Equestria. Ponyville. Balance of Day and Night.
The residents of Ponyville returned to their hometown which had been put through the wringer recently. Whether by a Despair Plant or a Dark Tsunami, it endured all of it just to end up in possibly its worst condition to date. This was to be expected considering the Black Crusade was the reason for this mess. However, its residents wouldn't sit idly and watch their hometown be overtaken.
Alas, when reaching Ponyville by standing on the outskirts, they already saw what had become of it. Dimstar was not exaggerating about how fast they could rebuild parts of it with Dark Magic. The homes that everypony used to live in were being rebuilt to match that of Magehold's style. Magehold did have that gothic look to it and it was definitely showing based on how the upper parts of most homes have been remade in that style.
They were once vibrantly colourful but now their colours have been stripped away for darker ones. And of course, Town Hall was receiving the biggest makeover out of all of them. The only place that looked strikingly similar to its original form was none other than Twilight's Castle.
While it did receive damage from the Dark Tsunami, thanks to its massive size and durability, it fared better than every other building here. It stood as a bastion of Ponyville, not wavering in the face of the Black Crusade.
"Our home..." A saddened Sweetie Belle commented. "I don't think I recognize it all that much.
"They really are making another Magehold. It's an extension of their nation." Twilight Sparkle said. "And they're going to let us live there as skeletons too?"
"What should we do? Do we just jump on there and hope for the best?" Amethyst Star asked Mayor Mare, hoping that she already had something planned.
"Maybe not this time..." She shook her head. Mayor Mare wasn't going to be upfront about it. Looking back, she saw how she had a massive numerical advantage thanks to all the ponies and Pokemon Emerald Aura managed to save. This involved the Everfree Forest Creatures who were massive. The Ursa Family were currently concealed just because of their height, but looking back at this gave Mayor Mare an idea. "I have something in mind though..."
"Are you planning to have the creatures rush in?" Sombra answered before Mayor Mare could. "I was thinking of doing the same thing. It's a clever plan, in all honesty."
"Who put you in charge?" Twilight asked with a sneer on her face.
"Never mind that." Sombra shook his head, continuing his plan which was identical to Mayor Mare's. "We won't be the ones to confront them personally but the creatures will. An Ursa Major and Ursa Minor should be enough but just to be safe, we'll send all of them in as well."
"There's not that many vampires. It could work. Why don't we just swarm them though if we have them this outnumbered?" Emerald Aura questioned, planning on using these massive numbers to her advantage but had to wonder why it wasn't being done already.
"We struggled with one. What do you think multiple will do to us? Who knows what they have in store?" Amethyst Star brought up a good point. Shrivel was a problem for them already even though she had the help of a Despair Plant who did most of the work.
"There's also that Dark Magic to watch out for. They would obviously be expecting your return." Sombra brought up that point as well. "I warned you about the Dark Magic before we got here. All of us ponies will stay back until the Dark magic subsides."
"We're not gonna go in there? Then...what are we gonna do?" Pinkie Pie scratched her mane.
"I will try and rid the area of Dark Magic. I'll have that opportunity while the vampires are all distracted. That way, any trace of it will be gone and it will be safe for you all to enter." Sombra explained, sharing his plan.
"Not without us doing something at least." Mayor Mare interjected, adding to that plan with her own. "Emerald. Cold Colt. Could you do something for us with your Rift Magic?"
"Sure." Emerald Aura grinned, already expecting a request that she could probably pull off with Rift Magic. Cold Colt expected it to even though he hasn't fully mastered his magic just yet. But whatever this plan was, Mayor Mare wanted it to benefit everyone when trying to take back their home.
Twilight's Castle.
Despite Twilight's Castle being intact, that didn't stop the vampires from entering. The Dread League found themselves within her home, wandering around and seeing what they could find here. A castle surely had something important that was worth looking into. And in this case, all the books in Twilight's home were crucially important.
None of them have been hit by the Dark Tsunami thanks to how durable the castle was. All books in here were in perfect condition. And when looking at these books, the vampires took the time to read about them."
"Well, look what we have here." One vampire found a book that was worth reading, bringing the other vampires over. And in this book, there was a page about Xerneas. A Pokemon that was rather important to the Dread League but for another reason compared to Yveltal. Finding information about Xerneas mattered greatly even though Opal Vivacity was already doing something about it in the most horrific and vile way possible.
"Does it say where to find Xerneas?"
"It only says that Xerneas's most common place of rest is a tree. It could be any tree, but particularly larger ones that stick out from the rest. As if that's not obvious."
"Well, which tree does this one say?"
"It seems that it used to live in a tree known as the Tree of Beginning once. That's one of the few trees in the world it resides in." At that moment, they found out about the Tree of Beginning. Other tree locations were being shared with them as they couldn't quite figure out which one Xerneas could be at. For all they know, Xerneas was at a new tree that had yet to be discovered.
But before they could continue reading, that was when they were disturbed by something else. A powerful tremor reached Twilight's Castle, causing the vampires in here to gasp for a moment. This was followed by loud footsteps that came from the outside and very soon, a powerful collection of roars.
Quickly, they would look out to see what caused this. But what else than the many creatures of the Everfree Forest? And the one to unleash this roar was the Ursa Major. A creature so large that it rivals that of a mountain. No longer was it invisible to the eyes. Emerald Aura brought back its visibility. Joined by its child and the Hydra, these creatures of the Everfree bellowed at the Dread League, standing in a Dark Magic Heavy area.
However, when appearing there, they seemed completely fine. The Dark Magic did not affect them at all even though it was permeating the atmosphere. It almost seemed completely casual to them, as if it didn't bother them at all. As for the vampires and their reaction, their jaws dropped upon seeing the creatures appear and only the creatures. No sign of any ponies whatsoever.
"The Everfree Creatures can ignore the Dark Magic? What's up with that?" Twilight asked, wondering why they could stand there without being bothered by the Dark Magic.
"Aside from the Ursa Major and Ursa Minor, the other creatures are tied to some form of Dark Magic. They'll be fine while in there." Sombra explained. "But even with their immunity, those vampires have a lot in store. If we're to stop them, we'll have to become bodies of light ourselves. You know what to do, Rift Ponies."
"Yeah, yeah, we got it." Emerald Aura replied. "Everyone, just stay where I can see you. This'll take a while with how many of you there are."
The plan was simple. Have everyone become bodies of light. The vampire's greatest weakness was something they just couldn't bypass. Of course, this meant everyone and unfortunately for Emerald Aura and Cold Colt, it was a tall order since there were so many of them.
Thankfully, they had the Everfree Creatures to buy them all the time they needed. With a zap of magic, Sombra was the first to become a body of light, losing his signature dark appearance for something lighter. His coat was illuminating beautifully with white and his mane was of a golden colour.
"Oooh, you look amazing actually!" Rarity cooed at this altered variation of King Sombra. She quickly stepped forward, wanting a piece of this next. "I'll be next!"
"Alright, alright. You'd better hope that those Everfree Creatures give you the right amount of time." Emerald Aura would zap Rarity next and this would soon be followed by multiple other ponies and Pokemon who needed this change. It was their best defence against the vampires after all and it would certainly help to keep them at bay if they tried getting close. One by one, ponies and Pokemon were being zapped by Rift Magic from Cold Colt and Emerald Aura, gaining shining and incandescent bodies that truly made them sparkle.
Within the Battle of Minds.
It happened. Right as Princess Celestia continued her Mind Battle with Lich Queen Rosa Maledicta, she felt something severe happen that did not occur from the inside. But rather the outside. Celestia gasped, feeling something vital that she couldn't make out. But the one thing that it made her think of was her little sister, Luna.
"Luna...?" Celestia uttered before being slapped by the shadows, dropping to the dark surface.
"Gardevoir!" Gardevoir gasped, seeing her trainer drop after that vicious slap. It wasn't like Celestia to be so careless like that but there was a reason for this.
"You felt it too, didn't you?" Just then, Rosa Maledicta spoke, putting on a grin that was only comparable to Opal Vivacity's devious grin. She caught Celestia's attention, already guessing what she meant by that. The Sun Princess narrowed her eyes while having an open mouth, hoping that Rosa Maledicta wasn't alluding to what she thought she was. "I thought so. The Pony of Shadows already shared it with me but I only care about the juicy details."
"What? You don't mean..."
"You spoke your sister's name. So isn't it obvious, Princess Celestia? She's perished." Without holding back, Rosa Maledicta declared Luna to have been destroyed. That prompted a haunting gasp from Celestia. Those words were absolutely horrid to hear concerning her sister.
To hear it froze Celestia in place. This is just what Rosa Maledicta wanted. A way to gain an advantage and a way to leave this mind at last. She was already using a spell to try and overpower Celestia's which kept the Lich Queen stuck in this mind. Celestia was trying to process what she was hearing before suddenly gritting her teeth.
"You're lying!" Celestia instantly denied it, refusing to believe that Luna had perished. "Luna couldn't have perished!"
"Oh, but she has. It's a shame, honestly. I was hoping to take her lifespan for myself but...you win some, you lose some. In this case, it's the same thing." Rosa mercilessly said, insulting Celestia's little sister during such a shocking moment. And she seemed rather confident in her words. Not a piece of her made her believe that Luna was alive. At least, that's what Celestia saw. From what the Pony of Shadows shared, Luna was the first major life to be lost during the Black Crusade.
And with Celestia in such a shocked state, the spell was beginning to wain, giving Rosa Maledicta the advantage in this instance. At the same time, the Shadow People and Pokemon would approach the Sun Princess at a vulnerable moment with Gardevoir stepping in front, defending her trainer. Gardevoir scoffed as she refused to let them harm Celestia when she was feeling such a blow.
"You'll be next, Celestia. But I'll at least take your lifespan before I take your life. You'll be coming back to Magehold at once and maybe you'll see your sister there as a skeleton!"
"Her sister is always by her side in one way." Interjecting in Rosa's boastful moment was a familiar voice. A voice that caught her and Celestia off guard. Both of them had equal expressions but differing emotions. Celestia's heart skipped a beat as she heard the voice of what sounded to be Luna.
Appearing beside Celestia was a pillar of magic that resembled that of a night sky. Celestia's frown turned to a smile, believing that her sister had returned. Not quite though. While the voice was identical to Luna, there was a technicality to it. It ended up being Luna's alter-ego.
Nightmare Moon.
"Nightmare Moon?!" Celestia gasped.
"Oh, right...I forgot she became her own separate being now." Rosa Maledicta narrowed her eyes.
"Luna is alive." And upon showing up here, she immediately rejected Rosa Maledicta's words, choosing the opposite. "Very much alive."
"She is!?" Those words rang well in Celestia's words as her pupils expanded.
"Of course she is. I am still here after all. I'm proof of her life being in this world still. I may be a separate being now but we are still connected, make no mistake." The Nightmare Variation of Luna would aim her hoof at the Shadow Entities and Rosa Maledicta. "You truly believed she was gone but you couldn't have been more wrong. It's alright, sister. You have me here."
"Tch. Fine, fine. Just leaves me with the opportunity to steal her lifespan either. And then I'll make sure her life's been snuffed out for good. Just an inconvenience, that's all." Rosa chuckled for a bit. "But that reaction is exactly what I needed from you, Celestia...Your spell is weaker! Which gives me the opportunity to break free!"
Just then, Rosa Maledicta's magic blew up with intense ferocity. Celestia and Nightmare Moon felt an ominous and vile pressure fly their way, blowing at their ethereal manes. With Rosa Maledicta gaining the advantage, her magic enveloped this entire mindscape even though it was already dark in the first place.
The Mindscape began shattering as this battle of the minds would come to a sudden end because of this one opportune moment. Celestia could no longer keep the Lich Queen here, failing to keep her occupied for as long as she could. But she still did an excellent job at keeping here for a while.
Canterlot.
It was back to reality. Celestia twitched after leaving the mindscape, stumbling back while on the balcony. Thankfully, Nightmare Moon was there to catch her, being present even out here.
"She's gone..." Celestia sighed. "She got me at my most shocking moment yet."
"It's fine. It wasn't true to begin with. It was merely a tactic for her to break free. You can rest assured knowing that Luna is alright. As long as I am here, she will carry on." Nightmare Moon reassured, bringing solace to Celestia's heart. "But...I'm afraid that the Lich Queen's words might mean that Luna did come across something rather dangerous. She hasn't been seen all night after all."
"That's true...I have no clue where she is and the Black Crusade is ongoing. I don't know what she's dealing with right now since I haven't seen her at all yet. But I can tell she's doing fine for herself."
"But if this continues, then something crucially horrible could happen. What we need to do is go straight to the source. Our goal has always been to try and save Yveltal and Fantina, has it not been?" Nightmare Moon questioned. "With the Black Crusade beginning, the chances for us to finally enterMagehold could be now."
"I doubt that they'll open it up even during this event." Celestia shook her head, knowing that the Dread League wouldn't dare open Magehold up. But that was when something brewed within Celestia's mind. "Unless...There was a way we could make them take us there."
"Take us?"
"I heard what Rosa said. She wanted my lifespan. The same goes for Luna. It's probably identical to what that Gardevoir from the 18 Realms did. And the only way for Rosa Maledicta to obtain it is if she has me over at Magehold."
"Hold it! You're not planning to give yourself up, are you?!" Nightmare Moon already figured that Celestia was going for a rather bold plan. "If so, then absolutely not!"
"It was just a hunch. I'm not giving myself up at all, of course. But it is a possibility. They would want us there for that reason only and they probably know that if we were in there, there's a chance we could make a comeback. There is no way that they can take our lifespans if our lives are already gone."
"So then...what do we do?"
"I'll continue dealing with the Black Crusade. It's my duty as Princess. But at the same time, I'll keep that plan for heading into Magehold up for grabs. As for you, I need you to help find Luna. You two are connected so you must know where she could be."
"I don't know..." The alter-ego of Luna groaned as she wasn't sure at all. "The last place she was at was the Dream Realm ut it's clear she's no longer there. I'll try my best and I'll intervene in Black Crusade actions as well. Good luck, sister."
"At the same time..." Celestia would then look up, intensifying her as she was suddenly focused on the clouds above. "I'll need further help from above. From all angles. This is something threatens us all, just like the Empress' invasion. I can't fail everyone here. Not when I've made so many friends and allies."
Celestia could find relief knowing that her little sister was doing alright now. But the threat of Luna perishing was still present. Luna's whereabouts to her family and friends were completely unknown at the moment. However, what was more unknown was the mass destruction that had been done over at Kalos.
Kalos. Out in a scarred land.
Watching over the destroyed city of Anistar City and other areas nearby was the one responsible for it. Opal Vivacity. She looked over the obliterated buildings and nature that were struck by the Black Beam. Truly, it was utterly devastating as it caused so much damage that it brought an elated face to Opal. It was almost as if she was infatuated by the destruction.
And from what she could tell, there was no one in sight. No one could be seen. Not a Pokemon, human and especially not a pony. Everything seemed to be gone, covered in rubble and a black smoke which blended in with the dark skies. And yet, despite this horrific act, there was no sign of Xerneas, who Opal was hoping to force out.
"So, Xerneas hasn't shown up just yet. That's fine." Opal spoke, stepping foot on the destroyed lands with a pompous posture. She went straight for Anistar City, trying to see if she managed to hit the hidden civilians who were apparently hiding. But Opal believed even they had been taken out by the Black Beam somewhere. And when returning to the scene, she noticed something that caught her attention.
Olympia's Galaxy Cape.
Olympia's Galaxy Cape laid there amidst the scarred land with no one wearing it. It sat there pathetically until Opal Vivacity picked it up. Her magic brought it over as she eyed down the cape in all of its brilliance. She had an elated expression that was equal to the destruction she caused, admiring the cape.
"Ah, but I got a beautiful reward in return. I think I'll keep this one." Opal Vivacity decided to further increase her glamour even during a time like this. And this time, she would wear Olympia's Galaxy Cape, using it to appear more powerful than she wishes to be. And unfortunately, she had the capability of boasting such power. Opal now possed a cape of the stars alongside her massive mane. It was also rather insulting to Olympia, who was nowhere to be seen to say or do anything about this.
"That's one issue taken care of. But we're not quite done yet. We'll keep going until Xerneas shows up. It has to."
As the journey continues.
Chapter 156 End.