Canterlot. The Pokemon Festival. 3 hours until the sun sets for the day.
Outside, the festival continues as usual, but on the inside, Pyrestar had explained what happened in her universe to Celestia, Luna and Cadence. She had already explained it all to Ash, Twilight and the others, but the other 3 alicorns needed to hear this, especially since she is their fused counterpart.
"Unbelievable. To think such a universe exists." Luna had just taken all of that information and lore in.
"So your universe's Grogar returned. By the Rift of course." Celestia spoke. "And only the unicorns remained..."
"It's even crazier the second time you hear it!" Pinkie uttered.
"That is why I must return to my universe and set things right. If I can somehow find a spell that can break the seal, then my Equestria can thrive once more. I just hope I can find it soon enough."
"That's where we come in." Ash stood up. "We've found a possible way to fix all of this. In the form of this little guy." Ash picked up Cold Colt, showing him to the three princesses.
"Heh. I get to be the hero for once." Cold Colt smirked.
"All we have to do is get help from Victini and Togetic. Togetic can spread good luck so his magic won't cause any trouble and Victini can give him loads of energy to make his magic much more powerful! Sounds like a straight-forward plan eh?"
"Pika-PiPika!"
"When you put it like that, it does seem like a plan that could smoothly play out without fail," Luna said. "I assume that you know the location of these two Pokemon?"
"Well, we know Victini's hanging around in the relief zone. But as for Togetic, that's gonna take some searching." Ash explained.
"I am truly thankful to you all for wanting to help me return back to my universe." Pyrestar smiled.
"Yeah! And it means we'll be getting back to ours very soon. Although I kinda wanna stay in this one for a while." Cocoa grinned.
"We shall wait for you all to return with the two Pokemon. Until then, Me...or rather, Pyrestar. Perhaps, to get your mind of all that gloominess...why don't you enjoy the festival with us?"
"Enjoy the festival? I...have not been to a festival in centuries. I may have even forgotten how to even have fun." Pyrestar looked down.
"That is why we are here. You are us and we are you. So this will not be a problem for us, at all." Luna said.
"Very well. I shall go."
"Then let's not waste any time!" Celestia cheerfully said as she and Luna dragged their fused self outside of the castle to experience the fun of the festival.
At the festival, the first thing that Pyrestar was introduced to was the food. This was Celestia's decision, mostly due to her love of cakes, which is the food that she is hoping that Pyrestar can enjoy. If she's half Celestia, then her love of cakes must still remain.
"If you're part of me, you'll obviously love cakes." Celestia used her magic to grab a slice, lending it to her fused self.
"I...have not eaten cake in centuries. In fact, I have barely eaten for so long. What if my taste buds have diminished greatly?"
"Don't be ridiculous. Any cake is forever delicious. Here." Celestia sent the cake near Pyrestar's mouth as the fused alicorn took a single bite out of the pastry.
Once she did, countless years of bliss had returned to her mouth. The wonderful taste of not just cake, but food itself had been revived for her. This made her break into tears once more, but again, the heat of her body evaporated the tears into nothing. "I've missed this feeling." She wailed. Her happiness was so great that she face-planted into the cake, crying inside of it. But the cake ended up melting due to her body heat. So now she was just crying in a puddle of icing. Celestia and Luna pat their fused self in the back to try and cease the crying as Mr and Mrs Cake awkwardly looked at each other.
"Well. You've experienced my sister's love for cake. Now it is time for you to experience what I love as well." Luna said.
What they ended up doing next was participating in a Pokemon attraction. Luna had grown fond of them ever since she saw everypony else partake in them. The most popular one which was still here ever since the first day was Lopunny's Dance Inferno. Only one pony has ever won this fast-paced attraction and that is Rainbow Dash. Everyone else can't even keep up with Lopunny once the music increases in speed.
"This Dance Inferno is particularly my favourite of the attractions. Although I have yet to conquer it. But when I do, I will revel in the shock of Lopunny. You hear that rabbit?!" Luna bellowed over at Lopunny raised her hoof at Rabbit Pokemon.
"Lo." The Rabbit Pokemon turned its head, aggravating Luna as the moon princess grit her teeth.
"But perhaps...since you are a fusion of me and my sister, this Dance Inferno will barely even be trouble for you. Not only that, but that will technically count as me beating the Dance Inferno." Luna turned to Pyrestar.
"I suppose so. I have not danced since the Grand Galloping Gala as Celestia from centuries ago."
"Forget about the centuries and the time distance. Just have fun. You have all the time in the world now that you're here at the Pokemon Festival." Celestia put Pyrestar in the back. The fused princess walked up to the stands as she was competing against a unicorn. Lopunny gave the other to start the music as the process repeated itself once more. Lopunny tends to use the same moves it knows but switches it up by throwing in new moves, so the dancers have to really keep an eye on her if anything is different.
For Pyrestar, it was going well, but the look on her face was a bit unenthusiastic. But as the dancing moved on and she followed Lopunny's movements, that unenthusiastic look on her face was slowly evolving into a much more chippy expression. Everypony gathered up to see this fused alicorn dance away. Most of them weren't even aware she was Celestia and Luna yet. Not everypony has gotten the word so far.
Celestia and Luna watched as they saw Pyrestar slowly starting to enjoy all of this. Her frown morphed into a smile as she was getting with the music and movements. Soon, it was time for Lopunny and the music to speed up. The unicorn that Pyrestar was facing couldn't really keep with Lopunny's movements. Just like every other pony. But as for Pyrestar, since she's a fusion of two alicorns, everything about her is magnified. Including her speed. Soon, she was the only pony other than Rainbow Dash who could keep up with Lopunny's pace. The unicorn, on the other hand, had fallen on the floor due to exhaustion.
"Lopun." Lopunny had raised up Queen Pyrestar's hoof, declaring her the winner. Everypony, including Celestia and Luna and the humans, gave her a mighty congratulatory applause. This all reached Pyrestar's ears. All the resounding applause from everyone was reaching her heart. She knew that she had cried enough for today, but she couldn't help it. This really was something that she just missed with all her heart.
Celestia and Luna saw that the sun was slowly moving along, meaning that the time for the moon was nearing. Now all they had to do is continue to wait for Victini and Togetic.
And what of Victini and Togetic? Well, heading to the relief zone, Fluttershy had convinced Victini to help Cold Colt improve his magic prowess. Victini being a friend to both Ash and Fluttershy was up to help. That one was simple and easy to do, but the tricky one came in the form of Togetic. A Pokemon that is fairly hard to find unless you can catch yourself a Togepi and evolve.
"Ash. You're the Pokemon expert. Where do we find a Togetic?" Twilight asked.
"Hmm. Tough to say. They're not as common as most other Pokemon. Pretty rare to see one just flying or walking about in the wild."
"There isn't any at the Pokemon House either." Fluttershy shook her head.
"If we don't find a Togetic, this might take a while." Rosestar sighed.
"Why don't we just ask Hollow? He's a Pokemon Teacher so he might know where to find some. Most likely." Rarity suggested.
"Great thinking Rarity!" Pinkie bounced up. "And I think I see him now!" The pink earth pony dashed over to the gothic dressed human who was about to take a bite out of an apple." Hollow!"
Hollow was startled as he dropped his apple, catching his breath. "What is it Pinkie?"
"Well! My friends and I were hoping if you could tell us where to find a Togetic. We kinda need all that yummy good luck."
"A Togetic? Well...they're pretty hard to come by honestly. You can only find them in Sinnoh and Johto. The easier route is to catch yourself a Togepi." Hollow explained.
"That would be easy, but I don't think we can waste any time." Rosestar walked up to Hollow. "We have to return to our own universe as soon as we can."
"Your own universe?"
"It's a long story. Point is, we're planning to use the good luck of Togetic and the unlimited energy of Victini." Twilight explained.
"Well, you're in luck. You won't have to go all the way to Sinnoh or Johto." Hollow stood up from his seat. "In my Pokemon Box Link, I've got some Togetic's lying around. I was gonna save the box link for my class but if it's for a good cause then I can pitch in."
"Woowee! You'll be performing fancy-schmancy magic with good results in no time, Cold Colt." Applejack patted Cold Colt's back.
Hollow pulled out his Rotom-phone, tapping into his Pokedex. This was the first time Ash and the others were seeing something like this. And what they saw was a bit bizarre for the eyes. Hollow had decided to swap out his Sandile for Togetic by having his Pokeball digitize into a smaller size. The Pokeball was then transferred through the phone as another one came out in the form of a Great Ball. Hollow held the Great Ball in his hand, tapping the button on the ball as it sent out the Fairy-Flying-Type Togetic.
"What the?! How is that even possible?!" Twilight was flabbergasted along with the others.
"That was FREAKY!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed. Applejack rubbed her eyes, thinking that she was seeing things.
"So cool!" Ash shouted.
"So that's Togetic?" Rainbow Dash pulled out her Pokedex.
"Togetic. The Happiness Pokemon. Togetic is said to be a Pokémon that brings good fortune. When the Pokémon spots someone who is pure of heart, it is said to appear and share the full force its happiness with that person. It grows dispirited if it is not with kind people. It can float in midair without moving its wings. It scatters a glowing essence called “joy dust.”
"Alright. So, all you need is that good luck combined with Victini's energy right? Togetic will be happy to help. Right?" Hollow turned to his Pokemon.
"To!" The Happiness Pokemon replied. Togetic flew over to Cold Colt as the rift pony looked up at it. He was a bit nervous that Togetic wouldn't see him as kind-hearted. Especially not pure of heart. Applejack held her breath in, hoping the Pokemon would see him as a good pony.
Togetic flew around Cold Colt reading his character. In order to spread its joy dust, Togetic reads the character of anyone it meets, so that it doesn't end up giving good luck to the wrong person or Pokemon. The Happiness Pokemon could see that while Cold Colt used to be a mischievous pony, he was only doing what the Rift assigned him to. Not only that but he wishes to have his magic be at least on the safe side, and he had fallen for Apple Bloom out of pure love, even if she hasn't seen it. Togetic had also seen that Cold Colt has been slowly evolving into a fairly good pony. He's still on the gruff side, tending to have squabbles with Applejack and making up a heap of lies in order to impress Apple Bloom and so on. But other than that, these past weeks and months that he's been with the Apple Family over at Sweet Apple Acres have changed even this cosmic creation for the better, even if the progress is a bit on the slow side. Togetic had nodded its head, choosing to give some of its joy dust to him, but only a little for being a decent pony.
"Toget-To." The Happiness Pokemon flew back to Hollow.
"It's done and done. Now you've permanently got good luck in you. Even if it is on the small side." Hollow said.
"So...does that mean my magic isn't for trouble anymore?" Cold Colt looked up to Applejack.
"Only one way to find out. Try using it on this here pie." Applejack held a pie in her hoof. "See what you can do."
Cold Colt turned to the delectable food, starting up some magic in his horn. The cosmic magic that flowed through his body was emanating, having blue sparks fly out of them. This was the first time he felt like this. Normally whenever he uses his magic for trouble, it was fairly easy, no struggle at all. Then, a tiny sparkle of magic flew out of his horn as it made contact with the pie.
Normally, if his magic came into contact with anything, two outcomes would occur. Mind control and rouge Pokemon and ponies running about. But in this case, with the joy dust flowing through him, the magic ended up actually causing the pie to sparkle. It gained a beautiful yet faint sparkling aura in it that resembled sparkling water. Everyone leaned in to get a good look at this newfound pie.
"Sparkling Apple Pie!" Pinkie Pie said. "I own that name now."
"Amazing. It's so fabulous!" Rarity gazed. "Although it is a bit on the faint side, darling but that's fine. Small beginnings after all."
"It won't be small beginnings for long. Not with Victini around." Fluttershy looked up at the Victory Pokemon.
"Victini!"
"We're ready to power you up via Victini. But a quick notice." Ash raised his finger up. "Victini's power boost lasts for a bit, so make sure you use it as fast as you can."
"Pikachu."
"And even then, Victini never runs out of energy so it can keep you powered up forever if it's around you." Hollow stepped in.
"All these feats that Pokemon perform make me wonder where all that magic source is coming from." Twilight wondered.
"Don't think about it for too long, darling. I think we've already agreed that Pokemon are just beyond our understanding," said Rarity. "Now. What are we waiting for? Shall we get started?"
"Right. All I have to do is tap into alternate universes...I can do this." Cold Colt took a deep breath as Victini surrounded him.
"Tini...." The Victory Pokemon shared its infinite boundless energy towards Cold Colt. Just then, the young pony could feel a ridiculous surge of magic building up in him. Unlike anything that he had ever felt before. Twilight and the other ponies stood back, watching the blazing aura surround him. They were wondering what it would be like to be powered up by Victini as a pony. It must be something special.
Cold Colt felt all that victory energy surging through him. The sensation was tough to describe. "I feel...I feel...I feel..."
"Like you can do anything?" Ash commented. "It's an awesome feeling ain't it?"
"Yeah! Okay. Here goes!" Cold Colt then focused his magic once more, and this time it came up in an instant. There was no buildup. Even for an alicorn, it takes 1 second for their magic to come up. But with the energy of Victini, that second is reduced into an instant flash.
Not only did he end up summoning a portal, and in broad daylight in front of everyone at the festival, but also ended up summoning multiple portals, all leading to alternate universes with their own outcomes. Celestia, Luna and Pyrestar turned their heads to see the multitude of gateways spreading across the skies of Canterlot. Victini's energy tends to transcend the limitations of anyone.
"Woah nelly." Applejack took her hat off as she was perplexed by this sight.
"Those are all alternate universes...every single of them," Twilight uttered. "Look at that one!" She raised her hoof up to a portal that showed a universe where Fluttershy became an alicorn instead of Twilight.
"Oh my. That happened there?" Fluttershy was surprised.
"Forget that! Check that one out!" Rainbow Dash flew over to a portal showing a universe where the Mane 6 ended up becoming apart of what seemed to be a space federation. There was one where the Mane 6 were stallions, one where King Sombra was good and even married Celestia, one where the Mane 6 were replaced with Sunset Shimmer, Trixie, Soarin Big Macintosh, Cheese Sandwich and Cloudchaser. Everywhere they looked, something was different one way or the other.
"There are so many of them. Which one is ours and Queen Pyrestar's?" Cocoa wondered.
Just then, in one particular portal, Twilight noticed a universe that had her, but something was not right. That version of her seemed to be wearing a sort of robe fit for an empress. And behind here was a massive fleet of spaceships. It was similar to the space federation universe, but in this one, Twilight seemed to be under a tyrannical rule. She gasped seeing this horrible alternate universe and how she could end up like that.
"Have you found yours yet?" Celestia asked Pyrestar.
"I believe it may be...that one!" Pyrestar pointed her hoof over at the gateway that led to her universe. But what she saw and what everypony else saw shocked them. Standing in the gateway, looking down on them all was the greatest threat that continued to loom over them all.
Ghetsis.
He stood there in Queen Pyrestar's Equestria with a mighty stance over a balcony. He had overtaken Equestria easily due to there barely being any resistance, and he had transformed its dreary appearance into an entire utopia of Team Plasma. Granted, it wasn't finished yet since he had just gotten there, but he had certainly made a huge change to everything. Not only that, but everypony in that universe were serving under Ghetsis's rule, living in buildings made by Team Plasma as the grunts kept an eye on them. But really, the unicorns couldn't do anything to try and resist. They had already lost a lot of hope, so there was barely any resistance. Now this version of Equestria was apart of his Harmonia Kingdom.
"Hahaha! How do you, Equestria? Do you like what I have done with the place? To be honest, it was unbelievably easy! The entire world was nothing but a wasteland. So I changed it for the better."
"Ghetsis! You would even go as far as to conquer another universe?!" Celestia bellowed.
"But of course. I have been given a second chance with my freedom, to rule over all! This universe was simple enough to conquer, and eventually, yours will be mine as well! I can already see your seething rage, Celestia. I already have a mass rule over what once used to be your precious Saddle-Arabia... And now with this universe in the mix, my kingdom only grows in size evermore."
"Release my subjects!" Pyrestar took off from the ground, charging towards the gateway. However, to her surprise and everyone else, she was denied entrance from it. Ghetsis had outstretched his arm, blocking her from returning to her universe. "W-What?"
"But...if I am to rule all universes... I obviously must have control of universal travel as well! Now I can pass through both worlds whenever I want! This is proof that my destiny is even greater than it used to be. So rest well, Equestria. Very soon, you will be under my rule and only my rule. The time will come when I end up taking what I will soon own. Farewell. I'll be seeing you back in this universe. And as for you, Ash Ketchum." Ghetsis turned to Ash and Pikachu were looking up at him. "I will make sure that you do not stop me a second time. You only got lucky thanks to that no good son of mine, N. But this time, luck won't save you. I'll crush all those dreams you have and even that pathetic magic of friendship your pony friends hold." Ghetsis laughed maniacally as he closed the gateway to Pyrestar's universe.
"My universe. My subjects." Pyrestar sat down on the ground, lowering her head. "This can't be happening." She started to lose all hope as everypony turned to Queen Pyrestar. They started to chatter about what just happened and Ghetsis's threat against them. Ash walked up to Pyrestar, putting his hand over her back. The saddened fused alicorn looked up to Ash, seeing him and Pikachu give her a smile.
"No need to worry."
"Pikachu!"
"We'll stop Ghetsis, take down his kingdom, and get you back home so you can bring back the pegasi and the earth ponies."
"How can you be so sure...? Not only did I fail to protect the other two pony races from Grogar seal, I have also lost access to my home. It is hopeless."
"You can count on me, Pyrestar. I'll make sure that it all turns around."
"Pika-Pikachu!"
"I'd listen to him." Delia suddenly spoke as he walked to them. "What Ash says its true. He may not look it, but there's no one better to put all your faith in that Ash.
"Ash's stubbornness tends to guarantee success a majority of the time." Oak nodded his head.
"What they say is true, Pyrestar." Celestia walked up to her, helping her stand up from the ground. "Ash has proven time and time again that he can guarantee the safety and happiness of others, even if it means his own life. He will do whatever it takes to make sure that anypony has a smile on their face. So all you have to do is put your faith in Ash and his friends." The words Celestia said had been heard by everyone in Canterlot. Their fear of Ghetsis had been diminished, knowing that they have a source of hope right there. Pyrestar looked up to Ash as he gave her a thumbs up. All it took was a few actions from the trainer and he brought hope to her.
"Alright. I will put all my faith in you. Ash Ketchum." She let out a soft smile.
"Awesome! We'll flatten Ghetsis and laugh about whatever silly stuff we get into next time!"
"Pikachu!"
"Now let's continue this festival. I'm in the mood for some more attractions!" Ash walked off as everypony continued the festival with their moods lightened up.
"He always knows what to say, doesn't he?" Rarity looked at Ash.
"Mhm. My boy is a strange one, that's for sure." Delia went up to the Mane 6. "I can guarantee you, there's no in any universe like Ash. But that's what makes me such a proud mother."
"And we'll follow Ash's ideals. We'll put our faith in him too. Right girls?" Twilight said.
"Mhm." They all shook their heads.
"And as for you Cold Colt. I can teach you about some magic now that you can use it for good." Twilight turned to Cold Colt. The power-up from Victini had worn out as the portals were vanishing. Every last one of them. But the final portal that closed was of the universe were Twilight had become an empress.
At her universe, she saw the entire thing go down, overhearing it all. She sat down on her throne, now learning about universal travel herself. Something that was even unheard of in her own universe. "Universal travel? Not a bad form of transportation. If I can somehow get access to an amazing power like that..."
Night had arrived at the festival. The 4th day was finally coming to an end. Meaning that only 3 days remain for the Pokemon Festival.
Pyrestar was standing over the balcony of Canterlot. Looking down at the festival. She was grateful that Ash is willing to help fix everything for her, but she couldn't get Ghetsis off her mind. Celestia walked up to Pyrestar, seeing her in a deep thoughtful state.
"Still unable to get Ghetsis off your mind, Pyrestar?"
"Yes. Even though I have put all my faith in Ash Ketchum, I still fear this Ghetsis character. Just as much as I feared Grogar."
"I understand. Ever since our worlds crossed over and the Rift appeared, life has been vastly different. Especially for us alicorns that live for an exceedingly long time. But to be honest...life is a bit more fun with the inclusion of Pokemon in our world."
"Is it now? I would not know. Fun has faded away from my world."
"For now. I can guarantee you...He will make things right. And I will make sure that I help him. All of Equestria will help." Celestia gave a reassuring smile. "Now come on. There's still some cake left that hasn't been finished yet."
Chapter 103 End!