Equestria. Despair Plant Garden. Nightfall.
Twilight, Daisy and Paradise were still on the move. Compared to everyone else, they've run into minor conflict on the Despair Plant Garden. The Flora Ponies were most responsible for how things were turning out. Specifically, the fact that the garden's true potential was being held back because of their presence. A semblance of the elixir that brought them to life was serving its true purpose, affecting plants in unique ways.
If it wasn't for them, everyone on the garden would have a harder time without a doubt, feeling the full wrath of the garden the second they set foot on it. For the most part, Twilight's group was safe with no one attacking them or anything threatening them. Twilight simply chalked it up to the Flora Ponies being around her.
"Did you hear that?" And with how things were escalating, sounds of battles would echo through the garden as Daisy could faintly hear them.
"Esp! Espeon!" Moving through a curtain of flowers, Espeon would jump on the spot, crying out for Twilight and the others.
"You sense someone nearby, Eve? Excellent!" Twilight understood the Sun Pokemon, quickly galloping to her side. Espeon would lead the way as at last, she was getting something. They have been wandering for a while, searching for anyone else in this garden. Twilight had to share what she theorized and figured out as soon as possible while also finding Galaxy Master in the process.
They would notice how the number of flower curtains had increased as they moved through as many of them as they could. Twilight cleared the way with her magic, using it to control the flowers as it felt like removing actual curtains from a window. And this open window led to something that could be seen up ahead.
Espeon would slow down at once, prompting everyone to do the same. No one new had been seen despite ESpeon's sudden cry. It seemed like they still weren't there just yet when it came to finding someone else. Instead, up ahead, something rather massive was lying there on the dark grass where an array of thorns were decorated and organized in the shape of wings.
And these winged thorns could be seen wrapping around this massive object which captivated the eyes of Twilight's group. A large pod was sitting in the middle of this area with all the thorns around it. And it was an open one too. For a garden, this was normal, even if it was colossal. But the inside was truly shocking. Within this massive pod were Despair Plant Seeds. An abundance of them. So many of them were piled up in this pod, perfectly stacked.
"Sweet Celestia...Is that a pod of Despair Plant Seeds?!" Recognizing the appearance of these seeds thanks to the Cutie Mark Crusaders' experience, Twilight was bewildered by the monstrosity that sat there.
"Espeon?!"
"Aw, isn't that adorable?!" Daisy gushed at the sight of this, surprisingly. Paradise simply gave an approving nod and not much else as input while Twilight was just flabbergasted and rather intimidated.
"So these are Despair Plants that haven't grown yet...There's more waiting for everyone." Twilight approached the Despair Plant Pod. New Despair Plants were bound to show up. Most likely the same Triantis and Arachorchids that have been active recently. Daisy would also get close and without any hesitation, she would place her hoof on it, feeling the Despair Plant seed for what it was. Rugged, hard and uncomfortable.
However, the moment Twilight got close, one of the Despair Plant Seeds would tremble, prompting the Princess of Friendship to stop in her tracks. It was the seed that Daisy just recently touched. This one seed would nudge itself forward from the stacks of other Despair Plant seeds. Cracks formed around the seed with a dark energy piercing through it.
Twilight readied her horn for the worst and so did Espeon. But Daisy and Paradise were completely unmoved by this, still showing no signs of fear when in this garden. With the energy piercing through, life was brought into this world. And compared to what Despair Plants are, this one was rather small.
Popping out of this seed was a tiny Despair Plant Triantis, smaller than the others while having bigger eyes as well. The baby Despair Plant shook its head, removing the energy from it before looking up at Twilight.
"Wait, they can show up as babies?!" Twilight gasped. She believed Despair Plants only showed up as fully grown as seen by the amount of large Despair Plants that have been recorded. The fact that they can appear as babies was shocking when she believed they skipped past that stage. "Wait..."
However, Twilight would suspect that this wasn't just something that's always been this way. Her eyes narrowed as her attention was focused on Daisy. Daisy giggled, meeting with the Triantis Despair Plant and interacting with it, connecting her hoof with its claws.
"Hello!" Daisy greeted it as Paradise would soon walk up, gazing at the other seeds to see if they would do anything else.
"Unless...Daisy must've done this." Twilight theorized that Daisy was behind this. After all, she did touch that very seed earlier. "Right. The elixir around them. The Despair Plants from before were hostile as always but this one doesn't seem that way. Daisy, Paradise. Try touching the other seeds. As many as you can. They haven't opened up yet so I'm expecting them to do so with your influence."
"Us?" Paradise looked at her hoof. "Okay, sure. I can just do this." To make it easier, Paradise would slide her hoof across some of the Despair Plant Seeds, speeding up the process. As for Daisy, she was too focused on Triantis, spending time with this baby Despair Plant.
"Oh, really? That's interesting. So that's what's inside of that seed." Daisy spoke with the Triantis, understanding every sentence due to her special trait as a Flora Pony. And as she spoke with the Triantis, thanks to Paradise's interaction, the other seeds would start opening.
It was true. The Flora Ponies did have an effect on the Despair Plants and the garden itself. The magic they possessed truly affected in different ways. And in this case, with the seeds all opening, multiple Despair Plants were born immediately. Triantis and Arachnorchid were the only ones present in this garden. No other species could be found.
It was surprisingly beautiful. Despite how much terror and destruction these plants bring, seeing them bloom out of their seeds as babies was rather wonderful. And these Despair Plants carried less dread than the others due to how they appeared and acted.
"Oh yes. These two are special." Twilight slowly nodded, knowing that Daisy and Paradise were truly the trump cards of this scenario. Their influence on this kind of plant life was a stark game changer. Twilight saw that there was no need to battle against the plants, not when these two can bring peace, soothing the Despair Plants. In the end, the true purpose of the Despair Plants came into fruition after all. Roseluck would be especially proud of this if she were here.
"There you are!" A voice bellowed from above. Interrupting this sweet moment between the Despair Plants and the Flora Ponies was none other than the Dread League.
Vampires had appeared, spotting Twilight's group from above. Their wings of darkness would blend in with the sky as they would drop simultaneously. Daisy and Paradise gasped, staying close to the Despair Plants while Twilight simply got closer. With the vampires finally showing up, they would quickly shift the tides of this scenario.
"Who are they?!" shouted Paradise.
"Vampires...!" Twilight answered, growling at the subspecies of ponies. She hoped that she wouldn't have to deal with vampires now of all times. But alas, with this garden existing, it was inevitable, especially during the night. "Daisy! Paradise! Stay behind me!"
"That's one of the princesses, isn't it?" A vampire immediately recognized Twilight Sparkle. And soon, so did everypony else.
"Oh, yeah. It is her. This is a big find! Can you imagine what the Lich Queen would think if we bring her in!?" Already, plans to bring Twilight in were spouted. For someone as important as her, it was inevitable. Daisy would stay behind Twilight, keeping close to the Despair Plants but Paradise had a different reaction. She was practically the opposite of Daisy.
"I wish I caught myself a Pokemon. That'll be so helpful right now." Paradise uttered as she wanted in on the action. "But there is something else I can do..."
"You two should stay out of it. Now that I know what your magic is capable of, I need you to be safe." Twilight immediately shut Paradise down from getting involved. "Otherwise, we're all potentially doomed up here."
"B-But..." Paradise stuttered, gutted that her mother figure would shut her down so instantly. But it was for her own safety and the magic she possessed. It was because of her and Daisy's magic that everyone up here were still in one piece.
"I'll just make this quick as possible and find the others. Ready, Eve?!"
"Espeon!"
Elsewhere, a vampire by the name of Dimstar had also arrived, encountering Rainbow Dash's group. Dimstar was summoned by the cube given to Ebony Rhyme by Fractured Note. Her purpose was simple. Rid the garden of the intruders at once. And she already proved to be quite efficient at getting the drop on others, surprising Rainbow Dash and possessing an invisible force that could not be seen. However, the People of the Water behind Rainbow Dash seemed to know.
"I don't know what you're using but you're not gonna get us again. And it's just you, so this is gonna be quick." Rainbow Dash smirked.
"As expected. Reading you from the beginning confirmed everything about you. Especially a colossal level of cockiness that has only been boosted ever since you won your Final Gym Battle. You are too full of yourself."
"I'm not that cocky!" Rainbow Dash roared, shaking her hoof at Dimstar who knew quite a bit about her already, just by looking at her.
"Miss Rainbow Dash! She's using something that you can see! Be very careful!" Enola yelled, warning the pegasus.
"How are you all seeing it? What is it anyway?"
"I'm not sure how you can see my weapons, but it won't matter if you cannot survive them," Dimstar commented as that same pressure from before would emanate from her body. That was a clear sign that she was about to attack once more.
"Quick, Mienshao! Use Force Palm! Altaria, use Hyper Voice!"
"Mienshao!" Leaping in was Mienshao, covering her paws in an orange light as Altaria would ascend. Mienshao attempted to get the first hit in which would then be followed by Altaria's voice. However, when she swung her arm, her paw came in contact with something else and it wasn't Dimstar. "M-Mien?!"
Mienshao felt that invisible force as well. Her attack had collided with it, immediately preventing her from reaching the vampire. Mienshao could feel herself pressing against this force, trying to break through as not only was it powerful in terms of destruction but also defence. Whatever was there was efficient in blocking Mienshao's attack. Dimstar opened her eyes just a bit as that invisible force would then push Mienshao back, putting a stop to her movements.
"Altaria!" Altaria took a crack at it, singing a beautiful melody that formed into a visible shockwave. Her own force was sent out, attempting to reach the vampire. Alas, that same invisible force guarded her yet again. The collision between Altaria's soundwave and the Invisible Force occurred, creating sparks that made parts of the ground shake. Hyper Voice also failed to get through, unfortunately.
"Oh come on! What's there?!" Rainbow Dash growled. "How about this then?! I bet you're not fast enough for this! Use Acrobatics!"
"Shao!" Mienshao would leave the ground once more, gaining some strong agility in the process. She approached Dimstar yet again, leaving behind afterimages from her movements as she flip in the air. "Mienshao!"
However, that force was there to interrupt her once more. Mienshao could feel it. And the People of the Water could see it. They saw what was coming and immediately yelled out to Rainbow Dash and Mienshao. "It's trying to grab her!"
"Mien?!" Hearing it, Mienshao would try and predict where this force was coming from and from what was said, she could make out what she was potentially going up against. It was something that had the capability to block her attacks and grab her at the same time. Predicting the position, Mienshao flipped to the side as a pressure blew past her leg. She guessed right indeed as she got closer to Dimstar.
"Hm?" Dimstar was slightly surprised before keeping her composure. It looked like Mienshao would get a hit in, sticking her foot out. But that failed as well. That force grabbed her leg anyway. Mienshao felt herself coming to an abrupt halt as her foot was only two feet in front of Dimstar, almost reaching her face.
"M-Mienshao!" Mienshao would then be thrown against the ground by this force with a hefty amount of weight. Rocks would emerge from the blow as the Martial Arts Pokemon cried out.
"No, Mienshao! Quick, Altaria! Ice Beam!"
"Altaria!" Adding her own attack in, Altaria would use Ice Beam, focusing it on the ground instead of directly at Dimstar. It was already frozen from the previous battle and now it would receive another layer to it. Dimstar took notice of this as the ice would flash-freeze the ground yet again, heading in her direction. Mienshao would then lift her leg out, managing to break free of whatever was holding her leg as she moved over the forming ice.
But even that had been stopped as the invisible force crushed the ice the moment it got too close to Dimstar, shattering it into pieces. Another flash-freeze had been prevented by Dimstar's strange power. "Nice try. But that won't do you any good. I'd like to see you keep up now since you're so crazy about speed."
The invisible forces could be sensed once more by Mienshao and a bit by Rainbow Dash. The feeling of them moving frantically was felt while the People of the Water could only see. Mienshao and Rainbow Dash both had the same instinct to move out of the way of whatever was coming for them.
The ground was smashed by this invisible force as Mienshao rolled to the side, narrowly evading this attack while Rainbow Dash took flight with Altaria. Both Rainbow Dash and Altaria would start flying around, feeling strong pressures nearby which prompted them to keep moving across the air. Being unable to see the force made it all the more irritating to deal with as they might as well be dodging randomly. Mienshao had her agile body to count on, but even that was difficult. She relied on the ice, sliding against some of it to evade the invisible force.
"T-Tari!" Poor Altaria just couldn't keep up as she was smacked in the face and wings by the force, crying out. Rainbow Dash gasped as she felt her tail get struck by this force, clipping some of it. The pegasus grimaced before descending, managing to evade one of them that came for her head, blowing against her mane when missing. "A-Altaria!"
Having enough of being the punching bag, Altaria would hum once more, creating a powerful soundwave that would defend her from the next pair of hits. This invisible force was pushed back by Altaria's outcry which had a wonderful melody behind it. But it was also a vicious melody as well, fitting for a Dragon. Dimstar narrowed her eyes as the flailing of this invisible force had come to an end after the outcry.
"Geez...This is harder than it needs to be...!" Rainbow Dash was getting rather annoyed by this. Just how could she do this and what was there exactly?
"I get it now!" Adriel exclaimed, finally seeing what Dimstar was truly doing. "She must be using some kind of tendrils to help her! But they're invisible!"
"Yeah? How come?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"It seems to be blending in with the night. These tendrils are perfectly camouflaged within the night sky and everything around it. Even the grass and other elements of the garden cannot expose it." An older man said as the People of the Water were finally getting it, revealing everything to Rainbow Dash.
"So it's blending in with the night? That's a problem. And it's still pretty early in the night too so daytime's not coming anytime soon."
"So you figured it out. How are you people capable of doing that? I've only read your personalities, not your capabilities." Dimstar questioned. "But how can that be?"
"It's all in the eyes! Hehe!" Enola grinned as she and the People of the Water pointed at their eyes. They all had one thing in common. Yellow eyes.
"Our golden eyes allow us to see things others can't. It's how the Sea Temple was invisible to the eyes of the mortals unless we willed it. It's something our entire civilisation has always possessed. Minus Diadora who seems to come from somewhere else." Adriel explained.
"Awesome! I wish I had eyes like that!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed with amazement. The golden eyes of the People of the Water are what also made them special. She saw how all of them here had those same coloured eyes. That involves those back at the temple and across the garden. The only exception was Diadora.
"So that's how they're able to see them. I did not know that. And frankly, that is rather annoying." Dimstar commented. "But, you have no way to handle this since you yourself cannot see it, Rainbow Dash. The People of the Water are too weak and your Pokemon have already suffered major damage from my power. It is the power that is connected to the Lich that lives within me.."
"The Lich?! You mean the Lich Queen?!" A stunned Rainbow Dash blurted.
"Not the Lich Queen. The Lich King. I am all that is left of the first Lich King. My power is proof of his existence and you are experiencing just a fraction of what his power was truly like. Be thankful that I am weaker than him. Otherwise, this would've been over sooner even with this gained knowledge."
"Wait a second...I can't see it, but I know someone else who can!" That's when it hit Rainbow Dash. She had a Pokemon who was essentially a perfect counter to Dimstar. At least, she hoped so. She quickly dug into her saddlebag, throwing another Poke Ball out. "I'm counting on you, Luxray! Go!"
"Luxray!"
"Luxray! Use your X-Ray Vision! See what we can't see!" Rainbow Dash yelled.
"Ray!" With a flash of his eyes, Luxray would use his unique special ability. His X-Ray eyes. And of course, Rainbow Dash was right to bring Luxray out. With his power, he saw it for himself. The invisible force was truly coming out of Dimstar's body. He saw vicious tendrils emerge from Dimstar's back as they matched the colour of her coat. In fact, they were part of her in the physical sense rather than the magical sense, making it all the more disturbing. "Lux!"
"Alright! You see it!" Rainbow Dash pumped her hooves. "That's awesome! Now we've got a chance! How do you like that, vampire?!"
"So? It's no match for the power of a Lich." Dimstar was still greatly confident in herself, paying no mind to Luxray seeing through her invisibility. "You're bound to lose here, Rainbow Dash."
"Oh yeah? Have some of this! Light up, Luxray!"
"Luxray!" Luxray would use his electricity, unleashing it from his body. With this exertion, Luxray lit himself up, becoming a walking flashlight that shined beautifully in the night. And against a vampire, that was greatly efficient.
"Ngh!" Dimstar groaned as she flinched at the sight of Luxray's light. No matter how big she talked, she was a vampire at the end of the day. Light was her greatest weakness.
"Now, let's go, you three! Discharge! Aura Sphere! Moonblast!"
"Lux...Ray!" All three of them would attack together, aiming to defeat Dimstar in one go. And with Luxray continuously lighting himself up, he was making sure that Dimstar was focused on his aura. From his body, a flare of electricity would fly out before transforming into a devastating beam. For Mienshao, a ball of concentrated Aura was thrown and for Altaria, she gathered the power of the moon, which was very visible tonight, forming it into a pink sphere.
All three of them were sent to Dimstar, who actually made some movements at last, no longer in the same position. This was something she had to take into consideration. The vampire stood tall in the face of these three attacks, attempting to defend herself. Luxray saw these tendrils from her body form together as a shield.
All three attacks crashed into the shield of tendrils, making a rather thunderous sound that shook the nearby trees. The attacks managed to break through her tendrils as the light from Luxray's Discharge affected her. Parts of the tendrils would burn when faced with Luxray's Discharge as that was the biggest factor here.
Despite breaking through, Dimstar would still retaliate, using more of her tendrils. This time, it was offensively when going up against this trio of attacks. The tendrils would constrict the attacks while the vampire flew back, finally leaving that one spot she stood on for minutes. The attacks were all crushed by the tendrils, combusting in the process.
"That didn't work, but we made you move! Keep it up, you guys! Acrobatics! Ice Beam! Wild Charge, go for it!"
"Luxray!" Luxray would approach Dimstar with another electric attack. This time, it was WIld Charge which also lit him up. Joining him would be Mienshao, approaching with Acrobatics while Altaria would prepare for another Ice Beam. Surprisingly, she stood there, allowing the attacks to hit her.
She was tackled by Luxray which prompted Mienshao to slap her afterwards. Dimstar was then pushed into the air, followed by Altaria using Ice Beam, this time on the vampire. While in the air, she would be hit by the Ice Beam which summoned an icy explosion after it hit. It seemed like a successful hit with all three attacks landing without any issues. The People of the Water cheered for Rainbow Dash and her Pokemon afterwards.
"You inferior creatures. You shouldn't even be approaching a lich. I'll give you a taste of what a Lich is capable of." Dimstar scoffed at them as her voice could still be heard. Everyone gasped as the smoke was clearing, but Dimstar did not emerge from it all.
"Huh? Where did she...?" Rainbow Dash was confused. Dimstar was gone after the smoke vanished. And it sounded like she was still healthy. But she was nearby, just not next to Rainbow Dash at all.
A screech came from behind, alerting the pegasus and her Pokemon. It originated from the People of the Water who was screaming at what emerged before them. It was Dimstar. She not only took the attack but she retaliated at once, but on the wrong group.
Enola and the People of the Water were caught within Dimstar's magic as seen by Luxray. He saw them all restrained and being held up by these tendrils which seemed to have grown in size and numbers despite Dimstar's average-sized body.
"Hey! Let them go!" Rainbow Dash yelled. "They're not the ones who hit you!"
"I know that. But my goal is to get rid of all of you from this garden, remember?" Dimstar replied as the People of the Water cried out due to the powerful grip of the tendrils. They had a grip strong enough to harm their arms, legs and the rest of their bodies, making it difficult for them to move around or break free. "As for you, Rainbow Dash...Taking those attacks was worth it."
"Worth it? What are you talking about?"
"Because now I can return them to you. Like this." Another surprise had emerged. With a glare, Dimstar's eyes would form something out of thin air. Something eerily similar to what Rainbow Dash's Pokemon had done. Her dark magic would form a replica of Wild Charge, Ice Beam and Acrobatics. "Get lost."
Specifically, a dark construct of electricity that was incredibly dim, a flurry of sharp and fast shadows that were meant to replicate Mienshao's acrobatics and a chilling ray of ice that was obviously meant to be Ice Beam, but the ice was also darkened.
"No way!" Stunned, Rainbow Dash couldn't believe her eyes as Dimstar copied the attacks of her Pokemon with slight alterations and without any Pokemon of her own.
"A-Altaria!" Altaria, Luxray and Mienshao each received damage from these attacks which were variations of what they had used. All three of them unleashed a vociferation of pain as dark magic erupted from the shocking collision. And unfortunately, Rainbow Dash caught up in it. The outburst was strong enough to reach her without needing to go the full distance. It was the shockwaves and aftershocks of magic that got to her.
"G-Gaaah!" Rainbow Dash yelled as she was blown back along with all of her Pokemon. And with this blowback, she and her Pokemon would collectively down the large hill that she previously sent the Despair Plants down at.
"No...Miss Rainbow Dash!" Enola yelled while still being restrained by the tendrils, witnessing Rainbow Dash, Luxray, Altaria and Mienshao all drop, leaving her sights.
Rainbow Dash's eyes were heavily squinted when falling as she saw the night sky. The pegasus instinctively attempted to fly, but the damage was so great that even her natural talent was slipping. Apart from the night sky, she previously saw the stoic face of Dimstar gazing at her as if to taunt her.
"N-Not like this!" Rainbow Dash yelled before her voice faded out with a slight echo when falling with her Pokemon.
Dimstar, from what she has said, possesses a power that was related to the first Lich King. And with what was known of the Lich Queen Rosa Maledicta, this kind of power was something that not many have faced off against, making it all the more dangerous. Rainbow Dash realized that the hard way but she wouldn't let it intimidate her. However, with how she was falling, her retaliation might not come to her as the journey continues.
Chapter 74 End.