//------------------------------//
// Bluestream Fulmination 
// Story: The Human and His Lopunny 
// by Burningbloom78 
//------------------------------//

Of the past is one of the many divides between those who were once close.

"Rainbow!" called a black colt, his wings flapping angrily after his friend. "Rainbow, what the hay was that back there? You left me behind! Again!"

Rainbow Dash was ahead of him, her multi-colored mane and tail swishing behind her. Arrogant, she looked back to see the pegasus struggling to fly after her and rolled her eyes. Disdain and agitation glinted within them.

"I didn't leave you behind; you were too slow, as usual," the filly retorted, halting in the air and turning to the colt. He stopped too, but it was sudden and clumsy. "The Fantastical Flashbang would've worked if you were able to keep pace with me like you should've! We've practiced this so many times, but you always lag behind me, and I don't know why!"

The black colt snorted in annoyance. "How many times do I have to tell you that we don't need to go as fast as you think we have to? We save energy better if we keep a steady pace, not flying as fast as possible and being too tired to perform any tricks!" He sighed in exasperation, his hoof rubbing the side of his head. "We're supposed to be a team, but you act as if you are a one-pony show!"

"But we have to go faster for the Double Flyer Competition, and keeping a steady pace won't wow the judges," she argued, fluttering up at her friend's face. "We have to impress them, not make them bored out of their minds!"

"The trick would have been something no other pegasi had ever seen before, but because you can't be bothered to be on a team, it didn't work!" the black pegasus spat, his face touching Rainbow's. "Winning by tiring ourselves out won't impress no pony and you know it. Why do you keep screwing things up?!"

Rainbow Dash looked offended, and her face went red with anger. "Me? Messing things up? Ha!" she laughed. "Have you seen your flying lately?! You can't even keep up with me during a regular flight!"

"Just because I don't have the same amount of endurance as you do doesn't mean I suck at flying!" the black pegasus hissed quietly. "You get so into the performance that you forget everything we've practiced and start showing off! We are a team!"

"How can I work with a teammate if said teammate can't even keep up with me?!" Rainbow interrogated, her eyes narrowing with fury. "I want to win!"

"And you think I don't?!"

Rainbow shrugged. "We didn't do the trick because you were too slow for the dive! Just ask Feather Sight and Slither Flight, they were watching!"

"You were showing off when you should have been working WITH me, but you seem to do anything but that," he told her. "That's what's so annoying about you, Rainbow. You can't be bothered to be a team player, not even with me! I thought you wanted to work with me!"

Rainbow forced her face away from her friend's. "I did, but I don't think I will anymore," she spat harshly, turning her back to her friend. "I can do this without you; Gilda's coming to visit, so I'll ask her to be my partner instead of you!"

The black pegasus was silent for a few moments. "Do you mean that?"

"Yes!" Rainbow Dash shouted, not a hint of remorse in her voice. "I don't need a slow pony like you dragging me down, Blackwing!"

"But...we're supposed to be a team..." His voice sounded hurt, but then it hardened. "Fine. Be that way; see if I care!" He turned away and flew off.

Rainbow Dash glanced back at her friend silently, watching him fly further and further away until he was out of sight. She kicked herself and sighed. She and Blackwing, though they were friends, often argued, but this time Rainbow feared she might've gone a bit too far with the words she spoke. 

"But...I can't win with him," she told herself, trying to convince herself it was true. "Whatever. He can go sulk for all I care..." 



Joey was sitting with Nian in the reserved section along with Twilight and her friends, watching Rainbow Dash and the rest of the Wonderbolts perform for everypony in the Cloudeseum. The enraptured crowd of pegasi roared in excitement as Rainbow Dash began to do fifteen aerial loops in rapid succession while the other Wonderbolts flew fast in a circle below her. The special effects on their suits gave off a thin flash of light that dazzled the crowd like lightning.

On Rainbow Dash's suit, she was able to create a smoke cloud the color of rainbows. She flew around the Cloudeseum, leaving giant traces of the rainbow-colored smoke until she made a circle. In the middle of the circle, the rest of the Wonderbolts created a crosshair, indicating to the crowd that something would target it.

Sure enough, as the crowd watched with anticipation, Rainbow Dash blitzed upward high in the great blue sky until she was nothing but a mere speck in the far distance. Then, as soon as she got far enough away, she plummeted downwards toward the smoky target. 

Everypony heard a high-pitched sound and saw Rainbow being gradually engulfed in the wind that got narrower and sharper. Static formed around the mare, and when she managed to hit the crosshair, she suddenly darted up, causing a sonic boom that rippled throughout the stadium with a colorful blast. The sheer force of the shockwave made everypony reel back, and when the sonic boom subsided, a lot of ponies' manes were blown back, but their eyes were alight with uproarious delight.

Joey and Nian were the only ones who withstood the sonic boom, though they had to grip onto their seats to prevent themselves from being blown back. He watched as Rainbow Dash twirled in the air and gazed at the silent, awestruck crowd with a prideful grin. Seconds later, the stadium roared with cheering pegasi, Rainbow's friends joining in, all desiring more awesome stunts from her and the Wonderbolts.

As the show continued, Joey felt that it was time to slip away with Nian. He gazed at his friends and saw that they were too engrossed to notice his absence. Well, except for one: Twilight Sparkle. The mare cheered the least and her face conveyed concern and an uncertain fear. She was looking at him, her purple eyes round with worry. Joey had told her about his mission at Nian's request, and the mare was speechless upon listening. He was to root out a team of pegasi threatening to terrorize the Wonderbolt show for reasons none of them knew. He told her after everypony was distracted, he'd meet up with Sunspot Rise to try and deal with the situation as covertly as possible.

Twilight Sparkle had wanted to tell her friends about the mission, but Joey had persuaded her not to. A large group might scare away the pegasi, and that wasn't ideal if Joey and Sunspot were to find and capture them for arrest. He did ask her to keep a sharp eye out for anything suspicious while he was gone, and Twilight had agreed to do so.

As purple alicorn turned her gaze away from Joey, he and Nian got up from their seats and carefully made their way through the pegasi and into the main lobby of the Cloudeseum. Looking around, the lobby was mostly empty with the vendors from earlier still manning their shops, but they were preoccupied with a few newspapers or listening intently at the performance outside. A few other pegasi were milling about the lobby, speaking excitedly to one another, but little to attention to him.

Joey saw Sunspot Rise near the entrance into the Cloudeseum, looking grim and a bit anxious by the way his hooves shuffled under him. He assumed the pegasus was eager to get this mission over and he shared his sentiments. He just wanted to have a good time, but that can't happen if the stadium is likely to be attacked.

Joey walked up to Sunspot with Nian beside him. "Alright, I'm here," he said, greeting the pegasus. Sunspot turned to face him and saluted. "Ready to start?"

"About time you got here," Sunspot said in annoyance, but he looked uncomfortable. "As a guard, I am allowed to patrol the stadium, so while you were trying to get away from Princess Twilight and her friends, I did some scoping."

"Did you find anything?"

Sunspot nodded. "Outside the Cloudeseum, I saw a... black pegasus with a necklace angrily looking around the area before flying around the back of the building. Suspicious, I followed him quickly but stayed out of sight, however, when the pegasus went around a bend, I had lost him," the stallion explained.

Joey started to digest the information; he noticed how restless Sunspot looked. "What's the matter?"

"I never done anything like this before," the stallion told him anxiously. "I have hardly been in any conflict before, and now that there's a potential attack on the Cloudeseum, I'm afraid." He stamped his hoof on the cloudy floor. "I'm a royal guard, for Celestia's sake, but here I am acting like a scared colt!"

Joey placed a comforting hand over Sunspot's back. "I've felt like this once before back in my world," he told the stallion.

"Really?"

Joey nodded. "Of course. It was when I met one of the first members of my new family. I had saved it with the help of a few rangers from a smuggling operation many years ago. I was scared, but I wanted to save the Pokémon being mistreated, so I gathered my courage and went on, with Nian by my side. She can be quite supportive."

Sunspot Rise glanced at Nian who glared at him, her arms crossed as if she was annoyed. "Her?" he asked. "Supportive?"

Joey chuckled. "Don't mind her manners; she's just worried. The point is that this is going to be scary. Heck, I'm worried about all those ponies in the stadium, but we gotta press on, right?"

Sunspot gazed at Joey for a moment before dipping his head in agreement. "You're right," he said, his voice hardening, his light trembles ceasing. "We got a job to do."

"That's the spirit," Joey said. "So, was there anything else weird about that black pegasus?"

"As I said, he looked angry, and he wore a peculiar necklace, and..." Sunspot Rise paused before continuing. "Ah, yes! I saw something blue flickering around his body, kind of like lightning or something. I wished I caught up to him..."

"He had electricity flickering around him?" Joey wondered, baffled. "That's certainly interesting, but we can still track him using Mechan."

"Mechan? Who's that?"

"My Metagross," Joey answered, grabbing the Pokémon's Pokè Ball from his strap. He pressed a button in the middle and the red capsule enlarged in his hand. "It'll be useful tracking down the pegasus; the electromagnetic current around our mystery pegasus should entice it to seek out the disturbance."

"Mechan can do that?" Sunspot asked, amazed.

"Of course. Plus, the Metagross is a very smart Pokémon, so we should be able to find the pegasus with little to no effort," Joey explained, smiling. "Now, let's-"

"Hang on," Sunspot rasped, his voice suddenly quiet. His eyes were narrowed, and he seemed to be looking at something.

"What's up?" Joey asked, following his gaze.

A beautiful orange-peach-colored mare with a grayish-white puffy mane and tail similar to Pinkie's was peeking out a door that led into a restricted part of the stadium meant only for employees. Her striking green eyes darted fearfully around before she closed the door.

"Well, that's suspicious," Nian commented dryly, her knuckles cracking. "I think we just saw a friend of the black pegasus."

Joey agreed, his limpid white eyes narrowing. "She looked worried," he told her. "I wonder..."

Nian snorted. "Doesn't matter," she retorted. "I say we rush in there and give her what's what."

"We aren't going to do that; however, I agree we should confront her." Joey rubbed his chin in thought, then he snapped his fingers and turned to Sunspot. "Sunspot, I'll lend you Mechan so you both can track down the other pegasus while Nian and I follow the mare. Fair?"

Sunspot looked a little confused. "Uh, lend me Mechan?"

Joey nodded. He opened the red capsule and Mechan came out. The Metagross towered over Sunspot, looking down at him with deep red eyes. It turned to Joey, awaiting orders.

"Mechan," Joey began, "I need you to go with Sunspot and track down the black pegasus. You'll be taking orders from him for the time being."

Mechan nodded, its red eyes glowing blue; it was using its psychic powers. "There is an acute disturbance here," Mechan said robotically, its eyes seeming to follow something invisible in the air. "Electric trail detected."

"Good job," Joey said happily. He turned to Sunspot. "You go on with Mechan."

Sunspot gazed at the metallic creature, looking incredulously at the Pokémon. "Is it safe?"

"Of course," Joey replied. He effortlessly hoisted the reluctant stallion on Mechan's head. "It'll take orders from you until I say otherwise. Now hurry up and follow the trail before it gets cold. Nian and I have a feathered pony to catch up to."

Giving Mechan the signal to head off. the giant robot hovers off the ground and begins to track the electrical trail with Sunspot on its head. Joey watched them before shifting his limpid white gaze towards the door the mare peeked out of and pursued her with Nian hopping just beside him.

When Joey opened the door, he was treated to a long staircase: one led to the top while the other to the bottom. "Nian, what can you sniff out?"

Nian pointed her nose in the air and took in a long breath before exhaling. She pointed to the stairs that led downward. "She went down here," she told him, leading the way. "It's odd... The smell is overwhelming with fear."

"That's interesting," Joey murmured. "It could be that the mare is afraid of getting caught, but somehow that's not all."

"Regardless of what it is, she has to be a part of this whole thing," Nian said grimly, hopping down the steps. "My paws are aching for some action."

Joey continued to follow Nian down the spiral of steps until they got to the bottom of the stairs, where only a few doors leading to maintenance closets were seen. However, there was another door that led outside the Cloudeseum, and judging from Nian pointing her nose towards it, that's where the mare was.

"Alright," Joey started, giving Nian was cautionary glance, "we don't just go in looking for a fight; we need information first. We fight only if we get attacked. Okay?"

Nian grumbled something under her lips, but she agreed with Joey. "Can we go in now?" she asked impatiently, her right foot thumping irritably on the cloudy surface.

Joey nodded. "On three," he told her, putting up three fingers to start the countdown. Nian placed a fist on the door that sparked with red lightning, tensing her muscles for the blow; she was going to use Power-Up Punch. "One. Two. Three!"

With little to no effort, Nian punched the door, sending it off its hinges, and then the two dashed out the other side. Joey saw the mare looking shocked, her bright green gaze widening while another pegasus, a stallion with black marks along his face and body lay crouched on a cloud. There was a pain in his eyes.

"Alright, no pony moves!" Joey ordered, standing a few feet away from the two pegasi. Nian was on their right side, giving them a baleful glare. He saw the mare standing over the stallion protectively, her legs shaking with fear, but she stayed where she was. "My name is Joeshur Riverside, and this is my partner Nian, we are here at the request of Princess Celestia."

"P-P-Princess C-Celestia?!" the fearful mare sputtered, terrified. "You're that creature from the newspapers..."

"That's right," Joey affirmed, his limpid white eyes unblinking and narrowed cautiously. "I am here because the Wonderbolts were sent a letter of warning by a group of pegasi. The letter was a threat, saying if they performed, there'd be trouble." He pointed an accusing finger at the mare. "I saw you in the foyer, looking suspicious. What are you and your friend doing back here? None of you look like you both work here."

As he waited for an answer, Joey saw Nian inching closer to them, a fearsome glint in her scarlet eyes; she was using a scare tactic, but Joey wondered how fake Nian was being. Her fists were bawled up, arcing with sparks of red lightning. Power-Up Punch. She slammed her fists together, creating a large spark that scared the mare, but she still stood over the stallion. 

"We aren't doing anything wrong," the mare said hastily, glancing fearfully at Nian as the rabbit took a few threatening steps forward. "Please, we aren't!"

"Then why are you two back here?" Joey asked, his tone reproachful. "None of you should be back here."

"We came here-" She was cut off by Nian slamming her fists together again, making a large crackling sound, causing the mare to scream.

"Nian, that's enough," Joey ordered. Nian snorted and backed away. "Continue."

"We... We came here to stop my brother from doing something foolish," she said when she calmed down.

Joey looked inquisitive. "And who is your brother?"

"Blackwing," she murmured shamefully. "He's a black pegasus. He came here to cause some trouble."

"And what about you two?"

The mare glanced shyly at the stallion and pressed her coat atop his, still looking wary. "My name is Slither Flight, and this is Feather Sight, my mate and Blackwing's friend..."

Joey looked at Feather Sight. The stallion looked very tired, his eyes were barely open, and it was clear he was still in some kind of pain with the black marks across his face. He glanced at Slither Flight for a moment before shaking his head as if to cast away a question from his mind.

"He doesn't look too well," Joey pointed out, gesturing to Feather Sight. "How did he come to acquire those black marks? He should be resting, not outside."

Slither Flight gazed longingly at her mate before looking back to Joey. "Blackwing hurt him," she murmured. "I tried to stop him, but he wanted to stop Blackwing from making a mistake."

"Is Blackwing normally violent?"

Slither Flight shook her head quickly. "Never, but he's been changed..."

"In any case," Joey began, taking steps toward them, "those wounds should be looked at. Let me help."

Slither Flight stood rigid over her mate. "Why should I trust you?" she asked warily. "This could be a trick; I won't let you hurt him!"

Nian snorted, half with amusement and half with contempt. "That pretty pegasus has a backbone, but it's stupid to turn down help."

Joey glanced at his partner briefly and then at the mare. "I promise I won't hurt you or Feather Sight," he assured Slither Flight. "I have someone who can help him heal those wounds quickly. After, all I want to do is ask a few questions."

Slither Flight hesitated for a moment longer before reluctantly removing herself over Feather Sight, instead opting to lay beside him with their coats brushing against each other. "Okay," Slither conceded, "but just be careful, please."

Joey reached for a Poke Ball strapped to his belt and held it in his palm. He tapped the little white button in the middle, enlarging the capsule, and held the ball out in front of him, calling forth Lena, his Chansey. Lena appeared out of the capsule, spinning and dancing merrily.

"Lena, Lena, calm down and listen, ya goof," Joey said, a smile across his face. Once he got Lena's attention, the Chansey saluted to him, awaiting his order with boundless enthusiasm. "We have a patient in need of your expertise." He gestured to Feather Sight. "That pony needs a nice wash from Life Dew to keep him going. Think you can do it?"

"Yes, sir!" Lena responded, giving another salute. She turned to the ailing stallion and whirled one short arm in the air, conjuring a large crystal-blue waterdrop hovering over Feather Sight. As if it was on a leaf, it dropped and fell over the stallion, but it wasn't a splash, instead a wave that swept over him, and the black marks on his body gradually vanished.

"There ya go," Joey told the stallion. "How do you feel?"

Feather Sight was confused by the whole thing, but when he moved himself, he didn't wince and flinch out of pain. "The pain is... it's gone as if it had never been," he whispered, a whimsical look in his blue gaze.

Slither Flight nuzzled her lover, gratitude across her face. She turned to Lena and Joey. "Thank you both," she said, her bright green gaze shining. "I was so worried about Feather."

"Happy to help!" Lena told the young mare. She began to spin happily in place until Joey thanked her and returned the Chansey to her red capsule.

"Now, what can you both tell me about Blackwing?" Joey asked, sitting on the cloud in front of the ponies. Nian joined him but she opted to stand instead. "If Blackwing isn't as bad as you say he is, why is he doing this? And how involved are you both in this?"

"The three of us shared a dream," Slither Flight murmured, her tone wistful and longing, "about becoming Wonderbolts. We trained and trained for years ever since we were as young as fillies and colts."

"We entered many competitions to test ourselves," Feather Sight said, his deep voice quiet. "We won many and lost few until the Wonderbolt tryouts came around; the time to put all of our work to the ultimate test. Blackwing was the most passionate out of us, and he often led us to many victories. But...something happened at the tryouts."

Joey tilted his head to one side, interested. "What?"

"Rainbow Dash," Slither Flight whispered, sadness layered thick in her fragile voice. "She and Blackwing were close once, very close, but after a series of quarrels, a rift came between the two, ending their friendship. When Blackwing saw her at the tryouts, he was fuming. He was never fond of her showing off and boasting about her skills."

"That was often one of the main issues when they argued," Feather Sight chimed in, a look of sorrow across his face. "Whenever they met during the tryouts, it was always one spat after the other, not ending until the tryouts were over. Rainbow Dash became a Wonderbolt after one of the members retired to pursue another profession."

"You can imagine how angry and jealous Blackwing was," Slither Flight said, sighing. "We all were, so when Blackwing came to us one night about a plan to get back at Rainbow Dash, we agreed to help."

Joey nodded seriously, taking in every bit of information. He suspected Rainbow Dash was a part of this, but he didn't think it would be so personal. "Passion and jealousy are a bad mix," he said, shaking his head. "How were any of you going to pull off such a stunt?"

"On the night we gathered together, Blackwing presented three necklaces he bought from a curio shop," Feather Sight began to explain. "He was told that the necklaces held a type of magical power that could help us scare ponies and knock Rainbow Dash down a peg."

"And you both had agreed to this idiotic plan?" Joey said, surprised that these ponies, who look like they wouldn't harm anypony, would help do something like this. "What were you two thinking?"

Slither Flight filched slightly from the human's words. "We were blinded by jealousy, and angry that we didn't achieve our dream," she told him, but her voice fell as she knew how silly and stupid her reasoning was.

"I agreed to do this if it was something Slither wanted," Feather said. "Both of us had our doubts, but we and Blackwing stuck by each other for so long. It was wrong and stupid to try and do. Just before the Wonderbolt show, me and Slither had told Blackwing that weren't going to help him. We felt guilty and foolish."

"And judging from your injuries a few minutes before, I take it he wasn't too happy with any of your decisions."

Slither Flight shuddered and pressed herself closer to Feather Sight. "I had never seen him so furious. He attacked Feather and flew off to go through with the plan. We're here to talk to him and maybe get him to abandon this dumb plan."

Nian snorted and crossed her arms on her chest. "Fat good that did for you both," she spat, a growl rumbling in her throat. "Sounds like Blackwing needs a few particular feathers clipped."

"We aren't going to do anything like that," Joey told his partner, giving her a serious glance that caused her to look away. "We'll have to subdue him the best we can."

"As long as I get to break a few of the hay brain's bones," Nian retorted. She was stamping the cloud impatiently. "When am I going to knock some sense into that pony's skull? My paws are aching for some action."

Joey sighed and turned his attention back to the two ponies who were looking at him and Nian in confusion. "Never mind that. A guard I'm working with saw Blackwing with a necklace. He's busy tracking him with a friend of mine. Once they come back, we'll go and face Blackwing," he explained to them. "You told me that Blackwing isn't normally violent, right?"

Slither nodded her head quickly. "It's the necklace," she told the human, her green eyes becoming glossy. "It changed him, made him angry and violent. If we can take off the necklace, he might turn back to normal."

"And if he doesn't?" Joey asked, but none of the ponies answered him. "Listen. I will try my best to subdue and capture Blackwing and present him to Princess Celestia in the safest way possible. He's going to be in deep trouble because of what he's trying to do. You both should be lucky that your punishments won't be as severe as Blackwing's will be."

"We want to help," Feather Sight said, rising stiffly to his legs with Slither Flight. "He's my friend and my mate's brother."

"At least they have some courage," Nian pointed out. "If they want to come, then let them. I don't know how useful they'll be, though."

"Blackwing might try and hurt both of you, maybe even kill you," Joey warned them. He saw the two ponies look at him in horror. "I know it's hard to believe, but judging by what you both had told me, Blackwing probably won't settle for just terrorizing ponies. He might do something extremely rash, especially since Rainbow Dash is here performing. There's no telling what he might do. Are you both sure about this? No offense, but you both look as if none of you have fought before."

"We haven't," Slither confessed, dipping her head. She stayed silent for a few seconds before speaking. "But we still want to help. We have to talk Blackwing out of this and get rid of that necklace."

Joey stared at them for a long moment. They looked scared; their wings trembled, and their eyes were wide. "Okay," he sighed, rising from the cloud surface. "Stay out of harm's as best you can, and you both can come."

"Then it's settled," Nian said to Joey. "I hope that Mechan hurries up; I'm getting sick of standing waiting for something to happ-"

A loud explosion cut off Nian's words. Everyone shook and fell on the cloudy surface. Slither Flight was screaming in terror while Feather Sight held her close. Joey and Nian looked toward the Cloudeseum behind them and saw streaks of blue electricity flickering madly.

"What in the world?!" Joey was about to rush to see if any pony was hurt, but then he saw Mechan and Sunspot high in the air. He watched as Mechan evaded bolts of lightning while Sunspot held onto the robot as if his life depended on it. "Mechan," he called, "what's going on?!"

Immediately, the large robotic Pokémon shifted its gaze onto Joey and flew down quickly to meet him. "I have found the disturbance," Mechan said, its deep red eyes fixed on Joey. "Cause of said disturbance is a black pegasus wearing a necklace; he had hidden himself behind a stone pillar."

Sunspot leaped off of Mechan and faced Joey and the two pegasi behind him. "I tried to talk Blackwing out of going through with his plan, but he didn't listen." He gazed at Slither and Feather Sight with a look of suspicion. "I guess these were the other ponies helping him?" he asked. "Good job, Joey. At least we only have to deal with only one pony today."

Joey shook his head, explaining to Sunspot what the other two ponies had told him.

"So... Take off the necklace, and everything turn back to normal?" he wondered, sounding incredulous. "I don't know about that. It's hard to believe."

"It's the truth," Slither Flight said. "Blackwing was never like this. We have to help him!"

Sunspot Rise shook his head. "I don't know how we can. Blackwing is shooting bolts of magic like crazy; if we get hit with that stuff, it's goodbye life!"

A distant rumbling shook the Cloudeseum, and then a purple barrier suddenly appeared where the ponies were sitting to watch the show. It must be Twilight's magic barrier, shielding the pegasi and her friends from Blackwing's assault, but Joey wondered how long the alicorn could keep the barrier from breaking.

"We'll just have to try," Joey told the stallion. He thanked Mechan and returned the Pokémon to its red capsule. He turned to Nian, a gleam of excitement in his limpid white eyes. "You ready to rumble?"

The rabbit gave a devious grin, pacing in place. "Always," she said, her fur beginning to bristle with anticipation. "It's been a while since I could lay a smackdown on something!"

"That's the spirit," Joey said, chuckling as he threw another Poké Ball in the air, summoning Nils. He leaped in the air with Nian by his side, landing on the bird's back. "Nils, it's time for action!"

Nils gave an exhilarated screech that made Sunspot, Slither Flight, and Feather Sight tremble. "Let's go and be like a tumblin' Brambleghast, riding the wind!" the raucous bird exclaimed.

Nian groaned. "Please, no jokes or else. I'm serious, birdbrain!" she warned, giving Nils a dark glare.

Nils gave a haughty huff, his sharp curved beak in the air, feigning offense. "Miss Iron Legs, do I look like a Pidove to you?"

"You act like one and that's evidence enough," Nian retorted sharply, her voice flat.

"Alright, that's enough you two," Joey cut in. He gazed down at Sunspot and the other two pegasi. "Try and steer clear of Blackwing while me and my Pokémon get to work; I don't want none of you getting too close. Feather and Slither, I'm sorry but it's too dangerous for you both to get involved. I will help Blackwing; I promise. Stay with Sunspot." The three pegasi nodded silently.

With the order for liftoff, Nils sprang into the air and darted quickly over the dome where Joey saw a black pegasus, Blackwing, standing on top of Twilight's magic barrier slamming his hooves in an attempt to break it. Joey thought there was no way for the pegasus to break through until he saw a flash of lightning rain down from the sky and hit the barrier, causing it to crack and splinter.

"Well, that's certainly not a good sign," Joey observed grimly. "That lightning looks extremely dangerous, so stay in the air and maneuver around it cautiously, Nils. Stay on the outer rim and be on standby if anything goes less than pleasant."

The large bird nodded, gliding around the Cloudeseum in a wide circle. "What will you and Nian do?"

Nian snickered, flexing her paws. "I'll give you three guesses."

"Nian and I will confront Blackwing and attempt to settle this peacefully," he replied, though he wasn't hopeful. "We should always try and avoid conflict if we can. And we aren't killers." He turned to his furry partner. "Nian, get ready to jump on the barrier."

Nian nodded. She was clenching and unclenching her fists; the rabbit was restless. "Just give the word," Nian uttered grimly.

"Jump!"

They leaped off of Nils to the barrier below, landing on it. The purple barrier felt like solid ground, but Joey could see plenty of cracks in it. They were all over the place. He looked at the ponies shielded inside: they were trembling and scared, and he noticed Rainbow Dash looking appalled and hurt, most likely seeing Blackwing commit something so horrible.

"Do not worry, everypony," Joey assured, attempting to calm the pegasi. "Stay in the barrier and your seats. Everything will be fine; do not panic!"

The raucous cries from the ponies were still raging, but it was quieter, shifting to more anxious murmurs and cries. Joey gazed forward and saw Blackwing trying to break the barrier, his amber eyes smoldering with rage. If he were to take Slither Flight's words as truth, then this is something Blackwing would never do without some outside influence. Perhaps the necklace was corrupting him.

"That's enough, Blackwing!" Joey called, his voice booming. The pegasus shot up his eyes and glared at him with a dark menace. "I don't want a fight, but if you continue going through with this foolish plan, then you will leave me no choice but to act. You can stop this and stand down!"

Blackwing didn't say anything. Aiming a hoof in Joey's direction, the pegasus shot a powerful bolt of blue lightning. Acting quickly, Nian deflected the deadly bolt with a strong kick. Joey stood unfazed, his limpid white eyes narrowing.

"I was told you and Rainbow cared deeply for one another but grew apart," Joey said to the stallion. Blackwing's eyes grew wide, but then he snorted crossly and didn't say anything. "She's down there with a lot of innocents. Surely, you were only going to frighten them and not attempt anything else?"

Blackwing growled and shot another bolt of lightning which Nian deflected again with supernatural swiftness. "He's not listening," she told him. She placed a fist on her paw. "I say we beat him until he's as blue as the lightning. Maybe then he'll have the sense to cooperate."

That might be what Joey had to do, but he wanted to keep trying and talk sense into Blackwing. "Your sister and best friend are here," he told the stallion, his voice tense as tried to make him understand. "I heard that you attacked Feather Sight, your best friend. Slither Flight misses you, and she wants you to stop this foolishness. This will only get worse for you."

"Doesn't matter," Blackwing said gravelly. The necklace, which was silver with a golden pendant, glowed with an eerie red light. "What matters is now."

Joey sighed dejectedly. "You don't have to do this. You can stop this right now and the consequences won't be as dire. This isn't you. We don't have to fight!"

Blackwing snorted. "This is me," he told the human, his amber eyes glowering. "I know who you are, and you won't stop me!"

"Joey, nothing is working; he's getting more aggressive," Nian said, sounding impatient. "Let's just nail this guy if he won't listen to reason!"

"You might be right," Joey conceded as Blackwing began to aim another lightning bolt at him. "Let's kick it up a notch; kick it up to eleven! Nian, Mega Evolve!"

Smacking her palm with her fist, Nian transformed into her Mega Evolution. Her scarlet eyes were lit ablaze with battle, she paced in place as if her feet were on fire, awaiting Joey's command.

"Drain Punch!" Joey commanded.

Nian stood her ground, her right fist glowing an eerie red. She thrust it forward colliding with the dire bolt of lightning. There was a frightening, blinding flash that caused Joey to look away briefly. When he reopened them, Nian stood tall and unmarked. She had absorbed the lightning.

Blackwing looked shocked. "W-What kind of creature is that thing?!" he sputtered, taking a step back. "She doesn't have a horn; she isn't a unicorn. She couldn't have absorbed it!"

"Don't look so tough now, don't ya, hay brain!" Nian sneered.

Joey was glad Blackwing showed some measure of disconcertion. "She's a Pokémon," he told the stunned pegasus. "You'd be surprised by what else she can do." He placed his hands across his ears. "Nian, bring the boom; use Hyper Voice!"

Inhaling an enormous amount of air and rearing her head back, Nian shot out an ear-splitting screech that shook Twilight's barrier, producing a large circular wave of sound. Despite covering his ears to stave off, the sound was deafening to Joey. Gazing forward, he saw Blackwing's coat rippling chaotically as he tried to stay on his hooves, but the force from Nian's Hyper Voice was too much, and he was swept into the air like he was a twig in a tornado.

Blackwing spun and twisted in the air until he crashed hard on the barrier. For a few moments he laid motionless, letting Joey believe he might've been seriously hurt, but then he saw the pegasus stir and heave himself to his hooves. Nian gave a contemptuous snort.

"Blackwing, stand down," Joey ordered, but the pegasus was ignoring him. "Blackwing, just listen to me! You're going to hurt your fellow ponies; see sense in what you're trying to do!"

"You think I have just lightning?" he spat, rage filling his voice. "This necklace gave me more magic than you can ever imagine! I have thunder and lightning under my control; I will not be stopped by some two-legged freak and his pet!"

The crazed pegasus slammed his hooves on the barrier, causing it to crack. Then, to Joey's astonishment, clones of Blackwing began appearing in rapid jolts until at least ten were in view. They all pointed their hooves at him, charging another electrical blast. 

Joey didn't know if Nian could deflect all of them at once, so he got in front of her and lifted his wrists; his bracers might be able to withstand the attack, but then his mind suddenly raced. If Blackwing and his thunder-formed clones shot him, it might make an explosion big enough to shatter Twilight's magical barrier, leaving countless civilians, plus his friends, in peril. 

Joey glanced down at Twilight's horror-stricken face and saw the strain she held to try and hold the barrier in place. Joey assumed Twilight had never created a barrier this big before, and maintaining the barrier was taking a toll on her magic. He also remembered when she cast magic on him and how it seemed to make her tired. That could have added to her strain.

Quickly, he ordered, "Nian, disrupt!"

The brown rabbit shot forward before skidding on the barrier, her fists arcing with red lightning, but instead of using Power-Up Punch, Nian slammed her hands together, sounding like a thunderclap, and discharged a wave of red energy that swept over Blackwing and his clones. They all stumbled backward; their electrical blast shooting upward into the sky, producing a violent flash of white light.

"Twilight," Joey called urgently, jolting the alicorn out of her stupor, "do not drop the barrier! You're the only one separating these ponies from Blackwing, so whatever you do, do not drop it!" He saw the frightened mare nodding, pain clearly across her face.

"Joey!" called a mare. He turned to see Rainbow Dash from the stands; her face twisted with horror. "Don't hurt him; Blackwing isn't normally like this!" Joey was surprised to hear pain and urgency in her voice as she pleaded; he was nearly taken aback. "I don't know what's wrong with him, but Blackwing wouldn't try and hurt other ponies like this. Help him!"

Joey was trying to do just that without escalating the situation, but Blackwing was making it difficult. He needed to get that necklace off of the pegasus if he was to take Slither Flight's word as truth. If that didn't work, then he would have to incapacitate Blackwing the hard way. 

"I'll try, but no promises," Joey told the rainbow-maned mare before shifting his focus back to the battle. Good thing too, since Blackwing and his clones seemed to have recovered from the thunderclap.

Blackwing glared at him and Nian before sending a current of electricity across his and his clones' bodies, and as Joey took the time to blink, the ponies were dashing at him with a dark menace. With no time to think, Joey was knocked off his feet by a few clones barreling into him, almost forcing him off the barrier. He heard Nian fighting against the other clones; he knew she would be okay without his direction.

Joey fought the clones: he swatted one away with a terrific punch that went sprawling across the barrier's magenta surface. Another clone coated its hooves with electricity to buck him, but Joey dodged just narrowly out of the way and grabbed the clone with his hands clutched tightly around its neck, and then slamming it harshly on the barrier, creating a large crack on the surface. The other clone dashed from side to side before leaping on Joey, sending him face-first into the barrier. He groaned before he surged upward, knocking the clone away and slamming his fists on its face, incapacitating it.

The three clones vanished, flickering out. That was three down and seven more to go, and as Joey turned his gaze to Nian, he saw with relief that the brown rabbit had the bodies of four clones littered around her with a fifth one struggling in her grasp. Nian snorted disgust before shifting her hand one way; Joey heard a crack, and the clone went limp as Nian let the body fall to the barrier's surface. Understandably, Joey was worried that Nian could have killed Blackwing, but the brown rabbit turned to him and rolled her eyes.

"Don't worry," Nian said, letting a breath of exasperation, holding one of her floppy ears and rubbing it tenderly, "I made sure neither one of these punks was the real Blackwing."

Before Joey could say anything a large stray bolt of lightning came from the sky towards Nian, who seemed to be unaware. As he braced himself to call out, he saw Nian's leg sparkle white and she lifted it over her head to strike the lightning bolt with deadly accuracy. The startling collision caused Joey to avert his eyes as another white flash lit up the sky, thunder crashing overhead. When he opened them again, he saw that Nian was perfectly fine, if not a bit annoyed.

He raced to her, stepping over the clones' bodies as they vanished, and placed a comforting hand atop her head, looking relieved. "Just dodge next time; it'd be easier for my heart," Joey murmured.

Though she relished in Joey's comfort, Nian lightly brushed his hand away. "You know I'm stronger than I look, but it stands that you always worry about your Pokémon family a bit too much." She looked him over, dusting his wrinkled shirt and pants. "Are you hurt anywhere?"

Joey shook his head. There was a slight pain on the side of his right cheek, but it felt dull. He looked at the five Blackwing clones. "Where are the other two and Blackwing?"

Nian shrugged, her ears twitching in annoyance. She glanced to the sky and pointed up; swirling black clouds had begun to blot out the blue expanse, faint traces of lightning arcing around them. "Somewhere up there," she suggested as her face turned grim from a sudden gust of wind buffeting her fur. "Blackwing is getting serious."

"You're right, and being in the air with Nils doesn't seem like a good idea now," Joey put in. He glanced at Nils looking wary at the storm clouds gathering. He whistled to get the bird's attention.

Nils swooped towards the barrier and landed gracefully. "What should I do now?"

Joey grabbed Nils' Pokè Ball. "Return for now. You might be needed soon; I rather you not get struck by a stray bolt." Returning the bird to his capsule, Joey grabbed another and sent out Lena. 

"What can I do for you, Joey?" Lena asked merrily, her pink, bulbous shape bouncing with a barely contained excitement.

Joey put his hands in front of him to try and calm the energetic Chansey down. "Just be on standby to use Gravity; it should prove useful here," Joey explained. Lena had the ability to shift the weight of gravity to her will. She used Gravity once before to stop Lunaris from taking to the skies in the Forbidden Jungle.

"As you wish!" Lena gazed up at the blackening skies and gave a small grimace; a rare expression, Joey noticed. "I can feel something coming," she murmured.

"As do I," Nian grumbled, her scarlet eyes scanning the dark clouds above. "Blackwing is going to try another thunderbolt."

"But from where?" Joey wondered, his limpid white eyes peering into the sky. "There doesn't seem to be a break in the clouds to indicate Blackwing of his location."

Thunder rumbled eerily above them, arcs of lightning flashed before their eyes, and the dark clouds lit up white as Joey, Nian, and Lena searched for Blackwing and the other two clones with him. It was getting dark now, the wind was picking up, threatening to sweep Joey off his feet, and that's when he saw it in the corner of his eye. A brief flicker came from the other side of the Cloudeseum. As he turned to look, a series of lightning bolts gunned toward him in jagged, wavy motions. Lena and Nian saw it too, their eyes widening at the large bolts.

Thinking fast, Joey sent out Mechan and ordered it to produce a psychic barrier around them, just before the lightning bolts struck them with a resonant snap. Mechan's and Twilight's barriers shook, cracked, and split, but both held firm. Joey could feel the devastating weight of the bolts above him, the searing heat making him uneasy and nauseous, and he took a knee to the barrier floor. Nian and Lena stood over him protectively as if to shield him from the lightning bolts if any managed to break through. 

The grueling attack went on for a few seconds more, emitting ear-splitting cracks and heart-thumping rumbles. When the attack subsided, Twilight's barrier was on the verge of breaking; Joey saw the purple mare sweat and pant, being supported by Applejack and Rainbow Dash, who looked up at the crisis with terror. All the ponies screamed, and shrieked, and yelled, and hollered, but they seemed to have enough sense to stay where they were, as Twilight's barrier was their only bastion. A bastion beginning to crumble under the pressure.

Recovering from the barrier's surface, Joey returned Mechan back to its capsule and looked around with Lena and Nian in search for Blackwing. They didn't have to wait long as the black pegasus swooped down from the skies and towards them with the other two clones, their coats shimmering with a white-blue-like glow.

"They're covered in electricity!" Lena yelped.

"No problem," Joey said, narrowing his eyes. "Lena, use Gravity!"

Instantly Lena jumped in place before waving her arms into the air, dark purple and black energy gradually surrounding her. The area began to twist and distort, warping the very space above her, and then she motioned her arms in front of her. As Blackwing got closer to try and deal some serious damage, a black force above dropped on him, causing him to crash onto Twilight's barrier along with the two clones.

"What is this? What have you done to me?!" Blackwing roared, struggling to force himself of the purple surface. "It's as if a weight had landed on my withers!"

"Good work, Lena," Joey praised. Lena embraced him lovingly. "Now, before you return back into your Pokè Ball, use Thunder Wave!"

With a wave of her arm, a yellow jolt of lightning shot forward and arcing over Blackwing. Joey watched as the pegasus attempted to stand, which he did, but only to be forced back down with Thunder Wave acting as a temporary prison. Blackwing tried to overpower his lightning cage, but it seemed to be ineffective. With the pegasus seeming to be subdued, Lena returned to her red capsule as Joey and Nian, who cracked her knuckles, confronting Blackwing, both wary and cautious.

Being weighed down by Gravity and imprisoned in a cage of yellow lightning, Blackwing could only glare at Joey and his partner with malevolence, though he still tried to free himself. His clones were worse off; Nian had slammed their faces against Twilight's barrier so hard that they didn't move, vanishing into nothingness. Joey was glad those were just clones. He imagined Nian attempting to split Blackwing's skull open, and that would not have been a pleasant scene.

"Get me out of here!"  Blackwing demanded, his voice booming with rage. "Release me!!!"

"Blackwing," Joey began calmly, his clear eyes intense and never leaving the pegasus, "you are under arrest and will answer for your crimes in the presence of Princess Celestia." His lucid gaze softened at the struggling pegasus. "You are being influenced by that necklace. It has caused you to commit horrible things, but from the accounts of your sister, your friend, and Rainbow Dash, whatever sentence you might have will be more lenient, at least I hope so. All you have to do is stay down and let me remove that necklace."

Blackwing wasn't listening, he was thrashing inside his thunder cage, each flailing, agitating movement becoming more uncontrolled and violent. His amber eyes began to glow with an eerie white shine as blue electricity started to arc around him. The dark clouds that blotted out the sun and its warmth had begun to undulate and twist, amassing into a bone-chilling, unending spiral of menace.

Joey and Nian backed away cautiously. An odd sense of foreboding swept across the Cloudeseum. A white flash overhead followed by a series of sickening crackles assaulted the barrier; terrible bolts of lightning rained down from the dark clouds. Joey and Nian had to evade the enormous bolts, but when one cracked right beside them, they were forced away, sliding across the shattering magic barrier.

A scream of anguish wailed from within the barrier and Joey glanced down to see Twilight's horn flickering, her face twisting in agony. She was being comforted by her friends, but they were all terrified. Joey knew that Twilight's barrier would give in soon; he had not been able to subdue Blackwing long enough; he was getting to be too strong.

"For the love of Arceus, the barrier is about to break!" Nian exclaimed as another series of lightning bolts attacked the barrier, drowning out her words. "Joey, what should we do?!"

Joey clenched his teeth. He didn't know what to do now. Blackwing has been freed from his yellow prison and it looked like Gravity would have no more effect since the pegasus was standing, unburdened. He wanted to do this without no pony dying, but it seems that this has gotten to a point where he might have to break his rule if he didn't find some other way of dealing with Blackwing.

"Joey, look at Blackwing!" Nian yelled, drawing his attention out of his thoughts. "He looks as if he'd keel over at any point!"

Nian was right. Blackwing was panting so heavily his chest was heaving. The necklace's eerie red glow brightened immensely; it must be surging more magic into Blackwing, giving him the power to carry out his plan in a last-ditch effort to satiate his anger and bitterness. But he was gathering too much.

"Blackwing, stop this!" Joey pleaded, trying to inch his way to the black pegasus, but the force of the storm and the rapid strikes of lightning bolts harrying the surface of the barrier made it difficult. "This isn't the way! Stop, Blackwing, before you do something terrible!"

Blackwing did not hear Joey's pleas. He was gathering so much power granted by the necklace that he started to levitate, surrounded by a bright blue and white aura. Joey knew this would be the attack that will completely shatter Twilight's barrier. Quickly, he dragged his feet against the tumultuous gale with Nian by his side, evading bolts of lightning the best they could, but again they were flown back.

Despairing, Joey saw a glittering blue glow lighting up a spot on the barrier. His clear eyes widened as he gazed up into the sky: the point where the dark clouds, the eye of the storm, converged, flickering madly with rapid jolts of lightning. He heard the loud crackle and saw a bolt of white being sent down from the eye and strike the barrier, another flash of light enveloping his vision.

Joey then felt weightless and chilled. He felt his clothes ripple madly against his dark skin and heard the roar of the wind as if something fast was constantly passing him by. He felt dazed by the white flash, and as he tried to recover, he suddenly recalls the sound of something breaking and a cry of pain: Twilight and her barrier!

His limpid white eyes shot open, and Joey found himself freefalling, his body twisting and turning as he tried to keep himself upright. He saw the Cloudeseum above him and shards of Twilight's purple barrier falling and fading into nothingness. 

Joey looked for Nian and saw the brown rabbit a few feet away. Then he gasped in horror: ponies, pegasi, some were falling, too panicked to save themselves. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy dived after some yet so many more were going to be out of their reach, but then he saw Feather Sight, Slither Flight, and Sunspot Rise diving after them to help.

Grabbing Nils' Pokè Ball, he summoned the massive bird along with Mechan. "Nils, Mechan, help Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy rescue the falling pegasi," he ordered swiftly. "Don't worry about me. Go, now!" 

Heeding his orders, the two Pokémon raced after the falling ponies. As he watched them go, Nian manages to get to him. She was pointing down.

"Blackwing!" she yelled. "He's unconscious!"

She was right. Blackwing's limp body was descending towards the earth at a startling pace. Joey's heart skipped at beat; this was their chance to put an end to this madness.

"Nian, with me!" he ordered. "Get on my back and use Mega Kick with both legs; we got to catch up to Blackwing before it's too late!"

Nian nodded fiercely. "Understood!"

Getting to him, Nian fastened herself firmly on Joey's back, tucking her legs in until they sparkled. Seconds pass until she kicked out strongly and a devastating force from behind Joey propelled him forward so fast, he had to squint his watering eyes to see.

Joey reached out with his hand as he got closer to Blackwing's limp form, both of them was nearing the ground with each passing second. The necklace around the pegasus' neck suddenly glowed and stray bolts of lightning threatened to strike Joey and Nian. Trying to maneuver the best they could, Joey and Nian managed to evade the death-dealing bolts. 

When they finally got as close as they could get to Blackwing, Joey grabbed the unconscious pegasus and held him tight against his chest.

"Nian, get in front of Blackwing and be ready for another Mega Kick!" Joey instructed as Nian clambered over him and to Blackwing, her legs sparkling. "Tuck in your legs and be ready for my command!"

"Ready when you are!" she told him. "Just say the word!"

They were getting closer to the earth. Joey narrowed his eyes, waiting for the right moment.

"Joey?!" Nian hollered, sounding a tad uneasy. "Anytime now!"

Only when they a few seconds away from hitting the earth did Joey say, "Nian, now!"

Nian struck the air below her so hard with Mega Kick that the force from the attack made a whiplash, generating a powerful gust of wind that strikes the ground, slowly making their descent safe. Feet firmly on solid ground, Joey snapped the necklace off of Blackwing and laid him gently on the earth. The pegasus was hardly breathing; his shuddering chest rose and lowered in unsteady, slow breaths. Joey was worried about how much power Blackwing used and how much it affected him, but for the time being, the pegasus was unconscious and longer a threat.

Nian glared at Blackwing and shook her head, an ire of distrust and disgust on her face. "What an idiot," she grumbled, turning her back to the pegasus. "All of this nonsense over jealousy. He's mad. Even if he succeeded in this foolish plan, it wouldn't change a thing. What a lucky punk; we just saved him from a world of regret."

Joey stared unhappily at Blackwing's limp body and suppressed a sigh of pity. "I don't think he'll be the same after all of this," he muttered, watching the black pegasus' dark mane flow faintly in the breeze. "He could've done a lot of serious damage, and he almost did."

"Only thing he ended up hurting was those close to him," Nian sneered uncharitably.

"Right," Joey agreed sadly. He gazed up to the dark clouds beginning to break and saw Mechan and Nils landing beside him. "How did it go? Is any pony hurt?"

Mechan shook its wide steel head. "All ponies who fell have been rescued and safely secured back on the Cloudeseum," it said deeply.

Nils stretched out his wings, triumph glittering in his sharp eyes. "Everything is as well as a Sewaddle nesting peacefully in the loving arms of a Leavanny! Fluttershy, Rarity, and Applejack are trying to calm the ponies down."

Joey put his hands on his hips, looking pleased despite everything. "Great job, the both of you," he praised them. "Mechan, please contain and levitate Blackwing so we can present him to Princess Celestia shortly."

"As you command," Mechan replied, using its psychic powers to encase Blackwing in a barrier and lifting him into the air. "Mission complete."

"Indeed, it has," Nian said. Her ears suddenly twitched, and she pointed in the air. "Looks like we got company."

Joey saw a gloomy Rainbow Dash accompanied by Sunspot, Feather Sight, and Slither Flight. When Rainbow landed, she raced past Joey and his Pokémon and stared numbly at Blackwing suspended in the air, unmoving. Sunspot stood beside Joey while Feather and Slither Flight held back.

"Is Twilight alright?" he whispered to the stallion. "Trying to maintain that barrier was hard for her."

"She's resting with most of her friends watching over her, so try not to worry too much," Sunspot consoled. "Twilight is strong and she'll recover just fine.

Joey nodded slowly, relieved. "Everything seems to be okay...somehow. Thanks for helping the pegasi."

"It's my duty," Sunspot told him humbly, though he sounded a tad proud. "I'm just glad no pony was killed."

Rainbow Dash shook her head, turning to Joey, her glossy eyes watering. "What about Blackwing? Is he..."

Joey shook his head, ordering Mechan to set the black pegasus on the ground next to Rainbow. "He's only unconscious," he assured the distressed mare. "He expended a lot of magic and energy. It seems unlikely he'll reawake until later."

Rainbow Dash comforted Blackwing, holding onto him tightly. Joey was surprised by how much she cared for the wayward pegasus. He recalled how close she and Blackwing used to be from Slither Flight and Feather Sight's accounts. It seemed that Rainbow still cared deeply for him, even after all this time.

"We had a lot of fights," Rainbow Dash murmured, "and many of those was started either by me or because of me. I was kind of a jerk back then, and I didn't change until I got older, but by then my and Blackwing's relationship was over." She placed her head atop his. "I had a chance to make things better at the tryouts, but..."

Joey walked up to Rainbow Dash kneeled beside her, a hand over her back. "I was told that you and Blackwing fought a lot there. It's difficult to reconcile after a long fallout, and old grudges come back stronger than ever." He gazed at Blackwing and then back at Rainbow. "It seems too late to go back to the way you both were together, but we can only wait and see. I'll give you some time with him before we go."

"Thanks, Joey," Rainbow Dash murmured. She looked at him, sadness and gratitude in her glistening eyes. "Do you think Princess Celestia will go easy on him, Feather Sight, and Slither Flight?"

Joey shrugged helplessly; he didn't know what would happen. "Blackwing will get the worst of whatever punishment Celestia gives him, but for the other two, their punishments may be more lenient since they realized their mistakes and sought to correct them," he told truthfully. "They even helped in saving some of the frightened pegasi from falling to their deaths, so that has to account for something, and Celestia is a kind and just ruler from what I've seen."

Rainbow nodded silently and went to comforting Blackwing. Leaving her alone in peace, Joey sauntered over to Feather Sight and Slither Flight watching Rainbow Dash.

"Thanks for the help," he told them proudly, kneeling to their level. "Your aid in saving the pegasi was much appreciated."

Feather and Slither Flight bowed their heads. "We just wanted to help in any way we could," Feather Sight said, glancing at his marefriend.

Slither Flight nodded, her coat brushing against Feather. "I just hope Blackwing gets better... It isn't just us who still needs him."

Joey looked over his shoulder: Rainbow Dash was uttering something inaudible in Blackwing's ear. He didn't want to soil her alone time with by asking her questions; it wasn't appropriate.

"I didn't know she cared about him so much," Joey said.

Slither Flight let out a tiny chuckle. "Well, we did say those two were very close," she reminded him.

"How did Rainbow react to seeing Blackwing at the Wonderbolts Tryouts?" he asked them.

"At first glance she was happy to see him, from my perspective," Feather Sight replied, sitting on the ground with Slither Flight following suit. "She was hesitant to approach him because of their old spats and kept at a distance."

"She looked sad then," Slither Flight murmured. "I could tell she had a lot on her mind, words that she wanted to say going unsaid. It didn't help when they delved into their old habits again; it was one fight after the other, though, they tried to keep it contained in front of the Wonderbolts."

"I see," Joey muttered, rubbing his chin. He shrugged and got to his feet. "I think it's time for us to see Celestia in Canterlot."

Something bright had flashed behind Joey, startling him as he turned with everyone else except for Rainbow Dash. 

"There's no need," pronounced a profound, regal voice. It was Princess Celestia, her pristine white coat rippling faintly in the leisurely wind and her magenta eyes glinting. Everypony except for Joey, his Pokémon, and Rainbow Dash bowed. "We can settle things here."

Joey gazed at the powerful alicorn, his heart lifting as the sorrow and misery that had once previously graced Her Majesty's captivating visage after Rockfall's death seemed to be gone. He sauntered up to her with Nian sticking close by his side.

"Celestia, it's good to see you after a while," Joey said happily, bowing his head to show respect as the alicorn returned the gesture. "The mission is complete; no pony or creature was injured badly." He presented her the necklace, the source for all the trouble. "This necklace is a magical artifact. I'm not too savvy with how it works, but it gave Blackwing, the one mostly behind all of this, control over lightning whilst seemingly corrupting his mind."

Princess Celestia stared wordlessly at Joey for a long moment before seeming to collect her thoughts. She studied the necklace and gave a disapproving shake of her head. "I know what this is," she told the human before going on, "and I know there should be two more. Do you have the others?"

Joey didn't. The rest were on the cloud where he had met Slither Flight and Feather Sight before everything went from bad to worse. "The rest are on a cloud behind the Cloudeseum," he told her. "I didn't have the time to confiscate them when Blackwing started the attack."

"There's no need to worry," Sunspot spoke, fluttering beside Joey. He bowed to his ruler before presenting the other two necklaces with his wing. "While Joey was occupied combating the threat, Slither Flight and Feather Sight, Blackwing's sister and friend, gave me their necklaces to seize." He gestured to the ponies with a hoof, and they got up and sulkily stood before the princess. "These are them. When the barrier conjured to protect the Cloudeseum was broken and ponies were falling, they helped to rescue them."

Princess Celestia examined the two pegasi and gave them both a faint smile. "I am relieved you both did the right thing," she praised them much to their shock. There wasn't any hint of threat or rightful anger in her voice. "I am thankful for your help as well; ponies could have died today. I will discuss both of your punishments in a moment. I want to see this Blackwing I have been told about. Come with me."

"Yes, Your Majesty," Slither Flight and Feather said in unison.

"Joey, can you bring me to him?" she requested.

Nodding in silence, Joey guided Princess Celestia over to Blackwing, who was still being held in Rainbow Dash's grasp. "That's him," the human finally said.

"You have done me a great service once again, Joey," Celestia told him with a grateful dip of her head, her magically flowing mane shining in the sunlight. "Your job here is done; you will be rewarded for your selfless aid in the coming days. For now, I would like to speak with Rainbow Dash, Feather Sight, and Slither Flight alone. You may head home. Thank you again."

Although Joey wanted to stay and hear what would happen to Blackwing and the others, he thought that whatever was going to happen, it would between them and only them; it wasn't any of his business. He also wanted to know what artifacts those necklaces were and how any of worked. He guessed Twilight might know; she's an astute alicorn with a mind for magic, but she was probably busy calming the ponies down up at the Cloudeseum, and no doubt she was tired after the whole Blackwing ordeal.

Returning Nils and Mechan back into their respective red capsules and Nian shifting out of her Mega Evolution, Joey bids his farewells to everypony. After everything that happened, he just wanted to head back home and rest.