Chapter Five: The Sword and the Hunter (Part 1)
Dear Twilight,
I think you will be interested to know that the Cutie-Map quest of our favourite students has borne fruit. Almost literally in fact. Turns out, the map led them to a portal connected to another world. And no, I don’t think it’s the same one that’s connected to Sunset Shimmer’s world. How do we know this? One of the residents from the other side popped out of the portal and landed on our students, quite literally I might add.
His name is Keldeo and the world he came from as he describes is vastly different from Sunset’s. I’ll spare you the details but he is what he calls a Pokemon, a creature that is common throughout his world that has various species and forms. Also, humans seem to exist in his world.
I could go on, but there is only so much information to write on these parchments and I thought it would be better if I introduced you to him. I think you would love to get to know him, especially since he possesses a source of power different from our magic. One that has sort of caused him trouble with the guard and nurse Redheart. (Speaking of which, I might have unofficially signed him up as a student for the School of Friendship in an attempt to appease the guards from apprehending him.)
I hope to hear from you, as soon as you organise a time to meet him to which I know you are looking through the closest available time in your schedule.
Your faithful first student,
Starlight Glimmer, Headmare of the School of Friendship
PS. Could you prepare a memory retrieval spell? Keldeo suffered amnesia upon arrival to our world. Nurse Redheart believes it may have been caused by trauma from a fight (he was covered with burns, bruises and scars when they found him. Don’t worry, he is recovering rather quickly and his wounds healed at a surprisingly fast rate) but I think there might be more to it. I don’t want to get ahead of myself and cast one of my own, you know how it is.
Starlight rolled up the parchment to a scroll and ignited it with her horn. The scroll disintegrates in green flame as its ashes float out the window. “I sent a message to Princess Twilight,” she said, turning to Keldeo who was fascinated by the burnt scroll. “We should hear from her in no time.”
“Excuse me, but what exactly did you do there?” asked Keldeo, still curious about the scroll.
Starlight paused before realising he meant what she did with the scroll. She gave him an amused smile. “Oh that? I just sent a message to the Princess via Dragonfire scrolls. They are still experimental so there aren’t too many of them.”
“Dragonfire?” Keldeo asked, clearly confused. “Wouldn’t that just burn the parchment?”
“Not at all,” Starlight continued to smile with amusement, “some dragons who’ve learned magic from a young age develop abilities such as sending messages to intended locations and creatures they are familiar with through Dragonfire. One such dragon, who happens to be the Princess’ Royal Advisor, mastered this ability and offered to have it replicated with these experimental scrolls.” She pointed at a number of them within her saddlebag.
Keldeo’s eyes widened with fascination. “Okay, that is cool. I mean, it doesn’t seem as effective as a phone but it sure looks cooler.”
Yona tilted her head in confusion. “What’s a fone?”
“Oh, it’s a weird communication device that humans in my world used to, well… communicate to each other across long distances. I don’t know how it works exactly, but the recent phones I saw use Rotoms and Porygons as “AI assistance”,” explained Keldeo.
“I think I saw Sunset Shimmer use something like that,” thought Starlight.
Normally in a conversation involving new curiosities, Ocellus would be the first to be in the thick of it. However, something else is occupying her mind as she stares out the window.
Something her good friend Smolder noticed. “Ocellus, you alright there?”
“Hmm? Oh, yeah. I’m just worried about Gallus and the rest of them,” replied Ocellus. Her eyes flicked back and forth between Smolder and the window. “What is taking them so long? The portal site shouldn’t be too far away from Ponyville and it’s been hours since we separated.”
Smolder held a claw under her snout in thought. “Hmmm, maybe they’re stopping by Sugarcube Corner?” she suggested.
Ocellus shook her head. “Unlikely. They would know better than to pass off the opportunity to see Keldeo awake so they would have made it to the hospital by now.”
“Could they still be around the portal site?”
Ocellus turned to Smolder, fear and worry evident in her eyes. “Or worse,” she gulped, “they could be taken by the portal.”
Alarm bells rang within Smolder as she heard this.
“Oh. Crap.”
The drake turned to the group as they continued discussing the various means of communications between worlds. She took a deep breath and audibly cleared her throat, catching everycreature’s attention. “Excuse me for jumping in Headmare Starlight but we might have a problem.”
Starlight Glimmer’s ears twitched. “What’s the problem, Smolder?”
“Gallus, Sandbar and Silverstream aren’t back yet, and it’s been hours,” explained Smolder. “Ocellus was worried if something happened to them, like, I dunno, being sucked into the portal?”
Starlight froze, her eyes widened, and then twitched. “Oh buck,” she clutched her head with her hooves and began to panic, “Oh sweet Celestia, what have I done?! Girls, alert the town guard; tell them to meet us at the square! We might need a search party. I’m going to the Castle of Friendship to grab some scrying spell scrolls. Pinkie Pie, could you inform the Mayor to call for an emergency curfew?”
“Yuppie Yuppers, Starlight,” Pinkie saluted. “I’ll inform the girls while I’m at it.”
While Keldeo would have been impressed with the pink one’s ability to just vanish in an instant, he was more so impressed with Starlight’s leadership. She kind of reminds me of a Pokemon Trainer, or a Gym Leader. Wait, why would I know that if I can’t… Gah!! Focus Keldeo, they look like they’re in trouble and you can’t just sit here doing nothing. “Excuse me Nurse… Redheart, but am I good to go?”
The earth pony raised an eyebrow. “Well, other than your unusual magical signature that you call Aura, you are right as rain.”
“So, I’m good to go?”
Redheart narrowed her eyes. “I know what you’re thinking and as a practitioner I cannot condone you to go off adventuring right after recovery.” She then gave a sigh of surrender. “But you seem to know your body more than I do, so all I can suggest is don’t strain yourself, are we clear?”
“Crystal,” nodded Keldeo. He turned to Starlight and asked, “Excuse me, Ms Glimmer but could you take me with you?”
Starlight stopped for a moment, “Sure, I don’t mind but why?”
“I’d like to be of help. You’ve done much to save me, twice mind you, so I’d like to repay the debt. Besides, I might be able to remember something. Maybe if I’m lucky, I’ll find a way home.”
Starlight thought on that; On one hoof, I’ve already told Twilight about him so it would be rude if he couldn’t at least see her first. On the other hoof, would I deny him his chance to go home? No, she would not be that cruel. She shook her head to clear such thoughts and smiled, “Very well, Keldeo, welcome aboard.”
The Forward Operating Base (FOB for short) was a simple closed tent in the middle of a clearing in a large cavern chamber lit with electrically generated lights that illuminated the area. Gallus, Sandbar and Silverstream made no attempts to resist as they were dragged along by two guards. They were still shaken from what they just witnessed, Silverstream especially who was now on the verge of a panic attack. Sandbar would have been excited to see the very caverns that Princess Twilight and Princess Cadence escaped from during the Royal Canterlot wedding. However, the image of Big Boss’ butchery was all that clouded his mind as well as the anxiety for him and his friends if they could get out alive. Gallus, despite everything, was the calmest of the trio. Well, as calm as one who was mentally scarred at least. He was no stranger to death; being a griffon and an orphan gives one a certain perspective in life. That said, he never actually saw anyone killed before. And right now, underneath the caverns of Canterlot, never had he thought anything could frighten him enough to even forget he had claustrophobia after what he saw today.
The three of them kept looking down, avoiding to stare at anything else other than the ground in fear of the guards. Even as they entered the tent, they kept their gazes low, avoiding to look at each other or anything else, especially the guards or the monster before them.
“Come, please. Don’t be shy,” came the soft and gentle growl of the source of their fears, “There is no need to fear, I won’t bite. Yet.” It chuckled in its own amusement.
Sandbar dared to look up to stare at him. Sitting by a desk before them was the Diamond Dog, Big Boss. His visage changed from before that somehow seemed a lot more welcoming. His black velvet coat was removed to reveal a white puffy shirt with an old necktie of the same colour. He was wearing spectacles that sat perfectly fit on his muzzle. On the desk were three file folders and a book, a journal perhaps, indicating he was just writing in while waiting for their arrival.
“Oh, only one little pony is brave enough to gaze upon me? Now that’s what I call character,” the Diamond dog sneered with a low chuckle.
Slowly, Gallus and Silverstream followed suit, their expressions morphed from fear to mildly confused at the sight before them. It was almost akin to being called into the Principal’s office for punishment.
“Good. Good. Gaze upon my villainy and despair,” he praised in a provoking tone as though to goad them. “You have no idea how long I have waited for a plot like this to develop.”
“D-develop? P-plot?” Gallus muttered nervously.
“Why of course,” he stood up from his desk, taking a brief glance at one of the opened files in front of him. “Gallus, was it?” he eyed the terrified griffon. “Orphaned and under custody of Griffon elder Grampa Gruff. Makes me wonder why the last surviving member of Guto’s Court would want to keep you around.” He grinned at Gallus intensely with a gleam in his eye, “You may not be worth a ransom, but you have the makings of a hero, boy.”
“Wait, Gramps knew King Guto?” Gallus asked incredulously.
“You didn’t know? Oh wow my boy, you are just ticking all the boxes!” Big Boss exclaimed with excited giddiness, “You definitely have this Hero’s Journey thing going for you!”
“You on the other paw,” he pointed at Silverstream who shrank from his gaze, “You have this whole “Damsel in distress” thing going with you at the moment, and I hate to see that considering your resume.” He held up the folder and stared at her with disappointment, “Daughter of Duke Sky Beak, niece of Queen Novo, and an aspiring Wonderbolt Cadet. Yet here you are, cowering before me like a runt losing their mother. How does one expect to be a hero if they can’t even get over their trivial trauma?”
He held a paw over his eyes as he dramatically lamented, “Oh tragic! TRAGIC! And here I thought I could finally have the noble trio of heroes to face against a worthy adversary such as I!” He quickly recovered as he shrugged off his previous reaction, “Well, no matter. At least now we have a hero and you’ll do well for a wealthy ransom.” He gasped in realisation, “Wait!” He pointed a finger at Silverstream who flinched at his sudden epiphany. “Forget selling you off for ransom, you could be our damsel in distress for this scenario! Oh, Big Boss, you are a genius! This is the perfect plot!”
“What are you on about?!” Gallus finally cried out. “What’s all this about heroes, villains, damsels and ransoms? What does it have to do about the mines? What do you want from us?!”
The Diamond Dog wrapped his arms around himself and shuddered in ecstasy. “Oooh, you have no idea how long I wanted to hear those words. It’s music to my ears. Finally, the moment to monologue about my villainous act has come!”
He pulled out a chair and leaned on it, grinning excitedly. “You see, my little griffon, about a year ago my boys and I were hired to this little mining operation. We started small at first; grabbed a few neighbouring diamond dogs to assist with the occasional pony or two we caught when they found out about us. Then one day, our client called us for more of the Arcanite. We agreed of course, but more deliveries needed more bodies. So we did the only reasonable thing and started abducting isolated ponies and other creatures who could work the mines for us. So here we are now. Any questions?”
“W-w-why?” Silverstream whimpered, struggling to hold back her tears. “Why do you have to do this? Why do you want the Arcanite? Why did you have to kill Rover? Wasn’t he one of you? And you didn’t answer Gallus’ question; what do you want from us?”
“One at a time, little hippogriff,” Big Boss chimed melodically. “To answer your question about the Arcanite; that is for me to know and you to struggle finding out. Or for the case of our expendable miners; for them to find and deliver to us.” He chuckled at his own joke, echoed by his minions who were listening in.
Silverstream could only gasp in horror at his nonchalant description of the captured creatures as he continued, “As for your question in regards to the dead dog… Weeeeell, let’s just say he was giving away the plot too early. Besides, his kind had it coming and it’s not like we are practically the same species.”
“W-what?” Sandbar exclaimed, “B-but you're clearly Diamond Dogs, what else could you be?”
“Don’t associate us with those Groundhogs who wallow in the dirt all day!” Big Boss swiftly grabbed Sandbar by the collar of his throat, lifted him up and snarled to his face. “Yes, we may have once shared a similar heritage, but those animals you call “Diamond Dogs” were once the branch family cowards who abandoned their heritage.” He sneered, watching Sandbar choke on his grip and then promptly dropped him to the ground.
Sandbar gasped for air, tears burning across the sides of his face and dared to look at his tormentor. Big Boss gave an impressed snort, “You’ve got guts boy. I like it. In respect to that, let me give you a little history lesson. Once upon a time during the age of Grogar, there was a race of canines who roamed across the continent. They were large, powerful, carnivorous.” He snarled with ecstatic satisfaction while rolling the “s” in his last word. “They had no name but were masters of the hunt. Oh, how they hunted across the lands for centuries. They hunted all; ponies, griffons, bisons, yaks, kelpies, sirens, hippogriffs, abyssinians, even the occasional dragons. They called it the Great Game. The chance to be immortalised for their hunt against a worthy prey. Oh, it was glorious!”
He then gave a sad sigh. “Then all that changed when Gusty the Great happened and they were split apart when she sundered a large portion of the continent, leaving what you now know as Diamond Dogs in the mainland and the rest were drifting away in an island. The rest is history. The End.”
Crying was heard at the entrance of the tent and the three of them turned to see a group of the dogs sobbing to their leader’s tale. “That was beautiful, Boss!” one of them blubbered as he pulled out a handkerchief and blew.
“Thank you, thank you. You flatter me!” He bowed to his audience, absorbing their praise.
“Is this what this is all about, revenge?” Gallus gritted his beak and dared to glare at Big Boss, using what little courage he could muster before this monster. “Is this why you chose to torment these creatures? To get back at them for driving you out of Equestria? Don’t get me wrong, but doesn’t that seem pretty pathetic?”
Big Boss grinned at Gallus with delight, “First off; this isn’t about revenge. That sob story was ancient history that has nothing to do with this plot. Well, not all of it. You see, the point of that bit of history is to make perfectly clear that we aren’t anything compared to those mutts you called Diamond Dogs. Those inbred animals dig for practically worthless gems for some unknown reason. We on the other paw are more sophisticated. We hunt worthy prey for fame, glory and sport. That is why many pursue the life of a pirate or a mercenary.”
“Which brings me to my final point,” he stepped closer to Silverstream who cowered as he approached. “The reason why you are all here is because it was meant to happen,” he said as he pointed at the three of them. “You’re here because the story needs development. You see, I have been gathering all these enslaved creatures for months now; pushing them to the brink, waiting for the moment that they would rise and rebel against me and my boys. And oh, how I waited in vain. They should be up at arms by now, with a charismatic leader rising up against their oppressors. I’ve given them every opportunity to stand against me; from weapons lying around to leaving them unguarded with their cages wide open. I’ve even ordered the boys to increase their harsh treatment in order to make them angry enough to finally snap, and still nothing! Why?! Why won’t they stand against me?!”
The three of them could only stare at him with horror. “Why?” Silverstream finally spoke with a whimper. “Why would you want them to attack you? What would be the point?”
"It’s because I am an artist, my dear. A storyteller,” he declared with pride. “I wish to create the greatest story of all time. A story of Good and Evil. Light and Darkness. War and Peace! I am a villain of such a tale and I seek to find the greatest hero the world will ever know! This is my Great Game! My Hunt! Whether the Hero comes out Victorious or I butcher them with my own paws and teeth does not matter! Our conflict shall be the tale for the ages! It shall be legendary! We shall both dance in a field of blood where only one of us comes out alive! We shall be immortalised like Gusty the Great vs Grogar the Grim! Sombra of the Shadows vs Celestia of the Sun! The Princess of Friendship vs the Prince of Fiends! And I shall be remembered as The Big Bad Boss: Behold my Butchery, ye mighty, and despair!"
He cackled into a fit of hysterical laughter as his goons cheered. “BIG BOSS! BIG BOSS! BIG BOSS!!” they chanted his name and the Canine in question soaked in their praises.
“Y-you’re insane.”
“Hmm? I beg your pardon?” Big Boss asked, removed from his revelry.
“YOU’RE INSANE!!” Sandbar cried out with a fury he didn’t realise he had in him. “Other creature’s lives are at stake… and you… YOU TREAT THEIR LIVES LIKE SOME SORT OF SICK TWISTED GAME?! And for what? Some sick twisted story for your own amusement? Even Discord isn’t that crazy!!”
“You’re right,” Big Boss nodded in agreement. “I’m not Discord. I’m not Nightmare Moon. I’m not Sombra. I’m not Chrysalis. I’m not Tirek. I’m not Cozy Glow. I’m not Grogar. And I’m definitely not the Bloody Storm King. I’m a simple villain with a simple insidious scheme. Not some complicated would-be-tyrant who wants to rule the world. What would I want from World Domination, let alone the conquest of an entire Kingdom? No, I wish to be part of the greatest story ever told. Feared and whispered for generations.”
He pointed at Sandbar with a sneer. “You call my vision insanity? Of course. A second rate mediocre character such as yourself cannot tell the difference between genius and madness.”
“M-Mediocre?!”
“Well, of course. I read your file,” he lifted a folder with Sandbar’s picture on it, “Sandbar: Born in a mediocre family, with mediocre parents working mediocre jobs, grew up in a borderline mediocre town, studied in a mediocre school prior to transferring to Princess Twilight’s School of Friendship, and other than the occasional Ponyville shenanigans and stopping two world ending threats, your life has been mediocre. Even your Cutie Mark of three turtles practically screams your character; slow, serene… Mediocre.”
Sandbar was fuming at his insult to his life that he almost forgot the situation they were in and attempted to lunge at the dog, but not before Gallus and Silverstream held him down, stopping him.
“Oh, I’m sorry. Did I offend you?” Big Boss gave a mock apologetic bow and grinned. “Good. It means you know your role in the narrative.”
“WHAT ROLE?!” Sandbar screamed with rage at the dog while being held down by his friends.
Big Boss’ grin grew wider and all the more menacing, bringing the fear back into Sandbar as he replied, “Simple; you’re going to die to become the catalyst for the Hero’s motivation.”
“So, this was where you found me?”
A gentle whistle of the wind was heard across the open field where the portal was last seen as Keldeo surveyed the area with slight bemusement. “Not to sound disappointed but I was expecting it to be a little less… plain.”
“Wait, was that a pun?” asked Ocellus, tilting her head.
“Was it? I don’t know, I never thought of it that way.” Keldeo mused.
“Well, they’re not here,” said Smolder, “So where could they have gone?”
“Could friends be taken by portal?” gasped Yona.
“Ocellus, where did you see the portal?” Starlight asked urgently.
“This way.” Ocellus led them to where they found the portal. “It was right here, just above us. About fifteen, twenty feet above us,” she pointed a hoof upwards.
Starlight ignited her horn as she began to cast a scanning spell. Her eyes widened from what she found. “Incredible,” she muttered under her breath.
“Headmare Starlight found something?” Yona asked expectantly.
“I’ve never felt this much power in my life,” she explained with awe while she continued her spell. “The magical signature is beyond the likes of anything I’ve ever felt before. Nothing in Equestria or all of Equus has this amount of power, not even the Princesses or Discord combined. Whatever cast this spell used power drawn from the Universe itself. It’s crazy! What could do that?”
“Um Headmare, focus?” Smolder poked Starlight’s cheek, snapping the unicorn from her awed rant. “As much as it’s amusing to see you go Twilighting on us, we have missing friends in a portal site with a missing portal. Where are they?”
“Oh, right.” Starlight reignited her horn with the same spell. As continued, her awed expression dropped to an inquisitive frown. “The portal is gone. And by that I mean it’s been gone for hours. Probably even before Gallus and the rest of them came back here to check on the site.”
“Can you bring the portal back?” Keldeo stared at Starlight expectantly.
Starlight’s heart sank as she returned his stare with a disheartening frown. “No Keldeo,” she said as shook her head. “The magic or whatever power is used to create the portal has long been dispersed to the air. It’s impossible to try and trace the magic back to the source of the portal and to keep it open requires a tremendous amount of energy just to cast it. I’m sorry. I’m very sorry.”
All hope drained from the Pokemon’s face as Keldeo fell on his haunches. A strong wind blew into the empty field, rustling the leaves from the tree standing alone on a hill. The longest minute ticked by as all were silent, waiting for Keldeo’s next breakdown. Before anyone could speak a word of comfort, he stood up and wore the most stoic guise he could muster.
“Have you found any sign of your friends?”
“Keldeo, are you alright?” Ocellus asked worriedly.
“No,” he shook his head, “but your friends are still missing and we need to know where they are. We can deal with my problems later, but for now your friends are a priority. It would leave a bad taste in my mouth if I were to go back anyway without helping you find them.”
“Keldeo…” Starlight extended a hoof to him, only to retract it after acknowledging his resolve. She gave him a sad yet thankful smile. “Thank you for doing this.”
Keldeo gave a snort as he smirked confidently. “No need to thank me. Besides, what kind of a friend would I be if I won’t help my saviours? It’s nothing short of dishonourable.”
Huh, why did it feel natural for me to say that?
“Keldeo right,” Yona stomped a foot, “Sooner we find friends, sooner we help Keldeo find home.”
“Then let’s not waste anymore time!” declared Smolder.
Ocellus nodded in agreement as she turned to Starlight, “You said that the portal has been closed for hours, right? Which means the three of them weren’t caught by the portal. So it begs the question; what happened to them?”
“Hmm, there must be something I could do to help,” Keldeo thought to himself out loud.
“Keldeo, I know you can’t normally use this move and you may think it’s useless, but trust me, you’ll thank me later for teaching you this move.”
Keldeo blink. For a second, a brief image of a girl with long brown hair tied behind her head, wearing a trainer’s cap, a white shirt, black vest and a pair of short shorts flashed into his mind with a confident smile. What was that? A memory? Who was that girl? No, focus. What was it called… I think it was-
“Keldeo, are you alright there?”
The Pokemon was shaken from his thoughts by the changeling who was giving him a concerned look. “I’m sorry, you were saying something?”
“I was asking if you were alright,” said Ocellus. “You were spacing out for a while there.”
“Sorry, I was just… trying to remember something,” he said hesitantly. Then it hit him. “Guys, I think I might know something that could help find some clues.”
All eyes were now on him.
“Like what?” asked Yona.
Normal Type: Foresight. To everyone else watching, the Pokemon’s eyes lit up in a hue of blue, casting a pair of beams of light similar to a torch. For Keldeo however, all of his senses were sharpened. He could hear the rustling of the leaves and branches crisply from the lone tree, smell the moisture from the cool air and notice each blade of grass to their intricate detail. That was when he noticed indents from the grass that were not of his or the rest of the current party. These look recent. Probably at least an hour ago.
All of them watched with curious fascination as Keldeo began tracing unsee tracks.
“Keldeo, why are your eyes glowing and what are you doing?” Starlight asked cautiously.
“Oh, I’m using a move called Foresight,” he briefly stopped to explain, “Usually it’s used to analyse an enemy, enabling one to use attacks that normally are immune to them. For this situation, it sharpens my senses which should allow me to spot clues, tracks and other things we may have missed with the naked eye.”
“In other words, you can basically play detective,” Smolder interjected. “Is there anything you can’t do with your crazy “not-magic” powers?”
“Weeeeell, I can’t cook,” he joked.
“Is there anything you found?” asked Ocellus.
“Yeah,” Keldeo answered while he focused on the scene, “There were three… Ponies, I think, stood here in this patch of grass.”
“Wait, do you mean all three of them are ponies or there were three creatures, one being a pony?” asked Smolder.
“Well, judging from the way they stand, all three are definitely ponies. Although, there are two others I can’t figure out; flying types of sorts with a bird-mammal hybrid going on.” he pointed out the indents of talons, claws and hooves on the grass.
“Must be Gallus and Silverstream,” Yona pointed out. “Sandbar must be one of three ponies, who’s the other two?”
“The escorts,” Starlight’s tone noted realisation. “I asked them to bring an escort from the town guards.”
“Sounds about right, two of the trails look a lot heavier and the horseshoes look like plated metal.” Keldeo continued to trace their movement across the field. “They were making their way back to town. One of them fell over, probably fainted.”
“Fainted?” The four of them looked questionably at the Pokemon.
“Knocked out,” elaborated Keldeo. “One of the guards. I would hazard a guess it was caused by a gem of sorts.” He stood over a large patch of flattened grass and moved over blades of the grass to reveal a Royal Guard’s helmet with a diamond lodged on its side.
Their eyes widened at the broken piece of armour. “How did we not see that on our way here?” asked Smolder as she reached out for the helmet.
Leaving her to discuss that to the rest of the group, Keldeo continued his investigation. “There was a struggle here,” he called out. “There are a few burns in the ground that I’m not sure of. Almost like a Protect shield of sorts.” He pointed to a spherical shaped burn on the ground before noticing a large group of footprints around the circle. “They were surrounded. Mammalian on two legs, a Dog type of sorts.”
“Diamond Dogs,” Starlight gave a snarl.
“Diamond Dogs?”
“Bipedal dogs that live in underground tunnels whose lifestyle involves the mining of Diamonds and other precious gems,” explained Ocellus.
“Are they large?”
“They stand taller than most ponies, but due to their hunched backs they usually see eye to eye.”
“How heavy are they?”
“Not as heavy as your average earth pony, why?”
“Because these prints look pretty heavy. Probably from carried weapons, worn armour, larger body structure, or a combination of the three. Some are even wearing heavy boots.” He traced a hoof over heavy indents on the ground.
“Bigger Diamond Dogs then?” suggested Yona.
Keldeo shrugged, “I have no idea what they look like so you tell me.”
“Can we worry about what they look like and get back to what happened here?” Smolder scolded.
“Right.” Keldeo continued his investigation as he circled around the burn marks and footprints. “I don't know how the guard managed to keep the Protect shield up for an impressive amount of time, but it looks like they held out for so long.” He took a step into the burnt area. Several two legged prints closed into the lone quadrupede while three tracks suggested a breakout. “They overwhelmed the guard, but the three of them made a run for it. Can all of them fly? Your friends I mean, not the Diamond Dogs.”
“Two of them can,” said Ocellus.
“That answers that then.” He traced a hoof to the air, visualising what happened. “Two of them lifted off in that direction while the third made a run for the town.”
He made for the direction of the two flyers, followed by the Starlight and the rest of them. Stopping, he noticed a large patch of dirt, scattered blue feathers, uprooted grass… and small sprays of blood. The others gasped at the sight of the red liquid.
“Don’t worry, it doesn’t look lethal,” said Keldeo, trying to reassure them, “Looks like from a minor cut or something.” He traced the dirt with a hoof, processing the impression made on the ground. “One of them was taken down here, probably grabbed on to or…” He looked over to his left and noticed another patch of dirt and feathers (pink this time), although with much less struggling.
“The blue one tried to rescue the pink one. The pink one went down first and was pinned. The blue one put up a fight before he was overwhelmed and followed suit.” He touched the blood with his hoof and found clumps of red and black fur. “The blue one doesn’t have spotted fur, right?”
“No, he doesn’t,” Ocellus answered, “Gallus is a sky-blue griffon with a few golden tipped feathers on his head and a light yellow fur on his chest coat from his beak down to his waist. Why?”
Keldeo moved closer to the group, exposing the bloodied fur. “He has talons, right?” They nodded in reply. “Then the blood isn’t his. He most likely used Scratch on them, cutting a bit of skin and shaved a clump of fur off.”
Noticing the fur, Starlight narrowed her eyes. “Keldeo, can I see that fur a little closer?”
As he held the clump of fur out, Starlight levitated it with her magic, causing Keldeo to flinch. “This fur is too thick to be a Diamond Dog,” she stated from her observation. “A Diamond Dog’s fur is shorter and loose which is less likely to gather clumps of dirt and soil while they dig. This looks like fur from colder climates.”
“Yona seconds that,” added the yak. “Fur looks closer to skunk bear in Yakyakistan.”
“Keldeo, are you alright?” asked Ocellus, noticing Keldeo’s pained expression.
“I’m fine,” he answered with a reassuring smile, “Just felt a sting from touching that magic thingy she did.” Before anyone could comment on that he cleared his throat and continued, “Anyway, the two of them got pinned down which leaves the third…”
Retracing back to the burnt area, he followed the third trail leading to Ponyville. It took some distance til they reached a patch of dirt with a clear sign of struggle.
Keldeo gave a whistle in admiration. “Wow, this guy’s a fighter,” he said as he traced the indents on the soil. “This guy Double Kicked two of the attackers 15-20 feet that direction.” He pointed towards trails of mud and indents on the soil seen from a distance. “He was finally pinned down but not before knocking one of the attackers’ teeth out,” he pointed out as he approached remnants of shattered teeth and small amounts of blood.
“That’s Sandbar,” Yona snorted proudly.
“Actually, I think it’s more about his earth pony strength. He’s as chill a dude as you can get, not exactly a fighter,” added Smolder before she gave Yona a mirthful smirk, “Are you sure you weren’t admiring something else about him, Yona?”
The yak blushed before she turned away from the dragon. “Sh-shut up, Smolder! Yona has no idea what you’re talking about!”
I think the lady protests too much.
“Keldeo, can I see the teeth?”
This time Keldeo delivered the teeth fragments on Starlight’s hoof to which she held it closer for inspection. Her eyes widened at what she found. “Th-these… These can’t be Diamond Dog teeth. I mean, it’s definitely canine in nature, but these are what you’d usually see in wolves rather than dogs.”
“You mean these Diamond Dogs aren’t predators?” asked Keldeo.
“They don’t usually eat meat, and when they do it’s usually scavenged,” answered Starlight. “Diamond Dogs usually eat food made of sandstone flour. They don’t hunt or ambush in an open field. Whoever owns these are definitely not rock eaters.”
“And they clearly foalnapped our friends!” Yona gave a stomp, “Keldeo, do you know where they took friends?”
Keldeo traced back to a stone hill. “They dragged all five of them to this hill and…” he trailed off in confusion, “That can’t be right.”
“What’s wrong?” Smolder asked.
“The trail ends here.” he gave a stomp on the hill, “I don’t get it. They couldn’t have used Dig or any sort of Ground type move, otherwise I would have seen traces of it. It’s like they either levitated, or teleported away. I can’t trace them from here.”
Still clinging to the teeth fragments, Starlight growled, “They could be anywhere. I could try to use a Locate and Scrying spell, but there is too much interference due to the magical residue from the portal. It could take hours if not days to get a fix on their location.”
Keldeo’s ears perked up on that. “Would it help if you gained a boost to your spell?”
Starlight raised an eyebrow. “I suppose, but I don’t think Ocellus has enough magic to increase the spell’s power.”
“Oh don’t worry, I can help with that.”
“Wait, what do you mean by-”
Normal Type: Helping Hand. Putting a hoof on her shoulder, a blue aura glowed around Keldeo and enveloped around Starlight. Before she could process the overwhelming power she felt surrounding her, the Pokemon spoke.
“Will this be enough?”
Starlight grinned. “You are full of surprises, Keldeo. Now I can’t wait to show you off to Twilight.” She closed her eyes and cast the spell.
“D-d-die?”
Sandbar’s blood ran cold as he noticed the large Canine reach for his sword.
“Yes, sorry but that’s the way of the game, boy,” Big Boss shrugged. “You have this whole “Best Friend” motif going for you, which in stories like these serves as the sacrifice to motivate our hero to avenge them. Or this case, you.” He drew his sword out, much to the horror of the three students. “Nothing personal, boy, but the story needs progression,” he shook his head in disappointment, “Which is a pity considering you actually have quite the promising character.” With that, he raised his blade, preparing to thrust it down at the pony.
“PLEASE NOOOO!!!”
Gallus and Silverstream flew in front of Sandbar, serving as a shield between him and the sword. Sandbar for his part curled in defence, not before realising what his two friends did.
“Please don’t kill him,” tears trickled from Gallus’ face as he begged desperately to the dog, “He’s one of the only friends I have in this world! Please, I beg you, don’t kill him! I’ll do anything you ask. ANYTHING! I’ll play your sick twisted game, just don’t kill him!!”
The three of them huddled to embrace each other, sobbing profusely on the floor.
“Oh, this is too good! THIS IS TOO GOOD!!” Big Boss groaned with irritation and excitement, “On one paw, this just makes it all the more better to kill him for such a tragedy! But on the other paw, he… he…” He stopped to snap his fingers, thinking of a line to say.
“He gave you an offer you can’t refuse?” suggested one of the Dogs whose name tag says, “Bob”.
“I was just about to say that!” he snarled as he grabbed one of the files and tossed it at Bob.
“Sorry Boss,” Bob flatly apologised.
“Bah, no matter!” He waved a paw in dismissal before turning to Gallus, “Very well, boy. You shall be my hero for this story! You and your pony friend here will be sent back to the cages where I shall expect you to start an uprising against me. I shall wait here with your lady friend as your reward if you succeed. I’ll give you… six hours to reach my FOB. Until then, I’ll expect a worthy fight and shall watch you from my crystal ball.” He pointed to the object in question, sitting on the table. “Satisfy my story and I swear by the Great Game your friends will not be killed. I’ll even release all of you if you thoroughly impressed me. The Hero must live to fight another day after all.”
“And if we don’t?” Gallus squeaked.
Big Boss grinned menacingly, “Then I’ll slaughter your friend and your lovely maiden right in front of you, ransom be damned.”
“It can’t be…”
All eyes gazed in horror at the magical bubble. The scrying spell revealed the three students threatened by a large dog attempting to bargain for their lives.
“Those caves,” Starlight finally managed to say, “That’s underneath Canterlot; the capital.”
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Ohh wow Starlight has that ability from Spike fire breath that'd be a good way for other unicorns to learn how to send messages
I'm actually surprised that Keldeo what is a cell phone is especially his location where technology doesn't really reach but then again if anybody watch the movie if this is the same Pokemon he probably did see a little glimpse of Technologies when Ash and the others took him to the Pokemon Center
What a sadistic creature he is
Oh shoot she lost her mother when did that happen poor girl
11352017
That was metaphorical.
Oh heck no if he ever touch one little hair of any of those kids I swear I will end his story 😡
11352018
Ohhh ok 😅
Keldeo gave a snort as he smirked confidently. “No need to thank me. Besides, what kind of a friend would I be if I won’t help my saviours? It’s nothing short of dishonourable.”
Huh, why did it feel natural for me to say that?
Well if I remember exactly back from the Pokemon mysterious dungeon Gates Infinity despite he has emotional changes he does come out very confidence when when it comes to his friends and protecting them if anybody plays that game you know what I mean
Gasp is that Hilda from pokemon black and white
Pretty cool chapter! Not to doubt you, though, but I do want to say I hope Keldeo remembers why exactly his trainer taught him Foresight in the future. Otherwise, to me at least, it might just seem too convenient for him to have the exact move needed for that situation.
Aww yona she really likes Sandbar so much 🥰
That move is actually pretty helpful when it comes to double battle
“Please don’t kill him,” tears trickled from Gallus’ face as he begged desperately to the dog, “He’s one of the only friends I have in this world! Please, I beg you, don’t kill him! I’ll do anything you ask. ANYTHING! I’ll play your sick twisted game, just don’t kill him!!”
The three of them huddled to embrace each other, sobbing profusely on the floor.
That actually bought me to tears because Gallus won't let anything happen to his friends if it means to play the sick game of those villains playing at
Oh I do love me some literary nods. That whole little bit was just... *chef kiss*.
This story reminds me of my favorite series of books, the How To Train Your Dragon ones. There was a tonal shift towards the end of the books that brought some very dark and heavy repercussions to the story, but served to augment everything it had been building up until that point. Even the with the gruesome previous chapter, it feels like the motivation and events in this chapter is not a far-stone's away from what COULD happen in the normal events of the show.
I might have to open up a thesaurus to look up synonyms for saying "great" at this rate.
Oh my gosh this is really a dangerous situation here so it looks like Starlight sent out a message to Twilight what is the situation and even told about Keldeo well this is what's happening talking about the situation Ocellus was worried about Gallus Sandbar and Silverstream and they haven't returned yet and that really worries her which made smolder also worried as well and she told Starlight about her friends and starlight was worried as well and given out a search party to find those three including the guards and it looks like Keldeo offer to help which that makes it more awesome to have meanwhile in the underground of Canterlot that's where the location is Gallus and the others follow through the cave without any incident after what they just saw to Rover and they don't want to share the same Faith as him but once they got there they saw the big boss apparently he wanted to talk with them not only that he even knows the information about those three kids but why is he doing this apparently he wants to make a story about heroes defeating a villain which that's pretty random but I guess that's what any sadistic villains would love to have and just basically towing with innocence ponies and creatures just to play his game and apparently he's a different type of Diamond dog or whatever he is but they unthinkable was going to happen the big boss was about to kill off Sandbar since he doesn't think he has the potential as a character which that's a bunch of bologna sandwich he was about to go for the kill but Gallus and silverstream blocked him and defending sandbar he even begs him that he will play his sadistic game if it means to keep his friends alive which the big boss accepted it and now he's going to kidnap silver stream and Sandbar and Gallus had to figure out how to save her and the rest of the captured ponies and creatures meanwhile Starlight and the others finally made it to the area where the portal supposed to be but it was empty and there was no Pony and creatures around here but Keldeo use one of his ability foresight to see what happened to them he even explained about the struggle the fighting and everything that Gallus Sandbar and silverstream have to go through including the Royal Guards and whoever those creatures are they kidnap them that's for sure now they have to figure out the location which Starlight doesn't think she has enough power but Keldeo use another ability called Helping Hands to enhance her magic ability so she used her tracking spell and what terrifies her and the others they know where they are the only question is how they going to save them and what kind of those creatures are and why big boss is doing this whole thing I guess we'll find out next time
To the big boss
Foresight? *quickly searches Bulbapedia for the learnset of Foresight* No way... Keldeo shouldn't be able to know that move by any means, yet he was still able to use it by the power of plot armor!
Also, why does the Big Boss's "Great Game" remind me of the short story The Most Dangerous Game?
11352118
Yeah, I realised that. Which was why there was that small flashback with a trainer.
11352118
It's called... Freedom to do what you want, it's your story!
Sometimes we just have to take some civil liberties to make the narrative continue. Take the anime, movies, and manga for example, they're always pulling some assbackwards plot points/devices to make the story work. In fact, so much so that a lot of special moves and abilities had to be retrofitted into the games as Event pokemon in order to justify some of those pulls!
The most famous example being Surf/Fly Pikachu. The way I choose to see it? Equestrian magic being compatible with him is unlocking a universal moveset otherwise not available to Keldeo.
W O W is this "Big Boss" such a hatesink
i'm sorely tempted to stop reading because of him
11352325
A story is only as good as its villain, or so some say. Let him illicit the feeling of spite in you! As you continue to read just to see how the dastard is felled.
This just keeps getting juicier and juicier! Nice!
11352325
Does that mean I did a good job that I made him so hateable?
I was wrong. Big Boss isn’t Wesker; he’s f***ing Handsome Jack!
SOMEBODY GET THE POLICE TO HOLD ME, 'CAUSE I'M ABOUT TO PUT THIS DOG DOWN, AND IT WON'T BE CLEAN!
11398886
same.
*casually takes out panzerfaust and aims it with malicious intent.*
This kind of villain...
Is a very dangerous one.
His objective to make an everlasting story, and the means to achieve it, even if he wins or not, if he lives or dies...
It's the kind of enemy you don't want, because it will not hesitate to hurt you where it hurts the most.
So, Foresight? It's not a move Keldeo can know. Did a search. Maybe I missed something?
11462656
Creative Liberties to progress the plot (I'll try to keep it down to a minimum).