//------------------------------//
// Sudden Capture 
// Story: My Little Pokémon: Grander World 
// by Amarvax 
//------------------------------//

Equestria. Ponyville. Balance of Day and Night.

At last, the vampires had been driven back. Unable to handle all the abundant light coming from the residents of Equestria, they were completely overwhelmed. And on top of that, they were being bombarded by Pokemon attacks from all of them plus the attacks of the Everfree Creatures and when adding that all together, it led to a fierce retaliation from this town's residents and the forest that was nearby. 

As such, they failed to fully capture Ponyville as their own and the massive number difference was too much for them since so many of them were now bodies of light. Seeing no sign of victory, the vampires would combust. Every last one of them.

Explosions went all over the place, sending the vampires away as a form of retreat. Even the ones who were turned to stone by the Cockatrice were able to combust, breaking their stone prisons and fleeing the scene. Ponyville had been cleared from all vampires, being free once more.

Yet again, Ponyville's residents fought hard to protect the home that they love and succeeded. It took a lot of effort as always but they pulled it off with their coordination.

"That's another one done...I don't even have the strength to cheer."  Mayor Mare was relieved. But she and everyone else did not cheer for their victory. They were happy but far too exhausted to cheer at all. A majority of them sat down once all the vampires were gone.

"Same here. We won...Woohoo..." Amethyst Star uttered before lying on her back alongside her Skitty. "Are we sure that's all of them?"

"I think so...I hope so." Emerald Aura replied. The best they could do was hope. All of them were hoping that this was the end. They couldn't even be bothered to repair Ponyville right now. They were far too tired and a majority of them needed some sleep. As for their light bodies, the light would fade away, returning them to normal immediately.

Mayor Mare stood back up, looking over her town and what it has become. From a Despair Plant damaging it, the Dark Tsunami appearing and crashing onto the town along with the final struggle that happened recently, this town, for all of it has been put through was still around. Perhaps that was a testament to how resilient the town and its residents were. They've grown thanks to the Pokemon and were able to keep their town safe with them.

"Mayor. Might I suggest leaving?" Approaching Mayor Mare was Sombra, suggesting something to her.

"Leave? You mean leave Ponyville?"

"Right. It's probably for the best. This town has been completely totalled and taking the time to repair it is rather pointless. Plus, the Lich Queen now has full eyes on this town so staying here is asking for more trouble. We're better off elsewhere until this all ends."

"I'm actually with him on this one. We should be anywhere but here." A Ponyville resident vehemently agreed to this. So did many others. Ponyville was a massive target right now and there was nothing stopping more vampires from showing up here. All they had to do was strike while the residents of Ponyville were tired. It would be horrible for another vampire group to show up and attack them.

"I understand." Mayor Mare sighed as a part of her didn't want to leave the town at all. But seeing how tuckered out her citizens were and the state the town was in plus everything else surrounding it, leaving was the best option. "We'll go elsewhere. The Lich Queen won't find us if we don't state where we're going. She's probably listening in on this conversation but she won't know our destination at all."

"What are we gonna do after we leave?" Scootaloo asked. "Are we gonna bunk somewhere else?"

"The whole world is a hazardous place now because of the Black Crusade, Scootaloo. I'm not sure there are many places for us to hide peacefully. And if there are, the Dread League will creep up on us." Cheerilee laid out the harsh reality.

"If there's something you need to do before you leave, do it quickly. As for me, I will wait for the boy and his other friends to return."

"Come to think of it...Ash hasn't returned yet. I hope he's okay."



Lapras Lake.

As for Ash, his fierce battle with Dimstar had come to an end. Him, Fluttershy, Applejack and Roseluck succeeded but were met with something rather surprising after their victory. Dimstar was still present here even after losing. She did not combust at all and return to Magehold. Instead, she admitted defeat and gave herself up, opting to let them keep her captive here.

"For real? Are you sure about this?" Ash asked, curious if Dimstar was fully confident in this decision. According to her, this was something that the first Lich King prepared her for even though she was carrying out orders from the current Lich Queen, Rosa Maledicta.

"Positive." Dimstar was truly confident. "You've earned my respect with your drive. I will not retreat."

"A bit too welcoming, don't ya think?" Applejack said, rather sceptical about this. "What if she's tricking us?"

"She could be. Or she could be honest about it, you never know." Fluttershy thought about the possibility of her being honest about it.

"It doesn't matter. This is a great opportunity!" Roseluck exclaimed, running ahead to get in front of Ash, facing the Hybrid Vampire. "You're willing to keep yourself here and that means I have the chance to ask you this. Take me to my sister!"

"What?!" Applejack and Fluttershy shouted in unison. Roseluck made a powerful and highly risky demand immediately. She wanted to go straight to the Top Pony herself. The Lich Queen. That obviously meant straight to Magehold and she was hoping that Dimstar could do that.

"Hold it! That's a tall order there, Roseluck!" Applejack ran over, quickly speaking so that Roseluck's hasty decision isn't fully accepted. "You're gonna go there?! All the way to Magehold?! Why?!"

"Are you going to try and talk with the Lich Queen? I mean, it's not the worst idea but..." Fluttershy replied, believing Roseluck would try and reconcile with her big sister if there was a slight chance for it.

"Talk with her? No way." However, Roseluck wasn't planning on chatting with her sister at all. "There'll be talking alright. But I've got a lot of words to throw at her now." Instead, Roseluck made up her mind and decided that her sister was her enemy. Their reunion wouldn't be one of reconciliation but rather anger. Roseluck was certainly furious with how her sister turned out, especially when comparing it to her childhood. "She's causing all this destruction and for what? Some goal that she's just carrying out?"

"You wish to see her? Even though I am allied with the Dread League, anyone can tell you that is a foolish decision." Dimstar added, finding that to be a ludicrous request that would cost Roseluck her life.

"I have to see her! Because I want to be the one to smack her around for doing something like this!" Roseluck also wished to give her sister a good beating. A well-deserved one too. "You just have to take me there, DImstar! Just uh...look at me and think of your Queen!"

"..." Dimstar would look at Roseluck, trying to see if she could spot some of Rosa Maledicta in her. She intensified her eyes, seeing the similarities instantly. They both had the same eyes. While the colours were different, that signature family look was very much present. It was mainly the face where the similarities could be found. "I do see it. But even then...Are you sure about this?"

"I still don't trust this..." Applejack grumbled. Her trust levels weren't exactly that high. Especially since there was a vampire here. She still had a dislike for them and for rightful reasons. Even with Dimstar's honourable personality, Applejack was a cautious pony.

"There is a way to take you there but..."

"I'll be the one to give an example!" Suddenly, out of nowhere, a raspy and creepy voice yelled out, intercepting Dimstar's comment. Hooves flew out of the sand, instantly grabbing Fluttershy's hooves. Everyone's heads turned to face the direction of this voice with Audino being the first.

The one to grab Fluttershy was Shrivel. The vampire who first attacked Ponyville. She never left this part of Equestria at all. She has been here all along, still appearing beat up. But that didn't stop her from taking action as Fluttershy was enveloped in a dark magic.

"Audino!" Audino yelled before being blown back by the Dark Magic field. So were Audino and Raboot as they were the clostest to Fluttershy. All three of them would tumble and roll on the sandy ground.

"Fluttershy?!" Ash roared out, seeing his friend being held by a surprise vampire.

"They thought I combusted and left the scene! But I stayed!" Shrivel cackled before putting her hooves all around Fluttershy. This whole time, she's been hiding, biding her time until the time to strike was right. "I may have lost but I'll take a reward at least!"

"Thunderbolt, Pikachu!"

"Pika...Chuuu!" Pikachu would act as soon as possible, shooting out a Thunderbolt from his body at his best speed. But even though he moved fast, the bolt was stopped by the field Shrivel put up. Not only was it stopped but it was reflected. And its target ended up being Dimstar.

Dimstar took a hit, receiving the 100,000 volts instead. She was already weakened but this only added up some more damage she didn't ask for. The Hyrbid Vampire would fall over from this, heading back into the crater that was made from her hard fall.

"Heard it all, Dimstar! You have no loyalty to us so that's what you deserve! And the rest of you have other things to worry about! Bye-bye now!" Shrivel cackled as the magical field she made out suddenly combusted, enveloping herself as well. It was similar to how the vampires combusted but much larger and this time involved someone else.

Once the explosion subsided, Shrivel was gone. And so was Fluttershy. Their dearest friend had been kidnapped but that wasn't all that they had to worry about, just as Shrivel said. Right after Shrivel and Fluttershy left the scene, the sand was beginning to shrivel. They all felt the sand change all of a sudden, not giving them time to process Fluttershy's disappearance.

Lapras Lake was shrivelling up, starting from the outskirts and turning all the sand rubbery. But right after it became rubbery, the sand would break apart, destroying the foundation of this ground instantly. Everyone instantly fell once the sand had been obliterated after being shrivelled up, falling into a lower part of the lake.

They all screamed after falling as it would lead them back to the waters of Lapras Lake which were still intact. And right as they started falling, Bayleef's leaf would act up, immediately attempting to save them all. And while Bayleef's leaf came off, Ash cried out Fluttershy's name as it echoed through the darker and deep areas of this lake where the water was waiting for them. "Fluttershy!"



Kanto. Pallet Town. Ketchum Household. Balance of Day and Night.

"Yeah, I'm going. And you're not gonna be the ones to stop me." Spectrum Shade meanwhile, still wanted to face Ash. After having a good time over at the Ketchum Household with Delia being a friendly house hos, she was eager to battle her son as soon as possible, even if Twilight, Rarity and Pinkie Pie said otherwise. "Thanks for the food by the way, Mrs Ketchum."

"Oh, don't mention it."

"While it's good that you had a good time here, we still won't let you get to Ash. Not when all of this is going on." Twilight was strong in her decision.

"Tch! Seriously?! If you're gonna stop me then why don't you battle me?!"

"I don't have time for a battle! None of us do! Well, we are battling but it's for a different reason!" Twilight roared at her.

"I'm afraid she's right, Spectrum. I'm sure my son would love a battle but even in this instance, he'd be too focused on keeping everyone else safe. That's just the kind of boy my Ash is."

"So...No battle with Ash? At all?" Spectrum said with disbelief. Since it softly came from Delia herself, she was starting to be convinced as opposed to how Twilight and the others informed her.

"I mean you could just battle him with the intention of the Black Crusade." Rarity shrugged. "If you run into him that is. I'm not saying you should do it but..."

"Hmph! Well, I'll get my battle eventually! Not even the Black Crusade is gonna stop me from making it happen!" An eager Spectrum Shade raised her hoof.

"But you're still going to go through with it?"

"I told you, I don't care for it. Besides, it's not my style. Destroying all life just isn't it for me." She crossed her hooves looking her way as she expressed her disdain for the Black Crusade. It further surprised the ponies with how Spectrum SHade acted. She wasn't like the other vampires and it showed. She had completely different intentions.

And it all stemmed from her lack of entertainment. Of course, Opal Vivacity was the main cause of that. Spectrum Shadhe hadn't even taken part in the Black Crusade at all. To her, the destruction of life was not her taste. It was Pokemon that interested her. However, she also showed no intentions of teaming up with Equestria. She just wanted to battle Ash, that's all.

"Ah, this isn't going anywhere..." Twilight facehoofed. "I was hoping for the latter honestly. So what are you going to do anywhere now that you've learned this?"

"I don't know...I'll just wait." Spectrum Shade chose to wait. "Maybe even check out Ash's Pokemon at that lab. See what the competition holds."

"She reminds me of Rainbow Dash a bit, don't you think?" Rarity said to Pinkie Pie.

"Mhm. I get what you mean." Pinkie Pie agreed as she could also see the similarities. The fact that they both had the colours of the rainbow that is always in the sky was obvious. Very much obvious. And they seemed to have a similar attitude when it comes to Pokemon.

"You're welcome to stay here much longer. It's neither Day or Night right now so we have a lot we can do. Shall I treat you all to some food?"

"We have to get going, Mrs Ketchum, sorry. We have to stop the Black Crusade as soon as possible. And the best way for us to do that is by freeing Yveltal. As long as Yveltal is free, the Dread League will lose a major part of their plan." Twilight explained. "I'm not sure how I feel about having a vampire stay with you while we're gone...but to be honest, she doesn't seem so bad."

"What?!" Spectrum Shade gasped at that.

"Right?" Delia chuckled. "Good luck out there and save us all from destruction, okay? I'll be fine. I promise."

"Hold it! What makes you think I don't seem that bad?!" Spectrum Shade roared at Twilight, clearly not liking that comment at all as it made her seem less intimidating than she wanted to be.

"I'm just saying that-" Before Twilight could continue saying anything else a sudden arrival of a large crowd jumpscared her and everyone in the Ketchum Household. Jumping through Pallet Town were the Ponyville Residents. They all decided where they should go and Kanto was the collective decision.

They all appeared with their Pokemon aside from the Everfree Forest Creatures. Not even the massive Uras could be seen showing up. The streets of Kanto, at least the Ketchum Household's vicinity, were being filled up with their next-door neighbours across the gateway. 

And the way they entered was rather sluggish. Since they were all tuckered out, they pathetically passed through the gateway when making an appearance. All except for Sombra who entered without showing any signs of exhaustion.

"Oh, my. Are they all planning to stay here?" Delia said, believing that they were all coming over to her home.

"They passed through here? Why?" Twilight wondered why they all chose to show up here all of a sudden. Little did she know and little did all of them know, something else was happening back at Equestria. And it involved Ash and Fluttershy.



Equestria. Magehold.

Back at Magehold, Shrivel had returned. And when making her return, it was at the deep chamber where all vampire ponies who combust, end up in these millions of tubes to heal up as if nothing ever happened. In Shrivel's case, she brought Fluttershy with her as the pegasus ended up in one of these tubes herself.

Not only did she end up there but she was also unconscious. Damage from the previous battle caused this but also the fact that she was taken in by an explosion. It has only been a few minutes since she got here and her first experience of Magehold was in the tubes. Well, she couldn't experience it at all since she was unconscious at the moment.

"Fluttershy?!" And seeing Fluttershy here were the two alicorn princesses who had also been captured. Princess Cadence and the older Flurry Heart from another universe. They couldn't believe their eyes when Fluttershy showed up in these tubes as well. But she was here for a different purpose compared to these two. 

Fluttershy was here to become one of the vampires. More specifically, the Bat Pony magic that lies dormant within her. That hadn't been dismissed at all despite all the failed attempts. But now it was Shrivel who managed to succeed in bringing her here. And with that success, she cackled. She may have failed to take down Ponyville, but this reward was good enough to hr. And unfortunately for Fluttershy, she would become a test subject.

As the journey continues.


Chapter 160 End.