The Dream Realm.
"Ooh..." Getting up was not just one Twilight, but all four of them. Twilight Sparkle, Wish, Moonlight and Sci-Twi were all in the same spot. The same dream at the same time. And yet, neither of them were asleep prior to this. They were all doing their own thing until a surprise event occurred.
Because of Twilight Moonlight existing in this universe longer than she normally does, her magic grew to a point where it allowed Twilight Luminaria to take control. And thanks to Darkrai's Dark Void, this prompted all four of them to fall asleep despite them being distant from each other. Just a mess of things that led to this moment. The first to get up was Twilight Sparkle. Following her were the other three. All four of them felt the soft texture of grass beneath them so at least the surrounding area was comfortable.
"What happened? What was that all about?" The most confused was Sci-Twi, who stood back up. She was the least involved in this since she was worried about other things that aren't counterparts or alternate worlds.
"I'm getting sick and tired of these mental shenanigans." Twilight Sparkle groaned, already knowing that this involved the mind in some way. She's been through enough of these experiences to know that.
"Wait...You all showed up here?" Twilight Wish was the first to notice that she was not alone in this Dream. All four of them were present in the same area, this close to each other, even though it was within a Dream.
"You!" Sparkle and Wish said in unison. Seeing Moon here was alarming in every single way. She was currently free and in the same space as them.
"I should've figured you'd be involved in this somehow..." Twilight Sparkle could only let out a disappointed sigh.
"Don't blame me! I didn't do it this time!" For once, she was right. This was not on Twilight Moonlight. Even though she was involved in some way, the one responsible for this was Twilight Luminaria. "Even though I was slightly involved. But you can blame that Darkrai friend of yours and also the one truly responsible for getting us into this mess. I'm not even sure how she got you all here with me."
"You're talking about Twilight Luminaria, aren't you? I heard her voice all of a sudden. It was out of nowhere and I didn't see it coming." Twi-Wish added. Neither of them saw it coming.
"So...You're not responsible this time?" said Twi-Sparkle. "But why would she-"
"I'm glad I got you all here in one spot." The one responsible would show herself immediately, still running on limited time. She appeared in a flash of magic, but only as energy, yet again. However, instead of being a mass of magical energy, she now had the build of a pony. It was a sign that her magic was increasing, albeit slowly. Her face and everything else were still obscured by the an unknown magical darkness. However, when looking at her mane and tail, the four Twilights all saw bits of their hair colours and especially the hairstyle.
"Is that her...?" Sci-Twi was getting a glimpse at Twilight Luminaria for the very first time, albeit as a mass of energy. There stood the culmination of all four of them. Their superior in this instance.
"Apologies for the inconvenience. But this was my golden opportunity to bring you all here. If I didn't I would have to wait another time for my magic to reactivate." Luminaria spoke to them with a grandeur voice. "This is the closest all three of you have been with each other, even if it is just a dream."
"Who's dream is this though?" That was the question that Twi-Wish wanted an answer to. Since all four of them were put to sleep by Darkrai's Dark Void, it wasn't exactly a single individual's dream and no one here really recognized the entire scenery. It didn't look all that familiar to Twi-Sparkle. Not to Sci-Twi, not to Twi-Wish and not to Twi-Moon. But Twi-Moon could somewhat make out what this place might be thanks to her instilled memories of Twilight Luminaria.
"It's all four of your dreams. They have merged into one and brought about this." Luminaria answered. "And because of that, it is also my dream. This is where I can have an upfront conversation without all of you. Sorry for the voices in your heads. There was no other way."
"We never finished talking in my dream." Twi-Sparkle pointed out. "There was still so much I wanted to ask you."
"I'm sorry, but I'm still running on time. I will have to share a lot with you. It's urgent so please listen."
"Twilight!" Before she could start, breaking through the Dream Realm was none other than Princess Luna and Darkrai. Of course, Darkrai would eventually show up since he was the one who cast Dark Void. They appeared from the sky making their landing right next to Twi-Sparke and Twi-Wish. "I came as soon as Darkrai informed me! Are you alright?!"
"We're fine. Nothing bad's happened to us." said Twi-Sparkle.
"Ah-" Right before Luna could respond she noticed that there were three other Twilights. All four were finally together but everything seemed completely fine. "Y-You too...? You were all dragged into this?"
"Don't look at me. Darkrai should've explained to you what truly happened." Twi-Moon scoffed.
"And is that...Her?" Luna's eyes soon went up when spotting the one known as Twilight Luminaria. Slowly but surely, the long-lost pony from another universe was being revealed to the rest of the world. As for the appearance of this dream, it obviously had a noticeable structure but it was something that Luna didn't recognize.
The Dream of a Legendary Princess possessed a sprawling castle, with turrets that reach towards the sky and a grand entrance adorned with intricate stained glass windows. It borrowed elements from Canterlot Castle, the Crystal Empire and many other castles across Equestria.
"There will be no conflict in this dream. Not even from you, Luna." Twilight Luminaria ordered. "I am just here to tell you all what needs to be done. To stop Prisma from ever returning. You four must reunite and form my body once more and only then, will we be able to prevent another wave of destruction."
"You want us to bring you back? But then...how come we aren't combining if all four of us are this close?" Sci-Twi questioned.
"This is only a dream, so it's impossible for you to merge. But when you do, in reality, I will arrive. My soul exists in all of you and is waiting to be unleashed, much like Prisma's."
"What are you going to do to Ash? And Nate? And everyone else?" Twi-Sparkle asked the most pivotal question.
"Isn't it obvious? She has the same idea as me. Destroy their souls." Twi-Moon answered for her. "That way, it can all come to an end."
"Well, I don't think we should be doing that!" Twi-Wish objected, speaking back to Twi-Moon. "I always opted for the safer route. If we only target Prisma's soul and stop it somehow then all 10 of them will be safe."
"That won't work." Twi-Moon scoffed. "What needs to happen is for every bit of their soul to be taken out. Nothing more, nothing less."
"M-Maybe we can just coexist with Prisma?" Sci-Twi had a third suggestion that didn't involve targeting anyone's souls.
"There are options, yes." Twilight Luminaria uttered, grabbing their attention. "I have been thinking of every possible solution to this upcoming issue. After all, Prisma and I were in battle before our universe was lost and our souls were within your bodies. Moonlight. You are the only one that was embedded with my memories. A few of them, at least."
"Because...?" Moonlight leaned forward.
"Truth is, I did trust you, Moonlight. You seemed to be the only one who could handle my memories. I'm terribly sorry that I gave them to you as a baby. But your plan to destroy their souls, while effective, isn't the way to go."
"What?" Twilight Moonlight's approach was shut down. "But you said some destruction was involved."
"And you also told me if push comes to shove, I might have to do something drastic when it comes to Ash." Even Twi-Sparkle chimed in, bringing up an important comment Luminaria gave to her in a previous dream. "What do you mean by that?"
"There is destruction involved. No longer can I seal his soul away. I'm afraid that to stop Prisma, we will have to destroy the souls of all 10 of them." Twilight Luminaria revealed a rather shocking decision that made Twilight Sparkle, Twilight Wish, Sci-Twi and Luna gasp in unison. That was not the response they wanted to hear. "However, that's not all. Once the souls are all destroyed, I will attempt to remake them seconds before their absolute end. And with it, restoration will occur."
"O-oh..." Twilight Sparkle suttered. "You mean, you can bring back their bodies?"
"I'm afraid not. Bear witness." To give a demonstration, Twilight Luminaria began affecting her dream just to show them all what she meant by that. From the dream, she created Ash and his 9 counterparts as they were all floating in the air with their souls being visible.
There, the four Twilights saw the 10 Souls in all of their glory. Each of them had different colours that was vibrant as they could be. Some burned with the spirit of fire while others flared like the flash of lightning. This is what was truly inside of their bodies.
Twilight Luminaria then made it so that their bodies started twisting along with their souls, signifying their bodies being destroyed which made Sci-Twi almost close her eyes in horror. "Destroying their souls unfortunately means destroying their bodies. With it, Prisma will not return. Instead, in their place will be a new entity. Someone to replace them all."
The Dream then showed all the destroyed bodies spiralling in one spot as the souls, which were almost completely destroyed, merging as one. But they were not merging to create Prisma. Instead, only one individual emerged. A silhouette of an unknown figure.
"He will be an entirely new being. He will have his own soul and his own life. But at the cost of losing his memories. That is the most likely way to stop Prisma."
"You can't do that!" That was something Twilight Sparkle vehemently disagreed with. "You'd be erasing Ash from existence y doing that! Losing all of his memories?!"
"All other options I've thought about would end in failure or would only delay the inevitable. I had to choose the best possible outcome and this is the one that was truly flawless."
"But...Losing Ash forever, and he wouldn't even remember us? He wouldn't even be the same person. You'd be taking not just Ash away but the others from all their loved ones too. Red, Brendan, Nate! All of them! That can't be the outcome in all of this."
"I never actually thought about that..." Twi-Moon was even shocked by what she was hearing. A complete replacement was not what she was expecting.
"That's horrible..." Twi-Wish was absolutely stunned by what she had witnessed and heard. It even made her stumble back. As for Sci-Twi, she was mortified by that. All those precious memories with Ash will cease to exist. His body will cease to exist and the only remnant of it will be this new Human who was a combination of all 10.
"Then.." Twilight Sparkle closed her eyes as her mouth was trembling. "I'll just go for another option that's just as good as that one! Even better! I'll stop Prisma my own way and-"
"That won't work." Twilight Luminaria objected. "I know what you are already thinking. I've seen it myself. I understand the power your world holds and how you can connect with others. But not with Prisma. If I could avoid destruction, believe me, I would. But Prisma is beyond saving. Mainly because I failed him."
"What do you mean you failed him?"
"While we had a battle that was finished once our universe was lost, the truth is, we were once close. As close as we could be." There was a past with Twilight Luminaria and Prisma. "Back then, I was still just a filly, growing up as the daughter of a King and Queen. My life was as swell as it could be. And I would have said the same for Prisma."
The dream showed the young Prisma, who wore sponsors all over his cape, much like Champion Leon. He was a child prodigy in his time after all. The usual knowledge was shared with them. The fact that Prisma was this incredibly powerful trainer even at such a young age, winning battle after battle and getting progressively stronger.
"I watched Prisma from afar, hearing about his rise to fame to the point where he was as recognizable as the many forms of royalty out there. I had never seen his face until one day."
The Dream of Twilight Luminaria dug into the past some more, showing all of them her very first encounter with Prisma. And it was on a wonderful mountainside which had a colossal sea that possessed light particles ahead of it. The peaceful mountains rise majestically, their light-capped peaks reaching towards the heavens, while their lush green valleys could beckon adventurers to explore their secrets. Nestled amidst a cluster of towering pines, a shimmering waterfall cascades down the granite cliffs, its gentle roar providing a tranquil soundtrack to the serene surroundings.
Sitting there was the young Prisma. He sat there, gazing at the beautiful sight underneath the wonderful sunset. But his smile wasn't exactly wonderful. The Child Prodigy held up a Poke Ball, looking directly at it with a saddened stare. In his mind, he could only hear one thing.
Cheering. People, ponies, dragons, hippogriffs and many other creatures were cheering his name. Not too long ago, before he came over and sat here, he was in a Pokemon Battle for many to see. Naturally, Prisma won and received titanic praise for not just his victory, but his skills and seemingly unstoppable strength. Someone like Prisma would obviously become popular.
And yet, it brought him no happiness. There was not a shred of joy behind those eyes. He sighed when looking at his Poke Ball, attempting to forget about those cheers.
"Hey! What's got you all down?" A voice spoke to Prisma from behind. It was the voice of a young Twilight Luminaria, who stood before the Child Prodigy, away from her castle.
"Hm?" The Young Prisma looked over. He then turned his head, putting his Poke Ball away. "Go away."
"Uh, this is my family's mountain." Twilight Luminaria leaned forward. Her family possessed this mountain, making it hers by extension as well. "But it's fine if you want to sit on it. Not like it's forbidden."
"Hah..." Prisma sighed once more, lowering his head. "Just when I thought I could get away. You were watching the match, weren't you?"
"I was. From my balcony. And it was an amazing battle. Probably the best I've seen so far." Twilight Luminaria put on a wide smile. "I've heard about you but I didn't know you were that good. I'm Princess Twilight Luminaria. Heard of me?"
"No not really..."
"Huh?! No way...I've heard of you but you haven't heard of me? I'm pretty popular in my own right, actually. Next in line to rule all of Unilight. The whole nation and beyond.
"So you're going to be the one who rules over this entire world? I don't believe that." Prisma shifted his eyes to the side.
"It's not natural though. My parents rule it and so will I once I'm of age." She stood proud as hte rays of the sunset would reflect off her. "And once I'm in charge, I'll end up making Pokemon Battles a greater spectacle than before. They're the second thing in the world that interest me the most! First is reading."
"They don't need to be. They're fine the way they are." But Prisma would rather they stay how they currently are instead of being even larger.
"Hm? You want them to stay the same instead of becoming something bigger? That's strange. I thought you would've liked it? You know, the publicity and all..."
"I could do without all of that, Princess. Not like I want it."
"Oh. Well...I figured that since you're so popular..." Twilight Luminaria slowed down with her speech, scratching the back of her mane. "You're already ranked number eight. Just a bit more and you'll be number one. But judigng by your looks, you're not all that excited about it, are you?"
"Not really. But I'm still going to win all of this regardless. And maybe then, I'll find some meaning to all of this."
"What kind of meaning?"
"Winning isn't all that satisfying, honestly. It should be, but I don't know why." Something was missing within Prisma. Something that he just couldn't understand. However, Sci-Twi could since she was informed by Scione and by witnessing a further look into the past, she was starting to see what it might be.
"You're weird. You're riding a huge wave and you're not all that excited about it? Never met anyone quite like you." The filly alicorn let out a light chuckle. "Well, if you're having any problems, maybe you can turn to me."
"Turn to you?"
"That's right. I've got my own meaning, Prisma. When I'm the ruler of Unilight, I'll make sure I'll solve everyone's problems. This world isn't exactly perfect, but it could be a lot better still. If there's anything that's bothering someone, I want to make sure I can solve it in the best way possible. And hey. I can test out just how good I'll be by helping you."
"I don't know. You don't seem all that experienced." Prisma was doubtful.
"I am experienced though! I get a lot of private tutoring at home if you must know! And I can prove it to you right now." Confident in her skills, Twilight Luminaria believed she coul turn that frown upside down. Prisma, obviously found that to be unlikely since she seemed very inexperienced. Then again, he wasn't exactly experienced in that category either. In the end, both had ways to go. The two would babble against each other as the sun continued to set, with Prisma doubting Twilight's every word and Twilight doing everything in her current power to affect Prisma.
"However, as years went by, I was unable to see Prisma as much. My duties as the next in line came first before anything else. All I could do was watch his battles. Occasionally, I'd encounter him here and there and we were forming a bond. In fact, it was the only bond that Prisma was starting to truly experience."
Time played its role and the two were growing rather distant of each other. Even still, Twilight Luminaria was the one individual that Prisma interacted with more than anything. He ended up growing up with the Princess of Unilight. Prisma grew stronger over the years and Twilight Luminaria's rise to power was going strong.
The interactions between the two were seemingly the same as before. Much like how they were as kids, Prisma appeared uninterested, keeping that same look on his face while Twilight Luminaria kept that high energy within her, constantly chattering.
They walked side by side when Prisma wasn't battling or when Twilight Luminaria wasn't occupied with her duties.
"I never understood it myself. I had this goal in mind when I became the leader, to help everyone. My subjects. And yet, I could never help Prisma. I began to notice that he was growing distant from everything and everyone else. Not just me. It was as if he was sinking into an indescribable darkness. And perhaps, I was too late to save him."
That was all Twilight Luminaria decided to share. She was running on a time limit after all, meaning that there were still missing points from the past. The projection of the past came to an immediate end.
"So...you were friends with him? Then why would you want to erase him?" Twilight Sparkle questioned.
"Friends? I wish I could say that. But honestly, I don't think Prisma ever saw me as a friend. Unfortunately, I could never understand him, no matter how hard I tried. And when the worst possible outcome occurred, I knew it was too late to save him. So, I had no choice but to seal away his soul, but he was always just as good as the best, if not better, so he sealed my soul away as well."
"So that's an extension of what Scione showed me." Sci-Twi got some more context to the past thanks to Twilight Luminaria. It was as if more and more missing parts were being revealed here and there.
"I do not have time to show the rest to you. Only when you have all merged I can continue from here. But...I can tell that you are all rather hesitant."
"Not just hesitant. I'm not doing it." Twi-Sparkle put her hoof down. "I'm not bringing you back just so you can erase my friend."
"Neither am I. This isn't how I wanted to do it. I didn't want to see anyone get hurt." Twi-Wish was on the same page as Twi-Sparkle. Sci-Twi obvously didn't want this. Not for a moment.
But Twi-Moon? Everyone else turned to face her as she was the one who first brought up the idea of destroying the souls in the first place. They immediately expected her to take that route and so did Twilight Luminaria, who spoke to her. "You'll assist me, right? You know what we have to do."
"Mmm..." Twi-Moon closed her eyes. "As much I'm all for destroying the souls...I cannot merge with you and any of them."
"What...?" This was a surprise to Twilight Luminaria and the others. She refused to merge, rejecting Twilight Luminaria's offer.
"I've been doing some thinking of my own. Where my life would go after I stop Prisma's return for good." She referred to when Pinkie Pie asked her about her eventual future. "It never crossed my mind what I'd do after that. But one thing's for sure, I'm not done living my life yet. So much of it has been occupied with stopping Prisma after all and becoming one with you will ruin that."
"Ah...That's why." Not exactly the answer Twi-Sparkle expected, but at least Twi-Moon wasn't onboard with merging as one.
"I see..." To Twilight Luminaria, this was rather upsetting. A strong part of her truly believed that her counterparts would all be in agreement, but that was not the case. They were all different in their own way and yet there was a part of them that were united. "Then in that case...I'm afraid I'll have to take matters into my own hooves. Once again."
"You'll start by getting us out of this Dream." Twi-Moon ordered. "Your magic won't last, after all. Right?"
"And after this, I'll stop Prisma in my own way." Twi-Sparkle stated. "I'll do what I can to avoid destruction and I won't risk the souls and memories of my friends for it."
"If so, then prove it to me. Prove to me that your way is superior and the better outcome. By battle." Twilight Luminaria would descend as her hooves touched the ground. "Where I come from, we settle strong disagreements with a Pokemon Battle. You four should prove to me that your ways are superior and that you can do this without my return. Show me your resolve."
Much like what Scione said, everything is settled by a battle from where Twilight Luminaria comes from. And in a dream, this was no exception. Right in front of her, she generated a Poke Ball, ready to battle.
"Fine then." Twilight Sparkle agreed. She wanted to prove Twilight Luminaria wrong and one way of doing that was showing her resolve. "I know the two of us here don't exactly see eye to eye. But this time, let's throw our differences aside."
She obviously referred to Twilight Wish and Twilight Moon. They definitely had their differences. But if there was ever a time to forget about it and tackle something bigger, it was now.
"Fine." Surprisingly, Twi-Moon agreed to do so, taking out her own Poke Ball. "I can postpone my mission right now, just to take out another obstacle that'll slow me down."
"I agree. And I want to show her that my resolve is good enough to be the best option." Soon, Twi-Wish revealed her Poke Ball as well. Sci-Twi gulped before mustering the strength to hold out her own Poke Ball.
Soon, all four Twilights had their respective Poke Balls out, ready to challenge Twilight Luminaria. Luna and Darkrai chose to observe this battle since it would be between five ponies who were essentially the same.
"I'm going for you! Absol!" For Twi-Sparkle, she chose Absol.
"Help out! Meowscarada!" For Twi-Wish, she chose Meowscarada.
"Appear! Samurott!" Twi-Moon's choice was Hisuian Samurrot.
"Here goes...Out you come, Rapidash!" And finally, Sci-Twi chose Alpha Rapidash. Four of some of their strongest Pokemon have arrived. All four of them stood side by side with Samurott and Meowscarada looking each other in the eyes. Obviously, these two were not on te best of terms thanks to the interactions between their trainers. But they already knew there was someone greater than that standing before them.
"Those are your choices? Very well then. Show yourself." Twilight Luminaria finally showed her Pokemon. And it was one that neither expected. Not even Twi-Moon.
Appearing from the Poke Ball was a Pokemon that looked familiar but very different. It appeared to be a mechanical, bipedal Pokémon whose appearance retains numerous visual traits from both Gardevoir and Gallade. Its arms consisted of gauntlets with large magenta blades protruding from the sides. It had parts of Gardevoir's dress and the blades and headpiece of Gallade.
"Gardevoir...Or Gallade?" Twi-Sparkle wasn't exactly sure what she was looking at. But perhaps the Pokedex could fix that.
"Iron Valiant. The Paradox Pokemon. It has some similarities to a mad scientist’s invention covered in a paranormal magazine. The swiftness of its blade is only matched by its natural movement speed. It bares a striking resemblance to Gardevoir and Gallade."
"Do your best to last as long as you can." Twilight Luminaria suggested.
"Are you saying that we can't win? Don't make me laugh. Samurott, use Ceaseless Edge!"
"Samu!" Unsheathing his blades, Samurott would advance, being the first to rush in. Obviously, there wasn't going to be a shred of teamwork in this battle.
"Moonblast." Twilight Luminaria ordered. Iron Valiant would ready itself, generating a ball of Fairy Magic from its blades. The ball was then condensed into energy that surrounded the blades, turning them into bladed weapons. Once Samurott approached, Iron Valiant swung its blades, clashing with the Water-Dark-Type. It was a potent clash.
But not a long-lasting one. Samurott swung as fast he could, clashing back and forth with Iron Valiant, only to lose the exchange. With a graceful and powerful swing, Iron Valiant slashed Samurott's chest, landing a super-effective blow. The Water-Dark-Type rolled on the ground, taking the first hit which was rather staggering.
"Go, Absol! Use Night Slash!"
"Meowscarada! Thunder Punch!"
"Sol!" Lighting up his horn with darkness, Absol lunged forward, having his own blade at the ready. Joining him was Meowscarada, who covered her paws in lightning. Iron Valiant was very much ready for two Pokemon to approach it. All it needed to hear were the words of Twilight Luminaria.
"Close Combat." With that order, Iron Valiant would rapidly move its eyes, easily seeing both of these Pokemon approaching. It used both of its blades to catch the Slash and Punch at the same time, performing a perfect block. Absol jumped back before rushing in for another slash. Once he swung his horn, it was parried by Iron Valiant's blade. And as for Meowscarada, she was forced back by the force of Iron Valiant's push.
Both Absol and Meowscarada swung as fast as they could when trying again, trying to put pressure on the Paradox Pokemon. And yet, they couldn't. Iron Valiant could be seen catching their every move, blocking and parrying all of their attacks with ease.
Sparks of lightning and bursts of darkness kept flying out as the attacks were failing to go through. Iron Valiant could not only effortlessly block and parry their moves but it could also counter. The Paradox Pokemon would deliver a double slash to both of their chests, making the two Dark-Types gasp and stagger.
Once they were both staggered, freezing on the spot after that super-effective blow, Iron Valiant did it again by slashing downwards, starting from their heads to their legs. The Dark-Types were soon sent flying because of this, crashing through the walls of this dream.
With just a few hits, these Pokemon found themselves stunned. Getting hit by Iron Valiant felt unreal to them. It even left Hisuian Samurott on the ground for a little while, taking him some time to get back up.
"It isn't over yet! Samurott, use Aerial Ace!"
"Samurott!" Once he got back up, Samurott moved at confounding speeds, attempting to outspeed the Paradox Pokemon. But the Fairy-Fighting-Type was still ready. Seeing Samurott's appearance, it performed a backflip to avoid the downward swing.
After avoiding it, Iron Valiant moved in with another Close Combat, striking Samurott's face. The Formidable Pokemon cried out as it felt like being socked in the jaw. But far worse. Right as he was about to receive another slash, Sci-Twi took action.
"Use Dragon Pulse, Rapidash!"
"Rapidash!" Alpha Rapidash got involved, holding her breath in and unleashing a dragon-shaped shockwave from her mouth. She knew this wouldn't do anything to Iron Valiant since it had the Fairy-Typing. But what it would do was create some distance.
The blast hit the ground, causing a larger shockwave to appear. This ended up knocking Samurott away from Iron Valiant. Iron Valiant was immune to the attack, but not the shockwave. It slid back, only moving a few feet from its spot.
"What was that for?!" Twi-Moon turned to face Sci-Twi as she saw this an attack on her Samurott.
"S-Sorry. But Samurott would've taken another hard hit there." Sci-Twi uttered. "I had to do something. That Pokemon is fast and strong."
"It's not unbeatable though! Giga Impact!"
"Sol!" Absol finally got back up. And once he jumped up, he enveloped his body in a white light that would propel himself forward.
"Use Power Gem, Meowscarada!"
"Meow!" Meowscarada followed up by unleashing a barrage of sparkling gemstones that soon turned into rays of light. These would fly alongside Absol, showing signs of teamwork. Only Twi-Sparkle and Twi-Wish had some semblance of unity from the looks of it.
Iron Valiant's eyes would flash upon seeing these attacks coming its way. Still using Close Combat it would cross its arms building up an intense power that was shaking the ground itself. And with a mighty slash, it managed to deliver a slash so powerful that it ended up cutting the Power Gem in half. The attack had been disrupted, but it didn't stop there.
Absol crashed into the slash, attempting to power through it. He snarled putting his all into this, but it looked like he was about to be launched back by the immense slash which would rend the air itself.
"Help Absol! Use Flare Blitz, Rapidash!"
"Dash!" Rapidash stomped her hoof, having an attack that would also propel her forward. She enveloped herself in a brilliant flame, soon launching herself at the Paradox Pokemon. She assisted Absol by crashing into the slash, attempting to move it forward. And with their powers combined, they were preventing it from going any further.
"Hmm..." Twilight Luminaria observed how things were playing out and already, she reached her decision. "Maybe your resolve isn't strong enough. It's there but not quite at the level you want it to be at."
But it was no use. Despite how hard they tried and the fact that they managed to keep it at bay for a while ultimately, Iron Valiant won the struggle. The slash would envelop Absol and Rapidash as it kept on moving. Samurott put up its blades, getting in front of Twi-Moon to shield her from the incoming attack. Meowscarada did the same by getting in front of Twi-Wish.
However, this one attack knocked all of the Pokemon away, being completely out of their league. Their trainers felt the impact and the force, causing them to fly back as well. Just like that, victory went to Twilight Luminaria. Luna gasped as that was one of the quickest victories she's ever seen. Twilight Luminaria's strength surpassed all four of her counterparts, solidifying why she was the complete version of them.
"Ngh..." Down on the ground with Absol next to her was Twi-Sparkle. All of them were on the ground with their Pokemon next to them, fainted after just one powerful Close Combat swing.
"You're dedicated, yes. But if that's all you have, then you can't hope to find another alternative." Twilight Luminaria commented. "My time is almost up, I'm afraid. However, I will return. As for you Twilight Moonlight, you cannot return to your universe just yet. Not when you're this close to your counterparts. I apologize that it has to come down to this."
Just then the Dream of Twilight Luminaria and all the four Twilights was coming to an end. It could be seen wobbling and waving, ready to bring them all back to reality.
"Before I go, you should know this. Twilight Moonlight. Do not return to your universe just yet. I will use my magic to keep you around a bit longer. And when all four of you are close, you will hear my voice. The magic from Twilight Moonlight has grown to a high enough level to where I can have a slightly easier time showing up."
"This isn't over..." Twilight Sparkle started getting up along with Absol. "We won't let it end like this."
"If that's what you think, then the next time we meet, do your best to prove me wrong. I'll be waiting and watching." Just like that, the dream was over. And right as ended, Twilight Sparkle fell over, unable to stand.
Equestria. Ponyville. Twilight's Castle. The Pokemon Festival. Nightfall.
And the same went for the outside. Due to the battle that occurred in the Dream Realm, Twilight Sparkle was down for the count, unconscious at the moment. Daisy and Paradise gasped after seeing their mother fall unconscious for a seemingly unknown reason. She couldn't handle everything that happened in the Dream Realm. And neither could all of her counterparts. All four of them found themselves in the same state, going through the same thing.
But even when unconscious, Twilight Sparkle still found the strength she needed to try and open her eyes. They were slowly opening, only to close right afterwards. She needed time to recover before she could wake up. However, the memories of what she experienced would not leave her at all.
As the journey continues.
Chapter 361 End.