Equestria. Ponyville. Afternoon.
"Everyone! Line up!" Calling out for the ponies of Ponyville was Hilbert. He recently arrived at this universe despite the lack of gateways now, showing up to celebrate Rainbow Dash's achievement of winning all Eight Gyms. And with Hilbert's boastful energy, he would certainly attract a crowd, who were eager to hear what he had to say this time.
"You're doing this again? I thought you were gonna head to Unova by now." Applejack spoke as she was within the crowd.
"Not yet. First I gotta clear some things up here. After all, it's my protege's big day, passing all the Gyms and she needed to try a second time just to win. After hearing about where you all are, I thought I'd catch you all up to speed. Those late Gyms will rough you up."
"That's cool and all but we have Ash to teach us." Apple Bloom said as Ash was already fulfilling that role, giving pointers and training with those who were shooting for the Equestria League. "Well, not me but everypony else."
"Is he now? Well, I wouldn't expect less from him." Hilbert nodded his head in agreement. "Apparently, he's my counterpart, so I expect him to be a great teacher. But why not learn from the Number One Trainer in the world? Eh?"
"You're still on about that? Leon's Number One in this world." A pony spoke, pointing out how Hilbert's claim of being the Number One Trainer was already occupied by the World Champion Leon.
"Hm-hm-hm. For now." The Unovan Trainer smirked, crossing his arms in confidence. "World Champion is definitely a title that's worth having when you're the world's strongest trainer, that's for sure."
"Y-You're not gonna participate, are you?!" Applejack gasped, fearing that Hilbert would join the Pokemon World Championships which how much he hyped himself up to be the best trainer ever.
"Nah. I'm leaving that up to Ash." Surprisingly, Hilbert would not participate in the competition. "I figured that I'd let my counterpart fill in my shoes. I'm already the best back in my universe. Unova Champion by the way. So my full support is going towards Ash. By the way, where is he? And my protege?"
Hilbert would notice a lack of Rainbow Dash considering how thrilled she was winning all eight gyms and how there was a celebratory part for this. Right now, Rainbow Dash was simply enjoying her time on this bright and sunny afternoon, moving through the skies before Hilbert could spot her.
Currently, she and Ash could be found at the Pokemon House with Fluttershy. Spotted in the Water-Type section, the two of them were partaking in some sort of surfing. And the one joining them was none other than Brawly, the Hoenn Gym Leader and teacher at the Pokemon House.
"This is a pretty nice lake you got here, Fluttershy!" Brawly said, using his signature surfboard. But for Ash and Rainbow Dash, they would have Mantine and Lanturn help them surf.
Moving through the beautiful blue lake that was home to the many Water-Types that lived here, they would make strong waves that would nearly catch Fluttershy. The water barely missed her, somehow splashing in between Fluttershy.
"Ra! Raboot!" Raboot nudged Fluttershy's hoof, grabbing her attention as he would move like a child wanting something from their parents. That's how this could be viewed and Raboot's eagerness when looking at the lake and all the surfing only proved that.
"Want to give it a try? Alright. Audi, can you take him?"
"Audino!" Audino was already on it, standing near the lake as she would force herself to fall forward. Making a rather strong splash, Audino was lying flat on her face, staying afloat on the water. She would be the surfboard despite not being a Water-Type.
"Oh. That's not what I expected but...okay!" Fluttershy went along with it as Raboot would excitedly jump on Audino's back.
"Raboot!" With Audino being his surfboard, the Fire-Type would yell, wanting to start surfing along Ash, Brawly and Rainbow Dash.
"Dino!" An underwater blurb of Audino's voice passed through as she would stroke her arms. Audino moved along the lake but not exactly at the fastest pace. Raboot lowered his eyes immediately after Audino moved at a slow pace. This isn't the speed he was looking for.
Thankfully, the Water-Types would change that. A group of Staryu would spin as fast as they could, generating water pressures underneath. The water pressures would be strong enough to move Audino forward at a much faster speed. A speed akin to that of surfing. With a smile returning to his face, Raboot would get his wish with just a push.
"Pika!" Pikachu, meanwhile, dug his head underwater when surfing his head. There, he would see the face of Audino staring right at him, startling the Mouse Pokemon as she was approaching rapidly. "Pikachu?!"
"Up we go!" Ash exclaimed as the momentum and waves that he gained with Mantine made him and Pikachu enter the air, leaving the body of the Water-Flying-Type for a moment. "Woohoo!"
"Pikaaaa!" Pikachu yelled with excitement once he and Ash got some impressive airtime. It was so impressive that they went above the trees, being spotted by other ponies from Ponyville from this distance and height. And just to be cheeky, while in the air, Pikachu would use Quick Attack, moving at lightning speeds as he smashed his body into Ash's stomach.
"Gouh!" Ash's eyes opened as he was then forced back down by Pikachu's playful tackle and thankfully, Mantine would catch them both. "Nice one, buddy!"
Passing them by were Brawly and Rainbow Dash when racing alongside each other. Of course, these two would turn this into a race, moving across the lake and passing by as many Pokemon as they could. All the while, Audino was gaining momentum, surprisingly. And now that Raboot got to experience surfing, it was more intense than what he expected as he held onto Audino's back for dear life.
When watching this, Fluttershy and a few other Pokemon would laugh with joy in their hearts. Seeing this only brought joy in so many ways. Whether it was the slip-ups, sweet tricks from Brawly or the reactionary faces when something unexpected happens.
Also watching this was none other than Zecora. Although she was repairing her hut now the Everfree Forest was fully healed, she would still come by to the Pokemon House. But right now, it wasn't just to hang out and take care of the Pokemon living here. Rather, Zecora had something important that she needed to figure out. And it related to Ash and the recent arrival of Hilbert. And by extension, the encounter with Twilight Moonlight back at the Mirror Pool.
"Still, there's no sign of Twilight Moonlight." By now, Zecora felt that enough time has passed to the point where Twilight Moonlight hadn't shown up or done anything at all. "But even so, I've wasted enough time."
Zecora would approach Ash and the others, taking her mind off of the hut for a moment and focusing on what truly mattered. The experience she went through not too long ago. If anyone needed to hear this, it was Ash since he was essentially being threatened.
"Hey, Zecora!" Ash greeted Zecora upon spotting her, causing a big splash that would fly in Zecora's direction. "What's up?"
"First of all, what an excellent display of moves." Zecora spoke as some of the water landed on her. "More importantly Ash, there's something I need to tell you."
"Huh...That so?" Zecora sat them down, sharing what she learned. And with what she shared with them, Ash's reaction was not as shocking as his friends thought it would be.
"You don't seem that surprised after hearing about this, Ash!" Brawly gasped. "I'm pretty shocked about it. You have your own counterpart?"
"Why'd it have to be Hilbert though...?" Rainbow Dash groaned, preferring if someone else besides Hilbert was Ash's counterpart. And yet, she could still see parts of Ash within Hilbert. That much couldn't be denied, much to her chagrin. "But why would she wanna get you? I mean, I can only think of one Twilight that would be out to get you." She chuckled, referring to Empress Twilight.
"I guess it's to prevent this Prisma guy from showing up again? I've never heard of him or seen him before." Ash was rather lost on the concept of Prisma. Really, most of it was lost on him.
"Twilight Moonlight's intentions seemed well-meaning from what I could gather from her," Zecora replied as she did not immediately dismiss Twilight Moonlight's intentions considering what they were for. "But the way she is planning on going about it is off and every other detail about his return is a blur."
"Well, you'd better look out for her then, Ash. She'll show up again and try to get you. And maybe Hilbert too, I guess. It's kinda weird how she wants to keep our Twilight safe though and wants to deal with you." said Rainbow Dash.
"Yeah, I guess. But I'm wondering if she showed up here the same way Hilbert did. We don't have many gateways left but it looks like someone's figuring out how to get past that if Hilbert and Hilda can show up again. Thanks for telling us, Zecora. The next time we meet, I wanna talk to Twilight Moonlight. I've been meaning to meet with her after all."
"Is talking with her the best option since it sounds like she wants to destroy you? You'd have to be very approachable to have that work." Brawly shrugged, unsure if Twilight Moonlight would hear Ash out. "Maybe...our Twilight can talk to her."
"Huh. Yeah, that works too." Ash nodded in agreement. There was a good chance she would hear her counterpart out. "But still...who do you think the others are? Zecora, you mentioned how Twilight Moonlight brought up more than one counterpart. So there's more of them? Who are they?"
Zecora unfortunately could not answer that. She didn't get everything from Twilight Moonlight. Truly, most of it was a blur. However, this information was incredibly helpful. Ash had something to anticipate even if it threatened him. The character known as Prisma was also a curiosity in all of this.
As for Hilbert himself, he hadn't been informed at all. Far too busy rambling on about his strength and passing on knowledge to the trainers of Ponyville. He may be cocky and full of himself, but not only could he back it up but he also had a hefty amount of experience that was worth listening to.
Looking outside and watching Hilbert's frantic actions was Princess Twilight Sparkle. Hilbert's voice was loud enough to reach the castle as he somehow had something new to say every time, despite it relating to him being strong and the supposed Number One Trainer in the world.
She would then turn her attention away from him, focusing on what truly mattered at the moment. The special elixir that was made specifically for the Despair Plants. Passed on by Roseluck, who had it back home and originally belonged to her older sister Roseluck, this elixir, which was enlarged by the power of the Rift Cauldron, was a way to deal with the vicious Despair Plants.
But it was not yet completed. The properties of this elixir were difficult to understand with the only known creator currently taking the role as the Lich Queen over at Magehold. So that was an issue. But that didn't stop Twilight from trying to figure it out.
"So far, so good." Twilight used her magic to hold up the enlarged elixir. "I'd say that if we pour this on any of the Despair Plants, it'll cause a reaction. But because it's not completed, it won't be guaranteed."
"How about we use it now, though? Princess Celestia reported that a garden's been growing over at Galar. Those plants are gonna show up again and I say we test this elixir out for the first time." Spike suggested, patting his claws on the giant elixir as he was all for using it as soon as possible.
"Hold on. What we do know is that when they're just seeds, the Despair Plants are vulnerable, so we have that to bank on. Let's not get too ahead of ourselves." Twilight halted Spike. Even if she was making progress with this elixir and it could be used in some way, the risks were still there. "But Princess Celestia does want the elixir as soon as possible, so we can't be tardy at all. I hate being tardy anyway."
"I guess so..." Spike could see the argument there. No debating at the moment, especially with an incomplete elixir.
"But! It's time for a test run." Twilight grinned, rubbing her hooves together as she already had something in mind that did not involve the Despair Plants. "Let's use it on real plants!"
"Real plants?!" Spike gasped as Twilight's eyes lit up. She was all for this approach as it would be a good way to test out how effective the elixir is.
"Oh yeah. Let's head over to Saddle Lake, Spike. We're gonna see what this baby can do." Twilight pranced along, bringing the elixir with her via magic. Spike would soon follow as it was off to Saddle Lake to see just what the elixir could do in its current state.
Saddle Lake.
They had arrived at the beautiful Saddle Lake. With the elixir at their disposal, Twilight and Spike would have a few plants to choose from. However, to keep things safe, Twilight and Spike chose an isolated area, away from most Pokemon
"Alright. Just two drops on two plants. And that's about it. After we see what this elixir does, we can write a report on it and maybe know what we have to do next. Let's hope this is the miracle elixir that Roseluck spoke about." The Princess of Friendship took a deep breath, preparing the large elixir.
"It's gotta be good. That's why it exists, right? What else could come from it?" Spike questioned.
"Considering that Roseluck and Rosa Maledicta are sisters and used to live together...It's safe to say who originally made this. But this was before she became the Lich Queen so..." Feeling a bit optimistic, Twilight would remove the top of the elixir, finally letting it feel the air after so many years of being closed.
And upon being opened, a bright magical flash would emerge from the elixir, catching Twilight and Spike off guard. It was safe to say that neither expected a sudden flare of magic that would then shoot in to the sky. It didn't seem harmless despite how bright it was. It was more of a bewildering surprise than a physical one, illuminating the area. Afterwards, the light would depart from this world, but not before leaving behind bits of itself in the form of sparkles.
These were not here before. These sparkles were new to the elixir, glistening beautifully with a marvellously incandescent appearance. The young alicorn and the baby dragon looked at each other in amazement. This looked promising. But would the results be pleasing?
"Okay...Here goes nothing." Twilight would then tilt the elixir, focusing on a daisy and a paradise flower. Two drops of the elixir would emerge, dropping onto these two plants. Spike would instantly zip away just to feel safe in case the worst happen as Twilight would quickly close off the elixir, placing the top on it once more.
Lo and behold, a reaction did occur. The elixir would affect the plants as intended by Rosa Maledicta. The sparkles from the elixir showed themselves around the Daisy and Paradise Flower, wrapping the flowers in the same way as a blanket would wrap around the body.
Stepping back to watch this process, Twilight would stay silent, witnessing a magical phenomenon take place. The Daisy and the Tulip. Then, the light from before would return to this world, making one final entrance as it would flash in an outburst, catching Twilight and Spike's eyes off guard. The two would grunt at this flickering light, closing their eyes immediately, but keeping them open.
And they were glad they did. With one eye open, they would witness a transformation like no other. The Daisy and Paraidse Flower were beginning to transform. The transformation would take their original flower shapes and form something new out of them. Something that brought new life into this world. The plants were already alive, that much was true. But this took it to the next level.
The flowers ended up forming the shapes of ponies. They took on the form of Equestria's most common species. Two ponies would emerge, both appearing as mares with approximately the same stature and shape. The elixir certainly affected them, but no one expected it to turn out like this. They expected the flowers to be put to sleep or anything akin to that. This was proof that the elixir's main intention was not completed, but its main purpose that Rosa Maledicta had was. And it was done by Twilight Sparkle of all ponies.
The light would fade, showing two ponies that were made out of flowers. One was made entirely out of Daisies while the other was a walking Paradise Flower. Both had unique colours that represented their flower types.
"Incredible! This is way better than what I expected!" An elated Twilight Sparkle yelled, flabbergasted and amazed by this revelation. A new magical discovery had been found. "This is big! Big for history! Flower Ponies!"
"Flower Ponies?" Spike repeated.
"Or Flora Ponies. That works too. Either does. And I coined it!" Twilight claimed this immediately. Since she and Spike saw them first, coining the name of this newfound species was instant. "Flora sounds better actually. But I can't believe this is what the elixir is capable of now. It created a new species of ponies. It might be the Rift Energy that was involved or even an example of the Harmony Phenomenon. Or maybe this is what Rosa originally planned to have."
"C-Can they speak?" Spike wondered if they were fully sentient. Right now, he and Twilight could see movements. Confused movements to be exact. The heads of these two ponies would move around as they were reasonably confused.
After all, they were just brought into this world but at the same time, they've always been here. Made up by two plants that managed to multiply into multiples, they might as well be newborn infants. Their eyes would then meet with Twilight and Spike as those were visible compared to the flowers around their body.
Their coats were just flowers and nothing more, making them defined in their own way. And when looking at them, Twilight would notice how one of these Flora Ponies looked familiar. One of them seemed to resemble Roseluck just a bit. And the other, while Twilight has not yet seen the Lich Queen, looked a bit like Rosa Maledicta. But they still stuck out to appear differently from those two.
"I don't think they can speak...Maybe not yet." Twilight didn't get a response from them as she would approach the two Flora Ponies. "Hi there. My name's Twilight Sparkle. And you two shall be called...Daisy and Paradise. Yeah. That works for both of you." Twilight Sparkle would name them on the spot.
It was only fitting that they were named after the plants that they were made out of. So far, there wasn't a reaction from them at all. Barely any emotions sparked from their faces or bodies. It was rather awkward for Twilight. And yet, she couldn't help but keep staring at them. She would then stare back at the elixir, realizing what this could mean for the future.
And more importantly, what it could mean for the Despair Plants.
The birth of a new pony species has been found on this day. The day that Rainbow Dash celebrated her major win over the final Gym and the day that the Garden in Galar was continuing to grow.
As the journey continues.
Chapter 60 End.