//------------------------------// // Moonlight Moone // Story: My Little Pokémon: Grander World // by Amarvax //------------------------------// Alola. Vast Poni Canyon. Afternoon. The Hoenn Frontier Brain known as Anabel had apparently been greatly affected by the Ultra Wormholes after passing through one of them. By the words of Wicke, there was something different about her and Ash had to find out. According to a Fisherman from the Seafolk Village, Anabel seemed to be heading in the direction of Vast Poni Canyon, which Ash quickly made a beeline towards with Twilight behind him. "Anabel couldn't have gotten far. Maybe she went straight for one of the Altars." said Ash, travelling across Vast Poni Canyon. "Maybe. Or maybe she's already gone, Ash. I've never seen you this worked up or active before." "Sorry about that. Whenever I meet up with my friends, they're all doing well. I've never really had one of them end up different. And Wicke sounded pretty serious about it." Ash admitted. This was a first for him so he had only one reaction to share. "All the places I grew and the folks, that I knew, I always thought they'd be exactly the same." "This was done by an Ultra Wormhole, Ash. I'm positive that Anabel would've been the same if she never came across it." Twilight would comfort him. "And who knows? Maybe the change isn't so bad. She might bring something great to the table." "Thanks, Twilight. How about we cover both Altars? I'll go for the Sunne and you'll take the Moone." Ash suggested. It would be better if both of them tackled the two altars to see if they could find Anabel. There was a chance that Anabel was already gone but it was worth a try. The duo would split up, heading for the two Altars. They would both had to take different paths of Vast Poni Canyon which continued to go upwards. Ash has actually never seen the Altar of the Moone but Twilight could describe it all to him once she gets there. Ash already knew the path to the Altar of the Sunne. But Twilight had to wonder why she would even be here in the first place. What would the Altar have to offer. Then it hit her. While they weren't exactly Ultra Beasts, she did learn that the two Legendary Pokemon Solgaleo and Lunala have a strong connection to the Ultra Wormholes. And by extension, Necrozma who was currently with Daybreaker, also had that connection so perhaps something of worth could be found here. "You know, Eve. I probably should have told Ash about the Rift Energy back there. I haven't told anyone yet. But they'll be really surprised when I actually manage to make a gateway." She spoke to her partner along the way, getting rather high up in Vast Pony Canyon. The sound of the wind could be heard clearly up here. "Espeon." "I just need to find out how to make a gateway appear. I'm still thinking it requires me to select a destination. I could try a place that I know every single thing about but even then, there are secrets out there we don't even know about. I mean, I never even knew about the Grand Equestria until it was shown. This will be my hardest challenge yet and I can't wait!" Espeon would be there to support her as always. The duo passed an entrance that could be seen on the other side of what was the Dragonium Z Pedastal. They would gawk at the pedestal as that was obviously meant for Kommo-o. A shame Princess Celestia didn't show up at this part of Vast Poni Canyon to obtain it. After passing by the pedestal, the two of them advanced to an immensely deep and vast canyon with an extremely long staircase with holes in some spots on the sides. Poking their heads through the spots were some Pokemon. At the top of it were three staircases that get thinner and shorter progressively. Eventually, they reached their destination. The Altar of the Moone. Sister to the Altar of the Sunne as both could be found at the far ends of Vast Poni Canyon. Alas, when showing up there, no one could be found. Not a soul was present here, making this a failure. "Well, we tried, Eve. We'll have to tell him about Anabel and try to comfort him. Maybe he-" As soon as Twilight turned, her senses went off. So did Espeon's. Both of them sensed someone else here that managed to escape them until now. "Who's there?!" Twilight said with a serious voice, being on her guard. "Espeon?!" "It looks like you're not her. But you're completely identical and even have the same name. You're not the Twilight I'm looking for." This mysterious voice spoke to her. "Hiding isn't exactly making you trustworthy if that's what you're going for. Where are you? And how did you know I would be here?" "I was right to wait here but I didn't think you'd show up instead. You even knew my name which only raised my suspcions for a moment." "Your name?" Twilight squinted before letting out a quick gasp. "Wait a second...Are you-" The answer would come to her. The mysterious voice would cease all concealment, deciding to make an appearance. This was apparently a misunderstanding of some sorts. But for someone to be here and mistook Twilight for someone else was rather noteworthy. And the one to emerge from the shadows and a small rock formation here at this area was none other than the girl she was looking for. Anabel. "Are you Anabel?!" "I am. Anabel of the International Police and UB Task Force. And you must Princess Twilight Sparkle. It was easy for me to mistake you for the other Twilight, honestly. Apologies for that." "We did it, Eve!" Twilight said with glee and joy in her voice as she started prancing on the spot. So did Eve as they were both elated. They wouldn't have to confront a disappointed Ash Ketchum. Instead, they could see him with a smile on his face. Truly magnificent. "Esp! Espeon!" "Wait..." At that moment, the young alicorn would pause her prancing, referring to Anabel's previous words that she has brought up a few times. "What do you mean Other Twilight? You even mentioned her in the beginning. And that was why you were here?" "I was merely waiting around for her to make a return but it seems I got the wrong Twilight. I nearly confronted you in a battle, princess." Anabel apologized once more. "She has been here before so, I and the rest of the police were anticipating her return." "By other Twilight, are you talking about my counterpart from another universe?!" "She does come from another universe, yes. Her name is Twilight Moonlight and she is currently wanted." Anabel revealed her name. Now the attention shifted from Anabel being found to Twilight's counterpart from another world. Twilight Moonlight. This confirmed that Twilight Moonlight had been in this universe once more and apparently, she was present at the Altar of the Moone. "So, she showed up again. Probably to find Ash." Twilight said to herself, remembering what her counterpart was fixated on. Destroying Ash Ketchum which was obviously off the table. "Ah, never mind that for a moment! I'm glad to have met you at last! Ash was so worried about you and I was worried about Ash!" "Ash?" "Mhm! Ash! A friend of yours, remember?" She rapidly nodded her head, hoping that Anabel could remember Ash. "Ash..." Anabel would hold her head, repeating his name for a while. "Ash...That name does sound familiar." "I heard you passed through an Ultra Wormhole not too long ago and had a lot changed about you. You're what's known as a Faller. How much of you has been changed?" "The only things I know are that I am from Hoenn. My name is Anabel and I used to be a Frontier Brain back at the Hoenn Region. A tower was under my protection and I was considered a powerful trainer too." "Well, at least you recall a few things instead of it being full-on amnesia. You're not a Frontier Brain anymore?" "Not at all. Now I work for the International Police. I don't think I can go back to that position now that I have this. The Ultra Beasts and other issues are far more important. Such as the debacle with Twilight Moonlight. You wouldn't happen to know anything about whereabouts since you're her counterpart?" "Sorry. Can't say." Twilight shrugged. "I've never seen her at all. My friends have but even they don't know too much about her. She does find a way to enter our universe even though the gateways to other worlds are gone." "I see. Well, either way, now that we have you here, I'm allowed to investigate you." Anabel would suddenly hold out her badge. "Investigate me?! Why?!" "Twilight Moonlight obviously uses some form of Rift Magic to appear into this world. And you are said to use plenty of Rift Magic, absorbing it and making it a vessel for yourself. And since she is your counterpart, we'll need someone like you." "H-Hold on!" Twilight rapidly shook her head. "I'm not looking for trouble! I'm not even ready to get involved with this!" "Espeon! Esp!" "It's alright, Espeon. I'm not arresting your trainer." Suddenly, Anabel would speak to Espeon with clarity, perfectly understanding her. "But we have been keeping her under her radar for months now." "Have you now...?" Twilight grumbled as the police have been focused on her for a while. "Great...So you probably know where I live." "But we didn't confront you at all. You were clearly busy with other things. But right now, your assistance is required. This is not an arrest but your involvement is crucial." "I guess so..." Technically, Anabel was right. Twilight Moonlight did mainly come here for two reasons and one of them involved keeping Twilight Sparkle safe. "I have Ultra Wormhole energy all around me. That way, a specific Ultra Beast will chase me down. You also have a cosmic energy around you, making you a target. And from our encounter with Twilight Moonlight, she was obviously fixated on you as well." "Was she now?" During each mission, my job is to protect nearby populated areas with the assistance of my Pokémon. I've been hunted down by plenty of Ultra Beasts as of recently and Twilight Moonlight is involved in this. She made her way through an Ultra Wormhole." "She passed through an Ultra Wormhole too?! First a gateway and now a wormhole? Where is she getting all of this?" Questions about Twilight Moonlight were only continuing to show up. "She's here for something and she came straight to the Altar of the Moone. We believe it could be Lunala which would explain why she showed up from an Ultra Wormhole. She made her escape the second we chased her here." There was another story with Twilight Moonlight as she was once again active. She seemed to be a rather wild version of Twilight who seems to get herself into plenty of trouble. "She tried destroying the Altar of the Moone and even the Altar of the Sunne but we stopped her in time." "Why would she want to do that?" Twilight pondered. "She also tried to destroy the Mirror Pool back at the Everfree Forest. Is this because of the whole Prisma thing?" Questions that needed plenty of answering. And enough to get Twilight's brain excited. She craved mysteries such as these. "Well...I'd love to help! I'm trying to figure out a lot of things too. At the same time, I'd like to get one thing done before we really do anything." "And what's that?" "It's about Ash. I need to take you to him. You may have lost plenty of your memories but surely you remember Ash, right?" "That name is familiar..." Anabel paused, trying to recall Ash's existence. Only the name was clicking at the moment. She grumbled, failing to get anything. "Hm. It's not important anyway. It sounds rather trivial." "You won't think it's trivial unless I show you this!" Twilight would do more than just speak his name. She would reveal the Xtransceiver, showing Ash's Trainer ID which involved his face. "!" Anabel gasped. Now it was clicking. Those Lightning Bolt Birthmarks on his face. That cheeky yet confident smile. Those eyes. And of course, a hat. "Ash!" "There you go. Knew it wouldn't take too much for you to remember him. I'll call him right now. Or would you rather surprise him by being there in person?" "I haven't seen Ash in a long time...I've only heard his name, especially over at Equestria. I didn't think it was the same Ash." Anabel closed her eyes, amazed to get another piece of her memory back. Now that she remembers him, a smile met her face. She did carry a rather serious and intense exterior, just as the Fisherman said. But that quickly faded when Ash came up on her mind. Twilight noticed this, even spotting a blush on her face. "Ash...I wonder how he's been." "Uh, he's been fine." She squinted her eyes after seeing the blush, pulling her Xtransceiver away. "I'm guessing you know each other well?" "Not really. I never got the opportunity to know Ash all that much. I do remember I used to battle with him. That was by far my most memorable battle and the others completely escape me." After putting on that smile, Anabel would shake her head, getting her head in the game. "Ahem! I'd love to meet him again if that's alright. I mean, you are the one who suggested it to me. And after this, we will have to have a talk." "Sure, sure." Twilight nodded as it was off to Ash who should be at the Altar of the Sunne right about now. There was a chance he ran into another member of the International Police. "Espeon~" Espeon giggled, already knowing what this was about. This was not the first time and certainly not the last time something like this happened. "You're right on the nose, Espeon. It seems like we both share the same feelings." Anabel suddenly said, catching both Espeon and Anabel off guard. "Y-You can understand her?!" The young alicorn pulled back. "I can understand all Pokemon. I have an empathetic ability to sense the emotions of living beings and communicate with them, ever since I was little. Even with my memory loss, that much hasn't changed. I can communicate telepathically with Pokemon too." Anabel's ability was similar to Zecora's as she didn't need vocal cues like most Pokemon Trainers which certainly helped her in battle when she was a Frontier Brain. And it sounds like it transferred to the modern day. "Sounds to me like you didn't lose anything vital honestly," Twilight grumbled. She just so happened to find someone else who was enamoured with Ash. What are the odds? "I'm guessing Ash doesn't know. He's not exactly the brightest when it comes to this." "Well, you're a bit too late to the party. A while back, I confessed everything to him. He took it well. I still have no idea what he meant by that or if he even sees me as more than just a friend but I feel like I'm getting somewhere." Twilight confidently said. "The way you're raising your head and standing implies you're still behind." Anabel would retort, causing Twilight to stagger as she took a devastating blow of words. Anabel saw straight through her. Her emphatic abilities were not limited to Pokemon after all. Twilight grumbled as Anabel looked back with a smirk, knowing what she was doing. The two of them would head to Ash with a bit of a tense atmosphere and aura around them. On the bright side, at least they were getting to know each other. Altar of the Sunne. No one else was there but Ash. He was seated near the altar with Pikachu, doing nothing but taking in the atmosphere and environment. No sign of Anabel but he had trust in Twilight. And he was right to place that trust as she ended up finding Twilight. Ash just wanted to stay here for a moment as the afternoon Sun lingered. Eventually, it would have to lower itself. But soon, his peaceful moment was interrupted when he and Pikachu finally ended up sensing someone. It wasn't just Twilight and Espeon. But instead of hiding, this mysterious individual would approach him and Pikachu. Ash stood up, wondering who it could be as the shade of the Sun was making it a bit difficult. But that difficulty wouldn't last for long. The individual showing up looked rather familiar to him. "Twilight?" Ash said with uncertainty. It looked like Twilight in front of him. But it was not his Twilight. Pikachu could already tell based on the scent, making him fully on guard. Lightning would crackle from his red sacs as the pony who was approaching here was not on friendly terms. It was none other than Twilight Moonlight. Anabel was right to return here as she did expect Twilight Moonlight to make an appearance. Alas, she was not at the Altar of the Moone but the Sunne instead. "Lucky me." Twilight Moonlight smirked. "I came up here looking to destroy the Altar. And instead, I found something or someone better." "Who are you? You're not Twilight! But you look like her though." Ash tilted his head. "Are you that other Twilight that Zecora mentioned?" "Twilight Moonlight. She should have mentioned that if possible. Ash Ketchum. Now that I have you here, I can finish up two issues. Destroying the Altar and capturing you." "Pikachu!" "Yeah, right! As if that's gonna happen!" Ash greatly rejected that possibility. "So it was true. You are trying to get rid of me. What's up with that?" "Not just you. You've been hanging around the one they call Hilbert recently. On top of that, there are the other counterparts we have to focus on. Red. Ethan. Brendan and so on. You're simply just one out of nine." "I'm not gonna waste too much time on you. I'm waiting for my Twilight to show up and we're out of here." "She's here too?" Twilight Moonlight slightly gasped as she didn't expect to have her other counterpart here. "That might make things slightly troublesome. But I should've expected it if you were here. I guess I have to get out of here too as soon as possible. But with you!" An encounter that was not supposed to happen finally happened. Ash Ketchum and Twilight Moonlight had encountered each other here at the Altar of the Sunne. Twilight Moonlight only had the intention of capturing Ash. Prior to this, it was to apparently destroy him but now it has changed. However, Ash could definitely tell that his life was still at risk as the journey continues. Chapter 247 End.