Equestra. Ponyville. Afternoon.
It was a long, tiring day. After returning the valuables to their rightful owners, the absolute shock Honchkrow and his cronies brought to everyone else spoke volumes. The ponies were flabbergasted by what they were seeing, witnessing Mayor Mare and Honchkrow casually standing next to each other, as if the two of them didn't constantly have wind-shaking battles.
Under Honchkrow's order, all the Murkrow would begin returning all that they've stolen from Ponyville. "M-Mayor! What gives?!" Carrot Top yelled, watching the Murkrows return the objects.
"It's alright. It's alright." She reassured. "It's just a new start. It's going to be strange though since I only caught Honhckrow and not all the Murkrow."
"Krow." Honchkrow shrugged.
"I don't know if we should be happy or scared. What's gonna happen now?" Amethyst Star questioned.
"Well, whatever happens, at least Ponyville will finally be safer with all of them around." Mayor Mare smiled.
After all was said and done, Mayor Mare would head back home, the Murkrows were allowed to roam free while Honchkrow would stick around, mainly for a fresh start. It was a new life for him, a new chapter in his life. But of course, things weren't done yet. The source of the Desire was still a problem since other parts of the world were still dealing with the Slow Motion Effect.
Thankfully, Twilight figured out its location in the Sinnoh Region as she and Ash were already making their way there, heading for the source of this sluggish problem.
Sinnoh. Out in a Swamp.
And surprisingly, it didn't take long to find the culprit of it all. The one behind this slowness was a Shuckle. Known as the slowest Pokemon ever, it now all made sense. Shuckle looked up at Ash and Twilight with its blank stare, moving at slow pace. Despite being the source of everyone's sluggishness, it wasn't exactly speedy itself right now, still keeping its original pace.
"Shuckle."
"Huh...That explains it." Twilight said. "I should've figured it would be a Shuckle. Oh well, let's get this over with." In unison, Ash and Twilight would unleash their respective energies, directing it to the Desire.
The flow of Aura and Twilight's Rift Magic would meet with the Desire, targeting it from every corner right down to the very core of it all. And with their powers combined, they shattered the Desire, the Slow Motion Effect being completely annihilated.
The entire world would feel the effects of this. Everypony who was stuck in the Slow Motion Field would find themselves returning to normal. The world was no longer plagued with the problem of the Slow Motion Field.
"That's that." Ash dusted his hands.
"Yeah. So much time went by tough...It's already late in the afternoon. It's about to become night." Twilight pointed out, gazing at the afternoon Sun in the distance and its orange glow. "So tired...!" She would stretch her hooves. "I already forgot what I was planning on doing today."
"Well, we've got until...maybe tonight." Ash observed. "Now let's do whatever we can."
"Oh, well, I was thinking. Since we're already in Sinnoh, I thought it would be a great idea to do a few things here. It's been a while since we've been here."
"Like what?"
"Well, staying here isn't too bad of an idea. I'm not really feeling the mood to head back to Equestria right away."
"Mmm...Yeah, sure. Why not? I've got some time to spare." Ash had a feeling it was going to be a big deal. It had to be a big deal, otherwise Twilight wouldn't have asked him. However, he had no idea what was on her mind.
"Love to hear it!" Twilight had an excited grin, suddenly pulling Ash forward with her magic. Ash was startled a bit as he was immediately dragged along. Now that this Desire had been dealt with, no way Twilight was going to miss this golden opportunity in front of her.
Lake Verity. Nightfall.
The sun had just set. Twilight had spent the past few hours gathering up her supplies for what she wanted to do. As of now, the two of them were at Lake Verity. As the Moon shone high up in the sky, the lake shined with its beautiful, crystal blue water. Twilight simply wanted to have a quiet time with Ash and nothing more.
The two would stand near the lake, just admiring the beauty of it all. Twilight was standing on one side of Ash while Pikachu stood on the other. The Electric-Type had his eyes closed, simply enjoying the cool breeze.
"Kaaa..."
"Isn't this nice, Ash?" Twilight asked.
"Yeah." He nodded, taking a deep breath. He had a serene smile, relaxing as he looked up at the stars. "It is."
"So, do you wanna head back to the others or stay here?"
"Uh, I'll stay here. This is nice."
"Great. I think I'll stay here too." Twilight said. Ash then shifted his gaze, looking at her. He saw her beautiful smile, which only made him smile. The two of them stared at each other for a moment before Ash averted his gaze, turning his head back. Twilight blushed a little, also looking away.
"We've come a long way from when our worlds first crosed. I still can't believe I called you a hairless monkey when I first saw you. Well, I didn't outright say it to you but still." Twilight chuckled.
"Yeah. I thought you were a Pokemon right away." Ash scratched his cheek. "If the Pokedex actually worked on you, I would've tried to see what moves you could do or something."
"Well, what else would you have done if I was a Pokemon? Or imagine if we ponies could actually be affected by those Poke Balls?" Twilight smirked.
"Hm? You think I would've caught you."
"Ah!" Twilight gasped, realizing she might've given off some strong implications with that. "W-Well, uh! It's only natural when encountering a new Pokemon, isn't it? If I was one, maybe you would've caught me. Maybe!"
"Yeah." Ash was smiling, knowing how flustered she was getting. "I think you would've been a good addition to my team."
"Oh really now? I bet I'd be the strongest then." Twilight said with a proud look on her face, raising her head. "Even stronger than Pikachu, no doubt."
"Pika!" Pikachu cried out, pointing at Twilight. He actually doubted that while Twilight simply grinned.
"It'd be hard to catch you if that was the case. Cause man! You were pretty loud and harsh back then!" Ash laughed while thinking back to when he met Twilight for the first time 4 years ago. "You were always so surprised when I did something pretty awesome!"
"If by awesome, you mean beyond risky?" Twilight would immediately press her hoof on Ash's head, making him grimace while he scowled. "I can still be as loud and harsh as I was back then, Ash."
"Hehe. Yeah. I know."
"Then again, it would be tough to catch me anyway if I was like a Pokemon." Twilight's smile returned. "As if I'd let anyone catch me so easily. They'd have to do more than just throw a ball. Just saying."
"Oh yeah? Wanna bet?" Ash's eye would glint as a wide grin showed up on his face. He would hold a Poke Ball in his hand immediately, causing Twilight to scrunch her face and back away. "Let's test it out!"
"Gh!" Twilight screeched before immediately galloping off, dodging the first Poke Ball. "Me and my big mouth!" She bellowed as her hooves clattered against the grass.
"You're not getting away that easily!" Ash chased after her, throwing another Poke Ball before already having a third one out and way more in waiting. "Go, Poke Ball!"
The two of them would ran around Lake Verity, having a blast, even if Twilight was screaming at the top of her lungs. The two would enjoy their time together as it was one of their few moments of peace.
Universe 11. The Solar Empire. Canterlot Castle. Day.
Due to Nightmare Rarty's empire collapsing, it meant one member was now out of the picture. All the Nightmare Monsters have been defeated, except for one. The tiny piece of Oculus Gloom that managed to stick around. A small piece of her managed to get in contact with Daybreaker's Universe 11, alerting her to what happened.
Luckily for her, Oculus Gloom was retrieved and brought to Universe 11, where she would meet with Daybreaker in her throne room. She was still miniscule, barely having a body anymore as she was placed on a plate.
"It was horrible, Queen Daybreaker..." Oculus Gloom hissed. "Our entire universe has lost it's Nightmare Energy completely. That accursed Universe 1 have ruined everything for us, even taking in the Veiled Mistress, most likely imprisoning her."
"I see. And you're the last Nightmare Monster around, correct?" Daybreaker asked.
"Correct, Queen Daybreaker. All that's left of my kind is myself. But with your great power, that can change. You can free the Veiled Mistress, help restore our empire and crush those in Universe 1. You can do all of that with my assistance."
"Hmm..." Daybreaker thought for a moment, eyeing Oculus Gloom down before shrugging. "No. We won't be doing that. We don't need the Veiled Mistress around."
"Wh-What?!" Oculus Gloom shrieked in surprise.
"After all, I was already aware that she was conspiring against me, knowing she would try and take my position of power to become someone greater. As if I would let that happen. She would've either lost to me or Universe 1 and the latter has happened. So that brings an end to her chapter since she failed to win."
"B-But...The Nightmare Empire...!"
"Is done for. We can scrap that and everything surrounding it. I see no use in keeping a broken empire that can't even function any more. However, I'll be keeping you around Oculus. I could use you to make something of your kind again. You may serve me as you're so eager to do so. You can't really return to your Universe anymore due to its current condition, so you'll have to stay here. How about that?"
"I-I..." Oculus Gloom fell silent, understanding what was at stake for her. She didn't have much of a choice, especially since she wanted revenge. And this was the only way for her to exact revenge on Universe 1. "I...will accept your offer."
"Good. Now that that's settled." Daybreaker would lift up Oculus Gloom, having her hover in the air. "I can use you as a start. I could easily revive your species as long as you help me out. But if you fail me, you will be turned into Dream Dust."
"Yes, Queen Daybreaker..."
"Good. We won't be going for Universe 1 for the time being. There are still a few things we need to get done in other universes. Ones outside of Universe 1's Reach. I'm going to need to give a few of them a visit. Necrozma's still hungry after all and right now, finding Solgaleo and Lunala is one of our many top priorities. And I have a good feeling we're closer to that goal than ever."
Oculus being around meant she wanted vengeance upon Universe 1 while now serving Daybreaker. Daybreaker didn't feel the same way, only thinking about getting Necrozma what he needs and getting Universe 1 out of the way. After the encounter on the Moon, the Solar Queen knew one vital thing. Her goal was close and she was going to make sure her biggest threat wouldn't grow to a point where they can stop her next.
"Team Plasma isn't available at the moment. I'll need to chat with the others. And especially Hunter J."
As the journey continues.
Chapter 498 End.