Chapter 25: Friends! New and Old
The first rays of the sun's light had begun to creep into the guest room, Allen sighed and picked his head up off the body pillow. He was laying on his side with his legs pulled in, the body pillow he had to steal from under Dawn. In his absence Dawn had claimed the head of the bed and all the blankets and the pillow, forming them into a crude but soft nest.
Since the bed was pony sized, Allen hadn't been all that comfortable. Which was part of the reason he was awake so early, Allen tended not to like mornings. Today was different though, Sparkler was leaving today that was one thing. It was really something that he hadn't even known her a week but he trusted her. She was sharp as a pin and clearly knew how to take care of herself. He wasn't going to stop her though, she had her reasons. He wasn't going to be selfish and try to keep her from her dreams just because it would mean goodbyes with another friend.
'Sparkler's her own mare. Still I'm gonna miss her.'
"Hey that's my poffin..." Allen turned to see Dawn laying on her back swatting at the air and periodically kicking with her back legs. "Awen... nen stole my poffin."
He grinned,"We'll get you another one." His smile fell as he glanced out the window and his mind drifted to the other thing weighing on his mind. The recent murder in the Canterlot dungeons. Allen was absolutely sure that a Pokemon couldn't be responsible, could it? He shook his head, Arceus left all the worst Pokemon on earth. 'Then why is Drakarus here?' The Brutal Pokemon was, at least in Allen's opinion, insane. The memory of when he met the dragon bubbled up in his head. Mt. Silver was beauti- "Nope." He said aloud awkwardly trying to tap his temple with a hoof. "You stay in the Vault where you belong."
He didn't like thinking about the details of that day, or that it cost him his chance to challenge Red. He glanced at Dawn still kicking with her back legs and then Nova who had taken the floor under the open window. Both were still asleep, he sighed and started pulling himself out of the undersized bed. He was up, might as well see if he could find some coffee he was going to need it.
The house was eerily silent as he crept down the stairs, partly to keep from waking everyone but mostly to keep from tripping down them and breaking a leg. He brought his last hoof down on the ground floor and sighed,'How do they do it? That was not safe!' He looked back up the stairs, they were narrow and steep, at least for him. Going up was fairly easy but his legs weren't as dexterous as a ponies and going down was neither easy or safe. "Welp. I'm not going back up there." He stated.
After a short trip to the bathroom he headed for the kitchen , grateful that at least relieving himself hadn't become as difficult as most other things had. He turned into the dining room to see Sparkler, Tally, and Loki sitting at the table. Loki had a cup of coffee in one of his little hands and a small book in the other. Allen had to squint to see the title,"1001Awesometastic Original Pranks. By Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash." Loki didn't notice him staring and continued to flip through the book chuckling gleefully every few seconds.
Tally, who had been watching Loki like he was liable to explode, had spotted him and waved with a wing. He went back to pecking at half a muffin that was sitting on the table as Allen nodded and walked into the room.
Sparkler had been sitting at the table reading a newspaper paper. She looked up at him and smiled,"Good morning Allen."
"Morning Sparkler. How long have you been up?" He asked gently pushing a chair out of the way and sitting on his haunches. Even with her sitting on a chair he was still a few inches taller.
"About an hour. I have to get up early for morning classes anyway." She set the paper down and levitated a cup to her lips and took a sip before returning it to the table. "Want some coffee?"
"Is that a rhetorical question?" Allen chuckled.
Sparkler laughed softly and sparked her horn, Allen's keen ears heard things moving in the kitchen. "Sugar? Cream?"
"Sugar please!" He said twisting his ears back to the kitchen. 'Magic must be fun.'
Sure enough few seconds later a fairly large mug floated into the room and settled in front of Allen,"There you are."
Allen grinned,"Thanks Sparkler." He took a deep breathe of the vapors, just based on the smell he could tell this was going to be good. He glanced at the front page of the newspaper.
"Pokemon! Invading Menace? Or Desperate Refugees?"
"What?" He deadpanned.
Sparkler rolled her eyes as well,"I read it and it was pretty bad."
"I'm still surprised the situation has been so calm." Allen admitted, granted their own experiences had been limited but had the situation been reversed. He was confident that someone would have declared war by now and probably dropped a nuke while they were at it.
Sparkler giggled," I wonder what you would have to say if you saw when Discord first broke out?"
"I wanna meet that guy." Loki said looking up from the prank book. "Hanging out with a chaos god sounds fun!"
In Canterlot Discord sat up from the salami hammock he was testing.... for reasons. "I sense something, a presence I've not felt since..." He trailed off then shrugged,"Eh, it's been done."
"By the way?" Allen asked. "Where did you get the book?"
"From the library." He answered turning his attention back to the book. "Pretty cool place. You'd like it."
"Do they know you have it?" Allen answered trying to be more specific.
"Maybe." Loki replied as he turned a page.
Allen sighed. "Just be sure to give it back."
"That was the plan."
Allen frowned but turned back to Sparkler,"How was the slumber party with Dinky?"
Sparkler who had been sipping on her coffee, choked and started laughing and coughing at the same time. After coughing a few more times she got herself under control,"Poor Veevee."
"What?"
"Ditzy got two dozen cupcakes for her. She ate ten." She started gigging which got Allen smiling. "Then Dinky wanted to give her a makeover. And poor Veevee just covered in ribbons and bows.
Allen got a flash of the first time he entered a contest in Sinnoh and a Bidoof that look like it had the trainers whole accessories bag dumped on it. He shuddered glad that Dawn had wanted nothing to do with Sinnohs crazy contests.
"The thing is is the whole night all Dinky talked about was Pokemon training." Sparkler said looking straight at Allen,"Seems she's quite taken with the idea."
Allen grinned,"She's got the heart and the head for it." His smile faded a little,"A lot of heart actually. She really cares about how Veevee feels."
"What do you mean?" Sparkler raised and eyebrow.
"Yesterday she showed me that she had a Thunderstone." Allen answered until he saw Sparkler's deadpan,"Oh! It makes certain species of Pokemon evolve. In Veevee's case she would become a Jolteon."
"Okay? Why is that such a big deal?"
"Because for Pokemon evolution is like growing up. Right now Veevee is a child and so is Dinky. Their at that age where they cliche. If she evolves Veevee will act a lot differently."
"That." Loki added. "And Eevees are always so whiny about what they want to be when they evolve."
"Oh!" Sparkler said,"So she's worried about what Veevee wants to be and how she feels about being a Jolteon!"
"Exactly!" Allen said. "It's not like it matters if she uses the stone. Veevee will evolve no matter what happens it's just a matter of time." Allen smiled more to himself,"And with the Everfree so close I can see her evolving into a Leafeon in a few years." He slurped more of his coffee.
"Pokemon really are different." She frowned. "So where did you and Turn- I mean the Doctor run off to last night?" Sparkler asked.
"Canterlot." He replied. "Somepony is trying to make it look like a Pokemon killed a mare."
Sparkler gasped,"What!?" Tally was watching now and Loki had closed the prank book.
Allen sighed,"Apparently they arrested the mare in the guard that went crazy. She was the cause of a lot of Pokemon being treated poorly. Well now there's a badly burned mare's corpse in her cell." He paused expecting Loki to make a comment, he just kept looking sour. "The dead mare isn't her though."
"Who is she?" Sparkler asked.
"Still don't know." He said. "The Princesses want the Doctor to figure it out. Since their busy dealing with Arceus's mess." Allen sighed again,"So when are you leaving?"
The next train heading for Fillydelphia leaves at noon."
Allen glanced at the standing grandfather clock in the dining room. "A little more than six hours huh?"
"Yes, so what's your plan for the day?" She asked hoping to change the mood. "More training with Nova?"
Allen shook his head,"As much as I'd like to there's something else to do first."
"What's that?" She asked.
He smiled,"Nova and I spotted a bakery yesterday."
She looked at him for a minute,"Okay."
"You wanna check it out with me?" Allen asked. "My treat."
"Allen I used to live in Ponyville." She explained,"I've been to Sugarcube Corner dozens of times."
Allen deflated a little,"Oh, okay. I just thought since we won't see each other for a while we should do something." He sighed,"Well at least until you had to leave."
Sparkler smiled,"Doesn't mean I don't want to go. Ditzy's muffins are great."
"Legendary!" Loki corrected, apparently he really liked them.
Sparkler chuckled,"But Sugarcube Corner has some really great stuff, you've gotta try the hot chocolate."
Allen grinned,"Great!"
"Problem is they won't open few a few more hours." She lifted the cup and sipped again.
"Ah." Allen sighed and sipped from his own cup. He should have grabbed a straw from his bag... 'Where is my bag?' He wondered and then sweat dropped,'I left it in the room.' Then another thought accrued to him,"Sparkler you want to help me plant some berries?"
The hour was early by most standards, though for some legendaries sleep was more or less an option. Arceus for example was meeting with a trio of Pokemon, one of which had been human. He was a Sceptile who was stooped over and digging through the bag Arceus had just returned.
"I can assure you the only thing missing from your belongings are the Pokeballs and apricorns." He glanced at the far wall,"I would have no reason to want any of your other belongings. Nor your excessive amount of tootsie rolls."
The long slender form of a Serperior slithered up the Sceptile's back,"Do you hear that love? Our toy collection makes Lord Arceus uncomfortable." The Serperior's voice was mellow but deep and unmistakably male.
"Ha!" The Sceptile laughed. "Who'd of thought god could blush!?" He pulled his arm out of the bag with something gripped in his claws and offered it to the Alpha Pokemon,"Want a Snickers dude?" Arceus just blinked.
"You should not speak to Lord Arceus in such a way!" Warned a Hitmonchan wearing a turban with a large sapphire set in it. He stiffly turned and faced Arceus before bowing to him,"Please forgive my trainers disrespectful behavior."
"Considering we were able to have a civilized conversation.' Arceus replied. "I see no reason for anyone to apologize. There is no need to be so stiff my child... relax."
Funny thing about god telling you to relax, you don't, the Hitmonchan stood straighter and stiffer and bowed again,"O-of c-course my Lord!"
"So just to be clear?" The Sceptile asked,"We don't have to hide anymore? The Rangers can't arrest us for being together?"
Arceus smiled still an odd thing considering he didn't have a mouth,"They have no right to trouble you."
"Cool!" He slung the large bag over his shoulder and the Serperior slithered up him and around his shoulders. "One of my team is still missing, mind pointing me in his direction?"
"So let me see if I get this?" Sparkler asked as she patted down the soil over the berry. "The longest of these will be done in three days?"
"Yep!" The some of these will be done in a day or two." Allen explained. But the odder berries like the Passho Berries will take about three or four.
"Neat!" Sparkler said, with the aide of her magic it hadn't taken them long to plant nearly all of the berries Allen had.
"Actually the coolest part is probably the fact that if you miss your chance to harvest them another plant will grow." Allen explained despite having magic to help both of them had dirt all over their forelegs and somehow Sparkler had managed to get dirt on her nose as well. "We should probably go clean up."
After stopping to wipe their hooves, Allen found himself patiently waiting for his turn. Much to his surprise Dawn was the first one down,"You're up early." He commented back on earth she would offer sleep in until ten or eleven and spend her nights up until four or five in the morning.
"After all that in Canterlot my sleep pattern is all messed up." She whined and rubbed on his hind leg. "That and I have an Eevee to train."
Allen chuckled,"That's true."
"So what about you?" She asked wrinkling her nose. "Why are you covered in dirt?"
"I just planted some berries." He explained
Dawn's eyes widened,"We still have the berries? Did you save me a Leppa Berry?"
"Sorry Dawn." He shook his head. "We were nearly out after our bout with Misty. I had to plant nearly all of them."
Dawn rapidly deflated and then slumped onto the hardwood floors. "Why have you forsaken me?" She whined.
Allen laughed,"You're ridiculous."
"There's no hope left for the world." She drowned rolling herself onto her back and stretching out her front legs flexing her sharp claws.
"Well have a bunch in a few days." Allen chuckled. 'Wow, I always knew she was complaining but come on.'
"It all fades to dust and shadow." She wailed dramatically and flopping with herself onto her side.
"Alright!" He reached out and hooked his fetlock over her and pulled her into a hug then leaned his face close to hers. "Knock it off. Why do you always do this? Leppa berries aren't even that good."
Dawn blushed,"I like them." Then she pulled away from him and headed for the kitchen. "I smell coffee."
As she headed for the kitchen Allen chuckled, she'd been this way about this one particular berry practically since she'd hatched. She would dramatically throw herself about complaining for an hour or so before she'd drop the subject. It never really made sense to him, Leppa berries were hard to chew all little sweet but still. Once a few years ago while he was still in Hoehn, the same situation came up near Lava Ridge and Nova had said something to Dawn. Before Allen could blink she hit her brother with an Iron Tail so hard it cracked his sternum. To this day he still had no idea what it was about, neither Nova nor Dawn had been willing to try to explain it.
Allen heard water rush through the pipes and a few seconds later Sparkler stepped out, now dirt free. "There you go Allen."
"Thank you." He nodded and stepped into the room.
Sparkler turned and made for the dining room finding Ditzy and Tur- the Doctor just sitting down. Loki had vanished again, hopefully to return the book. Tally had gone flying and she had to admit she was worried about him, he was small something bigger could grab him. Dawn stepped in from the kitchen a cup of coffee balanced perfectly on her head between her ears. "Morning sis."
Ditzy, who was spreading cream cheese onto a bagel, looked up and smiled. "Good morning."
Sparkler sat down and levitated her coffee to where she sat, it was cold now but one easy spell later and it was now pleasantly hot.
"Ditzy, I have to say your home is lovely." Dawn said as she settled into her chair.
Ditzy smiled,"Thank you. We've been remodeling."
"The kitchen looks very new." Dawn noted and looked to Sparkler,"So you're leaving today?" She nodded,"That's too bad, you helped Allen find me. I was hoping to get to know you better."
"I was too." She admitted. "I guess it will have to wait... unless you want to come to Sugarcube Corner with Allen and I?"
Dawn suddenly looked very uncertain,"I should keep teaching Veevee, I think."
"If you're sure." She replied and drained the last of her coffee.
"So when are you leaving today?" Ditzy asked. "We'll be sure to see you off."
Sparkler smiled,"Noon. I'd like that."
BZZZZZZZZT
"Uuuuuhhhhgg!" Feather Storm groaned and pressed his hooves into his ears in a vain attempt to blot out the loud buzzing. The past two mornings he'd been woke like this, to the unpleasant buzz of the Cell Blocks main gate unlocking. Meaning it was time to get up.
With an angry grunt he picked himself of of the thin, lumpy cot that was magically bolted to the wall. His hooves clopped on the stone floor and he did his best to stretch. The cell was a bit small but the real problem was his wings they ached from still being bound and he wanted nothing more than to spread them and at least hover.
He saw several as officers began walking down the block calling names. Which meant they called two names and then his, since their were only three ponies that had been arrested in the last few days. The worse part was they would be out in an hour or so, they had only been brought in for being Drunk and Disorderly.
"Alright runts!" Called the large earth mare who ran Fillydelphia's small jail. "Hooves out and we can get to breakfast fast. We got a crate of blueberries this morning aren't you lucky?"
Storm perked up at this, at least it wasn't all bad then. Normally meals were simple and tasteless in jail, breakfast (if it could be called that) was just a bowl of oatmeal. 'At least I get some fruit today.' He fumed bitterly stepping up and putting his hooves out through a space made for them. A guard came up and put a pair of shackles on his forelegs and then told him to step back as he opened the cell.
Storm complied but raged silently the whole time. 'Go to Tartarus you slimy ground pounding! Dirt eating! Inbred mud rutter!'
Once the cell was open he shuffled out and stopped on a black line painted in the middle of the block. The other detainees were slow to join him groaning and hung over. With all three of her charges the warden nodded once and spun on hooves,"Let's go!" She called louder than necessary and led them out of the block and into a corridor that not only led to the cafeteria but also the infirmary and the office. It could be said that the jail in Fillydelphia was small, usually the biggest kind of trouble was the occasional drunken brawl.
This was Storm's fifth trip and he was beginning to lose his patients with ponies. All he was trying to do was the right thing. Why would nopony see that? Things were supposed to be a certain way and too many ponies were mixing themselves with monsters. 'Griffins.' Just the thought made him shudder and retch in revulsion. 'How anypony could be attracted to something like that is beyond me. And now we've got these Pokethings! And that pompous, blasphemous cockroach Arceus!?' He scowled as he walked into the cafeteria which like the rest of the jail was small.
The room was maybe forty square feet and had three folded benches like the ones used in large school cafeterias. After stopping and lining up again the guards removed their shackles. Silently and under the watchful eyes of their warden they went about unfolding a single bench, then locked it into place. They lined back up, then stood still wanting for the wardens word.
She lingered a few moments then nodded,"Alright!"
They turned, with Storm the last in the line, then followed an orange line to the far wall at the back of the cafeteria. A metal door rattled up, much to the displeasure of the two hung over detainees, to reveal a large fat, earth stallion with a coat such a dark shade of brown it might as well have been black. He wore and chef's hat and and stained apron that said,'Kiss the Cook.' He grinned and in a deep booming voice said,"Hello Children!"
"Hey Chef." Storm greeted back as the other two winced and groaned. Something he had picked up on in his times here was that Chef called anyone he had to feed children, including the warden.
"Keep your voice down." One of the hung over stallions whined. "My head is killing me."
Chef laughed loudly,"Well maybe next time you won't drink so much Flag!"
The stallion who apparently was named Flag groaned,"Buck off Chef!"
"You ain't pretty enough." Chef shot back as he pulled the covers off a streaming trough of oatmeal. "Now who's hungry?" He quickly served up three trays of hot oatmeal and a foam cup of black coffee. What the warden had called a crate was about a two pounds of berries but it added some flavour to an otherwise boring meal.
He followed the line to the table and sat down. Breakfast around here was quiet, the warden had left having better things to do with her time. Four guards stood near the double doors watching them but as long as no started anything Storm could eat in peace. He gripped the spork with his hoof and began to shovel food into his mouth. The blueberries were sweet and tart and just right, satisfying a craving he didn't even know he'd had.
About halfway through his meal the doors to the cafeteria swung open and the warden returned. She pointed a hoof straight at Storm,"You."
'Buck! What now?' He wondered as all eyes fell on him.
"Somepony paid your bail." Her voice was... oddly flat and emotionless,"Let's go."
"Finally!" He sighed pushing his tray away,"Thank Celestia!" He stood and walked up to her stopping several feet away, guards didn't like it when you got to close.
The warden said nothing but turned and led him out and into the small administration office. It was like everything else in this jail small about half the size of the cafeteria and had half a dozen desks in it. Then there was a wall of iron bars that separated him from the welcome desk and the front door.
He had been expecting to see Star Shine, she had certainly taken her sweet time to bail him out. However instead he found himself being smiled at by a cream coloured pegasus with a black mane and tail wearing a loose black shirt. His orange eyes almost blazed,"And there he is!" He had a Trottingham accent and grinned. "Just the stallion I wanted to see."
"It's a little tight around the barrel." The Doctor complained as he stepped out of the closet, fiddling with his tie. He was wearing a white collared shirt with the sleeves rolled up to above his elbow. Over that he wore a sleeveless vest with several pockets, it was the same light brown as his coat. The tie he found himself struggling to get knotted right was a dark grey. In the last few years he had just gone without clothes they could be a hassle sometimes. However now he needed to carry extra equipment. He didn't even keep his Sonic in a pocket anymore, Pinky Pie had taught him how to keep that in his mane.
"I'm sure you can get Rarity to let it out a little." Ditzy giggled as she stepped up and tied the tie for him. " There we go! You look so handsome."
"Derpy please I'm supposed to be doing my job." He leaned in and kissed her letting it linger for several seconds. When he broke away Ditzy was blushing hard, "We can have our fun once I figure this whole murder, missing ponies mystery out."
Ditzy frowned,"I still can't believe something like that even happened." It was no secret that murders were an uncommon thing on Equus or at the very least Equestria, to think that one had happened so close to Ponyville.
"It's a terrible thing when lives are thrown away ceaselessly." The Doctor agreed. "And that's why I'm going to find the ones responsible. Considering that they've already killed one pony..." He hesitated,"I think it's best if I don't bring you along on this one. If something happened to you I'd never forgive myself. And I don't even want to think about having to tell Dinky."
Ditzy sighed,"Good. Promise me you'll be safe too."
"What!?" He hadn't been expecting her to agree. "Your not gonna demand I bring you with?" He paused,"Be outraged that I try to leave you behind?"
"Of course not." She replied. "This is really dangerous and I want to go... but I've been thinking about those close calls." The Doctor was shocked to see her looked scared. "I still catch myself staring at Pegasus statues. Did you know while walking back from Sugarcube Cube Corner I took a five minute detour to avoid a shadow?"
The Doctor sighed and pulled her into a hug,"Hey, Hey I know." She didn't cry but leaned on him. "I will always keep you two safe... and I make it my mission to come back to you."
Ditzy kissed him quickly on the lips and then leaned into him again,"I wish moments like these could last forever."
The Doctor chuckled,"Well scientifically speaking that's not impossible."
"Nope!" Ditzy cried using her position to place both her hooves on his chest and give him a playful shove. "No more crazy time experiments. Explaining to Berry Punch why a Velociraptor drank two barrels of her best mead, is not something I want to go through again."
The Doctor grinned,"Bring a dinosaur back one time and I never hear the end of it."
"By the way." She said giggling. "I have to go talk to the Mayor about some building permits. And I have to go speak with Cheerilee about the school situation." She explained,"Could you run over to Felix's shop and pick up my vase for me?"
"Something broke?"
"Yeah, I guess it happened yesterday." She explained. "Can I ask you to do it?"
"Nothing simpler." The Doctor said confidently.
"And remember." She warned,"We're all going to be at the train station at noon to see Sparkler off."
"Of course." He smiled and opened the door to their bedroom for her. "After you Derpy."
They quickly descended the stairs to find Dinky, Pip and Veevee waiting for them. "Mommy!" Dinky cried happily. "Can we go out and play?"
"Okay muffin but remember to be back here by 11:30." Ditzy explained. "We're going to see Sparkler off at the station."
"Okay mommy."Dinky said deflating a little at being reminded that her aunt was leaving today.
"Veevee what about practice?" Dawn asked as she stepped out of the sitting room.
"Can we practice later please Miss Dawn? I should really stay with Dinky and Pip." Veevee pleaded and she probably just learned Baby Doll Eyes.
"Why?" Dawn asked barely able to overcome the cuteness.
Stepping close Veevee whispered,"Pip is determined to find a partner but he keeps asking all this really strong looking grown-up Pokemon."
Dawn glanced at the colt who was a little smaller than Veevee,"Really?"
"He asked a Scizor and an Arbok yesterday. The Arbok basically threatened to eat him."
"Okay I'm coming with you!" Dawn announced before leaning down to Veevee and winking,"We can go over Protect while we're out." Now with adult supervision, the group of kids set out. Ditzy gave the Doctor another kiss and flew off in the direction of Town Hall.
"Well imagine my surprise when I wake to find everyone gone." Observed a deep gravely voice.
"Good morning Nova!" The Doctor turned and greeted the Fire-type.
"Morning Doctor. Where is everyone?" Nova inquired scratching his chin.
The Doctor filled him in quickly,"In fact I have to step out as well. Would you care you join me? I was hoping to ask you about a move called Flame Burst?" The Doctor walked up to the door and held it open for Nova.
"Yes." Nova growled. "Allen mentioned something about a murder last night. You think a Fire-type did it?"
"No I don't." The Doctor shrugged,"But I do however have to investigate the potential."
Nova nodded,"What do you need to know my friend?"
The city of Fillydelphia was could be described as a busy, but quiet city. Most ponies were just getting ready to head out to their jobs or school. Star Shine however had been up and walking for a little while now. Slowly making her way to the city jail.
She wasn't looking forward to this conversation, 'Feather Storm was going to be so mad.' She winced without knowing it, and sighed. Despite her best efforts she was unable to come up with the bits to bail Storm out this time, he wasn't going to like that.
The last he he had gotten arrested he had been in for a day and had been furious that he had had to spend even one night in jail. That last time, after he had crashed and ruined someponies wedding, she had to sell a pair of Countess Coloratura tickets. He was then furious that she sold them and threatened to break up with her over it.
Star Shine shuddered to think what he might say when he found out that she couldn't help him. What was she going to sa-
"Happi!" Cried a small voice as she pressed her hoof down on something soft and squishy.
"Wha!?" Star yelped and jumped back to see she had stepped on a Pokemon. It was small, standing upright it would have only come to her knee. It was a pink colour with an red lower half that reminded her of a diaper. 'Wait is this a baby!?'
The little Pokemon looked up at her through big watery eyes and began to cry. "Hap Happiny! Pyyyyy!" It balled as tears poured like a faucet.(1)
"Oh oh oh! I'm so sorry little one! I didn't see you there." She explained as she picked it up in her magic, which was an orange colour.
"Happiny?"The Pokemon stopped crying as it noticed it was being levitated and looked around curiously. Star smiled and used a quick spell to see if the Pokemon was hurt. While she knew nothing about Pokemon medicine, theoretically a Detect Injury spell should work on anything. It only took a few seconds to come back negative and tell her that the Pokemon was fine.
Now she looked at the baby Pokemon,"Are you lost little one?" That Allen guy had said he couldn't find all of his Pokemon friends.
The Happiny looked at her and the waterworks started again,"Happiiiiiiii!" It cried.
"Shhh. It's okay. I can help you find your family." She cooed and pulled the squishy baby into a hug. They stayed that way until Happiny stopped crying with her nuzzling Happiny's head. "There we go." She said softly. "No more tears okay? I'll help you find your friends if you want."
Happiny nodded and Star set the Pokemon on her back. "After I'm finished talking with Storm I'll take you to file a missing ponies report... er Pokemon report."
"Happi!" It cheered then reached into its diaper and pulled out a small rounded white rock. "Happi hap hap!" It then offered the stone to Star.
"For me?" She asked and took the rock in her magic and looked it over. She wasn't really sure why it gave her this but she had a lot of little cousins who did similar things. "Well thank you little one, but I think you should hold onto it." She passed it back to the Pokemon who stuffed it back into the diaper. "Hold on tight Happiny." She joked and trotted off at a brisk pace.
"Point being Doctor." Nova summarised,"It would take more than a dozen Flame Bursts to cause so much damage. It's just not possible."
"Agreed." The Earth stallion nodded,"But all that tells us is that it wasn't a Fire-type Pokemon. Not what happened or who that poor mare was. Or where Amethyst Edge is."
"So you're back to square one." Nova observed. "Maybe if we knew who that mare was it could be a place to start."
As if on cue a sparkling wisp of smoke trailed into the Doctor's path, coiling in on itself and then popped out a sealed scroll. The Doctor picked it up and quickly unrolled it,"It's from Luna." His eyes flew over the text and a deep frown formed on his muzzle.
"Doctor?" Nova prompted as he crumpled up the scroll.
"They figured out who that mare was." He said in a somber tone. "It seems that one of their cadets didn't show this morning. And after digging a little it turns out somepony assigned her to watch the cells since all the other guards were busy. Her name was Bookworm." He held the crumpled parchment up,"Would you mind?"
Nova took the message and held it above his head then let out a quick gout of ruby flame. "Done."
"She only died because she was between Amethyst and whatever wanted her." He sighed.
"We don't know that Doctor." Nova frowned. "Who or whatever did this might have gone after that mare anyway."
The Doctor sighed,"I suppose so. Still it doesn't seem to help us figure out where Amethyst is or what's going on." As he turned away from Nova and the ash that had once been the scroll; he saw a familiar face and smiled as he saw him in turn,"Felix! Just the stallion I wanted to see!" The Doctor greeted with a big grin. "Good to see you Sea Swirl how's your father like the clock?"
Sea Swirl groaned. “Yes, hello, Time Turner. My father very much enjoys that clock you got, but why did you have to get such an annoying chime?”
"I like gangnam style." He counter.
Sea Swirl looked ready to make a cutting remark but Felix interrupted. “So, what brings you around the clock? Pardon my pun.”
He threw his head back and laughed,"Clock jokes! I love it!" It took a moment for him to get himself under control again,"Er... Pardon me. Yes, apparently Derpy brought a vase by yesterday. She wanted me to pick it up."
Felix put a hoof to his chin. “Hm… I don’t recall her coming in… Then again, with so many ponies coming in, it was hard to keep up with so many orders… Alright, let’s head to my shop. I believe we have it ready for you to pick up!”
"Excellent!" The Doctor cheered. "Lead on Felix." He paused and glanced to his left,"Oh where are my manners. Felix, Sea Swirl, this is my friend Nova." He gestured to the Pokemon beside him.
Nova nodded,"Nice to meet you both."
“Well, about time we finally get a Pokémon that can actually speak,” Sea Swirl snarked as they started walking together. “I was wondering if all these Pokémon just only said their names.”
"That's what you're hearing." Nova explained. "We have our own language."
Felix nodded. “Yep! It took me a while to actually figure it out myself! But I must ask… Are you a Quilava? You seem larger than the Quilava I have at my home.”
Nova blinked and stopped walking,"A Quilava you say? Members of his own species were rather rare, he hadn't seen one in over a year, since leaving Johto. "No but I was one once. I'm a Typhlosion now."
Felix and Sea Swirl both stared for a moment before a light appeared in Felix’s eyes. “Of course! It must be that evolution that William was talking about!”
“Evolution?” Sea Swirl asked.
"The natural process of a Pokemon maturing." Nova elaborated. "Your Quilava friend for instance wasn't born a Quilava. Before he evolved he was a Cyndaquil. Nearly all Pokemon evolve in some way."
Sea Swirl groaned. “Pokémon maturing by natural process? Evolution? These Pokémon get more and more confusing at the minute.”
Felix smiled. “It will be quite interesting for your studies though. I’m sure you’ll probably have to learn about them when researching those water Pokémon!”
“That means I’ll probably be asking many questions about this.” She turned towards the Fire-type. “Nova, was it? Hope you don’t mind, but I’ll probably be questioning off your ears on the way to Felix’s.”
Nova laughed,"A Marine Pokeologist? I'll answer what I can. But you should know that I'm a Fire-type... The polar opposite of water."
“At least water beating water makes sense…” Sea Swirl sighed. “Alright, so let’s go over more about Pokémon evolution…”
"The most important thing to remember about Protect is that it's only as strong as your will." Dawn explained to Veevee as she walked through Ponyville. "If your heads not in it then it will shatter like glass."
Dawn was pleased to see she had both Veevee and Dinky's undivided attention. 'She's really going to be a spectacular trainer.' Dawn noted. Pip on the other hand was hopeless. They had been out nearly an hour and Pip had only approached two Pokemon, one was a Magmar that had actually been human. That had been awkward. The second was a Metang that had tried to use Extrasensory on him, thank Arceus she was a Dark-type or that would have been messy.
Ironically Dawn saw potential partners nearly everywhere. Shortly before finding the Magmar she had seen a Spritzy that would have made a good partner as well as several Joltik and even a small group of young Dragon-types running around. Pip dismissed them all saying he wanted a cool Pokemon. 'I wonder if he realizes Pokemon evolve?'
"Whoa!" Pip cried drawing their attention to the excitable colt was pointing skyward. "What's that!?"
Dawn followed his gaze and gasped herself, a Noivern was flying low circling over the local Apple orchard. As it passed close she could see the Dragon-type was blind, with ugly faded, X shaped scars over its eyes. While she knew what it was, Dawn had never actually met a Noivern before.
"Come on! Pip cried. "I wanna be her trainer!"
That knocked Dawn out of her stupor,"What!?" She cried leaping in front of the colt blocking his path. "Nonono, bad idea! Pip you need to find something closer to your own age. Like Dinky and Veevee."
Pip frowned,"Bu-"
"When I get my hands on you I'll snap your little neck!" A voice yelling drew their attention to farther down the road. The Magmar from earlier was running out of the orchard chasing something and he looked mad. A few feet ahead of him, she spotted a green and yellow blur.
'An Electrike?' Her pondering was cut short as she saw the Magmar take a deep breathe. "Shit!" She cursed and leapt into to action, putting herself between the little Electric-type and the coming flames. Just as the Fire-type launched a Fire Spin, Dawn threw up Protect and the flames washed harmlessly over her and the youngsters. After all the times she had sparred and trained with Nova she almost laughed at how weak the move was.
"What the hell?" The Magmar wondered. "Who the fuck are you?" He demanded but then paused as he saw the foals behind her,"Not you freaks again!"
"Hey!" Pip yelled stepping in front of Dawn and scowling at the Fire-type defiantly. "Why don't you pick on somepony your own size!"
"Piss off!" He shot back,"That little shit stole my breakfast and zapped me. I'm gonna make him regret it!"
"You were stealing first!" The Electrike countered,"I returned those Apples you took!"
"Shut your lying mouth! It's my word against yours!" He screamed.
"I'll believe the kid over you." Dawn answered curtly and turned down to the young Pokemon peeking out from behind her hind leg. "Are you alright?"
He hesitantly stepped out and nodded,"I'm okay now ma'am. Thank you for the help."
"What am I, chopped liver!?" The former human asked incredulously. "Listen bitch, give me that little shit or I'll roast you too!"
Dawn couldn't keep it in this time, she started to snicker which lead into a full blown laughing fit. Her voice had a musical pitch to it that made all who heard it smile, save the Magmar. It took almost a full minute before she reigned herself in,"Your cute." She said. "Run along before you bite off more than you can chew."
"Screw you! I don't have to take that from some Dark-type that probably eats babies or some shit like that!" The Magmar spat a the ground in front of her, which sizzled and burned the dirt road.
All the light heartedness drained from Dawn,"What did you just say?" She hissed her voice cold as ice.
"Uh oh..." Electrike whispered and started to back away. He knew enough about humans to know some of them really hated Dark-types, and enough about Dark-types to know you don't say stuff like that to their face.
"Miss Dawn?" Veevee asked not sure what was going on. "Are you okay?"
Dawn turned back to the youngsters and smiled sweetly, though it didn't show in her eyes,"Watch closely Veevee. You're about to see what hard work and a great trainer can do for you."
"STOP IGNORING ME!!!" The Magmar raged and swung a fist in sloppy punch. "Ugh!" He cried as something fast hit him from behind.
He spun around to see Dawn was standing behind him now. "Faint Attack." She said in a bored tone.
"FUCKING DARK-TYPE!!!" He roared and swung his fist again, this time it burst into red hot flames. His fist only touched air,"Well shit!" He said with an almost sadistic grin,"Look who just learned Fire Punch!"
Dawn scoffed as he began to throw punches,"Please, my brother learned boxing from a Hitmonchan. If he can't hit me, you'll never do it." All the while she spoke she effortlessly danced between his blazing fists, compared to Nova he was practically standing still. "Dark Pulse." Interlocking rings of dark energy shot from her mouth and hit the Magmar hard in the gut.
The move launched him back almost twenty feet and he landed with a very satisfying thump. He groaned as he laid on the ground seeing stars. Dawn huffed,"Well that wasn't even a warm-up." She sounded disappointed.
"What was all that about?" Pip asked as Dawn walked back to them.
"It's called a Battle." She explained,"And a very mismatched one at that."
"I know that!" Pip said,"What did he say that made you fight him? He sounded mad."
"Electrike said he stole some apples from the orchard. I guess he stopped him" Dinky explained, then she frowned,"Then he said a lot of really mean things."
Pip glanced at the little Electric-type,"What sorts of things?"
"The kind of things I'm sure your parents don't want you repeating!" Dawn answered quickly seeing Dinky about to tell him.
"Oh!" Pip said then he turned to Electrike, it looked kinda like dog and he'd kinda always wanted one anyway. "So your names Electrike?"
"Yup. Nice to meet'cha." He answered with a grin,"Thanks for standing up for me back there. That was really cool." Pip just stared at him blankly having not understood a word said to him. "Umm?"
Dawn chuckled,"Come on Electrike we'll get you a translation spell."
"A what?" He asked.
"I'll explain on the way." Dawn said with a smile.
They arrived at the casual looking house with the sign of “Felix’s Repair Shop”. Sea Swirl looked up at the sign and shook her head. “Seriously, when are you coming up with a better name for your shop?”
Felix looked at her with fake shock. “Are you saying that it looks bad?”
“I’m just saying it’s too simple.” She shook her head. “Hope you didn’t forget about your keys… Again.”
He gave a small pout but said nothing else as he opened the door. “Alright, welcome to ‘Felix’s Repair Shop’, you two! Just let me go and find your item. A vase, was it?”
"That's it Felix." The Doctor nodded.
“Alright, be back in a smigon!” Felix called out, walking towards the shop, leaving Sea Swirl and the other behind.
She fumbled around with her hooves. “So… Uh…”
"So have you had any interesting encounters with Pokemon yet Sea Swirl?" The Doctor asked with some curiosity, it was always nice to hear another ponies thoughts.
“Not really,” she stated.
"Well based on what I've seen I think you'll make plenty of Pokemon friends." He said with a grin.
Nova nodded as well,"You have a passion for Water-types I haven't seen since my battle with Misty."
“A-Ah, really?” she exclaimed. “W-Well, I do love aquatic critters just because of how graceful they are when swimming along the waves, gently going around and so carefree of life…” Sea Swirl gave a dreamy stare forward. “Such wonderful animals…”
"Have you considered applying for a the exchange program with Marelantis?" He asked,'I wonder why a mare with her knowledge and passion hasn't been approached about it?'
“What?” Sea Swirl asked. “What exchange program? Where in Marelantis?”
"It's something the Princess's have done for centuries." He explained. "To help with peaceful relations and all that they send a few sea ponies live here and we send some ponies to Marelantis. It's a cultural exchange thing."
“That sounds-” She stopped for a moment. “Wait. How do you even know about this? I was in the University for Aquatics, and I never even heard of that program before.”
'That is an excellent question.' He shrugged,"It's a short list. The spells involved aren't easy. There tends to be a lot of culture shock. But as to how I know..." He grinned,"I made it on that list myself. Spent four months living in the capital."
Her mouth hung open. “B-But, that-”
Before she could say anymore, Felix walked in with the vase and a Quilava following behind. “Here you are! I hope this repair is suitable for your needs!”
The Doctors grinned dropped when he saw the vase,"Oh that's the one that broke! No wonder she was so serious about this." He took the vase from Felix and carefully cradled it in a foreleg. "Thank you Felix."
Felix gave a large grin. “If anything, the thanks should be given to our little worker here!” He gestured towards the Quilava, who just stared at the Typhlosion with curiosity.
Nova grinned at him,'He's young. Very young.'
Quilava rose a paw up and pointed towards the Typhlosion. “He’s huge.” Nova laughed. “And loud. Are you bigger me?”
Nova stopped laughing,"Extremely young." He muttered to himself before clearing his throat,"Yes and no."
The Quilava blinked. “So you’re not bigger me, and you’re bigger me? Will I be that big?”
Nova chuckled,"Some day if you practice yes. But what I meant was that I'm the same species of Pokemon as you. I'm a Typhlosion."
“You’re Typhlosion?” he asked. “But you said you were bigger me. Does that mean that if I do practice thing, I’ll become like bigger you?”
"Yes." Nova said with a smile,"One day, when you're strong enough, you'll evolve into a Typhlosion and you'll be much bigger."
Quilava blinked again. “What is evolve?”
"It's what you did to become a Quilava." Nova answered simply nearly all Pokemon evolved in some way it was something you just sort of knew. "Do you remember when you were a Cyndaquil?"
“I was Cyndaquil?” Quilava asked, even more confused. “I have always been Quilava.”
"You evolved that young?" Nova all but whispered. "Do you know how old you are?" Nova asked concerned 'it couldn't be.'
“I hatched ten suns before,” Quilava stated.
"Ten suns?" Nova asked.
"Ten days ago!?" The Doctor gasped.
Felix stared. “T-Ten… Days?” he murmured to himself.
Sea Swirl blinked. “Is that natural?”
Nova shook his head,"No it's not. There's no way you could have evolved after just ten days. Bug-types don't even grow that fast!"
Quilava stared. “Why is everyone looking bad? I don’t understand…”
Felix shook his head. “Neither do we, Quilava. Are you certain that you hatched ten days ago?”
He nodded. “Ten suns is ten days, so yes.”
'Could he be?' Nova wondered to himself. "I think i know. I read something about this once, it was in some pop culture magazine so take it with a grain of salt. I read an article about rumors of Team Rocket cloning Pokemon." He glanced at Quilava,"He certainly seems to fit the profile."
Quilava blinked, a bit unsettled. “What is clone?”
Nova froze unsure how to answer that question. On earth clones weren't looked on to well and were often put down. He didn't know if Equus even knew what cloning was. "Um..." He sighed. "It means someone took a piece of another Quilava and used it to make another Quilava." He was careful not to use the word copy.
Quilava lowered his ears. “So… I’m a copy?”
'Damn!' Nova cursed. "No! Of course not! You're just like a twin." He panicked waving his paws in front of him.
“T-Twin?” Quilava asked, fear starting to rise. “I-Is that another copy word?”
"Not at all!" The Doctor said cheerfully carefully settling the vase on the floor. "It means you've got someone out there a lot like you!
Felix agreed. “Exactly! It’s not a copy, but more like a brother!”
The Doctor leaned in and whispered,"And I've known clones. They're really very nice."
Quilava looked up towards him. “R-Really?”
"Oh of course! Of course!" He paused,"huh? Come to think of it I still owe him money..."
“What?” Quilava asked.
"Oh it's not important." He answered.
Felix cleared his throat. “Well, as much as we’ve enjoyed talking about this, I believe that you have an upset wife to return to posthaste with that lovely vase!”
"Ah yes indeed!" He turned and made for the door without Nova, who was still staring at Quilava. "Now if I could just solve the problem in Canterlot we'd be all set."
Quilava stared at Nova intently. “So I’ll be bigger you? Will I be as awesome as you?”
Nova grinned again, clone or not he was sharp,"With the right kind of training yes."
Felix smiled. “Now, Quilava, I’m sure that if you become that big, you’ll won’t fit in your bed!”
Quilava frowned before perking up. “Then you can make new bed, right?”
Felix laughed. “Of course! Oh, and before I forget…” Felix turned to Nova. “Tell the Doctor about aliens invading his home.” With a wink, he turned towards Sea Swirl. “Sea Swirl, come into my workshop! You have to meet William!”
Sea Swirl blinked, coming out of her stupor. “Oh, of course!”
Nova stood there for a moment in the empty room,".... What?" He shrugged and decided to relay the message and left after the earth stallion.
"I think I have Diabetes now." Allen joked as he and Sparkler stepped out of Sugarcube Corner. The food was great, to be honest he'd yet to eat anything here on Equus that wasn't.
Sparkler laughed,"You're the one who had four Hot Chocolates."
"I can't help it." He sighed,"I think food actually tastes better here than on Earth. I wonder why that is?"
Sparkler shrugged,"I've never had earth food so on wouldn't know." She turned to her left,"Come on a walk will help use up all those calories."
Allen followed her and chuckled,"I'm a Fire-type, I burn calories just breathing."
"Yes well the rest of us aren't fire breathers." She shot back with a smug grin.
"Hey I'm pretty sure that's racist." Allen joked and looked around as Sparkler led him to a part of the village he hadn't seen yet. Ponyville seemed like a nice little town, the kind most people on earth wanted to live in. In his opinion it was much nicer than Canterlot, the ponies seemed friendlier and the whole town just seemed calmer. There wasn't as much of a sense of urgency here and that was an enticing thing. 'Maybe a place to settle down in once we find everyone.'
As he walked and took in the quaint rustic sights Sparkler sighed,"It's too bad we couldn't stay in Canterlot for a bit. It's got so many more interesting places to see."
"I'm not complaining." He smiled. "I've always preferred quiet little places like this. People are always in such a rush in cities." He frowns little as he thought back,"I really couldn't stand living in Castelia."
"How come?"Sparkler asked with genuine curiosity.
"It was loud, crowded, the air never smelled right either." He paused,"That and most people didn't give a Ratatta's ass about anyone but themselves."
"Earth really was a horrible place wasn't it?" Sparkler asked.
"No not really, most people had just forgotten to be considerate of others." He explained glancing around to see she had led him to a nice little park,"They were in it for themselves and no one else. To be honest I think the only reason I stayed so long was because of my Grandad."
"What was he like?" Sparkler wondered.
Allen grinned,"Grandad was a Paleontologist, he studied extinct Pokemon and was even a part of the team that developed the technique used to vivify fossils."
"Vivify?" Sparkler raised an eyebrow. "The hay is that?"
"It means to revive the Pokemon from just it's fossils." Allen explained.
"Humans could bring things back from the dead!?" She asked sounding alarmed. "Your Grandpa was a Necromancer!?"
"What!? No!" Allen said quickly. "He just used science and 3D printers to put flesh back on the bone and reanimate the Poke-" He trailed off,"Actually that does sound like Necromancy doesn't it?"
"Only a lot." Sparkler laughed.
"Pardon me! Coming through! Make a hole please!" Called a voice. They both turned to see a Sceptile running towards them as fast as he could, an Electivire hot on his heels. As he reached Allen and Sparkler, he jumped over them and landed perfectly,"I love being a Pokemon!" He whooped.
Sparkler and Allen scrambled back as the the large Electric-type Stomped after his target. "Stand still you pervert and take what's coming to you!" The Electivire growled drawing back a fist that crackled with electricity.
The Sceptile dodged the Thunderpunch with a backflip, landing on his feet again and moonwalked backwards. "That's not much insensitive for me to hold still is it?"
Allen blinked,'That voice! That snark!' The Electivire roared incoherently and started launching Thundershocks which the Sceptile began breakdancing to avoid. 'Those moves! ... No freaking way!'
Anyone who knew anything about Pokemon battles could tell the Electivire was out classed and the effortless way the Sceptile evaded only made him madder. "They're gonna hang you when I get a hold of you!"
"Yeah I don't think Equestria has a Death Penalty." Allen added walking towards the Electivire, who spun to face him.
"You stay out of this!" He threatened holding up a crackling fist.
Allen frowned, then took a deep breathe,'Let's see if I can get it right this time.' The heat built up in his lungs as the Electric-type stalked towards him. "Flamethrower!" He called letting the building heat vacate his lungs. What came out was a perfect Flamethrower that cover the six or so feet between the two of them; then just as it was about to hit, the torrent of sapphire flames made a sharp right turn and spiraled into a Fire Spin.
The move then arced harmlessly around the Electric-type and streamed towards the Grass-type. Had he not been so agile, it could have seriously hurt him. The Sceptile picked himself up,"Hey man!" If you're trying to help. Roasting me like sexy green potatoe isn't the way to do it!"
"Dammit!" Allen cursed,"I still can't get Flamethrower right!"
"Thunder punch!" The Electric-type caught Allen in the jaw with a quick right hook.
Allen's head snapped to the left and he reeled back before planting his hooves back on the ground. He worked his jaw for a second before glaring at the Electric-type,"Nova hits way harder." A flashing cloak of sapphire plasma crackled into existence.
The grass under Allen's hooves turned to ash that billowed out smoke, choking the Electivire and sending him stumbling backwards.
"Whoa!!" The Sceptile cried drawing Allen and Sparkler's attention. He was looking at himself in confusion as all the leaves on his body had started to glow. "The hell is this?" His eyes widened as he poked one of the shining leaves on his forearm. He grinned and ran towards the still coughing Electric-type and cupped his hands together forming an orb of energy. "Kamehameha!" He screamed and launched an instant Solar Beam at point blank.
The force of the move launched the Electivire into the sky. A few seconds later they saw a small point of light in the sky signaling that he made LEO.(2)
The plasma cloak fizzled out and Allen gave an impressed whistle,"Nice one B.