//------------------------------// // Special Episode: Crystalline Craziness // Story: Mystery Dungeon: Equestrial Plains // by TheDeku //------------------------------// Genesect walked through Canterlot, ignoring the rocks and dirty looks thrown at it. It expected worse, if it was to be honest. It looked strange, had glowing red eyes, a cannon on its back, and had recently walked through Canterlot with Chrysalis. It wasn't surprised or angry about it, merely disappointed. It may be a living weapon, but it didn't like being despised. When it arrived at the train station, it was surprised to see Twilight and her friends along with Keldeo. Keldeo walked over. "Come on. We have a meeting to attend to. Twilight has a test to take, and her friends..." Twilight finished. "Are here as moral support and to hang out in Canterlot after the test." Keldeo nodded. "That. If we're being called into a meeting, it can't be good. Come on." ----------------------------------------------------------------- As the three approached the throne room, the door opened and Mew and Princess Luna came out. Twilight went in, and Mew closed the door. "Come with us, you two." Keldeo and Genesect followed. "What do you need?" Genesect asked. Luna sighed. "The Crystal Empire has returned. That doesn't mean much to you, but King Sombra has returned as well." "Darkrai described something that fits Sombra's description." Mew added. "Unfortunately, as Darkrai looks similar to Sombra, it cannot help you." Keldeo nodded. "So it's just us. What are we doing?" "You two are to help Twilight in any way that she requires." Luna said. "Sombra will try to retake the Crystal Empire, but this cannot happen. You two are fighters above all else, and while Sombra's dark magic outclasses the Royal Guard, you may be able to find a way past his magic." Mew floated onto Genesect's shoulder. "Few more things: Sombra is now some kind of dark cloud thing, his dark magic is very powerful, and you'll meet up with another up there who can help you." Genesect started to respond, but Luna cut him off. "There is already somepony up there?" Mew nodded. "Yup. It was probably why Sombra couldn't get into the Empire immediately. Clouds can't pass through solid walls, can they? Doesn't matter. Go down to the train station and wait for Twilight there." ----------------------------------------------------------------- "What's your take on all this?" Keldeo whispered to Genesect. They had gone to the other side of the train car from the others in order to discuss what they would need to do. "We should have gotten more backup. If Sombra is as strong as they said, we have a 6% chance of beating him in a fight, a 9% chance of forcing a stalemate, but a 48% chance of being able to hold him off for 2 minutes or less." Genesect said. "Correction: based on what Mew said, 74% chance of 2 minutes or more. A solid wall can be made of ice." Keldeo nodded. "Good point. He sounds like he has an ego the size of a Wailord, so we may be able to bait him using it. If I can keep his attention, you could freeze around him with your Douse and Chill Drives, or Hydro Pump and Ice Beam. I really want to know who our mystery backup is." They continued the discussion for as long as Pinkie let them before dragging them into the discussion of what the Empire looks like, what kind of parties they would like, and the proper way to build a snowman. Before too long the train stopped and they all got off. Shining Armor was there waiting for them. "Shining Armor, a pleasure to see you again." Keldeo said, nodding towards him. Shining Armor grinned. "Glad you all made it, but we really need to get moving. There are things you really don't want to run into after dark." Genesect's eyes flashed. "Unidentified cloud going against the wind. We go immediately." It then picked up Rarity and Fluttershy. "You two are the slowest runners. Move!" They all took off running, Genesect, Shining Armor, and Keldeo glancing back every so often. Shining Armor slowed down and turned around. "I'll hold him off for now. Get to the Empire!" He shot magic at Sombra, who was unaffected. Sombra closed in on Shining Armor, planning on getting rid of this nuisance who kept freezing him out. Sombra got Shining Armor's horn, but Shining Armor was frozen solid before he could do anything else. A being that seemed to be made of Crystals made another wall of ice and got Shining Armor away from Sombra. Sombra began going over the ice wall, but knew that this being had prevented his return to his Crystal Empire again. "You..." Farther ahead, the rest of the group enter the Crystal Empire and start catching their breath. Twilight notices that her brother isn't there and turns around to leave when his frozen form is pushed through the barrier, followed by a being standing taller than Genesect or Gardevoir. It seemed to be made of blue crystals, and had seven yellow dots in the shape of a plus sign on its face. "What did you do to my brother?" The dots flashed in some pattern. "I froze him. Prevent further curse. Not fast enough for full prevention." Genesect used flamethrower to begin melting the ice while Keldeo walked over to the being. "So you're the one Mew was talking about." The dots flashed. "Affirmative. Ordered to help." Twilight raised an eyebrow. "Thanks for offering, but what are you?" Keldeo grinned. "This is the Golem of Ice, the Iceberg Pokemon Regice." Shining Armor was finally thawed, and he took a deep breath and sighed. "Sombra wasn't even phased by my magic. I thought I could prevent hi from getting closer or stop him entirely, but I was wrong." Twilight gasped. "Oh, no! Shining Armor, your horn!" It was covered in small, pitch-black crystals that prevented any magic from focusing up the horn. Keldeo started forwards. "We don't have time to waste. We need to figure out what we can do to stop Sombra from getting in." ----------------------------------------------------------------- When the group had gotten to the castle, Twilight saw a sight she was happy to see. "Cadance!" Twilight and Cadance ran towards each other, but stopped just short. "Sunshine, sunshine, ladybugs awake! Clap your hooves and do a little shake!" Genesect nodded its head. "Interesting way of determining if they are who they appear to be. I must keep that in mind." Cadance laughed, but then sighed. "One of these days we need to get together when the fate of Equestria isn't hanging in the balance." Keldeo noticed the bags under Cadance's eyes. "Princess, are you alright? You look like you haven't slept in days." Shining Armor shook his head. "Cadance uses her magic to spread love and light. That seems to be what is protecting the Crystal Empire. But she hasn't slept and she barely eats. Unlike me, she has to constantly power her shield. I want to help her, but my protection spell has been countered by King Sombra." Cadance sighed. "It's alright Shining Armor, I'm fine." Regice floated forward. "You're not fine. Need rest. Pass out eventually." Shining Armor nodded. "She can't go on like this forever, and if her magic were to fade... Well, you saw what's out there waiting for that to happen." Twilight walked to Cadance. "That's why we're here." Genesect nodded. "Affirmative." Shining Armor smiled. "Well, with Cadance putting all her strength into keeping her spell going, and me trying to keep an eye on signs of trouble in the arctic, we haven't been able to gather much information from the Crystal Ponies." Rarity's eyes widened. "Crystal Ponies?! Hahaha, there are Crystal Ponies?! Um, ahem. Please continue." Shining Armor continued. "But we have to believe one of them knows how we can protect the Empire without having to use Cadance's magic." Keldeo grinned. "What are we waiting for? Let's go talk to them. One of them has to know something." ----------------------------------------------------------------- "That was a waste of valuable time. Princess Cadance cannot stay awake for as long as this will take to get answers." Genesect said. Regice came over to it, Rarity, and Rainbow. "I have nothing. Miss anything?" Rarity shook her head. "Only Genesect complaining about no information, which I have to agree with." Pinkie came over, disguised as Fluttershy. Fluttershy came over and was reasonably freaked out, but neither of them had any luck. Applejack and Twilight came over, but it was Keldeo who was late. It came running over after they were on their way back over. Twilight looked at him funny. "What took you so long?" Keldeo sighed. "I look vaguely similar to what they pictured the 'Heroic Knight' characters from fairy tales as. They were curious as to my adventures. I only just got away." Pinkie giggled. "What did you tell them?" Keldeo smirked. "Exactly what they wanted to hear. Now they think I'm actually a hero, but all I did was tell them my fights against other Pokemon." Twilight smiled widely at that. "Excellent. That may be exactly what we need." Genesect nodded. "I'll fill Keldeo in. Set it up." Genesect walked over to Keldeo and told it what it had missed. They had gone to a massive library and had found a history book detailing a 'Crystal Fair' that they threw every year. It made all of them feel more united to help protect the empire or something. Wasn't listening fully." The pair watched as the ponies, Spike, and Regice put the fair together, Regice and Spike being the only ones not singing. "They did jousting, though, and that or similar seems right up your alley." Keldeo considered. "Do a fight while putting on a show? Sounds good to me. Probably should do it sometime in the middle of the fair. Too early or too late and it won't be seen by all, and the more focused on that, the more time to get other things set up." Keldeo watched Twilight put down a large heart made of crystal right under the castle. Something then clicked for it. "Wait... Genesect, what purpose would feeling unity have in protecting the empire?" "It would make a battalion fight more as a team than a group of individuals." "In a magical context. Love is what's keeping Sombra on the other side of the shield as he went through a normal one." Keldeo blinked. "I need that book. TWILIGHT!" Twilight turned and saw Keldeo running over. "Hey Keldeo, the Crystal Fair is set up. What do you need?" "The book. Something doesn't sound right to me." It began flipping through the book with Twilight looking over its shoulder. "Bingo. 'Renew the spirit of love and unity in the empire so they could protect it from harm'. Not 'as to better protect it from harm', but that is how they protect it. Question: how are emotions used as weapons or shields? Answer: Powerful artifacts. You told me about the Elements of Harmony. If Rarity cut gems to look exactly like the Elements, would they work?" Twilight shook her head. "Of course not. The elements are artifacts that allow the bearers to use their power to..." Twilight's voice slowly died as she realized what Keldeo was saying. "The book mentioned a crystal heart as the fair's centerpiece, but what if I read it wrong and it said THE Crystal Heart? That could be an artifacts that would store the feelings of love and unity and use it like a shield or something to protect the empire! Keldeo, you're a genius!" Keldeo shook its head. "YOU'RE a genius. I'M distrustful and look for the bluff, the double-bluff, the triple-bluff, and the Kansas City Shuffle. Your issue is that you read fast and assume that the bad guys are going to play fair. Start thinking like the other side. If you were a villain that could be stopped by love and you managed to take over a place with an artifact that emits love, what would you do?" Twilight considered. "I would destroy it. If I couldn't do that, then I would hide it somewhere." Keldeo nodded. "Correct. Question two: Does Sombra seem like the king who would plan for everything?" Twilight smiled. "Absolutely. He put a curse on the empire so that he would have a second chance at taking it. Curses can't be pulled out of nowhere, they have to have been planned, especially something that big. He... I got it! He must have hidden it somewhere nopony would look for it, and put it behind some defenses that he thought only he could get past." Keldeo chuckled. "Now you're getting it. Keeping that in mind, we need to get rid of the fake, start the fair, and find the heart." Twilight sighed. "Part one is easy." She levitated it into the castle. "Part two, also easy. Part three, little harder." "Do part two, then figure out part three. Let your friends know what's going on." ----------------------------------------------------------------- "Genesect, report." Keldeo looked at the Pokemon coming towards it. "The fair is up but we have no leads on the heart." "The Crystal Heart is in the Crystal Empire, but my scanners are unable to detect the exact location of it." Genesect looked at the fair. "Luckily we have time. Unfortunately, we have very little. Cadance's body is starting to shut down due to lack of sleep. She cannot maintain the shield for long. Twilight and Spike are trying to think of where Sombra would hide such an artifact, and Regice is being kept busy making ice sculptures." "Genesect, I think you were right about time..." Keldeo pointed to the shield spell that faded around them. "This could end... badly." The two started towards where Sombra was, but they didn't get too far before the shield reformed. "We are out of time, Genesect. We need to do something fast. First, I need you to go to the jousting arena..." Applejack saw Keldeo exit the castle and stand by her at the snack booth. "Where's Rainbow and Pinkie? I need them for my plan to keep everypony distracted." "Rainbow and Pinkie are giving out Flugelhorns and making balloon animals. What do you need them for?" "You'll see." Keldeo flashed a grin before running off to find the jouster and the advertiser. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Keldeo breathed a sigh of relief when it saw no ponies, crystal or otherwise, in the main part of the city. "If all of them are at the jousting, then my cue should be soon." It heard Fluttershy scream and saw her get flung back as Rainbow flaunted a little bit. She started to go see if Fluttershy was all right when a voice rang out through the arena. "Target locked. Firing now." Rainbow barely had time to dodge to the side when a laser blasted where she had been. "Foe has speed and reactions. Adjusting to compensate." Rainbow began to take to the skies to avoid the lasers coming out of the shadows as Genesect walked out of them. The crowd gasped. I have been recognized as a surprise fight. Good, a fight will be more attention-holding than a joust. Genesect purposefully got closer and closer to hitting Rainbow with varying types of Techno Blast. It hit with a basic blast, grounding her. "Oof!" Rainbow was very glad that she had gotten so good at catching herself from crashes and falls, but the hit still hurt. "Stupid Genesect..." She muttered, standing and wobbling a little. Genesect brought its arms down to have four points of contact on the ground and charged up another shot when much water was shot right towards it. It leaped out of the way and turned to face its new foe. "You beat Knight Rainbow Dash, but can you handle one of the Sacred Swordsmen?" Keldeo ran into the arena to many cheers. Good. We need to keep them distracted long enough for Twilight to find the heart and get it charged so Sombra stays out. Keldeo's horn grew to become its sword and it took the offensive. Genesect brought its arms up and began blocking the strikes, sometimes pushing back and firing a few blasts. Eventually, it began showing off its agility by jumping around the arena, lunging towards Keldeo for X-Scissor or Iron Head. Keldeo avoided the attacks, but recognized that the fight would not end in its favor at this rate. Keldeo continued its avoidance maneuvers, but expelled water from its hooves to increase the distance and speed it moved. They would have continued to put on the show if it wasn't for one simple fact: The barrier around the Crystal Empire shattered at this moment, causing the Crystal Ponies to freak out when they saw Sombra moving into the empire. Keldeo and Genesect looked at the pony- no, the entity moving closer. Keldeo frowned for a second before shaking it off. "Rainbow! Applejack! Keep the ponies calm and over here, if possible." It yelled. "What are you going to do?" Pinkie asked, starting to look scared. Even as she said that, it was already leaving the arena. It stopped, looked, and turned into its Resolute Form, causing the crowd to look over at it. "I'm going to stop Sombra. Genesect, Regice, you're with me." The three left for Sombra, taking note of the black crystals that they were sure had not been there earlier. ----------------------------------------------------------------- "Genesect, go left. Regice, take right. I'll take him head-on." The Pokemon split up as Keldeo fired a Hydro Pump at Sombra. While it didn't do any damage, it certainly got his attention. "It appears somepony fancies themselves a hero, and has brought along friends to try and fight me. As the Crystal Heart will never be found, I suppose I can entertain myself for a little while." Sombra solidified himself and created a sword made of black crystal to lock blades with Keldeo. At the same time, he put a shield around Genesect and prevented it from joining the fight, as well as sending magical attacks at Regice. Regice blocked with ice walls and used Icy Wind to start dissipating the cloud around Sombra. It managed to get a Zap Cannon right in Sombra's face, distracting him enough for Keldeo to start slicing at him past his sword. In doing so, it broke Sombra's magical connection to the orb around Genesect, allowing it to get free and blast him with a close-ranged Burn Drive Techno Blast. "Is that all the false king has?" Keldeo taunted. Sombra growled. "I haven't even started." He turned back into cloud and surrounded the trio, who instinctively went back-to-back-to-back. Magical bolts started to come at them from all angles. Keldeo blocked with Sacred Sword, Secret Sword, and Close Combat, Regice used Ice Beam, Zap Cannon, and Ancient Power, and Genesect used X-Scissor, Slash, and Metal Claw. "His head has to be in here somewhere! That's where the magic is coming from!" Keldeo yelled to its companions. Genesect's eyes flashed red, lighting up the cloud around them. "Thermal Vision activated." Genesect allowed itself to get hit by blast after blast as it targeted Sombra. "Target locked. Fire at will." Genesect fired Chill Drive Techno Blast, striking Sombra's horn directly and preventing him from using any more magic for a short period. This period was long enough for Regice to use Icy Wind at full power, shoving the cloud off of them. Sombra shattered the ice and turned to them, looking away from the castle and the rest of the empire. "How are you capable of fighting me, who has enough magical power to fight both of the princesses?" "Simple mathematics." Regice answered. "Divided, we fall. United, we stand." Keldeo walked forward. "In other words, you can fight them because they fight as a pair. We fight as one. I am Keldeo, trained by the Swords of Justice, best of fighters. This is Regice, Golem of Ice, King of Cold. This is Genesect, the Living Arsenal. See the similarities?" "I see that you are not in your right mind." Sombra began to turn back towards the empire." "Wrong." Genesect said. "We are all fighters, and we all have fought in groups before. We have practice in many things. Battles, competitions, distractions..." Sombra's eyes widened at the last one as he turned back to the castle. "No..." He saw Spike come out of the top of the castle, avoiding his crystals. In his hands was the Crystal Heart. "NO!" Sombra took off for the castle at high speed, the Pokemon right behind him. "Do not let him escape." Regice said, falling behind. Keldeo glanced up to Spike, and saw him trip and start to fall. At the same time, Sombra made a crystal spire, raising him up towards the falling heart. "Oh no you don't..." Keldeo swung its sword at the spire before kicking it. It knocked away a piece, slowing Sombra a little. Simultaneously, Genesect began bounding up the castle. It passed Sombra before turning and lunging at him. It was knocked away, but grabbed the spire and climbed up after him. Before Genesect could reach Sombra or Sombra could reach the heart, the heart and Spike disappeared in a flash of pink. "What?" Sombra looked for the heart, and found it on the ground, in the center of the empire, being charged by the Crystal Ponies. "What? No... No! Stop!" Sombra began to turn into smoke to escape, but Genesect slammed into him. "Ever gone skydiving? I quite enjoy it. The rush of the air, the high speeds, exhilarating." Genesect held Sombra tightly, and used Ice Beam to freeze his horn so Sombra couldn't escape. "Of course, I do to get the drop on enemies and because I can take large falls like they're nothing. You? I don't think you'll last to hit the ground." The Crystal Heart let out a massive pulse, and Genesect found Sombra cracking in its grip. Sombra then shattered, Genesect continuing the fall. Genesect was caught in Shining Armor's magic, Sombra's crystals disappearing from his horn once the king had shattered. "Genesect, you look ridiculous!" Rainbow laughed at the now crystalline Pokemon, who looked down at itself. "I must concur. This crystal coating makes me far to easy to spot." Genesect noted. "On you ponies, however, it looks nice." Keldeo chuckled. "Was that a compliment, Genesect?" Genesect nodded. "Meloetta has been trying to make me more... sociable, per say." Keldeo smiled. "Good on Meloetta. Let's enjoy these festivities for as long as we can. I have a bad feeling that we are in for lots of trouble soon..." ----------------------------------------------------------------- A feline-like creature stood in a desert, looking into the skies. It was waiting for someone, and knew he would arrive shortly. Despite this, it still was impatient. As it watched, the shape of a bird crossed between it and the sun. The bird circled overhead, slowly getting closer before landing on the sand and allowing its rider to dismount. He was tall, tan, and wore a large overcoat that should have been too hot for the region. He wore combat boots, thick pants, blue gloves and reflective sunglasses. The most obvious part of his clothing, however, was what appeared to be a large shoulder pad that extended down into a gauntlet on his left arm. He raised his sunglasses upon landing and walked over to the creature. "You requested a meeting with me, and then tell me to find you in the middle of Orre? Mewtwo, I hope there's a reasonable explanation for the secrecy." He gestured to the bird that brought him. "Took Skarmory 15 minutes to even find you, and that was with Espeon trying to lock onto your psychic powers." "There is a highly reasonable explanation for this. A powerful force is threatening the universe, and I am required to gather help. I believe you've been informed of the Pokepark?" Getting a nod as a response, it continued. "There are, in the parks, four portals to another dimension. This place, known as the Wish Park, has much power over the minds of Pokemon due to a powerful being taking control there. We need to locate these portals and prevent any Pokemon from going into them other than those Arceus itself has requested to do so. Keep in mind, you and your Pokemon would have to hold it for quite a while, as they need to repair the Sky Prism first. I chose to ask you as, due to your experience with out-of-control Pokemon, I believe you and your Pokemon are more than capable of resisting the effects." After some consideration, he smirked. "I'm in. I would suggest putting me and my Pokemon in the last spot, as we have experience with this sort of thing, as well as there being lots of us so we can be on shifts and have the ability to heal. Although, i do have a few requests first..." Mewtwo nodded. "Name them." "I'll need lots of healing items and berries so that HP and PP can be properly dealt with, a way to know who to let through, and enough food to last us. Oh, and it would be nice to know where we're going." Mewtwo floated over to Skarmory. "What do you think? Is he making a choice for himself, or do you agree?" In its head it heard the reply. I couldn't agree with him more. Mewtwo nodded, and turned to the trainer, levitating many Pokeballs out of his jacket. "And you?" I would follow him to the ends of the planet. When do we start? These new Shadow Pokemon don't stand a chance! He rescued me from a horrible fate when we first met. I will never leave him. I'm in. Let's go. Mewtwo smiled. "Despite your past and reputation with the police for less-than-legal procedures against other criminals, your Pokemon trust you with their lives. Very well, I'll send you to Palkia. It has your requests. I will let you know who or what to let in, as well as forcibly remove any Pokemon who have gotten too close to the portal before you arrive. Your destination is the Tech Area. Rendezvous with Reuniclus, he is unaffected by the force as of yet, and is the Area Master. It can give you some tips on how to fight the Pokemon. Good luck."