Equestria. Exploud Canyon. Magehold. Day.
Exploud Canyon. Home to the Exploud. But now, it was a destination for Magehold. The entire nation had crashed into Exploud Valley, dragging across the ground and eventually coming to a halt. And with that devastating impact came massive damage to Exploud Canyon.
The Exploud living there witnessed a colossal crater form as nearby locations felt a powerful shockwave. Trees crumbled, collapsing from the sheer magnitude of the drop as the canyon's usual formation was disrupted and this time, the Exploud weren't responsible for it.
As for Magehold itself, it took its biggest blow yet. The landmass that once held it up had been greatly damaged and the homes of its citizens have been ruined. Thankfully, the Magehold Contest Hall was in one piece, untouched by all of this ruckus and damage. But the citizens most definitely felt the impact as well as the intruders from Equestria.
Buildings had collapsed. The Magehold Chamber was no longer closed off as many walls had been opened up. Those within the Pokemon Contest Hall were safe, having the Pony of Shadows shield them with a veil of shadows. They looked through the windows which had been slightly shattered, seeing the destruction that befell their home. Even Fantina knew she had to stop the contest just for their sake. It couldn't continue like this.
However, despite all of that damage, the Heavenly Maiden Tree stood strong. It did not wilt. It did not lose any of its wood. And it did not creak even after such a hard impact. The tree of the Milky Way's Maiden was adamant and powerful, serving as a pillar of strength as it stood there smiling with its cherry blossom hair as always.
Everything was rather silent aside from the howling of the wind. All this damage and Dark Magic leaving the nation filled the air, bringing about a dark cloud barely bringing out sunlight. The rays of the Golden Sun were piercing the dark clouds and already, they were shining down on someone.
"Ngh..." Getting up from the ground was Ash, alongside his partner Pikachu. All of his Pokemon got back up as the Sun's rays blessed them with light in this now-dark environment.
"Pikachu..." Pikachu pushed some rubble away from him that came from the crooked and wilted trees. Dragonite and Yveltal both fell off the roofs they latched themselves onto, slowly getting back up. Rosa Maledicta blew away the rubble that landed on her with Dark Magic, coughing for a moment thanks to all the dust that got everywhere.
"This is Exploud Canyon...We ended up here?" Ash instantly noticed the surrounding area he was in. The Exploud were also looking over at him, confused as to what just crashed into their home.
"Ash! Are you okay?!" Rushing over and moving across the massive rubble was none other than Twilight Sparkle. She moved through the dust as some of her friends were right behind her. Specifically Spike, Starlight Glimmer, Daisy, Paradise and Radiant Hope.
"Yeah. I'm fine."
"So much for us sneaking up on Yveltal. Everything was thrown off balance all of a sudden." Radiant Hope said. "What happened exactly?"
"It felt like the whole place turned. And where did we land?" Spike asked. "It looks like Exploud Canyon.
"Having trouble with these gnats, Rosa?" Suddenly, emerging from the shadows and appearing behind the Lich Queen was none other than the Pony of Shadows. At that moment, Ash and his friends saw the Pony of Shadows for the first time. He was massive the way he appeared and even though he wasn't fully brought back, the form he took on thanks to the Lich Queen's involvement was still threatening.
His massive shadow body covered most of the sky and blocked off the view of each Exploud that could be seen. Exploud Canyon didn't even look familiar anymore with how much darkness was surrounding it. And all this darkness complimented the Lich Queen, whose eyes would gleam in the dark.
"Kh...It isn't over yet." Rosa Maledicta groaned. "This slip-up isn't enough to stop me or the Black Crusade."
"Perhaps I should get involved. After all, those that sealed me away long ago aren't here to stop me and I have to still thank you for bringing some of my body back."
"Some of it. In your state, you're still only half here." Rosa healed herself with Dark Magic while speaking to the Pony of Shadows. "And as much as I hate to admit it, your assistance is required. But for that, I need you to be fully awakened."
"Then go to Ponehenge and break the seal. Only then, can I fully unleash the shadows upon the world. But before that, I should keep them occupied with this." From his shadowy body that was more like a cloak, he sent out multiple blobs of shadows that would fly out everywhere.
And from those shadows, the victims that the Pony of Shadows managed to obtain were being unleashed. And this time, the number of shadows was bigger than before. More victims had been claimed by the Pony of Shadows as they blocked out some of the golden rays of the Sun. They hit the ground, summoning those victims and among them, Korrina was the first to emerge, still in her Shadow Form. Ash couldn't believe it. His good friend from Kalos had been overtaken by the shadows as she descended upon Exploud Valley.
"Korrina?!" Ash, Twilight and Spike collectively shouted in disbelief. Korrina, alongside her Lucario, were still under the control of the shadows with no one freeing them at all.
"Hah...!" With a horrific sound coming from her mouth, it sounded like Korrina's voice was completely hollow. Black smoke even emerged from her mouth. As for the victims, for the most part, they were once again Shalour CIty's residents. However, the Pony of Shadows had gone the distance. Ponies could be seen amongst the Shadow Crowd, captured by the Pony of Shadows along with their Pokemon. Other Humans from different towns and cities were seen as well. Soon, an army of Shadow Beings was behind Rosa Maledicta, backing her up.
"The Pony of Shadows..." Radiant Hope gasped, stepping back for a moment. "I didn't want to believe it but the Lich Queen managed to bring him out!"
"That's right...And it was the best approach I could've made. I feared that something may have gone wrong, so as a backup, I went to Ponehenge and attempted to free the Pony of Shadows. Unfortunately, that annoying Starswirl cast a spell that prevented my Dark Magic from fully freeing him and attacked me. So only half of him is here, but it's good enough."
"You went to Ponehenge?!" Radiant Hope bellowed.
"What's Ponehenge?" Twilight asked.
"It's where the Pony of Shadows was kept. When learning about the Umbrum to help Sombra, I discovered a lot. Sounds like the Lich Queen already went there and freed part of the Pony of Shadows. It was Starswirl and the Pillars who sealed him away long ago and I'm afraid the Lich Queen interfered with it."
"But that'll all change. All I need is a powerful vessel to break the seal fully. The Lich Queen is powerful but she is brimming with Dark Magic. I need someone on her level who possesses the opposite. And though my shadows may possess you, your original magic will be kept intact, so either one of you girls will help free my entire body!"
"That's not happening!" Twilight protested. "I'm not sure what happened but I know you can't be fully brought back."
"And how do you intend to stop me? There was only one way to defeat me and those who found the means to do it failed horribly. You cannot seal me away like they did."
"You've all meddled with my plans long enough. Unfortunately, you can't seal the deal. You'll always be just short of a victory." Rosa Maledicta stepped forward with an army of controlled Humans, Ponies and Pokemon behind her. The number here was outstanding. One part came from a city, another came from a town and so on. This was enough to fill an entire empire and it was more than enough for Magehold.
Ash adjusted his hat, prepared to take on all of these Shadow Beings despite the tremendous odds. All the Pokemon from the Pokemon House and PokePark were currently occupied inside the Magehold Chamber, making them unable to show up at the moment.
However, the skies above would suddenly lighten up. The dark clouds above would open, revealing the Sun's brilliance once more. The rays pierced through the skies as there was a great emphasis on gold gleaming beautifully above everyone. This gold light was so great that it caught even the attention of the Shadow Beings. This was no ordinary light. This was magic. And the one responsible for that descended from above in all of her glory. For a second time, the Ruler of Equestria, Princess Celestia, had arrived.
"Princess Celestia!" Twilight said her name with high enthusiasm. But Celestia did not come alone. Obviously, Gardevoir was by her side but there were more.
"That was close...I almost lost sight of the entire nation." Celestia said.
"H-How did you get here so fast?! We just crash-landed not too long ago?!" Twilight stuttered.
"I had to use my magic to latch onto it like a web." She demonstrated by holding up a string of magic. "Even had to envelop everyone else in it for the ride. It wasn't the best ride we've had. And Ash. You were really about to take on so many of them with such low numbers?"
"Well yeah." Ash grinned as he was genuinely about to take that risk without a second thought. Twilight and the others certainly wouldn't try it at all for obvious reasons.
"Bold move, Ash." Celestia chuckled for a moment. "But I feel like you would've done something amazing if it had been carried out. But for now, let us all help you now that we're here."
Moving through the dust were her soldiers who all had Celestia's magic around them. Indeed, the Princess of Equestria had to drag them all here once Magehold was launched through the air at high speeds. Some felt dizzy but they soon recollected themselves.
Rosa Maledicta sneered, not at all intimidated by these numbers. They seemed minuscule compared to what the Pony of Shadows managed to gather. However, it didn't stop there. While the Canterlot and Crystal Empire soldiers appeared, there were more right behind them. All of this dust was merely masking them, until the dust was blown away.
"Druddi!" The sound of Druddigon could be heard as it had obliterated all the dust with a powerful roar. Rosa Maledicta grimaced at this powerful roar as it was very clear what Pokemon caused this. But the one who had a Druddigon was shown right afterwards. Emerging from the dust was Drayden. Mayor and Gym Leader of Opelucid City. Ash recognized that impressive beard anywhere.
"Drayden!" Ash shouted. But his eyes were turned to the others next to Drayden. Celestia had brought quite the lineup to help stop the Black Crusade and her absence made sense considering who she had to call on. Next to him was Roxanne. Another fellow Gym Leader. And next to her was Roxie as Ash was seeing a consistent theme here and some more familiar faces.
The teachers from the Pokemon School who were Gym Leaders at heart had arrived. Brawly, Volkner and Valerie had shown up as well as it felt like when they arrived during the invasion of Empress Twilight. It didn't stop there though. Ash was amazed to see some more familiar faces.
Three more Gym Leaders appeared and both were here for their reasons. Here to save her friend Korrina was Bea and beside her was Olympia, who was currently being supported by Bea's Machamp, still greatly injured after the Anistar incident. Olympia was here to help but also to retrieve what was stolen from her.
"Take it easy, Olympia." Placing her hand on Olympia's back was none other than Cynthia. Celestia went above and beyond to make sure all the help that her lovely subjects could get were plentiful and powerful.
"My greatest apologies. I would've shown up sooner than later but I had to gather all the help I could find. It took everyone a while to get here too." Celestia said as this was the reason for her being so late.
"Ash. You've proven to me why you were able to reign victorious ever since our last battle. Let us take it from here." said Bea.
"I was already planning on showing you up by stopping the Black Crusade myself." Nessa showed up, flipping her hair and speaking to Ash. "But, this is fine. The circumstances speak for themself after all."
"You've all also done a good job preventing mass destruction despite Yveltal being under control," Cynthia added. "All that matters now is that we free Yveltal from its control. And this will be over, no matter how hard the Dread League try and retaliate."
"Easier said than done." Twilight sighed. "Getting to Yveltal is the biggest issue."
"It's fine, Twilight." Celestia stood next to her student. "This isn't all the help I've called for. There's more on the way. You'll have that opportunity to free Yveltal. But right now, you have to do something else."
"What's that?" Twilight asked.
"You have to get to Ponehenge. Unfortunately, the Pony of Shadows cannot be beaten by any other means aside from sealing it away. We have Sunburst to thank for this discovery."
"Sunburst? He's here? Is he?" Starlight navigated her head, searching for Sunburst if he was anywhere to be found in this massive crowd.
"He's already heading to Ponehenge. You'll meet him there and help him. The key to sealing the Pony of Shadows might be there since that was where my teacher, Starswirl was last seen. We'll stay behind but you'll need someone else to go with you to Ponehenge."
"I'll go!" Starlight raised her hoof."
"Same here!" Opting to assist was Radiant Hope. And on top of that, Daisy and Paradise had to come along for the sake of their mother's safety.
"Your friends will be your greatest shield. We can stop the Lich Queen but we need other means to stop the Pony of Shadows." Celestia instructed. " I can trust you with this without a doubt."
"Alright! I'll get on it!"
"Not if I get there first!" Leaving behind his Shadow Army, the Pony of Shadows was already en route to Ponehenge. Twilight couldn't afford to slow down at all. She had to get there before he could. But with the shadows under his control, the Pony of Shadows had a stark advantage, especially since he has been there already.
"How are we going to catch up with that?!" Radiant Hope questioned. Even she knew that it would difficult to keep up with the Pony of Shadows.
"He can't get there instantly. That is where his power is the weakest! But he'll still be faster than you!" Celestia exclaimed. "You have to hurry!"
"I know how we can outpace him!" Twilight took off, knowing the perfect way to catch up with the Pony of Shadows. They would soon follow her, leaving the rest to Ash and everyone else.
"Okay! Now it's just you and us!" Ash faced the Lich Queen with all of his many friends from different corners of the world. "Let's finish this!"
"Try and succeed. I've already seen my victory." Rosa Maledicta boasted before backing away, giving way to her Shadow Army that the Pony of Shadows lent her. Emerging from the ground were her massive roots along with the thorns as she was using both of them at the same time. Yveltal would soon ascend, joining the Lich Queen who was high in the air, standing on her massive roots. She even transformed the roots, making a Root Fortress for herself.
It was not just Equestria vs Magehold anymore. Galar, Unova, Kalos, Sinnoh and Hoenn were here to assist with Trainers representing those regions, boasting plenty of power. This brawl had not yet finished. It extended past the Magehold Chamber and now it was about to break out across the entirety of Magehold.
"I'm going straight for Yveltal! Pikachu! Makeshift Volt Tackle!"
"Pika!" Pikachu combined Thunderbolt and Quick Attack into one to replicate Volt Tackle, a move he used to utilize back in the day. By bolting off with Quick Attack, Pikachu then summoned 100,000 volts around his body, picking up speed.
"Oblivion Wing!" From this high up, Rosa Maledicta ordered the complete destruction of everyone below her. And with how Yveltal was, the Oblivion Wing was sure to hit someone in this huge crowd. Possibly multiple.
"I won't let you! Wigglytuff, use Disable!" Nessa got involved, throwing a Poke Ball into the air. Out of it came a Wigglytuff.
"Wigglytuff!" And once the Fairy-Type emerged, spinning through the air with her round body, she already knew what move she had to use. It was a move that would be a saving grace to many. Disable. All she had to do was Disable Yveltal's Oblivion Wing and the Lich Queen's greatest weapon wouldn't be so powerful anymore.
"If we can Disable Oblivion Wing, we can avoid the worst!" Valerie exclaimed. "Please make it, Wigglytuff!"
"Boost her up, Machamp!" Bea knew that Wigglytuff needed that extra boost more than ever.
"Machamp!" Machamp would leap into the air with her powerful legs, holding all four arms up. She would then push them on Wigglytuff's back, taking advantage of the fact that Wigglytuff was resistent to her blows.
"Probopass, Psychic!"
"Pro!" And for that extra boost, Probopass used Psychic, focusing its mental power around the Balloon Pokemon. At the same time, all other Pokemon Trainers would engage the Shadow Pokemon Trainers below while Wigglytuff moved through the air along with Pikachu.
However, Yveltal had already unleashed Oblivion Wing, targeting Celestia's forces and the one who was the closest to it was Wigglytuff, who built up a white sphere in her hand. All she had to do was get it on Yveltal.
"Druddigon! Use Dragon Pulse!"
"Druddigon!" But there to intercept the Oblivion Wing was Druddigon. The Dragon-Type ascended, building up his own breath attack. Right as Oblivion Wing was about to hit Wigglytuff, a dragon-shaped blast would get in the way, clashing with the Oblivion Wing.
"Wiggly!" And with Oblivion Wing out of the way, Wigglytuff moved through the smoke, boosted up by Probopass' Psychic as she was right in front of the Destruction Pokemon. Wigglytuff would then throw the orb, only for Rosa Maledicta to intervene. She used her roots to grab the Destruction Pokemon, moving him out of the way and completely causing Disable to miss.
"Darn it! So close!" Roxie growled, hoping that Oblivion Wing could've been taken out as soon as possible.
"It seems she already knows what Disable is since she moved Yveltal out of the way," Cynthia commented.
"That just means she'll have to be careful of what move she uses next. Wigglytuff's not gonna use Disable on all his other moves except Oblivion Wing." Despite this, Volkner saw the positive to this. Rosa Maledicta had to make Yveltal use other options instead of constantly relying on Oblivion Wing.
"Tch." Rosa Maledicta scoffed and sneered at this, knowing they were speaking the truth. "Clever Trainers. Perhaps I should've stolen you and brought in to Magehold. Just like Fantina."
"You're gonna give Fantina back to us! Cheap move stealing her away during the Pokemon Festival!" Roxie barked at the Lich Queen while furiously strumming her guitar.
"So we just gotta pressure her to not use Oblivion Wing. Got it." Ash replied as that was straightforward enough to understand. His hair blew during this fierce battle between the Shadows and Celestia's Forces while the Lich Queen looked down in disgust.
Magehold Chamber.
Meanwhile, in the Chamber, Rarity had pushed some rubble off her during the impact. Opal Vivacity made it through as well, all thanks to her Fate-Changing Mane. A massive chunk of it had been used as Opal felt like she was in grave danger. Rarity saw how some of her Pokemon suffered heavy damage from this and had no choice but to return them.
"Return, darlings." She returned 9 of her Leavanny to their Poke Balls along with her Lopunny. That just left her Pheromosa, who, despite her fragile body, was hanging in there. Right as Rarity was about to return her, Pheromosa refused to head back in. "Pheromosa?"
"Mosa!"
"Ugh! You've ruined our beautiful nation!" Opal groaned after removing all the rubble from her. She even saw how her mane had received dust, making the beautiful vampire and groan. "And my mane! There's so much dust in it, its appalling!"
"Hm-hm. Perhaps we should cut it all off if it bothers you so much?" Rarity smirked, riling up Opal Vivacity some more.
"Oh, shut it! You've been slowing me down by keeping me occupied this whole time! Just get lost already! I have to be at the Lich Queen's side and guarantee her victory! If anything, I'm Magehold's Greatest Weapon! Not Yveltal!"
"Hold her down, Pheromosa! Rush in there!"
"Phero...Mosa!" The Lissome Pokemon took off, moving at high speeds and becoming a white blur. However, even though she wasn't faster than Pheromosa, she could still do something in advance. And right as Pheromosa left her spot, Opal Vivacity made herself intangible.
Pheromosa went straight through Opal Vivacity and right as she passed her, Opal used her massive mane to gab Pheromosa from behind. Like a claw, her hair would hold onto Pheromosa's waist, keeping her from going any further or even back to Rarity. "P-Phe!"
"Gotcha!"
"Pheromosa, no!" Rarity gasped.
"Now I finally have you! Now I'll freeze you where you stand!" Using one of the abilities she stole from some Pokemon, Opal Vivacity would then generate a chilling aura on her massive mane. The aura would envelop Pheormosa, starting from her waist and already making her shudder.
"Go, Ampharos! Stop her!" Rarity quickly threw a Poke Ball out, sending her next Pokemon into the fray. Ampharos.
"Ampharos!" And upon emerging, Opal took notice of the Light Pokemon, knowing how threatening he was to her existence. She didn't have enough time to freeze Pheromosa. Not when Ampharos had entered the scene. Thus, she would try something else. Something quicker.
"Then, I'll just erase one of your senses!" Opal had something far more vile in mind. And for once, she was using her natural magic instead of her stolen abilities. Her ability to interact with others' senses. And in this case, she was about to mess with Pheromosa's eyesight, spreading the magic straight to her eyes.
"Zap Cannon!"
"Pharos!" Ampharos would act as fast as he could, throwing out a Zap Cannon from his hands. The ball of lightning passed through the cascade of rubble, forcing Opal Vivacity to act as soon as possible. She would throw Pheromosa directly into the Zap Cannon, letting her take the damage instead. Of course, this meant that Pheromosa's eyesight wasn't fully affected but Opal still got something off.
"P-Phero!" Pheromosa cried out in pain as the electricity struck her body. And by hitting her, she was instantly paralyzed thanks to Zap Cannon's main effect. She hit the ground hard, sliding on it and landing next to Ampharos' body.
"Pheromosa, darling!" Rarity ran over to Pheromosa's side.
"M-Mosa!" The Ultra Beast groaned as she squinted her eyes which had been slightly affected by Opal's magic. Opal had taken some of it away, making things a bit harder for Pheromosa to see. But not impossible. However, now that she was paralyzed, her amazing speed had been crippled a bit. She could still move fast but she would feel the electricity punish her.
"So much for that!" Opal taunted, spreading her wings and taking flight. "I know enough about Pokemon to know how badly paralysis messes up one's speed! Plus, that AMpharos won't be too much of n issue as long as I have the Shadows to shield me!"
"Pheromosa!" Pheromosa stood back up, trying to truck through the paralysis that was around her body, not wanting Opal Vivacity to get the satisfaction of a victory.
"No matter what I do...I can't get rid of that mane. I don't have any Aura that can nullify it." Rarity growled, knowing she didn't have the means to stop Opal's Fate Changing Mane. "The best I can do is rack up as much damage on her. But with that mane and all those stolen abilities, she's practically invincible."
"Glad you understand. But I'll pulverize you for you to further understand how little a chance you have of beating me!"
"We'll see." But Rarity stayed strong, not letting these facts get to her that much. There was a way to stop Opal Vivacity and she had to make it possible. "Ampharos. You're my best bet. We have to paralyze and stun her as soon as possible. Then I'll see what I can do about that mane before its tool ate."
"Ampha." Ampharos nodded in understanding, helping Pheromosa up. "He also understood what Rarity was about to do. Ampharos was sensing the usage of Mega Evolution approaching. Opal Vivacity looked down to see Rarity holding onto her pendant.
"Mega Evolution? I was waiting for that...I have a surprise for that little trick too..." However, in Opal Vivacity's mind, she had something for Mega Evolution as well. And now that she saw that Rarity was about to use it, the beautiful yet vile vampire was waiting for the right moment to strike, surprising Rarity and drowning her in dread.
As the journey continues.
Chapter 184 End.