Equestria. Manehattan. The Pokemon Festival. Day.
Here at the Pokemon Festival, Celestia and Luna encountered someone who appeared to be Twilight. Her name was also Twilight, but alas, this was yet another Twilight Moonlight situation. Here to stop the return of Prisma, she had a less destructive method compared to Moonlight. Less serious and rather swift to try and defend herself while also slipping up here and there, this Twilight was very much different from the ones Celestia and Luna knew.
"Uh, no offence but I really shouldn't be saying all that much. And I shouldn't make myself that aware." Twilight said as she didn't wish to speak about this any further. "I'm trying to keep a low profile here."
"A low profile? Are you being hunted?" Celestia asked.
"Well...yes. This is the place I wanted to be and I managed to escape my pursuers."
"You're wanted?!" Luna leaned in as it sounded like she was talking to a runaway criminal.
"N-Not really!" She frantically shook her hooves and head. "I'm not a criminal or anything like that! It's complicated, I swear! I was just hoping to be here for a little while, completely my mission and call it a day. Or a week. That's all."
"You must have shown up here by using a gateway or some device to do so." said Celestia, expecting some Rift Shenanigans to be behind this.
"Hm-hm-hm. Not at all. I got here in a castle." It was the one thing that Celestia and Luna didn't expect. Apparently, this Twilight showed up via a castle. After saying that, Twilight placed her hooves over her mouth again, realizing the mistake she made. She was saying too much. "I did it again! Rats! Uh, I should get going!"
Knowing that she was spilling too much information that she didn't look like she wanted to do but couldn't help herself, this alternate Twilight would quickly scurry away as soon as possible, distancing herself from the Princesses. And this entire time, Chrysalis hadn't noticed since she was too focused on the romance books.
"You saw nothing! And if anypony asks about me, I wasn't here!" She bellowed before entering a massive crowd, trying to lose them. However, Celestia and Luna were never going to forget them. With another Twilight running around, this meant that whoever was chasing this Twilight could show up here eventually.
"A part of me wishes to investigate..But the Pokemon Festival...!" Lua grizzled her teeth.
"It can be a part of the Pokemon Festival. After all, I also came up with the idea so whatever I say goes." Celestia said, showing her superiority. "Cobalion will have to wait. Even though I don't know where he is right now. Something like this can't be ignored since it might affect the Pokemon Festival in its entirety."
"She said she came here in a castle. I'm not sure how but if that's the case, we might notice it. Castle's are naturally large." Luna uttered as Darkrai ascended from the shadows below. "Darkrai. You know what to do."
"I'll follow her." Darkrai was already on it. He would be the one to track this Twilight down. The Pitch-Black Pokemon descended into the shadows, tracking the visitor from another world.
"That's quite unnecessary but...okay." Celestia shrugged. "On the bright side, at least it didn't get out of hoof quickly. "I do wish to see this for myself." Guilty of being the type to explore something new, Celestia would prance along, getting involved in this already. Luna would soon follow while Chrysalis instinctively tagged along.
This Twilight wasn't exactly discreet. She tried staying hidden but she wasn't exactly doing anything to keep herself concealed. While Darkrai was following her, Celestia and Luna were looking for this castle that apparently brought her here and they were hoping it was nearby.
Celestia pouted, wishing she could meet with Cobalion first before anything else. Alas, that would have to wait as not even a day has gone by and already something special has come up.
While Twilight was out in the open, not having a single skill of stealth, she was still fixated on the character of Prisma and those involved with him. And already, she could see four individuals up ahead. Red, Ethan, Brendan and Hilbert respectively.
"Well, I think we're done here." Hilbert said, looking at the stack of Pokedollars and Bits that he's managed to achieve. This food idea was a smash hit and very beneficial to the ponies he asked to help him out. They would also get paid handsomely with all of this money in front of them. "Pleasure doing business with you guys."
"No, no! It's a pleasure doing business with you!" Elated by all of this money, one of the ponies shook Hilbert's hand, having a great big smile on her face. "We were thinking about how to make lots of money at this year's Pokemon Festival and we're glad we found you."
"Well, when you're number one, big wads of cash just tend to flow in. It's all natural."
"Hilbert. If you keep this up, you can get plenty of profit across Equestria. Three weeks of this will be greatly beneficial!" Brendan exclaimed, pitching that plan to Hilbert.
"Duh. That's what I was going for." But Hilbert already had this in mind. "All of Equestria's gonna get a good bite. All of this food is gonna be theirs to snack on and I'll have even more cooks to back me up."
"You're taking the whole stand with you? How are you going to manage that?" Hilda asked.
"Well...Uhh..." Hilbert never thought about that. He only built a standard food stand. One with no wheels whatsoever so there was no way he was going to quickly bring this thing across Equestria. "Hmm...Good point. I didn't think about that one."
"Well, if you can't get anywhere with it, you might as well promote it so that everyone comes flocking to Manehattan," Ethan suggested. "Just saying."
"Nah. I don't wanna stick around here only. I gotta get somewhere! I was thinking of heading to the Crystal Empire next. The food won't get cold along the way since Emboar can easily heat it back up. And even Pegalysium. We're gonna get all of this food to the skies."
"Good luck managing that. If you want to get this thing moving, you'll need somepony with good enough magic." One of the pony cooks added. "And don't look at me. This horn isn't fit for something advanced like that."
"I can do it!" Raising her hoof and moving through the crowd of people, ponies and Pokemon was Twilight. Not the Twilight they know, that's for sure. She showed herself in front of those related to Prisma. "I can make it move."
"Really? Oh, perfect timing then!" Hilbert hopped over the food stand. "I bet you have the right amount of magic for that...Twilight?" Just like that, Hilbert could only see Princess Twilight Sparkle. Red and the others looked over, seeing the Princess of Friendship's face on another body. "Hm. You are Twilight, right?"
"Gh!" Alas, that face was hard to miss. For the second time in a row, she was noticed immediately by Hilbert and even the cooks. "A-Again? This can't be. Am I that recognizable here?"
Red already knew that this wasn't their Twilight. The voice and face may be similar but everything else was very much different. However, unlike most, Red was already on high alert. Darkrai peered his head from the shadows, observing the scenario and seeing Twilight appear before Ash's counterparts.
"Hey...You don't think that's Twilight Moonlight??" Hilda immediately thought that this was Twilight Moonlight, speaking to Brendan.
"It might be!" Brendan gasped before pulling back.
"I'm not Twilight Moonlight! I'm just Twilight!" She shook her head, wishing that they didn't think she was Twilight Moonlight. "With nothing at the end actually..."
"Oh yeah?" Hilbert slid over with judgemental eyes. "How are we so sure you're not her? You showed up while we're here and your name is Twilight. Plus you sound like Twilight."
"When you put it like that...it does seem like a coincidence, doesn't it?" The unicorn nervously giggled, putting into perspective. Because Twilight Moonlight has been here more than her, it was easy for someone to immediately assume she was Twilight Moonlight. "B-But, I promise you, I'm not Twilight Moonlight."
"But you have the same goal as her," Darkrai spoke, startling Hilbert after revealing himself. "You're here to stop Prisma from returning."
"That's right. I-" Twilight paused, turning to see the Pitch Black Pokemon present. She stayed silent for a moment, blinking before getting back to the topic at hand. "Ahem. I'm just here to keep Prisma from showing up. And if you ask me, the best way to do that is to seal his soul."
"But his soul's already sealed. That's the whole point of him never showing up out of us." Brendan replied. "I mean, we have Twilight Moonlight out to capture and destroy us."
"I'm not going to destroy you. Honest. I would like you to come with me though." Twilight pleaded before winking at them. She clearly wished to take them back with her to whichever universe she came from.
"Mmm...Not happening." Hilbert shut that down instantly. "Besides, it's impossible to capture us. Especially yours truly, if you must know. Prisma's going to stay locked up in us and there's no way he's gonna show up. And if he does show up, we've taken on worse."
"None like Prisma. Because he's you!" Twilight bellowed. "He's a threat unlike any other and I'm lucky to have shown up to this world just so I can stop him from returning."
"..." Red would hold his hand out, preventing Hilbert from saying anything else. He's already assessed things based on what Twilight has said. It would be best if Hilbert stops right there.
"You're right, Red," Ethan said, understanding Red as always. "She doesn't have any bad intent."
"Well, now that I put it into perspective, I did make it sound like I wanted to capture you." Twilight twiddled her hooves around. "My bad. If you can at least comply, I can try what I can to keep Prisma's soul from returning. I promise you, it won't hurt a bit. But uh, everyone else might not like your company if we get there."
"Probably because they all know who Prisma is." said Hilda. "You guys have a bad reputation in other worlds."
"It's not just a bad reputation." Twilight slowly shook her head before suddenly getting serious. "Because of how dedicated both sides are to stopping Prisma, it's resulted in a rather cruel conflict. And it's affected my home too. Twilight Moonlight and I have come across each other before and we both have different ideas of stopping Prisma."
"How different can they be? I mean, all I hear is that you want to keep his soul from really getting out there." Brendan questioned.
"It's not the best story out there..." This Twilight would give some insight on the world she comes from and its ongoings, compared to Twilight Moonlight who only talked about the world that used to exist.
Universe 82.
The home I come from is Universe 82. It was a nice and peaceful universe for what it was. There, I lived at a nice town alongside my friends with nothing to fear. Life was sweet and I was just getting started with my career as a Pokemon Trainer.
This town of ponies was a sprawling town, its colourful buildings stretching as far as the eye could see. The air is tinged with the scent of freshly baked apple pies, emitting from the numerous pastry shops that line the streets. An enormous marble statue of a majestic winged unicorn was its main attraction, its eyes glowing with a soft golden light.
But there was one difference. This was a world that had Pokemon. Not just ponies. And unlike Universe 1, this world had a long history with Pokemon, starting from the very beginning.
There, Twilight was attending an institute focused on Pokemon. It was another version of a Pokemon School that predates what Universe 1 has. And there, she was already a great student and a rising Pokemon Trainer. Surrounded by Poke Balls, she already had Pokemon of her own.
I learned from my friends. Pokemon and Ponies alike. I was well on my way to becoming a Professional Pokemon Trainer down the road. It wasn't that much different from the world you now live in. Everything was fine until they showed up that day. It was something that we never actually saw coming since we had nothing to worry about at all. It was a threat that came from outside our own world which was a first.
However, this peaceful world would soon be under attack by an outside force. A force that came from another universe. A dark storm cloud appeared on the horizon. Thunder rolled and lightning crackled, but the frightened townsfolk didn't suspect what was coming. Appearing one day in the form of a dimensional crack that caught everyone's attention. Emerging from it were Pokemon from another world. From the skies above, Corviknights appeared. An entire flock of them. But on top of them were ponies wearing suits and masks, using the Corviknights as a way to travel. This was mostly done by those who lacked wings.
An invasion had occurred. Their home was suddenly under attack by these outside forces who had their Pokemon rain down attacks. Air Slashes, Hurricanes and Steel Beams came crashing down, damaging the buildings and land with crushing force.
They didn't just come from the air. They came from the land as well. Appearing on foot were more of these suited ponies who also had other Pokemon with them. Ranging from Gyarados, Camerupt, Tyranitar, Toxtricity and many more menacing Pokemon.
This beautiful town was losing its spark and charm thanks to this attack with many ponies and Pokemon screaming a running for their lives. The reason for these ponies being here was unknown and their reason for attacking them. But not everyone ran for their lives. Those training to become professional Pokemon Trainers would try and do something about this. There was some retaliation without a doubt as a massive conflict broke out.
With weeks passing, this town was in shambles and the invaders gained the upper hand. The town lies in ruins, with crumbling buildings and shattered cobblestone streets stretching out in every direction. The acrid stench of smoke and burning timber fills the air, making it difficult to see through the thick veil of ash and haze.
A group of wounded townsfolk huddle together near the entrance of an inn, their faces etched with fear and determination as they prepare for the next wave of attackers. This inn was their hideout. A place where they can regroup and rest. And helping to keep everyone healthy was Twilight.
Bottles and cartons of water were given to those needing it. She was assisted by other ponies who had Pokemon that specialized in healing by her side Such as Blissey, Audino, Chansey, Florges and more. With this conflict occurring, health was at an all-time high.
We lost a majority of our town and it wasn't over yet. And I had no idea that I was a major target in all of this. In fact, I wasn't even aware at the time that they were coming here for me.
Twilight could seen moving across the destroyed streets of the town she loves. The institute she went to learn at had plenty of cracks around it, barely standing. The statue of the winged unicorn lost its horn and some of its wings but it wasn't fully destroyed yet. Twilight was currently on the hunt for something else to eat. While the town was ravaged, supplies could still be found.
Twilight had to avoid the wave of destruction happening across the town and anywhere near it, which was easier said than done. But clearly, she has done this before, so she was well-equipped to head out there and do whatever she could for the sake of her friends and everyone in this town. However, by doing this constantly, it was only a matter of time before she was bound to run into someone highly dangerous.
That's when she ran into Twilight Moonlight. Galloping across a cascade of rubble, she came to a screeching halt when a pony with a hood stood before her. It was another unicorn and unlike the invaders, she wasn't wearing the same suit and mask as them.
"You....You're her." Twilight Moonlight gasped as it felt like she was looking in the mirror. At least, when it comes to the face. It was only the faces and the voices that were similar. "I'm the first to find you, it looks like."
"You're with them?!" Twilight shuddered before using her magic to hold out one of her Poke Balls. She didn't think Twilight Moonlight was with them at all until she confirmed it. "What do you want?!"
"It's a shame that it turned out like this. I would have preferred to avoid all of this destruction, but in the end, you're coming with us. And it should be me that brings you back." Twilight Moonlight replied, holding out her own Poke Ball. From the way she was speaking, it sounded like she didn't wish for all of this destruction to happen but it was unavoidable. However, she was on a mission to bring back the other Twilight. That did not change at all.
The two of them launched their Poke Balls into the air, summoning their respective Pokemon and engaging in a Pokemon Battle. This was a battle that Twilight Moonlight wished to win just to bring her other self back. And the other Twilight simply wanted to survive.
After that, it's been a bit of a chase. I'm a target that's been tracked down by those invaders. Especially Twilight Moonlight. We've run into each other a few times and I just barely manage to escape. This is the longest I've gone without her being around.
Current day.
"Now I'm here. Twilight Moonlight wasn't the one chasing me. It was the invaders this time and only them. I have better luck with them than I do with Moonlight, honestly." Twilight finished explaining things. "But just like her, eventually, I learned about Prisma and who he was. But we were at odds again based on how we each wanted to deal with Prisma."
"So she was the aggressor even for you." said Ethan. Twilight Moonlight seemed to be quite the aggressor, being involved in two attacks from different worlds. And in one of them, she left an entire town in shambles.
"Well, I'm not sure if it was her. She said she wished to avoid the destruction, so she probably wasn't responsible for all of that damage. But Moonlight still wanted to capture me so she was involved with the invasion either way."
"That no-good..!" Hilbert obviously had some feelings towards this, gritting his teeth and clenching his fists. "The next time we see her will be the last! If she wants to destroy whatever she wants, she'll have to meet with us!"
"Is your universe alright? Now that Twilight Moonlight's being showing up here more often?" Brendan asked.
"Well, it's been left alone by the invaders. But that's only because I left it. I've been on the move ever since, moving from dimension to dimension." Twilight lowered her head. "My world will heal but that's only because I'm not there any more and that's terrible. I could always go back to it, but I don't want to risk them being harmed."
"..." Red understood it all now without saying a word.
"But I'm sure it'll work out in the end." Twilight brought a smile back to her face. "I know my friends are working hard to restore everything to how it was. And after this is all over, I can get back to my world. And-" Before she could finish, Twilight felt her body pulsate for a moment. "Oooh...I've wasted a bit too much time."
"What's wrong?" Hilda asked.
"I can't stay out here for too long...!" Twilight puffed her cheeks. "I need to get back inside the castle!"
"Hold on! Could you at least give my food stand wheels!"
"No time! I'll be right back!" Twilight screeched, quickly prancing off. Much like Twilight Moonlight, she couldn't stay here forever, having a set time limit But unlike Twilight Moonlight, this Twilight seemed to have something to keep her around for a bit longer. And that was the castle she apparently came in. Darkrai would continue to follow her but this time, it wasn't in secrecy.
However, before Twilight could even reach it, somepony else had done so. Celestia, Luna and Chrysalis ended up finding it before Twilight could return. While she kept it hidden from most, it wasn't well hidden enough. Located near the outskirts of Manehattan was the castle that Twilight appeared in.
A rather small one too. It wasn't towering at all, like most castles, which made sense as to why it was hidden until now. This pink castle had a unique appearance, shimmering with an ever-changing pattern of swirling colours and shifting geometric shapes. A subtle hum emanates from its translucent spires which touch the air like ethereal fingers.
"Oh, this is most definitely it. Now I can see how she would arrive in this." Luna said.
"You would think we would hear about this. The Universal Alliance I started would have informed me about such a castle but..it sounds like whatever world she comes from wasn't involved at all." Celestia uttered before slowly approaching the castle.
As she approached, she noticed the air around the castle tingling with arcane energy, causing the coat to stand on end. There was certainly plenty of magic involved. She didn't want to let herself in but the castle did it for her. The doors automatically opened up, responding to Celestia's presence and surprising her.
Since it was inviting her in, Celestia would advance. And when entering the castle, she saw that it wasn't exactly as fancy as it was on the outside. Inside, it looked rather beat up. The furniture had been toppled over, there were burn marks on the walls and the tiles of on the floor were cracked.
"What happened in here?" Celestia wondered as Luna and Chrysalis soon followed her. But Chrysalis was still looking at her book, instinctively following her friends. Celestia then stood still, pausing for a moment and remaining completely silent. The door behind the three royalties would slowly close, not making a sound.
"Do you suppose somepony else acme in here and caused a mess? I'm not sure that Twilight would be the type to leave this place in such ruin." Luna wondered. Celestia didn't reply back or move that much at all, prompting Luna to speak out once again. "Sister?"
"S-Sorry." Celestia zoned out for a moment. "I felt something woozy here for a second. It felt like we were moving and yet we weren't."
"What do you mean?" Luna questioned.
"Not sure. So she's been using this to travel. Instead of a gateway, it's a castle? But I don't feel any Rift Magic coming from this castle. It actually feels like Equestrian Magic. Completely arcane." Celestia noticed how there was a lack of Rift Magic. This magic was very much familiar to her, making it rather mysterious. Luna would feel it too and eventually, so would Chrysalis. She paused her story, taking the time to feel the arcane presence around them.
Celestia saw another door up ahead, wondering if it led to another room that was in the same condition as this. When approaching it, this time, it would open up for her. Celestia would have to do that herself. And when pushing against the door, hr eyes were met with another ethereal glow. But this glow would soon fade away, showing what was behind it.
Lo and behold, right in front of her eyes, was Canterlot. Her home. One second she was looking at Manehattan and the next, it was Canterlot. Her jaw dropped, amazed by this quick change of scenery. Luna and Chrysalis would have an equal reaction.
"Amazing! Canterlot is behind this?! How can that be?!" Luna gasped.
"Is Manehattan still back there from where we came? What is with this castle!?" Chrysalis bellowed.
"Wait a minute..." However, while Luna and Chrysalis were amazed by the change of scenery, Celestia took a moment to observe it. Something was different. Very different.
It looked like Canterlot, but Celestia noticed some differences here and there. Something was amiss. And Celestia could already figure out what it was. This may be Canterlot, but it wasn't her Canterlot. But more importantly, this might not be Twilight's Canterlot either. And the one thing that was slowly raising her answers was the existence of a billboard.
On that billboard, Celestia saw her name. But more importantly, she saw a stylized artwork of what appeared to be a younger version of herself. As if she needed any more proof. Whatever this place was, it was certainly not part of the Pokemon Festival at all.
As the journey continues.
Chapter 280 End.