A New World, A New Way: Requiem from the Lostbelt

by Metroid Prime

Filtering Alternate History Phenomenon

Arc 1

Rebellion of the Human Order, Finis Chaldea:

The Summoning of Heroes

---

It had been several hours since the event that would be written in the history books as: “The Firebombing of the Summer Solstice”. It was well into the afternoon before things finally started to calm down. Well...as calm as one could be after the biggest terrorist attack on Equestrian soil.

While it would normally have taken days to take a census, Arceus and a few other psychic Legendaries helped perform the headcount in 3 minutes. The total eventually came to 13,739 wounded, and 46,290 dead.

Despite the number not even being a fraction of Equestria’s combined population of pony and Pokemon, it was enough to bring even the Princesses to tears. Families were lost that day, many lost their homes, some would be traumatized for the rest of their lives.

But even with the reality of the situation gripping the nation, there was one collective question on everyone’s mind.

Who could have been so cold and evil as to do this?

---

The streets of Vale City, a day later

Sunset Shimmer walked through the city as she watched various Ponies and Pokemon pick up and clear out various debris and wreckage. The former pupil of Princess Celestia looked and saw how many people had a dejected look in their eyes, while others had faces filled with frustration.

“Sunset, are you alright?”

The voice belonged to a red and white Braixen, her name was Ruby, and for the past 5 months, she had become one of Sunset’s most trusted friends. The unicorn looked at her friend with a face not too dissimilar from the people in the street.

“Well, would you be alright after all this?”

Ruby took a momentary glance at the sad sight.

“....No I guess I would not.”

The Magma Corporation was largely spared for some odd reason when the explosions went off. Which puzzled a few people, according to the calculations of the Team Magma scientists, a bomb had gone off in at least one square mile of each other. Upon further study, a horrible revelation revealed that the bombs were actually people.

A suicide bombing was quickly ruled out due to the sheer number and the fact that the ponies and Pokemon who served as walking time bombs had no apparent connection to each other. It was as if someone had chosen people at random and planted some kind of explosive inside them, and it was even more baffling that no one could tell they had an explosive inside them.

And yet, despite the enigma that was the bombs, there was one thing that was consistent with and where they had gone off.

“Someone is targeting Pokemon, that's what Brandon is theorizing for now.”

Sunset agreed with Ruby’s statement. Team Magma’s sources in various cities confirmed that the majority of bombs detonated in areas heavily inhabited by Pokemon. The fact that the death toll was higher for Pokemon compared to Equine borne citizens only added credit to the theory.

“You think it's some kind of radical group?” Sunset said. “Someone who is against the Pokemon living here?”

Ruby thought for a second.

“I don’t know, I may have lived with you ponies for only 8 months, but I have come to know you all as kind and tolerant people. Ponies who discriminate and are bigots are far and few in-between. This doesn't seem like the kind of thing that your kind would do.”

“And yet even the most perfect society can produce one anomaly to balance the scales.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, an old pony philosopher once said: ‘Even the most debauched and fatuous society can, on occasion, produce something beautiful’.”

Sunset then looked her friend in the eye.

“But if that is the case, the opposite must be true. If there is a perfect society that has no flaws, no evil, the universe will correct that by creating an evil to balances the scales. To remind us that evil exists.”

Ruby was a little surprised at Sunset’s words, she never expected a pony to have such a point of view.

“You really believe that?”

“I know because I was once that evil. I wanted to be a Princess, but not for the right reasons. I became a monster for power.”

“But you changed.”

“And yet I still did those things.” Sunset turned and looked back at the city. “I always wondered what would happen if our society reached a point of true perfection? What would become of us if we had said all we had to say, discovered all we could ever find, if we had nothing left to conquer? Would we become a cold complacent race, with nothing left to do but die?”

Sunset recalled reading a certain comic book back in the world on the other side of the mirror. It was about a superpowered human who was sent back in time from a future where his people had lost the will to live. His parents wanted him to change the past, but he would inadvertently set off the very chain of events that created that dead-end future. A doomed world orbiting a red sun.

“Oh well, if such a world exists I do not know of it. Besides we should be focusing on the here and now.”

“Right. So why don’t we go and help these people. Gridlock and the others should be here soon to help.”

Sunset Shimmer gave a small smile.

“Yeah, that's a good idea.”

---

Canterlot Castle, Meeting Room

John tapped his fingers on the table as he waited for the last few individuals to arrive before the meeting could start.

The Infernape sat next to Princess Cadence and Princess Shining Armor at one end of the table next to the head chair reserved for Princess Celestia or Luna. Opposite of him was Twilight and her friends. Others who filled the remaining seats were: Seth, Gene and Belle, Abby and Kasai, Captain Grissom, and Genesect. The Legendary Pokemon was here cause he claimed that he had something important that he had to tell.

“And he’s not the only one.”

They had all been there for maybe 5 minutes tops, but given the mood and everyone's expressions, it may as well felt like an hour.

John continued to tap his fingers until Rainbow Dash had enough.

“Would you cut that out!”

“Oh, sorry Miss Dash.”

“Don’t call me Miss, it's either Rainbow or Dash, or a combination of the two.”

John sat up in his seat and straightened himself.

“Very well, my apologies Rainbow Dash.”

The cyan pegasus then had a look of frustration on her face.

“No, I’m sorry. I shouldn't have snapped like that, it's just-.”

“The wait is killing you?” Applejack finished.

“...Yeah,” Rainbow said sheepishly.

“It's fine Rainbow,” Twilight said. “I’m sure all of us are waiting to get this started.”

“Well,” Seth began. “While we wait, can ask you something Twilight?”

“Yes, Seth?”

“How is Lucario doing?”

Twilight looked down at the table, she shook her head.

“Not good, he’s shut himself in his room, and he says he doesn’t want to see anyone.”

“Oh poor Lucario,” Fluttershy said.

The room became silent for a moment. Korrina was someone whom many of them had come to regard as a good friend over the past eight months. They all remembered how when she first got here, she was not very happy about being a Pokemon. Gene remembered how she kinda took her frustration out on him and Belle, seeing people like him as the reason for why she was transformed. While not completely untrue from a certain point of view, Korrina later apologized and he forgave her. Plus the irony that she eventually fell in love with her own partner Pokemon was not lost on anyone. Korrina, and many others like her came to accept what had happened to them. They eventually moved on and fully embraced their new lives in this world.

Unfortunately for the Gym Leader of Shalour City, her life in this new world was brief, cut down before it could run its course.

When her grandfather, the Mega Evolution guru Gurkinn, heard of his grandaughter's murder, his reaction was not too dissimilar to Lucario’s.

“I swear,” Applejack began. “When I find that no good sonuva#@$%. I’m gonna make sure he feels 20 times the pain and suffering he caused today.”

“Get in line,” Rainbow Dash grunted.

“Actually, I think we should focus on discovering who is behind this attack on Equestria, rather than revenge at the moment,” Cadence stated.

Applejack still looked upset, but kept quiet.

“Let's just hope the Princesses and Arceus get here soon,” Twilight said. “Cause I’m pretty sure we all have a lot of questions and not many answers.”

~

Princess Celestia and Princess Luna walked down the still charred and damaged hallways of Canterlot Castle. Despite the extensive damage to the palace, places like the meeting rooms and the throne room were still intact, although the damage report told them that the kitchen and Guard Barracks would be out of order for a while.

It was a good thing that most of the restaurants in Canterlot were still standing, so take out was an option.

“What are you going to say first sister?” Luna asked.

“I’m still working on that Luna, after all, I’m sure many of them will have different questions that they want to be answered first,” Celestia responded.

“Well, even so, if Arceus isn’t at the meeting room already, then that gives you more time to think of a proper question.”

“True, but I wouldn't count on him to miss this, not after what all of us have been through.”

“Yes,” The Lunar alicorn said solemnly.

Not long after they had discovered what happened to Zapdos, Articuno, and Moltres; Arceus had taken their bodies back to the Hall of Legends. No doubt they would be getting a proper burial there. After everything had calmed down, Princess Celestia had told Mewtwo to tell Arceus that there would be a meeting first thing tomorrow to discuss the recent events. While Celestia knew that the god was no doubt mourning the loss of three of his family members. The matter of discussing who did this and why would no doubt be something he would want to be a part of.

The two royal sisters arrived at the doors to the meeting room, no doubt the others whom they had called were waiting inside.

“Well, shall we proceed?”

As soon as the doors swung open, all eyes were on the Princesses, they then took their seats as they waited for the last individuals to arrive.

And then, as soon as the clock struck 11, there was a flash of golden light, and in its place was Arceus and Mewtwo.

“Hello everyone,” The Psychic Pokemon said mentally.

Celestia was about to chastise Arceus for just teleporting in without warning. But she bit her tongue, she had a feeling the god was NOT in the mood for a lecture on manners. And besides, he did arrive at the exact time she asked him to be here.

Celestia nodded. “Hello Arceus, Mewtwo.”

“Princess Celestia,” Arceus responded in a neutral voice.

“Let's get this started shall we?” Mewtwo added.

“Alright, so I have asked the World Leaders to remain in their rooms for now, with 4 guards posted at every door and corner,” Celestia stated. “Givin what just happened, it is not safe for them to leave now. I have a team of guards searching their ships in case any sabotage or tampering was done to them. So they may be here longer than they anticipat-”

“That's all well and fine Celestia,” Arceus interrupted. “But I believe it's best we get to the point of why we are all here.”

Celestia was a bit surprised that Arceus interrupted her, but decided to let it go. After all, everyone was probably thinking the same thing he was.

“Very well, let us cut to chase.” Celestia turned to her sister and nodded.

Princess Luna cleared her throat. “So, as we all know and experienced yesterday morning, Canterlot and nearly every city and settlement in Equestria was bombed in a vicious terrorist attack. We currently have no idea who is behind this evil act or why. That fact that they have not issued a statement or anything is even more strange.”

Princess Celestia turned to look at Seth. “However, thanks to the sacrifice of Korrina, we may now have some lead as to who the perpetrators are, or at least what they are. Am I correct Captain Crescent?”

Seth nodded and then took over from Princess Luna.

“As most of us know, an hour after the bombs went off, the Legendary Birds of Kanto: Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres were found murdered in the training grounds of Canterlot Castle by Arceus.”

For a moment, all eyes were on the ancient God, who still had a neutral face.

“Later, Korrina and Lucario encountered an assailant in the castle who had murdered several guards. After Lucario had left to come and get me, John as well as Princess Twilight and her friends, all of us eventually discovered that the attacker...was human.

Celestia glanced over at Mewtwo, the legendary’s eyes flashed blue for a split second.

“After murdering Korrina, the human disappeared. I don’t know if it was teleportation or not, but if it was, it wasn’t anything like I had ever seen. After he was gone we discovered a blood written message on the wall stating ‘My name is Okada Izou, and this is Ten Chuu’. Which is an old Kanto phrase meaning, “Justice from Heaven’. And before he disappeared, this Okada also confessed to killing the Legendary Birds.”

The room was silent as Seth finished his statement, everyone sitting at the table had either a look of confusion or anger on their faces.

Then Abby spoke up.

“Ok, let's get the biggest question out of the way. How the frack is a human here? And how did he manage to kill three Legendary Pokemon?”

“I would have to concur with Trombley,” John stated. “The death of a legendary Pokemon has happened only one time in all of Earth’s history. And from what I understand, the Legendary in question, Latios, died sacrificing his life out of his own volition. Someone, fighting and murdering three Legendary Pokemon is not impossible. But from what Arceus stated, he felt the Legendary Birds being killed within a span of 7.43 seconds. I cannot even begin to imagine how this Okada Izou pulled that off.”

Everyone became a little spooked as John described how quickly the birds were killed. Killing three people in a matter of seconds wasn’t impossible, but three Legendary Pokemon who had existed since the beginning of time? One could only imagine how powerful someone would have to be to do something like that.

“Are we certain this man did this all by himself?” Grissom said. “He did not have any accomplices or anything?”

John shook his head. “If he had any, they were unseen or had already left.”

“Hmmm, then we are at an impasse. It seems the question of how he killed them will have to wait. So let's go back to Miss Trombley’s first question: How is a full flesh and blood human here on Equus, I thought that Arceus had turned them all into Pokemon?”

All eyes turned to Arceus, who then spoke in a very serious voice.

“For the record, I did a complete genetic sweep of the planet after I had gathered the bodies of my grandchildren. If there was even a single human in this world, I would know their exact location.”

“And?” Luna said.

Arceus starred for a moment, before slowly shaking his head.

“Nothing. Not a single human.”

This obviously confused everyone in the room.”

“WHAT!?”

“How can that be?”

“Did you double-check? Maybe you missed something?”

“I double and triple checked!” Arceus' voice had a hint of annoyance in it. “In fact, I checked until I was becoming so frustrated, I blew out a wall in the temple!” Arceus took a deep “breath” and calmed down. “But no, I couldn’t find a single human on Equus.”

The room then became quiet again, Genesect looked like he was about to say something until Arceus spoke again.

“But I think I may know why.”

Now, everyone looked puzzled again.

“What do you mean?” Twilight asked.

“When I scanned Equus, I didn’t find any humans, but I did find something else. Somethings to be exact.”

“What did you find?” Celestia said.

Arceus looked at everyone in the room. “It's best if I actually showed you all.”

The Pokemon god then projected a 3D image on the center of the table, it was a live feed of the planet Equus, but what made everyone gasp was not the planet itself, but what was on it.

Five storm domes were currently anchored to the surface of the planet. The storms did not appear to be moving or showing any abnormalities, but the fact that they did not look like any storms most of them had seen before puzzled them. One storm was south of the Saddle Arabian nation, another was to the east, one was northeast of Equestria and above Griffinstone, the largest storm was in the middle of the Marelantic Ocean. And the final storm was occupying the same continent as the Changeling Empire.

“What are they?” Rainbow Dash said. I've never seen any storms like those.”

“I don’t know, but what worries me is that my senses can’t penetrate the storm's walls, it's as if something doesn’t want me, or anyone to see what's going on in there.”

Celestia’s eyes widened as she realized where one of the storms was located. “Oh no.”

“What is it, Princess?” Seth said.

“Marelantis, the biggest storm has covered the entirety of Marelantis!”

“What!?” Luna said. “Arceus, do the storms affect the very seas? What of the people of Marelantis, are they safe?”

“I don’t know, I tried everything, but nothing I do is getting through those storms.”

“This is terrible. How will we tell Queen Oceana about this?”

“I don’t know Luna, but she will have to find out eventually.”

Twilight was about to say something, but then she had a realization.

“Wait a minute. Five falling meteors, five large storms big enough to swallow an entire country. You don’t think that-”

“If you are wondering if those meteors we saw earlier are the cause of all of this, then you may be right Princess Twilight,” Arceus stated. “I calculated their trajectory where they fell, and sure enough, the places where they landed are where the five storms are currently raging.”

“How can five meteors cause 5 massive storms that even a god can’t penetrate?” Abby said.

It was at this point, Mewtwo noticed that Princess Cadance and Shining Armor were whispering amongst themselves. John had noticed as well, but didn’t say anything.

“Princess Cadence.”

The pink alicorn yelped as Mewtwo’s mental voice sounded in her head.

“Is there something you wish to discuss with the rest of us?”

The royal couple looked to see that everyone was staring at them, obviously Mewtwo had all made them all aware of their silence.

Cadence looked at Shining Armor, who nodded. “It's fine Cady, it's time we told them.”

“Told us what?” Rarity asked.

“Well, it's something that we have kept a secret before the Pokemon even arrived here. Princess Celestia and Luna know about it. But asked us to keep it a secret from everyone but a select few.”

“And that is?” Genesect said.

“These are not the first dome storms that have appeared on Equus.”

There was a collective gasp, almost no one had expected that to come out of Cadence’s mouth.

“This has happened before?” Twilight said. “Where?”

“It happened north of the Crystal Empire, a year before the arrival of the Pokemon, on the day you were crowned Twilight.”

“Really, it happened on that day. Wait, hold on for a second, why wasn’t I told any of this?”

“Twilight we never meant to keep this from you.” Princess Celestia said in her defense. “In fact, before the Pokemon arrived we were just about to send you to the storm to see if you could figure out what it was.”

“But then the Pokemon arrived and I guess that became a low priority for you guys,” Seth said.

“Yes, unlike certain threats like Discord and King Sombra, the storm while mysterious, was not dangerous unless one tried to force their way in. We didn’t feel the need to involve Twilight and her friends on something that was not an active threat to Equestria.”

“Ok, I understand.” Although Twilight was a little miff no one had told her until now.

“The day before we all came here,” Shining began. “The storm wall had disappeared and beyond it, we found out that people had been living inside the storm this entire time.”

“Really?” Arceus asked.

“Yes, they call themselves Yaga. Oh and to everyone here from Earth get this, they said that the land they were living in was called Russia.

The former humans and Pokemon present were shocked.

“Russia?” Seth said. “As in cold harsh comrade Russia?”

“Well the place was cold I tell ya that. Me, John, and a platoon of guards went to investigate. We found a village that pointed us in the direction of the capital. There we found a human, a human who called himself Avenger, or Antonio Salieri.”

“You found a human there?” Arceus said.

“Yes.

“What did he say?”

Shining looked at John, who took over.

“He said that he was part of a group of humans who called themselves the ‘Chaldea Security Organization’. Or their full name: The Organization for the Preservation of Human Order, Finis Chaldea.”

The last sentence made everyone, particularly a certain few individuals, stop in their tracks.

“Organization for the Preservation of the Human Order?” Abby said.

“Yes, that's exactly what he said.”

Some of the people at the table looked at Arceus, who once again did not show any semblance of emotion. At least on the surface.

“Human Order? What does that mean? Are they some kind of pro-human group trying to resurrect humanity?” Seth rubbed his chin in thought.

Mewtwo let out an audible *Hmph* “If they are some kind of pro-human group, then they are obviously a bunch of suicidal fools. No human will ever walk the planet again, be it a former one, or a new one. Not even those idiots at the ‘New Team Magma’ can do anything about it.”

“Who?” Applejack asked.

“Just some stubborn idiots who are living in Vale City,” Abby said in a mocking tone. “They’re made up of members from the old Team Magma who somehow were ‘worthy’ enough to come here. They haven't done anything except pointlessly protest what Arceus did to them. Some of them have even used glamour spells to make them look human, a bunch of losers if you ask me.”

“Wait, Team Magma was worthy enough to be brought here?” John said, sounding surprised. “Even their leader Maxie?”

“Yeah, although I heard it's his son that is leading the Team now.”

John looked at Arceus, who just shrugged.

“To be honest, I didn’t really expect them to make it here either. Obviously what they're doing is pointless, but so far it's also been harmless. So I have decided to let them be for now. But with that being said, what about Chaldea? Was that all you were able to glean from this Antonio person?”

“Actually, just before he just disappeared for some reason, he said that the Lostbelt was about to disappear, but that we would be safe because our ‘Root of Fantasy’ had not fallen yet. And then, that's when everything started to fade away.”

“What?” Celestia said.

“Yes, everything from the Yagas to the sky and ground just began to disappear, as if it was being wiped from existence. We made a beeline for the Crystal Empire and found that everything in ‘Russia’ had been erased as if it had never been there. In its place was a white blank slate.”

Celestia turned to Arceus. “Is this true?”

Arceus closed his eyes for a second and then his body glowed, he then opened his eyes and spoke.

“It's as John said, the entire North Pole is gone. The only thing that's left is a blank white ground as far as the eye can see.”

“Oh dear sweet Celestia,” Twilight said. “So wait, that human said that the Lostbelt was about to disappear, was he referring to Russia?”

“I have no doubt,” John said. “I think that I can reasonably conclude that whatever is inside these storms, it seems they are environments called Lostbelts and that there are people living in them.”

“But what does this have to do with this Chaldea group?” Princess Luna stated. “And how is it connected to the bombings and murder we experienced recently?”

Everyone murmured and looked at each other, but no one could seem to come up with an answer.

Then Genesect spoke up.

“Actually, there's something else.”

Arceus looked at the newest member of the Legendary Council. “Genesect?”

“Well, I recently told Princess Twilight that I had built a radio tower. One which I plan to reintroduce back into society. But when I went back to check on it after the All-Night Gala, I discovered that it had picked up a transmission.”

“A transmission?” Seth said. “You mean someone on Equus has a radio other than you?”

“Yes, and I may now have an idea who.”

Genesect turned to Arceus.

“My Lord, if you could bring my radio here? It should be in my roo-”

There was a flash of golden light, and a large radio receiver appeared behind Princess Celestia.

“Thank you.”

Genesect got up, walked over to the machine, and then began to playback the signal he had received.

”I am a mage from Proper Human History. I am a mage from the correct history.”

“If you’re hearing this, please come find me.”

“This is the Baldanders. I am currently traveling across the North Atlantic Ocean.”

“I await other survivors. I repeat: I await other survivors from the correct history.”

“Please come find me at the following coordinates.”

“This is Baldanders, the Wandering Sea.”

The room was once again silent, as this latest piece of news had everyone on the edge of their seats.

“Proper Human History? Wandering Sea?” Twilight was now even more confused. “This just keeps getting more confusing.”

“I concur with Twilight,” Arceus said. “That being said, these names and terms, Human Order, Proper Human History, they can’t be unrelated.”

“That message,” Luna said. “Perhaps whoever sent it was trying to reach this Chaldea Organization?”

“It's very possible. But that's not all. The names of these humans, Okada Izou and Antonio Salieri. They aren't just random names.”

Celestia raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

“Back on Earth, Okada Izou was a manslayer who lived during the late Edo period of Japan, the continent home to the Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh regions. He was an assassin for the Tosa imperial party at the time, and killed several people before being betrayed and executed.”

“A political assassin?” Celestia had heard of various groups in other countries using such underhanded tactics to gain power and advance their causes.

“Yes, and Antonio Salieri? He was a musician who lived and died 50 years before Izo in the Kalos region. His most famous rival was Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, a fellow musician who was rumored to have been killed by Antonio. Although that part was untrue.”

There were once again a few stunned faces, then Seth spoke up.

“That's right, when I was in the Kalos region, I read up about the story of Mozart and Salieri. Their music was some of the best humanity has ever produced, even Meloetta herself once visited them in order to hear their songs.”

“Yes, Meloetta did speak fondly of them.”

Twilight spoke up again. “Arceus, you can’t seriously be suggesting that humans came back from the dead? Like ghosts trying to haunt the world?”

“Yeah,” Seth interjected. “Cause I got a good X-ray look at Izou, and unless he was a ditto who was a real big fan of the original Okada, the guy who killed Korrina was 100% human.”

“Well, that message said that the person who sent it was from Proper Human History. And from what Arceus said, Okada Izou and Antonio Salieri are people who died and made a mark on human history,” Genesect concluded.

Arceus thought for a moment.

There are so many questions and not enough answers. I can only guess what all of this means. But these implications have me worried about one thing above all else

The god looked out the window.

Is someone or something trying to bring back humanity?

Arceus started to have flashbacks, various memories, and screams of Pokemon suffering, suffering at the hands of...

“N-no. No again.”

“I’m afraid that all we have to go on at this point is theories and guesses,” Luna stated. “Arceus, is there some way that you may be able to find out what is going on?”

The Alpha Pokemon snapped out of his thoughts and raised his head.

“Forgive me, Princess Luna. But as it stands, there is too much we don’t know and understand. If humans are behind this, it's not something the ones from my world could have pulled off. Additionally, when I tried to sense the nature of those meteors, I could not read or get a sense off of them. And I fear that reason why, is because my powers were being blocked, by another god.”

Everyone's eyes widened, and Celestia nearly fell back in her seat.

“Another God? You mean someone other than you?”

“Yes. I don’t know who or what they are, but there was no mistaking that those meteors had a divine aura protecting them.”

Twilight raised her hoof.

“So what you were saying, was that those meteors came from another god? But I thought that you were the only one.”

Arceus shook his head.

“I said that I was the only one from my universe, I never said that there weren’t any in this one.”

“So what?” Seth asked. “Is this a god from this planet? Or an alien god from a foreign planet?”

“I am not sure, I have yet to explore this universe to meet gods, not of this world.”

Seth let out a disappointed sigh.

“However.”

Only to raise his head at attention gain.

“I have met one god who is from this world.”

“Wait really?” Twilight said. “Who are they?”

Arceus got up from his spot and began to float.

“My apologies everyone, but I have something I must attend to, I have to go for now..”

Everyone stopped talking and looked at the god.

“Go?” Celestia said surprised. “Arceus this discussion is not over.”

“I know, but we are no sooner getting to the bottom of this mystery.”

Arceus then began to glow in a golden light.

“I’ll be back shortly. Continue without me.”

Before Celestia could protest any further, the Pokemon god vanished in a flash of light.

The Solar Princess let out a groan.

---

The place Arceus was going to was somewhere he had only been to once since arriving on this planet. It was a place where he had experienced a bit of humbling for once in his life. Although whether or not that humbling would have any lasting effects was yet to be determined.

Once again, Arceus found himself in what was considered the “Afterlife” for the people and creatures of Equus. The last time he came here, it was a beautiful realm akin to a sea of flowers, where the souls of people who long faded from this world spent the rest of eternity.

But when the God of Pokemon materialized into the ethereal plane, he was surprised to find that it looked different from before.

Rather than a field of flowers where souls played and rested in a perpetual daytime, instead, that was all replaced with a field of grass in a glowing sunset.

Arceus looked around, he saw that no one was here.

“That goddess must be playing tricks on me again, or maybe she wants me to come straight to her.”

Sure enough, after flying for a while, Arceus came upon a tree with a plain Earth Pony mare under it. Only this time, the tree had no apples, and the mare wasn’t sleeping, but standing and staring at the sunset.

Arceus gently touched down beside the mare, but she didn’t acknowledge him, only continued to stare at the eternally setting sun.

*Ahem* “Hello again.”

Still no response.

“Ok look, I know I still didn’t knock this time. But considering that there is not really a door to knock, plus the circumstances of why I am here, I hope you can excuse my rudeness.”

The goddess in the shape of a green mare was silent for a few more seconds, then she took a deep breath and exhaled loudly.

“I know Arceus, after all, I was expecting you.”

It did not escape his notice that she did not refer to him as “child” this time, instead, she called him by his name for once.

“Then you know why I am here.”

“Yes I do,” The goddess then laid on her side. “Sit down.”

Arceus did as he was told.

“I am not going to ask you if you have made any mistakes in your life, because we both know that you have made monumental ones.”

The Alpha Pokemon almost flinched, remembering the lecture she had given him the last time he was here.

“But to be fair, so have I.”

Arceus blinked.

“It’s rare for a god to be born perfect. But in many ways, they really should be. Too many times, mortals have needlessly suffered because their god was not perfect. They in many ways have the same faults and needs as their creations.”

She turned slightly to look at him.

“But that’s just the Omniverse we were born into.”

Arceus nodded, “Yes, I suppose we all have to work with what we got.”

She turned back to look at the dusk.

“I’m am glad that you understand. Cause we both have unknowingly, and tragically made major mistakes that may have just doomed both our worlds.”

Arceus backed away due to just how serious she sounded.

“What are you saying?”

This time, she turned to look at the Arceus straight in his face.

“Tell me Arceus, did your universe employ the Many-worlds interpretation?”

Arceus knew what she was talking about, the theory that for every and any action not taken, there was a world where that other “option” had been chosen.

“More or less. I came from a multiverse where many different versions of my world existed. Although, it was an unspoken rule that any other version of me did not interact or mingle in our affairs. This is why when I took my Pokemon and left, I knew that no one would try and stop me. It was my world, and I could do with it as I pleased.”

“I see, well. As you know, worlds that use this form of timeline branching tend to create ceaselessly timelines. Infinite worlds where people make their own mistakes and move on. If they progress unto prosperity, good for them, if they fall unto ruin, mercy be unto them for all that live in those worlds.”

“Yes, although I suppose Earth has now become a world of ruin by this point.” Arceus wondered if anyone was still alive back on his homeworld.

“But for this planet, and this multiverse. The rules are a little more...harsh.”

The Pokemon god raised an eyebrow. “More harsh?”

“You see, with the many-worlds theory, the timeline basically boils down to two interpretations: the river method and the tree method.”

“Wait, what’s the big difference? Both the tree and river symbolize the branching of time. The river splits at certain points just like points in time, and the tree grows branches to show different timelines diverting from the main center.”

“Ah, but there is a big difference. For you see, the river flows eternally, always giving water and life wherever it takes it. The tree, however, is not so fortunate. In real life a gardener must trim the dead branches of an olive tree when it fails to produce fruit, consequently, branches must also be cut when they start to weigh the tree down.

Arceus did not like where this was going.

“What are you saying, goddess of Equus?”

The deity turned back to the setting sun, Arceus noticed that it was finally starting to disappear over the horizon.

“Hmm, it’s almost nighttime.”

The Divine Earth Pony mare got up from her spot and stretched a little, which confused Arceus a little, does she even need to stretch?

“Go back to Canterlot, tell Celestia and Luna to gather the World Leaders and their advisors. As well as the members of your council.”

“Wait what?”

“It is best if I finished this conversation with the people who need to hear and understand exactly what is going on. They must if they are to prepare for the physical and emotional trials to come.”

Arceus was surprised for a moment, as this was not something he had expected from her, but then again, he barely knew and understood who she was.

“Very, well. I’ll make sure they’re all ready.”

“You once told me that no mention of my name was found anywhere on Equus. Well, today, my creations shall get a good reminder.”

---

Back at Canterlot Castle, the meeting had pretty much dissolved after Arceus had left. Princess Celestia had just told everyone to go back to their rooms.

But before anyone could walk out the door, Arceus reappeared exactly where he had left.

Captain Grissom, who was the closest, jumped back in surprise.

“GAH! A little warning next time!?”

“Sorry,” Arceus then turned to the Princesses. “Celestia.”

“Yes?”

“Gather the World Leaders and tell them to meet in the joint room. Tell them that some of my Legendaries will be there as well, you bring whoever you think is necessary.”

Celestia and Luna looked at each other, then back at the Alpha Pokemon.

“Wait? Why?”

“Please, just do it. We may be about to get some revelations about what’s going on. And since this might concern the whole world, they should be there.”

Celestia thought for a hot moment, then nodded.

“Very well Arceus, I will gather the World Leaders.”

“Thank you, Princess.” Arceus turned to the other two legendaries in the room. “Mewtwo, Genesect.”

“Yes my Lord?” Said both in unison.

“Go wait for me in the joint room, there should be some, extra seats that I would have made there.”

Mewtwo nodded, “Very well my Lord.”

“Yes, Arceus.”

And with that, the Pokemon God once again vanished in a flash of light.

“Alright then.” Celestia began. “Luna come with me to gather the other leaders, Twilight, Seth, Cadence, Shining, and John, go wait for us in the meeting room. The rest of you return to your quarters until we are done.”

Everyone acknowledged and then filed out.

---

10 minutes later.

When Celestia and Luna had entered the joint meeting room, they understood what Arceus meant when he said that he added a few more “seats”.

Above them was a new section in the chamber that looked like it was meant to accommodate the Legendary Pokemon, especially the larger ones. Sitting above them, was what Celestia recognized as Arceus’s firstborn, Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina. Others included what looked like their Legendary dragons of Unova, The Swords of Justice, Rayquaza, Mew, the Lake trio, and Celebi.

Looking at those seated on the ground floor, Celestia could tell that some like King Faris, was not happy being called to a meeting so soon after a terrorist attack. Although she understood that he was merely fearful for his life. Others like Victoria and Serva were more than happy to discuss what had happened, after all, while none of the World Leaders had been killed or injured in the attack, it didn’t rule out any other potential attacks.

As soon as the sisters had entered, everyone stopped talking and all eyes were on them. Celestia and Luna shared one last glace and spoke.

“Hello, I am sure that you all are wondering why we are here.”

“Yes,” King Faris said interrupting. “Why must we meet when someone could be plotting to assassinate us at any moment, in fact, why doesn’t Arceus just send us all straight home with those godly powers of his? There is no reason for us to remain here any longer.”

Celestia sighed before continuing.

“Because what we are about to discuss here, is something that does not just concern Equestria, but the whole world.”

“What? Has something happened?” Victoria asked.

“Yes.”

“Is it something bad?” Oceana said.

Celestia hesitated when she looked at the hippocampi Queen.

“Unfortunately...yes, something bad has happened.”

Everyone immediately started murmuring and talking in worried voices.

King Faris spoke up once more. “Again, why are we still here!? We should be going back home at once! ”

“Father, please calm down.” Princess Amira said to her dad.

“King Faris,” Celestia’s tone became more serious. “If you were to return home now, you would be unaware of how to deal with the situation the affects us all, so unless you instead to leave uninformed and ill-equipped, I suggest you stay and listen to what is about to be said.

The ruler of Saddle Arabia mumbled but stopped protesting.

“Now, Arceus has just told me that he was met with someone. Someone who he claims is very important and knows what is happening to the world.”

It was at this point that Sev spoke up.

“Well, what are we waiting for? Send this important person in. I would like to see who could be just as important as Princess Luna or Arceus.”

Luna sighed, making a mental note to have a talk with Sev about his...worship of her.

The sister took their seats, and after a few moments, Arceus walked in. He scanned the room to make sure everyone was present and accounted for.

“Hello everyone, it is nice to see you all again.”

“Actually, before we begin, Arceus,” Empress Serva said. “It has come to my knowledge that members of your family were killed recently. Is that correct?”

Arceus started at the deer for a moment before nodding.

There we some gasps of surprise and horror in the room, Sev look like he was enraged, for someone to have killed a Legendary was appealing to him and members of the PLA.

“May Yveltal personally hunt this fool and kill them where they stand.”

“I see, my condolences for your lost.”

“Thank you, Empress.” Arceus then turned his gaze back to the entire group.

“Now, If I can have everyone’s attention. I am about to introduce you all to someone who has existed in this world longer than any one of us, even the esteemed Princess of Equestria.”

There were some looks and sounds of confusion and curiosity.

“She has watched over your world since time imperial, sometimes giving gentle nudges to steer the world in the right direction. She is someone who is equal, if not more powerful than me in this world.”

Twilights eyes widen with realization as she began to put two and two together.

“He can’t possibly mean…”

“Ladies and gentlemen, I give you. Your maker, the goddess of Equus.”

As Arceus stood aside, the stone doors opened to reveal someone nobody expected to see, even Arceus.

Instead of the green Earth Pony mare, the being who walked in now had a white shining coat, she had grown to the size of an alicorn, but tower over even Celestia. She had a sparkling mane that drifted in a nonexistent wind. One of the most noticeable features was her cutie mark, it showed a bunch of multicolor stars in a cosmos space, not only that, but the stars were twinkling and moving as well.

There was a moment of silence as everyone looked and took in the form that was apparently their creator and god. Some like Faris sat in stunned silence, while others like Twilight wish she had her notepad right about now, thankfully she was committing every detail of her to memory.

After, a few more moments of silence, the goddess spoke.

“Hello everyone. I would ask you all how your day has been going, but I already know that.”

That casual response nearly killed anything anyone was about to say or ask, Sev however knew exactly what he wanted to say.

“So you’re a goddess, one who is equal in power to Arceus?”

The deity nodded. “Yes.”

“Ok then,” Sev took out a piece of paper. “Turn this into a female.”

The room then became so silent that one could hear a pin drop.

The goddess blinked. “You’re serious aren’t you?”

“Yes.”

However, before any further embarrassment could be had, Luna grabbed the paper in her magic, crumpled it, and threw it away.

“I apologies for him, Sev is, an eccentric individual.”

The creator of Equus chucked a bit.

“I see, to each to their own I guess.”

Clearing her throat, the ethereal mare put on a serious face and began to speak.

“Now, as Celestia has told you. There is a grave threat that is affecting this world, a great conflict has begun, and multiple entities are currently on the move to try and gain the advantage in the war.”

That last word had everyone on edge of their seats

“War?” Emperor Carapacce said in a worried voice.

“Yes. A war that affects us all.”

“What kind of war?” Twilight asked.

“It is a war, for our very existence.”

“Our very existence?” Victoria replied. “Explain.”

“Well, to explain that, I must first tell you all certain truths about this world. Truths that have been hidden, even from those who could have discovered them if they looked hard enough.” As she finished her sentence, the goddess’s eyes locked onto Arceus, who just gave her a pensive look.

Seth spoke up. “Ok, but before you start, can I ask you something?”

“Yes, Seth Crescent?”

“What is your name?”

The goddess of Equus blinked for a moment before laughing.

“Ah yes, I suppose that is a reasonable request. Hmmm, well if you must call me something, how about, ‘Harmony’.”

Seth and a few others processed the name for a moment, before smiling.

“Harmony, ok, it’s a fitting name.”

The goddess known as Harmony nodded in gratitude.

“Now, as I’m sure everyone knows, this planet’s name for the longest time has been called Equus. But that is not its real name, its original name.”

Queen Ocean gave Harmony an inquisitive look, but it was her Pokemon advisor, former champion Cynthia who spoke up. “If this planet’s name is not Equus, then what is it?”

Harmony’s gaze scanned the room, although her eyes lingered a bit on the Pokemon and former humans.

“This planet’s real name, is Earth, homeworld of humanity.”

Everyone’s minds stopped dead in their tracks, even Arceus and Legendaries present, then not 2 seconds later, there was a massive outcry, particularly from most of the Pokemon present.

“WHAT!?” Mewtwo shouted.

“Impossible!”

“Is this some kind of twisted joke!?”

The cries of the Pokemon continued for a few more seconds before Arceus let out an audible, “Enough!”

Everyone quieted down, but it was still clear that they had a hard time believing this revelation.

“I’m sure that Harmony is not lying, nor does she have any reason to. That being said.” Arceus turned to look at the Equus goddess, his eyes showing nearly the same emotion as his children. “How in the name of me could this planet possibly be Earth?”

“Are you saying that there is only one planet Earth in the entirety of the Omniverse Arceus?”

“Wait,” Seth said. “What does she mean by that?”

“Yeah,” Sev added. “Are you saying there is more than one Earth? More than one version of those detestable humans in all of existence?”

Arceus saw that all eyes were on him, he then let out a defeated sigh.

“As you know, Mew created humanity long ago, she meant them to be a species distinct from Pokemon. Instead of being able to interact with nature, she gave them more intelligent and calculating minds. Minds that would allow them to survive in a still new and growing world.”

Mew who was on the upper level, beam with pride.

“However, I later learned that humans were not necessarily an original creation. Even though I had visited many other worlds before creating my own. During my time in prison, I would later come to learn that humans were a naturally reoccurring species with the Omniverse.” Arceus lowered his head. “They’re everywhere, wherever you find a universe that has a planet called Earth, 99% of the time, you will find humans.”

Now, this was something that made everybody stop and question what they had just heard.

“Are you serious?” Sev said in a very annoyed voice. “Are these, human beings, so prosperous, so important, that they have to be in nearly every existence imaginable!?”

“For one, I concur with Sev,” John said. “You seriously be saying that we are the most dominant species in all of reality?”

Arceus looked up, “As much as it pains me to say, yes. Mew’s creation of humans was no coincidence. From what I understand, there is a passive cosmic force, that plants the very concept of humanity into any creator god or infant universe that it comes in contact with. My theory is that this all stems from the original universe, the one that exists on top of all others, and where every concept is derived from, including humans.”

At this point, a lot of people were starting to become a little confused, with only individuals like Twilight and the Legendaries understanding what Arceus was talking about.

“Hmph, I don’t know why humans are so special that they get to be everywhere. Why couldn’t fate just give us a planet without these pests.”

Seeing that things were starting getting to get tense, Arceus changed the subject.

“We are getting off-topic, back to my question. Harmony, you said that this planet is called Earth, how? I would have noticed if that were the case.”

“Are you sure about that?”

Arceus was about to retort but found himself think back for a second. This was not unnoticed by Princess Celestia.

“Arceus?”

For once in life, Arceus became annoyed, but not at others, but at himself. “Okay, if I’m being completely honest here, I basically just took one look at your planet and decided I was going to go there.”

And then for once in their life, some of the Legendaries were annoyed with Arceus.

“You mean to tell us, that you didn’t thoroughly check the planet’s past, present, future, and conceptual makeup, before bringing us all here!?” Dialga said.

Arceus looked at his children, then turned his head away in shame. “Unfortunately, no.”

There was a collective groan from some of the Legendaries.

“Ok, so this planet is really another Earth, and it is home to humans,” Serva said. “How come we haven’t seen any yet, what happened to them?”

“They went extinct.” Harmoney answered with a straight face. “How you may ask, is a good question, for another time.”

“But wait,” Luna chimed in. “Then how do you explain the human that killed the Legendary birds?”

“What!?” Sev said interrupting. “A lone human killed three legendaries!? Impossible!”

“It is the truth Commander Sev,” Arceus stated. “As impossible as it may seem.”

Genesect looked up to see his fellow legendary Pokemon murmuring amongst themselves, this obviously being the first time hearing about who or what killed their brethren.

“A single human killed the children of Lugia?”

“How can this be!? It would take an army just to bring down any single one of us.”

“Perhaps he had help?”

“And also, Prince Shining Armor and Captian John Williams discovered a human in the North Pole.”

“Yeah,” Twilight said. “So are the humans of this world gone or not?”

“Well, to explain that, I have to say this first. Arceus, you remembered what I said about the Many-worlds theory earlier correct?”

“Yes.”

“Well allow me to further elaborate. So as anyone who has taken basic physics knows that the universe won’t last forever. There is only so much energy that can go around before the universe runs out.”

“Yes, we know all this,” Mewtwo said rudely “So?”

“This also means that, their only so many timelines that the universe can sustain before it crushes under the weight of ever-multiplying parallel worlds. Something has to give.”

“What are you implying?” Celestia said.

“Well Celestia, what happens when your tree has too many branches, to the point where it starts to weigh it down?”

Celestia thought for a moment, but Twilight was faster. And she came to the horrifying realization before anyone else.

“You cut the branches off.”

Harmony nodded grimly.

“Just like one must cut off the branches of an old tree, so too must this world prune away timelines that it deems unnecessary.”

The room became eerily silent for a moment, then Faris spoke up.

“Do we really believe this senile bullcrap!?”

“Faris!” Celestia snapped.

“I’m serious, magic may do all sorts of crazy things. But do you honestly expect us to believe that there is a system in place that kills worlds that are unworthy to live? It sounds completely preposterous. What proof do you have of this?”
“I believe her,” Arceus said plainly.

“Of course you would say that, after all, you’re both gods. And likeminded beings tend to agree with each other. Also, how do we know this isn’t a trick of some kind? That she is not an illusion created by you to lead us astray?”

“King Faris!” Harmony said in a stern but authoritative tone. “I can assure you that I am real and not some made-up illusion. And just as I gave the necessary stubble nudges that got your ancestors on the throne, what I am saying is the hard truth. And while there is proof, I can tell that your stubbornness would refuse to make you see the truth. So please still down and refrain from making any more outbursts, please.”

Seeing as all eyes were on him, the King of Saddle Arabia shrunk back in his seat.

“Now, does anyone else have any objections or questions?”

Celebi, who had floated down next to her grandpa then raised her hand as if she was in school.

“Uh miss, Harmony.”

“Yes?”

“So, if what you are saying is true... how does the world decide which timelines it prunes away? Also, you say that the world, as in Earth decides it, does that mean this planet is alive or something?”

“Well, to answer your second question, yes Earth is alive. But not in the way you think. This planet is sentient, but it is closer to a conceptual being than a living organism. The same applies to every other planet in this solar system. You see, Earth is a planet where concepts are made real depending on the situation, and its brand of concepts is different from the other planets. For example, the concept of death may be different on Earth, then let’s say, Mercury.”

There was suddenly a loud groan from a certain snake, “Uuuuuugh.”

“Is there a problem Commander Sev?”

“Sorry, it’s just I can barely understand what everyone is saying. It’s all confusing for me.”

“I completely understand, but just continue to bear with me. Now as for Celebi’s first question, the world categorizes timelines that are either ‘Items Permissible to Revision’ or ‘Items Designated for Removal’. The world reviews timelines every century to determine which ones will be allowed to continue, and which one will be pruned. This process is known as a Quantum Time-Lock, or a ‘Spiritron Record Anchoring Band’. The ones that make up the primary branch of the tree of time are worlds Permissible for Revision, the ones that strayed too far from the central cluster are cut off and become what are known as Lostbelts. This happens mostly when a world’s history goes down a mistaken path.”

“Lostbelts?” Shining said. “That human we met in the North Pole said that word before disappearing.”

“Yes, what you found beyond that storm wall was a Lostbelt. A missing history that had been pruned away.”

“I see, so then I have to ask, what type of world is our timeline, is it a primary one, or a Lostbelt?”

The goddess Harmony could only give a sad face, which told everyone what they needed to know.

“No…”

Serval individuals suddenly started talking in panicked voices.

“This...this can’t be happening,” Giratina said. “Are you saying our world could disappear at any moment?!”

“What exactly did we do wrong!?” Carapace said in a panicked voice. “Why was our timeline cut off and left to burn!?”

Harmony hesitated for a moment, knowing that what she was about to say next, was something that would surely anger many people in this room.

“Simply put, it was because humans went extinct. Because humanity had no future here, our world was cut off.”

Once again, the room became deathly silent, then the angry shouts came again.

“ARE YOU BUCKING KIDDING ME!?”

“Of all the stupid, idiotic reasons to kill an entire world!?”

“I swear! Someone is playing some kind of sick twisted joke on us, and they are currently laughing their rucking $#@ off!”

Harmony let the angry individuals rant for a bit(once again, it was mostly the Legendary Pokemon and Sev), Arceus looked like he was barely containing his rage. But before he could give a piece of his mind, it was Harmony who gave a loud “Enough!”

Thankfully everyone stopped shouting once again, but it was clear that some of them look more angry and annoyed than before.

“Look, I know how...ironic this must seem for you. You all came to this new world with the intention of getting away from the Evils of Humanity. And now, you’re all in a very grim situation where humans may very well be your final undoing. I can only imagine how slighted you all must feel. But there will be time for venting later, there is still more I have to tell you.”

Arceus looked at Harmony with still glowing eyes but calmed himself by pushing the build-up of power back into his plates.

“Continue.”

“Now, understand that the history of Earth is also the history of humanity. This is known as Proper Human History, worlds where the Human Order pulsates with life. These worlds make up the main trunk of the tree of time, while ours has become a pruned missing belt. And although our world may be in danger of being erased, this Lostbelt will not disappear yet, not until its Fantasy Tree has fallen.”

“Tree of Fantasy?” John said. “That human also mentioned that our ‘Root of Fantasy’ had yet to fall. Was he referring to this Fantasy Tree?”

“Yes. Simply put, a Fantasy Tree, or a Tree of Emptiness, is a construct that can sustain a Lostbelt after it has been pruned.”

“Did you make this tree? If not, where did it come from?”

“It was given to me, by an alien god.”

Arceus and some of the Legendaries looked stunned for a second.

“Wait, when those meteors fell to the Earth, I could not discern their nature because I was being blocked by another divine authority. Were those meteors the work of this alien god?”

“Yes, Arceus. Those things that you saw were fantasy tree seeds, sent by this god in order to recreate lost alternate timelines.”

“What do they want?” Rayquaza asked. “Why create more of these Lostbelts?”

“Don’t tell me they plan to move here.” King Faris grunted. “We have enough gods that are not of this world.”

Mewtwo shot the King a glare.

“The alien god gave me control of this Tree of Empiteiss, they told me that as the Lostbelt King that I have complete control over it. They asked that I grow the tree so that it may descend, and once the tree’s roots cover the world, Proper Human History will be usurped, and our timeline will become the new history. The other Lostbelts are merely backups in case ours fails. ”

There were a few looks given around the room, many of them had concerned looks on their faces.

“Okay then, but what happens if one of these Lostbelts comes in contact with another?” Palkia inquired.

“Well, simply put, the stronger Lostbelt will consume the weaker one.”

Princess Celestia made an uneasy face. “So what you are saying, is that all these Lostbelts are competing to see which will survive?”

Harmony nodded. “Unfortunately yes,"

Twilight shot up from her seat. "But why!? Why make these other worlds compete with each other to survive? Their existence shouldn't be decided by a battle royal."

"I do not know Twilight. This unknown god is an enigma, and they have not spoken to me in a while. But even so, the other Lostbelts are not our biggest threat at the moment.

Arceus wished to ask Harmony more about this alien god but decided to keep quiet for now. Plus, he had a feeling that she wasn’t telling the whole truth.

“The most dangerous enemy we face at the moment, are the forces of Proper Human History.”

“You mean the Chaldea Security Organization?” Genesect said.

“That is correct Genesect.”

“I see, so who are they?”

“Simply put, they are a group of humans whose job is to protect Proper Human History. The history that was subverted when our Lostbelt was brought back from the void. They mainly employ familiars known as ‘Servants’ to fight their battles.”

“Whats a Servant?” Twilight asked.

“A Servant, or Heroic Spirit as they are called, are individuals that made a mark on human history and who were recorded into the Throne of Heroes upon their deaths.”

“Throne of Heroes?” Giratina said curiously.

"A conceptual place removed from time and space, souls that go there are removed from the cycle of reincarnation and are summoned back into the world to be used as a defense for humanity by the Counter Force."

“Counter Force?” Mewtwo said. “What is that?”

“The collective unconsciousness of mankind. It is their desire to avoid extinction manifesting as a metaphysical force that protects humans, it also plays a part in pruning timelines.”

Mewtwo growled. “Of course it is, because humanity going extinct is apparently a big no-no.”

Princess Celestia started to look concerned about Mewtwo, and she obviously knew why, she glanced at Arceus, who did nothing to calm his Legendary.

“Please, allow me to give you a brief history on the humanity of this world. During the beginning, the world was ruled by deities in an era that was known as the Age of Gods. It was a time where divine beings walked the Earth, and humanity served and worshiped them, in return, the gods protected and gave humans the fruits of civilization.”

This struck a familiar chord with Arceus and Legendary Council. Similar to this Earth and the Pokemon world, Arceus was a hands-on god back during the day, and his Legendaries help enforces his rule and authority.

“But all that changed thousands of years ago, when a White Titan of destruction descended from the stars.”

A mental image was projected to everyone in the middle of the room. Similar to what Arceus had done during the World Summit, memories of the world began to flash before everyone’s eyes.

A large, white, towering being, that almost looked human except for a few features, stood amongst a field of fire and destruction. Everyone watched in horror as various gods and beings fought the monstrosity, but did not have the power to fell it. One particular scene showed a red mechanical god fall to the Titan, only for the alien to pick up the warrior’s sword and use it for its own.

“The White Titan would have destroyed the world, if not for the actions of someone wielding a holy sword forged by the planet itself.”

A final image showed someone using a golden glowing saber to fire a beam of light that blew a hole right through the alien giant. After which its body crumbled to dust.

“However, even though the world was saved, this act would forever change the direction of history. Because the humans saw their gods fall to something more powerful than them, they learned that their deities were not invincible. And because it was a human that defeated the White Titan, they learned that they could potentially overthrow and defy their masters.”

Seth looked at Arceus and the legends, their faces ranging from anger to curiosity.

“The gods knew this as well, they knew that this event had caused a great weakening in their status. One that if it continued, would mean the end of the Age of Gods, and so they devised a plan.”

A new image played out, showing a baby boy being born, he had gold hair and striking red eyes.

“His name was Gilgamesh, a demigod, born of the union between a god and a mortal king. He was meant to be the link between god and men, for if he had the flesh of both, then surely he could bridge the two worlds.”

Harmony closed her eyes for a second. “Unfortunately, Gilgamesh had different plans.”

The memories switched to showing Gilgamesh as a full-grown adult, sitting upon his throne with an arrogant smile.

“Rather than keep the gods in power, Gilgamesh encouraged the complete separation between gods and mortals. He said that the fall of the gods was inevitable, so why should he try to stop it? And in doing so, Gilgamesh did something terrible, something that would eventually spell the ultimate end of the Age of Gods and the complete autonomy of humans.”

A new scene played, it showed a female god with unique eyes that had cross-shaped pupils and largely shaped horns coming from her head.

“Her name is Tiamat, and just as you are the father of humans on your world Arceus, she is the mother of humanity on this one.”

The image showed Gilgamesh standing upon a cliff, looking down upon the mother of mankind.

“Tiamat loved her children but did not want them to forget her.”

Harmony then locked eyes with the Alpha Pokemon.

“But unlike the humans of your world Arceus, who just sealed you away, the humanity of this world, had the gall to actually kill their mother.”

There were several gasps of shock and horror from the Legendary Pokemon, Arceus himself, felt his heart racing in his chest as the image continued to play out.

“I shall take this blow and call it the Ritual of Separation!”

“A Ritual of Separation...” Mew said as she looked at her father worryingly.

Everyone watched as Gilgamesh pulled out a red drill-like weapon covered in various lines.

“I shall tell you of the beginning. Heaven and Earth split, nothing congratulated creation, and my sword cleaved the world! Motor of the Stars, heaven’s hell is the eve of creation's celebration!”

Memories flashed in Arceus’s head showing several priests, standing around him, preparing for a ritual meant for him.

“Die and be Silent!”

He remembered seeing a particular rune flash beneath him.

“Enuma Elish!”

He remembered screaming as he was forced from his world.

The weapon in Gilgamesh’s hand unleashed a deafening wave of power, one which engulfed Tiamat. The mother of humanity let out an unearthly cry as her form was reduced to atoms.

When the image stopped playing, no one spoke a word.

Twice in the last year, the leaders of the world met together and were shown the memories of Earth and Humanity. But despite what Arceus had shown them last time with his traumatic recollections, what was shown here was enough to make everyone quake in fear rather than horror. After all, never in the myths and history of both worlds, has anyone had the power to actually kill a god.

And yet this humanity managed to accomplish this feat as if it was necessary.

“I believe, we should take a break,” Arceus suggested.

Some people in the room looked surprised that it was Arceus who wanted a recess. But then one look at his face halted any objections.

“I agree with Arceus,” Serva said. “Everything you have just shown and told us is a lot to take in. Not to mention hard to wrap our mind around.”

“Yes,” Carapace added. “I believe a recess will help us sort out all this information.”

Harmony nodded slightly, “Very well, we shall reconvene at 18:00. It will do you good to think on all of this before I tell the rest of what I have to say.”

And with that, the Equus born got up from their seat and went back through the door that lead to the castle. While the Legendary Pokemon went back to their temple.

Luna walked up towards Twilight and Celestia, both of them looking three parts upset, and one part nervous.

“Sister, what do you make of all this?”

“I don’t know Luna, part of this all sounds so complex and hard to believe. The truth that this planet is another Earth, that our world was cut off due to forces beyond our control, that fact that our people have to compete with humanity in order to survive? It’s just so much to wrap my head around.”

“Yeah,” Twilight said. Part of me wants to deny it because it sounds more like fiction than reality. And yet, throughout the entire time, I could tell that she was not lying. Everything she said, she said with absolute sincerity.”

“You know what scares me the most?” Celestia began. “Unlike all the other enemies that we have faced in that past, these ones are not evil or malicious. These Chaldeans, as well as the inhabitants of those other Lostbelts, are all fighting to survive. They’re fighting for their world, their friends, and their families, just like we are. From an emotional standpoint, this will be the most difficult conflict Equestria will ever face.”

“I just don’t get it,” Twilight sounded as if she was on the verge of tears. “Why was our world, a world where we all values friendships more than anything else, a world that is peaceful and great to live in, got cast aside for a world where only humans live?! If they’re anything like the ones that Arceus showed us from his memories then I’d say our world deserves to live more.”

Celestia looked at her student with a shocked face, she never expected her to say something like that.

“Twilight, that is not fair and you know it.”

The purple alicorn’s ears flattened against her head, and she felt a twinge of shame come over her.

“Sorry, you’re right. That was very unlike me, I shouldn’t judge someone before I get to know them. Besides, everyone has their own lives and people that they love and fight for. I shouldn’t just write these people off just because I’ve mostly only seen the bad side of humanity. Just like Arceus said, there is always another side. The new friends that I have made over these months are proof that humanity is not all bad.”

Luna nodded in agreement, but there was still something else that bothered her.

“Tia, I’m curious, once this is over, how will we break the news to the people?”

Celestia’s eyes widened, she hadn’t thought of that yet. “You’re right Luna, this isn’t something we can just sweep under the rug. In addition to our little ponies wanting answers about the firebombings, someone is bound to come across one of these Lostbelts soon than later. If that global projection Arceus showed us is to scale, then they’re really hard to miss.”

“So what are we going to do?” Twilight asked.

Celestia thought for a moment, what should they do? Inform the public and risk mass panic, or keep it a secret for as long as possible.

“For now, let’s just take a break and calm ourselves down. Twilight, go be with your friends. Tell them about you just learned, I know they’ll believe you, this isn’t something we should keep from them of all people.”

“Yes Princess Celestia. After all, there are no secrets in friends and family.” Twilight then walked out the door, leaving Celestia and Luna alone in the room.

“Sister, if or when it comes to it, we may find ourselves competing with another Lostbelt sooner or later. If we lose, then we lose everything. If we win, then Equestria will have willingly committed genocide for the first time in its history.” Luna’s face contorted into one of sorrow. “Could we really live out the rest of our lives with that guilt? Even if they were worlds already meant to be pruned, those people being brought back means they have a second chance at life. Can we really take that away from them?”

Celestia looked at her sister, and for one of the very few times in her life, she did not have an answer.

“I don’t know Luna, I honestly don’t know.”

---

Twilight, Seth, Shining, Cadence, and John all met with the others in another room. The assembled group included Twilight’s friends, Gene and Belle, Abby and Kasai, May and Blaziken, Dawn, and Seth’s Pokemon. Latias met with Ash and Misty in another room. And after sending Melody, Gold, and Silver away with Midnight Song, Twilight told everybody what she had learned.

Then after 10 minutes of explaining, Twilight looked around the room to gauge everyone’s reactions. They were mixed, from a range of denial, sadness, and anger. Gene was holding Belle as tears began to well up in her eyes. Abby however was having the opposite reaction.

Finally, Rainbow Dash broke the silence.

“I..is this really true Twilight?”

The alicorn nodded her head grimly. “I would never lie to you Rainbow Dash, you or any of you guys.”

“Still Twi-,” Applejack said in disbelief. “You gotta admit this does sound very farfetched and complex. I wouldn’t believe it if it wasn’t coming from you, but it’s still kinda hard to accept.”

“S-so, are you saying that we’re all in danger?” Fluttershy said in a scared voice. “That everyone we know and love could die?”

Twilight shook her head vehemently, “Not if I have anything to say about it.”

“I swear…”

All eyes looked upon Abby, who was speaking in a low but dangerous voice.

“I swear, Fate has a really effed up sense of humor if this is the situation we now all find ourselves in.”

Abby lifted her head, anger and heat radiating from her body. Kasai comforted his wife, but it did little if anything to calm her down.

“Arceus brought us to this world to get away from humans. To get away from that stupid society that made the worst species on the planet treat Pokemon like animals. That’s what I like about this world, these people do not treat each other differently because of race. Everyone aside from the few bigots here and there can live in harmony,” Abby then let out a short ironic chuckle. “And now, you telling me, that the very same species that got what they deserved, is now coming back to destroy us all!? To take away everything we have achieved and built in this new world!?”

Fire started to escape from the gaps of the Ninetales mouth.

“No way man, #@$% that! They think they can just kill us all after everything the Pokemon back on Earth went through!? If that’s the way fate wants to roll, then fate can just go @#$% itself!”

After the Pokemon Ranger finished her rant, she felt a nuzzle on her side. “Calm down Abby,” Kasai said in a concerned voice.

Abby took a few deep breaths, then her body temperature began to return to normal.

“I’m sorry Kasai. It’s just, I’m so so mad right now.”

“You have every right to be mad,” the Arcanine licked her on the cheek. “The important thing is to let your anger out.”

“While I can’t fault Abby for being mad, and I fully understand why. It’s not as clear-cut dry as most of us would want it to be. These humans are not from your Earth, and they are just trying to save their world as much as we are,” Twilight said.

“And yet I can’t help but feel like we are being punished," Seth added. "As Abby said, the whole point of this was to get away from humans. Now we are in a conflict with an entirely different humanity in which they are completely blameless for their actions. It’s hard to read in between the lines when you take a step back and view the whole picture.”

“Yeah,” Rainbow Dash said in agreement. “And what’s with that name ‘Proper Human history’? What makes them think that their history is the right one?”

“From what I can understand, human history has shaped this planet so much, the rules of this world have practically been catered towards then.”

“And what about us?” Abby snapped. “Why doesn’t our world deserve to live? Why should theirs be the one to exist? From what you said, these humans come from a world where they're the only sentient race. A world where the only ones they rule or trample over are themselves.”

“Uh Abby,” May said. “What are you saying?”

“I believe I know whats she’s saying,” John answered. “Princess Twilight, for all of humanity’s faults, the fact that the Pokemon existed more or less kept us in check. Their power over nature balanced any human progress that would destroy it. The bonds we formed with them gave us a friend unlike any other. If what you’re saying is true, that these humans lived as the sole sentient race on their planet, chances are they’re worse than the ones we know. Without the Pokemon help them be better, they could only have each other to inflict their sins upon. And perpetuate the cycle of violence.”

That statement from John gave Twilight pause, what if it was true? Could the humanity from Proper Human History really be worse than the one from the Pokemon world?

Twilight was snapped out of her thoughts, however, as the silence allowed everyone to hear somebody crying.

All eyes turned to see Gene comforting a sobbing Belle.

“Why...why can’t we.” *sniff* “Why can’t we just be allowed to live our lives in peace.”

Belle’s eyes began to flash blue.

“All I want is to live the rest of my life with Gene and my little Melody. Now fate once again wants to have the last laugh.”

Everyone took an instinctive step back as Belle lifted her face, a small scary grin adorning it.

“We’ll see who’s laughing after I’m done with them.”

Even though Gene shared his wife’s sentiment, him seeing that same psychotic smile she had on her face, the same one he saw during the day Hastings came for him with his entourage, it made him squeeze her like he was afraid she would something rash.

“Belle, I know how you feel, really I do. But you can’t go acting like this again, not when Melody is in the next room, not when she could pick up on your feelings.”

The Gardivoir’s eyes widened as she realized what Gene ment, due to their telepathically linked minds, her daughter could potentially feel every emotion she was feeling. And she did not want that for her daughter, she didn’t want to ruin her innocence. So with great effort, Belle slowly, but surely calmed her emotions. Gene saw what she was doing, then kissed her in order to help. When he pulled away, a small smile found its way back on his wife’s face.

“Thank you Gene, I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“Me neither.”

There was a touching moment of silence before Rarity cleared her throat.

“Okay, so with that all being said. What’s going to be done? Are the Princess gonna try and negotiate with the humans?”

“Yeah!” Pinkie Pie said enthusiastically. “Theirs gotta be a way where everyone can get what they want. We don’t have to fight each other. *Gasps* “Maybe all the humans could come live in our world, or we maybe go to theirs! It be like one big giant party!”

“Highly unlikely Pinkie Pie,” Twilight retorted. “From what Harmony told us, if either world disappears, their people disappear also. And say we do move everyone from Proper Human History here, that’s another few billion people coming to a world that just had an influx of new citizens from another world.”

Pinkie Pie’s smile faded as she realized what Twilight was talking about.

“And even if that were possible, if there was enough room, there is still another major problem the humans would have to face.”

“What?” May said.

“Arceus.”

“Oooh.” Everyone in the room understood that particular reason why a human migration wouldn’t work.

“Arceus turned all the humans he brought with him into Pokemon for a reason. To breed out the evil that stems from them. Even though you all were considered ‘worthy’, Arceus thought that future generations of humans would probably try to pull or do something that their bad ancestors did. He did not want to risk that, nor did he want to go through the effort of trying to control or counter any problems that may arise from future humans. Now that I think about it, it looks as if Arceus took the easy way out if you ask me.”

“Yeah,” Dawn said in agreement. “He went through the trouble of bringing us all here but didn’t want to deal with the problems of humanity. It kinda makes you wonder.”

“What?”

“Does Arceus really hate humans that much, or is he just scared to death of what we can do?”

There was another pause in the room, as a certain question they had all been avoiding had just been brought up.

“I wonder what Arceus is thinking right now?” John said.

---

The Hall of Legends.

“I swear,” Giratina said in an angry voice. “Forces beyond our control or comprehension are having a hearty laugh about our predicament.”

“I agree with Giratina,” Kyurem spoke in an icy cold voice. “The fact that we are now at war with humanity, a humanity that intends to wipe us out, is something that feels planned.”

“Your overthinking things as usual Kyruem,” Zekorm said in retort.

“Then how would you interpret it Zerkrom! We came to this world to get away from the humans, only to arrive at a world where the very planet itself intends to erase us simply because we are not human.”

“It’s more complicated than that,” Genesect added. “This world simply went down a mistaken path, we just happened to have the very bad luck of being mixed in with the slaughter.”

“Ugh.” Groudon groaned in annoyance. “We should have never come here! Leaving Earth was a mistake.”

“Then why didn’t say anything you big behemoth?” Kyogre said in insinuation. “If you were so against this plan from the start why did you not object? Was it you said that Arceus might have lost his sanity over the years?”

“Well, I certainly didn't see you or anyone else object you bloated whale!”

“What was that!?”

“Enough you two!” Yveltal said in an annoyed voice. “If anyone is to blame, it’s Mew, she was the one who said, and I quote ‘Well then, let’s get a move on!'”

“Hey, don’t pin this all on me!”

Genesect let out a groan and rubbed his aching processor unit. For the last 5 minutes, which felt like 30, the Legendary Council had been arguing about the entire situation. While Arceus, Celebi, Palkia, and Dialga went to check the space-time continuum, he was stuck here while everyone was up in arms about a potential war against humanity. And if their recent experiences over the past few millennia with the humans had taught them anything, it was that they were a clever and calculating species. Something a few like Rayquaza, the Creation Trio, the Lake Trio, and...the Legendary Birds could all attest to.

“Just how many people do these Chaldeans have? From what we’ve heard, they must only be small in number if they call themselves a measly security organization,” Giratina said.

“Do not underestimate them,” Mewtwo said in a serious voice. “The real threat is this so-called ‘Counter Force’ and this 'Throne of Heroes'. Just one of those servant entities summoned by the humans was able to kill three Legendary Pokemon. Even if the birds were not the strongest of us,(may they rest in peace) it’s still concerning that after death, these dead spirits obtained a greater power than they would have in life.”

“It’s almost scary to think about,” Virizion said. “If human history is as long and storied as it is, then there is no telling how many of these servants this Counter Force will send to destroy us.”

“Agreed Virizion,” said Giratina. “And if the human from that image Harmony showed us, the one called Gilgamesh, if he is indeed a part of this Throne of Heroes, he may need only bring out that terrifyingly powerful weapon he used to slay this humanity’s mother, in order to destroy us.”

Almost everyone in the room shuddered, remembering the screams of the dying Tiamt as she crumbled to dust.

“The ancient priests of our world may have sealed father away for selfish reasons, but at least they let him live,” Azelf said.

“Less letting him live and more like they didn’t have the means to kill him,” Uxie corrected her sister. “These humans did have the means to kill their primordial parent.”

“How are we suppose to fight something like that.?” said Kyogre.

But before anyone could respond, a portal opened in the middle of the room, and out came Arceus, the dragons of time and space, as well as the daughter of time.

Arceus looked up, his gaze scanned the room of his assembled children.

“Well, father?” Giratina said.

Arceus stood still for a moment, before shaking his head.

“It is as Harmony says, this world employees a Pruning Theoretical Phenomenon in order to cull timelines and keep the universe running as long as possible.”

Then Palkia spoke up.

“We also confirmed, that this world was at some point cut off and cast into the void cosmos.”

This caused some of the Legendaries to murmur.

“So it’s true,” said Mewtwo. “This world was cut off, in order to benefit Proper Human History.” The last three words were practically spat out.

“But we have also discovered another thing,” Dialga said. He turned and looked at his daughter.

Although Celebi was a little nervous, she spoke nonetheless.

“When me, dad, and grandpa entered the timeline, we found out that we couldn’t time travel.”

This, of course, shocked everyone in the room.

“What!?”

“Impossible,” Giratina stated. “How can the three of you not traverse the tree of time?”

“It’s not that we can’t do it, it’s that we someone or something is not letting us.”

“What, do you mean?”

Arceus took over from Celebi.

“Have you ever heard of the temporal correction theory? It’s when you travel back in time, but time itself notices, it notices that you should not be here, at this point in time, at that moment in history. Normally, I could overturn the timelocks, but it would require expanding a large use of my power.”

Giratina’s eyes widened, as he realized what his father meant.

“And you don’t have the power to waste on such matters do you?”

Arceus nodded. “While being able to travel throughout the Proper Human History, would give us a decisive advantage. I can’t afford to waste my power unless I absolutely need to.”

“Yes, because if the Throne of Heroes is removed from the time axis, then that means the Counter Force could send a servant to any point in time Arceus appears in,” Dialga explained.

Mew, who saw the concerned look upon her father’s face floated up right in front of him.

“Daddy, are you okay?”

The Alpha Pokemon looked at his favorite daughter, but could not bring himself to smile, even for her.

“No sweetie, I am not okay.”

The pink Pokemon looked sad but continued.

“What are we going to do?”

Arceus, looked away from his daughter, to his entire extended family. He looked at Lugia, still mourning the death of his children and wanting revenge. He looked at Mewtwo, who was all too ready to fight against humanity, he looked at some who were looking to him for guidance and wisdom, he finally looked at those who watched the god with pensive eyes, wondering just how he would handle the situation.

"I think for now we go to our rooms, it will be some time before we reconvene in the joint room. Once Harmony is done explaining everything, then I will come to a decision."

---

By 6:01, everyone had reconvened back in the joint room, waiting for Harmony to show up and finish her explanation.

For the most part, everyone had time to process and take in all they had been told by Harmony, although there was still some skepticism among the more stubborn or those that had a hard time coming to terms with what they heard.

When the goddess of Equus walked through the doors once again, everyone stopped talking and waited in their seats.

“Alright, I trust everyone cooled off while I was gone?” When Harmony said this, basically everyone nodded or said “yes”.

“Before I resume, does anyone have any questions, or does not understand something I said the last time?”

Everyone looked at each other, some shook their heads, but it was Victoria who raised her hand first.

“I have one. How powerful are these servants? Do we stand any chance of fighting them?”

“By yourselves, no. The average servant could take on an army of soldiers and still possibly come out unscathed.”

This caused shock and fear to appear on the faces of many of the World Leaders.

“But thankfully, this is where the Pokemon come in. In a way, their sudden appearance is a blessing.”

There were some confused noises, even Arceus tilted his head slightly.

“Alone, no Pony, Griffon, or Minoutour could stand against a single servant. But a team of well trained Pokemon might have a chance of beating one”

“Are you sure about that?” Arceus said. “Cause one of these average servants managed to kill three of my Legendaries.”

“Your grandchildren were killed because they were caught off guard and did not know how to properly fight a servant. Plus I can only assume that they didn’t see a lone human-looking being as a threat. One must know their enemy if they should ever have a chance of beating them. In a way, that servant who murdered your kin got lucky, under different circumstances they would have won.”

“I see, then tell us everything you know about servants, so that we not be caught off guard again.”

“All in due time, for now, I should probably show you all something.”

“Show us what? Another flashback showing us the true evil nature of man?” Sev said in a snarky voice.

“No. as I told you all before, our Lostbelt was not the only one brought back from the cosmic void. Five other pruned worlds were also restablished upon the Earth, anchored by their own Tree of Emptiness. And most of these other Lostbelts, are close to some of your homes.”

A 3D image of the world was projected in the center of the room, all of the world leaders gasped at the size and positions of these Lostbelts.

“By Luna,” said Commander Sev. “One of these things is bordering Zebrica!”

“Marelantis!”

Everyone heard Queen Oceana cry out in horror, as the largest Lostbelt shown on the globe covered the entirety of her aquatic kingdom.

“My subjects, what happened to them, are they alright?”

“I am sorry Oceana, but I do not know. They could be trapped within the Lostbelt, or when the Filtering Alternate Phenomenon came into effect, they might have been…”

The Hippocampi Queen cried into her arms, Cynthia put a comforting fin on her friend.

“We must fight back!” Sev said in what sounded like a rallying cry. “We must push back against these otherworldly humans who seek to take everything from us!”

Harmony sighed. “While I do not share his enthusiasm, Commander Sev is right, it will only be a matter of time before the forces of Chaldea make their attack. Not to mention these other Lostbelts will continue to expand until they consume our lands. I know that all of you are averse to committing genocide or extinction upon an entire world, but that is what must happen if we are to safeguard ours.”

The goddess of Equus then looked sably upon her creations.

“All of you have built a good peaceful world over the last few millennia, it is one where certain cruelty or atrocities have never been committed or heard from in living memory.” Her face then hardened into one of focus. “But today that changes, from now one, you must be willing to do very questionable things in order to survive. Yes, you will have a lot of blood on your hands, you will never be able to pretend like it didn’t happen, but it must happen. If any of you just go home and choose not fight at all to preserve your morality, neither I nor anyone here will fault you for that.”

There was a pregnant pause before anyone spoke again, everybody looked like they were in deep thought as they contemplated their options.

Then, Emperess Serva stood up from her seat.

“I don’t know about the rest of you, but as the rightful ruler of Stagland, I must do whatever I can to protect my subjects.”

King Faris was the next to speak, “If Golden Horn were here, he would fight without hesitation. I believe I speak for him and myself when I say, let us push back against these invaders.”

Eventually, every world leader other than the ones from Equestria, all spoke in agreement. They all knew what was going to be required of them, and what they would have to do.

Harmony then turned to the four alicorns of this land.

“Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, Princess Cadence, Princess Twilight, do you have anything to say?”

The four rulers of Equestria looked to see that all eyes were on them. After all, Equestria was considered the moral center of the world. Anything that they said would be an example to the other leaders.

“Well,” Cadence began. “As the Princess of Love, it pains me that others will have to die so that we may live. Personally, I would want to avoid any of this. However, I will go with whatever aunt Celestia says.”

“Seconded,” Twilight said. “I trust Princess Celestia’s judgment. So I will do what she thinks is best.”

Celestia almost felt upset that Cadence and Twilight put her on the spot, she looked at Luna as if for a way out.

“They are waiting for your answer sister. After all, you have ruled this kingdom far longer than I ever will.”

The solar alicorn felt a twinge of sadness at her sister’s words. Was Luna still feeling upset over that?

“I’ll have to talk to her later, see what is bothering her. But for now.”

“As the eldest Princess of Equestria, I must do what I can to protect my little ponies. Even if it comes to it, I would lay down my life for them. So yes, I agree that we must stop these other worlds from destroying our own.”

There were several nods of agreement and approval from the other World Leaders. They were all ready to fight.

Harmony smiled, then she put on a serious face as she began to speak again.

“Alright, everyone listen and listen closely. I am going to tell you everything I know about servants, and what they can do…”

~

When the meeting was over, everyone walked out of the joint room and back to their temporary bed chambers. Arceus, Celestia, Luna, Twilight, and Cadence met outside in the hallway to discuss what to do next.

“So what now?” Twilight asked.

“Well first of all, with Marelantis being subverted by one of the Lostbelts, I'm going to have Queen Oceana to stay here for the time being. She doesn’t like not knowing about what might have become of her subjects, but until we can find a way inside these Lostbelts, she has to stay here until we find a way.”

“I shall have a talk with Palkia and Hoopa about trying to penetrate those storm walls," Arceus said. "Hopefully, they should be able to find a way in.”

“Do whatever you can Arceus, finding a way inside is paramount. That being said, there is another matter we have to take care of first,” Luna said.

“Yes, finding a way to break the news to people,” Cadence stated.

“And it should not be just Equestria,” Twilight added. “The whole world needs to know so that they can be prepared.”

“Hmmm, I could just speak into everyone’s minds like I did when I arrived here,” Arceus suggested. “If that is alright with you Princess Celestia.”

“Well, considering that time is against us, I believe that may be the best and surest way of letting everyone know what’s going on.”

"Very well, I shall inform the firstborn daughters to prepare.”

“Wait, first I want to at least let everyone know when this announcement will come. I also want to involve the other World Leaders so that they may speak to their subjects. Them adding their credibility during the announcement will make it more believable. For their subjects.”

“I see, shall I bring Golden Horn here so that he may add his voice?” Even though Arceus suggested this, he was clearly not thrilled with the idea of talking to that stubborn bull again.

Celestia rubbed her chin. “While he may be hard to get along with, Golden Horn is still a World Leader, and he deserves to be involved as this concerns his people as well. Also, see if you can bring Trotankhamun, I know his kingdom is in bad shape right now, but he should also be a part of this.”

Arceus nodded. “Then I shall speak with them as soon as possible and bring them here. Hopefully, Golden Horn doesn’t turn me away or violently refuse my help.” And with that, Arceus teleported away.

Celestia wanted to ask Arceus to take her with him, as the Emporer may listen to her more than him, but it was too late now.

“Twilight, why don’t you go be with your friends now. We can handle things from here for now. Luna, you go find the press and tell them that there will be an announcement from Lord Arceus soon.”

“Yes Princess.”

“As you wish sister.”

Twilight and Luna then left, leaving the solar alicorn alone with Princess Cadence and Prince Shining Armor.

“What about me and Cadence Princess?”

“Shining, why don’t you and Cadence go back to your rooms, get some rest, this has been a long day for all of us.”

“Okay, good night aunty see you tomorrow.”

And with that Celestia began to walk back to her throne room, her thoughts occupying her mind.

“I sure hope that we may overcome this, for all our sakes.”

---

The day after, an announcement was made to all of Equestria that a very important message from Lord Arceus and the World Leaders was to be occurring on the morrow at high noon. At the time no one knew what the message would entail, but many realized that if it involved all of the Worlds Leaders especially after the firebombing not so long ago, then surely it must be important.

Currently, every World Leader, including the recently arrived and informed Golden Horn was present in the Throne room. Ready to reveal to the world about the humans and the Lostbelts.

Trotankhamun unfortunately, could not make it, but he promised to verify and back up what was going to be said to the rest of his country...what was left of it anyway.

“Golden Horn,” Celestia said.

“Yes, Princess?” The Minotaur Emperor replied.

“Let me once again say thank you for coming on such short notice. I can’t imagine this must be easier for you than it is for us.”

“Hmph, I’ll admit, at first it sounded like something made up. But after Arceus showed me those storms from a...certain point of view, I will at least admit, that the threat of these Lostbelts is genuine.”

“Thank you, I appreciate your understanding.”

“Oh and Princess, next time, tell that God to give me a little warning next time before he shows up. Otherwise, things would not have escalated to the point where he had to bring me into high orbit just to show me the state of the world.”

Princess Celestia chuckled nervously. Apparently, Golden Horn was so mad that Arceus just intruded upon him...while bathing, that he refused to listen to anything he had to say. Arceus then just proceed to take him into high orbit in order to show him proof of the Lostbelts.

“I shall have a talk with him after this is over.”

“See that you do. By the way, where is he?”

Then just as if on cue, Arceus showed up. Along with him were Azelf, Uxie, Mesprit, and Mewtwo.

“Hello everyone,” Arceus said.

“Lord Arceus, Lady Uxie,” Princess Amira greeted.

The Legendary Pokemon of Knowledge waved her hand. “Hello everyone, it’s nice to see you all again.”

“Your majesties,” Mesprit said.

“Sorry, to keep you waiting, now let’s get this all started!” Azelf said in her cheerfulness.

Soon, everyone stood in a circle, as Arceus, Mewtwo, and his daughters got in the center.

“So how does this work again?” Carapace asked.

“Simple,” Uxie answered. “My sisters and Arceus are going to connect all our minds to dad. He is then going to broadcast all of our voices to every being on this planet. Even the Dark types will be able to hear us.”

“Are we going to be able to hear each other’s thoughts?” Golden horn said.

“No, just everything that comes out of our mouths. No one is going to be able to learn or hear any dirty secrets you have.”

“Hmph, very well, let us begin.”

And with that, everyone closed their eyes as Arceus focused and synced his powers with his daughters and Mewtwo. With the addition of 12 other minds, Arceus had brought along Mewtwo to help boost the reception for them.

“Everyone ready? Then here we go.”

The psychic field linked everyone’s minds together, then expanded to everyone on Equus.

“Attention citizens of Equus, as most of you know, my name is Lord Arceus. I am here with all of your World Leaders, and we all have something to say to you.”

“This is Emperess Serva of Stagland.”

“This is Emperor Golden Horn of the Minotaur Empire.”

“This is King Faris of Saddle Arabia.”

“This is Princess Amira of Saddle Arabia.”

“This is Commander Sev of the Pokemon Liberation Army.”

“This is Queen Oceana of Marelantis.”

“This is Emperor Carapace of the Changeling Empire.”

“This is Princess Mi Amore Cadenza of the Crystal Empire.”

“This is Prince Shining Armor of the Crystal Empire.”

“This is Princess Twilight Sparkle of Equestria.”

“This is Princess Luna of Equestria.”

“This is Princess Celestia of Equestria.”

There was virtually no panic or shock from the citizens of Equestria, the rest of the world however reacted with expected shock and curiosity.

“To my Pokemon and to the people of Equus, it is with great sorrow that we all gather together to inform you all of a danger that threatens our world. My children, I brought you here so that you may be free from the evils of humanity, but I was wrong. Humans exist in this world, and they mean to wipe us all out completely.”

The shock immediately came back, followed by panic and confusion from some of the former humans.

“My children, I am truly sorry that this has happened. It seems that humans are not done with us yet, should you ever come across a genuine human, please report them to the authorities. Do not engage them, for some of these humans may look more dangerous and powerful than they appear.

Arceus sensed as everyone took in that information, wondering what they would do with it.

“Now, some of you who are in different parts of the world, namely in places like Zebrica and Saddle Arabia, have come across large and mysterious storm walls. Beyond these storm walls, are what are known as Lostbelts, completely different worlds separate from our own. These Lostbelts are alternate histories of this world, pocket dimensions that contain different versions of humanity. These Lostbelts will continue to grow until they consume our world, and our reality is replaced with one where only humans exist.

“Now, as the god who brought you all here, that means I am partially responsible for getting us all into this situation. And to my Pokemon, for that, I am truly sorry. However, I will not let my mistake mean the end of our kind or this world. To the people of this world who hear this, I and the world leaders will be working together from now on to support each other in this coming conflict. Our world, our new lives, everything we worked for will not be destroyed at the hands of humanity. I swear to you, that we will be the ones to inherit the future!” Arceus mentally sighed as he finished.

“Goodbye for now, be safe and be vigilant. For as of this moment, our world is at war.”

Arceus and his Legendaries deactivated the link and the broadcast stopped. Everyone opened their eyes as their minds recovered from the mental link.

The Pokemon god looked at Mewtwo. “Well?”

“I am sensing various amounts of fear, anger, and panic. No doubt people will be having many questions.”

“I assume that offer, where you said anyone could visit your temple, still stands?” Luna asked. “If so, then you will have a lot of visitors.”

“Yes, but I assume the same will go for you as well.”

“Well, all part of the job, right sister?”

“Indeed Luna, Arceus, why don’t you go be with your family for now, we will handle things in Canterlot.”

“Thank you Celestia, I wish you luck. Oh and tell Golden Horn he only needs to take the door to the joint room to get back home.”

And with that Arceus teleported back to his pocket dimension. But when he arrived there, he had an unexpected guest waiting for him.

“I say you handled that pretty well,” Harmony said. The goddess had turned back into her plain green Earth Pony form.

“Hmmm, so it’s fine that you can come into my room unannounced, but me forcing my way into yours is rude?”

“I asked Mew, she said I could wait here.”

“Hehe, of course she did.”

“I must warn you Arceus, even with the entire world on your side, this will not be easy.”

“That reminds me, why haven’t my power regenerated? You said that you would allow it after I destroyed Tirek.”

“Unfortunately, because you are not a native of the planet, the World itself doesn’t recognize you. In fact, due to your feelings and actions against mankind, the Earth has classified you as a ‘Threat to Humanity’ and is stifling your powers as a result.”

“Wait really? Is there anything that this planet won’t do for humans?”

“Actually, the planet itself is wary as humans just as much as the average person. That being said, the history of this planet is the history of humanity. And because our world was pruned, it wants us gone more than the humans.”

*Sigh* “Is there anything else I should know?”

“Yes,” Harmony’s gaze then became deadly serious. “Whatever you do, do not underestimate Chaldea.”

“You mean the forces from Proper Human History?”

“No, Chaldea. My clairvoyance only allows me to see things that the world will allow me, that's why I know so much about servants and the Pruning theoretical Phenomenon. But no matter how hard I try, the world will not let me glimpse or learn anything about Chaldea.”

Arceus’s eyes widened. “So if the world itself doesn’t want you to know...”

Harmony turned around and prepared to leave. “Be careful Arceus, the greatest threats, are the ones we never see coming.”

And with that, the goddess of Equus disappeared back to her realm, leaving Arceus alone with his thoughts.

---

Elsewhere

Nighttime in Equestria was quiet, nothing stirred, not a bird nor a Pikachu mouse.

Then in the middle of a forest, mana began to swell and gather at a magical ley line. A summoning circle was sketched into the ground by invisible hands.

Then words carried on the wind began to sound.

“My will creates your body, and your sword creates my destiny. If you heed the worlds’ call and abide by its will and reason, then answer me!

Will you swear, to embody all that is good in the World, to defeat all that is evil in the World?

Seventh Heaven clad in the three words of power! Come forth from the circle of binding, thou Guardian of the Scales!”

A connection was made to a place beyond time and space, a place where the souls of mankind’s heroes, both past and future went to after their deaths. In the event that their help would ever be needed again. And then, one of these brave heroic souls answered the call of Alaya.

Ether came and shape itself into a being, then a form emerged from the summoning circle.

It was a being with long flowing beautiful green hair, it looked like a human in its teenage years, they were a white tunic and had an androgynous face with green eyes.

The being stood for the first time in this new world, they took in their surroundings. The forest reminded them of the one they woke up in when they were first created.

Finally, the being spoke.

“Okay, let’s see what can be compared here.”

---

Opening

Author's Note:

And with that, the first story arc of this book officially begins.

Please leave feedback, I read all comments

Comments

[bystanderreader]

Arceus has "Threat to Humanity" then Enkidu who has Anti-Threat to Humanity is summoned. I see what you did there.

[Mitril]

I was supposed to be neutral but after this-

“My children, I am truly sorry that this has happened. It seems that humans are not done with us yet, should you ever come across a genuine human, please report them to the authorities. Do not engage them, for some of these humans may look more dangerous and powerful than they appear.

Arceus sensed as everyone took in that information, wondering what they would do with it.

“Now, some of you who are in different parts of the world, namely in places like Zebrica and Saddle Arabia, have come across large and mysterious storm walls. Beyond these storm walls, are what are known as Lostbelts, completely different worlds separate from our own. These Lostbelts are alternate histories of this world, pocket dimensions that contain different versions of humanity. These Lostbelts will continue to grow until they consume our world, and our reality is replaced with one where only humans exist.

“Now, as the god who brought you all here, that means I am partially responsible for getting us all into this situation. And to my Pokemon, for that, I am truly sorry. However, I will not let my mistake mean the end of our kind or this world. To the people of this world who hear this, I and the world leaders will be working together from now on to support each other in this coming conflict. Our world, our new lives, everything we worked for will not be destroyed at the hands of humanity. I swear to you, that we will be the ones to inherit the future!” Arceus mentally sighed as he finished.

-bullshit propaganda,lying about the situation and calling for genocide, I'm 100% on other lostbelts sides

But today that changes, from now one, you must be willing to do very questionable things in order to survive. Yes, you will have a lot of blood on your hands, you will never be able to pretend like it didn’t happen, but it must happe

They just tried to do the opposite
They literally lied about this situation to make it as if they don't do nothing wrong and can wash blood from their hands

I don't care which one of lostbelts wins,as long as this Equestria loses.
For all, I care Warhammer 4K Space Marines can brutally slaughter them, glass the planet or Galactus and similar can eat it or destroy it

[bystanderreader]

I don't know if Harmony is being manipulative or oblivious but she did not tell them on what Tiamat's other title is and didn't show on what happened in Babylonia or was it erased/rewritten to not show the presence of Chaldea. And I weirdly expect the irony that they will be defeated by the power of friendship itself with Ritsuka's charisma to basically befriend everyone he/she(which gender you pick) met.

[Metroid Prime]

10556685
Arceus kinda knows that Harmony is not telling the whole truth about certain topics. She so far hasn't told an outright lie, but she may have omitted certain truths and context.

[bystanderreader]

10556729
Come to think of it she is the Lostbelt King so she may have been a someone from either history or myth as Equestria is technically post Earth so she could be someone from the age of gods which Harmony may or may not have cause the diversion in Proper Human History. Weirdly enough I've been theorizing for a while that in your story that the Tree of Harmony is the Lostbelt Tree.

[Hellshooter]

I don’t know what game Harmony is playing at here, but the very biased depictions of the Babylonian singularity she presented to the Pokémon and ponies makes her out to be very suspicious. It shows that she may not be telling them the full truth about what’s going on here, or is unaware of all the details herself. Either way, it is blatantly obvious that someone or something is trying to trick Arceus into opposing Chaldea by appealing to his paranoia towards humans.

We can only hope that Arceus can see reason and learn to cooperate with Chaldea, finally setting his hatred for humanity aside. But then again, the world decided to pin him as a threat to humanity for a reason, so Chaldea might need to smack him around a bit first before he can finally come to his senses.

This was a very good chapter, and I can’t wait to see where you go next with this story. I also can’t wait to see what enkidu’s purpose in Equis is.

[Hellshooter]

10556685

I’m just imagining the Mane six trying to use rainbow power or the elements on Chaldea in an attempt to beat them with the power of friendship, only for Ritsuka to then pull out an uno reverse card on them.

[Diokno44]

10557353
What if Harmony is secretly a Disciple of the Foreign God? Oh fuck, the Tree of Harmony is a Tree of Emptiness!

[Hellshooter]

10559110
That’s one possibility. There is also the possibility that this Harmony is just full of sh*t because I highly doubt equestria would constitute as a lostbelt and is simply trying to trick the ponies and Pokémon into fighting Chaldea. She’s already lied about the circumstances of the Babylonian singularity, omitting both the fact that Tiamat isn’t actually dead and that the one she showed them was just an avatar, that said avatar was classified as a beast of calamity which is an entity designed to bring about the end of the world, and that she was merely a pawn in the schemes of another beast who was trying to incinerate time and space itself in a ritual to reach the root of all existence.

She is trying to make humanity look like the villains in a scenario where they were actually the victims. With that in mind, It wouldn’t be to far fetched for her to also lie about the classification of equis to make the ponies an Pokémon feel like they have to oppose Chaldea. And with the presence of forces like the mirror portal leading to a parallel realm where humanity continues to exist, I find it more believable that Equis is more actually akin to the reverse side of the world while the human side of the mirror portal is the real side, not a lostbelt.

Granted, It’s also entirely possible that Harmony isn’t lying and is just grossly misinformed. The information she is spewing could be secondhand info she got from the Alien god, and she is being manipulated into thinking that Chaldea is an enemy.

[Diokno44]

10561613
I can see that working. Me and friends once joked Equestria is either the Reverse Side, or a land where the Age of Gods never ended and Phantasmal Beasts overtook humans

[Metroid Prime]

10561613
10561640

I’ll say this, Equus/Equestria is a Lostbelt, and their is a reason for that which will be explained at a later date. And the mirror world is something but not what you think.

[Diokno44]

10561764
Color me intrigued my friend. Color me intrigued.

[Hellshooter]

10561764
Interesting. I look forward to seeing it.

[Diokno44]

I just had an idea. Avicebron meets the Golem Legendaries, plus Gollurk and whatnot.

[Hellshooter]

10564940
I’m mostly looking forward to other interactions like the dragon legendaries when they meet dragon-related servants like Saint George, Saint Martha, Siegfried, Seig, and Sigurd. Or how Arceus is going to comprehend the being behind Abigail Williams. And I don’t even know how the legendaries are going to react when they encounter bb and learn about the existence of the Mooncell.

[Diokno44]

10565392
Agreed. I'm imagining Hokusai wanting to paint everything, especially the fire Mon

[Metroid Prime]

10565392
I'd think Luna would be more interested in the Moon Cell than the Legendaries

[Diokno44]

10565849
She would. Speaking of, some theorise the Moon Cell can still be the Moon Cell AND part of Crimson Moon Brunstad. To quote a certain Abridged character, "The Moon is weird."

[Hellshooter]

10567605
When isn’t the moon weird in the Nasuverse?