//------------------------------// // Chapter 3 // Story: A New World, a New Identity // by Snek //------------------------------// After the delicious dinner with FancyPants, the butler, Loyalty, led him to an upstairs room that had been prepared for him some time that evening. It was a fairly large room, fully equipped with all of basic necessities, even a bathroom. The bed was far too large for him, now that he was a diminutive two and a half feet; he figured it would work better once he was evolved, if he could evolve that is. He hoped he could, he didn’t want to be small and pink the rest of his life! Getting into the bed proved difficult, as it was just about level with his head. To get in he had to push a chair from the desk to climb in. Once he got in further challenges were presented, his fur was full of static and the sheets kept sticking to him! And even worse he couldn’t figure out how to position his tail, and it kept sticking up into the air whenever he tried to sleep on his stomach like he always had as a human. After about ten minutes of struggling he finally found a comfortable position and managed to remove the sheets from himself, only to realize the light was still on. “Please tell me this isn’t going to get worse,” was the only reply he could offer to this realization. Things were going even worse for Shadow and the gang. It got cold in Canterlot at night , due to the high altitude and winds. BBK wasn’t bothered much by the cold, but Shadow and Valerie were bordering on hypothermia, and they couldn’t exactly share warmth. They had searched for a dumpster with newspapers or anything that could be used to help contain their precious heat but the city was unfortunately clean, the only dumpsters they found had been emptied recently. “Maybe we should have stayed at that warehouse,” moaned Shadow, “At least it was warm in there.” The others nodded in agreement. Unless they found somewhere warm their escape would be pointless. “We should just break into one of these houses! I’m sure we could overpower whoever lives in there.” Valerie gave a shocked look to the Klefki, not expecting the cute little fairy to suggest something so illegal. Shadow just groaned, already used to BBK’s less than legal tendencies. “No, we can’t do that, then they’d just have more justification for locking us up! And would we be much better than the beasts they think we are?” “I still think it’s better than you two freezing to death.” Shadow groaned again, as much as he was loathsome to admit it, she did have a point. “It’s times like these I wish that I wish Tyler had let me evolve into a Flareon.” “Well I like you just how you are, with a weakness to me,” teased the Fairy. “Yeah yeah eat it up, either way I’m the one that beat you so Ty could capture you.” BBK’s eyes narrowed, “Well maybe we should have a little battle tomorrow to see. That is if you two survive the cold.” “It’s on then BooBoo!” “I’m gonna crush you, you flashlight!” Valerie felt now would be a good time to intervene, “Guys guys! Calm down! Fighting right now isn’t going to help! We need to find somewhere warm!” “OOH! I have an idea! How about we break one of Shadow’s legs and admit him to the hospital!” “No, no, no, no, no! We are not going to break one of my legs! I like my legs! And who knows if these ponies would be able to fix it?” “Well it’s better than freezing to death isn’t it!” “Only barely!” Suddenly a window on a house next to them slammed open and an angry looking Gothitelle stuck her head out. “Will you idiots shut up! Some people are trying to sleep! The pony that lives in this house says you can stay here as long as you stop yelling outside her bedroom window!” The group grimaced at the Psychic-Type’s shrill mental voice ringing in their minds. “Sorry ma'am, I think I’ll gladly take that offer.” “Come over to the door, the pony is already unlocking it. Now I’m going back to sleep.” And with that the grumpy Psychic-Type brought her head back in and slammed the window closed with her Psychic powers. The group followed their instructions, and went to the front door, a sleepy looking mare with a light green goat and dark gray mane mixed with black. She mumbled a half hearted “good morning” before walking them to the living room and getting out a few more sleepings bags, as there were already two or three Pokemon in the room. She handed off a few bags to the Eeveelutions before looking to BBK, who shook her head and hung herself on a hat stand. The two old friends fell asleep quickly, but Valerie stayed awake for some time. She hadn’t been given a good chance before to fully contemplate what being outside of the lab would mean. She would no longer have access to an all but unlimited supply of antidotes. Sure Shadow could always use Heal Bell, but he wouldn’t be around all the time. She would need to find a way to cure others all on her own. Perhaps she could learn Heal Bell? That could work, that is if her species could learn it. She let out a sigh, she would have to simply be VERY careful for now. Another thought came to her mind, now that was free, what was keeping her from tracking down her parents and remaining sibling? She had had three brothers, and only two were taken with her to the laboratory. She stopped at that thought, tears welling up in her serpentine eyes. How would she explain what had happened to them? What if her parents blamed her? She blamed herself, so why wouldn’t they? Maybe she shouldn’t look for her family. At the thought of family, the only surviving human test subject, Vincent, came to mind. He and some of the other survivors had become her surrogate family, and if she had somehow escaped, what was stopping them from being mysteriously teleported also? She smiled at that thought, she wondered what they were up to, and how they would be spreading their new metaphorical wings. Hopefully they were staying out of trouble. Yawning, she turned over in her sleeping bag, her bristles catching slightly on the pillow. Shadow was laying before her, sleeping peacefully. He was the first non-victim to ever show compassion or care for her. That alone made him more valuable than her freedom, as freedom was a dangerous thing for her. Hopefully that pegasus guard from before was alright. Even if he had wrongfully arrested her and thrown her in a tiny cage, he was only doing his job, and she couldn’t stand the thought of someone else being hurt by her. Maybe once the local authorities stopped detaining Pokemon she could ask around wherever their station was. The events of the day finally getting to her, she yawned, and drifted off to sleep. Her mind created a beautiful dreamscape, a large field, empty for all but a giant tree in the center. From it’s branches hung plump, roughly triangular pink berries. The most pleasant dream she had had in some time. A few miles away, at Canterlot hospital, tragedy was taking place. Several nurses rushed around madly, a pegasus stallion laying in a bed, in his final death throes. The heart monitor showing only a flat, green line. Finally he stopped moving, his hoof falling to his side. On the other side of the room, a pegasus mare sobbed uncontrollably, a young foal clasped tightly to her barrel.