//------------------------------// // E2 – Aether Paradise // Story: Pokémon Eclipse // by moviemaster8510 //------------------------------// As the ferry began to slow itself upon approaching the Aether Paradise, Lillie stood with Sam, Alice, and the Equestrians at the bow. Behind her, the large garage door began to lower itself open, revealing the docks inside swarming with indistinguishable employees. Even having been able to see it for about an hour, everyone but Lillie, Gladion, and Burnet stared up and marveled at the floating fortress they were soon about to enter. “How does this thing even exist?” Twilight wondered aloud. “Is it really built down all the way to the ocean floor, or does it float? If so, how does it not just drift off?” Lillie giggled, appreciating Twilight’s innate curiosity. “The base of the facility is made using a special alloy that’s lighter than water, harder than steel, and doesn’t rust, and then it’s tethered to the ocean floor by titanium cables.” Twilight’s aghast face didn’t seem to sate her answers, leading to Burnet placing a hand on her shoulder. “We’re able to open portals between your world and ours, and it’s a metal rope that shocks you? Hoo… I’m going to miss you bunch, you know that?” “And we’ll miss you too, Burnet.” Fluttershy then looked ahead as the boat began to come into the harbor, seeing both Sun and Lusamine waiting along the edge of a platform where the boat seemed to head to dock. “Who are they?” “That’s Sun and Lusamine,” Gladion answered. “If you have any further questions about your being here, they’re the ones to ask.” As the ferry pulled up to the left of the platform, Gladion and Lillie both made their way to the doorway where they could step off, Sam, Alice, Burnet, and the Equestrians following them. Once it stopped, both doors slid into the walls of the ferry, its floors the same level as the platform. Lillie sped up her walk toward her mother as she threw her arms open, the two of them hugging upon her safe return. “Oh, my brave girl,” Lusamined cooed. “Just please don’t do that again.” “I won’t promise anything, mother.” Lillie clutched her tighter. Sun reached for Gladion, the two clasping each others hands and pulling each other into themselves to pat each other on the back. “Good to see you alive and well,” Sun deadpanned. “And the ponies are all okay?” “Why don’t you ask them?” Gladion stepped aside to let the Equestrians approach him, Alice and Sam standing on both sides of them. While Sun smiled to them warmly, Lusamine quietly gasped with her fingers over her mouth. “Aren’t they incredible, Mother?” Lillie only received a nod in reply. Sun stepped up and waved to the group. “Hey there, everyone! Most of you may not know me, or at least, not that well. Anyways, just call me Sun.” “Are you the one who’s responsible for pulling us out of our world completely against our will or consent?” Pinkie Pie innocently and happily asked. While nothing she said was false, each word in it made Sun’s stomach churn. “Yes… and I do apologize for everything you’ve been through in the past six days, but I can only hope that in a few hours time, you’ll be back home where you belong and can reunite with your other friends and family.” “Sounds good to me,” Applejack said. “I have a brother and little sister probably worried half to death about us.” “And all of our pets too!” Fluttershy began to tremble fearfully. “I sure hope somepony’s been able to feed them.” “If the princesses knew we were gone,” Twilight replied, “I have no doubt they would take some time to either look after them or find someone who can.” “Please,” Sun interrupted, “there are still a couple things I would like to do before we send you back, so if you could just follow me.” Sun turned on his heel and briskly walked back toward the lift at the top of an incline. Lusamine, Lillie, and Gladion led everyone up as Sun stepped inside and began to turn it on. “Actually, now that I’m thinking about it,” Sun mentioned, “Twilight, Spike, Lillie, would you mind stepping in here with me, and Lusamine, Gladion, will you have the rest of them wait up in the conservatory?” “Of course.” Lusamine nodded to him. “Why?” Twilight and Spike did as they were told, but approached slowly and cautiously. “What do you need just us for?” “There’s something I feel as though I’m obligated to show you,” he answered. “What about us?” Rainbow Dash questioned. “Don’t we have a right to go with her?” “It won’t be very long, and you’ll meet them soon enough, but Lillie promised this to them a couple of days ago. I hope you can understand.” Twilight’s eyes widened, almost immediately knowing who “them” were. “It’s okay, Rainbow Dash. We can do this. We’ll be right up there with them, right Sun?” Sun nodded. “Yes. Now please.” Motioning his arm to the open gate of the lift, Twilight and Spike both walked on with Lillie coming in last with the entry gates raising behind her. Twilight and Spike looked to her friends as the lift began to quickly descend toward the labs far below. Despite the slightly disconcerting sight, Lusamine turned to them with a smile on her face. “Now, who wants to see something nice?” The lift containing Lusamine, Gladion, Sam, Alice, and the remaining ponies came to a stop at the main level, dozens of employees walking around and going on with their regular business. The fact that the employees either ignored them or paid little attention to them was very relaxing to them. “Okay then.” Lusamine pushed a button on the control panel to bring the gates down as a bulkier employee with a reddish-blonde beard and short ponytail hairdo walked up to them. “Sam? Would you mind following this gentleman?” “Me?” Sam stammered. “What for?” The man let out a short roar of laughter. “Little birdie told me you have a fossil you need to revive.” Sam’s face slowly brightened up. “And you can do that for me?” “Yep! Used to have my own lab on Akala Island a long time ago, but now I work here! Pretty neat, huh?” Sam was more than happy to step off now as the man patted him on the shoulder. “Don’t worry. You can join your other buddies in a bit once we’re done. Shouldn’t take much time.” They both eagerly walked down a hallway with a spring in their step. Alice smiled to see her brother so legitimately excited. “Alright, then.” With a tap on the control display, Lusamine brought the lift gates back up. “Last stop: the conservatory.” The lift ascended from the platform as it gained speed before disappearing through the triangle-shaped hole up above. Sun led Twilight, Spike, and Lillie into a large white room with several large toys and undetailed structures and slides built about it. It almost appeared to Twilight and Spike that they were in an enlarged nursery or playpen. “What is this place?” Spike asked to no one in particular. “What’s with all the toys and stuff?” Upon hearing the door open, Wicke turned around and eagerly approached the group. “Oh! Master Sun! Miss Lillie! Welcome back!” Noticing the alicorn and dragon with them, she hopped down and looked them both at eye level. “Ooh, And you must be the famous Twilight Sparkle and Spike that I’ve heard so much about.” Spike rubbed the back of his neck, flattered. “Well, I am pretty famous back home…” “Yes well, please, call me Wicke!” “It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Wicke,” Twilight said, reaching her hoof forward. As Wicke finished shaking hands and hooves with both of them, Sun cleared his throat, making her stand back up to him. “Oh, sorry!” She then handed him two Poké Balls from her left and right coat pockets, placing them both in Sun’s hand. He held up both balls to Twilight and Spike, ensuring that they were paying attention. “I’m sure you’ve seen quite a number of surprising things so far during your time here,” Sun began, “but I still think I should give you fair warning.” “Warning?” Twilight asked. “For what?” “You’ll see now.” Sun threw both balls out toward the empty space middle of the room, throwing both out with surprising length, speed, and accuracy. Both balls exploded open, the energy inside spilling out until they formed both Solgaleo and Lunala, who each arched and stretched their limbs out and let out cries of relaxation. Sun, Wicke, and Lillie kept a firm eye on them while Twilight and Spike looked upon the titanic creatures, mouths agape, eyes narrow, and chills running up their spines. “Is… are those…?” Twilight tried to get out. “Yes,” Lillie answered. “Solgaleo and Lunala. The ones who brought you here.” Once the two Pokémon had settled down, the two turned their heads to Twilight and Spike, who instantly shied away with their bright eyed stares. “Don’t be afraid,” Sun calmly said. “I have full confidence that nothing will happen with you around them.” “What?” Twilight gulped, trying to reduce her frightened shivering. “How do you know that?” “Go near them and see for yourself.” Solgaleo settled itself down onto its stomach, continuing to look at Twilight and Spike expectantly. Even with its threatening size, Twilight was oddly charmed by its domesticated action. With slow steps, the two began to walk forward, Solgaleo and Lunala calmly staying their ground as they studied the two odd creatures before them. Twilight came up to Solgaleo’s chest and studied its metallic white body, the head shifting down and aiming its nose at her, making her shift back. With a forceful suction and subsequent huff of air through its nostrils, Solgaleo sniffed and read the timid alicorn before it. It then laid its head down and let out a thundering purr that made the floor vibrate under Twilight’s hooves and Spike’s feet. Reaching forward, Twilight stroked the side of her hoof along the side of its face, gasping at the mild warmth that she felt on its surface. To Twilight’s complete shock, Solgaleo pushed his face in, forcing Twilight's upper body to slide up the top of its head and her front hooves to wrap around the sides of its mouth. Solgaleo purred louder as it continued pushing Twilight up onto its face, adoring her soft coat against it. Twilight shuddered into small bouts of laughter, both happy to have survived and to have earned its affection. As Spike backed away, confused, he bumped into the tip of Lunala’s snout, jumping and turning to face the creature as soon as he did. Lunala was lying flat upon the floor, admiring it like a child would admire a newborn kitten. Spike, clenching his eyes shut and reaching his hand forward, laid it upon Lunala’s snout, trembling as he fearfully settled his hand on it. He opened his eyes and relaxed his body as he rubbed where he touched it, its impossibly smooth and firm skin feeling wonderful on its scales. As Spike move his hand around to underneath its chin and put his other hand there, Lunala lifted its head up to rest gently on the palms of his hands, the two looked in each others eyes, almost feeling a connection forming between them. Spike then placed his forehead on Lunala’s face and hugged his arms around his mouth, an echoed coo escaping the Pokémon’s lips. “This is incredible!” Twilight turned back to Sun and Lillie, who, along with Wicke, were tickled by the sight of her bonding. “How did you know? That they wouldn’t freak out again, I mean?” Sun walked up to the two of them, Lillie carefully following him as she listened in. “Well, as we tried thinking of ways to return you and your friends back home, we also had to be sure what exactly was causing Solgaleo and Lunala’s meltdowns so as not to cause more needless damage. After doing some thinking, I had an idea. Perhaps it wasn’t you, your friends, or any particular creature that they reacted to, but perhaps it was something stronger. Tell me, that table that you and your friends were gathered around that night, is it at all magical?” “Well,” Twilight said, “my entire palace is magical, but the Cutie Map, yes, is particularly powerful.” “And is there anything up north that you would know of that would be equally powerful?” “Sun?” Lillie approached him faster. “It’s okay, Lillie, she should know.” “Know what? What about the north…” She suddenly began to piece it together, beginning to show signs of anger. “What did you do?” “We did another excursion Friday night and focused our sights farther north where we assumed there would be no one there in case I was wrong about my original hypothesis. But we came across a kingdom–” “What did you do, Sun?!” “Nothing. Solgaleo and Lunala began to show signs of another meltdown, but we aborted the excursion before anything worse could happen. Now please, tell me. What strong magic would exist up there?” Twilight looked down, unsure if she should answer. “Before I tell you, I want you to promise that you’re telling the truth, and that no one up there was brought to this world like we were.” Sun nodded in understanding. “I know I haven’t been fully trustful with you, Twilight, but you have my word on this. Anyone that lives there is as safe and sound as they were the morning of.” Despite the weird wording, Twilight took a breath, accepting Sun’s promise. “The Crystal Empire, much like my palace, is teeming with magic, but they possess a powerful artifact called the Crystal Heart that provides energy and protection to the entire kingdom.” Sun huffed and put his hands to his hips proudly. “Then that settles it.” “That settles what?” “If it’s your world’s magic that Solgaleo and Lunala react to, then we can proceed with our next step.” “…Which is?” “Getting you home at last.” Alice and Burnet walked alongside Starlight and Lady along a white, railed-off walkway along the long, southern edge of a bright white room, admiring the lush garden of tropical trees, bushes, and grasses that grew underneath the sunlight provided by the expansive glass ceiling above them. Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Gladion stood in the mountainous southwestern corner, looking at a pair of round-grey rodents with yellow and brown triangular markings on its body while Rarity and Pinkie Pie both giggled at the goofy face of the large blue catfish that swam in a small pond that made up the southern and eastern sides. Fluttershy and Comfey gracefully and ecstatically flew beside a flock of small grey birds with long, thin cone-shaped beaks as they traveled from tree to tree from one corner of the space to another. As they disappeared, Fluttershy let them be and looked for the next new Pokémon to fawn over. “Oh, so many new Pokémon!” Fluttershy hovered directly in the center of the room and above the lift chamber as the lift began to rise up. “I only wish I had just a little more time!” At that moment, a larger avian creature shot up and missed her by just a couple of inches, its wingbeats strong enough to throw her and Comfey back a couple of feet. As she got her bearings and balance in place, they both spun around to try and follow whatever nearly hit her. Finally spotting it flying around the perimeter of the conservatory, Fluttershy tracked a tan, blue, and red-feathered bird with a snakelike blue head with a craggy, scaly red snout containing a row of fangs that peaked out from under its upper lips. Fluttershy instantly began to follow it. “Ooh! What is that?” As Rainbow Dash and Applejack continued observing the two rodents playing about, the bird soared down to the rocky surface and broke into a sprint on its tiny legs, forcing the rodents to flee before it bowled them over. As it reached the end of the miniature mountain range, it flapped its wings and took flight once again, dipping down to the water near the pathway where Rarity and Pinkie Pie admired a Pokémon made entirely of pink and white rock hobbling stiffly along the bed of the pond. The bird banked to the left and ran its claw-ended wing along the water’s surface, spraying a small wave of water into Rarity and Pinkie Pie’s faces. Pinkie Pie spat out the small amount of water that entered her mouth before giggling. “I had no idea we were supposed to bring ponchos to this place!” “What on earth even was that thing?” Rarity shouted, using her magic to frantically fluff her mane dry. A shrill, loud whistle sounded off all the way on the northern end of the conservatory, getting the attention of everyone inside of it. The bird, hearing its owner’s signal, turned north and flew towards Sam as Lusamine stood beside him on the semicircle-shaped platform at the end center. Holding his left arm up, the bird kept sight on it as it slowed itself and perched itself, gripping Sam’s forearm with its talons. Sam gently pulled him close to his chest and give him a smooch on the top of its head, letting it feel comfortable enough to rest the side of its head against his neck. The six ponies, along with Alice, Burnet, and Lady, all quickly converged at the platform where Sam and Lusamine stood, studying the bird Sam was giving his affection to. “What is it?” Applejack wondered aloud. Sam held the bird out, allowing it to study the ponies and humans standing around him. “This is Archen. This is what I got from the Plume Fossil that Olivia let me take with.” “Whoa, hold on!” Starlight approached, but Archen twisted her head at her with a blank, yet threatening expression that stopped her in her tracks. “That Pokémon. That came from your fossil? How is that possible?” Lusamine giggled at her inquisitiveness. “We’re able to rebuild a Pokémon out of the DNA left on the fossil. It still rather astounds and flatters me that with all your magical abilities, you still have the capacity to be surprised by our own technology.” “DNA studies on our world are still rather primitive. The closest thing we have to that on our world to this is bringing the dead back to life, but it’s an extremely dangerous and forbidden practice.” “Twilight!” Pinkie Pie’s sudden darting out from the gathering and back on the path alerted everyone else, each of them turning to see Sun, Lillie, and Wicke approaching them with Twilight and Spike. “Twilight! Check out Sam’s awesome new Pokémon!” As the others came near her, Twilight took immediate notice of Archen perched on Sam’s arm. “Oh, very neat! Where’d he get that thing?” “So, get this,” Starlight began, putting her hoof up to keep her still, “these humans have the technology to actually construct a living, breathing Pokémon using DNA from Sam’s fossil!” “You’re joking!” Twilight’s eyes studied Archen further, impressed by its incredibly lifelike mannerisms as it looked about it much like a bird would. “That’s incredible! I can’t wait to share all of this information with the princesses!” “The princesses?” Sam and Alice both questioned together. Lillie nodded. “Twilight has told me that once we get all of you back home to your world, she would like to potentially form a diplomacy between our two worlds.” “Hold on…” Sam and Alice looked to each other, waiting for each of them to confirm what each of them were thinking. “Does that mean…” Sam began to ask. “Yes, this shouldn’t be the last time we see or hear from Equestria.” “Wait!” Fluttershy reached out and hugged Comfey close to her breast. “What about Comfey and Lady? Are we allowed to take them with us?” “I don’t see why not,” Lusamine answered. “Those Pokémon have grown quite close to you, it seems, and separating you from them would be catastrophic to them. Plus, they might prove useful to show to your leaders of what our own world has to offer.” “Ha, yes!” Starlight hugged Lady as it nestled into her embrace as Comfey returned Fluttershy’s hug on it. “Thank you so much!” “Whoa, hold on!” Rainbow Dash flew up and threw her arms out to silence everyone. “What do you mean going home? Is it time already?” Sun’s expression sulked, knowing what this meant to her and the rest of her friends. “I’m afraid so. If you could now follow me to the lift…” He, Lillie, and Wicke walked back down the path to the center of the conservatory, leaving the Equestrians to look back at their human friends with a sudden sadness and melancholy. Gladion walked through the group to follow Sun down to the lift. “I highly doubt they’re just going to send you off in a jiffy. I’m sure there will still be time for goodbyes. Come on, let’s head down.” Gladion left them, though the Equestrians were still hesitant to go forward. “It’s okay,” Burnet assured them. “I’m sure your friends and family back home are worried sick too.” With a resigned breath, Twilight led her friends to follow Gladion as Sam, Alice, Lusamine, and Burnet followed them. As the lift came down to the level of the pool observation lab, Twilight and Spike’s other friends got their first glimpses of Solgaleo and Lunala as they were each hooked up on both sides of the pool’s perimeter. “Whoa!” Applejack couldn’t help but put her two front hooves on the lift railing. “What are those things?” “Those are the two Pokémon who are responsible for us being here,” Twilight calmly explained. “Solgaleo and Lunala.” “Wait, wait, wait!” Pinkie Pie interrupted before pausing to try and collect her thoughts before making her case. “Which one is which?” The lift reached the platform and lowered the gates for everyone to exit. “If I had to hazard a guess,” Rarity spoke up, “that lion with the sun-shaped mane would be Solgaleo, and by process of elimination, the other one is Lunala.” “Yeah, thanks for that, Twilight…” Twilight turned her head in mild offense at Rainbow Dash's remark, “but that still doesn’t answer why we’re getting near those things if they’re the ones who are the cause of all this!” “It’s alright, Rainbow.” Twilight kept her gaze on the both of them as the Aether employees finished wiring the Pokémon in. “I already met with them. They’re actually incredibly sweet.” “…Alright, whatever. Only question is, how are we getting back then?” “Well,” Lillie said, “Sun figured out that the reason for Solgaleo and Lunala’s meltdowns was because they were attracted by strong pockets of magic on your world. Are there any places on your world where there’s little to no magic that we can use as a safe drop-off point?” Fluttershy put her hoof to her chin to think, being the first to smile upon realizing a solution. “We could always go to Klugetown!” “What?” Applejack spoke up. “Why would we have to go all the way out there?” “Well, we’ve already gone there from Equestria before, so we’d know our way back. Plus, lots of our friends and family are probably looking all over for us. Maybe we’ll run into them along the way! Also, we would be a safe enough distance from both the Cutie Map and the Pearl of Transformation on Mount Aris so as not to trigger one of these meltdowns.” Twilight smirked. “That’s not a bad idea, Fluttershy. In fact, that’s actually pretty smart.” Fluttershy smiled a toothy grin at the compliment. “Okay!” Sun clapped his hands as he made his way to the pool. “Klugetown it is! Now, you’ll have to help point out where exactly we’ll be directly above it so as not to pick up any other strong magic there.” “No problem!” Twilight put a hoof to her chest. “I have most of the planet’s degrees and coordinates memorized! I can place you directly over the center of any building down there if you wanted me to!” Starlight and Rainbow Dash rolled their eyes. “Hm, good. The faster we get this done the better.” “Hold on!” Alice ran to Sun’s side. “Won’t we have a chance to say goodbye?” Alice was shocked to feel a hand placed on her shoulder, turning around to find it belonging to Lillie. “I’m certain we’ll all get to say our farewells before they go. You won’t have to worry about that.” As Sun and Twilight approached the pool, Sam walked over and stood beside Sam, his arms anxiously crossed high on his chest. “We did a really amazing thing, sis. Don’t forget that.” Alice sighed, not soothed by his words. “I know, but… I just didn’t think it would come so quickly.” “I mean, it has been a week… But yeah, I’d be lying if I said this wasn’t the quickest week I’ve ever felt.” After a brief, tense pause, Alice turned to her brother and hugged his waist, Sam pulling her close to him as he watched Sun and Twilight get to work. “Wicke,” Sun stated, “power up the jets.” Standing at her computer, Wicke entered in the commands that began to pump a steady stream of water from the sides of the pool and spin it around in a weak cyclone. Spike ran up to Twilight and hopped up to the pool's edge to be level with her head, looking at the display before him. “Ready to go home, Spike?” Twilight asked in encouragement. “You have no clue!” “I think we all do.” As the whirpool began to steady, Pinkie Pie groped Applejack and Rarity by the neck and jittered in anticipation. Rainbow Dash stood by Fluttershy, Starlight, Lady, and Comfey, taking in deep breaths as they awaited their time in Alola to come to an end. “You’re going to love it in Equestria.” Starlight’s promise made Lady mew as eagerly as its trainer spoke to it. “Just wait until you get to meet all my other friends at the cottage!” Fluttershy and Comfey both hugged, the thoughts of introducing the flowery fairy to her woodland critters both very exciting to them. Burnet stepped up beside Gladion, Sam, and Alice, the sad scene of the Equestrians’ departure compelling her to put her hand over the center of her chest and clutch her necklace. “Solagaleo, Lunala…” Both Pokémon stirred at the sound of his voice. “Begin.” With a brightening of their heads and eyes, the water pool began to transform into a bright blue cream that softly glowed with light beneath it. Even from their vantage, the Equestrians, save for Twilight and Spike, quietly gasped at Solgaleo and Lunala’s appearances. Suddenly, as the milkiness of the water began to clear up again, Twilight and Spike peered down suspiciously to find that instead of a planet in the reaches of space, they were instead looking at a smooth, crystalline surface that Twilight began to recognize. “What?” she wondered aloud. “That isn’t…” Spike began to speak. “I think it is…” Rainbow Dash quickly flew above the pool, looking down on the crystal surface. “Hey, that’s the Map of Friendship! What gives?!” “Sun?” Twilight, sounding hurt, turned to see him leaning over the pool with his hands on the inner edge devastatingly confused. “What’s happening?” “I… I don’t know!” He then backed away from the pool to look more easily at Solgaleo and Lunala, who appeared frozen and still. “Solgaleo, Lunala! Stop!” Neither of them budged or even acknowledged him in any way, making him breathe through his clenched teeth. “Bring out the Machamps! We may have to abort this manually again.” As several employees began to fish into their uniform pants pockets, Rainbow Dash and Spike both looked to see the Cutie Map slowly rise up from beneath the water. “Uh, guys?” Spike hopped off the edge of the pool and backed away towards his other friends. “Twilight?” Just as Twilight turned her back to the pool, the water inside began to rise over the edge as the table continued pushing up. “Whoa, ahh!” As the bright, glowing liquid cascaded down and splashed up onto the floor, it began to spread about impossibly fast over the entire surface of the room and settle wherever it passed over. As Fluttershy and Twilight both flew above the water’s path, Rainbow Dash quick to scoop Spike up before it could reach him, everyone else began to back up or run away, only to stop and see and feel the water passing underneath their feet. Upon looking back up, everyone saw as water reached the corners of the walls and rise up as if it were spilling in the opposite direction. Finally, the floors and walls all began to glow a bright white that eliminated any trace of the lab they were all in, the brightness forcing them to shield their eyes. Feeling the light die down behind their eyelids, everyone was stunned to now find themselves inside Twilight’s main chamber, the bright, glowing Cutie Map right in the center. “What happened?” Alice questioned, looking up throughout the crystal room. “Where are we?” “We’re… home?” Rarity answered uncertainly. Looking around their instantly alien surroundings, the humans all faced a group of ponies and other creatures they have never seen before, including Celestia and Luna, who looked back with equal fear and shock. Standing by them were a white unicorn stallion with a slightly messy mane and tail of dark shades of blue, along with a glistening purple pegasus stallion in platinum armor. Standing by the other quarter of the were three individual creatures. The first was a light-blue unicorn mare with a straight icier-blue mane and tail that curved at the ends. The other appeared to be a green insectoid alicorn stallion with large orange pinser-like antlers and a purple tail like a versatile dragonfly’s wing. The last was a mishmash of several different creatures, though had a grey equine head with a long grey neck, a serpentine brown-furred body, and a red dragon’s tail. “Wha…” Sam’s breathing was spastic and nearly uncontrollable. “What is this?” Twilight spotted the white stallion, taking a shuddering breath before galloping out, tears falling from her eyes. “Shining!” The stallion turned to see her running towards him, looking instantly relieved. “Twily! You’re safe!” He stood on his hind legs and held up his forelegs to catch Twilight in a hug, but as Twilight hopped up on her back legs to embrace him, she was caught off guard to fall right through him, the sudden unexpected shift of her balance throwing her onto her stomach where she slid to stop. “Twi… Twilight?” The stallion turned to her, looking as unsure and frightened as she did. “What’s happening?” “Shining Armor!” Twilight began to sob. “I… I don’t understand!” “Who– no, what are these things?” Shining Armor turned to face Gladion, suddenly appearing spiteful and filled with rage. “What have you done to her!?” Charging his horn, he let out a hard grunt before hurling a pink orb of energy at his target. It came so quickly that Gladion could only shield his face and wait for his end to come. “No, brother!” Lillie screamed as she reached out to him. Gladion waited for something to hit, only to feel nothing after hearing the loud blast of the attack behind him. Turning back, he, Sun, and Lillie saw a small, smoldering crater directly behind Gladion where it landed. “Hmm…” the chimeric creature slithered through the air toward Alice and then stuck its left talon hand through the back of her stomach. “It seems we can see and hear each other, but can’t actually feel or do anything to each other.” Alice turned around to face the creature, screaming and instinctively clutching her stomach. Sam stood in front of her and held her arms up to protect her. “Don’t you hurt her!” “Must not have heard what I said. Through one ear and out the other for you, I suppose.” The creature then stuck the talon hand through both sides of his head, the sight of it unnerving Sam immensely. Starlight found the blue unicorn and insectoid alicorn, running up to them. “Trixie! Thorax! What are you doing here?” “We’ve been all over Equestria looking for you!” Thorax responded in a slightly-whiny voice. “I’d say I’m glad we found you, but I don’t even know where you guys are!” “And who are these apes that captured you?” Trixie haughtily, yet concernedly, spoke up. “They’re not apes, they’re…” Starlight shook the thought out of her head. “I’ll have to explain later! You all need to get out of here!” “But why?” Thorax looked even more nervous than before. “What’s going on?” Celestia and Luna were both transfixed by Solgaleo and Lunala on either side of the table, a stream of tears pouring out the corners of their eyes. “Sister,” Luna gasped. “Those aren’t–” “Yes.” Celestia had only enough strength to jitter her head up and down. “I do believe they are.” Finally, Solgaleo and Lunala turned their heads to spot the two alicorn princesses from the corners of their sights, the contact of their eyes meeting freezing them. Then they turned their heads up as their eyes and faces began to glow white, the brightness spreading all around. “Sir!” Shining Armor’s guard shouted, running out to meet the light first before him. Fluttershy whimpered as the chimeric creature shied away from Sam and Alice to study the light soon approaching him. “Discord!” The creature turned to Fluttershy, a wave of concern washing over him. “Fluttershy! Don’t worry! I’ll get you out of this! Just hold on a little tighter!” Starlight looked to her two friends, the lack of time she had left contorting a fearful expression on her face. “Why are you still here?! Run!” Twilight and Shining Armor both saw the light expand out to them, both of them knowing that they would not escape it. “Twilight!” he shouted out to her. “Big brother!” she cried to him. The entire space became white once again. Upon the light fading away, the room had restored itself to the lab, Shining Armor, his guard, Trixie, Thorax, Discord, and the princesses all gone. There was a deafening silence amongst everyone in the room, even among the ponies who kept their breaths slow and steady. Lusamine stormed toward Sun, furious. “Can someone please tell me what in the hell just happened?” “I don’t know!” Sun gripped the back of his hair, the dilemma too much for him to comprehend. “They had no reason to start in that room! They just–” The whines and grunts of Solgaleo and Lunala on the sides of the pool interrupted him, and everyone looked to see both of them whipping their heads around and pawing, knocking, and scratching at the side of them as if something began to burrow their way in. “Solgaleo, Lunala!” Sun ran to Solgaleo while Lillie ran to Lunala. He then looked to this employees who were still petrified by what they had suddenly seen. “Don’t stand there! Get the Machamps and help them!” “Ah, right! Sorry, sir!” A male and female employee threw out two Poké Balls each from their pockets, a Machamp appearing from each. Twilight stood still and glanced between the two, unsure what was wrong between them. As the four Machamps split up with their hands reaching out toward the wires, Sun began to try and pull one off himself but to no avail. “We have to hurry! If we don’t, they’ll–” The two Pokémon ceased fighting as their eyes and foreheads began to turn pink, letting out deafening cries that blew a forceful gust around the area. Everyone but Sun and Lillie were forced back away from the pool, the surface of which began to shine blazingly. Twilight peered through the winds, seeing the light from the pool. “No… no, no. No!” Wicke and Burnet both took steps back as they watched Solgaleo and Lunala continue screaming out. The tunnel of a wormhole then shot out from the pool and through the ceiling, prompting Wicke to run to the balcony. The ponies all watched with dread as six shapes were sucked through the wormhole’s tunnel and continued their way up and out of sight. “No, not again!” Rainbow Dash cried out. She flew out to the balcony, making it there the same time as Wicke. They both saw as the wormhole split off and formed out until both new tunnels ended just beneath Melemele and Ula’ula Islands. Neither of them could make out the faint black silhouettes of Rainbow Dash’s friends as they were flown out through the wormholes and to each island. After a few more agonizing moments, the wormholes began to fade out of existence, and as Wicke and Rainbow Dash turned back to the lab, they saw as the base of the wormhole from the pool tore itself apart with the shards fading away imperceptibly. Once the winds pulled out by the wormhole’s force had died down, so did the harsh pink light from Solgaleo and Lunala’s heads. As their voices settled down, Solgaleo and Lunala swooned away from Sun and Lillie and crashed down onto the ground, unconscious before they hit the floor. Burnet put her hands off her chest and put them to her mouth, horrified by their fall. “No, Solgaleo!” Sun leapt onto Solgaleo’s stomach and put his ear to its chest. “Solgaleo, please, wake up!” “Lunala!” Lillie fell to her knees and cradled Lunala’s head and neck in her arms before hugging it tight. “I’m so sorry, Lunala! I don’t know what happened!” “Guys!” Everyone in the room turned to Rainbow Dash and Wicke as they ran back inside. “They got taken away! They landed on two of the islands!” “The wormhole split in two and opened directly over Melemele Island and Ula’ula Island!” Wicked clarified As the Equestrians looked to each other and murmured over what had just happened, Twilight’s face morphed into a scowl and quickly stomped toward Sun, who continued to resuscitate Solgaleo. “Twilight,” Gladion attempted to approach her. “Twilight!” Grabbing to the side of his labcoat with her teeth and jerking her head to turn him around, she then stood on her hind legs and pinned his shoulders down with her hooves. “What have you done, Sun?! What have you just done?!” “I don’t know!” Sun shouted back, afraid. “There’s no way that should have happened!” “Get off!” Gladion wrapped his arms around Twilight’s waist and pulled her off of his friend. With a scream, Twilight thrust her head back, striking the back of her head into the bridge of Gladion’s nose, sending him onto his back. “Gladion!” Lusamine and Wicke both ran to him as he brought himself up, wiping the blood from his nostrils with the entire forearm of his hoodie sleeve. “Twilight,” Sun panted, his voice weak and deeply sorry. “I’ll fix this. Just give us some time, and I’ll–” “No.” Her voice, while not loud, was filled with so much spite as to silence Sun immediately. “You've all done enough damage! We’ll find our other friends, and we’ll find another way to get back home. Without your help! Girls, come on! We have to hurry.” Galloping to the balcony, her other Equestrian friends, hearing the palpable desperation in her words, had little choice but to follow her. “Twilight!” Lillie pulled herself to chase them, but could not let go of Lunala. “Please, don’t do this!” Watching Lusamine help pull her son up with Wicke’s assistance, Alice and Sam ran out to follow them. “Starlight!” Sam cried out. “Fluttershy! “Stop!” Alice shouted. “You don’t know what you’re doing!” As Rarity and Spike, the last of the Equestrians among them, ran onto the balcony, Twilight charged her horn, a wall of sparkling purple light shooting up from the ground and forming to become the shape of the entryway before Alice and Sam could get to them. Both of them collided into the barrier, Sam and Alice beginning to pound on it as hard as they could. Feeling safe, Twilight hopped to the edge of the balcony and looked down to her friends. “Alright then. Everyone with wings, follow me to Melemele Island! Starlight, you can fly the others using your magic right?” Starlight and Lady found it impossible to ignore Sam and Alice screaming for her and her friends on the other side of the magic wall. “Maybe we can at least let Sam and Alice help us? They haven’t–” “They can’t help us anymore, and they won’t ever again! Now, you’ll fly them to Ula'ula Island. Understood?” Starlight looked down at Lady, who pitifully looked up to her and whined. With tears forming in her eyes, she shut them as she made her decision, letting them flow down her cheeks. “Understood.” “Good. Now, you fly out first. I have to keep this barrier up.” “No!” Sam took out a Poké Ball, uselessly throwing it against the wall but letting Doublade out from it. “Doublade, Brick Break!” As Starlight charged her own horn, enveloping her magic around Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Lady, Doublade bashed on the wall with its blades, only managing to produce a small ripple of brighter light that quickly faded with each hit. Starlight and Lady made one last rueful glance back at the two trainers before she lifted themselves and the three ponies and soared them out to Ula'ula Island. “Starlight, no!” Alice leaned into the wall with the sides of her balled fists pressing into it as she watched Spike mount her. “Twilight, you bitch! Let us through, now!” Ignoring her, Twilight flapped her wings and went airborne, making her way Melemele Island with Spike. Rainbow Dash leapt off and followed her, though Fluttershy stayed back, looking back with near-crippling regret. “I’m so sorry,” Fluttershy choked up. “Please forgive Twilight. She doesn’t hate you. She just hates what’s been happening.” “You don’t have to go!” Sam hushed down. “We can still help you!” “Just please.” Alice dropped her forehead to the still present barrier. “Don’t go. It’s not safe. You have to believe us!” Biting her lip, Fluttershy stood still with trembling legs before letting out a loud sob and running back to the balcony’s edge, soaring off and flying hard to catch back up with Twilight and Rainbow Dash. Sam began to sink to his knees and hands as he watched the last of his friends leave them for an uncertain future. At last, the magic wall flickered into nothingness, allowing Alice to run to the balcony and watch the ponies fly off, each second rendering them into featureless specks in the sky that would quite soon disappear in a matter of moments.