//------------------------------// // Struggles underneath Magehold // Story: My Little Pokémon: Grander World // by Amarvax //------------------------------// Equestria. Magehold. The day for Magehold's Pokemon Contest was near and thanks to Fantina, she managed to excite many of them. Granted, these were all the casual vampires who weren't a part of the Dread League. They had less to worry about, living their lives as vampires. This was the most excitement they've experienced in centuries since Magehold has been rather dry ever since the disappearance of the first Lich King. However, the day Fantina came here changed everything for them. She ironically brought life into Magehold, giving it more flair with her exuberant personality and actions. And very soon, she was about to show the pinnacle of her style with this upcoming Pokemon Contest. "Okay, children! You've all done well to practice with your Pokemon." Fantina spoke to the vampiric foals. "Succeed or fail, all that matters is that you make it as grand as you can. And you all seem to be good at that." "What's the prize, Miss Fantina?" A vampire filly asked. "It's such a big deal after all.2 "The prize? Well, a ribbon, of course. And that will be designed by me." Fantina winked as she would be the one to make a ribbon for the contestants. "And what about your suits and dresses? Do you have them prepared?" "Not all of us. My mom's too busy wanting mine to be perfect." A vampire colt pouted as not all of them had their outfits ready for the contest. All of them would express what their parents "Yeah, same here. My mom wants it to be beautiful. The one I wore back at the fashion show isn't gonna fly apparently." "My dad thinks suits are lame and a waste of time to wear. Are they?" "Hah! My dad's making mine as scary as it can be! Sucks to be you!" "Well, you will all stand out in your own way with whatever you wish to wear. Is there anyone here who won't be able to have an outfit? If not, then you can wear what you had back at the Fashion show. Or...I can give you some of my hand-made suits and dresses!" "Oh, hand-made?!" They collectively bellowed with their eyes opening. Fantina then aimed her hand at the door which prompted it open. Opening it were ponies sent by Fractured Note to help make this contest possible as they were carrying large bags. In these bags were various clothes that were made by Fantina herself. Spread out on the ground, these suits and dresses were expertly made, deviating from the Magehold style. Since Fantina knew a lot about contests, these dresses were truly exciting, matching the Pokemon that each child had. "Wow! Look at these!" They gathered around the pile of clothes for the upcoming Pokemon Contest. All catering to their needs, as to be expected from Fantia. "Some of you requested clothes that really dazzle, so I delivered. But...I know some of you also want the dreary and dark, so I also made those kinds of clothes." Fantina revealed clothes that also matched the Magehold style, satisfying everyone's needs. Now, you can look and choose whichever clothes you want. I will be right back." Fantina would depart from the classroom. Chatter from the young ones filled the area while Fantina left. They were already scrambling, having their eyes on certain suits and dresses. With Fantina's expertise, everything seemed satisfactory to them. Fantina had a lovely smile on her face, making the children happy. And by extension, she would soon make the rest of Magehold happy once they see the contest for themselves. Fantina's passion was really about to shine, just as much as the Heavenly Maiden Tree she planted outside. However, before she could continue her work with the contest, appearing in the hallway without making a sound was Fractured Note. The current reincarnation of the first Lich King of Magehold. "Hello, Fantina." And when meeting with Fantina, his magic would envelops this hallway, being one of the few things that can escape the Lich Queen's eyesight. Right now, he and Fantina were protected. "Mind if I speak with you?" "Oh, yes? I have time before everything can start." "Good. Because I really need you right now. The Lich Queen is rather fuming due to everything that's happened but you haven't noticed with how busy you are. Lucky. Anyway, I'm afraid your life is in peril and will end sooner than expected with how things are going." "Is that Black Crusade thing everyone keeps talking about?" Fantina asked. "It is. She's moved it up and of course, Yveltal is the ultimate force that can make it a reality. I need to ask you something...Do you know anything about Yveltal?" "A little bit but...not that much." That was the only answer had could give out. Fantina's knowledge of the Destruction Pokemon didn't exactly go that far. "I see. Well, I still need your help. I already told Ebony Rhyme everything and you're willing to help her in any way that you can. Fantina. I'm guessing you're not up for the Black Crusade." "No, no. I couldn't let something like that happen but...who am I to go against the Lich Queen's orders?" Fantina shrugged. Alas, thanks to Rosa Maledicta, she was not defiant against the Lich Queen at all. "Correct." FRactured Note nodded before thinking to himself. "She's still willing to help her friend either way but she's never directly gone against Rosa Maledicta. I have to be careful otherwise the Lich Queen will deal with Fantina and catch on to my plan." "So. Is there anything else you need me to do?" "Well, I need you to come with me. There are other vampires who have escaped the sight of the Lich Queen thanks to my magic. And there exists a place where they cannot be found. Come with me to the Delusion Dungeon." "Oh?" Fantina was curious. According to Fractured Note, there was a secret location exempt from Rosa Maledicta's view. A safe haven for vampires who were against the Lich Queen. Fractured Note would lead Fantina there while still concealing her from the Lich Queen. It was known as the Delusion Dungeon. The pathway to the dungeon was a secret obviously as it was located at the deepest part of Magehold. Specifically, underneath the school itself. This pathway was found beneath the school, unveiled by bookshelves that focused on Magehold's history and other things related to it. A narrow pair of granite doors marked the entrance to this dungeon. Beyond the pair of granite doors lies a massive, foggy room. Fantina and Fractured Note stood before it as It was covered in cobwebs, corrupted moss and dirt, aged and ravaged by time itself. They continued onwards, deeper into the dungeon's darkness. Along the way, they passed by some abandoned passages, most of which have collapsed or were dead ends to begin with. She eventually made it to what is likely the final area in this place. An ominous granite door blocked their path. Countless runes are all over it, somehow untouched by time and the elements. And opening that door was none other than Rattle, the young vampire filly who knew a lot about Fantina. And definitely knew that she wasn't meant to be here. "Oh. Miss Fantina." Rattle greeted. "Ah, little Rattle! Is there where you go most of the time?" "Sorry, I haven't been in class lately. I've been busy." She apologized, rubbing her hooves together. "Young rattle here always knew that you were never meant to be here and knew that you were under the Lich Queen's control. But...your mind has been altered so you don't believe you're under her control. And even my words don't matter right now." "I'm sorry...I don't quite understand." Fantina awkwardly laughed, proving Fractured Note's point. "Nevermind. Come and meet those who have defied the cycle as well." Fractured Note would then fully open the doors, revealing other vampires here. There were a quite handful of them in this dungeon room, all against the Lich Queen. Noticeably, all of them were rather old. Older than what vampires usually are. A vampire can look good for centuries thanks to their long-lasting age and appear rather young. But these vampires were showing their age with some of them having wrinkles or even white streaks in their manes. They were certainly incredibly old compared to the others. This was practically a resistance of vampires, free from the Lich Queen's eyes, allowing them to speak and plot. "Ah, is this the lady who has been making waves up there?" An old vampire walked up to Fantina as she was noticed by the others. Fantina's fame even reached here. "My, she certainly is beautiful as they say she is." "Mhm. So that's what a human looks like." Another old vampire uttered. "What an eye-catcher." "So much skin on her..." "Oh, finally! I missed out on seeing you a lot of the time but now you're here!" Even though most of them were old, some were young, including one vampire who ran up to Fantina. "Oh my gosh! I get to meet you now!" "Ah, hello there." Fantina greeted her. "My fame precedes me, I see." "Oh! I'm Eccentrick!" The vampire held her hoof out. "I would've met you earlier but I got occupied helping out here. But I get to meet you and I'm so stoked! I hear you're such a glamour queen!" She then screeched at the top of her lungs, nearly harming Fantina's ears. "Oh, I suppose so..." "It's true though! Look at how you dress!" Expressing an interest in Fantina's style and passion, Eccentrick rapidly teleported around the Hearthome City Gym Leader. "So much style! It's way better than what Opal has!" "If you love this, then you'll love the contest up there." Fantina tugged on her dress. "A-A contest...? Like those Pokemon Contests, I've heard about!?" Eccentrick's eyes widened. "These ponies here are helping me in trying to stop the Lich Cycle. As you can see, they are rather old, aren't they? That is because these are my oldest and closest subjects. They once served with me at the castle when I was once the Lich King." "And it was an enjoyable time too." A wrinkly vampire added. "You had quite the nice reign. A shame the ones after you lasted longer and turned Magehold into this." "Mmmrgh...I wish the new Lich King or Queen wasn't chosen by some random voice in the earth." A grumpy old vampire replied, slumping on the walls. "That voice might as well own the place, looking for the next poor sap to influence." "They've all known about the cycle and they've been doing everything in their power to stop it. But with how fast it develops, it as a bit too late to fully defeat it. I am already past my prime, no longer having my original body. I'm just a reincarnation now." "Mr Fractured Note and everypony here are hiding from the LIch Queen. They don't wanna get caught and have their plans exposed so they hid underneath the school, which used to be a factory until the 3rd Lich came along." Rattle explained. "Good work on your history, little one." Rattle received a pat on the head from one of the elder vampires. "And it's like so lame too!" Eccentrick groaned before using her Curse Magic to summon a fan. This fan was noticeably made out of bat wings as she used it to heat herself up. Not cool herself. It did the complete opposite. "I mean, I was born during the times when everything was so dry and bleh. And it still is, but I heard from these oldies that things used to be fun around here." "They did?" said Fantina. "We knew how to have fun back in our day. As vampires, the only thing keeping us happy was each other. We were still tied to Magehold since we weren't ready for the outside world just yet. But we loved every moment of it." The vampires started reminiscing about the past. "It was a wonderful time." An old vampire sighed. "We drank from the Crimson Pool for our lovely beverages but that was destroyed ever since the old Magehold became abandoned. "And that's what it's all about. Who needs destruction when you can just party and chill out?" Eccentrick shrugged before transforming her fan into some sort of camera. "And you're perfect for it, Fantina! I was so psyched when I heard that someone like you as around! Can I get your picture?!" "I see..." Fantina was starting to understand the situation. "Really, we wouldn't mind if a new Lich King or Queen showed up. All we care is about getting rid of this Black Crusade and all the tragedy that comes with it. The various generations of Liches have ruined it all." "Thankfully, with how much Magehold is sheltered from the rest of Equestria, very few perished, but the damage is done. Now, this is a new golden age for Magehold when it comes to action. But it is a rather dark golden age." Another expressed how awful things had become. "There are others who come down here. Some of the casual residents of Magehold assist from time to time." Fractured Note continued. "But...it's rather hard with Rosa Maledicta's magic. Seeing everything your subjects are doing is something that is hard to evade for sure. And I certainly can't conceal everyone in different places at once." "You've been struggling like this for centuries because of this magic to see everything." "Actually, the 5th Lich invented that spell. It was a rather powerful one. We were still fighting against the corrupted magic that made the Lich Cycle and it drove us back. But it is Rosa Maledicta who managed to improve the spell and truly make it her own." "We've been trying to cut her connection from that spell for years now, but to no avail. In all honestly, if we can just shut that magic down, we have a chance to make a turnaround." The grumpy vampire brought up a good point. Rosa Maledicta was powerful. That much is true. But what makes her so terrifying is the fact that she was always able to see everything so as long as the Dread League is involved in some way. The same goes for the Despair Plants. With that, she can always know what's going on and capitalize. Very few can evade her sight. "More importantly, we need to get Yveltal away from here," said Fractured Note. "With how the world is developing, I can guarantee that there are those who can fight back against the Lich Queen with the help of their colourful friends known as Pokemon. But with Yveltal here, that can be an even larger problem. All it would take is for Yveltal to perish." "Oh, my goodness..." Fantina was taking it all in and it was something. "I know. It was rough when I found out about it." Rattle said. "Well, I'd love to help. I don't want anyone to suffer and perish." Fantina shook her head. "It's not right. I'd rather have them dance and join in on the contests! Or even see them! And as for Yveltal...It should be free since it is a Legendary Pokemon." "Glad you agree. But we have a tall order. Ebony Rhyme is still working on her Memory Potion for you. Your memories must come back to you so that you can leave, Fantina and be free again. You had that opportunity back at the Despair Plant Garden but her control over you is still so powerful. And with her plans being accelerated as well as Xerneas being threatened, things aren't looking good." Fractured Note walked up to her. "Is there anything you can suggest with your knowledge?" "Oh, I bet she totally can!" Eccentrick said with high confidence. "I mean, she knows a lot about every Pokemon, doesn't she, so it's no big deal!" "I know a lot. But for this? What Pokemon can deal with this that I can reach?" Fantina thought for a moment. What Pokemon can she reach and help her in this predicament? "We still have a lot of planning to do." Fractured Note faced the others. "And a lot of action." "I did meet some interesting ponies back at that garden." She recalled Rarity and Applejack, who had been wiped from her memories thanks to Rosa Maledicta. "Ah, yes, them. I wish we had better communication with the rest of the world." Fractured Note sighed. "But the Lich Queen will find out about it. We're trapped here until the Black Crusade is unleashed. "I could totally do something about it, ya know. My magic is all about reversing but I'm not that strong." Eccentrick laughed as she apparently had the answer to this, but lacked the power to make it possible. "Sucks. This is the best curse a vampire can ever ask for." "Hmmm...What can I do?" The usually optimistic Fantina sat down, pondering for a moment. What could she add to this? She had the knowledge but with how things are, her actions were rather limited. "Those two ponies you met back at the garden. I saw them thanks to Ebony Rhyme encountering them. They used to be your friends, but you don't remember them at all." Fractured Note responded. "But one thing is clear...their friend group has the highest chance of helping us. No doubt, they're trying to stop the Black Crusade like us. I wish we could also reach them and have them help us." "That's impossible. No one can leave here without being watched." Rattle pointed out. "The only way for that to happen is if the Lich Queen gets tired again, but she'll know we're up to something if we force her to expend a lot of magic." "Correct, little one. But there is someone out there fighting against her. We cannot go far and we're mainly relying on ourselves." Fractured Note pondered. "We're also running out of time and even with Ebony Rhyme's skills, she can't make a potion powerful enough. Now you see the trouble we're in Fantina." "I know." But Fantina knew from a while back. "It's awful. Even if I'm being controlled, I still want to help prevent this. You said that the only chance we have is if someone can avoid her sight?" "Yes. The Delusion Room is one of those places. It creates delusions in the eyes, meaning the Lich Queen is seeing something else. The magic even radiates through the bookshelves that protect it." An old vampire explained. "This is the safest place in Magehold from her spell, unfortunately." "That spell is not originally hers. She simply improved on it. But if there was a way to cut off that Overseeing Spell from her, we could have a chance." Fractured added. "Ah, let me handle that!" Fantina had something, snapping her fingers. "If that is all that needs to be done, I can handle it." "It's not that easy, Fantina. Cutting that spell away from her is an aggressive task. Realistically, only Eccentrick can do something about it. She can reverse the spell but it will not last. The magic gap between a Lich and a vampire is stark." "Which like...sucks." Eccentrick pouted. "She's not even a proper Lich, she just became one when she was chosen as the next ruler. She's just a normal unicorn at the end of the day. If I could reverse that spell, I would but I can't get close." "You cannot get close...But maybe one of my Pokemon can." Fantina held out some of her Poke Balls. "Oh. Can your Pokemon do something about this?" Fractured Note questioned as they all leaned in to gaze at the Poke Balls. "Perhaps. My ghosts can play amazing tricks but it might not be enough for the Lich Queen. All I need is a chance. Gengar can possess you if possible. Mismagius can pull off incantations that have many effects. Dusknoir and Drifblim mainly take things away. Dusknoir especially goes beyond our realm." "Perhaps one of these Pokemon can help us. How about having your Gengar possess one of us and we can do something? Try possessing Eccentrick." A vampire suggested. "I'm gonna get possessed?!" Eccentrick gasped. "Will that make my magic stronger?!" "Not really. Gengar will only have control of your body. But my Pokemon can still do something and I know what I must do. I have to make my contest a part of the plan." "Your contest? Part of the plan? How?" A vampire questioned. "Hold on. She may be on to something." Fractured Note wanted to hear this. "OF course...there's the protective field of magic that prevents others from getting in. What do you have, Fantina?" "This will be Magehold's first Pokemon Contest and I want to leave an impression. How about I make this the biggest contest it can be? If that field of yours is so bothersome, then perhaps my contest can deal with it." "A bunch of light shows isn't going to break that field. Do you know how strong it is?" One vampire didn't see it panning out. "Oh, I can imagine if no one else has managed to reach here." Fantina giggled. "Which is why I'm going to use everything I know. Those lovely seeds that made that tree out there, Ebony Rhyme's Potions and other things." "Using every resource is a good idea. We've tried it though and that has failed before." Fractured Note sighed. "But perhaps you have a different way of using them. What is it, Fantina?" "It has to be something destructive if it's going to break the field," said Rattle. "Ah, it won't destroy the field. Non, non." Fantina shook her head as that wasn't her plan. "The Lich Queen is fighting against someone, isn't she? Galaxy Master. She uses a lot of magic to deal with him." "Indeed. It's a struggle every time those two go at it. Bursts of light materialize here and damage the shield. However, the field is so strong that it regenerates incredibly fast. The only benefit is that it keeps the Lich Queen's magic on a stale path, so she rarely gets to regenerate most of it." The Fractured Note explained. "Brilliant! He will add to the plan! I will make this contest so massive that it grabs her full attention. They go against each other during the night, don't they? That is when you are all active." "She's not a vampire...She's a lich. Light doesn't work against her." Eccentrick shrugged. "I know. But it's not the light that will get to her. She needs time to heal...so let's make some noise, everyone." Fantina winked. She essentially wanted to get rowdy with this Pokemon Contest. "There will be more than just performances and battles. How about so music, food and other things?" "You're trying to break her focus? That is a good approach but Rosa Maledicta's level of focus is staggeringly great." Fractured Note pondered. "It would take a-" He paused for a moment before continuing. "Unless your POkemon is capable of changing that. Which one is it though?" "Oh, don't worry. I have everything planned out. Listen carefully to this. My contest will have to be moved forward because of this. Make it as big as possible. And it should be when Galaxy Master is going up against the Lich Queen." Fantina shared the plan with them. "If that field regenerates faster than what we can comprehend, let's change that, okay?" "Alright." Fractured Note smiled, expecting great things from Fantina. "I suppose this field of expertise is what I should've thought about before. What is it going to be, Fantina?" The day of the Pokemon Contest would have a bit more preparation. For one reason only. The Pokemon Contest would help in damaging and ruining the field that protects Magehold. How exactly? That was for Fantina to execute. She was planning on making this contest as big as possible. It was more than just breaking Rosa Maledicta's focus. The Lich Queen was insanely powerful so every resource Fantina knows about is needed. And funnily enough, Galaxy Master would be indirectly involved. It was all a matter of what the Lich Queen will do next. The struggles within Magehold are being tackled and the story for it doesn't end here. Not yet. But elsewhere, the Dread League were facing their own struggles in the outside world as the journey continues. Chapter 114 End.