//------------------------------// // Semblance of Luna // Story: My Little Pokémon // by Amarvax //------------------------------// Kalos. Out in a Snowy Land. Afternoon. "Aurorus..." Out in Kalos, Aurorus was on her own. After separating from the group, she found herself in the best habitat for her. A snow-covered land. Anywhere else wouldn't do considering how she was feeling. Unable to find her and even knowing it was pointless for her to try and go to space, Aurorus stopped her movements. She was too tired to go on but was still unable to sleep at all. However, Aurorus was unaware that the event in space came to a close days ago, so she just sat there, staring. She saw a shooting star pass by in the sky, believing that to be a sign of Luna. But alas, once it got closer, it was just a Minior passing by, gutting and disappointing Aurorus. She wondered if Luna would ever return to her. Being with Nightmare Moon wasn't doing at all. The cold aura around this area was nothing compared to the unrelenting chill of space, making Aurorus fear for Luna's wellbeing. Just then, while looking at the blue skies, a light began radiating. This light formed in the far distance of the snowy landscape before then taking shape. After it pierced the skies, a familiar shape had shown itself. The shape of an alicorn. This grabbed Aurorus' attention, causing her to stand up in a split second. The shape of the alicorn was then given colour as the mane resembled that of a familiar Princess of the Night. "Aurorus?!" A wide smile came to her face as the visage of Princess Luna arrived in the distance, reaching a size so great that it reached the clouds. But not only that, Luna's visage then waved her hoof in the sky before then calling out Aurorus' name. "Aurorus! Where are you?!" A booming voice came through the skies, sparking love and hope in Aurorus' heart. After hearing that, Aurorus rushed to the direction she could see the visage coming from and wherever the noise could be. In reality, this was the cause of Team Rocket. They put their minds together as always, involving Nightmare Moon in one of their plans. They built a machine that had the appearance of a Conkeldurr. But instead of the two pillars it usually holds, this time, they were large projectors. Exceedingly large projectors. The largest to ever exist in this world. This projection was shining on Nightmare Moon, who was currently hovering in the skies to make this work. The light from the projector eclipsed the alter-ego of Princess Luna, forming this gigantic visage that also managed to obscure the rest of her detailed body, making it so that Aurorus would never guess it was actually Nightmare Moon "Aurorus! Come back!" And as for that booming voice, the Royal Canterlot Voice was the cause of this. With this audio, she could shout loud enough for many across different areas to hear. And it was certainly effective. But it was amplified via a speaker that was given to her by Team Rocket. Nightmare Moon held the speaker up with her magic, increasing the volume of her voice. As if it wasn't loud enough. Cities and towns not only heard her voice but the visage of the alicorn could be seen, showing how effective it was. Team Rocket did a splendid job in making a juggernaut of a machine. All those enjoying the Pokemon Festival took the time to admire this. They even believed it was part of the festival. Darkrai and the rest of Luna's Pokemon would watch as this plan was put into full motion. They hoped that this would do the trick. To make sure that Aurorus would come this way, Xatu, Gliscor, Frillish and all other Pokemon who could take to the skies, looked over the Conkeldurr, gazing at the horizon for any sign of Aurorus. So far, all they could see were trees and roads. When hearing Nightmare Moon's voice, believing it to be Princess Luna, some of the younger ponies chimed in just for the fun of it, repeating her words. That added more to the booming noise in the sky. Human children would do the same as it was only natural. Very soon, Aurorus' voice was uttered by many. The more Nightmare Moon called out Aurorus, the more joined in, believing it to be a part of the Pokemon Festival and its many attractions. And it didn't take long for Aurorus' name to be heard by the Pokemon herself. While running across the land, Aurorus heard her name coming from all directions by so many tones and pitches. But the one that stood out was Nightmare Moon's voice, which had a greater weight than all of them. Something about this brought happiness to Aurorus. She never got this much love before. It only encouraged her to keep going. Jumping over lakes, passing by other Pokemon and getting closer to this audible shout. And with how close she was getting, knowing which direction to head at, it didn't take long for Xatu and the others to see her. The first one to spot Aurorus was Xatu, who soon alerted his teammates. "Xatu!" "Looks like she's here!" Meowth translated. Music to Nightmare Moon's ears for sure. This plan certainly worked as all the airborne Pokemon flew in Aurorus' direction. Darkrai flew ahead of them all with superior speed while Nightmare Moon continued her shouting, just for safe measure. "Rorus! Aurorus!" Aurorus cried out, noticing some familiar faces. She believed that this was a sign that Luna was closer than ever and returned to her. Alas, that was not the truth. Once Nightmare Moon noticed the familiar light blue visage of Aurorus, she ceased her shouting. The alicorn turned to face Team Rocket, nodding at the trio. That was a clear sign for them to turn off the projector. Jessie and James shut down the Conkeldurr machine and the pillars that projected Nightmare Moon. "There you are." Darkrai descended, meeting with Aurorus. Obviously, he was happy but at the same time, a bit vexed and displeased with what Aurorus did. "What were you thinking?!" "Auro!" Aurorus squealed, standing tall and upright in front of Darkrai after he raised his voice at her. "We searched for you for two days! You had us truly worried there. Did you think you could go into outer space by yourself?" "Aurorus..." The Tundra Pokemon whimpered, sitting down while flashing her pleading eyes at Darkrai, hoping that he could forgive her. "But. It's a good thing we found you." Darkrai still showed love to her despite his initial reaction, patting the Rock-Ice-Type on the head. The rest of her teammates would rush over, reuniting with Aurorus after a two-day search. "Frillish!" Frillish and the other Airborne Pokemon flew around Aurorus as a way to show excitement. They weren't as displeased as Darkrai was. Not at all. Darkrai was the equivalent of a strict senior. And the perfect parallel to that would be Florges, who had a more soothing reaction to Aurorus returning. "Aurorus." "Musha!" Musharna had her own way of reacting to this in the only way she knows how. She reacted by getting on Aurorus' head as if she was about to consume her dreams. Aurorus was glad to be back with them. She knew that leaving them wasn't the best idea she had but her emotions were too strong for her to ignore. They held too much weight considering who Aurorus thought about. And once she reunited with everyone, there was one individual left. The individual who she thought was Princess Luna. But in reality, it was Nightmare Moon. She descended from the skies, meeting with Aurorus. Her smile soon turned into a frown after witnessing the alter-ego of Luna. It was all a lie. Luna wasn't back at all. "Rorus..." Aurorus whimpered before slowly backing up once Luna approached. But making sure she wouldn't run off anywhere else, Darkrai and Gliscor kept her steady, wanting her to hear what Nightmare Moon had to say. "Ice Dinosaur...sorry. Aurorus." Nightmare Moon corrected herself, calling one of Luna's Pokemon by her correct name. "I am sorry. But as it stands now, Luna is not here." "Auro..." Those aren't the words she wanted to hear. She felt like she came here for nothing. "However, how do you expect to find her on your own?" Nightmare Moon continued. "You let your emotions get the better of you. You're just like Luna, no doubt. You certainly take after her." "Bit harsh for the current scenario, don't you think?" James slid in, whispering at Nightmare Moon, only to be repelled back by magical levitation. "Ok then. Go ahead." "But, just like Luna, your friends are there to help you through your emotions. And whatever problem you should face. I should know. I've seen it all. And at times, I wish I could help." Nightmare Moon looked to the side. "The number of times I've wished to come back out and help Luna in whatever problem she faces. Her emotions are what would trigger that from me. But because of those around her that never came to pass. You understand what I mean, right?" "Aurorus?" "If you want to see Luna again, don't go at it alone. You're Luna's Pokemon. It's the unification between you and your teammates that help you achieve things. But I suppose the same goes for every other Pokemon in the world. So, please. Work alongside me. And together, we'll see Luna again. I can make that promise as a part of her." "Auro...!" Aurorus' eyes widened. They began dilating before receiving sparkles. It even made her baggy eyes seem invisible with how they shined. Hearing those words from Nightmare Moon of all ponies reminded the Tundra Pokemon of Luna herself. Despite being an alter-ego and now a separate entity, parts of Luna still existed within her. "Rorus!" That's all it took for Aurorus to rush over with glee, approaching the alicorn. "Hm? Halt! Halt at once!" Nightmare Moon screeched before being tackled by Aurorus. The 8 foot 10 and 496.0 pound Pokemon landed on her, pinning the alicorn to the ground. "Ugh...! Please get off me...you are staggeringly heavy!" "Aurorus!" Aurorus wasn't that distant from Nightmare Moon at all. She wasn't Luna but there were reminiscent parts and even traits that she possessed. "Well, glad that's settled." Jessie stretched her arms. "Now, we just have one more thing to do. We should beat Matori to the Pokemon House. I don't want anyone like her going near them." "If we're going to do that, we need the energy. But we don't..." James sighed. "I doubt we can stop them with how tired we are. We even expended ourselves some more working on this machine. "Very well." Nightmare Moon was finally free from Aurorus' grasp, standing back up. "I'm still not sure if this is a possibility but...if I were to stay distant from you all, my magical effect could wear off." "OH! Y-You mean...!" Jessie staggered with a smile slowly forming on her face. She, James and Meowth along with all of Luna's Pokemon hoped that they could finally get some rest. "Indeed. This could be your one chance to sleep." Nightmare Moon spread her wings out. "I refuse to let that Matori become victorious. And potentially, this could help us find Luna quicker. Go on. Sleep." Nightmare Moon would fly off, distancing herself from Team Rocket and Luna's Pokemon. It was only a theory that was yet to be proven. It was worth a shot as they've only been like this because Nightmare Moon was so close to them, around their vicinity. Once she was gone, they had to wait and see what would happen. "And if that doesn't work...then I will have to catch some Pokemon of my own." Just to be safe, Nightmare Moon would create a backup plan. Even with how powerful Luna's Pokemon are, each of them were tired. Thus, extra support was needed. Nightmare Moon fixated her eyes on a nearby forest, having Luna's saddlebag with extra Poke Balls to spare. It was all a matter of if they could get to the Pokemon House before Matori. Or even get a decent amount of rest to be ready for the rest of Team Rocket's arrival. Pegalysium. Elsewhere, Ash and his massive group of friends had found themselves up at Pegalysium. Greeting them there was none other than King Paramount and Queen Luminary. Joining them was their son, Prince Shooting Star. After choosing the option to experience one of Pegalysium's exciting and adventurous areas, how could some of them not come? "Great that you made it here!" Luminary greeted them. "But...where's Celestia and Luna? Didn't they come?" "They have other things to do first before they get here," Twilight answered. "They'll make it eventually." "Aww...anyway! Now that you're here, this is a great opportunity. We don't usually get any adventures up here until you all recently showed up for these past months. Mostly because many areas that are prime for adventure were overtaken by the Indigo Alliance. But after what you all did, some areas are free to explore without little issues. How does that sound?" Luminary questioned, waiting for their response. "Perfect!" Ash and a few others were all for it. It's why they came here anyway. "Great to hear! So...the place you can explore is the Ethereal Pavillion." Luminary held out a map that was made by Starmap as usual, showing this pavilion and the area around it. "It's another remnant of one of the Destiny Pegasi. Specifically, Windkiss, the first one. I'm not one for spoilers so, you can head there and discover it all on your own. But be careful. Even though it's free from the Indigo Alliance, there's always something lurking there." "Ethereal Pavillion, huh? Sounds like a journey for sure! We just got done with space, so this is a nice follow-up. Right, Pikachu?" "Pikachu!" "We wouldn't send you there without a goal." Paramount added. "I mean...some of you would just explore it without wanting anything in return." "I'd like to know what's there!" Rarity leaned in and so did a surprise guest in the form of Garnet, who spoke the same words that Rarity did. "Garnet?" "Uh, hello. Fancy meeting you here again, Rarity." Garnet waved before facing Sweetie Belle. "And you too, Sweetie Belle." It was clear as day why Garnet was here. At least, to Rarity, Paramount and Luminary. "Mhm." Paramount squinted his eyes "Anyway, somewhere in the Pavillion, a rare item will be waiting for you that I personally picked out. The Royal Creator's Tiara will be there for one of you to claim." "The Royal Creator? Who's that?" Rainbow Dash asked. "Is it another ruler somewhere here?" "Windkiss was so important that she was named the Royal Creator. She was the one who made the Clock Door and the Avus-Pegasus after all. She did come from Royalty too." Paramount explained. "Her amazing ability to create such wondrous objects is truly what gave her such a title. And that tiara of hers is another item of wonder." "What does it do?" Roseluck questioned. "That's for you to find out and for us to keep secret." Luminary winked. "But, when you find it, you'll be thrilled, that's for sure. So good luck!" "Don't get lost, okay? You never know when the islands might move again." Shooting Star warned. "Hmm...I only came up here for something else." Octavia and a few others had different ideas when coming up to Pegalysium. "You wouldn't mind if I showed off my music, would you?" "Go on ahead. There's a large auditorium here." Luminary answered. "If you just want something leisurely, go for it. No one's stopping you." "For those who're heading out to explore, safe travels. Including you Garnet." Paramount acknowledged Garnet, allowing her to indulge in this journey. "Yes!" Garnet pumped her hoof before thinking to herself. "A tiara is made out of valuable material. It doesn't matter which one it is. It's expensive so that's all that matters~! I wonder what'll happen if I put it on?!" "We should get going then." Ash was given the map. "But uh...what's a Pavilion?" Not too surprising, Ash had no concept of a pavilion or what it even looked like. "Well, Ash." Twilight cleared her throat. " A Pavilion is a flexible architectural open space that invites anyone to come in and spend time in it. It could be temporary or permanent and might even change its form and function. And if I'm guessing right...if Windkiss was the one who made it then does that mean-" "No spoilers! I wanna find out for myself!" Hilbert interrupted. "You'll be fine everything you need to know in there. Get going now all of you." Paramount nudged his head, encouraging them to start their exploration. "Sure will!" Ash went ahead first, followed by Hilbert, Hilda, Twilight, Sci-Twi, Cynthia and more. And those that wouldn't join in the adventure would focus on Pegalysium instead. This was the best time to get involved since many ponies from Equestria were finally up here. "Wanna spy on them?" Luminary nudged her husband and son. "I mean, look at them all. Aren't they so interesting to watch? They all have something special about them. One of them is even a counterpart to another. How amazing is that?" "Hmm...It would be interesting to see what they experience there, no doubt." Paramount nodded. "Especially since one of them is a genie. That small pink one over there." "A genie?" Shooting Star repeated as Paramount referred to Hoopa. "Oh yeah...whatever happened to genies, dad? I heard we used to have genies in the past. What happened?" "What happened? I'm not sure. One day, they just up and vanished. The Age of Genies is long gone. Not that it lasted that long anyway." "That other Pokemon had a large V on its head too. Doesn't that look familiar and remind you of anyone?" Luminary pointed out Victini's appearance and the giant V on his head. "And that other small one. What's she called?" "The one with the music on her hair? I hear you. All three of them remind us of someone in the past. Best not to think about it too much. And if you do, just chalk it down to coincidence or a funny way of history repeating itself." "Will do, dad! Anyway, how are we gonna spy on them without being too obvious? I mean, one of them's got a Pokemon that can hear really well. And smell really well too. How do we get past that?" "I can handle that. In fact...I have an entertaining idea." Paramount rubbed his hooves together as something interesting was already brewing in his head. His wife and son looked at each other, somewhat worried about what could possibly be coming from the king. Either way, it would correlate with the entertainment factor that he planned for everyone who was headed to the Ethereal Pavilion. And the goal was a special tiara that had something thrilling waiting for them as the journey continues. Chapter 934 End.