Equestria. Ponyville. On the Nation Magehold. Day.
Magehold has landed near Ponyville. Placed by the Ursa Major and Ursa Minor who prevented it from crashing into the town. The destruction of Ponyville was avoided even though the town was already in a rough condition at the moment.
Magehold was now littered with rubble, carnage and different forms of energy. Red, black and grey are the new colours of what was once a vast nation, which has now become the stage of a full-blown war. The air which would normally carry the sounds of the mysterious and ominous was now heavy and thick with the scent of smoke.
With no side on the winning hand, this battle could go on for a long time. And it has. Starting from Shalour City and finally ending up here at Ponyville. The toll on both Magehold's nature and foundation was tremendous. It'll likely take years before this field will have recovered. Its clear explosion holes and debris have taken the place of trees, plants and flowers, which, while eerie, were still full of life.
And asleep in the midst of all of this was Yveltal. He was still down and out, currently going through a nightmare. The Gym Leaders had gathered around Yveltal, seeing if they could free him from the Dread League while he was asleep. They wouldn't have to worry about his Oblivion Wing since Wigglytuff successfully landed Disable.
"Can you free it?" Roxie spoke, looking over at the Destruction Pokemon. All the while, the Shadow Army were still taking on the forces of Canterlot and the Crystal Empire with the sounds of explosions going off in the distance.
"It's no use. The control that the Lich Queen has over Yveltal is too powerful for us to handle." Olympia said as she and Valerie were trying to free Yveltal from Rosa Maledicta's mind control. "I can't properly enter Yveltal's mind.
"It'll take a lot of work to free it. The only thing we can do now is keep it from getting back and using Oblivion Wing." Valerie added. "I'm afraid the only way to free it is by defeating the Lich Queen. But right now, I have no idea what's going up there." Her attention was then turned to the castle where the balcony once was.
Due to the intense battle, the balcony had fallen as everything else that was happening inside would have to be left for interpretation. And judging by the flashes of light and eruption of darkness, it was going either way since both sides were unleashing truly staggering attacks.
All the while, Yveltal remained silent. Thanks to Darkrai's Dark Void, he was going through a nightmare. But this whole thing was already a massive nightmare for him. Having his power abused in such a way was horrifying. He had already taken the lives of many ponies who were from the Crystal Empire. One of them was Shining Armor. And even though he could not stop, he desperately wished to break free, no matter what it takes. All of this was Yveltals' nightmare.
In the castle, Ash and his Pokemon were charging through the hallways, trying to make their way to the Lich Queen. Standing in their way of the doors were two vampires, already building up some Dark Magic to try and stop them. "Makeshift Volt Tackle!"
"Pika!" And all it took was Pikachu combining Quick Attack and Thunderbolt to charge right at the vampires while also stunning them with light. The vampires were struck by the Makeshift Volt Tackle as the doors were also blown away by Pikachu's powerful charge.
But right up ahead, more vampires were waiting for them, aware of their movements thanks to what the Lich Queen shared. Plus, Ash was making a ruckus by entering here in the first place.
"Water Gun! On the floor!"
"Draco!" Dracovish aimed Water Gun at the floor, sending a powerful stream that would instantly flood the hallway. The water covered each part of the floor, turning it into a water slide room. The vampires gasped as the floor beneath them was now full of water that went up to the middle of their hooves. All the while, Ash and the others took advantage of this, surfing on the water.
Specifically, surfing on Dragonite who laid on her stomach, allowing the others to use her as a surfboard. Ash, Pikachu and Sirfetch'd were on Dragonite's back who was using her past experience as a Dratini and Dragonair to move through the water. She may not have the body of a creature that could move through the seas anymore but that skill still remained in her biology. Dracovish felt like it was back in the past with all of this water to run on while Gengar would simply fly over everyone else.
Sirfetch'd held his leek sword out, using it to strike at the vampires in front of him while Lucario would throw out Aura Spheres from the back. The vampires and their Dark Magic would be pierced by the sword while also blown away by the Aura as some of them couldn't even get their magic out in time thanks to this water. Ash and his group surfed across the hallway, blowing past as many vampires as they could.
The vampires in the next room were met with a powerful stream of water breaking down their doors while the intruders were surfing and flying to their hearts' content. However, eventually, their ride would come to an end once the water started shifting.
A Dark Magic filled the water, pulling it away from Ash and the others. Dragonite felt the water move away as her stomach was now rubbing on the floor, causing her to lose momentum and skid. Dracovish wasn't running as fast as usual now it that its advantageous environment had been stripped away from it.
"Stop right there!" And the one to do it was Melody Moon, who used her magic to manipulate the water. By manipulating the water, she pulled it over to her, keeping all of it in the form of a large water orb. Joining her was Bittersweet as they were tasked with stopping Ash Ketchum from going any further. "That's as far as you go, Ash Ketchum!"
"Hey, I'm in a hurry! Stay out of our way!" Ash bellowed before jumping off Dragonite's back. He would then land with all of his Pokemon right behind him aside from Pikachu who got in front of him.
"By order of her majesty, you can't go any further at all. Opal VIvacity may be gone but that won't stop our drive to defeat you." Melody Moon said.
"We've come this far after all. And it's you that's getting in our way." Bittersweet added while narrowing her eyes, sharpening them when staring down at Ash and his Pokemon. She would then use her magic, changing whatever was sweet into something absolutely bitter. And the thing she chose was the water that Melody Moon pulled her. Her magic affected the water, turning it poisonous as it gained a purple colouring instantly.
With this colouring, Melody Moon would then sing, causing the water to flow over, sending out a poison that was so vile that it ended up harming the walls themselves. The walls would melt from the poison as well as the floor since so many of it was covering everything.
"Lucario! Force Palm! Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!"
"Luca!" But immune to this was Lucario, who charged in while Pikachu supported from the back. Lucario met with the stream of poisonous water, ignoring the toxic effect it brought. And by using his Aura in his paw, he would create a bright shield of Aura that would block the stream from going any further. "Rrr!"
"Pika...Chuuu!" Pikachu would then leap into the air, unleashing 100,000 volts, attempting to use the advantage of Electricity and Water mixing for a devastating effect against the vampires. The two vampires realized what was happening as Melody Moon would quickly move the water away, making Pikachu's Thunderbolt miss.
"Go, Dragonite! Dragon Claw!"
"Dra!" Moving ahead of her friends was Dragonite as a bigger target was now coming for the two vampires. Melody Moon would quickly use the water to try and retaliate against the claws of the Dragon Pokemon. The water was whipped at Dragonite, who would claw at them with brute strength, fending the fierce waves while getting even closer.
Melody Moon grimaced, seeing Dragonite approaching with each passing second as the water was failing to stop the Dragon-Flying-Type. Bittersweet saw that Melody Moon was panicking as she would then use her magic to try and reverse Dragonite's Dragon Claw. She just had to focus on those claws.
"Gen!" But she had someone else to worry about. Gengar. He had phased through the walls, creeping up on the two vampires. In his hand, he had a Shadow Ball ready, grabbing Bittersweet's attention. She put up a shield of magic, just barely defending herself against the Shadow Ball.
Dragonite appeared in front of the two vampires right afterwards, raising her arms for a devastating Dragon Claw. Bittersweet would grow the shield, making it encompass Melody Moon as well. The claws struck the barrier, leaving behind a powerful vibration just from one initial hit.
"Iron Tail!" And following up on that was Pikachu, who lunged forward with a hardened tail, ready to swing it downwards. The shield was already feeling plenty of pressure and that pressure was about to be elevated once Pikachu approached. With his tail striking at the barrier combined with Dragonite's Dragon Claw, it shattered.
Melody Moon and Bittersweet fell back after the barrier shattered, feeling the powerful shockwaves that came afterwards, hitting their bodies. They felt perplexed by all of this, unable to stop Ash's advances as the shockwaves were what damaged their bodies instead of the initial hits. They would tumble and roll on the floor, groaning right afterwards.
"D-Darn it!" Melody Moon growled. "We had an easier time back at the Changeling Hive...Why is he so different and difficult compared to that?"
"My magic meant nothing in the face of his Pokemon...Curses!" Bittersweet groaned while trying to get back up.
"Sorry, but I can't afford to waste any more time!" Ash said while dashing ahead. All of his Pokemon would move ahead, focusing on where they needed to be, passing by Melody Moon and Bittersweet.
"Stop! You won't reach her!" Melody Moon shouted, struggling to stand up but they were too late as Ash and his team had already left the scene. This had to be relayed to the Lich Queen as soon as possible. But most likely, she already knew about it since Ash was the only one who managed to break into the castle while Celestia and Luna simply entered in an open spot.
Closer and closer, Ash was approaching the top of the castle, passing by many rooms and hallways. And the closer he got, the more he heard the sounds of battle above. Way above him were the Royal Sisters and the Lich Queen. He wished to help them out as soon as possible but knew that the two alicorns and their Pokemon could handle themselves. But against the Lich Queen, plenty of support was necessary.
Ponehenge.
Meanwhile, as all of this was happening, Twilight Sparkle, Spike, Sunburst, Starlight and Radiant Hope returned to Ponehenge. And this time, with artefacts. They were merely replicas that Twilight crafted with Rift Magic but they still had magic within them.
"I would say I'm happy to see my idol Starswirl the Bearded...But with how things are, I can't afford to geek out for once." Twilight Sparkle wished she would fangirl over Starswirl if he was to return. But because of the Black Crusade, there was no time for that. She would simply have to save it for when this was all over.
"This'll work, right?" Starlight Glimmer asked. "Only half of the Pony of Shadows was freed by the Lich Queen which means the other half is in limbo. If we free the pillars...won't we free the rest of it?"
"Maybe." Radiant Hope saw where Starlight Glimmer was coming from. "If we're careful about it, we could bring them back without worrying about freeing the rest of the Pony of Shadows. Then again...I have no idea what could happen since we'll be interacting with Limbo.
"If something goes wrong and the rest of the Pony of Shadows is unleashed, we can count on the Pillars to help. They're the ones who banished him away in the first place. I'm sure Star Swirl and the Pillars did the best they could back then and magic has come a long way. Mostly because of the work they did." said Sunburst.
"I'm sure Star Swirl and the Pillars did the best they could back then, but magic has come a long way. Mostly because of the work they did."
"That's true. And you did get your wings from finishing one of Star Swirl's spells, Twilight." Starlight nodded as Twilight did have some experience with Starswirl's magic. It's how she became an alicorn in the first place by solving one of his spells. Starlight also utilized one of his spells via Time Travel.
"Right. Starlight, Star Swirl the Bearded is the greatest wizard who ever lived. The chance to have him back in Equestria is worth the risk. I know for a fact we need him now more than ever." In the face of such a terrifying event that threatened to destroy the world and everything beyond, bringing back someone like Starswirl didn't seem that crazy.
She placed the artefacts in their respective spots, recalling where each one of them were with her rather impressive memory. With all of them placed down, Twilight could begin the process, already planning to unify her natural magic and Rift Magic into one.
Magic was blasted, reaching the book of Starswirl as that was where all the magic would be concentrated from. Assisting Twilight would be the other unicorns. Starlight, Sunburst and Radiant would also pour their magic into that book, elevating things. The magic would hum, lighting up the book and drawing out the ancient magic from within.
Soon, a white light would shoot out, just like how it did in the past when they first sealed the Pony of Shadows. The light would race towards the artefacts, reenacting history. Once again, after so many years have come and gone, the light would affect the artefacts, even if they were just copies of the real thing.
Once all items were enveloped in this ancient magic, they would each rise, spinning so fast they turned white as well from all this speed. Twilight and the others looked up to see the magic hum even louder before exploding, sending out a bright flash. Lo and behold, Twiligh's plan worked and her theory was proven right.
Above them were the Pillars of Equestria. And with them were large rocks that were also taken into limbo long but were now brought back. It was amazing to see. These Legendary Ponies were brought back into the modern world but they could potentially leave it very soon as they were falling from a rather high place.
"Oh! Espeon, Dazzling Gleam!" Twilight realized this, using her magic to catch the ponies while Espeon used Dazzling Gleam to deal with the rocks. Rainbow rays were unleashed, destroying the massive rocks that came crashing down. They were soon reduced to just pebbles, bouncing on Espeon's head. As for the pillars, Twilight placed them down as gently as she could, letting their hooves touch the solid ground once more after so long.
"What... What has happened?" And it didn't take long for one of them to finally wake up. The first one to wake up was appropriately Starswirl the Bearded as his eyes slowly opened. And the first thing he saw was the visage of Princess Twilight Sparkle, who looked a bit blurry to her. But soon his vision was fixing itself, needing time to recollect itself. All of them did as they were starting to wake up.
"It worked! We brought you back!" Twilight said with happiness, amazed that her plan worked out after all.
"Espeon!"
"..." Starswirl paused for a moment, taking in the scenery. Something caught his eye and it wasn't the ponies or even the Baby Dragon. Instead, it was who was right next to Twilight. It was Espeon who really captivated Starswirl. "W-What is that?! And where is this?!"
"You and the others have been trapped in limbo for over a thousand years, but I figured out how to get you ho-"
"What?!" Hearing that, it didn't take Starswirl that long to realize what has happened. His reaction wasn't what Twilight was expecting. "No, no, no, no! You must undo what you've done!" He was greatly against this instead of happy that he was back and that was for a reason.
"I...I don't think I can." Twilight shook her head. "But why? I thought-"
"You cannot bring us back!" Starswirl stepped forward, distressed as he made Twilight back away out of confusion.
"But I did. I brought all the Pillars back." She continued, looking over at the other Pillars who were just now waking up.
"You cannot bring only the Pillars back!" Before Starswirl could explain everything to Twilight, lightning struck in the sky The skies would darken as the opposite outcome they feared was coming true. Prior to this, they thought that only the Pillars showing up meant that the other half of the Pony of Shadows was still stuck in Limbo. Alas, that was not the case.
A vortex of darkness appeared as the rest of the Pony of Shadows, which the Lich Queen could not unleash had returned. The remainder of his essence touched the ground as now the full power of the Pony of Shadows had been revived. This is exactly what he wanted but as a trade, the Pillars had also returned.
"You did a fine job doing what I wanted, Princess!" The Pony of Shadows did. "And your pitiful attempt to imprison me for good has failed, Star Swirl!" He mocked Starswirl, glad that the entirety of him was free. And now that he was free, he would start to fizzle out, soon returning to where the Lich Queen Rosa Maledicta was, reuniting with the rest of his body. But before fizzling out, he used his shadow tendrils to strike the book, piercing through it.
Afterwards, the shadows would strike at the stones, obliterating them in one attack. The book was soon obliterated as well, torn apart by the shadows as the ripped and shredded pages would drop. One of the tendrisl even came for Twilight, only for Espeon to use Psychic, knocking it away and saving the Princess of Friendship. "There! Without the power of Ponhenge, your banishing spell is useless!"
"You must return us to limbo. It's the only way to stop him." Starswirl pleaded, wanting all of this to be reversed as soon as possible.
"Sorry." Twilight frowned. "I would if I could but...someone already freed half of him already. Way before I did this."
"Someone freed half of him? How can that be? Who?"
"It was the Lich Queen." Radiant Hope said. "She already came here before we did and tried to free him from Limbo. She couldn't go all the way so only she only took out half of his body."
"Did you just say the Lich Queen?!" The word Lich was very familiar to Starswirl and it should be considering he had some experience with the Dread League and Magehold in the past. And right now, it felt like everything in the past was being thrown back at him in the modern day.
"Don't fret. When I extinguish the light and hope of this miserable world and help the Dread League succeed, you won't remember any of this." He said before finally disappearing from Ponehege.
"Okay! Now what do we do?!" Starlight questioned, beginning to panic "He's fully unleashed and the Black Crusade is still going on! And Yveltal could end us all at any minute!"
"We'll meet him where he's already located at. That's what we'll do." Twilight said.
"Wait. I-I still have no clue as to what is going on." Flash Magnus, who was reasonably confused, needed answers. Plenty of answers. He and the other pillars had just been thrown into this mess and Twilight was about to act like nothing happened, focusing on stopping the Black Crusade.
"And what is that thing?" Starswirl was also still confused about Espeon. "There's no creature in history that looks like that."
"Don't worry about that. Look...I'll explain everything after this, but I really need your help. We all do." Twilight put her hooves together, pleading to Starswirl. "You know about Magehold and the Dread League, right?"
"Plenty," Starswirl confirmed. "But not enough. I never got the chance to know more about them. Are you saying that they are active right now?"
"Very active. They've launched their attack on the entire world. Not just Equestria. At any moment, they could end Yveltal's life which will end our lives too. Unless Xerneas shows up or Yveltal breaks out of his mind control but I don't know if Xerneas will show up in time before it's too late and our souls are taken."
"...What?" Somnambula and Mage Meadowbrook collectively said as the name Xerneas and Yveltal escaped their minds. It escaped the minds of all the pillars as it felt like Twilight was throwing gibberish at them.
The Pillars had a lot to catch up on. From cosmic beings, the most strange and wonderful creatures that can be found anywhere as well as the existence of Humans plus the unification of two different worlds and separate universes would be have to shared with them. They certainly had to know if they wanted to keep up with the new world.
"I'm not fully understanding this." Starswirl touched his face, blinking out of confusion for a moment. "But what I do understand is that my work involving the Dread League can continue. As well as putting the Pony of Shadows back in Limbo. We will follow you the best we can and see where this takes us."
"Thanks..." Twilight sighed. "It's back to Ponyville. Just...brace yourself for what you're about to see."
Ponyville.
Back at Ponyville, with the Pony of Shadows being fully reborn, the remainder of his power returned, right as he was still confronting the Royal Sisters. And in the midst of battling against them, he felt his power elevate, returning to what it used to be. The Shadows lengthened across the room as they would soon intensify, catching the attention of Celestia and Luna.
"Yes...Yes!" The Pony of Shadows cackled. "All of me that was once kept in Limbo has returned!" With everything he possessed being restored, an eruption of shadows would occur behind Rosa Maledicta, bringing a heavy atmosphere all of a sudden.
"Luna. Do you feel that?" Celestia uttered as the room would tremble, summoning more shadows into the scene. This would even strengthen the Shadow Army he has gathered.
"I-I do sister. His magic feels very different from before..."
"Well, this is wonderful." Rosa Maledicta smiled as the walls, ceiling and floor had been darkened. She held her hoof out as the shadows would drop on it like water. The Lich Queen felt how much different these shadows were compared to earlier. It felt brand new. And even better, it felt stronger. And when gripping onto the shadows, Rosa Maledicta would gain some strength from this. After all, the Lich and the Pony of Shadows are practically symbiotic. One benefits from the other.
Celestia and Luna prepared themselves in the face of this terrifying pressure, knowing that things were greatly different now. And if they were not careful, the outcome they were hoping for could be stripped away from them in the blink of an eye. As for the Pony of Shadows, no longer was he just a head and a body of shadows. WIth his full power restored, his hooves were being shown. Finally, the full body of the Pony of Shadows had appeared and it was just as imposing as it was back then.
Wielding the True Power of the Shadows, Rosa Maledicta would test them out. By casting a spell with the shadows, he released these bladed shadow whips that flew out of the walls. These shadows blended in, seeming almost invisible to the eyes. That is until Darkrai noticed them. No one else but him could spot the whips as he quickly used Dark Pulse from both his claws.
A Double Dark Pulse was thrown out, hitting the two whips to block them. However, what they ended up doing was slicing Darkrai's Dark Pulse, powering through it. Realizing this, Celestia, Luna, Gardevoir and Kommo-o moved back, narrowly avoiding the whips which blended in with the other shadows. But they didn't stop there after missing their targets. Celestia would light up the place with her magic, allowing her, Luna and Gardevoir to see the Shadow Whips.
"Dazzling Gleam!"
"Gardevoir!" While flying back Gardevoir held her hands out, shooting out multiple rays at both the Lich Queen and the Pony of Shadows. The whips got in her way, cutting her rays in half. She gasped as Dazzling Gleam was cut apart like butter. The shadows were definitely stronger than ever now. The rays would then combust, setting off a dazzling explosion that concealed both sides.
But it didn't stop the whips from advancing. They charged through the rainbow smoke, going straight for Gardevoir. The Embrace Pokemon quickly put up her arms to block, unable to throw out another move in quick retaliation. Once she was hit by the whips, Gardevoir was sent flying as she even received a cut on her arms thanks to how sharp those blades were. She would recover by performing a handstand and backflipping right afterwards but the damage had already been done.
"Splendid." Rosa Maledicta loved what she was feeling. It was already off to a great start. "This will do brilliantly!" She would experiment with it more, sending those shadows which were laced with her magic forward once more.
Celestia, Luna, Gardevoir and Darkrai all took flight while Kommo-o would simply run as fast as he could, trying to avoid these sharp whips that were now pursuing them. As they ascended, the whips were right behind them, slithering through the air like snakes. The ones on the ground were being struck by Kommo-o's Close Combat, trying to reach him. Kommo-o was fighting for his life, slashing and swinging as fast as he could to keep the whips away from him.
However, they were much stronger than before, striking Kommo-o each time he managed to deflect one. Kommo-o's armoured body felt the sharp whips, making him cringe each time. He tried all that he could when hitting the whips away, taking damage each time but refusing to give.
Meanwhile, right above Celestia, Luna, Gardevoir and Darkrai, more shadows were approaching. Another back of sharp shadow whips appeared, attempting to catch them off guard. Expecting something like this, Luna had unleashed a sphere of magic that came from her body, trying to blow the whips away. However, the whips would suddenly move back, avoiding the incoming sphere and summoning no damage in the process while the ones from below were still on the move.
"Passion, use Plasma Bolt!"
"Garde...!" Gardevoir would then unify two attacks. Mystical Fire and Thunderbolt. By putting her arms together, she combined the two elements, mimicking plasma. While she was doing this, the whips were closing in on her, only for Celestia to support her partner.
Celestia made her own blade and that was from her horn. Her golden aura mimicked the shape of her horn, giving her a sharp weapon that was on her head and with some impressive length too. She swung her glowing horn down, meeting with the whips as the sound of magic would crash into each other. It was like two steel weapons clashing into each other but with a greater oomph and something much harder than that.
And thanks to Celestia's interruption, Gardevoir finished charging up Plasma Bolt, unleashing it at full force. Celestia moved back, allowing Plasma Bolt to travel freely. The Plasma would crash into the whips, engulfing them with the fourth element and the incredible heat it brought. This attack managed to push down the whips, blazing at high speeds and approaching the Dark Duo. It even saved Kommo-o, fending off the whips that were pressuring him so much.
Impressed by this, the Pony of Shadows and the Lich Queen worked together to create a large Waw of Shadows. The Maw would gladly accept the Plasma Bolt that was tearing through the shadows. The maw then closed, crunching the Plasma Bolt and promptly stopping its movements. And right as the attack was destroyed, it would set off another explosion.
The Royal Sisters were expecting another sneak attack and they were right to do so. Those whips flew in once more but this time they were prepared. Or so they thought. When firing their magic at the whips, they would find that those were just fakes. They collectively gasped as those fake shadows fizzled out, making them wonder where the real ones could be.
"Garde!?" Gardevoir knew where they were. By turning around, she would try and intercept the shadows that crept up from the rubble and the corners. Her hands were out, trying to use Psychic to hold them all back. However, the shadows managed to reach her, striking Gardevoir's chest. "V-Voir!"
"Passion!" Celestia gasped as she saw her beloved partner take a hit to the chest from these sharp shadows. The Embrace Pokemon gasped as her Psychic hold only managed to keep some of the shadows away. Two of them managed to land, staggering Gardevoir after hitting her.
The pain that came from it was downright uncomfortable as it also felt like her energy had been sapped away. Taking advantage of this, the Dark Duo would try and grab their opponents by summoning these massive Shadow Arms. They emerged, closing in on Celestia's group while Gardevoir was grimacing, wincing in pain.
"Dazzling Gleam! Clanging Scales!"
"G-Garde...Voir!" But even when taking such a hard hit, Gardevoir could still retaliate. And she retaliated by unleashing a sphere of light from her body which would expand at light speeds. This was joined by Kommo-o's powerful soundwave just by hitting his scales. The sphere and the soundwave blew away the Shadow Arms, keeping them from grabbing anyone as Passion put a ton of her power into that attack.
But right as the massive shadow arms were taken out, the pressure did not stop as the Lich Queen had teleported right behind Luna, deciding to get up close and personal. She used the shadows to blend in but her presence did not escape Darkrai. Not in the slightest. The Pitch Black Pokemon moved in front of Luna, preventing a sneak attack from happening as he had to face whatever the Lich Queen had in store.
From her horn, a Dark Green blast that had Shadows within them was unleashed as Darkrai released Dark Pulse as a way to counter it. But the second both attacks met with each other, it wasn't enough. These Shadows were different from what Darkrai has experienced before. The Dark Pulse was already being eaten away and absorbed into the shadows.
Assisting Darkrai was Luna, who threw out her own beam to try and stop Rosa's which was already tearing through Dark Pulse. The Lich Queen's beam was put to a stop for a moment once Luna got involved but it would soon start moving once again.
Celestia and Gardevoir soon joined them both, unleashing Plasma Bolt and a powerful golden beam, giving the Lich Queen and the Pony of Shadows more of an opportunity to use more of the restored shadows. A clash happened in the air, bringing down the room around them and anything nearby. They were already battling in a place that lost its floor minutes and now, other floors were starting to crumble just from the pressure of this clash.
"Kommo-o!" Celestia strained while trying to overpower the beam. "Flash Cannon!"
"Kooo!" Kommo-o was about to unleash his own light energy, only for the shadows to stop him. They would wrap around his body, grabbing and constricting his legs, arms and especially his mouth. "Mo-o?!" Flash Cannon was interrupted, failing to go through.
But instead of keeping Kommo-o there, the shadows advantage of him. They would use their own Flash Cannon by affecting Kommo-o. With the shadows holding him, Kommo-o was being forced to do their bidding, slowly being taken over. He cried out, struggling to break free. And against his will, Flash Cannon had been unleashed but instead of light energy, it was replaced with darkness.
The Dark Flash Cannon would then engulf Celestia's group, attacking them instead. Kommo-o gasped as he ended up striking his trainer and his friends, making them lose the clash. Not only did the explosion of the Flash Cannoyn engulf them but also the Dark Beam that Rosa Maledicta and the Pony of Shadows released.
Celestia, Luna, Gardevoir and Darkrai would drop, taking massive damage. And waiting for them was yet another Maw of Darkness, ready to consume them. Speaking of consumption, Kommo-o was already starting to sink into the shadows. Unable to break free, he was dragged into the dark depths within the shadows.
Celestia and Luna groaned as their bodies were twitching uncontrollably. They had tatters and bruises on their bodies because of the attack that sandwiched them, trying to stay strong even after such a cataclysmic hit. They tried recovering as fast as they could but they were too late. The Shadow Maw had caught them, engulfing the Royal Sisters and their Pokemon as they joined Kommo-o in the shadows.
There was no resistance. Only instant consumption. The Maw made a powerful sound after closing before slipping back into the shadows. The Pony of Shadows had now captured them, already knowing what to do with them fairly soon. That would be another addition to his Shadow Army. A truly massive addition.
The room went silent as the battle had slowed down greatly. All that could be heard were the shadows and the horrible and uncomfortable sounds they summoned. They littered the room, removing any familiarity it had. The room now resembled a black box with no semblance of light to be found anywhere.
"Hah..." Rosa Maledicta took a deep breath, descending slowly with the Pony of Shadows. "Finally. That's them done with. My, they are troublesome. But what else was I expecting from two alicorns?"
"It's wonderful to capture two of Starswirl's students." To the Pony of Shadows, this was greatly satisfying and a way to get back at Starswirl for banishing him into Limbo all those years ago.
"Keep them around. I need their lifespans after all." Rosa Maledicta ordered. "After that, they won't be of any use to me. Unless you wish to keep them around."
"Of course I do." The Pony of Shadows said. "I should also let you know that the Pillars have been brought back. The acts of that Princess are to thank for it. She is the one who truly brought all of my strength back."
"That so? Good to hear. I'll let you deal with the Pillars since you have a grudge against them. But I still want their souls afterwards, understood?"
"Hm. I understand very-" Before the Pony of Shadows could finish his sentence, someone interrupted him. The doors, which were masked by the darkness, were blown away, hitting the Pony of Shadows square in the face. Rosa Maledicta gasped as the door would then bounce off his face, stunning him for a bit.
The Lich Queen snarled as it wasn't over yet. Even though she had sent Celestia and her group into the shadows, the constant conflict hasn't slowed down for even a minute. The Pony of Shadows was rather embarrassed to have taken a surprise hit such as that, from a door of all things.
"Who dares?!" He roared right afterwards.
"Coming through!" The ones responsible for that were Ash and his Pokemon as they had finally entered the throne room of the Lich Queen.
"Pikachu!"
Ash successfully got through all the vampires, confronting the Lich Queen once more. This annoyed Rosa Maledicta who didn't think Ash would make it this far. But here he was. Still in one piece and looking healthy as ever. He seemed like the one thing that was hard to get rid of despite being so fragile in her eyes.
"Ash Ketchum...!"
As the journey continues.
Chapter 191 End.