An approved expansion of A New World, A New Way. When Arceus was freed from his prison he chose to abandon Earth and take his pokemon and a few chosen Humans with him. Allen a trainer from Unova was one who was lucky enough to be chosen.
Allen was a skilled Pokemon Trainer who who had traveled much of the world, wanting to see it's wonders and maybe one day find a place to call home. But then, Arceus was freed from his prison and Allen was swept away to a strange new world.
Now Allen has to find his team to be sure their safe and discover what in the world has happened to the Human Race.
"Well here we are, Celadon City." Allen smiled and looked over to the Typhlosion standing next to him. Normally it would walk on all fours, which was far easier, but at the moment it looked up at the ornate sign that that announced their location on its hindlegs with a fearsome scowl. The air around it was beginning to shimmer and distort like asphalt on a summers day, as its body temperature sky rocketed. This was usually enough to bother most trainers, but after nearly fifteen years Allen knew exactly what was going through his partners mind.
There was a Gym in this town," Nova!"
The Volcano Pokemon started when he heard his name," Ty?" He puzzled looking over at his trainer, the shimmer in the air vanished and Allen found himself in a comfortable temperature.
With a laugh he playfully punched his longtime friends forearm," Chill! I doubt this Gym Leader is going anywhere."
Nova made a show of rolling his eyes at Allen's choice of words but took a deep breathe anyway. After a very hard earned victory in Cerulean they had chosen to take the southern road and challenge the Gym in Saffron City. After nearly a week on foot, and a few late nights thinking up strategies, they had arrived only to find that the cities Gym was closed and the Gym Leader on a quote unquote, vacation to Kalos. Odds were she was probably looking to get a hold of a mega stone for one of her Pokemon.
After a few angry words and a rant that had gotten the police called on him, Allen had decided to head for the next closest city with a gym. Now here they were, staring down at the picturesque city with grins and fire already bringing their blood to a boil. There was no such thing as a easy gym battle but, it was no secret that the Celadon Gym was all about nature and Grass-Types.
"Alrighty then!" Allen said rubbing his hands together," I say we hit the Pokemon Center and get some grub. Then then we go over the plan and hit the Gym. Sound good Nova?"
As if on cue the fire types stomach roared its agreement," Typhlo!" He eagerly agreed.
With a shared laugh they both started the short trek to the Pokemon Center, it was not hard to find by law they had to be as noticeable as possible because of the nature of the work the Center did. This one though seemed to embrace the theme of the cities Gym wholeheartedly, it was covered in climbing plants, Morning Glories, Moon Flowers, and all manner of ivies. Several different types of berry trees grew next to the Center in what must have once been a vacant lot in addition to a garden that had rows of corn, tomatoes, green beans, bright green peppers that looked extremely spicy, and row after row of lettuce.
Allen and Nova both smiled as the walked by the fenced in garden, they had seen a lot of these since coming to Kanto. The whole country seemed to be making a serious effort to be more Eco friendly, it was a movement that had been gaining popularity in resent years all over the world. It had started up after Teams Magma and Aqua had woken up two sleeping Legendaries that had erupted several volcano's and and caused dozens of tidal waves and floods the world over. The natural disasters had destroyed nearly all of the world larger farms, not to mention the loss of life, both human and Pokemon. After that a lot of governments had thought it best to encourage community and private gardens, it had been a slow idea to catch on in many of the larger cities but it really added to the areas charm.
Allen sighed happily as he stepped into the Pokemon Center and was greeted by a pleasant blast of cool air from the the Centers large AC. Spending all of ones time with a Fire-Type you tended to get used to the heat but, every now and then it was nice to cool down and relax.
The nurse behind the counter smiled up at the pair as they walked up," Welcome to the Celadon Pokemon Center. How can I help you?"
She looked exactly like every other nurse on the whole freaking continent, which could be really unnerving if you weren't used to it. Fortunately after more than a decade of travel Allen had been numbed to the strange resemblance they all shared," Afternoon ma'am. I want to get my Pokemon a checkup just to make sure everything's alright. And maybe something to eat too." As he spoke he placed the Pokeballs that contained the rest of his team into a try that the nurse had swiftly set out for him.
"Of course sir." She motioned towards a row of restaurant style tables. " If you'll wait over there? I'll have Blissey come by and take our order."
Allen nodded and made his way over to the tables,' Now lets go over this strategy one more time.'
"Sir?" The soft voice jolted Allen from his the furious scribbling in the small spiral binder, making him yelp as he looked up at the face of Nurse Joy. She smiled down at him and placed a tray with five Pokeballs in it," Your Pokemon are in fine condition."
Allen had already tuned her out as he stared at the fifth Pokeball in a state of mild shock," Nova let you put him in his Pokeball!?" From the first day he had been given Nova as a Cyndaquil he had never liked to be confined in the capsule, and in those early years had even burned a Nurse from Castelia that had tried to do just that.
Joy continued to smile sweetly," Blissey can be quite persuasive. I'm guessing you will be heading for the Gym now?"
Allen smiled and nodded," That's the plan." He began to hook his Pokeballs to his belt, as he reached the fifth ball he stood and casually tossed it into the air. " Alright Nova! Lets get going!" Crimson energy poured out of the ball before it coalesced into the familiar shape of his oldest friend, promptly fixed a hateful glare towards Nurse Joy. " Nova! Calm down!"
Allen's voice was enough to reign in the Fire-types anger and with a deep breath," Ty-phlo! Typhlosion." Nova nodded to Allen giving his trainer a clear sign that he was in control.
Allen smiled," Alrighty then. Lets hit the Gym." He looked over to apologized to Joy, it seemed however that she had realized she had just made Nova's shit list and had retreated behind the distant counter. He shot his friend one more disappointed look, to which he hung his head doing a good job of faking shameful expression. Without another word the two left the Center and made there way towards the Gym.
The signs made it easy enough to find, most cities with Gyms got a fairly steady flow of aspiring trainers who wanted to test their metal, this however, was ridiculous. The Gym was nearly another half hours walk from the Pokemon Center and was built in a secluded grove of fruit bearing trees that looked to have once been an orchard. Allen supposed that made sense, this Gym did specialized in Grass-Types, he looked up to Nova and was pleased to see the air shimmering around him again. This was a sure sign that he was ready for a the challenge," Alright Nova let's roast these marshmallows!"
"TY! PHLOSION!!!" Nova roared his agreement as the air around him combusted.
By the time they had made it through the doors, Nova had managed to contain himself though he was fidgeting in anticipation. It did not even take a full thirty seconds for someone to notice the pair. A young girl, perhaps fourteen at the most, walked into the room lovingly hugging a Skiploom and stared directly at Nova. "Are you here to challenge Miss Erika?"
Allen just nodded, not trying to be rude but Nova wasn't the only one who was all fired up," Ya which way is it?"
The girl flinched at his serious tone," I'll show you where." She looked down at the Skiploom in her arms," Dandy? Could you go get Miss Erika?"
The little Grass-type grinned and nodded, which basically moving its body in an up and motion," Loo- Loom!" It leaped out of the girls arms and drifted through another door.
"Please follow me." With out a backwards glance the girl girl lead him through a set of doors that opened up to the gym's battle field. " Please wait here for Miss Erika." She turned and quickly rushed out the door.
Nova watched her go and felt a small pang of regret. They had likely scared the poor thing," Typhlo? Sion, Typhlosion! Ty! Sion!"
While the the actual words were lost on him Allen was able to feel the weight in Novas attempt to scold him. After so many years He had learned to hear the tone in Novas voice," I know buddy. We'll both apologize after this match. Deal?"
Nova nodded his consent just as the doors at the other end of the field were pushed open. A beautiful woman in a kimono stepped towards him, her steps were slow and graceful, but at her current pace it would take all day for her just to cross the field. Deciding to help pick things up he moved to meet her half way, when they where just a few feet apart she smiled and in a sweet and pleasantly squeaky voice said," Hello there. I am Erika Leader of the Celadon City Gym. I am told you wish to challenge me."
Allen did his best to smile and seem like a pleasant human being, it didn't quite have the effect he wanted," That's right. I'm Allen Swans."
He saw Erika's smile drop and she gave him a hard look," Then let us begin this match." She spun on her around and briskly walked away, having decided to drop all pretense of grace and serenity.
" What's her problem?" Allen muttered under his breathe.
"Typhlosion" Nova gave him an 'I don't know' shrug, the two of them quickly retreated to their side of the field as a referee took her position at the edge of the field.
She took a moment to clear her throat and in a loud voice announced," This is an official Gym match! Each participant may only use three Pokemon! However only the Challenger is allowed to make substitutions!"
Erika threw her arms out," I suppose you'll be sending out your Typhlosion right away! I guess I''ll open with this!" She threw a Pokeball in an overly dramatic fashion," Go Tangrowth!" In a flash of crimson energy there stood a interwoven mess of vine-like tentacles.
The flames on Novas shoulders flared up as he stepped towards the field, only to be stopped by Allen's outstretched arms," Ty?"
Allen was not looking at Nova he was staring intently at Erika." I think I get it. Why she was so snide before." Some trainers who specialized in one particular type tended to get salty when someone got cocky because they had Type-advantage. Being a Grass trainer, Erika must of had more than a few idiots show up with a Fire-type thinking they had an easy win. " Hang back Nova. I'll need you later." He reached onto his belt and pulled off the only Duskball he had, and giving it a lazy toss," Drakarus! You're up!"
The bright energy condensed and faded to reveal a floating three headed dragon. It took one look at the Tangrowth standing opposite it and gave a fearsome, defiant roar," HYDREEIIIIIIIGON!!!"
Erika seemed to pause at this, looking over the Dark-type in surprise. Allen decided not to give her a chance to puzzle it out," Drakarus use Dark Pulse!" All three heads opened their jaws and launched a blast of shadowy miasma in the shape of overlapping rings. With its trainer caught unprepared the Tangrowth acted on its own, trying to dodge the attack. It was too slow to react and took the blast center mass, it was pushed back several feet by the force in the Dark move. Allen found himself impressed that the Tangrowth was still able to stand after taking such an attack, and he gave an impressed whistle," Damn that's one tough plant."
Erika had finally snapped out of it," Using a Dragon!? I'll give you points for originality but that trick won't work on me again. Tangrowth use Ancient Power!" The Vine Pokemon was enveloped in a aura and lifted its arms tearing large pieces of stone from the ground and then lobbing them at the Dragon with all its might.
"Drakarus get out of there!" Allen shouted hoping the Brutal Pokemon would be able to dodge the attack. The Dark-Type however rushed forward taking the full force of the attack, and before Allen could hope to tell him what attack to use, the three mouths were glowing red hot and Drakarus struck out with a triple strike Fire Fang. This one did serious damage as the Grass-Type was then lifted up and thrown across the field, though somehow it was able to keep its feet. " Dammit Drakarus." Allen muttered under his breath. It did not matter that Fire Fang was the next move he was going to call, The Dark-Type should have waited for him.
Erika had a furious look as she saw the state of her Pokemon, but her scowl shifted to a sly grin," Tangrowth use Double Team!" In the blink of an eye there the Vine Pokemon split up into a few dozen blurred afterimages, with no clear way to tell which was the real Pokemon. Without waiting for Allen to call a move The Brutal Pokemon opened it's three jaws and lashed out with a swirling energy shot, the Dragon Pulse phased through the translucence clones. Erika grinned triumphantly," Toxic now!"
No sooner had she spoken the words than the clones vanished leaving the Dark-Type scanning its surroundings frantically trying to find its opponent. "Drakarus! Behind you!"
The Dragon spun around just in time for one Vine-like arm to jab into his gut, not with enough force to do more than sting, but guaranteeing that a massive dose of venom was delivered.
"HYYYDDREEIIGGGOOON!!!" He roared.
The Tangrowth tried to move away from the now poisoned Drak-Type but its own burns slowed it down, and as it staggered away one of the Dragons extra heads struck like a snake biting and gripping the Vine Pokemon firmly. Allen could see a violet aura envelope Drakarus as he glared down at his opponent with malice, knowing exactly what was happening he gave Erika a devilish grin. "Drakarus use Outrage!"
"HYDREIGON!" Those words seemed to flip a switch as the aura turned to intense flames and each head lashed out biting and shaking at the Grass-Type violently. After nearly ten of these strikes the Dragon grabbed hold of its opponent with all three heads and threw it at the far wall causing the referee to scream and dive for cover as the maimed Pokemon smashed through the wall.
Climbing to her feet she peered through the broken wall, there was noway this Pokemon could keep going," Tangrowth is unable to battle! Hydreigon wins!"
"HYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!" Drakarus gave a mighty roar.
Erika recalled her Pokemon saying kind words as most trainers did, she then chose her next Pokemon," Go! Leafeon!"
"HYYY!" The dragon lunged forward without any hesitation, trying to hit this new opponent with reckless abandon.
The Leafeon however was fast and began to dodge the barrage of triple strikes, already Drakarus was beginning to slow as the venom in his system sapped his strength. Erika sensed this and chose to go on the offensive," Leafeon! X-Scissor!" It was a good call as the move was powerful against Dark-Types. However it did put the Leafeon at an extremely convenient position to be bitten, as the Bug move landed Drakarus bit down and twisted its neck with massive force throwing the Verdant Pokemon in the same manner as the Tangrowth.
The Leafeon however was still strong enough recover and land on its feet, The same could not be said of Drakarus who was laying on his back barely making an effort to get up. The referee watched as the Dragon passed out and made her ruling," Hydreigon is unable to battle! Leafeon is the winner!"
"Duh." Allen grumbled under his breath. "Drakarus return!" He paused to look at the dusk ball that now contained his fallen Dragon," You know one of these days your gonna pick a fight with something that will take you apart and all I'm gonna say is I told you so." Maybe not the most inspiring words to say but this wasn't the first time Drakarus had done his own thing and gotten whooped for it. He felt the air around him heat up rather quickly and turned to see Nova burning up, literally the Fire-Type was almost fully engulfed in flames. " Alright Nova! You're up."
That was all he needed to hear and he leaped forward," TYPHLOSION!"
"Let's show um what your made of Nova! Flame Wheel!" Allen had seen just how fast this Leafeon was and had already decided that speed was probably the best way to fight it.
Nova roared again as intense flames once again consumed his body and he curled in on himself rolling forwards only to be propelled to high speed by his fiery cloak. His opponent was no Slugma either, agilely darting this way and that just barely avoiding Novas attack, but there was one thing that he had learned from all his years traveling with Allen. That was to see and recognized the right moment to strike, it was a trick he had learned from spending time with a crafty Dark-Type. Nova was holding back, purposely slowing himself a little to gauge his opponent and feel out their abilities. With a feigned grunt Nova aborted his attack, confident that he had what he needed.
As he skidded along the floor this gave his competition an opening to strike," Leafeon! Shadow Ball!" The Grass-Type reared back as an orb of eerie miasma formed above it. With a flick of its head the ball of ghostly energy rocketed toward Nova, whom was still skidding on the floor and had no way to even try to dodge the attack.
Nova rode out the attack without any complaints, he had been hit with Ghost moves before and they didn't hurt so much as they just seemed to suck the life out of you. As he finally lost what remained of his momentum his glanced at Allen and gave the tiniest nod, a signal that most trainers would miss if they weren't looking for it. With a grin Allen gave the order," Alrighty Nova! Use Flame Wheel one more time!"
Once again the flames roared to life around Nova an propelled him forward. The Leafeon crouched low ready to dodge at the right moment, but before it could evade the burning attack Nova revved up the intensity of his flames adding a sudden boost to his speed. Leafeon was not able to react quick enough to complete dodge the strike, as it tried to leap to safety the intense flames caught it on its hindlegs sending the Verdant Pokemon spinning like a top.
Allen watched as the small Grass-Type hit the ground hard," Don't let up Nova! Use Flamethrower!" The flames surrounding Nova sputtered out as the Volcano Pokemon used its momentum to carry it into a high jump. Taking a deep breath to stoke his inner fire, Nova let it build in his lungs as he was carried through the air until he was directly above his opponent. He loosed his pent up attack with an explosive exhale that bathed the ground below him with red and orange fire, the Leafeon cried out in pain below him.
When the last few tongues of flame vanished, Leafeon was laying very still, its breathing was rapid and shallow and the referee could see it was severely burned. It was far to injured to continue," Leafeon cannot continue! Typhlosion is the winner!"
Normally Nova would have been pleased with himself but not this time, as his fallen adversary vanished in a flash of crimson energy, he realized he had actually hurt it pretty bad. He moved back to Allen's side ready for the Leader to choose his next opponent, it was not a long wait," Go! Venusaur!"
"Alright Nova! This is it!"
The Fire-type started forward only to stop when Erika called out," I'm not finished yet!" She reached into the one of the many folds of her kimono and withdrew a small jewel that both Allen and Nova recognized.
Nova took a step back as Allen gaped," A mega-stone! This won't be easy Nova, stay sharp!"
`Erika smiled sweetly at the pair," I will give you credit. Your Typhlosion is very strong. But i can't help but wonder how it will do when my Veusaur is no longer weak to it's fire moves." Her sweet smile turned mischievous and she raise the stone up over her head," Venusar sweetie it's time to me-" Her words ended abruptly as she staggered," Wha?" The Gym Leader staggered drunkenly before her eyes rolled back in her head and she collapsed.
"Vena!" The massive grass-type turned to go to her aid only to pass out as well.
"What in the world!" Allen cried out in panic as he saw the referee faint too, " Nova! What's happening!?" The Volcano Pokemon turned to face him only to sway like a tree in a hurricane before toppling over. " Nova!" He made to run towards his friend only to he slammed with a tsunami of exhaustion and falling towards the ground, he managed to catch himself before he hit his head on the hard floor.
It was there barely clinging to consciousness that a voice echoed in him mind,' Rest now my children, for when you awake a whole new world shall be your home.' Darkness crept into the edge of his vision and within moments he fell the remaining distance to the ground.
As Allen snapped back to reality he flinched and groaned as a beam of sunlight shined through his eyelids painting his world in a bright red colour that hurt his eyes. " Uuuhhhgh!" He flicked his head in a random direction hoping to escape the painfully bright light, feeling the grass shift under his cheek as he moved out of the sunbeam. His mind was foggy and he seemed to hurt everywhere, he had not felt this sore since he had tried to go a round with a Hitmonchan, that had been a dumb move but, then hindsight is always twenty-twenty.
He lay there for a few more minutes still groggy from being woken so early as his mind tried to get itself going. Allen was not what one would call a morning person, it always took him a while to actually wake up, and in the minutes his mind struggled to warm up the damned sunbeam had made its way back into his closed eye. He whined as his vision glowed a Cheri(1) red and his nerves were set a blaze by the cursed stream of photons," Son of a-"
The words died in his throat as he felt coarse fur brush against the the softer fur on his neck, shivering at the unfamiliar sensation," Nova are you shedding again?" He grumbled.
"No, now move over." Replied a gravely voice.
Allen snapped his eyes open and twisted his head to stare at his Pokemon, Nova lay there on the grass curled up with his head resting on his paws. " Nova did you hear that!? I think there's someone out there!"
He saw the Fire-types ears twitch briefly before he grumbled," There's nothing out there. it was probably a Pidgey or something, their allover this freaking region."
Allen felt his blood run cold as he stared at the drowsy Pokemon," Nova! You're talking!?"
Without opening his eyes Nova snorted," I always talk." He said flatly.
"No!" Allen shouted making the Fire-Type lay his ears back. " I can understand what your saying! Like we're speaking the same language!"
Nova sighed," It's too early for games Allen. Go back to sl-" He had cracked his eyes open to glare at his trainer only to snap his head up and stare wide eyed at what he saw. " Allen?" He whispered in confusion," Is that you?"
"Of course it's me Nova! That's hardly important right now!" He cried his voice edged with panic. "What's important is figuring out why you can suddenly talk!" Already his mind was a hive of activity, researchers from all over the world would want to study Nova! ' We're in Kanto maybe I should take him to Professor Oak! It's not that far from Celadon to Pallet Town!' Then a memory came rushing back to him,' Wait! We were in the Celadon Gym battling Erika! When did we get outside!?' Then just as quickly another fact jumped to his mind," THE MATCH!" He screamed. "We were fighting Erika! She was about to Mega Evolve her Venusaur!"
Nova just kept staring at him," Allen I think we have other things to worry about. Look at your hands." Confused he obeyed, oblivious to the irony that his Pokemon had just given him an order, he had to bite his tongue to keep from screaming. Instead of a hand and its digits, the limb that moved at his command ended in a hard looking black hoof, even stranger was the ethereal blue flames at what should have been his wrists. "Allen, you're a Pokemon! It looks like your a shiny Rapidash!"
The next several minutes involved the former human screaming like a little girl and flailing about wildly because every attempt to run in panic ended in him face planting on the hard packed earth.
It nearly an hour had passed since what Nova had concluded was a panic attack, which had consisted of a great deal of screaming and colourful language that would make a Ghost-type blush. After about fifteen minute of that, Allen had stood up on wobbley legs and just wondered off into the trees, with Nova a few steps behind silently worrying for his former trainer.
They had walked in an awkward silence ever since, every now and then Nova would catch Allen glancing back at him only to snap his gaze ahead. This bothered Nova the most to because it was one of the tells he had picked up on over the years, something was bothering Allen and he was the main subject of the newly christened Fire-types thoughts.
' Allen what's going on in that head of yours?' It was never good when he dwelled on things and there was no chance he could hope to understand what was going on in his friends mind. It was one thing for your body to go through radical changes as a Pokemon but, for a Human something like this was the kind of thing horror stories were made of. There was no way to tell what he was feeling, walking ahead of him, stealing glances with the look of a terrified child, it tore at his heart. There had to be something he could do to put Allen in better spirits. Nova wracked his brain, what do you say when your best friend changed species? Was there even a game plan for this kind of thing?
"Nova." Allen had broken the oppressive silence at last. There was a break in the trees, and through it Nova saw a city by the sea, patchy farms gave way to suburbs, then worked up to tall office builds, not the mirrored glass skyscrapers of Castilia City but certainly possessing an artistic flare, before giving way to an industrial district that was clearly metal foundries. " Nova, we're not in Kanto anymore(2)."
"What do you mean?"
"Kanto doesn't have any metal refineries anymore. The last one was shut down a few years ago following the incident with Kyogre and Groudon, it was all over the news." Allen stared down at the city still more than a few miles away. "We can probably get there before nightfall. We can atleast figure out what region we're in, and if we're lucky maybe get some answers about what happened." Without looking back the former human started down the steep hill, choosing to take the most direct path possible and, the awful silence returned to gnaw at Novas mind.
The park in Fillydelphia was quite busy today despite how odd things were today, first there had been word that something big had crashed in the Everfree, supposedly all the villages and cities that surround the wild forest had gone into a panic over it. Then everypony had started to notice a lot of strange creatures all over the city. Speculations wee spreading like wildfire, ranging from a magical accident in Canterlot mutating animals, to Discord going crazy and wreaking havoc again. If one listened to some of the more crackpot conspiracy theorist, these creatures were Nightmares Moons unholy spawn she had bred to thrive in her eternal night.
However despite wild rumors most ponies had noted that these animals, whatever they were, seemed peaceful enough, some were quite friendly in fact. As it happened one pony, a light pink(3) unicorn mare, was resting on a bench casually tossing popcorn to a flock of small birds that bore a striking resemblance to swallows. She had a two toned blue and pink mane and her Cutie Mark was three diamonds cut in a pentagonal shape.
While most ponies had come to the park today to enjoy the seasonal fair that was passing through, this mare was more than happy to watch these curious birds. These were something new and different, and those were just the sort of things she loved to be around, she was actually quite happy that her friends had drug her to the fair. Normally it would be too loud and far too crowded for her liking, but since the doomsayers had started spouting their nonsense about these creatures, a sizable portion of the city was giving the park some distance.
She sighed as she gripped more popcorn in the magenta aura of her magic and tossed towards the little birds, to her surprise on of them fluttered up and landed on the bench next to her," Tail?" It cheeped at her, cocking its head to one side inquisitively.
She smiled down at it," Well hello there." The little swallow like bird cautiously hoped closer and started pecking at the bag that held the remainder of the popcorn she had been feeding the whole of the flock. "You want the whole bag huh?" She grinned down at the bird. " I'll make you deal. You tell me where you and your friends came from and its all yours. Sound fair?"
To her astonishment the little bird bobbed its head in a very avian fashion, but one that was clearly a nod," Low! Taillow, ta, Taillow!" It chattered away for a few seconds before beaming up at her, as she stared down in a state of mild shock it hopped forward began to once again to insistently peck at the bag.
She suddenly got the feeling that she had actually just gotten exactly what she had wanted but had not been able to understand. "Well." She said with a small smile," I guess you earned it." She tore open the rest of the bag and poured it into a pile, the little bird chirped happily as the rest of its flock fluttered over and began to hastily gulp down the popcorn.
"Sparkler!" Called a voice. " There you are!"
She turned to see her friends trotting up to her, or rather her friend Starshine and Starshine's coltfriend Feather Storm. She had never much liked the stallion, he had made it a habit of hitting on her whenever Starshine was not around and no matter how many times she told her friend, Star would dismiss it. Often saying that she must have misunderstood, or that he was too much of a gentlecolt to possibly do something like that. It had been enough to convince her that not only was love blind but it must have some severe mental disorders too.
As he strode up the, apparently infallible pegasus stallion, sneered at the birds that were happily munching at Sparkler's hooves. " Sparks why are you feeding these things? You know their some unholy demons from Tartarus right?"
"Taillow?" No sooner had the words left his lips than over a dozen angry glares were leveled at him, Sparkler's included. The whole flock of little birds lifted off together and dive bombed the offending pony, pecking at any part of him they could get their pointed beaks at.
"Whoa! ah ah AH! AHHHHHHH! GET THIS LITTLE MONSTERS OFF ME! OW OW OW OW! WAAAAAH!" It took less than a minute for Feather Storm to turn tail and run from the angry flock, which was hot on his heels.
Starshine stood in shock as her coltfriend ran for cover screaming like a filly," Stormy!"
"Ppffffft hahahahah!" Star's thought was interrupted as Sparkler started laughing like she had just heard the best joke in history. " They didn't like being called that hahaha."
"Sparkler it's not funny! What if they hurt him?" She turned to look in the direction the pegasus had run, she cloud still see the birds in the air diving at him.
"Well maybe he'll learn to keep that crap to himself. It was bound to happen sooner or later." She said still giggling.
The mare dug at the ground with a sheepish look," He's getting better."
Sparkler couldn't help but roll her eyes," Star, he's a bigot! If he wasn't dating you I would swear he was a tribalist (4) too." Feather Storm had earned a reputation and a criminal record, crashing several mixed species weddings while ranting about it being unnatural and perverse. It was a sentiment that had all but died out in Equestria, about two hundred years ago Princess Celestia had personally married a Griffon to a Pony and the belief that love in any form should be accepted had taken root in all but the most close minded of families.
The other mare hung her head," He's not that bad."
Sparkler rolled her eyes and groaned," Star I love ya, but you have lousy taste in stallions."
"Taillow."
Both mares started and turned to see one of the birds that had chased off Feather Storm hovering in the air above them. Starshine after seeing them attack her coltfriend took a nervous step back, while Sparkler smiled," Hello again, don't you want to go play with your friends." She smirked as she heard the stallion scream in the distance.
"Taillow." The bird shook it's head and swooped down to settle on her horn, where to began to preen itself.
Sparkler smiled," Well aren't you friendly." She smiled over to her friend," Looks like I made a new friend. You okay up there?" She asked crossing her eyes to look up at the bird perched on her horn.
"Tail!"
With a bigger smile than ever she looked to the other mare," Well come on Star lets enjoy the Fair."
"What about Feather Storm?" She asked still worried.
"He'll be fine." Sparkler waved her hoof dismissively and motion to the bird on her horn," I'm sure they quit chasing him after a while. Now lets go have some fun!"
"Well that's... Different." Allen said as he stared at the scene before him. The suberbs of the city had been closer than he had thought, and they had been making their way toward the taller builds that should have been downtown. It was odd that they hadn't encounter anyone save Pokemon, but what the two Fire-typs were staring at now were definitely not Pokemon.
"They look kind of like Ponyta, but the colours are wrong." Nova said genuinely baffled.
Allen nodded and pointed with a hoof," And look that one has wings. Where the heck are we?" He continued to stare at a group of tiny creatures that resembled Pokemon, they were about two feet tall with big expressive eyes, they were also staring at him in slack jawed awe.
"I think their young." Nova offered.
As if to confirm this a larger creature screamed from the door to a nearby building that resembled a schoolhouse, it darted between the foals and the two Pokemon. It was taller than the other ones and had a stubby looking spiral horn, after a moment it spoke in a voice that was high and panicked," Stay behind me everypony!" She then fixed a panicked but determined glare directly at Nova," Listen carefully my little ponies, i want you to very carefully and very quickly go inside. I'll deal with this."
"She's got gall." Nova said with a chuckle.
Allen turned and started down the sidewalk," I'm in no mood to Battle. Come on Nova lets see if we can find a phone or something, maybe Officer Jenny." Nova turned away from the pony and followed him, leaving a very frazzled and confuse mare behind them.
"Allen what do you think those things were?" Nova was looking back at the group of wide eyed foals with a small grin," They're not like any Pokemon I'm familiar with."
Allen was still watching them too," I'm not sure they are Pokemon. All those different colours don't seem possible in any one species." They had continued down the sidewalk passing ponies every few minutes, Most didn't seem to put off by him but they were clearly nervous around Nova for some reason. As homes gave way to businesses, the foot traffic seemed to increase, or was it hoof traffic? Regardless they were drawing a lot of attention now, and the more of these not Pokemon he saw the More Allen was beginning to think he wasn't going to find the help he was looking for.
These ponies seemed to be living the lives of humans, he was seeing street vendors selling produce. There was a Library with more foals being led down its steps, small bags strapped to their backs stuffed with books. As they turned a corner he saw a restaurant with ponies sitting at tables chatting peacefully while a few waiters in formal clothes carried trays of food to different tables. Several of the ponies looked ready to panic when they saw Nova, hoping to ovoid causing a scene Allen smiled and nodded doing his best to look friendly. " Afternoon." The diners exchanged confused looks but didn't start screaming.
The two continued to wonder, searching for anything that seemed familiar, a police station, a branch of the Ranger Union. Hell at this point Allen would have settled for a Pokemon Center just for a warm bed and something to eat, but there was nothing, just more of these technicolor ponies and their dirty looks.
The sun was creeping towards the Horizon and they had yet to find anything. "Allen! Listen!" Nova cried pointing towards a nearby park.
He twisted his ears to hear what the Fire-type had meant, he could hear lively music like the kinda played at a carnival or circus but that wasn't what Nova had meant. He heard screams, the kind that came from people who were scared. He turned and saw most of the ponies on the street heard it too, he broke into a gallop," Come on Nova!"
Rushing into the park they saw a lovely park play host to some kind of fair, a large Ferris Wheel. However what drew the attention of everyone was the trio of ponies clinging to each other as all manner of debris swirled around them as though caught in a tornado. A small Taillow was flying over the ponies heads," Knock it off! This isn't funny!" A crushed trashcan lid rocketed out of the floating debris straight at the little Flying-Type, who nimbly evaded the projectile. " Why are you doing this!?"
The rapidly spinning debris came to a stop, still hanging in the air acting as a barrier to prevent the ponies escape. Every pair of eyes watched as a shadowy, imp-like figure materialized in the air above the floating trash. The Shadow Pokemon looked down at the havoc it had wreaked with glee," Because now there's no one to stop me!" The floating objects once again resumed their rapid orbits, but slowly began to close in on the ponies who screamed in terror.
"There's me!" The Taillow declared as its wings began to glow. "Wing Attack!"
" Oh please." The Gengar said in a bored tone. "Protect." An energy shield formed around the Ghost-Type and the Taillow bounced harmlessly off it. " You're so out matched it not even worth the effort to grind you into dust."
The air was getting warm and Allen turned to see the air around Nova shimmering. The Volcano Pokemon glared up at the Gengar laughing at the misery he was causing," I don't believe it!" He snarled. " That's Loki!"
Allen wasn't sure how to feel at the moment, relieved that one of his team was okay or, furious that Loki was causing so much trouble. After the Ghost-type started to laugh at the ponies cries for help, he chose furious. " Nova use Flamethrower!"
The ponies standing nearby screamed as Nova's shoulders and back burst into flames and he spat out a torrent of red hot fire. The Ghost-type didn't see it coming until it was too late, Loki turned just in time to be swallowed by the intense flames. With his focus broken the crumpled metal and rocks went flying in which ever direction momentum carried them. When the fire move ended Nova sprung into action leaping into the air and dragging the ghost to the ground," What the hell Loki!? Are you out of your mind!?'
The Shadow Pokemon blinked in surprise," Nova? He abandoned you too?"
This made the Fire-type pause," You think? Your a special kind of stupid aren't you!?" Nova roared," Allen would never abandon us!"
The Gengar sneered," Big words but he ain't here is he?"
He looked ready to say more when a hard black hoof smashed into the dirt next to his head," I happen to be right here Loki." The former human scowled at the ghost his firey blue mane billowed showing how agitated he was," And I would have hoped that you knew me better than that."
Loki just stared at him for a few seconds before he started laughing hysterically," Jeez Allen! What happened to you? You look ridiculous!"
The Ghost-Type continued to laugh until he heard Nova say," Fire Punch!" Which landed on the right side of his face and sent him tumbling away. " You're an idiot."
Allen snorted," How many times have I told you about this." He gestured to the disaster around him," Just look at the mess you've made."
"Give me a break Allen." Loki said rubbing his cheek. " I thought you had abandoned me! I was distraught!" The shiny Rapidash leveled a glare at him that said just how little he bought that line. "Alright fine!" Loki sighed in defeat. "I did think you had ditched me but I saw it as a chance to have a little fun. I swear I wasn't gonna hurt anymon."
Nova snorted," Your definition of 'fun' gives Ghost-Types a bad name." Loki retaliated by blowing a razzberry at him.
The two would have started bickering, it wouldn't have been the first time, until they heard a fearful voice cry out," Sparkler! What are you doing those things are dangerous!"
A soft, but no less panicked voice pleaded," Please Sparks come back! Just look at those two! Their on fire!"
The trio turned to see a pink mare with the Taillow from before perched on her horn stiffly approaching them, Once she was about six feet from Allen, who was closest to her, she put on a nervous smile and gave a weak wave," H-h-hello."
Chapter 2: And Now For Something Completely Different
"Whaaaaa! What's happening!?" Starshine screamed as massive rocks and crumpled pieces of metal began to spin around in a tight circle.
"I don't know Star! Just stay close to me, I'll protect you!" Feather Storm said defiantly as he flared his wings in an attempt to look intimidating.
Sparkler had to cling close to him just to keep her distance from the floating debris. In her panic she had forgotten that she was gifted in magic and may have been able to get her friends to safety," Taillow?" She squealed, to the bird shouting angrily on her horn. "What's happening!?"
The little bird flew in front of her face giving her a look of worry before raising up and continuing to call out," Tail Taillow! Taillow taillow!" A crushed trashcan lid suddenly changed direction and speed towards the bird, who easily twisted his body out of its path. " Taillow! Taillow taillow!?"
All the spinning objects ground to a halt and Sparkler stared wide eyed as a shadowy figure phased into sight. It was small and Imp-like with a sinister grin spread across its face, it stared down at the trio of cowering ponies with a malicious glint in its red eyes. " Gen Gengar gengar!" The debris started spinning around them again slowly starting to fall in towards them, Starshine and Feather Storm both screamed pleading for the Imp to stop.
" Taillow taill!" Sparkler looked up in a mix of shock and awe as the birds wings began to glow and it sped towards the shadowy creature. " Taillow!"
" Gengar." The imp said while rolling its eyes. It then raised its hand," Gengar." Just as Taillow was about to strike it a shield appeared around it, the little bird bounced off it like it had just flown into a window. " Gen gar gengar gengar gen gen gengar!" It began to laugh as the spinning objects sped up and pressed in even closer, the three ponies clung to each other just waiting for the end.
"RAPIDASH!!!" A voice cried out followed by a torrent of ruby red flames that swallowed up the shadowy imp.
The spinning bits of metal and large rock s suddenly went flying in every direction at once with no outside force curving their flight. With the hazard gone Sparkler scrambled forward and scooped up the little bird," Taillow are you alright!?"
He looked dazed be shook himself and beamed up at the mare," Taillow!"
She smiled down at the brave little bird," Thank you Taillow. It was sweet of to try and protect us, you were very brave." She kissed the bird on his forehead.
Taillow seemed to blush and gave her a bashful look," Tail."
She smiled again," I'm just happy your not hur- Ahhhhh!"
She shrieked in alarm as something large and burning leaped over her head and slammed into the imp dragging it to the ground. " Typhlosion!? Soin typhlo!?" It roared at the shadow.
The Imp seemed surprised," Gen? Gengar?"
The Blazing creature seemed put off by what it heard," Ty?" It was short lived as the flames that spread across its back flared with even greater intensity," Typhlosion Typhlo!" It roared. Sion Ty Typhlosion!"
Sparkler was staring fearfully at the burning creature, she was so scared she had almost missed the Equine figure that was trotting forward with an angry scowl on his face. She stare in awe at him, She had seem Princess Celestia and Luna on a few occasions, never met them but she had been in their prescience multiple times. While this equine possessed a similar build it lacked their subtle grace and apparent daintiness, everything about him screamed masculinity. Where the princesses were slender and seemed delicate, even though they aren't, he was broad and sturdy with large muscly shoulders. However by far the most interesting quality to him was his mane which moved like blue fire in a strong wind, similar azure flames sprung from each of his fetlocks.
She watch as he slammed his black hoof down next to the imp," Ra Rapidash!" His mane and tail burned with even greater intensity," Dash Ra Rapidash!"
The Imp stared at him for a few seconds before it stared to laugh like a lunatic," Gen! Gengar? Gengar!"
The other burning creature drew its paw back in a fist that became enveloped in red fire," Ty!" Delivering a wicked right hook that sent the imp rolling away," Typhlosion."
Sparkler watched as the fiery equine gestured to the mess the park was in and started scowling the Imp. She looked down at Taillow and held out her hoof," Come on we should say thank you."
"Taillow." He held him up to her horn and he moved to his preferred perch.
The imp looked like it was trying to explain things as she slowly started walking up to her saviors," Typhlo 'Ty' Sion Typhlosion." The Imp seemed to take offense at whatever the burning creature said because it stuck its tongue out and blew a raspberry like a foal. As she got closer she felt her nerves start to get to her, these creatures had done so much and were talking the imp that had terrorized her like it was only a minor irritation.
Her friends had apparently noticed what she was doing since Feather Storm called to her," Sparkler! What are you doing those things are dangerous!" This drew the creature attention of course and the turn to look at her.
Starshine, clearly terrified pleaded with her," Please Sparks come back! Just look at those two! Their on fire!"
Her nerves finally abandoned her about six feet from the azure maned equine. Hesitantly she raised a hoof and waved," H-h-hello."
Loki sneered at the pink mare," This ones either really brave or really stupid."
Allen turned and snorted at him," Loki shut up! You're in enough trouble as it is." He turned back to the mare and slowly stepped towards her putting on his friendliest smile," Are you alright miss? I'm so sorry about all of this."
The mare just stared up at him, she was about a third shorter than him and wore an awed expression," She can't understand you."
Allen started and looked to the small Taillow perched oh her small spiral horn," What?"
The Flying-Type ruffled his feathers," These Ponyta things don't speak Mon. Though Sparkler has already figured out that we are talking to each other."
Allen drug a hoof across his muzzle and groaned," Great surrounded by technicolor ponies and we can't even communicate."
The Taillow cocked his head," It's not that different from dealing with Humans."
"Allen used to be a Human." Nova provided.
The little birds eyes widened," Really? That's so weird!"
Allen groaned again," Trust me kid it's worse living it." He brought a hoof up and examined it," I miss my thumbs."
The pink mare, who had been darting her eyes back and forth between all the speakers cleared her throat," I'm sorry." She apologized. " But I'm not getting any of this."
"Of course your not Sparkler!" An angry voice shouted from several yards away. "Their just monsters spouting gibberish!"
Everymon present leveled an angry glare at the stallion, Allen smirked when he saw the state he was in. He was one of the winged ponies with a light blue coat and an emerald green mane, but he looked like he'd been on the ass end of an ass kicking. He was covered in small scratches and big purple bruises, there was a nasty shiner on his left eye and it looked like several feathers had been plucked out of his wings.
The mare scowled at him too," Storm can you not be an idiot for five minutes and let me figure this out!"
Nova chuckled," I like her."
Loki rolled his eyes," You would." The foundation had just been laid for yet another argument but Allen gave them both a glare that would make a Cofagrigus think twice, and the two dropped it.
The mare seemed to have tuned them out, she was rubbing a hoof on her chin muttering to herself. "Let's see their clearly communicating. We're just not getting the language. I wonder?" She looked up at Allen with a searching look," You can understand me right?" Allen smiled and nodded. There was a twinkle in her eyes as she grinned wide," I think I have something then. Do you mind being the test subject?" He shook his head to say he was fine with it, which only added to the twinkle in her eyes. "Great! Taillow would you mind moving from my horn? I'm not sure how this will work with you sitting up there."
"Sure thing." With a small flutter the little Flying-Type relocated to he back.
"Allen?" Nova asked in a wary tone. "Are you sure this is a good idea?"
"Let's see what she has pl- whoa!" He didn't get the chance to finish as a bolt of cobalt blue energy hit him square in the chest.
"ALLEN!" The flames on Nova's back flared up as he moved towards the pony that would dare attack his friend.
Only to be stopped by a black hoof," Nova stop I'm fine!"
Sparkler was staring wide eyed at the burning creature which glared at her," I'm sorry." She said in a tiny voice," I was only trying to help."
"Nova look what you did you scared her half to death!" Allen gave him a stern look before turning back to the mare," I'm so sorry miss, Nova can be a bit of a hothead."
Her fear of the angry Fire-type evaporated as he apologized, it was replaced with a triumphant grin and a small cheer," Yes! The spell worked! I understood that!" Her eyes were twinkling like the night sky as she reared back and planted both her front hooves on his chest bringing her muzzle close to his. " Oh I have so many questions! Who are you? Where did you come from? What's your name? Why is your mane on fire? What's your magic like? How did you get to Equestria? Why is that one on fire?"
Allen stepped backwards, his ears ringing from the sudden barrage of questions," Whoa, whoa! Slow down miss."
She suddenly seemed to realize how close she was and backed up a few steps, her cheeks tinted the palest red. "Oh my goodness. I'm so sorry! That was rude." She cleared her throat again and held out a hoof. "My name is Sparkler, it's a pleasure to meet you."
Doing his best to mirror the motion He smiled and awkwardly shook her hoof," I'm Allen Swans. It's a pleasure Miss Sparkler."
She looked ready to say more but only squeaked and took several frantic steps back as Loki floated close to Allen's face," Woo, looks who's getting friendly with the locals girls." He gave the former Human a sly grin.
"Do you ever st-! Ya know what?" He gestured to the park around him," Go clean up your mess!" The Ghost began to sputter and whine until Allen leveled another glare at him. " Do it or you have to spar with Nova!"
The Fire-Type grinned at the Ghost," I kinda like that second one."
"Alright! Fine!" Loki held up his hands as a sign of defeat," I'll get a broom!" The ghost turned and drifted away to start on the task. Several of the ponies gathered around watching the scene scrambled away as Loki approached to return a large stone to a nearby pond.
As Allen watched him start to straighten up Sparkler had closed the distance between them again," I can't believe it's actually doing what you told it too.
He sighed," Loki has always been a disaster waiting to happen. He was haunting a school and terrorizing little kids when I found him."
Sparkler gasped," That's awful! Why would he do that?"
"He's a sadist." Nova answered bluntly, forgetting that the mare could not understand him.
"What did he say?" Sparkler asked confused.
"Scaring the bejeezus out of people makes him feel better about himself." Allen elaborated before turning to Nova," I want you to keep an eye on him. You know how he gets when he thinks no one is looking." As the Volcano Pokemon turned to leave he added," And no matter what he says don't start a fight! I don't want to have to pay for anything you two break."
Sparkler raised an eyebrow," You have money?"
Well of course I do." He reached towards his flank with a foreleg and blindly felt around for a second only to pale. "MY WALLET'S GONE!!! I HAD TEN GRAND IN THERE!!!" In the distance they could hear Loki laughing.
" So this region is called Equestria huh?" Allen asked, mostly to himself. " Never heard of it." Considering he had realized he was in an alternate reality; he was surprisingly calm.
For the sake of comfort and to get away from the gawkers that had gathered to watch Loki and Nova Allen was sitting on a bench in a gazebo by a pond. Sparkler and her friend Starshine were sitting across from him, the winged pony Feather Storm had been extremely insulting and had refused to even speak with him. He had left in a rage and had said something about justice. Starshine was a quite soul with a sea foam coloured coat and straw blond mane, she had only asked one question and that had had something to do with princesses.
Sparkler on the other hand, er hoof, was an bottomless pit of curiosity. From the moment they had sat down in the gazebo she had started peppering him with questions, but since Allen had wanted answers too they had traded off, each taking a turn to ask their questions.
"That's right." Sparkler said with a smile. "My turn again! Since you never heard of Equestria I'm curious where it is you come from?"
Allen scratched at his chin," That's kind of complicated. I was born is Slateport City in the Hoenn Region but after the cataclysm I went to live with my Granddad in Unova. Then he died after I started my journey so I guess I don't really live anywhere. I never had a home to go back to."
He saw Sparkler's ears twitch," Cataclysm? What kind of cataclysm?"
She had just ignored the rules of their agreement but she sounded so curious," That would be the battle between the Legendaries Kyogre and Groudon. The two of them had been sleeping on the ocean floor for centuries but two groups of fanatics called Team Aqua and Team Magma woke them up and they caused volcanic eruptions and and tidal waves all over the world. A lot of Humans and Pokemon died."
Both Sparkler and Starshine gasped," That's terrible how could them waking up do that?"
Allen shook his head," Oh no it was the fighting that set all that off. The two of them went at each other like cats and dogs." Deciding to take advantage of the mares momentary silence," Now then I believe it's my turn again. Miss Starshine? You mentioned a princess earlier. May I ask who is this Princess Celes?"
"Celestia." Sparkler corrected. "She's an Alicorn who has ruled Equestria for the last thousand years. She also raises and lowers the Sun everyday. Her sister luna does the same thing with the moon."
" Wow! With power like that they could probably give Arceus a run for his money!"
"Who's Arceus?" Sparkler asked using her next turn.
Allen grinned as his thoughts turned to the things his father had told him when he was little. " Well if you believe the mythology Arceus is a God. Supposedly he existed as an egg before the universe was born, then when he hatched all of Time and Space began. The Legendaries are supposed to be his direct descendants too." He grinned at the mares astonished expressions, " He was also capable of use every type of Pokemon move whenever he needs to."
"That sounds impossible." Sparkler said while still looking awestruck.
Allen grinned," My dad believed those stories. He always wanted to meet Arceus one day. Personally though; I don't believe he's a god, just an extremely powerful Pokemon."
"Legend says Princess Celestia's Mother created the world here." Starshine said in a soft voice," And there are quite a few ponies who think that Alicorns are divine beings too."
Allen couldn't help but smile, this world had mysteries and Myths all it's own. ' I think I'm going to like it here. Now I just need to figure out why I'm a Pokemon.'
" There they are officers! I demand that you arrest these freaks of nature right now!"
" Aw road apples." Sparkler groaned. The trio turned to see Feather Storm with a cocky grin and about fifteen ponies in uniforms. " He went and got the cops. And Celestia knows what lies he made up to get so many out here.!"
Without a word Allen stood and casually strode towards the cluster of uniformed officers. When Feather Storm saw him he flared his wing and pointed an accusing hoof at Allen. "That's it officers! He's the one who told that imp monster to attack us!"
"I did no such thing!" Allen said calmly but letting them hear that he was offended. " Loki acted on his own and I intend to see to it that he fixes what he damaged."
" Lies! All lies!" Feather Storm screamed. " What are you waiting for? Use your nightsticks! Pepper spray! Do something !!!"
The police ponies seemed to be ignoring the obnoxious pegasus all together now. One of them cautiously walked up to Allen. " Sir? were you involved in the incident that happened earlier this evening?"
Allen sighed," Yes I am. A member of my team decided it would be funny to terrorize a couple of ponies."
"So you did not order it to do the things it did?" The police pony asked while looking him over.
" No. In fact I try to keep him from doing that whenever possible." Allen gave the officer a polite smile," I've already got him cleaning up too."
" Speaking of which I'm done." Loki said as he phased back into sight to Allen's right.
The officer yelped and jumped back as Feather Storm started screaming at the Ghost and generally making a scene," There it is! Quick kill it before it goes on another rampage!"
"How are you supposed to kill a ghost Storm?" All eyes settled on Sparkler who was glaring at the obnoxious stallion. "And I can't believe you lied to the police."
That definitely got the officers attention," Oh really? Can you prove that ma'am?"
She nodded," I saw everything. Allen and Nova are the ones who stopped the ghost."
The officer glared at the stone path under his hooves and ground his teeth together," Sargent Strong Arm! Arrest Mr. Storm for falsifying a Police Report." The pegasus began screaming out protest as a burly Earth pony grabbed him but the officer seemed to be ignoring him," Sir, I'm going to have to ask you to come with me to the station. City property was damaged and you have already said you are this creatures guardian, that makes you responsible."
Allen nodded," I understand. Lead the way officer." He turned his head and yelled over his shoulder," Loki! Nova! We're leaving!" The two Pokemon started after him.
"I'm coming too." Sparkler said trotting to catch up. "I still have more questions and they might need me to cast another Translation Spell."
"And that's more or less everything you need to know about how Pokemon work." Allen said with a sigh confident that that would put to rest most of the questions these ponies might ask, except Sparkler she was a curious one. He was resting on a large cushion in the office of Fillydelphia's Chief of Police, who was an imposing pegasus mare with a flat brown coat and a short cut black mane. Sitting next to her was the cities Mayor, a middle aged stallion with a graying mane and pale green coat. He had shown up about ten minutes into Allen being questioned and had, as the police chief phrased it; derailed the investigation. Though she certainly seemed to share his concerns, most of his questions had focused on the potential threat to property and the public. They had been less than willing to believe that all Pokemon were sentient beings, fortunately Sparkler had cast her Translator Spell on the Taillow that was perched on her horn. Apparently seeing a little bird talk and answer questions had been enough to convince them.
That had been several hours ago, it was now almost two A.M. and Allen was staring mournfully at his coffee,' Yveltal take me! I miss my thumbs!' The black liquid was ice cold by now and he hadn't been able to even take a sip of it. The need for sleep was starting to gnaw at the back of his mind without any caffeine to stimulate him.
"Well then." Said the Mayor standing and stretching his stiff muscles. " I don't know about all of you but I'm ready to call it a night. So what should we do with them Night?" The Mayor asked as he turned to look at the Chief, who was also yawning," I really doubt that this will happen again."
The Chief glared at him," I guess we can drop the charges but I still think he should have to pay for the property that the ghost damaged."
" I think that's more than fair." The Mayor said with another yawn. "The damages didn't even add up to a hundred bits."
"And now we have a problem." Allen said dragging his hoof across his face. " Whatever force it was that that brought me to your world and made me a Pokemon seems to have left everything I own back on Earth. My tent and sleeping bag. And." He sighed. " My wallet and all my money."
The two ponies exchanged looks before the Police Chief sighed," They you'll have to do community service to cover the fine. We'll discuss it in the morning because I'm exhausted."
"We'll send somepony to collect you tomorrow." The Mayor said as he walked towards the door, pausing as he opened it. "Where are you staying?"
Allen had already considered the fact that there was no Pokemon Center here and even if it weren't so late he had no money to rent a room anywhere. The park was probably the best option, it would not be the first time he had roughed it before. Though the thought of camping without a tent or fire was not a pleasant idea. " Apartment eighteen, Karo Road."
All eyes settled on Sparkler before the Mayor asked," The Apartments for the University?"
Sparkler nodded," Eighteen is my apartment number." She glanced at Allen who was giving her a skeptical look," What? I have more questions. And it's not like I am going to let you sleep in the park like a hobo."
Night time in Fillydelphia was rather curious in Castelia the city had always stayed noisy and active even late into the night, but here it was almost deathly quiet. The walk to Sparkler's apartment had been peaceful enough, there were next to no ponies on the streets and the only Pokemon Allen saw were Rattata lingering in alleys. It seemed strange to him that any city could become so still, it was both relaxing and unnerving.
Sparkler seemed completely oblivious as she continued to ask question after question. Her favourite topic seemed to be the difference in Pokemon Types and how their abilities varied. If he had not been so tired he would have made more of an effort to elaborate but as the clock was ticking passed three in the morning. Fortunately Taillow seemed more than happy to answer her questions to the best of his limited knowledge but the kids effort were enough to keep the curious mare occupied. Normally he would find her inquisitive nature delightful but as late as it was and with no caffeine to stimulate him; all he wanted to to sleep. He was barely aware of his surroundings as Nova pushed him onto a couch, and he melted into the soft sofa.
Sparkler watched as Allen settled onto the sofa with all the grace and dignity of a rock slide, the former human was essentially pushed over by his friend and she could already hear him snoring. " I didn't realize he was that tired."
"Sion Typhlosion." Nova said shaking his head.
Sparkler blushed as she realized she had forgotten to cast the translator Spell on the Fire-Type. "Whoopsie I forgot you Nova. One second." She sparked her horn and shot the spell towards him," There we go! Now what do you say?"
Nova smiled, which was actually rather terrifying," I said, He's even worse in the morning." He said in a deep gravely voice. "It's like trying to get a tree to cook breakfast."
Sparkler chucked at the thought," Will you be okay out here Nova? I'm not sure about Loki though, we only have the one chair." She gestured to a recliner that looked older then she did.
Nova chuckled," I'll be fine on the floor. This is nice carpet almost as soft as grass." He then curled up and into a tight ball in front of the sofa and let out a yawn.
"If he burns that couch we're not getting our Security Deposit back, you know that right?"
Sparkler turned to see Starshine rubbing an eye and looking tired," It'll be fine Star I promise. Sorry that we woke you."
She shrugged," I was actually trying to wait up for you. I figured you'd let him crash here. I was wondering when you'd finally bring a stallion home." She grinned devilishly and waggled her eyebrows. "I was starting to think maybe you played for the other team."
Sparkler flushed a bright red," Shut up Star."
"Hahahahahahaha! You should see the look on your face!" Loki phased into sight rolling around in midair laughing like a lunatic.
Sparkler glared at the ghost," I know a nice ice spell so unless you wanna spend all night thawing on the balcony shut up."
The threat seemed to do the trick as the obnoxious Pokemon stopped laughing to give her a nervous look," You wouldn't dare!"
The pastel mare narrowed her eyes trying to look tough, which was enough to get Loki sweating," Try me."
The two stared eachother down for almost a minute untill Sparkler light her horn, which was enough to make Loki break. "Alright!" He said with a sigh as he threw up his hands in a gesture of defeat. " I'll be other places." He grinned and chuckled sinisterly before winking out of sight.
"Don't get into anything." Nova growled without opening his eyes. " Allen is in enough trouble because of you. So don't get the ponies who were nice enough to take us in, into hot water too."
"I'll behave." Loki's voice echoed faintly through the room.
"Too bad." Taillow sneered as he ruffled his feathers. " I think he would look good as an ice cube."
His comment made Sparkler giggle," Maybe next time Tally."
The Flying -type ruffled his feathers again," Please give me a better name than that." He almost pleaded making Sparkler giggle again.
The hours ticked by and most of the City slept, save its new nocturnal residence. So few ears perked up when a odd groaning, wheezing sound came out of back alley near the park. A lone Rattata was rummaging trough a trash bin looking for anything tasty when the noise started. With a confused squeak it looked up to see a small blue light pulse in time with the groaning. With each pulse the the shape of a blue box seemed to become more and more solid, and less transparent each time the light faded.
As the soft light stopped pulsing so did the wheezing noise that accompanied it, leaving a tall blue box floating about eight feet off the ground. Granted it had woken up this morning in a city filled with not Pokemon Ponytas, but this still had be the single strangest thing it had ever seen. It's confusion and mild state of awe was shattered as gravity seemed to finally decided to apply its laws and the hovering oddity slammed into the asphalt with a mighty crunch. It slammed down with a startling amount of force which crushed the trash can that it had checked only two minutes prior.
The thunderous crash rolled through the silent city, a few dogs barked somewhere far off and at least two angry voices shouted into the night, rudely demanding quiet. Through all that the little Mouse Pokemon just stared as the box shuddered under its own force, torn between its curiosity and its instincts screaming at it to Run Away.
The latter won out as the door swung open to reveal a light grey not Pokemon Ponyta with one eye pointing in a different direction from the other. She walked to the end of the alley looking more and more perturbed as she went. By the time she reached the sidewalk she was glaring at everything she turned her gaze to," I don't believe this." She growled under her breathe as she turned to walk back into the blue box, never noticing the pair of eyes that followed her from under a small pile of trash.
Ditzy pushed the door open again as she stomped back inside," Well this isn't Ponyville. Time period looks right though."
She glared up at a light brown Earth stallion who was running from one spot to another frantically flipping switches, pushing buttons, turning a hoof crank and, pleading with the mechanism in the glass tube. "Nonononono! NO! Please no!"
"DOCTOR!" Ditzy yelled while stomping her hoof again.
"I'm sorry Derpy. Really I swear to you this isn't me!" He said while continuing his desperate attempts to reign in the machine. " All I did was take her into the vortex and she goes all wonky like that. It took everything I had just to get her to land here!"
" Do you at least know where we are?" She asked dropping the edge in her voice now that she knew the stallion was blameless.
The Doctor swung over to the monitor and tapped it a few times, he looked mildly relieved. " I got the year right but it looks like we've been gone about twenty-eight hours." He tapped the screen again and laughed to himself," We're in Fillydelphia! I'll never get tired of those names." he smirked.
" My sister lives here." She said looking back towards the door with a smile. " At least we can visit her while we're here."
The Doctor tapped his chin for a moment and hummed to himself," Wasn't she the pink one who was glaring daggers at me during the whole reception?"
Ditzy layed her ears back and pawed at the floor," I forgot that she had been doing that but ya, that's her."
"Have fun then." He waved a hoof as he went back to the control panels.
She glared up at him," Oh no you don-"
"MOMMMMMMIE!" Her scolding was interrupted as a high shrill voice sounded from a corridor, which came from a small light grey filly who was was in nearly every sense of the word a copy of her mother. She had the same straw blonde mane and pale coat, though instead of a pair of wings like her mother she had a small spiral horn. She was rubbing her forehead just below said horn," I bumped my head." She whined her voice filled with innocence that only a six year old could fake. In truth the filly was as sharp as they came often surprising her elders with her attentiveness, and providing solutions that most grown ups overlooked.
" What happened Muffin?" Ditzy asked as she ran to the fillies side.
"Everything got all shaky and I fell out of bed." She looked up at the stallion as her joined her mother to fret over the filly. " Did we crash again Daddy?"
He smiled down at her, no matter how many times he heard her call him that it still tugged at his hearts." Just a bit of a rough landing." His smile dropped," Wait, what do mean again?"
Ditzy giggled as her husband realized that he'd been burned by a six year old. " Hey Muffin? You wanna go visit your Aunt later?"
Dinky's big sad eyes were suddenly filled with excitement," Ya I haven't seen Aunt Sparkler since The Sisterhooves Social."
" I thought you'd like that idea." Ditzy laughed. " But right now it's late so why don't we go to bed and then we can go see her in the morning." She gave the Earth stallion a sideways glance that that said ' You're coming too!'
He grinned nervously, his wife could be really scary when she wanted too. " I'll try and figure out what's wrong you two get some rest." He gulped," Don't want you to be sleepy when we go to see your sister, do we?" He kept up the grin until he was sure they were gone," I swear that glare of hers could crack an Angel."
" I heard that!"
Unknown to the ponies inside a less than pleasant being had managed to enter and leave without them being any the wiser. It phased back into sight outside the box, revealing itself to be a familiar and extremely obnoxious Gengar. Loki laughed to himself as he lazily drifted away," This place just got even more interesting."
Allen glared at the coffee cup that sat in front of him, it's contents had long since grown cold and he had yet to even taste it. Sparkler had so far completely failed to notice his silent anguish as she continued to ask everything and anything that popped into her head. "So I asked Tally about Evolution last night and I gotta say it sounds really strange." She turned to Nova," So I was wondering what it was like to evolve. Does it hurt or do you not feel anything until the process is over?"
The Volcano Pokemon shrugged," Well first it's absolutely painless. Nearly all species of Pokemon have an evolution, it would be bad if they were suddenly struck with a crippling pain as their bodies rearranged themselves. But I when I evolved from Quilava; I could feel my bones and muscles stretch and shift. My skin stretching was the worst of it though, I had never been so itchy in my life."
" He was rubbing on a Maractus he found." Allen added with a grin," It took me two days to pluck all the needles out of his butt."
Both ponies and Tally laughed as the Typhlosion managed to look embarrassed and angry at the same time," I was doing fine getting them out on my own."
" Until you started getting the needles stuck in your tongue." The once human replied while rolling his eyes. " That Maractus's trainer was really mad too. He actually threatened to call the Ra-"
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK
"That must be the police." Sparklers upbeat demeanor seemed to wither in front of the pair of Pokemon. " I had hoped to have more time to ask about your world." She grumbled and went to the door just as another round of hard knocked rattled the door," I'm coming, I'm coming." She growled.
On the other side of the door stood two stern looking ponies, one a mare the other a stallion, as well as the Police Chief herself looking serious. As soon as she saw Allen and Nova she jabbed her hoof at the pair," You two! With me! Now!"
"What's going on?" Sparkler asked suddenly quite nervous. " I thought He wasn't in any real trouble?"
" No time to explain! There's a cab waiting for us outside! Let's MOVE!"
Both Allen and Nova could sense that she was afraid, though she was trying to mask it with a false bravado.(1) The pair were on their feet/ hooves in seconds and making for the door, as the group made down the stairs they were joined by Sparkler who had taken a moment to grab her saddlebags. The Chief only glanced at her for the briefest of seconds as she continued down the stairwell. What had been called a cab bore a striking resemblance to a rickshaw, with a single burly pony stallion hitched to the cart. As Nova, Sparkler, and the Chief seated themselves on the velvet benches Allen saw the mayor was also sitting present staring in the direction of the sea. The two other officers stayed behind as the cabby broke into a swift gallop.
Allen looked between the two city officials, both were clearly worried about something," So? is someone gonna tell me what's going on?"
The two exchanged a look that spoke volumes before the mayor actually said anything," There has been an incident."
"I knew it!" Nova growled. "What has Loki done this time?"
The Police Chief gave the Fire-type a half grin," This actually has nothing to do with him."
The mayor who had gone back to watching the city fly by elaborated," The refinery has been attacked by what we can only assume are Pokemon." He now had their undivided attention as he continued. " Nopony was hurt thankfully but, the creatures have done quite a bit of damage and the whole facility had to be evacuated. However the refinery is the primary pillar of the cities economy, if it is so badly damaged that it has to be closed for repairs, many ponies will suffer." He turned to look Allen straight in the eye," Can you drive them out without doing more damage?"
Allen sighed," That's a tough question to answer. It would be easier if we knew what we were dealing with. Can describe them?"
" Everypony who saw them said they looked like it was made of metal." The Chief said with a sigh. " I'm afraid that's all we know."
" Steel-type?" Nova asked. " That's odd. normally they don't get to close to anything that regularly melts metal."
Allen nodded," That's true, but if they are Steel-type then our job just got that much easier. You eat Steel-types for breakfast."
The ponies present suddenly gave the Fire-type looks that varied from disgusted to horrified," Not literally." Nova said as he rolled his eyes. " I just have type advantage."
Sparkler looked ready to ask a question when the cart lurched to a stop. " We're here the Mayor said as he quickly stepped down and trotted towards a crowd of ponies that clearly worked in the foundry.
As the group approached a stallion wearing a yellow vest and a hard hat was shouting for the other ponies to stay back, clearly the foreman. He turned and brightened as he saw the chief," Thank Celestia! I hope you've got a good plan. Firefly(2) says their eating the steel! If they find the Mythril ore we're screwed!" His gaze shifted to Allen as the now Rapidash stepped passed him with Nova only a few behind, his eyes widened as he took in the former human. " Whoa! Who are you?"
Allen smiled," Their plan. How many are there?"
Still looking over him in a state of awe the foreman just mumbled," Firefly said there was four of the them."
Allen nodded," Alright. Nova let's get to work." The Volcano Pokemon grinned fiercely as the flames on his shoulders burst to life causing several ponies to scream in alarm and dive for cover(3) and he nodded. With hard expressions the pair casually walked into the building throw the large hole in the wall.
"Aw look Mommy it's so cute." Dinky cooed as she showed he mother the creature she had found. " Can I keep it?" She gave the walleyed mare her biggest, saddest, puppy dog eyes. " Please?"
Normally Ditzy could resist the overwhelming cuteness that usually rendered her husband putty in the fillies hooves," I don't know." She said meekly, it was quite a bit harder this time since the odd furry creature was also giving her it's most pathetic pouty look as well. "What is it even?"
" I'm Eevee." The creature said in a voice that was even squeakier than her daughters. It was clearly female.
Deciding on a new tactic Dinky threw her little hooves around Eevee, drawing her face close to the fillies and sticking out her lower lip. " Please mommy she's so cute."
Eevee picked up on the plan right away and began to quiver her own lower lip giving the mare the most pleading look she was capable of without just looking silly.(4)
It was more than the mare could bare, she buckled under the onslaught of overwhelming cuteness. " Okay fine." She sighed as the pair cheered happily. " The Doctor's gonna have a fit."
Meanwhile in the Everfree Forest Arceus had been checking the timestream viewing the multiple and uncertain outcomes that this new world faced. He laughed to himself as he saw one extremely unlikely future that showed a small filly and an Eevee seated atop a black throne with all life enslaved by the pairs adorableness.
Most would call the air inside the refinery stifling and heavy, however as a Fire-type Allen found it quite comfortable. Without anyone to operate the equipment the place was much quieter than he had thought, it also made finding their targets that much easier. The pair simply followed the sounds of screeching metal deeper in.
As they passed a large pool of molten steel they saw the Pokemon, four Lairon were busy tearing chunks out of a steel slag that stood taller than he was. Allen could see bits of smashed machines that worked the hot metal scattered everywhere, including the twisted remains of an iron staircase that had been torn off the wall. Looking up he saw a control box bolted to the wall and a dark red mare seated inside it, glowering down at the Pokemon hatefully. " That must be Firefly." He saw her press a hoof to her ear, she must be wearing a headset to communicate with the ponies outside. As she brought her hoof down she started looking in every direction until her eyes settled on what she was looking for, Allen and Nova. Her eyes widened is shock as she looked the two burning creatures over, before jabbing her hoof at the Lairon in a get 'um gesture.
Allen looked back at the Pokemon still gorging themselves on their pilfered prize before glancing at Nova " I guess that explains why it's Steel-types then huh?" He turned to Nova," They couldn't resist the free meal."
His voice carried through and one of them turned and glared hard at him," Go away Fire-type! This is our territory now!" It's outburst drew the attention of the other three who joined in calling out warnings to the pair.
Allen just shook his head," Actually this place belongs to those ponies you ran off. And they asked us to get it back from you, so I'll ask nicely once." He glowered at them," Please leave."
The Iron Armour Pokemon all exchanged amused looks before the largest, and most likely the ringleader stepped forward," We're not leaving. There's enough food here to last us until we evolve, and without any humans to stop us we can do whatever we want. Those Ponytas are weak!" As a display of his own power he reared back and slammed his forelegs down, shattering the concrete floor. " If you two think you're strong enough, try and stop us!"
"Oh no! You misunderstand." Allen said casually as he pointed to Nova. "He's going to fight you. I'm just here to make sure nothing gets broken."
This only seemed to anger the larger Lairon," Don't get cocky just because you have type advantage!" He roared as his large head began to glow. "Iron Head!" He bellowed and charger at them.
Nova blazed with his usual intensity," Allen?"
The distance between the two Pokemon was closing fast, while the once human was surprised that Nova still wanted him to lead here, there was no time to question it. "Let's make this quick and clean, use Flamethrower."
Nova complied and exhaled a massive torrent of ruby red flames, the Lairon screamed more in shock than pain as the blood red flames engulfed it. Nova kept the attack going for a few more seconds before cutting it off, the large Lairon lay on its belly glaring at the Volcano Pokemon. It clearly still had quite a bit of fight left in it, acting on his own, Nova clenched his paw into a fist that was set ablaze," FIRE PUNCH!" He roared as he made to swing.
“ Greetings citizens of Equus, both old and new.” A voice rang out through the refinery, as much felt as it was heard. Allen didn't know why but he could have sworn he had heard that voice before. ” I am Lord Arceus, creator of the Pokemon realm.”
The flames around Nova's paw fizzled out and he fell to all fours into a bow, the Lairon were doing the same as well. Allen just gaped as his mind made to connection between Arceus's voice and the last words he heard on Earth. " My god."(5) He muttered under his breath.
“ You have no reason to fear me, I come in peace.” The Alpha Pokemon added. “ I have revealed myself to inform you that I am the one responsible for the Pokemon's presence in this world, for the citizens of Equus, the Pokemon are the beings who have appeared over the past few days.”
Allen could only stand there and gawk at thin air as his mind absorbed this new information. Arceus had done this? Why? How?
“ I have my reasons for bringing them here, and to the leaders I will reveal them in time, but for now a warning, the Pokemon, while some may not seem it, are just as intelligent as any race who calls Equus home, and, seeing as how they are my subjects, I will not tolerate them being treated any differently than you would treat your fellow Pony, Griffin, Minotaur, Diamond Dog, Changeling, Deer, Hippocampi, Zebra, Horse, Buffalo, Cow, Donkey, or Dragon depending on whichever race you belong to.”
" Oh that's not gonna cause a panic." Allen scoffed.
“ To my Pokemon, I say this, I brought you, all of you, here so that you could live in peace, do not seek to harm the natives of this world, for I am the one responsible for your displacement. And to the Pokemon who went through changes when I brought you here I say this. You are the ones who proved themselves worthy, those who were fair, kind and good in the old world, consider this your reward. And to all of you, as sapients the laws of Equus, and the varying countries, now apply to you, and only the laws of Equus.”
The way he left that hanging in the air gave Allen some idea as to what it was he was referring too. 'The Ranger Union is gonna love that.' He thought to himself as he rolled his eyes.
“ That is all for now, but just to be clear, the Pokemon are not to be harmed simply out of spite, if you have a problem with what I've done, feel free to contact me, I currently reside in an ancient temple deep in the Everfree Forest, or a pocket dimension outside of the space time continuum, so if any of you wish to face the sheer power of a god, feel free to come by.”
Allen glared up at the ceiling," Oh, very humble. I MAY JUST TAKE YOU UP ON THAT! Ya dick!"
“ Goodbye for now, though I doubt this will be the last you hear of me, and peace to you all.”
As the presence, he hadn't noticed before, faded Allen looked to the Lairon Quartet and Nova who were staring at him in absolute disbelief. " Aaaand queue the rioting."
" It looks like that message was heard by every sentient being on the planet." The Doctor tapped at the keyboard as he stared at the screen. Ever since Arceus made his not so little speech the Earth stallion had been trying to assess the situation.
" But how did he do it?" Ditzy asked clearly worried. The Eevee, which her daughter had named Veevee, seemed peaceful enough but she worried for her daughters safety. She was leaning on the railing watching the two playing tag in the T.A.R.D.I.S. they seemed so happy, was it really possible such an adorable little creature could be dangerous?"
" It looks like he tapped into the morphic field surrounding the planet. " He looked over and saw the worried look on his wife's face. " Hey, hey, it's okay Derpy." He stepped away from the console and pulled her into a hug. " Veevee seems like a sweet heart, and if this Arceus guy is centered in the Everfree then Celestia is probably already on top of things."
" Do you think she'll want us to get involved?"
" I doubt it. In a situation like this she'll most likely get involved herself." He paused as he thought through deeper into it. " Or at the very least she'll send Twilight and the other Element Bearers." Ditzy relaxed in his grip and let out a small sigh," Better?"
Ditzy smiled up at him and kissed his cheek," Much, thank you."
" Can we go see Aunt Sparkler now Mommy?" Dinky asked excitedly as she and Veevee raced up the stairs. " I want her to meet Veevee!"
Ditzy smiled and scooped the pair up in her wings," Of course we can Muffin. I know she'll be so happy to see you. Why don't you go get your bags and then we can go." She set the excitable little filly down and watched her gallop off, Veevee right behind her. It only took a moment for the pair to reappear, and the family set out into the city Ditzy in the lead, Dinky and Veevee happily talking about the fillies aunt, and bring up a the rear of the small formation; a less than thrilled stallion.
" So what about you Veevee? Where is your Mommy and Daddy?" Dinky asked curious about her new friend.
The small Normal-type frowned and her ears drooped," I don't know where Mama is now. Daddy is probably still with his trainer. He only came to the Daycare when our trainer wanted to pick up another egg." She stopped walking and curled up on herself. " Or leave behind one of my brother's or sister's that were, wrong, like me."
Dinky moved to give Veevee a hug and comfort her only to see the Doctor reach out and give the tiny Pokemon a reassuring pat on the head. He looked down on her with sad brown eyes, and as she looked up into them she saw,or rather felt, that he understood her sadness. " Sometimes people can be very cruel, even if they don't mean to be. I'm not sure what that person thought he was looking for Veevee." The Doctor smiled down at the Eevee as he lightly scratched her ear," But I can tell you now that there is nothing wrong with you. And you can stay with us for as long as you like."
The little Normal-type smiled back up att he old stallion with teary eyes before blinking them away and nuzzling him," Thank you." Dinky pulled her friend into a tight little hug which was returned with equal vigor.
After a moment to let the youngsters hug that out The Doctor cleared his throat to draw their attention," Now then. I think we should catch up with your mother. We don't want her to get to your aunt's house and have us not be there do we?"
It took a moment for what he said to register, but when it did her eyes doubled in size and she squeaked in alarm as she looked in every direction for the mare," Uh oh!"
" Okay so I didn't give you ponies enough credit." Allen said as he looked over the large herd of photographers that the Mayor and police chief were addressing. The ponies had already been there eager to get the headline in tomorrows newspaper, but after Arceus made his announcement they had mobbed the the poor stallion with questions. The Lairon quartet had made a break for it after what Arceus had said, deciding that they didn't want to have to work to pay off the damage they had done.
Sparkler gave him a odd look, as Tally preened his feathers from his favourite perch, before the older mare asked," What do you mean by that?"
" A god just shows up and talks to everyone on the planet and you brush it off like its nothing. Back on Earth there would have been mass hysteria." He looked over at Sparkler," Does stuff like this happen a lot on this planet?"
The pink mare giggled," Well no this is definitely a first for us too." Her smile dropped after a second," Would Humans really have reacted that badly to the situation?"
" Some Humans don't handle change or tragedy well." Nova offered. " After the cataclysm there was a fringe group that wanted to hunt down and destroy the Legendaries, believing they were too dangerous to let run wild."
The mare looked shocked and Allen groaned," Ya I remember reading about those idiots. It was a good thing they were so vocal because it made it that much easier for the Rangers to find them."
"Excuse me sir." A voice said. Turning they saw an officer looking haggard," The Chief suggested that you should leave now before the reporters find you."
Allen looked up to see that some of the ponies had broken away from the herd and were clearly stalking around looking for someone, or most likely the mon that had been sent in to take care of the Lairon. Allen groaned and ducked his head to be less noticeable, as if being a flaming horse didn't make him stand out. " Ya, I'd rather not have to deal with that." He turned to Nova and Sparkler," We should go before they spot me." He turned and thanked the officer before the trio did their best to bet a hasty retreat.
As they wondered through the streets Sparkler took the lead, Nova had dropped to all fours again and Allen brought up the rear. " Well that was an interesting way to spend an hour." The pink mare looked back at the Fire-types," Let's get back to my house, I'm starving."
" I could certainly use something to eat." Nova grumbled. "I wonder if there was anything tasty swimming around in that pond in the park."
For the second time that day Sparkler gave the Pokemon a horrified look," You eat meat!?"
Nova for his part shrugged at her as he walked," Sometimes, odds are I won't find any Sitrus berries around here." Behind him he heard Allen groan, " What?"
"I just realized that means no Leppa berries for Dawn, and now that I can understand her she'll probably bitch till she's blue in the face." The look of dread on his face reminded Nova of the time he had challenged Alder to a Battle not realizing the man had been a Champion.
"She was always spoiled." Nova said with an amused snort. " She'll just have to learn to make due like the rest of us. And who knows, maybe Lord Arceus brought a few berry plants with him."
" Maybe." The Rapidash sighed," It's one more thing I'll have to ask him." That comment earned an astonished look from Nova," What? He told us exactly where to find him and god or not I'm gonna lay into him about..." He motioned first to himself and then to the city around them," All this."
" Cussing out a god may not be the best plan Allen." Nova warned.
Maybe not." Allen said with a shrug," But somebody needs to do it. He sounds really high on himself"
" He's a god." Nova deadpanned.
Allen opened his mouth to make a retort when a high squeaky voice sounded to the right. " AUNT SPARKLER! From around the corner of a building a small pale grey unicorn filly did a flying tackle into the pink mare, driving the air from her lungs his a pained exhale.
" Whoa!" Tally cried as he launched himself into the air.
"Sparkler!"
"Sparkler!" Both Nova and Allen yelled at the same time, as they rushed to the mares aid.
The little filly had wrapped her in a tight little hug and was nuzzling into her neck while the mare wheezed and gulped down air. She lifted her head looking the young pony over in confusion," Dinky?" She rasped. " Why are you in Fillydelphia?" She reasoned and then in a more panicked voice asked," Where is your mother!?"
" Right here sis." A pony that looked very similar to the filly that had Sparkler in an usra hug, save that she had a pair of wings instead of a horn, with a cheerful grin on her face. " Maybe you should let Sparkler up Muffin."
" Dog Pile!" Squealed a voice as a brownish blur rushed passed the grey mare and jumped into the air only to belly flop onto the two ponies. Allen and Nova stared with growing smiles as the two youngsters laughed with delight," So this is your Aunt Dinky? She smells like your mom."
The pair shrieked excitedly as they rolled off the mare so she could stand," Ditzy! Why didn't you tell me you were coming?" The two mares pulled each other into a hug," It's so good to see you again." The smile dropped from her face as she and her sister broke from embrace and Sparkler saw a light brown Earth Pony standing behind Ditzy. Sparkler narrowed her eyes and glared at the stallion," Time Turner." She said coldly.
Time Turner gave her a curt nod," Pink one." Allen heard a curious ascent and a touch of amusement in his voice.
Sparklers glare twisted into a scowl," Why is he here?"
The pegasus mare, whom Allen had just noticed was wall eyed, gave a nervous chuckle," Well I did marry him." She cast an uneasy look between the two ponies," Can we not do this right now? I really just want to catch up sis."
" Whoa cool! Mommy, Daddy look at those two!" Dinky called both excited and awed. She was staring at Allen with her little mouth hanging open," Are you a princess?"
Allen laughed at the question," No I'm a huma-" Allen stopped himself and looked down at his hooves," No little one, I'm just a Pokemon."
" You were about to say something else." The brown stallion said as he walked up to the former human.
" He was saying how he used to be a lot uglier than he is now." An all to familiar voice said from above the group and several pairs of eyes turn up to see Loki and his annoying grin.
"Where have you been Loki!?" Nova growled as he glared up at the Ghost-type who blew a Razzberry at the Volcano Pokemon as he drifted towards the assembled ponies.
" Just looking around." He glanced at Time Turner and gave him a creepy knowing grin. " You wouldn't believe the things you find on this Planet." The grin dropped from his face," Well there's something I never imagined I'd find myself saying."
Allen gave the Ghost a hard look," You didn't happen to see Dawn, Penny, or Drakarus did you?"
Loki shook his head, which was basically him twisting his whole body back and forth," Not a sign of the rest of our little freak show."
" You're an idiot." Nova growled.
"Mommy is that a Ghost?" Dinky asked as she poked her mother's foreleg, while watching the Shadow Pokemon make obscene gestures at the Fire-type.
" No of course not Muffin," Ditzy said with a smile. " There's no such thing as Ghosts."
" Actually he is." Tally said as he settle back onto his favourite perch atop Sparklers horn while giving Loki a dirty look. " He's a real jerk too."
Loki looked at the Taillow flatly," Flattery will get you nowhere."
Time Turner looked ready to make a comment but just as he opened his mouth several stomachs grumbled, including Dinky and Sparklers. Chuckling he smiled over at his wife," We should probably get something to eat. Haven't had anything since we got here have we Derpy?"
Sparkler shot the stallion a death glare that made Allen flinch,Nova leaned down," What do you think that's all about?"
" Ya." The former Human whispered back. " I'm not pulling the pin on that grenade."
" Maybe it has something to do with that box they showed up in." Loki added more than loud enough to draw the ponies attention.
Time Turner and Ditzy exchanged nervious glances, something Sparkler noticed," What's he going on about?"
" Oh ya, you should have seen it." Loki drifted towards her hanging upside down with a mischievous grin. " There I am just looking around, seeing the sights, and then I hear the oddest thing." The Ghost-type shifted his gaze to the married couple," The strangest wheezing sound. So I go to investigate and what do I see but a big blue box that just popped up up outta nowhere and smashes a trashcan." He floated up to the now sweating stallion," Nice place by the way. How did you do the whole bigger on the inside thing? Kinda wish that's how Pokeballs worked."
Sparkler locked her gaze on her sister, narrowing her eyes as though she was seeing her for the first time," Sis?"
After exchanging another nervious glance with her husband she gave a defeated sigh," I guess it's time you knew." She met her sister glare with a sad grin," But we had a good reason to for not telling you."
As Loki drifted back to Allen still wearing his smug, I caused trouble, grin; Nova caught him in the back of the head witha Fire Punch," Idiot."
"Alright!" Sparkler declared as she walked through the double doors, fixing a glare on Time Turner The Doctor. "What's the trick!? How in the world did you manage to do this? Did a unicorn help you?" She had just been outside circling the box for the last ten minutes trying to wrap her head around what, in her opinion, had to be an unknown field of magic.
If the Doctor was bothered by Sparkler’s hostility, he did a marvelous job concealing it. Instead, he just grinned at the pink mare. "Oh, it's not a trick," he said casually as he turned back to continue his conversation with Allen. "And it's not magic either!" he called out, sensing her next question. "So Mr. Swans, where were we?"
Allen dug his hoof at the metal walkway beneath him. "Please don't call me that. It makes me sound like an old man."
The Doctor laughed, "Trust me Allen, age is just a state a mind. I'm eight hundred years old and still kicking."
Allen gave the Doctor a skeptical look, "Pull the other one."
The Doctor only shrugged. "Believe what you want. But anyways, what can you tell me about this Arceus character?"
"Not much," Allen said as he shook his head. "I was just a Trainer back on Earth. All I know is that he was supposed to be the Archetype from which all Pokemon descend; a God whom set Time and Space into motion. A mythologist could probably have told you more."
"Though," Nova said in an amused tone, “after everything that has happened, I doubt very much that anyone will call him a myth now."
Some Distance away in the wilds of Equestria, and aged Conkeldurr was searching for explanations of his own, as well as any remnants of the Ranger Union. Suddenly, a shiver ran up his spine and he sneezed , sending Pokemon and animals scurrying away from him. " Someone's dancing on my grave." He mumbled before resuming his trek.
"Fair point," Allen said while nodding. "I always just thought he was an extremely powerful Pokemon. But now..." he trailed off as he brought a hoof to his face to examine it once again. "Now I'm not sure what to think of him. With people like Team Plasma out there, I can't blame him for wanting to protect Pokemon, but there must have been a better way than this."
"What's Team Plasma?" Sparkler asked, climbing the stairs up to the time machine’s control console.
Allen sighed, "Criminal group that was centered in the Unova Region. They claimed they wanted to free Pokemon from abusive Trainers. Their real goal was to keep others from using Pokemon to stop them from taking control of the country, by using Pokemon."
"They don't sound very nice," Dinky observed as she gripped Sparkler's hindleg in an Ursa hug.
"They are many words that could be used to describe Plasma," Nova growled. "Nice is most definitely not one of them."
The Doctor seemed to catch onto the grim tone in the Fire-type's voice. "Speaking from experience, I see."
Nova only snorted in disgust so Allen elaborated. "I had seen one or two of their 'public demonstrations' where they would release Pokemon, but I never really thought much of it. I never made Nova or Dawn stay in their Pokeballs and I knew they were happy. So when I got to Mistralton City to challenge the Gym Leader and a member of Team Plasma was there spewing their usual idiocy, I didn't pay him any mind. Later that same day, Plasma kidnapped over a dozen Pokemon, including Nova."
Ditzy gasped. "That's awful!! What did they do to you?" She asked, turning a sympathetic gaze to the Volcano Pokemon.
Nova was scowling at the far wall. "They tried to convince me that Allen was an abusive Trainer, and yet when I refused to cooperate they beat me. I likely would have died if a Trainer and his Gardevoir hadn't rescued me and the other Pokemon that survived the conditioning." (1) In a blurred motion of pale lavender, Dinky had released her affectionate grip on Sparkler’s hindleg to wrap her little forelegs around Nova. She said nothing and just kept up her Ursa hug. Allen had to resist the overwhelming urge to d’aww, while the two mares felt no such inhibitions as they cooed at the scene.
Nova for his part just looked uncomfortable. Leaning over, Allen whispered to the Doctor "He gets nervous around kids, afraid he might hurt them."
"Aww, look who's turning into a big softy," Loki sneered as he then cackled at Nova's angry glare. "Gonna let her braid your fur next?"
"Loki!" Allen snapped, trying to head off another fight. "Go be a nuisance somewhere else." The ghost blew another Razzberry as he faded out of sight. "Really wish I had a pokeball to cram him into."
“You’re not the only one” Nova grumbled to himself as Dinky released him and moved to stand between her mother and aunt.
Sparkler had began to look over the the box's interior again trying to figure it out. "So tell me the truth, how does it work? You can't really expect anypony to buy that 'it's a Time Machine' line."
This seemed to be the first thing she'd said that actually got under the stallion’s skin. (2) "Oh you think this is just some parlor trick do you?" He actually glared at Sparkler before turning to the console and wildly flipping switches and tapping at an antique typewriter. “Let’s see what you have to say in a thousand years!"
As he reached out and took hold of a lever, Dinky leaped forward and cried "Daddy, wait!"
Her warning came too late as the Earth Stallion threw the lever back, and with an almost gong-like sound the mechanisms whirled to life. An alignment of crystals began to work itself up and down in the central display, which was accompanied by an eerie groaning, wheezing sound. The little filly went wide-eyed and seemed to brace herself. For a moment it seemed as though her concerns were unfounded; but then, with a deafening metallic clang, the room began to shake violently. Those present who had wings made full use of them, Ditzy grabbing her daughter and lifting her into the air as the whole room began to spin wildly. Tally took to the air as well while Sparkler, the Doctor, Nova, Veevee, and Allen had the floor pulled out from under them.
Sparkler had her fall cushioned as she fell on top of Allen who was still uneasy on four legs and had gone down first, the Doctor was less fortunate as he was what broke Nova's fall while Veevee slid off the upper catwalk and fell a short distance. Groaning, the Doctor pulled himself out from under the toppled Fire-type and pulled himself back to the control console. With a lung he threw the lever that had set the machine in motion and the mechanism began to wind down, the violent shaking began to die down as the wheezing noise stopped.
"Does it always do that!?" Sparkler asked glaring at the Doctor as she jumped off of Allen's back.
"No." The Doctor said as he fiddled with the controls. "That was definitely NOT supposed to happen." He continued to tap at the typewriter and stare at the monitor, after a moment he smacked the screen away and gave a frustrated growl. "System's fried! It'll take hours to get it back up!"
"I don't get it," Nova said as he pulled himself up. "What was up with the roller coaster ride then?"
"That's what I was trying to tell you!" Dinky pouted as her mother touched down. "Daddy, think about it: we were just in the future..." She looked from one adult to the next hoping they understood what she was saying. "There weren't any Pokemon when we went to the future last time, so that means that time is all twisted up now. It’s probably why we crashed in Fillydelphia too."
The three adult ponies present all dropped their jaws.
"Of course!" The Doctor groaned. "Time can be rewritten, but there are those fixed points that are in flux now too! No wonder the T.A.R.D.I.S. is getting sick!"
"So..." Allen raised an eyebrow as he turned to the stallion, "if the future is a no-go then, just whe-"
"I swear, if you ask 'when are we,'" Sparkler glared at the Fire-type, "I will smack you."
He chuckled, "It's still a valid question. We are not where we were before, are we Doctor?" He turned to watch as the Earth stallion continued to work at the typewriter.
"No, definitely not. The trick is figuring out where exactly we ended up." His attention was back to the console as he squinted and muttered under his breathe "Let's see if I can figure out what planet we're on."
"Planet!?" Sparkler asked in a panicked tone. "You're kidding, right? Ditzy, please tell me he's not serious!" The grey mare gave her sister a nervous chuckle that did very little to ease her escalating panic.
"If you want to know where we are you could always look outside," Loki said in a snide tone as he reappeared in the room. "I mean, the ponies living in that castle over there would probably be willing to tell you what planet you crashed into."
"I didn't crash! The Vortex collapsed around us and- ... What castle?"
All eyes moved to the Ghost who just grinned. "You know, the one that's outside, something like twenty yards from your front door."
"Ghost-types don't need to breathe do they?" The Doctor’s tone was flat and amused.
"Nope," Loki laughed. "Figured I'd pop outside and take a look at what there was to be seen. You really oughta see it, it's a pretty awesome-looking castle." The Doctor was glaring at Loki as all the passengers made their way outside.
Allen gave an impressed whistle as he looked from one spire to another, "I bet that's what the Relic Castle looked like before it got buried." The outer ramparts stood about twenty feet tall, the masonry had a weathered look to it but it was clearly still in fine condition. Beyond the outer wall there was little that could be seen from the ground, but Allen could just make out the roof of a large central structure, likely a dining hall or perhaps a library.
"Wait, I know this place," the Doctor and Ditzy smiled. "This is the Palace of the Royal Sisters. Well, at least we're still on Equus and that gives us some clue as to what year we ended up in too."
"The Palace of the Royal Sisters? You mean the one that's been abandoned in the Everfree Forest for the last thousand years?" Sparkler asked incredulously.
"It's not empty right now," Ditzy said with a smile. "Celestia and Luna are still living in it. It hasn't been abandoned yet."
"Everfree?" Allen looked to the pink mare. "Isn't that the place where Arceus said he had set himself up?"
"Well, yes" the Doctor replied, "but he and the Pokemon won't arrive on Equus for at least another thousand years." The Doctor's eyes widened and his jaw fell open. "THAT'S IT!!! I know how to get us back to our own time without having to deal with all the shaking and falling over! All I have to do is-"
"Allen, look at that!" Nova butted in with an awed tone.
The former Human turned his gaze skyward and gasped. Following his gaze, the ponies all looked up and made their own exclamations of shock. The sun was set high in the sky, shining brightly, as the group watched the large silvery mass of the moon move across the sky, destined to pass in front of the sun in moments. "Well would ‘ya look at that? Looks like we're about to see a Solar Eclipse."
'Oh this is bad!' The Doctor thought to himself as he watched the moon reach its zenith in the late afternoon sky. 'Oh that's very not good!' He had already pieced together exactly what was happening and judging from the look on Derpy and the Pink Ones face they had figured it out too. Dinky, such a clever little filly, was cowering behind her mother but watching the moon as it slid between the sun and the planet below with some fascination. The Pokemon present however were clueless to the ominous nature of the celestial event, "We should get back in the T.A.R.D.I.S." Derpy and the Pink One were already easing back towards the the doors even as Allen and his two Pokemon moved closer to the palace walls.
The Doctor was already at the doors when the mass of the moon blotted out the sun painting the space around it with the stars corona and then slowed to match the stars passage across the sky. The change in the satellites speed didn't go unnoticed by the Pokemon, Nova was the first to see it, "Allen? Shouldn't the moon have started moving past the sun by now? The last eclipse we saw didn't lasted nearly this long."
"We're on another freaking planet charcoal-brain." Loki sneered not looking away from the black mass of the moon and its fiery halo.
"No, Nova is right," the Rapidash turned away in time to see the Doctor push Ditzy and Dinky into the T.A.R.D.I.S. "Doctor what is this? What's goin on?"
The Earth Stallion didn’t have a chance to respond before the roof of what had once been the Throne room(1) was ripped open by a massive blast. All eyes turned to watch as an ivory white alicorn winged her way into the sky, she said something but her words were lost to the wind and distance between her and the rattled time travelers. When the dust over the destroyed roof thinned they watched, some in terror others is confusion as another alicorn rose into the sky. She hovered suspended on wings as black as ebony and wrapped in armour of blued steel(2), her mane was like staring into the milky way on a mountain top. She was terrifying and beautiful at once, Sparkler gasped and stumbled back, "Nightmare Moon!"
The Doctor only nodded as the Nightmare pumped her wings and streaked towards her ivory sister unleashing a blast of eldritch energy. Celestia tucked in a wing and spiraled to evade the the attack, striking out with her own golden magic as she leveled out. Nightmare dodged the gold-coloured blast with minimal effort as she flapped her way higher into the sky in an attempt to take a preferable position. Celestia's magic had continued on to destroy much of a nearby tower. From her elevated position, Nightmare rained down a volley of smaller but no less destructive magic missiles. Forcing Celestia to bob and weave her way between the explosive bolts as the garden below was reduced to a burned and pock-marked wasteland. Allen and Nova flinched as the force of the multiple blasts cracked the masonry of the outer rampart in several places.
Celestia, having dodged the volley of eldritch magic without a scratch, rocketed into the air her horn shining brightly as she unleashed a counter attack that mimicked the technique that Nightmare had just employed. Again, Nightmare evaded with only a slight adjustment of her wings and cackled as the volley of golden magic shot passed her, never coming closer than a yard. The attack continued and destroyed the lower floor of another tower sending it toppling over like an ancient redwood. Nightmare Moon, focused as she was on her sister, never saw the mass of stone as it swung towards her, with very unintimidating yelp the dark alicorn was slammed into the ground with several tons of splintered wood and cracked stone on top of her.
The stones of the tower were still shifting into a stable pile as a few tendrils of violet mist rolled out of the rubble and into the sky, twisting together to form Nightmare without a scratch, a hateful scowl twisting her face.
Allen could only watch the battle in a weighty mixture of awe and confusion. Sparkler and Starshine had told him a little about the Princesses, so he assumed that the white Alicorn was Celestia. However, he had no idea who this dark pony was; he had heard Sparkler call her ‘Nightmare Moon,’ but that didn't really answer any of his questions. Why were these two fighting and why were the ponies so afraid of her?
However, the thing that had him absolutely baffled was how one-sided this battle was. Allen had been a Trainer for well over a decade, and in those years he had learned how to read a combatant’s posture; from what he was seeing, Nightmare was the only one trying to win this fight and she was clearly striking to kill. Celestia on the other hoof was barely able to evade the dark alicorn and any strike she made was more out of reflex and had no real intent behind it. To Allen it looked as though the princess was trying not to fight the ebony mare.
As if proving him right, Celestia launched another magical blast which missed her opponent by a wide margin, striking the ground behind Nightmare and sending out another shockwave that cracked the mortar of the palace's masonry. Several walls collapsed exposing posh furnishings and fine artwork to the elements.
As the once picturesque castle fell to pieces Allen heard Nightmare laugh, it was a haughty pompous sound, one that spoke her opinions of the ivory mare flying opposite her far greater than words could. "Whatever is the matter!?" she called to Celestia. "We had believed you capable of striking us if nothing else! T'would seem we have overestimated your abilities." The mare’s self-righteous tone shifted to one of thoughtful remorse, "Truly a shame, t'was no simple task to craft this armour. We had hoped to test the enchantments that had been laid upon it."
It was a thinly veiled attempt to goat Celestia into reacting but the only effect it had was to enrage Nightmare, who loosed another volley of explosive magic, when Celestia failed to take the bait. Celestia twisted and turned, performing an elaborate aerial ballet, which was followed by another series of thunderous explosions that tore at the palace behind her and blowing out the outer rampart near Allen, Nova and, Loki giving them a clear view of the ruined courtyard.
"She can't keep this up much longer" Nova growled. "She's starting to slow down."
Allen had noticed this as well; Nightmare was clearly the stronger of the two, the overwhelming level of destruction she had wreaked already was a testament to that. Yet Sparkler had told him about Princess Celestia and how she rules Equestria as head of it's Royal Family. How could she be losing this fight? Allen was about to turn to Sparkler, who was still watching with a look that was mix of interest and absolute terror, like someone watching a car wreck but who can't look away. However, just as he turned heard Celestia scream in pain, he spun his head back to the battle in time to see the princess plummet through a shale roof while Nightmare cackled victoriously.
"We have to help her!"
Allen barely had time to process the words as Nova sprinted towards the fallen wall. "Nova! Wait!" His words were ignored and Allen galloped after the Fire-type easily leaping over the stone rubble.
As the pair ran towards the cackling madmare, Loki glanced at Sparkler. "He was fun. I might actually miss him."
A thousand years away in the Hall of Legends, Arceus had just returned from the first day of the the World Summit. Meeting the leaders of Equus had been an ordeal in itself, Golden Horn was going to be a major problem unless something was done. However, right now Arceus was more concerned with unwinding; his not-so-little outburst where he shown the summit the world he and his Pokemon had come from, both the good and bad, had left him emotionally drained. Mew thought it was a good thing, actually, saying "It wasn't healthy to carry all that around." Maybe she was right; he did feel a little better, but mostly he just felt empty.(3)
He was pulled from his musings as he felt a distortion in the fabric of Space-Time. Turning to his left, Arceus watched as his son Dialga stepped out of a temporal fissure which sealed itself behind him. Dialga nodded, "Father."
Arceus smiled, family was exactly what he wanted right now even if it meant there was a problem. And judging from the look on his son's face there was definitely something eating at him. "Is everything alright Dialga? You look troubled."
Dialga frowned and nodded, "Yes actually, both Celebi and I have felt something odd in the history of this world."
Arceus raised an eyebrow at this. It must be something serious if Celebi felt it, as her sensitivity to temporal anomalies was not as developed as Dialga’s. "What would that be?"
The Legendary of Time sighed and hung his head a little, "I am not entirely certain. Though I believe Time is being rewritten."
Arceus frowned, he knew first hoof how bad meddling with history could be. "Look into it. Let me know what you find."
Dialga nodded and bowed slightly, "Of course Father."
Nightmare watched with a boundless sense of glee as Celestia fell, smoke trailing from the burnt feathers of her wings; the sound of her sister’s agonized scream was the sweetest music to her ears. At last she had struck a blow against her foe; though not fatal, it would be several minutes before Celestia would get up from it, not that Nightmare planned to allow her such a respite. It was so easy now, one well aimed shot to the head or heart on a target that was not even conscious, "Tis almost too easy." Setting her wings the dark mare slowly drifted towards the newest of the the gaping holes in the roof and her unsuspecting prey. However, she was soon denied of her prize; a brilliant flash of ruby light flared to her right, barely giving her the time to back-wing out of the path of a massive gout of crimson flame.
Nightmare twisted to glower at whomever would be so foolish as to attack her, only to gawk at the sight before her. A unicorn, at least that was what she thought at first; the longer she looked the stallion over the less certain she felt. He was tall, perhaps even matching herself in stature, with a pale yellowish coat and a fiery azure-blue mane and tail. 'He is Rage-Shifted!'(4) she exclaimed internally, a theory which was supported by the angry glare the strange stallion fixed at her, but stranger still was the blazing beast that stood with him. It was like nothing she had ever seen or even imagined; the majority of its fur was a similar colour to the unicorn’s, though the top of its scalp and its back were a dark shade of red, and an intense orange and yellow fire blazed upon its back and shoulders. 'Some manner of dragon perhaps, or a familiar' she reasoned as she once again began to glare at the fiery pair. "You dare to strike at us!? Do you know whom we are!? We are Nightmare Moon! And you shall pay for such insolence!"
The stallion snorted, "Nova, use Flamethrower again!"
The creature complied and unleashed another torrent of ruby flames. Nightmare tried to back-wing but she was not fast enough; the flames licked at her wings and coat, singeing her feathers and causing the skin along her neck to blister and crack, the fur itself having been reduced to ash. Screaming, she tucked her wings in and dropped out of the sky desperate to get away from the searing flames. A feet feet from smashing into the ground she snapped her smoldering wings open and flapped away, groaning from the pain as her burnt and blistered skin cracked open.
As she flew away from the enraged unicorn and his fire breathing 'not dragon' familiar, she felt her mana being pulled on while at the same time the bulk of her pain began to fade out. Nightmare's smoldering feathers itched for a moment before being returned to their previous condition, and the bleeding cracks in her over-cooked skin knit themselves shut as the blisters receded into smooth unblemished flesh before the bare skin was quickly shaded a lustrous ebony black as her fur returned like it had never been gone. The dark mare couldn't help but smile to herself as the healing spells she had embedded into the Mythril armour repaired all the damage the flames had caused, though burns were not the manner of harm she had expected to endure.
Flying back to her newest opponents she stopped short, now more than aware that the blazing familiar was capable of ranged attacks. "Impressive if nothing else. We had not expected such power, however our armour will protect us from such things." She turned her gaze to Allen and smiled. "You are quite gifted to command the obedience of such a beast, mayhaps you would consider fighting for us and our Eternal Night?"
"That's what this is?" Nightmare was shocked to hear the blazing familiar speak and it's condescending tone put her on edge. "You want to rule the world with ever-lasting night? All you want is to be queen of a frozen wasteland? How petty!" Nova literally spat at Nightmare.
"You dare mock us!?" Nightmare roared.
Allen grinned, "I'd mock anyone who uses the word 'mock.'"(5)
"You shall learn to fear us!" Nightmare lit-up her horn, ready to blast the insolence out of the Pokemon before her.
She never had the chance to strike. While she had been screaming at them, Allen had given Nova a new command, "Use Blast Burn, don't hold anything back." The dark mare had lit her horn in preparation to use magic, but Nova was quicker and she had no way to counter what was coming. The air around Nova combusted, flashing out and racing towards Nightmare faster than she could react, let alone evade. The white hot flames blasted out with the intensity of a high-yield bomb, carving a deep trench into the ground directly in front of Nova for several hundred yards.
Nightmare could only scream as she was launched back by the force of what was arguably the most powerful of fire-type moves. While most of the force was aimed at the dark alicorn, Allen had been forced to brace himself against the shockwave that rolled off the overwhelming force of the attack. As the bulk of the flames died down a few white flames flicked off of Nova who was panting from channeling such an attack, at Nova's feet a huge furrow had been cut, or rather burned, deep into the ground.
Somewhere towards the far end of the trench a small river was emptying itself into the altered landscape, about forty yards away Allen saw the burnt and mangled form of Nightmare Moon laying in the dirt at the bottom of the trench. Her blued steel armour was spotless but anywhere the magic metal did not cover had been reduced to withered leather, he could see the blacked mass moving but he doubted anything could survive such extensive injuries without medical treatment. "I guess ponies are just as frail as Humans in that regard." Allen muttered to himself.
"Damn, Charcoal Brain! I think ya got her!" Loki sneered as he phased into sight by the two Fire-types, while looking at the twitching mass of overcooked pony. "And then some."
"I may have overdone it," Nova admitted more to himself than the Ghost-type, "but her schemes were nothing but pure madness."
"Where are the Doctor and Sparkler, Loki?" Allen asked, suddenly aware that he had lost track of the ponies by charging off after Nova.
"Horse-boy is standing guard by his box and your girlfriend is over there looking like she's about to have a panic attack." Loki grinned and pointed to the ruins of the far wall behind him.
"Shut up Loki." Allen snapped. "Really wish I had a Pokeball to cram you into." He turned to the fallen wall to Sparkler staring wide eyed at the destroyed landscape.
"Well you don't got one! So you can't." Loki shot back and blowing a Raspberry.
"You’re an idiot." Nova said flatly as he dropped onto all fours, white embers still flicking off him every few seconds as his body wound down from the effects of using such a powerful technique.
The trio slowly began making their way back to Sparkler and the T.A.R.D.I.S., Nova's progress was the slowest, a side effect of Blast Burn. Allen stayed close but glad that they had managed to avert disaster, while Loki just drifted through the air in his usual lazy fashion.
They were only ten yards from the pile of rubble that had once been the palace rampart when Sparkler screamed "BEHIND YOU! LOOK OUT!"
Allen barely had time to register her words before a loud concussive blast tore apart the ground next to him, diving the air from his lung and causing his knees to buckle. Dazed and in pain, he looked to his left at the small crater where Nova had been milliseconds earlier. 'No!' Panicking, Allen forced himself to his feet hooves, twisting his head in every direction, desperate for any sign of the Fire-type. What he found was not good.
Nova lay on his side, his back to Allen. The coarse dark red fur on the Volcano Pokemon's back was gone and covering his naked back were several ragged gashes that slowly oozed blood. From what could be seen of his face, Allen saw blood seeping out of his ears as well. He stared at the scene for several seconds, unable to even think until he heard the manic cackle from behind him. In that instant something snapped. To Allen, nothing was worse than seeing his team hurt; even Loki, as annoying as he was, was precious to Allen. He turned and looked at the twisted form of Nightmare Moon standing at the crest of the trench. She was still in horrid condition, her wings were mostly gone but he could see the bones reorient themselves while the flesh of her body and limbs mended itself. She giggled almost playfully, as though she were finally having fun, "Let us see what you are capable of without your familiar."
Allen grit his teeth and pulled his lips back into a vicious snarl, the fiery aspect of his mane and tail suddenly surged as small azure blue embers danced around his body. He glared at the dark mare with more hatred than he had ever felt for any living thing before; more than Teams Aqua and Magma for causing the cataclysm that killed his father, more the Team Plasma for abducting and abusing Nova, even more than the burglar that had killed his grandfather while robbing him. His hatred and anger were a raging inferno and it had only one focus point. He hissed through clenched teeth "YOU BITCH!"
The small embers burst into a flashing cloak of sapphire that was closer to charged plasma than true flame. On some level Allen's rational mind knew what was happening he was using a move, one of the strongest a Rapidash could learn, but Allen was slipping into instinct now. Flexing his legs, he took up a crouched battle stance as his muscles coiled, tense and ready to snap back like a steel trap. Rapidash were strong and fast, and while Allen was still unfamiliar with his new body, the body itself knew what to do. The words slipped out of his lips as he lunged forward aiming to slam into the alicorn with every ounce of might his strong body could muster, "FLARE BLITZ!"
"Hey!" a small voice called. "Hey, wake up please!"
"Uhg. Come on Allen, you know I hate mornings. Let me sleep."
"Please! I'm scared and I don't know what's going on!" the little voice pleaded.
With a bitter groan the Pokemon cracked an eye open and took in the panicked face of a little Vulpix. "Who are you?" As her vision cleared she looked passed the fire-type and saw the alleyway stretch out behind it, the streets were brightly lit in the early morning light and passing the gap between building were... Ponytas? "What the… ?" She groaned as she rolled onto her paws and began to stretch out her lithe form in the dingy but still quite clean alleyway. She paused a moment to lick a bit of dirt that was on her left foreleg, ignoring all else until she was satisfied that her ebony fur had been restored to a presentable state. It wouldn't do if she looked like some mangy stray Meowth; she did have an image to preserve.
She once again turned her turned her crimson eyes to the sunlit cobblestone street, watching as a small herd of the Ponytas passed her and the little Vulpix, whom was cowering behind a trash bin. She had no real concern about being spotted by unfriendly eyes, the only variant in the dark colour of her coat were the yellow rings on her forehead, ears, shoulders, hips and, tail. The Ponytas were baffling to watch; they came in all manner of colours and some had wings while others had a stunted spiral horn, and a few lacked either. "What are they?" the small Fire-type asked daring to peek around the can that served as her cover.
"I don't know." Tilting her head back she closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, taking in the scent of the area. She was immediately confused, as there was no scent of car exhaust or concrete; all she could smell were stones, grass, trees and, these multi-coloured creatures which had a diverse number of scents. "They are not Pokemon." 'And this doesn't smell like Celadon City' she added silently. She then turned her attention to the little Vulpix, "Do you have a Human, little one?"
The younger Pokemon shook her head, "Mama always told me Humans were mean." After a moment she looked up at the Dark-type skeptically, "Do you have a human?"
At the this she smiled softly as thoughts of the many years she had spent with Allen came back to her. "Yes I do. His name is Allen and he's my best friend." She blushed a little as she noted the wistful tone of her voice that was fortunately lost on the younger Pokemon. "Er, anyway my name is Dawn."
Vulpix still determined to keep the can between her and the street smiled, "Hi Dawn. Do you know where we are?"
"I'm afraid not. This definitely does not smell like Celadon City" Dawn said as she turned to look at the street again.
Vulpix sniffled a little, "It doesn't smell like Ecruteak City either. I could always smell the Burnt Tower."
"Stay here." Dawn stood and slowly stalked towards the open street. Most of the ponies had vanished but she could see two of them in armour standing opposite the alley, both had wings and were talking among themselves rather animatedly.
"I'm telling you, they looked like pigeons but they weren't" one armoured pony said.
The other looked very skeptical, "Your eyes were playing trick on you, rookie. I have been all over Canterlot today and I haven't seen any of the monsters you all keep going on about."
"That's cause you don't bother to pay attention." the other and, now that Dawn was getting a good look at him, younger armoured pony huffed.
"Watch it rookie!" The other pony snapped, but he dropped the angry edge in his voice. "You would do well to remember that I outrank you!"
The younger stallion ducked his head, "Sorry sir."
"I'll let it slide this time."
The rest of their conversation faded out as Dawn crept back to Vulpix, she had what she wanted, "So this place is called Canterlot? Never heard of it." She looked down at the little Fire-type and gave a gentle motherly smile, "We should go Vulpix, there's nothing to gain by staying here. Maybe my human can help you get home."
Everfree 1000 years ago
Sound was the first thing to return, just as an almighty roar shook the air and stone floors. It was like standing right next to a siege cannon as it fired, the thunderous sound blotting out everything else in her still-limited perception. As the vibrations subsided, she became aware of the steady throbbing pain that seemed to come from every part of her body at once, unpleasant but ignored easily enough. 'She held nothing back.' That thought made her heart ache more than the whole of her body, nearly muting out the pain with the sorrow it instilled.
Slowly she drew her hooves under her and rose to her full height, flinching as a fresh spike of pain shot through her limbs and up her spine. Choosing to ignore it for now she turned to inspect her wings, the damage was mostly superficial, the singed feathers could still carry her and would be regrown in a short time once she preened them. Taking a moment to take stock of herself she crouched low, shifting her weight from one leg to another trying to divine the source of her discomfort. 'Nothing seems to be broken.' The pain was already starting to subside and seemed to be more about her body protesting being sent through a shale roof then from any true injury.
A voice crying out pulled her away from her self inspection and back to to the world at large, just in time for her to hear and feel a smaller explosion. Then she heard Luna's- no, Nightmare Moon's voice, something about a familiar, she sounded pleased with herself.
"YOU BITCH!"
Celestia snapped her head and ears towards the far wall, it was a voice she did not know, one steeped in rage and hatred. 'No! Is somepony trying to confront Nightmare Moon?' She heard a strange crackling sound, but she chose to ignore it, somepony was trying to fight Nightmare Moon! Celestia doubted that she was strong enough to defeat her, anypony else trying would just be suicide. She had to think quickly. There had to be something she could do. She couldn't stand it if somepony was hurt because of her and despite the shroud of madness and shadow, Nightmare was still Luna at her core. Desperately, she started racking her brain, trying to think of anything that could end this conflict without somepony dying.
"FLARE BLITZ!"
There was the voice again, distorted by the odd crackling sound, but clearly in motion. She was out of time, whomever was trying to fight Nightmare had already started. "How do I stop this!?" She fanned her wings and crouched low ready to take flight and confront Nightmare herself when a thought struck her, one that seemed ridiculous. "Would they even work without Luna?" Outside, she heard another blast. "You've left me no choice sister. I must use them." Lighting her horn, she pulled at the tiles of the floor and raised a hidden podium. She looked at each stone sphere before sighing, "I can only hope this works."
Nightmare flared her wings and leaped to the side as the sapphire cloaked mass of the unicorn shot passed her, her wings were still mangled and regenerating so she wasn't able to escape without several fresh burns. Despite the crackling plasma not actually touching her, the air around her enemy was so superheated that simply being too close to him was hazardous. Hissing through clenched teeth, she turned to examine her right side. The layer of blisters was quite painful and she noticed that it was not mending as quickly as before, most likely because the spells meant to heal her were working in other places to mend her ruined wings and numbing the pain in her burnt limbs. Thinking quickly, she light her horn and added another layer of healing magic to the active spells that had been inlaid in her armour. 'We must mend our wings! T'is unwise to linger on the ground!'
As she channeled more of her mana into the spells working on her wings she became more aware of the rise in temperature, "DON'T YOU IGNORE ME, BITCH!"
Nightmare snapped her gaze up to see and hear the sapphire-cloaked unicorn rushing towards her; while she doubted that he could truly harm her, she also had no intention to stand still and let herself become his punching bag while the magic she had set to healing herself was still working. Crouching, she jumped to the left and rolled, trying to put as much distance between herself and her enemy. He sailed passed her, only managing to singe the ebony fur that was growing back.
Nightmare quickly pulled herself back up to her hooves and turned to see her foe, watching as he dug in his hooves, skidding to a halt. She blinked in surprise as the plasma cloaked unicorn's forelegs buckled, dropping him down onto his knees and haunches with a pained expression. "What is this? Have you reached the limit of your power already? How disappointing. "
The sapphire cloak flashed and crackled as he jumped back to his hooves, "Don't count me out yet, bitch" Allen hissed at her. "I just wasn't ready for the recoil." (1) He crouched down, suppressing the urge to flinch as his joints screamed in protest, and charged at Nightmare again. Just as before, she dodged to to one side without even getting burned this time; he turned without slowing and jumped over the trench that had been carved into the courtyard by Nova so that he was facing the dark mare again.
Allen kicked off and charged at Nightmare determined to hit her, to make her pay for what she had done to Nova. However, time was not his ally. Every moment he spent missing and barely grazing the psychotic mare was another that she was healing. He could already see that her wings had returned and she would likely take to the air and be out of reach. Most of her burns were gone and her lustrous ebony coat was patchy but filling in quickly. Again she evaded with only a small burn. 'I'm running out of time. If she gets in the air I'll never hit her.' He spend off, keeping his momentum and turning to make another pass but it was too late, the last of her feathers returned and she winged her way into the night air," Get back here!"
Nightmare only laughed, that haughty confident kind of laugh that was meant to taunt others, "We think not. This has been... educational. We did not believe anypony capable of pushing us so far." While it was no secret that Alicorns possessed a vast amount of mana, recovering from the Blast Burn had consumed more than she would ever admit to. "However, we grow bored with this game. So now, you shall have the honor of being first to perish. Then it shall be Celestia's-"
"Sorry to interrupt," sounded a voice behind Nightmare that bore a disturbing resemblance to a Draconequus she had known.
Nightmare spun around in midair to come face to overly-large face with a shadowy imp-like figure. "What manner of abomination is this!?"
It grinned at her, which was extremely unnerving, "Name’s Loki. And as much as they may burn me up sometimes, (2) Nova and Allen are both my friends." The Ghost-type raised his hands to the dark mare, "Dazzling Gleam!" A brilliant flash of light pierced through the unnatural night, blinding any who was looking directly at it, and driving Nightmare Moon back to the ground.
Allen was on her before the Fairy move faded out, the plasma cloak of his Flare Blitz dissipated as he reached the mare and reared back on his hind legs, "Stomp!" His hard black hooves began to glow as he drove them down with the force of pneumatic pistons, striking the burnt ground hard enough to form a shallow crater.
He snorted and fixed a death glare onto the blurred form of Nightmare as she rolled away from the attack, Loki phased into sight behind her with a large orb of miasma held in his hands. "Shadow Ball!"
In an indigo flash Nightmare vanished and reappeared in the air above the two Pokemon, as the eerie blob of shadow impacted the ground causing the sparse grass to wither instantly. The dark mare caught herself on her wings and fired a blast at Loki, only to have the ghost phase out of harms way. "VILE MONSTER!" she cursed, twisting her head from one side to another in search of her opponent.
"Sticks and stones!" Loki sang while still invisible.
"SHOW YOURSELF COWARD!"
Loki laughed an eerie sound that seemed to come from everywhere and echo off of nothing, "You don't know much about Ghost-types do you?" Loki phased into sight only inches in front of the madmare and drew his fist back and caught her with a nasty left hook. The Sucker Punch sent her reeling back, more in shock than pain. "We Ghosts only show ourselves when we strike." To prove his point, he once again faded into the darkness just as she was preparing to counter attack.
Allen stood on the ground glaring up at Nightmare Moon, hating that he could do nothing but watch as the two fought in the air, Loki becoming visible just long enough to lob a Shadow Ball and phase out again. In an ironic twist, Nightmare was now twisting, ducking, bobbing, and weaving to evade Loki’s attacks just as Celestia had against her’s. The amusing notion was cut short as the the roof to the palace was blasted outward and all eyes turned to the source.
Celestia winged her way out of the confines of what had once been the throne room she shared with her sister and took in the scene in the ruined courtyard. Hovering on her ebony wings was Nightmare Moon, glowering at her with a look of absolute rage. Celestia had to do a double take when she saw the pony whom had been so foolish as to try fighting Nightmare; he was tall and quite muscular, but what had the princess staring was his fiery azure-blue mane and tail. 'Rage Shifted?' she puzzled silently. The more of him she took in the more she realized that he was in a bad way, the joints in his forelegs were swollen and discoloured with large purplish bruises. The fact that he was still alive was, in her book, nothing short of a miracle.
"FOOLS!" Nightmare bellowed down to the unicorn. "Your goal was not to defeat us but to stall us! We shall make you suffer for this!"
"I will not let you harm anypony else!" Celestia declared as she placed herself between Nightmare and Allen. "Sister, please. It does not need to be this way" she pleaded, still daring to hope that she could reach Luna wherever she was inside the dark mare. "I swear to you, I shall be better. We can fix this, please!"
Allen's jaw dropped as he saw Nightmare seem to change, it was nothing physical though her turquoise draconian eyes changed and the haughty nature of her voice vanished, "Sister... I am sorry. I cannot hold the nightmares back. You must stop us." Then, just as quickly as Luna had appeared, her will shining through the dark, Nightmare once again enveloped the mare, her dragon-like eyes burning with fury, "DIE!"
Celestia could be heard choking back a sob as the dark alicorn dove at her, horn flashing. The ivory alicorn reached out and pulled six small gems from under her wings, the gems seemed to move of their own accord as five formed a circle while the sixth centered itself at the forefront of the formation. Tears poured freely from Celestia's eyes as she poured her own power into the center gem, the other five gems flashed and shot coloured beams of their own into the core stone, which unleashed a brilliant rainbow corona of power that caught Nightmare and launched her skyward until she was gone from sight.
When the magic faded, Allen could see that the surface of the moon had been altered; new craters on its surface had appeared arranged in the shape of the madmare, glaring down at the world below. (3) Allen looked back to see the Princess drop to the dirt as she curled into a ball and wept, her form shuddering as she cried out her sorrows and sent skyward coked apologies.
Ditzy was the kind of mare who was happy for what she had; a clever daughter, a wonderful husband, and an exciting life full of new and wonderful things. However, just at the moment, she was happy that Dinky was too short to see the monitor in the control console. Ditzy had been rooted to the spot watching Celestia and Luna trade blows, then watched as her new Pokemon friends had engaged the madmare and saw as Nova was blasted and watched Allen light himself on fire. She was barely keeping herself from crying as she watched Celestia drop to the dirt and start to cry her eyes out. She wanted to go to the princess, to tell her that even though it hurt now everything was going to be okay in the end, but that was against the rules, not that her husband ever followed them either.
Slowly, as if learning she were alive for the first time, she raised her hoof and clicked off the monitor. "Okay Muffin," Ditzy turned and stepped towards the stairwell that lead to the door. "I'm going to go help the Doctor and Sparkler, and that means?"
Dinky frowned," That I stay here in the T.A.R.D.I.S. until you or Daddy come back."
Ditzy smiled and nuzzled her the straw coloured mane, "That's my girl. I'll be right back after I talk to Princess Celestia." When she reached the door she paused, and turned to the little Normal-type sitting by her daughter, "Take care of Dinky okay?"
Veevee beamed up at the mare, "Yes ma'am." Dinky watched as the door swung closed behind her mother when she heard the lock click into place she jumped to her hooves and ran for the stairs that lead to the console, "What are you doing Dinky?"
"Stairs please!" Dinky called into the empty room, ignoring her friends question. Veevee pinned her ears back as several metallic screeches echoed through the room and, Veevee watched as the walkway around the control console rose up into four wind steps that Dinky was swiftly climbing, "Thanks Grandma!" The filly paused and stared at her Pokemon friend before groaning impatiently, "Well come on, let’s see what's going on out there!"
Veevee sprinted to her side as she began tapping at the keyboard under the monitor, "How did you do that to the floor?"
Dinky grinned, "Grandma told me how to do it the first time, but now all I have to do is ask."
The Evolution Pokemon looked around the empty room but saw no one else, "... And your Grandma is where exactly?"
This time the filly giggled as she reached out and placed a hoof on the glass tube set in the center of the console, "She's in here. The T.A.R.D.I.S. is alive, she thinks and feels things just like ponies or Pokemon." She grinned at Veevee, “Don't tell Daddy but she taught me how to fly better than him." She looked back to the monitor and gasped, "Oh No!"
Veevee did likewise, "The Typhlosion got hurt bad." Through the monitor they could see Sparkler clinging close to Nova her horn alight and pointed towards the open wounds on his back.
"Come on Nova! Hang in there!" Sparkler gasped as she poured her magic into stopping the bleeding. It was not much of an effort on her part but healing magic was not something that she had studied much; she had skimmed over two minor spells some months ago, but they were meant for paper cuts and shallow scratches. "Why didn't I read that book when Star offered it to me?" Healing magic had never really clicked with her as it had with her roommate and Sparkler wished more than anything that she was here with her.
"I don't think that's gonna work." She started and as she saw Loki phase into sight and look down at the Volcano Pokemon with a sour look. "If it was gonna make a difference it would have already." He scowled up at the night's sky, "Where's an Audino when you need one?"
"Do you think its safe to move him?" Sparkler jumped as Ditzy and her husband walked up, the Doctor immediately looking over the Fire-type. After a moment he looked up to Loki, "Well?"
Loki sighed and looked to Sparkler, "Come on Candy Girl, let’s get him in the Magic Box." Sparkler glared but lit her horn anyway as he phased himself under the Volcano Pokemon and floated him off the ground. He looked at the pink aura that surrounded his burden," Whatever you're doing, it's working. Let’s get him inside." He glanced at the Doctor as he went by, "Doc, go get Allen so we can get the hell outta here."
“I'm gonna make sure Princess Celestia is okay." Ditzy said as she took to the air.
The ghost scoffed, "Tell her to put a princess sized band aide on it. We gotta go!"
"Y-you're and idiot L-loki."
The Ghost-type started, "Oh look, you are alive... Good." He drifted his way towards the T.A.R.D.I.S. as he heard the lock click and Dinky opened both doors for them.
"I have the First-Aid Kit over here," she gestured to a gurney that was waiting in a nearby hall and Veevee dragging a large canvas bag.
Sparkler smiled down at her, "That's perfect Dinky! Great work!" Rushing forwards they laid Nova down on his belly, the gurney dropped a few inches under the Fire-type’s weight but it held. Sparkler nodded as he settled and lit her horn, taking the kit from the little Pokemon, "Now we can get this bleeding under control."
Allen watched as Loki and Sparkler took Nova over the broken wall and out of sight and as Ditzy and the Doctor made their way over to him. Then he looked back to Celestia, she had stopped sobbing but was curled into a ball and sniffling unable to stop the tears. He wanted to say something but, it felt wrong to hear someone crying and to not help, but he didn't know what to say. Then there was the state of his legs, the swelling in his knees made even the resting position he was in uncomfortable, moving would be unpleasant.
Still as the two ponies stepped up he shifted, wincing at the stab of pain the shot up from his legs. Ditzy fawned over the princess stepping close and hugging her, she latched onto the mare and sobbed for another few minutes while the pegasus comforted the mare. "Shh... it's gonna be okay."
The Doctor smiled and hugged the princess as well, "I promise Luna will be okay, you're going to get her back." He pulled back from the hug and gave the princess a look of conviction that said he already knew his promise was true.
Celestia gave the pair a small smile that did not quite reach her eyes, "Doctor? This is all my fault, how could I not have seen how much she was hurting?" The tears returned and the alicorn started to cry, burying her muzzle into Ditzy's chest. The Doctor and Ditzy both hugged her again lending their support in what must have been the lowest point in her life.
Slowly, painfully, Allen got to his hooves grinding his teeth together to keep from groaning there was a small flash off to his right but he was too focused on standing to care. This body was still unfamiliar to him, and he was not enjoying the pain that lanced up his spine and into the base of his skull. He swayed for a moment trying to steady himself before limping towards the sobbing mare. The Doctor smiled up at him as he approached and placed a shaking hoof on Celestia’s shoulder. She stared and looked up at Allen, taking in the former human’s appearance for the first time. It was also the first time he was able to take a good look at the Princess up close. She was in rough shape, dirt was smeared across most of her coat, slivers of wood and tiny pebbles were dug into her skin and mane. The dirt smeared on her cheeks had been turned to muddy tracks. She stared up at Allen as he looked sympathetically down at her. "You're not a pony are you?"
Her voice sound harsh from her crying but there was still a soothing note to it that made him give her a sad smile. " No I'm a, Hhuurff!"
He couldn't finish his sentence as the Doctor shoved a hoof into Allen's mouth while glaring up at him, "Spoilers!" He hissed. "She's not going to know what a Pokemon is for another thousand years!"
Allen glared back at the stallion as he spit the foul tasting hoof out of his mouth and growled under his breathe, "I was gonna say Human!"
The Doctor looked ready to say more but Celestia began to pick herself off the ground, "It is fine Doctor. As before, I shall learn the truth in time." She smiled at Allen before frowning again and looking to the moon and figure of the mare that glared down at the world below her, "Forgive me Sister." She closed her eyes as a small trickle of fresh tears ran down her muddy cheeks and her horn glowed a sunny yellow, within second the world grew brighter as the moon was sent back to where it belonged in the sky.
"No freakin' way." Allen gawked as the silver edge of the moon fell below the horizon. He turned to Ditzy, "I thought your sister was pulling my leg about the whole sun and moon thing!"
Celestia and Ditzy both gave him a strange look before the Princess turned to look at the remains of her ruined home and frowned again, "I do not think I can stay here any longer it is too painful."
"Where will you go?" Ditzy asked.
Celestia sighed," We have a house in Manehat-" She seemed to choke for a split second before correcting herself, "I have a house in Manehatten, I will go there for now." She gave Allen a sidelong glance, "We are friends in the future are we not?"
It took him a moment to realize she was asking him, "Uh, no. This is the first time you and I have met." He looked over at the Doctor, "Things got crazy quick."
"Such things tend to happen when one travels with the Doctor," she said, giving him a knowing look before lighting her horn and shifting her gaze back to the ruined castle. Celestia frowned again, "Strange. I cannot seem to find the Elements." The yellow aura of her horn shined brighter but seemed to have no effect. "Where could they be?" She turned to the Earth stallion still frowning, “I must take my leave, Doctor. The Elements of Harmony appear to have vanished." (1)
The Doctor nodded, "Of course your Highness. We have to be getting back home as well." He walked next to Allen to give him something to lean on as he walked. "Come on Derpy. See you in a thousand years, Celestia!"
As the two ponies led the limping Fire-type away Celestia smiled ever so slightly, "I imagine that our paths shall cross again much sooner my old friend." She then fanned her wing and lifted off flying high hoping to spot the shine off an Element.
Dinky met her parents and Allen at the doors to the T.A.R.D.I.S. Ditzy left her husband to help the Fire-type as she scooped up her daughter in a gleeful hug. "Hi mommy! Mister Allen, I think Nova is gonna be okay!"
At the mention of Nova, Allen pushed away from the Doctor and limped toward the steps to the console, "Where is he?"
"Over here!" he turned to see Veevee standing in a hallway to his left and limped his way to her. as she turned to lead him into a large room with a tile floor that vaguely reminded Allen of the showers in a locker room. (2) Nova lay on his stomach on a gurney, his back was covered in gauze and bloody towels were piled on the tile floor.
Sparkler sat close to the Volcano Pokemon with pan of water dabbing at his forehead with a moist rag. The sound of Allen's hard hooves clopping on the tiles made Sparkler turn and gasp as she saw him, "Allen!? You look awful!"
He ignored her concern for him for the moment, "I'll live. How's Nova?"
"Oh, well the bleeding has stopped, but he lost quite a lot of blood. I may not be a doctor but he's going to need a transfusion." She looked at Allen again, "I barely know anything about pony medicine, just your basic first-aid. For a Pokemon..."
Allen nodded as she let the sentence hang unfinished, he understood that Sparkler was far outside her element right now but he was still grateful to her for helping Nova. "Thank you for what you have done Sparkler. You probably saved his life. What I wouldn't give for a Audino."
"That's what I said." Allen started and snapped his head around to see Loki floating off to his left, his usual snide smile absent. "He'll be alright, Allen. You and I both know that Hothead is too stubborn to die." He paused for a moment, "And Dawn would tell you the same thing." His cockeyed grin reappeared, "Hell, Drakarus would tell you not to worry, and he's an asshole!"
That was enough to bring a smile to Allen muzzle, "He would probably ask if he could eat him if Nova didn't make it."
"I don't care if I die... But you're not feeding me to that demented Dragon," Nova growled, but even he had a small smile.
"Shut it Charcoal Brain!" Loki snapped, "You need to rest."
"You're an idiot Loki," Nova grumbled as he tried to pick himself up only to find a Pony, Rapidash, and Gengar pushing him back down onto the gurney.
"You're not going anywhere until we find somemon who knows Heal Pulse." Loki snipped with his usual charm, waggling one of his tiny fingers in front of the Fire-types nose. Nova glared at the Ghost but didn't try to stand again.
"And it seems the only way we'll get Nova the help he needs is to get back to the present." All eyes turned to see the Doctor and his family walking toward them. "Let’s wheel the big guy out to the console and get home."
"And you're certain that you can keep us to the right time on the right planet?" Sparkler asked glaring at the stallion. "I don't want to walk outside and choke on some world with a methane atmosphere or get eaten by a dinosaur!"
The Doctor glared back at her as he grabbed the gurney and started to push it out of the locker room. "I wouldn't count on it. I'm 83.2% sure this will get us home or somewhere close to it."
Loki beat everyone to it, "And the other 17%?"
The cheery grin dropped from the stallions muzzle, "We miss and try again!" The answer was just a little too hasty and Allen suspected that any number of unpleasant things were waiting to pounce if the Doctor's plan backfired. "Nothing to worry about!" he laughed, painting on a fake grin so bad that even Veevee could see through it. They reached the main room and the Doctor took the steps three at a time, "Now then! Getting home should actually be quite simple, a quick patch job should hold together, because the Pokemon's arrive has caused huge fluctuations in the vortex." He smiled down at Dinky, "Which you realized before any of us, muffin. So all I have to do is take us back a short while before the Pokemon arrived." He muttered to himself as he began to fiddle with various switches, buttons and, one very large crank generator. "Say about eight a.m. And off we go!"
He reached forward and grabbed what Allen had come to assume was the box’s “gas peddle,” slamming the polished wood handle of the lever back and setting the alignment of crystals into motion. With the same wheezing sound as before the room began to quake and shake, but it was a kiddy ride compared to the wild roller coaster that had been their last attempt at time travel. "How bout that!?" Loki said in an almost awed voice. "I thought for sure the nerd was gonna kill us."
"Nerd?" The doctor said feigning a hurt tone," I prefer the term Super Genius!"
Dinky giggled at her father’s comeback, "You're so silly Da-" BAM SCREEEEAA "AAAAAAHHHH!" There was the sound of a massive impact, like two multi-ton steel girders being slammed together at supersonic speeds. Everything living or inanimate that wasn't bolted down was thrown towards the far wall. Ditzy and her daughter were bashed against the metal bulkhead and dropped to the floor silent and motionless. Nova and Sparkler were next to impact, the gurney missed crushing the pink mare by inches. Allen was next, only aware enough of what was happening to dig at the metal floor with his hooves that barely got any traction as the far wall closed the distance and smacked his elongated muzzle. The world flashed and he was briefly reminded of the time he sparred with a Hitmonchan that had produced similar results as the corners of his vision faded into darkness.
"Yes Vulpix, what is it?" The Umbreon looked behind her to the young little Fox Pokemon. They were laying on flattened grass in the shade of a small group of five trees that had wide leafy ferns planted around them. It was actually the centerpiece of a park but the armoured ponies had done well trying to keep their own away from the Pokemon, so at the moment the place was abandoned.
"I'm hungry."
The Umbreon sighed; truth be told, she was quite hungry too, having not eaten since the night before Allen's battle with the Celadon Gym leader. She had been awoken at the Pokemon Center for a routine check up, but had been too tired to eat then and now she was regretting it. "I am too." She poked her head out of their cover and checked the park; being out in the daytime had rubbed her the wrong way ever since her evolution, but the the coast seemed clear. Dawn took a delicate sniff of the air, it just smelled so... clean. However, her sensitive nose picked up the tantalizing scent of something cooking and her stomach gurgled out its protest at having been left empty for so long. 'I'm not sure what that is but it smells delicious.' She turned back to Vulpix, "I smell something, stay close to me okay?"
The small Fire-type did just that as Dawn lead them into the open park and toward a shadowy alley, where they both felt a little more comfortable moving around. Dawn pointed her nose towards the sky again and began to track the scent. Her nose wasn't as good as a Growlithe’s or an Arcanine’s, but in a place where the air was so fresh she easily found its source: the back end of a restaurant. Vulpix cheered and ran forward, knocking over a trash can and rummaging through it before backing out with a half a loaf of bread that looked to have pasta sauce on it.
Dawn did her best not to act disgusted and remind herself that Vulpix was a wild Pokemon without a trainer, but she still found the notion of eating what was considered trash... well, it didn't sit well. Halfway through the loaf, Vulpix looked up at Dawn and smiled. "Don't you want some?"
Dawn just put on a fake smile, “I think I'll wait for something that hasn't been festering in a metal can for Arceus knows how long."
"Suit yourself," Vulpix shrugged before taking another bite of the bread she had found while Dawn began to look over the building whose shadow they stood in.
It was difficult for her to be certain but based on the smells and how shockingly clean the alley itself was, she imagined it must be one of those stuffy upper-class places that didn't serve Pokemon. As much as she hated playing to the stereotype of thieving Dark-types, she was probably going to have to steal something to eat from inside. Especially since she wouldn't be caught dead eating from the trash. That also meant sneaking in, finding some food, and then getting out unseen. "Stay here, Vulpix. I’m going inside to see what I can find."
She looked from the Dark-type to the building that loomed over them, "Okay, but be careful."
Dawn grinned down at her, "Oh don't worry, I'll be fine." With that she crouched low and slunk her way to the door gently testing it with her paw. Much to her surprise the door swung open a few inches on smooth, well-greased hinges. "It's not even locked," she muttered to herself before cautiously pushing her head into the building’s interior. The door led directly into a noisy kitchen with brightly coloured ponies dressed as cooks, all of whom seemed to be busy with one task or another and didn't notice as the Umbreon slipped into the shadow of a cart loaded with soiled dishes.
From her cover she was nearly invisible and observed as a shorter mare with a grey mane shouted out orders to the different ponies who worked the different stations. Dawn assumed she was the head chef as she was now tearing into a young stallion who had apparently under-cooked his potatoes and over-salted his sauce. The mare then threw the whole dish into the trash, plate and all, and told the stallion to do it again. With a sad sigh, the young cook walked towards Dawn, but stopped short and pulled open a large metal door which swung shut behind him. A few moments later, he returned to the kitchen with the ingredients he needed and Dawn grinned to herself as she realized he had just unintentionally showed her where the pantry was. "Jackpot."
Vulpix had finished her bread and had taken to waiting for Dawn to return. The back alley was shady and the cobblestone cool to the touch; that coupled with the relative quiet and her full stomach were all making her drowsy. With a contented sigh, she laid her head on her paws wishing she was back in her own den on route 38 in Johto, or at the very least the small hideout she and Dawn had established earlier that day. Laying there in the quiet, she struggled to keep her eyes open as the cooing of a small flock of Pidove flew over head.
"STOP THIEF!!!" CRASH!!!
Vulpix’s eyes shot open as she saw the shadowy figure of Dawn come smashing through a window with a half a wheel of cheese in her mouth. The Dark-type had just landed on the cobblestone when the door flew open and a half-dozen angry-looking ponies came thundering out. Dawn's eyes met Vulpix's.
"Un, oopid!"
That was enough of a motivator; she was up and running along side the Dark-type as fast as her little legs could carry her, but the angry ponies were hot on their heels.
Dawn twisted and turned, doing her best to try to lose them without abandoning Vulpix. She had a feeling that the ponies were mad enough that they didn't care what Pokemon they caught as long as they caught one of them, especially with the peculiar curse words they spat at them whenever they made a sharp turn. The problem was they were getting close to the hideout in the park and if the ponies found it they would be as good as gone then. So Dawn made a call.
At the next alley they came to, the last before the park, Dawn (and by extension Vulpix) made a sharp right and ran out into the open streets. The pair of Pokemon weaved through the streets, ducking under and around any obstacle they encountered and upending it as they went to slow their pursuers. It was beginning to work too; the angry ponies seemed to be running out of steam and were pulling back, apparently deciding that half a wheel of Swiss cheese wasn't worth this much effort.
There was, however, one thing about Canterlot that Dawn had forgotten in her noisy attempt to lose the chef ponies: it was home to the Royal Guard, and some of these ponies had wings.
"Halt!" Just as they started to slow, two armoured pegasi dropped out of the sky and landed with in front of the two Pokemon, blocking their path to the closest alleyway. They fanned their wings and began to speak in a commanding tone, "It’s no use running. We can out-fly you easily, so hoof over the stolen property and come along peacefully."
"Confuse Ray!"
Dawn went wide-eyed as Vulpix’s eyes began to glow a bright violet colour and the two guards fell under the effect of the move. One went completely cross-eyed and fell over, unable to get his hooves under him no matter how hard he tried. The other tried to step forward only to have his right wing flap weakly, flailing about like a Pidgey trying to fly with one broken wing. "Wha!? What is this!? What did you do? I can't move right!"
"That won't last long, we need to go," Vulpix said, pushing on Dawn to get her moving. It took her a moment to start running again as they went down the alley that the two guards had blocked. "We should go back to the hideout."
"THIS ISN'T OVER!" The two Pokemon started as they saw the one guard whose movements had been inverted leaning against a wall. "MORE OF US ARE ALREADY ON THE WAY!" The pair ran, leaving the screaming Pegasus behind.
Hall of Legends, Day 2 of World Summit
"How does Trotankhamun put up with that annoying Seviper?" Arceus asked Uxie as they reappeared in a golden flash of light.
Uxie for her part just sighed. "I have no idea," she admitted. "To be honest, I'm surprised that a ‘mon like him made it to Equus. Maybe we were too loose with our parameters?"
The Alpha Pokemon sighed to himself, "No point fretting over it now. I guess I will have to find a way to disillusion Sev if he becomes too zealous in his little crusade. And a Moon Cannon!?" He chuckled, "Really?" The pair laughed briefly at the absurdity of it before Arceus sighed again, "I’m still concerned about Golden Horn. I cannot believe how adamant he is about opposing us."
"I wouldn't worry too much, Dad. He'll come around eventually." Uxie smiled at her father.
"I can only ho-" He was interrupted as the fabric of Space-Time began to destabilize, forming a portal through which Dialga stepped out with something truly peculiar clamped in his jaws.
"What in Harmony is that!?" Arceus asked aloud, using the euphemism he had picked up. It was a box that, had it been standing upright, would have stood nearly eight feet tall and vaguely resembled a phonebooth from Earth. However, it was not a phonebooth; it was made of wood and had small windows at the upper end of long rectangular panels. Along a narrow band near the top of the object, he could read the words "Police Public Call Box". Though perhaps its most striking feature was the colour; it was the most captivating shade of blue he had ever seen.
The temporal rift closed behind Dialga as he dropped the box which smashed into the marble floor with so much force that it dug several inches into the stone, grinding it to dust. Everymon in the room stared in shock at the box now wedged into the floor.(1)
"I did not know it possessed that much mass," Dialga said as he poked at the box. "There is a great temporal distortion locked away inside."
Stepping forward, Arceus told hold of the box with is power and lifted it from its crater and set it up right where it rest perfectly without smashing anything else. The side that had had hit the ground was crumpled and shredded with a large gash that folded inward yet when he lowered his head to peek inside. He was baffled to find only a small pinprick of light coming from much deeper inside than should have been possible.
"Where did you find it?" Uxie asked as she placed a hand on it.
"It was in-transit through the Time Stream," the Deity of Time answered.
"Curious," Arceus said as he once again picked up the strange blue box and began probing it with his power, only to nearly drop in in shock. "Xerneas!" he called into the temple as he set the box back down.
"Dad? What's wrong?" Uxie asked.
"There are Ponies and Pokemon inside, and they are hurt!" the Alpha Pokemon answered as he reached inside with his power and took hold of its occupants, teleporting them outside the confines of the cramped space. Only to be shocked for a third time in brief span since the oddity had been brought to his attention as he pulled four ponies and five Pokemon from the box. He stared for a moment confused as to how they had all fit inside. "How did-"
"You called for me, Lord Arceus?" Xerneas asked as she walked into the room, taking a moment to ponder how so many Pokemon and ponies had gotten into the Hall of Legends, nevermind the the tall box set to one side.
"Yes, these few require healing," he gestured to the unconscious group he had just plucked from the box. "While you take care of them, I shall unravel this mystery," he said as he picked up the box once again and gingerly probing it. What he found astounded him; it was a pocket dimension not unlike the one that he had been trapped in for the last five millennium. It contained a living ship in a state of trans-temporal flux. As he looked from one layer to another, he saw varying layouts of the same ship design, some twenty-six in all. However, he was also aware that each layer was set in a different fixed point in time. The thing that truly intrigued him was the conscience that blazed at the heart of the ship that acted as its power source and anchored it to the very existence of time. He was able to perceive only one word as he gazed at it. "TARDIS," he said to himself. "Incredible."
"Ugh, my aching noggin..." Arceus turned his head and saw that one of the ponies was awake, a brown Earth pony stallion with a windswept mane.
"Where does it hurt?" Xerneas asked gently stepping closer to him.
He jumped and snapped his eyes to the Life Pokemon. "Wha- I? ... Oh, look at you! Aren't you lovely?" he smiled as he looked over the Legendary, his peculiar accent adding to his awed tone. Arceus was also certain he saw Xerneas blush as the stallion groaned and rubbed a hoof on his temple. "Well that's unpleasant." He pulled his hoof away and stared hard at it for a moment. "Looks like I've got a concussion."
Xerneas stepped closer and smiled, "I believe I can help with that. Heal Pulse.”
When the pink glow of the move faded the stallion gently shook his head before grinning and jumping to his hooves. "Oh, that is briliant!" His good mood evaporated as he looked to his left and saw the state of the rest of the group. "Derpy! Oh no, Derpy please be okay!" He began to frantically search for signs of life and gave a small sigh when he felt her heart beating. "Oh thank goodness."
"Fear not I shall tend to your friends." Xerneas stepped past him and lowered her head to the pegasus. "Heal Pulse."
The stallion watched her work for a moment before he noticed Arceus and turned to look the Alpha Pokemon over. It was when their eyes met that Arceus had to fight the urge to step back from the stallion, he a saw a agedness in them that spoke of suffering and loss and righteous fury. ‘He is not mortal,’ Arceus realized. The stallion looked around the room giving Dialga a hard look, then paused briefly on Uxie (giving her just a small smile) before fixing a stern glare upon the Alpha Pokemon, who could’ve sworn he heard the faint sound of music playing.
The stallion continued to stare with a completely neutral expression that turned to a cold hard stare. “Lord Arceus I presume?” his curious accent somehow grabbed Arceus' attention.
“Yes I am Arceus,” he answered looking the stallion over curiously. He looked like any other pony he had met so far, yet he clearly was not. “And who exactly are you?” he asked as he cocked his head slightly; where was that damn music coming from?
"I am the Doctor," the Earth stallion replied.
"Doctor who?"(2) he asked glancing around the room as the music changed tempo, becoming more upbeat.
“Just the Doctor,” he said with a little smile as he fixed a penetrating look on the Alpha Pokemon who stared back unflinching. “And I warn you, if you make me your enemy I will be forced to destroy you.”
"How dare you!" barked Dialga.
“Dialga.” Arceus stopped his son with a sideways look that told him to stop.
The Doctor turned another hard look on the Temporal Pokemon, he looked back to Arceus and took another step. "I’m the Doctor. I'm nine hundred and three years old. I’m a Time Lord from the planet Gallopfrey in the constellation of Kasterbuckus, and I have sworn to keep the people of this world safe from alien threats. I've routed armies with nothing but my voice and my name, I stood at the heart of the Time War while whole worlds burned. I am the the Oncoming Storm! I am the one who drives the monsters back into the nightmares that spawned them!"
"I…" Arceus just stared at the stallion as a little voice started nagging at him. ‘Wait a moment I didn’t think there were any inhabited worlds close to this one.’ He decided to check this part of the galaxy when things started to slow down.
"I have stared into the eyes of gods and demons and sent them screaming into the pits of madness!" The music shifted again as a choir began to harmonize. "I’ve stopped the collapse of reality itself, and if you mean these people any harm I will send you to Hell just like all the rest!" He looked back and saw that Ditzy and Dinky were conscious watching him with small smiles. "So Arceus? What is it you want?"
The God of Pokemon sighed, “I believe I have already made myself quite clear on that.” He returned the stallions hard look, “I only want a place where my Pokemon can live in peace. However cannot help but wonder if you are not from this world, why do you care so much?”
The Doctor grinned, ”Said the being of another dimension calling himself a God.”
Arceus chuckled at that, “Point taken.”
“No,” the Doctor said, “I am not from Equus, but I’ve put a lot of of effort into it. And I don’t take kindly to would-be gods muscling their way onto a peaceful planet.” His tone became harsher and there was an accusatory edge to his voice.
The Doctor’s hard glare never faltered as he stared Arceus down, “My friend Allen said you were a God, but I’ve met beings that called themselves that before. They usually tend to get big heads and think they can oppress and enslave whomever they please.”
Now Arceus glared right back at the Doctor, “Slavery is exactly what I was protecting them from!”
“Who’s to say your not just trading one kind of slavery for another!” The Doctor restored. “What about the Humans you brought with you? You’ve pulled them away from their homes and scattered their families to the wind You just decided that they would be better off as Pokemon.” His expression darkened, “Do you have any idea how terrifying it is to wake up in a new body?”
“I can’t say that I do,” Arceus answered.
“Then why change them?” the Doctor snapped. “If you preserved the best of the species, then what does it matter if they’re Humans or Pokemon? What are you so afraid of Arceus?”
“It is not out of fear that I have done this Doctor!” Arceus’s own expression became grim, he was getting tired of explaining this. “The Human race had become arrogant, believing that pokemon were lower beasts without souls or true emotions. Instead of treating the Pokemon as equals they subjugated them and trapped them in capsules that forced their obedience. And when I came to correct this injustice they betrayed and imprisoned me in another dimension, where I could do nothing but observe as they continued to discriminate against them.”
Arceus took a deep breath, “You know what it is like Doctor, I have seen it in your eyes. You have stood against unimaginable horrors in the name of protecting the innocent. Now imagine that you were tied down and forced to watch those horrors, unable to do anything but scream at your own powerlessness. For so long I was ready to destroy them, but Then I saw their capacity for compassion and realized that if I unmade them I would be no better. So I brought them and sought to preserve that in them while stamping out their misplaced sense of superiority.” The Alpha Pokemon’s expression softened, ”While hasty and poorly planned out, I stand by my decision.”
The Doctor said nothing for a long time, his gaze had fallen to the stone floor. "Well then," the Doctor said in a somber tone, "I have just one more question for you, Arceus God of the Pokemon."
"Yes?"
"Would you like a muffin?"
End Music
Arceus stared at the Doctor for a few seconds, "I... What?"
"A muffin," the Doctor said cheerfully. "It's my wife's recipe. The stuff myths are made of, we always keep a few on..." His face fell when he spotted the massive gash that folded deep into the machine, "Who smashed up my TARDIS!?"
Allen could hear something; like two people yelling at each other in a closed room some distance away. The words were muffled so he could not make out what they were saying; it was annoying though; it was distracting him making it difficult to keep sleeping. So he lifted his head and and opened his eyes, his vision was blurry and there was a deep throbbing that pulsed in his skull. He could see the vague out line of something big and mostly magenta and two large amethyst orbs. 'What am I seeing?" he wondered in his cloudy mind. "--len! -llen!" The blur called out to him. "--len ---ase --lk -- -e!"
"Wha?" He asked aloud though he didn't hear his own voice.
The blur lunged forward and wrapped it blurry limbs around in a hug, it was soft and warm and squeezed him tight, he felt happy in that hug and hugged the pinkish thing back with a smile. "-ow -re -ou ---ling?"
"MY EARS ARE RINGING!" The pink thing flinched back as he yelled, unaware he was doing so. "I CAN'T HEAR YOU!" The soft magenta thing moved away quickly as something else moved into is hazy line of sight. He had no time to take it this new blurred shape as almost as soon as he saw it he was blinded by a bright pink light. Almost as quickly as he was blinded, his vision came back to crystal clarity and Allen found himself muzzle to muzzle the the Life Pokemon herself. "Xerneas," he gawked as he took in the sight of the Legendary.
She smiled down at him, "Are you feeling better now?"
Allen could only nod dumbly as he stared at her, he had only ever seen one other Legendary in his life, and that had been Rayquaza (though no one had believed him). Xerneas smiled and stepped away as two forelegs wrapped around Allen's neck. "Oh thank Celestia, you looked like you were dead!" Sparkler gasped as she hugged him.
Had he really been in that bad of shape? He felt great now. "Nova!" he gasped and jumped onto his hooves, Sparkler gasped again and grasped at his neck tighter having found herself hanging on the Fire-types back.
"I'm fine Allen," the Volcano Pokemon reassured him as he stepped up; he looked haggard and worn down, the fur on his back thin, and bare skin in place of where the deep gouges had been earlier. All in all, he looked a hell of a lot better than when he had first been at Yveltal's door. "I won't be up to battling for a few days, but I'll be alright."
Allen smiled and nodded, just happy his friend was out of danger, as a hoof poked at his neck. "Um, Allen? Could you let me down now?"
"Oh, sorry Sparkler." He leaned down and her hooves clopped onto the stone floor as Tally fluttered down and perched on her horn. How had he forgotten she was up there that quickly?
"I have already apologized once for damaging your capsule!" Dialga barked. "I shall not continue to do so!"
"Well it’s still your fault! Grabbing a TARDIS in mid-flight! And the poor girl was being held together with safety pins and chewing gum to begin with!" Allen saw the Doctor poking at a large crumpled-in hole in the side of the box with some kind of tool and he seemed to be giving the Temporal Pokemon an earful. He leaned over to the open door. "How does it look in there Derpy!?" After a moment he nodded; the pegasus must have been somewhere deep inside the box. "Well, it looks like she’s grounded until I can patch this hole. Just great."
"Doctor, I believe I can repair your vehicle with little effort," Arceus offered as he leaned down to examine the hole. "I would need a short time to study it, but mending this should not be difficult."
A hard scowl formed on Allen's muzzle and his ear were pinned flat to his head when he saw the Alpha Pokemon; his fiery mane and tail blazed with greater intensity. Allen's hard hooves cracked the stone floor as he stomped his way across the room, halfway there, Arceus took notice of him. The instant their eyes met, there was a loud crackling sound as flashing sapphire plasma engulfed the former human who ran forward as fast as his strong legs could carry him.(3) "Flare Blitz!"
This was bad and so not worth half a wheel of cheese, which she didn’t even have anymore. There were eight of the winged Ponies in armour chasing them as well as two without wings or a horn. She had found it all too quickly that the city was built on a mountain which all but crushed her hopes of losing them in any kind of nearby forest. If it were just her she could vanish in nearly any shadow, but Vulpix wasn’t so lucky, her orange fur stood out in stark contrast to the colours of the city they were racing through.
“Don’t you guys ever quit!?” she called back to the two earth Ponies behind her, “I already gave back the freaking cheese!” The ponies didn’t understand her words and continued to pursue the two Pokemon. “I think you pissed them off,” she said glancing to her left where Vulpix ran beside her.
“ I… I didn’t… know there were… so many!” the little Fire-type panted as she ran. “At least... we’re faster.. th- than they are!”
Dawn took the time to thank Arceus for even that tiny blessing, however Vulpix was not as strong as she was and couldn’t run much longer. Her claws screeched against the cobblestone streets as the pair darted down a side street that led closer to the hulking mass of the mountain. They were in the lower end of the city now a long way from the hideout that gave a wonderful view of the magnificent palace. Dawn could her the faint sound of a steam whistle. ‘That sounds like...’ “The trains! Come on Vulpix we’ll jump on which ever one is leaving!” The par veered right towards the sound of steam and the steady ringing of a conductors bell.
“What about... the Hideout?” Vulpix asked trying her best to keep pace with the older Dark-type. Behind her she heard the guards ponies start calling out for them to top again.
“Forget about it!” Dawn replied suddenly sounding… cheerful? “No way we can stay in the city and not get hassled by these idiots.” ‘Besides,’ she added silently, ‘I have to find Allen.’ She heard the guards calling out again but the clear sound of a train's whistle and a voice calling out ‘All aboard!’ made her ignore it. There was no point giving them anymore thought in a minute maybe two, they would be riding out of the city.
The train was in sight now and even Vulpix seemed to find a little extra energy to run just a bit faster. That was until the three winged ponies dropped out of the sky, their metal clad hooves slamming onto the cobblestone inches from her head. The Pegasi fanned their wings making themselves look that much larger and with victorious grins slowly began to advance towards the Pokemon.
Dawn turned to retreat only to find the pair of wingless guards that had been trailing behind them blocking their way, they were trapped.
“Dawn what do we do?” Vulpix asked curling her tails round herself.
Dawn stepped over Vulpix and positioned herself so she could see the guards coming from both directions. Glaring hatefully at the winged ponies her black fur bristled and she bared her small but sharp fangs. When that did nothing to deter they she glanced at the Fox-Pokemon, “Vulpix, do you trust me?” Without waiting for her to answer, her tail began to glow white and then flash like it was made of living platinum, “Iron Tail!” She leaped forward and flipped so her tail smashed into the nearest wall, the second her paws touched the cobblestone she grabbed Vulpix by the scruff of her neck and jumped through the hole she had just blown in the wall.
A mare screamed as the pair bolted through her den and smashed out the next closest window,”What in the world!?” She poke her head out of the hole and looked at the dumbfounded guards, “What was that? A stray cat!?”
The Guards looked at the destroyed wall and then to each other, the Earth Pony pointed to the two Pegasi,” Go back to the barracks and tell the Captain about this! We need back up, these things are a lot more dangerous than they look!”
“Yessir!” the pair said in unison, launching themselves into the sky.
“I’m sorry for the damage ma’am,” the ranking guard apologized. “But we’re gonna get those two!” He turned and trotted in the direction Dawn had ran, “C’mon Corporal, we can’t lose them!”
“Right behind you Lieutenant!”
The pair bolted off ready to resume their pursuit leaving behind a frazzled and confused mare, “So… who’s gonna fix my wall?”
Dawn gently opened her sore jaws and set Vulpix down in the shadow of one of Canterlots many alleys. She began rubbing at her sore muscles while Vulpix shook herself like a wet Poochyena before beaming up at the Dark-type,”Wow Dawn! You're really strong! Can you teach me how to use Iron Tail!?”
Despite the ache that shot through her face Dawn smiled, “We can start just as soon as we get somewhere safe. Far away from this city.”
The smile dropped from Vulpix face, “Right… then we should go.” She looked towards the looming bulk of the mountain, “There might be a path down, and those Ponyta things might not think that we would climb down like that.”
Dawn looked to the titanic mass of rock, if she was honest with herself she didn’t have a better plan at this point. Plus there was no way they could stay in the city, especially now that she had broken something important like a house. “Sounds like a plan,” she said standing up. “Are still good to run? The ones with wings will spot us fast.”
“I’m fine,” Vulpix assured. Smiling, the two returned to the streets and made off at a brisk pace, doing their best to save their second wind for when and if they would truly need it.
Several minutes later a pair of Armoured Earth Ponies galloped past the alley slowing just long enough to glance down it and then speeding off. As quiet settled on the shadowed alley again, it was ruined as a large, vaguely wolverine-shaped creature walked by and turned into the path, its nose inches from the ground, sniffing intently. “It just got a lot stronger. She was definitely here, within the last twenty minutes I’d say.”
“You’re sure?” asked a Rapidash with Azure blue flames.
“There’s no doubt,” the Typhlosion answered.
“Well then what are we doing standing around here for?” asked the shadowy imp-like figure that drifted passed them. “C’mon Candy Girl, time to go meet Miss Priss.”
A magenta unicorn with a Taillow perched on her horn trotted passed him with a sour expression, “Shut up Loki.”
The Gengar leaned over to the Rapidash and whispered “Just between us guys… your girlfriend’s a bitch.”
“Loki, seriously… shut up!”
“Dawn over here!” Vulpix called.
The Moonlight Pokemon was only a few yards away staring hard at the sheer cliff face that had been waiting for them at the juncture where the city met the mountain. They were lingering in the garden of a medium-sized town house, far from the extravagant palace or the vast mansions that towered over the lowest part of the mountain city. Turning, she slowly stepped towards the little Fire-type; they had managed to avoid being spotted from the air, though Vulpix bright orange colour had made that difficult. “Did you find something Vulpix?”
Dawn looked down and saw her digging in a pile of dirt, darting her head forward she snagged a piece of dirty half rotten canvas with her teeth and pulled back. The canvas tore like wet paper and a several dozen mottled gold coins spilled out onto the dirt. “Oh wow, there’s a whole bag of them!” Vulpix motioned to three more of the coins laying off to one side. “Do you think it’s worth anything?”
“It’s gold,” Dawn deadpanned, remembering all too well the times Allen made an ass out of himself whenever he found a Nugget, dancing around like some epileptic Ludicolo. “And if these Ponyta things care about it as much as Humans do, then maybe we can use these.”
“Do you think the ones in armour will leave us alone if we give them these?” Vulpix asked with a hopeful tone.
Dawn was thinking of something very similar. Looking over the coins, she could tell there was close to the equivalent of five or six nuggets here, divided into nearly a hundred or so coins. ‘We could probably even save a few to help find Allen.’ Taking a moment to gather her thoughts, she looked over the house, ‘Though whoever buried them is very likely to come back looking for them eventually.’ Looking down to Vulpix’ hopeful face and the loose pile of glittering coins, she smiled. “First we need to find a box or something to hold them, but this should work. Stay here out of sight Vulpix, I’m going to look for something to carry the gold in.”
Vulpix who had started digging in the dirt pile hoping to find more coins looked up again, “Okay just try not to break anything else or the Ponytas will get even madder.”
‘Little smartass,’ Dawn thought with a small smile as she slunk towards the house. The garden took up most of the small backyard, meaning there was no clothesline to steal from and she was going to have to sneak inside and steal something, a sock or pillow case would do it. She cast a glance behind her and smiled when she saw Vulpix through the open door to the garden shed playfully batting around one of the gold coins.
She turned back to the house and began to look for a point of entry, the back door was locked so she tried the windows. “Damn!” she cursed as she found the last of the ground floor windows sealed up tight, “Well that complicates things.” Stepping back a ways she looked to the second floor, on this house it was at most three rooms(probably less) so there were fewer windows to try. “Son ova!” she snarled, as she saw that one of the higher windows was wide open.
Dawn took several steps back and got a running start, leaping up and landing softly on the shingles of the roof. Allowing herself a pleased smile she practically strutted to the open window, “Being this good should be illegal.” Poking her head in she looked left then right, it was a nursery of a sort many of the plush Pokemon made no sense to he at all, however the place looked empty. Dropping down from the window she met the floor quicker than she should of and it squished under help like a mattress would.
“Oh Kitty!” cried an excited voice that hurt Dawn’s ears as a pair of stubby limbs wrapped around her hind leg in a soft hug.
“What the?” Dawn turned back to see one of the Ponytas, only much smaller and infinitely more adorable. She, for the big green bow and pinkish booties gave that away, was hugging and nuzzling on the Moonlight Pokemon as though it was the only thing keeping the sun shining. Dawn couldn’t stop herself, from its squishy little face to its little nub of a horn, there was only one possible response. “D’aww, aren’t you the cutest?”
The baby Ponyta looked up at her with big light green eyes and nuzzled at her leg again, “Pretty Kitty.”
“Well you’re half right,” she said with a grin, gently pulling her leg free and giving the baby Ponyta a lick on the cheek, “I’m definitely not a Skitty.” The baby giggled as her tounge tickled her cheek, and Dawn delicately jumped from the crib landing softly on the hardwood floor. Stepping towards the closet she nosed the door open and looked inside there were a few pairs of socks and some brightly colored frilly dresses. The socks would not work for obvious reasons and neither would the dresses. Craning her neck back and looking almost straight up, Dawn saw folded sheets on the top shelf, “Hmm... maybe.”
“Come back Kitty!”
Dawn nearly bite her tongue as she spun around to see the baby Ponyta looking at her from over the railing of her crib. “Jeez kid, give me a heart attack!”
“Well that wasn’t a very long nap,” called a voice from the hallway, nearly making Dawn’s heart stop again. “What’s wrong Poppet?”
‘Crap!’ Dawn thought as she ducked into the closet and let the door swing mostly closed, leaving a thin crack to look out from.
“Mommy! Pretty Kitty!” the baby cooed as it pointed a stubby hoof right at the closet door. The mare turned and seemed to stare for far too long.
Through the crack in the door, Dawn was sweating bullets. She knew that there was absolutely no way she was visible to the mare, yet the way she stared directly at the cracked door was unnerving. After what seemed like an eternity to Dawn, a glow came from her horn and a stuffed plushie rose from near the closet door. “Is this what you want Poppet?” the mare asked, turning her back to the hidden Dark-type.
That was all the opening Dawn needed, and she swiftly pushed out the door and silently ran for the door, “Mommy the Kitty!”
‘Damn!’ Dawn cursed as she slipped out of the room, the mare had to have at least seen her tail.
“I’m sorry Poppet, this is the only stuffed kitty there is,” the mare said sounding apologetic.
Dawn had to stop herself from snorting in laughter. ‘Wow! Sharp as a bowling ball that one.’ Taking a moment to thank Arceus for the mare’s inattentiveness, she slunk down the stairs and made for the kitchen, figuring there would at least be a garbage bag there. It only took her a moment to find an empty one and grab it with her teeth, shuddering at the unpleasant taste, and returning up the stairs.
In the few minutes it took to find the bag and get back to the baby’s room, the mare had gone and her daughter was laying down in her crib. The moment Dawn stepped back into the room the foal was up and smiling wide, “Hi Kitty!”
Dawn smiled right back, “Hello again Poppet. I’m sorry, but I have to go.” In a smooth motion she jumped onto the rail of the crib and then straight through the open window.
As she stepped away the foal poked her head up to the window, “Come back Kitty.” Poppet whimpered sticking out her lower lip in a pout that would stop a Gengar’s heart.
She was so damned cute that it took more effort than Dawn had thought to jump down from the roof, ‘Sorry kid.’ She landed softly and immediately went to the garden shed where she had left Vulpix, whom had curled into a little ball and was dozing lightly. Dawn smiled and decided to let her rest for a little longer and went to the pile of loose coins gathering them up and stuffing them into the bag one by one. It was surprisingly time consuming with no help, she ended up having to pick up the lot of them with her teeth and drop them into the opened end of the bag.
Gathering together all the coins had taken the better part of an hour and the sun was starting to get low in the sky. Nightfall was still three or four hours off, but the day was winding to a close and if she wanted to resolve this problem with the armoured Ponyta she would have to do it soon. With the bag now full she went back to the shed and woke Vulpix. “Time to get up,” she said, softly nudging the little Fox Pokemon with her nose.
Vulpix yawned briefly flashing her little teeth, “Oh hey Dawn, you were gone a while. Is everything okay?”
Smiling again Dawn pulled up the heavy bag of gold to show the younger Pokemon, “I have a feeling everything is going to just fine after today.”
Captain Iron Side trotted at a brisk pace, far from a true gallop but nothing that would make him expend more energy than he needed. He wanted to save that for when he found these two thieving creatures. He was eldest of the five Captains who served in the Royal Guard, well four now that Shining Armour had resigned his commision in favour of the Crystal Guards. In the vacuum left with the youngest Captain in Equestrian history there had been a nasty little rivalry formed to see who would claim his position as Head Captain of the whole of the Guard.
The other three who held his rank had taken to competing to claim the still vacant post, a competition that Iron was happy to leave to them. He hadn’t joined for glory or to fight monsters, he preferred to think of himself as a defender of the peace, a friendly face that the citizens of Canterlot could rely on.
It was also why the sudden appearance of these strange creatures concerned him so. In the last ten hours they had been flooded with reports of them from as far away as Vanhoover and most of them said the creatures were peaceful enough. In his mind, the real problems were his fellow Captains; already rumors were spreading like wildfire that Celestia and Luna planned to convert the Royal Guards into a Royal Army and declare war on the ‘Invaders,’ something that Iron was completely opposed to. Equestria had not needed a true standing army in centuries, not since the border skirmishes with the griffons some eight or nine centuries ago.
Iron knew his fellow Captains were the source of this unsettling concept, eager as they were to prove that each of them should be the next Head Captain. Which was why he was out with a small detachment looking for these two troublemakers, to see to it that they were dealt with fairly. The other Captains would have armed and mobilized whole platoons to hunt down and eliminate them without questioning their motives, something that only he had taken the time to consider.
The reports had described their appearance: one was suppose to be an orange fox-like creature with six tails that wasn’t much larger than a house cat, the other was a black cat with yellow-coloured rings on its body, sized up to the scale of a medium-sized dog. This yellow-ringed cat was also the only one whom had actually broken any laws as far as he could tell; it was the one that had stolen ‘food’ from a restaurant and had only smashed through the window when it had been caught. Had it not been discovered, the building’s owner would likely not even have noticed the missing wheel of cheese, or had to replace the window.
Likewise, if the guards had demonstrated a little finesse it was unlikely the black cat would have felt that knocking down a wall was necessary, so he had come out to find them himself to try and just talk to them. It was clear the cat possess incredible strength as it was able to level a wall with just a swing of its tail. If it had wanted to hurt anypony it was more than capable of doing so, therefore he had concluded that it had no real desire to cause any real harm.
The trouble was the day was waning fast and he couldn’t find hide nor hair of his quarry, and if he didn't find them soon there was the chance less understanding ponies might. He shuddered to think what might happen if Amethyst Edge found them instead. She wasn’t a bad pony per say but she had one Tartarus of a temper, the kind that could lead to snap decisions and get somepony killed.
“Umbreon!”
Iron Side stopped dead and spun around, it seemed they had found him. Standing at the far end of a side street that dead-ended with their backs to the mountain were a perfect likeness of the creatures he had read about in the reports. The small bright orange fox was cowering behind the larger black cat, who was glaring at him defiantly, ‘Like a mother and her cub.’
“Not the brightest move challenging us, eh Breaker?” one of the three Unicorns asked.
The colt he asked just chucked, “You can say that again Dro.”
“Stand down Privates!” Iron snapped, causing both to jump to attention and gasp out a shaky ‘yessir.’ Ignoring the overly eager young Guardscolts, he put on his friendliest smile and slowly started forward.
The little fox ducked further behind the cat, “V-Vul Vulpix!?” it said to the cat in a questioning tone.
“Bre,” it answered, which only seemed to make the fox even more nervous.
Iron decided to not press his luck too much with the powerful creature, stopping about three yards from the pair. ”Evening, I’m Captain Iron Side of the Royal Guard. And I would like you two to come with me for questioning. There’s the matter of the property you damaged, but you have my word you will not be harmed.”
The cat’s defensive stance became a little more passive and she smiled at him, “Bre bre, Umbreon bre breon.” Still smiling she turned and grabbed a plastic bag hidden behind her, with a deft flip of her head the bag crossed the short distance between them and landed at Iron’s hooves.
Iron laid his ears back at the chorus of multiple pieces of metal on the cobblestone street. Stepping back, he looked down to see the bag was full of bits. “Is this meant to pay for the damage?” The cat nodded and used the word ‘bre’; which he guessed meant yes. Smiling more to himself than the cat he issued an order,” Private Daybreak!” One of the Unicorns he had ordered down stepped forward with an autonomous ‘yessir’,”How many bits are here?”
Without a word the colt lit his horn and the bits and bag floated over to him being counted as the moved. After a few moments the count was in, “One hundred and seven sir!”
Iron frowned, he had figured as much but it never hurt to hope. Turning back to the cat and fox he sighed, “That will cover the windows and the food, it’ll even pay for a good portion of the wall, but it’s not quite enough.”
“Pix pix?” asked the little fox.
“Bre bre, Umbreon,” the cat conversed with the fox briefly before giving Iron a searching look, “Breon?”
“Not to worry,” Iron answered smoothly, “There’s always community service.”
“Sir forgive me,” Daybreak interjected, “but there is a very good chance these bits are stolen.”
Iron saw the cat become defensive again, “Umbreon! Bre breon!”
“I’ll take that under advisement Private,” he put a thin edge on his voice letting the lower ranking colt know he had spoken out of turn. “However, my priority is finding a peaceful solution, not pointing hooves and jumping to conclusions.”
“I knew you were a softy Oldtimer!” called a voice that made Iron’s blood run cold. “But taking bribes from from monsters? I’ll see you Court Martialed for this!”
Looking up at a roof to his left he scowled at the amethyst coloured pegasus that was smiling down on him with a smug grin. “Captain Edge. What are you doing here? I said I could handle this!”
The mare scoffed, “Clearly.” She turn a hate filled glare to the two creatures, “Don’t try anything funny monsters, I’ve got you completely surrounded.”
As if they had simply been waiting for her to say those words, dozens of pegasi guards dropped out of the sky. Dozens more unicorns and earth ponies filed out of the side streets and alleys, behind him Iron heard wagon wheels on the cobblestone. Spinning around, Iron’s jaw dropped at the sight he beheld. “What the buck Amethyst!? That’s a bloody cannon!”
“That’s right!” the mare said her breast swelling with pride. “We’re gonna kick this war off with a bang!” Raising her hoof the wagon stopped and the two unicorns hauling it proceeded to load it. “Head Captain’s office here I come. Take aim!” She looked down at the pair and grinned, “Thanks for cornering yourselves here beasies. It’ll make blasting you to Tartarus that much easier.”
“That’s enough Amethyst!” Iron shouted to the mare as he stepped between the cannon barrel and the creatures the madmare was determined to destroy. “You need to stop NOW!”
“Well that’s all I need!” Amethyst Edge said with a sneer. “As a Captain of the Royal Guard, I hereby relieve you of duty and am placing you under arrest for high treason! Guards! Subdue the Captain!”
“STAND DOWN! All of you! That’s an ORDER!” Iron commanded.
The assembled guards hesitated, unsure which captain to obey. “Any of you who disobey my orders will be charged with insubordination!” Captain Amethyst hissed.
The three unicorn Privates he had brought with him looked at each other before Private Daybreak stepped up. “I’m sorry sir,” he said quietly, “but I have to ask you to step back.”
“That’s not going to happen,” the older officer snarled through clenched teeth.
Daybreak gave his S.O. a sad look, “I really am sorry about this sir.” He lit his horn and cast a simple spell that rendered the old Earth Pony unconscious.
“Umbreon!” the black cat cried and took several quick steps forward, only concerned about Iron’s well being at that point.
It was all the prompting Amethyst needed, “Fire!” An Earth Pony with the lanyard in his teeth gave a quick tug, pulling the flash pin on the percussion cap which in turn ignited the black power tightly packed in the bronze barrel.
KABOOOM
!
The unbearably loud blast by whatever miracle of magic did not shatter any of the surrounding windows as the six pound steel ball was launched towards the pair. By another miracle, this one however due more to Dawn’s Hasty Nature than actual magic, the steel orb missed and smashed into the side of the mountain. The impact of steel and rock coupled with the smoke pouring from the bronze barrel, dropped visibility to zero for several seconds.
When the dust started to settle, Amethyst was enraged to find the two creatures unharmed and a gaping hole in the side of the mountain, leading into the crystal catacombs. The black cat and six-tailed fox shared a look and bolted towards the cave system. “STOP THEM!! NO MATTER WHAT, DON’T LET THEM ESCAPE!!” she roared.
Every Unicorn lit their horns and fire a volley of magic missiles at the side of the mountain, causing huge cracks to form and large boulders of rock to fall over the opening to the catacombs. The black cat was faster than the little fox, putting her right under the collapsing tunnel as a huge splinter of rock and crystalline minerals fell straight towards her. She wouldn’t have made it either had the little fox not kicked off the ground crying, “VULPIX!” and knocking the cat deeper into the caves as the debris landed solidly on top of it.
As the shifting mass of rock stabilized, Amethyst looked over the dust strewn street that had held her prize just few seconds prior. There was no telling if either had survived. She called to a group of unicorns and Earth ponies. “You lot see to it that the rock face is re-enforced to prevent anymore rockslides!” The guards jumped into action to ensure the area was safe for the citizens of the city. She looked to the form of Iron Side, still out cold on the cobblestone road, “Well, I caught a traitor. I’ll have to be satisfied with that for now.”
Route 4 North of Castelia City Unova Region 15 Years before Arceus’ Release
“I tell you Allen, you're gonna love the amusement park in Nimbasa! They’ve got everything there!” said a young boy in an excited tone of voice. He was tall and thin with long black hair, he was into the goth thing so his shirt was black with a skull on it and he had a pair of black tripp pants on covered in chains.
“I know B, you said that twice already,” Allen said with a smile, he still didn’t get his best friend. Brandon was an open happy outgoing kind of guy but he dressed like he was on his way to a Dethklok concert. However, despite his odd fashion sense he was Allen’s only friend, besides Nova and Dawn of course, and his enthusiasm was alway so infectious. “Just how many times have you been there?”
Brandon spun around and started to walk backwards while he counted on his fingers, “Lets see… one, two, three, four…” He got a wide grin on his face, “More than ten? At least.”
Allen just laughed and shook his head, “Oh good Lord.”
“Cynda!”
“You can say that again Nova.” Allen laughed and looked to the Fire Mouse Pokemon walking beside him. He wished Dawn had wanted to come but it was probably for the best that she had stayed at home with his granddad. When she had curled up in the older man's lap and blew a little raspberry at him it made it clear she wasn’t interested in a weekend trip to Nimbasa, no matter how many Leppa Berries he bribed her with.
“You know man,” Brandon started,”I still don’t get why you haven’t been to the park yet? I mean heck you already have two Pokemon! And that Eevee of yours hatched knowing Iron Tail!” The boy looked to the Cyndaquil walking with them, “Didn’t Nova get a choice move or two from your dad’s Typhlosion?”
“Flame Burst and Extrasensory,” Allen answered flatly, it wasn’t that Nova knowing a Psychic move bothered him, in truth he loved it because of how out of left field it was. It had saved their butts more than a few times in the few battles they had had, but Nova didn’t like to use that move, it gave the little Fire-type migraines.
“How does a Fire-type Pokemon learn a Psychic move anyway?” Brandon asked looking right at Nova as he asked.
“Cynda Cyndaquil,” Nova answered.
“I think you just got an ‘I don’t know’ B.” Allen grinned as Nova nodded.
Brandon shrugged while still walking backwards,”Eh, just another one of the mysteries of Pokemon huh?” He turned around again as the two boys resumed their walk, falling into silence for a long while. It was not until they had reached the split in the road, one leading to Nimbasa City, the other leading towards distant rocks that marked where the Desert Resort was, that Brandon spoke again. “Hey Allen? How come you’re still sticking so close to Castelia?”
Allen raised an eyebrow, “Huh?”
Brandon gestured with his hand, “Well i mean you’ve already got two Pokemon and you're old enough to go on a journey if you want. So why do you still live with your grandpa?”
Allen sighed as the question brought up unhappy thoughts and equally unhappy memories. “It’s mostly because we’re the only family we have anymore.”
He saw Brandon smack himself with an audible slap, “Aw crap! I’m sorry bro, I guess I forgot! Your folks were in Hoenn when it happened.”
Both of Allen’s parents had died in the Cataclysm, his mother had been a Ranger and his father a Pokemon breeder.(1) It was also the reason Allen had two pokemon from the moment he had come of age. Nova was the son of his father’s Typhlosion and Dawn the Daughter of his Mother’s Sylveon. The two young Pokemon were all he had left of them now and it was still a raw spot on his heart.
“It’s okay B.” Allen’s tone was sad and his eyes downcast. “Granddad didn’t take mom’s dying well.” ‘And neither did I,’ he thought bitterly. He had loved his parents, his mother’s career as a Ranger drew her away from their home in Slateport fairly often. However she always returned with spectacular tales of her adventures, and gifts, she always came back with some souvenirs for him.(2) His father had raised him the most and had taught him so much about Pokemon, from how to identify genders to how to figure out a Pokemon’s Nature just by watching how they acted with other Pokemon.
“Still,” Brandon said, his usual cheerfulness gone, “I shouldn’t have brought it up.” Allen’s friend looked at the worn dirt road they had been traveling down, “But I suppose that just means once I’m old enough, I get to drag your butt around with me on my journey!”
As always Brandon bounced back quickly making Allen and Nova laugh, “If you say so.”
“Can you believe this place Nova!?” Allen asked slack-jawed as he stared from one towering rollercoaster to another. “Dawn doesn’t know what she’s missing!”
“Cyndaquil!” the little Fire-type replied excitedly.
“The rides aren’t even the best part!” Brandon cheered drawing the pairs attention. “I know somebody who said that Alder was gonna be here this weekend!”
“Alder?” Allen asked shocked, he had heard that the champion liked to wander about the region, though he had never even seen a picture of the nomadic man. “Champion of the Unova League Alder?”
“As if there’s any other?” Brandon said with a broad grin. “We might even see someone Battle him! How awesome would that be!?” Brandon reached down and grabbed Allen’s arm and started to pull him towards the ferris wheel, “Come on, maybe we can see where the battles are from up there!”
“Hey!” Was all Allen was able to say as he was forcibly pulled towards the ride by his friend, Nova complaining as he had to dodge the steps of people who did not see him.
The line for the ferris wheel was pretty short and soon the three of them were high in the sky. Brandon had his face pressed to the glass of the capsule determined to find the champion and see him battle. Allen and Nova were content to just look over the sea and the impressive sight of the Skyarrow Bridge until the ride ended.
As they walked off the platform that led back down to the midway, Brandon had his hands stuffed in his pockets with a sour look. “I can’t believe we didn’t see him.” He grumbled, “How does the champion not attract a huge crowd?”
“Maybe he’s keeping a low profile.” Allen offered. “I mean if I were Champion, I would get sick of so many fans real quick.” He turned and looked at the closest and larger rollercoaster, “Come on B, let’s have some fun. You’ve got all weekend to meet the Champion, if he’s even here.”
Brandon for his part sighed, “Yeah I guess you’re right.”
“Anything Nova?” Allen asked looking down to the little Fire-type.
“Cynda.” Nova replied shaking his head with a downtrodden look.
“Damn it B! Where did you go?” Allen cursed and as he wondered out loud.
“You know as a rule I don’t think a kid your age should be swearing,” said a voice, causing both trainer and Pokemon to yelp and spin to face it owner, whom was an older man, not as old as his granddad but well into his fifth decade, who laughed at their surprise and held up his hands. “Whoa! Easy there! I didn’t mean to sneak up on you.” He was tall and had long hair that was red but lightened to a orangish colour as it stretched farther from his head. It gave the man a fiery appearance. His pants were tattered and he wore an overused poncho, however what grabbed Allen’s eye were the six Pokeballs hanging from around his shoulders.
“Who are you?” Allen asked cautiously, his granddad had been clear about talking to strangers.
Though the question seemed to throw the old man off, as he raised an eyebrow in disbelief, “Seriously?” After a moment he grinned and shrugged, “No one that important I guess. But it looks like you lost someone?”
Allen slowly nodded, “My friend Brandon. He was going on about meeting the Champion.” Looking at the Pokeballs the man wore he smiled, “I guess you're here to try and battle him?”
That seemed to be funny to the man as he threw his head back and laughed hard, taking a moment to compose himself. “Something like that.”
“Hmmm… in that case why don’t we battle?” Allen suggested after a moment.
The older man balked at him, “You want to Battle?” He glanced at Nova, “How many badges do you have, kid?”
“Not a one!” Allen answered with a smile. “But I’m not talking about a real battle, Nova might get hurt.” He looked to the crowds that wandered about the park, “But if we make a good show of it, that might at least get my friend’s attention.”
The older man gave Allen a searching look, “I suppose I could call it a one-on-one warm up match.” Stepping away and walking towards one of the amusement park’s many arenas meant for Pokemon Battles. As they parted to take their sides he laughed again, “I won’t go all out cuz you're inexperienced. But don’t expect me to let you win either.”
“Of course not. A victory that’s given away is just a pretty lie!” Allen said, recalling the words his mother had used when first teaching him and Nova how to battle.
“Wise words.” The man said with an approving nod as he pulled one of the Pokeballs that hung from his right shoulder, “Go! Conkeldurr!”
“Cooooonkel!” the Fighting-type cried as it was released from its capsule only to stop dead when it saw its opponent. “Conkel?” It asked turning to its trainer.
“Call it a warm up,” the man said with a smile. “You don’t have to fight hard, just be sure to make it flashy.”
“Conkel?”
“Cyndaquil!” Nova called, drawing Conkeldurr’s attention. “Cynda cynda quil Cyndaquil!”
Conkeldurr smile and raised up its concrete pillar and slamming it down with shocking force,”COOONKELDUURR!”
The flames on Nova’s back flared up,”QUIIIIIIIIIIIL!”
“Alright then!” the old man said with a broad grin, “Use Force Palm!”
Allen reacted just as quickly,”Nova! Quick Attack into Smokescreen! Don’t let it get too close!”
Nova went tearing off at high speeds just a fraction of a second before Conkeldurr’s massive open hand crashed into the dirt at the same spot. Now out of harm’s way, Nova canceled his speed and turned letting out a large breathe that blanketed the field with thick black smoke.
“Not bad!” The old man said as he watched Nova’s flawless execution. “You certainly know how to play to your Pokemon’s strengths. Comet Punch Conkeldurr. Let’s see how fast you really are.”
“Quick Attack to evade Nova!” Allen cried.
The massive Fighting-type emerged from the cloud of smoke, jabbing at the little Fire-type with its concrete pillar, using it as one would a spear.(3) A glowing contrail was all that the naked eye could see as Nova danced around each strike, seeming to wink out of existence one moment and reappear some place else.
Allen watched as Nova moved faster than he ever had, for only being a match meant to draw a crowd things were getting serious fast. “Nova! Use Flame Burst!”
Nova dodged once more, putting a little extra distance between himself and the Conkeldurr as the flames on his back roared a little more intensely. Rearing up on his hind legs, he blew the fuel for his fire into his mouth letting it cool down for a moment before spitting it at the Fighting-type. Conkeldurr moved faster than ever, reminding both Allen and Nova that he was holding back still, and caught the shot with its pillar. The move exploded on contact and set deep cracks into the piece of concrete, while causing Conkeldurr to take a large step back to brace itself.
The older trainer gave an impressed whistle, “You two are tougher than you let on. This is actually getting interesting.”
“ALLEN!?” called a young sounding voice. “I thought we were looking for Alder, not having... random… Battles?”
Both trainers and their Pokemon turned to see a young boy a few months from being old enough to start a journey staring wide eyed at the older of the two trainers. In just the short time since the Battle began a very large crowd of people had gathered Allen frowned and glared at his friend, “There you are B! I know you wanna meet the guy but ditching me was not cool!” When Brandon remained silent Allen glared all the harder, “Are you even listening to me?”
Brandon just pointed to Allen’s opponent, “My bro is battling the Champion.” He said in a small voice that Allen almost didn’t hear.
Squinting at his friend, as if appraising his mental state, the meaning of his words finally registered. Allen’s gaze snapped to the fiery haired man standing opposite him. He was grinning and rubbing the back of his head, “Guess the Skitty’s outta the bag, huh Conkeldurr?”
The Fighting-type didn’t respond as he was staring down Nova who was looking at him like he was truly seeing him for the first time, “C-c-cyndaquil?”
Conkeldurr grinned and nodded, “Durr.”
Nova hunched down and started to shake, a mutter ran through the watching crowd about a cowardly little Pokemon. That notion lasted all of a few seconds, Allen was about to speak, worried that Nova might actually be scared. That was until a blinding white light burst from the little Fire Mouse Pokemon.
“Conkel?” Conkeldurr took another step back and raised a hand to shield its eyes.
“Nova?” Allen gasped, covering his eyes.
“Well how about that?” Alder said with a broad grin while squinting.
At the center of the shine, the little form of the Cyndaquil began to expand and elongate. His hips shifted and widened allowing for a more erect posture, while his long thin snout blunted and widened into a stouter muzzle. Countless more subtle changes occurred in the span of a few seconds and then the brilliant light faded revealing the result of Nova’s metamorphosis.
The flames across his lower back roared to life alongside a mohawk like strip along his forehead, “QUILAAAVA!”
“Looks like things just got serious.” Alder said still grinning like a kid at Christmas. “You ready to rumble Conkeldurr?”
“Duuuuurr!” It replied taking a combative stance.
“Lava!” Nova growled before using Quick Attack to relocate to Allen’s side of the field.
Allen gawked at his evolved friend before Nova gave him a hard look, causing the boy to grin, “Then we’re gonna fight to win! Right Nova!?”
“Lava!” The Volcano Pokemon declared.
Hall of Legends Day 2 of the World Summit
Darkness spun around him, gravity seemed not to exist as he drifted through the void. There was nothing, no light, no sense of up or down, all that surrounded him was the kind of darkness that clung to a mind that was just beginning to descend into the realm of nightmares and fevered dreams. What was happening? Where was this?
Allen could feel his head pounding like the time he had far too much to drink after he had turned old enough to legally consume alcohol. While his eyes were closed he could feel the darkness in his mind shift and begin to thin, he remembered now. He remembered Xerneas, she had healed Nova. He remembered Sparkler, her concern for his wellbeing. Then he remembered… Arceus!
The instant the revelation hit him gravity reasserted itself and Allen became aware that he was in fact upside down and his head throbbed with greater intensity. Cracking open one of his eyes, Allen got a blurred view of a grey stone wall while something stirred at the edges of his still limited vision.
The throbbing in his head made the sounds he heard little more than muffled gibberish, however he could swear that the gravelly sound was Nova’s voice. As the movement at the peripherals of his vision slipped away, Allen realized that he was also spinning, rotating on a vertical axis. Something new entered his line of sight, a tall blue box with little windows… the Doctor’s time machine! Then the slender white head of Arceus.
“I beg you Lord Arceus!” Nova’s voice sounded desperate. “It will work, I swear. I’ll stake my life on it!”
Arceus chuckled, “Your confidence in him is admirable, though there is little need for such semantics my child.” Arceus paused, “It was foolhardy, though I admire the resolve it took.”
Allen was upside down, spinning, and his head was pounding; that coupled with how casually Arceus carried on a conversation set his blood to flash steam. Heat and pressure started to build making him feel as though he might explode. With a sharp intake of breath he filled his lungs and felt the heat gather there, while the sharp breath made the Alpha Pokemon turn to look at him.
Allen glared at the god for half a second before he puffed out the air in his lungs. A spiraling vortex of blue flame roared towards Arceus, capturing him in a point blank Fire Spin. Allen didn’t stop until he ran out of air in his lungs, when he finally stopped to suck in a series of gasping coughing breaths, the azure flames petered out.
As the former Human caught his breath, everyone in present went silent staring dumbfounded as Arceus blinked his eyes several times and gave himself a light shake. Allen was glaring at the Alpha pokemon as Arceus gave the inverted Fire-type a neutral expression. “Are you finished?”
Allen gave a distinctly equine snort, “I think I made my point.”
“Excellent!” the god said as he flipped Allen right side up and placed im on solid earth once again.
The moment his hard hooves clacked on the stone he fixed a hard glare at Arceus and held it for a long tense moment. That was until Allen noticed the air get warmer, “Fire Punch!” Allen turned his muzzle right into the path of a burning paw, balled up into a hard fist. The blow made Allen see stars and sent him scrambling unto his haunches, he turned his still loopy gaze to Nova who just growled, “Allen! Chill!”
Allen’s eyes went wide and he took a long deep breath. He held it for several seconds and then slowly exhaled through his nose, the tension in his muscles bleed away quickly as the air in his lungs began to run thin. As he took his next breath he rested heavier on his haunches before rising to all fours, “Thanks Nova.” The Volcano Pokemon nodded and gave him a small smile.
“So young one?” Arceus stepped up to Allen, making the shorter Fire-type crane his head back to meet his eye. “I take it you come to me having issue with the situation?”
Allen’s voice was surprisingly flat as he spoke but he smirked as he did so, “Not really.”
Not for the first time that day Arceus found himself caught by an unexpected answer, “What?”
Allen casually shrugged, “At most I’m pissed about two things. One!” He scowled at Arceus, though it was more annoyed than anything. “A little heads up would have been nice. And two! I want to know where the rest of my team is.”
Arceus was silent so a long while, the way his personality had changed so suddenly was… bizarre to him. It was as though someone had flipped a switch, or rather, ‘The burner has been turned down,’ Arceus realized. He even had to admit what he asked for was rather reasonable, or at least the second part was easy enough. However, there was nothing to be done about his complaint of a lack of foreknowledge… ‘Wait a second!’ “Are you saying you would have gone along with my decision to abandon Earth had you known in advance? Even being made into a Pokemon?”
Allen smirked, “Yeah, pretty much.” Arceus blinked at him several times.
”Well that’s a thing, huh dad? Most of the humans that we brought who come here just want their old bodies back.”
Allen felt a weight settle on top of his head and a pair of large blue eyes stared back into his. Allen smiled as he met Mew’s upside down gaze, “To be honest being a Pokemon is pretty amazing. Though I would have preferred to be one with hands, or at the very least paws.” To emphasize that point he stomped a hoof on the stone tiles.
“But you look so handsome as a Rapidash!” Mew gave him a pouty look,”And the blue flames are beautiful, I wonder what caused that?”
“Shouldn’t you know?” Allen asked raising an eyebrow.
Mew shook her head, “I have never seen a mon like you, and I’m immortal so that’s saying something.” Mew then floated off of his head and over to Arceus, “The only thing I can think of is it’s some kind of mutation.”
Arceus’s eyes glowed golden and Allen suddenly felt very exposed. When the glow faded from the god's eyes he smiled, “There is a point zero three percent variance in his genetic structure. The coding that determines the pigment of your mane and tail is unique, however the mutation is benign. So there is nothing to fear from that.” ‘Though’ Arceus thought, ‘it might just be visible in future generations.’
Allen shrugged again more to shake off the feeling like he was being looked at under a microscope than to display indifference. “I wasn’t that worried about it.” He frowned for a moment and decided to get the conversation back on track, “I am, however, very concerned for my team. For one reason or another most of them need supervision.”
“Ah yes!” Arceus said, smiling in the curious way he did without a mouth. “Tell me about them and I shall point you in the right direction.”
“Dawn is an Umbreon, She’s clever so I imagine she’ll be able to stay out of trouble.”(4)
Arceus’ eyes glowed golden again, after a few moment’s he smiled again,”You will find her in Canterlot. Whom else?”
The news that Dawn was alright gave Allen a little piece of mind, now came the one he was dreading,” And then there’s Drakarus. He’s a Hydreigon.” ‘He might be nuts but I hope he made it!’ The Dragon tended to let his temper get him into trouble.(5)
The Alpha Pokemon cast his mind out into the world again,”Once you have found the Umbreon you must look in a place called Ghastly Gorge. The Dragon shall be there.”
“I hope that place is isolated,” Allen fretted.
“Fortunately it is.” Arceus answered clearly knowing that the Brutal pokemon lived up to his categorization.
Allen nodded, “Last is Penny. She’s a Piplup and… Um… She?” He hated explaining this. Arceus eyes glowed again and continued to glow for a very long time, far longer than it had taken to locate the other two Pokemon. When his eyes faded back to their normal colour the god remained silent. “So?” Allen prompted.
“I need you to listen carefully.”
So far Dinky had been mostly confused, she had watched as her aunt's friend had tried to attack Arceus. Mister Nova had sounded scared and started trying to bargain for his safety, when Allen had breathed fire.(6) Then they started talking and everything seemed like it was going well, and then he asked about someone and Arceus’s tone got serious. The same kind of tone that the Doctor got when he was talking to bad guys.
It clearly set the former human on edge as well, “I… What?” He looked up to the god with a frown.
“I cannot tell you where the Piplup is,” Arceus said meeting Allen’s gaze with a neutral expressionless face, while the frown on the Rapidash’s muzzle turned into a scowl
“What!?!”
“My Lord!” Nova pushed Allen back, “You did not leave her behind did you?” Dinky gasped at the prospect
“No,” the god replied evenly.
“Then what's the problem!?” Allen demanded, his fiery mane billowing.
“I cannot tell you where to look because I do not see her.” the Alpha pokemon’s voice remained even and impassionate. “I can say that she is on Equus, or somewhere close to it. However it is someplace that blocks my sight.”
“Is there anything useful you can tell us?” the Doctor asked coming to stand by Nova. Dinky knew that look in her father’s eyes. “Even the the tiniest thing may be of help.”
The golden glow returned to the god’s eyes and remained that way for a long while, when the glow finally faded Arceus said, “I should not be surprised by that. Look for a Bisharp named Wiess, his path will intertwine with hers.”
Allen looked like he was about to combust, “So this Weiss guy has Penny?”
“No. He has his own path; however, it shall cross Penny’s… of that I am certain.”
The Doctor nodded, “Will this Pokemon be our friend when we find him… or our enemy?”
Dinky watched as Arceus turned his gaze back to the still damaged TARDIS,”That choice depends on whom he is employed by, he is a mercenary. Though it is likely he is still employed with the Griffon Empire and their guard.”
“I see,” the Doctor said glancing at the TARDIS as well. “Lovely.”
“Hey Dinky?” The filly turned to see Veevee staring hard at the corner of the room.
Dinky raised an eyebrow and looked between the shadowy corner and her friend, “What am I looking at?”
Veevee never took her eyes off the far end of the stone room, “Check the other corners, what do you see?”
Dinky turned to examine the rest of the room, it had four walls that curved outwards from the center of the room. At the far wall stood the TARDIS along with Arceus and the Doctor, Dinky could see a tall arch that lead to somewhere deeper in the temple. Dinky briefly wondered what she would find beyond the door, squinting she swore she could make out the shape of a stone statue with a series of dots for its face. 'What a weird statue.' Dinky turned her attention to the nearest corner, which was rather unimpressive to observe since it appeared to be an ordinary meeting place for the two stone walls. Confused, Dinky turned to her friend, “Okay, so what am I looking for?"
Veevee kept her eyes locked on the darkened corner. “That's the only spot in this room where there's a shadow."
Dinky spun her head around and looked at the other points in the room and found that the little Normal-type was right. Every point in the room was brightly lit save for this one spot. “W-what's casting it?"
"I don't know." Veevee likely would have said more but when Dinky casually walked towards the impossible shadow she lunged forward and bit down on the filly’s tail.
Dinky looked back at her Pokemon friend. “What?"
Veevee spat out the straw-colored hair. "What if it's dangerous!?" she asked in a panicked tone. "Your mom told me to keep you safe!"
Dinky rolled her eyes, "Well then come on!"
Veevee laid her ears back, "I don't know Dinky. This doesn't seem safe."
The little filly giggled, "We'll be fine. Daddy's right over there next to a god. What could possibly hurt us?"
The little Normal-type looked back at the earth stallion who was talking adamantly with Arceus. 'I guess it can't be that dangerous with Lord Arceus here.' Looking back to Dinky she sighed, "Alright but I'm going first."
Dinky rolled her eyes again, "If you insist." However she stepped aside to let the Evolution Pokemon take the lead in their mission to find out what was the cause of this phantom shadow.
Veevee bent into a low crouch and slowly stalked forwards, her eyes narrowed as she scrutinized the corner. Her eyes were lying to her, that much was obvious, so the real question was what wasn't she supposed to see? Hesitantly, she pointed her nose to the shadow and inhaled deeply and a wealth of new sensory information came pouring in. Her nose wasn't as good as a Growlithe’s or an Arcanine’s, but it was still many times greater than any human's had been. She picked up the scent of ash and grave soil, the unmistakable smell of a Ghost-type. Veevee smirked to herself and took another step forward, "Show yourself."
Silence reigned for several seconds before a long pink tongue shot out of the shadow and ran itself up her cheek coating her fur in thick sticky saliva. There was no damage done since Normal-types are immune to Ghost-type moves, but it was still disgusting and Dinky's "Eeew" showed she clearly agreed.
The tongue snaked back into the shadow and a soft voice hissed "Just go away kid. We'll pretend this never happened."
Dinky blinked at the shadow. "Mr. Loki?"
A single crimson eye opened in the center of the shadow. "I said get lost! Go play horseshoes or whatever you ponies do for fun!"
They filly raised an eyebrow. "Why are you hiding?"
The eye snapped shut. "I'm not hiding... I'm keeping a low profile. Now get outta here!"
"That's called hiding dummy!" Veevee snapped as she tried and failed to rub the spit from her coat.
"Go away," Loki said flatly from his shadowy corner.
"Not till you tell us why you're hiding," Dinky said in a curt little voice.
Both Loki's eyes snapped open into a hard Glare, "I don't have to tell you shit, kid!"
Dinky stomped her little hoof, "You better tell me or else!"
To Loki the threat carried all the weight of a six year old throwing a tantrum. Still in his faux shadow he rolled his eyes. "Or else what?" he asked, calling the filly’s bluff.
Dinky smiled at him in his shadow; it was actually so sweet and innocent that it was creepy. "Or else I'll scream about the shadow monster that just licked Veevee. And that will bring Mommy and Daddy running, Aunt Sparkler and Mr. Allen too, and probably every Pokemon that hears me."
Loki’s eyes moved to the many ponies and Pokemon still in the large room and Dinky smiled when she saw beads of sweat forming across the whole of the shadow. "You little shit."
The filly ignored the dirty word and beamed up at the Ghost. "So whatcha hiding for!?"
"For the last time I'm not hiding!" he gripped. "I'd just rather be over here."
"Suit yourself," Dinky said cheerfully as she started to suck in a breath.
"Wait!" Loki almost cried as he poked his panicked face out of the shadow. He waited a few seconds until it was clear that Dinky was not about the lose what would have been an ear shredding 'little girl' shriek. "I just don't want to meet Lord Arceus, alright."
"Why no-"
"Hahahaahaa!" Veevee, who was a matted mess, laughed out loud. "You're scared of Lord Arceus!"
Loki sneered, "I know plenty of moves that ain't Ghost-type brat, so don't think I won't beat the piss out of you."
"You’re a jerk! I'm telling!" Dinky cried spinning around on her hooves ready to gallop off only to stop as she came face to face with a small Pokemon. It was only about a foot tall and hovered at her eye level. Its body was kinda wispy at the bottom and it had a gold ring wrapped around its body while its hands floated free of its tiny torso. On its head were two upward curving horns each with a gold ring on them as well.
Hoopa smiled at her and gave a friendly wave, "Hi."
“You lot put your backs into it!” Amethyst called. “The sooner we get this done the sooner we can get some sleep!”
“You’re pushing them too hard hard Amethyst.” A black earth stallion standing close said. For an earth pony his size was nothing of note, though he was clearly very muscular. his cutie mark was a sharply sloped granite mountain with a firey ember of magma at its heart.
“What business is that of yours, Onyx!?” She snapped. “Leave worrying about the Guard to me. Just do your job and make sure the rock is stable.”
The stallion named Onyx glowered at the mare,”Which brings me to my next question.... What. The. Buck. Where you THINKING!!!?” the last word rose to a yell that the Guards working to clear the excess rock could clearly hear.
“I WAS TRYING TO PROTECT EQUESTRIA!” Amethyst countered raising her voice to match the stallions own.
Onyx paused scowling at Amethyst,”So you thought the best way to do that was to blast a massive hole in the mountain that holds up its capital city? You should know better than most just how fragile the foundations of Canterlot are. Or do I need to remind you what it is our family has done for the last three hundred years?”
The Captain gave him a look of disgust,"Your family." She replied bitterly.
The stallion just shook his head, it was always like this. "I'm so glad mum isn't here to hear you say that. It would break her heart."
Amethyst flared her wings as she scowled at him,”Yay know what On-”
“Captain Amethyst Edge! We’ve broken through!” Called the Lieutenant effectively derailing the volatile mares rant before it even began.
“Excellent!” She almost sang as she winged her way towards the new entrance to the Catacombs that would need to be sealed.
Onyx followed at a more sedated pace, now ready to evaluate the damage wreaked by yet another of his sister’s poor decisions. Already his eyes roamed over the massive fissure in the mountain side and a deep frown on his muzzle. Several unicorns had lit their horns giving him plenty of light to see by; it wasn't good but neither was it as bad as it could've been. The gaping hole was nearly eight feet across and there were still several large shards of stone and crystal, but it looked like the cracks didn't look like they ran very deep. It still promised to be an arduous rebuild. "Could be worse." He said to himself.
"Come on!" Amethyst cried looking around the debris in disbelief. "All this effort and they got away!? What kind of freaks survive a mountain falling on them!?"
Onyx rolled his eyes and continued his assessment of the damage. The actual granite of the mountain was less damaged than the frail gems that grew farther in, which wasn’t much of an issue anyway since it was expressly forbidden to remove any of the magic gems without the consent of the crown. Since his family had been mostly earth ponies for the last few centuries he had had the chance to study some of them, which was ultimately the reason for his frown. Without so much as an ear flick in the direction of the guards he walked into the Catacombs for the first time.
“Sir you can’t go in there!” One of the guards yelled.
Onyx ignored him and called,”Amethyst come and see this!”
The mare, whom was exceedingly disappointed, gave a defeated sigh and silently heeded the stallions summons. "What Onyx? I'm not in the mood to discuss rocks right now."
"Just look." He sighed holding out the crystal.
Amethyst made a show of rolling her eyes,"Fine... What the buck is that!?" She asked clearly confused as she eyed the unfamiliar blue gem. "How does it have bubbles in it!?"
"My point exactly." Onyx answered. "This isn't any kind of mineral formation I've ever seen. And it certainly doesn't belong here."
Amethyst tapped her chin,"One more question that needs an answer. Keep that for study and finish your assessment." The mare turned to issue orders to her tired guards,"Good work everypony! You're dismissed. I'll have a contingent sent to make sure nothing gets in or out. I’m also putting out a standing order. These creatures are to be arrested on sight and I’m authorizing the use of Deadly Force."
“Ma’am?” A unicorn Sargent asked confused. “Doesn’t it take the three Captains or the Princesses to order Deadly Force?”
Amythest rounded on the officer,”Is Princess Celestia here?” The guard shook his head and Amethyst continued,”I’m ordering it! Now you can follow my orders or you can join that traitor Iron Side in a cell!”
Onyx began to step out of the Catacombs when something crunched and shifted underhoof. Glancing down he found a fine red crystalline dust,'Now what do we have here?'
Hall of Legends Day 2 of World Summit
"Hi." Hoopa said while waving his free floating hand.
Dinky blinked a few times,"Who are you?" Nearly every Pokemon she saw was new to her but this one was something else,"Are you a Ghost too?"
Hoopa blinked,”What do you mean? Your Dinky aren’t you? From the party?”
Dinky stared hard at the apparition,”A party?” She looked over the Pokemon that knew her name, she would remember seeing something like him. ‘So that must mean...’ A quick grin spread across her face and she squealed happily.
“You okay?” Hoopa asked eyeing the filly as though she might use Selfdestruct.
Smiling brightly Dinky nodded,”Yeah I just needed to get that out of my system.” With a friendly smile. “I’m sorry but I haven’t met you before.”
Hoopa frowned,”But we talked for like an hour at the party?”
“Oh I don’t doubt it.” She chirped brightly. “I just haven’t gone to that party yet.”
Hoopa stared blankly,” It was only a week ago.”
“Yeah?” She suddenly wasn’t sure how to explain as she shuffled from one hoof to another. ‘How would Daddy say it? Her mind ran wild as she tried to recall every bedtime story the Doctor had ever told her…
“Anybody home?” A hand waved in front of her face startling her back to reality
“Thing is I’m a time traveler so I don’t always meet people in the right order.” She said quickly while shaking her head.
The Mischief Pokemon blinked a few times,”Huh?”
Dinky sighed,”Basically the party where you met me hasn’t happened to me yet… It’s still in my future.” Hoopa looked as though he where contemplating quantum mechanics for the first time, which he was, but he was nodding as though he understood.
Sighing she turned to Veevee hoping she was keeping up,”Dinky I feel dizzy.” Apparently not.
Turning, Dinky didn’t get a chance to do anything but retch as she was hit with the most horrible scent to every assault her senses. “Ghaaah!” She scrambled away as the offensive odor made her eyes water. “Veevee you stink!”
Hoopa laughed,"Man that Gengar got you good hang on." Dinky turned blinking the tears out of her eyes, to see Hoopa remove one of his gold rings and pull it over Veevees head. Then gasped as her head didn't come out the other side for several seconds. Right about the time her tail disappeared into the ring her head poked out the other side and the little Normal-type stepped out literally sparkling clean. "There that's better." Hoopa said with another grin at the shocked filly.
"That was so cool!" Dinky squealed happily. Your amazing Hoopa!"
Hoopa blushed under the sudden praise,"Oh it was nothing really."
Veevee puffed out her cheeks in a frustrated pout,"Hey I can do cool stuff too!"
Dinky pouted,"Aw Veevee I didn't mean it like that, that was just really cool."
"Well if we're done here I'll get back to what I was doing." Loki said vanishing back into his shadow.
Hoopa looked up to the Shadow Pokemon,"What exactly are you doing?"
Dinky grinned mischievously,"He's scared of Arceus."
"I am not!" Loki snapped.
"Then why are you hiding?" Hoopa asked suspiciously. "Cuz it looks to me like you're one of those Ghost-Types that gives us a bad name."
Loki scoffed,"Says the Legendary of Mischief." The obnoxious ghost may have said more but with a swift swipe of Hoopa's gold ring he vanished.
"Whoa where did he go?" Veevee asked caught off guard by his sudden absence.
"He's right here." Hoopa said with a devilish grin holding up the ring so the pair could see the panicked Ghost attempting to escape beating his small fists against whatever invisible barrier kept him contained.
"This isn't funny!" Loki cried though the impact of his words was lost as his voice sounded like he had sucked the helium from a party balloon.
The overly squeaky voice was more than Dinky could take and the little filly hit the floor laughing. "Oh my goodness. That is priceless."
"Let me outta here!”
"Hey Allen carry these bags for me."
"Were di- Whoa!" Allen yelped as Nova dropped a heavy saddlebag onto his back. The former human having to brace his legs to keep his knees from buckling,"What's in these bricks!?" He glared back at Nova, who grinned and set about fastening the strap and buckle.
"Probably." He said with an amused tone. "Serves you right for being rude."
Allen raised an eyebrow before glaring at the bags being strapped to his back. "What? Where did you get this!?"
"I asked Lord Arceus for some of our things back." The Fire-type answered matter of factly.
"Like what?"
Nova stepped back and sat on his haunches scratching his chin thoughtfully,"Lord Arceus said 'Everything but the Pokeballs and the Apricorns'... He also said he threw in some things He thought might be useful."
Allen frowned but nodded,"Thanks Nova."
Nova just gave an amused snort,"I knew you'd be to stubborn to ask."
Allen glared at him until a thought accrued,"What does that mean he gave me a wallet full of useless money?"
Nova poked his whole head into the bag before resurfacing with a pawful of gold coins,"Looks like he converted it... You should thank him."
"I should, but I won't." Allen replied flatly.
"Hang on!" Sparkler said sounding alarmed. "Where did Arceus get the bits!?"
Allen snorted,"He's a god." He was still clearly annoyed,"He probably made it out of nothing."
"Can he do that!?" She gasped,"I mean that's counterfeiting isn't it!?"(1)
Allen raised an eyebrow,"God." He replied flatly.
"Shouldn't we tell the Royal Guard!?"
"God." Allen said again.
"I mean that's so illegal!"
"Sparkler he's a god! It's not like they can throw him in prison!" Allen was smiling now Sparkler's shocked reaction clearly amused him. "At best Princess Celestia will tell him not to do it again."
"Yeah but..." She sighed,"You're right. He's just trying to help."
"Alright everyone!" Arceus called drawing everyone's attention,"While I must say today has been interesting, we must part ways here for now." Without waiting he turned to face the TARDIS glaring hard at the jagged gash torn into the side. His eyes glowed gold and a sheen of light the same colour enveloped the capsule casting off tiny motes of flashing light. The sound of the engines could be heard groaning as the golden light started to crackle, if this was bad neither the Doctor nor Arceus said or did anything.
The TARDIS faded out of sight leaving only a pillar of golden hardlight, until a vague grayish shape appeared in the gold of Arceus touch. When Arceus eyes returned to their normal colour he balked at what he saw,"Umm okay. Didn't see that coming." He turned to see the Doctor pinching the bridge of his muzzle with a hoof,"What?
The TARDIS looked like a stone cylinder with a recess in its surface where two crude wooden doors hung. "It's fine Arceus. You did great she's as good as new... literally." The Doctor rolled his eyes and walked into the TARDIS muttering 'he had to fix the Chameleon Circuit too'.
He stepped through the rough sawn wood doors and seconds later the groaning, wheezing sound of the vessels engines sounded through the room as it started to fade from sight.
"TURNER WHERE ARE YOU GOING!?" Sparkler shrieked making everyone in the room flinch. "HE'S OUR ONLY WAY HOME! DITZY WHERE'S HE GOING!?"
The magenta mare began going into hysterics about him abandoning them, when the cheerful Pegasus used a wing to cuff her sister on the back of the head. "Sparkler its fine! The Doctor wouldn't just leave us here!"
As if to prove her faith in her husband the TARDIS began to groan and pulsate back into view now once again the tall blue box that they were familiar with. With an almost gong like boom the box solidified and the same brown Earth stallion walked out of the now blue wooden doors. "Sorry about that everyone. I had to set the appearance manually and deadlock the circuit." Seeing that his wife and daughter were the only ones who understood he groaned,"Right... The TARDIS is meant to blend in so it has this thing called the Chameleon Circuit. Wherever it lands it takes on the appearance of a commonplace object. A few centuries ago the circuit burned out and it got stuck as a police box." He turned to see that everyone seemed to be following him. " I liked it so much I left it that way for nearly 200 years. Until one day I got bored and tried to fix the circuit, that was a mistake." He put on an almost nostalgic grin,"It kept turning into a grand piano, so I reset it and left it be."
"If it's supposed to blend in?" Sparkler asked incredulously," Wouldn't it make more sense to leave the circuit the way it was?"
"Hey! Who's time machine is it?" The Doctor grinned,"When it's your time machine you can make it look however you want!"
Sparkler huffed and looked anywhere but at the Doctor,"Whatever."
Turning to the room the doctor grinned,"Alright everypony on board!" He pushed the doors open and motioned to his wife and daughter,"Ladies first." Ditzy walked up smiling and kiss her husband on the cheek before walking into the TARDIS followed closely by Dinky and Veevee, whom was looking curiously at the bag hanging from the fillies neck. Looking to Sparkler he smiled again,"I did say ladies first." Huffing Sparkler marched through the doors,Talley perched on her horn, refusing to return the Doctors friendly smile.
Allen and Nova exchanged confused expressions, neither one of them understood Sparkler's hostility but it was a question for another time. As the Doctor motioned the pair to get in Arceus stepped between the two Fire-types, causing both to step back though for different reasons. "So what do you plan to do youngster?"
"Find the rest of my Team." Allen answered. "I have to be sure they're safe and staying out of trouble."
Arceus smiled and nodded,"Good." In a flash of gold Allen was gone and from the open doors of the TARDIS they heard his voice call "NOT FUNNY!!!"
Nova looked to see a mischievous shine in the gods eyes,"My Lord?"
"That was for the Fire Spin." He said in an amused tone making Nova chuckle. The lighthearted mood deteriorated as as Arceus looked down on the Volcano Pokemon,"Show me my child."
Nova frowned but nodded,"I understand my Lord. We won't fail you."
Arceus nodded and stepped away moving towards the Doctor, leaving Nova to join Allen in the TARDIS. As the doors closed the Alpha Pokemon turned his gaze to the empty air,"And Trickster!" Suddenly Loki found himself very visible under Arceus gaze, staring up at him with wide eyes. He gave the Ghost-type a smirk,"Try to stay out of trouble. We don't need another incident like the one Rustboro do we?"
Loki's crimson eyes looked ready to pop out of his head,"Y- you know about that!?" Arceus simply nodded as Loki's fearful expression hardened,"I'll never let that happen again."
"Yet you continue to court disaster?"
To which Loki shrugged,"It's still fun. It just wasn't that time." Without another word the Shadow Pokemon phased into the TARDIS leaving the Doctor the last one in.
The Doctor sighed,"I doubt I want to try to figure that one out."
Mew giggled,"Every family has its dysfunctional members."
"I hope that wasn't aimed at me!" Arceus cried faking that her words had wounded him. A game he often played with Mew, whom rolled her eyes at her father's poking fun at her. Chuckling he looked back to the Doctor whom was also smiling,"Until next our paths cross Doctor. I shall have Dialga escort you home. And know your family is always welcome here." It had been a confusing hour or so, but in one way or another Arceus was happy to know the Doctor and that he would help protect Equus. Glad there was one more soul that help safeguard his children as well as the other races. 'I wonder why Celestia never mentioned the Doctor?' He would have to ask tomorrow if he had a moment.
The Doctor smiled,"Thank you Arceus, and you and Mew will have to stop by to try Derpy's muffins sometime." He looked at the TARDIS and his smile redoubled,"And thank you for repairing the TARDIS. She wasn't even in this good of shape when I took her. The old girls laterally like new."
Arceus smiled,"You and the soul within are extremely close. While I was examining it I could sense that it was ancient."
The stallion nodded,"Ancient would be the right word. She'd been in a museum since long before I was born." The Doctor sighed,"I tell most folks she's a Type 40 TARDIS and they just sort of nod."
Arceus frowned,"They do not understand the depth of the term."
The Doctor nodded again,"the first one hundred were numbered like that. After that they were given names and titles of historic Time Lords or events in my worlds history." He frowned again,"Then the war started and they were built as fleets of warships."
Arceus eyes widened,"So when you say Type 40..."
"She's the 40th type ever designed." Then the the stallion brightened,"And now thanks to you she's brand new again!"
The stallion held out his hoof which again caused the god to pause before he placed his own out and the two shook hooves.(2) "Until next time then Doctor."
The stallion smiled and nodded before turning and pushing past the blue wooden doors allowing them both to hear the sound of conversation and laughter inside. Seconds after the door closed the groaning of the TARDIS engines sounded and the vehicle began to fade from sight. Turning to Dialga the Alpha Pokemon smiled,"Would you escort them home my son?
"Of course, Father."
Twice now Allen had traveled in the TARDIS and both times something had gone catastrophically wrong, needless to say he spent the the third trip tensed and ready to leap into action. So it seemed rather anticlimactic when the gong of the engines signaled the end of their trip, and the Doctor and family cheerfully filed out.
Cautiously stepping out behind the ponies Allen found himself in the back corner of a fairly large back yard. The first thing he noticed was the high brick wall that enclosed the property and connected to the rustic looking home opposite him. It was taller than he was and considering most ponies didn't even come to were his neck connected to his shoulders, it seemed unnecessary. The wall was so tall in fact that even the TARDIS could not be... seen... "Right. Makes sense." He muttered to himself.
Looking around the rest of the yard he saw poorly manicured shrubs and a fountain that was full of dead leaves and dirty water. There was a small garden with carrots, cabbage, and a variety of other vegetables,looking over the rest of the yard he realized it was the only thing that was immaculate. The grass needed mowing and in the middle of the yard was a little shed with windows that could use a fresh coat of paint but looked to be a little girls playhouse. The whole yard spoke of neglected chores but Allen was quickly distracted by the large Space/Time distortion thru which Dialga stepped and settled into the backyard.
"Thanks for the lift Dialga! Would you care from one of Derpy's muffins?" The Doctor asked before his upbeat expression fell,"Hang on? What's the date!?"
Dialga smiled, which didn't work for the Legendary,"For the sake of avoiding paradoxes I chose to bring you back an half hour before the arrival of the Pokemon."
"Good call." Ditzy smiled stepping up beside her husband. "Now then." she said turning to the group of Pokemon loitering in her backyard,"Who's hungry!?" She called out her question with a large happy smile.
A loud chorus went up that told her nearly everyone was, and the large group began moving into the house until Dialga held out a paw,"Hold a moment Doctor." The stallion held back giving the Deity of Time a questioning look,"You posses a unique view of the flow of time. So I should not have to remind you that for the time being it would be best to avoid trips to the future."
The Doctor nodded,"Yes that is pretty obvious. Events that involve me become fixed points in Time. But now those events are being rewritten to compensate for how the Pokemon's presence will change this universe." He sighed,"Frankly I'm surprised the whole Vortex hasn't ripped itself apart by now."
"You give the nature of time too little credit "Time Lord", it is far more resilient than that. Dialga chuckled.
The Doctor chuckled,"Wouldn't be the first time I've been wrong."
Allen was ravenous, he couldn't remember ever being this hungry. Ditzy was delighted that he enjoyed her food so much but that was ten muffins ago. Now the three ponies present watched with a great deal of concern as he inhaled another two. Nova, whom had greedily wolfed down his first but was taking the time to enjoy his second, watched with an amused smirk.
"Allen slow down you're going to choke!" Sparkler said alarmed as she saw him reaching for yet another muffin.
It did make him stop but it also sent Nova to start chuckling,"Dawn would get a kick out of this."
"What?" Allen asked confused. "I haven't eaten since..." He paused,"Two days from now."
Nova laughed while Sparkler frowned at Allen's poor attempt at a joke,"It's not everyday you see a grown Mon go through Fire Feeding!"
"What!? I am not!" Allen countered sounding offended.
"Ya you are." Nova replied laughing.
The two began to bicker between themselves until Sparkler had had enough. "SHUT IT!" Both Pokemon stopped and stared at her,"What's Fire Feeding?"
Allen snorted and glared at the far wall, which just made Nova chuckle and answer. "Fire Feeding is a term used by Breeders, it happens to very young Fire-types when they first find their flame. In those early months using that fire burns up a lot of calories, as a result they eat like they've never seen food."
"Ya but I'm an adult!" Allen countered,"It's completely impossible for a fully grown Fire-type to have burn up all its reserves!"
Nova gave his trainer a smug grin,"Only because as we grow we learn to temper our flames so it doesn't happen." He pointed a finger at the Rapidash,"You've been a Pokemon at most three days. In fact I bet in the coming weeks there will be lots of Humans who find themselves as Fire-types that will end up like you."(3) To emphasize this he poked Allen's shoulder,"You just need to learn how to use your fire. Just like I did when I was young."
Allen had a fair idea of what that entailed however the Doctor walked into the dining room,"Well I'm starved hope you saved me some." He tone was light and meant to be joking until he saw the few that were left on the platter. "Whoa, who smashed the muffins?"
"Allen of course." Nova said casually,"It's because he used up so much fire."
"I still say it's impossible." Allen persisted glaring at the far wall.
The Doctor laughed,"Well at least he's recharging on the best there is” He reached out and grabbed one of the few remaining baked goods. “So this is something similar to your blood sugar crashing, heh?” He said with his mouth half full.
Allen sighed,”Yes basically.”
“If that’s the case.” Ditzy said happily,”I should get started on another batch! You wanna help Sparkler? It’ll be like when we were fillies.”
Sparkler smiled,” Sounds like-”
Crash!!! A deafening boom shook the house on its foundations and rattled the windows so hard that one could see them rippling like water in their frames. Nearly everyone hit the floor, Dinky and Veevee where at Ditzy’s side faster than light and the grey mare had her wings wrapped protectively around them both. Allen and Nova both had their bellies pressed to the hardwood while Loki floated near the rafters mimune to the effects of the shaking. Sparkler scrambled under the table as Tally took to the air. The Doctor was the only grounded being present who was able to weather the violent shaking, though at most it lasted ten or fifteen seconds.
“Is everypony okay?” The stallion asked as he looked around the room, surprised that nothing had fallen in the quake.
“We’re okay.” Ditzy said softly from where she still laid quieting Dinky’s fears.
“I’m good!” Sparkler called from under the table.
“What was that!?” Allen asked wide eyed, even laying down he was tall enough that you could the see the panic in his eyes over the tabletop. “Cuz I don’t do Earthquakes!”(4)
“Welcome to Equus!” The Doctor said with a cheery grin, completely ignoring the former humans rising anxiety.
“What!?”
“Dialga mentioned it.” The Doctor explained. “That was the Hall of Legends landing in the Everfree.” The stallion grinned,”Pokemon have officially arrived on the planet.”
The fear drained from the Fire-types expression,”Wha? But I’ve… We’ve! …” After a moment Allen rubbed on his temple with a hoof,”Uhg! Time travel!” He cursed.
The Doctor laughed,”I takes a while to get used too.”
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK
“That’s probably Berry.” The Doctor said leaving the dinning room,”Probably lost a lot of stock with all that shaking.” The group went about picking themselves up as he left moving through the living room and up to the fron door just as another series of knocks rattled the door. “I’m coming, I’m coming.” Opening the door his eyes and ears were assaulted respectively, first was the sight of the only mare he knew who could out pink Sparkler. “Oh, hello Pinkie Pie.”
The Doctor watched as she seemed to expand as though she were about to explode then hit the ground so hard it made him wince. Then pressed against the ground she started to vibrate like she was experiencing the quake all over again. Smiling the Doctor put a hoof on her should o end her reenactment,”Yes Pinkie we felt it too, but everypony's okay now.”
Pinkie smiled and picked herself up,”That’s good. The Cakes are okay too so now i’m just going around making sure nopony got hurt.”
“Thank you for checking Pinkie. Do you need any help?”
She waved a hoof,”No thanks. I should go check the other homes.” She turned and started to hop/bounce towards Berry’s Tavern when she stopped mid hop. “Oh by the way. My Pinkie Sense went off a little bit ago.”
The Doctor’s smile faltered, though not because the mare was now just hanging in mid air.(5) “And what did it say?”
Pinkie shrugged,”Don’t know. But it’s gonna be a Doozie.”
'Talking with that mare is always.. The Doctor paused trying his best to think of how to describe Pinkie without making it sound like she was mentally unstable. (1) “Strange? Or does that still make her sound like a loony?”
“Who?” Ditzy asked stepping into the room.
“Pinkie Pie.” He answered,”Apparently her Pinkie Sense went wild and now she’s going around checking up on everypony.”
“Probably because of the Pokemon.” Sparkler said as she followed her sister. While her stays in Ponyville had only ever lasted a few days at a time she knew the Element of Laughter was a sweet mare but as random as they came. On her last visit to Ponyville to take Dinky to the Sisterhooves Social. the mare had practically Tackled her to the ground screaming about itchy Fetlocks and warning her not to eat the crepes. The next day she had ended up with food poisoning from, surprise surprise, a blueberry crepe that a filly named Sweetie Belle had made. While she didn’t know the mare as well as Starshine it was enough to convince her that Pinkie was worth hearing out if nothing else.
The Doctor nodded,”A god bring millions of souls to another planet sounds like a doozy to me. Oh and now that I think of it I imagine Cheerilee will cancel school today.”
Ditzy smiled and kissed his cheek,”Well at least she has a new friend to play with. Pip will probably be over once Cheerilee makes it official.” Turning to Sparkler she grinned,”We should probably get another batch of muffins going to feed our small army of guests”
Sparkler smiled,”You bet.”
“You two have fun and don't over do it.” He called after them with a small grin as he recalled the last time the pair had decided to bake and how they had had enough baked goods to last a month. “Don’t need to go throwing out anymore food aye Derpy?” His grin redoubled when he heard her laughing from the kitchen.
Turning he walked back into the dining room he found only Loki floating above the table with the last muffin clearly enjoying the treat. “Where’s everypony else?”
The ghost shrugged,"Not my job to keep tabs on everyone." He then vanished from sight while the muffin in his child hands remained quite visible. The Doctor stood there giving him a perfectly neutral expression, neither moving nor speaking, staring patiently. It only took forty seven seconds of this to irritate Loki as a single red eye cracked open to scowl at the Doctor.
...
[Neutral Face]
...
[Neutral Face]
... "What!?"
[Neutral Face]
Both eyes opened to scowl at the Doctor,"Cut that out!"
[Neutral Face]
LOki sputtered,”C- cut it” [Neutral Face]
“Try the backyard!” Loki cried as he he phased through the nearest wall and out of the house.
The Doctor smirked to himself as the the temperature in the room rose a couple of degrees,”Still got it.” He turned and made for the back door already hearing voices talking and stepping out into the lackluster lawn he found Nova the source of the conversation.
“- the fact that you could use such a powerful attack speaks volumes on your potential.” Nova Paused and took a deep breath. “That being said, that was the most pathetic excuse for a battle I have ever seen.”
The look of pride on Allen’s face withered faster than the roses that the doctor had tried to plant last summer. (2) “W-wha-what!?”
Nova shook his head displaying his disappointment in the former human,”I came to for a short time after Sparkler came to to my aide.” He fixed a stern glare on Allen who withered a little more,”What I saw was deplorable. I don’t care that you have the instinct to use strong fire-type moves! Talent is no excuse for sloppyness”
“Wha? But I… and Flare Blitz!” Allen babbled.
“I wouldn’t care if it was Blast Burn!” Nova shouted. “It’s completely pointless to use a powerful attack if you never hit your opponent!” Nova stopped and gave the Rapidash a measuring look,”You never even touched Nightmare. She dodged every one of your strikes. Hell even Loki got one or two in!” He snorted causing two puffs of black sulfurous smelling smoke to jet from his nostrils,”Which brings me to my next little problem. Why, when it became apparent you weren’t going to hit her did you not change tactics and use Fire Spin from a distance?”
Allen’s mouth opened and closed a couple times,”I… I wa-, I did…” Allen’s ears drooped and he lowered his head,”I didn’t think to. I was just angry.”
“Exactly!” Nova snapped. “You threw out anything even resembling a rational thought and just kept attacking. And ignoring the damage you were causing yourself.” The volcano Pokemon frowned,”Sound like someone we know?” The former human pinned his ears back and scowled at him; but he said nothing. “Your battle with Nightmare Moon was no different than any battle Drakarus has been involved in. The fact that the fate of the world hung in the balance only makes what has to be done all the clearer.”
Allen’s ears perked up at that and he met Nova’s hard gaze,”What?”
Nova reached up and scratched at his chin,”I’m going to make a mon out of you.” Allen’s hopeful look went deadpan faster than light. The Doctor; whom had been watching the exchange entirely uncertain of how to proceed face hooved.
“Seriously?” Allen deadpanned.
“Dawn would have laughed.” Nova replied clearly not ashamed.
Allen sighed,”So where do we start?”
“It’s more a matter of when.” Nova turned to the Earth stallion still standing in the open door. “Doctor how far is this… Canterlot from here? You mentioned that you couldn’t use your TARDIS for a while.”
The Doctor nodded,”Yep, until the Vortex stabilizes traveling by TARDIS is a bad idea. Fortunately it’s only a few hours by train.”
"Good. Can you show me where it is?" The Fire-type asked getting to his paws and making towards the open door.
The Doctor nodded,"It's not that far to the station. You mind if I ask you some more questions. My mind is just buzzing."
"No problem Doctor. Allen for now I want you to rest."
"What? Why?" Allen asked. "I feel fine."
"Just take it easy." Nova replied. "Just don't do anything excessive." Allen sighed but nodded. "Alright Doctor lead on."
The pair left the walled off yard and moved quickly to the front door. Pausing to work the not he opened the door and stepped aside to let Nova out first. "Blimey! Wut's that!?"
Looking down Nova saw a small lanky colt standing at the door, his forehoof raised to knock. The Doctor smiled and greeted the foal,"Oh hello Pip. Let me guess, school's closed until further notice?"
Pip gave the older stallion an awkward grin,"Right again sir." He then locked his eyes on the Pokemon that stood towering over him,"So is this another one of those things I'm supposed to forget I saw?"(3) After another moment taking in Nova he smirked,"Heh, or did Dinky get a pet?"
Nova smiled down at him and dropped to four legs, this brought him closer to eye level with the colt, "I'm no one's pet boy."
"Whoa it can talk!"
The Doctor chuckled,"Nova this is Dinky's friend Pipsqueak. Pip this is Nova."
"Nova Swans." The Volcano Pokemon corrected nodding towards Pip.
"Nice to meet ya."the colt greeted before turning back to the Doctor,"Is Dinky home sir?"
The Doctor just smiled and stepped aside to let him pass,"She should be playing in the backyard." Pip grinned and quickly trotted into the house. "Now then, to the train station."
"Lead on Doctor."
"Pip!" Dinky cried happily running up to the colt. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be heading to school?"
"Miss Cheerilee cancelled class today because of all the monsters running around." Pip explained.
Dinky smiled brightly,"Yay no school today! We get to play all day Veevee!"
Pip stopped and gave his friend a curious look,"Who?"
"That would be me." Replied a voice to his left.
"Whoa!" Pip cried jumping and spinning around to face the source. "This one can talk too!"
"All Pokemon talk." said yet another voice, this one older and obviously male. "They just tend to speak their own language."
Pip again spun to face the one talking, and could only gawk at what he saw. Slowly walking towards them from the shade of the wall, was a pale looking unicorn whose mane and tail blazed like blue fire. "Blimey! I bet you could look Princess Luna in the eye!" With a bright smile Dinky made the introductions and Pip looked back up to the former human with awe. This lasted a few moments until he asked,"Why does your mane look likes it's on fire?"
Allen smiled at the colt's curiosity,"It basically is. I'm a Fire-type Pokemon so flames are a pretty common thing for them to have." Seeing his next question coming Allen continued,"Pokemon is a term used to describe the various species that lived on my old world."
Pip latched onto one thing,"You're an alien!?"
Allen laughed,"That's probably the most accurate description for me I've heard in the last two days."
"So then then this is some kind of invasion?" The colt asked sounding unsettled.
Allen smiled and shook his head,"Naw we're more like refugees I guess. Though, I wish I could've had a chance to visit Slateport again before this happened."
"What was in Slateport?" Veevee asked sounding curious.
The former human gave a sad sigh,"It's where my parents are buried... or at least my dad. They never found mom's body." Before he could say anything more something grabbed his foreleg and began to gently squeeze.
Looking down, Allen found it was Dinky hugging him and giving him a sad look,"I'm so sorry."
"What happened to 'em?" Pip asked.
Dinky shot the colt a glare that the Fire-type missed,"I was very young, only about seven. It was the cataclysm, a bunch of natural disasters that happened because of some really bad people trying to use Pokemon to change the surface of the world." Allen sighed again,"Mom was a Ranger, She helped people and Pokemon, but when she didn't come back to the shelter my dad went looking for her... that was the last time I ever saw them."
Allen gave himself a light shake,"But hey? How would you like to hear about the time I accidentally challenged the strongest person in the country to a battle!?" Hopefully the subject change would get his mind off the grim topic.
Veevee looked horrified,"How do you accidentally challenge a Champion?"
Allen smiled and settled himself down on the grass,"Well I'll tell you."
"Yeah story time!" Dinky squeed excitedly as she released his leg and lid out on the grass next to Pip who seemed just as eager to hear about an alien world. Veevee curling up on the other side of the filly.
Walking into the dinning room behind her sister Sparkler caught sight of Allen’s azure tail as the back door swung smoothly closed and leaving the room empty. They made for the kitchen off to the right of the room, Ditzy stopping at the entrance with a suspicious smile,”Ta Da!”
“What are you doing?” Sparkler asked walking into the kitchen only to stop dead at the unfamiliar room. "Whoa."
"We remodeled!" Ditzy cheered excitedly, looking like an oversized filly prancing around on her hoof tips.
Sparkler just gawked, there were two massive ovens that stood side by side and took up half a wall by themselves. Opposite them was a deep sink that could hold a great deal of dishes before overflowing onto the ample countertops. At the far end of the spacious kitchen was a walk-in pantry sealed behind a pair of richly stained cedar doors. "Ditzy! This is amazing! You could open a shop with a set up like this!" Sparkler said slowly spinning around in an effort to take in more of the room.
The older mare gave her sister a knowing smile,"Well that's the plan."
"No way!?" Sparkler couldn't believe her ears. It had been Ditzy's dream to run a bake shop since they were foals(4). "How in the wide world of Equestria did you afford this?"
"The Doctor paid for it. He wants to make an addition so I can have my shop but we had to build the kitchen first." She explained as she walked to a cabinet and removed several deep bowls stacked inside each other.
"Turner payed for this!? Sparkler asked alarmed. "Where the hay did he get that kind of money?" She stepped into the pantry finding it fully stocked and gathered up several ingredients in her magic. Tally had flitted off her horn and seemed comfy looking down on them from his chosen perch atop one of the many counters.
"It was money from the E.U.P." Ditzy paused,"I wonder how Celestia knew we needed the bits?"
"E.U.P.?" Sparkler gave her sister a searching look,"Are you saying that Princess Celestia just showed up here with a big bag of bits and gave them to you!?"
Ditzy smiled and nodded,"Pretty much. He didn't want to take them, but I wasn't about to pass that up! And know I'm one step closer to being back on track."
"What did this have to do with the E.U.P.?" Sparkler asked as she set out the ingredients and started measuring them with her magic.
"Celestia said he was still on the payroll. I guess he worked for them when he was a lot younger. It was like two hundred years worth of back pay."
Sparkler gave Ditzy a worried look,"Two hundred!?... Sis just how old is this guy? He's not really nine hundred... Is he?"
Ditzy as still smiling as she nodded,"I guess you could say I like older stallions." She joked.
"It's really not." Ditzy shrugged as she reached out with a wing and set to mixing the batter. "The Doctor is an alien. He's from another planet and he's the last of his kind." She paused and frowned,"He was all alone."
"The last?" Sparkler asked shocked. 'What must that feel like!?' "That's awful." The two continued to prepare the batter in silence for several minutes until four; ten muffin trays were slid into a single massive oven. In total it took up only one of the two racks. They began prepping the next batch Sparkler asked,"So when we're you gonna tell me?"
Ditzy looked up from pouring the batter into another ten tray,"The kitchen? In my next letter it was just great to surprise you in pony instead."
"Not the kitchen." Sparkler replied. "About Turner? Or the Doctor! Or what ever his name is! About Time travel and aliens and how dangerous this this!?" Sparkler's voice cracked as she started to tear up.
"Sparkler? I..."Ditzy stammered rather surprised that she was reacting this way. "I wanted to tell you but, Celestia told me I couldn't."
"Princess Celestia?"
"The stuff that happens around the Doctor... it's classified. Top Secret. Nopony is supposed to know. I wanted to tell you it was so exciting to think about time travel and how big and I possible the the universe is... But she said that couldn't happen but she offered something in return."
"What's that?" Sparkler asked as the timer for the first batch went off. She opened the oven and used her magic to remove the hot trays.
"Your scholarship." The first tray clattered to the floor sending bits of baked good all across the kitchen tiles.
"Wh... what?" It was no secret that she was riding on a full scholarship but to discover that it was paramount to a bribe from the Princess. Sparkler was struggling to wrap her mind around it. "How? How did she know? Was it your idea?"
Ditzy shook her head,"No she came to Ponyville one day shortly after I started traveling with the Doctor. She knew exactly who I was. She knew about you and Dinky too." Ditzy stopped and smiled,"And thinking about it it's not that surprising, I was there the day she lost Luna. She cried herself out on my shoulder."
Sparkler smiled softly,"One of your hugs would stick in a ponies mind, even after a thousand years." Ditzy smiled and wrapped her in a tight hug before draping her grey wings over them both. "I just wish you'd stop letting Turner call you that."
"Call me what?" The grey mare asked not understanding.
Sparkler pulled back from her sister to give her a dumbfounded expression. "Call you? That awful name you used to get called all the time when we were foals... You used to come home in tears because they wouldn't stop calling you Derpy!"
Ditzy raised an eyebrow,"Is that really it? Is that why you've been so cold to him?" Sparkler wouldn't look her in the eye but slowly nodded. "Being called that hasn't bothered me for a few years now. That's thanks to the Doctor too."
Sparkler blinked,"What?"
Ditzy nodded again,"I was in a funk about how I'd just gotten fired from the moving company... You remember? When I dropped all that stuff on top of Twilight Sparkle?"
The younger mare giggled a little,"That was pretty bad."
Ditzy nodded,"It really was. But I was all depressed about losing another job and just when I thought it couldn't get worse the universe proved me wrong." Sparkler frowned seeing where this was going already. "I was sitting on a cloud when some of the ponies from the move stumbled onto me. And start tearing into me just saying the most horrible things. After a while they even said I should just jump off the cloud and do Equestria a favour." Sparkler gasped and pulled her sister into a tighter hug which was gratefully returned. "I left when that started and they just kept following me calling me Derpy and telling me to 'do it'. They must have thought it was a great way to pass the time."
Ditzy sighed,"That was when The Doctor showed up. Most of them were stallions telling to 'do it' and he assumed the worst." Her voice took on a dreamy tone,"He swooped in like a lunatic grabs my hoof and whispered 'Run'. I didn't even hesitate I went with him and those jerks left me alone. When he asked what that was all about I just broke down and unloaded on him. I don't know how long we sat like that with me just crying into his chest blubbering like a filly. Then he told me something." She paused and cleared her throat so she could imitate the Doctor's voice and accent," 'Your life is precious to those who know the true you, you matter deeply to those ponies. However the world has more ponies like them than it should... So never who and what you are, the rest of the world certainly won't let you. Embrace it with pride! Wear it like armour and it can never be used to hurt you again.' ... I think I'll remember that for the rest of my life."
Sparkler didn't know what to say, that Turner had done that for her was mind boggling. "I- I didn't know."
The older mare smiled,"That's probably why I fell for him. He saw me and not my condition. It's just how good the Doctor is."
Sparkler nodded,'Guess I should lay off the guy.' He thoughts were interrupted as a scent caught her,Smoke?'... "The muffins!" Lighting her horn as she spun on one hoof she opened the door and levitated out the remaining three trays looking them over to see how badly they had burned.
Ditzy giggled,"We kinda got distracted huh?" Sparkler laughed as well and busied herself with the task of cleaning up the spilled baked goods. After the floor was clean, a quick task with magic, they put the next batch in. "Sooo?" Ditzy asked in a mischievous tone. "You and that Allen guy were getting pretty close back at the Hall of Legends."
He had them right on the edge of their metaphoric seats, the three youngsters looked up starry eyed as he added some artistic flare to the tale.(5) In his opinion he had just reached the best part,"So there we were, Nova was just barely able to avoid Alder's Conkeldurr and he had just evolved."
“Looks like things just got serious.” Alder said still grinning like a kid at Christmas. “You ready to rumble Conkeldurr?”
“Duuuuurr!” It replied taking a combative stance.
“Lava!” Nova growled before using Quick Attack to relocate to Allen’s side of the field.
Allen gawked at his evolved friend before Nova gave him a hard look, causing the boy to grin, “Then we’re gonna fight to win! Right Nova!?”
“Lava!” The Volcano Pokemon declared.
"Alight Nova use Flame Burst again!" Allen cried. the Fire-types cheeks puffed out briefly before he spat the explosive chemical at the larger Fighting-type.
Without any kind of signal from Alder, the Conkeldurr dropped one of its concrete pillars and raised the other with both hands. In the span of a half a second it had taken a batting stance and swung at the just the right moment catching the attack with the makeshift bat. Had the attack not been an volatile explosive it might have sailed into the sea. As it was though the move detonated on contact creating a fireball a few feet wide, just enough for the flames to lick at the Fighting-type face. The blast also set even more cracks into the the pillar and sent the champions Pokemon a few steps backward and coughing a bit.
Taking advantage of the opening Allen called the next move,"Quick Attack!"
Nova was off like a bullet and slammed into the Conkeldurr with all his might. Unfortunately this proved to be a big mistake, the Pokemon only took a single step back to brace itself and grabbed Nova with both hands.
"Well that was faster than I thought it would be." Adler said sounding disappointed. "Guess it's time to end this. Conkeldurr use Seismic Toss!"
The Muscular Pokemon wrapped Nova in a ursa hug and leaped into the air. Allen could see him wriggling in the stronger Pokemon's grasp and he wracked his brain to think of a way to counter. 'This is bad! One hit and he'll go down! I have to do something!' The Conkeldurr and Nova were about to reach the zenith of the jump,'No time!' "Nova Extrasensory!"
"What!?" Adler asked surprised.
In the Fighting-types grip Nova turned his head to the side and glared up at his opponent. He blinked and his eyes glowed blue,"Lava!" The sound of Nova's voice echoed in the minds of the two trainers and the spectators who had gathered.
The mental shriek was more than the Fighting-type could bare and he realised Nova to clutch at his head. "Conkeel!" It cried.
Now free Nova twisted in midair and lashed out with as much will as he could muster. The psionic force was enough to send the Conkeldurr plummeted towards the ground faster than its freefall should have allowed. Nova fell in its wake and when it hit the ground Nova used it to cushion his own landing. He then used Quick Attack to put distance between him and his opponent.
"Are you alright Conkeldurr!?" Adler cried alarmed at this turn of events. "Get up buddy!" It took an effort but the Muscular Pokemon slowly got to its feet with the help of one of its concrete pillars. "You still good to go!?"
"Conkel." It nodded still leaning on the pillar.
Adler gave a relieved sigh,"Thank Arceus." He turned to look at the young pair that stood opposite him and laughed,"You two are just full of surprises. It's not everyday you see a Fire-type use a psychic move. You're gonna be one hell of a trainer some day."
Allen could feel the crowd's eyes turn to him and hear the muttering rush through them. It was high praise coming from a Champion.
"Quilava!"
Allen looked to see Nova giving him that same hard look and he smiled,"You're right Nova." Allen gave Alder a hard look,"Save it for when the battle's over Alder! Nova, Smokescreen!" The Fire-type took a deep breath.
The Champion smiled again,"Mach Punch."
It was over in a flash, had Allen blinked he might have missed it altogether. Time seemed to freeze for a few fleeting seconds, as if Dialga himself had turned his steely gaze to the battle. In that brief span of time he saw the Conkeldurrs fist connect with Nova's gut, the shock he felt was dwarfed by the look of panic on his Pokemon's face. He was sent flying backwards and slammed hard into the ground only a few feet to Allen's left. When the dust cleared, Nova's eyes were spinning in his head and the crowd started to cheer for Alder.
Allen almost jumped the distance,"You alright Nova!? Gently he raised his friend up into a sitting position. His eyes still spun in his head and dark red blood started to trickle from his nose.
"Quiiill." He groaned raising a shaky paw to massage his temple.
"Oh I'm sorry buddy." Allen said hanging his head. "I know you hate using that move."
Nova gave himself a little shake and smiled up at Allen,"Laa quil quil quilava." He gave his trainer a proud grin and gave a thumbs up with his paw. He held the pose for a second or so until a two large spurts of blood jetted from his nose,his eyes rolled back in his head and he fainted.
"And that's the first time we lost to Alder." Allen said smiling down at the foals who stared back stray eyed.
"Wait?" Dinky asked,"What do you mean the first time?"
Allen laughed,"Oh we met him again a couple times. He liked to wander around Unova a lot. I kept challenging him and lost every time."
"Then why keep trying?" Pip asked confused,"If they were that much stronger why even bother?"
"The second time we met him Nova insisted on a rematch. The third time he challenged me, said he wanted to see how we were progressing." Allen his mind back on earth if only briefly. "After that it just sorta went like that. We'd run into each other and battle and I'd lose. That's just the the a Pokemon trainer is we battle and grow alongside our Pokemon."
Pip cocked his small head to one side,"But what's the point if you lose?"
Allen smiled remembering asking his mother a similar question after Nova hatched. "Winning is all fine and good." His mother's voice echoed in his mind,"But defeat and failure are even more important because they teach us to get back up whenever we're knocked down. It teaches you that even if you fall short that it's not the end and just means you have to push even harder. You have to keep moving forward."(6)
The little colt looked extremely confused,"I guess that makes sense. But how did you just not give up?"
"If we gave up every time we met someone stronger than us we never would have left Castelia. In the end what mattered was the effort itself." Pip still looked like he didn't understand and Allen shrugged,"I guess you'd have to be a Pokemon Trainer to understand."
Dinky got a big grin,"Hey am I a trainer? Cuz I've got Veevee and she's a Pokemon!"
"There's a lot to being a trainer." Allen answered,"But you two are already such good friends so I'd bet you'll be a great Pokemon Trainer Dinky." After a moment he turned to the little Normal-type,"Hey Veevee what moves to you know?"
"Um I know Growl, Tackle, Sand Attack, Helping Hand and, Detect." She answered.
"Detect huh? That'll be useful. Other than that your move set is pretty standard." He looked towards the sky and hummed to himself,"once we get back from Canterlot I could have Dawn show you the basics for Iron Tail. Should come in handy against Fairy-types."
"Really!?" She asked excitedly.
"Sure you can pick it up quick with such a talented Trainer." He replied winking at Dinky.
"I don't know." Pip said with some hesitation,"You really think your mum will let you two wander all over Equestria by yourselves? I mean she usually will have poked her head out two or three times by now to check on you."
"Yeah your probably right Pip." Dinky said sounding dejected.
"Oh don't fret Dinky." Allen said with a big grin. "You don't have to go on a journey to be a trainer either. It's mostly about making a bond with your Pokemon." Allen paused as a thought crossed his mind,'I wonder.' He rose up to his hooves and tried to reach for the strap on his new saddlebag, as it turned out his foreleg didn't bend that way and he dropped back to the grass with a frustrated grunt. "Lousy Rapidash body. Why couldn't I have been an Infernape they have hands, hell even paws would have been more dexterous that these things. I could have pulled off a Luxray!"
"What are you trying to do?" Pip asked stepping up.
Allen sighed,"I was trying to get into my bag. I might have something to help you out with being a trainer Dinky."
"Really!?" She squealed excitedly. "What is it!?"
"If I could just root through this bag I could be certain."
The little filly bounced around,"I can help!" Her eyes locked onto the clasp and her face scrunched up in a way that nearly melted Allen's heart then and there.(7) A small spark flashed from her horn and he felt something tug at the straps around his belly. Dinky growled and grunted with the effort of using her magic and just as Allen was about to tell her to stop before she hurt herself, the little filly gasped. "Got it!"
Allen felt the strap loosen and his bags rolled off his back into the long grass. He ignored them and gave the filly a concerned look,"You okay Dinky?"
She gave her head a little shake,"I'll be fine. My magic is still coming in."
The Fire-type nodded, he hadn't realized that magic was a skill that had to be taught like anything else. Though Sparkler had been the only other unicorn that he had seen use magic. "Thanks Dinky." He turned and nosed open the first bag sticking his entire head into the interior. "These Bits sure do take up a lot of space don't they?" After a few more seconds of digging through the bag's contents he laughed triumphantly. "Ah ha! There you are!" He emerged from the canvas bag with something made of red plastic gripped in his teeth. " 'ere 'inky ah ant oo a ave 'is." He gingerly laid it on the grass and pushed it to her with a hoof.
"What is it?" She asked picking the object up with her own hooves.
Allen smiled,"That was my PokeDex. But I want you to have it now."
"What's it used for?" Pip asked eyeing the device critically. "Sure doesn't look like much."
The former human gave them a knowing grin,"Do you see that little glass eye on the top of it?" Dinky examined all four sides before spotting it and nodded. "Point it at me and see what happens."
Dinky held the it in her hooves and pointed it at him. Immediately the device slid open and a stock photo of a Rapidash came on screen and began to identify the Pokemon it saw.
"[Rapidash. The Fire Horse Pokemon. Normally quite docile these Pokemon can be found in open plains and grasslands grazing. They are extremely competitive and enjoy racing with other Pokemon. This Pokemon has been clocked to run at speeds of up to 150 miles per hour and when healthy can reach such speeds in as little as 10 steps.]"
The brief description ended and the two foals stared wide eyed at the PokeDex. "H-how did it do that!?"
Allen grinned,"A PokeDex is like a Trainer's field guide. It can identify a Pokemon and give you a lot of information on it. Here push that middle button there."
Pip pressed the tip of his hoof on the small button and the device spoke again.
Allen raised a skeptical eyebrow,"Okaaaay that's never happened before. That last one should have been Flare Blitz." He began trying to puzzle it out,'Could it be damaged?'
"This is so cool!"Dinky squealed and ran into him full force wrapping him in a surprisingly tight hug . "Thank you Mr. Allen!"
"Any time Dinky." He looked between the filly and the little Normal-type. "I bet you two will be great."
Ultimately a losing battle. A disaster that involved two structure fires, said stallion having his tail burned off and a star going Super Nova… It was quite a day. Being friends with Dinky, He's seen his share of weirdness. Though he doesn't actually know about time travel.
4. The biggest challenge had been saving the bits, which had been working until Dinky's father came along, some scum called Control. After 3 months Ditzy was head over hooves in love, one month later Control was gone leaving her bitless and pregnant.
5. Not outright lies but every good story deserves embellishment. Admittedly he never had to battle any ninjas that day... THAT DAY. 6. Yes I ripped that from Disney nd no I don't care. 7. Allen's weakness is not Water, Ground or, Rock-types... it's kids.
Allen tapped his hoof impatiently as he stared at the clock,"Come on." He grumbled. Shortly after giving Dinky his PokeDex Nova and the Doctor returned saying that the next train to Canterlot was less than an hour away. Normally Allen was a patient man, er mon but, having his team scattered to the wind put him on edge and all he could think about was what manner of trouble poor Penny had gotten herself into this time. He gave a very equine snort and turned to pace down the platform,"What's taking so long?"
"Allen calm down! The train won't be here for another twenty minutes." Sparkler said in an amused tone. She was now sporting a pair of light grey saddlebags that seemed to be stuffed to the breaking point with muffins.
Allen stopped and looked to the clock again as the the minute hand finally ticked over. Only a single minute had passed,"I know." He sighed. "I'm just really worried about Penny... and Dawn."
Nova spoke up from his own spot next to the bench Sparkler was sitting on,"Allen relax. Sure she might get into a bit of trouble but my sister is more than strong enough to get out of it."
"Her getting out of trouble isn't what worries me. It's what she might break in the mean time. If she damages any property I've gotta pay for it. And now I can't just join a tournament if I start running out of money."
"You could always get a job." Loki taunted from wherever he was concealed.
"Hang on." Sparkler said turning to Nova. "Dawn is your sister?"
"Half sister." He corrected. "Our father was the same but her mother was a Vaporeon. My mother was the Typhlosion Allen's father trained. But in the end our parents were raised by Allen's parents."
"Wow so you guys really are family." Sparkler said with a smile.
Allen smiled,"Absolutely. I hatched Nova and Dawn from eggs."
"Wait! You weren't joking about that!? Pokemon really come from eggs!?"
Allen nodded,"On Earth humans were the only species that had live born children."
Sparkler blinked a few times absorbing this information,"From eggs huh?" She muttered to herself.
Allen resumed his pacing and muttering at the clock,after fifteen minutes or so his ears caught a piercing whistle. "Finally!" He turned and stared so hard at the horizon it was a miracle that the forest didn't combust then and there. He had already paid for their tickets so all that was standing between them and Dawn was a few hours on a train and a Pokehunt in this Canterlot place. 'Should be easy enough. How big could the city actually be?'
Nova stood and walked to Allen while Sparkler facened the straps to her bags. By the time they were secured to her back the train was just coming to a stop and she stepped up to the platform with the other Pokemon. A few ponies stepped off and only one even glanced in their direction though the instant her eyes fell on Nova she shrieked and ran like Yevetal himself was chasing her. It drew the attention of the other passengers who eyed the Volcano Pokemon wearily.
Nova sighed and turned to Sparkler,"You ponies certainly are a skittish bunch."
Sparkler for her part just shrugged,"Sometimes things come along that try to eat us. So most ponies avoid things that look dangerous and let's face it you are pretty dangerous looking."
Nova Glared at the nervous ponies,"I'm not going to eat anyone so relax!" The departing passengers didn't but they seemed to lose a portion of their fear and left in a less panicked nature. Nova sighed again,"Ponies in Fillydelphia were less nervous."
Again Sparkler shrugged,"Not really, they just don't run off screaming like that." With that she stepped onto the train and passed the Conductor their tickets an older stallion with a wiry mustache.
He glanced at the group boarding,"Miss? Are you aware that you don't have to buy tickets for you pet bird." He nodded towards Tally. "Or your... Is that a Wolverine or a weasel? That thing better not bite anypony!" If one could ignore the steam locomotive continuously hissing, there was total silence. "Also u have one too many tickets."
"Seriously!?" Loki sneered becoming visible behind the Conductor, making the poor stallion yelp and spin to face him. Loki's sneer however was aimed at Allen,"You actually bought me a ticket!? Arceus you're lame!" With that the Shadow Pokemon phased out of sight. "Lame! Lame!"
"Whoa nelly I need to quit drinking." The conductor muttered under his breath. "Y'all ain't gonna be no trouble is ya?"
Nova stepped up behind Sparkler,"No need to worry sir. The rest of us are quite civilized."
The old stallion got a little pale and quickly punched their tickets,"Y'all enjoy the ride." He then swiftly turned and made for the front of the train.
Nova grunted,"Jackass."
"Well said Nova." Sparkler agreed stuffing their accepted fair into a side pocket on her bag. She then turned and walked onto the car leading towards the end of the train searching for an empty room Allen and Nova only a few steps behind her. She used her magic to open the door to the first empty one she found,"This'll do."
As Allen walked in he was struck by how much more spacious it was than the times he had used trains for travel. It had a fairly open stance on the center and two cushioned benches set into the wall that looked just wide enough for two ponies to sleep on each. "Nice." He motioned to Nova and he quickly unfastened the straps to his bags. Free from that burden he quickly claimed one of the benches, his greater size meaning he needed one to himself.
Sparkler levitated the bags to the luggage rack and sat on the opposite bench. By the time she settled in, Nova had curled up under the window and was dozing in the sunbeam. "Well I'm glad he's not picky about where he sleeps." She joked.
Allen chuckled,"Yeah you'd figure he would avoid sunny spots since he's a Fire-type. But I'd bet money one of his ancestors was a Purugly or a Persian."
She might have laughed a little harder had she known what those actually were. "So it's about two hours to Canterlot. What's the plan when we get there search the whole city?"
He frowned,"More or less. Nova can track her scent if he can catch it. Loki can search on his own and a lot more freely than anyone else." Allen paused and glanced at the luggage rack where Tally was perched,"Hey Tally? Would you be willing to search from the air? An extra pair of eyes never hurt,"
The Tiny Swallow Pokemon saluted with a wing,"You can count on me. I'll ask every Umbreon I see!"
Allen smiled,"Thanks Tally." He looked back to the mare sitting opposite him,"With Tally in the sky, Loki checking between the cracks, and us searching on the ground we'll find her in no time."
"Maybe, maybe not. We'll definitely cover more ground like that but, Canterlot is a big place. Even split up like that it may take a few days."
"Days!?" He asked alarmed.
"Its a little more than twice the size of Fillydelphia." She looked out the window and pointed with a hoof,"Look you can see it from here."
He looked to the direction she pointed and his jaw dropped,'Dawn's somewhere in that!?' From this distance the details were a little fuzzy but he could clearly see the city as a hazy mass jutting from the side of a truly massive mountain. "Well that complicates things. He stared hard at the looming form of the city,"If we have too we'll rent some rooms. A place that unique is bound to have a lot of motels."
Sparkler nodded,"And once you find her? What will you do then?"
"According to the Doctor Ghastly Gorge starts in the Forest south of Ponyville and runs to its southernmost edge." He looked out the window at Canterlot. "If Arceus is to be believed I'll find Drakarus there. So from Canterlot well go back to Ponyville to resupply and then this Everfree Forest."
"You think Arceus would lie?"
Allen shrugged,"Not really, I just don't like the guy."
"Yeah what's up with that?" Sparkler asked,"I mean he seemed like he was trying to help to me."
"I don't doubt that he was." He replied. "I just wish I could have had a little warning. There was something I'd have liked to do before coming to Equus." The mare opposite him cocked her head and looked expectantly at him. He sighed,"I would have liked to visit where my parents were buried.
Sparkler gasped,"Oh Allen I'm sorry! I didn't mean to- "
"It's alright Sparkler. You didn't know and it happened a long time ago anyway."
Her mind went back to their conversation the previous day... or later today... time travel is confusing... She remembered him mentioning his father briefly. "W- what happened to them?"
"You 'remember me talking about the Cataclysm and how so many died?"
Sparkler nodded immediately understanding,"They died in that disaster. I'm sorry to hear that Allen. My parents are gone too."
Allen stared at her in a state of shock,"Really that's awful! What happened!?"
Sparkler stared out the window for a few seconds."I don't remember much I was only as old as Dinky is now and Ditzy was only about three years older. But we owned a bakery in Baltimare and there was a gas leak. The only reason the fire didn't get us was because we were at school but the house and bakery burned to the ground. With our parents and one unfortunate customer still inside." We were sent to an orphanage after that."
"No one tried to adopt you!?"Allen asked appalled at the thought.
"Ha just the opposite! There was a couple almost every month that wanted me. But they didn't want Ditzy because of her eye condition." She looked to Alllen with teary eyes,"I'd already lost my parents and my home. I couldn't lose my big sister too!"
"I'm sorry Sparkler. I shouldn't have asked."
She shuffled and rubbed at her eyes,"S'okay... Like you said, it was a long time ago."
Allen nodded and laid his head down on the bench letting the conversation drop off not sure what else to say. The quiet that followed allowed his mind to wander. Truth be told he had been thinking about his parents a lot lately, even before Arceus had pulled his stunt. It had been close to three years since he had visited their graves. He had sat at the marker for more than an hour not sure what to say or do. 'I should have said goodbye one last time.'
Chapter 16: Let's Not Go To Canterlot... T'is a Silly Place
Chapter 16: Lets Not Go to Canterlot. T'is A Silly Place.
"Canterlot!" The walrus mustache conductor called down the train. "This stop is Canterlot!" He glanced into their cabin just long enough to see the Pokemon inside and hastily made his way to the next car.
The squeal of the brakes was loud in Allen's ear and he had to pin them to the back of his head. 'Damn heightened Pokemon hearing.' The car lurched as the train began to slow down.
Sparkler jumped to her hooves and stretched like a cat,"Uhg my legs fell asleep."
Allen groaned as he climbed to his stiff legs,"Same here." The train lurched again as the brakes were applied again causing Allen to stumble. He quickly glanced at Sparkler annoyed that she had easily kept her balance. 'She makes it look easy.' Truth was he had been eyeing how ponies moves since yesterday since they were the closest to his new body. It had at least kept him from tripping over his new hooves.
The locomotive lurched once more and slowed to a complete stop. With Sparkler and Nova's help Allen strapped his bags back on and followed Sparkler off the train. "Well." Sparkler said turning to the Pokemon,"Welcome to the capital of Equestria."
Allen had to admit as massive as the city looked from Ponyville it was that much bigger. "How long did it take to build this!?"
Sparkler paused trying to remember if she knew,"I... don't know. At least a century, maybe more. But it wasn't built until after Nightmare Moon was first banished."
Nova chuckled,"Well that narrows it down to any point in the last thousand years."
She laughed,"That's true!" Her smile slowly faded as she looked out of the station at the expansive mountain city,"So we're really gonna search this whole place for Dawn? She could be anywhere in there."
"Once we split up, it shouldn't take long to find her." Allen said confidently. "She'll be looking for us too! That will make it easier." He looked around the station,'A place like this must get swarmed with tourist.' He spotted a lime green mare sitting behind the ticket counter looking extremely bored. "Pardon me miss." He asked walking up,"Do you sell street maps of Canterlot?"
She sighed and rolled her eyes as though she took offense,"Sure! Did you even think to... try..." She trailed off as she actually looked at him. "Uuuumm."
He raised an eyebrow,"Try where miss?" Her face flushed and pointed, following her direction he saw a old stallion sitting tuner a canopy with tables laden with knick knacks and touristy merchandise. Glancing back at the mare who's face beet red and was starting to drool!? "Oookaaay." He backed away slowly and headed for the vendor. Leaning down he asked,"Any idea what her deal was?"
Sparkler glanced back at her and sneered,"Ew, thats just embarrassing."
"What?"
Sparkler shook her head,"You'd be happier not knowing."
He glanced back one more time... "Oh! Yeah ignorance can be bliss. Anyway, good morning sir! Do u sell maps?"
Sparkler laughed,"You asked."
The old pony did sell maps, though they lacked the details Allen had hoped for now he just had to figure out who should search where. The group wandered down one of the streets Sparkler eyeing one map skeptically,"I doubt these will be much help."
"I know." He agreed. "But it's at least enough to section off the city and form a search grid." He was also looking at the map over her shoulder it focused more on restaurants, shops and, noteworthy tourist attractions such as tours of the palace gardens and a museum. "We need someplace to sit down and hash this out."
"Hey how bout that cafe over there?" She pointed to a place farther down the street that looked almost deserted.
"Perfect!"
As they made their way into the shop a loud voice cried,"I smell food!" Turning Allen saw a Feraligatr towering over an Earth pony mare pulling a cart,"Smells like apples!"
"We should help her!" Nova said ready to rush to the mares aide.
"Stop Nova." Allen replied firmly,"You're in no shape for a battle that mismatched." A flash of black drew everyone's attention back to the scene at the other end of the street. A very large Luxray had stepped in and was trying to talk the Water-type down. "See?" Allen asked with a smirk,"He's got this. Besides he's got type advantage."
They saw the Luxray communicate that they were hungry and craving her wares, which seemed to help her relax. The mare then pulled two pies from her cart which the Feraligatr snatched up and ran screaming,"Nerds!" As he went.
"Yeah just steal my pie." The Luxray called back. "Asshole."
"There problem solved." Allen said stepping into the cafe without a backward glance.
The interior of the cafe was pretty standard with tables and chairs made to seat ponies. They took a seat at one table near the door,Sparkler already using it to layout the map.
"Welcome." Said a tall slender mare that walked out of the kitchen. When her eyes locked on who her patrons were beer eyes widened,"Whoa. Um I'm Mocha Latte how can I help you?"
Allen gave the mare a serious expression,"Miss Latte I just have one question for you... Do you have straws?" She stared at him for a moment as if he had asked her the 'Flight speed of an unleaded Tallow' before nodding yes. "Then I'd like a tall black coffee please!" He replied a little too enthusiastically,"Anyone else what coffee? My treat."
A few minutes later they all had steaming cups in front of them and one with a straw for Allen. Without adding cream or sugar he gulped down half the cup,"Oh thank Arceus." He sighed getting his caffeine fix for the first time since he'd left earth. He then added a little sugar to cut down the bitterness of the coffee and took to nursing it.
"Now then." He said looking over their map. The city was huge and already separated into several districts which gave him an idea. "Here's how I think we should do this." He pointed to the district they were in labeled 'Mega Market Place' on the map. 'I don't know who designed this but they deserve a Fire Spin for these stupid names.' "I think we should take each of the districts one at a time. Well start with the one we're already in... Loki!"
Silence reigned for several seconds before the Shadow Pokemon phased into sight,"Ya?"
"We're gonna split into three groups. I want you to search the shadowy places, back alleys, attics, cellars. The usual places a Dark-type would hide."
Loki saluted,"Piece of cake."
"And Loki, If you pull anything out there I will go to Shaymin get an apricorn then find Kurt and have him make a Pokeball just for you... understand?"
Loki laughed,"It would be worth it just to see you pull it off! But I promise to be on my best behavior."
Allen nodded and looked to Sparkler's horn,"Alright Tally can I have you fly around the district? Eyes in the sky would be invaluable."
The little Flying-type nodded and fanned his wings,"You can count on me! I'll find that Umbreon in no time."
Allen grinned at his enthusiasm but didn't mention that Dawn made a habit of going unseen. "That's just leaves myself,Nova and, You Sparkler. We're gonna sweep the streets with Nova on point." He looked to tell Volcano Pokemon,"Your nose is the best tracking tool we have and I'm banking on you being able to pick up her trial."
Nova drained the last of his coffee," My nose may not be as good as a Growlithes but that I can do."
"Okay it looked like there are about ten of these districts so we'll use this formation and search each." After everyone nodded he rolled up the parchment which Sparkler placed in her bag. Allen paid for their drinks and they went out to the street, the Luxray and mare were gone. 'Hope that guy got 'something' for helping her out.'
Tally launched off of his perch and took to the skies and Loki was gone shortly after hearing his role in the plan. Nova already had his nose a few inches from the cobblestone seeing what he could learn. 'Please let this work.'
Tally flew high over the city they had cleared the first section of the city and moved on to the next now. He didn't remember what that map called it but Allen looked ready to burn the map when he read it and even Sparkler rolled her eyes. Now they were on the next section one filled with massive buildings that looked to be extravagant over sized mansions. The sort that rich humans lived in on earth,"Guess some things are the same no matter where you go." The only upside to flying around this mountain city was it had spectacular thermals, he had been flying for nearly an hour without having to flap his wings.
Since flying was no chore he focused on searching the ground below. There were next to no ponies around now but he could see guards patrolling, their body language told him all he needed to know about them. 'Those guys are definitely looking for trouble.'
He flew almost over the edge of the city before doubling back. The sweeping motion was simply but extremely effective as he spotted something in the garden of a mansion. It was an Umbreon no question lightly dozing in the shade of a broad oak tree. "Found you."
He folded his wing in and tipped his little body forward plummeting towards the break bone ground. Sifting his tail feathers he angled himself to the Torre and flared his wings to kill his momentum. Then he flitted to the lowest branch where he settled himself,"Hey Dawn!" He called. "Allen's here looking for you."
The Umbreon's ear twitched and she groaned opening her eyes. She scolded up at Tally,"What are you going on about!?" Her voice was rich and feminine.
Tally ruffled his feathers,"Your trainer asked me to help find you. He's really worried about you Dawn."
She seemed to bristle at the mention of a trainer but then she relaxed,"Sorry to disappoint you little one but you've got the wrong Umbreon. One my trainer abandoned me a long time ago. Second, my name is Umbra."
Tally ruffled his feathers up again, mostly to conceal his blush. "Oh... um sorry Ma'am. I'm just looking for an Umbreon."
Umbra for her part just shrugged,"No harm done."
"Right." He said clearly embarrassed,"I'll just be going then. Sorry for waking you." With that he flapped his wings and started to fly away.
"Should I chance across another Umbreon whom is this Dawn I shall relay your message."
Tally twisted in midair to face her,"Oh! Well thank you Miss Umbra."
He turned and flew off to resume the hunt while Umbra settled back down into the soft grass," Just as soon as I wake up."
Three hours and two of the crudely named districts later things were not going so well. Apparently ponies that Sparkler called the Royal Guard were running all over the city trying to wrangle up Pokemon. According to gossip his surprisingly keen picked up a couple of Pokemon had made a scene and knocked down someone's wall.
Allen had to admit he was worried at this point because supposedly it all started because said Pokemon stole food from a restaurant. After finishing with the second they had regrouped to decide the next district to search all the while Nova's nose was pressed to the ground.
He was on high alert now, If this rouge Pokemon was in fact Dawn he had to find her before the Guard did. If only so save his bits. "Where could she be?"
"Dont worry Allen I'm sure we'll find her soon." Sparkler said as she too was using her eyes and keen ears to see what she could pick up.(1)
"I really hope so." He sighed.
"Sparkler!" Called Tally as he dropped out of the sky and flitted to her horn. "I search this one too..." He shook his head,"couldn't find anything.
"Same here." Said another voice while made Sparkler jump while Allen just deadpanned as Loki phased into sight again.
Allen sighed," Alright you two thanks for trying. I guess we should move to the next district then."
Sparkler was already pulling out the map when Nova stopped dead and inhaled deeply,"Got it!" He announced triumphantly. "Finally picked up her scent!"
Nova was off his nose inches from the ground everyone else hot on his heels. He quickly turned down a shadowy side alley,“It just got a lot stronger. She was definitely here, within the last twenty minutes I’d say.”
“You’re sure?” Allen asked sounding hopeful.
“There’s no doubt,” the Volcano Pokemon answered.
“Well then what are we doing standing around here for?” asked Loki as he drifted past them. “C’mon Candy Girl, time to go meet Miss Priss.”
Sparkler with Tally perched on her horn flushed a bit and strode past him with a sour expression, “Shut up Loki.”
The Gengar leaned over to Allen and whispered “Just between us guys… your girlfriend’s a bitch.”
“Loki, seriously… shut up!” Allen snapped and Stomped on after Nova and Sparkler cracking the cobblestone beneath his hooves.
Loki shrugged,"They have to realize by now I'm only gonna keep this up. The look on Sparkler's face is priceless." He laughed to himself and phased out of sight.
They followed Nova for a long while he led them lower into the city and closer to the looming form of the mountain. "Dawn where the he'll are you going?" Allen asked himself.
"She might be trying to leave the city." Nova offered.
Sparkler shook her head. "Then she's going in the wrong direction. Other than by air the only way in or out of Canterlot is by train or the road which runs parallel to the tracks."
"She might be looking for a trail to use. There must be a lot of them on a mountain like this one."
"Maybe." She admitted. "But it would be really unstable."
Dawn's trail led them to a small quaint looking town house. Nova followed it into the yard sniffing around while the rest of the group waited on the street. Nova returned a minute or two later,"There is no question she was here and I picked up the scent of another Pokemon as well. I think she may have picked up a stray as it were. I remember this scent in the alley too though it was much fainter."
"Well that should help." Said hopefully. "Anything you can tell us about this stray? It might just help us find her."
Nova sniffed at the ground again,"I can't identify the species, my nutrient that good... But I know a Fire-type when I smell one."
"Its more than we had to go on before. Hey Tally you up to search ahead of us?" Allen asked.
Tally saluted with a wing," And Umbreon with a Fire-type? Easy as pie." Without another word he flew off.
"Loki, I want you to go ahead of us too."
"Can do." The Shadow Pokemon said not even bothering to become visible.
Allen glanced and the sun's position in the sky. It was getting late the sun would set in the next hour or so. "We need to find her before nightfall or else we'll never see her."
Tally flew along the boundary between sky and earth, the great bulk of the mountain looming over him to his left and the vast clear sky to his right. Had the situation been less pressing it would have been the perfect night for flying, right now though his eyes were fixed to the ground below. The sun barely clung to the horizon, finding a Dark-type in these conditions was going to be impossible.
All the rooftops looked the same and the darkness hung on everything. Finally he backwinged and hovered looking over the tightly packed homes. "This is hopeless it's too dark now." If the air hadn't been so still he never would have seen the pair of Pegasus coming, as it was he only just evaded. Then he evaded again and once more as another pair rocketed passed him.
"Whoa!" He rose a few yards in the air and looked around, the night sky was full of flying ponies in armour. He twisted every which way,'They're everywhere. What's going on?'
"I knew you were a softy oldtimer." A sharp voice called in the dark. "But taking bribes from monster's? I'll see you Court Marshaled!"
Tally beat his wings and got a little closer. A mare was standing on a rooftop sneering down at an older stallion whom looked worried. Then the mare turned her hard glare towards the mountain,“Don’t try anything funny monsters, I’ve got you completely surrounded.”
Just like that all the flying ponies dropped out of the sky and dozens more filed out of side streets. All totaled it was an impressive display of force, then he looked at where every pair of eyes was scowling. He could see the orange coat of a little Vulpix, though it was obscured by something larger and black. He squinted,'What is that?' Then he noticed a faint yellow and dark red. 'Wait is that?'
"Dawn what do we do?" The little Vulpix almost pleaded confirming the identity of the black shape as the Umbreon they had sought all day. Panicking he surveyed the numbers that surrounded the two Pokemon and he made a decision. He pumped his wings hard and beat a hasty retreat,"I have to tell Allen and Sparkler!" As he flew off he glanced back at the out numbered pair,"Dont worry you two, I'll be back with help!"
It only took a minute to spot Allen from the air, his glowing blue mane and tail made him easy to spot at night. Swooping down to grab their attention he called," Guys I found her!"
"What!" Allen cried sounding relieved. "Where is she!?"
"Near the mountain! But Allen the guards have caught up to her and she's totally surrounded!" The Fying-type explained quickly already turning to lead them to the scene.
KABOOOM!
Everyone frozen and turned to face the direction of the overly loud sound, the same direction Tally was about to lead them.
"DAWN!" Allen shouted and took off at a full gallop... at least he would have if something hadn't grabbed his tail to stop him. Just as quick as he turned to face her she the hair out of her mouth. "Allen be smart! What are you gonna do fight the entire Royal Guard!? Burn half of Canterlot and spend the rest of you life as a fugitive!?" She sighed as his posture relaxed,"Now we'll find Dawn and I'm sure the guards won't hurt her but what we need to do now is be quiet and casual. Let's head in that direction and see what happened."
Allen looked from Sparkler to Nova, whom was frowning at him and sighed as well,"You're right but still we should hurry."
The scene was utter chaos, they couldn't even get close to where Tally claimed Dawn was. The place had been sealed up for three blocks around the explosion. There were hardly any ponies around who weren't guards, the guards themselves said one of the creatures was responsible for the explosion. However Allen's now keen ears picked up whispers about some of the ponies seeing a cannon being shelled out. "A cannon?" He whispered horrified. "Sweet Xerneas they killed her."
"Oh don't be such a baby." Laughed a familiar voice. Turning Allen saw Loki phase into sight and then out of it just as quickly. "I saw the rest of what happened after bird brain flew off!"
"Why are you staying invisible?" Sparkler asked confused.
Loki paused,"Yeah, about that."
1. That was how they found out about the Guard chasing a Pokemon.
CHapter 17: Amethyst Lies, Escape The Crystal Catacombs
Chapter 17: Amethyst Lies, Escape the Crystal Catacombs
One thing to that could be said about the palace was it certainly never empty, particularly since the return of Princess Luna. Day or night there were always guards and ponies about either seeking to see Princess Celestia or more rarely Luna. Tonight however, it was a bit more noisy than usual. Word had come down that Celestia and Luna had met with a something and that both of them had called off their courts for the time being.
This of course had the nobles and the council in a tizzy, with several large groups speculating about the situation. Amethyst however, didn't have to guess. The invading monsters would be engaged and pushed back just like every other time in history.
"Amethyst!"
The mare started and turned to who had called her only to frown,"Great just what I need. What do you want Grissom!?"
"The Thestral didn't back down from her harsh glare or tone,"Why was your division moving one of the cannons?"
The mare gave him an irritated sneer,"I know you Thestrals are supposed to be single minded but seriously? You are aware we run drills on the at least twice a week right!?" With a short nod she turned and began to leave for her office.
"Which is why I'm so confused." Grissom said choosing to ignore her other comment. "Because I distinctly remember you running drills the day before yesterday."
Amethyst stopped and glanced back to glower at him and in a voice that was thin and threatening,"I make the schedule for my divisions. Deciding where it's best to focus their time is my responsibility... Not yours. If you have a problem then take it to Princess Luna. And the Princesses can decide if I need to change the training regiments." She turned and walked away,"Now why don't you focus on your duties with the Night Guard? Captain!"
Grissom gave a hard scowl at her as she left,"What a bitch." He then started to walk towards his office but glanced at the mare as she departed,"too bad she's got the nicest flank." He sighed,"Why are the pretty ones always so unbearable?"
Amethyst stormed into her office and slammed the door behind her. "Damn bat! Poking his nose where it doesn't belong!" She dropped herself into her chair and slouched dragging a hoof across her face. "I'll have to change the schedule now so that's one new headache." Her expression darkened,"And I've still got that traitor Ironside to deal with." What to do? She had to admit that without the fugitive creatures it would be harder to justify her actions. However she doubted that the Princesses would care much when they realized he was about to cooperate with the enemy.
She glanced out the window towards the mountain and frowned,'They're out there somewhere. And they'll find a way out of those caves eventually.' An eager grin spread across her muzzle,"I'll be ready for you."
Another thought accrued to her as she turned to the few documents on her desk. 'Grissom is bound to keep sniffing about. One the troops who were involved is bound to slip up and say something they shouldn't... I'll have to handle the incident report myself.'
With a tired groan she stepped back onto her hooves,"Well I had better see to it then. Not like I needed the sleep anyway."
Her ears were still ringing from the sound of the cannon fire and blast of energy screamed around her. Dawn was half death and half blind, her night vision making the bright flashes of magic the equivalent to a flash grenade. She scrambled in the opposite direction as fast as she could, a falling stone half her size bounced and knocked her forlegs out from under her.
She winced as the Rock Slide was painful but not a critical hit. She shakily rose to her pause stones falling all around her, still half deaf and with spots dancing in front of her eyes. Another flash and a rumble as a massive boulder half the size of the hole itself fissured and dropped from the cave ceiling. Dawn sunk her claws into the some and tried to evade but she could already tell it was not enough. 'Allen!'
"Dawn no!" A shrill voice cried and something small impacted her side hard. The force almost sent her flying and she turn her blurry eyes to see the bright orange of colour of Vulpix fur as the oversized rock dropped directly on her sealing the cave in a thunderous collapse.
Dawn was still disoriented and blinked several times at the boulder crushing the young Fire-type. "V- Vulpix no!" An aura of shadowy miasma raced down her forelegs each ending in wicked thee hooked talons. She began to frantically tear her way through the granite, which gave like sculpting clay under her claws.
"Vulpix hang on I'm coming! I know you're okay! Please be okay!" She hacked and ripped at the stone with reckless abandon not caring as other rocks fell from the unstable ceiling. A blinding light shone from within the fissures in the stone and Dawn only ripped at the Rock faster cleaving a massive hole through which the shining from drug itself out.
The light expanded and broadened until the shape settled and faded to reveal a smudged and dirty, but very much alive Ninetails. Whom groaned and panted on the cave floor,I'm alive?" She sounded surprised and confused,"How am I alive?"
"Who cares!" Dawn cried wrapping her in a hug.
"Dawn?" Ninetails asked. "I evolved? H-how is that possible?"
"Don't know. Don't care." The Dark-type answered quickly as she started to lick the dirt from Ninetails fur. "We're both alive so I call it a win. Let's not question a blessing from Arceus shall we."
Ninetails chuckled and leaned into the licking,"I guess you're right. It's just... I evolved! I'm actually evolved!" Dawn just continued to groom her while she continued to gush about how she never thought she would be a Ninetails so quickly.
After several minutes of work Dawn had her looking pristine,"Well, now that that's done what now?" She wondered aloud.
"We can dig our way out?" Ninetails suggested.
The sound of shifting rock drew their attention, Dawn nimbly walked to the pile of loose stone that barred their way. Her ears Alder to the tiniest sound... again the stones on the outside shifted and could be heard sliding along with panicked cries. She reeled back,"They're trying to dig through!"
"Maybe it's the nice one who listened to us earlier?" Ninetails offered hopefully. Evolved or not she was still clearly a child.
Dawn shook her head,"No I can hear that winged female shrieking out there."
"So what do we do?"
Dawn turned her eyes to the cave they had retreated to. In the dark her eyes saw every detail of the winding cavern and it's numerous and spectacular crystal formations. "We use these to find another way out." She pointed her nose up and twisted her ears and remained that way for several minutes. The silence only broken by the sound of the ponies outside working to clear the rubble. Finally she smiled,"I can hear the wind. Follow me Ninetails we're getting out of here."
The Fire-type fell into step behind Dawn squinting to see in the dark. Nearly an hour passed moving in relative silence. For Ninetails the darkness was total she could barely make out the outline of dawn in front of her. "It's so dark. I can't barely see my nose in front of me."
There was a pause as the yellow rings on Dawn's body began to glow softly. "Is that better?" She asked with a smile.
Ninetails looked around the winding cavern,"wow it's beautiful!" The walls were covered floor to ceiling in various crystal formations, the soft light from Dawn reflected off their faceted surface painting a wide area in soft yellow light.
"Can keep this Flash going for a while." Dawn said. "But we should keep moving."
"Dammit Lieutenant I don't want to hear anymore of your excuses!" Amethyst bellowed having had enough of this insolent lower ranking officer. She put a deathly edge to her voice and her expression turned dark,"Now you listen to me. I want your incident report on my desk by sunrise or I'll personally see you Court Martialed! Is that understood Lieutenant!?"
The stallion standing opposite her gave her a look that for most might have been hard to decipher. She could see him trying analyses this so he would blame free, clearly wanting to to drop any and all repercussions on her. Finally he sighed,"Yes Captain. I'll start right away."
"Excellent."Amethyst replied with a sweet voice and smile.
She turned to leave the room,"Captain? What am I supposed to tell Captain Ironside?"
The same dark expression came over her face,"Ironside will be indisposed for some time. He asked me to spearhead this himself. Now get to work and remember all incident reports come through me." With that she stormed out of the office and slammed the door behind her so hard it cracked the glass.
The stallion stared at the crack for a moment and sighed,"I'm on a have to pay for that aren't I?"
Outside Amethyst stomped her way down the corridor fuming,'The nerve of that little shit questioning my orders. I'll have his ass on my wall if he ever does that again.' She paused and glanced out the window, the hour was late so late that even Princess Luna would have gone to bed until the time came to set the moon. Now that she had taken care of the matter of the reports she could go to bed herself a few hours of sleep. "Naw." She said out loud shaking her head. " I better see what info I can squeeze outta that old traitor." An unsettling grin spread across her muzzle,"Though I'll have to save the really nasty stuff for after the Princesses make it official." She trotted off with a new sense of purpose.
The corridor fell silent as she trotted off. From the shadow of a side hall meant for the Palace staff a pair of bright eyes glowed in the dark. Grissom stepped into to open light and looked in the direction Amethyst had gone,"Hhmmm."
"Hey Dawn? Have you noticed it's getting brighter?" Ninetails asked.
"Yeah I saw it a little while ago it's coming from something up ahead." Dawn had been heading for it hoping it would lead to a way out.
"Hey I hear voices!"
Dawn nodded she could hear them as well a lot of them. Many small voices that seemed to impart distress. Slowly sneaking forward she peeked passed the corner to see a large open space littered with crystals that glowed a soft white light. She let her Flash fade as she saw the whole room filled with Carbink.
"Great."She hissed. "Fairy-types. As if this day hasn't already been a cluster fuck."
"They sound like they're scared." Ninetails said poking her head around the corner to see the little rocks. After only a second she stepped out and into the open chamber. "What's the matter little ones? Do you need help?"
You could've heard a pin drop, in fact had they not been in an underground labyrinth she would have expected a tumbleweed to go rolling by. Then every Carbink screamed and ran for the opposite side of the chamber huddled in a behind a single Carbink who looked just as scared.
"Wait we won't hurt you!" Ninetails said in dismay.
"We!?" The lead Carbink asked his eyes darting around.
"Don't be afraid. It's just me and my friend Dawn." Ninetails said with a sweet smile turned to look at the still concealed Umbreon.
Who sighed and stepped into the light and gave the Fairies a cautious smile,"Hello." While she knew a few anti Fairly moves she didn't want to fight fifty Pokemon if she could help it. "I'm Dawn."
"And I'm Ninetails!"The Fire-type said still showing a youthful enthusiasm.
The Carbink seemed to relax a little and the one at the head of the group stepped forward,"Then what do you want?"
"Out of this cave."Dawn answered flatly.
"Do any of you cuties know the way out?" Ninetails asked sweetly making the lead Fairy blush.
"We- I... I'm sorry we are lost too." He looked around,"These are not our caves either. And we have have lost our Princess."
"Aw." Ninetails cooed leaping forward and hugged him. "You're talking about Dancie right?"
"Yes!" The Carbink said immediately. "Have you seen her!?"
"No." Dawn answered. "We've been busy getting buried alive."
The Carbink blinked few times while still being cuddled by a Ninetails. "If you come from the outside do you know what region we are in?"
Dawn shook her head,"I don't know where the hell we are! It's like no place I've ever seen or heard of. It's like something out of a sci-fi movie."
Ninetails and the Carbink both blinked in confusion,"Movie?" They both asked.
"Right." Dawn said with a sign. Her ears twitched as she heard a slightly stronger gust in the faint breeze. "Ninetails we need to go. The exit is this way."
"How do you know?"She asked releasing the the Carbink and moving to her side.
"Allen used to go through caves all the time when we were younger." She smiled. "He was convinced we could find fossils in them. If I had a poffin for every time he got us lost I'd be able to eat for a year." Her smile faded,'I have to find him.' "Come on Ninetails. We need to go." As they made to leave Dawn paused and turned to the Fairy-types,"In the off chance I see her I'll let Dancie know where you little guys are,okay."
The group brightened,"Oh thank you!" Came the general reply.
Iron grunted in discomfort as he woke to the sound of steel slamming hard against steel. Then the bone chilling sweet sound of someponies voice,"Wakey wakey traitor!"
Iron tensed and cracked open his heavy eyelid and saw the silhouette of Amethyst Edge. She was standing in the open door of a cell in the Palace dungeon. "So you really are going to try and go through with this madness amethyst?"
"Madness!?" She laughed. "Just shows how little you know." She got very close to to Irons muzzle a twisted smile on her own. "I've already reported the situation to the Princesses. And they've already met with the being responsible for this invasion."
Iron stared long at her,"You're lying." He growled. "The Princesses would never condone your actions!"
Amethyst laughed again,"They and the council have agreed unanimously with my recommendation. By Morning tomorrow all of Equestria will march to the call. And by this time tomorrow ever monster in the city will be eradicated. One of those freaks survived and Princess Celestia eliminated it with extreme prejudice. " She glowered down at him,"And then there's you. You should have heard Princess Luna curse your name. She actually called for your head. She seemed quite dismayed to learn that we had abolished the Death Penalty."
Ironside remained quiet not willing to believe her words. Once it became clear he had no intention of talking amethyst continued,"Princess Celestia wanted you Court Marshaled for what you did. I told her you were more use as a labourer than a prisoner. So I'll make you a deal."
She got close to his face and gave him a sweet smile that turned his stomach. "Tell me everything you know about the enemy's plans and I promise not to lock you up somewhere where you'll never see the sun again."
"You're insane." Ironside answered coldly. "I very much doubt that this is anything even resembling an invasion."
A hard hoof caught him under the chin making his head rattle and stars flash in front of his eyes. He did his best to reel away for her but the chain around his neck made it impossible. Wham! Another hard strike to his left eye sent him tumbling to the cold stone floor. "~Liar~" She sang.
Iron picked himself up rubbing his eye in an attempt to relieve some of the pain. "I don't know anything like that."
Wham! A well placed jab knocked the air out of his lungs and sent him wheezing to the floor again.
"~I can do this all night!~" She sang before a manic grin spread across her face,"In fact I think I might." She then began to stomp on his belly again and again all the while laughing like a lunatic.
She was about to go for another kick one that would have been more than her thirteenth had Ironside not vomited. Amethyst looked down in disgust,"Uhg. How vile!" She hissed backing out of the cell and slamming the heavy steel door. As she walked away she said evenly,"You had better have that cleaned up before I return with the Princesses."
The sound of her hoofsteps faded out leaving the proud stallion barely conscious in pool of his own sick. "This can't be real."
"Hey Dawn do you smell that!?" Ninetails asked as she held her nose high.
The Dark-type smiled and nodded as well, she briefly let her Flash fade and found the cave was brighter than before. Lifting her nose up she smiled and took in a deep breath of fresh air. They were very close to an exit now and the relief was too much to contain and she laughed happily. As a side thought she used flash once more to light their way then cheerfully followed her nose to the exit.
He good move stalled as her sharp ears picked up the faint echo of voices on the breeze. The actual exit of the cave was still not in sight but clearly only around the next bend. "Uhg." Groaned a voice. "I didn't join the Guard for this!"
"Shut up." Whined a female voice.
"I mean can't they see how much my talents are wasted in the capitol!" The male voice went on oblivious of the mare talking. "I signed on to fight monsters and impress the mares. Why the holy buck am I guarding a hole!?" He paused," I mean you no get, No real drive just a good little soldier who follows orders. But me I'm a bucking hero in the waiting!"
"WILL YOU KINDLY SHUT THE BUCK UP!!!?" The mare screamed clearly at her limit of what must have been one he'll of a long tirade.
There was a pause then the stallion muttered something and fell silent.
"Well that was something." Dawn muttered to Ninetails. "Hang on. I've got this." With that she creeper forward to the cave mouth, there stood two of the armoured ponies both looking out to the city. Silent as death, she placed herself behind them evenly,"Pardon me?"
The two yelped in alarm and spun around to face the Moonlight Pokemon. However neither had any way to prepare for what was coming,"Hypnosis."
The ponies frozen staring into her crimson eyes as their own grew heavier. After a few seconds they were open to any suggestion Dawn might feel compelled to put to them. "Sleep." She said softly.
Though the words were lost on them it mattered little as the suggestion was still planted into their minds. The ponies eyes slid shut and they relaxed in their armour, slumping and leaning heavily on each other they fell into their slumber standing upright.
Dawn smiled to herself,"Piece of cake." In an hour or so they would wake and find themselves quite rested. She marched passed the sleeping pair of ponies and looked to the city. They had climbed upwards in their wandering in the caves and now they were somewhere near the highest point in the city.
The area looked fairly abandoned and it was still several hours before sunrise the fresh air was doing a number on her as well. Feeling fatigued she looked at Ninetails and saw the Fire-type looked ready to pass out as well. "Come on Ninetails. Let's find somewhere to get some sleep." Ninetails just nodded and followed Dawn.
"So that's pretty much the shape of it." Loki said floating backwards as the group walked down a street towards what Sparkler said was a motel.
Allen sighed,"so now we have a government agency hunting us? ... Great!"
"I can't believe a captain of the Royal Guard would do things like this." Sparkler said horrified at Loki's description and the drastic measures she was taking. "How can she even think this is a good idea."
"My guess is she ain't." Loki said. "The impression I got was that she has some sort of glorious ideal that she's clinging too. She seemed convinced we're here to invade and conquer."
"But Arceus made it clear that's not what he wants!" Sparkler exclaimed.
"Yes." Allen agreed he did... Or rather he will. Tomorrow afternoon."
Sparkler stopped dead,"Oh. Right. Time travel!" She cursed and resumed walking.
"How much further to the motel?" Nova asked tired.
"It should be around the corner." She answered and looked back to The Pokemon that traveled with her. They looked ragged and very tired which made sense since they had been going for more than 24 hours. She had to admit she wasn't certain how to process the fact that technically she and Allen were still meeting with the mayor in Fillydelphia. 'How does Ditzy deal with the multiplicity and stay sane?'
The haggard group rounded the corner and Sparkler sped up to a brisk trot,"there it is!" She said with a relieved sigh. It was a three story tall structure that looked to Allen like the places you saw on the side of a heavily used highway. The central part that would have been a parking lot on Earth was a courtyard garden with a simple fountain. It wasn't much but the little garden made Allen smile.
With a bit of renewed vigor at the promise of sleep the group marched into the office. The stallion behind the counter eyed them,"Can help you?" He asked curtly.
Allen frowned,"Two singles please."
The stallion seemed caught off guard,"Oh! Sorry sir the last group of... Things? That came in here, I couldn't make heads or tails of what they were saying."
"Pokemon." Allen corrected. "We're called Pokemon." Allen stopped. 'D-did I just say that?'
"Um sorry sir." The stallion said flipping through the log book after a moment he frowned,"All our singles appear to be full sir. However there are still a few doubles available."
Allen was still reeling from calling himself a Pokemon, feeling like he was adapting to this way to quickly. So he just nodded and said,"Great."
"Very good. Would you sign here sir?" He asked pushing the book and a quill towards Allen.
He actually started to reach for it before he realized what he was doing. His ears drooped and he hung his head,"Crap!"
The room was nice though the ceiling was a little low for Allen's liking. He was currently laying the bed he'd claimed taking inventory of his bag with Nova's assistance. So far they had gone through a fair portion of it. They had plenty of potions and he was pleased to see an entire box of Lava Cookies, in addition he had over a dozen Revive Herbs and a single Max Revive. He swept the medicines into the bag and Nova began to pull out the berries.
Sorting through them Allen frowned "Hmmm at some point before we go for Drakarus we'll have to do some growing."
"What are we running low on?" Nova asked poking his head back in the bag.
Allen sighed,"Well after our bout with Misty it looks like there's only eleven Sitrus berries left." He sighed and glanced at the sorted piles of fruit,"And we're dangerously low on Leppa berries too."
Nova pulled himself out of the bag with a panicked look,"How 'dangerously low'?"
"We've only got six left."
Nova sat on his haunches as a few drops of sweat started forming on his forehead. "That's bad. We may just run out before we can plant any of them." The Volcano Pokemon shuddered,"I'm not going to be the one to tell her." He rubbed at his stomach,"Not after last time."
"Tell who, what?" Sparkler asked walking out of the bathroom with a few towels wrapped around her. She moved to the other bed in the room and sat looking curiously at Nova. "What's got you so worked up?"
Allen didn't know weather to sigh or laugh,"I'm just looking through my stuff." He motioned with a hoof,"You know, inventory and what not. But we're very low on a particular type of berry and, the last time we ran out Dawn was not a happy camper."
"Don't you just mean 'camper' then?" Loki called from whatever shadow concealed him.
"Anyway!" Allen said panicking for an entirely separate reason, when Loki started quoting 'him' the night was going a long one. "Leppa berries are probably Dawn's favourite thing ever."
Sparkler moved off of her bed and stood by his looking at the piles of fruits,"Which ones are the those?" Nova pointed to a small cluster of six each a bit bigger than a cherry. Without a word she picked one up in her magic and popped it in her mouth chewing slowly. "Woah! That's really hard to chew." As she swallowed and lightly smacked her lips she smiled,"But those are pretty good. Almost reminds me of an Apple from Sweet Apple Acres." She looked back and saw Allen,Nova and ,even Loki looked shocked,"What?"
"We're doomed." Loki said groaning. "If the Royal Guards don't kill us Dawn just might."
"What!?"
"Dawn really loves Leppa berries." Nova answered cryptically.
Sparkler looked back and forth between the three Pokemon,"Oookaaay then."
Allen used his nose to push the berries back into their place and stood leaving the rest of his things still on the bed. "I'm going to take a shower... What are you doing?"
"Ha!" Cried Nova pulling himself out of the bag with a triumphant grin,"I called it!"
"What!?" He asked completely baffled.
The Volcano Pokemon disappeared into the bag and began to grunt and heave like he was using Strength. With a hefty grunt he pulled out a cubed piece of marble too big to have fit in the bag let alone through its opening.
"What. The. Actual. Fuck!?" Allen shouted.
Nova grinned and gently set the marble cube on the floor,"Lord Arceus has a sense of humour." He laughed.
"There is absolutely no way something that... big... could..." He trailed off as the TARDIS came to mind. "I hate that guy. I'll be in the shower."
"It's what you get for being rude." Nova replied matter of factly. "Your lucky he didn't just blink you out of existence. He can do things like that."
"Yeah, yeah." He replied making for the bathroom,"And if Froakie had wings they wouldn't bump their ass." Closing the door behind him he cast his eyes on the shower uncertainty. It was clearly made for ponies and since he was a fair bit bigger than them he worried how well he'd be able to wash himself. Fortunately the faucet was made hoof friendly and he was able to get the water as hot as he usually liked it.
It was also the first time he'd touched water since becoming a Fire-type. As he held his fetlock under the water be noticed that he seemed to tingle and numb like his limb had fallen asleep only less uncomfortable. It was amazing how the hot water seemed to soothe him almost on contact, and he still only held a small portion of himself in the water. "Oh." He sighed pleased.
Eager for what promised to be a relaxing shower he pulled his hoof from the water but paused,'Wait, Fire-types are weak to water? Why doesn't this hurt?' After a moment he frowned,"I wonder?"
He reached out and turned off the hot tap and turned the cold up full blast. As he reached for the torrent of icy water he tensed,"This may be the dumbest thing I've ever done." A few images of Pokemon well outside his league came to mind, the most prominent being Arceus. "Recently."
Taking one more deep breath he plunged his foreleg into the running faucet. He immediately regretted this decision, this was a bad plan and poorly thought out! "Aaaahh! Oow Owowowow!" Jerking himself backwards and out of the icy water his hard hooves lost their traction on the slick tile floor. Physics did the rest and he flipped ass over tea kettle, cracking his head on the sink then the hard tile floor.
He groaned and tried to blink away the stars to no avail,"uuuuuhhhhgg."
"Allen are you okay!?"
"Allen!!!"
Sparkler and Nova came quickly and charged into the bathroom to see Allen laying on his back spread eagle and his eyes spinning. "I feel I was denied." Allen grumbled,"Critical! Need to know! Information!"
"What!?" Nova asked raising an eyebrow. At least until a blue flash made him blink and he saw Sparkler was gone. "She can use Teleport!?" Nova asked alarmed to suddenly learn something new about his friend.
"Thanks for the heads up Nova!" Allen snapped annoyed. He then mimicked Nova's gravelly voice,"Hey Allen! Just to let you know cold water hurts like unholy hell!"
"I wonder where Sparkler went?" Nova wondered aloud not paying Allen the slightest attention. If he was complaining he was fine.
Sparkler sat on the motel roof staring up at Luna's night breathing deep in an attempt to slow her thunderous heartbeat. After a few minutes she had calmed a little and sighed,"Dammit Ditzy! Getting me thinking about stuff like that." She blushed again.
The next morning, only an hour or so passed sunrise, Allen begrudgingly pulled himself from the warm soft embrace of his bed. Then promptly fell out of it and to the hard and he was displeased to find cold floor. "Uuuuuhhhhgg."
"You alright?" Nova asked clearly still more asleep than awake.
"M'okay." He croaked back,"Second morning as a Pokemon and I can't figure out how to get out of bed."
"Then don't." Sparkler whined pulling the covers over her head. "It's still too early."
Allen ignored her and pulled himself up to all fours and friendly grabbed his bag with his mouth. (1) Then he headed for the bathroom again, pausing just long enough to Glare at the granite cube sitting in the corner. Arceus was gonna pay for that one, he smiled darkly. 'Of course you realize this means war.' Something his friend Brandon had discovered early in their friendship was that Allen would always retaliate and escalate the pranks often starting an all out prank war.
With the thought of how he could get Arceus back putting a grin on his face he closed the door behind him and poked his muzzle into the bag before returning with his tooth brush between his teeth. It wasn't until he looked at himself in the mirror that he realized it. "I can't hold the damn thing!" He snapped spitting it out. "Thanks a lot Arceus!'
After several minutes of cursing Arceus and any other legendary involved in the choice to make him a Rapidash, he emerged from the bathroom. His breath was fresh but only because of mouthwash, and he chewed on a piece of gum.
Nova took a turn in the bathroom and Allen used the time to rummage through more of his bag. He was a little dismayed at how much space the bits took up,"I kinda miss paper money."
"Why?" Sparkler asked rubbing at her tangled mane while waiting for her turn in the bathroom. "What was so great about it?"
"Mostly because it takes up less space." He said as he tried to work the straps to his bag with no success.
Sparkler watched him with a frown,"Are you sure there's no way you can use magic?" She had asked him this at the park in Fillydelphia but she still struggled with the idea that his horn was... well useless. "You're a unicorn isn't there a way to use your horn for something?"
Allen shook his head,"At best it's a weapon. I could use Horn Drill if I took the time to practice." He paused,"There aren't too many horn based attacks."
"But nothing that would let you levitate things?" She asked.
Allen just shook his head,"The only move like that would be Telekinesis. And I'm not a Psychic-type." "But I thought you said Pokemon could learn moves that are outside their type?"
"They can." Allen agreed,"But first I would need to find a Psychic-type to teach me and that could take years." He sighed and glanced at the bathroom door. "Plus Psychic moves would probably give me a migraine. It does on Nova."
Sparkler sighed,"So even if it's possible it's not likely and painful if you succeed."
"Nothing for it except to learn my limitations."
"There is a third option." Nova said as he walked out. "You could always go to Arceus and ask him to change you to a more humanoid Pokemon. Perhaps an Infernape or a Gallade. Lucario would be a powerhouse."
"Not a chance." Allen answered shortly.
Nova sighed,"Stubborn as always."
The sound of birdsong made her ears twitch. The fact that it wasn't the sort that Flying-types used to start the day told her something was wrong. Hesitantly she cracked open one of her crimson eyes and looked outside. "Shit!" She cursed waking Ninetails in the process.
"What's going on?" The Firetype asked sleepy.
"We overslept!" Dawn announced bitterly. "I only planned on sleeping until sunrise! That's hours passed now!" Slowly she crept forward out of their cover, which was a culvert that lead to an overspill pipe. Dawn guessed there hadn't been rain in a few days as the spot was dry and well concealed.
Glancing skyward first she smiled when she saw the skies clear of the flying ponies. The surrounding area was also very abandoned... almost too much so. Feeling uneasy at the stillness she closed her eyes and opened her ears more, swiveling them in various directions. It took a few minutes but eventually she relaxed. Other than a few other concealed Pokemon, she couldn't discern a threat. As such she walked a few feet to the edge of one of the cities many tiers, which provided a stunning view of the city. On the opposite end she could see a well manicured park next to a spectacular waterfall.
Looking out over the city again her eyes focused on the train station. 'Would it be worth it to try them again? The ponies are bound to have some kind of force there.' Even from this distance the piercing cry of the steam whistle reached her. "It doesn't matter." She said out loud. "I have to find Allen." A strong sense of determination welled up inside her and she returned to the culvert,"Ninetails! Get up! We're gonna try the trains again!"
The Fire Fox Pokemon groaned,"But that was a disaster!"
"I know." She sighed,"But it seems to be the only way out of this city."
Ninetails groaned but crawled out into the sun as well. The pair began to use their vantage point to figure out the best way to the station. It would be difficult to get there unseen but Dawn was confident she saw a good path with the least number of open courtyards and streets.
"Alrighty Ninetails. Let's go!" The pair made the leap from one street to another and set out on their way.
Allen's group milled about waiting for Sparkler to return from turning in the room key. Already Allen noticed a difference in the city, there were more ponies and Pokemon out and about. "I don't know how that mare thinks she can detain all these Pokemon. Let alone justify their arrest when they're clearly not causing any problems."
"I doubt she can." Nova said as he held his nose high sampling the air. "Plus it will all be pointless once Lord Arceus makes his announcement later today."
"I admit I'm curious to see how the ponies here handle it." Allen said looking around,"The folks in Fillydelphia kept a pretty level head."
"About what?" Sparkler asked joining them outside.
"Us getting a repeat of Arceus's PSA." Allen laughed until he saw her confused look. "Public Service Announcement? On earth that's what we called it when information needed to get out to the general public fast. They would broadcast things like missing persons or a big regional disaster over T.V. and radio."
"Well those sound like wonderful things." She nodded in an approving way. "But I don't know what a T.V. or radio are."
"No radio!?" Allen asked alarmed. "I expected no T.V. but... How do ponies communicate in the event of a serious emergency!? Is there no form of instant messaging here?"
Sparkler shook her head,"The closest thing to what you're describing would be Dragonfire. But it's very difficult to acquire with dragons being... well dragons."
"Wow." Nova said with a look of disbelief. "I didn't think this world was that far behind earth." "It's not that big a deal." Allen said looking out at the street,"There are more than enough smart people here that can help bring Equus some much needed tech. But in the meantime I think it's best we get started."
"Right." Nova agreed," the question is... Where do we start?"
"That is an excellent question." Allen sighed. "For all we know she could still be lost in those caves."
"Or." Said a voice "She could be out and hiding somewhere trying to leave the city."
Allen looked around but didn't see the source,"What do you got Loki?"
The Ghost-type phased into sight," Well after the queen bitch found out Dawn wasn't road pizza she ordered guards at every exit to the caves. So while you lot were sleeping I scoped out those exits. And guess what I found about three hours before sunrise."
Allen smiled," A bunch of guards sleeping hard near one."
"Just two but it was enough to give us a direction to start in." He pointed with one of his child hands to an upper section of the city near the palace and opposite the falls. "She came out near the richie rich part of town."
"How do you know it was her?" Sparkler asked.
Allen laughed,"When Dawn knows she's in trouble she likes to use Hypnosis on whoever is mad at her." He looked in the direction Loki indicated,"And she's not gonna hang around now that she knows there's trouble gunning for her."
"Odds are she'll go for the trains then." Nova offered as he resumed sniffing the air.
"Are you sure?" Sparkler asked.
Allen nodded,"Dawn wants out of this city and she'll take the quickest way she can find." He looked in the direction of the station and smiled,"So all we have to do is intercept her. Put ourselves on her path. Loki! You're on point with Tally as our early warning. I'll patrol the streets between the market district and the station." He looked at Nova,"And I want you and Sparkler near the trains she'll recognize you at a glance."
Sparkler frowned,"Shouldn't I go with you?"
Allen shook his head,"No I need you with Nova."
"Why?" She asked.
"With the guards out in force looking for Pokemon it's best you stay near him." He sighed,"You said yourself that Nova looks dangerous." He glanced at Nova,"But if a pony is with him, and acting calm... I don't think they'll feel the need to point him out to the guards."
Sparkler tapped her chin with a hoof,"Can't argue with that. You're probably right about Nova." She glanced at Nova as well,"No offense."
Nova smirked and shrugged,"To be honest I take it as a compliment."
Allen laughed,"Of course you do! Alrighty let's do this."
"Dawn can we stop for a little bit!?" Ninetails panted. "I need to catch my breathe!"
Dawn slowed her own heavy breathing. "Yeah, but we can't stay in one place too long." She stopped in the shadow of an an alley and looked out into a courtyard. Tall buildings each built into the other surrounded it, pressing in close but creating a shady little garden with a fountain in its center. A few windows and doors looking out on them but the shutters were all closed. Dawn relaxed, as everything about this told them they were alone.
Ninetails slowly approached the fountain,"Do you think the water is safe to drink?"
Dawn joined her at the low set pool of water sniffing at it. "It smells clean enough." Delicately she dipped her tongue into the water and sucked in a mouthful of water taking the time to taste it. "Well it's not tasty but it seemed alright."
"What's wrong with how it tastes?" Ninetails asked dipping her muzzle into the water and quickly gulping down a mouthful. "It tastes like metal?"
"It happens with water that comes out of pipes." Dawn explained. "It's common it places like this were the pipes don't get cleaned to often." She paused,"That's what the water tasted like living in Castelia."
"What about before you had a trainer?"
Dawn laughed,"I've always had Allen. I hatched for him."
'Oh." She replied suddenly sounding shameful. "I'm sorry."
Dawn cocked her head,"For what?"
"That you had to live with him your whole life." She paused and looked at the sky. "My momma had a trainer once and she told me how bad most humans are to Pokemon."
Dawn frowned,"It's sad that she had such a bad time of it. But Ninetails, the truth is most humans are very good to Pokemon. Allen always played with me when I wanted to play. And even when he was at school I still had a big brother to pay with." She smiled,"And then there was Grandad he made the best Poffins ever. I might not have been wild and free but I wouldn't trade the life I had for anything... well almost anything."
"So Mamma just had a bad human partner?" Ninetails asked cocking her own head.
Dawn nodded sadly,"Sometimes humans did bad things to and with the Pokemon that care about them." Her eyes unfocused and she was clearly thinking of something else. "Sometimes those bad things can change a Mon forever. But it's important to keep a positive outlook just giving someone a chance can make a huge difference in your life."
Ninetails tails waved a paw in Dawn's face,"You still in there?"
Dawn flinched,"Oh! Sorry was thinking about another friend. I hope she's with Allen."
"Who?" Ninetails asked taking another drink of the metallic water.
"Another member of our team, Her name is Penny." Dawn sighed,"She had bad luck like your mom. Her first trainer beat her whenever she lost a match." Ninetails gasped and Dawn continued,"If Allen and I hadn't come along when we did, he might have killed her." Dawn got a different kind of distant expression,"Allen was so mad he knocked the guy out with one punch. But we couldn't help Penny fast enough."
"What happened?"
"The nurse said,'She wasn't getting enough air to her brain and that did even more damage than the beating she took.' She came with us after she recovered, but she hates to battle and doesn't handle change well."
"A Pokemon that hates battle?" Ninetails asked sounding surprised. "I never heard of something like that."
"Her first trainer traumatized her pretty bad. Allen thinks she'll never battle again." "That's horrible." Ninetails replied taking another drink.
Dawn nodded and took another few swallows herself trying not to gag on the foul tasting water. After she was satisfied that she wouldn't succumb to dehydration she looked at Ninetails again. "I think we've lingered long enough."
Ninetails nodded her agreement and let Dawn take the lead heading towards the far end of the little courtyard. "How much farther until we get to the train station?"
Dawn paused,"I'm not sure." She looked around and saw a fire escape it was retracted but easily within jumping distance for her. "I'll check wait here okay?" She then made a running jump landing flat pawed on a vertical wall which she back jumped from to land on the metal fire escape.
"That was so cool!" Ninetails called happily.
"You know it." She said smugly leaning on the raised ladder in an attempt to look cooler. At least until the she felt the metal shift under her weight and the ladder went screeching towards the ground stopping a foot or so short of the cobblestone with a deafening metallic klang.
Both Pokemon froze neither daring to even breathe in the uncomfortable silence that followed. After almost three minutes nothing happened and they could hear birdsong echoing from other parts of the city. Dawn visibly relaxed cautiously looking around but seeing nothing. "I think we're okay Ninetails but we should hurry." She called down,"I should only be a minute."
She hastily ran up the escape and on to the structures roof getting a decent view of the city below her. They were about halfway to the station another hour or so and they would be there hitching a free ride on a train. She used this time to double check the route they had planned out before.
She gave a wary glare at the one heavily used street they would have to cross. There were lots of ponies on it and they would not be able to cross it without being seen. She turned back but paused when she saw something odd on the populated street. Squinting she saw a Rapidash casually strolling down the street, normally she wouldn't have looked twice but this one was a shiny with azure blue flames. "Well that's different." She smiled,"Good thing Allen isn't here or he'd be trying to catch the guy."
BAM!!! She flinched the bang of wood on stones. "Quick before it runs away!" A voice cried from the courtyard.
"Get it! Get it! Whoa!!!"
Dawn turned back just in time to see a spiralling vortex of flames pour into the sky. "Shit!" She ran to the edge of the building and saw a half a dozen ponies had surrounded Ninetails and had her tangled in several nets.
"Get that Dragon Cage!" One of the ponies called and in a flash of light one of the horned ponies teleported a large cage between them and Ninetails. The same grayish coloured light that had flashed in the cage appeared around the ropes binding Ninetails tighter and dragging her towards the now opened cage.
"Ninetails I'm coming!" Dawn cried crouching to make a leap from the roof.
"Don't!" The Firetype cried as she continued to struggle,"They're Fairytypes Dawn!" The twisted ropes gave another great heave and Dawn watched as Ninetails was thrown into the cage which swung shut behind her.
"Its beautiful!" A Pegasus mare explained as the grayish aura pulled at and untangled themselves from Ninetails. "Just look at her coat!"
"What makes you think it's a she?" Asked a stallion who pulled her away from the cage. "Just look at her!" What else could be this beautiful and be male!?" She gestured with a hoof.
The stallion chuckled,"Well we have her now. What are we supposed to do with her?"
Another stallion walked up,"Ah hear the Guard are after these thangs , maybe they'll pay us fer it!" The older unicorn glanced down at Ninetails,"Shame I'm retired. This thang here would be worth a fortune!"
"We should take her to the palace and ask Princess Celestia what she knows about these creatures." The mare said.
"I don't think so!" Dawn called as she dropped from the roof, though all the ponies heard was 'Umbreon!'. She landed on top of the cage with a Shadow Claw already powers up and began to tear at it with the ghostly miasma.
"Hey there's another one!" Yelped the older stallion who sparked his horn and grabbed Dawn by the scruff of her neck. "Two for one. I may just come outta retirement with these."
"Ninetails was right!" Said Dawn as she scolded at the stallion,"Fortunately I come prepared for Fairytypes!" She opened her mouth as a silvery light gathered into a small orb. "Flash Cannon!" She aimed at the ground rather than the pony who held her and with a loud boom a huge cloud of dust was flung into the courtyard.
"Whoa nelly!" Cried the older pony as his magic grip was lost.
Dawn dropped the few feet to the cobblestone and rushed to where she could smell Ninetails. "Shadow Claw!" She tried to rip the door from its hinges without success.
"Dawn it's pointless!" The Fire Fox said dismayed. "They said this thing could hold Dragontypes, there's no way we can break it."
"I'm not just gonna leave you!" Dawn snapped.
"They have to open the cage at some point and when they do I'll get away! Stay close follow us maybe this Princess will let me go." She smiled into the dust knowing Dawn couldn't see her.
"The same princess that that psycho bitch was working for!? Not a chance!" Dawn opened her mouth again preparing to use an attack.
"Hang on everypony I'll clear this up." Said the mare and a strong wind came up pushing the dust away.
"Damn!" Dawn cursed.
"Dawn please there's no hope of we both get caught!" Ninetails pleaded.
"DAMMIT!" Dawn screamed as the dust cloud had thinned enough that she could see much more clearly. "I'm coming back for you! You hear me!?"
"Just go!"
"Dammit dammit dammit!" Dawn turned and ran back up the fire escape. "I'll be close!" She called back.
Allen wandered through the streets of Canterlot. He was taking in the sights, stopping to look over a vendor's wares every now and then. Having pleasant conversations and learning more about Canterlot. If he could, it would be great to visit the city again some day. At least that's what it he wanted it to look like and it was working brilliantly. He had suspected that his equine form would be enough to put the ponies at ease. 'I guess I'm only a mild curiosity when aliens invade.'
"Excuse me! Sir?" Called a voice. Allen turned and saw a mare and stallion looking at him. "Can you help us settle a disagreement?"
Allen raised an eyebrow,"You want my help?"
"Ha!" The mare exclaimed pumping her hoof in victory. "Point for me!" The stallion groaned and rolled his eyes.
"Oookaaay." Allen said taking a step back. "What's up?"
The mare looked embarrassed and coughed into her hoof. "Oh! I'm sorry. My friend thought you were one of those creatures that have been everywhere." She motioned with a hoof to the stallion, who was still eyeing Allen like a dangerous predator. The mare jabbed him in the ribs angrily. "Clearly he was wrong and should apologize! Shouldn't you Copper!?"
"Actually he doesn't have to." Allen said with a smile. "The creatures are called Pokemon. And yes I am one." 'Might as well get used to it.'
The mare looked astonished for a second before Copper ribbed her. "What was that about an apology?" He gave her a smug grin. "Told ya."
"But you can talk!" The mare cried drawing a few stares.
The stallion quickly clamped his hoof over her muzzle,"Sandy! Don't be rude!" He then threw a panicked look towards Allen as though he feared that Allen had been offended. "I'm sorry about her. She tends to blurt things out without thinking."
Allen just smiled,"Reminds me of a friend of mine. And to answer the comment about talking. All Pokemon are talking, it's just their own language. My friend Sparkler used a translation spell. It let's you hear what I'm saying in words you understand."
"Oooh." Said the mare. “So that's how you do it."
"If you don't mind my asking." The stallion began, "Why are all you Pokemans here? Where did you come from?"
Allen paused, it was better if he acted like he was clueless about the situation. "Why I can't say. All I know is I was in the middle of a Gym challenge the next thing I know I'm here." He looked between the two ponies. "But I'd bet money that we're not from this planet and something moved us here."
"What could do something like that!?" The mare, Sandy, asked.
"Why would it do that is the better question." Copper added.
Allen shrugged confident that they believed he was none the wiser,"I couldn't say. I'm just looking for my friend."
The stallion seemed to finally relax, "Who are you looking for?"
"Her name is Dawn. We got separated in all this." Allen said gesturing with a hoof at the world at large.
"I'm so sorry to hear that." The mare said hugging the other pony close as though she feared he might disappear. "I would hate to be separated from the ponies I care about."
The stallion nodded and held out a hoof, "I'm Copper Coils." Allen awkwardly shook his hoof and introduced himself. Then Copper gestured to the mare still hugging him. "And this is my marefriend Sandy Shoals."
"Nice to meet you." Allen smiled and nodded to both of them.
"Can we help you look for her?" Sandy offered.
Allen smiled and shook his head,"I appreciate the offer but odds are it will be her brother who finds her."
Nova sat on one of the many benches found near the train station sipping from a half full cup of coffee. The train station had lead passed the same coffee shop as yesterday and Nova and Sparkler had treated themselves at Allen's dime... or bit.
The coffee was already cold but it was one thing he could do that he hoped made him look calm and peaceful. He and Sparkler had tried small talk but he had little to add about the weather or how busy the station was. In the lull that followed in their conversation, Nova had poured most of his attention into his senses, his eyes, ears, and nose. They were working overtime to process the sights smells and sounds. He could hear the mare behind the ticket counter muttering about rude ponies. He could smell that the foal on the other side of the station fussing in its mother's arms needed to be changed.
He slowly turned his head this way and that focusing his eyes on the dark and shadowy places. Though he knew Dawn could be in any shadow it was difficult to remember that she was not in every one. Often he would have to double take to be certain the odd shape in the dark was not his stealthy sister.
After nearly an hour, his hindquarters were asleep and he stood and dropped to all fours, drawing Sparkler's attention. She dropped the magazine she had been reading and jumped up. "Oh is something up Nova!? Did you find Dawn!?"
Nova smiled and shook his head,"No nothing yet. I just need to stretch my legs. I don't like sitting still for too long."
"Oh alright. The magazine was a really old issue anyway." She dropped it on the small table with other bits of literature meant for ponies waiting for their train.
Nova chuckled when he saw the cover,"So then you read Cosmare often then?" He grinned devilishly, having noticed that this world had a thing for puns. Odds were the magazine was basically the same thing as on earth.
Sparkler bought it beautifully too, flushing a shade of red that should have combusted the air. "S-sometimes... No never read one in my life." She gave a defeated sigh. "The only reason I know it was old was because I saw the date on the label."
Nova laughed,"So was there nothing better to read?" He asked setting off at a steady pace with Sparkler a few steps to his left.
"I guess not." Sparkler replied looking around the station nervously.
Nova grinned tempted to tease her but he decided against it, "So miss Sparkler? What is it you do in Fillydelphia?"
The change of subject took a moment to register with her, "Oh! I um. I am a student of Filly University I studied Construct Theory.
Nova raised an eyebrow, "What theory?"
Sparkler brightened and Nova had a moment of terror as he realized he had just opened Pandora's box. "In magic there is a field that revolves around conjuring. The term conjuring can refer to anything shaped coloured or voiced by magic." She paused and lit her horn the cobalt blue aura snaking out and shaping itself like a pony. "This for example is Construction Magic." The little pony reared up and whinnied then ran through the air straight at Nova and through his head.
"That was something." Nova added as the little thing ran out the other side of his head and back to Sparkler.
" As you can see this construct has shape colour and sound. These things are easy to do with magic. But it has no substance that takes more energy and more focus to do." Her horn flashed brighter, and the little phantom pony ran at him again. Only this time, it bounced off the top of his head and fell to the floor.
Nova watched as the phantom pony failed on the cobblestone, the color draining from it and it's shape became harder to define. After a few seconds, the phantom was gone and Nova looked back to Sparkler. "So you're looking for a way to make it easier to give these constructs a physical form?"
Sparkler smiled broadly,"That is exactly what I want to do. Magic could be used for anything! Deep mining operations that are too dangerous for ponies! Exploring inhospitable environments and then there's the potential for medical applications! Artificial organs and prosthetic limbs that only take the smallest amount of magic to maintain!"
Nova smiled, "That sounds like groundbreaking work."
Sparkler nodded as they rounded a corner,"That's the plan to make everyponys lives better."
"Have you made much progress?" Nova asked, genuinely curious.
"Some." Sparkler admitted. "It involves a lot of reorganizing the structure of a spell and Spell Weaving is much more difficult. All that I can make right now are the little things, like the little pony I just used."
"I see." Nova said. "Then what will you do once we're done here in Canterlot?"
Sparkler stopped and cocked her head, “What do you mean?"
"Sparkler, Allen Loki, Dawn and I aren't going back to Fillydelphia." Nova said, "And Allen won't rest until he's certain Penny is safe. After this we're going into the Everfree Forest... Which is in the opposite direction of your town and school."
Sparkler stopped dead,"Oh. Right." She stared at nothing as she worked this over in her mind. 'How could I have forgotten that!?' "Buck!" She cursed out loud. "I'm... not sure."
Nova nodded again and guided her back to the benches. "Allen would tell you to go home and focus on your schooling. But I'm not going to tell you what you should do... that's your choice." He sat back on the bench.
"Thanks Nova." Sparkler said as her mind worked over the puzzle put to her. Should she go back to Fillydelphia and resume her studies, or should she go with Allen and help him find his friends? A silence settled over the pair that would last the rest of the day.
Ninetales was less than pleased. The cage she found herself in had been moved to a small rickety cart and was now being pulled through the city. She disliked all the stares she was getting too. A large group of ponies had gathered around the cart, all of them watching her with mixed emotions. The general consensus was that the group was going to ask the Princess what they should do with her, and many other ponies had joined in, all hoping to have their own questions answered.
"I'm still here Ninetails!" A voice called through the general chatter of the ponies. Ninetales turned just in time to see the glowing red and yellow of Dawn's eyes and ring pattern. Several ponies saw the color in the shadows and just like that the Moonlight Pokemon was gone.
Ninetales smiled knowing that the moment they opened the door Dawn would pounce and free her. "I'll be ready." She said to herself.
The Pegasus mare was walking to the left of the cart watching her,"Don't worry." She said in a soft voice,"Nopony's going to hurt you."
"Ponies have been trying to hurt me since yesterday!" Ninetales countered knowing the mare could understand her.
"You sure like to say Ninetales a lot don't you?" The mare asked with a smile. Ninetales chose to ignore her and just wait. "Aw don't give me the cold shoulder, please Ninetales?" The mare gave her puppy eyes that would make a Growlithe envious.
"Leave me alone." Ninetales replied after almost succumbing to the ploy. She glanced to her right and saw Dawn silhouetted, watching from the top of a building she also noticed that more ponies seemed to be joining the group. She saw dozens of ponies fall in with the group shuffling and bumping into each other to get a look at her. It was also a chance for her to get a better look at the ponies. Most were brightly colored, and the ponies at the head of the growing mob were some of the only ones wearing clothes.
These ponies paused periodically to send hateful scowls in her direction. "Damn Nobles think they're better than us." said one of the ponies only to be hushed by the mare walking next to him.
"Copper not so loud. They might hear you." Warned the mare.
"Sandy don't act so afraid of them." He countered. "There's nothing they can do to us."
"They could buy the building out from under us and evict us from the apartment." The mare replied. "That's what happened to Glitter Burst. It's why she had to move to Baltimare.
The stallion sighed, "Sandy, I love you to death but we keep telling you. Glitter moved because of her job. No pony forced her to leave. The Nobles are just pampered foals who think they're better than everypony else because they were born with money." The stallion raised his voice on the last bit and judging by the furious glares he was getting, none of the ponies up front liked his opinion.
Ninetales watched as the Nobles glared and muttered amongst themselves, yet the bulk of her focus was on the palace. It was beautiful, and nothing like the buildings in Ecruteak with tall towers and massive ramparts.
As the growing mob finally reached the outer gates the ponies up front stopped dead,"Oh no!" She cried, "One of these abominations is in the castle!"
This got Ninetales attention and she pressed her head against the top of the cage to see. Sure enough an Aegislash was barring the gate alone with a few pony guards. As the mob approached the Aegislash moved forward, "You shall not pass!"(1) It boomed, making everypony, guards included flinch.
"How dare you! You vile creature!" Shouted one of the Nobles.
The Aegislash rose a few feet into the air and slammed its blade into the cobblestone then, drug itself through the stone causing an earsplitting screech. "You will not pass." It said calmly. Ninetales smiled as she saw the Noble ponies take a few steps back. She saw the guards at the gate exchange worried looks and one whispered to another.
"Eeeeeeeeeeehhhgggggrrlll!" The ponies all jumped and turned to stare at Ninetales as she began to make the most Arceus awful racket. 'I hope this works.' She began to yip and howl, as the Pegasus mare approached with a look of concern. She jumped with as much force as she could, crashing into the cage making to rattle and shake. As the cage settled she looked and saw the two pony guards watching her. One said something and rushed off as the Aegislash continued to float in front of the main gate.
It only took a few minutes for the Princess to arrive and as the Aegislash moved aside for her Ninetales gasped. Being mildly psychic, even from in her cage she could feel the power that emanated from the Alicorn. It was like what she thought meeting a Legendary would be like, both beautiful and powerful.
The Princess cleared her throat. “My little ponies,” she began. “I understand that you are all unsure of what is happening, and I wish to answer any questions you have to the fullest of my ability. But first, I would ask you to show me the Poké-… the creature, that you have found.”
While missed by the gathered ponies, Ninetales perked up at the phonetic slip. 'She knows what we are! How!?' She was curious now, Dawn had made having a trainer sound like the best thing in the world. In addition, as attuned as Ninetails was, she could sense that Celestia's lifespan was on a similar scale to her own.
A faint sound caught her attention, and she turned to see Dawn standing on the overhang of a nearby roof, watching. With as subtle a motion as Ninetales could, she lightly shook her head trying to tell Dawn to back off.
The crowd shifted as the older Unicorn who had caught her pushed the cage to the front of the group with his magic “Caught it myself,” He said proudly. “Use ta catch critters for them fancy fur coats.” Ninetales eyes went wide and she looked at the older stallion in horror “S’too bad I retired – could’ve made a lot a bits off of this one.”
As the crowd parted he placed the cage at Celestia's hooves,as the Princess finally saw what it held she gasped. “What?” Asked the Fire-type as she stared up at Celestia.
“Could’ve made at least a few coats outta this one, I’d bet.” The stallion said aloud. Ninetales whimpered and tried to move further from the stallion, but the cage stopped her.
“Open it.” Celestia ordered.
“Pardon, your highness?” The stallion asked, not believing what he had heard.
“Open the cage,” She repeated, staring directly at the unicorn. “Now.” An almost cold edge came into her voice as if she were deeply upset but trying hard to conceal it.
The stallion realized the Princess wasn’t joking and walked to the front of the cage where he quickly unlocked the door and let it swung open. Ninetales immediately leapt out of the cage, and hid underneath Princess Celestia.
Celestia’s eyes went wide as the creatures nuzzled her legs affectionately. “Thank you.” she said not caring that the mare couldn't understand her.
“You’re… welcome, little one.” She said with a smile. She turned back to the assembled crowd. “Now I assume you’re here because you have questions about these creatures?”
A murmur of agreement went up from the crowd.
“Then I’ll explain,” The Princess took a moment to gather her thoughts, then explained. “These being are all members of a race collectively known as Pokémon. Due to recent events, an… acquaintance of mine felt it was imperative that the Pokémon be moved to Equestria. I have yet to work out all the details myself, but one thing is clear – the Pokémon are just as intelligent as you or I, and they all have their own special kind of magic. I suggest you treat them as equals and, if you find any that seem to need help, direct them to the city guard. The same goes if you encounter any that are hostile. Do not engage them, just contact the guard.” Celestia finished with a smile. This seemed to appease most of the ponies present including Ninetales former captors.
Save the stallion who had been very open about his opinion of the Nobles earlier “Princess, just what is that thing?” He pointed to Aegislash.
Celestia turned to the Steel-type that floated silently beside her. “This is… one of the Pokémon, they come in many, many forms, and he is... serving as a temporary addition to the palace guard.”
“Greetings, little ponies.” Aegislash said in a friendly tone as if he hadn't been intimidating those same ponies only minutes earlier. Several of the ponies took a few steps back, and most decided that they had most of their questions answered for now and began to leave.
The crowd dispersed and left Celestia at the gate with the Ninetales she had freed.
“Well, I think that went rather well, actually,” Said a white Unicorn that Ninetales hadn't noticed. “It certainly could have gone worse.”
“Yes, I suppose so.” Celestia agreed with a nod. “But what about this?” She gestured to Ninetales now sitting at her side.
“Hi!” She cried happily looking up at the Princess.
“Oh, how sweet,” The mare cooed. “I think she likes you.”
Celestia tilted her head and looked back at the Fox Pokémon smiling up at her. “Wait a moment.” The Princesses horn glowed golden and Ninetales felt some flow into her. “That’s better,” Celestia bent down and looked right into the Pokémon’s eyes. “You realize that you don’t have to stay with me, don’t you? I would have done the same for anyone.”
“But I can stay, can’t I?” Ninetales asked hopefully. “I sorta just evolved and I don’t have a den anymore.” Ninetales had no idea where she was, or what was going on. All she knew was that she was living in the woods near Ecruteak City and the next she was in an alley with Dawn.
Celestia sighed but smiled . “Of course you can stay here, miss....”
“I’m Ninetales,” She answered happily. “Unless you wanna give me a nickname?”
The Princess seemed confused by her answer for a moment “Um, no, that’s alright.” This didn’t deter Ninetales in the least.
“Ok,” Ninetales said happily and fell into step behind the Princess, the mare, and the Aegislash. However, she paused briefly to look back at where Dawn had last been. She was still there but, behind her was the imp like shape of a Gengar. She wasn't sure if Dawn knew it was there but the Moonlight Pokemon made a 'go’ motion with her head. With a smile and a nod she picked up her pace and caught up with the ivory alicorn “What’s your name?”
From her perch on the roof, Dawn saw as the Aegislash cut at the stone beneath it. She smiled when she saw the ponies at the head of the mob lost a great deal of their bluster. She crouched low watching as Ninetales began screaming and thrashing about in the cage that held her, yipping and howling like Yveltal was leering over her.
When the Fire-type started yowling Dawn was ready to pounce then and there, certain that Ninetales was in danger. At least until she saw the guards talking and one of the winged ponies flew into the castle. "Clever girl." Dawn praised with a smile. By raising a racket she made herself look wounded or abused. A perfect ploy for gaining sympathy from anyone with a soft spot for all things cute and furry.
After a few minutes the guard returned with something new in tow. Dawn had never seen anything quite like the ivory alicorn that was opening the gate. A pony taller than any she had ever seen, one who had both wings and a horn, while her wind blew in a wind that wasn't there. She moved with grace and poise, yet radiated with the power and authority of a member of royalty. "No wonder an Aegislash found her." She observed.
The Princess addressed the would-be mob and almost immediately she saw the cage begin to move towards her. As Dawn crouched, ready to run in and help Ninetales escape. At least until she saw Ninetales give her the smallest shake of her head. 'What? She can't want me to leave her here like this!?'
The cage reached the front of the mob and was placed in front of the Princess. She felt a familiar chill run up her spine to which she flicked her ear at annoyed. She watched ready to move until she saw the old stallion that had caught Ninetales hastily open the cage door.
The Fire-type didn't hesitate to take advantage of this and dove under the ivory alicorn who took a moment to console her before addressing the crowd again. After a few tense minutes and an almost comically friendly greeting for the Aegislash, the mass of ponies began to disperse.
Dawn watched as Ninetales and the Princess exchanged words,'Can she understand Pokemon?' She wondered, not aware there was such a thing as a translation spell. She smiled when she saw the Princess turn and walk back through the gate. Ninetales paused on the assent to the palace and turned to smile at Dawn from the distance. Dawn smiled back and made a motion with her head to tell her to 'go on', which after a few moments she did.
Dawn watched until the doors to the palace closed and she could no longer see her friend. The warm smile quickly fell from her face and she scowled behind her, "What Loki!?" She snapped. "And why are you out of your Pokeball?"
Loki laughed,"I missed you too."
"Where's Allen?" She asked not in the mood for the Ghost-types games. She felt her stomach clench when he grinned mischievously as a nearby clock chimed out the hour.
Allen had his ears pinned back as the bells rang for the eleventh time. When the last chime faded he gave a relieved sigh and gingerly lifted his ears. While having the strength and speed of a Pokemon was beyond cool, one big drawback was having heightened senses. He had never imagined that Rapidash had such superb hearing, and being in a loud bustling city like this was not doing him any favours. Normally it wasn't that bad but every now and then something would be too loud for him.
The clock tower was near the palace, and he was only there passing through. Shortly after a brief and extremely vague conversation with Copper Coils and Sandy Shoals there had been some kind of confrontation. From where he was on the street he had seen a massive dust cloud, fearing the worst he had gone to investigate.
After getting lost three times without the aide of the map, he had finally arrived to find an abandoned courtyard. The only sign that a Pokemon was involved was the large scorch mark on the ground. All it told him was there had been a Pokemon here but, not who that mon was or where they went, or for that matter what had happened here. All the scorch told him was a move had been thrown at the ground to make a cloud of dust, most likely to cover an escape.
The trail was ice cold for him, had he had time to learn how to use his new senses, he might have noticed the smells that lingered. Sadly he was none the wiser and wandered off hoping to find someone who had more information. Ultimately that search had lead him closer and closer to the palace. He knew he was pushing the limits of his equine forms ability to blend in with the ponies. However he really didn't care, he was going to find Dawn no matter what it cost him.
Now, standing near the clock tower, he milled about not sure where he should go next. It was only an hour until Arceus made his announcement after that he wouldn't have to worry about the guards. Who would risk angering a god for the sake of some petty vendetta? Without the fear of guards his search party would be able to move freely and he was confident that was when they would find Dawn.
With another glance at the clock he sighed and turned heading back to the market. "I need coffee." He said to himself.
The walk to Mocha Latte's cafe was short and uneventful. Mocha herself was quite pleased to see him as well, mentioning that his friends had been in earlier. Allen had only wanted a tall coffee but when she suggested pasta his stomach betrayed him with a roar akin to Drakarus after a hunt. With an embarrassed laugh he gave in and ordered a meal. As last time the coffee was spectacular and halfway through it, Mocha emerged from the kitchen with a massive plate. The smell alone made his stomach roar again, and he quickly thanked the mare for the meal and began to eat with gusto.
After a few minutes, Allen pushed his now empty plate away with his nose and leaned back in his chair. To say he was stuffed would be one hell of an understatement, Allen couldn't remember the last time he had had a meal so good. Ditzy muffins were in a league of their own but, the sweet, savoury sauce had been delicious.
As Mocha came by and picked up his plate he burped, not overly loud or vulgar, but the mare gave him a sour look. With a sheepish grin he chuckled, "My compliments to the chef." After she returned from the kitchen, Allen finished his coffee and paid his bill. Which was far lower than a meal so good should have cost. As Mocha went to clear his table and he made to leave, Allen spotted a pile of straws and hastily grabbed a bunch in his mouth, stuffing them into his bag for later. 'Gonna need these.'
He was struggling with the flap of his bag as he walk out into the market and noticed how quiet it was. Glancing around he was surprised to find the area virtually abandoned. "Okay that's weird." Allen noted, turning and making for the train station. "I this place is way too quiet." He twisted his ears this way and that picking up various small sounds.
Clop, clop, clop, clop.
"Wait." Allen stopped and twisted his ears, "What is that?" He could hear the sound of many hooves stepping as one. "That's the guards." He said aloud. 'Better not press my luck.'
Allen turned and made to leave the area as he passed down an alley he heard the sounds of a group of ponies. He smiled when he saw the large Luxray and the Earth mare talking with the cafe mare Mocha from the cafe and two other ponies. "Oh that guy. Cool."
His good mood evaporated as a fair number of Guards arrived announcing they were there to arrest the Luxury. The earth mare adamantly refused to hear of it. Allen was sure it was going to turn ugly, the guards were on orders and thought they were in the right. He tensed in his cover, he felt that same warmth in his lungs it seemed to flush up and radiate through his body. 'Doubt I'd be able to muster much flame.'
“We are taking these creatures into custody,” the captain announced. “They are causing disturbances all around the city, so stand aside Miss.”
“Ah’ll do no such thang!” The earth mare said standing defiantly between the guard and Electric-type. “Seth here is mah friend. He has done nothing but help me and ah’ll defend him with everything ah have!”
This seemed to catch the stallion off guard and as he gave the Earth pony opposite him an odd look a Pegasus pony came running up breathless. “Sir, Miss Dizzy Punch reporting. I have an important message from the palace!”
The captain waved a hoof dismissively. “It can wait; I have a dangerous creature to capture!”
Dizzy stammered,“B-but, it’s from-“
“Men! Get ready to deploy the nets!” the captain ordered. “I want this creature bagged and tagged!”
Allen stepped a little more out of the alley his mane billowing,'Bet I can learn Double Kick real fast.'
“An’ ah said you’ll do no such thing!” The Earth pony yelled. “An’ ah reckon I could buck you right into next week iffn’ ya’ll try!”
Allen smiled,'I like how she thinks.' He thought as he saw the two ponies butt heads and he was in the street and moving slowly towards the guards. Though he didn't notice the air around him rippled with the heat he gave off.
“WILL YOU BOTH CALM DOWN!” The captain and earth mare suddenly sat down blinking in surprise. “Right,” Dizzy took a breath and calmed herself down before continuing. “This message comes from Her Royal Highness, Princess Celestia, herself. The message is as such. To all Royal Guard and citizens of Canterlot, the creatures otherwise known as Pokémon, are not to be harmed or captured, unless they enact a violent act first. The Pokémon are currently under Royal Protection Protocols until their reasons for being here have been confirmed.”
Allen grinned and stopped taking a slow breathe,'That didn't take long. Arceus hasn't even made his announcement yet.' He thought taking a few steps back.
The Guard Captain seemed dumbfounded
“Talks have begun between ambassadors from the world these Pokémon hail from, and myself and Princess Twilight Sparkle. We ask that all citizens please be patient for a solution to be found.
"From the office of HRH Princess Celestia!” Dizzy finished reciting the message and nodded, “And that’s it.” The heat was rapidly dropping off as Allen walked back into the alleyway, now they could move freely,"Time to get to work." He trotted down the alley and stepped it onto the next street turned and quickly trotted off in the direction of the station.
It was hard to say what was worse for Ironside when he woke up. The throbbing in his head or or his dry irritated throat. As he rolled onto his back and coughed his throat seared and even with his eyes closed he saw spots. "Uuuuuhhhhgg." He groaned.
Daring to open his eyes he saw mostly darkness and vague shapes that seemed distorted and off center. Blinking a few times he frowned and squinted, was that? "Water!" He croaked lighting his horn and lifting the glass to his lips. He took slow small sips to wet his mouth and parched throat. He only stopped when the water was gone and sighed in relief now that his throat wasn't as tender laying back in the soft cot resting his head on the pillow. "Hang on?"
He shifted and pulled himself into a sitting position wincing as the motion jarred his still pounding head. Looking at his surroundings in greater detail he saw he was in the infirmary. And the shifting shadows where the curtain around his bed. "What the? How did I end up here? ... Amethyst!" He cried causing another surge of pain to spike through his nerves.
"What about Captain Amethyst Edge?" Asked a voice that made Iron jump.
He turned to see the golden eyes of a Thestral watching him,"Grissom!?" Ironside asked shocked and confused. "Grissom what's going on? What's happening?"
"Easy, easy." Grissom said quietly. "I was following Amethyst and found you in the cells. What happened Ironside?"
"Amethyst! She's lost her mind and went after two creatures with a cannon. Then she said they were going to kill all the creatures!" Ironside said breathlessly.
"What!?" Grissom asked shocked. "Kill? Are you kidding me? There's one of those things guarding Celestia's door right now. She just took some Fox thing in and gave standing orders only to engage when hostile."
Iron blinked,"Really? How did that happen? What about what Amethyst said?"
Grissom sighed,"If I had to guess she lied. She already did about the cannon. Told me she had her ponies running drills with them."
"That's a load of road apples." Ironside growled. "She nearly blew my head off with it!" He winced again as another spoke of pain stabbed at him from his own raised voice.
Grissom nodded his agreement, "Why were you in a cell?"
"Because that bitch accused me of treason and relieved me of command." The older stallion said through gritted teeth. "The two creatures had stolen some food and had broken a wall. I went looking for them to see if I could resolve this peacefully. Well they found me with about a hundred or so bits they had."
"They had bits?" Grissom wondered aloud. "Where did they get them?"
"Couldn't say." Iron replied. "They were probably stolen but my goal was to keep things civil. Amethyst saw me take the coins and assumed it was a bribe. Then she tried to beat a confession out of me late last night."
Grissom stood from the chair he had been in, "Then the Princess's need to know about this. You good to go?"
He nodded and ignored the latest stab of pain, "Give me some painkillers and I'll be fine." Then pulled himself out of the bed and was pleased to find his armour waiting for him on the floor beside the bed.
"Hey Dinky! What does it say about this one!?" Pip called from down the street. Drawing Dinky's attention from the Kangaskhan and her cute little cub.
Dinky looked to see where he was and saw another different Pokemon by him. She turned back to the Parent Pokemon,"Thank you Miss Kangaskhan."
The Normal-type smiled,"Not at all. You three have fun." She waved as she went back to her own day surprised to be asked if she could be tagged by a PokeDex.
"Come on Veevee!" The grey filly said excitedly. "Let's go see what Pip found!"
The last two days had been great fun for Dinky and her friends. With the Pokemon showing up and causing so much of a commotion school had been cancelled two days in a row. That meant she, Pip, and Veevee got to spend all of yesterday playing and learning all sorts of things about Pokemon. In Dinky's mind it was like school only so much cooler. The trio had spent all of yesterday running around town with the PokeDex Allen had given her.
Today though Pip seemed to be on a mission. "You wanna be my partner?" He asked the large purple cobra. After hearing about Pokemon training Pip could only think about how cool it would be to do the same thing.
"What!?" The Arbok asked incredulously though Pip couldn't understand him.
"I'm sorry sir." Dinky apologized as she and Veevee caught up to the little colt. "My friend is just really excited." She sparked her horn and levitated up the Dex, "Would you mind?" She asked giving the large snake a pouty look which Veevee mirrored for a super effective Baby Doll Eyes.
The Poison-type never stood a chance and nodded them on, "Go ahead." He sighed,"Jussst make it quick. I'm hunting."
Pip watched the exchange only a little jealous that Dinky could talk to Pokemon and he couldn't. Though he was kinda used to it since Dinky could do a bunch of amazing stuff like long division in her head.
Dinky brought the red device up and after a moment it pinged and the two foals pressed in close to hear about this new Pokemon.
"Arbok. The Cobra Pokemon. This POKéMON is terrifically strong in order to constrict things with its body. It can even flatten steel oil drums. Once ARBOK wraps its body around its foe, escaping its crunching embrace is impossible. They are highly active and tenacious predators with highly potent venom."
"That's so cool!" Pip said jumping up and grinning at Arbok. "So what do you say mate!? You want to be my partner?"
"I could eat you." He replied casually.
"Okay we'll be going now!" Veevee said jumping up and biting Pips tail dragging him away.
"Veevee what's wrong? What did he say!?" Pip protested as he was pushing away.
"Thanks mister." Dinky said cheerfully as she trotted off to catch up with her friends. "Guys! Wait up!"
As she caught up Pip turned to Veevee,"What the hay was that about? How am I supposed to be a trainer if you drag me away from every Pokemon we meet?"
"Because you keep picking things that could and probably would eat you!" Veevee countered. "I promised Miss Ditzy I'd keep you two safe and that's what I'm doing."
"Pip?" Dinky asked. "What would your mom do if you just showed up with a giant snake?"
The little colt stopped and thought about it,"Scream." He answered,"A lot."
"Exactly!" Veevee exclaimed. "You need to find something smaller and younger. Adult Pokemon won't pay much attention to a kid. It was that way on earth too."
"Pip why don't we take a break and go get lunch?" Dinky offered she was feeling pretty hungry and she knew that Veevee was always up for her mom's cooking.
"But I'm not hungry." He protested until his stomach growled and he gave defeated sigh. "Okay."
So far following Loki hadn't turned out to be one of his idiotic pranks. He had claimed he was taking her to Nova, and that they had come to Canterlot to find her. Dawn was getting nervous though, it wasn't like Loki to be this serious or quiet. "I swear to Arceus, if this is one of your dumb ideas of a joke I'll-"
"Believe it or not miss Priss I'm actually just trying to help this time." With a Glare in her direction. "I don't care if you trust me. But trust Allen okay?"
The tone in his voice seemed oddly sincere,'He might actually be telling the truth.' The thought of Loki being honest was such an alien concept to her. He had always been a disaster waiting to happen. She sighed,"Fine."
The distance went by in silence for the two, Loki leading Dawn closer to the train station. As the they turned a corner the blare of a train whistle greeted them. Dawn stopped and looked around, still not comfortable with being out in the open. She quickly spotted the shape of a familiar Fire-type,"Nova!" She yelled happily seeing him sitting at a bench.
His eyes snapped to her even as she ran towards him and he was up grinning," Dawn!? There y- oouhhff!"
He couldn't finish his sentence as Dawn had just Tackled him sending him sprawling onto his back hugging the smaller Dark-type for all he was worth. "Are you okay Dawn!? We heard about the Guard and the cannon! What happened!?"
"I don't know! I just woke up here and there was a Vulpix. And all the food we could find was garbage so I tried to steal a wheel of cheese and the then they started chasing us! After that we got cornered and I may or may not have knocked down a wall." Dawn explained quickly. Then we found some gold and I tried to pay for everything and this crazy Ponyta mare tried to kill us with the cannon and there was a cave in then Vulpix evolved. Then we got out of the caves and Ninetales got caught and taken to some Rapidash with wings that they kept calling Princess." She paused taking a moment to breathe,"And that's where Loki found me."
Nova took a moment to process all this,"You knocked down a wall!?" He asked alarmed.
Dawn blushed and nodded sheepishly,"I thought they were going to kill us."
Nova chuckled,"Well you're here now and you're safe. And I know Allen will be happy to see you."
Dawn glanced around,"Yeah where is Allen? I thought he'd be with you." After a moment she leaned in close,"And why did he let Loki out?"
"That's a bit complicated." Nova said rubbing the back of his head. He glanced to his right and smiled," But first, introductions."
Dawn followed his gaze and saw a unicorn mare standing a few feet away smiling. "Hello."
"Dawn, this is Sparkler she helped Allen and I when we woke up." Nova said gesturing to the magenta mare. "Sparkler, this is my little sister Dawn."
Dawn stepped up to her slowly, so far meeting ponies hadn't been a pleasant experience, but Nova trusted her. She nodded to Sparkler,"Thank you for helping my trainer and brother." She knew it was a futile gesture but-
"Oh it was nothing all that important." The mare said waving a hoof. "He and Nova saved me and my friends from Loki when we met."
"Loki was pulling his Poltergeist impression." Nova added sounding annoyed. "He wasn't actually going to hurt you. He just wanted to give you a bad scare."
"He what!?" Sparkler demanded turning to glare at Loki who was grinning smugly.
"Can?" Dawn began. "Can you understand us?"
Sparkler looked surprised to be asked and it took a moment for her to remember. She had actually forgotten that Pokemon spoke their own language. "Yes I can. I just cast a translation spell and everypony can understand you."
"Translation Spell? I've never heard of that move..." She frowned,"Hang on. You said you have to use it on me? Sparkler nodded to confirm she was right. "Sooo? When did you use it on me?"
Sparkler's eyes widened so much they looked ready to pop out of her head. "I... I didn't yet."
Nova's looked at Sparkler a little confused,"How do you understand her without the spell?"
Sparkler dropped into a sitting position,"I have absolutely no idea."
"Perhaps the Doctor knows the reason?" Nova offered.
"Doctor who?" Dawn asked confused.
"My sister's husband." Sparkler explained. "I bet he's behind this."
"Behind what?" Allen asked as he walked up to the group making Sparkler and Nova jump and the two turned to face him. "Hey I've got good news." Allen went on. "I just heard that Celestia called for the guards to stand down. Now we can search freely again."
"Hey I saw you earlier." Dawn said stepping up and smiling. "You were helping my brother?"
"..." Allen stared wide eyed at Dawn, then he lunged at her wrapping her in a hug. "DAWN!" He exclaimed. "It's you!"
Suddenly finding herself assaulted by a much larger Pokemon Dawn squirmed in his grip. "Get. Off. ME!" She screamed launching a Dark Pulse straight at his chest.
Allen gasped as the force of the move knocked the wind out of him and sent him flying. He landed with a grunt about ten feet away.
"Allen!" Sparkler gasped and ran to help him up.
"Dawn! That was Allen!" Nova shouted. "He's a Rapidash now!"
"What!? That's impossible!" Dawn said looked at the azure maned Rapidash. "How can he be a Pokemon!?"
Allen wheezed as Sparkler helped him to his hooves,"That's... a really long.... story."
Dawn stared at him for a few seconds before she stared to tear up,"Allen?"
He gave her a pained smile," Yeah, it's m- "
BOOOMM
There was no warning as an unbearably loud explosion ripped through the relative quiet of the station. The shockwave was only a few seconds behind and the city rumbled like an earthquake knocking everyone off their feet.
His ears were a constant high pitched ring as Allen tried to pull himself to his hooves."Wha ha uh?" His voice was muted in his ears and he looked out in the direction of the blast. A massive dust cloud hung over the distant Everfree Forest, there was only one though that ran through his mind. 'Drakarus.'
"Oh hey there's another one!" Pip exclaimed and was about to run up to a new kind of Pokemon.
"Pip come on." Dinky whined. "I'm hungry."
"Oh come on! Just look at that one!" Pip argued turning back to the strange creature. "I wonder what this one's called?"
"Scizor." The dark red Pokemon answered.
"Oh that's so cool. Come on Dinky please just one more? Your house is right there we can do this one and go eat I promise!"
"Sciz?"
Dinky sighed and walked towards the Pokemon bringing up the PokeDex. "Okay. Do you mind?"
The Scizor smiled,"Not at all."
The PokeDex pinged and brought up a general summary,"Scizor the Pincer Pokemon. Scizor has a body with the hardness of steel. It is not easily fazed by ordinary sorts of attacks. This Pokemon flaps its wings to regulate its body temperature. It swings its eye-patterned pincers up to scare its foes. This makes it look like it has three heads."
"Pokemon are so cool." Pip said with a big grin. "So Scizor do you want to be my partner?"
Dinky and Veevee groaned,"Not again." However they were relieved when the Bug-type shook his head. "Thank Celestia." Dinky said grabbing the small colt's tail with her magic and dragging him in the direction of her house. "Now come on Pip I'm hungry."
"Why can't I find a Pokemon like you did Dinky? What did you do to convince Veevee to go with you?" Pip asked frustrated that he was hitting the same wall over and over again.
"I didn't do anything." Dinky admitted "I found her and played with her a little then asked mommy if I could keep her."
"It's just nice to have friends." Veevee added,"I had a bunch of brothers and sisters at the daycare but none of them liked to play with me."
"How many brothers and sisters do you have anyway?" Dinky asked genuinely curious. "I remember you mentioned it in Fillydelphia."
"Almost a hundred." Veevee answered.
"A hundred!?" Pip exclaimed and Dinky was wide eyed.
"How can you have so many?" Dinky asked.
They had reached the front door and Dinky was using g her magic to open it as Veevee began to explain," I asked my mamma once and she said our trainer was-"she stopped and her eyes went wide," Look out!" She screamed leaping at the two foals out of the blue, pinning them under her.
BOOOOOMM!!! Just as a colossal explosion went off deep in the Everfree. Dinky screamed as the shockwave came a fraction of a second later slamming the open door shut so hard the frame cracked and all the windows in Ponyville shattered. Shingles were ripped from roofs and several trees had their branches cleared of leaves. If Veevee hadn't sunk her claws into the ground the gale force winds would have sent her and the foals flying.
The air had become strangely still as Veevee pulled herself off of the foals. Pip was holding Dinky as she started to cry into his shoulder and he looked up with terror,"W-wh-what... what was that?" He asked shakily.
"I'm not sure." Veevee answered. 'If it wasn't for Detect I never would have saw it coming.' In the eerie silence she could hear confused cries from other places in town and the sound of frantic hooves on wood.
The door swung open and The Doctor came charging out Ditzy a few steps behind him. "Dinky!" He cried the moment his eyes fell on the little filly still crying into Pip. He scooped the two foals up and hugged them desperately,"Are you two alright!? Are you hurt!?"
"I- I- I'm- okay daddy." She croaked out trying to reign in her sobs.
"Sir!" Pip said his own eyes watery from trying to keep from crying himself. "If- Vee- vee hadn't- she saved us!"
Before she could blink, the Normal-type found herself scooped up in a hug of forelegs and feathers. Ditzy kissed her forehead,"Thank you Veevee. I don't know how you did it but thank you so much for making sure my muffin was safe."
"I... I..." Veevee stammered and blushed as she got another kiss.
Dinky and Pip were beginning to calm down now and the Doctor gently set them on the ground.
As he did Dinky blushed and pushed Pip away,"Um, thanks."
Pipsqueak blushed a little as well,"Oh! Um, sure."
The Doctor and Ditzy exchanged knowing smirks at the pair suddenly being so bashful. Then the Doctor glanced inside through the open door,"I better send a message to Canterlot about this."
Ditzy placed Veevee back on the ground and frowned,"I'll get started on cleaning this mess up. I wonder what caused it."
"Likely a Pokemon." The Doctor observed glaring at the distant Everfree. "The Princesses and Arceus are probably already there."
Had Amethyst been focusing on how fast she was actually flying, she might have been amazed that she didn't do a sonic Rainboom. She panted and gasped as she winged her way to the palace repeating in her mind over and over again,'This is it! This is it! This is it!' She felt almost giddy as she landed at the gates and galloped inside.
The palace was a mob scene as the Nobles all crowded around the doors to the throne room, held at bay by nearly a dozen guards. One of whom spotted her,"Make a hole!" He bellowed. He saluted as Amethyst walked through the parted crowd,"Captain Amethyst Edge. Princess Luna is expecting you. The other captains are already inside."
As Amethyst walked through the door that one guard held open for her, the crowd began to complain. "Stand back please. The Princess will see you as soon as she is done meeting with the heads of the Guard. She'll answer your questions then."
Amethyst ducked inside pushing the doors closed behind her. She turned to Luna and bowed,"Forgive me for being late your Highness. This catastrophe had me up late last night."
"Indeed." Luna said a hard edge to her voice. "Captains Ironside and Grissom were just giving us the details."
Amethyst's head shot up and she saw that Ironside was in fact present and giving her a Glare that almost rivaled Princess Luna's. She flared her wings,"Who let you out of your cell!?" She demanded before turning to Luna,"Please forgive this your Majesty. I'll have this traitor returned to the dungeon where he belongs."
"Thou art the only traitor this day! If anypony is destined for the dungeon it is you Amethyst Edge!"" Luna bellowed in the Royal Canterlot Voice. "Thou hast far overstepped your bounds!"
"What!?" Amethyst gasped. "How can you say that!? He was taking bribes from those monsters! I was trying to stave off the invasion!"
"Fool! There is no invasion! The beings whom you hath persecuted are fleeing from their own world!"
Amethyst eyes widened,"What? That's impossible! Th-they're here to take Equestria from us!"
"Nay, thou hast been consumed by paranoia and hast abused thine authority! As of this moment thou art hereby dismissed, pending a formal hearing." She turned to Ironside, and in a softer voice said,"Captain, please accept my sincerest apologies for this horrid miscarriage of justice." Then she turned to Grissom," And as for you Captain Grissom without your observations this blind bigotry may have gone unnoticed and brought doom upon us all."
Ironside gave a small bow,"You have nothing to apologize for Highness."
Grissom flushed a little under the praise,"Just doing my job Princess."
Luna nodded before her face hardened and she turned to face Amethyst. Who was still rooted to the spot unable to believe what she was hearing. "Amethyst? Have you anything to say for you actions?"
She stared up at Luna and opened her mouth to speak,"..." Then closed it again saying nothing.
Luna sighed,"Very well then. Lieutenant!" She called and a large earth stallion stepped up with a pair of hoof cuffs. There were three more ponies behind him one with a pair of wing restraints. The other two walked up and grabbed her from each side warning her not to resist. To everyponies surprise she didn't she was quickly cuffed and her wings were bound to stop her from flying away. "Please escort Amethyst Edge to a cell. I am certain my sister and I shall be wanting to speak with her soon."
"Traitor." Amethyst muttered.
Luna flicked her ears,"What? Speak up."
"Traitor!" Amethyst shrieked at a volume nearly comparable to the Royal Canterlot Voice. "You! Your siding with these monsters! You'd just hoof Equestria over to them without a fight! Your scum! You're going to let them destroy us! Your not any different at all, you're still Nightmare Moon!" Amethyst spat throwing the worst insult her addled mind could think of
"SILENCE!" Luna bellowed nearly rendering everypony else deaf. The ponies present took a few steps back from Amethyst not wanting to get caught in the crossfire. Luna scowled,her lips pulled back in a fearsome snarl and her horn flashed and sparked. For a moment no one dared to breathe, but then Luna took a deep breath and let it out extending her foreleg. Her horn dimmed and the hard look on her face shifted to a more neutral expression. "Get her out of my sight." She whispered.
As the guards grabbed Amethyst, who had begun to scream and thrash against her restraints, a scroll arrived via Dragonfire. Luna grabbed the scroll in her magic, allowing herself a small smile when she saw the hourglass wax seal. "Ah a message from the Doctor."
Grissom leaned over to Ironside,"Doctor who?" The older stallion just ribbed him and went back to focusing on Luna.
She broke the seal and opened the scroll, it didn't take long for a new frown to appear. "T'would seem that Discord's battle with Zygarde has caused some damage to Ponyville as well." She turned to a earth pony who had been quiet throughout all of this,"Captain Eastwood? I want you to organize a relief effort. From this note the bulk of the damage appears to be broken windows."
"The stallion bowed,"I reckon I can do that. Will that be all?"
"Indeed, you have been briefed on the situation so far. Should you require additional hooves just ask." Luna said.
Eastwood smirked,"Thankye Princess but my engineers are the best. We can have Ponyville fixed up by tomorrow."
"Then you are dismissed." Luna replied with authority. The Captain left without another word. Luna then turned to Ironside,"And as for you Captain. I am ordering you to go home for the day, go be with your loved ones."
"Princess!" Ironside protested,"There a major crisis going on you need everypony on board to handle it."
Luna smiled,"Your dedication is most admirable. However as I said this is an order. You deserve a day to rest after what has happened. The situation will keep until tomorrow."
"I..." Ironside wanted to argue to dispute the order but the determination in Luna's eyes left no room for it. He sighed,"Thank you your Highness. I guess I will see you tomorrow." He walked from the room.
Luna watched him go with a small smile and then turned to the other assembled Captains,"You have all been briefed on the situation. I and my sister are counting on you to be a better example to the citizens of Canterlot. Go and help remove the stain Amethyst has placed on the Royal Guard!"
They all saluted and said as one,"Yes your Highness!" They turned and filed out of the throne room.
"Captain Grissom!" Luna called as he was about to walk out the door. "I would speak with you a moment." Grissom raised an eyebrow but closed the large wooden door before returning to Luna with a curious look.
Luna sighed,"Grissom I want your honest answer. What is your opinion of the Pokemon?"
He shrugged,"I don't know any of them well enough to have an opinion Princess. That was Amethyst's mistake. She saw one or two Pokemon cause trouble and made an assumption about all of them. You can't judge a group by the actions of an individual."
"Well said," Luna nodded. "However, I am curious. Would you work with a Pokemon to keep the peace?"
"As long as they were dedicated to the cause I don't see why not." Grissom raised an eyebrow,"Do you know some Pokemon that want to join?"
"Not yet." Luna answered. "However, if the rest of his kind are anything like young Gene. I do not doubt we will soon." She gave Grissom a serious look,"I believe forming a Pokemon Task Force would be prudent. I intend to broach the subject with my sister once she returns from her meeting with Lord Arceus."
Allen paced impatiently,"I feel like I'm stuck in a loop." He grumbled. "Stuck waiting for a train." After the tremor the city had been in a panic and the trains had to be delayed while they checked the tracks for damage. This meant that while he had found Dawn safe and none the worse for wear, they were now basically trapped in Canterlot. Which was not an ideal situation as he was willing to bet every bit he had that one way or another Drakarus was involved.
"Huh?" Dawn asked not understanding.
"Allen was doing this in the town we're going to." Nova explained before he reached out to scratch the top of Dawn's head. He leaned in and whispered,"He was worried out of him mind by the way." Then he winked.
Dawn flushed and shook her brother off,"So? You guys woke up in a place called Ponyville? How did you know I was here?" There was no way Nova could have smelled her from that kind of distance and Allen was still unsure how to read what his newly heightened senses told him. "Come to think of it." She said leaping onto Allen's back as he passed by again. He stopped and stared at her as she got in his face. "How exactly did you turn into a Rapidash? And why are you blue?"
Allen chuckled,"It's kind of a long story. But um, turns out Arceus isn't a myth after all." Dawn gasped and reeled back in shock forgetting she was standing on him. When her back paws slipped off of Allen's hindquarters she instinctively dig in her claws for traction drawing shallow scratches along his right shoulder. "Ahhhhhhah." Allen hissed as he strafed away. "Come on Dawn you know you're too big to scarf anymore!"
She ducked her head,"Sorry Allen. I just... Arceus did this?"
He was frowning at the thin red lines that were running down his shoulder as he nodded. "I couldn't believe it either when I first heard it. I admit I always thought he was just a myth. Like that one creepy legend about a Pokemon that only drank Gogoat blood. What did they call that thing?"
"Chupachu? Something like that." Nova shrugged. "I don't remember."
"Anyway Arceus was the one who brought us here and made me into a Pokemon. As for the blue... well he said it was some kind of mutation that changed me to a new type of shiny." "New type?" Sparkler asked.
"Shiny Rapidash have a silvery grey flames instead of blue." Allen explained. "I saw a shiny Ponyta in the contest circuit a few years back."
Dawn jumped in front of his face again,"What do you mean 'He said"? Did you talk to Arceus!?"
"Not only did we meet Arceus and a bunch of other Legendary's." Nova chuckled. "But our oh so brilliant trainer thought it would be a good idea to use Flare Blitz and FIre Spin on him."
Dawn was dumbfounded,"You attacked god!?"
"Yes." Allen answered with a smug grin. "Yes I did." In the distance he heard the clock tower start chiming again signaling that it was noon.
"I don't understand." Dawn said shaking her head,"Why would Arceus do something like this? What's the point of pulling us away from earth?"
Allen's ear twisted back to face her as the last peel of the bells sounded,"It would probably be easier to let him explain that."
"What?" Dawn asked confused.
Allen held up a hoof and glanced at the sky,"Wait for it."
Dawn saw Nova roll his eyes and Sparkler looked equally disappointed. "Allen what are you doing?" She asked, her trainer could be such a goofball sometimes.
He ignored her and continued to glance at the sky expectantly,"Any second now."
"You are such a-" She would have called him a weirdo but a voice from the sky cut her off.
"Greetings citizens of Equus, new and old. I am Lord Arceus creator of the Pokemon realm."
"There it is!" Allen said with a laugh.
“Goodbye for now, though I doubt this will be the last you hear of me, and peace to you all.”
The voice went silent and the cells returned to their usual level of quiet. Amethyst Edge sat on the cod stone practically hyperventilating, staring at nothing. "We have... to... fight back!" She gasped loudly. "That... monster will... destroy us all!
"Hey keep it down in there!" The one guard on duty shouted from her chair. A low ranking corporal. "I'm trying to read! Bad enough some god interrupts me, not gonna deal you too."
Amethyst paid her no mind and threw herself at the bars, pulling hard on the collar that kept her chained to the wall. "They'll destroy us all! Destroy us all! Destroy us all!"
The mare slammed down her book,"That's it! I'm aloud to sedate you, you know!" She got up from her chair having to pin her ears back to drown out Amethyst wails. She opened a metal cabinet labeled Emergency. Inside were a dozen packaged syringes each filled with enough tranquilizer to knock out anypony. The mare held one in her teeth as she walked up to the still shrieking mare," on't ake ee oos iss."
Amethyst didn't stop and continued to pull on her collar, the guardsmare could already see she had cut herself from the collar. She was reaching for her keys when the door to the dungeon opened and a Pegasus stallion walked in. The Guard spit out the syringe,"Hey your not aloud down here!" To her surprise Amethyst stopped shrieking, but continued to struggle in her irons.
"Oh terribly sorry." The stallion said in an accent that told her he was from Trottingham. He had a pale cream coloured coat and his mane and tail were carbon black he was also wearing a loose silk shirt as black as his mane. He had a small well trimmed mustache and goatee, and a pair of sunglasses that kept her from seeing his eyes. "I was with the tour group and got turned around." He slid his glasses down and he glanced around through bright orange eyes. "Where exactly am I?"
"The dungeons." Mare sighed. "Fine, I'll lead you back once i take care of her." She leaned down to pike up the syringe again and paused. "Wait a second!" The mare cried glaring at the stallion,"All the tours have been cancelled with the crisis!" She would have grabbed her spear but it was by her chair and book, behind the stallion. "Who are you and how did you get down here!? You're under arrest!"
"Well," he said with a smile. "At least now I can say I had a reason." Before she had a chance to process what he said the stallion flared his wings and streaked towards her. He drew a small dagger from his sleeve and in one stroke slit the mares throat.
She gasped and choked, bringing her hooves to the deep gash that all but stayed her blood on the stones. He casually pranced around her as the puddle of blood spread. Once clear of the growing pond he wiped his blade on the dying mare's coat. "It was inevitable, but at least you made it fun." He then turned to Amethyst,"Well you've got yourself in a fine predicament don't ya?"
Amethyst stared at the dead mare as she laid face down in her own blood,"Who are you?" She asked in a hoarse voice.
"Well take care of the introductions another time luv." He grinned a charming smile, as though he hadn't just murdered somebody. "The real question you should be asking is why am I here." He gestured around,"I mean here I just broke into the Canterlot dungeons. One of the most heavily guarded areas on the planet and killed a Royal Guard. What could possibly be in this room that a bloke like me could want?"
Amethyst was no fool she had figured out his meaning. He was here for her,"Well?" She asked,"Now that you have my attention, What do you want from me?"
"Oooooooohoho!" He laughed pleased. "Your a sharp one you are! Let's just say I represent a pony who wants to put an end to this Pokemon nonsense. But the thing is this Arceus is powerful and we can't fight him alone. So who do we asked to help us? How about the beings who hate him just as much?"
"You hate him?" Amethyst asked dubiously. "Why?"
The smug smile dropped from the stallion's face,"That's my own business. But what about you? Huh? Look at the mess you're in because of that conceited beast. Stripped of your titles and honor, betrayed by the very ponies you had sworn to serve. It's so tragic."
"Cut the crap!" Amethyst snapped. "If you want me to fight for you just say so!"
The stallion shook his head,"Oh no, we don't want you to fight for us. We want to give you the power to fight for yourself."
Amethyst's ears perked up,"I'm listening."
The stallion grinned,"I bust you out and take you to my colleague and let him do what he does best. Then bam! You're a one mare army. Cuz these things are the worst sort of pests. They'll breed and flourish and spread to every corner of creation like cockroaches. Unless they're stopped." He gave her a dead serious look,"Unless the ponies like you care enough to stop them."
Amethyst was quiet for a long time so long that the stallion as beginning to think she would say no. Then slowly she stood,"I'm in."
He grinned,"Good choice." He reached into the folds of his shirt and removed a thin metal tube and pointed it at the cell door. There was a strange whirring sound and the lock on the door popped open. "There we are." He then pointed it at her collar and a few seconds later it too snapped open.
Amethyst flexed a little and rolled her shoulders then rubbed at the sticky scabs on her neck,"So how do you plan on getting us out?" She walked out of the opened cell door and fluttered over the cooling corpse.
"Oh that part's easy." He said as he reached down and grabbed the dead mare by the leg and pulled her body into the cell. Then he set about striping her armour off. "That should do it." He reached into the folds of his shirt again and removed a small box wired to two elongated bricks of clay. He smashed it into the stone floor and pressed a small red button. He walked out of the cell and casually kicked it close,"And that ties up the loose ends."
He smiled at Amethyst who was staring at the dead body in the cell. "Don't fret. Once we leave they'll think you're dead." He brought his right foreleg up to his muzzle, revealing a strange metal band on his fetlock.
After a moment a harsh metallic voice came out of it,"Communications established! Channel secured!"
"We're ready down here. Bring us up!" The stallion said.
"Wait!" Amethyst said.
The stallion sighed,"Hang on. What now?"
"You know who I am." She said evenly,"But I still don't know who you are."
He smiled,"Call me... The Master." Amethyst considered it briefly and nodded. He spoke into the band again,"Now we're all set down here."
"Understood! Standby!"
There was a bright flash and they vanished leaving the cell block empty. Several seconds later the dead mare's cell erupted in fire so hot that it melted the stone floors and warped the iron bars. The flames rolled through the whole block weakening as they went until they petered out and vanished. Later all that would be found would be the partial and mostly burned remains of a pony, in the cell that was supposed to belong to Amethyst Edge.
"Finally!" Allen sighed as he relaxed into a bench on the train.
"We aren't leaving yet Allen." Dawn reminded him choosing to sit on the carpeted floor in front of his bench.
"We found you and we're on the train. I'll call today a win thank you."
"You're awfully cocky." Loki noted from where ever he was this time. "For all you know a Buffolant could knock over the train or something."
"What!?" Sparkler asked alarmed. "What could knock over the train!?"
"Don't sweat it Sparkler." Nova said. "Loki just likes to hear the sound of his own voice."
"Quit spoiling my fun Charcoal Brain!" Loki snapped becoming visible and glaring down at Nova.
"How about I burn you back to the afterlife?" Nova threatened.
Dawn sighed as they began to bicker,"Oh would you two just kiss and get it over with already!"
"What!" Nova and Loki screamed simultaneously.
Allen sighed,'One big happy dysfunctional family.' "Alright!" He called. "That's enough. Nova! Loki settle down. Dawn you know better than to rile them up."
"I have not yet begun to annoy!" Loki announced, holding up one of his small hands like a politician making a declaration before phasing out of sight.
Sparkler chuckled,"Pretty easy to tell you're a family."
"Loki's like an annoying little brother." Dawn laughed.
"We should be worried about him." Nova added.
"He'll be fine." Allen said. "He's still annoying as hell but I seriously doubt he'll pull anything." He reached down with a hoof and rubbed the top of Dawn's head she closed her eyes and leaned into the petting. The train's bell started to ring and he heard the conductor call "All aboard!". A few seconds later the car rocked as the locomotive began to push itself forward.
Just as the passing scenery turned to Rocky mountain rather than sprawling city, Dawn jumped up and placed a paw on the side of Allen's muzzle. "Uhh, Dawn what are you doing?"
"It's gone." She said surprised. "I thought it might have been under your fur but it's just gone."
"What's gone?" He asked confused.
"Your scar." She said.
From the spot under the window Nova's head shot up and he scrutinized Allen's face,"I'll be damned. It is gone."
Allen brought a hoof up and ran it along the length of his muzzle. As a human he had had a small scar about two inches long on his cheek. He had had it for as long as he could remember, it had faded over the years but was always there. Now however his face was free of such a blemish. "Whoa."
"You had a scar?" Sparkler asked. "How can a scar just disappear?"
"It must have something to do with when Arceus made me into a Pokemon." Allen reasoned after a moment a thought clicked with him. "It kinda makes sense. What if a person he changed had some crippling disease? Why would they still have to have that disease as a Pokemon?"
"You think Arceus healed the maimed and badly injured before he brought them here?" Sparkler asked.
"He must of." Allen replied. "Why did we not notice until just now? I've looked at my reflection a couple times since we got here."
"I don't think it was that important." Dawn said. "It was something we all were used to and basically blind too. You see someone with a scar everyday after a while you stop seeing it and just the person."
"Hmmmm neat." Allen said with a smirk.
After the train had begun to run down the mountain, Dawn looked up at Allen. "So do you have a plan once we get to this Ponyville?"
"According to Arceus, we'll find Drakarus in Ghastly Gorge." He explained. "And judging by the maps the Doctor showed me, that's in the southern part of a forest called the Everfree."
"Doctor who?" Dawn asked confused.
"My sister's husband." Sparkler explained not quite able to keep the sour tone out of her voice.
"And," Allen added. "Apparently a time traveling alien."
"What?" Dawn deadpanned. "Have you been reading those Sci-fi books again?"
"I am being dead serious." Allen answered. "Guy has a time machine. Nova, Loki and, I had to fight some insane Nightmare pony! What was her name again?" He asked turning to Sparkler.
"Nightmare Moon." Sparkler replied. "Which reminds me. My sister said the things with the Doctor are all classified. So don't just go around telling it to everypony you know okay."
Allen saluted with a hoof, "Can do."
"And Allen I-" she started to say but stopped and shook her head. "Nevermind, It can wait until we get to Ponyville."
"You sure?" Allen asked raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah it's not that important." She said with a small smile that Allen clearly didn't buy. However much to her relief, he let it go.
"Alright if you say so." He said softly and leaned further into his bench.
'I'll have to tell him soon though.' She fretted silently as she noticed Nova watching her out of the corner of his eye. She just shook her head slightly. He sighed and closed his eyes after a few minutes he was snoring.
"I swear." Dawn joked,"He could sleep through anything."
Knock, knock, knock
"I'll get it!" Ditzy said as she got up from the kitchen table. Dinky, Pip and, Veevee looked up from their lunches. The door to the hall lead Allen straight to the front door, which was being held up by a chair that had been pushed against it. The reason being that after being used three times the cracked frame had finally broken meaning the door was not connected to the house anymore. So when the pony on the other side knocked again as she pulled the door away it fell free and crashed to the floor making everyone jump.
"Oh! Ah'm so sorry Ma'am." An older stallion stood attention the threshold, dressed in the armour of the Lunar Guard.
"It's nothing to worry about." Ditzy answered. "It was already broken."
"Ah see." The Guard said clearing his throat. "Ah'm Captain Eastwood. We've been sent from Canterlot ta survey an' repair the damage caused by the 'splosion earlier today."
"Wow you guys move fast!" Pip said from the kitchen.
"Eastwood chuckled,"Mah job ta move fast son." He turned back to Ditzy,"If'n it's not too much trouble ma'am, ya mind if we look around to see wat needs replacin'? We've only done bout a tenth o' the town and ah want to get started soon as our supplies get in on the next train."
"Not at all." Ditzy said stepping aside for him and the other two ponies who followed him. "Would you like some tea?"
"No thankye ma'am. We're on a tight schedule." One was a unicorn mare who immediately began to write down notes on what this building needed. The other two moved through the house calling out broken windows. The foals weren't even done with their meal by the time Ditzy was following them back to the door.
Eastwood gave her a small bow,"Thankye kindly ma'am. We'll be back in an hour or so and get started."
"No thank you so much for getting here to help us so fast." Ditzy said with a smile.
Eastwood smiled back,"Just doing our duty ma'am."
As they walked away Ditzy squeaked in surprise as a pale grayish aura surrounded the door and chair. The moved two moved back into the position they were in before the guards had arrived. "That was nice of her."
"Nice of who? Did I miss company?" The Doctor asked as he walked into the kitchen from the backdoor.
"Yeah!" Dinky said excited. "Some Lunar Guard were just here to see what needs fixing."
"Really?" The Doctor asked surprised. "Well that was quicker than I expected." He smiled at Dinky before turning to Ditzy. "How long do they think it would be?"
Ditzy turned and walked out of the kitchen and into the sitting room the Doctor behind her. "He said they were just looking at how bad it was. But their supplies are supposed to be on the next train."
"Oh brilliant!" The Doctor said, sitting in his favourite chair only to yelp and jump up again a small shard of glass poked into his flank.
Ditzy giggled, as she plucked the sliver out with her teeth and spit it into the trash. "And what about you?" She asked,"What have you been up to all day?"
"Going over the TARDIS systems. You know there were things on it that never worked but do now?"
"Like what?" Ditzy asked laying down on the sofa.
The Doctor smiled and laid down next to her,"Like that the Voice Interface can be used as a help menu to change the desktop layout." He sighed happily as Ditzy rested her head on his shoulder,"And it turns out she's got Course Correction and a Temporal Homing Beacon."
"Course Correction sounds like it should make our next trip smoother." Ditzy said. "That last trip was pretty bad."
"Well I don't think anypony could have predicted a god from another dimension to show up with a few billion people in tow." The Doctor smiled. "But yes. Our next trip will be much much smoother."
"Mommy we're done with lunch can we go play some more?" Dinky asked as she trotted into the room with Pip and Veevee behind her.
"Of course Muffin. But why don't you play in the backyard for the rest of today? 'One close call is more than enough.' She added silently.
"Okay!" The filly replied happily spinning on one hoof so she faced Pip, poking him in the nose. "Tag! Your it!" She then galloped away giggling Veevee not far behind.
Pip hesitated and the Doctor laughed,"You'd better go get her!" The colt laughed and was off like a shot. The Doctor chuckled,"So how long before Pip realizes he has a crush on Dinky?"
"I'd perfer a few more years." Ditzy admitted. "I want her to stay my Muffin a little longer."
The Doctor chuckled,"Oh she'll be your muffin forever!" He turned and kissed her forehead. "But their growing up together in a world that's about to change forever. They'll be stuck to each other like glue. But I would still give it a while, they're both still young by pony standards."
Ditzy smiled and began to giggle,"Everyponies young by Time Lord standards." She laughed,"Mister nine hundred and thirty."
"Oiy!? You calling me old?" He asked in mock insult.
"Nope." She replied with a smug grin. "You say it every time a bad guy shows up." She then jumped off the sofa and posed heroically, then did a very bad imitation of his voice and accent. "I am the Doctor! I'm ten qiuntillion years old! I've been to the end of the universe and fought armies with a bar of chocolate and a very cross squirrel! Don't mess with my planet!"
"Pfft haha haha!" The Doctor started to laugh so hard he fell off the sofa,"Oh! That is too cute!"
Ditzy reached over and grabbed his Sonic Screwdriver and sang,"~Sonic, sonic, sonic, sonic.~" She lightly tapped it on the table,"It doesn't do wood!"
The Doctor was clutching his ribs at this point gasping for breath. "I can't haha breathe! Hahaha. I'm gonna pee!" She laughed and went to help him up and was surprised with a hug that she gladly leaned into.
"Best muffins EVER!" Dawn said biting into another one of Ditzy's baked goods. Mind you it was her fourth and her cheeks were comically overstuffed so it came out more like,"Eeeff uffffih EEEFFRR!"
Allen and Sparkler laughed at her enthusiasm. As they had started off the mountain Sparkler had started passing out muffins. Dawn jumped at the offer saying she hadn't had meal since Earth. Now she was happily munching them as quickly as possible.
"Are you sure you're not related?" Sparkler asked Allen. "She eats like you."
"Hey are you calling me fat?" Dawn asked with her cheeks still half stuffed with muffin.
"No it's just that Allen ate like twelve when he first had them." She said trying not to laugh at her chubby looking face.
"I had just been in a battle for the first time." Allen defended. "And the fact that they were so good didn't help either."
"So you battled?" Dawn asked then glanced at Nova who was munching on his second muffin. "How did he do?"
Nova held up a paw as he finished chewing and swallowed. "He missed everything, threw himself into a blind rage and caused a massive amount of damage to himself."
"Hey!"
"What!? Unbelievable." Dawn said looking disappointed. "We'll have to train him."
"My thoughts exactly." Nova agreed.
"Hey how bout that I fought a demi-god and didn't die!"(1) Allen challenged with a smug grin.
Nova chuckled,"Granted he used high level moves on the fly. But that feat would be more impressive had he actually beaten his opponent."
"Well." Dawn stated. "We'll just have to make a Mon out of him."
"You know the irony of the situation is not lost on me." Allen chuckled. "So where do we begin?"
"First my patawon." Nova began with a grin, he'd been waiting to use that one. "You must learn how to use your flame and when not to use it."
Allen turned to Dawn,"He's gonna do this for the whole thing isn't he?"
Dawn just nodded,"Oh yeah."
"Great." He groaned, glancing out the window to see that the train was now rushing through stands of trees and open crop fields. "We should be there soon."
"Captain Eastwood! The train with our supplies just arrived!" The lieutenant said quickly as he stood at attention and saluted.
"Thankye." He said rubbing on his ears. "Care to explain why yer shoutin'?"
The young stallion faltered," Um, sorry sir."
He looked him over once,"Yer one o' the volunteers from Amethyst's Division ain't ya?"
At the mention of the former captain his expression darkened,"With respect sir, I'd rather not talk about it. I just want to help."
Eastwood nodded,"After what happened it ain't that surprisin'. If'in y'all excuse me Miss Mayor." He turned back to the mayor they had been looking over the repair effort together. "Time fer us to go to work."
"Not at all Captain." The Mayor said smiling.
Eastwood nodded again and left with the lieutenant heading for the station. He smiled when he arrived and saw most of his Division already there and off loading dozens of crates and pallets of shingles. He saw his second in command, Lieutenant Wash, giving out orders and assigning work details, never taking her eyes of her clipboard. He stepped back and watched as his Guards did what they did best and began to scatter throughout Ponyville; there were already a few houses being worked on.
"So Wash what's the story?" He asked as another detail was given their assignments.
"Can't say there really is one sir." Wash said turning to face him but was still staring at her clipboard. "The materials we've requisitioned should be adequate for now. Based on the numbers I doubt we'll need anymore for Ponyville."
"That's good work Wash." Eastwood said. Looking out at the station. Because the relief was given top priority the passengers that were disembarking had to wait to actually get off the train. Now though he stared as a group of Pokemon and one mare stepped off the train. He had no negative opinions about the creatures, but what caught his eye was the very skittish looking black cat that traveled with them. 'I wonder?' He casually strolled up to the group. As soon as the cat saw him coming it jumped off the platform and disappeared into the dark space under it.
Allen kneeled down and looked under the platform,"What are you doing?"
"Hiding." She answered.
"Hiding from what!?" He asked baffled.
"If'n ah was to wager a guess it would be from me." Eastwood answered walking up making Allen jump.
"Oh! Didn't see you there!" Allen chuckled nervously.
Eastwood ignored him and looked under the platform. In the shadows the lingered there he saw a pair of crimson eyes watching him intensely. "Ah'd bet my pension you're the one that caused all that ruckus in Canterlot yesterday ain't ya?"
"What if I was?" Dawn replied defensively.
"Then ah'd like to apologize on behalf of the Royal Guard." Eastwood answered in a neutral tone. "We're supposed to be better than that."
"Not like I was helping things any." Dawn added sounding ashamed.
"Is this going to be a problem officer?" Allen asked. "I can pay for everything but we're kinda on a tight schedule."
Eastwood grinned,"You'd have to take that up with Captain Ironside. Not my case." He turned and started to leave,"Y'all take care now."
Allen gave a relieved sigh and looked down to see Dawn climbing back onto the platform. "Did I really just get away with that?"
"Apparently." Allen answered.
"We should go." Sparkler added. "Before he changes his mind." They all agreed with her and left for town.
The town itself was also full of Lunar Guard, but they were preoccupied with repairing the houses that had been damaged. Allen gave an impressed whistle,"The relief aide on this planet is way better than on earth. It would've taken a day or two just to get the Rangers out here, then even longer for anything big to get done."
"Why?" Sparkler asked. "If people needed help why waste any time?"
"People at the top liked to drag their feet." Allen explained. "I guess Slateport City was never the same after the cataclysm."
"Are we almost there?" Dawn asked not liking being out in plain view with so many guards about.
"Its right up there." Sparkler pointed.
They saw the Doctor and Ditzy's home with terror high wall in the backyard. A group of four guards were packing up tools and taking them to the next place. One, a mare was shaking the Doctor's hoof and he appeared to be thanking her.
He brightened what he saw them waving his hoof enthusiastically. "Sparkler, Nova, Allen! Your back! How was Canterlot?" He turned and thanked the Lunar Guard again. He smiled as he saw a new face,"And you must be Dawn. Nice to meet you. I'm the Doctor."
"Your the time traveling alien that Allen told me about?" She soaked in disbelief looking back at the azure maned Pokemon. "Seriously? This guy?"
The Doctor got a nervous look,"Allen? Who else did you tell about that?"
"Just Dawn. Sparkler already explained it." Allen replied quickly. "Your secret is safe with me Doc."
"That's a relief." He smiled and opened the door,which was also fixed. "Well come in! Come in!" As he closed the door behind him he smiled again. "And yes Dawn I am an alien... though technically so are all you Pokemon, so it can't be that much of a shock."
Dawn stopped dead,"Oh! I guess I am." After a moment she started to giggle. "This is so weird."
"You should see the TARDIS some time." The Doctor replied side stepping as a small grey blur went by and slammed into Sparkler.
"Ooph! Dinky, please stop jumping on me like you haven't seen me in years!" She sighed hugging the little filly,"I mean you just saw me a few days ago."
"I know that I'm just happy you're back... whoa." Dinky aged when she saw Dawn,"Wow you're pretty." She jumped off of Sparkler and galloped back into the kitchen.
"That was... different." Dawn noted. Until the filly returned a moment later with Pip and Veevee in tow and the PokeDex hanging in her magic. "Hey isn't that yours?"
"I decided to let her have it. Not like i can use it with these hooves anyway." Allen explained waving a foreleg about to emphasize his point.
The PokeDex pinged and listed off information about Dawn and her species. "Umbreon: The Moonlight Pokemon. The evolved form of Eevee, Umbreon evolved as a result of exposure to the moon’s waves. It hides silently in darkness and waits for its foes to make a move. The rings on its body glow when this Pokemon is agitated."
Dinky looked at the device confused then at Veevee,"Evolved? What does that mean?" Then she looked at Allen,"Wait, you said something about Nova doing that in your story."
Allen smiled,"Yeah I did. Lots of Pokemon evolve and Veevee is extra special because she can become a lot of different kinds of Pokemon."
The Doctor reached out and grabbed the PokeDex,"Where did you get this?"
"Mister Allen gave it to me."
"Do mind if I borrow it for a little while muffin?" The Doctor asked eyeing the device."I want to make a copy of this data."
"Just don't break it." Dinky replied her little face scrunched up trying to look serious.
The Doctor and saluted,"Not a problem Muffin!"
"Hey Tur-" Sparkler started but caught herself,"... Doctor? Do you know where Ditzy is?"
He leaned in close and whispered,"She went to Sugarcube Corner. We wanted to get something special for Veevee."
"Ah!" Sparkler said glancing at Dinky and finding her staring hard at them. She had long ago realized when the grownups started whispering, it was because they were planning something. "I'll go find her then. I need to talk to her."
"Alright then." The Doctor said before he glanced at one of many clocks on the wall. "Are you gonna eat here tonight Pip?"
The younger colt thought about it briefly before he shook his head. "After that big explosion I shouldn't."
"I'm surprised she hasn't shown up to check on you." The Doctor added.
Pip's eyes bugged out,"Oh crud! I better go find her before she organizes a search party!" He spun around,"Bye Dinky, bye Veevee see Ya tomorrow!" He spun back around and charged the door behind Sparkler.
"A search party?" Nova wondered aloud,"Seems like an over exaggeration to me."
The Doctor chuckled,"You haven't met chief Hard Times. She runs the Police in Ponyville. She moved here because she felt the crime was getting out of hoof in Trottingham. She's a might paranoid."
"Ahh." Nova nodded.
The Doctor nodded as well,"Now then, make yourselves at home. I'm off to copy this." He held up the PokeDex.
As the Doctor left Allen noted that Veevee was staring at Dawn and smiled. He nosed her and nodded towards the little Normal-type,"Dawn, this is Veevee. She and Dinky are just getting started."
Dawn smiled down at her,"Is that so?" She asked sweetly.
Veevee blushed and drew little circles with her paw,"Allen mentioned Iron Tail."
The level of cute was more than Dawn could stand and she pulled Veevee into a hug,"You are so cute! Of course I can teach you!"
Allen sighed in relief having been about to do something similar if Dawn hadn't beaten him too it. Dawn and Nova began to head towards the backyard with Veevee at the lead, practically prancing with excitement. He moved to follow them but was stopped when something tugged on his tail.
"Mister Allen?" Dinky asked. "Can I ask you something? About Veevee?"
"Um, sure Dinky. What did you want to know?" Allen asked confused. 'Why doesn't she just ask Veevee?'
"I wanna show you something." Dinky said turning quickly ascended the stairs.
"Um..." Allen chose to wait at the bottom of the steps.
Dinky returned a moment later with a cloth bag held in her mouth. When she reached the ground floor she opened it with her magic and tipped it upside down.
Allen's eyes widened as an evolution stone clattered to the hardwood floors. "A Thunderstone? Where did you find this?"
Dinky sighed,"Hoopa gave it to me. He said it was for me to use on Veevee. But I didn't understand." She gave him her biggest puppy eyes,"Mister Allen? What will this do to Veevee?"
Personal Note: I had really wanted to give you guys something for Christmas as a way to say thanks for all the likes, comments, and support. Thank you so much for everything! Plus What's Christmas without the Doctor? However I guess SilverWolf has been having a little IRL trouble so i went over these myself a dozen or so times. While i'm confident i got mot of the spelling errors i probably missed some, if you spot anything i missed let me know and i'll correct it. Thx for making this the best story I've ever written! And happy Christmas!
Chapter 24: The Doctor Is In
"Ditzy!" Sparkler cried making her sister yelp and spin to face her.
"Sparkler!?" She asked astonished. "What are you doing here? I thought you were in Canterlot!” She then pulled her sister into a hugs of arms and wings.
"We found who we were looking for." Sparkler explained. "You should see Dawn she's beautiful, like a cat with championship pedigree."
"Wow. She's sounds real pretty."
She turned back to the counter as Mrs.Cake walked up with a box, "Here's your order dearee. Have a wonderful day."
"You too." Ditzy said as she used her wings to gently slide the box onto her back.
As they left Sparkler asked, "So why did you buy something from Sugarcube Corner?"
"It's a special treat for Veevee." She explained.
Sparkler raised an eyebrow, "A treat for Veevee? Why?"
"You felt the explosion in Canterlot right?" Sparkler nodded deciding not to add that she saw it from the mountain city as well. "Dinky and Pip were outside when it happened and Veevee saved them."
"What!? How?"
"I'm still not sure of the details. I don't want to scare Dinky by making her think about it too much." Ditzy said as they walked down the street nodding to Ponies and Pokemon alike. "But we wanted to do something to let her know how much we appreciate what she did."
Sparkler smiled, "I suppose I should get her something too." Her smile faded. "Sis? Can I ask for your advice on something?"
"You're not sure whether to go help Allen or go back to Fillydelphia and your classes?" Ditzy asked calmly.
Sparkler gaped at her. "How did you know!?"
"Cuz we're sisters ." She answered pausing briefly to turn left and take a different route. "But I can't really help you. This is something you've gotta do on your own."
"I know that." Sparkler sighed. "I actually already decided what I want to do. I'm just not sure how to tell everyone."
"You're going back to Filly then?" Ditzy asked.
Sparkler nodded. "I just hope I'm not making the wrong decision."
"I don't think it's that cut and dry sis." Ditzy said as they walked. "There's no right or wrong choice here. They are both important and no matter what your going to have to give something up. It's one of those no win scenarios."
"So it's either leave Allen and his family to wander the world, or its drop out of school." Sparkler said dejected. "How am I supposed to know what to do? I know I have to finish my classes but, why does that feel so wrong?"
"You're the only pony who can make that decision." Ditzy said. "But if they're really your friends. They'll understand and respect your choice."
Her words helped Sparkler feel better but did nothing to tell her she was making the right choice. "How did you get so wise?"
"I'm a mom." Ditzy giggled. "I know everything."
"Alright Veevee." Dawn said with a smile,"Let's start with what moves you know already."
They were standing in the high walled backyard and she couldn't help but feel nervous. "Um its, Tackle, Sand Attack, Helping Hand, Growl and, Detect."
"Detect? Did you get that from your parents?" Dawn asked sweetly and Veevee nodded. "Well I'm sure it will be a very useful move to have. Would you like to learn Protect too?"
"You can teach me Protect too!?" She asked.
"The two moves are very similar." Nova explained. "One is used to sense danger the other is just a barrier. However when used in tandem it can both frustrate your opponent and keep you out of harm's way."
"Hmmm were either of your parents an Espeon or Sylveon?" Dawn asked.
"Daddy was an Espeon." She said. "Why?"
"I was just curious who you got it from. Now then, on to the main event!" Dawn said as she looked around the yard. She spotted a tree stump near the wall, a perfect practice dummy for a Mon just starting. "Okay I'm going to walk you through the basics. Close your eyes and concentrate, take a deep breath and hold it." She saw Veevee do just that and nodded approvingly. "Now let it out slowly while still concentrating. Now breathe in again and out slowly. Focus on your tail. Picture in your tail in your mind. Picture it shining like silver and getting heavier and heavier."
Dawn continued to talk in a calm tone,"That's good Veevee. Now while focusing on your tail like you are now, I want you to hit that stump with your tail as hard as you can." She pointed with a paw in the direction of the wall.
"Right!" Veevee said her voice full of determination as she ran at the rooted piece of wood. She stopped short and spun on her forelegs swinging her whole hind end around and whacked the stump.... Nothing happened. She stared stare at the stump and her hindquarters,'It didn't work?'
"Fantastic Veevee!" Dawn cheered. "Your form was perfect!"
"Nicely done." Nova added nodded in approval.
"B- but it didn't work. I didn't use Iron Tail." Veevee said her eyes starting to water.
"Well of course it didn't." Dawn said moving to her side and pulling her into a hug. "No one ever gets it on their first try. It took me weeks of practice to get it right and weeks more to use it effectively. What matters is that you did everything right. Now we just have to keep practicing."
Veevee sniffled and tried to wipe away the wetness that was gathering in her eyes. "Okay." Her voice was a little shaky but Dawn could see she was ready to keep trying. "Can we try again?"
Dawn smiled, she was just so damn adorable. "Of course we can sweetie."
Allen and Dinky came into the backyard on her fourth go and as she tried Allen gave an impressed whistle. "Nice form! You may just get this quicker than Dawn did."
"Hey!" Dawn turned, reached up and, bopped the Fire-type on the nose with a paw.
Allen just chuckled and leaned down to nose Dinky towards Veevee, "Well go on. You're the trainer encourage her, cheer for her."
Dinky looked nervous but smiled,"You're doing great Veevee! Let's keep trying."
Veevee beamed at her,"Okay!" She said excitedly turning and running to strike at the stump again. This time, just for an instant her tail gave off a metallic flash.
It was brief only lasting a fraction of a second, but Allen, Nova and Dawn all saw it. "Veevee that was amazing!" Dawn cheered running up and hugging the Normal-type.
"What? What I do?" Veevee asked confused.
"Just for a moment you were starting to use Iron Tail." Nova explained grinning.
"I was!?" Veevee gasped she would have said more but she found herself getting tackled by a small grey blur.
"Veevee! Your so cool!" Dinky squealed as she wrapped her in an ursa hug.
Dawn laughed, "You ready to keep going you two?"
"Yeah!" Veevee cried jumping up and looking expectantly at Dinky.
"Let's go Veevee!"
"Well then." Nova said grinning. "While you help these two, Allen!" He turned to his trainer. "Time to start your training.
Allen grinned. "Let's do this."
"This looks like a good spot." Nova said and he stood on his hind legs looking out over the Ponyville reservoir. It was fairly far from town so there was little threat of a fire starting.
"Reminds me of when Mom and Silver took us to the beach to train you when we were little." Allen said. "But now I'm the one who's here to learn. Where do we start Nova?"
"By teaching you how to call on your flame at will." The Volcano Pokemon explained. "While your move set is advanced, you have only been using them instinctively without understanding where that power comes from."
"What do you mean?"
"Power in fire comes from the breath. It's not something that can be forced or used recklessly." Nova explained looking out over the reservoir. "So far your inner fire has been responding to your emotions. And that makes your flames extremely dangerous to both you and those around you."
"The nurse in Castelia." Allen said softly remembering one of the few times Nova had burned a person.
Nova flinched at the statement. "Yes, that is an example of why Fire-types like you and me must control our emotions." He gave himself a light shake. "Now then, stand here and face the lake." Allen did as instructed and Nova continued his lesson, "Now I want you to start breathing."
"Aren't I don't that already?" Allen asked uncertain how to take the vague instruction.
"Yes." Nova sighed. "This is different. Breathe in through your mouth then out slowly through your nose. Focus on the feeling of the air in your lungs."
Allen closed his eyes and slowly sucked air in through his mouth, letting it fill his lungs until they were full. Then he let it out through his nose.
"Exhale slower." Nova added. "Keep it slow and even." To illustrate he performed the exercise and on the exhale he breathed out a flurry of burning embers.
Allen nodded and returned to the exercise, breathing slowly and evenly. At first he did notice but with each breath the tension in his muscles drained away. His heartbeat slowed, and he began to feel a familiar and comfortable heat seep into his lungs. The heat continued to gather there and he began to focus his mind in the feeling, the warmth like hot tea going down his throat. 'But where does it come from?'
At first he didn't notice, focused as he was on the heat radiating through him, but with every exhale tiny sapphire embers flicked out of his nose. "Allen. I want you to try and use Fire Spin on the lake."
Allen jumped,"What? Oh right!" He glanced down and saw a small smouldering pile of embers in the sand. He then looked back at the the lake he took a big breath filling his lungs and holding it for just a second. Then blew the air out through his mouth, the result was a spectacular vortex of azure blue flame that set the lake's surface bubbling and steaming.
"Thats enough Allen. Nicely done." Nova nodded approvingly.
Allen stopped exhaling and closed his mouth too quickly and the excess fuel in his throat found another exit. A gout of flame roared out of his nostrils and made him sneeze, which also expelled a great deal of flame. "Gah! That tickles!"
"Very good Allen." Nova said. "You were able to pull on your flame quickly. But you still need work before you can call on it at will."
"You know what dad always said." Allen smiled as he rubbed on his muzzle. "Practice makes perfect."
"Indeed. Next I want you to just breathe fire. Don't put a sp-"
"Hey!" Called a voice making both Fire-types jump. "Quit trying to boil me."
Turning, they saw the long elegant slender form of a Dragonair slither from the water. Nova rubbed the back of his head and looked ashamed,"Oh, pardon us miss. I was just trying to teach my trainer some of the basics."
"Hehe sorry." Allen said ducking his head.
The Dragonair gave them a pouty frown,"Fine, no harm done I suppose. I'll be on the other side of the lake, try not to boil it too."
"Can do miss." Nova said. He watched as she slunk back into the water and as the slender shadow moved to the far side of the reservoir. "Now then Allen, try to take the spin out of your Fire Spin."
The sun was setting by the time Allen and Nova returned from the lake. They were greeted by the Doctor and Dawn who were sitting outside the house.
"Well you two certainly took your time." Dawn said with a little grin. "And how did your students first lessons go?"
"Allen performed exactly as I expected." Nova replied with a smug grin of his own. "He's singularly talented, motivated, and a very quick study."
"So Allen as usual then?" Dawn smiled and casually walked between his forelegs pressing her body against him and purring. "How do you feel about you first day of training?" She asked Allen directly even as she continued her affection.
"I'm getting the hang of it." He answered. "But I still need more practice." He puzzled the top of her head making her purr even louder,"And Veevee? How's she been doing?"
Dawn beamed proudly at the house,"She's going to need something new to practice on. That stump is mulch now."
"She got Iron Tail down that fast!?" Allen asked shocked. "I knew she was good but to get down in one day?"
"Oh she still needs plenty of practice, she still can't quite make it to the target but she has the basics. Tomorrow I think I'll show her protect and Flash Cannon."
"Your not going to stick it through until your sure she has it?" Allen asked surprised.
"Don't need to. She has a talented trainer." Dawn smiled,"Dinky reminds me a lot of you when you were young. With a trainer like her, Veevee will become very strong."
The front door opened and Sparkler poked her head out," Oh good you're back! Dinner's almost ready, everypony should go wash up."
"Sure thing Sparkler." Nova said tapping Dawn and signaling her to follow him.
They walked in behind the Doctor and Allen moved to head in too, his stomach rumbled at the thought of a hot meal. "Allen can I talk to you outside real quick?"
Allen raised an eyebrow but nodded,"Of course Sparkler." He stepped outside and pulled the door shut behind him. "What's up?"
"Do you remember that 8 wanted to tell you something on the train?" She asked looking down at the ground.
"Yeah. It seemed like it was bothering you a lot." He sat on his haunches and smiled down at her. "So come on, spill it."
"I... I'm..." Sparkler stammered she knew what she had to say but it felt so wrong. "I'm going back to Fillydelphia tomorrow." She sighed as she said it, a knot twisted in her stomach and she glanced up to gauge his reaction.
"Nova told me about your school." Allen said still smiling down at her. "To be honest I'm not sure why you didn't tell me then."
"I... I don't know it feels like I'm abandoning you guys. Like I'm just walking away." She sighed.
"Sparkler you never had to come with us." Allen said calmly. "Everything you've done for us has been because you wanted to help." He nudged her with his shoulder which made her look up at him. "I'm grateful for that. And I'm happy to call you my friend." He gave her a sad smile,"And I know that sometimes things happen and friends have to part ways. It's sad but that doesn't mean we won't be friends anymore."
"That's true." Sparkler said sounding hopeful. "I still wish I didn't have to leave."
"It's not like we'll never meet again." He grinned. "Tell you what, once we find Penny well come see you in Fillydelphia."
"Really?" She asked.
"You bet! I'll bring you back some souvenirs too!" He stood and walked towards the door and held it open for her. "So let's go eat and have a good time."
"Alright." Sparkler said. "I just hope Dinky takes it as well as you did."
"Aunt Sparkler! Please don't leave you only just got here!" Dinky cried clinging to her foreleg.
'So much for Dinky taking it well.' She thought to herself.
Fortunately, Ditzy came to her rescue,"Muffin you know she has school to go to. Just like you will come Monday."
"I know." The little filly pouted. "But I wanted to spend time with aunt Sparkler and now she's gonna leave."
"Hey I'm not leaving until tomorrow, I'll spend all of tonight with you okay?" Sparkler offered.
"Really?" Dinky sniffled. "Why do you have to go back so soon?"
Sparkler sighed,"Mostly because my friends in Fillydelphia don't know where I am and they'll get really worried if I'm not back soon." Silently she added,'Nopony was expecting the time traveling brother in law.'
Dinky sniffled a few more times,"Okay." She finally conceited.
Allen watched from the door to the dining room having to bite his tongue to keep from laughing. Watching Sparkler try to placate the little filly was beyond adorable. He watched as Ditzy and Sparkler set out stacks of potatoe pancakes and crocks of sour cream, butter, soft cheese and, spicy salsa. Allen himself was quiet through most of the meal, particularly because it was the best meal he'd ever eaten. However he spent most of the meal watching his family mingle with Sparkler's.
Nova and the Doctor were discussing the Everfree Forest and it's many dangers. Sparkler and Ditzy were telling Dinky a funny story while Dawn and Veevee talked about their plans for training tomorrow. Loki was missing but that was probably for the best. Through the whole meal he said less than two dozen words, just watching with a smile and thinking about the last time they had been like this. Like a real family back when Brandon was still traveling with them. It felt good, like he had found a piece of something he'd forgotten he was missing.
As the meal came to an end there were full bellies to spare, Allen's included, and he tried to help clear the table. One broken crock and a mess of wasted cheese later he found himself grumbling about his useless Rapidash arms.
"Don't worry about it Allen things happen." The Doctor said smiling. "C'mon I'll show you the guest room." He turned and lead Allen up the stairway to the second floor. He lead him into a room with a single queen sized bed and dresser and vanity mirror, other than that the room was surprisingly barren compared to the rest of the house. "Sparkler and Dinky are going to have a little slumber party. So I'll leave you to sort out who gets the bed."
He turned to leave when a glittering wisp of golden smoke trailed in through the open window. It gathered together in front of the Doctor's face and from it a sealed scroll popped into existence.
"What the?" Allen asked confused.
The Doctor caught it as it dropped and quickly pulled it open to scan it's message. "Ballocks!" He cursed,"The Princess wants to see me immediately!" He turned and rushed out of the room Allen right behind him.
"Doctor what's going on?" Allen asked still not sure what was happening or how glowing ash turned into a scroll.
"Princess Celestia just sent me a message via Dragonfire." The Earth stallion explained. "She wants me to meet her in the dungeons."
"How are you going to get there?" Allen wondered. "I thought you couldn't use the TARDIS?"
"Not for time travel." The Doctor explained. "But it's still a spaceship."
"Oh." Allen sighed having to stop himself from facehooving. "Right... Can I come?"
"Sure." He answered quickly as he made his way into the kitchen to explain to Ditzy where he was going and what was happening.
"Tell the Princesses I said hi." Ditzy said waving them off.
"Alrighty then! C'mon Allen!" The Doctor called heading into the backyard and the TARDIS.
'I'm never gonna get used to this.' He thought as he stepped in through the wooden doors finding himself in a vast room of metal catwalks and branching metal supports. The Doctor was already fiddling with the controls when the door swung shut behind him and the crystalline structure began to work itself up and down. Much to his surprise the ride was less chaotic than the previous trips, though the whole ship rattled and shook.
"Oh I'm gonna love these stabilizers!" The Doctor cheered. "Thank you Arceus!"
Allen frowned at the mention of the god but kept it to himself,"So this is better than what normally happens?"
"Oh loads better." He said grinning. "And bringing is in..." There was a loud gong like sound and the shaking and crystals stopped. "And welcome back to Canterlot!"
Knock knock knock!
Someone outside the ship beat quickly and loudly on the doors and he quickly made his way to the door. "Hello Princess."
"Doctor thank you for coming on such short notice." Allen recognised Celestia's voice right away. "We have a situation that requires your eye for detail."
"What's happened?" The Doctor stepped out into a stone room lined with cells and heavy iron doors. The room was lit by a werelight, which had no source and cast light into every nook and cranny. The stone walls were blackened and towards the center cell wrap and half melted. "Whoa."
"Yes I take it you can see why we are concerned?" Celestia said motioning to Luna who stood by the heavily warped iron door.
"What happened here?" The Doctor asked walking up to Luna, who was staring forlornly at the cell.
"She didn't deserve this." Luna muttered to herself.
"What?" He asked following her gaze into the cell and staring hard at the horror scene inside. Near the back wall of the cell lay the mostly cremated remains of a pony. Nearly all that was left of her were cracked blackened bones, the only traces of soft tissue cling to the underside of bones and were now black leather. "Good Lord." The Doctor said. "Luna who was this!?"
The room was silent, Luna seemed not to hear him so he turned to Celestia, hoping she could explain. However Celestia was currently staring hard at a certain azure blue Rapidash who had stepped out of the TARDIS. Allen smiled sheepishly and gave her a small bow,"Hello again your grace."
"In recent days I had begun to suspect you were a Pokemon." She answered in a smooth even voice.
Allen smiled again,"Yeah I am. I never formally introduced myself. I'm Allen Swans. To be honest I'm surprised you remember me." He glanced at Luna,"It was a very long time ago."
"It is not something that I can ever truly forget." She turned to face the Doctor,"The remains in that cell belong to Amethyst Edge."
"The Captain of the Third Division?" He asked snapping his gaze back to the charred skeleton. "Why was she down here?"
"She was awaiting trial." Luna answered. "T'had been revealed that she was responsible for falsely persecuting many Pokemon, as well as falsifying official documents and hostile misuse of her authority. When faced with these atrocities she adamantly insisted the Pokemon were a threat to be eradicated."
'She must be the one who tried to kill Dawn!' Allen tried to keep the frown from his face as he stepped towards the cell to see for himself. It wasn't pretty and he felt his stomach clench as he saw the mostly skeletal remains. "Oh god!" He gagged.
"Yes it is very unpleasant." Celestia agreed. "As you can imagine Doctor the current situation has our resources stretched thin. Who or whatever is responsible for this must be held accountable for its actions. The Royal Guard is attempting to keep order across the kingdom." She looked the Doctor straight in the eye, her face a mask of neutrality. "Due to her actions of late we have to consider the possibility that a Pokemon may be the culprit."
"This wasn't a Pokemon." Allen stated. "The source of the fire was from inside the cell."
"How do you know that?" Luna asked raising an eyebrow.
" You can see it in the way the iron is melted. Look." He pointed with a hoof. "See how there are lines where the iron got so hot it started melting? You can see those same lines in the stone inside the cell."
All eyes turned to the scene scrutinizing it," by Jove! He right!" The Doctor cried. "If we could just get these bars off... Look there, near the bodies hooves."
Even as he pointed Luna's horn flared and a deep blue aura surrounded the melted bars. With no show of effort on her part, Luna pulled her head back and the bars were ripped from the wall and placed to one side. "... That works."
The Doctor walked into the cell and began to examine the burn pattern on the floor. He poked at it with what Allen at first thought was a handheld flashlight. That was until it pinged and popped open, he held it close to his eyes reading what he'd found. After 'raising an eyebrow he leaned down and licked the charred stone floor. He gagged and tried to wipe the foul tasting carbon from his tongue. After a great deal of spitting he muttered,"High concentration of magnesium. Allen? Can you think of any kinds of Pokemon that are capable of this?"
"Any mature Fire-type." He answered staring at the dead body. "But there's only one fire move I know of that could be shot and then explode."
"And that is?" Luna asked stepping up and getting very close to his face. "Speak quickly! I want those responsible found!"
"It's a move called Flame Burst. If this was a Pokemon and I doubt it is, that move could do something like this." Allen looked passed Luna and to the body, something wasn't right. "It's not a very common move. I guess there's a trick to it."
"The Doctor nodded,"Thank you Allen. I don't want to think a Pokemon was responsible for this either. But I have to consider every option." Allen nodded but continued to stare at the corpse.
Celestia stepped up to Luna and draped her wing over her back and slowly stepped out of the cell,"Please calm down Luna. I'm certain the Doctor can handle this. But there is still much else going on and we will likely have a very busy day tomorrow."
Luna sighed,"You are right sister. We should retire for the evening." She gave another forlorn look at the charred remains of pony. "Let us hope this is brought to a swift conclusion."
"Your Highness?" Allen called from inside the cell. "What kind of pony was Amethyst?"
Celestia turned and raised an eyebrow,"What? She was a Pegasus..."
"The winged ones right?" He asked just to clarify. Celestia nodded again. He looked down at the pony remains much more skeptically,"I don't know anything about pony anatomy but if this was a pegasus shouldn't there be something left of her wings?"
"..."
"What!?" The Doctor cried trotting up and leaning over the corpse once again. "No, this is somepony else!? Who are you!?"
"Doctor!? Are you saying that this is somepony different and not Amethyst Edge!?" Luna asked raising her voice. "How is that possible? Then where is Amethyst!?"
His eyes got wider as he turned to face the princess,"Either she's escaped and involved with this poor souls death. Or she was abducted by whatever force killed this pony and damaged the room."
"There's also the chance she's dead somewhere else." Allen suggested.
"Oh great you're a grim one huh?" The Doctor jabbed.
Allen shrugged,"Just trying to consider every possibility."
"Then I am tasking you with discovering the truth Doctor." Celestia instructed. "I want to know the fate of Amethyst Edge and those responsible for this farce brought to light."
The Doctor nodded,"You can count on me your Highness."
She turned,"Come Luna, she should prepare for bed."
The first rays of the sun's light had begun to creep into the guest room, Allen sighed and picked his head up off the body pillow. He was laying on his side with his legs pulled in, the body pillow he had to steal from under Dawn. In his absence Dawn had claimed the head of the bed and all the blankets and the pillow, forming them into a crude but soft nest.
Since the bed was pony sized, Allen hadn't been all that comfortable. Which was part of the reason he was awake so early, Allen tended not to like mornings. Today was different though, Sparkler was leaving today that was one thing. It was really something that he hadn't even known her a week but he trusted her. She was sharp as a pin and clearly knew how to take care of herself. He wasn't going to stop her though, she had her reasons. He wasn't going to be selfish and try to keep her from her dreams just because it would mean goodbyes with another friend.
'Sparkler's her own mare. Still I'm gonna miss her.'
"Hey that's my poffin..." Allen turned to see Dawn laying on her back swatting at the air and periodically kicking with her back legs. "Awen... nen stole my poffin."
He grinned,"We'll get you another one." His smile fell as he glanced out the window and his mind drifted to the other thing weighing on his mind. The recent murder in the Canterlot dungeons. Allen was absolutely sure that a Pokemon couldn't be responsible, could it? He shook his head, Arceus left all the worst Pokemon on earth. 'Then why is Drakarus here?' The Brutal Pokemon was, at least in Allen's opinion, insane. The memory of when he met the dragon bubbled up in his head. Mt. Silver was beauti- "Nope." He said aloud awkwardly trying to tap his temple with a hoof. "You stay in the Vault where you belong."
He didn't like thinking about the details of that day, or that it cost him his chance to challenge Red. He glanced at Dawn still kicking with her back legs and then Nova who had taken the floor under the open window. Both were still asleep, he sighed and started pulling himself out of the undersized bed. He was up, might as well see if he could find some coffee he was going to need it.
The house was eerily silent as he crept down the stairs, partly to keep from waking everyone but mostly to keep from tripping down them and breaking a leg. He brought his last hoof down on the ground floor and sighed,'How do they do it? That was not safe!' He looked back up the stairs, they were narrow and steep, at least for him. Going up was fairly easy but his legs weren't as dexterous as a ponies and going down was neither easy or safe. "Welp. I'm not going back up there." He stated.
After a short trip to the bathroom he headed for the kitchen , grateful that at least relieving himself hadn't become as difficult as most other things had. He turned into the dining room to see Sparkler, Tally, and Loki sitting at the table. Loki had a cup of coffee in one of his little hands and a small book in the other. Allen had to squint to see the title,"1001Awesometastic Original Pranks. By Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash." Loki didn't notice him staring and continued to flip through the book chuckling gleefully every few seconds.
Tally, who had been watching Loki like he was liable to explode, had spotted him and waved with a wing. He went back to pecking at half a muffin that was sitting on the table as Allen nodded and walked into the room.
Sparkler had been sitting at the table reading a newspaper paper. She looked up at him and smiled,"Good morning Allen."
"Morning Sparkler. How long have you been up?" He asked gently pushing a chair out of the way and sitting on his haunches. Even with her sitting on a chair he was still a few inches taller.
"About an hour. I have to get up early for morning classes anyway." She set the paper down and levitated a cup to her lips and took a sip before returning it to the table. "Want some coffee?"
"Is that a rhetorical question?" Allen chuckled.
Sparkler laughed softly and sparked her horn, Allen's keen ears heard things moving in the kitchen. "Sugar? Cream?"
"Sugar please!" He said twisting his ears back to the kitchen. 'Magic must be fun.'
Sure enough few seconds later a fairly large mug floated into the room and settled in front of Allen,"There you are."
Allen grinned,"Thanks Sparkler." He took a deep breathe of the vapors, just based on the smell he could tell this was going to be good. He glanced at the front page of the newspaper.
"Pokemon! Invading Menace? Or Desperate Refugees?"
"What?" He deadpanned.
Sparkler rolled her eyes as well,"I read it and it was pretty bad."
"I'm still surprised the situation has been so calm." Allen admitted, granted their own experiences had been limited but had the situation been reversed. He was confident that someone would have declared war by now and probably dropped a nuke while they were at it.
Sparkler giggled," I wonder what you would have to say if you saw when Discord first broke out?"
"I wanna meet that guy." Loki said looking up from the prank book. "Hanging out with a chaos god sounds fun!"
In Canterlot Discord sat up from the salami hammock he was testing.... for reasons. "I sense something, a presence I've not felt since..." He trailed off then shrugged,"Eh, it's been done."
"By the way?" Allen asked. "Where did you get the book?"
"From the library." He answered turning his attention back to the book. "Pretty cool place. You'd like it."
"Do they know you have it?" Allen answered trying to be more specific.
"Maybe." Loki replied as he turned a page.
Allen sighed. "Just be sure to give it back."
"That was the plan."
Allen frowned but turned back to Sparkler,"How was the slumber party with Dinky?"
Sparkler who had been sipping on her coffee, choked and started laughing and coughing at the same time. After coughing a few more times she got herself under control,"Poor Veevee."
"What?"
"Ditzy got two dozen cupcakes for her. She ate ten." She started gigging which got Allen smiling. "Then Dinky wanted to give her a makeover. And poor Veevee just covered in ribbons and bows.
Allen got a flash of the first time he entered a contest in Sinnoh and a Bidoof that look like it had the trainers whole accessories bag dumped on it. He shuddered glad that Dawn had wanted nothing to do with Sinnohs crazy contests.
"The thing is is the whole night all Dinky talked about was Pokemon training." Sparkler said looking straight at Allen,"Seems she's quite taken with the idea."
Allen grinned,"She's got the heart and the head for it." His smile faded a little,"A lot of heart actually. She really cares about how Veevee feels."
"What do you mean?" Sparkler raised and eyebrow.
"Yesterday she showed me that she had a Thunderstone." Allen answered until he saw Sparkler's deadpan,"Oh! It makes certain species of Pokemon evolve. In Veevee's case she would become a Jolteon."
"Okay? Why is that such a big deal?"
"Because for Pokemon evolution is like growing up. Right now Veevee is a child and so is Dinky. Their at that age where they cliche. If she evolves Veevee will act a lot differently."
"That." Loki added. "And Eevees are always so whiny about what they want to be when they evolve."
"Oh!" Sparkler said,"So she's worried about what Veevee wants to be and how she feels about being a Jolteon!"
"Exactly!" Allen said. "It's not like it matters if she uses the stone. Veevee will evolve no matter what happens it's just a matter of time." Allen smiled more to himself,"And with the Everfree so close I can see her evolving into a Leafeon in a few years." He slurped more of his coffee.
"Pokemon really are different." She frowned. "So where did you and Turn- I mean the Doctor run off to last night?" Sparkler asked.
"Canterlot." He replied. "Somepony is trying to make it look like a Pokemon killed a mare."
Sparkler gasped,"What!?" Tally was watching now and Loki had closed the prank book.
Allen sighed,"Apparently they arrested the mare in the guard that went crazy. She was the cause of a lot of Pokemon being treated poorly. Well now there's a badly burned mare's corpse in her cell." He paused expecting Loki to make a comment, he just kept looking sour. "The dead mare isn't her though."
"Who is she?" Sparkler asked.
"Still don't know." He said. "The Princesses want the Doctor to figure it out. Since their busy dealing with Arceus's mess." Allen sighed again,"So when are you leaving?"
The next train heading for Fillydelphia leaves at noon."
Allen glanced at the standing grandfather clock in the dining room. "A little more than six hours huh?"
"Yes, so what's your plan for the day?" She asked hoping to change the mood. "More training with Nova?"
Allen shook his head,"As much as I'd like to there's something else to do first."
"What's that?" She asked.
He smiled,"Nova and I spotted a bakery yesterday."
She looked at him for a minute,"Okay."
"You wanna check it out with me?" Allen asked. "My treat."
"Allen I used to live in Ponyville." She explained,"I've been to Sugarcube Corner dozens of times."
Allen deflated a little,"Oh, okay. I just thought since we won't see each other for a while we should do something." He sighed,"Well at least until you had to leave."
Sparkler smiled,"Doesn't mean I don't want to go. Ditzy's muffins are great."
"Legendary!" Loki corrected, apparently he really liked them.
Sparkler chuckled,"But Sugarcube Corner has some really great stuff, you've gotta try the hot chocolate."
Allen grinned,"Great!"
"Problem is they won't open few a few more hours." She lifted the cup and sipped again.
"Ah." Allen sighed and sipped from his own cup. He should have grabbed a straw from his bag... 'Where is my bag?' He wondered and then sweat dropped,'I left it in the room.' Then another thought accrued to him,"Sparkler you want to help me plant some berries?"
The hour was early by most standards, though for some legendaries sleep was more or less an option. Arceus for example was meeting with a trio of Pokemon, one of which had been human. He was a Sceptile who was stooped over and digging through the bag Arceus had just returned.
"I can assure you the only thing missing from your belongings are the Pokeballs and apricorns." He glanced at the far wall,"I would have no reason to want any of your other belongings. Nor your excessive amount of tootsie rolls."
The long slender form of a Serperior slithered up the Sceptile's back,"Do you hear that love? Our toy collection makes Lord Arceus uncomfortable." The Serperior's voice was mellow but deep and unmistakably male.
"Ha!" The Sceptile laughed. "Who'd of thought god could blush!?" He pulled his arm out of the bag with something gripped in his claws and offered it to the Alpha Pokemon,"Want a Snickers dude?" Arceus just blinked.
"You should not speak to Lord Arceus in such a way!" Warned a Hitmonchan wearing a turban with a large sapphire set in it. He stiffly turned and faced Arceus before bowing to him,"Please forgive my trainers disrespectful behavior."
"Considering we were able to have a civilized conversation.' Arceus replied. "I see no reason for anyone to apologize. There is no need to be so stiff my child... relax."
Funny thing about god telling you to relax, you don't, the Hitmonchan stood straighter and stiffer and bowed again,"O-of c-course my Lord!"
"So just to be clear?" The Sceptile asked,"We don't have to hide anymore? The Rangers can't arrest us for being together?"
Arceus smiled still an odd thing considering he didn't have a mouth,"They have no right to trouble you."
"Cool!" He slung the large bag over his shoulder and the Serperior slithered up him and around his shoulders. "One of my team is still missing, mind pointing me in his direction?"
"So let me see if I get this?" Sparkler asked as she patted down the soil over the berry. "The longest of these will be done in three days?"
"Yep!" The some of these will be done in a day or two." Allen explained. But the odder berries like the Passho Berries will take about three or four.
"Neat!" Sparkler said, with the aide of her magic it hadn't taken them long to plant nearly all of the berries Allen had.
"Actually the coolest part is probably the fact that if you miss your chance to harvest them another plant will grow." Allen explained despite having magic to help both of them had dirt all over their forelegs and somehow Sparkler had managed to get dirt on her nose as well. "We should probably go clean up."
After stopping to wipe their hooves, Allen found himself patiently waiting for his turn. Much to his surprise Dawn was the first one down,"You're up early." He commented back on earth she would offer sleep in until ten or eleven and spend her nights up until four or five in the morning.
"After all that in Canterlot my sleep pattern is all messed up." She whined and rubbed on his hind leg. "That and I have an Eevee to train."
Allen chuckled,"That's true."
"So what about you?" She asked wrinkling her nose. "Why are you covered in dirt?"
"I just planted some berries." He explained
Dawn's eyes widened,"We still have the berries? Did you save me a Leppa Berry?"
"Sorry Dawn." He shook his head. "We were nearly out after our bout with Misty. I had to plant nearly all of them."
Dawn rapidly deflated and then slumped onto the hardwood floors. "Why have you forsaken me?" She whined.
Allen laughed,"You're ridiculous."
"There's no hope left for the world." She drowned rolling herself onto her back and stretching out her front legs flexing her sharp claws.
"Well have a bunch in a few days." Allen chuckled. 'Wow, I always knew she was complaining but come on.'
"It all fades to dust and shadow." She wailed dramatically and flopping with herself onto her side.
"Alright!" He reached out and hooked his fetlock over her and pulled her into a hug then leaned his face close to hers. "Knock it off. Why do you always do this? Leppa berries aren't even that good."
Dawn blushed,"I like them." Then she pulled away from him and headed for the kitchen. "I smell coffee."
As she headed for the kitchen Allen chuckled, she'd been this way about this one particular berry practically since she'd hatched. She would dramatically throw herself about complaining for an hour or so before she'd drop the subject. It never really made sense to him, Leppa berries were hard to chew all little sweet but still. Once a few years ago while he was still in Hoehn, the same situation came up near Lava Ridge and Nova had said something to Dawn. Before Allen could blink she hit her brother with an Iron Tail so hard it cracked his sternum. To this day he still had no idea what it was about, neither Nova nor Dawn had been willing to try to explain it.
Allen heard water rush through the pipes and a few seconds later Sparkler stepped out, now dirt free. "There you go Allen."
"Thank you." He nodded and stepped into the room.
Sparkler turned and made for the dining room finding Ditzy and Tur- the Doctor just sitting down. Loki had vanished again, hopefully to return the book. Tally had gone flying and she had to admit she was worried about him, he was small something bigger could grab him. Dawn stepped in from the kitchen a cup of coffee balanced perfectly on her head between her ears. "Morning sis."
Ditzy, who was spreading cream cheese onto a bagel, looked up and smiled. "Good morning."
Sparkler sat down and levitated her coffee to where she sat, it was cold now but one easy spell later and it was now pleasantly hot.
"Ditzy, I have to say your home is lovely." Dawn said as she settled into her chair.
Ditzy smiled,"Thank you. We've been remodeling."
"The kitchen looks very new." Dawn noted and looked to Sparkler,"So you're leaving today?" She nodded,"That's too bad, you helped Allen find me. I was hoping to get to know you better."
"I was too." She admitted. "I guess it will have to wait... unless you want to come to Sugarcube Corner with Allen and I?"
Dawn suddenly looked very uncertain,"I should keep teaching Veevee, I think."
"If you're sure." She replied and drained the last of her coffee.
"So when are you leaving today?" Ditzy asked. "We'll be sure to see you off."
Sparkler smiled,"Noon. I'd like that."
BZZZZZZZZT
"Uuuuuhhhhgg!" Feather Storm groaned and pressed his hooves into his ears in a vain attempt to blot out the loud buzzing. The past two mornings he'd been woke like this, to the unpleasant buzz of the Cell Blocks main gate unlocking. Meaning it was time to get up.
With an angry grunt he picked himself of of the thin, lumpy cot that was magically bolted to the wall. His hooves clopped on the stone floor and he did his best to stretch. The cell was a bit small but the real problem was his wings they ached from still being bound and he wanted nothing more than to spread them and at least hover.
He saw several as officers began walking down the block calling names. Which meant they called two names and then his, since their were only three ponies that had been arrested in the last few days. The worse part was they would be out in an hour or so, they had only been brought in for being Drunk and Disorderly.
"Alright runts!" Called the large earth mare who ran Fillydelphia's small jail. "Hooves out and we can get to breakfast fast. We got a crate of blueberries this morning aren't you lucky?"
Storm perked up at this, at least it wasn't all bad then. Normally meals were simple and tasteless in jail, breakfast (if it could be called that) was just a bowl of oatmeal. 'At least I get some fruit today.' He fumed bitterly stepping up and putting his hooves out through a space made for them. A guard came up and put a pair of shackles on his forelegs and then told him to step back as he opened the cell.
Storm complied but raged silently the whole time. 'Go to Tartarus you slimy ground pounding! Dirt eating! Inbred mud rutter!'
Once the cell was open he shuffled out and stopped on a black line painted in the middle of the block. The other detainees were slow to join him groaning and hung over. With all three of her charges the warden nodded once and spun on hooves,"Let's go!" She called louder than necessary and led them out of the block and into a corridor that not only led to the cafeteria but also the infirmary and the office. It could be said that the jail in Fillydelphia was small, usually the biggest kind of trouble was the occasional drunken brawl.
This was Storm's fifth trip and he was beginning to lose his patients with ponies. All he was trying to do was the right thing. Why would nopony see that? Things were supposed to be a certain way and too many ponies were mixing themselves with monsters. 'Griffins.' Just the thought made him shudder and retch in revulsion. 'How anypony could be attracted to something like that is beyond me. And now we've got these Pokethings! And that pompous, blasphemous cockroach Arceus!?' He scowled as he walked into the cafeteria which like the rest of the jail was small.
The room was maybe forty square feet and had three folded benches like the ones used in large school cafeterias. After stopping and lining up again the guards removed their shackles. Silently and under the watchful eyes of their warden they went about unfolding a single bench, then locked it into place. They lined back up, then stood still wanting for the wardens word.
She lingered a few moments then nodded,"Alright!"
They turned, with Storm the last in the line, then followed an orange line to the far wall at the back of the cafeteria. A metal door rattled up, much to the displeasure of the two hung over detainees, to reveal a large fat, earth stallion with a coat such a dark shade of brown it might as well have been black. He wore and chef's hat and and stained apron that said,'Kiss the Cook.' He grinned and in a deep booming voice said,"Hello Children!"
"Hey Chef." Storm greeted back as the other two winced and groaned. Something he had picked up on in his times here was that Chef called anyone he had to feed children, including the warden.
"Keep your voice down." One of the hung over stallions whined. "My head is killing me."
Chef laughed loudly,"Well maybe next time you won't drink so much Flag!"
The stallion who apparently was named Flag groaned,"Buck off Chef!"
"You ain't pretty enough." Chef shot back as he pulled the covers off a streaming trough of oatmeal. "Now who's hungry?" He quickly served up three trays of hot oatmeal and a foam cup of black coffee. What the warden had called a crate was about a two pounds of berries but it added some flavour to an otherwise boring meal.
He followed the line to the table and sat down. Breakfast around here was quiet, the warden had left having better things to do with her time. Four guards stood near the double doors watching them but as long as no started anything Storm could eat in peace. He gripped the spork with his hoof and began to shovel food into his mouth. The blueberries were sweet and tart and just right, satisfying a craving he didn't even know he'd had.
About halfway through his meal the doors to the cafeteria swung open and the warden returned. She pointed a hoof straight at Storm,"You."
'Buck! What now?' He wondered as all eyes fell on him.
"Somepony paid your bail." Her voice was... oddly flat and emotionless,"Let's go."
"Finally!" He sighed pushing his tray away,"Thank Celestia!" He stood and walked up to her stopping several feet away, guards didn't like it when you got to close.
The warden said nothing but turned and led him out and into the small administration office. It was like everything else in this jail small about half the size of the cafeteria and had half a dozen desks in it. Then there was a wall of iron bars that separated him from the welcome desk and the front door.
He had been expecting to see Star Shine, she had certainly taken her sweet time to bail him out. However instead he found himself being smiled at by a cream coloured pegasus with a black mane and tail wearing a loose black shirt. His orange eyes almost blazed,"And there he is!" He had a Trottingham accent and grinned. "Just the stallion I wanted to see."
"It's a little tight around the barrel." The Doctor complained as he stepped out of the closet, fiddling with his tie. He was wearing a white collared shirt with the sleeves rolled up to above his elbow. Over that he wore a sleeveless vest with several pockets, it was the same light brown as his coat. The tie he found himself struggling to get knotted right was a dark grey. In the last few years he had just gone without clothes they could be a hassle sometimes. However now he needed to carry extra equipment. He didn't even keep his Sonic in a pocket anymore, Pinky Pie had taught him how to keep that in his mane.
"I'm sure you can get Rarity to let it out a little." Ditzy giggled as she stepped up and tied the tie for him. " There we go! You look so handsome."
"Derpy please I'm supposed to be doing my job." He leaned in and kissed her letting it linger for several seconds. When he broke away Ditzy was blushing hard, "We can have our fun once I figure this whole murder, missing ponies mystery out."
Ditzy frowned,"I still can't believe something like that even happened." It was no secret that murders were an uncommon thing on Equus or at the very least Equestria, to think that one had happened so close to Ponyville.
"It's a terrible thing when lives are thrown away ceaselessly." The Doctor agreed. "And that's why I'm going to find the ones responsible. Considering that they've already killed one pony..." He hesitated,"I think it's best if I don't bring you along on this one. If something happened to you I'd never forgive myself. And I don't even want to think about having to tell Dinky."
Ditzy sighed,"Good. Promise me you'll be safe too."
"What!?" He hadn't been expecting her to agree. "Your not gonna demand I bring you with?" He paused,"Be outraged that I try to leave you behind?"
"Of course not." She replied. "This is really dangerous and I want to go... but I've been thinking about those close calls." The Doctor was shocked to see her looked scared. "I still catch myself staring at Pegasus statues. Did you know while walking back from Sugarcube Cube Corner I took a five minute detour to avoid a shadow?"
The Doctor sighed and pulled her into a hug,"Hey, Hey I know." She didn't cry but leaned on him. "I will always keep you two safe... and I make it my mission to come back to you."
Ditzy kissed him quickly on the lips and then leaned into him again,"I wish moments like these could last forever."
The Doctor chuckled,"Well scientifically speaking that's not impossible."
"Nope!" Ditzy cried using her position to place both her hooves on his chest and give him a playful shove. "No more crazy time experiments. Explaining to Berry Punch why a Velociraptor drank two barrels of her best mead, is not something I want to go through again."
The Doctor grinned,"Bring a dinosaur back one time and I never hear the end of it."
"By the way." She said giggling. "I have to go talk to the Mayor about some building permits. And I have to go speak with Cheerilee about the school situation." She explained,"Could you run over to Felix's shop and pick up my vase for me?"
"Something broke?"
"Yeah, I guess it happened yesterday." She explained. "Can I ask you to do it?"
"Nothing simpler." The Doctor said confidently.
"And remember." She warned,"We're all going to be at the train station at noon to see Sparkler off."
"Of course." He smiled and opened the door to their bedroom for her. "After you Derpy."
They quickly descended the stairs to find Dinky, Pip and Veevee waiting for them. "Mommy!" Dinky cried happily. "Can we go out and play?"
"Okay muffin but remember to be back here by 11:30." Ditzy explained. "We're going to see Sparkler off at the station."
"Okay mommy."Dinky said deflating a little at being reminded that her aunt was leaving today.
"Veevee what about practice?" Dawn asked as she stepped out of the sitting room.
"Can we practice later please Miss Dawn? I should really stay with Dinky and Pip." Veevee pleaded and she probably just learned Baby Doll Eyes.
"Why?" Dawn asked barely able to overcome the cuteness.
Stepping close Veevee whispered,"Pip is determined to find a partner but he keeps asking all this really strong looking grown-up Pokemon."
Dawn glanced at the colt who was a little smaller than Veevee,"Really?"
"He asked a Scizor and an Arbok yesterday. The Arbok basically threatened to eat him."
"Okay I'm coming with you!" Dawn announced before leaning down to Veevee and winking,"We can go over Protect while we're out." Now with adult supervision, the group of kids set out. Ditzy gave the Doctor another kiss and flew off in the direction of Town Hall.
"Well imagine my surprise when I wake to find everyone gone." Observed a deep gravely voice.
"Good morning Nova!" The Doctor turned and greeted the Fire-type.
"Morning Doctor. Where is everyone?" Nova inquired scratching his chin.
The Doctor filled him in quickly,"In fact I have to step out as well. Would you care you join me? I was hoping to ask you about a move called Flame Burst?" The Doctor walked up to the door and held it open for Nova.
"Yes." Nova growled. "Allen mentioned something about a murder last night. You think a Fire-type did it?"
"No I don't." The Doctor shrugged,"But I do however have to investigate the potential."
Nova nodded,"What do you need to know my friend?"
The city of Fillydelphia was could be described as a busy, but quiet city. Most ponies were just getting ready to head out to their jobs or school. Star Shine however had been up and walking for a little while now. Slowly making her way to the city jail.
She wasn't looking forward to this conversation, 'Feather Storm was going to be so mad.' She winced without knowing it, and sighed. Despite her best efforts she was unable to come up with the bits to bail Storm out this time, he wasn't going to like that.
The last he he had gotten arrested he had been in for a day and had been furious that he had had to spend even one night in jail. That last time, after he had crashed and ruined someponies wedding, she had to sell a pair of Countess Coloratura tickets. He was then furious that she sold them and threatened to break up with her over it.
Star Shine shuddered to think what he might say when he found out that she couldn't help him. What was she going to sa-
"Happi!" Cried a small voice as she pressed her hoof down on something soft and squishy.
"Wha!?" Star yelped and jumped back to see she had stepped on a Pokemon. It was small, standing upright it would have only come to her knee. It was a pink colour with an red lower half that reminded her of a diaper. 'Wait is this a baby!?'
The little Pokemon looked up at her through big watery eyes and began to cry. "Hap Happiny! Pyyyyy!" It balled as tears poured like a faucet.(1)
"Oh oh oh! I'm so sorry little one! I didn't see you there." She explained as she picked it up in her magic, which was an orange colour.
"Happiny?"The Pokemon stopped crying as it noticed it was being levitated and looked around curiously. Star smiled and used a quick spell to see if the Pokemon was hurt. While she knew nothing about Pokemon medicine, theoretically a Detect Injury spell should work on anything. It only took a few seconds to come back negative and tell her that the Pokemon was fine.
Now she looked at the baby Pokemon,"Are you lost little one?" That Allen guy had said he couldn't find all of his Pokemon friends.
The Happiny looked at her and the waterworks started again,"Happiiiiiiii!" It cried.
"Shhh. It's okay. I can help you find your family." She cooed and pulled the squishy baby into a hug. They stayed that way until Happiny stopped crying with her nuzzling Happiny's head. "There we go." She said softly. "No more tears okay? I'll help you find your friends if you want."
Happiny nodded and Star set the Pokemon on her back. "After I'm finished talking with Storm I'll take you to file a missing ponies report... er Pokemon report."
"Happi!" It cheered then reached into its diaper and pulled out a small rounded white rock. "Happi hap hap!" It then offered the stone to Star.
"For me?" She asked and took the rock in her magic and looked it over. She wasn't really sure why it gave her this but she had a lot of little cousins who did similar things. "Well thank you little one, but I think you should hold onto it." She passed it back to the Pokemon who stuffed it back into the diaper. "Hold on tight Happiny." She joked and trotted off at a brisk pace.
"Point being Doctor." Nova summarised,"It would take more than a dozen Flame Bursts to cause so much damage. It's just not possible."
"Agreed." The Earth stallion nodded,"But all that tells us is that it wasn't a Fire-type Pokemon. Not what happened or who that poor mare was. Or where Amethyst Edge is."
"So you're back to square one." Nova observed. "Maybe if we knew who that mare was it could be a place to start."
As if on cue a sparkling wisp of smoke trailed into the Doctor's path, coiling in on itself and then popped out a sealed scroll. The Doctor picked it up and quickly unrolled it,"It's from Luna." His eyes flew over the text and a deep frown formed on his muzzle.
"Doctor?" Nova prompted as he crumpled up the scroll.
"They figured out who that mare was." He said in a somber tone. "It seems that one of their cadets didn't show this morning. And after digging a little it turns out somepony assigned her to watch the cells since all the other guards were busy. Her name was Bookworm." He held the crumpled parchment up,"Would you mind?"
Nova took the message and held it above his head then let out a quick gout of ruby flame. "Done."
"She only died because she was between Amethyst and whatever wanted her." He sighed.
"We don't know that Doctor." Nova frowned. "Who or whatever did this might have gone after that mare anyway."
The Doctor sighed,"I suppose so. Still it doesn't seem to help us figure out where Amethyst is or what's going on." As he turned away from Nova and the ash that had once been the scroll; he saw a familiar face and smiled as he saw him in turn,"Felix! Just the stallion I wanted to see!" The Doctor greeted with a big grin. "Good to see you Sea Swirl how's your father like the clock?"
Sea Swirl groaned. “Yes, hello, Time Turner. My father very much enjoys that clock you got, but why did you have to get such an annoying chime?”
"I like gangnam style." He counter.
Sea Swirl looked ready to make a cutting remark but Felix interrupted. “So, what brings you around the clock? Pardon my pun.”
He threw his head back and laughed,"Clock jokes! I love it!" It took a moment for him to get himself under control again,"Er... Pardon me. Yes, apparently Derpy brought a vase by yesterday. She wanted me to pick it up."
Felix put a hoof to his chin. “Hm… I don’t recall her coming in… Then again, with so many ponies coming in, it was hard to keep up with so many orders… Alright, let’s head to my shop. I believe we have it ready for you to pick up!”
"Excellent!" The Doctor cheered. "Lead on Felix." He paused and glanced to his left,"Oh where are my manners. Felix, Sea Swirl, this is my friend Nova." He gestured to the Pokemon beside him.
Nova nodded,"Nice to meet you both."
“Well, about time we finally get a Pokémon that can actually speak,” Sea Swirl snarked as they started walking together. “I was wondering if all these Pokémon just only said their names.”
"That's what you're hearing." Nova explained. "We have our own language."
Felix nodded. “Yep! It took me a while to actually figure it out myself! But I must ask… Are you a Quilava? You seem larger than the Quilava I have at my home.”
Nova blinked and stopped walking,"A Quilava you say? Members of his own species were rather rare, he hadn't seen one in over a year, since leaving Johto. "No but I was one once. I'm a Typhlosion now."
Felix and Sea Swirl both stared for a moment before a light appeared in Felix’s eyes. “Of course! It must be that evolution that William was talking about!”
“Evolution?” Sea Swirl asked.
"The natural process of a Pokemon maturing." Nova elaborated. "Your Quilava friend for instance wasn't born a Quilava. Before he evolved he was a Cyndaquil. Nearly all Pokemon evolve in some way."
Sea Swirl groaned. “Pokémon maturing by natural process? Evolution? These Pokémon get more and more confusing at the minute.”
Felix smiled. “It will be quite interesting for your studies though. I’m sure you’ll probably have to learn about them when researching those water Pokémon!”
“That means I’ll probably be asking many questions about this.” She turned towards the Fire-type. “Nova, was it? Hope you don’t mind, but I’ll probably be questioning off your ears on the way to Felix’s.”
Nova laughed,"A Marine Pokeologist? I'll answer what I can. But you should know that I'm a Fire-type... The polar opposite of water."
“At least water beating water makes sense…” Sea Swirl sighed. “Alright, so let’s go over more about Pokémon evolution…”
"The most important thing to remember about Protect is that it's only as strong as your will." Dawn explained to Veevee as she walked through Ponyville. "If your heads not in it then it will shatter like glass."
Dawn was pleased to see she had both Veevee and Dinky's undivided attention. 'She's really going to be a spectacular trainer.' Dawn noted. Pip on the other hand was hopeless. They had been out nearly an hour and Pip had only approached two Pokemon, one was a Magmar that had actually been human. That had been awkward. The second was a Metang that had tried to use Extrasensory on him, thank Arceus she was a Dark-type or that would have been messy.
Ironically Dawn saw potential partners nearly everywhere. Shortly before finding the Magmar she had seen a Spritzy that would have made a good partner as well as several Joltik and even a small group of young Dragon-types running around. Pip dismissed them all saying he wanted a cool Pokemon. 'I wonder if he realizes Pokemon evolve?'
"Whoa!" Pip cried drawing their attention to the excitable colt was pointing skyward. "What's that!?"
Dawn followed his gaze and gasped herself, a Noivern was flying low circling over the local Apple orchard. As it passed close she could see the Dragon-type was blind, with ugly faded, X shaped scars over its eyes. While she knew what it was, Dawn had never actually met a Noivern before.
"Come on! Pip cried. "I wanna be her trainer!"
That knocked Dawn out of her stupor,"What!?" She cried leaping in front of the colt blocking his path. "Nonono, bad idea! Pip you need to find something closer to your own age. Like Dinky and Veevee."
Pip frowned,"Bu-"
"When I get my hands on you I'll snap your little neck!" A voice yelling drew their attention to farther down the road. The Magmar from earlier was running out of the orchard chasing something and he looked mad. A few feet ahead of him, she spotted a green and yellow blur.
'An Electrike?' Her pondering was cut short as she saw the Magmar take a deep breathe. "Shit!" She cursed and leapt into to action, putting herself between the little Electric-type and the coming flames. Just as the Fire-type launched a Fire Spin, Dawn threw up Protect and the flames washed harmlessly over her and the youngsters. After all the times she had sparred and trained with Nova she almost laughed at how weak the move was.
"What the hell?" The Magmar wondered. "Who the fuck are you?" He demanded but then paused as he saw the foals behind her,"Not you freaks again!"
"Hey!" Pip yelled stepping in front of Dawn and scowling at the Fire-type defiantly. "Why don't you pick on somepony your own size!"
"Piss off!" He shot back,"That little shit stole my breakfast and zapped me. I'm gonna make him regret it!"
"You were stealing first!" The Electrike countered,"I returned those Apples you took!"
"Shut your lying mouth! It's my word against yours!" He screamed.
"I'll believe the kid over you." Dawn answered curtly and turned down to the young Pokemon peeking out from behind her hind leg. "Are you alright?"
He hesitantly stepped out and nodded,"I'm okay now ma'am. Thank you for the help."
"What am I, chopped liver!?" The former human asked incredulously. "Listen bitch, give me that little shit or I'll roast you too!"
Dawn couldn't keep it in this time, she started to snicker which lead into a full blown laughing fit. Her voice had a musical pitch to it that made all who heard it smile, save the Magmar. It took almost a full minute before she reigned herself in,"Your cute." She said. "Run along before you bite off more than you can chew."
"Screw you! I don't have to take that from some Dark-type that probably eats babies or some shit like that!" The Magmar spat a the ground in front of her, which sizzled and burned the dirt road.
All the light heartedness drained from Dawn,"What did you just say?" She hissed her voice cold as ice.
"Uh oh..." Electrike whispered and started to back away. He knew enough about humans to know some of them really hated Dark-types, and enough about Dark-types to know you don't say stuff like that to their face.
"Miss Dawn?" Veevee asked not sure what was going on. "Are you okay?"
Dawn turned back to the youngsters and smiled sweetly, though it didn't show in her eyes,"Watch closely Veevee. You're about to see what hard work and a great trainer can do for you."
"STOP IGNORING ME!!!" The Magmar raged and swung a fist in sloppy punch. "Ugh!" He cried as something fast hit him from behind.
He spun around to see Dawn was standing behind him now. "Faint Attack." She said in a bored tone.
"FUCKING DARK-TYPE!!!" He roared and swung his fist again, this time it burst into red hot flames. His fist only touched air,"Well shit!" He said with an almost sadistic grin,"Look who just learned Fire Punch!"
Dawn scoffed as he began to throw punches,"Please, my brother learned boxing from a Hitmonchan. If he can't hit me, you'll never do it." All the while she spoke she effortlessly danced between his blazing fists, compared to Nova he was practically standing still. "Dark Pulse." Interlocking rings of dark energy shot from her mouth and hit the Magmar hard in the gut.
The move launched him back almost twenty feet and he landed with a very satisfying thump. He groaned as he laid on the ground seeing stars. Dawn huffed,"Well that wasn't even a warm-up." She sounded disappointed.
"What was all that about?" Pip asked as Dawn walked back to them.
"It's called a Battle." She explained,"And a very mismatched one at that."
"I know that!" Pip said,"What did he say that made you fight him? He sounded mad."
"Electrike said he stole some apples from the orchard. I guess he stopped him" Dinky explained, then she frowned,"Then he said a lot of really mean things."
Pip glanced at the little Electric-type,"What sorts of things?"
"The kind of things I'm sure your parents don't want you repeating!" Dawn answered quickly seeing Dinky about to tell him.
"Oh!" Pip said then he turned to Electrike, it looked kinda like dog and he'd kinda always wanted one anyway. "So your names Electrike?"
"Yup. Nice to meet'cha." He answered with a grin,"Thanks for standing up for me back there. That was really cool." Pip just stared at him blankly having not understood a word said to him. "Umm?"
Dawn chuckled,"Come on Electrike we'll get you a translation spell."
"A what?" He asked.
"I'll explain on the way." Dawn said with a smile.
They arrived at the casual looking house with the sign of “Felix’s Repair Shop”. Sea Swirl looked up at the sign and shook her head. “Seriously, when are you coming up with a better name for your shop?”
Felix looked at her with fake shock. “Are you saying that it looks bad?”
“I’m just saying it’s too simple.” She shook her head. “Hope you didn’t forget about your keys… Again.”
He gave a small pout but said nothing else as he opened the door. “Alright, welcome to ‘Felix’s Repair Shop’, you two! Just let me go and find your item. A vase, was it?”
"That's it Felix." The Doctor nodded.
“Alright, be back in a smigon!” Felix called out, walking towards the shop, leaving Sea Swirl and the other behind.
She fumbled around with her hooves. “So… Uh…”
"So have you had any interesting encounters with Pokemon yet Sea Swirl?" The Doctor asked with some curiosity, it was always nice to hear another ponies thoughts.
“Not really,” she stated.
"Well based on what I've seen I think you'll make plenty of Pokemon friends." He said with a grin.
Nova nodded as well,"You have a passion for Water-types I haven't seen since my battle with Misty."
“A-Ah, really?” she exclaimed. “W-Well, I do love aquatic critters just because of how graceful they are when swimming along the waves, gently going around and so carefree of life…” Sea Swirl gave a dreamy stare forward. “Such wonderful animals…”
"Have you considered applying for a the exchange program with Marelantis?" He asked,'I wonder why a mare with her knowledge and passion hasn't been approached about it?'
“What?” Sea Swirl asked. “What exchange program? Where in Marelantis?”
"It's something the Princess's have done for centuries." He explained. "To help with peaceful relations and all that they send a few sea ponies live here and we send some ponies to Marelantis. It's a cultural exchange thing."
“That sounds-” She stopped for a moment. “Wait. How do you even know about this? I was in the University for Aquatics, and I never even heard of that program before.”
'That is an excellent question.' He shrugged,"It's a short list. The spells involved aren't easy. There tends to be a lot of culture shock. But as to how I know..." He grinned,"I made it on that list myself. Spent four months living in the capital."
Her mouth hung open. “B-But, that-”
Before she could say anymore, Felix walked in with the vase and a Quilava following behind. “Here you are! I hope this repair is suitable for your needs!”
The Doctors grinned dropped when he saw the vase,"Oh that's the one that broke! No wonder she was so serious about this." He took the vase from Felix and carefully cradled it in a foreleg. "Thank you Felix."
Felix gave a large grin. “If anything, the thanks should be given to our little worker here!” He gestured towards the Quilava, who just stared at the Typhlosion with curiosity.
Nova grinned at him,'He's young. Very young.'
Quilava rose a paw up and pointed towards the Typhlosion. “He’s huge.” Nova laughed. “And loud. Are you bigger me?”
Nova stopped laughing,"Extremely young." He muttered to himself before clearing his throat,"Yes and no."
The Quilava blinked. “So you’re not bigger me, and you’re bigger me? Will I be that big?”
Nova chuckled,"Some day if you practice yes. But what I meant was that I'm the same species of Pokemon as you. I'm a Typhlosion."
“You’re Typhlosion?” he asked. “But you said you were bigger me. Does that mean that if I do practice thing, I’ll become like bigger you?”
"Yes." Nova said with a smile,"One day, when you're strong enough, you'll evolve into a Typhlosion and you'll be much bigger."
Quilava blinked again. “What is evolve?”
"It's what you did to become a Quilava." Nova answered simply nearly all Pokemon evolved in some way it was something you just sort of knew. "Do you remember when you were a Cyndaquil?"
“I was Cyndaquil?” Quilava asked, even more confused. “I have always been Quilava.”
"You evolved that young?" Nova all but whispered. "Do you know how old you are?" Nova asked concerned 'it couldn't be.'
“I hatched ten suns before,” Quilava stated.
"Ten suns?" Nova asked.
"Ten days ago!?" The Doctor gasped.
Felix stared. “T-Ten… Days?” he murmured to himself.
Sea Swirl blinked. “Is that natural?”
Nova shook his head,"No it's not. There's no way you could have evolved after just ten days. Bug-types don't even grow that fast!"
Quilava stared. “Why is everyone looking bad? I don’t understand…”
Felix shook his head. “Neither do we, Quilava. Are you certain that you hatched ten days ago?”
He nodded. “Ten suns is ten days, so yes.”
'Could he be?' Nova wondered to himself. "I think i know. I read something about this once, it was in some pop culture magazine so take it with a grain of salt. I read an article about rumors of Team Rocket cloning Pokemon." He glanced at Quilava,"He certainly seems to fit the profile."
Quilava blinked, a bit unsettled. “What is clone?”
Nova froze unsure how to answer that question. On earth clones weren't looked on to well and were often put down. He didn't know if Equus even knew what cloning was. "Um..." He sighed. "It means someone took a piece of another Quilava and used it to make another Quilava." He was careful not to use the word copy.
Quilava lowered his ears. “So… I’m a copy?”
'Damn!' Nova cursed. "No! Of course not! You're just like a twin." He panicked waving his paws in front of him.
“T-Twin?” Quilava asked, fear starting to rise. “I-Is that another copy word?”
"Not at all!" The Doctor said cheerfully carefully settling the vase on the floor. "It means you've got someone out there a lot like you!
Felix agreed. “Exactly! It’s not a copy, but more like a brother!”
The Doctor leaned in and whispered,"And I've known clones. They're really very nice."
Quilava looked up towards him. “R-Really?”
"Oh of course! Of course!" He paused,"huh? Come to think of it I still owe him money..."
“What?” Quilava asked.
"Oh it's not important." He answered.
Felix cleared his throat. “Well, as much as we’ve enjoyed talking about this, I believe that you have an upset wife to return to posthaste with that lovely vase!”
"Ah yes indeed!" He turned and made for the door without Nova, who was still staring at Quilava. "Now if I could just solve the problem in Canterlot we'd be all set."
Quilava stared at Nova intently. “So I’ll be bigger you? Will I be as awesome as you?”
Nova grinned again, clone or not he was sharp,"With the right kind of training yes."
Felix smiled. “Now, Quilava, I’m sure that if you become that big, you’ll won’t fit in your bed!”
Quilava frowned before perking up. “Then you can make new bed, right?”
Felix laughed. “Of course! Oh, and before I forget…” Felix turned to Nova. “Tell the Doctor about aliens invading his home.” With a wink, he turned towards Sea Swirl. “Sea Swirl, come into my workshop! You have to meet William!”
Sea Swirl blinked, coming out of her stupor. “Oh, of course!”
Nova stood there for a moment in the empty room,".... What?" He shrugged and decided to relay the message and left after the earth stallion.
"I think I have Diabetes now." Allen joked as he and Sparkler stepped out of Sugarcube Corner. The food was great, to be honest he'd yet to eat anything here on Equus that wasn't.
Sparkler laughed,"You're the one who had four Hot Chocolates."
"I can't help it." He sighed,"I think food actually tastes better here than on Earth. I wonder why that is?"
Sparkler shrugged,"I've never had earth food so on wouldn't know." She turned to her left,"Come on a walk will help use up all those calories."
Allen followed her and chuckled,"I'm a Fire-type, I burn calories just breathing."
"Yes well the rest of us aren't fire breathers." She shot back with a smug grin.
"Hey I'm pretty sure that's racist." Allen joked and looked around as Sparkler led him to a part of the village he hadn't seen yet. Ponyville seemed like a nice little town, the kind most people on earth wanted to live in. In his opinion it was much nicer than Canterlot, the ponies seemed friendlier and the whole town just seemed calmer. There wasn't as much of a sense of urgency here and that was an enticing thing. 'Maybe a place to settle down in once we find everyone.'
As he walked and took in the quaint rustic sights Sparkler sighed,"It's too bad we couldn't stay in Canterlot for a bit. It's got so many more interesting places to see."
"I'm not complaining." He smiled. "I've always preferred quiet little places like this. People are always in such a rush in cities." He frowns little as he thought back,"I really couldn't stand living in Castelia."
"How come?"Sparkler asked with genuine curiosity.
"It was loud, crowded, the air never smelled right either." He paused,"That and most people didn't give a Ratatta's ass about anyone but themselves."
"Earth really was a horrible place wasn't it?" Sparkler asked.
"No not really, most people had just forgotten to be considerate of others." He explained glancing around to see she had led him to a nice little park,"They were in it for themselves and no one else. To be honest I think the only reason I stayed so long was because of my Grandad."
"What was he like?" Sparkler wondered.
Allen grinned,"Grandad was a Paleontologist, he studied extinct Pokemon and was even a part of the team that developed the technique used to vivify fossils."
"Vivify?" Sparkler raised an eyebrow. "The hay is that?"
"It means to revive the Pokemon from just it's fossils." Allen explained.
"Humans could bring things back from the dead!?" She asked sounding alarmed. "Your Grandpa was a Necromancer!?"
"What!? No!" Allen said quickly. "He just used science and 3D printers to put flesh back on the bone and reanimate the Poke-" He trailed off,"Actually that does sound like Necromancy doesn't it?"
"Only a lot." Sparkler laughed.
"Pardon me! Coming through! Make a hole please!" Called a voice. They both turned to see a Sceptile running towards them as fast as he could, an Electivire hot on his heels. As he reached Allen and Sparkler, he jumped over them and landed perfectly,"I love being a Pokemon!" He whooped.
Sparkler and Allen scrambled back as the the large Electric-type Stomped after his target. "Stand still you pervert and take what's coming to you!" The Electivire growled drawing back a fist that crackled with electricity.
The Sceptile dodged the Thunderpunch with a backflip, landing on his feet again and moonwalked backwards. "That's not much insensitive for me to hold still is it?"
Allen blinked,'That voice! That snark!' The Electivire roared incoherently and started launching Thundershocks which the Sceptile began breakdancing to avoid. 'Those moves! ... No freaking way!'
Anyone who knew anything about Pokemon battles could tell the Electivire was out classed and the effortless way the Sceptile evaded only made him madder. "They're gonna hang you when I get a hold of you!"
"Yeah I don't think Equestria has a Death Penalty." Allen added walking towards the Electivire, who spun to face him.
"You stay out of this!" He threatened holding up a crackling fist.
Allen frowned, then took a deep breathe,'Let's see if I can get it right this time.' The heat built up in his lungs as the Electric-type stalked towards him. "Flamethrower!" He called letting the building heat vacate his lungs. What came out was a perfect Flamethrower that cover the six or so feet between the two of them; then just as it was about to hit, the torrent of sapphire flames made a sharp right turn and spiraled into a Fire Spin.
The move then arced harmlessly around the Electric-type and streamed towards the Grass-type. Had he not been so agile, it could have seriously hurt him. The Sceptile picked himself up,"Hey man!" If you're trying to help. Roasting me like sexy green potatoe isn't the way to do it!"
"Dammit!" Allen cursed,"I still can't get Flamethrower right!"
"Thunder punch!" The Electric-type caught Allen in the jaw with a quick right hook.
Allen's head snapped to the left and he reeled back before planting his hooves back on the ground. He worked his jaw for a second before glaring at the Electric-type,"Nova hits way harder." A flashing cloak of sapphire plasma crackled into existence.
The grass under Allen's hooves turned to ash that billowed out smoke, choking the Electivire and sending him stumbling backwards.
"Whoa!!" The Sceptile cried drawing Allen and Sparkler's attention. He was looking at himself in confusion as all the leaves on his body had started to glow. "The hell is this?" His eyes widened as he poked one of the shining leaves on his forearm. He grinned and ran towards the still coughing Electric-type and cupped his hands together forming an orb of energy. "Kamehameha!" He screamed and launched an instant Solar Beam at point blank.
The force of the move launched the Electivire into the sky. A few seconds later they saw a small point of light in the sky signaling that he made LEO.(2)
The plasma cloak fizzled out and Allen gave an impressed whistle,"Nice one B.
"Thank you Cheerilee. Dinky will be here on time on Monday." Ditzy smiled as she walked towards the door.
Cheerilee sighed but smiled,"I wasn't sure about starting up again so soon." She explained,"When Discord broke out they froze everything for almost a week!"
"Are you gonna be okay with Veevee being in class too?" Ditzy asked. Cheerilee giggled at this, which cast aspersions on whether or not she was as overwhelmed as she seemed. 'Why is nopony ever just whelmed?'
"Please Ditzy, if she's anything like Dinky I'm sure she'll be a delight!"
She smiled and glanced at the clock on the wall,'Seeing the Mayor will have to wait. I've got to make my rounds.' She pushed the door open and adjusted her bag,"I've got to get going Cheerilee, I still have a few deliveries to make."
Cheerilee stepped out behind her,"Okay! Bye Ditzy!" She called as Ditzy took to the sky.
She would have replied but was distracted as she saw a beam of green light on the other side of town. "Wonder what that is?" It lasted another few seconds and end faded upwards into the sky, there was no big explosion, the sky wasn't falling down on their heads. Nopony was screaming... must not be a problem. She shrugged and began to hum to herself as she flew off.
"What do you suppose that is?" Electrike asked as the group stared at the fading green pillar of light.
"It was a Solar Beam." Dawn answered she'd been hit with the move enough times to recognize it even at a distance.
"Is that a Pokemon move?" Pip asked still only understanding Dawns part in the conversation.
Dawn nodded,"Yes it's a strong Grass-type move." She raised her head higher and twisted her ears listening intently. "I don't hear any kind of panic so I'm gonna guess someone was practicing. Probably a human trying to learn how to be a mon."
"That's actually true!?" Electrike asked dumbfounded. "I thought that Magmar was just crazy!"
"Yeah, what is a human exactly?" Pip asked, this had been bugging him. "How is it different from a Pokemon?"
"You know I was raised by a human and I've never really understood that either." Dawn answered and began to scratch at the dirt road with a claw. She drew a vaguely human shaped outline and added rough details like the eyes mouth and nose. After clawing at the ground to add the detail of hair to her masterpiece she stepped back,"This is more or less accurate."
Electrike leaned over to Veevee and whispered,"Closer to less." Which made Veevee giggle. Pip and Dinky examined the image with bright curious eyes, their imaginations building comically inaccurate pictures of humans from Dawn's poor attempt at art. The outline was horribly disproportioned, one leg came out at a weird angle while the second leg ended short and seemed to be missing a shin. The arms where each different lengths and had only three fingers and no thumbs. "This almost feels racist." He muttered. "Like one of those posters from the PLA."
"The what?" Veevee asked.
"Humans are weird looking." Pip blurted out. "These thing took over the world where your from!?"
“That's not really what humans were like." Veevee sighed.
"AAAAHH!" A pony yelped loudly drawing all eyes to her. It was Daisy one of the mares who grew flowers in Ponyville, she was shaking like a leaf. Opposite her was her table full of flowers and a long green snake looking sheepish as he continued to smell the tulips. "B-b-big sn-sna-snake!" Daisy squeaked.
The Serperior sighed,"Yes I'm very large, I guess, and am apparently quite terrifying. Please stay calm I was just stopping to enjoy the aroma."
Sadly all Daisy got was a lot of the syllables for Serperior,"Please don't eat me!"
He sighed again,"Well at least this one didn't run away." He then slithered off trying to give the petrified mare a little room. He flicked his tongue out trying to get a scent, there were so many new things it was tough to figure out what was what. Distracted as he was tasting the air, he failed to notice the Dark-type creeping towards him, or her sinister grin. He lifted his head up a little more and tasted again and paused when something familiar came in,"Wait..." He tasted the air,"It is. I'd know that charcoal smell anywhere!" He grinned,"Nova's nearby!"
"He's not the only one!" Dawn cried as she pounced on the end of the Grass-types tail with Shadow Claw.
The Serperior then screamed like a little girl falling himself about wildly for about five or six seconds. Then twisted himself around with his fangs bared, stopping nose to nose with an Umbreon who was trying hard not to laugh. He closed and worked his mouth for several seconds, taking a moment to fold his fangs back. "Hello Dawn, may I have my tail back now?"
Dawn was getting her giggles under control as she let go of his tail,"Hi Kvistr."
"So?" The Doctor asked as he lead Nova back to the house the vase still cradled in one foreleg. "Why were you so shocked about that Quilava being a clone?"
Nova was silent for a few moments,"...What!? Oh! Yes the Quilava. Uh, it was mostly due to the fact that clones weren't looked on very well on earth. The laws concerning them were barbarous to say the least."
"A lot of cultures in the universe don't take to them either." The Doctor nodded as he slowed and stepped over a larger rock in the road, being careful not to trip. "Many view cloning as sick and unnatural."
"Most humans had a similar opinion on earth." Nova chuckled,"Ironic considering Grandad developed the way to Vivify fossils, not sure if that's really any different from a clone."
The Doctor stopped dead and stared wide eyed at Nova,"Humans knew who to reanimate an extinct animal!?"
"Yes. Allen's grandad developed the technique in his youth."
"Is there any chance of meeting this gentlecolt?" He asked eager to know how that worked.
Nova's expression soured,"Not unless your TARDIS can reach the afterlife Doctor. He was murdered by a thief less than a year after Allen began his journey."
"I'm sorry." The Doctor said as he resumed walking.
"The man responsible was tried and convicted for his crime." Nova explained,"You have nothing to apologize for my friend. It was a long time ago."
The Doctor clutched the vase a little closer to his chest,"I know that."
"Doctor? If I might ask." Nova began,"You're holding onto that vase like it's the only keeping you alive. Why?"
"This vase is the only thing that Derpy has left that belonged to her parents. You see her and Sparkler were orphaned after a fire."
"Yes Sparkler told us a little about it." Nova explained.
This seemed to catch the Doctor off guard,"Really!? She usually won't talk about it to anypony!"
"She shared with us after Allen had told her the fate of his family." Nova grinned,"They seem to be quite close."
The Doctor chuckled,"Do I hear wedding bells?"
"I wouldn't know if they're that close, but they are definitely fast friends. Personally I'm hoping Dawn can tough it out and tell Allen how she feels about him." Nova said while smiling,"It would be nice to see Allen that happy again." 'Especially after last time.'
"Dawn has feelings for Allen?" The Doctor asked managing to sound surprised.
"For several years now, the only reason she didn't confess on earth was because she was afraid of what would happen to Allen. We had friends who were labeled as criminals because they fell in love. " Nova scratched at his abdomen,"By the by, don't tell her I told you that."
"My lips are sealed." He promised but stopped to stare off in the distance,"Hello?" The Doctor said,"What have we here?"
Nova followed his gaze and caught the fading light of a Solar Beam. "Just a Grass-type move Doctor. Likely someone practicing."
"Ah!" The Doctor resumed walking,"Anyway this vase was one of the only things to survive the fire. It wasn't hard to get for her, just a quick trip back to that day and I popped back with it." "Couldn't you have just stopped the fire or warned all the ponies and gotten them out? You know saved her parents too?" Nova asked.
"I really wanted to do that for her." The Doctor sighed. "I still do; but some things just have to be." Nova raised an eyebrow and gave him a curious look. He sighed again,"A lot of people don't understand how time works. They assume it's like a straight line, one thing leading into another."
Nova nodded,"I'm with you so far."
"The fact is that time is more like a...." He paused, the last time he tried to explain this it hadn't really sunk in. "Picture it like a piece of fabric, made up of many threads. With in this fabric there are points that are key to holding it together. Like knots that keep it woven together. Many of these points, these knots, have been created in this universe's distant future."
Nova's eyes widened as he grasped what the Doctor was saying,"Our arrival has unknotted those key points and pulled loose the threads of fate!"
The Doctor smiled and nodded,"Exactly, and now the threads are being rewoven into new history. But every fixed point from before the Pokemon is still a fixed point and has to stay that way."
"So the death of Derpy's parents is a fixed point?"
The Doctor flinched,"... Yes. Yes it is."
Nova raised his eyebrow again, there was clearly more to this than he wanted to say. "Does she know this?"
The Doctor sighed managing to look happy and sad at the same time,"No she doesn't. And not once has she asked me if I could." He pressed his lips into a thin line and glanced at the heirloom cradled in his foreleg. 'Sometimes I wonder if she knows what really happened.'
"NOVA!" Cried a voice from the right. Nova turned just in time to see a Serperior only a short distance away and closing faster than he could react. The Regal Pokemon launched itself the last few yards and Tackled the Fire-type and coiled into a serpentine hug that quickly forced the air out of his lungs. "Ah my dear old friend it's been far too long. How have you been? Is Allen about? Don't tell me you haven't found him yet!"
Nova wanted to respond but talking took air and he was fresh out. He began to you beat on the Grass-type's side trying to get his attention,"Air...'
"Oh Arceus! I'm sorry Nova!" The grass snake apologized as he loosened his grip,"I was just so excited to see you after all these years."
Nova gasped in a few breathes as the Serperior moved back to the ground and dropped to all fours. He felt a weight on his back and glanced up to see Dawn smiling sweetly,"Hi big brother. Look who I found."
Nova chuckled and looked back at the Grass-type,"Good to see you again Kvistr. I take it Brandon is nearby, you two are virtually inseparable."
"What do you mean he's not here!?" Star Shine demanded.
The clerk behind the desk checked the papers again,"I'm sorry miss. According to this he was bailed out earlier this morning."
"By who!?" She asked flabbergasted, Storm didn't have many friends and even fewer who would bail him out.
The clerk glanced at the papers again and frowned,"That's not right. It doesn't say." He quickly looked over the rest of the packet and his frown deepened,"What the? Excuse me a moment ma'am." He stood unlocked the security door and stepped through locking it behind him.
Star saw him approach the mare who was the warden and whisper something in her ear. He then held up the packet to her and she flipped through it. The warden jumped to her hooves and ran further into the jail while the clerk walked back to Star at a subdued pace. When he was back on her side of the door and seated in his desk she asked,"What's going on?"
The clerk sighed and pushed the packet to her,"For some reason the paperwork is mostly blank. Which means we wouldn't have realised him. And it appears that the warden has no memory of him or the pony who he left with."
"Well what does that mean?" Star asked exacerbated.
Just then the warden came stomping back into the office and quickly sat at her desk scribbling on a piece of parchment. The clerk cleared his throat,"It means that legally, Feather Storm has escaped."
"Pppffffffft! Hahaha whahahaha!" Brandon hit the dirt clutching at his ribs as he laughed uncontrollably.
"What the hell are you laughing at!?" Allen demanded.
While still on the ground Brandon tried to reign in his glee,"Haha come on bro, hahaha. It's been what seven years, hehe. Why the long face!?" He then fell back laughing like a lunatic.
Allen sighed,"Aaand the horse jokes begin."
"Why are you a Rapidash!?" He laughed picking himself up and dusting himself off. "Or blue for that matter!?"
"Arceus said the colour was some kind of mutation." He explained,"And I choose to blame Arceus for making me like this." He answered matter of factly.
"Aw don't be like that man. Arceus seems like a pretty chill guy." He paused,"... I mean yeah he has that whole 'holier than thou' thing going on but he is god. He's kinda earned it."
"Eh." Allen shrugged and turned to Sparkler who looked confused. "Right introductions! Sparkler this is my friend from Castelia, Brandon Mills."
Brandon stood a little straighter and smiled,"Nice to meet ya."
"B, this is Sparkler. She helped us when we first got here and helped us find Dawn."
Sparkler smiled and nodded as well,"Hello!"
Brandon looked between to two of them for a second before a mischievous grin spread across his beaked face. "Oooh! I see! Don't let me interrupt." He held his hands up and turned around,"I gotta find someone anyway. I'll catch up with you later man! ~Have fun you twooo~!" He then ran off and jumped up into a tree using that to jump to one after another.
"What was that about?" Sparkler asked still confused.
Allen was dragging a hoof across his face and sighed, B was a good friend but his whole brain was a red light district. "Remember that one mare at the station in Canterlot?"
"In Canter-oh... Oh!" Her face flushed the most adorable shade of red and she promptly looked anywhere other than at him. "That's that's... I mean!"
Allen couldn't stop himself from chuckling, she was cute when she got embarrassed. "Hehe, yeah B's been like that since I met him. But he has a really dirty mind, I shudder to think what a Psychic might find if they actually got into his head."
At that exact moment in Canterlot, Mewtwo felt a chill run up his spine. As though the threads of fate and just twisted around his neck. After a second the sensation passed and he chose to shrug it off. (1)
"So uh, what should we do now?" Sparkler asked as her blush started to fade, still not looking directly at him.
He had to fight the urge to make a dirty remark, it was a battle worthy to be remembered in song. "Your place or mine?" However he ultimately lost, Sparkler's reaction was worth it though.
"What!?" She gasped as her whole face turned a shade of red that could normally only be seen by bees and art students. Her eyes widened to the size of dinner plates and her pupils shrunk to pinpricks. "But I- you- and he!" She stammered and began shifting her weight from on hoof to another.
Allen lost it,"Hahaha hahaha! Oh your face! I wish I had a camera!"
"That's not funny!" Sparkler huffed and stomped a hoof.
"Yeah it was!" Allen laughed again.
"It's kinda funny." Agreed Tally from the branch of a tree drawing their attention.
"Oh Tally! There you are!" Sparkler said clearly eager to change the subject. "Did you have fun flying?"
"Hi Sparkler, Yes I had a very nice time flying." There was a smug tone. "How about you? What have you been up to?" He wagled his birdie eyebrows. Sparkler flushed again and he sighed,"I actually saw the Solar Beam and came to check things out."
"Are you gonna tell me who you are!?" Feather Storm demanded. After bailing him out the cream coloured pegasus had told him he had a business offer and then lead him to a nearby cafe.
"Hmmm?" He glanced over his sunglasses briefly showing his fiery orange eyes, and sipped a cup of tea he had ordered,"Are you sure you don't want something. The tea is luvly."
"No!" Storm snapped and slammed his hoof on the table. "What I want are some Celestia damned answers!"
"Language." He gasped in mock shock,"Do you kiss your mother with that mouth?"
"My mother is dead!" Storm snapped already done with the stallions casual attitude. "A Griffin killed her when I was a colt!"
This got the stallions attention,"Ahh, now I see why you were one of the first Diabolos picked up."
"What?"
The stallion sighed,"I was hoping to be a little more civil with this one." He muttered," But very well! I am called The Master. I'm a Time Lord from the future. And I and some associates have made the jump, which was extremely dangerous by the way, to this time to address the Pokemon threat."
"...You're a time traveler?" Storm deadpanned.
"An alien time traveler." The Master corrected.
"And that is officially more Minotaur crap than I can sit through." Storm sighed and stood,"Listen, Master or whatever the Tartarus your name is, thanks for bailing me out but I have more important things to do than listen to some science fiction story."
"Oh I didn't bail you out!" The Master laughed as he sipped his tea. "All I did was hypnotize the clerk's and the Warden so they would let me take you. When my deception is discovered there will likely be quite the marehunt to find you."
"You did what!?" Storm demanded. "You broke me out!? Do you know what their gonna do to me because of you!?"
"Well don't quote me on this." The Master replied casually,"But if memory serves the minimum sentence for escaping a detention facility is somewhere around 15 years." He took another sip of tea. "So shall we speak like civilized stallions, or will you continue to make an ass out of yourself?" He glanced to his left at the serving staff and other customers who were all staring at them.
Storm glared at the other ponies but took a seat,"Why?"
"To guarantee your cooperation." The Master answered with a completely indifferent tone. "I've come to find most ponies are open to new idea's when they believe their life is spiraling out of control. So welcome to your life, out of control." He gave Storm a smug grin. "There are two options in front of you, one: you can walk away and go back to that jail with the tasteless food and bitter coffee. You can try to convince them you're the victim of circumstance and hope they go easy on you. However you will spend the rest of you natural life marked as a felonious criminal."
Storm scowled at the cocky stallion,"And door number two?"
"Come with me, help us save Equus and forever be remembered as a hero." The Master finished his tea and gave a contented sigh. "You could finally have the notoriety to get your opinions heard as well. The choice is your Feather Storm."
"Some bucking choice!" He snapped and looked away from the stallion. "What would I have to do?"
He didn't see the Master's dark grin,"All you would have to do is step into a room and fall asleep. When you wake up, you will have the power to rival gods. Then turn your fury on these invading monsters until your world is cleansed of their ilk."
"Power to rival gods?" Storm asked clearly intrigued. "You could make me as powerful as Celestia?"
The Master laughed,"Celestia!? When we're done with you she'll have to abdicate the throne to you!"
"That's blasphemy!" Storm hissed. "Nopony is more powerful than she is?"
"No pony perhaps." The Master nodded. "However the power of Pokemon is in a whole other order of magnitude. Celestia's power is insignificant compared to Arceus."
"Celestia is the daughter of the mare who made the world." Storm hissed,"There is nothing insignificant about her and I should clobber you for even implying it."
The Master just smiled,"Perhaps abdicate was the wrong word. More like share it with you." He saw Storm pause at this,'Got ya.' "The power I offer will bring you their recognition. With recognition come influence and from that comes change. The natural order has been disturbed and I need the help of ponies like you to set it right." The Master removed his sunglasses and locked his blazing orange eyes with Storm's green eyes,what I did was underhoofed but it should show just how desperate I am. The whole of the universe is at stake."
"Storm!?" Cried a shrill voice. "What are you doing here!? What did you do!?"
Feather Storm pinned his ears back and spun to the all too familiar voice,"Hi Star." He said nervously.
"Hi!? HI!?!?" She yelled then snorted,"They're saying you escaped Storm!"
"Oh." The Master groaned dejectedly,"Found out already did they? Well that cuts a few hours off my schedule. Looks like it's choosing time Storm."
Star then looked to the Master,"Who are you!?" She demanded.
"Sorry you don't get an introduction." He replied, it wouldn't do if the wrong ponies knew he was here.
"Star calm down I'm gonna make this right." Storm said standing and stepping towards her.
"Happi?" A small pink creature peeked over the top of Star Shine's head. "Pinny pinny?"
Storm stopped dead,"St-Star?" He asked as he began to breathe heavier. "W- what's that thing doing on you?"
The Master quirked an eyebrow at this, he like all Time Lords was psychic, it wasn't nearly as developed as a Psychic-types abilities, but was pronounced enough that he felt a rage brewing in him. He leaned forward and whispered into Storm's ear,"This is what they do. They don't conquer through force they make you think they're your friends. No matter how small and weak they seem they are all deadly dangerous."
Storm pulled his head back and glanced at the Master, who felt a storm begin to rage in the stallion. "Star you need to get away from that thing. It's dangerous."
"It's an infant Storm." She deadpanned,"And she's lost her family."
"Oh isn't that sweet." The Master cooed in disgust, as he felt the raging Storm in his potential recruit build into a typhoon.
"GET AWAY FROM IT NOW!" Feather Storm roared.
"Storm you're being ridiculous again." Star said calmly,"Just relax."
'Oh poor choice of words.' The Master grinned to himself as he felt the typhoon peak into a hurricane.
Storm's eye twitched and he stalked forward,"I SAID GET AWAY FROM HER!" He lunged forward and swung at the pink abomination, but his movement was reckless and when his hoof struck it wasn't the Pokemon that felt it. Star Shine cried out as Storm punched her shoulder with all his rage fuelled might. It sent her rolling onto her side, making her hit the side of her head on the cobblestone. The Happiny tumbled off of her as well, it's soft squishy body allowed it to bounce harmlessly to a stop beside her stomach.
The onlookers, who until now weren't sure what was going on, gasped and two of the serving staff rushed forward to help. Storm was faster, and charged forward swinging his curled hoof again. "Happi!" SMACK SMACK
Storm groaned and reeled back the sides of his muzzle sore,"What the b-" At that moment one of the wait staff, another stallion, tackled him. "GET OFF ME YOU DIRT EATER!" He raged.
Star whimpered as a waitress galloped up to her,"Miss! Are you okay?" Star pulled her hooves under her and tried to stand, however her right foreleg gave out and she dropped. The waitress could see a large purple bruise forming under her off white coat. "Somepony call the guard!" One of the cafes patrons galloped off.
"STAR!" Storm raged,"STAR GET AWAY FROM IT! IT'S A MONSTER!"
"You're the only monster here Feather Storm." She replied,"Sparkler was right about you!" Her eyes began to water and tears poured down her cheeks,"I thought you were a good pony. Confused, angry, but a good pony." She sniffed and fixed him with a hard hurt glare,"It's over Storm, I don't ever want to see you again."
"Star?" He asked as though he hadn't understood her.
The Master stepped up and bucked the waiter in the face knocking him out. "Time to make a choice Feather Storm." He said flaring his wings ready to take to the skies.
Storm just stared at Star Shine, the waitress and Happiny positioned defensively between him and her. All he saw was the look of contempt in her eyes, and then he stood and spread his own wings,"Let's go." The Master grinned victoriously and they winged their way into the sky and away from Fillydelphia.
With Storm gone Star let out a pent up breath and began to cry, not the crying of someone in physical pain, but that of the truly heart broken. The Waitress gingerly placed a hoof on her uninjured shoulder in an attempt to console her. As she cried Happiny looked at the weeping mare and stepped up to the large and swollen bruise. She delicately place her hands on the bruise and a moment later a green light flashed out over the blemish. After a moment it was gone, looking as though it had never even been there. "Happi?"
Star stared at the Pokemon, then at the place where she had been hurt. Slowly, she stood testing the leg and finding that it was like she had never been harmed at all. She looked down to the baby Pokemon,"T-thank you Happiny."
"Happi!" She cheered and hugged her foreleg as to Guards came galloping up.
"Last one!" Ditzy sighed as she rolled the last hulking bag of mail off her back. The trains postmaster grabbed up the canvas sack and hurled it into the train car. Until recently Ponyville had been nowhere special but it was on its way to everywhere special. As such, a lot of the mail that was coming or going inevitably went through the sleepy little town. Since Princess Luna's return and Twilight's ascension Ponyville had become a lot more important and that only meant more post passed through the junction.
With her hardest job done for today Ditzy leaned on a post a took a moment to catch her breathe. “Excuse me, miss?”
Ditzy looked down to see a aqua blue Pokemon, she looked like Dawn if she were a fish. “Hello!” She chirped happily.
The Eeveelution smiled back. “Hi, just wanted to make sure that you could understand me.”
She giggled such a sIlly thing since the TARDIS translated every language for her. “Of course I do, I understand everyone.” She offered a hoof which the Water-type took. “I’m Derpy.”
“Hi Derpy, I’m Misty.” She grinned seeming happy to just have a conversation with someone, then she glanced over her shoulder to Fluttershy and a few other Pokemon. “Well, I gotta go.”
Ditzy waved as Misty trotted off. “Bye, Misty.” As she returned to her friends an idea came to Ditzy and she quickly fumbled around in her bag until she found a small note pad. Then she eyed to fleeting Pokemon scrutinizing their details and scribbling them down. “Blue fish-fox, yellow and blue Diamond Dog like creatures, white, red and blue speckled egg...” She mumbled to herself as she jotted down the notes. Yesterday she had seen the PokeDex Allen gave Dinky had information on Pokemon. Ditzy stowed the notes, wondering what new things she would learn.
She smiled at the group now walking g off to Fluttershy's cottage,'I wonder if they like muffins?' She pondered as she flew off to make the last of her rounds noon was fast approaching.
Flying back to the post office Ditzy quickly gathered up the mail she needed to deliver sorting it as she placed it in the bag. As she stepped outside she glanced at the building, it was made like many of the homes in Ponyville though a far bit larger. She was going to miss working here, the ponies were nice and she got to meet and chat with so many of her friends. She glanced towards the clear blue sky, but she would still get to see all her friends once her bake shop was ready. It was still a long ways off, they likely wouldn't break ground until after Winter wrap up so there was still time to enjoy the sky.
As she spread her wings she paused seeing a familiar orange filly talking to a Pokemon. It was tall and thin, with spindly arms and legs. It was mostly brown and had large red boxing gloves attached over its hands. However it's most striking feature was the turban wrapped around the top of its head, the winding headpiece seemed to held together by a very large and bright blue sapphire.
"So I'm supposed to hoof out theses invitations to as many ponies and Pokemon as I can." Scootaloo explained passing the colourful piece of paper to the Fighting-type. "You haven't lived till you've been to a Pinkie Pie Party!"
The Fighting-type accepted the slip and scanned it quickly before smiling and giving a quick bow,"Thank you this sounds delightful. While I have you here, I do not suppose you have seen a Heracross around here have you?"
Scootaloo stared up at him blankly,"...What?"
The Punching Pokemon slumped and sighed,"Yes I suppose that's my own fault."
Ditzy giggled and stepped up,"You're looking for your friend?" She looked at Scootaloo,"I can help here Scootaloo, you should keep passing out those invitations."
"Okay Miss Derpy! See Ya at the party!" She buzzed her wings and whizzed off.
"You can understand me?" He asked raising an eyebrow.
Ditzy giggled,"Yup." She said doing an impression of Big Macintosh then she offered a hoof," Call me Derpy."
The Fighting-type smiled and shook their hoof,"I am called Ali. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance."
Ditzy smiled and nodded in the direction she was going, Ali nodded and fell into step with her,"So you're a Pokemon I take it and you're trying to find your friends?"
Ali nodded,"Indeed, only one of your immediate group is still lost. But I believe my trainer will also seek out his close human friend." He explained as they walked.
"So what does she look like?" Ditzy asked. "Cuz I've never heard of a Heracross before."
Ali gave a small smile,"A Heracross is a large Bug-type Pokemon with a blue-green carapace." He held his gloved hand at eye level beside her,"He is this tall with an axe shaped horn that is taller still." He finished his description and looked at Ditzy waiting patiently for her answer.
Ditzy bit her lip and wracked her brain trying to recall if she had seen any Pokemon that resembled the description. She had noticed several Pokemon that anypony could tell were bugs, particularly around Sweet Apple Acres, but she could recall none. "I'm sorry." She apologized as her ears dropped,"I don't think I have seen him."
"No need to be sorry Miss Derpy." Ali said with a small smile,"You were willing to take time out of your day to help a stranger." He bowed,"Kindness such as that was rare in my old world."
"It was no trouble. I just wish I could help you more." She paused before an idea struck her,"Have you checked the orchard? I've seen lots of bugs out there since the Pokemon got here."
An Orchard?" The Hitmonchan deadpanned all of his previous poise gone,"I would not be surprised to find him there stuffing his face." He sounded annoyed as though this was common for the bug,"Such a glutton, which way is the orchard?"
Ditzy pointed with a hoof to the far side of town and towards the Everfree,"You should know it when you see the barn."
The Fighting-type thanked her and made to leave but stopped as his gaze fell on an azure maned Rapidash that walked towards them on the street. He was more surprised to see a shiny than anything else, variations in colour were quite rare. What was curious though was the grin the Fire Horse Pokemon was giving him. "Do I know you?"
"I used to be human." The Fire-type answered with a knowing smile.
Ali smiled as well,'How curious the universe is?"' After years in hiding who should he meet but an old friend and, for all of twenty-four seconds, pupil. "Then I would name you Allen Swans."
"Good to see you Ali." Allen greeted and turned to a magenta coloured mare beside him. He gestured towards him,"Sparkler this is Ali, part of Brandon's team."
"How do you do?" Sparkler nodded causing Tally to flare his wings for balance. "Whoops! Sorry Tally!"
"S'okay." He chipped. "Don't forget I'm up here."
Allen chuckled,"Ali this is Sparkler and Tally, Good friends we met when we arrived."
The Fighting-type looked her over seeing a similar build in the face of this mare as Derpy,'Sister's perhaps?' He smiled and bowed,"Nice to meet you. Any friend to Allen is a friend to me."
"You know him Allen?" Ditzy asked surprised.
Allen laughed,"He broke my jaw once. I had to eat through a straw for three weeks."
"That's awful!" Sparkler cried.
"It was my own fault." Allen shrugged,"I challenged him."
"I believed you would duck." Ali explained. "You do not bare a grudge do you?"
"Of course not. I was a novice and I challenged you." Allen shrugged,"More than anything it was for Nova's sake."
Ali grinned at this,"Is he somewhere nearby? I am curious how he has improved. Though your performances in the Hoehn Legue already speaks to his strength.
"You guys had to leave before I got to Hoehn. How do you know how we did?"
"Brandon found a way to disable the emergency tracker in his Xtransceiver. After that he was able to use the internet as long as we could find a hotspot." Ali explained. "He watched every one of your league battles. May I say that top four, three years in a row is most impressive."
Allen chuckled,"I guess, would have rather gone all the way."
"It was a considerable improvement over your bout with the Unova League." Ali offered.
Allen frowned and laid his ears back,"Dont remind me. Though how he got passed the Preliminary Round was beyond me."
Ali chuckled,"A more even match up I think."
"Okay I'm lost again." Sparkler piped in.
"Remember when I first told you about gyms and badges?" Allen asked referring to the hour or so they had spent exchanging information in Fillydelphia. "The league is the next step after you get all eight badges."
"~Oooh~!" Sparkler nodded. "So the first time you tried you didn't make it?"
Allen sighed,"I couldn't even beat his first Pokemon. Damn Charizard" He muttered the last bit to himself.