Stereo gazed at the blank canvas before him, rubbing his chin with a dissatisfactory hum. He pounded his fist against a nearby locker.
“What am I supposed to paint?!” He roared.
“Calm down, Stereo. It’s just a canvas.” Jasmine said, lowering her hands downwards.
“It’s not the canvas, Jasmine. I just feel like I cannot paint anything. There is an entire world out there with infinite possibilities of potential for amazing paintings and I can’t do anything of the sort!”
Jasmine placed her left hand onto Stereo’s shoulder and patted it.
“Blocks happen for a reason, and blocks are always intended to be shattered like a ray of light in the midnight sky. But, if you want my suggestion on it; how about trying to paint something outside the city?”
“I’d paint something outside of the Terraformed Wilderness, but the only other continent we have access to is the Glacial Drift. It’s not exactly an easy place to paint at.” Stereo said.
“Of course it is not, but I hear that the Glacial Drift is a bit warmer during this time of the year. But, we really can’t go there by ourselves now can we?”
“Not unless if we get called to there. But, what are the chances of that?”
Professor Pasque, Spitfire and Fei entered the room with eyes focused on the duo in the room.
“You two are the only ones in the room? Where are the others?” Spitfire asked.
“They’re out rescuing some confirmed survivors towards the west of the Terraformed Wilderness. That is the mission you gave them after all.” Jasmine explained.
Spitfire slammed her hoof into her face.
“Great. I had to give them a mission at such a critical time. Our satellites have detected abnormally huge Van’Goth activity at the Glacial Drift. We need some scouts to see exactly how the Van’Goth will do and I guess that everybody in this room will have to do.” She said.
“That s somewhat strange that they would be over there. But, we aren’t exactly quick enough to be scouts ourselves.” Jasmine commented.
“That is true. And, if we just wait around for the Van’Goth to strike, then it would be too late. It looks we all have to be involved in battle then. That does include you, Professor.”
Professor Pasque turned towards Spitfire with an understanding gaze. He nodded.
“I’ve heard stories about the Van’Goth. It would be my pleasure to assist in their defeat.”
Fei shivered and narrowed his eyes. A small grunt escaped from his mouth.
“As much as I would hate to be on the frontlines, I made a promise to Zecora to fight alongside my friends. You have my service.”
Spitfire smiled.
“Today, we will be teaming up with the Heavy Armor division. This will end up being a very messy battle, regardless of the circumstances. Are you all fine with this?”
Everyone in the room nodded their heads.
“This battle just may give me the inspiration to make art. Maybe I might be able to understand what Fleur means when she said that great artists must have suffered…”
A battalion of armored buggies drove through the bitter winds of the Glacial Drift. Stereo, Jasmine and Fei sat within the back of a buggy, equipped with goggles and scarves. Stereo glanced towards Jasmine’s eyes.
“You know, this is the very first time that the three of us are together by ourselves. Spitfire is driving our vehicle, but it still counts as us being alone.” He said.
“I agree. You know, I’ve been meaning to talk with you two about Mono and Lith.” Fei answered.
“What kind of things? If we talk about them, of course we will be talking about how well they have treated us.” Jasmine stated.
Fei eyed the floor and twiddled his thumbs. He breathed into his hands, masking his anxiety.
“I have a feeling that Sophia loves Mono more than she loves me.” He admitted.
Stereo and Jasmine shifted grimaced glances towards each other with their faces breaking out in sweat.
“Umm… I don’t know how to respond to that.” Jasmine said.
Fei frowned, and the color on his fur dulled.
“So it is true, isn’t it? I had my suspicions when I saw her hanging around Mono more than she does me.”
Stereo’s face is paralyzed with silence.
“Ummm… unfortunately, it is.” He whispered out.
Fei let out a frustrated sigh and dropped his face onto his.
“How did I let this happen? I thought she loved me.”
“To be fair for her Fei, you did have a full grip of control over her. You made it so that she couldn’t have a life of her own to live. She told me that when she is with Mono, she feels more liberated from your clutches.” Stereo explained.
Fei bit his tongue on the words passing through his ears. He shook his head.
“Stereo is right, Fei. Even if she is happy the way she is, it doesn’t excuse you from choosing her destiny for her. While I understand that you did it for the right reasons, you completely ignored her ability to choose destiny for herself.” Jasmine stated.
“It’s true that I took away her ability to choose for herself, but I was trying to protect her from a cold and horrible world that would have exploited her. Mono and Lith protected you two from a similar fate.” Fei responded, breathing out through his nose.
“Not necessarily true. Have you ever tried comforting children that have lost their parents? We were protecting them from being exploited, and Sophia did the same for you. It works both ways, Fei. Only when you understand that mutualism can you understand why Sophia loves Mono over you.” Stereo explained.
Fei remained silent, looking forward with a distant frown on his face. He shook his head with a solemn shake and placed his hands on his face.
“So all this time, I was blind to a Pokémon’s feelings. Though Sophia was happy, I failed in the most basic duties as a trainer and couldn’t understand her feelings. So… my own love will end up being unrequited because of this.”
Jasmine walked her way to Fei’s side and stroked his back sideways.
“Even if your love for Sophia will remain unrequited, there will always be others who you can still love. Like Lith, for instance.”
Fei raised his head out of his hands and looked towards Jasmine with the muscles in his face locked in surprise.
“You mean… the lady at the lab who doesn’t even realize that I am there?”
“She absolutely adores you. All the Pokémon and even some of the humans saw the affection she possessed for you. You would have to be oblivious to not be able to see it.” Jasmine said.
A small blush appeared on Fei’s face. His frown shifted into a small and warm smile.
“I always had an affection for Lith when I first saw her. But, I thought I was invisible to her radar. I thought she never wanted me, which was the reason why I devoted my life to Sophia. But, hearing this news ignites a new hope in my heart. I will fight, and I will survive this battle to finally confess my feelings to her.”
Stereo stood up from his seat and approached Fei, punching his shoulder with a light tap.
“That’s the kind of attitude we need for this mission. With this knowledge, we will not fail.”
A hologram of Spitfire’s face appeared in the back, glancing towards the trio of grinning Pokémon.
“We’re almost at our rendezvous point. I suggest you all prepare for battle.” She said.
All of the buggies stopped at the plateau before a large field. Hundreds upon hundreds of mechas and transformed Van’Goth stood at the bottom, marching towards the east. Jasmine, Stereo, Fei and Spitfire disembarked from the back. Professor Pasque waded his way through the snowstorm, looking down onto the field. He narrowed his eyes.
“So these are the Van’Goth I’ve heard so much about. Using violence and warfare as a means of expressing themselves… disgusting.” He commented.
“Many Equusians died from their onslaught, including three world leaders. Not even the elderly or children are capable of escaping their wrath. But, with the combined might of otherworldly beings and ourselves, we shall deal a huge blow to their regime!” Spitfire said.
Applejack and Big Macintosh approached the group, looking towards the bottom. Big Macintosh’s eyes widened to the point where his eyeballs can fall out at any moment.
“That’s… huge.”
“I know what you mean, Big Mac. This is probably the biggest we’ve seen of the Van’Goth’s advancing forces. Why do you think they need a force like that?” Applejack asked.
“From the direction they are headed, it looks like they are approaching Griffonheim. But… they already captured that area. Why would they go back to there?” Spitfire questioned.
“I can answer that.” Razor Wind said, flying down to the ground near the group. “Griffonheim is home to many treasures, some of which caused insatiable greed amongst our kind. Civil wars broke out over trying to capture these artifacts. Our queen had enough of these wars and sealed the artifacts away, thus ending the greed-fueled political strife within our nation.”
“Rainbow Dash did tell me a bit about that while she was in Griffonheim. But, what would the Van’Goth want with just a few treasures like that?” Applejack asked.
“Part of it has to stem from the fact that these treasures are actually just everyday objects charmed with a certain spell that drives those exposed to them to madness. It makes me frightened thinking what the Van’Goth can do with artifacts such as that.”
“I share in your feelings, Razor Wind. If we are exposed to that, then we can kiss our way of life goodbye. We must not let this army into Griffonheim under any circumstance. Are my orders clear, everyone?!” Spitfire shouted.
Everyone around her stood erect and saluted Spitfire.
“Ma’am yes ma’am!” Everyone shouted in unison.
Applejack and Big Macintosh leaped down the slope, sliding on their hooves. From the cannon on her shoulder, she fired two fiery blasts into the advancing Van’Goth forces. The bullets detonated, exploding and creating a fiery crater amidst the Glacial Drift.
The forces turned their sights on the two siblings and aimed their guns towards them. One of the mecha’s guns unleashed a stream of flames towards Big Macintosh. He rolled to his left, evading the stream of flames. His mane singed from the top and his eyes widened.
“They never had a weapon like that before!” He shouted.
Applejack ran towards the mecha and bucked it with her hind hooves, sending it flying through a gravity pulse. A nearby mecha slammed its fist into the ground, shaking the very earth that they were on.
“Grab my talons quick!” Razor Wind called out, diving towards the duo. With an understanding nod, Applejack and Big Macintosh grasped onto his talons. Razor Wind flew away from the earthquake, where a spire erupted out of the ground.
“Wait a moment, I know what that is! It looks a lot like Gnasher’s Earthquake.” Jasmine said.
“Seriously? Then again, that stream of fire looked a lot like Custard’s Flamethrower as well…” Stereo noted.
Professor Pasque stared at the trio escaping from pink beams and electric streams headed towards them with a knowing silence.
“They’re learning.”
Spitfire turned her head towards the direction of her head to Professor Pasque with her jaw dropped halfway before the ground.
“They’ve developed that sort of technology already?! But how?”
“They’ve learned from the encounters between themselves and the Pokémon. If I had a guess, we were merely valuable test subjects for them in battle.” Professor Pasque explained.
“What?!” Big Macintosh shouted, dropping towards the ground with a scowl on his face. “You mean to tell me that the enemy had gotten stronger because of you all?”
Professor Pasque looked to his side and closed his eyes. A despondent frown crept onto his face.
“You have my apologies. We had not foreseen this event coming. Even if we made them stronger, we have solidarity and a reason to fight back. We will make sure no one else suffers at their hands!”
Professor Pasque sprinted down the slope and ran towards the army. He rushed passed a shower of inaccurate lasers and approached one of the transformed Van’Goth. He inhaled and breathed out a frigid breath, encasing the soldier in a block of ice. He turned around and bucked the soldier, knocking him into the sky.
Stereo’s mouth flashed within a blue light. He took a deep breath and let out an explosive noise towards one of the mechas. The mecha wreathed in blue electricity and its visor cracked. It then fell apart onto the ground. He sprinted towards Professor Pasque’s side.
“I see you have been working on your Boomburst, Stereo. I approve.” Professor Pasque commented.
“I thank you for the compliment, but we have an army to take care of.” Stereo said.
“I’m way ahead of you!” Spitfire shouted out, soaring through the sky and brandishing a sword made of light.
She dove down towards a soldier and slashed from the diagonal left. With the soldier reeling backwards and the sword gripped in her mouth, she leaped into the air and spun at light speed. Several cuts appeared on the soldier’s body before it collapsed onto the ground.
Jasmine moved forward of the advancing Heavy Armor Division, showering the two soldiers and mecha in front of her with a Dazzling Gleam. The mechas broke out of the light and grasped her in a telekinetic grab. Jasmine squirmed in its grip.
“Ummm… a little help would be appreciated.”
Hydrangea rammed her body into one of the mechas, knocking it over. Jasmine shot her arms out and shattered the telekinetic grasp. She unleashed a Thunderbolt onto the other mecha, zapping it out of oblivion.
“Do not thank me yet, Jasmine. We only took care of a few members of the army when there is about three hundred.” Hydrangea stated.
A mecha shot out a volley of missiles that approached the advancing Equusian soldiers. They exploded, forming crags within the snow-covered landscape and knocking the soldiers into the air. The rest of the soldiers stormed forth, firing lasers and bullets into the Van’Goth forces.
One of the Van’Goth soldiers rushed into the crowd with a light-tipped pike in his massive arm. He leaped and forced the bladed end into the face of one of the Equusians. The soldier’s body limped. The Van’Goth lifted the pike in the air, picking up the dead soldier and flung him aside.
Fei vanished from his current spot and reappeared in front of the soldier. He thrust his palm into the soldier’s chest and thrust him forwards. With the soldier flung into the air, he tossed an Aura Sphere towards it. He sprinted forward, invisible to the naked eye. He leaped into the air and dropped down onto another soldier’s back, downing him and retreating.
“Fei’s pretty quick on the moves.” Applejack said.
“Very. We may just win this yet!” Big Macintosh stated, aiming his cannon into the crowd.
Ten mines shot out of the cannon and littered the area in front of him. Each of the mines exploded, blasting away the army in front of him.
Applejack’s front greaves formed into hammers. She struck two soldiers across the face with them, knocking them down to the ground.
Spitfire paused with the movements of her sword and looked behind her. She saw more and more of the Heavy Armor soldiers being torn apart through the mechas using crunch and waves of heat blasting them away.
The numbers of both sides dwindled, but the Equusian numbers are only a fraction with what they began with. The Equusian forces circled around each other, observing forward and seeing the mechas and soldiers appear with no stopping motion.
“We’re surrounded!” Spitfire shouted.
A mecha raised its cannon towards the surrounded group and a blue light filled its muzzle.
“Boreas, use Surf!” A voice called out.
Flooding waters appeared on the field, spearheaded by a blue plesiosaur with a white underside and a horn on her head. The water sparkled against her gray and nub-filled shell. The water swept away a significant portion of the Van’Goth and the plesiosaur slid her way into the Equusian forces.
“That’s a Lapras!” Stereo called out, pointing towards her.
“And just in time too! We needed some back-up reinforcements.” Spitfire said.
From the distance, a black and bipedal weasel with a crown and collar made of brilliant red feathers rode into the scene on a wave of ice conjured from his right hand. Spitfire looked upon him, eyeing the yellow marking on his forehead and the feathers on his ears and tail.
“It seems like the good guys always arrive in the nick of time!” The weasel called out with an energetic huff.
“That voice… is that you, Rundas?” Fei asked.
Rundas turned his sight towards Fei and scratched his head.
“So you’re a Pokémon as well, Fei. Good to know that I’m not the only one that happened to. Though, being a Weavile is pretty cool.”
“I can’t understand a single word you’re saying, but you’re going to help us out right?” Spitfire asked.
“Of course. These are obviously the bad guys you are fighting. Justice always prevails against evil, after all.” Rundas stated.
He ran forward and released a series of dark purple slashes within the blink of an eye, detaching the arms of the mechas from their joint. He then leaped into the air. A frigid beam erupted from the palm of his hand, freezing the air underneath him. A wave of suspended ice appeared under his feet, causing him to fly through the air.
“Is that even possible?” Applejack asked.
“Apparently. But, enough of that. Their appearance has given us the upper hand now. Let us make the best use of this.” Jasmine responded, firing a Dazzling Gleam into the army.
Spitfire soared into the air and rushed towards the mechas nearby. The mechas unleashed a storm of lasers from the cannons on their bodies. Spitfire spun and formed a corkscrew of photon, deflecting all of the projectiles back towards the mechas and tearing them apart.
The remaining troops of the Heavy Armor division charged forwards with bullets firing out of their cannons. A yellow aura covered Strawberry Delight’s bullets, changing them into a golden color. The bullets tore through the armor of the mechas and soldiers.
Boreas fired a beam of ice from her mouth, encasing a soldier in front of her in its icy grip. She lifted her right front flipper and smashed it against the soldier, shattering its body.
Rundas exhaled a frigid breath of wind and blue sparkles. Icicles formed in the air that he surfed around. The icicles rained down against the army, crashing against them. He flipped off of the ice he was riding, conjuring another wave of ice underneath him and screeching with delight.
Several stones from the ground orbited around Fei. He leaped into the air and roundhouse kicked each of the stones, showering the field with bright sparks and shards of earth.
“The enemy is strong. I’m calling for reinforcements!” A soldier of the Van’Goth stated, raising its wrist to its face.
“Oh no you don’t!” Rundas shouted, surfing by the soldier and slamming his claw into the soldier.
The soldier grunted and blinked from the strike. It turned around, seeing Rundas right behind him. Rundas slashed it with darkness-cloaked claws, eliciting a shriek of pain from it.
What remained of the army vanished within a series of beams into the sky. What remained of the Equusian army inhaled and exhaled deep breaths.
“Did we… win?” Professor Pasque asked.
“It seems like it.” Spitfire stated.
Rundas and Boreas slid their way in front of the Equusian army with smiles on their faces.
“Routed the enemy army! Score one for the good guys.” Rundas said, pumping his claws.
“I really wish that we can understand some of these Pokémon. All I keep hearing is ‘Wee’ and ‘Vile’.” Applejack commented.
Spitfire, Twilight Sparkle, Professor Pasque, Rundas, Stereo and Boreas stood within the docking bay of H.O.R.S.E. Rundas observed the translator bracelet around his wrist and jiggled his arm. He smiled.
“Cool piece of jewelry you have here.” He said.
“Originally, it was intended to be used with animals so that we can communicate with them on a similar level. But, considering it works well on Pokémon, we’ve decided to prioritize handing out translators to any and all Pokémon.” Twilight Sparkle explained.
Professor Pasque gazed upon Rundas with a grin on his face.
“I am glad to see you are alright, Rundas. I didn’t think you would be in the lab today, considering you had been outsourced to take care of a bounty.”
Rundas shook his head, closed his eyes and shrugged his shoulders.
“The bounty was a bust. The dude ended up being dead all along and I just returned back home.”
Spitfire glanced up towards Boreas, rubbing her chin with her right front hoof and humming.
“So are you sure Boreas doesn’t need a translator?”
“Unfortunately, she’s mute. Back in my days as a ranger, I rescued her from some poachers doing some awful things to her. The experience left her unable to even make a cry. So, I’ve learned to read her emotions through her body language. We’ve been partners ever since.” Rundas explained.
Boreas frowned and turned her head away from Spitfire, closing her eye with a slow blink. Spitfire frowned and hovered to her face, stroking it with a gentle caress.
“It seems like she doesn’t like being reminded of that disability.”
“No… she doesn’t. Lapras is a very cheerful Pokémon that love singing and being around others. To be robbed of something you enjoy doing would put a damper on anyone’s spirit.” Rundas stated.
Stereo grinned and walked towards Boreas.
“Boreas, you are truly a magnificent work to the eye. While I do not yet fully understand your struggles, I would love it if I could paint a portrait of you in the canal of Neo Canterlot.”
A small smile appeared on Boreas’s face. She nodded her head.
“So Professor, how did a ranger end up being in the care of your lab?” Twilight Sparkle asked.
“A good question to ask, Twilight. Rundas didn’t like how things in the Ranger Union were ran. While he admires the goal of rescuing Pokémon, he felt that some of the orders he was given were somewhat misguided and didn’t bring a quick-enough solution to the helped Pokémon..” Professor Pasque said.
A small chuckle escaped from Rundas’s mouth.
“I did what any sane ranger would do; I quit with a bang. After busting a Pokémon smuggling operation, I stabbed my team in the back and ran off with the Pokémon myself to release them back in the wild. Apparently, I ended up not only being blacklisted, but was also put on the ranger’s most wanted list.”
Twilight Sparkle blinked twice, shaking her head and doubts away.
“Rundas and Boreas escaped to Opelucid City, where I met him. After hearing his plight, I took the two in. From there, they took requests from private contractors to take down criminals in any way he felt comfortable doing.” Professor Pasque finished.
“Geez, Professor, did you really need to make me sound like some vigilante?” Rundas asked with his eyes narrowed.
“Would you honestly want me to describe you any other way, Rundas?”
“Nope. Just the way I like it.”
Sophia stretched her back on the couch and yawned. She gazed upon the green curtains hung over the window. Her ears perked up at the three beeps from the front door. The door opened up and Fei walked in. Sophia grinned and stood up, sprinting towards Fei.
“I heard what happened to you, Fei. So the Van’Goth led a huge army out into the Glacial Drift? And you helped defeat the army.”
Fei nodded and went down to one knee, stroking Sophia on her head.
“That is true. Rundas and Boreas were a huge assistance to the cause. But, that is irrelevant to the current topic at hand. Sophia, who makes you happier; Mono or me?”
Sophia narrowed her left eye and cocked her head towards the left.
“Any reason why you are asking that now?”
“Sophia, I had an epiphany today about understanding Pokémon. I felt that as your trainer, I have denied you the ability to choose life for yourself. I have failed to read your feelings, only to focus on my own feelings for you.” Fei said.
“So you finally got it through that thick skull of yours, eh Fei?” Sophia said, exhaling a breath of relief and happiness.
“It only took talking with another Pokémon to understand how restrictive I was with you. Originally, I thought you were with Mono to provide him with some companionship. But, then I realized that there is a lot more between you two than what meets the eye. The news was upsetting for me at first, but then I realized that this was the perfect ironic punishment for me.” Fei said, sitting down with crossed legs.
“So… what does this mean for you?”
“It means that I have given up trying to romance you or impress you, Sophia. I realized that you do not share the same feelings I had for you and that you have those feelings for another. If you had to have feelings for another, then I am glad that it is with someone who sees you for who you are rather than what you are. His heart is obviously in the right place.”
Sophia nuzzled Fei’s face and embraced him by the neck.
“Just because I don’t have the same feelings for you doesn’t mean that I value you any less, Fei. You are literally my best friend, and I am so happy that you are my trainer. But… don’t you have any others in your life who you can share those feelings for?”
Fei blushed and looked out towards the window. He looked back into Sophia’s eyes and stroked her head.
“I’ve heard that Lith likes me a lot more than I thought she would have. I thought she would have kept ignoring me.”
“Oh, her? Yeah she definitely has feelings for you. Gnasher told me all about what was in her diary. You should definitely ask her out some time this week.”
“So… how did your rescue mission go?”
Sophia walked two steps back and rolled her eyes, uttering a frustrated groan and frowning.
“The ‘confirmed survivors’ bit was a trap. The survivors turned up to be dead and it was an ambush by the Van’Goth. Luckily, we had a large enough squad to defeat them. Still, that definitely put a damper on my day. But, as long as I was with Mono and I got to see you, then who am I to get upset?”
“Well, as long as I was able to make amends with you. I am glad that we worked this out.” Fei stated.
“I’m glad that you are alive and okay, Fei.”
Sophia opened the door and walked halfway out of the way.
“I’m going to Commissioner Cadance’s house. We’ve taken a bit of an interest with each other.”
“What kind of interest?” Fei asked.
“That will be revealed some time later in our strange journey.” Sophia stated, walking out and closing the door.
Fei scratched his head and stood up from the ground.
“I’m… not sure how I should feel about that.”