The Human World. Prismatic Mansion. Afternoon.
After Sci-Twi's victory over Scione, the revelation of another gateway had been shared. According to Scione, this mansion had one of its own. It was not too surprising since her magic made it so bizarre to be in. But shocking nonetheless. And with Lucas apparently being a key component due to his encounter with Palkia, Ash and his friends were possibly looking at a way to solve the gateway issue.
"Here it is. I kept it hidden from everyone else as you can imagine." Scione led them to the lower portions of the mansion, which could be manipulated in any way she saw fit thanks to her magic. Right behind them was the Infinity Gateway that was constantly with Lucas. The room in question was right behind an old door. This mansion had a basement of its own that was very ancient due to its 500-year-old lifespan.
Its low ceiling was covered in webs and dust from Spider-based Pokemon. The air is thick with the musty scent of old books, and torchlight flickers dimly against stone walls lined with seemingly endless rows of dusty shelves. A single, ornate pedestal stands at the center of the room, adorned with a worn leather-bound tome. Displayed along the stone walls was a collection of weathered paintings depicting legendary Pokemon battles from centuries past.
"You know...you probably would've shown it to us anyway since Ash and Lucas are here." Rainbow Dash pointed out.
"Hohoho! You're absolutely right! Anything for Prisma!" Scione chuckled. "But I would've experimented on Twilight Sparkle if I had won and then shown you the chamber."
"Yeah, but what if we said otherwise?" Lucas asked.
"Ah-" Scione paused for a moment, stopping in front of the door. And after realizing that she could've been stopped at any time, even if she managed to defeat Sci-Twi, she lowered her head in disappointment and embarrassment. "I embarrassed myself didn't I?"
"But there's one thing that's still on my mind. It sounds to me like Ash and I were enemies in that world." Sci-Twi brought the conversation back to the reveal of Twilight Luminaria and her relationship with Prisma which didn't sound like a friendly one at all. "That can't be, right?"
"I did say she was the only one who challenged Prisma, especially during a crucial time. I can guarantee you that they were not on the best terms. But that's all I know, unfortunately. It doesn't seem to be the same in this new world, however."
"Yeah. There's no way Ash and Twilight could be enemies." Apple Bloom added. "Can't happen, won't happen."
"But there's Twilight Moonlight..." Appleack begged to differ. "She wants Prisma gone and doesn't do it in the best way."
"Well, she's not gonna succeed!" Rainbow Dash cackled. "If I met her right now, I'd beat her in a Pokemon Battle, no sweat, so there's no way she's beating Ash!"
"That's right!" Scootaloo agreed, adding to Rainbow Dash's shout.
"You can worry about her another time. What truly matters...is this." Scione finally came to a halt, prompting the others to do the same. They have reached their destination.
With her hand on the door handle, Scione opened it to reveal the next room past the basement. The room where a gateway
was residing. And she wasn't bluffing at all. Shining through the door was the cosmic glow of a gateway. There was one perfectly placed in front of the door, sitting comfortably while silently unleashing its cosmic sounds.
This was now the third gateway that everyone knew about, with the only exception being the gateway hidden in Nadya's home. But they had no idea where this one led to. It was to even see what was residing in that universe.
"Wow! So...where does this gateway lead to? Unova? Sinnoh? Maybe even Johto?!" Sweetie Belle questioned. "Whatever it is, this is super lucky for us!"
"This gateway doesn't lead to any of those locations. Instead, it leads to the world I once came from. Or at least it used to be. This is a gateway that Prisma created.
"Prisma created this gateway? But how?" Fluttershy asked. "You're not saying that he had the power to create gateways, right?"
"Why yes. He did." Scione casually said, revealing something else about Prisma. "Prisma had an encounter with the Rift, if you must know and obviously, he learned something that he could utilize. In his awesome power, he made his own gateway. But he used it to travel between regions as opposed to another world."
"So did it come back after Ash made that wish or what?" Scootaloo asked.
"It never left. After the world I came from was erased, this gateway was one of the very few remnants of it. In fact, this is the gateway that all the other gateways you once had come from." Scione also revealed that this gateway was rather critical. It wasn't just another gateway. It wasn't even just a gateway that Prisma himself made.
This was the Mother of all Gateways. The one where the Pallet Town Gateway, Infinity Gateway, Ponyville, Canterlot, Castelia, Lumiouse, Manehattan, Jubilife, Hau'oli and many other gateways that lead to different locations come from. It was the first of them all, stunning everyone. For the longest, they just thought that the Rift placed the gateways in random locations for the fun of it.
And while it did do that, selecting which areas they would fit in, it did not create the original gateway. Instead, it sounded like the Rift took parts of this gateway and multiplied them.
"Ever since the wish to unite the worlds was made and everything from my world was being revived one by one, so did the location past this gateway." Scione continued. "What you're looking at right now is the gateway to my world, but alas, it only goes to a city. Every other location cannot be found there."
"So...It's a city floating in space or something like that?" Scootaloo scratched her hair.
"Spot on, little girl." Scione snapped her fingers. Scootaloo was on the mark. "It isn't even the city I was raised in which is a shame. But it's a sign that soon the world I used to live in will soon return. And so will Prisma!"
"Yeah, yeah, that's cool and all but what about me?" Lucas asked. "You said I was pretty important in this because of what happened with me and Palkia. And how did you even find out about that?"
"You'll see, Lucas. I've learned that the Twilight Sparkle from Equestria has been struggling to really create a gateway even with a fragment available. Her main belief was that she needed to remember every single thing from every location, just to get it right. She's not exactly wrong. It does involve remembering specific things in that location, but what she was missing was a catalyst. You are that catalyst."
"You mean Lucas is the answer?!" Ash and the others pulled back, gazing at the Trainer from Sinnoh.
"I am?" Lucas pointed at himself, blinking a few times.
"That's right. Twilight Sparkle was missing Space. And since Palkia used Spacial Rend at you, inserting you and your Infernape with fragments of spatial energy, you have full access to something that she doesn't."
"Huh..." Lucas looked at his hands. Needless to say, this wasn't on his list of things to do in a new universe similar to his own. To think that all this time, Lucas was the answer but he took his sweet time showing up. "That's weird. The Infinity Gateway doesn't respond that much to me, so what makes this one so different."
"That's because this isn't the Infinity Gateway. The Infinity Gateway is still a mystery that I can't wrap my head around but a regular gateway will be easier to grasp. Even though...this one isn't technically regular either. But you know what I mean!" Scione yapped, speeding through her words.
"This is awesome, Lucas! You can bring back the gateways! You just gotta use what Palkia gave you!" Rainbow Dash cheered him on.
"This'll make you much better than you were yesterday!" The CMC slandered Lucas once more. Yesterday, they saw him as a bit underwhelming for having the power of space in him but failing to do much with the Infinity Gateway. Now, their opinion has greatly changed.
"Gee...Thanks." Lucas lowered his eyes when glancing at the Cutie Mark Crusaders.. "Alright. I'm ready. What do I need to do?"
"The best thing to do is interact with any gateway that isn't the Infinity Gateway. I'd recommend using that fragment Twilight Sparkle has. If you use that, you can recreate certain locations with ease. That is the most free out of all the gateways since it is something entirely new. As for this one, I have but one request." Scione started pleading. "Please! Bring back te cafe! That was my favourite spot!"
"A-A cafe?" Lucas stammered. He expected something else. Something bigger. Maybe an island, continent or even a town. Not a cafe.
"Indeed! I always loved going there every weekend and they had the most splendid menu you've ever seen! I miss it so much I can't hope to recreate it myself!" She got on her knees, begging Lucas. "Obviously, this was important to her, even if it wasn't that big of a deal.
"Alright, alright. I'll do it. Let me see what happens though." Lucas would give it a shot though. It would be his first time interacting with an ordinary gateway. The Infinity Gateway was the ultimate mystery as of now so the normal-shaped gateway would have to do.
Everyone soon followed him into this gateway which led to the world where Prisma and Twilight Luminaria once resided at. This would be their first time entering a place which was once erased but recently, bits of it were returning. But this city was not as fortune as everything that was brought back.
The Lost World.
At last, they had arrived. The first to show up was Lucas, followed by Ash and soon everyone else. Unlike every other time they go through the gateways, this one did not lead to somewhere pleasant or fantastical. It led them to a rather dreary and upsetting place. They set foot in the city, gazing upon what it currently is.
This city now floats in the vast expanse of outer space, its jagged skyscrapers and dilapidated buildings stretching out in all directions. The shattered remnants of highways and bridges hang suspended in the void, creating an eerie maze. The air is heavy with the acrid scent of burning metal, the remnants of a cataclysmic event that befell this once-thriving metropolis.
Dark tendrils of smoke curl through the vacant streets, mingling with the faint glimmer of distant stars. A colossal holographic billboard flickers with fragmented images of the city's former glory, frozen in time.
"Man...What happened here? If it got erased, then this kind of destruction shouldn't be possible." Lucas gawked at the horrific sight.
"This doesn't look like a utopia at all." Sweetie Belle grumbled, already intimidated by this area.
"Quite the conflict occurred here. This is why the city looks like it. It's merely appearing as the location it was currently." Scione answered. "This is where the cafe used to be too...Oh, and the place was beautiful too. Prisma didn't come by here that often. He only showed up to this city for a few battles and that was it."
"It's so sad," Fluttershy commented. "And it's just floating out here in space too?"
"Audino..."
"Hmm...How am I gonna do this?" Lucas said to himself. He was supposed to be the catalyst for bringing the gateways back but he wasn't sure how he could become that catalyst. He closed his eyes, thinking about the cafe that Scione wanted. But as soon as he did so, something amazing happened.
The pink particles that reside within his body would start flowing out. With his eyes closed, he began envisioning something. It wasn't just the cafe, but the entire city. The particles flew everywhere, resonating with Lucas' mind as they were giving him insight into what used to reside in this city.
Lucas gasped as his eyes suddenly opened, letting out a spatial pink glow. This was not the outcome he expected as he suddenly a beautiful pulse from his body. Everyone watched as the pulse would spread across the city rapidly. Just like that, the cafe that Scione wished for was starting to emerge.
Its destroyed remains were being restored. The particles of Space were rebuilding what was once lost, wrapping around it. But it wasn't just the cafe, other buildings were being restored. The way they used to look like before whatever conflict broke out here returned, amazing the eyes of everyone.
Just like that, Lucas had restored this city to its original form. Scione was right. Lucas was the catalyst. But it seems that he didn't just have the power to restore the gateways, but he could also restore some destruction.
"H-How'd he do that?!" Sci-Twi made a prolonged gasp.
"This place is trapped in space, so it only made sense that the power Lucas was gifted would affect it." Scione explained. "If we were to use this power on the Gateway Fragment, he would only make a new gateway. This is different since it is outside your usual world."
"Aaauhh..." After doing that, Lucas felt incredibly woozy, stumbling around as his eyes were spinning. The particles fizzled away as he was greatly feeling the side-efefcts. They didn't seem to harm him but they left him bewildered. "H-How'd I do?"
"Great, darling." Rarity held Lucas, preventing him from falling over. "You exceeded our expectations. Which means, we can expect you to bring back those gateways for us."
"What city is this anyway? And how come no one's in here?" Rainbow Dash asked.
'"Ah. That's because everyone who once lived here currently reside in your world as their own beings, obviously. Don't worry too much about it. This is practically an empty city with no one to populate. I know I certainly will with the opportunity to visit the cafe again~"
"Lucas! You've gotta make new gateways back home!"Scootaloo grabbed onto Lucas's pants tugging on them. "Please! It'd be so great if you did!"
"Yeah, yeah! Start with Manehattan and Castelia first! No wait, Virbank! We can get to PokeStar faster!" Apple Bloom pleaded as her friends already had wishes of which gateways they wanted.
"You can start by making a connection between my world." The Human Counterpart of Rarity who now had the nickname Rare chimed in, wishing for Lucas to make her a gateway. She would even flash her eyes at her. "Please?"
"Hah...I'm gonna have a lot of work ahead of me, aren't I?" Lucas knew what was coming. And it wasn't something that he was unable to escape from. He wanted to bring back the gateways. But he now realizes how many gateways he needs to restore.
"Go to Twilight Sparkle," Scione said while approaching the cafe. "I guarantee you that if you work with her, you won't have to worry too much about the number of gateways you wish to restore."
"Hey, Scione. How come you know so much about Gateways? Do you know a lot about the Rift too?" Ash asked. Scione was a fountain of knowledge, even if there were some things she didn't know.
"That's simple." Scione grinned, looking back at the others.. "The inhabitants of this world knew about the Rift's existence and didn't hesitate to interact with it. We learned a lot about its cosmic power thanks to our advanced resources. We were just that much ahead."
"Well, thanks for the help." Ash was ready to bid farewell to Scione. "We'll come by some other time."
"Oh, please do!" Scione hollered with joy in her voice. "It'd be amazing to see you again, Prisma! I'm always here to help~" They have gained a new ally. A rather knowledgeable one too. And with a gateway here at the mansion that led to this once lost world could be used and was fully inhabitable. Scione was going to make the most of this since this was a city she once loved. Specifically, the cafe.
Canterlot High.
They were now making their way back to the portal that leads back to Equestria and after leaving the mansion, in her hands, Sci-Twi held the Ghost-Type Shards. Lo and behold, she was right to choose the mansion. It did indeed have the shards she thought it would have. She held the shards up, knowing she had 16 more to go.
"I say we do Manehattan first before anything else." Sweetie Belle spoke as she and her friends were bickering about which gateway should appear first. "That's always been our favourite!"
"Do you think Palkia attacked me for a reason like this?" Lucas wondered. After what just happened, he wondered if Palkia's attack on him had more to it. What if it was specifically for the gateways? The fact that Lucas could do this and so far, Palkia has shown no signs of removing the gateways raised plenty of questions for him. On top of that, it was the Palkia of his friend Dawn.
"Maybe. But you've got something neat there." Rainbow Dash patted him on the back. "You don't have to worry about us wringing you dry for all that spatial power you have."
"Thanks for bringing that up..." Lucas sighed. "Why'd it have to be? It was Dawn's Pokemon so how come she didn't get it?"
"Well, I think I can rest easy knowing there's a way to finally bring them back," said Fluttershy. "It'll make travelling so much easier. I won't have to leave my animals and Pokemon behind for too long if I can just pass through the gateway."
"And we'll have the perfect version of it too. The original. I'm not sure what Twilight Moonlight uses to show up here but sucks to be her!" Rainbow Dash laughed. "She's on a time limit. We're gonna be sitting pretty, totally safe and away from harm!"
Universe 11. The Solar Empire. Day.
The Solar Empire. Home to Daybreaker. Another version of Princess Celestia who was born out of grief and rage and was currently leading a collection of fearsome characters. Daybreaker had two goals. To restore Necrozma's energy by giving him all the light he needs and to further expand the Solar Empire. The third one was personal to her and one she has yet to truly fulfil. And that was by bringing back her sister Luna, who perished in a war that led to Daybreaker's arrival.
If she wished to accomplish at least three of those goals, she had to enter other universes and with the absence of many gateways thanks to Jirachi, that was easier said than done. This entire time, Daybreaker herself has been focused on bringing back the gateways as well, but for a different purpose.
Daybreaker made her way to a laboratory that was focusing on solving this. The scientists here were none other than Empress Twilight's scientists, who specialized in things such as this.
This lab was filled with strange machinery and glowing crystals. The air crackles with energy, making the coats on some of these ponies stand on end. A massive archway in the centre of the room hums with otherworldly power, its edges shimmering with multicoloured lights. Screens were plastered everywhere, showing the image of gateways, but these were just images of what was once so easy to find and travel through. All except for one.
"What have you called me here for?" Daybreaker asked as she was summoned here by the scientists who needed to see her. Present in this room as well was Empress Twilight, who also wanted the gateways back more than anything.
"A gateway somewhere in Universe 1 has undergone a change. We think that the gateways might be making a return. At least, so far." The scientists have been focusing on Universe 1, for obvious reasons. It was the most crucial universe out of all of them.
"It's not like that one world where another me uses a flawed version of dimensional travel. This is perfected." Empress Twilight added. "It's strikingly close to the original gateways that we used to summon. Someone's figured it out and I bet it's myself, obviously."
"Bah, who cares about who figured it out? This is our chance." Daybreaker saw the golden opportunity. "With this, we can get back on track and accomplish our goals. We've mainly been struggling to travel from place to place with the limited resources we have. But having the original back in some way would do us wonders. Call for Colress at once."
The chance to gain ahold of this power wasn't going to be missed at all. Daybreaker already had an idea of what she wished to do first and that was by feeding Necrozma who was starving at this point. The last time Necrozma got a good fill of light was with the Sea Temple Crystals. And she wasn't about to let him starve any longer, draining minimal sources of light. The were other worlds out there with plenty of light, waiting to be absorbed.
And also to be conquered by the Solar Empire.
As the journey continues.
Chapter 294 End.