"What do you think they are?"
"Some hell-hounds from Tarturus, no doubt."
Eva slowly opened her eyes to find two strange Ponyta and Rapidash-looking creatures talking to one another. The older of the two had a light-grey coat with a horn and darker grey mane, tail and mustache, wearing a sort of camouflage-printed coat. The younger one had a pair of wings that matched his silvery-coat with a white mane and tail, black streaks going through them.
"That fur of theirs is quite something though," the older stallion stated, brushing his mustache with a hoof. "I could get my friend from the city to make a nice coat and scarf for your mother with those."
What are they talking about? Eva thought to herself. And why can I understand them? I don't remember falling asleep with my earpiece.
"I don't know, Dad," the younger stallion began. "What if they're some endangered species or something? The Princesses have already shown their dislike of clothing made from animal pelts and, well, it just doesn't seem right. They're not causing any trouble or hurting anypony and-"
"You've been talking to that Muse girl again, haven't you?" The father spoke as though it tasted like vile on his tongue. "That mother of hers may have held a major position in the royal guard, but her connections with Princess Celestia is nothing but lies. Her powers don't scare me!"
"You have no right to speak about Lovely Feathers like that. It's thanks to her command that Canterlot has stayed safe for as long as it has. Besides; Muse makes a fair point. If you continue to have that shady guy make coats from the animals that you kill, the Princesses will eventually catch wind and you'll get thrown in jail! This place is an animal sanctuary and-"
The younger was cut off when his father slapped him across the face, causing Eva to gasp silently.
"The only way they'll find out is if someone tells them, and I will not have my son ratting me out!" The father raised his hoof to hit his son once more.
"Stop it! Eva cried as she got to her feet. Only to topple over when she lost her balance. She looked down at her body and gasped when she found she was no longer a human, but a very familiar Dark-type. She swerved her head around to see the matching scythe-like tail and appendage on the side of her head, confirming that she was indeed an Absol. "W-What happened to me!?"
"Eva?" A male voice spoke from behind her.
Said girl turned to see Zero lying behind her, staring up at her with confused, amber-red eyes.
Zero got to his feet and sniffed Eva, then spotted the familiar blue lotus he had given to his mate when they had visited Oblivia tucked in a patch of fur just above where it slightly concealed part of her left eye. Eva… is that you?"
Before the newly transformed Absol could respond, the older stallion started to yell at his son once more.
"Look what you've done! I was going to be merciful and kill them in their sleep, but I guess they'll have to suffer." His horn began to light up and crackle with light-blue energy.
"Dad, don't!" The son tried to stop his father, but was only pushed away.
Just as the unicorn fired his spell at Eva, Zero leaped in front of her and deflected it with Protect.
"You will not hurt my mate!" Zero growled menacingly.
"Stop, Dad, before you make it even more mad!" The pegasus tried to reason.
"Be silent!" The father shot another spell, this one directed at his son.
Instincts suddenly kicking in, Eva rushed to the younger stallion and, using her entire body, shoved him out of the way, just as the spell smashed into the ground where they both had been not a moment earlier. The pegasus stared at Eva in disbelief, dumbstruck.
"Are you alright?" Eva asked.
"I… don't know what you're saying, but thanks," the stallion said before getting to his feet.
"Get away from my son, demon!" The unicorn looked ready to explode with rage.
First he tries to kill his son, now he's trying to protect him? That's some seriously messed up logic, Eva commented silently.
"What in Equestria is going on here!?"
Everyone turned to look in the direction where the new voice had come from to find two more ponies, both mares, standing a few yards away. The taller - and clearly older- of the two had a turquoise coat and wings and a majestically long white mane and tail that flowed in the light breeze. The other mare was also a pegasus, but had instead a yellow coat and fiery-red tom-boy mane and tail, the tips of her wings dipped crimson red and two small red triangles under both eyes.
"I better have not caught you trying to attack these creatures, Maxwell," the older pegasus spoke with the voice from before. "You know full well I don't take kindly to those that think they can use their position to make excuses when it comes to breaking the law."
The unicorn suddenly turned white as a ghost, his boast of not fearing the pegasus soldier clearly a fluke. "Y-You misunderstand, Lovely Feathers," he stammered, bowing respectfully. "It's just that that creature over there attacked my son for no good reason," he stated, pointing to Eva with a hoof.
Lovely Feathers didn't look convinced. "From what I saw, Maxwell, that 'creature' saved your son from your magic, so try again."
Maxwell gulped, then bowed his head in defeat. "I apologize, ma'm. It shall not happen again."
"I'll hold you to that." The mare turned her head, indicating for the stallion to leave.
The unicorn couldn't have gotten out of there fast enough and was gone within a few short moments.
Once he was gone, the pegasus stallion walked up to the two mares and bowed his head gratefully. "Thank you, Miss Lovely Feathers. I don't know what my father would have done if you hadn't shown up."
Lovely Feathers smiled. "You are most welcome, young Arrow Streak. If there is ever anything I can do, just let me know."
"I will, thank you." Arrow Streak turned to the other pegasus and added "I'll see you later, Muse?"
The yellow pegasus smiled and nodded. "We still on for the park clean-up next week?"
Arrow Streak nodded back. "Of course." Looking back to Eva he bowed his head in thanks. "Thank you again for saving me and sorry about my dad. I'll make he doesn't hurt you or your friend again." With that he trotted off in the direction his father had disappeared.
Zero joined Eva's side, nuzzling her sweetly. "Are you alright?"
Eva nodded and licked her mate's cheek fur. "I'm fine, love."
A cough interrupted them, bringing their eyes back to the two mares.
"We're sorry you two had to go through that," Lovely Feathers stated. "We'll see to it that Maxwell doesn't cause you anymore trouble."
Zero dipped his head in thanks. "We appreciate that."
"But what are we gonna do about this?" Eva stated, indicating to her body.
The mares blinked in confusion.
"I apologize, but we can't understand what you are saying," Lovely Feathers stated. She placed a hoof to her mouth in thought, her face brightening a moment later. "Come with us. I believe I have something back at our cottage that will help." She turned and headed back up the hill.
Muse smiled at the two Absols. "Follow us," she said cheerfully, trotting after her mother.
Zero looked at his mate with an unsure expression. "Should we follow them?"
Eva nodded. "I think we should. We won't get any answers standing around here."
"Fair point. Can you walk alright?"
"Yeah. Let's just hurry and catch up with them." And with that, the two rushed after the pegasi.
The Absols didn't have to run far, for the pegasi were waiting for them just beyond the ridge. From there, they traveled less a few hundred yards before they came upon a beautiful cottage with a giant fenced yard and enclosures all around.
"My mom and I watch over this animal sanctuary and take care of any injured creatures here in our home," Muse explained as they walked into the household. The young pegasus led Eva and Zero into what appeared to be the living room while Lovely Feathers went upstairs.
Eva and Zero looked around the room, taking note of the several photos on the wall of animals they had never seen before but greatly resembled different Pokémon, such as Eevee, Stantler and Zigzagoon.
"Please, make yourself at home," Muse offered as she indicated to the couch.
Both Absols nodded in thanks and jumped onto the simple red couch, just as Lovely Feathers entered the room, a small wooden box in her mouth.
The older pegasus placed the box on the coffee table in front of the couch. "My dear mentor gave this to me many years ago. She told me that her mentor gave it to her to use whenever one needed to communicate with those that don't or can't speak our language." She removed the lid to reveal a beautiful pendent inside, the design of crescent moons and stars engraved on it. Lovely Feathers took the pendent out of the box and walked over to Eva and Zero. "May I place this around your neck?"
Eva looked at her mate to get his opinion, who smiled and nodded his head, seeming to trust the pegasus. Eva smiled back and returned her eyes to Lovely Feathers and nodded, showing her trust as well.
Having permission, the pegasus mare placed the pendent around Eva's neck, latching the hook behind with surprising ease, before stepping back.
It was a few seconds before the pendent shimmered, causing Eva to shiver as she felt a wave of energy pass through her, followed by a warm sensation in her chest. "What was that?" She asked.
"Oh good, it worked." Lovely Feathers sighed in relief. "We're able to understand you now thanks to the charm casted on that pendent. I was worried for a moment that due to its age that it wouldn't work, but that's the power of Starswirl the Bearded for you." She joined her daughter on the couch opposite of Eva and Zero before continuing. "Now then; can you two tell us as to who - or what- you are?"
"And where in Equestria did you come from?" Muse piped in.
Eva and Zero looked at one another in confusion before looking back at the ponies.
"Equestria?" Zero repeated. "Is that a region near Sinnoh?"
"Sinnoh? I don't believe I've ever heard of such a place," Lovely Feathers stated. "And I should know, I've traveled the world many times."
The couple looked back at each other once more.
"Why do I have a feeling I'm going to regret this next question?" Eva said nervously. She turned back to the mares and said "Ever heard of the places Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Fiore, Almia, Oblivia, Unova, or Kalos?"
The pegasi both blinked, silent.
Eva sighed and brought her eyes to Zero. "We're a long way from home, Zero."
Lovely Muse had always fantasized that the creatures she had read about as a filly could be real, but what she saw before her now was beyond anything she had imagined.
The two 'Pokémon' as they had called themselves had been explaining to them who they were and where they had come from for the past hour. When the name of the world came up, though, things got quite interesting.
"You're from Earth?" Lovely Feathers inquired.
"So you have heard of it!" The one named Eva stated happily, her emerald-green eyes lighting up like a Hearth's Warming Eve tree.
However, the pegasus shook her head. "Not the one that you speak of, but I think I understand a little better now. You see, there is a theory - and this may true on your world as well- that there can be multiple versions of the same world. What you have just told me has me convinced that this is indeed the case, for I too have not always possessed this form." She sighed heavily before continuing "Not many know of what I am about to say, but I feel that I can trust you two with this secret… You see, I too come from the world known as Earth, one that is perhaps not that different from your own. It was perhaps some forty years ago that I was caught in a strange phenomenon back on Earth during a meteor shower in the desert. My mind was transported here and placed into the body of a young filly with no memory of my life as a human. Princess Celestia, one of leading princesses of Equestria, took me in and raised me as her own. Several years passed and I eventually found my way back to my human body back on Earth, but too much had changed in the time that I was gone, so I gave up my human life and returned here to Equus and took command of the Royal Guard. Not too long after that, I met my husband and, well," she smiled at her daughter before finishing "you can see the rest."
"That's amazing," Eva said softly, almost seeming to be at a loss for words, a paw on her chest. "It almost seems like something out of a fairytale."
"If that's the case, then maybe this can be our fairytale," Zero pointed out.
Eva laughed. "I guess you're right," she replied as she nuzzled her mate. "Seems like a twist on Romeo and Juliet."
Lovely Muse tilted her head in confusion. "Why do you say that?"
The two Absols looked at one another, as if having a silent conversation. Eventually, Eva turned back to the two mares."You see, the thing is, back where we come from, the idea that Pokémon and humans can love each other on an intimate level was well…" She looked back to Zero for assistance.
"Considered wrong, putting it lightly," Zero finished.
"I don't quite understand." Lovely Feathers put a hoof to her chin. "From what you've told us, it seems to me that, despite being of different species, most Pokémon are as sapient as humans, if not more so. Correct me if I'm wrong, but that seems somewhat discriminating towards Pokémon, does it not?"
Eva nodded solemnly. "It's true that, when put under the microscope, the laws against Poképhilia, as we called it, seem faulty, but try to understand when I tell you that when they were made, the well-being of the Pokémon was considered. Although there have been many innocent couples that were torn apart because of it, there are those that do take advantage of their Pokémon to commit… those types of things, which is why the laws were first created. However, my parents raised me on the ideal that love is love, no matter who it's directed towards or what others think of it, so that's what I chose to believe and continue to stick by it. They always would say 'Whenever you are in doubt, trust your heart, for that is your greatest guide.' I've followed that saying just about my entire life, but never truly understood what they meant until after Zero and I became a couple." She placed a paw on top of Zero's before adding "I love Zero the same way two humans or two Pokémon would. I accepted the dangers of being together with him and will defend my love for him even in this new world."
Lovely Muse and her mother were at a loss of words, realizing that the love that Eva and Zero shared for one another matched in strength to that of Cadence and Shining Armor, perhaps even more so. Eventually though, Lovely Feathers broke the silence by clearing her throat.
"That is a very remarkable story, and it pleases me to know that there are still those out there that continue to fight for what they believe in." She closed her eyes for a moment, thinking about something, then looked at Eva once more with a smile before adding "Please continue to fight on, Eva, and others will surely join you."
Eva nodded. "I will, I promise you."