“Meowth?” Celestia asked a little while later, when Team Rocket was once again huddled around a campfire while the moon shone bright overhead.
“Yeah? What is it?” Meowth said.
“Can I ask you a question?”
“Dat depends on what it is, don’t it?”
“Do you know much about variant types of Poke Balls?”
“Lots of stuff! Why? Ya lookin’ for an upgrade?”
“Do you know of any that happen to be black?”
“Sure! That’s the Luxury Ball, da cream of the crop! They say stayin’ in it is like stayin’ in a five star hotel all day, every day, for free! Only the richest, most fancy trainers can afford them for their Pokemon, but those that can usually get real friendly with dem real quick. Pokemon love the things.”
That didn’t sound at all like whatever Celestia had seen. Ponies staying at five star hotels seldom screamed in horror, and she was willing to bet Pokemon were similar.
“These Luxury Balls,” she said. “Can you describe what they look like?”
“Why? You ain’t gettin’ one, I can promise ya dat. Too expensive.”
“Academic curiosity. I saw an unusual Poke Ball today and wish to verify what it was.”
“Well, if it was black, it was a Luxury Ball,” he declared. “Not like dere are any others of dat color.”
“Nonetheless, can you at least give a short description?” Celestia looked him in the eye, her expression soft and unthreatening. “Please?”
“…Alright,” Meowth sighed. “A Luxury Ball is almost all black, all around. It’s got two stripes: one is right in da center and crosses da button. That one is a yellow-gold color, just like da button. Near the top is another stripe. This one is red, with a little bit of a gold stripe on either side of it. They say dat those gold stripes are actual gold. And… dat’s about it,” he shrugged. “Luxury Balls ain’t exactly da peak of artistic design.”
Celestia nodded, but inside she was worried. That description didn’t match the Poke Ball she had seen. The one she had spotted on the man’s belt had had a black belt in its center, and curving black stripes across its body. There had been a grey button on the top. And the sense of dread and pain coming from it were obviously out of line with the idea that it had simply been a particularly pleasant Poke Ball to stay in.
“Are you sure that’s all?” she asked, trying to keep her voice small. “Are there any other Poke Balls that are black? Any at all?”
“What, are ya questionin’ Meowth’s knowledge?!” he crossed his arms. “Look lady, if I say dat only Luxury Balls are all black, den only Luxury Balls are all black! Ya got dat?”
“Yes,” Celestia nodded.
As the conversation dropped away, the princess stared into the fire and considered. Should she describe the ball she had seen in more detail? Perhaps that might trigger some sort of recall in Meowth. Then again, it was also possible that he would simply dismiss her as being delusional again. Or that he genuinely didn’t know of any others. There was a Poke Ball factory nearby, so perhaps this was some form of new design yet to reach mass production? So there was a possibility that-
“Wait…” Meowth tapped his chin. Celestia’s eyes returned to him. “Guess dere was always those Dark Balls.”
Celestia’s ears pricked. “Dark Balls?”
“Yeah, a creep called the Iron-Masked Marauder used ‘em years ago,” Meowth said. “Dey made his Pokemon stronger, more aggressive, and more obedient. Brainwashed ‘em.”
“Brainwashed?”
“Yep,” he nodded. “But dey wasn’t foolproof. Even though dey could take over a Pokemon’s mind, dey couldn’t get rid of it. Eventually all da Pokemon fought them off and then he was arrested.”
“So, these… Dark Balls…” the word seemed to taste bad on Celestia’s tongue. “Were there any more of them?”
“You kiddin’?!” Meowth laughed. “The Marauder’s been in jail for years, and all his Dark Balls exploded when da Pokemon in ‘em broke free! Dere ain’t no more of ‘em. So don’t worry your pretty little head about it.”
“I see,” Celestia said, looking back towards Laverre with an unclear expression.
The next day Laverre City saw the midday arrival of Ash, Pikachu, Serena, Clemont, and Bonnie. Pressing themselves and walking through part of the night had cut the two day trip into one and half days. Though each one of them knew it was out of their hands, they were one and all worried and very eager for news on the strange purple Pokemon. So it was that the group ignored the crowded market, the pleasant restaurants, and their own empty stomachs to march straight to the nearest Pokemon Center. From there, a video phone call to Professor Oak was easy enough to manage. Ash sat in front of it, while the others clustered around.
“Ash!” the older man said virtually as soon as his face appeared on the monitor.
“Professor,” Ash nodded, face serious. “So how’s-”
“That Pokemon you sent me?” Oak finished. “Well… Ash, what happened to her? She was one of the worst cases I’ve seen in years, and I get knocked out Pokemon all the time!” he paused. “I trust that you aren’t responsible?”
“It was being attacked a buncha Houndoom, Professor,” Ash replied.
“Yeah!” Bonnie said. “We were just sitting around and suddenly three Houndoom chased it out of the bushes and blasted it.”
“Houndoom, eh?” Oak rubbed his chin. “Well, that would explain the toxicity levels that we found in her bloodstream.” Upon noticing the confused looks on some of the group’s faces, he elaborated. “We don’t exactly understand the process, but somehow wild Houndoom mix their fire with unusually virulent toxins, enabling them to strike hard targets and then back off and wait for them to keel over. That’s the origin of the myth that burns they cause will never heal.”
“How’s it doing?” Ash asked.
“As well as could expected, given the circumstances,” Oak sighed. “In other words: comatose in a stabilizing unit. You sent her here in the middle of night in critical condition, Ash. Healing such extensive injuries will take time.”
“Pika,” Pikachu’s ears drooped.
“But don’t worry,” the professor added quickly. “She’s in the best of hands! I assure you that her condition is stable and that she should make a full recovery in time. In fact, we estimate a return to consciousness within the next day or two.”
“Glad to hear it,” Ash wiped his forehead.
“Pikachu!” Pikachu smiled.
“It would have been easier if I had known what she was. But I’ve never seen or even heard of species of Pokemon like this one. Tell me,” Oak looked Ash directly in the eyes. “What do you know about this Pokemon? Where did you find her?”
“Not much,” Ash shook his head. “It was a little past sunset, and we were sitting down around our campfire about two days out from Laverre, on Route 14. Then all of a sudden that Pokemon just came stumbling out of the bushes, with three Houndoom on its tail. They knocked it out in one hit. After our Pokemon chased them off, we saw that it was really hurt and I thought getting it to you would be the fastest way to help it.”
“Yes,” Oak nodded. “You did well. To be perfectly honest I don’t think she would have lasted two days in the condition she was in. Burns, infection, severe poisoning…” he shook his head. “She’s very lucky to have found you all when she did.”
“You keep saying her,” Clemont noted. “You’re sure it’s a girl, then?”
“Absolutely,” he nodded. “My assistants and I did a very thorough medical investigation. There is no doubt that this Pokemon is female.”
“What else do you know about it – her?” Ash asked.
“Not much, I admit. One of the few things I have confirmed is that she is definitely of a previously undiscovered species. Nothing in our database matches with her, nor do existing myths or rumors point to anything comparable. Even Professor Sycamore couldn’t find any reference to such a Pokemon in Kalos region lore,” he paused. “And until she wakes up we can’t ask any questions or even find out her species’ name. In her condition, we obviously dare not attempt any procedure not medically necessary.”
“Of course.”
“But when she does recover… I’ll admit to being a little more eager to begin than I probably should be,” the professor clenched his fist, fire in his eyes. “Even after all these years, there’s nothing quite like the thrill of discovering and studying a new Pokemon! At my age, seeing one is such a rare treat! I can’t wait to catalogue everything about it!”
“That’s great professor,” Ash said, a little nervously. “Just try and take it easy on her, alright?”
“Well of course I will, what do you take me for?! I’ve been taking care of hundreds of Pokemon every day for over a decade! Including quite a few of yours, I might add. Pikachu?” he looked at Ash’s little yellow friend. “Would you say that I do a good job?”
“Pika Pika Pikachu!” he nodded cheerfully.
“That’s what I thought,” Oak winked. “So I think you can trust me with this one. And if you wouldn’t mind doing me a little favor...”
“What do you need?”
“I just wanted to request that you not send for this little one for a while. For medical reasons and, well, because I really want the chance to study her and see how she does with the other Pokemon around the lab.”
“Ok,” Ash nodded. “I can do that.”
“Great!” Oak smiled. “I’ll let you know when she gets up just as soon as I can.”
“That’d be great.”
“Oh, and, before we go, is there anything else that you could tell me? Anything at all? Even the most incidental piece of data might be helpful in my research.”
“Hmmm…” Ash rubbed his chin, considering. “Not really. She wasn’t around long enough to-”
“Ash,” Serena put a hand on his shoulder. “What about that other Pokemon? The white one?”
“Oh yeah!”
“White one?” the professor asked. “There was another?”
“Well, not exactly,” Ash explained. “But a few days before we found that Pokemon, we saw another kind that didn’t register on the Pokedex.”
He clearly had Professor Oak’s attention. “Go on.”
“Well, the thing is, that other Pokemon looked a lot like the one we sent you. It had four legs, wings, and a horn like a Rapidash’s. But this other one was also taller, and white.”
“And it had a rainbow mane and tail,” Serena added. “That both seemed to keep flowing even when there wasn’t a breeze.”
“Where did you spot this other Pokemon?”
“See, that’s the thing,” Ash said. “When we saw it, it had already been captured in a Poke Ball.”
“Really?” Oak leaned in towards the camera. “By who?”
Ash gritted his teeth. “By Team Rocket.”
“WHAT?!”
Princess Twilight Sparkle’s world was a curious combination of numbness and pain. Most of her body was numb, unresponsive, and what wasn’t was simply pain. She couldn’t make it move, even when she wanted to, which was rare. Her mind floated dreamily from states of groggy half-consciousness and the total, comforting blackness wherein no thought dwelled. She shifted back and forth between these two states and indeterminate amount of times – her brain was far too fuddled to make any sort of count.
It was during one of her more lucid moments that the princess finally started to ask herself a question: where am I?
She started by attempting to open one of her eyes. For all the good that did, they might as well have been made out of lead. Twilight spent no fewer than three different, brief periods of lucidity making an effort to force her body to move, react, or otherwise acknowledge her mind’s presence and ownership. When that didn’t work, she moved on to more cerebral exercises.
The first possibility that she considered, when she was aware enough to do so, was that she was dead. But this was unlikely for any number of reasons, most prominently the continued sensory perception of her own body, and pain within it. That didn’t seem consistent with the hypothesis that her soul had been torn loose from her flesh and cast into the next world. So, for the time being, she dismissed it.
Being the logical sort, it eventually occurred to Twilight that a review of her most recent memories might shed light on her current position. It took a little while to dredge anything up from her drug and poison-addled brain, but in her state she had nothing but time.
Let’s see… she had been unveiling... what was it? Oh yes, her own modified version of the interdimensional mirror first pioneered by Starswirl the Bearded. Meant to enable travel between the worlds in a way that was reliable, two-way, and safe for all worlds concerned. Then… then… the princesses. Princesses Celestia and Luna had been invited to attend her grand unveiling in Canterlot, and had agreed to do so. Her brother and sister-in-law had been invited as well, but had been forced to decline because… she didn’t remember.
Regardless, there had been a little get together, her speech, and then the presentation of the device itself. The princesses, as befitting their status, had been given the first close-up look at her invention. Princess Celestia had gotten the closest, examining the whole thing in minute detail before… before… something happened. First a crack, then an implosion, then a whirling vortex. Princess Celestia had been pulled through almost at once… Princess Luna shortly thereafter… then herself.
The next memory Twilight had was wandering through a dark forest, alone. She was tired, and weak, No magic worked, not even her simplest spells. She stumbled and fell a lot over the forest floor’s many hazards. Muck had gotten everywhere on her. Strange creatures were everywhere, and fled at the sight of her, ignoring her cries for help. And then there were those… devil dogs, they had looked like. They attacked her. She ran. They followed. There were blurred memories that could have represented minutes, or even hours of chase.
She had grown weaker and weaker, and the dogs had not given up. Eventually, she vaguely recalled stumbling onto a camp of what she assumed had to be this dimension’s humans. And then her last, most recent memory was of her entire world being consumed by red-hot fire. After that… she was here.
But where was here?
So its pretty much safe to assume that it was Luna in the Torture Ball hn?
.... Luna is in that black pokeball.
6134047
6134054 ...oh god..I think I'm gonna be sick.
We must never presume that it was Celestia's beloved sister whom was in the dark torturous ball of doom! For one thing presumptions are the mother of assumptions which derail plots like trains performing the can-can atop a burning glacier. Although it would make sense...
Curses, the author is having us speculate! You clever Snake Staff, I READ YOUR FANFICS!
*This reference to General Patton is brought to you by, Tank. The only tortoise you will trust, with a mobile artillery strike.*
6134102 I wasn't joking. I actually think I'm gonna puke.
...Goddamn it, Luna can never catch a break, can she?
6134082
6134054
6134047 We could already assume that from the last chapter (and many did). To be honest?
This was a pretty strong re-fueling.
And then the author trolls us and Luna is the chief-inspector investigating the case of that Dark Ball, trying to rescue something like a charmander, that would make my day.
Everyone seems to be worried about Luna, but I'm just over here wondering... who's running the country now?
6134128
You see, THAT is the worst part. Meowth said the Dark balls all got destroyed.... So, either one survived, or whatever that ball does is infinitely more fucked up than simple brainwashing.
6134181
My guess is that Team Flare is recreating them. They are about to take over a pokeball factory, after all. What better way to push a criminal pokemon organization into the big leagues than with a huge supply of pokeballs capable of strengthening and brainwashing any pokemon it captures?
Argh... great chapter, but I was hoping Xerneas or Yveltal were the ones in the pokeball. This is gonna turn into a Nightmare Moon resurgence, or at minimum an extremely pissed off/torture induced madness Luna. Sigh. Well, I'm still looking forward to more.
6134162 As long as Discord doesn't get pulled through, I'm sure he's capable of keeping things running smoothly....or, rather, keeping things from descending into anarchy, at the very least.
6134200 ...that doesn't exactly make me feel better. But you make a good point. It's a Pokeball factory, and these flamboyant fuckwits were WAAAY more evil than Giovanni. Giovanni was just a Gang leader. They wanted to destroy the world, if I remember correctly.
Buck...
Whoo, Luna's here! (Somewhere... Probably in that awful poke ball) Looking forward to the final meeting up of all three ponies!
I totally called it. And now I'm guessing that the Dark Ball's occupant is one Luna-turned-Nightmare Moon. Compared to Friendship is Grievous, this is really predictable. No less good, though.
6134213
...
Yeah, sure.
6134276 Hey, he's reformed!...mostly. And be honest here. Would you rather have DISCORD in charge temporarily? or BLUEBLOOD?
shone
on the man's belt
keel over
"We lifted her tail. It wasn't exactly brain surgery."
Great chapter.
We finally find out how Celestia and Twilight ended up in the Pokemon world.
We also now know Luna is also somewhere in the Pokemon world. I wonder if any more MLP character will end up crossing dimensions.
I'm hoping that in the next few chapters we get a break from Celestia and Meowth going back and forth and focus on Twilight and Ash's Pokèmon, such as Bulbasaur being a sort of defact-o leader, or Bayleef with her crush on Ash, even if Ash's Butterfree and female Butterfree arrive just to say hello to it's former partners,
Well, there is really not much to say about this chapter. It was mostly establishing the situation and explaining some details to the readers so I do not really have anything to say about it. That said, I am really hoping you do something more interesting with Luna than driving her crazy in the doomball because that would be depressingly straightforwards and far too predictable for my tastes.
Luna is possibly in the Darkball. But maybe not as Nightmare Moon. I can't wait to see Twilight wake up so she and Oak can start gushing over each other.
6134346
I was actually kind of hoping Luna wasn't even in the Pokemon world. There didn't seem to be an indication of her having been nearby during the portal experiment, so I was thinking the creature in the dark ball was one of the XY mascot legendaries. That said, I'm also dreading reading her going off the deep end yet again.
I do reallly hope Luna's not in tht dark ball, as, aside from being THE thing no one wants, it is pretty damn predictable as you may have noticed already.
6134162 Take a wild guess as to who's available. If Celly's with Team Rocket, Twi's with Oak and Luna's probably... in that Dark Ball, who are the only other ponies left to rule? I know it's not Discord or the stupid nobles. Here's a hint: One of 'em's Celestia's nephew-in-law.
...
Wow...
No words can describe what I'm felling right now...
LUUUUUNAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SEND HIM TO LE MOON!
6134219
I think so. I haven't played any of the games since red and blue or watched any of the TV show beyond the original series, but from what I've overheard other people say about teh Flare guys, I think you're right.
I really, hope that wasn't Luna... I mean, we all know it was, but still... Why do bad things always happen to Best Princess?
6134343 This story is about Celestia in the pokemon world, so it's not going to very heavily look at Ash's pokemon (not to mention the fact that I highly doubt bulbasaur will be here since this isn't his region and Ash starts his new regions getting new pokemon)
6134213
That or he's spamming "anarchy!" In "twitch plays Pokémon Equestria"
Everyone's screwed
Why is everyone so pissed/scared about the dark ball thing? It makes sense for her to be there. While the darkball is bad and all its not like she isnt going to get free eventualy. And while Luna is best princess you shouldn't let feelings like that in the way of a good story
You might even say it was... Twilight.
6134054 Holy crap, she has to be. It's the only logical conclusion.
6134536 For me it is mostly because it makes things too predictable. I would be fine with pulling something like that as a twist at the end if they were actively looking for Luna, but as is I feel like I know exactly how the story is going to go which should never be the case. A story needs surprises to keep things interesting which is much harder to do with a predictable plot because the readers will already know how things will end and most of how they will get there.
There is no proof it's Luna. Stop freaking out.
6134591 fair enough, that makes plenty of sense
6134517 A. I meant at Oak's Lab where she is right now. Such as to why Bublasaur would be there.
B. A guy can dream can't he?
Here's to hoping that the Dark Ball is a Red Herring and that Luna was actually dumped somewhere else.
6134287 ...put Blueblood in the dark ball.
She doesn't remember why Cadence couldn't make it...
... Cadence shows up at last minute.
... Cadence is in the dark ball...
Sigh. So, Luna is in the dark ball and is going to pop out either crazy or NMM. Fight Celestia, we get to rehash the Nightmare moon thing again. You know, the oh sister not again, fight it, so on and so forth. Or worse we get NMM as the big bad. Don't get me wrong, as so far I am enjoying this story. But I cant bring myself do anything but cringe as we ramp up to Luna going bad, again, like its some kind of light switch with her. On the other hand you may surprise me and throw a twist, have someone else in that dark ball. Wouldn't get any complaint from me on it if you did. Would most likely applaud you for it in fact. You know, instead of throwing heavy things at you...
I wonder if Luna's going to be a sort of Deus Ex Machina sort of thing and just save everybody in the end... Actually that would probably not be too of an interesting ending, but a thought.
Yeah, got to admit, I am more worried about Equestria without its leaders than I am for the Princesses in the Kalos region. I suppose Celestia would have contingency plans in place for such an occasion, but it still worries me.
So Luna IS in this book!!!! YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES *twilight style!*
6135077 Equestria is screwed unless when they get back no time has past. they need at least one of the princess to raise and lower the sun and moon. they can't do it on their own anymore.
Oh no. Celestia and now potentially Luna: Who is taking care of the sun and the moon back in Equestria?
6135218 they can they just never try before and they got one Alicorn left
6135404 I point to both the Pilot and Princess Twilight Sparkle. If the unicorns could still move them then NMM's move is worthless but they could rise the sun. No Night Eternal. Also when the princess were missing no attempt by any unicorn or Twilight and Cadance to move them seems that they can't anymore.
Twilight has only done it because she had their powers at the time. alicorns MIGHT be able to do it but in a pinch with no known training Cadance and their world are screwed. This is problem the second flaw in this story. It's much easier to believe they only Celestia got sucked through and that Twilight eventually followed leaving Luna to hold the fort.