//------------------------------// // A Deeply Rooted Connection // Story: My Little Pokémon: Grander World // by Amarvax //------------------------------// Equestria. The Crystal Empire. Nightfall. At the Crystal Empire, many Pokemon were being healed up after the fierce event that their empire faced. Thankfully, they made it out alright, but there was still more to deal with. Such as retrieving the two alicorn princesses back from Magehold. Now there were four individuals to rescue from Magehold. 10 technically when counting Fantina's Pokemon. Repairs would have to be made to the Crystal Empire but now was not the time. Since the Black Crusade was underway, repairs aren't the most pressing thing at the moment. And at last, appearing here to see the current scenery of the Crystal Empire were Spike and Starlight. Starlight mainly came here to check up on Sunburst to see if he was alright and Spike already knew that Twilight would go here first during the Black Crusade. "Oh? You two made it here?" Twilight faced Starlight and Spike. "You missed everything that went down here." "What went down here? The Crystal Empire's a bit of a mess." Spike asked. "Ah, it was just the Dread League. Turned the Sableye and Golurk against the Crystal Empire when starting their Black Crusade. We managed to free them along with stopping some Windigos, but unfortunately, Cadence and Flurry Heart were captured by them." "Oh..." Spike uttered as he did not expect all of that to transpire. The Dread League part, he could understand but the rest caught him off guard. "What about Sunburst?! Is he alright?!" Starlight asked, mostly worried about her childhood friend. "He's doing fine, just like everyone else here." Ash reassured her. "But we gotta make sure it's everyone. Cadence and Flurry Heart are the only ones left." "Ah, that's good to know." A relieved Starlight could rest easy knowing that Sunburst was alright. It was worth coming here just to see how he was doing. But there was also the fact that the Black Crusade had begun. "Wait...So it's actually begun for real?" "I'm afraid so. Tonight is the night they launched it. I got attacked on the train here." Twilight explained. "They wanted me for my alicorn lifespan and they've captured Cadence and Flurry Heart as well, targeting alicorns for their goal." "That explains why the train tracks were so messed up." Spike nodded in understanding as to why the train tracks were disrupted along with a totalled train carriage. "Oh, right! I think Ponyville's next!" "Seriously?! It is?!" Ash bellowed. "Fluttersy said that she saw an SOS light in the distance and it looked like it came from Ponyville. Only Ampharos could pull that off. I think it already reached Ponyville." added Starlight. "Fluttershy and Applejack have also gone off to find a cure for the diseases that have hit Ponyville. A Despair Plant showed up there and started spreading this Disease Mist all over the place." "It already hit Zecora back at Everfree and now it's hit mostly everypony there." Spike continued, giving Ash and Twilight the summary of what Fluttershy told them. "We were tinking of heading back there after coming here. But it looks lik things are better here than they are in Ponyville." "What do we do, Ash? There's a lot on our plate. Do we go back to Ponyville? Wait and head for Magehold or go and see if Chrysalis is alright?" Twilight asked, wondering what the best course of action to do was right about now. "Hmmm..." Ash crossed his arms. "He was always eager to help his friends but now we had too many friends to focus on helping first. The Black Crusade was something that targeted everything and it would not waste time trying to destroy what it can. He thought of the three scenarios in his head, forming thought bubbles. On the left, Ponyville was being targeted by a Despair Plant but by extension, that also meant that the gateway to Kanto could be the next target. In the middle, rescuing Cadence and Flurry Heart from Magehold and by extension Fantina and Yveltal. And on the right, heading for Chrysalis since she was a major target thanks to her lifespan and the fact that she had the Box of 100 Demons. Decisions, decisions. All of them involved good friends of Ash. But one of them also involved his mother and the potential jeopardy she could be in. But before he could make up his mind, his Xtransceiver started ringing, prompting him to snap out of it. "Hm?" By taking it out, Ash saw that he was being called by Applejack. To see her calling him at this time was most definitely important, prompting him to answer. "It's Applejack. Yeah?" "Ash. Glad to hear from ya. You're not still over at your dad's place, are ya?" Applejack asked. "Nah. I'm over at the Crystal Empire right now. What's up, Applejack? Is everything okay?" "I've got great news for ya'll!" Applejack grinned, ready to share some uplifting news that prompted everyone else to lean in. "We've got a cure! For Swamp Fever and Magehold Curses!" "YOU DO?!" Ash and his friends collectively bellowed the same words, having the same reaction. "Mhm. Well, at least for one of 'em. That Swamp Fever one's not too hard to handle. But the Magehold one...the only thing that can cure that is pretty rare. They call 'em Sunrise Flowers." "We're just...going to find some Flash Bees to help out, that's all." Fluttershy, who came down ith Swamp Fever, showed her face to Ash and everyone. "And after that, I'm hoping we can find some Sunrise Flowers. They're so rare because they blend in with other flowers, so we have no idea which is which." "Sunrise Flowers? What do they do? Any clue?" Twilight asked. "Well, Mage Meadowbrook found out that they can absorb Dark Magic. She used it to absorb the Dark Magic from ponies who were hit with Magehold Curses, having those black cracks all over them." Fluttershy groaned. "They're said to be almost magical flowers. If only actual magical flowers could do that." "Magical flowers..." Twilight repeated. "So, wait! It's just those flowers?!" "I think so. At least, that's what Mage Meadowbrook discovered. I'm guessing during her travels, she also tried finding other cures for Magehold Diseases, but so much time has passed and she disappeared without a trace that not many cures have been found. And those flowers have become so rare nowadays." "Yeah, that's the part that's a bummer..." Applejack sighed. "How are we gonna find flowers that blend in with the rest? We could've passed by them already." "Maybe it's not just those flowers." Twilight pondered for a moment. "If she disappeared without a trace all those years ago, then maybe there were other cures she just couldn't find in time." "Ya think so?" Ash looked over at Twilight. "It might not just be those flowers. I'm just saying. I've never heard of Sunrise Flowers before until now and I would've never guessed that they could do that. I could really use something like that for Togekiss." "It's not that uncommon for plants to tie back to Magehold." Radiant Hope joined in on the conversation. "If anything, it's the norm for them." "It is? What do you mean by that?" Starlight asked. "Oh, is there something you know, Hope?!" Twilight leaned in, hoping that Radiant Hope's knowledge on Magehold could lead to something hopeful. "Unfortunately, I don't have a cure for this. That's the one thing I could never figure out when it came to Magehold." Radiant Hope shrugged. "But I have noticed something. Do you remember what I spoke to you about the Primordial Magic back outside, Twilight? About the Liches?" "I do. You said that the Liches came from a forest from long ago. They're one of the few things that are massive parts of the Primordial Magic." With her memory, how could Twilight not remember? It was also crucial to her since she was a glutton for knowledge. "Well, from all the research I've done of Magehold, I've always noticed they tie back to plants. The Liches are tied to the forest since that was their birthplace. It's said that their homeplace is a Garden of Wilted flowers. And since the vampires are descended from them, they're said to possess special seeds that can grow vicious plants. I believe those are the Despair Plants." "Are they that tied to plants?" Starlight replied. "Here. Look at this." Radiant Hope would gladly show an example. With the bag she brought with her that had many valuables including her research, he showed everyone a book. And this book appeared to be rather minuscule, only to suddenly grow in size once it left the bag. It was similar to how Sir Aaron's Staff had been shrunk, only to enlarge once Ash calls for it. And once the book was enlarged, it was revealed to be a personal notebook that Radiant Hope made. Obviously, nopony from Magehold would randomly leave such valuable things for others to see, so this was all self-made from Radiant Hope's own knowledge. The book had been opened as Ash held the Xtransceiver over it to show Applejack and Fluttershy. In the book, various images and drawings of odd plants along with vampires were shown along with words detailing, explaining and summarizing why this was the case. "Through my extensive knowledge of Magehold, I've found out how much of a connection they have to plants. It only makes sense because of the Liches being their ancestors. The gardens, the Despair Plants, the roots and many others show this." "Come to think of it...They also have some history with Chrysalis' mother. Mellifera." Ash brought up that fact. "Her hive was hidden behind some wilted flowers, weren't they?" That was another connection between plants and Maeghold. Even the Changelings were tied to it. "They have other terrifying plant-like things at their disposal." Hope continued to show the other pages that possessed more and more plants that Ash and the others have never seen before. "It's a running theme with them. And now I've just recently found out that Sunrise Flowers are tied to them as well. It's all thanks to where the Liches came from. Do you know what this means?" "It means...That means..." Ahh closed his eyes, thinking of what this could mean. He even pressed his fingers on his forehead, brainstorming the answer along with Pikachu. "Vampires are Plants in disguise!" He roared out. "Pikachu!" "That's not exactly what I meant..." Radiant Hope chuckled at Ash's answer. "But you're not too far off from that." "So plants run in their blood?" Spike spoke. "Woah..." "Plants as blood? I don't think that's where she's getting at, Spike." Starlight shook her head. "Actually, it might be." Only for Twilight and Hope to collectively say the same thing, surprising Starlight. "In fact, it's why the vampires will always come back once they combust. Much like plants, they'll bring new life into the world. But it's always going to be their own life. In a way, almost like what Ash said, Vampires are Living Plants. And when exposed to the sunlight, they don't drink it up the same way regular plants do." "The Despair Plants also do the same. They soak up the moon and they're actually plants," said Twilight. This made her think for a moment. When putting it all together, from the roots, Despair Plants, gardens and so on, something hit her. "Wait...Daisy and Paradise!" "What about them?" Starlight asked. "They're living plants too! Not only that, but they have a strong connection to Despair Plants. They have the amazing ability to calm them down, just like what they did at sea. I mean, they even birthed their own Despair Plants by touching some pods!" "What about Grass-Types? Aren't they living plants too?" Spike pointed out the Grass-Type Pokemon. "How come they don't do anything with the Despair Plants?" "It's different with them. Daisy and Paradise seem to truly be connected to the Despair Plants because of where they come from. I'm not saying they're from Magehold since Rosa lived in Ponyville when she was working on that elixir, but it could be similar. Are you thinking what I'm thinking, everyone?" "Not really, but I'm starting to feel something." Applejack shrugged. "I do!" Starlight caught on. "We can have Daisy and Paradise deal with the Dark Magic! They're literally Living Plants and they already have an effect on Despair Plants that we haven't seen before. I mean, that garden held back for you just because of them. It took the Lich Queen to get them to attack. And there's still a lot we don't know about Flora Ponies that we keep discovering. They could absorb the Dark Magic!" "Absorb Dark Magic?" Twilight pulled back. "Uh well...I was thinking about them being the answer to some of our problems but...I don't know about absorbing Dark Magic. It's true that they can do more than what we think they can but..." "It could work though." Now Spike was catching on. "They might have something like that. I mean, they completely remade that Despair Plant Garden after all, didn't they?" "I mean, maybe." Twilight scratched her mane. "They've yet to show everything but..." "You don't want them getting hurt, right?" Ash already knew why Twilight was slowing down with her words. "Right. I mean, I'm not one to be ready to call myself a mother but...they see me as their mother. And I've already grown to like them. Especially my own mom who can't get enough of her 'granddaughters'. I don't want to see them getting hurt, especially when it involves the Dread League." "Aww..." Starlight and Radiant Hope gushed at that. Twilight was acting like a mother, not wanting to see her own children be harmed in any way. "Well, I hate to break it to ya, but they could be in pretty big danger right about now." It wasn't until Applejack reminded everyone that Ponyville was under attack. "Unless we do something, Ponyville's gonna be totalled by the Dread League." "Oh, right! I've made up my mind! We're going back to Ponyville!" Twilight exclaimed. "I have to see if all of my friends are okay as well as Daisy and Paradise!" "Okay. Then after that, we'll help everyone else." Ash understood her decision. "You'd better let Shining Armor know about that." "He'll know. He'll be preparing for the chance to head to Magehold. He'll need Princess Celestia's help for that." Twilight replied, already knowing that her brother doesn't even need to see her off. "I'll stay here for a while." Starlight raised her hoof. "J-Just in case." "Same here. If those vampires come back, I'll be the next one to save it. You've had your turn." Spike also opted to stay behind. "Great. Just hold on you two. I'll be there." Twilight said, referring to Daisy and Paradise. She had to get there as fast as possible and the fastest way was on the back of Dragonite. It was back to Ponyville. Ponyville. Unfortunately for Ponyville, it was in a predicament. Even though they managed to put the Despair Plant Bullfrog to sleep, the DIsease Mist was still active and the temporary immunity to it wouldn't last forever. Shrivel was also still active, damaged from the light she was exposed to but also keeping Ponyville's residents tied to the ground via the grass itself. She was using her magic to shrivel up the moisture in the atmosphere, albeit slowly. And meanwhile, Daisy and Paradise were already hit by Shrivel's magic. They were very much like plants after all. But they showed a greater resistance than most plants. They had the combined durability of a pony and a plant, giving them that special resistance. "D-Daisy...Listen up." Paradise said as her back hooves were shrivelling. "Even if we're free from the mist, everypony isn't it. They don't have much time until that spell runs out." "But what do we do...?" Daisy groaned. "My body's shrivelling up here. I need Sunlight...I really need sunlight." The one thing these two craved were Sunlight. It was the only thing that could heal them. "Let's do what we did back at the Despair Plant Garden..." Paradise suggested something, crawling over to her sister. "Let's remake the grass before it all vanishes." "That again? On Ponyville? I don't know about that and I don't know if we have the strength to pull it off either..." "That's what I was afraid of. I can barely feel my back legs. But we have to try or else everypony will perish. Please, Daisy. I don't wanna lose my home already." "I don't wanna lose it either." Daisy sat up, having her right hoof shrivelled up. "I'll try and do what I can." "I believe you all don't have much time left until your immunity runs out!" Shrivel cackled while twitching, still feeling Ampharos' electricity around her. "This victory is going to be so grand once I see you all drop like flies!" "This isn't fair! If I could just move!" Rarity roared out of frustration as the grass had already encompassed half on her body. "This is gross...!" Lyra grimaced as her face was close to being covered by the shrivelled grass. "Can't someone do something about this?!" "There's too many for us to burn away." Scootaloo and other Trainers who had Fire-Types, couldn't even burn away the grass since it was so abundant and persistent. The best that the grass did was latch onto Rapidash's hooves since the rest of his body had flames. Rapidash had some form of protection but he was still being slowed down. "R-Rapidash...!" "I'm a Rift Pony! I shouldn't be struggling like this!" Emerald Aura yelled, angered that she was helpless here. "If I just had all of my magic back this would be a cinch!" "Uh...Everypony...!" And already, somepony had been fully engulfed by the grass. The first victim ended up being Amethyst Star. Her friends all gasped as they saw her succumb to the shrivelled grass. Her face and mouth were the last things seen from her. They all laid their eyes on a Grassified Amethyst Star. She was no different from a hedge bush meant to be modelled after something. It was a horrific work of art. And the next victims were already arriving. Some of the Pokemon had been covered by the shrivelled grass as well. "T-Teddiursa!" Teddiursa, Plusle and Minun were also covered in grass as Sweetie Belle lost two of her Pokemon already. All that were left were Prinplup and Meowstic. But soon, Sweetie Belle could be the next target since the grass was approaching her face already. Lyra was taken next, becoming a Grass Pony much like Amethyst Star. Followed up was the consumption of other ponies and Pokemon who failed to break free. Vinyl, Sweetie Drops, Linoone, Sudowoodo, Skitty, Cherrim, Leavanny and many more were overtaken by the grass. "Not like this...!" Roseluck was one of the few still active. Shrivel laughed, seeing this as her certified victory. She did want to win the other way but this would have to do for now. "I warned you...Victory was always within my sights. It was bound to come to me eventually. You'll be stuck like this and succumb to the diseases once your immunity runs out!" "Not yet." But protesting her words was Paradise. Shrivel slowly turned her head to see the two Flora Ponies standing back up. At least, slightly. With two of their hooves shrivelled, it was hard to stand back up. But with them supporting each other, they could manage it. "And what do you two hope to do now?" Shrivel questioned. But she had no idea what these two were about to pull off. That is, if they could pull it off. They were injured thanks to the magic that had been put around them, but they couldn't afford to let that get the best of them. Not when their home was in peril. In unison, they replied to Shrivel with high confidence and belief in themselves, preparing for what could come next. "Just watch us." As the journey continues. Chapter 145 End.