• Published 9th Mar 2014
  • 3,466 Views, 171 Comments

The Journey Beyond - Derpyditzydoobubbles



Riolu has lived a harsh life that has been guided by a greedy trainer. Unfortunately for him, his world is about to get even more challenging.

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Chapter 15: The Finale

Riolu woke up from his slumber with a yawn. He scratched at his back and looked to his left and to his right to see if anyone was watching him doing so. He listened in on the probable sounds around him. Total silence.

"It's quiet," Riolu observed. "Too quiet…"

Riolu then slowly lifted the sheet that covered his body and slowly crept out of the basket. He tip-toed softly toward the exit that lead to the stairs and peered down at the first floor of the library. There he saw Twilight Sparkle and Spike sitting face-to-face with the statuette in the middle.

"Maybe we're doing something wrong." Spike suggested.

"That could be it." Twilight mumbled in reply.

"Heh, you didn't sound too happy when I said that." Spike chuckled.

"I'm just not feeling so well about all this, Spike. We're getting nowhere fast!" Twilight grumbled.

Riolu scratched behind his head in confusion at hearing this. They were acting so intense about it. Couldn't they just drop it and let it be for awhile?

"Well, look who's up!" Twilight's voice spoke suddenly in a happy tone.

Riolu looked at where Twilight was sitting and made direct eye contact with her. A sparkly gaze was in her eyes as if she was nervous, but strangely calm.

"Good afternoon, Riolu." She said happily.

"Good afternoon." Riolu said as he climbed down the steps.

"Did you have a good nap?" Twilight asked.

"That's an odd question for you to ask." Riolu spoke as he criss-crossed his legs and sat down next to Twilight and Spike.

"How so? Is it because I've never asked you something like that?" Twilight said.

"Yeah…how about you? Are you okay? Did something fall on your head?" Riolu chuckled.

"It feels like it. We're getting nowhere with this statuette." Twilight sighed.

Riolu scratched his head nervously. It kinda looked sad to see Twilight like this, and he did have the ability to tell her that he was the one who found it, but he wasn't going to tell her that easily about his world. There had to be a way to work around it.

"Hey, Twilight. I got an idea." Spike spoke up suddenly.

"What is it?" Twilight said as she kept her gaze on the statuette.

"There may be one last option with this, but it's a good option: let's ask Zecora!"

Twilight had a blank gaze for a second, and quickly face-hoofed.

"Of course! Why didn't we think of this to begin with?! Zecora knows everything about creepy stuff like this!"

"Who the heck is Zecora?" Riolu asked.

"A wise zebra that lives in the Everfree!" Twilight exclaimed as she rounded up her satchel and opened the door to her library, taking in the fresh air of the afternoon with a smile.

"And I'm assuming we're heading back there…" Riolu said with a sigh, not wanting to head back to that forest again.

"Indeed. Come on you two," Twilight said as she levitated Spike and Riolu and put them on her back, and placed the statuette in her satchel. "Back to the Everfree!"

"If you insist." Riolu said with a sigh, not wanting to go back to the Everfree, but it seemed pointless to argue with Twilight about it now.

The fresh smell of afternoon air smacked Riolu across the face as they charged out of library and toward the forest.

"Man, it feels like I haven't been out here in months!" Spike said as he took in a deep breath, but quickly choked on account of inhaling loose hairs from Twilight's flowing mane.

"We were out here just a few hours ago." Riolu replied.

"I dunno," Spike said. "It feels like I've been standing in the same spot for…"

"Can you two keep quiet back there? I'm trying to concentrate on the mission at hand." Twilight interrupted as they entered the Everfree.

"Don't you mean the mission at hoof? Honestly, Twilight. You and I made a silent agreement to not speak of hands in this world." Spike teased playfully.

"Hey, what's that tree we're approaching?" Riolu said as he pointed to a tree with a door, windows, and odd looking masks hanging around it.

"That's Zecora's hut! Come on, guys. This may be our only chance." Twilight said she came to a halt and let Spike and Riolu off her back.

"Whatever you say, Twilight." Riolu said as he walked up to Zecora's door and knocked on it.

The three of them waited for a response from the knocks. Silence…Riolu then knocked again.

"I'm coming, don't rush me. I am only fast when I flee." a voice responded.

The door then opened to reveal a zebra with gold rings around her neck and one of her hooves.

"Greetings, Zecora," Twilight smiled. "May we come in?"

"Sure you may come in. You, Spike, and your new friend." Zecora rhymed as she gestured her hoof to the inside.

Riolu looked at the Zebra as he walked inside. She seemed friendly, though he was a bit curious on why she made that rhyme.

"Have a sip from my cauldron in front of you. It's filled with a nice stew." Zecora said as she closed the door behind them and pointed to the bubbly cauldron.

"Thanks, but I ate a hayburger a couple of hours ago. Also, can you stop rhyming? It's kinda creepy." Riolu asked.

"My apologies for coming off as weird, but you should be sorry too for coming in here. For I am creeped out simply by the sight of you. It's not everyday I see a creature such as you." Zecora replied.

"Ouch, Zecora just chomped you off. You gonna take that, Riolu?" Spike teased.

"She didn't chomp me off. She's just never seen a creature like me before." Riolu snapped.

"Seen, I may have not, but read about, I have a lot. For I may know a thing or two about you, Riolu." Zecora smiled as she pulled out some books from her shelf and began to skim them.

"If you want to know about me, then I'll let you know that I'm a Pokemon. Pretty much everyone knows that by now." Riolu said.

"Really? Well to me that's quite new! Tell me, what do Pokemon do?" Zecora asked.

"Good luck getting that out of him, Zecora. Riolu hardly wants to tell us anything about his past." Twilight said with a gaze at Riolu.

"If you say I can not gain his past, anything else I can do for you besides that?" Zecora questioned.

"We want you to tell us about this." Spike said as he reached into Twilight's satchel and pulled out the statuette.

Zecora eyed the statuette with curiosity for a bit, and slowly turned back to her books, which she began to skim over again.

"That work of art I have seen before. I'm sure to have something in here that could tell us more." Zecora said as she flipped through the pages.

Eventually, she stopped flipping the pages. She was eyeing at the picture of the statuette with the article next to it titled "A Present From Chaos Itself".

"Present from chaos itself? Why would it be called that?" Spike said as he looked over Zecora's head.

"Well let's see," Twilight spoke as she levitated the book over to herself and began to read aloud. "A thousand years ago, before Celestia and Luna reigned as rulers, Discord was in charge. He would cause mischief of all types of sorts, but he was aware that he would be overthrown by the likes of Celestia and Luna. So, before he was turn to stone, he made a statuette of them crafted from stone that he got from another world, and with it he casted a dark creature from our world into it. He placed the statuette in their castle, and hoped that it would do the task that he hoped it would do. Fortunately, the beast inside the statuette never woke up……at least before Discord was turned to stone. It had awoken after Celestia banished her sister to the moon. It secretly fed on Celestia's sadness and anger that she had gained from her sister's betrayal. One day the beast had gained enough, and unleashed itself upon her. Celestia however was powerful enough to overtake the beast, and in doing so casted it into the statuette, and sent it back to where the stone artifact came from."

"Wait a minute. If Celestia did all that, then why didn't she say something when we took her to see it?!" Riolu shouted.

"Well, Discord did craft the artifact. Knowing him, he probably enchanted it to where it would suck out Celestia's memories as well as her emotions, just so he can cover his own tracks." Twilight replied.

"Well now that we got that cleared up. There is only one thing left to do…DIE YOU DEMON!!!" Riolu shouted as he took ahold of the statuette and raised it above his head, preparing to smash it.

"Stop, for you do not know what's inside. For all you know, that monster could still be alive!" Zecora warned.

"Alright then…but we gotta get rid of it as soon as possible." Spike said as he grabbed it from Riolu's grasp and carefully placed it on the floor.

Twilight looked at the statuette, and then at Riolu. Her eyes narrowed, and she spoke:

"Riolu, I believe it's time for you to come clean, whether you like it or not. You and the statuette appeared around the same time. Be honest…do you have anything to do with it?" Twilight asked.

Riolu gulped in fear. The time had come. He had a feeling in the back of his mind that eventually he would have to tell them about where he came from, that he had a master which abused him.

"If I tell them, they'll just treat me the same way. I gotta keep acting the way I am…but I can't escape from the truth now that Twilight has caught on…there may be one more option." Riolu whispered to himself.

"What did you say?" Twilight said.

Suddenly, Riolu grabbed a hold of the statuette and bolted outside, his steps being lighter then air as he maneuvered through the forest and in to Ponyville.

"Riolu! Come back! Quickly, Spike. No telling what he's going to do." Twilight said as she placed Spike on her back and chased after Riolu.

Riolu looked behind him and saw Twilight trotting quickly up behind him. He fastened his pace and tightened his grasp around the statuette. He started panting heavily, but kept running. As he was approaching Twilight's house, He saw her five pony friends gathered around it, knocking at the door.

"Twily, Spike, Riolu, are you guys in there?" Applejack asked in her country twang.

"Look! Here they come now!" Pinkie said as she pointed to Riolu who looked like he was going to run right through them.

"Get out of my way!" Riolu shouted as he pushed them over and sped into town.

"Well, how rude!" Rarity said in an appalled tone.

"Girls! We gotta stop Riolu! After him!" Twilight said quickly as she began to speed off again toward Riolu.

Riolu was almost out of breath. He could hear the sound of multiple hoof beats behind him. He was in bigger trouble now then he was before, but it didn't matter now. All he wanted was to find someone, and he had an idea of where to find them. Suddendly, two voices filled the nearby streets.

"Haha! Oh this is rich! Too good for me!" A familiar voice sounded from on top of a building, followed by the sound of multiple kernels bonking on a random pony's head.

"Where are these coming from?" The dismayed pony cried as it looked around here and there.

"They're coming from me, of course. You Ponyville civilians are so fun to toy with!" The familiar voice replied.

Riolu stopped in his tracks and looked up at the nearby rooftops. His gaze met with that of the one he was searching for: Discord.

"You!! Come down here at once, or I'm gonna make you come down here!" Riolu shouted as he arched his arm back, signifying that he was about to force palm Discord to the ground.

"Temperamental, are we?" Discord said as he teleported from his spot on the rooftops to Riolu, where they came face to face.

"I think you know exactly why I'm ticked off!" Riolu growled as he took the statuette and shoved it into Discord's chest.

"Oof!!…so, this is the reason why?" Discord said as he held the statuette in his grasp.

"Discord!!" Twilight said in disbelief as she and her friends stopped in their tracks."

"The one and only! Say, Twilight. Do you remember this," Discord said with a sly grin as he held the statuette high above his head. "I most certainly do."

"I thought you said you didn't know anything about it!" Twilight snapped.

"Well, when you're the creature of chaos, you tell a few things here and there that you don't really mean. Besides, I might as well come clean. It seems your little Riolu here caught me red handed." Discord said as he made his hands turn red.

Riolu's face had madden with anger.

"I want you to destroy this thing of yours, Discord! I want nothing to do with it!" He demanded.

"Oh, but Riolu! If I were to destroy it, how would you ever be able to head back home? That is……if you didn't mind being abused by your master." Discord said with a sly grin.

Riolu stood in shock at what he just heard. All of this time, Discord knew about his secret, and it was spilled.

"You have a lot of fear inside of you, Riolu. I can see through that emotional mask of yours. Trying to be a tough guy or something, just so nopony here can take advantage of you, and treat you like he did! Poor Celestia. She had to deal with anger from her sister. Living with the fear that her sister would do it all over again when she came back, hence, releasing the monster inside of this." Discord said as he showed Riolu the statuette.

Riolu eyed the statuette. His anger had begun to boil. He dared not look at Twilight or her friends, and see their responses to all of this. Everything he wanted to keep secret had come crashing down in an instant.

"GET THAT THING OUT OF MY FACE!!!" Riolu shouted as he force palmed Discord to the ground, sending the statuette flying up into the air, and breaking in half when it had hit the ground with a thud.

The statuette had laid broken. It seemed everything was fine, but suddenly, a cold wind swept through Ponyville. A blood curdling roar rang in Riolu's ears, and they all gazed in horror as a huge, ghostly stallion raised upwards into the sky and incased the world around them in ice.

"A windigo! A creature that feeds off of bad emotions!," Twilight said as she blasted it with her magic. "Riolu, do something!"

"What can I do?! There's nothing left for me to do here. You're probably all going to treat me the same way as my master now that you know my past." Riolu said as he sat down in hopelessness as the cold winds of the Windigo mockingly danced around him.

"That's not true," Spike said as he tried breathing fire at the Windigo. "Just because you were with someone that mistreated you, doesn't mean that everyone else is the same!"

Suddenly, the Windigo blew a gale-force wind at Spike and his friends, incasing them in ice. Riolu gazed in horror at their frozen states, and looked at the Windigo. The Windigo looked at Riolu with a heartless gaze. It then lowered it's head to Riolu, and whispered the words that he heard in his dream.

"Dumb animal." It said.

Riolu felt at his heart. It felt like it was cut in two. He wanted to just fall on the ground and cry…but an oddly warm sensation flowed through him. He felt it in his mind. It felt like…those words…didn't matter.

"That's what you think." Riolu said as he looked back into the eyes of the Windigo.

Riolu then made an impressive bound as he jumped onto the head of the Windigo and started pounding deep into its ghostly figure. His paws felt hotter then the sun, and could melt anything, no matter how cold. The Windigo turned around and shot a gale-force wind at Riolu, but Riolu's body acted like a mountain, and the wind went around him. Riolu then punched the Windigo with his fiery paws, throwing it across the icy town.

"One more thing before I send your butt into oblivion," Riolu said as he began charging a fiery force palm. "You are not the boss of me! You can not dictate ANY of my emotions! My past should not tell me on how to treat other's today. I am my own master! Now get out, you dumb animal."

With that said, Riolu threw a huge, fiery ball at the Windigo. The fiery ball hit the Windgio, causing a huge explosion that engulfed the entire town. Riolu covered his eyes up from the radiant light, and uncovered them to see the entire town back to the way it was.

"Thank goodness." He said with a sigh of relief.

"Riolu!!!!!" Spike's voice sounded behind him as he ran over to him and gave him a big hug.

Riolu smiled in comfort, happy to see Spike.

"Hehe, while I was trapped in that ice, I heard what you said to the Windigo. Does this mean we're truly friends now?" Spike said with a smile.

"Of course! I'm not gonna let my past dictate the words I say or don't say today. I'm glad to be your friend." Riolu said as he returned the hug.

"This…this moment is making me so happy!" Pinkie said as she came up behind them and hugged them really tightly.

"I'm glad yer turnin' over the new leaf, Riolu." Applejack said as she ruffled his fur.

"It is indeed quite the accomplishment, and I hope this includes not bumping into ponies like us from now on." Rarity said with a giggle.

"Ya did good, kid!" Rainbow Dash praised as she gave him a playful punch on the shoulder.

"Indeed he did." Fluttershy smiled as she gave him a warm hug.

Riolu smiled with joy from the new friendships he had gained. It felt like all the stress he had was gone.

"Wait a minute, where's Twilight?" Riolu asked.

"Right here," Twilight's voice spoke from behind him as she gave him a hug as well, "Boy, being incased in ice sure does take a number on you, heh."

"Hey, it beats being turned to stone." Discord's voice spoke in front of them.

Riolu looked up an frowned in disappointment at Discord, though he smiled a bit in relief when he saw the pony standing next to him: Celestia.

"I saw what was going on, so I transported Discord to me so he wouldn't do any more harm, and I came down here to see if I could help out with the matter, though it seems Riolu here has it all under control." She spoke softly.

"Yes, ma'am. The Windigo has been defeated, and the statuette has been destroyed." Riolu said as he pointed to the stone figure that now lied in a pile of dust.

"Excellent. In the mean time, is there something you would like to say, Discord?"

"I'm……I'm sorry for being such a jerk to you and Celestia, Riolu. I shouldn't of toiled with your emotions like I did with Celestia back then." Discord said with a sigh.

"Bah, no worries. If anything, I should be thanking you. Without you being a heartless jerk, I wouldn't of become a better creature." Riolu said with a smile.

"Excellent! In that case, I'm off the hook!" Discord said as he flipped a coin up in the air.

"What exactly is that thing for?" Spike asked.

"What? This? Oh, I'm just going to buy myself a new bag of popcorn! I'm thinking of asking them for extra kernels this time. It's just so fun seeing ponies getting freaked about by random kernels falling on their head! Well, ta ta!" Discord said as he teleported out of there in a flash.

"Good riddance!" Applejack said in a huff.

"Indeed," Celestia giggled. "By the way, Riolu. There is something I've been meaning to tell you."

"What is it, princess?" Riolu asked in curiosity.

"Would you like it if you stayed in Ponyville? Do you want to make it your new home with Twilight and Spike?" Celestia asked.

Riolu paused for a moment and looked at the gleeful eyes of Twilight and Spike, and smiled back.

"You know the answer, of course I'll stay!" Riolu said happily.

Cheers and whoops of joy came from Twilight and her friends, as well as a smile from Celestia.

"Very well then. Take care of him, Twilight. I know very well that he is in good hooves." She said.

"You can count on me, Princess Celestia!" Twilight said happily as she hugged him again.

"And me too!," Spike said with joy. "This is gonna be so fun, Riolu! We can stay up late, read comics, eat amazing food together, and all sorts of things!"

"Sounds good!" Riolu said with a smile as he and his seven new friends ventured back to Twilight's home for the evening.

It was the end of a journey for Riolu. He had started out as a creature who was a slave to his master's bidding, and lived in fear that the same would happen to him in the other world that he had stepped into. Fortunately for him, the world that he had stepped into was full of creatures that were kind and friendly, and stood by him in his darkest hour. Even though this journey has ended, a new life has started.

Author's Note:

Thanks to all the wonderful people who helped me with this story, both indirectly and directly. I couldn't of done it without all of you guys.

It really has been a journey beyond. (And I will not apologize for that pun! :derpytongue2: )

Comments ( 7 )

Now I can relax and enjoy my summer, knowing that I finished an epic story.

Expect more stories from me in the (hopefully) near future!

6152589 glad to help. I hope you have a great rest of summer.

And they then lived happily ever after... im surprised riolu didn't turn into a lucario, since in the game riolu would evolve after it's friendship is full during the day time... oh well im just being nitpicky. But I digress. I loved this fic and I thank you derpyditzydoobubbles for writing such an awesome fic with one of my first evolution pokemon. All I need is a fic with a zorua and my life will be complete. But the closest I've came to that is a fic involving a zoroark and has something to do with a detective.... what was I saying again? Oh yeah, great crossover fic, thanks for writing it.

6158512 hehe, well, I kinda wanted him to stay a Riolu throughout the fic, since an evolution like lucario would probably be a bit of a stretch from the storyline. (Or something.)
I'm glad I could make this fic! You're very welcome! And I bet you could make an awesome fic about zorua! Just keep on writing. :twilightsmile:


6158383 Thank you! And I hope you have an awesome summer as well. :pinkiehappy:

6163118 you know what, I might just do that. I'll let you know when I do write it, well, if I get the guts to do it that is. :twilightsheepish:

6165315 sure thing! I bet you will get the guts to do it! Just continue practicing, and you'll be fine. :)

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