//------------------------------// // Unworthy Prodigy // Story: My Little Pokémon // by Amarvax //------------------------------// Equestria. Carousel Boutique. Day. "Hmm..." At the moment, Rarity, instead of making something fabulous, was staring at a certain object that she had received from Pegalysium a while back, during the rescue of Jade Skies and also Premium Polish. A strange mirror-like shell that acted as a communication device. Much like the Rotomphone or the Xtransceiver. This was the Lawful Shell given to her by the police up at Pegalysium. Rarity was just now realizing that she had never utilized it, especially when at a crucial time in Pegalysium. "Never used it before..." Rarity picked it up with her magic, ready to try and use it for once. Albeit in a safe situation as she observed the shell. "How do I use this exactly?" Rarity noticed a nice clamp at the centre of the shell. She promptly used her magic to interact with that clamp. That was the ticket needed to make it work as the shell started ringing. It made a lovely sound that resembled the Sea Cloud of Pegalysium. "Hello?" She spoke through it as her voice was slightly enhanced, catching her off guard. It sounded wonderful when enhanced. "Oooh. Hello-Hello." "Hello, you've reached the Pegalysium Police Station. Is there a problem?" An officer replied. "Ah. Hello, there. I'm calling from all the way down in Equestria. Rarity here." "Equestria? Oooh...You're that pony we gave the shell to, aren't we?" The officer quickly put two and two together with little struggle. "That's right." She nodded. "Apologies that I never got the chance to use this shell during a crucial time during that whole attack with a giant pegasus and everything." "Ah, that's alright. The King and Queen have noticed you and your friends as heroes who helped save our home and even brought an end to Indigo Alliance. Well, a majority of it, anyway. That shell's not the most important thing right now. But how are you finding it?" "It really makes the voice elevated, doesn't it? Is this how everypony up there talk to each other from afar." "Certainly is. There are other varieties than just the mirror-like one. The Royal Family use gold and sometimes platinum. You can keep the one we have right now." "It's nice enough for me to keep it." Rarity admired the shell and how it showed her reflection from all angles. "Love to hear it. A-" But as he kept talking, the call was suddenly joined in by somepony else. Somepony else was using a shell much like them at the moment to intervene. "Uh hello?" The voice of a younger pony came through with his voice shaking a bit. "Hello, this is the Pegalysium Police Station. What happened? You sound distressed, son?" "Um...My name's Sweet Twister and...Me and my friends got stuck in the Gorge of Thoughts and now we can't get out." "What were you doing in the Gorge of Thoughts, to begin with?" "I wanted to know what we all actually thought about each other. And it went wrong with the gorge seeing that we were making lies and...yeah. It did some weird magic and now it's keeping us stuck here." "You're the one who lied in the first place." One of the younger ponies commented with their voice passing through the shell. "So much for being an honest friend." "You didn't help by lying either!" "I didn't mean to! You were thinking the same thing first before all of us!" Another one of his friends shouted as they started arguing. "Was not!" "Was too!" "You kids should've known that the Gorge of Thoughts can reveal your thoughts without any control." The officer shook his head. "But you didn't mean it to each other, did you?" "It's also better to be honest about how you truly feel about your friends, darlings." Rarity commented, giving her advice to the foals. "You build friendships faster that way." "Yeah okay..." Sweet Twister pouted. "Can you just come over and help us out?" "Sure thing. We'll have some guards right over. We'll have you back just in time for today's traditional ceremony." "Well, I believe that's my time to exit," said Rarity as she didn't have much to do now with the shell other than keeping it and using it when necessary. "Hang on. The King and Queen wish to send you some rewards, but you never received them. Left too soon." "Rewards?!" Rarity leaned in with her ears twitching. "What kind?!" "Anything you want. Rewards are based on choice. Neat isn't it?" The guard chuckled. "Oh, I already know what I'd want..." Rarity started pondering. "I'd look amazing in Pegalysium-exclusive dresses. No doubt about it. Can you just picture it?" "Picture it...?" Sweet Twister and the other foals were still under the effects of the Gorge of Thoughts. Not only did it cause them to reveal their words, but also images in their head. They weren't sure what Rarity looked like so they just imagined a beautiful mare wearing a fancy dress. Being young, they were greatly impressed by this. The other guards leaned in, hearing the foals giggle mischievously. Another pony who had used a shell to call for the police station ended up arriving at the worst time. "What's all that giggling?" Rarity asked. "N-Nothing!" Frantically, the foals shouted before hanging up. Afterwards, the call between Rarity and the station had ended soon after. Pegalysium. Pegalysium Capital. Day. Speaking of Pegalysium, right after the officer ended his call, he and many others were all gathering at the capital of Pegalysium. In fact, a gigantic majority if not all of Pegalysium were showing up at this one city. Today was an important day in Pegalysium. And over at Shooting Star's room, he was excited for that day. He looked outside the window with a beaming smile, gazing at the pegasi that were showing up. His mane was being straightened by the palace's servants, only for it to reform into its spiky position. No matter what, that was his permanent mane-style as his mother entered the room. "Excited?" Luminary spoke to him. "I sure am! I've been waiting for this!" Shooting Star showcased his happiness once his servants finished with him. Although, they couldn't do much as he looked clean enough from the get-go. "Do you think I'm gonna impress the previous Pegasi of Destiny? And am I gonna hold all that Destiny Magic? "I know you will. You've always been one to impress many. Especially in your younger years when you were small enough to be wrapped around one of my wings." Luminary walked over to him. "Now look at you. I bet in a few years, you'll be bigger than your father." "Already bigger than you, mom." He confidently said. Luminary doubted that heavily and her current expression showed it. Once she got close to her son, they had been scaled by the butlers. Lo and behold, Shooting Star was still shorter than his mother. "Hnnnngh!" He made his body stand upright, puffing out his chest for better height, but it wasn't enough. "Alright, you. Get ready. We'll see you at the centre" Luminary left the room, leaving her son to handle the rest. Meanwhile, on the outside, among the many ponies that were showing up, Garnet, Kaleidoscope and Clear View from Feathercoast arrived. All of Feathercoast had shown up for this, elevating the importance. The town would be empty at this point with all of its citizens at the capital. "This'll be our first time seeing the Gathering of the Destined. It only took a whole generation to get here." Kaleidoscope commented. "Not only do we get to see how far Prince Shooting Star's come and what's next for him, but we can even get a hint as to who the next Pegasus of Destiny is. How exciting is that?" "Eh. It's not that exciting." Garnet wasn't as impressed as Kaleidoscope, who was the history buff. "I'm only here for my friend after all." "The prince is your friend? Since when?" Kaleidoscope squinted her eyes. "Since he offered us a chance to head out of Pegalysium and enter Equestria with the Royal Family. If that's not friendship, I don't know what is. Plus, I hung out with him a few weeks back." Garnet smirked. "I'd say I'm pretty popular." "I don't know about popular...what do you think, Clear?" Kaleidoscope turned to the mute pony. "Oh. Clear, you don't have your orb with you this time?" Clear View used her feathers to perform sign language, raising her wings. Even without her orb that could translate words for her, Clear View and Garnet could understand it. Garnet especially considering her role as a teacher for foals. "You're only here for the ghosts of the previous Pegasi of Destiny?" Garnet translated as Clear nodded. That was her personal reason. "Well, they're not ghosts, actually." Kaleidoscope interjected. "They're spirits of the previous Pegasi of Destiny that have spanned generations who occasionally returned to the realm of the living as astral projections, just to meet and speak with others. Etc." "Yeah. Ghosts." Garnet and Clear saw them as ghosts either way. They might as well be due to how many have come and gone from the past. But the majority of pegasi came here just for the major event and what it stood for. Garnet, Kaleidoscope and Clear View came to a halt, finding the best place for them to stand at. Next to them were other Pegalysium residents. Noticeably Mayor Umbra Streak and Mrs Sunpuff. "Good! You made it Garnet! You wouldn't want to miss this!" The always cheery Mrs Sunpuff said to her fellow teacher. "The first viewing of this for most of us. Except for the older ones. Luckily for me, I'm not that old." She chuckled. "Thanks. How do you think Shooting- I mean, Prince Shooting Star will do? I heard this kind of thing's like a test, isn't it?" Garnet asked. "In some way," said Umbra, ready to explain it. "Much like the pegasi from the past who were once the Pegasus of Destiny, they will show themselves here in their astral forms to judge the current one of this generation accordingly and pass on the great form of magic that we possess in Pegalysium. Destiny Magic. All previous Pegasi of Destiny have continuously passed this magic onto the last and it has carried on ever since. Starting from the first Pegasus of Destiny, Windkiss." "The young prince is royalty so he'll know exactly what to do later on. All the possible advice for him is probably already safe knowledge to him as an esteemed and dignified prince!" Sunpuff exclaimed. "Um..." Garnet then thought back to her previous and small interactions with Shooting Star. He wasn't exactly the spitting image of a Prince Charming. He seemed more like a regular resident than a prince. "I don't know about that..." Just then, whilst everypony was chatting away, the event could begin. The signing flowers had been brought here to help make the mood. They had already started giving off a peaceful yet royal melody. Right on time as the Royal Family could be seen approaching. Here to watch was an extended member of the Royal Family. Shooting Star's cousin Cloudflare and another pony who, while not related, felt like family, Brassquill. But also watching this was a pony who chose to be distant from the others, preferring to stay in secrecy. To stay in secrecy, this pegasus hid within the nearby forest, with eyes peering through. Golden eyes to be exact. Those golden eyes flared as the mysterious pegasus who was shrouded within the shadows of the trees and bushes was none other than the Grand Judge of the Indigo Alliance, Second Wind. She had shown up to the scene and the capital of Pegalysium overall even after fleeing once her plans were foiled. Second Wind watched as she had a communication shell with the texture of sapphire. On it, she was currently speaking to the rest of the remaining Indigo Alliance who still remained across all of Pegalysium but stayed in hiding. This big event wouldn't be missed by them. "Let's see what today makes of you, young Pegasus of Destiny..." Second Wind commented. Once the flowers gave a triumphant melody coupled with some of the guards blaring trumpets, Shooting Star arrived at the very centre of the capital. Placed at the centre was an obelisk made out of Dynasite, the hardest metal here in Pegalysium and possibly everywhere else. Shooting Star held his breath, standing before the azure Dynasite obelisk. Everyone stayed silent, waiting for the previous Pegasi of Destiny to appear. And they appeared with some flare. The Dynasite Obelisk suddenly gained miniature clouds that started encircling it slowly. The clouds kept moving, at first, having visible gaps. But their constant movements soon closed the gaps before making a full connected cloud circle that then wrapped around the obelisk. They then unleashed lightning bolts into the sky that met with each other. The clashing lighting bolts rumbled as they managed to pierce the rest of the clouds high above, seemingly travelling so far that would reach the limit of the sky that was only restrained from space itself. The skies turned dark with the celestial bodies of space being shown even during the daytime. They all marvelled at the celestial bodies being shown as very little light sources were left aside from the golden obelisk and the light from the lightning bolts. After they touched the top, lightning bolts soon turned into ethereal waves that began flowing through the clouds gracefully. The waves then descended, dropping onto the Obelisk. The obelisk had then received the azure glow before then morphing the shapes of the waves. From these shapes, heads were being shown. Pony heads. The Pegasi of Destiny were appearing. And there were a total of 8 faces showing themselves with full eyes, mouths and everything. The pegasi shown here ranged from old enough to be somepony's grandfather, young enough to be somepony's younger sibling or child or even the same age as Shooting Star. Shooting Star stepped back a bit as these 9 Legendary Pegasi of the past opened their eyes, immediately gazing at the current Pegasus of Destiny. The melody flowers made sure to make their entrance truly orchestral. "Woah..." He stood in awe, witnessing this summoning for the first time. "Welcome, previous Pegasi of Destiny." Paramount bowed his head along with everypony else, greeting these important figures. "Back to the land of the living for a brief time every generation so far." "Wonderful to see you as well," Luminary spoke before listing off the 9 Pegasi. "Son, these are...Windkiss. Star Whistle. Songjump. Cloud Flash. Prism Wave. Rocking Star. Moon Petal. Breeze and Windlight. Your predecessors." "Awesome...But wait. How come some of them have different ages?" Shooting Star wondered, noticing the different age appearances. Mainly with Breeze and Star Whistle. "We are free to choose our appearance when returning every generation." Songjump, a relatively old mare spoke as their voices had a powerful echo effect that rumbled throughout the skies. "Whether from our past or our end. So...you are the current Pegasus of Destiny. The 10th." "Y-Yes ma'am! Shooting Star's my name!" He stood up tall, bracing for the words that would come his way. "We've been watching you, Shooting Star." The floating ethereal head of Prism Wave hovered over to the young pegasus as did the others. "As we've watched the others." "Oh. That's kinda creepy." He chuckled. "But I bet you have a lot to say, don't you?" "I take it back..they do look like ghosts." Kaleidoscope whispered to Garnet, admitting that these long-gone pegasi were ghosts. Albeit fairly active ones. Everypony anticipated the words, the judging and a hint for the future Pegasus of Destiny. Paramount, staying stern-faced as ever, tightening his already serious expression, showing some form of worrying. Luminary was the opposite. She was excited for her son to the fullest. Everything stayed silent for a bit as Shooting Star wondered why they were just floating around him, not saying a word. "Uh...What's going on?" He turned every second to face these 9 Pegasi. "Is there something wrong?" "We have nothing to say about you," Windlight commented. "At least, not much." "Not much? Why?" "Simply put." Songjump hovered over him. "After observing you through it all, we've concluded in unity. You are not worthy to hold the Pegasus of Destiny moniker. Let alone have the potential to be one" "W-What...?" And just like that, his heart shattered along with many of his happy emotions. Everypony gasped as Luminary shot back. Paramount closed his eyes as he feared for something like this. Garnet, who had faith in Shooting Star, put her hoof over her mouth, not saying a word. "You are too insouciant. Buoyant and brazen overall instead of showing anything serene." Songjump shook her head. "The magic of a Pegasus of Destiny is all about freedom of mind. Absolute amity." "You are kind-hearted but a sense of overwhelming forgiveness lives inside of you. Not one that can be used well considering what a Pegasus of Destiny must go through. We doubt you have the strength to condemn your kidnappers." "I..." Shooting Star tried getting a word in but he was too stunned to do so right now. "Your age can be a factor." Ironically, Breeze, the pegasus who appeared young, spoke to him. "Lots of potential for growth, but perhaps too late. Even younger than I was at my time." "T-Then what about you if you were the youngest?!" Shooting Star turned to her. "She was the youngest. But reserved is what she had," said Cloud Flash. "You could say that it was the key to the breakthrough of truly becoming the Pegasus of Destiny. Complete control of one's emotions so that the balance of the Destiny Magic is not disturbed." Rocking Star chimed in. "I-I don't need all of that, do I? Nopony told me..." "The Pegasi of Destiny have been able to harness the amazing Destiny Magic with these benefits. With it, it's the only way it can be used and help Pegalysium live on for years to come, bringing harmony to all. You lack the concept of giving hope or even maintaining peace." Moon Petal explained while also shutting Shooting Star down. "Hm?" Tip-Off, the king's royal advisor, was watching the whole thing unfold before witnessing the mural changing. On the mural, Shooting Star's visage was fading away. He gasped as the young prince's image had vanished on the spot. "That can't be right..." Luminary gawked. "What are they saying..." "The Pegasi of Destiny are harsh indeed," Paramount commented. "I warned him about this, but still..." "Far too unqualified to hold the Destiny Magic. The zealous aura that you hold can not keep the magic contained. It is the mastery of self-control that helps it. You do not even have a rudimentary way to hold it." Prism Wave sighed. "I can be calm! Totally!" "Forcing yourself to be calm will not do. The Destiny Magic will not respond or come to you for even a second. You do not display or even exude the capability to do so. Changing yourself for the magic is pointless." "Oh..." Shooting Star chose to no longer respond with anything else. It was clear that it was pointless. "The Destiny Magic for the first time in generations will be kept in a form stasis. But, it will be detrimental to all those on Pegalysium, no doubt. If you cannot be a Pegasus of Destiny, then I suggest sticking as the role of a king when you grow up." said Songjump. Second Wind was even surprised by this. But she soon thought back to her first encounter with Shooting Star when he was kidnapped. She didn't see it being too farfetched. "But...we have all said our piece. Before we give our hint, what say you, Windkiss?" Songjump and the others turned to the very first Pegasus of Destiny. Windkiss. Windkiss stayed silent out of everypony in the group. Only watching Shooting Star with open eyes. Shooting Star's eyes were trembling as Windkiss closed here's before saying something. "Much like what Breeze had already said. There is something there. It's vast...But I'm not quite sure..." Windkiss squinted her eyes as she had also doubted Shooting Star. "Then it's settled. The moniker must be skipped a generation and passed on to another for the magic to continue. And for that, we shall hint the next Pegasus of Destiny."Songjump announced whilst Shooting Star had his head down. "If you are to look past the heights, you may find one that is marked of many. That is all" "W-Wait!" Shooting Star raised his head. "You said I had some of it there, right? Let me try and find that magic if it's somewhere there! I've still got years on me!" "No. What's done is done. You are far too-" "That's enough." Paramount cut Songjump off, preventing her from berating her son anymore. "You've said enough, pegasi. Leave my son be." "Right. Apologies your majesty. Until the next generation. Sadly, one that has been bypassed." Songjump lowered her head as the 9 Pegasi had left, dispersing into ethereal clouds. The obelisk returned to its usual golden appearance before descending into the ground as if it were never there. The skies also got their sky blue colours back after it was all over. Chattering filled the capital as everypony was surprised to hear all of that. They were for sure that he could reach that fulfilment. But from everything that had been said, that was not the case anymore. Their perception of Shooting Star had been greatly alerted. He was hailed and praised for being the next Pegasus of Destiny. And while he would still get it due to being the prince, some of it if not a lot had been wiped out. The mural had all of its images disappear as it was now blank. Tip-Off rushed outside to show this to the Royal Family as soon as possible. "No way..." Garnet uttered. It all puzzled here. During the time she had been with Shooting Star when hanging out, he showed great qualities. But according to the Legendary 9, the serene presence needed for the Destiny Magic was not there. Garnet knew that Shooting Star couldn't keep a serene persona even if he tried but she felt for him either way. Shooting Star trembled before using the magic on his wings to suddenly teleport away the moment his mother approached him. He didn't want to be here after he had been humiliated verbally. "I'll go to him." Paramount went to Luminary, aiming to comfort his son. "No, I'll go to him." "We'll both go." Paramount and Luminary agreed to go Shooting Star, aiming to make things better for him with how they currently were. "Well, that was disappointing," said Sunpuff, shrugging it all off. Many of the ponies did the same, feeling perplexed a bit by what they had seen. They went on with their day after it was all said and done. "I for sure thought it was gonna be him." Kaleidoscope scratched her mane. "The previous hint from the last generation matched him perfectly." "It is what is." Mayor Umbra replied, accepting things for how they were. "Time to head back." 10 minutes later. After the event ended, Shooting Star was nowhere to be found. He didn't teleport off to his room as Queen Luminary had found out. She immediately went to try and comfort him along with King Paramount, only to not find their son. It wasn't just them. His cousin Cloudflare also started searching. "Cuz!" She cried out for her cousin. "Where'd he go? Maybe outside!" Cloudflare rushed outside, continuing to search for her cousin. "Your Majesties! Look!" Tip-Off rushed over, showing the mural to the King and Queen. "There's nothing on the mural anymore! It's completely blank!" "Blank?! Impossible!" Luminary gasped. "That's never happened before, has it?" "That would be the first of its kind then," responded Paramount. "This is all in response to what happened today." "Oh, this can't be happening." Luminary sighed. "They wouldn't give my boy a chance. I can't believe them." She then expressed her emotions, shifting into aggravation towards the previous Pegasi of Destiny. Even if they were important, Shooting Star was still her son. "But where would be right now? He's not in his room..." "If he were to go anywhere else, it would be outside." Paramount theorized. "But where...?" "We need to start searching the entire nation if possible!" Luminary held Paramount's face. "U-Use some of that Rift Magic to find him!" "I-I understand...!" Paramount grumbled with his face being held. "Just please let go." The search for him began. Paramount had used the Rift Magic he had inside of him to try and find him. Even if it wouldn't work, thanks to his Cutie Mark, he could above and beyond and unlock more of what this kind of magic was capable of. Feathercoast. Garnet's Home. Afternoon. Over at Garnet's home, a knock on the door came through, causing her to fly over. Once she opened the door, she was met with a shocking sight. "Oh! Prince Shooting Star?!" He had shown up here of all places. And upon making his arrival, all eyes were on him after his embarrassing event this morning. "W-Why are you here?" "Hey um...I didn't know where else to go and...I heard sometimes friends come to other friends for help so I came here." Shooting Star revealed, coming to his friend and seemingly only friend. Garnet scrunched her face, shifting her eyes at the town as she was also being looked at since the prince was right there. "Oh. I get it. Umm..." Garnet wasn't sure what to do now. Especially with royalty standing before her. But Shooting Star was definitely her friend, so she had only one piece of advice. "How about you try and...go somewhere you like? I'm a teacher at the school nearby, so I always have the foals go to their favourite place to be. I-Is there anyplace, young prince?" "I guess...I don't know." Shooting Star didn't have a personal favourite place to be. Being royalty has created that one small limitation. "Uh, okay. That's fine. There's always the substitute!" Garnet's skills as a teacher kicked in. Although, they're usually used on foals, not ponies that were around the same age as her. "Something you love to do. And I already know that. Young prince, you love Pokemon, don't you?" "Yeah...They're awesome. Love watching them and getting new ones on my Pokedex." "Then it's settled!" Garnet shut the door. "Just like how we did with our first time hanging out, we'll go searching for Pokemon. Anywhere is good." "I guess so..." "Shooting!" Shouting out his name from afar was Cloudflare as she had just flown over. Having the first instinct to go outside, she flew above the skies, getting a better view of the area below until she found her cousin. "Cuz! There you are!" "How'd you find me here?" Shooting Star asked. "You don't usually stay in your room when upset. Plus, this place has some of the best food so it was a given." Cloudflare came to a screeching halt. "Are you doing okay? I saw everything that had happened..." "I could be better. I'm just about to head off now to see some Pokemon. Garnet here says that can help..." "It works for many." Garnet chimed in. "You must be his cousin, Cloudflare. I've heard from you. Nice to meet you." She held her hoof out to her fellow pegasi. "Garnet huh...? He told me about you." Cloudflare shook her hoof in response. "Well, thanks for helping my cousin. Shooting. Are you sure looking at Pokemon will make you feel better? If not, then we can try something else" "I'll go for the Pokemon." Shooting Star turned away as he made up his mind. If there was one thing that could spark up some happiness and a bright smile, it would be the Strange and Wonderful Creatures known as Pocket Monsters. Pokemon for short. "And I know the perfect place to be! The Drifting Peaks! Young prince. It'd be best if I showed you the way." Garnet ran past him, keeping that happy aura present. Advice from Mrs Sunpuff herself and her constant stream of happiness. Cloudflare would join as she was his cousin and wanted to be there for him. It was off to the Drifting Peaks. Meanwhile, Second Wind was also taking all of this in. She had left the scene, entering the outskirts of civilization. And once she was away from everyone, Second Wind thought of what to do next. "Prince Shooting Star is at his most vulnerable right now. Not exactly the kind of royalty we were hoping to be vulnerable, but eh..." She shrugged. As if Jade Skies wasn't enough, Second Wind and the rest of the Indigo Alliance, were still in the pursuit of using other ponies. "I may not have Rift Magic with me anymore. Or a lot in general, but apparently, these should be greater than Rift Magic." Moving to a bush, Second Wind had pulled out a canister that she had placed inside of it. And within this canister, the Symbol Pokemon could be found. Unown. Quite a few of them as they were better when together. A substitute or rather absolute replacement for Rift Magic as it was easily accessible and had no real limitations. Perfect in Second Wind's eyes. "You all have the power to do anything when together, don't you? Let's put that to the test." As the journey continues. Chapter 708 End.