//------------------------------// // Chapter 3 // Story: A New World, a New Ribbon // by Scarletmenace //------------------------------// Melon was the first to react as she dropped her saddle bags onto the floor, before rushing out the door and onto the porch. Even from there, Melon could see the smoke rising up in the distance from the park's general area. She narrowed her eyes in focus as she caught the glimmer of golden armor from dozens of guards flying around the park as they tried to subdue whatever was causing the havoc. Melon broke away from the view as she turned around to regard her sister and friends as they walked out onto the porch, each of them looking quite anxious. "Maiden, do you think you can see what is going on down there?" Clara asked as she glanced over to the Gothitelle still standing in the doorway. "I'll try," Maiden replied, using her new psychic link to communicate with everyone around her. Maiden closed her eyes as she began to extend her psychic powers. The disks on her head began to vibrate as she concentrated on extending her vision to the small town's park. She opened her eyes once again to see the world move by in a quick blur as her sight extended all the way into town. What she saw shocked her. Golden armored ponies were rushing around the town, netting any Pokémon that dared showed its face. She shifted her gaze as she witnessed a dozen of these ponies corner an Aggron and attempted to contain it, only to fail miserably as it charged a flash cannon and fired it at the ground, knocking all the ponies back. However, some Pokémon were not able to defends themselves as easily as the large Aggron. Maiden's gaze shifted again as she watched large flocks of Pidgey and Fletchlings get plucked out of the sky by pegasi before getting stuffed into a net. The Pokémon screeched in protest as they were carried down to the ground and shoved into cages. Maiden's teeth grinded together as she held her psychic powers back from being controlled by her emotions. With a heavy sigh, she dampened her psychic output until it diminished completely, letting the world rush back to her as her eyes became her primary method of seeing again. Clara watched Maiden with a concerned expression as the Gothitelle turned around to address the party, a grim expression plastered onto her face. "Tell us Maiden, what did you see?" Clara asked nervously, obviously afraid of the answer. Maiden glanced down nervously at her trainer, afraid to tell her the truth because she knew how Clara would react. She momentarily thought about lying to her, but quickly disregarded it, as it would get them nowhere. With a heavy heart, Maiden told her the truth. "The situation looks dire. Pokémon are being round up by these ponies in golden armor and forced into either a net or a cage. It is also clear now that the explosion from earlier was not from a Pokémon attacking, but rather from a Pokémon defending itself." The reaction from Clara was near instantaneous. Maiden stepped back as she watched Clara's fur bristle and flare as her lips pulled back into a snarl, a deep growl emanating from her throat. Saul was quick to react as he leaped forward in front of Clara, pulling her into a crushing hug, all the while whispering into her ear. "It's okay Clara, It's okay. That's all in the past, just calm down… just calm down." Saul whispered into Clara's ear as she began to calm down and slump into Saul's embrace. Melon and Leaf looked quite shocked at Clara's reaction. They had only known her for a few hours, but she had seemed like a nice person. The fact that something as cute as a Sylveon could be morphed into something so terrifying… it was quite frightening to say the least. "W-w-why did she act like that?" Leaf asked nervously as she shivered behind her sister. Saul looked over Clara's shoulder as he addressed the two through Maiden's link. "Let's just say that Clara's had a bad experience with cages." Saul answered in a somber tone as he continued to hug the shivering Sylveon. Before the two ponies could press for any further information, another explosion emanated from the town, this one much larger than the one from before. "That was an Electrode using self-destruct." Maiden informed that group as she began to survey the town with her psychic powers again. "We have to get down there and tell them to stop this at once. Because if they keep this up… there won't be much of a town left." she replied coolly. Melon quickly broke out of her shocked gaze at the mention of her town in peril. Her eyes narrowed as she realized the severity of the situation at hoof. "Maiden's right, we have to go down before the guards antagonize the Pokémon even further." Melon stated with a resolved face before turning her attention towards Leaf. "Leaf, I need you to stay with Clara and Saul inside the house while Maiden and I go into town and try to convince the mayor in calling off the guards." "But I want to come too! I can help!" Leaf protested defiantly to her sister. "Be that as it may, I am not going to put you into any sort of danger. I promised mom that, and I intend to keep it." Melon stated firmly as she stared down at her sister. Leaf winced at the mention of their mother, the painful memories suddenly trickling back like a leaking dam. She quickly pushed these feelings to the side as she returned Melon's stare. "I am not a little kid anymore sis. I can take care of myself, and you know it." Leaf retorted as she held her ground. The two sisters held their ground as they continued glared at each, neither one of them yielding to the other's demands. This continued until a third explosion disrupted their dispute, lightly shaking the ground as the smoke plumed up into the sky. "We don't have time for this! we need to go NOW!" Maiden shouted as she lifted the two quarreling sisters off the ground with her psychic before gently dropping them on their rumps, snapping them out of it in the process. Melon quickly got up before turning her gaze towards her sister and letting out a heavy sigh. "Fine, you can come. But for the love of Celestia, please be careful and stay by me. I don't think my heart could take it if I lost you." Leaf didn't say anything as she looked at Melon with a heartfelt expression. She trotted over to her sister before finally giving Melon's worries closure. "I promise sis, I won't leave your side… Even if your fat flank slows us down." Leaf smirked as she ruined the sentimental moment. Melon responded with a light chuckle as she gently cuffed Leaf's ear before galloping down the hill and towards the town, her sister quickly following suit. Maiden began to follow them, but stopped as she regarded Saul and Clara, both still in a tight embrace. "I will be down with you shortly, I just need Clara to regain some of senses first. I don't need her having another breakdown when I'm not around." Saul assured Maiden as he continued to gently stroke Clara's back. Maiden wordlessly nodded before rocketing down the hill and after the two ponies, leaving Saul to tend to his mate. Saul continued to stroke Clara's back as she rested her head on his shoulder, occasionally stopping to lick her cheek once or twice before resuming his strokes. This continued for several minutes before Clara gently pushed herself away from Saul with a gentle sigh as her stress evaporated. "Thanks Saul, you always know how to calm me down." Clara sniffed with a soft smile before leaning forward and licking Saul's cheek. Saul let out a small sigh of relief once he realized that Clara had returned to her normal perky self. "It's alright Clara, it happens." He said with a smile as he returned her gesture, happy to have Clara back. "You know that you don't have to come, right?" Saul said as he looked Clara in the eyes. "Maiden and I are more than capable of handling it ourselves… plus, I am worried how you will react once we get down there." he murmured the last part as he looked down at the ground. Clara frowned slightly as she placed one of her ribbons on Saul's shoulders. "I know you are worried, and you have every right to be, but we have to do this as a team, Saul. Besides, what kind of trainer would I be if I sent my beloved Pokémon down into a town to deal with hostile ponies while I just lounged around?" She smirked as she licked Saul on the lips. "A pretty bad one." Saul replied with his own grin. Clara nodded. "Now let's get down there and give the others a hand… err.. paw." Clara chuckled lightly at her bad joke. Saul chuckled as well before suddenly taking off like a speeding bullet down the hill, catching Clara by surprise. "Hey! Wait for me!" Clara yelled as she chased after her mate towards the chaotic town. *~* Saul began to slow down as he neared the entrance of the town. His ears stood up as he surveyed the area for Maiden and the others while also looking for any signs of potential danger. However, his attention shifted as he heard Clara approaching him from behind, her loud breathing easily giving away her presence. "You.. see.. them?" Clara panted in-between breaths as she slumped down next to Saul, before rubbing her ribbons across her face to remove the sweat that had accumulated on her forehead. "No I don't, but they can't be too far ahead." Saul replied as he continued to survey the area, refusing to leave Clara's side until she caught her breath. "Melon said that she was going to see the mayor before all this chaos started, so it's safe to say that's where they are heading there." Clara concluded as she stood up, still panting lightly from her run as she rubbed up against Saul's side. Saul glanced worriedly at Clara. "You still need a few minutes to catch your breath?" "No, I'm good. Plus, we have more important matters to attend too." Clara said as she began to walk towards the large building in the center of the town, hoping that it was the town hall. Saul nodded wordlessly as he padded up to Clara's side, his ears still erect as they surveyed the area. The two of them cautiously walked along the sidewalk for several minutes before turning a corner and entering a big clearing. The first thing that caught their eyes was the massive amount of shops and stalls that rested on the sides of the clearing, each of them decorated with different types of wares. As they walked further into the clearing, Clara noticed several shapes moving in between stalls, some even crossing the road to reach other shops The ones crossing the road made it easy for her to identify the figures. "Ponies... But what are they still doing out here?" Clara thought out loud. "Well, most of the fighting is happening near the town's park, so I assume they are just the ponies that were brave enough to come outside despite the potential danger." Saul chimed in as he sat down to ponder their next course of action. "Well this sucks. This is the fastest way to the town hall, and we don't exactly have the time to try to find a different path." Clara stated with a frown as she followed Saul's example and sat down next to him. Several seconds passed before Saul let out a heavy sigh as he stood back up, his sights set on the town hall on the other side of the clearing. "It looks like we don't have any other option, we are just going to have to risk it and continue on without trying to attract too much attention to ourselves." Saul stated with a sour face. He hated rushing into things without a plan, the outcome for these types of situations were always unpredictable, but they just didn't have the time to sit around and toss ideas back and forth. Clara nodded with a frown as she eyed the ponies that mingled in the clearing, a feeling of uncertainly creeping into her chest. Fortunately, that feeling melted away as she felt Saul's tongue rub against her cheek. Clara smiled at Saul before returning the gesture. "It's ok… Even if they prove to hostile, they won't stand a chance against Saul". she mentally assured herself as she and her mate walked into the clearing. Clara's heart felt like it was going to burst out of her chest once she realized that several ponies were already staring at her and Saul. She gulped nervously as her new ears detected the hushed conversations directed at the two Pokémon as they walked further into the clearing. Clara hopes actually began to rise once she realized that they were more than halfway through the clearing. "Maybe we will get lucky and not run into any trouble at all." Clara thought enthusiastically. However, her hopes were quickly dashed as two guards burst loudly into the clearing, knocking over several fruit stands. Fortunately, the guard's attention was not focused on them, but on a small Foongus that they were pursuing. "Leave me alone!" Shouted the little mushroom Pokémon as it dodged and weaved through the crowd with its pursuers right on its tail. Clara was impressed with Foongus' agility as she watched it slip out of the guard's grasp several times. However, that appreciation turned to horror as she realized that it was heading directly for her and Saul. Clara and Saul didn't have any time to react as the Foongus came barreling at them, slamming into Saul's leg. Startled, the Foongus decided to use its best defense mechanism: Spore. A green cloud erupted from the mushroom Pokémon as it rolled over, unconscious from ramming into Saul's leg. In a mere instant, Clara found herself throw to the side by a powerful force just before the cloud touched her. She quickly looked over to see who was responsible, seeing that one of Saul's paws was outstretched in her direction. Clara quickly pieced it together that Saul had pushed her out of the way so he would take the full brunt of the move. "Saul!" Clara shouted in anguish as she watched her beloved Umbreon get consumed by the spore. Saul's face scrunched up as he fought against the spore, his muscles tensing as he tried to force his body to stay awake. He stood up defiantly for a few good seconds before his body couldn't take it anymore. He fell to the ground with a heavy thud as his eyes slowly shut. "Clara…." Saul whispered before he passed out. Clara was there in a instant, shaking the Umbreon with renewed vigor in a desperate attempt to wake him up. "Saul!.. Saul! WAKE UP!" Clara continued to shake his prone form, unaware of the two guards approaching her. *~* Steady Light liked to think of himself as an above average guard, his experience in the field surpassed most of the other guards after all. He had an impressive record of catching many fleeing criminals in the past, from the teleporting unicorn, to the agile Pegasus. The other guards in the battalion would often call him the "light speed", for his well known ability to obtain extremely high speeds with an impressive amount of control. A few officials even suggested that he join the Wonderbolts, but he would decline every offer, for he didn't like the idea of performing when his ability could instead be used to help Equestria for the greater good. So it only made sense that he would accept a mission to depart to the luxurious town of Little Brook in order to help a team of guards in the capture of these dangerous new creatures. Once there, he was partnered with another Pegasus mare by the name of Star Dust. Light knew of Star Dust from quite a few sources. Like him, she was a Pegasus with an impressive track record for both flying and criminal seizer. She was also the talk of many stallions around the guard. Her beauty and impressive combative abilities made her eye candy to most of the other guards. So there he was with Star Dust, both of them assigned to have a very important role in the capture of the creatures. Their task was to apprehend the more agile creatures that currently ran around the town, while the other fellow guards would target the larger more dangerous ones. In less than an hour, they had already caught several flocks of the flying, bird-like creatures that soared around the town's park. They acted swiftly by corralling a lot of them into a miniature twister that took both of them to generate, before capturing them within a mythril-tight net. It proved to be a more dangerous task than Light had anticipated, for he quickly realized that even the small creatures were quite dangerous on their own. Several of them would flap their wings to generate powerful gusts of wind that almost knocked him and Dust out of the sky. Heck, even a few breathed fire at them, but they were eventually able to overpower the creatures by shocking them with several thunderclouds. He didn't want to shock them, but with the way things were going, he had little choice. After an exhausting hour of clearing the skies of the critters, the two exhausted pegasi touched down to report to their commanding officer. After being praised for their hard work, their officer was kind enough to give the two of them a small break so that they could regain their strength to aid in capturing the more agile critters that have escaped from the other squads. Light let out a sigh of relief as he sat down on the cool, shady bench at the edge of town square, his gaze focused on the sky as he leaned back. Light's ears twitched as he heard the sound of hooves on stone approaching his position. He tilted his head slightly forward as he caught a sliver of blue in his peripheral vision. He let a small smile form on his face as he saw Dust trotting over to him with two lush apples carried in her mouth, both by the stems of course. Dust returned the smile as she approached the bench. With a small flick of her head, she tossed one of the apples over to Light, who casually caught it with an outstretched hoof. Light made room for Dust as she sat down next to him, who also released a content sigh as the cold bench helped cool her body off from the vigorous flying from earlier.. "Mmmm, the apples are pretty good here. Not as good as Ponyville's, but still pretty dang good." Dust commented as she took another bite of the bright red apple. "True, the apples here might not be as good as Ponyville's, but the melons here are unrivaled." Light replied as he also took another bite. Dust nodded in agreement at Light's statement as she swallowed the rest of the apple. "So, what do you think of these new creatures?" Dust asked, quickly changing the subject. Light's smile faltered at Dust's question. "That's honestly a good question. When I first encountered these creatures, I thought they were regular beasts, but after spending the last hour capturing them… I am not sure what I think anymore." Light sighed before taking another bite of his apple. Dust looked at him with a confused expression on her face. She looked like she was about to say something else, but was interrupted as something flew over the bench, grabbing the rest of Light's apple. Light blankly stared at his empty hoof for a few seconds before shifting his gaze toward the little varmint that dare steel his lunch. The closest thing light could compare the little critter to, was a mushroom, except mushrooms don't have eyes, a mouth, and arms. The little critter continued to munch on Light's apple as he and Dust just sat there slack jawed at the little creatures boldness. A smirk appeared on Light's face as he got off the bench, Dust quickly following suit. "You up for a little wager?" Light said as he directed his smirk at Dust. "Oh? What do you have in mind?" Dust asked with a mischievous smirk of her own. "I say we have a race to see who can catch it first, no flying allowed. Loser has to buy the winner a platinum melon." Light said as he directed a hoof at the little critter. "Mmmm, I can already taste it." Dust taunted as she got into position. "Then let the best Pegasus win." Light smiled as he crouched into position as well, both ponies ready to spring at the slightest movement. The little mushroom turned towards the two ponies as it finished gobbling down the rest of the apple. "Fooooongus?" It said with a tilt of its head. And just like that, the two pegasi sprang forward. "FOONGUS!!!" Shouted the little creature in surprise at it quickly leaped out of the path of its pursuers, resulting in both ponies colliding their heads into one another. "After it!" Dust shouted as she rubbed her head, a scowl now on her face. Both ponies were quick to recover as they continued their pursuit of the little mushroom. They lunged and dived at the little critter as it bobbed and weaved through the bushes and other obstacles, but each attempt they made only resulted in empty hooves or another clashing of the skulls. They chased the critter for about another minute before it dived under one of the fruit stands that marked the entrance to the town's market. Light and Dust both dove at the mushroom in unison as it squirmed its way under the fruit stand. The impact from both the ponies sent the cart tumbling over, spilling all its contents onto the ground. Oblivious to the damage they were causing, Light and Dust continued to chase the creature as it shimmied its way through a small crowd of ponies. "Fooooongus!" Shouted the little mushroom as it exited the mass of ponies. Once out of the crowd, the two guards actually had some room to attempt to catch the critter as it continued its mad dash. Unlike before, Light and Dust took turns at trying to grab it. Though they were close on several attempt, they all ended with the same result as the creatures slipped out of their grasps like a bar of soap. The chase didn't last that much longer as the critter was abruptly halted as it slammed face first into the leg of another creature that Light could only describe as a black cat with blue rings on its body. Next to it was another creature, though this one certainly looked a lot more feminine with its cream-colored coat, and the ribbons that were placed on its ear and neck. Light noticed that both of them had a look of horror on their faces as they looked down at the little mushroom that had ran into black one's leg. He was confused at their display before his thoughts were interrupted as a cloud of green dust erupted from the little mushroom. The black one quickly reacted by shoving its companion to the side as it took the full burden of the green cloud's effect. The cloud quickly enveloped the black creature as its partner could only watch. "Sylveon!!!" Shouted the pink one as it watched its friend slump onto its side as the cloud dissipated. As soon as the cloud was gone, the pink creature immediately got on its paws and leapt forward, rushing to its companion's side. Light and Dust watched the display in pity as the creature tried to wake up its prone friend by shaking the black one's side. "Sylve! Sylve! SYLVEON!" It cried in a desperate, pleading voice as it continued to shake the other one's side. Dust tore her eyes away from the scene before turning her head to look at Light, a sympathetic frown stuck on her face. "What should we do?" Dust asked with a saddened tone as she tried to tune out the pink one's cries. Light sighed heavily as he continued to stare at the two creatures in turmoil. "Isn't it obvious? We help them anyway we can. However, once we have made sure that the black one is stabilized, we will have to capture them both, or risk disobeying orders." He stated that last part with a frown. Dust nodded in understanding at Light's words before redirecting her attention at the two creatures on the ground. With Light by her side, the two guards cautiously approached the pair. *~* Clara's ears twitched as she heard the sound of someone approaching her. Ceasing her attempts to wake Saul up, Clara spun around to glare daggers at a pair of guards that were standing several meters from her and Saul. One of the guards was a mare, her coat and eyes were light shade of blue which complimented her white mane and tail that reflected the light of the still rising sun. The other pony was a different body structure from the mare, so Clara immediately classified him as a male. Further evidence to her theory made itself clear as she saw the shifting of muscles underneath his white coat as he continued to creep up on her. Clara immediately got into a threatening crouch as the two guards continued to approach the couple, a low growl creeping up her throat as they took another step. The guards stopped their advancement when they were about five feet away from Clara. At that point, Clara's ribbons were coiled back like a bunch of snakes ready to strike as she directed a snarl at the Ponies. The two guards looked at one another before nodding simultaneously, they both turned their attention back at Clara, who was still growling at them. The mare stepped forward with a small smile on her face. "It's okay little guy we are just trying to help." she said in a soothing tone as she tried to calm down the hostile Sylveon. "And why should I believe you? All you have been doing is catching Pokémon all morning like a bunch of poachers." Clara growled as she focused only on the mare. She knew that the guards couldn't understand her, but she hoped that they understood the tone she was using. The mare seemed to understand the message as a frown replaced her smile. "I know you don't trust me, but you have to give me and my partner a chance." Clara froze at that. She said partner, but no one is beside her. She pondered for a moment before realization dawned on her. "Then that means!" Clara quickly spun around to check on Saul, relief washing over her as she saw that he hadn't move from his spot beside her, though he was still splayed out of the ground from the spore. However, that relief quickly turned to rage as she spotted the stallion hovering over Saul's form, his forelimbs stretched out in a grabbing motion. Faster than the Pegasus could react, a pair of ribbons wrapped around his torso before forcefully slamming him into the ground next to the mare, causing the Pegasus to wheeze as the air left his lungs. Not giving the guards any time to react, Clara began to build power in her ribbons as they curled up in front of her face. The ribbons glowed bright pink with fairy energy as Clara swung the appendages outwards, creating a massive wall of compressed air that slammed into the two ponies, sending them sprawling back. The two pegasi were quick to recover. After several tumbles, they were both able to gain their footing before rocketing off into the sky to avoid another fairy wind. The stallion then dived directly at Clara, his wings tight against his body as he picked up speed. Clara saw this and barely had time to counter his dive with a fairy wind as he got uncomfortably close. The fairy wind she released sent him spirally though the air before he stabilizing himself by readjusting his wings. "I can't keep this up, if they both attack me from different directions at the same time with that tactic, I am done for." Clara mentally calculated as she saw the two pegasi get into position for another dive. "Time to try something else… Misty Terrain" Clara said to herself as a green light began to build at the tips of her paws. The glow expanded, compressing the air below her as a green sphere of fairy energy formed. Once the orb was at a decent size, Clara let it pop, unleashing a thick mist throughout the whole clearing. The two guards stared down at the ground with wide-eyes as they watched the thick mist spread over the whole clearing, covering the two Pokémon completely in a thick blanket of vapor. Reacting quickly, the mare dived down where Clara was last seen, hoping to catch her before she moved locations. She was too late, as Clara had already moved herself and Saul a good distance away. Clara used her ribbons to gently carry Saul as she navigated through the mist, the ponies still rummaging blindly through the fog. She gently placed Saul down at the base of a large oak tree before turning around and returning to the battlefield. Once the battle was over, she would grab Saul and attempt to once again track down Melon and the others. Clara returned to the battlegrounds, concealing herself in the mist as she stalked closer towards the two guards. "What the hay is with this fog?! I can't move it or anything!" Shouted the mare as she tried to feebly grab the mist with her hoofs, only for it to pass through it. Clara frowned at this as she crept closer. "These ponies aren’t too bright. They make it sound like they could grab clouds in the first place." She mused as she positioned herself directly under the two pegasi. Clara's eyes narrowed as she focused on the two frantic ponies who were still trying to beat at her mist with their hooves and wings. She let out a deep breath as she felt energy build in her ribbons, prompting them to extend many times their original length. With a mighty cry, Clara let her ribbons soar straight up towards the two unsuspecting ponies. The ponies had no time to react as four glowing tendrils of pink light erupted from the mist, each extending over several stories as they wrapped around both pegasi The two guards yelp in surprise at they were plucked out the sky before being tossed violently through the air. Thankfully for them, a cloud broke their fall. Clara stared wide-eyed at this. "So they really CAN touch clouds." She observed while the two ponies groaned as they pulled themselves out of the cloud. The stallion looked down from the cloud at the ground below, watching Clara's massively extended ribbons sway back and forth as they rested near the surface of the thick mist. He snorted loudly before turning at the mare who was currently popping several joints as she stretched from the impact. "I didn't want to resort to this…. But get the thundercloud ready." He told the mare as he continued to watch the massive pink tendrils sway below him. The mare gave a brief nod as she began to scoop up hoof-fulls of vapor, condensing them in-between her hoofs as if she was creating a snowball. She quickly repeated this process several times till the clouds started turning a threatening black color. She shoved the now primed thundercloud towards the stallion before she began to prepare another one. The stallion easily caught the thundercloud as he landed on top of it to slow its acceleration. He stared down at the still swaying tendrils as he reared back onto his hind legs, before slamming his forelegs down on the cloud, sending a large bolt of lightning directly at Clara. Clara screamed as the bolt of lightning connected with her ribbons, sending a shock across her whole body as she spasmed uncontrollably. Losing her concentration, the energy in her ribbons faded as they began to revert back to their normal size. Worst yet was that her Misty Terrain was beginning to fade, giving the ponies a clear view of her as she began to recover from the shock. The two guards looked surprised by the fact that She was still standing. Unfortunately for them, Clara was not going to go down that easy. The mare down looked down at Clara with concern as she saw the scorch marks on her fur. "Can't you understand we are just trying to help? We don't want to fight you!" The mare shouted below at Clara. Clara's teeth gritted together in anger. " I know your type! You will just wait till my guard is down before you shove me into a cage! You made that awfully clear as you tried to steal Saul right from under my nose… And let me tell you something.. I.. Will. NEVER. BE CAGED AGAIN!!!" Clara screamed, not caring that they didn't understand her. Clara opened her mouth as she felt her rage building into a physical form. A large ball of yellow energy began to form in front of her as she poured more power into the attack. As the ball of energy grew bigger and bigger, it began to change its color to a bright pink as fairy energy was thrown into the mix. Once the ball of energy was primed, Clara let it loose. "Hyper Beam!" A massive ray of energy erupted from Clara's mouth as it sped through the sky towards the two guards, razing anything that stood in its path. Both ponies yelped as they jumped off of the storm cloud they had been standing on. A mere second later, the large hyper beam connected with the charged thundercloud, causing a large explosion that blew away all the other clouds in the sky. Both ponies were sent tumbling like ragdolls by the massive shockwave of the explosion, They tried to stabilize themselves, but failed as the air pressure from the explosion proved too great. They both continued to tumble through the air for several seconds before crashing into the top of tree, causing several Emolga to glide out of the tree in fright. Clara glared hatefully at the top of the tree where the two ponies hanged from, unconscious. She glared at them for a few more seconds before her spite was interrupted by an all too familiar groan. "Ugh… Clara?" Saul muttered as he slowly got up, only to tackled back to the ground by Clara. "Thank Arceus that you're okay!" Clara shouted ecstatically as she smothered Saul's face with licks and kisses, not caring if anyone was watching. "It's good to see you too, Clara." Saul sputtered in between licks. Saul couldn't help but give a light chuckle at Clara's behavior because he would do the same thing to Clara all the time back when she was human. Unknown to the two Eeveelutions that were currently preoccupied with showering in each other in licks, Two pegasi watched the two lovebirds as they hung from a tree branch like laundry. "So that's why she was so protective of him." Giggled the mare as she hefted herself up. "I am glad that the black one is okay, but did she really have to attack us so vigorously?" The Stallion commented as he rubbed a few sore spots from the scuffle. "Love makes people do strange things, Light." The mare shrugged as she helped lift Light up onto the branch. Light stared at the two lovebirds at they continued to shower each other in affection, a light blush adorned his face. "That it does, Dust, that it does." Light replied with a smirk as he got comfortable on the branch. Unfortunately, the brief peace was interrupted as a mental voice made its presence known. “Greetings citizens of Equus, both old and new. I am Lord Arceus, creator of the Pokémon realm.” Clara and Saul both froze, in mid lick, at the mention of Arceus, their brains trying to grasp the situation that was currently playing in their heads. "You have no reason to fear me, I come in peace.” Lord Arceus continued. “I have revealed myself to inform you that I am the one responsible for the Pokémon’s presence in this world, for the citizens of Equus, the Pokémon are the beings who have appeared over the past few days.” There was a short pause before Arceus continued. “I have my reasons for bringing them here, and to the leaders I will reveal them in time, but for now a warning, the Pokémon, while some may not seem it, are just as intelligent as any race who calls Equus home, and, seeing as how they are my subjects, I will not tolerate them being treated any differently than you would treat your fellow Pony, Griffin, Minotaur, Diamond Dog, Changeling, Deer, Hippocampi, Zebra, Horse, Buffalo, Cow, Donkey, or Dragon depending on whichever race you belong to.” Something clicked in Clara's head. "So, we really aren’t on Earth anymore." "To my Pokémon, I say this, I brought you, all of you, here so that you could live in peace, do not seek to harm the natives of this world, for I am the one responsible for your displacement. And to the Pokémon who went through changes when I brought you here I say this.” Clara's ears instinctually raised up as she focused on the next piece of information. “You are the ones who proved themselves worthy, those who were fair, kind and good in the old world, consider this your reward. And to all of you, as sapients the laws of Equus, and the varying countries, now apply to you, and only the laws of Equus.” Arceus stated, the last part in a stern tone. “That is all for now, but just to be clear, the Pokémon are not to be harmed simply out of spite. If you have a problem with what I’ve done, feel free to contact me, I currently reside in an ancient temple deep in the Everfree Forest, or a pocket dimension outside of the space time continuum, so if any of you wish to face the sheer power of a god, feel free to come by.” Arceus stated in a smug tone. "Well… He is certainly full of himself." Clara thought to herself before Arceus spoke one last time. “Goodbye for now, though I doubt this will be the last you hear of me, and peace to you all.” Arceus finished, his voice finally leaving everyone's minds. The whole town was silent as all the ponies and Pokémon were in shock at what had just occurred. Clara and Saul fared no better, but thankfully, their concentration was broken as they heard shuffling from a nearby tree. In that tree, were the two pegasi that she had fought earlier. Clara and the stallion both made eye contact as they caught each other's gaze. They held their gaze for several seconds before both of them muttered at the same time. "Whoops…"