Sam and Alice were happy to see the ground coming closer. It hadn’t even been too long of a ways down, but the air was finally warm and perfectly humid. From where they headed to land, the city looked to be nearly another mile or so away, a grassy mountainside trail looking to take them straight there. Looking back, Sam saw that Starlight, Shining Armor, and the Drampa weren’t far behind and it looked as though they were just ready to land.
“Alright, bud,” Sam instructed. “Softly now.”
With a flap of its wings, the Charizard swooped away from the side of the mountain and closer to the dirt path. Alice’s Charizard did the same, and both of them gently landed just outside the path and allowed their trainers to dismount. As both of them patted their steeds in thanks, Drampa slowed its descent so that it just as smoothly rested its stomach against the grass.
“Ahh!” Rarity smoothed her mane out as Discord slithered off of her, Pinkie Pie, and Applejack. “That was actually quite pleasant. Thank you, Mr. Dragon!”
Drampa softly yowled back, hugging its right arm closer to its back. Pinkie Pie seemed to instantly understand the gesture, hopping off and sliding down it, laughing the entire short way down. Rarity scooted herself to the edge and as she neared the arm, she fell and slid down its downy surface, screaming down to the bottom until she was caught by Pinkie Pie.
She helped her friend to her hooves and brushed the dust off her coat. “Come on, Rarity, you’ve never been on a slide before?”
“Slides aren’t exactly… my thing.”
“Woohoo!” Applejack came sliding down in a standing position before leaping off and landing beside her two friends. “Well, you’re missing out, let me tell ‘ya!”
Starlight and Shining Armor landed down next to Sam and Alice, Lady hopping off Starlight’s back and rubbing her body against Starlight’s legs. The five of them then approached the three ponies who awaited them, along with Discord, who was still stretched out as he made his way from behind.
“Give me a sec.” Discord contracted his muscles and groaned as his brown body squeezed in like an accordion, the folds of its body melding together until it began to maintain its normal length.
The others grimaced watching Discord gagging and yelping through the pain, his fur fluttering and flicking about as the painful effects of the collar took their toll. Once he felt his body returned to normal, Discord pulled himself to his feet and stretched his limbs out as far as they could naturally go.
Applejack frowned. “Still worth the joke?”
With a push in his lower back and a forward thrust, several bassy cracks erupted from Discord’s spine as well as a sigh from his mouth. “You know it.”
“Okay,” Sam said, looking at the map on her Pokédex, “we still have a mile’s walk to Malie City, and then at least another mile from there to get to the gardens.”
“Then lead the way, my brother!” Alice spun her upper arm until her hand pointed down the direction of the path.
Upon the group facing their course and taking their first steps, Drampa let out a sad moan and smack of its mouth. The group turned around to see the Drampa with its eyes half closed and a lips curled in a mope. Sam huffed and broke past his friends to come toward it.
“Yes, and thank you, Drampa.” Sam put his arms out to allow the Drampa to snuggle its head into his embrace, still looking upset by their leaving. “God, you’re soft.”
He pressed his forehead into its snout one last time before separating himself from their erstwhile companion. As Sam rejoined the front with his sister, the ponies all waved the Drampa farewell.
“Take care, Drampa!” Applejack shouted. “And thanks for the lift!”
“Bye-bye, Dramps!” Pinkie Pie waved the hardest. “I hope you’re not too cold up there!”
“Alright,” Shining Armor cooed, “let’s get going now.”
Sam and Alice took the northward path, the Equestrians turning from the Drampa and following them on the road to Malie City. The Drampa stayed where it was until the last pony in their group was out of its sight, and even then, it stayed long after they had gone.
Sun and Lillie sat opposite Gladion and Nanu at a large table in a partially-dirty dining room, a hefty serving of scrambled eggs, potatoes, and bacon on their plates. Plumeria was still dousing her eggs with hot sauce from an unmarked glass bottle as she looked to her guests, who were wistfully seasoning their eggs or cutting their bacon. After a couple faster shakes, she put the bottle of sauce onto the table loud enough to get everyone’s attention.
“Come on, guys, my crew slaved over this breakfast.” Sun and Nanu turned their heads back to their plates, their eyes not leaving her for just a few moments before they returned them to their meals.
“We’re sorry, Plumeria,” Lillie said, “but we’re still a little rattled after last night.”
“And letting your food get cold isn’t going to bring her back now, is it?”
“Plumeria, please!” Sun held his open palm up to Plumeria before gripping his fork and loudly spearing his egg, almost as if mocking her.
Rolling her eyes, Plumeria began spreading the sauce over her eggs before scooping them onto her fork. “I mean…” She slid a mouthful in. “I know it’s stupid that I should be so surprised, but… Faba? Really?”
“To be fair,” Gladion muttered, the smallest piece of bacon rolling on his tongue, “he was always a creep.”
“Yeah, but–” She swallowed. “Still, didn’t think he’d make a leap into full-on villainy like that, and that’s saying something coming from me.”
“And with them back on the loose,” Nanu surmised, “those kids are in more trouble than ever.”
“And after Hau beat Dexio,” Lillie spoke back in, “I can’t imagine how angry the rest of Team Prism must be.”
“A Fighting-type user beating an expert Psychic-type trainer?” Plumeria took a swig of orange juice. “Fuming, I’d imagine.”
“How much farther is he to Malie?” Gladion asked Sun.
Sun took out his Pokédex, and with a few taps on the screen, he spotted an icon with Hau’s picture on it between the eastern edge of Akala Island and the halfway point between it at Ula’ula. “Still got quite a long way to go. At least another hour.”
“You know, if it makes you feel the least bit better,” Nanu spoke in, “you could always tell Hau and his pals to meet us here.”
“We don’t need him wasting time here.”
“Why not?” Lillie interrupted. “If Sam and Alice are in Malie City, they’ll be safe enough in public.”
“Hau was attacked last night in public! How do we know Prism won’t–”
“In broad daylight when most people are up and about? Sun, I understand you’re scared, but just think about it. Hau, for all intents and purposes, is on his own with Pokémon that aren’t strong against Prism’s. We should be there for him, at least give him and the Equestrians a fighting chance.”
Sun speared egg, potato, and bacon at once and put it all into his mouth, chewing contemplatively. After swallowing, he breathed in, ready to make his plan.
“I’ll call Hau after breakfast. I’ll have him call me once he comes close to passing over Po Town. At that time,” he continued, flicking his finger to Lillie and Gladion, “the three of us will intercept him and fly with him to complete the journey by his side.”
“And I’m sure he’ll enjoy our company,” Gladion said. “Been quite a long time since the three of us did anything together.”
“Getting the band together. Nice.” Plumeria licked some hot sauce off her fork before setting it on her already empty plate.
“But we still have a while until we need to really worry about that,” Lillie said, already picking up some eggs and bacon. “Let’s enjoy our meal for now, okay?”
The room went silent as she, Gladion, and Nanu continued eating. As he watched them, Sun more calmly began scooping into his eggs, the prongs silently piercing through before lifting to his mouth, peacefully chewing.
Even for a Monday morning, the streets of Malie City were bustling, though primarily with tourists. While many people lining the sidewalks gave the ponies looks, many more of them seemed more focused on the sights of the city than on anything else.
“Strange,” Discord commented, weaving around yet another attempt at someone taking their friend’s picture on their phone. “You would think that I’d be the biggest eyesore on this island, and yet they act like I’m just some average joe.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Applejack said, “we had similar experiences living with Olivia.”
“They must see us as a bunch of Pokémon,” Rarity said. “I mean sure, it can be a bit demeaning, but no attention is better than negative attention, especially now.”
“I second that,” Shining Armor agreed. “Let’s just keep our heads low until we get to the gardens.”
Discord bent his upper body over, still only able to keep it just above the ponies backs. “Easier said than done.”
Turning north, Sam looked up from the map on his phone to see a hanging wooden sign with a colorful button-up shirt on it. As they walked past the building, he glanced over inside the window before turning his entire body to stop and face the window, looking at the selection of shirts, pants, shoes, and other accessories inside. As the Equestrians began passing Sam, they stopped and turned to face him.
“Sam?” Rarity called. “This is no time for windowlicking. We have to keep going.”
Sam gently nodded his head, slowly walking forward again. “Yeah, just… hold on a sec.”
He then turned toward the door and marched at it, his arm held out to push it open.
“Sam!” Alice huffed and watched Sam disappear inside, though briskly walking straight to the cubbies of jeans along the back wall.
“Wait.” Starlight leaned over to see Sam scanning through the sizes of pants. “Why did we stop?”
“Apparently, the boy needs some new pants.”
“Great, how long are we going to have to wait for him?” Shining Armor asked.
Alice looked at her Pokédex and checked the time. “Not long. Sam’s the kind of person who knows exactly what he wants. Plus, we still have at least an hour before Hau and the rest of your friends and family get here.”
“That’s assuring!” Discord sarcastically remarked, crossing his arms and sulking his head to the base of his neck.
“Whoa!” Discord was shocked out of his anger by the voice of a young girl that was clearly directed to him. “What kind of Pokémon is that, Momma?”
Alice and the Equestrians turned to face a small tan-skinned girl with short black hair stepping toward Discord with her hands reaching out toward Discord’s face, laughing merrily at its appearance.
“Laurie!” Her middle-aged mother rushed over to hold her and keep her from moving. “I’m so sorry. I’m still trying to get her to learn to ask before petting other people’s Pokémon.”
“Oh, it’s quite alright,” Discord chuckled, squatting down to bring his face to Laurie’s level, the mother reeling back at hearing his very clear voice. “I’ve actually grown to be quite the cuddle monster over the years.”
Laurie reached forward, her mom still holding on, and as the child petted the tip of his snout, she laughed over how plush and velvety it felt as she moved her hand down the top. “Wow, you really are soft!”
The mom kept holding her daughter, slackjawed, as he accepted her loving touch and turned his head so that she pet his right cheek. “Oh, yes,” he sighed, “right there, that’s the spot.”
Laurie continued giggling, happy beyond words to feel Discord so receptive to her touch.
“That’s… incredible.” The child’s mom struggled to find the words as she turned to Alice. “What kind of Pokémon did you say he was?”
Alice looked to the ponies, Applejack and Starlight in particular looking to her. With a nod from the former, Alice faced the mother and daughter.
“Actually,” she cooed, “they aren’t Pokémon at all.”
“Really?” Laurie faced her. “If they aren’t Pokémon, what are they?”
“We’re called ponies,” Applejack answsered. “We’re… not from around these parts, and our friend Alice here is helping to try and get us back home!”
“And… where’s home?” The mother couldn’t help but sound suspicious.
“We come from a land reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee–” Pinkie Pie took a sharp inhale. “–eeeeeealy far away from here!”
“Like, from another world!?” Laurie excitedly asked.
“Exactly,” Alice laughed. “We had a few bumps along the way, but we think we’re really close to getting them there.”
“But… don’t you like it here? Alola is the most wonderfullest place in the whole world!”
“And I wouldn’t be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy what I’ve seen of it,” Rarity said, “but our world is still home, and that’s wonderfullest enough for us.”
Laurie chuckled, glad to hear her use her vernacular. “I guess so.”
“Laurie, we need to get going now.” Her mother stood up, letting her daughter go. “I’m sorry, but we were headed to the gardens for a playdate.”
“Oh!” Starlight exclaimed. “Don’t worry, we’re actually headed there ourselves! We’re just waiting for our friend to finish up shopping.”
Laurie gasped. “Momma, maybe my friends can meet them too.”
“Now, Laurie,” she very gently scolded, “if they’re busy, we shouldn’t be bothering them.”
“We’re going to be hanging out at the ice cream parlor while we wait for more friends,” Alice responded. “You’re more than welcome to come and join us. I’ll even treat your daughter and her friends to ice cream.”
The mother chuckled nervously. “Oh, please, you don’t need to do that.”
“Ma’am, you don’t understand. I have a medical condition where I’m allergic to not buying ice cream for people. It’s known to be deadly!” Alice broke out of her worried act to give Laurie a wink, which made her tug on her mom’s shirt even harder.
“Well, if it’s for your health… Anyways, we should get going. We’ll see you all over there. Come on, Laurie.”
As she was pulled away down the sidewalk, Laurie waved to her new friends. “Bye guys! Oh, I never even got your names!”
“We can tell ya’ when we see ya’ again!” Applejack shouted out.
With Laurie and her mom moving away, Rarity and Starlight both sighed, the encounter having left them in better spirits.
Pinkie Pie continued watching them. “Maybe she does have a point about this place being the most wonderfullest.”
“Hey,” Alice said, “would one of you mind checking on how close Sam is to being done?”
Starlight and Lady both looked into the window as Sam pulled a shoeboex from a shelf in the middle of the store. “Well, it looks like Sam needs new shoes too.”
Alice sighed in acceptance. “Yeah, looks like we’ll be a little sidetracked today.”
A woman behind the counter of the ice cream parlor placed a table-tray with a dozen vanilla ice-cream cones dusted with ice-blue sugar crystals in them on the counter and slid them over to Alice. Alice nodded to her as she took the tray and turned around to face the four children, Laurie among them, eagerly awaiting their treat.
“Alright, enjoy you guys!” The children cheered as they each yanked a cone from a slot.
“Thank you, Alice!” each child said before running off.
“Don’t forget to give one to Discord!”
“Oops, sorry!” Laurie ran back and took an extra cone in her hand before she ran after her three friends who were already sitting against Discord lying on the grass just outside the patio, their mothers watching them from a single table nearby.
Starlight’s magical aura took all but one of the cones left on the tray and distributed them amongst herself, Lady, and the other ponies.
“Thanks again, Alice,” Pinkie Pie chirped, the cone wrapped inside her wrist. “I’ve never had a Casteliacone before!”
“I mean, it’s just vanilla ice cream with rock candy. Nothing incredibly special.”
“Are you kidding? Everything’s special in this world, especially ice cream!”
“Come on, Lady,” Starlight said as her Pokémon licked at its treat, holding on with one of its feelers. “Let’s go join Discord.”
Alice saw to the ponies as they walked over to join Discord, Laurie, and her friends, all of whom appeared happier once they were in their company. Alice huffed proudly just as the woman behind the counter coughed to get her attention.
“Your other cone?” Alice smiled and rolled her eyes as she hopped two steps to take the cone from her hand and put it into the tray beside the other one.
Alice walked to the table where Sam sat, a new pair of dark-blue jeans and a pair of grey-and-white trail running shoes on his legs and feet. Seating herself and putting the tray between them, she took her cone and took a deep scoop at it from the center with her tongue.
As she savored the vanilla and tarter cotton-candy flavors of the rock candy, she looked out amongst the area, admiring the fairway-short grass paths, the bamboo and palm trees growing out in the thicker areas, as well as the shallow winding pond and small islands within that surrounded the parlor and patio like a moat.
After a second lick of her ice cream, Alice looked over to find that Sam had not picked his up yet, also choosing to absorb the scenery. “Hey, bro, don’t let your ice cream melt.”
Sam glanced off toward the Equestrians and the four children, who all seemed to be entertaining each other with a rousing conversation. “I told you I didn’t want one.”
“It’s just that I figured I owed you for those clothes you got for yourself.”
“I– whu…” With an added scoff, Sam took his cone out from the tray nibbled the top off with his lips.
“I do have to say though, those jeans look… pretty sharp on you.”
Sam paused his snack to look back down at his new pants, which appeared snazzier and better looking on him than before. “I just wanted to give myself a new look is all. Not even counting the whole ‘saving the world’ and ‘getting our friends back home’ thing, this whole adventure has been really important to me.”
“Come on, bro, this adventure is as big a deal to me as it is for you.”
“I know that. You’ve been waiting your entire life for this, but I haven’t. It’s only until we moved from Kalos that I felt that this is truly what I wanted for myself. If I’m going to be a great Pokémon trainer, maybe even as good as you–”
“Whoa, don’t get carried away!”
Sam chuckled, expecting the response. “Anyways, I want to feel like the trainer I want to be, and not necessarily the trainer I was when I set foot on Alola.”
“And do you feel that way now? The trainer you want to be, that is?”
Sam looked down to his tank-top, his jeans, his blue jacket that remained tied around his waist, and flexed his toes in his shoes, smiling as he did. “Yeah. Yeah, I think so, or at least… I’m getting there.”
“What else?”
Sam looked about, not sure how to continue the conversation he thought he ended. “What else what?”
“What more do you think you need before you’re ‘there?’”
He shrugged and shook his head. “I don’t know. Getting my last two Pokémon. Evolving the rest… Becoming champion?”
Alice bit the rest of her ice cream down until it was flush with the edges of the cone. “We can settle that one right now if you think you’re ready, hot-shot!”
Unbeknownst to Sam, Alice’s face shifted to one of confusion, hearing a buzzing and beeping coming from her backpack.
“Come on!” Sam exclaimed. “You have more Pokémon than I–”
“Sam, hold on, I think mom or dad are calling.”
Sam sat upright as he observed his sister rummage through her bag, pushing aside a pair of bottles of purple liquid inside of them to reach her Holo Caster and pull it out. As she looked upon the screen, she appeared more concerned to see a series of numbers under the ID rather than the name of anyone she’d know.
“Who is it?” Sam pressed.
“I… I don’t...” Alice impulsively pressed the answer key, the top lighting up and casting an image of Wicke from the waist up. “Wicke!?”
“Oh, thank goodness I reached you in time!”
“What?” Sam gasped. “What’s going on?”
“It’s Team Prism!” They’ve been spotted looking around Malie City for you guys!”
“Huh?!” Alice’s breathing began to quicken. “How do you know this?”
“We’re monitoring surveillance on our end to ensure your safety. Here’s from our feed!”
Wicke’s hologram distorted and warped until it became a flat screen showing a security camera from a streetlight. As Wicke had said, several men and woman prowled the streets in Prism hoodies looking intently for anyone who looked like them or the ponies. The screen flickered once to cut to another camera, this one showing outside the clothing store where Sam had been, a couple more on the lookout.
“That’s crazy!” Sam huffed. “They’d really attack us in broad daylight?”
Wicke’s hologram returned. “I’m not certain you’re going to want to stay long enough to find out. Wherever you are, take the Equestrians and hide!”
“But where? How are we supposed to–”
“Sam, just listen to me. Do you remember passing a bus stop outside the western edge of the city when you came in?”
“I… I think so!”
“Board one. They operate fairly quickly, so you shouldn’t have problems getting on. That bus will take you to the top of Mt. Hokulani. Go to the Pokémon Center there and wait. I’ll inform Sun, Hau, and the others immediately after we’re done, but it’s imperitive that you and your friends are not spotted.”
“Jeez…” Sam ran his fingers through his hair.
“I’m sorry for putting you in such a precarious situation, but it’s all I could think of on such short notice. Good luck to all of you.”
“Wicke, wait!” Alice’s shouts fell on deaf ears as the call was ended and the lights on her Holo Caster died down.
“Alice?” Applejack’s voice brought Sam and Alice to her attention as the ponies all faced them, equally concerned by the franticness of Alice’s last exclamation. “What’s going on? Who just called?”
Sam and Alice glanced between the Equestrians, as well as the children and their mothers, upset that leaving Malie Garden would be just as difficult as leaving the city.
Sam and Alice peeked out from the end of an alley and looked down the street, finding no sign of any Prism grunts. With as much agility as they could muster, Sam and Alice slunk across the streets once the last car passed through on either side. The Equestrians all followed them just as fast into the next alley before stopping in their temporary sanctuary to catch their breath.
“How much longer!” Pinkie Pie whimpered. “The suspense is killing us!”
Sam looked at his Pokédex map, seeing that from their next alley exit, they had to only cross the street to reach the bus station, which had an icon revealing the next bus was leaving in two minutes. “Not much more, guys. Come on.”
He and Alice ran forward, turning left to the south exit. Slowing down and peering to the right, their eyes bulged to see two grunts, a male with a brown fauxhawk and a woman with her ice-blonde hair draped down the left side of her head, standing south of the block where the station was.
“Yay, we’re home free!” Pinkie Pie galloped out from the alley, Alice just barely managing to grab hold of her tail and pull her back.
Sam peered around again, seeing the grunts’ eyes were now looking right at the alley, jaywalking their way to the alley.
“Dammit!” he hissed. “We’re spotted!
“I’m sorry!” Pinkie Pie put her arms over the top of her head. “I don’t want to be the one who completely dooms our worlds and ruins every weekend forever!”
“You haven’t doomed anything.” Starlight stepped out from the alley, facing the two grunts and stopping them in their tracks in shock.
As they reached for their Poké Balls, Starlight charged her horn, the aura appearing around both grunts’ heads. With a huff, she threw both of their heads against each other, knocking them unconscious where they crumpled to the ground. As several people ran over to check on them, Starlight grinned over the added bonus of clearing the sidewalks.
“Coast is clear!” she exclaimed. “Let’s go!”
Sam and Alice spilled out and sprinted at the platform where the brown-striped bus with a green roof still waited. Starlight and Lady led her Equestrian friends out where she followed Alice and Sam across the street and onto the platform. As Alice ran in, Sam put his foot inside the door and swung his arm to motion the Equestrians in. With Discord the last among them, Sam slipped inside the door and allowed the driver to close it.
As the bus pulled away from the station, Sam looked back to see the crowd of people continuing to tend to the fallen grunts.
“So,” the rotund dark-skinned man behind the wheel asked in an awkward tone. “What kind of Pokémon are those?”
Sam looked up as if the answer was one of a million fluttering over his head. “Mudbrays… uh, shinies.”
“Whoa! I didn’t know shiny Mudbrays came in multiple colors!”
“Yeah, me neither! Thanks for the lift.” Sam patted the back of the driver’s seat before walking to the middle where his sister sat.
Plopping himself down next to her, he immediately leaned into the aisle and looked out the front window, watching as the bus traveled down the road, heading toward two steep canyon ridges.
“Hey,” Alice said, almost certain she wouldn’t get any kind of response from her brother. “Nice job back there.”
Sam let out a subtle nod as the bus sped into the pass, a sign at its entrance reading, “Mt. Hokulani – 30.”
It would be a long ride, but for the moment, he, his sister, and his friends were once again safe. It wasn’t exactly ideal, but he was glad to take his victories when they came.