//------------------------------// // Chapter Fourteen // Story: A Brave New World // by Ausbrony //------------------------------// Chapter Fourteen While Seth, Rika and Diantha were visiting the castle, Fritter had work to do. Selena had opted to help her this time, while Diantha’s Gardevoir had vanished to parts unknown. Titania was left to her own devices and to be honest, she was tired of searching the city for her comrades. It had been over a week now and she’d seen neither hide nor hair of them. “So it would seem that I am the only Checkmate member in this whole city… figures.” She bet that the other members had already met up and were resuming work, and she wondered if they were looking for her. “What am I supposed to do?” Titania wondered aloud as she fixed herself some coffee. “I simply can’t go searching blindly across Equestria… what I wouldn’t give for a phone, or a messenger Pidgey…” That was it! “Why did I not think of it before?” she exclaimed as she rummaged around for some parchment and a quill. If she couldn’t find them, she would have them find her. She wrote a message that only Checkmate would understand and soon wrote more than a dozen copies. *~~~* The Fairy Queen of Roses waits From the Apple on the Hill Look in the Mountain City *~~~* “There, I think that should do it,” Titania smiled to herself. It was suitably subtle enough that someone from her team should understand, without tipping off their enemies. “Now all I have to do is send this message to every major city on Equus.” A jar of Bits sat on the writing desk she was using, and Titania eyed them dubiously. “I’ll pay her back… eventually,” she reasoned with herself as she took it. And soon she was making her way to the Post Office, eager to send her message, and hopefully find her friends at long last.   *~*   As they worked, Selena had been a little lost in thought, Apple Fritter having to poke at the mon a few times to get her attention. “Huh? Wha…” Selena absentmindedly passed her a few apples, to which Fritter laughed. “Thank you, but that’s not why I wanted your attention,” Fritter giggled. “You seem pretty out of it today, is something wrong?” Selena sighed as she stared at the ground. “I just have a lot on my mind…” “Do you want talk about it?” Fritter asked. Selena looked at the mare and after a moment of contemplation, shrugged her shoulders. “Sure, why not?” She fell silent for a moment and then spoke again, “But you have to promise not to tell anyone else, especially Rika, got it?” Apple Fritter nodded her head. “Good, now… I have a question.” Selena poked at the ground with a claw. “Have you… ever, been in love?” she said quietly. That question caught Fritter off guard. “W-well, uh…” She stammered and shook her head to clear away the errant thoughts that buzzed around inside of it. “Sorry, ah wasn’t expecting that. Uh, well kinda, ah think? Maybe it was love, but it didn’t really pan out.” Selena looked a bit disappointed at that response. “Oh, well… nevermind then.” “No, ask what you wanted, you need some advice right?” Selena fell silent and nodded. “Yeah, well… I kinda, well there’s someone that I like… but I don’t know if he likes me back, if he could like me back.” “…Seth?” Apple Fritter asked, her voice holding a hint of caution, but Selena recoiled and poked out her tongue. “What!? Oh, no. No way!” she shook her head, looking like she’d eaten something sour. “He’s my Trainer, my brother and my best friend… but I never have and never will consider him a mate.” Apple Fritter breathed a sigh of relief… wait, why was she relieved? “W-well, uh, who is it then? Another Pokémon?” “Mhmm,” Selena nodded. “But, I don’t know if I should tell him or not. What if it ruins our friendship? What if he never speaks to me again!?” To be honest, Apple Fritter didn’t know how to respond. She was not well versed in manners of the heart and the one pony she had dated, however briefly, was not a positive experience. But she would at least try her best, as any good friend would. “Well, ah’ll be honest, ah don’t know what you should do. But, what would be harder, living with the pain of rejection, or the regret of never knowing at all?” Selena mulled over that, it was definitely something to think about. “Thanks for the advice Fritter, I think I know what I have to do.” “Ah’m jus’ glad I could help,” Apple Fritter smiled. Selena smiled back, and soon that smile turned cheeky. “So, when do you plan on telling Seth that you like him?” she asked coyly. Apple Fritter flushed crimson as she opened and closed her mouth a few times, but no sound came out. The Canterlot Clock Tower chimed in the distance, signalling that it was noon. “Well lookit that, lunch time.” She said hastily, “Let’s get ready, we’re gonna get some real hungry ponies soon.” Selena sighed, but she wasn’t going to give up. Both Rika or Fritter would be good for him and as his best friend and big sister, it was up to her to help him find happiness.   *~* By the time Selena and Fritter returned home, Seth, Diantha and Rika were waiting for them. “Welcome back!” Seth greeted them. “How was work today?” “It’s been picking up slightly,” Fritter replied, placing her money chest in her safe. “Ah’ve even been selling to a few Pokémon.” “It’s too bad we can’t make Poffins or PokéBlock,” Rika said with a wistful sigh. “I bet you’d make a killing if we could.” “Why can’t we?” Fritter asked. “Does it use some kinda special ingredients?” Rika nodded, “Yeah, berries, well ones that you can’t find here on Equus.” Seth’s stomach gave a slight rumble, gods how he missed Pecha berries. “So were you successful?” Selena asked. “What did the Princess say about holding a Contest?” Seth would have answered, but Rika’s shrieking seemed to do that for him. “♪SHE SAID YES~ ♥♫” Rika sang at the top of her lungs. “Ah, yeah…” Seth said, rubbing his highly sensitive ears. “Apparently Princess Celestia is going to see to it personally, ponyally? What is the correct vernacular here?” “I think personally will be fine,” Diantha said with a small giggle. Seth cleared his throat and continued. “Well anyway, we should get the venue details tomorrow but we have something to do tonight.” “Tonight?” Fritter asked curiously. “Y’all have plans?” “The Guard we met yesterday wants us to visit the museum, and point out where or how a Pokémon might be able to break in. But I figure we could enjoy ourselves in the meantime, maybe learn a little about the world we live in now. Apple Fritter had visited the museum once before, when she first moved to Canterlot from Appleloosa. “That sounds like fun.” Seth looked around and blinked, “Where’s Titania? I figured that this is something that she might like.” “I still don’t trust her,” Selena spat, and Seth gave her a despairing look. “I think that she’s alright, just let it be Sel.” “Let it be!?” She glared back at her Trainer. “She said that her team, her, friends, want you and us dead!” “And she also said that her team chose to ignore that contract,” Seth reminded her. “Besides, if she were serious about that, she would’ve tried something by now.” “Or she’s waiting for her friends to come and then overwhelm us with numbers!” Selena argued. “Sorry Seth, but I don’t trust her. End of story.” Apple Fritter sighed, she didn’t like seeing friends fight one another and from the look on Rika’s face, neither did she. “Look, it seems that there might be some things that need airing out,” Fritter said. “But fer now, while y’all are under mah roof, ah won’t allow fightin’ amongst yerselves.” She stamped her hoof to get her point across. “We’re all family here, and we’ll treat each other like family!” “Yes Ma’am!” the Pokémon chorused. Apple Fritter nodded and smiled. “Well, let’s wait fer Miss Titania to get back and then we’ll head to the museum.” She glanced at her writing desk, and to the jar of Bits that was no longer there. “And perhaps she might explain that too.” *~*   After about an hour, Seth had decided to go looking for the wayward fairy, but had so far been unsuccessful. “Where the hell did she go?” he muttered, “Is she searching the city again?” He passed through the food court where Fritter worked and headed into the Theatre District, soon coming across the alley where they had encountered that Sandslash. “Why did I come here?” he wondered aloud. He looked around, but the dimming light made it somewhat difficult. “I wonder…” He closed his eyes for a second and then re-opened them, the world as bright as the middle of the day. “Luxray Super Eyes, so cool!” He looked around the narrow alley, but aside from some sand that coated the cobblestones, he could find no other clues, nothing that would point as to where that Sandslash came from or where he went. The hole he escaped in had caved in, so there was no way to follow him that way. “How would tunnelling work here anyhow?” he wondered. “The entire city is on the side of a mountain, too much digging would result in the city falling…” Was that way the hole was caved in? To prevent that? “Alright, Number of known culprits, one. Motive, unknown. Method, Digging, others may be possible if more culprits make themselves known.” Seth paused as he caught a scent, one that seemed to stand out in the alley. “Is that… cologne?” He was a bit distracted last time, with the battle and all. But he still remembered the scents that filled the alley that day. The subtle yet sweet scent from Rika, Skyla, who smelled faintly of jet fuel and then the Sandslash… that was it, it was the Sandslash that the cologne seemed to be wafting from. Now that was odd, why would a Pokémon wear that? The answer, they wouldn’t. Was it possible that a pony was involved? Seth began to formulate a theory, it was highly unlikely that a Pokémon would steal material goods for the sake of gaining wealth. That left two options for him, either a former human was involved, or a denizen of Equus was using Pokémon to steal. “The former has the problem of being contradictory to Arceus’s screening of humans. Though, they could be confused or scared. The second, well the question is how said denizen is getting Pokémon to obey them.” “Oh? That’s quite simple really!” Seth turned and his vision was filled with colourful lights. All he could hear was a condescending voice. “It because I make them…”   *~*   When Titania returned home, she saw everyone aside from Seth waiting for her. She looked around, but he didn’t seem to be home. Selena was glaring at her, but that was nothing unusual. Diantha and her Gardevoir were sharing some tea and Rika was bouncing about, clearly excited about something. Apple Fritter on the other hand, looked at Titania with an odd expression, one she didn’t recognise. It was one of disappointment. “Where is the Luxray?” she asked, “I do not see him here.” “Seth,” Selena growled. “Left over an hour ago to look for you, you didn’t see him?” “No,” Titania replied, unfazed by the Absol’s tone. “We must have missed each other, though it is a large city so perhaps we-“ The door opened and Seth suddenly walked in, sparing a quick glance at Titania, but said nothing. “He looks upset,” Selena thought. “Maybe we shouldn’t go anywhere tonight.” Well, since everyone is present, are you all ready to go?” Seth asked. “Where were you?” Rika asked, “Did you get lost?” “No, it seemed that I was looking in the wrong direction.” Seth simply replied. “Now let’s go, the guard are expecting us.” Selena had a bad feeling, one that hadn’t left her for a while now. “I’d better keep an eye out tonight.” Everyone followed Seth out, but Apple fritter paused and motioned to Titania. The fairy nodded, “Is something wrong Miss Fritter?” The mare took a small breath and stared at her. “I’m not sure, is there?” Titania paused and then sighed. “I-I know, that I should not have taken that money, but I needed to send a message to my friends, I don’t know what else to do anymore!” Titania expected Apple fritter to be angry about the theft, and she had every right to be. So imagine the fairy’s surprise when Fritter smiled. “All ah wanted was the truth, ah aint mad about you taking the money, it wasn’t much and if you just asked, I would have let you use it.” She put a hoof on Titania’s hand, “If you ever need help, just ask alright?” Titania couldn’t believe it, nor would she believe that tears were stinging the corners of her eyes. “Yes, thank you…” “Well now, ah believe that we have a museum to visit, let’s be off… Lady Titania.”   *~* The walk to the museum was a quiet one, Seth didn’t say a word and neither did Titania. “Is everything alright Seth?” Fritter asked, but the Luxray only offered a nod in return, his pace picking up slightly. “What’s the matter with him?” the mare asked as Selena walked next to her. “Is he really that mad at Miss Titania?” “I don’t know, I’ve never seen him like this before.” While it was true that Seth had a tendency to get rather quiet when he was mad, he was acting kind of peculiar, though the last nine days had been rather stressful. “Maybe we should keep an eye on him?” Fritter suggested as she watched Seth ignore whatever it was that Rika had been talking to him about and walk ahead. “Yeah…” Selena replied. ~~~ Eventually, they reached the museum, which only had a few visitors, but several staff members were running here and there, hanging large banners announcing the Crown Jewels display. Some Solar Guard were also present, expecting some form of trouble. The group took in some of the sights, having been to the museum in Nacrene City a few times, as well as the Gallery in Lumious City, Rika and the rest weren’t expecting such a massive building. “Wow!” Rika exclaimed, looking at the massive pillars in front of the building, then to the enormous iron hinged doors at the entrance “It’s huge!” “Indeed, I can’t wait to see what treasures it holds,” Diantha said. ~~~ The inside was just as impressive. Artefacts, paintings, sculptures, and objects that seemed to defy description filled its halls. One section was filled with ancient Pegasopolian artefacts, while another held a section dedicated to just one Unicorn by the name of Starswirl the Bearded. As the group looked around, Apple Fritter bumped into a lanky Unicorn stallion, one that glared daggers at her for it. “Heh, sorry bout that,” Apple Fritter apologised, but the stallion just raised his nose like he’d smelt something awful. “Feh, dirty Mud Stomper! Watch where you’re going!” he snorted, walking out the front door as Apple Fritter steamed silently. She’d had to deal with all sorts of ponies living here in Canterlot, but ones like him… Oh she didn’t like them one bit. As she watched him leave, one thing caught her attention. His Cutie Mark, it was a serpent that seemed to be eating its own tail. What on Equus could that mean? Seth also watched the stallion leave, remaining silent. “So what do we have to do here?” Fritter asked, mildly irritated now. “Ah mean, other than taking in the sights.” “We have to find holes in security that Pokémon could exploit,” Seth explained. “To make sure the jewels don’t get stolen.” “What if that Sandslash tries to Dig in?” Rika suggested, but someone answered that question for her. “I doubt they’d try that method, the tiles here have a strength enchantment, it would be possible to dig through them, but it would be loud and it would take time.” Grissom said, walking up behind them. “Teleportation then?” Diantha suggested. “Silent and efficient.” “That could work, but we’re currently putting up wards that will prevent that,” Grissom replied as he looked around. “These new wards should work against Pokémon teleportation and should be completed within the hour.” Selena looked around, noticing windows high near the ceiling, which stood around 40 feet above them. “Maybe they could Fly in? The windows could probably be Cut through and a small Flying type like Zubat could easily manoeuvre through the defences.” “We would like to reinforce the glass too, but something like that has to be woven in during the window’s creation… we can place aerial troops on the roof though, and I’ll see about getting some Night Guard in on it.” Grissom showed them through until they reached the display, and the beautiful jewellery that lay within. “These here are the most valuable gems in all of Equestria, possibly all of Equus… and it’s our job to see that they stay in that case.” “It sounds a bit unlikely,” Seth said, walking closer to the case. “But what’s to stop a Pokémon from simply walking through the front doors, posing as a guest, smash the case and run outside, past all the wards?” “Well we’ll have plenty of trained Guards here during the exhibition, and I doubt that the thief would really be so crass as to try a method like that.” Seth placed a paw against the glass, “It would be crass, but… what’s the harm in adding a little bang to a performance?” A shout suddenly rang out from the entrance to the museum as a cloud of smoke filled the building. A Weezing floated through the halls, spreading a thick, choking layer of smog. Several windows shattered as Zubat swarmed in, blasting Supersonic around at anything that moved. “What’s going on!?” Grissom yelled, “Get a squad in here ASAP!” Ponies screamed and ran as Confusion set in, while the few guards present tried to round up the attacking Pokémon. “Seth?” Selena suddenly growled, something didn’t sit right with her, and it’s what saved her when Seth unleashed a powerful Discharge attack, knocking everypony and every Pokémon off of their feet. Selena had erected a Protect at the last second, saving her. “SETH!? WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?” She yelled over the sound of screaming ponies as they tried to flee the indoor thunderstorm. A display showing how clouds were made reacted to the lightning, turning black and suddenly began to fire errant bolts of their own. Several Pegasi guards and museum staff tried to get it under control, but to no avail. Seth in the meantime, had shattered the glass around the Jewels and scooped them into his bag before bolting for the nearest window. Selena gave chase, knowing that she could outrun the large Luxray, well, she thought she could. Seth made several well-timed jumps off of some statues and leapt through a broken window about fifteen feet off of the ground. “How the?” She stared in disbelief. Running back towards the others, they had started to recuperate from the attack. “C’mon! Seth just jumped out of that window, we need to catch him!” “Allow us,” Diantha said, her Gardevoir appearing at her side. She teleported outside, just in time to see an Alakazam appear, and Seth running was straight towards it.  “Gardevoir! Use Imprison!” Diantha ordered. Her partner reacted as soon as the words left her mouth, stopping the shocked Alakazam in its tracks. Seth growled and ran past it, Diantha tried to catch him with Psychic, but she still wasn’t used to her powers and Seth broke free, ducking into a side alley. Several Thestrals flew after him, but a flash of light told the Champion that they had met an electrifying fate. She chased as well, readying a Protect just in case, but the only sight that greeted her was a few shocked bat ponies and a hole in the ground. Seth had escaped, along with the jewels. “Well… bollocks!” Diantha muttered. ~~~ When she returned to the front of the museum, her Gardevoir was still keeping the Alakazam contained in a barrier, his moves sealed by Imprison. The Weezing and Zubat had already fled, the Guard still trying to contain the chaos inside the building. Selena and the others had also come out from the museum, the two Pokémon searching frantically for their master and brother. “Where is he?” Selena yelled, “And why the hell did he just steal the jewels?” “He ran into that alley,” Diantha explain calmly, “But I’m afraid that I was unable to catch him. I truly am sorry.” “Well sorry isn’t going to get him back now is it!?” Selena yelled, baring her fangs at the shiny Gardevoir. “You told us to leave it to you and look where that got us!” She stopped however, when Rika placed a paw on her shoulder. “What are you doing?” Selena growled. “Aren’t you worried?” The Dark type paused when she saw the tears streaming down Rika’s face. “You think I’m not worried!? Seth just attacked us and stole those stupid jewels! Why? Why would he do such a thing!?” “I don’t know, none of this makes any sense!” Selena yelled. Diantha motioned towards the captured Alakazam, “Perhaps our new friend here can tell us?” “I am trying My Lady,” Gardevoir spoke telepathically. “But his mental defences are very strong, and there’s something else blocking me, something I’ve never encountered before.” “It’s magic,” Grissom replied, exiting the museum and walking over to them. “It’s faint, but I can sense some kind of malevolent magic emanating from him.” And it was magic hat he’d felt before, Grissom really hoped he was wrong though. “Did anypony see somepony suspicious?” he asked, “Aside from the attacking Pokémon.” No-one said anything, until Apple Fritter cleared her throat. “Well, ah saw a really rude Unicorn just after entering.” “A rude Unicorn?” Grissom asked. “Yeah, one of those racist noble-types. Had a real weird Cutie Mark too!” Grissom’s eyes narrowed, “Was that Cutie Mark an Ouroboros?” When Fritter tilted her head in confusion, he explained further. “It looked like a snake eating its own tail.” “Yeah, that’s the one!” she nodded. “Y’all know ‘im?” “Unfortunately,” Grissom sighed. “When Seth first described the Sandslash that you encountered, I had my suspicions, but tonight events have confirmed it. We’re dealing with a stallion named Total Control, a Unicorn who specialises in the Dark Arts.” “What kind of dark arts?” Diantha asked, though she had a feeling that she already knew the answer. “Mind Control magic,” Grissom confirmed. “Extremely dangerous and very much forbidden. Even without these thefts, practicing that art alone is enough to warrant life imprisonment.” “So, Seth didn’t steal those jewels because he wanted to?” Rika asked hopefully. “Someone was controlling him?” “But when…?” Selena suddenly gasped, when Seth had gone looking for Titania, he’d come back acting funny. It must have been then. “So how do we get him back?” Grissom nodded, “About that actually, tonight has gone rather well, wouldn’t you agree Lady Diantha?” “I’d say so, I just hope our luck holds up. Now let’s get our friend here back to the castle for a proper interrogation.” “Gone well!?” Selena was about to blow a blood vessel. “You think tonight has gone well? Seth is in the hooves of a madman, the jewels were stolen and we have no idea where either of them are!” “We will soon enough,” Grissom chuckled. “Now let’s get back to the castle. We have plans to make and a friend to rescue.”   *~*   “So what did you mean ‘all according to plan’?” Selena shouted, like she had been since they’d gotten to the castle. “Just what the hell is going on?” Grissom motioned towards the map on his desk, which had three glowing points on it. “This whole thing is a setup,” he explained. “I’ve had a feeling for a while now that Control was behind all this, but I didn’t have solid proof. So we rigged the one thing that he was desperate to steal, the one thing that he’s desired for years!” “The Crown Jewels.” Rika said. “Exactly!” Grissom exclaimed. “Control has been trying to steal those gems for nearly a decade now, and he’s finally gotten sloppy. And it was thanks to Seth that we now have a lead to go on.” “What did Seth do?” Selena asked. “He’s been brainwashed as well.” “Not quite, but I have to commend his acting skills,” Grissom smirked. “He almost had me fooled.” “Wait! He’s jus’ pretending?” Fritter asked. “Yes, when we came to visit this morning, Mr. Grissom explained his theory to us,” Diantha explained. “And thanks to a counter spell performed by Princess Celestia, Seth used himself as bait to lure out the enemy.” “We have a mole in our Guard. I have yet to determine who… but just knowing is enough to sow the seeds of deceit. We simply leaked the information about Seth being ‘alone’ tonight and the enemy took the bait.” “So when Seth left to look for Titania?” Selena said. “Yes, that was when the plan took effect.” Grissom’s smile vanished. “But I didn’t expect three locations; we now have quite the predicament on our hands.” “Well?” Diantha asked her partner. “Have you any luck on our brainwashed friend here?” Gardevoir stood in front of the captive Alakazam. The problem was that she had to expend part of her power to perform an upkeep on the Imprison move, so he couldn’t escape. That, and the combination of the mental and magical defenses around his mind were quite strong. “If only I had access to my Mega form, this would require little effort.” she said to her Mistress. “I just don’t know if I can breach his mind on my own.” “That is a problem,” Grissom said. “The tracking spells we left on the Jewels are coming from three different locations, we need to know if we’re walking into a trap and we need to know quickly.” “It would be easier if I had another Psychic to assist me,” Gardevoir continued. “But you are still inexperienced in this technique Mistress, it might cause permanent damage to the Alakazam.” “And we don’t want that,” Diantha replied tersely. “But Mr. Grissom is right, time is not on our side right now...” “Then perhaps I can be of assistance?” A powerful voice resonated in their heads. The group turned to see a large white and purple feline Pokémon standing in the doorway. “If you require someone to breach his mental defenses, then I can do it.” “And who might you be?” Diantha asked. “I’ve never seen a Pokemon like you before.” The pressure she felt emanating from him was almost overpowering. It was like nothing she’d ever faced before... was he a Legendary Pokémon? Or something... more. “I am not surprised, I am the only one of my kind. My name is Mewtwo...” He walked over to the Alakazam as his eyes shone with an azure hue. “Now let us see what sort of fight you can put up.” He entered the mindscape of the Alakazam, which appeared to be well fortified. It took the form of a massive castle, its walls looked nigh impregnable. “Humph, such a weak defense...” Mewtwo raised his hand as the entire castle shook under his might, the enormous stone walls crumbling like dust and scattering in the wind. A magic circle appeared, manifesting in the form of a steel gate bound in thick chains. “So this is magical defense... not bad, but not good enough!” Mewtwo raised his hand once more, placing it on the gate as it began to groan and creak, before the chains snapped, thrashing like angry snakes as the gate imploded. “Pitiful, I had hoped for a challenge.” Once he was past that layer, all that remained as a steel cage with a terrified Alakazam hidden within. A small part of Mewtwo’s own mind flared up in anger, feeling some sort of sympathy towards the bound Psychic type. “The one who did this will pay, now be still.” He raised his hand once more as the cage warped and vanished, freeing the Alakazam’s mind and restoring it once more. Something was wrong though. As Mewtwo was about to leave, the scenery suddenly vanished and he was forcefully removed from the mindscape. “Hmm, very clever...” Now back in reality, he looked at the others. “It would seem that a failsafe spell activated once I freed his mind. It wiped the memories of what happened to him... I may be able to restore them, but they appeared to be painful ones... so perhaps it might be best not to.” “But what about finding Seth!?” Rika yelled. “He’s in danger!” “The... three... guarded....” The Alakazam said, his voice barely a whisper. “Champion... in the south... Deceiver to... the north.” he paused to take a shallow breath. “And... the Master, in the east...” That was all he said before passing out. “Well that was ominous,” Selena said. “What do you suppose it meant?” Grissom’s eyes widened as he stared at a glowing map. “The three places we’re getting readings from, they are coming from warehouses in the South, East and North Districts.” “The Champion, the Deceiver and the Master...?” Selena muttered. “So what should we do?” “We split up, take all three at the same time.” Titania said. “The Lux- I mean, Seth, is bound to be at one of those locations.” “That might be our best option,” Grissom said. “But there are still so many variables, like the unknown number on enemies, Control may have already discovered the trackers and all of this is a trap.” “But we have to try!” Selena said. “So who goes where then?” “I’ll take this ‘Deceiver’,” Titania said. “I’m curious about this ‘Champion’,” Diantha replied. “Surely he can’t have a former Champion under his command.” “Then Fritter, Rika and I will take the ‘Master,” Selena said. “I have a bad feeling about that one.” “Alright, give me a few minutes to get a contingent of Guards ready, you will all take a squad with you.” Grissom said. “And I suppose I don’t have to tell you all to be careful?” “What about you Mewtwo?” Diantha asked, “Will you assist us?” Mewtwo shook his head, “If I get involved, then the cleanup could get... expensive. Holding back is not a strong suit of mine.” His eyes flashed once more. “I have set up a mental link with everyone and will stay here with Mr. Grissom to help co-ordinate this mission. Should things go wrong, I can teleport straight to the problem and... Rectify the situation.” “Okay then everypony,” Grissom said. “We leave in ten minutes, so let’s go over the plan once more.” Apple Fritter gulped as she looked out a window and into the starry sky. “Ah hope yer safe Seth... and ah’ll save you. Ah promise.”