//------------------------------// // Chapter Eleven // Story: A Brave New World // by Ausbrony //------------------------------// Chapter Eleven Despite having gone to bed only a few hours ago, Seth was already awake and heading into the heart of Canterlot. After the conversation with Apple Fritter last night, all the memories that had been dragged to the surface of his mind left him in a weird place. He didn’t quite know how to feel and so he decided to take an early morning walk to clear his mind. “Does this city ever sleep?” he wondered aloud as he watched countless ponies, griffons and other species he didn’t recognise go about their business. It was about then that he witnessed something odd, a small group of armoured ponies, presumably royal guard, were gathered around a business. As Seth got closer and he overheard a mare sounding quite furious. “Who breaks into a store by digging!?” The mare in question had a light pink coat and a purple mane. A simple-looking scarf hung around her neck and the mark on her butt was one of three buttons. Seth made a mental note to ask Fritter what those marks were one day. The poor guard that was on the receiving end of the shouting looked like he wanted to be anywhere else but there. As Seth walked past, he could see inside the building, which appeared to be a fashion boutique. In the middle of the floor was a large hole, a familiar-looking hole. He walked over to the unicorn guard that the mare was still shouting at. The guy looked quite relieved at Seth’s arrival, he had prayed to Celestia for a distraction. “Can I help you, sir?” He hoped that the Pokémon he was addressing was male. Seth nodded and motioned to his mouth, indicating that he wanted a translation spell cast on him. The guard nodded and adjusted his glasses as his horn lit up, casting the practiced spell. A few days ago, the Princess had ordered all Unicorn guards to learn the spell until a more permanent solution could be found. “Ah, much better!” Seth said as the spell took hold. Several times he had tried to talk with other ponies, forgetting that Fritter was the only one that could understand him. “So might I ask what happened here?” “What happened,” the mare spat in anger. “Is that some rotten little thief broke into my store by digging holes right in the middle of the floor. They made off with every last Bit and jewel in the place. And so now, I have several dozen orders to fill, all of which were paid in advance, with no materials or money to buy more!” “We’re currently investigating the crime scene and looking for witnesses.” The guard decided it was just best to tune the mare out. “Did you see anything? The estimated time of the robbery was a little after midnight.” Seth shook his head, “No, I was at home by then…” He walked past the Unicorn and closer to the store. “May I see the hole, I have some sneaking suspicions about it.” The guard shrugged and nodded, “Sure, if you think you can help.” This was one of the stranger robberies he’d seen. He could understand tunnelling into a bank, but why a boutique? Seth was allowed inside and once he could see the hole clearly, he nodded. There was no doubt about it now, “This was caused by a Pokémon,” he said. “One that knows a move called Dig.” “How can you be so sure?” The guard asked. “I seen the move used dozens of times, the holes are always similar in shape but it’s the size that can vary.” He looked at the hole once more, it was only a few feet in diameter, so it couldn’t have been a large Pokémon like Rhydon or Tyranitar, but still bigger than a Diglett or Durant. “Hmm, I suppose if I had to hazard a guess, I could name maybe half a dozen or so Pokémon that would make a hole this size.” The guard nodded and pulled out a quill and notepad. Seth rattled of the names and brief descriptions of who he thought the culprit might be. Sandslash, Pupitar, Dugtrio, Excadrill, Gabite… “The problem is that those are only Ground-type Pokémon, but others can learn Dig and there are dozens more that could do this.” “So we’re back at square one more or less,” the guard frowned and sighed. “Hopefully forensics can turn up some evidence that’ll narrow down the list. Still…” He saluted Seth and smiled. “You’ve been a big help Mr…?” “Seth Crescent,” Seth introduced himself. The guard nodded. “Well thank you Seth for you help in this investigation. Like I always said, there is always a clue… But it looks like you found it. Thank you.” After taking a few more notes, Seth headed off, leaving the poor guy at the mercy of that excessively loud mare once more.   *~*   Once Seth returned home, everyone else was already up and eating breakfast. Fritter was the first to notice him walk in the door. “Howdy there Seth, enjoy yer walk?” She greeted him, filling a plate with delicious-looking pancakes for him. “Yeah, I found something to help clear my head.” He walked over to a spare spot on the table and sat down. The one thing about a quadruped race is that there wasn’t a great demand for chairs, instead, the table was low enough that if you sat down at it, the tabletop was a little below Seth’s chest height. “Clear your head?” Rika scooted over next to him. “Is everything alright?” “Mmhm,” Seth nodded, his cheeks puffed out as he stuffed his face with syrupy goodness. He swallowed with a loud gulp and smiled softly. “A lot of old memories got dragged up last night and I didn’t sleep very well, so I decided to take a brisk morning walk, that’s all.” It didn’t sound like much, but Selena and Rika suddenly stopped eating and just stared at him. What on earth had brought all this up? The two Pokémon suddenly looked at Apple Fritter, who was serving up another pancake stack. “What… what did the two of you talk about last night?” Selena’s words were slow and calm, but there was enough tension in there to tie up a Steelix. “Not much,” Fritter replied. “He jus’ told me ‘bout his family is all, after I heard him talkin’ in his sleep.” Rika and Selena could hardly believe their ears. Seth actually told her about that? He never told anyone about that. Rika suddenly gasped when she saw what was wrapped around Seth’s leg, his old scarf. “Yeah, Fritter said I had it when she found me, but I don’t remember. She washed it and gave it back to me last night.” Seth looked at the scarf fondly for a moment before tucking into his breakfast. Once everyone was done, Seth decided to head for the Post Office, he wanted to get that letter sent off to Ponyville as quickly as possible. From what he heard, Princess Twilight didn’t spend a great deal of time at home lately. “Hey Seth, can I come with you?” Rika asked hopefully and grinned ecstatically when he nodded. He fetched his bags that held the letter, some lunch for later and a map of Canterlot. “So what about the rest of you, any plans?” Seth asked as he finished getting ready. “Well I should go and see Rising Star, he’ll want to know why I look completely different.” She took a step forward and fell flat on her face with a loud thump. “Oww, now I need to get used to suddenly being taller.” “I know those feels,” Seth cringed as he recalled the sheer amount of time it took just to get used to walking on four legs. And he still tripped every now and then. “What about you Selly, wanna tag along as well?” “Hmm, no…” Selena sighed. The subtle glare from Rika was enough to tell the Absol that that would be a bad idea. “Perhaps I’ll just stay home and read. I haven’t had any time to really relax since this whole trans-dimensional shift happened.” She punctuated that last part with a wave of her paws. “Alright then, and what about you Titania?” Seth said tentatively. He still had reservations about that Pokémon, but Rika seemed able to keep her in line. “That’s Lady Titania to you peasant, and no I think I shall search for my comrades again. I can’t be the only one to wind up here in Canterlot.” She really hoped she wasn’t, she needed to be saved from these savages. “Suit yourself,” Seth shrugged. “Shall we get going Rika?” “Yup!”   *~*   Rika was enjoying herself immensely as she strolled through the streets of Canterlot with her trainer. It reminded her of the days that they’d just walk around Nimbasa or Castelia, just for the sake of because they could. She snuck a peek when she figured Seth wasn’t looking, ogling at the powerful muscles in his legs that stretched and ripped with each step he took. The sleek black fur that ran along his body, and his round, fluffy ears that twitched on occasion. Seth failed to notice the blatant ogling as he turned the corner and into the post office. It was still early and the place didn’t have many ponies in it so far, but the ones that were here offered a confused stare at the two Pokémon. “Pft, anyone would think that they’d never seen Pokémon post a letter before,” Rika snipped and Seth shook his head. “They probably haven’t,” Seth chuckled. He walked up to the front desk and placed the letter he had written to Twilight and Juniper on it. Deciding that it was better safe than sorry, he opened it and checked over it one last time. To Professor Aurea Juniper and Princess Twilight Sparkle This is Seth Crescent, we met the other day after the party in Ponyville. Firstly, I hope that this letter finds you both well. I hope we Pokémon aren’t causing you too much trouble~ I have sent this letter because something happened last night that I didn’t think was possible. I know Aurea will know her, but my friend, Elesa, well… She evolved! (What I would give to see your faces now) But yes, she has evolved from a Flaaffy to an Ampharos. I wasn’t entirely sure if Pokémon could evolve here in Equestria, much less if former humans could do so. But after she put on an amazing concert with a pony by the name of Rising Star, she evolved into an Ampharos. It was spectacular and Elesa was probably the most surprised out of all of us. She described the process as one of the most terrifying yet, amazing things she’s ever felt. Too bad I’m already fully evolved and have no Mega Evolution… I wanna know what it’s like for myself. Well, I suppose that’s enough of my prattling, I just thought that you’d want to know. Yours sincerely Seth Crescent. “Okay, that looks good.” He folded the letter and placed it back in the envelope, a task that was quite difficult with paws, and pushed it towards the clerk. “Good morning!” Seth greeted with a chipper tone. “Could I please have this delivered to Golden Oaks Library in Ponyville?” “Uh, o-of course,” The mare took the letter and gave it the once over before waving small gem over it. Giving a satisfied nod she looked back to Seth, “Would you like it sent express? Or standard?” “Express please,” Seth replied. “And what was the gem for?” “This?” She held up the small gem she had waved over the letter. “It’s standard issue since the failed Changeling invasion. This is a gem that detects dark magic that can be enchanted onto scrolls and letters. If it detects such magic, then it glows.” “Like swabbing for drugs or explosives,” Seth muttered. “That’s cool.” The mailmare nodded once more and stamped the letter with a ‘Priority’ mark. “Okay, that will be sent later today by Express Pegasus and should arrive this evening.” She pressed a few buttons on the cash register in front of her, “One small envelope with express delivery… it should come to 30 Bits… buuuut, since your our very first Pokémon customer, 15 should cover it!” “Why thank you,” Seth said as Rika pulled out the pouch of money Fritter had given them and handed the money over. The mailmare thanked them once more and the two Pokémon headed out of the post office and into the bright sunlight. “Well, what do you suppose we do now?” Rika said. “That didn’t take very long, and I don’t feel like moping around the house with Selene.” “Speaking of her, do you know why she’s been quiet lately? She’s normally pretty chipper.” Seth gave the fairy a puzzled look when she giggled and nodded her head. “It’s obvious silly, you know why-” Rika trailed off when Seth’s puzzled expression remained and she gasped. “Seriously? You don’t know!?” “Well perhaps if someone would stop beating around the bush and tell me,” Seth growled. “Because of Ignis, that’s why.” Rika stated like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “Well, I suppose. Ignis leaving sucked, but he said he’d come back.” Seth scratched his head. “Yeah, but it’s because-” Rika suddenly squeaked and zipped her lips. She almost blurted out a secret that would probably cause her untimely demise if Selene found out. “Yeah, she’s just bummed out. That’s all!” Seth gave her a dubious look and sighed, he probably wasn’t going to get it out of her. “Well, whatever.” His stomach rumbled loudly and he grinned. “Wanna grab an early lunch?” Rika’s eyes lit up as her brain processed that last part. Rika, plus Seth, and they were alone… He was asking her ON A DATE!? “YES!” Rika suddenly said a little too loudly, causing several nearby ponies to turn and look. “Um, yeah… sound cool.” Seth just laughed again and they headed off to find a restaurant.   *~*   “And so Fritter decided to use my breakfast idea,” Rika explained as they sat at a modest-looking café near Main Street. “Turns out that these ponies really like oatmeal.” “Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal, that does sound nice,” Seth said wistfully. They were still waiting on their order and his stomach rumbled loudly, causing a few patrons of the café to give worried glances at the large Pokémon. Those worried glances turned into full-blown panic when he yawned and revealed rows of razor sharp teeth. The waiter had heard a clatter from outside and when he took a look, he saw that the two Pokémon were the only ones sitting there, everypony had seemingly disappeared in quite a hurry. “Ce qui s'est passé?” The waited just blinked at the recently cleared café. Looks like a lot of orders would have to be cancelled, he simply sighed and headed back into the kitchen. Soon enough, Seth and Rika’s orders arrived and the Luxray wasted no time in chowing down on his toasted sandwiches. Rika watched as he practically inhaled the food, while she took more delicate bites. “Geez Seth, you weren’t kidding when you said you were hungry,” Rika said as he finished with a loud belch. Seth blushed slightly as he took a gulp of his water. “Sorry about that, but ever since I became a Pokémon, I’ve been hungry a lot more.” “Comes with the territory,” Rika replied, remembering the feasts they would have when Seth won a particularly tough battle or Contest. “You’re still training with Zebby right? Well using a lot of attacks can really take it out of you, and the best way to recharge all that lost energy is to eat.” “That explains it,” Seth replied, ordering another plate of sandwiches. About half an hour later, the two Pokémon finished and decided to walk off lunch by taking a look around town, more specifically, the entertainment district. Being a winner of multiple Contests, Rika had an affinity for the theatre and performing. They’d even tried the Pokémon Musical in Nimbasa a few times and had even met Yancy and Curtis, two famous stars in the Unova Region. “Is it just me?” Rika asked, looking around at the theatres and movie cinemas, “Or is Equestria’s technology a bit all over the place?” “Yeah, I’ve noticed it too, especially when we went to Ponyville,” Seth agreed. “They have technology that should be considered archaic, yet still widely used, like scrolls steam trains. Right next to places like Hospitals that have what we would consider ‘modern’ tech.” “Magic,’ Rika simply said as she watched a Unicorn put up a poster with levitation magic. “I bet that’s the reason.” “Maybe… but Pokémon abilities are sort of similar, yet our technology is decades maybe centuries ahead of what Equestria has. “I’m not really complaining, but damn I miss my XTransceiver and Pokédex.” Rika chuckled and Seth joined in, until they heard a whistling sound and what appeared to be someone yelling from a distance. “Look out beloowwwWWW!!” Seth didn’t even have time to react as a blue blur slammed into him like a bullet, lifted the large cat off of the ground and sent him tumbling down the street until they collided with a mailbox with a loud crash. Rika ran over to Seth, only to find the Luxray sprawled out on is back, his eyes swirling. What was more surprising was the Swellow laying on his chest, looking equally as dazed. “But Mommy, I dun wanna go to school~” Seth twitched. “Lookit me, Imma pretty birdy~” The Swellow giggled. “Oh for the love of Arceus,” Rika sighed. “What next?” There was movement behind her as two more Pokémon made their presence known. Rika could have sworn they weren’t there a second ago. A pair of Gardevoir stood behind her, one of them was a variant colouration, or ‘shiny’ as the humans had labelled them. The shiny Gardevoir wore a simple white scarf and a round pair of sunglasses, whilst the other one had a gold necklace. “That looked like a nasty spill,” the shiny one said. “May we assist you?” Rika nodded and the green one stepped forward, a pink, pulsing light emanating from her hands as the Heal Pulse washed over Seth and the Swellow. Seth blinked and suddenly jumped to his feet, wondering why he was on the ground in the first place. “Um, thank you,” Rika said and the shiny Gardevoir just smiled and gave a polite nod. “It was our pleasure, take care dear,” and with that simple sentence, the two Psychic-types teleported off, leaving a dazed and confused Seth and an equally as confused Rika. “Normal, why can’t our days ever be normal?” Rika complained as she lifted the Swellow up. “Okay Miss Crashy Bird, can you explain why you just dive-bombed my beloved?” “Huh? Wha?” Seth shook his head and rubbed his ears. “You say something Rika?” “I wanna know why she just slammed you with a Brave Bird attack,” Rika steamed as she shook the poor Swallow Pokémon. “C’mon, wake up!” “Uwa-wa-wa-wa,” The bird stammered as she was shaken. “I-I-I didn’t mean iittt~” “Rika, you’re gonna give her brain damage,” Seth scolded, getting the fairy to put her victim down. “Okay, what the hell just happened? My head feels like an angry Beedrill’s nest.” “Well for starters,” Rika snipped. “Captain Crash-A-Lot here ploughed into with a Brave Bird attack, thank Arceus you have Flying resistance… And after that, two Gardevoir appeared and healed the both of you. They’re gone now.” “I…see.” Seth shook his head and turned to the dazed Swellow, “Are you alright Miss? It seemed that that fall was… unintentional.” “Ye~ah…” The Swellow nodded, and quickly decided that was a bad idea. “Sorry, not used to having real wings.” “Real wings?” Seth’s eyes widened. “You used to be human too?” The Swellow nodded, more slowly and carefully this time. “Yes, yes I did.” She pulled out a small blue, flower-shaped ribbon and attached it to some feathers on her head. “My name is Skyla, nice to meet you.” There was an awkward silence as a distant Kricketune chirped. “Um, I think this is the part where you guys introduce yourselves?” Skyla said. “Is-Is it really you Skyla?” Seth asked, earning another nod from the bird and she winced again. She suddenly yelped as Rika and Seth scooped her up into a group hug. “I’m so glad to see you’re okay!” “W-what the? Who are you?” Skyla squawked. Seth suddenly realised that she wouldn’t recognise him. He put the bird down and coughed, “Oh, right. Um, it’s me Seth Crescent.” Skyla blinked as that piece of information sunk in. “Sethy?” She looked over the large and adorably fluffy Luxray, and a rather familiar Sylveon. “And you must be Rika then?” She suddenly squealed with delight and wrapped the two of them up in a feathery hug. “OhmigoshOhmigoshOhmigoshOhmigosh! I’ve been trying to find someone I know for days!” “Heh, well I guess you found some… oh, and Elle’s with me too!” Skyla suddenly gasped loudly, making her feathery chest puff up. “ELESA!? YOU FOUND ELLY!?!?” “Ahh, not so loud,” Seth cringed. “But yeah, not too long after we arrived actually. Wanna go and find her?” Skyla nodded vigorously, her headache all but forgotten. *~*     “Well this was certainly… different.” Titania said dryly as she visited Apple Fritter for a small break for lunch. Apple Fritter laughed as she handed the fairy Pokémon a fritter. “And can I ask what you were expecting?” “Certainly not a full musical number!” Titania exclaimed. “And it’s not the first time either. Ever since I woke up in this city, you ponies seem to sing about anything at the drop of a hat.” “Yeeahh, we do seem to do that a lot,” Fritter admitted. “But don’t lie, I saw your head bobbing a few times~” “Because I was trying to stay awake!” Titania snapped, her cheeks turning a little pink. “Honestly, why did I think this was a good idea?” “You don’t have to stay,” Fritter said. “If you’re bored that is.” Titania sighed and shook her head. “No, it’s alright. I still have had no luck finding my comrades, I am beginning to think I am the only one in the city.” “Well, I know Seth’s family got separated with quite some distance in between them. If they’re not here in Canterlot, then they will definitely be somewhere else, safe and sound.” “I am not concerned for their safety, my comrades can take care of themselves!” Titania scoffed. “Though, I am curious as to what Pokémon my fearless leader has become.” “Well I’m sure you’ll find them eventually,” Fritter finished the last of her lunch and got to her hooves. “Well, I got hungry ponies to feed, let’s get to work Miss Titania?” “That’s Lady Titania,” The proud fairy snipped and Fritter chuckled as she turned to greet her next customer with a wide smile.   *~*   Seth, Rika and Skyla were heading back to Fritter’s house, swapping stories of their time in Equestria while they walked. “So you wound up in a forest somewhere?” Seth asked, “That must have sucked.” “Yeah, at least you woke up somewhere civilised,” Skyla replied. “But at least my team was with me, so it wasn’t so bad.” “Speaking of them, where are your Pokémon?” Rika asked. “I don’t see them anywhere.”   “Oh? They’re living in the park right now. Swanna seems to have taken a liking to the huge pond there and Unfezant and Swoobat like the area enough.” Apparently, it’s where all four Flying-types had been living until now. “I’m surprised that Seth’s training went unnoticed,” Rika said offhand. Skyla paused and looked down at the Luxray she was currently perched on. “That was you!?” She said. “Oh man, the ponies that take care of that park are pissed!” “Okay, okay, so I fired a few trees.” Seth sighed and suddenly winced as Rika pounced on his back as well, draped across him. “Rika… what are you doing?” “Whaaat? Sky gets to have a Luxxy-back ride, I want one too~” Seth sighed again, but didn’t bother complaining. The two of them weren’t all that heavy and soon the two giggling girls were perched comfortably on his back. They continued their trek, earning a few glances from the ponies they passed, and perhaps a few jealous ones from the little colts and fillies that wanted a ride. A sudden, shrill scream broke the silence as a brown, spiky ball raced past them, a fancy dressed noble yelling at it. “That-That THING stole my purse!” She screamed, throwing a horseshoe at it, missing spectacularly and beaning a waiter at a nearby café in the head. Skyla took off after it and Seth and Rika soon followed, but whatever they were chasing was fast and turned to a narrow alley, the three Pokémon following behind it. “Any idea what we’re chasing… or why we’re chasing it?” Rika yelled out. Seth didn’t answer as they turned into the alley, and saw a Sandslash tunnelling into the ground, trying to get away. An expensive-looking purse was slung over its shoulder. “Rika! Use Hyper Voice!” Seth commanded. The fairy nodded and opened her mouth, sending the concussive blast down the alley, rattling bricks and cobblestones as it travelled towards the Sandslash. The Pokémon stopped digging and suddenly swept it claws upwards, send a Sandstorm attack to counter it. The two attacks collided and exploded, blanketing the alley with a cloud of sand and dust. Rika coughed as Skyla flapped hard, flying upwards to escape. Seth squinted and then blinked as he realised that he could see right through the cloud as still see the Sandslash. Oh, Luxray’s had that x-ray vision thingy didn’t they?   “Priorities, thieving Pokémon first, then cool x-ray vision later!” Seth leapt through the dust and latched onto the Sandslash’s arm, tearing the strap of the purse as it fell to the ground. Seth’s grip suddenly weakened when he locked eyes with the Pokémon. The Sandslash’s eyes had a glazed, glossy look, and held no emotion whatsoever. “Seth!” Rika called from the other side of the cloud. The Sandslash’s eyes seemed to gleam for a split second before he tore his arm free and escaped underground. The dust cloud cleared and Skyla landed next to Seth as Rika walked up to his other side. “Okay… that was weird,” Rika said as she picked up the purse. “Why the hell did that Sandslash steal a bag?” Seth thought back to this morning, and the burgled shop that he came across. “I don’t know, but I think that this isn’t the first time, nor will it be the last…”   *~*   A stallion sat on plush couch, a roaring fireplace behind him as he sipped his wine. A sudden thump signalled the return of his newest ‘recruit’. He sighed when he saw that the Pokémon was empty-clawed however. “So… I take it that you failed, a simple purse-snatching was beyond your capabilities?” The Sandslash walked closer and reached into the quills on his back, producing some Bits and gems. “I took the contents before I escaped,” he replied, his voice was monotone. “Well, it’s better than nothing I suppose,” The stallion said with a hint of annoyance, picking up the gems in a pink aura. “We have another target tonight, do you think you can possibly not fail this one?” “Yes Master,” The Sandslash simply said. “One last question… why did you fail?” “Some Pokémon interfered, but I escaped.” “Get in the pen with the others!” The Sandslash nodded and headed past the stallion, walking towards a large enclosure that held about a dozen Pokémon, all sitting perfectly still and remaining completely silent. A Malamar floated next to the stallion, moving the stolen goods into a larger pile. It turned towards the enclosure and raised its tentacles, its eyes glowing with an ominous light as all the Pokémon in it fell asleep. “So some of these monsters want to get in my way hmm?” The stallion sipped at his wine again. “Perhaps I should do something about this.”