//------------------------------// // Reunion Part II // Story: My Little Pony: Arceus and the Displaced Village // by Cloudhammer //------------------------------// Twilight sighed as everypony scattered their separate ways. “Well, I guess I might as well see what’s happened to the library.” She lit her horn to summon a notepad and quill, though the spell took more magic than it should have. “Hmmm, maybe this world doesn’t have ambient magic to support Ponyville’s? But by that logic, Ponyville’s magic would have diffused in approximately…” She trotted down the street, lost in her own monologue as the notebook pages rapidly filled with calculations, notes, and drawings. Before long she’d run out of margins to scribble in, and another notebook joined the first in its orbit. Soon, two others had joined them, a small solar system revolving around her head. “Reminder, next time summon larger notebooks for increased space,” Twilight muttered as she spun the quill idly. “Okay, where was I? Ah, the peculiarly regular movement of the sun. Despite Celestia and Luna not being in this world, and not enough unicorns observed to duplicate the motions of the celestial bodies, the sun continues to move at approximately…” she glanced upright with only a slight wince for her eyes, “fifteen degrees per hour, or at least as close to that as I can estimate at this time. I'll need more data before an accurate model can be developed, unless I get banished or put in prison for crossing the portal without permission...” She continued down the street, oblivious to the passerby staring at the ever-increasing collection of notebooks orbiting around her head. Finally the library came into view and Twilight stopped the monologue to appreciate it for a moment. It did look roughly the same, though some of the protrusions that indicated the structure inside it seemed newer. Stretching out beside it was a whole extra addition, almost the size of the schoolhouse, with several bowl-like structures on the roof. Capping it all off was a tower topped with a series of flat panels. “Hmmm, they’re not focusing arrays, and I don’t sense any magical emanations. Perhaps some other form of monitoring array?” Theories continued to whirl in her head as she reached the door, thankfully unlocked. She’d feel a little awkward at having to ask for her own door to be opened. If it could still be called her door, anyway. Once inside, she stopped, jaw hanging open at the beautiful vista before her. Bookshelves, bookshelves everywhere, crammed along the walls to where there were no gaps between them. The first floor seemed much like she had left it, the familiar tomes of Equestrian lore visible, though the newer shelves held texts she didn’t recognize. She looked closer at the spines, but the structure of their language eluded her for the moment. Almost reverently, she turned down the new hallway that occupied her old kitchen space, marveling at the construction all around her. The lights overhead were harsher than she was used to, and had a humming buzz to them that lingered at the edge of her hearing. Ahead of her, a pair of doors made of some form of glass slid smoothly aside as another pony she didn’t recognize trotted through. A stab of guilt raced through her as she realized again what the time differential had stolen from her and the rest of Equestria. As the doors glided open at her approach, her jaw dropped open at the vista spread before her. Row upon row of glowing rectangles perched on desks, humming boxes tucked underneath. She saw several of the bipeds in front of them, tapping at boards covered with a small arrays of squares with their fingers, the images on the screens reacting in time with their actions. Hesitantly, she trotted to one of the unused ones and peered at the screen. A small rectangle was displayed, with Equestrian text as well as more of the unknown alphabet. “Login? Password? Hmmmm… maybe something to track who is using these things?” Twilight tapped her chin in thought. “Have you not used a PC before?” A voice suddenly asked her in very rough Equestrian. Twilight absolutely did not scream like a filly and spin around like she’d been caught with a hoof in the cookie jar. “Um I’m sorry I was just curious what this does!” The biped that had obviously crept up on her held its hands up in alarm. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you!” Twilight couldn’t be sure without further study, but her voice definitely gave the impression of being female, at least from an Equestrian point of view. “Well, I’m sorry for all the noise.” Her ears flattened “It’s just… I used to live here in the library before.. Well, before it was here.” She shook her head at how silly that sounded. The biped’s eyes widened. “Wait, you’re Twilight Sparkle?” Twilight blinked. “Wait, you know me?” “Of course we do, there’s an entire section in the database about you! All your adventures up to the appearance of Ponyville here are documented.” The biped became more animated, hurrying to the closest desk, tapping eagerly at the board. Twilight followed, peering at the screen as it brought up new images. “What is this? You called it a ‘PC’ earlier?” “Oh that’s right, you wouldn’t know what one of these is!” The biped turned, eyes bright. “I can’t believe I’m getting to teach Twilight Sparkle something!” “Ummm… you’re welcome?” Twilight took a hesitant step back. “Sorry, sorry. It’s just that I’ve always been fascinated by Equestrian culture and how despite being so different from ours, there remains similarities. But what truly fascinated me is Equestrian magic and how it relates to the elemental types of our Pokemon. I’ve been studying what I can, but the books that came with the library only cover so much.” She tapped her forehead. “Being able to actually cast the magic the books discuss doesn’t hurt either.” Twilight’s ears perked up. “So, this machine stores information?” “Well yeah, it’s got pretty much all human knowledge and history stored. We’ve been working on adding pony history and science to it but the going’s been slow… Umm, are you okay?” Twilight mumbled, eyes half-focused. “A whole civilization’s accumulated knowledge… in a single box… all right at my hooves…” “So, I’m still confused. If battling isn’t for real fighting, then why do you do it?” Pinkie asked, eyes furrowed in concentration. Pound shrugged. “It’s like… well, like sports. You know how with hoofball you sometimes get scrapes and stuff? Pokemon battles are like that, except, you know, cooler.” “With explosions!” Pumpkin chimed in happily. Chimchar sighed heavily and buried his face in his hands. “Chimchar…” “So, now I have another question,” Pinkie asked, coming alongside Pumpkin. “His butt’s on fire, right? How come it doesn’t burn you?” She waved a hoof close, only to flinch back. “See, it burns me.” “Well, it’s… hmmmm… you know, I’m not really sure. I know they talked about it in school at some point, but I wasn’t really paying attention,” Pumpkin admitted. “It was something about how the Pokemon controls their own ability, so I guess if Chimchar wanted his fire to hurt me it would, but I think they said it was more complicated than that…” “Yeah, I wasn’t really listening that day either,” Pound agreed. “Either way, Mom and Dad are going to be so happy to see you!” Pinkie’s ears flattened. “Yeah, I hope so…” Pumpkin noticed and slowed her stride to walk alongside her. “Don’t feel bad about it, Pinkie! Dad always said that if anypony could, you’d probably be the one to bounce through the window, or pop your head out of the chimney, or show up somewhere else that you shouldn’t logically be. And Mom always made sure you had a plate ready just in case.” “Um, Pumpkin? I think you’re making it worse,” Pound interrupted. Pumpkin started to object, but then caught sight of the moisture in Pinkie’s eyes. “Ummm, sorry, Pinkie…” Pinkie sniffed hard and wiped at her eyes. “I’ll be alright, just really feel crummy that you two grew up without me.” As Sugarcube Corner came into view, she abruptly threw a foreleg over each of them. “But at least we’re here together now!” Together, they made their way to the door and Pound threw it open. “Mom! Dad! We’re home! And we have an old friend for you to meet!” “What Pokemon did you pick?” Mrs. Cake asked as she backed out of the kitchen, carefully balancing a tray of cupcakes on her back. “And who do you mean, ‘old friend’?” She turned once free of the doorway and stopped cold as she saw Pinkie standing in the entrance. “P… Pink... “ She slumped to her hindquarters, the forgotten tray sliding to the floor in a clatter. Pinkie, for her part, found the floor underhoof suddenly immensely interesting, scuffing her foreleg nervously. “Um, hi, Mrs. Cake, I’m back?” She heard the first hesitant hoofsteps, but found herself unable to look up. Her hooves, however, had no such compunction and started to drag her into the shop. “Is that who I think it is?” Mr. Cake’s voice called down the stairs. “Y-yes?” Mrs. Cake and Pinkie answered simultaneously, tears starting to form in their eyes as they continued their awkward shuffle toward a hug. “I hope you’re not planning on taking vacation for a while, Pinkamena. Ten years is quite long enough, I think!” he called as he trotted down the stairs, a smile tugging at his lips. Mrs. Cake, Pinkie, Pound and Pumpkin all stared at Mr. Cake incredulously. Mr. Cake stared back. “What? I thought it was funny…” Another moment passed before a gale of laughter enveloped Sugar Cube Corner. Mr. and Mrs. Cake swept Pinkie into a crushing hug, while Pound and Pumpkin threw themselves on top. “Pinkie’s back!” “So I understand the concept of battling your Pokemon, but you simply must tell me more about these Contest Battles, Sweetie!” Rarity trotted alongside her sister, eyes darting as she took in the boxy, yet oddly functional designs of the additions to the town. Ideas were already forming in her head to improve their overall ascetic. And the creatures Sweetie called Pokemon! They certainly weren’t ponies, but they definitely had their potential, given the variety of forms they seemed to exhibit. The creatures called humans were certainly going to be a challenge as well, but she was confident that she’d be able to come up with something given time. “Well, it’s a lot like battling, only it’s also about how you battle, if that makes sense.” Sweetie waved as passerby recognized her. “It’s almost like fighting two fights at once, because you simultaneously need to defeat your opponent but also perform every move you make with as much style as possible. Even getting hit by your opponent’s attack can be turned against them to at least offset losing too many points.” She stopped as a filly cautiously approached. “Well good afternoon there!” “Um, Miss Belle? I w-w-was wondering…” the filly’s knees starting shaking, “…if you could s-sign this picture for me?” “Of course.” Sweetie Belle beamed, though it quickly faltered. “Where is it?” The filly stared blankly for a few seconds until the realization dawned in her eyes. “Oh! Right!” She dug in her saddlebag and produced the photo. “Here it is!” Sweetie took the pen in her hoof and carefully signed across the bottom. “There you go! Now, this signature comes with a challenge from me. Once you’re old enough for your Pokemon journey, if you decide to go into Contest Battles, we’ll have a match, okay? Not for winning or losing, but to astound the crowd with our skill. What do you think?” The filly gaped, then lunged forward to throw her hooves around Sweetie’s neck. “Thank you so much! I’ll be sure to bring my absolute best!” She wheeled about and galloped off toward a distant mare. “Mommy! Look what I got!” Rarity smiled serenely. “I must say, Sweetie, you have become quite the inspirational figure here in Ponyville.” “Well, we all did, the Crusaders, that is.” Sweetie Belle ducked her head to hide her reddened cheeks. “Anyway, let me show you the Boutique! I tried to keep to your designs, but as time went on I added some of my own.” Rarity kept the smile on her face, though an infinitesimal tic started to creep in. But as they rounded the corner, it retreated as the familiar form of the Boutique came into view. “Sweetie, I don’t know what to say.” The Boutique itself hadn’t changed, but was now a centerpiece to a curving structure that stretched out evenly to either side. It took her a few moments to realize, but it was a large stadium, externally sharing the original architecture of the boutique it surrounded. “This… this is incredible!” Sweetie Belle blushed further. “Yeah, it is kind of impressive. Let me show you inside.” She trotted to the door and unlocked it. “I did have to shutter things for while I was on my last battle circuit, but I think you’ll appreciate what I’ve done with the place.” As the lights turned on, Rarity felt a prickling in her eyes. The boutique’s main floor was almost identical to how she’d left it, the ponnequins draped in covering cloth. Beside them stood new figures, presumably some for the humans and others for Pokemon. “Sweetie, I dare say I am more than impressed: I am astounded. You should be very proud of yourself.” “Well, I can’t claim all the credit, I had some great help from my Pokemon, and somepony else too.” She gestured toward the corner, where a literal mountainous shrine of fabric stirred slightly. Rarity clasped a hoof to her mouth, a muffled gasp escaping as the occupant clambered down with the awkwardness of old age. “It cannot be…” “Mrow?” Opalescence grumbled as she peered at the two ponies who’d disrupted her nap. The one she recognized as the younger who’d kept her properly fed and performed the required maintenance on her home, but the other… No, that other had vanished. “It’s really me, Opal, my dear feline friend,” Rarity managed to squeak out. “Mroooow.” Opal sniffed, finished the climb to the floor, and started to trundle across the room. She stopped in front of the two ponies, rheumy eyes blinking as she sized up this maybe not-new pony. With a final sniff, she turned, flicking her tail across Rarity’s foreleg. “I am glad to see you too,” Rarity wiped the tears from her eyes with a hiccuping laugh. “How about we get you something to eat.” “Mrow.”