//------------------------------//
// One more friend to rescue 
// Story: My Little Pokémon 
// by Amarvax 
//------------------------------//

Universe 28. The Empress' spare palace. Night.

Right now, it was absolute chaos inside of the palace. From the freed Pokemon thanks to Jackie's capture styler and the reshaped palace that looks like a puzzle that a child had horribly made.

Celestia, Luna, Jackie, Darkrai and Frillish were on the move, searching for Premium Polish. But with how the place was jumbled up, that was taking a while.

But help was on the way in the form of Ash and the others. They had just finished saving Jade from the Indigo Alliance in Pegalysium after a difficult battle against a seemingly indestructive pegasus weapon. Not indestructible against Aura as it was discovered.

With the help of Emerald Aura, they had entered the 28th universe. Just amid all the chaos. As for Jade, she was sent home with Emerald assisting her back. Her friends would take everything from here. As they had arrived, the first person they bumped into was Jackie himself.

"Ash! Everyone! Perfect timing." Jackie greeted.

"Oh, Jackie!" Ash responded. "You're here too? Did you find Premium?"

"Sorry. Not yet. Plus, you came at a weird time. This whole palace has been jumbled up. There's no consistency here anymore." Jackie shrugged. "But, I've got a good feeling about you all arriving. Especially that Audino and Slurpuff you own."

"Good call." Pinkie Pie nodded. "With us here, it'll be easy. But uhh...how are we gonna get through this new looking place?"

"That's for us to find out. Just be a bit careful not to fall out."

With Jackie on their side, the group got to searching. Audino's hearing and Slurpuff's nose would come in handy for this. Audino couldn't hear Premium's voice at the moment so it was up to Slurpuff's nose to track her scent.

But along the way, they came across the one pony they hoped they wouldn't cross. Empress Twilight Sparkle. She walked around the corner, appearing before the group as they pulled back.

"Thought I sensed usage of Rift Energy," said Empress Twilight. "Celestia and her friends just love to intervene, don't they? But...you're all in one place and spot. How lucky is that?"

"Empress. Back for more." Jackie smirked as Empress Twilight snarled at the Pokemon Ranger. "You looked pretty riled up after what happened last time. Was it too much?"

"Shut up! You just caught me off guard back then!" The Empress snapped at Jackie, pointing her hoof at him in frustration with her face turning red. Jackie kept an unchanging cocky expression.

"Wait, what did you do?" Twilight asked.

"Don't answer that!" The Empress roared, causing her younger self to yelp before hiding behind Ash. "Anyway! Back to the topic at hoof! Where was I? Right! I have you all in one spot...but I'm clever enough to know that dealing with you all once is just stupid."

"Gonna chicken out then, egghead?" Rainbow Dash chuckled, taunting her.

"You'll see. Very soon, all of you will be under my control. But just to leave you something for a moment. Here!" The Empress' eyes flashed as everyone prepared themselves for the worst.

Before they knew it, the Empress was gone. Transporting back to her throne room. Everyone looked around, seeing that nothing had changed at all.

But suddenly, without warning, a door had opened beneath Applejack and Sceptile as it had opened. Applejack quickly realized what had just happened as she fell through. The door closed afterwards.

"Woah!"

"Sceptile!"

"Applejack!" Everyone cried out as the same started happening to them. Ash, Pinkie Pie and Cold Colt fell through a door below while Twilight, Rainbow Dash and Rarity were pulled in by a giant claw that emerged from another randomly summoned door.

"Guys!" Spike screeched as it was just him and Jackie now. "Where'd they go?! What was up with all those doors?!"

"How do you like my Arc of Doors Spell?" The Empress' voice echoed throughout the hallways. "Allows me to open off of any surface. Even air. Let's see you try and find her with all of this."

"All your tricks are just making this drag on, Empress," Jackie said. "We'll find her eventually. Come on, kid."

"O-Okay!" Spike followed after Jackie, hoping to find his friends and avoid some random doors that lead to who knows where. 

Speaking of which, after falling through the doors, everyone ended up in random parts of the palace. But the Empress made sure none of them went towards the lab where Premium was being held in.

However, Empress Twilight had one special door for a certain somepony. Her younger self. Princess Twilight. Twilight and Espeon had fallen into a random room where Empress Twilight stood there, waiting for them.

"Ow...!" Twilight held her head before spotting the Empress. She instinctively jumped up with a squeak before backing up.

"I have you all to myself, younger me." The Empress started circling her younger self. "I've been waiting to take your magic. I wasn't too interested in it since it was just the run of the mill. But thanks to the Pokemon, your magic is exceptional. Probably on the verge of being greater than mine. And that can't be allowed to happen."

"No way you're taking my magic." Twilight's eyes followed her older self as she stayed alert. "Or anypony else's. By the way. What do you even want with Premium anyway? She's just a filly."

"Heard that question already. And the answer's still the same. She has a great purpose. One that'll give me eternal dominion over everything. No matter the universe. But such control is complete without absolute power. You and your friends took a majority of my magic away from me, greatly weakening my strength. But not only will I get it all back, but I'll also go beyond what I was capable of."

"Not happening."

"Espeon!" Espeon snarled before wincing. She was a bit exhausted after the previous battle and all the running around she did back in Pegalysium. "E-Esp!"

"Rest up for a while, Eve. Let me and the others deal with things here." Twilight returned Espeon, allowing her to rest.

"After I'm done with you, you and all of your friends will be under my absolute control. I wonder how much Infinity Energy your Pokemon will give out due to how strong they are. I can't wait!" The Empress cackled before using her Bone Spell to summon giant bones out of the floor.

This spell was weaker than before due to the Empress lacking the amount of magic she had before. But even still, these bones were nothing to scoff at with their strength and speed.

Twilight gasped before flying to the side. She used her magic to blast apart the incoming bones, shattering them to pieces. Some bones burst out of the walls as the Empress sent them everywhere. Twilight made a shield to protect herself from some incoming bones. After shielding herself, she held out a Poke Ball, sending out Cinccino for assistance.

"Cinccino!"

"Minccy, Aqua Tail!"

"Ccino!" The Scarf Pokemon rushed forward as Twilight lowered the shield. She covered her tail in water, using it as a weapon to smack away the bones. With her small body, she was agile enough to avoid the bones successfully.

After avoiding them, Cinccino slapped the Empress in the face with a tail full of water, knocking her back. "Oof!" She gasped before receiving another slap from Cinccino. The Empress growled as some bones erupted from the floor, wrapping around the Scarf Pokemon.

"C-Cinno!" Cinccino cried out before being slammed against the wall. Twilight went to Cinccino's aid, only to be blocked by a wall of bones. The young princess sliced the bones in half with her magic before grabbing Cinccino.

"You okay?!"

"Cinccino!" She was still healthy as she gave a reassuring smile. The Scarf Pokemon then hopped out of Twilight's grasp, choosing to use Tri Attack without a command. "Cinno!"

Cinccino unleashed three beams of three different elements. Fire, Electric and Ice. The Empress used the bones to shield herself from these beams. The bones had either been burnt or frozen over from the elements. Twilight herself chimed in by unleashing a blast of magic. The Empress summoned a mirror that had reflected the beam at the young princess.

"Agh!"

"Cinccino!" The Scarf Pokemon gasped as her partner tumbled on the floor as a group of bones had caught her afterwards. Twilight was now within the grasp of the bones. "Cinno!"

"You're not going anywhere, you rodent!" The Empress cried out as she extended her hair, setting on fire as well to try and grab Cinccino. The Scarf Pokemon turned around, using Aqua Tail to counter the flaming mane. Cinccino whacked away the mane before approaching her friend.

"Cinno!" Unfortunately, blocking her way were more bones. And these came by surprise, whacking the Scarf Pokemon aside. "Cin!"

"M-Minccy! Twilight growled as she tried breaking free with no luck so far. Cinccino rolled on the floor, landing near the Empress' hoof. After getting close, Empress Twilight threatened to stomp on the Scarf Pokemon.

"Buh-Bye!" She grinned before stomping her hoof. However, Cinccino gave her own grin. A very cocky one. Cinccino has an oily scarf that protects it from physical blows. Like stomps. Once her hoof got close, the Empress felt the oil as her attack was not only deflected, but she also slipped. "Woah!"

"Cinn!" After slipping the Empress, the Scarf Pokemon then jumped far back, slashing Aqua Tail onto the bones that held Twilight. The Empress stood up, holding her head after being caught off guard by CInccino's oil.

"That's my girl!" Twilight chuckled after being freed.

"Cinccino!"

"You two..." The Empress scoffed before giving a disdainful glare. "You're quite the combo, I'll admit."

"Minccy's my first Pokemon. We were great with each other from the start."

"Cinccino!" 

"But...let's see how you respond when I send bones to everywhere in the palace. Including your friends!" With the stomp of her hoof, the Empress had multiplied the number of bones. Not just going for Twilight and Cinccino, but also going for everyone else.

She used the Arc of Doors Spell once more to allow the bones to pass through them, heading in various locations. The bones also moved through the walls and the palace in general.

"Oh!" Twilight gasped before protecting and Cinccino with a shield. But she couldn't do anything about the bones going for her friends.

Indeed, by moving through the doors and walls, the bones soon flooded the palace while all of this chaos was ongoing. They were only targeted towards Celestia's side.

Speaking of Celestia, some bones came flying out of doors that had randomly appeared without warning. Even some that burst out of the walls. The bones had immediately wrapped around Arcanine once they emerged as Passion's leg had been caught.

"Arca?!"

"Gardevoir?!"

"Where did all these doors come from?!" Celestia bellowed before slicing the bones in half with her magic. Arcanine heated up his body to melt the bones while Passion exuded Psychic energy from her body.

The bones ferociously attacked the trio while still being under the Empress' control despite the distance. Many of Celestia's troops had been grabbed by these bones or even whacked away by them.

The Golurk were able to hold them thankfully. They learned their lesson after the first time they encountered this vicious magic. With their great strength, they held the bones back. Some even managed to break them due to their coordination.

A plethora of bones spiralled around while approaching Rarity. Unfortunately, Pheromosa wasn't too healthy now to assist after what happened in Pegalysium. So, Rarity counted on Ampharos, Leavanny and Lopunny for assistance. Leavanny had cut the bones in half with X-Scissor. Lopunny's High Jump Kicks shattered the bones as if they were brittle while Ampharos obliterated them with just electricity alone.

Pikachu's Iron Tal made quick work of the bones with assistance from Farfetch'd, Lucario and Gengar. Everyone had their own response to these bones. Going through an intensive battle through Pegalysium really helped with this.

And Twilight knew that her friends would manage as she stayed confident with a smirk.

"You're looking too confident for somepony in enemy territory. Expecting this to turn out like last time?" Empress Twilight scoffed.

"Why not? I've got all my faith in my friends." Twilight replied as both of them started walking up to each other. "It's how we beat you before and we'll do it again."

"Not gonna happen. Your friendship will be outclassed by the one I've discovered and perfected." The Empress fired a beam while walking only for Twilight to slap it away with her magic aura.

"Your way of friendship is not the one that I hold close to me," Twilight responded. "It's why you're going to keep losing to us no matter what."

"Hmph." They both had their faces close to each other after walking a certain distance. "Maybe so. But I've got more than that up my sleeve. You of all ponies should know that I always have something planned."

"That makes two of us." Twilight then looked at her older self with disdain as they gazed at each other for a while. However, the Empress gave off a grin, planning something in the spur of the moment.

Both alicorns jumped away from each other as Princess Twilight made the first move. "Minccy, Thunder! Absol, come out and use Dark Pulse!" She quickly threw out Absol who had emerged from the Poke Ball.

"Cinccino!" The Scarf Pokemon put his hands out, unleashing a blast of lightning from her hands. After Absol emerged, he unleashed a pulse embued with dark thoughts from his mouth.

"Sol!"

"Perfect!" Just what the Empress wanted. She stood still, focusing her magic on one spot. But she wasn't about to counter these attacks. Instead, she was aiming to absorb them. The Infinity Energy that they hold.

Empress Twilight made her horn act as a lightning rod for the attacks, pulling them in. After they were focused on her horn, she had then stood her ground, feeling the Infinity Energy being absorbed by her.

"Huh?!" Twilight gasped.

"Grrr...! Yes...!" Empress Twilight growled while giving out an insane smile. "Your Pokemon are extra strong! Ths Infinity Energy already beats the rest without a doubt. This'll do just fine!"

After gathering the Infinity Energy, the Empress summoned a door out of thin air behind her. With her body twitching and a menacing cackle, she jumped through the door to make her getaway.

"Sol!" But Absol wasn't about to let that happen. He had used Giga Impact to boost through the air, flying right through the door before it could close. The door had shut, vanishing out of existence afterwards.

"Ah! Absol!" Twilight gasped, witnessing her partner recklessly jump through.

"Cinccino!"



Absol rolled on the floor after recklessly charging through the magic door. He had ended up in the same spot as the Empress. The lab where Premium Polish was being kept at.

Empress Twilight was stunned by Absol's daring entrance as the scientists and Skyblue Shine had pulled back after the arrival of the Disaster Pokemon.

"Are you insane?!" The Empress exclaimed as Absol got up, growling at her.

"Absol!"

"Empress!" Skyblue Shine quickly came over, standing in front of the Empress. "I already know how dangerous Absol can be! Let me handle this!"

"You do that. Right now, I've got some Infinity Energy to give out. And this one will be extra tasty for her." The Empress walked over as Skyblue Shine and Absol faced the machine. Skyblue shuddered, knowing more Infinity Energy was about to be given to Premium.

That didn't spell good news at all.

Absol was the first one to find Premium Polish and know about her whereabouts. After spotting her, the Disaster Pokemon knew what to do. Break the machine and free the child. That wouldn't happen with Premium Polish in the way.

She paused for a bit, thinking about her daughter's condition. But afterwards, she put her focus on Absol, sending her Aggron out.

"Aggron!"

"Sol...!"

"Take this outside. Now then..." The Empress then faced Premium with greater Infinity Energy than before. She wanted to see how much power can be gained from these two alone. With precise aim, she unleashed the blast of magic onto the little android.

"A-AAAAAH!" Premium cried out once more after being given Infinity Energy that she was never meant to receive. Her body trembled as the energy within the machine. The scientists' had observed the buildup as a total of 20 hours had passed by after the energy went through. Premium's body was smoking again as her eye was about to pop out with wires already showing.

"Sol!" Absol lunged over to try and stop this, only for Aggron to whack him aside with Thunder Punch.

"Ggron!"

"Empress! 20 hours worth of energy has been passed by!" A scientist exclaimed. "At this rate, we'll be finished with the Magical Unite in just 2 days or less!"

"Wonderful! Actually...we could finish today!" Empress Twilight cackled. " My younger self and her friends are worth something good after all. In fact...one of them's in the same room as us."

"Absol!" Absol stomped his paw, whacking a table aside after being launched by Thunder Punch. The DIsaster Pokemon did not take kindly to the torture being given to Premium Polish.

"It'll be so ironic that this Pokemon of all Pokemon will be the one that grants me absolute control over the universe. Guess Absol and Twilight are bound to do amazing things together, hm? Come on, Absol. Unleash an attack already." The Empress taunted her.

Absol observed his surroundings. He was outnumbered with three individuals being a massive threat to him. Skyblue Shine, Aggron and Empress Twilight. He now knew what the Empress was planning. Absorbing his attacks and sending them to Premium Polish to complete some sort of machine.

The Disaster Pokemon may be stubborn, persistent and a holder of an unyielding resolve. But he's not foolish enough to put everyone else in danger. He knew that attacking would just allow Empress Twilight to potentially steal some Infinity Energy. And if she does, the Magical Unite could be completed faster than expected.

So, Absol made concluded on what he could do in this scenario.

He immediately used Night Slash on the floor. With a swing of his horn, the Disaster Pokemon had cut the floor in half with such precision too.

The room itself started crumbling as Absol made sure to leave Premium out of it. Then again, the machine was stuck to the floor, making it hard for it to move even if the floor had been sliced in half. All of the scientists started falling through the sliced floor along with Aggron.

Skyblue Shine levitated herself with magic while the Empress simply flew, scoffing at Absol. Speaking of Absol, he started falling as well. At least, it seemed that way. He used the falling rubble as platforms, jumping from them each. He then approached the Empress.

"Yes! Come to me!" The Empress grinned, wanting Absol to attack her. However, much to her chagrin. Absol didn't do so. He lunged over the Empress, using Night Slash again.

This time, he sliced the walls in half, damaging the room even further. The Empress turned around before extending her mane to grab Absol's tail.

"Ab?!"

"I know what you're planning and I won't let you!" The Empress exclaimed before pulling Absol back, slamming him against the wall.

"Absol!" After being slammed into the wall, Absol opened his mouth, unleashing a Dark Pulse. But yet again, he didn't go for the Empress. Instead, Absol released a quick-fire Dark Pulse that had zoomed by the Empress at great speeds, preventing her from absorbing the Infinity Energy.

Afterwards, Absol's Dark Pulse travelled through the destroyed walls, heading further through this jumbled palace. This was part of Absol's plan.

He had continuously fired Dark Pulse across the area frantically with short but strong bursts. He didn't want the Empress to catch them at all, so he made sure that they were hard to track as each wall kept receiving holes.

"Hold still!" And this frustrated the Empress as she couldn't catch the bursts of Infinity Energy. Her palace walls were being attacked as the holes were increasing with further destruction. Absol was looking for the one spot where he could call for assistance.

And after a few more, he found that spot.

The Dark Pulse had gone so far that it struck the spot where Fluttershy could be found. The pulse hit the ground, coming to an end as Fluttershy, Audino, Chikorita and Scorbunny were alerted by this, witnessing the pulse show up.

"Wait...Absol!" Fluttershy gasped, realizing who this was. After seeing it, the group advanced towards the location where Dark Pulse came flying in. All they had to do was follow the numerous holes in the wall.

"Absol!" Absol smirked, knowing he had aggravated the Empress. And to respond to that, Empress Twilight had dragged Absol across the floor with her hair.

"You...You...Whatever animal you are!" The Empress roared as Absol had then cut parts of her mane off with his horn. The Disaster Pokemon recovered, almost falling through the lower section after he sliced everything up.

This area of the palace was crumbling as Aggron had saved everyone from falling due to his massive size. He barely felt the impact of himself hitting the floor as the scientists fled.

"I'll just absorb your Infinity Energy another way!" The Empress exclaimed as she was aiming to rip out the Infinity Energy by force via energy extraction. The Empress approached the Disaster Pokemon with her horn flashing rapidly.

"Sol!" Absol jumped over the Empress in response. With great agility and instincts, he had evaded the incoming attack. Afterwards, Absol unleashed a Dark Pulse onto the Empress' back while she wasn't looking.

"Gh! Why you!" The Empress winced as her dress had been damaged by Absol's Dark Pulse. She turned around, manipulating the blocks around the area. She disassembled them, rocketing them towards the Disaster Pokemon.

"Absol!" Absol simply cut them in half with Night Slash, destroying all the incoming blocks. The Disaster Pokemon then whipped his tail at some rubble, returning the favour to Empress Twilight.

The Empress scoffed as she used her mane to whack the rubble away. She paused for a moment, glaring Absol down as a massive chunk of rock landed next to them.

"You're something alright. I can see why my younger self chose you as her Pokemon. What power." The Empress sneered while chuckling as well. "I'm a bit jealous, honestly. But that's fine. Because once the Magical Unite finished, you'll be under control either way."

"Absol."

"Yes. Everyone. No one will be left out. Pony, dragon, griffon, Pokemon and soon, the humans. Speaking of the humans, I'll get to them eventually, starting with Ash Ketchum, of course. The humans are probably the greatest weapon I could ever ask for. Their experiences with Pokemon over aeons, centuries and decades will benefit me greatly. I'll have all the power I need from them. Wouldn't you agree, Absol?"

"Sol."

"Aggron!" Suddenly, jumping back into the fray after a long climb was Aggron. The Iron Armor Pokemon roared in Absol's direction before standing next to the Empress.

"Empress. Forgive me for the rough start. But I'll finish things from here." Skyblue Shine went over.

"No. You can play your part another way."

"Huh?"

Just then, the Empress faced Aggron, aiming to take his Infinity Energy. He was a powerful Pokemon also brimming with Mega Evolution Energy. Just what the Empress wanted. She immediately aimed her horn at the Iron Armor Pokemon, extracting his Infinity Energy.

"A-A-Aggron!"

"Aggron!" Skyblue Shine gasped before stepping back. She witnessed her partner get on his knees as all of his Infinity Energy was transferred to the Empress.

"Sol?" Even Absol was taken aback by this.

"Yes...! This is good! Let's see how quick this one is!" The Empress cackled before facing Premium Polish. Premium Polish's body was still smoking after the previous usage of Infinity Energy. She hadn't taken a long enough break to recover.

And Skyblue Shine knew this. If her daughter was to receive another one that has even greater power than the average Pokemon, then results would be less than fortunate.

"Empress, wait!" Skyblue Shine put her hoof out as she acted on an instinct she wasn't expecting. However, as she stepped forward while the Empress unleashed the beam, along came Absol.

"Sol!" Absol jumped into the way of the beam, acting as a shield for Premium Polish. Once he took the hit, the Infinity Energy went to him instead, powering the Disaster Pokemon up.

"Absol?!" Skyblue Shine bellowed.

"Ab...sol!" After absorbing the initial energy, Absol then used Giga Impact, charging forward like a rocket. He was faster and stronger than ever thanks to the extra Infinity Energy.

"Oh, n-" The Empress was a prime target for Giga Impact. As seen by how Absol tackled her. After being tackled, Absol and the Empress went flying in the far distance with the Empress taking most of the hits, crashing through wall after wall, pillar after pillar.

"Aggron! Are you okay?!" Premium went up to Aggron as he breathed in and out.

"Ggron..."

"Mom..." Premium Polish's voice suddenly spoke. Her consciousness went from just staring to finally being able to speak. The previous shock of Infinity Energy that happened minutes ago gave her some form of consciousness.

"Premium!" Skyblue Shine went up to the machine and her daughter. Premium was able to move her eyes now as she looked down at her daughter.

Even though she could speak, she was finding it hard to speak the words she wanted to say. Whether it was from the smoking body or everything that's happened to her so far.

That's when Daybreaker's words came back to Skyblue Shine. The words that stuck with her the most as she could not remove them from her memories. Despite being an android.

"Honestly. Do you expect things to ever be the same again after this? The trust of your daughter will be severed. If it already isn't that is. All because of somepony you can't break loyalty too. Makes me wonder if you love your daughter truly."

"Then act like a mother and prove that you do."

"If you truly love your daughter as you say you do, then you'll show your love at its purest...won't you?"

After recalling all of them and looking up at Premium Polish, Skyblue Shine thought back to everything that has happened so far. Her loyalty towards the Empress has truly strayed her away from her daughter. Though she doesn't remember her previous life, she knows she owes the Empress her own.

But, hearing Daybreaker's words through her memories made Skyblue Shine scrunched her face. She shook for a while before also looking at Aggron, who was still on his knees. She then heard all of the ongoing battling happening across the palace.

All of this was happening because of her daughter.

"Premium. I wish I could stop this but I just don't know why I can't." Skyblue Shine said before oil started leaking from her eyes. Truly, her being built as an android and being forever loyal to the Empress held her back from fulfilling her role as a mother.

"Fine. I'll do it myself."

Suddenly, arriving here with the usage of a gateway was the pony she couldn't get out of her head. The alternate universe version of a corrupted Princess Celestia.

Daybreaker.

"Daybreaker?!" Skyblue Shine looked up while whimpering with oil falling out of her. Daybreaker shook her head, showing pity to the android.

"Poor little thing. That programming is truly revolutionary, isn't it?" Daybreaker put her hoof on Skyblue Shine's face as she kept crying. Premium witnessed this flaming Celestia, confused as to what was happening anymore. "Don't worry. I can fix all of this."

"What?"

With the flash of her eyes, Daybreaker had cast a spell. One that had interrupted with Skyblue Shine's insides had been greeted with magical flames.

Her insides had been coated in a magical flame as Skyblue Shine was reliving memories that she had never seen before. And one that she had forgotten about.

She had seen memories of when she was built in the Empress' lab. Every part where she was made to be loyal to the Empress. But she also remembered the words said on the day before she was made. When she was a human. She remembered everything from Daybreaker's spell, recalling how it all turned out.

"W-What are these memories...?" Skyblue Shine backed away before holding her head. "What did you do to me?!"

"It's a good thing you're not fully a robot. After all, you were built from the remains of a human. Albeit with little skin. So, using my Memory Spell against you wasn't a waste."

"What...?"

"I was there for your creation, Skyblue Shine. Including your daughter." Daybreaker started circling the android. "Well, parts of it. Not really the whole thing. The process was just unsettling to look at. I knew you'd be built to stay loyal to the Empress no matter what. Especially with your memories gone. I mean, it's not like she hasn't done it before. Conversion is her one of her favourite past-time hobbies. And what you've seen just now were memories of your past. Your previous life."

"I was a human? And Premium as well."

"That's right. Empress Twilight promised you a better life after she saved you. You owed her your life after she made that promise. And well...she gave you life, that's for sure. Life as an android pony in this world. I suppose in hindsight, that's a good thing isn't it?"

"Mom? What's going on?" Premium asked.

"T-This is the better life that the Empress gave me." Skyblue Shine stood up. "Right? I'm loyal to her after my creation and I suppose now saving my life. This life I have hasn't gone to waste."

"Are you sure about that? Tell me...does the lab back at the Empress' original universe ring a bell."

And there it was. Skyblue Shine then recalled what she had seen back at the lab in the Empress' original universe during the invasion.

The same laboratory that had multiple Skyblue Shine androids sitting there. She didn't think too much about it in the beginning, but with these new memories, it was all clicking to her.

Skyblue Shine was the best version of those androids because she was currently the only functioning and long-lasting one compared to the rest. The other clones hadn't been destroyed or tossed aside for one reason.

The Empress would require their services. Skyblue Shine realized that she was essentially expendable. She was an android after all. If she breaks, there were two options.

Rebuild or replace.

And judging by how many clones she had seen, a replacement was the better option. Skyblue Shine sat down before contemplating everything. All that she's known was starting to flash through her memory chips at great speeds.

"But..you should feel lucky. Ever since the invasion, the palace had been destroyed. Which means that every Skyblue Shine clone was obliterated as well. You're the only one left, dear. The best one out of all of them."

"But I was disposable this whole time?" Skyblue Shine started to mourn while lowering her head. "If I wasn't the best version, would I have been useless and put next to the clones?" She then started blubbering from her sadness. "Did all of those clones have memories as well? Am I only important for this one reason?"

"Maybe." Daybreaker shrugged. "I wasn't frequently around that universe anyway. But, I do know one thing. Androids and most if not all robots are generally built for a sole purpose and nothing else. The only one who managed to break away from this was your daughter. But it seems that fate has brought her back to why she was built in the first place."

"Mom!" Just then, Premium Polish interrupted the conversation, drawing the attention of her mother. "Please don't be sad. I know everything's pretty weird right now and I don't get it all myself. But, even if there's a bunch of clones of you, you'll always be my real mom."

"Premium?" Skyblue Shine looked over while Daybreaker gave her an oil-absorbent tissue to wipe her oily tears.

"Even though you did some bad stuff, I still love you. In any way that you look. Pony or human." Despite being stuck in a machine and having her body used as a weapon, Premium was still able to give a smile. Something that Skyblue Shine enjoys seeing.

"R-Really?"

"Mhm."

"Oh, Premium!" Skyblue Shine went up to the machine, hugging it. She couldn't hug her daughter's full-body, unfortunately. So this would have to suffice. "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! I don't know if I can call myself your mother or even be one at this point."

"Alright." Daybreaker stepped forward, interrupting. "The sentimental words can wait. This machine is a problem. The Empress built it so that no form of magic would break it. Not even mine. But...since it was made before she discovered the Pokemon, then I have a predictable idea on how to break it."

"Y-You're going to free my daughter?"

"Don't you want her to be free?" Daybreaker raised an eyebrow as Skyblue Shine nodded. She did want her daughter to be free after all.

"I know I shouldn't go against the Empress but..."

"Save it. Use your Aggron and let's get this over with."

As the journey continues.


Chapter 545 End.