//------------------------------// // Friendship, is a funny thing... // Story: A New World, A New Way: Requiem from the Lostbelt // by Metroid Prime //------------------------------// Kirschtaria and Danzo, at last, made it to the entrance of Sweet Apple Acres. The former mostly out of breath from all that running. The leader of Team A looked back at Ponyville, the siren had stopped, but ponies were still getting up due to the commotion. “I wonder if Akuta has something to do with this?” “Shall I go and see what is happening, master?” “Hmmm… let’s give her five more mins. Akuta is someone who has been running and hiding all her life. I’m sure she would not be captured that easily.” Five minutes past and Akuta was nowhere to be seen. “Alright, go see if she is in trouble Danzo.” “As you wish.” The ninja disappeared, leaving Kirschtaria alone leaning against a tree. However, his stomach began to grow. It was then that Kirschtaria realized that he hadn’t eaten anything since this morning. Looking around, besides the tree he was standing underneath, there were apple trees for days no matter where he looked. “Well, I’m sure they won’t notice if one is missing.” Hitting his staff against the trunk, a ripe red apple fell into his hand, which he immediately took a bite out of. Kirschtaria’s eyes widened as soon as the flavor hit his taste buds. “Wow! Hats off to the ponies who live here, these apples taste amazing!” The mage was so lost in the amazing sensation of the apple’s flavor, that he might not have heard the twig that snapped behind him. The sound of something flying through the air was enough to trigger Kirschtaria’s senses and caused him to roll and avoid the lasso that would have roped around him. The mage turned around to find a pissed-off-looking orange pony with a cowboy hat. “Well well,” Applejack began. “I get up to see what in tarnation is going on and look what I find. A no-good varmint stealin ma' apples in the middle of the night! And not only that, but from the looks of it, you’re one of them humans we’ve been hearing about.” Kirschtaria held his hands up in an attempt to placate her. “I’m sorry, I don’t want any trouble. If you would like, I can pay you for the apple.” Applejack raised her eyebrow. “Paying for something you stole is a given partner. But from what I heard you guys are a threat to Equestria, which means you’re a threat to ma’ friends. Sorry but I’m gonna have to hogtie you and bring you in.” Now it was Kirschtaria’s turn to raise an eyebrow. “No offense ma’am, but you don’t seem to realize who I am or what I can do. But ignoring that, how do you intend to bring me in all by yourself?” Applejack smirked. “Who said I was by myself?” All of a sudden, the sound of thundering footsteps came from the left of Kirschtaria. He was barely able to sidestep before a big red blur came rushing past him. He looked up and saw that said blur was actually a large pony bigger than the female. “You see pal, this is the apple family farm, of which you trespassed into and stole from. And when you mess with things belonging to my family, it won’t end well for you.” Kirschtaria once again raised his hands. “Sure we can't talk about this?” The big red one just looked at him and said “Nope,” before charging at him again. “Alright. Then I’m sorry about this.” Before Applejack could even register what he meant. Kato Danzo appeared out of thin air and slashed Big Mac across his side, sending the large earth pony tumbling to the side. “Big Mac!” Applejack rushed to her brother’s side. She checked the wound, he was bleeding, but not too deep. “You flea bitten mud suckers! I’ll-” Applejack looked up, only to see that both master and servant were gone. The earth pony let out a frustrated sigh before helping Big Mac up and letting him lean on her. “Don’t worry brother, I got ya.” The two siblings then began the limp back to the house. But one thought kept repeating in Applejack’s mind. ”You made a big mistake hurting my family. Hmph, I’ll get you for this.” Kirschtaria and Danzo made it to the edge of the Everfree before they looked back to make sure no one was following them. “Thank you Kato Danzo, you arrived just in time.” “You are welcome, master.” “So, did you find Akuta?” “Yes, I am sorry to report that she has been captured.” Kirschtaria was shocked, he didn’t expect someone like Akuta to be captured. Not to mention she was a sore loser who would “kill herself” then allow capture. “Is she alright, can you break her out of wherever she is being held?” “I’m sorry master, but by the time I got there, she had already been moved to a location that had powerful magical barriers protecting it. My skills would be of little use trying to rescue her from that place.” “I see, still this is not good. Akuta is not one to betray someone, but I have a feeling that these people may have a way of making her unwillingly reveal what she knows.” “What are your orders, master?” Kirschtaria thought for a moment, then he decided. “Let’s go back to the others for now. We can form a rescue plan with the rest of the team.” Morning in Canterlot. Celestia got up out of her bed and then went to raise the sun, the shining rays of light creeping over the horizon. After a good yawn and a stretch, the Princess went to get her breakfast. Upon entering the royal dining room, she already found Luna waiting for her. “Ah sister, how was your rest?” “Just fine Luna, anything that transpired last night?” “Nothing of interest, seems there were no servant summonings last night. Nor have there been any sightings of Chaldea.” “Well then, I guess we'll just have to wait and see if anything happens today.” Celestia was about to sit upon her throne when a letter from Spike poofed into existence. “Oh, would you look at that, guess we didn’t have to wait long now did we?” “What does it say?” Celestia gave the letter a quick one over, then her face became one of surprise. “Sister?” “It appears that Twilight and her friends have apprehended one of the humans from Chaldea.” “Wait, really!?” “Yes, it happened last night. Apparently, they broke into the town hall for whatever reason. For now, they are currently being held at the Ranger Union.” “Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s go down there and interrogate them! The sooner we deal with Chaldea, the better.” “Hold your horses, Luna. We need to approach this situation carefully.” “What do you mean sister? There is nothing else to consider, this human means to do us harm, the sooner we get them to tell us the location of their companions the better.” “That I do not disagree with. What I am referring to is the other interested parties.” “...What do you mean?” Celestia looked around for a bit before walking very close to Luna. “Come with me.” The solar Princess then teleported the both of them out of the room. Upon rematerializing, the Alicorns were now standing atop the peak of Canterlot Mountain. “There, I’m sure no one will eavesdrop on us while we’re here.” “Why teleport us here? Could you not have cast a soundproof spell on the room?” “I’m pretty sure a soundproof spell would not stop Mewtwo from mentally reading our thoughts. Or just outright barging in.” As soon as Celestia said the name Mewtwo, it dawned on Luna why Celestia went to this level of privacy. “Oh.” “I have given much thought to what Harmony said to us the last time we spoke to her. And if I’m being honest, having Mewtwo and by extension Arceus involved in this is not a very wise course of action.” “What do you mean?” “In the event that we inform Mewtwo and he tags along when we go to interrogate the Chaldean, it is right to assume that given his powers, he would be able to extract the information we need out of them without much hassle.” “Yes, I can see that happening.” “But my biggest concern however is what Arceus plans to do with said information once he has it. We all know how he feels about humans, it is not a stretch to say that he probably hates them more than anything else at the moment.” Part of Luna wanted to downplay that statement. But she never really had much interaction with the Pokemon God compared to Celestia. And the times that she did, especially the recent ones, Arceus did not hide the fact that he blamed humans for all the problems of the old world. That he never wanted another flesh and blood human to be near another Pokemon for as long as he lived. “I cannot trust that Arceus won’t dish out his own brand of justice upon Chaldea due to his prejudice against humans. Worst case scenario, Arceus finds Chaldea and their Wandering Sea headquarters and removes them as a threat. And rather than turning them over to us, he will punish them his own way. While defeating Chaldea is our goal at the moment, I have no intention of killing them. If they are to be caught and judged, it will be under our rules and laws.” “I see, yes I completely understand. Arceus may very well let his emotions get the better of him.” “Not to mention, that Chaldea doesn’t necessarily have to be our enemy.” “Huh? How so?” Celestia only gave her sister a knowing smile. “I’ll tell you later. For now, let us head back to the castle, we must think of a convincing lie to tell the guards so Mewtwo won’t wonder where we will be going.” “I also suggest sending a letter to Twilight to not speak a word of the Chaldean to Arceus if she hasn’t already.” Pokemon Ranger Union HQ Akuta woke up as she rubbed her head. She tried to recall what happened before she was knocked out. ”Oh right, I was about to skewer a guy when something hit me.” As her vision came back, Akuta sat up and looked around. The room she was in was white, there was only a bed on which she was laying on, sink and lavatory next to each other, and a light hanging from the ceiling. There were also no windows to speak of. “So you’re awake.” Akuta turned to her right and found the owner of the voice. Standing on the other side of a clear glass frame was a large green snake. Standing beside her was a humanoid creature covered in armor. “Just to let you know, this clear door is made of 6-inch thick plexiglass. And the walls are made of reinforced titanium.” It was then that Akuta noticed that the room was way bigger than someone of her size warranted. “I’d let you have one of the smaller rooms, but they are all occupied right now. My name is Scarlet by the way, and this is my assistant, Lance.” The armored Pokemon said nothing. “You caused quite a ruckus last night you know? One of your friends even hurt someone who is related to a friend of the local princess. On top of all the other stuff I imagine everyone is not very happy with you at the moment.” Akuta continued to look at the two but said nothing. In times like these, the less she said the better. Plus, she was already good at not talking to people. “Well, since you’re awake now, I’ll just tell the others. Please don’t try to escape while I’m gone, that would be really bothersome okay. Lance will stay here to keep an eye on you. If you need anything like say a book or a glass of water, please feel free to ask him.” The Serperior slithered away, leaving Akuta alone with Lance as the two just stared at each other in silence. - Upstairs Rainbow Dash trotted around the lobby while her friends all sat in silence waiting. However, “waiting” and “Rainbow Dash” were two things that never mixed well together. “Rainbow Dash, can you stay still for five minutes?” Rarity said. “Some of us actually like the silence.” “UGH! I can’t take it anymore! Let’s just go down there and get that human to tell us what she knows already!” “Princess Celestia said not to interrogate the human until she and Princess Luna arrive,” Twilight points out. “And even if that wasn’t the case, we are not going down there to talk to her until we know what we’re going to say.” “It’s obvious what we’re gonna say! Hey human, tell us where your friends are or you’re gonna get what’s coming to yea!” Twilight let out a sigh. She looked around the lobby as she gauged the mood of her other companions. Kasai, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie were content to just sit around and wait. Applejack was almost as agitated as Rainbow Dash, but for different reasons. Abby was hard to read, she didn’t show any emotion on the surface, but Twilight knew that she, like Rainbow Dash, was among those who wanted to get this done as soon as possible. Another person who was with them was Lucario. Although Twilight suspected he was not here for supportive reasons. Fluttershy was not here, as she wanted to take care of her Pokemon friends who were afraid because of the current situation. While Spike was left back at the library. Finally, the doors to the Union lobby opened, and in walked two alicorn Princesses. “Oh, thank goodness you two are here.” “Finally! Now we can get this over with!” Rainbow said. “Not so fast Rainbow Dash,” Princess Celestia said before looking back to everyone. “First I want to know everything that happened last night.” “Well Princess, while everyone was sleeping, someone broke into the Ponyville town hall. We don’t know what they were looking for, but a Gengar named Jake found them inside the Mayor’s office looking through papers, so we can only guess. At around 3:00 am. I was woken up by the sound of the town siren alarm. I went downstairs to find a human and his servant stealing my books, I tried to stop them but they got away….along with one of my books.” Celestia almost gasped. Given how protective Twilight was with her books, she only picture the death stare she gave the human when she saw them. “I’m so sorry Twilight, did they do anything else?” “Aside from wrapping Spike in duck tape, I don’t think they did anything else.” “Actually they did,” Applejack said. “That human that was at Twilight’s house, he then had come over to Sweet Apple Acres just to start eatin’ ma apples. I tried to stop him, but they just gave Big Mac a long nasty laceration before runnin’ away like cowards.” “Oh, I am sorry to hear that Applejack, is your brother alright?” “Aside from the new scar Big Mac is gonna be carrying around for the rest of his life, he’s just fine, it wasn’t too deep.” “That’s good to hear. Now Twilight, what else happened back in Ponyville?” “Well, I heard the commotion outside and went to see what was going on. By the time I got to Town Hall, the situation had already been resolved thanks to Abby and Kasai.” “Is that so?” Celestia said, turning to the Pokemon couple. “Yes Princess,” Kasai began. The human was about to do grievous harm to Rainbow Dash when I used Hyper Beam to subdue them. “Hyper Beam? Correct me if I’m wrong, but I heard that move is quite powerful. Is the human alright?” “I admit it was not the most subtle move to use at the time. But it appears that the human has suffered no permanent damage, or any damage at all really.” “What do you mean?” “By the time we got her locked up in her cell, her injuries were already healed. Which is odd since humans don’t have this level of regenerative capability.” “And you find this odd?” “I do, Princess.” “I had Bio Chem take a blood sample and he is currently analyzing it as we speak. But while he is doing that, I think it’s about time we had a talk with our prisoner.” Celestia broke eye contact with Abby and looked over everyone else. Whether it was out of curiosity or other reasons, it was clear that everyone wanted to start the interrogation. “Very well, let’s see what we can get them to say.” - As they made their way to the holding cells, everyone had various emotions and thoughts running through their mind. Scenarios they imagined about how the following events would proceed. For Twilight, part of her wanted to learn more about humanity. The revelations as of late had turned her whole world upside down and made her question everything about the nature of their existence. If these humans, if Chaldea could shed some light on what was going on..if they could provide her with the answers to her burning questions... Princess Celestia, in her infinite kindness, wanted to approach this as she had with any diplomat or foreign visitor. Chaldea was indeed their enemy, there was no way around that. But they need not be. They were just trying to save their world, to save an entire race and the planet they called home. But Equus...Earth, was also Equestria’s home as well. She imagined they would say something along the lines of: “Your timeline was pruned, by the world itself no less, this place should not exist, it should not be here.” Perhaps. If what Harmony said was true, then Equestria is a place that should not exist. But just because something shouldn’t exist does not mean it does not have a right to exist. Equus was a real world, a real place, it was real to Celestia, to Luna, to Twilight, it was real to everyone who lived in it. Everyone, Pony, Pokemon, Griffin, Dragon, Zebra, Yak, Changeling, and Stag called this planet home. They had a right to be here and live just as much as the humans did. Certainly, there must be a way that everyone can live on this planet in peace. Even if those means and chances were slim, she would still carry that hope in her heart. However, some of those who walked alongside Celestia at the moment did not have peace on their minds. Abigail Trombley could only think of how she had seen the worst that humanity had to offer. The many sex and trafficking circles she had busted over the years. The cruel treatment of Pokemon because they were treated by human society as second-class citizens at best and animals at worst. How any man who had tried to court her only did so because she had a pretty face. She was sick and tired of it all. This is why when Arceus brought them all here to this new home and explained his reasons why he did it, she did not protest or was surprised that much. In her mind humanity got what it deserved. She thought of her two precious children. Gold and Silver. They had their whole life ahead of them, they had yet to experience the many things it had to offer. Friends, school, finding a job, growing up, falling in love… If these Chaldeans thought they could look her in the eye and take all that away from them, they had another thing coming. For Lucario, this situation was more personal than even Abby. Korrina, his trainer, his friend, his love, was taken from him. The amount of time they spent together as Pokemon was brief but happy. He was glad that Korrina had returned his feelings even though she never wanted to be a Pokemon. She could have spent the rest of her life pursuing her career as a Gym Leader and fallen in love with some human. Lucario would be a bit sad, but he would have accepted it, above all else, he wanted her to be happy. But when he was brought here to Equestria, when she was turned into the same Pokemon species as him, was the moment he decided to be selfish for once in his life. Whatever happened afterward, he decided to take a risk and confess his feelings for her. And luckily for him, his selfish feelings were answered. But then Korrina was killed by a servant, a ghost sent by something called the Counter Force in order to destroy Equus. Or at least that was how he understood from his perspective and limited knowledge. Servants as far as he knew could only exist if a human master commanded them. And so far, the evidence pointed to the only human masters that they knew existed in Equestria at the moment. Chaldea. They were the ones who killed Korrina. And they would pay. Finally, everyone entered the part of the Ranger HQ that housed the holding cells. Normally these we used to detain Pokemon that had become unruly or feral for one reason or another, it was here they would be treated before being released. Other times they were used to hold actual criminal Pokemon before they would be transferred to an actual prison. The group eventually turned a corner and came to see Lance staring at the same cell Scarlet had left him. At this point, some of them started walking faster. But before long everyone was in front of the glass door staring inside at the sole occupant of the cell. Said occupant was currently reading a book. “How did she get that?” Abby turned to Lance. “Scarlet said that if she required anything along the lines of water or reading material, that I should get it for her. The human requested a book, so I got it for her.” Abby blinked then turned back to Akuta who was still glued to the pages of said book, its title read: “The Art of blade works”. Princess Celestia looked at everyone who nodded back at her. She then cleared her throat before knocking on the glass. “Hello?” Akuta gave no response. “My name is Princess Celestia, I am one of the rulers of the Kingdom of Equestria.” Akuta still said nothing. “I- We are not here to hurt you. We were just hoping if we could talk to you.” Akuta flipped a page on her book. Twilight finally snapped. “Are you ignoring us!? Do you know who this is!? This is Princess Celestia! She is talking to you and you have the nerve to ignore her!?” Akuta adjusted her glasses. “Alright, that’s it! No one disrespects the Princess in front of me!” Twilight tried opening the door. “Twilight what are you doing?” “I’m gonna go in there and teach her some manners!” “That is not how we do things Twilight, I thought you better than this.” The younger alicorn slowed down her frivolous typing on the keypad and sighed. “I’m, sorry Princess Celestia (plus I didn’t even know the password).” The solar Princess sighed. Twilight had always been her biggest supporter for reasons that need not be said. And it was at times like these that she took her reverence of the solar princess too far. Celestia then turned back to their prisoner. “Please miss, can I call you miss? It is in your best interest that you talk with us. I can assure you that we have no intention of harming or misleading you. You are part of Chaldea right? If so then we wish to talk with you about them.” “I won’t deny that we wish to find your friends and stop them from doing what they intend to do. But understand, I think we can work together to find a solution that doesn’t involve us destroying our worlds. Despite what many people who have come from Earth say, I have no intention of destroying humans as a species. No race no matter how many sins they have committed deserves to go extinct.” “Perhaps you think that the only way to save your world is to destroy ours. But I refuse to believe that is the only way. Here on Equus, and especially Equestria, we believe that the magic of friendship can overcome any obstacle, just as it has done in the past.” Still no response. Celestia looked at Luna, the younger sibling shaking her head. Before she could say something though... “The magic of friendship? What kind of crap is that.?” Everyone, particularly the Equines who were in the room, felt like someone had slapped them. They stared slack jawed at the human who was now speaking but was not even giving them the dignity of looking at them as she talked. “Don’t make me laugh. If you think friendship alone will save your world from Cosmos Denial, you’re wrong. That is not how the rules of this planet work. The Counter Force does not care for small things such as friendship and morality, it is like a machine, coldly doing whatever it thinks will benefit humanity and the world. A long time ago it decided that your timeline was unfit to continue on its current course, and so it pruned it along with everyone who was living in it at the time. Its history has reached a dead end.” Akuta turned her head to look at the group. Her cold stare betrayed no emotion. “The only reason any of you are alive is that you were just lucky. Lucky that some upstart deity decided to resurrect your timeline for its own ends whatever they may be. Do you think that going to the other Lostbelts and making friends with the people living there will do you any good? It won’t. The other Lostbelt Kings only care about expanding their territory and destroying any other belt that gets in their way. And if you can’t accept that, well, then it doesn’t matter if your Lostbelt covers most of the planet at the moment, you might as well roll out the carpet and let the other timelines walk and roll right over you. We have already erased 2 Lostbelts, yours will be no different.” The introverted Hinako looked back at her reading material. “I heard that some god by the name of Arceus brought a race known as Pokemon to this world after it was made a Lostbelt. Tell me, did he know the true nature of this place before he came here?” No one said anything. But their silence was enough of an answer. “I see, well I kinda feel sorry for them the most. They probably came here looking for a new life, wanting to get away from some evil race that can only trample over the history of others not like them. I bet they probably feel really pissed off about this situation. Well, to them I say, don’t blame Arceus or humans for what’s happening.” “The truth is, you all just got the short end of the stick, nothing you can do about that.” For a moment, no one said anything. Mostly everyone was just shocked at the dismissive statement Akuta said to them. Lucario, who had been holding back his anger all this time, nearly exploded on her right then and there. Twilight, who saw the look on his face, was about to try and hold him back. Which means she could not do anything as Abby opened the door and barged into the room. She yanked the book out of Akuta’s hands and then mentally slammed her against the wall, absolute fury was visible on Pokemon's face. “Listen here you little $#%@! You think that can just invade our home and kill an entire world like it’s just a matter of routine!? Because you think that's what the Earth wants!? Hell No! I and many other Pokemon did not see and go through so much suffering and injustice just so you humans can just come here and slaughter us like we don’t matter! Arceus did not give all of us a fresh new start just so you can take it away from us! And screw all that nonsense about your Counter Force, this world must have some pretty #%@$ed up priorities if it thinks humans of all species deserve a future more than anyone else.” Abby psychically pulled Akuta out of the wall and brought her inches from her face. “I have seen firsthand the evil humanity has wrought upon itself and the Pokemon race, I came to the conclusion of who was the better species a long time ago. I don’t care about what you or this stupid planet wants, humanity had its chance, it’s time for the people of Equus to be allowed to live their lives. So here’s what’s going to happen, you are going to tell us where your genocide committing friends are before we resort to less civil means of making you talk.” Akuta didn’t say a word, only staring at the Pokemon Ranger with a look of annoyance. “Abby!” The Ninetales turned to see the stern face of Princess Celestia bearing down upon her. “That’s enough, let her go.” Abby tried looking away. Her face showing a slight hesitation and some shame for making such an outburst in front of the Princesses. “Please.” The Pokemon Ranger complied and released her psychic grip on Akuta who fell to the floor. She then walked out of the room and the door was closed behind her. She looked at her friends and family who were all giving her concerned looks. “I think it’s best if I go upstairs. It seems that I can’t be trusted enough to maintain my composure right now.” “I’ll go with you,” Kasai said, walking up to his mate. Abby smiled for a bit and nuzzled up to her husband. “Thanks, Kasai.” The two started walking off but Kasai turned to face the group. “Continue without us, I’m sure you’ll make progress by yourselves.” Once the pair were gone Celestia turned back to their prisoner. “I apologize for Abby’s behavior, that was absolutely unacceptable.” Akuta got up from the floor and straightened herself. “If you are still willing to talk, let’s start over, shall we. What is your name?” “.....Akuta, you a can call me Akuta.” “Akuta. That’s a nice name, again I apologize for Abby’s actions. I’ll be sure to talk with her later.” “Yeah, you do that.” “However, I must say that statement you just said was uncalled for. I don’t know how your human society views magic. But here in Equestria, we value the ideals that friendship brings us. You may not think much of it but it is what we preach and practice in this kingdom. Through the magic of friendship, my student Twilight, and her friends have saved Equestria many times. That is why I wish to extend that same hoof of friendship to you.” “....You really believe that huh?” “As I said, here in Equestria, friendship is the greatest magic of all.” “Hmph, I don’t know what shenanigans happened in this Lostbelt that utilizes friendship as a form of magecraft, but that won’t work where we come from.” Celestia raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?” “In both the Age of Gods and the current Age of Man, magecraft is mystery reenacted. It can only be used for what is supernaturally possible in what humans call science. In other words, magecraft is not as special as one would have you believe. Friendship is a bond, a thing people use to form connections with each other. Never once has someone used friendship to perform miracles.” “What do you mean by that?” Twilight Sparkle asked in confusion and pride. “Science and Magic are similar, yes, but they are ultimately very different concepts. To say science is magic is like saying apples are oranges or whatever.” “Anyway, if we are talking about love, then that’s a different story since there are various deities who wield that as an authority. But even if what you say is true, like I said before, I highly doubt your magic of friendship will be enough to persuade the other Lostbelt Kings to lay down their arms and throw confetti at parties with you.” “Hey!” Yelled an offended Pinkie Pie. “While your kindness can be a virtue, it is also a weakness. Tell me, when was the last time your kingdom fought in a war? I mean a real war, with all the bloody conflict and cynical nature that it brings out in people?” Celestia nor Luna did not answer. For that they had none. How could they when Equestria for its entire existence had never known war? “Wait, don’t tell me this place has never known war for as long as it can remember? You’re kidding me right?” “I...must say that Equestria has seen its fair share of adversity against evil in its beginning. And in recent years.” Akuta noticed that Luna looked away for a moment. “But to answer your question, no. Equestria has never had to fight in a real war, it is a blessing only made possible because I cherished peace above all else. I protected my little ponies by seeking not to fight with those whom I disagreed with, but by reaching out a hoof in friendship and trying to understand them.” “You're kidding…” “However, just because I and my ponies have never known war, does not mean that we are not prepared to fight. While the majority of the Royal Guard has never had to fight another nation, that does not mean Equestria is defenseless. The Pokemon who now call this kingdom home are prepared to lay down their lives to defend their new friends and families. We also have the Legendary Pokemon and Arceus who command great power. We may not be natural fighters Akuta, but if it comes to a point where we have to fight other Lostbelts, we will fight. For Equestria and for its people, for the friendship we believe in.” Akuta stared at Celestia for a moment longer, before letting out a sigh. “Well, it seems you guys really think you stand a chance.” “We do, whether you believe it or not. So Akuta, will you help us? You and your friends at Chaldea, you don't need to be our enemies.” Celestia held out her hoof once again. Although blocked by a glass door, she hoped that Akuta would accept the figurative hand of friendship. “Sorry, but that’s not gonna happen.” Celestia frowned as Akuta gave her answer. “Don’t get me wrong, it’s not that you guys don’t seem trustworthy, it’s your godly friend I’m worried about.” “You mean Arceus?” “Yup. From what I heard, I don’t know much about the guy, but from what I have heard he has a low opinion of humans. Tell me, how do you think he would react to this proposed alliance of yours?” Celestia opened her mouth, but nothing came out. “Oh, you haven’t told him yet have you?” “Didn’t tell him what?” Twilight said. Lucario thought for a moment before realizing what she meant. “Wait, you didn’t tell Arceus that we captured a human!?” Soon all eyes were on Celestia and Luna. “Now that I think about it,” Applejack began. “It is kinda strange that Arceus is not here, or that he didn’t at least send a Legendary Pokemon on his behalf.” “Princess?” Twilight said. Celestia looked a bit nervous but maintained her composure. “Twilight, everyone, well talk about this later, right now-” “Well well, it seems that even you don’t fully trust Arceus don’t you Princess. You understand how gods can be. How they just do what they want without a care for the consequences they unleash.” “Akuta, I understand your caution towards Arceus, but-” “Nope, I think I can see where this is going, and I don’t wanna wait and stick around for someone to use a mental ability that forces me to tell them something they want.” “Oh yeah?” Rainbow Dash said in a brash tone. “And just what are you gonna do about it? You can’t escape that cell of yours, and even if you did, you’d still have to get past us.” Akuta, for the first time since she woke up in this room, smiled. It was a smug smile, the kind people make when they know the situation is in their favor. “Who said anything about escaping?” All of a sudden, Akuta began to build up magical energy. A red aura enveloped her and was visible for all to see. “What are you doing!?” Celestia shouted. “I’m obviously not getting out of here, so I might as well make it sure that no one will be able to make me talk!” “What do you mean?” Twilight said. “What are you going to do!?” As her magical energy reached its climax, Akuta smiled once again. “Farewell, Equestrians.” Even with those two words, it was only Lucario who recognized the meaning behind them. His eyes widened in realization. “EVERYBODY GET DOWN!” In that split second of a warning, everyone jumped out of view of Akuta. Then there was a loud explosion that shook the build, along with a flash of red. When the shaking stopped, everyone got up to see what had happened. The building was still intact and it looked like no one got hurt. But when a brave few dared to approach the cell, the state of its occupant was a different story. On all walls and in every direction, there was blood. From spattering to splattering, blood painted the entire cell. To say that this looked like a scene straight out of a horror movie would be an understatement. Those who had never seen blood in their life such as Rarity fainted on the spot. Others who could not stomach the scene such as Applejack threw up her lunch. While Twilight, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie were scarred for life. After a few moments of trying to process this grisly scene, it was Princess Celestia who broke the silence. “I...will ask someone to clean this up.”