Hoenn. Samiya. The Sea Temple. Day.
"This is more like it." Currently, Sombra was sitting on the throne at the Sea Temple. The throne that was meant for Ash. King of the Sea. With his full body restored, he took the opportunity to sit on a throne once more. He lost his throne to the Crystal Empire. Might as well take another one.
"T-That belongs to his majesty, Ash Ketchum..." One of the guards spoke as Ash himself was standing next to Sombra. "You can't sit on it."
"I'm his ally," Sombra replied, acknowledging Ash as an ally. "Besides, if he will not take his role as king seriously, then I will."
"Well technically speaking he does take it seriously." Alo, the Royal Advisor to Ash chimed in. "It's just that our majesty is far more relaxed than any other king."
"Is he now?" Sombra turned to Ash, narrowing his eyes at the King of the Sea. "Why become king when you end up being absent from your own throne? It's not uncommon for a king to lounge around but away from his throne?"
"Eh. I just do things differently." Ash chuckled. "But even so, I promised I'd keep the role of king to everyone here at the Sea Temple. So I'm still king here, Sombra."
"Pika-Pika."
"Tch. You say it with such a casual tone." Sombra scoffed, shaking his head. "Very well. But! I can do one thing that you will struggle to accomplish. You may have a Royal Advisor to manage things here, but how about I take on that role as well?"
"Hmm...You did use to be a king..." Ash thought about it. "Wouldn't be bad to have two advisors to help out with the future of the Sea Temple."
"Precisely. Then there won't be any mishaps at all." Sombra chuckled. "With us essentially having control of most of the world via the sea, we might as well be the greatest power on this entire planet. Many locations could be considered our property. We could claim so much."
"Sombra's side of wanting to gain control was still prominent. And that reality of Ash essentially owning most of the world was an eye-opener for the former king of the Crystal Empire.
"By the way, your majesty. Today is the day we leave Hoenn. Our temple will be travelling elsewhere." Alo walked over.
"Which region is it now?" Ash asked.
"Who knows? We usually have the temple go wherever. And the light-speed travel should be happening right about now." Right on schedule as the temple started glowing from the inside and outside.
It was time for them to travel. And without a second to spare, much like how it was first showcased, the temple hovered over the sea as the people and Pokemon of Lilycove City stopped to gaze at the floating civilization. This involved the mother of Passion, Gardevoir, who was always present near the city.
Ash held onto his hat as Sombra fell back on the throne. It wasn't lightspeed for nothing. It burned through the atmosphere in a heartbeat before then restoring it with the beautiful and harmonic light that the crystals gave off. They had left Lilycove City and were already past a majority of Hoenn. The temple had then passed Sinnoh, Johto and even Kanto. All of those seas had been passed by in just 1 second.
The speed was truly unreal as the only ones who could even track the moments of the temple were fast Pokemon. Mainly Electric and Flying-Type Pokemon with a few others. It had even passed some gateways. Looking up at the sky with the temple zooming was like looking at a shooting star. Except during the day. It even looked like a second Sun was travelling through the air.
Speaking of gateways, up ahead, the temple was approaching one that was located in the sky. With how it was moving in a straight line, it had passed right through the gateway, entering the otherworld instead of residing here.
Equestria. The Crystal Empire. Day.
Right near the Crystal Empire. That was where they found themselves. The temple flew through the gateway, ending up here as fast as it had left. The Sea Temple always made sure to end up around a body of water. The People of the Water couldn't have it going on land in any circumstance. The temple dropped on the sea, creating a large splash as everyone within the temple bounced from the collision.
"Oh...Man. That speed is still crazy..."
"Pikachu..."
"We've landed in...what place is this exactly?" Alo looked outside of the window, wondering where they were now. This wasn't any region they recognized at all.
"We ended up in the next world." Ash recognized the location in a heartbeat. "I recognize those frozen mountains anywhere. Which means we're close to the Crystal Empire."
"The Crystal Empire? Ah, how fate brings me back to it." Sombra smirked. "Clearly, I am meant for that place more than anything. Aside from having to take orders from that Ketchum woman. Ugh..." Sombra shuddered, thinking of how Delia was still giving him orders. If there was anyone he feared it was Delia Ketchum.
"We didn't expect to show up in this other world that is..." Alo scratched his beard, trying to figure out what the name of this world was called. "Um, pardon me, your majesty. But what is the name of this planet? Is it still Earth?"
"It's-" That question even made Ash think This was something that was not brought up to him even after these 3 years of the worlds being crossed over. "Huh...Come to think of it, I don't know what the name of this planet is. Hey, Sombra. What's this world called?"
"Earth." Sombra ended that burning question in an instant. This world shared the same name as the Pokemon World. Earth.
"There. Earth." Ash repeated. "This'll be your first time in this world. It's gonna be a blast for sure. You've already met everyone at Lilycove City, haven't you?"
"Oh yes. The people of the modern-day are certainly an interesting bunch, your majesty. Such as yourself. And I suppose to an extent, Enola. She tries a lot to be exactly like you, your majesty."
"Really? She does?"
"Oh yes. Along with the other young ones. We have not had someone to aspire towards for centuries ever since our sudden absence. Not even our previous king. This is a first for us."
"Enola, huh? Great to hear she's always doing great..." Ash took some time to reflect on things. "I should check up on her right now. And as King, I hereby order everyone to check out Equestria next!" Ash ordered. "You've experienced Lilycove. Now it's time for the Crystal Empire."
"Pikachu!"
"Yes, your majesty!" Alo, the guards and other citizens replied in unison. They would all see this world for themselves and what it had to offer. This message was passed on as the People of the Water would exit their temple to explore. Surprisingly, they did not feel chilly at all.
Ash watched as the People of the Water, who usually wear clothing that would work well in the summer and showed off some skin, could walk out in the cold of the Frozen North. Living underwater for so long certainly has its benefits.
Even walking barefoot, which is what many People of the Water appear as with minimal footwear, was not an issue for them. The snow did not affect their feet at all. Enola emerged outside, feeling the chill as it was relaxing to her and the People of the Water. Again, Ash and Pikachu were surprised.
Over at the Crystal Empire, the appearance of the Sea Temple had been noted. It was a fairly large structure even from afar. Its height surpassed parts of the mountains while also being slightly masked by the splash. The light from the lightspeed travel had also been noticed. Shining Armor and Flash Sentry recognized that building all too well. The Flurry Heart from Universe 6 poked her head outside of the castle window, being naturally curious about this.
Eventually, the People of the Water had made their way to the Crystal Empire with Ash leading and guiding them. They were welcomed into the Crystal Empire with open hooves. Enola and most of the children rushed in as they were already prepared to run amok.
Greetings were made towards the People of the Water via Shining Armor and Princess Cadence, welcoming them here. They were already on good terms after the whole Sea Temple event that involved invading forces and the Dragon Force.
"Glad you could show up here to our world for the first time," Cadence spoke to the Alo and the rest of the People of the Water. "Shining Armor told me everything that happened back at your temple. You're all welcome here in our world. I should introduce you to my daughter. Or rather daughters."
"Ah, the dual universe twins, right?" Alo said. "We were told of this by his majesty, Ash Ketchum. We understand that one of them comes from another universe."
"That's right! Here's our first daughter from this universe!" Cadence held Flurry Heart out who blew her tongue at Alo and the others. "Whereas our second daughter has some more age to her. Right now, we're her family as her real parents back at Universe 6 have yet to be found. But we're still related so it's not confusing."
"Related!" Flurry Heart repeated.
Samiya. The Sea Temple.
Speaking of the other Flurry Heart of older age, most of her interest leaned towards the temple rather than the appearance of the People of the Water. She had already found herself there before spotting Sombra. Sombra lounged around, sighing vehemently while on the outside of the Sea Temple. He did not approach the Crystal Empire at all. In his eyes, it was a bad idea to head there now in his physical body. He was not with Ash this time as he had free reign over his body once more. However, there were still limitations placed to keep him in check which led him to basically do nothing. Not exactly the fearsome unicorn he used to be.
"If they were all to see me now as I am, they would surely tear me to shreds," Sombra commented.
"Oh...Isn't that?" Upon seeing Sombra, Flurry Heart had just now realized that this was her first time seeing the former ruler of the Crystal Empire."So that's Sombra? He looks a lot shorter than I thought he would be. Not that tall."
"It would-" Being cut off from his sentence, Sombra's ears twitched. The moment Flurry Heart commented about his height, Sombra's ear senses heightened in an instant. Sombra's eyes spotted the one who spoke of him just 15 feet away. Flurry Heart's wings stood up with her eyes shifting to the side.
Sombra did not hesitate to approach her as he stomped toward the young princess. The young alicorn scrunched her face, wondering what to do. She knew exactly what she said and yet running away after accidentally insulting someone was not in her spirit.
"Who are you calling short?" Sombra questioned as he had already gotten close to Flurry Heart this quickly.
"N-No offence! It just came to mind!" Flurry Heart chuckled. "Sorry! Sometimes I just say what's on my mind a lot!"
"Hmmm...You're their child. The ones who took my rightful throne."
"Y-Yep. That's me! Princess Flurry Heart! Or uh...the one from Universe 6. I'm not from this one so technically I'm not their daughter..." Flurry Heart then started rambling, bringing up the topic of being the daughter of two ponies who weren't from her universe and essentially being a sibling to her baby self. Truly an odd one.
"I already know." Sombra stopped her there before she could confuse him. "But please do not tell you're the one next in line to rule despite not being from this universe."
"I already rule the Crystal Emp-" Flurry Heart paused, correcting herself quickly. Or I guess, Crystal Kingdom as it was renamed back in my universe. But I'm no good at that. Aunt Empress Twilight was the one calling the shots back there. I just sat around and did what she told me to."
"Hoh? So you are a sole ruler without any guidance, eh?"
"Pretty much. I don't know the first thing about ruling a kingdom. Let alone an empire! Haha!" Flurry Heart chuckled. "I'm kinda already late to grow up and learn from my parents since...ya know."
"Nonsense. You are never too late to rule. Even with your age." Sombra said otherwise. "Though you do lack the natural qualities to rule from what I can see."
"I guess so..." Flurry Heart couldn't argue against that. But something came to mind that she believed would be of significant help. And it was standing right in front of her. "Oh! Could you teach me a few things?"
"I beg your pardon?"
"Yeah! You were the previous ruler so you would know a lot! Mom and dad haven't exactly taught me anything about that yet. But to be fair, I never told them much about the Crystal Kingdom and what I did there."
"Hmm...You would ask me for advice, would you?" Sombra smirked. "Despite knowing of my legacy?"
"No, not really." Flurry Heart hit Sombra with a shocking answer. "I mean...all I know is that you used to rule the Crystal Empire once. Auntie Twilight only told me that you were one of the many enemies she defeated. While uh...also threatening someone too."
"So your knowledge of me is limited." Sombra pondered. Indeed, this Flurry Heart was unaware of Sombra's history and because of this, she found it natural to ask him for advice. "Hm. Forget about it then. I will teach you a few things. Think of me as your greatest mentor."
"Really?! You'd actually teach me?!" Flurry Heart's wings spread out as she was getting giddy.
"Certainly. Your reign over that kingdom will be far more efficient. You will refer to me as Sir. I am no longer king but I shall be respected." Sombra stood tall and proud.
"Aye, sir!" Flurry Heart saluted as she was ready to take some pointers from King Sombra of all ponies.
"Firstly, you need to exude that appearance as a ruler." Sombra walked with Flurry Heart to the Crystal Empire. But not straight through the gates. Sombra still had the power to become his shadowy self, so he had used that ability to conceal himself in the darkness while also speaking to the young alicorn. "Mainly your posture."
"What's wrong with it?"
"You trot around like an airhead." Sombra shook his head. "I swear, I almost saw you trip seconds ago and you prance. A lot. Almost as much as that pink one back at Ponyville."
"Nothing wrong with a little prancing." Flurry Heart pranced around with Sombra's eyes following her, lowered the entire time.
"A ruler does not prance! Unless under certain circumstances. You must stand tall and proud. Always walk with noble prestige and let everypony know who is the largest superpower around. Even when you are not within their vicinity. Appearance matters or else your subjects will underestimate and think less of you. Especially with your limited regalia."
"Hmm...Appearance matters, huh? Oh! How about this?!" Flurry Heart took a quick second to use her magic, teleporting away from here. Sombra blinked for a bit, waiting for the young alicorn to return. In only 5 seconds, she had returned but with a new look. "How's this?"
She wore jet-black shade glasses and a black jacket. She had added some hair gel to her mane, making it shine a bit while also putting on a grin. Her regalia had also increased with her wearing gold boots that were painted black. Flurry Heart almost looked like a troublemaker with the way she appeared.
"What is this?" Sombra questioned.
"You told me to look like I'm the biggest superpower around. So I dressed like I mean business. I used some parts from the clothes I wear when I'm acting as Premium Polishs's bodyguard for Pokemon Contests. Pretty neat, right, sir?"
"...The black appearance is a nice touch. I would've added some red here and there. I would wear that. But this is not what I had in mind." Sombra could appreciate this grittier design as even he would wear it. Alas, not exactly the status of a ruler that he was thinking about.
"Ah, you'll like it! Here try this on!" By surprise, Flurry Heart had used her magic to bring Sombra's physical body back, throwing away the shadowy form. Sombra was taken by surprise as Flurry Heart could effortlessly do. Before he knew it, Flurry had placed an identical set of clothes onto the former ruler of the Crystal Empire.
Now Sombra had matching clothes to Flurry Heart. Even the hair gel. The black shades and jacket complimented him perfectly but he certainly did not wear those black boots. And remembering what Sombra said, Flurry Heart added some red into the mix via red stripes on the side of the jacket.
"See? Not bad, right?" Flurry Heart nudged.
"Hmph. You have superb taste, young one."Sombra nodded in approval. "We will have to work on a few things, but overall, not a bad design choice. With this, I can even walk safely."
Indeed, Sombra could use this as a disguise. This allowed him to walk through the Crystal Empire without worrying about much. And it worked like a charm. Nopony recognized him or even chose to approach him for how intimidating he appeared. Sombra's intimidation factor had now returned thanks to this one effective disguise. He had to applaud Flurry Heart for that.
Nearby, Ms Harshwhinny had just finished another Gym Battle for the day against another trainer. She locked the Gym before then getting ready to return to her office. She had returned her Wobbuffet to his Poke Ball, swivelling to soon spot the duo of Princess Flurry Heart and King Sombra.
Harshwhinny and practically everypony else knew about Flurry Heart's contest disguise. Much to Flurry Heart's chagrin, it was not effective at all as too many ponies knew exactly what her appearance looked like. She had a unique colour palette after all. And to an extent, the same could be said for Sombra. However, when Ms Harshwhinny laid eyes on this disguised pony, she froze for a bit before having her eyes lower.
"Oh?" Harshwhinny uttered before approaching them. "Princess Flurry Heart. Who is this?" She asked with a different tone from usual. Sombra took a closer look as right behind his glasses, his eyes widened. He saw that Harshwhinny was giving him a certain look and it made the intimidating unicorn freeze on the spot. "I'm interested."
"This? This is uh..." Flurry Heart paused on her words, thinking of a backup name for King Sombra. "Jet Black! See, he's wearing all jet black with a hit of red."
"Jet Black, eh?" Harshwhinny smiled with an approving nod. "Not bad. If I may, I would love to get to know him better." Clearly, Harshwhinny liked what she was seeing. Flurry Heart, ironically being the daughter of the Princess of Love, could not see the signals being directed from Harshwhinny to Sombra. But Sombra could. Harshwhinny kept that smile which only made Sombra freeze up some more.
"Get me out of here, right now," Sombra ordered, wanting to be away from Harshwhinny's presence immediately. Flurry Heart understood clearly as she used her magic to move the frozen unicorn.
"Sorry, Ms Harshwhinny! Gotta go!" Flurry Heart chuckled. Harshwhinny kept that same look on her face for a bit, even when Sombra was moving out of view. Sombra sighed, almost removing his glasses as he was free from whatever Harshwhinny would do next.
"Hah...may thanks." Sombra sighed. "I never felt so uncomfortable before in my entire life."
"Don't worry about it. Now. What else are you gonna teach me? I think I've got this appearance thing down already."
"R-Right." Sombra cleared his throat. "There are a few things left to go through. So listen carefully." His lesson to Flurry Heart would continue.
Sombra did have a goal to make her a powerful ruler in her world. Certainly, not this world as the Flurry Heart living here was already set for that. However, with each lesson that he would give to her, Flurry Heart and her blissful innocence would find a way to alter the serious nature of Sombra's advice into something more playful and entertaining.
Sombra watched as his lessons were turned upside their head. Granted, it was supposed to be targeted toward her subjects who existed in Universe 6. But the subjects in this universe were a part of it. Sombra facehoofed as Flurry Heart wasn't showing the status of a ruler that he was envisioning.
A strict approach? Flurry Heart would simply make some rules that still benefited many. Albeit minimal since her parents had the most governed rule over the Crystal Empire. Taking no for an answer as royalty? Flurry Heart would find an alternative to it.
Sombra then realized that Flurry Heart's approach was strikingly similar to Ash's. Ash had the same approach to being a ruler. Especially King of the Sea. All of this mirrored Ash's actions visibly as it made Sombra groan.
"So? How am I doing so far?" Flurry Heart asked, using her magic to lift some foals, juggling about as they laughed hysterically.
"I should've expected this..." Sombra shook his head. "That is my fault for thinking otherwise. But, you aren't bad. You certainly have something that can be seen as a ruler."
"Really? Yes!" Flurry was happy to hear that. "Great to hear that I'm moving on up. You have to give me some more advice, So- I mean, Jet Black."
"Perhaps another time. Somehow, you've exhausted me." Sombra turned away. "I need to find something else to do. That throne was far more comfortable than I expected. Perhaps the temple has softer beds."
"Hey! I'll be heading out on my own Pokemon Journey soon. Mom and dad allowed me to go even further. You should come along and tutor me along the way."
"I beg your pardon?"
"Yeah. Guess who's eager to catch some more Pokemon?" Flurry Heart winked. "Can't just be stuck with Giratina all the time. Even if it's a crazy strong Pokemon."
"Hmph. I appreciate the offer, but unfortunately, there is one major drawback." Sombra turned back to her. "I cannot be too far away from Ash Ketchum. That accursed Spirit of Chaos put a strong restriction on me to prevent me from venturing too far from him. So it's impossible for me to come along."
"Then just bring Ash." An easy solution came from Flurry Heart. "I'd love to go on a journey with Ash too! I've heard so much about him!"
"Kh...Why did I know you would say that?" Sombra groaned.
"It'll be fun, no doubt. Short. But fun! I'll be heading out soon, so remember, okay?" Flurry Heart was looking forward to it as she dropped the foals finally.
Sombra thought about it for a moment before looking at the distance. There, he could spot Ms Harshwhinny eyeing him down with that same sharp expression. Sombra was now thinking about going with Flurry Heart on that journey if it meant avoiding the gaze.
"Flurry Heart?" And it didn't take long for her parents to notice their daughter. It didn't take long at all. They recognized her getup from when she was the bodyguard for Premium Polish. But there was something far more striking about it.
"Mom! Dad!" Flurry Heart stood up. "Check it out! I've updated my look! And I've been taking some pointeRS from-"
"Sombra?!" Cadence could recognize Sombra, causing the unicorn's heart to skip a beat. The foals and nearby ponies locked onto who they thought to be some random pony.
"Well, that's out of the bag." Flurry Heart shrugged.
"What do you mean you took pointers?!" Shining Armor grabbed Flurry Heart's face. "What did he tell you!? You're not looking like that for a different purpose, are you?!"
"Nothing much except how to be a better ruler." She replied with a muffled voice. "Plus we look like this because we match. Neat, right?"
"Precisely. And my work here is done for the day. Toodles." Sombra decided to leave before things could get hairy. It was back to the Sea Temple, although, he wouldn't be safe there neither could he get that far.
"Not my daughter being influenced by him..." Cadence's heart sank as one of the worst possible outcomes she was thinking of was standing right in front of her. But it was not as serious as was expected. That didn't stop the Princess of Love from whiting out for a bit.
Flurry Heart giggled as she thoroughly enjoyed her time with Sombra. It was certainly an odd bond that was formed by them both. One had imprisoned her parents and enslaved this empire once while the other was the daughter of the parents who had been enslaved by him. But then again, in this day and age where Strange and Wonderful Creatures meet up with all different walks of life and form new bonds, what can be considered strange?
As the journey continues.
Chapter 742 End.