Equestria. Out in the fields near a Fiery Mountain. Afternoon.
During a journey to the Changeling HIve to help Thorax out with his new position as the Changeling King, Sombra, Spike and Ember have come across a rather pressing issue. A problem for two sides. A massive mountain that shoots fire had appeared only a few days ago, specifically after Chrysalis' devastating injury. The Pokemon that live on the fields along with those that found a new home in the mountains that lost their old ones have seen the potential disaster that could come from this thanks to Sombra's magic showing them their worst fears.
Sombra, with the help of Gengar which was lent to him by Ash for a while, knew exactly what to do, laying out a plan. The plan was to destroy the magic that made this mountain appear out of nowhere. That way, the growth of this mountain would possibly stop, ending any further issues it could prove. It has already ruined the homes of the Pokemon living in this field and made it harder to reach the Changeling Hive.
"Salamence! Mega Evolve!" With Spike raising his arm, he initiated Mega Evolution, unleashing the power from his Keystone which correlated with Salamence's Mega Stone.
"Salamence!" Entering the world once more was Mega Salamence. Mega Salamence's wings were certainly powerful enough to cut through the mountains, it was only a massive chunk. The mountain was too wide for his wings to get the job done immediately.
"Listen well. You need to destroy the magic in its centre." Sombra ordered. "I'll give you this rare piece of knowledge not many know about. In the very centre of any magical item, force or being, the centre is their weakness.
"The centre? For everything?" Thorax said, having his Zorua out for this plan.
"A majority of the time, you will find it at the core. The very middle." Sombra instructed. "It's because of the Primordial Magic. Magic comes from somewhere and it's been around since the beginning. And this Primordial Magic is an Omnipotent power that's the cause of everything. And even it has a centre. So we'll be going straight for the centre."
"How are we sure we're gonna hit the centre?" Spike asked, unsure if they could find it with how massive this mountain was.
"Gengar found it." Sombra answered. "When he phased through, he saw inside of the mountain and beyond. We know where the centre is. Understand this. You must all focus on the core. The impact will certainly level the mountain to a great degree. When it comes to something possessing magic, destroying it will cause a huge effect."
"You're just telling us this now?! How huge are we talking even? It's not like crazy, is it?" Ember questioned.
"Dragon boy. You remember how you and your friends defeated me back then. The spell I cast over the Kingdom was released. The same goes for anything magical that's been defeated. A large effect will come from it. So with how this mountain works, a huge outcome will show itself." Sombra revealed that the stakes were higher than they seemed. When it comes to a mountain, this was to be expected in some way.
"Is this really a good idea, though?" Ember was still unsure of causing this much destruction. If this was something like a hill or a building, she wouldn't mind. But a mountain was a different story, especially one that spouts fire. "Even if we stop it from growing, all this destruction's gonna be huge with something this big. And what about the fire?"
"It has to be done. Remember what I said? You must have a strong will for such hard choices. Are you listening, boy?" Sombra turned to Thorax.
"Y-Yes. I remember." Thorax nodded in response. "But then again...This is a tall order, isn't it? Taking down an entire mountain. The damage that's going to cause is a lot to think about. You're just willing to go through with that?"
"Houndour..." The Hondour and all the other Pokemon here uttered, also realizing the damage this could cause. Things could be rather unsalvageable and they might be forced to find another new home. Sombra looked the Pokemon in the eyes, seeing how their fears he showed them all were slowly getting to them. In instances like this, Sombra would feed off their fears, taking advantage of them. But not this time.
"I'm immune to something like this if you must know. Sacrificing something doesn't have a greater impact on me like you all." Sombra scoffed. "I assume your hive is facing a problem that requires some kind of sacrifice, boy?"
"K-Kind of. It's a lot of things. It mainly has to do with our Queen's current condition and all. But I don't know if I wanna go through with that. Will I really have to do something like this?"
"I'm afraid he's right, Thorax." Surprisingly, Ember would agree with Thorax. "You'll have to do some wild things you're not that good with to make something work out. I've tried it before and it's tough."
"Enough chatter. All of you. Be at the ready immediately." Sombra ordered, looking at Spike and the others. "That goes for you all as well." And he would even look at the Pokemon, requesting their assistance. "If you want to be at peace, you will have to go through with this. Channel all that anger you've felt at the centre."
"Houndoom!" Houndoom barked, understanding what needed to be done. Sombra's magic already showed them all the outcomes that could happen if they did not act. Houndoom, Hondour, Gogoat, Pidgeot, Breloom and many other Pokemon would prepare themselves, focusing on the centre.
"But..." The Changeling King would ponder for a moment while all the Pokemon were at the ready. "What if I just made a better way?" That's when Thorax had a different approach, causing Sombra to raise an eyebrow.
"I'm sorry, what?"
"If no other options are left that are safe, can I just make a new one that's safe for everyone? Can't I just do that"
"You can't just make one. You have to use what's available." Sombra disagreed. In his eyes, there was no opportunity to make a new way. There were only the available options and nothing more but Thorax was suggesting that he could make his own opportunity. "I mean, you technically can but-"
"Safe...Wait! Even though we're going through with this, at least let us evacuate the other Pokemon that live on the mountain!" Spike thought about the Pokemon living on the Fiery Mountain. It wasn't just the Houndoom and Houndor.
"Fine, fine. I almost forget anyway." Sombra sighed before throwing another one of Ash's Poke Balls that he lent him. It was only two. The first was Gengar and this time SIrfetch'd made an appearance.
"SIrfecth'd!"
"I could use a good knight for this. You will help pierce through this mountain. Right in the middle, understood?"
"Sir!" Sirfetch'd understood clearly, not even refusing to listen to Sombra. If he was a Farfetch'd again, he certainly would but he had chivalry and honour now. And speaking to Sombra was like speaking to another King.
"I'll get everyone else off. And I have something strong enough to really damage this thing." Ember would attempt to get all the Pokemon on the Fiery Mountain off as soon as possible. From her bag, she would hold out some Poke Balls and one more thing. A Z-Crystal.
"You've got a Z-Crystal?!" Spike gasped upon seeing the crystal within EMber's grasp. Specifically, the Dragon-Type Z Crystal.
"Yeah, yeah, long story. Are you gonna help me, or what?" She would take flight, carrying her POke Balls along the way.
"Oh, right! Stay here, Salamence and don't forget about that centre." Spike said before throwing his own Poke Ball into the air, this time summoning Flygon.
"Flygon!" After emerging, Spike would hop onto Flygon's back while Salamence stayed here in his Mega Form. This plan required a lot of pieces for it to work out in the best way. Spike and Ember would land on the FIery Mountain which was rather risky. Being on the mountain meant that they were at risk of being hit by these flames.
Unlike Houndoom and its many Houndour children, the Fire-Types that lived on this rock were rather oblivious to it all. That is until Spike and Ember showed up. While they planned to get everyone off, Sombra made sure that everyone was ready to strike at the centre. Sirfetch'd certainly was, steadily and firmly holding his leek sword
To make it easier for them, Sombra used his magic to mark the centre, leaving behind a circle of shadows. That way, they all knew where to strike. SIrfetch'd eyed down the centre, closing one eye while the other Pokemon waited for Sombra's command.
It didn't take long for Spike and Ember to start evacuating the other Pokemon, quickly explaining everything to them. Seeing as they all came here because they lost their homes, straying away from the danger that involves the terrain in any way was a no-brainer. The remaining Fire-Type would climb down from the mountains as fast as they could. They were completely fine when facing the flames but the same couldn't be said for Spike and Ember.
"Gah!" When trying to help a Magcargo down from here, Spike witnessed a vicious flame burst from the volcano, nearly engulfing him. He would step back, only to have another almost hit him from behind. Being up here meant that they were most likely to be struck by the flames.
"Fly!" But thankfully, Flygon was here to protect him. Being a Ground-Type meant that it had splendid resistance to these flames. Spike sighed after Flygon shielded him from any fiery harm.
"Thanks, Flygon...How many Pokemon are left?"
"We're almost done here. Geez, that Sombra guy should've done this first before telling us about his plan." Ember responded while helping a group of Darumaka leave the mountain. "Pretty unhinged for him to almost destroy it with the Pokemon still on."
"Hey. It's better than what he is now." Spike added, giving props to Sombra. "Back then, Sombra was horrible. A full-on tyrant king and all that."
"Really? What happened then?" Ember asked, wondering how Sombra went from being a tyrant to somepony who was still harsh but had good intentions.
"That's easy. He met Ash." Spike gave the best possible answer ever. Ember understood it all once he said that. It was because Sombra met Ash that he was like this. Granted, he still had his old tendencies within him but time with Ash has diminished that. His positive energy does rub off on many.
Afterwards, Spike and Ember managed to get every Fire-Type off the Fiery Mountain, clearing the way. No other Pokemon was left on the mountain, making it empty. And in addition, Sombra's plan had more Pokemon to help make it possible. Fire was a powerful force and it would help in destroying this core.
"Excellent. We've amassed many Pokemon. Perhaps your attacks won't be so pitiful now." Sombra smiled once all the Pokemon had assembled. "You all know what you must do. And for your sake, you all should have a way to defend against the effect, depending on what it is."
"We're ready." Spike said with confidence as Mega Salamence was itching to tear through this mountain already. Houndoom and the other Fire-Types already had flames spurting from their mouths and body, being at the ready.
"Okay then." As for Ember, she had the power of Dragonium Z which was sure to leave a powerful impact. And she also had her Gabite out to pull this attack off. The Dragon Lord would place the crystal into her Z-Ring, causing the aura from within to emerge with great intensity.
"Zorua. Try copying them." Thorax would ask his Zorua to transform into one of these Pokemon and see if he could output a strong move that way.
"Zorua!" Zorua would do just that, turning himself into a Tropius that was right here with everyone else. "Tropius!" Now everyone was truly ready as Sombra could see. All that was left to do was unleash their attacks.
"Now! Use Night Slash, my Pokemon!" Sombra ordered Sirfetch'd who had been waiting this whole time.
"Sir!" And with that command, all the Pokemon would attack with Sirfetch'd running ahead for an up-close Night Slash.
"Salamence, use Hyper Beam!"
"Zorua, Night Daze!"
"Gabite! Use Devasting Drake!"
With these commands coming from the trainers, Gabite struck a series of synchronized poses with Ember to build Z-Power. The Ground-Dragon-Type then formed a purple orb of energy in front of his body and thrusting it with all of his might. The orb then changes into the shape of a dragon, roaring while flying alongside the other attacks.
Salamence meanwhile would unleash a powerful beam with unbridled energy which was enough to burn parts of the ground Flames, star-shaped rays, darkness, the power of nature and other attacks came flying in with Sirfetch'd being at the front. Sirfetch'd then narrowed his eyes Sombra would use his magic, enveloping the Wild Duck Pokemon in it.
With his magic, Sombra allowed the attacks from the other Pokemon to merge with Sirfetch'd. Before Sirfetch'd knew it, he was carrying all the attacks with him as they merged into one. He felt a magnificent increase in power this way, allowing his leek to pack a larger punch than it usually does. Sirfetch'd would then strike the centre of the mountain that was marked with shadows.
And with the combined efforts of everyone here, not only did they managed to critically hit it, but with Sirfetch'd's leek sword having all of this power around it, he managed to pierce through the mountain, going through it and ended up on the other side with splendid speed.
The mountain had been pierced, followed by a gigantic explosion of Infinity Energy. Sirfetch'd would slide on the ground stylishly after coming out from the other side, pulling this attack off perfectly.
But after the smoke settled, that's when they saw it. At the very centre of it was the magical core that Sombra spoke out. It was very much real as Spike and the others saw one for the first time for what it truly was. A single orb of magic was floating there, having a hole pierced through it that made it pulsate violently.
But most noticeably, it has a Prismatic appearance.
"I-Is that it?!" Spike gasped after he and everyone else witnessed the magical core.
"It is but...Why is it prismatic?" Sombra was surprised as well, mainly by the appearance. Judging by what he spouted, it shouldn't be prismatic at all Despite that, they wouldn't see it for long, the core would fail now that it was destroyed. The mountain would howl out all of a sudden with the claws it formed on top earlier starting to dissolve.
They all watched as the core would vanish, leaving behind prismatic sparkles. But the effect was truly huge as parts of the mountain would fall apart. Gigantic chunks of it would fall everywhere, causing earthquakes that obliterated the ones rooted to the ground.
Sombra and everyone pulled back from this massive collapse. The mountain cast a shadow over all of them when falling. Other surrounding areas were threatened by this collapsing mountain as the flames within them would violently flare out, causing the mountains to combust as if they were bombs. Sombra used his magic to shield the others when one of the explosions came their way. They all braced themselves with some closing their eyes as all they could do was wait for this destruction to subside. Truly, it was a massive effect.
The dust settled. All the massive chunks of the mountain were now gone. With Sombra lowering the shield, all that was left was some of the mountain. Now, it wasn't as tall as it used to be, but it still had some height to it. They witnessed how the mountain was scaled down now, now releasing weaker and smaller flames than before.
The surrounding area had been totalled at this point. The homes the Pokemon had were now truly gone thanks to this destruction. But after what Sombra showed them, this was for the best, even if it was hard to look at.
"Well...It worked." Spike said as Salamence reverted to his normal form. "The mountain's smaller now."
"And its growth will stop now that the core is gone," Sombra commented. "Surprisingly...that was the easiest core to find. Most magical items and forces take a lot more than to destroy."
"Gogoat..." But with all of this destruction, the Pokemon who lived in the fields watched the remainder of their home crumble at last. They got rid of the source of their problem but at the cost of their homes. It was rather saddening to the Grass and Normal Pokemon living here. And Houndoom and the other Fire-Types could relate since they lost their home elsewhere, which is why they came here.
"Sorry about your home." Thorax went up to them. "I wish I could've made a safer way as soon as i could."
"Stop your whining!" Sombra suddenly yelled at them. "Why should this be the end even after witnessing this? You can all just rebuild it." Surprisingly, Sombra would encourage them to not give up. There was a chance to rebuild as it was not the end. "You have the numbers to do so and I expect you all to make new homes from the ashes and dust. You there."
"Houndoom?"
"You and your fellow Fire-Types will help with the healing process, understood? Make sure that their homes are rebuilt and can co-exist with yours."
"Houndoom!" Houndoom would howl as it would do so. That would be another way for all of them to work together. All of them would come together to rebuild what was lost in the destruction. That way, both Pokemon from both sides can live peacefully. And with the core gone, no one has to worry about the mountain continuously growing and destroying everything it can.
"Wow...That's what I wanna do!" Thorax was starstruckk. "This was the kind of leadership he was striving for. Learning from Sombra was better than expected.
"Our work here is done. Let's leave at once." Sombra would walk off, returning Sirfetch'd into his Poke Ball. With the problem solved, the path to the Changeling Hive would be clearer. They didn't have to worry about this massive mountain blocking their way. Everyone soon went on their way, bidding farewell to the Pokemon. "But tell me. What problems are you facing over there anyway?"
"Oh, it's just that everyone's worried now that Queen Chrysalis is so badly hurt. Her life's on the line too. It's usually her that handles how everything goes over at the hive, but now that she's resting, I can't make those orders. I'm afraid I'll mess it up, ya know. That's why I needed some royal advice."
"Is that it? You're just struggling to get things going? Tch." Sombra scoffed. "You need to have some confidence in yourself."
"It's not just that. I've also gotta deal with some renegade changelings. They're not really all for the new ways." Thorax revealed more to the problem. "Queen Chrysalis already tried to deal with them but by the time she was getting somewhere, that's when the incident happened later on."
"Ah, you're dealing with that kind of problem too?" said Ember. "I've got something similar back at the Dragon Lands. When keeping them in check, you're gonna find some that like to be pretty defiant."
"I know. My brother doesn't want the new ways either but...he means well. It's tough being a ruler and I came to you all for help. I thought about going to Mellifera, but she's all about the old ways and I don't know if I wanna deal with that.
"It's not just confidence. What you need is some authority." Sombra stopped in front of Thorax, poking him in the chest. "Hard authority to get anywhere.
"I-I do?" Thorax stammered once Sombra got physical.
"Yes. You can't get by with a soft nature like that unless you're running a nursery instead of a kingdom." Sombra instructed.
"A hive." Spike and Ember corrected him.
"Whatever. You have subjects. You must always have a strong sense of authority. Take what I did with those Pokemon over there as an example. Even Equestria's Golden Girl Celestia has that powerful authority that she can show. And I would know. She had the willpower to seal me away. It was rather honourable to be defeated by Equestria's almighty ruler that day, even if I hated losing."
"So I just gotta have more authority?"
"Try what I also do," Ember suggested. "I mean, there's no shame in it. I'm always hard with the other dragons, putting my all into what I say and with my chest. Everyone's always gonna follow someone strong. That's how it's been with us Dragons."
"And it's like a Pokemon too." Spike patted Axew on the back. "A Pokemon responds if you've got that strength within you. That's how some pretty strong bonds are made."
"Axew!"
"Just be more assertive. That's all I ask." Sombra finished things off before continuing on his way. "Come along."
Faye Mountains. Changeling Hive.
They arrived at the Changeling Hive safely without any other obstacles in their way. While it looked the same, many changelings were greatly distressed because of Chrysalis' condition. They feared she might not make it. Next to when Ghetsis attacked their old hive, this was the most stress and fear that the Changelings ever felt.
But also, they doubted Thorax's ability to lead. After all, it's why he went to find some help. Sombra would feed off this fear but he chose not to.
"Well...They all doubt me. I'm doubting myself too." Thorax said while hearing the conversations about him. "I'm still not sure why Queen Chrysalis chose me."
"Must be for a reason," Spike replied. "You've got this, Thorax. It'll take some time I'm guessing but you'll get there."
"Prove to them that they have nothing to doubt," Sombra added. "And if those renegade ones try and sabotage things while your Queen is out of commission, do not hesitate to bring down a wrathful, hoof, understood?"
"Just do your best. That's all." Ember shrugged.
"Thanks. Uh, do you wanna stay behind for a bit? I might need the support." Thorax requested that they stayed here with him for the time being. He did feel better having friends like these around him. Even Sombra counted.
"I still have time before I return to the boy. By the time I'm gone, you'll be a better ruler in no time." Sombra put on a rather devious but reassuring smile. And that's how he was. He always carried that intimidating look on his face but nowadays, it was merely just how he was.
Advice from a ruler was a good idea but no one expected it to be Sombra. Then again, neither expected Sombra to give out this much good advice. Thorax still had a lot to learn when it comes to being a Ruler. But with most of his friends being Kings, Queens and Princesses, he had all the support he could want.
As the journey continues.
Chapter 110 End.