//------------------------------//
// The Big Facehoof 
// Story: Building a Better World: Origins 
// by Cookie_Girl 
//------------------------------//

   "What about speech?" asked Princess Celestia. "Will we be able to communicate with the humans?"

<Somewhat, maybe.> Arceus answered a little cryptically. 

Celestia just looked at him blankly before picking up a teacup with her magic and saying "I thought you promised to stop doing that so often." She took a sip. "Or do I have to call Pinkie Pie back again?"

<NO!> Arceus flinched. <That will not be necessary!> The pokemon god shook his head to banish an unpleasant memory involving the pink party pony mare. <What I meant is that you will speak the language of pokemon, humans call it pokespeak.

<Some pokemon do find ways around this, psychic types can usually communicate telepathically, and some rare pokemon learn how to speak as humans do.>

"I see." tea finished Celestia set her cup down. "Well as tough as that will be for my little ponies the Unicorns should still be able to cast translation spells."

<Actually most of your spells have been converted into special attacks, and other moves for use by pokemon.> Arceus arched a brow, and bowed his head slightly to let her know she should think about that. 

Celestia's face scrunched up at his expression because it was the same one Blue Blood used whenever he flirted with mares. Then she thought about what he had said. She smiled "Ah, so pokemon can now cast the translation spell."

<They will have to learn how first, and not all will be able to do so, but yes that is the basic idea.> 

Further conversation was cut off by the sound of a muffled explosion, and a tremor that shook the walls of the Hall of Legends. "What was that?" Celestia jumped up from her seat. "Are we under attack?"

<I should think not.> Arceus laughed. <There is no way that the humans would be stupid enough to... Well it's not like they even know where we are, or that I am free.> He thought about that, and then realized how easily the humans can be underestimated. <Perhaps we should go see for ourselves.>

Before she could agree she had been teleported to the outside of the temple. What she saw put her on guard immediately. A  large crater with a ring of blown back trees around it, and several trees within that had been reduced to shattered logs. The crater itself was less than ten yards from the clearing where the temple was located. 

"Huzzah!" Celestia looked up to see her sister flying alongside a pink pokemon. "Did you see Celestia?" Luna was smiling like a certain pink earth pony mare. In other words she was smiling like a mad mare. 

Mew flew down to her father, and explained to his questioning look <That was the single most powerful moon blast I have ever seen.> She looked back to the crater. <Seriously, it was stronger than a hyper beam.>

<That makes since.> Arceus nodded. <Moon blast channels power from the moon, and Princess Luna has a direct connection with it though her magic.>

"Celestia, let Mew see what moves you can do." Luna was still smiling, though more normally now. The night alicorn landed beside her sister, and raised a hoof proudly. "It is amazing what pokemon can do without magic Celestia." Luna pointed at herself, and continued. "I have already learned the moves shadow ball, dark void, and moon blast."

Princess Celestia knew that for whatever reason she would have a severe headache before the day was over. "Luna, we are not here to participate in battles, but to bring about a political revolution." she said, then quickly added "Peacefully if possible."

Luna pouted, and muttered something about her sister being a party pooper. Elsewhere, though they were miles apart Pinkie Pie and Cheese Sandwich both suddenly shivered in horror. 

<You may want to reconsider that.> Arceus said. 

Luna perked up a little. Celestia gave Arceus a look that simply said , don't encourage her. "And why would I want to do that?" Celestia asked him. 

<Remember that battling is a bit part of both human, and pokemon culture." Arceus reached out with his cosmic powers and created three windows in the air before them. 

In the first window was an average trainer working with two of her pokemon. A sandshrew, and a pidgey. "Pidgey use gust, Sandshrew dodge it with dig." the trainer told her team members. 

They followed her instructions exactly, and even had fun doing it. "Can't catch me." the sandshrew taunted. "Oh yeah!?" the pidgey flapped its wings, and sent a gust attack at the ground type. The attack missed as Sandshrew used dig. "Pidgey, send a gust into the hole." the trainer ordered. The flying type didn't waste any time, and sent a series of gusts straight down the tunnel. "I've got you now, take that, and that and that and that!" Pidgey yelled. 

Suddenly the sandshrew was propelled out of the ground at a higher than normal speed than it should have been able to achieve on its own. A strong wind carried the grounder like an air powered rocket. The grin on its face was one of terror not amusement. 

"Rollout!" yelled the equally surprised trainer. Sandshrew did the move in midair, and was pushed faster by the wind to become a cannon ball. Straight at Pidgey. "Pidgey use quick attack!" the trainer said as quickly as possible. 

Pidgey started the attack, but was hit before it had a chance to move. Both pokemon fell to the ground. Sandshrew completed the rollout, and landed on top of Pidgey. 

"Quick attack didn't work?" the trainer was wide eyed. She then realized that both of her team members needed healing, and rushed to them with medical spray. 

She pushed Sandshrew off Pidgey, and gave the flying type a good once over. Pidgey gave a small shriek at the sting of the medicine, and jumped up only to then chirp happily at the girl. "You did good Pidgey, nice job." the girl smiled at her friend. 

Sandshrew refused to be unrolled, and could only be given a light spray of medicine. The girl tried her best to get her friend to open up but to no avail. "Come on buddy, unroll already." the trainer hugged her friend close to her. "Your okay aren't you?" Her eyes watered, and a few tears fell onto Sandshrew's back. 

The ground type pokemon was suddenly engulfed by a bright light. Sandshrew grew larger as the glow increased. Beams of light shot off of its body as its shape changed, and spikes grew from its armor. 

"Your evolving!" the girl watched in awe as she continued to hug her friend who was now almost too big to hold. 

The glow faded to reveal the new evolved pokemon. "Sandslash!" the pokemon shouted its new name in triumph. 

"Alright!" the trainer jumped up, and shouted "Sandshrew evolved into Sandslash, yahoo!" She fist pumped. 

Sandslash gleefully tackled the girl to the ground with a hug. "Hey! Watch out, don't hurt our trainer!" Pidgey yelled from above. 

The second window showed a group of various fighting type pokemon in an old warehouse. They were standing in a circle around a makeshift fighting ring. In the ring were just two. 

In one corner stood a hitmonlee wearing a chain with an iron weight for a buckle. The hitmonlee took off the belt, and held it up like it was the most valuable thing in existence. The champion. 

In the other corner standing on the turnbuckle with its wings/arms crossed was the challenger. Hawlucha. The wrestler pokemon had finally found a place where fighting types could just do what they do without having to worry about trainers. Now Hawlucha was challenging the champion for the title. 

A bell rang. Hawlucha took the first move. Launching itself from the top rope Hawlucha flew straight at its opponent, but turned at the last second. Hitmonlee saw the trick, and used a lightning fast rolling kick to sent 
Hawlucha into the ropes. 

Hawlucha grabbed onto the top rope, flipped over, and pulled it tight. On the rebound Hawlucha flipped again, and added a sideways spin. Hitmonlee was distracted by the spin, but knew a hit was coming, and braced itself. Hawlucha delivered an incredibly fast karate chop to the champion's head. Only to have itself be slammed. 

The champion had learned long ago to study non fighting type moves. With its opponent grounded Hitmonlee raised a leg high, and delivered a powerful stomp. Hitmonlee then stumbled back into the ropes as it finally started to feel the pain from the chop to the head. 

Hawlucha jumped up from the mat, and applied a scissor hold on Hitmonlee. The wrestler pokemon flipped itself backwards, and threw the champ with a hurrincurana right into the middle of the ring. Hawlucha leapt to the top turnbuckle then flipped sideways onto the ropes, and struck its signature pose before launching itself up high into the air. Every pokemon that had seen Hawlucha fight knew what was coming. Or they thought they did. 

As Hawlucha's flight reached its peak the flying fighter spun itself. Hawlucha started a karate chop, but refocused the energy into its arm. Hitmonlee saw the difference immediately, but couldn't dodge without knowing what kind of attack it was, or where it would hit. So the champ crossed its arms in front of its face, and braced for impact. 

As Hawlucha descended it shouted out ,and named the attack. "Flying clothesline!" Using its left arm to knock Hitmonlee's arms out of the way Hawlucha slammed the newly created attack into the opponent's face. The sound was like a thunder clap as Hawlucha's arm connected with its target. Hitmonlee's head snapped back, and its feet left the ground. Hawlucha sailed past, but couldn't stop because of its momentum. Hitmonlee backflipped, and spun around before landing face down, and Hawlucha fell out of the ring onto the concrete floor. 

Hawlucha stood up holding a hand to its injured chest. The flyer was about to climb back into the ring when it was stopped by a machop. The machop just pointed into the ring where the champion stood holding the belt. Hitmonlee called Hawlucha forward. When the challenger stepped up nomon knew what would happen. The champion could claim the new move illegal, and have the Hawlucha banned, or just declare the match a draw because of their injuries. 

Hawlucha stood before the champion, and waited. Hitmonlee raised the belt with both hands, and respectfully hung it around Hawlucha's neck. Hitmonlee stepped back, and bowed to the champion. The other pokemon all cheered their approval, and chanted "Haw-lu-cha! Haw-lu-cha! Haw-lu-cha!"

In the third window was a grand stage as beautiful as the ballroom of Canterlot castle. Celestia was confused about how such a beautiful sight could be associated with such a brutal practice. Until it started. 

Two coordinators in elaborate attire were guiding their pokemon partners through an amazingly intricate routine. The man wore a tuxedo with a cape, top hat, and opera mask all decorated with silver thread patterns. The woman wore a ball gown that was a gorgeous rose petal pink with red lace trim, long ivory white gloves that complemented her tanned skin, and her hair was done up in a delicate swirl of blue with small white feathers like she wore the sky itself as a part of her. 

The pokemon, a persian and delcaty were dancing across the stage in a beautiful display of skill, and ability. A power gem artfully dodged, and countered with a blizzard. Agility allowed the persian to cartwheel over the attack while using swift. 

Delcatty could not avoid the hit, and took it full on. They were losing points, and running out of time. "Alright my lovely friend." the woman said "Use rain dance then shoot blizzard straight up." Delcatty trusted her trainer and knew the routine well. Pretty soon a hail of ice pellets were barraging the stage. 

"Now Persian, protect, and roar." said the man dramatically. Persian shielded himself from the ice, and let loose a powerful roar that actually threw the ice back up. The ice pellets collided from above, and below shattering on contact resulting in a spectacular shower of ice crystals that swirled, and billowed at the persian's roaring command. 

The buzzer sounded, and time was up. The winners were the man, and persian. Awards were presented, bows were taken, and a rose was given by the man to his opponent. 

"Why thank you Phantom." she took the flower from him, and gave it a delicate sniff. "Congratulations to you, and Persian, your victory is well deserved."

Persian stepped forward, and spoke to Delcatty. "We gave an amazing performance this day my lady, and I hope to meet you on the stage again if fate may allow it."

"Oh, yes, thank you kind sir." Delcatty blushed. "I hope to see you again some day too."

Arceus closed the windows, and looked to Celestia before speaking. <Do you see Princess? Pokemon battle to learn, and to grow, they battle for their own fun, and for respect. They work together with their trainer to do amazing things.> Arceus opened one more window, and showed her a man. <This is the legendary champion Red, he alone is recognized as the greatest trainer alive. And he is the most respected, and most honorable human I know of. He alone could change the world with just his words if he wished.> he closed the window. 

"Yes I think I do." Celestia sighed. "I still don't like the idea of any creature being forced to fight purely for the entertainment of others though." she shook her head. 

<Nor do I Princess, in fact if I were to discover that any of my pokemon were being forced to do so against their will...> the alpha pokemon closed his eyes for a moment before continuing. <Well, how would you react if that happened to your little ponies?>

"Probably something like this." Princess Celestia closed her eyes, and took a deep slow breath. She thought back to the few times that something had ever caused her to become truly angry. There were only a hoof full of times, and amazingly Discord had nothing to do with any of them. 

Focusing on the most recent memory Celestia summoned an anger that was not directed outward at anypony else, but at herself. She remembered how she had actually laughed at her sister when Luna had first claimed their subjects did not love her. 

"If I had done something to reassure her that first time." Celestia thought to herself. But I didn't, and it is all my fault that she...

The Alicorn Princess of the sun opened her eyes, now golden orbs of mystical flames, and growled "Rage...

"Ah!" Luna jumped away from her. 

"...shift." Celestia exploded in an aura of burning magic in the form of golden fire. The longer she held the spell the more power it took from her anger. 

The heat was reaching such a level that Arceus had to summon the Draco Plate to keep from feeling it. 

Without speaking Celestia shapes the fire into a ball above her horn. Throwing it    with her magic Celestia sent it soaring into the sky. When it was just a shining speck in the blue it exploded. For one second the sky was ruled by two solar spheres. The light was too bright to see without protection. The weather went from mild spring to the middle of summer. Then the empty space where the blaze had consumed all the air refilled in a tornado like wind. 

Mew made a mental note to personally rescue any ponies she found in a bad situation before the Princesses found out. She had just seen what one could do, and that wasn't even the scary one. She didn't want to know what they would do together to anyone that earned their wrath. 

<Was that an established spell, or did you just create it?> Arceus asked Celestia. 

"No spell, just magical manipulation of heat, and light." Celestia felt a little dizzy after the expense of energy. "Rage shift is a spell though, and now I assume a move to amplify attack power."

<Well you may want to craft it into a signature attack.> he told her. 

"Yes, maybe later though." Celestia sighed again. "Very well Arceus, I understand that strong battlers are well respected by both humans, and pokemon, and that the strongest are very influential. 

"So I shall consider involving myself publicly in some way." She caught sight of Luna making a pouty face. "And you are always free to make your own choices sister."

Luna smirked at Celestia, but thanked her with a neck hug. "I shall try not to embarrass you Tia." she joked. 

After all the stress, and tears of the last few days Celestia actually laughed. "Oh, I am sure you will find someway to do so." she teased back. 

<Well you two have the beginnings of some really powerful signature attacks.> Mew said. She pointed to Celestia "You with that solar ball or whatever you want to call it." She pointed to Luna <And you with that... That,> Mew absently tried to snap her fingers, not realizing that she was just wiggling them. She was trying to think of a name that accurately described how it must feel to get hit with that nightmarishly powerful moon blast. Snap! <Nightmare Moon blast!> she shouted proudly. 

The sudden silence did not go unnoticed by the slightly absent minded Mew. <Uhh, did... Did I say something or um... 

Arceus wanted to facehoof, but the part of his brain that should be receiving the signal to do so had stopped working. So the command to facehoof traveled to the closest recipient. In another reality another Arceus facehoofed. 

"You," Luna began with her teeth clenched. "have said nothing to your knowledge Lady Mew.

"Forgive me Celestia, Lord Arceus, but I must take my leave." Luna walked off before taking to the air. Luna flew in a random direction. She was simply looking for something to distract her. As she flew she began to sing. 

Here in this new world can we find a new way 
I hope we can because we can't leave we're here to stay 
All I want is to just live my life 
So full of peace and free of strife 
But I have a deep dark fear that something bad still grows near 
This god of all things has sworn to me that I am now and forever free 
Yet I can still feel her in my soul and I shake with fear like a foal 
How in this new world can I find a new way 
To keep my dark hunter's black wings at bay 
What have I done to deserve this punishment      
Why must I suffer everlasting torment 
Just give me harmony and peace 
Grant me that I beg you please