> Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Magic
>  by Strayan Phoenix
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> A New Adventure
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

CHAPTER 1
[Somewhere in Quicksand Cave]

KA-BOOM!

A significant portion of the cave wall suddenly disintegrated in a deafening explosion, throwing dust and smoke everywhere. Several figures disappeared under several tonnes of rock and sediment, as the others tried to regain their senses. A large bolt of bright yellow electricity suddenly ploughed through the mist with a resounding crack and slammed its target into the wall on the far side.

“Thought you could hide forever, didn’t you?” a menacing voice rumbled. A silhouette appeared amongst the dust flurry, “Crawdaunt! This is where your little crime spree ends!”

The Crawdaunt in question dragged itself off the floor, groaning in agony as sparks criss-crossed its body, “... How the Hell did you get all the way out here?! It’s Ground-Type central out here. I was sure that the locals would put a stop you...”

“You seriously don’t know what you’re dealing with, do you?” the voice chuckled, “Don’t worry, you’re not the first idiot to make that mistake. Besides, I brought a friend with me this time”.

A second, serpentine figure slithered into view. Its red eyes pierced through the dusty mist like lasers.
Crawdaunt chuckled darkly, “I never thought I’d see the day when you of all Pokémon would stoop down and require ‘help’... you always worked solo, didn’t you Zappo?” It spat the name with venom and disgust.

“No, not always,” Zappo replied, “Back when I started out, several years ago, I had a partner to support me when I needed him, and now he’s back in the business!”

Zappo and his friend stepped out of the mist, revealing their faces: a Raichu sporting sunglasses and a dark-blue backpack, along with a Serperior wearing a yellow Wonder Bag tied around his midsection, positioned on top of his spine. Both of them had pitch-black badges with little yellow stars pinned to their straps, indicating they were a Master Rank Three Stars Exploration Team.

“It’s been ages since we did something like this together, eh CJ?” Zappo remarked, stretching his arms about.

“It’s good to be back,” CJ smirked, “Sorry Crawdaunt, but this isn’t really your day!”

With that, CJ’s tail took a bright green glow as he charged forward with Leaf Blade. Crawdaunt gulped as he scuttled to his left to avoid the incoming blow. CJ swung about from the right, bringing his attack directly into the hapless criminal’s face, stopping it dead in its tracks.

Crawdaunt was sent flying again, this time landing in the dirt. It looked around at its frightened minions. “Well, GET THEM!!”
“No way dude,” a Cubone shivered in terror, “That’s Team Valkyrie man! I didn’t join up fo’ that!”

One by one, the minions all dropped on their hands and knees, begging for mercy, those who didn’t have hands or knees just bowed low towards the ground.

Zappo stifled a chuckle as he looked around at the spectacle. CJ sighed, “What do you think? They look like they’re truly sorry for hanging out with this vermin”.

“Some friends you lot are!” Crawdaunt growled furiously, “Betraying me like this!”

“It’s not worth it man!” the Cubone beckoned, “We’d take ‘em if they were anybody else, but we got a short straw this time!”

“Flattery only goes so far, mate,” Zappo growled with a bored look on his face, “You can quit sucking up to us now”.

“Okay,” the Cubone quickly shut its mouth.

“We’ll accept your apology,” said CJ sternly, “if and ONLY if you help us apprehend this criminal and NEVER join another gang AGAIN. Are we clear?”

The minions all nodded their heads profusely. 

“This is bullshit!” Crawdaunt could only watch in shock as his own ‘friends’ promptly bound him up tightly with ropes from Zappo’s bag.

“Well, that was easier than expected,” Zappo frowned, “almost boring”.

“Hmm,” CJ nodded, “Ah well. Something easy to return to field work with then, eh?”

“Let’s get this moron to Officer Magnezone and collect our pay,” Zappo started dragging Crawdaunt by the tail.

For several minutes, they walked off in complete silence. Zappo frowned and turned about to the minions, “You guys don’t have to follow us home, you know. We’re not adopting you”.

“We’re gonna help turn this crook in!” a Wooper spoke up, almost a little too eagerly, “We’re reformed now”.

That’s just a little bit suspicious, Zappo thought to himself.

The Wooper slid up to Crawdaunt as they walked.

“Don’t worry boss,” it whispered, “we still have you covered”.

Crawdaunt raised an eyebrow in amusement.

It then walked back up to the Raichu innocently, “So, Mr Zappo, are we going to be in trouble when we get back?”

“I’m not the one to make that decision,” He replied simply.

A Cubone slipped across and snuck its hand into Zappo’s bag.

Wooper continued, “It was all Crawdaunt’s doing! He bullied us into hanging out with him!”

“Is that so?” Zappo stared straight ahead blankly.

“Zappo!” CJ suddenly yelled in concern, “Watch out!”

Zappo turned, “What-”

The Cubone had pulled a Blast Orb from the orb, and was preparing to throw it, “BANZAI MOTHERFUCKER!”

Quicker than they could blink, Zappo snatched it and pulled the Cubone over, causing it to land on top of the glowing orb.
The last thing that escaped the Cubone's mouth was a loud scream of “Ffffuuuu-”

There was a deafening explosion as the minion popped like a landmine, splattering them all in a sickly shade of red gunk.
There was a brief moment of silence, before everyone sprung into action at once. 

Zappo reacted first, grabbing the Wooper by the feet and started swinging it around as a living club, knocking several other minions out in one sweep. Next to react was CJ, who lashed out with Leaf Blade, catching several of them unaware as the minions struggled to recollect their senses.

“Son of a BITCH!” Zappo yelled angrily, “Should’ve seen that coming!”

CJ stared in horror at the mess, “We just... killed someone...”

Zappo zipped the bag up with a huff, “Welcome back to Hell, mate. Let’s get this over with already!”

[Wigglytuff’s Guild]

“... And that’s about it! Any questions?” finished Wigglytuff. 

Staring back at him were the other members of the Exploration Guild: Chatot, his personal assistant, Sunflora, Loudred, both Diglett and Dugtrio, Chimecho, Croagunk, and Bidoof. Also standing with them were Officer Magnezone and several of his deputies. All of them looked at him in a perplexed manner as they gathered around on the bottom level of the guild.

“I’m sorry? I didn’t understand ANY of that,” Chatot frowned, “You were talking too fast. Can you please slow it down a bit?”

“BZZT... Agreed... BZZT,” said Magnezone.

“Alright,” Wigglytuff sighed, “What I SAID was that I had a brilliant idea! We’ve explored almost every square inch of this continent we call home, no thanks to the abundance of Exploration Teams and Rescue teams that cropped up in the aftermath of Team Valkyrie’s adventures, all inspired by their heroic tale no doubt. So I had the idea, that we organise a team or two that can leave the island altogether and explore overseas!”

Chatot and the other Guild members looked puzzled, “Are you serious?! Nobody’s gone further away from this place than Blizzard Island, and that’s just a desolate wasteland”.

“This will be different though!” Wigglytuff beckoned eagerly, “Think of the possibilities! We could head out straight west and see what’s out there! It’s a big world we live in! There’s so much we haven’t discovered yet! I don’t think we’ve even scratched the surface just with what we’ve uncovered here!”

“While that sounds mighty interesting,” Bidoof stepped forwards, “What about if something goes wrong?”

“I don’t understand,” said Wigglytuff.

“If something happens,” Sunflora spoke up, “whoever we send will have no way of contacting us for help! They’ll be potentially stuck out there... all alone...”

“That’s why I already have in mind who we’re going to send,” Wigglytuff replied, “a group who can stand up to the challenges and overcome all obstacles with utmost proficiency!”

“You mean...” Dugtrio murmured.

The door upstairs suddenly slammed open.

“... and I don’t give a fuck if ‘Mr Seismitoad’ has a problem with that! I’ll kick his arse any day!” 

“Zappo, I don’t think Seismitoad  would bother to worry too much about this,” CJ said calmly, “What I want to know is how on earth we went from talking about the weather to a group of drug runners...”

Crawdaunt’s limp body suddenly slammed into the ground at the bottom of the ladder with a heavy thud as Zappo shouted from up top, “Present for Officer Magnezone!”

The Guild members reeled back in shock at the sight of it, covered in dust, ash and blood.

“Oh my GOSH!” exclaimed Sunflora, “What happened to him?!”

“His friggin’ dumbass mook happened, that’s what!” Zappo growled as he clambered down the ladder.

He noticed everyone’s horrified and shocked expressions cast in his direction.

“One of ‘em played ‘Stacks-On’ with a Blast Orb. Bastard went up like a fire-cracker,” He explained dismissively, “Now I have to clean his guts outta my fur, which is going to be a pain in the arse...”

“BZZT... I take it the mission was a success? BZZT,” asked Magnezone.

“Went like a charm,” CJ slithered down the ladder, covered in a similar layer of muck as his companion, “Just like old times”.

“BZZT... Very good then. I’ll see to it that your payment is sent directly to your account,” said Magnezone, “We hope you’ll continue assisting us in the future... BZZT”. Magnezone then floated up and out of the Guild, with the criminal and the deputies in tow.

“Now,” Wigglytuff stepped forward, “Team Valkyrie, there is something of great importance I wish to discuss with you”.

“We’re listening,” said Zappo, absentmindedly flicking bits of flesh from his paws.

“I’ve had an epiphany,” the Guildmaster said enthusiastically, getting straight to the point, “I had the idea that we should, for the first time in history, send an Exploration team overseas. Would you and your team be willing to step up and out into the world around us?”

CJ blinked in surprise, “Guildmaster, that’s...”

“Hmm?” Wigglytuff watched eagerly.

“That’s...” CJ struggled for words.

“Yes?!” 

“... that’s AWESOME!” CJ exclaimed, “Of course! Zappo, just imagine what we could find! The challenges we could overcome!”

“I know, right?!” Wigglytuff became ecstatic, “We could extend our reach out beyond the confines of our own continent and possibly meet new civilisations! The possibilities are endless!”

Zappo shrugged nonchalantly, “I’m not fussed. As long as there’s something new for us to do”.

“We accept the offer!” CJ grinned.

Wigglytuff beamed, “Well, imagining only goes so far. We have a lot of work to do. Let’s get into ACTION!”

“Valkyrie shall have our full support,” Chatot nodded, “I’m confident that they will accomplish great things during their travels!”

As they all began to file out, Corphish scuttled up to CJ, “Hey-hey! So CJ, how do you plan to travel across the ocean? It’s pretty big, and I don’t think you’ll be able to swim all that way!”

“Maybe not,” CJ mused, “But I think I know who can”.

[The Beach]

Zappo, CJ and Wigglytuff strolled out onto the sandy shores, looking around. They spotted who they were after at the near end of the beach.

"Lapras!” Wigglytuff called out.

“Hmm?” Lapras turned its head, “Oh, Wigglytuff! And Team Valkyrie, too! What do you want, my friends?”

“We have a favour to ask of you,” stated Wigglytuff, “What do you know of any islands or lands far out west of here?” 

“Hmm,” Lapras frowned, “That’s a good question. I probably cannot answer that question, but I have relatives who would. One of them in particular often recalls sighting land in that direction, but that’s about it. Why do you ask?”

“Because if there’s something out there, we want to go and find it!” Wigglytuff exclaimed, “We want to send Team Valkyrie to explore new and yet uncharted lands, and even possibly bring back treasure and stories of their adventures!” 

Lapras’ eyes widened, “You’re serious?! Nobody has ever left this continent further than when Team Valkyrie went to the Hidden Land, and even that’s a bit more than a hop, skip and a jump!” 

“There’s always a first time for everything!” Wigglytuff said determinedly. 

“And... you agree with this?” Lapras turned to Zappo and CJ.

“Of course!” CJ’s eyes sparkled, “We’ll make history with something like this!”

“But... You’ve already etched yourself into the history books, considering you’ve saved it twice over and all”.

“Why should we stop there?” CJ persisted.

“Fair enough...” Lapras sighed, “Alright, I’ll do it. I’ll have to recruit some of my relatives to assist in this though. They know the area much better than I do, so they’ll be our guides”.

Wigglytuff jumped for joy, “Thank you very much! We’ll be ready to go by tomorrow!”

“So soon?” Lapras raised an eyebrow, “Very curious indeed... Alright, if you insist. But remember, you owe me one for this now!”

“That’s not a problem,” Wigglytuff shrugged.

“We better get ready then, Zappo!” CJ turned to his friend... who wasn’t there.

“Zappo?” CJ frowned to see the Mouse Pokémon walking back up the beach.

“Where are you going?”

He turned with a grin, “To prepare for the trip, of course! Our stuff isn’t going to pack itself, you know”.

[Treasure Town]

As the hub of all Exploration and Rescue Teams for the region, Treaure Town was always bustling with activity as Pokemon went to and fro about their lives. The town itself was built in a clearing in the middle of a small woodland area, on either side of a small but steady brook, which guaranteed a permanent water supply, with a sturdy stone bridge connecting them.

The left side of the brook was dominated by the Kecleon Brothers' Market Stall, where teams, travellers and locals alike could purchase almost anything they need, whether it be food, berries, mystical Orbs or even TMs. The constant influx of customers and their tales ensured that the Kecleons were often the go-to Pokemon for the latest gossip and news, and their friendly, talkative natures made them exellant conversationalists.

Next door to the Market was Kangaskhan's Storage, where, as the name implied, teams could stash any excess items they didn't want to take with them on their adventures, free of charge. Many considered Ms Kangaskhan herself as an open and  kind-hearted Pokemon, who was always there when you needed a shoulder to lean on.

Directly south from the Kangaskhan Storage was a quaint little stall run by Xatu. While many considered the mysterious and reclusive Psychic/Flying Type with suspicion and unease, his innate talent for cracking open locked treasure boxes (for a small fee) made him a handy addition to have around.

The right side of the brook was mostly taken up by the de-facto town square, where offical announcements and gatherings often took place.

Nestled in the north-east corner of the square, right next to the bridge, was Electivire's Link Shop, where Pokemon would go if they ever wanted to forget or remember moves. The loud, abrasive Electric Type claimed he developed a technique that could 'link' a Pokemon's moves together, so that they could be used in sequence in a blisteringly short amount of time.

Across from him was the Duskull Bank, run by its slightly creepy, but otherwise honest and trustworthy namesake. Here, Pokemon could store away and manage their finances for safe-keeping, so that in the event of some thug mugging them, they could always still have something left to their name. Throughout the entire time the bank has been open, there has only been one aggressive hold-up. The criminals not only couldn't find where the money was kept, but the entire town was alerted  to the situation within the space of five seconds, prompting a rather violent and very painful ejection from town. Treaure Town after that was established as a safe haven from the dangers of the wilderness, a beacon of light and protection in an otherwise rough and unforgiving land.

South from the bank was the Marowak Dojo, where Explorers and Rescue Teams could spend their off-time sparring and training for their expeditions, although the facility was open for pretty much anyone and everyone to use at their own discretion. The only rules where that you couldn't bring anything with you into the training grounds, be it money or items, and violation of this rule resulted in said money and items being permanently confiscated.

To the west of the dojo, and south of the link shop was Chansey's Day Care, where teams with eggs to look after could place  them whenever they went away on missions, free of charge. While the stall's bubbly but slightly dim-witted namesake didn't really have much of a broad skill-set to speak of, her uncanny knack for hatching and looking after eggs was undisputed, and many a group of first-time parents could always count on her expertise for help.

On the eastern outskirts of Treasure Town was a cross-road, splitting off in four directions. Going north led to Wigglytuff's Guild; going south led to the beach; and going east led to the broad expanse of the island Pokemon called 'home'. At this cross-road was Spinda's Cafe, where teams could relax with a delicious drink served up by the tavern's eccentric namesake and have a yarn about their adventures. Unsurprisingly, the cafe was the second-best place in town to turn to for gossip and news, and one could find many patrons who were more than willing to have a cheerful conversation about how they discovered treasure in Crystal Cave or something irrelevant like that.

Zappo held a list in his paws for CJ to see as they stood in front of Kecleon Market, "Let's see, we'll need plenty of apples, berries, Revive Seeds, Elixirs and potentially a variety of Orbs”.

“It’s a good thing we conveniently let stuff like that pile up over time,” CJ remarked, “Poor Ms. Kangaskhan is finding it hard to keep track of all the stuff we leave in her care”.

“I think she’ll appreciate the sudden void in the storage room then, eh?” Zappo smiled as they walked up the facility in question. “Isn’t that right?” He handed Kangaskhan the list.

“Goodness,” she blinked, “Is something big going on?” 

“ZAPPO AND CJ ARE GOING OVERSEAS!!” A voice belonging to a Vigoroth suddenly shouted at the top of its lungs.

“Pretty much, yeah,” Zappo deadpanned, resting his elbow on the counter.

Everyone suddenly crowded around them, rapid-firing their questions.

Zappo blocked his ears against the sudden cacophony of voices, “Goodness, one at a bloody time, PLEASE! I’m right next to you, for Arceus’ sake!”

“Sorry,” Green Kecleon apologised, “But where will you going? How long do you expect to be gone?”

“We don’t know where we’re going,” CJ grinned sheepishly, “or how long... That’s the point of this journey: to see what’s out there”.

“We’re going that way,” Zappo pointed vaguely to the west.

“Ooh, sounds like an adventure, indeed!” Vigoroth exclaimed.

“I certainly hope it will turn out that way,” Zappo nodded.

“Here you go!” Kangaskhan placed several crates on the counter.

“That’s a lot of supplies!” Purple Kecleon murmured in surprise.

“For a potentially long journey!” CJ grinned, “Now, what’s next on the to-get list?”

Zappo fumbled through the slip of paper, “I dunno, I think that’s it”.

“Is there anyone else going with you?” asked Kangaskhan.

“This will be limited to Valkyrie members only,” Zappo replied, “So don’t bother asking for tickets, sorry”.

“Should we bring anyone else with us?” asked CJ. 

“We’ll see. We have to stop by the Guild anyway, so we’ll find out there”.

After a brief dash back to the guild, they held in their hands a long list, courtesy of Chimecho.

“What have we got here then...” Zappo examined the list of Pokémon they had recruited over the years. Most of them spent all their time in their own little sub-teams, training and waiting for that day when they were called up to the ‘big league’. 

“Remember, whoever we pick will probably spend the next several months with, so pick wisely”.

“Here we go, what about this one?” asked CJ.

Zappo examined the profile card, “Hmm... not bad. Not bad at all...”

[Spinda’s Cafe] 

Zappo and CJ quickly scanned the room and quickly spotted the Pokémon they were after.

“Archie!” Zappo called out.

A Charizard standing at the bar turned his head in surprise, “Oh, it’s you! What’s up Zappo?”

“Good news buddy! How would you like to come with us on an adventure?” asked CJ as they walked over.

“For REAL?!” the Charizard’s eyes lit up, “Sure! Where are we going?”

“That way,” Zappo pointed in the general direction of west.

“What’s out ‘that way’?” asked Archie.

“Dunno,” Zappo shrugged, “That’s what we’re going to find out!”

Archie grinned, “Sounds like fun! When are we leaving?” 

“Tomorrow morning,” replied CJ.

“Well, congratulations!” cheered Spinda from behind the counter, “We all wish you good luck for your travels!”

“Bring back lots of treasure, won’t you?” a Pachirisu piped up.

The Cafe patrons all waved good-bye as they walked back out the door.

“So... what made you pick me?” Archie asked.

“You have wings,” Zappo answered simply; “We picked you because you can fly. In order to establish what sort of territory we’ll be entering, you’ll be vital in performing reconnaissance, obtaining information from above. Your abilities will be able to give us some perspective of the terrain and if possible, the locals”.

Archie let this sink in, nodding affirmatively, “You can count on me!”

“Well that, and you can breathe fire, which can serve as a potential heat source if need be,” Zappo continued.

“Not to worry,” Archie nodded again, “I’m thankful and honoured to be a part of this!”

“So rest up, and inform your friends and family,” said CJ, “We’ll be gone for several months, at least”.

Archie grinned and took flight, disappearing in the distance.

“... Why did we nickname him ‘Archie’ again?” asked CJ.

“Buggered if I know,” shrugged Zappo, “Spur of the moment thing, I guess”.

“Well, if that’s everything ready, we should probably finish up for the day,” CJ murmured.

“Agreed,” Zappo nodded, “But first, I need to clean these stains out of my fur...”

[The Next Morning, at the Beach]

The entire town had gathered on the shores as several Lapras swam into the sheltered bay.

“Guys, this is Team Valkyrie,” Lapras introduced them, “Valkyrie, these are my cousins”.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” one of them bowed its head, “Lapras here has told us all about you!” 

“Likewise,” CJ smiled.

“Lapras-cubed,” Wigglytuff stepped forward, “We leave them in your capable hands from here on out!” 

“Don’t worry about a thing,” Lapras reassured them, “They’ll be fine with us”.

Zappo and CJ carefully placed several medium-sized, wooden supply crates onto the first Lapras’ back, and then sat themselves down on the second one lined up. Archie took to the sky and meandered about lazily overhead. Everybody waved and chanted their final goodbye as the group headed off and out of the bay on their voyage.

“This is going to be great!” CJ shivered with excitement, “I can’t WAIT to see what we’ll come across!” 

“So basically,” a Lapras spoke up, “We’ll be heading directly west, am I right?” 

“Basically,” confirmed Zappo, “We’re bound to run into something eventually”.

“I do remember seeing landmass a long way out there,” the Lapras said, “but I never really took the opportunity to get close”.

“Well, this time we will!” CJ said excitedly, “How far away is it?”

“It should be at least several days and nights, if we’re quick enough,” replied the Lapras.

“I suggest, since there’s three of you, we apply nicknames to each of you,” said Zappo, “From now on, the one with our stuff is now ‘Garfield’, the one we are sitting on is now ‘Marco’, and the guide is now called ‘Steve’. How’s that?”

“Excuse me, I’m a girl, thank you very much,” ‘Garfield’ huffed.

Zappo blinked and frowned, “Oh. Erm, alright then, what about ‘Gemma’?”

“Much better,” ‘Gemma’ nodded.

“With that little revelation, let’s change the topic...” said CJ.

END CHAPTER 1

> Bon Voyage
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

CHAPTER 2

[Day One of the Expedition To The West]
[Roughly two kilometres west of Sharpedo Bluff]

“... Well, now for the long, boring part,” CJ sighed, “crossing this ocean!”

The group was now a good distance away from home, but Sharpedo Bluff was still visible on the horizon behind them.

“Oi Archie,” called Zappo, “How’s the view?”

Archie, who was milling about lazily overhead, scanned around,   “Nothing but water, dude. A couple of Wingulls out and about, but little else, sorry”.

“So, how’s your life, Gemma?” asked Zappo.

“Meh,” Gemma tilted her head, “Nice and quiet, really. We went searching for water geysers around Blizzard Island the other day. That turned out to be a big waste of time. Nothing there except Piplups and well... blizzards”.

“What about you, Steve? How’s life treating you?”

“Same here, buddy. I often travel this way when I’m going to see my mother, who hangs around out there with her friends,” explained Steve, “Once we reach their usual rendezvous point, the destination will be within visual range”.

“Estimated time to destination?” asked Zappo.

“Six or seven days,” replied Steve nonchalantly.

Zappo gawked in horror. "And I thought the trip to the Hidden Land was long...!"

“How long does it take your mother to get there?” asked CJ.

“She lives out in that direction,” replied Steve, “So maybe ten, fifteen minutes tops”.

“You’re really keen to get to this place, aren’t you?” asked Gemma.

“Why shouldn’t we be?” asked CJ, “This is new and uncharted territory for Pokémon-kind! Of course we’re impatient to get there!”

“Ugh, this is gonna be soooo boring!” Zappo sank in despair.

“Not really,” CJ murmured, “I’m sure we can find something to talk about. For example, do you remember the time we went on that escort mission to the Northern Desert? With that Wooper..?”

“Please don’t remind me!” Zappo held his head in frustration.

“What happened?” asked Gemma.

“Here we go,” Zappo muttered.

“Well,” CJ began, “the mission was to escort a Wooper to see his friend out in the Northern Desert...”

[Flashback, Northern Desert Entrance]

“Don’t lag behind, please!” CJ the Snivy urged, “It won’t take that long, but there’s a lot of bad guys in between here and your friend!”

Wooper just made a huge, silly grin, “Derrrp!”

“I’ll take that as a ‘yes’, then?” Zappo the Pikachu frowned, “Let’s get going!”

As they made their way across the maze of caverns and dunes, several hostile Pokémon suddenly jumped at them near a small spring.

“Ambush!” cried CJ as a Bone Club struck him across the head, sending him backwards. He countered with Vine Whip, knocking the Cubone out with a blow to the neck and super-effective damage.

Zappo dove underground to avoid a Sand-Attack with Dig, and resurfaced, striking the Trapinch with an uppercut to the jaw and knocking it out of commission. 

A Sandshrew and a Larvitar surrounded Wooper on either side and pounded it with Fury Swipes and Rock Throw respectively. Wooper simply giggled and ran about in a circle. CJ quickly dispatched both assailants with Vine Whip and quickly glanced around for any more attackers. 

Wooper then ran headlong into Zappo from behind, in turn knocking him straight into the path of an Aron’s Headbutt. Zappo cringed in pain as the attack connected, silently cursing Wooper’s clumsiness, and then dove underground for another Dig attack. The Aron blinked and peered downwards, only to cop a punch to the chin as Zappo rushed back up, the super-effective attack knocking it out instantly.

“And that’s the last of them for now, I think,” sighed CJ, “Let’s get the little guy and move on”.

“Hah, that’s funny,” Zappo looked around, “Where’d he go?”

“Oh bugger,” CJ facepalmed, “He’s walked off on us”.

A voice echoed from further up the cavern, “Herrrp! Derrrp!” 

“What the...” Zappo frowned.

“He’s obviously gone on ahead of us,” CJ started running, “I hope he doesn’t do anything too stupid!”

“When we find him, I’m gonna kill him!” Zappo muttered.

They rushed into a clearing to see a Baltoy and a Carnivine throwing the hapless Wooper around like a ragdoll. 
Zappo launched forward with Quick Attack, collecting the Carnivine in a fierce tackle. Baltoy looked about in confusion.

“What the-” was all it could utter before a Vine Whip to the face made it silent.

“And stay down!”  shouted Zappo.

“Herpa-Derp!” yelled Wooper gleefully, jumping around.

“Come on, you!” Zappo grabbed it by the scruff of the neck and dragged it along, “I swear if you wander off on us again, I will let the wild Pokémon bash you to a pulp!”

“Zappo!” CJ caught his attention, “Look over there!”

Zappo squinted to see a Sandslash in the distance, dragging a Burmy along behind it.

“Isn’t that the Pokémon in the letter that it has to meet?” asked CJ.

“I reckon so,” Zappo frowned, “Looks like a Burmy to me”.

“We’ll have to rescue it from that Sandslash by the looks of things,” CJ murmured.

“Say no more,” Zappo grinned, dropped the Wooper and dashed straight towards the Ground-Type Mouse Pokémon. 

“Hmm?” Sandslash turned about, “What the-” 

Zappo dove straight underground for a Dig attack as Sandslash jumped back a step.

“Where on earth...” Sandslash frowned as CJ twirled about, unleashing a Leaf Tornado. Sandslash instinctively rolled into a ball as the attack ploughed into it, sending it rolling.

“Herpa-Derp!” Wooper recognised its friend.

“Derpa-Herp!” replied Burmy with a big grin.

“Oh arceus, there’s two of them!” Zappo looked exasperated as he emerged from underground.

“Let’s get these two out of here before-” began CJ.

“What the Hell was that for?!” Sandslash exclaimed furiously.

“-he comes back,” he finished.

Zappo leapt in front of the raging Ground Type, “Because we’re after that Burmy”.

Sandslash briefly looked confused, then sneered, turned  and walked away, “Be my guest! Friggin’ prick’s nothing but trouble anyway...”

CJ stared in confusion, “What, that’s it? No epic fight scene?”

“Keep the bastard! Get ‘im away from me! I honestly don’t give a flying...” Sandslash trailed off as it stomped away.

“Herpa-Derp!” 

“Derpa-Herp!”

CJ and Zappo gave each other confused expressions as they activated their Explorer badges, teleporting all four Pokemon back home in a mysterious flash of light.

[End Flashback]

“I don’t get it,” frowned Steve, “What was so bad about that?”

“Those two were fuckin’ MORONS!” exclaimed Zappo, “That’s EXACTLY why we stopped doing Escort missions shortly after because we didn’t want to have to put up with anyone like them anymore!”

“I see...” Marco mused.

“It wasn’t the trigger, but it was a big factor that lead us to that decision. The last escort we went on, the client nearly killed herself with her own stupidity,” CJ murmured loud enough for everyone to hear, “She walked right onto a Warp Pad trap and ended up in a Monster House of all things. It was a miracle we rescued her in time”.

“She looked a right mess when we got back though,” Zappo added, “The only thing that kept her alive was our supply of Reviver Seeds and Oran Berries, which were entirely spent”.

“Was the mission a success in the end?” asked Gemma.

“Miraculously enough, yes,” replied CJ, “All we had to do was take her sight-seeing”.

“Well what an adventure that was then,” said Steve, raising an eyebrow.

“Bloody nightmare, more like!” Zappo muttered.

There was an agonisingly long moment of silence, with the exception of the waves rushing about and the wind in their faces.

[Day Two]

“Hmm... I spy with my little eye...” Zappo looked around them, “...something beginning with ‘C’”.

“Oh let me guess,” CJ rolled his eyes, “Clouds?”

“Yup,” Zappo started drumming his paws against Gemma’s shell in a rhythmic pattern, “Alright then... something beginning with ‘W’”.

“Water,” came the instantaneous reply.

“Damn, you’re good,” Zappo  frowned, “Alright then...”

“Something starting with ‘S’!” shouted Archie from above.

“The Sea,” Zappo deadpanned. 

“Nope. Sharpedo!”

Everyone turned as a large pack of Sharpedoes menacingly closed in on the convoy from several directions.

“That doesn’t look good!” CJ exclaimed, “Battle stations, gang!”

Zappo flashed a wicked grin, “Bring it!”

The Lapras all started  manoeuvring about as the Water/Dark Type swarm rushed in with their fangs bared. Everything suddenly exploded into motion as they assaulted from all sides, trying to bite and attack the lone travellers.

“Eat THIS!” Zappo shouted as he unleashed a Thunderbolt in all directions. Multiple scores of assailants were brought down by that single salvo, however that vast electrical power affected the three Lapras as well, causing them all to cringe in pain.

“Please don’t do that again!” Marco grit his teeth as he swerved to avoid a Bite attack.

A Sharpedo leapt out of the water straight for Gemma’s neck. A blast of fire from above slammed it back down and out of the way.

“Thanks Arch!” yelled CJ as he Leaf-Bladed another leaper across the face.

Archie didn’t seem to respond, and instead shifted his Flamethrower blast at another target.

“Do you usually come across a mob like this?!” asked Zappo as he batted away an attacker with Focus Punch, “Ugh! Arseholes and their flamin’ Rough Skin ability...”

“No, this is the first time!” Steve yelped as he blasted a Sharpedo with Ice Beam, “I have heard that gangs like this occasionally patrol these waters, but I never knew that was true!”

“Go away!” Gemma screeched, “They’re everywhere!”

“It’s a Zerg Rush!” exclaimed Steve as something nipped at his tail.

“Good thing they’re real easy to knock out then,” Zappo remarked, punching away another Sharpedo.

Marco suddenly screamed loudly, “AHHHRRGH! Getitoffgetitoffgetitoffgetitoff!”

“What?” Zappo swivelled about in concern.

Marco thrashed about, revealing a Sharpedo with its jaws latched firmly around Marco’s left fore-flipper. 

“I got this! Hold it up for me!” Archie dove down straight at him. He grabbed the Brutal Pokémon by the jaws, flapping his wings frantically to avoid getting wet, and pulled with all his might. A Sharpedo leapt straight up and latched itself on Archie’s leg.

“Get off him, ya bastard!” Zappo launched a Thunderbolt without hesitation, engulfing both the target and Archie, which triggered a chain reaction. The electricity then passed from Archie into the Sharpedo he was wrestling with, on into Marco, into the water, crippled the remaining Sharpedoes and fried the other Lapras again. Archie cringed and caught himself from falling. The Sharpedo grunted and released its grip, falling and disappearing into the depths with the rest of its pack. 
The convoy all looked around warily for any signs of more attackers, and then relaxed.

“What the Hell was all that?!” exclaimed CJ.

“A Sharpedo attack,” Gemma stated the obvious, “You’ve never seen one before?”

“Not one like that, no,” replied CJ.

“That’s gonna smart in the morning...” remarked Zappo, noticing a trail of bright red blood emitting from a bite pattern on Marco’s damaged flipper.

“Screw that, it’s smarting now!” Marco cringed.

“Just settle down,” said CJ soothingly, “and we’ll grab an Oran Berry for you to much on- ” He stopped when he noticed that three of the four crates were missing.

“Oh that’s not good! Cargo overboard!” he went into a panic, “They must’ve fallen off during the battle or something!” They all looked around frantically, spotting them floating away in the distance behind them.

“Bugger!” Zappo slammed his paw on the rim of Gemma’s shell. He leapt across onto Marco, and checked the contents of the remaining crate. “We’ve lost everything except the berries and the elixirs,” he shook his head, “So no food until we get to our destination”.

“Or any Reviver Seeds in case of another attack,” murmured Archie.

“We’re gonna have to really move now then, if that’s the case!” said Gemma.

“Don’t worry,” said Marco, “We’re not going to starve to death after just one night without food. We’ll just be really hungry when we get there, that’s all”.

“Oh that’s just going to be swell!” muttered Gemma.

[Day Three]

"C'mon, get out of it, ya mongrel!" Zappo snarled, tugging on his backpack with all his might, using a protruding shell spine for leverage. The Basculin on the other end growled menacingly, until an Ice Beam blasted it from behind, causing it to lose its grip.

"Stupid fish," Marco snorted derisively, breathing out whisps of condensation as he spoke.

[Day Four]

"He's on the left! He's on the left!" CJ exclaimed, staring intently into the water, "Get ready, Zappo!"

Gemma and Marco drifted apart as a Gyarados surged from the depths, making another attack pass, throwing up a plume of water.

As it twisted about in mid-air to attack Gemma, Zappo tensed up and launched a Thunderbolt to keep it at bay. The quadruple-effective attack made short work of the beast's consciousness, and it plummeted back into the sea with a resounding splash.

"Damn Gyarados, thinking they can waltz in and attack whenever they feel like it, just because they're big," muttered Steve.

[Evening of Day Six]

“This sucks,” grumbled Zappo, his stomach gargling loudly. All the berries were now gone, leaving a handful of elixirs left. 

The sunset was starting beginning on the horizon, and the line of sight was becoming limited. 

“What a beautiful picture,” CJ stared around them, “To think, we saved the world from a future that didn’t have anything like this anymore. I’m telling you, it really is something we take for granted”.

“Hmm,” Marco cast his gaze to the horizon, “It is, isn’t it?”

"Just one more sleep, and that'll be it!" CJ grinned excitedly, "I can't wait to see what this new land will be like!"

"About bloody time. I don't I'd be able to take another day out in the middle of nowhere doing nothing," Zappo yawned and shuffled about to find a good resting position, "Big day tomorrow, making history again and all that. Good night”.

CJ watched the waves for several more minutes and dozed off himself.

[The Following Morning]

“Oi! Zappo! Wake Up!”

“Huh, what?” Zappo shot up with a start, using his paw to shield his face from the piercing sunrise.

“We’re at the rendezvous point,” said Steve, “See?”

Zappo blinked and saw a fourth Lapras talking with several other Pokémon. 

“Hi mom!” yelled Steve with a wave of his flipper. The Lapras smiled and waved back. “Look, you can see the coastline from here!” He continued, pointing. 

Zappo strained his eyes, and sure enough made out a series of cliffs and beaches far off in the distance.

“This is it!” exclaimed CJ, “There’s no turning back now!”

Archie was already overhead meandering about and watching the coast with excitement.

“Archie, what’s the view like?” asked Zappo. 

“It’s... utterly amazing! From here, I can already make out lots of trees and hills, as well as mountains further off. I’m guessing that it will be similar to where we’re from in many respects. Similar climate, similar greenery, lots of forests, stuff like that”.

“Where there’s forests, there’s food,” Zappo assured the group.

“And adventures!” CJ started shivering with excitement, “and new faces to meet! I still can’t believe this is actually happening!”

“We’re gonna be pioneers!” smiled Marco.

“Last one there’s a Slowbro!” yelled Zappo.

“No, don’t say that!” exclaimed Steve.

“You’re on!” smiled Gemma, bolting forwards and leaving the other two behind.

“She’s always been the more competitive one...” Marco shook his head as he took off after her.

“I didn’t know you were this quick!” CJ held on for dear life as water splashed in his face, “Even Marco wasn’t this fast when he took us to the Hidden Land...”

“Marco’s the relaxed one of our group, so he doesn’t get into physical activity all that much, except for when he goes to the Hidden Land,” replied Gemma, “And even then...”

Zappo and CJ could clearly identify the shoreline and the beaches which slowly grew bigger as they approached. After what seemed like an hour, Gemma finally came to rest on the beach, panting slightly from the exertion.

CJ stared at the ground in awe, “... We’re here! We’re actually here!”

Zappo jumped off and took a few paces around. The sand was nice and warm, and heated up the soles of his feet. There was a moment’s silence as they listened to the waves crashing against the rocks further up the coast. He gazed at the forests in the distance and turned around with an affirmative nod, “Not bad. Not bad at all!”

END CHAPTER 2
> Harvest Time
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

CHAPTER 3

[Foreign Foreshore]

“This is unbelievable!” CJ marvelled at the sight before him: A vast forest that stretched across the entire beach. When he listened carefully, he could hear the sounds of birds chirping and other creatures making themselves heard. The fresh aroma of the air, and just the sensation of being somewhere other than home was... exhilarating.

“Well, let’s get cracking!” Zappo heaved a sigh, “I suggest that the first thing we do is establish where exactly we are. Archie, get up there and scout out the surroundings. I want to know our relative position to potential food and fresh water sources! I want to know if there are any other civilisations here other than our own, and if they are hostile or not. Understood? Here, take this with you...” Zappo produced a pen and a notepad from his backpack, handing it to Archie.

“Y-You can count on me, Zappo!” Archie saluted happily and took off.

“CJ, you and I are going to scout our immediate area for anything of interest, and/or potentially drive off any hostiles. We’ll establish a campsite here and keep watch over the Lapras. Kapish?”
CJ nodded in confirmation. 

“Actually, we’re going to stay with my mother for the time being...” said Steve.

Zappo blinked, and then shrugged, “Fair enough, have fun with that. One less problem to worry about”.

“Fetch for us when you need us,” said Marco as they turned away and swam off into the horizon, “Farewell, and good luck, bold explorers!”

“Goodbye!” yelled CJ, “Thanks for the ride!”

He turned to see Zappo walking off up the beach, then started slithering in the other direction.

[Current Location Unknown, Several hundred feet in the air]

Archie was having the time of his life, spending hours scanning the surroundings and identifying important details such as rivers, forests and other landmarks, writing them all down as he flew about.

He could already spot signs of civilisation, taking note of a large collection of structures far off in the distance, as well as small cottages scattered around the countryside. 
He picked out a flowing river at random and started following it in-country, spotting a large variety of plants and creatures as he went, and making rough sketches of ones he didn’t recognise (which was pretty much all of them). “So much to see!” he marvelled. As his gaze moved about, he spotted a large collection of clouds clustered close together off in the distance, with numerous rainbows protruding from beneath. “Wow,” he raised an eyebrow, “Is that for real? Incredible...”

He noticed the river flowed into a second one further up. On the bank in between them, was a small village. He noticed the amount of colour and flair put into creating them, and quickly summarised that this civilisation was probably more technologically advanced than where he came from. He spotted numerous creatures going about their daily business, walking casually here, there and everywhere. He lowered his altitude so that he wouldn’t be easily spotted, and flew in to get a closer look. He landed and stopped on the opposite side of the river and picked one out at random, making a rough sketch and jotting down basic details. It was similar in size and physiology to a Ponyta, except for the obvious lack of a flaming mane. Its eyes were considerably larger than a Ponyta’s, and had bright yellow irises. It had a grey coat, a bright yellow mane and tail, and had two wings protruding from its sides. As he compared his subject to the others, he noticed that no two of these creatures looked exactly the same, with a broad variety of colours, stylised manes and tails. Some of them had wings, some of them had horns on their head, and others still had neither of the above. As he squinted and edged closer to the lake, he noticed that they all had a strange picture on their flanks, further adding to the individualism.

“The diversity here is incredible,” Archie whispered softly, writing it down, “I’ve never seen anything like it!”
With a flap of his wings, he jumped to the other side of the bank to get within earshot; however he couldn’t isolate an individual voice to listen to. 

He spotted a light-blue coloured individual with a multicoloured mane, magenta eyes, and wings, hovering about above the town, who suddenly screamed at the top of its lungs, “Stampede!”

The entire town suddenly went into a panic, rushing indoors and slamming their doors behind them. Within a few moments, most of them were all gone.

“What the...” Archie frowned. He took off into the air to assess the situation. Far off to the west of the town, he noticed a large cloud of dust slowly rapidly approaching, as well as the thunder of hooves.

“What on earth is that...?” He murmured. As the cloud neared, he noticed that there was a large herd of Tauros-esque creatures charging towards the village. “If they get any closer,” He realised, “They’re gonna flatten the village!”

He flew overhead, and was about to make a move, however he stopped himself when he saw a lone Ponyta-looking creature, with green eyes, an orange coat, a sandy-blonde mane and a broad-brimmed hat running on one side of the group, and a small canine on the other, beckoning and urging the stampede to shift its direction. The others in the town watched on as slowly, but surely, the herd changed its direction at the last second and came to a complete stop next to the bank. The crowd in the town started to cheer loudly.

The lone ranger walked up to what Archie identified as the leader of the herd. “Now what was all that about?” she asked. He instantly noticed her strange accent.

“Oh my! Begging your pardon Applejack,” the bovine apologised, “but Mooriella here saw one of those nasty snakes!” The other members of the herd gasped at the sound of the word ‘snake’. “And it gave us the willies, dont’cha know?”

“I completely understand,” Applejack nodded, “Just next time, try to steer clear of Ponyville”.

“We certainly will, Applejack. So long, Winona!” The herd turned and started walking back to where they came from.
The crowd started cheering again as Applejack waved in appreciation and started running off.

“Impressive,” he mused, writing down the event in detail as he flew back towards the beach, “Wait until the others hear about this!”

[Foreign Foreshore, Late that Afternoon]

“... not only that, it appears that they speak the same language we do! It’s absolutely fantastic!” Archie finished his lengthy report to Zappo and CJ, showing them the pictures he drew.

Zappo and CJ stared in surprise at what he had written, “Huh... very interesting...”

“Well, I for one am keen on meeting these creatures,” said CJ.

“I believe they are called ‘ponies’, judging by the plurals they used and the amount of times it was used in a sentence,” said Archie, “I couldn’t really make out much else about them, unfortunately”.

“Not to worry,” CJ smiled, “This alone is incredible, regarding the fact that it’s based on pure observation!”

“Although, one of them did mention that they don’t particularly like snakes,” Archie frowned, “I can’t predict how they’d react to an eight foot long Serperior”.

“Oh,” CJ sank, “Well, there’s only one way to find out, right?”

“By the way, what did you find?” asked Archie.

“Wood for a campfire,” Zappo stepped aside, “Please do us the honours, oh living candle”.

Archie smirked and held the end of his tail near the neatly arranged pile of sticks and fallen branches, the bright flame causing it to ignite.

“We also found plenty of berry bushes, many of which we’ve never seen before!” CJ said excitedly, “Some of them taste delicious!”

“It will last us awhile, until we can find a more permanent food source,” said Zappo, producing one from his backpack for Archie to see. He accepted the berry and examined it for several seconds, before swallowing it whole.

“Huh,” Archie shrugged, “Not bad”.

“There are lots of other weird and wonderful creatures around here too!” CJ began, “and the remarkable thing is that they all left us alone. The complete lack of violence as we know it is astounding!” 

“While I found it quite boring, really,” said Zappo, “There is a true sense of peace and harmony about this place, and it’s noticeable in how calm and still the place is. None of the creatures we came across really intended to bother us. That said, a lot of them were only one or two feet big, so they were probably intimidated...” 

“Whatever the case,” said CJ, “I propose that we start trekking towards this ‘Ponyville’, and perhaps introduce ourselves to the locals. The only way we’re going to discover anything is if we go out and ask questions. Nothing ventured, nothing gained, right?”

Archie and Zappo nodded. “We’ll head out tomorrow,” said Zappo, “If we start now, we might not reach the town before nightfall”.

“We’re not gonna reach it in just twelve hours by walking,” said Archie, “It took me a considerable amount of time just to fly there, so walking might take as much as two days!”

“Well, let’s start now then,” said CJ, “The sooner we begin, the sooner we get there”.

“Fair enough. What a waste of a new campfire,” Zappo muttered as he kicked up sand and extinguished it, “Let’s go. We’ll have dinner on the way and sleep in trees or something”.

The three bold explorers set pretty much straight after that, entering and disappearing amongst the trees.

[Several Days Later]

“It was ‘round about... here, when I spotted the village,” said Archie, meandering overhead, “See? There it is, in the distance!”

“No, I don’t- wait, there it is. I see it now,” said Zappo, perched on the branch of a tall tree, “Hah! Get a load of that cloud formation over there!”

“I know, right?!” exclaimed Archie, “It’s insane! And it’s in the exact same spot as it was last time I saw it...”

“Imagine that...” CJ stared at the buildings of Ponyville, “We’re meeting a completely new civilisation! I... I ‘m so pumped! Let’s go!”

“No,” Zappo grabbed his friend by the tail, “We have to find the right moment for the occasion. Is there anything to eat around here, by the way? I’m starving”.

“I do believe I spotted a large apple orchard not far to the south-west of here,” Archie scratched his chin.

“Come on then,” Zappo jumped out of the tree, “CJ and I are gonna go search for this orchard, you see if you can wring any more information about this place”.

“Got it!” Archie nodded, flying low towards Ponyville, sketchpad in hand.

“Are you sure this won’t be stealing?” asked CJ concernedly.

“Hmm,” Zappo thought about this, and then shrugged, “I dunno, we’ll find out when we get there”.

They broke into a sprint, dashing through trees and narrowly avoiding fallen obstacles until they arrived at the edge of the forest. Before them were rows upon rows of apple trees with baskets sitting at their bases, stretching far off into the distance. A large farm house with a barn was perched on a hill not too far away.
“Ha! We’ve hit the mother-load here!” Zappo smirked.

“But it looks like someone owns all of this,” said CJ worriedly, “I don’t want to be caught stealing!”

“Look, someone’s coming up the road!” Zappo pointed out.

A pony of similar description to the one in Archie’s drawings was trotting up the path towards the farm. It was light purple in colouration; with a dark-purple mane and tail with a single pink stripe running through them; large, dark purple eyes and a horn on her forehead. 

“Funny lookin’ thing isn’t it?” Zappo murmured, “Looks like a miniature Rapidash had a make-over”.

They watched as the pony walked up to the one Archie described as ‘Applejack’, who was kicking the trees, dislodging the apples and causing them to fall into strategically-placed baskets. However, she looked half-asleep while doing so, even from a distance.

Zappo and CJ became silent to listen in on the conversation.

“What on earth is that pony doing?” the purple pony muttered.

“Whoops,” Applejack murmured as she accidentally kicked over a basket of apples.

“Hey Applejack!” called the pony. There was no response. Applejack looked asleep on her feet.

“Applejack!” the pony called again, this time a bit louder. Still no response. 
A bright light enveloped her, and she suddenly reappeared in a bright flash in front of her.

“Apple-JACK!” the pony shouted.

“Huh?” Applejack shook herself awake, “Oh, howdy Twilight!”

“What is all this?” asked Twilight, looking around at all the baskets of apples around them.

“It’s Applebuck season,” replied Applejack with a yawn, walking up to the next tree. Twilight startled her by teleporting again. “Whoa!” 

Twilight looked confused, “Apple-what season?” 

“It’s what the Apple family calls harvestin’ time,” explained Applejack, not breaking pace, “We gather all the apples from the trees so we can sell ‘em”.

“So, why are you doing this all alone?” Twilight raised an eyebrow.

“Cause Big McIntosh hurt ‘imself,” replied Applejack simply.

“What about all those relatives I met when I first came to Ponyville? Can they help?” Twilight teleported again.

Applejack sighed, “They were just here for the family reunion. They actually live all over Equestria and are busy harvistin’ their own orchards. So uh, I’m on my own. Which means, I really should git back to work”.

They both stood there in awkward silence.

“*Ahem* Hint, hint, get back to work?” Applejack frowned.

“Fine,” Twilight stepped to the left to let her pass.

“Could you step aside, Twilight?” Applejack didn’t seem to notice, even though she was looking right at her the whole time.

“I just did,” Twilight frowned in concern, “Applejack, you don’t look so good”.

“Eh, don’t you three worry none!” Applejack started walking away, “I’m just fine and dandy!”

She kicked at another tree, missing by a long shot, “Whoa!”

Twilight looked worried, “Do you... want some help?”

“Help?!” Applejack perked up, shaking her head, “No way, no how!”

“But there’s no way you could do it all on your own!”

“Is that a challenge?” Applejack threatened, getting in Twilight’s face.

“Uh... no?” Twilight backed away.

“Well, I’m gonna prove to you that I can do it! Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got apples to buck”. She walked away to another tree and gave it a kick. Twilight shook her head in frustration and started walking back towards Ponyville.

“Huh,” Zappo smirked, “Bit of a stuck-up, isn’t she? Reckons she can clear all this by herself...”

“Hmm, kinda like a certain Raichu I know, eh?” CJ chuckled, “Always going solo all the time, without any help at all...”

“Hey, unlike her, I actually could complete the large tasks on my own!” Zappo retorted, “But even I can tell that this is way out of her league. I say we give her a hand”.

“What do you mean?” CJ frowned. 

“Listen up, here’s what we’re gonna do...”

[Sometime later, several hundred meters above Ponyville]

“They don’t suspect a thing...” Archie murmured as he flew about, almost directly above Ponyville. He kept himself to a high altitude above the cloud cover where he won’t be easily spotted, and started sketching pictures of the landscape for future reference. The Pegasus’ on the clouds below him never bothered looking upwards, so it gave him a superb opportunity to draw them in closer detail as well. 

“That’s right,” he whispered softly as he drew a random pony sitting on a cloud, observing the land beneath it, “sit still for me just a bit longer... and there!”

He made a satisfied nod, and slowly descended back down towards the forest west of Ponyville. As he did, he noticed Applejack pacing towards Ponyville. Curious, he kept his eye on her as she approached the blue-and-rainbow coloured Pegasus He saw several days ago. While he couldn’t quite hear them, he watched as the Pegasus showed her a large contraption: a tower to jump off of, which would land them on a see-saw, which would then catapult whatever was on the other end sky high. Applejack clambered up the tower as the Pegasus stood on the opposite end of the see-saw.
After a moment, she jumped and missed the see-saw completely, landing flat on her face to the right of the target.

“Ooh, that’s gonna hurt in the morning,” Archie cringed.

Applejack hauled herself off the ground. The Pegasus was clearly unimpressed as she climbed back up the tower for another attempt. She jumped again... and missed again. Archie just facepalmed as the disoriented pony made several more tries, missing and landing hard each time. The Pegasus had had enough, and He could see it mouthing off at her. Applejack shrugged sheepishly and just reached up and pulled the end of the see-saw down. The Pegasus just shot her an angry look. Applejack then released the see-saw, and had one more go at jumping off the tower. However, when she dropped the see-saw, the Pegasus was caught off by gravity, and lost its footing. Applejack jumped before it could get back up, and was launched off into the distance without any chance to abort it.

Archie watched in amusement as the Pegasus was flung across to the other side of the town, landing on someone’s balcony with a crash. “A bit of a madhouse down there, isn’t it?” He murmured.

[Applejack's Farm]

“There!” Zappo announced proudly, “That ortta make her life easier!”

CJ looked around them. A considerable portion of the orchards had been cleaned of their apples, with full baskets nearby each one, and Zappo walked away dusting his paws off with a grin, “I think she’ll appreciate that in the end, don’t ya think?”

“Erm... oh look! She’s coming back!” CJ pointed out. They both dashed up a tree and hid.

Applejack looked around lazily, “Huh? I don’t remember buckin’ these trees... ah well...”

She walked on to one that hadn’t been harvested yet, and gave it a kick. Only a handful of apples fell down.

“Dude, she looks stoned,” Zappo murmured quietly, watching on from his hiding spot. 

Applejack leaned down and picked up an apple in her mouth, and hit her head on the way back up on a low branch. “Ow!”

Twilight suddenly appeared from behind a tree, “Applejack, can we talk?”

Applejack looked confused at the request, indicating she didn’t understand.

Twilight repeated the question, “Applejack, can we talk?”

“Can be squawk?” Applejack shouted, looking disoriented as ever, “I don’t think so...”

“No, can we talk?” said Twilight.

“Twenty stalks?” Applejack still didn’t hear her properly, “Bean or celery?”

“No!” Twilight became frustrated, “I need to talk to you!”

“You need to walk to the zoo? Who’s stopping you?”

“I NEED TO TALK TO YOU!!” Twilight shouted.

“Well why didn’t you say so?” Applejack frowned in confusion, “Whatcha wanna talk about?”

“Definitely stoned,” Zappo murmured, “Or maybe drunk”.

“Rainbow Dash dropped in to see me today,” said Twilight in a loud voice.

“That’s quite neighbourly of her,” remarked Applejack.

“Yes, except that she crashed onto my balcony when you launched her into the air!” said Twilight. 

“Oh... yeah,” Applejack grinned sheepishly, “I wasn’t feeling quite myself this mornin’”. 

“Because you’re working too hard, and you need help!” Twilight walked up closer.

“What? Kelp?” She looked confused, “I don’t eat kelp. I don’t even like seaweed!”

“HELP!” Twilight shouted, “YOU NEED HELP!!”

“Nothin’ doin’ Twilight!” Applejack frowned, “I’m gonna prove to you, to everypony, that I can do this on my own!” As she walked off, she hit her head again on the low branch. “OW! Now if you’ll excuse me,” she stumbled off, “I’ve gotta go help Pinkie Pie...” 

Twilight sighed in frustration as she walked off in the other direction.
“Every-'pony'?” Zappo murmured, raising an eyebrow, “What the hell is that? It’s pronounced everybody! Dumbass...”

[Several Hundred Metres above Ponyville]

Archie continued flying around, drawing different ponies at random from above, getting an idea for the different colours and varieties that they come in, and noting that some of them, specifically the ones with horns, possess mysterious powers not unlike the Psychic Types back home, most commonly telekinesis.

“This is just fantastic!” He smiled, flipping through his sketchbook for a fresh page, “the amount of new discoveries here is off the charts! And we haven’t even started looking for treasure yet! Something new just pops up and falls into our arms wherever we look. I don’t reckon I’m even scratching the surface here either...!”

He noticed Applejack dragging herself up the street and into a lavishly-designed shop, with what he assumed was another one of her friends. They were in there for about half an hour, when they opened up a window, offering free muffins to the public. He watched as the trays were cleaned out in seconds.
As they ate, one by one, they all suddenly started throwing up and becoming violently ill.

“That’s disgusting,” He remarked with concern as other ponies rushed in and started taking them away. He followed them from above to a tent marked with a red cross.

“I wonder how they managed to screw that up...” He murmured.

After a few moments, Twilight was at the tent, along with a small purple dragon, “We came as soon as we heard!” 

“Oh, thank you Twilight!” said a nurse, “We need all the help we can get!” She pointed to a crowd of green-faced ponies, all lying around feeling very sick and sorry for themselves.

“Oh no, what happened?” asked Twilight, as the dragon picked a muffin off the ground. A worm suddenly poked its head out at him.

“There was a mishap with the baked goods,” explained the nurse.

“No! Not baked goods!” a voice called out from in the tent, “Baked bads!”

“Applejack!” Twilight growled almost instantly.

“Mmm!” smiled the dragon, eating one and carrying several others in his arms, obviously enjoying them, “Want one?” 
Twilight shook her head and grimaced in disgust.

[Applejack's Farm]

“Goodness,” exclaimed Zappo as they explored the orchards, “How big is this property?! It goes on forever!”

“There’s no way in Hell she’ll get this done without dying first,” CJ shook his head.

Zappo spotted her heading back up the road, “Speaking of the devil, here she comes again”.

They dashed back up a tree, and it was quite a while before she walked past underneath.

They watched as she dragged a cart up to a tree and gave it a kick. A dozen apples dropped down, and one fell on her head, jolting her awake. “Huh?”

She towed the cart to a dip, where she tilted the cart backwards and emptied it into a basket... and then found she was still hitched to the cart, dangling in the air, upside-down and with no way to get back down.  Not that it mattered, because she fell asleep again anyway.

Twilight appeared again from behind the other hill and walked up to her, “Applejack, we need to talk!”

Applejack woke with a start, “Oh, it’s you Twilight... *yawn*... I know what yer gonna say, and the answer is still no!”

“Not to upset your apple cart, but you need help!” said Twilight determinedly.

“Hardy-ha...” Applejack flailed about to tilt the cart, “No I don’t!”

“Here, let me help!” Twilight didn’t budge.

“Help?! No thanks!” Applejack kicked around some more, “A little more... a little more...”

The cart finally tilted enough and fell with a thud, “There!” She walked up to the nearest tree, “I’ll prove to you that this apple can handle these apples!”

She gave the tree several hard kicks, “Ugh, come on... apples! Fall off!!”

“AJ,” Twilight frowned concernedly, “I think you’re beating a dead tree”.

Applejack looked up, and indeed, there was nothing on it. “I knew that,” Applejack walked off.

“Actually Applejack, I had something else I had to talk to you about,” Twilight followed behind her, “I just came back from Ponyville Urgent Care, and I-”

“You know, I’m a little busy to get lectured now Twilight,” Applejack growled.

“But if you just let me help-”

“No, no, no, no, NO!!” Applejack yelled as she increased her pace, “How many times do I gotta say it?! I don’t need no help from nopony!!”

“Ugh! That pony is as stubborn as a mule!” Twilight sighed. 

An actual mule happened to be standing nearby.

“No offense,” she smiled sheepishly.

“None taken,” replied the mule.

“It’s ‘nobody’ you piece of...” Zappo muttered.

[Sometime later, back with Archie]

Archie settled down in a tree in the woods near Ponyville for a quick break and examined everything he  had written down so far.
“Phew... my arm hurts now from all that writing!” He stretched it about to release a cramp building up in his wrist.

“Applejack! Winona! Stop!” a soft voice cried out, “You’re scaring them!”

“We know what we’re doin’!” replied a second voice in a far more gruff and irritated tone, a voice Archie quickly learned to identify as 'Applejack', “Come along, lil bunnies!”

He looked around in confusion and spotted the orange mare and her canine companion from earlier cornering a group of rabbits near a small fence.

“That doesn’t look good,” Archie murmured.

All at once, the rabbits all panicked and bolted in every direction, with a large bulk of them heading straight for Ponyville.
Archie quickly took flight and powered up and ahead of the distressed horde.

“Goodness, they’re quick!” He frowned, struggling to get ahead. 

Above Ponyville, Rainbow Dash glimpsed out west and saw another large cloud of dust heading their way.

“Stampede!!” she yelled at the top of her lungs, sending the rest of the town into a panic.

“There’s nothing stopping them from entering the town!” Archie realised, then frowned determinedly, “except me!”

The charging horde of bunnies dashed closer by the second. The ponies in the town all stared in horror as the army of fluffy animals was almost on top of them.
Suddenly, a thick pillar of roaring fire slammed into the ground just moments before they reached the bridge, which moved about and reduced the pathway to a molten, impassable pulp. The critters were startled and came to a complete stop, paralysed with fear.
Everyone looked up to see a large red dragon with its tail on fire flying overhead. There was a brief moment of awe, which then turned into a moment of terror, when someone shouted “Dragon!!”

Archie didn’t even look as everyone dashed back inside their homes in terror. “Well, there’s that crisis averted,” he breathed a sigh of relief, “I honestly don’t know what they seriously could’ve done, considering they’re so small, but ah well”. He turned and saw everyone was still inside their homes.

“Well, there’s no point in hiding myself anymore,” He murmured as he landed in the centre square. He looked around, and caught a glimpse of them all hiding away behind curtains and doors.

A pony wandered around the corner and gasped in horror, before fainting and collapsing on the spot.

Archie looked concerned, “Hmm, I have a slightly bad feeling about this...”

As Twilight casually strolled back into town, she immediately became concerned when she saw a pony passed out in the street.

“What happened?” she asked.

“D-d-d-d-Dragon!!” the pony whimpered, pointing in Archie’s general direction.

“What do you mean? Spike’s not that... oh. I see”.

Twilight gulped as she slowly approached the large Fire/Flying Type Pokémon, “Um... hello?”

Archie blinked and turned around to face her, “Oh, hi! I was wondering where everyone went!”

“W-What are you doing here in Ponyville?” Twilight asked nervously.

“Well, there was a big stampede of these little, weird creature things that threatened to overrun this place, so I stopped them just before they could, see?”

Twilight gazed past him and through the smoke to see a group of rabbits huddling together in pure terror.

“I-I see. Do you happen to know what triggered the stampede?”

“Nope,” Archie shrugged, “I only heard voices from where I was, but I did overhear a pony making a lot of yelling. I think her name was... Applejack? Anyway, I think she was talking with another pony who's voice I didn’t recognise, and I think the creatures must’ve been frightened off by all of Applejack's yelling".

“Of course,” Twilight facehoofed, “I should’ve known. Well, thank you for the help, I guess”.

She teleported to get around him, and ran off to find Applejack. Archie noticed a dull-yellow Pegasus with a pink mane had appeared next to the rabbits, and was trying to calm them down with a soothing voice. After several moments, he recognised it as the second voice talking with Applejack in the forest.

“Cool!” a small purple dragon stared at Him wide-eyed from across the street, “I’ve never seen a dragon like you before! My name’s Spike. What’s yours?”

“Archie,” he replied, walking up to the small creature, “I’m not really a dragon as such. I’m what you call a ‘Charizard’”.

Spike frowned, “Hmm, never heard of it”.

“Not surprising really. I’m not from around here at all, see. I’m an explorer, and I travel from place to place discovering new and exciting things, like treasure!” explained Archie, “I was born on an island a long way east of here, and I’ve travelled all around, looking high and low for cool and exciting things!”

“Your tail’s on fire,” Spike pointed out.

“Yes, I know,” Archie frowned, “It’s supposed to be like that”.

“Doesn’t it hurt?” asked Spike.

“No, on the contrary. It’s a part of my biology, indicating that I’m alive. If it starts looking small, it generally means I’m real sick, and if it goes out, it generally means I’m dead,” replied Archie, “The opposite is also true. If it’s big and burning brightly, as you see here, it means I’m all fine and healthy”.

Spike stared at it with awe, “That’s awesome! Can you breathe fire as well? Like this?”

Spike then spat a column of fluro-green fire into the air. It barely reached up to Archie's face before fizzling out.

“Heh, that’s cute,” Archie smirked, before spitting a much larger, deep red inferno skywards, punching clean through several clouds on the way up.

“...Wow!” Spike looked like he was going to burst with excitement, “That is AWESOME!”

“Spike!! Get away from that thing!” yelled a voice. They turned to see several ponies gathered around them. “It might be a dangerous monster!”

“Monster?” they both asked in confusion. “I don’t see anything wrong with him,” said Spike, “He looks safe enough to me”.

“Well, obviously not for them,” Archie sighed with a shrug, stretching out his wings, “Feel free to come find me when they feel a little more open for conversation. I'll probably be somewhere around the outskirts of that enormous forest over there”. And with that, he took off and flew away.

“What was that for?!” Spike yelled, “You drove him off! He wasn’t such a bad guy!”

“To be honest, he DID look cool with that fire display...” Rainbow Dash shrugged.

“You can never tell with dragons like that,” the mayor remarked, “They’re a mysterious group of creatures that we know little about. We can’t take chances”.

“There,” Fluttershy meekly walked up to them, “The bunnies are all calmed down and back where they belong. What happened with the bridge, by the way? The space in front of it’s all burnt up and impassable”.

“Didn’t you see the dragon that left just now?” asked Dash, “It was huge, and stopped the stampede with a pillar of fire!”

“What?!” Fluttershy practically shrieked, “A dragon? In Ponyville?!”

“It’s gone now, though,” Rainbow laid a hoof on her back, “so no need to worry”.

“Thank goodness,” she settled down. They all slowly dispersed and went back to their business.

[Back at Applejack's Farm. Again.]

“Must... keep... buckin’...” Applejack gasped in exhaustion, “Just... a  few... more... Must finish harvestin’...”

Zappo and CJ were watching from up  a tree. “She just keeps on going!” they murmured in surprise.

Twilight appeared once more from up the road. “Alright Applejack,” she said in a stern voice, “Your applebucking hasn’t just caused you problems, it’s over-propelled Pegasus’, practically poisoned plenty of ponies, and terrorised bushels of brand new baby bunnies! I don’t care what you say, YOU NEED HELP!”

“Ha!” Applejack chuckled, “No I don’t. Look, I did it! I harvested the entire Sweet Apple Acres without your help. How d’ya like them apples?”

A large, red pony with a yellow mane and a yoke around his neck walked up behind her, “Um, how do you like them apples?” He pointed out to the other side of the orchard, showing many more trees left untouched.

Applejack sank like  a stone. “Where’d the apple...?” she collapsed in a heap.

“Applejack? Applejack!” Twilight called out in concern.

“Huh?” she looked up at her friend.

“Oh good, your okay. Now Applejack, I completely respect the Apple family ways. You’re always there to help any pony in need, so maybe you can put a little bit of your stubborn pride away so that your friends can help you!”

“Okay, Twilight,” Applejack nodded.

“I’m not taking no for an- what?” Twilight looked stunned.

“Yes Twilight,” Applejack looked desperate, “Yes please! I really could use your help!”

“There we go!” Zappo sighed, “She finally spat it out!”

“Goodness, it looks like you’re watching a soap opera, for Arceus’ sake,” chuckled CJ.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about. Now let’s get out of here before they find us...”

[Several hours later, somewhere in the Everfree Forest]

“This is the spot, I think,” Spike murmured to Twilight, who was following close behind. "He said something about the 'outskirts of that enormous forest over there', so he must've been talking about the Everfree".

“I still can’t believe you talked us into this...” she muttered.

“Archie!” called Spike, “Where are you, man? You can come out now! I’ve convinced them to let you stay for a bit!”

Archie emerged from behind a tree, “Thanks little buddy! I just have one question...”

Zappo and CJ emerged behind him. “Can my friends stay too?”

Spike and Twilight looked stunned, “... What are you?”

“Here we go,” Zappo muttered.

“Pleasure to meet you,” smiled CJ.

Twilight smiled nervously, “Seriously Spike, who are they?”

“I don’t know! He never told me about them!” he replied anxiously.

“These are my exploring buddies,” Archie explained, “Zappo and CJ”.

“Look, if you’re uncomfortable with us, we completely understand,” Zappo raised his paws defensively, “We’ll just camp out here and be out of your hair...”

Twilight nodded, “It’s probably for the best, for now. I recommend that you keep your distance for the time being, until the other ponies start warming to you, which I’m sure they will with time. Okay?”

The explorers all nodded in agreement, and Spike and Twilight headed back home.

END CHAPTER 3
> Rule Of Cool
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

CHAPTER 4

[Somewhere in Everfree Forest, early sunrise]

“You know what they should do...” Zappo murmured as he munched on a mouthful of apple, “is make it so we get paid more than ten percent of the original wage when we do a job!”

“What makes you say that?” asked Archie, stoking a campfire.

“Because the other ninety percent ends up with the Guild, which doesn’t do fuck-all with the money anyway, so why can’t the payment be split fifty-fifty at least?” 

“Because it pays off our training, remember?” CJ mumbled sleepily from up a tree, loud enough for them to hear.

“I think it was paid off long ago, dude,” Zappo replied, “Now, I think they’re just sponging off of us”.

“Maybe it covers training for the rest of Team Valkyrie?” asked Archie.

“Nah, we cover all that with anything we scrounge from the field,” Zappo hand-waved it off, “The thugs and the careless essentially cover any of your expenses for you”. 

“You mean... they just steal things off the ground that somebody potentially dropped?” CJ frowned.

“Pretty much, yeah. That’s where about seventy percent of our income came from when we first started out, and it still does to this day. People are so careless these days, it’s not even funny”.

“Unlike like this place,” Archie remarked, “I haven’t found anything of interest, such as gold or dropped items, since we’ve arrived here other than berries and apples. No treasure or anything, yet”.

There was a brief moment of silence as they listened to the sounds of the forest around them.

“It’s a very different place to our island, isn’t it?” Zappo mumbled, “A lot of the creatures here are very small and timid, and even the larger ones bugger off if you get too close. There’s nothing exciting to do here in particular, unless you’re genuinely interested in peace and quiet”.

He sighed and stood up, then started walking off, “I’m gonna go walk-a-bout for a bit. You two can wait here, if you want. We might go into town later on and start mingling with the locals. I’m sure they have quite a few questions to ask”.

“Goodie...” CJ mumbled as he lazily extended a vine down to grab a berry from his Wonder Bag, “Have fun with that...”

“Let’s see what we find when we go this way then,” Zappo murmured as he made his way east.

Traversing through the dense bushland, he stumbled upon a small stream. Using it as a guide, he started following it through the maze of trees, and came across a small cottage on a small island, connected be a stone bridge.

“Probably someone’s little getaway,” He mused.

He was about to walk off, when the door suddenly opened, and a pony stepped out. 

In a flash, he dashed out of sight behind a tree with Quick Attack.

“... Don’t worry about me Angel, I won’t be gone for too long, okay?” a voice spoke up. It had a very soft and gentle tone to it.
He listened carefully for the pony’s footsteps, tracking them as they slowly became louder as she paced up the path and towards his hiding spot.

Soundlessly, he scrambled up the tree and amongst the branches.

As she walked underneath, He managed to take a good look at her. She had a pale-yellow coat, with a bright pink mane and tail, the latter of which dragged on the ground behind her, it was that long.

Figures, He thought, It’s always the shy loner who lives all the way out in the middle of nowhere...

As he carefully shuffled across the branch, supporting himself on another branch behind him, it made a soft creaking noise under his weight.

Fluttershy’s ear twitched, and she looked around. Up in the tree, she spotted the large orange mouse toting sunglasses and a backpack silently cursing himself.

“Oh!” She was startled by the size of him, “Uh, h-hello there...”

He silently forced a smile and a wave.

“I d-don’t think I’ve seen one of you before,” Fluttershy stammered nervously, “W-Would you mind telling me your name?”

“Zappo,” he replied.

Fluttershy blinked, not anticipating fluent speech, “Y-You speak Equestrian?” 

He frowned, ‘Equestrian’ must be the language they speak here, which is interesting because it’s almost identical to Pokéspeak, with only a few small differences...

He shrugged, “Yeah, let’s call it that”.

“My name is Fluttershy. W-What exactly are you?” she asked.

“I’m a Raichu,” answered Zappo simply.

“I... I’ve never heard of those before... Are you a rare or endangered species?”

“Not where I come from, no,” He replied, “I’m an explorer you see, and I’m here looking for treasure”.

“Really?” Fluttershy blinked, “May I ask how you got here?”

“I know people... who know people...” He answered cryptically. 

“Oh... well then, if you’ll please excuse me, I’d like to stay and chat, but I have something I really need to attend to...” She glanced apprehensively at the path behind her.

“Nah, you’re ‘right,” Zappo shrugged.

She nodded meekly, turned around and briskly trotted off.

Once she was gone, Zappo clambered back down the tree, angrily mouthing a few choice words at the noisy branch.
“Right then, what are the odds that this path leads into town,” He murmured aloud as he looked about at the scenery and walked off in the opposite direction to Fluttershy, “Let’s find out then...”

[Ponyville]

“Hoof-biting action overload!” Pinkie Pie squealed ecstatically, as Twilight sat on a bench nearby contently reading a book, 

“She was like a stunt-superstar, flying higher and higher, and then Rainbow Dash swooped down and swoosh! And right before she hit the ground, shoom! She pulled up! Vrrrmmm!!”

“Uh-huh,” Twilight feigned interest, not even looking up.

“And then she looped around and like, whoo-whoo-whoo-whoo-whoo-whoo-whoo!”

“Uh-huh,” Twilight nodded, flipping the page.

Rainbow Dash herself flew overhead with a loud whoosh. Pinkie Pie started running after her, trying to get her attention.

“Phew,” Twilight sighed, “... I wonder when those travellers, or whatever they are, are going to arrive... I should probably start getting ready for that”. She hopped off the bench, levitated her book into a bag on her back and walked off.


Zappo stood at the edge of Everfree forest, staring at the town of Ponyville off in the distance. With a deep breath, he started making his way towards it. Within a few minutes, he was at the town entrance. 
A loud crack of thunder rang out, echoing from the other side of town.

“That’s odd,” he looked around, “How can there be thunder if there isn’t even a cloud in the sky?”
He shook his head, “Ah, whatever”.

“Huh, so this is Ponyville, huh?” He scratched the back of his head as he looked about, “Funny lookin’ style of architecture, eh? I should probably see if Twilight Sparkle’s about. We should probably organise a time to meet up...”

He caught a glimpse of the library in the centre of town as he walked about, “Wow, whoever built that must’ve been having a lazy day! Didn’t even bother to cut the tree down, they must’ve been like, ‘Nah, fuck it, let’s build the house in the tree!’ Real creative there...”

He noticed several ponies staring at him with strange expressions. 

“Heh,” He chuckled, “They must be thinking, ‘What the hell is that weird-lookin’ thing?’”

He walked up behind a pony, “Excuse me, but do you know where I can find Twilight Sparkle?”

The pony turned around, “She’s probably in the library as usual-” She stopped herself mid-sentence, blinking incredulously at the sight of the strange creature in front of her.

“I’m sorry if I startled you, but I’m looking for Twilight,” He asked again.

The pony gestured towards the library with a hoof without saying another word.

“Thank you,” he nodded and walked off.

He made several knocks on the door, and then simply walked in. He spotted Twilight cleaning up a table piled high with various writing equipment. 
“Twilight Sparkle, I presume?” He asked cautiously.

Twilight turned around and blinked, “Oh, it’s you! I’m sorry, I can’t remember your name. What is it, again?”

“Zappo,” He replied, as a second clap of thunder rang out from across the town. He frowned momentarily, then shrugged it off.

“I’m glad you’ve arrived. I only just got home myself, so the place is a bit of a shambles,” Twilight spoke as she continued bustling about, “I was hoping to find a good time to meet up and find out something about you three. Uh, where are your friends, anyway? We were never properly introduced”. 

“They’re still in the forest, west of here,” He explained.

“I see... Well, why don’t you quickly go fetch them while I get ready?” she asked as she assembled her workspace, “I’m sure that, between all three of you, you’d all have something interesting to share”.

“That’s probably a good idea,” Zappo nodded as he headed back for the door, “I won’t be long”.

As he closed the door behind him, he made one last glance around. Several ponies were still watching him closely. He ignored them and walked off.

[...]

“... and that was the last time we ever saw them,” was the first thing Zappo heard as he entered the proximity of the campsite. 

“Saw who again?” he asked.

Both CJ and Archie turned their heads, “Zappo, you remember Team Skull, right?”

“Oh, those ass-wipes,” He muttered, “Of course I do.  I never got a chance for a rematch with that Skuntank prick...”

“I was just telling Archie about our early adventures, and our encounters with them along our journeys,” said CJ.

“What’s there to tell?” Zappo looked confused, “They were a bunch of douchebags that just gave us headaches and very nearly ruined our trip to save the world, not to mention the Guild Expedition. That was nearly a disaster and a half...” He shook his head, “But that’s not why I’m back. I was able to meet up with Twilight, and we’re going into Ponyville to fill her in on our story”.

“What, right now?” asked Archie.

“Yes, right now,” Zappo beckoned, “Pack this place up and we’ll get going. She’s expecting us”.


The residents of Ponyville kept a large distance between themselves and the Pokémon as the latter made their way towards the Library. Several deliberately walked in the opposite direction as they approached.

“Not ones to make a warm welcome, are they?” CJ remarked.

“Meh,” Zappo shrugged, “They’re probably shy. Not worth making bad first impressions right off the bat”.
He knocked on the door and stepped in, holding open as the other two entered behind him. Archie found it difficult squeezing his large frame through the comparatively small door, though.

Twilight gulped as she gazed at her guests for several moments, before making the last adjustment to her set up. “It’s a pleasure to meet you,” she nodded in greeting, “As you know, my name is Twilight Sparkle, and this is the town of Ponyville. Let’s see if I can remember...” She glanced hesitantly between her guests, “Zappo... CJ... and Archie, right?”

The respective Pokémon nodded in confirmation.

She breathed a sigh of relief and continued, “I apologise if the other ponies seem a bit cold towards you, but they’re often like this initially when they meet someone new such as yourselves. Unfortunately, due to past experience, neither dragons nor snakes are particularly... charismatic, if you will, and it doesn’t help that you,” she pointed at CJ and Archie, “are easily several times bigger than anyone else around. So it’s kind of anticipated that they’d treat you with suspicion and hostility”.

“That’s understandable,” CJ shrugged.

“Now then, why don’t you tell me a bit about yourselves? What are you? Where do you come from?”

“Well...” CJ took a deep breath, “I am what is called a ‘Serperior’”.

“I’m called a ‘Charizard’,” said the Fire/Flying Type.

“And I’m a Raichu,” the orange mouse finished.

“We are classified as creatures called Pokémon,” said CJ, “We hail from an island far off to the east of here, beyond the horizon”.

Twilight busily scribbled down notes on the scroll as he spoke. She blinked when she noticed her handwriting suddenly disappear.

“What...” She looked around and then out the window. Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie were perched on a branch, giggling their heads off as they held up a small tin of Invisible Ink. Twilight sighed and shook her head in amusement as she re-dipped her quill in a different pot, and went about re-writing what was lost.

Archie frowned, “Do they normally do stuff like that?” 

“Not usually. I wouldn’t worry about it though. They’re just having harmless fun. Now, where were we? Ah yes...”

“As I was saying,” CJ continued, “there are currently at least eight hundred species of Pokémon so far, and we are divided into seventeen different categories, called ‘Types’, according to our genetic make-up and abilities”.

“Oh? What sort of abilities are we talking about here? Like Magic, perhaps?”

“No, I wouldn’t call it ‘magic’ per say,” Zappo stepped forward, “Here, I’ll give you an example. Do you have anything disposable that you don’t mind getting destroyed?”

“... Where are you going with this?” Twilight asked sceptically.

“Just trust me, I’ll show you something cool!” He beckoned.

“Alright...” She levitated a scrunched up piece of paper towards him.

He grabbed it out of mid-air and walked out on to the balcony, “Watch this”.

“Now you see it...” He gave the paper a good toss, throwing it up into the air. He then unleashed a Thunderbolt, destroying it in a bright flash and startling Twilight, “... and now you don’t”.

She was stunned, “That’s impressive! And you accomplished that without any magic at all?!”

“Nope. That’s as real as you can get, really,” He shrugged.

“Huh... that’s incredible,” Twilight murmured as she continued writing, “And what sorts of things can you two do?” 

“I can breathe fire,” replied Archie simply. He reached into the waste bin and pulled out an old newspaper. Holding it in front of him, he blew a small flame at it, setting it alight. It disappeared in a bright and brief flash. Twilight marvelled in awe, before jotting it down.

“I can manipulate plant-based energy,” said CJ, “Whether to attack threats or whatnot”. 

“I see, and what sorts of types are there?” she asked, looking at her notes.

CJ spoke slowly, “The types are Normal, Fire, Water, Electric, Grass, Ground, Ice, Rock, Bug, Flying, Fighting, Psychic, Dark, Ghost, Poison, Steel, Fairy, and Dragon”.

“... and Dragon,” Twilight repeated as she wrote, “And what sort of purpose do they serve?”

“Well, Types play a critical role in how we fight and battle each other. Normal types for example are just you average, run-of-the-mill Pokémon. There’s nothing particularly special about them. In a fight, they rely on strategy or outright strength to win, although they aren’t very useful against Rock or Steel Types. Their one and only weakness is Fighting, so if you hit them with a Fighting Type move, they take more damage than usual”.

“Wait, let me get this straight,” Twilight turned around, “You fight amongst yourselves?! Is it a particularly violent place, where you come from?”

“Well, compared to this place, yes,” Zappo nodded, “Fighting is just a way of life there. You get tough quickly or fall behind”.

“Is the whole Type system like a tribal sort of thing?”

“No, not like that at all. We all live and co-operate amongst each other quite fine. It’s just that you, quite frequently I might add, get the odd moron who’s too rowdy for its own good, and picks fights with everyone. It’s just how life is, but if you’re smart and tough, you shouldn’t have a problem”.

Twilight frowned in concern, “... Okay then. What’s next? Would you mind telling me about the other types?”

“Well, Fire Types are Pokémon which have biologies that are similar to magma,” explained Archie, “We have a very high natural body temperature, and generally live in hot areas like volcanoes, for example. Your typical Fire Type will usually emit flames from some part of their body, such as myself, for example, and we are very offensive-based fighters. We can strike quickly and hit hard, but we struggle to take significant amounts of damage ourselves”.

“So based just on what I’ve written here, CJ must be a Grass Type, and Zappo is an Electric Type?” Twilight guessed.

“You catch on quick,” Zappo smirked, “Fire moves are strong against Grass and Bug Types, but not against Water, Rock, Dragons or other Fire Types. There are many more, but we’d be here all day, and I’m sure we have other things to talk about”.

“Yes. Can you tell me a bit more about where you come from?” asked Twilight.

“Our island is located far off to the east of here,” replied CJ, “Pokémon generally live in peace, keeping to themselves, but there have been several phases of unrest and anarchy throughout our history, particularly when natural disasters are at their peak, or when there are supernatural forces at work. Pokémon often team up to help keep the situation in hand, and work together to resolve the problem, or at least keep it from spreading”.

“Over time,” explained Zappo, “these teams became divided into two distinct groups: Rescue Teams and Exploration Teams. Both titles are pretty self-explanatory. Rescue Teams specialise in assisting others and, well... rescuing people. Exploration Teams go out searching and exploring new and unknown places, looking for treasure. To be honest though, the terms ‘Rescue’ and ‘Exploration’ are becoming somewhat interchangeable these days...”

“So, you would be classified as an Exploration Team?” asked Twilight.

“Correct,” answered CJ, “Each team has a unique name to identify themselves by. We are called Team Valkyrie, for example. No thanks to Zappo though, we gained a reputation as ruthless bounty-hunters, that could defeat otherwise insurmountable odds to achieve our tasks”.

“What sort of... tasks are we talking about here?” Twilight frowned.

“Taking down criminals and handing them over to law enforcement,” answered Archie, “At least that was HIS favourite past-time”.

“I thought you worked as a team?” Twilight raised an eyebrow.

“We DID,” CJ remarked, “But for some reason, he started working alone, and we ended up splitting ways for a period of time”.

“I single-handedly became the law,” Zappo had an unsettling grin which made Twilight slightly nervous, “During those months, there was an abundance of rogues about, so I was able to hone my abilities to their fullest. Because I was taking out all the big, rough targets, they were left with the little guys that I left out, making their lives a bit easier”.

“He quickly became renowned among Pokémon everywhere as a capable and efficient method of dealing with threats,” Archie spoke up, “and He was often sought after for his skill set, which was by no means unique, but he often got the job done and was always reliable to keep his word. That’s when I met him and he allowed me to join the team”.

“Those were good times,” Zappo grinned.

“Funnily enough,” Twilight frowned, “I somewhat believe that, even if it seems a little farfetched”.

“Well, shortly before our journey here, we started working together again,” said CJ, “and our first mission back on the job was... interesting to say the least”.

“Alright then...” Twilight quickly shuffled through everything she had written, “That’s quite an eye-opening tale you have there”. She placed her quill down, “What do you say to a tour around town? You know, if the others see you with me, they might start accepting you and might open up a bit towards you”.

“Sounds good!” CJ smiled.

“If you wait for me outside, I’ll be with you in a minute!” 

“No worries,” Zappo nodded, heading for the door.

“Fancy that...” Twilight murmured as they walked out, “An entire order of creatures we’ve never even seen or heard of that potentially lives right on our own doorstep! Wait until Princess Celestia hears about this...” 

She turned as the door opened again, watching as Spike trundled back in from his errands.

“So, did you pick up those scrolls I ordered?” she asked.

“*hic* Um,” he grinned sheepishly, “there was a bit of an in-*hic*-incident you see...”

[...]

After about five minutes, Twilight stepped out of the Library, “Well then! Follow me, please!”

Twilight led them through Ponyville, showing them the various places of interest and around town, such as Sugar Cube Square and the Town Hall. Several ponies came up to them with questions, and after a while, they were all hustled around the Fountain listening to various stories of their adventures.  Late in the afternoon, Twilight then dragged them off to Sweet Apple Acres, to meet Applejack.

“I’m sure you know who Applejack is, right?” She asked as they reached the entrance to the Orchards.

“She was the one who saved the town from a stampede the other day, correct?” asked Archie.

“And caused issues with her stubbornness?” added Zappo.

“... Yes,” Twilight nodded with a frown, “How did you know about that?”

“It’s a funny story actually,” he replied, “we’ve been to these orchards before”.

Twilight turned about with a glare, “What do you mean?”

“We came across it by chance as we wandered around,” answered CJ, “We picked apples for her when she wasn’t looking”.

“What?!” Twilight’s eyes widened, “She thinks she cleared all that half of the orchard on her own!”

“In reality, she picked about seventy-five percent of it,” said Zappo, “She would’ve killed herself from exhaustion if we didn’t step in”.

“I guess so... but that was still deceitful! She’ll be furious if she hears about that!” Twilight muttered.

“If,” Zappo emphasized with a grin, “She doesn’t need to know. In the end, what was done was done, and she ended up better off because of it anyway. Speaking of the devil...”

They turned and spotted Applejack walking towards them down the path.

“Howdy Twilight! What brings you he-ahh! Goodness! What in tarnation are you?! I ain’t ever seen a critter like you before!” She blinked in surprise at the sight of Twilight’s new companions.

“Applejack,” She said calmly, “I want you to meet Zappo, CJ and Archie. They’re travellers from a far-away land, and they’re here to stay with us for a while as they explore Equestria”.

Team Valkyrie nodded and waved in greeting.

Applejack tilted her head as she studied them closely, before slowly breaking into a forced smile, “Well, alrighty then. I guess a friend o’ Twilight’s is a friend o’ mine! Welcome to Sweet Apple Acres! Come on, you fellas want somethin’ ta eat?”

Zappo shrugged, “Sure, why not?” 

Applejack glanced around at Archie in concern, “Is your tail supposed to be on fire like that?”

“Yes,” Archie sighed, “I swear, if I had a coin for every time someone pointed that out...”

“Hey Big Mac!” Applejack turned and yelled, “Come ‘ere and get a load of this! We’ve got visitors!”

The large red pony Zappo and CJ identified earlier appeared at the top of a hill, watching them in surprise as Applejack led them towards the homestead.

“These here fellas are from a foreign land!” Applejack explained, “How cool is that?”

Big Macintosh simply watched them with a curious gaze as they walked past.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you!” CJ smiled.

Big Mac just nodded without saying a word.

Applejack led them inside, “We’ve got some real nice treats that y’all might enjoy!”

She showed them an assortment of apple-based treats and meals. 

“We’ve got Apple Pie, Apple Fritter, Apple Cake, Apple Juice...”

“I guess we’re spoilt for choice then, eh?” Zappo murmured under his breath as she continued listing everything.

“Thank you very much,” CJ nodded as he grabbed a piece of Apple Strudel and swallowed it. The taste was very rich and sweet. “Mmm, not bad! That’s very good stuff!” He grinned.

Zappo grabbed a freshly-poured glass of Apple Juice and took a sip. He blinked in surprise, “That’s quite nice, actually!” He then promptly sculled the rest in one go.

Applejack smiled cheerfully, “I’m glad you like it! Made with one hundred percent home-grown apples! Fresh off the trees, in fact!”

Archie noticed a crate of apples in the corner that were a multitude of bright colours and patterns.

“Those are some funny-looking apples,” He remarked, “What sort are those?”

“Oh yeah,” Applejack chuckled, “Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash went an’ coloured ‘em all in with water coloured-paint. They’re the ones that haven’t been washed off yet”.

“... Fair enough”.

“By the way, have you met them yet? Rainbow and Pinkie...?” asked Applejack, “No? You should introduce them, Twilight. Rainbow Dash is one of the coolest ponies I’ve met, and Pinkie really knows how to throw a party or two!”

“I’m sure they’re wonderful people,” CJ nodded.

“If you want, I can take you to see them now,” Twilight offered.

Zappo chugged a second glass of apple juice, “How much is it to purchase a bottle or two of this stuff? This is awesome!” 

“You can have this one on the house!” Applejack smiled cheerfully, pushing the bottle towards him, “But any others will cost you a small price”.

“Oh, cheers! What sort of currency do you use here?”

“Just simple gold coins, called 'bits',” replied Applejack.

“What about,” Zappo rummaged through his backpack and produced a bag of Poke coins, “These?”

Applejack scooped a coin up on her hoof and examined it closely, comparing it with one of her own coins. They were almost identical in size, but the Poke-coin was marked with a large stylised 'P' on one side. The other side was completely blank.

“Meh, they look similar enough at a glance. I suppose you could probably get away with passin’ them off as one o’ ours”.

“I’ll have three more of them bottles then, please,” He dumped more coins in a satchel on the table.

Everyone looked at him incredulously.

“Alrighty then!” Applejack trotted off, “Three more it is!”

“Here, give me a try of that!” CJ scooped up a glass with a vine and held it up to Zappo, who poured him a drink. He quickly drank it down, “Hmm, that’s not bad at all!”

Applejack returned with the bottles in a saddlebag, placing them on the bench, “Here y’are! It’s a pleasure doin’ business with ya!”

Zappo placed them in his backpack, “Likewise. Well, if everything is all said and done, we might as well continue on, eh? See what else is around”. 

They all waved goodbye and headed off up the path back towards town. Applejack followed them to see them off at the gate, where they stopped.

“Twilight, is there anything else you wanted to show us around here?” asked CJ.

“I think that’s it,” Twilight shrugged, “There’s not much else around for now, unless you want to meet Fluttershy or Rarity”.

“Fluttershy is the one who lives in the cabin out in Everfree Forest, right?” asked Zappo.

“Yes, how did you know?”

“I met her as I was heading towards Ponyville this morning,” replied Zappo, “Pale yellow pony with wings and a pink mane, right?”

“Yes, that’s right,” Twilight nodded, “Then that just leaves Rarity, Rainbow and Pinkie Pie that you haven’t met yet”.

“Lead the way,” CJ beckoned.

“The problem is, I don’t know where either Pinkie or Rainbow would be at this moment,” Twilight said sheepishly, “And taking into account the current time, we wouldn’t really get much of a good introduction to Rarity until tomorrow. Do you three have any place to stay the night, other than the forest?”

“I’m sure they can sleep in the barn for the night,” Applejack offered.

“That will work for now, I suppose,” Zappo shrugged. 

“Great!” Applejack smiled, “There’s enough hay in there to make each o’ yourselves a suitable bed. Although...” she glanced at Archie, “You may want to be real careful with that tail o’ yours, and keep it away from anythin’ flammable”.

“That won’t be a problem,” Archie nodded confidently.

“I guess that’s ‘problem solved’ then,” sighed Twilight, “I guess I’ll see you three tomorrow then”. She teleported away in a bright flash.

Team Valkyrie all turned to Applejack. “So!” She smiled, “Let’s show you to yer new quarters then”.

The barn had a fairly simple layout, with bales of hay carelessly strewn about everywhere. 

“I’m sorry it ain’t even a two star hotel, but...” Applejack smiled sheepishly.

“Nah,” Zappo shook his head, “We’ve slept in worse places that make this look five star. We’ll be fine here for now, thank you”.
“I’ll see you t’morrow then! G’night!” Applejack nodded as she closed the door. The latch locked into place with a clack, shrouding the room in darkness, only illuminated by Archie’s tail.

[The next morning]

Twilight decided to get up a little earlier this morning. She figured she could get all the day’s work done by lunch and then spend the rest of the day learning about the foreigners, following them about and studying their behavioural habits and quirks.
Spike, who was also dragged up at this unholy hour of the morning, just groaned and muttered something indecipherable under his breath and followed along.

“I’ve already finalised my letter to Princess Celestia regarding the Pokémon,” said Twilight, “Now we just have to send it off. So, if you’ll do the honours, please?” She handed him a rolled-up scroll, wrapped with string to hold it together.
Spike nodded groggily and gave it a puff. A green flame enveloped the scroll, and it was gone in a brief flash. 

“Done,” he yawned.

“Excellent. Now, where did I put that book on biology...?” Twilight rummaged through the bookcase, throwing books everywhere left, right and centre. 

Spike sagged as he looked at the mess piling up, “I’m gonna have to clean that up later, aren’t I?”

[...]

Applejack stared in a mix of surprise and shock at the thing Zappo held in front of her. 
In his paw, he held a small, incapacitated mouse by the tail, dangling in the air, “May I ask as to what the heck this is?”
Applejack stared incredulously, “I-It’s just a mouse. We see them often around here. They’re real pests, gettin’ into our food supplies and making holes in everything. We’ve been tryin’ to catch them fer ages, but they’re real quick little critters. How did you do it?”

Zappo smirked, “Ma’am, we’re professional hunters. Catching elusive criminals is our speciality. This little scamp had no chance”.

“I thought you were explorers,” Applejack said with a frown.

“We are,” he nodded, “It’s just that we catch criminals as well”.

“...Huh. Well, since you seem to be so good at it, could you please do us a favour, catch the rest of ‘em?” Applejack asked sincerely, “Where there’s one, there’s always more, and they’re a real pain”.

Zappo blinked, “What do you mean there’s more? We’ve already bagged at least a couple dozen of these things! I thought this was the last one.”

Applejack did a double-take, “Really?! How did you clear them ALL in one night?”

“I told you, we’re professionals,” Zappo replied casually, “It was easy”.

“So... where are they now then? Where did you put them?” Applejack looked around.

Archie emerged from the barn, picking his teeth with a straw of hay, “Hmm, needs salt, I think”.

Applejack almost fainted in horror, “You didn’t EAT them, did you?!”

“Eat what?” Archie blinked, oblivious to the topic of the conversation.

“The mice! They’re filthy creatures. You don’t eat them, you’ll get sick!” Applejack was visibly turning pale.

“Oh, you mean those little pests we found last night?” Archie asked, “No, they’re still in one piece. We threw them out the window. I can’t say they’re going to be walking properly for a while, though”.

“Then... what did you say needed salt?” She asked hesitantly.

Archie frowned, “Some of these berries we found in the country-side. They taste a bit bland”.

Applejack sighed with relief, “Oh, is that all...”

CJ slithered out into the open, “Thank you very much for giving us a place for the night ma’am. We appreciate that. Although, the original tenants weren’t too pleased with our arrival...”

“You’re welcome,” Applejack smiled, “Don’t worry about them. They’re pests anyway”.

Zappo threw the mouse off into the distance, “I guess we should get going then, eh team? I’m sure Twilight has some more questions worth asking”.

“If you guys ever need something from me, just gimmie a holler!” Applejack turned cheerfully and walked off.
Team Valkyrie headed in the opposite direction towards town.


While the residents of Ponyville no longer blatantly avoided them, they still gave the Pokémon a wide berth as they walked through town. They spotted what they figured was Rainbow Dash meandering about in the sky above, conversing with another creature they couldn’t identify.

Its head was covered in white, bird-like feathers, with patches of light-purple around the eyes, which were gold in colour, and had a hooked beak, like a Braviary’s. It had a furry body vaguely resembling a Luxray’s, except it was brown, had large wings on both sides and its forelegs looked like they belonged on a Combusken. It had a long tail, the same colour as its body, with a fluff of dark-brown fur at the end.

“Now that’s something we haven’t seen yet,” Zappo remarked.

“I wonder what it is...” CJ murmured, “Maybe Twilight might be able to tell us”.

“Where do you think she’ll be?” asked Archie.

“At this time of the morning, probably still at home,” Zappo guessed.

They quickly dashed across to the Library and knocked on the door several times.

After a few moments, the door was opened by Spike.

“Oh, hey guys! What’s up?” he asked cheerfully.

“We want to know what that is,” Zappo pointed in the general direction of Rainbow Dash and her companion.
Spike glimpsed at them for several seconds, “Oh, that’s a griffon! We don’t usually see them around here. They all live out far away from here. I can’t remember exactly where, but Twilight would be able to tell you”.

“A griffon, eh?” Zappo murmured, scratching his chin, “Funny-looking thing, isn’t it?”

“They’re half-eagle, half-lion,” explained Spike, “And can fly like a Pegasus”.

“A what?” CJ blinked.

“A Pegasus,” Spike repeated, “The ponies that have wings, they’re called a Pegasus. I’m guessing you don’t know that much about ponies, do you?”

“Erm, no,” Archie shook his head, “We haven’t been here all that long”.

“Oh!” Twilight appeared in the doorway, “You’re here earlier than I expected. Please, come in! I’ll have everything ready in a few moments...”

“Don’t worry too much,” CJ smiled, “We just wanted to know what a griffon was”.

Twilight stared at them for several moments, “Oh, is that all? Well, if you ever want to meet up for another chat again, just let us know, okay?”

“No worries, we’ll keep that in mind,” CJ nodded.

Suddenly, there was an audible gasp of surprise from behind them. They turned about to see Pinkie Pie staring at them from several feet away.

“Oh, that must be Pinkie Pie,” Archie murmured. Her pink colouration and outrageous mane-style easily distinguished her from the other ponies. There was also a picture of some balloons on her flank.

“The eighties called, they want their hairstyle back,” Zappo muttered under his breath.

“Pinkie Pie, what’s up?” asked Twilight.

“Oh yeah! I need to talk with you! It’s about Rainbow Dash’s friend, Gilda...”

[...]

“... So Pinkie Pie, are you sure that this friend of Rainbow Dash is really so mean?” Twilight asked.

“Um, yeah!” Pinkie replied exasperated, “She keeps stealing Rainbow Dash away, she pops my balloons, and she told me to buzz off! I’ve never met a griffon this mean! Well, actually, I’ve never met a griffon at all, but I bet if I had, she wouldn’t be as mean and grumpy as Gilda!”

Twilight simply looked at her friend, “You know what I think, Pinkie Pie?”

“Hmm?” Pinkie leaned in attentively.

“Well, I think you’re jealous,” Twilight said flatly.

“Jealous?!” Pinkie parroted in shock.

“Green with envy,” Spike nodded, “Well, in your case, pink with envy...”

“Yes, jealous,” Twilight nodded, “Listen Pinkie, I don’t want to upset you, but just because Rainbow Dash has another friend doesn’t make Gilda a grump. I mean... perhaps it’s you, Pinkie, who has to improve her attitude”.

Pinkie couldn’t believe she was hearing this. “Improve MY attitude?! But I... D...B... It’s Gilda that... D... Are you seri... ARGH!” Pinkie stormed out the door in a huff.

“Whadda ya reckon?” Zappo turned to CJ.

CJ shrugged, “I’ve never met Gilda face to face, so I can’t really make an assessment”.
A wicked grinned formed on Zappo’s face, “Then let’s introduce ourselves, shall we?”

[...]

As Pinkie Pie sat forlornly in a cafe, Team Valkyrie spread themselves out across the town, mingling with the locals while keeping a close eye on Gilda.

“So, what are you doing there, Fluttershy?” asked CJ politely.

“Oh, I’m just helping these ducks cross the street,” she replied softly, “See, the little ones get lost easily, especially on such a busy street as this, so we have to stay as a group if we move through town."

“That’s fair enough,” He shrugged, “Need any help?”

“Uh...” She gulped nervously, sizing him up, “I think I’ll be f-fine, thanks...”

“Suit yourself,” he shrugged, and slithered off to do some window-shopping.

Zappo sat himself down next to Pinkie Pie, contently drinking a bottle of apple juice from his backpack.

“Oh!” Pinkie looked up in surprise, “Hi! I don’t believe we’ve met yet! My name's Pinkie Pie! Who are you?”

“Name’s Zappo,” he replied, “I’m an explorer here on a mission to look for treasure in Equestria”.

“Oh really?” She blinked, “Equestria is like, really really BIG. Won’t it take a really, really long time to explore?”

“Time is the one thing we've got,” Zappo muttered.

He spotted Gilda and Rainbow Dash fly overhead and land across the town square. “Look who it is...” He muttered, taking a sip from his drink.

Rainbow Dash suddenly flew off, leaving Gilda alone in the street. She looked about and spotted a stall selling vegetables. A sly grin appeared on her face. She walked up to the stall and poked around with her tail.

An elderly pony caught sight of the wriggling appendage and screamed, “Ahh! A rattler, a rattler!! Run for the hills! Everybody forsake yourselves!” The old pony slowly dragged herself away from the stall. 

“I don’t get it,” Zappo frowned, “What’s a ‘rattler’?”

Gilda turned to the stall owner with a disgusted look on her face, “This stuff ain’t fresh, dude”.

Pinkie sat in shock, “Aw, poor Granny Smith, she didn’t know it was a joke. How mean!” She stopped herself, “No, no, I can’t misjudge her. It was kind of a funny prank, I guess...”

“That was a prank?” Zappo raised an eyebrow, “It wasn’t a very good one...”

Gilda quickly wrapped her tail around a tomato, swiped it from the stall when no-one was looking and swallowed it whole.

Pinkie Pie gasped, “I did misjudge her! She’s not only a meanie-pants, she’s also a thief!” She stopped herself again, “Nonononono, she might give it back. It’s just a joke...”

“That wasn’t a joke,” Zappo muttered, “That was blatant thievery if I ever saw it”.

Fluttershy suddenly walked past in front of them, guiding the ducks through town. She was walking backwards to keep eye contact with them, and thus couldn’t see very well behind her.

Gilda smirked and walked off in the general direction of Fluttershy.

Team Valkyrie all watched from their places around town as Gilda purposely bumped into her, startling her.

“Hey!” Gilda shouted.

Fluttershy turned about, “Oh! Please excuse me”.

“Here we go,” Zappo watched in concern.

“I’m walkin’ here!” Gilda growled angrily.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Fluttershy backed off in terror, “I-I-I was just trying to-”

“Oh, I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” Gilda mocked, “Why don’t you just watch where you’re going, doofus?!”

“B-b-b-but I... I...” Fluttershy stammered.

Gilda took a deep breath in, and roared loudly in her face.

The ducks all scattered as Fluttershy started sobbing and ran off.

Pinkie Pie gasped, “She’s a grump, and a thief and a bully! The meanest kind of meanie-pants there is. I can take it, but no-one treats Fluttershy like that! NO ONE! This calls for extreme measures! Pinkie Pie style!”

Zappo slammed his drink on the table, “Look after this for me and watch this”. Before Pinkie Pie could object, he was already gone. 

Gilda grunted, “Ugh, please. All these lame ponies are driving me buggy. I gotta bail”.

“OI!” a voice roared from nearby. Gilda turned about in confusion to see a large... thing walking straight for her.

“What the heck are you, an over-sized, mutant rat?” She sneered.

“You must be pretty proud of yourself,” Zappo ignored her, “Managing to frighten off a wimp like that. Big achievement there, arsehole. We should give you a medal”.

Her face contorted in confusion, “What?”

“That little stunt you pulled just then,” Zappo pointed his paw at her, “What was that for?”

“She was in my way,” Gilda snorted.

“Pfft, bullshit, she was!” Zappo growled, “The entire town could see that you had the whole road to yourself and yet you deliberately walked right into her. At any rate, YOU were in HER way!”

“Lame-os like her are a waste of space! SHE was in the way!” Gilda snarled.

Everyone within a fifty metre radius was watching the spectacle unfolding now.

“Don’t give me that crap, you better apologise to her! And by the way, are you going to pay for that apple you stole a few minutes ago?” Zappo tilted his head, “We all saw what you did there...”

Gilda walked right up to him, showcasing the griffon’s height advantage, “Are you gonna make me?”

“Damn straight I’m gonna make you,” he retorted lowly as electricity cackled loudly from his cheeks. Out of the corner of her eye, Gilda noticed movement, and turned to see the other members of Team Valkyrie circling behind her. Recognising a potential catastrophe if she picked a fight here, she wisely backed off, “Whatever. I’m getting out of here!” She took flight and sprinted off into the distance.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Zappo muttered, launching a Thunderbolt. The lightning pulse hit its mark dead on, engulfing Gilda in electricity. She screamed in agony for several seconds as she plunged into the dirt below, landing with a thud.

The other ponies all stepped back, murmuring in a mix of awe and new-found fear as the Raichu watched the griffon closely. Archie and CJ simply smirked, “Here we go”.

“I will let this issue go without another word if you apologise to Fluttershy and pay for the fruit,” he said sternly, “I’m not going to ask you again”.

“G-Go buck yourself!” Gilda snarled furiously as electricity criss-crossed her body.

“Suit yourself,” Zappo shook his head. 

They all watched in anticipation as Zappo simply strolled up to the fallen griffon, who was struggling to get up. He clamped his left paw around her throat and hauled her up to meet his gaze. His right paw suddenly took a blue glow, radiating with some sort of powerful energy as he drew it back, muttered “Good night,” and slammed it into Gilda’s face with a resounding crack. The griffon slumped limply to the dirt. 

Gotta love Focus Punch, he thought to himself.

He turned about to see a crowd of shock-stricken ponies. 

“That’s gonna sting like hell when she wakes up,” His demeanour suddenly turned cheerful, “I don’t think she’ll be such a prick in the near future any time soon”.

The other members of Team Valkyrie spoke up, “All right people, break it up! Show’s over, there’s nothing to see. Move along...”

The crowd chattered amongst itself as they all slowly dispersed.

Zappo swiped his drink from the table, “See Pinkie? Morons like her are all talk. Never take them seriously. Ever”.

Pinkie stared in relative silence with her mouth hanging open, “...How... did you do that thing... with the lightning...”
He simply smirked as he took a sip from his drink. 

[Later that day]

“Welcome, welcome, welcome!” Pinkie smiled cheerfully a pony walked in the door to a party Pinkie had thrown. Several ponies had already arrived, and were standing around talking with each other. Team Valkyrie perched themselves near the back of the room, watching the goings-on with interest.

“Who’s this ‘Gilda’ I’ve heard nothing about?” Applejack asked in confusion.

“I hear she’s an old friend of Rainbow Dash,” said Rarity, “A griffon. So rare”.

Twilight turned to Fluttershy, “You’ve met Gilda, right? What’s she like?”

Fluttershy turned away, “Oh... um... well, I’ll tell you later, Twilight”. She walked up to Pinkie Pie, who was greeting more guests.

“Um, Pinkie Pie, about this party for Gilda. Umm... do you really think it’s a good idea? I mean-”

“Don’t worry your pretty little head about mean old Gilda!” Pinkie smiled cheerfully, “Your aunty Pinkie Pie’s got it all taken care of”.

“...I’m a year older than you,” Fluttershy said flatly.

“Gilda!” Pinkie exclaimed happily as the griffon walked in the door, “I’m so honoured to throw you one of my signature Pinkie Pie parties, and I really, truly, sincerely hope you feel welcome here amongst all us pony folk!” She extended her hoof in greeting.

Reluctantly, Gilda shook it. Suddenly, a fierce jolt ran up her spine, causing her to grunt. Pinkie Pie giggled madly, revealing a small device strapped to her hoof.

“Oh, Pinkie Pie!” Rainbow Dash walked over with a chuckle, “The ol’ hoof-shake buzzer. You are a scream!”

“Uh... good one Pinkie Pie...” Gilda forced a smile. She immediately noticed the Pokémon up the back, “What are they doing here?!” 

“Don’t worry about them! They’ve agreed to leave you alone so long as you do likewise,” Pinkie nodded.

“I don’t get it, who are they?” Rainbow Dash frowned.

“Eh... I’ll tell you later...” Gilda looked away.

“Ah well. Come on G, I’ll introduce you to some of my other friends!” Rainbow trotted off.

“Right behind you, Dash,” Gilda suddenly turned to Pinkie Pie, “I know what you’re up to!”

“Great!” Pinkie Pie smiled.

“I know what you’re planning!” Gilda growled lowly.

Pinkie Pie giggled, “Well I hope so. This isn’t supposed to be a surprise party!”

“I mean, I got my eye on you!” Gilda reiterated. 

“And I got my eye on you,” Pinkie replied before turning to face everyone in the room, “Everyone! I’d like you all to meet Gilda, a long-time, dear friend of Rainbow Dash! Let’s honour her and welcome her to Ponyville!”

Everyone cheered loudly as Gilda forced another smile.

“And our other special guests this evening are Team Valkyrie!” Pinkie Pie pointed in the direction of the Pokémon in question, “They’re from a land far away, here on a quest to explore Equestria and unlock her secrets!”

There was a series of “oohs” and “ahhs” as the ponies split up between the two sets of guests.

Pinkie Pie showed them to the snack table, “Please help yourselves!”

Gilda eyed a bowl of yellow candy, “Vanilla Lemon Drops! Don’t mind if I do!” She snatched one from the bowl and ate it whole. 

Her face instantly distorted in shock, and spat a small column of fire about, screaming “HOT!!”

“G, the punch!” Rainbow pointed towards a table serving drinks. Gilda swiped a glass from the table and sculled it down. Well, she would have,  if there wasn’t a hole in her cup causing it all to dribble down in front of her.

Several ponies cracked up laughing. “Well whadda ya know?” remarked Pinkie Pie, “Pepper in the vanilla lemon drops, and punch served in a dribble glass!”

“Ha-ha!” Rainbow Dash laughed, “Priceless, priceless!”

Gilda scrambled to grab a cup that didn’t have a hole in it, and quickly drank it down, “Yeah... hilarious!”

“That’s not a bad little trick, that,” Zappo remarked, “Not bad at all”.

“Hey G, look!” hollered Rainbow, pointing at a large stack of neatly wrapped parcels, “Presents!”

Gilda had a large grin as she took one from the pile and tore the ribbon off. A dozen small, spring-loaded snakes instantly launched in all directions, startling her.

The ponies all started laughing again. “Spittin’ snakes!” Applejack chuckled, “Somepony pulled that prank on me last month!”

“Ha-ha...” Gilda grumbled, “I bet I know who that was!” 

“You do?” Pinkie Pie blinked innocently.

“I’ve never seen that one before...” Archie  murmured, “I wonder what else is rigged to go off around here?”

Several minutes later, Pinkie rolled out a large cake with candles on top, “Cake time!”

“Hey, can I blow out the candles?” asked Spike.

“Why don’t we let Gilda blow out the candles, Spike?” gestured Twilight, “She IS a guest of honour, after all”.

Gilda barged Spike out of the way, “Exactly!”

She took a deep breath and blew. The candles flickered out, before igniting again.

She tried again, and gave another hard puff. Again, the candles died, and re-lit themselves. 

The ponies started laughing as Gilda vainly tried to blow the candles out, with no success.

“Re-igniting birthday candles!” chuckled Spike, “I love that prank! What a classic!”

“Interesting...” CJ murmured, “I wonder how they work...”

“I wonder who could’ve done that...” Pinkie Pie giggled.

“Yeah, I wonder,” Gilda growled lowly.

“Who cares?!” Spike started tunnelling through the cake and bursting out the top, “This cake is amazing!”

“Spike...” Twilight shook her head.

“What? It’s great! Try some!” He offered her a piece.

Gilda clenched her teeth in fury.

“G, you’re not upset about some silly candles, are you?” asked Rainbow.

Gilda temporarily suppressed her anger, “No way Dash. Like I said, I’m down with a good prank”.

“Come on then, let’s have some cake!” Rainbow beckoned.

Gilda grabbed Pinkie and pulled her aside, “Hey, I’m watching you! Like a hawk!”

“Why?” Pinkie asked innocently, “Can’t you watch me like a griffon?”

“Hey y’all!” Applejack spoke up, pointing at a placard of a tail-less pony next to the door, “It’s ‘Pin-the-tail-on-the-pony’! Let’s play!”

“Oh, my favourite game!” Rarity said gleefully, “Can I go first? Can I have the purple tail?”

Gilda snatched up the tail before Rarity could however, “Well I am the guest of honour, so I should go first!”

“*Ahem*,” Zappo cleared his throat, drawing their attention, “A guest of honour, you mean”.

“Yeah, give the explorers a go! They’re guests too!” someone spoke up.

Gilda grumbled and reluctantly offered the tail to Zappo, who stared at it cluelessly.

“I don’t know how to play,” he looked up, “You go first and show us how it’s done”.

“Then why would you... argh! Never mind!” Gilda stomped towards the placard.

“Yeah! Gilda should definitely go first!” said Pinkie, “Let’s get you blindfolded!”

Spike quickly wrapped a bandana around Gilda’s eyes, effectively blinding her. “Hey what- What are you doing?!”

Pinkie Pie span the hapless griffon around in a circle, “We’re spinning you around and around, and then you can pin the tail on the pony!” She pulled Gilda to a halt and guided her to the placard, “Now just walk straight ahead and pin the tail!”

“Now just walk straight ahead and pin the tail!” Gilda mocked angrily, “Hmph, yeah right! This is another prank, isn’t it?! I’m going this way!” Gilda walked in the opposite direction... and slipped on a piece of cake dropped on the floor. She screamed as she flew out the door with a crash. Gilda hauled herself up, and noticed that the tail had somehow ended up on her face.

“Um, Gilda?” Pinkie spoke up, “You pinned the tail on the wrong end”. Several ponies laughed at this.

Gilda suddenly snapped for good, roaring in fury, “This is your idea of a good time?! I’ve never met a lamer bunch of dweebs in my life! And Pinkie Pie, you! You are queen lame-o with your weak little party pranks! Did you really think you could make me lose my cool?! Well Dash and I have ten times as much cool as the rest of you put together! Come on Dash, we’re bailing on this pathetic scene!”

“Oh, can you just shut up?!” Zappo yelled from the back of the room, startling everyone. 

There was an ominous silence as he stepped towards Gilda, “You have arguably the most distorted definition of cool out of anyone I’ve ever met! People who are cool are not just epic, but charismatic as well. Tell me, do you honestly have any friends?”

Gilda blinked in stunned silence.

“That’s what I thought! I’ve been watching you, and ever since I laid eyes on you, you’ve earned nothing but contempt from me, and that’s not something you want to be on the receiving end of. Whenever Rainbow Dash isn’t around, you’re nothing but a bully and a thug. So get lost!” Zappo growled, “Now”.

“Why you..” Gilda seethed with rage, “Come on Dash! I said we’re leaving!”

“You know what Gilda,” Rainbow muttered sternly, “I was the one who set all those ‘weak’ pranks at this party”.
Gilda blinked in shock, “...What?!”

“So I guess I’m Queen Lame-o”.

“Come on Dash, you’re joshing me!” Gilda pleaded.

“They weren’t all meant for you specifically,” Rainbow shook her head, “It was just dumb luck that you set them all off”.

“I shoulda known!” Pinkie Pie remarked, “That dribble cup had ‘Rainbow Dash’ all over it!”

“No way!” Gilda refused to believe it, “It was Pinkie Pie, or even that blasted rat! They set this party to trip me up, to make a fool of me! My jaw still hurts after that right hook...”

“Hey, not only do I object to being called a ‘rat’,” Zappo scowled, “But I had NO hand in this shindig whatsoever!”

“I threw this party to improve your attitude,” Pinkie Pie frowned, “I thought a good party might turn that frown upside-down”.

“And you sure didn’t need any help making a fool of yourself!” Rainbow continued, “You know, this is not how I thought my old friends would treat my new friends. If being ‘cool’ is all you care about, maybe you should go find some new ‘cool’ friends someplace else!”

Gilda’s rage flew off the handle, “Yeah?! Well, you...you...you are such a flip-flop! Cool one minute, and lame the next! When you decide not to be lame anymore, gimmie a call!!”

She stormed outside and flew off.

“Not cool,” Rainbow muttered.

“What a buzz-kill,” Archie shook his head.

“‘Flip-flop’? Was that seriously the best she could come up with?” Zappo frowned in disgust.

“Wow,” Twilight murmured, “What was that all about..?”

The ponies all started talking indistinctly amongst themselves.

“Hey, I’m sorry everypony, for bringing Gilda here,” Rainbow apologised, “I didn’t know how rude she was. And Pinkie Pie, I’m sorry that she ruined the awesome party you put on for her”.

“Hey, if you want to hang out with party-poopers, that’s your business,” Pinkie Pie smiled.

“I’d rather hang out with you. No hard feelings?”

“No hard feelings,” Pinkie shook her head.

“Hey Pinkie,” Twilight grinned sheepishly, “Sorry I accused you of misjudging Gilda. Looks like I’m the one who misjudged you”.

“It’s okay Twilight,” Pinkie grinned, “even you can’t be a super smart smarty smart-pants all the time! Come on everypony, there’s still a whole lotta party to finish!”

They all cheered and partied on into the night as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

END CHAPTER 4
> Boast Hunters
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

CHAPTER 5

[Ponyville Library]

“So... what are we doing again?” Zappo asked hesitantly. He was standing in the middle of the Ponyville Library with electrical cords taped to his cheeks, hooked up to a machine. Twilight, Spike and the rest of Team Valkyrie stood around the edges of the room, watching with interest.

“We’re simply taking a reading of how much electricity you can generate,” explained Twilight, who was fiddling with the machine, “This device will tell us the precise amount of voltage you can generate at a given time. Right now, without even doing anything, you are creating about 15 volts of energy per second, which is incredible in its own way, but I want to see what happens when you’re at full power”.

“Where did you get this device anyway?” asked CJ.

“Princess Celestia sent it to me at my request,” Twilight replied, “Now, let’s see what you can do Zappo. Could you please give us another lightning bolt?”

“As you wish,” Zappo grinned and launched a powerful Thunderbolt up the cords. The machine was overloaded in an instant and exploded spectacularly, sending parts in all directions and everyone else diving for cover.

“Oops” He smirked and removed the cords from his face.

Twilight made an agitated sigh and started collecting up the wreckage, “Well that’s just great. Let’s see if we can find what’s left of the data recorder. The Princess won’t be very happy that we’ve destroyed her voltmeter...”

“You asked for a full-powered Thunderbolt,” Zappo shrugged, “It’s not my fault your toy was of poor build-quality”.

“It wasn’t a toy!” Twilight grumbled, “That was an expensive piece of scientific equipment!”

Spike spotted a small dial lying on the floor, “I think I’ve found part of the data recorder”. He held it up in the air. 

“What does it say?” Twilight leaned in for a closer look. The charred needle was jammed at one thousand volts.

“That’s all that the machine was able to read before it failed,” Twilight murmured, “and I’m thinking that the lightning bolt was a lot more than a thousand volts. I’ve never seen anything that can create so much power!”

“Come on Twilight! You’re the most powerful magician in Ponyville, or maybe even Equestria! You’d be able to do something like that, couldn’t you?” asked Spike.

“Well, I probably could if I could find and learn the appropriate spell,” Twilight shrugged, “But, considering you don’t have any magic and all, that just makes your electrical powers even more amazing, simply because it’s all completely real!” 

“Nonsense,” CJ shook his head, “We’re limited to only four moves each, while you could probably have dozens of spells up your sleeve, maybe even hundreds. You have far more freedom in your options for variety. And if you’re as good as they say you are...”

“I guess so,” Twilight shrugged, “Well, I think we might as well get this mess cleaned up before lunch, so let’s get to it!”

[Sometime Later]

“Don’t you think it was a bit mean ditching Zappo like that? I mean, there were still many pieces to clean up...” Spike murmured in concern.

“He had the indecency to break the machine in the first place,” Twilight replied, “So it’s only fair that he cleans up the rest of it. Maybe next time, he’ll be a bit more careful with other ponies’ belongings”.

After lunch, Twilight, Spike, Archie and CJ had left Zappo to continue cleaning up what was left of the voltmeter, and were now walking through town.

“So, what sort of tricks can you do, Twilight?” asked CJ, “Other than telekinesis?” 

“Oh, lots of things,” Twilight shrugged, “I could probably create a lightning bolt of comparable size to what Zappo can if I really tried, but wielding electricity isn’t really in my expertise. The last time I tried something like that, the bigger it became, the harder it was to control”.

“At the last count, Twilight can perform twenty five different tricks!” Spike said enthusiastically, “And she’s still learning more all the time! I’ve never known of any other pony with such a broad range! I don’t think there even is!”

The approaching sound of rapid footsteps drew their attention to two small ponies charging in their direction. “Gangway! Coming through!” one of them shouted. The runaway colts simply ran straight through the group, collecting up a surprised Spike on the way.

Reacting almost instantly, CJ lashed out with Vine Whip, wrapping a vine around Spike’s arm and dragging the colt to a stop. 
“Snips, Snails!” Spike exclaimed, “What’s going on?”

“Haven’t you heard?” the lanky yellow colt named Snails asked excitedly, “There’s a new unicorn in town!”

“Yeah! They say she’s got more magical powers than any other unicorn ever!” the short, stocky blue colt named Snips added, bouncing up and down energetically.

“Really?” Twilight asked concernedly.

“Aw, no way!” Spike shook his head, “That honour goes to Twilight here!”

“Where is this ‘new unicorn’?” asked CJ.

“Oh, she’s in the town square! Come on!” Snails jumped over Spike and ran off, with Snips following close behind.
“It couldn’t hurt to have a look at what they’re on about,” Archie shrugged, “Zappo might be interested in seeing this”.

By the time they reached the square, a sizable crowd had gathered around a cart near the town hall. Twilight and Spike joined Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy at the front of the mob, and were watching the cart with interest, while Team Valkyrie stood at the back, watching from a distance.

“Come one, come all!” a voice emanated, “Come witness the amazing magic of the Great and Powerful Trixie!”
The cart opened up, revealing a small, ornately designed stage with a purple curtain.

There was a puff of smoke, and a blue pony dressed up in a wizard’s hat and cape appeared on the stage, drawing a chorus of “ooh” and “ahh” from the crowd.

“Watch in awe as the Great and Powerful Trixie performs the most spectacular feats of magic ever witnessed by ponies’ eyes!” Trixie bellowed, triggering a small, but spectacular fireworks display and trumpet fanfare behind her.

“My my, what boasting,” Rarity raised an eyebrow, unimpressed.

“There’s nothing wrong with being talented, is there?” Twilight asked.

“Nothing it all,” Applejack replied, “Except when someone goes ‘round showin’ it off like a school filly with fancy new ribbons!” 
On the stage, Trixie concentrated her magic to create a bouquet of flowers out of mid-air.

“Just because one has the ability to perform lots of magic, it does not make one better than the rest of us!” Rarity stated.

“Especially when you’ve got me around being better than the rest of us!” Rainbow Dash grinned, earning her a glare from Applejack, “Eh-heh, um, yeah! Magic shmagic! Boo!”

Trixie glanced down in annoyance, “Well, well, well! It looks like we have some neighsayers in the audience! Who is so ignorant as to challenge the magical ability of the Great and Powerful Trixie? Do they not know that they are in the presence of the most powerful unicorn in Equestria?!”

Rarity shook her head, “Just who does she think she is?”

“Yeah!” Spike spoke up, “Since we all know that Twilight here is-”

“Spike! Shhh!” Twilight hushed him, pushing him aside.

“What? What’s the matter?” Spike asked in confusion.

“Didn’t you see the way they reacted to Trixie?” Twilight whispered loudly, “I don’t want anyone thinking I’m a show-off!”
More fireworks and trumpets went off around Trixie, as if to prove Twilight’s point.

“So, ‘Great and Powerful’ Trixie,” Rainbow Dash flew up and into the unicorn’s face, “What makes you think you’re so awesome anyway?”

“Heh,” Trixie smirked, “Why, only the Great and Powerful Trixie has magic strong enough to vanquish the dreaded Ursa Major!” 

More trumpets and fireworks went off as if on cue, and one firework exploded into the shape of a large bear.

“Hey, that looks a bit like an Ursaring,” Archie pointed out.
A firework exploded into a shape resembling Trixie, which, under the influence of magic, approached the bear.

“When all hope was lost,” Trixie rambled on, narrating the story unfolding above, “The ponies of Hoofington had no-one to turn to, but the Great and Powerful Trixie stepped in, and with her awesome magic, vanquished the Ursa Major and sent it back to its cave deep within Everfree Forest!”

“Everfree Forest?” CJ murmured, “Isn’t that where we were staying?”

“Sweet!” Snips and Snails both exclaimed. “That settles it!”

“Trixie is truly the most talented, the most magical, and the most awesome pony in Ponyville!” Snails gawked. Trixie held her head high, soaking in the praise and attention.

“No, in all of Equestria!” Snips added.

“How do you know?” Spike wouldn’t have any of it, “You didn’t see it! And besides, Twi-hmpf!”

A zipper appeared on Spike’s mouth courtesy of Twilight, shutting him up.

“Heh heh heh, it’s true my enthusiastic little admirers!” Trixie chuckled, “Trixie is most certainly the best in Ponyville!”

Everyone present stared at her in silence. Most of them had expressions ranging from annoyance to disgust at this display of audacity.

“Don’t believe the Great and Powerful Trixie?” Trixie raised an eyebrow, “Well then! I hereby challenge you, Ponyvillians, anything you can do, I can do better!”

“Oh, this is going to be interesting!” CJ smirked. 

“Any takers?” Trixie looked about, “Anyone? Hmm? Or is Trixie destined to be the most powerful equine who has ever lived?” Cue another fireworks display in the background.

Spike tore the zipper from his mouth in exasperation, “Please Twilight! She’s unbearable! You’ve gotta show her! You just gotta!”

“There’s no way I’m using my magic now, Spike!” Twilight hissed, “Especially since-”

“Hmm?” Trixie turned and pointed at Twilight, “How about you? Is there anything you can do that the Great and Powerful Trixie can’t?!”

“I-I...” Twilight stammered.

“Well, little hayseed?!” Trixie then turned to Applejack.

“That’s it!” Applejack huffed in frustration and stepped forward, “I can’t stand for no more of this!”

“You show her, AJ!” Spike exclaimed encouragingly.

“Can your magical powers do this?!” Applejack started twirling a lasso about with her tail, performing an array of spectacular stunts, such as jumping through the loop, and snatching an apple off a nearby tree, landing it in her mouth with a satisfied gulp. Numerous ponies cheered the display of skill.

“Top that, missy!” Applejack smirked confidently. 

“Oh ye of little talent!” Trixie smirked and levitated her hat into the air, “Watch and be amazed at the magic of Trixie!”

Using telekinesis, she grabbed and manipulated the rope, while enchanting music played in the background. The rope moved about like a snake as Applejack watched, seemingly in a trance-like state. Meanwhile, Trixie used the other end of the rope to grab another apple of the tree. Using precise co-ordination, Trixie wrapped the rope around AJ’s legs, hauling her into the air, and shoved the apple in her mouth, letting her drop to the floor. The display drew more cheers from the crowd.

“Once again, the Great and Powerful Trixie prevails!” Trixie smirked as Applejack bounced off the stage in humiliation.

“That’s not very impressive,” CJ muttered, “She was using simple telekinesis to do that. That’s not outstandingly special”.

“There’s no need to go strutting around and showing off like that!” Rainbow Dash called out.

“Oh?” Trixie shifted her attention to the Pegasus.

“That’s my job!” She grinned and took off skyward and hurtled towards a windmill, blitzing around the propeller several times, then launched herself skywards, punching holes through several clouds. Turning about, she rocketed straight back down through the holes she created, triggering a small shower of water to follow her. She looped through the windmill once more and came to a grinding halt on the stage. The small rain shower splashed across her back and formed a rainbow above her head, drawing applause from the cloud.

“They don’t call me ‘Rainbow’ and ‘Dash’ for nothing!” she smiled.

Trixie looked unimpressed, “When Trixie is through, the only thing they’ll call you is ‘loser’!”

Concentrating her magic once again, she wrapped the rainbow around RD and gave her a spin, launching her off into the air like a twister, and landing with a hard thud several metres away.

“Seems like any pony with a dash of good sense would think twice before tussling with the Great Trixie!” She conjured a small thundercloud above Rainbow Dash, striking her with it and startling her, causing a few ponies to giggle.

“Now that was just cheap!” Archie frowned in disgust, “In what universe was that better than Rainbow Dash?!”

“What we need is another unicorn to challenge her!” Spike said determinedly, nudging Twilight, “Someone with magic of her own!”

“Yeah! A unicorn to show this unicorn who’s boss!” Dash grinned.

“A real unicorn-to-unicorn tussle!” Applejack nodded.

“Uh...” Twilight looked about sheepishly.

“Enough, enough, all of you,” Rarity stepped up to the plate, “I take your hint, but Rarity is above such nonsense. Rainbow Dash and Applejack might behave like ruffians, but Rarity conducts herself with beauty and grace!”

“Ooh, what’s the matter?” Trixie jeered, “Afraid you’ll get a hair out of place in that rat’s nest you call a mane?”
Rarity made a fierce glare, “Oh, it is on!” She started pacing in a circle around Trixie, “You may think you’re tough with all your so-called powers, but there’s more to magic than your brutish ways!” She telekinetically tore the stage curtain clean off. “A unicorn needs to be more than just muscle. A unicorn needs to have style!” In the blink of an eye, Rarity transformed the curtain into a fancy dress, with her mane done up to match, causing the crowd to gasp in awe.

Trixie simply smirked and got to work.

“Rarity won’t let Trixie get the best of her!” Spike said encouragingly, “She’s strong, she’s beautiful, she’s--” A bright flash interrupted him, indicating Trixie was finished.

Everyone stared in horror at what Trixie had done.

Rarity suddenly panicked, “Quick! I need a mirror! Get me a mirror!! What has she done to my hair?! I know she’s done something terrible to my hair!!”

“Nothing,” Twilight grinned sheepishly.

“It’s fine,” Rainbow Dash waved it off.

“It’s gorgeous,” Applejack nodded.

“It’s green,” Spike said flatly. Everyone glared at him. “...What?”

Her hair was indeed green, and also mouldy with worms wriggling about to boot.

“Ugh, no! Green hair?!” Rarity screeched, horror-stricken, “Not green hair!” She bolted off, “Such an awful, awful colour!”

A pony who actually happened to have green hair frowned in annoyance, “Well, I never!”

Spike turned dejectedly to Twilight, “Well, I guess it’s up to you”.

Twilight was about to object, when a voice from the back spoke up, “Hang on a minute!”

“Ah yes, the over-sized serpent and the under-sized dragon from up the back!” Trixie smirked towards her addressors, “The Great and Powerful Trixie is most curious as to why you two are in Ponyville of all places at this time of year. Such creatures obviously must be rejects from their respective societies in order to be affiliating themselves with ponies, of all things. So tell us, why would you even hang around here, much less rudely interrupt the Great and Powerful Trixie’s performance?”

“Actually, we’re not from Equestria at all, but that’s another story,” CJ replied matter-of-factly, “No, we have a few misgivings about your little display there”.

“Oh?” Trixie raised an eyebrow.

“None of your little gimmicks are impressive, for a start. Any unicorn could perform them if they tried,” Archie crossed his arms.

“Is that so?” Trixie tilted her head, “Is there anyone who can support this claim? Hmm? Anyone think they can do as Trixie can?”

Silence answered her question.

“As I thought,” She remarked arrogantly, “You should think a little bit before you go proclaiming such a ridiculous hypothesis”.

“The first two tricks used against Applejack and Rainbow Dash didn’t involve anything more than simple telekinesis,” CJ argued, “It’s not that hard if you know what you’re doing”.

“Well, if it’s only telekinesis,” Trixie challenged, “Let’s see you do it then”.

“We don’t posses any magical capabilities,” CJ admitted, “But it looks easy to do nevertheless. All it’d take is a bit of multitasking, that’s all”.

“Well, if you aren’t even magical, then you have no say in the matter to begin with! You have no idea of how to wield magic; therefore your argument is invalid,” Trixie huffed.

“It’s a simple observation,” said CJ, “It doesn’t take a genius to come to the conclusion that you’re cheap!”

“Cheap? You want cheap? I’ll show you cheap!” Trixie snarled, her magic flaring. CJ was surrounded in a blue aura and levitated into the air. “So you have the nerve to call the Great and Powerful Trixie a cheap hoax, do you?!”

CJ remained silent, staring the magician straight in the eye.

“If you dare insult me in such a manner again, I’ll make you regret it!”

“Well, it’s true,” CJ kept his cool, “After all, you found it too difficult to rise to the challenge, so you cheated by using magic, which isn’t quite the same, because we all know that you’re using magic to do it, if you catch my drift-”

Trixie’s horn glowed brightly, and a blinding flash illuminated the area, briefly stunning everyone present. Several powerful explosions were suddenly triggered, causing ponies to panic and scream, causing general chaos amongst the crowd.
As the flash effect wore off, many ponies were cowering on the ground, spaced themselves out or had fled the scene altogether. CJ grunted as he picked himself off the floor, covered in a rather nasty burn along his left side from the attack. 

“Oh, that does it,” he whispered lowly.

Archie looked about to see that Trixie was standing in the middle of the town square, looking quite agitated. “I warned you!” she yelled, “If you have the gall to continually insult the integrity of the Great and Powerful Trixie, you can consider your existence forfeit!”

“Yeah! She vanquished an Ursa Major after all!” Snips and Snails shouted from the sidelines, “You have no hope!”

“Shut up, you two!” Spike bristled, “You don’t know if she actually did that or not! You weren’t there!”

The two colts only glared in return.

Archie stretched his neck about, “Oh, we’ll see about that. CJ, are you alright?”

CJ shifted uncomfortably, but otherwise made a confidant nod. 

“She must’ve used that bright flash to give her time to attack us with those explosions, whatever they were. If she tries that again, we’ll be ready for it,” Archie mused, staring down their opponent. He lowered his voice to an almost inaudible whisper, 

“Pity she doesn’t know that we’re not ordinary opponents...”

“Well, this escalated quickly,” Spike sighed, shaking her head, “If someone doesn’t do something, the damage this fight will cause could potentially wipe Ponyville off the map!”

“Whatever happens, this can’t end well,” Applejack agreed. “Hey!” she shouted, grabbing the would-be combatanants’ attention, “You’re in the middle of a town! Don’t pick your fight here! Ponies might get hurt in the crossfire!”

Trixie considered this, then grinned, “So it seems the hayseed has a point. We’ll take our tussle to a different location”. She turned to Team Valkyrie, “So your inevitable defeat has been postponed. We shall take this to the Ponyville outskirts, across that bridge to the west of town, away from the potential collateral damage”.

Archie and CJ looked at each other briefly, then turned to Trixie and made determined nods of agreement.

“You shall regret ever picking a fight with the Great and Powerful Trixie!” Trixie crowed, “Don’t be late to your own funerals, will you?” She turned and left, walking off in the direction of the bridge.

“What are you two doing?!” Twilight exclaimed, walking over, “She’s a powerful magician, and you’re just going to pick a fight with her like that?!”

“What are you talking about? She started it, not us,” Archie defended, “And as if no-one else was thinking the same thing anyway!”

“We only wanted to up-stage her, not get involved in a potentially dangerous conflict!” Twilight sighed in exasperation, “I sure hope you know what you’re getting yourself involved in here...”

“Twilight, show a little faith, please,” a voice spoke up. Everyone turned about to see Zappo approaching them. “I only caught the last bit of that little display as I was running, but let me tell you that she had already lost this fight the moment she stepped it up. She should’ve walked away and let it go, not push her luck”.

“She’s probably the most powerful magician in Equestria!” Twilight frowned, “Short of Princess Celestia or Princess Luna, anyway”.

“Or you, Twilight,” Spike nudged her.

“I don’t know about that,” she looked away sheepishly.

“Well, there’s your problem. You’re almost as bashful as Fluttershy,” Zappo muttered, “If you think you’re not all that much, you’ll ever achieve anything. But you’re confidant in yourself, you can shoot for the stars and topple the gods if you try hard enough”.

All the ponies looked at him strangely.

“Well, it worked for us, anyway,” he shrugged, “Besides, Trixie might only be all talk. It’ll be disappointing if it turns out that way, though”.

“It’s not that I’m not confidant,” Twilight frowned, “But I just don’t want to look like such a show-off like Trixie”.

“Trixie’s a jerk-off,” Zappo shook his head, “It’d be different coming from you, because we know that you’re not as proud and boastful about it. And it’d probably be a more legitimate claim than hers anyway”. 

“Erm... on a side-note,” Twilight frowned, “Did you finish cleaning up your mess?”

“Most of it is gone, but I came running when I heard the explosions,” Zappo replied, “But that’s beside the point. Right now, we have a showboat to bring back down to size”.

“That burn looks quite nasty,” Spike murmured, looking at CJ, “Are you really going to fight on an injury like that?”

“Doesn’t look like I have much choice,” CJ muttered, “Trixie has set the challenge, and we are going to take her down!”

[Ponyville Outskirts]

The opposing combatanants stood several metres apart, on either side of the road. A crowd of spectators had gathered, watching with a mixture of interest and uncertainty from the bridge.

“Who’s this now?” Trixie smirked at Team Valkyrie, “Are you that weak that you require a three-to-one advantage to take on The Great and Powerful Trixie on even grounds?”

“No,” electricity cackled from Zappo’s cheeks, “I’d prefer think of it as you being dumb enough to run head-on into a three-to-one disadvantage”.

“Foolish creatures,” Trixie’s magic flared up, “I shall make this as painful as possible!”

“Archie, take flight and hammer her from above and behind,” Zappo muttered, “CJ, you take the left, and I’ll take the right”.

The respective Pokémon nodded confidently.

“Let’s go Valkyrie!” they all dashed off in different directions.

Trixie glanced at each opponent approaching her at unexpectedly rapid speeds. Before she knew it, they were all suddenly on top of her. Muscle reflex caused her to raise a magical barrier in defence, bracing for impact. 
Team Valkyrie were all in position around her, cutting off any hopes of making a quick getaway. Trixie frowned in concern at her sudden predicament.

The ponies on the bridge all watched in concern as Team Valkyrie circled her like vultures, waiting for her to make a move.

“If she’s going to make a move, she’ll have to do it quickly,” Rainbow Dash murmured.

“At any rate, I almost feel bad for her,” Spike shrugged, “She’s trapped now, and the only way out is through them”.

Trixie grunted as her magic flared up again, and several thunderclouds appeared overhead. The weather took a change for the worse as the wind picked up in speed, and rain started falling.

“That doesn’t look good,” Archie murmured, flinching as a drop struck his nose.

Trixie grinned, “Take this!”

A lightning bolt suddenly blasted down and struck Archie, causing him to cringe. 

“Archie!” CJ exclaimed. The Charizard flopped to the ground with a thud as the unknowingly super-effective attack kicked in.

Trixie grinned at this revelation, “So, the dragon doesn’t like electricity, does he? You two! Step away, or the dragon suffers!”

Zappo made a fierce glare, “You do that, and I swear on my life that your demise will be a messy one”. 

He launched a Thunderbolt at her, however the protective shield harmlessly absorbed every single volt. 

“As you wish,” Trixie shrugged, zapping Archie again. As far as she was aware, nothing was getting through her shield. 
She triggered a third lightning bolt for good measure, which coursed through Archie just as he was getting back up, knocking him back down and causing him to grimace.

“CJ,” Zappo made a cold glare, “Step it up a notch and hit ‘er with Frenzy Plant!”

CJ nodded as his eyes took a bright green glow. Trixie tilted her head in confusion. 

“Frenzy Plant?” she murmured, “What in Celestia’s name is that?”

Her question was answered when the ground suddenly started shaking, causing many ponies to yelp in alarm. “Earthquake!” they started shouting, and fled for their lives.

Trixie gulped in concern as the tremors picked up. “Something’s not right...”

CJ grit his teeth and made a loud yell as a large green vine suddenly burst out of the ground beneath Trixie, slamming her abdomen with gargantuan force, shattering the shield and launching her into the air.

Zappo grinned darkly as she screamed and flailed about in mid-air. The thunderclouds above started cackling with electricity. 

“You’ve given me another advantage by supplying me with plenty of electricity to use!” Zappo crowed, “You really are dumb! Now let’s light this bitch!”

He launched a Thunderbolt skywards, sending Trixie even further into air. The thunderclouds above her all seemed to move as one, spurred on by the electrical excitement down below, and struck the hapless unicorn down with one almighty blast of lightning, slamming her into the ground with an earth-shattering crash, kicking up a small dust storm.

All the witnesses were speechless at the display of raw power before them. 

Numerous Pegasi quickly got to work dispersing the thunderclouds above as the weather calmed down again.

Sensing that the battle was over, several spectators hesitantly approached the smouldering crater.
As Trixie lay limply at the bottom, unmoving, they immediately feared the worst.

“Trixie!!” Snips and Snails exclaimed, dashing towards their fallen idol.

“Stand back!” Spike warned as electricity criss-crossed the downed unicorn for several seconds. 

A faint breathing sound made them sigh in relief. “She’s still alive,” they grinned.

“Was that really necessary?!” Twilight exclaimed in exasperation, “You could’ve killed her!”

“Could have,” Zappo shrugged, “But didn’t”.

“What were you thinking?! This isn’t the way ponies solve our problems! It’s not the right way to do things around here!” Twilight glared at him.

“If we were ponies like you, we probably would’ve at least tried to talk her down beforehand. Unfortunately for her, we are not ponies,” Zappo countered.

“And to think that’s what’s sleeping in my barn at night,” Applejack shuddered, “I’m sure hoping that this will be a one-off thing”.

“We didn’t come here to get embroiled in petty problems like this, but if anyone else is stupid enough to make threats against either me or any of my friends, they might as well kiss their life goodbye,” Zappo said aloud, ensuring everyone could hear him as he walked towards Archie, “Trixie made that mistake and has paid for it. In future, she’ll think twice before ignorantly picking any more fights, especially with us”.

He pulled a small blue berry from his backpack and offered it to Archie, before producing another berry, a slightly lighter shade of blue with small green leaves where the stem was connected, and handing it to CJ, “Here, eat these”.

“What are they?” Twilight asked as the Charizard and the Serperior accepted the berries, wolfing them down.

“The blue one is an Oran Berry,” replied Zappo, “It possesses special healing properties that will help him recover from any injuries. Unfortunately, we don’t have very many left. The other one is a Rawst Berry, and that'll help heal that burn on his side".

After just a few minutes, Archie seemed to be as fresh as he was before the battle started.

“Incredible,” Twilight mused, mostly to herself, “They have the power to not only cause great destruction, but they can potentially fix it back to its original status as well... This is definitely going to require further examination”.

~~~
Dear Princess Celestia,
I know that I should be writing a report on friendship, but a pressing new situation has arisen which requires attention since I last wrote. 
The new arrivals in Ponyville known as ‘Pokémon’ have surprised me greatly over the past few weeks. There is much we have to learn about these fascinating creatures, if we are to potentially co-exist with them. While none of them possess magical powers as we know it, they do possess unique and somewhat dangerous abilities, such as casting potentially lethal lightning bolts, or summoning enormous vines from underground, all without the use of magic. They seem to show expert control over their abilities, and it is obvious that they all share a close bond as a team.
One thing that does concern me though, is their reckless habit (and seeming enjoyment) of picking fights with others, which today’s events revealed it to be something at which they excel at. They say that their homeland has experienced great turmoil throughout its history, which would explain why they are so aggressive and turn to violence as a first resort to their problems.
Fortunately, you need not worry, as they are otherwise quite friendly and sociable when they’re not fighting, and they even seem surprisingly docile at times. Currently, their complex personalities are difficult to gauge on short notice, and over the next few weeks, I will watch them closely and try to piece together psychological profiles for each of them. I have insufficient data to properly make an assessment, so I don’t wish to make a false judgement at this time.
Your faithful student,
Twilight Sparkle.

~~~

Dear Twilight Sparkle,
Your report about the Pokémon is exceptionally interesting. Perhaps, at some point, I would like to meet these creatures for myself.
Do not worry yourself about the friendship reports. Just complete them whenever you find the time.
Princess Celestia.

[Sometime later, Ponyville Medical Ward]

“...ugh,” a soft grunt arose from the dishevelled figure lying in a stretcher.

“She’s coming around,” a Nurse spoke up. Several attendants stood nearby, monitoring the situation, “Trixie, how do you feel?”

“W-What happened...? I-I don’t feel too good...” Trixie groaned, “Where am I?”

“Settle down,” Nurse Redheart’s voice echoed in her ears, “You’re lucky to be alive, considering the beating you took...”

“W-What?” Trixie squinted, noticing that she was hooked up to a drip machine, “I don’t even...”

“You’ve been out cold for several days, now,” explained the Nurse, “Do you remember what happened?”

“...No,” Trixie flinched in pain, “It hurts too much when I think...” 

“This looks bad,” the nurses murmured to each other, “The blow had concussive side-effects, and has possibly induced memory-loss”.

“Could someone please care to enlighten me?” Trixie asked with a frown, “I can’t seem to recollect the events of the last twenty four hours...”

“You’ve been unconscious for the last twenty four hours,” said the Nurse, “That’s why”.

“Then, what happened before that?” asked Trixie, “I remember arriving in Ponyville to do a show... and then that’s it. It goes blank from there”.

“They must’ve really done a number on her...”

“Who did what?” Trixie sat up, “Do you know who did this to me?”

“Erm... unfortunately, it seems you picked a fight with some creatures called ‘Pokémon’,” explained the Nurse, “Does that name ring any bells?”

“Pokémon? Don’t be preposterous, that’s not even a word,” Trixie snapped, “Tell me honestly”.

“That is the honest truth,” the Nurse shrugged sheepishly, “You got involved in a fight, and frankly they beat you to a pulp”.

“Impossible... But I’m the Great and Powerful Trixie! Trixie is outdone by no-one!” she refused to believe this.

“Well then, I have no other explanation as to why you are in a hospital bed with concussion and short-term memory loss,” the Nurse shrugged, “The pixies must’ve done it”.

“Now you’re just mocking me,” Trixie pouted, then cringed as a wave of pain seemed to shake her head to its core.

“More morphine?” the Nurse asked politely. Trixie nodded eagerly, watching as the transparent liquid drain from a plastic bottle into her left foreleg via a thin hose. Then everything went hazy after that.

END CHAPTER 5
> Dragon Busters
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

CHAPTER 6

[Ponyville Park]

Several weeks had passed since the incident with Trixie. After she had recovered, she left Ponyville under the cover of darkness, and no-one noticed she was gone until the next morning. "Good riddance," Zappo had muttered afterward.

Today, Team Valkyrie were hanging around the park with Pinkie Pie, watching Rainbow Dash try to beat the record for bouncing a ball about without letting it touch the ground.

"... three twenty eight, three twenty nine, three thirty, three thirty one..." she was counting out loud.

"You know what would suck," Zappo spoke up, with a bottle of apple juice in his paw, "would be if a ninja had Tourette's syndrome. They'd try to sneak into someone's base, and then randomly shout 'TITS!'. By the time everyone rushes in to capture him, he's already buggered off, and it'd be like a ghost became a little vocal".

Several ponies in the park gave him strange looks.

"Zappo, I don't think that's how it works," CJ frowned, "Not to mention it's offensive to people with Tourette's. Besides, if he had that in the first place, they wouldn't even let him become a ninja, because he'd be a liability".

"...three thirty six, three thirty seven, three thirty eight..." Rainbow Dash continued.

"You know... that could actually work," Archie murmured, scratching his chin, "He could work in tandem with another ninja, and while he distracts the guards, his partner can sneak in and take out the target".

"...three forty two, three forty three..." Rainbow Dash bounced the ball a little too high, and almost ran into Fluttershy trying to recover it, startling the latter.

"Don't be such a scaredy-pony!" Rainbow Dash kept her focus on the ball, "It's just me! Future Equestria ball-bouncing record holder! Three forty six, three forty seven..."

"This calls for a celebration!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed, always eager for a party.

"Oh no, Pinkie Pie, this is no time for celebration," Fluttershy said worriedly, "This is a time for panic, for-"

"Ooh!" Pinkie Pie said excitedly, ignoring her, "I'm going to need balloons! One for every pony in Ponyville!"

"There-there's smoke," Fluttershy stammered urgently, "And-and where there's smoke, there's fire. And-"

"Let's see..." Fluttershy's timid voice fell on deaf ears as Pinkie Pie started counting the ponies in the park, "That's one, two, three, four..."

"Three hundred fifty four," Rainbow was still going.

"Five, six..." the two counts started to overlap each other.

"Three hundred fifty five... no wait..." Rainbow briefly looked confused, losing count, then sighed in agitation, "Pinkie Pie! Now I have to start over..."

"We're all going to have to start over in a new village," Fluttershy said softly, "Cause ours is gonna be-"

Rainbow Dash flew off into the sky, with Pinkie Pie running along behind her.

"Oh please, this is an emergency!" Fluttershy said urgently, "I-I need everypony to-"

"Listen up!" a new voice shouted, attracting everyone's attention. Everyone looked about to see Twilight Sparkle, with Spike on her back. "Smoke is spreading all over Equestria!"

The ponies were startled by this, looking to the sky, "What?! On no, that's awful!"

"That's what I was trying to say!" Fluttershy said exasperatedly.

"But don't worry," Twilight reassured them, "I've just received a letter from Princess Celestia informing me that it isn't coming from a fire".

Fluttershy sighed in relief, "Oh thank goodness".

"It's coming from a dragon," Twilight finished.

Fluttershy went white, "A...d- d-d-dragon?!"

Archie frowned at several ponies staring at him, "Hey, don't look at me! There's more than one dragon in Equestria, you know!"

[Ponyville Library]

Everyone had gathered around the foyer as Twilight flipped through several books at a rapid pace.

"What in the name of all things cinnamon-swirled is a full-grown dragon doing here in Equestria?!" Applejack exclaimed.

"Sleeping," Twilight answered simply.

"Huh?" the ponies looked confused.

"According to Princess Celestia, he's taking a nap," Twilight elaborated, "His snoring is what's causing all the smoke".

"He really should see a doctor," Pinkie Pie said concernedly, "That doesn't sound healthy at all!"

"Well, at least he isn't snoring fire," Rarity remarked, "What are we supposed to do about it?"

"I suppose we just wake him up and tell him to piss off," Zappo shrugged.

"We need to encourage him to take his nap elsewhere," Twilight frowned, "Would be the better way of putting it. Princess Celestia has given us our mission, and we must not fail. If we do, Equestria will be covered in smoke for the next one hundred years".

Fluttershy gasped in alarm.

"Hmph. Talk about getting your beauty sleep," Rarity raised an eyebrow.

"After one hundred years, he better wake up as a bloody supermodel," Zappo frowned, "Seriously, how can anyone sleep for that long?"

"Even I only need eight hours of sleep to recover," Archie remarked.

"Okay team!" Rainbow Dash stood firm, "The fate of Equestria is in our hooves! Do we have what it takes?"

Everyone bar Fluttershy gave a confident nod.

"And if worse comes to worst, we'll take this guy out and make him move!" Zappo thumbed his chest confidently.

"Alright then, everypony. I need you to gather supplies quickly. We've got a long journey ahead of us. Let's meet back here in less than an hour".

[One epic preparation montage later...]

Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Applejack and Rainbow Dash stood in line with their heads held high as Twilight addressed them.

"Alright gang, listen up! I'm mapping out the fastest route, but we've all got to keep a good pace if we expect to reach the mountain by nightfall".

"M-m-mountain?" Fluttershy trembled.

"The dragon is in that cave at the very top," Twilight pointed out.

"Looks pretty cold up there," Applejack shivered.

"You bet it is! The higher you go, the chillier it gets!" added Rainbow Dash.

"Good thing I brought my scarf," Rarity produced a long wool scarf and wrapped it around her neck.

"Ooh, pretty!" Pinkie Pie admired the handiwork.

"Heh, oh yeah! That'll keep you nice and cosy!" Rainbow Dash chuckled sarcastically.

Twilight pulled a map from her saddlebag and telekinetically held it in front of her.

Fluttershy gulped, "Um, excuse me, Twilight? I know you're busy, but..."

"Uh huh," Twilight nodded, off in her own world, "Well, we could go this way..."

"But if I could have just a second..." Fluttershy stammered.

"Uh huh, we should avoid that," Twilight didn't notice the soft-spoken Pegasus.

"So, um, I was thinking that, um, maybe I should just stay here in Ponyville".

"Uh huh," Twilight nodded absentmindedly.

"Oh, good!" Fluttershy turned to walk away, "I'll stay here and..."

Twilight suddenly realised Fluttershy was talking to her and turned about, "Wait! You have to come! Your way with wild animals will surely come in handy".

"I don't think I-" Fluttershy shook her head.

"Oh, and don't worry about your little friends in the meadow. Spike's got it covered," Twilight assured her.

"You can count on me!" Spike said cheerfully.

Angel kicked his head and all the animals scattered. "Ooh! Hey! Hey! Wait!" he ran off after them.

"I don't really think he's up to the task. Maybe..." she suddenly noticed Twilight walking away from her.

Rainbow Dash approached Twilight, "Are you sure you want Fluttershy to come along? I mean, that pony's afraid of her own shadow. She's just going to slow us down".

"Oh, she's just a little nervous," Twilight defended, "Once we get going, I'm sure she'll be fine".

Fluttershy suddenly noticed she had a shadow and jumped into a bush with a squeal of fright.

"Big vote of confidence, there," Zappo remarked dryly.

"All right gang, move out!" Twilight led the way.

Before Fluttershy could object, she was carried off her feet towards the mountainous task ahead, with Team Valkyrie in tow.

[Mountain Base]

Everyone stared up at the mountain in front of them. A loud rumbling sound echoed from the direction of the peak.

"What was that?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"That is what it sounds like when a dragon snores," Twilight replied.

"It-it's so... high!" Fluttershy whimpered.

"Well, it is a mountain," Rainbow raised an eyebrow, "I'm going to fly up there and check it out!"

Before she could leave however, Applejack grabbed her by the tail, preventing her from going anywhere. "Hold on now. I think we should all go up together. Safety in numbers an' all".

"Oh, all right," Rainbow huffed.

"I'll take the lead," Zappo offered, "CJ, you take up the rear, and Archie, you provide overwatch. If anything dares get in our way, they're going through us first".

Leading the procession, they slowly made their way up the side of a cliff.

Rarity tried to make conversation, "I hear the only thing that sparkles more than a dragon's scales are the jewels they use to build their nests. Ooh, if I play my cards right, I might be able to convince him to part with a few!"

"Welcome to my cave, Rarity!" Pinkie Pie put on a gruff accent, "Care for a diamond? Roar!"

The others chuckled at the impersonation.

"People, this is no laughing matter! Fluttershy, you're the expert on wild creatures. What do you think the dragon will be like?"

Silence answered her question. She looked about in confusion, "Fluttershy?"

Everyone looked at CJ, who was dragging the trembling Pegasus along in his vines, "I think she's scared of heights. She's frozen up like a statue".

"Well, this is going to take a while if she isn't co-operating," Zappo shook his head, "Archie, carry her".

"No problem," Archie collected her up in his arms and took flight.

"Let's move on people! We have a tight schedule here," Zappo beckoned.

[Mountain Ravine]

After navigating across a deep gap in the cliff face, the group arrived in a ravine. Fluttershy was confident enough to move again, so Archie placed her down.

"Keep it down," Twilight whispered, "According to my map, we're entering an avalanche zone. The smallest peep could cause a huge rock slide..."

"An... ava-ava..." Fluttershy stammered.

"Shhh!" Twilight hissed.

As the group cautiously moved forward, Rainbow Dash brushed past a tree, knocking off several leaves. One such leaf happened to land on Fluttershy. Startled, she squealed.

Faster than she could blink, Applejack shoved her hoof over her mouth to shut her up, but it was still too late. Fluttershy's voice echoed up and down the valley.

A distant rumbling sound shook the valley, and rocks started tumbling down the cliff above them.

"Way to go, miss jumpy!" Zappo growled, "Frightened by a bloody leaf of all things!"

"Look out!" the ponies darted about erratically to avoid the incoming torrent of rocks. Rainbow Dash zipped in and out of falling rocks with a series of spectacular aerial stunts, making it look easy. Archie quickly flew towards the other side of the ravine, avoiding the rockslide entirely, while CJ simply split the rocks in half with Leaf Blade, nullifying their impact. Fluttershy however, remained frozen in terror.

"Ugh," Zappo shook his head, "I've gotta do everything around here..."

Launching off in a Quick Attack, he purposefully charged straight towards Fluttershy, who reflexively cringed at the last second. Swooping her up in his paws, the four foot tall mouse with an equally-sized Pegasus in hand bolted about, jumping to avoid house-sized boulders with such agility that to Fluttershy, it was all a stomach-churning, blurry roller-coaster ride.

After several panic-stricken minutes, the rock slide subsided, leaving a cloud of dust lingering in the air.

"Everypony okay?" Applejack spoke up.

"Everyone is accounted for," CJ nodded.

Rarity shook a layer of dust off her coat, "Ugh..."

Pinkie Pie jumped about gleefully, "Whoo-hoo! Let's do it again!"

"This is why a girl always packs extra accessories," Rarity muttered, pulling out her scarf again, "Oh please tell me I brought the tiara that goes with this..."

"Uh, I think we have bigger problems than making sure our hair bows match our horseshoes..." Rainbow Dash muttered, referring to the large pile of debris in their way.

Zappo placed Fluttershy down with a glare, "Next time you do something like that, I'm not hauling your dumb arse out of it".

Fluttershy's response was a half-choked gargle as she stumbled about, almost ready to throw up from dizziness. After a few seconds, she found her footing and squeaked a soft "sorry".

"Aw, no big whoop, sugar cube," Applejack assured her.

"Yeah," Twilight sighed, "We'll just have to climb over..."

For Rainbow Dash and Archie, it was simply a matter of flying over, which didn't require much effort. However, for those on foot, it was tough going. On the way down the other side, Fluttershy lost her footing and startling sliding down the slide of rocks, collecting up Rarity on the way. Fortunately, CJ quickly lashed out with Vine Whip to grab Fluttershy around the waist, hauling her to stop, while Zappo jabbed the broad end of his tail into the ground, using it as an anchor, catching Rarity before she snowballed into Applejack.

"Watch your step," CJ advised, "That could've ended in disaster".

Rainbow Dash sighed in agitation, "Still think it was a good idea to bring Fluttershy?"

"This is why I hate escort runs," Zappo grumbled, "We have to be responsible for the client's safety, as well as our own".

"What's wrong with extra responsibility?" asked Twilight.

"It's just much easier if the only thing we have to worry about is ourselves," Zappo replied, "And less stressful. There's less liability that the mission will go wrong, because we only have ourselves to blame. But if someone else fucks up, then it ruins the entire thing".

"Can you please stop swearing?" Twilight frowned in annoyance, "It makes you look second-class and tacky".

Zappo blinked in confusion, "... Second class? I'm not second-class! I object to being classified as such!"

"And I object to your consistent use of profanity," Twilight countered, "It's uncultured and rude! Please broaden your vocabulary and find some other way to express your frustrations".

"I did that, but the last time I found another way, I nearly killed a guy," Zappo muttered.

"What did you do?" Twilight asked, "On second thoughts, don't answer that..."

"I decked him for being an asshole," Zappo shrugged casually.

"I thought as much," Rarity murmured, "Such an uncivilised place, you must come from..."

"No, Zappo just has no sense of tact," CJ shook his head, "His actions and opinions don't represent everything that is Pokémon kind. To judge the rest of us based on him would be a highly unfair generalisation indeed".

Twilight suddenly stopped, bringing the entire column to a halt. "We're here".

[Dragon's Cave]

Standing in the mouth to a large cave, with thick smoke pouring out at the top, the group stared straight into the darkness.

Twilight spoke up, "Rainbow Dash and Archie, use your wings to clear the smoke".

Rainbow and Archie both nodded.

"Rarity and Pinkie Pie, you'll create a diversion to distract the dragon if things gets hairy in there," said Twilight.

Pinkie Pie started throwing around a squeaky rubber chicken, much to everyone's amusement.

"Applejack, CJ and Zappo, you three are our last line of defence if he decides to attack, but it shouldn't come to that, because Fluttershy will do what she needs to do to wake him up, and between the two of us, we should be able to understand why he needs to go. Is everypony ready?"

"You can count on us," Zappo gave a confident nod.

"Alright, we're going in!" Twilight stepped inside, "So what is the best way to wake up a sleeping dragon without upsetting him?"

Silence answered her question. She turned about, "Fluttershy?"

The Pegasus had dug herself into the ground, unwilling to move any closer.

"Oh come on! We have to do this!" Twilight ran around to push Fluttershy from behind, "Every second longer that dragon sleeps is another acre of Equestria covered in smoke!"

Zappo grunted, "Archie, give us a hand here, please".

Archie landed inches from Fluttershy's face and simply hauled her into the air. She squealed, "I-I-I can't go in the cave!"

"What? Why?" Archie tilted his head and placed her down, "We've come this far, haven't we? And I'm not about to give up on a mission because someone is backing out at the last possible second".

"So she's scared of caves now?" Rainbow Dash muttered.

"I'm not scared of caves," Fluttershy defended, "I'm scared of..."

"What's that, sugar cube?" Applejack tilted her head.

"I'm scared of..." she trailed off, unable to finish her sentence.

"What?" asked Zappo loudly.

"I'm scared of dragons!" Fluttershy spluttered.

There was a brief moment of silence, followed by a loud rumbling noise from inside the cave.

"Well, I guess that's fair enough," Archie shrugged, "Sometimes I even scare myself..."

"But Fluttershy, you have a wonderful talent for dealing with all kinds of animals!" Twilight protested.

"Yes, but they're not dragons," Fluttershy replied.

"Oh come on! We've seen you walk up to the horrible Manticore like it was nothing!" Rainbow argued.

"The what, now?" Zappo asked.

"He wasn't a dragon," Fluttershy countered.

"Spike is a dragon, but you're not scared of him," Pinkie Pie pointed out.

"Because he's not a huge, gigantic, terrifying, enormous, teeth-gnashing, sharp-scale having, horn-wearing, smoke-snoring, could eat a pony in one bite, totally all grown-up dragon!" Fluttershy answered at length.

"What about me?" Archie asked, slightly miffed, "I haven't seen you complain once about me".

"You're different," Fluttershy replied, "I used to be scared of you when you first arrived. Even now, I'm a little nervous to even look you in the eye, but you're a very civil and polite dragon, traits that Equestrian dragons don't have".

"Erm, the correct word is 'Charizard'," Archie clarified, "I'm not a true dragon. I think I'm repeating myself here..."

"But then, if you're so scared of dragons, why didn't you say something before we come up all the way up here?" asked Twilight.

"I... I was afraid to," Fluttershy looked away.

"Well, in her defence," Archie pointed out, "There were several blatantly obvious signs in her behaviour that she clearly didn't want to be here. For example, even all the way back at the briefing in the library, she was quite shifty and uncomfortable about something. Before we left, she asked to stay behind back in Ponyville. As we went along, the endeavour was making her more skittish and jumpy with each step, and as such, she was easily startled by the leaf that fell on her back, triggering the rock slide".

"Fluttershy's always a nervous wreck though," Rainbow frowned, "To us that was just normal behaviour for her".

"I didn't picture you to be so observant, Archie," Twilight murmured, "Even I didn't pick up on any of that, and I've known her for longer than you".

"Just offering a third-party perspective," Archie shrugged.

"Well, what can your third-party perspective tell us about how we go about waking up this dragon?" asked Rarity.

"To be honest, I've never met an Equestrian dragon before. In my experience, Pokémon dragons don't listen to you unless you bash their heads in first. Once you beat them down, they're fine".

The ponies gave him horrified stares.

"What? It shows them that you're badder than them, and they'll respect you for that," Archie frowned, "It's a bit of a weird society we live in, and it takes a bit of getting used to. Don't think too much into it".

"In other news," Zappo interjected loudly, "We have a dragon to awaken here!"

"Don't worry," Applejack reassured Fluttershy, "We're all scared of that dragon".

Zappo coughed loudly, and Rainbow Dash puffed up in pride, "I'm not!"

"Almost all of us are scared of that dragon," Applejack continued, "But we have a job to do. So get in there with Twilight and show her what you're made of!"

"I-I-I just... can't," Fluttershy sagged, and stated pacing away.

"Oh, Fluttershy..." Twilight just shook her head.

[Inside Dragon's Cave]

"I'm going in," Twilight swallowed, "He probably just doesn't know what he's doing... right?"

"Phew," Zappo whistled, "That thing's bigger than I anticipated..."

"Now can you see why we're nervous?" Twilight turned to him.

"Kinda, yeah," Zappo sized up the enormous titan before him.

The dragon in question was, for lack of a better word, huge. It easily dwarfed everyone present, and must've been at least one hundred metres long. The large red scales covering its hide were almost the size of Zappo's head, and each one probably weighed more than him too. There were two columns of smoke rising from its nostrils, which clustered at the roof and drifted outside. It was resting on a massive nest of what CJ estimated to be billions of dollars worth of gold coins, diamonds and jewellery.

After a few seconds though, he shrugged nonchalantly, "Meh, We've got this".

Twilight looked at him like he was insane, "I'm sorry, what?!"

"Hey CJ, Rayquaza was about the same size as this guy, wasn't he?" Zappo turned about.

"They're certainly very similar in overall size, now that I think about it..." CJ murmured.

"Yep, we've got this," Zappo cracked his paws, "You go ahead and wake him up. If anything goes wrong, just get the hell out of here. You don't have to worry about a thing".

"Who's Rayquaza?" asked Twilight.

"The 'king' of the dragons," Zappo replied flippantly, "a story for another time".

Team Valkyrie all gathered around Twilight, ready to intervene at a moment's notice. "Now, go wake this poor bastard up," Zappo nodded.

Twilight gulped and hesitantly approached the dragon, "Mr Dragon? Excuse me, Mr Dragon?"

"You have to be more assertive than that," Archie scoffed, "No-one responds to hesitance or weakness. Especially not dragons".

"You're not helping!" Twilight hissed. The dragon slowly stirred and turned over, finally opening his eyes.

"Oh good, you're awake!" Twilight shuffled nervously, "Please allow me to introduce myself. I'm Twilight-"

The dragon yawned loudly in her face. On close inspection, its massive jaws could probably fit the entire gang inside, with the exception of Archie. Even then, in comparison, he was only the size of the dragon's head.

Twilight coughed and spluttered, "... Sparkle, and my friends and I are residents here in Equestria. Ponyville to be exact. We've come here to ask that you find another spot to take your nap. It's just that you seem to be doing an awful lot of snoring, and every time you do you send out a terrible cloud of smoke". The dragon snorted in her face, causing her to cough again. Undaunted, she continued, "Equestria simply can't survive a hundred years in a dark haze. You understand, don't you?"

The dragon stood up lazily, revealing its entire true size. Its head nearly touched the roof of the cave.

"So, you'll find another place to sleep?" Twilight asked hopefully.

The dragon slumped back down, trying to fall back asleep, breathing a cloud of choking smoke into her face.

Desperate for fresh air, she rushed out of the cave in a coughing fit.

"So much for persuading him," Rainbow Dash spluttered.

"Now what?" asked Applejack.

Rarity stepped forward, "Obviously, this situation just calls for a little 'pony charm'. Allow me".

She brazenly walked right up to the dragon, who watched her closely. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but I couldn't possibly head back home without mentioning what handsome scales you have. And those scales have to be hidden away in some silly cave for a hundred years?"

The dragon smiled coyly at the attention, and even tried to slick back the spines on its head. While she was talking, she slipped several pieces of rather expensive jewellery on.

"Personally, I think you should skip the snoozing and be out there, showing them off, hmm? Obviously, I would be more than happy to keep an eye on your jewels while you're gone..."

The dragon suddenly snarled at her last statement, quite miffed that someone would dare place a claim on its beloved treasure horde.

Rarity squeaked, dropped everything and bolted. "And I was this close to getting that diamond..."

"You mean, getting rid of that dragon?" Twilight raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, yeah... sure," Rarity glanced aside.

A loud honk drew their attention to Pinkie Pie, who had adorned herself in a cardboard box, flippers, balloons, and other party-themed gimmicks.

"What in tarnation...?!" Applejack murmured.

"Darling, you simply look ridiculous!" Rarity scoffed.

"Exactly!" Pinkie Pie smiled, "Sharing a laugh is a sure-fire way to get someone on your side!"

She gleefully strolled right up to the dragon, "Hi!"

The dragon frowned and popped every single one of her balloons in a single swipe.

"Apparently he doesn't like laughing," Pinkie Pie walked back out, "Or sharing".

'Alright, that's it!" Rainbow Dash yelled in agitation, "We tried persuasion, we tried charm, we tried... whatever Pinkie does... now it's time to stop wasting time! I'm going in!"

She charged in before anyone could stop her. "Rainbow, no!" Twilight exclaimed.

"Get... OUT!" Rainbow rammed her feet into the dragon's nose in a powerful kick.

The dragon sneezed, but otherwise looked completely indifferent. It growled lowly, and then roared in her face, sending her flying across and out the cave.

The ponies scattered as the dragon hauled itself out of the cave, roaring angrily, and blowing a large puff of smoke in their direction. The gale threw them against a boulder, incapacitating them all and shattering the rock, revealing a trembling Fluttershy behind it. She squeaked in alarm when she saw the dragon, and what it had done to her friends. And then she saw Team Valkyrie, all poised to strike.

"That's our cue!" Zappo smiled gleefully, "Archie, Dragon Claw!"

"On it," Archie grinned and launched forward.

The dragon initially looked puzzled, then roared at Team Valkyrie, shifting its smoke attack towards them.

Archie simply charged right through the gale as his claws took a bright blue energetic glow, "Eat THIS!"

As Archie passed by, he made a broad slash at the dragon's chest, leaving three large blazes of blue energy where he struck.

The dragon screamed in agony, completely surprised at the power of the attack. Of course, it knew nothing about Types, so it was quite shocked by the Dragon Claw's effectiveness.

"What Type do you suppose he is?," CJ asked Zappo.

"He looks like either a Dragon/Flying, or a Fire/Flying," Zappo answered, "Either way, you're not going to be of much effectiveness. You make sure the ponies are safe, and Archie and I will take this beast out".

CJ nodded, and went to work dragging each unconscious pony to a safe location.

Zappo meanwhile attacked the dragon with Thunderbolt, "Over here!"

The dragon grunted in pain as the electric blast struck its mark, and it lashed out with its claws. Archie made another pass and slashed at the dragon's forearm, negating its attack. The dragon clutched its arm in agony, roaring furiously.

Zappo dashed towards and around the dragon with Quick Attack, scrambling up its back. "Boo!" he launched a Thunderbolt at point blank range. The dragon swiped about angrily, almost throwing a fit.

Archie swooped in front of the dragon and slashed again with a third Dragon Claw, striking the dragon's face. The dragon roared furiously, now completely blinded by rage and pain. The entire mountain shook with such force that several rock slides were triggered down below.

[Canterlot Palace]

Princess Celestia blinked in surprise at the loud roar echoing from the mountain.

"Goodness, what are those ponies doing up there? I hope they're alright..." she murmured in concern.

[Dragon's Cave Entrance]

The dragon hunched over, clutching its chest and breathing heavily with a fierce look in its eyes.

Twilight slowly stirred from her immobile state, and her eyes snapped wide open.

"What are those idiots doing?!" she whispered in horror.

The dragon stared Archie in the eye with pure venom and malice. Archie stared back with a determined look, "Now you're ready to play seriously". He straightened out, extending his arms, "Come at me, bro!"

That it did, as the dragon launched an enormous blast of fire that ploughed into Archie, completely destroying the surrounding area.

"Archie!" Twilight exclaimed.

The attack kicked up a vicious dust storm that obscured everyone's view.

"ARCHIE!" Twilight panicked, "Y-Y-You probably killed him! He'll be burned to a cinder!"

The dragon flashed a wicked grin, as the dust slowly cleared up, and then its expression suddenly turned to one of pure shock and surprise.

Archie stood completely still, entirely unfazed, and with a nasty grin on his face, "Heh. That felt nice, actually". He turned about and pointed at his back, "There's a spot right in between my wings I just can't reach, you see, and it's been irritating me for a while. Would you mind doing that again? I think it will hit the spot..."

The dragon just stared, thunderstruck by how this... thing actually enjoyed its all-consuming blast of fiery doom. That was just not normal. It slowly started to back away, unsure of what to make of this.

"Well, if you're not going to do that, then can you please do us a different favour?" Archie turned about, "Your snoring is causing problems for the locals, so could you please move to a different location?"

The dragon rapidly nodded and rushed back inside its cave. If more things like him were living around here, it certainly didn't want to cause any problems.

In a flash, the dragon was back out, carrying as much treasure as it could stuff in its arms and took flight, disappearing in amongst the clouds.

By now, all of the ponies were back on their feet, staring in awe at the feat that Team Valkyrie had just accomplished.

"You actually made a dragon back down?!" Rainbow Dash gawked incredulously, "Duuude, I'm way out of your league!"

"Rarity, I think he might have accidently left a few gems in his rush to get out," Zappo pointed, "They're up for grabs if you want them".

Rarity's eyes sparkled like the diamonds in front of her, "... I can't believe it... This is still at least twenty percent of his entire stockpile... and it's all mine!"

"The gems," Zappo emphasized, "I'm placing dibs on the gold coins".

"Yes, of course!" Rarity gleefully accepted the terms, grabbing up all the diamonds, gemstones and jewellery she could find, which was still far more than she could handle in one trip.

"I have to hand it to you," Twilight still found this to be surreal, "I'd never think I'd be more grateful for having you three around than I am now. Archie, how did you stand up to that fire blast like it was nothing? Anyone else would've been outright killed!"

"I'm a Fire-Type," Archie grinned, "To me, molten lava is a nice warm bath. That guy wouldn't even roast a marshmallow where I come from".

The trip home was spent in almost complete silence, as the ponies tried to fathom the unfathomable.

Fluttershy quietly followed along behind, dejected as to how useless she had been.

Applejack turned around and slowed down, "Hey, don't you worry none about anything! At any rate, now we have more reason to be scared of Team Valkyrie than anything else, right? Right?"

Fluttershy smiled softly, "I guess so..."

"Good thing they're on our side, eh?" Applejack nudged her side, "Come on! I'm sure Pinkie Pie will have another one of her fancy parties set up almost as soon as we get home".

Fluttershy nodded with a soft smile.

...

Dear Princess Celestia,

Today's events have been very eye-opening for me. Team Valkyrie was able to stand up a full-grown dragon and win, a feat even I have trouble believing, but they did it without so much as a scratch to show for it. I have learnt that Archie's skin is effectively fire-proof, and my friends and I are witnesses to the fact that it held up to the dragon's fire blast attack.

Fluttershy has been feeling a little down as of recently, possibly because the trip was somewhat of a nightmare for her. Several times, she inadvertently hindered the journey, such as having trouble with heights and accidentally causing a rock slide. I personally feel responsible for this, as I was unaware of how stressful this entire trip was for her.

In future, I will have to be more mindful about things like that.

Your faithful student,

Twilight Sparkle

END CHAPTER 6
> The Night of Wild Weather
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

CHAPTER 7

[Sharpedo Bay]

A lone figure swam into the shelter of the bay, silhouetted by the piercing evening sun.

On the beach, stood two more figures, waiting patiently.

"Wigglytuff," the first figure greeted calmly as it approached, "I bring good news".

"Good news would be much appreciated at this time, Lapras. Or should I say, 'Marco'?" Wigglytuff nodded with a smirk.

"Team Valkyrie has successfully settled in a far away land called 'Equestria', and will begin exploration within the next few weeks," replied Marco.

"They made it?" Wigglytuff murmured, "Just last week, one of their supply crates washed up on the beach, and we thought something had happened to them..."

"Yes, we were attacked by Sharpedoes en-route, and the cargo was lost, however, we were still able to make landfall without another hitch," said Marco. He noticed Wigglytuff's companion, a small black fox entirely concealed in pitch-black garments, with the exception of its bright blue eyes. "Who's this?" Marco asked.

"This is Connor," Wigglytuff answered, "He's the newest addition to the Guild since Team Valkyrie left. He's a Zorua, a very rare Pokémon with the ability to cast illusions, for example changing their appearance to make it seem like they are actually someone else. His ability Illusion is very useful for stealth and reconnaissance, and we have made good use of him to scout out possible treasure spots. I was just showing him this beach, and how his predecessors always used to come here over an evening".

"I have heard much about Team Valkyrie and their exploits," Connor spoke up, "To save the world twice over from Darkrai's schemes is a very impressive feat indeed".

"What inspired you to become and Explorer then?" Marco asked, "Following in your heroes' footsteps?"

"No," Connor shook his head, "I'm interested in making money, and the best way to do that is by searching out hidden treasure troves full of loot. But the only problem is that the troves here are starting to run out. Everyone keeps finding one every day, and I fear there'll be none left by the time I'm ready to make my own explorations".

"So we were wondering," Wigglytuff asked, "Would you be willing to take Connor here to Equestria as well? It would be good for us to have more than just one team there".

Marco stared at the Zorua, and then sighed, "Fine. We leave tomorrow. I will drop you off at the same location we dropped Team Valkyrie. Once you're there, however, you're on your own. Are you sure about this?"

"Connor has proven to be a very capable explorer," Wigglytuff nodded with confidence, "He'll be able to find them, I have no doubt".

"Well, if there's one thing you must know before you leave, is that you must bring your own food for the journey," said Marco, "It is a long way away, and will take at least several nights to get there".

"I understand," Connor nodded.

"Once we leave, we are not turning back. Make sure to alert any family about this, and be ready to leave by lunchtime tomorrow". Marco waved a flipper in goodbye, turned about and swam off.

[Equestria]

In the aftermath of the Battle of the Dragon's Cave, as it came to be known, the news of Team Valkyrie and their exploit spread across the land like wildfire, and rumours were wildly exaggerated. Some stories told of how Archie survived the equivalent to a nuclear bomb and laughed at it, or how the three Pokémon took on a two hundred foot long, fifty tonne monster of unimaginable power, and not only saved Twilight and her friends, but Equestria's very existence.

Whatever the variation, the team had become celebrities overnight, and many media groups flocked to Ponyville to get a first-hand account from the heroes themselves. Very few reporters were even able to locate the illusive group, who were actually camping out in the Dragon's Cave for several weeks, making several trips a day to bring their claim home, safe from potential looters.

Not only were they heroes, but instant millionaires as well. The loot gathered from the remains of the dragon's treasure filled up three large vaults, containing in excess of several million bits each. It took them ten trips to transport the entire amount to a new, undisclosed location.

The first thing they did was begin construction of their new base of operations, situated along the highway to Canterlot, two kilometres from Ponyville. The new base would feature separate rooms for each of them to stay in, tailored to suit their own personal needs and desires, as well as numerous rooms for guests if the need ever arose. The main hall would be a large circular dome with a twenty meter diameter floor, and would rise five meters into the air at the highest point. This would be orbited by two smaller domes directly across from each other. The dome to the left will be the Operations room, where Team Valkyrie would plan out all future expeditions. The dome on the right was much smaller, and had a ladder which would lead to the underground level. Down there would be the base's accommodation and supply stores, all to be made of reinforced concrete slabs.

The construction workers estimated that the entire base would be fully completed in a minimum of three months. For the time being, Team Valkyrie would continue to operate out of Applejack's barn, which was renovated to accommodate them.

The gems, jewellery and diamonds Rarity found were making her a fortune, and now she was now able to purchase more expensive material to use in her projects, thus making more money from her fashion store. Several big fashion brands would purchase some of these gems for large sums of money, and Rarity became a flourishing tycoon of business. Some ponies worried that the money would get to her head; however she assured them that she was fully aware that the gems from the cave would run out eventually, and thus was careful not to spend outrageous amounts at a time.

Eventually, the hype of the event died down, and life resumed as normal.

[Three weeks after the Dragon's Cave event]

"Valkyrie, listen up," Zappo addressed his team, "Rainbow Dash has informed me that tonight, they have scheduled a thunderstorm to take place over Ponyville, in order to keep up with the annual quota for rain".

CJ and Archie looked at each other, then back at Zappo. "What does this have to do with us?" asked CJ.

"Rainbow has asked us to help with the clean-up duty," Zappo explained, "They're pruning back the trees so that there isn't so much debris flying about, but they're still worried that some of the trees might become dislodged and fall over, endangering lives and creating a mess".

"So, we're doing the job of a Rescue Team, then?" CJ raised an eyebrow.

"They're going to need all the extra muscle they can get," Zappo answered.

"I don't like the sound of this," Archie shifted uncomfortably, "rain doesn't mix well with me. Neither does water in general for that matter".

"I have talked to Twilight Sparkle about that," Zappo replied, "And she's promised me that she's working on a magic spell that will keep you dry throughout the entire night".

"If you say so..." Archie tilted his head.

"The rainstorm is due to start within the next hour. The Pegasi are already gathering up their storm clouds. Let's get going," Zappo beckoned.

[Ponyville Library]

Approaching the library, Zappo knocked several times on the door. After several seconds, Twilight opened the door.

"Is it ready yet?" Zappo asked, getting straight to the point.

"Yes, it is!" Twilight eagerly showed them inside, "Everyone, step right over here".

Twilight directed Archie to stand in the middle of the foyer as she walked over to her desk, and pulled three objects out of a draw. They were small circular seals, with a bright blue colouration.

"These seals will protect the wearers with a magical barrier that dispels all liquids," Twilight explained, "Meaning that even in torrential rain, you won't even feel a single drop. There is one for each of you, considering you'll all be working late shift, and this storm probably won't subside until tomorrow morning. I've designed them to attach to your badges, for simplicity".

"That's very thoughtful of you," Archie smiled gratefully as she pinned the seal to his badge.

After several seconds, he was surrounded by a bright blue glow, which settled down into a thin barrier that hovered just millimetres from his skin, wings and all, before turning completely transparent altogether.

"Let's see if it works," Zappo poured a cup of apple juice from the bottle in his backpack.

"It does!" Twilight nodded, "I tested it on Spike shortly before he left for Canterlot".

Zappo shrugged and drank the juice down, placing the cup back in his backpack.

Twilight handed CJ and Zappo their respective seals, and gestured them towards the door, "I hope you don't overexert yourselves out there. It's hard work to clear up any fallen trees".

"Don't worry about a thing," Zappo waved his paw.

"Well, if there's nothing further ado, go see Applejack and she'll show you what you have to do. Good luck out there!" Twilight closed the door behind them.

"Yo Applejack!" Zappo called out, attracting the pony's attention, "What do we have to do about this 'pruning' business?"

"Ah! You fellers come over 'ere and I'll show you!" Applejack gestured towards a tree. "See, what you've gotta do is remove all the small twigs and branches so that way, when the storm hits, they won't snap off and potentially injure somepony," she explained, clambering up the tree. Starting at the lowest branch, she methodically removed every protruding limb and discarded it on the ground.

"See? Now you try it," Applejack jumped down.

CJ reached up with his vines, snapping them off at a rapid rate, "Like this?"

"Yep! You've got the hang of it! I'll start on the trees over in this direction," she walked off.

"This isn't so hard," Zappo murmured, dashing up the tree with Quick Attack, "We'll get this done in no time!"

"What about all the fallen twigs?" asked Archie.

"We'll put them in a pile and burn them later," Zappo said flippantly, "Once the storm is gone, of course".

"You know, once we get our base set up and everything, we really should start doing some actual exploring," said CJ, "All we've done so far is hang around Ponyville, and we've long established that there's nothing here".

"I was planning that after this storm is over," Zappo tore several twigs off at once, "That we make an expedition out to Everfree Forest. The ponies seem to hold that place with a regard of fear and hostility, so maybe we should check it out for ourselves".

"Hmm, yes. Go straight back into the Forest of Perpetual Doom," Archie remarked, "As if taking down a fabled dragon wasn't enough, now we have to clean out all the pests in this place".

"It'd be a good chance for some exercise," Zappo jumped out of the tree, "Go out, meet the locals, bash them and we go home".

"There's probably lots of lots ruins and stories in there," CJ pondered, "We might rediscover what happened to some wretch that got lost and died, or even discover a hidden treasure horde".

"It's probably some Tarzan-esque guy that just lives out there almost thinking he or she is one of them," Archie shrugged, "Living out in the wild for too long can mess with your brain like that".

"What on Earth are you three talking about?" Rarity approached them.

"Hmm? Oh, we were just talking about going to Everfree Forest in the next couple of days," Zappo replied.

"Everfree... what?! Are you guys insane?" Rarity was incredulous, "There are Timberwolves and other goodness-knows-what creatures that could kill you in seconds out there! Nopony in their right mind would go there, and for good reason!"

Zappo had an unsettling grin, "And that's exactly why we're going there".

"I'm sorry, but... have you gone mad?" Rarity looked perplexed.

"Probably," CJ muttered.

Rarity just shook her head and walked away, "What are these creatures which we have accepted into our midst...?!"

"In all honesty, have you gone mad?" CJ turned to his orange companion, "You're quite eager to go throw yourself into some hellhole just to satisfy your lust for action and battle".

"It's good exercise, lots of fresh air, outdoors," Zappo explained, "And we come home knowing that we're still the baddest in the land".

"That's it? You have no higher ambitions for the entire time we're in Equestria?" Archie raised an eyebrow.

"Well, the exploring and the treasure are nice, too," Zappo admitted, "But it's boring if there's no true action and excitement!"

"Team Valkyrie?" a Pegasus flew up to them, "we're all done here and ready to begin the storm. I heard that you're doing the night shift rescue work, correct? Good luck with that".

As if on cue, the rain started falling. Archie reflexively flinched as the rain drops struck his nose, but found that they instead struck the magical shield with a soft blue splash, keeping him dry.

A shriek drew their attention to Rarity and Applejack, who were still outside.

"Oh no! My wonderfully styled mane shall be ruined!" Rarity moaned.

"Ya shoulda' hurried up and finished the job already!" Applejack frowned.

The rain slowly increased in intensity.

"Oh! Ah! Oh!" Rarity jumped about desperately, "It's coming down too fast! Ah! Oh! Oh! Help me!"

"Archie, give 'em a hand," Zappo sighed.

Archie walked over and held his right wing over Rarity's head, providing shelter. "I thought you of all ponies would be indoors by now," he remarked.

"Well, the rain started a little earlier than I anticipated," Rarity said sheepishly.

"There's a park table over there she can take shelter under," Applejack pointed out.

"Oh, yes please," Rarity breathed a sigh of relief, walking across, "I doubt Archie is going to stand like that for the entire storm".

She inspected the table, and stepped back, "Erm no. I'm not hiding under that".

"What now?" Applejack huffed.

"I prefer not to get my hooves muddy," Rarity pointed at a puddle of sticky mud under the table.

"There's no pleasing ya, is there?" Applejack shook her head in frustration, "Everything's gotta be just so".

"Well, and how does muddying my hooves serve any purpose?"Rarity scoffed.

"You wouldn't know 'useful' if it came up and bit 'ya," Applejack sneered.

"That doesn't even make any sense!" Rarity countered.

"Does too!" Applejack countered.

"Does not!"

"Does too!"

"Does not!"

"Does too!"

"Erm, don't you two have more important things to worry about?" Archie tilted his head, still acting as Rarity's umbrella, "Such as getting out of this rain?"

"The dragon has a point," Rarity nodded, "What say we go our separate ways before one of us says something she will regret?"

"Charizard," Archie muttered under his breath.

"I reckon y'all are gonna say something you'll regret first!" Applejack muttered.

"On the contrary, I believe it shall most likely be you who says something you'll-"

"OI!" Zappo shouted, becoming irritated, "Less bickering, more moving!"

"Sure," Applejack shifted tensely, "Y'all just be on your way then".

"After you," Rarity gestured.

There was a brief pause as the rain continued to pelt down, and finally the two ponies slowly started to pace backwards away from each other.

A loud crack of thunder erupted in the distance. Archie suddenly found both ponies clinging tightly to his neck.

"A little jumpy this afternoon, are we?" he remarked.

"Perhaps we should stick together for now and find some shelter," Rarity shakily offered.

"Uh-huh, perhaps we should," Applejack agreed, "And fast".

"Twilight's place is just over there," CJ pointed out, "Maybe she'll be happy to offer you a roof for the night".

"Whoa nelly," Applejack looked uncertain, "Is inside a tree really the best place to be in a lightning storm?"

"Trees don't conduct electricity," said Zappo, "Even if the tree was struck, the only thing that might happen is a brief increase in temperature. A tree that size is too big to be affected too badly".

"And you know that... how?" Applejack wasn't convinced.

"I'm an Electric Type," Zappo looked at her, "Do you think I know nothing about how my own element works?"

"Well, no..." Applejack murmured.

"Then shut up. Besides, I can see that she has a lightning rod up on the highest branch," Zappo pointed towards the top of the library, "That's probably magic-sealed and everything, knowing Twilight. Nothing's getting past that".

"Applejack! Rarity!" a voice called out, revealing Twilight standing in the doorway, "Come inside girls, quick!"

"We are most grateful for your invitation," Rarity walked inside.

"Thank ye kindly for yer hospitality," Applejack nodded, following along.

"Don't worry about them," Twilight waved at Team Valkyrie, "They'll be fine now. Good night, and good luck!" She closed the door behind her, leaving the Pokémon in the rain.

"Boy, I'm grateful that these things work," Archie sighed, "Twilight really knows her stuff".

"Still, it's probably not a good idea that we just stand out in the open," CJ beckoned, "Let's go wait under the Town Hall Balcony".

As they walked across town, the rain turned into a complete deluge, and it had become quite dark. The wind slowly started increasing, throwing the carelessly discarded twigs and debris everywhere.

As it progressively became darker, Zappo's electric cheek spots and tail bolt suddenly started glowing with energy.

"Heh, a glow-in-the-dark Raichu," CJ smirked, "I still can't believe you can do that".

"It's not my choice," Zappo muttered, "It's an unchangeable fact of my biology. The electricity naturally provides lighting, making me glow. You never see it in broad daylight simply because it's too bright to see. I think I've told you this story before..."

A flash of lightning blitzed across the sky with a resounding crack of thunder, striking a tree in the park. The tree briefly caught fire, before being doused by the torrential rain, throwing steam into the air.

"You know, this doesn't seem so hard," Zappo murmured, "If a fire starts, it just gets put out straight away anyway".

"The danger is when a tree falls over and crushes someone's house," CJ remarked dryly, "That's when you have a problem".

Another flash of lightning struck a tall tree near the town outskirts. They watched in shock as the tree made a loud creaking noise and toppled over with a crash, collapsing right onto a house. The roof caved in, and the tree trunk came to rest on the second floor. Several shrieks echoed across town.

"CJ, you jinxed it," Zappo frowned, running across to help.

"How do we go about this?" asked Archie.

"I'll check to make sure everyone inside is alright, and if necessary, evacuate them," Zappo explained as they ran, "I don't think that roof will hold for long. CJ, on me!"

A branch had landed right in front of the door, so Zappo had to smash a window to get inside, as the supporting beams groaned loudly under the extra weight.

Not hesitating, Zappo simply jumped through the window, followed closely by CJ. The lounge room was empty, however a mare, presumably the family mother, poked her head down from upstairs, looking at him incredulously. He quickly took note of her appearance. She was violet-blue in colouration, with a navy blue mane and emerald green eyes. He noticed her cutie mark, which was some sort of dark blue flower he didn't recognise.

"Is everyone in here alright?" he asked.

She shook her head desperately, "Everypony's alright, but Lily and Rosemary are trapped up here on the second floor. We can't get them free!"

"That's why we're here!" CJ yelled determinedly.

Zappo and CJ charged upstairs, assessing the situation. There were two other ponies already up here, a bright green unicorn and a mustard-yellow earth pony, standing around the fallen tree, which had almost completely blocked off the other side of the room. There was a small gap between one end of the tree and the floor, but it was not enough for someone to get through. Two small fillies stood in panic on the other side.

The tree had created an almost perfect silhouette in the roof, and rain was pouring in, drenching the wooden beams and weakening them by the second.

Zappo reacted quickly, "CJ, wrap your vines around the trunk and climb on top of the tree. Make sure you give yourself plenty of vine to work with".

"On it!" CJ did as he was told and slithered to the top of the tree trunk.

"Archie! Get in here!" Zappo shouted.

The Charizard loitered into view through the hole in the roof.

"Grab CJ by the waist and help lift the tree up a bit," Zappo instructed, "We only need a few extra inches of space for these two to get out".

Archie complied with the order, his wings pumping under the immense strain of exertion, and after a few seconds, the large tree started moving with a loud groan. The fillies quickly scurried under the new gap and straight to mum.

"Archie, just hold it there for a few more seconds. Blue pony, now's your chance!" Zappo pointed at the mare, "Get your family and get out!"

"But, what about our house?" the mare asked urgently.

"I'm very sorry to say this, but the house is fucked," Zappo replied, "Now move before it all caves in and takes you with it".

The walls were making ominous groans as the support beams started failing.

"NOW!" Zappo roared.

The mare quickly grabbed up her children and dashed for the front door, but when she opened it, she was greeted by a thick mess of branches as leaves, blocking their escape.

"Through the window!" Zappo urged.

He beckoned them to hurry as the two other ponies with them jumped out the window, one after the other, leaving the mother and her two fillies.

"They're only young, they can't jump that high without getting injured by the broken glass," she said worriedly.

"Don't complicate things on us," Zappo simply picked up the closest filly, held it out the window and dropped it. It ran straight across towards the yellow pony.

"Next one," Zappo picked up the second filly and repeated the process, holding it out the window and dropping it.

"Now mum," He urged hurriedly, "This won't hold much longer!"

The mare quickly jumped through the window and ran across to where the others were standing.

Zappo jumped out through the window last and glanced up at Archie, who was visibly straining under the effort of holding the tree in place.

"You can let it go now," Zappo shouted, "Everyone's out safely".

Archie sighed in relief as CJ quickly retracted his vines, allowing the tree to fall the last several meters and cleave the entire house in half. After a few tense moments, the two halves tipped over and caved in on the centre, creating a large pile of rubble.

The mare stood horrified at what had happened to her home, as her children clung tightly to her legs for warmth and comfort. The two other ponies shook their heads in sadness. The rain picked up in intensity upon another loud thunderclap.

Zappo tapped her on the shoulder and beckoned her to follow him. He led them to the Town Hall, where he simply Focus Punched the doors open and motioned for them to enter.

"I'm sure the Mayor will understand why we broke into here," he said.

CJ placed a vine across the mare's shoulders, "Are you okay, ma'am? What's your name?"

The pony sniffed, almost on the brink of crying, "Erm, my name is Delphinia. Thank you for your help, kind sirs. I don't really know what to think right now. This is all so sudden and... surreal".

"It's all going to be fine," CJ assured her, "We're happy you made it out alive. That's all that matters right now". He looked at the two other ponies with them. "Are you family or friends?" he asked politely.

"We're friends," one of them spoke up, "We were spending the night there to wait the storm out".

"Do you have homes here in Ponyville?" he asked.

"Yes," they nodded.

"Well, I'm giving you two options. You can either wait the storm out here or Archie can guide you home. It's your choice".

The ponies briefly looked at each other, then both made determined nods, "We're staying here with Delphy".

"Suit yourself," CJ shrugged, "There's not much here you can make yourselves comfortable with, but we're not going anywhere anytime soon either. I think the storm is starting to wind down now".

"I think the Pegasi outdid themselves," Zappo frowned, "They'll have questions to answer tomorrow morning for this. Not only was there property destruction, but a family rendered homeless as well because of their handiwork".

"They missed out on a weekly drizzle last week," said Delphinia, "Apparently, they wanted to make up for what they missed".

"And a bit more," Archie remarked, "After this, they won't need to make it rain for another month or three, at least".

The rain and the wind outside slowly reduced in power, the worst of the storm over, but still with enough energy left to potentially cause some damage.

"So, what do you do for a living, Delphinia?" CJ tried to make conversation.

"I'm a florist," she replied, "I grow flowers in my garden and sell them".

"Does that earn good money?" he inquired.

"It's enough to get by on," she shrugged, "I can support my kids comfortably. They always come first, no doubt about it. I also have to keep my business going, so as long as I can balance my spending right, I'm fine".

"And what about you two?" CJ turned to Delphinia's companions, "Tell us about yourselves".

"My name's Felicia," the unicorn replied, "I work as an accountant here in the Town Hall".

"Oh? So like, business and administration, sort of thing?" asked Archie.

"Pretty much," Felicia nodded.

"And what about you?" CJ turned to the earth pony.

"I'm Clarity, and I'm a glazier," replied the pony.

"What's a 'glazier'?" asked Archie.

"I make windows. Basically, it's anything to do with making glass," she replied.

"So, we have a florist, a clerk and a glass-maker," Zappo raised an eyebrow, "How on earth did you three meet? You're in completely different fields of work".

"We've lived in Ponyville all our lives," Delphinia replied, "It's a pretty close-knit community here. We went to school together and everything. After that, we've stayed in touch as much as possible".

"Ah, that makes sense," CJ shrugged, "So, do they always make storms this big, or is this unordinary for them?"

"No, this one's not normal at all. It's lucky the town didn't start flooding, or else there would've been even bigger problems," replied Felicia.

Nearby, a drainpipe burst with a loud bang, throwing a water spout several metres into the air and creating a small gushing stream.

"Well, I stand corrected," Felicia sagged, "It's going to be a long day tomorrow..."

A loud crack of lighting struck another tree nearby, startling them. They all watched as the stricken tree slowly tilted over.

"Oh no, not again!" Zappo groaned.

A rope from a nearby window lashed itself around a branch, dragging the tree towards it instead. The tree fell against the house, with the branch entering the window.

"Hang on, that's Twilight's house!" CJ recognised.

"Come on, Valkyrie!" Zappo beckoned them, "That tree won't clear itself. Delphinia, you and your family stay here, we won't be long".

They quickly ran up to the fallen tree, working a plan for how to move this.

"Alright, same as before," said Zappo, "CJ, you use your vines as rope, Archie, you provide the pulling power. I'll be up on a Library branch micromanaging from up there. Let's do it!"

"Don't worry, Twilight!" He yelled out, "We've got this".

Twilight, Applejack and Rarity poked their heads outside to see Archie and CJ pulling hard to remove the tree.

"Almost got it," Zappo stood on a nearby branch, monitoring for safety, "Just a bit more... whoop! Careful now..."

The branch suddenly took a blue glow as Rarity lent her magic power to help move the tree, while Applejack pushed on the branch, leaning against the Library for support.

The branch was slowly dislodged from the window, and was propped up against the Library.

"Thank you very much for that, guys!" Twilight smiled cheerfully.

"Just doing our job," Zappo gave a quick salute and jumped out of the tree, "Think nothing of it".

"This storm is nearing its end soon. What do you say we retire and call it a night?" asked CJ, "I'm exhausted".

"Sounds like a good idea," Archie yawned, "Let's go".

Making their way back to the Town Hall, they noticed that Delphinia and her family were all huddled together, trying to find warmth and sleep.

"Archie, they'll be freezing cold throughout the night," said Zappo, "Be a lamb and bed down next to them. Your natural body heat will keep them warm".

"I didn't know you had a soft side, Zappo," Archie smirked.

"They just had their home destroyed," Zappo frowned, "That's not fair on them. Cut them some slack".

"Yes, Captain Softy," Archie chuckled, lying down, trying to find a comfortable position on the wooden floor. Eventually, all became silent, save for the soft snores of those asleep, and the drizzling rain outside.

[The Next Day]

The citizens of Ponyville dragged themselves around like the gravity had intensified overnight as they went to work cleaning up the mess created by last night's storm. The river nearby had ruptured its banks and one half of Ponyville was experiencing minor flooding.

Numerous ponies gathered around the Town Hall as the Mayor addressed them, with Team Valkyrie standing off to the side, "Ladies and Gentlecolts, as you can probably see, we had a bit of a disaster last night. The extent of the damage has not yet been fully realised, but it has been estimated that the cost in property damage is more than seven hundred thousand bits. Pegasi Weather Crews have issued formal apologies to all of those affected, particularly to the family of Delphinia Fullbloom, whose house was split in half and destroyed by a falling tree. They have been reprimanded for negligence, and they will be forced to pay the full damage bill, including the reconstruction of Delphinia's house".

Her demeanour quickly improved, "Miraculously, nopony was seriously injured last night, thanks to the brave efforts of the Pokémon of Team Valkyrie: Zappo, CJ, and Archie, who were on hand to rescue those trapped inside and evacuate them, shortly before the house collapsed. Their efforts will forever be remembered with high gratitude. Team Leader Zappo, do you have anything to say?"

"No," He shook his head, "We were only doing what you asked us to, and we're just glad nobody was injured".

"The humble-hero card, I see," the Mayor shrugged, "Nevertheless, Ponyville owes you much for your services last night, and we all wish you success in your future endeavours".

"The pleasure is ours," CJ nodded.

The crowd cheered for several seconds, and then slowly dispersed to start cleaning.

[Later that day]

"Zappo," Twilight Sparkle called out as they passed by, "A moment of your time, please?"

"What's up?" he asked.

"When Spike returned at around lunchtime, he carried a letter from Canterlot, specifically for you," she said.

"We're listening," Zappo tilted his head.

"The monarchs of Equestria, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, have requested your presence. They would not specify why, only that it was of important business," Twilight explained.

Team Valkyrie looked at each other. "I guess our trip to Everfree Forest has to be put on hold then," Zappo murmured, "We can't really turn this one down".

"Send her a letter saying we're on our way," CJ nodded, "Just point us in the direction of Canterlot".

"Just follow the highway, and it will take you straight there. It will take at least several days to get there by foot, but it's worth it. Personally, I'm a little bit jealous," said Twilight, "Very few ponies ever receive the honour of an audience with the Royal Princesses. Do tell me about what happens when you get back, won't you?"

"No promises," Zappo smirked, "Come on team. We better get ready to go then".

[END OF CHAPTER 7]
> Old Aquaintences
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

CHAPTER 8

[Somewhere in the middle of the ocean]

The lone Lapras surged forward across the waves tirelessly as his sole passenger clung to a spine for support, sitting with a large bag of apples.

"So Connor, tell me a bit about yourself," Marco spoke up to break the ice, "For someone who's only been in the guild for just a few weeks, you're already being entrusted to make such a big expedition".

"You say that as if you think I didn't have a life before I entered the guild," said Connor, "Before then, I would often go out exploring caves with my father. He was a bit of an avid traveller himself, and he often told me stories of how he would go out on a week-long trip and return home with shit-loads of treasure. He said that they were the twenty happiest years of his life". Connor smirked, "And then he met my mother. I don't remember much, but my mother says that I was 'too restless for my own good', and that I 'took after my old man way too much'. Even as a young child, my father often took me out on his wild adventures, and it was with him where I learnt all the basic skills involved in exploration and survival in the wild".

"I see. You already have a solid foundation for your skill set in your upbringing, which means that now you only need a place to develop and improve those skills," Marco surmised, "And Wigglytuff's Guild is the best place for someone like you to flourish".

"My parents often disagreed on many points as I grew up, but one thing they did agree on was that I was to use my Illusion ability as much as possible, and master it as early as possible. Illusion is a very potent trait that is unique only to Zoruas and Zoroarks, but it is not an easy talent to master to its full potential. Travelling to Equestria will truly test me in regards to that. I have set myself the challenge to infiltrate their society and act like as if I were one of them. I want to expand my Illusion repertoire so that they wouldn't be able to notice me even if they were looking right at me. But the only way to perfect it is just through constant practice".

"You have your work cut out for you then," Marco remarked.

"My father is very capable with casting Illusions, as is expected of all Zoroarks, and he often took down much larger and stronger foes than him simply by fooling with their minds," said Connor, "That is the kind of explorer I strive to be. 'Professionals have standards', he always said. 'Be polite, be efficient, and have a plan to kill everyone you meet'. I can't quite work out where he got that from, but I think it's a good motto to live by".

"That's... a very interesting one indeed," Marco was slightly unsettled, "Why would someone plan to kill everyone?"

"It doesn't mean that you have to actually follow through with it," Connor defended, "It just means that if things get icky, you'll want to have a game-plan set beforehand, so that way you already know what you're going to do if it ever comes to that".

"I'll admit, that kind of makes sense," Marco shrugged, "But wouldn't it be a bit disturbing if you're already prepared to end one of your own friends or compatriots? How do you sleep at night?"

"I manage," Connor replied.

"Erm, let's change topics," Marco said eagerly, "What do you plan to do once you're in Equestria?"

"My game plan so far is to blend in with the locals, track down Team Valkyrie, and join with them. They'll already be familiarised with their surroundings, and if I follow them around, I'll be able to play catch-up relatively quickly. After that, I don't know. I haven't thought that far yet. I'm hoping to go on treasure hunts and discover heaps of cool and exciting things!"

Connor's ear suddenly twitched at the sound of splashing water behind them, and he turned about to see several Sharpedo bearing down on them at a rapid speed.

"That's not good," His face went white behind his mask.

Marco turned his head around, "What- oh come on! Not this again!"

Marco increased his speed to outrun their new foes, to no avail. The predators circled around menacingly with their fangs bared.

Marco turned and fired an Ice Beam at the closest one, kicking up a large spout of water into the air.

Connor ducked as another jumped straight towards him in a Bite attack and sailed inches above his head. He frowned as his eyes took a red glow.

"A bit of help here would be great," Marco exclaimed as he zigzagged about, firing off Ice Beams in all directions to keep their tenacious foes at bay.

Connor ignored him, as he shifted his gaze to the water beneath them. A deep rumbling sound swelled up from the depths of the ocean, causing the Sharpedo to pause their attacks and look around.

Suddenly, a large serpentine creature erupted from the depths with a loud roar that kicked up the waves in a violent surge.

Marco's eyes went as wide as dinner plates, "Oh dear. Now is a bad time for a Gyarados of all things to appear. Connor, what are you doing back there?!"

The Gyarados glared venomously at the Sharpedo, "Back away! They're mine!"

The Sharpedo panicked and withdrew, not wishing to meet an early demise themselves.

The Gyarados reared up in front of them with its gaping mouth. Marco quivered, "Connor, DO SOMETHING!"

The Gyarados launched forward towards Marco's throat for the kill. Marco flinched and screamed at the top of his lungs, expecting the end.

After several tense seconds of nothing, he opened his eyes again. They were still alive, and the Gyarados was gone.

He looked about nervously, breathing heavily, "W-Where'd it go?! Connor, what happened? Speak to me!"

After a few moments, Connor started giggling to himself, before erupting into full-blown laughter, "Gotcha!"

Marco blinked incredulously, "You mean... that was an illusion?"

"Hahahahaha!" Connor wiped a tear from his eye, "Oh man, you should'a seen your face! It was hilarious! I don't think I ever got someone that good!"

Marco pouted in silent fury, "Don't do that again. I nearly had a heart-attack".

"Hey, it drove off the Sharpedo, didn't it?" Connor composed himself, "Oh that was gold..."

"How did you manage to do that, anyway? That was quite a complex illusion back there," asked Marco.

"Not really," Connor shrugged, "There are heaps of predators I can use for that sort of trick, whether it be Gyarados, Ursaring, Luxray, you name it. It's actually quite a simple defence mechanism that my dad used a lot, and he made sure I had mastered that before I ever went off on my own".

"That's pretty smart, actually," Marco admitted.

"I can also apply that trick to other situations as well," said Connor, "Such as if ever some ugly chick starts hitting on me, I can just conjure a fake girlfriend to make them piss off".

Marco frowned, "What... You're a bit young to go looking for girlfriends, don't you think?"

"... That was a hypothetical scenario," Connor said flatly, looking away.

"What other tricks can you perform?" Marco asked quickly.

"Well, ones like this," Connor jumped and disappeared in a flash of bright red light. Marco blinked when he saw a second Lapras swimming beside him.

"To ones like this," Connor disappeared again, reappearing as a shiny Red Gyarados. After several seconds, he morphed back into his original form and clambered up back on top of Marco's shell, dripping wet and suddenly short of breath.

"Is it a stressful task on your body?" Marco asked in concern.

"No," Connor shook his head with short, ragged breaths, "I just can't swim all that well".

"Oh".

"What you see and what's actually going on are two different things," Connor explained, "If you ever get into dangerous situations while I'm around, above all, never trust your senses. My Illusion's probably pumping them full of bullshit to deceive you". Connor grinned, "And the best part is, you never know you've entered one until I've decided to reveal it as such".

"I'll keep that in mind," Marco said warily, "Can it affect certain people only, or is it indiscriminate?"

"It affects anyone and everyone within eyesight, earshot, whatever," Connor answered, "The best, and only way to know for sure is if I've told you beforehand what I'm about to do. Oh, and by the way, think fast".

"What?" Marco twirled to his right. A Sharpedo jumped at his neck... and disappeared in midair.

Marco cast another angry glare in Connor's direction, "That's not funny. Do it again, and I'll tip you over and leave you there to drown".

"Aw, you're no fun," Connor grinned.

"Is there a weakness to your Illusion?" Marco asked.

"The biggest drawback is that it's not actually real. It's not like Psychic power where you can simply pick someone up with it and rip them in half with it," Connor explained, "It's main purpose is to deceive the target and screw with their mind. For that task, it is absolutely perfect. However, Lucario have a rude habit of seeing right through Illusions with their damned Aura Sight. Bloody spoil-sports..."

"Has that happened to you before?" asked Marco.

"Personally, I've only ever encountered a single Lucario in my entire life, when I happened to pass one by in a forest, but I've heard stories about how we have a bit of a rivalry of sorts with them. They're an incredibly hard species to come by these days, and to be honest I have no idea why. I think it might have something to do with the fact that they can only breed once every couple of years or something," replied Connor, "Kind of like Zoroarks".

"Either that, they're all hiding away on some Arceusforsaken mountain 'training'," said Marco, "I heard that they're pretty strict on themselves like that, as the 'Guardians of Aura' or something like that".

"You know, I think the term 'Guardians of Aura' is a bit generic, don't you?" Connor tilted his head, "They seriously couldn't come up with a better term for it?"

"Well, 'The Super Saiyans', 'The Dream Team', and 'The All-Stars' were already taken, you see," Marco grinned, "and 'The Dudes That Wield the Mystical Blue Shit' is a bit too long to say in a normal conversation".

"True, true," Connor nodded, "So uh, how much longer until we get to Equestria?"

"It's not even lunchtime yet," replied Marco, "We won't get there until tomorrow morning".

"Well... shit," Connor sighed, curling up amongst the rigid spines of Marco's shell.

[Meanwhile, somewhere above the Canterlot Highway]

Team Valkyrie had woken up particularly early that morning. Shortly after they ate breakfast at a cafe, a royal carriage pulled up in the town square to take them to Canterlot, courtesy of the Princesses.

CJ and Zappo gratefully accepted the ride and climbed on board. Archie instead opted to fly alongside them, to save weight. No sooner were they on board, the Pegasi guards pulling the carriage bolted off, taking to the sky with ease, like there was no several hundred pound carriage weighing them down.

As they passed over the construction site for their new base, CJ noticed that the workers were still in the process of digging a massive hole for the underground level. The workers hadn't arrived for the day yet, so the worksite was completely vacant.

"It will be really nice once our base is all completed," Archie pulled up alongside, "I can't wait to see what it'll look like!"

"With a bit of luck, it will turn out just as good, if not better than Wigglytuff's place," said Zappo proudly.

"If we spiff it up enough, it will be quite a grand sight to behold," CJ grinned, "And I'm sure Applejack will be more than glad to have her barn back".

"They won't need to feed us anymore either, which is a relief as well," Zappo remarked, "I think they were starting to become a bit worried about how much we eat. That loot from the dragon's cave is certainly coming in handy to pay for our meals".

"Speaking of which, were they able to count how much the entire amount was worth?" asked Archie.

"They're still not done yet," Zappo grinned, "But so far, they reckon the total amount will be somewhere upwards of ten million bits!"

CJ couldn't help but break into a wide smile, "Imagine that. We came here with only a couple hundred bucks to our name, and suddenly we're millionaires, just like that!"

"Now remember team, that money has to last a long time," Zappo warned, "We may have more money than we know what to do with, but I don't ever want to have a money crisis just because one of you idiots filled the base with heaps of outrageously expensive shit that we don't even touch or use. No flaunting or bragging about the wealth either, understood?"

CJ and Archie both nodded in response.

"If anyone comes forward asking for money, we will help them out, but we will only give them as much as they need to get on their feet. After that, they can support themselves," said Zappo, "I don't want any bloody mongrels sponging off us this time".

"How much did the construction crews say our base would cost to build?" asked CJ.

"Well, I talked with the guy in charge," Zappo replied, "And he said that the land just on its own was about ten thousand bits and building the base will cost upwards of four hundred thousand".

"That's a bit dear, isn't it?" Archie remarked, "I hope they do a top-level job of it".

"Well, we are using the best materials money can buy, as well as what we hope to be is the best construction firm in Equestria," said CJ, "If something turns up amiss, we know exactly who to talk to".

"I don't think the company would go out of their way to fuck up our building," Zappo pointed out, "I mean, if they did, its coming not only out of their pockets and reputation, but out of their wellbeing. I'll make sure of it".

Suddenly, there was a soft fizzing noise that drew their attention towards Archie.

The Charizard frowned as the magic seal on his Explorer Badge ran out of energy and promptly died. His magic anti-water shield collapsed and dispersed into particles. Several seconds later, CJ's and Zappo's seals fizzled out and died also.

"Huh," Zappo removed the now-useless seal, "It seems these things come with a use-by date of about forty hours after activation". He casually discarded it over his shoulder.

The majority of the flight was spent in relative silence. By the time the city of Canterlot was in sight, Zappo had curled up and fallen asleep on the seat and CJ was staring vacantly at the clouds as they passed underneath. Archie meanwhile was still as fresh as he was when they first left, even after the long-haul flight of about three hours.

CJ blankly shifted his gaze towards the city before them, in all its glory and grandeur. It took his several seconds to become alert as to where they were.

"Wakey, wakey," he nudged Zappo's shoulder with a vine, "We're here". Zappo made a soft grunt as he came around and sat up.

"Well, well, well, would you get a load of that?" he murmured in surprise, "A pretty fitting place for a monarchy, if I say so myself".

The carriage came to a halt in the courtyard in front of the royal castle. Standing in front of the door were several guards standing at attention.

"Thanks for the lift, fellas," Zappo gave the Pegasi an appreciative nod as he hopped out. The Pegasi simply nodded in return, waiting for CJ to dismount, before walking off.

The guards at the door way briskly approached them, "Are you the 'Pokémon' of 'Team Valkyrie'?"

"That sounds about right," Zappo said casually, in sharp contrast to the guard's all-business demeanour.

"Please follow us inside. The Princesses are expecting you," the guard gestured, turning about.

"Well, considering they were the ones who sent the invitation in the first place..." Zappo remarked. The guard frowned and stared at the smart-alec Raichu for several seconds, before walking towards the door.

Team Valkyrie followed the guards through the complex maze of hallways for what seemed like forever, before finally arriving at the throne room.

At the end of these hallowed chambers, sat the Royal Princesses themselves, waiting patiently for their guests' arrival. Royal Guards lined the red carpet leading up towards them, stiff as statues.

The Pokémon slowly approached the thrones, before stopping several feet short.

"So these are the Pokémon that we hear so much about," Princess Celestia spoke up first, "I must say that it is a pleasure to meet you all. Allow us to introduce ourselves. I am Princess Celestia, and this is my sister, Princess Luna".

"The pleasure is ours, ma'am," CJ nodded, "Twilight Sparkle speaks very highly of you".

"As she does of you, likewise," said Celestia, "Her letters she has sent me have indicated that you three individuals are something else, and that is just what we require".

"May I ask as to what for?" CJ asked politely.

Princess Luna stepped forward, "The letters that Twilight Sparkle hath sent us contain the information regarding thine occupations, specifically the fact that thou art brave explorers of the highest calibre, art thou not?"

"That is correct," Zappo replied, "In fact, I think it would be fair to say that we are the best around by a long shot".

"Very good. That means that the request we have for thou will be accomplishable," said Luna, "Several days ago, whilst I was taking watch for the night, I felt a great disturbance in the air, as if the very fabric of space itself had been wrenched open".

Team Valkyrie listened closely as Luna continued, "Somewhere in the Everfree Forest, a creature hath fallen through that opening, and we have come to the conclusion that whatever it is, it is now lying incapacitated, and in the open. Thine task, if thou choose to accept it, is to locate that creature which hath entered our space and bring it back to us. Alive, is preferable. Dead... is just as good".

"What is it about this creature that has you so unsettled?" asked Archie.

Luna spoke with a grave tone, "The creature is giving off such a terrible and negative vibe, and it is disrupting the magical properties of the atmosphere around it. Please make haste, for we do not wish for this monstrosity to continue its slumber where nopony can apprehend it if it awakens".

"I have a slightly bad feeling that I know who that 'creature' is..." Zappo murmured with a frown.

"If thou has any information regarding this creature, do tell," Luna urged.

"I can't really confirm anything, but what you have described to us sounds like an old 'friend' of ours," a wide grin slowly worked itself across Zappo's face. He turned to CJ, "You know who I'm talking about, right?"

CJ furrowed his brow, "Hmm, I have a feeling I should know this, but I can't really remember..."

"Is this creature an associate of yours?" asked Celestia, tilting her head slightly.

"No," Zappo shook his head, "If it is who I think it is, then no, not at all".

"Well then, it is settled," Luna gave each Pokémon a quick glance, "Thou will bring this creature back to us, and thou will be reimbursed handsomely".

"Have you been able to narrow down exactly where the creature appeared?" asked Archie.

"We hath narrowed down its location to somewhere in the north-west quadrant of the forest," replied Luna, "But beware, that area is reputed to be the territory of several dangerous creatures, most notably the Manticore and a pack of Timberwolves".

Luna noted with wariness the enormous grin Zappo was trying immensely hard to hide. "What is it about lethal animals that amuses thou, Team Leader Zappo?" she inquired.

"He's a bit of a lunatic like that," CJ shook his head, "If there's one thing he has an unrivalled talent for, it's fighting with anything that breathes".

"Twilight told us that you have a thing for violence," Celestia remarked, "Please tell us, what enjoyment do you find in purposefully injuring others?"

"It's not so much that we find enjoyment in it," Zappo replied, "Rather, we just happen to be very good at it, and it has proven to be a useful talent to have if one wants to live without much trouble where we come from. We try to be patient and considerate, but too often we simply don't get the chance to exercise those habits when there's a guy trying to mug you for your most valuable possessions".

Celestia digested the Raichu's words for several moments with a serious expression, before murmuring, "I see. Your past experience dictates that everything can be solved if you simply hit someone hard enough. Here in Equestria, we live in a peaceful society, a Utopia if you will, and we have learned to find peaceful resolutions to our problems. Violence on a large scale has not embroiled us for more than a thousand years, a peace that I intend to make last as long as I live. The problem is that I fear we have forgotten how to defend ourselves".

She paused briefly, before continuing, "The Griffons, bordering Equestria's northeast, have been caught up in a civil war for power, and if they were to bring their conflict into Equestria, they will simply overrun the country as they see fit".

"What about the Royal Guards?" asked Archie, "They seem like a pretty competent bunch".

"They have not seen true violence, as you might be experienced with," Celestia replied, "They are highly trained, but they are in no condition to fight a war".

CJ considered everything that the Princess was saying, before speaking up, "I have an idea".

Celestia turned her attention to CJ, "Yes?"

"The very best of our Teams and Rescue Teams are very capable forces to be reckoned with," CJ explained, "If we were to bring several more crack teams over here to Equestria, they would be able to bolster your forces in the event of anyone invading. If Pokémon and Ponies were to unite in an alliance, both parties would benefit greatly from the deal. Pokémon are all driven and restless for adventure, and exploring Equestria would be exactly what they need to satisfy them. In return, your citizens would have the extra protection they need in the event of anything going wrong across the border".

Both Princesses looked at each other. "What does thou think, Tia?" asked Luna, "Can we trust these creatures with the safety of our subjects?"

Celestia was deep in thought, regarding CJ's offer. After a few moments, she smiled, "I think I can agree with those terms. When you get the opportunity, tell your people that we welcome them with open arms. Now, if I remember correctly, you three have a new mission".

"Right," Zappo nodded, beckoning his team towards the door, "Let's get cracking! It looks like we'll be making an Everfree Run after all".

Celestia called out, "Erm, hang on just a minute!" causing them to stop and turn about.

"I'm going to arrange transport to drop you back off in Ponyville. When you have recovered the offending creature, we will be there with a team of guards. From there, we will bring it back to Canterlot for evaluation".

"Righto," said Zappo.

"As you were," Celestia waved them out.

[Three Hours Later, Back In Ponyville]

The ponies in the town square watched for several moments as Team Valkyrie dismounted the carriage, before going back to whatever they were doing.

"So, what do you think it is we're looking for here?" asked Archie.

"CJ," Zappo addressed his friend, "You remember our old buddy Darkrai don't you?"

"Darkrai? I'm still trying to forget about him," CJ muttered, "Why?"

"Do you remember what happened the last time we saw him?" Zappo pressed.

"I think he tried to escape through a time portal, when Palkia showed up and destroyed the time portal just as Darkrai was entering it," CJ replied with a frown, "Are you saying that this is where Darkrai ended up?"

"Well, he had to turn up somewhere," Zappo shrugged, "With a bit of luck, he'll be like me when I first woke up as a Pokémon".

Archie blinked and turned to his orange companion, "What do you mean, 'the first time you woke up as a Pokémon'?"

Zappo and CJ stared at each other before finally regarding the Charizard. "Oh... right. You haven't been told, have you?" CJ said awkwardly.

"Told what?" Archie crossed his arms.

Zappo looked about anxiously, before beckoning them to follow him, "Here probably isn't the best place to tell it..." He directed his team onto the pathway that led out towards their destination.

[Everfree Forest]

"Alright, it's probably a little late to be telling you this now, but..." Zappo murmured as they walked, glancing at Archie, "I haven't exactly been a Pokémon my entire life, nor am I actually in the right time period".

Archie blinked, "... I'm sorry, what?"

"Long story short, I actually used to be a human from the future," Zappo explained, "And neither is my name actually 'Zappo'".

Both of his companions perked up at this. "So... how did you turn into a Pokémon?" asked Archie, "And what is your name then?"

"Basically, Darkrai happened," replied Zappo, "Several years ago, he attacked and destroyed Temporal Tower, the place Dialga resides and watches over the flow of time. The repercussions in the future was that time came to a standstill. The sun never rose again and the world was trapped in darkness. At the time, my buddy Grovyle and I went time-travelling with the help of a pink, and eccentric, Celebi, with the intention of preventing Temporal Tower's collapse and saving the future from darkness, knowing full well that if the future was altered, we'd be erased from the time stream".

"So... what went wrong?" asked Archie.

"As we travelled through the time portal, we were attacked by Darkrai, which caused a bit of a conundrum. I was somehow transformed into a Pikachu and I suffered a serious case of short-term memory loss".

"You said you remembered your name though, right?" CJ asked with concern.

"Actually, I lied," Zappo shook his head, "Zappo was a nickname Grovyle gave me as a human because of my fascination with Electric Types, remarking that I should've been born as one, and it was the only thing I could vaguely remember. Whether it was a fluke that he foreshadowed correctly about my shift in species or not, I don't know. Otherwise, no, I still can't even remember my own actual name".

"Are you talking Grovyle as in, the Grovyle who tried to steal the Time Gears?" asked Archie.

"Yes, there was a purpose behind that," Zappo grumbled, "We were supposed to take them to Temporal Tower, where they would fix up the tower and reboot the flow of time".

"Fortunately, we were successful," CJ chimed in, "The time flow was fixed, and the future was saved from darkness".

"But then, why is Zappo still here if the time flow was altered?" Archie raised an eyebrow.

"The only reason I'm still here is because Dialga owed me one for saving him from insanity and getting his shit in gear," said Zappo, "Restoring me to the time line was his way of saying 'thanks'".

Archie crossed his arms, "Huh... I heard that you had saved the future, but I never really knew any of the intricate details. Is there anything else you 'forgot' to tell me?"

"No, I think that's it..." Zappo furrowed his brow in thought, "And then a few months later, we went out with Cressalia to finish off Darkrai once and for all. He thought it would be funny to try and set an ambush for us, but that still didn't save him. He tried to escape through a time portal of his own, but Palkia stepped in at the last possible minute and attacked the portal just as Darkrai entered it, shattering the portal and leaving Darkrai's fate ambiguous. With a bit of luck, he died, but now I'm not so sure".

Several minutes of silence passed as they walked about aimlessly, following their own feet. The trees around them seemed to have an ominous sense of foreboding, and they could see why ponies almost never ventured here. As they continued on, they wandered into a small clearing.

"Am I the only one who has the feeling we're being watched?" asked Archie tentatively, "I don't like the look of those trees".

Zappo looked about, regarding their surroundings with disinterest, while CJ also had a concerned look on his face.

In his absentmindedness, Zappo accidentally tripped on a rock jutting out of the ground. Reacting quickly, he held his arm out against a tree to prevent himself from falling over.

"Watch your step there," CJ cautioned.

Zappo blinked as a strange sensation seemed to overcome his senses. He felt dizzy as his vision briefly blacked out on him.

...

Everything explodes into a blur of motion as several large Mightyena-shaped figures lunge out from the dense undergrowth, poised to sink their teeth into three other figures which look suspiciously like his team...

...

Zappo blinked and frowned in concern, It's been a while since I've experienced one of those...

CJ almost immediately noticed his friend's sudden discomfort, "Zappo, are you alright?"

Zappo held a paw up as he glanced about warily, "Stay alert, we're not alone here".

"What?" Archie looked about, "I don't see-"

The bushes and shrubs suddenly seemed alive with movement.

"Oh".

"Zappo, what happened?" CJ asked tensely.

"I think my Dimensional Scream is back," Zappo said simply, continuing to glance around.

"Your what?" Archie looked confused.

CJ stared incredulously, "You mean, you had a vision?! What did you see?"

"I think it was a warning that we're about to be attacked by wild animals," Zappo's collected demeanour returned, "and to that, I say 'bring it on'!"

Sure enough, at least a dozen hunched figures sprang out from the bushes on all sides, startling the explorers.

Everything happened blindingly fast, as a figure launched itself straight for Zappo's throat. Instinctively, he brought his fist into a Focus Punch uppercut, connecting the blow with a solid crunch. The creature's head was ripped clean off as the body followed through on inertia, collecting Zappo in a hard tackle to the ground.

On close inspection, the creature seemed to be entirely made of wood and bark.

CJ ducked down as a several Timberwolves jumped for his neck with their fangs bared. CJ lashed out with Vine Whip, which did little more than keep them at bay for a few brief, and vital seconds. He then became enshrouded in a blue glow as he danced about erratically, the unpredictable Swords Dance routine initially confusing the wolves. After several moments, CJ gave each wolf a glance as his tail took a bright green glow, "Alright, who's first?"

Archie instantly took flight, launching upwards as the remaining wolves all jumped at once. They all collided in the air beneath their intended target and fell to the ground. Archie made good his chance and launched a powerful Flamethrower directly on top of them. The entirely wooden creatures yelped and howled in agony as the intense flames made quick their horrible and violent demise.

Zappo kicked the corpse off of himself and jumped back to his feet. A second Timberwolf, slightly larger than its other pack members, snarled at the orange mouse caught in the sight of its amber-glowing eyes. The two briefly circled each other, before the alpha wolf jumped towards the mouse, ready to tear its head clean off.

Zappo jumped to the left, clearing the wolf as it sailed to the side. He tensed himself up and attacked it with Thunderbolt. The electrical attack didn't seem to affect the wolf too much, but he had certainly agitated it. The wolf rapidly turned about and snapped at the mouse's heels as he jumped backwards several paces, charging up energy in his arm for another Focus Punch. The wolf made another attack, before feigning back to avoid Zappo's swing, and quickly latched its jaws around Zappo's outstretched arm in a vicious bite. Zappo flinched, and the bite certainly hurt, but it otherwise did little else.

That confirms that there is quite a large gap Level-wise between us in my favour, He realised, my Defence is simply too strong for it to have much of an impact on me.

The wolf meanwhile released its grip and frowned in confusion. Such an attack should've dismembered a rodent of that size, however not only did its arm stubbornly refuse to break, but its razor-sharp teeth barely even broke the rodent's skin, leaving only a few clustered grazes to show for its effort. That was not normal at all. Suddenly unsure about its opponent, the alpha wolf hesitated.

Zappo launched another Thunderbolt at point-blank, which stunned the wolf and knocked it backwards. A jolt of electricity ran up the wolf's spine, indicating that it had been Paralysed. Zappo made full use of the moment and rammed a Focus Punch into the left side of the wolf's face, jerking its head so violently that its neck made an audible crack. The corpse toppled over onto its side in defeat.

He looked about as the pack of Timberwolves were suddenly reduced from twelve members to four in the space of a minute.

CJ put his weight into a downward slash at the closest wolf with Leaf Blade, slicing clean through the wolf's head and splitting it in half. The wolf opposite to it was suddenly blown off its feet by a Flamethrower from Archie, and the large embers drifted across to the remaining assailants, who stepped back in fear of the fire.

Seeing the tables turned in such a short time, the two remaining wolves backed themselves against a tree defensively, growling in fury. Zappo returned lowly with a fierce, undaunted glare, "If there's one thing you puppies need to learn now, it's that we're a lot scarier than you are".

After a tense stand-off, the wolves made one last bark in defiance before turning and disappearing amongst the undergrowth.

CJ sighed in relief, "Phew, hopefully we won't be seeing them again".

[Deep Everfree Forest]

As the Pokémon continued on, Archie spoke up, "So what was this 'Dimensional Scream' you mentioned?"

"It's some weird ability that I have," Zappo shrugged, "Every now and then, when I touch things, I sometimes experience visions about that object's past or future. It's almost impossible to tell if I'll get a vision or not, but it I generally won't experience anything if that object doesn't have any relevance to either myself or the Time Gears".

"Then why did the tree trigger the Scream?" CJ murmured.

"Because it happened to be nearby, I suppose," Zappo shrugged again, "Who knows".

A pitch-black aura of energy suddenly rippled through the area, almost shaking them off their feet and instantly giving them a maddening sense of dread.

"Whatever it is, we must be close," Zappo murmured, "Just a bit further on".

Breaking into a run, Team Valkyrie entered another clearing. Right in the middle of the clearing was the collapsed an unconscious form of the Legendary Pokémon of Nightmares, Darkrai.

They cautiously approached the Dark-Type, bristling in anticipation for anything wrong.

Ever so slightly, the body shuffled as its breathing slightly increased, and the pulsating aura slowly started to settle down as it became more controlled.

Zappo held his arm out, gesturing for his team to stop.

"He's coming around," CJ said nervously.

Darkrai made a soft groan as he held a hand to his head and gingerly sat up.

"That's the last time I make a deal with that bitch..." he grumbled, "If I see her smug face again, she'll be sorry..."

He realised that several pairs of eyes were watching him, and slowly turned about, his lone visible blue eye emotionless and vacant.

"... Can I help you?" Darkrai frowned.

"Oh, nothing," Zappo shook his head, "You were just out cold, and we thought something bad had happened to you, that's all". He doesn't appear to recognise either me or CJ, he thought.

"Something bad?" Darkrai chuckled dryly, "Buddy, something worse than bad must've happened. My head feels like Groudon went and sat on it. Would you gents mind telling me as to where I am?"

"You're in the middle of the Everfree Forest," Zappo replied,

"Everfree... that doesn't ring any bells," Darkrai murmured in thought, "Are you sure that's what this place is called?"

"You're not exactly on the same island you think you are," Archie spoke up, "You're in a place called 'Equestria'".

"Eques-" Darkrai's eye went wide, "Oh shit, now that's a name I haven't heard in a while..."

Team Valkyrie perked up. "You know where you are now?" asked CJ.

"Sweet Mother of Arceus, what the Hell are we doing here?" Darkrai stared at them worriedly.

"Well, we're here exploring. What about you?" asked Zappo.

"I... I don't know. My memory is rather blank regarding the past few months," Darkrai scratched the back of his head, "I haven't exactly... been myself as of recently, and I think I know why".

"Hmm?" CJ tilted his head.

"Erm... it's not exactly something you would understand," Darkrai shook his head.

"If you tell us what happened to you, we can tell you what you've been up to for the past two years," Zappo folded his arms.

Darkrai looked at him incredulously, "Uh, right. Well, if you think you have the answers, then fill me in".

"If I remember correctly, you tried to take over the world by plunging it into darkness. To do that, you sabotaged Temporal Tower and made Dialga go insane. You almost succeeded, in fact," Zappo explained.

Darkrai's eye widened, but he otherwise said nothing.

"Two guys went back in time to stop you, but you interfered with their time travel, and one of them became an amnesiac," Zappo continued, "While one dude struggled to recollect who he even was, with the help of a third guy, the other dude continued the mission regardless. Dialga sent a minion back in time to stop them, and dragged them back to the future to kill them. They escaped, and fled back to the past. They were able to collect the Time Gears, reach Temporal Tower, bashed Dialga just before he could go insane, and restored the Time Gears to their rightful place, saving the future. This valiant effort was not without sacrifice however, as one of the dudes dragged Dialga's minion back to the future, neutralising him as a threat. After the time stream was altered, the other dude simply vanished, leaving the third guy all alone.

"Dialga however, was grateful for the two dudes' efforts to save the world, and restored the amnesiac back to the time stream. You became uber-pissed off that your plan was foiled, so you planned to destroy the two remaining guys who stopped you. You ultimately set an ambush for them, however the two dudes, who now had the help of one Cressalia, were able to overcome the ambush and defeat you. You tried to bug out and escape through a time portal just as Palkia arrived to solve the problem once and for all. As you entered the portal, Palkia attacked and destroyed the portal, and this is where you ended up," Zappo finished his lengthy tale.

"That fucking cunt!" Darkrai fumed, shouting towards the sky in general, "Oh that explains everything!"

After several moments, Darkrai turned about, "How do you know all this? Who told you?"

"Told us?" Zappo smirked, "We are those two dudes! I'm the amnesiac from the future, and this is the guy who helped me restore my memory".

Darkrai stared at him, "... Huh. Then who's the Charizard?"

"I'm new," Archie replied, "I didn't join the team until after all this had occurred".

"What do you mean?"

"Our battle took place more than twenty four months ago," Zappo answered, "Your time portal has dumped you two years into the future, in the land of Equestria".

"... Alright, your story checks out," Darkrai nodded, "and I must first say, that I apologise for any harm I might have brought to you. I was not in control of my own body at that time. Rather, I had developed a crude symbiotic friendship of sorts with a vile creature which only identified itself as Nightmare Moon. Being a Pokémon of nightmares myself, I thought that this thing must be pretty cool. However, we differ in two very important ways: I get my kicks from scaring people because, well let's be honest, I'm not exactly the nicest Pokémon to ever grace this planet and I never will be. But that... monster is something else! She gets her kicks from complete destruction of pretty much anything that breathes. The only problem for her is that she has no physical form, and she must first take over someone else to make her magic happen, literally".

"So, do you already know about Equestria, ponies and all that jazz?" Zappo asked inquisitively.

"... Yes," Darkrai gave a nod, "But that's a story for another time. I'm under the assumption that the Ponies have detected my time portal and have sent you to come fetch me?"

"That was the idea," CJ answered.

Darkrai sighed, "Well, let's get out of here then. This is going to be a long night..."

"By the way," Archie spoke up as they walked off, "What's your relation to Cressalia?"

"Ugh, the ol' 'ball and chain'," Darkrai muttered and shook his head, "She'd be pretty pissed about the mess I must've caused. She's my counterpart and polar opposite. She represents nice dreams and happiness, while I represent nightmares, death, and a varying myriad of other odd things. She's polite and sophisticated, and I'm crude and straightforward. Again, it's a story for another time".

[Ponyville]

The journey back to Ponyville was rather uneventful, to say the least. Once they got back however, was when things started to get interesting.

The Royal Princesses were already awaiting Team Valkyrie's arrival, with all the Elements of Harmony, a sizable contingent of guards, and a containment cell, magically sealed and ready to subdue whatever monstrosity Team Valkyrie brought back with them.

The entire greeting party visibly shifted as Zappo walked up to them with Darkrai trailing behind him. 
"He followed us home. Can we keep him?"

Princess Celestia regarded Darkrai for several seconds, "... I honestly had not expected to see you of all creatures again". This comment drew several confused and shocked reactions from those nearby.

"It's been a while, hasn't it, Celestia?" Darkrai chuckled, scratching the back of his neck, "What's it been, about nine thousand years now?"

Celestia remained stern and serious, "What are you doing here? I told you to never come back for a reason".

Team Valkyrie looked uneasily at each other.

"Uh, it's a long story," Darkrai shrugged sheepishly, "and it involves a certain Nightmare Moon that we all know you just love and adore".

Princess Luna shifted uncomfortably as Celestia grit her teeth, "What has it done now?"

"She thought it would be funny to seize control of me and create havoc amongst my own people," Darkrai frowned, "And in her last moments of control over me, she entered a time portal. The portal was destroyed, and the Everfree Forest is where we ended up. She must've abandoned me after that".

"Pardon me if I'm interrupting," Twilight spoke up in concern, "but who is that?"

Celestia sighed heavily, "Twilight, I'm afraid that there is much that has been withheld from you about these creatures, and for that, I apologise. The truth is that this is not the first time Ponies have encountered Pokémon".

Twilight looked shocked at this revelation, "But then, why do we know next to nothing about them? There's nothing about them anywhere in our history!"

"Nothing that was recorded in our history," Celestia clarified, "You may want to get comfortable. This will take a while..."

END CHAPTER 8
> A Blast From The Past
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

CHAPTER 9

[Ponyville Town Hall]

A large group consisting of Team Valkyrie, Darkrai, Princesses Celestia and Luna, the Elements of Harmony, the Royal Guards, and the Mayor all gathered around in the Town Hall as Celestia began her story.

"So Princess," Twilight spoke up, "What is this that Ponies and Pokémon have met before?"

Celestia sighed and began her tale.

...

Celestia: "Ponies and Pokémon have long been embroiled in a fierce rivalry for superiority that goes back several thousand years, a short while before even I was born. Pokémon were far more brutal and uncivilised back then than they are now, a change that the world will be most grateful for. Initially, the Pokémon quickly became the dominant group of the time. Their abilities to control the elements such as fire, lightning, water and the like made them a fierce group to try and compare with, and the ponies of old simply didn't have the means to compete with that. That is, until we discovered how to bring the physics-defying miracle that is magic under control. In our jealousy of these supernatural creatures, we made it our goal to rise up to their level with our newly-acquired talents, something we felt we were able to do simply by being more refined and civilised than them. Pioneers such as Star Swirl the Bearded were able to create and master some two hundred spells, and to this day there are new ones popping up all the time.

"Although Ponies could now stand up to the Pokémon on even-footing, there were still numerous distinct differences between the two groups. Ponies found that their magic was oriented towards broad variety and adaptability; oriented around creation, construction, defence, and telekinesis. In short, to create things and make them last as long as possible. 

"It didn't take long to establish how Magic affected the three races. The most obvious was that only Unicorns could wield it in the typical sense of spellcasters and mages, through their horns. Pegasi were able to use their newfound powers of flight and weather control in order to give them an edge in agility and versatility. The effect on Earth Ponies meanwhile was far more subtle. It took them a while, but eventually they learned how to draw magic from the earth itself, and use it to not only increase their agriculture boon tenfold, but to bolster their strength and stamina as well. 

"Pokémon on the other hand, are solely concentrated on destruction and combat, and the best of them became unparalleled in either regard. That doesn't mean Pokémon aren't capable of construction as well, but whatever they make simply won't have the same high quality that Ponies can achieve, nor are Pokémon as technologically-savvy".

"Of course, numerous spells were conjured solely to replicate Pokémon techniques such as the 'Thunderbolt', the 'Flamethrower', and the like. And indeed, a mage who trained herself sufficiently enough in the art of battle magic could fight toe-to-toe with any Pokemon equal-to or beneath her in power. A Pegasus who was quick with her wits as well as her hoofs could run circles around her opponent, blasting them with lightning at her leisure. An Earth Pony, with enough practice, could very easily knock an opponent out with a single kick. 

"The Ponies quickly realised however that there were several slight differences between their replicas and the real thing. For example, let's compare Twilight Sparkle to our new friend Zappo over here. While Twilight is fully capable of learning and using the spell equivalent to 'Thunderbolt' with competent efficiency, weight for weight, it simply never will quite have as much power or the same quality as the real thing".

...

"What do you mean?" Twilight inquired.

"When it comes to casting electric bolts," Celestia clarified, "Anything you can do, he can do better".

"Oh," Twilight looked slightly deflated.

"You do possess an advantage over him, however," Celestia continued, "The Ponies of Old were impatient for results, so they figured that if Pony-kind couldn't reach the level of the Pokémon, then the level of the Pokémon had to be brought down to them. To do that, the ponies were able to combine their magic into a single, then-ultimate spell, and placed a sort of limiter on all of Pokémon-kind".

CJ spoke up, "So, do you mean that Pokémon were originally more powerful than they were now?"

"Not quite," Darkrai answered for her, continuing the story.

...

Darkrai: "What the Ponies had done, much to our eternal frustration, was not limit our power, but instead placed a seal on our memory cortex. Every Pokémon is now stuck with the curse that they can only learn and remember four moves at a given time. We have them to blame for that.

"We used to have no such problem regarding moves. We could learn as many as our respective species was capable of learning. This meant that each individual had an answer for pretty much everything, and some Pokémon became pretty much unstoppable if they were allowed to train to a high enough degree.

Celestia: "Ponies naturally have no such limiter. You can learn as many magical spells as you see fit, and this gives you a vital edge in regards to your options in a pinch".

Darkrai: "Naturally, this little trick didn't go down well with us, and to be frank, that's where things started going downhill very rapidly. The two rival groups were on edge and highly wary of each other, constantly trying to outdo the other in one way or another in the dash to ultimate perfection, leaving many other of Equestria's species, such as the Griffons, behind. Over time, the suspicion and tense hostility continued to build, ultimately culminating into a full-scale conflict to prove who was dominant once and for all.

"The next few years were a period of time that no-one wanted to remember. The scale of sheer destruction to this day has never been equalled. Unfathomable numbers of lives were wasted in the name of vanity, and the two groups very nearly drove each other to extinction. That is why there are only around eight hundred species of Pokémon left, as well as why some species of Pokémon are so rare, even to this day. Many species were wiped out entirely. Not to mention it gave me some ripper nightmare material... but that's beside the point.

"This conflict also saw the first appearance of the Alicorns, Princesses Celestia and Luna included. Each of these magical powerhouses were the closest thing the Ponies had to a Legendary Pokémon, and to this day, it is a complete mystery to me as to how they first came about. They're a marvel to witness in battle, incredibly intelligent and crafty, and are tough bastards to bring down. It's no wonder they're considered Royalty. Naturally, they were almost always targeted first in any engagement, which explains why Alicorns are incredibly rare. I think there were only about twenty of them at a given time, compared to the several million Pokemon against them. They all kind-of died fighting against us.

"Before a complete genocide of either group could be completed however, we finally mutually agreed to peace, if just to conserve our futures, and we went our separate ways. The Ponies created boats for us, and we set sail across the oceans, to never return to this place again. After only two days of travelling, Pokémon sighted, landed and inhabited the land mass we currently live on".

Celestia: "Both groups wanted nothing more than for the violence to end, and everyone agreed to just forget it ever happened and never speak of each other again. Because no self-respecting pony ever wrote down what they did for each day, all official records of what had happened during those brief and bloody times, as well as any other record of Pokémon in general for that matter, are in the possession of other species, such as the Griffons or the Diamond Dogs. To us, the events are forever lost in history, good riddance.

"Shortly after the Pokémon left, we were left scattered and agitated, and to make things worse, the Windegos swooped in and very nearly finished us off, but we all know what happens after that, and the rest is history".

...

Everyone listening were silent, trying to comprehend what they were told.

"If this is a bit much for you to digest, we understand," Celestia said solemnly, "Not a single pony in Equestria other than Luna and myself are aware of our true and terrible past. While we fought, bickered and bled, the other races of Equestria and beyond could do little but standby and watch, knowing full well to not get themselves involved. Even the mighty Dragons were wary of their distant Pokémon-variety cousins".

She turned to face Darkrai, "The past is the past, and nothing we do will change that. Now that we have all had time to grow and develop as civilisations, we now are far wiser than we were nine thousand years ago". She held out her hoof towards the Dark Type Pokémon, "Here, we have the opportunity for forgiveness and redemption. Now we have rediscovered each other, and hopefully we can start afresh on a new page".

Darkrai shook her hoof with a nod. "I, for one, am happy to accept your offer".

"While this is all very well," Zappo looked confused, "How is it that you three are still alive after several thousand years?"

"Well, I don't know about them, but as the Legendary Pokémon of Nightmares, I'm pretty much immortal," Darkrai shrugged.

"Alicorns are naturally long-lived as it is, at least four or five times the lifespan of any other race of Pony." Celestia answered, "However because I raise the Sun in the morning, the large amounts of magic I wield have extended my lifespan indefinitely. Likewise, Luna obtains her power from the magic she uses to raise the moon for the night".

"Basically, if she croaks anytime soon, it won't be from old age," Darkrai chuckled, earning him a dark glare from both Royal Princesses.

"We see thou still has thy morbid sense of humour," Luna muttered, "That much has certainly not changed about thee".

"I'm the Legendary of Nightmares, remember?" Darkrai smirked, "You can't exactly expect me to be roses and sunshine".

"Indeed," Celestia turned towards the Elements of Harmony, "Obviously, you girls haven't met Darkrai yet. Consider him to be a Pokemon version of the spirit that took over Princess Luna just a few months ago, if you will".

"Except without the bent-on-world-destruction part," Darkrai added, "Seriously, that bitch has issues."

"I don't like the look of him already," Twilight murmured, "Is he dangerous?"

"He's a pest on the level of Discord, but otherwise, he won't actually bring any mortal harm," Celestia assured them, "He says that he does what he does because that's just how his species is programmed, not out of any actual malice".

"'Discord'... I haven't heard that name in a while either," Darkrai murmured, "How is that old bastard holding up?"

"He's now a statue in the Royal Garden," Celestia muttered, "Where he won't cause any problems".

"Ah".

"And what does Darkrai do, exactly?" asked Applejack.

Celestia regarded her addressor for a moment, trying to put her words together. Luna answered for her, however. "He enters thy dreams while thou art asleep, and plants horrible nightmares of unspeakable monstrosity".

"Luna, please. You're flattering me," said Darkrai with a cheeky tone, "We're not trying to scare them already. I've only just met them!"

"If we wanted to flatter you, we would dare say that thou belongs in the depths of Tartarus," Luna scowled.

"Okay, now that's a bit much," he murmured.

"Otherwise, Darkrai is a fairly harmless Pokémon," Celestia finished, "The worst he'll do to you is give you a fright, laugh at how scared you were and then leave you alone to scare somepony else".

"So you'll just let a brute like that wander around Equestria?!" Rarity cried aghast, "That's not what we'd consider a 'useful' ally at all!"

"I understand your concern," Celestia assured them, and turned to Darkrai with a glare, "But he's going to be on his best behaviour, isn't he?"

"Well, I can't make any promises..." Darkrai shrugged.

"Isn't he?" Celestia frowned forcefully.

"Alright, alright," He grumbled, raising his hands defensively, "I'll leave them alone".

"Good, I'll hold you to that," Celestia returned her gaze to the Elements of Harmony, "So, do you have any other questions?"

"I have one," Mayor Mare spoke up, "How long will these... 'Pokémon' be staying with us?"

"That is unknown," Celestia shook her head, "We're going to try improve our relationships with this group of creatures and if possible, they'll be here to stay. Fear not, however. I intend to let them build their own settlements away from any current towns and cities, far enough that it can allow some breathing space between us, but not so far that if anything goes wrong, help is never too far away".

"Would it be wise to have all of these potentially dangerous and destructive creatures running around? We've seen firsthand what they can do when angered," said Twilight worriedly.

"I'm aware of that," Celestia nodded, "But consider this. In all honesty, what difference would there be between them and a Pony using Magic for destructive purposes? Ponies can create just as much of a mess if they really wanted to. Capability-wise, they aren't that much different from us. They are just more experienced and welcoming of their destructive side than we are.

"At the end of the day, if we are to have a stable friendship here, we are going to just have to trust them and try to stay on good terms with them. I have also witnessed the power of Pokémon firsthand, and when push comes to shove, there is no other species I would rather have on my side in the unlikely event of a major conflict. Luna and I were lucky enough to walk away from that terrible conflict ourselves, but very few ponies of old walked away unscathed from a battle with them. Remember, even many Alicorns lost their lives fighting them".

"So, what would you say is the best key to get along with these creatures, then?" asked Applejack.

"It actually varies from species to species," Darkrai answered for her, "But generally speaking, Pokémon are quite restless and require something to do at all times, whether that be simply helping someone out or beating down a monster three times their size. Most of us usually just enjoy adventures, sight-seeing, treasure hunts, or simply looking out for their family. As long as you respect us, your respect will be returned likewise. That, I can promise you".

"But beware," He warned, "Not all Pokémon are nice and friendly, and really are quite malicious at heart. They are a shrinking minority as of recent times, but they're still out there, and you will run into one eventually. When that happens, the best solution is to simply bash them. They'll leave you alone after that".

"Do we really have to?" asked Twilight, "There isn't any other way to deal with trouble makers?"

"They don't speak any other language," Darkrai shook his head, "Every Pokémon knows that from tried-and-tested experience. The bad ones simply don't play any other game".

"Erm, I have a question," Fluttershy squeaked, almost barely audible, "W-What is it that makes them nasty in the first place?"

"I guess the best answer for that would be that their parents were incompetent," He shrugged, "Some of them are either just naturally hot-headed or proud and narcissistic. We really don't know what makes those morons tick, and we live with the useless muckabouts. But you don't need to worry too much about them. They're a dying breed".

"Is there anything else that anyone else is unsure of?" Celestia asked.

No-one said anything.

"If you have any other inquiries, don't hesitate to see Twilight about sending me a letter for you. Team Valkyrie, and Darkrai, you four are coming back to Canterlot with us. There are a few things I want to discuss with you all in private," Celestia turned and walked out, followed by Luna, the guards and finally the Pokémon.

[Canterlot Castle]

The long journey back to Canterlot was spent in relative silence.

Once they arrived, Luna excused herself to rest up for her next night shift, and Celestia directed the Pokémon to follow her to the throne room, where she addressed them.

"You remember how I mentioned the Griffon Civil war across our border?" she began, "Recent reports have indicated that the Rebel forces are beginning to completely overrun their nation. For a long time, the Griffon King was able to suppress the Rebels and keep them relatively down to size, however as of recent, the Rebels are suddenly dominating the king's army in every encounter, which then has a domino effect from there. Nopony is sure as to what the Rebels have obtained to cause such a shift in the balance of power, but whatever it is, it's swaying many Griffons to their cause. Most of the information we have on this new secret weapon is based on speculation and hear-say, but what we do know is that this... thing is capable of incredible power and destruction, on a scale beyond anything we've seen before.

"Numerous refugees are trying to escape the carnage and take up political asylum here in Equestria, among them the King and Queen themselves, who the Rebels want dead. If we allow the Griffon royalty to set up in exile in Equestria, the Rebels will doubtlessly invade us if it means getting to them. Should they invade, countless ponies will be caught in the crossfire, and they will be forced from their homes or even killed for harbouring 'traitors'. Not to mention, if even the Griffons cannot find an answer to the Rebel secret weapon, we won't be able to find one in time either, short of the Elements of Harmony".

"So, I take it the Rebels are the bad guys?" asked Archie.

"Correct," Celestia replied, "Relations with the Griffons so far have been reasonably good, better than they ever have been, actually. However these Rebels do not support their collaboration with us, wanting to isolate and want little more than to exclude themselves from the rest of the world and rise up as a formidable global power. At the end of the day, they're terrorists, and have made it clear that they have no issues in attacking Equestria in order to get their desired results. Now, in my experience, Pokémon-kind has produced some of the finest warriors to ever live, and that is why I'm willing to put our past behind us to potentially save our future. In return for letting you set up your exploration bases here in Equestria, would you be willing to help protect the safety of our citizens, in the event of a Griffon invasion?"

"Certainly," CJ nodded, "You have our word, Secret Weapon of Mass Destruction or not".

"There is one other, most pressing issue," said Celestia, "Every now and then, Royal Reconnaissance Teams return with vital information for our Intelligence Network, regarding how the war is coming along. Would you also be willing to serve missions abroad into the Griffon Kingdom and beyond for the sake of Equestria's safety? Parliament has no intention of sending Royal Guards across to intervene, but there is nothing that says I can't send a Pokémon Team instead. For each mission you accept, you will receive a handsome reward".

Zappo shrugged, "I don't have a problem with that".

"Each of these missions must be carried out in the highest of secrecy," Celestia warned, "If word gets out that you are operating from an Equestrian base, there will be an uproar, and the Griffons will have their excuse to invade in retaliation".

"We understand," Zappo replied, "We won't disappoint".

Celestia sighed in relief, "You don't realise how much this means to me. Even if the Griffons don't attack at all, at least I'll be able to live with the knowledge that we now have a stable friendship with a once-mortal enemy".

"I'm just glad we have something new to do," said Zappo, "Hunting criminals and tracking down lost items was becoming a bore anyway. Nothing like intervening in a civil war to spice things up a bit, eh?"

"I will inform you of any new assignments via Twilight's assistant Spike," said Celestia, "In the meantime, you three, as well as any other Pokémon Teams that venture across, are free to explore all that Equestria has to offer as you see fit. Equestrian history is a very rich one indeed, and I'm sure you'll find something that satisfies your taste for adventure".

"What about me?" asked Darkrai.

"You are staying here with me," Celestia frowned, "I already know what your favourite pastime is, and frankly I'm going to have to keep an eye on you at all times".

"That's a funny way of exercising trust in a new ally," Darkrai murmured.

"Firstly, you specifically have to prove to me that you are trustworthy," said Celestia, "Don't think I haven't forgotten a thing or two about what you do when you think no one is looking".

"I suppose that's fair enough," Darkrai admitted.

"Did you ever meet on regular occasion back all those years ago?" asked Archie.

"My job was to simply demoralise the Ponies by giving them all nightmares," replied Darkrai, "In the process, I developed a bit of a personal rivalry with Princess Luna. Her ability of clearing up nightmares was able to counter my efforts, and it became a race for her to try and keep up with me. I rarely took part in any actual fighting, simply because, well fighting an immortal god is just unfair".

"We seemed to have no issues taking you down," Zappo shrugged.

"That idiotic bitch of a spirit probably didn't quite fully understand how my abilities could be used to the fullest," Darkrai countered, "If that were actually me you were fighting, you certainly wouldn't have lasted very long".

"Changing topics," CJ interjected quickly, "I heard someone mention a character named 'Discord'. Who's he?"

"That crazy son of a bitch is the physical embodiment of Chaos, the antithesis to Harmony," answered Darkrai, "He and I got along quite well for a while, believe it or not. He had some of the best nightmare ideas even I couldn't possibly had thought of. When one mixes insanity with horror, then you open up a whole other, and not to mention quite ugly, can of worms. Poor Luna was taxed to the limit trying to clear up those sanity-smashing gems. I think she even had a few nightmares herself for a while. It's not really surprising that she doesn't like me very much, and I'm sure her sister Celestia shares the same sentiment".

Both Princesses stared at Darkrai with a cold glare.

"... But you know what? I think I'm gonna stop all that stuff and leave it all behind," he added quickly, "By the way, who's up for something to eat? I'm starving..."

"Hmm," Celestia sighed, sensing that there was little else to be discussed, "As I said before, your teams will have free liberty to explore all that Equestria has to offer, within reason of course. I hope that as more Pokémon arrive, we will be able to further develop our budding friendship long into the future. If there is nothing else, I wish a good afternoon to you all".

Team Valkyrie all bowed slightly and turned for the throne room exit, followed by Darkrai.

"Remember Darkrai," Celestia called out with an unflinching stare, "Your best behaviour".

Darkrai briefly paused to meet her stare, before exiting through the door.

[Several days later, somewhere along the Equestrian foreshore]

Connor stood wide-eyed as he slowly paced around the beach, getting a feel for his new surroundings.

"So this is Equestria..." He breathed softly, "I must admit, I like this place already". He turned about to face Marco, who was watching the Zorua's reactions with interest. "Thank you for the lift. I should be fine from now on".

"Think nothing of it," Marco smiled, "You're on your own from here on in, so be careful". The Lapras waved a fore flipper before turning and swimming off.

Connor quickly thought back to everything his father taught him about exploring.

First: establish an understanding of your surroundings. Second: locate sources of food, water and if possible, shelter. Third: Stealth is a Zoroark's most useful tool, so use it to your advantage, and attract as little attention to yourself as possible.

Connor took a deep breath as he activated his Illusion ability, disappearing completely from view in a matter of seconds. Not even the sounds of his breathing nor his footsteps crunching in the sand could be heard.

With a confidant breath of fresh air, he started walking into the dense undergrowth of trees, tense with excitement about what lay before him.

He trudged his way through several miles of trees before finding a gravel pathway. Out of curiosity, he started following this pathway, assuming that if there were roads, there must be some sort of civilisation that created them.

The road was long and probably hadn't seen any maintenance since its construction. After what seemed like an eternity, as the sun was starting to disappear behind the horizon, he happened to wander across a sign. Unfortunately, his literacy levels weren't as good as he liked them to be, and he struggled to make out what it was saying.

"Man... Mane... hat... an." He frowned as he tried to decipher the sign, "Manehattan. Huh, what a weird name for a city".

"Well, where there are signposts," He murmured under his breath, "There's civilisation. This 'Manehattan' must be further along the road".

Continuing his journey, he was able to spot the silhouette of high-rise skyscrapers over the horizon. He quickly dashed across and clambered up a nearby tree to get a better view. From up here, the city stretched across the horizon in the distance.

"Would you get a load of that..." He stared in wide-eyed amazement, "I've never known a Pokémon town to grow as big as this... We must be stumbling upon a species far more advanced than ourselves, so it would seem..."

His excitement dragged him down the tree and towards the city. The buildings never seemed to stop growing in size as he approached. Upon reaching the city outskirts, he was able to see what sort of creatures this new civilisation was composed of.

What he saw, almost floored him with surprise.

"What in Arceus' name are these things?!" He stared at the crowds of Ponies, Pegasi and Unicorns going about their lives. With his Illusion ability still active, they were all blissfully unaware as the lone Zorua brazenly walked within several feet of them for close inspection, and almost lost himself in the crowd, staring in wonder and awe at the sheer variety and individualism amongst them.

"Oh, I have to copy this," Connor sprinted off into a dark alley. He disengaged his ability and started concentrating on a Unicorn sitting and talking with some of her friends in a cafe across the street. It took him several seconds to mentally imprint the basic physiology of these creatures into his memory banks, and starting fiddling around and experimenting from there.

The first Illusion he cast didn't turn out very well. Upon inspection in a reflective window, he looked more like a mutant Rapidash, rather than a Pony. Frowning, he shook off the Illusion and started again.

Several failures later, he finally settled on something he was satisfied to blend in with.

His new appearance was that of an Earth Pony, something he figured would be the easiest and most practical of the three races to work with if he ever had to create a back story on the spot.

His new Illusion looked almost exactly like himself, except in a pony form. Its dark-grey coat almost gleamed, despite the poor lighting conditions. With some difficulty, he successfully replicated the scruff of thick red fur on his head as well as a black bushy tail. The large blue eyes staring back in the reflection sparkled with excitement as He twirled about to check for imperfections.

Satisfied that there were none, he turned to step back into the busy streets as something new caught his attention. Every pony that walked past had a strange emblem on their flank, and each one was unique.

Connor back-stepped to the window and noticed that he didn't have such a picture. That will not do, He thought. After a bit of thought, he settled on a picture of his Explorer Badge. With a bit of concentration, the picture appeared on either side of his back legs.

"That's more like it," His new appearance broke into a wide grin, "Equestria, come at me!"

Confidently, Connor stepped in amongst the busy streets in his new appearance, determined to field-test his new look. In the vast crowd every conceivable colour, the new black stallion almost stuck out like a sore thumb, and several ponies glanced at him with strange expressions.

"Haters gonna hate," Connor smirked, indifferent to the stares, "Now, let's get to tracking down Team Valkyrie. The first thing I should probably do is obtain a map of this area, and work my way from there..."

The busy streets made navigating them difficult, and it took him longer than he wanted to locate what he was looking for: an information centre, namely the Manehattan Library. For several minutes, he just stood there, staring up and down the height of this building, trying to fathom how they were able to construct such a work of art, as well as how to get inside without have to smash a hole in the wall. A Unicorn gave him a brief look of puzzlement, before opening the door and stepping inside.

"Oh, so that's how that works," Connor murmured in surprise, "They don't have anything like this back home..."

He followed the Unicorn inside, and swung the door back and forth several times to get a gist of how this device worked.

"You learn something new every day," He shrugged and looked about the interior of the Library.

"Can I help you, sir?" the Pegasus behind the counter asked hesitantly.

"I don't suppose you know where I can find a map anywhere in this place, do you?" He asked, glancing about.

"All atlases and maps are in Aisle Ten on Floor Two," the clerk replied.

"Thanks," He nodded in appreciation and walked off.

"Floor Two," He murmured, "That sounds like it's on another level. There must be a ladder or something we can use to get up there..."

In the middle of the foyer were two escalators, one which went up to the next floor, the other coming back down. He stared at the contraptions with curiosity.

"And they call my ability sorcery" He mumbled as numerous passengers were brought up and down with ease.

Hesitantly, he stepped on board. The sudden movement startled him, and it took some adjustment to get used to the experience.

Before he knew it, he was up on the next floor. "Well, that wasn't too bad," he stepped forward, looking around, "Now, where's Aisle Ten...?"

The strange texts on the sides of the shelves were almost illegible to him, so he had to count the aisles manually.

Starting at the left he began counting, "One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, and ten. There we are". He pulled out a large book at random and tried to make out the title, before flipping through the pages in a rush. He settled on a page that looked vaguely like a map.

"Map... of... Ek... west.. ri-a..." He frowned, "Map of Equestria. Perfect".

He closely scrutinised the details of the map, first trying to locate where Manehattan was.

"Ah, there we are," He recognised the word in the northwest corner of the map next to a small picture of a skyscraper. "What other major cities have we got here?" He murmured, "K... Kan... ter... lot. Canterlot. That looks pretty important. Must be the capital or something. What else is there... Stall... i-on.. grad. Stalliongrad. What's this one... Filly... delf...ia. Fillydelphia". He smirked in amusement, "What were these people smoking when they came up with half of these names?"

"Alright, now where would Team Valkyrie go in a place like this..." He looked about the map, "If they followed their feet, going straight inland..." He followed an invisible trail with the tip of his Illusion's hoof, "it leads to there". He checked his new destination's relative position to Manehattan, "So if I follow this highway, and if my guess is correct, I should find them in this little plot of space called... Ponyville".

He frowned, "Another highly uninspired name if I ever saw one. No prizes for guessing what I'll find there..."

He placed the book back on the shelf and headed for the exit.

As he walked back past the front desk, the Pegasus pressed a small button, and a small ding resounded throughout the Library. The Pegasus spoke into a microphone, "Attention all patrons, the Library is closing in the next five minutes. So if you'd please-"

The speaker system suddenly shorted out with a burst of static, cutting the Pegasus off mid-sentence.

"Oh, come on!" the clerk muttered under her breath and planted her face into the desk, "What the hay is wrong with this thing? That's the third time it's done that this week! It's like it has a mind of its own..."

"Someone's having a bad day," Connor murmured in amusement as he walked out the door.

The sun was starting to disappear now, and visibility was reducing rapidly. To his surprise, the flow of pedestrians and business didn't seem to slow down a bit, despite the waning light conditions.

"Do these creatures have no concept of 'sleep'?" He murmured, wandering around.

A particularly beautifully-lit building caught his attention, with all assortments of neon lights. The resounding beat of loud music was audible from outside.

"C.. Club... Si.. eh.. ra," He read aloud, "Club Sierra. Special Guest... DJ PON-3".

He shrugged, "It can't hurt to see what these guys do when they're supposed to be sleeping".

There was a queue formed at the entrance, being held up by a particularly burly pony asking for 'I.D.'

"I don't have time for that," Connor huffed, changing his Illusion back to complete invisibility.

Not even bothering to mask his footsteps, which were drowned out by the booming music anyway, he simply cut the entire cue and walked straight in, changing his Illusion back to his Pony persona.

If the music was loud outside, then it was borderline-deafening inside. His sensitive ears almost burst from the level of decibels assaulting them each second.

There were hundreds of ponies everywhere, either hanging around the numerous tables on the sidelines, up at a bar ordering drinks, or in the centre of the room, dancing to the music.

No wonder they can't get to sleep, He thought, This music is too bloody loud.

As the other patrons all danced away, seemingly unaffected by the noise level, Connor walked around, watching closely what sort of things normally occurred in a venue like this.

Near the back of the room, illuminated by bright neon lights, was a white pony with a blue mane and magenta-tinted sunglasses standing behind some sort of contraption, which he figured to be the source of the music. The enormous speakers on either side of the pony, which he assumed was 'DJ PON-3', were almost the size of the pony herself.

"How's it going, Manehattan?" DJ PON-3 spoke over the loudspeaker, while reducing the blaring music down to the bass beat, "Gimmie a shout if you're having fun!"

Every single patron in the venue seemed to all roar at once, raising quite a cacophony of noise.

"What?!" the DJ smirked, "Is that all you've got? Please, I got more enthusiasm out of a group of a group of politicians! I said gimmie a shout if you're having fun!"

A second roar of approval met her inquiry, even louder than the previous.

"That's more like it!" the DJ broke into a wide grin, cranking the music back up into full swing, "Strap yourselves in, my friends, 'cause this party is just getting started!"

"Well then, I might as well get settled in," Connor shrugged, "It'll be too dark to travel anywhere at a time like this anyway. I guess I'll stand over here then and watch the fun..."

Taking a stool up near the bar, he silently observed the goings-on around him.

"Can I help you, sir?" a voice broke his concentration.

He turned about to face the pony who addressed him, instantly identifying the silver-coated stallion as the barkeep, "No, I'm fine, thanks".

"I haven't seen you around before," the barkeep noted, "Are you from around here?"

"No, I'm not actually," Connor replied, "I just arrived here this afternoon".

"I haven't seen a cutie mark like that before," the barkeep mused, "What's it supposed to be?"

"What's what supposed to be?" Connor frowned, having never heard the term before.

"Your cutie mark," the barkeep repeated, pointing at the picture of Connor's Exploration Badge, "What is it?"

"Oh, that," Connor's mind kicked into overdrive to think of a valid answer, before he broke into a grin, "It's a badge of my awesomeness!"

"I see," the barkeep raised an eyebrow, "That's an intriguing definition of 'awesome' then. Usually, cutie marks are a representation of ponies' talents and abilities, but whatever. How long are you in Manehattan for?"

"I'll only be here for the night. Tomorrow, I'm going to Ponyville," Connor answered.

"I see. May I offer you a drink then? First one is always on the house," the barkeep offered, "Any after that is fifteen bits".

After some consideration, Connor shrugged, "Sure, why not?"

"What can I get ya?" the barkeep gestured to the beverage menu behind him, "We've got appletinis, apple cider, good ol' fashioned punch..."

"Uh..." Connor didn't really know what any of those drinks were, "I don't know. Surprise me".

"With pleasure," the barkeep smirked, turned about and got to work. After a few minutes, he returned with a multi-coloured drink with a slice of lemon, "This'll spice up your night a bit. I call it the 'Sonic Rainbow Surprise', or SRS for short".

"What's in it?" Connor looked at it hesitantly.

"That's a surprise," the barkeep had a wide grin, "It's a different mixture every time".

Connor had to use a bit of multitasking as his pony illusion apparently drank the entire concoction in one go before putting the glass back on the bench.

Meanwhile, in reality, his forelimbs were too short to even pick the glass up, so he had to jump onto the counter, grip the glass in his paws and carefully tilt it back over in his direction as he sipped it down. No-one even thought twice of it, since no one could actually see it behind the well-veiled illusion.

Instantly, he scrunched up his face in disgust at the drink's shockingly strong flavour, unlike anything he had ever tasted before, which reflected on the face of his Illusion. And just for the slightest second, the Illusion briefly distorted with static, come and gone in an instant. Fortunately, the barkeep didn't seem to notice.

"Has a bit of a kick to it, doesn't it?" the barkeep smirked at his patron's response, "Especially if you drink it too quickly".

"Feels more like a Snorlax went and stood on my head..." Connor muttered.

"A what, now?" the barkeep tilted his head in confusion.

"Oh, nothing," Connor frowned at his slip-up.

"Baarrkeeep!" a violet-blue unicorn mare wearing a magician's hat and cape sitting at the other end of the bench angrily called out in a droning, slurred voice, "Can't the Great an' Powerful Trikshie get anovver drink over 'ere?"

"SRS number seven, coming right up," the barkeep sighed and went to work.

"So, what's your story?" Connor made his way across to the dishevelled magician. He noticed that there was a strong smell in the air about her, possibly from the alcohol. Apparently too much of this stuff fucks you over. I think one is plenty enough for me then, he thought.

"That's none o' ya business," Trixie snapped irritably with a glare as she held a hoof to her forehead.

"Well, there's obviously a reason why you're insane enough to have six of these mind-screwing concoctions, let alone a seventh," Connor reasoned.

"Trikshie says that's none o' ya business!" Trixie huffed, "Now buck off! Trikshie has had a rough week as it is! She doesn't need some idiot thinking they can just... take advantage of her in her deplorable state! "

"Do you always talk in third-person like that?" Connor frowned.

"Did'n ya hear me?" Trixie snarled, "I said buck off!"

"Settle down Trixie," the barkeep interjected, "Your drink is here".

"Finally!" Trixie practically breathed the drink down in the blink of an eye, "Anovver one, please!"

"This is going to add up on your tab, you know that, right?" the barkeep warned.

"Right now, Trikshie does not care," she plopped her head on the bench, "Right now, She needs to deshtroy her liver in lament".

"What's happened this time?" the barkeep asked sympathetically, lowering his head behind the counter to meet her gaze.

"Just a few weeks ago, Trikshie was rudely assaulted during a performance in Ponyville!" Trixie sighed, almost spitting the word 'Ponyville', "She can't even recollect what happened, or who it was who assaulted her!"

Just a few weeks ago... Connor thought, Team Valkyrie would've been in town by then. Zappo always did have a reputation for hot-headedness, and when combined with this pony's delusions of grandeur...

"Did anyone ever provide an eyewitness account of what happened?" Connor asked politely.

"Trikshie does recollect waking up in a hoshpital the next day," she replied, "The nurse said something about 'Pokeymon', or something preposterous like that..."

"Hmm," He furrowed his brow in thought.

"Do yooou happen to know anything about such a ridiculous name?" Trixie looked at him.

"... No," Connor lied and shook his head.

"By the way..." Trixie pointed down at Connor's cutie mark, "Trikshie couldn't help but notice the strange... picture... of your cutie mark. What is it? Trikshie thinks she's seen it somewhere before..."

"As I told the barkeep, it's a representation of my awesomeness," Connor smirked smugly.

After several seconds of alcohol-hazed thought, Trixie shrugged and thought nothing more of it, before suddenly standing up abruptly, "Baaarkeep! Gimmie another drink! My senshes are still intact!"

"No, I think seven drinks is enough for one night," the barkeep shook his head, "I'm sure that at this rate, by this time tomorrow they'll still be finding blood in your alcohol..."

She leaned threateningly over the counter and into the barkeep's face, "Naaaaoooow!"

The barkeep shook his head firmly.

"Fine! Trikshie will jusht go to anovver bar then! Maybe they'll appreshiate my... talents be'er over there!"

"What, a smashed pony with a superiority complex and a talent for consuming their alcohol supply?" Connor raised an eyebrow, "Oh yeah, they're going to love you over there..."

"You think yer pre'y funny, eh hot stuff?" Trixie scowled, looking about lazily in his direction, "Well you can just take your... smart remarks and shove them up your-"

"Oi! I think you can start heading home now Trixie," the barkeep interrupted.

"Trikshie doesn't have a home, thank you very much," Trixie glared back at the barkeep, "Her caravan was pinched by buckin' thieves, leaving 'er with nothing but the clothes on 'er back!"

"So... where do you sleep?" the barkeep asked gently.

"In the alley like a buckin' hobo!" Trixie suddenly broke out into sobs, ramming her head into the counter, "With nothing but rats for company... while the only bits Trikshie has get wasted on her getting wasted..."

"... What happened in between your Ponyville adventure and your arrival here, in order for you to be so... hopeless and forlorn?" asked Connor in confusion. By all means, being hospitalised shouldn't be that much of a setback.

"Trikshie told you, she was attacked by thieves on the highway!" Trixie retorted, "She has nothing left..."

"What about your family? Surely they'd help you out in a pinch?" Connor raised an eyebrow.

"Trikshie's 'family', if you dare to call it as such... was the reason she became a travelling performer in the first place!" Trixie moaned, "Tartarus will freeze over before they accept me back..."

"Alright, we get it. Your life has gone further down the shitter than it already was, but that's still no reason to just give up and become an alcoholic," Connor frowned.

"Oh pleeease!" Trixie huffed, "Trikshie is NOT and alcolollic. They go sit in circles and seek... professional help. She is a drunk... they go to parties and get smashed!"

"I see," Connor shrugged, giving up on her case, "Well, if you want to plunge your own life into ruin, then by all means, be my guest".

Trixie looked at him, perplexed, "... What? That's it? You're not going to be a gentlecolt and help a mare out in dire distress?"

"Nope," Connor turned away, "You just admitted yourself that you want nothing more for your life than to blow it all away as it comes to an Arceusforsaken end from liver failure".

"Heh heh heh," Trixie started chuckling hysterically, "You said 'blow'!"

"What...?" Connor initially looked confused, before frowning in disgust, "Oh for fuck's sake, get your mind out of the gutter, woman!"

Trixie fell on her back laughing like a madmare, obviously having had a little too much to drink for her own mental safety, "You're a funny 'un, you are!"

With some difficulty, she unsteadily hauled herself back up, staring at Connor with a sly grin, "What's your name, han'some?"

"Erm," He frowned, "I'm Connor".

Trixie broke out into more laughter, "What the buck sort of a name is that?! Your parents really must'a hated you... It's like they just slap letters togevver an' see what they could come up wiv'!"

"Yes, it's hilarious," He sighed in agitation.

"*Hic* You know what," Trixie leaned against the counter, "Why don't you get anovver drink, an' we can hang out at my place for a bit?"

"You said you don't have a place," Connor tilted his head.

"Nonsense! We can pool our money an' get a hotel for the night," She leaned cheekily into his face, "Whatta ya say? I need to blow off some steam anyway, if you know what I mean..."

"Okay, now that's definitely the alcohol talking," Connor took a step back in concern, "No".

"Daww, you're no fun!" Trixie pouted, looking away.

"No, I'd just prefer to make good memories of this place before I leave," Connor defended, "Getting embroiled in one-night stands is not on my to-do list".

"Have you no sense of adventure?!" Trixie leaned in to his face with a grin. The overwhelming scent of alcohol on her breath almost caused him to gag.

"My sense of 'adventure' is a bit different from yours, I'm afraid," Connor reeled back.

Trixie glared at the barkeep, "Barkeep! More vodka for this colt 'ere! He's still talking in comprehendible sentences!"

"Ugh," Connor groaned. This was going to be a long night.

[END CHAPTER 9]
> Settling Into Routine
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

CHAPTER 10

[Club Sierra, Manehattan, unknown time]

"Baaaarrrrkeeeeep!" Trixie slurred, "Moooooaaaaare special stuff!"

"This is becoming ridiculous," the barkeep shook his head, "Nearly every time you order a drink for your new friend, you end up drinking it instead! I think you can stop at number twelve, miss".

"Faaaarrk oooorrrrfff!" She looked uneasily in the barkeep's general direction, "I haven't touched a drop! Yer seein' things!"

Connor thumped his head repeatedly against the counter in agitation, "I swear I've never met this crazy bitch before in my life".

"It's four thirty in the morning and your brain is clearly more mixed up than something straight out of a blender," the barkeep pointed out, "If you don't leave at some point, I will notify security and make you leave".

"Go ahead!" Trixie frowned, "Why don'cha fuckin' make me?!"

"See what you've gone and done?" the barkeep looked at Connor crossly, "Now she's using an 'f' instead of a 'b' in her swearing".

"You were the one who went and gave her the extra five cocktails," Connor shrugged, "Don't look at me".

"That's my job," the barkeep retorted, "Doing fellow colts a favour with the mares since forever, and by the way, you're welcome. The drinks were supposed to be for you, but you only had the second drink I gave you. All the others, she beat you to the punch, in both senses. And now her bill is incredibly high as it is..."

"In hindsight, I probably should've gone for those drinks," Connor sighed.

"Hey! You! Get yer flank to the dance floor!" Trixie suddenly yelled at Connor, "STAT!"

"What? I don't even..." he blinked in surprise as the dishevelled magician simply hauled the Zorua/Pony off his stool and towards the centre of the party.

"Carn' hot stuff! Show us what you got!" Trixie grinned as she started dancing around to the beat. Needless to say, she looked ridiculous, as well as more than a little unbalanced as she disappeared amongst the crowd of dancing ponies.

"Ugh, I can't believe this," Connor sighed, trying to track down where the drunken mare went, "That idiot is going to be nothing but a nuisance in her intoxicated state..."

Against his better judgement, he dove in amongst the crowd to track her down. With so many ponies moving about erratically in such a small space, locating the intoxicated mare was easier said than done. Eventually, she found him first, and for several seconds he stood completely still as she danced away to her heart's content.

The music was at its loudest in the centre of the dance floor, where the directions of the loudspeakers were concentrated, dashing any hope of verbal communication. Trying to shout over the noise was pointless, so Trixie physically grabbed him by the front hooves and started dragging him about in her rather strange routine, mostly comprised of swaying and jumping about with little to no cohesion. After several minutes of this strange nonsense, he shook his head and edged his way back towards the bar.

For a short while, he stood by the counter in silence, considering whether to just ditch her there and run or not. The roaring cacophony of voices and music was making it difficult to think straight.

Before he could come to a decision, the magician suddenly burst back out from the crowd with a panicked look on her face. He frowned in confusion as the mare suddenly dashed around behind him, chattering frantically, but otherwise inaudibly under her breath.

"Trixie, what the hell-"

Several other ponies had followed her out: two of the plain no-wings-or-horn variety, as well as both a Unicorn and a Pegasus were standing just a few feet away, with rather angry glares on their faces. Connor took notice of the foremost stallion's lime-green colouration and dark-blue mane, which contrasted to his bright yellow eyes.

"Help me!" Trixie wailed like a small filly.

"Trixie, what did you do?" Connor asked hesitantly, keeping his gaze on the irate ponies before him.

"She had the nerve to insult the integrity of not only my marefriend, but myself," the stallion snorted, "We have a right mind to put her back into place".

I leave her for just a few moments and she picks a fight with someone?!

"I apologise, but she's had more than a few drinks tonight, and she's not exactly in the best mental shape..." Connor shrugged sheepishly, "You know, smashed off her tree and all that jazz".

"What, so now you're going to make pathetic excuses to try and cover for her worthless hide?" the stallion had none of it, stepping into Connor's face, "Get the hay out of our way, freak!"

"Hang on now, there's no need to get worked up-"

*Crack!*

Connor flinched reflexively as the pony slugged his Illusion across the face, forcing him to reel back accordingly to keep the Illusion real. Several other patrons abruptly stopped dancing in shock, startled by the sudden outburst of violence. Trixie winced slightly with the realisation of what she had just dragged Connor into.

"I said get out of our way," the pony snarled, "Our patience is at the end of its tether for idiots not only like her, but you".

"So you want to play that card," Connor couldn't help but let a manic grin appear on his Illusion's face, "By all means, you're welcome to try that again, and see where it gets you".

"So you suddenly think you're tough all of a sudden?" the pony growled as his friends wordlessly spread out to surround him, "I think you came to the wrong neighbourhood for that, motherbucker".

Oh, if you only knew, Connor thought as he stretched his neck about, "Four-to-one, that's a bit unfair don't you think?"

"You should've thought of that before you let your little filly wander around insulting other ponies like that".

"Hmm, I'd say you'd need at least a couple more guys, and then we'll be on even terms. Trixie, what exactly did you say to them?" asked Connor.

"Erm..." Trixie shuffled uncomfortably, before abruptly looking up, shouting "Protect me!" and bolting off into the crowd.

Connor's eye twitched as the other ponies all closed in on him, "I swear I've never met her before in my life".

Wielding multiple illusions at once to conceal himself, Connor quickly ditched his Pony Illusion and dashed out the circle as the agitated ponies kicked it to the ground and started pounding it in a frenzy.

He couldn't help but wince as his Illusion was reduced to a battered pulp in a matter of seconds under a withering barrage of hooves and kicks.

The lime-green pony spat in the Illusion's face, "Faggot".

"Satisfied?"

They all turned at once to see the target of their animosity suddenly standing, apparently unharmed only a few feet away behind them.

"What?" the ponies looked back at their fallen quarry on the floor, which was no longer there. "How...?"

Connor's new Illusion smirked, "My turn".

Before he could make his move, he was suddenly surrounded by a khaki-brown aura, courtesy of the Unicorn among the thugs, "Get 'im fellers! He ain't going anywhere this time!"

Connor initially struggled against the magic hold, and blinked to find that escaping it was ridiculously easy. The aura suddenly closed in on itself as he simply stepped out of it, causing a few gasps of alarm and shock.

"What?!" the four thugs all looked stunned, no-one more-so than the Unicorn who cast it.

"You're in my playhouse now," Connor emitted a rather evil-sounding cackle, very much enjoying the new revelation that whatever they just tried failed miserably, "Your rules just went out the window".

The thugs all took a step back in sudden fright as a black misty aura suddenly started seeping from the Illusion's body like wispy smoke.

The blaring music suddenly lowered in volume as the DJ, from her heightened view from the podium, stared incredulously at the events unfolding before her, shouting "Hey look! A bar-fight!"

"Sweet Celestia, what is this?!" the patrons all started panicking and backing themselves as far away as possible.

The four would-be assailants suddenly found themselves clasped to the floor by thick clunky chains, preventing their escape. As much as they tried, they were stuck fast.

"An Earth-Pony using magic..." the other patrons whispered uneasily amongst themselves, rather rattled by the scene unfolding before them. The whispers spread like wildfire, and within a few moments, nearly everypony present in the vicinity was watching the spectacle, if not at least trying to get a view.

"N-Now settle down dude!" the lead pony stammered, "W-We're happy to let it all go! Absolutely buckin' everything! Just get away from us and leave us alone!"

"That's odd," Connor smirked and spoke in a low voice, "All of a sudden, your bravado has disappeared. I wonder where it went..."

He stepped to within a few inches of the frightened stallion's face, putting on the most threatening tone he could muster, "Now listen here buddy, I don't give a shit what that mare said to you, that is not a good enough reason to go around bashing anyone up!"

He leaned right into the stallion's ear, "Now, you go run along, little colt, and perhaps I'll forget this little incident ever happened".

The pony suddenly found that the chains were gone. Wasting no time, all four of them dashed for the nearest exit, leaving their respective distressed marefriends behind in a panic.

Watching from her hiding spot under the stairs, Trixie's eye twitched as she tried to comprehend as to what exactly just transpired.

Everything broke into a flurry of motion as several ponies wearing bright yellow shirts with the word 'Security' on either side in bold black letters forced their way into the crowd towards the black stallion.

"What's going on here?" one of them shouted angrily.

"It's all cool, fellers," Connor's black aura suddenly disappeared without a trace as he grinned, "Just some goons letting their alcohol talk for them, but it's all sorted out now. Nobody got hurt".

"Alright, well in future, just settle down and walk away sir," a guard grunted.

They turned about to return to their posts, before one of them turned back around with a confused expression on her face, "I don't remember seeing you walk in the front door. When did you first arrive?"

Inside, Connor felt his stomach drop, "A few hours ago, actually. Why?"

The guard's demeanour turned from confused to suspicious, "I think I'd remember seeing a mane-style that that as it walked through the front gate. What was your name, sir?"

"Erm... Shadow Runner," Connor quickly made something up on the spot.

"Alright Mr Shadow Runner, was your ID checked by Security on your way in?" the guard pressed.

"I believe so," Connor shrugged, "I wouldn't be in here otherwise..."

The guard turned to her comrades, "Anyone recognise this stallion?"

The other guards shook their heads in unison.

"Alright wise guy, let's see your ID," she gestured with a flick of her head.

Connor looked about in a puzzled fashion, "What sort of request is that? I don't even have any pockets".

"So, in other words, you have no ID?" the guard glared dangerously, "How did you get inside this club then?"

"Same way I'm getting out again," Connor shrugged, realising that it could only go downhill very quickly if they continued along this line of conversation.

"What-"

In the blink of an eye, he was gone.

The guards all looked about. "Where'd he go?! He couldn't have teleported, could he?"

"No sir, there wasn't any magical fluctuation," a Unicorn guard nearby shook his head, "Whatever the case, there is something wrong about this... pony, if we dare to call it that".

"Cover the door!" the lead guard shouted, "Nopony is getting in or out!"

A swarm of more guards filled the area, startling the patrons as the building suddenly went into lockdown. The music suddenly came to a grinding halt.

"Attention all patrons!" the guard in charge shouted, "We apologise for the inconvenience, but there is now a rogue fugitive loose in the building! If you see him, please notify security! He's a black stallion- Oh who am I kidding? You all saw what he looked like! Please co-operate with us and keep an eye out for him!"

In her little hiding spot under a stairwell, Trixie huddled up in fright. Frightened by the sudden turn of events. Frightened by the fact that the entire club had entered lockdown for the first time in the history of Equestrian nightclubs. Frightened by the fact that just moments ago, she was planning a way to try and seduce what is possibly a highly-dangerous individual, even if he was devilishly handsome...

"Well, that could've gone better," a voice right next to her muttered, causing her to jump. Trixie blinked incredulously as her alcohol-fried brain desperately played catch-up with what was sitting next to her under the stairs.

"Connor! How did you get here?" she hissed, "What the hay is going on here?!"

"These guys are all wired up over a misunderstanding," Connor huffed in annoyance, "I probably slipped up a little too much, but still..."

"W-What? Whadda ya mean, you slipped up?" Trixie looked befuddled.

"Here and now is not a good time for a story. Right now, I need to find a way out of this place," Connor murmured urgently, "If anyone asks, I wasn't here".

"Trikshie demands to know as to what you're blabbering on about-"

Suddenly, he was gone again.

"By the goddessh, just what are you?" Trixie whispered under her breath, looked about incredulously.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Connor's voice whispered back softly in her ear, startling her.

"Make way!" a voice spoke up loudly, "Princess Luna coming through! Make way!"

"Oh dear," Trixie's pupils dilated.

Standing easily a head taller than everyone else in the club was the graceful form of the Princess of the Night herself, scanning around the room with her sharp eyes. Everypony present gave the Princess a wide berth as she entered.

"What did you say it was?" Luna demanded flatly, looking at the head of security.

"We're not too sure ourselves, your majesty," the guard shrugged sheepishly, "Guards on sight say it was an Earth-Pony with the magical abilities of a Unicorn".

"That sounds a bit farfetched," Luna frowned, "Earth ponies can't use magic, unless they're wearing an amulet".

"Well, this one appeared to have the ability of not only invisibility, but it was briefly radiating with a very... black and ominous aura, for a lack of better terminology, and we're not quite sure what it was," the guard continued, "There are several witnesses who were saying that this creature was immune to telekinetic spells, saying that it completely shrugged off a magic hold like it wasn't even there".

"Immune to magic, you say?" Luna inquired, "Are you sure?"

Very few creatures she knew of were resistant to magic, let alone not be affected by it at all. Unfortunately, her knowledge of such creatures escaped her as she desperately ransacked her own memory to try and figure out what this pony was describing.

"The only other thing we could gather about this creature is that its coat was dark-grey, with a red funny-looking mane and a black tail," the guard said in an almost apologetic tone.

Luna frowned. Nothing she could think of off the top of her head matched that description.

"You are sure you have this complex completely sealed up?" Luna glanced at the guard.

"Tighter than a noble's pocket," the guard nodded briefly with a smug grin.

"And you have set up a magic barrier to prevent anypony from teleporting outside?" Luna pressed.

"Absolutely".

"Then the hunt begins," she looked about at the crowd of ponies before her. In her trademark Canterlot Voice, she proclaimed, "ATTENTION EVERYPONY! I'M AFRAID THAT THIS PARTY IS TO BE SHUT DOWN, EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY. THIS CREATURE WHICH HAS INVADED OUR PRESENCE IS LOOSE SOMEWHERE IN THIS BUILDING, AND ALL WE REQUIRE YOU TO DO IS TO STAY EXACTLY WHERE YOU ARE FOR THE TIME BEING. IF YOU SEE ANYTHING SUSPICIOUS, PLEASE ALERT US IMMEDIATELY! THANK YOU".

Luna shut her eyes in concentration as she activated a scanning spell, hunting out any and every sign of life in the vicinity. Immediately, she could identify the signs of everypony present in her line of sight, as well as the guards spreading out behind her guarding the only way out. She was puzzled as to why there was nothing else out of the ordinary around here. Usually, every living thing gave off some sort of sign of life, whether it be their body heat, their movement as they milled about, or even the faintest traces of magic all ponies possessed regardless of their race (only unicorns possessed it in significant-enough quantities to do anything with it).

Whatever this creature was, stealth and remaining undetected was obviously its forte, as Luna probed about with her magic in a game of cat-and-mouse with her unseen foe.

Several tense minutes passed in complete silence, save for the soft beeping pulse of Luna's magic scanner.

Slowly, she opened her eyes and frowned, yelling out at nopony in particular, "ALRIGHT CREATURE, WHATEVER YOU ARE, IF YOU CAN STILL HEAR ME, YOU WIN... FOR NOW. CONSIDER YOUSELF LUCKY I CANNOT USE ANY SONIC FREQUENCIES TO FLUSH YOU OUT OF HIDING. NEXT TIME, YOU WON'T BE SO LUCKY!"

"W-What do you mean?" the head of security was alarmed.

"I'm afraid all trace of our fugitive has simply disappeared," Luna shook her head regrettably, "I threw out every possible type of scan I could think of: Heat Detection, Movement Detection, Magic Detection, even ultraviolet and infrared vision, but alas, nothing has turned up. It is highly likely that this creature either knows an advanced type of magic we are somehow unfamiliar with, or we are in way over our heads here in something completely new to Equestria. Something like..." Her eyes widened at a thought which suddenly crossed her mind.

"So..."

"You can lift the lockdown now, sergeant," Luna sighed, "I need to inform Celestia of this revelation. I have complete faith that you are telling me the complete truth about what you claim to have witnessed, and I assure you that we will get to the bottom of this, one way or another".

"Yes milady," the guard nodded and got to work.

Luna muttered something incoherent under her breath as she disappeared in the bright flash of a teleportation spell.

...

Trixie slowly stumbled outside as the crowd dispersed, disappointed that the night had come to an abrupt end. Finding her sense of balance was almost impossible with the amount of alcohol she had consumed over the course of the night, and she almost tripped over her own feet numerous times as she aimlessly drifted into an alleyway.

"How 'ash my life come to thish?" she clutched her head with her hoof morosely, "Shpendin' the last of me bits like that... it's amazin' I even have any left..."

She sat down on her haunches in the corner between a dumpster and a tall building, leaning her head against the harsh brickwork of the wall behind her, using her hat as a pillow.

"All I wanted in life... wash ta be happy... and appreciated," she sniffed, wiping something from her eye, "Ish that too much to ask? Even for little ol' me?"

"Well, that makes two of us with major problems," a voice came from on top of the dumpster, "I don't even know where I am, I have somehow accidentally antagonised a Royal Princess of all things, and to top it off, you should never be drinking alcohol again".

"Connor?" Trixie looked up, "W-What... How did you...?"

"A true magician," Connor's Pony Illusion peered over the edge with a sly grin, "never reveals his secrets".

"... Are you followin' me?" she looked perplexed.

"Right now, you're the only pony in the entirety of Equestria who I can connect both their name and face, as well as the only one I can trust right now," Connor shook his head, "You are small and inconspicuous, and you also know your way around this city better than I do".

"...Yeeeeeaaaah, riiight," a sly grin briefly appeared on Trixie's face, "Yer jus' irresishtibly enamoured with the Great 'n' powerful Trikshie, aren' ya?"

Connor stared at her flatly, "...You're a drunkard who can think about as straight as she can walk. What's 'enamouring' about that?"

"Deny it all you want!" Trixie sniggered, "I mean, I can't blame you fer falling for a mare as dashing ash the Great 'n' Powerful Trikshie!"

"Drunk and delusional," Connor mused, mostly to himself, "I'm never letting you touch that stuff again".

"I... I think that thish ish a bit much to ask of you at a time like thish..." Trixie suddenly shifted about uncomfortably, "But... do you 'ave any bitsh you could spare? I really jush' wanna get off the streets, for even jush' one night... Trikshie doesn' wanna be a bother... but..."

A small pain in the back of his head started swelling up. He grimaced slightly in discomfort.

My Illusion Ability must be starting to cook itself from extended use, He thought, Resting up for the night will be the most wise decision at this point.

Connor sighed with a nod, "Well, I don't have any actual currency per say. But I'll tell you what, I have the next best thing. Come on, let's go find a place to stay for the night".

Trixie attempted to drag herself up, with no success. "Erm... a little help here?" she held her foreleg out pitifully.

"Ugh, we need to find you a new hobby," Connor reached down and pulled her up, "Binge-drinking is going to be the death of you if you're not careful..."

[Sometime later, at a random hotel, somewhere in Manehattan]

"I can't believe you just pulled a bag of bitsh out of yer assh like that!" Trixie chuckled, lying flat on her back on the nice, comfy bed with her hat tilted forward over her face, "Where'd you even get that money? I thought you shaid you were flat-broke and without pocketsh?"

"As I said, a magician never reveals his secrets," Connor smirked, looking around the room.

It was a fairly small and simple layout, with almost everything crammed into one space, with the exception of the bathroom, which took up the opposite corner of the room from the door. There were a few dressing draws lined against the wall adjacent to the door, and there was a double-bed set opposite to them.

Trixie's head churned like a blender as she tried to comprehend how her fortunes whiplashed about over the events of the night. One moment, she was attempting to drown her sorrows, then suddenly this strange stallion appears out of the blue, kicks up a shitstorm, and now she's suddenly spending the rest of the night with him in a hotel room using money which was probably made out of thin air. It was all so... surreal to her, and her poor frazzled brain struggled to digest it all.

"Erm, where will you shleep?" Trixie looked about hesitantly, noticing that there was only one bed between them.

"I'll improvise," Connor swiped a pillow from the bed and curled up on the floor.

"I-If you don't mind my ashking," Trixie looked at him, "How did you ever evade Prinshesh Luna'sh detection shpellsh? It's like you jusht vanished inta thin air..."

"If you really must know..." Connor murmured, "I managed to find the scanner's blind spot, directly underneath her".

Trixie's eye twitched as she connected two and two together, "Wait... so, you were in between her legsh the whole time... and she didn't know any different?! Oh, you cheeky colt, you..."

"Yep," Connor chuckled, "Initially, I thought it would be a rather funny and ironic place to hide, and it turned out to be quite helpful in the end. Bloody hell, my head hurts..."

"... You don' 'ave a hangover already?" Trixie's expression was somewhere between confused and disgusted, "You didn' even have that much..."

Connor buried his face in the pillow, "No... I don't think it's that..."

She tilted her head slightly as she closely scrutinised the black pony, "Maybe it was somfin' the barkeep put in those drinksh... He said somefin' about each one bein' different from the ovver... P'rhapsh he put somefin' he shouldn've into one of 'em... Maybe he-"

"Can you do me a favour?" Connor interrupted her.

"W-What ish it?" Trixie looked perplexed.

"Whatever you see here in this hotel, stays between you and me, alright?"

"Connor, what on earf are you talkin' 'bout?"

His prone form suddenly disappeared in a bright red flash, causing her to reel back and shield her eyes.

"Dude, are you alright? What the hay happ... ened?"She stared incredulously at the creature now lying on the floor. Where there was once a dark-grey pony with weird mane-style and a funny cutie mark, was now occupied by a ball of fur, no bigger than her head, with a disturbingly similar colour pallet and appearance. It was small enough to lie comfortably on the pillow without the rest of its body lying uncomfortably on the floor.

"Connor... what jusht happened?" Trixie gingerly leaned forward, unsure of what to make of this... thing.

"I'm not actually a pony," he said softly, his fatigue starting to take hold, "I'm a Zorua, a species of Pokémon".

"I don' get it," Trixie looked perplexed, "I don' wanna think too much here..."

"At this time, it's necessary to hide any details about my identity," Connor sighed, "I just want to blend in and move about unnoticed as I go about my travels, so I used my powers to distort everyone's visual perception of me. If we're going to be travelling together, we need to be able to trust each other, otherwise my plans won't work, so here, I'm stepping out on a limb by trusting you with these facts".

"What do you mean?"

"You have no home or money. I'm looking for treasure here in Equestria. So, it'd make sense if we teamed up. I'm offering you a chance to potentially make a fortune and provide a home for yourself. We'll divide up whatever we find between each other, and you'll have a roof over your head. It's a win-win scenario".

"You... want to go... treasure-hunting? In Equeshtria?" Trixie looked at him blankly.

"That's why I'm here," Connor shrugged.

"And yer ashking me to jusht shimply tag along wiv' all thish?"

"Yep. As I said, it's potentially a win-win scenario if we find anything".

"The Great 'n' Powerful Trikshie... will conshider your offer," Trixie sighed, ready to fall sleep at any second, "Maybe after her head shtops pounding so hard... I'll shleep on it an' let ya know in the morning. Good night".

Reaching out with her magic, she doused out the candles providing light, blanketing the room in darkness.

[Ponyville Library, Ten Days after finding Darkrai in the Everfree...]

Twilight Sparkle had seen quite a few weird and wonderful things so far during her time in Ponyville, so there were certain oddities and quirks that her dulled sense of surprise could now handle upon first sight. Living within a ten light-year radius of a certain Pinkie Pie tended to have that effect on you. Nevertheless, she lost her train of thought in shock when Zappo of all creatures practically waltzed into the Library out of the blue, grabbed a book off the shelf and actually started reading it.

During her brief association with the Explorer, the last thing she honestly expected to write in her notes about him was the word 'Literate', and yet here he was, nestled comfortably on a cushion in the corner and reading a book much larger than she anticipated him to be able to handle. Out of curiosity, she briefly glanced at the cover of the book, titled 'An Adventurer's Guide to the Everfree: Survival in Equestria's Harshest Environment'.

"I didn't know you liked reading," she commented as she shifted her posture to look over his shoulder at the page, "Do they have books back where you come from?"

"Literacy is quite a common skill, believe it or not" Zappo replied, keeping his gaze on the book, "It's mostly used to write messages for communication, but there have been Pokémon who transcribed out certain events in our history, for those who are interested, and there still are. It's a handy skill when you find an ancient relic with stone carvings in it. I must admit, the written language here in Equestria is a bit hard to get used to, but there are many similarities I've so far been able to pick up on, and figure out the alphabetical analogues".

"So uh, what brings you here?" she asked.

"We've been able to negotiate a system regarding our use of Applejack's barn as a temporary base of operations," the Raichu replied, "As of last Thursday last week, we have started working part-time for the Apple Family on their farm as a method of paying rent, along with a weekly fee of around two hundred and fifty bits to cover any inconveniences. Between us, we have organised a three-day routine. While one of us takes a day to rest, today being myself, the other two members of Team Valkyrie will help AJ and Big Mac with their chores. Tomorrow, CJ will have his turn for respite, and then Archie the day after that, then another one for me, and so on. While the Pokémon on his day off is on standby in case of any emergencies, he is otherwise free to do as he pleases, within reason of course. All weekends are automatic days off so that we can carry out our official expeditions around Equestria".

"I must admit, that's an interesting set-up," Twilight mused, "So, what do you plan to do today?"

"Learn a bit about this place for a start," Zappo answered, "I'd be an idiot if I didn't first do some research about my new environment first".

Twilight grinned, rapt that she had discovered another potential avid reader such as herself, "If you're interested, there are several other books about Equestrian History and topography. This book in particular was the last one that the author ever wrote. Unfortunately, she passed away shortly after the book was published".

"What happened?" Zappo looked up, "I wouldn't be surprised if an adventurer such as herself slipped up too close to a Hydra or something like that".

"No, actually she became afflicted by a nasty case of Poison Joke, and in a freak accident, she choked on her own quill," Twilight answered, slightly sombre.

Zappo raised an eyebrow, "That's a pretty ironic way to go. Spends all her life nearly throwing it away in the jaws of danger, only to be undone by a feather of all things".

"Those can be quite dangerous objects when not handled properly," Twilight frowned, "And being afflicted by Poison Joke is not a laughing matter at all. I should know..."

"What exactly is it?" Zappo asked, "I'm not up to that section yet".

"Poison Joke in itself is a blue flower that only grows in the Everfree Forest," Twilight explained, entering her 'Lecture mode', "Coming into direct contact with it can produce a wide-range of side-effects which are completely magical in nature, and they almost always afflict and create hindrances to your daily life, ranging from minor annoyances to life-threatening disasters. The symptoms are always different and always handicapping in nature. In fact, just last week, the girls and I had a rather nasty experience when Zecora came to town. We followed her into the Everfree Forest, while looking out for Apple Bloom, and we stumbled into a Poison Joke patch. The next morning, we were all affected in strange ways. For example, my horn wouldn't work, and thus I couldn't use magic; Applejack shrank down to the size of a bit; Rarity's hair grew out and made her look like a cave-pony; Rainbow's wings stopped functioning properly; Pinkie Pie's tongue became swollen and gave her a nasty speech impediment; Fluttershy experienced a severe case of vocal dissonance disorder..."

"Strewth, you almost talk as much as Pinkie Pie when you get the chance," Zappo commented under his breath, tuning her voice out as he continued reading, "Now where was I...? Oh yes, Timberwolves..."

It took Twilight several minutes of rambling to realise that she no longer held Zappo's attention. She huffed in annoyance.

Now I know how Spike feels when he's trying to keep me listening...

"Uh, speaking of Zecora, I've been meaning to ask you, what was it you said to her when you first met her? I couldn't make out what you were saying from where I was, but you had the largest smile on your face, and she looked like she wanted to die from shock".

Zappo started grinning in a rather cheeky fashion, "Since the town was deserted, and it'd be a bit mean if I gave her the real reason as to why, I simply made up an excuse for you. I believe my exact words were: 'Considering that ninety percent of the town's population is female, I'd hazard a guess that everyone's gone on the rags at exactly the same time, and they're all avoiding each other in shame'. To be honest, I don't think she bought it, but I certainly found her reaction funny regardless".

There was the sound of snapping wood as Twilight's jaw suddenly plunged through the floorboards.

"... YOU SAID WHAT?!"

"Well, to be fair, it was nicer than outright saying 'Everyone hates you, Zecora', and far more amusing too," Zappo defended.

"Funny? You think that's FUNNY?!" Twilight fumed, "You can't say stuff like that! It's rude, crass and offensive! I can't believe you got away with that!"

"That's exactly why it was funny," Zappo replied, "Besides, no-one else was in the street anyway at the time, so there wasn't anyone else to be offended by it. I got my kicks and she got a reason why everyone was avoiding her, even if it wasn't the correct one".

"B-B-B-But..." Twilight's words escaped her as her brain went into emergency shutdown.

"After that, the gang and I went for a trip into Whitetail Woods, being a Saturday, to go looking around for anything interesting. Turned out there's nothing there," Zappo finished, rather flippantly.

Deciding that continuing this topic of conversation would be detrimental to her sanity, Twilight turned about and walked off, "Well, if you ever need anything, I'll be upstairs. Don't hesitate to ask. Oh, and one last thing, you didn't happen to see Spike on your way in, did you?"

"Yeah, I think he said something about going to hang out with Rarity for the day," Zappo replied off-handedly.

"Of course," Twilight sighed and trotted up the stairway out of sight.

"... That's interesting," the Raichu mumbled aloud as he continued reading, "Timberwolf packs usually have a matriarchal-based pecking order... "

[Sweet Apple Acres]

If Applejack were to be honest with herself, four days ago she was rather skeptical about having an oversized mouse, a large serpent and a dragon of all things working alongside her on the farm. Considering that the mouse didn't particularly look cut out for heavy lifting, the serpent had no limbs at all, and the dragon was a walking fire hazard in a dense field of highly valuable (and highly flammable) trees, her initial doubts were at least partially justified.

On the first day, for the sake of politeness, she gave them the benefit of the doubt and began assigning them tasks she felt were within their capacity. CJ lacked the capability to buck trees or move the heavy carts around, however he proved to be experienced in the art of numbers, business and handling finances, and was able to fill in the niche at the market stall selling product in town while the others could concentrate on the more physical side of farm work. Trial and error quickly revealed that Archie meanwhile also possessed an unsuitable physiology for apple-bucking, so Applejack instead relegated him to assist Big Mac haul the apple carts to-and-from the orchards, provided he didn't enter within a five yard radius of any trees for safety's sake. Both Pokémon took to their assigned tasks with vigour, and both Apple siblings gave a sigh of relief for the eased workload.

When Zappo started work the next day, they found that while he also wasn't physically capable of bucking the trees per say, he was able to improvise a technique by simply Focus-Punching them, producing the same result of falling apples all the same. He revealed that he also had experience with handling money and supplies, although not quite to CJ's level, and thus was also able to be placed at the market stall in town if required, making him an effective all-rounder who could competently handle almost any task she gave him.

The extra workers really helped speed things up, and they found that the day's chores were being completed in record time, with more spare time in between jobs. Applejack certainly wasn't about to complain about it; All three members of Team Valkyrie gave her their utmost attention and respect, never challenging anything she asked of them and following her instructions to the letter, but the decrease in exertion left her slightly let down. She was used to working hard to achieve the desirable results. Living on a farm always required around-the-clock attention, and nothing was ever easy. With the extra help to get things done quicker and more efficiently, she found herself... bored and unchallenged.

To occupy herself during the longer breaks, Applejack found herself more often than not conversing with her guests about various issues and important topics which crossed her mind, such as what Pokémon did in the ways of agriculture and feeding their apparently enormous populations back home. She was surprised to learn that food was all straight off the land, with no-one nurturing it or looking after it. CJ explained that Pokémon had simple lifestyles, only taking what they needed to sustain themselves. It helped that fruit and berries grew at astonishingly quick rates back home, with just a single, albeit sizable forest of apple trees comfortably able to feed several towns regardless of the time of year. He had to admit though that even a Perfect Apple, the rarest and most delicious variety of apple back home, would struggle to hold its own against its Sweet Apple Acres counterpart in terms of quality and taste, something Applejack found herself smirking in smug pride about.

Four days (six, including the two-day weekend) later, and it seemed that Team Valkyrie had settled into the routine nicely. Being Zappo's second day off, he had decided to spend the morning in the Library reading up about Equestria. His announcement to the others about his plan of action initially surprised the farm pony, considering that his favourite pastime involved bashing somepony else's head in. She never pictured him to be the studious type, much less being able to even read, and as she went about her work that morning, her mind perpetually insisted on wondering about what other assumptions and first-glance thoughts she potentially got wrong about him.

Yes, he was crass, borderline insensitive and potentially psychopathic to the tenth degree, but at the same time, while he hadn't the foggiest inkling about a simple thing called 'manners', he used other ways of showing respect to somepony, mostly with simple things such as paying attention and offering small gestures of kindness every now and then. He was always honest (particularly with his opinions, if somewhat brutally) and loyal to a fault, not to mention quite intelligent for his appearance and otherwise short temper. It made things very difficult for her to gauge which side of his character was the true one, something which frustrated her internally to no end.

While she was on this topic of thought, it came to mind that CJ was also a surprising character. As far as snakes go, the big ones always gave her shivers, and she wisely decided that he should never stray anywhere near the herd of cows which lived nearby. Deciding that CJ was no ordinary snake, she took the plunge and opened up a conversation with him during the afternoon of their first day. Their conversation went from simple small talk, to things like how CJ found it weird that Celestia and Luna controlled the Sun and Moon respectively. By the time the next chore arose, Applejack figured that her assumptions about CJ were wrong as well. Far from being the simple and rather straight-forward creature she initially made him out to be, CJ proved himself to be the closest thing to 'docile' of the three Pokémon, and arguably the most open, intelligent and considerate of them as well, making up for what Zappo lacked in manners. He did admit however that he had a tendency to avoid taking up a position of any major leadership if he could help it, preferring to let Zappo handle the decision-making. He explained that during their early adventures as a team, Zappo always took charge of any missions while CJ handled their finances and supplies. It was a set-up that worked in practice, and he was happy with the way things were. His kind and reserved disposition also reminded her of Fluttershy to an extent.

Late that afternoon, shortly after Apple Bloom returned home from school, Applejack wandered across the orchards to find Archie, curious as to what surprises he had locked away. It turned out Archie was quite similar to Spike in many regards. Both were quite sociable as far as dragons go, with both of them sharing a slightly sarcastic and relaxed demeanour. She sighed in relief that he and her brother Big Mac were able to get along well and work together. One thing she learned which defined Archie from the others was that he had a very observant eye for detail and an uncanny knack for reading body language. Even after being around them for just a few days, he claimed he was able to point out whenever she was cheerful, indifferent or agitated just by watching her expressions and more subtle movements. Applejack never considered herself one for subtlety, always priding herself on being blunt and getting straight to the point, and to have this pointed out to her made her feel a little more than just slightly miffed. Unsurprisingly, Archie picked up on her reaction to that too, chuckling that she was easier to read than bold letters in a book. Her response was to pout and complain under her breath something about 'sorcery' and 'a load of horse-apples'.

Some of his more negative quirks she instantly picked up on was that he had a concerning indifference towards using combat and violence as a means to solve interpersonal problems, much like Zappo, and she wondered as to whether the majority of Pokémon held violence in this regard. On top of that, he had a frightening fondness for heat and anything fire-related, which only added to her worries about him 'accidentally' burning their entire crop of trees down. He assured her that such an occurrence would never happen on his watch, promising that he also knew how to be responsible with his pyrotechnic powers. She also noticed that Archie didn't particularly like it whenever she confused Charizards and Dragons, reminding her several times that they were two different things.

All in all, she came to the conclusion that Archie was otherwise a decent Pokémon to hang around, and confidently stated she was glad to have him on the team. If they ever needed warmth during the winter, they knew who to talk with.

Today, Applejack had a new series of tests in mind for her guests. Today, she would see for herself as to what these two were truly made of. She grinned smugly in anticipation.

"Alright you two, listen up!" she barked as they stood to attention, "Today, we are going out to the top paddock, and we're going to have ourselves a little competition! You two claim to have athletic ability, and I want to see for myself as to what sort of ability we're dealing with here! Early this morning, I set up a series of challenges for you to complete, with assistance from my buddy Rainbow Dash".

The Pegasus in question could be seen relaxing on a cloud some distance away.

"... And my brother Big Mac".

The red stallion stood patiently at the far end of the paddock near a wooden table.

Applejack led them towards the first challenge. It was simply two sets of cones spread out roughly a hundred metres apart.

"First up is a sprint, to test how fast you are! Not too hard for ya, is it?" she motioned for them to step up to the starting line. Rainbow Dash hopped off her cloud and landed at the finish line, holding a stop-watch in her hoof.

"CJ, you're up first," Applejack beckoned. The Serperior reluctantly took up a starting position, coiling up like a spring.

"Three... two... one... GO!"

CJ launched forward in a blur, slithering forward with surprising pace for his size. Before they knew it, Rainbow had stopped the watch as he crossed the line.

"Phew," He breathed a heavy sigh, "I never really liked mad sprinting..."

"Eleven point nine seconds," Rainbow whistled, "Not bad".

"Archie, you're up next!" Applejack pointed at him. The Charizard crouched down and flared his wings out to their full length, tense in excitement. Rainbow almost forgot to reset the stop-watch as she marvelled at the display.

"Three... two... one... GO!"

If CJ launched forward like a blur, then Archie blasted off like a bullet, putting enormous amounts of power into his first down stroke off the line, requiring only a second and third flap to keep him airborne before clearing the finishing line a few seconds later.

"WOAH!" Rainbow was knocked off her hooves by the violent surge of air that followed Archie in his wake, dropping the stop watch in the process. Recovering quickly, she scrambled for the watch and gave it a once over, to find that she hadn't pressed the button, leaving it still counting.

"I call bull crap!" she shouted angrily as she stood up on her hind legs and pointed at Archie as he banked around, "You! A race to the Carousel Boutique and back! NOW!"

"What for? I thought AJ was running the events here," he replied in confusion.

Rainbow took flight and hovered up to his altitude, "If you think you can pull a hundred yard dash in less than four seconds and get away with it, then you've got another thing coming!"

"AJ, please translate," He looked down.

"She sees you as a threat to her pride," Applejack sighed, "She holds the firm belief that she's the fastest thing in the skies, and she doesn't take too kindly to anypony who challenges that".

"I don't see the point, but whatever. I'll bite," Archie shrugged, descending back down to the starting point.

Rainbow Dash settled down next to him with a determined scowl. Both racers took up position several metres apart.

"So, just for confirmation, which direction is the Carousel Boutique from here?" Archie looked back over his shoulder.

"Directly that way," Rainbow pointed in the direction of Ponyville, "You shouldn't really get that lost when you have me leading the way!"

"Braggart," Archie muttered under his breath.

"What was that?" Rainbow glared at him dangerously.

"Nothing," Archie got into the same starting position as he had before, tensing his wings up for the initial launch. Rainbow mimicked the posture, tensing up and ready to go.

"On your marks," Applejack called out, "Get set..."

Rainbow shivered in anticipation.

"GO!"

No sooner had the sound left her mouth, the two competitors blasted forward at tremendous speed. They were but twinkles in the distance within seconds.

"I sure hope your friend knows what he's getting into," Applejack shook her head worriedly, glancing at CJ.

Archie had to admit that this blue Pegasus certainly wasn't bluffing about her claims of speed, neither was she pulling any punches as they flew at break-neck speeds, hurtling towards Ponyville.

Archie could quickly pick up on their differences as their target waypoint rapidly approached. Because Rainbow's wings were much smaller than his, she had to pump them at a blindingly-quick rate to keep achieve her current speed, whereas he could pull the same amount of power in a single stroke as she did in ten, meaning he had the advantage not only in outright strength, but stamina and energy-efficiency as well. As they banked around the domed roof of the Boutique, Rainbow was able to turn inside him and gain a critical edge through superior manoeuvrability. Archie spotted that Rainbow wasn't pacing herself as he did, and he estimated she would start overexerting herself anytime soon and run out of steam.

Sure enough, Rainbow could feel the muscles in her back starting to burn up in protest at the workload she was forcing on them, but with the finish line in sight in the distance, Rainbow silently urged her body to hold out just a few more desperate seconds. She could practically feel Archie breathing down her neck as he ever so slowly began to pull alongside her, with each of his wing pumps sounding akin to blasts from a cannon in a steady beat.

Come on! She put the entirety of her remaining energy into one desperate push as a mach cone started forming around her outstretched form.

The finish line flashed underneath as they passed overhead, almost right next to each other. Applejack found herself on her back as the blast of air caught up with them.

"Goodness, that was tight," CJ cringed, "I couldn't tell who was in front from here".

The two competitors circled around overhead to burn off excess speed before landing next to Applejack, or in Rainbow's case, crashing in an exhausted heap.

Archie stretched out his wings to relieve the tension, slightly winded from his efforts, "So, who won that?"

"I'm sorry Archie," Applejack shook her head, "There was only an inch in it, but she beat you fair and square".

"YES!" Rainbow exclaimed amidst her ragged, heavy breathing, lazily pumping her fore-hooves into the air, "That's right! Still the best there is!"

"I don't know," Archie shrugged with a smile, "If we were going to Canterlot and back, I'd leave you for dust".

"Is that a challenge?!" Rainbow shot up, "Name the time and place! I'll take you on any day! Just not today..." She slumped back over as her chest heaved up and down in deep gulps of precious air, "Maybe... once my wings don't feel like... they're catching fire..."

"You're a sprinter," Archie replied in a serious tone, "You're good over short distances and in the turns, but if you're not careful, you burn yourself out too quickly. Over high speeds and long distance, my energy consumption would be far more efficient than yours, and by the time we reach Canterlot, I'd be carrying your comatosed form in my arms".

It wasn't spoken in a haughty, greater-than-thou manner, nor was he trying to degrade her in any way, and as much as she hated to admit it, he had a point.

"Well, if that's my part done," Rainbow gingerly sat up and trotted off, "I need to go find a cloud to recuperate on... particularly a nice soft and fluffy one would be nice..."

"Now," Archie looked at Applejack, "What was the next challenge you had in mind?"

"Well, the next challenge is a test of agility!" Applejack pointed towards a series of poles lodged in the ground, each with a mug of cider sat precariously on top of it. "The challenge is to weave in and out of this here obstacle course, going up, circling around the farthest pole, and coming back, all in the shortest time possible. Every mug you knock over, whether by accident or on purpose, is a two-second penalty added to your time".

"Now hang on, that's not fair," he frowned.

"How so?" Applejack raised an eyebrow, "That's the rule of the challenge".

"If I were to somehow knock them all down, but at the same time still blitz it, that's not truly reflective nor accurate of the time in which I completed it," He huffed.

"Maybe not," Applejack defended, "But you were dumb enough to knock 'em all down in the first place! That's the point of the penalties, to discourage you from screwing up!"

"... Touché," he muttered.

"And for that little remark, you're going first, now git up there!" she smirked.

Reluctantly, the Charizard took up position on the starting line. Applejack reset the stop watch.

"Three... two... one... GO!"

Archie had to restrain himself from launching off like he did the previous times. Barrelling straight through would knock the entire row down, so he had to make broad banking turns in and out of the poles in order to make the corners without touching them.

"You seriously couldn't set these a little bit further apart?" Archie frowned, slightly miffed as to how slow his progress was coming along.

"Quit complaining!" Applejack yelled, "You're almost halfway done!"

Archie lazily arced about the end pole before repeated the same broad weaving pattern on the way back.

For someone who was able to keep pace with Rainbow Dash, he was certainly taking it slowly here. Eventually, he crossed the finish line.

"Forty two seconds dead," Applejack announced, resetting the watch, "So agility isn't your strong point. No biggie. CJ, you're up next!"

The Serperior steeled himself up and took a deep breath.

"Three... Two... One... GO!"

CJ launched forward with the same rapid pace he had last time. Compared with his companion, CJ ducked in and out of the poles seamlessly with the grace of a dancer, cutting very close to the poles, but at the same time with enough space to avoid hitting anything. The Grass Type's speed and precision were nothing short of spectacular to watch as he whipped around for the dash home. Applejack clicked the timer as CJ whizzed past.

"Sixteen point two seconds!" she exclaimed, "That's gotta be a new reco- "

She was interrupted by a soft thud nearby. Glancing aside, she saw that the mug from the first pole in line had tipped and fallen, spilling its contents into a sizable puddle.

"Well, make that eighteen point two seconds, but still an impressive feat!" Applejack grinned encouragingly from ear to ear.

"I must've clipped it as I went by," CJ mused with a tinge of disappointment, "Oh well".

"What's the third thing on the to-do list?" Archie glanced at Applejack.

She pointed towards a pit muck and slosh, still with the broad grin on her face, "My personal favourite: a test of strength! Here on the farm, we decide that with a good ol' round of mud wrestling!"

Archie shook his head instantly, "No can do, I'm afraid. I'm calling 'pass' for this one".

"What? You're not scared of a little mud, are ya?" Applejack had a sly grin, "Worried about getting dirty?"

"Absolutely terrified," Archie replied flatly, "No, actually dirt and mud are bad for my health. Don't look at me like that, I'm dead serious! My tail could be extinguished if I stuck it in that! And if that happens, it's lights-out for me too!"

"Well, there goes Plan A..." she sighed in resignation, before perking up again, "Plan B is over here!" She gestured with a hoof towards the inconspicuous wooden table where Big Macintosh sat idly, playing Solitaire with a deck of cards to pass the time.

"Game over, big brother!" Applejack spoke up as they approached, catching his attention, "We're going with Plan B".

"What is Plan B, exactly?" asked CJ.

"Hoof-wrestling!" Applejack replied cheerfully, taking a seat across from her brother. "The rules are simple: You simply have to overpower your opponent and push his arm into the bench, like so".

Applejack and Big Mac propped their arms up against each other at the elbow and started trying to push down against the other to demonstrate. Applejack put all the strength she could muster into her arm, struggling to get an upper hoof, with no success. After several seconds, the red stallion yawned and slammed his sister's hoof down with little effort.

"... And that's why he's the Equestrian hoof-wrestling champion!" Applejack cringed and rubbed her hoof gingerly, "The challenge is to verse him in a hoof-wrestling match, and see how you fare".

"Seems simple enough," Archie shrugged, sizing up his opponent as Applejack shuffled across to give him room. Sitting on the bench was out of the question due to the size comparisons, so he had to rest on his knees and lean forward to prop himself up correctly. Grabbing Big Mac's hoof in his claws, he waited for the signal to proceed.

"Three... two... one... GO!"

There was a thud as Big Mac's hoof struck the wood in an instant. He blinked in surprise at how rapid it was, not even giving him a fraction of a second to even react, let alone support himself and make a counter-attack.

"That's it. Do I win?" Archie looked up expectantly.

Applejack rubbed her eyes in confusion, unsure of what just unfolded in the past few, brief seconds.

Big Mac was not normally one to be competitive, but Archie could quickly pick out the spark of excitement ignite in his eyes, possibly triggered by... rivalry? Competent opposition? He couldn't tell. Something in the red stallion caused him to perk up, and Archie decided to flash him a smug grin. "What's that? You reckon a Round Two sounds good?"

"Eeyup," Big Mac replied with a determined nod.

"With pleasure," the Charizard stared his opponent in the eye, "When you're ready, AJ".

"Uh... go!" she tossed her hooves up out of indifference.

Big Mac was ready for him this time, and what Archie presumed was to be another quick and simple win very rapidly descended into a bitter, titanic struggle for supremacy as the two red powerhouses sat unwaveringly still, locked in a stern, trance-like state as both CJ and Applejack crowded around on either side, watching with intense anticipation.

For a moment, it looked as if neither one of them was actually doing anything, save for a soft shudder of brief instability here and there as they each struggled against the other for power. The wooden table perpetually creaked and groaned under the weight and pressure. A good three minutes into the match, Applejack spotted a drop of sweat drip down the side of her brother's face.

Amidst his concentration, Archie could hear the faint sound of grinding teeth, possibly coming from Big Mac. He was stunned by how much effort was required just to keep himself from keeling over and losing, let alone make a push towards victory. It didn't help that his opponent was also willing to see how long this would drag out, in a fierce contest of stamina.

CJ glanced across at the orange-coated mare, "I think this might take a while..."

She glanced up at the sun, taking note of its position in the sky.

"It must be coming up to lunchtime soon," she mumbled.

"I'm gonna go into town and grab a bite to eat. Did you want anything from the shops while I'm there?" CJ gestured, "I have a feeling we're not gonna miss much while I'm gone. Don't worry about payment, I'll shout".

She glanced uncertainly between her brother, in the midst of waging a desperate battle for his pride, and CJ, who produced a bag of bits from behind his back with a vine.

She sighed in resignation, "Sure, why not. Can you get me a hay smoothie and a... " She paused in thought, "... and one o' them 'truffle' things from Sugarcube Corner? I hear they're pretty delicious".

"Sure thing," CJ nodded and slithered off.

As the serpent disappeared in the distance, she heard him say something along the lines of "Oh hey Zappo!". She turned about and spotted the Raichu approaching them, passing CJ along the way. He was carrying something under his arm.

"What's happening?" Zappo glanced at the stalemate which was the hoof-wrestle match between Archie and Big Mac.

"We're having a hoof-wrestling challenge," Applejack replied, "It's a supposed to be test of strength, but this one has been going for about four minutes now".

"Interesting," Zappo murmured and continued walking towards the barn.

"What's that you have there?" asked the farm pony out of curiosity.

"It's a book I borrowed from Twilight," he held the cover in front of her face for her to read. "With this, I'll be able to study up on everything there is to know about the Everfree Forest".

"You know, what is it with you and the Everfree Forest?!" Applejack looked incredulous, "Do you have a death-wish or something? Nopony goes in there for a good reason: Very few of them come back alive!"

"And that's why it'll make the perfect practice arena for me to hone my skills while I'm in Equestria," Zappo returned brightly, "Equestria's supposedly most lethal environment will be a good way for me to gauge where I'm at in comparison to my surroundings, and whether any further training is required to improve myself".

"B-But you're in Equestria!" Applejack exclaimed, "We pretty much embody pacifism here. Leave the fighting to the Royal Guards. That's what they sign up in the first place for!"

"It's better to have and not need, than to need and not have, you know that right?" Zappo tilted his head.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means that even if my services are not required now, they might be at some point in the future, and I want to be in top condition at all times, just as a precaution. No-one can predict the future, so that's why we have to anticipate and prepare for the worst-case scenario," he answered sagely, "It's not a matter of if something will go wrong, but when".

There was a loud snap and a heavy thud, startling them from their conversation. They turned about to see that the wooden bench had caved in underneath the weight of the two competitors, with both hoof-wrestlers lying in a heap across from each other, clutching their respective faces in pain.

"I suppose we'll call that a 'draw', then?" Zappo remarked dryly as he walked away, "If you need me, I'll be in the barn".

An idea crossed Applejack's mind, "As a matter of fact Zappo, yes there is something I'd like you to do for me..."

Before he could object, Zappo found himself dragged off his feet in the direction of the mud pit.

"I don't get it. What's going on?" he asked tentatively.

"My initial challenge of strength involved a round of mud wrestling!" Applejack exclaimed gleefully, "I'm gonna test to see how strong you are in a simple contest, where the point is to subdue your opponent while carrying half of your own body-weight in sediment".

"Doesn't sound too hard," Zappo shrugged, "What are the rules?"

"That's the fun part: The only rule is that you must avoid outright injuring your opponent. The point is to grapple and subdue them, not kill or maim them," Applejack grinned, "And so far, I haven't yet met a single pony who can beat me!"

"Challenge accepted then," Zappo smirked, dropping the book and jumping over the fence, landing with a soft squelch.

He stomped around a bit, experimenting with the slight increase in difficulty of movement.

All this mud will render my electric powers useless, but since I can't purposely injure her, they're off the table anyway, He thought as the farm pony jumped in alongside.

He quickly noticed that the pony which was abhorrent to violence as a means to solve problems just a few days ago was suddenly carrying a rather predatory grin plastered across her face as she slowly started to circle around him.

"I don't want to get these dirty now, do I?" He swiped the sunglasses off his face and placed them next to the book, giving Applejack a good look at his dark-brown eyes for the first time in their brief history of knowing each other. They carried an unflinching stare as the two combatanants circled about, waiting for the other to make the first move.

He briefly paused and dropped down into a quadruped stance, resting on his front paws for support, before continuing the circling-motion on all four limbs. One could see the fur on his back stand up straight in tense anticipation.

Big Mac and Archie watched with intent interest from the sidelines, as the latter made a comment under his breath, "Huh, I've never seen him make a stance like that before..."

Deciding that running in circles was getting them no-where, Applejack pounced first, and the wrestling match officially began...

[END CHAPTER 10]
> A Glimpse Of Things To Come...
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

INTERLUDE: A Glimpse Of Things To Come...


        In the dead silence of a cloudless, starlit night, a small village right on the border of the Griffon Kingdom and Equestria had found a moment of respite for sleep. Out in the middle of nowhere, and with enough resources to sufficiently keep themselves supplied, the inhabitants were happy to call their small slice of heaven home.

The town itself was situated deep in a valley, which provided plenty of cover from the elements, such as the wind, and made it difficult to access from any direction but the south.

This town was also one of the last bastions of hope for the Griffon Queen Aquila and her entourage, and what was left of her shattered army after several long weeks of bitter fighting and heavy losses. Camped outside the village proper, the queen sat at a wooden desk under the candlelight, brooding over the circumstances of how she came to be in this weak position.

As the rebel uprising had abruptly begun swinging against them, her husband King Tiberius had given her an entire division of his own personal bodyguard for protection, and had instructed her to make haste for the safety of neutral Equestria for political asylum. Meanwhile, he took the rest of the army and attempted to buy her enough time for her to plead their case before Princess Celestia and procure their assistance.

It was humiliating that the proud Griffons had to turn to their neighbours the ponies of all species for help, and on such short notice, but the future of not only their families, but the fate of the Griffon Kingdom was at stake, on the knife-edge of utter defeat.

Unfortunately, the Rebellion caught wind of her escape, and had been relentlessly pursuing her across the country side. But it wasn’t the rebels themselves which had so far claimed the lives of three thousand of her soldiers. Past experience had proved that on a good day, in a pitched, close-quarters battle, the Griffon Army made mincemeat of the eager, but under-equipped and hastily-trained rebels.

        No, it was that… thing they had found deep in the frozen tundra of the Equestrian North, which had done all the damage. Aquila didn’t know what it was, but it was big, quick, and lethal. 

A four-legged, bipedal, insectoid beast with skin of solid, purple-coloured steel that shrugged off armour-piercing arrows; almost as tall as a Minotaur in stature, but with an underwhelming build that severely understated its true strength. Eyes (if they could be called as such) that possessed a piercing red gaze mounted either side of its broad, flat head, with a gaze that could strike fear into the heart of even the bravest knight.

        A beast with a small, oddly-shaped cannon mounted on its back which packed power beyond their comprehension, firing energy projectiles of such explosive power, that even an Alicorn pony would shiver with awe. At the end of its arms were metal claws that could cut through plate armour like a hot knife through butter.

There were even rumours that it could fly, despite not having any wings.

        Aquila had seen this beast but once before, and it came so close to claiming her life, were it not for the valiant efforts of her guards, which suffered appalling losses to procure her getaway.

No… ‘beast’ was not the most fitting word. 

        ‘Monster’ had a much more appropriate ring to it. A monster that stalked and toyed with its prey, ripping away and devouring her world piece by piece, even as her goal of desperate hope drew nearer.

A weapon the rebels called…

        Genesect.

        A loud horn blast disrupted Aquila's pondering, and every light in the town flicked on.

        A chilling fear shivered up her spine as the guards all at once started organising themselves into defensive positions. Voices barked orders, and metal clinked against metal as the guards scurried about like ants.

        “M’lady! The rebels have found us! You need to get out of here now!” A voice exclaimed from behind, startling her.

        She turned about to face the guard, and the two briefly shared horrified stares as the danger of their predicament weighed down heavily upon them.

        With a dry tone, she muttered, “May the gods help us all.”

        How did they catch up so quickly?! She was sure they had eluded them for good this time…

        “M’lady!” The guard urged, offering his hand, “C’mon! Once you cross the border, you’ll be safe! It’s not that far!”

        Snapping out of her stupor, Aquila gathered up the few belongings she had left and dashed from her tent.

"Where's Alexander?" She asked worriedly. 

"The young Prince is already heading for the border with the Nanny and a squad of guards," the guard answered dutifully, "Now make haste, and don’t look back! The fate of the Griffon Kingdom depends on you! We’ll hold those bastards here if it’s the last thing we do! For the King and Queen!”

        “For the King and Queen!” several other soldiers chorused.

        “Stay low, less the beast spot you, and everything we have worked for will have been for nothing,” the guard advised, leading the Queen through the camp.

"Don't worry, I have faith that Prince Alexander will still be able to plead our case to the ponies," Aquila murmured determinedly, "As long as he is still alive, there is still hope for the throne of the Griffon Kingdom."

        A loud roar erupted from the skies as hordes of rebel warriors, brandishing a broad range of weaponry and snarling with fury, descended upon them with terrifying speed and ferocity, followed by the clanging of steel against steel, and the screams of the dead and dying as they fell. The bulk of them charged towards the oncoming guards, but a small portion broke off and veered towards the village, easily overcoming the stunned guards stationed there and began laying waste to everything in sight.

"These vermin have been harbouring the enemy!" a gruff voice yelled from the village, "Leave nothing standing!!"

        “Those bastards..." Aquila shivered in fury as several buildings were set alight, and their fleeing occupants were mercilessly slaughtered like lambs, adults and chicks alike.

"Something’s not right…” She murmured warily, glancing around at her surroundings, “Where's that monster? They never attack without their secret weapon! Where is it now?”

        An explosion rocked the campsite, throwing equipment and screaming bodies in all directions, throwing the camp into chaos as Guards split themselves up between the three different attacks. 

        “Whoop, there it is,” the guard muttered wryly. 

Amidst the terrible din of clanging metal and yelling voices, he wrapped his talons around Aquila’s wrist and forcefully dragged her towards the east, towards the border. Under any other circumstance, she would’ve berated him for disorderly conduct, but right now, being dragged about was the least of her worries.

        The other guards formed a defensive circle around their queen, as the sounds of the fighting and dying closed in on them at a gut-wrenchingly rapid rate. Aquila craned her neck around for a glimpse, and in that moment, locked eyes with it.

        There it was, standing a head and shoulders above the rest as its claws glowed brightly with energy, slashing apart several guards in a single swipe. The mounted cannon on its back twisted about, blasting large swathes into the dense crowd of guards and rebels alike, decimating all unfortunate enough to be caught in the way. It was almost oblivious to the guards trying to hack their axes and swords into its knee joints from behind, to no avail. The guards themselves were then set upon as rebels surged from several different directions and attempted to drive sharp daggers into the chinks in their armour.

It wasn't even a battle.

It was a ruthless, one-sided massacre.

Time slowed as Genesect took a moment to steady its stance, the mounted cannon on its back swiveled about towards her, and a warm, red glow began building up in the triangular nozzle, accompanied by an increasingly-high pitched whine. 

        Aquila’s guard’s eyes widened, and he forcefully shunted the queen aside as a beam of bright-purple energy erupted forth, blasting the ground between them with tremendous force and throwing them both several meters off into the distance in either direction.

        Aquila grimaced in pain as she was thrown into a tent, causing it to collapse with a crash. An intense pain in her wing instantly told her that she wasn’t flying again for a while, which wasn’t exactly going to help her case in the coming few minutes.

        As the heavy fighting raged around them, Genesect’s metallic feet made a heavy thud with each footstep as it approached the fallen queen at a purposefully slow pace, carefully studying its prey down to every minute detail.

        Aquila shivered in fright, thrashing to untangle herself from the ruins of the tent and scramble away from the danger. 

        Genesect’s eyes glowed with bright intensity, and a horrible screeching sound split the air as visible, deep-red sound waves burst from its cannon, directed at the Griffon Queen. Aquila screamed in agony, doubling over as she clutched at her throbbing head.

        Genesect took several steps closer, until it was standing right over her, flipping her over onto her back and planting its foot into her chest, holding her in place.

"Yeah!" A voice growled from off to the side, "Blast that bitch into Tartarus! The Army is destroyed, and once the last of this pathetic monarchy is dead, nothing will be able to stop us!" 

"Sir, there is no sign of Prince Alexander," someone else spoke up.

"Ugh, of course not!" the first voice grunted irritably, "I wouldn't be surprised if he's already crossed the border by now... but not to worry, we'll catch him. The Griffon Kingdom is just a testing ground, you see. Equestria will be our true prize, and once they feel the might of our new secret weapon, their precious Princesses will surely surrender to us once and for all."

        Aquila swallowed the large lump of bile, feeling short of breath as she stared the Pokemon in the eye; putting on a brave, defiant face to mask her fears. 

        Genesect made a sound not unlike a disappointed ‘tut’, and increased its pressure on the Griffon’s chest, cracking several ribs as it did. Meanwhile, the cannon on its back began charging again. 

"Alexander..." She wheezed inaudibly, "It all rests on you now, my son."

        Genesect removed its foot from Aquila’s chest and took a step back to give its cannon the adequate angle for a finishing shot. There was a brief pause as a deep, guttural voice muttered “Say goodnight, Gracie”.

The last thing Aquila felt was a terrific blast of heat, before everything went white.