Indomitable

by Slendy

Chp. 15 - Fly You Fools

[No POV]

Among the pristine halls of the capital of Equestria, Canternlot. One of the Royal Guards, and right-hoof of Captain Armor, moved at a steady pace through the halls, passing patrols with a somewhat wary step as she neared the throne room with a report sent directly from Ponyville, she hadn't any clue why such an urgent message was required but after reading... and re-re-rereading the letter the oddity became far more apparent as she shoved one of the large doors wide, thankfully there were no meetings taking place before the two sisters.

"C-Captain -- ahem, sir!" She adjusted her posture while levitating the scroll out from her saddlebag, the Captain moving away from the Princesses to address his companion, and while she was composed, the far more frazzled state of her honeycomb mane was evident. "Sorry to interrupt but this is urgent -- and no, it's not to do with nobles, thank goodness..." The last part Shining Armor picked up on with a smile

"I see, thank you, Topaz," He undid the already broken seal, the two sisters watching the interaction in silence as Armor's expression slowly creased with a critical eye to every word, and Topaz herself whistled silently at what she knew wouldn't bode well. "Another attack? Were there any injuries?"

"None, surprisingly given the storm and the fires, but those creatures I heard rumors of living there helped... I think?" Her brow raised, then she shrugged. "I dunno, report never mentioned them."

Armor sighed with relief but turned to face the Princesses. "Princess Celestia, my sister mentioned those 'Creatures' before, right?"

Celestia smiled fondly at the many letters she received of their arrival. "That she has, rather fascinating creatures from the Everfree, and their abilities and biology are unlike any in recorded history, perhaps the first of their kind as she's stated in... hmm, 'dramatic fashion'?" That knowing smile eased the tension in the room as Luna pipped up

"I have also investigated their dreams, very peculiar too, most depict bipedal beings roughly our size, sort of similar to monkeys... but other than that everything was relatively within the confines of the Dream Realm." The creatures, 'Pokemon', were very abnormal but from Twilight's reports the sisters agreed they were more akin to a blessing than a danger to Ponykind, say for one Twilight called 'Taka' as she had a tendency to lose her temper often

Celestia then realized something else. "Shining?" He and Topaz brought their eyes to the monarch again. "There is one, in particular, that has my dear student in a bind in terms of her findings, to be blunt, this new Pokemon hasn't gotten off on a good hoof with your sister." That immediately raised red flags in Armor's eyes

"What? Is Twily okay!?" Celestia raised a hoof to calm him

"She's fine what I mean is that the two haven't seen eye-to-eye as this one has the ability to project the thoughts of himself and others, enabling speech, and after a dispute over her methods in gathering information from the other Pokemon this one warned her rather aggressively, of course, she has since then seen his reasons and the two are slowly mending their relationship," This news was a mixed bag of emotions for Armor, he was glad his sister was unharmed, but the way it sounded this Pokemon was indeed more than a prone to acts of aggression. "I too have received reports of dangerous monsters invading Ponyville, and these Pokemon have done nothing but act as guardians."

Armor's stoic face lightened. "What are you implying Princess?" This time, Luna spoke up, while Topaz stood back, enjoying the latest drama in the world outside of Canternlot

"We wish to have an audience so-to-speak, with this Pokemon capable of telepathy, perhaps we can then determine their origins and reasons for defending our subjects so diligently," Celestia agreed with her sister

"But under no circumstances are any of our guards to act without giving a proper reason to them, which is why I wished to know if you would allow Topaz to handle the summons?" This request forced the daydreaming mare out of her stupor as she flicked her head back and forth, then poked a hoof at her chestplate

"M-Me? Are you sure, Princess?" She had no issue with this but... this seemed a little important, something up Captain Armor's street

"If the Princesses hold as much confidence in you as I do," Armor turned to pat her shoulder with a stern smile. "Then you should go, after all, I know better than anypony else how you hate dealing with noble idiots all the time."

Topaz grinned sheepishly, scratching her neck. "You have a way with words, Captain... it's true, okay then!" She bowed her head. "I'll get together a few guards myself and proceed to Ponyville immediately!"

Celestia smiled and bowed her head. "Thank you, Topaz, I wish you luck. I will also inform Twilight of this summons." Then she turned her gaze to Armor. "Shining Armor, tell me, how have the investigations in the Badlands come along?" This next topic brought the mood back to a solemn stance, and Armor looked almost... disturbed

With a disappointed sigh, he rubbed his mane. "Fruitless, Princess; We still cannot identify what has caused so much destruction at the edges of the Badlands, and it's growing by the day, soon it may very well disrupt the ecosystem in the surrounding forests and jungles," His eyes then lit up. "Oh, there was one discovery made by the Night Guard during one of their patrols!"

"Really?" This was a hopeful update, with the increase in rifts lately, she wouldn't be surprised if whatever caused this destruction came from one of them. "And what was this discovery?"

He paused for a moment. "It's... well, among some charred earth within the Badlands, they noticed a dark shadow soar high above the rare few clouds that passed over the area so they lost sight of whatever it was, but they recovered a single, almost rubbery scale."

"The dragons?" Luna blinked, and her sister nodded at the perplexing news. "The dragons are an unruly bunch, but this level of chaos is unlike the Dragon Lord."

"That's the thing, Princess Luna," Their eyes met the Captain's again. "The scale, it was overflowing with an energy unlike any we've seen."

---

I sat up, the glare of sunlight through my window greeted me back to my hotel room, the thoughts of yesterday were a blur for a second, then I put a hand over my muzzle, feeling fuzzy at the memory, and somewhat anxious at the new experience. Guess you win this bet, Rika, you witch. Chuffing once I licked my sweet lips and hopped out of bed, hearing the commotion in the kitchen to my left

Making my way into the kitchen I spotted Yui already ahead of the game, doing my job for me. "You know, keep this up and I'll start feeling useless," My pride was on the line here. Yui turned to me, smirking with a laugh while her wing effortlessly worked on two mugs of coffee. "Someone's in a good mood?"

"Hmm, just had a good dream I suppose," She replied evenly, but her visible eye gave it all away as she spun around, pink dusting her cheeks. "Yesterday too..."

"I see," Stretching to pop my limbs I leaned back on a chair for a moment of clarity. "I've got to talk with the others about... something that's come up, nothing bad for once, what fortune!" My sarcastic sigh was paired with hers of relief. But my eyes flashed to our belongings, my smile wavering. "Yui, mind packing our stuff for the road when you get a chance?"

She turned, brow raised. "Why's that? Thought you'd atleast want a day or two more with your friends?" Her wing rubbed her chin. "Taka was going to show me something but neglected to tell Fluttershy what exactly..." Yeah, that's Taka in a nutshell, and if she planning something it's gonna hurt me, it always does.

Sitting upright I shrugged. "Just a gut feeling, trust me, better to be packed and ready for whatever life throws at us!"

Her expression considered it a moment then nodded. "Yeah, that's true, our track record isn't what some ponies may call 'normal'." We chuckled at that, then my brow creased. "What now?"

I mindlessly strolled over to grab my mug of coffee with a nod. "Hrm, nothing... my dream was weeeeird, something about... Bagel Goose? Beetlejuice? I think? What an odd name for the B52 Bomber?"

That excited a single chuff from the Bat-Pony. "Another horrid name for a monster?" Her deadpan tone was illuminating

I jabbed a finger back at her. "Hey, 'Thunder Puppy' is a good name, admit it!" She didn't admit it. "Look, that's all I got for Zinogre, and don't get me started on Barroth being Mud Pupper, Kulu is Big Bird, and Nargacuga is Eyes-Glow, what more do you want from me?"

Yui shook her head, murmuring under a breath, "...Humans..."

---

Finally arriving at Fluttershy's, I skimmed around the back to spot a few small animals gathered around the trees or the fence, however, four stuck out to me, five if we include the egg. The gang was gathered under a large oak tree that provided shade from the glaring sunlight with Taka resting at the base of the tree, body curled around the egg as her gaze drifted toward me as I hopped the fence.

|I made it for once!| I waved, drawing all eyes to me

|Yeah, the twenty-minute delay is very enlightening of that| The taller, and far scarier-looking Merry grumbled, arms folded

I poked a finger her way. |Aren't you supposed to be a ninja-frog or something?| She growled under her bubble scarf

|'Aren't you supposed to be a ninja-wolf or something'- that's you| She did a very horrible impression but that was a fair jab. Crossing my legs Kazu and Summer sighed as I spotted Asher appear from Fluttershy's cottage

|Oh, great, everyone's here, so we can start now?| He inquired and we all unanimously nodded. He sat between Summer and me, the Eevee sitting upright, that's when Taka's head rose with her paw

|Let the Council of the Pokemon commence!| She declared, while Asher's brow raised

|Isn't that a little derivative?| Asher's valid remark was met with her tail flicking our way

|You're exactly right! The downside is I wanted to call it the Gathering of the Eevees but Summer said that's 'Too segregating since two of us aren't Eevees'| To emphasize the quotations she flicked her paws, resting her right atop her egg

To pull us away from the title, Summer raised her paw, |Okay, so I think we should address--| Then I raised a sheepish one myself, forcing her eyes to slowly pan to mine. |What's wrong, Zen?|

My eyes rolled. |I'm being serious this time...!| I whined, clearing my throat. |Okay, this is... Okay, not easy bringing this up, give me a sec| The events involving me and Yui was... personal, but it was the matters beforehand

|Take your time, we're listening| Can always rely on Kazu's calm and steady approach to these topics, even Taka remained silent, eyes wandering with curiosity

|Right, I should probably start with my business with all these rifts and the monster manifestations...| Time to tell them everything, between the rifts and eventual way home, and... my choice -- no, the promise I made to Yui

---

[Zen's POV]

|Look at my bestie, putting the moves on the adorable treasure hunter!|Taka's cooing nature and swaying on my shoulder was enough to force my paw to cover my eyes, wishing this would hurry up and end. Was I happy? Yes, was I happy Taka knew? No, because now this was a thing...

|Please stop...| I pleaded for her, the others walking next to us as they left Taka to torment me, though Summer smiled warmly

|I am happy for you, but you and I know Taka's needed this out of her system| Summer was right, again

|You did tease her alot| Merry blunted stated, arms behind her head as we strolled through Ponyville, a few wondering why I was being tormented by the energized Taka who swayed on my shoulder still, nuzzling my cheek

|Face it, buddy, until you leave I'm stuck to you like glue!| Taka was very adamant about this, enough to excite a blunt brow raise from me

|Didn't take you as the cheating type, especially since he's right there| I pointed down at the Umbreon strolling to my right, ear flicked up to listen closely as we both heard Taka stutter, falling off my shoulder, flustered with a wave of her paw

|What! No-No, I wouldn't... you... you just played me...| Her exhausted stare met our knowing smirks as I high-fived his tail. With a huff, her head spun toward the girls, |You both are jerks, I hate you both|

|All's fair in love and war, right?| I inquired, Kazu nodding as his tail whipped behind my legs to flick Taka's flank, exciting a yelp from her, facing tingeing red with fury

|Yes, especially if seeing her cute flustered face is involved| Our combined laugh forced her eyes away from us, muttering incoherently under her breath as Merry patronized her by patting her back without so much as trying to hide a smug smirk

"There you six are!" A familiar voice followed by a gallop to our sides drew our attention, it was Twilight, a very frazzled Twilight who looked as though she just threw herself out a window from her bed. There was a letter rolled up in her magic as her eyes darted to me. "Zen, this is really, really bad!"

"I'm gonna wave that flag -- What could possibly be more terrifying than large monsters capable of razing a town?" That was when the scroll was slapped into my face, my claws peeling the note off as I held it down to Summer since my understanding of this language was still rather vague, her eyes narrowed, and then her ears folded back with a startled frown

|It's bad, this is stating that the Princesses have ordered the Royal Guard to retrieve you in particular, due to your ability to communicate| Okay, that could, maybe, possibly be a slight scab on the nose

|Holy Hell they're quick!| Our dread increased as we spun around to find several armored ponies walking the streets, primarily from the direction of the train station. The one leading the golden-clad ponies was more-than-likely their commanding officer. A mare with a peachy coat and honeycomb mane and tail sticking out at odd angles, revealing a set of smooth, orange eyes. Our immediate response was to act calm and allow them to approach, but if they tried to cut off the escape routes we were to flee or scare them away, at least that's the hasty plan I relayed to them without Twilight's knowledge

"Hi, you must be Twilight Sparkle, correct?" The easy-going mare inquired as Twilight nodded with a welcoming smile

"Yes, I-I assume you're the ponies sent to find Zen then?" Twilight asked in turn as the mare's eyes looked to us with awe, even some of the guards were fascinated by our appearances. "I'll introduce them. From the far left there's Asher, then Summer, followed by Merry and Taka. The tallest one is Zen, the 'wolf' I'm sure the Princesses briefed you on, and beside him is Kazu."

"So you're the Po-ke-mon--" Why do they always butcher the words? "-- Princess Celestia was talking about, the one that nearly had my Captain send a squad after you?" I'm sorry, what? Blinking, I just nodded, seeing her squeal a little. "This is awesome! Okay-Okay, focus..." She raised a hoof to me. "I'm Topaz Cut, right-hoof of Captain Armor, nice to meet you." Being gracious I shook her hoof, holding a passive smile, but I was praying my quick aura thought was passed along in time, turns out long-distance telepathy is possible but it takes considerably deeper levels of concentration

"Zen, nice to meet you," My answer caught her by surprise but nonetheless her aura was enough not to worry, they weren't here for anything more than what they've said. Rubbing my chin I asked, "So what does the Princess want with me?"

She shrugged, "She wanted to talk with you, about the rest of them and you were capable of direct communication, but that's me paraphrasing, it'll be good if you can come with us immediately but if you want to say goodbye and stuff we can wait," She leaned closer with her hoof raised to her mouth. "They got really bored on the train, I swear, one more 'Eye spy' and I'll be held accountable for throwing one of them out a window."

I did the same, flashing a fanged smile. "Duly noted." Turning back around I smiled sadly at my family, more than friends that was for sure, even Merry I could count among us given her less than fortunate arrival with us. |Guess this is goodbye for now, huh?|

Summer rolled her eyes with mirth, |You'll be back, you always had a habit of never truly staying gone for long| I feel like that was a jab. Kneeling next to her she hopped up to nuzzle my cheek. |You better come back in one piece though| Her voice was softer that time as I hugged her tightly, I was almost afraid this might be the last time I do, so I'll treasure it

|Love you, sis| I smiled warmly as her paws held my sides firmly

|Love you too| She whispered

Pulling away Taka jumped onto my shoulder a whipped me with her tail. |Don't get yourself killed, I need someone to get my jokes| We bumped fist to paw, and she hopped off. |Good luck and all that, dummy|

|I feel you need more luck than me right now, what with raising a kid and all| My remark had her hum, nodding toward Kazu who bowed his head as did I, shaking his paw

|You keep them safe -- Not that I doubt your capabilities| He chuckled at that, smiling

|I know you'd do the same, I'll look out for them all| I could always rely on Kazu, he's a humble man but never push his buttons and expect to walk away intact. Leaning over to drag the shiny Kirlia over, I saw his nervous eyes train to mine

|Stick with Summer for me, alright?| This was a far more worrisome request of mine to the nervous Asher, his eyes darting between me and her, cheeks dipping into the pink anxiously as I smiled. |I know, but I trust you bud|

|R-Really?| He almost squeaked as I patted his back

|'Course I do, you're a good person, and once you evolve into a Gallade you'll be hundreds of times stronger, count on it| I raised a supportive thumb, and that nervous aura of his flowed fiercer than before

He curled his leaf-like arms, eyes hardened, |You can count on me!| A nod and I turned to Merry, herself standing before me as we stared intensely at one another

Merry was new to our little band of misfits, but she was a good fit, sort of the jack-of-all-trades, calm, stern, mischievous, and kind under a layer of blunt honesty. We both smirked, bumping fists without a word, I'll certainly miss fighting with a fellow ninja Pokemon, but duty calls and all that. We'll have to duel next time we meet.

I stood up abruptly, clapping my paws together. "Ah, my companion is here!" All eyes were drawn to a nearby roof, Yui sitting up atop the thatch with both our bags, smiling from under her hood with a wave

"Hey, guys, sorry for the abrupt send-off but we must be on our way!" She totally rehearsed that line, that was when the royal guard took note of my words, with Topaz's expression faltering, head craned to one side

"W-wait what?" Her confusion is expected of course, even while Yui tossed my bag down for me to effortlessly slip on one arm as I swung it around to rest on my right

"Much as I'd like to meet your monarchy for a spot of tea and cake my schedule is kinda tight, erm, sorry about that, maybe we can take a rain check?" I suggested with an optimistic smile, moving with my elbows hugged to my sides my arms held outward as I strolled with my back to the wall with a slight slant

Again, Topaz and her guards looked among themselves, herself stepping past the facepalms and smirks arising from the group, Twilight looked ready to blow a blood vessel as I bent at the knees and jumped atop the roof, surprising the ponies while I lifted Yui up bridal style as she blinked, but giggled under her hood as I stated loud and proud with a slight accent.

"Gentlemen, ladies, and milady," I bowed at the last part, waving one arm high to the lot. "Remember this as the day you almost caught, Fighting Steel Lucario!!" With a gust of wind and many silver wisps gathered at my feet I sped off down the line of roofs, thatch brushing past with every footstep taken away from the guards

"Hey, w-wait, you can't -- GET BACK HERE!?!" No can do, Topaz, hope she sends my regards to Celestia

The wind flew across my face, scarf blowing in the light of day as I flew across the open air, landing upon the dirt road out of town. Farewell Ponyville, but we're going on an adventure! As my toothy grin grew with the heartbeat in my chest, the thrill of running from the law, Yui laughed against my chest, thankfully she angled herself under my spike as she leaned forward to kiss my cheek gently through the rush of the wind.

"Think that was a good idea?" She asked, but her expression clearly enjoyed it as much as I

"Nope! But the world awaits and we can't afford to waste a second of it!" I concluded, dashing over the meadows and toward the horizon stretching endlessly into the blue sky, my feet leaving the ground as we flew across the glade. Yui nuzzled my neck, eyes closed with the brightest smile I've seen to date

"Hehehe, good answer! Now let's go, my Guardian!" Her hoof shot outward while her hood blew down, freeing her mane

"Aye, Milady!"

To Be Continued...

Author's Note:

Thus we are back on the road with the duo, the reference at the end was obvious but another not so much. I hope you enjoyed, seeya in the next chapter!

Chp. 16 - MAZE of Confusion
Yui's sense of adventure leads to a discovery unlike any other the duo have come to witness.

Comments

[TheWolfSpartanBrony]

Ah... I see, pulling a Jack Sparrow are we? Anyways good chapter as always.

[Slendy]

10326647
Thanks, couldn’t resist

[TheWolfSpartanBrony]

10326953
You're welcome. I can see why you put it in, it fits him to do something like that with the task he has on his plate right now. Though it will be interesting to see Shining's reaction to Zen skipping town on a Royal Summons. Than should be interesting to read.

[Slendy]

10327023
When Zen must once again run away from his responsibilities.

[TheWolfSpartanBrony]

10327057
Ah, yes I know the felling well. Also it has been a while since I have watched the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, so seeing that got a good laugh at Jack's shenanigans. Such a brave dogie.

[Shifter489]

"That's the thing, Princess Luna," Their eyes met the Captain's again. "The scale, it was overflowing with an energy unlike any we've seen."

Elder Dragon.

[tsaukpaetra]

Wait, what? Why would he just jet like that? Shirley an afternoon tea would do wonders for equestrian opinion towards them and a blanket "let them do whatever" directive from the princesses? 😕he could even do the meme afterward.
Oh well, onward to adventure!

[Thebobkiller]

I mindlessly strolled over to grab my mug of coffee with a nod. "Hrm, nothing... my dream was weeeeird, something about... Bagel Goose? Beetlejuice? I think? What an odd name for the B52 Bomber?"

....... No. No no no. No. Please, no.
*Roar of an air raid siren*
Fuck.

[Slendy]

11694405
I still get the chills hearing that harrowing roar and song...