Equestria. Ponyville. Sweet Apple Acres. Day.
Dimstar was a captive. Giving herself up, she had been restrained by Applejack's lasso and a few of Sceptile's roots, tied to a tree. Of course, it was Applejack who put her here just to be safe. Applejack wasn't fully sure that she could trust Dimstar. However, she went through the effort of giving Dimstar some protection from the Sun by putting a massive leaf stand over her.
However, Dimstar had to wonder 'Why'. The part where she gave up thanks to Ash and his friends having a great resolve made sense to her. But suddenly choosing to stay behind and agree to take them to Magehold felt greatly off to her. Why would she go through with that as well? It was at that moment that she recalled something from her past. Far back to the point where she hadn't been kept in that cube yet.
It was around the time when the first Lich King was still around. Dimstar recalled it clearly and she remembered what she looked like. Much like everypony, she was just a foal at that time. And of course, she was the Hybrid of a Lich and a Vampire. Her father was the first Lich King and her mother was a vampire.
At that age, she stood before her father in the old Magehold, which still carried that eerie presence but there was something light about it. No bright lights of any kind for the safety of the vampires but it had a more pleasant feeling compared to what it was now. The young Dimstar faced her father with innocent eyes, hearing the words he had to say.
"Dimstar, my child. Listen. That premonition of the Great Evil that the Seer spoke of may possibly become a reality, I'm afraid. It is something that threatens not just Magehold but the world itself.
"What is it, Father?" She asked before being picked up by her father who cradled her.
"I still don't know. But it could end up appearing in Magehold directly. I'm not sure when it will appear though. What I know is that it will target the entire world with something truly horrific. And unfortunately, I might not be around by that time to really do something about it."
"What?!" Dimstar's young voice let out a powerful screech. That is one of the last things a child wants to hear from their parent. "What do you mean, father?! You'll be around as long as everyone else, right!?"
"I'm sorry little one. But despite me being the king, I don't have a ridiculously long lifespan like a vampire. I have an average one at best. Comparable to the ponies on the other side of the world."
"That can't be..." This gutted Young Dimstar. Her father wouldn't be around for centuries, unlike a vampire.
"You'll still have your mother here. She'll live for a long time. I'm only hoping that I'll be here to stop this terrifying evil. It's my duty as King. And if I can't...I suppose I can leave it up to the future Lich Ruler."
"You mean me? You can leave it up to me, Father! I'm next in line, aren't I?!"
"Well, if you want. I wouldn't want my daughter being forced upon it. Magehold is still in its infancy so it has room to grow. The next rulers will dictate how it develops and hopefully by then, that great evil that the Seer predicted will be long gone."
"What if it doesn't go, father? I can maybe deal with it."
"Maybe but it would be highly dangerous and I wouldn't want my daughter tackling it at all. If you ever do become the next Lich Queen, I'm hoping you can stand up to it whenever it appears."
"I'll try, Father. But what else does this great evil have when it'll show up?"
"There's not much else I can tell you, little one. All we can know right now is that the rest of the world will have to be prepared for it when it comes. And since the Seer said that it could come from Magehold itself, I fear that our subjects might end up causing whatever is coming."
"They wouldn't do that, would they?"
"Some of them are rather destructive, I'm afraid. It might be something that drives them." The Lich King approached the window looking outside of it to spectate his subjects at old Magehold. His eyes met with the few vampires that were around, seeing how some just lived their lives.
But others craved something more. The King could see that there was something else that they were looking for. The intense look in their eyes spoke volumes. He even noticed one vampire that carried a fairly menacing aura compared to the others. Strangely, she somewhat resembled Opal Vivacity based on her appearance but with a shorter mane style.
"When I found them, a majority of them were already destructive and violent. And since then, it's been my duty to lead Magehold into a better future. It'll be hard to do since vampires possess that destructive force within, even those who look peaceful. Something wrong can bring it out of them and I want to make sure that never happens."
"What about me, father?" Dimstar raised her head, asking her father if she has it within her since she was a hybrid.
"Well..." The Lich King paused for a moment. Since Dimstar was Half Vampire and Half Lich, it was hard to say if the Lich part would cancel out the destructive vampiric urges. "I want to believe that you don't have it in you, little one. But if that destructive side of you leaves your body, there is something that might help restrain it at least. And it's all a matter of those you meet."
"Those I meet? What does that mean?"
Alas, that was where her memory with her Father ended. Dimstar couldn't think past that. The best that she could do was think about the rest of her childhood. However, the last of her memories involved a cube of some sort. The same cube that she was in until Fractured Note released her not too long ago.
"Perhaps Father expected something like this..." Dimstar said to herself. "I did it of my own volition though...I had to show honour to them after they claimed victory."
Dimstar had to ponder about this. She even knew that Rosa Maledicta was probably watching this but none of her words really gave anything important out. Dimstar tried thinking back to what her father meant by that. She wondered if her battle with Ash was proof of that. She was the one to give up once she saw their resolve after all.
Kalos.
Opal Vivacity was currently on her way to Ponyville along with her group, unaware of the town's absence. But the threat was still prominent since she could easily move through the gateway and continue her destructive rampage there. Even if the Ponyville Residents were gone, they weren't completely safe.
However, even Opal Vivacity wasn't exactly safe either. While sitting on top of the train, she believed no one knew of her group's presence here. But in reality, someone knew they were on top of the train. The conductor. With a grin on his face, he was already aware of them. The train entered a tunnel, seemingly going on its way as usual without the vampires needing to do anything. But the fact that they were so relaxed at the moment was exactly what the conductor was hoping for.
"Alright...I think this should be good enough. We have them right where we want them." The conductor uttered, seemingly speaking to himself. But in reality, he was speaking to someone here. A Coalossal to be exact. Coalossal was the one fueling the train, keeping it moving. "Fuel it up some more, Coalossal."
"Coal!" Coalossal would do just that, adding more fuel to the train by using its own power. All Coalossal had to do was stand there instead of shovelling any coal. It was the coal. And by having flames erupt from its body, it would greatly affect the train.
As for the conductor, he would remove his hat and jacket, revealing his face and more of himself. This wasn't some random conductor. Not at all. He wasn't even a full-on conductor. Instead, he was none other than a Pokemon Ranger. He had the signature ranger top on him along with some goggles to go on.
The Ranger Union already caught light of this thanks to Princess Celestia. Now they were fully aware of the Black Crusade beginning and with so many rangers across the world, it was only a matter of time until one of them ran into the Dread League.
"Hm. I should get myself a crown next. This cape is absolutely divine and makes me feel like I came from the stars. Perhaps I can find someone with that exact crown. A Galaxy Crown sounds lovely." Meanwhile, Opal was thinking about how she could further glamour herself and appear as a supremely powerful being.
But right as she pondered about her next form of fashion, she and the vampires felt the train speed up all of a sudden. Once the train reached the tunnel, the tracks changed. They still went forward but now there was a different angle. The tracks went downwards instead.
This was rather unusual train tracks rarely if never go at a downward angle. And even Opal Vivacity took notice of that. She sat up for a moment, looking at her surroundings to see where the train was headed in this direction. The other vampires soon took notice but the moment they came to light, the train began speeding up before they could say something.
"What?!" Opal Vivacity roared as the train accelerated. She tried grabbing onto the train with her bare hooves, almost failing to do so. Some of the vampires had been thrown off the train thanks to the speed the train moved at. They went flying, crashing into the ground and tumbling away, not having the balance to use their wings in this instance.
And with the train speeding up, it had one destination up ahead. A rather bright destination. The Sun did not shine here at Kalos since the timezone was different at the moment. However, to make up for that, some light was being utilized at the moment. And it could be seen at the train station up ahead. And over at that train station were other Pokemon Rangers, waiting for them.
"A trap?!" Opal gasped as she and her group had been led into yet another trap. Up ahead, some Pokemon that the Ranger Union recruited could be seen generating light from their bodies. They specifically went for Electric-Types since they could generate the best light consistently. A barrage of light was waiting for the vampires, ready to stun them all and bring a vicious burn.
"Now, Coalossal! Burn Up!"
"There was more than one Coalossal on board." A second one was there and it was right above Opal Vivacity. By now, everyone knew about Opal's Fate-Changing Mane and how much of a threat it was. And for such a threat, it needed to be dealt with as soon as possible.
Right as Opal Vivacity was prepared to use her Fate-Changing Mane at the right moment, specifically when getting close to the Train Station, the flames from Burn Up would emerge. The flames burst through the roof of the train, blowing that part off and immediately meeting with Opal Vivacity.
Opal was too focused on what was ahead to notice what came from below. For a split second, she felt something warm on the roof before it was blown off. And soon, her body was engulfed by the fierce flames of Coalossal's Burn Up.
A bloodcurdling scream came from Opal Vivacity as her grip on the train was greatly weakened. She screamed as her body felt the heat, exposing her to another vampiric weakness. But what really mattered was her mane. It was starting to burn away thanks to the flames that reached her, slowly ruining its stylish appearance.
Opal grit her teeth, trying to overcome this. She felt an immeasurable amount of pain with her body being burned. She's been hit by various things before but direct contact with so much Fire in this way was on another level for her. She couldn't do anything at all about this. She was powerless to retaliate and at the same time, the train had finally arrived at its next destination.
However, Opal Vivacity and the other vampires had some outside help in this instance. Right as the train came to a halt, the vampires would be exposed to nearby light which would shine their way. Meanwhile, Coalossal had used up all of its flames, losing its Fire-Typing. But what it did was incredibly effective.
Her body was smoking. It was far worse than when she was hit by light. Her mane was what truly mattered. The rangers all looked onward to see what had become of it. And from what Coalossal did, it managed to deal some hefty damage to it. Not only were the holes in it but some of it had been burned away, lost to the flames and thinning down Opal's magic by liming how much she could use.
"It didn't get rid of it all?!" A Ranger gasped, shocked that Opal Vivacity still had a lot of her mane left. She did specifically style it so that it was long enough to go past the end of her body. It was as if Celestia's long mane was on the body of an average pony.
"It's fine! We've got our chance to deal with the rest!" But they still had an opportunity. Rosa's mane was still burning thanks to all the fire that Coalossal used up so it was still vulnerable and harming Opal Vivacity.
"You...You crafty little...!" Opal grimaced as shadows would envelop her body. This wasn't her magic. This was the doing of the Pony of Shadows. Coming to the aid of the Dread League once more, he used his shadows to cover parts of Opal, essentially soothing her pain. The shadows would also be used to retaliate against the abundance of light, giving the vampires some resistance to it. "I was hit with yet another sneak attack such as this! it wasn't funny the first time!"
"We at the Ranger Union prepared for this ever since the Black Crusade was said to be coming soon. But we were hoping to take out your entire mane in one go."
"Right now, across the world, the rest of our fellow Rangers will be intercepting the Dread League. You won't be snuffing out any lives while we're around."
"Kh! I have somewhere to be right now...!" Opal scowled before having the Pony of Shadows bring her down from the train. "You're just slowing me down!"
"We can't restrain her since she'll just combust. What do we do?" A Ranger asked, wondering what to do now that they had Opal Vivacity here. Unfortunately, the vampires could make an easy getaway by blowing themselves up and returning to Magehold.
"Jackie answered that. He said during one of his missions, he saw a vampire combust and take something with him. That might be the key. We all might have to go with them if they blow up."
There was a collective agreement. And they had Jackie to thank for that. By this point, the fact that the vampires could blow themselves up for a quick exit was well known. It made things frustrating since they couldn't interrogate them or lock them up in any way. However, the answer was seemingly going with them when they combust.
"I don't have time for this! I was going to see if I could still find Xerneas somehow in Kalos, but this is just a big waste of time! We're leaving!" Judging by her bellowing words, Opal Vivacity was already planning on leaving the scene, refusing to battle against the Ranger Union.
The Rangers were hoping that they could at least get rid of her mane, even if they couldn't stop her completely. Alas, that wasn't the case. Opal Vivacity seemed to evade complete destruction of her mane every time, whether by her own magic or with outside help.
The Pokemon Rangers then all looked at each other, knowing what they had to do. They were going for a rather risky plan and that was by getting close to the vampires while they were about to combust. Right as the Dread League prepared to combust, the Rangers would approach them, looking like they were going for hugs.
"What the?!" Opal Vivacity pulled back, shocked by the approaching Rangers. She usually expects the Pokemon to approach her, not the trainers themselves. And since the average human was taller than a pony, the moment they came close, Opal felt like she was about to be picked off from the ground.
However, she had the Pony of Shadows to assist with that. The Pony of Shadows used this opportunity to gather more victims for his dark army. He appeared as a wall of darkness that would soon absorb the Rangers that went in. The Rangers who were caught by the darkness all screamed as they were instantly pulled in as if a black hole got a hold of them.
Some of them couldn't even process it in time. The absorption happened in a heartbeat and all they could see was darkness instead of the vampires in front of them. New victims for the Pony of Shadows had been found, only increasing the forces of the Dread League.
"Hah...idiots..." Opal mocked them after they were pulled in. She took the time to laugh at their failure before she even blew herself up. But that was a mistake on her part. By taking the time to mock them, a Pokemon attack came her way. A Zap Cannon was thrown by a Magneton who struck while the iron was hot.
Right as Opal was about to blow up, the Zap Cannon hit its mark, getting the beautiful vampire. Her cocky smile left her face the moment the Zap Cannon landed. Not only did it mean that Opal was instantly paralyzed but her mane took some more damage. The electricity would zap away at parts of the massive mane, weakening it further. It was already rather vulnerable thanks to Coalossal and this certainly added to it.
This left her a bit perplexed for a moment as the paralysis slowed her down. But it wasn't enough, unfortunately. Damage had been done, yes, but no one could leave with Opal Vivacity and the other vampires thanks to the blockade that was the Pony of Shadows.
The remaining Rangers stayed here, standing before the Pony of Shadows who stuck around while a barrage of explosions went off behind him. All the vampires were now gone, returning to Magehold and leaving the Kalos Region. Their pursuit for Xerneas was still on their mind but now they moved further from Xerneas' most well-known region.
Magehold.
Far past the throne room, the room where Yveltal was being kept could be found. And entering it was Rosa Maledicta, who had recently recovered from a rather painful attack of light earlier. She could still feel parts of her body twitch as the damage hadn't fully left her just yet.
Angered by this surprise attack and unsure of where it came from along with the disruption of the barrier she worked vigorously to perfect, the Lich Queen turned to her greatest weapon. The Destruction Pokemon Yveltal.
"Wake up, Yveltal," Rosa spoke to the Dark-Flying-Type. "You've rested in here for long enough. And since a handful of months have passed...I believe you're eligible to be fully under my control."
Yveltal did not respond. Instead, his expression appeared rather dead. Empty. Soulless. Yveltal simply looked at Rosa Maledicta without doing anything else. He didn't try and attack or fly away, even though he never could once he was captured.
"Good." Rosa smiled. Unfortunately, Yveltal now served the Dread League, lacking anything that made him reject this. Being in here for many months with no help, forced to succumb to the magic of the Dread League greatly changed the Destruction Pokemon. He was now a servant and weapon for the Black Crusade. "Those from Equestria and beyond will try and show up here. But the second they do, they'll be met with your destructive powers, no doubt. I believe now we can take you for a test run. What do you say to that?"
Sweet Apple Acres.
Waiting patiently was Dimstar as she was practically on her own right now. However, with enough time passing, Dimstar had healed herself. She recovered her strength once more, easily pushing away Applejack's lasso and the roots that restrained her. The roots were dropped to the ground with a heavy impact thanks to her brute strength. She even managed to recover some of her tendrils.
That is when she saw Ash once more. And he came with a bigger group this time. A much bigger group. It wasn't just his usual friend group. He almost had a crowd behind him. Joining him was most of the Mane 6. The only one missing was Fluttershy, who had been captured.
With the majority Ponyville's residents tired, they were unable to act on this. However, there were some Ponyville residents that were available and had yet to take action and those ended up being the PokePark Pokemon. Twilight made sure to bring them all with the notable faces of Queen Serperior, BIsharp and Dewott being present. These were mainly Pokemon from the Cove and Arbor Area as Twilight managed to reach them only.
"You brought so many." Dimstar's jaw dropped as she shoved aside the last root.
"Dimstar. We're counting on you to take us there. The same way Shrivel took Fluttershy. We want you to do the same for us." Ash asked. This was seemingly the best way to enter Magehold, ignoring the barrier."
"Please! We have to get to Fluttershy as soon as possible!" Rarity pleaded to her.
"I've already called Shining Armor by now. It'll be fine for them to advance towards Magehold. It's just the Hyperborean Island that they have to get through." Twilight replied. She already informed her brother via the Xtransceiver. With her words, he was free to advance on Magehold with the Crystal Empire.
"When you get there...I hope you realize that you will be around many vampires. While the Dread League are out there, some have stayed behind to protect the place." Dimstar warned.
"Yeah, we know. That doesn't matter though! The Wonderbolts will be joining in soon! Like me!" Rainbow Dash shouted.
"We'd rather not travel there by foot or even by air. We want to go to Magehold as soon as possible. It's four friends. Please." The Princess of Friendship also pleaded.
"But how come you're doing this for us anyway? I know it's Honour and everything but that just seems too easy...?" Applejack questioned Dimstar, wanting an answer to all of this.
"I suppose my father is the one who can answer that. If he was still around that is. Now...If you want to go there, you must all gather around me. I will make sure my own explosion is large enough to encompass some of you."
"Got it!" Ash got to it immediately. He stood next to Dimstar, prepared to travel instantly to Magehold. Everyone else would also approach Dimstar. Dimstar found herself surrounded by Ponville's protectors who fought so hard to keep their town safe. And they succeeded for the most part. Their town was still a wreck but they drove away the threats to it. Dimstar took it all in, wondering if her father was referring to this.
A part of her wanted to believe that this was what her father meant. But she wasn't so sure. And neither was she aware of where her father currently was. Once all the ponies, Pokemon and a single human were close to her, Dimstar would try and conjure the biggest explosion that she could. An explosion that would take them all to Magehold.
"This is betrayal...Yet I feel like this must be done. Just like how I was ordered the moment I left the cube. Am I simply following this on a robotic level.?" Dimstar had to think to herself once more. She wasn't sure how to answer this as she then unleashed the explosive magic from her body. Her magical explosion was vastly different from the rest. Vastly.
Dark Magic appeared from her body but with two different powers within. The power of a Lich and a Vampire. The explosion far surpassed the ones the vampires use. It was so massive that it could be mistaken for a bomb or a Hyper Beam going off.
It was off to Magehold at last. They were going straight to the source of the problem. The rest of the world was about to meet a powerful struggle with the Dread League as cities and towns were already under attack or even destroyed at the moment. The fate of this Grander World was about to be decided sooner or later.
As the journey continues.
Chapter 164 End.