//------------------------------//
// Chapter 22:  Amethyst Falls 
// Story: A New World, And A Better Way 
// by Recteik Shade 
//------------------------------//

Chapter 22: Amethyst Falls

"Oh hey there's another one!" Pip exclaimed and was about to run up to a new kind of Pokemon.

"Pip come on."  Dinky whined. "I'm hungry." 

"Oh come on!  Just look at that one!"  Pip argued turning back to the strange creature.  "I wonder what this one's called?"

"Scizor." The dark red Pokemon answered.

"Oh that's so cool. Come on Dinky please just one more?  Your house is right there we can do this one and go eat I promise!"

"Sciz?"

Dinky sighed and walked towards the Pokemon bringing up the PokeDex.  "Okay.  Do you mind?"

The Scizor smiled,"Not at all."

The PokeDex pinged and brought up a general summary,"Scizor the Pincer Pokemon.  Scizor has a body with the hardness of steel. It is not easily fazed by ordinary sorts of attacks. This Pokemon flaps its wings to regulate its body temperature. It swings its eye-patterned pincers up to scare its foes. This makes it look like it has three heads."

"Pokemon are so cool." Pip said with a big grin.  "So Scizor do you want to be my partner?"

Dinky and Veevee groaned,"Not again." However they were relieved when the Bug-type shook his head. "Thank Celestia." Dinky said grabbing the small colt's tail with her magic and dragging him in the direction of her house.  "Now come on Pip I'm hungry."

"Why can't I find a Pokemon like you did Dinky?  What did you do to convince Veevee to go with you?" Pip asked frustrated that he was hitting the same wall over and over again.

"I didn't do anything." Dinky admitted "I found her and played with her a little then asked mommy if I could keep her."

"It's just nice to have friends." Veevee added,"I had a bunch of brothers and sisters at the daycare but none of them liked to play with me."

"How many brothers and sisters do you have anyway?" Dinky asked genuinely curious. "I remember you mentioned it in Fillydelphia."

"Almost a hundred." Veevee answered.

"A hundred!?" Pip exclaimed and Dinky was wide eyed.

"How can you have so many?" Dinky asked.

They had reached the front door and Dinky was using g her magic to open it as Veevee began to explain," I asked my mamma once and she said our trainer was-"she stopped and her eyes went wide," Look out!" She screamed leaping at the two foals out of the blue, pinning them under her.

BOOOOOMM!!!  Just as a colossal explosion went off deep in the Everfree.  Dinky screamed as the shockwave came a fraction of a second later slamming the open door shut so hard the frame cracked and all the windows in Ponyville shattered.  Shingles were ripped from roofs and several trees had their branches cleared of leaves.  If Veevee hadn't sunk her claws into the ground the gale force winds would have sent her and the foals flying.

The air had become strangely still as Veevee pulled herself off of the foals. Pip was holding Dinky as she started to cry into his shoulder and he looked up with terror,"W-wh-what...  what was that?" He asked shakily.

"I'm not sure." Veevee answered.  'If it wasn't for Detect I never would have saw it coming.'  In the eerie silence she could hear confused cries from other places in town and the sound of frantic hooves on wood.  

The door swung open and The Doctor came charging out Ditzy a few steps behind him.  "Dinky!" He cried the moment his eyes fell on the little filly still crying into Pip.  He scooped the two foals up and hugged them desperately,"Are you two alright!? Are you hurt!?"

"I- I- I'm- okay daddy." She croaked out trying to reign in her sobs.

"Sir!" Pip said his own eyes watery from trying to keep from crying himself.  "If- Vee- vee hadn't-  she saved us!"

Before she could blink, the Normal-type found herself scooped up in a hug of forelegs and feathers.  Ditzy kissed her forehead,"Thank you Veevee.  I don't know how you did it but thank you so much for making sure my muffin was safe."

"I... I..." Veevee stammered and blushed as she got another kiss. 

Dinky and Pip were beginning to calm down now and the Doctor gently set them on the ground.

As he did Dinky blushed and pushed Pip away,"Um, thanks." 

Pipsqueak blushed a little as well,"Oh! Um, sure."

The Doctor and Ditzy exchanged knowing smirks at the pair suddenly being so bashful.  Then the Doctor glanced inside through the open door,"I better send a message to Canterlot about this."

Ditzy placed Veevee back on the ground and frowned,"I'll get started on cleaning this mess up. I wonder what caused it."

"Likely a Pokemon." The Doctor observed glaring at the distant Everfree.  "The Princesses and Arceus are probably already there."





Had Amethyst been focusing on how fast she was actually flying, she might have been amazed that she didn't do a sonic Rainboom.  She panted and gasped as she winged her way to the palace repeating in her mind over and over again,'This is it! This is it! This is it!'  She felt almost giddy as she landed at the gates and galloped inside.

The palace was a mob scene as the Nobles all crowded around the doors to the throne room, held at bay by nearly a dozen guards.  One of whom spotted her,"Make a hole!" He bellowed.  He saluted as Amethyst walked through the parted crowd,"Captain Amethyst Edge.  Princess Luna is expecting you.  The other captains are already inside."

As Amethyst walked through the door that one guard held open for her, the crowd began to complain.  "Stand back please.  The Princess will see you as soon as she is done meeting with the heads of the Guard.  She'll answer your questions then."

Amethyst ducked inside pushing the doors closed behind her.  She turned to Luna and bowed,"Forgive me for being late your Highness.  This catastrophe had me up late last night."

"Indeed." Luna said a hard edge to her voice.  "Captains Ironside and Grissom were just giving us the details."  

Amethyst's head shot up and she saw that Ironside was in fact present and giving her a Glare that almost rivaled Princess Luna's.  She flared her wings,"Who let you out of your cell!?" She demanded before turning to Luna,"Please forgive this your Majesty.  I'll have this traitor returned to the dungeon where he belongs."

"Thou art the only traitor this day! If anypony is destined for the dungeon it is you Amethyst Edge!"" Luna bellowed in the Royal Canterlot Voice.  "Thou hast far overstepped your bounds!"

"What!?" Amethyst gasped.  "How can you say that!?  He was taking bribes from those monsters!  I was trying to stave off the invasion!"

"Fool! There is no invasion!  The beings whom you hath persecuted are fleeing from their own world!"

Amethyst eyes widened,"What?  That's impossible!  Th-they're here to take Equestria from us!"

"Nay, thou hast been consumed by paranoia and hast abused thine authority!  As of this moment thou art hereby dismissed, pending a formal hearing."  She turned to Ironside, and in a softer voice said,"Captain, please accept my sincerest apologies for this horrid miscarriage of justice." Then she turned to Grissom," And as for you Captain Grissom without your observations this blind bigotry may have gone unnoticed and brought doom upon us all."

Ironside gave a small bow,"You have nothing to apologize for Highness."

Grissom flushed a little under the praise,"Just doing my job Princess."

Luna nodded before her face hardened and she turned to face Amethyst.  Who was still rooted to the spot unable to believe what she was hearing.  "Amethyst? Have you anything to say for you actions?"

She stared up at Luna and opened her mouth to speak,"..."  Then closed it again saying nothing.

Luna sighed,"Very well then.  Lieutenant!" She called and a large earth stallion stepped up with a pair of hoof cuffs.  There were three more ponies behind him one with a pair of wing restraints.  The other two walked up and grabbed her from each side warning her not to resist.  To everyponies surprise she didn't she was quickly cuffed and her wings were bound to stop her from flying away.  "Please escort Amethyst Edge to a cell.  I am certain my sister and I shall be wanting to speak with her soon."

"Traitor." Amethyst muttered.

Luna flicked her ears,"What? Speak up."

"Traitor!" Amethyst shrieked at a volume nearly comparable to the Royal Canterlot Voice.  "You! Your siding with these monsters!  You'd just hoof Equestria over to them without a fight!  Your scum!  You're going to let them destroy us! Your not any different at all, you're still Nightmare Moon!" Amethyst spat throwing the worst insult her addled mind could think of

"SILENCE!" Luna bellowed nearly  rendering everypony else deaf. The ponies present took a few steps back from Amethyst not wanting to get caught in the crossfire.  Luna scowled,her lips pulled back in a fearsome snarl and her horn flashed and sparked.  For a moment no one dared to breathe, but then Luna took a deep breath and let it out extending her foreleg. Her horn dimmed and the hard look on her face shifted to a more neutral expression. "Get her out of my sight." She whispered.

As the guards grabbed Amethyst, who had begun to scream and thrash against her restraints, a scroll arrived via Dragonfire.  Luna grabbed the scroll in her magic, allowing herself a small smile when she saw the hourglass wax seal.  "Ah a message from the Doctor."

Grissom leaned over to Ironside,"Doctor who?" The older stallion just ribbed him and went back to focusing on Luna.

She broke the seal and opened the scroll, it didn't take long for a new frown to appear.  "T'would seem that Discord's battle with Zygarde has caused some damage to Ponyville as well." She turned to a earth pony who had been quiet throughout all of this,"Captain Eastwood? I want you to organize a relief effort.  From this note the bulk of the damage appears to be broken windows."

"The stallion bowed,"I reckon I can do that. Will that be all?" 

"Indeed, you have been briefed on the situation so far. Should you require additional hooves just ask." Luna said.

Eastwood smirked,"Thankye Princess but my engineers are the best.  We can have Ponyville fixed up by tomorrow."

"Then you are dismissed." Luna replied with authority. The Captain left without another word.  Luna then turned to Ironside,"And as for you Captain.  I am ordering you to go home for the day, go be with your loved ones."

"Princess!" Ironside protested,"There a major crisis going on you need everypony on board to handle it."

Luna smiled,"Your dedication is most admirable.  However as I said this is an order. You deserve a day to rest after what has happened.  The situation will keep until tomorrow."

"I..." Ironside wanted to argue to dispute the order but the determination in Luna's eyes left no room for it.  He sighed,"Thank you your Highness.  I guess I will see you tomorrow." He walked from the room.

Luna watched him go with a small smile and then turned to the other assembled Captains,"You have all been briefed on the situation.  I and my sister are counting on you to be a better example to the citizens of Canterlot. Go and help remove the stain Amethyst has placed on the Royal Guard!"

They all saluted and said as one,"Yes your Highness!"  They turned and filed out of the throne room.

"Captain Grissom!" Luna called as he was about to walk out the door.  "I would speak with you a moment."  Grissom raised an eyebrow but closed the large wooden door before returning to Luna with a curious look.

Luna sighed,"Grissom I want your honest answer.  What is your opinion of the Pokemon?"

He shrugged,"I don't know any of them well enough to have an opinion Princess.  That was Amethyst's mistake.  She saw one or two Pokemon cause trouble and made an assumption about all of them.  You can't judge a group by the actions of an individual."

"Well said," Luna nodded.  "However, I am curious.  Would you work with a Pokemon to keep the peace?"

"As long as they were dedicated to the cause I don't see why not."  Grissom raised an eyebrow,"Do you know some Pokemon that want to join?"

"Not yet." Luna answered.  "However, if the rest of his kind are anything like young Gene.  I do not doubt we will soon."  She gave Grissom a serious look,"I believe forming a Pokemon Task Force would be prudent. I intend to broach the subject with my sister once she returns from her meeting with Lord Arceus."





Allen paced impatiently,"I feel like I'm stuck in a loop." He grumbled. "Stuck waiting for a train."  After the tremor the city had been in a panic and the trains had to be delayed while they checked the tracks for damage.  This meant that while he had found Dawn safe and none the worse for wear, they were now basically trapped in Canterlot. Which was not an ideal situation as he was willing to bet every bit he had that one way or another Drakarus was involved.

"Huh?" Dawn asked not understanding.

"Allen was doing this in the town we're going to." Nova explained before he reached out to scratch the top of Dawn's head.  He leaned in and whispered,"He was worried out of him mind by the way." Then he winked.

Dawn flushed and shook her brother off,"So?  You guys woke up in a place called Ponyville?  How did you know I was here?"  There was no way Nova could have smelled her from that kind of distance and Allen was still unsure how to read what his newly heightened senses told him.  "Come to think of it." She said leaping onto Allen's back as he passed by again. He stopped and stared at her as she got in his face.  "How exactly did you turn into a Rapidash?  And why are you blue?"

Allen chuckled,"It's kind of a long story.  But um, turns out Arceus isn't a myth after all." Dawn gasped and reeled back in shock forgetting she was standing on him.  When her back paws slipped off of Allen's hindquarters she instinctively dig in her claws for traction drawing shallow scratches along his right shoulder.  "Ahhhhhhah." Allen hissed as he strafed away.  "Come on Dawn you know you're too big to scarf anymore!"

She ducked her head,"Sorry Allen. I just... Arceus did this?"

He was frowning at the thin red lines that were running down his shoulder as he nodded.  "I couldn't believe it either when I first heard it.  I admit I always thought he was just a myth.  Like that one creepy legend about a Pokemon that only drank Gogoat blood.  What did they call that thing?"

"Chupachu? Something like that." Nova shrugged. "I don't remember."

"Anyway Arceus was the one who brought us here and made me into a Pokemon.  As for the blue... well he said it was some kind of mutation that changed me to a new type of shiny."
"New type?" Sparkler asked.

"Shiny Rapidash have a silvery grey flames instead of blue." Allen explained. "I saw a shiny Ponyta in the contest circuit a few years back."

Dawn jumped in front of his face again,"What do you mean 'He said"?  Did you talk to Arceus!?"

"Not only did we meet Arceus and a bunch of other Legendary's." Nova chuckled.  "But our oh so brilliant trainer thought it would be a good idea to use Flare Blitz and FIre Spin on him."

Dawn was dumbfounded,"You attacked god!?"

"Yes." Allen answered with a smug grin.  "Yes I did." In the distance he heard the clock tower start chiming again signaling that it was noon.

"I don't understand." Dawn said shaking her head,"Why would Arceus do something like this?  What's the point of pulling us away from earth?"

Allen's ear twisted back to face her as the last peel of the bells sounded,"It would probably be easier to let him explain that."

"What?" Dawn asked confused.

Allen held up a hoof and glanced at the sky,"Wait for it."

Dawn saw Nova roll his eyes and Sparkler looked equally disappointed. "Allen what are you doing?" She asked, her trainer could be such a goofball sometimes.

He ignored her and continued to glance at the sky expectantly,"Any second now."

"You are such a-" She would have called him a weirdo but a voice from the sky cut her off.

"Greetings citizens of Equus, new and old. I am Lord Arceus creator of the Pokemon realm."

"There it is!" Allen said with a laugh.






“Goodbye for now, though I doubt this will be the last you hear of me, and peace to you all.”

The voice went silent and the cells returned to their usual level of quiet.  Amethyst Edge sat on the cod stone practically hyperventilating, staring at nothing.  "We have... to... fight back!"  She gasped loudly.  "That... monster will... destroy us all! 

"Hey keep it down in there!" The one guard on duty shouted from her chair. A low ranking corporal.  "I'm trying to read! Bad enough some god interrupts me, not gonna deal you too."

Amethyst paid her no mind and threw herself at the bars, pulling hard on the collar that kept her chained to the wall. "They'll destroy us all!  Destroy us all! Destroy us all!"

The mare slammed down her book,"That's it!  I'm aloud to sedate you, you know!"  She got up from her chair having to pin her ears back to drown out Amethyst wails.  She opened a metal cabinet labeled Emergency.  Inside were a dozen packaged syringes each filled with enough tranquilizer to knock out anypony.  The mare held one in her teeth as she walked up to the still shrieking mare," on't ake ee oos iss."

Amethyst didn't stop and continued to pull on her collar, the guardsmare could already see she had cut herself from the collar.  She was reaching for her keys when the door to the dungeon opened and a Pegasus stallion walked in.  The Guard spit out the syringe,"Hey your not aloud down here!" To her surprise Amethyst stopped shrieking, but continued to struggle in her irons.

"Oh terribly sorry." The stallion said in an accent that told her he was from Trottingham.  He had a pale cream coloured coat and his mane and tail were carbon black he was also wearing a loose silk shirt as black as his mane.  He had a small well trimmed mustache and goatee, and a pair of sunglasses that kept her from seeing his eyes.  "I was with the tour group and got turned around." He slid his glasses down and he glanced around through bright orange eyes.  "Where exactly am I?"

"The dungeons." Mare sighed.  "Fine, I'll lead you back once i take care of her."  She leaned down to pike up the syringe again and paused.  "Wait a second!" The mare cried glaring at the stallion,"All the tours have been cancelled with the crisis!"  She would have grabbed her spear but it was by her chair and book, behind the stallion. "Who are you and how did you get down here!?  You're under arrest!"

"Well," he said with a smile.  "At least now I can say I had a reason."  Before she had a chance to process what he said the stallion flared his wings and streaked towards her.  He drew a small dagger from his sleeve and in one stroke slit the mares throat.

She gasped and choked, bringing her hooves to the deep gash that all but stayed her blood on the stones.  He casually pranced around her as the puddle of blood spread.  Once clear of the growing pond he wiped his blade on the dying mare's coat.  "It was inevitable, but at least you made it fun."  He then turned to Amethyst,"Well you've got yourself in a fine predicament don't ya?"

Amethyst stared at the dead mare as she laid face down in her own blood,"Who are you?" She asked in a hoarse voice.

"Well take care of the introductions another time luv." He grinned a charming smile, as though he hadn't just murdered somebody.  "The real question you should be asking is why am I here."  He gestured around,"I mean here I just broke into the Canterlot dungeons.  One of the most heavily guarded areas on the planet and killed a Royal Guard.  What could possibly be in this room that a bloke like me could want?"

Amethyst was no fool she had figured out his meaning.  He was here for her,"Well?" She asked,"Now that you have my attention, What do you want from me?"

"Oooooooohoho!" He laughed pleased.  "Your a sharp one you are!  Let's just say I represent a pony who wants to put an end to this Pokemon nonsense.  But the thing is this Arceus is powerful and we can't fight him alone.  So who do we asked to help us?  How about the beings who hate him just as much?"

"You hate him?" Amethyst asked dubiously.  "Why?"

The smug smile dropped from the stallion's face,"That's my own business.  But what about you? Huh? Look at the mess you're in because of that conceited beast.  Stripped of your titles and honor, betrayed by the very ponies you had sworn to serve.  It's so tragic."

"Cut the crap!"  Amethyst snapped.  "If you want me to fight for you just say so!"  

The stallion shook his head,"Oh no, we don't want you to fight for us.  We want to give you the power to fight for yourself."

Amethyst's ears perked up,"I'm listening."

The stallion grinned,"I bust you out and take you to my colleague and let him do what he does best. Then bam! You're a one mare army.  Cuz these things are the worst sort of pests.  They'll breed and flourish and spread to every corner of creation like cockroaches.  Unless they're stopped."  He gave her a dead serious look,"Unless the ponies like you care enough to stop them."

Amethyst was quiet for a long time so long that the stallion as beginning to think she would say no. Then slowly she stood,"I'm in."

He grinned,"Good choice." He reached into the folds of his shirt and removed a thin metal tube and pointed it at the cell door.  There was a strange whirring sound and the lock on the door popped open.  "There we are."  He then pointed it at her collar and a few seconds later it too snapped open.

Amethyst flexed a little and rolled her shoulders then rubbed at the sticky scabs on her neck,"So how do you plan on getting us out?" She walked out of the opened cell door and fluttered over the cooling corpse.

"Oh that part's easy." He said as he reached down and grabbed the dead mare by the leg and pulled her body into the cell. Then he set about striping her armour off.  "That should do it."  He reached into the folds of his shirt again and removed a small box wired to two elongated bricks of clay.  He smashed it into the stone floor and pressed a small red button.  He walked out of the cell and casually kicked it close,"And that ties up the loose ends."  

He smiled at Amethyst who was staring at the dead body in the cell.  "Don't fret.  Once we leave they'll think you're dead."  He brought his right foreleg up to his muzzle, revealing a strange metal band on his fetlock.  

After a moment a harsh metallic voice came out of it,"Communications established! Channel secured!"

"We're ready down here.  Bring us up!" The stallion said.

"Wait!" Amethyst said.

The stallion sighed,"Hang on.  What now?"

"You know who I am." She said evenly,"But I still don't know who you are."

He smiled,"Call me... The Master." Amethyst considered it briefly and nodded. He spoke into the band again,"Now we're all set down here."

"Understood!  Standby!"  

There was a bright flash and they vanished leaving the cell block empty.  Several seconds later the dead mare's cell erupted in fire so hot that it melted the stone floors and warped the iron bars.  The flames rolled through the whole block weakening as they went until they petered out and vanished.  Later all that would be found would be the partial and mostly burned remains of a pony, in the cell that was supposed to belong to Amethyst Edge.