Canterlot Nursing Room. The Pokemon Festival. 11:00 AM.
Luna was still in the nursing room in an injured state. She could hear the ticking of the clock as it somehow overpowered the sound of the Pokemon Festival happening outside.
Unable to re-join the Pokemon Festival, Luna was obviously upset about that. However, because of how long she's been sealed in the moon, her patience is legendary.
Luckily, she had something to pass the time. From her birthday that happened months ago, she had that small little game console to enjoy herself with. And it certainly kept her occupied while her body was slowly healing.
"Yes!" Luna exclaimed as she was having a blast playing the game. "I am unstoppable in every sense of the word!" But she couldn't get too excited or move around since her body was still greatly wounded. "Ow-ow!"
Luna had to stay on that bed without too many movements. The amount of gravity used on her was already devastating enough. Even when playing this game, Luna was actually waiting for Celestia and her parents to return. She had already given what she had experienced in Empress Twilight's world and Skyblue Shine's basement to Pyrestar. So Pyrestar will be able to pass on information to Celestia, Sunlight and Eventide, saving Luna all the trouble.
But, she can only imagine what would happen if her family saw her in this condition. Obviously, they will be distraught, but Luna was worried about one thing. When Celestia was injured by Ghetsis, it awoke the Sorrowful Rage magic within Luna and brought out Lunar Ire.
If either her sister or parents saw her like this, then there might be a chance that they'll end up receiving the Sorrowful Rage magic as well, depending on how they react.
Speaking of her sister and parents, they had finally returned to Canterlot by bursting through the door and scaring Luna which made the moon princess drop her game console.
"Wah!" Luna screeched.
"Luna!" The three of them all exclaimed with worry in their voices.
"Oh, finally...you're back." Luna let out a sigh of relief as Sunlight rushed over, hugging her daughter while tears were flying out of her like a fountain.
"My little Luna! Thank goodness!" Sunlight wailed.
"C-Can't breathe...mother!" Luna's eyes were bulging while being hugged by her mother's surprisingly potent hold.
"We heard everything from Pyrestar!" said Eventide. "Have your bones healed from the gravity?!"
"No. I'm afraid it's moving at such an incredibly slow pace." Luna shook her head. "The slowest form of healing I've ever seen."
"That Empress Twilight..." Celestia growled as she turned her head. Clearly, she had built up anger and rage towards this alternate universe Twilight for what she did to her younger sister.
Luna was worried about this. She was worried about Celestia unleashing Sorrowful Rage magic herself. However, she noticed that her older sister's mane was flaring up, almost as if it was being set on fire. But, Celestia managed to regain her composure as the flaring stopped.
"I knew we shouldn't have let you go on your own. It was far too dangerous considering the background of the situation." Eventide uttered as he stomped his hoof.
"Perhaps. But it's fine now! Besides...now we know where Skyblue Shine resides and what she's hiding!" Luna exclaimed as her wings twitched. "Ow..."
"It's clearly not fine." Sunlight denied. "Your bones are broken, your horn is damaged and you can barely utilize your wings. The best you can do is move your front hooves."
"I know." Luna sighed until she sparked an idea."But perhaps...Mother! Father! You've exceeded natural alicorns! Perhaps you have a spell that instantly heal me, correct?! And you can make sure that my body isn't affected by gravity anymore!"
"Well, we do have healing spells that are more efficient than Equestria's spells since they come from the Ambrosial Plane." Sunlight nodded.
"And?!" Luna had a wide smile on her face as she was thrilled to hear what would come next.
"But for something such as gravity...we're not so sure." Eventide quickly shut her down. "Protecting yourself against a force like that is truly difficult and not that easy to achieve."
"Oh." Luna's smile transformed into a frown once more. "Shame on me for thinking that would be so easy...I suppose gravity will forever be an issue then."
"However, we can still perform a spell that can protect you from something such as gravity." Eventide sparked some hope back up in her.
"R-Really?!"
"Certainly. This is the only spell that is fit for this scenario. There is no other like it in Equestria so it's highly rare and unique. Especially considering its potency." Eventide said.
"Whatever it is, I'll take it. If it means I'll stand a better chance against her gravity spell when the invasion arrives in just 2 months."
"Alright then. Let's get this started." Eventide stood beside Sunlight as they were both ready to cast a grand healing spell that surpasses all other healing spells in Equestria. It was made in the Ambrosial Plane after all.
A gold and green light shot out of both their horns, merging as one to create a single ball of magic that hovered over Luna. The amount of magical energy the ball was exerting was enough to pose a threat to all forms of magic, no matter the origin.
Luna looked up to see the ball of magic as it entered inside of her. She closed her eyes, ready to embrace whatever feeling it might give her. Once the ball entered the moon princess, her eyes flared with golden and green lights that shined out of her, outlining her body as well.
Celestia, Passion and Arcanine closed their eyes since the light was a bit blinding to the eyes. But not to Sunlight and Eventide. The magic lit up the nursing room as Luna was now floating because of it. She wasn't doing this out of her own will. The lights shot out of Luna before causing her to fall back on the bed.
"Oh...my..." Luna felt a bit dizzy after that.
"There." Eventide went up to his youngest daughter. "The greatest benefit from that spell we cast isn't the healing, but instead what it prevents from within.
"Prevents from within?" Luna looked over at her father.
"Your body will still take damage like normal. However, no other variations of magic will enter your body. Be it dark magic, chaos magic etc." Sunlight explained. "Not sure about Pokemon magic, however..."
"S-So I cannot be afflicted then?!" Luna gained a bright smile.
"Yes." Eventide nodded. "This is to make sure that gravity magic does not affect you anymore. But remember. On the outside, you are still vulnerable. So stay safe."
"I will!" Luna immediately got up from the bed. "I feel so different now! My limbs still feel a bit sore, but it's a relief to finally walk and fly once more. A shame I can't move around as much now..."
"It's also a relief to see you so happy again!" Celestia hugged her little sister.
"Right. I'm just glad to be mobile once more. But I should probably continue staying here for a while for a bit more relaxation. Especially to clear my head after what happened in the other universe. The Pokemon Festival certainly won't allow me to take things slowly with how active it is."
"You can just head to your room in the meantime." Celestia pointed her hoof in the direction of Luna's room. "We'll make sure that you receive all the privacy that you need.
"Thank you, sister. You too, mother and father. I don't know what I would do without you all. Really. That could've been the end of me here and there..."
"But to think there's a universe where Twilight Sparkle becomes that warped. And putting my sweet Celestia in such a degrading state as her own personal cleaning maid." Sunlight shuddered.
"Alternate universes can be terrifying sometimes..." Eventide nodded.
"I'll have Skyblue Shine turned in immediately," said Celestia. "Along with keeping the entire mansion on lockdown with guards surrounding it. Nopony will be allowed to pass through that gateway."
"Wait! What about Premium Polish!" Luna shot up.
"Who?" Celestia turned to her.
"The daughter of Skyblue Shine. She's clearly innocent and unaware of her own mother's actions. To a point where she is forbidden to enter the basement. What about her?"
"Hm...We'll probably have to get her a new home. It's not safe for her to stay there with that mansion connecting to the gateway. Or Vanhoover in general, actually." Celestia decided. "Perhaps she might have a relative she can stay with. If they're not in on the Umbrage Theif debacle."
"That's good. But revealing the truth about her mother to her might be a greater challenge in of itself..." Luna grumbled.
"I'll handle it. In the meantime, how about we bring you food, gifts or anything from the Pokemon Festival? We revisited the Arceus Museum and brought some fairly attractive trinkets if you want." Celestia suggested.
"Oh, sure." Luna nodded. "Just please don't over-fill my room. The Pokemon already occupy it enough." With that, Luna made her way towards her bedroom to get some more rest as she needed to adjust to things for a while.
Everything would be left up to her sister and her parents at this point. Luna was glad to be back. Being able to fly, run, use magic or any major form of movement was a relief. She was still vulnerable on the outside and any powerful attack will certainly put her back in the nursing room. But for now, on the inside, she was safe.
But one entity came out of Luna. Of course, it was Lunar Ire. The manifestation of the Sorrowful Rage.
"Seems as if you've managed to receive something beneficial...How lucky" Lunar Ire spoke while in the form of a wisp, floating beside Luna.
"You again. I do not need to speak to you anymore. I'm fully healed, even without you possessing me."
"Indeed. And was done so easily too. However, you're not invincible and you'll have a chance to be put in the nursing room once more."
"Absurd. Mother and father have made it so that afflictions do not harm me. At least, seemingly for the time being. This was their first time utilizing it anyway."
"Time being is right. Like many spells, it won't last forever, sadly. Such is the consequence of magic. Unless...Empress Twilight can somehow ignore that?"
"What do you mean?!" Luna stopped walking as the guards watched her talking to what seemed to be air. But really, she's the only one who can see Lunar Ire's wisp form.
"She has stolen magic from countless alicorns remember? She wields many spells exclusive to other universes and some she has not even mastered yet. Which is why she's using those 2 months to perfect them all. She might have a spell that ignores what your parents have done. But I might be reaching, right...?"
"Why would you invoke something akin to fear in me?"
"I'm not just your sorrow and rage, Luna. I'm more analogous to you than you think. If you accept me, you have no idea how much it will benefit you. Empress Twilight's many spells will be nothing more than child's play."
"I told you, I will never accept you! Now leave and never bother me again!" Luna bellowed as she startled all of the guards around her.
"Um...Are you alright, Princess Luna?" A guard asked.
"Hm?" Luna's ears shot up as she looked around her to see the guards giving her awkward gazes. "Hahaha!" She laughed nervously. "No need to worry! Everything is fine!"
"Keep telling yourself that. But you should know this, Luna. The permanent nature of Sorrowful Rage magic isn't a burden. In fact, you're the reason why I am still here." Lunar Ire was fading away. "Your mind says no, but your body knows what is coming. And I'll be ready for that fateful day." She vanished, returning inside Luna once more.
"Tch! What a nuisance." Luna scoffed before looking at the floor. "But...could she actually be right?"
The Royal Unova. Arcane Sea. 12:00 PM.
The ship was nearing the Ocean Gate, where they'll return to the seas of Unova and also turn in the Team Plasma grunt to Officer Jenny. All was well now.
They've passed the Flaming Tsunami and so far, no odd events have attacked the ship. It was all smooth sailing right now. But obviously, Drake never lets his guard down.
Ash and everyone got to enjoy themselves some fresh and delicious food from the Royal Unova. The same food that Axew and the Slurpuffs were almost distracted by when searching for the grunt.
"Mmm! This is good stuff!" Ash said while eating an entire buffet alongside Pikachu, Pinkie Pie, the Slurpuffs and Axew.
"Pikachu!"
"So good!" Pinkie Pie felt great ecstasy eating all this gourmet-class food. She and her Pokemon were getting to experience this wonderful food for themselves.
As for Twilight and everyone else, they were just relaxing in the lounge room nearby. They didn't want to worry about anything else at this point.
"As much as I love the Arcane Sea with how mystical and unique it is, I can't wait to leave here and return to normal and ordinary seas," said Rarity, resting on a couch. "There's only so much a lady can handle."
"Drake only came here for the special Haxorus, right?" Applejack sank into the soft couch. "Spike beat him to that already."
"Maybe one day, we can come back here and explore these seas more," Fluttershy said. "I want to see more Special Pokemon myself!
"Melo..." Meloetta was currently asleep, laying next to Fluttershy's Chikorita.
"Just one more week left..." Rainbow Dash yawned. "And it'll all be over."
"Mhm." Twilight nodded. "That is until something crazier comes up. Let's face it. With Pokemon, the times we get to rest are so minuscule it's insane."
"I'll say." Rarity replied. "We can't go an entire week without something large-scale occurring. Good or bad."
"But it's fun either way, right?" Rainbow Dash grinned.
"Yes. It is pretty fun." Rarity giggled.
"Lucky." Coco appeared in-between Rarity and Rainbow Dash. "Maybe I'll get to go on my own wild adventures too."
"Let's not get too ambitious now." Rarity patted Coco on the back as they all laughed along with most of their Pokemon. It was all very casual on the Royal Unova at this point as the relaxing waves could be heard from the outside.
And speaking of the outside, Team Rocket along with the Cutie Mark Crusaders were about to test out their dinghy which had upgrades that only Team Rocket would be capable of pulling off.
"It's ready! Let's get this baby on water now!" Jessie got in the dinghy as they were standing on top of the Royal Unova while the breeze of the Arcane Sea could be felt, despite having a space-like appearance.
"This is gonna be great!" Scootaloo jumped up and down with glee. "What do you think will happen to me if I jump in the water?"
"Or me!" Sweetie Belle slid in.
"Or what about me?!" So did Apple Bloom.
"Slow down there, my little ponies." James suddenly stopped them. "It's just us three going on a sail, remember? We can't bring you along."
"Aww! Why not?!" They each sighed.
"Like we'd be crazy to let such young kids sail on waters these strange and wacky." Jessie got on the boat. "Way too dangerous."
"What does that make the twerp then?" Meowth whispered to Jessie as he was referring to Ash.
"That twerp's obviously not normal. Some sort of superhuman." Jessie scoffed.
"Sorry. But leave this to the adults okay?" James kneeled to face them.
"But we wanna come along too. Please?" Apple Bloom pouted, giving puppy dog eyes to James.
"Guh!" James winced back as the eyes were super-effective on him.
"We promise not to cause any trouble!" Sweetie Belle also used the puppy dog eyes on Jessie.
"Mmmrgh..." Jessie grimaced at Sweetie Belle's face. The eyes were very tempting and it didn't help that Scootaloo joined in as well, just adding more power to the faces. Eventually, Jessie gave in. "Alright! But don't touch anything! That's our job since we're catching Special Pokemon for ourselves. Got it?"
"Yes ma'am!" The trio exclaimed.
"Seriously?!" James and Meowth screamed as they faced Jessie.
"Just go with it okay?!" Jessie bellowed back at the two of them.
"Yes ma'am..." The decision had been made. The CMC were joining this small little boat ride as they as well were hoping to catch Special Pokemon of their own.
They all got on the boat as they were aiming at sailing on the streams of water that were above the ship instead of the ones that were further away. Sailing on top was the better option since they'll be closer to the Royal Unova without having to worry about falling off.
"Set on!" Meowth pressed a tiny little green button that was plastered on the front of the boat, activating the special upgrade that'll allow it to sail in an area such as this.
From the bottom of the boat, rocket boosters came out as the small dinghy was being lifted into the air and towards the streams of water. The CMC gawked as they witnessed the boat fly up.
"Now let's get great direction." James pulled out a small controller that seemed to control the boat. It was clear that this was not an ordinary boat at all.
By hovering towards the stream with James' control, the dinghy removed its rocket boosts, pulling them back inside as the boat was carefully sent down without too much force added into it. The boat landed on the stream of water that was above the Royal Unova as they were now sailing on the unpredictable waters of the Arcane Sea.
"Success!" Team Rocket exclaimed as the CMC cheered.
"Alright then!" James got out a fishing rod that had Poke Ball bait on it. "Let's see if my fishing skills are still top-notch!"
"Oh. I didn't bring my own fishing rod!" Apple Bloom gasped.
"We don't have fishing rods." Sweetie Belle turned to the earth pony.
"And...go!" James got to work as he had already sent the reel into the water from afar. Now he had to wait for a Pokemon to hook on the rod. Meanwhile, Jessie already had a Poke Ball out for the occasion as soon as James pulls a Pokemon in.
Meowth also got out some sweet scent jars to try and attract the Pokemon towards them. They were obviously going to try various ways to get themselves a Special Pokemon. If they could.
And it was working. Pokemon nearby immediately swam over to the sweet scent coming out of the jar. But one problem was that most of the water streams were separated instead of conjoined. So unless some of the Pokemon can fly, it'll be a bit hard to get close to the sweet scent.
Sweetie Belle was too busy gazing at the stars of the Arcane Ocean to even focus on catching the Pokemon. They were too beautiful to look at.
But something even more beautiful was about to happen at this very moment.
The same blue wisps that allowed the Royal Unova to pass through the Ocean Gate and enter the Arcane Sea had shown up once more with Sweetie Belle being the first to witness them.
"Huh Hey! Look!" The young unicorn exclaimed, grabbing the attention of everyone here apart from James who was still fishing.
The rest of them turned around as they saw that the blue wisps were now floating everywhere in the sky, surrounding the Royal Unova once more.
"What are they gonna do now?" Scootaloo wondered.
"Beats me." Apple Bloom shook her head.
The wisps were here to do two things, similar to what they did before as they let out their angelic voices. They were going to put on a farewell show to the Royal Unova and the passengers on board.
Everyone inside of the ship looked outside to gaze at the wisps once more and all their beautiful glory. They knew the wisps were here to impress. But they weren't alone. From beneath the ship, a very familiar individual had returned.
The Pure Liquid Milotic made a reappearance.
But this time, it wasn't here to attack. Instead, it was putting on a show alongside the blue wisps. There was no hostility against the ship this time.
"๐๐ฒ๐ต๐ธ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฌ!"
Everyone gazed as they saw the Pure Liquid Milotic fly next to the ship, showing off its wonderful body to them all once more. But it was about to get better.
The wisps then all flew towards the Milotic, entering its liquid body all of a sudden. Once inside, they gave the Pure Liquid Milotic a wonderful dazzling shine that emanated out of it and lit up the Arcane Sea. All the millions of wisps inside of the Tender Pokemon really fit with its long body as it looked like it had spotted dots as a pattern on it.
"Would ya look at that..." The helmsman gawked.
"Mhm." Drake nodded. "Seems that sea's trust us now. And they're giving their farewell."
Indeed they were. Milotic then ascended higher, floating above the Royal Unova as everyone looked outside the window, wondering what it would do next. Suddenly, the Flaming Tsunami had returned, but this time it was in the form of a spiral.
The spiral flame flew over, becoming one with Milotic by outlining its liquid body in fire, giving it an extra flair and beauty that everyone enjoyed. This was akin to Pokemon Contest moves. And speaking of contest moves, Sweetie Belle and Coco Pommel were making sure to remember this moment, just in case.
As Milotic let out one final and beautiful cry with a burst of fire and light shining out of it, in front of the Royal Unova, the Ocean Gate could be seen.
It was time to go.
"Buh-bye!" Pinkie Pie waved her hoof rapidly at Milotic along with everyone else. It was also a farewell to the Arcane Sea as well.
"Hm?" Jessie noticed that they were leaving. "Oh! Time to go!" She grabbed James, pulling him away from his fishing rod as he almost dropped it.
"Ah!" James gasped. "What about our Special Pokemon?!"
"We'll come back here another time when we make a better boat! Now let's go!" Jessie said as the dinghy was being directed back to the Royal Unova for safety.
The Arcane Sea was truly an experience. And yet, they've barely even scratched the surface of what these mystical seas are capable of. But now that it's accessible and Drake knows where it's located, anyone can visit and there is a very good guarantee that the results will be vastly different because of its unpredictable nature.
The Royal Unova passed through the Ocean Gate as it had finally left the Arcane Sea.
Nimbasa City. 12:30.
"There." Officer Jenny placed the Team Plasma Grunt in handcuffs as the arrest was a swimming success. "Many thanks for finding him. The Pokemon Ranger HQ is also gonna love this."
"Don't get too confident..." The grunt scoffed. "Team Plasma will eventually take over both worlds and I'll be scot-free sooner than you think."
"I'd like to see that happen. Let's go." Jenny placed the grunt in the car with her Herdier inside of it, keeping guard. She entered the car as her work here was done for now. "If you find any more of them, let us know."
"Alright," Ash said.
"Pikachu."
As the car drove off, Ash and the others were about to return to the Royal Unova to finally relax and forget about anything else that may be seen as a threat.
"Glad that's over with..." Twilight sighed. "And I'm glad we're sailing on normal seas this time."
"Mhm." Her friends nodded in agreement.
"But I'm gonna miss the Arcane Sea." Pinkie Pie pouted. "When are we gonna come back here, you think?"
"Hopefully soon!" Ash shared Pinkie Pie's enthusiasm.
"Pika-Pika."
"Sorry I kinda took your Special Haxorus from you Drake," Spike spoke to Drake while walking up the stairs.
"No need to worry, boy." Drake shook his head. "You've earned it. And because of that, I can see that you'll become a great Dragon Trainer very soon."
"Really? Yes!" That was music to Spike's ears.
"Axew!"
Now, it was time for some normal sailing on the Royal Unova. Nothing unpredictable will come back up. And frankly, many of the passengers enjoyed that thought. In something as large as the Pokemon Festival combined with the Arcane Sea, something small is needed as the journey continues.
Chapter 351 End.