A New World, A New Family

by Lance Skyes

12: Change is in the Air

Early in the morning, well before Celestia even rose the sun, a train arrived in Ponyville from further north. Several ponies and a couple of Pokemon disembarked from the various cars, but there was one Pokemon who set herself apart from everyone else on the train... partially because she had actually stowed away on the train and had ridden from between two of the cars. She was never noticed there, however, because she had turned invisible for the whole ride. When the coast was clear, she left the train and turned visible once again. She was a Froslass, but she wasn't an ordinary Froslass. She looked different. Humans referred to Pokemon like her as “shiny.” This “shiny” Froslass took a moment to look out upon the moonlit town before her.

“So this is Ponyville, huh?” she asked herself. “A bit dreary, but even a dreary place is better than getting attacked by some unknown shadow thing.” The Froslass shuddered as she remembered the story that one Glalie told her about some kind of shadowy creature attacking and possessing a Gengar. She couldn't think about that, though. She considered herself lucky enough to avoid a similar fate.

And perhaps, if all the stories she'd heard about this Ponyville were true, her lucky streak would continue. Perhaps... he would be here. With that thought in mind, she floated away from the train station and into the town.

A couple hours later, when the sun had finally risen, Kanga slowly woke up. The first thing she noticed was someone snuggled up next to her. She looked down to see that it was Felix, still sound asleep with his head nestled cozily between Kanga's shoulder and neck. It was at this moment that Kanga remembered what went on the night prior. Kanga thought about this and smiled. Finally, the night she'd been wanting to share with Felix for so long had happened. The Kangaskhan couldn't have been more content with the situation. (Well, she could have done without her shoulder still being sore from where Felix bit her. But other than that, she was content.)

“I still can't believe it's finally happened,” she thought to herself with a smile. ”Felix, the one who saved me and Roo, and now my love. I couldn't thank fate enough for bringing us together.”

Kanga lay there for another moment, just enjoying having Felix so close to her, when the Meganium began to wake up himself. He slowly opened his eyes and looked up at Kanga. “Morning, Kanga,” he said with a smile. “Did you sleep well?”

“I didn't, actually,” Kanga replied. “I was a bit... 'busy' last night.”

“Oh dear,” Felix said. “Did I keep you awake?”

“Yes, but it's okay,” Kanga said with a chuckle. “I'm sure I kept you awake too. I was making quite a lot of noise after all.”

“Well, I can forgive you for that much,” Felix replied. “In all seriousness, though, I had a great time last night.”

“Glad I could help with that,” Kanga said. “But it didn't look like you needed me to help you too much.”

“Well, I sorta just went with whatever came to me,” Felix said. “On the subject, sorry about biting you.”

“It's okay, Felix,” Kanga replied, leaning down and giving the Meganium a kiss. “I didn't bleed all over the place, so no real harm done. Besides, many Pokemon do that. No need to feel ashamed.”

“Okay then,” Felix said with a smile. (Had Kanga paid attention, though, she would have noticed the unsureness behind Felix's smile.) The two were silent for a moment before Felix spoke up again. “So... what now? I mean, should we just lay here for a little while longer, or...?”

“Actually...” Kanga started. “I had some more plans for you today. But if you wanna keep laying here for now, we can do that. You'll need all the rest you need.”

“Wait, you mean...?” Felix asked, gulping out of nervousness.

Kanga quickly realized what she sounded like she was saying just then. “A battle, Felix. I wanted to have a battle with you.”

“Oh,” Felix said. “I, uh... thought that was what you were talking about. But why?”

“Well, if you're gonna be living your life as a Pokemon, you're gonna have to know how to defend yourself,” Kanga replied. “And maybe protect your young, too. I can't do that on my own, after all.”

Felix began to sweat as he realized what Kanga meant by that. “Y-you're talking about just Roo, right?” he asked.

“Heh, take your guess,” Kanga said with a smile. However, her smile quickly faded when she noticed how nervous Felix suddenly seemed. “Oh calm down, Felix. Even if another one does happen, it's not gonna be for a while.”

“O... okay...” Felix said. He then snuggled up closer to Kanga. “It feels like life is starting to happen so fast all of a sudden.”

“Don't worry, Felix,” Kanga said as she wrapped her arm around Felix. “I'll be there with you every step of the way, and I promise to never leave your side.”

“I don't know...” Felix said. “I don't know how good of a father I'd be.”

“Well you were a great father for Roo,” Kanga said. “Why would another one be any different?”

“It wasn't just me, Kanga,” Felix said. “It was the whole team who rallied behind you two.”

“And why wouldn't they rally behind another child if it's your biological child?” Kanga asked. “I'm telling you, you're over thinking it. You and I are going to work out no matter what happens, Felix.” The Kangaskhan then kissed Felix on the forehead. “I promise.”

Felix smiled a little at this. “Thank you, Kanga. That makes me feel a little better.”

“I'm glad.” Kanga then let out a content sigh. “Don't worry, Felix. I won't leave your side. Ever.”

The two then lay there for a time, not doing anything, not thinking about anything, just enjoying each other's presence. Even if they both knew that they'd get a lot of each other's presence for a long time.

Meanwhile, somewhere in the Everfree Forest, Marcus woke up slowly inside of his and Blitz's small but cozy cave. The sunlight didn't illuminate the cave much because of the forest above the entrance, but for the two Rapidash, lighting was never really a problem.

Or at least, Marcus thought there were two Rapidash in the cave. However, as he woke up, he noticed that Blitz wasn't sleeping next to him like he expected. “Blitz?” Marcus asked out loud as he got up and looked around the cave. There wasn't a sign of his mate, however. Marcus quickly got to his hooves and tried to scan the cave better. “Blitz, where are you?”

“Right here, silly,” Blitz said, suddenly appearing behind Marcus. The latter turned around and nearly jumped out of his horseshoes when he saw Blitz standing there, apparently having just then reentered the cave. “Heh, Aria was right. You do scare easily.”

“I wasn't scared,” Marcus defended. “You just... snuck up on me. Where were you, anyway?”

“I was out grabbing breakfast,” Blitz replied as she moved her head to reveal a small pile of apples carefully balanced on her back. She then bucked one apple off the top before catching it with her hoof and tossing it into Marcus' mouth.

“Mnph!” Marcus shouted as he suddenly found his mouth blocked by an apple. (Fortunately it stopped at his teeth, so he didn't choke.) He grabbed the with his hoof and took a bite before pulling the apple out. “Thanks, Blitz. You're so caring.”

“What can I say?” Blitz asked as she grabbed an apple for herself. “I always look out for the ones I care about. You, Tiny, the rest of the team... maybe someone else...”

Marcus was swallowing a bite of his apple when Blitz heard this, but didn't realize this when he tried to shout “What?” However, all that came out was “Wackh!?” Marcus chocked for a second before he finally swallowed the apple and was able to respond. “What did you say?”

“I look out for the ones I care about,” Blitz replied.

“No, after that. You said something about... someone else?”

Blitz looked down and smiled slightly. “Well... I don't want to raise your expectations since I don't know for absolute certain yet, but...” Blitz looked up at Marcus with a wide grin. “Marcus, I think I'm pregnant.”

“W-wha... say again?” Marcus asked, thoroughly stunned. “It sounded like you just said that we were probably going to have an egg.”

“Well of course it was going to happen,” Blitz said with a laugh. “We've done it at least five times since we've been in Equestria, after all.”

“Oh yeah...” Marcus said with a nod. “Hm. Looks like your overly-frisky personality is finally paying off.”

“I'm gonna take that as a compliment,” Blitz said as she leaned in and planted a kiss on Marcus' cheek. “Think about it, Marcus. We won't have to keep pretending Tiny is like our child, anymore. We'll finally have our own little Ponyta to raise.”

“That's... I can't believe it...” Marcus said, sitting down and taking another bite of his apple. “I... I never thought this day would come, but now.... Heh, Tiny's going to be so crushed.” He looked up at Blitz. “Wait, you said you're not 100% sure, right?”

“I did,” Blitz said with a nod. “Try not to get too overwhelmed. And let's not tell the others until we know for sure.”

“Sounds like a good idea,” Marcus said. He then smiled. “We're gonna have to start thinking about names, soon.”

“Let's cross that bridge when we get to it,” Blitz said as she set the apples down in front of Marcus and sat down next to him. “You seem to be taking the prospect of finally becoming a father pretty well.”

“I don't think I've completely absorbed it yet,” Marcus replied while rubbing the back of his head. “When I finally completely process this, I think I'm gonna panic.”

Blitz just giggled at this. “Do you need me to hold you when that happens?” she asked while leaning up against Marcus.

“I think I'd like that, yeah,” Marcus replied with a smile. The two then sat there for a while, eating their apples in silence. Eventually Marcus had the delayed panic attack he was worried about, but Blitz was right there to comfort him when it happened.

Meanwhile, Tiny had woken up at around the same time in a different part of the Everfree. The first thing he noticed was that he was in someone's embrace. The Togetic turned around to see the Typhlosion from last night still sound asleep, cuddling Tiny tightly.

”Right...” Tiny thought to himself with a slight smile. ”I'd almost forgotten about last night.” The Togetic sighed with content. Last night, Typhlosion seemed like little more than a ball of misery. But now, he seemed to be very happy, and that made Tiny happy. He wanted to stay there and enjoy Typhlosion's new aura of happiness, but he couldn't. He had to get back to Marcus and the others. Carefully, Tiny tried to get out of Typhlosion's embrace without waking him up. The Togetic managed to get his neck out of Typhlosion's arms and thought he was home free, but without realizing it, Tiny's wing brushed against Typhlosion's nose, causing him to stir. ”Crap. Looks like I'm in for the 'morning after' bit.”

Tiny turned around and forced a smile as Typhlosion slowly opened his eyes and looked up at Tiny with a smile. “Well good morning there, Togetic,” he said. “Are you leaving already?”

“Uh...” Tiny said while rubbing the back of his neck and looking down. “Sorry, Typhlosion. I have friends I need to get back to. My time with you was great, though. Don't worry about that.”

“I'm glad you thought that,” Typhlosion replied as he got up and stretched. “Go ahead and go. You said last night that this would be a one-time deal, after all.”

“Well when you say it like that, you make me sound shallow,” Tiny said. “I'm actually a pretty interesting guy if you got to know me.”

“I'm sure about that,” Typhlosion said with a nod. “Who knows? We don't know how small this world is, so we might see each other again. I'd be more than happy to get to know you better if that day came.”

“Same here,” Tiny said with a smile. “I might as well ask, did I offer you a better outlook on life after last night? Make you a little happier in more ways than one, I mean?”

“Actually, last night taught me something,” Typhlosion replied. “It taught me that, even in this new world, maybe I won't have to be lonely. Maybe there are others in the world like you and I. Maybe there's one out there just for me... and maybe he'll be willing to return my feelings when I find him and ask him to be my boyfriend.”

“That's the spirit,” Tiny cheered. “You see, this is why I do the things I do. To encourage others.”

“Well, you certainly have a strange way of encouraging people,” Typhlosion said with a laugh. “My name's Alonzo, by the way. If we ever see each other again, that is.”

“I'm Tiny,” Tiny replied. “It's been nice to meet you, Alonzo.”

“Same to you, Tiny,” Alonzo replied. He then frowned. “Tiny... will you remember me? Or will I just be just one more anonymous bang to go on your list?”

Tiny stared intensely at Alonzo. “Alonzo, I remember the names of all of my mates if they have names,” the Togetic said. He then smiled. “Of course I'm gonna remember you.”

Alonzo returned the smile. “That means a lot to me, Tiny,” he said. “Thank you.”

“You're welcome,” Tiny said. “Now, I've gotta go. I have friends to get to, and you have a crush to ask out.”

“Well, you're certainly right about that,” Alonzo said with a laugh. “I've gotta find him first, of course.”

“Well good luck on your search then,” Tiny said. He then flew off, waving down at Alonzo, who was waving back. “Alonzo... I got him up off the ground. Now let's hope he can find happiness for himself.” With a smile, Tiny made his way to a lake to bathe real quick before going on to Ponyville.

Back at Lyra and Bon Bon's house, Lyra was quietly making her way downstairs to get breakfast started, careful not to wake anyone else in the house. When she got to the bottom of the stairs, she noticed that Pinky seemed to be still asleep, but in a rather... odd position. She was sitting up straight, eyes closed, and face expressionless. Like she was concentrating on something. ”I wonder if she's actually asleep still,” Lyra thought to herself as she walked on.

”In a sense, I am,” Pinky replied telepathically, startling Lyra. ”And yet, I heard your thought and replied. Pokemon are very fascinating, no?”

”So... are you asleep?” Lyra asked.

”Yes, I am,” Pinky replied. ”But I am not unconscious while asleep like most others. No, most Psychic-types merely go into a type of 'standby mode' at night, if I may make such an analogy. My body rests, but I am still aware of what goes on around me.”

”Okay then...” Lyra thought.

”And before you ask, yes there is a reason why I reached out to you,” Pinky continued. ”There has been something wrong with this house for the past two days. An unknown force is at play here, but I do not know what that force is, nor whether it has dark intentions. I know that it has not affected anything yet, but the question is whether that is from lack of trying. Is it biding its time? And why is it here in the first place? I have been trying to figure that out all night. From what I've gathered so far, everyone here is safe for now, but I've also found that I know next to nothing about the nature of this force.”

”Well Kanga did tell me-” Lyra started.

”That was not what I was talking about,” Pinky interrupted. ”Believe me, I have first-hand knowledge of that type of force. Lyra Heartstrings, I must ask you something... what do you know about ghosts?”

”What kind of question is that?” Lyra asked. ”Are you saying this house is... haunted?”

Pinky smiled, but did not wake up. ”The house is not haunted,” the Slowbro said. ”But someone here is.

”Who?” Lyra asked.

”I'm afraid this sort of thing is outside of my jurisdiction,” Pinky replied. ”I know someone, however, who is better with this subject. Whether we find her, I'm unsure of.”

”So why tell me all of this?” Lyra asked.

”Because Shelly likes to have a little too much fun while I'm asleep,” Pinky replied. Right as she thought this, she began to stir before slowly opening her eyes and turning to Lyra. “I'm sorry about that, Lyra. When I'm asleep, Shelly likes to play around with anyone who comes near me.”

“Wait... who's Shelly again?” Lyra asked, confusion evident on her face.

“The Shellder on my tail,” Pinky replied, turning around and indicating Shelly, who didn't seem to sleep at all and was rather wearing her signature glare. “Yeah, she and I get along, but that doesn't mean she won't mess with me if she gets the chance.”

Lyra looked at the Slowbro with a look of concern. “And... that's just a regular thing that happens?” she asked.

“Oh, I think I know what you're worried about,” Pinky said. “Yes, I've heard of some Slowbro who become... overtaken, for lack of a better term, by their Shellder. But that's because Slowbro are usually rather dim-witted. Me, on the other hand...” Pinky smiled and pointed at her head. “I've got a little more going on up here than most Slowbro do. Shelly's not getting her chance for a long time. The most she'll do is mess with whoever comes near me while I'm asleep. She's completely harmless otherwise.”

“Okay...” Lyra said. “So, if Shelly usually just messes with others, does that mean that what she said wasn't true?”

“I'm sure of it,” Pinky replied with a nod. “I don't know first-hand what she said, but from what I gathered from your memories of the conversation, I didn't find anything I couldn't prove right now.”

“Wait... what do you mean by that?” Lyra asked.

“I'm a multitasker,” Pinky said. “I can talk to someone, check their memories, keep an ear open for anything and everything around me, and keep a good awareness of what everyone around me is thinking. Oh, and let's not forget activating your translator. It's taken years of practice.”

“Uh-huh...” Lyra said with a slow nod. “I'm gonna go start breakfast now. Do you wanna help me?”

“Oh, Felix would never let me,” Pinky replied with a shake of her head. “I can do a lot of things, but cooking is not one of them.” The Slowbro then shuddered. “That Kelpsy Berry Stew I made still haunts us all to this day...”

“Well, even if you can't cook, I could still use an extra set of hooves,” Lyra replied. “Or at least, a little more levitation room. If you're willing to help.”

“Hmm... as long as I don't have to mess with the food,” Pinky said as she got up and walked over to Lyra. “Trust me, it would be better for all of us.”

Meanwhile in the Everfree Forest, Drake woke up with a twitch of his ear. The previous day had brought no results in terms of searching for others after he and Nana found Felix. The forest was massive, far more so than Nana told the Ampharos. Still though, Drake had a good feeling about today. This was the day things were going to turn around.

Hopefully.

It was another moment before Drake finally got up, lifting his head off of the side of Nana's chest, whom the Ampharos had used as a pillow. Nana gave no objections to this. The Tropius did just about anything for anyone he considered his bro, which was pretty much all of Felix's team. (Including Kanga, Roo, and Pinky.) Drake yawned and stretched before looking around. He and Nana were in a small clearing, just barely large enough to fit the two Pokemon. The canopy above kept sunlight to a minimum, but that didn't give Drake a problem since his tail and forehead could both make really good light sources if he needed them to. As well, the forest around was thick, too thick for anyone to sneak up on the two without making noise. Though, Drake knew of at least one Pokemon who could potentially be an exception to that rule...

“Heh, wishful thinking,” Drake said with a chuckle and a shake of his head. He then began walking towards an apple tree he knew was a couple yards away. However, as Drake walked, his leg hit something, causing him to trip and fall flat on his face. “Ah! What the heck was-?” Drake wasn't able to finish his question before some invisible force suddenly flipped him over and onto his back. Right when he tried to get up, something pinned him to the ground and held his arms on either side of him. “Nana, I could use some-” he tried to call. However, he was stopped suddenly when something pressed up against his lips, silencing him. As this happened, however, the culprit of all these actions slowly came into view. Drake instantly recognized the Pokemon as she pulled away and her illusion faded. “It's... it's you...” Drake said with an astonished expression as he stared into the Zoroark's eyes.

“I've finally found you... my dear Drake,” Mangol said with a smile.

Author's Note:

Dunno if you were able to tell at this point, but I'm not that good at writing scenes in which the characters are interacting right after they wake up.
But either way, secks has happened, we might finally have the first confirmed egg in this story, (though not in this AU), someone who I tried but failed to disguise the identity of has entered the stage, and we might have an unknown player the role of whom is unclear to even Pinky. Stay tuned for more.

Also, Zeus, if you happen to read this chapter, can you please do me a favor and PM me? I have a question I need to ask you regarding one of the legendaries being in a future chapter. Thanks.

Comments

[Blade tormentor]

this is good but I still want to know about this Rapidash story is it an actual story of its own or is it just in this if not please place a link to it cuz i cant find it thanks and keep up the good work

[Lance Skyes]

6098825 No. Marcus and Blitz aren't from any other stories. I'd considered taking time to write an extra story that goes into detail on their escapades in those first two days, but I dunno if I will. But either way, they're my OCs as Felix and his team are.

[Blade tormentor]

6099504 I am just going to say this they would make a perfect second story make the story more focus on the main group and making a completely new story and more focus on the two Rapidash but that is just my opinion either way you go with it it's still going to be an awesome story