Twilight's Mindscape.
During a plan to retrieve the Box of 100 Demons, Ash and many of his friends have once again come into contact with the Dread League. They were the ones who possessed the box and the only way to get them to use it was to push them. Pushing them to the point where they would have to call for a demon was the way to reveal the box. The plan had already been put into motion, resulting in Twilight entering a Mental Clash with the Lich Queen.
Already, they had entered Twilight's Mindscape. Twilight failed to get into Rosa's own Mindscape with how powerful the Lich Queen's magic was, even with the usage of three different forms of magic. Of course, her Mindscape was Ponyville with a tiny bit of exaggeration.
"Oh well. At least I've got her attention." Twilight groaned as Espeon joined her within this Mindscape. At best, she managed to get Rosa Maledicta's attention, distracting her from everything else. As such, Rosa Maledicta would make her entrance within Twilight's Mindscape.
"Twilight Sparkle...You have some guts attacking my mind in such a way." Rosa Maledicta spoke, eyeing down Twilight with a sharp look on her face. "Me of all ponies...especially when I haven't been in the best mood lately."
Twilight picked a rather poor time to mess with Rosa Maledicta. After going back and forth with Equestria and having Galaxy Master show up and foil her plans, the Lich Queen wasn't too pleased with recent events. She still had her calm disposition but there was agitation and annoyance behind it, leading to a rather destructive mood. And Twilight felt it. Just the look in her eyes and tone backed it up, making the alicorn gulp and shudder for a moment before she soon swallowed her fears.
"Just you wait and see...Very soon, everyone you know will be swallowed up by the Black Crusade!" Rosa exerted her magic with a devious black and purple flare. "You, your friends and all of Equestria are trying my patience at this point! The Black Crusade was supposed to happen 2 months ago but all this meddling has brought on many complications!"
"I-It's so heavy!" Twilight closed her eyes, feeling the weight of Rosa Maledicta's magic as Espeon was being pushed back.
"But now, the time to start the Black Crusade is near! I've waited long enough!" Rosa Maledicta's magical aura then transformed into massive hooves with veins on them, manifesting her rage. Twilight knew that she had to keep Rosa Maledicta occupied for a while until the Box is retrieved. "Let me assure you this, princess! You might slip away from me once more but I can guarantee you, one of your friends will suffer by the end of this! Pray to Arceus that it isn't you!"
"You won't threaten my friends!" By threatening her friends, Twilight's fears were thrown aside. "Here goes nothing! Eve, Dazzling Gleam!"
"Espeon!" Espeon creates a rainbow-coloured sphere around her body in response to Rosa's darkness. She would also summon a field of rainbow-coloured energy, which expanded outwards. She attempted to overwhelm the Lich Queen with brightness in the same way the vampires were sensitive to the light. However, the moment the light reached Rosa Maledicta, her magic would grab onto it. The hooves clutched themselves around the rainbows, shattering them like glass. The force of it was so great that Espeon even felt it, flinching and stumbling. "E-Esp?!"
"In case you haven't realized, I'm not a vampire." Alas, something like Dazzling Gleam's brightness did not work on Rosa Maledicta for the simple fact that she was not a vampire despite ruling over them.
"Eve! Are you alright?!" Twilight gasped as the Sun Pokemon would suddenly collapse moments later. That shatter affected her far more than she was expecting.
"E-Esp...Espeon!" Espeon would then have her body engulfed by a burst of dark magic the moment Twilight went to hold her. This dark magic grazed Twilight's hoof, causing her to back away while her partner took some cruel damage.
"You only got a taste of a Lich with Dimstar. But what do you hope to do against a full-on Lich?" Rosa Maledicta said before appearing next to Twilight without making any sounds. The Princess of Friendship was taken by surprise with Rosa Maledicta's arrival. She would fly away, barely managing to avoid the shadows she generated. A shadow hoof would swipe at Twilight's hoof, causing her to flinch in response. Twilight managed to use her magic, grabbing Espeon and lifting her off the ground.
Rosa's eyes followed Twilight, having the gaze of a serpent and the fury of a dragon behind them. And just by looking at Twilight, she would form a vortex of magic that rose up from the ground. This vortex would climb, threatening to pull Twilight Sparkle and Espeon in.
"This is my mind...So I should be the one to have all the control!" Twilight took advantage of the fact that this was her Mindscape. She couldn't let Rosa Maledicta be the dominant force here. She would affect the area, causing the dimensions to shift. The vortex would fall to the side by this shift, failing to reach the two of them.
After escaping it, Twilight would fly over to the heart of Ponyville which were all the buildings that populated it. She was glad that it was only in her mind and not the actual Ponyville, otherwise, some horrible damage would've been done. Rosa Maledicta would pursue Twilight, however, summoning thorns underneath her. These thorns would carry the Lich Queen, moving violently across the ground and tearing the beautiful grass apart as a dark cloud was hovering over Rosa's vicinity which would soon consume the bright clouds of Ponyville.
Twilight hid herself in Carousel Boutique with Espeon, managing to escape from Rosa Maledicta for a while. Even if this was in her mind, it sure felt real as the Lich Queen's magic was powerful enough to threaten her from the inside and outside after all.
"It's alright, Eve." Twilight placed Espeon down next to Rarity's couch. Espeon found herself breathing in and out after Rosa's magic violently consumed her. "We just have to hold out. Until everyone can finish the plan, we'll keep the Lich Queen here for as long as we can."
"Espeon?" Espeon looked up at Twilight with one eye closed, already beat up from just one magical attack.
"Don't worry. After this, I'll take you to your favourite place for a few days. How does that sound?" But her attempts to lift Espeon's spirits were cut short once the walls of Carousel Boutique were blown open. Powerful thorns that were as strong as hammers came through as Rosa Maledicta already found her.
Twilight was forcing this upon herself. Truthfully, she could leave at any time but she chose to stay around for the sake of carrying out this plan. With Rosa Maledicta emerging from the dust, she brought her thorns indoors as they slithered across the ground. With Espeon already injured, it would be just Twilight Sparkle and Rosa Maledicta.
Equestria. Out in the Vast Hills. Nightfall.
Meanwhile, the rest of the plan was being carried out on the outside. The vampires failed to hear their Queen as she was occupied by Twilight. As such, Rosa Maledicta was unable to spectate at the moment, giving her opponents all the time they needed to pull off their plan without her presence.
Fluttershy, who was the bait for this, was currently standing before the vampires here who had also started a Despair Plant Garden which had yet to fully grow. But it was already bringing life to the Despair Plant Seeds that were planted within it. Spectrum Shade, who was among the vampires here, was rather excited about this, but for a different reason. Enamoured by the Pokemon, she was itching for a Pokemon Battle instead, challenging Fluttershy.
"I'm glad you showed up! I've been waiting for something like this!" She raised both Poke Balls into the air, throwing them out. Out of them came her Machoke along with another Pokemon she had alongside her. A Bouffalant.
"Now would be a good time for everypony to show up..." Fluttershy would rather not battle them, scrunching her face as the vampires outnumbered her even with Audino, Bayleef and Raboot here to assist her. But Raboot felt differently, wanting a piece of them for himself.
"Sorry for the late entry!" Soaring into the scene was Rainbow Dash along with Chrysalis. It was just these two and no one else. They haven't shown themselves just yet for the sole purpose of having patience and waiting for them to reveal the Box of 100 Demons.
After arriving, Rainbow Dash took notice of Spectrum Shade in an instant. She noticed how this vampire had a rather similar colour scheme to her. She had a rainbow mane too, albeit with a different style and she was missing the rest of the colours. She only had red, yellow, green and blue on her.
"Oh, that's a nice look you have there." Rainbow Dash couldn't help but compliment her appearance solely for the rainbow-theming.
"Same." Spectrum Shade did the same, pointing out Rainbow Dash's colours. She had more than Spectrum which caught her attention. "Nice extra colours you have there."
"That doesn't matter!" A vampire exclaimed. "What have you done with our Queen?! What are you planning?!"
"You don't need to know that," Chrysalis replied with a sneer, keeping the secret of her plan close and away from the vampires. But she still needed them to bring out that box. "That garden of theirs will be an issue. It's practically a replacement for their box."
"I still can't hear her anywhere." One vampire tried her best to reach Rosa Maledicta, but she failed miserably. Twilight succeeded in that part of the plan, at least for now.
"If we're going to push them to bring out the box, Rainbow Dash is a splendid choice. Much like Ash, she'll want to take part in any Pokemon Battle." Rainbow Dash would be the catalyst, as chosen by Chrysalis. She would be the one to try and push them all.
"Go, Mienshao! Whimsicott" Rainbow Dash already knew what to do, choosing two Pokemon in response to Spectrum Shade's two Pokemon.
"Mienshao!"
"Whimsicott!"
"Excellent." Spectrum Shade nodded in approval of this. "I remember both of you back in that Human World. And I even remember seeing you battle that one time, Rainbow Dash."
"Yeah, I know. Pinkie Pie figured it out already. You wanted a piece of it but chickened out in the end, didn't you?" Rainbow Dash couldn't help but taunt her. They were still enemies after all.
"I didn't chicken out!" Spectrum Shade roared back after Rainbow Dash gave that remark. "I'll prove it to you by defeating you! You'll see! Machoke! Dynamic Punch! Bouffalant, Head Charge!"
"Machoke!" Machoke and Bouffalant would make the first move as the conflict between the two sides would finally start. Both of Spectrum's Pokemon would approach Rainbow Dash's Pokemon while the rest of the vampires would scatter, focusing on Chrysalis and Fluttershy specifically.
"Okay, Whimsicott! Ascend and use Moonblast! Mienshao, Aura Sphere!"
"Whim!" Whimsicott would ascend, evading Bouffalant's attack. The Normal-Type attempted tackling into nothing once Whimsicott evaded its attack. Afterwards, Whimsicott gathered power from the Moon itself, which was out in the open at this time, giving her more power in this instance. She would then launch the ball of Fairy Magic, hitting Bouffalant's magnificent damage. The Bash Buffalo Pokemon only moved back slightly but certainly felt the damage.
"Mien!" As for Mienshao, she held her hand up, blocking Machoke's Dynamic Punch. The attack struck Mienshao's arm, causing a bit of light to flare out as well as a shockwave. However, Mienshao easily nullified the impact.
"Machoke?!"
"Mien...!" Mienshao would then use her other arm to charge up an Aura Sphere, thrusting it into Machoke's chest. The sphere was pressed onto the chest of Machoke, sending it flying with a blue outburst. "Shao!"
"M-Machoke...!" Machoke yelled before sliding back, having blue smoke trail out of its chest.
"Is that?" Rainbow Dash smirked. "Mienshao only needed one arm for that. So much for Dynamic."
"I just started! Go again, you two! Use Hammer Arm and Megahorn!" Spectrum Shade yelled out as her Pokemon would approach once more. This time with Hammer Arm and Megahorn as both of Bouffalant's horns would extend, encased in a green light. Rainbow Dash had the task of prolonging this battle. And from what she's learned about SPectrum Shade, she knew that she could keep this vampire entertained.
Meanwhile, the other vampires already approached Fluttershy and Chrysalis but could not get close. Chrysalis put a field of magic which one of the vampires crashed into. "Stay away from me." She ordered as that vampire slid down on the field of magic.
However, the rest of them would use their magic to try and harm them. The vampires and their unique magic were shot out as they all had a green aesthetic to them. Virulent smoke was flying out, tearing through the lush grass of these hills. Chrysalis would swing her horn, using her magic to blow away the destructive smoke.
"Ribombee! Dazzling Gleam!"
"Ribom...Bee!" Chrysalis' partner Ribombee would get in on the action, putting her hands together for Dazzling Gleam as she let out a powerful flash of light. Naturally, the vampires who were near this had their bodies affected by the light while also having rainbow rays rain down on them. They hissed at the light while also being struck by it.
However, some of the vampires defended themselves by using this smoke. The acidic smoke burned away some of the rays that came their way, having defensive capabilities as well.
"Bay!" Bayleef, Raboot and Audino would get in on the action, using Magical Leaf, Flame Charge and Hyper Beam. This area was flooded with different attacks as Hyper Beam stuck out the most, breaking through the defensive smoke while Raboot tackled one of the vampires, using his flames to burn them. Bayleef's leaves would cut through the smoke but failed to get through due to the acid.
Fluttershy would turn to face the Despair Plant Garden which was continuously growing, fearing what could come from this. Daisy and Flora weren't here after all, so the garden wouldn't be held back by anything, free to be as violent as it can. A mouth was already sprouting from the garden, belonging to the Despair Plant.
"Looking good so far." Ash peered over, spectating the battle for himself. He, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Goh and all the other Changelings were hiding, waiting for their time to spring out and unleash a barrage of light. "When that box comes out, we'll flash 'em."
"Okay." Thorax. "Just give the word and we'll be ready."
"Hang in there for a bit you guys..." Ash spoke while watching over their battle, wishing for them to keep it up for a while. They definitely had them outnumbered but they weren't looking to defeat these specific vampires. They were only here for the Box of 100 Demons.
Twilight's Mindscape.
Back at Twilight's mindscape, she continued to flee from Rosa Maledicta, running through Rarity's Carousel Boutique. The thorns tore apart the beautiful design of the building. The clothes, curtains, walls, windows and so much more were falling apart.
And Twilight was fleeing for her life, leaving the boutique as it was starting to crumble. However, the Lich Queen didn't give her a moment to breathe, truly furious with Equestria thanks to recent events.
Buildings of familiar ponies were torn apart by Rosa Maledicta's rampage as they did not last at all. All it took was the thorns rapidly beating into them to destroy them. Twilight couldn't hide in any of them with how fierce these attacks were. She tried shooting magic back at the thorns, managing to deal some damage. The thorns would be blown apart by Twilight's magic, only for more to be made by the Lich Queen.
Twilight would then get on the roofs of buildings, hopping from them while avoiding the thorns. The roofs were cleaved by the thorns, crumbling into rubble afterwards. And Twilight did all of this while holding onto Espeon. She then flew into SugarCube Corner which already suffered from damage from these violent thorns.
The furniture would be pierced and crushed by the thorns, falling apart immediately. It was ridiculous how fast the Lich Queen could tear everything apart. However, there was a caveat to this. Since this was Twilight's mind, she made it so that whatever was destroyed would be regenerated. The table within SugarCube Corner would be rebuilt, catching the thorns midway. Some of the thorns were stuck within the table because of this as Twilight would continue to repair what she could.
The thorns would continuously be stopped by regenerating objects, slowing down the Lich Queen's progress. However, Rosa Maledicta's fury was certainly quick enough to dispose of these obstacles as she continued to stand tall with a powerful disposition.
"You can't run from me forever, Twilight!" Rosa yelled, using her own version of the Royal Canterlot Voice. Although it wasn't the Royal Canterlot Voice, it was similar to how it created a powerful echo. This echo sent a mighty shockwave across the area, shattering dozens of buildings in a matter of seconds while also making the skies rumble.
"Ugh!" Twilight was knocked over by this tremendous yell, sending her flying. She crashed through some of the ruined buildings, holding Espeon close to her so that she doesn't suffer any more damage from this.
She then found herself over at Town Hall, falling through the window. The clouds darkened the atmosphere, blocking off the light that beamed down on Ponyville as Espeon would fall out of Twilight's grasp.
"Eve!" Twilight gasped once she saw how Espeon slid on the Town Hall floor.
"Come here!" Rosa's voice yelled out, moving through the smoke, instantly grabbing a hold of Twilight's neck. The Princess of Friendship groaned in pain once the thorns finally got a hold of her. Rosa appeared through the smoke, using the thorns to lift Twilight up to her. Twilight's grunting and groaning with the sharp barbs of the thorns harming her skin, was up close with the Lich Queen. The closest she's been. "Hmph. I may not look like it but I have many years over you. You're just a brat to me!"
She would then try and use the thorns to pierce through Twilight, going straight for the rest of her body. However, with Twilight having control over her mind, she formed an invisible shield around her, blocking the thorns. Rosa Maledicta scoffed at this before using the thorns to slam Twilight against the walls of Town Hall.
"Espeon!" A distraught Espeon yelled after seeing Twilight hit the walls. Twilight lowered her head after that rather heavy hit before receiving another attack. She was then slammed against another part of the wall once more.
"Free me from your mind at once!" Rosa Maledicta ordered, attempting to break Twilight's concentration. And the best way to do that was by dishing out pain to the alicorn. Without holding back, she would continuously slam Twilight against the walls of Town Hall, going back and forth while Espeon watched there, injured and powerless to help.
"N-No way...!" Twilight vehemently refused. It wasn't time for her to do so even though she wished to leave her mindscape with Rosa Maledicta. Fighting back, Twilight used her magic to create a powerful purple field around her body. This bright field would then expand, blowing away the thorns that held onto her neck and forcing the Lich Queen to step back for a bit.
But right after freeing herself, she was then smacked by the thorns, receiving a hit to the face. Twilight staggered from the face slap, only to then be hit repeatedly by the thorns. She was being whipped furiously by these thorns as each hit was enough to shatter parts of the town hall, sending shockwaves through the area.
"Your mind is strong...Incredibly strong...But it won't stop me!" The Lich Queen bellowed while continuing to pummel Twilight with these thorns. In response, Twilight barely managed to teleport away from these thorns, finding the best moment to do so. "What do you have to say so far, Princess?"
"To be honest. I'm not that impressed so far..." Twilight held her face, smirking at the Lich Queen. "This feels a bit like Tirek honestly."
"You dare underestimate me?"? Rosa Maledicta did not take kindly to that at all. With a flash of her eyes, all of Town Hall would crumble instantly. Twilight gasped, using her magic to propel herself back in the form of a beam. She then grabbed Espeon off the floor, evading the falling ceiling. Affecting her mind, she would open a hole behind Town Hall, leaving it without needing to cause any destruction.
"You're only lucky that I'm stuck at Magehold at the moment!" Rosa yelled, swiping her hoof as she sent magical skulls which appeared out of thin air. These were pony-shaped skulls, howling and crying out at Twilight while leaving a green and purple trail behind. Twilight shot the skulls out of the sky with her magic, only for one of them to reach. This skill hit the ground, unleashing an outburst of magic which would push her away. "All of your meddling is holding me back, but very soon, not anymore!"
Rosa expressed her rage some more as the ground was starting to tremble. The earth itself was being lifted by her magic as the thorns were mainly responsible for this. Afterwards, Twilight would then recover in midair, using her wings to do so as she landed in another house. Rosa Maledicta followed her into this house, tearing the roof off to meet with the Princess of Friendship.
Twilight then stood up, still able to continue even after the thrashing she was receiving. Because she was an alicorn, her stamina was strong along with her durability. Her battle with Tirek showed her for the first time. "Are you sure you want to destroy this one?"
"What?" Rosa Maledicta raised an eyebrow before observing the room she was in. There was a reason why Twilight entered this building and suddenly stopped moving. By looking at this room, Rosa Maledicta already recognized it. This was her home. The home that belonged to her and Roseluck. But currently, it only belongs to Roseluck. "So what?"
"So what? This is your home! That's all you have to say?!"
"If you're thinking about hitting me somewhere, there's nothing in there, princess. "Rosa shook her head. "This house means nothing to me. It pales in comparison to what I have in Magehold."
"What about Roseluck then?! You never came back to her that day and become the Lich Queen afterwards! You don't even remember moments with her?!"
"Oh, I actually remember. I remember those moments quite well." Rosa Maledicta would lower her thorns, finally touching the ground as she walked off them. "I never forgot them even to my rise to power. How could I?"
"Then why do this? Why do you want to suddenly destroy everything and build such a horrifying future?" Twilight questioned. "I don't get it. And if you do...what about Roseluck? Will she be destroyed as well?"
"It is my duty as the Lich Queen. I will succeed where the others have failed. As for Roseluck...She means nothing to me."
"!!" Appalling to the ears. Rosa Maledicta revealed that she did not care for her little sister at all. She was simply just another victim for the Black Crusade. "You'd get rid of your own sister as well...?" And as a sister as well, Twilight hated what she just heard.
"Relatives don't matter in all of this." Rosa Maledicta shrugged. "I've cast aside Roseluck from my life entirely. What good can she even bring to me now?"
"Your own family and you'd just destroy them for someplace you never knew existed in the first place?! You're the absolute worst!" This was everything Twilight hated. Rosa Maledicta personified it perfectly.
"Cry about it. It doesn't matter." Rosa Maledicta scoffed. "Eventually, all of you will become a memory once you're skeletons for the rest of your life. But I suppose I can make Roseluck my maid just to keep my sister close to me. Is that enough for sisterly love?"
"To disregard your family like that...makes you worse than scum!" Twilight expressed her hatred for this. And her hatred correlated with her magic, tapping into Sorrowful Rage Magic. She would unleash a powerful beam of magic, finally attacking Rosa Maledicta herself.
"!" Rosa took notice of this, taken aback by the strength of this beam. It was so powerful that it made her flinch for a moment. Quickly, Rosa Maledicta would reply by shooting her own beam out. Soon, a clash of beams occurred in the middle of Roseluck's home.
The impact of the two beams hitting each other created a shockwave that blew the walls and windows away. The two prodigies fought against each other with their beams rippling, fighting for dominance. But the one who was really putting in all the effort she could was Twilight, gritting her teeth while pouring her anger into this attack.
Rosa Maledicta couldn't afford to underestimate Twilight Sparkle. She showed a great ordeal of strength that could be a problem as she narrowed her eyes when keeping her beam up. The house was coming apart just from this clash along with everything else nearby which was already a mess.
Alas, Rosa Maledicta won this clash, flaring her eyes as her beam expanded in size, beating out Twilight's. The Princess of Friendship gasped as the Lich Queen's beam consumed hers. Soon, Twilight Sparkle would be consumed by this dark green and purple beam, screaming in pain. The magic would then explode, obliterating the rest of the building as smoke came from Rosa Maledicta's horn.
Twilight was downed, lying in the remains of what used to be Roseluck's home. She failed to match her strength, unfortunately. And it didn't help that the real Rosa Maledicta was still recovering and in Magehold. Twilight couldn't even begin to imagine what she was truly capable of in the flesh.
"You've given me enough trouble." The Lich Queen walked up to Twilight. "This experience in your mind is a tease of what is to come. Unless you wish to avoid something like this but on a worse scale, you will submit." She would then use her thorns to pin down Twilight, stomping her hoof in front of her head. Rosa Maledicta was ready to leave Twilight's mind now that she had her in this state.
"Espeon!" Gathering enough strength, Espeon would use Psychic, sending an invisible blast. At last, the Sun Pokemon could fight back, hitting Rosa Maledicta from behind. The Lich Queen snarled after the invisible blast hit her, only for her thorns to then smack Espeon to the ground.
The thorns would then rise up, threatening to pierce into Espeon. The Sun Pokemon closed her eyes, potentially about to leave the mindscape as well. However, something would intercept the thorns, shielding Espeon from any harm. A magical attack as beautiful as the night sky would appear, obliterating the thorns.
Rosa kept an eye out for whoever would dare interrupt her now. She thought that it was only Twilight and Espeon that she had to deal it but someone else was here. Or rather, someone had just arrived at this moment.
"You have some nerve to talk about trouble." The voice of Princess Luna echoed across the Mindscape. Just as she said, she would come and help Twilight Sparkle. Better late than never. She would appear, standing next to Twilight while using her magic to force Rosa away from her fellow alicorn. "You and your Dread League have been a major headache for us. Even more so than Team Plasma and anyone else. Hearing you say that is in rather poor taste."
"P-Princess Luna...?"
"Apologies for being late, Twilight. I had to check if everything was alright outside." Luna apologized, helping Twilight up while destroying the thorns that held her down. "You did well to go up against her."
"What? Do you think you'll fare better? Your sister struggled as well, as you must know."
"I'm not looking to defeat you. I'm merely here to frustrate you." Luna was only here to prolong things. Rosa Maledicta couldn't leave the mindscape just yet. Luna would make sure that was the case until the box was retrieved. "Now, my own mindscape is a part of this!"
"Bring all the help you want, you're still insignificant to me!" Rosa's magic flared out to so much to the point that it enveloped most of Twilight's Mindscape, which was weakened thanks to the damage she's taken. But with Luna here, she would have her own Mindscape as a substitute.
Back outside, the confrontation between the vampires was getting heated. Chrysalis and Ribombee perfectly kept them at bay with flashes of light thanks to Dazzling Gleam while Raboot and the others threw out attacks to counter whatever the vampires would unleash.
As for Spectrum Shade, her battle with Rainbow Dash was going poorly. Mienshao was currently pummelling Bouffalant with a series of sharp strikes. Machoke absolutely struggled to catch up with Whimsicott, who was playfully flying around.
"Come on! Why isn't anything working?!" Spectrum Shade grew annoyed at this. She was failing to keep up with Rainbow Dash and her Pokemon. They were outclassing her team in every way. In terms of strength and speed.
"Is that really all you can do? Lame." Rainbow Dash yawned. "I should be in bed by now instead of having to deal with this. You're decent though. Just not strong enough."
"N-Not strong enough?!" Spectrum stuttered, repeating Rainbow Dash's words. That hit her hard. All those months of practising and she still didn't compare.
"I appreciate you putting her on the backfoot, but she seems to be more interested in winning this Pokemon Battle than anything." Chrysalis flew over to Rainbow Dash, speaking to her while using her magic to fling boulders at one of the vampires. "I would've thought you'd push them all."
"Yeah. Sorry about that. I just wanted to give her a challenge, that's all. But they're pretty stubborn. They haven't used it just yet." Rainbow Dash replied as the vampires had yet to use the Box of 100 Demons. Even with their Queen occupied, they relied on their own strength.
"Indeed. That approach isn't working it seems. So...I believe the other one will have to do. Fluttershy! Do it now!" Chrysalis turned to Fluttershy as there was another part to this plan.
"Okay." Understanding what she needed to do, Fluttershy held her breath while a Hyper Beam from Audino went off. With all of her might, she would whistle all of a sudden. But this whistle was rather special. It wasn't that audible but rather silent and compressed, akin to that of a dog whistle. It served a purpose. And that purpose was to pressure the vampires.
Suddenly, the vampires ceased their battle with the Pokemon to pick up on something. More footsteps were heard but these ones were rather plentiful. Their ears twitched as they could also hear the sound of wings flapping through the air and multiple different cries.
"What is that?" A vampire asked, failing to recognize any of these cries. These were all Pokemon cries but the pool of knowledge for Pokemon was limited for the Dread League. They haven't been exposed to the other types that much and the vast species of Pokemon that exist out there.
Until now.
Appearing from the hills were numerous upon numerous Pokemon. Not just random Pokemon but the ones from the Pokemon House. They promised to help out Chrysalis with this plan after all and they were certainly ready to chime in. The vampires all had their jaws drop at this sheer scale of Strange of Wonderful Creatures.
They had never seen so many Pokemon before as they were coming down from the hills, here to back up Fluttershy, who was their caretaker and essentially trainer. Sometimes, a mother figure.
"Woah-woah-woah-woah-woah! That's too many of them!" One of the vampires absolutely distraught by the number of Pokemon here while another felt like fainting.
"They weren't here before!" Another vampire bellowed, realizing that these Pokemon were not present in the area previously. The fact that there were so many of them of differing types, sizes and species confirmed it. "Where did they all come from?!"
And that was just the push they needed. One of the vampires shook her head, refusing to try and fight against this many Pokemon. They were already a problem and this was just overwhelming. There were enough Pokemon here to fit a town while there were enough vampires here to fit a house at best.
"Yeesh! That's a bit much...Usually, we're the ones trying to overwhelm. But...Nothing a good demon can't solve! I say we bring out at least 5 or 6!" Just what Chrysalis wanted to hear. One of the demons decided to bring the Box of 100 Demons, relying on it.
"Bring it then!" A vampire yelled as they were all in agreement of using it. Minus Spectrum Shade, who wanted to win on her own terms. With this agreement, the Box of 100 Demons would appear at last.
Any vampire could use the box, calling it to them from Magehold with ease. Thus, it was versatile for them as a vampire made it appear in his hooves. Everyone eyed down the Box as that's what they needed to achieve more than anything. Especially Chrysalis now that she knew that she was the true owner of it.
"Alright! Go for it!" With that, Ash gave the order for the Changelings to spring into action. With his command, they all got into position as fast as they could. They wouldn't be quick to stand on each other to form a tower. So, they improvised. They would fly above each other instead of standing on each other like before.
The Changelings all took flight, ascending into the air. And while ascending, they all began transforming. The goal was to become so bright that they ended up stunning the vampires, making them immobile and making it easier to retrieve the Box of 100 Demons.
And the Pokemon they all chose to transform into was none other than Lanturn. They all had the same Pokemon in mind surprisingly and no one else. Soon, a tower of Lanturns would appear.
The vampires would then look up to see a swarm of Lanturns, adding to the number of Pokemon that were here. They never knew that they were outnumbered from the very beginning. And with them looking at all these Changelings, Light would emerge. Plenty of it. The Y-shaped antenna with a spherical orb at each tip went off, unleashing the brightest light that they could as this species of Pokemon.
And with it, the skies above would be pierced with a beautiful brightness, clearing the dark clouds so the moon could truly shine at its best. But more importantly, the way it affected the vampires. Their greatest weakness had been turned up to a million. Aside from the Sun, this was the most exposure to light that they have ever faced.
Ash and the others wore the Jet Black Suits from the Umbrage Thieves, protecting them from the radiance. The light was so powerful and plentiful that it had a powerful radiation, making these suits perfect for protection. Unfortunately for the vampires, they weren't protected by it at all.
They screamed, failing to open the box thanks to this powerful expose to the Lanturns. As such, they were immobilized, unable to move as the Lanturns AKA the Changelings would stay there, keeping their lights on until the box was retrieved.
"Now is our chance!" Chrysalis eyed down the box, flying for it now that the vampires were stuck. She would make this as quick as possible, holding her hooves out and flying as fast as she could.
"I think not!" But unexpectedly, Rosa Maledicta's voice would boom out, sending fear into the hearts of many. Was she out? Did she manage to escape the Mindscape at the worst possible time?
Not at all. Instead, her magic from before enveloped most of the mindscape to the point where it was entering the real world. And once Chrysalis' hooves went for the Box of 100 Demons, the violent dark magic from within would fly out. Despite all of that hard work, Rosa Maledicta still found a way to fight back. The vampires could once again hear their Queen's voice.
"I-Impossible!" Chrysalis groaned, trying to push her hooves through. She was incredibly close to grabbing the box as the veil of darkness was the only thing keeping her from doing so. "You will not rob me of this, Lich Queen!"
"I'm not sure what your plan was but it was rather well-crafted, I'll admit! But I refuse to let you one-up me!" She spoke while confronting Luna within the Mindscape.
"The Box...belongs to me!" Chrysalis refused to let Rosa Maledicta stop her here. She fought hard against the aura of darkness which was pushing her back slowly. The ground below was being eaten up by this.
"Bombee!" Ribombee would use Dazzling Gleam, attempting to push the darkness away with some light. But even with Dazzling Gleam, Rosa Maledicta's magical pressure was still managing to move ahead. The pressure was so vast that it reached the Despair Plant Garden, affecting it. The mouth from before would soon expand, accelerating the process for the Despair Plants to be born.
"Chrysalis!" Ash cried out, sliding down the hill. "Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!"
"Pikaa...Chuuuu!" Pikachu would add his attack into it, unleashing 100,000 volts onto the pressure of darkness to keep it from pushing everyone back. Seeing that Chrysalis was struggling to get the box because of this pressure, Ash and everyone chimed in to make sure that she would push through, unleashing their Pokemon.
"Ampharos, use Dragon Pulse!"
"Sceptile, Frenzy Plant!"
"Mew, Aura Sphere!"
"Hatterene! Psycho Cut!"
"Raboot, Pyro Ball!"
"Salamence, Flamethrower!"
Many attacks were thrown out at them. 100,000, volts, the fury of a Dragon, the power of Aura, sharp Psychic Blades and the element of fire and grass. All came flying in to stop this veil of darkness which was ripping away at the lush hills. Audino and Bayleef would join in, using Magical Leaf and Hyper Beam to try and overcome this. Raboot couldn't do much thanks to his lack of ranged attacks. All he could do was keep an eye on the vampires.
It was a powerful struggle and a team effort that helped them fight back against this veil. Rosa Maledicta was occupied with Luna, after all, clashing against her within the Mindscape. Powerful flashes of magic went off within the Mindscape version of Ponyville with Luna's magic repairing what had been destroyed and Rosa just demolishing what she could. And finally, Darkrai would emerge from the shadows, using his Dark Pulse against the Dark Pressure that protected the Box of 100 Demons.
"You will not beat me!" Chrysalis declared as her horn and eyes would glow. Just then, with her own strength, she pushed through the veil of darkness. Thanks to everyone helping her, Chrysalis got through.
She placed her hooves on the box, finally grabbing what was always hers. The True Creator of the Box of 100 Demons. She succeeded in getting it at last as the plan had been pulled off. The only thing left to do was leave with it.
"She did it!" Ash cheered along with the rest of his friends. The veil of darkness was lowered once Chrysalis broke through it and snatched the box, tumbling and rolling on the ground after such a mighty lunge. This was something worth cheering about. They managed to get their hooves on this item.
Chrysalis laid there on the ground, breathing in and out with a smile after that successful grab. She had a plan and she made sure that it was executed. But it couldn't have been done without her friends.
"I already told Twilight Sparkle...One of you will suffer from this. And with what I can muster right now...It shall be you, Chrysalis!" Unfortunately, Rosa Maledicta's magic still lingered and packed a punch. And the victim of this was none other than Chrysalis.
Chrysalis' eyes suddenly widen as her pupils vanished. The Lich Queen's magic would erupt from her body, making the Changeling Queen unleash a haunting cry. Everyone's smiles soon turned into frowns and open mouths of shock and horror of what they soon witnessed. Magic would burst out of Chrysalis' body as if she was being pierced by it. And the most powerful one went through her chest.
She felt pain in their chest, her hooves and pain in their mind. It was everywhere. Nowhere was excluded. Cold shivers shot through Chrysalis' body and both her front and back hooves were trembling. A sickening pain shot through HER stomach and their arms wrapped tightly around it. The world seemed to spin around them and a sharp throbbing pain took hold of the Changeling Queen. Panic took over for a moment as thoughts of an endless pain crept up in her mind. What if this agonizing stabbing pain would never stop shooting through their leg? Wave after wave kept coming in a matter of seconds. The Changelings all watched as their Queen had taken a truly devasting blow while still holding onto the Box of 100 Demons.
"N-Not like this..." Chrysalis spoke with a weakened voice before launching the box as hard as she could. The box flew through the air, away from her grasp. And the one to catch was none other than Thorax. "Leave with the Box at once..." Chrysalis would then fall over with half of her face and hooves covered in darkness.
"Oh no! Chrysalis!" Fluttershy gasped with her hooves covering her mouth and tears beginning to show. Something awful had happened to Chrysalis. She took a hit from Rosa Maledicta's magic in a horrific way.
Ash quickly rushed over to Chrysalis' side as she was completely unresponsive. With her pupils gone, the Changelings all feared the worst as most of them reverted back to their original forms, wanting to check up on their Queen.
Ash picked Chrysalis up, looking her in the eyes. She looked completely lifeless and Ash was certainly hoping that it wasn't truly lifeless. There was only one thing left to do now. And that was leave. They had the box with them. That was what they came for. But in return, Chrysalis took a truly violent blow. Ash dashed off, placing Chrysalis on his back as he would try and leave the scene as soon as possible.
Everyone would jet away before Rosa Maledicta could potentially recover. As for the Lich Queen, she growled, knowing that the box had been taken from her. It was no longer in possession of the Dread League. Luna felt it. She ended her struggle with Rosa Maledicta, seeing that mission was completed.
On the outside, Twilight would leave her mindscape, finally free from this struggle. She missed out on a lot thanks to this. The Princess of Friendship came back to something truly horrifying. With all of the Changelings returning to their normal forms, the light show would end but the vampires were still immobilized due to how much light they were exposed to. All of the Pokemon from the Pokemon House would follow as it was a stampede of species leaving the scene.
Luna was the last to leave. Thanks to her, she brought enough time to for everyone to leave the hills. That way, Rosa Maledicta wouldn't be able to eye them down or do anything else. Before another attack from the Lich Queen could hit the Princess of the Night, Luna left the Mindscape, fizzling out and evading it. It was time to go.
"You won't get away with this!" Rosa Maledicta's voice came through as thunderstruck from above. "Take this as seriously as you can! Because very soon, you'll all end up worse than her! But I'd worry about what will happen to your precious Changeling Queen! I'd safely say she's beyond saving! You won't even be able to control the demons within either! Your entire world is next!"
Those were her words of warning and they were not to be ignored. Rosa Maledicta's voice faded out the further they went, out of her reach. And yet those words were haunting. They achieved their goal. The Box of 100 Demons was finally theirs. But at the cost of Chrysalis suffering massive damage. And judging by the vicious words from Rosa Maledicta, this was something that threatened her greatly as the journey continues.
Chapter 105 End.