Equestria. Ponyville. The Pokemon House. A Balance of Day and Night.
"We're going back there?!" Twilight bellowed as Ash hit her and her friends with a shocking answer to their current predicament. In an attempt to heal Daisy and Paradise so that they can heal everyone else, there was one place where everyone could go where the Sun could shine without any interference. The 18 Realms.
A place where Ash and many of his friends were sucked into as a result of Delayed Aura Ataxia being pushed to a new level. It required the linking of Aura and Magic, uniting the two powers while also focusing on the mind.
"It's the only place I can think of. We can't head to another universe like we could before. There's only one place where we can tell what time it's gonna be. Whether there's gonna be a Sun or Moon and that's the 18 Realms."
"But Ash! You just recently found a way to overcome Delayed Aura Ataxia thanks to Mega Evolution! What if that resets everything?!" Rarity feared the worst. She feared that heading back in there would prompt the issue of Delayed Aura Ataxia coming back and all of that progress could be erased in an instant.
"It's been a while since you've been in there. Who knows what'll happen if you head back in there, Ash." Even Fluttershy saw this as a rather perilous act.
"No clue. But that's not gonna stop me from trying. We've got nowhere else to go for a clear Sun. At least, not as quickly as went want. The Dread League are gonna come back here to Ponyville and not everypony's gonna be at their best to protect their home so we can't let that happen." Ash thought about the safety of others rather than his own. It was better for multiple to be alright rather than one. "This is our chance."
"No stopping you when it comes to something like this." Twilight Sparkle expected something like this. She shrugged, knowing it was impossible to stop Ash when he makes up his mind. "Plus, it's not actually a bad idea. There is Sunlight there. In most of the realms, so we have some great options."
"One of these days, you'll put yourself down for good, Ash. But I've thought that for most scenarios so what do I know?" said Rarity, agreeing to this. "Let's make it happen."
"Awesome. And it's not just gonna be everyone in Ponyville. We need to bring the Everfree Forest Creatures over as well."
"Them too?!" Roseluck, Applejack, Twilight and Rarity collectively gasped.
"Ooh, good idea, Ash. They were infected too. No one's treated them just yet." Fluttershy agreed to that in an instant.
"Yeah. So we'll all meet up here at the Pokemon House. Everyone's that's been infected has to be here. And we'll cure them all inside those realms."
"Is it safe to have the Everfree Creatures nearby...?" Roseluck asked, unsure if the Everfree Creatures should be nearby anypony right now even if they were also infected.
"I'll handle it." Thankfully, Fluttershy offered to sort that out. Her bond with creatures extends past just animals and Pokemon. She's bonded with some Everfree Creatures in the past after all. All the infected citizens of Canterlot would be gathered and the same went for the Everfree Forest creatures. They couldn't be exempt from this at all. But before Fluttershy could grab the Everfree Creatures, she had to get this cure to Zecora immediately.
Fluttershy's Home.
Even during all of this mess, Zecora and her Pokemon were still resting up. No one had disturbed them. Not even Shrivel or the Despair Plant Bullfrog. Fluttershy fed the cure to Zecora, Zebstrika and Weavile all at once, having Audino and Bayleef do the rest. Each of them drank the honey slowly, but the result was swift.
All those spots on Zecora and her Pokemon would exit immediately. They faded away from their bodies, relieving them of this stressful disease But it was no longer stressful now that a cure had been found.
"Ohhh, I do feel fine, and this honey is divine," Zecora said as she felt some glee when tasting this honey. Zebstrika and Weavile jumped right back up after they were cured as well, feeling re-energized.
"Zebstrika!"
"Weavile!"
"Oh, you're rhyming again! Welcome back, my friend!" Fluttershy applauded, pleased to her Zecora rhyme once more. There was a strong sense of familiarity whenever Zecora rhymes.
"Thank you, Fluttershy, for all you endured. If not for you, I would not be cured."
"You're welcome. But my work's not done yet. We have the rest of the town to cure and the only way we can do that is by having Daisy and Paradise do it. But they'll need all the sunlight they can get for this. And the 18 Realms is the only place we can head to for that."
"Won't that bring back Delayed Aura Ataxia to us? We did quite a lot try and get rid of that nuisance." Zecora added.
"I know. But Ash is fully confident about this. And I believe in him, Zecora. We're going to make this work even with the Ataxia. We'll be in those 18 Realms while the vampires will be heading here. Hopefully, it doesn't take too long for us to cur everyone. Now all I need to do is to bring the Everfree Forest Creatures over."
Saddle Lake.
Far over at Saddle Lake, just as Shrivel said during her attack on Ponyville, more vampires were approaching. Ponyville was a special target since it was the hometown where Rosa Maledicta was born and raised. It would certainly receive plenty of harsh attacks on it.
And they were already close to Ponyville at this moment. Setting foot into Saddle Lake was none other than Dimstar. A vampire pony who was the closest to being a Lich, only having the magic of one. Behind her were other vampires who immediately brought a darkened cloud near Saddle Lake. That was also slowly approaching Ponyville.
"Ponyville should be nearby. Just a bit more and we'll be there." The Pokemon that lived around here, immediately hid themselves, entering their respective homes. The Water-Types quickly descended into the sea before the vampires could see them. Dimstar's hoof stood right next to the Daises and Paradise flowers, giving off an intimidating presence. The flowers next to her hoof would wilt, dying out instantly.
"Have you heard from her majesty recently?" A vampire asked. "So far, she's been rather silent. We haven't gotten any support from her yet."
"It's strange for her to be this quiet, especially during the Black Crusade." The vampires all agreed. The fact that they haven't heard from Rosa Maledicta while the Black Crusade was going on was rather bizarre. Little did they know that Celestia was keeping them occupied.
"I can't answer that without knowing why. But right now, we have ourselves to carry out the Black Crusade. I am Half Lich so I can give you some of the things that her majesty can. Listen. Ponyville is a major target for us since the Lich Queen finds it to be rather vexing. And also nearby...should be the gateway to Kanto. The only gateway that is currently around."
"How do you think we should attack Ponyville?"
"Drown it. We shall send a fierce storm of water that will drown the town." Dimstar already decided on what had to be done as she faced the lake. The water from Saddle Lake already looked to be a good option. Dimstar approached the lake slowly as her presence was intimidating the Pokemon living inside of it. They stayed quiet, making sure they wouldn't make a single noise that would grab their attention.
With a zap of Dark Magic, DImstar would interact with the beautiful lake. But it was only briefly. A part of the clear blue water would be contaminated with a festering and vile darkness which was also being pulled up from the earth. This darkened water would then be pulled out of the lake, appearing in a black orb. Dimstar gathered a corrupted orb of water as she held it over her head.
This orb, while small, was set to bring about a powerful flood that would attempt to drown Ponyville entirely. The Dread League continued on their way, bringing along this powerful orb of dark water which was sure to bring destruction in its wake. The Water-Types peered their head out the lake, watching Dimstar and the other vampires leave the area. The same went for the other Pokemon living here. They heard DImstar's conversation with the other vampires. Especially with how they planned to drown Ponyville. This news travelled to their ears and made the Pokemon go on high alert.
The residents of Ponyville were known to them. They commonly come around here. Either for a Pokemon Battle or leisurely activities. Hearing that it was going to be drowned was something that even Wild Pokemon could stand to let happen. Thus, they quietly moved on, focusing on warning Ponyville's residents.
The Pokemon House.
Everyone had been gathered around. The ponies and Pokemon that were suffering from the Magehold Curses were brought over to the Pokemon House as some of them had already passed out, struggling to stay conscious or even wake up. Others were trying to power through it but powering through Magehold Curses didn't do them any good.
But it wasn't just Ponyville's residents. Everfree Creatures had been brought along. Mayor Mare gasped as her eyes could believe what she was seeing. A Hydra, Manticore, BugBear and other creatures from the Everfree had been brought over by Fluttershy.
"T-They're here too...?" An ill Amethyst Star questioned, backing up after one of the Hydra's heads eyed her down. Many of the ill residents shuddered as they certainly didn't want to see Everfree Forest Creatures here. Not after they had such a rough time with a Despair Plant and a vampire.
The Manticore growled at what it deemed to be food. It was certainly starving after being ill for hours now and the ponies plus all the Pokemon here looked like wonderful treats to snack on. Most of the Everfree Creatures just wished to eat them. All except for the Cockatrice, who was surprisingly exempt from using its signature magic of turning others into stone.
"It's fine. They're ill just like you all. I brought them over so that they could be healed up as well." Fluttershy said, vouching for the Everfree Forest creatures. "They won't hurt anyone. It's not like they can at all."
"I thought we were past the BugBear..." Sweetie Drops groaned, hoping to never see the BugBear again. Alas, it was right here, present and ill. Fluttershy would pat the creatures of Everfree, trying to comfort them while they suffered from Magehold's diseases. The Cockatrice that Fluttershy once met would even receive a pet, forgiven for what it did a few years back. The Manticore was already on good terms with Fluttershy since this was the same one she ended up helping on the night of Nightmare Moon's return.
But the cherry on top was definitely the Ursa Major and Ursa Minor. Their jaws dropped after seeing these two colossal Celestial Bears casually here. They were so massive that they had to be outside the Pokemon House. Just around the outskirts but they were still very much visible. It was hard to believe they had also been infected.
"Even them?" Even Twilight couldn't believe it. That Disease Mist was more serious than she thought if it could affect even these two massive creatures.
"I knew I could count on you to talk with the Everfree Creatures," Ash said, already expecting this from Fluttershy. There was nothing to fear when it comes to Fluttershy's communication with creatures of different shapes or sizes. "Okay. Here's what's gonna happen. We're all gonna enter those realms again. It's the only place where we can expect a lot of Sunlight. There, Daisy and Paradise will heal you all up and you'll be good as new."
"I'm not a fan of going back there but...I'll take what I can to remove this disease from my body." Mayor Mare groaned while lying next to Stoutland who was also severely ill.
"We just have to do what we did previously. But this time, let's control who we bring over. We don't want to leave anyone behind when it comes to this." Twilight recalled how the 18 Realms randomly grabbed individuals from across the world. It was completely unexpected for all of them when it first happened.
"We'll stay out here. Those vampires are gonna try and show up and we'll be ready for 'em." Applejack and those who have already been healed would stay here at Ponyville. Every one who would be in the 18 Realms would have their bodies completely vulnerable since they'll be unconscious.
On top of that, there were a lot of citizens to heal so it would reasonably take a long time for all of them to be healed. They needed all the time they could get before any vampires come swooping in to attack them at their most vulnerable.
"It was Lucien and Sienna who set you up in the beginning. We'll gladly add the same magic they did to make sure you get there." And the cherry on top were the Rift Ponies Emerald Aura and Cold Colt. After all, the main reason the 18 Realms event happened was because of Rift Interference. And right now, they could use Rift Interference.
"Alright. Here goes." Ash would hold his hand out, needing to connect with someone to make this happen. And much like how it happened, Twilight placed her hoof on Ash's hoof, starting that connection. Previously, it was Twilight, Celestia and Luna who helped make this possible. But with only one alicorn here, they were short two alicorns.
However, that did not seem to be a problem anymore. Twilight had improved. Greatly. Her strength in magic has grown ever since as well as her knowledge. All these past events have shaped her into a rather mighty alicorn that allowed her to retain that Princess Status. Her magic was also shining brightly just with this connection.
Ash and Twilight's connection was resounding powerfully. The spell had been initiated as a stream of lights flew out of Twilight's horn, touching Ash's mind. Once it touched him, his eyes opened, radiating a white glow. Pikachu and the others stepped back as two beautiful colours flared out of their bodies.
Azure Blue and Light Purple respectively. Everyone watched in awe as this wonderful light expanded far, lightning up the entire Pokemon House in seconds. Even those who were ill were absolutely stunned by this. Not even the fearsome Everfree Creatures could take their eyes off something so beautiful.
And the final touch was the power of Rift Magic. Emerald Aura and Cold Colt would fire their spells in unison, striking Ash's mind. The connection had been fully established. The entrance to the 18 Realms was made possible once more. And this was shown by how the ill ponies and creatures would suddenly drop to the ground, feeling the need to pass out. Those who were already unconscious wouldn't need this treatment at all.
The 18 Realms.
It was back to the 18 Realms. The spell was a success just like before. Ash and Twilight appeared at the 18 Realms, specifically where all the doors could be found. The ethereal realm and all those doors greeted them once more. Ash would descend into the 18 Realms with speed and force along with Pikachu while Twilight gracefully came down.
But the real success was bringing everyone else here. Everyone that Ash envisioned to bring along had been brought over to the 18 Realms. Those infected found themselves here, either returning or it was their first time. The massive Everfree Creatures
"Alright! Worked like a charm!" Ash pumped his fist after this stunning success. "We're in!"
"Pikachu!" Pikachu jumped into the air.
"I've never actually been in here before...Is this what it's like?" Emerald Aura feasted her eyes on this realm that was once a prison for the Aura Vampire Gardevoir. Daisy and Paradise would have the pleasure of seeing it themselves. It felt like they were in outer space itself, standing on a cosmic landscape. Little did they know one of these doors definitely led to outer space.
"Okay. Most of these doors will give us sunlight. But the best one is the Grass one without a doubt." Ash pointed at the Grass-Type door, going for that beyond anything else. If there was one place to expect tons of sunlight, it was that realm. But the others weren't bad options either.
They had to hurry. They couldn't afford to gaze and wonder at this place. Daisy and Paradise certainly wanted to with how amazing it was. Those who were unconscious were picked up by unicorn magic and Pokemon while the Everfree Creatures were guided by Fluttershy.
As for the Grass-Type door. It was relatively large. But was it large enough to fit Everfree Forest Creatures? That didn't seem to be the case. At least for now. Ash was about to change that. This was technically his realm and with the power being focused in his mind. And so, he willed it to happen. He willed the door to enlarge. It grew taller and wider, enough for a Creature from the Everfree Forest to pass through. Any further and he could make even a Wailord pass through it.
Everyone entered the Grass-Type Realm, having a bright flash envelop their bodies the moment they entered it. It was a new world for them as this was the closest they would get to passing through the gateways once more.
Reality. On top of a hill outside of Ponyville.
The vampires had arrived. Almost. They stood outside the wonderful town of Ponyville which had already taken massive damage from their previous battle. Parts of it had been repaired but it had yet to retain its glory. And it seemed like it would never retain its glory now that the Dread League had arrived.
In her hooves, DImstar held the contaminated water. She wasn't just going to drown Ponyville. She was going to drown it with Dark Magic only adding to the destruction. With the orb of Dark Water ready, Dimstar was prepared to unleash a flood of fierce and fatal proportions.
"Skowvet!" However, there was already an interference. And it came in the form of rapid-fire seeds. Dimstar's face was suddenly struck by multiple seeds from what appeared to be a Skwovet. Skwovet leapt into the air, blindsiding Dimstar with Bullet Seed as her focus had been turned.
"Hm?" Bullet Seed barely phased her, doing minimal damage to the Half Vampire Half Lich. However, the next group of Pokemon would definitely bring more to the table. The vampires gasped, believing that they had been found out. But once they saw that it was just a Skwovet, they weren't as surprised.
"It's just a-" However, it wasn't just a Skowvet. Before a vampire could finish her sentence, the other Pokemon threw their ring into this, attacking the Dread League.
"Lombre!" A group of Lombre appeared out of the bushes, collectively using Water Gun. Now the vampires had to worry a bit and were certainly hit with more surprises that far surpassed Skowvet. Skowvet was just the beginning. Everything else was where things came flying at them high speeds.
Literally. The Water Guns rained down from above at swift speeds with how many Lombres leapt out of the bushes. The vampires were met with these blasts of water which soaked them while also letting out aquatic explosions. This also went for Dimstar, who received the most amount of Water Guns. She squinted her eyes, snarling at this as she was merely being hit by nuisances.
"Scatter!" But those nuisances would continue as some Scatterbug had used String Shot, wrapping their silk around the vampires, attempting to restrain them. Dimstar's hooves were restrained along with the other vampires. They were completely blindsided and caught off guard by this. These were the same Pokemon from Saddle Lake who they had missed upon passing by earlier.
These Pokemon absolutely refused to let the Dread League attack Ponyville since the residents there were rather common and friendly to the Pokemon living here. This swarm of attacks would only increase the intensity once more Pokemon joined in. It was hard to keep track of all of them.
"Illumise!"
"Volbeat!" A literal swarm had arrived. A group of Volbeat and Illumise collectively used Infestation, bringing down multiple bugs of a smaller size but in vast quantities. So vast that they blocked off the other Pokemon, masking them from the eyes of the vampires. Before the vampires could quickly do something about this, they were hit with the Infestation which targeted their faces. The face was a vulnerable spot for many and the INfestation would take full advantage of that.
But the Volbeat and Illumise would go even further. Some of them that didn't use Infestation would use their natural trait of light since they were Fireflies. They even had the means of exposing the vampires to their greatest weaknesses.
"What's going on?!" One vampire was greatly confused. It was all happening so fast that it was hard to keep up with. The Wild Pokemon would not slow down or hold back for a second.
Especially not the group of Rattata that came charging in. Adding to the vast number of bugs, the quantity of Rattata was just as overwhelming. They would skitter and dash at the vampires, chittering and lunging as their teeth were ready to start gnawing. It wasn't just vampires who could viciously bite. This species of Pokemon was rather adept at it.
To add up, the vampires were hit with streams of water, bugs, flashes of light from the number of Volbeat and Illumise that were flying around them as well as the teeth of a Rattata. While the bugs focused on their faces, the Rattata went for everywhere else. They would crawl up the bodies of the vampires, grossing some of them out instantly.
Even for a vampire, having rats crawl up the body was unnerving. Once they made contact, the Rattata went to town, rapidly biting at the bodies of the vampires, adding to their pain. It was impossible for the vampires to act in this scenario. They were completely overwhelmed by the Pokemon of Saddle Lake. All they could do was scream, squeal and flail their hooves in this scenario.
All except for Dimstar. She was not as phased by this. She was only irritated. She kept a strong composure as the Rattatas teeth weren't even enough to truly harm her in any way. Not even the light from the Volbeat and Illumise worked but they were certainly bothering her.
"A noble attempt..." DImstar commented, praising the Pokemon for performing this sneak attack. And there seemed to be more of them preparing to attack. "But...You're too late."
Alas, despite their efforts, with Dimstar being fine, she was able to unleash the Dark Water regardless. All it took was a release of her magic to do so. The orb would drop, falling off the hill and crashing which broke the protection that held the water back. The Pokemon gasped as they couldn't stop Dimstar at all. They did their best, succeeding in overwhelming the vampires.
But when it came to Dimstar, that was a different story. The flood had been unleashed. And once the magic within had been released, the Dark Water appeared as a gigantic tsunami with Dark Magic pulsating out of it. This was definitely enough to flood Ponyville. And with a majority of its residents being unconscious within another realm, the town was possibly at its weakest to date.
As their journey continues.
Chapter 152 End.