Equestria. Canterlot. Day.
It's been one day since the Alcremie incident at Galar. It has been a rather tasty few days ever since the Gym Leader Opal showed up. And now, it was all shifting into what could be a beautiful night soon. The Grand Galloping Gala was this year. It has been a while since it's come up thanks to what recent events have done to Equestria. But under Celestia's order, it would return and it would be tonight.
"Alcremie!" Alcremie was a rather lucky Pokemon. She now lived with a princess. Not just any princess, but Princess Celestia herself. The Ruler of Equestria. For that, Alcremie felt proud and on top of the world right now, similar to how Gardevoir felt when she was a Kirlia. And the benefits that can come from this were on another level that Milcery never expected, making her feel like the most important Pokemon in the world.
"Gardevoir." Gardevoir knew how that felt, appearing next to her fellow Fairy-Type, telling her not to get too carried away with this.
"Slept well?" Celestia approached the Cream Pokemon. "You're getting used to this quickly, but I suppose Alcremie's are always indoors more than anything."
"Cremie! Cremie!"
"Great. Save up some of that energy for tonight. It has been a while since we've had one and this will be your first one. And for this one, I'm hoping to invite Cobalion over. But he might be busy, especially during the night." Celestia added. "And for tonight's Gala, I believe we should have cake for everyone for the list of foods that'll be there. This is where you come in, Alcremie."
"Alcremie!" Alcremie held her arm up before shooting out vanilla cream from her hand. She was prepared to make a cake already. After all, her evolution was rather recent and she was a wild Pokemon just yesterday. She was fresh to the cake-making scene. Her addition to the Grand Galloping Gala would be splendid and despite it being tonight, it was already set up.
The usual decorations for the Grand Galloping Gala were up and ready for tonight. All that was left to do was send out the invitations. And of course, Celestia would do what she could to spice up tonight's Gala since she lived for some excitement in her life. And thanks to Pokemon, she's been getting that excitement and couldn't wait to see what could unfurl from this.
Ponyville. Twilight's Castle.
Invitation tickets to the Grand Galloping Gala had been spread rapidly, faster than usual. Many across Ponyville and by extension Kanto, were invited. With the gateway to Kanto being the only one here available, the invitation could only go so far. And even then, it was most likely that only Pallet Town residents would show up.
"Oh, I get to go?!" Holding a ticket in her hooves was none other than Daisy. This would be her first Gala as well. The same went for Paradise who also received a ticket.
"Eh...I'll pass." However, Paradise refused immediately, throwing the ticket aside. "I'm more interested in Pokemon."
"You're not coming, sis? Won't it be fun?" Daisy pouted. Daisy was interested in the glamour and beauty of the Gala while Paradise was more interested in Pokemon. The two sisters were of differing interests as to be expected, even when being so new to the world. They were already well-developed as ponies to have such preferences.
"But we'd have to do dancing though." Paradise grimaced, preferring not to dance. Another difference between the two was how Paradise would rather stay away from anything dazzling and glamorous.
"You're not obliged to go, Paradise," Twilight spoke to her. "I'll take Daisy with me and you can go off and do your own thing. But I would like you to go with someone else for safety. Maybe Ash."
"Is Ash not going there as well?" Daisy asked.
"Sadly...No." Twilight sighed. In her mind, she was punching the air out of frustration and anger. "Not this year. But it'll be fun either way. You can go on and have fun with Ash and you can show him your new Pokemon I gave you."
"Right. Come on out," Paradise was given a Pokemon by Twilight, who had a Pokemon Lab. Appearing out of it was a Froakie as her first Pokemon.
"Froakie!"
"If anyone knows a thing or two about training a Froakie, it's Ash. You'll have lots of fun together." Twilight reassured. "As for Daisy and I, you can find us at Canterlot tonight if you need us. Let's get you something to wear, Daisy."
"Oh! Could I have one that's made out of daisies?!" Daisy asked for one based on her respective flower.
"Well, I'm sure Rarity could whip up one that has a Daisy pattern and-" But before Twilight could finish her sentence, Daisy did something that caught her off guard. Daisy would hold her hoof out, summoning a stream of Daisies. This was expected from a Flora Pony, but what came next was brand new.
The daisies would spin around in one spot, clashing against each other as they seemed to be forming something. Twilight squinted her eyes before witnessing a dress being formed by the daisies themselves. Her jaw dropped as Daisy was assembling her Dream Dress. It was exactly what Daisy wanted that Rarity would've taken some time to make but this was done in a few seconds. A dress that was made out of daises had been made.
"Great! I'll take this!" Daisy went up to her dress, holding it up. Despite being made out of daisies, it was well put together just like an actual dress made of fabric.
"Arceus above..." Twilight was stunned as she discovered something new that the Flora Ponies were capable of. They kept surprising her with what they were capable of. "You have the power to create dresses with flowers?! Or does it go beyond just flowers?"
"Uh, I don't know." Unfortunately, Daisy wasn't sure. She seemed to have pulled it off by pure instinct and desire alone.
"Gotta write that down." Twilight's magic would instantly bring over a notebook and a pen. In that notebook, she had notes about the Flora Ponies, researching them and everything they were capable of. "The power to create dresses and maybe something else. It might be out of pure will and desires. Maybe."
"Yeah, have fun figuring that out. I'm out of here." Paradise would be on her way, leaving to find Ash and indulge in the love of Pokemon with him. It would be quite the long day since the Gala would take place during the night. Mostly everyone was getting ready to head out. Suits and dresses of all kinds were being grabbed, even ones for Pokemon. At least, the ones that wished to wear them. Not everything could fit on a Pokemon.
Canterlot. Canterlot Gardens. Afternoon.
As for Ash himself, as to be expected, he would be exempt from this, focused on other things, even though he was at Canterlot at the moment where the Gala is always held. Such as his upcoming battle with Bea. But more things were on his mind. He had some friends he had to visit thanks to this unified world. The Human World was still the odd one out with Sci-Twi and both Sunset Shimmers living there. He thought about this while watching Pikachu play around with Froakie.
"I wonder how she's doing right now? It's been a while since I've visited that prison too." Ash said with curiosity before seeing Paradise run up to him.
"Hey, Ash! What are you thinking about? Aren't we going to practice some more?"
"Sorry. I'm just thinking about a few things right now. Might just head over to the Human World for a bit just to check up on a few friends. We'll practice some more down the road. I've also gotta get myself a Mega Stone. For Twilight's sake."
"Mega Stone? Oh, that thing. I thought you had one. Everyone else I know seems to have one. Except for Pinkie Pie."
"Yeah, I never got one on my own, even during my journey through Kalos. But I got something just as great. Better late than never, I guess."
"But it's never too late for you, is it? I heard from Twilight and everyone else that you could journey for a long time." Paradise added. "It's something about a bird, I think?"
"Ho-oh. And yeah, I get what they mean. It does feel like an endless journey but I'm not complaining. It's so much fun just exploring every length and breadth of the world. Especially stuff I missed. I was always in such a rush to get to my next Gym Battle and enter the Pokemon League that I never stopped to admire a lot of the things each region has to offer. I've got Alola to thank for that. Paradise, if you're ever planning to explore the world, don't be in such a hurry."
"Huh? But aren't battles the most important part of Pokemon? That's what I've always seen anyway." Paradise saw Pokemon Battles as the top priority in this world and she couldn't be blamed. Battles take up everything, beating out contests, showcases and other sports and activities.
"It's the most exhilarating part but everything else matters too." Ash grinned. "I know one thing's for sure, I'm not gonna stop exploring. I've got more regions to visit and explore with stuff I've never seen before."
"Oh." Paradise scratched her mane. "What if you've seen everything though? Then what? What are you gonna do after everywhere's been explored and seen?"
"I'll try it again." Ash gave a simple answer. "The world's always changing. All the places I grew up at and the folks that I know might stay the same or won't. That's the best part of it all. So I keep on going and see what else can pop up. That's how I roll."
Paradise thought about it. She was much like Ash when he was younger and starting his journey. But as time went on, Ash's way of exploring started to change. And with Paradise, revisiting places just to see what was new wasn't such a bad idea. After all, in such an expansive world as the Pokemon World, the next time anyone revisits a region, something bombastic can happen. The Flora Pony would take Ash's words to heart. He was the expert here. And even more than an expert, Ash was an important figure to Paradise. Whether as a trainer or something else, she needed someone like him to guide her in this brand-new world.
The night of the gala came by. Everyone was dressed in what they loved and what made them stand out. And tonight's Gala would go on with a breeze. With the involvement of Pokemon, the Gala would be livened up. Dancing was fun and all but it could be rather tedious if that was all that was done. Celestia was the one who felt that way the most.
And tonight's visitors extended past just ponies and Pokemon. Delia Ketchum obviously came to visit after receiving an invitation along with some of the residents of Pallet Town. And of course, with Daisy here, the excited Twilight Velvet gushed at her granddaughter's dress.
"So you just made that out in the open? Impressive." Delia said as she was told about Daisy's ability to make dresses with a stream of flowers. And presumably, Paradise could do the same thing with Paradise Flowers if she wanted to.
"Ah! My granddaughter is an expert Dress Maker as well!" Twilight Velvet squealed with happiness. "She's already doing great things!"
"Thanks, grandma," Daisy added. "But mom thinks I can make more than just dresses. Not sure what else I can do but I'm hoping it involves food, cause I'm hungry. And with that hunger came the food of the gala which was always abundant. But this year's gala had one consistent theme. An array of vanilla cakes were set up on the table, all thanks to Alcremie.
"Alcremie!" Speaking of Alcremie, she could be seen conversing with other Pokemon. Mainly the ones belonging to the Mane 6. Being that she was Celestia's Pokemon now, her friend pool would skyrocket. As such, Alcremie and the other Pokemon would head off, deciding to play around in the castle while this gala went off. It started with Pheromosa leading the way thanks to her amazing speed and everyone else following her. Usually, it was Pikachu who led the way, but with Ash not attending, that was not the case.
While the party went on, Ash was currently in Canterlot Castle, heading for the room that held the mirror. The mirror that would take him into the next room. He heard all the ruckus from the gala, knowing everyone was having the time of their life right now. And most of that ruckus most likely came from the Pokemon who knew how to cause chaos.
"Heading off to the next world now?" Appearing in this room was none other than Luna. She was involved in the Grand Galloping Gala, wearing a dress and everything that went with her ponytail hairstyle. "This late at night too?"
"Yeah. It's just to check up on everyone there," said Ash. "Sorry I couldn't stick around for this year's Gala. Not like i do much here anyway."
"Pikachu."
"You do enough for us anyway. You aren't tied down to Equestria even though you show up here so many times."
"Equestria's just so different from everywhere else. Just like Alola, I think I can call this place my third home with how much I love it here." A happy Ash smiled, facing away from the mirror. "I haven't seen everything Equestria has to offer which makes it all the more exciting. And then, I wanna go beyond Equestria and see what else is there. All the magic makes it so much fun."
"And that is why you have so much freedom, isn't it? You think so much like a child and yet that's what improves you, funnily enough. Lucky." Luna laughed. "It makes me rather jealous. I'm far older than you yet I don't even have the slither of freedom you do. You and Pikachu are the freest individuals I know."
"Ya never know. You could be as free as you wanna be, Luna." Ash winked. "It's a big world out there. And you've got a League to get ready for, don't you?"
"I do. When I become a champion, I'm not sure much will change. Champions don't do much as princesses, princes, kings or queens. So...I suppose nothing will change." Luna shrugged, realizing the end goal of being a champion. "I still wish to have that title with me."
"Well, if you've got enough free time, we can explore the world together," Ash said, catching Luna off guard.
"T-Together?!" Luna stammered before putting on a wide smile. She interpreted Ash's words differently than what he said. "I-I'd love to! Very much! Very much so! Together would be absolutely wonderful!"
"Awesome! Well, see ya tomorrow, Luna. Or maybe in my dreams. Come on, Pikachu!" Ash would then jump through the mirror with Pikachu.
"Pikachu!" And just like that, they were gone, entering a new world as if it was something casual. It was rather strange to Luna. Indeed, Ash was the freest person there could ever be. He moves around the world freely with no boundaries or limitations, making new friends along the way. It wasn't a matter of how far he could go but where else he could go. In this world, the possibilities are endless. And the worlds beyond that go even further.
"You should just say something to him already." Nightmare Moon, who was only present during the night, would emerge from the shadows, perfectly masking herself there. "And yet you hesitate."
"I'm sure it's fine," said Luna. "He might already know judging by that one conversation he had with Twilight Sparkle tonight. What about you?"
"I'm too busy to focus on trivial things like that." Nightmare Moon scoffed, holding her head high as she put herself above Luna yet again.
"Busy doing what? You only show up late at night?" Luna called Nightmare Moon out who was only available during the night and hasn't been sealed away for a long time. The alter-ego of Luna scrunched her face, followed by Luna laughing afterwards. "Anyway, come along with me. We can give everypony a scare if they see Nightmare Moon out in the open."
Thus, the Gala would continue while Ash went off to do his own thing at the Human World, free as he can be. The night was still young for them all. The Pokemon had already caused a mess within the castle halls, playing with old toys that Celestia and Luna had as children. Cream from Alcremie was shot everywhere. Pheromosa couldn't help but put on jewellery to make herself look fabulous. And her other half Froslass did so as well. Meanwhile, it was up to Gardevoir once again to keep them all steady but she was far too late for that.
And with everyone else, they were just as chaotic. Daisy and Pinkie Pie had collectively devoured most of the food here with their appetites, followed by Mew doing the same. The hall was a bit of a mess, no longer appearing as the clean and dandy place as it was with all of its posh nature. And that was probably for the better. Spices things up, much like how Discord spiced things up in the past.
And as the silver moon of the world shined down on this land, the gala itself was another way to escape the threat that was looming over them all. The Dread League. They weren't forgotten at all. But these enjoyable moments settled down their fears. Vampires? Curse Magic? All of it might as well be an afterthought with the happiness that was brought here. And they had their Strange and Wonderful friends known as Pokemon and those who teach them to thank for this as the journey continues.
Chapter 90 End.