Equestria. Ponyville. Balance of Day and Night.
Even though the clash between Princess Celestia and Rosa Maledicta had come to an end, the Sun and Moon were still in a state of balance, existing at the same time, messing up timezones everywhere in the world. And currently, the Creatures of the Everfree were attacking Ponyville. But they were doing it for a different reason. It was to try and chase out the vampires that tried rebuilding it.
The colossal Ursa Major which was the size of a mountain already laid its claws on the roofs of these buildings with its entire body overshadowing the town. However, the vampires did not seem too afraid of them. Not at all. Even with the Ursa Major's massive body being enough to catch all of them, it wasn't enough.
"They're sicking them on us?!" By now, they knew that the Ponyville residents were behind this. The Ursa Major was confirmation of this because of this massive size after all. And one of the first big hits of this sudden attack was from the Cockatrice.
Some vampires had already turned to stone or were being slowly enveloped by stone when gazing at it. Their bodies stayed still in the face of this creature's magic, rendering them immobile. But not everyone looked into its gaze. Some were too busy being picked up by some of the Hydra's heads or even slapped away, tumbling and bouncing all over the place. The Ursa Minor wasn't quite as destructive as its mother but it was still large enough to tower over most buildings here, slapping its paws around, hoping it would hit something. All this and Ponyville's residents weren't jumping in.
Speaking of the Ponyville residents, they were currently on the outskirts of Ponyville, preparing themselves. They couldn't enter thanks to the Dark Magic in the area being highly dangerous and abundant. But until they reach it, they were getting a bright makeover. Courtesy of Emerald Aura and Cold Colt, the ponies and Pokemon were each having their bodies light up to the point where they might as well be bodies of light.
Sombra was the first to get this change and immediately, he focused on the Dark Magic. Being an Umbrum, he obviously had expertise in this and planned to remove it from Ponyville while he had the chance. Entering Ponyville wasn't that dangerous for Sombra. Not at all. Much like most of the Everfree Creatures, there was some connection to this form of magic. Thus, Sombra could freely enter Ponyville while the Dark Magic was all over the place, gaining immunity.
Sombra would try and take it away in secrecy. The vampires were too busy occupied with the Creatures of the Everfree, giving Sombra the chance to act while the time was ripe. And the way he dealt with this Dark Magic was by adding his own to it.
"If I can overlay all of it or replace it with my Dark Magic, they'll have nothing to fear. But this is a lot of Dark Magic in one area though..." He said to himself while pouring out all the Dark Magic he could. The amount of it was rather perplexing. Ponyville had been hit with a lot of Dark Magic recently and the Dark Tsunami left some lingering Dark Magic around as well as seen by how it scarred the grounds of this once beautiful town.
He technically stuck out because he was a body of light but he had the Everfree Creatures to count on for this. To further conceal himself, he stood behind SugarCube Corner while using his magic. The walls were still high enough for him to use despite their condition.
As for the vampires, they would already deal with these fearsome creatures with equally fearsome Dark Magic. More of it had been cast here in Ponyville, this time against the Everfree Forest Creatures. And the most common usage of Dark Magic where chains. Each of the vampires would materialize the darkness into chains, wrapping them around the Everfree Forest Creatures, attempting to restrain them.
The Hydra swung each of its heads, only for one of them to be caught by the chains. The middle head found itself caught by these chains, losing its flow completely. The other two heads furiously bashed themselves on the chain, trying to break the middle one free.
These chains all had shadows around them, matching the ones that the Pony of Shadows possesses. The Ursa Minor was immediately caught by these as its actions were abruptly put to a halt. This immediately triggered a response from the mother who unleashed a roar so loud and powerful that it blew away the vampires who placed the chains on her child. The real threat was the Ursa Major who could squish them with her size. And she most definitely tried it, raising her mountain-sized paw and bringing down on Ponyville.
The nearby vampires scattered, eluding the large paw that came down like a righteous hammer, allowing the buildings that were being rebuilt by Dark Magic to be crushed. This wasn't too bad since Ponyville was already in bad shape and if anything, destroying the buildings that were being remade could be redone once all the vampires are out of here.
But even with this titan of a creature around, the vampires wouldn't give up on their chain tactic as that seemed to be rather effective on these creatures. However, some bigger chains were already being thought of for the Ursa Major.
Lapras Lake.
Meanwhile, over at Lapras Lake, the battle against Dimstar was intensifying. Ash, Applejack, Fluttershy and Roseluck found themselves dealing with the combined might of a Lich and a Vampire. Even though Dimstar wasn't a full-on Lich, she was certainly packing some of that fearsome magic with her.
"S-Sceptile...!" Sceptile had just taken a hard hit from the Body Tendrils, rapidly sliding on the sand while trying to keep his balance. Helping him with his balance was Roserade, who used her thorns to catch the Forest Pokemon. Afterwards, the tendrils would rise up, going for another attack and refusing to let Sceptile breathe. The Grass-Type's eyes widened as the tendrils would be swung down with wild force, also targeting Roserade who was behind Sceptile.
"Pikachu, Iron Tail!"
"Chu...Pika" Coming to his aid, Pikachu would zoom through the air, cutting off some of the tendrils with his hardened Iron Tail. And that was right when they were about to hit Sceptile. Adding to this damage was Raboot, using Flame Charge to burn through these body tendrils. Afterwards, Bayleef would throw out Magical Leaf, only directly towards Dimstar. The Hybrid Vampire would merely receive hits from these leaves which didn't too much when hitting her face.
"Thanks for the save, ya'll!" Applejack thanked them both for intercepting those tendrils just in time. Right as Dimstar scoffed at the leaves that came her way, she would dig some of her tendrils into the ground, going for an underground attack this time.
And she did so by gripping the ground itself, using the force behind her tendrils to raise it up while also adding Dark Magic in it just for that extra punch. And once it was raised, the darkness and the power behind those tendrils would form a large sand wave.
"Audi! Use Protect"
"Audino!" Audino would quickly run up, getting in front of everyone else to be their shield. With her hands out, she would form a protective barrier around herself, the Pokemon and the Trainers as the wave of sand viciously came crashing down with the same force as a tsunami. Everyone closed their eyes once the sand made contact with the shield. And despite how minuscule the many sand grains were, with Dark Magic involved, they might as well hit as hard as rocks.
The barrier pulsated and trembled when the wave hit, damaging it. But it wasn't enough to destroy the shield. All the sand dropped down as Audino successfully protected them all.
"Nice save, Audino," Ash added, thanking Audino before holding his hand out to reveal another Poke Ball. "Alright! Lucario, I choose you!"
"Lucario!" Entering the fray was another friend. This time, Lucario made an appearance.
"Out ya come, Riolu!" And for Applejack, she sent out her Delta Riolu, allowing him to join up with his Sinnoh Full Evolution Counterpart.
"Rio!"
"Go, Bellossom!" And finally, Roseluck sent out her Bellossom for assistance. More Pokemon appeared to help tip the scales. Dimstar by herself was quite the challenge and it showed, even with the added help of some Timberwolves.
"Bellossom!"
"We might have to keep her steady. We'll expose her to all the light that we can but it won't be easy. Even though she stands around a lot." Ash said, wanting to expose Dimstar to as much as light as possible. He could definitely count on Pikachu for that.
"You can try," Dimstar uttered. "I'll admit though...I expected my victory to be assured a while ago but...I can't believe you're this resilient, honestly. It's your Pokemon that are your greatest shields. Without them, I know for a fact you would be done for by now."
"She's got a point. Roserade and everyone have done well to keep us this safe but..." Roseluck was inclined to agree. If any of those tendrils get to the trainers, it would do far larger damage than how it compares to the Pokemon.
"Yeah, but we're tough in our own way, aren't we?" Ash thought otherwise. He believed in the toughness of all of his friends. Pokemon, pony or any other species out there. And it has been shown during the attack on Ponyville without a doubt. "No need to worry."
"I'd like to see how long you can keep it up for though. You've done a good job at showing me that neither of you are slouches." Dimstar closed her eyes, manipulating her tendrils as she began forming them into something. Ash and everyone looked up to see Dimstar's tendrils form into fists. Girthy ones too. She perfectly replicated humanoid fists, using all of the tendrils she had to create them.
Roseluck was grossed out by how Dimstar managed to do it. Seeing all those tendrils move around to make that was utterly disturbing to her eyes. But she couldn't afford to be disgusted right now. Not when the massive Tendril Fist was swung down.
Everyone would move back as these massive arms slammed into the sandy ground, sending most of it upwards and masking it. The impact of it left not just a dent but a crater. Cracks on the ground started moving rapidly after the initial hit, sending yet another sand wave while also creating a pressure that reached the ocean, kicking up the waves. On top of that, large chunks of earth were now levitating in the air after being knocked up. Each of them were surrounded by Dark Magic as well.
"Okay! Pikachu, get in there with Iron Tail! Go, Lucario! Double Team!"
"Sceptile, Leaf Blade!"
"Pika!" Three Pokemon would approach the Hybrid Vampire. It started with Pikachu rushing in while Lucario multiplied himself. And right next to them was Sceptile with his bladed leaf arms extending and glowing.
Dimstar raised her head, which in turn, caused the tendrils to go up as well. The Tendril Fists were then brought down, attempting to hit all three of them at once. But with their eyes flashing, Pikachu and Sceptile would leap to the side, evading the two arms. As for Lucario, only his clones took the hit. The real Lucario already avoided the Tendrils, by jumping up.
"Ca!" But he did more than just evade them, he even took the opportunity to land on Dimstar's Tendril Arms, using them as a platform. The Aura Pokemon started approaching Dimstar by using her own main weapon against her.
"Force Palm!"
"Luca!" Lucario got ahead of his friends, channelling power into his paws as he thrusted his arms forward, leaving behind an orange trail with the speed they moved at. However, Dimstar manipulated the tendrils even further, this time, summoning smaller fists out of them by using a few tendril parts. These tendrils blocked Lucario's attack from reaching the vampire, clashing with his Force Palm. "Rrr?!"
"Sceptile?!" Sceptile would receive the same thing once he got too close. These smaller tendrils showed up, trying to catch him off guard. And they certainly did by whipping him in the chest, coming out from the side of these massive arms. "T-Tile"
"Pika!" Pikachu was hit as well after seeing them make an appearance. As for Lucario, he was then pushed back by the tendrils that stopped him, nearly falling over the arm. Afterwards, these smaller tendrils would race forward, attempting to strike the trainers.
"Dazzling Gleam, Bellossom!"
"Bello!" However, Bellossom would also be their defender, much like Audino. From her body, a flash of Fairy Magic appeared, sending out a bright light which interacted with the tendrils. Dimstar squinted her eyes as her tendrils would start smoking for a while when coming into contact with the light. They were connected to her body after all. If anything, this was just an extension of Dimstar.
"Thunderbolt!"
"Thunder Punch!"
"Pikaaa...Chuuu!" Two forms of lightning were unleashed. Pikachu slid on the ground, lighting his body up with 100,000 volts. It started with those volts flying out, shocking the massive Tendril Fist and punishing the vampire with some more light. It was then followed up by Sceptile who threw his fist at the tendrils with electricity packed behind it.
Dimstar moved back a bit as her tendril arms were sizzling. But it wasn't something that would keep her down. Even when being exposed to light, she would continue. She then swung one of the fists at the opposing Pokemon, going for Lucario and Sceptile first as the pressure behind the swing lifted up the sand.
"Ca!" Lucario and Sceptile evaded it in unison by leaping over the tendril, only for them to be knocked back by two more that snuck out of the massive fists. Both of them received hits to their chests, coughing for a moment as they were sent flying so far that they passed by Bellossom and Audino, landing right next to Ash and Applejack.
After that, she continued her assault, sending multiple tendrils out which reduced the size of these massive fists. They were once again focused on the other Pokemon and the Trainers. Raboot would try using Flame Charge, running right at the tendrils with increased speed. "Boot!" Raboot crashed into the tendrils with his flaming aura and head, managing to struggle with it for a bit. But it didn't last forever as he was then knocked away.
"Riolu, Dark Pulse!"
"Use Heal Pulse, Audi! Quick! Bayleef, Magical Leaf!"
"Hit those fists with Poison Jab, Roserade! Bellossom, go with her and use Dazzling Gleam!"
"Rose!" Roserade would use her hidden thorns to grab Bellossome, dragging her along so she could get around quicker. Joining her was Delta Riolu who jumped into the air and got some impressive air time. While in the air, he would gather up the power of darkness in his paws.
"Lu!" Riolu then launched the darkness from above as this attack would fly alongside Bayleef's Magical Leaf. Both crashed into the fist, dealing damage to it but not enough. That was where Bellossom came in. Roserade would launch her teammate, allowing her to get close to Dismtar just so that she could use Dazzling Gleam effectively.
"Bellooooo!" Bellossom yelled out when moving through the air, already preparing for a Dazzling Gleam as her body was lighting up. Dimstar gasped, quickly shifting her attention to just Bellossom and swinging her large fists at them. This time, it was both of them as she planned to sandwich the Flower Pokemon. "Bellossom?!"
"Thunderbolt, Pikachu!"
"Rose...Rade!" Coming to her aid were Pikachu and Roserade right as she was about to be sandwiched. Roserade used Poison Jab, holding both her bouquet arms out to catch the large Tendril Fists. The moment they touched Roserade, her body trembled at the sheer might of them. The Bouquet Pokemon violently grit her teeth while spreading poison around these tendrils.
"Pika...Chuuu!" Pikachu got back up. And with this opportunity, he would use Thunderbolt right in the middle of these two arms, shocking them both. 100,000 volts passed through each side of Dimstar's massive fist arms while Bellossom's Dazzling Gleam finally went off.
She was free to approach Dimstar thanks to Roserade and Pikachu's involvement. Dimstar grimaced, vibrating from the volts that hit her which let Bellossom unleash the Fairy-Type move. The magical light from the attack was incredibly close to Dimstar. So close that Bellossom crashed into the Hybrid Vampire with the attack.
A direct hit. Dazzling Gleam enveloped and blew away Dimstar to the point where Roserade was relieved from holding the two arms with her bouquet hands. Dimstar was bewildered by this attack as she went from stumbling to then rolling on the ground after being exposed to that much light at such an up-close encounter. The smoke could be seen flying out of her body, burning her up from both the front and the back as she crashed into a pile of rocks at a rather fast pace which made the impact staggeringly hard.
"Amazing work, Bellossom!" Roseluck said with glee. "That was an up-close Dazzling Gleam plus a Thunderbolt too! That had to have stunned her greatly!"
"Wait!" Ash held his hand back to the others. It wasn't time to get too confident and celebrate just yet. Ash could tell. He knew that Dimstar wouldn't fall so easily even though that attack was rather powerful.
Ash was right not to celebrate to soon. The smoke was clearing but a presence could still be felt. Ash and Lucario easily sensed the Aura to know that Dimstar was still there and active. The air went silent for a bit. Everyone readied themselves for whatever could happen next. And after the smoke cleared, Dark Magic would fly out of the earth, filling the air instantly.
And with this magic filling the air, Ash and everyone felt something. Something absolutely mortifying. They collectively gasped as the presence they felt was utterly cold and mournful, causing Audino, Bayleef and Bellossom to shiver and nearly fall over.
Pikachu, Raboot, Lucario, Roserade and Sceptile trembled feeling massively uncomfortable by the presence that came their way. As for the trainers, Fluttershy, Applejack and Roseluck felt their hearts beat faster once this feeling appeared. Fluttershy quivered, sitting down as she put her hooves over her chest while Applejack's pupils shrank in horror. As for Ash, he would get on one knee, gritting his teeth and trying to power through this presence.
"W-What is this...? It's so sad..." Roseluck uttered while taking the uncomfortable and saddening feeling of this presence.
"This is the feeling of all those who passed away long ago around this area before you all came into this world. The ugly feeling of the deceased. Whether it's the fish that lived under the sea or the creatures that once roamed these areas. You will feel their deceased bodies in their entirety. Truly morose and cold, isn't it?" Dimstar explained while walking out of the smoke. She was manipulating the dead. Specifically the aura around their deceased bodies.
"I can feel so many of them...It's horrible." Fluttershy trembled. It was so utterly terrifying that she started tearing up. Knowing that creatures that once used to live here for so long were having their presence be felt. The feeling was just awful in so many ways that each of them could describe it.
And the one feeling this the most was Delta Riolu. With his connection to the dead, this actually angered him instead. Using the deceased in such a way was detestable to Delta Riolu since he was the Embalming Pokemon. However, he couldn't exactly do much with his body being paralyzed by this feeling.
And by using that to her advantage, she unleashed the tendrils on Ash and the others. By thrusting them forward, Ash, Pikachu and Lucario were struck back by the massive fists. It was a direct hit and a heavy one too. But the one who took the heaviest hit by far was Ash. And Dimstar made sure that he took the brunt of it. Ash groaned right after receiving that powerful punch from the Tendril Fists.
"ASH!" Fluttershy, Applejack and Roseluck collectively shouted in shock and horror at their good friend receiving such a blow. Ash and his Pokemon went flying so far that they ended up in the lake, falling right into it. And the others were next. The second fist flew in, this time with a downward swing as it tried to crush them in one go.
"B-Bay!" Seeing this, Bayleef groaned, using her strength to rip off one of her leaves. The leaf touched the back of Bayleef, sending a powerful white flash that enveloped the area right as the fist came down. And in the nick of time, she changed fate, sending herself and everyone to the side while the fist the ground. But even using her leaf felt horrific thanks to the presence that was around here.
Dimstar would casually approach them while tightening her tendril fist, bashing them together as an intimidation factor. She would not cease this horrible presence at all. And as for the feeling it gave her, she had no reaction to it. This was all numb for Dimstar. And most likely, for all vampires from Magehold.
And unfortunately, it was only worsening. Other locations across the world were being hit. And one of them was Vanhoover. The chilly yet comforting location was soon met with the burning cruelty of the Dread League. And it came in the form of dark lightning from above, striking down at the city. The vampires continued to control the clouds, adding Dark Magic in it to summon a corrupted form of lightning.
Another place that took this hit was Las Pegasus especially since it was active even at night. And the other areas were about to be hit next. Dodge Junction, Baltimare, and Fillydelphia were vulnerable to receiving their own vampiric attacks. And it mainly came from the skies. The vampires all focused on aerial attacks, bringing down the thunder. Destruction for all was imminent. And this was all before Yveltal could make a move.
Speaking of Yveltal, he was still resting, unable to break free from his prison. However, now that the Black Crusade had begun, his life was in peril. If it ends, that would mean the end of everything. However, Rosa Maledicta was waiting for Xerneas to be out of the way first. Until Xerneas was gone, the Black Crusade could not be fully completed.
This fact was the reasoning behind Opal's current goal. She was still out there in the world searching for Xerneas. And to do so, she would cause widespread destruction, attempting to take the lives of many innocents just so Xerneas shows itself.
And speaking of Opal, she was still at Kalos, focusing on it since that was where Xerneas originated from. And her path of destruction was utterly cruel. The Black Beam would be used once more, hitting the ground and sending out a vast wave of destruction that would envelop any nearby areas.
Opal laughed maniacally when bringing down this much destruction. And at the same time, she was leaving scars on the land. Kalos as being utterly scarred in every way by these actions. Craters were starting to become a bit common because of Opal's attacks on the land.
"Still no sign of Xerneas? What is this?" Opal growled, failing to see why Xerneas hadn't shown up yet. "I go through the trouble of dealing this much damage to Kalos and that bloated deer doesn't even show up?"
"Opal..." Suddenly, speaking to Opal at last was the Lich Queen. Now that she left the mindscape, she could communicate with her subjects.
"Ah, your majesty! What can I do for you?"
"The destruction you've caused to Kalos is quite commendable. And a clever way to try and force Xerneas out."
"Thank you! It is a genius plan, isn't it? But that deer hasn't shown up at all. It hasn't responded to all this destruction. I was certain that it would." Opal replied. "What should I do, your majesty?"
"It will have to show up eventually. I can't destroy Yveltal yet until Xerneas makes an appearance. And even if I were to do so now, the Pokemon would merely appear elsewhere that we cannot reach in time. Its power to bring life back is equally as powerful as Yveltal's power to destroy it after all. But there are those who are catching onto our goal, Opal. Some already know of our Xerneas approach."
"They do?!" The beautiful vampire gasped.
"It was Shrivel who shared it with me. As soon as I was able to communicate with you all, she told me about how the ponies spoke about Xerneas. I need you to snuff them out at once. They have the potential to stop our Xerneas plan. And as to be expected, they come from Equestria."
"Leave that to me. I can always focus on destroying parts of Kalos later. Those who would try and stop us from reaching Xerneas won't have their way. Where do you need me to go, your majesty?"
"Ponyville is rather vulnerable. And that was where I got this information. Head there as soon as possible. And if not...then head to Canterlot."
"Canterlot or Ponyville?" Opal pondered for a moment before deciding where she wanted to go first. It was away from Kalos and to somewhere in Equestria. Opal's destruction wouldn't stop at just Kalos. The scars she would leave on the world would extend beyond that. "I know which place would be perfect for my arrival!"
As the journey continues.
Chapter 157 End.