Twilight's castle, afternoon.
Currently, Luster Dawn had been exposed. Thanks to Nyx. She was now made aware within the castle and her facade wouldn't fool anyone anymore. Although, it was a bit of a half-facade. One part of it was true while the other was a lie.
Luster had just taken a spellbook unique to this universe and the sheets involving research of Pyreestar's world. Speaking of which, Luster had also discovered the gateway that connected to Pyrestar's world as well. So she had some juicy information to return to the Empress.
But, she wasn't going to leave here unnoticed.
The moment she passed through the gateway, returning to the inside of Twilight's castle, there was Nyx, Sunset Shimmer and Starlight Glimmer standing before her with Togekiss in the back. She had just been found out recently.
"Hold it right there, Luster Dawn!" Nyx declared as Luster came to a halt.
"Hm?!" Luster shot up. "G-Guess the jig's up. Nice to see you again, Nyx."
"It certainly is. So you've finally decided to show yourself in this universe as well?"
"Oh yes. Just here on important matters. Don't worry. I'm not here to conquer this world...yet. Just picking up a few things for my Empress."
"So you're just student of the other Twilight!" Starlight cried out. "You lied to us!"
"Ah! I was technically telling the truth." Luster corrected Starlight. "I really am her protege and will soon be an alicorn myself! The Empress has already graced me with wonderful lessons that only she can provide, so I've already passed the natural unicorn magic skills long ago. More than the rest of you, that's for sure..."
"Eevee...!" Nyx's Eevee growled at Luster.
"Whatever. Flaunt your skills all you want. Even though you're not as amazing as you say you are. You aren't leaving now that we have you here." Nyx stomped her hoof.
"Hoh? What makes you think I'm staying? Are you suggesting that somehow, you're a threat to me?"
"Are you blind? Currently, you're in what might be the strongest version of Equestria there is. Thanks to the Pokemon, after all." Nyx replied.
"Oh, right. Those things." Luster scoffed at Eevee.
"Vee!"
"The way I see it, the outcome won't be the same in other universe's. Not this time."
"Hmph. You think just because you have some pets by your side, you think you'll keep me here?" Luster's horn started glowing. "I don't think so. Besides...what will you do when the Empress comes back for me?"
"Uh...She's got a point actually." Starlight shuddered. "Maybe it's not a good idea to engage her."
"We'll see about that." But Nyx didn't fear Luster Dawn. She would be willing to engage and capture her right now. However, Nyx didn't want to damage Twilight's castle.
And as for Luster, she was still in pursuit of the cauldron and nothing else. Now that she had seen the rest of the castle for herself, she concluded that Team Rocket, Zecora and the cauldron weren't here. So she had no reason to be in this castle anymore.
"Whatever. I don't need to be here right now. What I need isn't in here anyway!" Luster scoffed as she used her magic to teleport out of the castle, leaving Nyx and the other's sight.
"Oh!" Sunset and Starlight gasped.
"She won't get away from us...!" Nyx turned around, also preparing herself for a teleport. "Whatever she came here for, she can't leave with it!"
"We're going after her?! But what about-" Starlight was the most nervous out of everyone due to the potential arrival of Empress Twilight if she does end showing up earlier than expected.
"Forget about that for now!" Nyx put her hooves around both Sunset and Starlight with Eevee jumping on her back.
"Eevee!" With everyone making contact with Nyx, the alicorn used her own teleportation spell, immediately leaving the castle while Togekiss just watched everyone around her leave. She had just heard one whopper of a conversation. One she wouldn't forget.
"Toge?"
Ponyville.
Luster Dawn was the first to arrive obviously as she immediately began searching the rest of Ponyville for Team Rocket, Zecora and the cauldron.
"Now...Where is it?" Luster navigated her head, wondering which part of Ponyville she should check in first? There were lots of other prominent buildings aside from Twilight's castle. There was her Pokemon Lab, SugarCube Corner and Town Hall.
"Luster Dawn!" But, before she could even have the chance to decide where to head next, Nyx and the others had shown up via teleportation, not allowing Luster to escape from here. Especially with the items that she's stolen.
"Tch!" Luster kissed her teeth, looking back at the group after her. "Can you get lost already?!"
"Whatever you're after, I won't let you return it! Especially to that Empress of yours!" Nyx stepped forward as everypony in Ponyville nearby heard this conversation, looking over at the scene.
One of them was Twilight, who was also searching for Zecora, hoping for her safety. She was currently asking everypony if they had seen Zecora near recently before hearing the voices of Nyx and the mysterious pony she crossed paths with earlier.
"Hey..." Twilight stopped walking, spotting Nyx and the unicorn. "It's that pony from before."
"Uh...Who?" Rainbow Dash wondered. "And what's going on?"
"Sounds as if some sort of thievery is occurring." Rarity observed. "Looks like it came from your castle, Twilight."
"My castle? Wait, w-"
"Twilight! Everypony!" Just before she could finish the rest of her sentences, the next pony who was also searching for somepony, mainly Twilight, had also found her target. Fluttershy, of course. Now it was just Luster who hadn't found who and what she was looking for.
"Fluttershy?" Twilight faced the pegasus.
"Thank goodness I found you!" Fluttershy came to a screeching halt. "Quick! You have to listen to this!"
"Uh...Bit busy with something important here." Rainbow Dash pointed her hoof at the scenario near Twilight's castle and lab.
"This is important too!" Fluttershy raised her voice, startling Rainbow Dash. "Listen. Somepony from Empress Twilight's world has just shown up here!"
"Hah?!" Her friends exclaimed as they turned their heads away from Nyx and Luster and focused on Fluttershy.
"Not too long ago. I think. Her name is Luster Dawn from what Zecora told me and-"
"Zecora's okay?!" Twilight grabbed Fluttershy, shaking her as today just had a ton of interruptions from everypony. "Really?!"
"Y-Yes!" Fluttershy responded while being shaken like a bottle of soda.
"Oh thank Celestia..." Twilight sighed. She could rest easy knowing that Zecora was A-Ok. "But, go on. What's this about a Luster Dawn? And who is she?"
"Um..." Fluttershy gulped as she gently raised her hoof, pointing it past Twilight and the rest of her friends. The Elements of Harmony slowly turned their heads to where Fluttershy was pointing.
By doing that, they were able to see who exactly this Luster Dawn pony was.
"Her." Of course, it was the one that Nyx was currently arguing with and staring down. That was her. Straight from a not-so-pleasant universe.
"Her?!" Twilight and the others exclaimed.
"Oh?" Luster overheard all the shouting coming from behind as she took her attention away from Nyx, pausing their argument and back and forth rambling for a bit. Now Luster could see this universe's version of her Empress.
Or rather, a younger version of Empress Twilight. MInus the Empress and more emphasis on the Princess. By this point, everyone was made aware of each other.
"Mother..." Nyx silently said.
"I-I thought the invasion wasn't gonna happen for like what, 3 more weeks?" said Rainbow Dash as she was eyeing down the unicorn. "Why's she here so early?"
"It's the cauldron of Fusion magic..." Fluttershy gently whispered. "She's after it and wants to return it to her own universe. Zecora and Team Rocket are hiding it away at the Pokemon House right now."
"So she's just here for a retrieval mission..." Twilight whispered back. "Then that means the Empress wants all the magic inside of the cauldron for herself."
"Oh." Rarity quickly realized how bad of a result that would be if Empress Twilight was giving Fusion magic. She had already heard how terrifying she was before and some of that magic would just make things worse for everyone. Depending on whether it blesses or curses the Empress. "Oh, dear."
"Hey!" Rainbow Dash yelled, drawing Luster's attention. "Get lost!"
"Huh?" Luster looked up at Rainbow Dash.
"Yeah, can you come back in like 3 weeks?! The invasion hasn't started yet!" Pinkie Pie bellowed.
"Pinkie!" Rainbow Dash turned to Pinkie Pie, causing the earth pony to make a tiny grin.
"Looks like you're surrounded, Luster Dawn," Nyx spoke. "What now?"
"Pssh! Stop talking like you've got the advantage over me! I don't have to interact with any of you. Unless...one of you knows where that cauldron is."
"Like we'd tell you." Rarity scoffed. "You're best heading home than searching aimlessly for it"
"I know it's here somewhere because Zecora and that Team Rocket or whatever took it before I blew that entire forest sky-high."
"That was you?!" Rainbow Dash gasped.
"You tried to destroy Zecora and destroyed her home?!" Twilight growled.
"Mhm. But a slight correction. That explosion I used was a controlled one. I made sure that everything else except for the cauldron would've been affected. But Zecora and that forest would've been blown to smithereens while the cauldron would remain. That's just the special kind of magic you're capable of when you're taught by the best alicorn in existence."
"You...!" That actually struck a massive nerve on Twilight. Hearing that Luster was actually planning to destroy Zecora began fueling Twilight's anger. So much so that, just like Princess Luna, that Sorrowful Magic was lurking around. Ever since Celesti had been injured by Ghetsis last year, it never left Twilight. Where Luna has Lunar Ire, Twilight possess her own known as Horizon Storm.
And of course, something like this would cause this dormant magic to try and awake as Twilight's horn and eyes started flashing repeatedly. But, she kept herself composed as Horizon Storm did not fully come out. Thanks to Olympia's lessons, Twilight could control her anger.
"Espeon?"
"I'm fine, Eve." Twilight sighed. "But right now...she's already gotten on my nerves..."
"Now." Luster's horn began glowing. "Which one of you is going to tell me where Zecora is? Because of it not then well, I'll just have to do the same thing I did to Everfree Forest and we wouldn't want that now would me?" She was now threatening Ponyville as the citizens backed up after hearing that statement.
"Zecora's staying away from you. And the cauldron." Twilight flew over to Luster. "As for you, since you're here, this'll be a good time to detain you. And get some answers and information about your world. Over at Canterlot obviously."
"Detain me? Haha!" She started laughing at Twilight's words, similar to what Nyx said to her. "A unicorn of my prowess? I'd like to see you try!" Luster decided to clear some space by causing a magical barrier to expand around her.
"!" But, Twilight actually managed to react in time by putting up her own magical barrier that protected her and Eve from Luster's expanding barrier, blocking it from reaching anyone else. Nyx did the same for the friends on her side.
"Espeon!" Eve snarled at Luster.
"Leavanny!" Rarity called for her Leavanny as she threw out all 12 of her Poke Balls, sending each of her Leavanny out.
"Leavan!" All 12 of them cried out after emerging from their Poke Balls.
"Use String Shot!"
"Van!" Each of Rarity's Leavanny opened their mouths, shooting out thick white threads of silk towards the unicorn. Thus, an instance involving conflict had been sparked from this.
"Hm?" Luster looked over, noticing the approaching strings. She gasped at their impressive speed as she had been caught by them before she knew it. From hooves, neck, back and stomach, the strings from Leavanny had each got their hold on Luster Dawn. "Huh?!"
"Lea!" Now that they had their strings connected to her, they began pulling their heads back, causing Luster to spin around as the thread was wrapping around Luster continuously, overlapping and resembling a cocoon."
"Woah!" Luster screamed as her entire body was being restrained by these thick strings. Soon, Luster had now been wrapped up in a string cocoon, holding the unicorn in place.
"There." Rarity smiled. "That should keep you occupied for a while until the Canterlot guards show up."
"What? Strings and a cocoon?" Luster merely laughed at her current state, not making a big deal of it. And for good reason. Because the moment she stopped laughing, she immediately used her magic to disintegrate the thick strings with ease, showing little effort.
Leavanny's strings always require some level of high effort to break them due to how powerful and efficient they are. And Luster used little of it.
"Oh!" Rarity gasped.
"Leavan!"
"Here. I'll do you one better!" The protege of the Empress decided to return the favour to Rarity and her Leavanny. With her own form of restraint.
By using her magic, Luster tapped into one of the many spells in her arsenal, courtesy of the lessons from her Empress. One of these spells were magical chains. An orb of magic flew out of Luster's horn and out of that orb, golden chains of magic suddenly sprouted out of it, spreading them out.
The chains moved at high speeds as they weren't just targeting Rarity and Leavanny. Since Luster wanted answers on where the cauldron was, the chains were going for everypony here as they moved haphazardly.
"Look out!" Twilight warned everyone as the chains immediately grabbed onto some ponies, wrapping around them in no time.
"Leavanny, return!" Rarity quickly took out her Poke Balls with her magic to try and return each of her Leavanny, but the chains ended up grabbing her hooves before that could happen. Each of the Leavanny Poke Balls fell to the ground.
"Van!" Her Leavanny tried avoiding the chains but they were too fast for them to each avoid.
"Eve! Psychic!"
"Espeon!" Eve tried to stop the chains by using her mind as Twilight chimed in as well, using her own magic. The trainer and Pokemon stood before the golden chains as a purple outline surrounded them.
They were actually capable of holding back the chains that were heading for them, just barely stopping them before they made contact. Twilight and Eve's Psychic and magic connection was strong enough to do so.
However, while they could stop the chains from the front that came their way, chains that came from behind ended up catching them in the end, wrapping around the princess and her Pokemon.
"Ugh!" Twilight groaned.
"Esp!"
"Whoa!" Rainbow Dash was flying about, evading the rapid moving chains as she was certainly fast enough to see them coming and avoid them in time. But even she could only evade them for so long. The pegasus looked at the orb, knowing that it kept churning out chains that seemed endless as more Pokemon and ponies were being caught by them.
Rainbow Dash then decided to destroy the orb. If the orb is gone, then the chains will cease as well. "We'll just smash that orb then! Castform, use Energy Ball!"
"Cast!" Castform immediately flew out of Rainbow Dash's saddlebag, reacting to the sunlight as he transformed into Sunny Form Castform. The Weather Pokemon then opened his mouth, firing a green ball filled with the power of nature, sending it towards the orb.
Unfortunately, when travelling there, the chains suddenly whipped around, smashing the Energy Ball until it was destroyed and no more. The whips then went over to Castform, ready to grab him next, but Rainbow Dash quickly grabbed her partner, flying high into the air and avoiding the rest of the chains.
"Audino!" Audino used Protect around Fluttershy, Chikorita and Scorbunny, shielding them from the chains with a green barrier. The chains began aggressively hitting the barrier, trying to break through with their violent whips. "D-Dino!"
"How's that? Chain magic." Luster flaunted while the chains kept moving on their own with Luster needing to do anything else. "Far better and stronger than some threads of silk. This should keep you all occupied in the meantime. But first...one of you is gonna tell me where Zecora really is. Right now."
"You wish!" Rainbow Dash cried out while she kept avoiding the chains. She then dug into her bag, pulling out her next Poke Ball, throwing it. "Braviary! Come out and use Superpower!"
"Braviary!"
"Oh?" Luster Dawn looked up at the Valiant Pokemon.
"Vi!" Braviary's eyes flashed as he saw the golden chains everywhere. Especially the ones heading straight for his trainer. Knowing that the situation seemed serious and dire, Braviary got to work, lightning his wings and talons with energy.
He immediately clapped his wings together, creating a thunderclap as a wide shockwave formed, blowing away the incoming chains and shattering them. The shockwave spread further, destroying every other chain out there with its seismic power as even Luster Dawn was almost pushed back by this shockwave.
Everyone that had been held by the chains had been freed immediately thanks to Braviary as the orb had been hit by the thunderclap too. The force of Superpower easily destroyed the small orb of magic, putting an end to the magic chain fiasco as the tiny shattered pieces began fading away with a golden glow.
"Well then..." Luster witnessed her chains fading away as she was impressed by this.
"Thanks, Braviary." Rainbow Dash thanked her partner as she slowly descended.
"Okay. I knew the Pokemon were powerful but... that's something." Luster Dawn shrugged. "Getting to that cauldron really won't be as easy as I thought. If interrupts like these keep happening."
The unicorn then ascended into the air as everyone looked up, following her movements carefully, cautious on what she was about to do next. Luster would do anything to make the Empress happy and achieve her goals. She wasn't about to let a town get in her way of that cauldron.
"I'm getting that cauldron! One way or the other!" Luster declared as she was about to perform her next spell. Knowing that something else was coming that no one would want, Nyx decided to flap her wings, following after Luster Dawn, attempting to prevent her from causing any more harm.
Luster's eyes quickly shifted towards the approaching Nyx as she had already received the right amount of time needed to cast her next spell. Very short too. When Luster's horn flashed, all of a sudden, Nyx could feel herself trembling all of a sudden. But not one of fear.
When Nyx was just about to fire a blast of magic from her horn, she suddenly froze in place, shaking out of nowhere as her magic had been interrupted.
"W-W-What is this?!" Nyx shuddered as her movements were starting to become erratic.
"Vibration Magic." Luster explained. "Pretty nifty spell isn't it? Everything here is mine to manipulate along with every other target here!" She laughed as her magic spread out, affecting everyone else nearby. Braviary, who was also in the air, had been caught within this vibration as the atmosphere was shaking.
"B-Brav?!"
"Ah!" Fluttershy looked down to see that the ground itself was being affected by the vibrations themselves. Luster then used the force of the vibration to push Nyx further away from her, forcing the alicorn onto the ground with a hard impact.
"Nyx!" Twilight, Sunset and Starlight gasped as they flew over to their downed friend. However, when they approached Nyx, Luster then used the vibrations to force Twilight and the others away from the alicorn, sending them crashing into the nearest building wall. It was similar to the Gravity spell but with differences. "Ugh!"
"Anyone here going to talk?!" Luster grinned as she increased the vibrations, soon affecting buildings and anyone else nearby. "The Empress wants to conquer this world and I need it to be clean enough for her. So unless one of you coughs up where Zecora went, I won't have to level this entire town."
"T-The answer is no!" Rainbow Dash growled as she tried flying up with her wings. "B-Braviary! Brave Bird!"
"V-Viary!" Braviary looked up as he still had the strength to go against Luster dawn as he flew straight into the air. His body becomes surrounded by red flames as he then soared straight at Luster, breaking through the vibrations with the power and speed of Brave Bird as the fire around his body turns into a light blue aura.
"Seriously?!" Luster was stunned that Braviary could break through the vibrations. She quickly put up a magic barrier to protect herself.
"Braviary!" The Valiant Pokemon sped up as he smashed into Luster Dawn's barrier at full force. The barrier almost shattered as Luster herself could feel some vibrations as well from how hard Braviary hit the barrier.
Luster shuddered from the impact as she was thrown so off focus from it that her vibration spell weakened a bit due to the drop in concentration. Braviary went flying back from the recoil of Brave Bird.
"Ngh...! Pheromosa! Go!" Rarity sent out her Pheromosa.
"Mosa!" Pheromosa came out. Unfortunately, due to her supple body, the vibration waves took a massive toll on her as she kneeled. "P-Phero?!"
"Absol, help out!" Twilight sent Absol out. Thanks to Braviary throwing Luster off focus, everyone could gain some extra movements during the vibrations.
"Absol!"
"Dark Pulse, go!"
"Ab...!" Absol could certainly feel the vibrations, but he's been through worse so this was barely anything to him as he opened his mouth with a light purple orb surrounded in black and purple circles appearing inside. He then fired a beam of black and purple circles from the orb, sending it towards Luster.
"Huh?!" Luster Dawn turned her attention away from Braviary, before noticing the Dark Pulse coming her way. The barrier was already close to shattering thanks to Braviary as Dark Pulse only added to that.
The Dark-Type move hit the barrier, covering it as Absol was trying to break right through it by keeping his mouth open and pouring more of it on. Luster tried pushing the beam back by expanding her barrier and using vibrations, but Absol was putting up a fight, making sure that his attack would not be pushed back.
"Sol!"
"Steel Wing!"
"Braviary!" Braviary then hardened his wings, approaching the damaged barrier. Luster used her vibrations towards Braviary to try and fend him off. She was now keeping two things at bay. Braviary and Dark Pulse.
"Audi! Hyper Beam!"
"Audi...!" Audino could also withstand these vibration waves as she stood up, putting her hands together before forming an orange ball of hyper energy. "No!" The Hearing Pokemon then thrust her hands forward, firing a giant blast of energy towards the barrier.
"Oh give me a break..." Luster Dawn sighed as her barrier had now been attacked once more by Hyper Beam which was much stronger than the previous moves.
The large beam engulfed the barrier, slowly cracking it as Luster was trying her best to keep the shield up while also using her vibration spell. It was impressive for her to do two of these difficult tasks at the same time.
"Braviary!" But it wouldn't last for long. Due to Luster being pressured by Dark Pulse and Hyper Beam, her focus and concentration were weakening. This gave Braviary more strength to push on through as he got close enough to the barrier.
The Normal-Flying-Type then smashed his hardened metal wings onto the barrier, shattering it completely as tiny golden shards flew out.
"!!" Luster's eyes widened as she realized that her barrier was gone and she was now vulnerable to Dark Pulse and Hyper Beam, which were surely going to sting.
But, in that split-second when the barrier broke, Luster Dawn used magic to teleport away, barely avoiding the two attacks as they crossed streams, hitting each other in the process and blowing up.
Luster Dawn then appeared further away from everypony else, teleporting right next to SugarCube Corner as she breathed in and out.
"That was close!" Luster panted. "You almost got me there! You all are so annoying!" She roared as she fired a massive beam of magic due to frustration.
Nyx quickly got back up as she did the same, standing in front of everypony else and firing her own large beam of magic to protect her friends. A golden beam and a dark blue beam clashed, entering an immediate struggle.
Despite her seemingly wide arsenal of magic, Luster's own magic prowess seemed to be on equal levels of strength with Nyx. Her magic prowess seemed to be that on the level of an alicorn. But, being given a long lifespan would allow her to have that much experience either way.
The two of them were evenly matched, but Luster seemed like she had more to give as her beam was starting to push Nyx's back. Nyx strained as she could feel herself being pushed back.
Unsure of if Nyx could win this struggle, Twilight, Sunset and Starlight decided to help out by adding their own magic beams into the blast, giving it extra power.
With the assistance of her friends, Nyx was able to get her beam larger than Luster's as it ripped through her golden beam. Luster's eyes widened as she realized she was being overpowered right now. So, to equal things out, she added her vibrant spell onto the blast.
The clash of various powerful magic beams ended up causing a standstill as they all blew up in each other's faces, causing an explosion that left a visible crater in Ponyville.
"Tch!" Luster scoffed. "How frustrating!"
"Ugh..." Nyx's horn was smoking after that struggle. "Looks like I was right...You're only so powerful when you're next to your precious Empress."
"I beg your pardon?" Luster's eyes narrowed.
"During all those universal invasions, you constantly had to rely on the Empress to reach victory. By yourself, one or two alicorns are all you can manage." Nyx was referring to every time she had seen Luster in action during the constant invasions that the Empress initiated.
"Hmph!" Luster twitched. "I'm more than enough to handle you! Besides! I'm next in line to become an alicorn and I have more spells where that came from that will wipe you out and this entire town and beyond!"
"Prove it then." Nyx taunted with a cocky smirk. "I bet your precious Empress won't be too happy when she finds out that this world is missing a few landmarks that need to fit her whole conquering quota. And I doubt the Pokemon are going to let that happen. And you wouldn't want to encounter Ash and Pikachu next, would you?"
"Gr!" Luster growled, knowing that Nyx was right. Luster wasn't here to cause any more destruction. She only came here for the cauldron.
This universe needed to be conquered for Empress Twilight so any further destruction would just ruin a few things that mattered. If Luster kept on engaging Nyx and everypony else here and potentially Ash and Pikachu if they enter this world today, she'll just waste time with little progress and might lose in the long run.
And Luster hates being tardy. Especially to the Empress herself. She had already wasted a lot of time after her little item hunt and any more action here might transition into the evening.
Luster already had a good assortment of items. A few from the Pokemon World from different regions and some objects from Equestria that unfortunately weren't Fusion Magic related but were still helpful in a way. Even if she didn't have the cauldron, there was always next time.
That is if the Empress was accepting of that.
"Hm. Well played, Nyx." Luster smirked. "I've got a good amount of valuable treasures anyway. But just so you know...Next time we meet, I'll be better than ever. With more spells that you certainly won't be ready for." The unicorn opened up a gateway behind her, slowly walking back into it. "And those Pokemon...I'll make sure they won't be a problem anymore."
"We'll see." Nyx retorted. "This upcoming invasion will be the last one you and the Empress will ever have."
"Whatever you say." Luster snickered as those were her lasts words before she passed through the gateway, returning to her world. The gateway to her world had closed afterwards.
"Phew." Rainbow Dash sighed. "Glad that ended sooner..."
"I wasn't looking forward to a destroyed Ponyville." Rarity sat down. "But my goodness, the spells she had at her disposal."
"They were impressive." Twilight nodded. "Chains and vibrations? I'm honestly nervous to know what else she had in store if she kept this up."
"She can't keep it up for long." Nyx went over to Twilight. "Even as the Empress' protege, she has her limits. One or two alicorns are perfect to deal with her. But, that also shows just how terrifyingly strong she is."
"Yeah, but did you see Braviary?!" Rainbow Dash flew over with a cheesy grin along with Braviary. "Those vibrations and chains were no big deal for him!"
"Braviary!"
"Well, I'm not surprised," Nyx replied. "Pokemon are unnaturally strong creatures of a different calibre. Stronger than most if not all alicorns. There's a reason why the Empress fears this universe the most."
"She fears this universe? Why?" Twilight questioned.
"It's the Pokemon, of course." Nyx held her Eevee. "She's afraid of how powerful and all that potential they have. But not just that. Even you all are a threat in her eyes. Your ability to bond with Pokemon in various ways like that Mega Evolution, Bond Phenomenon or Psychic mind is something that the Empress herself is even volatile to approach."
"So in other words...she's afraid of Pokemon? Hah!" Rainbow Dash chuckled. "Well, she hasn't seen anything yet! Hey, Pinkie. When that Empress shows up, you thinking what I'm thinking?"
"Mew and I are already ahead of ya." Pinkie held her Mew out.
"Mew-Mew!"
"We should check up on Zecora. She'll be glad to hear that Luster Dawn never came for the cauldron." Fluttershy recommended.
"But she'll be more devastated about her home, no doubt." Rarity replied. "Perhaps it can be rebuilt in the end."
"Probably." Twilight nodded. "But it'll take some time for the Everfree Forest to grow back. And everything she owned was in there."
"At least she still has the cauldron, right?" Pinkie nudged Twilight.
"Still...it bothers me that Luster Dawn ended up finding our secret gateway to Pyrestar's world." Starlight gulped. "You don't think..."
"Even if she found out, we won't let anything happen to the base. Besides. We chose a spot where Ghetsis and Team Plasma won't think to look, remember?" Twilight reassured Starlight. "The only thing we have to worry about is what will happen here in Ponyville when the invasion comes."
Empress Twilight's Universe.
"Empress! I've returned!" Luster ran into the throne room.
"Hm?" The Empress turned around. "Luster Dawn. Excellent. Have you received the items I requested you to?"
"W-Well..." Luster froze after hearing that, feeling a bit hesitant to give the truth. "About that...I-I did get...m-m-most of it."
"What do you mean, most of it?" The Empress' tone had been lowered, causing Luster to shudder.
"Ah, here!" The unicorn quickly placed her bag down, revealing the objects she had taken. The small stones that had Mega Evolution energy within them, many other items from the Pokemon World, the exclusive spellbook that can only be found in the universe she just came back from and the sheet of paper regarding the gateway.
"Hm." The Empress observed the items before here. Almost everything was here except for one semblance of Fusion magic. More specifically the cauldron. "I don't see the cauldron. You did it bring it through the gateway, correct?"
"N-Not quite. I uh...didn't get the cauldron." Luster gulped. "But listen! Those ponies were so persistent and annoying! I tried but Zecora kept evading me and your other universe self got in my way and then-"
"Stop." The Empress sighed, causing Luster to fall silent. "I would've been able to monitor your actions if all of Colress' spycams weren't destroyed from all the constant battling that happens in that world...The only place that still had the spycams was the Everfree Forest."
"Uhh..."
"Oh, don't worry. I saw it." The Empress squinted. "You destroyed it all. Including the remaining spycams and cutting my view of it off forever..."
"My apologies, Empress! I thought if I blew up the forest I would-"
"Save it." The Empress used her magic to pick up the crystals of Mega energy. "We'll sort the Fusion magic problem another time. At least you brought me 99% of what I needed. Besides...this Mega Evolution energy is potentially just as viable as Fusion magic."
"It is?"
"Oh yes. Most Pokemon that Mega Evolve apparently suffer and sometimes go wild. They lose control of themselves and some refuse to listen to their trainers." The Empress let out a small laugh looking at the stones as she had major plans for them. "Wouldn't it be a wonderful way to cut those precious bonds with their trainers...if every Pokemon could feel that way."
The Pokemon House, late afternoon.
"A shame that the forest and my hut are gone." Zecora sighed. "But, you drove out the threat and the cauldron is safe, and Team Rocket and I can live on."
"But on the bright side, the forest is regrowing. That Tree Behemoth is rebuilding it right now." Twilight said.
"Really?" James looked over. "Lucky."
"If you want, you can stay here until your home's rebuilt," Fluttershy suggested.
"Oh, Thank you, Fluttershy." Zecora thanked. "This'll make a great temporary place to live for Team Rocket and I."
"These guys aren't gonna cause too much trouble though, right?" Rainbow Dash pointed her hoof at Team Rocket.
"We'll be as innocent as we can be!" Team Rocket let out concerning smiles.
"That means no stealing the Pokemon here, okay?" Fluttershy requested.
"Yes ma'am!" They saluted.
"Well then. We'd better get to work." Twilight turned around. "My research on Fusion magic isn't over yet. If I have just a bit more time, I can figure out how to really use it and how it works. Hopefully."
"Kinda surprised that Luster Dawn didn't go for Togekiss. I mean she's full of that stuff right?" Sunset chuckled.
"Let's not think about that..." Starlight just wanted to rest at this point. This day has been more eventful than she expected. And without a doubt, tomorrow will be the same.
There are no slow days in this world and especially the Pokemon World. But, it's to be expected now. And everyone's gotten used to it. However, when the invasion comes, it'll be a different type of experience that no one will forget as the journey continues.
Chapter 415 End.