Equestria. Ponyville. On the Nation of Magehold. Afternoon.
"All Hail the New Lich Queen!" Fantina had been crowned the next Lich Queen by the citizens of Magehold. The Lich Cycle made one final attempt even after Rosa Maledicta had been defeated, entering Fantina and trying to twist her mind. Instead, Fantina overtook the cycle, removing the evil within.
"Oh, me? The Lich Queen?" Fantina pointed herself, unsure of how to feel about this. This title had suddenly been thrust upon her. It didn't help that she was technically Half Lich but was still a Human at the end of the day. She made the magic her own, transforming its colours into something that fit her.
"Look at you moving up, Fantina! Lucky!" Brawly slid over, congratulating Fantina for this achievement.
"That's how they choose a new ruler here? It's just like the Sea Temple," said Fluttershy.
"That's how it is." Fractured Not even confirmed it. "But I became a Lich King centuries ago because I gathered many lost vampires and helped them. Fantina helped in her own way by rekindling that lost spark in them. And to be fair, I'd choose her as well."
"Now that Fantina's Half Lich, what happens next?" Roxie questioned. "What can Liches even do? I didn't get to see the Lich Queen in action."
"If only Leon were here to see this. But he was too focused on another major battle with the Dread League to make it here." Cynthia said.
"Wait, Leon got involved? Where was he?" Ash asked.
"A massive swarm of Despair Plants appeared at a place known as the Isle of Armor. Leon has been there before so he had to make sure it was safe since it is a part of Galar." Cynthia explained.
"Oh, I'm not sure if I can be your Queen, everyone. I don't know the first thing about being a Queen. Perhaps someone else should be your ruler." Fantina denied this position. Despite how important it would be for the residents of Magehold.
"Huh...?" The vampires were gutted to hear that. They vehemently wanted Fantina to be their new Queen more than anyone. To them, no one was fit for that role except for her. Ebony Rhyme watched while standing under the Heavenly Maiden Tree, using it to shield her from the Sunlight.
"Of course...Fantina can just deny it." Fractured Note shrugged. "She's more of an entertainer, isn't she?"
"Can't you be the King like before? I mean, you could always try a different path of royalty." Twilight suggested. "Maybe you can be a Vampire King instead of a Lich King, ruling over Magehold.
"It doesn't work like that, I'm afraid. Becoming the Ruler of Magehold transcends just knowing how to rule over a nation and others. This place is rather dependent on magic and when I was King, it was my magic that kept it together. The Creation of the Lich Cycle followed up with that. Magehold is very much a Magic-Centric Country."
"Oh, really? I've heard about countries and nations that depend on certain magic to live on. So Magehold is one of those countries." Celestia had heard of such a tale. "The Magic you need doesn't come from a vampire, but a Lich, correct?"
"That's right." Fractured Note nodded, rather saddened by that rule, even though he was there in the beginning as King Grevyine. "Now that Fantina is the Lich Queen, it's her magic that will keep Magehold together. But Fantina still has a say in this."
"Well...I can do one thing!" Fantina exclaimed, grabbing everyone's attention. "I'll wait until I can pass my magic on to the next Lich Ruler." Fantina already came up with a solution. She would take on the title of Queen but will eventually pass it on to someone else.
"So...you'll stay?" A young vampire said with a smile on her face, hoping this meant that Fantina would stay at Magehold.
"I still have to return to Hearthome City. But I can guess I don't have to be here 24/7."
"Not at all. You don't always have to be present in Magehold. You can probably be away for I'd say...8 weeks at best." Fractured Note explained. "But any more than that and Magehold will go through some problems. But what you're suggesting is a good idea. That way, the next Lich Ruler can be born in Magehold."
"It'll be tough though. Going from one place to another constantly. And tiring, don't you think?" Rainbow Dash asked. "Well, I mean, if it was me, it wouldn't be issue going back and forth."
"I wish we still had all those gateways so that it would be easier." Fluttershy sighed. "The only one we have is the one that leads to Kanto and that mysterious Infinity Gateway we don't know much about."
"What gateways do you speak of?" Starswirl questioned, uninformed about the gateways.
"With the gateways, it was easy for us to move from one place to other. Any place in Equestria led us to one of the many locations in various regions. It was so convenient and pretty fun to go through them. But now that both worlds have become one, there's only two gateways left, sadly." Twilight explained.
"I totally wish there were more of them around." Aria crossed her hooves. "It made things so much easier for us. Now we have to travel like normal, which is fine but not as fun."
"Hmm..." Starswirl pondered for a moment. "I still don't know everything about this new world and what has happened, but if it makes you feel you better, I can try and create new ones."
"New gateways? Really?" Adagio's eyes opened when hearing that. "C-Can you do that?"
"I can try. Twilight. And Celestia. I'll need you to tell me everything and show me everything. I have a lot to learn myself now that I've returned to the modern day. And when I figure it out, I will make a gateway that connects to Magehold and this place known as Hearthome City."
"You got it!" Twilight grinned. She was gleeful to be working with her idol Starswirl the Bearded, even though she would be teaching him. An agreement was made to form new gateways, which is what Twilight has been trying to figure out ever since the worlds combined but never managed to succeed. With the assistance of Starswirl, she felt like her success rate had been elevated greatly.
And as for Fantina, she would return to Hearthome City at last where many were waiting for her. Especially Pokemon Trainers who were waiting to enter the Sinnoh League and had to be patient during Fantina's absence.
"Wait a minute!" Suddenly, shouting at the top of her lungs and grabbing everyone's attention was none other than Eccentrick, who was still wearing her Contest Clothes. "What about the Pokemon Contest?! I still want to win that Ribbon!"
"Oh, pardon me!" Fantina made a prolonged gasp. "We never finished it. And that ribbon is still up for grabs."
"Ooh. You're having a Pokemon Contest?" Rarity cooed. "Here?"
"This is a good excuse to stay behind a bit longer." Fantina giggled before approaching the Contest Hall, ready to wrap up the Pokemon Contest. And of course, there was the task of bringing Magehold back to its original position. For the most part, everything had wrapped up.
Xerneas had finished comforting Yveltal. They both were about to leave as well but before that, they would face those who did everything they could to defend their home. Ash and the others watched as the duo of Life and Destruction would depart with Xerneas simply walking away while Yveltal took flight. Both were returning to rest elsewhere. Yveltal would most likely return to Holon but potentially, another place for him to rest would be chosen. Meanwhile, Xerneas would rest wherever.
The Dread League had been disbanded. And with it, those involved in it had been arrested immediately. Fractured Note would see to it along with the assistance of Princess Celestia. But while they were all being taken in, some were trying to escape. And two of them ended up being Shrivel and Sweet Fang.
They weren't out of Magehold just yet as they were sneaking away, trying to avoid being seen by anyone. They moved under the shades of the land, staying away from the Sunlight while also bringing some cloaks with them.
"Curse those intruders...We weren't supposed to lose." Shrivel hissed, frustrated by this devastating loss.
"Now Fantina is the next Lich Queen. Just our luck. What are we supposed to do now?"
"You've done all you can. In our benefit, of course." Suddenly, a voice replied to them, prompting the two vampires to stop in their tracks. They gasped as someone had spotted them creeping away. And unfortunately, it was not someone from the Dread League. Standing before them, was this world's variant of a pony Ash and his friends encountered once from another universe.
It was this universe's Tempest Shadow.
"This is perfect for us. Because of what you did, we can benefit off the final member of this trio." Tempest Shadow said to them both. "Xerneas has brought everyone back to life. But the land is still scarred even with nature healing. You did an excellent job causing quite the mess."
"W-What are you on about?" Sweet Fang stuttered. And unfortunately for her and Shrivel, Golurks were already flying through the air nearby, searching for missing Dread League Members. Tempest Shadow slowed them down, robbing them of their chance to escape as the Golurk had spotted the vampires below.
"For the benefit of the Storm King, we can finally find Zygarde." Tempest Shadow eerily said before backing away, returning into the darker shades as the Golurk had descended. It seems that there was another group involved later in all of this. But their goal wasn't Xerneas or Yveltal. It was Zygarde.
One Day Later.
A day had passed. For the most part, everything had returned to normal. With the Black Crusade over, everyone collectively felt like the peace they were about to feel would be greater than before.
A lot has happened without a doubt. News about Emerald Aura's sacrifice had reached Cold Colt and the others. It was rather distraught that she was gone and not even Xerneas' power could bring her back. However, Emerald's words greatly suggested that she would come back.
After all, she was a creation of the Rift at the end of the day. Whether the Rift would bring her back was unknown. Cold Colt would sit in his room, gutted by the loss of Emerald Aura. He wasn't sure if he would see her again and simply had to wait for what the Rift would do. Cold Colt wished he could reach the Rift right now, but was unable to.
Emerald Aura was a big help for Ponyville, keeping them safe during the Black Crusade and giving them the means to make a comeback against the terrifying Dread League. Her efforts would not be forgotten and they would wait for the day she potentially returns.
As for Magehold, no longer was it in the same position as it was before. It had returned to its original position, hidden between the Hyperborean Island and the Frozen North. The Future of Magehold would be different now. With Fantina temporarily at the helm, the darkness that filled Magehold would be greatly diminished.
Rosa Maledicta had been sent to Tartarus, still unconscious from all of this. She would join the prisoners of Tartarus such as Tirek and others, unaware of her current position as she was still currently out of it.
As for the Changelings, Chrysalis had been healed. She had the Flora Ponies to thank for that. But even after being healed, there was still one thing on Chrysalis' mind. Back at her hive, she held the Box of 100 Demons, thinking about what could come next now that she knew she was the true owner of it. To figure it out, she would speak with the demons, letting them all out of their boxes.
The Changelings had nothing to worry about with the Demons being out. They listened to Chrysalis as they were no longer bound by Magehold. Being around their true owner calmed them down greatly.
"Thank you for your help. But...there's been something that's been bothering me." Chrysalis said to the Demons. There were still only 98 of them as two of them were either back to their original forms or missing in action. "Now that I know you all used to be other creatures before becoming demons, I wish to do one thing. I wish to turn you back."
Chrysalis aimed to restore the demons back to their original forms. No longer would they be demons, trapped within a box. They would live out their everyday lives once more. After all, the Parasite Demon proved what would happen if they were out of the box for too long. That kind of burden was something that Chrysalis wished to erase completely. Pharynx didn't see this as a clever decision. The Demons would be of great help in the future. Reverting them to their original forms would be a complete waste.
"I did it as a baby. I used so much magic I managed to transform others instead of just myself. That kind of power is unheard of when it comes to us Changelings. We can only transform ourselves and that's about it. To shapeshift others is something else and the fact that I can do it can't be ignored. I just have to figure out how to do it again."
"Are you sure you want to turn us back? Even with what we are capable of?" A Demon asked.
"I'm sure of it. Some of you were once innocent creatures living your lives. I wish to give you that life back. And even though some of you were also criminals who were set to Tartarus, you've made up for it by protecting my home, so you deserve that freedom. However long it takes, I'll figure out how to turn you back."
Chrysalis would take the time to work on her hidden magic. The same magic her mother alluded to all those years ago. If there was a way to reawaken it, she would try her absolute best.
However, there was one more member of the Dread League who was never taken in. And it as a member who was waiting for a rematch against Ash. This whole time, she was at the Ketchum Household and the moment Ash returned was the moment she would confront him once more. It was, of course, Spectrum Shade.
She never assisted in the Black Crusade. To Spectrum Shade, it was pointless for her even though she was in the Dread League. But it seemed more like an obligation for her to be in that league. Pokemon Battling greatly interested her instead and Ash would fulfill that promise of a rematch with her.
"Okay, Ash Ketchum! Prepare yourself! I've been waiting for this!" Spectrum Shade announced as she was wearing a Sunhat that Delia usually wears along with a coat.
"You got it! Time to throw down!" Ash said with joy. It has only been a day and yet he was ready to jump back into some action. The thrill of a Pokemon Battle was too enticing to ignore.
"It's strange. She was in the Dread League but she's not as bad as them. She didn't even do anything during the entire Black Crusade. What's up with that?" Rainbow Dash questioned.
"It was never her thing." Delia answered. "I got to know more about Spectrum while the Crusade went on and something like the Black Crusade goes against what she sees in life. Her joy in life was once stripped away thanks to a pony by the name of Opal Vivacity but discovering Pokemon and meeting Ash rekindled that joy within her. She was simply forced to be in the Dread League and always wanted to leave it. Everything that has happened was the perfect excuse to leave."
"Oooh..." Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy nodded in understanding. Spectrum Shade's reasons were very simple. They were similar to what a majority of the Magehold citizens felt. They just wanted fun. And the Black Crusade was the complete opposite of that in every way.
"Go, Machoke!"
"Dracovish, I choose you!" The battle between Ash and Spectrum Shade would begin. Ash would not only go all out on her but also teach her along the way, wanting to show Spectrum Shade what a Pokemon Battle was really all about. And without the Dread League being involved in any way, it was a free battle that could go on normally as the two Pokemon would approach each other, entering a scuffle.
It was now truly all over. The Black Crusade had ended. A New Lich Queen had been crowned and the Future of Magehold had a clear vision. But as for the Future of this Grander World, that was yet to be seen. There were still threats lurking elsewhere and everyone in other universes. Scars still existed in the world thanks to this raging battle, but there was a way to heal them. The experiences, good or bad, were not even close to being fully discovered as the journey continues.
Chapter 197 End.