//------------------------------// // Tense around Love // Story: My Little Pokémon // by Amarvax //------------------------------// Equestria. Ponyville. Day. Today was a sacred day to many. Not exactly the most important day to all but it had some weight. In both worlds. Valentines Day plus Hearts and Hooves Day. "How does...next week sound for Holon? We've been pretty held back by it." Ash said to Fluttershy. "Something else might pop up next week now that I think about it." "It's unpredictable, isn't it?" Fluttershy raised her hoof. "But just like you said, it's so much fun. But mostly dangerous a lot of the time." "Mhm. Ah, but I can bet something like that is gonna happen at Holon. Wonder what those Delta Pokemon are like?" He crossed his arms, imaging the possibilities of Delta Pokemon. He only knew that they are Pokemon with alternate typings. Such as a Charizard that was a Dark-Type. "Oh, by the way. Todays Hearts and Hooves day now that I remember. Or Valentines Day over in your world. Do you have anyone special, Ash?" "Hm? Oh yeah. I forgot. I never thought too big about that day now that I think about it..." He scratched his hair. "I hear you. Me neither. It's just like Nightmare Night with me. But I always see how interested everypony is when it comes to that day." Fluttershy shrugged before tossing some food in Bayleef's mouth. "Oh, I know. How about we try it together? I'll be your special somepony today." "Hm? Sure." Ash sat up. "Always ready to try new things. So uh...what do we do?" "Pikachu?" "I don't know." Fluttershy chuckled. "I'm just as lost as you." Soon they all started laughing. Both of them were essentially absent from this special day. And for clear reasons. "Oh! I know one thing!" Fluttershy raised her hoof. "Expect some candy! "Candy? Hehehe!" Ash liked the sound of that. His interest in Valentine's Day had been boosted from this revelation. He and Pikachu were already thinking about candy. And because of this, they took a quick turn to SugarCube Corner before leaving for this world. "That's right. Everypony usually goes to SugarCube Corner to grab some candy. It's rare that you ever see them make the candy. But they're probably doing it everywhere else. I could try making chocolate. Can you, Ash?" "I'm not that great at making sweet stuff. I tried making poffins one time and it didn't go so well..." Ash laughed, recalling his poor poffin-making skills. "But, everyone might like that chocolate when you think about it. Especially when it's made differently. That's what Pinkie Pie told me." "You're right...Oh!" Another idea sparked onto Fluttershy's head. "I can't leave Discord out of it. Maybe he would like some. I'll make some for him too! It'll be his first Hearts and Hooves Day. I think. Maybe he's already done it." "You do that. I'm gonna check out the Human World now, Fluttershy. Say, are you coming to it soon?" He asked before sitting up. "Not quite yet." She shook her head. "But I'm still interested in it. Are you going to head there to help Twilight some more with Pokemon?" "More than that. I gotta tell you about Alpha Pokemon. I'll be right back, okay?" Ash and Pikachu were ready to depart to the Human World. Aside from the low interest in the day, one pony who was never super interested in this kind of day was now heavily interested because of one reason. That pony was Twilight Sparkle. "Okay...I have it right here." Twilight had a note in her possession, holding it with magic. "Objective. Hoof it over and get a massive unnecessary stress off my back. Should be easy." "You make it sound easy, Twilight. But you never make it easy." Starlight slid in, whispering in Twilight's ear. "How about you put the note down and tell him?" "The note stays." Twilight pulled back. "Besides, it'll be easier this time since there won't be Bayleef or Meloetta to stop me at all. Today will e the day that I-" "But there's Princess Luna." Starlight quickly shut Twilight down, causing her to freeze. "And there's also Queen Chrysalis now that I think about it. So it always comes down to two, doesn't it?" "Ahem. N-No need to worry. Princess Luna's most likely training with her Pokemon or going for the final Gym Leader. And Queen Chrysalis is too busy back at the Changeling Hive. I'm confident right now and I'll be an early bird too. I'm going to-" But then, Twilight froze for a moment before noticing something off. Starlight's Hatterene. Hatterene could be seen breathing in and out repeatedly in a strange manner. Her eyes were twitching vigorously while murmuring. "Um...S-Starlight. What's wrong with Hatterene?" A worried Twilight questioned. "Oh, right. Hatterene. Uh about that..." The unicorn chuckled nervously. "So, apparently, the Hatterene species and their response to strong emotions, aren't exactly fond of days like this. Hearts and Hooves plus Valentine's Day. Since this is one of those days where love, a powerful emotion shows itself, Hatterene gets very pent up. I figured this out a while back. Last year even." "H-Hatterene...!" The Silent Pokemon growled as her tentacle claw was vibrating, feeling the urge to grab something. "So, if it's not an issue, maybe expressing all of your love in this area isn't the best idea." Starlight held Hatterene. "I'm gonna have to try and keep Hatterene stable or else she could lose it. You go ahead and talk to Ash, please." "Right, right." Twilight understood. She and Espeon left the premises as to try and not push Hatterene. This was certainly a volatile day for Hatterene. Thankfully, it only lasts for one day, however, there are other holidays that can bring it out. But none do so more than the day of love. "Now Hatterene..." Starlight comforted her partner, giving her what she could and treating her like royalty. "It's just for a day. Just pretend that the aura of love isn't in the air and it will zoom by." "T-Tterene!" Canterlot. Day. But as Hatterene was the Pokemon that despised strong emotions, the rival species, Gardevoir, adored strong emotions. Specifically Passion. Despite adoring it, the Gardevoir species don't do much as opposed to Hatterene, their rival species who will take drastic measures just because of a few heart flutters here and there. At the moment, Passion wandered around for Celestia, wondering where she could be, calling out the name of her Pokemon Trainer. "Gardevoir! Gardevoir?! Voir?" Eventually, she found her. And Celestia had currently met up with one of the Swords of Justice. The one she admired. Cobalion. "I'm so glad you actually showed up on this day, Cobalion. I hope nothing important was interrupted." She spoke to the Fighting-Steel-Type. "Nothing." Cobalion shook his head. "Lately, things have been peaceful with the Swords and I taking less action. But we are always cautious every passing second. Right now, there is something striking around this area." "Really?! Where?!" Celestia gasped, wondering where this potential danger could be. "What's striking?!" "Why, that would be you." "Oh. Ohohohoho..." Celestia's face turned red as she giggled nervously, flattered and embarrassed by Cobalion's compliment. Premium Polish was watching this exchange as she made sure to keep her eyes locked on. "Since when did you become such a charmer? What shall we do today? Maybe head to Alola to try that game again? Or that restaurant in Manehattan from before. This time without me running away in a frenzy." She chuckled. "I'd like something peaceful. A stroll would be nice." "A stroll does sound nice. I know the perfect place to go." Celestia started guiding Cobalion. "A location where my parents would take me as a foal." "Gardevoir?" Passion flew over to Celestia, asking if she could come along. "Oh, sorry, Passion. But I was hoping that it would be just us two." Celestia shrugged as Passion lowered her head in disappointment, only for Celestia to comfort her seconds later. "No need to worry. I'll be right back." "Gardevoir." "By the way...have you seen Luna recently? I saw very little of her yesterday...She seemed to be in a hurry." Celestia wondered about the presence of her little sister. It wasn't time to panic as of now but it was certainly odd how little of her had been seen. Ponyville. Ash and Pikachu were in the mood for some sweets after Fluttershy brought them up. Pinkie Pie and the Cake Family were already ahead of the game. They knew that the intake of sweets skyrocket. Great for business. "Here you two go. Eat up!" Pinkie Pie slid some cupcakes in Ash and Pikachu's direction. They rubbed their hands together, excited to dig in and save some for tomorrow. But since they were heavy eaters, these cupcakes won't see tomorrow's light. "Thanks, Pinkie. This is gonna be a good one, buddy. I've just got a good feeling about this." The Alola Champion and the Mouse Pokemon put their arms together, being grateful for the sweet-toothed treat in front of them. Entering SugarCube Corner was Twilight. She took a gentle hoofstep, still having the note with her. To her, this was a big break and the day she can put an end to an unnecessary issue that should've been solved long ago. She took a deep breath, ready to show it to Ash. But before she could do so and before Ash and Pikachu could devour the cupcakes, a flash of magic happened right within the building. And emerging from this flash of magic was Princess Luna. Twilight gasped as Luna appeared at the worst possible time for the young alicorn. Luna smirked as she knew her timing was abysmal in this instance. "Hope I'm not interruptingg~" "Hm? Luna?" Ash turned to the Princess of the Night. "Ash. Save those cupcakes for later." Luna used her magic to slide the tray of cupcakes away, having something else in mind. She used her magic to bring out something larger than the cupcakes. A massive Heart-Shaped Cake had been revealed, placed in front of Ash for him to admire. The heart was two-toned, having signature colours of Ash and Luna. Azure Blue for Ash and Dark Blue Luna. "Try this first." "Oho!" Ash's eyes sparkled upon witnessing this behemoth of pastry before his eyes. "Awesome! Thanks, Luna!" Ash gladly helped himself, grabbing the nearest fork and spoon to start chewing away. "Ah..." Twilight was speechless as Luna turned to face her fellow alicorn, giving a cheeky grin. Mew went to eat some of the cupcakes along with Pinkie Pie once they were pushed aside. "Mmmrgh..." Twilight growled as Luna proved to be one step ahead of her when it came to food. "I told you, Twilight Sparkle." Luna slid over to Twilight. "My mother already instructed me that food is the way to their heart. And it seems you forgot t take up cooking lessons to match my pace." "Gah!" Twilight exclaimed. "It isn't over yet. I still have this." She showed the note to Luna. "This speaks larger volumes than some cake." "Hey! Don't diss cake..." Pinkie Pie managed to hear Twilight and her sentence about cake. She narrowed her eyes, pointing her hoof at her friend. "R-Right. Watch this." Twilight pranced over, ready to show the note to Ash and get things over with at last. Luna took a moment to realize how impactful this could be. Twilight had a point about this note speaking larger volumes. It wouldn't be subtle at all. "Ash." "Mmm?" Ash turned to face Twilight with a full mouth of cake. Twilight held her breath, feeling nervous to show the letter. The moment she got Ash's attention and held the note out, she suddenly froze in place. "Ah." Luna smiled, knowing that Twilight had gotten cold hooves. She showed so much bravado and confidence earlier. But the moment she was about to partake in the action, her body prevented her from advancing. "Uh...You see...This note is something special and-" Twilight was padding out her words, trying to stall for time despite wanting this to be over with. Ash was just confused as he continued to eat the cake. He also decided to have the cupcakes at the same time, multitasking as his hand was a sweet mess. "It's never easy when face to face with that special someone, hm?" Luna peered her head over to Twilight, whispering at her. Twilight scrunched her face with one eye twitching. Twilight grizzled her teeth as Espeon was just eating the cake, waiting for this to be over. "Just look for yourself!" Twilight exclaimed, allowing Ash to grab the note. Ash took it for himself, opening it as Twilight's heart rate was skyrocketing at rapid speeds. This could be it. Unfortunately, because his hands were a mess, the words that truly mattered had been layered and covered by the colours of cake and cupcakes. "Oh. Whoops." "!!" Twilight was aghast. This was most definitely some form of cruel fate. But some part of her felt relieved in a way that the words were blocked off. But she was still disappointed. "Oh..." "Sorry about that. How about we get it off? Pinkie Pie can Spin-" "No, that's fine!" Twilight cut Ash off, grabbing the note with her magic and ripping it into shreds. "Forget about that, okay? Haha!" She laughed as her imaginary self was currently slamming her head against the wall right about now. Ash shrugged before continuing to eat. "Mmm..." Twilight whimpered, disappointed that it went south immediately. "Hm." Luna felt bad for Twilight in that instance, patting her on the head. "Have no worry, Twilight Sparkle. This topic is difficult to tackle after all. Even for myself. But on the brighter side of things, at least I have made some more progress." She went back to her competitive nature. "It isn't over yet..." twilight partook in Luna's competitive nature. "I just have to say it and things will be done. I'll do it...tonight!" "Tonight, you say?" Luna nodded. "Precisely my time. I will be watching closely to see if you can go through with it." "What about you? You haven't said a word about it either." "Gh!" Luna pulled back as Twilight had her there. "Ahem. I-I'm just biding my time if you must know. I am certainly not nervous and hesitant such as you." "Right..." Twilight was heavily doubtful of that. Right as their conversation ended, so did Ash's feast. Just like that, in so little time and with the combined efforts of Pikachu, Espeon, Pinkie Pie, Spinda and Mew, the cake and cupcakes had been fully devoured. "Ah, that was good..." Ash was satisfied by what he had eaten. He and the others let out a relaxed sigh. "Okay. Time to head to Twilight. Uh, I mean the Human Twilight. I guess I gotta come up with an easier name for her...Sci-wi could work. She's great at science at all." "Hm?" Twilight and Luna both turned to Ash. "Sci-Twi?" After speaking her name, it was Twilight who was the first to realize something. The other Twilight in her eyes made her jealous before. Twilight didn't think much about it before realizing that Valentines Day most definitely exists in the Human World. Luna shrugged, unphased by this. "Thanks for the cake and cupcakes, guys," said Ash before he and Pikachu departed. "Ah, Ash. Allow me to escort you there." Luna took another advantage when it was available rushing to Ash. "We can go together." "Oh, really? Thanks, Luna. Teleporting's the way to go, huh?" "No-no-no. That is the easier option, but I feel like taking things slowly, in all honesty. On this occasion, the Trains tend to undergo a special change. It has a wonderful bliss to it." Luna smiled, referring to how the train rides sometimes dabble in Hearth's Warming. "That sounds like it could-" "I'll go too," Twilight interjected, aiming to go on this train ride with Ash. Luna let out a slight growl as Ash's eyes were shifting in different directions. So did Pinkie Pie as she already knew the different tensions that were sprouting. "That is fine, Twilight Sparkle." Luna stopped her. "You have important matters to attend to here in Ponyville as the Princess of Friendship, do you not?" "Nope. I'm a free pony right now. Nothing much to worry about." She smirked as Luna pouted. "Plus, I'd like to pay that world a visit again to see the rest of my friends." "I highly doubt that's the reason." Them, lightning bolts shot out from their eyes as they were clashing back and forth at this rate. Pinkie PIe bit her hoof, worried about what this might do. That was when Ash took action. "Hold on." He said, halting them both. Despite how carefree he may be, Ash is not oblivious to how his friends sometimes act. Never will he stray away from that part of them. "I don't know what's going on but...You guys are worrying me. This isn't like you, ya know. Maybe it's this whole Valentines Day or Hearths and Hooves Day, but you're not usually like this." "..." The two alicorns lowered their ears, knowing that when it came to having feelings for Ash, their competitive natures would show constantly. And they could get worse if not paid attention to. "If something's bugging you, you two can tell me, Pikachu or anyone about it." He grinned, closing his eyes. "Just say the word and we're all ears." "Pikachu..." "Curses...That much is true..." Luna said under her breath. She and Twilight looked at each other before agreeing on one thing in unison. Something that could work to their benefit while still being subtle. "Ash." They both said, holding their breaths and letting out what they needed to say but without being too upfront. "Will you be my special somepony?" They finally came upfront and said it. "Oh, that. Hmm...Sure. Sounds fun!" Ash was up for it. He was still a stranger to this kind of tradition. Even in his own world. And to Twilight and Luna, that was the safest option they could've gone for as they both sighed. Ash saw this as a fun one-time experience. Catching his affection was still in the air. Pinkie also felt some form of relief, glad that things didn't spiral out of control. "But I still don't know how this stuff works. You two seem pretty experienced with it." "Not quite...but we are willing to show you," Luna said as she and Twilight would essentially be teaming up. And yet, they still had some of their competitive spirits leaking out. "And at the end of this one-day event, there's always a surprise. Isn't there, Princess Luna?" Twilight nudged Luna. She got the message immediately. "Precisely. Some may call it a peck or so. Hopefully, it won't be too alarming when done to you Ash and-" "Oh, that!" Ash understood the wording behind that. "No need to worry. I know what it's like. Just last Christmas, Sci-Twi gave me one right here." He tapped on his cheek, rustling his cheekbones a bit. "SHE WHAT?!" Both Twilight and Luna exclaimed, letting their Royal Canterlot Voices shoot out as it had caused Ash's hat to fly off. Their ears did not mishear it. The Twilight Sparkle from another world had beaten them to it already. Little did they know that others have beaten them to the punch long ago. "Uh yeah. Anyway, let's check out that special train ride!" Ash was eager to see what the train would be like on this special day. Twilight and Luna had frozen faces with whited out pupils. That revelation threw them off guard. Twilight already knew she had some jealousy for her other self but now the same could be said for Luna. Extra competition from yet another world as they slowly trotted, following Ash while having their mouths open. Meanwhile, Hatterene was struggling to keep herself steady. She looked outside the window, gazing at Ash, Twilight and Luna. She could feel a lot of love coming from them and it bothered her. H-Hatterene...!" "Alright, Hatterene, here's your food." Starlight arrived with Pokemon Food. The moment she entered the room, she could see Hatterene vibrating at greater speeds. The love that Twilight and Luna had for Ash was too astronomical for her to ignore. "Uh...Hatterene...Whatever you're thinking, don't do it. Just eat your food and-" "Hatter!" Hatterene hissed before using Psycho Cut. She had then sliced the Pokemon Food in half, rejecting to consume it as Starlight jumped back, screeching. After cutting the food in half, Hatterene had used her claw to a punch hole through the window. "Hatterene, no! Return!" Starlight knew this would get out of hand quickly as she went for Hatterene's Poke Ball. However, Hatterene had used her Psychic mind to telekinetically grab Starlight and the Poke Ball. Starlight gulped as the Poke Ball was thrown aside. Starlight was sent to another room as the Silent Pokemon had then jumped out of the window. "Hatterene! Don't!" Starlight cried out before having her voice fade in the background. Hatterene was too aggravated at this point. The moment she entered the outside, she could already feel the love radiating from everypony here. And it was driving her mad. She looked around to see different couples interacting with each other. Hatterene felt like doing something about them, but she wanted to get Twilight and Luna who had the most love coming from them. "Hatterene!" Hatterene wailed as she had used her mystical powers to grab every couple that were interacting so far, lifting them into the air. The couples had their eyes widen before noticing how they were being raised into the air. Hatterene could not contain her aggravation so she kept them all afloat for the time being. But she also felt like smashing them all down at the same time. And with how her veins were showing, that looked like it would be the case until a certain somepony had shown up. "That's as far as you go." Slamming her hoof on the ground, grabbing Hatterene's attention, was the Princess of Love. Princess Mi Amore Cadenze. Or Cadence for short. "Hatt?!" Hatterene growled, glaring at the alicorn. "I sensed something amiss and it led me to you...You're a threat to Hearts and Hooves day." The Princess of Love narrowed her eyes. "Which makes you my natural enemy." "Hatterene." Hatterene soon dropped everyone from her telekinetic hold, causing them all to shudder after landing. They all then had eyes on Hatterene and Cadence. An unlikely showdown was about to occur. A Defender of Love and a Destroyer of Love. Starlight took a deep breath as she quickly teleported to the outside of Ponyville. Upon arriving there, she could see this inevitable showdown about to occur. The two respective pink auras were flowing from Cadence and Hatterene. Cadence was light pink while Hatterene was dark pink. Starlight had no idea what calamity was about to happen. On the train to Canterlot, there was a special Hearts and Hooves room for those who were getting into the spirit of the holiday. And that benefit came with some high-class luxury that could only appear on this one day or if royalty was onboard. A private room was made for different couples. Twilight and Luna were still silent after the revelation from earlier. They had their faces scrunched the whole time. Some food had been brought over, Hearts and Hooves themed. Ash and Pikachu would enjoy this, but Espeon would sit out of this as she was full. "How is it that your counterpart beat us to it?" Luna shifted her eyes at Twilight. "I'm lost on that myself..." Twilight shook her head. "And so soon too..." "Who knew this day had so much food to go around. I've been missing out." Ash laughed, hovering his hands over the food Twilight and Luna then saw this as a chance to try something to get their mind off of the recent revelation. "Here, Ash! Allow me to rest your hands!" Luna quickly used her magic to grab a piece of cake, hovering it in front of Ash's face. "Oh, thanks, Luna. But I can-" "Feed you instead! I've been practising! Sort of...Not really." Twilight did the same as her piece of cake had knocked Luna's cake out of the way. Luna then knocked Twilight's aside as well as they both started bashing the pieces of cake against each other. Ash watched as the food went from side to side. "Aha!" Ash had a better idea. He took the pieces of cake, grabbing them out of their telekinetic hold. "Here you two go." Just then, he had placed it in front of them both. "!" They both froze under this approach as their mouths were wide open. This was the first romantic thing he had done without him noticing. "Oh, Ash. It's meant to be the other way around." Luna giggled. "It is?" He scratched his hair, looking at the cake. He shrugged before seeing Twilight take a bite out of the cake before Luna could. "If you won't take the chance, then I will." She said to Luna before chewing on the cake. Luna turned her head, giving an indignation expression. She then looked at the other piece of cake before deciding to also take a bite. "Delicious..." "Looks like we're almost there." Ash looked outside the window. "I'll make this quick and head back to do whatever else happens on this day." "Anything else?" Twilight nudged. "Well...uh...Chrysalis wanted to see me and I gotta help clean up back home." He began listing what else needed to be done today. "Oh and I gotta make plans for Holon too." "Right...Chrysalis..." Luna sighed, knowing that Chrysalis was another major love obstacle. Potentially the biggest considering what she now stands for. But unlike Twilight and Luna, Chrysalis doesn't share that same competitive nature as them both. "Um, Ash. Tonight, there's something important that I have to tell you." Twilight cleared her throat. She then twiddled her hooves together, asking a daring question. "So, you could um...could you show up behind my castle later tonight?" "Important, huh? Alright. I'll be there." Music to Twilight's ears. She was ecstatic deep within while Luna was sweating bullets, worried about the potential outcome. Afterwards, the train came to an end as it was time for Ash to leave for the Human World once more. Once Ash got off the train, they looked at each other for a bit. Twilight and Luna felt some sort of guilt in them at this point. Despite what Ash said to them earlier, their competitive natures couldn't help but keep showing themselves. Even fighting for him, Ash took the time to give them both the pieces of cake they had originally offered. Ash paused, turning around to face them both. Before he could leave to the mirror, he felt the need to be there for him as he approached the two alicorns. "Hey. Don't worry about it. You're both special to me so don't ever let that change, okay?" Ash said to them. "It's because of how you two are that makes me and Pikachu happy. And I know that Eve feels the same way." "Espeon." Espeon rubbed her head on Twilight's hoof, purring. "Whatever you wanna say to me, go ahead. I'll be all ears for you both." "Ash..." Twilight smiled, feeling at ease. Despite everything that has happened, Ash, to a certain degree, understood them well. This was another reason to have such affection for him. But after Twilight put on a smile along with Luna, a sudden outburst could be felt. It had startled them all as a gigantic pink smoke could be seen in the distance. Most likely an explosion. And falling out of that explosion was Princess Cadence. She came crashing down at full force, landing right near Ash and the others. "Cadence?!" The three of them had gasped. "Ugh...H-Her hatred is too strong..." Cadence groaned before rising her hoof, trembling. Twilight quickly ran to her side, holding the hoof of her old foalsitter. "It's Hatterene...She's overflowing with Hatred for Love. She's reached critical levels of absolute hatred." "Hatterene?" "HATTERENE!" Speaking of which, Hatterene could be seen in the distance, emerging out of the pink mushroom cloud. She had ascended. Her hatred was rising, overflowing. The endless array of love was powering her anger. Her anger was so great that it was changing the weather. Thunderstorms started emerging. But they were pink thunderstorms as the clouds all became pink along with the skies. Everyone across the world was greeted with this global force. Ash and the others were stunned by this sudden change in events. And once Hatterene's tense hatred started reaching critical mass, she started sending the thunderbolts in specific directions. Mainly to those who were showing extreme love on this special day. Ponies who were writing love letters were met with a bad surprise. Their letters had been wiped out of existence the moment the thunderbolts came rashing down. Their messages were cut off instantly. Among one of these ponies was Pinkie Pie. She gasped after seeing her letter wiped off the face of the planet. Hatterene was now a raging goddess. A goddess that despised love. Over at the Pokemon House, deciding to involve Discord on this special day was Fluttershy. She worked hard to make a delicious piece of chocolate for him. She chose not to enter SugarCube Corner. "Discord!" She called for Discord. The moment she did so, the thunderbolt approached the cake. "Bay? Bay!" Bayleef reacted just as quickly as the thunderbolt did. Her leaves rustled, causing one of them to fly off. The leaf had landed on Fluttershy's hooves as fate had been changed. The thunderbolt had been altered, hitting the ground instead. Fluttershy jumped afterwards, dropping the chocolate. Raboot had safely caught it, keeping it balanced with his feet. "Yes?" Discord responded to Fluttershy's call, ripping reality in half to pass through it, entering Ponyville. The moment he had arrived, his eyes were mostly locked onto the skies and the visage of Hatterene above. "Oh my. What's this?" "I...don't know..." "HATTERENE!" Hatterene roared as she violently shook her head, smiting everything love-related that she could. Ponies started fleeing from these Fairy thunderbolts, especially the couples. However, the thunderbolts started separating the couples, keeping them away from each other. It was utter pandemonium and chaos. Something that Discord could get behind. He wasn't sure what caused this but he was loving every second of it. One of the couples targeted were Cobalion and Celestia. Celestia looked in awe and shock at this pink-coloured calamity ongoing. Of all the days where she could spend quality time with Cobalion, this had to be the one where something severe could go. "Stay close to me, Celestia." Cobalion said, using his hoof to bring Celestia close. Celestia blushed at this, squealing as she had already forgotten about the giant pink storm happening above. "H-How did this happen?!" Luna gasped. "It's Hatterene's reaction to strong motions! She absolutely hates them to the core! And this is one of those days where love, the strongest emotion is the most active!" Twilight explained. "She could destroy everything at this point!" "Not yet..." Cadence sat up. "T-There is a way to stop her...The same way she feeds off of love and transforms it into hatred, I must do the same." "How?" Ash asked. "Being the Princess of Love...I have access to a spell that only I can utilize. Everyone. I need you to share your love with me." Cadence then adjusted her crown before closing her eyes. "That goes for everypony around Equestria." Ash and everyone knew what needed to be done. If it would stop Hatterene from destroying everything in sight. They didn't ask questions. They just started sharing their love. They held their arms, hooves and paws out as Cadence started reacting to their love, feeding off it. Cadence's magic prowess was growing as she used the Telepathy spell to communicate with everyone across Equestria and beyond. She needed more love. "Everpony. Share your love with me. So that we can stop this pink calamity. Raise whatever limbs you have to the sky." They all listened to her. They knew how volatile this all seemed so they didn't hesitate. If it meant stopping the pink thunderstorms, they happily raised their limbs to the skies. Chrysalis and her changelings were among the many species that heard and witnessed this. The moment she shared her love, Cadence already felt a massive increase in love. "Hoh! This must be Chrysalis!" Cadence gasped as her capabilities were growing. Not only that, but her body was growing. More specifically, it was glowing before it started growing. It radiated a vibrant pink aura as Cadence was taking some sort of avatar form. Ash and everyone nearby watched as Cadence grew and grew until she surpassed the nearby buildings. Her size was only increasing. Near and far across Equestria, they had all witnessed a colossal pink avatar emerge. The Love Avatar of Princess Cadence had been born, towering over even the mountains. "HATT?!" Hatterene growled as she turned to the pink avatar. "How did we get here?" Twilight wondered. Appearing as fast as she could was Starlight Glimmer. The owner of Hatterene. She showed up as fast s she could, appearing before her friends. "Starlight?" "T-Twilight...I'm sorry! I tried! Her hatred was just too strong! B-But...I think I found a solution!" Starlight held out a Pokemon-themed book. "I pulled this from your library...It holds a weakness for Hatterene." "What is it?!" Twilight questioned. "The first is the most obvious. It's Gardevoir. But the second...is Luvdisc." The unicorn showed the page to them. One of the two Pokemon that can put an end to Hatterene's rampage. They knew about a Gardevoir. Passion. But Luvdisc threw them off guard. "Luvdis? GAH! I should've gone to Luvdisc with Ash!" Twilight screeched before putting her hoof in her mouth. "D-Did I say that out loud?" "We've got Passion to help. I wonder if she's reacting to this?" Ash wondered. "Pikachu..." "For now...it seems that Cadence is our main hope. But as a backup...we may need Passion or a random Luvdisc," said Luna. "HATTERENE!" Hatterene lashed out at the Love Avatar of Cadence. She matched her size with a massive pink thunderbolt full of nothing but hatred. The Love Avatar of Cadence had used her magic to counter the thunderbolt as they both disintegrated. Hatterene then transformed the thunderbolts into massive claws to try and swipe at the Love Avatar of Cadence. Only for the Avatar to repel it with the power of love. "HATTERENE...YOU CANNOT DEFEAT ME." The Love Avatar of Cadence spoke with a radiant echoing voice. "NOT BECAUSE OF MY CURRENT STATE... BUT BECAUSE I KNOW OF ONE WEAKNESS YOU HAVE." "TTERENE?!" "YOUR WEAKNESS IS THAT YOU ALREADY HAVE SOMEONE YOU CARE FOR. STARLIGHT GLIMMER." "HATT!" There it was. Hatterene's weakness had been exposed. She did love someone at the end of the day. Her trainer. How could she destroy love when she already experienced it before. "GOTCHA!" Love Avatar of Cadence then struck. She thrust her hoof forward, piercing it through the gigantic aura that Hatterene had made. The aura had been pierced as a massive pink wave of Pure Love was sent in Hatterene's direction. Hatterene gasped as she was showered by this overwhelming force. "HATTERENE!" Hatterene let out a bloodcurdling scream as she was fully enveloped with the love, causing her to go insane. Due to this, the hatred that she had collected had been blown away, causing a massive pink outburst of explosive magical love energy. The pink clouds and skies were erased as Hatterene's defeat had been dealt. Cheers resounded throughout Equestria. This sudden calamity was gone and not a soul had been harmed. A total relief as the Love Avatar of Cadence stood with majesty. "Way to go, mom!" Flurry Heart applauded as she and Shining Armor had seen the event play out. Hatterene started falling, only for the massive avatar to grab Hatterene via a gigantic hof. The Love Avatar of Cadence then placed her down, right next to Starlight. "Hatterene!" Starlight ran over to her partner. "Are you okay?!" "H-Hatterene..." The Silent Pokemon groaned as Love Avatar of Cadence started fading away. Its time was up and the job had been done. "Oh, Hatterene. I should've prepared for this. Sorry that you had to go through something like that." Starlight apologized, hugging the Psychic-Fairy-Type. Hatterene froze, realizing that she had always been partaking in love. She almost tried to destroy something that gave her a home and family. "Hatterene..." And for that, Hatterene started tearing up, hugging Starlight. "Ah..." Cadence felt all of the gathered love leave her body. "My work here is done. Well, off I go." "After all of that, you're leaving?! You never told me you could do that!" Twilight exclaimed. "Since when was that a thing?!" "It only works that well during Hearts and Hooves Day. Nothing more. Bye~" Cadence whistled, leaving Twilight completely speechless. No one was going to forget what they had just witnessed. This special day could continue with no further pink calamities. Cobalion and Cadence continued with their quality time afterwards. Fluttershy blinked for a bit, still lost on everything that had happened. But she quickly put it aside to gift Discord a box of chocolate she had made. "Here, Discord. This will be your first Hearts and Hooves. Eat up." She said. "Hm. Judging from what I had seen up there, I can say that this has been the best one so far." Discord was satisfied as he took a bite of the chocolate. He got to see two massive concepts of love go against each other. He had no complaints. Ponyville. Behind Twilight's Castle. Nightfall. Just as he promised, after finishing a few things up, there was one final thing Ash had to finish. He had met Twilight at the back of her castle. Luna started watching from the shadows, wanting to see how this would all turn out. "I'm here, Twilight. What's up?" Ash stood before the young alicorn. "Glad you showed up. I knew you would anyway. Um...So..." Twilight then faced Ash, scrunching her face and aiming her eyes at the ground. She then shifted her eyes as Espeon was staying far back, encouraging her Trainer. "There's something I've been meaning to tell you for a while. I should've said it when it first came to me." "Yeah?" "You see...Ash..." The Princess of Friendship knew this had to end at last. But even with this radiating confidence, she still felt nervous. "I..." She grit her teeth as even Luna was worried for Twilight right now. The full moon beamed on them both as the wind howled. Pikachu hopped off of Ash's shoulder, waiting for the answer as he backed away allowing them to have smoe time together. Twilight gulped, fighting against her hesitation. "I really, really, really, really, really, really...." She kept repeating the same words. She was unable to say the full sentence, lingering on time once more. Twilight looked like she was going to explode with her head twitching and wings making crooked poses. However, with a tiny blast of Psychic energy from Espeon, Twilight said it all. "I really like you, Ash!" Albeit, the less extravagant way of saying it. Love was not the word used in this. "I really do...There. I said it." "Huh." Ash nodded before smiling. "I like you too, Twilight. Thanks." "Hah...I know that's not what you mean." Twilight whimpered, falling flat on her face. She knew for a fact that Ash could not differentiate between two different variations of love. And if he could, he was not good at spotting it. "I do." But that was when Ash took her by surprise. He did know what she meant. "Y-You do? You actually do?!" She raised her head. "Mhm. I may not look like it, but I know my stuff. You did good, Twilight. It's always good to say what you truly wanna say and get it over with. " He helped her up. "That takes all the spirit in someone. And that's what's awesome about you." "T-Thank you..." She giggled before fainting out of absolute exhaustion. She was happy at last which resulted in her fainting. "Espeon." Espeon would take things from here. She used Psychic to carry Twilight away. They were done here. Luna couldn't help but feel proud of Twilight. But this also meant that she had a bigger drive to come out as the victor next time. "You've been pretty silent, Sombra. But I guess this isn't your kind of day." Ash spoke to Sombra who was still within him as a shadow spirit. The shadow of Sombra showed himself, scoffing. "At least you're aware of my preferences..." He said. "But if you had someone on this day, who would it be?" "No one. Absolutely no one." Sombra denied any possibility. "Aw, come on. Even I know there's someone. Everyone's always had someone special in their life. Even if they're gone now there was always something there." "You are smarter than you look, boy. I will give you this...there was someone but there is no point in bringing her up right now. Now leave me be." Sombra went back to thing within Ash, ending the conversation. And in general, this entire special day would end as well. Only returning next year or even showing itself on Christmas/Hearth's Warming. Ash could head home and call it a day. Little did he know, that the affection his friends show him spans beyond just friendship. But perhaps, it's that carefree nature around everything that not only makes him impervious from any obstacles of love and why he can draw affection to others. As the journey continues. Chapter 679 End.