My Little Pokemon

by Alabenson

A Grave Situation, Part 2

Rarity clung tightly to her Tauros as it thundered through the ancient cemetery, Applejack exhortations to keep moving still singing in her ears. In truth, had it been entirely up to Rarity, she’d have turned back to recover her friend before Applejack would have even been able to finish her sentence. The final arbiter of the situation, however, was Tauros itself, and at that point there was only one way that Tauros’ charge could be stopped.

Specifically, Tauros was only going to stop if it were knocked unconscious, which is precisely what happened as a dark purple blur leapt out from the shadows and clocked it across the face. Already exhausted from the constant running and battling that Rarity had put it through that day, Tauros collapsed to the ground with a resounding thud. As Rarity painfully picked herself off the ground and recalled her Tauros to its Poké Ball, mocking laughter echoed out from among the tombstones.

“Is that bull of yours too tired to continue already?” Sombra called out. “That’s too bad, I was looking forward to watching you pointlessly struggle against the inevitable for a bit longer. Ah well, I suppose I’ll just need to get right down to business then.” As Sombra spoke, he and his Sableye seemed to materialize out of the nearby shadows, each one grinning maliciously.

“Threaten me all you want, I’m not scared of you or that disgusting little imp of yours,” Rarity said. Despite her best efforts, however, Rarity couldn’t keep herself from slowly backing away from the advancing pair, a fact which didn’t go unnoticed.

“Defiant to the end? Good, this sort of thing is so much more fun when you try and make a futile effort to fight back,” Sombra leered.

Before Sombra could come any closer, however, the other Poké Ball on Rarity’s belt shook and split open as Piplup emerged and interposed itself between Sombra and its master. “What now, King Sombra?” Rarity said. “I’m not quite as helpless as you thought, am I?”

Sombra paused and appeared to briefly consider this new development before stepping forward and delivering a vicious kick to Piplup’s stomach, sending it tumbling to the ground. “No, I’d say you’re exactly as helpless as I had expected. So, do you want to continue this farce or are you going to give up? Ooh, maybe you should try begging for mercy, that’s always fun to – what?”

To Sombra’s surprise, Piplup was refusing to stay down, instead desperately struggling to push itself back to its feet. Once it finally succeeded in pulling itself upright, Piplup staggered back between Rarity and Sombra, a look of pure determination burning in its eyes.

“Hmph,” Sombra snorted with mild irritation. “It seems your little servant doesn’t know when to just give up. Sableye, deal with this pest. Feint Attack.” Hissing in acknowledgement, Sombra’s Sableye launched itself at Piplup as dark shadows coalesced around its right arm. As Sableye tried to deliver its strike, however, Piplup managed to catch Sableye’s arm with its flipper. “How? How does that worthless little creature still have that kind of strength? Look at it, it can barely even stand, how is it able to stand against my Sableye?”

As if to answer Sombra’s question, Piplup began to emit a bright, white light which quickly engulfed it as it began to grow. In moments, Piplup had nearly doubled in height, its beak now connected to a pair of ridges extending around the top of its head. “Prinplup!” With an enraged cry, the newly evolved Prinplup swiped at Sableye with its free flipper, the tip of which was glowing brightly. Caught off guard, Sableye had little hope of escaping the attack, which sent it staggering backwards in pain.

“I can’t say that I was expecting that to happen,” Rarity said, the repeated emotional shocks of the past hour having left her somewhat numb. “This is still a rather welcome development, though. And, bonus, those ridges do look quite regal. But, that’s something to consider for another time. For now, use Bubble!” Prinplup promptly took in a deep breath and exhaled a cloud of blue bubbles that seemed to detonate upon contact with Sableye, driving it further back.

Sombra watched his Sableye struggle against Prinplup’s assault for a few moments before suddenly bursting into peals of laughter. “Now this is getting interesting. I had assumed I’d be able to destroy you without needing to exert any real effort on my part, but it looks like I’ll get to test my abilities in this new world sooner than I expected.” As Sombra spoke he pulled out a small, black crystal that throbbed with a pulsating red light. “I have my new partner to thank for this little, toy, let’s see if it lives up to their claims.”

“Really? I wouldn’t have thought that the mighty King Sombra would have to stoop to using one of Chrysalis’ tricks,” Rarity said mockingly.

“One of Chrysalis’…” Sombra asked before once again doubling over with laughter. “You think I was talking about – oh, that’s too rich! No, you’re quite right, I wouldn’t lower myself to using one of the cockroach queen’s parlor tricks unless I was truly desperate. Chrysalis only wishes she had the power to create something like this.” Grinning evilly, Sombra pointed the crystal towards his Sableye, causing its eyes to start glowing the same crimson as the light emanating from the crystal. “Hmm, only enough for one use,” Sombra muttered to himself as he inspected the crystal, which itself has completely ceased glowing. “No matter, this should be more than enough to get the job done. Sableye, Nightshade.” Sableye let out a crazed scream as it fired a pair of crackling black and red beams from its eyes, striking Prinplup with enough force to send it falling backwards. “So, do you have anymore scraps of bravado left to hide behind, or are you ready to accept your fate now?” Before Sombra could even finish sentence, Rarity had already recalled her Prinplup and was running deeper into the graveyard as fast as he legs could carry her. “Fine then, if you want to die tired then so be it. Sableye, chase her down and –” Without warning, Sableye leapt at Sombra, only to be sent sprawling back to the ground with a vicious backhand. Sombra proceed wot watch his Pokémon writhe about on the ground for several moments before finally letting out a sigh of irritation. “I’m willing to show you mercy this time as you’re still not used to the power of the spell yet. But, from now on you are to remember who your master is. Now, get up and track her down before she gets away!”

*********

Rarity continued running through the tombstones for what felt like ages, the dark overcast sky and strange shadows cast by the looming monuments making it impossible to tell what time it was. All Rarity knew was that it was critical that she somehow escape Sombra and his bloodthirsty Pokémon. Just as Rarity finally collapsed to the ground in exhaustion, however, she looked up to see something that made her hope that her luck had started to improve. Rising up from among the scattered gravestones was a sizable mausoleum, large enough for her to potentially hide in.

“Well, it wouldn’t exactly be my first choice for a hiding place, but right now isn’t the time to be choosy,” Rarity muttered to herself as she pulled herself inside. The interior of the mausoleum was dominated by a pair of tombs, with a path between them leading to a staircase underground. Rarity hesitated in the doorway for a moment, but the frenzied screams of Sombra’s Sableye echoing out form the cemetery propelled her forward. Quickly, Rarity made her way inside and rushed down the stairs, which led to a maze of hallways carved into the mountain stone. Lining the hallways were a series of strange, roughly humanoid statues with oddly spherical bodies. “Admittedly I don’t spend all that much time in places like these, but I can’t imagine this sort of decoration is normal even for a place like this. Not that I’m complaining, though. After today I think I’ll have had my fill of creepy for quite some time.”

“Golett.”

“Honestly, I might even join Fluttershy in her cottage next Nightmare Night –” Rarity abruptly stopped talking to herself as he mind finally processed the realization that she wasn’t alone. Slowly, Rarity turned around to see a short figure standing right behind her that looked almost exactly like the statues lining the hall.

“Golett,” the creature said cheerfully as it waved hello.

Rarity promptly let out a shriek of terror, more out of shock than anything else, before stumbling and falling backwards. After a few moments passed and the creature made no effort to come any closer, however, Rarity was able to calm herself down enough to speak. “Hello there, I’m sorry for screaming, it’s just that I’m a bit on edge at the moment and you did startle me.”

The creature tilted its head to the side for a moment before waddling over to Rarity and extending out one of its stubby arms. “Golett?”

“Oh, thank you,” Rarity said as she allowed the creature to help her to her feet. “Do you live down here? I didn’t mean to intrude in anycreature’s home, but I’m being pursued by a very dangerous individual and I needed to find a place to hide.”

The creature seemed to ponder what Rarity said for a few moments before motioning for her to follow it. “Golett, Golett.”

“Are you saying that you want to help me? Oh, thank you.” Rarity said. As Rarity allowed the creature to lead her deeper into the catacombs she searched into her bag and fished out her Pokédex. “Let’s see, I’m willing to bet you’re a Pokémon of some kind, so let’s see what this has to say about you.”

Golett, the Automaton Pokémon. Believed to have been sculpted from clay by an ancient civilization, this Pokémon is powered by a mysterious energy. Scientists have been unable to determine the nature of this energy, but theorize that it allows Golett to remain active for millennia.

“Millenia?” Rarity gasped in surprise at Golett’s Pokédex entry, before glancing around at her surroundings. “You haven’t really been down here that long, have you?”

“Golett.”

Rarity paused for a moment before letting out a sigh of exasperation. “I honestly don’t know what I was expecting there. Well, in any event I am grateful for your assistance. Tell me, are there any other Pokémon living down here?”

“Golett,” the Golett replied, shaking its head.

“You’re not all alone down here, are you?” Rarity asked, to which the Golett silently nodded. “Oh my, and you’ve probably been down here for quite some time, haven\t you?” Rarity looked around at the seemingly ancient wall carvings, and something suddenly occurred to her. “There isn’t a speck of dust anywhere here. You were just left down here all by yourself and you’ve spent all that time keeping this place neat and tidy. You’ve done a fantastic job, by the way,” Rarity added quickly, not wanting to risk offending her new companion.

“Golett.” Without any way of actually understanding what the Golett was saying, Rarity choose to assume that it was thanking her for the compliment. By this time, the pair had reached a chamber at the end of one of the catacomb’s hallways, which appeared completely barren save for a large stone sarcophagus in the center. “Golett,” the Golett said as it gestured for Rarity to come behind the tomb.

“Thank you so much for this,” Rarity said as she knelt down behind the sarcophagus. “With any luck the person chasing me will give up soon, and hopefully then I can find my friend.” Rarity paused for a moment as a thought that had been forming in her mind finally crystalized. “I don’t suppose that you’d like to come with me, by any chance?”

Before Golett could respond to Rarity’s offer, however, a mixture of insane cackling and animalistic snarls echoed from the catacombs’ entrance, signaling a more pressing matter. “You’re certain she’s down here? For your sake you’d better be right about this.” Rarity found herself curling into a ball as she heard the unmistakable sound of Sombra’s voice. “If you are in here, girl, then I commend you on your choice of hiding spot. If only all my victims were so considerate, I won’t even need to bury you.”

As Golett listened to Sombra’s threats it watched how Rarity reacted in fear before narrowing its eyes and marching out into the hall. “Wait,” Rarity called out in a horse whisper. “You don’t know how dangerous that monster is.” Golett, however, paid Rarity’s warning little heed as it strode out into the catacomb’s halls. A few seconds ticked by as Rarity at first remained in her hiding spot, virtually paralyzed with fear. It wasn’t long, however, before her inner voice began to chastise herself. “What are you doing? Are you really going to just sit here and do nothing while that little creature fights your battles for you? What would you friends say if they saw you like this? What would Sweetie Belle say? Now pull yourself together, get up, and show that ruffian out there what it means to challenge a mare who’s an Element of Harmony, a pleasantly stylish blue belt in Tae Colt Do and ten-time winner of Ponyville’s best dressed mare!” Having successfully bolstered her confidence, Rarity emerged from her hiding spot and marched out after Golett.

It wouldn’t take long for Rarity’s newfound bravery to be put to the test. As soon as she turned a corner she found herself face to face with Sombra and his Sableye, the Golett thankfully standing in their path. “So, you finally decided to show yourself,” Sombra snorted. “Tell me, does this mean that you’ve accepted your fate, or are you counting on this ridiculous little…thing to save you?”

“That ‘thing’ is my friend,” Rarity shot back angrily. “And I will never just give up when faced with the likes of you, you odious, vile, poorly dressed monster!”

“Poorly dressed?” Sombra replied, sounding genuinely offended. “You insufferable little wench, I’ll make you pay for that remark. Though, I think I’ll start by taking apart this toy of yours. Sableye, Feint Attack!” Sombra’s Sableye let out a ferocious shriek as it launched itself at Golett, only to stumble to a halt a few feet away from it. As the Sableye stood and looked around in a dazed stupor, Rarity noticed that the red glow had completely washed away from its crystalline eyes. “The blasted spell must have finally worn off,” Sombra grumbled. “No matter, once Sableye –”

Whatever Sombra was about to say abruptly became a moot point as Golett smashed its fist into Sableye’s face, Golett’s arm completely engulfed in flickering shadows. The impact was sufficient to send Sableye bouncing across the floor until it came to rest unconscious at Sombra’s feet.

Sombra stared down at his battered Pokémon before silently taking out a grey and black Poké Ball and recalling it. “This changes nothing. Granted, I’ll need to get my hands dirty now, but that’s never bothered –” Before Sombra could even finish his sentence Golett rushed forward and delivered a second blow, this time its fist glowing a brilliant white. Unfortunately for Sombra, however, Golett wasn’t quite tall enough to reach his face, and thus had to settle for a somewhat lower target.

*********

It became quickly apparent after Golett’s blow that Sombra was unlikely to continue pursuing Rarity, or do much else for that matter beyond lying curled up on the ground and letting out the occasional high-pitched whimper. Even so, Rarity was careful to gingerly tiptoe around his prone form before hurrying out of the catacombs as quickly as possible. Just as she and Golett reached the stairs that led back up to the mausoleum, however Rarity stopped and turned to Golett. “You know, we never did have a chance to finish our earlier conversation,” Rarity said.

“Golett?”

“The offer I made earlier still stands, for what its worth. You’re welcome to come with me if you’d like. I won’t try and make you leave here if you really feel you need to stay here, but –” Rarity found she didn’t need to finish her sentence before Golett started dancing about happily. “I imagine that would be a yes, then. Very well, it’s a pleasure to welcome you aboard,” Rarity said with a warm smile as she took out one of her Poké Balls and presented it to Golett. Golett immediately reached out and tapped the front of the ball, causing it to split open and pull the Golett inside. As the Poké Ball let out a chime to signify a successful capture Rarity gave the ball a quick kiss before putting it away. “Well, that certainly worked out better than I would have expected it to. Now I just need to find Applejack and then we can find a way out of this awful place.”

Rarity’s confidence had been bolstered significantly by the addition of Golett to her team. The moment Rarity stepped out of the mausoleum, however, she was quickly reminded of the precariousness of her situation. Twilight appeared to have fallen over the cemetery, which looked even more foreboding in the fading light. Worse still was the nagging realization that Rarity’s friend was somewhere out there in that forest of crumbling grave markers, along with Chrysalis. As Rarity cautiously made her way into the cemetery, she began yet another mental argument with herself about how best to proceed. “I suppose I should by calling out to see if Applejack can hear me, Celestia knows I doubt I’ll be able to find her just by wandering aimlessly. I’m not even certain I remember which direction I’d need to go. Besides, Sombra may not be a threat for the moment, but that still leaves Chrysalis.”

Rarity was still mulling her options on how best to proceed when she heard a voice calling out to her. “Hey! Rarity! Are y’all all right?” Looking up, Rarity could see Applejack weaving her way through the tombstones towards her. The two friends were quickly reunited and Rarity wasted no time relating to Applejack what had happened to her. “Whew, sounds like y’all got out of that jam by the skin of yer teeth. Leastways it doesn’t sound like Sombra’s in any shape to try chasin’ us any more fer at least a good while.”

“He did seem rather thoroughly incapacitated,” Rarity said. “If it had been anyone else I’d regret that it came to that, but as it is he probably deserved considerably worse. In any event, Sombra wasn’t the only threat we’ve had to deal with today. What about Chrysalis?”

“Ah sent her packin’ pretty durn well, but Ah’d be willin’ to bet she’ll be back before long and likely angrier than a timberwolf with a toothache to boot. Fer now Ah’d say our best bet is to put as much distance between us and this place as we can, and fast. Ah think Ah spotted a road that looked like it led further up into the mountains while Ah was lookin’ fer y’all. That might be our best bet, at least fer now,” Applejack said.

“Further into the mountains? But that would take us well out of way,” Rarity protested. “If we do something like that we could lose our best chance to catch up with Pinkie and Fluttershy, and who knows how long it would take to find them again.”

“Believe me, Ah thought of that already, but it ain’t as though we’ve got a whole lotta choice. Right now we gotta get the hay out of here and find someplace safe to recover. Then we can start worryin’ about figurin’ out how to catch up with our friends. Ain’t exactly like it’d matter much if they moved on or not if Sombra and Chrysalis get us,” Applejack added grimly.

Rarity nodded. “I see your point. Very well then, let’s find this road you mentioned and get out of this awful place.”

*********

“Stupid, miserable smoke monster, I’d have finally gotten my revenge if it hadn’t interfered like that,” Chrysalis muttered to herself. “And you! If you hadn’t allowed yourself to be defeated so easily by a leaf of all things then I could have been victorious even with that thing heling the annoying little hick!”

“Hey, I was the one who – neeHaw! – managed to defeat her first Pokémon,” Bray protested.

“Clearly if you were able to defeat it than it was never a threat to begin with,” Chrysalis grumbled. A sudden noise coming from outside the camp prompted Chrysalis to turn just in time to see Sombra stumble into view. “Oh look, the mighty King Sombra has returned. Tell me, were you at least able to deal with your target, or was fighting one prissy dressmaker too much for you?”

“I don’t want to talk about it,” Sombra grumbled before sitting down, winching in pain as he did so. “That said, it sounds as though you didn’t have any more luck than I did in that regard.”

“The stupid little hayseed got lucky, that’s all. Next time, she won’t be able to escape my wrath so easily,” Chrysalis snarled.

“In other words, you failed as well. The difference between us, however, is that unlike myself you don’t have anything to show for it.” Sombra reached into one of his pockets and pulled out a crystal similar to the one he had used and his Sableye earlier. “I was able to test this during the attack. The duration is shorter than I had expected, but the increase in power and speed was just as potent as I had predicted.”

“Congratulations, you can strengthen that little pet of yours into a halfway passable threat. That is if Grogar deigns to help you squeeze your magic into one of those trinkets again, that is,” Chrysalis sneered.

Sombra said nothing in response, merely leaning back in his seat and letting out an irritable snort. Let the former changeling queen mock him all she wanted. What was important was that Sombra had proven that there was a way for him to use him magic in this new world. All Sombra had to do now was find the right servant and he would have all he needed to unshackle himself from Grogar and retake his rightful place as ruler of his empire.

Comments

[raven618]

And Rarity catches her third Pokémon. I must admit, I wasn't expecting her to make as much progress as she has.

[Xanderfox]

10141189
Well Rarity is quite the tough girl deep down, it's one other charms, surface she is prissy and dramatic but back to the wall she shows how badass she can be. She knows martial arts and can shred heavy metal guitar. Handling bruiser pokemon like Tauros and Golette won't be an issue for her. Also now that I think about it the Regal and Kingly Empoleon suits her.

[Rhino23]

So Fluttershy and Pinkie are next
I hope Fluttershy uses her ZMove because she has to save a pokemon

[TopGun1986]

Sombra stared down at his battered Pokémon before silently taking out a grey and black Poké Ball and recalling it. “This changes nothing. Granted, I’ll need to get my hands dirty now, but that’s never bothered –” Before Sombra could even finish his sentence Golett rushed forward and delivered a second blow, this time its fist glowing a brilliant white. Unfortunately for Sombra, however, Golett wasn’t quite tall enough to reach his face, and thus had to settle for a somewhat lower target.

😧That’s gonna leave a mark!

[readsponies]

Twilight appeared to have fallen over the cemetery

Wait, what?! ...Oh.