//------------------------------// // Dream your worries away // Story: My Little Pokémon // by Amarvax //------------------------------// Unova. Virbank City. PokeStar Studios. The Pokemon Festival. Nightfall. Nightfall fell onto the Pokemon Festival. And with so much hard work, everypony working on the Equestria Film here at PokeStar Studios fell asleep. Luckily for them, PokeStar Studios was a place where they could rest. Some of these props are comfy and soft. As for the film itself, they made outstanding progress. Thanks to the cooperation of so many individuals, it was in its final stage. They worked on it even past midnight. There was only one thing needed to be done. "Finally...This should do." Mayor Mare yawned before laying on Stoutland. In her hooves, she held a film reel that contained the entire film. "Great work, everypony. And...goodnight." "Hoopa..." Luna, who was on the edge of falling asleep, looked at the Mischief Pokemon, seeking his help. "You have the power to bring anyone, do you not? Could you do the same for my Pokemon?" "Sorry..." Hoopa grumbled, rubbing his eye. "Hoopa doesn't know which Pokemon belong to Dark Blue Rapidash." "Ah...So it's not specific but rather random. Good to know." Before she fell asleep, Luna learned the limitations of Hoopa's amazing power. He could bring any Pokemon here with the only limitations being that he was locked from reaching Jirachi and he's bound to bring a random Pokemon. As opposed to Sweetie Belle, Celestia and the others, they had their own original names that were assigned at birth and even had appearances to go off of. The same couldn't be said for Darkrai and the others who had multiple species across the world, making it hard to find a specific one. "Well, that's all of them. Mostly everyone here's asleep." Sci-Twi pointed out as she, Ash, Sombra and Fluttershy were the only ones awake. Celestia, who switched in and out from her human form and pony form was currently asleep next to Luna. She stayed in her human form after finishing filming in her original form, holding Luna in her arms. Everyone else slept in various compromising positions after knocking themselves out. From the array of clothes and props that were scattered everywhere along with paint splatter, they put their heart and soul into this. "It's just us now," Ash said. "So. Ready to head out and find that Alpha Pokemon?" "Now? It's pretty late but..." She then held the newspaper which held information about an Alpha Pokemon. It was easy to see it was an Alpha based on its size and the glowing red eyes. "We can still try. It looks to be an Alpha Heracross. That's uh...certainly intimidating. Wish most of them were simple. Just like Pikachu, Munchlax or even Luxio." "Yeah. Heracross is pretty strong when it comes to strength. Might have to put on heavy armour for this." Ash chuckled. But no need to worry about that part. So, where do you think we'll find Heracross in this?" "It looks like it was previously at some place called Reversal Mountain before it flew off. Great. Another Alpha Pokemon that roams wherever." She groaned, hoping that Heracross would stay in one position. But much like the other two Alpha Pokemon Carlita brought up, it was going wherever it felt. "Then we'll just head to places close to Reversal Mountain. But...Heracross does love tree sap. So I already know where we can search for it." Since he had his own Heracross, Ash knew this Pokemon's preferences perfectly. So did his Bulbasaur, for all the wrong and uncomfortable reasons. Leaving here meant letting the others rest peacefully while they head tree-sap prominent areas. Mainly forests. PokeStar Studios still had some lights on, revealing itself to even be 24/7, allowing many to film for as long as they want before they fall asleep on the spot. But right now, whilst Ash and the others quietly departed from PokeStar Studios, creeping away without making a sound, deep within the dreams, Luna was currently multitasking. Resting and recovering her body while also focusing on what mattered most. Her Pokemon. Hyperdream. The Hyperdream. If there was one way she could try and find her Pokemon it would be in the Hyperdream. Specifically, focusing on current dreams to track them down. Hoopa couldn't do it due to the specifics so this was her next option aside from Galaxy Master. She sorted them out via the order of Pokemon she caught. The first Pokemon she ever caught was Darkrai, so he was up first obviously. However, the dreams she gathered were not recent at all. "Strange...Why aren't there any recent dreams?" Luna wondered, continuing to scroll through the dreams. If she could find a recent dream, she would know where her Pokemon were. But that wasn't the case. Surprisingly, none of Luna's Pokemon were asleep. The only dreams they had were dreams from yesterday but that was before they knew that Nightmare Moon was now their trainer. For all they knew, Luna was still with them. If anything, this only scared Luna some more, making her worry about what could have possibly happened to her Pokemon for not a single one of them to start dreaming, even past midnight. By this time, they would all be asleep. Including Darkrai, who was currently too injured from his previous encounter to even do much. He even slept for the very first time and it was a truly soothing experience. Alas, his current dreams were not present at all. This raised problems for Luna that she never expected to face. Without any of her Pokemon currently dreaming, there was seemingly no way of finding out where they live. "Darkrai?! Musharna?! Florges?!" She cried out, desperately trying to find their dreams. But her tone soon lowered the moment she yawned, remembering how exhausted she was currently. "Curses...I'm already tired myself. Where could their current dreams be? What could possibly be happening with them right now?" Kalos. Glittering Cave. Nightfall. Glittering Cave. The chances of something losing all sense of direction here is highly likely. It was also a place where Luminous Moss glows emerald green. And this moment, Nightmare Moon was still active and awake. Naturally, it was expected for her to be awake. She was essentially an emissary of the night. However, something was amiss. Right now, Team Rocket had bags under their eyes, sitting near Glittering Cave while having their Food Stand Van parked near it. With their eyes baggy and hair messy, they appeared to be tired out of their mind but were unable to clock out and doze off. "Hey...notice something off?" Jessie uttered with a weak voice. "I just did. It's been two nights now and we can't sleep." James pointed out. Since last night, they never slept when heading to the Kalos Region but that didn't seem unnatural. It just seemed like James had enough energy to drive through the night despite working hard all day. But now, it has happened a second time where they were unable to rest after working hard yet again. Thus, it led to this. A peculiar instance where none of them could sleep. "This all started when that nightmare lady came around and joined us..." Meowth pointed out when it began. All of this was being shifted towards Nightmare Moon who was active and full of energy. Speaking of Nightmare Moon, she was currently within Glitter Cave, not on her own. All of Luna's Pokemon with her. Not within their Poke Balls but rather outside of them. And much like Team Rocket, the Pokemon appeared exhausted as well. Bags formed under some of their eyes, at least with those who were able to form bags. If not, they would just rub their eyes, lower their heads, slump on the nearest rock or wall and much more to try and doze off. But alas, that wasn't the case. "Gliscor..." Even being in an advantageous area such as a cave, Gliscor could not sleep here. "Why are you all so sluggish lately? I need to hone myself already." Nightmare Moon shook her head, not yet reading the room. "I am undoubtedly the best when it comes to the night. I can perform much better so for the sake of our alliance, we must be ready for the night." "If we had the energy..." Darkrai grumbled. "Why can't we sleep at all? This isn't right." "Musha...!" Musharna was currently vibrating at hyperactive speeds, desiring the need to consume dreams. Unfortunately, with no one around her vicinity falling asleep, there were no dreams for her to feast on. "Unable to sleep? Ah, that would be me." Nightmare Moon caught on before revealing the reason for this. "I KNEW IT!" Jessie, James and Meowth equally bellowed inside of the cave, startling Nightmare Moon. "R-Right. Does my presence stave off drowsiness? Or wait...is that the other way around?" Nightmare Moon pondered. "How is it properly said?" "You're doing this" Darkrai groaned. "Why?" "Can you blame me? Well, I suppose you can. I'm a manifestation of Luna's dark wishes and desires at a dark time. And one of those wishes was to have an everlasting night. A night where none would slumber." "Seriously?" James uttered. "Is that why I couldn't sleep last night?!" "She imagined it all. A world wrapped in the night..." Nightmare Moon closed her eyes, still imagining the moment when Luna's dark thoughts emerged for the first time and when her alter-ego was beginning to rise. "As opposed to when all frolic and prance in the Day of her older sister, she wanted the same for the Night. But without a trace of the Sun. You could say everyone would be nocturnal." "Can't you turn it off?!" Jessie roared, blowing Nightmare Moon's mane. "I would if I could!" Nightmare Moon yelled back at her. "This is all natural! But consider this proof! Proof that my magic is enough to do this. Because very soon...the night will last forever when I am in control." In the end, Nightmare Moon was still looking out for herself. While she knew she needed Luna, it was only for specific and conditional reasons rather than it being a bond similar to that of Lunar Ire. Her previous mind-control attempt was only the beginning even if it failed thanks to her horrible cooking. "Very soon, I will have the power to make the Moon stay up for as long as it needs to." She thought to herself, "Great...so there's no chance of us falling asleep is there?" Darkrai held his head. "I'm used to it but...I've never felt exhausted before. Two times in a row. First in the centre and now this." "Have no fear. Consider this a fair outcome. As soon as I reunite with Luna, you shall not have to worry about these drawbacks. The night that I seek not only lasts forever, but of course, one must thrive in it." "Yeah, if you're not a plant of the ocean," Meowth replied before falling flat on his face. "You're a vampire's best friend at this point." James sighed. "Now, shall we begin our session? " Nightmare Moon continued. "I've got a better idea." But, not wanting to participate in this, Darkrai quickly switched options, capitalizing on the night for one crucial reason. "At this time, the vampires are the most active. They'll be out there in the night, free as they can be." "Ah, vampires. Normally, I'd be fine with them since they are the only ones who would truly live under the beautiful moon. Obviously, not these vampires due to their goals..." Nightmare Moon growled. Out of the few groups in the world, vampires would love the Moon. However, since the Black Crusade was so hostile, even Nightmare Moon disagreed with it heavily. She'd rather rule a world with flesh than a world with skeletons where she is also being ruled over by a unicorn. Darkrai would once again take advantage of the scenario in front of him. "There's also Galaxy Master to take into account." Darkrai brought up another big name that further interested Nightmare Moon. "He'll be looking to stop the vampires and their every action. At this time, wouldn't it be best to meet with him now?" "Galaxy Master?!" Jessie suddenly exclaimed, gaining a sudden boost of energy that made her energized. But it was only for this instance as her eyes lit up with joy. "Oh, him! He's wonderful! Read all about him on the news!" "D-Did you now?" Nightmare Moon twitched as her eardrums had been attacked. "Mhm. I wish he would come to my rescue..." Jessie sighed, fantasizing about the fictional character. If it wasn't already made clear, everyone could see that Jessie showed attraction to Galaxy Master. "I would've preferred a Prince Charming or a Knight in Shining Armor to come into reality but I'll take a Superhero!" "I see...Anyway. I understand what you are saying, Darkrai. We can catch him in action this way. That is what you're suggesting to me." Nightmare Moon pondered, catching on Darkrai's suggestion. "Hm-hm. I could do without the vampires but Galaxy Master is a different story. He's a massive obstacle in my way and my goals. All because of how he was made." "What? That ability to never lose? Lucky him. Wish I drew a character like that when I was young." James added. "Precisely! If anyone in the world is allowed to never lose, it should be me!" Nightmare Moon rubbed her own ego once more, boasting further with every chance she could have. No one bothered to stop her though. Darkrai wanted this, Jessie had her own massive ego and James, Meowth plus the rest of Luna's Pokemon couldn't bother to try and retort. "Hold on...That crystal is still with that turtle Pokemon...that is potentially the only thing that can stop him." It clicked with Nightmare Moon. The crystal in Torterra's mouth was currently with the fictional character. If there was a chance to retrieve it by finding Galaxy Master, now was the time to make a chance. "Hm. Change of plans! We seek out this Galaxy Master. Where there are troublesome vampires, he will appear." "Gotcha." Darkrai nodded in agreement. Just as planned. Now Nightmare Moon was set to find some vampires which would lead to Galaxy Master. The movements of a Superhero were sometimes simple to read after all. "You all! Quit your lounging and start that machine of yours!" Nightmare Moon announced. "Anything for Galaxy Master!" Jessie was all for it. She completely dismissed her exhaustion just to meet with Galaxy Master. James and Meowth would rather not however, James was the only one here who could control the van without it going out of control. He certainly wasn't going to leave it with Jessie under the wheel. Hyperdream. Try as she might, Luna couldn't find their current dreams, unaware of the main reason why. Because of this, she failed to find them and by now, would have to resort to her next option. However, something unexpected happened. She fell asleep in the Hyperdream. Exhausted to the core, Princess Luna dozed off with this realm of infinite dreams, resting on one of the bubbles. After looking for the dreams of her Pokemon which dated back to tonight, she expended her own strength. "Darkrai...Everyone..." Luna grumbled, talking about her Pokemon. How she wished she could see Dakrai right now. Alas, that one encounter with Galaxy Master left an impact that played a part in this separation. She even waited for Darkrai in this realm but alas, he never showed up thanks to his current condition. She only dreamt good things about them as the bubbles were soft as pillows, bringing outstanding comfort to the Moon Princess. There was a gentle feeling to them, undoubtedly and the way they wobbled in response to Luna's movements was comforting as well. There were also the sounds of the Hyperdream. Since everything here resembled bubbles and the landscape was ethereal, the sounds were unlike any other. These bubbles made a wavy sound that almost resembled the sea and space combined. Falling asleep here wasn't a bad idea with how comfortable it was. However, without Luna even knowing, by sleeping here, she caused a new dream to appear. Out of Luna's head, a small bubble emerged. That bubble soon enlarged, creating a new dream within the Hyperdream specifically from Luna. Of course, it was automatically sent to the category of all of Luna's dreams, becoming her current dream. "Luna...Luna..." A voice cried out to the slumbering alicorn. It had a young voice to it. Or rather him. A certain hand started patting Luna on the face, trying to get her attention. "Not now mother..." Luna spoke in her sleep, unaware of who this was. Once again, it was none other than Young Ash Ketchum, who was out of his dream. "Hmm. Asleep?" Ash pouted as he usually meets and chats with Luna upon showing up. Luna has already grown accustomed to bringing this version of Ash along. Now, he was on his own. No one to chat with or have Dream Adventures with. At least, for now. Ash could change that. And there was only one way of doing so. Young Ash certainly didn't want to go on adventures on his own. When it's with someone else, the journey becomes all the more exciting. He chose to let Luna sleep as bothering her wouldn't feel right to him. So, he thought about finding someone else. "Let's see..." Ash jumped from this bubble to another one, beginning to search for someone else to venture with. And his options were absolutely outstanding and endless. He could truly bring anyone he wanted. And already, Ash eyed down a few options. Someone this young having all this freedom across such an ethereal place was prone to have some high alert. If only there was any since Luna was currently asleep, unable to supervise him. Of all the times Luna was allowed to take it easy and not let herself overwork, this was potentially the worst time to do so. 2 hours later within the Hyperdream. 2 hours had passed in the Hyperdream, which was the same for the outside. Luna rubbed her eye as she managed to wake up at this time. One of the bubbles bumped into her, prompting the moon princess to finally awake from her slumber, even if it didn't last the entire night. "Oh goodness..." She stretched before falling off the bubble via a roll. As soon as she rolled off, she landed on another bubble. The best part about the Hyperdream was that the bubbles never run out. But that could also be considered a downside since that meant there would always be something to govern over. "Asleep in the Hyperdream...how poetic. Or ironic? What is the correct way to say it? Ah, it matters not." Luna stood up, cracking her hooves while stretching them. "I failed to find them even here. Looks like Galaxy Master is my other option. At this time, he should be searching for vampires. I should-" But before Luna could finish her next sentence, a cupcake landed on her head, interrupting her. It slid on her face before giving her a vanilla taste. Luna nodded in approval of this taste but quickly dismissed it to wonder where it came from. "A cupcake? Is this from Pinkie Pie's..." But the second she turned around, her eyes were graced with the absolute chaos that she wasn't aware of until now. "Dream...?!" Multiple bubbles were scattered and flying about frantically. They were moving erratically, away from their categories, causing an immediate mess. They even moved around other bubbles by pulling them along. "What happened here?! When did this disorganization happen?!" She pulled her mane from this horrific sight. Her eyes rapidly followed each bubble, seeing various items flying out of them. From what she could gather, this certainly couldn't have been done by her. This was too chaotic to be done by someone asleep. Only someone active would do this. This made Luna fear the worst. So far, she only knows of a few individuals who can interact with this area. Darkrai, Nightmare Rarity and Daybreaker. But there was another. One individual who could come out of his dream without Luna needing to grab him. Young Ash Ketchum. And judging by the childlike items being dropped from different dreams, Luna could figure out who was the one doing this. "Ash!" Immediately, she zoomed to one of the bubbles, hoping to stop this before it gets out of control. Since she was out for 2 hours, it potentially already has. Canterlot. This dream took place in Canterlot. Luna wasn't sure whose dream this was since this bubble was awry, so she only had to guess. But now it wasn't time for guessing. It was time for action. The Moon Princess saw that the most items flew out of this dream. Thus, it was definitely the one she needed to target. And upon arriving at this dream variation of Canterlot, that's when she saw the culprit. Or rather, various culprits. Her eyes widened as the cast of characters inside of this dream was not what she was expecting. Of course, Young Ash Ketchum was there as to be expected. But alongside him were some familiar faces. The Mane 6 were also here but much like Ash, they all appeared younger. They were all in their filly forms right about now. The cupcakes made sense among many other items Not only that but since this was Canterlot, another familiar face was prominent here. Luna's own sister. Her older sister who appeared younger now. Celestia, back when she had a pink mane instead of the multi-coloured one she possesses now. The list wasn't small either. Various ponies were around Canterlot right now, appearing in unique ways thanks to what they dreamed about. Luna could now guess that this was her sister's dream and everyone was sharing it. It only made her wonder about what the other dream bubbles entailed. "This party's great!" Ash pumped his fists into the air while holding some cupcakes made by Pinkie Pie. "Worth the effort!" "This is strange. Not where I am. This is my home and everything but...." A Younger Twilight said. "How'd you do this? Can you control dreams just like Princess Luna? What even are you?" "How? That's easy. I uh..." Ash would have an answer here, but there was none. If anything, Ash himself wasn't sure how he managed to even get out of his own dream in the first place without Luna doing so. If he couldn't do so, he would've never come here. "No clue!" "That worries me..." Twilight replied but she went along with this party either way if it meant that she got to eat sweets. A child's favourite food next to cereal. "Luna mentioned you before too. Just like everyone here. My name's Ash. What's yours?" Ash held his hand out to a younger Fluttershy. "It's Fluttershy..." She quietly said. She still had her shy tendencies but there was a difference. Much like how she met Ash for the very first time, the appearance of a human was enough to make her speak out a bit more. "What are you?" "What am I? Human, that's what!" He proudly said before scarfing down some cupcakes. "Human?" "Mhm. You know...a human." Ash assumed she's already seen a human. But since she hasn't this made a younger Fluttershy all the more curious. "I don't know. But I want to know." She put on a smile. "How's your hair like that? And what's that on your face? Electricity?" "Nope. It's my birthmark! Pretty cool, huh?" "Birthmark?" A younger Pinkie Pie slid over, poking Ash in the face. "I didn't know animals could have birthmarks." "They can but I don't think he's an animal," Twilight added. "Are you an animal?" "I don't know what an animal is." Ash shook his head as the concept of an animal was lost to him. However, there was one concept that wasn't lost at all. "But I know one thing! Pokemon!" "Pokemon?" They repeated. "What's a Pokemon?" Fluttershy leaned in with her curiosity rising. She had no idea what kind of wondrous species she could encounter. Luckily, Ash could soothe that curiosity. "Yeah! I can show you some right about now!" Eager to show them, Ash was ready to hop into another dream. "Follow me, okay?" For them to see these Pokemon, they had to follow Ash who was taking charge. By now, he had some experience in the Hyperdream. And naturally, since these were all children, their curiosity got the better of them. "But Canterlot!" Aside from Rarity, who loved being in such an esteemed place. Her friends would rather see these Pokemon than stay around here. "Ah, wait!" Luna pursued them. "Ash Ketchum! You stop right there!" "Ah! Hey, Luna!" Ash waved his hands excitedly before jumping high enough to fly. "You're finally awake! That's great!" "Luna...? Nightmare Moon?!" Immediately after hearing Princess Luna's name and seeing her, the Filly Mane 6 drew to one conclusion. At this point in their age, Luna was known for one thing only. Being Nightmare Moon. Naturally, this struck fear in them. "She's after our dreams!" Twilight exclaimed, fearing the worst possible outcome. Since Luna was here within the dreams, it was only assumed that she was here to attack them and spread nightmares. "What?!" Luna came to a screeching halt after hearing them. If they had a reason to run and follow Ash, this was a good one, Instantly, the fillies screamed, following Ash as now even Rarity felt like she needed to leave. With her diamonds of course. She dreamt of a carriage to hold this massive array of diamonds, bringing them along. "Wait for me!" She yelled, also fearing the worst. However, everyone else didn't flee at all. They knew this wasn't the case. Just simply Luna patrolling the Dream Realm once more. "Who's Nightmare Moon?" And of course, there was the younger Celestia who had yet to know about Nightmare Moon's existence. That name just sounded abstract to her. And of course, by this point, her younger sister was considerably smaller than her while also possessing a standard mane as opposed to the ethereal one she had. "Umm..." As to be expected, the two sisters notice each other. Young Celestia and an older Luna locked eyes as this amalgamation of characters could only result in this interaction. "Hello, sister." "Luna?!" Celestia gasped at the sight of her sister who was now taller than her and packed that ethereal appearance as well. Not only that, but she was now an alicorn which Celestia at this point, was one before Luna ever reached that status, coming in second. "Goodbye!" Not having time to chat, she continued on her path to catch up with Ash and the group he managed to form. She only left her older sister, who in this case was now younger, flabbergasted. But not enough to completely throw her for a loop. After all, this was a dream. But even if she was dreaming, Celestia was also a curious pony as proven by her current day version with how outgoing she can be. Perhaps too outgoing. "Ash Ketchum! Young man, stop right there!" Luna bellowed out to Ash, prompting him to slow down for a bit. He stopped by a nearby bubble with Twilight and the others nervously hiding behind the Kid from Kanto. "Thank you. Now...Care to explain what this is?" "Oh, this? I just wanted to hang out with someone. You were asleep, Luna. So I couldn't wake you up. Sorry for the mess, though." He grinned. "How did you even do this? You certainly don't have the strength to move them around. Especially at this speed." Luna was still in disbelief. "Hopefully, reorganizing doesn't' take too long." "Nightmare Moon...she looks a lot shorter than I thought." Rainbow Dash uttered, trying to look tough but was truly terrified much like the others. "Short?!" Luna growled as being called short wasn't exactly a safeword around her. Her exclamation made Rainbow Dash pull back, almost fainting. "It's cool guys. She's not a nightmare. She's a cool pony, that's what." Thankfully, Ash could vouch for her, casually walking up to the alicorn. "I am cool." Quickly shifting tones, Luna stood proudly. Twilight and the others were amazed to see how Ash was just standing to such an important figure. A Princess, no less. Then again, he was also standing near a future princess in the form of Twilight Sparkle. "Apologies for startling you... "I just wanted to throw a party, Luna. An awesome party with a lot of new friends!" Ash explained. "So, this is the best place to do it. And everyone's got something fun to dream about." "Hm. So that's it. Just a party." Luna sighed as she couldn't get mad at that. "Fair enough. You are a child, after all. I should've expected this. And probably stayed awake in a place such as this. I have no reason to stop you. Not when I'm busy with something else." "Have fun with us instead." Ash grabbed Luna's hoof. "You can party with us too, Luna." "I really shouldn't. Darkrai and everyone are waiting for me...and I miss them so much. But perhaps...I will party with you all another time when I find them. I just wish to be at ease in this year's Pokemon Festival. Even if for one week." "Hmmm. Okay. I gotcha." Ash couldn't stop LUna from doing what she wanted the most. Even at that age, he knew when to put his friends first. "Good luck.y" "Thank you. And uhh...if you're going to find some Pokemon. I have a suggestion. Go for this dream first." To boost Ash and the others, Luan used her magic to bring over a bubble containing a dream belonging to a certain Pokemon. A gift before she left. "Oooh..." Ash peered into the bubble, noticing a playful yellow figure running around, shooting out electricity while also jumping around. That could only mean one thing. Luna made the right decision to pick out a certain dream. Luna could leave here in peace. And also come back to fix the mess that Ash made just by running around. For now, more important matters came up. Such as finding her friends. Right now, the night was in its middle stages. With at least three or four hours left, the Sun will rise again. Luna wanted to make sure that she could find them at this time. Because much like Darkrai and even Nightmare Moon, she knew one thing. Vampires were afoot and Galaxy Master would be there. Wherever they may be. As the journey continues. Chapter 901 End.