The English Lostbelt
Beryl Gut was sitting down eating an apple as he enjoyed his downtime. It was a really nice day. The birds were singing, the flowers were blooming, the sun shined warmly upon the ground, and the air had an amazing smell.
That is...if one considered the smell of blood to be nice and relaxing.
As for why it smelled that way. One could guess that it may have something to do with the number of dead bodies around Beryl, one of which he was using as a comfy seat.
This had been a great week for the “Crypter of the Round Table Territory”. It had been several months after he got revived and so far he was enjoying his new lease on life. The nature of his Lostbelt was something that allowed him to kill without impunity, a fact that his fellow Crypter Daybit agreed with during their last meeting. Recently he had collaborated with the inhabitants of what was called the “Equus Lostbelt” to kill off a large number of people, something he took great delight in assisting.
After which he left them to their own devices as they began to set in motion other plans that would help with the Alien God’s overall plan for that particular Lostbelt. But if Beryl had to be honest, he didn’t really care about the Alien God or what it wanted. So long as he was allowed to continue doing what he wanted.
His thoughts then shifted to some of the other members of Team A.
Ophelia was no doubt swooning over Kirschtaria, even if neither of them realized that. Akuta was probably keeping to herself and didn’t want any part in this. Scandinavia was….Scandinavia. And his favorite little “bro” Kadoc Zemlupus was probably sulking in a corner from all the pressure.
Although that was an educated guess, he hadn’t spoken to them in a while.
“Wonder what they’re going to do once things start heating up,” The “werewolf of the Clocktower'' said to himself. “Heh, no doubt Chaldea is gonna be in a tight spot once they arrive in that Lostbelt since that Pokemon God clearly hates humans.”
Beryl took another bite out of his apple, then discarded the core and stood up.
“Good luck Mash, I’d hate for one of those Pokemon to kill you before we see each other again.”
Beryl then walked away from the scene, his shoes leaving bloody footprints with each step.
Ponyville
It was raining.
No one knew if the weather ponies had scheduled it or if it was the work of Pokemon, but it was raining. Celestia’s sun was blocked by dark clouds and muffled by thunder and lighting.
To the assembled Ponies and Pokemon, it mattered not to them...much, from an outsider’s perspective, it was fitting. Heavy rain during funerals, especially if the passing was due to tragic reasons, was thematic across storytelling and in real life.
Korrina’s death was the most recent death in Ponyville history, but it was also the first Ponyville resident that was murdered in its young history. Even if Korrina was not a born native of this town, or of this world. Whenever someone died, it was felt by the entire settlement.
Those who attended were in their formal black attire, standing in the pouring rain as they all paid their respects to the fallen Gym Leader. And yet, none of them were closer than 12 feet in front of the coffin.
The only one that was inches from the casket, was a lone Lucario.
Even in the rain, his acute ears could hear and sense the emotions of the people behind him.
“That’s him right?”
“Yeah, he was the coltfriend, not wait, mate I believe? Yeah, he was the mate of the one who died.”
“I heard that she was murdered by someone.”
“You mean she didn’t die in the fire? I was wondering why her funeral was separate from the ones who died in the fires.”
“I hope they catch the one who did this. The ones who killed her and everyone else.”
Eventually, Lucario drowned out the noise of talking and the rain. His aura was at the moment unnoticeable. But if one could see it, they would know that he was upset right about now. And for obvious reasons.
Lucario was angry. Of all the people that died, Korrina was the one who in his opinion deserved it the least. He remembered how upset and confused she was about being ripped from her world and trapped in a new body. He knew how much she wanted to be human again. And even though she wanted to be happy, he selfishly admitted that part of him wanted her to remain a Lucario for his own reasons and desires. In the end, fate granted his wish instead of hers. It chose his selfish wish over her own rightful one.
But it was not to last, as if a genie had heard his wish, it was granted, but there was a catch. He would be with Korrina, the one he loved more than anyone else, but only for a short time.
But Lucario did not blame fate for her death, if anything he was grateful that she returned his affections, even if their relationship only lasted for less than a year.
No, Lucario blamed only one person for the death of his mate.
Lifting his head the Aura Pokemon mental made a promise to himself.
“Okada Izo. I will find you, and I will kill you. With Arceus as my witness, if you indeed are a servant resurrected from the grave, I will send you back to the other side.”
Meanwhile, Lucario’s friends and others looked on as the heartbroken Pokemon continued to stand there.
“I’m worried about Lucario,” Rarity said. “Korrina was the only family he had.”
“Yeah,” Applejack added. “Family was really important to her and him. Plus I know what it’s like to lose family.” The farmpony looked down as she recalled two faces that were no longer among the Apple clan.
Next to them, Gene and Belle shared in sympathy with the rest of their friends. Even though Korrina had been mean to them when they first met, he didn’t hold it against her. Even if he did not share her anger about being a Pokemon, he tried his best to understand it from her point of view.
But now, there was another thing Gene hoped he would never understand.
To the observant eye, one could tell that Gene and Belle were always together, never apart, almost always holding hands. Gene begrudgingly admitted that he had separation issues when it came to Belle. The thought of her not being by his side ever since their original wedding was ruined, it was unthinkable. This issue became evident in the aftermath of Hastings capture, when Abby suggested she and Belle be arrested for the miss use of their powers.
Gene always hoped that he and Belle would live and die peacefully. That nothing would ever try and separate them again. But seeing Korrina dead, seeing Lucario standing there mourning the love of his life. It made him think about something.
If Belle died, either by natural or unnatural causes before him, while still young. How would he ever cope with it? Would live on and continue to raise their daughter, or would he commit suicide and follow her to an early grave.
No, he couldn’t do that, not to Melody. And Belle wouldn’t want that from him either. Even so, no doubt Gene would never be the same again. He’d probably spent a good portion of his life being depressed as hell. Melody would probably move on, but would he ever? Would his loneliness cause him to neglect his daughter?
“I shouldn’t think about such things. And yet, seeing Lucario standing there, it kinda makes me wonder...”
“Gene?”
The Galalde turned to see his wife staring at him.
“Let me guess, this whole funeral is making you think things?”
The Gallade became bashful, remembering that they shared a psychic link.
“Belle. I know this is obvious but...I don’t want to lose you. For it to be us in that spot, me standing where Lucario is, and you being in a box like Korrina.”
“I won’t Gene, that never gonna happen.”
“But what if it does? You said it yourself, it feels like the universe is always trying someway to keep us from being together. Now it’s trying to get of us entirely.”
“I know...but I also believe that our love is stronger than anything the universe has to say. I know that we will come out of this alive and together. No matter what happens, we are going to live a long happy life. I know it.”
Belle grasped his hand and held it tight. Gene looked down at their joined fingers and back at his wife with a small smile on his face.
“You right, nothing is going to happen to us. We will survive all of this.”
Soon after, the funeral portion was over and everyone attended the wake that was hosted by Pinkie Pie. Even though everyone was not in a happy mode, Pinkie argued that this should be a party to celebrate the life of Korrina. Even if it was a life that was cut short, even if they hadn’t known her for that long, her life should be celebrated nonetheless.
One such attendant was an elderly Lucario. Standing all by himself in a corner.
“Mr. Grukkin?”
The old Lucario looked up to see a purple alicorn standing next to him.
“Ah yes, your Princess Twilight Sparkle am I correct?”
“That's correct, I just wanna give my condolences to you lost. Korrina was my friend, and she will be missed by every one of us.”
“Thank you your highness, that means a lot to me.”
“By the way, I heard that Empress Serva let you stay here to attend Korrina’s funeral. So when you’re ready to return to Stagland, just let me know and I’ll take care of everything.”
Thank you, Princess, that’s really generous of you.”
The old Lucario’s face became sad as his grief returned. “She was always so full of life you know...”
“Korrina?”
“Yes, she was quite the fighter, as I’m sure you all knew. Never gave up without a fight. I’m sure *sniff* that she fought till the bitter…”
Twilight saw the signs that Grukkin was about to let the waterworks loose. Soon she found herself giving a shoulder to the grieving grandfather.
“I’m so sorry.”
Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy sat at a table, each of them holding a glass of cider.
“It’s still kinda hard to believe Korrina’s dead,” Fluttershy said meekly.
“I know what you mean sugarcube,” Applejack replied. “This is the first time someone we all know has died. Much less killed.”
Rainbow Dash took a swig of her cider and slammed the mug on the table. “We shouldn’t be sitting here, we should be out there finding that sonofmule who did this!”
“Calm down Rainbow everyone here wants justice for what happened to Korrina. But this isn’t the time to be focusing on that right now.”
“Even so, I can’t just sit here knowing what’s happening out there right now. Our world is being invaded and we’re just sitting here not doing something about it.”
Applejack raised an eyebrow. “Alright then, what exactly are you going to do? We don’t know where these humans are, or what they’re going to do next. I hate to say it, but we have to wait for them to make their next move before trying anything.”
“And what if their next move is something worse than those bombings!? What if they try to take out the Princess or something? They’re trying to kill us all Applejack, they made that very clear when they killed all those innocent people!”
Rainbow Dash finished her cider then got up to walk away.
“And just where do you think you’re going?”
“Home. To get some sleep, I’ll need the rest for when I start patrolling tomorrow.”
Applejack just sighed before she resumed her drink.
“Um, Applejack.”
“Yes, Fluttershy?”
“Rainbow Dash had the alcoholic cider right?”
Applejack thought for a moment before replying with, “Yeah I think she did.”
“So, won’t she have a hangover in the morning?”
The realization dawned on the farmpony, before she just shrugged and said.
“Eh, I’m sure she’ll be fine.”
~
The next morning.
A select number of Ponies and Pokemon gathered in the town hall. It was a special meeting arranged by Twilight and Mayor Mare to address how the town would handle any encounters with humans or servants.
At the head of the podium was the aforementioned Princess, the Mayor as well as Pokemon Ranger Union Leader Scarlet. To the side, was the Eon duo, although no one knew why they were there.
The assembled crowd was comprised of concerned citizens as well as Pokemon and ponies who wanted to know how they could help in this situation.
When the time came for the meeting to get underway, Mayor Mare used her gavel to silence everyone with a few slams.
“Alright everyone, this Ponyville town meeting will now get underway. Presiding over this meeting is our resident Princess Twilight Sparkle who shall give a few words.”
Twilight took the center podium and cleared her throat.
“Hello, as you all know I am Princess Twilight Sparkle. As you all may have heard over the last 2 days, our world is in great danger. Humans from alternate timelines have invaded our world with the intent of destroying us so that their world may live.”
Despite having heard this news already, some of the crowd(particularly the Pokemon) were a bit scared of being bluntly told this unsettling information.
“Now, despite their intentions, whether these humans take pleasure or not in out defeat, the goal is the same. Which is why we must defend ourselves at all cost. I am in contact with Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, and Princess Cadence while we work to formulate a plan to counterattack. So until we know more about our enemy, we shall have to go on the defensive for now.”
While some of the crowd were still nervous, but they seemed to be calmer now.
“Now, one key force that the humans will employ is the use of what are known as “Heroic Spirits” or “Servants”. They are magical familiars that can only be harmed by another magical weapon or a Pokemon attack. Aside from that, we know that servants are summoned into the world via magical the Ley Lines by the human Counter Force.”
Twilight saw a Pokemon raise their hand.
“Yes?”
“Princess Twilight what’s a Ley Line?”
“A good question. To the Pokemon who are in this room, a Ley Line is basically a node that distributes magical energy throughout the world. Basically, it’s what gives the people of this world the power to use magic.”
Seeing some confused faces, Scarlet spoke up.
“In humans terms, it’s similar to radio and phone towers. Ley Lines are the towers, while unicorns use their horns as receivers.”
“Thank you, Scarlet.”
“No problem Princess.”
“Now, the two major Ley Lines closet to Ponyville are in Whitetail Woods and the Everfree Forsest in the castle of the two sisters.”
The ponies in the crowd tensed up when the name Everfree Forest was mentioned.
Twilight calmed everyone down before continuing. “Now, I know the Everfree is a very...foreboding place, but I will get to that later. But for now, Mayor Mare, and Union Leader Scarlet have agreed that for the time being we need someone to keep an eye on these Lay Lines in case of any activity. This is a completely voluntary assignment and a very dangerous one at that. You will be possibly risking your lives to do this, I don’t expect everyone to raise their hands, paws, or hoofs all at once, but know that you will be doing your town and Equestria as a whole a great service.”
Mayor Mare then took over.
“Now, it may relieve some of you to know that Arceus has already volunteered some of his Legendary Pokemon to keep an eye on the Everfree Forest Ley Line.”
A collective sigh went through the ponies in the crowd.
“So that just leaves the matter of the Whitetail Woods Ley Line. Do we have any volunteers?”
No one in the crowd seemed to come forward, until a small yellow Pokemon raised his hand.
“I volunteer!”
Mayor Mare looked down to see a Pikachu with a stylized cap on his head.
“And what is your name?”
Latias gasped when she recognized the Pokemon volunteering.
“Ash Ketchum ma’am. I sort of been living in Whitetail Woods for the better part of the year. Plus camping outdoor is nothing new to me.”
“I volunteer as well!”
Everyone looked to see a very familiar cyan blue pegasus in the air.
“Rainbow Dash?” Twilight said.
“I know what I’m doing Twi. And I wanna help in any way I can.”
Mayor Mare nodded. “Very well, anybody else? No? Well if anyone changes their mind, please come see me after this meeting if you wish. Also know that this will be a rotating position, as we obviously can’t have you all living near the Ley Line for the foreseeable future.”
Twilight then spoke again. “Moving on. The nature of this situation also means that we will be implementing a curfew for all residents of Ponyville. Unless you have express permission from me or Mayor Mare, no one will be allowed to leave the city limits after 8 PM and everyone should be in bed by 10 PM. And as of this moment, the Everfree forest will be an off-limits zone for the time being.”
There were some murmurs and complaints among the crowd.
“I know this may seem undesirable to some of you. But believe me when I say that this is for your own safety. Our guard forces at Canterlot are currently working on a task force to deal with any potential servants. So in the meantime, Arceus has lent us Latias, Latios, and Genesect for our protection.
The Legendary Pokemon who for the time being had just been standing of to the side just smiled and waved as all eyes were on them.
“That is all for now, are there any questions?”
There were a few minor questions concerning the curfew and whatnot. But after that, the meeting was adjourned. And while everyone began to walk out, Latias pulled Ash over to the side.
“Ashy what are you thinking?!”
“What do you mean Latias?”
“I'm talking about volunteering for this clearly dangerous job. Ash, I know that you have a strong sense of justice and a desire to protect others, it's one of the reasons I fell in love with you. But this isn’t like one of those situations where you're rescuing Pikachu from Team Rocket every other day. This is serious.”
“I have to agree with Latias Ash, I don’t think you should do this,” Misty said.
“Guys, I know it’s dangerous, but I can’t just sit by and do nothing.”
“Ash. You don’t know what these guys are capable of. They killed Zapdos, Articuno, and Moltres. If one of them could do something like that. What makes you think a single Pikachu could do what they couldn’t?”
“Because I won’t be alone, I’ll ask my Pokemon to help me. They have never let me down before and I know they won’t let me down now.”
Latias was aware of Ash’s large family of Pokemon that he had caught over his many journeys. Even still, knowing that Ash was throwing himself into great danger made her worried for his safety.
“Well, if you going to do this Ash, I can’t stop you.”
The Pikachu nodded. “Thank you for understanding.”
“That’s why I’m going with you!”
“Yeah...wait what?”
“You are not talking me out of this Ash. If you’re going to take on one of these servants. Then you will need me as backup.”
“Me too,” Misty said. “I’m not letting you out of my sight.”
Ash sighed, but just resigned himself to his fate.
“So this is what it’s like to have two girlfriends. I may never understand how this works.”
~
Twilight, her friends, Professor Juniper, and Abby, Kasai, and Mage all gathered in the Golden Oaks Library. Shortly after the town hall meeting. The inner circle of friends met up to further discuss their plans.
“So what is the plan Twilight?” Juniper asked.
“Yeah.” Rainbow Dash said. “Let’s show these humans what happens when you mess with Equestria.”
“Calm down Rainbow,” Twilight said. “As I said before, we have no idea where they are, or how we might track them. The only thing we do know is how the Counter Force will send servants here via the Ley Lines. And there is no guarantee that it will be the ones closest to Ponyville that will.”
“Hmph,” Abby grunted. “It still baffles me how the humans of this world have a metaphysical “Counter Force” that is actively working to prevent their extinction. Like how does that even work? Who made it?”
“While I’m just as curious as you are Abby. The Counter Force is not our main problem, the real threat is the humans who can command these servants.”
“The Chaldea Security Organization,” Kasai said.
“Exactly. Servants from what Harmony told us are similar to Pokemon in that they need a “Master” to command them in battle.”
“I have a question,” Mage asked. “If servants are basically superpowered humans, why do they need another human to be their “Master”? When it came to the Pokemon, it was due to the general idea that Pokemon were not as smart as humans. So why do free-thinking humans need another human to command them?”
“Well Mage, think of it like this. It’s the same as a general commanding an army. Or a leader directing a group. Pokemon and people are capable of fighting and thinking on their own. But if there is a tactical advisor on given efficient orders and suggestions, then a force would work more effectively rather than just fighting by instinct or coming up with a plan of attack by themselves.”
“Oh, well that makes sense.”
“Aside from that, Harmony told us that there is another more crucial reason why a servant needs a master. You see, servants are basically magical energy beings. This means that like every other life form they need sustenance to maintain their physical forms.”
“So let me guess, the human master provides that sustenance?”
“Correct Mage, servants need magical energy provided by their master in order to stay tethered to the mortal plane. Without one, they either gain energy by eating food, or…”
Mage was a little hesitant to ask when Twilight stopped her explanation. “Or?”
“...They devour souls.”
“...You mean, like a Chandelure?”
“...Yes.”
Everyone in the room felt shivers go up their spines. Rarity and Fluttershy being spoked the most.
“How awful.” The yellow pegasus said.
“Simply horrid. Who would do such a thing.”
“Normally I would chalk this up to human nature or greed,” Abby said. “But considering that most Ghost Types do this naturally. I’m not surprised that a different kind of spirit entity would devour another spirit. No offense Mage.”
“None taken. My kind doesn’t even use souls as a food source. We’re more about feeding off of emotions.”
“Ok,” Rainbow Dash began. “So how exactly do we plan to fight these servants once we run into them?”
“That’s the tricky part Rainbow. Admittedly, one of the downsides of Arceus getting rid of humans, is that no one is able to replicate human fighting styles. And while we know what they look like, that will do little to prepare us for an encounter with them.”
“Unlike Pokemon, these servants are all unique individuals with their own personality and powers. They are from a history we know nothing about. They could be anyone, from a tyrannical king who ruled a country with an iron fist, or a warmonger who was famous for being unbeatable in battle. The possibilities are endless,” Abby stated.
“Landsakes, this is gonna be one big fight that will certainly never forget,” Applejack said.
“Hey, maybe we can try throwing them a party!” Pinkie Pie suggested. “Who knows, that be may get them to stop fighting and be friends with us!”
Twilight chuckled lightly. “While I do believe in the idea of making your enemy your friend Pinkie, I don’t think these guys will have the luxury of doing that. Not with what they’re fighting for.”
“Well, it wouldn’t hurt to try.”
“Ok, so aside from “Throwing them a party”, there is a weakness that can be exploited when fighting a servant. Like I said before, servants need magical energy to stay in this world. However, if you cut off that magical supply the servant will disappear after a few minutes so long as it doesn’t get energy from somewhere else.”
Professor Juniper raised an eyebrow. “And how do you suggest cutting off the magical energy provided by to a servant from its master?”
Twilight looked squeamish as she was hesitant to answer.
“I’m trying to look for other ways. But for now, it looks like the quickest and most efficient method is to kill the servant’s master.”
This answer made everyone in the room stop and think. Killing was something the mane six had avoided resorting to with every conflict they had encountered. Even when it came to King Sombra, it was more of the Crystal Heart defeating him than anything(that fact that he wasn’t fully dead was another thing). But taking another person’s life, even in self-defense, was something they never hoped to do.
For the former humans, there was another layer of hesitation. When it came to Pokemon battles, it was the written and unwritten rule that a trainer shall not order its Pokemon to attack another trainer directly. It was a matter of honor as well as a rule of combat. Once the last Pokemon was down, the human was defenseless, they couldn’t do anything against another Pokemon.
In a way, taking out a trainer, though underhanded, was practical from a certain POV. Because a Pokemon relied on its trainer’s commands, a lack of orders would leave the Pokemon confused as to what to do. The case with a servant and its master was not different.
Professor Juniper was a researcher and a thinker, not a fighter. Plus she never thought that she could live with the guilt of killing someone.
Abby and Kasai on the other hand had several times where they had no choice but to use lethal force in their line of work. But this was a situation where they might just have to use it as the next means of defeating their opponent. Even though Arceus and the world basically declared war against the Lostbelts and Proper Human History. The Pokemon Rangers were at the end of the day protectors, not soldiers.
The Ninetails sighed. “You know, as much as I don’t like humanity overall, killing someone is the last thing I want to do. But if it comes to that, I want to do whatever it takes to ensure that Gold and Silver have a future.”
Abby nuzzled under Kasai’s neck, leaning onto him for support.
“As a Ranger, I will do whatever I can to help Twilight. But I won’t kill unless I have to.”
“Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that. And another thing. When we encounter Chaldea or any of these servants. I don’t want us attacking on sight or at the first provocation. Am I clear Rainbow Dash?”
The rainbow pegasus turned away from her friend’s accusatory face and poorly attempted to whistle.
“When greeting them, we will attempt to peacefully ask them to stand down, and if need be surrender. These people are just trying to save their world just as we are. In that, we have common ground. Who knows, maybe we can think of a way where we can all survive this together. Cause that’s what Equestria is all about. Finding peace and harmony, finding a new way.”
Later that night. Canterlot.
Princess Celestia sat upon her throne as she met with most of the Council members after reading the various reports from guards divisions all over Equestria.
The various Local Guard divisions all reported that they had sentries stationed at nearly every Ley Line in Equestria. From the large one in Rainbow Falls to the one situated in the Central Park of Manehatten.
Equestria had a large number of Ley Lines, it ranked among the top countries with the most Ley Lines in the world. Although given that a third of the population used magic, it was not surprising for a people who used this power in their daily lives.
This also meant there were a lot of places where a Heroic Spirit could appear, and no one powerful enough to stop them right then and there.
“Any reports so far Captain Grissom?”
“No your highness, none of the sentry guards report any strange activity at any of the Ley Lines so far.”
“Update me every hour until I retire for the night. And even when I go to sleep, I want to be woken up at the first sign of trouble.”
“Yes, your majesty.”
“Fancy Pants, how goes the restoration efforts?”
“We are getting along well your majesty. The temporary housings are enough for now, but it may take the good part of a month before Canterlot starts to look like it was before.”
“Very well, come to me if you need any more resources or supplies. I will not spare a single bit when it comes to the welfare of those displaced by the fires.”
“Thank you your majesty, you are too kind.”
“Fleur De Lis, I need you to find a way to alleviate public tension and prosecution. I can already predict that this whole situation will no doubt cause some negative sentiments against former humans. We must remind everyone that they are not to blame for the current circumstances.”
“As you wish Princess Celestia.”
The Princess nodded and then stood up from her throne. “You are all dismissed for the night. I’ll see you all at the end of the week.”
The council members then saw themselves out.
Princess Celestia then finished signing a few more forms and documents before she was about to retire for the night. But then there was a knock on the door.
“Strange, there should be no one else that I’m meeting today.”
Before Celestia could ask who it was, the doors opened to reveal Mewtwo floating in the hallway.
“Princess Celestia, I hope I’m not interrupting anything?”
The alicorn gave the Pokemon ambassador a stare. “No, fortunately for you I am almost done for the night. How can I help you?”
“Well as you know Princess, Arceus has allowed the Legendary Council to take part in this search for servants and humans who dare threaten our home.”
“Yes, we are all aware of this.”
“That being said. What will be the procedure should someone capture a member of the Chaldea Security Organization?”
“...We already discussed this. Any normal humans that surrender or are captured will be brought to Canterlot for holding and questioning.”
“I see, I assume that you will have an effective means of making them talk?”
Celestia narrowed her eyes. “Is there a point you would like to make Mewtwo?”
The Legendary Pokemon just smirked.
“Princess, I have known humans far better than you have. And I am willing to bet that these Chaldeans will not willingly divulge any information about their base of operations. I very much believe that this Chaldea is our greatest threat, one that should be dealt with as soon as possible. As such, if and when we do capture a member of this group, that we perform a quick and effective means of interrogation.”
Celestia already knew what he was going to say, but humored Mewtwo anyway.
“Oh, and just what means of interrogation do you have in mind?”
“Well. As the most powerful Psychic Pokemon in the world, unless these Chaldeans have an effective means of shielding their minds, a simple mind probe would be able to extract everything that they know in a matter of seconds.”
“... So basically, you want to mind rape them?”
Mewtwo shook his head. “I assure you, this will not be like that unfortunate...incident with the Gallade known as Luke. Mindreading these humans will be a...mostly harmless procedure. Luke’s condition was a result of him deafening himself and suffering because of the mental backlash that ensured.”
“Because of you.”
“...Yes.”
Princess Celestia shook her head. Part of her had to admit that Mewtwo was right, that they would need some way of making any capture humans talk. The alicorn hoped that she will be able to just talk with them, to get them to surrender and stop fighting. This was the kind of values that Equestria was founded upon, not by beating and humiliating one’s enemy. But making them a friend.
And yet, when it came to Mewtwo, she knew that he wanted to do this for more than just practical reasons. She had been shown Mewtwo’s memories when they first met, the very memories that convinced her not to force the Pokemon back to Earth. Of all the Legendary Pokemon, Mewtwo had suffered and been manipulated the most by humans. He understood that not all were bad, but that didn’t mean he like humanity overall. This war presented an opportunity for him to justifiably take out his frustration on humanity. Celestia also suspected that Arceus was of the same mindset. Which was why he could not trust him to reign in the short-tempered Legendary.
And yet, if she tried to distance him. If she tried to limit Arceus’s influence with affairs relating to the handling of human POW, there was a chance the Pokemon God would take this as an offense. Arceus may be cooperating with her and the World Leaders now. But there was nothing really stopping him from physically undermining their authority should they try to impede him.
Even though they had 8 months to get to know each other, part of Princess Celestia was still cautious of the Pokemon God. That knowledge that he could still erase people from existence and rule the world unopposed was something he very capable of doing.
The fact alone that humans were here had put Arceus in a bad mood. And if she did not tread lightly, his anger may be redirected to her as well. Although she hoped that it would never come to that.
Snapping out of her thoughts, Celestia gave Mewtwo her answer.
“I shall take your suggestion under consideration Mewtwo. That being said, it’s likely that I shall not endeavor to use it unless I absolutely feel it’s necessary.”
Mewtwo narrowed his eyes.
“Princess, we all agreed that any and all human or servant will be brought to Canterlot for questioning. Even though some voiced that they would be much more secure in the Hall of Legends.”
Celestia knew about that suggestion, but part of her didn’t completely trust that any captured humans would be treated fairly under Arceus’s watch. She imagined that Arceus may try something with them when she wasn’t looking. And although one could argue that even in Canterlot, there was nothing stopping Arceus from just going into their cell, and freezing time so he could speak with them. Or worse, swap them out with a body double. This is why she got him to reluctantly agree that all human prisoners be held in Canterlot.
“And as part of our agreement, a Legendary Pokemon, or a trusted member of the Pokemon community shall always be part of any interrogations when it comes to human prisoners.”
“I understand that, but we haven’t necessarily agreed on how these questionings will go. If you wish to discuss this further, then I shall have to wake up Luna and bring Lord Arceus here so we may come to a final decision.”
Mewtwo stared at the alicorn for a few moments before sighing.
“That won’t be necessary Princess. This matter can be put aside for later.”
“Very well, is there anything else you wish to discuss?”
“No, good night Princess.”
And with that, Mewtwo teleported out of the room. Celestia then let out an annoyed sigh of her own before leaving the throne room and heading to her bed chambers.
~
Luna shifted throughout the Dreamland as she monitored the sleeping minds. Harmony told her that when it came to servants, sleeping was an option to them, merely a means of reducing mana consumption. Logically, this meant that the chances of finding a sleeping servant were low.
Another thing she told them was that when it came to servants and their masters, was that the latter usually has dreams of the former. To clarify, the memories of when a servant was alive are played as dreams in the master’s sleep. However, this didn’t really help narrow down the possibilities, as the dreams of a former human could be indistinguishable from a real one. And since people dream about memories all the time, this was also narrowed it further.
“Hmmm, I wonder if there are servants that have the ability to walk in the dreamworld? Hmph as if they would get away with such a thing.”
Aside from Luna, the only other two beings on the planet that had dream powers similar to hers were Darkrai and Cresselia. The Princess of the Night had come to accept them as fellow guardians of dreams.
That being said, while both Legendary Pokemon agreed to help shoulder the duty of protecting the dreams of the people. The dreamscape was at the end of the day her domain. It was the one thing that Luna would not contest when it came to what had ownership over. If Celestia had the love of the people and control of the sun. Then Luna had control of the Moon and the dreamscape. After all, if they were truly equals, then they would be equal in authority and privileges.
But if that was the case, why was it that barely anyone came to her night court? One would think in this time of crisis that more ponies would come to her for guidance. She thought back to the first night when the Pokemon came here, how there was barely anypony there despite the arrival of the Pokemon being a massive topic of discussion at the time. It was also the night when that Aeigslash choose Celestia as being more a worthy ruler than her. Was she not worthy? Did she not deserve to be in important meetings with Arceus and other individuals? Why was she always overlooked and-
“Wait,” Luna stopped the negative thoughts in their tracks .“Where am I going with this?”
The younger alicorn shook her head. She shouldn’t be thinking about such things. A sinner like her did not have to right to ask for such praise and respect. She had made mistakes and was paying for them even now. How could she expect the citizens of Equestria to love and respect her when it was her sister who protected and loved them for the last millennia? How could she expect the Ageislash to see her as worthy when she kept dwelling on the fact.
How could the ponies of Equestria see her as Celestia’s equal when she would always be the younger sister. When the Sun would ever and always overshadow the Moon…
The Princess of the Night pushed such distracting thoughts to the back of her head. Continuing her search, Princess Luna flew throughout the realm of the dreaming.
Although the Princess didn’t recognize it yet, she would eventually come to admit that she wasn’t completely rid of the envy that had caused her to make a terrible mistake 1,000 years ago.
Hall of Legends
Suicune, Landorus, Mesprit, Victini, Groudon, Zekrom, and Xeranas all sat in Virizion’s room. The Grassland Pokemon had called them all here specifically for a reason.
“Okay, why did you call us all here Virizion?” Landorus asked.
“Yeah,” Victini added. “And why did you make us use the portal doors rather than the main door to your room?”
The Victory Pokemon was referring to a portal in a side of the room that could be found in each Legendary Pokemon’s personal chamber. This was set up by Arceus as a way for certain Legendary Pokemon to meet up in secret. Away from prying eyes that may gossip about who is visiting who.
But the reason why the Sword of Justice had called them all here was not for any embarrassing reasons. No, it was in fact a serious one.
“I called you all here, specifically because we need to talk about something, and you all are the only ones here who I trust to keep a secret.”
The other Legends looked at each other and then back to Virizion.
“Also, because there is something we all share, but I’ll get to that later.”
Virizion cleared her throat and then put on a serious face.
“First off let me ask you all something. What’s your opinion on the Lostbelts and this entire situation?”
While some of the Legendaries suspected that Virizion was going to ask something like that, not everyone had an immediate answer. The first to speak however was Suicune.
“In a way, I can sympathize with the humans of these Lostbelts. Like me and my siblings, they were brought back from the dead and given new life. Just because they shouldn’t be here, doesn’t mean they don’t have a right to be here. Yes, the world may have deemed them unnecessary, but the fact that they are here right now is a miracle. They have a new lease on life, and should be allowed to live it.”
“I agree with Suicune,” Xerneas said. “As the Pokemon of Life, I value all life no matter where how is comes into existence. And while one could make the argument that their resurrection is a violation of the cycle of Life and Death that me and Yveltal maintain, I think that they should be given a second chance.”
Zerkrom then spoke.
“This has less to do with the Lostbelts and more to do with humanity. I never liked the fact that Arceus turned all the humans he brought with us into Pokemon. It is the sign of a closed mind to not hear or accept another person’s ideals. Arceus doing what he did shows he fully believes that all humankind will ever eventually bring is suffering to others. It is the truth that he has come to believe is the only right one.”
“To be fair,” Landorus said. “The idea of making the humans Pokemon was Cresselia’s idea. He just co-opted it as his own.” *hmph* “It’s probably a good thing that he did. Otherwise, everyone would be mad at Cresselia and not him, and Darkrai wouldn’t like everyone ganging up on her.”
While Virizion did admit there was some truth to that, she refrained from saying it out loud as to not offend the Lunar Pokemon. Plus Cresselia might sense someone talking ill of her.
“Okay and now to talk about why we are really here. This situation is no doubt going to bring up some anti-human sentiments among the people and Pokemon, and I’m not just talking about the normal ones.”
Groudon raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”
The Sword of Justice gestured to the Dragon of Ideals.
“Zekrom here says that he saw and overheard Mewtwo and Giratina talking about something during the funeral. When he approached them during the wake, it was very clear that they were talking about how much humanity has wronged us, after which they talked with Reshiram and Tornadus before leaving.”
Victini then spoke up.
“Then late that night, when I went get a plate of Macarons from the kitchen I passed by Giratina’s room on my way back. And then the doors to it opened, and out comes: Mewtwo, Kyogre, Kyurem, Reshiram, Zygarde, Registeel, Regirock, Regigigas, Yveltal, Latios, Tornadus, and Thundurus. After everyone left, Giratina gave me a look before going back into his room.”
The other Legendary Pokemon took in this information and thought on it for a second.
“Okay,” Groudon began. “So certain members of our family all had a private meeting, what’s the big deal? It is not our business what they do or talk about.”
“Normally you’d be right,” Mesprit said. “But I passed a few of them today, and let me just say this, the emotion that they all had in common was resentment or anger.”
“And where are you going with this?”
“The Pokemon that were in Giratina’s room. It took me a while to piece together, but the thing most of them had in common were bad experiences with humans.”
Groudon was about to retort, but as he and the others thought more about it. Mesprit was right.
Giratina had been sealed away like Arceus by the humans, along with Regigigas and his children. Zygarde had always despised how chaotic and destructive the humans were when it came to nature. Tornadus and Thundurus always kept wrecking human settlements. Yveltal was well...Yveltal. And Mewtwo needed no explanation.
“Virizion,” Xerneas said. “Are you saying that members of our family are conspiring something? That they plan to do something about the humans without Arceus knowing about it?”
“...I’m not entirely sure. But I’m not ruling out the possibility. We are all indeed one big family. But family doesn’t always agree on everything. And given that it seems that Mewtwo and Giratina are the main ones behind that gathering I can only imagine what they brought up and talked about yesterday in that room.”
Zekrom folded his arms and spoke.
“Okay, so what are going to do about it? Unless we know exactly what they’re planning we can’t go to Lord Arceus about it.”
“I don’t even think we should try that,” Mesprit stated. “For all we know, father might just go through with whatever plan they have if it involves winning this war. Let’s not beat around the bush. The return of humanity, coupled with the death of the Legendary birds, has put father in a very bad mood. He just wants to get this over as quickly as possible and ‘punish’ the humans once again for trying to ruin everything.”
“And that brings us to why I called each of you here,” Virizion said. “None of you have any real contempt for mankind, for all the things they have done, you learned to forgive and live with them. Human nature is gray and unpredictable, but they are a species that deserves to live just like everyone else. This is why even though I want us to win, I also want to try and find a way to win fairly and morally. I will not allow hatred to consume members of our family. The moment we start down that road may lead to more problems in the future. I don't want to destroy humanity, if possible I want them to live as well. Even if Arceus is against the idea.”
The other Legendary Pokemon looked at each other, before each of them began to nod and agree.
"So what do you suggest we do Virizion?" Groudon asked.
Virizion rubbed her chin. "For now, let's just observe the ones who were in Giratina's room see what they do. I'm not jumping to any conclusions unless they really plan to do something drastic."
"Hmmm, very well. Does anyone have a problem with this?"
No one shook their heads
“Alright, I guess we can close this meeting for now. Let’s go back to our rooms while I think about how we’re gonna go about this.”
Several miles west of Canterlot
Private Ironside of the Pokemon Corp stood under Luna’s night sky as he watched a single spot on the ground. Said spot was an area marked with paint to identify where a Ley Line was.
During his studies in school and training for the royal guard, the unicorn stallion was required to study the subject as part of his magic class. Essentially, Ley Lines were the very things that produced the magic that was used by every capable wielder on Equus. If the planet was compared to a living being, then the Ley Lines served as the blood vessels that carried that blood know as “mana” throughout the world. That being said, when it came to unicorns they could naturally wield magic better than any other race. Making them experts when working with these things.
The stallion never thought that he would find himself doing such simple work again, and yet at the same time, it was his own actions that got him where he was today.
The veteran unicorn had spent years working up the ranks of the Royal Solar Guard, showing great dedication and loyalty to his Kingdom and his fellow ponies. Then, after Shining Armor retired to become the Prince of the Crystal Empire, Ironside succeeded him as the Captain of the Solar Royal Gaurd. His entire career and future were bright.
And then, the Pokemon came.
At first, Ironside like some others treated these new creatures with disdain and dismissal. Seeing them as lesser beings from a certain point of view. He accepted the fact that they were here. But he did not accept them as equals when it came to Law Enforcement and overlooked them and what they could do. This was further cemented when said Pokemon failed to stop the theft of the Crown Jewels by major criminal Total Control.
Ironside came to the conclusion that the Royal Guard needed nothing from these creatures. Not their powers, their tactics, anything.
His mistake.
One day, a Pokemon criminal named the Phantom Theif Fox made a threat to steal the Crown Jewels right from the castle vault as opposed to the museum case during the previous attempt.
Seeing the Theif as nothing more than a lowly criminal, Ironside’s arrogance got the better of him. This tricky Pokemon made him and his guards run on a wild goose chase, making a fool out of him and the Solar guard. But despite this, the Pokemon would have never won, had he not opened the Crown Jewels vault door just to prove a point.
And just like that, the Phantom Fox made off with her prize. All because of his pride and disrespect for his fellow Pokemon Guards.
During the grilling after the heist, the council was exposed for corruption and arrested on the spot. A part he had inadvertently helped to bring about when he opened the vault door. Turns out, the “Emergency Key” the council had given him, was not exactly approved or given to them by Princess Celestia herself. For his punishment in disregarding his fellow Pokemon guards, Ironside was demoted right back down to Private and would have been redeployed to Border Patrol had Seth Crescent and Johnathan Trace not spoken in his defense.
Made a member of the Pokemon Corp to give him a lesson on humility, as well as make him more tolerable of Pokemon, Ironside was to serve as a liaison between the two races.
That entire experience had now led him to here. Where he and a number of Pokemon and Ponies Guards stood watch over the Ley Line.
He and the rest had all been informed that their enemy, the combatants known as servants would use the Ley Lines as a door to their world. His squad’s job was to alert High Command should the Ley Line start acting up and inform them if a servant appeared.
But there was one problem.
“How exactly do we know if a servant is going to appear?”
To be honest, Ley Lines were known for visibly pumping out magical energy on occasion. Such a phenomenon was often observed to measure the output of mana and how it affected the surrounding area.
“What are we suppose to look for?” Ironside said to himself. “A glowing light? A loud rumbling? Maybe lighting stikes the place and-”
The stallions words were cut off as his horn began to vibrate like a tuning fork, this only ever happened when a unicorn sensed a large magical energy build up.
A fellow unicorn guard who was nearby walked up to him, also sensing the magical energy in the air becoming dense.
“Ironside, what’s going on?!”
“I don’t know, I-”
Both ponies were stunned as an invisible hand began to draw in the ground before them. A circle was drawn before various markings and an unknown language was inscribed into the earth.
Neither Ironside nor his fellow guard knew exactly what was happening, but they had an idea.
“Inform the Princesses, NOW!”
~
Back in the dreamscape, Luna continued her nightly round of banishing nightmares and soothing the dreams of the tormented. The panic caused by the fires as well as the announcement by Arceus had an effect on the people, similar to when the Pokemon first arrived. During the last two nights however, Luna noticed something particular about the dreams some beings were having, specifically, the Pokemon.
A number of the Pokemon were having various dreams about being confronted by humans. More often than not, it was humans who no doubt tormented and abused them back on Earth. Some of these dreams even had humans who Luna had learned were a part of the organizations such as Team Rocket, Team Galatic, Team Flare, and various others.
“The revelation that humans have returned, has no doubt stirred up some bad memories among the Pokemon.” Luna shook her head. “These people came to this world to move on from such things. And now this whole situation was made them remember why they fear humans so much.”
Turning away from such thoughts, Luna continued her duty of guarding the dream world. But the Princess was only halfway done when she noticed something.
The younger alicorn pulled her consciousness together as she investigated this strange oddity.
Luna looked over a few sleeping citizens of Las Pegasus and noticed something peculiar about their dreams.
The dreamscape itself was created and maintained by the dreams of the living. As such, one could say that dreams were what fueled and maintained the world that was Luna’s domain.
But the dreams that the Princess was currently observing. Luna saw and realized that someone was feeding off of them.
Not long after Princess Luna took Darkrai under her mentorship, the Legendary Pokemon informed her of a move that Pokemon used called “Dream Eater”. The way it worked was that the attacking Pokemon absorbed the energy of a Pokemon’s dream. During battle, this would obviously weaken the Pokemon. Luna was angry that such a move existed that could be used to disrupt the dreams of others. As such, the Princess soon passed a law that the move could not be used outside of battle.
Luna tried to look for the villain who would dare disrupt the dreams of her citizens. But she could not find the source. Even if the suspect was awake, she should still be able to see them.
The Princess started to become annoyed as she searched in vain for the perpetrator. Finally, she had enough and just shouted into the void.
“Whoever dares to eat the dreams of others, show thyself! I am Princess Luna of Equestria, guardian of the Dreamscape and patron of the Moon. Come out from where you are hiding so that you may be punished for your crimes!”
The void provided no answer. Luna cursed, it was foolish of her to think that this person would show themselves willingly.
But then, she heard a voice.
“Hmmm, it seems that I have been caught red-handed. Like a child with his hands in a cookie jar.”
Luna looked up and around to find the source of the voice, but no one was there.
“Well, I think I have enough emotions for now. I would ask for your forgiveness, but to be honest, I really don’t regret what I just did.”
Luan then became angrier at the perpetrator’s casual dismissal of guilt and remorse. So much so that she failed to notice that the voice was coming from all around her.
“Who art Thou!? Are you too cowardly to show yourself, do you fear facing me?”
“While I am a coward. The reason I shall not show my face, it because it is not really the time for us to meet yet.”
“You will NOT defy me! I am Princess Luna. And I will have order in my domain.”
“Sorry, Princess. But I am afraid this is where our conversation ends. Till next time.”
“Wait!”
But before Luna could do anything, she heard someone calling her name from the waking world.
“Princess Luna.”
“Princess Luna.”
“Princess Luna!”
Pulling herself out of the dreamscape, the alicorn woke up to the sight of a night guard.
“Princess Luna, please wake up!”
“I am awake Stellar Nova. What is it?”
The bat pony Night Guard known as Steller Nova continued speaking.
“A guard post at one of the Ley Lines has reported a strange magical build-up. It could be the thing we have been waiting for!”
“Where is it?”
“The closet one west of Canterlot, the central Ley Line.”
The Princess’s eyes widened. “Has my sister been informed?”
“She is already being woken up as we speak.”
“Alert the others and inform Seth Crescent! I shall teleport there at due haste.”
“Yes Princess!”
Luna jumped out of bed, but before she moved any further she noticed something fall to the ground.
“Your Highness, is something wrong?”
“Uh, no Stella Nova. Just go on ahead.”
“Very well.” The Night Guard mare then left the bedroom. Luna then picked up the item that had dropped and teleported out of there.
The thing that Luna picked up, which she swore was not there before, was a white, pinkish flower.
~
The Alicorn sisters popped into existence as the other guards took a step back at the sudden appearance of the Princesses. Celestia and Luna did not have to turn their heads too far in order to see what they had been woken up about.
The Ley Line, as well as the drawing on the ground, was glowing brightly as magical energy gathered and coelested.
“Ironside,” Celestia said. “How long has this been going on?”
“About 45 seconds your highness! You actually got here pretty fast.”
“And not a moment too soon,” Luna added. “Because I feel that whatever is happening here, is about to reach its climax!”
The Moon Princess words became validated as energy began to spin faster and brighter. The circle of light then divided into three rings of energy for a few seconds, before collapsing into the center. This caused a huge explosion of light that blinded everyone present and looking.
When the light faded, there was still dust thrown into the air. Once it cleared, Celestia and Luna looked at the spot where the phenomenon had taken place and gasped at what they saw.
From the memories and pictures that had been shown to then by Arceus, and more recently Harmony, standing on what they would later learn was a summoning circle.
Was a servant.
The being in question appeared to be male based on human descriptions. He had unkept chalk-white hair, he wore stylized golden armor on his legs and arms, his entire body save for his chest and head was covered in black. In the center of his midsection was an embedded red jewel.
But his most striking feature that the Princess would remember for the rest of their days, was his stare. His sharp gaze betrayed no emotion or expression. Just one glance from this man told anyone that he was no doubt a warrior.
The air and night was deathly silent for a few seconds, but it seemed like forever.
Celestia straightened herself and maintained her composure. After meeting a god like Arceus, she did not want to show any sign of faltering. She took a few steps forward and spoke, asking the obvious question.
“Are you a servant?”
The Heroic Spirit answered, his voice was cold and unwavering.
“Yes.”
Celestia then remembered that all servants were the revived forms of people from human history. Despite knowing nothing about that history, she had to ask anyway.
“Who are you?”
The servant gave away his identity without hesitation.
“My name is Karna. My class designation is Lancer. I am a servant summoned by the Counter Force in response to save Proper Human History.”
Karna. Princess Celestia committed that name to memory.
“I ask of you. Are you my enemy?”