My Little Pony: When Friendship Shimmers - Reboot

by RobtheMorpherPony

Season 5: Episode 14 - Shadows

Author's Note:

Just a post-christmas "episode" for everyone to enjoy. I know holidays are still happening in certain cultures, which is why this is the only other story update that's going to happen this year. This will be my last story update of 2023. Enjoy the chapter everyone, and have a great rest of 2023.

Sunset would mention something she had learned about from the alternate timeline Marina had created.

"Giving love instead of taking it?" Chrysalis was confused by the revelation.

"I know it probably sounds really crazy, but the you I met in that alternate timeline explained it fairly well." Sunset said.

"What I'm more concerned with, is how preventing Marina's interruption of the Sonic Rainboom still resulted in the same exact future. The odds of that occurring should be zero when one event that caused the war to happen was not present. The theory of the time space continuum says that you should've experienced a different timeline." Celestia said.

"But that's all it is: A theory. Not actual fact." A gruff male voice said.

"...Okay Rainbow Dash, first off, what do you know about the time space continuum?" Sunset asked. "And second off...how did you disguise your voice so well?"

"Uh...Sunset...that's not Rainbow Dash..." Starlight said.

Confused, Sunset looked to where every pony else in the room was looking, only to see what she recognized as a Victini...only it's colors were not the standard ones, or even the shiny ones.

What's more, this Victini had on some kind of cape. But before Sunset could ask who this was, Raiden suddenly lept at the strange purple Victini. "It's a Shadow Pokemon; I'll handle this!" Raiden said.

He was stopped by what was obviously psychic power. "Please. If I was going to go crazy and start attacking randomly, I'd have already done so, yes?" The purple Victini asked.

"...That...is a really fair point." Lightning said. "How are you able to--"

"I'm no ordinary Shadow Pokemon. The ones you probably know of aren't natural like I am." The Shadow Victini said.

"There's such a thing as a natural Shadow Pokemon?" Raiden asked.

"You should know better then to ignore the evidence that's staring you in the face." The Shadow Victini said.

"...Okay, so...you still have wraithful attributes...but you have an easier time keeping them in check..." Lightning said, genuially surpised.

"Am I the only one that's having a hard time following along here? Because what's a Shadow Pokemon? Nothing in the book on humans explained Shadow Pokemon." Twilight said.

"For good reason, actually: Shadow Pokemon were a product of a criminal organization known as Cipher which operated in what used to be called the Orre Region. This criminal organization once worked with a second group known as Team Snaggum. Team Snaggum would go around using these devices they called 'Snag Machines' which allowed them to steal Pokemon from their trainers." Lightning said.

"A device allowed for such a thing to occur? How facinating. But then, how does Cipher fit in to that?" Twilight asked.

"Because Cipher would then take the Pokemon Team Snaggum stole, and artificially close their hearts off, turning the Pokemon into fighting machines that weren't afraid to attack humans." Raiden said.

"So, is that the incident where Arceus said 'enough is enough' and killed off humans?" Celestia asked. "Because such weapons of destruction would've warrented such rash action."

"Actually, before Cipher could realize their goal any further, a Team Snaggum member called Wes betrayed Team Snaggum, took a portable version of the Snag Machine, and then with the help of a girl called Rui who had the unnatural ability to see Shadow Pokemon, Wes set out to foil Cipher's plans to make a Shadow Pokemon army." Lightning said.

"That's not the end of that story. During a five year period, a Pokemon Professor called Professor Krane worried that someone would pick up where Cipher left off, and so, began development on a new snag machine for if and when someone would make Shadow Pokemon again." The Shadow Victini said.

"His fears were founded when after a five year absence in Orre, Cipher returned, only this time, they did were not backing Team Snaggum. They did however, did not seem to have gone the five year gap without trying to make Shadow Pokemon even more dangerous as they had successfully captured a Lugia and not only did they make it a Shadow Pokemon, but they went one step further: They made it resistant to the methods that were done to purify Shadow Pokemon five years prior." Raiden said.

"Professor Krane wanted a method to purify as many Shadow Pokemon as possible, so during that same five year gap, he was developing a new method called the Purification Chamber. During Cipher's comeback, Professor Krane's team was able to finish the Purification Chamber which ended up becoming the key to purifing the Shadow Lugia. Since the original methods of purifying Shadow Pokemon did not work on the Shadow Lugia, the Purification Chamber's functions ended up being the key to purify Shadow Lugia. As such, thanks to Professor Krane, a Shadow Pokemon that was thought to be unable to be purified ended up being able to be purified." Lightning said. "It was thanks to the son of a man Proffessor Krane worked with the son's name being Michalle that Cipher's new Shadow Pokemon Plan was put on hold."

"The color scheme I'm sporting? It's the same the Shadow Lugia adopted. But unlike those Cipher created, I'm much more in control." The Shadow Victini said. "As for my name, it's Shallor; I am the Shadow Lord."

"...Uh...you wouldn't happen to have any relation to Nozrog would you?" Sunset asked.

Suddenly, in the blink of an eye, Sunset was held by the gruff of her neck. "You've seen Nozrog? Where?!" Shallor suddenly asked.

"He was in Ponyville a few weeks ago, but he's vanished and has been apperently laying low ever since." Twilight said.

"...I see. Then consider yourselves having a new ally." Shallor said. "I still have a bone to pick with Nozrog from when he managed to take a hold of my mind."

"...Noted..." Twilight said.

"And, as your ally, I'm going to give you quite a bit of training. But I'll just be upfront about this: My training methods will seem like the Fire Pits in comparison to whatever you've been through so far." Shallor said.

"Fire...pits?" Raiden asked. "Don't most Pokemon mention the Distortion World?"

"The Distortion World has got nothing on the Fire Pits." Shallor said.

"...Suddenly I'm scared." Sunset said. "But we'll need the extra training."

"Good answer." Shallor said.

Comments

[Comickook]

REALLY appreciated the work going into this chapter. The exchanges, characterizations and future chapter set-up are all very well done. Most definitely liked the discussion with Chrysalis concerning sharing love as well as Sunset's reflection on her time travel adventure and the bits of backstory concerning the Shadow Pokemon.

Quite assuredly looking forward to more of this.

Hope you and your family and friends had Happy Holidays and I'm wishing you the best possible New Year as well.