//------------------------------//
// Seeking High Life 
// Story: My Little Pokémon: Grander World 
// by Amarvax 
//------------------------------//

Equestria. Ponyville. Twilight's Castle. Nightfall.

Peacefully asleep on this ominous night were Spike, Starlight, Daisy and Paradise. They were so innocent to be oblivious and unaware of the Black Crusade beginning. But eventually, it would be known by everyone else across the world. And in the case of these four, it was sooner than most.

"Starlight...Starlight?" Nudging Starlight was Fluttershy. She showed up here, requiring the help of the unicorn. It wasn't just Starlight that she needed help from. Daisy and Paradise were also crucial in this. A Despair Plant was over at the Everfree, possessing the power to summon illnesses. To find a book about the Mystical Mask, Fluttershy needed all the knowledge she could get. 

"Mmmm...Fluttershy? What is it?" Starlight's eyes opened up halfway to meet with the face of the pegasus. 

"Sorry. Um, quite a bit has happened." Fluttershy rubbed her hooves together, quickly informing Starlight of tonight's events and how this could be the most dangerous night of their lives. Even more dangerous than when Empress Twilight first appeared.

Meanwhile, Roseluck went over to Daisy and Paradise's room, nudging them both to try and get their attention. She had the elixir with her which was being carried by Roserade, taking Fluttershy's advice from earlier. Daisy and Paradise were able to calm down an entire Despair Plant Garden before, so there was a good chance they could do the same with this other Despair Plant. "Psst. Wake up. Just for tonight."

"Oh...It's you?" Daisy spoke once her eyes met with Roseluck's.

"Sorry for waking you up like this. But I might need you two. It's a Despair Plant issue." Roseluck would also quickly fill Daisy in about the issue that has propped up. Paradise was still snoozing away, enjoying her peaceful rest. Both sides were caught up with the arrival of the Black Crusade and how it has already started rearing its ugly head.

Ponyville wasn't exactly affected by it just yet but the fact that a Despair Plant was lurking within the Everfree Forest raised concerns. The Despair Plant will most definitely come here after it is done with the Everfree Forest. Zecora, Zebstrika and Weavile were already the first victims of this creature from Magehold.



The Crystal Empire. Nightfall.

At this moment, the issue plaguing the Crystal Empire was still very prominent. The Sableye were plentiful in numbers, making the hooves of the guards truly full. The only advantage they had was that they were certainly more skilled than the Sableye.

Hiding from the mess was Sunburst, who was shocked to see the arrival of Princess Cadence and both Flurry Hearts in his home. But at the moment, only the baby was safe as the others were still unconscious now. Sunburst still wasn't sure why Flurry Heart came directly to him of all ponies but now she was here, hiding from the Sableye who were coming after her.

The two alicorns had yet to wake up. They showed no signs of waking up either. Baby Flurry Heart would nudge their bodies, hoping to get a reaction out of them. She would even tickle them with zaps of magic, but even that was pointless. This greatly worried the youngest alicorn ever as she felt the need to cry. Rightfully so.

Eyeing down Sunburst's home were some of the Sableye. Even though he had protection around it, it didn't mean that they couldn't see him. But the Sableye were actually focused on the three alicorns inside. Sweet Fang ordered that they were found and the one place they were in was Sunburst's home. As such, these few Sableye would quickly alarm the others.

"Sableye! Sableye!" The Sableye cried out, reaching the rest of their brethren. The location of the three alicorns has been found. Everywhere else didn't matter considering how important the alicorns were. This message was relayed to each Sableye, going from location to location rapidly. They did this while also pillaging the Crystal Empire and battling against the guards and their Golurk.

However, the Golurk were giving them a hard time. The massive size of these Automatons proved to be rather difficult for the Sableye, but their vast numbers allowed them to be as tricky and swift as they possibly could. And with so few guards remaining thanks to Sweet Fang, the Sableye still had that opportunity to overwhelm the Crystal Empire guards.

This message went all the way to the castle of the Crystal Empire, where Shining Armor was situated. But past Shining Armor, the message reached the pony responsible for this mess and the first one to initiate the Black Crusade. Sweet Fang, among other vampires who joined her.

"So, you found them, eh?" Sweet Fang, who was responsible for controlling the Sabley against their own will, replied to the relayed message. She now knew where she could find the alicorns. "That's great to hear. Focus on that house and get those alicorns. Afterwards, we'll take them back with us to Magehold. It's not that far from here after all."

Sweet Fang's voice was casual but thanks to her magic, she was able to command all the Sableye from a great distance, giving her a power similar to what Rosa Maledicta has, but on a smaller scale.

"What about Shining Armor though? He's still around and could be a problem?" A vampire asked, bringing up Shining Armor.

"She's right, ya know. Wasn't he taught by one of those Legendary Pokemon? The Swords of Justice? If he reaches us, we could be in for a bad time."

"Bah, it's fine." Sweet Fang shrugged. "We just need his wife and kids, that's all. By now, most of the Crystal Empire's residents should be dealt with by the Sableye. The only thing keeping all of them safe are those guards, but we've got a few of them unconscious."

While Sweet Fang continued speaking, phasing through the walls of the castle was one of the Golurk. And during its search for more Sableye that had invaded the castle, it came across Sweet Fang's conversation. "Gol?" The Golurk saw the vampires disguised as familiar Crystal Empire ponies who worked here but that was only a form of Illusion Magic. Alongside them were the Sableye and they weren't even attacking these ponies, raising Golurk's suspicion.

"I'm surprised he's not even an alicorn himself since he's the king of this place. That'd make things a bit easier, honestly. But we don't need him. If push comes to shove, I'll deal with Shining Armor myself. Right now, let's head for that house." 

Sweet Fang finished up as she and the other vampires set their sights on Sunburt's home now that the location of the alicorns had been given out. But unbeknownst to them, this one Golurk managed to gather some information. It wasn't everything, but it was enough to know who was behind this. Golurk phased through the walls once more, returning to his own trainer to relay his own crucial message.

Now the Crystal Empire guards would have something to lead on instead of just dealing with the Sableye on their own. All they had to do was follow these specific ponies who were blending in perfectly. But not for long now that their identities were brought into question by this one Golurk.

"They won't wake up at all. Oooh...What are we going to do?" Meanwhile, Sunburst put his hooves in his head, beginning to feel the pressure. He was boxed in with all the Sableye here until they were all dealt with. And unfortunately, his books didn't help that much. He believed that this was just a Sleeping Spell boosted to the highest degree, but it was far from it. Nothing he had could solve this issue.

Baby Flurry Heart was stumped as well. Even as a prodigy, her magic couldn't fix this one problem at all. The young alicorn descended, sitting on the floor to contemplate things.

"Alright...I think we may have to just take them to Captain Shining Armor." Sunburst, clueless on what to do about this, decided to just take them to Shining Armor at this point. But right now, Shining Armor had his hooves full with the attacking Sableye. It would be a blessing to have them reunite though, even if two of them were out cold. "I'm still not sure why you came to me-"

Just then, the Sableye dug their viciously sharp claws into the barrier of Sunburst, trying their best to break through his magic. That was the only thing keeping them safe. Sunburst received a jumpscare as the Sableye were relentless in trying to break through this building. They've already succeeded in damaging most of the buildings here and this one was not going to be an exception.

With Sweet Fang's order, all of the Sableye began swarming to Sunburst's home, appearing in vast numbers. They even ceased their battles with the Golurk and the Crystal Empire Guards just to approach this one building. And with so many Sableye attacking the magical shield, it was obviously weakening.

"Not good! What now?!" Sunburst screeched, using more of his magic to strengthen the barrier. Alas, that was not enough. Even with the barrier growing in strength, the number of Sableye here would switch the odds. Sunburst's magical capabilities weren't that grand. "Ah, let me see if there's something here!" It was at this moment that he continued looking through his books for anything that could work, reading as fast as he could. And it didn't take long for him to find something useful. "This looks good! I can make my shield into a-"

But this quickly changed once Flurry Heart got involved. Her magic far exceeded Sunburt's in every way. She was a natural prodigy and it always showed. Now was not an exception. Flurry Heart instinctively knew what to cast, already seeing Sunburst's magical shield for herself. The baby alicorn instantly replicated it, forming a greater shield. An even more powerful magical shield erupted around the building, replacing Sunburst's and immediately blowing away the Sableye.

"S-Sableye!" The Sableye were launched by the expanding shield, rolling on the crystal floor, tumbling away and even crashing into some of the buildings that they ended up ruining. Now Sunburt's house had even greater protection.

"Oh...Thanks. That was amazing too..." Sunburst said as he dropped the book that contained a different kind of protection spell. Flurry Heart had his back. She looked back at him with an innocent smile, loving the compliment.

Observing this massive shield expansion from afar was none other than Sweet Fang. She stood atop one of the buildings, eyeing down the home that Sunburst lived at. Sweet Fang and the other vampires watched as the Sableye were blown back by a sudden increase in magical power.

"That's the one." Sweet Fang spoke. "Judging by what the Sableye told me, it's the baby that's behind this. Her magical potential is something else. That's how she managed to escape the Sableye in that room."

"Alicorns are a problem for us, aren't they?" A vampire replied. "But it's a baby so it shouldn't be that big of a deal."

"True, but she's the first of her kind. Which is why when she's given to the Lich Queen, her lifespan will skyrocket to the point where she could be immortal. Princess Celestia, Luna and the others are much older than her, either midway through their life or still in their younger years. But as a baby, she has an obscene amount of years too. She's the perfect candidate for the Lich Queen."

Baby Flurry Heart was a major target because she was a baby. Her lifespan was lengthy, of course, but being the first ever Baby Alicorn meant that her lifespan was fresh. And potentially, greater than what Celestia and Luna currently have. Not even an infant was safe from the Black Crusade. All forms of life were its target, even the youngest.

"Now, what to do about that barrier..." Sweet Fang said, wondering how to overcome the magical protection of an alicorn, let alone one with this much potential.

"There they are!" With Golurk informing the rest of the Guards about what it saw, it didn't take long for Shining Armor and his troops to find Sweet Fang's group. They rode on the backs of their Golurks who used their jets to take flight. With all of the Sableye flocking to one building and most of the Crystal Empire's residents being restrained, Sweet Fang and her group stuck out. They weren't as masked as they thought they were. And on Aegislash was none other than Shining Armor, arriving at the scene and looking down on Sweet Fang's group.

"They found us out already? I wanted it to last a bit longer though." Sweet Fang said with visible disappointment instead of worrying about her cover being blown. "Well, it doesn't matter. Most of the Crystal Empire's been neutralized, so I'd say the odds are fair."

With the Sableye being abundant plus the addition of the vampires, the Dread League did have a noticeable advantage. And with that fact, Sweet Fang and the other vampires decided to show themselves. They removed the illusion magic from their faces, revealing their true identities. Fangs and wings included.

Speaking of Sableye, they would crawl up the buildings to meet up with Sweet Fang under her orders. They wouldn't let Shining Armor's group get to her and outnumber her. Then again, they were all outnumbered because of Sweet Fang's magic.

"Well, he's here. I need to get to that baby though. So handle this." Sweet Fang ordered the Sableye and some of the vampires. A few vampires would come along with Sweet Fang, aiming for Sunburst's home. Under Sweet Fang's orders, the Sableye would collectively shoot Dark Pulses in the air, attempting to knock down Shining Armor and his group.

The Golurk only managed to evade a few of these pulses but they were too abundant. Back in the castle, they had somewhat of a fair fight since the Sableye were scattered. But out here, they flooded the place like ants. Dark Pulses filled the air in various directions, dealing super-effective damage to the Golurk.

"Gol!" Each of the Golurks were knocked out of the sky thanks to these blows. The trainers grit their teeth as it looked like they were in for a rough fall. Only Shining Armor was safe as Aegislash had an easier time evading these with his nimble body. Not only that, but he used King's Shield to protect himself as well.

Shining Armor quickly used his magic to try and grab as many soldiers and Golurks as he could. Alas, that was impossible as his magic was not on that level. So, another method of saving them had to be done. "I wish I had more magical experience right now!" He groaned, hating the fact that his magical knowledge was not as extensive as Twilight's or at least wide enough to get creative. "Oh, wait!"

But he did have something in his arsenal. Quickly, the Captain of the Royal Guard used his magic to form a large mat of magic that hovered over the air. That was the best he could muster but it was enough. This mat of magic caught the Golurks and Guards, somewhat cushioning the impact. It was still fairly hard but the most critical form of magic had been avoided. Aegislash would drop Shining Armor, allowing him to touch the roof of the building where the vampires could be found.

"You're vampires! How'd you get in here!?" Shining Armor questioned before releasing the magical mat.

"Illusion magic, duh." A vampire said. "How else would we look like those workers in your castle?"

"But there's no way you've been here before for that to happen...You'd have to have seen their faces first and then transformed into them." Shining Armor questioned, finding it hard to believe that they would've copied the faces of those ponies despite never being here. "Unless you've been here before!"

"Not at all. We just had some outside help bring us in." Another vampire shook her head before nudging it at one of the Sableye.

"Sableye...!"

"You used the Sableye to get in?" Shining Armor would also glance at the Sableye. These once-friendly locals of the Crystal Empire were responsible for getting the vampires in. It was still unknown how they pulled it off but it wasn't impossible to think about. "But why Sableye? Why now of all times? Have you always been helping the Dread League?"

A worried Shining Armor wondered if the Sableye were always planning for this day. He wondered if they had been found by the Dread League during their earlier days of the two worlds crossing over and were doing their bidding.

"That has to be it. This is probably against your own will. It's not like you were here many, many years ago." Shining Armor continued. "But I never expected you to do this to us."

"Ehh...Don't worry about that." A vampire ceased that conversation immediately. Shining Armor and his guards were still outnumbered as the vampires and Sableye circled them. More Sableye were down there, waiting for Shining Armor and the Crystal Empire guards to descend while others kept focusing on Sunburt's home.

Shining Armor thought of what to do in this instance. He was still thinking about the safety of his family, who he hasn't seen yet at all. He feared the worst but didn't want it to overtake him. Unfortunately for the unicorn, he was unaware of where his family was, what had become of them and what was going to become of them later down the road if the vampires succeed.



Twilight's Castle.

"Starlight! I found it!" Back at Twilight's Castle, Fluttershy found what she needed thanks to the help of Starlight Glimmer. With Twilight gone, Starlight would go over the various books here to help Fluttershy find what she needed.

"You did?" A tired Starlight Glimmer said. She didn't have the right amount of energy for this but since the Black Crusade had just begun, sleeping was probably not the best option at all.

"All I had to do was cross-reference a book about masks with another book on ancient Equestrian healers, then use a third book to translate it all from Olde Ponish, and there it was! Zecora was right! The Mystical Mask wasn't just a legend. The Mystical Mask was Mage Meadowbrook!"

"Mage Meadowbrook...Wait, her?!" Starlight gasped, recognizing that name.

"Mhm! The one you said you had the Staff of Sameness that she once made. Remember? It just turned out to be a plain old stick and she never had nine!"

"Y-Yeah...I remember." Starlight nervously chuckled as she didn't expect to have that be brought up again, especially during now of all times. 

"Mage Meadowbrook wasn't just a sorceress. She was also a healer, and back then, healers wore masks so they wouldn't get sick themselves!"

"Look at you. I bet Twilight would be proud of you for using your research skills to figure this out! But Meadowbrook lived ages ago, and didn't she disappear?" Starlight questioned.

"What's all the commotion in here, ladies?" All this noise eventually woke up Spike and his partner Axew, who walked into the library with sleeping masks over their head. 

"Oh, sorry about that Spike and Axew. It's just really important what we've found here. She's long gone but if we go to Hayseed Swamp, maybe we can find something she left behind! Something that could lead to a cure! And I have a good feeling that Mage Meadowbrook's speciality in healing can even beat out Magehold's Curses!"

"Even that? Are you sure? She was good but...those curses are something else."

"I have to try at least. It's also for Chrysalis. The Black Crusade could hit everypony else with the worst kind of curses that could put their lives in jeopardy and this might be our best option." Fluttershy was dead set on making this happen as it showed in her voice and tone. "By the time I'm gone, there's no telling how many ponies and Pokemon the Despair Plant will affect. But that's why Roseluck, Daisy and Paradise are heading there."

"Wait...The Black Crusade is tonight?!" Spike and Axew collectively gasped. They were completely blindsided by this revelation. Now they certainly couldn't go back to bed, not when the Black Crusade had finally begun on this ominous and eerie night.



Everfree Forest.

Meanwhile, Roseluck, Daisy and Paradise eventually reached the Everfree Forest. The large elixir was brought along as a backup even though it was originally meant to be the main thing. But with Daisy and Paradise having a powerful connection to plants, that changed immediately. Still, in case things go wrong, the elixir was always here.

Daisy and Paradise didn't look the least bit tired compared to Starlight and Spike. Instead, even after being woken up, they looked like they were ready to tackle the day. Or in this case, the night. Being here at a forest meant there were more plants for them to potentially interact with. The sisters have never seen such a forest before. Then again, they used to be two flowers back at Saddle Lake so their environmental experience was very limited. And when entering the Everfree Forest, they already came across a shocking sight.

"Oh, no way!" And Roseluck's words expressed how surprising it was.

A Hydra and a Manticore. Two of some of the most fearsome creatures in the Everfree Forest and even Equestria looked rather weak. Their bodies were slumped over, filled with what appeared to be black cracks and other shapes around them. These black parts were also joined by dark green elements that made them seem rather dreary.

Roseluck never thought she'd see the day where these fierce creatures were in such a state. This meant only one thing. The entity that did this was more terrifying than them. And it was obviously the Despair Plant, which had yet to be seen by anyone besides Zecora.

And with a powerful croak in the distance that echoed throughout the forest, the presence of the Despair Plant was not too far. Roseluck knew she was getting herself into something messy, but to see a Hydra and Manticore look so unwell considering how famous they were, she feared the worst.

As the journey continues.


Chapter 130 End.