Equestria. Ponyville. Nightfall.
"Waaah..." Daisy and Paradise had yet to fully heal thanks to the disappearance of te Sun. Earlier, Celestia had raised it to heal the Flora Ponies but thanks to the interference of Rosa Maledicta, who had the same kind of power, they could not full heal. They still had some power left to at least heal someone else, but much like how they cured Togekiss, they would feel a great pushback to their own bodies, harming themselves in the process. And there wouldn't be any sunlight to heal them.
"Is she finally on the move, Princess Celestia?" Twilight spoke to Celestia with telepathy.
"I don't think so. She's most likely still at Magehold but she can manipulate the Moon either way. I can still raise the Sun but she'll definitely interfere just to give her vampires an advantage." Celestia replied while being situated at Canterlot. "I'm afraid there might a back and forth now. Be careful, Twilight."
"Curse that Lich Queen!" Rarity groaned. It's not like anyone can just control the Sun and Moon like that! She's not even an alicorn! How can she even do this?!"
"I don't think that's what matters, Rarity. She's just that strong when it comes to magic. Princess Celestia can definitely bring it back but nothing's stopping the Lich Queen from trying it again. And she picked the most convenient time to interfere. Since Ponyville's been attacked already, the whole town's now within her sights."
"Mom...I don't think I can do it back to back." Paradise groaned. Without the Sun's glorious rays, she and Daisy could not eal and continue their magical abilities. Already using it on Togekiss harmed them so there was no way the entire town would be safe for them.
"It's okay, you two. It'll be alright." Twilight and Togekiss who had just been cured, helped up the two Flora Ponies, getting them back on their hooves. "Rarity. We might have to try that Sunny Day approach after all."
"W-Will it work though?" Rarity stammered. Now she wasn't so sure about her plan since the Lich Queen was now involved.
"It's not like Princess Celestia's been shut down from controlling the Sun. While we have the opportunity, let's try and get it back up. The more Sunpower on our side, the easier it'll be."
"Do we have enough time for that, Twilight?" Rarity questioned. "How fast will those curses take some of them away?!"
"The curses will eat away at everypony. It won't take them out in one night, thankfully. But we can't afford to waste time either. Let's see which of those Pokemon can bring us a Sunny Day as soon as possible."
Magehold.
Back at Magehold, with the Lich Queen feeling the need to intervene a bit now that she has regained some strength, keeping the Moon up was certainly a splendid and powerful way to do so. Granted, the Moon was always present here at Magehold with so sign of sunlight so nothing really changed about this area.
Rosa Maledicta was now being patient, waiting for Celestia's next move. With the Lich Queen active, she wanted to make sure that Equestria's Ruler wasn't getting ahead of her and that meant foiling her actions before she was the one who could be foiled.
However, elsewhere, when searching for Fantina, Fractured Note looked across the Contest Hall for the Hearthome City Gym Leader, only to find nothing. Fantina was not present here. Instead, he found Fantina in none other than Eccentrick's home.
"There you are. Fantina. Your contest. Isn't it ready yet?" Fractured Note asked.
"Sorry, sorry. It will be ready soon. I just have to make sure all the contestants are prepared." Fantina replied as there was currently no sign of Eccentrick in her own home. Speaking of her home, Eccentrick certainly lived up to her name. It was by far the most colourful home in all of Magehold from what Fantina has seen so far.
Eccentrick had stars of various colours plastered all over her walls, followed by draped curtains which resembled that of fangs. Specifically, coloured fangs. And with the wind blowing, the drapes would close the fangs, gnawing at the air. Her room was also filled with posters of what appeared to be herself. Eccentrick had her own posters which showed her in different poses.
"The Black Crusade's just started and at any moment, the mess it'll make could come here and disrupt the contest. I can already guess that much."
"Miss Fantina!" Rushing into the room was Eccentrick herself, coming to a screeching halt in front of the Gym Leader. "Okay! I think I've got the perfect style for my performance?"
"Ah, so you've figured it out? What about your dress?"
"Here it is! In all of its glory!" Eccentrick held the dress out, showing how bombastic it was. It was bombastic in the sense that it was just Fantina's dress but catered to fit a pony and had more parts to it. "I modelled it after yours! You're the only one here who wears a dress and I love the way it looks!"
"Oh, just me? I thought some ponies would have dresses honestly."
"Uh, Just Opal." Eccentrick pouted. "She even wears them to mock us, reminding us that she's Magehold's most beautiful or something like that. But you made new dresses for everypony so there's that problem solved."
"I take it you'll be ready by this morning?" Fractured Note asked. "The Lich Queen is rather busy right now. So busy that she's not even looking over Magehold."
"She's not?" Fantina and Eccentrick collectively uttered as this was new to them.
"The Black Crusade is in full swing. It requires her full attention. Unless the conflict reaches here, that's when she'll be aware. So she won't have time to bother with anything else here. Such as your contest, Fantina."
"Ah, I see. Well, things can carry on as they were before either way." Fantina shrugged. "You don't have to worry about any delays of the sort, Fractured. I believe you'll be seeing the contest in full swing. And Eccentrick. You're practically ready, aren't you?"
"I am! I've been waiting for this day for so long, Miss Fantina. I mean, it's been centuries but...better late than never, right?" Eccentrick grinned. "Thank you for this opportunity!"
"Oh, it's just something I enjoy doing, my little pony. And since it's something that everypony will enjoy after the Fashion Show I put on. I've even been told that many others have been waiting for this just like you."
"Mhm. But uh...what if Opal returns? Will you try it again? She's too busy to show up here right about now." Eccentrick questioned, bringing up Opal Vivacity. "She might tear this one down like she did with everything else."
"Is she that set on being so beautiful?"
"Not just beautiful but also the next Lich Queen." Fractured Note joined in. "And to her, being the most beautiful while also being the next Lich Queen is a double bonus. If she were to ever reach that power, anything that opposes her beauty will be erased. Much like what she did to the events in the past."
"There were other events here at Magehold besides mine?" Fantina gasped. For a while, she hasn't heard about any Magehold Events whatsoever. The only event that was known here was The Black Crusade and that was something that had been built up since the Lich Cycle began.
"There were. Even during my time as the first Lich King. But as the Lich Cycle began and more Lich Rulers came into power, that was the same time Opal's obsession began. She was so vain of herself that every event that involved beauty or style of the kind, she not only exceeded at them...but crushed them to the point where nopony else could contend."
"Are you saying she performed so well they stopped?"
"No. I mean she stripped contestants of their senses." Fractured Note revealed a rather horrifying fact about Opal Vivacity and what she has done.
"Y-You don't mean-" Fantina's eyes trembled as she was hoping that Fractured Note wasn't eluding to what she thought he was.
"It happened to one of my friends too," Eccentrick said as her tone suddenly changed. Usually, it was ecstatic and loud but now it had been lowered. "There was an event once that involved our best looks...but Opal ended up taking away their eyesight. All of my friends were hit by this and they couldn't see at all."
"Over 500 ponies lost their eyesight that day. Or, their eyesight was so elevated to the point where it was hard for them to keep their eyes open. They'd rather lose their eyeballs. Opal has the power to bring them back but there is no way she's letting that happen."
"She just got away with that?! But-"
"She got away with a lot, Fantina. As much as I hate to admit it, Opal was always adept at Curse Magic. She's considered a natural prodigy and some even saw her being a potential Lich Queen in the future. It still carries over today." Fractured Note said. "She even managed to cut something that's not even a sense but her magic seemed to make that breakthrough."
"She cut the ability to sing. And I mean my ability." Eccentrick revealed that she was another victim of Opal's Curse Magic. And for her, it was an ability to sing that was now lost from her. "I was looking forward to a Singing Contest...but that was when Opal ruined it for us." She even recalled that day where her singing ability was taken from her. Vampires do have great memories despite their long lifespans.
It was a time when Magehold was more prone to have competitions and contests. Just for leisure and entertainment. And this was mainly done by the ponies who weren't involved with the Dread League. These were vampire ponies who were only living their lives while the Dread League trained themselves.
A young Eccentrick, who looked relatively the same at this point, was preparing for the opportunity to show off her vocal skills among many other vampire ponies. They were backstage where many other ponies were waiting for them to show up and give their best songs.
"We were all so excited for that day. But Opal, in secrecy, caught us by surprise and revealed the newest evolution of her magic. She made us the first targets of her breakthrough, taking away our ability to sing." Eccentrick narrated. She recalled how Opal appeared backstage, letting the newest evolution of her magic play it out.
It let out a wide wave that encompassed the ponies without them even seeing it coming. She did this from behind, catching them off guard as they felt the magic pass through the, attacking their greatest talent that they felt proud of. But not anymore. With just this expansion of magic, the young vampires of this time had lost their singing voices.
But it never dawned on them until they got out on stage. They just assumed Opal startled them for no reason. And the moment they entered the stage, they tried emitting some music from their mouths. However, it wasn't a case of them singing poorly. Instead, everything was silent. The skill to sing or emit anything that sounds remotely close to singing had been wiped out of their bodies completely.
And it was a truly embarrassing moment for many. And also saddening. Their eagerness had been dropped instantly when no sound came from them. Not a single vocal talent could be found within anymore. The crowd watching was rather confused and saw this as some sort of joke. Why would they waste their time coming out here when they couldn't hear a sliver of music?
Eccentrick and many others were booed after delivering nothing at all to the crowd that came here. And for these young ponies, something like this was crushing. They just witnessed their dreams shatter and the sign of an event that they were looking forward to being torn away. For good.
Eccentrick turned around to see Opal Vivacity standing behind the curtains, eyeing her down. It was obvious that Opal's magic was behind this. Another petty yet cruel act from her had been done.
"It didn't matter if anyone found out that Opal was behind it. She would use her magic to disrupt some of their senses just so they never bring it up again. Many events were shut down because of the lack of a performance from any of them. Opal made sure that those running it would be dealt with too."
"So... you can no longer sing? And your friends?"
"No. I really wish I could. I loved singing..." Eccentric uttered with a disappointed tone. "Anypony else that can still sing won't bother to do it in a big way. Opal will be there to do something about it. And anyone trying to retaliate will lose something. Whether it's sight, hearing or anything like that."
"It's been a rough time for many ponies here. All events are non-existent because of her. Truly cruel. She is definitely a member of the Dread League for a reason. She can bring Dread in less destructive ways."
"That's just petty!" Fantina expressed her anger about it. It was rare for Fantina to get angry but this certainly riled her up. So much so that her voice startled the two vampires. "It's things like that which keep us entertained in life! When we want to enjoy something in the meanwhile! She can't just strip that away from everyone else!"
"I even tried reversing the magic she cast on me with my own magic but...it doesn't work at all. Not even Bittersweet, who has a similar magic type to me can do it." Eccentrick added.
"You can't reverse the spell she cast on you? I thought you could reverse anything."
"Ehh...I'm not that great at it. I can reverse quite a few things. Like this dress." Eccentrick demonstrated her magic, reversing the colours on the dress, changing it from purple to blue. "Or even the texture on things."
"Eccentrick isn't in the Dread League because her magic hasn't been developed to reach that point. It's not really seen as something that can bring dread. Especially when Bittersweet has a similar Curse Magic to hers."
"I've been trying my hardest though! I'm not as good as Opal or anyone like that, but I can still reverse some tings you can't expect. Like this!" Eccentrick flapped her wings, sending a stream of magic towards Fractured Note. He simply stood there, allowing the magic to reach him. And once the magic made contact with the former Lich King, it seemed like not much changed.
Fantina couldn't see a change at all. Fractured Note just looked like himself and that was it. That is until she saw the lack of a fang. Fantina initially thought that Eccentrick just reversed the position or location of his fang and that was it. "Oh, sorry, dear. I'm not sure I see anything different."
"No. She changed something. Despite what I said, she has potential that hasn't been unleashed even for centuries. Right now, I'm just an average unicorn. I'm no longer a vampire."
"Incredible! You changed him into a unicorn instead of a vampire pony!? That's the reverse of a vampire?!"
"Well, we're just opposites of average ponies, aren't we? So my magic would just change everything about somepony and make them the opposite. If I were to use it on a regular pony, they'd become a vampire pony." Eccentrick said. "Pretty neat, right?"
"It's truly an impressive form of magic. It's a shame that despite all these years, you haven't developed it all that much." Fractured Note sighed as he returned to being a vampire pony with his own magic.
"I tried!" Eccentrick puffed her cheeks, barking at Fractured Note. "And I...also did other things in the meanwhile, so there's that, but still! I can turn multiple vampires into regular ponies! Plus, even you since you're part Lich! I can make you either!"
"Can you now?" Fractured Note said with a judgemental tone.
"Oh yeah! I can do it in a wide radius! You just haven't seen it yet since we've been too busy scheming and all that. Plus, I haven't had a good reason to use it since I don't know what I'd use it on."
"Hmm...Reversing pony races as well..." Fantina pondered. Hearing Eccentrick's words and how impressive her magic gave her an idea. A smashing idea. It was so smashing that it made her put on a rather devious grin. "AH, that's it! That's what's missing!"
"What? What is it?" Eccentrick asked.
"Eccentrick. I'll get back to you soon. I need to make sure that the stadium is wide enough. It wouldn't hurt for the Lich Queen to get a glimpse of the contest in some way. Perhaps to lighten her spirits in case something goes wrong."
"Uh...Okay? I can wait." Eccentrick agreed, unsure as to what Fantina was getting at. But judging by that smile on her face, Fantina had truly devised something wonderful.
"About Opal." Fractured Note spoke about Opal Vivacity once more. "She's probably still out there trying to find Xerneas. If she gets to that Pokemon, then there might be nothing that can stop Yveltal from destroying all life."
Kalos. Near Anistar City.
And speaking of Opal Vivacity, she already had something that involved Xerneas' existence. Unlike Yveltal, who was harder to research about thanks to its destructive powers, Xerneas was easier because of its powers. In her hooves, she held a book containing knowledge of Xerneas. Way more than what she got from Yveltal.
Currently, she and her group found themselves near Anistar City. It wasn't exactly where Xerneas could be found, however, Opal already had a way to find this Legendary Pokemon without needing to go somewhere specific.
"Xerneas is the Pokemon that brings life where it's needed. This world already flourishes with life so much that even the Ghosts have life to them. A complete antithesis of Yveltal. So, there is only way to bring it out. Xerneas will surely appear where unnecessary destruction arrives. And thankfully...I just so happen to be good at that.~"
Opal Vivacity's plan was clear. She was about to bring destruction. Mass destruction. So violent that Xerneas would have to be forced out of its slumber just to restore life. And once Xerneas shows itself, that would be when the Dread League make their move.
The action that they were about to perform would be terrifyingly horrific, involving the lives of innocents and their homes. Dark clouds formed above Anistar City, already giving them a warning as to what was coming and it was just a natural presence of the Dread League.
An act so vile was coming to Anistar just for the sake of another vile act which tampered with life itself. But this would not go fully unnoticed. Not when Olympia lived in Anistar City. The Psychic-Type Gym Leader already sensed the coming disaster. Her advanced senses alerted her as she looked up at the darkened sky, seeing how the bright and glimmering stars were being hidden from the city.
Olympia could tell already.
"I have to hurry!" And currently, searching for the Dread League was Princess Luna. In her hooves, she had Zekrom's Dark Stone, housing the Deep Black Pokemon after his fierce battle with the Pony of Shadows and the Dread League. She was hoping that she wasn't too late to catch up with the Dread League, already seeing the dark clouds forming above in the distance. Seeing this, Luna narrowed her eyes, gritting her teeth as she attempted to accelerate through the air, using the magic of Lunar Ire to go even faster. She wanted to make it there in time before the Dread League can pull off something absolutely atrocious just for one Pokemon to emerge.
As the journey continues.
Chapter 148 End.