//------------------------------// // Interlude: Bluebloods // Story: A New World, A New Way: Requiem from the Lostbelt // by Metroid Prime //------------------------------// It was nighttime when Blueblood walked out of the hospital named after his cousin, Princess Cadenza. His mood was still sour as he got into his carriage that was meant to take him home. While his vocal cords had FINALLY returned to him, he now had another problem. ‘Huh, of course, I got Prince “Boil-your-blood” as my passenger. Hope he doesn’t say anything the entire ride.’ He now had a particularly annoying curse that had been set upon him. One that made him hear every negative and sarcastic thought that a nearby person was thinking about him. On a certain level, the Prince knew that not everyone liked him, but at least they had the decency to keep it to themselves. While the carriage ride to his manor wasn’t too far, Blueblood seemed to be in a world all on his own as his resentment and anger began to build up. He began to recall all the things that had been done to him ever since those ‘creatures’ arrived. One of the first things was the flaming mut chasing him after his master had let him. The fact that his aunt Luna had done nothing to stop it did not go unnoticed. Later when he arrived at a meeting his aunt Celestia had called for, the stallion barely got a word in before he lost his voice for the first time due to that god. Later when another Pokemon had replaced his shampoo with itching cream, he had rightly tried to get justice for that incident, only to be attacked by its friend. He would admit that trying to ruin that insolent creature's wedding was foolish(if only because of his aunts and that god were there), but he felt that being mute and poisoned was undeserved. And as a follow up to that, a fox that was apparently friends with that green creature had bestowed upon him the very curse that was currently affecting him. Every single encounter he had with these creatures, instigator or not, they had only treated him with contempt. This was why Blueblood could only see them as lowly beasts. For his entire life, ponies had treated him with the same courtesy and decency that one would expect from Equestria and its ponies. Even if they were commoners, ponies acknowledged his status as a minor Prince. And yet these....Pokemon, they had treated him only like an animal would treat another, with barbarism. For all the times' Blueblood had admittedly pissed off a few ponies, they at least knew their place. They didn’t attack him at the first provocation. “Something needs to be done about those monsters,” Blueblood thought as he arrived at his home and got off the carriage. “But how?” Blueblood entered his home and laid down on his living room couch, but just before he could go to sleep, there was a knock at the door. Blueblood sighed in annoyance, “Who could it be at this hour!? Silver Platter get the door!” He heard his grey stallion butler walk to the door and open it, but did not hear any talking. Then he heard the door close, and a few seconds later Silver walked into the living room. “There was no one at the door sir, however, I did find this.” Silver Platter held up a letter, the Prince took it in his magical grasp and read the front. ‘For the eyes of Prince Blueblood only.’ “If there is nothing else sir, I will be going home for the evening.” “Very well Silver Platter, you are dismissed.” The butler then gathered his things, and as soon as he went out the front door and locked it, Blueblood opened the envelope and read the letter that was inside. The words on the paper were only two sentences, but Blueblood read it three times over in order to let it sink in. ‘If you want to know how to get rid of the Pokemon forever, come alone to the old abandoned warehouse that was used by Total Control. Make sure you are not followed.’ “What?” Blueblood for a second thought that someone was playing tricks on him, and if recent experiences had taught him one thing is that he should not do things without thinking. All this time he thought he could get rid of the Pokemon by simply using his own authority, but that power meant nothing if his aunts vetoed it. No, he would have to resort to means outside of his control. Even if it meant… Letting out another annoying sigh, Blueblood got his coat and went out the door. Blueblood knew about the warehouse used by the now-imprisoned unicorn criminal known as Total Control. It was his base of operations in Canterlot that he had used for imprisoning Pokemon, then employing his special brand of mind control to make them wreak havoc upon the city. Blueblood smiled for a second. The stallion was a criminal no doubt, but he did in his own way make the Pokemon know their place as lesser beings. The warehouse itself was scheduled to be demolished after it had burned down in the fire that was caused during the raid to apprehend Control. But it still had a few rooms that were intact. Blueblood walked up and saw that the doors and windows had been boarded up. “Hmph, ok I believe it's time I tried this new trick out,” Blueblood concentrated as his horn lit up, its magical energy building until it engulfed him in a golden light. Another second and Blueblood reappeared inside the warehouse, his head somewhat dazed and his body mildey scorched. “Ugh,” Blueblood shook his head and regained his concentration. “Hmm, not a bad first try.” Despite what appearances may suggest, Blueblood knew how to use certain difficult spells. And as a pony related to Princess Celestia, his bloodline gifted him with a natural talent that made things like teleportation easy to learn. “That beautiful yet insolent mare is not the only one who can teleport.” Blueblood walked through the halls of the warehouse until he came to the central room. The room itself was charred beyond all recognition, the cages and work tables used by control were either destroyed or removed. Several holes in the roof allowed moonlight to shine through. Walking to the middle, Blueblood looked around but saw no one. “Hello, is anypony here?” Nothing, only the wind answered. “If this is a joke, let me tell you it's going to be your-” Something struck Blueblood in the back of the head, and he left the world of consciousness. When he opened his eyes, Blueblood got to his feet and rubbed the back of his head. “Who dares strike a Prince?!” This time, the wind did not answer him. “Sorry,” said a carefree voice with a hint of a mocking tone. “We just had to check the perimeter in case you weren't followed.” Blueblood looked around for the owner of the voice and saw someone standing in a shadowy corner of the room. The lower half of his body was partially lit by the moonlight. It was then that Blueblood noticed that those were not pony legs. “Given your attitude, I assumed you did want anyone following you. And yet since you managed to piss off more than a few people, It was possible someone may be watching you to make sure you didn’t try anything.” “Try what?” “Why try and hurt other Pokemon. That Mewtwo character may be residing in the castle, but after all those stunts you pulled, maybe Princess Celestia had asked him to keep a mental eye on you.” Blueblood shuddered, he remembered passing that floating monster in the hallway. The piercing cold look he gave him that nearly had him walking faster when he turned a corner. Blueblood had even once asked Silvermane about him. Only for the normally bold and arrogant council member to try and change the subject, he even looked spooked when he had mentioned Mewtwo’s name. “But don’t worry, it's just the three of us alone here.” “Three?” The figure then finally stepped out of the shadows and into the moonlight. And Blueblood was a little confused by what he saw. The creature was bipedal, his skin lacked any fur except for the hair on his head. His attire consisted of red pants and a black button-up shirt made in a shape meant for his kind, around his neck was a pocket watch and he wore sharp glasses on his face. ”You can come out now Koyan.” Looking to his left, Blueblood saw another figure step out of the shadows. This one had a black coat and covering that went down to their feet, they wore on their head a black hat of some kind. This one also wore glasses. The closer he looked over them, Blueblood noticed that their chest was bulging. It reminded him of the female minotaur guards that had come with Golden Horn during the World Summit, he had to assume this one was also female. Blueblood looked back and forth between the two creatures before answering the obvious question. “Who, or what are you?” “My my, getting the obvious questions out the way are we?” The way the female spoke was like a seductress, but her voice was not warm and inviting, but instead, it was almost malicious and cruel. “Well, to answer the question, let me ask you this. While you around the Pokemon, have they ever mentioned anything about their homeworld. Or the ‘other’ race that lived alongside them? Or should I say, over them?” Blueblood had to wrack his brain for a moment, he never paid the Pokemon any attention, except when they were in his way. Then he remembered something Bio Chem said, during one of the times he went to vent to him. Did you know Blueblood? Not all of the Pokemon here are really Pokemon. Apparently, their god turned them into what they are now. Back on Earth, they were a bipedal race called ‘Homo-sapiens’, or in layman's terms - “Humans, you’re humans.” The female in black laughed, Blueblood looked at her with a confused face. Then he could have sworn he saw her eyes flash for a second. “Well, you’re half right dear.” Blueblood then just shook his head in dismissal and turned back to the male human. “Alright, you’re human, but how are you here? Or at least how are you still, the way you are? Did Arceus make a few mistakes other than bringing those wretched Pokemon here?” The male human let out a laugh. “No no, we are not of THAT Earth, we are well...it would take a while to explain. So you’ll have to wait another time for that answer. But aside from that, let's get to the point of why we are here: the Pokemon.” “Oh yes, you said in that letter you have a way of getting rid of the Pokemon once and for all?” “Yes, we do.” Blueblood then became a little skeptical for a second. “But how? Even if my aunts were against them staying here, there is still the matter of their god. I have met him twice, and aside from that fact that he made me mute, he is all-powerful. He has those Legendary Pokemon by his side, along with the whole world accepting his people with open arms. How do you expect to lay him low? How do you expect to get rid of every single Pokemon in Equestria? Show me something that will convince me of your power!” The human then smiled. “Arceus will be dealt with in time, how and when is a secret that we can’t share with you. But let's just say, Arceus isn’t the only real god in this world.” Bluebloods eyes widened. “What do you mean?” “To put it simply, the being who we work for is a god themselves dear.” The female “human” said. “And they want Arceus out of the way as much as you do.” “Oh, and where is this other god? Why don’t they strike down Arceus right now?” “Because, they can’t exactly come to this world, yet. It’s not something you can understand fully or need to.” Blueblood narrowed his eyes. “That being said, we have another means of defeating Arceus and destroying the Pokemon. Yes, we have something that will be able to take on any Pokemon, even those almighty legendaries” “What?” “Fufu, allow me to explain, specify what ‘I am’ dear.” The female talked to Blueblood about what she really was, and how there were others like her. Powerful beings who could fight stronger and faster than any Pokemon. How even though it may take months, or even years, in the long run, they could wipe out every Pokemon on the planet. Blueblood’s disbelief grew the more she went on, and by the time she finished explaining everything, his mind was still trying to process what he just heard. “Okay….I’m still trying to wrap my head around what I just heard. But saying is one thing, I want to see proof that you are capable of what you’re saying.” The female let out a long sigh. “Well I suppose you're right, after all the best way to nail a sales pitch is with a demonstration.” “Very true. Koyansaka, take us to a more, suitable location.” “Aright, hold on.” Before Blueblood could ask, he was engulfed in a bright light. Then in the next moment, he found himself in the middle of literal nowhere. “Where are we!?” The area was white as far as the eye could see, the sky was clear and bright which indicated daytime, but Blueblood couldn’t see the sun. “This,” the male human said, gesturing to the area around them. “Is a place currently ‘unclaimed’ by your world, for now. No one shall disturb us here, so no witnesses.” “What?” That's when Blueblood noticed that the one called Koyansaka was not here. “Wait where is that woman?” “She'll be here, she's just getting a test subject.” “Test subject?” A few seconds later, Koyansaka reappeared, and along with her, a Hydreigon. “What's going on where am I!?” The brutal Pokemon then looked at the group before him. “Did you bring me here!? Where even is here!?” “Blueblood, this is a Hydreigon. It is among the most powerful Pokemon in the world. Very difficult to stop by oneself if it goes on a rampage.” Blueblood then noticed the man take the glove off his left hand, revealing a strange mark on the back of it. The mark itself was red. If he had to describe it, it resembled the head of a timberwolf. “Assassin, come to me.” Then out of nowhere, another human appeared. This one was dressed in an attire that resembled eastern clothing. In his left hand, he carried a katana, his hair was in a ponytail, but it still looked messy. “Oh, you're a big guy.” The newcomer said while looking at the Pokemon. “What's going on here!?” The Hydreigon asked again in annoyance. “You know what, never mind. I’m just gonna eat you!” “Hydreigon, sorry to bring you here on such short notice,” Koyansaka began. “But to put it bluntly, we brought you here to die.” The Pokemon looked confused for a second, as if he considered the four individuals before him to not be a threat. “However, if you beat the one with the sword, I’ll gladly take you back to where you came from~. The Hydreigon was already not happy, ever since he came here his life had been a comedy. Not long after he was brought to this world, he managed to establish territory in a forest near a village. But then a group of those Ponies, along with a Gallade, Gardevoir, and a couple of Lucario entered its new territory. And when he tried to defend it, they proceeded to beat him in a short time. After that, he left to make a new home in another forest, only for the same group of Ponies and Pokemon to beat him up and take his territory again! Except now, his opponent was one lone human. Even with his weapon, the man was nothing but dead meat walking. No single human could ever stand a chance of beating him! Actually, how are humans here? I thought Arceus got rid of them all? Pushing that thought aside, the Brutal Pokemon accepted the challenge. “Alright Assassin, make it scream.” “Heh, with pleasure master.” The swordsman walked up to the dragon, its eyes bearing down on Assassin. “HAH! You think you can kill me, little human? Don’t make me laugh, what can a weakling like you do!?” The dragon continued to laugh, meanwhile, the swordsman was now looking at the ground. “Hey.” The dragon was not paying any attention to him. “Did you just. Laugh at me?” The dragon stopped laughing and looked back down at the human, who slowly looked up to meet his gaze. But when Hydreigon looked into his eyes, he felt a sensation wash over him. As if this man was giving off a dark aura, a killing intent. “By the way, are you missing something?” That's when the Pokemon noticed that something didn’t feel right about his left head, he looked at it. And then he screamed. His left head had been cut clean off his arm, which was now gushing out blood. The head itself was on the ground, its red blood staining the bleached white surface. “You little dastard! I’ll kill you!” Powerful energy quickly gathered in his mouth. “DIE! HYPER BEAM!” The man did not move as the Hyper Beam attack blew up the spot he was standing in. When the dust cleared, there was only a crater. No trace of him remained. The Hydreigon looked around. “Is he dead? Yes! Finally I-GACK!” Hydreigon felt something protruding from his chest, then looked down to see the bloody tip of a blade sprouting from his body. That's when he felt someone standing on his back, and then that someone whispered in his ear. “Allow me to tell you something.” Assassin then underhand gripped his sword. “I’ll kill. Anyone who laughs at me.” Assassin then brought the blade up through the Pokemons shoulder, partially bisecting his body. The Hydreigon fell to the ground as he bled out. His last sight was seeing his murderer walking away. His last thought was cursing this new world for allowing this thing to happen to him. Assassin walked back to the group, a smile was on his face. A smile was on his master's face, who looked like he very much enjoyed what he just saw. Koyansaka just stood with that same smirk on her face. Blueblood was still trying to pick his jaw off the floor. “Alright, I believe that's a good demonstration. Assassin, you're dismissed.” The swordsman took a bow before shimmering out of sight. “Koyan, take us back.” Once again Blueblood was blinded by a bright light, when he opened them again, he was back at the warehouse in Canterlot. “Well, Prince Blueblood?” The man asked. “What do you think?” Blueblood didn’t have to think long for an answer. “That was, incredible! That man took down the monster in less than ten seconds, amazing!” “And there are more where he came from. So can I have a yes or no on an alliance Prince Blueblood?” The Prince wracked his brain for a second, from what Koyansaka had described, the only way to be rid of the Pokemon would be to kill every one of them. There was no other course, no forcing them out, no way to turn public opinion against them, no making their god take them somewhere else. It would be genocide. He would never be forgiven for this. And yet, Blueblood remembered everyone of his encounters with these creatures. How they had humiliated him, insulted him, chased him, disrespected him. Attacked him. Never once had he had an encounter that ended on a positive note. They were monsters, beasts, pests. And everyone knew what to do with pests. Blueblood looked up at the man, and with a firm resolve, held out his hoof. “You have my allegiance.” The man smiled and shook Blueblood’s hoof. “Very good Prince Blueblood, I promise that you will get exactly what you want from this arrangement.” Blueblood nodded. “I look forward to it.” “Now onto business, do you have any other like-minded individuals who can help us with our cause?” “Hmmm, I might know a few, plus I may do some digging. But yeah, I can get us, other helpful individuals.” “Very well, then I guess that means our meeting ends here, for now, take this.” The man held out a strangely shaped device. Blueblood took in his magical grasp. “What is it?” “A device for contacting us. Use it when you have gathered everyone you need.” “Very well. By the way, what is your name? I never caught it.” “Oh I apologize, where are my manners?” The man adjusted his glasses. “My name, is-” For pre-context for this next scene, please go here Several months later. Blueblood sat in his mansion as Hard Proof took a seat in one of his chairs. He looked around at the group he managed to assemble. Green Horn and Winter Breeze were Crystal Pony nobles who had opposed the Pokemon when they had arrived. They also had a seat on the Crystal Empire council. Good, ponies with strong connections will serve as a massive boon. Silvermane was a fellow noble on the council and head of Equine services. While Mewtwo had given him a spook at first, Blueblood had convinced him to join with the promise of revenge on the legendary. Cheap Skate was a master at catching and manipulating, he was a wanted con artist and scammer in Manehatten. Blueblood probably trusted him the least, but his skills and talents would no doubt be useful. Hard Proof was the latest addition, while he was a commoner, he was an outspoken pony who wanted the Pokemon gone as much as Blueblood. Plus his cutie mark talent may come in handy. I had to pull a few strings to get him out, but convincing him to join was the easy part. And even with all of them here, Blueblood had anonymously made contact with Total Control in his prison via snail mail(which was why it took so long to gather these ponies). And with the promise of a new horn and a new job doing what he loves(along with the promise of having a certain Pokemon), he was also on board. Although breaking him out would come later. “Alright.” Blueblood got up from his seat and walked to the fireplace. “We all know why we are here. “Yes!” Green Horn said. “To get rid of those despicable Pokemon once and for all!” “Indeed. Now I’m not going to sugar coat this gentlecolts, we will be aiding and abetting in the murder of millions...no billions of lives. It will not be pretty, not to mention some relatively innocent crossfire, but believe me when I say that this is the only way to be rid of the Pokemon for good. We must strike them hard, and without mercy. And as for their god? Well, he'll get what's coming to him.” Blueblood turned to face the group. “This will be a grave sin in the eyes of Equestria and the world. But history will judge us gents, we will have averted a grave future. A future where these creatures rule over us, with their god becoming our god.” His eyes scanned the room, reading the faces of everypony here. “If you have any objections, state them now. If you wish to leave, the door is right there. But I warn you, if you think about blowing the whistle...well, let's just say you will be met with a terrible fate.” The ponies all looked back and forth between each other, then looked back at Blueblood with resolute looks. “I’m in,” said Winter Breeze. “Count me in too,” added Green Horn. “It's time we do something about these creatures,” Silvermane said. “I’m just in this for the money and revenge against a certain group of Pokemon. Don’t care how dirty I have to get my hooves,” Cheap Skate stated. “Those Princesses betrayed this country the moment they allowed those things to live here. You Blueblood are the only royal who knows what's really best for this kingdom,” Hard Proof said with pride. “Good, very good. Now. I’m sure you’re all wondering how we will be able to pull this off. How a small group of ponies could achieve such a feat of destroying all the Pokemon.” Blueblood made a large grin. “Well gentlecolts, allow me to introduce you to our benefactors.” The door opened and everyone gasped at who, or rather what walked in. The creature was a bipedal dressed in religious attire, his appearance was similar to the priests who ran those small churches dedicated to the Princesses. “Greetings, how are you all this fine evening?” The creature's voice was deep and calm, but his presence was somewhat intimidating. “Uh, what are you?” Hard Proof asked. “Everypony, this is Rasputin. He is, well, he was once a human. The species from the same world as the Pokemon, the one race they fear more than any other.” “Ah, so this is what a human looks like,” Green Horn said, remembering another “former” human that he had the displeasure of knowing. “Now like I said, Rasputin is not human, not in the truest sense. He is now what is known as a ‘Heroic Spirit’ or a ‘Servant’. “Ah, so you mean we can make him do what we want?” Winter Breeze asked. The heroic spirit known as Rasputin chuckled. “No, I am not that kind of servant. Besides, I already have a master.” “Okay, then what's your deal pal? How are you gonna help us get rid of all the Pokemon?” “Patience Hard Proof, I was about to explain that. You see, servants like Rasputin are very powerful, the average one being stronger than even the strongest Pokemon. I have seen it myself. With him and his people assisting us, the Pokemon will be no match for them, and more importantly, no one will suspect us.” “How?” Cheap Skate asked. “You see, Arceus loathes humans more than anything else. They are the reason why he brought the Pokemon here in the first place. To get away from them. Once he learns humans are here, he will go ballistic. All his attention will be focused on eliminating them, meaning no one will notice what we will be doing behind the scenes.” The ponies all looked more confident as Blueblood got done explaining that part of the plan. “And as for our first move, I have the perfect opportunity. You see, once the Pokemon moved here, obviously new homes had to be built for them. No doubt the money was provided by the government and that there are records of what was built and where. Also, I have recently learned that Princess Celestia is planning on hosting this year's Summer Sun Celebration in Canterlot. It is to be held in honor of the Pokemon, not to mention that many World Leaders are rumored to attend.” “Okay,” Silvermane said. “Where are you going with this?” Blueblood gestured to Rasputin. “Caster, you may come in now.” In walked another servant, only this one looked very different from Rasputin. His color scheme was blue and purple, he walked widely and had a smile that never left his face. But what everyone noticed was the large pair of scissors he carried. “Hello everyone, it's soooo nice to meet you!” His voice was cheerful and energetic, almost like a child. “Rasputin, would you please explain to the group our little plan,” Blueblood said. “Listen well everypony, today I’m going to tell you what Noble Phantasms are, and what Casters Noble Phantasm can specifically do.”