tails off of Slowpoke and sell them for money. 

"Somepony said once they kick Lillipups for fun." Pinkie added. 

"I heard they use a Casino in Las Pegasus to make money and sell stolen pokémon. " Rainbow commented. 

Slowpoke turned its head their way at the mention of the maiming of its tail. 

All of the stories she was hearing made one thing clear to Twilight- she would have to stay clear of Team Umbra in the future. Judging by what her friends had told her, if they were ever to end up unable to defend themselves, they wouldn't think twice about hurting them- or worse. 

> Chapter 8- The Commander
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It had taken several days of hiking, much to Rarity's abhorrence, but they had finally reached the outskirts of Fillydelphia. They had spent most of the last few days walking or battling the many trainers and wild pokémon that inhabited Route 3. All that time hadn't gone to waste- Since her encounter with Trixie, Twilight felt that her pokémon had gotten much stronger. Soon it would be time to put that training to the test at the Fillydelphia gym. It had already been decided that she and Rainbow Dash would challenge them together, and one of them would team up with Applejack afterwards to get her a badge. 

That would have to wait though. All six of their stomachs began rumbling in unison. "I guess lunch is the first order of business." Twilight said with an awkward giggle. Everypony heartily agreed. 

Pokémon centers, in addition to offering lodging and medical services, often provided cheap meals for travelling trainers. While oatmeal and apples wasn't exactly anypony's ideal meal, it left them all feeling full.

There were a couple of telephones in the corner, and Twilight decided to make use of them. She inserted a few coins into it and dialed home. 

"Twilight?" Her mother asked. "Dear, is that you?" 

"Yes mom, how are you?" 

"Much better now that I'm hearing your voice." She beamed. Twilight smiled. She could see the kindness radiating from her mother even in far-away Canterlot. "How are you doing?"

"Things are great! I made a few friends in Ponyville and we're travelling in one big group! I won a badge at Ponyville, and we just arrived in Fillydelphia."

"It seems like just yesterday you left home, and you've already accomplished quite a lot. You and your brother are so much alike. I remember when Shiny was out on his adventure, it seemed like every day he'd have won another badge. Nothing could stop him and Honedge." 

"How is Shining Armor doing, by the way?" Twilight asked. She hadn't seen her brother since before she had left. He had been doing some intense training off in the mountains and hadn't been able to see her off. 

"He's doing well. He's been speaking with Princess Celestia about a job, and I think he and Cadence may finally tie the knot soon!" She sang. 

"That's so exciting," Twilight grinned. "I'll call you again soon, okay?" 

"Anytime dear, I love hearing the sound of your voice." The phone hung up with a click, allowing Twilight to return to her friends. 
"So Twi, how are you feeling about the gym?" Rainbow asked. 

"I don't know Rainbow Dash. I don't know if my pokémon are strong enough yet." Her mind was darting back to her encounter with Trixie. "Trixie's Charmander already evolved, and she had only won one badge."

"Evolving isn't the only way for a pokémon to get stronger, dear." Rarity commented. 

"But your Kirlia must have evolved at some point!" Twilight countered. 

Rarity held her nose up high. "Yes she most certainly did. But I allowed my precious Kirlia to evolve only when she was ready."

"Forcing a pokémon to evolve is so mean," Fluttershy added. "It basically means you only value a pokémon for its strength."

Twilight thought about it. From her limited interactions with Trixie, it was fairly clear she valued only one thing: winning. Rainbow Dash and Rarity had known their pokémon for months or probably years. Trixie had only gotten her first pokémon a little more than a week ago, and already it had evolved. Given the choice, Twilight knew she would rather treat her pokémon the way Rarity and Rainbow did than how Trixie trained hers.

"Ya know, you may not even need to evolve any of your team." Rainbow said with a knowing grin. "The gym leaders use Electric type pokémon. And didn't somepony just meet a Ground type?"

Cubone! Twilight smiled as realization dawned on her face. "Hey, you're right! But I think we should take a little time to train first. I only just caught him, and I don't think we're quite ready to go against the Gym leader yet." 

"Ooh! I know just the  place!" Pinkie exclaimed. She reached into her saddle bag and pulled out a map of the city she had gotten from an information stand. "There's a big park just down the street from here, and lots of trainers go there to battle!" 

"Well then what are we waitin' fer?" Applejack already had gotten halfway to the door before anypony else stood up. The other five gave chase, following her down the road towards the park. 

City Park stretched for acres and acres in the very middle of the city. Dozens of ponies meandered about, either with friends or pokémon. Some walked, others fished, and some sat on the ground and enjoyed a picnic. Meanwhile, on the far side of the stream that separated the park, Twilight could already see battles in progress between groups of trainers. 

"Let's get over there!" Rainbow exclaimed, getting her two pokéballs ready. Applejack and Pinkie followed suit, meanwhile Twilight hung back with Rarity and Fluttershy.

"Are you going to battle too?" Twilight asked. She knew Fluttershy wasn't much for battles, but Rarity she was less sure of. 

"No dear, I will not." The white mare answered, "I am not one for battles. I adore watching other trainers, but I myself am not much for it."

Twilight nodded and cantered ahead to catch her friends. They sat and watched some of the trainers go at it, while they waited for opponents to arrive who they could challenge. 

After a few minutes, two ponies appeared, dressed like characters from a bad movie. "Hey, are you cool cats looking for a pokémon battle?" The mare asked.

"Like, we're totally looking a battle." The stallion added. "We want to have some radical good times." 

Twilight and Rainbow Dash looked at each other confused. "Do ponies still talk like that?" Dash whispered. 

"Maybe in San Franciscolt?" Twilight whispered back. She turned her attention back to the two trainers. "Sure, we'd love to battle!" 

The two seemed startled when she stood up. "Uh, like, rad." The red stallion laughed nervously, pulling the collar of his Hawaiian shirt and frantically adjusting his sunglasses. 

"Haha, yeah, like cool." The mare clucked. Her mane was covered by a floppy sun hat, and she, like her companion, wore sunglasses and a button-up Hawaiian.  

"Um, are y'all alright?" Applejack asked. "You fellers are lookin' mighty strange." 

"Oh just forget it! I knew these disguises were a stupid idea!" The mare screamed. They each tore off their clothes, revealing familiar black uniforms underneath. "Long time no see, squirt." Panic Attack growled. Without her hat, her purple mane was allowed to flow freely. It sat flat over her left eye, leaving only the right one angrily glaring at them. 

"The disguises were fine, but you had to go and blow our cover." Crimson Comet retorted, letting his spiky red mane free. "It doesn’t matter anyway. Let's just take their pokémon and be done with it."

Rainbow Dash stood up and looked the two Team Umbra goons in the eyes. "If you want their pokémon, you're going to have to beat all three of us."

By this point, the other trainers in the area had stopped their battles and taken notice. They were whispering excitedly between each other.

"Is that team Umbra?"

"Stealing pokémon? Not on my watch."

"Let's show these jerks that we aren't afraid!"	

Crimson Comet and Panic Attack grit their teeth. "Looks like we're going to have to do this the hard way." Panic Attack found a whistle in her uniform pocket and frantically blew it. From inside of bushes, trees, and from out of the shadows came at least a dozen members of Team Umbra. "Looks like we're going to have a real brawl." She smiled. 

"Applejack, help those other trainers. We can take care of these guys." Rainbow ordered. Applejack nodded and galloped off, leaving Twilight and Rainbow with Panic Attack and Crimson Comet. 

"Alright, Houndour, you're up!"

"Pawniard, you too!" The same pokémon as last time took shape, baring their fangs and blades at the trainers. 

"Slowpoke! Let's give these jerks a beating!" Rainbow yelled. 

"Cubone, it looks like it's your turn!" 

*	*	*

Applejack saw a pair of Team Umbra thugs closing in on Rarity and Fluttershy. "Fork over your pokémon and nopony gets hurt." One of them growled. 

A fire ignited in Rarity's eyes. The stress of the situation seemed to have awoken something deep within her, something that Team Umbra had every right to fear. "I will not take commands from the likes of you. Kirlia, let us teach them some manners!" She ordered, putting herself into a defensive stance, grinding her teeth into a fearsome snarl. 

"B-buneary, help!" Fluttershy squeaked. 

The two pokémon were opposed by Koffing and Machop. "Looks like we're going to do things the hard way. Use poison gas!" The thug ordered. Koffing spewed a cloud of toxic gas that billowed toward the mares' pokémon. 

Without so much as a flinch, Rarity gave an order back. "Kirlia, use safeguard!" The small humanoid threw up a magical field that shielded them from the gas. 

The panic that Fluttershy had been building seemed to reach a critical mass, unleashing itself in a torrent of rage. "You… MEANIES!" She roared, "Buneary, use jump kick!" Buneary hopped into the air, with a surprising amount of finesse considering how little she battled. 
"Bun! Eary!" She cried. Her powerful feet collided with Machop square in the face, sending it flying backwards. 

"Kirlia, finish these miscreants with psyshock!" Rarity ordered. Kirlia focused her psychic energies and blasted both of the two pokémon away, sending the two thugs fleeing. 

"Darn Rarity, what the hay was that?"

Rarity ran a hoof through her mane as her breathing became less ragged. "Oh, that was nothing. I just got a bit flustered and lost my composure."

*	*	*

Panic Attack and Crimson Comet were faring little better than their companions. One bone club from Cubone and one water gun from Slowpoke had sent Pawniard and Houndour reeling, forcing them back. 

"Crud, this isn't good!" Panic Attack cried. 

"We'd better call the Commander." Crimson sighed. He dug out a walkie talkie and began speaking frantically into the receiver. "Boss, we got a problem in the park!"

"You brats are in trouble now!" Panic Attack jeered. "Our commander is coming, and she's going to kick your-"

"What do you idiots have to say for yourselves?" A voice demanded. The two whirled around to face a yellowish-orange mare with a fiery mane. "Can you imbeciles do anything right?" 

"F-forgive us, boss." Crimson Comet stuttered, dropping to his knees. "These trainers are tougher than we thought."

The mare eyed Twilight up and down. "I can tell by looking at you that you're still a rookie  trainer. That my operatives lost to the likes of you is frankly a disgrace. However, you now have the misfortune of calling me your opponent." She produced a pokéball. "Moltres, show them your strength."

Twilight, Rainbow Dash, and the rest of the park trembled as the legendary bird was unleashed upon the park. Moltres spread its fiery wings, and screeched at the two young trainers. 

"Now there's no need for this, wouldn't you agree, brother of mine?" The powerful, charismatic voice drew the attention of everypony in the park to look back, even despite the legendary pokémon in their midst. 

"It's the gym leaders!" A trainer cried joyfully. "Mr. Flim, Mr. Flam! You arrived just in time!"

"I can see that, young filly." Flam answered. "Now listen here, missy. This city is under our protection, and we aren't going to allow thugs like you to terrorize these fair ponies."

The commander grit her teeth. She hadn't anticipated the arrival of the gym leaders. With their appearance, the situation had officially gotten out of hoof. "Very well. I will call back my underlings." She recalled Moltres and waved for her cronies to move along. Before she turned tail and followed them, the admin turned and glared at Twilight. "You. From my understanding you were the one who interfered with my men's attempt to retrieve the rare bone on Route 3. A word of advice, stay out of Team Umbra's way. We are stronger than you will ever know, and we will not show you any mercy. The next time you cross paths with Commander Sunset Shimmer, I will not hesitate to show you the true power of a legendary pokémon." With that, she galloped off after her comrades, leaving the park in an uneasy quiet. 

The two gym leaders, confident the thugs were gone, turned their attention to Twilight and Company. "You kids fought mighty well against those criminals, wouldn't you say, brother of mine?" Flim asked to his twin. 

"Couldn't agree more." Flam concurred. "I assume you're here looking for a gym badge?"

"Yes!" Twilight, Applejack, and Rainbow exclaimed in unison.

"Well feel welcome to visit our gym anytime." Flim invited with a tip of his hat, "You'll be treated to the most spectacular, mind blowing, most outrageously thrilling gym battle you'll ever experience."

"We'll come tomorrow!" Twilight answered, filled with confidence. 

"Tomorrow it is, mark it on your calendars folks!" The twins announced, before leaving to return to their gym. 

"Well that was one way to practice." Applejack laughed, slapping a hoof on Twilight's back. "So how 'bout it sugarcube, feelin' ready to battle with 'em?"

There was no fear, no worry in Twilight's eyes. After everything she had just been through, she felt like she could take on the world. "I'm ready." She said at last, voice laden with confidence. "Gemini Badge, here I come."
> Chapter 9- Double Trouble
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight and friends had spent the night in the hostel that the Pokémon Center provided for trainers to use. She woke up early with a vigorous yawn, and quickly made herself ready to face the day's challenge head-on.

Before going to bed the night before, the three mares who wanted to win the Gym Badge, Applejack, Rainbow Dash and Twilight, had reached an agreement about how they would go about competing. Since two of them would need to compete in order to stand up to Flim and Flam's combined skill, it had been decided that Twilight and Rainbow Dash would go first, and then Twilight would battle again to help Applejack. Each of them would leave with a badge, and Twilight would get some much-needed experience from the extra battle.  

The ate the now-familiar oatmeal and apples breakfast offered by the center, and readied themselves for the day's event. "You ready to kick some serious butt?" Rainbow Dash asked, trying to build up Twilight's anticipation. 

"You know what Rainbow? I am, I really am!" Twilight answered with a smile. "I don't know why, but I feel like I could take on the world today!" 

"That's great to hear Sugarcube, now eat up so we can get goin." Applejack ordered while she gobbled down her food. 

The six walked out of the Pokémon center in a confident air, with Twilight leading the pack. The Fillydelphia Gym was located a way down the road, a few blocks from the park. Twilight couldn't help but stare at the peaceful scene she saw in the area. Hard to believe there had nearly been a mass-robbery there yesterday. She thought back to the Admin who had confronted her, the so-called "Commander Sunset Shimmer". The fact she somehow had managed to capture a legendary pokémon such as Moltres, and commanded its full obedience, worried her. Such a powerful pokémon could cause untold destruction if it were allowed to stay in evil hooves. Fortunately the Gym Leaders had arrived when they did, otherwise the afternoon's events might have taken a turn for the worst. 

She pushed those thoughts behind her as she continued toward the gym. There was no point in thinking about any of that now. All of her energy would be needed in order to beat the two gym leaders. She was still relatively new to battling, and the whole idea of a double battle just intimidated her further. She would need every last bit of her huge brain working full tilt in order to win today. 

The Gym was certainly more imposing than the one in Ponyville. It was commonplace for Gym Leaders to have a profession alongside that of their post. For Cherilee, that was as a schoolteacher. For Flim and Flam, it was as the heads of an Apple Cider brewery. FlimFlam Cider was the most popular beverage in Eastern Equestria, and their entire factory was powered by electric pokémon. 

The Gym was connected to the factory, but to avoid damaging the facility, was separated by a good two feet of solid concrete. Flim and Flam could easily enter and leave the gym to monitor production, and as was tradition in Fillydelphia, also offered free drinks to anypony who could best them in battle. 

"I've never been too hot on FlimFlam Cider." Applejack commented, "But when you get it along with a gym badge, that stuff must taste mighty sweet."

"Personally I find it a bit less harsh than your family recipe." Rarity commented, "Although I do respect a local brewery's tradition."
"Who cares? They're both good!" Dash interrupted. "But if we keep talking about cider, we're never gonna get around to winning it!" The group laughed. Twilight wasn't sure which Rainbow wanted more, the badge or the beverage. 

They pushed open the massive doors to see a much grander setup than in Ponyville. Instead of small bleachers, the gym featured a full set of stands which had already begun to fill with an audience, come to watch their town's Gym Leaders at work. The stadium was well maintained, with a smooth cement floor and a freshly painted outline. Waiting at the back stood one of the brothers, Flam, judging by his moustache. The twin tipped his hat to the new arrivals, before quickly galloping off through a door on the right side of the gym, presumably off to fetch his brother. 

Flam returned a few minutes later with Flim in tow, and both brothers quickly took up their places on their side of the gym. "Fillies and gentlecolts, foals of all ages!" Flim spoke into a microphone. "We have for you today a battle against the mares who boldly fought against Team Umbra yesterday in City Park! They will be putting themselves on the line to compete for the coveted Fillydelphia Gemini Badge!"

"The rules are simple," Flam continued, "Each participant will be allowed to use one pokémon each, for a total of two per team. Each team will battle until both members of either team are no longer able to battle. If victorious, the challengers will not only receive a badge each, but will also earn a sample of our city's specialty- FlimFlam Apple Cider!"

The brothers turned their attention from the audience to the challengers. "Now, who will be battling first?" 

"We will." Rainbow Dash and Twilight said in unison.

"Take your places, and let the battle… BEGIN!" Flim and Flam announced, causing the crowd to erupt in cheers. If these brothers were half as good at battling as they were working a crowd, Twilight and Rainbow would have their work cut out for them. 

"Plusle, it's showtime!" Flim announced, releasing his pokémon. 

"That goes double for you, Minun," Flam added. The two electric pokémon, both similar in appearance, gave a cheer to the crowd, and touched tails, generating a spark. Twilight couldn't help but notice they were each holding something in their paws. 

"Rainbow, what are those?" She asked, meanwhile sending Cubone onto the battlefield. 

Rainbow Dash tossed out Pidgeotto and squinted to see what her partner was talking about. "Are those… iron balls?" 

"What do those do?" Twilight asked. They looked incredibly heavy. 

"I know they make you move slower. Other than that I don’t know." Twilight was worried after hearing that description. Flim and Flam were veteran trainers. They wouldn't put themselves at a handicap unless doing so had some sort of benefit. 

"Let the battle begin!" The brothers announced. Twilight cast aside her worries and focused on giving orders. 

Rainbow Dash was able to move first. Normally electric types would be faster than any other, but the heavy metal balls they carried weighed them down enough so that they would not be moving first. "Alright Pidgeotto, hit them with gust!" Pidgeotto whipped up a gust of wind, and flung it at the two opposing pokémon. It knocked them down, but didn’t seem to hurt much. 

"Cubone! Use bone club!" Twilight shouted. A ground type move would devastate a small electric type. Cubone charged at Plusle, and bashed it with its bone. Plusle was visibly hurt, bu still remained standing. 

Flim and Flam were smiling. "Well brother, it looks like it's time for our strategy to start paying off." Flam chuckled. 

"Right you are, brother of mine." Flim laughed. "Plusle, use helping hand!" 

"Minun, use fling!" 

Twilight realized what they were doing. The iron balls were throwing weapons. Plusle grabbed on to Minun's, and they both gave it a chuck toward Pidgeotto. It was a devastating hit that barely left her conscious. 

"This isn't good." Dash growled. "And they have another one, so they can keep doing it."

"We need to take one of them out of the fight." Twilight shot back. "Plusle and Minun are strongest when they're together. If we can get rid of one, the other is stuck. 

Rainbow nodded. "Right. Do we go after Plusle or Minun?" 

"I already hit Plusle. Let's try and knock it down." 

"I have an idea." Rainbow Dash grinned. "Hey Pidgeotto, pick up Cubone on your back!" Pidgeotto scooped up Cubone and took off into the air. 

"Hmm? What's this?" Flim asked aloud.

"Go in for a steel wing!" Rainbow shouted. 

"Cubone, go for a bone club!" Twilight shouted. The two pokémon began a rapid descent from the air, down towards the small mouse pokémon. 

"Brother, this isn't good." Flam shrieked. 

"Quick Plusle, use bestow!" Flim shouted. Plusle handed the iron ball over to Minun, but without its partner, it couldn’t throw it. 
At the last instant, Cubone lept from Pidgeotto's back, just as Pidgeotto's wings crashed into Plusle. As he came down, Cubone brought his bone right down onto Plusle's head, knocking the poor pokémon out instantly. 

"You won't get away with that!" Flam shouted. "Minun, go for a thundershock!" Minun shot a lance of electricity at Pidgeotto, but without Plusle to boost it, the attack was a pittance. Pidgeotto came around for another run, and with another round of hits, Minun had fainted along with its partner. 

"And that concludes the gym battle!" Flim announced. "Challengers, you've proved that you are able to work together to accomplish something nopony could do on their own. In recognition of your triumph, we are honored to grant you each a Gemini Badge. 

Rainbow and Twilight each took a badge from the twins. "Thank you so much!" Twilight said, a goofy smile evident on her face. 

"Say nothing of it, you earned it fair and square." 

"Um, misters Flim and Flam, our friend Applejack also wanted to challenge you." Twilight commented.  

"Oh, well very well, come out, Ms. Applejack." AJ stood from the bleachers, leaving the group to come before the leaders. "Who will your partner be today?"

"I will be." Twilight announced. 

Flim and Flam looked at each other awkwardly. "I'm afraid you can't, dear." Flam said with a frown. 

"It's pokémon league policy that a trainer who has already won a badge cannot fight again to help somepony else win a badge." Flim explained. "It's to prevent stronger trainers from carrying their friends  through battles. 

Twilight gave Applejack a sympathetic look. "I'm so sorry Applejack. Is there anypony who you can battle with?" 

"Would anypony at all who would like to battle with this young mare?" Flam asked over the microphone. 

The room went silent for a solid minute. Finally, from the front row, a single voice rang out over the arena. "I volunteer as tribute!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed. 

"Pinkie?" Everypony simultaneously said, startled. If Rarity had said she has no interest in battles, and Fluttershy that she wasn't cut out for it, Pinkie had never said anything. She did indeed have pokémon, as Twilight had seen on several occasions. But she never talked about battling or expressed any interest in it. Twilight figured that, like Fluttershy, she had some sort of a career she meant to go into in a few years, but was going on a journey to learn and to enjoy herself. 

"No way one of my friends is going to leave without her badge!" Pinkie declared, pointing a hoof right at Flim and Flam. "I challenge you!" 

Rainbow and Twilight settled into the bleachers with a mug of cider each and their badges secure, Rainbow's on her jacket and Twilight's securely in her case, which was stored in the pockets of her saddle bag. Flim and Flam took a minute to get their pokémon healed before returning to take to the field against their opponents. 

"Fillies and Gentlecolts, welcome to the second battle of the Fillydelphia city gym!" Flim announced, building up excitement in the crowd. "We have for you another thrilling fight to the finish."

"Challengers, are you ready?" Flam asked aloud.

"Yes!" Pinkie and Applejack replied. Each mare threw out a pokéball. 

"Phanpy, it's your time to shine!" Applejack cried. 

"Come on Steve, show them how strong you are!" Pinkie giggled. Her Hoppip materialized and began happily floating around in the gym's air currents. 

"Then let the battle… begin!" The brothers shouted, eliciting huge cheers from their fans. 

"They should have a pretty easy time," Twilight commented, elbowing Rainbow Dash as she chugged her cider. "Plusle and Minun don't learn many attacks that aren't electric type, so AJ should have the upper hoof." She could tell that the pokémon were no longer holding the iron balls. It seemed Flim and Flam weren't keen on using the same tactics over and over, instead opting to switch strategies to keep their opponents guessing. 

"Plusle, go for a helping hand!" Flim announced. 

"Minun, it's time for swift!" Flam added. With Plusle's help, Minun unleashed a volley of fast-moving stars that shot straight at Phanpy. 

Applejack didn't seem fazed. "Dodge that there move Phanpy!" The small pachyderm obeyed, rolling up in an attempt to evade the barrage. 

Flim and Flam wore dirty smirks on their faces as Phanpy began to roll. "You're wasting your time trying to dodge, young filly." Flim taunted. Applejack looked back at her opponents with confusion, then terror as the stars began to follow Phanpy. Even though its rolling was fast, the stars moved faster still, gradually catching up and finally delivering a decisive hit onto Phanpy's rear. 

"Swift can never miss!" Twilight shouted from the stands. "Unless you can use a move like protect, you're going to get hit!"

Applejack growled. "Any time you'd like to help, I'd surely appreciate it Pinkie!" 

"Way ahead of you!" Her companion assured. "Steve, use poison powder!" While Phanpy had been desperately trying to avoid the attack, Hoppip had been lazily floating around near the ceiling. It seemed even Flim and Flam had forgotten he was there. Now Steve began raining toxic spores down onto the combatants, covering Plusle and Minun in the sickening fumes. 

"Well, this is certainly annoying." Flim sighed. 

"We aren't done yet!" Pinkie announced through a giggling fit, "Now let's use Fairy Wind!" Hoppip twirled it leaves and threw a mystifying gust at the two opponents, blowing the two small pokémon over. 

"And now its time for cleanup duty!" Applejack added. "Let's finish 'em with rollout!" Phanpy curled itself up and bulldozed over Plusle and Minun, who were struggling to help each other up after being knocked over by the wind. Each went flying in opposite directions, and both fell, unconscious. 

"And that's all she wrote folks!" Flam announced. "Both of you challengers have done a fine job today. It's our honor to give you each the Gemini Badge!"

All of their friends from the audience galloped out to wrap Applejack in a congratulatory hug. Pinkie Pie stood aside from the group, looking concernedly at her Hoppip. "Steve… are you feeling okay little buddy?"

"Hop… pip…" It squeaked. Hoppip became cloaked in an unnatural light, which illuminated the entire gym. Its form began to shift as the light continued to grow only brighter. Its body grew bigger, and the leaves atop its head contracted downward. Finally, in one great flash, the light had cleared. Hoppip was gone, in its place something different. 

"Steve!" You evolved!" Pinkie cried. 

"You saw it here first folks!" Flim announced. "Through this trainer's hard work, her Hoppip has evolved into a Skiploom! You should be mighty proud of yourself."

"Skip! Skiploom!" Steve cried, twirling around in the air. Pinkie wrapped her hooves around her pokémon. 

"I'm so proud of you!" She cried, tears welling up in her eyes. "We've come such a long way, haven't we?"

"Skip! Loom!" It beamed. 

Twilight and Rainbow Dash looked on with a smile. "Good for her." Twilight sighed with a  smile." She thought back to her own pokémon. I want to see them evolve, but I don't want to force them to change. She shook her head and let out her breath. Nah. I'm happy with them just the way they are. If it happens, it happens, if not… then that's fine by me!
> Chapter 10- The Journey West
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

After spending a night out celebrating the four badges the group had earned the day before, and admiring Hoppip's evolution, the group returned to the Pokémon center for some well-earned rest, to plan out their next move in the morning. After waking up later than usual, the group gathered around the table, breakfast in hoof, to consult the Town Map and decide where to go next. 

"Appleoosa's the next stop." Applejack concluded, pointing to the small town on the map. "That's usually where trainers go after Fillydelphia."

Everypony else seemed less than enthusiastic. "You sure AJ? That looks really far." Rainbow Dash pointed out. Appleoosa being far away was an understatement. In order to get there, they would need to journey back past Ponyville and travel that same distance further west. Appleoosa was easily one of the most remote cities in all of Equestria.

"I certainly hope you don't intend for us to walk all that way." Rarity added, more than a little irritated. "That's well over two weeks on hoof, assuming nothing slows us down. 

"Now, calm down y'all. I ain't said nothing about walkin'." Applejack said with a grin. "We can take the train out that way. The railroad runs straight there." 

The mention of a train visibly relieved the other mares. "A long train ride sure sounds nice." Fluttershy said with a relaxed sigh. "It would be nice to be able to just sit and relax for awhile in a nice, comfortable train car."

Plus I can probably get us a great deal on tickets too." Applejack added. "I just gotta give my cousin Braeburn a call and tell 'im we're coming."

"You have family out there Applejack?" Twilight asked. 

Applejack nodded. "Sure do. A few of the relatives went out and helped found the town. Our apples are what feeds the town." She excused herself from the table to go and make a phone call, leaving the others to talk about this latest development. 

"Do any of you girls know anything about the Appleoosa city gym?" Twilight asked finally, breaking the silence that had settled. 

"I hear whoever it is, they use ground type pokémon." Rainbow answered. "Should be a good battle. Both you and I have pokémon that work well in that match."

Twilight agreed, but still, she knew it was never that easy with gym leaders. Even though she had a type advantage against Flim and Flam with her Cubone, they still had a few tricks ready to use against her. Even if they only used one type, gym leaders were still highly experienced trainers, and knew how to compensate for their team's weaknesses. 

Applejack returned with a victorious grin spread across her face. "Good news gang. Braeburn said he knows some folks and can pull some strings to get us out there for next to nothin."

The news came as a delight to the group. The lifestyle of a trainer meant that any opportunity to save a few bits should be welcomed. "That's great Applejack," Twilight smiled, "When do we leave?" 

"We're supposed to be on the one o'clock train." Applejack answered back. The six took a collective look at the clock. The time read twelve twenty.

Realizing the time, the mares galloped out of the pokémon center and made a beeline towards the train station. Luckily they had located it on the map before, and as luck would have it, the station was not far, just a few blocks down main street. Still, they moved at a hurried pace, not wanting to miss the train. 

The clock read 12:40 when they reached the station, leaving them just enough time to pick up their tickets from the desk and hurry down to the platform. 

"Whew. We made it in the nick of time." Applejack breathed.

"I… need to get… in better shape." Twilight wheezed, out of breath from the run. In the few weeks she had been on her journey, her ability to walk long distances had improved dramatically, but her sprinting, which had always been pathetic, had not gotten much better. 

"We can all sit easy now." Applejack chuckled, pointing toward the large train that was pulling into the station. 

"All aboard!" Cried the conductor. Each mare presented her ticket and found a seat. The tickets they had gotten put them each in pairs in various sections of the same car. Twilight had been seated with Fluttershy near the front, leaving Applejack and Pinkie Pie and Rainbow and Rarity further back.

"You excited Fluttershy?" Twilight asked. Out of the entire group, it always seemed that Fluttershy was the odd mare out among the six. On several occasions Twilight had found herself wondering if Fluttershy had really wanted to come, or had just followed the group. 

"Yes." She answered with a smile. "Why, are you?"

"Of course, it's just…" Twilight paused, trying to find the best way to phrase what she wanted to say, "It's just sometimes I don't know if you're having a good time out with us or not."

"Oh no, I'm having a wonderful time." Fluttershy said reassuringly. "I may not like battling, and I've gotten scared a lot, at the end of the day I'm still around great friends and doing things I wouldn't get the chance to otherwise. I never would have worked up the courage to leave Ponyville by myself, but since I'm with other ponies, especially trainers who are as strong as you and Rainbow Dash, I feel much safer."

"Wow… thanks Fluttershy. That means a lot." Twilight was flattered by Fluttershy's remark. Nopony had ever told Twilight that her presence made them feel safe before. 

"Oh, it's nothing. And even though I don't do any battling, I still love being able to see all sorts of new pokémon." Fluttershy pulled her backpack down from the luggage rack and dug through it, pulling out a notebook whose cover was dotted with flowers. "I've been keeping a journal about all the pokémon I see. It's not much, just some sketches and things." Twilight flipped it open and saw page upon page of drawings of pokémon, along with scattered notes about how they behaved. 

Twilight was engrossed looking at her friend's work. "Fluttershy, this is incredible!" The amount of detail in each drawing was astonishing, especially given the complex actions she had drawn them performing. One page had a sketch of Steve, before he evolved, floating about in the air. Another depicted Bulbasaur eating a berry. There was one of Plusle and Minun helping each other throw an iron ball, and a huge drawing of the Team Umbra Commander's Moltres spreading its wings majestically. "These are amazing!"

"It's nothing really. Just something I do in my spare time."

"Are you sure you don't want to be an artist?" Twilight asked. "Or heck, you could probably work as an illustrator for a book company. There aren't too many ponies who can draw all sorts of pokémon this well. 

"I'm sure." Fluttershy answered. "Drawing is a hobby, but my passion is caring for pokémon. I think I want to try my hoof at running a day-care center."

"You'd be an amazing caretaker." Twilight reassured.

The train ride took the better part of a day, but by evening they had reached Appleoosa. The train station was little more than a small wooden platform surrounded by the harsh badlands that was Appleoosa. The town itself was an oasis of orchards in an otherwise hostile desert. Grooves of apple trees encircled the town and the area around it, but just beyond the edge of the orchards lay a terrain of sandy soil and exposed rock. 

A stallion with a pale yellow coat awaited them on the platform, a few steps back from the edge. "Cousin Applejack?" He asked with a smile, looking toward the group. 

"Howdy Braeburn, it's been awhile." Applejack trotted to her cousin and wrapped her hooves around his neck. "These here are my friends: Rainbow Dash, Twilight Sparkle, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy and Rarity. We're all travellin' round together 'cross Equestria." 

"So, y'all are trainers?" Braeburn asked excitedly. "That's mighty dandy that y'all are goin' on a trip. So I reckon y'all are here to challenge the gym?"

"Just Twilight, Rainbow and me." Applejack corrected. "Hoped that while we were here, us Apples could show these city folk a good time."

Braeburn chuckled knowingly. "Well, y'all are here at the right time. We're hosting the Annual Appleoosa Trainer's Cup in a few days. Would'ya be interested in entering?"

"Count me in!" Rainbow answered.

"And me." Applejack added.

"I'd love to enter a tournament." Twilight added. 

"Any of you others?" Braeburn asked. 

"Sure thing!" Pinkie Pie answered cheerily. 

Rarity, who had remained silent so far, spoke up. "Perchance, what is the prize for the winner? Out of curiosity of course." 

"Winner gets a darn fine trophy, a big dinner in their honor, and a mighty rare pokémon as a prize."

Rarity seemed underwhelmed by the prizes. "Thanks, but I'll pass…" 

Right as she said that, Kirlia sprang forth from her pokéball. "Kirlia! Kir! Kir!" She said frantically, motioning her arms dramatically. 

"You want to enter?" Rarity asked her pokémon, surprised by her sudden desire to fight. 

"Kir! Kirlia Kir!" She answered with a nod of her head. 

"Well, I cannot say no to you my dear. Very well Braeburn, we shall compete as well."

"That's just dandy!" He smiled. "The event starts the day after tomorrow, at the fairgrounds. Lots of ponies will come out to watch, just you see."

"That's great cuz." Applejack said, "Now tell me this, where can we get a place for the night? It's gettin' late and we're gonna want to get up bright 'n early to train."

"The cantina down the road has rooms for travelers." He said, pointing to a two-story building down the dirt street. "Good luck."

"Thanks Braeburn!" They smiled as they cantered down the road to the inn. The moon had risen high in the sky, and the six were anxious to get some sleep. Appleoosa didn't seem to have a full pokémon center, so they would have to settle with renting rooms for the night. Perhaps by tomorrow they could find another, preferably free, place to stay, but after a nine hour train ride the six were flat out exhausted. They pushed open the doors to the cantina and began walking towards the bar, oblivious to the blue mare sitting in a table in the far corner. 

"Well, well, well. Look what blew in with the tumbleweeds." Trixie said with an obnoxious grin. "What brings you losers to town?" 

Twilight grit her teeth. Nurse Redheart's advice to stay away from Trixie still rung in her head. Her appearance here could mean nothing but trouble. "If you must know, we're here for the gym, and for the tournament." She answered, trying to maintain a civil tone. 

"Ooh, the gym. Trixie defeated the pathetic leader yesterday." She said with a scoff. Trixie pulled the collar of her cape to display the three badges pinned to it. "And of course I intend to win the Appleoosa Trainer's Cup as well. Quite frankly, Trixie is a shoo in. There's nopony anywhere near strong enough to even present a challenge."

"That's what you think." Twilight growled. "I promise I'll beat you." Twilight had felt something snap in her head. Whether it was because of exhaustion from the long ride or simply she had gotten sick of Trixie's attitude, she couldn't tell.

Trixie stood from her table, pushing aside the mug of cider she had been sipping. "If you're so confident in your abilities, why don't we battle now?" Trixie asked smugly. "I'm sure you'll find that Trixie is more than capable of beating you again."

Twilight took a step back, nervous. She knew she couldn't legally refuse a challenge, but at the same time, she didn't want to see her pokémon get hurt. At least at the tournament Trixie would need to avoid excessive force because of the officials present. When it was just them, she could be as cruel as she wanted.

However, before the situation could escalate any further, a solution presented itself in the form of Rarity. "There shall be none of that." She scolded. "It's forbidden in tournaments for participants to engage in battles right before major events. Save your strength for the tournament, Trixie." 

Trixie sighed, disappointed. "Fine. Trixie will just have to wait until she has an audience to destroy you. Smell you later, Twilight Failure." She tossed down a smoke pellet and vanished, leaving Twilight and friends coughing in the white haze. 

"Thanks Rarity." Twilight breathed. "You saved my tail there. How did you know about that rule? I didn't even know it and I studied competition rules while I was still in school." 

Rarity smiled knowingly. "I made it up." She confessed. 

"You… WHAT?" Twilight screamed. 	

"Darling, I knew you didn't want to fight her, and I know what horrid things she would try to do to your pokémon. Besides, we haven't done anything illegal. She didn't issue you a challenge, so it's not like you refused."

"But…" She stammered. 

"If she finds out, it will be so close to the tournament that she'd want to save her strength." Rarity finished. "Don't worry darling, I've got you covered. To be perfectly honest, I hope I run into that uncouth mare during the events of the tournament. It would be my greatest pleasure to teach her a lesson."

"She's very strong." Twilight said, hoping to discourage her friend. "She may be arrogant and mean, but she does have the skills to back it up."

"Saying she's strong is an understatement." A stallion who had seen the whole exchange go down said with a sigh. "That mare's downright brutal. I'm new in town, and when I came in, I decided to go watch some battles at the gym. When I got there, I saw her take on the Gym Leader, Sheriff Silver Star. It barely looked like she was trying." 

"What pokémon did she use?" Rainbow Dash asked.

The gray stallion struggled to remember. "Well, when she battled the Gym Leader, she had a Charmeleon, a Haunter, and a Deino. Later that day I saw her feeding her pokémon, and she also had an Eevee, a Skorupi, and a Misdreavus." 

"SIX pokémon!?" Twilight gasped. "Do you know what format the tournament uses?" If she couldn't beat Trixie in a 2 vs. 2, there was no way she could win a 3 vs. 6. 

"It's a one on one." He answered. "It's a round-robin tournament with the top eight trainers moving on to the elimination round." 

The knowledge that she would only have to face one member of Trixie's party as opposed to all six reassured Twilight, at least a little. "Thank you for your help sir. As for us, I think we should get some sleep." 

"You're welcome." He smiled. "I'm assuming you're here for the tournament?"

"That's right." Twilight answered. 

"As am I." He chuckled. "Name's Prism by the way." 

Twilight and company made their introductions to the gray stallion, who greeted each with a hoofshake and a smile. 

"Well thank you again," Twilight said with a bow, "If you'll excuse us, it's getting late. We should probably go to bed." The other mares nodded in agreement, and went to make arrangements for two rooms. 

Fluttershy, Twilight and Rarity went to one, Pinkie, Applejack and Rainbow to the other. "Goodnight girls." Twilight yawned. "We've got a full day of training ahead of us."
> Chapter 11- The Appleoosa Cup, Part 1
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Twilight and company used the day they had before the tournament to get ready for the competition. Twilight and Rainbow Dash went off to the hills and crags outside of town and spent the day training themselves alongside their partners. Twilight and Bulbasaur spent their time running and climbing, while Rainbow Dash and Pidgeotto took to the skies to improve their speed and maneuverability. Every now and again they would break to spar, each trainer giving it their all. At the end of the day, both trainer and pokémon were exhausted, but the exercise had felt tremendously rewarding. Twilight, after years of doubting its existence, finally experienced the so-called "runner's high" fitness fanatics often described, after she had collapsed on the floor of the inn. 

Applejack and Pinkie stayed in town, testing their mettle against many of the townsponies, and lending a hand with their pokémon harvesting apples. Pinkie playfully practiced with Steve, practicing dodging projectiles and having Steve knock down apples from trees by sniping their stems with bullet seeds. Applejack and Mareep both bucked apples by hoof, and eventually, during one of her scrims, Mareep evolved into a Flaafy, which would give Applejack a big hoof up in the competition. 

Rarity spent her day with Fluttershy, and spent most of it working on creating the perfect outfit for the tournament. She sewed herself a dress made of elegant, lightweight blue fabric that would be comfortable in the desert heat, and made a matching bow for Kirlia. This wasn’t to say she didn’t do any actual training. All the while Kirlia was helping while sparring with Buneary and Teddiursa. The goal Rarity had in mind was to improve their teamwork and their concentration. As a psychic type, Kirlia had great power at her disposal in the form of moves like confusion, telekinesis and future sight, whose power increased even further when the pokémon is in sync with its trainer. Having them work together on two separate things at the same time was meant to improve Rarity' ability to think under pressure and multitask, and Kirlia's ability to keep track of several things at once, and sharpen her focus. 

The next morning, the five trainers arrived at the fairground entrance. A pit area had been set up behind the stadium for the contestants to rest and recover between matches. Each competitor had their own taped off section to set up in, which included a few chairs and some complimentary pokémon food, courtesy of a local feed company which sponsored the event. At the end furthest from the stadium grounds, a catered buffet had been set up for the trainers, which supplied hayburgers, salad, and lots of local apple products. 

Trixie, still wearing the wizard's regalia that was her signature, approached the group in a huff. "Listen here, you prissy unicorn." She growled, jabbing a hoof at Rarity, "Trixie is on to the deception you pulled two days ago. You denied Trixie a chance to beat Twilight Stinker into the ground, and Trixie will not overlook this trickery. You had better watch out if you have the misfortune of facing the Great and Powerful Trixie in battle."

"Well what does it say about you for falling for the tricks of a 'prissy unicorn'?" Rarity remarked sarcastically. "You will find Kirlia and I to be more than a match for whatever a ruffian like you can throw at us."

"We'll see about that." She grinned. Trixie diverted her attention to Twilight. "And as for you, Twilight Burnout, Trixie will be making up for lost time when we meet in the arena." Before Twilight could offer a rebuttal, she dropped another smoke pellet, and disappeared. 

"That pony really ruffles my feathers." Rainbow growled. 

*	*	*

The tournament was split into two rounds: a round-robin qualification round and a three stage elimination round. The first eight trainers to get three wins in the qualification round would move on to the elimination round, where they would battle for the cup.

Twilight gave a sigh of relief and Trixie a groan of annoyance when the schedule was announced and they were not slated to fight. Both of them had gotten three consecutive matches with strangers. Twilight knew at least one of them, if not both, would be able to pick up three wins without dropping a match, and was certain both of them would make it to elimination. The bracket seeding would be drawn randomly. Twilight knew they would have to battle eventually, but hoped to delay it as long as possible. If they ended up on opposite sides of the bracket, it might be possible that somepony would defeat her and Twilight wouldn't have to face her at all. 

Sheriff Silverstar, the town's gym leader and also chief law enforcer, stepped up the mic and addressed the audience and competitors. "Welcome, one and all, to the sixth annual Appleoosa Trainer's Cup. I'd like to give a warm Appleoosa welcome to our sixteen competitors, who'll be duking it out to win the trophy, the banquet, and a mighty rare pokémon we had brought in just for the event." The crowd roared with enthusiasm, with yee-haws echoing across the town. "With that said, let the competition begin!" Confetti sprayed from four tubes 
mounted across the stage, and the audience cheered, excited to see the battles begin. 

Twilight turned to her friends, who had lined up along with the rest of the competitors on the field for the opening ceremony. "Good luck girls." 

"Thanks Twi, you too." Applejack smiled back. 

The first day's battles were intense, but ultimately, Twilight and the four of her friends who entered made it into the next round. True to her predictions, both Trixie and Twilight moved on with 3-0 records, Trixie using Haunter and Twilight opting to fight with Bulbasaur. Also achieving a 3-0 record was Rainbow Dash and Pidgeotto, who won using her pokémon's blazing speed to dominate her opponents. Applejack and Flaafy, Rarity and Kirlia, and Pinkie and Steve all moved on with a 3-1 record, a respectable finish. Also moving on was Braeburn, who was battling with Numel, and the gray stallion they had met in the bar, Prism, who fought alongside a Nidorina. 

"Congratulations to the trainers who have made it this far!" Silverstar announced, amid roaring cheers from the spectators. "But now we move into the real competition. From here on out, anypony who loses a single battle will be eliminated from the competition. Who's gonna be our next champion?" Each of the eight trainers who qualified stood before the audience, most of them waving to the gleeful onlookers. Most of the spectators had picked their favorite trainers, and cheered with all their might in support of them. Trixie had even gathered a few, who were awed by her ruthless style and dominating victories. However, many found her tactics to be overly harsh.

The brackets were designed as follows:

On the left side of the bracket, Trixie, who had been the first to qualify, would battle Rainbow Dash in the first match, and then Twilight would battle against Prism. On the right side, Rarity would battle Braeburn, and Pinkie Pie would take on Applejack. The winners would move on to fight each other, and the victors of those matches would fight against each other in the finals.  

Twilight gathered with her friends in the pit. Half of the competitors had left since the qualification round ended, and the area felt much emptier. "Good luck to all of you." Twilight wished. "Let's not go easy on each other, okay?"

Rainbow Dash grinned wildly. "Like there was any hope I would Twi. I'll see you in the semifinals, that's a promise."

I hope so. She thought. I'd much rather have to face Rainbow Dash than Trixie. Even if Rainbow could be a sore winner, her taunting was nowhere near as hurtful as Trixie's. Besides, Twilight did not want that poor prize pokémon falling into Trixie's hooves, purely out of compassion for the pokémon. 

> Quarterfinals Round 1- Trixie vs. Rainbow Dash
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The first round of the tournament placed two of the top performers of the qualification rounds against each other: Rainbow Dash and Trixie. The spectators were extremely excited for the match, as both trainers had dominant runs in the first round and a battle between the two promised to be a spectacle. Both Trixie's Haunter and Rainbow's Pidgeotto were among the most praised pokémon in the entire competition. It would come down to whether or not Haunter could keep up with Pidgeotto's breakneck speeds.  

In spite of the excitement surrounding her, Trixie seemed apathetic at best. She barely acknowledged the large number of ponies chanting her name as they waited for the battle to begin. "Can you do Trixie a favor and lose quickly? You aren't the one Trixie has been waiting for."

"That's assuming you can get through me!" Rainbow Dash retorted. "Let's teach 'em a lesson, Pidgeotto!" 

"Haunter, let's show them the real meaning of fear!" Haunter came forth and floated to the same height as Pidgeotto, staring the bird pokémon square in the eyes. 

The emcee began his narration of the battle, trying to build the excitement in the stadium to even higher levels "Let the first battle of the Elimination Round… BEGIN!"

"Pidgeotto, go for a gust!" Rainbow shouted. 

"Counter with smog!" Trixie snapped back. Pidgeotto whipped up a whirlwind as Haunter began spewing a noxious gas, which Pidgeotto's windstorm spread everywhere. Quickly, the battlefield became shrouded in fumes, cutting Rainbow Dash's visibility down to nearly zero. Haunter didn't stop there; quite soon the haze covered the entire stadium, causing the audience to begin coughing as the foul smog darkened the arena. 

"What… the heck… are you doing?" Rainbow choked. "That's… so… nasty…" Her voice trailed off as she began to suffocate on the poison gas. Pidgeotto immediately took her attention off of Haunter and towards her choking trainer. Frantically, she began to flap her wing in an effort to clear the smoke so that Rainbow Dash would be able to breathe. 

"Haunter, now's your chance!" Trixie barked, "Use shadow punch!" Haunter appeared behind Pidgeotto as the smog cleared, and delivered a punishing strike to her back. 

Haunter's punch stunned Pidgeotto in midair, catching the avian pokémon right between her wings. Pidgeotto began to spiral uncontrollably towards the ground, seemingly unable to move. "Pidgeotto! Are you okay?" Rainbow cried. 

"Finish it with thunder punch!" Trixie ordered. Haunter floated to the falling bird, cloaking its fist in lightning. Three sickening sounds echoed throughout the arena, as the crowd fell dead silent. 

First, the sound of Haunter's punch electrocuting Pidgeotto.

Second, the sickening, pained cries let out by Pidgeotto as the lighting  swept through her body.

Finally, was the thud that Pidgeotto made as her unconscious body hit the ground, leaving a crisp imprint in the dirt. 

Rainbow Dash galloped onto the field, and recalled Pidgeotto. "That was real low what you did." She scolded, glaring at Trixie with furious, pained eyes, "Trying to choke me and the audience is pretty pathetic, even for you." 

"What matters is that Trixie won." She concluded indifferently. "In the end, that's all Trixie cares about." 

"You... you're awful." Rainbow said, fighting back tears. She looked at the pokéball of her poor Pidgeotto. "Thank you, friend. Thank you for saving me." 

The emcee and the audience remained in a shocked silence. The battle had ended in less than a minute, and in that time one of the contestants had nearly suffocated the entire arena, and then brutally ko'ed Rainbow Dash's pokémon. It was fortunate the tournament was held outdoors, otherwise the smog might have become dangerous if the air hadn't been able to clear. No one cheered for Trixie, but nopony had the audacity to boo her. They did offer her a great number of dirty and disapproving looks, which Trixie completely ignored, and even gloated through. 

While her opponent continued to boast, Rainbow walked solemnly off the battlefield, back to the pits and to her friends. Pidgeotto needed immediate attention on account of the thunder punch Haunter used to spike her into the ground. "Rainbow… I'm so sorry." Twilight offered, appalled by what she had witnessed. She had presumed that Trixie would have to show some measure of restraint with an audience present. She had been sorely mistaken. 

"Twilight," She sniffled, "Do me a favor?" 

"Anything Rainbow." Twilight offered sympathetically. 

"Destroy that monster who thinks she can call herself a trainer."
> Competitive Ruling: Trixie Lulamoon
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Although the match had been called in her favor, Sheriff Silverstar and the other ponies managing the event had called her to the judge's booth to discuss the poison gas attack that very nearly smothered the entire competition. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy waited outside the enclosed office, trying to hear what was going on inside. 

Silverstar was especially upset about the incident. As sheriff of Appleoosa, it feel to him to keep the town safe, a responsibility he did not take lightly. "Now Miss Lulamoon-"

"Please, Trixie." She corrected. 

"Trixie. Your actions endangered not just your opponent, but the entire audience." Silverstar said angrily, pacing around Trixie's chair. "You'd better have a darn good explanation, otherwise I won't hesitate to arrest you for reckless endangerment. 

Trixie just scoffed. "You really think Trixie would purposely try to gas the entire tournament? What would Trixie possibly have to gain from doing that?"

"It's not my job to figure out motives, missy. What matters is you put those good folks in a lot of danger with that attack."

"Trixie is very familiar with the pokémon league's rules for competition." She declared, her voice tainted with a smug sense of superiority. "Smog is recognized as a legal technique to use in battles. Trixie cannot be faulted for using a move that is not considered illegal by the league and was not specifically ruled illegal in this tournament's rules. All Trixie did was use an attack. Besides, it was Rainbow Trash and her Pidgeotto who blew the fumes everywhere."

Rainbow Dash bit down hard on her tongue to stop herself from shouting. "Is she really trying to pin this on me?" She whispered to Fluttershy in a harsh rasp. 

"I think so," Fluttershy whispered back, "I can't believe anypony would be so sneaky."

"When Trixie ordered Haunter to use smog, Rainbow Trash ordered her flying fop to use gust. The gale spread the gas all over the stadium before Trixie could realize what was going on and order Haunter to stop. That's what caused the gas to get spread all over the stadium."

Silverstar very obviously wasn't convinced, but Trixie's alibi was solid. He didn't have any proof that she was lying, and he couldn’t prove if Trixie had intentionally used the move into Pidgeotto's gust with the goal in mind of choking Rainbow Dash with it. As much as he would have liked to, he couldn't arrest her, or even disqualify her. "Alright Trixie, you're free to go." He sighed, defeated. "But if you so much as sneeze on somepony for the rest of this competition, I swear to Arceus I'll run you out of this town myself."

"Very well," Trixie smiled, standing up from her chair and cantering out of the office. She noticed Rainbow Dash waiting outside and shot a smug grin her way, whipping Dash in the nose with her tail as she cantered past. 

All while this had been going on, the audience had been waiting in curious silence. Most of them had figured out what was going, and all snapped to attention when the emcee's voice came over the microphone. "In the judge's ruling on the result of the last battle, they have decided to uphold the results of the last match. Trixie Lulamoon will be allowed to continue on to the semi finals match." The crowd groaned in unison. They had been hoping something would be done in response to the whole ordeal. They were sorely disappointed. 

> Quarterfinals Round 2- Twilight vs. Prism
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	I need to win. Twilight told herself. I need to beat Trixie. Since she had first met her, Trixie had been nothing but mean, but what she had pulled in her battle against Rainbow Dash was simply too much. Not only had she put Pidgeotto in senseless danger, she came frighteningly close to suffocating Rainbow Dash, and the entire audience as well. Somepony who acted with so little regard for the safety of others needed to be stopped at any cost. 

But first she needed to get past Prism. He and his Nidorina had done quite well in the qualification rounds, but Twilight was confident that she and Bulbasaur would be able to defeat them. 

The atmosphere in the arena had been changed drastically since the last battle ended. Many of the very young and very old attendees had left to get some fresh air, in some cases to ensure that the smoke hadn't had any ill effects on them. Much of the vibrancy that had been in the audience had deflated like a balloon, and the emcee didn't seem to be trying much to reinvigorate it. 

"Welcome back to round two!" He said, still somewhat shaken up by the gassing. "Our next battle will be Prism versus Twilight Sparkle." 

The stallion across from her flipped his white and purple mane with a chuckle. "It looks like our dear wizard friend has killed the mood. What say you we bring it back?" Prism came forward to the center of the stadium, extending his hoof outward. "Good luck, and may the best pony win."

Twilight walked forward and shook his hoof. "Good luck." Each combatant retreated to their side of the arena. The gesture had been small, but its effect was massive. The simple display of sportsmanship did wonders to reinvigorate the crowd. After the morally heinous show Trixie put on, the prospect of a clean, honorable battle reassured the audience and began to rebuild the lost enthusiasm. 

"Nidorina, it's our time to shine!" Prism shouted. 

"Bulbasaur! Let's show them how strong we are!" Twilight yelled back. 

"Our next match is a battle of poison types!" The emcee declared, "Let's get this battle started!" 

"Looks like our poison attacks aren't going to work." Prism said aloud, "It looks like we'll just have to resort to force. Go for a headbutt!" Nidorina charged headlong straight at Bulbasaur.

"Let's hit 'em with razor leaf!" Twilight shouted back. Bulbasaur started firing a barrage of bladed leaves from underneath its bulb, trying to stop the Nidorina's charge. Each leaf hit the poison pokémon square in the head, but it wasn't able to slow down the charging pokémon. Nidorina's hit landed, knocking Bulbasaur flying. 

"Bulba…" Her pokémon groaned, laying on the dirt several feet from where he had been hit. The hit had been a strong one, and certainly had done a number on Bulbasaur. 

"Looks like we're going to have to try something different, huh?" She sighed. "Bulbasaur, use ingrain!" Bulbasaur obeyed, laying down roots into the earth, slowly beginning to regain its strength.

"Ha, you're just making yourself an easier target!" Prism laughed with a smug grin. "Nidorina, go for another headbutt!" Nidorina began to charge again, barreling straight at the rooted Bulbasaur. 

"Tie it up with vine whip!" She yelled. Bulbasaur's vines shot forth, wrapping themselves around Nidorina's hind legs. With a sudden jerk, Bulbasaur's long tendrils yanked Nidorina's feet from beneath her, leaving her totally vulnerable. "Now hit it with a leech seed!" Bulbasaur shot the parasitic seeds onto Nidorina, covering the pokemon with roots and draining her strength. 

"Huh, looks like you're full of surprises." Prism laughed. "Nidorina, break the vines with double kick!" With two forceful kicks, Nidorina snapped the vines and began charging back at Bulbasaur. 

"Don't give them an inch Bulbasaur!" Twilight commanded, "Use headbutt too!" Bulbasaur, from its rooted position, prepared to meet Nidorina force for force. Their skulls met with an audible crash, knocking Nidorina flying back. Bulbasaur, although hurt, was held down by his roots, and because of the restorative powers of ingrain and leech seed, was still looking relatively healthy. Meanwhile Nidorina was beginning to look worse for wear. 

"Nidorina, are you okay?" 

"Ni… nido… rina…" It wimpered.

"Sigh… you've done well friend. But it looks like we may be against a wall. What say you we end this with a bang?" He asked. 

"Nido!" She answered enthusiastically. 

"Very well! Let's finish this with our strongest move! Skull bash!" Nidorina braced its skull and began making a reckless charge at Bulbasaur. "It's going to take more than vines to stop this one!" Prism declared. 

What do we have that can stop an attack like that? Twilight frantically thought through what moves Bulbasaur knew. But try as she might, she couldn't think of a single move that would be powerful enough. 

"Bulba…" Bulbasaur groaned. "Bulba… bulba… bulba…" 

"Bulbasaur, what are you doing?" Twilight asked. 

"Incredible! It looks like Bulbasaur is charging a solarbeam!" The emcee excitedly announced. 

"Solarbeam?" That was one of the strongest grass type moves in existence. Bulbasaur must have dug deep find enough power to use that attack. "Okay Bulbasaur, use your solarbeam!" Just as Nidorina was closing in on Bulbasaur, a concentrated lance of pure sunlight shot from within Bulbasaur's bulb. The beam stopped Nidorina dead in her tracks and sent her flying towards her trainer. 	

"Don't worry, I have you!" Prism cried. He stuck his hooves out and caught Nidorina, nearly getting knocked off his hooves by the forty pound pokémon. 

Bulbasaur collapsed to the ground. The force of the solarbeam had forced his bulb open, revealing a large flower within. 

"What an attack!" The emcee cried to huge cheers from the crowd. "Wait, what's this?" Bulbasaur found himself cloaked in a blinding white light, his body becoming engulfed in the glow. Twilight saw his body grow larger, and saw something rise from within his bulb

"Ivy… Ivy! Saur!" Bulbasaur had evolved. The sheer nova of energy it had released when it fired the solarbeam had triggered the process of evolution to occur

"What a conclusion! Bulbasaur has evolved into Ivysaur!" The emcee declared. The audience began cheering anew, sharing the joy Twilight felt. 

"Ivysaur!" She happily cried. "How do you feel?" 

"Saur! Ivysaur!" It happily barked. 

This is how it was meant to happen. Twilight thought. A trainer and their pokémon working their absolute hardest and that effort manifests itself with evolution. We didn't force this. I knew Bulbasaur would evolve when he was ready. Looks like I was right. Twilight wrapped her hooves around her pokémon's neck. "You fought so hard that last battle Ivysaur. Thank you."

Twilight looked off to the contestant entrances to the arena and saw Trixie watching with disinterest from the sidelines. We're coming for you now Trixie. I won't let you get away with what you did to Pidgeotto. I'll prove to you that the bonds between my pokémon and I are stronger. I won't let you win.
> Quarterfinals Round 3- Rarity vs. Braeburn
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rarity, unlike the others, hadn't spent her time training battling. She was every bit confident in Kirlia's strength, but she had wanted to practice their teamwork in order to make sure that they were completely in sync when they battled. Rarity wore the dress she had spent the day making, and Kirlia the matching bow. They were certainly the best dressed contenders at the event, but as their performance in the qualifiers had proven, they were no slouches in the battling department either. Their opponent would be Applejack's cousin Braeburn, and his Numel. Their performance hadn't been spectacular, but was nonetheless respectable. They showed the level of cooperation that came from working hard in the orchards together. However, Rarity would have to prove her and Kirlia's bonds were deeper. 

"Let the third battle of the quarter finals begin!" The emcee declared. His bravado seemed to have reinflated after casting the electrifying battle between Twilight and Prism. 

"Alrighty Numel, let's get to work!" Braeburn shouted. 

"Kirlia, it's our time to shine!" Rarity yelled back. Kirlia stepped forward with a twirl, the rhinestones in her bow twinkling in the sunlight. 

Both pokémon stared each other down as their trainers sized up their opponents. Kirlia and Rarity both held a stoic air, while Numel and Braeburn both looked excited and eager to battle.

Rarity was able to get the first move off. "Alright Kirlia, let's start this off with confusion!" Kirlia concentrated her psychic energies, directing a perplexing blast right at Numel, knocking it backwards.

"Ha, good try, but your attacks ain't gonna confuse my Numel!" Braeburn declared with an overconfident hoof pointed at his opponent. "He's got Own Tempo! Nothin's gonna confuse him!"

Rarity gave a dismissive scoff in reply. "No competent trainer would ever depend on the secondary effects of moves. What kind of an amateur do you think I am?" 

"Well then, try this one on for size!" He shouted back. "Numel, use yawn!" Numel let out a massive, tiring yawn, sending an echo across the stadium. Just watching it made her feel drowsy, an effect that Kirlia was feeling even harder. 

"Uh oh, looks like that yawn has put Kirlia to sleep!" The emcee shouted, "Rarity's in trouble! Her Kirlia is completely vulnerable!"

"Not quite so!" A knowing smile spread across Rarity's face. She had at least one trick up her ruffled sleeve. "You see Braeburn, my Kirlia has an ability as well. It's called…" She paused for effect, waiting for the ability to activiate. After a minute of silence, Numel fell asleep too, even though he had been fine a minute ago.

"What in tarnation?"

"Synchronize." She finished. 

"It looks like both pokémon have fallen asleep!" The emcee cried. Both trainers gawked awkwardly at their pokémon. True to form, both of the pokémon lay asleep on the dirt, leaving the battle at a complete standstill.

"Well, this is embarrassing." She sighed. The trainers stood earnestly, waiting with immense tension. Whoever woke up first would have a major leg up in the battle.  

As luck would have it, Kirlia regained consciousness first. "And Kirlia is awake again!" The emcee announced, trying to stifle a laugh. He, like the audience, found the situation humorous.

"Let's capitalize on this advantage!" Rarity yelled to her now-awake pokémon, "Use dream eater, right away!" Kirlia's eyes lit up with an unearthly red flash. A dream cloud projected from Numel's head, making the contents of his dreams visible to all. Rarity saw the small pokémon, frolicking in a field of cakes. Kirlia drew the dream away from Numel, causing it visible pain, while she seemed nourished by the consumed dream. 

The shock of having its dream devoured stirred Numel awake. "You alright little buddy?"

"Num! Numel!" Braeburn's pokémon answered.

"Alrighty then! Let’s hit 'em with a toxic!" He shouted. 

Rarity just sighed. "Some ponies never learn." Kirlia took the hit without flinching, and Synchronize poisoned Numel right back. Now both pokémon were suffering from the venom, and it was becoming apparent that Kirlia had far more stamina left than Numel. "Shall we finish this dearie?" Rarity asked. 

"Kirlia! Kir!" Her pokémon responded, almost as if she was laughing. 

"Very well then, finish it with draining kiss!" Kirlia planted a kiss on Numel's snout. At first it seemed almost cute, but rapidly Kirlia began draining Numel's vitality away, leaving the pokémon wobbling. The poison  surged one last time, and Numel fell over, unconscious. 

"Numel is unable to battle! The winner is Rarity!" The emcee declared, to cheers from the audience. "Rarity and Kirlia will be moving on to the semi-finals, to face the winner of the next match: Pinkie Pie versus Applejack!"

Kirlia and Rarity gave a synchronized bow to the audience. Braeburn tipped his hat to his opponent. "Well done, partner. You and your Kirlia sure are a pair."

Rarity beamed at the compliment. "Why thank you Braeburn. You and your Numel are also quite the combination."

"No need to sugarcoat it, darlin'." He sighed. "You two ran circles 'round us that whole battle. If there's one thing for us to take from this, it's that we've got a long way to go."

"Anypony who thinks they know everything will always be surprised." Rarity said, sagely. "All of us are here to get better, and I am no exception. I believe my friend Twilight would agree that you should be able to take something from each and every battle you have." 

"S'pose that's a good way to see things." He conceded. "Tell ya what. I know y'all are close friends with Applejack, and y'all are great trainers besides. After this here tournament's over, how's bout I show y'all some good times 'round these parts?"

"I would like that very much." She smiled.
> Quarterfinals Round 4- Applejack vs. Pinkie Pie
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	The final match of the quarterfinals was about to get underway. Applejack was the first of the group to have to face off against one of her friends, Pinkie Pie and Steve. Still, Applejack had no intention of going easy on her, or Rarity after her. After all, should Twilight lose in the semifinals, somepony would need to knock Trixie on her rump, and Applejack was just the mare to do it. 

"The last match of the round is about to begin!" The emcee announced. "Let's get this battle underway!"

"Come on out Steve!" Pinkie giggled. Skiploom sprung from him pokéball and began floating about in the air. 

Wordlessly, Applejack threw out Flaafy. Come on AJ. Y'all can't give her an inch cuz she's your friend. It's time to be tough. 

"If both challengers are ready, then the match may begin!" 

Steve was easily able to outspeed Flaafy. "Okay buddy, let's open with a poison powder!" Pinkie commanded. Steve began the familiar routine of dousing Flaafy with toxic spores, afflicting him with poison. 

Well that puts us on a timer. Applejack would need to finish this battle off before Flaafy succumbed to the poison. "Open with a thundershock!" 

"Flaa…" Flaafy cried as he wound up the attack. "Fy!" The electric bolt was discharged from his coat, arcing through the air and striking Skiploom. 

"A solid hit from Flaafy!" The emcee declared. "But it's not going down that easily!" 

"That guy's right!" Pinkie Pie yelled. "Use your bullet seed!" 

"Skip! Skip! Loom!" Skiploom spun in midair and began firing a barrage of seeds from its mouth, skirting around in the air while keeping his aim focused on Flaafy. 

"This ain't good..." Flaafy didn't know any moves that were super effective against Skiploom. Its typing was fairly tricky to deal with, as while Flaafy knew electric moves like thundershock and a bug type move in signal beam, Steve's grass and flying typing reduced both of those moves to normal effectiveness. Ice on the other hoof would devastate the pokémon, but in this one on one scenario, Applejack couldn't take advantage of that weakness. 

Looks like I'm gonna have to resort to the secret family strategy… Applejack tipped the brim of her hat down and prepared to announce her tactic to the world. "Alright Flaafy, time for the old Apple Family strategy. Lets him 'em really hard!" 

Applejack's declaration had been heard by every set of ears in the stadium. "Looks like Applejack is going to give it all she has! No point in beating around the bush when you can just beat down on the bush!" The audience gave a collective moan from the terrible joke, but watched intently regardless.

"Alright Flaafy, let's finish this with a takedown!" If this move hit, Applejack knew Flaafy would be able to keep beating down on Steve before he could finish off Flaafy in return. Flaafy began a headlong charge, dropping down onto all fours to rush down the low-flying Steve. 

Pinkie Pie looked unusually stoic, and had been uncharacteristically silent while this had been transpiring. She and Steve remained motionless as Flaafy drew closer and closer. Finally, when Flaafy leapt into the air to tackle Skiploom, she reacted with a command. "Up Steve!" She ordered. Steve caught an updraft and soared into the air as Flaafy dove past and landed face first in the dirt. "Let's finish this off with a bang! Hit 'em with seed bomb!" Steve bombarded Flaafy with a barrage of explosive seeds, sending a cloud of dust into the air. When the dust settled, the result came as a surprise to nopony. Flaafy was unconscious.

"And that's all she wrote folks!" The emcee cried. "Congratulations to Pinkie Pie for qualifying as the fourth contestant to move onto the semi finals. She will be going up against Rarity, right after our next match, Twilight Sparkle versus Trixie!" 

"Good job Flaafy, you gave it your all." Applejack smiled. She trotted over to Pinkie and shook her hoof. "Good job out there sugarcube. You put up a mighty good fight."

"Thanks AJ." She smiled. "Steve's been doing a great job." She giggled and rubbed her pokémon, which elicited a delighted cry from him. 

"We'll be back in an hour folks! Take some time to stretch your legs and get something to eat, because I promise, you won't want to miss the next few matches!"

> Chapter 12- The Appleoosa Cup, Part 2
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Twilight and friends had taken the hour long interlude between their matches to get lunch, courteously provided free of charge for the participants. They all sat with their pokémon, the three mares remaining in the competition mulling over their strategies for the battles to come. Trixie seemed to have vanished since Twilight's last battle, and her absence came as a blessing onto Twilight. She sat next to Pinkie, who was playing with Steve, tossing him bits of pokémon food as he floated about in midair. 

"That was a great battle." Twilight commented as she sat down beside her. "You and Steve really are a pair."

"Aww, thanks Twi!" She smiled, tossing another piece of food to Steve. "Me and this little guy have been together for a long time now. I'm so happy to be able to take him to see the world."

"Actually Pinkie, that's something I wanted to ask you about." Pinkie stopped playing with her partner and turned her full attention to Twilight. "Rainbow and Applejack and I want to become better trainers, Rarity wanted to see the world to find her inspiration, and Fluttershy wanted to see new kinds of pokémon and get out to see the world with friends to keep her safe. Mind if I ask what you're on your journey for?"

Pinkie shrugged. "Iunno." She said plainly.

Twilight was more than a little disappointed by that answer. "What do you mean you don’t know? How can you not know why you left?" 

"What I mean is I don’t know what I'm looking for." Pinkie answered again. "Twilight, if I wanted to, I could go back to Ponyville right this second and be happy for the rest of my life working with the Cakes in the bakery and planning parties in town. I left town to travel with you guys so I could have a chance to experience something new before I did that. I have my whole life to settle down, but while we're still young, I can get out and see the world."

"I guess that makes sense." Twilight conceded. 

"I mean, look at Steve," She took her Skiploom into her hooves and pressed him towards Twilight. "He evolved because we went on this adventure. That might have never happened if we stayed back home. We're getting the chance to see things that are all new and exciting. I'm not looking for anything. I'm looking for everything!" 

Twilight laughed at Pinkie's theatrical declaration. "Okay, I think I get it." 

"I wasn’t planning to win a gym badge, or make it to the semifinals in a tournament. But now I can say I did both of those things, and I had a great time doing them! I don't even care if we win or not Twilight! I entered because it looked like fun. And so far I've been right!" 

Pinkie Pie's gigantic smile spread to Twilight. "I guess that's a good way to think about things. As long as you're having fun, it doesn't matter what you're doing."

"Exac-a-lackely!" Pinkie chimed. 

"Just makes you wonder what somepony like Trixie is looking for." She mused. 

"You know Twilight, I bet she doesn’t know either." Pinkie smiled knowingly.

The remark gave Twilight pause. "What makes you say that?"

"Just a hunch." Pinkie Pie didn't explain any further and returned to playing catch with Steve. Twilight returned her attention to the delicious hayburger she had left unattended, and resumed thinking over her strategies. 

	I'm more scared of Trixie than her pokémon… The thought bothered Twilight. As a filly, she had been afraid of stories of Nightmare Moon eating her soul on Nightmare Night. She had been afraid of stories of ghost pokémon stealing away naughty fillies as they slept. But Trixie wasn’t like either of those things. She was just a unicorn, really no different than her. But the brutal way Trixie fought against other trainers and her seeming obsession with defeating her made Twilight afraid. Whenever she saw her, Twilight's ears would droop and her tail would be stowed in between her legs. She's just a regular unicorn. She's not a monster… Well at least not in the literal sense. She's just a pony. You can deal with a pony. Trixie wasn't some all-powerful monster, just a mare with a really bad attitude. When Twilight finally made that conscious realization, she finally was able to start thinking logically about how to best beat her. Twilight's mind went back to the mountains of books that had been her friends before embarking on her journey. Years ago, Twilight stumbled across a book that had a section which spoke about how to understand certain pony's quirks and personalities and how they can be used to one's advantage. One example it gave was how an attractive mare could use her feminine charms on a lonely stallion to help carry something heavy or to get a better deal in a shop. Twilight had at first dismissed the teachings as immoral, but now recognized its use. Trixie was just a regular pony after all. As long as Twilight could figure out which buttons to push, she might be able to get a hoof up on her opponent. 

A huge smile dawned on Twilight's face. "I got it!" She joyfully shouted, galloping out to the arena with Ivysaur following close behind. 

"Got what?" Rainbow Dash shouted back, but Twilight was already gone. 

> Semifinals Round 1- Trixie vs. Twilight
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The tension in the air was palpable. After Rainbow Dash's defeat, Twilight had emerged in the spectator's minds as the hero of the tournament, and this battle was seen by many as the tournament's climax. Trixie had become the tournament's villain, and everypony was anxious to see her defeated. It was little surprise that when the two trainers emerged onto the stadium, one was greeted with roaring applause and the other with vehement booing. Trixie didn't seem to care. She continued to showboat herself even through the jeering crowd. 

"Witch!"

"You're worse than Discord!"

"You're lousy!" 

Twilight stood stoic, staring intensely at her opponent, waiting for the noise to die down. "Trixie! They may have cleared you for what you did in the last battle, but I know the truth!"

"What does it matter what you think? Trixie is innocent of any wrongdoing." 

This is where I have to get her… Twilight drew a deep breath. Her next statement would, for better or worse, dictate the pace of the next battle. "Somepony who is really as 'Great and Powerful' as you claim to be shouldn't need to resort to dirty tricks in order to win. If you really are all that you say you are, you should be able to beat me fair and square!"

"Trixie doesn't need to prove anything to you Twilight Tinkle." Trixie wasn't taking the bait. Twilight grimaced. She needed to poke harder. Everypony has an igniter, I just need to find hers. 

"Maybe not to me, but maybe you do to everypony watching us right now!" Twilight tried again, desperately trying to get the better of Trixie's temper. It hadn't been hard to figure out Trixie's ego was her biggest weakness. Fan it enough, and she could be tricked into doing what Twilight wanted. Twilight knew this was an underhoofed trick, which seemed a bit hypocritical, but she was only doing it to ensure that the battle was fair and nopony would get needlessly hurt. "They all think you're a fraud Trixie! Nothing but a bully who can't win a fair fight!"

As if on cue, the crowd started booing Trixie again. This time, their jeers seemed to get under her skin. Twilight could see anger welling up in her eyes, as hundreds of insults were relentlessly hurled her way. 

That was it. Twilight could see flames erupting in Trixie's eyes. "Alright! Trixie will play your way, if only to prove once and for all that Trixie is without a doubt the superior trainer. Haunter, if they want to play games, then let's play!"

Hook, line, and sinker. Twilight thought with a grin. She would have to remember this in the future. Trixie may be cruel and very, very strong, but she was still just a pony. A regular pony whose ego and temper can very easily get the better of her. Now it's time to cut that ego down to size! "Ivysaur, I choose you!" 

"You heard it here first folks! It's going to be a no tricks, straight fight to the finish between Twilight Sparkle and Trixie Lulamoon!"

The two pokémon sized up their opponent. Both had evolved since the two trainers last fought, but even when they had fought in Ponyville, Trixie had switched her Charmeleon in when Twilight sent out Bulbasaur, meaning the two had never actually clashed. 

Already, Twilight knew she was in for a rough fight. Ivysaur didn't know any moves that would work well against the ghost and poison type. Normal type moves like skull bash, tackle and double edge wouldn't work at all, and grass moves like razor leaf and solarbeam wouldn't do much. Worse, the option to poison Haunter and gradually wear him down wouldn't work either, as his typing rendered him immune to the effects of poisonpowder. 

Trixie got off the first move. "Let's end this quick Haunter! Use shadow ball!" Haunter lobbed a mass of darkness at Ivysaur, knocking him flying. Haunter laughed as Ivysaur hit the ground, floating and making faces with its obnoxiously oversized features. 

"You okay Ivysaur?" Ivysaur barked back confidently, reassuring his trainer. "Alright, let's go with a leech seed!" Ivysaur bombarded Haunter's gaseous form with the parasitic seeds, and managed to get them to take root. Haunter's strength began being sapped away, but still looked much better than Ivysaur after taking that shadow ball. 

"We aren't going to take that! Hit it with lick!" Twilight had noticed a change in Trixie. Her voice seemed more impassioned, and her body language became far more wild and fierce. Was Trixie actually having fun?

"Haunter! Haunt! Haunt!" Haunter licked Ivysaur with its disgusting tongue, making his entire body convulse. Twilight swallowed. Ivysaur was paralyzed. 

"Synthesis, come on!" Twilight yelled. The bright sun allowed Ivysaur to recover a huge amount of his stamina. Between the recovery and the extra strength he sapped from Haunter, Ivysaur looked well again. 

Trixie was not fazed. "Come on Haunter, hit them with a hex!" Haunter's eyes flashed as colorful runes flashed around Ivysaur. Suddenly, Ivysaur went flying, crashing into the ground behind Twilight. 

"A devastating hit from hex!" The emcee wailed. "Ivysaur being paralyzed means that attack hits twice as hard!" The crowd gasped, then cheered as Ivysaur stood up and returned to the arena. By this point, the leech seeds had been doing a number on Haunter, and he was beginning to look worse for wear. 

One more attack  can end this… Twilight steeled herself, hoping to put the coup de grace onto Trixie. "Alright Ivysaur, hit him with solarbeam!" The bright sunlight caused Ivysaur to rapidly gather the necessary solar power in order to fire off his attack.

Trixie's face had contorted into a tense grimace. "It's all or nothing! Go for your strongest dark pulse!" Haunter gathered an aura of shadows around itself, darkening the very air around it. 

Both pokémon loosed their attacks simultaneously. Ivysaur shot off a nova of pure sunlight and Haunter a wave of black darkness. The two blasts met, whichever one overwhelmed the other would be victorious. 

Twilight's eyes lit up as solarbeam began to push back Haunter's attack. "You can do it Ivysaur!"

"Haunter, I know you're strong! I believe in you!" Trixie cried, crying out to her pokémon. "Stay strong, please!" His trainer's words caused Haunter to dig deep and find a warren of strength previously untapped. With one last forceful push, his dark pulse ruptured through the solarbeam and struck Ivysaur with a ripple of pure shadow. Ivysaur went flying, and was unconscious upon landing. 

"And that concludes the battle!" The emcee declared. If he was disappointed, he wasn't showing it. The crowd however, let out a collective groan as Trixie was pronounced the winner. 

The azure mare galloped onto the field and leapt into the air, taking her Haunter in her arms. "You did it! You did it! I'm so proud of you!" A few tears had escaped Trixie's eyes, flying off her face as she and her pokémon jumped around. 

Rainbow Dash came out onto the stadium to walk Twilight off. "You gave it your best shot, Twi." 

"Something strange just happened." Twilight whispered as she walked back into the pits. "Something about Trixie changed in that fight." She blurted out. 

"Whaddya mean?"

"I don't know. She seemed like a different pony." 

Rainbow shrugged, dismissing it as nothing. "You're probably imagining things in the heat of battle. Come on, let's go get ready. Pinkie and Rarity are about to go on." 

I know something was up with her. Right at the end, even her way of talking changed. There had been no insults, no names, no teasing. Trixie had battled with an intensity that Twilight had never seen from her. She had also praised her pokémon, something else she had never witnessed. I wonder what it all means…

Unable to find an answer, Twilight withdrew to cheer on her friends. Whoever was victorious in the next battle would emerge to take on Trixie in the finals.
> Semifinals Round 2- Rarity vs. Pinkie Pie
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight, along with Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Fluttershy, sat along the sidelines as the second match of the semis began. Rarity and Pinkie would be going against each other, the winner moving on to face Trixie in the finals. None of them were sure who would win. Kirlia seemed to be the stronger pokémon but the way Pinkie battled with Steve had certainly taken Applejack by surprise. Both trainers were incredibly in sync with their pokémon. With Rarity it was as if she didn't need to even give orders; Kirlia almost seemed capable of reading her trainer's mind. Pinkie Pie and Steve were on a very similar wavelength with each other; one that made sense to them and to absolutely nopony else. 

"And welcome back to our next match!" The emcee announced. "If both trainers are ready, then let's get this battle underway!" 

"Pinkie Pie, I hope you understand that I cannot allow you to win!" Rarity yelled, trying to engage in some good-natured taunting while still retaining her composure. 

Pinkie Pie just grinned at her friend, "That's okay Rarity. I'll let you win. In your dreams, that is!" 

Their friends watched intensely as the two pokémon were sent out onto the field. Applejack and Rainbow Dash had both made a trip to find the snack vendor and returned with a bag of popcorn each. "This oughta be a good fight." Applejack commented, sticking her hoof into the bag. "I gotta put my bits on Pinkie Pie."

"You only say that because she beat you." Rainbow remarked, stuffing her mouth full of buttery popcorn, "Rarity definitely has this."

"Oh yeah? What do you think, Twi?" Both mares stared at Twilight, waiting for her answer. 

"I don't know who to pick." She sighed, half lying. Twilight thought Rarity would be more likely to win, but didn't want to say it aloud, to avoid possibly hurting Pinkie's feelings. Both of them were strong though, stronger than Twilight had given them credit for when she first met them. Just goes to show you can't judge a book by its cover. Except Vampony romance novels. 

Steve, with its quite high speed, was able to act before Kirlia. "Alright Stevey, let's go for a bullet seed!" Steve began rotating rapidly and began spewing seeds right at Kirlia. 

"Kirlia, use teleport to escape!" Rarity commanded. Kirlia nodded, and disappeared, warping herself across the arena behind Steve. "Now use double team!" Kirlia's body shook rapidly, suddenly splitting itself into two, then four, eight, and finally sixteen identical mirror images. The illusory clones completely encircled Steve, who spun around in the air, looking dreadfully confused. 

"So many Kirlias…" Pinkie Pie marveled, a bit distracted from the battle at hand. "Looks like we're gonna have to find out which one's real! Bullet seed on all the clones!" Steve spun again and started shooting volleys at the clones.

"Kirlia darling, let's keep up this little charade for now. Go for psychic!" Each of the Kirlia clones perfectly mirrored the actions of the original, down to the distortions in the air around them as the true Kirlia began preparing her attack. Pinkie's eyes desperately darted back and forth to figure out which clone was the real one, but as far as the naked eye could tell, the original and her clones all moved in perfect unison. 

Finally, the real Kirlia made herself known. Steve had blasted three clones, making the illusions fade as soon as they were hit. The real Kirlia, standing  halfway between Pinkie and the midfield line, fired a blast of psionic energy that sent Steve reeling. Then Kirlia used teleport, once again scrambling the clones and trapping Pinkie Pie in a hopeless version of the cup and ball game. 

Pinkie Pie's chipper demeanor began to crack under Rarity's brutal but effective strategy. Steve had no moves that would be able to hit the entire field, like earthquake or surf. She was beginning to wish she had instead entered Lombre, who would have been able to use surf to clear away the clones. "Okay Steve, let's try using Bounce!" Steve sprung up into the air, looking to smack down onto one of the clones. 

"Sigh… Pinkie Pie, you have a one in sixteen chance of hitting the real Kirlia. How likely do you honestly think that your pokémon will actually-"

"And bounce connects!" The emcee excitedly cried, drawing Rarity' attention back to the battle. 

"Hit…" She groaned. Somehow Steve had been able to identify the proper target from midair, and landed smack onto her head. Kirlia certainly looked worse for wear, but the fight was far from over. 

"Very well then." Rarity huffed, irritated that Pinkie had, once again, managed to defy all logic and had hit Kirlia on a 1/16th chance. "It looks like it's time to go for the coup de grace. Hit them with yet another psychic! Give it your all!" Kirlia focused her psychic energies as Steve began bombarding her with bullet seeds. Kirlia struggled to keep up her concentration while under heavy fire, each seed pushing her a little further back. The strain was apparent on Kirlia's face as she tried to muster up enough concentration to fire off her attack. 

"This is getting dangerous folks! Kirlia can't take this for much longer, but if she can get off that psychic, it's curtains for Steve and Pinkie Pie!" The narration of the emcee inflated the already electric tension in the stands. Twilight especially was paying rapt attention. This entire battle would come down to whether or not Kirlia would be able to attack before Steve's bullet seed barrage finished her off.

Kirlia's aura had been growing more and more powerful, to the point where it was causing the air to ripple around her. Her body began to levitate into the air as her eyes took on a purple glow. "Kir..." She cried as a dust cloud started to swirl around her. "LIA!" A rippling blast of psychic energy blasted forth from Kirlia, knocking Steve straight out of the air. The pokémon went soaring past Pinkie Pie and hit the wall behind her with an audible smack. 

"Skiploom is unable to battle! The winner is Kirlia!" The stands erupted into stomping applause as the spectators commended the battle. Slowly, Kirlia's energies faded and she peacefully floated back down to the ground. 

Rarity galloped out to check on her pokémon. "Are you alright darling?" 

Kirlia's eyes opened weakly. After a moment, she nodded weakly. "Kirlia. Kir, Kir." Rarity smiled. Her energy had been drained but otherwise she was fine. She would likely need awhile to rest before the next battle. 

While Rarity had been checking on her pokémon, Sheriff Silverstar had stepped out onto the field. "Rarity, congratulations. You will be moving onto the final round to compete for the title. Are you prepared?"

"Always." She answered. "Although my Kirlia will need some time to regain her strength.

Silverstar nodded. "Of course. The final round will begin at seven o'clock. For the time being, you and your partner have earned some rest."

Rarity, with Kirlia laying an arm on her side for balance, left the stadium to return to the pits. Kirlia had earned a rest, and would need some sleep before she could battle at her fullest again. Fluttershy and Twilight pulled together some hay and made her a suitable bed to sleep on. Kirlia curled up happily, and quickly fell asleep. Rarity sat beside her, and began gently stroking her head, silently singing a lullaby. A pinkish aura began to form around Kirlia, which radiated happiness and health. 

"Kirlia can rest better if accompanied by a loving trainer." Rarity whispered, taking great care not to wake her. "She will be rested sooner and more soundly if I stay here."

"Okay.  I think we're going to go find some dinner." Twilight whispered back. "Want anything?"

"Just a blueberry muffin please." Twilight nodded and went off to the catered buffet. The food was kept in a fenced off area separate from the pits, both of which were behind the stadium. Several other ponies, leftovers from the earlier stages, were still there, taking advantage of the free food while it was there. They spotted Braeburn and Prism, who were having an intense discussion at the far side of the outdoor dining area. 

Trixie was sitting near the buffet, eating a biscuit and sniggering as the group entered. "Why hello losers." 

Twilight knit her brows into a scowl. "What do you want Trixie?"

"Oh, nothing." She smiled, taking another bite out of the cheese biscuit in her hoof. "Trixie cannot help but notice you're one short. You know, the only one strong enough to make it this far?"

"Oh, you mean Rarity." Twilight shot a glare at Pinkie Pie, who had begun running her mouth without thinking. "She's back with her Kirlia taking a nap."

"Pinkie, ix nay the ossip gay." Applejack rasped, jabbing Pinkie with her hoof. 

"Pathetic." Trixie scoffed. "Trixie finds it hard to believe that she's the best your rag-tag group has to offer. No matter. One more match to stomp and Trixie will get her hooves on that trophy."

"You never know Trixie. She might surprise you." Rainbow Dash said with a smirk. "She's been surprising all of us."

"Hmpf. Trixie is going to crush that frou-frou unicorn, just you wait." She tossed the last bit of her snack in her mouth and began to saunter off. "Trixie has a plan. That poor mare won't see it coming."

"That sounds mighty fishy." AJ sighed. 

"We need to tell Rarity." Fluttershy added.
> Finals: Rarity vs. Trixie
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight had delivered the news to Rarity, urging her to be wary of whatever Trixie might have planned. Rarity promised she would be careful, but seemed confident that she and Kirlia could handle whatever Trixie could throw at them. Rarity made her way onto the stadium and her friends into the stands, finding prime seats in the contestant's box, which offered front row seats at the middle of the stadium. 

Sheriff Silverstar personally came out onto the field to open the match. "Fillies and gentlecolts, foals of all ages. Welcome, one and all to the final match of this year's Appleoosa Trainer's Cup!" The crowd erupted into thunderous cheers as their host continued his speech. "Our last match will be between Trixie of Canterlot, and Rarity of Ponyville. The first pokémon who is unable to battle will be declared the loser. For anypony who forgot, the prizes up for grabs include a beautiful trophy and a fantastically rare pokémon that was imported all the way from the Griffon Kingdom. Good luck, and may the best pony win." 

Trixie and Rarity readied their pokéballs. "Come Kirlia, victory awaits!" Rarity cried. 

"Haunter, Trixie has need of you!" The two pokémon appeared onto the field, bringing forth another wave of cheering. The fans were desperate to see this climactic match. With Twilight out of the running, the tournament's narrative had changed; now it was Rarity, a competitor who had been underestimated the entire tournament, who now stood against a villain who had felled two of the previous heroes, the former favorites, Rainbow Dash and Twilight. Would Rarity, who was by all means the underdog, win and steal victory away from the trainer who the crowd had come to despise? It all would depend on the next few minutes. 

"This will certainly be an action-packed match folks!" The emcee declared. Action packed was right. Due to their dual typings, each pokémon was vulnerable to at least one of their opponent's types.  Haunter to Kirlia's psychic typing and Kirlia to Haunter's ghost and poison. It would come down to who could land the most and fastest super effective moves. 

Rested from their nap, Kirlia and Rarity were in perfect sync with each other, giving Kirlia the chance to get a move off before Trixie was even ready. "Open up with double team!" Rarity ordered. Kirlia split into several clones that spread across the battlefield. Rarity smiled. With any luck this would give her time to unload her power moves onto her opponent. 

Trixie didn't miss a beat. "Clear away the illusions with dark pulse!" Haunter unleashed a wave of pure blackness that swept across the battlefield, destroying  all the clones. Kirlia wasn't especially hurt, but the tactic had been ruined. Rarity would need to try something else. 

"Go for confusion!" Rarity ordered. Kirlia focused her energy and fired a pulse of psionic energy at Haunter, causing it visible pain. 

"That's it!" Trixie roared. "Sludge bomb, now!" Haunter gathered a mass of purple sludge in its mouth and spat it at Kirlia.

"Dodge that disgusting mess." Rarity ordered. "Teleport!" Kirlia blinked out of the way, leaving the toxic mess to splatter on the ground. Rarity knew poison would dreadfully hurt Kirlia, and the severe poisoning it afflicts would hurt even worse. 

Haunter kept firing but Kirlia kept evading. Every shot he took would easily be blinked away from by Kirlia. Trixie was becoming visibly frustrated. This tactic obviously wasn't working, and if she didn't try something soon, another strong psychic attack could finish Haunter off. Trixie hoped this wouldn't be necessary. Oh well. "Haunter, use shadow ball, just like we planned." Haunter fired off an orb of malefic darkness. Kirlia prepared to blink away from it but the attack shot straight past her. Kirlia looked back, confused. The orb was spiraling right at Rarity. 

The stadium had gone dead silent apart from a collective gasp. That silence was broken by six concurrent screams, that of Rarity, and of her friends, watching helplessly in the stands. A ghost attack of that power would certainly put Rarity in the hospital, if not worse. 

Kirlia's eyes lit up a fierce purple. She used teleport, blinking right in front of Rarity. She spread her arms out, staring straight at the shadow ball as it spun right at her. "Kirlia?" Rarity shrieked. "What are you-"

Shadow ball hit with massive force. Rarity ducked out of the way, as Kirlia flew past, the orb still spinning into her body. She landed against the wall with a sickening crunch, leaving an imprint in the wall. 

"KIRLIA!" The sounds of Rarity's wailing cut deep into the hearts of the spectators. The pokémon fell from her impact site, onto the ground. Rarity galloped to her side, trying to see if her precious partner was alright. 

"Please Kirlia, tell me you're okay." Rarity sobbed, shaking her pokémon, desperate to get some kind of movement. Kirlia's body seemed limp in her hooves. After a minute, she produced a weak sound, moaning to her trainer. 

"Kirlia… Kir…" 

Tears had begun falling freely as Rarity cried over her injured pokémon. One landed right between her eyes, snapping Kirlia's eyes open. Rarity stepped back. 

Her eyes had ignited with a purple glow akin to the shade of her mane. Kirlia's body became cloaked in a blazing white aura as her body began to grow and contort. The entire stadium, Trixie included, watched with bated breath and wide eyes as Kirlia transformed before their eyes. Once the aura cleared, Kirlia was gone, in her place was a taller, more elegant pokémon. Kirlia had evolved into Gardevoir. 

"It's a miracle!" The emcee cried, his voice overwhelmed by emotion. The entire stadium erupted into thunderous cheers. Trixie looked in horror, her mouth twisted into a scowl as she sighed a defeated sigh. Gardevoir stepped back onto the battlefield, her strength renewed by the evolution. 

The bond between pokémon and trainer now stood stronger than ever before. The love between the two burned brighter than the fires of the sun, and with renewed vigor Gardevoir stepped forward to claim victory for her trainer. "Psychic!" Rarity shouted. Gardevoir's eyes illuminated as she grabbed Haunter in her telepathic power. She flung the gaseous pokémon into a wall with monstrous force, leaving it totally unconscious.

"The battle is over! The winner is Rarity!" The emcee screamed. He seemed at the point of tears himself, as did the spectators. Confetti erupted from several cannons around the edge of the arena, showering the victorious pair in glittery paper. 

Rarity embraced her partner. "Gardevoir… thank you." She whispered. 

"Garde…" She smiled back, hugging her trainer. 

*	*	*

Trixie scowled as the confetti began raining down onto the stadium. Her plan to defeat Kirlia had failed, and had went on to be her undoing. Somehow, Haunter's attack had triggered Kirlia's evolution, and the newly-evolved Gardevoir had handily defeated her.  Perhaps it's time to evolve Haunter into Gengar... She mused.

At present, however, she had bigger problems to worry about. Not only had she lost the tournament, but it was highly likely that the Sheriff would be out to hunt her down. A quick scan over the judge's booth confirmed he was gone, and Trixie didn't have to think hard as to what he was planning. She recalled her unconscious pokémon and prepared to make her getaway. 

While the crowd was distracted by the showering confetti and celebrating her opponent, Trixie snuck out of the entrance to the stadium, looking to make a beeline for the train station. If nopony saw her, Trixie could get on the next train and be gone before anypony realized she was missing. 

She glanced backwards towards the arena to make sure she wasn't being followed. Just as she gave a relieved sigh, she crashed into something large, hairy, and angry. "Watch it bub," Trixie growled as she turned around. All at once, all the color drained out of her face. 

Sheriff Silverstar gazed at her with a look of contempt. If looks could kill, his would have slaughtered the entire arena. Wordlessly, he brought out a lasso and began twirling it slowly. "Tell ya what." He said with a sadistic grin, "Since I'm a good sport, I'll give you ten for a head start."

"T-ten what?" Trixie fearfully asked, taking a few tentative steps backwards. 

"Ten, nine, eight…" Trixie got the message and began galloping as fast as her legs would carry her. She wouldn't be able to hop a train, not with Silverstar following her. She would have to somehow give him the slip before she could make her getaway. Trixie searched desperately for a place to run, trying to figure out where the best place to try and lose him would be. Without a second thought she chose the apple orchards off to the west and began a desperate attempt to flee.

Her hat fell off as soon as she started to run, but she didn't have time to worry about it. She heard a manic cheer of "Yee haw!" From behind her. Her time had run out, and now she had to pray that somehow she would be able to outrun or outsmart the sheriff. She heard him say something else, but wasn't able to focus enough on his words to hear him clearly. Her only thought was to reach the orchard and then try to lose him in the maze of trees. 

She dared take a glance backwards and her eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets. Silverstar had unleashed his pokémon to join in on the chase. Now, in addition to himself, she had to contend with his Gligar, Rhyhorn, and Dugtrio. The crashing of Rhyhorn's thundering footsteps urged her into an even more panicked gallop. Her lungs burned already but the sheer force of adrenaline kept Trixie moving. She had never run so much in her life, but now she needed every drop of energy her body could muster to avoid capture by the chief. If only Charmeleon had evolved… If her partner had been able to evolve, she might have been able to make an escape flying on his back. However, now wasn't the time to consider what ifs. Now was the time to run. She heard Silverstar gaining on her. She made a sharp left into a thicket and kept running. 

*	*	*

While Sheriff Silverstar was off chasing Trixie, the other judges had come forth to present Rarity with her prizes. "Here you are ma'am." One gave her the trophy, a large golden cup that was big enough to fit Twilight's Cubone comfortably inside. Finally, they presented her the other prize: the mysterious rare pokémon.

"Go on, open it!" Rainbow Dash urged. 

"Calm yourself, I want to relish in the moment." Rarity snapped back. "Pokéball, go!"

"Karp, Karp, Magikarp…" The Magikarp gasped as it flopped around. 

Rarity was furious. "Is this some kind of joke?"

The judges all laughed. "Don't worry now, it's just a little prank we like to pull every now an' again. Here's the real one." Rarity took the new pokéball and inspected it. The ball wasn't a standard pokéball. It was unique, with blue and red markings on the top of the lid. "This pokémon comes from Groucho of Griffonstone, the legendary breeder. This pokéball is custom-made for his pokémon. Think of it as a pedigree."

Rarity threw out the ball. "Rua! Zorua!" The adorable black pokémon barked. 

"A Zorua?" Twilight gasped. "I've only ever heard rumors about these pokémon. That's incredible! I've never seen one of these pokémon in real life before!"

"Zorua is exceedingly rare." The judge explained. "That Groucho would be able to breed such a fantastic pokémon speaks to his abilities." 

"Zorua?" Rarity giggled. "Welcome to the team." Zorua gave a devious grin, and rubbed its furry head along Rarity's leg.
> Chapter 13- Taking a Break
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	The banquet also included as part of Rarity's prize had been something of a godsend for the group of travelers. Twilight couldn't remember the last time she had felt so full. This wasn't to say she hadn't been getting enough to eat since she left, but this had been the first time on her journey she felt like she would explode if she ate a single morsel more. 

The dinner had consisted of a great deal of local cooking, all of which included apples. Apple tarts, pies, fritters, strudel, cobblers, applesauce, and countless other dishes were laid out, and barrels upon barrels of cider flowed like a river. Rarity enjoyed being treated like a princess, meanwhile Rainbow Dash enjoyed the all-you-can-drink free Appleoosa cider. They retired for the night to their rooms at the inn. Just a small fraction of the money the five had won would easily cover their lodgings for the rest of their trip. The prize pool had gotten slightly larger after a certain second-place contestant had been run out of town just before the award ceremony. Sheriff Silverstar reported back that she had escaped, but assured Rarity she would be arrested the instant she ever set hoof in town again. Last he'd seen of her she had vanished off into the wastes off to the west. There were no towns for over a hundred miles, so she would have to come back eventually. 

The next morning the six mares woke up still feeling satisfied from their meal the night before. There was no urgency about them, as they woke up at ten o'clock and were in no hurry to get anywhere. The group met a few minutes later on the bottom floor of the inn for breakfast. Rainbow Dash looked to Twilight once everypony had arrived. "Hey, do you want to go challenge the gym today?"

Twilight shook her head. "Not really feeling it today Rainbow. I'm kind of battled out right now." The last few days had been nonstop battling, and Twilight needed a break. "Maybe today would be a good time to see what there is to do for fun around here." 

Rarity was the first to chime in with an idea. "Braeburn did extend an invitation to show us around after we had our battle yesterday. Perhaps he could be of assistance."

"If anypony 'round these parts knows a good time, it's my cousin." Applejack beamed. "Sounds like a plan to me." The other mares agreed with her, and after a quick breakfast they meandered over to Braeburn's home. He lived in a small farmhouse near the southern sector of the town's orchards, and was sitting on his porch in a rocking chair, his numel asleep at his hooves, sipping a cup of coffee when the group arrived. 

"Howdy cousin Applejack!" He waved with a smile. "And hello to the rest of y'all too!" 

"Howdy Braeburn!" She shouted back. "Me an' the gals are takin' some time before they go on to fight the gym, and we were wonderin' if you could show us anything fun to do 'round here."

Braeburn pondered this for a moment, rocking vigorously and taking a swig of coffee. "Hmm… I don't reckon we have anything going on in town, no dances or nothin for the next week at least. An' I don't think y'all wanna spend a day applebucking… hmm… Sorry cuz, but I'm drawing a blank."

"So you're tellin' me y'all just sit around with yer hooves up yer butts like a bunch of sad sacks?" Applejack asked with an annoyed edge to her voice.

"We're still workin' hard to survive out here." Braeburn explained defensively. "We don't have as much free time as you city folks do." His eyes lit up as inspiration hit him. "I do know one thing though."

"What?" All six asked in unison.

A smile spread across Braeburn's face. "Any of y'all ever heard of sand fishing?" 

Twilight glanced over to Rainbow Dash. The word 'fishing' make her eye start to twitch. "No, what is it?" 

"Same idea as regular fishing, except you do it out in the desert to catch ground-type pokémon." 

"So you throw a line in the sand, and if something bites, you try and catch it?" Fluttershy asked.	

"Yes ma'am!" He answered. "I got a couple poles I'd be more'n happy to lend ya if y'all wanna give it a shot." 

Twilight glanced around, seeing if anypony had any objections. "Sure, thanks Braeburn.” 

The farmer gave them the poles, some bait, and a few words of advice. "You're gonna want to walk 'bout half a mile out of town to the Southwest. That's where the scrubland turns to desert and you'll have much better luck gettin' bites." Finally, he gave them a large knife with a wickedly sharp blade. "If y'all get ahold of something ya can't reel in, don’t hesitate to cut the line. It's better ya lose your hook and some bait than gettin' dragged off." Twilight could see something in the back of Braeburn's usually happy eyes. Something told her he was speaking from personal experience. She looked at the pole again. It was similar to heavy-duty ocean fishing rods she had seen, where the rod was fastened to your body to give the user a better hold on the thing with heavy catches. She could certainly see somepony being in a lot of danger if they got pulled along by that. 

They walked the half mile southwest of town Braeburn had reccomended, until the settler town had vanished behind the hills and they had found themselves a decent place to set up at the desert's edge. Pinkie had a picnic prepared, and she and Fluttershy spread out their blanket while Twilight and Applejack strung the poles. 

Twilight sat down and cast off the first pole, letting the lure land fifty feet in front of her, right in the sand. "Hey Rainbow, you want to take the other one?"

The twitching in Dash's eye came back with a vengeance. "No." She answered without hesitation. 

"What's the matter with you?" Applejack asked. "You're lookin' like ya just saw a ghost." 

"Never again…" She muttered under her breath. "Never again…"

Applejack and Twilight laughed uneasily. Applejack took the rod and cast off, her lure landing next to Twilight's. 

Two hours passed, and their lures still sat in the same place they landed. Twilight was beginning to have suspicions that Braeburn had been playing a prank on them. The entire idea of sand fishing seemed a little too far-fetched to be plausible, now that she thought about it. At least in a river, you could see your lure moving, and you could tell that the lure could be seen by the passing water pokémon. In this case, it could very well be their lures were just sitting in the dirt. 

Twilight began absentmindedly browsing through the pages of her pokédex, looking through the wide variety of ground type pokémon that lived in the area. It detailed several ways of finding them, and "fishing" was not one of them. 

As she absentmindedly fiddled with her pokédex, Twilight felt something pull hard on her line. Sure enough, a pokémon had burrowed past and bitten onto her line. Whatever it was, it was strong, far stronger than Twilight. It began yanking on the line, dragging Twilight towards the edge of the sand, leaving two sets of ruts from her hooves. As she slid towards the desert sands, Twilight began realizing the inherent problems with this sport. First off, ground type pokémon were far stronger as a whole than water types, at least the ones found in rivers. Secondly, it was easier by far to pull a pokémon out of water than it was sand. Twilight's hoof shot out for the knife Braeburn gave her, but to her worry found it laying in the dirt, next to where she had been sitting. 

The pokémon yanked hard, sending Twilight faceplanting into the sand. "Rainbow!" She cried out, "Cut me loose!" Her friend nodded and went to grab the blade, fumbling to pull it out of its sheathe. 

Another jerk pulled Twilight further away from the solid earth and into the sand. Her heart rate accelerated as she saw where she was being dragged; directly into a sinkhole. Its presence meant there must be a cavern of some kind under the sand, and if Twilight wasn't able to cut herself free fast, she would be pulled down there. She swore under her breath, cursing the harness Braeburn had given her. It was a series of buckles and straps that went around the wearer's waist, usually used for oceangoing fisherponies to keep a better hold on their fishing rods. Now the harness was keeping her attached to the rod, and unless she was able to sever the line, the pokémon, the rod, and her were all going under. 

Finally, Dash freed the knife from the sheathe and leapt towards Twilight. She lunged to get the blade to the heavy line. But the pokémon yanked on Twilight again, pulling her again closer to the sinkhole, and leaving Rainbow to land facefirst in the sand. Desperately, she grabbed hold of Twilight's hind leg, holding on for all she was worth. 

With one final pull, the pokémon on the hook dragged Twilight and Rainbow Dash into the sinkhole.  Stuck in the sand, they felt themselves slowly be pulled beneath the sand, screaming to their friends for help. 

Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rarity and Fluttershy stared at the sinkhole wordlessly. The entire process had taken only a matter of seconds, leaving the four mares dumbfounded. "Whatever should we do?" Rarity asked with a gasp. 

With a determined tip of her hat, Applejack gave her answer. "The only thing we can do, darlin'. We're goin after 'em." Without another word, Applejack galloped to the sinkhole, jumping into the vortex to follow her friends. 

Pinkie Pie followed immediately after, landing in the pit with a giggle. Fluttershy and Rarity watched as she too went under, and stared at each other aghast. 

"What say you Fluttershy?" Rarity asked. "Should we go find help? I'd rather not get my mane full of sand." 

Fluttershy steeled herself, working up what courage she could muster. "No. We need to go after them. Twilight and Rainbow Dash wouldn't think twice about helping us if we got in trouble, we have to go help."

Rarity tried to object, but Fluttershy grabbed her forcefully and galloped towards the pit, eyes closed and screaming. She and Rarity slowly sunk, until they too fell under the sand. 

*	*	*

Twilight woke with Rainbow Dash barely conscious on top of her. The fishing rod had snapped in two places, and lay in bits on the floor. "I owe Braeburn an apology." She murmured. She looked around, trying to get a sense of her surroundings. She was in an underground cave, that much was certain. Several large glowing crystals dotted the walls, and stalactites dotted roof of the room. Several tunnels extended every which way, crossed with burrow marks. 

The nosie of shifting dirt got Twilight's attention. "Trio, trio," The pokémon grunted as it casually navigated its way around the cavern.

"A Dugtrio?" The pokémon still had a hook embedded in one of its noses, which seemed to be causing it no shortage of distress. Twilight carefully approached to remove it, but it immediately withdrew underground. 

A pair of screams grabbed Twilight's attention. Rarity and Fluttershy fell through the ceiling and landed in a pile, on top of Applejack and Pinkie Pie. It seemed everypony had followed her down. While Twilight appreciated the gesture, now all of them were stuck underground with no way to send for help. They would have to find a way out themselves.

Twilight tried to cycle through her options in her head. The way they came was out. No way they would be able to get everypony out through the roof, and even if they did, they would still risk being sucked right back in. The tunnels were their best bet. They had seen some caves in the cliffs a ways away from town. Perhaps one of them connected to this tunnel system. At any rate, it was their best and currently only hope, so Twilight decided to take a chance.

She did her best to help the others up and get ready to move. Once everypony was ready, Twilight announced they would try the tunnels. 

"Are you sure?" Fluttershy asked. "We have no idea where they go. We could get lost. And also… It's really dark." The last part of her statement came in a stuttering whisper. 

Twilight nodded assuredly. "Anywhere is better than here." Having to lead a frightened Fluttershy through the caves would certainly be a challenge.

Fortunately, Applejack already had a solution. "C'mon out Flaafy!" She yelled. Flaafy emerged and immediately her tail began to glow. The light wasn't especially bright, but it cast an easy bluish glow in the area immediately around them. It would at least give them a small haven of light among the dark tunnels. 

One thing Twilight had been adamant about was that under no circumstance should they split up the group. If they were going to escape from the tunnels and caves, they would do it together or not at all. They moved in pairs, with Flaafy in the lead. Twilight and Rainbow Dash took the lead, with Fluttershy and Rarity in the middle, and Applejack and Pinkie bringing up the rear. 

With great focus, Rainbow was able to detect the slightest of breezes coming from one of the many tunnels that had been hollowed out by the pokémon that lived in the caverns. The group eagerly began following the air current, hoping it would lead them to the surface. 

The tunnel seemed to stretch on forever, and the walking soon became arduous on their hooves. However, nopony dared voice a complaint. They all understood the gravity of their situation, and decided to keep their grievances to themselves, for the sake of the group's morale. Twilight began experiencing doubts herself. Judging by the time they had been walking, it felt like they should have passed town by now. She knew better than to voice her uncertainties. The group was looking to her to be a leader, and Twilight knew better than to introduce any uncertainty. 

So they kept going. Every now and again they would pass a tunnel that branched off to the side, but they kept ignoring them. They followed the air current, which seemed to be coming from further down the main tunnel. 

Finally, Rainbow Dash stopped at one such tunnel. "Hey Twilight, come have a look." She called, pointing a hoof down the tunnel. A faint glow pulsed silently from the passage. "Wanna have a look?"

"No Rainbow, we need to keep moving." Twilight ordered. Secretly, she had begun to get severely worried. Awhile ago she had the idea to attempt to capture a pokémon if one appeared and use it to tunnel up to the surface. Unfortunately, she hadn't seen a single pokémon since they started down the path. 

"C'mon Twi!" She begged. "I know this sounds crazy, but I feel like something's down there." 

She raised a lilac eyebrow at that. "What do you mean?" 

"I feel it too." Fluttershy peeped. "It's almost like something's calling out." 

Twilight rolled her eyes. After a few hours down in the caves, their minds were playing tricks on them. Still, as Twilight thought about it, she could feel something tugging at the edge of her consciousness, beckoning her down the tunnel. With a sigh, Twilight conceded. "Fine. Let's have a look." 

The side tunnel was smaller than the main one. Likely the large tunnel had been dug by the likes of something huge, like an Onix, this one was smaller, probably the work of a pokemons the size of a Rhydon or Rhyhorn. It was just wide enough for them to move single-file through the passage. The tunnel made Twilight incredibly nervous. It was descending deeper underground, taking them away from where they wanted to go. Should anything happen, like if the tunnel were to collapse, they would be worse off than before and likely completely trapped. 

The glow seemed to grow gradually brighter as they descended. Finally, they began to see its source: Glowing crystals jutting out of the walls. At first they were the size of pebbles. But as they went further they grew larger and larger, many being longer than the mares were tall. The tunnel also began to widen, but the size of the crystals left them little extra space. 

Finally, the tunnel opened into another huge chasm. The mares emerged into the huge room, and their jaws fell. The landscape before them was one of exquisite beauty. The room was dominated by a large spring with crystal clear waters, at the bottom of which emerged several more of the glowing crystals. The same gemstones dotted the walls, basking the room in a soft blue glow. At the center of the spring, a small tree grew from between the rocks. The sight of such a thing drew their eyes immediately upward. Sure enough, a small crack existed in the roof, allowing sunlight to pour down from above, providing a small window of light to the tree. Immediately, Twilight began trying to figure out how to get themselves toward that sunlight. They were so close, but yet they would have to figure out how to get up nearly a hundred feet in order to reach it. 

"Hey Twi, have a gander at this." Applejack's hoof came out of the water, holding a peculiar stone, no bigger than a large marble. Twilight took it, closely studying the rock. It was perfectly circular, and shone a brilliant multitude of colors. Twilight felt strange holding it. Certainly this stone had been what had drawn them down to the cave. But that was crazy. Right? 

She returned the stone to Applejack, who had found it and rightfully deserved to keep it. But a quick glance showed the spring contained several of the suspicious stones, and Twilight helped herself to one. Holding it felt strange to her, like she was meant to carry it. She shrugged and put it in her bag. Next time she returned to Canterlot, she would have to show it to Cadence.

"My word, these would make spectacular jewelry." Rarity observed. "I can't remember why, but that pattern on the inside is somehow familiar."	

"Hey, you're right Rarity." Rainbow said back. "Hey AJ, didn't Granny Smith say something about a weird pattern a long time ago?"

Applejack shook her head."I can’t right remember. I doubt it was Granny though. Cherilee maybe?"

"We have to figure out what this pattern means." Rarity insisted. "Otherwise I won't be able to rest with a mystery to solve."

As they talked about the pattern, the ground began to shake beneath their hooves. "W-what's going on?" Fluttershy wailed. 

Twilight grit her teeth. "I don't know! It feels like the cave is coming down around us!" Everypony grabbed onto Twilight fearfully, praying that they would be spared by whatever was about to happen. 

Bubbles began to form in the water below their feet. The shaking felt strongest in the floor, and seemed to be creating a disturbance in the water. Twilight could see the water begin to thrust upwards just beneath the fissure in the ceiling, and without thinking, galloped under the patch of sunlight, urging her friends to follow suit. Mere seconds passed before the water beneath them surged upwards, carrying them skyward on a tide of scalding hot water. 

"Owowowowow…" Twilight groaned. Everything hurt. With what little strength she had, she felt at the ground beneath her hoof. Her brain couldn't process much through the sheer pain she felt, but she was barely able to perceive the feeling of dirt. It was warm. She could feel sunlight beating down on her. Weakly, she grinned. Somehow, she had made it out. She groaned as the last of her strength left her body, and she collapsed, smiling in the dirt. 

> Chapter 14- An Unexpected Addition
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Some time later Twilight came to. Her neck was unbearably stiff from the awkward position she had fallen unconscious in, but the knowledge that she had escaped from the caves filled her with relief. Slowly, she sat up, trying to get a read on her surroundings. They had landed a stone's throw away from where the geyser, in the middle of a large patch of sandy dirt. How long exactly they had been laying there, she couldn't tell. The sun had been shining when they had landed, but now darkness was encroaching as dusk settled in. From previous nights in Appleoosa, Twilight knew it would soon get very, very dark. 

"Oh hey, you're awake." Rainbow smiled with a sigh of relief. "That's good. You've been out for awhile. I borrowed your pokémon to help set up camp. Hope you don't mind." Twilight looked up to see what Dash was talking about. Out of the corner of her eye, Ivysaur and Cubone, along with Pidgeotto and Phanpy, were marching in a line, bringing sticks to Rainbow Dash, which she stuck into a small fire. Gardevoir and Buneary looked after the other mares, who were either in a similar state to Twilight, or still out cold. 

"I think we might just want to make camp here for the night." Rainbow suggested, half talking to Twilight and half to herself. "Town's still a good hike away, and we aren't in any condition to walk back. Besides, it's nighttime." They had no idea what kind of pokémon skulked around the wastelands at night, but Twilight had heard enough ghost stories of Cacturne stalking lone travelers in the night to utterly remove her desire to move. 

Weakly, she stood up, trying to make herself useful and pitch a tent. She thanked her lucky stars she had thought to buy a waterproof backpack before she left home. In spite of the geyser eruption, all of her things were still dry. 

Except for one thing. Twilight moaned as she found the broken mess of wires and crushed plastic that had been her pokédex. She had kept it in the side pocket of her saddle bag to be able to quickly grab it if she needed it. Unfortunately, this part was not waterproofed, and judging by the way she had landed, it wouldn't have mattered. It had hit the ground and been crushed by the impact. It didn't take an expert to tell that the thing was beyond repair. 

Twilight groaned. She would have to make a call to Cadence to ask if she could get it replaced once she could get to a phone. Until then, she'd have to rely on her own knowledge. 

She pitched her tent, helping Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy do the same. Rainbow and Twilight, who were in the best physical state, helped the other four into the tents and put them down to sleep. With that done, the two returned outside to sit around the fire. 

"Crazy day, huh Twilight?" Rainbow commented with a sarcastic laugh. Twilight nodded. It certainly had been an adventure.

Rainbow continued talking. "Ya know, something about these stones we found gives me a weird feeling." She commented. "I don’t know what they are, but I think they're something special." 

Twilight dug hers out of her backpack. The stone was small, the perfect size to put into a bracelet or a necklace. The next time they were in Ponyville, Twilight would have to ask Rarity to make a piece of jewelry out of it. She couldn't help but notice its color had changed since she picked it up. While it had started a rainbow of hues, it had changed to more resemble the lilac of her coat, and the purple and pink of her mane. Rainbow's had done the same. It was predominantly light blue, and the rainbow of colors within had grown more pronounced. It was almost as if they had become attuned to the holders…

"Wait a second!" Twilight cried in a panic. She dug frantically through her bag, hoping that her fears were unfounded. Every single item was removed from the bag and thrown in a heap while she inspected every last crevice. "My badge case is missing!" 

Rainbow immediately jumped onto her hooves and began searching around for it. "You had it today, right?"

"Yeah." She nodded. "I remember seeing it in there when we were still fishing over at the sand pit." 

"Do you know when you might have lost it?" Rainbow asked. 

"I don't know. I think I had it before we got launched out of the cave." 

Rainbow nodded wordlessly, her eyes taking a dire glare. "Search around. We aren't too far from where we landed. Maybe they fell out along the way." She called to Pidgeotto, who came to a roost next to her. "Pidgeotto, look for Twilight's badges." She commanded. 

Pidgeotto took wing to the sky while Twilight and Dash searched on the ground. A quick sweep confirmed it wasn't anywhere directly between where they had landed and the mouth of the geyser. 

"Hey Twi, look at this!" Rainbow waved her hooves frantically, bringing Twilight galloping. She pointed to a small imprint in the dirt with an unnatural rectangular shape. It was unmistakably left by an official Pokémon League badge case. A reference of Dash's case proved it beyond question. There were small footprints leading away from the imprint, off into the sea of sand. 

Twilight cursed her broken pokédex. If it had been working, she could have checked the footprint to figure out what kind of pokémon had run off with her badge case. The pokémon had three-toed feet, and seemed to walk on all fours. The front tracks were smaller than the back ones, and they seemed to disappear when the pokémon had left. So it must also be able to walk on two legs. 

She racked her brain, trying to figure out what kind of pokémon had made those footprints. In the entire list of ground-pokémon she had checked earlier, she didn’t see a single one that could have made those tracks. She could also rule out Cacnea, Cacturne, and Maractus, as their feet didn't look the slightest bit reptilian, like these. What other pokémon lived in the desert?

Twilight followed the tracks, hoping to see where they led. She saw a half-dug hole about a hundred feet away with a shiny black piece of plastic sticking out of it. "My case!" She cried happily, galloping to retrieve her precious gym badges. 

Right before she reached the hole, she tripped. Something was in the ground. Something moving. "Heli!" It angrily cried. "Helioptile!"

A Helioptile. Twilight remembered these strange pokémon. An odd combination of normal and electric types, Helioptile and its evolved form Heliolisk were the only electric types to call the desert home. The pokémon raised its large ears in a threatening pose. It wasn't going to let Twilight take the case. She'd have to win it. 

She cringed as she reached for her pokéballs.. Most of her pokémon were still at the campsite. Twilight would have used Cubone, but he was off getting firewood with Ivysaur. That left her with only one option…

"Eevee! Go!" Twilight yelled. Eevee sprung onto the dirt with a happy yip, facing off against the wild pokémon. "Go for a quick attack!" Eevee sprung into action and hit Helioptile head-on. Rainbow tried to edge in to grab the case, but Helioptile snapped at her for trying. Twilight groaned. She would have to defeat it if she wanted to get anywhere. 

Helioptile fired off a thundershock towards Eevee, knocking it back but not causing serious harm. Twilight couldn't help but notice the pokémon looked tired. Helioptile draws energy from the sun. It must not be at full strength because it's so dark. 

"Take down, let's go!" Eevee slammed into Helioptile hard. The pokémon was knocked further back, but wasn't ready to quit. 

"Heli, heli, heliiiiiiiiii!" It cried as an electric field grew around it. "TILE!" An arc of electricity bounced from it to Eevee and back. Eevee was hurt and Helioptile was rejuvenated. Twilight knew about this move- Parabolic charge. Helioptile was one of the few pokémon that could learn that particular attack. 

"Eevee, let's get back those badges we fought so hard for!" Twilight yelled, "Bring it down with bite!" Eevee clamped onto Helioptile hard with its teeth, causing the electric pokémon to screech in pain. While it was distracted, Twilight saw an opening, and jumped on it. 

"Go, pokéball!" She tossed the capsule at the reptilian pokémon, consuming it in the ball's red glow. Twilight didn't even wait for it to hit the ground before she raced over to snap up her badge case from the ground, stuffing it back in its rightful place in her backpack. 

The pokéball wiggled for a few seconds before emitting a series of sparks and its telltale click. She gave a satisfied smile as she picked the pokéball off the ground. Not only had she retrieved her hard-won badges, but now she also had Helioptile as the newest addition to her team. 

Twilight and Rainbow returned to their tents, exhaustion from the day's events. Between their voyage through the caves and forced ejection, and now a fight with Helioptile, Twilight was on the verge of collapse. She figured it was about time to end her break and get back to what had brought her to Appleoosa in the first place: the gym. 

> Chapter 15- Showdown at High Noon
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	When the sun rose in the morning, the weary ponies made the mile and a half trek back to Appleoosa. Their stomachs roared in protest, as they had not eaten since lunchtime the previous day. Twilight tried desperately to steer her thoughts to anything but food, but try as she might, she could not stop herself from daydreaming about pancakes. 

As they crested a hill, the sprawled out town of Appleoosa stretched out before them. Their eyes lit up like stars with relief, ecstatic to have finally made it back. 

Immediately, Rainbow's eyes snapped to the inn. It was still early enough in the day for them to still be serving breakfast, and Rainbow Dash burst out running towards it, hunger putting a mad look in her eyes. The other five immediately followed her, letting the surge of adrenaline carry them to the inn, hoping they wouldn’t crash before they got there. 

The six of them stumbled through the door of the inn all at once, collapsing in the middle of the floor. "Six orders of blueberry pancakes." Twilight asked, panting. "And a round of coffee please."

The innkeeper nodded, shouting their order back to the kitchen. Soon after, they were seated around a table, all devouring their breakfast. Even Rarity had abandoned the pretense of table manners and wolfed down her meal in a ravenous frenzy.

Applejack thumped her stomach. "Whew. That'd just about be the best darn meal I ever ate." She laughed. 

"I don't think I've ever been so hungry." Fluttershy added. "But now I feel so much better." They passed around mugs and each helped themselves to a cup of strong Appleoosa coffee. 

The rest of their morning was spent travelling around town, making it known that they were alive and well. Twilight apologized to Braeburn for his broken rod and for causing him worry, but he was just happy to see they were safe. Their next stop was the sheriff's office, to alert Silverstar of their return. Braeburn had filed a missing ponies report the previous afternoon when he had found the site of their picnic abandoned, and the Sheriff and his posse had spent much of the day combing the badlands for any signs of the missing mares. 

The sheriff's office was a tiny headquarters for law enforcement, only featuring a small office for the sheriff, a jail block consisting of two currently vacant cells, and a small foyer separating the two, with a desk and chairs for the other officers. Silverstar was filling out paperwork at his desk when Twilight knocked on his door. 

"Twilight Sparkle?" He gasped, letting out a relieved laugh. "Well you're a sight for sore eyes missy. What in tarnation happened to y'all?"

"We got dragged into a sinkhole when we were sand fishing." She explained. "We spent a few hours wandering around down there before we got shot out by a geyser."

"Geyser? You're tellin' me you got shot out of Bridleback Geyser?" He laughed. "You six sure are an adventuresome lot, let me tell ya." 

"Speakin' of which, we found somethin' down there maybe y'all might know a thing or two about." Applejack interjected. 

Silverstar raised an eyebrow. "If it's from the ground 'round these parts, darn tootin' I know what it is." Pinkie Pie produced the mysterious stone. Like Twilight and Rainbow Dash's, it had attuned itself to Pinkie's bubblegum colored coat. The stone was a bright pink, with a pale yellow and blue on the catseye pattern within. 

The stallion stroked his moustache as he inspected the marble-like stone. "Well boil my britches." He sighed. "I could tell ya darn near everything about any sort of rock in this here town. But I ain't never seen nothin' like this." 

Disappointment was evident on Twilight's face. "Are you sure Sheriff? We found them in a spring at the bottom of the geyser."

"I'm positive." He affirmed. "Although I will say that crystals ain't my area of expertise. That'd be the Gym Leader of the Crystal Empire's specialty." 

"Well, thanks anyway for your help." Rainbow sighed. "Hey Twi, maybe you could ask your professor friend next time we can get to a video phone." 

Twilight nodded. "Good plan. Thank you again Sheriff." She started toward the door of the sheriff's office when Rainbow Dash and Applejack blocked her way. 

"Forgettin' something, sugarcube?" AJ asked. 

"I think the sheriff and you still have some unfinished business." Rainbow added.

Twilight's eyes lit up with recollection. "That's right! Sheriff Silverstar, I would like to challenge you to a battle!"

Excitement was evident on the older stallion's face. "I accept your challenge. Tell ya what, let me finish some business here and I'll meet you in town in an hour." 

*	*	*

Twilight and company stood anxiously in the middle of the town's main road, under the shadow of its clock tower. The bell began tolling, causing all the townsponies to quickly flee from the streets. Twilight looked at the clock. High noon. 

Silverstar stepped out from within the sheriff's office, hat tilted over his eyes, moving silently save for the jangling of the spurs on his boots. He walked a good distance down the street, turning back towards Twilight, finally making eye contact. "Welcome to the Appleoosa gym." He grinned, spitting into a pot off to his right. "Battle here is a mano y mano affair, ya hear? First pokémon down is the loser." A small crowd of ponies had gathered to watch, either standing on the porches of buildings or staring out through windows. A lone tumbleweed rolled across the makeshift field, as both trainers stared each other down, locked in a dead silence save for the tolling of the clock's bell. 

"Draw!" Silverstar yelled. This was the cue for both trainers to release their pokémon. Twilight had meant to reach for Ivysaur's pokéball, but in a panic had grabbed the wrong one by mistake. She swallowed hard as Eevee's tiny form took shape before her. This would not bode well for her. 

At the same time, Silverstar's pokéball opened, releasing a huge pokémon onto the dirt road. Rhyhorn pawed at the ground, lining up its horn with Eevee. Eevee let out a frightened yip, but nonetheless, out of devotion to her trainer, steeled itself to face the opponent. 

I'm not going to win this one with brute force. Twilight thought to herself. One clean hit from Rhyhorn and Eevee is done for. Eevee did have one thing over Rhyhorn- innate agility. Eevee's small size and quick feet would make it hard for a large, clumsy pokémon like Rhyhorn to land a hit. She thought back to her looking through her pokédex's entries on ground-types yesterday. It mentioned how Rhyhorn could not turn and could barely stop after it began to charge. If Eevee could just keep poking at Rhyhorn, they would eventually be able to win by attrition. 

"Eevee, open up with sand attack!" Twilight commanded. Her first priority was to make sure Rhyhorn wouldn't be able to land a hit. Eevee flung a good heap of sand into its eyes, causing Rhyhorn to cry out in irritation. 

"That's no good! Takedown, let's go!" Silverstar ordered. Rhyhorn flung itself into a headlong charge, causing the ground to tremor beneath its feet. Twilight and Eevee held their ground, both trusting in each other to make the proper move at the right time.

"Now! Dodge!" Twilight shouted. Eevee sprung out of the way effortlessly, causing Rhyhorn to let out a surprised cry. It kept charging, running past Twilight and slamming headfirst into a load of wooden crates. It was dazed from the impact, but still healthy. 

"Let's keep this up Eevee!" Twilight yelled encouragingly, "Tail whip!" Eevee gave her fluffy tail a quiver, trying to make Rhyhorn drop its guard. It came stampeding again, but Eevee effortlessly jumped out of the way, causing it to crash again, this time into the brick front of the jailhouse. 

This kept going for a few minutes. Eevee would keep taunting Rhyhorn, and each time he would miss. With each missed attack, Rhyhorn would crash into something else, and this eventually began to wear Rhyhorn down. His charges had gotten slower over time, and it was clear Silverstar wouldn't be able to keep this going for long. 

"You've done a good job this far, missy." Silverstar conceded with a growl. "But we aren't finished yet. Bulldoze, let's go!" Rhyhorn began another charge, but this time the earth shattered beneath his feet. Where Rhyhorn ran, the ground erupted in a spray of dirt and rock. 

"Eevee, dodge!" Twilight ordered. Eevee jumped out of the way of Rhyhorn, but was caught in its side by a flying shard of earth. Eevee was knocked to the ground, nearly finished by one brutal attack. 

Rhyhorn forcibly stopped its charge, dragging its feet in the ripped earth, turning itself towards its downed opponent. "Let's finish this Rhyhorn. Bulldoze, again!" 

"Eevee, get up! Please!" Twilight pleaded. If Eevee got run over by this, losing the gym battle would be the least of Twilight's worries. 

"Ee…" It faintly whimpered. 

"Please Eevee, get up! Don't let them hit you anymore!" She cried. "Come on, get up! I believe in you!"

Eevee's eyes snapped open, and with a second wind, she hopped to her feet. "Vee! Eevee!" She barked. 

"That's the way!" Twilight cheered. "Now, let's put  our plan into effect! Take down, now!" Eevee began making a headlong charge towards Rhyhorn, despite the rock type being several times larger. 

From the sidelines, her friends were watching in suspense. "What is she doing?" Rainbow shouted aloud. "There's no way Eevee can beat Rhyhorn in a straight out charge!"

Fluttershy leaned over to Rainbow's ear. "Maybe that isn't what she's thinking?" She offered. 

Twilight stared intensely at the two charging pokémon. True, Eevee couldn't beat Rhyhorn in a direct charge. Good thing that isn't what we're thinking. "Eevee, dodge to the left!" Eevee instantly reacted, hopping off to the left as Rhyhorn came stampeding past. 

"What in tarnation?" Silverstar was caught offguard, and had no idea what was coming. 

"Now, use take down again, right into his side!" Eevee resumed her charge, using the momentum already gained from the previous charge. Eevee pulled a perfect T-bone, slamming headfirst into Rhyhorn's flank. All of the previous tail whips had dropped Rhyhorn's defenses to next to nothing, and even an ineffective attack like take down would do massive damage. 

Rhyhorn was knocked off its feet by the hit, and landed several feet away on its side. It weakly waved its legs in the air, but after a few moments, it ceased. Rhyhorn was unconscious. 

"Well done girlie." Silverstar chuckled, tipping his hat to Twilight. "I can tell your outstanding performance in that tournament wasn't no fluke. You're the real deal. As the gym leader of this fine town, it's my honor to present you with this here badge; Appleoosa's own Ranger Badge." He gave Twilight the star-shaped pin, which she placed proudly next to the Sprout Badge and the Gemini Badge. That made three.

Silverstar looked at the rest of the mares. "So, any of you want to give ol' Silverstar a challenge?" 

"No thanks." Rainbow sighed. "One thing I learned from that tournament is I have a long way to go before I'm ready to call myself a pokémon master." 

"Same here." Applejack admitted. "For now, I'll be taggin' along with Twilight. Out of all of us, she's got the best shot at the pokémon league." 

Twilight blushed. "Don't give up on your dreams girls. You're every bit as strong as I am." 

Applejack and Rainbow Dash both laughed. "We ain't givin' up on nothin'," Applejack assured. 	

"We're going to keep getting stronger along with you." Dash added. "And eventually we'll be going back out to get our badges ourselves. Don't worry Twi, we'll be gunning for you once you become the Champion."

"That's a long way off." Twilight laughed. "But it would be my honor to face you as challengers."

Siverstar interrupted their fantasies with a chuckle. "Well 'afore you can go challengin' the Pokémon League, yer gonna need a few more badges. I'd reckon the next place you'll be wantin' to visit is Hive Omega, the city of Changelings." 

"Will do Sheriff." Twilight smiled with a small bow. "Well girls?" Shall we?"

"Um, Twilight? Eevee looks… um…" Fluttershy said, pointing a hoof at Eevee.

Eevee shuddered. Twilight couldn't fathom what was wrong with her. True she had taken a few hits in the battle, but this didn't look like an injury. Sunlight began to swirl around the small brown pokémon as its eyes lit up bright. Twilight and everypony stepped back as a white aura cloaked Eevee's body. Her form slimmed out. Her tail became longer, less bushy, and split in two. Her ears shifted downwards and grew out. And a bright red glow began to emanate from her forehead. The light cleared with a flash, leaving a new, pink pokémon in Eevee's place. She had evolved into Espeon. 

"Espi!" She happily yipped. 

"Congrats Twi!" Rainbow smiled. 

"Looks like that there pokémon puts a lot of trust in you." Silverstar commented. "Eevee can only take this form during the day, and only when the bond of friendship with its trainer is deep enough.  

"Friendship?" They had certainly had a good relationship, but Twilight didn't think it was deep enough to trigger an evolution. Then again, she reminisced about some of their experiences together. She had saved Eevee from the woods, spent plenty of time playing with her, and had won no less than two gym badges now with her help. Twilight smiled. "I guess friendship is magic, after all."


> Chapter 16- You Scratch My Back
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Early the next morning, Twilight and company waved goodbye to Appleoosa. It was settled upon that they would catch a train back to Ponyville, to allow everypony a day to visit home, and for Twilight to make an all-important phone call to Princess Cadence. She needed her pokédex replaced, sooner rather than later. She felt less sure of herself without it. Her entire life had been spent around books before her departure, but the pokedex held nearly a library of information in its hard drive. Without it, Twilight was for the first time in years cut off from information. 

She helped Rarity get her things onto the train. Rarity hadn't come into town with much, but between prize money, her trophy and other gifts she had gotten for her victory, she was leaving quite encumbered, and needed a hoof to get everything into their car. Twilight settled down in the padded seat of the train car, and allowed herself to doze off on the long ride east. She hadn't gotten nearly as much rest as she would have liked since arriving, and intended to make up for that lost sleep while she could. 

Many hours later, Twilight was woken by an eager hoof prodding her in the ribs. "Twi, wake up!" Rainbow exclaimed, "We're almost there!" Twilight sat up with a yawn to see Ponyville on the horizon, stretching out among the sleepy foothills and plains beneath the mountainous city of Canterlot. There was much chatter about what they intended to do once they returned. Applejack made a point to visit home and run her revised travel plan past her brother- finish her journey with Twilight but take time in the future, perhaps next year, to collect her own badges once she had grown stronger. Fluttershy made note to check on how the pokémon of the Everfree forest's edge were faring, and Rarity meant to check up on her younger sister. 

The train screeched to a halt in Ponyville's tiny train station, and from there the mares went their separate ways. Dash offered to help get Rarity's prizes home, freeing up Twilight to visit the pokémon center. 

The center was as she remembered it- clean with a red and cream colored façade, and a cozy interior. She made her way to the corner which housed the video phones, inserted a few bits into the slot, and dialed Cadence's number. 

"Twilight, is that you?" Cadence's voice came through clear, but the video footage was foggy. "How have you been?"

"Things have been great, thank you." She answered with a smile. "Is something wrong with the video? I can't see you." 

After a moment, Cadence's face emerged onto the screen, but the background stayed hazy. "No, the video is fine. It's just we've had a few Koffing get loose in the lab and Celestia and I are having a bit of trouble containing them." A grinning lumpy mass floated across the camera's view, spewing out haze from its pores. Cadence turned away from the camera for a second and brandished a broom at the gas pokémon. "Get back here!" She yelled. 

Twilight allowed herself a chuckle. Cadence, as her foalsitter and assistant teacher, had been a constant presence in Twilight's youth, and seeing somepony she respected so deeply so frustrated made her giggle. She knew it had to be unbearable in that lab right now, as the gas Koffing produce were all kinds of foul. 

"Um, is this a bad time?" She asked, trying to maintain a straight face.

Cadence darted back in front of the screen, a less than pleased Koffing held low to the ground in her hooves. "No, I think I have things under control here. What do you need?" 

Twilight sighed. "Two things. First off, I need a new pokédex. Long story short, we got trapped underground and it was broken when we got carried out on a geyser." 

Cadence nodded understandingly. "Uh huh."

"And I need you to identify a strange stone I found." She continued.  "Actually, I found it on the same trip." 

"Well let's see." Cadence said. Finally, she found the pokéball that belonged to Koffing and returned it inside. She dashed offscreen, presumably to open a window, just as Twilight found the odd stone in her backpack. 

"Here it is." Twilight held the stone up to the camera to give Cadence a good look. Its colors still were of a scheme similar to that of her coat and mane, but seemed to shine even brighter. Cadence stared at it for a moment, eyes wide as she tried to process what was before her.

"T-that stone…" She stuttered. "That's a keystone!" 

"A keystone to what?" Twilight asked, confused. 

"That stone is a key to the power of Mega Evolution." She explained.  "Mega Evolution is a strange phenomenon that occurs in battle when both trainer and pokémon are holding corresponding stones. Think of Mega Evolution as a temporary evolution that some pokémon can assume during battle. Mega pokémon are wildly strong, but few trainers are ever able to tap into such power. Either they simply lack the bond with their pokémon to tap into their power, or they simply don't have the stones. Where in Equestria did you find these?"

"At the bottom of Horseshoe Geyser in Appleoosa, there's a spring at the bottom that's connected to a large cave system." Twilight explained. "There are dozens of them down there. Me and all five of my friends got one.  

Cadence nodded. "Right. I'll make sure Sheriff Silverstar is alerted right away. That cave must be protected"

The mention of the sheriff immediately caused Twilight to worry. "Why? Why do you need to watch the cave?"

Cadence sighed deeply. "Word has been spreading that Team Umbra is trying to harness the power of Mega Evolution for whatever evil ends they have in mind. It's of utmost importance that we try to keep as many keystones out of their hooves as possible."

"I understand. Would you want us to give you our stones?" 

"No." Cadence said, her lighthearted smile returning to her face. "Actually, if there's anywhere I feel those stones would be well-protected, it's with you. Speaking of which, can you tell me what pokémon you have right now?" 

Twilight proudly held up her four pokeballs to show to Cadence. "Right now I've got four. Bulbasaur has evolved into Ivysaur, and I also have an Espeon, a Cubone, and I just caught a Helioptile."

"Impressive!" Cadence beamed. "Eventually, one of those pokémon you have will be able to Mega Evolve. So keep your eyes out for mega stones and maybe you'll be able to use it one day."

"So, about my pokédex..?" Twilight asked with an awkward laugh.

"Oh, right!" Cadence dug through some drawers just beneath the camera's view and came back with a shiny red new pokédex. "I can give this to you, but do you think you'd do a favor for me first?" 

"Sure Cadence, anything." Twilight owed her for replacing her pokedex anyway, but would have happily helped regardless. 

"I'm sorry to ask you to run such a big errand, but I've been very busy, as you can see." She scowled as another Koffing floated across the screen, grinning its annoying grin. "I had an incredibly special pokéball custom-ordered from a lab in Manehattan for a project, but because of concerns about Team Umbra trying to steal it, we decided it was best to hoof deliver it instead of relying on the mail. Do you think you could go for me and pick it up?"

"Sure thing Cadence! I'll get on the next train to Manehattan." 

"You're more than welcome to take your friends." Cadence added. "Heck, I'll have tickets ready for you at the train station." 

Twilight tried to politely refuse. "That's okay, we can pay our own way. Besides, I'm sure the girls would love to see the city for an afternoon anyway."

Cadence was having none of it. "No, I insist. At this point money is no object for this thing." She leaned in closer to the camera and whispered, "Legally I'm not allowed to say how much I had to spend on this pokéball."

"What kind of pokéball even is it?" 

"It's a Master ball," Cadence explained, "The ultimate pokéball. It can catch anything without fail. They're extremely difficult to produce and extremely costly. Can you understand why it's vital we don't let this ball fall into Team Umbra's hooves?"

Twilight nodded. One didn't have to think hard to imagine the destruction that one could unleash if they managed to get their hands on a legendary pokémon like Groudon, Giratina, or Hoopa. 

"So are you up to it?" Cadence asked. 

"Yep! I'm on the case!" Twilight eagerly answered.

"You're a lifesaver Twi. I'll have your pokedex all ready once you get back to Canterlot, okay?" 

"Thanks Cadence." Twilight hung up the phone and went about gathering her friends. Cadence sent the tickets via the phone's attached printer, and she only had a few hours before their train departed. She was now officially on Royal Canterlot business. She needed to be on time. 

Twilight quickly notified everypony of the change of plans, asking them to rendezvous at the train station. While most of them were not thrilled to have their visits home cut short, they were still on board to help Twilight on her errand. 

The six met up at the train station at four o'clock. Cadence had sent Twilight more instructions via a messenger Staravia, which had arrangements for lodgings and such written for them. 

Dear Twilight, 

Thank you once again for agreeing to undertake this task for me. I cannot begin to explain how important it is for this pokéball to make it back to Canterlot without incident. Accordingly, I've arranged plans for your lodgings and dining for the night- think of it as Auntie Celestia and my way of saying thank you. 

I've gone ahead and made reservations for a suite at the Grand Mareiott Plaza hotel. It should have enough space for all six of you to sleep comfortably, and they have a spa and nightly performances. 

On the topic of the job, it is of dire importance you tell absolutely nopony about your task. We cannot risk a Team Umbra agent knowing about the Master ball. I've made arrangements for a clandestine delivery. All you have to do is be outside the Silph Co. building at four P.M. tomorrow and they will slip you a box containing the ball. Once you have it, check out of the hotel and come straight to Canterlot. 

I cannot stress how paranoid I am about this delivery. I have a sinking feeling that Team Umbra will try to steal the master ball. I am trusting you to make sure that doesn't happen. 

Good luck Twilight. Remember, make sure nopony knows about the Master ball. If it fell into the wrong hooves the results could be catastrophic. 

Sincerely, Princess and Professor Mi Amore "Cadence" Cadenza.

Twilight folded the letter and put it away in her bag. "Well girls, that's it. Are you all ready?" 

A collective "Yep!" Came in response, and the six waited for a few minutes for the train to pull in. They filed into the car and took their seats. On the rooftop of the train station, three figures wearing black uniforms and hoods put down their binoculars and turned inward to each other. 

"Well girls," Said one, as she pulled back her hood, allowing a huge orange puff of mane to spill out. "Looks like the boss was right."

"Do we follow them?" Asked the second, who boasted two long purple ponytails. 

"We do." Confirmed the leader. "That Master ball is the rightful property of Team Umbra."

"No it isn't." Argued the third, whose mane was held in a singluar blue ponytail. "That's why we're stealing it." 

The second mare sighed, "You're an idiot Sonata." 

"Shut up, both of you." The leader snapped. "We need to get moving." 

"Should we let Captain Sunset know?" Asked the second one again.

The leader shook her head. "No Aria. This job calls for a kind of subtlety that she isn't capable of. She seems to have it in her sunburnt head that she can solve any problem by waving around that Moltres of hers." She turned her focus to the departing train. "I'll have that master ball, or my name isn't Adagio Dazzle. "
> Chapter 17- The Big City
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Their train pulled into Manehattan Central Station a couple hours later. "Okay girls. Cadence said our reservation is at the Grand Mareiott hotel. Does anypony know where that is?" Twilight had never been to Manehattan before, and had forgotten to get a map. 

"My business has taken me to the city on a few occasions before." Rarity answered. "I am at least a bit familiar with the area. It's rather close to Bridleway." 

Twilight re-read her instructions. "Cadence said our job is at the building of Silph Co. Do you know where that is?"

Rarity shrugged. "Unfortunately, no. The life of a fashionista doesn't bring a mare to a science company too frequently."

Twilight grimaced. "Then we'll have to get directions." Cadence had specifically told them not to speak of their job to anypony, but surely only asking for directions couldn't hurt. She'd just ask the concierge at the hotel. 

Rarity led the group down the bustling streets of Manehattan, pointing out theaters, fashion retailers, upscale pokémon boutiques, and more. "I'll have to make a day sometime for Gardevoir and I." She mused. 

The hotel was located just a couple blocks from the upscale theaters that made up Bridleway. The interior was enough to put them all, even Rarity, into awe. The lobby defined grandeur, with large chandeliers, lavish carpets, and even a fountain with twin statues of Latias and Latios in it. "Welcome to the Grand Mareiott Hotel." The handsomely dressed stallion at the desk smiled. "Do you have a reservation?" 

"Yes, I believe it's for 'Sparkle'." Twilight answered. 

The stallion looked over his guest book, scanning the pages for the name. He was preparing to inform Twilight that the name was not in the book when his absentmindedly scanned the bottom of the ledger- the suite usually reserved for royalty. "Y-you're here on royal business?" He stammered. 

"That's right." Twilight smiled. "We're here to-" She stopped herself after Rainbow nudged her in the ribs. "We're here to pick up a pokémon for Princess Cadence from the shelter."

The stallion gave her a key. "My apologies milady. I hadn't taken you for envoys from the Princess." 

"We aren't, well not exactly." Twilight explained with a good-natured laugh. "Just doing a favor for an old friend." 

Their room was located all the way on the hotel's twentieth floor, with a commanding view of the city. Twilight could see for miles, off to city park from one window, and could see the bustling streets of Bridleway from the other. She placed her backpack down on one of the beds and looked to the clock on the wall. It read 3:30. She winced. That left her just thirty minutes to get to Silph Co. and retrieve the Master Ball. "Girls, we need to go, now!" She said in a panic. Everypony quickly made themselves ready, and after locking the door, they darted into the elevator to get back to the ground floor. 

Twilight winced again. She still had no idea where the building was located. While Cadence had warned her not to mention it to anypony, she knew she would need to ask for directions in order to find her way there. Silph Co. sells things, right? Surely they'd think I was just shopping. No harm in asking, right? She approached the desk uneasily, and rang the bell for an attendant. 

The pony that came out was different than the stallion who checked them in. "Hello, may I help you?" Asked the orange mare with a cordial grin. 
"Yes, can you please tell us where to find the Silph Co. building?" Twilight asked, trying trying desperately hard not to sound nervous. 

With an exaggerated nod, she pulled a map out from a drawer in the desk. "Of course. You'll make a left out of the hotel, and continue until you find Coltfield Avenue. Make a right onto Trottingham and you'll be there." 

"Thank you so much!" Twilight took the map and galloped out the door, with her friends in tow. Manehattan traffic was notoriously bad around this hour, and she did not want to risk missing the drop. 

The mare at the desk smiled wickedly as the six left. She causally sauntered into the back, where the real attendant was tied up and gagged in a corner. She pulled off the hat of her hotel uniform, allowing a huge orange mane to puff out. "Thank you for your help." She taunted, walking out back and removing the rest of the red uniform to unveil the Team Umbra black beneath it. 

There was a radio transceiver tucked into her uniform. "Aria." She spoke into it, "The targets are en route to your position. Are you and Sonata in position?"

"Affirmative." Came the response. There was dead silence for a minute until Adagio heard a loud thump followed by the sound of Sonata's whining. "I said no pretzels until we have the goods." 

"Aww…" She moaned. 

"Listen to me, you idiots." Adagio growled, "If you mess this up, the boss will make sure this is the last mission we ever live to see. As Admins of Team Umbra, we're the best qualified to do this job. Now, remember-"

"-Take the goods to the hideout, we know." Aria finished. "We've been over the plan. Just leave it to me."

"Don't fail me." Adagio rasped before finally silencing the radio. She darted off into the shadows, eager to make her way back to their hidden base in the city. Hopefully she would be have good news to deliver to the boss. 

*	*	*
Let's hope that bellhop's directions were right. Twilight thought as she raced through the streets of Manehattan. She and her friends were cutting it close on time, and each delay caused by crossing signals made her anxiety build up even more. 

Finally, the imposing tower of Silph Co. came into view in the distance. They would make it, if with minutes to spare. Twilight quickened her pace in an effort to make sure she would be in front of the building with a couple minutes to spare. 

She came to a halt on the sidewalk in front of the building just as the clock on the corner struck 3:58. She allowed herself an exhausted sigh and composed herself to await the delivery. The package would be passed on quickly, and stowed into Twilight's bag. The Master Ball wouldn't leave Twilight's side until they were safely in Canterlot the following morning, where it would be swapped for a bright shiny new pokédex. After she had the ball, she would be free to do whatever until the following day, which would probably mean dinner and a museum before going to bed. 

At precisely four, an inconspicuous pony came walking out of the building, clutching a box. He looked Twilight's way, and with a subtle nod came walking her way. They avoided direct eye contact, but as he passed her he bumped into her, stealthily transferring the box into her hooves as he continued down the path. Oh, he's good. Twilight smiled. 

Her friends had spread out around the street to avoid drawing attention. She could see Rarity and Fluttershy looking in storefronts, and Pinkie, Applejack and Rainbow all in line at a pretzel cart. Twilight shrugged and went to join them, preparing to store the box away in her bag. 

"Staaaaaaaaaaaaar," Screamed a huge bird pokémon as it swooped down and snatched her box. Twilight turned in terror to see a massive Staraptor clutching the box containing the Master Ball in its talons. It carried the box across the avenue, towards two mares, one with a pastel blue coat and the other a light violet. The bluish mare, who had one long ponytail, stuck her tongue out at the six before being yanked off by the other, dropping her pretzel as she was pulled. 

"Girls, we have to follow them!" Twilight cried. They took off after the mares, who had recalled their avian pokémon and took off down the street. 

Rainbow Dash wasn't going to let them get away. "Follow 'em Pidgeotto!" She shouted. Pidgeotto took to the sky in pursuit of the thieves. Twilight and company followed on the ground, trying to keep up with their quarry and Pidgeotto. They quickly lost sight of the two thieves, but they kept their eyes trained on Pidgeotto, hoping Dash's partner would not lead them astray. 

Pidgeotto eventually stopped flying, descending to meet the group in an alley behind a large casino. "This where they went Pidgeotto?" Rainbow asked, panting. 

Pidgeotto nodded, gesturing a wing towards a loose grate on the edge of the building. 

Rainbow smiled. "Good work girl." She rustled her feathers with a gentle hoof, and she and Twilight stepped forward to inspect the metal grille on the wall. With a gentle push it opened, allowing them to peer inside. The interior was pitch dark, but Twilight trusted in Pidgeotto's sharp eyes. With an apprehensive sigh, she lowered herself into the darkness. She needed to retrieve the Master Ball at any cost. 

Rainbow and Applejack followed suit, and the others followed behind. They drop put them six or so feet beneath the grate, into what appeared to be the casino's crawlspace. "You think those guys were with Team Umbra Twi?" Rainbow Dash asked, trying to keep her voice down to a whisper. 

"I know it." Twilight answered back. She had no idea how they had caught wind of the Master Ball, but that didn't matter anymore. She had to get that Master Ball back, otherwise Team Umbra could cause unfathomable disaster with whatever legendary pokémon they chose to use it on. 

The crawlspace seemed to go on forever, only exacerbated by the darkness that shrouded the area. This time, Applejack dared not use Flaafy for light, for fear of being spotted and captured. They groped their way around in the dark, until finally Pinkie's hoof found a door. 

They pushed it open with great caution, trying to keep the old hinges from squeaking. They found themselves in the basement of the casino. Amid several unused poker and roulette tables, crates of chips and palettes of new decks of cards, were Team Umbra banners. They had officially entered the nefarious organization's hideout. 

A voice from off to the left sent all of them scurrying for a hiding spot, beneath one of the unused tables, the top of which was covered in empty cans and the remains of tacos. The two thieves came in, joined by another, who Twilight recognized as the bellhop who had given them directions in the hotel. Each of them wore a sleek black Team Umbra uniform, but the blue scarves affixed around their necks denoted them as Admins. 

"Good work girls." The phony bellhop smiled. "The boss will be delighted once he has this in his hooves." 

The violet one, who had commanded the Staraptor who had stolen the box, replied with a bitter edge in her voice. "Yeah, just don't forget to mention who stole it." 

"We can all tell him." The first one groaned. "Look, let's just wait with the ball while we wait for our ride, okay?" The other two murmured their agreement, and they all walked off to protect their ill-gotten gains. 

Twilight pulled her friends in for a huddle. "Okay girls, we need to get that ball back." She said with an edge of urgency in her voice. "Normally I would suggest we battle them, but if we lose we could be in a world of trouble." 

"What if we use that battle as a distraction?" Rarity offered. "If we were to get them preoccupied with a battle, somepony else could use the distraction to get the ball back."

"Rarity, you're brilliant!" Twilight said with a smile. "So who's going to fight them?"

Rainbow Dash proudly raised a hoof. "I volunteer!" She declared. 

"Me too." Applejack added firmly. 

Twilight smiled. "Couldn't ask for better trainers at my side. Fluttershy, think you could grab the ball?"

Fluttershy's pupils shrunk to the size on pinpricks. "M-m-me?" She stammered. "I-I couldn't…"

"C'mon Fluttershy, think how many pokémon they could hurt with that there Master Ball!" Applejack reminded. 

"Besides, nopony is as quiet as you. I bet they wouldn't even notice you until we were gone!" Pinkie gleefully added. 

"Oh alright…" She finally conceded. "For the poor innocent pokémon. I wouldn't want Team Umbra to use Groudon to dry up the oceans and leave all the poor water pokémon without a home…" 

Twilight, Rainbow and Applejack each prepared their pokémon. Fluttershy stuck to the shadows behind them while Rarity and Pinkie made sure their escape route remained clear. For their plan to work they would need to distract all three of them with a battle at the same time. Twilight was nervous. She had never experienced a triple battle before. She steeled herself and reminded herself winning wasn't the goal. We just have to keep them distracted long enough for Fluttershy to grab the Master Ball. So long as they could get all of the Umbra Admins to fight, they would be able to pull off their plan. 

Twilight walked into the room, trying to muster up her courage, where all three stood surrounding a broken card table with the master ball sitting on it. A bank of computers stood in the corner, casting a light glow, but most of the light came from the large strip lights along the ceiling. Twilight steeled herself. She tried to channel her anger at Team Umbra, and her burning desire to accomplish the job Cadence gave her turned into a rock hard exterior. "You have something of mine." She said with a snarl. "Give it back."

"Or what?" The violet mare jeered. "Is somepony gonna go crying to the professor?"

Twilight held out her pokéball towards the three admins. "I am a pokémon trainer, and I challenge you to a battle." 

"Fine." The leader sighed. "Sonata, take care of this." 

The blue mare was getting up when Twilight spoke again."No. We challenge you to a triple battle."

"Fine." The leader said disinterestedly. "But if we win, those pokémon of yours are ours." Her snake-like eyes scanned the room. "Say, weren't there more of you twerps?" 

Twilight swallowed. "None of them are trainers." She bluffed. "It wasn't safe for them to come here." 

"Won't be much safer for you." The violet mare growled.

"Oh hush Aria." The leader cooed. "Fine then. I, Commander Adagio Dazzle of Team Umbra, accept your challenge. Aria, Sonata, let's put the hurt on these poor fillies."

"With pleasure!" The two cheered.

Both sides squared off on opposite sides of the room. The space was rather confined, and a battle here would be a hectic affair. Each of the commanders held their own pokéball. All at once, they released their pokémon. 

"Come forth, Flareon!" Adagio yelled. 

"Let's mess 'em up Jolteon!" Aria growled.

"Vaporeon, let's go!" Sonata smiled. The three evolutions of Eevee stood in a line, glaring at their opponents.  Twilight was tempted to play their game and meet them with Espeon, but she opted to stick with her plan. 

"C'mon, Ivysaur!" She yelled. 

Rainbow Dash tossed her pokéball. "Slowpoke, I choose you!" 

"Let's get 'em Phanpy!" Applejack yelled. Six pokémon now lined the room. Fluttershy would have to find an opening to sneak through, not only avoiding Adagio and her partners' sight, but also the attacks of six different pokémon. 

*	*	*

Fluttershy had hidden herself in a cardboard box, which she could use to inch her way toward the unguarded Master Ball without being spotted. She could even use the slit in the side as a small viewport to watch where she was going. However, avoiding all six of the combatants and the eyes of the three Umbra Admins would not be easy, especially considering that both her sides were blind spots. Fluttershy had managed to scoot her way to the corner of the room when the fighting started. Then things became difficult. 

Although she couldn't see the entire battle from within her box, Fluttershy was at least able to guess what was going on by listening to the voices of her friends and their foes. Although getting hit by any of the pokémon could be disastrous, Flareon was the most dangerous. A single hit from an errant fire attack would leave her without cover, and even assuming she didn't get burnt, her cover would most likely be blown and their only chance to retrieve the Master Ball would be lost. For the pokémon. She thought. Letting Team Umbra get their hooves on a legendary pokémon put the lives of every single poor wild pokémon in Equestria in danger. The thought of a baby Pancham drowning in a flood or sucked into another world was all the motivation she needed to keep herself sliding along. 

"Flareon, use fire spin." Adagio ordered. Fluttershy let out a nervous yip. Sound suggested Flareon was right near her, and a hit from that move would light the box on fire with her in it.  

The sound of Applejack's voice came as a relief. "Not today! Hit 'em with Rollout!" Fluttershy heard a smack, followed by a pained yelp. 

"Hey, no fair! Use bubblebeam!" Sonata said off to the right. 

"Razor leaf!" Twilight shouted. Ivysaur began throwing its bladed leaves, some of which struck Fluttershy's box. 

Careful Twilight… A few cuts had formed in the box, but no pieces had been entirely cut off. Fluttershy crept forward, her goal coming ever closer to her. 

"Thunderbolt, come on!" Aria roared. The bright flash of light gave Fluttershy just enough light to see the purple glint of the Master Ball out from the small hole she used as a  window. Checking once more to make sure her opponents were still preoccupied with the battle, Fluttershy reached out from under the box. Her eyes made contact with Twilight's who slowly reached for her pokéballs while Fluttershy reached for the Master Ball. Just… a little… further…

Her hoof made contact with the smooth lid of the Master Ball. "Got it!" She yelled with delight. All at once, Team Umbra stopped battling and their eyes shot to her. 

"Where the heck did you come from?" Aria demanded.

"Shut up and get the ball!" Adagio roared. "Don't let them get away!" 

Fluttershy dashed to Twilight, who had recalled Ivysaur but was ready with another pokémon. "Helioptile, use flash!" Helioptile sprung out and emitted a blinding burst of light. While Team Umbra was blinded by the light, Twilight put Helioptile away, took the Master Ball, and the six mares made a beeline for the exit. By the time the three Admins had regained their bearings, their foes and the Master Ball were long gone. 

"Just great!" Aria shouted. "What are we supposed to tell the boss now? I was all ready to get that promotion." 

"And you'll still get it." Adagio reassured. "We may not have the Master Ball for him, but we do have something almost as good."

"What do you mean?" Sonata asked, confused. "They got away, and there's no pokéball that could replace it. Unless of course you're saying we just paint a regular pokéball like a Master Ball and pretend it’s the real one and hope he doesn't notice-"

Adagio cut her off. "What I mean is I made sure even if we lost it, we'd still have something to show for it." She led her two companions to the table it had been sitting on. "I suppose we should consider ourselves lucky they didn't notice the scanner I put under the table. Even if we don't have the real thing, I was able to at least create a copy of the plans to build another one." Adagio produced a small computer from beneath the table to show off her work. Sure enough, the program had finished and the complete readout of the Master Ball's plans were available. 

"Clever." Aria smiled. "Now how do we make our own? We'll never get our hooves on the stuff to make them."

Adagio's eyes scanned the printout. "Let me see… The analysis shows two things we need to make the Master Ball. Those would be… purple apricorns from Griffonstone and some specialized hardware parts." She looked over the schematics, which included a three dimensional rendering of their prize. "Which can only be obtained from the Chrysalis Lab in Hive Omega."

"What do we do Dagi?" Sonata asked. 

"Radio the boss." She said grimly. "There's more work to be done."
> Chapter 18- Success
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Twilight ran faster than she ever could, recklessly tearing down busy streets, keeping her eyes to the sky, scanning for any sign of Aria's Staraptor. Twilight was not going to take any more chances with this delivery. She had already lost it one time too many. 

"You an' Rainbow Dash go catch yer train." Applejack ordered. "We'll get our stuff from the hotel an' meet you back in Ponyville." 

Twilight couldn't afford the breath to give her an okay. She simply nodded and took off down the street, following the signs for the train station. Rainbow Dash sent Pidgeotto into the air to screen the streets for any signs of Team Umbra. 

Twilight reached the train station, gasping desperately for air. "I need-" She wheezed, "To get in better shape…" They produced the train passes Cadence had ordered for them and they made their way into their car, Twilight clutching tightly onto her bag. She had already fought once to retrieve that ball, she wasn't going to lose it again. 

After a paranoid few hours, their train pulled into Canterlot station. Twilight eased up, finally being in familiar territory. She took in a breath of the mountain city's cool air and breathed a sigh of relief. Home. 

More than anything Twilight wanted to show Rainbow Dash around the city. But before that she needed to get to the palace. Although Cadence wasn't expecting them until tomorrow, she would surely be worried that Twilight hadn't called after she had retrieved the Master Ball. She must be worried sick… She thought guiltily. 

The guards at the gate stood aside to allow Twilight and Rainbow entry. They had surely been notified of Twilight's arrival, and wouldn't dare impede her. Twilight had seen first-hoof the tongue-lashing Cadence could give to a guardspony who held up her business. Twilight shuddered to think what Cadence would have done to those Team Umbra thugs who dared steal her precious Master Ball. 

Cadence stood waiting in the courtyard, ironically in the same place where she had given Twilight her first pokémon many weeks ago. She was seated under a large shade tree, tossing treats to her Wigglytuff. Twilight smiled. When she was younger, Cadence went everywhere with her Jigglypuff. That pokémon was just as much a part of her foalsitting experience as was Cadence. Wigglytuff apparently recognized her too, as it spotted them before Cadence did and waved. 

"Twilight!" Cadence smiled, "Good to see you! Did something happen? You're back so early."

"We ran into… trouble." Twilight sighed, eyes glued to the floor. A part of her was still quite ashamed she had managed to almost botch the job Cadence had given her. 

The pink Alicorn's eyes turned deathly serious. "Team Umbra?" Twilight answered with a nod. "Oh no…"

"But we have it!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed, "We tracked down Team Umbra and stole it back!" Twilight held out the Master Ball as proof. 

Excitedly, Cadence snatched up the ball, eager to examine it. "This really is it! Finally, we have it!" She looked over it again. "Funny, I imagined it'd be bigger…" 

"Hey Cadence, you never told us what you wanted that Master Ball for." Twilight murmured. Cadence had never actually mentioned why she needed it, and the curiosity was beginning to eat Twilight alive. 

"Perhaps I should have been more forthcoming to you." Cadence admitted, rubbing her neck awkwardly. "I need the Master Ball to capture a legendary Pokémon." 

"What?" Twilight and Rainbow gasped in unison. The worry Twilight had pushed aside as mere paranoia had proven true- Cadence truly wanted it for the same reason as Team Umbra. 

"Now hold on, let me explain myself." She said, getting a defensive glare. "I ordered that ball months ago to capture a legendary pokémon, because it's the only thing who can possibly stop Team Umbra's plans." 

"What do you mean?" Twilight still wasn't sure what to make of all of this. 

Cadence offered them each a seat on the stairs. "I suppose I owe you a story. Several month ago, just before you left on your journey, Auntie Celestia and I had decided to plant a mole inside Team Umbra in order to find out exactly what they were up to. He discovered that their plan is to capture and use the horrific powers of Yveltal against all of Equestria." 

"Yveltal?" Rainbow Dash parroted, "What kind of pokémon is that?"

"Yveltal is death incarnate." Cadence cryptically described. "It commands horrific dark power, and in order to power itself, it absorbs the life force of all living things. Yveltal awakens every thousand years, but its power is so great it can bring ruin onto Equestria whenever it emerges."

"But I don’t understand!" Twilight interrupted. "If a pokémon that awful exists, why hasn’t anypony ever heard of it?"

"Yveltal has been mostly forgotten except by ancient legends." Cadence explained. "There is only one pokémon capable of undoing the destruction Yveltal brings, and that is the Life Pokémon, Xerneas."

"Xerneas?" 

"Xerneas is a magnificent pokémon who, like Yveltal, only awakens once a millennium. Unlike Yveltal, once it goes back to sleep, it imbues the world with life energy, essentially replacing what Yveltal takes."

Twilight still wasn't understanding. "Well then why did you need the Master Ball? Especially if there's a risk of Team Umbra using it to capture so horrific a pokémon?"

"If Team Umbra tries to capture Yveltal, the only thing that would be able to stand up to them would be a trainer who has captured Xerneas. I planned to seek out Xerneas and capture it so that if Team Umbra were to get their hooves on Yveltal, somepony would be able to stop them."

"Okay, I understand." Twilight sighed. "I just wish there was another way."

"So do I Twilight, but as long as Team Umbra is a threat, we need to be ready." 

"Hey Cadey, how's my special somepony been doing?" Rang a familiar voice from outside the garden.

"Shining Armor?" Twilight excitedly gasped. "What are you doing here?"

Cadence smiled knowingly. "Well, for one thing, he's my coltfriend, and I invited him here. And, Shining Armor would happen to be our mole in Team Umbra." 

Twilight's jaw dropped. "What? Shiny?"

Shining Armor chuckled. "Hey, that's 'former mole' to you. I got out of there as soon as I found out about Yveltal."

"Your sister knows all about Team Umbra, she had to fight her way through some of their officers to get this Master Ball back here."

"You what?" Shining Armor exclaimed, "Who?" 

"Aria, Sonata, and Adagio." Twilight answered. "It wasn't a real battle, not really. We were just trying to distract them while out friend swiped the Master Ball."

"I'm just glad you're safe." Shining sighed, wrapping his sister in a hug. "Those guys are no joke Twi. They won't hesitate to hurt you. "

"I know big brother. But I'm hardly defenseless." 

"Speaking of which, I've got a present for you sis. I wanted to wait awhile before I gave it to you, but I think you're ready by now." Shining dug through his bag and presented her a shiny red pokéball. "Go ahead, open it." 

Twilight hesitantly pushed the button on this lid. A small bluish shape sprung out of the ball. "Gible!" It growled. Twilight gasped. 

"Gible can be difficult to train but if you can manage him he's one of the strongest and most loyal pokémon you're likely to find." Shining beamed. "Of course, I think anypony who could stand up to Aria, Sonata and Adagio all at the same time is good enough a trainer to handle this little guy."

"Thank you so much!" Twilight smiled, hugging her brother.

"You're welcome Twily." 

"Ahem." Cadence coughed. "I assume you're still looking for your next gym?" 

"Yes!" Twilight answered without hesitation. "Silverstar said it was at Hive Omega. Where is that?" 

"It's the city of the Changelings." Cadence explained. "If you go due west from Ponyville you should get there in about two weeks along Route 14. There's no trains unfortunately, so you'll need to take the hike."

"Can you tell us anything about the Gym leader there?" 

Cadence nodded. "Chrysalis is an expert on bug-type pokémon. She is a pokémon researcher like myself, but in the past she's gotten involved in some, well… shall we say shady experiments." 

Twilight cocked her head. "What do you mean by shady?" 

"All sorts of questionable research. Cloning, genetic modification. Her laboratory has given rise to at least six new species of Pokémon and it's entirely possible she's created more since then."

"Oh." Twilight was unsure what to think. On one hoof, the idea of creating new kinds of pokémon was exciting, but also extremely frightening. 

"It will be an enlightening experience to say the least." Cadence awkwardly laughed. "I'll send her a message and ask if she'd show you around her lab. We may not always see eye to eye but that doesn't change the fact that she's a brilliant scientist." 

"Okay, thank you Cadence!" Twilight waved. Although she was happy to see Cadence and her brother once more, she was still eager to get back out onto the road. After all, there were still five gym leaders to defeat, and Twilight didn’t want to wait. 

"Forgetting something?" Cadence laughed. She held up a brand new red pokédex, Twilight's promised payment for her work.

"Thank you Cadence!" She smiled. She flipped open the cover and began looking through the detailed lists of pokémon. She had missed having such a powerful tool at her hooves. 

She looked at it again, noticing the inside of the cover. A small inscription had been etched into the red plastic. 

Go forth and become a pokémon master. If anypony can do it, it's you. 

Twilight smiled. The penmanship was certainly Cadence's. She looked again, there was another message, this one in her brother's heavier print. 

Try not to break this one. These things are expensive. 
	

> Chapter 19- A Clash of Dragons
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	The next morning, Twilight and company met up in Ponyville, ready to set forth once again, this time leaving by Route 14 to reach Hive Omega. With a last goodbye to friends and family, they were ready to set out on their journey. 

Route 14 extended from Ponyville's southwest and ran across the seemingly endless hills of the southwestern quadrant of Equestria. The region was famous for its vast diversity of pokémon, and was the home of the famous Safari Zone, a paradise of biodiversity where many rare species of pokémon could be found. At the distant end of the road was the city of Hive Omega, the mysterious home of the Changelings. True to her word, Cadence had gotten Twilight and her friends permission to tour the Chrysalis Laboratory. 

But before any of that, there was the vastness of Route 14 before them. It would be five days at least before they reached the Safari Zone and even longer to reach Hive Omega. Twilight sighed. It was going to be a long hike. 

"So Twi, tell us s'more bout that pokémon yer brother gave ya." Applejack insisted with a gentle nudge. 

"I don't know much about it honestly." Twilight answered. "All I know is Gible is a dragon type pokémon and when it evolves it gets crazy strong." 

"Did somepony say dragon pokémon?" The familiar voice made Twilight groan. Trixie. "Trixie is impressed Twilight. Never before would I have guessed you'd be able to capture a dragon type." 

"It was a gift from my brother!" Twilight retorted without thinking. 

Trixie laughed. "I should have guessed. Well as it happens, Trixie has her own dragon-type. So what do you think Twilight? You want to put your pokémon to the test?"

Twilight growled. "Fine Trixie. I have full faith my pokémon can deal with yours."

"Then let the battle begin!" Trixie declared gleefully. "Deino, Trixie has need of you!" A small mass of black fur and blue scales landed on the grassy earth. Deino let out a fearsome growl and bared its jagged teeth. 

"Come on out, Gible!" Twilight shouted as she threw her own pokéball. Gible took shape, growling back at its opponent, snapping its mighty jaw. Twilight wasted no time giving her first order. "Alright Gible, open up with Dragon Rage!" 

Gible inhaled deeply, gathering a mass of bluish fire in its mouth-

Which it promptly breathed at Twilight. 

Twilight fell over, her face darkened by the Dragon Rage. "Gible… return." She weakly moaned as she attempted to recall Gible. However, when she tried to throw its pokéball back, Gible swatted it away. 

"Deino, keep that thing distracted. Use taunt." With Deino monopolizing Gible's attention, Trixie scooped up Gible's pokéball, and while it wasn't paying attention, managed to nail Gible in the back of its head, putting it back in its ball. Trixie galloped to Twilight's side. "Twilight, are you alright?" She asked. There was no sarcasm in that voice, but rather genuine concern. 

Quickly she was surrounded by all of her friends, each of whom desperately tried to rouse Twilight. "Twi, c'mon, say something!" Rainbow Dash cried. 

Twilight sputtered, and with a weak cough, fell unconscious. The last thing she heard before passing out were the voices of her friends, and that of Trixie standing out among them. 

*	*	*

Several hours later, Twilight came to, in a bed in Fluttershy's cottage back in Ponyville. She sighed with relief. Thankfully they had barely left Ponyville when…

Gible. She still had a hard time believing the Gible Shiny had given her had actually gone and attacked her. She had never seen a pokémon react so aggressively toward their own trainer before. What had caused it to attack? 

"Are you feeling okay Twilight?" Fluttershy asked, placing a piping hot bowl of onion soup near her. "Your poor Pokémon are worried sick about you. They'll be so happy to know you're okay. "

Yeah, all but one. Twilight mused. "What about-" 

"Gible is in his pokéball." She answered before Twilight could finish. "Or was that not what you meant?"

"No, it was." She breathed. "How is the little monster?" 

"I tried to offer him some food but he wasn't interested. He started fighting with poor Cubone and I had to put him back in his ball."

"Hey Fluttershy? What happened after I blacked out?" Twilight still had no idea what had happened, how she had wound up here, or even what had become of Trixie. 

"Actually, it's thanks to Trixie that you got back here." Fluttershy smiled. "She was very nice to us. She gave us some potion and burn heal which helped fix you up, and then she helped carry you back here." 

Twilight bit her lip, making sure she wasn't dreaming. "Are we talking about the same Trixie?" 

Fluttershy nodded. "I don’t think I would have believed it if I hadn't seen it myself."

A loud knock came on the door downstairs, and seconds later, the door was forcefully opened. Rainbow Dash appeared in the stairwell panting, carrying a bag stamped with the Poke Mart logo. "Hey Fluttershy, I got the stuff you asked for." She set the bag down on the nightstand, allowing Twilight a peek inside. It was full of burn heal, poke dolls, and a rainbow of berries. 

"Thank you Rainbow Dash." Fluttershy said, turning her attention back to Twilight. "We gave you a mix of burn heal and Aspear and Oran berries while you were still asleep. Are you feeling any better?"

"Fine," Twilight said, exhaling deeply. "Honestly the whole thing might as well have been a dream."

Fluttershy smiled as she went to put the supplies away. "Well, it's too late for us to hit the road again. Why don't you try to rest for now and we can leave again in the morning?" 

Twilight wanted to protest but thought better of it. True she wanted nothing more than to move, but the thought of spending one more sweet night on a proper bed quieted her. We'll get going first thing tomorrow. She thought as sleep once again overcame her. Then I can figure out what to do with that Gible. 

> Chapter 20- How to Train Your Dragon-Type
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The next morning, Twilight awoke to a series of familiar cries. She could feel several small feet on her stomach, all trying to get her attention. She yawned and rubbed the sleep from her eyes, to see Ivysaur, Cubone, Espeon, and Helioptile either on the edge of the bed or on top of her. Cubone was poking at her with his bone club, and Ivysaur prodding her with his vines. 

"Good morning all of you." She smiled. "Did Fluttershy say you could come in the house?"

"Of course I did," said Fluttershy from the corner of the room. "The poor things have been so upset, but I had to convince them to let you rest." 

Twilight affectionately rubbed all of them on their heads. "No need to worry, I'm okay." She laughed. She rolled out of bed, rubbing the area on her face where Gible's dragon rage had hit her. Taking a peek in a mirror to confirm her suspicions, she was astonished to see no trace left behind from the attack. I guess I owe Trixie one. Twilight thought. The idea left a strange feeling in her stomach, one that Twilight wasn’t sure how to feel about. 

Making her way downstairs, Twilight sent her pokémon outside while she sat down for breakfast with Fluttershy. Her friend sat down two piping hot cups of coffee and a plate of biscuits with berry preserves for them to eat. "Hey Fluttershy?" Twilight asked, wiping crumbs from her face. "Um, did Trixie say anything to you before she left yesterday?" The whole thing still rubbed Twilight wrong, especially after the stunt Trixie pulled against Rarity at the tournament. She couldn’t believe somepony would go from trying to assault her friend in order to win a competition to helping save her from Gible in the space of just over a week. 

"Well, while you were out, Trixie told Rarity she was very sorry for what she did at the tournament, and she kept complimenting Rarity on how amazing Gardevoir is. She helped bring you back here, and then she left." 

"Did she say anything about me?" Twilight insisted. She didn't care if she sounded obsessive. Curiosity was quickly getting the better of her and she wanted to figure out what was up with Trixie. 

Fluttershy shrugged. "She said, 'Feel better Twilight Sparkle. Trixie hopes the next time we battle it will be under better circumstances.'"  

Twilight cocked her head. "What even does that mean?" With Fluttershy's gentle tone she couldn't even tell if Trixie had meant that genuinely or condescendingly. 

"I think deep down, Trixie does respect you." Fluttershy whispered as she sipped her coffee. "She just has a… unique way of showing it." 

"Unique is right." Twilight said with a roll of her eyes. 

"I mean it!" She continued. "You do fight a lot but she makes you want to get better. I think Trixie feels the same way." 

Twilight rolled her eyes harder. "And I bet you wish you had somepony like that too?" 

"Um, no thank you." Fluttershy meekly answered. "I don't like being shouted at."

	Remember who you're talking to Twi. She reminded herself. Fluttershy was about as uncompetitive as a pony could be.  Maybe she's right. If nothing else Trixie has been a target for me to shoot for. Their relationship might not be healthy per se, but they did make each other want to grow and become stronger. Twilight had certainly used Trixie as motivation to train before. Perhaps there was a sense of respect growing between them? 

But why now? Twilight sighed and gave up. She wasn't going to figure this out anytime soon. Better she get herself together and get moving. She put her pokémon back in their balls and counted them up. One, two, three, four. She counted in her head. Five. She added as she remembered Gible. 

She and Fluttershy met up with the others at the edge of town. Although they were leaving a day late, their plans changed little. They would hoof it down Route 14, stopping at the Safari Zone along the way, and finally reach their destination at Hive Omega. Once again, they set forth onto Route 14, this time hoping to make it all the way without any incidents. 

"So Twi, have you given any thought to what you're gonna do with that there Gible of yours?" Applejack asked. 	

"Not really." She sighed. "Then again, I haven't had much time to think about it."

"Well, it might not be a bad idea to try while we're still close to Ponyville," Fluttershy quietly suggested. "You know, just in case something bad happens?" 	

Twilight shuddered. As much as she didn't want to, she knew she would have to try eventually. Shining Armor thought she was able to handle the pokémon, and Celestia be darned if she'd prove him wrong. "Gible, I choose you!" 

Gible emerged from his pokéball, landing with teeth bared. It glanced around, and seeing that there was no immediate danger, promptly went to sleep. 

"Well this is a good sign!" Pinkie glibly smiled. 

"Pinkie, it's asleep." Rarity said, pointing a hoof at the dozing pokémon. 

Pinkie shrugged. "Still better than last time." 

"Gible?" Twilight meekly whispered. "Please wake up?" 

No response. 

For a brief moment, Twilight was unsure what to do. She glanced around, taking in her surroundings. Route 14 was a long smooth dirt road, with a patch of grass separating the road from the forest on either side. She scanned the wood's edge for a minute before setting her gaze on a large fallen branch, which she quickly grabbed. She clenched it tight between her hooves and motioned for Dash and Applejack to do the same. Quietly, they crept up on Gible, before giving it a nudge with the end of the stick. 

"GIBLE!" It roared as they pulled back the stick. Gible shot up from its resting place and clamping its massive jaw onto the end of the stick and snapping off several feet of the branch as if it were a toothpick. It growled angrily at Twilight and the others before grumbling and returning to sleep. 

"I think I like it more when it's sleeping." Rarity said to nopony in particular, staring at the little dragon-type with fear in her eyes. 

"I don't think I ever met so ornery a pokémon." Applejack commented, "An' I've dealt with some mighty mean Tauros." 

"Twilight, maybe you should try one of the supplies we bought?" Fluttershy suggested, "I think there are some berries in there it would like."

The bag. Twilight had almost forgotten about the goods that they had brought in from the Poke Mart. She hadn't had much time to examine them, but there might be something useful. Digging through the bag, Twilight finally found what Fluttershy had been referring to- a Pomeg berry. The flavorful berries were beloved by pokémon, and if there was one way that was sure to make a pokémon like somepony, it was to feed them. Twilight silently crept towards the sleeping Gible, holding the berry out in front of its snout. 

Gible's nostrils twitched. Its eyes sprung open, focusing instantly on the food before it. In one chomp Gible had devoured it- stem, seeds and all. After it had swallowed the berry, it promptly went back to sleep. 

"Perhaps time for a different approach." Rarity suggested glumly. 

No kidding. Twilight thought. Inspriation dawned on her face as she pulled out her brand-new pokedex and flipped through its digital pages, looking for any information she could find about Gible. 

	Gible nests near geothermal vents to keep itself warm. It aggressively pounces on pray using its giant jaws to subdue its targets. 

Gible is a ferocious fighter but often hurts itself out of clumsiness. 

Twilight groaned. The entries were beyond useless. Next time she saw Cadence, she would have to remember to tell her that some of the pokédex entries were a bit barebones and could use some expanding upon. Might not be the worst job after I finish my journey. Twilight mused. She rather liked the ring of Professor Sparkle. Travelling Equestria and documenting pokémon for the sake of the pokédex would certainly be an enjoyable career. Focus on the task at hoof Twilight, we have a Gible to deal with. 

"I got an idea!" She exclaimed. One thing she had read once was that Gible were a rather aggressive species and enjoyed fighting. Perhaps setting up a mock battle could give her a chance to develop a bond with it. It might not have worked yesterday, but if I can control the situation… Twilight's brain went into overdrive planning out the scenario. 	

Twenty minutes later Twilight's plan was ready. Twilight would attempt to command Gible while Rainbow Dash would fight alongside Ivysaur. Hopefully once they started battling Gible would take orders from Twilight. Even Twilight was unsure of her plan, but it was worth a shot. 

Gible, however, was not interested. He still lay asleep on the field, which had forced Rainbow and Twilight to set up their mock battle around him. Twilight stood behind the sleeping dragon-type, and Rainbow and Ivysaur waited across the field. 

"Alright Ivysaur, hit 'em with razor leaf!" Rainbow commanded. Ivysaur looked unsure of the situation, but trusted in Twilight's judgement and obeyed his temporary trainer. He sent a small volley of sharpened leaves spinning towards Gible, each of which struck home on his head. 

Gible's eyes snapped open. Twilight, Rainbow, and Ivsaur all took a collective step back upon seeing the unbridled rage brimming in Gible's eyes. With a menacing roar, Gible launched itself off the ground, straight at Ivysaur. 

Uh oh. "Gible, use scratch!" Twilight yelled, trying to prevent Gible from harming Ivysaur too severely, but it paid her no heed. It barreled at Ivysaur, and fired off its dragon rage before closing in for a bite. Ivysaur panicked, and before Rainbow could give a command, he used vine whip to try and hold back Gible. 

The two pokémon were locked together, Ivysaur trying to keep Gible's gnashing teeth at bay. Gible swiped and chomped at the air, trying to push onto Ivysaur, but thanfully, Ivysaur's vines were strong enough to hold him back. 

"That's enough!" Twilight said angrily as she put Gible back into its pokéball. Fortunately it had been distracted and didn't resist the attempt to recapture it. Had Ivysaur not been holding him they would have had a real problem on their hooves. Twilight sank onto her haunches and sighed. Ivysaur waddled over to her and nuzzled her side. "Sorry buddy." She whispered, rubbing him affectionately. 

"Well that couldn't have gone much worse." Rainbow said with a sigh. "Sorry Twi." 	

"It's okay. I don't know what I'm going to do with him." What Twilight wanted to do was send him to Cadence's lab and never worry about him again, but because Shining Armor had entrusted her with him, she felt she had to prove she could handle such a pokémon. But no pokémon thus far had prepared her for how hostile this Gible was. For now, all she could do was store him in his pokéball and hope he stayed put for the time being. 

That night, the six mares made camp off the road near the edge of a small lake. After they had finished their dinner, they sat by the water and watched the swarms of Illumise and Volbeat fly around in the sky. Steve and Pidgeotto flew about the sky while the rest of their pokémon (sans Gible) played around on the ground. 

Twilight sat away from the rest of the group feeling down on herself. "How could I fail like this?" She whispered. She had never failed to train a pokémon like she had with Gible. Ivysaur, Espeon, Cubone, and even Helioptile had been perfectly fine after she had captured them. All of the others had never had a pokémon cause them such problems. When she was young, every time she would see Shining Armor, his pokémon would follow him without hesitation. Even Trixie's pokémon obeyed her commands. 

Twilight's stink did not go unnoticed by the others. "Hey Twi," Rainbow smiled, "You alright?" 

"No." She sighed simply. "I don't know what to do about Gible." 

"Darling, don't worry yourself." Rarity said in a soothing voice, laying a gentle hoof on Twilight's back. "Things will work out, I promise." 

Twilight shrugged off Rarity's words, and her hoof. "How? It's obvious Gible doesn't want to listen to me. My brother entrusted me with this pokémon and I failed him." 

Applejack laid a firmer hoof onto Twilight, clearly not intent on giving up. "You're too hard on yourself Sugarcube," She smiled. "Ain't nopony said you an' that Gible gotta be friendly right away. The way I see it, you an' him are gonna have some… disagreements. But if you give it some time, he'll come 'round."

"I still feel like I'm failing my brother…" She sighed. 

"Hey, I was there that whole time Twi." Dash butted in, "Shining Armor didn't say you would get along. He said 'you could handle it'. The way I see it, he knows you have the skills to train a pokémon like that, but you also have the patience and the determination to do it. Training a pokémon like Gible isn't easy for anypony. But it's the determination to succeed that separates the normal trainers from the great ones." 

"Thanks Rainbow." Twilight smiled, finally allowing herself to relax. "I guess I'll keep working at it. For now though I'm going to give him some space. I'll be trying to do some work with Cubone and Helioptile and maybe later I'll try again with him."

"That's the spirit!" Rarity smiled. "Glad to see you perking up, darling." 

"Yeah. But for now I'm going to get some sleep. I'm exhausted."
> Chapter 21- On Safari
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Route 14 was, without exception, the longest road in Equestria. Twilight and company had been hiking for nearly a full week when they finally reached the halfway mark; the Safari Zone, a massive nature preserve that covered a million square acres of southern Equestria. Inside its borders lived many incredibly rare species of pokémon, many of which couldn't be found anywhere else in the world. It was considered a must-visit for anypony travelling Route 14, partly because it was the only thing breaking up an otherwise eventless hike. 

"Well gang, we're here!" Twilight announced excitedly. Her tired friends let out an exhausted whoop, before sitting down for a rest. 

"This is going to be great!" Dash cheered. "I've been wanting to get my hooves on a Shinx for awhile now, looks like today will be my day to capture one." 

"I hope it goes well for you." Fluttershy smiled. "I'm also hoping to catch a rare pokémon." 

"What kind of pokémon would that be?" Rarity inquired. 

Fluttershy rummaged through her backpack and produced one of her drawing books. She flipped through the pages before finally finding a detailed sketch of the pokémon Chansey. "I've wanted one since I was just a filly. The only ponies who ever seem to have them are Pokémon Center nurses, but you can find them in the Safari Zone." Her ears drooped a little as she spoke. "They're just very difficult to find."

"Hey Fluttershy, if you want I can help you look." Dash offered with a smile.

"Oh, thank you Rainbow Dash. I'll try to help you find a Shinx as well."

The six mares entered the front gate of the Safari Zone, a small station built into the large cement wall that surrounded the massive facility. It had two floors, a plain bottom floor set up for admissions and a top floor which boasted an observation deck with large mounted binoculars that could see for miles into the distance. 

Rarity stepped out of line and moved toward the stairs. "You all have fun dears. I think I'm going to sit this one out."

"Ya sure?" Applejack asked, "There's a lotta real rare pokémon in here and I reckon you won't get another chance to get out here again." 

"I am aware Applejack. It's just after a five days of hiking and another five days ahead of us, spending an afternoon walking around in the wilderness isn't exactly my idea of fun."

"Suit yourself then." She shrugged. 

The remaining five walked ahead to the counter which stood in front of the door leading outside. "Good afternoon," Smiled the attendant, a young light blue pegasus, "Welcome to the Safari Zone, would you like to play the Safari Challenge?"

"Yes ma'am!" They merrily chimed. 

"Wonderful! There's just a couple rules you'll need to know before you can go inside. First off all pokémon need to be left at the gate. Don't worry, you'll get them back once you leave."

Rainbow Dash leaned over to Twilight. "Crud. I was planning to use Pidgeotto to help track pokémon. Looks like I'll have to do it the hard way." 	

"You'll each receive six Safari Balls." She continued, placing a tray of pokéballs on the table. Their lids were painted with a camo pattern, a unique design Twilight had never seen before. "Your challenge is over when you run out of Safari Balls or at nightfall, whichever comes sooner. When the bell sounds at dusk, please return to the station. Other than that, have fun and good luck!" Each of the mares paid the small fee and received their balls, which came in a souvenir pouch. They then placed their pokéballs inside individual compartments underneath the counter, each of them receiving a key to retrieve them later that afternoon. With that done, the attendant opened the door, allowing the five out into the wide open domain of the Safari Zone. 

Twilight looked around in awe. For as far as the eye could see, there was nothing but vast grasslands, endless forests, with only clear rivers serving to break up the great swathes of green. While her friends had grown up in a rural town like Ponyville, her urban upbringing left her in awe at the sheer openness of it. She could see for miles off into the horizon, with nothing but trees and grass between her and the sky. 

"Well what are y'all waitin' for? Applejack asked, nudging Twilight, "Them rare pokémon ain't gonna catch themselves." 

Rainbow nodded in agreement. "Yeah. Let's get moving."

"Hold on!" Twilight urged, reaching into the pouch the attendant had given her, "They gave us each a map." She held up the colorfully printed page, encouraging the others to check out their own. 

"We need to meet back here by night." She continued. "Everypony should have a look over the map to see where they want to go."

"Ooh, look at the back!" Pinkie exclaimed, pointing to a color-coded box on the rear of the page. "They show you around where you can find pokémon." 

Fluttershy studied the map extensively. "I can't see where Chansey usually live…" 

"Chansey is probably the rarest pokémon here Fluttershy." Twilight said, offering a sympathetic smile. "I wouldn't get your hopes up. A lot of trainers don't even believe they actually live here." 

"Oh." She meekly whispered, letting out a defeated sigh. 

Twilight immediately started to backpedal. "But don't let that stop you from trying!" She said, trying her hardest to sound sincere.	

"Well if ya want, I'll tag along with ya." Applejack offered. "You may be smarter 'bout wild pokémon than me, but I a thing or two about tracking." 

"Thanks AJ." She smiled. With that, the two took off to the east, away from the woods and out toward the river. 

"Well, I'll see ya around." Rainbow said with a wink, "I'm off to find me a Shinx." Without another word, Rainbow had turned tail and bolted toward the woods. 	

"Wait!" Twilight exclaimed. "Ugh… I hope she figures out that Shinx lives in the highlands, not the woods." 

"Bye Twi!" Pinkie smiled. 

"Where are you going?" She asked. As far as Twilight recalled, Pinkie hadn't actually expressed what she wanted to catch.

"I dunno!" She chipperly declared. "I figure if I walk around I'll find something fun." 

Twilight shrugged. "I guess I'll go with you." She had nothing better to do, and truth be told, she didn't really want to be alone without her pokémon. "Where do you want to go?"

Pinkie whirled around, pointing her hoof vaguely off to the north. "That way!" She declared, as she and Twilight started off in that direction. 

*	*	*

"Whew, have a look around!" Applejack marveled. "I ain't never seen a sky so darn big." 

Fluttershy nodded in agreement. The Safari Zone was truly vast. They had walked past the river and onto a hill, and now they could see for miles around. They had seen a few pokémon on their way over. A small herd of Tauros stampeded past before they crossed the river, and a small group of Blitzle were drinking from the river as they passed. Still, there was no sign of a Chansey. 

"Ah, buck up girlie." Applejack smiled, "We're gonna find you that pokémon or my name's Dirt."

"Thanks again for coming with me Applejack," Fluttershy said with a slight smile. "I don't know if I'd be able to do this by myself."

"Ah shucks, what are friends for?" Applejack sat down on the grass, digging into her backpack. "Lookie here, looks like I still got a couple bottles of cider." She popped the tops off and pressed one into Fluttershy's hooves. "I figure we earned ourselves a little break. Might as well have a seat an' enjoy the view."

"Sounds good to me." Fluttershy grinned, taking a long swig of the sweet cider. She took a glance off toward the highlands to the northeast. "What's going on over there?"

Applejack looked over to see what Fluttershy was talking about. "Looks like a stampede or somethin'." 

"Is it me, or is it coming this way?" She whimpered. 

"What are you-" Applejack started, "Uh oh."

*	*	*

Rainbow Dash was usually at home outdoors. She was a natural athlete and did most of her exercise outside. Besides, nopony ever became a master Pokémon trainer without getting a little dirty. But hiking through the woods of the Safari Zone had been a serious test of her patience. She had already walked face-first into several Spinarak webs, and so far her quarry had avoided her. Supposedly Shinx was one of the easiest pokémon to find there, but so far she hadn't seen so much as a tail of one.  She was rapidly growing frustrated with her predicament, and was seriously considering abandoning the woods altogether…

Although first she would need to figure out how to get out. 

Rainbow has made the mistake of leaving the trail, thinking she would have better luck deeper in the woods, but now she had no way of navigating her way out. No longer feeling angry, she now began to feel the woods closing in on her. Only sparse light was able to penetrate the thick canopy of the massive trees, leaving her in a space where she could see barely enough to avoid the trunks of trees, but not enough to figure out where she was going. She could have been moving in circles for all she knew. I really messed up this time… She thought nervously. She had no idea how far she was from the edge, but she hoped if she kept moving, she might find an exit. 

"OUCH!" She cried. In her musings, Rainbow had walked headfirst into a tree, knocking her right on her rear. As she sat on the ground, rubbing her aching head, she felt something fall from the tree, landing square on her head. 

"Kakuuuuna…" It hissed. 

Rainbow looked down. She could just barely see the yellowish cocoon pokémon, which had landed in an upright position on the ground. Its form bristled with anger as it glared at her.  

"Hey, sorry little guy." Rainbow gave an uneasy laugh. The Kakuna's eyes seemed to glow red in the darkness. She tried to break its gaze but she couldn't help but look at those harsh red eyes. 

Then all of a sudden Kakuna was enveloped in a sheer white light. Rainbow stepped back, well aware of what was happening, stumbling over a fallen branch behind her. She was only able to get back on her hooves when Kakuna finished evolving, leaving a furious Beedrill in its place. 

"Aaaugh!" Rainbow took off galloping as the Beedrill flew after in chase. Rainbow dared not look behind her, knowing full well if she took her eyes off where she was going for even an instant chances were good she would either trip or run into a tree. She could barely see well enough to react to things just in front of her. The sound of the buzzing of wings had grown louder, suggesting that more than just the one pokémon she had angered had joined in on the chase. 

Rainbow felt a flaring pain erupt on her back and she realized with terror she'd been stung. Beedrill stings, although not individually life-threatening, were among the most agonizing experiences a pony was likely to face in their life, and if incurred in large enough numbers, could potentially be deadly. In spite of the pain she quickened her pace, but regardless of her best efforts felt a second and finally a third sting set fire to her nerves. 

Just a little further… Rainbow grit her teeth as she kept running. She could see light peeking through the edge of the woods up ahead, a couple hundred feet ahead. She redoubled her effort and took off sprinting, trying to put as much distance between herself and the Beedrill before she escaped the dense woods. 

The sunlight was blinding as Rainbow Dash burst through the line of trees marking the edge of the woods. She kept running for a bit before she realized she was no longer being followed. Once she knew she was safe and the tide of adrenaline surging through her veins calmed down, she allowed herself to sit down and passed out in the tall grass. 

*	*	*

"Pinkie do you have any idea what we're looking for?" Twilight was quickly growing frustrated with Pinkie Pie's arbitrary roaming. Every few minutes she would direct them off in a random direction, walking with surety until she fancied going another way, occasionally back the way they had came from. The process was maddening. 

"Nope!" She merrily declared. "Just looking around." 

Twilight facehoofed hard. She was regretting not striking out by herself. Sure she felt exposed without her pokémon and a lot of her gear, but still, she probably could have set up on a hilltop and go bird watching. She loved Pinkie dearly, but Twilight was starting to realize that she had grown to like setting the pace for their party. 

All of a sudden Pinkie stopped walking, holding a hoof out to her side for Twilight to walk into. "Twilight!" She said in an excited whisper. "Don’t move a muscle!" 

"What are you talking-" She started, before Pinkie put her other hoof over her mouth. 

"Shhh!" She exclaimed, "Look!" 

Twilight tried to see what had Pinkie so excited. At first she saw nothing, then after a moment of determined searching saw a rustling in the grass, and more importantly, the cause of it. "An Exeggcute?"

"Quiet Twilight, I'm gonna capture it!" She yelled. "Go, Safari Ball!" Pinkie hurled one of her balls at the pokémon, but the six eggs scattered, leaving the ball to land in the grass. Pinkie took off chasing one of the eggs. Twilight meanwhile, sat down, happy to enjoy a break and perhaps enjoy the farce unfolding before her just a little bit. 

After a few minutes and several more failed attempts at capture, Pinkie finally hit one of the eggs with a Safari Ball. But to her dismay, it bounced right off. "Aw, what the heck?" She groaned. 

Twilight dug out her pokédex. Truth be told, she didn't know what had happened either. 

	Exeggcute, the Egg Pokémon. Exeggcute is made up of six small eggs which communicate telepathically. For reasons not fully understood, an Exeggcute can only be captured if all six of the eggs are together.  

Huh, that's weird. "Pinkie, you need to get them all together!" Twilight exclaimed. 

"Doesn't matter, that was my last ball." She sighed. 

Twilight frowned. She wasn't used to seeing Pinkie so downtrodden. She must really have had her heart set on that pokémon. 

Without a word, Twilight discreetly pushed one of her own Safari Balls into Pinkie's hooves.  "Give in another shot," She smiled. 

A spark twinkled in Pinkie's eyes. "I'm gonna make it count!" The Exeggcute had gathered back together and were bouncing around as if to taunt her. Faster than Twilight thought possible, Pinkie whirled around and tossed the Safari Ball at them. The Exeggcute were caught off-guard and were caught in the ball's red aura. Pinkie stared intensely at it while it lay on the ground, wobbling. Finally, it let out a click and Pinkie scooped up her newly-caught pokémon triumphantly.

"Yes! I caught Exeggcute!" She squealed with delight.  

"Uh, Pinkie?" Twilight coughed, "Have you possibly noticed that all of your pokémon are, well, grass types?" 

"So? I don't see a problem." She smiled innocently. 

"Well, usually you want a wide coverage of types so you have a pokémon that can battle in any situation, and-"

"Twilight, I really don't care about that stuff." She said plainly. "I'm really proud of the pokémon I have. I don't need type advantage as long as me and my pokémon believe in each other."

Twilight began to open her mouth in objection but immediately decided not to. Maybe Pinkie's right. You shouldn't value a pokémon for just its strength. She thought back to some of the trainers she had met in her foalhood. Cadence's partner had been a Jigglypuff.  Shining Armor had gone through his entire journey using nothing but Steel-type pokémon, but she'd be darned if she ever found a trainer more proud of their team. Maybe I've been going about this all wrong. Twilight had once seen a quote written in the book, its original source lost to time. 

Strong Pokémon. Weak Pokémon. That is only the selfish perception of ponies. Truly skilled trainers should try to win with their favorites. 

*	*	*

Rainbow was suddenly and unceremoniously awoken by a strange gooey substance being poured in her open mouth. She sputtered and sat up, ready to mount a desperate defense against whatever was attacking her. 

"Chansey! Chansey, Chansey!" The pokémon happily cried. Rainbow tasted the substance on her face. It had the flavor of an egg, but with a delicious edge that she couldn't find a comparison to. 

Huh, wish I'd asked Cadence for a pokédex myself. It certainly would have been a help in looking for pokémon, and now she was actually quite curious about what this Chansey was up to. Usually you see them with nurses in Pokémon Centers. I guess they like to help out injured ponies and Pokémon. It had certainly been quick to share its egg, if perhaps a little… forceful. Getting the yolk out of her coat was going to be a pain. 

Rainbow's eyes darted toward the sky as she let out a loud groan. It was quickly growing dark, and she still wasn’t entirely sure where she was. She looked again at the pokémon before her. While she hadn't come looking for a Chansey, it was still an extremely rare pokémon if Twilight was right. Plus she did not intend to leave empty-hoofed. Rainbow inched her hoof into her saddle bag until she had found one of the camo Safari Balls. Once Chansey wasn't looking, she tossed the ball, hitting it cleanly on the back of the head. Chansey was absorbed by the pokéballs red aura. The ball began wiggling frantically, leaving Rainbow to only grit her teeth and watch in anticipation. Chansey was a rare pokémon, and could be very flighty if it was startled. Rainbow knew is she didn't catch it now, she would never get the chance again. 

Once, twice, thrice, and click. Rainbow breathed a sigh of relief as the pokémon was captured. Not was I was going for, but I'll take it. It was no Shinx, but Rainbow would rather have Chansey than nothing. With her prize in hoof, Rainbow looked to the sky, trying to use the sun for directions. If I go south until I reach the wall, I should be able to walk east and reach the station. Eventually. It was going to be a long process, but Rainbow at least knew where she was going.  Fluttershy is going to be jealous. As much as Fluttershy wanted a Chansey, Rainbow desperately needed to grow her team. 

*	*	*

Fluttershy and Applejack watched with bated breath as the massive dust cloud put up by the stampede drew closer and closer. They could see now it was a herd of Shroomish, but what was doing the chasing was still a mystery. They could hear a roaring and see some flying sparks. The Shroomish began to cross the river and moved along the base of the hill, running frantically toward the west. 

"Aw heck." Applejack grinned as she pulled out a Safari Ball. "So long as I'm here, might as well capture me a pokémon." She sprinted toward the charging hoard, settling into a steady gallop alongside the herd. Searching around, Applejack waited until she spotted a particularly large specimen- much bigger than the rest. Applejack tossed her Safari Ball and captured the pokémon handily. 

"Applejack, look out!" Fluttershy wailed. She could now see what was going on. A group of Zigzagoon were intermixed with the stampeding Shroomish and were being chased by a small pack of Shinx, led by a fierce-looking Luxio. And Applejack was standing right before the feral electric type. Without thinking, Fluttershy rushed to her side, struggling to pull a Safari Ball from her bag. 

She closed her eyes as she threw the ball. In truth, she didn't care if she caught the pokémon or not. She was more concerned in letting the poor Zigzagoon get a bit of distance between themselves and Luxio's pack. The group of Shinx stopped as their leader was engulfed by the Safari Ball's red aura, and it wiggled, once, twice and three times, letting out the reassuring click to affirm it had been a successful capture. 

"Well looks like a successful day." Applejack beamed. "Can't say I'm too upset with this little critter." She freed Shroomish from its ball, offering it a hoofful of pokémon food from her bag, which it graciously ate. 

Fluttershy was still hyperventilating. "You know, I think I'm ready to call it a day." She sighed. 

"Ya sure? We've still got us some Safari Balls left an' the afternoon's still young."

She nodded. "I'm sure. I've had enough excitement for one afternoon." 

With a shrug, Applejack turned around, leading them back to the entrance, pleased with her catch. She just hoped Fluttershy wasn't too disappointed…
> Chapter 21 Part 2- Trading
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Fluttershy and Applejack were the first ones to arrive back, returning their excess balls to the attendant and recovering their pokémon. After that, they went upstairs to wait with Rarity. Applejack marveled over her new Shroomish, however Fluttershy did not share that enthusiasm about Luxio. She was still disappointed she didn't get a chance to capture a Chansey, but at this point was too worn out to try again. 

Twilight and Pinkie returned soon after. Twilight was empty-hoofed but didn't seem to mind, and curled up on one of the soft sofas with a book from the lounge's shelf. Pinkie beamed over her new Exeggcute, which her other pokémon quickly took a liking to. 

Many hours passed and the mares began to worry about Rainbow Dash. Nopony had seen her since they split up, and with nightfall fast approaching, they began to suspect Rainbow had run into trouble. 

Finally, a few minutes after ten, they heard the door below open and an exhausted set of footsteps coming up the stairs. Rainbow Dash came into view, collapsing on the ground with a weak, "Hey guys."

"Rainbow! What happened?" Twilight ran to her side, and with Applejack's help lifted her onto a chair. Rainbow was a mess. Her mane was disheveled, she had several reddish welts on her back, and she was covered in mud, webbing, and what looked like… egg.

"I got turned around in the woods and had a run-in with some Beedrill." She explained, laying back on the firm but comfortable couch. "No big deal. At least I got this out of it." She produced her Safari Ball from her backpack and released Chansey for her friends to see. "It kind of just showed up after I got out of the forest. Guess I got lucky."

Fluttershy's eyes bulged to the size of dinner plates. "Oh my goodness! I can't believe you actually found one!" Fluttershy sighed. "I guess some ponies get all the luck. I only caught this…" She freed Luxio from the pokéball, allowing it to show off its mane with a proud roar.

"Whoa!" Rainbow had not expected Fluttershy to catch such a powerful pokémon." Now that is a cool pokémon. You got lucky Fluttershy." 

"I mean I guess." She sighed. "To be honest I kind of had my heart set on a Chansey."

Rainbow looked at the pink mound of a pokémon she had caught. "Well, I guess I could be talked into trading. If you aren't too attached to that Luxio there."

"YES!" She exclaimed as she quickly tried to compose herself. "I mean, okay I guess." 

They both recalled their pokémon and smiled. As luck would have it, the station had access to both a PC and a trading machine. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy put their pokeballs in the round divets in the machine, punching in their trainer ID numbers in order to authorize the trade. Then, with a press of a button, the pokéballs moved through the machine and came out the other side. 

Thank you for using the Trading Machine. Your pokémon have now been registered to their new trainer's ID number. Have a nice day.

With a nod, Rainbow Dash took her pokéball in hoof. "Thanks Fluttershy," She beamed. "Looks like today has turned out pretty well." 

Fluttershy hugged her ball tight. "I couldn't agree more, Rainbow Dash." 

Twilight smiled. True, she had left empty hoofed, but four of her friends were all leaving the Safari Zone happy. And since their next destination was her next gym badge, she was more than happy to sit and smile while her friends were able to have their own triumphs. I'm coming for you Chrysalis. And my five pokémon are all I'm going to need. 

> Chapter 22- Hive Omega
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Another five days of walking put Twilight and company at the outskirts of Hive Omega, the mysterious home of the Changelings. The entire city exuded a foreboding aura. The sky itself seemed to darken above its grey spires, which tore at the sky like massive claws. These towers were only a small part of the actual city. Most of it was hidden deep underground, in a network of deep tunnels and caves. The enigmatic lab of Professor Chrysalis was supposedly one such structure, They gym however, was said to stand in an open-air stadium nestled in a vast web of the strange fungus that coated every surface in the city. 

The group began to grow uneasy as they passed onto the territorial bounds of the Hive. The difference wasn't subtle; the grey web-like fungus that covered every surface in the city formed a stark border of the outer bounds of the Changeling territory. The material had a strange, squishy feeling on the bottoms of their hooves. The feeling was beyond awkward. Each of the mares had thought to pack a set of boots, which they quickly put on before daring go any further. 

Although the boots came as a relief, they did not stop the sickening squishing sound that they made with every step. They tried their hardest to ignore it, but the stark lack of any other noise made that incredibly difficult. Making matters even more uneasy were the countless pairs of beady blue Changeling eyes that peered out from windows and burrows at them. It made Twilight and friends very uncomfortable to 
know they were being watched by so many.  

Finally, they arrived at a large edifice leading down into the caverns, clearly marked with the a sign.  Chrysalis Laboratory: Authorized personnel only.   Twilight gave an apprehensive knock on the door, which was coated in the same grey sticky fungus as the rest of the city. 

"Who goesss there?" Hissed a changeling from the other side. "Tressspasssersss are not welcome here."

"We were invited to come here," Twilight answered back, uneasily. "Professor Cadence made us arrangements to visit-"
She was cut off by hissing noises from behind the door. From within the tunnel Twilight could hear whispers of "Guesssstssss" and "Vissssitorsssss." After a minute the door creaked open, offering them passage down into the caves. The six proceeded down into the dark tunnels, which were barely lit by bioluminescent mushrooms. After a minute of walking, they arrived at a large polished steel door that was impeccably clean of any fungal growth. The door slowly opened as they drew near, allowing them into the heart of the sterile white laboratory. 

Standing in the center of the chamber was a massive changeling, easily twice Twilight's height. She had a similar stature to an Alicorn like Cadence, but with a longer neck and a more insectoid form. Her intense green eyes shone like emeralds behind a pair of rimless glasses. She wore a bleached white lab coat, underneath which peeked out an old T-shirt with a strange pokémon that Twilight could not recognize. Her earrings were small steel silver helixes, and a black and green stone hung on a pendant around her neck. 

"Welcome." She said with a toothy smile. "You must be Twilight Sparkle and friends. We've been expecting you."

"Thank you for inviting us into your lab, Professor Chrysalis." Twilight said with a bow. "I speak for all of us when I say we're very excited to see your discoveries." 	

"You flatter me." Chrysalis laughed. "I know all too well that Cadence and I often don't see eye to eye. I was frankly quite surprised when she contacted me to ask if one of her pupils could come to tour my lab."

"I'm very much excited to." Twilight smiled. "Cadence said that you've created entirely new species of pokémon. Can you tell me about those?" 

Chrysalis roared with an echoing laugh that reverberated throughout the lab. "Follow me, Twilight Sparkle, down this tunnel I have a gallery exhibiting all of the pokémon we have created." The Changeling leader led her six guests through the lab, into a hallway with several glass tanks with pokémon inside them. 

They approached the first tanks and Chrysalis began to give a rehearsed speech about her creations. "The first pokémon we created came into existence by accident. Trubbish and Grimer, as well as their evolved forms Garbodor and Muk, rose from chemical runoff from our laboratory that mixed with garbage and grime. Unfortunately we couldn't contain them quickly enough, and as a result they've become a nuisance in cities across Equestria."

Without pause she moved on to the next pen. "Voltorb and Electrode were created semi-intentionally. We exposed a pokéball to a surge of energy, and that gave birth to a new species. After we discovered that we could create living pokémon from pokéballs, we started to purpose-make them, and they're quite popular among electric-type trainers."

The next tank had two computer monitors in front of it, one showing thousands of lines of code and the other showing a 3-D image of the pokémon in the pen. "Porygon is the one pokémon here I cannot take credit for. It and its evolution Porygon-2 were created a few years back by the Silph Company as an experiment aiming to create a digital pokémon. Porygon was the first, and was made to evolve into Porygon-2 using special software. We decided to try our hooves at enhancing Porygon-2 ourselves, but the software made it act strangely, creating Porygon-Z."

They passed another pen, although this one stood empty. The glass was riddled with fractures and a massive hole had been blasted in the ceiling, leaving burn marks and debris all over the containment unit. "What happened here?" Twilight asked. 

Chrysalis sighed. "At one point that container housed our greatest creation. This pokémon was a clone of an ancient species known only as Mew. We had attempted to use its DNA to create the strongest pokémon in existence. We were successful in doing that, but it was too powerful to contain. It broke free from the containment unit and went on a rampage. Half of Hive Omega was burned to the ground that day." Chrysalis tensed up. "We underestimated its strength. Mewtwo was too powerful to be controlled by ponies. I don't know where it is now, but I know only a fool would ever try to recapture it." 

Twilight stared blankly at the hole. Whatever pokémon had created that hole must be freakishly strong. She only hoped this "Mewtwo" had fled somewhere where nopony would ever find it. She thought back to the twisted spires of the exterior of the city, which now were overcome with the creeping fungus. What had those towers looked like before Mewtwo broke free? 

Chrysalis walked down one row further to show another pokémon. "This one is our newest creation."

The sight of the pokémon was an uncanny one, and caused Twilight and friends to take a collective step back. The most striking feature of it was the strange mask that covered its face and attached to its bizarre, wedge-shaped horn. Then there was its body. It looked like Chrysalis and her scientists had taken several pokémon of different types and sewn them together haphazardly to create this unsettling chimera.

"Impressed? This pokémon is named Type: Null, a pokémon designed to be highly adaptable and able to stand up to the strongest of pokémon."Chrysalis gave a toothy smile. The pride she had for the pokémon was plain to see. 

Applejack leaned into Twilight's ear, "Now what kind of silly name is that?"

"I don't know. I guess when you create a pokémon, you can name it." The remark had come across as more sarcastic than Twilight had meant, but Twilight had found Applejack's comment to be rather petty. "How did you make this pokémon?" Twilight asked eagerly.

"We spliced the DNA of several species of Pokémon together." Chrysalis explained. "We engineered it to be adaptable, cunning, and powerful. The helmet is to help keep its power in check, like a training weight. We intend to remove it eventually, but not until we're able to perform a more thorough examination of its capabilities. Truth be told, we only created it about a month ago, and we're still learning new things about it every day."

The hall of enclosures ended at Type: Null, but Chrysalis still seemed to have one more surprise left to show off. She led them around a corner to a massive steel door, which like the rest of the lab was scrubbed clean of fungus. It was guarded by two abnormally large Changeling drones packing riot gear and a belt of pokéballs. Without a word, she punched a long code into a number pad on a wall, and pressed both her hoof and her eye up to separate scanners to have her identity confirmed. Whatever was behind that door, it must have been something extraordinarily valuable to warrant such security. 

Massive motors moved the door open, revealing a whole separate lab staffed by lab coat wearing Changelings. This one was awash with chrome and dominated by a large tank made of incredibly thick glass. Inside sat a strange pokémon. It was insectoid in build but covered in metal, with a large cannon mounted on its back. "Impressed?" Chrysalis beamed. "What you see before you is the new ultimate pokémon, stronger even than Mewtwo before it. This pokémon is named Genesect, my magnum opus."

The pokémon left Twilight and company speechless. Genesect seemed to lock onto them with its harsh red eyes, assuming an aggressive stance, causing Fluttershy to let out a frightened shriek.

Chrysalis turned to two of her Changeling staff members. "Gyzak, engage Combat Protocol 18." She ordered. "And Duna, fetch me my helmet." The drones Chrysalis spoke to hurriedly performed the tasks asked of them. As one returned with a large helmet, with long wires sticking out the back and a reflective visor over the face, a platform raised inside the enclosure, with a crude effigy made in the image of an Ursaring. Chrysalis donned the helmet and the room suddenly grew very quiet. 

All at once, piercing lights shot out from the eyes of the helmet, and suddenly Genesect assumed a much more poised stance. The cannon in its back lit blue, green, white, before finally settling on red. Chrysalis' mouth, which showed beneath the visor, spread into a wicked toothy grin. "Techno blast." She commanded. The cannon began to glow and rumble, before firing off a flaming beam toward the target, utterly destroying it, leaving nothing behind but cinders. 

With a nod, Chrysalis removed the helmet. Once the strange device was removed from her head, Genesect seemed to relax. Whatever Chrysalis had done to it was over. 

"What you just witnessed was a combat simulation I have been working on for quite awhile." Chrysalis dumped her helmet back into her drone's hooves as she continued speaking. "In order to make sure we didn't lose control of this one like Mewtwo, we integrated computer systems into Genesect's brain to control it using a program. The helmet serves to link the pokémon to the trainer, allowing them to battle as one entity. Don’t worry, he isn't harmed by it."

Twilight could barely speak. All she could manage was a breathy "How?" 

"Genesect is a modified version of an ancient pokémon resurrected from a fossil. We reinforced its body with armor, gave it the cannon to fight, and added computer integration systems which can help relay it information and also allows a trainer to use the headset to connect to its systems. It's quite marvelous, don't you think?"

"Twilight, I wanna go home…" Fluttershy whispered. 

"Fluttershy is right." Rarity added, "This place makes me uncomfortable to no end." 

Twilight ignored them. She was far too amazed to be disturbed. Cadence had described Chrysalis' research as mad, even sacrilegious. But Twilight couldn’t help but look at these synthetic pokémon with a glimmer of awe in her eye.

"Seriously Twilight, I'm starting to get freaked out here." Rainbow Dash added. 

Twilight turned to her friends. "You don't have to stay if you don't want to. But I want to hear more about Chrysalis' research." 

With a collective sigh, her friends left the chamber, returning to the entrance to wait for their friend to finish, leaving Twilight alone with the Changeling Queen. 

"I do have a couple more things to show you." Chrysalis said with a stern demeanor. "I must warn you, these pokémon are quite an unsettling sight to see." 

"I have to see it!" Twilight exclaimed. "I mean, how can you learn if you don't get out of your comfort zone?" 

"Wise words, Twilight Sparkle." Chrysalis smiled proudly, "Now follow."  Chrysalis led her down another hallway towards another row of tanks. There were four pens, each pair with a pair of pokémon inside. 

Disturbing barely did justice to the pokémon Twilight saw. "W-w-what have you done?" She cried. 

"You are wrong Twilight Sparkle." She reassured grimly. "These pokémon are natural breeds. The two on your left are called Ponyta and Rapidash. Those on your right are called Mudsbray and Mudsdale."
> Chapter 23- The Origins of Ponies
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	"I don't understand…" Twilight said with a tremble in her voice, "These pokémon look just like ponies!" 

Chrysalis nodded. "Indeed. We've theorized that all three of the tribes of ponies can trace their lineage to these pokémon. For years I studied the relationship between pony and pokémon, and what I found was shocking. You see, because pokémon can reproduce with other species, my theory is that pegasus, unicorn and earth pony all evolved at the same time from a common ancestor. Pegasi and unicorns have more shared genes with the Rapidash line, whereas earth ponies and donkeys share more in common with the Mudsdale line. We still don't have a solid hypothesis as to where Changelings came from, but we suspect the circumstances were similar. 

The idea frightened Twilight. "So are we really just a special kind of Pokémon?"	

Chrysalis shook her head. "As far as we know, no. If it were, you could capture a pony with a pokéball just like any other pokémon. Fortunately, that isn't the case. Although we do share a heritage with these pokémon, there seems to be something special that separates us from them. I hesitate to say it, but something magical."

Chrysalis led Twilight away from the pens and back into the Genesect lab. "You see, many years ago, ponies were much stronger than they are today. Unicorns had much more powerful magic, some supposedly strong enough to perform miracles. Pegasi had much stronger wings, and could keep up with powerful flying-types. Earth ponies were even hardier, and could pull heavy plows by themselves. Changelings too used to be able to transform their very appearance to disguise themselves as ponies. But as time passed, and ponykind started to live alongside pokémon, we no longer needed those powers, and as such, they evolved away. That being the case, we cannot trace any of those abilities to our pokémon ancestors." 

"Then what gave ponies those powers?" Twilight asked eagerly. Chrysalis had just turned her entire perception of the world upside down, and now she desperately wanted answers. 

"We aren't sure. It could have been an adaptation to compete with pokémon in our early years. It also could have been the work of mythical pokémon, although which one I could not say." 

One more thing bothered at Twilight's mind. "So what happened to those pokémon? I've certainly never seen a Ponyta or a Mudsdale before." 

"Owning them and using them in battle is strictly illegal for moral reasons." Chrysalis answered. "It would be like forcing your cousin to battle. They still live wild on a continent far to the south, which only scientists are allowed to visit." 

"Oh." Twilight had nothing else to say. These pokémon still shook her deeply. She had never given much thought to where ponies had come from originally. For some reason, knowing that her ancestors were pokémon was deeply troubling. 

Chrysalis led Twilight away from the lab, offering her a smile. "Thank you for coming to visit Twilight. It isn't too often I get to show off my work. Thank you for giving this old lady some time to brag." 

Twilight smiled back. "It's my pleasure. I love being able to learn about new pokémon." Twilight looked at Chryalis again, focusing in on the old t-shirt peeking out from beneath her lab coat. "By the way, what is that pokémon on your shirt?" 

"Oh this?" she asked, glancing downward at it, "This is Stufful. It's actually quite a common pokémon outside Equestria. If you cross the sea to Griffonstone, you'll find them everywhere." 

Twilight pulled out her pokédex. A quick search confirmed Stufful wasn't listed anywhere. 

"Let me see that," Chrysalis asked. The professor began looking through the options menu of the pokédex, checking the software installed on it. "Here's what's wrong. You only have an Equestria regional pokédex. I assume you'll be going to Griffonstone soon for a badge correct?" 

"Yep." Twilight answered, "That's where I'll probably be going next." 

Chrysalis nodded. "I would recommend visiting Cadence to upgrade this to a national pokédex before you leave. There's a huge number of pokémon that you might never have even heard of out there."

Chrysalis returned to the entrance of the lab, where Twilight's friends were waiting for her. Chrysalis gave the mares an approving nod. "Thank you for coming to visit. It was sincerely a pleasure to show you around. But I assume you aren't just here just to tour the lab, are you?" 

Twilight shook her head. "No ma'am. I'm also here to challenge the Gym Leader here."

Chrysalis flashed a toothy grin. "As it would happen, you're in luck." She opened her coat, revealing a set of pokéballs hanging on the inside. I am the Gym Leader of Hive Omega, and I accept your-"

	Danger, Danger! Intruders detected in Sectors 1, 4 and 6. Danger, Danger!

Alarms began ringing as an explosion rocked the underground laboratory. Chrysalis grit her teeth. Wordlessly, she turned on a computer monitor, looking to a security camera feed. "I knew it." She hissed. Twilight looked over Chrysalis' shoulder. Dozens of Team Umbra operatives were running through the halls, led by two officers in blue scarves.

"I worried this day would come." Chrysalis sighed. "We tried to keep Genesect a secret, but eventually somepony was going to find out." She turned to the six mares, a saddened look plastered on her face. "I'm sorry to ask this of you, but I don't know if my security forces can take care of this. You all seem like capable trainers, would you be willing to help protect the lab?" 

"We'd love-" Twilight started, but was cut off by her friends. 

"Come on out Luxio!" Rainbow Dash shouted. 

"Phanpy, I need ya!" Applejack added. 

Pinkie and Rarity followed up with Lombre and Zorua, and even Fluttershy produced her Buneary.

"Thank you, truly." Chrysalis smiled. She assumed a harsh glare. "Twilight, come with me, we need to secure Genesect. The rest of you, protect the lab. If their numbers become too great, use this key to lock the door." Chrysalis tossed Applejack a keycard, and took off with Twilight. 

"Alright gang, let's show them Team Umbra bums who's boss!" Applejack declared. 

"Right!" 





Chrysalis and Twilight ran through the lab, dodging Team Umbra grunts and ducking through steel security doors as they closed. They kept up their pace until they reached the Genesect lab, which was empty save for the few scientists working there. 

Chrysalis reached into her lab coat and took out two Pokéballs. "Heracross, Pinsir, I need you." Chrysalis whispered. Her two bug types came out, turning to face the shut door. 

Twilight looked at her own pokéballs. "Cubone, Ivysaur, come on out." 

They stood there with their pokémon, waiting for Team Umbra. After a few minutes, a reddish glow began pulsing through the door. After a moment, a pillar of fire briefly shot through. The door had been breached. 

Two mares stepped through, both wearing the blue Admin scarves. Both of them immediately recognized Twilight, causing them no small amount of agitation. 

"Long time no see, Sparkle." Sunset Shimmer growled. 

"I must admit, I hadn't expected to see you here." Adagio added. "But no matter. We aren't here for you." 

"Chrysalis, let's make this easy." Sunset continued. "Give us what we want and we'll leave your lab intact." 

"Never. I'll never give my research to you cretins." She hissed. 

Adagio sighed. "Very well then. I didn't want it to come to this, but you leave me no choice. Hitmontop, let's go!" 

Chrysalis stepped forward with Heracross. With a sudden motion, she pointed her hoof at Adagio and her Hitmontop. "Aerial ace, go!" Heracross took wing, striking Hitmontop with a claw. Twilight was astonished my Heracross' monstrous strength. One hit and Hitmontop was already looking weakened. 

"Triple kick, go!" Adagio roared in retaliation. Hitmontop lashed out with three kicks, each one more forceful than the last. Heracross guarded each strike, looking no worse for wear. 

Chrysalis smiled. "Your Hitmontop is weak. Heracross, finish it with seismic toss!" 

Heracross wrapped its arms around Hitmontop's body, holding it still while it flew into the air. Once it had reached the ceiling of the cavern, Heracross somersaulted midair, placing Hitmontop between it and the ground, and let them both fall. When they landed, Heracross smashed Hitmontop into the ground, leaving it embedded in the cement floor. Hitmontop was very much out of commission.

Anger radiated from Adagio. She had not expected to be defeated so easily. However, she calmly reached into her uniform and pulled out a Quick Ball. "Entei, crush these insects like the pests they are." She growled. 

Entei burst forth from the ball, landing on the ground with a roar. Chrysalis quickly pulled Heracross back into his ball before allowing Pinsir to take his place. 

"Still going to fight us with your bugs?" Sunset taunted. "A scientist of your renown should know to never use a bug-type against a fire-type."

Chrysalis' eyes were hidden behind a gleam on her glasses. "You'll find my bug pokémon to be more than you bargained for." Without another word, Chrysalis pressed her hoof up to the pendant on her neck. A bright aura began to emit from it and Pinsir, enveloping the pokémon in a blazing sphere of light. Twilight tried to process what was happening. It reminded her of seeing pokémon evolve, but this was something wholly new. 

When the light faded and Pinsir became visible again, it had changed. It now sported a pair of wings and piercing yellow eyes. 

Both Adagio and Sunset Shimmer were alarmed. "Sweet Celestia, did that disgusting thing just Mega Evolve?"

Mega Evolution? Twilight recalled back to the conversation she'd had with Cadence, asking her about the keystone. She had mentioned that Mega Evolution put a pokémon into a hyper-powerful state during battle. She looked onward in amazement. She had not known what to expect a Mega pokémon to look like, but Pinsir seemed to fit the bill perfectly. 

"Entei, Flamethrower!" Adagio commanded. 

"Dodge." Chrysalis calmly said back. Entei's mouth brimmed with flames, which it shot in a lancing beam toward Pinsir. But with its new wings, Pinsir easily moved out of the way. Chrysalis smiled. "Retaliate with double hit." Pinsir flew down to Entei, lashing out twice with its arms, striking it surprisingly hard.

That hit was incredible. Twilight had not expected Pinsir's attack to do as much damage as it had. Chrysalis chuckled, sensing Twilight's awe. "Twilight." She said, her attention never breaking from the battle before her, "When Pinsir Mega Evolves, its ability becomes Aerilate, which turns all of its normal-type moves to the flying-type. Mega Pinsir is also a flying-type, so all of his flying-type attacks become stronger as a result."

"Hey grandma, pay attention!" Adagio yelled. "Entei, hit them with an eruption!"

Entei began to loose huge spouts of fire, bathing the battlefield in flame. As evasive as he was, Pinsir was not able to dodge it all, and was quite obviously suffering. 

"Pinsir," Chrysalis commanded, her calm voice having the slightest edge of annoyance in it. "Guillotine. Now." Pinsir flew at Entei at nauseating speed, its large pincers spread wide and ready to snap shut. It stopped the instant it reached Entei, snapping the massive mandibles shut with an audible crack. Entei fell over instantly, knocked out by the single hit. 

Adagio's jaw dropped. "Inconceivable! How could my legendary pokémon lose!"

Sunset Shimmer sighed. "Typical Adagio. Allow me to show you how to handle a legendary pokémon." She held out her own pokéball,  tossing it onto the ground. "Moltres, come forth!" Moltres emerged and spread its fiery wings, letting out a commanding cry. 

Chrysalis turned to Twilight, speaking to her in a raspy whisper. "Twilight, I need you to grab my helmet." She commanded. "Once you get it, I need you to press the big red button on the computer console and type in the password 'Stufful'."  Without a word, Twilight galloped off, grabbing the device and punching the password into the computer. As she returned the helmet to Chrysalis, a red alarm began to ring, allowing a prerecorded message of Chrysalis began to play.  

Vault override command has been accepted. Genesect containment unit offline.

The walls to the containment cell holding Genesect were pulled down into the floor. Chrysalis smiled and put on her helmet. A flash emitted from the eyes of the helmet and then Genesect adopted a rigid stance. Twilight smiled. They're in for it now. 

Genesect ran to Chrysalis' side, turning to fearlessly face Moltres. The light on its cannon cycled through colors until it settled on blue. Chrysalis smiled at her opponent. "If you want to fight legendary pokémon, I'm more than happy to oblige. This is Genesect, and it shall be your opponent."

Sunset Shimmer didn't waste any time. "Moltres, flamethrower!" She roared. 

"Techno blast." Chrysalis ordered in response.

The two pokémon fired off their beams. To the surprise of everypony but Chrysalis, techno blast's watery beam began to push back against the flames. Surely enough, it was overpowering Moltres. 

The spray hit Moltres like a fire hose, causing the legendary bird to shriek in pain. Huge amounts of steam rose off Moltres. The water-type attack had hit it like a train. 

Sunset was visibly worried. Her pokémon, her legendary pokémon, was being beaten easily. The techno blast hit had been so powerful, Twilight suspected Moltres wouldn't be able to take another hit of that power. 

Chrysalis wasn't going to take any more risks. "Shock wave, go." She grinned as a lance of lightning arced out of Genesect's cannon. Try as it might to evade, the surge followed, striking Moltres and knocking it out of the air. 





While Chrysalis and Twilight dealt with the admins, Rainbow Dash, Applejack and the rest had their hooves full with a small army of Team Umbra grunts. They had set themselves up in a line, standing between the criminal gang and the tunnel that led down to where Twilight and Chrysalis had gone. 

"Luxio, hit 'em with another thunder fang!" Rainbow shouted. Luxio sank its fangs into yet another Raticate, taking down another grunt and causing him to gallop back the way he'd come. 

Applejack smiled to her as her Phanpy landed a clean rollout onto the opposing Bibarel. "How many you up to Rainbow Dash?" 

"That one makes four!" She answered proudly.

"Heh, just finished six," Applejack bragged.

Rainbow Dash shot her a dirty look. "No fair, three of yours only had one pokémon."

While her friends continued to argue and battle, they remained oblivious to Fluttershy, who was visibly struggling. She was facing off against a Duskull, which continued to hit her with pursuit and will-o-wisps while all Buneary's normal and fighting type attacks couldn't hit it. 

Finally, Rarity came to her rescue. "Zorua, bite!" Her dark-type sunk its teeth into the ghost, knocking it unconscious and allowing Fluttershy a brief respite. "Are you alright dear?"

Fluttershy sniffled, wiping away a tear from her eye. "No."

Rarity gave a sympathetic nod. "Very well. I say it's high time you and I depart. Rainbow Dash! Fluttershy and I are going to retire for now. Can you hold without us?" 

"Hey, more for me!" She answered glibly. Rarity sighed. Luxio Phanpy and Lombre would be enough to hold the line for now. She led Fluttershy down the tunnel deeper into the lab. As they passed through another section of lab, they saw two familiar Team Umbra grunts throwing some mechanical parts into a sack.

"The boss is gonna give us a promotion for sure!" Panic Attack gleefully giggled. 

Crimson Comet laughed in agreement. "That's for sure!" As they turned to leave, they saw the two mares, and froze. 

"Crud!" Panic Attack groaned. "It's those twerps again!" 

"Nah, those are the chumps. But if they're here, then that means the purple one and her friends gotta be here too." Crimson said. They looked at each other for a second. 

"Retreat?" Panic suggested. 

"Fine by me!" Crimson glibly agreed. Without another word, they galloped off, leaving Rarity and Fluttershy staring blankly. 

"Well, they certainly can run fast." Rarity observed. 





"'Let me show you how to handle a legendary pokémon.'" Adagio sarcastically remarked. "Yeah, you sure showed them." 

"Oh be quiet!" Sunset Shimmer snapped. "The boss is going to have both our tails for this." 

As the two commanders continued to argue, the radio in Adagio's pocket began to frantically buzz. She pulled out the transceiver and allowed the message to come through. 

"Boss! We got the goods!" Crimson Comet declared triumphantly. "We're on our way to the rallying point."

"Copy that soldier." Adagio returned her attention to Chrysalis. "Well I'd love to stay and chat, but it seems we have business elsewhere. Sunset Shimmer, come." She took off with Sunset begrudgingly following. 

Chrysalis sighed. She used her helmet to put Genesect back in its containment unit, before removing the device to address Twilight. "I'd feared this day would come for many years now. But now that it's passed, I am no longer afraid. Genesect has proven itself more than capable of protecting this facility."

"I'm glad everything turned out okay." Twilight smiled. "But what were they here for?"

Chrysalis pondered this for a moment. "I couldn't tell you. I had assumed they were after Genesect, but that doesn't seem to be the case. Unfortunately, they got whatever they were after. I'll have to figure that out for myself." She let out a long, relieved sigh. "At any rate, thank you Twilight Sparkle. Now, continuing where we left off earlier, as the Gym Leader of Hive Omega, I accept your challenge." 

"I look forward to it."  Twilight bowed. 

Chrysalis didn't respond. She started looking off into space, pondering something. "Hmm…" She murmured. "Could she be the one..?"

"Pardon?" 

Chrysalis snapped back to reality. "Excuse me. You see, I learned something important from that battle. You can run all the analyses on a pokémon you want, but you will learn far more through battling at their side. In short, I may have a task for you." 

"What would that be?" 

"Twilight, if you prove yourself worthy in our battle , I would ask you to train a pokémon for me. Like Genesect, I still don't know what it's capable of. I am tied to my research here. So I would ask that you train it, and see what its potential really is." Chysalis looked past Twilight, down the hall which housed all of her exhibits. "It deserves it." 

> Chapter 24- Proving Yourself Worthy
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chrysalis led Twilight and her friends down another tunnel, which extended down a way before finally ending at an elevator door. "Just up here is the Hive Omega Gym." Chrysalis announced. "Are you ready, Twilight?"

"Yes!" She emphatically answered. The seven of them crowded into the lift, ascending a great distance before the car came to a halt, opening to reveal a locker room whose walls were covered in all sorts of awards. The room was large, but was set up to be used by only one pony. In one corner there was a small couch and a television set, and in the other there was a small fridge with a half-empty case of sports drinks next to it. Twilight couldn’t help but notice the frankly absurd number of Stufful plush dolls that were scattered throughout the room. 

"This is my personal locker room." Chrysalis explained. "Usually challengers never come in here, but there's no sense in making you take the long way around to the main entrance. There is another room for challengers and company on the other side of the stadium. My drones will show you there." On cue, two small drones wearing green polo shirts appeared and wordlessly escorted Twilight and company out of the locker room, travelling down the hallway until they reached the challenger's room. Along the way they passed a very busy thoroughfare through the stadium. Easily hundreds of Changelings were standing in the hall, chittering among themselves or waiting in line at one of several food vendor's booths. 

Rounding a corner they reached the entrance to the challenger's locker room, which was gated behind an "Authorized Ponies Only" sign. The room was more plainly decorated than Chrysalis' room, lacking the host of awards or small army of stuffed Stufful. The few posters hanging on the wall explained the rules of gym battle,  or explained simple safety procedures. There were several sturdy chairs and a table, along with another fridge, filled with complementary beverages for the visitors. She, Rainbow and Pinkie each helped themselves to a bottle of lemonade. 

"So, what's the plan Twi?" Rainbow Dash asked, taking a sip of her fizzy beverage. 

Twilight hesitated. She would be allowed the use of three pokémon, but none of her team matched up favorably against bug-types. 

"Helioptile." Twilight said finally. "A lot of bug-types are also flying-type, so having an electric-type on hoof would be good."

She sat back on her haunches, and began to realize she didn't have too many options. Gible was out of the question, which left her to choose between Cubone, Espeon, and Ivysaur. She cringed. Cubone would go because he matched up well against poison types, but no matter how she cut it, she would have to use either Ivysaur or Espeon, both of which were weak to bug pokémon. 

Twilight considered their moves. Espeon knows psychic attacks. Those will be useful if she uses her Heracross. Psychic attacks were at least normally effective against bugs, so Espeon would have her innate power to rely on, if she could avoid whatever bug attacks Chrysalis would throw at her. 

Ivysaur can use a couple poison attacks, which are normally effective against bug-types. Twilight mused. Poison types also resist bug, so he has that going… But then again there were the flying types she had to worry about. At present, Twilight knew she had a Heracross available, which knew aerial ace, and her Pinsir was a flying-type in mega form, as were all its attacks. But she wouldn't use a mega in her gym battle, right? 

With a final sigh, she decided on Ivysaur. If the situation called for it, she could use Espeon instead, but at the moment Ivysaur seemed like the better choice. 

With a round of wishes of luck, Twilight and her friends parted ways. Twilight stepped forward into the tunnel while her friends took to the stands. As she stepped out of the concrete tube, she held up a hoof to shield her eyes from the blinding light of countless banks of lights illuminating the night sky. As her eyes adjusted, she was able to make out the vastness of the stadium, each seat packed with black changeling bodies. Twilight had known the arena was large just from walking around inside; both locker rooms were on opposite sides of the stadium and there was a large distance between them. But still, the stadium managed to defy Twilight's expectation. The arena looked like the ones she would see on TV, where large-scale tournaments were held. 

Compared to all the gyms she had previously battled, this one was on a whole new level of grandeur. The Ponyville gym was a mere set of bleachers. Fillydelphia was a relatively large indoor stadium. Appleoosa didn't even have a formal gym and the battle was fought in the town. Even the Appleoosa cup was dwarfed by this huge structure. There were thousands of Changelings in the audience, in addition to five colorful spots seated directly behind her in the sea of blackness. 

"Welcome to the Hive Omega Gym!" Chrysalis announced over a microphone. She stood on the opposite side to Twilight, having changed into another bleached white coat with a green undershirt. She looked much more official without the Stufful shirt, but her body language was much more confident. "Challenger, are you ready?" 

"Yes!" Twilight shouted back. 

Chrysalis grinned. "Today's battle will test three of each trainer's pokémon against each other. The battle will continue until one trainer can no longer battle. Twilight Sparkle, if you are victorious, I will entrust you with the Swarm Badge. So without further ado, let the battle begin!"

The stadium erupted in cheers as each trainer prepared their first pokémon. Chrysalis would choose first, then Twilight. Chrysalis pensively selected a ball, releasing her first pokémon. "Come out, Venemoth!" 

Twilight pulled out her pokédex. Venemoth, the Poison Moth pokémon. When Venemoth beats its wings, it scatters toxic scales that are poisonous if they are inhaled or touch the skin. 

A poison type, huh? Twilight briefly thought to open up with Espeon, but she reconsidered. Cubone would still have a type advantage with his ground attacks against a poison type.  "Cubone, come on!"

Cubone landed on the ground, holding his bone out against his opponent. 

The stadium went silent for a few moment as both trainer and pokémon sized up their opponent. Undoubtedly, Venemoth was going to be faster than Cubone, and Chrysalis wasted no time giving her opening command. "Infestation, let's go!" 

Venemoth's gossamer wings spread a vast cloud of small buzzing insects at Cubone. Try as he might to swat them with his bone, the vast majority landed on him and began to bite. 

"Don't let them get away with that!" Twilight urged. "Bonemerang!" Her command fell on deaf ears as Cubone swatted at the bugs crawling all over his body. 

I didn't want to have to do this, but if I want to win, I'm going to need to switch. There was no way Cubone would be able to fight at his fullest if he had to deal with Venemoth's infestation. I guess it's Helioptile's turn. "Cubone, return!" She ordered. She pulled Cubone back, preparing Helioptile's pokéball. She grinned. The switch may have lost her a chance to attack, but luckily she had taught it a move that should be able to compensate. "Come on, Helioptile!" 

Chrysalis nodded absentmindedly at the change. "Switching your pokémon in order to mitigate the effects of Infestation. Very well. Confusion!" Venemoth's eyes lit up with a psychic aura, dazing Helioptile. 

Twilight grimaced. "You'll have to do better than that! Helioptile, return with a parabolic charge!" A bolt of electricity fired at Venemoth, electrocuting the insectoid pokémon. Immediately after it hit, the charge returned to Helioptile, reinvigorating it. 

"Smart. Using a move like that to keep up your stamina." Chrysalis' praising tone threw Twilight off guard. The way she was speaking sounded more like she was teaching Twilight a game, not engaging in a gym battle. 

She doesn't feel threatened yet. She realized. Chrysalis was no doubt the smartest opponent she had fought thus far. As a gym leader she had probably seen this scenario play out hundreds of times or more… 

"Venemoth! Silver wind!" She announced. 

"Volt switch!" Twilight yelled in return. Helioptile cloaked itself in a veil of lightning, firing itself at Venemoth as a silver haze began to emit from its rapidly flapping wings. Helioptile hit with a massive impact, knocking Venemoth to the ground. Helioptile bounced back towards Twilight, who readied its pokéball.  Now let's get Cubone back in here. 

Cubone sprang back onto the battlefield, standing before Chrysalis' downed Venemoth. "Venemoth, are you alright?" Chrysalis asked her pokémon. With a weak chitter, Venemoth rose from the ground. "Alright, if you're sure. Go for a psybeam!"

"Bonemerang!" Twilight commanded. Cubone's bone flew through the air, going through Venemoth's psychic beam and clobbering it in the face, knocking it to the ground. 

"Well done Venemoth. Come back." Chrysalis returned Venemoth to its pokéball, nodding to Twilight to acknowledge this small victory. 

"Good job Cubone!" Twilight praised. As she finished speaking, she noticed that Cubone was staring at the sky, entranced. Through the floodlights, Twilight could see a huge full moon in the cloudless sky. Cubone's tiny hands tightened around the bone. It shrieked aloud, as a dark and malefic aura surrounded the tiny pokémon. Twilight was aghast. It looked like it was evolving, but no evolution she had seen had ever been quite so horrific. Cubone roared with an anguished rage, as the dark aura was replaced by one of bluish-green flame. Then at once, the aura faded, leaving a new pokémon in its place. 

Twilight pulled out her pokédex. Marowak, the --ne ke--er pok-mon. Mar---- is -----ed w--- us--- its b--- as a ---pon, an- is f--rce-- prote-tive of -ubon-. She shook her pokédex, trying to see what was the matter with it. The image was covered in static, but from what little she could see, the Marowak on the screen looked completely different than the one before her. She knew what Marowak usually looked like. This one was slimmer, and a much darker color than the sandy brown that was similar to Cubone's. Marowak twirled his bone, striking it on the dark patch on its skull, igniting it in a ghastly fire. 

It's definitely a Marowak, but that doesn't look like any Marowak I've ever seen. I'd better just stick with moves I know it can use. Something about her pokémon was causing her pokédex to glitch out, so she meant to proceed with caution.

Chrysalis remained unusually silent throughout the process. She stowed Venemoth's pokéball away in her coat, and readied her next pokémon. "Scyther, come out." 

Twilight recalled Marowak. In spite of its evolution she still had no idea what its limits were and what it could do. Better be safe with Helioptile. 

"Scyther! Strike with x-scissor!" Chrysalis ordered. 

Chrysalis caught Twilight off guard. She was still musing to herself about Cubone evolving when she was already forced back into battle. "Thunder shock!" Twilight ordered back. Helioptile released a charge at Scyther, zapping the flying type out of the air. 

Chrysalis bit her lip. "You're doing well Twilight. But keep your guard up. Scyther, use double team!" Scyther split itself into a dozen identical clones, each one brandishing its blades at Helioptile. 

Twilight was prepared for this situation. "Helioptile, parabolic charge!" Helioptile readied an electric charge, firing off at the first Scyther available. The charge hit the clone and destroyed it, but the charge bounced off the clone and arced onto the next one. With each bounce the jolt dispelled a clone and moved on to the next one, travelling between each clone, trying ultimately to create a circuit between itself and the true Scyther. 

"SCYYYYYYYYTHER!" The surge hit its mark, electrocuting the real Scyther and returning back to Helioptile. The barrage of electric attacks had overwhelmed Scyther, knocking the flying-type out.  Chrysalis pulled her pokémon back into its ball, nodding at Twilight. 

"Well done, Twilight Sparkle. One more pokémon stands between you and your badge. However, be warned. Your tactics with Helioptile won't work on this one. Galvantula, come forth!" 

Twilight pulled Helioptile back. Using electric attacks was not going to work. This left her with two options. She was locked in with Marowak, but his abilities were still untested. She still had Espeon and Ivysaur on hoof. With a sigh, Twilight tossed out Espeon. 

"Espi!" Her pokémon cried. 

"A psychic type?" Chrysalis laughed. "Making things harder for yourself, eh? Galvantula, electroweb!" Galvantula hurled a wad of electrified webbing at Espeon, entrapping it in the sticky mess. 

Twilight was unfazed. "Calm mind. We can do this." Espeon closed its eyes, focusing her mind in preparation. 

"Signal beam!" Chrysalis knew what Twilight was trying to do and was intent on making sure she did not have the time to do it. Galvantula released a perplexing beam at Espeon, knocking her back but thanks to the defensive increase her calm mind had given her, she seemed unscathed. 

Twilight carefully assessed her pokémon's condition. If she were to unleash her attack now, she might not have the power necessary to knock out Galvantula in one hit. Espeon should be able to raise enough defensive power to survive another attack… I hope. "Calm mind!" 

Espeon further braced itself, desperately trying to put its focus into surviving the next attack and dishing out more damage after. 

Chrysalis smiled. "Looks like it comes down to this. Galvantula, go for signal beam." Galvantula fired off another massive beam that knocked Espeon flying. Twilight cringed. Espeon landed on the ground, twitching. 

"Espeon? Are you alright?" Twilight asked frantically. The stadium had gone silent. With a strained groan, Espeon found her footing, taking a stand before Galvantula. Twilight smiled. "Alright Espeon, let's end this! Let loose with a hyper beam!"

Espeon fired a massive blast of pure energy at Galvantula, enveloping it in the blazing beam of energy. When the blast cleared, Galvantula fell over, scorched by the intensity of the blazing beam. 

"Well done Galvantula." Chrysalis said with an approving nod.  "You've done well Twilight. Your pokémon are quite strong, and confident besides. And you aren't a slouch either. It is my pleasure to present you with the Swarm Badge."

Twilight placed the badge with the other three in her case. She smiled with delight. She now had half of the badges she would need. 

"And as promised, here is the other gift I promised to entrust you with." Chrysalis handed her a pokéball, a standard red ball with the mark of the Chrysalis laboratory marked on it. Twilight hesitantly opened the ball, unsure what was inside. 

"Grrrr…" The pokémon hesitantly growled. 

Twilight stepped back. "Is that your Type: Null?" 

"No, it's your Type: Null." Chrysalis corrected. "This pokémon needs somepony to train it and befriend it. I still don't know what this pokémon can do, but I want you to be able to raise it and help it grow." 

Applejack's words echoed through her head. What kind of a silly name is that? She was right. If she was going to raise this pokémon, it would need a nickname. 

"Twilight smiled. "Welcome to the team, Silvia."
> Chapter 25- Type: Null Troubles
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight and company spent the night as guests of Professor Chrysalis, well taken care of in her comfortable guest room. The following morning, she made a point to fill their backpacks with food and other supplies to make the trip back to Ponyville, along with a bound research notebook which she entrusted in Twilight's care. 

"Take this and study it." She advised. "It's not much but it contains all the information we have gathered about Type: Null." 

Twilight eagerly took the book. "I'll memorize every word!" She dutifully answered. 

"Type: Null has never seen the world beyond my lab. Thank you so much for allowing  it to experience the world." 

"It’s my pleasure professor." 

With a wave, Chrysalis bid farewell to Twilight and her friends. The six made their way back to Ponyville along Route 14, a long and uneventful trek. Ten days later as the sun drew low, they finally arrived, exhausted from the long hike. 

"Whew, I'm beat!" Dash declared. "Sleeping in my own bed is gonna feel great! Hey Twi, wanna crash at my place tonight?" 

"Please!" Twilight answered with an exacerbated sigh. "Just let me stop in at the Pokémon Center. I need to make a call." 

Twilight walked to the Pokémon Center, depositing herself on the cushioned seats at the video phones. She slipped a couple coins into the slots and dialed Cadence's number. 

"Twilight?" Cadence answered. The signal was patchy at first but soon the static faded, revealing her old friend in front of the camera with a strange pokémon taking up the lower half of the screen. It was blackish with pink bumps on it, and a white mouth and a tail like a cotton ball. 

"Cadence, what is that pokémon?" She asked. Twilight didn't think she had ever seen so shabby looking a pokémon before.

"Oh, say hi to Puku!" Cadence beamed. "Actually I've been doing a lot of research into this little guy the last few days. It's such a fascinating species."

"Well, what is it?" Twilight was certainly unfamiliar with this pokémon, but after Chrysalis had made her aware her pokédex wasn't complete, she wasn’t surprised. 

"Well, it's called Pyukumuku, and if nothing else they're stubborn. Once they find a spot they like they won't move, even if it gets hungry. I keep moving him around the lab but he always shows back up in his spot again."

"And that spot is in front of the camera." Twilight concluded. She had to admit, the pokémon did seem oddly content. Simple pleasures, I guess…

"Yup." Cadence giggled. "Still, he's a pretty funny guy. The goo on his body is actually a really nice moisturizer for the skin. They use the stuff in a lot of popular beauty products too." 

Remind me to throw out all of the moisturizer Mom got me for Hearth's Warming… Twilight mused. She shook her head and returned her thoughts to the matter at hoof. "Um, actually Cadence, that reminds me. I think my next stop for a Gym battle is Griffonstone, so do you think you could update my pokédex? It's my understanding there's a lot of pokémon in Griffonstone that aren't in the Equestria Pokédex."

Cadence nodded. "No problem. I was thinking it was about time for me to give you a national pokédex anyway. I think there's a cord connected to the phone. Plug your pokédex into it, and I can send you the update." Twilight did as she was told, inserting the cable into a small port on the pokédex base. The screen was replaced by a spinning pokéball and a blinking "Loading" message. 

"So, have you caught any new pokémon lately?" Cadence asked, making small talk while Twilight's device was updated. 

"Actually, I got a little gift from Chrysalis." She smiled. Looking around to make sure nopony was around, she opened the pokéball, allowing Silvia to come out. 

"SWEET CELESTIA! What is that thing?" Cadence screamed. She fell backwards in her chair, landing off-screen with a crash. Even Puku fled from his spot, although Twilight had no clue how a pokémon with no legs could move so fast. 

"This is Silvia." Twilight explained calmly, trying to calm Cadence down. "Don’t worry, it's nice. If anything it's better behaved than the Gible Shining Armor gave me." 

Cadence's attention wasn't on Twilight. Her gaze was firmly locked onto Silvia. "Chrysalis just couldn't help herself, could she?" She said in a mumbled growl.  

Twilight defensively wrapped her hooves around the metal helmet on Silvia's skull. "What's wrong with it? Chrysalis might have made it but Silvia is still a pokémon!" 

"Twilight, it's an abomination. Literally a chimera." Cadence said at last. "I've studied pokémon and their habitat for years, and the effects pony-made pokémon can have on the environment. Playing God only leads to disaster."

"How so?" Her question was asked hesitantly. Twilight didn't know what was coming but she was pretty sure she wouldn't like the answer. 

Cadence shoved Puku aside. Her camera went dead, and was immediately replaced by a newspaper headline dated eight years ago. Twilight pulled her chair closer to read it. 

Mysterious Pokémon Levels Trottingham Forest

An unidentified pokémon appeared last week outside the town of Trottingham, and summarily leveled the forest bordering the town to the north. Experts estimate that 70,000 acres of forest were laid waste to, displacing large populations of Sentret, Starly, Eevee and Cutiefly, and more worryingly, has destroyed one of the only major breeding sites for Skarmory in the region.

Some have speculated that this incident and the explosion that destroyed half of Hive Omega last week may be correlated, but no information is available at this time. The Equestria Daily has attempted to contact Professor Chrysalis about the matter, but so far she has refrained from commenting on the matter. The Equestrian Conservation Society has dispatched aid to the area to help relocate any displaced populations and to lead in a restoration effort, but rebuilding the ecosystem could take years, potentially decades or longer. 

In the meantime, trainers are asked to avoid the area at all costs. Populations of pokémon will be in a disturbed state as they try to relocate, and the possibility of a powerful renegade pokémon lurking in the area is still high. 

After a few minutes, Cadence's scowling face returned to the screen, with Puku trying to nuzzle its way back into its spot. "That incident was caused by the Mewtwo she let loose. That monster displaced millions of poor pokémon, and as far as we know, Mewtwo is still out there. The last thing we need is another one of Chrysalis' creations going on a rampage." Cadence sighed, stroking Puku in an effort to calm herself down. "Look, Twilight. That pokémon is a danger to you and everything around it. I just want to stop another Mewtwo-level disaster from happening. Look, how about I trade you for it? I have a pretty rare pokémon here, it's a Larvitar. I'll give it to you for that… thing." 

Twilight was shaken, but still wasn't quite ready to submit yet. "Um, Cadence? Can we talk about this tomorrow? I need some time to think." 

Cadence groaned in annoyance. "Fine Twilight. Just promise me you'll call okay?"

"Promise." She affirmed. The screen went black, and Twilight unplugged her pokédex from the monitor. She began browsing through and to her delight saw all sorts of new pokémon listed. She even noticed the Mudsdale and Rapidash families listed, which came as a surprise. She raised an eyebrow when she got towards the bottom. Type: Null was listed, but there was almost no information available. 

Huh. I wonder what that means. She put Silvia away and left the pokémon center, cantering her way over to Rainbow Dash's house, mulling over all sorts of bad feelings. Her thoughts returned to the Type: Null research that was in her backpack. She hadn't gotten a chance to read it in much detail during the hike, because usually by the time they stopped for the night it was already too dark to read, and she was exhausted from the hike besides. But now that they were back in Ponyville and didn't have anywhere to be, she could read to her heart's content. Hopefully there's some good news in those documents. 

She arrived at Rainbow's house a few minutes later. Dash let her in and invited her onto her balcony, where the two of them sat with a cooler of cider between them, talking back and forth while Twilight poured over the journal. 

	Type: Null has proven completely sterile. This news comes as a relief, as we are not sure how its synthesized DNA would react in the process of reproduction. Tests have confirmed that not even Ditto can be used to induce procreation. We will be able to control the population size, which also means we will also be more able to account for all individuals of the species at any given time. 

"Well that's good." Twilight murmured to herself. She was looking for anything to talk Cadence down, and while this wasn't anything groundbreaking, it would at least be ammunition should she need it. She returned to the papers and kept reading. 

	Type: Null's helmet is used to suppress its innate power. When removed, it is estimated to have similar power to minor legendary pokémon. 

Incredible.  She had known Silvia would be strong, but it seemed hard to believe it could be that powerful. She kept reading the same passage further. 

	Even with the helmet to control its strength, Type: Null is still quite powerful in all metrics, and can rival the strength of most fully evolved Starter Pokémon. 

Twilight thought back to the pokéballs in her backpack. That meant Type: Null was already  of similar strength to the Venusaur her Ivysaur would eventually become.

Finally, Twilight snapped the book closed. She had been looking for anything to justify keeping Silvia, but realization had dawned on her: She didn’t need any.  

I have to do what's right by Chrysalis. And by Silvia.  Chrysalis entrusted her with Type: Null to take care of it. She was not going to violate her trust by surrendering it to Cadence, who would probably keep it locked away forever, or worse. No matter what, Silvia was still a pokémon, and it didn't seem like it was a bad pokémon either. And more important than anything else, Silvia was her pokémon. 

"I'm going to tell Cadence no." Twilight announced.  "I can't betray Silvia." 

"Good luck Twi." Rainbow said, slapping an encouraging hoof to her back. "Just do what your heart says is right." 

Twilight galloped out the door, rushing back to the pokémon center and thrusting her money into the coin slot. Cadence showed up onscreen again, absentmindedly observing Puku as it sat in its spot, utterly ignoring the huge pile of succulent berries just barely out of its reach. 

"Cadence!" Twilight's voice caused the scientist to lose her concentration on her Pyukumuku, drawing her gaze to the camera. "I've made my decision."

"Alright Twilight. I'll get the Larvitar sent over to you at once." Cadence said with a smile. 

She shook her head, adopting a stone-cold stare to the camera. "No. I'm keeping Silvia. I know you don't think so, but at the end of the day, it's still a pokémon. And as a pokémon trainer it's my duty to protect and care for my partners, because I care for and believe in them."

"Twilight, I think you're making a mistake here-" Cadence objected. 

"I don't." Her response was utterly free of doubt. Twilight's convictions were strong, and she would not allow herself to be swayed. 

Cadence gave her a sterner glare than she'd ever seen before. "Alright Twilight. I'll let you keep Type: Null. But if that thing gets loose and hurts even the smallest Rattata, I will have your trainer's license revoked." 

Can she do that? Twilight decided she best not even dare to ask. "Alright Cadence. But you'll see. Silvia won't cause any trouble. And when it comes time for me to challenge the Pokémon League, Silvia will be at my side."

Cadence's face softened into a smug grin. "Very well then. Speaking of which, a certain somepony just had her application to join the League accepted. So when you come to Canterlot Castle to challenge the Elite Four, you and your Type: Null will have to get through me and my fairy-types." Wigglytuff suddenly sprang out of her pokéball, making punching motions toward the camera. 

"I look forward to it." Twilight hung up the phone with a relaxed sigh. She had won the fight to keep Silvia. Six pokémon waited in her bag. With the exception of Gible, she had faith in every last one of them for the battles to come. Look out Cadence, and pokémon league. We're coming for you. 

She pulled out her town map. Griffonstone, far beyond the sea, was next on the list. She'd need to catch a boat out that way. Manehattan seemed to be the best place to get a ferry. When morning came around, that was where she would head.
> Chapter 26- To Griffonstone!
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The next morning, Twilight got her things together and prepared to make the journey across the ocean to Griffonstone. That was the location of the next gym, the leader of which was supposedly an expert in rock-types. 

Travelling to Manehattan by way of train, the six mares enjoyed the respite offered by the cushioned seats of the train car after two ten day hikes with barely any rest in between them. Twilight's hooves still ached off the back of the trip, but with a new badge in her case and a pokémon that not a single other pony in Equestria had in her possession, she considered the voyage well worth it. 

The train ground to a halt in Manehattan Central Station, putting the six mares on a familiar strip of Bridleway. "Doesn't this bring back memories?" Applejack chuckled. 

"It wasn't that long ago." Twilight said back. Hard to believe the whole business with Team Umbra had gone down less than a month ago. The short time she had been on her journey had been without a doubt the most eventful time of her life. 

Bridleway was as busy as it was the last time they were there, but instead of turning deeper into the city, they turned toward the harbor, looking for a ferry company where they could buy tickets. 

The streets surrounding the docks were currently packed. An outdoor market was taking place, and vendors eagerly lined the streets to peddle their wares. They passed by ponies of all stripes, a few Griffons and even a Changeling at stalls selling everything they could imagine. 

One cart managed to draw in Twilight's attention. A grizzled old Griffon sat in a beaten up lawn chair, with stacks upon stacks of stones on display. "Come 'ere ladies. Let Kugo show you some wonderful items."

"I'd stay away from that fellow if I was you." Rarity advised. Her words fell on deaf ears, as most of the mares had already gravitated toward the old seller of curios. 

"I see ye've got an eye for quality. " He chuckled. "I sell evolution stone, ye see. We find 'em every now an' again back in Griffonstone. If ever you need pokémon to evolve, I can sell you what you need."

Twilight thought about the Griffon's offer. Marowak and Espeon were fully evolved, Gible and Ivysaur she knew didn't need stones, and she had no idea what could happen to Silvia, or if it was even capable of evolving. Helioptile though…

She brought Helioptile out from its ball. "My Helioptile would need a Sun Stone to evolve, right?"

Kugo nodded. "Smart little pony. That's right. And as it would happen, I have one here. Last in stock, too. Care to take it off these wrinkled claws?" 

"Yes please." Twilight gave him her bits, probably more than it was worth, but she didn’t care. In return he gave her the Sun Stone. "Enjoy your Heliolisk, girlie. Can I perhaps help anypony else?"

"Oooh! Me! Meeee!" Pinkie cried. 

The Griffon beckoned her towards his stand. "What pokémon have ye got, girlie?"

Pinkie produced her pokéballs. "These are my babies! Skiploom, Lombre, and Exeggcute."

Unfortunately, I'm sold out of Water Stones, so I won't be able to help ye with yer Lombre. But an Exeggcute ye say?" Kugo scratched the ruffled feathers on his chin. "It's been too many years since I laid eyes on one of those. Brings back some good memories. I tell you what, you trainers wouldn't happen to be on a journey, would ye?" 

"Yep!" She gleefully answered. 

"Any chance you'll be going to Griffonstone soon?" He asked. 

"Actually, that's where we're going now." Twilight answered. 

Kugo smiled. "Well if that's the case, I want you to have this Leaf Stone." He pressed the stone into Pinkie's hooves and chuckled. "But I need to ask ye one favor. Don't use that there stone until you get to Griffonstone, ya hear?" 

"Why?" Pinkie asked. 

The old Griffon laughed to himself. "You'll see." 

With that, they walked away from the stall and resumed their search for a ferry. Applejack grinned at Pinkie. "Yer mighty lucky, Pinkie. He saved ya a bundle just givin' you that stone."

"True, but why in Equestria did that old Griffon just give it away for free?" Rarity interjected. "Griffons are notorious penny-pinchers. I'm quite suspicious."

"Maybe he just really likes Exeggutor?" Rainbow suggested. 

Pinkie shrugged. "Still, it kinda stinks I have to wait until we get to Griffonstone to use it…"

Twilight nudged her on the shoulder. "If it makes you feel any better, I'll hold off on evolving Helioptile until we get there. We can do it together." 

"That sounds fun!" Pinkie giggled. "Bet my cute little eggy-weggies will be super excited!"

Finally, they found a ferry station advertising fast passage to Griffonstone. They purchased tickets and made their way aboard the ship. The voyage would take four days, leaving them with some time to decompress aboard the SS Cascade, a large vessel that provided small compartments to sleep in, as well as buffet meals. Twilight was able to read through Chrysalis' research without interruption, and after that was done, she spent the remainder of her time playing with her pokémon, or battling other trainers on the main deck. Gible remained as hostile as ever, but at this point Twilight was not expecting anything different. Silvia on the other hoof was obeying her commands without hesitation. To her relief, the other passengers had been more amazed by it than horrified. Makes me wonder why Cadence was so afraid. Perhaps it was her personal history with Chrysalis that made her inherently mistrustful of anything the Changeling scientist created. Oh well. She had been allowed to keep Silvia, and that's all that mattered. 

The ferry arrived on the rocky coast of Griffonstone after a smooth and uneventful crossing. Twilight sighed with relief as her hooves made contact with solid ground. Time go get my badge. The time spent on the ship had focused her mind onto that one solitary goal. There wasn't much to do in Griffonstone anyway, so she probably wouldn't miss much by making this trip a short one. 

Griffonstone had a much less friendly atmosphere than did Equestria. Nopony made eye contact with one another or spoke unless absolutely necessary, leaving the air to be filled with the sounds of hooves and claws walking on the stone streets. When anypony did speak, it was usually either in a curt conversation with a vendor on the street, or shouting slurs at one another Twilight had thought had fallen out of use decades ago. 

"Would it kill 'em to show some hospitality?" Applejack commented. 

"I don't think we'll have much of a reason to spend much time here." Twilight sighed. "Is there anything anypony wants to do apart from challenging the gym?"

Rarity raised her voice. "Actually Twilight there is something I would like to do. If I remember correctly, the Griffon who bred my Zorua lives here in Griffonstone. I would very much like to meet him and learn about my precious little devil." 

"Then that's what we'll do." Twilight looked around at the derelict town surrounding them. "But maybe first we should find an inn?"	

As everypony turned to leave, Pinkie Pie refused to move. "Hey Twilight, aren't you forgetting something?"


She whirled around to face Pinkie. "Oh right! We still have to evolve our pokémon!" Twilight dug through her backpack to find Helioptile's ball. "Come on out buddy!" 

Pinkie did the same, letting her Exeggcute onto the ground. 

"So Pinkie, do you want to go first?" Twilight felt a small pang of guilt for forgetting about Pinkie. The whole ride over she had been nearly vibrating with excitement about evolving her Exeggcute. 

She shook her hoof. "Nah. You go Twi." 

"Alright." Twilight pressed the Sun Stone up to Helioptile's forehead. The stone vanished from her hoof, and Helioptile became enshrouded in a bright aura. With an intense flash, the aura cleared, leaving behind a new, stronger pokémon.  

Heliolisk displayed its sun-like frill with a proud hiss. "Heliolissssk!" It cried. 

Everypony turned to Pinkie. "Alright darlin'. It's your turn."

With a gleeful giggle Pinkie pressed the Leaf Stone onto the front egg of her Exeggcute. The group of bouncing pink eggs were caught up in a swirling aura, just like Helioptile was. But in a matter of seconds, things took a turn for the strange. The size of the blazing glow grew gigantic, expanding high up into the air. Twilight looked at the scene, completely taken unaware by this development. This isn't right. Exeggcute shouldn't be getting this big.

With a flash, the aura cleared. The pokémon left behind was an Exeggutor, or at least that's what it looked like. Everypony stared at it blankly for a moment before Rainbow Dash broke the silence. "What's wrong with it?" 

"Shush yourself Dashie!" Pinkie snapped. "Don't you be so mean to him. He's perfect!" She wrapped her hooves around the base of Exeggutor as it plodded around merrily.

Twilight held her pokédex up to Exeggutor. 

	Exeggutor, the Coconut pokémon. In Griffonstone, Exeggutor grew tall in order to take advantage of the more intense sun. Griffon tradition insists that this is in fact the true form of Exeggutor. 

That's interesting. She had seen it first with Marowak, but the entire idea that a pokémon could have different forms based on its environment still came off as incredible. She supposed it was similar to how an Eevee evolves based on so many different factors. She checked through her pokédex, looking up Marowak. Surely enough, the version she had was the variant form native to Griffonstone. How the hay she had gotten in in Equestria was a question she did not have the answer to. Perhaps a visit to Cadence-

Twilight cut herself off. Maybe not right away. She still was a bit on edge around Cadence, and she would probably benefit from giving her some space for a little while. At any rate, now that that's done, we should probably find a place to stay for the night. 

*	* 	*

Twilight and company found a small establishment at the south end of town. It was by no means luxurious, but the prices were fair and the accommodations were comfortable enough. They had gotten themselves settled into their room and taken a seat in the restaurant downstairs, and had just began to browse over the limited menu when the sound of a door slamming loudly at the far end of the restaurant drew every pair of eyes in the building toward the source of the sound. 

Even with the glow of the sun behind the intruders, the uniform of Team Umbra was instantly recognizable. A mare with a light fuchsia coat swaggered into the bar, leading two other goons behind her. The eclipse motif on their uniforms was the same, but these Umbra operatives had a much more rough appearance to them. Their uniforms were torn, but not by wear but instead ripped for fashion, and they each had bandanas with the Team Umbra eclipse tied on their heads or over their mouths. One feature that still remained was the blue scarf denoting the leader as an Admin. 

Aria sauntered her way to the bar, ignoring the many griffons and ponies alike who cowered in fear behind their tables. "Yo feathers, gimme the usual." She demanded, her mouth twisted into an obnoxious smile. 

"Gee Aria, I'd love to, but you and your boys still haven't paid your tab, and-" The griffon was cut off by a ferocious snarl from Aria, and a hoof swiping a pokéball off her belt. 

"Remember what happened the last time we had this conversation, birdbrain?" She threw her pokéball with a cocky grin. "Scrafty, mess 'em up."

Her Scrafty pulled up the baggy skin around its legs, and with a powerful kick caved in part of the bar. It hopped up onto the bar's surface, and grabbed hold of a stool, throwing it toward the barkeep. The portly griffon ducked, but the stool hit the large display of bottles on the shelf at the back of the bar, putting the spilled contents of dozens of exotic alcohols and a rainbow of now-shattered glass bottles on the floor. 

"Please, stop!" He begged. "I'm so sorry, let me make you your drink. On the house." The bartender quickly put together a cocktail from what was left of his liquor. Aria snatched the drink and tossed it back, smashing the glass on the floor. She pulled her Scrafty back into its ball and left without another word, turning to her fellow thugs and laughing. If she had seen Twilight, she didn't recognize her.  

Once they had left, Applejack and Rainbow Dash galloped over and helped the bartender to his feet. "Thank you." he sighed. The bartender wiped himself clean with a dish towel, trying to dry the alcohol from his feathers. 

"What in tarnation was that?" Applejack asked, fetching the frazzled griffon a glass of ice. 

The bartender took the ice and pressed it to his head."A real bunch of jerks, that's what. Team Umbra set up shop here a few months back and they've been running around like they own the place. We here in Griffonstone don't take flak from nopony, but the bunch of them are so freakishly strong, we've had to just sit back and accept it." 

"Hasn't anypony sent for help?" Fluttershy asked.

The barkeep shook his head. "Aria was very specific. She said if they see a single member of the royal guard here, this entire town is toast." 

Twilight stood up. "We've dealt with them before. My friends and I will get them out of Griffonstone." 

The griffon looked at them critically. "Good luck. They've trounced every strong trainer around, even the Gym Leader got her feathery behind kicked by them." 

"I HEARD that Grover." A harsh female voice growled. A female griffon barged into the bar and gave the bartender a long stare. "They cheated me and you know it." 

Grover shrugged. "Doesn't matter now. These here mares think they can take care of Aria and Team Umbra for us."

The Leader looked at Twilight. "I'll believe it when I see it. Although, on behalf of Griffonstone, I have to wish you luck. What's your name by the way?"

"Twilight," she answered. "What's yours?"

"Name's Gilda. I'm a rock-type specialist and the Gym Leader of this miserable land. I've got a bone to pick with Team Umbra, but that Aria is tough, I'll give her that. Not that it's much surprise. Anypony who can handle Raikou is gonna be tough."

How do all these Team Umbra Admins have legendary pokémon? Between Sunset with her Moltres, Adagio and Entei and now Aria with Raikou, she wondered what their leader could possibly have. She then remembered that there had been a third mare in Aria and Adagio's group, and suddenly Twilight realized where the third member of the Legendary Beast trio probably was. 

Twilight spoke out without thinking. "I'll take them on!" She declared. "So long as my friends are at my side, they won't be able to defeat us!" 

Gilda allowed herself a laugh. "You're a piece of work Twilight. But I'll give you this, you've got moxie. I think you're beyond crazy, but if you actually can get those jerks out of here, I think I may have a reward for you."

Why are you doing this Twilight? That was a question she did not have an answer to. Just a few minutes ago she and her friends had planned to get their business done and leave. But now… 

Twilight enjoyed battling with her pokémon. But this was the first time she had so thoroughly wanted to battle somepony. Something about Team Umbra lit a fire in Twilight's eyes, the likes of which she had never felt before. I'm coming for you Aria. I hope you're ready, because your days in Griffonstone are numbered.  
> Chapter 27- Groucho
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight and company had set forth from the inn, eager to track down Team Umbra and get them out of Griffonstone. However, even with so great an amount of determination, there was one thing that she was lacking; a lead. Neither Gilda, nor Grover the bartender, nor any of the other griffons knew where Team Umbra was operating from. After searching around town for any sort of a lead without success, the group opted to abandon the search for the time being and decided to try and make good on Rarity's request to meet the famous breeder, Groucho. 

The old bird was rich, that much was certain. Groucho lived on a large estate to the north of town, a large ranch with rolling fields of well-kept grass and a brick wall surrounding the property. Through the gate, Twilight could see large numbers of pokémon walking around within, with several pony and griffon workers scurrying about all over the place. One of them noticed the group standing outside and moved over to the gate. 

"Good afternoon, may I help you?" She asked politely, leaning up against the gate.  

Rarity stepped forward to answer. "Good afternoon to you too madam. My name is Rarity, and I had hoped that I would be able to meet Mr. Groucho. You see, I received a pokémon of his, and I wanted very much to meet the breeder." 

The worker cringed. "I'm sorry. Mr. Groucho does not usually accept guests, and-"

The husky mare was cut off mid-sentence by a crotchety old squawk. "Get back to work, lazybones!" The worker frantically scurried away from the gate, her place taken by a grizzled old Griffon. Twilight didn't know why, but she knew just from the look of the old hawk that this was the legendary Groucho. "Who are you?" He asked. 

Rarity cleared her throat to repeat herself. "My name is Rarity. I won a pokémon bred at this estate in a competition some time ago. I had wanted to come and learn about the pokémon, and about breeding perhaps. 

The Griffon's eyes narrowed. "Let me see that pokémon." Rarity produced the pokéball her Zorua had came in. The old bird's eyes lit up like stars upon seeing the pokéball. Rarity released Zorua, allowing the small pokémon to spring out and landed with a happy yip. 

"No doubt about it, that's one of my pokémon." Groucho smiled tenderly. "Tell me, how did you come into ownership of little Zorua here?"	

"She was the prize of this year's Appleoosa Trainer's Cup." Rarity answered. 

Groucho nodded, tenderly stroking Zorua's silky coat. "I remember this pokémon. Her mother is an amazing creature, I'll tell you what. A long time ago that Zoroark belonged to Princess Luna herself. The Princess sent her here to be bred, but Zoroark was so happy to be out on the ranch that Princess Luna decided to let her stay. Her lineage has produced some admirable pokémon. A few have been trained to use their ability to disguise themselves to act in movies. One of them even ended up with the Gym Leader in the Crystal Empire."

"That's certainly an impressive resume. Perhaps could I ask you a bit about what you do here?" Rarity put Zorua away in her pokéball, giving her full attention to the master breeder. "I would ever so much like to learn about your art." 

Groucho chuckled at that. "Don’t hear it called that often. But I suppose. I don't get much for company aside from clients and employees. Let me show you around." Groucho lifted his cane and pointed it off toward the large white barn in the distance. "That's where we'll go first."

A cobbled path led the group from the gate to the barn, running along the manicured lawn, several neatly trimmed hedges, and several pokémon milling about or being led by Groucho's employees. A Torterra slept beneath a large oak tree, meanwhile a Flygon jealously guarded a clutch of eggs atop another such tree, which two of the employees were trying and miserably failing to retrieve. 

"It all starts in here." Groucho said to nopony in particular. The here in question was the stark white barn at the far end of the property. Twilight just noticed the solar panels on the roof, and the series of pipes and machines running along the side of it. Having grown up as a part of the upper class in Canterlot, Twilight had taken indoor heat and water for granted before she had began her journey. That a barn could have those same amenities struck her as astounding. 

As she quickly realized, heating and hot water were only the beginning of Groucho's operation. "We spare no expense keeping the expecting mothers comfortable." Comfortable was an understatement. The barn was organized into several stalls, but unlike the barn Applejack owned back in Ponyville, each stall came equipped with a plush matt for the pokémon to sleep on, a tray full of delicate berries and gourmet pokémon food, and other equipment specific to the creature inside. One pen they passed held a pair of Weavile who had just welcomed the first of several baby Sneasel into the world, and along with plenty of food for the new infant pokémon, the pen had a small enclosed box set up that was encased in ice, meant to give the Weavile a chance to enjoy their native climate. 

The next one over held a Talonflame, who sleepily sat atop her eggs. The workers had set up an artificial tree in the pen and allowed her to build herself a nest atop it. The scattered bones of Rattata beneath the pen suggested that this tenant had been allowed to indulge its predatory instincts, while at the same time fighting back any vermin problems. Twilight shuddered. Nature was beautiful but many times those roses had surprisingly sharp thorns. 

"The pokémon we breed fall into one of two categories." Groucho explained, not missing a beat as he kept walking through the well-cleaned barn. "Some of these belong to trainers who wanted to have their pokémon bred for some reason or another, gifts or to keep a good pedigree going. Those usually cost a bit more because we have to set things up specifically for that pokémon. The others are pokémon we breed and sell off, like that Zorua of yours. Of course, they're just as well-bred as the others, but it's easier for us since we have all the equipment already and we can usually expect a bigger return on investment. We keep those ones in special pokéballs we make here. Basically, those balls are a stamp of quality we put on each and every pokémon bred on this property."

"How does one make a pokéball?" Rarity asked. 

Groucho beckoned toward the exit. "Let me show you." He led them out of the barn and off on a long path towards the corner of the property, where trees had been allowed to grow freely and the path shrunk to a dirt trail. Groucho lifted his cane and pointed to a ramshackle old building, which looked like it had barely been maintained in decades. 

"This is where I make all my pokéballs." Groucho said proudly, leading them toward the run-down building. "Don't worry. The building is stable. Enough." 

He led them inside the hut. Sunlight barely passed through the grimy old windows, leaving the entire building lit by faint rays of light that managed to pass through the filth. " This is my old home. Long before I started breeding, I worked here, making pokéballs the old-fashioned way, out of Apricorns." Groucho rested himself on his haunches, looking at the run-down building with fondness. "Even after all these years, I do all my work here to make sure I never forget where I came from. Keeps a bird humble, you know?"

Apricorns, huh? Twilight had once read something about how before they could be mass-manufactured, pokéballs were made using special fruits called Apricorns. The type of ball was dependant on the kind of Apricorn used, and while those who still practiced the art were a dying breed, they could apparently make highly specialized pokéballs, such as one that worked on super heavy pokémon, or one that worked better on fast-moving pokémon. 

Groucho led them behind the shack, where beneath an awning lay a toolkit and a strange contraption that looked like it was half anvil and half lemon squeezer. "This is where I make every single pokéball used here. I could have gone mechanical ages ago, but I decided not to. It gives me something to do and it's a symbol of pride for the ranch." Groucho let out a nostalgic sigh, absentmindedly wrapping his free claw around the grip of his hammer. "This was my job for years before I started to breed." 

"Excuse me. Not to interrupt, but I have a question," Fluttershy meekly peeped. "How did you get all this stuff on the ranch? I mean it's all very nice, but how did you get the money to build all this?" 

Groucho's nostalgia vanished in an instant as he dropped his hammer, focusing his eyes dead on Fluttershy. The buttercream mare flinched under his dire gaze. "A stroke of luck, I guess you could call it." He said as he recounted his story. "I was going through the woods looking for my harvest of Apricorns when I came across something I didn't even believe existed; a Purple Apricorn tree." 

Groucho allowed a silence to set in as soon as he finished. Nopony seemed to understand the magnitude of what he said, leaving them all in a confused silence. Finally, Rainbow Dash raised her voice with the question on all six of their minds. "What's so special about a Purple Apricorn?" 

Groucho looked around with an unusual amount of paranoia. Finally with a sigh, he produced one from beneath his workbench. "These fruits are highly rare, almost nopony ever finds a single one, let alone an entire tree. Each different Apricorn can be used to make a different pokéball. The Purple kind is used in the manufacture of master balls." 

"So you have what's essentially sole access to the thing that can be used to make a master ball." Rarity concluded. 

Groucho nodded nonchalantly. "That’s the short of it. In reality it takes a bit more than just the Apricorn to make one, but it's the only material in the world that can make a lid that's strong enough. Some companies like Silph are trying to make them using entirely artificial parts, but they still haven't had any success. But they've been buying them off me for years for research." 

And with that matter-of-fact remark, everything made sense. The money Groucho had needed to build himself up as a world-renowned breeder came from selling the Purple Apricorns to Silph Co. Twilight had to admire Groucho's success and good fortune, but also respected that he had never lost touch with his past. She knew if she had been in his horseshoes she probably would have stopped working on a forge ages ago. 

Groucho quickly stowed the Apricorn away under his bench. "You mustn't tell anypony about this. From what I understand, Team Umbra is here looking for these Apricorns so they can build their own master ball. For all the pokémon on this ranch, we don't have any trainers strong enough to protect the ranch from Team Umbra, so it's of utmost importance they don't learn about this."

"Too late." Everypony whirled around to see the source of the voice. Aria, along with two of her thugs, had broken into the ranch and now were staring down Groucho. "I'll give you a choice old timer. We can do this the easy way, or the hard way. Your choice." 

"If you ruffians are going to intimidate somepony, at least have the courtesy not to rely on clichés." Groucho scolded, slamming his cane on the bench for emphasis. "It's pretty pathetic." 

Aria's face contorted from shock to rage to a disdainful sigh in a matter of seconds. "I guess it's the hard way then. Yo Froslass, hit 'em with flash." The ice-type sprang out of her pokéball and emitted a blinding pulse of light that caused Groucho, Twilight, and the others to cry out in pain. When their eyesight returned, Team Umbra was gone, as were the Purple Apricorns from under Groucho's bench. 

In a defeated rage, Groucho slammed his cane onto his anvil, breaking the ornate piece in two. "Blast it all!" He cried, "We need to stop them!" 

Without skipping a beat, Rainbow Dash pulled a pokéball from her bag. "Pidgeotto, help us out!" Pidgeotto took flight, soaring off into the air. "I need you to follow Team Umbra!" Rainbow shouted. Pidgeotto took off toward the main estate, leaving everypony else to follow on hoof. 

"So what's your plan Dash?" Twilight asked. They had taken off running, leaving Groucho behind at his smithy while they trailed Aria and Team Umbra. Each worker they passed along the way pointed them in a vague direction as to which way Aria had gone. Wherever they had been going, they hadn't been subtle about it. 

"We'll keep moving in the general direction until Pidgeotto comes back." She said through her deep breaths as she sprinted along. "Pidgeotto will come back once she finds them." 

The six galloped out of the front gate, maintaining the fastest pace they could manage without exhausting themselves. Team Umbra could have gone anywhere, and they would need all of their strength to fight once they finally found them. 

> Chapter 28- The Griffonstone Lair
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

For about fifteen minutes, they moved in the vague direction Team Umbra had ran. The northwest path they had taken had led them into the vast wastelands that covered the north of Griffonstone, an expansive mess of bare rock and sand. Barely anypony ever dared venture into this inhospitable waste, because the risks posed by getting lost and by dangerous pokémon lurking in the sand were great, and there was little to make the risk worthwhile. 

After awhile, Pidgeotto came soaring over the hills. Rainbow held her foreleg aloft, allowing Pidgeotto to roost on her hoof. "Good work Pidgeotto." Rainbow ruffled the feathers on Pdgeotto's head, offering her a berry from her bag. "Now show us where they went."

Pidgeotto took wing again, flying lower and slower so that the mares could follow. Pidgeotto led them into the large network of cliffs and crags that stretched across the horizon to the north. The cliffs were riddled with caves and crevices, many of which ran deep into the face of the rock. Finally, Pidgeotto alighted near one such cave, squawking urgently at it. 

"This the place Pidgeotto?" 

Pidgeotto nodded, gesturing her wing toward the cavern. Rainbow put Pidgeotto back into her pokéball, gazing into the dark cave. "Alright gang, let's go."

"Is everypony ready?" Twilight asked. If this was where Team Umbra was hiding, they would need all their strength to be able to fight their way through. Although their previous encounter had not been a good opportunity to gauge her strength, Twilight knew Aria would be a tough opponent. After all, she seemed to have subjugated all of Griffonstone- even the Gym Leader. 

"HOLD IT!" A booming voice turned the six around toward the source of the sound. Trixie charged furiously toward Twilight, a grim determination burning in her eyes. 

The appearance of her rival caused Twilight no small amount of displeasure. Even after Trixie had helped her outside Ponyville, Twilight still regarded her appearance as a negative. "What do you want Trixie?"

"Trixie would like to lend a hoof in fighting Team Umbra." She said matter-of-factly. "Those crooks have wronged Trixie and are due for some payback." 

Applejack turned her head. "Whaddya mean?" 

Trixie let out a pathetic sigh, dropping her airy composure and revealing a mare whose expression was one of defeat. In all of their encounters, Twilight had never seen her looking so down. "I challenged one of their admins to a battle. I lost." She quickly recomposed herself, and tried to quickly put her persona of confidence back on. "Trixie knows her pokémon are in there, and won't stop at anything to get them back." 

I guess that's as good a reason as any to team up. Twilight and Trixie might not have been the best of friends, but Twilight would not turn her back on anypony whose pokémon had been stolen. She stuck her hoof out to Trixie, who cautiously shook it, wordlessly affirming their alliance. 

"The gracious and humble Trixie would like to bury the hatchet with you, Twilight Sparkle. You have Trixie and her secret weapon at your back." 

"What kind of secret weapon is that?" 

Trixie flashed a devious smile, waving her hooves dramatically in front of her face. "Misdirection." Everypony waited a moment, expecting an explanation. When none came, they opted to simply dismiss it, and turned tail to set forth into the cave. The mouth of the cavern was dark, but as they went deeper into the cave, the tunnels began to grow light again. Quickly they discovered the reason; strings of electric lights had been drilled into the walls of the cavern, casting a harsh yellow glow across the stone walls. Twilight, Trixie, and the others crept along in the shadows, trying to keep themselves out of sight of any Team Umbra operatives that might be patrolling the tunnels. 

Trixie pointed her hoof further down the tunnel. Twilight craned her neck to see a Team Umbra Grunt protecting a metal door. "Let Trixie handle this." Without waiting for Twilight's approval, Trixie tumbled out into the stallion's view.

The thug stumbled backward in surprise. "Who the heck are you?" He demanded. Trixie remained silent, only giving the same insane smile she had shown to Twilight. Still startled, the grunt swiped a pokéball from his belt and threw it in front of him. "Alright Grimer, let's teach this punk a lesson." 

Trixie produced a pokéball of her own. "And for Trixie's next trick, Magikarp, let's go!" 

From her hiding place, Twilight was trying hard not to scream. Was Trixie actually so arrogant that she was going to try to battle with nothing but a Magikarp?

However, as Twilight quickly learned, battling had not been Trixie's intention at all. In one quick motion she bent down to the ground and picked up a rock, tossing it at the knee of the Team Umbra Grunt. The instant he took her eyes off her, Trixie grabbed her Magikarp by the tail, and with a forceful swing, smashed the grunt in the face with Magikarp's scaly side. Just as the fish left his face, the stallion fell to the ground, unconscious. Trixie scooped up his pokéball and put Grimer back inside, and proceeded to pet her Magikarp affectionately.  

"What in tarnation was that?" Applejack asked, mouth agape, still not entirely sure what she had witnessed. 

Trixie bowed. "Misdirection." She bent over, stripping the uniform off of the downed minion, making sure there was a ring of keys on his belt. "Trixie will use this uniform to sneak deeper into the base. Trixie will unlock any doors she comes across and draw an 'X' in the dirt." 

"That was… rather impressive." Rarity said approvingly. "You and Magikarp certainly have an effective system worked out." 

Trixie's face softened substantially. "Without her pokémon, Trixie has had to use her superior wits to get by. Magikarp has been good company while Trixie endeavors to retrieve her pokémon. And yes, his scaly body has been quite helpful as well."

Without another word, Trixie slipped through the doorway, leaving Twilight and company in the tunnel. They decided it would be best to give her a few minutes to make her way into the facility before they followed. While they waited, Twilight turned to address the others. 

"Alright everypony, it looks like things might get a little rough from here on out. I think it would be best if as few of us went in as possible. I don't want any of you getting hurt." 

The other five kept their gazes fixed on Twilight, not showing the slightest hint of wavering. After staring at each other in silence, Applejack shook her head and chuckled. "Sorry sugarcube. You ain't getting rid of us that easily."

Rainbow Dash nodded in agreement. "Yeah. Don't expect us to leave you alone. My pokémon are more than strong enough to get me through."

"Same!" Pinkie gleefully cheered. 

Rarity gave a curt nod of agreement. "I think these ruffians should find Gardevoir to be more than a match for them. I wouldn't dream of leaving you."

All eyes turned to Fluttershy. Out of everypony, she was the only one who had remained silent this whole time. Finally, she spoke up. "Well, I may not be much of a fighter, but that's what I have you all for. Besides, Chansey and I can at least keep your pokémon healed, in case anything happens."

Her friends were not going to back down. "Then I guess we're in it together." Twilight said at last. "Let's go kick Team Umbra's behind!"

The six mares moved as one through the door, rapidly moving through Team Umbra's headquarters. Many of the Umbra grunts they passed seemed to have already had an encounter with Trixie and her Magikarp. The few that didn't quickly found themselves defeated by any combination of Ivysaur, Flaafy, Gardevoir, Skiploom, or Pidgeotto.

Just how deep does this go? Every time it felt like they should be reaching the depths of the cave, it just kept going deeper. Something isn't right here. She examined the walls, taking particular note as to how unusually smooth they were. 

If I remember correctly, Excadrill dig huge tunnels into the sides of mountains… Either this cave had been artificially tunneled out by Team Umbra, or they had occupied an abandoned tunnel. The base seemed too well organized to have been the work of wild pokémon. This cave was a purpose-built lair. 

Soon after that realization, Twilight caught up with Trixie. In spite of the dark Team Umbra uniform, Twilight recognized her in an instant by the neatly styled curl of mane that stuck out from under her cap. She pointed toward a large metal door down the hallway and whispered, "Trixie has reason to believe that is where they have the stolen pokémon. Twilight, can you keep an eye out for Trixie while she gets this lock open?" 

"Sure thing." She whispered back. She and the others ducked out of sight, keeping an eye at the tunnels behind them while Trixie fiddled with her ring of keys.

"Trixie has a good feeling about this one." She  pulled up the next key on the ring, at least the seventh at this point. She put the key into the lock, smiling with satisfaction when the lock turned. With a gentle push, she silently opened the door, directing Twilight and Rainbow Dash to go in first. 

The interior of the storage room was a mess. Boxes and containers of every description were piled up all around the room, all thrown into piles without any semblance of thought or planning. The room was organized more like a dump than a supply warren, but everything in there (aside from a few pizzas tragically past their prime) seemed perfectly usable. 

"How horrid." Rarity spat, scoffing with disapproval at the messy room. "Could they at least be bothered to keep their food off the ground? This is how you get an infestation of Rattata."

Trixie got down to work rummaging through the mess of supplies. She was determined to find her stolen pokémon, and this seemed like the most likely place they would be kept. Twilight got down and began rifling through the pile as well, tossing aside all manners of junk as she worked.  

"Found them!" Trixie exclaimed, yanking her stolen backpack out of a mound of supplies. She immediately stuck her head into the bag, trying to make sure all of her pokémon were accounted for. "Yes! They're all here." She dropped Magikarp's pokéball in the bag and slung it over her shoulder. "Trixie owes you a debt of gratitude, Twilight Sparkle. Thank you for helping Trixie rescue her precious pokémon." 

"You're welcome Trixie." Twilight smiled. The two shook hooves, looking each other firmly in the eye. The look behind Trixie's purple orbs said it all. While they might still be rivals, there was a sense of respect in her eyes and in her smile. 

With a performer's flourish, Trixie ripped the stolen Team Umbra uniform off. "We still have one bit of business to attend to. The Great and Vengeful Trixie owes the commander of this base a good thrashing, and Trixie intends to pay her in full."

Twilight agreed wholeheartedly. "Where do you think she is?" 

"Trixie suspects she is in the deepest part of this facility. However, that should not be much further from here."

"How are you so sure?" Rarity asked, skeptical.

The blue Unicorn flashed a knowing smile. "Simple. Based on the amount of grunts, and the amount of food in here, it isn't likely that this base can support many more ponies than the ones we saw coming this far. That means we've most likely explored as much as this facility has to offer."

Trixie's reasoning was sound enough for Twilight. She quickly checked over her pokémon to make sure they were ready and proceeded out the door, following Trixie down the corridor. 

The next door they came to had the purple eclipse of Team Umbra sloppily painted on it, alongside a violet and blue music note on either side. "This is it." Trixie said plainly, looking flatly at the door. "It's time they learned how strong Trixie Lulamoon has become. Twilight, are you ready?" 

Twilight nodded. "As ready as I'll ever be." 

"Good." Trixie stared her directly in the eye. "Trixie wouldn’t be surprised if there are two of them in there- Aria and Sonata. They will have Legendary pokémon on their side, so it will be necessary to team up and fight as one. Twilight Sparkle- can I count on you?" 

There it is again. Twilight had picked up on the subtle change Trixie made to her way of speaking, referring to herself as "I" and not "Trixie". Twilight returned Trixie's stare with one just as determined. "Yes Trixie. You can count on me."

"Good." Trixie tested the lock of the door, carefully jiggling the handle. Finding it unlocked, she kicked the door open and charged headfirst into the room, Twilight and company in tow. Sitting on a throne made out of crates, boxes and other junk held together by duct tape was Aria. 

"Well, lookie who we have here." She said, laughing through a smug smile. Her body language irked Twilight to no small degree. The causal way which she sat, leaning her head on her hoof, her arrogant smile… It made Twilight irrationally angry. "I guess I have to give you credit for coming this far, but I think it's about time for the grownups to get the fillies out of here. Don't you agree Sonata?" 

Sonata turned her attention away from her work, another crude graffiti of the Team Umbra logo. "Sounds good to me coz. Let's school these punks." 

"For the thousandth time, please stop talking like that…" Aria groaned. "You sound ridiculous." 

"Yo, what's your beef coz? I'm just reppin' here." 

Aria drew in a deep breath through her nose, exhaling it in a defeated sigh. "You know what, forget it. Let's just battle these chumps and take their pokémon."

Where in Equestria does somepony learn to talk like that? Twilight shook her head and grabbed her pokéball in preparation. Twilight turned behind her. Applejack, Rainbow, and Trixie all had pokeballs of their own ready to throw into the fray. 

"It seems we all would like to battle." Trixie observed. "Twilight. Trixie will leave the decision up to you. Who will you choose as your partner?" 

Twilight's eyes ran across the three. All were capable battlers, and she would have been happy to partner with any of them. But unfortunately, she could only take one into a double Battle. Twilight tried to weigh her options. I know Trixie had a Deino, as well as her Haunter and Charmeleon. Who knows how much stronger she's gotten since then. Rainbow Dash has Pidgeotto, Slowpoke and Luxio. Applejack has Flaafy, Shroomish, and Phanpy. Twilight turned to her prospective partners. "Alright. I've made up my mind. My partner will be-"
> Special Chapter: Sunset's Descent
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Sunset Shimmer was on fire. The last few days had offered her some of the toughest challenges she had faced in her entire life. The reward? The opportunity to become a part of the Equestria Pokémon League by becoming the new Gym Leader of Ponyville. 

Naturally, she had jumped at the opportunity. She had defeated every Gym in Equestria in convincing fashion, and with the legendary pokémon Moltres at her side, she had torn her competition apart. The only other trainer she had yet to defeat was a country bumpkin by the name of Cherilee. She grinned. This is in the bag. 


The battle had been intense, but Sunset found it to be greatly entertaining. Things had started shaky for Cherilee, with Sunset knocking out her Snorlax and Stoutland in short order. But Cherilee had rebounded with her mega-evolved Kangaskhan. Her Arcanine had fainted, prompting her to select her Moltres instead. Sunset shrugged as she threw out the pokéball. "It's nothing personal. But I'm ready to end this." Her third pokémon, Blaziken, would have been able to take down Kangaskhan just as easily, but Sunset wanted to finish the battle in spectacular fashion- enough to demonstrate that the new leader of Ponyville was not to be trifled with. 

Sunset turned to her imposing pokémon. "What do you say Moltres? Think we can end this in one attack?" Sunset turned her eyes to Kangaskhan, a sinister smile slowly spreading across her face. "Then let's end it. Sky attack!" 

In one swift motion, Moltres downed its power herb. Suddenly it became cloaked in a harsh light, and then rushed straight at Kangaskhan, cloaked in a blazing aura. The impact threw up a cloud of dust that completely obscured the battlefield. Sunset allowed herself a triumphant laugh. There was no way Kangaskhan had withstood that. 

When the dust settled, Kangaskhan lay unconscious in a crater. Wordlessly, Sunset withdrew Moltres, raising her hoof in triumph as the emcee declared her the victor. Cherilee sighed, pulling her Kangaskhan back into its pokéball. Putting a smile on her face, Cherilee walked over to Sunset and offered her a hoofshake. "Congratulations," She smiled. Sunset returned the gesture, but only out of obligation. She had little care for niceties at this point. Her eyes were squarely set on the prize: The scroll declaring the holder of it a bona fide Gym Leader. 

All of the participants were gathered in the center of the stadium in front of the Royal Box where Princess Celestia and Luna had been watching, observing, and mediating on the outcome of the battles. Luna raised her voice, addressing the gathered trainers. "Thank you all for attending our event. As my sister and I expected, you are all among the most talented and skilled pokémon trainers Equestria has to offer. Now please, I ask you all remain silent. After much deliberation, we have decided who will be named the new Ponyville Gym Leader."

Sunset allowed herself a smug grin. Already, her mind was racing with the possibilities of how she would arrange set up her gym. Maybe something with lava? No, too predictable. Hmm… maybe I could put up some stained glass windows to reflect the sunlight… yes, that would look amazing. 


"After careful consideration, my sister and I have chosen the new leader." Celestia announced.

That's right Cici. Just give it to me already. Sunset was growing impatient. 

"Cherilee." They concluded together. 

Sunset stopped dead. Reflexively, she had already stepped forward to claim the title. "WHAT?" She and Cherilee shouted in unison. 

Princess Celestia turned a stern but calm gaze onto Sunset. "This competition is about proving more than strength." She explained. "Sunset Shimmer, you are a powerful trainer to be sure. But your style is too harsh and cruel. A Leader's job is to boost up their challengers and help them become stronger trainers. This is especially important as the first Gym a trainer faces on their journey. "

Luna continued to build on her sister's words. "Cherilee fought well, but has also always seen to her opponents and to their pokémon. Without fail, she has offered her opponent and hoofshake and a congratulations after a match, regardless of the outcome. In that way, we believe she is the better candidate to become the first Gym Leader in the Equestria League."

Sunset had heard enough. "If this is how our league is run, I want no part of it!" Her defiant scream echoed through the stadium. In a rage, she reached into her backpack, tossing her badge case onto the ground, cracking the plastic cover and scattering the metal pins across the ground. "I was wrong about you, Princess. You talk about how important it is to be your best, but it's obvious that you don't mean it. I've become stronger since I left on my journey than your teaching could ever make me. I'll become the strongest trainer in all of Equestria, and then you'll have to give me the respect I deserve." 

Before Princess Celestia could open her mouth, Sunset had galloped off. "Oh Sunset…" She sighed. "You may have become strong, but your heart has grown cold."

Sunset fled into an abandoned corner of the Royal Stadium. Her blood was boiling on a mix of anger, sadness, and unbridled hatred. Once she found a suitably quiet corner, she sank to the ground, letting out a furious scream. She was on fire again. But the flames were the cold, low fire of hatred. 

"Celestia is a bigger fool than I had previously thought." Sunset turned around to the sound of the voice. "You know, I could use a trainer as strong as you."

"If you want a Gym trainer, then forget it." She turned away, curling back into her corner. She above working as a lackey for a Gym Leader, especially after she was so close to becoming one herself. 

"Gym Trainer?" He laughed, filling the dark hallway with resonating echoes. "You think to small, young Filly. I have far bigger plans. For you and for Equestria." 

Sunset turned back towards him. "I'm listening." 

"You want to become the strongest trainer in all of Equestria correct? Because you want respect. I've formed an organization consisting of top-notch trainers who just like you, want respect. Our goal is to take power here in Equestria. Replace the current League with one that gives truly exceptional trainers like yourself the room to grow to their full potential. In order to do that, we need strong trainers to lead. Would you and your Moltres like to join our movement?" 

Sunset considered his words. This stallion had been the second-to-last obstacle in her journey across Equestria, but he had been by far the hardest fight she had encountered. His style was relentless and his pokémon were brutal. She thought about his message, the ideals and goals he had presented. This is a stallion who can do what he's talking about. 

She looked him square in the eye. "I'm in." 

He smiled, revealing the pointed teeth inside his maw. "Marvelous. I will be in contact with you in a few day's time. For now, here's my card." He gave her a coal-black business card with a purple eclipse printed onto it. "Welcome to Team Umbra." 

Sunset stowed it in her bag. She looked back towards him as he causally walked away, leaving only the sound of his echoing hoofsteps to fill the dark corridor. "Thank you… Sombra." 

> Chapter 29- Rival, Ally, Teammate, Friend
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Trixie." Twilight decided. With a slightly disappointed nod, Applejack and Rainbow Dash put away their pokéballs, allowing Trixie to take her place at Twilight's side. 

"Thank you Twilight." Trixie stepped to stand at Twilight's left, the two of them standing defiantly against Sonata and Aria. "My pokémon and I are ready." Intensity burned in Trixie's eyes, one that reminded Twilight of the look in her eyes during their battle at the Appleoosa cup. During their battle, Trixie seemed overcome with a fiery passion so powerful it even overrode her sense of showmanship. Her entire mode of speech changed, as had her body language. Twilight smiled. Team Umbra didn't stand a chance.  

"Wow, it would have taken me months to make that decision." Aria remarked with a sarcastic bite. "Now hurry up and follow me. If you haven't noticed, this room isn't big enough for us to battle." She led them out a hidden door in the back of the room and up a staircase, putting the trainers and their spectators back on the surface, atop the cliff the base was built into. The top of the mesa had been smoothed out for use as a helipad, giving the four trainers a large flat space to battle on. 

"Better." Sonata declared, smiling gleefully.

Aria and Sonata each pulled a pokéball off their belts, holding onto them as they waited for their opponents to do the same. Twilight and Trixie each readied a pokéball of their own. Aria laid out the rules of the battle. "Alright, we'll make this a 3v3. First team to run out loses. Sound good?" 

"Fine by me." Twilight answered. Secretly, she was glad not to have to worry about six pokémon. As long as I can keep Gible in his ball, I won't be complaining. 

"Before we get started, shall we name the stakes?" Trixie asked. Twilight agreed; they hadn't determined the terms of their battle yet. 

"So eager to know what's in store for you?" Aria laughed. "Fine, you first." 

Trixie nodded. "Very well. Trixie imposes that if we win, Team Umbra leaves Griffonstone for good, and returns to us the stolen Apricorns." 

"Fine. And when we win, all seven of you punks can fork over your pokémon to us." Aria demanded. 

"Fine by Trixie. Is this acceptable Twilight?" 

I don't know if I can accept. Twilight thought nervously. I don't want to cost my friends their pokémon… "You can have my pokémon, but I demand that my friends be given a chance to defend themselves!" She exclaimed. 

"Fine, fine. If we can beat you then the rest of your group shouldn't be a problem." With that, Aria and Sonata both tossed their pokeballs in unison. "Yo Scrafty, let's bring the pain!"

"Drifblim, let's get to it!" Sonata added. 	

Trixie twirled her own pokéball in hoof. "Let's make quick work of them Twilight. Charmeleon, it's your turn!" 

Twilight readied her pokéball, giving it a solid toss. She couldn't afford to show the slightest hint of nervousness or hesitation. Aria was a bully- that much was certain. Ponies like that preyed on the fear and insecurity of their opponents. Twilight needed to project a persona of confidence. If I show the smallest bit of hesitation, I'll be letting down Trixie, and our pokémon. She wasn't about to let that happen. "Heliolisk, let's get to it!" 

Heliolisk and Charmeleon lined up against their opponents. While Twilight held a type advantage over Drifblim, the same could not be said about Charmeleon. Dark, Fighting, Flying and Ghost. It was an awkward combination to face. Many of the weaknesses of each type were covered by another. Trixie's Haunter and Deino would both be at a disadvantage here. Better to play it safe with a neutral matchup than risk a bad matchup against one to ensure a good one against another. 

This was what made double battles so thrilling to analyze. The addition of a second pokémon added so many more variables into a match, making each double battle like a game of chess for the trainers. 

Heliolisk easily outsped the competition, giving Twilight the chance to set the pace for the battle. "Alright Heliolisk, use your charge beam on Drifblim!" Heliolisk obeyed Twilight's command, gathering electricity and loosing it in an electric arc toward Drifblim. The attack was devastating, but Drifblim seemed to hang on. 

In spite of the devastating hit, Sonata was smiling. "You've done it now!" At first, Twilight wasn't sure what she meant. But with one swift motion, Drifblim stuffed a berry into its mouth, causing the balloon pokémon to reinflate with renewed vigor. "Leichi berries will boost attack when a pokémon is hurt. And Drifblim's unburden gives it a speed boost once it gets rid of an item!"

These guys are way smarter than most of the other trainers I've fought. Twilight hadn't seen too many Trainers set up combos before, not at least since her clash with Flim and Flam. 

"Alright Drifblim, hit 'em with shadow ball!" Drifblim gathered a sphere of darkness, lobbing it Charmeleon's way. The orb hit hard, knocking Charmeleon down. It got up, but it was easy to see that it couldn't take much more. 

Without taking her eyes off of their opponents, Trixie growled a warning to her ally. "Twilight, be careful! The Great and Observant Trixie had realized that she has seen these two trainers in action before!"

"What do you mean?" Twilight shot back.

"A good time ago, the Young and Studious Trixie went to observe the Equestria Double Battle Championships in Canterlot.  Trixie is certain that these two were the ones who won the tournament."

The recognition elicited a smile from Aria. "Darn right, Blues. Sonata and I were the Equestrian Double Battle Champions for three years running. We couldn’t get a gig at a gym, but Team Umbra is promising us way more than the title of Leaders." 

"Just more of a reason for us to want to beat you!" Trixie shouted back. "Alright Charmeleon, finish Drifblim with your fire fang!" With a mouth engulfed in flame, Charmeleon's jaws chomped down on Drifblim, taking the balloon pokémon down. Sonata recalled Drifblim with a scowl, prepping her next pokémon to replace it. 

"Scrafty. Focus punch." Aria ordered. Scrafty devoured the power herb in its hand, and Twilight shuddered, anticipating what was coming. In one motion, Scrafty prepared its blow, throwing a devastating punch the way of Heliolisk. The electric reptile was sent flying, knocked unconscious before it hit the ground. 

"That hit was unreal!" Twilight gasped. "Come back Heliolisk!" She recalled her pokémon, trying to figure out how she could stop that Scrafty.

"Ninetales! It's your turn!" Sonata smiled. Ninetales spread its tails, howling at the sun. The bright desert sun grew harsher, bathing the fighters in its rays. 

Twilight ran her hoof apprehensively over the pokeballs on her belt. I was hoping to save this one for later, but it looks like I don't have any choice. "Silvia, I choose you!" 

Twilight's chimera sprang forth from its ball, landing firmly on its four mismatched legs. It let out a muffled roar from beneath its helmet, its eyes locked firmly on Aria and Sonata. 

Sonata recoiled at the sight of it. "Eewwww, Aria what the heck is that thing?" 

"I don't know, but I don't like it." Aria said back, spitting towards Silvia. "Let's take it down!" 

We'll see about that. Twilight thought smugly. She had made sure to give Silvia a quick claw in hopes of being able to get a few cheeky hits in before her opponents could properly react to them. Now let's just hope it works. 

A tiny glint of light gave Twilight the confirmation she needed. "Alright Silvia, use dig!" The words had barely left Twilight's mouth by the time Silvia had fully disappeared beneath the earth. 

"Scrafty, High Jump Kick!" Aria commanded. 

"And Ninetales, use Solarbeam!" Sonata added. 

Twilight smiled. Her plan had worked perfectly. With Silvia underground, both of their attacks had missed. Better yet, Aria had gone for high jump kick. She turned around to watch as Scrafty sailed past and landed face first into the side of a cliff. Her pokémon fell off, landing with a thud. Scrafty pulled itself off the ground, massaging its injured knee. 

Aria growled with annoyance. "That was pretty slick kid. But after that stunt you pulled in Manehattan I've been waiting to get some payback. You made us look like fools in front of the boss, and nopony makes Aria Blaze look bad and gets away with it!" 

"Forgetting about somepony?" All of the battlers turned back toward Trixie, who fumed with indignity after being ignored. "The Great and Powerful Trixie will make you regret forgetting about her presence! Now, Charmeleon, brick break!" 

Charmeleon lashed out at Scrafty, landing a solid strike with its clawed hand. After the damage Scrafty had sustained from the missed high jump kick, this attack proved more than it could bear. Scrafty fell, unconscious. 

Aria called back Scrafty, tossing out another pokéball. "Let's not take any chances with that dig coming out. Staraptor, it's all you!" Staraptor soared to the sky, letting out an ear-piercing screech; the same one that Twilight had heard when Aria had used it to steal the master ball from her. Staraptor hovered above the battlefield, observing the opposition with its cruel red eyes. 

Aria wasted no time taking to the offensive. "Go for an aerial ace, now!" Staraptor dove at Charmeleon, striking it with a wing and knocking Trixie's pokémon to the ground. 

"You did well Charmeleon, Trixie thanks you." She recalled her pokémon, quickly taking it out of harm's way. 

Sonata sighed. With no targets available to attack, she had to contend herself with using nasty plot. We had better take care of that quickly. Twilight mused. Allowing any pokémon more than one round to boost their attack power could quickly lead to catastrophe. Luckily her answer to it was just about to emerge… 

Silvia erupted from beneath the ground, knocking Ninetales flying into the air and landing with a resounding thud. Sonata quickly pulled back her pokémon, her hook shaking with rage as she readied her next one. "Aight then. You punks think you're so cool, huh? Well I'm going to school you so hard your grandfillies will be in detention!" Her enraged scream filled the canyon with an intense echo, even catching Aria by surprise.  

Twilight was still trying to make sense of what Sonata was saying when she threw out an ultra ball, and from inside it emerged a four-legged blue pokémon with an imposing blue crest. Twilight held up her pokédex in awe.  

Suicune, the Aurora pokemon. Suicune purifies dirtied water and moves with the northern wind. It is rumored to have been born when an unnamed pokémon died in a fire and was brought back to life. 

"Suicune…" Twilight gasped. Shining Armor used to tell her stories about the three legendary beasts. If Sonata had Suicune and Adagio had Entei, there was only one place in Equestria that Raikou could logically be…

"Alright Zweilous, let's get to work!" Trixie threw out her next pokémon, a two-headed dragon which roared with anger as it landed on the ground. 

Twilight assessed the state of the battlefield. Trixie and I are both down one. Sonata is on her last, and Aria still has two at full strength. She was not enthusiastic about their odds, because even with an advantage, Twilight knew she had at least one, likely two legendary pokémon to contend with, and she was not sure if her team was up to the task. I just have to trust in Silvia. So far it hasn't let me down…

"Where in Equestria did thugs like them get legendary pokémon?" Rarity asked aloud.

Applejack shook her head. "I haven't got a clue. But from what Trixie's was sayin', those two were mighty strong trainers back in the day. Celestia only knows where they've been able to go lookin' for pokémon."

Aria turned to Sonata, giving her a small nod as a signal. "Alright Sonata, time for the old switcheroo." She grinned. 

"Roger that!" Sonata giggled back. "Suicune, use roar on that ugly thing!" Suicune howled with incredible force, forcing Silvia back into its pokéball. Without time to think, Twilight threw out one of her other pokéballs. To her misfortune, Ivysaur was dragged out. 

Aria cackled with satisfaction. "That's exactly what we wanted! Now Staraptor, hit it with a brave bird!" Staraptor's wings took on a harsh glow as it crashed into Ivysaur, hurting it in the process but completely destroying Ivysaur. He landed on his back, totally unconscious. 

Twilight cringed. With one combo, their advantage had been effectively nullified. Unless Trixie could do something to quickly capitalize on Staraptor's wounds, this battle could quickly turn heavily against them. 

"Do not fear Twilight! The Great and Powerful Trixie will not allow this to stand!" Trixie gave her cape a flourish, and pointed her hoof at Staraptor. The two heads of Zweilous stopped bickering and turned towards their master's gesture. "Zweilous, go for a dragon rush!" The two heads roared, charging at Staraptor and lashing out with its tail. The hit was solid, and with that on top of the damage sustained from brave bird, Staraptor fell unconscious. 

"You're gonna pay for that one!" Aria roared, readying her next pokéball. "Let's end this Raikou!" 

Twilight swallowed. Her suspicion had been confirmed, and based on her limited knowledge of the two Legendary Beasts, the combos that their opponents could pull off with them would be devastating. Twilight tossed Silvia back onto the battlefield. This time they wouldn't be able to get rid of it. 

"Silvia, use headbutt!" Twilight ordered. Miraculously, Silvia's quick claw activated, and it smashed into Raikou with its heavy metal helmet. The impact stunned Raikou, staggering the  beast and knocking it back on its hind legs. 

Aria grit her teeth. "Sonata! Don't let them get away with this! Hit them!" 

"Right! Suicune, go for the aurora beam!" Suicune fired a blast of energy infused with the colors of an aurora at Zweilous, knocking out the dragon-type immediately. With a scowl, Trixie withdrew her pokémon and prepared her final pokémon. 

"It's up to you Haunter!" Trixie threw out her final pokéball. Each combatant now had only one pokémon left, which would make the next few round all the more intense. No room for mistakes now…

"Raikou, use thunder!" Aria boomed. Twilight shuddered. If that attack hit, one of their pokémon was finished. Fortunately, the bolt of lightning went wide, as that attack was notorious for doing, 

"Don’t worry Ari, we'll make sure that doesn't happen again!" Sonata said with a gleeful giggle. "Suicune, rain dance!" A downpour began to hit the arid badlands, dousing the rock in more rain than it had likely seen in ages. 

Trixie turned to Twilight with genuine worry in her eyes. "This isn't good. Raikou is going to be able to hit thunder every time as long as this stupid rain keeps up. Trixie may be able to stop them, but that plan entirely hinges on Aria attacking you and you surviving it. So Twilight…" She hesitated. "Do you trust me?" 

Twilight nodded. "I do." 

"Alright then. Let's cross our hooves and try not to lose!"

Aria's eyes betrayed a slight sense of aggravation. She was done with this battle and ready to end it. "Alright Raikou, finish that monster with thunder!" 

Checkmate. Twilight smiled. Although Twilight wasn't sure what Trixie wanted to do, everything so far had gone according to plan. "Protect, let's go!" In response, Silvia threw up a protective barrier, blocking the lightning bolt from striking, completely nullifying the damage. 

With Raikou's attack nullified, it was Trixie's turn to go on the offensive. "Haunter, use your hypnosis on Suicune!" Haunter bombarded Suicune with psychic rays, lulling it to sleep. Trixie turned to Twilight with a wide grin on her face. "We've got them now! Twilight, you go for Raikou, Trixie has plans for Suicune." 

"Don't think you're going to get away with this!" Aria roared. "Thunder, again!" A wicked bolt of lightning descended onto Haunter, engulfing Trixie's pokémon in electricity. Haunter fell to the ground, barely able to remain conscious. 

Trixie winced, as if she felt every volt of that attack. "Twilight, Haunter isn't going to be able to take another attack like that." Grimly, she smiled at her. "It's all up to you now. Haunter, use curse on Suicune!" 

Haunter impaled itself on ethereal spikes, placing a powerful hex onto Suicune. Once the curse was done, Haunter fell unconscious, the last of its energy used on Suicune. 

"Hopefully it will faint before it wakes up. The rest is up to you." She recalled Haunter and took a seat on the ground, watching with an intense gaze as her fate was left in Twilight's hooves. 

Twilight considered her options carefully. Raikou was still quite healthy. If she could ignore Suicune for a few rounds, the curse might be able to take down Suicune, or at least weaken it substantially enough to get rid of quickly. At present, Raikou had to be dealt with. Twilight cursed the rain. The heavy downpour was still persisting. Faint gaps in the clouds suggested it might stop soon, but in the meantime, she could not risk getting hit by thunder. 

"Alright Silvia, let's bide our time with dig!" Every second Silvia could not be hit was another inch closer to clawing victory back from Team Umbra. Twilight ground her teeth uneasily. She could see the clouds beginning to break up. They couldn't persist much longer. Suicune was trembling, helpless in its sleep as the curse Haunter had put on it slowly drained away its strength. Aria could only growl angrily as she was forced to wait. 

Finally, the moment of truth. Silvia erupted from the earth, slamming into Raikou at breakneck speed. Suicune was still soundly asleep, and the curse seemed to have it close to unconsciousness. Raikou was staggered, but it was still very much capable of fighting back. And the twisted grin on Aria's face told Twilight exactly what she intended to do. 

"This has gone on long enough." Aria roared. Veins in her neck twitched uneasily, bulging to uncomfortable sizes with each shriek. "Raikou, destroy her little abomination with everything you have! Thunder, go! GO!" Her face was twisted into a deranged grimace, turning the usually beautiful Umbra Commander into a frightful sight indeed. 

Lightning gathered in the sky overhead. Twilight swallowed hard. If the rain kept up, she was doomed. Even if it stopped, there was still a 70% chance she was doomed. What's the probability of that? She shook her head. Not the time for math Twilight. All she could do was hope a miracle happened. 

"FIRE!" Aria screamed. As the lightning began to reach a critical point, the clouds broke, spilling sunlight onto the rain washed mesa. A gleaming ray of sun shot through the clouds, striking Raikou straight in the eye. Raikou reared up onto its hind legs in pain, causing the lightning bolt to strike far off to the left. 

A miracle. "Alright Silvia, now's our time to shine!" Twilight declared, pointing her hoof triumphantly at Raikou. "Finish it with your crush claw!" With massive talons, Silvia raked Raikou, knocking it onto the ground. At the same time, Suicune's frantic turning ceased, submitting to the terrible power of the curse. It too was unconscious. 

Aria stared at the battlefield for a moment, too stunned to speak. Her eye twitched uneasily. The veins in her neck which had been throbbing for the last minute had stopped, but remained unnervingly visible. 

"What? No!" Sonata wailed. "Next time, I promise, we'll beat you good. Right Aria?"

Aria didn't acknowledge her partner. She remained unmoving, staring through Twilight, off into space. After nearly a minute of this, she collapsed. 

"Aria?" Cautiously, Sonata poked Aria's twitching form with her forehoof. No response. She bit her lip worriedly. "Oh no, this is really bad…"

This development caught Twilight by surprise. "Is she okay?" 

Sonata turned to Twilight, the tears in her eyes expressing genuine worry. "I think that last battle pushed her blood pressure past the breaking point. I need to get her back to base, pronto!" 

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Twilight asked. Rainbow and Trixie both moved to object, but Twilight held up a hoof to stop them. 

Sonata ignored her, instead pressing a microphone on the collar of her uniform. "Hey, it's Sonata. I need you to get us out of here. NOW." Sonata tried to pick up Aria, but her weight was too much for Sonata to handle by herself. A few minutes passed before a black helicopter came into sight, landing in the center of the makeshift arena. 

Two Umbra grunts came out of the vehicle to load Aria into the back. Sonata tentatively approached Twilight, her hooves visible as a sign of peace. "Thank you Twilight," she said with a coy smile. "That was fun. I can't remember the last time either of us got so worked up."

Twilight smiled uneasily. She wasn't sure if that was meant to be a joke, being in as poor taste as it was. "Will she be okay?" 

"Hopefully." Sonata sighed. "She usually doesn't get so into it. I think she was having a good time too. As promised, Team Umbra will be leaving Griffonstone for good." Sonata turned towards the helicopter, which was starting to rev up its blades. "Goodbye Twilight Sparkle. I can't wait until we get to battle again. And don't worry, we'll be going all out then. But for now, take this. I think you earned it." 

She pulled a small green stone out of her pocket and tossed it Twilight's way. The stone was the size of a large marble and had a similar cat's-eye pattern in it. Twilight examined it closely. Somehow, it looked familiar. 

The blades were now at full speed and the helicopter was starting to lift off. "Sonata!" Twilight exclaimed. "Where are the Apricorns you stole?" 

"The Apri-who?" 

Twilight groaned. She was pretty sure Sonata wasn't playing stupid. "The big purple fruits you stole from the breeder!"

Sonata's eyes lit up as she made the right mental connections. "Oh right, those! We shipped them off to HQ as soon as we got back! Sorry, but you aren't getting those back anytime soon!" With a giggle that sounded more childish than arrogant, Sonata took off, leaving the seven mares to ponder how to react. 

"Why'd you try to help them?" Rainbow demanded. "They wanted to rob us."

Twilight shrugged. "Even so, Aria's life might have been in danger. They may not be our friends but we still have an obligation as civilized ponies to help somepony in need."

Trixie rolled her eyes. "That kind streak is going to get you in some serious trouble one of these days. Don't expect for a minute that if the roles were reversed they would have done the same thing for you." 

"Maybe. But then again that's what separates me from them." 

Applejack could not help but chuckle. "That's mighty philosophical of ya, sugarcube. Hokey, but philosophical." 

Trixie shrugged. "Call it what you will. What matters is that Trixie has her pokémon back, and nopony is going to stop the Great and Powerful Trixie from claiming the title of Champion of Equestria." 

"So what are you going to do now?" Twilight asked. 

Trixie shrugged. "Return to the mainland, win the last three badges at Cloudsdale, the Crystal Empire and Canterlot, and challenge the pokémon league. Trixie does not intend to get sidetracked like this again." With that, Trixie whirled around and started to make her way back the way they had came, back through the lair and eventually back toward town. "Oh, before Trixie forgets. Twilight."

"Yes Trixie?" 

"Thanks. I owe you one." With that, Trixie cantered off, disappearing into the access tunnel and back into the Team Umbra hideout.
> Chapter 30- Return to Griffonstone
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

As promised, the Team Umbra grunts had cleared out of the cavern lair, leaving the base deathly quiet, the lights on the walls only running until whatever was powering their generator ran out. Twilight and company explored every room in the building, deserately hoping that Sonata had been lying when she said the Apricorns were gone. Much to Twilight's dismay, it seemed she had been telling the truth. They did not bother to grab any of the stolen property out of the loot room. They had resolved to alert the police when they returned to town to the location of the hidden base, and let them sort through it. 

A wide variety of taxing thoughts swirled through Twilight's head, all demanding her attention simultaneously. Too many questions she couldn't answer. Foremost among them was Trixie. Her parting words seemed particularly odd. "I owe you one." The phrase was simple, but from Trixie seemed so out of place. Twilight shrugged. It had been a strange day for everypony. Perhaps she was just relieved it was all over. 

The walk back to Griffonstone was mostly smalltalk between the mares and glittering praise to Twilight. Twilight herself said little, only occasionally nodding in agreement or offering a quick "Thank you." They all sighed with relief as they saw the outer fence to Groucho's estate off in the distance, grateful that the day's misadventure was almost over. 

The property was still on lockdown from the break-in earlier. The pokémon under the ranch's care had all been herded into barns for their protection, protected by several squads of ranch employees and their own pokémon. The breeders recognized Twilight and company as soon as they set hoof on the property, waving them down and escorting them across the estate to Groucho's house. 	

The old Griffon had been holed up in his office with two of the most muscular griffons on his staff standing guard outside. Upon their approach, they stood aside, allowing the mares inside the room. "What happened?" He asked worriedly. "Please tell me you're unharmed." 

"We're okay Mr. Groucho." Dash assured. "Twilight made sure of that. You won't be having to worry about Team Umbra anymore. They're all on their way out of Griffonstone." 

Groucho's eyes lit up with relief. "Really? They're gone?" 

Aplejack nodded. "Yes siree. Twi here gave 'em the beating of a lifetime."

The old griffon smiled. "Then it's finally over. I assume you managed to retrieve my Apricorns then?"

The mere mention of the Apricorns turned all six sets of eyes toward the floor. "No." Twilight finally said. "They sent them off as soon as they got back to their hideout." 

Groucho sighed. "Then it's too late. That tree has to be destroyed." 

The grim resolution of the Griffon came as a shock to the mares. "Whatever do you mean?" Rarity asked. 

Groucho's wrinkled face twisted into a determined scowl. "What I mean is that those Purple Apricorns are too much of a liability for me to keep around. It's my fault that Team Umbra has the most essential part they need to make a Master Ball. That tree made me what I am today, and for that I will always be grateful. But leaving it standing is a danger Equestria cannot afford." Groucho stormed out of his office, grumbling beneath his breath. His bodyguards took after him, prompting Twilight and company to do the same.  

For somepony as old as Groucho, he could move surprisingly fast. He took wing once outside the house, flying to the forest's edge and continuing on foot. Twilight Rainbow and Applejack tailed closely behind him, following Groucho past the forge he had showed them earlier and further into the woods. After a few minutes of navigating through the underbrush, the group emerged at a small, carefully manicured clearing with a small tree in the middle of it. Doubtless, this was the Apricorn tree. From what Twilight could tell, Groucho had been carefully tending to the plant since he had discovered it years ago, as was evidenced by the stakes supporting the trunk and carefully trimmed branches. Groucho walked toward the tree, dragging a lumber axe in his claws to cut down the tree. The elderly griffon struggled to hoist up the axe, staggering around on his rear legs as he tried to prepare his swing. 

"Groucho! Please stop!" Twilight urged. "You can't destroy the tree!" 

"Quiet girlie. This is my property and I'll do with it as I wish." Groucho snapped back. There was murder in his eyes, and the tree was to be his victim. 

Finally, Groucho found steady footing. He planted his hind legs firmly on the ground while he gripped the axe in his front claws. He brought the axe back, ready to start chopping at the base of the tree. 

"Stop it Gramps!" The gruff, female voice gave Groucho pause, making him lower the blade. Griffonstone's Gym Leader Gilda descended from the sky, her powerful wings bringing her to alight in front of Groucho. 

"Gilda, go home." Groucho growled. "This doesn't concern you." 

Gilda shook her head defiantly."Yes it does, Grandpa. Those Apricorns are Griffonstone's treasure and you know it." 

Groucho steadied himself on the shaft of the axe, using it in place of the cane he had left back at the manor. "It doesn't matter anymore. We can't risk them falling into the wrong hooves again. Now that Team Umbra knows they're here, do you think they will stop? The only way we can ever make sure they don't steal any more is to cut this tree down." 

"Maybe so." Gilda conceded. "But think for a second about who else needs those Apricorns."

"What do you mean?" Groucho's attention had shifted away from the tree and was now fully focused on his granddaughter.  

"Did you ever stop to think about why Silph Co. has been paying you almost twice as much for your Apricorns in the last several years?" Gilda asked.

To that, Groucho nodded his head yes. "Damn inflation!" He squawked. "Prices on everything are out of control anymore!"

"No gramps." She sighed, her face covered by her clawed foreleg. "Don't you remember that story from a few years back, the one where Trottingham forest burned down? Do you remember what caused it?" 

That's the same story that Cadence showed me in the newspaper. The realization dawned on Twilight exactly what Gilda was getting at. Her thoughts darted to Silvia's pokéball. After their trip to Hive Omega, Twilight held Chrysalis in high regard for her incredible scientific prowess, even if her experiments could be… disturbing. 

A unsure nod yes was Groucho's eventual answer. "I remember, but don't recall too many of the details." 

"Then let me give you the short version. A super-powerful artificial pokémon got loose a few years back, completely leveled the forest, and disappeared to Celestia knows where. Silph decided to step up production of their Master Ball technology to try to contain it if anypony manages to find it."

Still, Groucho was not convinced. He had stopped leaning on the axe and was already preparing to strike with it. "Sorry kiddo, I'm not convinced. If they already have what they need to make a Master Ball, why do they need more? I know they've already built one. Team Umbra tried to steal it awhile back. It was all over the news." 

"They did. I was the one who got it back from them!" Twilight blurted out. Gilda, Groucho, and all of the security stallions all looked at her in disbelief. "It's true. If you don't believe me, ask Princess Cadence. She sent me to pick it up for her."

For a good minute, Groucho sized up Twilight with his old, wizened eyes. His gaze pierced through her, staring into her soul to assess her mettle. "I believe you." He concluded. "You've got a fire in your eyes girlie. A look like that never lies." 

"It's true that Team Umbra has what they need to make a Master Ball." Twilight conceded. "But that can't be helped anymore. Even if we can't stop Team Umbra from using the Master Ball to catch a legendary pokémon, we can at least make sure that somepony is able to use a legendary pokémon to stop them." She tried to avoid revealing too much of what Cadence had told her. 

Groucho rolled his eyes. "Let me guess. That somepony is you, right? You're wanting to be the big hero to go and save the day?" 

The thought had not even crossed Twilight's mind. "No, not at all. Princess Cadence is the one with a plan to stop them. But we need to make sure she can get what she needs, and that means we need to make sure Silph Co. is able to keep their research going." 

Twilight's rationale seemed satisfactory to Groucho. He shouldered his axe and smiled. "I guess I can’t rightly go and hurt this little tree when it's been what gave me the life I have today. Alright I'll leave the tree alone. But I will be in touch with Silph Co. and Princess Celestia to make sure this little plant is put under guard. I don't want anypony getting anywhere near it without my say-so." 

Gilda nodded. "Sounds good Gramps."

The elderly Griffon, with his two security personnel at his sides, left the clearing and returned to the gentle shade of the forest, heading back to the manor. With a sigh, Gilda turned to Twilight. "Thanks for the help. Once that stubborn old bird gets an idea in his head he doesn't stop until he sees it through. I can't thank you enough for talking him down." 

"My pleasure." Twilight smiled. 

"Anyway, I think you've proven yourself worthy of challenging my gym. Take some time to rest up your pokémon, but once you're ready I'll be waiting for you." She turned her attention from Twilight over to Rainbow Dash. "And Dashie, maybe you should pay attention. I bet you and your Pidgey could learn a thing or two from watching us." 

Rainbow Dash gave Gilda a scowl back. "We'll see Gilda. And maybe after Twilight finishes thrashing you, me and my pokémon can teach you a lesson ourselves."

"Ha. I'd love to see you try." She said with a smirk.
> Chapter 31- The Griffonstone Gym
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

            Twilight intended to take Gilda up on her recommendation to visit the pokémon center. Her team had taken quite the beating during their battle with Team Umbra, and she would need her team at full strength to take on Gilda's rock-types. She was not expecting an easy battle, but with Ivysaur at her side, she felt confident about her chances.

            Then again, as a rock-type specialist, Gilda has no doubt built her team with this weakness in mind. While rock-types were formidable forces on the battlefield, their plodding speed and wide range of vulnerabilities made them difficult to use strategically. With an entire team comprised of them, Gilda would need to have a well thought out team to compensate for their shortcomings. Twilight shuddered. A strong pokémon was difficult to overcome, but a clever trainer could make even the weakest pokémon twice as dangerous.

            As they walked, Twilight paged through her pokédex, looking over all of the rock pokémon and their typings. The more she looked, the more she was perplexed. A substantial number of the pokémon with dual typings had at least one of their weaknesses amplified by their secondary type. Twilight had no idea what to expect going in. The most common tactic for rock-types was to hit the opponent hard and fast, maybe setting up stealth rock and then proceeding to overwhelm the other trainer before they could exploit a type advantage. But Gilda wasn't an ordinary trailer. As a gym leader, Twilight had to expect a higher caliber of strategy.

            "Hey Rainbow." Twilight piped up. Dash turned her head toward Twilight, shaking her out of her thoughts and back to reality. "Do you and Gilda know each other? It sounded like you two had some history back at the ranch."

            Rainbow Dash sighed. "Yeah, I know Gilda. We were friends back when we went to Junior Flight Camp. Both of us wanted to become trainers, so we had a lot to talk about. After we left camp, we kind of drifted. She ended up becoming a gym leader, and I went home to Ponyville."

            "So why was she teasing you like that?" From what Rainbow had described, it sounded like they had been good friends. But Gilda's teasing… it wasn't friendly at all. It seemed almost malicious.

            "Iunno." Dash answered. "Gilda was always kind of abrasive. I think she might be a little disappointed in me too."

            That got Twilight's attention. "What do you mean by that?"

            "When Gilda and I were at camp, we promised to become the strongest trainers in Equestria. Like most fillies and colts do I guess." She laughed. "We parted ways after camp, but we kept in touch over the mail for a few years afterwards. Gilda went and became a gym leader. Meanwhile I couldn't even leave Ponyville until you came around."

During their trip to the pokémon center, Twilight pondered over Rainbow's words. Disappointed? If so, she had a strange way of showing it. Still, Twilight couldn't help but see aspects of the earlier stages of her relationship with Trixie. While now at least they were on respectful terms, early on Trixie's behavior could be downright cruel. 

It's different with them. Twilight told herself. Trixie tended toward hostility in their interactions. While Trixie certainly acted superior during their confrontations,  she did not have the same patronizing tone that Gilda used with Dash. It seemed as though Gilda barely recognized her as a trainer to begin with. Twilight sighed and pushed the thought from her mind. Right now she needed to worry about Gilda's team, not her past relationships. 

            The Gym was located in the historic district of Griffonstone. It was located in an ancient coliseum that was in the heart of old part of the Kingdom. It's great shadow sent a shiver down Twilight's spine. What sort of combat took place here before it became a part of the Pokémon League?

            She pushed past her apprehensions and moved forward. The badge that represented the next stage of her journey complete waited inside, and she meant to win it. After much deliberation, she had decided that Ivysaur was an essential and that she would select her remaining two pokémon as the battle progressed. While she was hesitant to go in without a plan, her team was not especially effective against Rock-types, so she would have to make it up as she went.

            The coliseum was decorated with massive statues of rock pokémon. Twilight shuddered as she passed beneath the massive shadows of an Armaldo and Rhydon. The stonework was ancient but the craftsmanship was exquisite; each statue's face was sculpted in horrific detail. Every tooth, spike, and plate was rendered so accurately it almost seemed like the pokémon had been turned to stone and used as decoration.

            They passed under the main archway of the gym. Twilight parted with her friends in the inside of the coliseum, sending them to the stands while she moved to the challenger's entrance. Finally alone, Twilight allowed herself a heavy breath. The gym battle had her nervously on edge. Whether it was the awkward matchup for her team or what limited information she had about Gilda, she did not know. Then again, I beat Silverstar with just Eevee. Her victory over his Rhyhorn came from an ability to outmaneuver it. She would have to do the same here.

            She stepped out onto the sand floor of the stadium. At one point, the arena would have hosted events that could seat thousands. Today, it was sparsely attended by several dozen griffons, plus the five ponies seated toward the midpoint of the arc between Twilight and the gym leader. Gilda descended from the sky, landing with a spray of sand. "Welcome to my gym, Twilight Sparkle." Gilda shouted across the sandy arena. "I owe you one for kicking Team Umbra out of here. But don't think for a second that means I'll take it easy on you. Challenger, are you ready?"

            "Yes!" She shouted back. This is it. Time to get that badge. 

            Gilda's beak shifted into a grin. "Heh. Alright then. Hey Rainbow Dash, let's see if your friend here can hold her own better than you could back at camp." Gilda's claw wrapped around one of the Ultra balls hanging on her belt. "Let's go Lycanroc!"

            The bipedal lycanthrope pokémon emerged from its pokéball, letting out a hair-raising howl. Twilight took out her pokédex, hoping to gain some information about this new pokémon.

            Lycanroc, the Wolf Pokémon. Lycanroc evolves differently based on time of day, and its strengths are different based on each form. The Midnight form is slower and tougher, boasting a mane with fur as sharp as knives. 

Twilight scanned over the data available. Lycanroc was a pure Rock-type. She reached for a pokéball of her own, opting to meet Gilda with her Ivysaur.

            A grass type will have a clear advantage in this battle. Twilight thought with a grin. Though, if Gilda is worth her feathers, no doubt she's got some kind of an answer for this… Twilight focused herself back onto the battle. From her research, she had reached the conclusion that the best way to deal with a Rock-type was to try to knock it out before it could get itself rolling. "Ivysaur, open with razor leaf!"

            "Stealth rock, let's go!" Gilda retorted. Ivysaur's attack hit its mark, inflicting a solid hit upon Lycanroc. Meanwhile Ivysaur remained unharmed, but large jagged rocks floated in the air all over her side of the arena. Already, the battle seemed to be going her way. Another hit would like that would likely leave Lycanroc unconscious. If she could get Ivysaur out of this first phase of the battle unhurt, she would be well on her way to earning her badge.

            Gilda seemed agitated. Twilight had put her on the back hoof faster than she had anticipated. "I guess that win against Team Umbra wasn't a fluke. Lycanroc, hit 'em with rock climb! Full force!" With as much energy as it had left, Lycanroc barreled toward Ivysaur, tearing apart the earth as it ran.

            "Razor leaf! Counter with razor leaf!" Twilight commanded, doing her best to maintain her composure. Ivysaur fired blade after blade at the charging beast, gradually slowing its charge with each hit. While Lycanroc managed to connect, the force of the hit had been weakened substantially. Ivysaur still looked healthy, but Lycanroc couldn't take any more. With a desperate howl, it collapsed. Twilight was up one pokémon, and if this was any indication, Ivysaur could just keep sweeping Gilda's team.

            From the stands, Twilight could hear Rainbow Dash roaring with laughter. "What's the matter Gilda? You can't be giving up now, Twilight just started wiping the floor with you!"

            Gilda shot Rainbow a furious glare. "Quit your squawking Dash, I'll grind you into the dirt in a few minutes once I finish up here. Rhydon, let's give 'em the hurt!" The ground shook as Rhydon landed upon the bare sand floor. Twilight steeled herself. Rhydon was big, but it was at a massive disadvantage. It can't be this easy. She told herself. Gilda has to have something up her sleeve. 

            With a steady breath, Twilight decided to figure out just what her opponent had in store. "Another razor leaf, let's go!" The bladed leaves whizzed through the air, utterly tearing through Rhydon's defenses and knocking it to the ground in a single hit. Twilight looked on in shock. Maybe I am getting stronger. I haven't ever had this easy a time against a gym leader. 

            Somehow, the loss didn't faze Gilda. Twilight remembered not to get ahead of herself. She couldn't afford to get cocky now. Not with victory so tantalizingly close. Still, Twilight couldn't help but worry. She had never seen anypony take a loss of a pokémon that nonchalantly. She had to have something big in the back if she was willing to let her Rhydon go down in a single hit. 

"Heh. I have to give it to ya, you're good kid. Way better than Dashie. But you haven't seen anything yet. Aerodactyl, let's show 'em what you've got!"

            "AEEEEERRR!" The fossil pokémon screeched. Its wingbeats stirred up the sand with each flap, whipping up a cloud of dust in the arena. Twilight and her friends let out a collective gasp. None of them had expected Gilda's ace to be a pokémon said to be several million years extinct.

            "Impressed?" Gilda laughed. The entire gym had gone silent save for the sound of Aerodactyl's wings, which left her a perfect opportunity to gloat. "You're about to see the ferocious power of Rock-types. Heck, I can sweep your entire team with nothing but Aerodactyl. Just watch."

            Unfazed, Twilight met Gilda's avian eyes with her own. "Your Aerodactyl may be strong, but Ivysaur can match him attack for attack. I've been travelling with him at my side since day 1, and he's never let me down."

            A knowing smile was Gilda's response. "Awwww, how sweet. It's too bad you're not going to be using him. Aerodactyl, use roar!" With a ear-piercing screech, Aerodactyl forced Ivysaur back into its pokéball. Twilight grimaced. So much for a clean sweep with Ivysaur. She evaluated the pokémon she had in her party. Silvia, Heliolisk, Marowak, Gible and Espeon. She ruled out Marowak immediately on account of type disadvantage, and she had yet to make any progress with Gible. Heliolisk has an advantage, but Gilda might have more tricks up her sleeve. I had better scout her out first. Silvia was tougher than Espeon, so it would be a better choice for figuring out what Aerodactyl was hiding.

            "Alright Silvia, let's get to work!" Twilight tossed the pokéball Chrysalis had entrusted her with, letting her creation loose onto the battlefield. No sooner did Silvia's claws and paws hit the sand than did the stones floating in the air dig themselves into Silvia's body. Its pained cries echoed in its helmet.

            I'm going to have to do as little switching as possible. Twilight thought. The rocks would keep hurting her pokémon every time she swapped out. And as long as Aerodactyl kept using roar, she would keep taking damage from the rocks.

            "Alright Aerodactyl, go for a rock slide!" Aerodactyl whipped up a mass of boulders and tossed them at Silvia. From under the stones, Twilight could hear her pokémon's pained cries. She needed to do something, and fast.

            Her options were limited for moves. Twilight puzzled over what she had to work with, and went with whatever could hit Aerodactyl the hardest. "Iron head, go!" Silvia smashed the boulders imprisoning it with its helmet, spraying shards of stone and dust everywhere. Its eyes locked onto Aerodactyl, and leapt forward, smashing the prehistoric flier with its helmet.

            The hit knocked Aerodactyl from the sky, causing it to cry out in shock. It was certainly hurt, but it was not unconscious yet. With a few flaps, Aerodactyl steadied its flight and readied itself to retaliate.

            Gilda gave Twilight an approving nod. "That creature of yours is pretty tough. That hit put a hurting on us, but don't think for a minute you've won. Aerodactyl, use hyper beam!"

            A blazing light began to collect in Aerodactyl's mouth, forcing Twilight to shield her eyes. She felt her heartbeat accelerate as the nova of energy flared up within the predator's maw. Aerodactyl blasted a beam of energy that gleamed with each color of the rainbow. Twilight cried out as the attack engulfed Silvia in its prismatic glow. Her eyes snapped shut the instant the attack fired, her instincts taking over to ensure Twilight did not go blind. 

            When the beam subsided, Twilight opened her eyes apprehensively. Large swaths of sand had been turned to glass, scorched by the ferocious attack that Aerodactyl unleashed. In the middle of the field of scorched earth, Silvia had collapsed in a heap, letting out a weak growl that echoed inside its helmet. Twilight wordlessly recalled her pokémon, sadness welling up inside her. She felt a deep sense of guilt for allowing her pokémon to come to such harm.

            She thought out her next pokémon with care. True, she could use Heliolisk and probably secure the victory, but she felt an overwhelming desire to defeat Gilda with similar firepower. "Ivysaur." She whispered, clutching her partner's pokéball close to her heart. "I have faith in you. For this whole journey, you've been at my side every step of the way, since we first took our first steps outside the walls of Canterlot. I need you now more than ever. Ivysaur, I choose you!"

            "Ivysaur!" Her pokémon stood as proudly as its tiny legs would allow. Its eyes set firmly on Aerodactyl, it let out a brave cry, giving a roar as strong as an Arcanine.

            Twilight pointed her hoof at Aerodactyl as she shouted her command. "Alright Ivysaur. Give it all you've got. Solarbeam, go!"

            The flower atop Ivysaur's back began to gather light to charge up its attack. Gilda was forced to sit and watch as the aura of light on Ivysaur's back blazed brighter and brighter. Her Aerodactyl was spent after that attack, allowing Ivysaur all the time it needed to prepare its attack.

            Finally, Aerodactyl regained its strength. "Alright, let's go! Give it another hyper beam!" Gilda roared.

            The flower on Ivysaur's back stopped drawing in light. Every nerve on her pokémon's body was visibly charged with energy, its small body struggling to keep the power contained inside itself.

            "FIRE" Twilight and Gilda commanded in unison. Each pokémon unleashed its beam, sending two blasts of energy blazing towards the center of the arena. Aerodactyl's rainbow beam met Ivysaur's nova of sunlight with an explosive flash. Twilight and Gilda gritted their teeth as the beams pushed back and forth against each other. Neither pokémon would be able to sustain their attacks much longer. It would be a question as to whichever pokémon ran out of energy first.

            Come on Ivysaur. You can do this. Twilight had put all of her faith in this attack. If Ivysaur lost, the damage he would take would be catastrophic.

            Finally, one of the pokémon waned. Aerodactyl, already drained from its previous attack, couldn’t compete with the vast amount of solar energy that Ivysaur had gathered. The hyper beam fizzled out, allowing the golden blast of sunlight to push backwards and immolate Aerodactyl in its beam.

            The attack knocked Aerodactyl to the ground. Ivysaur's attack utterly overwhelmed it, knocking it unconscious and leaving Gilda without any more pokémon. Gilda responded with an approving nod. "Well done kid. That Ivysaur of yours has moxie, I'll give him that. As gym leader of Griffonstone, it's my duty to present you with this Cliff badge."

            Twilight accepted the badge with a gracious hoofshake. "Thank you." Ivysaur waddled up beside her, nuzzling Twilight's hind leg. She rubbed her pokémon affectionately, stroking his leaves and rubbing his head.

            After Twilight took the badge, Gilda turned her attention to Rainbow Dash, who was still watching from the stands. "Well Dashie, think you learned anything? If you practice, maybe someday you'll be as strong as your friend here. Maybe if you're really lucky you might be able to win the badge too. " She threw back her head and laughed. "Ah, who am I kidding? You're light-years away from me!"

            After so much incessant teasing, Rainbow Dash finally snapped. "You think you're all that don't you Gilda? I challenge you to a battle, right here, right now. Then we'll see who's light years behind who." Dash flew out from the stand and dropped to the ground in front of Gilda, brandishing a pokéball as if she was ready to throw it at her. "You have no idea how much stronger I've gotten. My pokémon and I are going to wipe the floor with you."

            Gilda met Dash's anger with a smugness that only spurred her even harder. "Dash." She said with a sneer. "I would love to see you try."
> Chapter 32- A Griffon's Grudge Match
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Gilda had happily accepted Rainbow Dash's challenge, but requested a fifteen minute break so that she could get her pokémon healed. Rarity suggested they take advantage of the respite in order to calm down Rainbow Dash.

"Dash, are you sure you're going to be able to handle this?" Twilight asked, concerned for her friend. Rainbow's team was smaller than Twilight's, and had even worse matchups against Gilda's team. Although Slowpoke would fare well enough, Pidgeotto would be crushed by Gilda's Rock pokémon and Luxio would have to worry about the bevy of Ground-type moves that Gilda's team would surely be packing. She laid a gentle hoof on Rainbow's shoulder. "We can leave Rainbow. You don't have to do this."

Rainbow forcefully shook her hoof off. "Forget it Twilight. I'm not going to just back off with my tail between my legs after I already made the challenge. I don't need you telling me how to pick my battles."

"Rainbow Dash, I am not going to allow you to let your pokémon get hurt just because Gilda made you angry." Everypony turned to look at Rarity. "Your team isn't strong enough to stand up to Gilda and her Rock types. You'll simply put your team through unnecessary pain, and for what?"

"What?" Dash exclaimed, furious. 

Applejack chimed in. "I gotta side with Rares on this one. That team of Gilda's is full of tough customers. Your team's plenty strong but I don't think they've got a Vanillite's chance in Tartarus against them.

Rainbow Dash looked around in bewilderment. "I can't believe this. Is that how you all feel?"

Rarity, Twilight, and Applejack all nodded with varying degrees of hesitancy. "I'm sorry Rainbow Dash, I'm just thinking about the well-being of your-"

"Shut up Rarity." Rainbow Dash snapped. "If you're not going to be here to support me than you can just grab the ferry back to Equestria. I'll meet you there. And I'll be there with my badge, just you wait." Rainbow Dash stormed off without another word, leaving the other five alone in the reception area of the coliseum.

Fluttershy bit her lip. "Do you think you were a little harsh? Rainbow looks really upset."

Privately, Twilight agreed. In hindsight her words had sounded incredibly patronizing. Rainbow Dash was every bit the trainer she was; she didn't need anypony else to tell her how to act.

*	*	*

Rainbow had walked off without any destination in mind. She now found herself lost in the bowels of the coliseum, somewhere between a closed snack bar and a janitor's closet. She clutched Pidgeotto's pokéball in her hoof. She tossed the ball onto the floor, letting her partner out to hop around and scavenge up bits of popcorn off the floor. "Looks like I got us into a tough spot this time, eh little buddy?"

"Pidg…" Pidgeotto cooed. Rainbow ruffled her feathers playfully, eliciting more enthusiastic tweets from her partner.

She sighed deeply. "I guess we're going into this alone buddy. It doesn't look like Twilight and Rarity have our backs on this one. But it doesn't matter. I have you, and Slowpoke, and Luxio. And that's all I need." Rainbow rose to her hoofs and straightened out her jacket. "I'm going to be the greatest trainer in all of Equestria. And I'm not going to let that Griffon stand in my way. You with me?"

"Pidgeo! Pidgeooo!" Pidgeotto cried. Rainbow encouraged Pidgeotto onto her back and made her way back to the arena.

"Good. We're going to do this, with or without them."

***

Twilight and the others had made their way into the stands, nervously awaiting Rainbow Dash's entrance to the arena. The fifteen minutes had expired, and Gilda waited impatiently on her side of the arena, her clawed foot tapping angrily at the sand.

"I guess Dashie is a no-show." Gilda finally declared. "Guess she wasn't up to the task. Not that I blame her. A weak trainer like her was never going to beat my gym."

"I'm right here, beak-for-brains." Everypony turned to the challenger's entrance. Rainbow Dash stood in the archway, cold determination behind her eyes. Whether or not she would win was irrelevant. Rainbow Dash was ready to accept the challenge no matter the outcome. "I promise you Gilda, I'm not the little filly you knew anymore. Now, let's battle!"

Both trainers selected a pokéball from their belts. Gilda was the first to let hers loose. "Alright Magcargo, let's go!"

Rainbow Dash smiled. Gilda had switched up her team, but the pokémon she led with matched up incredibly poorly to her Slowpoke. Rainbow snickered. She couldn't wait to see the look on Gilda's face when she wiped it out.

From the stands, Twilight was less confident. "Gilda made this same ploy with me. She's just biding her time before she brings out her ace- that Aerodactyl of hers."

"Alright! Slowpoke, let's do this!" Slowpoke emerged from its ball with a yawn, unsure exactly what was going on as it emerged. Neither pokémon was particularly fast, giving each trainer ample time to size up the other.

While neither pokémon was quick to take the offensive, Gilda still managed to get there first. "Stealth rock, now!" Magcargo set up the same floating rocks that Lycanroc had menaced Twilight with earlier. The stones levitated all over the field, ready to dig themselves into any pokémon Rainbow Dash should switch in.

Twilight was greatly worried by the floating stones. "I don't think Rainbow knows how much trouble she's in. Those rocks will seriously hurt Pidgeotto if she switches into them."

Rainbow dash smiled. "Slowpoke, let's hit 'em with that new move of ours! Water pulse, let's go!" Slowpoke yawned, firing off a pulsating wave of water from its mouth. The hit devastated Magcargo, knocking it down in a single hit. "For how much trash comes out of that beak, your Magcargo went down pretty easy." Rainbow jeered with a smile.

Gilda withdrew her pokémon with a sigh. "I guess you're right Dash. I had you pinned for a chump, but looks like I was wrong. I just hope you don't hurt my Rhydon as badly." She tossed out her second pokéball, sending Rhydon onto the field with a loud thud.

Up in the stands, Applejack bit her lip uneasily. "I don't like this one bit. Gilda's playin' with Rainbow Dash out there, and she's taken the bait and swallowed the whole darn fishing pole."

Twilight agreed. "She's trying to goad Rainbow before she sweeps her with that Aerodactyl. I think Gilda wants to embarrass Rainbow by getting her as cocky as possible before defeating her team."

"That's so mean…" Pinkie said with a pout.

Twilight nodded. "Yeah. And it looks like Rainbow is playing right into her claws."

Back on the field, Rainbow had yet to make the connections between her current situation and what had transpired during Twilight's battle. I'm going to show them all! Gilda, Rarity, Applejack, all of them! We're going to destroy Rhydon just like we did Magcargo. Cliff badge, here I come! Rainbow raised a confident hoof and got ready to make another attack.

"Rhydon, take down!" Gilda ordered

"Alright Slowpoke! Water pulse, again!" Slowpoke fired the rippling pulse of water at the charging Rhydon, downing it in one hit once again. Rhydon collapsed on the ground. In victory, Slowpoke waddled his pink body atop Rhydon's rocky body, and made itself comfortable.

"Geez Dash, I don't know what I'm going to do. You took out two of my toughest pokémon like they were nothing. Guess I'll just throw it in the towel." Gilda said with a sigh.

"Aw, that's no fun. Come on Gilda, if you give up now the win isn't going to mean anything."

Gilda withdrew Rhydon, causing Slowpoke to land on the ground with a dull thud. "Alright Dash, but remember. You asked for it." Gilda threw Aerodactyl's pokéball with a grunt, letting her ancient pokémon take wing yet again.

Despite what had happened earlier, Rainbow Dash was unfazed by the flying fossil pokémon. "Hey Gilda, how does it feel to get your entire team swept by one pokémon?"

"I don't know Dash. Why don't you tell me?" Gilda asked with a smug grin.

Twilight cringed. Oh no. This is where Gilda turns the tables on her. This was exactly what happened when she had fought her just a few minutes ago. That Aerodactyl would throw Rainbow for a loop if she wasn't ready for it.

"Alright Aerodactyl, let's get them with roar!" Gilda's command silenced the entire stadium. Twilight and company looked on in fear as Rainbow was about to fall victim to the same tactic that nearly destroyed Twilight. But Rainbow Dash did not look worried.

She was smiling.

"Predictable, just like always." Rainbow Dash said with a knowing smile.

Gilda stared at her with bewilderment. "What are you talking about?" The trainer's confusion caused Aerodactyl to pause. Her pokémon was unsure how to act with its trainer so bent out of shape.

"Slowpoke, use block!" Rainbow commanded. "On yourself!" A giant X appeared over Slowpoke, causing Aerodactyl's roar to fizzle out, leaving Slowpoke stubbornly in the arena. 

"She did it!" Fluttershy exclaimed, settling nevously into her seat as soon as the words left her mouth.

Twilight smiled in approval. She had given Rainbow far too little credit. She should have known that Rainbow would have spent the previous battle formulating her own strategy for how to beat Gilda. From the seats, Twilight could see Gilda grinding her beak across the stadium. Her strategy had been completely turned against her. Now she had one pokémon left against all of Rainbow's three, could not swap them out with Roar and whittle them down with her stealth rocks, and was stuck against Slowpoke and his water attacks.

Gilda had to make best with what attacks she had. "Rock slide, go!" She ordered. If she could not dispatch Slowpoke quickly, she was doomed. Aerodactyl desperately dumped boulders onto Slowpoke, but Slowpoke either shrugged off the attack or simply did not notice. 

"Water pulse, counter!" Rainbow shouted back. Slowpoke's water blasted Aerodactyl from the air, leaving it vulnerable on the ground. "Now, finish with surf!" Slowpoke flooded the arena with a wall of water, dousing Aerodactyl beneath the wave's crash. When the tide subsided, Aerodactyl lay unconscious on the now muddy ground.

Without a word, Gilda withdrew her pokémon. As the battlefield drew silent, a harsh light enshrouded Slowpoke. The radiant glow grew to bathe the arena with light, disappearing with a final flash. When the glow had cleared, Slowpoke had changed, standing on two legs with a shell-like entity clamped down on its tail. It had evolved into Slowbro. Rainbow Dash raised her hoof in triumph, thrilled to see her pokémon evolve. Slowbro meanwhile, seemed oblivious to the fact that any such transformation had occurred.

Gilda approached Rainbow Dash with a scowl written across her face. "Dash."

Rainbow met her old friend's gaze hesitantly. "Yes?"

A smile slowly grew across Gilda's face. "I was wrong Dash. You've gotten a lot stronger since the last time I saw you. More importantly though, you've gotten a lot smarter. I mean, using a move on yourself to keep me from swapping our your Slowpoke? Pretty slick." Gilda held out a gleaming pin in her claws. "Rainbow Dash, it is my honor to award you with the Griffonstone Cliff Badge."

Rainbow Dash joyfully accepted the badge, embracing her old friend as she did. Twilight smiled. I guess Rainbow had it under control after all. 

The six left the coliseum in high spirits. With their business in Griffonstone done, they would return to Equestria and move onto the next gym, located in Cloudsdale. Twilight now had five of the eight badges needed to enter the Pokémon League, meaning her journey was now more than halfway finished. However, that only meant things would only become more difficult from here.

Rainbow had remained uncharacteristically silent since they had left the coliseum. She had kept at the front of the group but spoke little. Twilight tapped her hoof on Dash's shoulder. "Hey Rainbow? I owe you an apology. I had no right to talk to you the way I did earlier. I shouldn't have doubted you like that. I'm sorry."

"If anything, I owe you more of an apology than anyone else," Rarity added, "And yes, Twilight is right. We had no place to be so critical of you. You did splendidly out there, and we're all proud of you."

"Agreed. You're pretty darn clever Dashie," Applejack said.

Rainbow Dash smiled, satisfaction evident in her grin. "Thanks guys. I guess I should have told you I had a plan, but hey, we pulled it through. A badge and an evolved pokémon in one day? I'm on a roll!"

The group laughed as they proceeded back to the harbor, but Twilight couldn't help but think about her and Rainbow's futures. As strong trainers, it was their destiny to one day have to battle each other. Twilight knew hoping it would never happen was pointless. Instead, she looked forward to that clash with eagerness, hoping for a battle that would push them both past their limits. You may not be my rival Dash, but you're still a strong trainer. If we're both on our way to the top, it's inevitable that we'll face off against each other eventually. 

I look forward to that day.
> Chapter 33- Cave of Umbra
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

With the gym badges won, Twilight and Rainbow Dash left Griffonstone with heads held high. The ferry ride back to mainland Equestria was spent relaxing and decompressing. Rainbow and Twilight both decided to enjoy a couple days without battling to give both themselves and their pokémon a much-deserved break. Much of their time was spent asleep or sunbathing on the ship's deck. After so hectic a last few days, everypony was completely drained.

On the deck, Twilight marveled over her Keystone. She had seen the power of Mega Evolution firsthand during her time with Chrysalis, and knowing that she had access to that same power was both exhilarating and slightly terrifying.

Their boat made dock in Manehattan some days later. The six mares stepped onto the pier feeling rested and ready to continue their travels. Unsure of where to go next, they decided to go to the nearest pokémon center to decide.

The city streets of Manehattan were just as Twilight remembered them- crowded, noisy and incredibly active. As she often did after spending a fair amount of time away from large crowds, Twilight felt overwhelmed. Even the streets of Canterlot couldn't compare to the bustle of Manehattan. Twilight made sure to keep the other five within hoof's reach at all times. Losing somepony in these streets was all too easy.

Just like the city, the Pokémon center was large and crowded. From what she had read in her travel guides, Twilight knew that Manehattan had no fewer than six pokémon centers in its various districts. Even without a gym, Manehattan was still a hub of trainer activity in Equestria, and travelers were always coming in needing rest. For once, Twilight did not need a bed to sleep on or a meal in her stomach. Just a relatively quiet spot she could sit with the others and figure out where their next move would be. The six mares had only just seated themselves at an empty table and begun to unfold their maps when a newcomer approached them.

"Twilight Sparkle?" Asked the unicorn. She was a young mare, probably Twilight's age, with a set of half-rimmed glasses and a flowery blouse. "I'm so sorry to bother you. I work for Silph Co. I was asked to find you and deliver you a message from our Director. He said it was very important that I give this to you immediately."

Twilight took the envelope in her hoof and tore open the paper. Before she could unfold the letter within, the mare had already vanished into the crowds of trainers milling around the Pokémon Center's lobby.

"That was… weird," Rainbow Dash said at last, "If this letter is so important, why would her boss just have her wait around hoping she ran into us?"

"Beats the heck outta me," Applejack shrugged. She nudged Twilight, who still had yet to look at the contents of the note, "C'mon Twi, don't keep us in the dark, read it."

Twilight nodded and opened the note. It was written out in a stallion's cursive, neat but heavy. Twilight cleared her throat and began to read the letter to her curious audience.

To the esteemed Ms. Twilight Sparkle,

Good day to you, Ms. Sparkle. My name is Beauford Trottingsworth, and I am the Director of the Silph Company. It is my understanding you are an associate of the Princess and Professor of Pokémon Mi Amore Cadenza, and you were also the one responsible for retrieving the master ball that had been stolen from Team Umbra. 

Unfortunately, it seems this was not the last my company would have to deal with those scoundrels. An expedition we had sent out to the far South was attacked and robbed by Team Umbra. The convoy was carrying several Mega Stones that we had unearthed for use in an upcoming research project. You and your friends have proven yourselves more than capable of dealing with Team Umbra in the past, and I would implore you to assist me in getting my Mega Stones back. As a token of my appreciation, I would allow you and your companions to take one apiece as thanks for your assistance. My scientists have managed to track Team Umbra to a hidden base in the shore caves North of Manehattan. I hope you would be willing to lend me a hoof. However, time is short and I must ask you make your way out there quickly. There's no telling when they will move those precious stones elsewhere. 


Sincerely, Beauford Trottingsworth

Twilight re-read the letter again in her head, quickly giving it a critical examination before saying another word. "Does this all sound a bit strange to you girls?" She asked.

"Something about this rubs me the wrong way," Applejack said, "Can't put my hoof on it, but something seems mighty suspicious. "

"How did she even know to find us here?" Rainbow asked, "We just got back into town and they had no way to know we were here."

Rainbow Dash makes a really good point. Twilight mused. There were no fewer than six pokémon centers in Manehattan. Did Trottingsworth have secretaries waiting in every one? How did he know they would even go to a pokémon center? How did he even know they were back in Manehattan?

In the minutes where the mares had been mulling over the letter, Fluttershy had left the table to return with a newspaper. "Twilight? Have a look at this." She laid the paper on the table. Right on the front page, there was a picture of a burnt-out truck convoy and an inserted picture of a stallion titled Beauford Trottingsworth. "The paper says this happened early in the morning yesterday."

Twilight took the paper in both hooves and quickly scanned over the article. In comparison to the letter, the article was less detailed, not mentioning Mega Stones at all. But enough of the details aligned to push all doubts from Twilight's mind. "Grab your stuff girls. We have to get over to those caves." The mares took their backpacks and took off out the door. The letter had included a picture of a set of sea caves with a boat dragged ashore near it. The six headed off toward the door to begin the hike to the caves.





Sunset Shimmer and Sonata waited impatiently on the roof of the department store across from the Pokémon Center. The two Team Umbra Admins had been shadowing the six from the back of a van since the group had arrived back in Manehattan. Sunset watched the door through a pair of binoculars while Sonata waited with a radio transceiver and a cooler full of drinks. Several empty glass bottles of soda pop and lemonade already were scattered around the rooftop. Sunset was starting to regret drinking so many lemonades. She was already growing uncomfortable, and she had no idea how much longer it would take for her quarry to leave. Sunset banished any thoughts of a bathroom from her mind and redoubled her focus. She could not risk missing them exit through that door; if Team Umbra's plan was to succeed, Sunset and Sonata would need to see their quarry the instant they left for the caves to put the base on high alert. Once they saw Twilight leave, Sonata and Sunset would alert the base, and get off the roof and down into the waiting van below.

The radio crackled as Adagio's voice came through the airwaves. "This is Hideout to Observer, come in. What is your status over there?"

"Nothing yet Hideout," Sonata sighed, "Our agent came out a couple minutes ago, but our target is still inside. Anything yet, Sunset?"

"Nope," Sunset Shimmer yawned. The Pokémon Center only had one exit. Unless Twilight had decided to leap out of a window, they would have to be coming out that door. She quickly scanned the long windows of the clinic, but returned her binoculars to the ground floor almost immediately. She needed to keep a constant watch over that door. If she took her eyes off it for even a second, it was entirely possible that Twilight would be able to walk out and melt into the crowds on the street. If this plan was to work, she would need to make sure the hideout was put on high alert the instant they left.

In between sips of her beverage, Sonata spoke into the transceiver. "Hey Dagi, how is Aria holding up?" Sunset coughed through her own drink. She had almost forgotten what had happened to Aria. They had to medivac Aria out of Griffonstone on account of her blood pressure. Fortunately, Aria and Sonata had made sure to get the purple apricorns that had been their target out, and now Team Umbra had everything they needed to make a Master Ball. In fact, they had the materials to make three. The operation today was only meant to eliminate a potential thorn in the boss' side before he proceeded with his plans.

I wonder how many of them know the truth… Sunset mused. His pitch had been so eloquent, so simple. Organize strong trainers who had been denied what was rightfully theirs, and rebuild Equestria so that ponies who were strong would rise up to rule. So elegant a promise. So lovely a lie. Sunset knew his true intentions were more nefarious. He did not want Equestria for the strong. He wanted Equestria for himself.

Like so many others who had fallen into his grasp, Sunset had done so because she believed in what he said. She had felt wronged, so wronged, and wanted revenge. The only thing that separated herself from the hundreds of other grunts was her strength, and the legendary pokémon she had at her disposal.

Sunset shook her head. It was much too late to be questioning herself now. She was Commander Sunset Shimmer of Team Umbra. And either way, if he wanted the world for the strong or for Team Umbra, Sunset would be on the winning side of that conflict. Victory, regardless of the cost. She reminded herself.

A flash of lilac in her binoculars snapped her out of her introspection. She swiped the radio away from Sonata and yelled into it urgently. "This is Commander Sunset Shimmer. Targets are leaving the Pokémon Center and are en route to the lair. Put all operatives into high alert. I repeat, Twilight Sparkle is inbound on the lair." Sunset quickly tossed the scattered cans back into the cooler and began sliding her way down the fire escape at the rear of the building, with Sonata in tow. They slid down twelve stories into the back alley behind the building and hopped into the waiting van. Sunset took the wheel and made for the maintenance tunnels that ran below the city. They would bypass the traffic and arrive at the base, laying the final pieces of Adagio's cunning trap into place. Watch out Twilight. You and your friends are about to get the surprise of a lifetime. 





Although she had some misgivings about the whole situation, Twilight dismissed the thoughts and left the Pokémon Center. She had thought to ask some or all of her friends to stay, but she knew that would be a mistake. They were all capable trainers, and they would all be safer together.

Applejack had the sense to grab a trail map from the tourist kiosk at the center before they had left. The city had a fairly robust network of hiking trails beyond the city limits, one of which wound its way around the cliffs and bluffs north of town. The shore was riddled with such caves, which according to the guide had once made them a popular hideout for pirates. Twilight wasn't sure how they would figure out which one Team Umbra was hiding in, but she was confident she would track them down. This wasn't her first time hunting them in caves.

With her pokémon all in tip-top condition and her friends' pokémon similarly rested, Twilight doubted Team Umbra could throw much at her that she wasn't prepared to handle. Honestly, I feel like this walk is going to be the hardest part. 

Getting out of the city limits had taken them nearly an hour thanks to the horrible pedestrian traffic. Finally, they crossed the bridge out of the city, and found themselves in the quiet peacefulness of nature. "Alright girls, let's get out to those caves."





The maintenance tunnel put Sunset and Sonata's van onto a barely-used road leading off along the coast. She pulled the van down a dirt ramp and onto the coarse sand of the beach. She made little effort to hide her movements; she wanted to be followed.

Making sure she was leaving clear tire marks behind, Sunset drove toward the cave that she and the other admins had been using as a hideout. The Shoal Cave  was less of a permanent base and more of a temporary outpost. Team Umbra had set it up specifically for the Mega Stone heist, and now as a trap for Twilight Sparkle under Adagio's guidance. Sunset had to admit, the plan was cunning. Lure them in with the stolen Mega Stones and ambush them. If all went well, Team Umbra would wall them inside with boulders, leaving them for dead. With them out of the way, there would be nopony left to get in Team Umbra's way on their path to domination of Equestria.

Their radio crackled with static as they drove across the beach. "Come in Sunset," Adagio's voice crackled, "What is your location?"

"On the beach, five minutes out," She answered, "What's going on?"

"The boss is requesting us as soon as possible," Came the answer. Sunset swallowed. Sombra did not 'request' their attention. She pressed her hoof down harder on the gas pedal. Her heart began to race as the cave came into view. She had no idea what he wanted, but she doubted it was praise. Sunset looked into the rear-view mirror and saw Sonata in a similar state of unease in the back. This in turn worried Sunset even more. Little ever fazed Sonata's carefree nature. He can't be that angry, can he? They had managed to accomplish their goals at Hive Omega and Griffonstone. Granted, neither operation had been quite as clean as they would have preferred, and they had lost their Griffonstone headquarters in the process, but they had the equipment to make the Master Ball. If anything, Adagio's setback in Canterlot had worked out in their favor, considering they had three Master Balls instead of one.

Sunset pulled the van into the cave, throwing it in park and quickly galloping into the command chamber where Adagio and Aria already waited. Adagio shared Sunset's look of unease. Aria was still out of commission after her hypertension had nearly killed her. She was finally able to start walking around, but it had been agreed that she was in no condition to be battling, and would be evacuated from the facility before their foes arrived. Sunset felt a twinge of pity for her. She looked like hell, and whatever was about to come through from headquarters was not going to improve her situation. She was fully regretting the lemonades she had drank at this point, as between her nerves and the liquid in her system, she felt incredibly uncomfortable and would have to endure it while they spoke with the boss. She dared not keep him waiting any longer, even as badly as she wanted to. 

Four chairs had been dragged into place in an arc surrounding the large screen of the facility's computer. Once the other three admins had sat, Adagio hesitantly pushed the call button on the video phone, replacing the Team Umbra wallpaper of the computer with a window containing Sombra's scowling visage.

"Admins," He growled. On command, Adagio, Sonata and Sunset dropped onto a knee and placed their front hoof over their chest. Aria, still on her medical equipment, moved as best she could into the position while still being able to move back into her sitting position. "I have been satisfied with your performance as of late. But not pleased." Sunset swallowed. She had little idea where this was going, but she dared not interrupt him.

Sombra continued to speak on the screen. "Thanks to your efforts, we have secured the materials necessary to create three Master Balls. However, because of your failures, we have lost our Griffonstone headquarters, and nearly lost out on the Master Ball. Furthermore, the damage to our prestige because of your repeated defeats cannot be overstated."

"We accept full responsibility for these failures sir," Adagio kowtowed, "But we promise we will not fail you again. Within the day, we will make sure the trainers who have been interfering in our operations will be out of our way. Permanently."

"You intend to trap them within these caves, correct?" Sombra asked, a skeptical eyebrow raised at Adagio. She nodded, daring not to speak. "Fool," He spat, "How are you to ensure that nopony comes searching for them? They have connections with Princess Cadence and with the Silph company. Not to mention you're using Silph's stolen goods to bait your trap. You are to capture them and deliver them to our new base of operations at Sendoff Spring."

"A new base?" Sunset asked. She had heard of any new bases being constructed, especially not in a location as remote as Sendoff Spring.

"Ah yes, that reminds me." Sombra's smile worried Sunset. Whatever he had to say, she was not going to like it. "We have a new Admin who will be taking the prisoners off your hooves." On cue, a new window opened in the video call, revealing another unicorn wearing the black uniform of Team Umbra, and the scarf of an Admin. Sunset's eyes, and the eyes of her comrades, were immediately drawn to the shattered horn atop her head.

"My name is Tempest Shadow," The unicorn declared, "And I have been tasked with ensuring that these particular ponies do not interfere with our operations ever again. I expect you to arrive at Sendoff by tomorrow afternoon with the prisoners in hoof."

Sunset could feel Adagio and Aria bristling as they listened to this new officer order them around. She felt similarly displeased that Sombra would add on another Admin and seemingly grant her superiority over the senior officers.

"One more thing," Sombra added, "With three Master Balls at our disposal, I have considered granting two of them to my officers as a symbol of my gratitude and favor. Consider this assignment a test of your worthiness. Should you please me, one of you may be granted the third Master Ball." 

"'Third?'" Adagio asked, "Who has the second one?" Sunset was thinking the same thing. Unless he had seriously...

"That will be my decision. Now, do as you must to capture those insolent trainers. Do not disappoint me. Sombra out." Sombra's window closed, leaving the five mares alone in the video call.

"So, you are the four who Sombra has told me so much about," She jeered, her tongue dripping with venomous sarcasm, "It's my understanding you four have been foiled repeatedly by a group of upstart bumpkins, is that correct?"

Adagio growled, but her usually sharp wit seemed to desert her. She sighed, and submitted herself to the verbal berating that was surely coming.

"It's difficult to believe that you four have been able to control legendary pokémon," Tempest jeered, "Of course, if you can call Moltres and your beasts as legendary."

"And who are you to talk?" Sunset snapped. Her capture of Moltres had been her greatest achievement as a trainer, and she would not allow anypony to dismiss it.

Wordlessly, Tempest produced a pokéball of her own. The camera pulled backwards as she threw it onto the ground before her. With a horrible roar, a jagged shape took shape in front of the camera. There was no mistaking it. Tempest Shadow had captured the legendary pokémon Kyurem. "You know, he rather suites me," Tempest purred, "We are both broken, incomplete. And Sombra will make us whole again. Honestly, I don't think I even need that Master Ball for my goals, but who am I to question our leader? Now, I expect those prisoners captured. A bit of advice, don't mess this up. You'll have to answer to me and to Sombra." With that remark, the screen went black, leaving the four alone in silence.

"I hate this," Adagio said finally.

"Me too," Sonata added.

Aria's breathing grew heavier through her oxygen tank, "Who does that freak think she is? Bossing us around like that."

"I'm worried what will happen to us," Sunset said uneasily, "Sombra definitely seems to favor this new mare over any of us. We can't risk messing this up, or else there will be hell to pay for all of us."

Adagio nodded. "We'll get Aria transported out of here, and-"

"No," Aria coughed. The three turned their attention back towards her. "We're all in this together. I'm not going to leave you alone. The more of us we have, the better." She removed the oxygen mask and breathed deeply. She stood without help, determination grim in her eyes.

"Fine," Adagio relented, "This changes things. We need to get this place ready. We'll have to throw a plan together for nabbing those ponies quickly. Time is not on our side and we can't afford any mistakes."

No, time is not on our side. There was a set of fresh tire tracks that would be leading Twilight Sparkle right to them. By Sunset's estimate, they had at most two hours in order to put a trap into place and ready to be sprung. Come on Twilight Sparkle. I'm ready for you. I'll prove that I'm the best Team Umbra has. 
> Chapter 34- Ambush
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Spirits were high as Twilight and company made their way down onto the shoreline. So far the walk had been rather pleasant. But Twilight knew she had to be on guard. Even with her previous victories, Twilight knew better than to underestimate Team Umbra. Arrogance could get her into a serious jam with them.

She had become even more suspicious upon seeing the tire tracks along the shore. They weren't even trying to be subtle about hiding their movements. This has to be a trap. Twilight concluded. "Hold on girls!" Twilight held up a hoof to stop everypony else. "Team Umbra is trying to lead us into a trap. We need to be careful when we go into that cave."

"Hey Twilight?" Pinkie asked, "Why didn't we just call the police? Like, if we know where Team Umbra is, we could have just got the Manehattan police to come and take care of the hideout."

Twilight had no good answer for that. It was uncharacteristic of her to miss something so obvious. Maybe I'm just feeling confident that I can deal with this myself. Deep down she knew she wanted one of the Mega Stones Trottingsworth had promised her, but that was hardly a good enough reason to run blindly into Team Umbra's lair.

"I have a suggestion," Rarity announced, "Perhaps if we track down the cave they are hiding in, we could send somepony back to the city to alert the authorities. The rest of us can keep watch at the entrance to make sure nopony leaves. That way, none of us are in any sort of danger."

"Dang Rares, that's a pretty solid idea," Applejack commended, "I'm for it. If this is a setup like Twi's sayin, no reason to let ourselves get hurt."

With that plan in mind, the six continued down the coastline, following the tire tracks for another half-mile or so until they swerved off into the mouth of a cave. The mares snuck up to the entrance to get a closer look. "Look," Rainbow whispered, pointing her hoof toward the opposite side of the entrance. Surely enough, an identical set of tire marks came out of the cave, turning out and continuing further down the coastline. "Think they hightailed it out of here?"

"Maybe," Twilight answered back, "It's possible they knew they had been discovered and they got away while they still could."

"Think so?" Applejack asked. Truthfully, Twilight wasn't sure. It seemed to go against her theory that the cave was a trap set for them. Had Team Umbra lost their nerve and elected to flee? Or had they simply moved out the Mega Stones and left the trap in place? Whatever the possibility, Twilight was unsure if she wanted to find out.

Maybe it was time that they took Rarity's advice and sent somepony back to find the police. It would be so much easier to send a police squadron in, who were better trained and equipped to deal with this kind of situation than they were. A pegasus flying could probably make it to the nearest police station in twenty minutes. "Fluttershy, can you go?" Twilight half asked, half ordered. "We need somepony who can fly, and we need Rainbow Dash's pokémon here in case something goes wrong. Do you think you can go get the police and bring them back here?"

She nodded yes. "Sure thing. Stay safe, okay? I don’t want anypony to get hurt."

"We'll be fine sugarcube," Applejack reassured sweetly, "Now get that flank in gear. We'll keep 'em holed up in there until you get back."

Fluttershy took off back towards town while the others took up positions around the entrance. Pinkie and Applejack stayed on the near side while Twilight, Rainbow and Rarity crossed to the other side to keep the cave flanked on all angles. If any Team Umbra goons came out of that cave, they would be the ones getting ambushed.

Twilight nervously fiddled with one of her pokéballs and could sense Rainbow doing the same thing next to her. "Doing okay?" She whispered in a raspy voice.

"Yeah. Just nervous." She admitted, "Kinda wish we had a way to get a look around inside."

"I believe I know a way we could!" Rarity announced, keeping her voice down as low as she could in her excitement, "Zorua, I need you." The pokémon she had won from the Appleoosa cup sprung from its pokéball with a yip, landing in the coarse sand on all fours.

Rarity knelt down to speak to her pokémon. "Zorua, I need you to transform and have a look around the cave, alright? Turn into a Krabby for me." Zorua barked before jumping into the air in a spin. Using its illusion ability, Zorua transformed itself to look like a Krabby. She scuttled off into the cave, mimicking the bubbling noises made by the crustacean pokémon.

Applejack gave an approving nod from the other side of the wall. "You're full of good ideas today, huh Rarity? That was pretty swift, I gotta say."

"The recognition is appreciated Applejack. I suppose today is just especially good for me." There was an arrogant air in Rarity's voice, but her tone made it clear that it was only a joke. "Let's give her some time to see what she can find in there."

Minutes passed, and Twilight began to wonder how deep the cave went. Zorua could see perfectly well in the dark, but it was a question of how far back the hollow went. She knew there were some sea caves that extended hundreds of feet or longer. If this cave was that large, it might take awhile for Rarity's pokémon to fully explore it all.

Zorua returned a few minutes later. Still disguised as a Krabby, she sidestepped back to her master and began bubbling excitedly.

"Excellent job my dear," Rarity praised, rubbing Zorua's false crustacean shell, "Did you see anything?" Zorua crossed its claws into an X to signify an answer of no.

"If it's clear in there, think we should take a look ourselves?" Rainbow asked, "I mean, if it's empty we don’t really have anything to worry about, right?"

Twilight stiffened at the idea. She felt like it was an unnecessary risk, and that they were better off waiting for the police. But if Rarity's Zorua said it was empty, she had no reason to doubt it. "Alright, but stay together. We should still be careful." Twilight turned her attention back to Rarity, "Maybe we should leave one or two of us at the entrance to keep watch. That way we can guide the police here when they arrive. Rarity and Pinkie, would you two keep watch?"

Pinkie agreed enthusiastically. Rarity conceded, but only when Twilight reminded her she wouldn't have to go into the dark, dank and probably slimy cave. With two of their number on watch, the remaining three took their first uneasy steps into the cave.

Light quickly grew scarce. As visibility got worse, Applejack let Flaafy out to provide light with her tail. True to Zorua's report, the cave was empty. They could see clear impressions in the sand where boxes and equipment had been placed just recently, but had been hurriedly removed. Twilight felt the cold wetness of the sand in her hooves. This cave probably flooded every once and awhile, filling it with sediment. Whatever Team Umbra had been doing in here, they had probably only meant to stay for a brief while.

"Jeez. Nothing." Rainbow Dash sighed. She stopped for a minute to stretch and crack her joints. "I tell you guys, I kinda feel cheated. I guess I just wanted to beat on Team Umbra again."

"Not today sugarcube," Applejack laughed, slapping Rainbow on the back, "Honestly, I'm sad we didn't get a crack at those Mega Stones. Didja know Flaafy can use one when it evolves?"

"Really? So can Pidgeotto." Rainbow and Applejack went back and forth about Mega Evolution for a moment while Twilight and Flaafy continued to around the cave. There wasn’t much space left to explore, so it might just be easier to turn back and leave… But then a glimmer at the corner of her eye caught Twilight's gaze.

A military-style plastic case. It laid facedown in the sand, its contents spilled haphazardly on the ground, as if it had been dropped and forgotten in a scurry to get out. Several small stones shined like starlight in the sand. There was no mistaking it. Those were the Mega Stones.

Applejack and Rainbow Dash saw them too. "What in tarnation?"

"Team Umbra must have dropped them when they were leaving. This must be our lucky day." Twilight smiled. Today was a good day. Retrieving the Mega Stones without a fight was the biggest stroke of luck they'd had in quite a long time. Throwing all caution to the wind, all three mares galloped toward the abandoned case...

And promptly fell through the false floor covering the pitfall trap in front of it. 

"Oww…" Twilight groaned. She craned her neck to see what had become of her friends. Rainbow had landed face-first onto the sand-padded trap, and Applejack had Flaafy drop right on top of her. The pit was at least fifteen feet deep, and dug into the sheer bedrock of the cave. Wait, what's giving me light to see that? Flaafy's tail glow had gone out when they had landed, but somehow Twilight could still see well enough to assess her surroundings.

"What did I tell you? The pitfall works every time," Laughed a familiar voice. Twilight moaned in defeat. There was no mistaking it, it was Adagio Dazzle, and she had played them like a violin. Without warning, a weighted rope net dropped down onto them, pinning the mares in place.

"I was worried for a minute this was going to fail," She smiled sweetly, shining a bright flashlight onto them while jeering from the top of the pit. "I was afraid that Krabby of yours would accidentally set off the trap. But thankfully it was too light to cause the floor to collapse." Twilight groaned as she saw Sonata Dusk and Sunset Shimmer's faces appear at the top of the pit. How had she been so careless?

The radio receiver clipped to Sunset's belt began to buzz, producing the distinct angry tone of Aria's voice. "This is Big Sky to Treasure Chest, do you copy? You guys need to hurry up in there. There's a squad of Manehattan police cruisers closing on your position. Do you have the package?"

"Affirmative." Sunset answered. She switched the receiver off and turned to her two other companions, "Come on, let's get them out of here right away."

"What about the others? Won't the boss get angry if we only have the three?" Sonata asked as they prepared to capture their prizes.

Adagio reassured her as she prepared a pokéball. "Don't worry about the others. These three are the only decent trainers among them. Besides, it's the purple one the boss wants."

"Lilac!" Twilight snapped. Now was not the time for sass, but she could not stand it when people called her purple.

Adagio chose to ignore her. "Vileplume. Sleep powder." Her Vileplume doused the three mares and Flaafy in a noxious spray of pollen that put them all to sleep instantly. With their targets incapacitated, Sunset and Sonata leapt down into the hole to begin tying them up and hoisting them out of the pit while Adagio threw their unconscious bodies into the back of their van. They had been fortunate enough to have two, one of which they had used to send Aria off to trick them into thinking the cave had been abandoned. The other one had been hidden behind a pile of rocks crammed in the corner of the cavern, which both Twilight and her friends had completely ignored. They had hidden themselves under a second, smaller false floor that had been dug by one of their underling's Excadrill. Once they heard screaming, the Umbra Admins jumped out of their hiding place, net in hoof, ready to capture their quarry.

At the bottom of the hole, Sunset put the sleeping Flaafy back into its pokéball and climbed a rope out of the pit. She followed her fellow officers into the back of their vehicle and began to strip their targets of their pokéballs and tossed them into a cardboard box. She doubled back to collect the Mega Stones, not realizing that one pokéball had slipped out and fallen onto the ground as they carried Twilight into the van. The one pokéball that had not been on Twilight's belt while she had been exploring the cave.





"Do you think we should check on them?" Rarity asked, pacing back and forth anxiously. "The cave isn't especially big. Surely they should be back by now."

Pinkie Pie nodded in agreement. "Yeah. I hope they're okay." Her ears perked up as she finished speaking. She turned her head either which way to find the source of the sound. "Hey, do you hear something? Like, an engine?"

No sooner did Pinkie Pie finish her sentence than did a white van race out of the cave and swerve off down the shore, following the set of tire tracks they thought were the ones left by Team Umbra. Pinkie and Rarity watched in horrified astonishment as the vehicle sped away, spraying sand out from under its tires as it drove away.

Rarity cursed under her breath. Neither she nor Pinkie had a flashlight with them. Without any sort of light or a pokémon that could make it, they were left to sit in the sand while they waited for the police to arrive and figure out what had happened.

A few minutes later a group of squad cars pulled up. Fluttershy exited from the back seat of one, along with a rugged old police stallion who had probably been on the force longer than Rarity had been alive. "We got a call about some Team Umbra goons hiding in these caves. What's happened here?"

In her panicked state, Rarity tried her best to describe what had happened. The stallion motioned for one of his deputies to come over with a notepad and began to scribble down everything Rarity said. She told them how they had come to check out the Umbra Base, their plan to call the police, Rarity sending Zorua to scout, Twilight going in to look and finally the van speeding away. Once she had stopped, the deputy closed his notebook and the senior officer adjusted his belt. "Give us a minute, we'll go have a look." The stallion got a flashlight from his trunk and several of his deputies did the same. A squad of four went into the cave, their lights fading as they went deeper inside.

Several minutes later, the older stallion came back with a saddened scowl on his face. "Your friends got nabbed by Team Umbra, it looks like. It looks like those goons were really gunning for somepony. They had a trap hole dug and everything. From the look of things, they got out of there in a hurry too. I found this sitting in the sand over by where their van had been parked. Did this belong to one of your friends?" Rarity took the pokéball in her hoof. It was one of theirs, no doubt. She tossed the ball onto the ground, releasing one very angry Gible onto the beach. It immediately began growling and snapping at the air, forcing Rarity to put it back before it could hurt her or one of the officers. 

A deputy approached Rarity, hat held shamefully in his hoof. "I'm sorry ma'am. If we'd been here a bit quicker we might have caught 'em."

A tear welled up in Rarity's eye. "It's quite alright. The blame is ours on this matter. We shouldn't have gone in there. Do you think you will be able to do anything to save them?"

"We'll be giving it everything the department has," The deputy reassured, "If they come within sight of Manehattan, they'll be in cuffs faster than you can say salsa verde." The southernism broke the dam for Rarity, prompting her to cry at the reminder of Applejack. Flutteshy came over to comfort her and help her into the back of the squad car. She, Rarity and Pinkie squeezed into the back seat with the older stallion and his deputy up front. The formation of squad cars broke off in all directions, some pursuing Team Umbra down the beack, and others returning back to the city.





Twilight awoke with an awful discomfort in her forehooves. He remembered falling, and laughing… then somepony called her purple, and it was all a blur after that. She struggled to make out her surroundings. She could feel that she was moving, in what looked like the back of a car of some kind. She felt the rough texture of rope wrapped around her limbs, preventing her from moving. Applejack and Rainbow Dash were in similar states, with the latter having an extra-tight bond wrapped around her torso to hold her wings in place. "You're awake," Sunset Shimmer whispered, seemingly relieved.

Twilight gasped. It all returned to her now. She had been fillynapped by Team Umbra.

"Look, I'm sorry about this. I guess it doesn't mean much, but this isn't personal."

"Where are you taking us?" Twilight asked, the fear evident in her voice.

"Northeast HQ," Sunset answered curtly, "The boss was getting angry with you interfering in his plans, so he wants you out of the way."

Adagio's voice rang from the front seat to scold Sunset. "Sunset, don't talk to the prisoners."

"Again, I'm sorry," She whispered. Sunset climbed out of the trunk of the van and into the back seat. The gravity of the situation hit her like a bus. This was beyond anything she had ever feared would happen to her. I have to do something. Otherwise there's no telling what they'll do to us. Twilight could feel her pokéball belt was missing. What Team Umbra had done with them was not immediately apparent, leaving Twilight without options. Rarity, Pinkie and Fluttershy… she thought. They're our only hope. 
> Chapter 35- Mounting a Rescue
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

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. 
> Chapter 36- Attack on Umbra (Part I)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sunset's eyes darted around the facility nervously as she cantered away from the cellblock. Hopefully nopony would question her for giving a blanket to the prisoner. Nopony had been watching while she was in there, and she had scarcely been two minutes. Nopony would possibly-

"SHIMMER!" Sunset swallowed. Tempest's voice shook the hallways as she stormed over to her. Sunset froze in place, trying to stop herself from looking guilty. "Off so soon?" She asked, scanning her cold eyes over Sunset's rigid form.

"Y-yeah. I have orders from the boss to go train some new recruits back in Fillydelphia." Sunset felt her legs start to shake as Tempest's cold green eyes eroded away at her.

She seemed to be very aware of the effect she was having on Sunset. "I notice you're coming from the direction of Sparkle's cellblock. Fraternizing with the prisoners, are we?"

Crap. Sunset stammered to get her alibi out. "I was just giving her a blanket. It's cold out there."

"How considerate of you." Tempest chuckled, the acidity in her words dripping from her tongue as she spoke. Sunset struggled to maintain eye contact as Tempest's orbs narrowed down to slits.

"Well then, get a move on. We wouldn't want to upset the boss, would we?" Tempest laughed as Sunset galloped away, smacking her flank as she ran. Embarrassment and terror filled Sunset Shimmer as she fled from the new Admin, not slowing her pace until Tempest was well out of earshot.

"I'm going to laugh when Twilight's friends burn this place to the ground." Sunset murmured once she was alone. She had already begun planning a way to blame the escape on Tempest. Capturing them had been Tempest's plan and she hadn't given Sunset and the others enough time to lay a trap that would be reliably able to grab all of Twilight's friends. Plus it had been Tempest's idea to bring them to her base of operations instead of somewhere secret, like HQ. If everything went well, Twilight Sparkle and her friends would walk free and Tempest would be humiliated in front of the boss. As long as nopony had to deal with that monster Tempest had, there wouldn't be anything to worry about. Sunset went to the base's garage and found the truck that would serve as her ride back to Fillydelphia. With any luck, I'll be long gone before things start getting crazy in here. She sat back and waited for the driver to get moving, showing a slight grin as the truck pulled onto the road and the base slowly shrank into the horizon.





With their missing friends tracked to Sendoff Spring, it was now a matter of planning out their attack. A headlong assault was ruled out immediately. They could not be sure of how strong of a presence Team Umbra had, and nopony felt like running in blind to find out. However, Rarity seemed to have a solution in mind. "Perhaps we disguise myself, Trixie, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie as Team Umbra members and sneak our way inside?"

"A solid plan," Chrysalis agreed, "But what of myself and Cadence? Both of us are too famous and too big to fool anypony with a disguise."

"Simple. You'll be our prisoners." Rarity grinned. Cadence and Chrysalis looked at each other uneasily, before finally submitting with a sigh. With a plan worked out, Rarity took off to find the supplies she would need; black shirts, purple fabric to make the Team Umbra eclipse, a few black beanies and balaclavas, and lastly some rope to tie up their prisoners. While Rarity was working on their wardrobe, Fluttershy and Chrysalis went to scout the Team Umbra lair. The two took to the sky again in order to scope out the facility, using the high-powered camera on Chrysalis' monster of a pokédex to snap images of the building. Finally, Pinkie Pie, Cadence and Trixie were left alone to work out a plan of attack from the limited information they had available. They decided that once they were inside, they would split up in order to search the facility for the missing mares.

As an afterthought, Chrysalis gave out earpieces to keep everypony in touch with one another. She had brought them with her from the lab, thinking they might prove useful. Chrysalis downed another coffee as everypony else was getting ready to play their part. Night was starting to fall once everypony was dressed and ready. Hopefully the cover of night would prove helpful in their rescue mission.

The six set out from Rainbow Falls at 7:00 pm, as the sun was dipping behind the mountains off to the west. Trixie, Fluttershy, Rarity and Pinkie Pie were all dressed up in their fake Team Umbra uniforms, with the latter two also wearing ski masks to keep their faces covered. Cadence's wings were tied down, but with a special knot that could be undone and removed quickly should she to move freely. Chrysalis split off from the group, with the plan being for somepony to open a window when Team Umbra wasn't looking to let her sneak in. The whole party remained silent on their way out to Sendoff Spring. Everypony felt nervous, worried both about what might happen to their captured friends, or what might happen if things went wrong.

"Alright… here goes nothing," Trixie whispered as they approached the entrance. She rapped on the metal door before stepping back to wait for a response.

A slat slid open in the door, revealing a pair of blue eyes on the other side. "What's your business?" The mare demanded.

"We caught this one snooping around the building." Trixie answered, deepening her voice to make sure she did not sound like her usual self.

The doormare's eyes bulged like dinner plates. "Is that Professor Cadence? What the hay is she doing here?"

"I don't know. Maybe we should bring her to the commander and find out." Trixie suggested.

The mare hesitated. "I don't know… I feel like I should get her down here to see what's going on…"

Rarity shuddered. Her disguises might be able to fool the common grunt, she doubted that an Admin would be fooled so easily. A run-in with the facility's commanding officer so quickly could spell doom for their rescue attempt.

"Now hold on just a minute," Fluttershy snarled. She stomped her way up to the door, locking her gaze directly on the doormare. "We've been running around out here for six hours to track down this snooping professor, and this is the thanks we get? All of these mares at least deserve a few minutes inside to rest after all the time they spent out here today, don't you think?"

The Stare. Fluttershy's secret weapon had been deployed. As hoped, it melted the will of the guard like butter left in a microwave. Trembling, she opened the door to allow the five in. Fluttershy stayed back until Pinkie Pie, who was bringing up the rear, had made it inside. Once the door was closed, Pinkie let Steve out of his pokéball to douse the Grunt with a sleep powder.

The next few minutes were spent in mechanical order. The mares would proceed in a line down a hallway, asking occasionally for directions to where the prisoners were held. As they interviewed more and more grunts, Rarity began to notice something strange from all of their stories. They've been giving us different directions. What's going on here? It wasn't simple error either. One guard had told her that they were in the basement, while another directed her to the east side of the third story, and yet another told them to go to the back end of the first floor. If what they were telling her was true, that meant there was a possibility that each of her friends was being held in a different corner of the building. Rarity swallowed. Their job just became a lot harder.

They finally found a suitable spot to let Chrysalis in on the northern end of the second floor. Rarity and Trixie were both growing uneasy as they clumsily navigated the halls. They would surely look suspicious wandering around without direction with a prisoner in tow. Rarity slid open a window and activated her headpiece. "Chrysalis, this is Rarity. You are clear to come in when ready."

"Roger that," She responded. A minute later, Chrysalis pushed through the window, moving quite gracefully for someone of her size.

"Do you guys want to try and split up?" Trixie suggested, "Trixie feels that we will be able to cover more ground and attract less attention if we travel in smaller groups."

"Are you sure that will be safe?" Fluttershy asked nervously, "What is something happens to somepony and the rest of us can't help?"

"Fluttershy, I hate to break it to you, but if anypony gets caught, we're in a hole," Chrysalis warned, "We're heavily outnumbered in here, so if something does go wrong, we're in trouble if there's one or six of us."

Pinkie Pie tried to redirect the conversation away from such pessimistic thoughts. "I'll go with Cadence and Fluttershy up to the third floor. Rarity, you and Trixie should go look around on the first floor and see if you can find out where everypony is. Chrysalis, you're in charge of the basement. Capiche?"

Everypony agreed to Pinkie's plan. If there were any objections, they were kept silent in the interest of keeping spirits high. The three groups went off their separate ways to cover the rest of the building as quickly as possible. The less time they had to be inside Team Umbra's base, the better.





Without Cadence to attract attention, Trixie and Rarity found that they could move much faster and remain unnoticed by the Team Umbra agents milling around the hallways. Trixie had taken an opportunity to study a fire map of the structure to get a better idea as to where they wanted to be. If nothing else, knowing the locations of staircases and dead end hallways made them look less suspicious as they made their way back to the ground floor.

The floor plan had given them a general idea as to where the cellblock would be. The mares kept their eyes to the floor, taking great caution not to make eye contact with anypony. Finally, they rounded a corner and found themselves staring at a heavy door with a yellow sign reading 'Restricted'.

This must be it. Rarity pushed the door open a crack to glance inside. The corridor was dark, but it was empty. "Hello?" She whispered. No response came. "Hello!" Her voice was louder this time. She motioned for Trixie to keep watch while she went into the door.

There were a couple cells off to Rarity's right. She scanned over the first, and finding it empty moved on to the next. She gasped. Twilight lay asleep in the cell, wrapped in a blanket in the corner. "Twilight!" She gasped.

"Huh?" Twilight rolled over, blinking her eyes at Rarity. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and sat up in shock, "Rarity?"

"Thank Celestia you're unharmed," Rarity sobbed, "We've all been worried sick. Don't worry, we will get you out of here."

"There's a key in the garbage can," Twilight said, pointing her hoof toward the trash can. "Sunset Shimmer left it in there."

Rarity took off her balaclava, raising an eyebrow at her. "Apologies, I thought you said that Sunset Shimmer left a key for you."

"That's right," Twilight affirmed, pointing her hoof toward the garbage can. "There should be a pokéball in there too. Sunset left it and a letter for Princess Cadence."

Rarity fished her hoof around in the otherwise empty trash can, and came out with both the key and the ball. She was bewildered to find that it was actually there. "What's the meaning of this?"

Twilight knew, but a part of her hesitated to tell Rarity the whole story. She felt a strange sense of obligation to keep the information in Sunset's letter a secret. She had already looked at it herself, but even for that she felt somewhat guilty. She resolved to keep the contents of the letter a secret, at least until it had been delivered to Cadence.

Rarity stuck the key into the lock and threw open the door. Twilight cantered out, and was immediately wrapped in a passionate embrace by her friend. Tears were running down Rarity's cheek as she reunited with her friend. "I'm so glad you're safe, we were so worried."

Twilight returned the hug to give Rarity some comfort. "Don't worry, I'm safe. How are the others?"

"We haven't found them yet. We divided into teams to search the facility. Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie and Cadence went upstairs, and Professor Chrysalis took the basement."

"Wait, Cadence and Chrysalis are here?" Twilight smiled awkwardly, unable to believe what she was hearing.

"And the Great and Powerful Trixie as well!" Trixie declared, closing the door behind her, "It's good to see you again Twilight Sparkle. Trixie, nor anypony else, was going to sit by and leave you to Team Umbra."

"Thank you so much..." Now Twilight was the one tearing up. She wiped her eyes quickly and smiled. "I really do have the most amazing friends, don't I?"

Rarity pressed a hoof onto the radio receiver to activate it. "This is Rarity. We have Twilight. How is everypony else?"

The first to answer was Chrysalis. "So far nothing in the basement. I haven't seen a soul, Team Umbra or otherwise."

"Pinkie Pie, how about you?" No answer. Rarity pressed down on the button again, harder this time. "Pinkie Pie. Fluttershy. Are you there?"

"Is something the matter?" Twilight asked.

Rarity bit her lip nervously as she began to pace back and forth at an ever-quickening speed. "I'm not sure. However, I'm afraid to find out. Let's get you out of here Twilight. Trixie and I can handle things from here."

"No, I'm not leaving." Twilight locked eyes with Rarity. There was no dissuading her resolve. "I'm not going to let everypony else risk themselves on my behalf and not let me help."

"You don’t have any of your pokémon with you." Rarity argued. As the words left her lips, Rarity realized that wasn't technically true. She was holding onto one of Twilight's pokéballs herself. Granted, it was Gible, but any pokémon was better than none. Probably.

"I know where they are. Sunset Shimmer told me where everypony's stuff is being kept. Please, you risked so much to save me. Let me return the favor."

Finally, Rarity relented. She was not going to change Twilight's mind and every instant spent arguing with her was one not spent figuring out what had become of Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie. "Fine. At least take these." Rarity gave her an extra one of her homemade Team Umbra uniforms and the ski mask she had been wearing. "You'll need that more than I did." Twilight quickly dressed herself, taking great pains to pull the shirt down over her Cutie Mark. Her tail would remain a dead giveaway, but if they moved quickly there was at least a chance the Team Umbra grunts might not make the connection, and by that time they would be long gone. Hesitantly, Rarity dug Twilight's pokéball out of her bag. "Team Umbra left this at the cave. I know you aren't fond of Gible, but it would be better to have him with you."

Twilight took Gible's pokéball and tucked it into the uniform's pocket. "Thank you Rarity. You go help Rainbow and Applejack. I'll go find our stuff."





Chrysalis felt comfortable in the basement. It was cold, dark and damp, just like the Changeling hive she had grown up in. Although building her laboratory had meant getting rid of the darkness and dampness in favor of industrial lights and climate control systems, Chrysalis' eyes were still incredibly keen in the dark cellar she found herself in.

Chrysalis had encountered no resistance after she had gotten inside the building. While on the upper levels she had been cautious of alerting Team Umbra of her presence, down here she was free to move around at her leisure. The entire basement seemed to be empty of ponies, apart from herself and hopefully the prisoner she had been sent to free. At present, it seemed that the challenge would more come from finding where Rainbow Dash was being kept than fighting her way there.

I wish I had my GCU with me…Having her Genesect module would have made this entire exercise so much easier. Genesect was probably strong enough to take down every Team Umbra goon in the facility, but even ignoring that, Genesect's ability to see heat signatures would have made finding the missing ponies much easier. For today she would have to make do with the bevy of other powerful Bug-types she had at her disposal. She had spent nearly the entire flight debating which pokémon to equip with a Mega Stone today. She had settled with Pinsir, only because she was apprehensive about deploying Mega Scizor when there was a remote possibility of fire attacks.

Beyond that though, there were her two… special projects. The ones that she had neglected to mention to Cadence during their chats earlier. These pokémon, if one could even call them that, were just the surprise factor she would need in order to gain the upper hoof against an opponent. After all, how can somepony hope to strategize against something they weren't even aware existed?

Just as Chrysalis reached the last corner of the basement, she found a locked metal door. Unable to force it herself, Chrysalis sent out her Pinsir to tear it apart with its horns. Pinsir impaled the door with its massive horns, tearing it into shreds of steel that fell to the floor like scraps of paper. Beyond the doorway were a pair of cells. Chrysalis immediately locked eyes with the occupant of the second one, who had been roused to the bars when the door had been torn off. It was Rainbow Dash.

"Professor Chrysalis?" She asked in disbelief. "What the hay are you doing here?"

"Your friends asked me for help to rescue you from Team Umbra." Chrysalis answered. "Do you know where Applejack is being held?"

Rainbow Dash shrugged. "Not a clue. They had a sack over my head when they brought me down here. Guess they didn't want us knowing where each other were being kept. I guess that means Twilight is safe?"

Chrysalis nodded. "That's correct. Rarity and Trixie have already freed her."

"Trixie? Jeez, this day just keeps getting weirder…" Rainbow muttered.

Chrysalis turned on her transceiver as she spoke into the small device. "This is Chrysalis. I have found Rainbow Dash. What is your status?"

Fluttershy's panicked voice came back through the sounds of intense commotion in the background. "This is Fluttershy! We're on the second floor, but they've found us! Please, send help!"

The feed went dead. Chrysalis and Rainbow Dash looked at each other uneasily. "Can you fight?" Chrysalis asked.

"They took my pokéballs," Rainbow admitted shamefully, "I don't know where they have them."

"Nevermind. We need to get up to them now." Chrysalis broke into a gallop out the door, with Rainbow Dash following in tow. Even without her pokémon, Rainbow was still willing to clobber a few of these goons herself if it meant getting her friends out of danger. Hang on Applejack, we're coming. 
> Chapter 37- Attack on Umbra (Part II)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It had not been long after the groups had split up before things started to go wrong for Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy and Cadence. Escorting the bound professor through the facility aimlessly slowed their progress to a crawl, and quickly began to look suspicious. Without Trixie and Rarity there to provide a quick tongue, Fluttershy and Pinkie found themselves in an awkward position when a patrol of Team Umbra goons began asking them questions they could not answer. The exchange ended when Pinkie had Steve douse the stallions with a stun spore to give them a chance to run. With their cover compromised, Cadence removed the ropes binding her torso, giving her free access to her pokémon as well as her full range of movement. While she was no doubt a competent trainer, the number of Team Umbra made fighting a surefire recipe for disaster. Instead they tore across the floor, searching frantically for Applejack. That was when she appeared. 

The shattered horn. Fluttershy and Cadence froze in place, and even Pinkie was scared stiff by the frightening visage of the unicorn. "I am Tempest Shadow, the commander of this facility. I assume you've come to rescue the ponies that were brought here earlier today?"

"Darn right!" Pinkie Pie shot back, trying desperately to recover her confidence in the face of this new threat.  

Tempest cracked a sinister grin. "Perhaps we can reach a compromise. I can't let those prisoners go. You won't leave without them. How about I throw you in a cell with them? We have more than enough space to hold you all." She clutched a pokéball in her hoof. Cadence stood her ground, waving for Fluttershy and Pinkie to run off and find Applejack while she held Tempest's attention. But Tempest moved too quickly. "Banette, knock off." Her ghost pokémon appeared suddenly before Fluttershy, striking her and knocking the radio receiver off her jacket. The pill-sized device fell into a grate on the ground, leaving them cut off from the rest of their friends.  

Fluttershy trembled. She had just managed to get her plea for help out, but now Tempest's Banette was right in her face, laughing at her through its horrible zipper mouth. Cadence ripped one of the pokéballs from her belt. "Don't you dare do that again. If you think you're a real trainer, battle me instead. I think you'll find that I'm more than a match for you." Cadence tossed her pokéball out, sending her Wigglytuff onto the field. "Alright Wigglytuff, it's your time. Attack with play rough." Wigglytuff leapt at Banette and began to clobber it, gleefully jabbering as it pummeled Tempest's pokémon. 

Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie took off in a gallop away from the fight. Tempest pressed at the collar of her overcoat, barking orders into the receiver inside. "Attention all personnel, the base is under attack. Seize all intruders and seal all exits. Nopony walks out of here alive." Seconds later, an alarm began wailing throughout the facility. Red hazard lights began to pulse, coating the building in a deep red hue. The lights and blaring siren spurred the two mares to run faster, desperately searching for a friendly face to link up with.  

As they rounded a corner, they were stopped by a pair of Team Umbra grunts. "Well, well, well. What are the odds." Panic Attack growled as she pulled a pokéball off her belt.  

"You're the chumps who got us transferred out to this Podunk hole," Said Crimson Comet, "Yo Panic, you think if we grab these punks the boss might give us our old jobs back?" 

"It's worth a try Crimson Comet," She answered, "Bisharp, let's screw 'em up!" 

"Houndoom, you too!" 

Pinkie and Fluttershy took a step back nervously. They vaguely remembered these Umbra grunts from several months ago in Fillydelphia, but their pokémon were much weaker then. Pinkie and Fluttershy would have to defend themselves against their fully evolved duo of  pokémon. Each mare carefully selected a pokémon each, prepared for a double battle. 

Pinkie Pie went first, "Lombre, I choose you!" 

"Please Buneary," Fluttershy stammered. Their two pokémon squared against their opponents. Fluttershy tried her best to remember the matchups of the battle. Compared to Twilight and Rainbow Dash, she wasn't especially good at remembering types, matchups, and moves. She also did not cope well with high-stress situations, and that was without considering how fried her nerves were after breaking into the Team Umbra base. Think Fluttershy, what do we know about these pokémon? The cinders Houndoom panted and the devilish appearance of its horns and tail made its typing apparent. The metal body and blades of Bisharp confirmed that it was a steel type, but Fluttershy could not remember if it had another type or not. 

Before Fluttershy could think of a plan, Pinkie Pie took to the offensive. "Alright Lombre, use fake out on Houndoom!" Lombre dashed up to Houndoom and slapped it in the face, stunning it before it could get a move off. "That gives us a little time. Fluttershy, you're up!" 

"Oh, um, right..." Fluttershy peeped. She hadn't had enough time to figure out what to do. She hadn't even had enough time to decide if Bisharp was a steel-type or a steel and dark-type. There was one move she knew Buneary had at its disposal that she thought might be able to take down Bisharp in one hit, but only if she was right about it being a dark-type. Well, now or never I guess. She would need to get moving or else their opponents would attack before she could act. "Alright Buneary, use jump kick!" Buneary leapt into the air, hurdling towards Bisharp with its powerful legs primed to kick. Fluttershy bit her lip nervously. If this attack missed, it would do a lot of damage to her poor pokémon.   

Buneary connected, knocking Bisharp flying. It seemed that her hunch had been right, and the damage sustained by Bisharp had been massive. The pokémon went flying and collided right with its trainer, sending both of them flying into a heap. "You're gonna pay for that!" Crimson Comet roared, "Houndoom, flamethrower! NOW!" Houndoom's maw brimmed with flames as it began to spit them towards Buneary. 

"Buneary look out!" Fluttershy cried. Without thinking she galloped into the line of fire and grabbed her pokémon by the ear to pull her out of harm's way. 

Pinkie Pie gagged as the flames closed in around Fluttershy. "Lombre! Use hydro pump on the double!" On command, Lombre began spewing water at a monstrous pressure into the column of fire. It pushed back against Houndoom's attack, extinguishing the fire and knocking both Houndoom and Crimson Comet back into the wall. Pinkie rushed over to Fluttershy's side, frantically checking to make sure she was unhurt. "Are you okay?" Pinkie asked tearfully.

"Yes, I'm fine," Fluttershy said at last, "My mane is a little bit singed but it's nothing to worry about. I just hope the same can be said about poor Buneary." Fluttershy opened her hooves to inspect how her pokémon had fared after the attack. Buneary was huddled into a ball, but it seemed to be unhurt. Fluttershy breathed a sigh of relief and embraced her pokémon. Buneary twitched for a moment before a harsh light enveloped it. With a bright flash, Buneary's form grew substantially larger. Its legs, arms, and ears lengthened, revealing a more elegant pokémon than the one that had been there before. Fluttershy was shocked to see her partner having evolved. "Oh my goodness, Buneary! Oh, I mean, Lopunny! I can’t believe you’ve evolved. You look wonderful!" 

Pinkie Pie smiled. "You saving her from that attack must have proved how strong your bond with her was. I'm so happy for you!" 

"Thank you Pinkie Pie," Fluttershy said, "But we don't have time to celebrate. We still need to find everypony else. Cadence needs somepony to help her against that Umbra Officer. We need to find Trixie or Professor Chrysalis." 

"Right, let's go!" Pinkie Pie said. The two of them galloped off, away from the scene of the fight between Cadence and Tempest, searching desperately for somepony who could turn the tide of the battle. 





Cadence breathed a sigh of relief as the two mares fled the corridor. Hopefully she could defeat this Umbra executive and render her harmless. At worst, her pokémon could buy plenty of time. I wasn't accepted into the Elite Four for nothing. She thought. Wigglytuff, Whimsicott, Togekiss, Sylveon, Mawile and Azumarill had never failed her when it counted before. 

Wigglytuff's play rough had done a number on Banette, but the cursed puppet was still in the fight. Cadence tried to get a read on Tempest, hoping to draw some insight on her. But Tempest Shadow's cold, relentless eyes gave off nothing but hostility. 

"Banette, use will-o-wisp," Tempest commanded. 

"Heal bell!" Cadence countered. The instant the flames hit, Wigglytuff extinguished them. The two trainers stared each other down, sizing up their opponent. 

"If I wanted to, I could keep this going," Tempest said with a bored sigh, "I can use my will-o-wisp many more times than you can use your heal bell. But that's what you want isn't it? For this battle to remain a clueless stalemate to stall for time while those fillies of yours go to get the gang back together? Well, I'm sorry to say, that won't be happening. Banette, return." Tempest pulled her ghost pokémon back into its pokéball, and tossed out another to replace it. 

"Nido!" Her Nidoking roared. Cadence grit her teeth. Her pokémon all matched up poorly against poison pokémon. Even with Mawile, she would have to be wary of the earthquake that Nidoking would certainly be using. She went over her options in her head in an effort to figure out how best to handle the situation before her. 

The sound of a door slamming open drew Cadence and Tempest's attention. Two more mares had appeared in the hallway. Chrysalis wordlessly pointed a hoof down a hallway, and Rainbow Dash took off in that direction. With Dash gone, Chrysalis directed her attention toward Tempest, who found herself caught in between the two researchers. "Cadence, I trust you have everything under control here?" 

Cadence grimaced. While swallowing her pride would be a bitter pill for sure, she needed to make sure that the others had enough time to find everypony and retrieve their pokémon. "I could use your help, Chrysalis. The two of us can hold her off together." Cadence turned her attention to Tempest. "If you want to hurt those mares, you'll have to defeat both of us." 

Tempest scoffed at the proposal. "Very well, I will defeat you both in a double battle. But each of you will only be allowed three pokémon. Fair?" 

"Very well." Chrysalis said. She pulled a pokéball from her belt, and Cadence did the same. They readjusted themselves so that both professors were positioned between Tempest and the direction that Rarity and Fluttershy had fled. 

Tempest drew Nidoking back into her pokéball. "Very well, we will restart this battle. Salamence, Metagross, Come out." 

Cadence paused to take stock of the battlefield. While it was tempting to go straight for Salamence with fairy-type attacks, the threat of Metagross gave her pause. Steel-type attacks would crush her fairies, but Azumarill might be able to hold up for just long enough to remove it from the battle. 

Chrysalis looked similarly perturbed. Her bug pokémon had similarly awkward matchups against the pairing of Metagross and Salamence. Salamence surely would have flying and fire-type moves at its disposal, and both of Tempest's pokemon had typings that did not do bug-types any favors. 

We're both professors of pokémon, Cadence reminded herself. Even at a disadvantage, between the two of them Cadence and Chrysalis should have more than enough know-how to be able to outsmart her. 

Chrysalis motioned to get Cadence's attention. "I need you to deal with that Salamence as quickly as possible," She whispered, "I can keep Metagross off your fairies, but my team will be under constant threat so long as Salamence is on the field."

"Can do," Cadence said back. She wondered what Chrysalis was thinking. Bug types were not the best candidate for defensive tactics, but somepony as crafty as Chrysalis would certainly have a plan. "Azumarill, I choose you!" 

"Pheromosa, come forth!" Something that could only be described as a monstrosity emerged from Chrysalis’ pokéball. Cadence, as well as Tempest, reacted with shock. This did not look like another one of Chrysalis' deranged experiments. It looked alien, like it was something from another world. 

"I will ask where you got this… thing from later," Cadence said with an agitated growl, "But for now let's deal with the problem in front of us." 

Tempest did not give them a moment before she took to the offensive. "Metagross, attack with bullet punch!" Cadence cringed. She had feared a steel attack coming towards her right away. Even with Azumarill's colossal attacking power, a good steel hit from something as powerful as Metagross could seriously dampen her prospects. 

Without skipping a beat, Chrysalis retaliated. "Pheromosa, use quick guard!" Pheromosa darted in front of Azumarill and deflected Metagross' attack with a stunning riposte. Azumarill was unharmed, leaving it clear to attack Salamence. 

But Tempest was not finished. Salamence was still faster than Azumarill, and Tempest meant to make the most of that advantage. "Salamence, use aerial ace on that insect." Salamence dove at Pheromosa with surgical precision from the sky, striking it from the air. Cadence feared that Pheromosa would be knocked out in that one hit; a pokémon so frail looking certainly would not stand up to such a powerful flying move. But miraculously, it stayed standing. 

"Never go without a focus sash," Chrysalis teased. She turned to Cadence with a grin on her muzzle. "Well dear, I think it's your turn. Clean up that naughty dragon, would you?"

Cadence nodded. "Alright, Azumarill, use play rough on Salamence!" Azumarill leapt at Salamence, clobbering it with adoration. Salamence cried out against the super-effective hit. It fell to the ground, knocked out in a single hit. 

I can't believe that worked! Cadence thought, satisfied with the turn of events. If she and Chrysalis were able to keep battling this well, there was no way that they could lose. And once Tempest was out of commission, there wouldn't be anypony left in the Team Umbra ranks that could stop them from rescuing Twilight and friends. 

Tempest's displeasure was apparent in her look of barely restrained violence. Wordlessly, she tossed out her next pokémon. Nidoking emerged and let out a roar as it hit the concrete floor. Chrysalis leaned over to whisper in Cadence's ear. "Not a lot I can do with this field. I'll try to put out as much damage as possible with Pheromosa, but I don't think we will be lasting the round."

"Why not switch out?" Cadence whispered back.

"If she puts down any stealth rocks or spikes, it's finished. Better to save another pokémon a hit." 

"That seems pretty callous." Cadence remarked, making her disapproval known. 

Chrysalis gave a condescending look. "I value and love my pokémon just as much as you do, Cadence. But right now I cannot afford to let that get in the way of winning here.  Remember that Twilight's safety is at stake here."

Cadence relented. Chrysalis was right. Twilight had to be put above all else. But now it was Cadence who found herself in an awkward situation. Both of Tempest's pokémon had type advantage over her fairies. Pheromosa would get the first attack off, but Azumarill's lackluster speed would mean it would be subject to Metagross' powerful attacks, but more importantly, Nodoking's repertoire of poison moves. Aqua jet would give her a chance to attack first, but even with Azumarill's huge power ability, she doubted the attack would be able to knock out Nidoking. 

"Use this well, Cadence." Chrysalis whispered. The Changeling professor turned to command her Ultra Beast. "Pheromosa! Use speed swap on Azumarill!" Pheromosa turned toward Cadence's pokémon and linked the two with a beam of purple energy. When the beam faded, Pheromosa was notably diminished, but Azumarill was energized and moving at breakneck speed on its feet. 

Wordlessly, Cadence acknowledged Chrysalis. That Chrysalis was willing to sacrifice her own chance to attack in order to power up her pokémon was not lost on Cadence. It was a token of trust; trust that Cadence did not mean to violate. "Azumarill, go ahead and attack Nidoking with your aqua tail, double time!" Azumarill lunged at Nidoking faster than Cadence could keep track of, and delivered a punishing strike with its tail. Nidoking fell to its knee, almost knocked out. 

Tempest glowered at the pair of professors. "Cute." She growled, locking her furious gaze on the duo. "But unfortunately now both of your pokémon are subject to my wrath. First, Nidoking. Attack Azumarill with poison jab. Next, Metagross will use rock slide." Nidoking's fist connected a toxic blow to Azumarill's stomach, and was immediately followed by a pile of boulders raining down on both pokémon. In one action, both Pheromosa and Azumarill were knocked out, forcing both trainers to reconsider their strategy. 

"Whatever they're doing, they had better hurry…" Chrysalis murmured, "I don't know if we will be able to hold on…"





"Dangnabbit!" Applejack cussed as she delivered yet another kick to the bars holding her in the cell. Despite her best efforts, the metal was no closer to giving way than when she had started. "When I get ahold of my pokémon again I'm gonna clobber Team Umbra so hard their grandfillies will be seein’ stars. But first I gotta get myself out of this darn cage." 

The sound of a door being forcefully thrust open got Applejack's attention. From down the hallway, she could hear the happy-go-lucky tones of Pinkie Pie, and the irregular hopping sound of her hooves on the concrete. "Down here!" Pinkie called out, presumably to some unseen companion.  

Pinkie and Fluttershy came into view moments later, with Skiploom and Fluttershy's newly evolved Lopunny in tow. Applejack ran up to the bars to greet her friends. "Boy am I glad to see y'all." She said, relieved. "Those varmits threw a sack over my head and put me in here. I'm 'bout ready to clock somepony." 

"Don't worry Applejack," Fluttershy said reassuringly, "Once we find your pokémon, we'll be ready to get out of here. Cadence and Chrysalis are holding off the commander, and Twilight, Trixie and Rarity are looking for everypony's pokeballs."

"Pardon? Who'dya say was here?" Applejack asked. 

"Cadence, Chrysalis, and Trixe!" Pinkie repeated, as if there was nothing strange about that statement, "Rarity made a few phone calls and they came right away." Before Applejack could ask any more questions, Lopunny knocked the door off its hinges with two powerful blows from its muscular hind legs. 

Applejack tipped her hat to her friends. “Appreciate it, sugar cube. Let’s go get my pokémon back. I’m rarin’ to tear these no-good clowns a new one.”





Trixie, Twilight and Rarity snuck through the corridors on the upper levels, trying their best to keep themselves out of Team Umbra’s sight. For the most part they had been able to keep themselves hidden in abandoned side corridors that were barely used. But now they found themselves forced down a major hallway as they proceeded towards the storage room that Twilight, Rainbow and Applejack’s stuff was supposedly being kept. 

Rarity found it hard to hide her uneasiness about the situation. While Twilight seemed to trust Sunset Shimmer, Rarity found it hard to do so. While she could not think of a good reason why Sunset would leave one of her pokémon and a key to the cell behind, Rarity still could not shake the feeling that there was a trap inside that room, or at the least the missing pokémon would not be there. 

According to Sunset’s description, the halls on this floor made a large box, and the room they were looking for would be around the next corner. Trixie inched her way to the edge of the wall and snuck a glance around. “Two guards,” she whispered, “And a pretty heavy door. Trixie bets that’s where all their stolen goods are.”

“Any way past them?” Rarity whispered back. 

Trixie shook her head. “Not a chance. We’ll have to fight our way past. Rarity, you and I will take them on. Once we have their attention, Twilight could loop around and go in from behind.” 

“What if there’s more Team Umbra miscreants elsewhere on the floor?” Rarity interjected, “If Twilight ran into anypony from Team Umbra alone, she would be in serious trouble. I should go instead, and leave her with you.” 

“Trixie is not going to be able to take these goons on two versus one. If Twilight stays with Trixie, she needs to battle.” Trixie turned to face Twilight. “Can you battle with just your Gible?” 

Twilight nervously eyed her pokéball. She had not dared to try using Gible again since the incident outside of Ponyville. But if it meant getting the rest of her beloved companions back, and those of her friends, she would take the risk. “I’ll do it. We just need to buy enough time to get Rarity in, right?” 

Trixie nodded. “Once Rarity can get your bags, we can get them in a pincer and win with numbers. We just can’t let them seal that door. Trixie saw it has a security shield on it. If they hit that button not even Trixie’s Charizard will be able to melt through.” 

“Alright then, let’s do it.” Twilight steeled herself while Rarity took off in the opposite direction. If all went well, she would only need to buy a minute. Hopefully Gible couldn’t cause too much problems in that time. Right? 

Without hesitation, Trixie and Twilight leapt out from around the corner. Trixie dug through her bag and pulled out an empty bottle of lemonade. She threw it at one of the door guards, hitting him squarely in the head. 

“Hey! What are you brats doing up here?” He demanded. “Surrender yourselves now, or you’ll be sorry.”

“Oooooh, the Great and Powerful Trixie is shaking in her horseshoes,” Trixie teased. “You’re the ones who will be sorry. Trixie promises.” 

The two stallions deserted their post and turned to face the two mares. As they had hoped, the two had turned their backs to the door and had forgotten to lock it down. If Rarity was quiet, she would get in without them noticing. 

Trixie threw out her pokéball and released her Gengar. The Team Umbra operatives responded with Probopass and Stoutland. Hesitantly, Twilight threw her own pokéball, putting Gible onto the field. 

“Grrrrr!” The tiny dragon growled. It snarled as it took in its surroundings, snapping at anything that moved. Finally, its eyes settled on Twilight. Rage flared in its small eyes. 

Twilight knelt down to face Gible. “Hey little guy. I’m sorry I’ve kept you cooped up in that pokéball for so long. After what happened last time I was too scared to even try again. I can’t imagine what it’s been like for you though.” Gible turned its head as it listened to Twilight. Its anger seemed to subside as it settled in to hear her out. Twilight continued, “It was wrong of me to send you into a big battle without taking any time to get to know you first. But I need your help now. You’re all that I have. All of my other pokémon are trapped by these awful ponies, and I need your help to get them back. So please Gible, will you lend me your strength?”

Gible growled again, but this time there was no anger in it. The look in Gible’s eyes shifted to one of acknowledgement. He gave Twilight a nod and turned to face Team Umbra with a mighty roar. 

I can’t believe it worked! Twilight’s elation was plain on her face. 

“It can tell that you’re a stronger trainer than you were before,” Trixie said, giving Twilight a nod of approval. “Trixie can see it too. You’ve won two badges since you last used that pokémon, and it’s responding to you better. Now, let’s put these losers in the trash so that Trixie can finish repaying Team Umbra for the grief they have caused her! Gengar, focus blast on Stoutland, posthaste!” Trixie’s Gengar stuck its tongue out at its unfortunate opponent before firing off a blast of energy that sent Stoutland flying. Pokémon collided with trainer, and both were sent flying into a wall. Both were unconscious. 

“Alright Gible, follow up with dig!” Twilight commanded. At once, Gible burrowed into the floor, and a moment later erupted from the ground beneath Probopass. With such a super-effective hit, Probopass did not stand a chance. It too fell unconscious on the bare concrete floor. 

“I gotta find the boss!” The remaining grunt exclaimed. He turned to run away, but bumped headfirst into Rarity’s Gardevoir. 

Rarity was busy opening the door. “Gardevoir, please take care of this ruffian. Use your hypnosis and get him out of our way.” She said without taking her attention away from her work. Gardevoir used a tiny amount of her psychic energy to put the Grunt to sleep, leaving the three mares alone with the vault. 

Rarity gave up on trying to get the lock open and simply had Gardevoir force it open with her psychic power. With a mere wave of her arms, Gardevoir forced the heavy metal doors off their hinges, falling to the floor with an audible boom. 

“So much for being sneaky,” Twilight remarked. 

Trixie shrugged nonchalantly. “At this point every Team Umbra goon in this building is either aware of us, or has their hooves filled with somepony else. Let’s just grab your stuff and go. By this point everypony else should be rescued.”

Twilight and company searched the supply room. Sure to Sunset’s word, their bags were in a cardboard box, and a quick inspection confirmed that everything was still there: pokémon, badges, items and money. Twilight took a moment to sling her bag over her back and get her pokéballs clipped onto her belt. “Alright girls,” Twilight grinned. “Let’s get out of here.” As the group walked out of the room, Rarity noticed a box-shaped patch on the floor that was clean of dust. She dismissed it as something having been moved, and hurriedly cantered to catch up with the others. Whatever it was, it wasn’t her problem. 



 

As the van Sunset held in a grin as the driver’s radio was blaring with updates about the situation at the Sendoff Spring Base. The situation had rapidly grown out of hoof, and according to the reports, Professor Cadence and Chrysalis were among the ponies attacking the facility. As long as they kept away from Tempest and her monster, they would be fine. Sunset nervously looked in the box that sat next to her as the frantic announcements continued to pour in. The Master balls were still there, cradled in shredded paper and each in a locked case. Sombra had requested they be moved to HQ as soon as possible, and luckily for them, Sunset had been tasked with that responsibility. They would stop off in Fillydelphia late that night, and move out to the Crystal Empire in the morning to start making preparations for the Boss’ master plan.

Good luck Twilight Sparkle. Sunset thought to herself. Though we will meet again as enemies, let us at least do so with honor. She still questioned herself for leaving the note, the key, and her Arcanine in the base. Should anything have gone wrong, Sunset would have been caught as a traitor or her beloved pokémon might have been lost forever. For some reason, Sunset felt that she could believe in Twilight Sparkle. She’s strong in her own way. Her pokémon may not be as powerful as mine, but she has spirit. There’s a fire inside that one that burns bright and will never die. I suppose that’s her strength. Sunset shook her head in frustration. She could not afford to let herself think that way. She had joined Team Umbra because she believed that the only thing that should matter is power. She was too far gone to be wrong. 

I only helped her because I want to see Tempest fail. She told herself. I need to prove myself as Sombra’s best Admin and do whatever I can to convince Sombra that Tempest should not get that Master Ball. I don’t know if Equestria will survive if she does…
> Special Chapter: Blizzard and Tempest
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

A fierce wind whipped through the mountains that dotted the Northern frontier of Equestria. Tempest had journeyed far beyond the Crystal Empire in search of the monstrously powerful pokémon that made its home in one of the caverns that dotted the icy mountain range. 

Tempest's ambition burned bright, but the blizzard chilled her to the core. In spite of the heavy clothing that wrapped her entire being, the cold still reached in with frigid talons and sent a shiver through her body. 

The caverns that Tempest was after were extremely remote, accessible only by hoof. No pokémon save for Articuno could fly in these conditions, and between the rough terrain and temperatures far below freezing, any vehicle was not likely to function for long. But while the conditions were brutal, Tempest was reassured by them. So violent a storm surely meant her quarry was here. 

Navigation through the mountains had been tricky. A map would be torn to shreds by the wind, and electronics would not work properly in the freezing conditions. This left Tempest to navigate by eye and by her own gut feeling; if she was wrong, the subzero conditions could very well be the death of her. 

The temperature dropped even further as she continued onward. The winds became deafening and nearly her entire vision was obscured by whipping snow. She smiled. This must be it. Tempest pressed forward blindly, following the wind to find the cavern in which it was hiding. One foot after another, Tempest Shadow moved into the howling gale and stinging snow, allowing the wind to guide her onwards to her destination. 

At once, she felt the snow stop. Tempest opened her eyes to find herself inside a dark, frozen cave. She fumbled through her bag to find the lantern she had brought with her. Using her body to shield it from the wind, she struck a match and lit the wick inside, casting a warm orange glow across the mirror-like ice of the cave. 

While the snow had subsided, the wind remained. It seemed to be originating from deep within the cavern. This has to be the place. There could be no doubt that this cave was the one inhabited by the  pokémon she sought. An intense blizzard, howling winds that plunged the temperature far below freezing. It could only be the work of Kyurem. 

With her lantern in hoof, Tempest ventured deeper into the cave, sliding across vast sheets of ice. She used the occasional patch of stable ground to redirect herself deeper into the cavern, following the wind deeper and deeper inside. 

The deeper she went, the more Tempest noticed inconsistencies in the wind. It would lull for a brief second only to blow again, blasting freezing air through the cavern and beyond. There was no denying it; it was the breath of Kyurem. 

Finally, Tempest found herself nearing the cavern's depths. The frozen grotto opened out into a much larger space, which Tempest's lantern could not fully illuminate. Through the darkness, two bright yellow points of light glowed. A low growl shook the room, and thundering footsteps began to lumber towards Tempest. She reached for her pokeballs. At last, she had found the legendary Kyurem.  

"KYUUUUUUU!" It roared. With each stomp, Tempest noticed the room growing lighter. Crystals of ice began to glow with a similar bluish gray to the icy parts of Kyurem's body. Each breath the pokémon took sent a freezing blast of air through the subterranean arena, and formed into clouds of frost crystals around its maw. 

Tempest had spent entire nights planning out an attack strategy to subdue Kyurem. She threw out a pokéball to match Kyurem, fixing her gaze on her target as she sent out her first pokémon. Banette emerged from the ball, the zipper on its mouth coming undone as it cackled at its opponent. 

Kyurem opened the battle with scary face, using its frightening visage and terrible roar to slow Banette. Tempest smiled. It had done exactly as she had wanted. It was already as good as captured. "Banette, use trick. Now." Banette snuck next to Kyurem and gave it the choice scarf it was holding. Now Kyurem was stuck using only one move, giving her all the freedom in the world to deal with it. Another scary face came out, and now that there was no risk of damage, Tempest was free to go onto the offensive. "Will-o-wisp. Go." 

Banette afflicted Kyurem with a burn, crippling its already ruined offensive capabilities and sapping away its strength. Tempest allowed the status to slowly wear away at Kyurem's vitality before finally making the move to capture it. She dug through her bag and retrieved the custom-order Heavy Ball she had made just for this occasion. Kyurem's massive weight would make capturing it even easier. She threw the ball with a smug grin of satisfaction as it hit squarely in between Kyurem's eyes. 

The ball dropped onto the ice, wobbling around for a moment before ceasing with a click. The crystals providing light in the cave faded away, leaving Tempest's lantern as the only thing casting light in the room as she retrieved the pokéball. She nodded to herself, satisfied with a well executed capture. "Not much of a fight for a legendary pokémon, huh?" 

"That's only because it's only half a pokémon." A voice echoed throughout the chamber, causing the buzzkill remark to reverberate in Tempest's ears.  

Tempest stepped back and assumed a defensive stance. "Come out, whoever you are. If you think you can steal this pokémon from me, you'll find out that I'm a lot more than you bargained for." 

Sombra's laugh came from every direction at once as the Dark-type master approached Tempest. "Why would I ever do something such as that? You captured that Kyurem all by yourself, quite masterfully I would add."

"I suppose I should be flattered?" Tempest growled as she locked her eyes firmly on Sombra. "How did you follow me? It shouldn't be possible to trail somepony in that blizzard." 

"You forget, I call the shots around here," Sombra grinned, "I know everything that goes on around the Crystal Empire, and I know what's in every one of these peaks. Once I knew you were coming here, it was as simple as making sure I was right behind you." 

Tempest was quickly becoming tired of the conversation with the Crystal Gym Leader. "Why did you come here anyway? And don't give me some charming lie, like you were concerned about a trainer getting lost in the mountains. We both know you aren't that kind of stallion. So what's going on?" 

"Straight to the point, just like when you came to challenge my gym," he laughed, "I knew there was something special about you when you came through all those months ago. You see, my position as gym leader at the Crystal Empire is but a mere façade. In truth, I am the leader of Team Umbra. I've been searching Equestria for powerful trainers to join our ranks. You're just the mare we need." 

"Team Umbra?" Tempest raised an eyebrow. In truth, the revelation surprised her little. Of every pony she had met in her travels across Equestria, he was undoubtedly the most likely candidate to be the boss of that criminal organization. His fighting style was uncharacteristically brutal and underhoofed for a gym leader, and his entire gym had a suspicious air to it that Tempest had been unable to figure out until now. 

"The same Team Umbra that will very soon be flying their flag from the spires of Canterlot Castle," Sombra declared. He held out his hoof to Tempest, giving her a business card stamped with the purple eclipse that represented Team Umbra. "Join our ranks and I can guarantee you power that has been denied to you under Celestia's rule. Under our rule, the strong will finally be allowed to rule over the rest of Equestria, as is our right." 

"Are you done?" Tempest asked, unimpressed. She rolled her eyes at Sombra and gave him his card back. "Sorry to burst your bubble, but I'm not interested. I'm happy by myself. Other ponies are just a nuisance." 

As Tempest walked out of the grotto and toward the entrance of the cave, Sombra snickered knowing. "And, I could do something about your… disfigurement, of course." The remark stopped Tempest dead in her tracks as she wheeled around back towards Sombra. "We have the intention of capturing a great many legendary pokémon. I'm sure one of them is capable of fixing your horn. Say, Jirachi for example?"

"I'm in!" Tempest exclaimed, losing her calm and collected visage in an outburst of desperate passion. She paused for a moment to recompose her icy demeanor, "Just tell me what you need from me." 

"That's what I like to hear," Sombra grinned wickedly. He laid a hoof on Tempest's shoulder and walked with her out of the cave. "My current admins have been running into a few snags as of late that have set our operations back a few weeks. We need a new officer to make sure our plans continue without interference."

"What kind of setbacks?" Tempest asked. As enticing as Sombra's proposal was, if Team Umbra was running into serious difficulties with the Princesses already, she would want no part in it. The last thing she wanted was to end up in jail or banished because she had cast her lot in with a sinking ship.    

"From what I understand, a young Unicorn who has been working for Princess Cadence has been getting in our way. For the most part we have been able to succeed despite her, but I want to have her removed before she creates any more setbacks."

"If your admins aren't doing their job, why not just take her down yourself? You're probably one of the best trainers in all of Equestria. Why not just crush her?"

Sombra gave a haughty chuckle that irked Tempest to no end. "Rule number one of business my filly is that a good boss needs to learn to delegate. At present, nopony outside of my organization knows who's the one running Team Umbra. I would prefer to keep it that way until we're ready to make our move to take Equestria. Once we get you in uniform, I’ll have you out for a job right away.” 

“What kind of job?”

Sombra’s grin showed a glint from his teeth as he chuckled at the question. “We’ll be capturing that meddling mare, and disposing of her personally.”
> Chapter 38- Fury of the Tempest
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight, Rarity and Trixie found Rainbow Dash running around on the third floor and Pinkie Pie, Applejack and Fluttershy on the second. After a brief reunion, they resolved to get out as quickly as possible in order to put some distance between Team Umbra and themselves before they took the time to breathe. 

Rainbow Dash pointed a hoof down towards the main hallway. “Chrysalis and Cadence are that way,” She directed. Twilight listened closer. She could hear the echoing sounds of an intense pokémon battle coming from deeper in the corridor. Whoever was down there must be a master trainer in order to be holding their own against both Cadence and Chrysalis at the same time. 

“Let’s move,” Trixie urged. The mares followed her direction and galloped off toward the source of the sound. Twilight felt nervous. The pony that was down there must be the new Admin that Sunset Shimmer had told her about. Whoever this Tempest was, she had a legendary pokémon at her disposal, and that made her a threat. Still, it’s nine on one. We can probably handle her. She dug through her backpack to have the pokéball Sunset Shimmer had left her on hoof to give to Cadence and took off down the hall. 





“Mawile, return.” Cadence ordered through heavy breath. She put her pokémon back into her ball as she readied her next pokémon. She and Chrysalis had managed to whittle Tempest down to her last pokémon, although they each only had one left in turn. Chrysalis’ Pheromosa and Buzzwole had fought well, and Azumarill and Mawile had in turn given it their all. 

Cadence threw out her last pokémon for this challenge, her Wigglytuff. Likewise, Chrysalis selected her Pinsir. They waited for Tempest to pick her last pokémon, and hopefully let them finish the battle with a victory.

“Cadence!” The sound of Twilight’s voice tore Cadence’s attention away from the battle. Twilight had been found, along with Applejack and Rainbow Dash. Cadence cracked a smile and could hear Chrysalis let out a relieved sigh. 

Tempest raised an eyebrow. “Well, well. It seems the rats have gotten loose. As per usual, it falls to me to put you back where you belong.” Tempest drew her final pokéball. “I will ask each of you to return to you cells now. If you refuse, I cannot promise that you will survive. Now, Kyurem, come forth!” 

She tossed the pokéball into the air. It popped open and spilled out a great mass of light that slowly materialized into a jagged iceberg of a pokémon. Kyurem’s massive feet hit the ground with a slam that shook the building. All at once, the heat seemed to sap out of the room to be replaced by a howling winter gale. 

Tempest did not wait for an instant. “Kyurem, glaciate. NOW.” Kyurem’s frigid breath froze Wigglytuff and Pinsir in an instant, encasing the two in ice. But Kyurem’s attack did not relent. With another breath, he flash-froze Cadence, Twilight, and Chrysalis. 

“Run!” Trixie ordered. 

“Not without Twilight,” Applejack argued, planting her feet firmly on the ground. “We just got her back, I ain’t leaving her.”

The moment of indecision gave Tempest an opportunity to attack again. “Glaciate. Again!” With a final breath, the remaining mares were flash frozen. Savage winter winds whipped through the corridor, encasing everything in its path in a sheet of ice. All nine of the intruders plus two pokémon were now rendered helpless by the slightest exertion of Kyurem’s power. 

Tempest pressed the radio transceiver in her collar to get in contact with HQ. “This is Tempest,” She said with a tone of mild annoyance, “I have thwarted the breakout attempt, and in the process was able to freeze four more intruders, along with Professors Cadence and Chrysalis. I am moving to have them detained now.” 

Sombra’s voice crackled over the radio waves. “No. Intercepted police communications shows a huge force closing in on your position as we speak. You need to evacuate now.” 

“But sir!” Tempest stammered, indignant. “How can we just let them go? I can get them out, just give me the command!”

Sombra did not relent. “No. Getting a frozen pony out to the helipad will slow you down too much. Getting you out is more important than catching those mares. Now get out! That’s an order!”

“Yes sir,” Tempest relented. She ground her teeth, frustrated that so much work had gone down the toilet. “With any luck, the freeze killed them, and they’re out of our way for good. I’ll get our computer mainframe destroyed and get out." Tempest stole a glance back at Twilight. The frozen mare had a pokéball held in hoof. Tempest chuckled. Probably trying to get involved in the battle. As if any number of pokémon these excuses for trainers had could have been enough to match my Kyurem. Tempest galloped off to the computer mainframe room to wipe any incriminating data, leaving the frozen trainers alone. 

Several minutes passed and the air’s natural warmth began to return. Water began to drip from melting ice as the room began to thaw. Eventually, the ice holding the pokéball to Twilight’s downward-sloping hoof thinned and broke, causing the pokéball to roll down and hit the floor, causing it to open. 

A massive canine form emerged into the frozen corridor. Arcanine looked around the corridor, confused. It had not been out of the pokéball in a very long time. It sniffed around to find its master, but there was no sign of Sunset Shimmer anywhere. Her scent was faint, but it could tell that she had not been here long, and she had not stayed. Arcanine took notice of the frozen ponies. Seven he did not recognize. One he faintly remembered battling a long time ago, back when he was still on a journey with his master. 

The ninth however, he recognized. It was the mare who had given him to Sunset Shimmer when he was a baby Growlithe. Without another thought, Arcanine used a low-powered ember to begin thawing the ice that encased her. He kept up the fire until the ice had melted and Cadence collapsed on the ground. Arcanine pressed his warm muzzle into her neck, urging her to get up. 

Cadence’s teeth chattered as she came to. “What… happened?” Gradually, she found her way to her hooves and stood up, only to be tackled by kisses from Arcanine. Cadence laughed, pleading Arcanine to stop. “Wait… Arcanine? Where did you come from?” Cadence turned her attention to her frozen allies. “Oh Celestia… We have to help them. Arcanine, can you thaw them out?” 

Arcanine gave an affirmative bark, and one by one used his flames to melt the ice that encased each of the mares. As they fell to the ground, Cadence and her unhurt pokémon moved to help take care of them as they recovered. 

“C-c-cadence?” Twilight stuttered through her shivers. “Are we safe?”

Cadence nodded reassuringly, “Yes Twilight. Team Umbra is gone and everypony is okay.”

With some effort, Twilight smiled. “Good. I have a l-letter for you.” Twilight reached into her backpack and took out the letter. Cadence took it and left Twilight to lay down. She unfolded the paper and curiously began to read. 

No question about it, that’s Sunset’s writing. The penmanship was rough and hasty, but each word was carefully considered. During her journey, Sunset would frequently send postcards from around Equestria. She was younger then, and happier. Every word Cadence heard from her was joyful. Sunset would narrate every day with such optimism and enthusiasm. Her search for strength was motivated by her desire to be the best she could be. Cadence wasn’t sure when that changed. 

Four years ago, Sunset Shimmer returned to Canterlot after a great many months away. Cadence had started to worry about her in the last few weeks, because communication had abruptly stopped since Sunset had arrived in the Crystal Empire. The day Sunset returned, Cadence had been in her lab, working diligently away researching the evolution process of Magnemite. A knock at the door to her lab attracted her attention. She turned her attention away from Magnemite and went to see who had come to visit. 

“Sunset! What a surprise!” Cadence said with a glow. She was ecstatic to see one of her trainers return to visit. Cadence had hoped Sunset might stay for tea, or at least chat for a while to catch up. 

“Hi Professor…” Sunset murmured. Cadence raised an eyebrow. Something was very wrong. The look in Sunset’s eyes was dead. The fire that used to burn in her eyes had been snuffed to smoke. Sunset spoke little that day. She came to retrieve her Turtonator to challenge the Canterlot gym and left without speaking about what had happened since they last met. Cadence deeply regretted not pressing further to find out what had happened. Maybe if she had been able to help Sunset that day, she might not have gone down the path she had taken. 

Cadence turned her eyes to Twilight. She lay on the ground on a patch which Whimsicott had done her best to dry, huddled into a shivering ball on the verge on consciousness. She then turned her gaze towards Trixie, who was in a similar state. When I heard what happened to Sunset, I vowed not to let that happen to one of my trainers ever again. Twilight’s heart is strong. So is her faith in her friends. Trixie though… She might have gone down a bad path. There had been a darkness in Trixie’s heart when she was first starting out. Cadence could feel it when Trixie battled Twilight for the first time. But that had changed. Whatever bitterness Trixie had been holding onto had been banished from her soul. Trixie had grown up over these many months. They’ll be fine. They’ve got each other to keep them on the straight and narrow. 

The Equestrian Military Police arrived a few minutes later. Once the building was confirmed to be clear of Team Umbra, the officers took the mares back to their vehicles to drive them back to Manehattan. Twilight spent the trip asleep. The last day had been the most stressful time of her life without a doubt, and she was just happy to see it over. Rainbow Dash was in the back seat with her, and seemed to feel similarly, judging by how loudly she was snoring. After a few minutes, exhaustion overcame Twilight as she herself passed out.





Twilight awoke the next morning to a start. The first thing she saw when she woke up was bars, and that immediately set off her panic reflex. Had everything been a dream? Was she still in Team Umbra’s custody? No. The warm cotton sheets and clean cot she was sleeping on was proof enough. The door to the cell was wide open, and a mustachioed stallion in a police uniform was keeping watch from the outside. “Good afternoon Miss Sparkle,” he said politely, “Apologies for your sleeping arrangements, but the Chief insisted we house you in the station for security.”

Twilight breathed a sigh of relief. She was safe. “It’s fine, I understand,” She said with an understanding smile, “Wait, did you say afternoon?”

The officer nodded. “Yes ma’am. It’s three o’clock.”

Twilight deadpanned. Maybe yesterday took more out of me than I thought. She wasn’t sure what time that they had gotten back to the city. She had slept all the way from the hideout to here. “Umm, where is everypony else? My friends, I mean.”

“Everypony else is in the lobby. The professors are speaking with Chief Broadhoof so we can start trying to track down Team Umbra. No doubt Princess Celestia already has the Military Police on the case, but we will be doing everything in our power to drive them out of the city.” 

Twilight stood from her bed onto uneasy legs. Between the time spent jailed, frozen, and asleep, her legs had gone numb and were not cooperating with Twilight’s intentions. Slowly, she forced herself up, and after retrieving her belongings which were neatly piled on a table near the bed, she took off for the lobby. 

Outside the cell, she could get a better read on where she was. It wasn’t a jail, certainly not. The cell had a TV and a desk in it, along with a clean rug and comfortable bedding. The halls looked more like an office Apart from those of the individual cells, there were no barred doors anywhere. Twilight passed through a double door and read the sign above it on the other side: Safe rooms. 

These must be for ponies who are in danger and need a safe place to sleep. Twilight mused. There wasn’t anywhere much safer than the heart of one of the largest police stations in Equestria. Twilight followed the signs on the wall toward the lobby, while she quietly took inventory of everything in her bag again. She gave a relieved sigh when she confirmed that her pokémon, her badges, her ID, her items and money were all safe and accounted for. 

Twilight opened the last door to the lobby, only to be dogpiled by six ponies the instant she did. “We were so worried!” Fluttershy exclaimed, in the timid way that Fluttershy exclaimed things. 

“I’m so glad you’re unhurt,” Rarity sobbed, “When I get my hooves on those scoundrels I simply won’t know what to do with myself.” 

Rainbow Dash was eager to contribute ideas. “When I see Team Umbra again, I’m going to throw them into a hole and see how they like it!” 

“What Dashie means is, we’re glad you’re okay sugarcube,” Applejack said with a warm smile. 

“The Great and Powerful Trixie is just glad she could lend a hoof.” Trixie smiled. “Don’t make any mistakes, the next time we meet, we will meet as rivals. But Trixie would be remiss to allow any harm to come to you, Twilight Sparkle.” 

Twilight laughed uneasily. “Thanks Trixie. I really appreciate you coming out to help us out. We couldn’t have done it without you.”

“And Trixie could not have gotten her pokémon back without you.” She said back. “While Trixie wishes she could stay, there is some business in The Crystal Empire that Trixie needs to attend to. There is a seventh gym badge to be earned, and Trixie is not going to keep it waiting.”

“Seventh?” Twilight and friends shouted aghast.

Trixie flashed a smug smile. “Of course. Trixie is nothing if not an efficient traveler. Now, Trixie bids you all adieu.” With that, Trixie threw down a smoke pellet and vanished. The trick would have worked better if not for the automatic door of the station making it very obvious where she had gone. 

“Looks like you gotta step up your game, Twi.” Rainbow Dash laughed. “Guess getting snagged up in all this Team Umbra business hasn’t helped any, huh?” 

“Not at all.” Twilight sighed. “It will be good to get back on pace though. At this point I really just want to have a battle with somepony who isn’t out to fillynap me.” 

A few minutes later, Cadence and Chrysalis emerged from another doorway. Immediately, both of them turned their attention to Twilight. “I’m so glad you’re okay.” Cadence smiled tearfully.

Chrysalis nodded in agreement. “We both came the moment we heard something had happened. I was not about to allow anything to happen my favorite guest.” 

“Chrysalis and I may have our…” Cadence’s eyes narrowed in Chrysalis’ direction as she spoke. “Differences. But we at least can agree that you’re worth putting aside some bad blood for.”

“Everypony, thank you,” Twilight sniffled. “I don’t think there is anything I can do to ever thank you all enough. I owe you my life.”

“You want to repay me?” Chrysalis chuckled, “Keep taking care of that Type: Null for me. The data you’ve been giving me has been incredibly helpful. And who knows? You might discover something new about it.” 

Cadence rolled her eyes. “Well, if we’re making requests, then make sure you make it back to Canterlot for me, okay? Now that I’m a bonded member of the Elite Four, it’s only a matter of time until we get to battle each other.” 

Twilight nodded, “Of course professor.” She paused for a moment, as she considered the letter. Twilight faintly remembered giving it to Cadence when she had been thawed out of the ice. “What was going on with Sunset Shimmer? She left you a letter and a pokémon, and well I took a peak at the letter when she left me alone, but I don’t know what it means. Can you tell me what happened between you and her?” 

Cadence’s face hardened into a somber mask. “I knew you’d ask me that. Have a seat Twilight.” 

Everypony gathered around Cadence, except for Chrysalis, who like Trixie, bade everypony farewell and left to attend to business elsewhere. “Quite a few years ago, while you were still too young to have a pokémon, Sunset Shimmer was one of my trainers. She was a wonderful student, like you in a lot of ways. She was eager to learn and see the world and wanted to be the best trainer in all of Equestria. I gave her a pokémon, a Growlithe. That was the Arcanine that she left with you. For so many months, I heard from her at least once a week. She was so happy… She found herself among fire-type pokémon and decided that she wanted to become a gym leader herself. But something happened after she won her Gym badge in the Crystal Empire. At first she seemed scared, but as time passed her heart grew hard and bitter. Eventually she came to care about nothing but power. Two years ago, she entered a tournament to become a new gym leader. Sunset won the tournament, but Princess Celestia did not think she was a good candidate for the position, so she was passed over. Sunset was indignant and vanished for six months after the event ended. When she turned up again, she was wearing a Team Umbra uniform.”

Cadence gave an exhausted sigh. “Sunset Shimmer was my greatest failure. I should have done something. I could have stopped this from happening.” 

“You can’t blame yourself for what happened back then,” Twilight consoled, putting a gentle hoof on Cadence’s back. “I don’t think Sunset is beyond helping. She left me a key to escape. I think there is good inside her. She just needs to be reminded of what’s important.”

A police officer’s entry into the room interrupted their conversation. “Thank you for your cooperation. The chief says you all are free to go.” 

Twilight was surprised. She had thought at least they would want to ask her some questions first. “Are you sure?” 

The officer nodded affirmatively, “That’s affirmative. We’ve been able to corroborate a report with all of your friends. Between Misses Rainbow Dash and Applejack and everypony who led the raid on the Team Umbra base, we were able to corroborate all of the information we were going to get. Granted, the Military Police is going to be leading the nationwide investigation into Team Umbra, so you may be contacted by them for information. But for now, you’re all set to leave.”

“Thank you sir,” the group said in unison. 

Outside the police station, Cadence bid the group farewell, leaving the six to plot their own course. “Alright Twi, lead the way,” Applejack said, giving Twilight an encouraging smile. “It’s high time we get back on the road, right?”

Applejack was right. Twilight still had three badges left to win. She ran over the map in her mind. The remaining three cities were Cloudsdale, The Crystal Empire, and Canterlot. The Crystal Empire was incredibly far away, and Canterlot was agreed upon as the final destination on a trainer’s journey. So, Cloudsdale was the next step. 

I owe it to myself and my friends to keep growing and getting stronger. Twilight told herself. But as long as I have my friends with me, nothing is going to stop us. Look out world, we’re coming!
> Special Chapter: Blackened Sun
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Four years ago…

Sunset Shimmer clutched the strap of her saddlebag as she approached the entrance to the Crystal Empire Gym. A cold wind was whipping through the city on that chilly winter day, but it was not the frigid air that made Sunset shiver. It was the black tower that loomed forebodingly over her, casting a shadow over a great swath of the city. Not only was it the Gym, but it was also the seat of power for the Crystal Empire. For centuries, the Kings and Queens of the Empire ruled from the Crystal Tower, and that tradition was upheld by Sombra, who was both the ruler of the Empire and its gym leader. Sunset took a deep breath to banish her fears from her heart. I don’t need to be afraid. Arcanine is at my side. 

She took her first apprehensive step into the portal of the black tower, past the crystal pony royal guards who stood watch at the entrance. The interior of the building extinguished light from the outside, leaving the halls of polished crystal to be lit only by smoldering torches that burned in scones on the wall. Sunset found herself funneled deeper into the palace by guards who blocked every door, goading her further down the hallway toward a light coming from the far end. Sunset was familiar with such glows. There was no mistaking it; that was the arena. Her pace slowed to a crawl as her legs began to quake. Her nerves had come back with a vengeance, and she was beginning to feel very uneasy about being here. No other gym she had visited thus far had made her feel this way. The Ponyville Gym had been homey. The Appleoosa Gym had evoked the feeling of a high-noon showdown. Even the Hive Omega Gym, while in that creepy place, still felt like a proper sporting arena. This place felt like a mausoleum.  

As Sunset approached the mouth of the coliseum, she took note of the paintings hanging on the wall. Generations of Kings and Queens of the Crystal Empire hung in rows, casting their scowling looks downward at her. Not a single one showed a hint of warmth or kindness. Instinctively, Sunset’s tail went between her legs. The gloom of this place was oppressive. 

The misgivings Sunset felt did not let up when she entered the stadium. It seemed that the Crystal Gym’s arena was a repurposed fighting pit from times long past, complete with high vertical walls surrounding the ring to keep unwilling combatants from escaping. The chamber might have at one point seated thousands of spectators, but today there was nopony present but herself.

“I want to challenge the Crystal Gym!” Sunset announced. Her words reverberated around the stadium for several seconds, leaving Sunset to think that there was nopony there. But once the sound faded, it was replaced by a low, rumbling laugh. Sombra stepped forth from the darkness at the other side of the arena, smiling wickedly. Sunset took an instinctive step backwards. There was malice in that smile. Evil even. She steeled herself and readied her first pokéball. Were going to get through this. 





Half an hour passed. In that time, Sunset saw three of her pokémon knocked unconscious, but for each loss she inflicted one back on Sombra. Still, the fight had begun to take a toll on Sunset. Sombra’s style was relentless. His dark types had battled her to a standstill, and each strike they inflicted on her pokémon was like a blow dealt to Sunset. Each time her pokémon cried out in pain from an attack, Sunset could feel their anguish in her soul. All of her hopes, and their sacrifice rested on this last pokémon. Sunset had just her Blaziken left to finish the four versus four match, but Sombra was left with his ace pokémon, a Sableye. With Sableye’s ghost typing, the advantage Sunset would have had by bringing out a fighting type had been negated, and Sunset was kicking herself in the rear for not using Blaziken earlier. The fight had already gone on for several minutes, and Sunset was starting to get worried. If she did not win this, all of the pain she had subjected her pokémon to would be for nothing. I need to win this. She told herself. I can’t let my pokémon go through this again. Sunset tensed her muscles. Everything would be riding on this attack. She needed to strike hard with a decisive attack, one that would be sure to destroy Sableye. “Blaziken! Attack with flare blitz! Give it everything you’ve got!” 

Blaziken moved to obey his trainer. It had grown tired from the battle, and the strikes inflicted by Sableye had caused it a great deal of pain. But nonetheless, Blaziken cloaked itself in fire and charged at Sableye, neglecting the harm to itself while it plowed Sableye into a wall. Sableye fell unconscious, and while Blaziken was hurt, it was still standing. 

“Blaziken!” Sunset cried. She galloped onto the field to tend to her injured pokémon. She knelt beside it as it struggled to find its feet. “I’m so sorry,” She wept, feeling wracked with guilt. “I pushed you too far. Please, forgive me.” 

Sombra’s laugh echoed around the room again. “You’ve done well, young one. It takes an exceptional trainer to defeat me. Clearly, you’re not cut from the same cloth as most of the naïve foals that wander into my halls. You understand that in order to win, one must be willing to do anything, sacrifice anything.” Sombra’s rhetoric froze Sunset. She returned Blaziken to his pokéball and turned her attention to the gym leader while she fought to stymie the tears. “You see, it is a pony’s strength that is the sole measure of their worth in this world. There are some who have spent their whole lives on top and never had to fight for a damn thing. They are worthless to this world. When things get tough, they crumble to dust. But ponies like you and I are different. We got where we are by clawing our way to the top, relentless in our pursuit of what we want. We are the ponies that are destined to rule this miserable world.  As recognition for your triumph today, you’ve proven yourself worthy of this Diamond Badge.” 

“T-thank you…” Sunset stammered weakly. 

“Do not thank me,” Sombra snapped, “Your strength alone is the reason you hold that badge. Remember this, Sunset Shimmer. There are two kinds of ponies in this world. There are those that value a diamond for its beauty, and those who value it for its unrivalled hardness. One will sit content with their baubles, while the other has a tool that can be used to accomplish ever greater things. Think about which of those ponies you would rather be.” With that, Sombra left, leaving Sunset Shimmer alone in the coliseum. 

She had won, but at what cost? 

For several days, Sunset felt like a corpse. The entire experience in the Crystal Gym had shaken her to her very core. She did not want to believe Sombra’s harsh rhetoric, but she could not deny his strength. Sombra had been the most difficult challenge she had encountered during her journey, and she doubted that even the elite four would be able to rival his might. Is this what Sunset needed to do if she wished to become the strongest trainer in Equestria? I can’t let that happen to me again. I WON’T let that happen to me again. 
> Chapter 39- Battle on the Cliffs
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Finally, back on the road!” Twilight happily declared. It felt like it had been ages since she had last been able to put Team Umbra out of her mind and continue working towards her goal of becoming a Pokémon Master. But, with the last business behind her, she and her friends could finally continue onwards toward the next gym, the Cloudsdale City Gym. They had just left the city limits of Manehattan and were preparing to venture down Route 18 to their destination off in the Northwest. 

“Too bad about those Mega Stones, huh?” Rainbow Dash sighed. Quietly, Twilight agreed. The impetus for their diversion to the Team Umbra lair had been because of the promise of Mega Stones from the Silph Company. Even if the promise had been a fake by Team Umbra, it still felt disappointing to have gone through so much and not have the Mega Stones to show for it. 

“Unfortunately, those stones are more than likely in the hooves of the Military Police,” Rarity said with a frown. “If they were in that storage room that your things were being kept in, I would assume the authorities have taken it as evidence.” 

“Ah shucks. Just forget about them there stones and let’s get a move on with our lives!” Applejack declared. “The way I see it, we’re not gettin’ anywhere standin’ here and bellyaching. What matters is we’re all safe and sound, and we’ve still got our pokémon with us.” 

“You’re right Applejack.” With the events of the last couple days, Twilight was just happy to be back into a state of normalcy. They had elected to spend the rest of last night in Manehattan. With Twilight waking up past three, it would have been foolish for them to hit the road so late in the afternoon. Better to take a day to rest and be ready to move the next. 

Route 18 took the group through the network of cliffs and hills that dominated the Northwestern quadrant of Equestria. Few ponies lived on this road. The land was poorly suited for farming or for building. The wildness of the region made it a popular area for trainers looking to catch powerful pokémon. And Rainbow Dash was one of those trainers. 

Twilight had noticed Dash had been behaving oddly. She had been fluttering off by herself more than normal, and her eyes seemed trained on the horizon at all times, as if she was looking for something. “Is everything okay Rainbow?” Twilight asked. 

Rainbow Dash nodded, “Yeah. I’m just keeping my eyes out for any wild pokémon. I need to get my team powered up if I want any chance of winning a badge in Cloudsdale.” 

The mention of a gym badge caught Twilight’s attention. Rainbow Dash had mentioned awhile ago that she was going to waylay her quest while she got stronger. She had fought Gilda in Griffonstone and won, but Twilight had assumed that was because of Rainbow’s wounded pride. “Are you looking to start collecting badges again?”

“Not exactly,” Rainbow said, “It’s just this one has some significance to me is all. The Gym Leader is a pony named Spitfire. She’s an incredibly trainer, the greatest flying-type user in the whole world. Heck, she’s so good that she can command three pokémon AT ONCE. Trainers have to battle her three versus one and she still kicks serious tail.”

How is a pony that good not in the elite four? Surely somepony with that kind of talent should be at a level even beyond a Gym Leader. 

Rainbow continued to describe Spitfire, “She and her group, the Wonderbolts, are all serious flying-type users. They race, battle, do stunts. Basically the coolest ponies in all of Equestria.” 

“So you want to prove yourself against your idol?” Twilight asked. It certainly sounded like a great story. A young mare grows up idolizing another pony, then one day, they meet in battle, and she overcomes her hero. 

“I’m looking to show off my skills so I can get accepted into the Wonderbolts!” Rainbow declared. “If me and Pidgeotto can show her we have what it takes, we’re a shoo in! But I need to make sure we’re up to the task, which is why I’m looking for some sweet new pokémon. The faster the better, and preferably something that can match up to flying types.”

“So, rock, electric and ice types?” Fluttershy suggested. Everypony turned to look at her, surprised. “Or, was that wrong?” She squeaked. 

“No, actually that was perfect.” Twilight commended, flashing a smile. “Have you been studying your type matchups?”

Fluttershy nodded. “Yes. After that fight Pinkie Pie and I got into with Team Umbra, I realized that I need to make sure I know more about battling in order to keep my pokémon safe.”

“That’s perfectly reasonable Fluttershy. I’m proud of you for not allowing yourself to be a victim.” Rarity cooed 

Twilight took out her pokédex. As she had found out, the little red device had been the tool by which her friends had been able to find her. While she had been slightly upset that Cadence had been tracking her without her knowing, she quickly forgave Cadence and was just happy to be saved. She looked up Route 18 in the computer and began paging through the pokémon living in the region. She filtered it down to the three types Rainbow wanted: ice, electric, and rock. There weren’t any ice types living this far south, and according to the database, the only electric type that was found in the region was the Shinx family, and Rainbow already had her Luxio. Rock-type pokémon were much more plentiful. Twilight could see at least seven different families that were well-represented in the area, 

Rainbow Dash took the pokédex and began flipping through its virtual pages. “Graveller? No. Nosepass? No. Dwebble? No. Lycanroc?” Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow and smiled, “Yeah. I can work with that.” 

“A Lycanroc?” Twilight asked. Gilda had used one of those in her gym battle. Granted, Twilight had not gotten to see much of it, because she allowed it to get knocked out after setting up her stealth rocks. But Twilight looked at the pokédex and noticed the pokémon was different. This one stood on four legs instead of two, and had a coat that was lighter, with a light brown coat instead of red. 

“Lycanroc has two different forms, depending on what time of day it evolves at,” Fluttershy chirped, “The one Gilda had evolved at night. This version evolves in the day.”

“They’re almost different pokémon,” Dash added, “Gilda’s Lycanroc is slower but it’s tougher. This kind is way faster but it’s defenses aren’t as strong. But who cares about defense if your opponent’s pokémon is KO’d before they even get a chance to attack?”

“That all works fine an’ good until you get a pokémon you can’t down in one hit, Dashie,” Applejack responded with a grin. “Havin’ a quick striker is all an’ good, but ya can’t let that be your entire plan.” 

Rainbow returned the pokédex to Twilight and began gazing off the cliffs. Down in the valley below, Twilight could see a herd of Tauros charging along the side of the river. The badlands of the Northwest were alive with wild pokémon. It was not the same lush nature preserve that the Safari Zone was. It was instead a region which was barely touched by ponies because of its inhospitality. That ironically made it a thriving ecosystem for wild pokémon. 

Behind the herd of Tauros, Twilight could see a pokémon trailing behind them. It kept a slight distance behind them, not close enough to be threatened by Tauros’ hooves but still close enough to menace them. Rainbow Dash smiled. It was a Lycanroc.   

“Well, I’ve got a pokémon to catch. See ya later!” Dash waved as she jumped down the cliff, racing down on a slab of stone. Everypony else watched wide-eyed as Dash zoomed down the loose rock and dirt of the hillside, laughing the whole way down. 

As Rainbow reached the bottom of the, everypony else eyed each other. “So. That happened.” Applejack said blankly. 

“Indeed, it did,” Rarity agreed, “Well, I suppose now is as good a time as any to take a rest. I could stand for a drink.” The group spread out their picnic blanket on the ground and watched Rainbow Dash gallop after the Lycanroc with Pidgeotto at her side. Twilight didn’t realize how much she had needed the break. She had gotten much stronger over the last several months, but in the hectic last couple weeks she had, Twilight was not used to long days of monotonous walking. 

“Say Twi,” Applejack said, giving her a nudge. “Ya know, now that I think of it, you and I haven’t battled since Ponyville. What do you say about us havin’ a friendly bout right here?” 

“Now?” Twilight had not been prepared for such a request. As tired of fighting as she was, the idea of a match with no stakes did sound like a good time. Celestia only knew how it had been since she had battled with nothing on the line. 

But Rarity would not have it. “Absolutely not. I can’t believe how irresponsible you would be to battle out here in the middle of nowhere and leave your pokémon hurt?” 

Fluttershy spoke up in response, “Actually Rarity, Chansey and I could heal any injuries that anypony’s pokémon take. There wouldn’t be any risk.” 

“Well then in that case, I want to battle Twilight.” Rarity smiled smugly. Twilight was caught by surprise by this, and was unsure how to feel. She had never gotten to battle against Rarity before, and rather fancied the opportunity. “Alright Rarity, I accept your challenge. Let’s see what that Gardevoir of yours can do.” 

“Hey now!” Applejack protested. “What about me?”

“I promise Applejack, I will battle you too. If not now, then soon.” Twilight assured. “Alright Rarity. Two on two?” 

Rarity nodded. “That would be preferable Twilight. I am prepared when you are.”

The two found a wide spot on the hillside to stand across from one another. Rarity twirled her pokéball in hoof and gave it a toss. “Gardevoir, it’s our time to shine!” 

Twilight took note of Rarity’s choice. Of course she would open up with Gardevoir. It’s her best pokémon. Gardevoir’s fairy and psychic typing covered a few of the other’s weaknesses. But a ghost-type like Marowak should have little problem hitting it where it hurt. “Alright Marowak, let’s go!” Marowak brandished its bone with a twirl before striking it on his skull to ignite it. Twilight smiled. This was going to be fun.

“First move is yours, dearest.” Rarity shouted with a wave. Twilight raised an eyebrow. While Rarity cared more about politeness than most, it was unusual to display it mid-battle. But Twilight pushed her doubts aside and continued forward. 

“Alright Rarity, but remember, you asked for it! Marowak, shadow bone, let’s go!”

As Marowak lunged forward, Twilight could see a grin cracking across Rarity’s face. “I did ask for it, didn’t I?” She cackled. Marowak’s bone connected with Gardevoir, but the attack barely left an impact. Twilight was astounded. A ghost attack like that should have sent Gardevoir reeling. Unless…

Gardevoir held a hand over her mouth and laughed before her from blinked out of existence. In its place, Zorua was left instead. Twilight swallowed. Rarity had pulled a fast one on her using Zorua’s special ability. 

“And now my dear Zorua will be able to retaliate in turn,” Rarity teased, “And worry not. My attack is sure to be super-effective. Zorua, attack with foul play.” 

Twilight cringed. Foul play was an attack that dealt more damage based on the target’s attack power. Marowak was holding a thick club, which doubles its attack power. Twilight was running numbers in her head as Zorua dashed forward, but all of her calculations were returning the same result: defeat.

Zorua crashed into Marowak in a massive cloud of dust. When it settled, Marowak was standing, but barely. Marowak was using his club to support its body, but between the quaking of its limbs and its deep breathing, Marowak not doing well. Twilight’s best option was to pull it back and heal it to send out again later. 

Without thinking, Twilight pulled out Marowak’s pokéball to get him out of harm's way. “Return, now.” 

“Ah, ah!” Rarity interrupted, “Zorua, use pursuit!” As the beam of the pokéball extended towards Marowak, Zorua zipped in and delivered a kick to Marowak’s back, knocking it over and leaving Zorua the only pokémon standing. Rarity seemed very pleased with herself, and Twilight was left reeling. 

There’s no question about it, Rarity is a tough customer. Twilight was loath to forget Rarity’s stunning victory in the Appleoosa Cup all those months ago. While she was not as avid a battler as she, Applejack or Rainbow Dash, Rarity made up for that in spades with a sharp mind and a perfectly synchronous bond with her pokémon. I’m already down a pokémon and I barely put a dent into her Zorua. How am I going to defeat both it and Gardevoir?

Twilight ran through her options. Espeon had a poor matchup against Zorua, and Gible would fare poorly against Gardevoir. Silvia and Heliolisk were neutral in both matchups, and either would be a good choice. Ivysaur though had an awkward matchup into Gardevoir, with both pokémon packing attacks super effective against the other. Twilight grit her teeth. None of my options give me the advantage I need. I guess I will just have to trust in my pokémon and-

Her thought was cut off by one of her pokéballs bursting open. Gible emerged with a roar, landing on two little feet to face against Zorua. “Gible?” Twilight stammered, “No, I didn’t mean it! I take it back, I take it back!” 

“The little guy looks like he wants to fight!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed. “Besides, he’s on the field, so you’re stuck with him!” 

Twilight groaned. Rules were rules and she was not about to break them just to get the upper hoof in a battle. She knelt down to Gible’s side. “You’re going to end up going into Rarity’s Gardevoir, which is a fairy type. Are you sure you sure you want to go?”

Gible snarled confidently before turning back to face Zorua. Well, I’ve got him working with me. Might as well go for it. Gible didn’t have any moves that would be super-effective against Zorua. So, Twilight would have to resort to the tried and true tactic of brute force if she wanted to win here. Fortunately, Zorua’s defense is pretty low. So, a strong move should be able to break right through it. 

“Alright Gible, let’s go with a dragon claw!” Gible slashed out at Zorua with its sharp claws. This, combined with the first hit, was enough to take Zorua down, and put Twilight on even standings with Rarity. 

“Rude, rude, RUDE!” Rarity exclaimed. She recomposed herself as she recalled her pokémon and readied her next. “Well Twilight, this battle has been fun, but I believe it is high time we concluded this exercise. Gardevoir, for real this time, come out!” Gardevoir landed gracefully on two dainty feet, with hands clutched over her heart. “Twilight, I suppose I can give you an opportunity to do something. After all, I would be remiss to not give you and Gible an opportunity to work together now that you are on better terms with one another. Gardevoir dear, use calm mind for now.” Gardevoir nodded and allowed itself to enter a zen-like state of tranquility, honing its power in the process. 

Twilight nodded. “Thanks Rarity. That’s all the time I need. Gible, use iron tail, right away!” Iron tail had a lower accuracy than iron head, but the way Twilight saw it, if she didn’t score the K.O. right there she was finished anyway. The extra power would hopefully be enough to take down Gardevoir, and if not, she had at least been able to have a productive battle with Gible. Gible’s tail took on a metallic luster as it brought the stocky appendage down onto Gardevoir’s chest. Gardevoir was sent reeling, but her feet never left the ground and she did not fall. Gible’s attack had pushed Gardevoir back a good twenty feet and left two distinct ruts doing so. But it had not knocked out Rarity’s pokémon. 

“Well Twilight, I commend you, but I think it’s time to end this. Gardevoir, use moonblast. Full power!” Gardevoir channeled the power of the mystic moon into a pinkish blast that annihilated Gible. Twilight was forced to shield her eyes from the blinding gleam. 

When the light cleared, Gible stood. It was panting, but he had kept his feet and gave a roar of defiance. A bright light engulfed Gible as its body enlarged greatly. Arms and legs extended as its neck elongated and its jaw became less deep. Fins grew off the arms and its tail became less stumpy. With a flash, the light cleared. Gible had evolved into Gabite. 

“BIIIITE!” It roared. Gabite looked to Twilight intensely. It wanted desperately to finish the fight. Twilight nodded. 

“Rarity, thank you for this. I don’t think anypony else could have pushed us far enough to get Gible to evolve. I’m sorry, but this is how I have to repay you. Gabite, iron head!” Gabite lunged forward at a much faster pace, now that its legs were no longer so stumpy. It rammed its skull into Rarity’s pokémon and knocked Gardevoir flying. Gabite let out a triumphant roar as Rarity pulled her pokémon back. 

“Well Twilight, you’ve once again proven yourself the better trainer.” Rarity said with a sigh. She took out her pokéballs and handed them over to Fluttershy to heal them.

“’Once again’?” Twilight asked, raising an eyebrow at the defeated remark, “Rarity, that was our first battle ever. And you easily could have beat me. The only reason I won was because you gave me a chance to attack, and even then, if Gabite hadn’t evolved we probably still would have lost. You’re an incredible trainer. And hey, if it makes you feel any better, you’re the only one of us who has been able to beat Trixie! So, you’ve got that over me.”

Rarity could not hold back a smile. “I suppose you’re right. Very well Twilight, I won’t trouble us with self-pity. I really must thank you for everything you’ve done for me. Had I never met you I probably would have never left Ponyville. And that means Kirlia would likely not have evolved and I would never have met my little Zorua. While this journey has had a bit more excitement and,” She paused, murmuring under her breath a moment, “Nature, for my liking, I cannot deny that this voyage has been an inspiration for me.” 

“Rarity, thank you.” Twilight said with a sniffle. There was more she wanted to say, much more, but she couldn’t find the words. 

Rarity dug through her backpack and produced a sketchbook. “I have been working on this since we left. The day we left Ponyville, this book was empty. Today, I have nearly filled it with drawings. All the pokémon and ponies we have met, and the battles I have witnessed, have given me no shortage of inspiration. Once I return to my boutique I expect to be busy with these for months if not years. And we still have a ways to go.”

“I know they will all be beautiful,” Twilight smiled. 

Rainbow Dash returned a few minutes later, pokéball in hoof. “Hey guys, I caught it!” She declared, through panting breath. “That took way longer than it was supposed to, but this thing is fast! So, what did I miss?” 

Rarity and Twilight eyed each other and turned back to Rainbow Dash. “It’s… a long story.” Twilight laughed.