My Little Pokémon: Grander World

by Amarvax

Equestria vs Magehold

Equestria. Manehattan. Day.

Manehattan had been evacuated. Completely vacant and devoid of any of its usual life. Thanks to Princess Celestia's warning, the citizens of Manehattan were safe, away from the Dread League. However, that didn't mean the Dread League weren't looking out for them. Even with the Sun up, dark shadows would form above, hiding parts of the Star in the Sky.

The shelter in question was right below the new Battle Frontier. It wasn't just for show but also a way to protect others. Deep underneath the Frontier, there was a massive room that was lavishly decorated. There was also food and water that could be found here, giving them the chance to live healthily while the Black Crusade went on.

But even when down here, they could hear the ruckus above. And there was already something happening while the citizens were all hiding underground. Celestia's forces were already in Manehattan, confronting the Dread League.

"Golurk!" The Golurk unified their strengths, holding up large pillars that had light within them. These tall pillars were slammed into the ground, lighting up Manehattan. However, Manehattan was already lit up even with the citizens hiding. The citizens helped out in their own way by leaving the lights on in this city, forcing the vampires to be highly careful.

The Golurk slugged as many Despair Plants as they could, not afraid to get up close and personal. They used their brute strength to try and hold them back while also turning intangible in some instances. But they didn't have the means to put them down, unfortunately, and the Despair Plants would hit back hard as well.

Speaking of the vampires, they already sicked Despair Plants onto the city before anything else. The Despair Plants entered battle with the Golurk while the trainers stayed back. That was the best they could do when confronting Despair Plants but they could also still put in some work. Not just by battling alongside the Golurk but by stacking up on the pillars.

The Canterlot Troops had more pillars to go that were filled with light as they were being carried by none other than the Grand Equestria which was on the seas near Manehattan. They had a plethora of these Light Pillars which were transparent, allowing the light to easily travel through.

These pillars were stacking up here at Manehattan, keeping the vampires back but doing nothing to the Despair Plants. The light they possessed just wasn't enough to defeat them. But even without the greatest form of Light possible, the Golurk were still powerful enough to hold their own against these fierce creatures from Magehold.

And while doing this, they recalled the words Princess Celestia said to them which led to her forces even pulling this off among many other things that involved stopping the Black Crusade. It was right when Celestia caught news of the crusade.

"I'll imbue these transparent pillars with my own magic. It will give out plenty of light for the vampires but perhaps not the Despair Plants. But to compensate for that, many of the items from the Canterlot Underground Chamber could be useful. Use these pillars to hold back the vampires and at best, trap or restrain the Despair Plants. And tell everypony to keep their lights on. Las Pegasus will have to use every ounce of its energy for this."

"How exactly are we going to trap them though?" A troop wondered, seeing no way of trapping these massive creatures.

"Not sure..." Another pony replied, unsure of how to deal with the Despair Plant. They had to think fast as the Golurk could not keep this up forever. For now, all they could do was keep the pillars coming and have the Golurk fend off the Despair Plants. They had to find a way to subdue the Despair Plants before they gain the upper hand.

---

Las Pegasus.

Just as Celestia ordered, Las Pegaus had used plenty of energy. Plenty of it. So much that it was practically all of it. It was certainly one of the brightest places in Equestria and now with the Black Crusade in full swing, all the fabulous and dazzling lights could shine to their full potential, fending off the vampires. However, the vampires expected this. Las Pegasus' lights weren't exactly hard to ignore or even acknowledge.

The workers here at Las Pegasus were also hidden along with those who only came here to enjoy themselves, however, not all of them managed to get away. Some were still out in the open and had only recently spotted the Dread League arriving.

"Come on...!" This was mainly due to the addictive nature of Las Pegasus' games and how there were many rewards waiting for them. Some of them who were glued to the casino games hadn't even noticed the Dread League, too dedicated to gaining their reward.

Even the vampires forcing themselves indoors with brute force did nothing to stave them away from their goal. A Golurk crashed through the walls and there weren't any reactions either. Celestia's forces were putting their heart and soul into trying to stop these vampires, knowing they couldn't get too close to them and kept their distance constantly.

Along with that, they shined as much light as they could at these vampiric foes, using Celestia's magic once more. It wasn't just transparent pillars that Celestia gave them but other objects they could use. Celestia had imbued her magic onto their weapons, making sure that the vampires were careful in approaching them. But it was already hard for them since Las Pegasus had been lit up.

However, the dark clouds above were slowly approaching, blocking some of the Sun's light and only sending rays out. But that didn't help with Las Pegasus' vibrancy. So, as a response, they would do what Celestia's Forces did and keep their distance while attacking. And they had the means to do that and then some.

Dark Magic was thrown from afar, reaching Las Pegasus and giving the vampires the opportunity to strike. This was obviously met with the Golurk protecting their trainers, intercepting and blocking the Dark Magic. Hyper Beams, SHadow Balls, Thunderbolts and other attacks were thrown out at the Dark Magic while some of the Golurk would be on the defensive side. All the while, Las Pegasus was taking constant damage from this brawl.

Some of the lights were starting to go out thanks to this fierce confrontation and Celestia's forces certainly couldn't afford to let that happen. Not when this was a splendid advantage for them.

---

Kalos.

All of this was happening across different parts of the world and was starting to spread out as the vampires made appearances, already stationed at certain cities, towns and regions. And a region that suffered the most so far and was the first victim was Kalos. The damage Opal Vivacity and her group did to the Kalos Region left scars across the world, levelling many areas and ruining the homes of their respective residents.

And there was no better example than Anistar City and its surroundings. Speaking of Anistar, far away from it, there was a heap of rubble that was resting next to a ruined forest that brought about a terrible dark smoke which polluted the air. And in that rubble was none other than Princess Luna.

She valiantly fought to try and protect Anistar City and those near it. Alas, the city had been totalled with the only piece of hope being the fact that its residents were already hidden a while back thanks to Olympia's foresight. But that was hard to confirm thanks to how destructive this attack was. Anistar had been lost, tainted by the Black Crusade.

And as for Luna, while laying there, next to her was Zekrom's Dark Stone. It was difficult to see Zekrom's stone due to how much destruction was all over the place. It was bleak in all the worst ways possible.

However, despite this massive destruction, Luna was alive. Horribly injured but alive. The proof of this was Nightmare Moon still being around. And also the fact that she made some noise. A weak and sad whimper came from Luna in her devastated state. It was so weak that the sound of the dark smoke even overpowered it.

Luna's body could barely move the rubble even a little bit as she was as stiff as a statue. This meant that she couldn't see around her. All she could see was Anistar City in the distance, no longer its beautiful self. Luna wasn't sure if she did a good job protecting those nearby it. She wasn't even able to comprehend everything right now as her head felt like it was splitting.

Her eyes then turned to face Zekrom's Dark Stone which was right in front of her. Her voice weakly cried out to Zekrom, hoping that she could speak with him right now. "Zekrom...?"

But there wasn't a response. She wasn't sure if it was the lack of power in her voice or if Zekrom was unable to respond, completely out of it as well. Luna wanted to recover. But it seemed impossible. Massive rubble held her down, only further harming her already damaged body. She couldn't see anyone else or hear anyone else, feeling completely alone.

At least, she couldn't hear and see anyone the moment her eyes opened. They didn't even open that much, only going halfway. But that was enough for Luna to see someone but not before first hearing footsteps. These footsteps approached the damaged Princess Luna, before showing her a leg.

A human leg. Three more legs appeared in front of Luna as she couldn't make them out at all in her current state. Luna also couldn't keep her strength out at all, passing out once more, unable to know what was about to happen with the entities that have appeared before her.

---

"Ugh..." That is until she woke up at last. Mainly because that splitting pain on her body was no longer being punished by the rubble. Luna could open her eyes once more, but they still went halfway. When opening them, the scenery changed completely. She was in a place that appeared brighter this time. Colourful and rather inviting. Even the atmosphere was inviting. This was rather soothing to Luna compared to what she was surrounded by earlier.

"You're finally awake, Princess Luna. How are you feeling?" A voice questioned. And that voice was very familiar to Luna's ears. By looking to her side, she saw a face as her vision was starting to heal. And the one standing in front of her was none other than Aria Blaze. One of the Sirens.

"You...You're Aria Blaze?" Luna spoke.

"Don't forget me~" And showing up as well, right next to Aria was her sister Sonata Dusk, the other siren and member of the Dazzlings. Luna now saw two familiar faces standing before her. And there was now a third that soon appeared.

"Give her some space, why don't you? She hasn't recovered yet." The third was the big sister of the group and the leader, Adagio Dazzle. All of them were present here and it has certainly been a while.

"The Sirens...I haven't seen you in a long time now..." Luna groaned while speaking. Indeed, the Sirens were gone from Equestria for a while now and thanks to the two worlds merging to form one world, the gateways were inaccessible to them, essentially stranding them without a gateway to rely on for Fast Travel.

"We sang a Healing Spell on you, so you should recover eventually. But these injuries you have are very much serious." And there was a fourth. Not a member of the Dazzlings but also a Siren. And even more than that. She was their mother. VIvace. Now that all four of them were here, Luna saw where she was at the moment.

She was in a Van that was illegally owned by the Dazzlings but by now, that issue has been tossed out of the window. Luna doesn't even know and she wouldn't even care in this instance. Luna sat up as she felt parts of her body healing up. She did not hear the song that the Sirens sang to her but considering it was starting to heal her, Luna could bet it was beautiful.

"Anistar...Everyone!" Luna then had the strength to shout, recalling what happened earlier as not a single moment of that event left her memory. How could it? She started looking around for Zekrom's Dark Stone. Lo and behold, it was within her sights, resting on the table of this Van that essentially became a new home for the Sirens.

"Safe and sound. We brought it along once we heard a voice coming from it." Sonata approached the Dark Stone, patting on it. Right as she touched it, she received a light shock of lightning that frizzed her mane. "Oooh!"

"That was obviously Zekrom's voice we heard. But what's it doing as a stone?" Aria asked Luna. "And what happened back at Anistar City?"

"Isn't it obvious? The Dread League happened." Adagio answered as she was already spot-on. "They've started their Black Crusade and it doesn't matter what they do, they'll cause destruction in some way."

"Is everyone alright?! What about Olympia and her students?! And the people at Anistar City!" Luna wanted to know about everyone else and their condition. She would even try and go as far as to mention those near Anistar City that lost their home to the beam.

"Look at where we at. That'll answer your question." Vivace nudged her head to the window, referring to the outside. With just a simple turn, Luna saw that she wasn't just in a van, but the van was parked somewhere.

An airport. Luna found herself parked in a Kalos Airport which was currently full of life. At least, in the physical sense. Metaphorically, life here was rather damaged. The students of Olympia were seen here but they were all unconscious, currently lying on the floor with blankets over them. And tending to the Psychic Students and their Pokemon were Nurse Joys, Healing Pokemon and some doctors.

Not just them, but other people and Pokemon were being taken care of as there was a huge influx of doctors and Nurse Joys, many of them came from different towns and cities across the Kalos Region. The airport was packed but not in the sense that anyone was trying to get somewhere.

"They all came here, horribly injured. The doctors and all those Joys said that something came crashing in at a great distance. But somehow, the worst they received was heavy damage. Something ended up saving them from perishing like the environment around them." Vivace explained.

"Yeah, that's weird. And we saw it from far away too. All that destruction and this is all they got." Sonata scratched her hair, trying to wrap her head around it. "I still don't know what saved them from all of that. It was huge too."

"What we saw was a flash of light that managed to pierce through the darkness. It was faint but it was there, reaching high into the clouds." Adagio added.

"That was me..." It took Luna a few seconds to realize that she was the reason why they were all still alive. It was her magic that was responsible for it. She remembered how she used the full force of her magic to try and defend everyone near Anistar City. All she could remember was everything going black as the beam consumed her but she was certain her magic did go off. Sonata's words even helped back that up.

"That only makes sense. Only an Alicorn could pull that off. But what kind of power were the Dread League using that forced you to use all that you had?" Vivace asked. "I mean, look at your horn."

Luna hadn't noticed it yet but her horn took some damage too. It was now chipped. A piece of it was missing as a gigantic amount of magic came from it.

"I don't see Olympia...where is she?" Luna then left the van, searching for Olympia. She already saw her students but where was the teacher? Olympia usually stuck out thanks to her cape, but longer was it out there. Not since Opal took it. Luna moved past the many injured humans and Pokemon that suffered from that beam. Whether they were from the wild or the cities and towns nearby, they all lost their homes and were only safe because of Luna.

That's when she saw her. Olympia. Much like her students and everyone else here, the beam took a toll on her body. So much so that she had black scars all over her face. Her clothes were ruined and her beautiful galaxy cape was nowhere to be found. But much like everyone else here, she was alive but not well.

Luna slowed down, looking over the harmed Gym Leader. A part of her was greatly relieved that Olympia made it. Luna's all-out spell didn't go to waste. But while she saved their lives, the injuries were staggering. Olympia was currently unconscious, unable to see or sense Luna at all. She needed the rest. All of them. But Luna was in the mood for resting. Not at all.

"I have to go after them." The Princess of the Night was steadfast in her goal. She would not rest until the Dread League was stopped for good.

"Already?" The Dazzlings approached her with Adagio speaking. "Are you sure about that? Our spell hasn't fully healed you yet and you want to head there again?"

"I must. Otherwise, more will certainly perish and I won't be there to stop them. I don't know how far they've gotten at all but I have to go." Luna said. "Wherever they are, they still have to be in Kalos, searching for Xerneas."

"Not right now they're not." Someone replied to Luna. And this time, it wasn't one of the sirens. Instead, it ended up being a Pokemon Ranger. Present here at the Kalos Airport as well and in a much healthier state than everyone else was the Ranger Union. They already had an encounter with Opal's group but turned out fine.

At least, most of them did. Some of them had been swallowed up by the Pony of Shadows, becoming Shadow Servants, unfortunately. The ones who avoided that showed up here at the airport.

"Pokemon Rangers? The Ranger Union?" said Luna.

"Sorry, Princess Luna, but they aren't in Kalos anymore. Not after they combusted and returned to Magehold. We tried going after them but...that didn't pan out the way we wanted." A ranger apologized. "Your sister, Princess Celestia, informed us right away and it's a good thing our Union has facilities all over the world. Minus Equestria, of course. And some other places I guess..."

"They left for Magehold? I thought they were going after Xerneas though. Did they find Xerneas?!"

"No. Opal expressed how she was going to try and find Xerneas even after leaving Kalos. So, she's probably gonna show up again."

"And when she does, she'll try that rotten tactic again...all just to force Xerneas out," Luna growled her teeth, disgusted by Opal's vile action and how it affected everyone. She wishes she could find Opal as soon as possible but knowing Opal that wouldn't be easy.

"But you know...if she does it again...or multiple times, she could end up summoning someone else instead of Xerneas." One of the Rangers said something rather cryptic that got the attention of Luna and the Sirens.

"Who? Are you talking about Arceus?" Aria asked, going to Arceus first. That was a reasonable answer considering what the Black Crusade stands for her.

"Zygarde."

"Zygarde?" Luna and the Sirens collectively spoke. At this moment, they learned the name of another Pokemon of Kalos. It wasn't just Xerneas and Yveltal that were important figures here. There was another.

---

Equestria. Magehold Chamber.

"What the hay is this?!" Meanwhile, back at the Magehold Chamber, Applejack and PInkie Pie came across four surprising objects that stood before them. The Necropillars. Tall pillars with skulls at the very top, giving off a foreboding presence just looking at it. It was so ominous that it made Applejack and Pinkie stop in their tracks entirely.

"No clue...But it's giving me crazy goosebumps!" Pinkie Pie shuddered. Her body felt cold when looking at it. None of them could make out why this was the case when. What made these four pillars to uncomfortable to be around compared to everything else here in Magehold? "Do you think Fluttershy's been around here?"

"Hopefully not." Applejack held onto her hat. "I just wanna get away from these things as soon as possible. It feels like they're sapping something away from me..."

"Ah. That proves they work even when they haven't been activated." Just then, a voice spoke to them, coming from above. Their eyes and heads quickly went up to find the source of this voice. They expected it to be a vampire and there was no surprise there when they saw who was right above them.

Specifically, it was a bat. A bat hung from the top of this cave-like part of the chamber, much like how ordinary bats would. The bat blended in with the darkness around her as only its eyes would glow once they opened. But, it wasn't just one bat, but two of them. Another pair of glowing eyes peered through the darkness, revealing a second bat.

Both of them would drop into the scene, spreading out their wings and quickly undergoing a transformation. The transformation took them out of their bat forms and brought out their true forms. Their vampire forms. And one of them was very familiar.

One of them was Shrivel. She made an appearance once more, showing up a second time. And as for the second vampire, she showed herself as well. It was another familiar face. But not familiar to Applejack and PInkie Pie. It turned out to be none other than Sweet Fang.

"Shrivel!" Applejack called out her name, only focusing on Shrivel.

"They already showed up here so soon? Lucky..." Sweet Fang scoffed.

"It's fine. They still won't reach their friends." Shrivel smirked, knowing exactly where Fluttershy, Cadence and Flurry Heart were since she and Sweet Fangs were the ones to take their tubes away.

"You're gonna tell us where they are right now! We beat you once and we'll do it again!" Applejack declared.

"Perhaps out of my home turf! But now that we're on my home turf, it's clear that things will be greatly different. You honestly should've just let us come to you instead of coming to us." Shrivel replied. "You have no idea how bad things are going to get for you, especially since the Sun doesn't shine here."

"Slurpuff...!" Slurpuff's nose wobbled for a moment, picking up on those three familiar scents once more.

"Slurpuff can sense them. That means they're close. And wherever we are will get us there!" Pinkie excitedly said, eager to reach the three of them as soon as possible.

"Are you so sure about that?" Shrivel suddenly backed away, letting Sweet Fang stand in the front. When backing up, she would approach one of the Necropillars, continuing her speech. "That feeling you got...the Necropillars are to thank for that. The fact that you were stunned by their appearance and received a feeling proves that they work well, sapping away at you."

"What are you on about?" Applejack questioned.

"Let's see your Slurpuff sniff them out...when your magic is shut down!" Suddenly, Shrivel would smash her hoof onto the Necropillar, sending Dark Magic through it. She used this opportunity to activate them at last, focusing the pillar on her targets first.

The pillars would suddenly let out a fierce wave of Dark Magic that would fly out. Sweet Fang casually stood there as the wave phased through her body, doing nothing to her. The Controlling Vampire was completely fine. But Applejack and Pinkie Pie could tell that they might not be fine. They didn't have room to escape from this attack at all as the wave went through them as well.

That horrible feeling that they got when entering here returned but stronger than before. The wave did not blow them away. It did not have a destructive effect. Instead, it did something else. It made them both drop to the floor, feeling weak and colder. That sapping feeling Applejack referred to was stronger than before.

"Ooh...What's up with this...?" Applejack groaned, trying to stand up straight as she was essentially kneeling. The usual strength she had in her hooves were gone. The Earth Pony strength she always possessed was non-existent within her as she would slip on her hooves, falling on her face.

"I feel woozy...So woozy..." Pinkie Pie's body wobbled as she struggled to keep her balance, ready to fall on her back.

"That Sapping Feeling was your magic being taken away from you! The Necropillars were built to completely shut down your magic! But not ours. Our Curse Magic remains while you all lose the magic within you, whatever it may be!"

"I-Is that what that is?!" A weakened Applejack stammered. "Cheap trick, ya slimy vampires!"

"And using light against us isn't?!" Sweet Fang shrugged, giving a quick response to Applejack's insult.

"It'll be bigger than this! All the Necropillars will be used to shut down magic across Equestria and beyond once they're ready! The only ones with power here will be us!" Shrivel was back to her usual cackling, using every opportunity she could to feel superior. "And since I've activated these ones, the energy they send out should reach the rest of your meddlesome friends upstairs! They'll all feel a shutdown once the waves get far enough!"

"Mew...Mew!" However, there was something off. Mew was completely fine. And so was Slurpuff. Both of them were still themselves, crying out as loud as they can, startling the two vampires.

"What the?! Why aren't they affected?!" Sweet Fang was confounded. These two Pokemon were looking like their ordinary self, not showing signs of losing their strength.

"That's impossible!" Shrivel shouted. "That should have shut down their magic entirely! They should be powerless right now!"

"J-Jokes on you...They don't play by our rules...They never came from Equestria in the first place..." Applejack laughed, glad that the Pokemon had their own rules that made them truly special. "Ya can't just shut down a Pokemon."

"But it should be all magic aside from ours that is ineffective. I thought Pokemon were also known as Magical Creatures!" Shrivel slammed her hoof on the ground, annoyed that the Necropillars failed in one aspect.

"Must be the Infinity Energy." Pinkie Pie squeed while appearing weak. "As long as we have our Pokemon by our sides, everything's gonna be just fine."

"Yeah...And we can still help 'em out even without magic. We don't need our magic to beat you." Applejack stood up, revealing a Poke Ball in her hoof. She would drop this Poke Ball, revealing the Pokemon inside. Delta Riolu had returned once more.

"Riolu!"

"Hmph. No matter. We have the other Necropillars that we can count on. And since these ones weakened you and shut down your magic...The rest of them that we've created will take care of everything else. Not before we take care of you first. I may have captured Fluttershy but I still want some catharsis by exacting my full revenge on you!" Shrivel spread her wings out, ready to try and snuff out Applejack's group.

"Not if we destroy them first." Applejack adjusted her hat, ready to thrash those pillars and the ones residing elsewhere in the chamber. It was yet another confrontation here at Magehold, this time at the deeper parts of the chamber. The Necropillars failed to stop the Pokemon but now Applejack and Pinkie Pie knew what they could do to those possessing Equestrian Magic.

The threat of everypony losing their magic was terrifying, considering some of them were alicorns. That couldn't happen since an alicorn used everything she had to save so many lives. The rescue mission and the plan to stop the Black Crusade was heating up as the journey continues.

Chapter 167 End.

Comments

[ArcticAce01]

Nice to see the Dazzling again, though wish it was during better circumstances. At least they are able to heal Luna and get Zekrom to. Opal really did a good number on a lot of people

But now, they learn about Zygarde and hopefully when he comes things will be better for are heroes… unless the Dread League has something else that could harm him