//------------------------------//
// Chapter 44 
// Story: A New World, a New Way 
// by zeusdemigod131 
//------------------------------//



Bubba- I hope all of you enjoy this story as much as I do. And as for the image, I hope you all like it as much as Zeus does.

Ps. Bubba was here.

Pps. Berry was over his shoulder.



Though the days during the international meeting may be busy, the nights are calm and relaxing. Ponies, griffins, Changelings and Pokémon all slept soundly. Though they may be different, they all needed to relax. They all needed sleep. But there was one that was not getting the relaxing sleep he needed.

As the night dragged on, John tossed and turned in his bed for a nightmare plagued his mind. A nightmare of King Sombra, and of the battle they had…

“Get… out…” John muttered under his shallow breath. “Get… Out!” Grabbing his head, John started to cry. “I said…. Get out!” As the nightmare grew, his face contorted in a look of pain, and he became more and more restless.

John’s flame started to grow as the nightmare dragged on. “I said, get out of me!” The fire, normally at least reasonably cool and controlled, began to grow bigger and brighter. The more restless John became, the more out of control the fire became. And as it grew, the flame would get hotter and hotter.

Now John’s room was enchanted to be fireproof, but an enchantment can only take so much. As John’s flame grew to the size of a large bonfire, the bed in which he lay in caught fire. The fire quickly engulfed John, and spread throughout the room. Lighting all the furnishings on fire as well.

“AAAAAHHHH!” John screamed, before his room exploded with fire.





A lone Batpony guard was finishing up his rounds, looking forward to getting home and spending some time with his family, when a door at the end of the hallway literally exploded outwards. Flames danced out of the room, setting fire on whatever they can get ahold of. The explosion rocking the castle. 

“AAAAAHHHH!”

“By Luna! What was that?” 

The Bat Pony ran off, hoping to find someone who could help with the fire. Preferably a Unicorn, or a Hippocampi. 

The explosion, as well as the guards screaming, awoke the other occupants of castle. Running out of her room, Holly Heart looked down the hall to see John’s door on fire, as well as parts of the hall way.  “John!” She yelled out in worry. She lit up her horn and, as a White aura surrounded her, before she raced into the room.

Before anyone else could respond, or try to get Holly or John out of the room, there was a flash of light and Discord appeared, wearing a firefighter costume over his guard armor and holding a fire hose.

“Fire in the hole!” He shouted as he turned the hose on. It proceeded to suck the fire into itself, as well as the charred remains of the doors lying on the ground.

Those in the vicinity who were not staring at the black charred door frame of John’s room, were staring at Discord. “I suppose I should tell Candy her monkey exploded,” Discord mused to himself before vanishing again. 

A few brave souls walked up to the burnt remains of the room, the wall that had supported the door was black and charred, As was the rest of the room, two walls were still fully intact, if badly burnt, but the one where the window was had been melted or burned away, as had anything resembling furniture, and a good portion of the ceiling. 

It was miracle nothing had fallen through the hole in the ceiling, though that might have been because the bed in the room above had been incinerated as well, and that the floor was still mostly intact aside from a small burnt crater where the bed had been. In the crater Holly Heart sat next to John, neither of them appeared burnt, but the Infernape was quiet, his knees pulled to his chest.

“What happened?” One of the Zebra guards asked.

Holly didn’t take her eyes off of John for a second. “Sombra,” She said in a tone just above a whisper. “Even from his grave, that monster is still causing trouble...”





Princess Cadence didn’t make eye contact with any of the other rulers in the meeting hall. She sat silently in her seat, awaiting the arrival of Lord Arceus and Emperor Golden Horn.

While she knew where the first was, she didn’t know what was taking the Minotaur leader.

In a flash of gold, Arceus and Uxie appeared in the hall. “Greetings all,” He said calmly. “Princess Cadence, I would like you to know that John is currently resting comfortably in the infirmary.”

“I did what I could to help with the trauma,” Uxie said. “But my sisters, Mesprit and Azelf are better when it comes to... well, the kind of thing he went through.”

Cadence just nodded, she was glad John was alright… but...

It was then that the doors to the hall opened and Emperor Golden Horn walked in. “Hello everyone,” He said, a look of confidence on his face.

“I’m glad you decided to show up, Emperor,” Luna said. “Now, if we may begin,”

“Actually Princess, I’d like to bring something to everyone’s attention,” Golden Horn interrupted. “Is everyone aware of the explosion that rocked the castle in the early hours of the morning?” He asked.

“We are,” Celestia said. “And I can assure you, the issue is being dealt with.”

“I’m sure it is Princess,” Golden Horn replied. “But I would like to point out that the event in question resulted in what was basically the incineration of a room here in Canterlot Castle,” He smirked. “As well as a fair portion of the floor of the room above it.”

Celestia glared at the Minotaur. “Don’t worry, the room was unoccupied, no one was injured, and the damages can be fixed,” Celestia turned back to the rest of the leaders. “Now then-”

“Please Princess,” Golden Horn cut her off. “I wasn’t done. Now, as I was saying, the incident was caused by a Pokémon,” He looked to Princess Cadence. “The advisor from the Crystal Empire, John, to be exact. Now I don’t know the full details just yet, but this raises several points that I’d like to touch on during this meeting. The first and foremost being the dangers that the Pokémon present to the citizens of Equus.”

Cadence pounded her front hooves on the table. This was the LAST thing she wanted to deal with right now. “Stop, just stop!” She shouted. “Everyone already knows that John was the one who caused the explosion, and, unlike you, they know why it happened!”

Golden Horn reeled back slightly, he had heard that Princess Cadence was a rather soft spoken and gentle individual. Seeing her angry like this...was a real surprise.

“The accident was caused because John had a nightmare regarding King Sombra,” She glared at the Minotaur. “The same King Sombra he killed, the same King Sombra who tried to take control of his body! The same King Sombra who tried to make him kill Shining Armor, myself, and the one he loves! And unless you think you could go through that without having some type of trauma afterwards, then stop bad mouthing my friend and let us move on to the actual meeting!” 

Cadence was panting with anger as she finished, she noticed that several of the leaders were staring at her. Recomposing herself, she sat back down beside her husband and said. “Sorry...”

“No need to apologize,” Luna assured her. “You were simply informing Emperor Golden Horn of the facts he wasn’t already aware of.”

Golden Horn, now leaning back in his chair, shook his head, not making eye contact with the other rulers. 

“Now then,” Celestia said. “If I may continue,” She looked around the room to make sure no one else was going to interrupt her. “After yesterdays meeting, we thought it would be a good idea to discuss how we can... adapt, to the Pokémon being in our world, as well as go over the ground rules regarding them.”

“First of all, Arceus,” Celestia started. 

”Yes?” Arceus nodded. 

“I think to start with, it would be a good idea for us to know EVERY Pokémon that are known to be more...temperamental and/or hazardous, so we can tell which Pokémon to either avoid...or prepare to subdue,” she sighed at the last part. 

Arceus sighed. “Very well Princess,” He turned to the rest of the leaders. “Before I say anything, I’d like you all to understand, while some Pokémon do have more violent tendencies than others, they are in no way monsters, and not all will act in the same manner.”

There were a few nods from the council, and Golden Horn scoffed and rolled his eyes. “I’m not joking,” Arceus said sternly. “I do not want these Pokémon harmed simply because of how they might act or what they might do. If they do attack, then by all means, defend yourselves, and if needs be, subdue them. But do NOT attack them simply because of what MIGHT happen.”

“We understand Arceus,” Oceania said.

Arceus glared at Golden Horn. “I hope you do.” With a heavy sigh, Arceus reviewed the long list of Pokémon for a moment, and spoke. “First and foremost are Pokémon like Gyarados and Hydreigon, ones who are inclined to act violently even when very little provoked them.” He gauged the leaders reactions before continuing. “Other Pokémon are dangerous because they’re protecting something, Pokémon such as Feraligatr, Salamence and Aggron are very territorial, while others, such as Volcarona and Kangaskhan can be deadly if you harm their children... although, that last one is really true for most Pokémon.”

“And any parent worthy of the title,” Serva added.

Arceus chuckled. “True I suppose. Hmm, what else... ah, Pokémon like Cofagrigus, Spiritomb, and Malamar are dangerous for varying reasons, the first two, being Ghost types, are exceptionally difficult to deal with, and have some... disturbing tendencies, while Malamar have a bad habit of hypnotising other beings for a various range of reasons.”

Carapace nodded. “Any other notable examples?”

Arceus thought for another moment. “Ships and swimmers should be wary of Jellicent, but otherwise it’s just a general warning not to provoke them.” 

“And any that are simply hazardous?” Celestia asked.

Arceus closed his eyes and nodded his head. “Poison types like Muk, Weezing and Garbodor are the big names, though the latter is actually quite environmentally conscious. But besides that it gets into which Pokémon have abilities that are more dangerous than others and if I went into that we would be here quite some time.”

Celestia nodded. “Thank you, Arceus. Now then, yesterday we talked of how the Pokémon could be helpful to Equus as a whole, today I’d like to begin with how we can integrate the Pokémon into Equusian society.”

Arceus smiled at this. The humans may have had their faults, but they had a pretty good system for that kind of thing. Now if only they had treated the Pokémon as equals more often...

“Well, the Water Pokémon seem to be taking to Marelantis very well,” Stated Oceania. “And a fair amount have taken up at least partial residence within the city limits.”

“Yes well,” Arceus began. “Unless I’m mistaken, isn’t your city a living coral reef?”

Oceania smiled softly. “True, true.”

Arceus rolled his eyes. “Well, it was already mentioned but certain Pokémon can be quite helpful in various fields of work,” Arceus reminded the leaders.

“Indeed,” Halfpaw said with a nod. “We already have Pokémon helping us mine, as well as some working in our forges.”

“It may well be a good idea to look into finding ways to integrate Pokémon into the workforce,” Luna commented. 

“A good idea Luna,” Celestia said. “Though we may have to look into some kind of... registration for that to work.”

“We have something like that in the Crystal Empire,” Cadence said. “It hasn’t been... easy, but I’m hoping it will pay off in the long run.”

“Of course, that brings the issue of the sheer number of Pokémon in Equus,” Victoria said, turning to Arceus. “Which is....”

“.... Oh, I don’t have an exact number, though it’s a very large percentage of the population of Earth... which was counting in the billions I think.”

Several of the leaders gasped. “Billions?!” Twilight asked. 

“With all the separate species of Pokémon, plus all the humans, what did you expect?”

“How.... what about overcrowding?” Celestia asked.

Arceus shrugged. “It doesn’t seem to be a problem,” His eyes glowed golden for a moment, then he added. “Maybe because this planet is has more land than Earth, and it seems to be a small bit larger as well.”

“But what about food reserves?” King Faris inquired. “Or-”

He was cut off as a large pile of fruit cascaded from the ceiling, covering the table and spilling off the sides.

“Do you have to make a mess, Arceus?” Golden Horn snorted.

“These, are berries,” Arceus said, ignoring the Minotaur. “They were the main agricultural product back on Earth outranking even apples and other such fruit.” He picked up an Oran Berry and twirled it around in the air. “In addition to taking less than a week for the plants to bear fruit, all throughout the year, might I add, they each have some special effect that makes them beneficial to eat, whether they cure poisoning, or restore energy.” Arceus looked down at the pile and sighed. “And there are a lot more where these came from.”

Before anyone could ask about the berries, they were interrupted by a soft crunching sound. Turning, they saw that Empress Serva had apparently decided to make a snack of the suddenly arrived meal.

“Sweet,” She mumbled through a mouthful of Oran Berries. “And juicy.”

"Try the Sitrus Berries." X joked. "They're better, and healthier for you as well."

Arceus chuckled and shook his head, he knew the berries weren’t dangerous to any race of Equus, but he had expected someone to ask first.

“Why do you have all of these?” Carapace asked, picking up a Pecha Berry in his magic.

“Well, unlike most races of Equus, humans wear clothes almost constantly, and they usually have some basic supplies on them as well, at least Trainers and such,” He nodded to the berries again. “This is the part of the collective amount of all berries that humans were carrying when I moved them here.”  

“Well, Arceus, I don’t suppose... Trotankhamun, manners,” Celestia scolded motherly as the young king stuffed his face with the tasty fruit.

“Sowwy,” He said through a mouthful of berries.

Celestia rolled her eyes. “I don’t suppose you’ve been holding anything else like this have you?”

“Hmm,” A golden slit appeared in front of Arceus and he leaned his head inside. “Let’s see, Sea Temple, Snowpoint Temple, shrine to Celebi, Ultimate Weapon I’ll be melting that later, painting, Capture Styler... Oh!”

In another cascade, a large amount of cookies and candy fell onto the pile. “Not exactly natural, but Poffins and Pokéblock are both made from berries.”

Celestia tentatively picked up one of the Poffins and took a small bite. “Yum,” She said with a smile.

“Didn’t John say something about these, a while back?” Cadence asked Shining, as she took a bite out of a large Poffin.

Arceus chuckled. “We can discuss the berries at a later date,” In a delicious vortex, most of the berries, Poffins, and Pokéblock vanished back to whence they came, save for a few bowls now resting in the center of the table.

“Now, where were we?” Arceus asked.

“We were discussing Pokémon registration,” Victoria reminded him.

“Before you made a point to show off everything you stole from Earth,” Golden Horn added.

"Its not exactly stealing if he owns it, right?" X mused. "I mean, the berries are berries, and I don't think many of us who moved here mind that we lost a few berries, since they were pretty much everywhere. In my case, Azisa is a Trevenant whom can grow berries in her, so I never really noticed a lack of berries anyway, since I never really carried them on me.” 

"But the other stuff sounded like it belonged to Arceus. Except the Ultimate Weapon thingy. Didn't that thing belong to that crazy Team Flare guy?"

Arceus hmph’d. “As far as I’m concerned, anything that can be used to drain the life force of ten of thousands of Pokémon in a matter of hours belongs to no mortal. In fact, I don’t know why I haven’t destroyed it by now.” And with that, his eyes glowed brightly as the Ultimate Weapon promptly imploded in its pocket dimension. ”Done.”

The room fell silent as everyone processed that. “That was a,” Twilight gulped. “A Weapon of Mass Destruction.”

Such objects had been theorized and written about, but unless myths about long forgotten artifacts were true, none had ever been created.

“Right you are Princess,” Arceus said solemnly. “Though now it is naught but dust.”

“Good,” Commander Sev hissed. “That abomination never should have existed in the first place. It just goes to show how far those insipid humans would go to destroy us….” He chewed his lip. “Almost reminds me of my own device though, but it just turned things pink….I had to blow it up to keep it out of human hands. I mean, could you imagine if we were all pink? The horror!”

Everyone listening sweat dropped at his words, but ultimately decided to ignore him.

Arceus shook his head. “Anyway, back on topic, I doubt that it would be realistically possible to somehow register every Pokémon on Equus,” He sighed. “Especially after how they’ve lived for since my banishment.”

“Well... perhaps there is a middle ground,” Celestia said. “We could simply register any Pokémon who wish to live in or near populated areas. It would certainly come in handy in case they look for work.”

“Hmm, tis a good plan, though I worry how my Pokémon will deal with living amongst other beings as equals.”

“It is never too late to teach others, if you are willing to be patient,” Chief Thunderhooves said.

“I agree with the Chief,” Trotankhamun said. “I’ve been trying to teach the Hyena Dogs, despite the heavy resistance from a lot of them, but I still think, no, I know it’s worth the effort to at least try.”

Celestia smiled, she was very proud that Trotankhamun was willing going to such lengths to help others. 

“This would also give us a good basis to find former humans,” Luna added. “Who, in their new forms, would not only be able to help teach ponies about Pokémon, but help Pokémon adjust to a more... civilized life style.”

Celestia nodded again, that would be helpful, though they might have to organize some kind of program or school if it was to work on any kind of large scale.

At that moment, the door to the meeting room squeaked open. All eyes turned to see John standing in the doorway. His eyes roaming between each of them. “Sorry about being late. I hope I’m not interrupting.”

“John, what are you doing out of bed?” Cadence asked, jumping to her hooves.

“Doing my Job, Cadence. When have I ever sat back and let things unfold when I am suppose to be apart of them?”

“But John, you shouldn’t be up. You need to go back to bed and lie down.”

John let out a long sigh. “Cadance, you asked me to be your advisor. So I am obligated to help. I know it would be best to go lie down, but I feel fine, and I would… I would… are those Oran berries?”

Cadence glanced at the table, then to John. “Yes, they are. But, don’t change the subject! You destroyed a part of the castle! You’re not fine John!”

“Cadence, if I go back to the medical wing, Mesprit and Azelf will try to make me go to sleep. If I go to sleep, I risk blowing everything up. I would rather be awake, and fully aware of what I am doing.” With that John walked past her, and took his seat next to Shining Armor.

“Don’t you risk blowing all of us up?!” Golden Horn growled.

”Where did that Infernape go?” A feminine voice called out as a blue Pokémon much like Uxie flew past the open door, only to slowly drift back into the room a moment later. “There you are, you sneaky ape! Now hold still, I am going to… going to… oh, um, hello, Dad.

“Hello Azelf. How are you doing today?”

“I’ve been trying to find him for the last ten minutes!” She pointed at John. “I had to fly all over this castle just to track him down!” John just smiled as he threw an Oran berry into his mouth. “Stop smiling! You’re in no condition to be running around! Now come back with me, and we’ll get your brain sorted out. I think I can get Mewtwo to help a bit!”

“Can we please get back to the matter at hand?” Golden Horn asked, gritting his teeth. “Starting with removing John from the room? He destroyed part of the castle, I don’t want that to happen to all of us.”

“If anything were to happen like last night again, I will deal with it myself,” Arceus stated, stomping his hoof on the ground.

Golden Horn snorted. “Well see.”

Celestia sighed. “In any matter, I’m glad you could make it John,” She smiled. “We just went over various ways to integrate the Pokémon into society.”

“We used your registration idea,” Cadence said. “Or at least the basics of it.”

“Really?” John asked. “You’ll have to catch me up later.”

Cadence nodded.

“Now, moving onto the next issue,” Celestia unrolled a long scroll. “Laws pertaining to the Pokémon.”

There were several groans from around the table. While it was necessary, drafting laws was one of the least enjoyable parts of ruling a country. This was something that the youngest leader at the table, Princess Twilight Sparkle, had not yet figured out.

“Well,” Halfpaw began. “Laws pertaining to the protection of sapient beings will have to be expanded to include the Pokémon.” 

The Princess nodded.

“What were the laws about Pokémon back on Earth?” Victoria asked.

The Pokémon present all looked at each other, before turning to Arceus. “Let’s see,” In a flash of gold, a thick tome appeared in the air before the Alpha Pokémon. “Limit to how many Pokémon one can carry on a team or own, Pokémon abuse laws, Pokémon rights... hmm, rather lacking, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera... hmph,” Arceus shut the book and it vanished. “Well, any abuse and rights laws would be improved upon by treating them as you would each other, the laws pertaining to battling and training would be better discussed at a different time and... really, going off the laws of Equus would be for the best,” He thought for a moment, then added. “I believe I said that already actually, during my speech to the world on the second day.”

“About that,” Shining began. “Could you not do that again? I’m pretty sure you caused panic all over the world.”

“If I have a good reason, I will make an announcement again, but I will not just do it because I get bored, or to make a point.”

Shining Armor sighed at his answer, but nodded all the same. After all, he figured that was probably the best they would get.

“So we’re at least agreed there,” Celestia said. “And of course it’ll work both ways, Equusians can’t attack the Pokémon without real reason, and vice versa.”

Everyone nodded in agreement, as that sounded reasonable enough, though Golden Horn still rolled his eyes.

“There should also be a few protective laws regarding certain Pokémon,” Serva said. “As things like rain could actually be dangerous to the wrong type of Pokémon, and nature doesn’t seem to work in the same way here as it did back on Earth.”

Halfpaw winced, remembering a few incidents with Steel and Fire types in the forges, nothing fatal, but a few came close.

Celestia jotted some notes down on the scroll. “Alright, what else?” 

"Typism?" X suggested. 

"I'm sorry but what do typewriters have to do with Pokémon?" Luna asked.

"It's like racism, but instead of hating someone based on their ethnicity, you hate them based on their typing," X explained. "Dark-types like Naruto have bad reputations because of their Type, not their personalities. Sometimes it is deserved, but most of the time it isn't.” 

“Oh, Mage mentioned something like that a few times,” Twilight said aloud. “She’s a Mismagius. She said Ghost and Dark-types got the worst rep just because of what they were.”

X nodded. “That sounds accurate. Azisa is a Trevenant, a Grass/Ghost-type, and they have a reputation of being notorious stalkers of the highest caliber, even if she isn’t anything like that. Back home there weren't any real laws preventing Typism if it ever escalated above simple hate."

"Oh, it escalated all right," Carapace moaned. "My garden was caught in the crossfire of a Typist's temper tantrum. Honestly, no matter how many times I hear it, I STILL can’t believe that Blastoise went ballistic just because of Naruto’s Type. Heck, if what he says is true, then that thing kept on spouting nonsense that anyone with even an ounce of logic could tell was wrong...provided they understood how things on Earth worked," he ranted in annoyance.

That only made the leaders present curious as to what exactly occurred that day.

"All I'm saying is that if our exodus here to Equus is a fresh start, it should be for everyone. No cut corners. We construction workers have a saying; A house built without a sturdy foundation is sure to crumble. If we're gonna do this....we gotta do it right."

Celestia smiled. “We have laws against racial prejudice in place, and will expand them to include the Pokémon.”

“The Pokémon Liberation Army had no issues with this,” Sev hissed. “We are all equals….Except for I, Commander Sev, the greatest of us all.”

“Shove it Sev,” John said. “None of us are in the mood to hear you right now.”

“You dare tell me to shove it,” Sev snarled, baring his fangs threateningly. “You humans have no manners. I shall teach you manners.”

“Gentlemen please,” Celestia said. “These are peace conferences, not battles.”

“My apologies, Princes Celestia.” John apologies.

“Wait,” Sev held up a bladed tail. “They don’t?”

Celestia was about to say something, when she noticed a small ball of yellow descending from the roof. It was the Joltik from the day before. Again, he was able to find his way into the room. He slowly moved down, on a string of web.

(Play me)

“Do-do-do-du-du, do-do-do-du-du, Do-do-do-du-du, Dun-na-NA-NA-NU-NA!” He hummed, before grabbing the bowl full of poffins and slow started to crawl his way up the string. Taking the bowl with him.

After a few moments of everyone staring, Celestia sighed. This was going to be a long meeting.





Celestia sighed and shook her head as she made her way back to her room. 

After figuring out all those laws, the solar Princess was exhausted. She wanted nothing more than to curl up in her bed with Ninetales and a good book.

“Your majesty.”

Apparently that would not be the case. 

“Yes Aegislash?” Celestia asked, turning and meeting the swords stare. 

The Ghost type put its cloth arm over its shield and spoke. “I regret to inform you, mistress, that I will be indisposed for the next day.”

“Oh?” Celestia wasn’t sure what to say to that, the mostly emotionless sword was nowhere near as close to her as Ninetales was, and she had never really considered that it might do its own thing.

“Yes, an old... friend,” He pronounced the word as if it were foreign. “Has come and asked me to say goodbye, and asked for one day to do it.” He shook his head, which consisted of him rotating his body. “I’ve chosen to indulge her, due to the time we spent together.”

Celestia smiled. “Aegislash,” She said. “You never have to ask me if you can take time off for a friend.”

The sword Pokémon nodded. “I will make note of that in the future mistress.” With that, Aegislash began to float away, heading to meet whoever his old friend was.

“What’s her name by the way?” Celestia asked.

The sword Pokémon stopped. “Her name is Neige,” He answered plainly before floating off.





The meeting did go for quite some time, but on the bright side, once they were finished, they didn’t have to go back until tomorrow after the new laws were drafted. 

This gave everyone the remainder of the day off, which they intended to use to the fullest. Some in more...confrontational ways than others. 

“You sure they’re here?” X asked as he and Naruto approached a small cafe on the outskirts of Canterlot. Out of the corner of his eye, Naruto saw, to his surprise, another Zoroark sitting at a table on the other side of the cafe.

“Pretty sure,” Naruto said. “I heard them asking Princess Twilight about a good place for a date, and she said that Princess Celestia and Luna recommended this place.”

X peered over the gates and nodded. “Yep, they’re there,” He pushed the gate open and stepped into the outdoor cafe. 

Sitting next to each other at one of the tables was a Gardevoir and a Gallade wearing a white hat over its spike. They appeared to be deep in conversation, and by the looks on their faces, were very excited about it.

X sighed, he didn’t know what he expected to get from this, maybe he would end up helping these two but... he needed answers.

Walking up to the table while Naruto explained something to the owner, X cleared his throat. 

Gene looked up at the Chesnaught, paused slightly when he saw it was wielding a hammer, then spoke. “Can I help you?”

“Sorry to interrupt,” X said. “But I was wondering if I could talk to you about something.”

Gene raised an eyebrow and turned to Belle. She pouted slightly for a moment, then sighed. “Sure,” She motioned to the seat across from them.

“Thanks,” X sat down in the chair, and Naruto took the one next to him. 

“I know you came with the Changelings,” Gene said. “But I can’t remember your names, sorry.”

“I’m X, and this is Naruto.” The Zoroark nodded at the couple.

Gene smiled. “Well, I’m Gene and this is Belle, which you may already know,” He said with a smile. “What did you want to ask us about?”

X looked between the pair and sighed. “It’s about... you two and your... relationship.”

Gene grinned. “Belle and I couldn’t be happier,” He said. “In fact, we were just talking about our wedding which, if Pinkie Pie is telling the truth about, is tomorrow!” 

“Why do you ask?” Belle inquired, smirking. “You have a special ‘mon in your life?”

The look that crossed X’s face was enough to tell the pair they had misunderstood. It was one of determination.

“Yeah, that’s not what I meant,” X said. “I just.... I want to know why. Why would a Pokémon and a human fall in love with each other?”

“Why would a human and a human fall in love with each other?” Belle asked. “The will of the heart is a mysterious thing.”

“But he’s your trainer,” Naruto pointed out. “He caught so he could start his journey.”

“Belle’s the first Pokémon I got,” Gene defended. “And I asked her if she wanted to come with me.”

“Best decision of my life,” She said, looking back into her mate’s eyes.

X sighed, he wasn’t getting anywhere. “Look, the fact remains that the only reason you met is because you were looking for a Pokémon to catch for the purpose of training it." To X, having that kind of relationship with a Pokémon, especially one you trained, seemed... weird.

Gene closed his eyes. “I may have gone out looking for a Pokémon,” He opened his eyes and stared right into X’s. “But I came back with a soulmate.”

X and Naruto didn’t know what to say to that, it was just so... cheesy.

“Look,” Belle said. “Gene never ‘made a move’ on me. He treated me like a friend the entire time we were together, and for the record, I was the first one to make a move when it came down to it.”

“But why would you pick a human over a Pokémon?” Naruto asked. “They’re not even that attractive.” He glanced at X. “No offense.”

“I’m curious about that too,” X said.

Gene and Belle stared at them in shock before answering.

“I’ll have you know that Gene is the most caring, wonderful, loving mate any girl could ask for! And I find him very attractive, even when he was a human!”

“Belle is the most beautiful, most amazing, most caring girl I’ve ever met! And I use to hang out with Cynthia!” 

X blinked once. “Oookay, but... why? Why did you two fall in love?”

Gene and Belle looked at each other. “I don’t know,” Gene said. “It certainly wasn’t something I planned for.”

“I never thought my best friend would become my mate,” Belle added.

“But as we traveled... I don’t know how to explain it,” Gene continued.

“I was just drawn to him,” Belle said. “I knew it was wrong but... I couldn’t help it.”

“You want to know why we fell in love X?” Gene asked. “I could give you a scientific explanation of us being alike, and spending all our time together, but I don’t really know if I believe that.”

Belle smiled at Gene. “In the end, I guess the heart wants what the heart wants.”

“I don’t understand,” X said, shaking his head.

“What don’t you understand?” Belle asked.

“All of it,” He said. “Why do humans and Pokémon fall in love, even when it’s forbidden and pointless?”

The pair looked at him in shock, before they glared at him. “Did you just come here to insult our relationship?” Belle asked, a dangerous edge in her voice.

“I’m just trying to understand,” X said. “I mean... you had to hide from the law, and you couldn’t even have kids. To me, that kind of relationship just seems... empty. I just can’t understand why people still pursue such a thing.”

Despite himself, Gene smiled and took Belle’s hand in his. “Well...”

“Back on Earth,” X quickly amended. 

“Does it really matter anymore?” Belle asked. “We’re both Pokémon now, and this world doesn’t have anything stopping us from being together.”

“Yes it matters,” X said. “I mean, going back to my first point, he captured you, you were around him most of your life... how do you know if you really love him?”

The air around Belle seemed to darken as she glared at the Chesnaught. “I am so sick,” Belle said. “Of people trying to convince me that my love isn’t real. That everything I’ve felt for Gene is fake."

Gene put a hand in his fiance’s shoulder and turned to X."Why do you care so much about Belle and I anyway?" Anger was rising in Gene's voice. 

X sighed. “Because ....I feel like I don't belong here. Like I'm the stranger.” He gestured to the couple across from him. “Take you and Belle. You two got to go this new world because you followed what you thought was right, and Arceus himself rewarded it. Despite the hate, despite the distrust... you still did it. And look at you... you're happy. You're going to have a family, your family. You have everything now. You had lead, and then you it turned into gold.”

X shook his head and continued. “Me? The bravest thing I ever did before arriving here was standing up to my parents about my career choice. The more time I spend here, the more I see these forbidden relationships appear everywhere. I see it, and it makes me question everything... and I don't know why.”

X stood up and shook his head. “...Let's go Naruto.”

The two got up, with X motioning to a waiter. “If you can, can you send the check to X, with the Changeling Emissaries? Its the least I can do.”

The Chesnaught walked off, leaving Gene and Belle to think about what had just been said. 

On the other side of the cafe, the Zoroark, who had been waiting for his date to arrive, had heard the entire thing. With a shocked and worried expression on his face, Nick got up and left the cafe.





“You know, I was expecting you to push the subject more than that,” Naruto said as he and X walked away from the cafe.

“They’re happy,” X said. “I shouldn’t try to make them explain why just because I feel... out of place.”

Naruto put a paw on his on X’s shoulder. “X,” He began. 

The Chesnaught stepped away from him. “I just think I need to be alone right now,” He said, shaking his head. “Clear my thoughts and all that.”

Naruto sighed as his brother in spirit walked off. He shook his head, he still didn’t understand those two, especially Belle.

Looking back towards the cafe and saw the Zoroark from before walking in the opposite direction, his head drooped low as his claws dragged across the cobbled roads. 

As Zoroark's are rarely seen, except for the pack that guards the entrance to the Pokémon Village, Naruto was intrigued. As the Zoroark rounded a corner, Naruto ran after him, chasing after the fleeting glance of red and black.

"Well, this is pleasant." Naruto whispered as he continued the chase, it had been a while since he had gotten a good run in.

The other Zoroark apparently heard him and turned around, visibly surprised. He immediately turned around and moved a bit quicker down the road.

Naruto smirked and picked his pace, the other Zoroark did the same, soon, both of them were sprinting down the streets of Canterlot, startling Ponies as they rushed past.

As Naruto rounded another corner, he stopped and looked around, trying to spot the other Zoroark. 

“Using illusions on a fellow Zoroark? Really?” Taking a closer, more discerning look at his surroundings, Naruto noticed a curtain over a business stand that wasn’t moving as much as it should have been whenever a breeze blew past, and had less of a shadow than it should have.

Walking up to the curtain, Naruto poked it, causing the entire thing to ripple and the other Zoroark to reappear. 
“A curtain?” Naruto asked, raising an eyebrow. “Honestly, it's not an ideal choice for an Illusion. Anything that moves more than a physical body is not easy to maintain its realism.” Naruto lowered his voice a moment. "But that was a very good Illusion in and of itself. Next time try blending in as someone, rather than a something.”

The other Zoroark didn't look reassured. "I just want to talk. A good friend of mine always puts the value of talking it out above other actions. At the very least, maybe an ear that is willing to listen is what you need. By the looks of it, you need it badly."

The other Zoroark opened and close his mouth a few times, trying to say something but gave in under Naruto’s trusting gaze. I wonder what’s eating at him, Naruto thought. 

"So....let's start with names. I am Naruto of ShadowFox Construction. And you are?"

“Nick.” He answered.

“Do you live here in Canterlot?”

“No, I’m from out of town, came along with...some folks I met.”

“From out of town? So am I.” Naruto motioned for Nick to follow, the former human doing so. “I take it you’re with someone here for the Summit?”

“I'm mostly for moral support and because I wanted to see the city. I'm not actually in the Summit, though. Some friends of mine are.”

“You're lucky that's all. My trainer X, though he’s more of a brother actually, is the advisor for the Changeling Emperor Carapace.”

“He's the Chesnaught from the cafe right? The one that was carrying that hammer?”

Naruto nodded. The pair continued to walk, “Yes. Trust me, he's rather stressed out with the political dancing that is going on behind those doors. Though you can bet he’s not going to just sit there and wait for an answer.”

“And what side is he for?”

“For staying. We like it here in this land. Though I am not here to talk about my problems." Naruto turned to face Nick, a warm look on his face. "We are here to talk about yours.”

Nick said nothing, silence carrying the conversation as they walked.

“Naruto, have you ever had a girlf-I mean a mate?”

“Girlfriend?” Naruto asked. “It sounds like you were raised by a trainer.”

“You could say that,” Nick said with a frown.

"...I'm listening."

“It’s just that, well, me and a friend, a long time friend actually, we just started seeing each other. She says she has feelings for me, but how do I know its true, that I didn’t just... trick her to fall for me.”

“What, did some Pokémon tell you its wrong to fall for her?” 

Nick looked away in shame.

“...Is it because you’re a Dark Type?” A cold tone reflected  the icy hate in Naruto’s eyes at  the dang Typists out there. "Trust me, I ran into a typist my first day here. The best way to shut them up is to punch them in the face."

“No no, nothing like that-”

“Then you have nothing to worry about.” The friendly words warmed his tone back to normal. “I mean, its not like you were her trainer that raised her for years right?”

Nick’s head abruptly turned to the sky, watching a few of the weather ponies going about the business of cloud maneuvering. “Yeah, it’s not like I was her trainer.” He continued to watch the ponies work. “I never noticed how the Pegasi here make such beautiful shapes.” Nick said wistfully.

Naruto looked up to see whatever Nick is looking at. “That just looks like two clouds push together to make a bigger cloud.”

“Anyway,” Naruto looked down back towards Nick. “You should be fine. I may not know much about relationships, but what I do know is that if you don't talk about how you really feel, then the answers you receive are not worth the trouble. A little courage goes a long way."

Nick said nothing.

Naruto simply raised a claw and poked Nick through the chest. The illusion dissipated into the air.

Nick however was nowhere to be seen.

“Clever. He had me there for a minute." A smirk appeared. "Almost had me.”





Gene and Belle walked down the streets of Canterlot, Gene still trying to cheer up his mate. “Come on love,” He said. “Just forget about it.”

“I want to,” Belle sighed. “But... why do people have to keep bringing it up?” 

Gene pulled the Gardevoir into a hug and said. “I don’t know, but I’m just going to put it out of my mind from now on.” He leaned back and smiled at Belle. “We’re getting married, tomorrow!” He grabbed Belle and spun her around. “And you, my dear,” He poked her belly. “Are pregnant, soon, we’ll have a little Ralts of our very own.”

Belle smiled. “You’re probably right... how are you taking all of this so well anyway?”

Gene shrugged. “Hey everything I ever wanted is happening right now, I have my family and most of my friends together for my wedding with the girl I love, who’s pregnant with my child,” He chuckled. “The only other thing I could ask for is if Shauntal, Abby, and Kasai were here...” He thought for a second, then added. “And that Pinkie had given us a little more warning about the wedding date.”

Belle had to agree there, Pinkie had informed them the night before that Celestia was letting them use the castle grand hall for their wedding. She and Rarity were back in Ponyville getting their tuxedo and dress, and the cake. And it would have been nice if their other friends could have come.

“How do you think the others will react when we give them the news?” Belle asked with a smile.

“Cynthia, Iris, and Juniper will probably be happy for us, and of course the rest of the team will be ecstatic,” He thought for a moment as they continued back towards the castle. “Twilight’ll probably have a ton of questions, and Pinkie will shout something about planning a baby shower before running off.”

Belle laughed. “That sounds about right.” The two continued on their way back to the castle. 

As they passed a park, Belle noticed that the grass seemed torn up, and she noticed a few ponies fleeing in terror. 

“Gene?” She asked. “What’s going-?”

“Come on Arrow! Fight me like a man!”

Gene and Belle watched as X was thrown out from a grouping of trees, landing on the ground in front of them on his feet, his hammer drawn and in a battle position.

“What the heck?!” Gene cried.

X looked back at the two in surprise. “Uhh... you two should really go.” X still hadn’t worked through his feelings from earlier, and now. 

“Come on Arrow,” Gene and Belle looked to see a Nidoking emerging from the grove. “I just want a fair match is all.”

“In what way is this a fair match?” X asked. “And besides that, my mother was the one who beat you!” 

“Who’s this guy?” Gene asked.

“The name’s Mason!” The Nidoking roared. “His mother humiliated me, and now he’s refusing to give me a rematch!”

“I thought you were a construction worker,” Belle said.

“I am,” X said. “But my mom and dad are both famous trainers.” 

Belle sighed. “You know what? I’m really not in the mood for this.”

“Don’t get involved,” X said. “If you give these guys what they want, then they win.”

“That’s just coward talk,” Mason spat back, still advancing on them. 

Belle glared at the Nidoking. “Look, you were human, and I’ve always been a Pokémon, that means I have better use of my powers than you,” She shook her head. “So just go away and I won’t have to-”

“Poison Jab!” Belle’s eyes widened as the Nidoking rushed forward and hit her with a purple arm. 

“Belle!!” Gene ran forward and kneeled next to his mate. “Are you alright? Where did he hit you?”

Belle pushed herself up and shook her head. “I’m... I’m okay, I don’t think the poison took.”

X, meanwhile, was now glaring at Mason. “What the hell was that!?” He screamed.

“I took out one of your Pokémon,” Mason said with a grin. “Now fight me or-”

“She wasn’t even attacking!” X shouted. 

“And she’s not of his Pokémon!” Gene said with a growl. “She’s. My. Mate!” 

“And this little grudge match is between you and me! I’m not much of a battler but you forced my hand! You want it? Well, then. COME GET IT!”

Mason grinned. “Finally, Rock Smash!”

Mason raised his arms and brought them down, aiming for X’s head. 

“Spiky Shield! ” X raised his arms and a spiked shield formed on his forearms just as the Nidoking hit him.

“Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow!” Mason jumped backwards, shaking his arms. “Cheap move you little-”

“Leaf Blade!” 

X watched as and green blur shot past him and sliced Mason across the chest. “Gahh!”

Gene smirked as the Nidoking flailed back, an x shaped scratch mark across his chest. “That’s for attacking Belle! You ass!”

“I thought I told you to stay out of this,” X said. 

Gene leveled a glare at X. “Why don’t you watch your partner/best friend/mate/fiance/mother of your child get attacked and then wait on the sidelines?”

X had to admit, he made a good point.

“Hey!” Mason shouted. “Two against one is not a fair fight!”

“And you attacked a bystander,” X said. “You don’t get the luxury of a fair fight.”

Mason looked from the pissed off Chesnaught wielding a hammer, to the pissed of Gallade with it’s arm blades in striking position. Then he saw the Gardevoir approach and smirked. 

Roaring, he charged Belle, prepared to hit her with another Poison Jab. He stopped as a wall of tan overtook his view. 

Mason slumped to the ground after running right into X’s Hammer Arm, strengthened by the fact he had actually hit him with his hammer. “Ow.”

“Do yourself a favor,” X said. “Stay down.”

Not heeding X’s warning, Mason stood back up and glared at the Pokémon. “No way,” Mason said. “You’re mother beat me once and humiliated me, I don’t care if I have to fight your entire team! I will-”

“Psycho Cut!”
“Psychic!”
“Hammer Arm!”

Mason was launched backwards through the air by the simultaneou attacks. The now unconscious Nidoking landed a few yards away.

Belle smirked and walked over to him, picking him up in a psychic grasp. “Can I throw him off the mountain?”

X was about to speak up and tell her that, no, she couldn’t toss him off Canterlot, when a voice from behind him interrupted him.

“As tempting as that sounds, I don’t think that’s what Tia had in mind when she asked me to look after the city.”

X turned around and his eyes widened as he saw what looked like either someone had sewn together a dozen different parts of different creatures, or a Ditto that couldn’t pick a form, standing right behind him.

“Gah!” The Chesnaught jumped back a bit to get away from the creature. “What the hell is that thing?!”

“I’m Discord, Lord of Chaos,” He vanished and reappeared sitting on top of Mason. “And why do you Pokémon always freak out when you see me? You’re a diverse bunch to begin with.”

“Yeah, but most Pokémon are at least somewhat symmetrical,” Gene deadpanned. 

“Fair enough,” Discord said with a shrug. “Anywho, I’ll take this trouble maker off your hands, promised Tia I’d look after the city while she was in meetings. Toodles.”

In another flash, Discord disappeared, along with Mason. 

X, ignoring what had just happened, turned to Gene and Belle. “I told you two not to get involved.”

“And we didn’t,” Gene said. “Until he punched Belle, then we did.” He grabbed Belle and pulled her into a hug. “No one hurts my fairy princess and gets away with it.”

“Gene,” Belle sighed, half from the cuddling, half from the nickname. “I’m fine, I’ve been through worse than that.”

“I know,” Gene said, hilding Belle tighter. “But you’re pregnant, if anything happened to you, or the egg... I don’t think I could live with myself.”

X cleared his throat, reminding them that he was still there.
“Oh right,” Belle said. 

X sighed. “I... I’m sorry about pestering you two earlier,” He said. “I mean, I’m still not a fan of the idea of... this kind of relationship, but I get that’s it’s your choice.”

Gene smiled softly. “Thank you.”

X nodded once, then turned away from them. “Well, see ya.”

Gene bit his lip as he watched the Chesnaught walk off. “X, wait,” He called. “Would you like to... I don’t know, talk or something? Just get to know each other better.”

The Chesnaught looked back at him in confusion. 

“It might help with... whatever it is you’re feeling,” Gene said. “At the very least, it never hurt to talk to new people.”

X smiled. “Sure,” He said.





Rarity hummed to herself as she covered the clothing rack with a tarp. “And perfect,” She said with a smile. “Now I’ve just got to get these back to Canterlot by tomorrow and voila, perfect wedding.” The day before Rarity decided to head back to Ponyville so that Belle’s and Gene’s Wedding Dress and Suit was finished, since the wedding was only one day away.

Rarity clapped her hooves. “Oh, I do hope they like them.” 

Carrying the rack downstairs, Rarity paused to look at the clock. “Hm, I still have some time before I have to meet Pinkie and the others back at the train station.” Rarity smiled, she hadn’t had much time to herself lately. “Perhaps I can-”

*Knock, knock, knock*

Rarity’s thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door. “Oh well,” She said with a sigh, trotting towards the door. “A dressmaker's work is never done.”

Rarity opened the door and began her usual speech. “Hello~ And welcome to Carousel Boutique, home to the chic, unique, and magnific.”

“Hello miss Rarity,” A deep voice and familiar rumbled.

“Hi~” A much softer one greeted.

Rarity took a deep breath and looked at the two beings who had come to the door. 

The first was Arceus, the second was. “Oh my word!” Rarity cried. “You are positively resplendent!”

Diancie blushed pink and giggled. “Thank you,” She said. “Oh! I’m Diancie by the way, Lady of gems and stones.”

“Well, you certainly look the part,” Rarity said. “You’re hair is positively amazing! I’ve never seen gems shine like that before!” She leaned in and asked. “Tell me, what type of shampoo do you use?”

Diancie giggled again. “Oh, it’s completely natural,” Diancie explained. “Though I do polish it every morning, a girl has to look her best right?”

Rarity nodded and was about to reply, when Arceus interrupted. “As much as I would like for this to be a social call,” The god said. “That’s not exactly the case.”

Diancie nodded. “Would you mind if we come in for a bit?”

“Not at all,” Rarity said, though she was uncertain if Arceus would fit through the door. 

Stepping out of the doorway, Rarity let Diancie float into her house, and watched as the doorframe and walls acted like jello and let Arceus pass through. 

“Beautiful house,” Arceus said, taking in the room. 

“Thank you Lord Arceus,” Rarity said. “I do my best to keep it in tip top shape.”

“Please, just call me Arceus,” The Alpha Pokémon said.

“Right,” Rarity said. “Might I ask what this impromptu meeting is about?’

“Well,” Diancie began. “I was hoping to give you something to help with your friends wedding.”

“Oh?” Rarity asked.

Diancie nodded. “Uh huh, I asked dad about it,” She nudged Arceus. “And he gave me something that I’m sure they’ll love.”

Diancie opened her hands and showed Rarity a pair of rings, one had a grey DNA helix on it, set across a rainbow background, while the other contained an crystal grey stone, with a green and red helix in it.

“... What are these?” Rarity asked, picking them up in her magic.

“The what isn’t that important right now, what IS important, is that these belong to Gene and Belle.” Diancie explained.

“Really?” Rarity was still looking over the stones.

“Yeah, the green and red one is Belle’s, the other is Gene’s,” Diancie smiled. “We didn’t even have to reset Belle’s stone, it was already a ring back on Earth.”

“Aww,”  Rarity cooed. “I suppose these are meant to be their wedding rings?” 

“Uh huh, there’s more of a sentimental value to these.”

Rarity smiled. “Well then, that’s one less thing to worry about.” She slid the rings into her saddle bag. “Though I’m still curious as to what they are exactly.”

“I’m sure all will be revealed in due time,” Arceus said with a grin. “But for now... Diancie? Could you give me and Miss Rarity a moment alone?”

Diancie raised an eyebrow, but shrugged. “Sure thing dad,” She said. “I’ll see you back at the Temple.”

Diancie let herself out, leaving Arceus alone with Rarity. “Sooo...” Rarity said, suddenly feeling slightly nervous. “What did you want to speak with me about?”

Arceus sighed. “I would like to thank you for all the help you’ve given to Gene and Belle, and my Pokémon in general.”

Rarity blinked twice, then smiled. “It was no trouble, I’m always willing to help those in need.” And perhaps get my business out to some of the dignitaries while I’m at it. 

Arceus chuckled. “I suppose, but I would still like to... reimburse you, for your work.”

Rarity was about to protest, but in a flash of gold, Arceus disappeared and in his place, a burlap sack fell to the ground with a thud and a clink.

Rarity sighed. “I wonder what this could be?” She trotted over to the bag and opened it. “If it’s a bag of bits I’ll have to-” Her eyes widened as she processed the fact that the bag was filled to the brim with small golden spheres. “But I... this is... he just...”

The rest of Rarity’s thoughts, garbled and unintelligible though they were, were cut off as her brain stopped working and went for its old fail safe. 

Rarity passed out on the floor of her boutique, next to a bag full of Nuggets.





Twilight landed not far from her library still going over her mental check list. “Alright, step one, get dress for wedding, step two, get Juniper and Spike to the train station, step three- Oof!”

Twilight stopped as she bumped into Spike, who was standing outside the library with his arms crossed. “Twilight!” He shouted. “I’m glad you’re here, see, I was dusting off the astronomy section when-”

“Not now Spike, there are more important things than cleaning the library right now.” 

Spike stared at the Alicorn in shock. “Twilight? Did one of the Changelings replace you?” 

Twilight glared at her assistant. “Not funny Spike, and I’m talking about Gene and Belle’s wedding, I’m here to pick up my dress, and you should get your suit.”

“Ohh,” Spike said, for a moment, he was distracted enough that Twilight almost managed to get into the library. “Wait!” He shouted, barring the door with his body. “You can’t go in there!” 

“Why not?” Twilight asked. 

“Well,” Spike said. “We have a little problem.”

“Spike, what did you do?” Twilight asked.

“I didn’t do anything!” He defended. “They just showed up earlier while Juniper was out!”

“They?” Twilight asked.

Spike nodded. 

“Are they Pokémon you got scared of?” Twilight asked.

“One of them,” Spike answered.

Twilight sighed. “Spike, I’m sure that if we just talk to these guys,” She used her magic to ply Spike’s claws off of the doorframe, and pushed the door open. “Then we’ll figure out... what... they... want...”

Twilight stared, eyes wide, at the sight within the library, the books were flying around in a tornado, and at the center was a Mismagius. This one was less tattered looking than Mage, with no fray/spikes on its hat, the brim of the hat was pushed up, and it was wearing a pair of glasses. 

Next to the Mismagius, a creature that made Twilight’s blood turn to ice sat. A blue and gold creature with shadow like arms streaming from its body.

The Cofagrigus turned to look at Twilight, it’s red eyes staring into hers. Twilight tried to run, but her legs had locked in place. The Cofagrigus nudged the Mismagius and whispered something to her.

The Mismagius turned and, upon seeing Twilight, gasped. “Oh my gosh,” She said in a soft, apologetic tone. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t think anyone else was going to be here.”

Twilight watched as the books reshelved themselves, properly, from the looks of it.

“I just... I wanted to learn a little about this place, and what better way to learn than by reading right?” The Ghost type chuckled nervously. “Um... I’m Shauntal by the way.”

Twilight couldn’t help but notice how different this Mismagius was from Mage, she seemed kind of shy, and less out there than Mage was. “Wait,” Twilight said, shaking her head. “Did you say Shauntal?”

The Mismagius nodded. 

“As in Gene and Belle’s friend?” 

Shauntal gasped. “You know Gene?!” She asked excitedly. 

Twilight nodded. “Yeah, in fact-”

“Did you hear that Cofagrigus? We’re finally going to get to see them again!”

The Cofagrigus smiled. “Quite exciting,” He said in a very Trottingham like accent. “I do hope I get to see Mage again.”

“Um, excuse me?” Twilight said, reminding them she was there. “I just came back to get my dress, but I can take you to Gene and Belle, they’re up in Canterlot so-”

“Thank you,” Shauntal said with a smile, calming down from her outburst. “It’s been too long since I’ve seen those two, how are they anyway?”

“Well Gene’s a Gallade, Twilight said,carefully trotting around Cofagrigus as she made her way to the staircase. “And I need my dress because their wedding is tomorrow.”

“Really?” Cofagrigus asked, with a smile. “Good for them, I was rooting for those two.”

“We all were,” Shauntal said with a sigh. 

“Anyway,” Twilight said. “Just... make yourselves at home for now, I’ll be right back.” Twilight rushed upstairs and closed her bedroom door behind her. “Calm down, Gene said Shauntal’s Cofagrigus was different... and liked to play chess.”

Twilight opened on of her drawers and pulled out a game of chess. “Well, it’ll probably help me get over my fear at least.” She shrugged and trotted over to her closet, pulling out her coronation dress, as well as Spikes tuxedo, she nodded. “Alright, think that’s it.”

Making her way back downstairs, the various outfits and boardgames in held her magic, she peeked around the corner and saw Spike talking with Shauntal. Apparently hearing, or maybe smelling her, Cofargigus turned towards her and smiled.

Twilight shuddered a little bit. Let’s just get this over with. She thought to herself, trotting towards the Ghost Pokémon.





It was late in the evening in Canterlot and Elena was looking for Nick. He had missed their date earlier, and she hadn’t seen him since, neither had Terra, or anyone else she asked.

“What did you get yourself into this time?” She wondered aloud. 		

Elena knocked on the door to Nick’s room, she had checked their earlier, but since it was getting later, she hoped he might have returned their after whatever it was that interrupted their date.

“Nick?” She asked. “Are you there?”

No answer came, but Elena used her aura sense to look through the door. Nick was in his room, and he seemed... depressed.

Elena’s vision returned to normal and she pushed the door open. “Nick?” She asked, peeking around the door. “Are you alright?”

Nick looked up at Elena, worry in his eyes. “Elena... yeah, I’m fine, sorry about earlier.”

“Nick, don’t lie to me,” You know it never works. Elena said sadly.

Nick looked down sadly. “Sorry.”

Elena walked over to the bed and sat down next to Nick. The silence felt... unnatural. It was not like him to be so quiet around her.

“Have you ever wanted to be with another male?” Nick blurted out.

Now, if Terra or any other creature asked her that question, Elena would struggle to keep the blood from rushing to her cheeks. But this was coming from Nick. The way he felt saying those words, was just... wrong. She could feel his very aura emanating nothing but confusion, and maybe even disgust?

She refused to even think why Nick would even feel such a way when she sat down beside him. Elena waited for him to continue, her stoic mask holding firm. 

“Its just... did you fall for me because I was your trainer? For weeks it was just the two of us, ever since I caught you as a little Riolu. We trained everyday, to grow stronger so that we could become her protege. You never really hung out with other Pokémon except for Terra and Steelix-” Nick continued to blather on, just like he always does.

And Elena continued to quietly listen, just like she always has. 

“-Did you make yourself settle for me, instead of finding your own mate?” Nick finished, he practically yelled the final word. His ears peeled back to his head, he lowered his voice as he continued. “I mean, me and Terra, would... could probably find you a nice guy.” He wasn’t even looking at her anymore. “Lucario is probably pretty handsome right? I mean sure you basically beat each other senseless but he wants a nice female to settle down with right?”

Elena could hear his heart hammering against his ribs, as if threatening to break through his chest and into her paws.

Her heart was not faring any better either.

Elena steadied herself, she calmed both her heart and mind before she started to speak. “Do you remember that one Veteran Trainer we met when we got lost on Route 22? Trisha, I think her name was, and her Tyrantrum.”

Nick nodded. Yet his eyes stayed locked onto his claws as he continued to fidget.

“For years she waited in that small clearing, every day for her lover that she waved goodbye to decades ago. Whether there was rain or snow, thunder and lightning, she endured it all. Right by her side was Tyrantrum.”

“That old fossil journeyed through the woods with her every, single, time. He was her shelter as the blistering northern winds threatened to freeze her where she stood. He took every single jolt of lightning that dared to strike near the clearing where Trisha stood vigil.” Elena’s voice grew louder. “Even as the rain made his skin crawl as the drops crawled into the cracks between his scales, he stood by her side EVERY. DAMN. DAY.” She practically growled the last words.

Elena got up from the bed and stood before Nick. He turned away. She moved to grab one of his paws, only for him to try and yank it away like she was in-flamed. 

He failed as two stronger paws took hold of his own and placed it just under her chest spike. “Back on Earth, I would've happily followed you until the end of my days, just like how Tyrantrum did with Trisha. Because you are my friend.”

Elena could feel Nick’s aura brighten, casting away the cloud of despair. His long head raised up to meet her eyes. “Ever since we earned our place within the Gym, I gave up any notion of finding a mate because I knew their love would never hold a candle to the friendship that we share.”

“Young? Never wanted any, besides when we got Terra she was basically a large child and not the lovable wart that she has grown into. That was enough for me.”

Elena felt her words bringing light to Nick’s soul. “I’ll admit, you getting turned into a Zoroark was a... surprise. The friend who I would gladly fight for in honorable battles was suddenly turned into something I never thought possible.”

“What?” Nick asked, gaze enraptured by her own.

“Someone who knows that in my silence, I was not ignoring them, but listening to their every word. That even though my joy rarely reaches my face, my smile shines behind my eyes. That to me, the smell of steel was more pleasing than any flower that could grow,” Elena dragged his paw to her cheek. “Someone who understands me more than any other. All these things and more. And for each and every thing you know about me, I know about you just as well.”

“For every Pokémon that was held in captivity, there were a hundred that chose to be caught by those worthy of their power. To stay with their trainers. You earned my loyalty, you’ve earned my friendship. And now... even as you dare to question both my feelings and your own,” she smiled. “You have earned my love.” 

Before Nick could even attempt to protest, Elena tackled him onto the bed, her muzzle latched onto his own. 





Terra walked up to Nick's room with a frown on her face, she had heard from Mage that the Mismagius had seen him earlier, and that she had felt depressed just looking at him. Worrying that something was wrong with him, or Elena, or their (soon to be) budding romance, she decided to check up on him.

On the other side of the door, the couple heard light knocks against the door and pulled their lips apart in surprise. “Nick, you alright?” Terra’s voice could be heard from the other side. Both Nick and Elena held their breath. “Every Pokémon that saw you head here said you looked pretty down, so I thought you wanted to make me smash a few boulders, like in the good old days?”

No response. 

“Nick?” Terra tried to open the door, but it was locked. She gnashed her teeth together. “Fine! If your gonna be like this, I’ll get Elena and we’re going to drag you out of there by your mane.”

The sound of her tiny footsteps were muffled, they soon faded off down the hallway. The occupants of the room breathed a heavy sigh of relief.

The door exploded inwards, the room was coated with wood chips and pieces of a poor door. “The guards’ said that ELLIE’S IN HERE-” She gasped, her breathe lost at the sight before her.

On the bed, both Nick and Elena looked at her incredulously. Wrapped in each other’s embrace. Nick’s long red mane coiled around the Lucario, pulling her smaller frame even closer to his chest. As for Elena, her arms were wrapped around his body protectively, yet her head was cradled underneath his muzzle. The body language between them made no sense.

Were they comforting one another?

Did the stick up Elena’s butt finally snap, putting slivers in all the wrong places and she needed Nick to help pull them out?

Did Nick try to take off the blue hair band thingie that all Zoroarks have? 

All that crossed Terra’s mind and more, but one question rose above the rest and was the first one out of her mouth 

“Are you two... in a relationship?” She quietly asked, her eyes wide as the words tumbled from her mouth, as though they were never to be used.

Both Nick and Elena stared at one another. Their eyes met as words unsaid passed between them. They looked back to Terra, with a small smile they nodded.

Terra lost all feeling in her legs. She fell to her knees, as tears, happy wonderful tears, cascaded down her cheeks. 

“Its beautiful.”