Our world. Their world. It is a Pokemon World. Filled with the most amazing creatures imaginable. An infinite array of creatures too varied to comprehend. They fill the ever-flowing oceans, thrive in the majesty of the mountains, soar high over the azure horizons, emanating our lush green forests, share the sparkling landscapes of cities, existing in alternate dimensions and dwell in the eternal astral flow of the universe. Try and count them if you dare, but then, try and count the grains of sand on your favourite beach. Trillions, maybe septillions, perhaps infinity. Meticulously fashioned by the forces of nature in all its glory as only nature can. And no matter what corner of both worlds you may find yourself, rest assured, you'll find Pokemon there as well.
Mankind and Pokemon alike have long journeyed together to experience the thrill and challenge of the Pokemon Battle. Along with the involvement of Ponykind. Living and learning together. As teammates. Sometimes opponents and rivals, yes, but ever friends, comrades and perhaps even Pokemon Masters. Which brings us to a young trainer who has dedicated his life to the love of Pokemon and battling.
Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town and his partner Pikachu, travelling and experiencing the length and breath of both worlds with boundless energy with his friends, pursuing his goal to become a Pokemon Master. And alongside him, the Princess of Friendship Twilight Sparkle and her ever-stunning friends who help spread the joy and wonder of friendship to all while also sharing their own endearing dreams. A microcosm of the vast world of Pokemon, ponies and people together. Experiencing all sorts of things one might expect. Or not. But living their dreams nonetheless. For this is part of the journey. This IS the journey and the everlasting adventure that the collaborative world of Pokemon brings is about to present them with a new row, a shift, a journey until now for them, unimagined.
Day 4 of the Pokemon Festival.
Ash and his friends, joined by Princess Cadence are headed towards the Crystal Empire to continue this active and sprawling festival for all.
Along with them were the Cutie Mark Crusaders who were tagging along. Including their new and emotionless friend, Jade Skies.
"Wonder what's gonna be at the Crystal Empire? Maybe some new attractions." Ash chattered.
"Pika-Pika."
"I can't wait to see if there's a new relief zone. The previous one was lush like a forest. Maybe this one will be like a snowscape." said Fluttershy.
"If it's the Crystal Empire, it's bound to have something dazzling!" Rarity commented.
"Did someone call for us?" Sonata said as she and Aria popped their head outs from their seats.
"No. Not that kind of dazzling." Twilight said to them.
"Oh. Okay!" Sonata went back down to her seat along with Aria.
The Pokemon had hopped off their seats, running around the train. They were doing their usual frolicking as some of the young colts joined in on the fun, instantly moving away from their parents via Pokemon fun.
Outside of the train windows, Pikachu could see the Crystal Empire and the Frozen North as well. But something was odd. He could've sworn he saw something wisp about the Frozen North. And it looked like it was headed for the Empire. The Electric Mouse rubbed his eyes, thinking he was seeing things. But this isn't the first time he's seen something odd move about in an erratic manner.
"I won't spoil what's there, but you won't be disappointed I can say that much," Cadence spoke. "And there's one other thing I won't spoil for a long time..." She quietly said this time, putting her hoof over her belly, indicating there was something else much more important than the festival coming.
"We're almost there. Oh, I do hope that this time we can be given those crystal forms once more." Rarity wanted to be a Crystal Pony just once more.
"I kinda wanna be crystallized one more time." Ash looked at his hands, remembering how he and Pikachu were given crystal bodies when the heart was restored.
"I'm surprised it even worked for you since you ain't from this world." Applejack put her hoof on his back. Ash laughed as he put his head over the window. This time he also saw the mysterious wisp. But not only that he started to see a slew of other things. He couldn't make them out since they moved by so fast, but he and Pikachu were the only ones who saw these unidentified things.
The train finally arrived at the Crystal Empire as everypony, human and Pokemon got off. The guards greeted them and the two Princesses. "Welcome back, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza. And welcome Princess Twilight Sparkle."
"Thank you. Get ready to be amazed everypony." Cadence walked through the gates and she greeted their eyes to a brand new sight. Living up the crystal in its name, the festival was now a Crystal Festival, not like the Crystal Fair even. They had gone above and beyond for this. It looked more like a carnival than a festival. Ash had noticed some familiar structures that came from Nimbasa City. There were Drop Towers, a Funhouse, a Ghost-Type Attraction run by a Drifblim, a Simulator Ride and even the Musical Theater from Nimbasa City was involved including more. And they were all made out of crystals. "Well. What do you think?"
"It's more of a carnival than a festival! How did you manage to get all of this so fast?!" Rarity asked.
"Fighting-Type Pokemon."
"Oh, okay that makes sense." They all said in unison.
"This is amazing! What do you think Jade?!" Pinkie held Jade's face.
"It looks fun." She said with no emotion as always.
"I know right?! Let's not waste any time!" Pinkie dashed forward, bringing Jade along with her.
"I'm surprised there's stuff from Nimbasa City here." Ash gazed at the view.
"Hey, girls. Let's try that Funhouse!" Apple Bloom pointed her hoof at the convincingly eerie Funhouse.
"Well, if you don't mind. I and my Swadloons are off to see what can be made in the Crystal Empire. Ooh, I wonder if I can sew crystals?" Rarity squeed, walking off.
"Hey, Pikachu. Let's try that Simulator Ride!"
"Pika-Pika!" Pikachu and Ash had run off as well.
"Drop Towers? Sounds good to me!" Rainbow Dash dashed towards the carnival ride.
"I'm interested in that there Ghost attraction. I'm a gal who likes a fright here and there." Applejack giggled, headed for the Driflblim Attraction.
"Any relief zones?" Fluttershy flew towards Cadence with a huge grin on her face.
"Well... we have a spot where you can sightsee Po-" The words that Cadence said and immediately made Fluttershy fly off to find the spot. "Hm. Everypony seems to know what they want to do. Well, I'll be busy as well."
"You're not going to join us for this day, Cadence?" Twilight said.
"Oh, sorry Twilight. I'll have to skip out on today. But I can be here for tomorrow. And besides, you've got the rest of your friends to hang out with. And you also have a potential great coltfriend on your side. So there won't be a dull moment at all."
"Alright. I understa- Wait. Coltfriend?" She froze for a minute.
"I'm the Princess of Love, Twilight. I can not only spot but sense when there's love around. Especially if it's coming from a pony who's hiding it." Cadence winked at her fellow alicorn.
"I-I-I have no idea what you're talking about!" Twilight's words fumbled about.
"You don't have to hide it Twilight. It's fine though. I'm the only pony who knows about it. Just make sure your relationship grows before you say anything." Cadence put her hoof around Twilight, looking over at Ash.
"Don't you have someplace to be!" Twilight tried to get out of this conversation.
"Oh right! Excuse me." Now it was Cadence's turn to walk off as Twilight let out a sigh of relief.
Ash and Pikachu's go at the festival was cut short when their attention was drawn by a whisper. They turned their heads towards this mysterious whisper as the voice it was making was faint. The feeling was similar to how Ash reacted to aura whenever it called to him, but it wasn't aura this time. As Ash and Pikachu followed this voice, they were led to the deeper parts of the Crystal Empire. Parts that were not really seen the last time they were here, even when Sombra attack. Pinkie Pie had spotted Ash and Pikachu, but they left her vision the moment they reached a corner. "Ash? Pikachu?" She bounced over to them, reaching the corner. Once she got there, the next thing Pinkie saw was unexpected.
The boy and his Pokemon came across what seemed to be a tunnel of some sorts. On the tunnel were blue glowing runes that had unrecognizable symbols plastered on them. To Pinkie, they were unrecognizable, but to Ash and Pikachu, they knew that they almost resembled Unown symbols, but they weren't quite them. The two went further in as the tunnel was suddenly closed with a door that formed. "Hey, wait! Ash Pikachu!" Pinkie tried to go in with them but the tunnel door had closed itself as she crashed into the door, falling down. The last thing Pinkie Pie saw was the symbols losing their vibrant lights and dimming down. "Ugh...Not good! Girls!" Pinkie Pie bounced back to the festival to inform her friends.
As the two walked through the tunnel, the blue symbols started to glow once more as they were reflecting across their bodies, sending a tingling sensation through them. It seemed like this tunnel went on forever, but they came across a new area. "Woah. What is this?"
"Pika..."
What they saw was a lost civilization. One that nopony knew was even beyond here. This new area was indeed ancient for being lost. There was moss everywhere as the buildings that were there seemed to resemble the appearance of Canterlot Castle. In fact, they looked like much smaller scale Canterlot Castle structures. Almost as if these were the prototypes for it. And there seemed to be dead silence as well. That mysterious voice was the only thing the two of them could hear, but there was no one here. Not even a pony or a Pokemon. The atmosphere silent as a Komala. That silence was quickly broken when Ash heard a hoof step. He turned his head towards the direction of the sound, and out of the building came one pony. A pony who was wearing only an amulet. More ponies started to come out as they were all wearing amulets as well. Their bodies were all tattered and their manes rugged and messy. It seemed like they were here just as long as the civilization and somehow managed to live this long. They also had Cutie Marks of their own, but they were all similar in some way. Their Cutie Marks represented different forms of building blocks.
Ash took a good look at their amulets and noticed they resembled the Alicorn Amulet. But they had a much less intimidating design as theirs was the colour blue and gold instead of red and grey. The ponies at first seemed cautious around Ash and Pikachu. They had never seen beings like them before. "Who are you guys? How long have you been here?" Ash asked.
"Zesacy? Baesithi ncatas gedenia?" A pony started talking, but in an unknown language. They seemed to be talking to each other in this unrecognizable language to Ash and Pikachu, showing just old they really are.
"Uh. Sorry. I don't really understand you all." Ash laughed.
"Pika-Pika."
"Usezadiel uholas, tohin...mapariel Elroz." They talked to each other once more, not really interacting with Ash and Pikachu. The ponies nodded their head as they seemed to deem Ash and Pikachu harmless. One pony walked up to the two of them, ready to speak.
"Forgive us. We... haven't spoken to others in centuries. At least... we don't think we have." The pony held his head.
"Woah. You guys really are ancient! Centuries? That's like... millions of years on top of other millions of years."
"From what we recall...we are the oldest living ponies to ever exist... I think?" The pony wasn't sure of himself, neither were the others.
"Guess you must have some bad memory for being here for so long. How did you all manage to stay alive for long though?"
"Pika?"
"That... we also do not know. Honestly, our memories are greatly foggy. All we remember is opening our eyes and we ended up in the buildings. But, who are you two?"
"I'm Ash. Ash Ketchum. And this is my partner Pikachu."
"Pikachu!"
"Ash Ketchum? Are you perhaps... here to stop Queen Pyrestar?"
"Queen Pyrestar?"
"Pika?"
"That is one of the very few things we remember. We are ruled underneath a pantheon of powerful ponies who dwell in the Blessed Phoenix Realm. So I believe..."
"You guys have a pantheon? Isn't that like... a collection of super-strong guys?!"
"Pika-chu?!"
"But perhaps you're here to save us all from the Queen. Ash Ketchum and Pikachu! Are you our saving graces?" Everypony walked closer to them.
"Hm. I don't quite know what's really going on... But if you're all in trouble then we can help. And we'll help you remember who you all are. Count on that!"
"Pika-Pikachu!"
"You will? Oh, thank the seven stars!" All the ponies had smiles on their faces. It seemed like they hadn't experienced happiness for a long time. Either this Queen Pyrestar is a force to be reckoned with, or they were just asleep for a long time.
"Alright! So where do we start?"
"So, they went in here?" Twilight and her friends had gathered up to the spot where Pinkie Pie last saw Ash and Pikachu.
"Yeah! They were walking all weird like and slow and then they just went inside! There were these glowing blue things that I couldn't make out but they were freaky. And then the last thing that happened was the entrance closing." Pinkie explained.
"Walking all weird like and slow?" Twilight put her hoof on her chin. "Didn't Ash do the same thing when Riolu's egg was calling for him?"
"You think it might be aura again darling?" Rarity looked at Twilight.
"Maybe. We have to go in there and find them."
"That's the problem. It won't open when I get near." Pinkie put her hoof on the door, but nothing happened. "Access denied."
"There has to be some other way. And I think I know what. Stand back ya'll." Applejack went to the door as everypony stood back. She turned around as she put all of her strength into bucking the door. One hit and had some cracks around it. Applejack's idea was working.
"It's working! Keep it up AJ!" Pinkie exclaimed.
Applejack kept kicking at the door as it was slowly starting to come apart. With one final buck, she obliterated the door, revealing the tunnel with the symbols. "There! Weren't that hard." Applejack said.
"Great job, Applejack! Now we-" Twilight's words were cut off due to the door suddenly reforming itself back to normal. This took them all by surprise. It regenerated, acting like Applejack's kicking was non-existent. "How the-"
"Doors can't regenerate! Can they?" Rainbow Dash uttered.
"That doesn't make any sense. It has to be magic. Or maybe aura can repair." Twilight went up to the door. "We have to find a way inside. Any other ideas?"
"Why don't we try breaking it down again. But this time I'll fly in super fast before it regenerates!" Dash suggested.
"That could work. Applejack. Try kicking it apart one more time." Twilight said to AJ.
"You got it!" Applejack got back to kicking it down. But this time it seemed like the door had gotten much more durable like it had developed a resistance to Applejack's kicks. It was still cracking but it was much slower this time. Rainbow Dash readied herself to fly through those doors the moment they come down. After 17 seconds of kicking, the door had finally broken down again. Rainbow Dash flew forward instantly, and from what it looked like she, got inside. Seemed like a success.
Until suddenly the rainbow pony was shot back out by a blue light that surrounded her, sending her back to square one. "W-What the? How the-? What?!" She was just as confused as everypony. Not only that, but the door also seemed to reform itself into steel. It made sure that Applejack's bucking wouldn't even phase it this time.
"I don't understand. What is up with this tunnel?!" Twilight bellowed. "Maybe there's a spell that can get us through this."
"Oh, dear. I hope Ash and Pikachu aren't in any grave danger. Oh, the thought of it!" Rarity pulled out her fainting couch, falling on it.
"Let's not panic yet. We can find a way around this. Rainbow Dash Fluttershy. We're going to fly up and see if we can spot what's over this tunnel." Twilight said to the two as they nodded. The three flying ponies took the skies to see if the other side of the tunnel could be seen. But to their surprise, there was nothing there. The only thing there. Just more crystals. "Nothing?!"
"Does that mean they're stuck inside the tunnel?!" Fluttershy gasped.
"Let's not jump to conclusions! Although... I am getting a bit worried." Twilight started to sweat. "Come on! There has to be a way to get in!" Twilight and the others were getting worried. How were they going to get past this tunnel? "That's it! Maybe there's something about this tunnel in the Crystal Empire's Library! Of course! Silly me. Why didn't I just go there first?" Twilight headed for the library located in the empire as her friends followed suit.
Inside the tunnel and at the lost civilization, Ash was being shown more of this place. He could still see the Canterlot-Castle-Esque buildings but alongside that, he noticed that some of them greatly resembled the Castle of the Two Sisters. "Hey. I got a question. What's up with these buildings? They look so familiar. Celestia and Luna live in buildings like those."
"Pika?"
"Celestia and Luna? Those names... they sound somewhat familiar. Once more, we only remember a select few things. Our language and Queen Pyrestar. We even do not know what the other ponies of the pantheon are called. Their names escape our minds."
"Well. Mind if I ask your name since you're pretty helpful so far."
"My name is Herald Dust. I am this civilization's guide. From what I recall, I hold the most knowledge out of everypony here. Apparently."
"Huh. So then what's up with those amulets? They look a lot like the Alicorn Amulet."
"Pika-Pi-Chu?"
"These? They are what we have left our lost magic." Herald lifted the amulet up with his hoof.
"Lost magic?"
"Pika?"
"Most of us here are unicorns. But that was not always the case. From what I can recall, the amulets used to be apart of us. I don't quite understand it myself yet or even remember what that means."
Just then, a young filly walked up to Ash, looking up at him and Pikachu. Pikachu hopped down from Ash's shoulder to greet the little pony. "Pikachu."
"What is this thing?" She asked as she put her hoof on Pikachu's head.
"It's a Pokemon. He's known as a Pikachu species." Ash explained.
"Pikachu. Pika-Pika!"
"Wow...it is so small and precious." All the other young ones came in to look at Pikachu. The Electric Mouse Pokemon was used to getting this much attention from those that just love anything cute.
"We're here, Ash Ketchum and Pikachu," Herald said. Ash and Pikachu looked over to see a gargantuan new area. "Welcome to Ether Sanctuary. Where the great pantheon of ponies dwells." It truly was was a sanctuary. It was much bigger than the Crystal Empire and Canterlot combined. How did no one notice this and how could it be in such a small area? At the sanctuary were statues of 10 ponies. The one in the middle could be Queen Pyrestar.
"So they're all in there huh?" Ash walked forward, gazing at the statues. The ponies all looked like unicorns but Pyrestar seemed to resemble an alicorn. All these mysterious unicorns also donned the Alicorn Amulet look-alike, except for Pyrestar. Ash and Pikachu were starting to uncover hidden secrets that lay within Equestria. He came across the entrance to the sanctuary by stopping at the door. Just being there made Ash and Pikachu feel strange. This feeling was similar to when they first heard that whisper at the festival. The whisper came back as it was telling them to come inside. Ash put his hand on the door, slowly pushing it open. As the doors were being pushed, making a creaking sound, what Ash and Pikachu laid their eyes on was unexpected. On the outside, it looked wonderful, but on the inside, there was nothing but ruins.
The pillars were cracked and seemed to have burn marks on them. In fact, there were burn marks all over the place, almost as if an overwhelming amount of fire erupted inside. Some of the stairs were split in half, hoofprints were stamped on the walls along with the remnants of what seemed to be rusty armour. Paintings were also seen. They were off the 10 ponies who lived here. They all had a large array of colours that made them stand out. Not only that but their names were revealed as they matched their colour schemes. Skyblue Whimsy, Xanthic Bolt, Orchid Glow, Ivory Mane, Goldspark, Magentalights, Midnight, Abalone and Medallion Ray. All of their paintings were also burnt with only Queen Pyrestar's being intact. One of them, Midnight, resembled Twilight in appearance actually.
"These names are pretty intense, huh?"
"Pika..."
"But what happened here? It looks like a huge fire must've gone down a long time ago." Ash continued his journey inside the ancient palace. That's when he and Pikachu saw that wisp from before. "Hey. It's that wisp thing!"
"Pikachu!"
The wisp had flown off, heading into another room that was nearby. Ash and Pikachu chased down the mystical wisp, entering the next room which appeared to be a tapestry room. In this tapestry, there were artworks of a series of events. The wisp had stopped by the tapestry, hovering over one that showed Queen Pyrestar and the unicorns who now seemed to have the appearance of alicorns. Ash and Pikachu looked up at it to see what it meant.
Queen Pyrestar being given a crown. The 9 alicorns surrounding the newly crowned queen. A mysterious creature arrives at the Queen's palace. From the appearance, it seemed to be a blue ram of some sorts with a bell on its neck. The strange ram using the bell against the alicorns, seemingly absorbing their magic. Queen Pyrestar stopping this ram by pushing it back. The queen being overtaken by a spell cast by the ram. The rest of the alicorns now becoming unicorns in the process. The magic that surrounds Pyrestar twists her morals and ideals, destroying the once kind-hearted queen. Queen Pyrestar now ruling with an iron hoof alongside the 9 unicorns who were once alicorns as well. And the final piece of the tapestry was Queen Pyrestar unleashing an overwhelming amount of flames inside the sanctuary which a mysterious cosmic light on the side. The rest of the tapestry seemed to be incomplete as there was a piece of it ripped out, indicating there was one more part missing.
Ash and Pikachu had now gotten a good understanding of what could've happened. The reason why the wisp was moving about was to tell them about the history of this place, even if it couldn't speak. "So that's what happened. No wonder there are burn marks all over the place."
"Pika..."
"But what happened next? There's a part of it missing." Ash held the end of the tapestry. "Hm. Guess we've got a new adventure on our hands, ey buddy?"
"Pikachu!" The two of them were up for a brand new adventure, no matter how mysterious it was. The wisp had led them to one other room. They followed the moving wisp as it brought to what seemed to be an area with a singular cist. An ancient burial ground. The wisp had flown over the cost as there were crimson lights emanating from it. The trainer and his Pokemon went towards the cist, seeing all the rocks over it. Ash removed the rocks to see what those lights were and what he saw surprised him. Inside the cist was the living breathing body of the alicorn queen.
Queen Pyrestar.
At the Crystal Empire Library, Twilight and her friends were searching for a book that might help them figure out what's with that tunnel? But there was nothing. Not even a hint or a mention of it in any of the books they had searched.
"What gives?! Why isn't there anything about it?!" Twilight exclaimed. She then flew over to the librarian to get some answers. "Please tell me there's a book about that mysterious tunnel?"
"Tunnel? What tunnel?" The librarian seemed confused about that.
"The tunnel located deep within the Crystal Empire of course."
"Oh, sorry. I don't think we've ever had a tunnel here. At all." The librarian shook her head. "Terribly sorry."
"So there's no record of it? That's weird." Twilight pondered. This tunnel mystery was only making her wonder more.
"We're wasting valuable time! We have to get to Ash somehow!" Rainbow said. "Pinkie Pie. When you saw Ash and Pikachu go in, what else did you see?"
"Well. When they went inside, the door closed, and all those blue lights that were shining from inside had vanished. I could just see them through the small gaps."
"So they just stopped the moment the doors closed? What could that mean?" said Rarity.
"Hmm...think Twilight, think!" The purple alicorn sat down, hitting her head with her hoof. "The lights vanished once the door had closed...vanished once the door had closed...vanished...vanished... THAT'S IT!"
All of her friends turned towards her once she said that.
"What if there's a time limit? Maybe there's a certain amount of time before anypony else can go through!"
"You think that might be it, sugarplum?" Applejack questioned.
"I hope so. It's our best option right now. Let's head back there...but we'll wait it out first."
"Mhm!" They all agreed.
"We could just use Pokemon," Spike suggested as they all turn to him. "Think about it for a second. Pokemon are technically much more powerful and faster than all of us. Even alicorns. Shouldn't we just get them to blow the entrance open? And if it reforms, we'll just use a stronger move." Hearing what Spike said, they all looked at each other and talked about it.
"We'll see. If our first plan doesn't work, then we'll go for the Pokemon plan." Twilight said to him.
"Yes!"
As the group went back to the tunnel, they took their sweet time. They came across it, standing a far distance away from it. They waited a total of 9 minutes before something happened. In truth, their entrance wouldn't be given by their waiting, but by another wisp. This secondary wisp had flown over the Mane 6, their Pokemon and Spike as they all looked up at it. The wisp had gone near the tunnel, sending a mystical pulse through it. This caused the steely doors to slowly open up, revealing the symbols once more as it was open.
"No way! It's open!" Rainbow Dash bellowed.
"That wisp thing did it," said Twilight. "Is that how they actually got in the first time?"
"Who cares! We got access now! Let's hurry and get in there!" Rainbow Dash was the first to head in as the others followed suit. Now they were granted entrance but the glowing symbols weren't reflecting off them as they did for Ash and Pikachu. The door behind them had closed, as the only the way to go now was forward.
Now they were granted with the lost civilization. The ponies had noticed the newcomers as they weren't obscure like Ash and Pikachu. They were one of them. They looked at the ancient ponies, noticing the Alicorn Amulet look-alike.
"Newcomers?" A pony said as the others went up to Twilight and her friends.
"Jumpin junebugs. A whole 'nother civilization is here?" Applejack gazed.
"How did we not see it when we flew up?" Fluttershy wondered.
"It must have been hidden by magic..." Twilight replied. "Who are you all anyway?"
"We are ponies who dwell in this land. This kingdom if you will." A stallion explained. "Have you come here to help?"
"Help? With what?" Fluttershy asked.
"A few minutes ago, a being by the name of Ash Ketchum and a Pikachu came here to help save us from Queen Pyrestar and-"
"That's it! That's the reason we're here!" Twilight stopped the stallion, scaring him for a bit. "Where are they?!"
"T-They were sent over to the sanctuary." He pointed his hoof over at the titanic sanctuary. The group knew where they had to go next, but Pinkie Pie actually wanted to stick around here for a bit, but Applejack dragged her along.
Back inside the palace, Queen Pyrestar's eyes had awoken. Ash and Pikachu backed up as they could feel an intense pressure fill the room. The awoken crimson queen rose up from her burial as the area around Ash and Pikachu was heating up. Almost as if the sun was here. In fact, her presence was similar to that of Celestia.
"Thou..." The Queen spoke. Her voice was unlike anything they had ever heard. It had a resounding echo that would make any dragon cower in fear as well as a hollow tone. Not only that, but it almost sounded like Celestia's and Luna's voice as well. A strange fusion of the two.
"You're... Queen Pyrestar." Ash uttered.
"Pika..."
The Scarlet Alicorn stood up tall. Her similarities to Celestia were shown as she was even the same height as the princess of the sun. Once she left her burial the entire cist burned into ashes. Queen Pyrestar looked around, seeing herself back in her castle. "W-Where...are we? Who are thou?" She spoke in the same manner Luna once did. "Where are Cocoa and Rosetar?"
"Cocoa? Rosestar?" Ash tilted his head.
"Pika?"
"I do not have time for this." Pyrestar held her head, dazed after being inside the burial for centuries, so she remembers. "I must find my throne room. My subjects..."
"Hold up! Wait a second." Ash ran in front of her. "You're the queen who these ponies are terrified of right? Is that true?"
"Terrified? Of me? What drivel. I rule under these ponies with all the love I possess."
"Really? Because on the tapestry, it looked like you were going crazy at the end. Is that why there are so many burn marks all over the place?"
"Pika-Pikachu?"
"I don't know what lies those ponies have been telling you. But I did not lose my mind. I was..." Pyrestar suddenly held her head, falling on her knees. She was having memory flashes come to her as they were very vague. "My throne." She walked off, leaving the burial room and the tapestry as she looked around her once beautiful and gorgeous palace. Ash and Pikachu followed, and once they did they came across her throne room. And to Ash and Pikachu's surprise, their throne even resembled that of Celestia's and Luna's
Ash wasn't the brightest guy in the world, not by a long shot... but he could see when something is odd. So he started to connect the dots. The buildings on the outside resemble Canterlot. The ponies are wearing amulets that resemble that of the Alicorn Amulet but of a different colour. The pony by the name of Midnight resembled Twilight a bit and Pyrestar gives off the same presence as Celestia and Luna. She shared the same height, the same ethereal mane, her voice was a mixture of both of them and even their regalia were similar.
"Hold on. Queen Pyrestar. What's the name of your kingdom?"
"My kingdom? I rule an entire country. Equestria. And this is Canterlot Palace."
"...Huh?!"
"Pika!"
"All of Equestria is under my rule. I am the princess of the sun and moon. Queen Pyrestar."
"Woah...But Princess Celestia and Luna are the ones who control the sun and moon and rule Equestria."
"Is it not obvious. I AM Princess Celestia and Luna. A fusion of the two."
"SAY WHAT?!"
"PIKA-PIKA?!"
The two of them were flabbergasted, not sure how to respond to this. This was unexpected. They've heard and seen of Pokemon fusion in the form of Kyurem and Necrozma, but this was new. Ponies can fuse as well?
"You're both of them combined?! That's awesome! But how. And why? And are you really the same Celestia and Luna?"
"It seems that what I saw was the truth. This isn't our world if our counterparts exist here as well. You see... strange being and his yellow mouse. We come from another universe. A parallel universe from this one. The last thing I remember was a cosmic essence appearing in front of the sanctuary and that must've been how we were all sent here."
"So this entire place is from another universe? Woah. It even managed to bring along a place as huge as this?"
"Pika?"
"I must continue my work. I must find Cocoa and Rosestar. They might know how to return us."
"Who're Cocoa and Rosestar, by the way?"
"Ponies who also came from another universe. They have some experience with universal travel as well."
"Well, you're in luck. Me and Pikachu are also from another universe."
"Pikachu!"
"You are...?" Pyrestar leaned in.
"It's a long story, but let me give a quick rundown."
Whilst Ash explains everything to Pyrestar, Twilight and the gang along with their Pokemon made it to the sanctuary. Twilight couldn't help but notice that everypony was staring at her. They recognized her as the pony Midnight, but she didn't know that, until she and her friends entered inside.
Now they had seen the burnt insides of the castle as well. The atmosphere it gave off started to terrify Fluttershy and Rarity, even making Pinkie and Rainbow uneasy.
"This place gives me the heebie-jeebies." Pinkie uttered, staying close to Applejack.
"Don't worry girls. Let's all stick together." said Twilight. That's when Rarity noticed the paintings and spotted Twilight's look-alike, Midnight.
"Twilight, darling. Isn't that you?"
"Huh?" Twilight turned her head towards her Rarity was pointing her hoof. She saw the painting of Midnight as well. This messed with Twilight's mind the moment she set her eyes on it. "That IS me? Midnight? How?"
"Twilight! Do you have a secret long lost sister that we don't know about? Can we meet her?" Pinke bounced over as the others glared at the painting.
"It's gotta be some sort of doppelganger right?" Rainbow Dash commented.
"It's a mighty convincing doppelganger, that's for sure."
"Come to think of it. A lot of this feels familiar. Think about it girls. The buildings on the outside resemble Canterlot Castle, everypony there was wearing what seemed to be the Alicorn Amulet but a different colour and call me crazy... but that Queen Pyrestar pony looks like a lot like Princess Celestia and Princess Luna at the same time. Something about this is odd." Twilight pondered as did the others. That's when Fluttershy's Audino had picked up some noises with its high-level hearing.
"Audi? Audino."
"What is it Audi? What do you hear?" Fluttershy asked.
"Audino." The Hearing Pokemon had pointed forward, making everypony's attention draw towards the middle gate.
"There's someone talking in there. It sounds like Ash." Fluttershy translated.
"We found him? Woohoo!" Pinkie Pie bounced over to the large entrance doors, eager to see her friends again. Once she opened up those doors, their eyes did not deceive them. Ash and Pikachu were indeed there. The two of them turned around to see their other friends as they had arrived.
"Huh? You're all here?!"
"Pika?!"
"Ash! Pikachu!" Pinkie bounced over, hugging the trainer and his Pokemon.
"Darling, you had us all worried. We thought you were trapped." Rarity walked up.
"You two chuckleheads just can't help wandering off without a word can ya?" Applejack said.
"Heh. Sorry. I was kinda out of it." Ash laughed along with Pikachu.
Pyrestar had seen the Mane 6 and Spike recognizing them, especially Twilight. They all looked over as they saw Queen Pyrestar in all of her glory.
"T-That's her. Queen Pyrestar." Fluttershy uttered.
"She really does look like Celestia and Luna..." Rainbow Dash spoke.
"That's because she is. She's a fusion of the two." Ash casually explained.
"Huh? HUH?!" They all shouted in unison at what they just heard.
"H-H-H-H-How is that possible?! That's not scientifically possible! Is it?!" Twilight stammered.
"Heh. Not really. In my world, Pokemon can fuse too."
"Pikachu-pi!"
"Midnight. It really is you..." Pyrestar spoke, walking towards Twilight.
"M-Midnight? Does that mean the pony in the painting really is me? But how?"
"Forgive me. But you are the Midnight of this universe. I recognize you as such."
"This universe? You mean you..."
"Come from an alternate universe? That's right." Ash nodded his head.
"Your friend, Ash Ketchum has explained everything to me. About the Rift and the crossing of both worlds. I cannot believe that I am looking at this universe's counterparts."
"So that means.... all of this.. is Canterlot? Those buildings on the outside looked exactly like them! What kind of universe are you even from?"
"Allow me to explain what I can remember." Pyrestar sat down on her throne, ready to spill everything. "You see in my universe, I was never the same entity. Celestia and Luna were still separate from each other. One controlled the sun and the other the moon. As for you, each of you remained as the Elements of Harmony. Loyalty, Laughter, Generosity, Honesty, Kindess and Magic. But your paths only crossed for a few months."
"A few months?" Fluttershy stepped forward.
"Indeed. Your friendship did not last long, much to Celestia's dismay. You managed to win the day by freeing my sister and sealing Discord back to stone when he returned. You even managed to stop Sombra and Tirek. But... what happened next was nothing nopony could ever expect. Out of nowhere, Grogar had returned."
"Grogar?" The ponies all said.
"He appeared out of nothing but cosmic energy, possibly from the Rift's actions. He instantly overtook all of Equestria, without barely any difficulty. And he did so by unleashing his plethora of creatures that he created. Including his greatest asset. The Bewitching Bell. You and your friends tried to stop Grogar with all you had. You were on the verge of victory, but the Bewitching Bell managed to absorb all the magic that the elements held as Grogar gave it all to himself. And just like that you were defeated."
"Oh, dear! Were we okay?!" Rarity gasped.
"You were fine. But all of Equestria now lived in tyranny due to the roaming of unsightly creatures. Celestia and Luna attempted to change this, however, by using a high-risk spell. First, they transferred the magic of alicorns to worthy ponies in order to counter Grogar's forces. One of them was you Midnight. I should mention that in my universe, your name was vastly different than the one you have here. Then, they used another high-risk spell by merging into one single entity. The one you see before you. Queen Pyrestar. The plan was a success. Our combined alicorn might managed to defeat Grogar and his creatures. However, it came at a great cost. Grogar's last act was to unleash the full power of the Bewitching Bell. It was a devastating result. All Pegasi and Earth Ponies were sealed away and the only ones that remained were Unicorns. Not only that, but the corrupt magic from the bell had managed to infect me, twisting my natural state of mind. Grogar was defeated, but Equestria was missing a large majority of its population."
"All the pegasi and earth ponies sealed away?" Twilight uttered.
"We tried to find a way to free them, but it took many years. Centuries even. Soon, the entire population of ponies ended up consisting of only unicorns as they became the dominant species. And as for us alicorns, we continued to find a way to break the seal. But no luck. That is when something became of me. The magic that Grogar corrupted me with sent me into a berserk state. It only ever unleashed itself when I was gravely upset or enraged. This magic was known as Sorrowful Rage magic."
Twilight recognized that name. In fact, deep within her, Horizon Storm was still apart of her. Still lurking from the events of what happened with Ghetsis and Celestia. The same goes for Princess Luna and her Sorrowful Rage form. Lunar Ire.
"The rage that I held was too terrifying for my fellow alicorns. So much so that one day, I erupted in a blaze of sunfire, sending a scorching frenzy of flames across the castle. That is why you see many burn marks around here. And then... I ended up losing them all. Grogar's magic was not over. It had also affected the 9 alicorns. They all lost their alicorn forms, reverting them back to unicorns. Including you, Midnight. And the last thing I remember. The final piece of the memories I can recall was the arrival of two ponies by the name of Cocoa and Rosestar. They had come from another universe. Acting as sort of a distress call. They had with them a spell that could travel between universes and the two made their way here. A unicorn from their world brought them here. Cocoa was a fairly adept pony who knew a lot about magic alongside her friend who carried with her an abundance of spellbooks. and they gave me hope. Hope in the form of a spell that could break the seemingly unbreakable seal. But that is when the Rift arrived. In an instant, it unleashed a blinding cosmic light and that is the last thing I saw."
"Woah... so much to take in." Pinkie Pie held her head, still trying to process the series of events that happened all the way in the other universe.
"I am hoping to find Rosestar and Cocoa so that they can help give us the spell information to break Grogar's seal and restore the pony population. That way Equestria can thrive once more. Our Equestria that is."
"So...where are these two ponies?" Rarity asked.
"I do not know. The last time I saw them, they were with me and the other unicorns. The light was the final thing my eyes had processed. They're somewhere out there. And I hope to return back to our universe, so that we can rebuild our land, our country once more."
"Wow...amazing!" Twilight jumped up.
"It is" Pyrestar titled her head.
"Of course it is! To think that there's a universe like that exists. All the lore that it holds! And my name is different! I want to know more if I ever get the chance to see it."
"Uh, Twilight. I think we should focus on helping, sugarplum." Applejack said to her.
"Oh. Hehehe..right." Twilight blushed.
"Speaking of which. I gotta tell the ponies that Queen Pyrestar isn't what they think." said Ash as he was about to inform everypony about the truth.
"So. Where do we start looking for this Cocoa and Rosestar?" Rainbow asked.
"Well, if this version of Canterlot was transported here by the Rift, then they must be somewhere in our Equestria." Twilight theorized. "Maybe they're at the festival. Or somewhere across Equestria. Prin- I mean, Queen Pyrestar. We'll find them for you. Wherever they might be."
"I think you may have a guide for that." Queen Pyrestar pointed her hoof up, showing the two wisps from before. This time a third one joined in. "The wisps shall be your guide, my little ponies."
"So they've been guiding us?" Fluttershy said.
"Then we should follow them. They know where we should go next. Come on girls." Twilight and her friends left as Pyrestar saw them walk off.
The wisps had flown out of the sanctuary as Ash spotted them as well. Everypony saw the wisps too. The triple mysterious entities were floating over to the entrance where the group first came through. Ash could hear the sounds of the wisps, being the only one who could pick it up once more.
"Where's it going?" Pinkie asked.
"I think it wants us to go back to the festival...In Ponyville." Ash suddenly said.
"Ash. You can understand them?" Twilight looked up at him. "How?"
"I don't know. It's weird. It kind of feels like aura in a weird way. These voices sound so familiar too."
"Well, we have a translator. Let us not waste any time. Although, I didn't get to enjoy the festival here." Rarity sighed.
"Hold on. I think a few of us should go back to Ponyville and search for Cocoa and Rosestar." Twilight suggested. "After all, it's only two ponies. If they're at a place as small as Ponyville, it won't be too much trouble."
"Then, how about the three of us go? You, me and Ash?" Applejack said. "The rest of ya'll can stay here at the Crystal Empire while we get searching."
"You sure AJ?" Pinkie Pie asked.
"Trust me."
"Alright. We trust you. Good luck you three." Fluttershy commented.
All the way back at Ponyville, the wisps were not lying at all. But they didn't appear in Ponyville first. In fact, they passed through the gateway from the other world. The two pony friends. Cocoa Swirl, a young rambunctious unicorn-changeling hybrid with striking blue hair and an orange jacket. Although she didn't have a Cutie Mark on her. Alongside her was Rosestar. A pale pink pegasus with a dark pink mane and tail. Her Cutie Mark was a rose in the middle with five yellow pointed stars. She was on the more calm side compared to her energetic friend.
"Any luck finding a way back?" Cocoa asked her pegasus friend.
Rosestar went through the book she was carrying, searching for a spell. "No. We should've brought the universe hopping spell along with us. Now we're kinda stuck between this world and the Pokemon world."
"Don't worry about it, Rose. We'll find a way back eventually. But in the meantime, I'm gonna enjoy this festival some more." Cocoa walked forward, ready to enjoy herself. Rose sighed as she flew with her friend, carrying the book with her.
High atop the trees, Obsidian and Emerald Aura were peeking through, spotting the two ponies.
"Holy moly. Aren't those the two ponies from that other universe?" Emerald commented.
"Yep. That means that not only have they come from their universe, but they've also come from a parallel Equestria and just now the Pokemon World. That's an inception of universe hopping." Obsidian said. "Actually... this gave me an idea."
"What?"
"I wonder... what if we involved their alternate universe?"
"W-What do you mean by that? What are you planning this time?"
"Heh. Stay sharp Emerald. We're going to be taking a trip to an alternate reality."
Chapter 100 End!