Equestria. Ponyville. Nightfall.
Precious time was fading for the ponies who had temporary immunity to the Magehold Curses. The time they had left was trying to rebuild the damages done to their town. At the same time, Shrivel was still around, covered by the beautiful daises and paradise flowers that brought some solace to the town. She had yet to combust and return to Magehold. But even when unconscious, vampires do tend to combust and return either way.
The only ones who could potentially fix this were Daisy and Paradise. But they had just got done saving Ponyville by unifying their magic. They were also exhausted and needed the rest. Even with the conflict in Ponyville coming to a close, it wasn't over yet. The Black Crusade sought to destroy all life after all and it didn't matter how many loops it had to go through to make it happen.
Signs of ponies slowly losing their immunity were beginning to show already. The way they moved was sluggish, delayed and even static. They didn't have long until the spell runs out. And they certainly couldn't keep this up for long. Twilight looked outside, knowing something had to be done instantly.
"Perhaps one of Fluttershy's Pokemon knows Sunny Day." Rarity suggested a quicker way to bring the Sun. "We could certainly use the Sun right about now. Come to think of it...why hasn't Princess Celestia raised the Sun? Does she know about the Black Crusade?"
"Oh, she knows. I told her that it's started." Twilight faced Rarity. "But she knows that raising it won't fix it. Not when there's an entire world out there and the Moon will still exist in other regions, giving the Dread League the advantage. It's not just Equestria that they're after. But I do wish that she'd raise it here if she chooses to."
"Drat...If only it was the entire world..." Rarity pouted, really hoping for that.
"But, I can ask her either way. Even if it's just for a bit. I couldn't reach Cadence with telepathy thanks to our range but I'll definitely reach Celestia. Ponyville and Canterlot aren't that far from each other." Twilight closed her eyes, using the Telepathy Spell, attempting to reach Princess Celestia. Hopefully, she wasn't too busy at the moment. She hasn't heard from the Ruler of Equestria yet.
She needed the Sun to rise. Even if it was just for a while. But something was telling Twilight that the Dread League might be why the Sun hasn't risen yet, much like what happened back at the third Pokemon Festival. Twilight was hoping she was wrong about the latter.
Hayseed Swamp.
Speaking of Fluttershy, back at Hayseed Swamp, she was still dealing with Swamp Fever. But thankfully, this one at least had a cure that could be obtained. The Flash Bees were the answer. But before Fluttershy could head for them, she had to be prepared. And Applejack, Cattail and the Pokemon certainly came prepared as they collectively wore large face masks.
"These masks will do the trick. Can't risk you getting any sicker! If you don't rest, your symptoms will only get worse! We don't want you infecting us." said Applejack.
"Mm-hmm. You really should rest up before going up against those flash bees. They are nasty critters." Cattail added.
"Um, you don't know this about me, but I'm pretty good with animals. And besides, Dogtail—" Fluttershy confidently said before being interrupted by Cattail, who corrected her.
"Cattail."
"Um, Zecora is counting on me. I have to help her, just like Meadowbrook helped her mother and all those bayou ponies long ago!" Despite the warnings, Fluttershy appeared to be eager in getting this done, not letting a fever hold her back.
"But Fluttershy, as much as Meadowbrook took care of other ponies, I'm sure she also took care of herself." Applejack, while admiring Fluttershy's persistence, thought about her well-being.
"You're not gonna change my mind, Applejack!" Fluttershy showed a strong nature despite her condition. She wanted to get a move on, attempting to push the two Earth Ponies forward with all of her might, only to fail and struggle to do so.
"Ooh. For bein' sick, she sure is strong." Cattail added.
"Always when something like this happens," Applejack said before forcing herself to move on. It was off to the area where the Flash Bees resided. After all these years, more ponies would set foot there thanks to this abandonment.
Flygon was just sitting out there, bored out of his mind since he was only here to drop off Applejack and Fluttershy and then return to Spike once it was all said and done. He took the skies to see if he could spot anything about the Black Crusade happening nearby. But from what he could tell, there wasn't a sign of it being near Hayseed Swamp. However, the longer he looked, he noticed the dark clouds in the distance.
Thunder rumbled within those clouds and Flygon could already tell that they weren't natural. It seemed too convenient for them to show up during the start of the Black Crusade after all. Flygon feared that it might reach here soon, if that truly was the Black Crusade in action. The vampires are known for twisting the weather in their favour just to hide the Sun, even though it was nighttime at the moment.
Eventually, they reached the area where the Flash Bees could be found. Their beehive was seen up ahead along with some Flash Bees buzzing around.
"The Flash Beehive is just up yonder," Cattail spoke, aiming his hoof at the beehive. Still to this day, it was on that same tree that Mage Meadowbrook scaled.
"Okay. Audi will do a great job at protecting me. And if something goes wrong, I can have Bayleef change fate." Fluttershy took a deep breath. "I can do this...Just get the honey." Fluttershy approached the tree in the distance with Audino staying closely behind her. It was a good thing Swamp Fever wasn't something that could be caught by standing next to someone who has it or even touching them.
And as Fluttershy approached the tree, a crack of thunder went off in the far distance. Enough to startle Applejack and Cattail. Even though it was far away, the sound it made was not to be ignored. Standing before the tree where the beehive hung from, Fluttershy attempted to fly for it. Alas, her Swamp Fever held her back from flying. She grunted when trying to reach the necessary height for the beehive, only to struggle. Thankfully, she had Bayleef and Audino to help her. Bayleef used the vines to latch onto the trees while Audino picked up Fluttershy. By using Bayleef's vines, they were able to get to the top, facing the Flash Beehive.
"Hello, flash bees. I was hoping I could get some of your honey." It was just up to Fluttershy to speak with them. Her face met with the Flash Bees who were peacefully standing there with their eyes closed. And it wasn't until Fluttershy spoke that the Flash Bees opened their eyes, intensifying them. It seemed that history was repeating itself here.
The Flash Bees became bodies of light, getting up close to Fluttershy. But instead of pushing her off like they did with Mage Meadowbrook, they simply hovered in front of her, buzzing angrily at the ill pegasus.
"Oh! I see. You don't let others have any. Well, I'm sorry, but I really need it." Fluttershy pleaded. And the only response she got from that was a zap to her nose. "Oof!" With that zap, her nose was a bit red thanks to that as it surprisingly meshed well with all the Swamp Fever spots. I didn't want it to have to come to this, but I'll just have to use... the Stare!" She went for the Stare, believing that it would have some effect. It wasn't really her preferred way of doing things but when it was effective, it was effective.
Unfortunately, this was the one time it did not count for anything. The stare was ineffective to the Flash Bees. And in response, they attacked her by stinging her hooves and body. Fluttershy squeaked before being caught by Audino after nearly falling over.
"You really are aggressive!" Fluttershy coughed, amazed by how aggressive these Flash Bees were. She had to wonder how Mage Meadowbrook even succeeded in getting the cure from them.
"Audino!" Healing Fluttershy instantly, Audino graced the pegasus with Heal Pulse, sending a warming green aura around her. The sting on her nose and entire body was cured, but alas, not the Swamp Fever. She was on the verge of passing out because of the sting but Audino quickly nullified that.
"Bay!" Bayleef angrily shouted at the Flash Bees after they attacked her trainer.
"It's alright, Bayleef." Fluttershy groaned after being brought down by Audino. "We'll try again. But it looks like they won't let us anywhere near it at all. My words and the stare didn't work."
"Audino..."
"Okay. I'd rather not have to retry this multiple times." She took a deep breath. "Not when the Black Crusade is happening. Zecora could be turned into a tree at any moment thanks to Swamp Fever. And I wouldn't mind being a tree myself but...that doesn't matter right now. What can I do here?"
"Bay..." Bayleef scratched her face with her vines. She would then raise her leg, suggesting something.
"No, Bayleef. Your leaf won't work in a situation like this." Fluttershy already knew what she would suggest. But in a scenario like this, the Fate Changing Leaf was ineffective, unfortunately.
"Bayleef..." Bayleef lowered her ears, followed by a head pat from Audino to comfort her.
"That's it!" Fluttershy gasped, coming up with something. "We're not exactly doing everything Mage Meadowbrook did back then. The book I read said that she had the Mystical Mask on as well. That might be what we need!"
"Audino?" Audino and Bayleef looked at each other, unsure as to what Fluttershy was getting at. "Dino?"
"No. She didn't throw a mask at them." Fluttershy translated. "The male bees aren't aggressive around the queen bee, and the mask has the same stripes that she does. Let's get ourselves that mask and that honey!" Fluttershy was back on her feet that quickly. All it took was for her to think deeper and recall Mage Meadowbrook's records.
And at the same time, the skies above were changing. Right as she struck an idea, the Sun was beginning to rise. The Moon saw itself leaving for the meanwhile, showing the brilliant Sun in all of its glory. It seemed that Twilight's telepathic message reached Celestia and the request was indeed made. It was way too early for the Sun to be up but it made sense as to why this was the case.
Fluttershy squinted her eyes before looking at the Sun's warm embrace. It was a welcoming sight considering what was occurring currently. The Sun was also a sign of hope since Celestia was the one to raise it. Looking at the Sun gave Fluttershy the extra spirit she needed to get this mission of hers done.
Ponyville.
"Woooh..." And of course, when reacting to the sunlight, the Flora Ponies opened their eyes, regaining energy. Daisy sat up, feeling absolutely perplexed after what happened minutes ago. Paradise simply rolled off her bed, landing flat on her face. The two of them groaned, stretching their hooves to find further relief.
"I forgot how instant it is for them to get back up." Rarity said once the Flora Ponies were re-energized.
"Thank you, Princess. And hopefully, this keeps the vampires who're approaching here back." Twilight thanked Princess Celestia for bringing the Sun up. While it would mess with the time a bit, Celestia would make sure things were put back to normal after this is all over.
"Mom...? Rarity?" said Paradise after raising her head. "Oh, is it morning already? It doesn't feel like it should be."
"Just some sunlight for you two," Twilight answered. "Sorry if I woke you up from a nice dream."
"It's fine, mom. Seeing you here is like a dream." Daisy giggled before hopping off the bed. And once she did, she used her magic to generate daises below her, using them as a platform. Daisy would then trot down the Platform of Daisies to meet with her mother. "Is everything okay back out there? We used our magic to try and fix everything..."
"It's perfect." Rarity spoke. "You did an amazing job, you two, revitalizing the grass in such a beautiful way. But, it's not completely done yet. Some ponies are still ill thanks to those Magehold Curses."
"Still?" Daisy repeated. "Oh...I thought that our magic would fix that too. Did it at least stop the Despair Plant?"
"That worked like a charm too. It's exactly like how it was back with the Despair Plant Garden. And it looks like Ash is already taking the opportunity to interact with it." Twilight looked outside, seeing Ash and Pikachu next to the Despair Plant. But instead of battling it, they were admiring it.
"That's some pretty tough grass you got, huh? It looks so much like everything else." Ash said, pointing out the Despair Plant's durability. It was stunning since it appeared much like any other form of grass and yet it was impossible to damage without the right form of Light. The Bullfrog replied by croaking at Ash.
"I never bothered to really wonder why you two have such a connection to the Despair Plants. It wasn't until Radiant Hope revealed quite a bit that I started to piece things together. Vampires are closely related to Plants. Almost as if they're living plants. And you two are actually Living Plants."
"Yeah? What are you getting at, Mom?" Paradise asked.
"I hope this isn't too much of a drag and bother since you two just healed up but...please." Twilight put her hooves together, pleading for help from her own daughters. "Heal everypony else if you can."
"Us? Heal?" Daisy pulled back.
"It's something that I thought might work. I thought that you two might have the ability to remove the curses from them. Maybe not with your Creation Magic but with something else. I'm sorry if-"
"Okay." But before Twilight could finish her sentence, Daisy and Paradise collectively spoke, agreeing to it.
"Eh?" Twilight looked up at them, surprised that they took the answer that quickly. "T-That fast?"
"Why not?" Paradise shrugged. "We already made a decision like that earlier. We were trying to save everypony else since things were getting too close to call."
"We'd be glad to help. You don't have to ask us, Mom. This is our home after all and we'd do anything to protect it."
"But...what could happen if you absorb it? I mean, if you can absorb it? What will the magic do to you two?"
"Only one way to find out. And if we pass out, we've got the Sun to help us." Daisy looked outside to where the Sun was shining the most.
"You have a lot of faith and hope for that Sun. I don't blame you though. You two seem to be at your best when it shines." said Rarity. "Twilight, darling. I believe that your daughters have all the confidence possible. And I'll put all of my faith in that confidence.
"Alright..." Twilight nodded before taking a deep breath. She held out Togekiss' Poke Ball as she was the only one of Twilight's Pokemon that had been hit by something from Magehold. "Out you come, Togekiss."
"Togekiss..." Togekiss appeared. She was still poisoned thanks to the vampire. She nearly fell over the moment she exited the Poke Ball, nearly losing their balance. It took Absol and Espeon to keep their winged friend stable.
"TRy and see if you can heal Togekiss. Please." Twilight requested.
"Gotcha." Daisy and Paradise approached the Jubilee Pokemon. It was time to see how far their magic could take them. It has already proven to be stupendous in what it could achieve. But there were still things unknown about the Flora Ponies that have yet to be revealed. Now was the chance to show more of it.
Togekiss groaned when looking at these two, putting on a light smile for comfort. Even when she was in a poor state, Togekiss always wanted to give everyone some form of comfort, truly living up to her status as the Jubilee Pokemon. Daisy and Paradise weren't sure how to approach this. They would simply wing it from here.
In unison, the Flora Ponies placed their hooves on Togekiss, specifically touching the Black Cracks that formed across her body. With their eyes closing, the Flora Ponies stayed silent, seeing what could come from this. All of a sudden, their hooves let out a light when touching Togekiss. That was already a good sign. Now it was just time for the execution of it.
Togekiss grunted as she felt something. Something was being pulled out of her all of a sudden. The light that came from Daisy and Paradise's hooves was the reason for that. Twilight and Rarity gasped as they saw the Black Cracks trembling in response to this contact. The respective flowers of the two Flora Ponies would show themselves, gently moving across Togekiss' body.
Specifically, they were overlaying themselves the Black Cracks, covering their unsightliness. Indeed, the Flora Ponies could interact with these Black Cracks, showing that they could do something about Magehold's creations once more. The cracks were being pulled away after they were covered by the flowers, exiting Togekiss' body. Togekiss felt a bit of pain but that was soon followed by a warm and soothing feeling that calmed her down.
Daisy and Paradise collectively stepped back, bringing the cracks further to them. Togekiss' body was no longer being purged and attacked by those cracks as they were all being stripped from her. However, the moment the cracks all vanished, Daisy and Paradise fell on their backs.
"Oh! Are you alright?!" Twilight gasped after seeing her daughters drop to the floor. On the plus side, Togekiss was cured. The cruel poison had left her body, purifying her and bringing her back to full strength.
"T-Toge...Togekiss!" Togekiss!" And she showed this by flying around excitedly, being energized once more.
"I-It worked..." Daisy said, feeling dizzy. "Oh, but I feel weird..."
"Same here..." Paradise groaned. "What's up with that?"
"Well...it looks like they can cure others of Magehold's diseases." Rarity uttered. "Amazing...So all of these diseases are tied to plants? Is that what this is?"
"Oh, but you two look pretty hurt from it." Twilight placed her hooves on her daughters. "I mean, it's a good thing that you can fix this but..."
"Don't worry about it, Mom...We've only got like the entire town to heal up. I'm sure it'll be fine." Paradise chuckled with one eye closed, trying to hide the pain. "Plus, we've got the Sun backing us up, right?"
"Right. Just take it easy, okay? Take breaks when healing everyone. It might take a while, but I'm sure we can get everyone back to normal by the end of it." Twilight requested. She wanted her daughters to go slowly when healing everyone else, otherwise, they might come down with something soon. But it was good to know that these two could heal others from Magehold's Curses.
But as soon as this was discovered and a grand opportunity laid before them, the Sun was beginning to lower. Everyone took notice of this as it was no longer shining brightly in the sky. Twilight gasped as the Sun left the scene completely and instead, the Moon was beginning to show up. This surprised Twilight as she thought Celestia would keep the Sun active for a while. But it seemed to be rather short-lived. Twilight had to know this was the case.
"Princess Celestia?! What's going on?!" She used telepathy to speak to her from all the way here.
"I'm afraid I'm not doing this, Twilight...It's the Lich Queen." Celestia could already tell who was responsible for this. Only a pony as powerful as her could be behind such an act. And it was a pony who wanted this night to last as long as possible for her terrifying vampiric forces.
The Lich Queen Rosa Maledicta. And with the Flora Ponies only just now healing, the Sun that they could bank on wasn't here to back them up right now, even though they had the answer to Magehold's cures. The Lich Queen was now getting involved, finally interfering with Equestria's actions. All for the sake of the Black Crusade's success.
As the journey continues.
Chapter 147 End.