Equestria. Canterlot. The Pokemon Nightfall.
Unsuspecting to many across Equestria and even the Pokemon World, the Dread League have initiated their biggest attack yet. But it was not the Black Crusade. With Opal Vivacity taking charge due to Queen Rosa's current condition, she ordered this attack to begin. And of course, it was during the night.
15 Demons had been released on this night. But where and when would they show themselves? Being the first to hear about this were Celestia and everyone else currently situated at Canterlot. The process of building the stairway to the stars had been interrupted by a massive rose that was now planted on the ground.
"So...when are they gonna show up? I don't see or hear anything?" Fluttershy asked, wondering where these demons and vampires were. Opal only stated what was about to happen before leaving moments later.
"At any time. Probably, they've already appeared elsewhere." Celestia knew that it would only make sense for them to show up away from here to scare them. That is visually a great scare tactic against any enemy.
"Do we continue making the bridge? There's a large hole in the middle of it now." Sweetie Belle was more worried about the stairway since it was interrupted thanks to Opal. The fact that a piece of it had been separated and was just floating there was a bit worrying too.
"They could be after my land first!" Knowing that she had the closest ties to the Dread League, Chrysalis feared what could happen to her home while she was away.
"No need to panic." Drayden calmed Chrysalis down. "We can sort this out. She'll think twice before attacking our homes. Especially since she's targeting two worlds. As Mayor of Opelucid, I'll throw in my full support."
"I can get in touch with the International Police and the G-Men." Lance would chip in. Realistically, they all would since Opal declared an attack on both worlds. "For her sake, she'd better be well informed of what we have."
"I believe she is. Opal apparently knows a lot despite being sheltered in Magehold. Out of all the vampires we know of, she's gotten out there the most without us noticing." Just as Luna said, all of that was true. Aside from potentially Rosa Maledicta, Opal's knowledge of most events and every essential was vast. It's how the vampires got a hold of Poke Balls in the first place or even how knowledge of Yveltal was shared.
"We could've finished making the stairway though..." Disappointed that the stairway was postponed, Applejack's hatred for vampires only elevated from here. "I hate vampires...!"
"We'll head to Ponyville." Ash offered to take Ponyville. "I think she probably knows we hang out there the most. We messed up both of her plans after all."
"Do you think she still wants me? You know...for being a vampire once?" Fluttershy nudged Applejack, worried that Opal Vivacity was still focused on capturing her and converting her into a bat pony once more.
"She ain't gonna get anywhere near you, Fluttershy." But Applejack, after recent events, would assure Fluttershy that she wouldn't be captured.
"Wait, who's a vampire?" Iris heard that loud and clear, having a few questions as her eyes locked onto Fluttershy. So far, nothing about the 100 Demons or Opal Vivacity had been found. Especially since the night is when they are the most active.
Nevertheless, whatever kind of demon that has been unleashed, most were hoping they were ready for them, despite how unpredictable they may be. The odd one out was Kyurem, who didn't expect to hear any of this. He only came to drop off Snowdrop after all. Kyurem wasn't one to get in others' business at all and yet, there were factors in this that said otherwise.
The disappearance of Reshiram and Snowdrop's safety. Opal Vivacity threatened everyone from both worlds. This meant that Snowdrop was involved in whatever mess the beautiful vampire would bring. After forming a powerful bond with the pegasus, this was one thing that Kyurem would deny.
Cobalion, who also listened in on this, knew Kyurem more than almost anyone here aside from Snowdrop. The look on Kyurem's barely-changing face already confirmed to him what the Boundary Pokemon would choose to do in this scenario. But before he could continue thinking of that, Cobalion had a new mission as he walked up to Celestia.
"Our date will be cut short, Celestia. I will have to reunite with the other swords for this. And move across both worlds to guarantee the safety of others."
"I know. It's a shame but...nation first." Celestia then held Cobalion's hoof. "Let's spend more time together after this is over. That's a promise."
"It is."
Ponyville. Nightfall.
Ponyville was untouched right now. Everything seemed fine with how it currently was. No demons or vampires to be seen or heard from. By this point, some had already gone to sleep for the night while others would stay awake.
One pony who was locked up in her home yet still awake was Roseluck. After the conversation back at the Ethereal Pavilion, Roseluck wondered about her dream. As a child, it only seemed like something a child would truly imagine. But with how the world has changed, Roseluck felt optimistic about her dream.
The world's largest flower that would bloom beautifully. Where should she put it? It needed its own special place of extravagance. Perhaps White Tail Wood or Saddle Lake would work. Either way, Roseluck couldn't wait to see everyone react to it. Including her big sister.
But as Roseluck prepared to clock out, comfortably lying on her bed, she would become oblivious to what was coming. No matter how long it has been, her sister would somehow be involved in her life yet again. But perhaps, not the way Roseluck would want. Her windows were shut and her curtains were closed as only the cold wind would blow.
Rarity, who was among one of the few ponies to stay awake at this time, held a long list of names. These names were ponies who requested suits and dresses for themselves and their Pokemon. Berry Punch and Cream Heart to Toucannon and Gothorita and even some Pokemon who chose to keep their names redacted.
Creeping up behind Rarity without her barely noticing was Mayor Mare. Once Rarity noticed, she felt a jumpscare, swiftly turning to face the Mayor of Ponyville. "Oh! What a shock...did you need something, mayor?"
"You're the one who has an extraterrestrial, correct?" Mayor Mare spoke as her voice sounded natural yet somewhat distorted, having a reverb.
"Extra...you mean Pheromosa? You know that already."
"Sure I do. Maybe this half does." She said as Rarity got a longer look at who she was truly looking at. It was Mayor Mare. But at the same time, it wasn't. The right side of her was her normal self while the other side was made out of ink. Not just ink, but there were noticeable accessories within this other side of Mayor Mare. There was a white sclera on this ink body that went across her eyes green and red diamonds plastered within the ink.
Rarity gasped, backing up as everyone else nearby wouldn't expect their mayor to have an ink-life half, especially since the ink was dripping.
"What the...who are you?!" Rarity questioned as the other half of her was almost unrecognizable.
"I've always wanted to meet an alien, you know...Oh, but who am I?" As if the left side of the body was the more dominant one, it carried the rest of Mayor Mare's body by flowing into the air. Some of the ink on the ground would then transform, turning into a large rectangular platform for the mayor to stand on. But this wasn't the mayor at all. "Don't you recognize me? I'm the demon you encountered months ago."
"What?" But Rarity had no recollection of encountering this demon. Not one bit. In fact, she had yet to meet up with any of the 100 Demons until now.
"Oh, my mistake! That was your human counterpart, wasn't it?? That makes sense. I'm in this world after all. I was hoping for some payback towards your friends but...oh well, this is cathartic enough." She then laughed. "I go by the title of the Memory Demon! Not to be confused with the Knowledge Demon as they call it. I picked a good host this time. A mayor with lots of knowledge of the past? Works for me! And the best part is that I can speak, finally..."
"Pah! More body control? Honestly, you'd think they'd try and be evil in their own bodies..." Rarity growled while looking unimpressed. This was the fourth time she's encountered someone using the body of a good-willed individual. First, it was Ash and Ghetsis, then Cynthia and Cosmos, then it was Galaxy Master and the Rift and now it was Mayor Mare and the Memory Demon. The same demon that attacked Sci-Twi's home, working alongside Opal just to dig into her memories that involved Yveltal's existence.
"Ah, it feels pretty great to finally have someone of value to possess. This knowledge is rich! Your town's history is pretty entertaining to gather, you know that?"
"Weirdo! Leave our mayor's body alone!" A citizen shook her hoof at the Knowledge Demon. Many of them ranted in opposition to what the demon had done to Mayor Mare.
"Mmmm...I refuse! Are you crazy?! Not for a moment." The Memory Demon rubbed her hooves together. "I grabbed a hold of the first pony I saw by entering her box and this is the most excited I've been in years! For so long I've had to rely on all the demons there but it gets so interesting when you realize that most demons have the same boring memory and only know how to roar. It gets frustrating! That one time I got to go somewhere different and I couldn't even possess anyone which was even more frustrating. It had been so long since I'd done anything, I got rusty and let my chance slip away."
"When you put it like that...it does sound boring." Rarity scratched her mane as the other ponies could see the demon's argument. This was similar to how the Trickster Demon felt about being in the box.
"So, I'm hosting this body. Unless one of you has something valuable that surpasses what she knows...that'd be splendid. Oh, wait. I'll possess you anyway and learn all I need to know about your memories. Even the ones you've sealed up."
"Even our deepest darkest memories?" Lyra gulped, fearing that the Memory Demon might go even further.
"All of it." The Memory Demon made sure to reassure that. "You all have something nice I can learn, don't you? Especially this beauty right here." Just then, one of the ink blots on the ground would grow from behind Rarity. Out of it, an ink copy of Mayor Mare showed up, startling the fashionista. "I'd say on par with Opal. Definitely a 10."
"On par?! I'd prefer better looking. But thank you?" Rarity took the compliment as this demon wasn't as aggressive as it seemed, despite taking over Mayor Mare's body. "However, you still won't dig into my memories. Or anyone's memories, no matter how much you may try and compliment us. But do go on."
"Rarity! Are you alright?!" Just then, arriving at the scene thanks to all the jibber jabber from the Memory Demon, Ash, Twilight, Spike, Fluttershy, Applejack and Sweetie Belle showed up. After hearing what Opal Vivacity said, Ponyville was their first priority. Luckily for them, they showed up right as the Memory Demon introduced itself.
"I'm perfectly fine." Rarity uttered as the clone of Mayor Mare would drop into the ground, becoming an ink splat while the real Memory Demon was still on top of this massive ink box. "Though, I almost got dirty with all this ink everywhere."
"Ink?" Applejack repeated, noticing the splatter of ink on the ground. There was also the very visible cube of ink that could be seen from any viewpoint. "Why's there ink everywhere? And what's up with the mayor?!"
"It's those two..." Immediately, the Memory Demon recognized Ash and Pikachu directly. It could never forget those faces. Not only that, but Twilight was also recognizable. Though it only encountered her Human Counterpart, the resemblance was still there along with Fluttershy's appearance.
"Looks like nothing went out of control yet," said Twilight. "But it might with that thing. How come Mayor Mare's left side is full of ink? Is that one of the demons?"
"From the ink-blotted mouth of that demon itself." Rarity confirmed. "I'm afraid without any of us noticing in the beginning, Mayor Mare was taken over by this demon. Apparently, it knows me. Or rather my human counterpart."
"Ash Ketchum...That's your name!" The Memory Demon exclaimed. "I was waiting to meet with you again. Thanks to you, I failed in my first mission in a long time."
"Who are you?" But Ash couldn't recall this demon at all. To him, this was his first time meeting it. But in reality, this was their second encounter.
"In this form, I'm unrecognizable. But I'm the demon who would've gained the memories of your friend from another world. Memories of Yveltal. And yet...that all turned upside down at the critical point."
"You're that ink demon?!" Now Ash remembered. That was the only demon that went for Sci-Twi's memories after all. "You can do more than look inside memories?!"
"Pika?!"
"Not just look inside. But I can also gain them. Permanently. And of course...the additional bonus of possessing a body. Right now, I'm practically the best substitute for your mayor. You didn't even have to vote for me. I know everything about everyone in this town because of her position and you have no idea how much I've longed for fresh memories that don't involve roars, screams, howls and other unsavoury things that the little ones here wouldn't want to hear. But you've been almost erased from existence so maybe you do want to hear it."
"That's great and all, but you realize you walked straight into enemy territory," Twilight replied. "If you couldn't stop him then, what good can you do now with all these numbers?"
"Duh. I know that, Princess Twilight Sparkle. But back then, my true potential was lacking. Now that I'm free to do whatever I want, I was able to grow. You have the superior numbers. I have the ink to my advantage. I could just take your bodies and learn so much, but at the same time...as ordered by Opal, I'll be terrorizing you too. So I get to know more and do this!" The Memory Demon was still here for one major reason. That was terrorizing them. By using some of the ink on the ground, she snuck up on most of them. The ink was left there as a way to get the jump on any unsuspecting victims.
Or in this case, their homes. Due to all the ink everywhere, some of them sprouted out to grasp onto buildings instead of people, ponies or Pokemon. Ash and his friend would swivel to see some of the buildings being clutched by the ink which mimicked that of claws. The claws tore through the buildings, shattering them slowly. The ponies inside would rush out as quickly as they could, just narrowly evading destruction. Their home was broken. Just like that. By ink, of all things.
"Don't worry. I plan to keep you all around. I need your memories after all. I can't really borrow them if you're gone to the next life." The Memory Demon cackled. While it wouldn't destroy them, it would endanger them. "Although...once I get them, I'll get rid of you. And maybe the young ones can be an exception. They're too young to have too many memories. The older the better. But we'll see how it goes."
"Sweetie Belle...you know what I'm going to say." Fearing for her little sister, Rarity got in front of Sweetie Belle while already preparing two Poke Balls for whatever comes next.
"I hear you." Sweetie Belle knew what Rarity was suggesting. The words from the Memory Demon were already massive red flags for what it planned to do.
"Wait a second...where's Stoutland?!" Fluttershy would soon notice the absence of Mayor Mare's Stoutland, who was always by her side. The body of Mayor Mare was still here, albeit controlled but the Big-Hearted Pokemon was nowhere to be seen. Although, perhaps the ink that was swarming around the Town hall Was a good indicator.
"Watch this!" The Memory Demon launched the first attack of many. By swiping its liquid ink hooves, it kicked up a gust of wind. Not exactly something that ink was capable of but then again, it managed to crush some buildings into pieces. The group braced themselves for the wind as it howled violently. Blots of ink were around the gust, flying everywhere. But these blots weren't just for spreading. They could do so much more as seen by how some of them landed behind some of the houses.
The ink blots would then combust, having the same properties as a bomb. Everyone watched as a stream of ink-covered explosions spread across the buildings from behind, blowing away parts of these beloved homes. The roofs were the biggest targets as well as the windows. Screams of ponies and people echoed throughout the night after these sudden outbursts.
The Memory Demon's upgrade gave it access to something far more dangerous than achieving different memories. Explosions. From a demon, this was to be expected. "See that? I could've done that back in the human world. Then we'd be singing a different tale later on. I'd even be bragging about to my fellow demons.
"Why?! I thought you said you wouldn't harm us?!" Twilight's pupils shrunk as black smoke rose up from the destruction.
"Why you...!" Angered by this, Ash eyed down the Memory Demon, who gave a smug look. Pikachu would flare up electricity in his red sacs, feeling Ash's emotions as well as Rarity and Applejack having the same reaction. "Pikachu! Quick Attack, now!"
"Pika-Pika!" Pikachu would retaliate, using Quick Attack as he bolted off the ground. The Mouse Pokemon took off like a rocket, approaching the Memory Demon with a silver trail.
"Here's this!" The Memory Demon would use Mayor Mare's other hoof that wasn't covered in ink, summoning more ink blots. But this one was larger than the rest. Larger than Mayor Mare, Ash and Pikachu combined as it dropped like a meteor
"Look out, Pikachu!" Fluttershy gasped.
"Slice through with Iron Tail! Combine them both!"
"Pika!" But Pikachu wouldn't let the size get to him. While approaching the blot of ink, he would harden his tail. "Chu...Pika!" The Electric-Type then cleaved through the ink, slicing it in half with a perfectly symmetrical shape. The ink would pass Pikachu before blowing up, giving him a slight boost.
"Right through it?!" The Memory Demon's eyes opened before then receiving a swift smack to the face by Pikachu's arrival. Alas, that smack had no weight to it at all. Instead, much like the blot of ink, the Iron Tail would go through. And that only made sense that the same would happen with this demon.
"Pika?!" Pikachu gasped as his Iron Tail failed to land a solid hit with the devious smirk of the Memory Demon facing him.
"Oh right...I'm still ink, so of course it goes through. What was I worried about?!" The demon laughed before then splattering Pikachu with ink blots. The Mouse Pokemon found the front of his body covered as these blots acted like sticky bombs.
"Pika!" Pikachu received consecutive black combustion which forced him away from the Memory Demon, who was still looking healthy thanks to that failed Iron Tail.
"I gotcha!" But protecting Pikachu from a hard fall was Twilight, who used her magic to levitate the Mouse Pokemon.
"That was a close one. Ooh! This means I'm indestructible, right?!" The Memory Demon gleefully applauded. "Lucky me!"
"I don't think so! Physical moves might not work, but liquids can be beaten out by other things. Such as energy! Use Thunderbolt!"
"Eve! Use Dazzling Gleam!"
"Pika...Chuu!" Another approach was made. Thunderbolt and Dazzling Gleam from Pikachu and Espeon. A bolt of lightning along with rays of rainbows flew in, perfectly flying alongside each other.
"Gh!" The Memory Demon grimaced as it looked visibly terrified by this. Refusing to take a hit, it immediately used the platform as a resource for more ink constructions. From the cube, Rift Clones of Mayor Mare emerged, taking the hit for the Memory Demon.
These clones all laughed before being blasted apart by the dual attacks. The bolts of lightning would continue, pursuing the Memory Demon who would increase the height of the platform just to try and get away. It was a narrow escape as the lightning bolt nearly reached it.
"Get 'em, Sceptile! Frenzy Plant!"
"Scep...Tile!" And then there was Sceptile, who sent out raging vines from the ground which would wrap around the ink platform. Seeing that it was giving the demon some advantages, the logical thing to do was get rid of it. Frenzy Plant managed to interact with the ink, constricting the cube as this threw the Memory Demon off balance.
"Oh! Woah!" The Memory Demon nearly fell over before creating a smaller platform in midair to catch it. "Yeesh...They are aggressive...Maybe just as much as demons."
"This ink is pretty solid on the side!" Applejack gasped as the ink cube wasn't breaking as easily even when the vines were constricting it. The blots of ink would drop on Frenzy Plant, blowing parts of the massive roots apart and weakening Sceptile's verdant grip.
"Tile?!"
"But maybe not from the front! Go, Leavanny! Energy Ball!" Sending one of her many Leavanny out, Rarity jumped into the action. Unfortunately, since Physical attacks seemed like a bust, Pheromosa couldn't do anything here. But her Leavanny could.
"Leavanny...!" Emerging out of her Poke Ball, Rarity's strongest Leavanny would throw a ball of energized nature. Since Sceptile was struggling to break this cube, he simply needed some extra muscle. Focusing on ranged attacks and energy, the Energy Ball would fly into the centre of this cube.
It managed to pierce the centre, leaving a visible hole. This hole would weaken the ink cube, allowing for Sceptile to crush it. The cube burst out, spreading ink everywhere as the Memory Demon immediately lost its platform
"My cube!" The demon gasped before falling. The only thing that could save it was the generation of more ink. Luckily, since it spread ink on the ground while walking, its resources could continue. The ink blots from below would respond to the Memory Demon, turning into long tendrils that flew past Ash and his friends. These tendrils then turned into claws, catching the demon as it once again saved itself. "Close one...You almost had me there!"
"Guys. Shouldn't we be trying to free Mayor Mare too?" Spike asked.
"We're trying to. This is the only way we can think of doing it. We just have to force it out of her." Twilight said. "I'm tempted to use Ninetales since ink reacts violently to fire. But at the same time...that could endanger Mayor Mare. Let's not go too crazy. That's still our friend."
"Oh. That's right." Even the Memory Demon knew this. That much was clear. "Anyway. Thanks for focusing on me so much. Because of you...I've got them now! Take a gander!"
Shockingly, one of the ink blots on the ground would get the jump on some of their friends. All it took was the smallest blot to make a difference. Seven ponies were caught by the ink blots as they were placed inside of giant ink spheres. The ink constructed itself yet again to match the shape that the Memory Demon wished. Specifically, Lyra and Sweetie Belle were caught by these.
"What is this?!" They cried out as the spheres imprisoned them. Rarity's heart skipped a beat upon seeing her sister in this semi-transparent ink.
"Sweetie Belle!" The unicorn yelled, immediately turning her focus away from the enemy to what truly mattered.
"It's great to control your element even if you're not that close." The demon laughed. "I can't have fun if you guys are gonna stop me, so let me have my fun by terrorizing those you love."
"No, you don't! Pikachu, use-"
"I wouldn't do that!" The demon raised its voice, stopping Ash and Pikachu. "That's the same ink that combusts...but only under my control this time. Just to be generous. Touch it and that's lights out for them. So that's two explosions you gotta worry about."
"You fiend!" Rarity snarled back at the Memory Demon with an intense glare.
"You can save one of them but the other gets absorbed by the explosive ink. And I can assure you, it'll be a big one, so no one would want to be caught up in this."
"Large?!" Fearful of another large explosion that would engulf them, the citizens backed away, not wanting to get anywhere near the spheres. But the main problem was that two innocents were trapped inside.
"This is gonna be fun to watch!" The demon rubbed Mayor Mare's hooves together deviously. "You tried protecting your sister, Rarity. But once you're in a battle, those eyes are locked onto the wrong one most of the time. So, what's it gonna be? Your friend or your sister? I'd love to see how the ugliness of you ponies and your nature shows itself."
"Rarity! Please get me out of here! I think there's little air in here!" Sweetie Belle attempted to bang on the sphere, fearful of what could happen to her.
"I need help here! I don't have anything for this!" Lyra cried out. "Come on!"
"Which one do we choose?!" Twilight's eyes shifted from pony to pony as the demon had placed a difficult option.
"Large numbers won't be a problem for this." The demon taunted, bringing it back to the number advantage. "Because like I said...only one of them is getting out. One touch and that's it. I'd rather not even breathe in their general direction. The bigger the numbers that try to free them, the more likely the explosion will go off. Isn't this a great challenge? Choose."
"You...demon!" Applejack insulted the Memory Demon but that was a compliment instead.
"Thank you. Now chop-chop. I have other memories to borrow. I mean...the answer should be obvious. Family matters, am I right? Or does friendship trump all, I wonder?"
"Making us choose is the worst..." Fluttershy's heart was beating rapidly. "I don't want any of them to get hurt."
"I know that..." Ash helped with visible sweatdrops on his face. "Gotta do something. Gotta think of something."
"I love my sister but...I can't let Lyra go out as well." Rarity trembled as this was a harder decision than she expected. Sweetie Belle was near and dear to her but letting Lyra perish because of one decision didn't seem right. "There's only one way to stop this..." Her eyes would then glance at the one Pokemon who could change this.
"Bayleef, right?" The Memory Demon already said her name before Rarity could. "Do that and I'll place more ponies inside more spheres. Actually, what's stopping me from doing it again? We don't want that especially not with all the memories I can take. So hurry up and choose before I take them all!"
"Um...sis...please?" Sweetie Belle panted as she was on the verge of crying. "Hurry!"
"Bayleef..." Fluttershy shifted her eyes at Bayleef. The Memory Demon already knew about what Bayleef was capable of. The question was if it would let her pull it off.
Already, an old demon from the Box of 100 Demons was causing this much trouble and putting two lives in peril. Only one would be spared but Ash and his friends wanted both lives to be spared. This decision was a rough one as the Memory Demon had the power to make it worse, unfortunately. The attack of the Dread League was in full swing at this point and with this being their first major strike, what other horrors will they bring? As the journey continues.
Chapter 866 End.