Manehatten Park
Magical energy coalesced as a summoning circle manifested itself on the grassy field. A connection was established from the Throne of Heroes.
An explosion of light blinded the area, and when it died down a servant stood where it came from.
He was dressed in regal white clothing that was befitting of his royal lineage. His brown eyes displayed a calm yet stern attitude. To the people of Equestria, they would have simply seen him as a human of some culture unknown to them. But those from Proper Human History would have identified him as of Indian descent.
Arjuna open his eyes for the first time in this world, and the first thing he saw was…
“Freeze servant! Don’t you dare move a ghostly muscle!”
All around him were various Royal Guard ponies and Pokemon, with spears and moves at the ready. He looked at the one holding a microphone who spoke again.
“Place your hands behind your head and come quietly, any attempt to resist will be met with lethal force!”
He stood up, while the Counter Force did not provide him with much knowledge of the place he was summoned to, he was very much aware that none of these people were his master.
It wouldn’t be any trouble for him to just turn intangible and just walk right out of here with no one the wiser. But he then noticed that the entire area was being covered by a barrier that while not strong enough to hold him, was not something he could take down while fighting everyone at the same time. It would be a waste of mana, and despite being of the Archer class, which had the independent action skill, Arjuna was not wasteful.
It seems that these soldiers were going to get the fight they anticipated.
“Last chance! Stand down or we will-”
“Gandiva!”
Before the pony guard could finish speaking, Arjuna drew his bow and fired several arrows into the air. They rained down and found their mark, every pony guard was taken out as arrows sprouted from their armor and legs.
Arjuna had dealt with the obviously weaker ponies first, the Pokemon on the other hand…
“Kill the human! Kill that servant!” Said a Rhydon as it charged at him. The Pokemon believed its strong hide would allow it to last long enough to ram into Arjuna with extreme force.
He did not know that the Archer's arrows could also explode.
Despite his Rock and Ground typing giving him double resistance to Fire. Arjuna’s weapon was a gift from Agni, the Hindu God of Fire. As such the divine fire the arrows were blessed with made all type resistance moot in terms of damage.
Three arrows to the face were all it took to the Rhydon to go from running to tumbling onto the ground. His fellow companions, an Emboar, and a Metang only lasted a little longer.
“Fire Punch!”
Arjuna sidestepped the boar as she attempted to hit him, two arrows sprouted from her back before she collapsed onto the ground. Metang used Psychic to make everything in the surrounding area that wasn’t bolted to the ground shoot straight at Arjuna in an attempt to crush him.
While smart, it only worked so well if Arjuna was not slow.
Having evaded the pile of debris before it could pile on top of him, Arjuna had jumped into the air and fired one last explosive arrow dead center in Metang’s head, taking him out of the fight.
Looking around, Arjuna saw his opponents laying on the ground defeated. He then found the magic crystal that was used to generate the barrier spell and smashed it.
Thinking the battle was done, Arjuna said out loud.
“Hmm, I was expecting a challenge.”
The servant started walking.
“Then you're gonna love me.”
Turning his head, the Son of Indra barely avoided a Hyper Beam that managed to graze his clothing but left a searing trail that exploded a moment later.
Looking up at the sky, the Archer saw his attacker.
A person who resembled a young woman with black hair and brown eyes had a confident smile on her face as she rode a Salamance.
But what piqued Arjuna’s attention was the fact that she was the first human he saw in this manifestation. And yet, he could tell that there was something about her that was not normal.
“Man, you sure made short work of all those guards, I guess you must be some hotshot servant huh?”
Arjuna raised an eyebrow.
“I am unfamiliar with that term, are you referring to my arrows, or is that meant to be a compliment?”
“Take it as you will, I don't really care. What I do care about is the fact that you servants are here to kill us all.”
Those words were enough to trigger certain thoughts that had been implanted in Arjuna when he was summoned. He now understood why he was here.
“Yes, that’s right, I am here to resolve this Lostbelt and aid the ones who are capable of doing that, the Chaldeans.”
“Ah so you’re looking for those would-be mass murders, sorry pal, but I can’t let you do that.”
“You have seen my skill with a bow, you must know just how much I outmatch you.”
“Hmm, maybe you’re right, maybe you are out of my league. Still though…”
The woman's hand began to morph into something else.
“I swore that I would not allow humans to destroy another world, no matter the cost!”
Her hand shapeshifted into something that resembled a dragon's head, and it fired a blue beam that created ice along the path it traveled.
Her aim was good enough that the demigod’s leg was encased in ice when he attempted to avoid the attack. Grounding him.
“Hmph, I commend you for being able to land a strike on me. Tell me, what is your name? If only so that I may remember the one who gave me my first challenge in this second life.”
The women smiled.
“Zinnia, Lorekeeper Zinnia.”
“A good name.”
“Yeah, remember it. Cause it’s the name of the woman who will send you back to the other side, human!”
“Wait so let me get this straight, you guys can’t Zero Sail?”
Sion, whose face was on the monitor, was surprised at the news she heard. After all, she was the one who built the Paper Moon that the Shadow Border used to dive into the Imaginary Space.
“I’m afraid so,” Da Vinci said. “Nothing is wrong, physically or conceptually with the Shadow Border but no matter what we try, we can’t seem to dive.”
“Send me the data from your attempt, I’ll see if I can find out what’s wrong. Don’t go anywhere, it might only take a few minutes for me to learn what's wrong.”
“Gotcha, not like we can go anywhere at the moment.”
When Sion went offline, the Chaldeans were left to just sit around and wait.
“Okay, while Sion is working on that, does anyone have any guesses as to why we can’t Zero Sail?” Ophelia said.
“Hmph, if I had to guess, I bet those Legendary Pokemon had something to do with it,” Kadoc suggested.
“Are you sure?”
“Like I said it’s just a guess, but then again who else has it out for us?”
“Hmmm, Okay, but even if your theory is correct, I find it surprising they would go this far just to keep us from escaping.”
“Not really,” Kirschtaria said. “Anyone in this situation would want to keep a high priority enemy from escaping. Especially when you have an overwhelming advantage over them. If you let a dangerous foe get away, they’ll just become a problem later. That being said I don’t know how they managed to make it so that we cannot Zero Sail.”
“Kirschtaria’s right,” Da Vinci said, “Zero Sail is not like normal dimensional travel or use of the Second Magic. It’s an inverting of one’s existence and untethering yourself from reality. Granted at the end of the day you’re still entering another world, so it still shares some principles with going to another world.”
“Indeed, and as far as we know, Arceus does not know of the Paper Moon or what exactly it is and how it works. So if he is responsible for our being trapped in this Lostbelt, then who knows how he managed to prevent us from Zero Sailing.”
Hall of Legends, sometime earlier.
The Creation Trio and their father all stood in the pocket dimension of the latter. It had been some time since all four of them had been together in that place.
“Heh,” Palkia said. “Remember when we created the universe from this place?”
“Yeah, I recall it like it was yesterday,” Dialga said. “So much has changed since then.”
“Things were so much more….hopeful back then,” Giratina added. “A virgin universe full of hope and potential. It makes me sad that we had to leave it.”
“Indeed,” Arceus said. “I entrusted you three with the responsibilities of creation and you all fulfilled them as best as you could. Even when trapped in your own worlds, you still did your duties.”
There was a moment of silence. A wave of nostalgia washed over them as if the river of time was flowing through this place. And in a sense it was.
“But enough about the past. What I called you all here for is something that may help us ensure our future.”
“What would you ask of us, father?” Giratina said.
“As you all know, Chaldea managed to escape after their attack on the Tree of Emptiness, and because of their advanced camouflage system that can hide them even from me, we cannot find them at the moment.”
“So I assume you called us here cause you have a solution?”
“Yes, while we may not be able to find them for the moment, I can buy us a little more time by making sure they don’t go anywhere.”
Palkia, being the Pokemon of space, managed to put two and two together.
“You want us to strengthen the dimensional barriers.”
“Exactly.”
As they all knew, strengthening the dimensional walls was something done in order to keep people from accidentally stumbling into another universe, or Arceus forbid, keep malevolent interdimensional entities from invading theirs.
But there was a trade-off. To strengthen the walls meant that observing other dimensions became impossible, not to mention that they would be cut off from the multiverse and greater Omniverse. And given how their Lostbelt was already a rejected world anchored by a cosmic tree, doing so would have unintended consequences.
“Are you sure this is a good idea, father?” Dialga said. “After all, we know the repercussions of performing such an act.”
“I am aware of that and have thought this through so it won’t bite us in the back. As you know there are several ways one can increase the strength of the dimensional barriers. The walls of our universe, or this Lostbelt I should say, exists on several wavelengths. One could increase only several of them and leave the others as they are. Which meant you could still pass through them if you knew the correct vibrational wavelength. But, increase all of them and you close off this realm entirely.”
“But to close them all would require a great deal of power. Not to mention cutting this Lostbelt off from the greater universe is not what we want,” Giratina said.
“Indeed. I don’t know what wavelength Chaldea is exploiting in order to travel from place to place in that vehicle of theirs. So just to cover all bases, I will need you all to increase every wavelength, but only to a certain point. This will ensure that Chaldea will not be able to leave for the moment.”
“But father,” Palkia said. “Even if we do that, there is still no way we can guarantee that they cannot leave. Increasing the dimensional barrier is like adding another layer of concrete to a building. Metaphorically, Chaldea depending on what method they use can enter and leave the building by either through a premade door or just making one of their own. If they can only leave through something like a door, then they are trapped permanently but us adding another layer and closing it. But if they are capable of making their own door, then leaving this Lostbelt is just the equivalent of taking more time to make said door.”
“That is true. And from the looks of it, Chaldea’s method involved making their own exits or doors as you say. As I saw no dimensional hole before they were trying to escape, and nothing when they were gone. So the method they use is most likely the equivalent of making their own door and then immediately sealing it back up afterward.”
“It stumps me how they manage to do this and erase all traces of their existence in the process,” Giratina grumbled
“Once we have them in our custody, a simple mind read will be all it takes to learn their secrets and allow us to use it and anything else they might have. But for now, let us join minds and power my sons.”
Arceus began to glow in divine power, his sons followed suit as they began to call upon the powers of time, space, and Antimatter.
“Will we need our Origin Forms for this?” Dialga asked.
“No, you will have no need of your true power, that comes later.”
As their powers started to pool together, the four of them became in sync. A complete understanding of what each other could do and what they were being asked to do by their father.
“Now focus, strengthen the dimensional walls that make up this Lostbelt. Not too hard, but not too light either.”
The Creation Dragons did as they were told, space became reinforced throughout the land of Equestria and beyond. The storm walls that surrounded this Lostbelt became even more ferocious.
Soon it was done. Space for this land was now stronger than it was before.
The four of them slowly depowered as they sensed the changes around them coming into effect.
“Okay, so what now?” Palkia said.
“Now, we hunt for Chaldea, and hopefully we or someone else finds them before they find a way around this wall that we put up.”
The Friendship Express.
Twilight, Spike, and their friends got into their seats in the passenger car as the train started to roll along the tracks. Following the direction of the tracking spell, the group only had to wait until the spell told them to go in a different direction.
“Alright girls. So far the tracking spell says the Chaldeans are somewhere up northwest. If necessary, we might have to get off somewhere in between a station and go on foot.”
“That alright Twilight, I came fully prepared for such an occasion,” Rarity said as she motioned to her large bag.
“I bet she has other luggage in the Baggage car,” Applejack said.
“That is not true!” Rarity’s blushing face only made her friends laugh.
“While we’re waitin, I think this is a good time to talk about a certain thing.”
“What thing Applejack?”
“That Rainbow Power or whatever it is called that we got from Harmony, as well as the things she said about us finding clarity with our elements.”
Everyone in the car turned to Applejack as she reminded them all of that subject.
“Ah yes, I think we should talk about that.”
“Well can I just say that these new powers are totally awesome!” Rainbow Dash said. “Man when I was fighting Achilles, I felt like I could take on the world!”
“I must concur with Rainbow Dash, that entire time I was feeling like I was the most splendid Unicorn in all of Equestria.”
“Alright, amazing feelings aside, let's all go over just what we could do during that time so I can write down just what abilities we have in what I’m dubbing our “Rainbow Forms.”
It took a few minutes for everyone to recall just what they could do. After all, they were caught up in the moment during that time fighting to protect the Tree Emptiness. It was also noticed by Applejack that Twilight took out the vial of blood that was being used for the tracking spell before putting it away.
“Okay, so from what I can gather from everyone it seems we all share the same powers and abilities while in Rainbow Form. They are as follows: Limited invulnerability or Extreme durability, High Magic resistance, flight regardless of whether you have wings or not, enhanced speed and strength.”
“So….that's it?” Pinkie Pie said.
“Well as far as we know. There may be more abilities that we don’t know of yet.”
“Ummm I have one question.”
“Yes, Fluttershy?”
“Do we actually know…how to turn back into Rainbow Form?”
There was a moment of silence as that fact dawned on them.
“Ah shoot.”
“Oh come on!” Rainbow Dash said. “We should have asked Harmony about that when she gave us these powers.”
“Well to be fair, we were in a rush to save the world,” Rarity said.
“I wish I had super cool powers like you guys,” Spike mumbled under his breath.
“Oh don’t worry Spike,” Pinkie Pie said. “You still have a cool superpower that no one else has.”
“Oh yeah, what is that?”
“You can take a bath in hot boiling lava! That's a neat and sure way to clean yourself.”
Spike deadpanned. “Yeah, really neat.”
“Okay, so all that aside we need to talk about something that we have been neglecting for a while now. The box at the Tree of Harmony. From what the Goddess Harmony said, the final key will appear once I have found clarity about the magic of friendship.”
“So, what do you think that is?” Applejack said.
“Well originally, it was supposed to happen when we fought Tirek, but since Tirek is dead, that path is closed.”
“So that means we just have to find a new situation in which you’ll find your clarity,” Fluttershy said.
“If there is one thing I have learned as Princess Celestia’s student, is that knowledge cannot be simply granted. Sometimes it must be earned through experience. Whatever I am supposed to learn, I don’t think I can intentionally seek it out. It may just come to me one day unexpectedly.”
“Kinda like a surprise!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed. “Which is the best kind of unexpected."
The train continued to chug along as the group talked among themselves. Until finally the vial the Twilight held began to glow. Twilight knew what this meant.
“Okay girls, looks like this is our stop.”
The Princess then got one of the train attendants to ask the conductor to stop. After the train had come to a complete halt, the group then disembarked.
“Oaky, the spell says to go west. And checking this map, we should be somewhere near Unicorn Range.”
Indeed, one look into the distance confirmed their whereabouts as the tall mountains towered before them.
“Probably hiding in forest at the base of the range, or Celestia forbid in a cave somewhere,”
Applejack was not listening to Twilight exactly, as she noticed for the tenth time today that she brought out that vial again to look at.
“Twilight, you have been staring at that vial every 10 minutes since we left Ponyville, mind telling us what's going on?”
Twilight looked back at the group who were staring at Twilight with suspicion.
“Okay, I guess I should tell you. I’ve been looking at this thing every 10 minutes to see how much time we have left.”
“What are you talking about?”
“The vial of blood, it’s shrinking.”
“What? How!?”
“The Chaldeans are using a form of concealment that apparently masks their existence from what Arceus told me. So in order to find them, I had to make some personal changes to the tracking spell to get it to work. As of now, it is leading us in the direction of where they are. But as a trade-off, the spell will consume the item that's being used to track them.”
“Seriously!? What good is a tracking spell if it's just gonna destroy the thing that's being used to track somebody?” Rainbow Dash said.
“Magic always comes at a price, Rainbow Dash. Everything in our universe is a constant exchange of energy, nothing in the world comes free.”
“How long do think we have until that thing runs out?”
“An hour, at least. This means we got about until sundown before this vial runs out.”
The group then looked to the mountain range, realizing just how much time they had to search for such a big place.
“Yeah, this won’t take long,” Rainbow Dash said dryly.
Arjuna unleashed a volley of arrows against his opponents, despite the difference in power, his foes were holding up surprisingly well.
Zinnia’s Salamence, who at this point had Mega Evolved narrowly avoided most of the arrows but was still stuck by several of them in his left wing. The dragon went down and reverted back to its base form.
Zinnia walked up to her partner Pokemon and stroked its head. “You did good buddy, take a good long rest now. I’ll handle it from here.”
Arjuna and the Lorekeeper faced each other. One with a look of calm and indifference, the other with determination and animosity.
“Question,” Arjuna said. “I can clearly tell that you are not human, and yet you have the appearance of one. Why is that?”
Zinnia grinned. Showing off her sharp tooth.
“Heh, I guess old habits die hard. Plus I want people to recognize me.”
“Understandable. But just what are you?”
“Just a woman with too much time on her hands. And unfortunately for you, I have decided to kill some time by killing you.”
“I admire your courage, I can tell from your eyes that you are someone who would go to any length to achieve your goals. Even throw away your own life if necessary.”
“Aw man, so you’re one of those people who can read others with just a glance. Really hate guys like you, you take all the fun and mystery out of everything.”
“My apologies. But even you can clearly see that you are outmatched. Your defeat is inevitable, why don’t you just walk away while you still can?”
“Heh well like you said….”
Zinnia stretched out her arm.
“I am someone who would throw away her own life to succeed!”
Her hand morphed into the head of Blastoise, which fired the move, Hydro Cannon.
Arjuna simply jumped out of the way and landed on a nearby lamppost.
“Aren’t you gonna fire any arrows?”
“I already did.”
All of a sudden several blue spheres appeared all around Zinnia. Then, an arrow that had been fired skyward came back down and landed on one of the blue balls. The spheres then ricochet the bolt, striking Zinnia in several places around her body, not stopping until it had gone through every one of them.
Her body covered in wounds, Zinnia fell to her knees. Arjuna got down from his high ground and approached her, bow and arrow at the ready.
Zinnia looked up as he towered over her.
“Go ahead, finish it.”
“....is that what you want?”
“It's what you do, it's what all humans do.”
The Indian Prince did not say anything, but she could tell the question had struck a chord in him.
“Humans will destroy the world. No matter if it's this one or the last one, humans will destroy the world.”
“Based on what? Human nature can be ugly but it has yet to destroy this planet.”
“Heh, that's right you don’t know.”
“......”
“I’m not from this Lostbelt or whatever you call it. I and several billion others were brought here from another Earth, one where humans were not the only people living there. I don’t know who made humans in this world and to be honest, I don’t really care. But back on my world, humans treated Pokemon, a fellow sapient species like animals at worst and pets at best. No to mention the stupid amount of times evil organizations tried to control the Pokemon we called gods and nearly destroyed the planet. So when the Alpha creator Arceus got out of his prison, he saw Earth as a lost cause and just packed up and left, taking me and whoever was good enough with him.”
“This Arceus, just abandoned a world of his creation?”
“In hindsight, it was not the best plan but I can’t blame him, humans would never have let him retake the world without a fight. Heh, and now those very same people are probably dead by now.”
Arjuna loosened the string on his bow.
“I heard you guys are here to save the Human Order, pfff, what a joke. As if humanity has ever been orderly, you come here and try to kill every single person in this world to save your crappy own, not caring about who lives here and about if they want to have a future or not.”
“Do not make assumptions of my world, when you know nothing of it.”
“Well, if it's got nothing but humans in it I can make a pretty good guess. These people, these Pokemon, all they want is a fresh start. For the first time in millennia, they can live their lives without being hunted down for sport, without having their homes destroyed and paved away from human progress. They can finally live their lives as equals with other races and you want to take that away from them, cut off their new potential before it has a chance to grow.”
Arjuna was silent at this point.
“But I’m not surprised, humans are the most selfish species I have ever known. It's only natural you would trample and stomp on the future of non-humans for your own gain.”
Zinnia stood up, her body still weak, and in no shape to fight back.
“So go ahead, prove me right. Show me that special brand of darkness that only humans are capable of.”
The servant stared at this woman, her eyes showed no fear as if she had made peace with her death a long time ago.
Arjuna lifted his bow and drew back his string.
Then turned around and fired it at the Salamence who lunged at him from behind.
The Prince of the Pandavas disappeared as the Dragon Pokemon lay defeated. Zinnia ran to her Pokemon and was realized when it was confirmed that he was still breathing.
“It is as you say Zinnia, humans are a selfish species,” spoke Arjuna’s disembodied voice. “But even so, judgment has no place in this conflict, neither of us can decide who is more worth to live, that is up to Fate itself.”
Zinnia did not look up but still listened.
“I do what I must as is my duty to humanity. If we meet again, I want you to show me that same conviction you showed me today. That alone is your greatest virtue.”
And Arjuna spoke no more, leaving the last Lorekeeper in a now quiet park with only her Salamence and her thoughts.
Darkrai floated through the halls of the temple, the shadowy legendary heading in the direction of Cresselia’s room. Upon reaching it, he knocked on the door, of which then it opened to reveal the beautiful Pokemon who lived there.
“Oh, Darkrai you’re here.”
“How could I not come, I will always come for you.”
Cresselia giggled and then let him in.
Her magical ceiling was a beautiful starry sky that was an accurate reflection of the heavens. The rest of her room was crafted similarly to match her themes. Her specially made bed was on the left side while another resting place was in the center of the room.
Two eggs laid in a beautifully handcrafted nest. A special heater was situated above it to provide appropriate warmth. Made from lovely flowers and soft flora it was truly a work of art worthy for two eggs born from Legendary Pokemon. Although the one who helped make it was no longer alive.
Darkrai silently thanked Shaymin before moving over to the cradle which contained the eggs in which his progeny were growing.
“Did Mew come by and say how far along they are?” Darkrai asked.
“She said that they would hatch any day now. Although she could have told me the exact date and time, I want it to be a surprise.”
“But wouldn’t knowing the exact date and time help us better prepare?”
“Well, I kinda wanted to imitate what humans and mortals go through when they deliver their children. The rush, the excitement of it all. I want to experience the flurry of emotions that only comes with giving birth to your first child. Besides, with someone like Mew around, we have nothing to worry about when it comes to delivery.”
Darkrai chuckled. “I supposed that is true.”
He caressed his hands over the eggs, he could feel the heat coming off them. He could sense the life within them, life born from him.
He imagined these two children taking their first steps into the world, their first words, their first friends, their first birthday. How they would grow up surrounded by the most powerful Pokemon in the world, would they grow up to be proud of their family and lineage, or would it make them arrogant and haughty? Not if he raised them right.
He wondered what role they would have in caring for the world, the responsibility that came with being a Legendary Pokemon. The future they would all build together….
The Future…..if it ever comes to pass.
Darkrai's expression saddened as he was brought back down to reality, he was reminded of just what was happening in the outside world. And how his family and friends were out there right now fighting and dying so that they would be able to see tomorrow.
“I am sorry my children. Sorry that you would have to be born in this current world as it is. That I will have to tell you that your future is uncertain. That you might not live long enough to see the future.”
Darkrai felt another body pressed against his. He wrapped his arm around Cresselia as they became closer.
“I am sad for them, Cresselia. Sad that they have to be born at a time like this.”
“Yes, you have every right to be sad my dear. Sometimes the world can be very cruel and unfair, especially for beings as long-lived as us.”
“I wish I confessed to you sooner, back on Earth. Perhaps then they would at least have been able to have a childhood before all this.”
“On the other hand, various humans and evil teams would no doubt have been hunting them for the entire time. After all, who wouldn’t want to capture the children of two Legendary Pokemon? Especially new ones born into the modern age.”
“I suppose that's true.”
“We may not be able to guarantee their future once they’re born. But I swear as their mother that I will do anything in my power to ensure that they have a future.”
“.....And I as their father will make sure that when their eyes open that they will have nothing to fear.”
“....So, when are you going to marry me?”
Darkrai was surprised at the sudden subject change, even if it was somewhat related.
“I want to marry you, it's just I wish to do it once this whole situation is resolved.”
“And what if it isn’t? What if we lose?”
Darkrai turned to look at Cresselia directly. “Don’t say things like that, we will win this war and we will live to see the future.”
“And what if we don’t? That chance, that possibility still exists, however big or small.”
“But if I marry you and something….happens to you, Cresslia if I marry you and you die, it will only hurt so much more. The closer and stronger love is, the more painful separation becomes.”
Darkrai remembered a certain couple that Cresselia was fond of. A Gardevoir and a Gallade (the latter of whom was a former human), whose wedding they had attended in Canterlot. Their names were Gene and Belle if he recalled correctly. They were deeply in love with each other and were one of many Pokemon-Human couples who were mercilessly persecuted back on Earth for their love. While he was happy for them, he also heard rumors of just how inseparable they are.
Apparently, they could not be apart from each other for only a moment. When Hastings and his accomplices came for them, only to be defeated and detained, it was only due to the one called Belle using her psychic powers in a way that was very questionable. And when it seemed like she would have to be arrested since involuntary violation of the mind was a major crime even back on Earth, her husband Gene made a big scene.
Eventually, it was decided that both needed to go to therapy for reasons Darkrai could only guess.
“I want to marry you Cresselia, more than you know. But if you die and leave me, that pain will be a wound that I will carry for the rest of my eternal existence.”
He stared into her eyes, waiting for her response.
Her response was a kiss.
She pulled away and spoke.
“With love my dear, there is always loss, it's part of the deal. For so long as life and death exist, there will always be the loss that comes with love. Even more so for immortals like us.”
“Cresselia…”
“How many mortal friends have we made over the years? How many Pokemon and humans have we been fortunate enough to meet and share a bond with only to watch them die?”
“....Too many.”
“Exactly. While we may always have each other dear, don’t forget that even though we may live until the stars in the sky all wink out, death is still a possibility for us. Maybe not death by time, but death through unforeseen circumstances like this one. But even if it is our destiny to die in this conflict, I want to die with no regrets. I want to say I lived a happy life and did everything I wanted to do. I want to die with a smile on my face.”
“.....”
“I understand where you’re coming from. And no doubt you will feel terrible pain if I die. But you will at least have no regrets. We have danced around our feelings for too long back on Earth. I am glad that we were able to come into each other's embrace when we did.”
“.....”
“I don’t want to force you if you’re not ready, but just think about what I said,” Cresslia then rested her head in Darkrai’s ghost while mane. “And besides, wouldn't it be best if when our children are born, they are born to parents who are actually married?”
The Pitch Black Pokemon placed his hand on her neck, stroking it gently. He closed his eyes and smiled.
“Yes, I suppose you’re right about that.
“Okay, so I’m done running the calculations you sent me,” Sion said as her face appeared on the Shadow Borders monitor.
“About time!” Kadoc said. “We have been waiting for hours, you said it would only take a few minutes to perform your calculations!”
“Yeah, I might have undersold that. Even with my mind partition, the data you guys sent me was actually so limited, I had to break out the Logos React Generic so I could do more advanced calculations. But that's all done and I now know what's wrong.”
“Okay, what is it?” Goredolf asked.
“Space in your area has been thickened in the simplest of terms.”
“...What?”
“Okay so as you know, each Lostbelt is basically another world in every sense of the word. This means that it has its own rules and consistency when it comes to time and space. For example, time-space could be very stable in one Lostbelt, and prone to falling apart in another. So long as the storm walls separate the Lostbelt from the rest of the bleached Earth, this place is basically its own contained universe.”
“Okay, that part I get,” Kadoc said. “But what is the-”
“Point? I was about to get to that. In this Lostbelt it is possible if you are a strong enough entity or deity with the right Authorities to modify time and space to a certain extent. To the point where one could harden space itself to the point that creating things like portals or dimensional doors to places outside this world becomes very difficult if not impossible.”
“I see,” Holmes said. “So what you're saying is that space has been altered to the point where it is dense enough that we cannot Zero Sail?”
“Exactly. If Zero Sailing is creating a hole in space-time, by diving in the water that is the Imaginary Sea, then someone has metaphorically created a thick layer of ice over said sea.”
“I see, this is a simple yet effective means by which our foes have used in order to keep us from escaping. I must say they really have it out for us if they manage to pull off something such as this.”
“As I said before Holmes,” Kirschtaria said. “If you have an enemy that poses a great threat to you and everyone you care about, you would not let that enemy escape. You would do whatever you can to keep that enemy from becoming a future threat. Even if it means trapping them in a cage with a dangerous animal.”
“A dark metaphor, but an accurate one. So as Mr. Wodime said, we currently have no means of leaving this Lostbelt so it only is a matter of time before we are discovered and captured, or worse. In order to prevent that, we must find a way to break through this proverbial ice so to speak, and escape this Lostbelt. Do you have any ideas for that Ms. Sion?”
“Glad you asked Sherlock. As you said, it's as simple as breaking the ice. Because it seems whoever did this has not affected the space around the Border specifically, you can still Zero Sail. If the dimensional walls covering the imaginary sea have been frozen over, breaking through them is as simple as using a hammer or drill. In order to Zero Sail, you just have to make some modifications to the Shadow Border and perform a continuous Zero Sail until you break through!”
The Shadow Border crew was stunned.
“Wait, you want us to perform a continuous Zero Sail?” Da Vinci said, “For how long?”
“Well I could tell you, but it would be easier to just send you the list of modifications and calculate from your end. Sending them now.”
A date package popped up in the Shadow Borders computer.
“Okay, guys I’ll take this and run through the calculator, be back in a few!”
Da Vinci was gone for no more than 5 minutes before she came back with the good and bad news.
“Okay, so I got some good news and bad news.”
“Good news first please,” Goredolf said. “It helps soften the blow of the bad news in my opinion.”
“Okay then, the good news is we can make these modifications and be able to perform a continuous Zero Sail without any drawbacks or repercussions. We can still escape this Lostbelt.”
“That's great Da Vinci!” Mash said
“Yeah!... So what's the bad news?” Ritsuka said.
“The bad news is that making these modifications will require taking apart some pieces of the Shadow Border and rearranging them. The border is multifunctional so that shouldn't be a problem when we dive. It will also require some alterations to the Paper Moon as well, which will be a delicate procedure. All of this can at best be done in an hour, maybe more if need be, I don’t want to make any mistakes with this.”
“Oh well, that doesn’t seem so bad,” Goredolf said.
“I wasn’t finished yet. In order to make these modifications to the Shadow Border, we will have to disable the conceptual cloaking for the entire time. Leaving us totally exposed.”
“Oh.” Goredolf’s face sank. “That is bad news.”
“Well, no problem really, we can just find a nice cave or something and hide in there until we are ready to roll.”
“One last thing, once we start the continuous Zero Sail, it will have to go on for a good 5-10 minutes. And during that entire time, we will create a great strain on time and space just by “drilling” for so long. Anyone who is privy to the instabilities in space will no doubt be able to detect it even if they were on the other side of the planet. It will be like lighting up a giant sign saying “Here we are!”
Holmes made a concerned face.
“I see, and you’re certain about this?”
“I am, you can’t just mess with space-time and expect no one to notice.”
“Hmmm, and more than likely we all know a certain God who might very well be able to sense what we are doing once we do it.”
“So you’re saying in order for us to escape, we first have to expose ourselves and wave a flag saying here we are come and kill us!” Kadoc exclaimed. “Great, as if this couldn't be easy or discreet, not it had to be hard in the most stupid way possible!”
“While I share your frustration Kadoc,” Kirschtaria said. “I think we should not count ourselves out yet. There has to be a way we can last long enough for the Zero Sail to work. Any ideas Sion?”
“If you ask me the best way for you to last as long as you need is if you were behind several layers of defensive spells. Either that or you would have to be hunkered down in a Fortress Noble Phantasm.”
“A Fortress Noble Phantasm?” Meuniere said. “Do you realize how rare it is for a servant to have that kind of power?! You’d be more likely to come across servants who have weapons that are meant for destroying those things.”
“Ironically Skadi did manage to save our skins not long ago with her Fortress of Shadows which she summoned through her Gate of Skye,” Holmes said. “Although it is normally an Anti-Army Noble Phantasm belonging to the woman she was possessing, Scathach, who is the proper owner of that castle, so the way she used it was irregular. And no doubt cost a great deal of mana to use. I suspect this is why she disappeared shortly after she helped us escape.”
“That aside I doubt there are any servants in the Border who possess a Fortress-Type Noble Phantasm,” Goredolf said.
Kadoc cleared his throat, getting the attention of everyone.
“Anastasia has a Fortress Noble Phantasm.”
Goredolf blinked.
“Wait, are you serious?”
“Believe me I wouldn’t joke at a time like this.”
“It’s true,” Anastasia said. “My second Noble Phantasm is the Sumerki Kremlin. Since I am descended from the great Tsars who built those mighty Kremlin fortresses all over Mother Russia, I naturally can reproduce one as my Noble Phantasm.”
“Wow, I mean this is fantastic. You’ve been holding out on us, Caster.”
“No, I merely was waiting for my master's approval.”
“Well anyway, a castle as strong as a Kremlin will make for a fine defense indeed.”
“Normally I would agree, but even something as formidable as the Kremlin might not be enough to stop someone like Arceus,” Sherlock said. “Skadi’s Fortress of Shadows was able to repel him thanks to divine protection. If we wish to keep a god such as him at bay, we will need to enhance the Kremlin’s defenses.”
“But how?” Mash said. “None of us know any divine protection spells.”
“Hmmm, maybe not in the Border but perhaps a servant here in Equestria possesses that power,” Sherlock said. “A certain golden caster who just so happens to be in a cave with almost every other servant here in Equestria.”
Ritsuka caught on to what Holmes was hinting at.
“Oh, King Gilgamesh!”
“Ah, that's right!” Da Vinci said. “Gilgamesh possesses the Gate of Babylon, he's bound to have something in there that can help us.”
“And not just that,” Kirschtaria spoke up. “If nothing else, we should have him bring every servant in that cave to come and help us. Having all of them here would be a massive boon for us in holding off Arceus and anyone else he brings once they know where we are.”
“Agreed. A sound suggestion Wodime,” Goredolf said. “So, who is the fastest servant here?”
“That would be Ortlinde,” Ophelia said. “The Lancer class is built for speed, and her wings can carry her for dozens of miles in a matter of minutes.”
“That’s good, very good. Send Ortlinde there immediately, with this message: Chaldea requests that every able and available servant come to our location immediately and help set up a defensive perimeter.”
“As you wish. Ortlinde!”
The Valkyrie appeared out of spirit form at her master's call.
“Yes, Lady Ophelia?”
“Go to the cave where all the servants are held up and give them this message.”
Ophelia repeated what Goredolf said, and soon Ortlinde was out and took to the sky at super speed.
“Okay while that's happening, let's get to work on the Border,” Da Vinci said.
“Shouldn’t we wait till the servants get here first?” Kadoc said. “I hate to expose ourselves like this without proper protection.”
“The sooner we start, the sooner we can leave. The longer we stay here the more we risk being found regardless. But I agree with you on needing protection, perhaps we should ask Anastasia to deploy her Noble Phantasm right now.”
“Okay but first let's get the specifics of this Noble Phantasm and what it can do. Ana?”
“My Kremlin Fortress is a magnificent impenetrable castle that no one can enter without my express permission. It uses a lot of mana to manifest, so I will need a command spell to make use of it.”
“I still have three, so that shouldn’t be a problem. How long can that thing last anyway?”
“If we were in my homeland, the fame boost would allow the fortress to last indefinitely so long as I remain alive. But because we are not, it will only last for a day.”
“A day is more than enough,” Da Vinci said. “Although that's just if it wasn’t under attack, I wonder how long it would last during a siege.”
“We won’t know until we find out. Kadoc, Anastasia, whenever you two are ready.”
“Let’s step outside master, it would be better to do it out there.”
“Got it, Da Vinci?”
“Way ahead of you, lowering the cloaking field looks like there are no sentient life signs out there for now, although that could change at any minute.”
The Unicorn Mountain Range had a fairly small forest section at the bottom of its base. Not as big as the Everfree, but not too small and scattered to say it was not a forest. It was big enough to hide something, but at the same time, if one looked hard enough they could find it with enough time.
Twilight, who had read about the mountain range, knew that there were no caves nearby that they could be hiding in, so that narrowed down their search. However, the blood vial was close to running out.
“How much is left?” Applejack asked.
“About 5 minutes, maybe less,” Twilight responded.
“Then we should run faster, let’s not waste any time.”
Applejack began to sprint but was magically pulled back by Twilight.
“Not a good idea. I may have cast a spell on everyone to magically hide ourselves from detection, but they can still hear you if you’re running.”
“But, that thing you’re carrying is about to run out! And when that happens we lose our only hope of finding them.”
“Applejack, even when it does run out that does not mean we are out of luck, we know they are here. We’ll just have to look harder.”
“And how long will that take!? The longer we look the more likely they’ll maybe see us and get away. We just can’t let them get away Twilight, I won’t let them get away with this!”
“Yeah Applejack is right, they gotta pay for what they did!” Rainbow exclaimed in agreement.
“Alright, both of you settle down now!”
Applejack stopped and regained her composure. “Uh, sorry.”
“Look I understand why you’re upset about this, why you’re so determined to find them. I am too, but if we don’t do this the right way we might blow our chance of finding them. So save your anger for when we find them, they will face justice Applejack, I promise you.”
“...I don’t doubt that Twilight, I never doubted you.”
“Good, now seeing as the vial of blood is all but gone, I’m gonna try something else.”
“Try what?” Spike said.
“I’m gonna cast something that’s basically a radar spell. But it will be cast in a way that it will detect magical energy or magical beings. If a servant is around, or if someone is performing magic, then it will find them.”
“Hmmm, okay, do what you gotta do Twilight.”
Twilight closed her eyes and the alicorn’s horn glowed for several seconds before a wave of purple magic swept over the area.
Everyone looked in anticipation as they waited for her to speak.
“Well?” Rarity said.
Twilight opened her eyes. “There is something less than half a mile away from here, a magical energy signature, not too big, but not small either.”
“Well, let's go to see what it is,” Rainbow Dash said.
The girls and Spike walked until they came upon the palace where Twilight’s spell pointed to. Eventually, Pinkie Pie was the first one to see it.
“Ooo oo! There's something big and black over there!”
“I see it too, hold on. I’m gonna mask our approach, this spell will make us less visible for a moment.”
Twilight cast the spell and the ponies we covered in an aura of stealth as they drew closer to the thing they were looking at.
“That's them! That's Chaldea!”
“You sure?” Fluttershy said.
“No doubt about it,” Rainbow Dash replied. “That giant metal carriage thing they ride in is unmistakable!”
The ponies got as close as they could be and hid in the bushes and trees. They watched as what appeared to be a woman with white hair holding a doll in her hands stood in front of a man with a baggy look under his eyes. They then watched as the woman outstretched her hand as the ground beneath her began to glow. A sigil or symbol appeared on the grass at her feet as she began to speak words that were too far away to hear.
“What are they doing?” Fluttershy said.
“It looks like they are performing some kind of spell?” Twilight responded.
“Okay but what kind of spell?” Applejack asked.
Whatever they were doing, the light only grew brighter as the women spoke louder and deeper.
Rainbow Dash, being who she was, reached the end of her patience.
“Well, I’m not waiting to find out!”
The cyan pegasus flew straight at the two humans before Twilight could react. She was gonna reach them before they had time to avoid her.
“Not so fast!”
Rainbow Dash veered to her left as several blades of wind nearly sliced her skin. She touched the ground as she looked to see her attacker.
Kato Danzo met her eyes as she retracted her arm blades and readied her Shurikens.
“If you wish to harm my master friend Lord Kadoc, you will have to go through me.”
Kirschtaria stepped out from behind the Border where he was hiding.
“Good work Danzo, we can’t have her disrupting the incantation.
Applejack who recognized the servant that had given her brother a long nasty laceration, could not contain herself anymore and ran out into the open.
“Applejack wai- oh forget it!” Seeing as there was no point in hiding anymore, Twilight followed the orange earth pony along with the rest of her friends.
Mash and Ritsuka who heard all the commotion came out to see a stand-off between their friends and Twilight's friends.
“What, how did they find us!?” Mash exclaimed.
“You wanna know how!” Rainbow Dash said smugly. “Next time, tell your vampire friend not to literally leave her DNA everywhere. But I doubt there will be a next time for you!”
Akuta who poked her head out the door quickly pulled herself back inside sheepishly.
“My name is Princess Twilight Sparkle of Equestria, and by the power and authority vested in me, I order you all to stand down and surrender yourselves!” Twilight spoke all this in the Canterlot Royal Voice for extra intimidation.
While some were a bit taken aback by the loud proclamation, Kirschtaria calmly assessed the situation.
“It looks like only those six are here.” The mage then noticed the small dragon standing behind the purple pony. “Okay seven, if they brought others or reinforcements, they all would have come out by now. As it stands to reason, they are all that's here, not enough to take us all on. But if that pony really is one of the four princesses of this land, I don’t want to test her power at this delicate moment.”
“Anastasia, how much longer?”
“Just a few more seconds.”
“Oh no you don’t! You’re not finishing….whatever you're about to finish!”
Twilight and the others all started to run at the Shadow Border. But were deterred when several ninja stars landed at their feet.
“If anyone breathes so much as breaths.” Kato Danzo took the safety off her gun fingers. “I start blasting.”
“It's done! Oh great Fortress of the Motherland, head the call of the last Princess of Russia and show your terrifying form in this world....Manifest yourself!”
Sumerki Kremlin!
Afterglow, Fortress of Abominable Blood
The Equestrians took a step back as the ground began to shake. The air was filled with a freezing cold as Anastasia began to glow with mana.
“What's going on!?” Rarity said.
“Everypony run for it!” Pinkie Pie said.
A massive structure building began to take shape, replacing and converting large sections of the surrounding trees. Twilight and her friends had to run a certain distance until they were outside of the area of manifestation. When they turned back they almost could not believe their eyes.
A massive fortress that took up over 20,000 square miles stood in the place that was once an area of the forest at the base of Unicron Mountain Range. Its fortifications were not as grand or big as the Canterlot Castle, but it was big enough.
But more than that, they could sense the intimidation and imposing might of the building, as if only those of great power lived there. And that if they wished to try to break in, they would need something no less than an army.
With all of this in mind, Twilight said one thing.
“Okay, we're gonna need some backup.”