//------------------------------// // A dimensional return // Story: My Little Pokémon // by Amarvax //------------------------------// Twilight's lab, day. "Here you go. Your Pokedex, Poke Balls and Xtransciever." Twilight gave out the starter gear for the new trainers who had come in to find their starters. The Xtransciever was a new addition to it. The Pokemon that had been selected today were Bulbasaur, Chimchar, Froakie, Hoppip, Numel and Corphish. "Thank you!" The foals gave their thanks to Twilight as they all walked out with their parents. "Good luck, everypony! I hope to see you all at the Equestria League!" Twilight had waved goodbye to the six foals, seeing them leave to start their journey. "Phew. That's another group of ponies and Pokemon off on their adventure." "So, what now?" Starlight asked her. "Now, I'll help Cold improve his magic and continue helping Jade with friendship. After that, I'll see if I can get more information on Jirachi's whereabouts." "Hatterene..." Starlight's Hatterene had given Eve had a head pat with its highly lethal claw. But it wasn't lethal at the moment thanks to Hatterene warming up to her fellow Psychic-Type. "Esp..." The Sun Pokemon purred, getting a good sensation from the Hatterene's pats. But, that quickly came to an end when the red orb on her forehead sparked all of a sudden."Espeon?!" Eve was on high alert, quickly jumping away from Hatterene as she snarled all of a sudden. "Eve? What's wrong?" Twilight turned to her Pokemon who was staring and hissing at the walls of the lab. It seems that she was the only who could sense this due to her orb having latent psychic power after all. But what was she hissing at? She wasn't exactly staring at the wall. Rather, it seemed as if something was appearing out of thin air. A sudden rush of wind filled the lab, causing Twilight and Starlight's manes and tails to blow all of a sudden. Both ponies were a bit nervous of this sudden change in atmosphere. Could it be a new Pokemon that threatened Ponyville? Not quite. Instead, in front of them all, the booming sound of a portal opening had travelled through their ears, shattering the windows of the lab. And of course, a portal emerged, inside of the lab itself. Seeing this made Twilight and Starlight wonder who could it possibly be. Mostly Twilight. Their answer came in the form of three familiar ponies. Cocoa, Rosestar and Nyx. The only three ponies who are capable of universal travel, at least in their own world. They made their entrance looking a bit exhausted instead of refreshed as if they were escaping from something. "Finally!" Cocoa exclaimed, falling flat on her face. Rosestar hopped over her whilst Nyx just went to the side. "That would've been disastrous." Nyx let out a sigh of relief, lowering her head down. "Nyx? Cocoa? Rosestar? You three are back?" Twilight gasped. "How come?" "Sorry for the sudden interruption! But it's urgent!" Nyx raised her voice. "Who are they...?" Starlight asked, confused about these three ponies. Eve had ceased her snarling now that she could see that they were allies instead of a potential threat. But there was a threat involved in this somehow. "What happened?! Is it something that involves your world's?!" Twilight leaned forward. "Yeah! it's something that endangers our entire lives!" Cocoa bellowed. "Not our lives!" Rosestar shoved her hoof in Cocoa's mouth. "But it is a big deal either way." "At least we're safe now." Nyx rubbed her horn. "That was a horrible experience..." "Can you three tell me what you were escaping from? And how did it lead you all here?" Twilight requested to know the context behind all of this. They wouldn't just show up out of nowhere without a reason. And if there was a reason, it would be for the Pokemon Festival, but that isn't happening until next year. "Alright. We'll tell you everything that has happened so far." Nyx sat down, prepared to spill all the information that she knows. "Not too long ago. A few weeks actually...a fourth pony had appeared with the ability to travel through other universes as well. But it went an extra mile. She opened up two gateways instead of one. With those two, she made her move, planning to conquer both worlds which belonged to me and Cocoa and Rosestar here." "It happened so fast as well." Rosestar. "Once she travelled through, in a less than an hour, she managed to overtake our worlds with absolute ease." "A total wipeout." Cocoa groaned. "A pony was responsible? I would expect a Pokemon to be able to perform that instead." Starlight commented. "The thing is..." Cocoa scratched her mane. "Pokemon were involved." Those words caused Twilight and Starlight to shoot up. This was new information to them. "This Pokemon creature was horrifying. A human was commanding it to attack without any hesitation whatsoever. It had the appearance of a dragon from what we could tell with these horrifying hands that also seemed to be an extra pair of heads and-" Nyx was describing this Pokemon, but Twilight could instantly recognize it and the human by description. "You mean Hydreigon?!" Twilight interrupted, startling Nyx. "Y-Yes...It did make those sounds as well." Nyx stuttered. "So, Ghetsis wasn't bluffing when he said he could travel to multiple universes now..." Twilight spoke under her breath, recalling what Ghetsis said to her and her friends back in Manehattan. "With this power at my disposal, I can travel to a multitude of universes, each with their own outcome and possibility. And I must say, from the ones I've seen so far...they disgust me." "You're already aware of this...Ghetsis person?" Nyx asked. "We're very aware." Starlight nodded. "All of Equestria is. But who is this she you keep mentioning?" "I think I've got a good idea." Twilight had the answer. "Remember what Ghetsis said after he mentioned his ability to travel through multiple universes?" Saying that made both Starlight and Twilight reminiscence further about their encounter with Ghetsis. They remember him saying these exact words that involved Twilight specifically. "Oh, indeed. In that world, you've brilliantly established your rule as Empress over your entire world, becoming the definitive ruler. The entire planet...no...the cosmos bow to your very will. Anyone that stands in your way is rightfully punished and dealt with without a single ounce of forgiveness. A perfect display of authority. And the most surprising part of it all, you managed to achieve this with friendship. By weaponizing it into pure power. Witnessing that, your alternate self and I rightfully formed an alliance due to our goals being similar." "Oh...Oh!" Starlight's jaw widened in shock. "That's right. A universe where I apparently reigned supreme and crowned myself Empress." "That's it! That's the one!" Cocoa jumped up. "Empress Twilight Sparkle! Oh, that's actually a pretty neat name. I like the way that sounds." "It seems you know more than we expected. Empress Twilight Sparkle has established her rule over our worlds, claiming them for her own. And with the assistance of Ghetsis and that Hydreigon creature, nopony really stood that much of a chance. The Twilight Sparkle of my world attempt to assist along with her friends, but they were easily overwhelmed in a matter of minutes." Nyx continued explaining. "We even tried to get our world's Twilight to help. And well...the result's the exact same as Nyx's." Rosestar said. "Cocoa, Rosestar and I barely managed to escape from Empress Twilight and Ghetsis. We both used the only sources of Planewalking that we possess to make our getaway. The last thing we saw was everypony being enslaved by those two, completely helpless to do anything." "Oh my..." Starlight was at a loss for words. "B-But your world's Princess Celestia, Luna and Cadence managed to do something right? Did they cast a spell that could end up awakening in the near future?" Twilight asked, hoping that there was at least some form of hope behind this. "About that..." Rosestar, rubbed her hoof as she and Nyx looked to the side with nervous eyes. They knew exactly what happened and they weren't sure how to say it. But Cocoa knew how. "She took their magic for herself!" Cocoa exclaimed, revealing the truth. "SHE WHAT?!" Both Twilight and Starlight bellowed with their faces pressed against each other. "It's unfortunately true. In the worst way possible." Nyx raised her head. "Each of the princesses was absolutely overpowered by Empress Twilight Sparkle. She didn't even have anypony assisting her." "But how? Nopony can just defeat an alicorn so casually!" Starlight exclaimed. "Especially if it's more than one!" "That would be the case. However, the thing about Empress Twilight is..." Rosestar held her breath in. "She's got the magic of other alicorns within her." Cocoa finished Rosestar's sentence. As if Twilight and Starlight weren't surprised enough. Now they're learning that she has other alicorn magic at her disposal. "Turns out..." Nyx stood up. "Ever since she had gained access to Planewalking due to Ghetsis approaching her, she's travelled to multiple variations of Equestria, heading straight for Canterlot every single time. And each time she did, she would have one goal. Absorb the magic of every version of Princess Celestia, Luna, Cadence and even herself. It's because of that, her magic is at a level that is unseen in Equestrian history." "For her to even pull this off, that must mean that in her world, she had already taken the magic there. So she's practically piling it on. And who knows many she's absorbed over the past few weeks." Rosestar gulped. "That's why we came to you for help." Nyx went up to Twilight. "Us? How can we help?" Twilight was confused. After hearing all of that, she found it virtually impossible to even stand up to Empress Twilight Sparkle. "Twilight!" Suddenly, Fluttershy and everypony else had rushed inside the lab since Audino had picked up on the sound of the portal booming. "Are you okay?!" "Audino?!" "Oh. Isn't that...?" Rainbow squinted her eyes, recognizing the three ponies that were currently with Twilight and Starlight. "You three again? You're back?" Applejack spoke. "What's going on?" "I think you might wanna sit down for this one." Starlight went up to the rest of the ponies. They had a lot to listen to. After being told everything that they had already explained to Twilight and Starlight, the expected response from everypony else was visible. Open jaws, widened eyes, a loss for words and trying to take this all in with their minds being perplexed. "Oh...is that so..." Rarity's shifted her eyes from left to right, still trying to figure out how any of this was possible. A few weeks? That seemed difficult to believe. "Now you all see. We're here to request help from all of you." Nyx said. "But like I said before, how can we help? If every version of us failed against Empress Twilight, then what makes us fare any better?" Twilight asked. "Twilight's right." Fluttershy nodded. "We didn't even stand a chance against Ghetsis when we came across him in Manehattan. If the Swords of Justice never came to our rescue, we would've been captured. I don't think we're the ponies capable of doing this." "Maybe not on your own. But we know in this universe, you all have something that can actually stand up to Empress Twilight's overwhelming empire. The Pokemon." Nyx gave the reason why she, Cocoa and Rosestar viewed this world as the one world that can win. "Mhm! Of all the worlds we've seen, this one looks to be the strongest. These little things are packed with so much power that they'll make Empress Twilight's hooves shake." Cocoa picked up Vulpix who gave her face a little pat. "What Cocoa said is true. Out of every possible scenario and reality, this is the strongest version of Equestria there is." Nyx stood tall. "And the only that can defeat Empress Twilight." The way she worded it made it sound like this was a last hope situation. Her eyes definitely helped solidify that as well. "...Oh my." Fluttershy gulped. "Can't you ask somepony else from another universe?" said Rainbow Dash. "Every other universe has either been conquered or aren't strong enough to face Empress Twilight. And as we speak at this very moment, she's most likely conquered another universe with more magic being added on to her." Rosestar replied. "Not to mention that this is the only universe where the Rift has crossed two worlds over. The rest are still on their own. Please. You must understand that we don't really have that many options now." Nyx shook her head. "This is all we have left and the one universe we've put all our hopes into. It's for the sake of our friends and family." "Hm..." Twilight grumbled, thinking for a bit. Still to this day, she remembered how Princess Celestia told her to stay away from Ghetsis no matter what. And when they finally came across Ghetsis, they were almost captured and taken away. Now that Ghetsis has formed an alliance with not just Chrysalis and Adagio, but even a tyrannical version of herself, the odds are pretty one-sided. However, despite her knowing how outmatched she and her friends are and how they all generally fear Ghetsis, more than anypony they've ever faced, there were two things keeping them from just giving up. Celestia and Ash's words of encouragement. They had stuck to them like glue, engraved in their minds. Ash was able to convince Twilight and practically everypony in Ponyville not to give up. He knows that there are threats and foes that are much greater than them in almost every way, but he also knows that's there's a chance they can win. Perhaps on their own, they won't be able to stand up to Ghetsis, but with Pokemon on their side, the best partners they could ask for, their chances can rise up. And as for Celestia, when Passion was going through an uncontrollable power surge, despite how dangerous it was and the fact that it could've ended both worlds and even Celestia herself when she entered Passion's mind, she still persisted. Celestia did say that even she was wounded or if she failed, it wouldn't matter. All she wants is to see her subjects and everypony smile. And that means her own life. And with Ash and Hollow as a mentor to all of them, they're progressively improving as trainers as time goes on. It was because of these reasons that Twilight knew she had to do something. It was in her nature to help, much like Ash. "Alright. We'll help." Twilight agreed to it. Saying that caused all of her friends to gasp at her response. That was now the answer they were hoping for. "Uh...Twilight..." Pinkie Pie zoomed over to her friend, placing her hoof around Twilight's neck. "Listen...we've been through some rough stuff recently and every step of the way we've somehow managed to get out of every rough spot no matter how aggressive it is. But OH MY CELESTIA...THIS BONKERS! YOU SILLY FILLY!" "Pinkie Pie's right!" Rarity squealed. "Ghetsis is one thing, but an evil version of you that has countless of alicorn magic with her?! That's just ludicrous!" "And the Shadow Triad exist too, ya know!" Rainbow Dash flew up. "Team Plasma's been kicking our flanks without us even getting the upper hoof on them! If they're getting more and more allies who are stupid strong, what chance do we have?!" "I know, I know." Twilight nodded. "I'm as worried and scared as you all are. In fact, every time I remember Ghetsis, I just can't help but imagine the worst possible scenarios that could come from any more interactions with him. But, after hearing what Ash and Celestia have said, mostly Ash, if we don't do anything then..." "I'm with Twilight." Applejack. "I'm also the same pony who said I wanna protect my family and friends. But that also means I'm willing to take on anything larger than me. In more ways than one...If I don't try and protect them, then what's the point of me being a sister or a friend?" It took Applejack's response to make them realize that they all have family and friends that will be in even greater danger if they don't do anything to protect them. They all have their parents or siblings that they wish to keep out of harm's way. And Ghetsis is that force that creates a looming danger that could strike at any moment, harming them all. "...I can't argue with that." Rarity shook her head. "Nothing beats family." "Looks like I'm the silly filly here." Pinkie sighed. "I almost gave up on my family back home! Spinda! Knock some sense into me with Double Slap." "Spin!" The Spot Panda Pokemon jumped out of Pinkie's mane, spinning around as the ears of Spinda slapped Pinkie's face. "Ow! Thanks..." Pinkie rubbed her face. "I'm with you all," Rainbow spoke. "I may be afraid but...I'm no chicken!" "This is splendid!" Nyx had a smile on her face. "We are so relieved that you have decided to help us!" "It's for those we care for. So we have to." Twilight replied. "Besides, we've got a pretty amazing trainer as our mentor. With him around, things get a little less hairy." Rainbow place her hoof around Twilight's neck. "I can believe that...I was worried we weren't gonna get any help at all." Cocoa let out a resounding 'whew'. "You all head back now. We'll make sure that we'll help you in stopping Empress Twilight and Ghetsis." Rarity reassured. Although, the looks on Cocoa, Nyx and Rosestar's faces wasn't exactly one that was all about heading back home. "Uh...well...I'm not sure if you recall but..." Nyx scraped her hoof on the floor. "Oh, that's right. Empress Twilight took it over." Twilight gasped. "So...you don't have anywhere else to go?" "Well, it's not like we don't have a place to go it's just..." Cocoa winced. "If we try and go anywhere else, Ghetsis and Empress Twilight have either conquered that place or will eventually conquer it. This is the only universe where Ghetsis hasn't succeeded since Pokemon are just that powerful." Rosestar said. "So at this point, we're practically Planewalking Wanderers." Nyx sighed. "The best we can do is just hop from universe to universe and hope that it hasn't been taken over yet. But even when we do find that one universe, Ghetsis and Empress Twilight arrive either way. What a shame." Twilight looked to her friends, who looked back at her. They all took a moment to think about it for a second. That's when Pinkie Pie shook her head aggressively at Twilight. The young alicorn then turned to her Espeon, Vulpix and Minccino, wondering what their response was. All three of them had nodded their heads as well. After that, Fluttershy and the others did the same, along with their Pokemon. The decision had been made. "Maybe you don't have to keep running and wandering different universes." Twilight walked up to Nyx. "How about...you stay here?" There it was. Those words travelled through all three of their ears. One they didn't expect at all. Cocoa's jaw dropped whilst Rosestar's eyes narrowed. Both of them were surprised that they were willing to let them stay in this world. Cocoa was already thinking about how different this world must be with Pokemon involved. She didn't get to explore it that much since she and Rosestar arrived late into the Pokemon Festival. Rosestar thought that staying here might get a bit too chaotic. But she wasn't wrong. Every single day, something is happening in this version of Equestria thanks to Pokemon. Whether it be Ponyville, Canterlot or the Crystal Empire, something's happening that nopony sees coming. But at this point, she'll take it over the constant fleeing from Ghetsis and Empress Twilight. Besides, it's the only world that's managed to overcome many absurd threats. As for Nyx, her reaction surpassed both Cocoa and Rosestar. She was bewildered. It wasn't the fact that they all asked her to stay here. Not at all. It was the fact that Twilight was the one who said. In Nyx's original world, Twilight is a very important pony to her. More than this version of Twilight thinks. If you listen closely, you could hear her hyperventilating. Audino definitely could. At the same time, all three of them gave an echoing "YES" as a response. But Nyx's was the loudest. "Then it's settled. You can stay here until we eventually free your world from their control. And we promise that we will. Right, girls?" Twilight turned to them all. "Oh, yeah. 100%." Rainbow nodded her head, crossing her hooves. "We took in Jade who's a completely lost pony and now she's one of our good friends!" Pinkie put her arm around Cocoa and Rosestar. "So, you three are welcome here!" "You really believe that we'll be able to live here in a world like this? I mean...these Pokemon creatures are completely beyond my understanding. I know very little about them other than the fact that they seem to be magical creatures." Nyx spoke to Twilight. "I do. I was completely clueless about Pokemon for the very first time. And well... I still am. But I'm learning so much about them and even the other world where they originate from. I'm sure that we can help you get adjusted to this world. It is still Equestria, right?" "R-Right..." Nyx stammered. And so it was. In an unexpected turn of events, Ponyville had just gotten three new residents. Ponies who were from completely different universes with their own stories. Not only that, but that would also mean there is a second alicorn living in Ponyville. Granted, they'll have to speak with Mayor Mare about this since it is her town at the end of the day, but most likely, she'll sort something about. As for the situation regarding Empress Twilight, like an all-seeing eye, she had been watching this entire time. Not without help actually. Colress's spycams which are always constantly monitoring every single move of everypony in Equestria, let the tyrannical Twilight catch wind of this. "This is where they retreated to?" Empress Twilight spoke. She currently stood before Colress, inside of his own lab. "Those three are elusive aren't they?" "At this point, they won't be Planewalking for a long time now," Colress commented. "Good. That just means that I won't have to deal with those three annoyances every turn of the way. Although...if what they're saying is true about that universe being the most powerful version of Equestria there is, then I might've found the pinnacle of magic." Empress Twilight was already getting new ideas. "What truly interests me is that Boundless Cutie Mark on this world's Celestia. A Cutie Mark with every mark from the past present and future is something that I've never heard of before." "And you plan to take it for yourself?" "Of course I do. I already have the magic of a hundred alicorns at this point. No other version of Celestia and the other alicorns can stand up to me. But this world...I can already tell it'll prove to be a threat. The ponies here are much more vigorous than the rest. Especially the princesses." "More than you can imagine. Pokemon are being of unpredictable feats. If you make one mistake when facing them, there's no recovering." "You don't have to tell me that. Creatures that can stop time, distort space and even grant you the ability to win no matter what? I must say, these Pokemon creatures might prove to be some worth." Empress Twilight turned around as a gateway to her universe opened up. "Very soon, I shall be the one to head to that universe and overwhelm it. Tell Ghetsis that." The tyrannical Empress Twilight took her leave, causing Colress to sigh. He was glad that she was gone. Being around her is very nerve-wracking since it feels like she could obliterate you at any moment. In any case, the threats are now piling up. With the knowledge of Ghetsis and Empress Twilight conquering world after world non-stop, Twilight and her friends were now on high-alert. But now, they have more helpful allies on their side. Allies who have access to Planewalking even. They'll need all the help they can get against these ominous and earth-shattering threats as the journey continues. Chapter 216 End.