My Little Pokemon: Dusk and Dawn (REWRITE PENDING)

by DarklordAxel20

First published

With her crown stolen and the Crystal Empire attacked, Twilight must venture to a world unknown to her, a world filled with wonderful creatures, with the help of friends, new and old, she'll travel the Eques region and get her crown back at all cost

What started as a regular visit to the Crystal Empire with Spike and her friends, quickly turned into a disaster for Twilight Sparkle. When her crown is stolen and the Empire is attacked by a mysterious creature, Twilight must make chase after this " Sunset Shimmer ". With Spike by her side she follows the thief through a mirror, a mirror which takes the two of them two a strange new world, a world filled with wondrous creatures of all shapes and sizes, creatures, known as Pokemon. Upon arriving realizes that both she and Spike have undergone a serious change, they must adapt and learn about the world around them to find Sunset Shimmer, but the longer they're there, the more unfolds to them, as the picture is much bigger than Sunset, leading Twilight and her new friends from the trainer's academy, throughout the entirety of the Eques region. Follow her as she goes through this beautiful region, finding friends both old and new to her, seeing amazing and terrifying things alike. With the power of friendship and Pokemon alike, Twilight will do whatever she can to take back what is rightfully her's, and prevent a disaster that could destroy this world, and Twilight's world alike.

Theft of the Crown

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The Crystal Empire

The day had been an eventful one for Twilight Sparkle, she had woken up early specifically for the event being held today. Just recently she had gone through her coronation, officially becoming the princess of friendship, and today was another big event being held in the Crystal Empire, she was to be attending her very first princess summit. With Spike and her best friends by her side the day went by easy, having ended the day with a feast in her honor, Twilight was ready to end the day.

Both Twilight Sparkle and Spike made their beds, readying themselves for a full night's sleep, " Well, today certainly was interesting if I say so myself, now come on Spike, let's get some sleep, " said Twilight as she carefully placed her crown, which also held the element of magic, on her bedside table. She had still not become use wearing it all the time, and would avoid wearing it at times.

" Aww, cmon Twilight, just a little longer, " Spike groaned as he held a comic book in his grasp, " I'm not even tired yet, please Twilight, " the baby dragon pleaded.

Giving a small giggle and rolling her eyes, Twilight gave him a response, " alright, but don't stay up too long alright, we have a big day ahead of us, " she smiled as she climbed in bed, covering her body up, readied to fall asleep. That was the case, until her wings popped open, throwing her blanket off of her and ruining any chances of her falling asleep immediately, " Come on...stupid wings! " similar to wearing her crown, Twilight was also not yet use to her new wings, which she was still learning how to control.

Spike watched in slight amusement as Twilight fought her wings to stay shut over and over again, " And you were telling me not to stay up late, " he gave out a small chuckle with his comment.

Twilight gave out an aggravated growl, " Not helping Spike, " she gave a great push on her wings, managing to close them, for a few minutes. After fighting her wings for a little over fifteen minutes, Twilight finally managed to fall asleep, shortly followed by spike, but as she slept, a mysterious red figure loomed over the crystal palace, standing silently on the tip of a crystal spire.

A few hours had passed since Twilight managed to rest, the palace was quiet, all were resting, save for the guards that stood watch over it, princess Luna. Everypony was sound asleep, not a care in the world, that was, but it would not remain that way for long. A sudden explosion shook the palace, and the very earth beneath it, followed by another, and another. The guards scrambled throughout the palace, searching for the source of the explosions, unknown to them that the source would soon find them.

" Twilight wake up!! " Spike shouted in a panic as he shook her, violently waking her up.

" Spi-i-i-i-ke!!!! I'm awake!! " she said, using her magic to pry the young dragon off of her, " What's gotten into y- " she was cut off by an explosion going off on one of the many towers that were attached to the palace itself. Her eyes widened as she watched it collapse to the ground below, " Alright Spike I'm up, " she said in an incredibly frightened voice. They quickly made their way to the throne room of the castle, " Spike what the hay is going on, what's causing these explo...explosions?! " not only was she curious, but at the same time she was greatly concerned.

Spike was still in a panic, sweat poured down his head as he followed Twilight with haste, " I...I don't know! One minute I'm sound asleep, the next, the entire palace is shaking and guards are stampeding throughout the halls, wha...what if it's a dragon! or changelings! or or or!! ". In the midst of his nervous rant, Spike took quick notice of the absence of Twilight's crown atop her head, " Oh no Twilight! you forgot your crown! "

" Spike focus! " she said, trying her best not to become panicked, " The crown can wait, we need to hurry, or, who knows what could happen! the whole empire could go up in flames for all we know! " They managed to reach the throne room, and with no time to spare either, upon their arrival, Twilight's friends along with the three princesses, Celestia, Luna, and Cadence were waiting for them, " Oh! everypony is already here, that was certainly fast, " but Twilight stopped in her tracks upon noticing princess Luna injured. " Princess Luna!? " she quickly rushed over to the lunar princess' side, " Princess Luna what happened?! " she went from simply concerned to full on worried.

Princess Luna found herself unable to speak due to her injuries, she could barely stand, her body covered in strange burn marks, unlike anything Twilight had ever seen in her life. Her sister, Princess Celestia, stood by her sister's side, she had a furious expression adorned on her face, she knew not what did this, but knew that whoever, or whatever did, would pay, "...Whatever did this to Luna..is the same thing that's destroying the empire right now...we must hurry, it's outside right now ".

" Now hold on just a blasted second yer highness, " Applejack interjected, " Can ya explain what's goin on?! "

She did not reply, only motioned for them to follow her outside, " Princess Celestia please say something, " Twilight pleaded. However, upon stepping outside with the princess, everypony's eyes widened, the empire was in ruins, fires spread throughout giant craters that filled the streets, "...Wha...what could've done thi- " Twilight began, but was quickly cut off as a powerful orange beam came blasting passed them, destroying the earth as it passed by, followed by a chain of explosions.

" What in tarnation?! " Applejack exclaimed as she held on tightly to her hat, keeping it from blowing off as the explosions gave out intense blast of air with them.

Everypony began looking for a possible location that the beam could have come from, but they saw nothing, no traces of an attacker or anything. It wasn't until another beam came racing by did Fluttershy spot something standing atop a pillar of crystal in the middle of the market district. Her eyes widened, and her pupils shrunk as she began quivering, slowly backing away, wanting to find sanctuary inside the palace.

Celestia took notice of the look of fear in Fluttershy's eyes, " Fluttershy, what's wrong?! do you see something, please tell me, "her eyes darted as the frightened pegasus hesitantly pointed to what she was staring at. She followed Fluttershy's hoof, leading her eyes towards a tall figure standing atop a crystal spire, it stop on two slender legs, it's body was mostly a reddish orange, with a teal face, four skinny tentacles waved from out of it's torso, and it's most prominent feature, the glowing gem embedded in it's chest "...What in the name of Equestria is that... "

" What is what princess? " Twilight asked, the worried tone instilled in her voice, hey eyes too landed on the strange creature, " what is that?! " she was taken aback by it's terrifying appearance.

" Oooh it's one of them wacky inflated tube thingies! " Pinkie Pie exclaimed as she bounced in place.

Suddenly, a beam of light shot out from the creatures face, but instead of attacking, it was almost as if it were scanning the area, scanning for something specific. The ponies felt a sense of dread as the spiraling light passed over them, stopping only after passing by Twilight. Celestia took notice of how the creatures gaze was suddenly fixated on her former student, whatever this monstrosity was, it was here for her, " Twilight, inside, now, " she spoke with a surprisingly demanding voice.

" B..but Princess Celestia! " Twilight tried to reason with her former mentor, but to no avail.

" No but's Twilight, take Spike and go inside now! " she used her magic to lift the both of them, moving them into the palace.

Princess Celestia had never raised her voice towards Twilight before, in all honesty it was shocking, almost as shocking as some alien creature destroying the Crystal Empire, but if she did, it was for a reason, "..Alright princess.. " she gave a small nod, turned away, put Spike on her back and took off full sprint into the palace.

Shining Armor stepped forward where his sister once stood, an expression of anger and frustration rested on his face, " I want any and all guards here right now!! " he shouted out. His demands were quickly responded too by a large group of crystal guards taking position infront of everypony else, " We need to stop that thing at all cost! "

The creature's eyes became slim as it watched Twilight escape into the castle, everypony watched in slight horror as it's body began changing, it took on an even slimmer appearance, it's head became longer, it went from having four tentacles to only having two skinnier ones, and the sides of it's head with from odd protrusions to almost pointed-like ears. Rainbow Dash spread her wings and readied herself to take off, " That ugly thing is mine! " she gritted her teeth as she started furiously flapping her wings.

" Rainbow Dash don't! " Celestia cried out, but it was too late, the cyan pegasus shot off towards the creature in an attempt to ram it at high speeds.

" You're all mine ugly!!! " she sped towards the creature, a rainbow trail coming off her body as she flew. In a matter of seconds she was halfway to it, but suddenly, she felt something pass her at speeds only she could reach, her blood ran cold and her eyes went wide as she turned to see the mysterious creature flying right towards the princesses and the other ponies, "..b..but how? "

Everypony prepared for the worst as the creature flew towards them at sonic speed, only to have it stop mere yards away from them, the sudden stop giving off a powerful blast of air, "..H...how in tarnation did it do that.. " Applejack took a few steps back, along with the rest of the main six, any form of confidence she had slipped away from her.

" Everypony, fire!! " Shining Armor suddenly shouted as his horn began glowing, followed by him, along with every unicorn guard present, firing a magical blast at the creature who had been ravaging the empire.

Inside the Crystal Palace

Both Twilight and Spike made haste as they rushed back towards their room, if anything now as the time for them to grab Twilight's crown, " What was that thing Spike?! " she was still in shock from the initial sight of the creature.

" I..I don't know! " Spike was quivering just as much as Fluttershy at this point, "It..it kinda looked like this weird alien creature from the comic book I was reading earlier, " he held on tightly to Twilight as they sprinted throughout the palace.

" Spike be serious, aliens don't exist, whatever that thing is, it exist! " as soon as they reached the room, Twilight came to a screeching halt at the sight of a hooded pony exiting the room.

The hooded pony chuckled to herself as she put the princess' crown in her bag, " With Deoxys serving as my diversion, I'll be able to slip out of here just as easily as I slipped in, " she started to trot off when she turned to face Princess Twilight herself, " Darnit why now of all times! " she started running towards Twilight, only to teleport past her and run down the long hall behind her.

" Stop!! that's my crown!!! " she shouted as she made chase after the mysterious pony.

Back Outside the Crystal Palace

The smoke from the numerous magical blast cleared, only reveal the horrifying truth, the creature was unscathed from the magical assault, and it had taken on a new form, this form had a more round and robust shape to it, now sporting two flattened arms that it used to protect it's body.

Shining Armor began shaking, " ..Th...that's not possible, " he and the rest of the ponies gave off a physical flinch as the creature gave out a loud, almost mechanical noise.

"...Wh..wh...what's it doin now?! " Applejack ask, bracing herself for the worst as she watched the creature float backwards, and return to it's original state.

Before anypony could answer however, it morphed it's body again, taking on another sleek, yet different form, atop it's head and on the sides sat three pointed protrusions, it's " arms " if you could call them that, ended in points. It gave out the same mechanical noise as before, but this time more menacing as it moved the four tentacles towards the center of it's chest.

Princess Celestia knew whatever it was doing now, could end terribly for her and the ponies around her if she didn't do anything soon. " Everypony stay down! " she cried out as she formed a large magical barrier around herself and the many ponies she sought to protect.

A flashing orb formed between the creatures tentacles, giving off an almost electric, and unnatural glow, it gave out one last cry before firing the powerful orb right at the ponies, colliding with the barrier, exploding, and shattering it in one shot.

Celestia felt her blood run cold upon witnessing the barrier shatter, she had put all her magic into it in order to protect everypony, but it just wasn't enough, "...I've failed... " she closed her eyes waiting for the inevitable as the creature began charging up an orange blast between it's tentacles. However it never fired, a flash of blue magic came whizzing by it's face, catching it's attention.

It turned itself away from the frightened ponies, and faced it's body towards the palace, specifically a window that the magic had been shot out of, with it's loud machine like cry, it fired the powerful, orange beam from it's tentacles, blasting a hole in the palace, a hole which, after morphing back into it's original form, it quickly flew into.

Inside the Palace Once More

The hooded pony had managed to make her way into what was supposed to be a locked room within the palace, one which held a magical mirror. Managing to lose the princess whom had trailed her, she sat, impatiently waiting for the one who had assisted her in the theft she committed, " Where is that thing, " I'm losing what little patience I have "

It wasn't long before Twilight finally managed to catch up, easily spotting the mysterious pony standing in the room at the far end of the hall, " There she is!!! " she began sprinting faster, hoping that she made it in time, but in mid sprint she came to a dead stop. The creature that attacked the empire flew into the same room the hooded pony had entered.

" It's about time! " she shouted in an almost scolding voice, " I guess I can't be too mad, I got what I came here for, now let's go, don't let anyone follow us either, " she turned to face the mirror, and stepped through it.

" Stop!!!! " Twilight caught a glimpse of everypony that had been outside, rushing towards the same direction she was heading, " That pony!!! " she shouted getting their attention, " There's a pony wearing a hood, and she's with that thing!! she took my crown we have to stop her!!! ". They all made a mad dash towards the creature that was standing in front of the magical mirror, but right as they reached the doorway, their movements halted as a strange blue aura covered every last one of them. The creatures eyes were glowing the same menacing blue color that enveloped them, they watched as it turned away, following the hooded pony through the mirror, dropping them all once it had vanished with her.

Hours had passed since then, Twilight paced back in forth in front of the mirror, Spike and her friends sat watching in worry as she continuously walked in the same two directions. The princesses had told her the magical properties the mirror possessed, and that the only way to get her crown back was to chase after the creature and pony, but she was hesitant, if the mirror is where the creature came from, who knows what she would find there. "..I..I just don't know what to do...I have to get my crown back...but..I have no clue what I'm going to find once I step through that mirror.. "

Spike hopped up from where he was sitting and made his way over towards Twilight, " Don't worry Twilight, you don't have to be worried or scared, you'll have me by your side " he said in a reassuring tone of voice.

" Yeah! and you'll have us too! " Rainbow Dash added on.

" Yes darling we would never let you go through such an endeavor by your lonesome, " Rarity also spoke in an assuring tone.

" I'm afraid that's not possible, " everypony turned towards the sound of Princess Celestia's voice as she walked into the room, " This is a journey that Twilight has to make on her own, should she bring anypony else, well, It's for the best that she go on her own, that is all I can say".

Twilight stared at her former mentor, feeling even more unsure than she previously had, "..A...are you sure princess...are you sure I can do this on my own? "

Celestia gave a small nod towards Twilight, " I am Twilight, this is your crown, you must be the one to get it back, however, before you go, remember that the mirror is only able to be accessed once every thirty moons, you have a limited amount of time to retrieve your crown...if not..then I do not know..just please..get your crown..and make it back safely, Twilight Sparkle ".

Twilight audibly gulped as she turned to face the crystal mirror, with a deep breath and loud exhale, she took a big step towards the mirror, " Here goes nothing! " and with that, she stepped through.

The Wonderful World of Pokemon

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The Crystal Palace

Right as Twilight went through the mirror, Spike internally panicked, there was no way he could let his best friend go to some world she knew nothing at all about, " Don't worry Twilight, I'm coming for you!!! "

Everypony gasped as they watched the little dragon take off towards the mirror, " SPIKE NO!!!!! " but it was too late, he was already through and after Twilight.

They all sat still, eyes widened at the sight of the small drake following Twilight to this unknown world, " Princess Celestia what do we do?! You said Twilight was supposed to make this trip on her own, " Rarity practically screamed, fearful of what might become of him.

Princess Celestia just stared in slight shock at the mirror, not entirely sure what to say, however she needed to say something, otherwise Rarity and the others would begin worrying, " Everything will be alright, we just...need to have fate in them ". While her words somewhat quelled the rising panick from the ponies, it didn't suppress the worry that she herself had been feeling right then and there, " Twilight, Spike, please...stay safe ".

Somewhere Unknown to Twilight and Spike

Twilight felt consciousness returning to her, she couldn't remember much of anything upon stepping through the mirror. Her eyes began to slowly crack open as she felt herself able to move again, but before she could do or say anything she froze. Twilight was face to face with the largest ladybug she had ever seen, it had big round eyes, and six legs that ended in some sort of appendage. " AAAAAAAH!!! What is that?!?! " she rolled backwards from out of shock, while this would have frightened most things Twilight was used to, the creature before her only seemed to give a look of slight confusion before flying off.

" Uh...Twilight? " a voice said right behind her, a familiar voice, one which belonged to Spike.

" Sp...Spike?! is that you, I thought Princess Celestia said that I was supposed ot do this on my o- " she stopped herself once her eyes laid upon the owner of the voice. Her eyes skimmed over the voices owner, it sounded enough like Spike, but rather than being the little dragon she knows so well, she was looking upon some strange hairless thing that stood upon two legs, it was adorned in a set of purple clothes, and green hair rested upon it's head. " Spike?!?! " she crawled back, unsure if this was really her assistant and friend she was looking at, "...wha...what are you??? "

Spike looked himself over as best as he could, spinning around in circles, " I...I'm not sure, but whatever I am, it's the same thing as you are Twilight, " he pointed down at what used to be her hooves as he spoke.

Wha...what do you me..me...mea... " her eyes widened as she lifted her " hooves " up, and saw that that they were no longer hooves at all. Twilight let out an ear piercing scream as she came to the quick realization that she had changed, greatly, but quickly she covered her mouth, as to not draw attention.

Spike watched as Twilight pulled and prodded on her new appendages, " Um, Twilight, are you alright, " he scratched his head as he continued watching his best friend examine her new body.

Twilight didn't answer, instead she continued her examination, eventually moving her new appendages up towards her face, only for her pupils to shrink upon feeling it, " ...M...my muzzle...its.. " she went to scream again, only to be stopped by Spike covering her mouth.

" Please don't tell me you're gonna scream again, " he moved what used to be his claws, away from her face, upon receiving an answer in the form of her head shaking side to side. They both looked away from one another to take in their surroundings, gasping at the sights they saw around them, " Where are we? "

" I'm not really sure, " they both marveled at what they saw, creatures of all shapes and sizes roamed around a large building that sat before them.

A large flock of what looked to be birds flew overhead, they seemed to be traveling in a group, leading them was the largest bird Twilight had ever seen, as it flew what looked like a long flowing mane fluttered behind its body " Pi!! Pidgeot!! " it cried out as it flew up high. Following behind it were slightly smaller birds, similar in appearance, the only difference was their size and the length of their hair, " Pidgeotto!! " Twilight watched in awe as they took further to the skies.

The birds weren't the only thing that caught their attention, there were all sorts of creatures, big and small, that neither had ever seen before, " What are they? " Spike asked in amazement.

Twilight watched as a long furry creature, slightly resembling a ferret covered in ring-like stripes ran by them and into the grass nearby, " Furret " it called out, once reaching the grass. As soon as it did three smaller creatures came scurrying by, they had small round bodies, long ears, and big puffy tails, each one stopped to look at Twilight and Spike before making their way towards the long ferret-like creature.

"I....have no clue Spike, but whatever they are, they're amazing! " Twilight replied, she was so fascinated with the creatures around her that she had stopped freaking out about her own physical change. In fact she was so focused on the creatures around her that Spike was already a good meter away before she noticed that he had left her side, " Sp..Spike wait up!! " she got on her hands and feet and took off after him, moving as if she were still a pony.

Spike turned back to see her running up to him, " Twilight? what are you doing? " he scratched the back of his head as he looked at her positioned on her hands and knees.

She looked at him in a confused manner, possibly even more confused than he was, " What do you mean Spike? "

" Well uh.... " he started, unsure of how to put it, " you...well, look kinda funny moving like that "

" I look funny? well how else do you expect me to get around? " her answer was immediately answered when she saw another "thing" that looked like a much larger version of what Spike and what she assumed herself to be, walking upright on two legs, just like Spike. Twilight blushed slightly out of embarrassment as she picked herself up off the ground and dusted herself off, " ...oops... "

Spike chuckled a little at Twilight as stood herself up, " Cmon already Twilight, " he was already ahead of her once again, with Twilight following at a slower pace.

Twilight wobbled behind Spike, not use to being on two legs for more than a few minutes, " Spike wait for me, h..hey! how are you moving so easily?! " she befuddled, they hadn't been there for ten minutes and Spike was moving around like he had been doing it for years.

" What do you mean Twilight? " he spoke as he kept walking, " I've always walked like this, I mean I only have two legs, sure it's a little rougher than usual, what with me not having a tail, but I'm managing, " he gave a confident smile, only to trip and fall flat on his face, " not a word ".

" A little rough is right, " she giggled, making her way over to him, walking with a little more ease the more she moved. She helped him to his feet and looked towards the direction of the building before them, the front was absolutely stunning, it was covered in all sorts of trees and flowers, two ponds rested next to the path towards the doors, one on each side and as they made their way down the path, they took notice of more and more of the creatures they had been seeing.

Both Spike and Twilight watched in amazement as they passed by these creatures living their every day lives. In the trees above sat a small group of ape-like creatures, some with tails, some without, but each one had the nose of a pig. " Mankey!! " each one of the smaller, tailed ones cried out as they jumped up and down in the trees.

Two of the larger apes hopped down from the trees, onto the path in front of Twilight and Spike, only to jump up into an adjacent tree, " Prrrimape!! " they called out as they looked at the two strangers passing by.

Spike pointed up towards another tree, one which had a small creature that resembled a sloth lying on one of the branches. It made no noises aside form small yawns, but as they were looking at it, a much larger sloth like creature with a red tuft of hair atop it's head, came swinging by on the branches of the trees in very energetic manner, " Roth!! Vigoroth!!! "

" There's so many of them, " Twilight gave out a small gasp as even more came into view.

" Free free! " a large purple butterfly came flying overhead, small sweet smelling,sparkling particles came off its wings as it flew by.

Near a large bed of flowers, a large group of a different looking butterfly fluttered in the air, " Beautifly! " they chimed happily as they floated above the colorful flowerbed.

As they passed the pond they saw aquatic creatures of all different forms, one of which being a large goldfish with a horn adorned on it's head, " Goldeen, " in a single hop it made it from one pool of water to the next.

Another fish hopped out of the water after it, just not in a graceful manner, and it didn't even make it all the way in the water, " Karp karp karp karp!! " it flopped about in place pathetically, not even attempting to get in the water.

" Uh Twilight, should we help it? " Spike asked, but she didn't answer, instead she steadily made her way over to the flopping fish, and gave it a small push, allowing it to fall into the water. Spike smiled at Twilight, even in her new body she was still able to help just about anything, " Nice job Twilight, " they both looked into the pond that both fish hopped into, but before they could get a good glimpse at their reflections, a large blue serpent came leaping out of the water, giving a mighty roar as it sailed overhead, crashing into the water on the other side. They both looked pale in the face as they lay motionless on the ground, their eyes widened with fear and surprise, " Twilight...what was that? " Spike asked in a small frightened voice.

"..I...I'm not sure Spike...but..can we get moving now, " she spoke in the same exact voice as Spike.

After passing many varieties of the creatures, Twilight and Spike eventually reached the door leading into the strange building they had arrived in front of. " Hand on Spike, let me get this for us, " she closed her eyes, gave a wave of her head, and smacked right into the glass door in front of her. She shook her head and looked at the door, seeing it still wasn't open, " what the? " she took a deep breath, puffing her cheeks out as she tried focusing any magic towards the door, but nothing happened. Her eyes went wide, "..Why...why isn't my magic working?! " she was unsure of what to do, the only time she had ever been without magic was when discord took her horn away, but even that was short-lived.

" Well, " Spike began, " It would be kind of hard to do magic, I mean you don't exactly have a horn sitting on your head ".

" What?!?! " she cried out as she looked up at her forehead, grabbing her hair in horror at the sight of her precious horn missing.

Spike let out a loud sigh and stepped towards the door, " Let me get that for you, " he gave a simple push on the door, and opened it wide for his very confused friend.

Once inside the first thing Twilight's eyes looked upon was a large glass case to the right of her, filled with many pictures and golden objects, " Hey Spike, what do you think these are? Could they be other artifacts from Equestria, do you think she took them as well? " but as she looked at the case, she finally noticed her reflection, causing her to take a step back and gasp. " What am I? What are we? " she took a better look at her new body, looking at her new face, her hair, even her new teeth.

Spike gave a small shrug and looked at his own reflection, " Beats me, but whatever I am, I'm looking better than I ever did in Equestria, " his self compliment only earned him a scowl of disapproval from Twilight.

Before she could say anything though, a loud ringing noise came from all over the room she was in, causing her to cover her ears, " what the?! " Suddenly the room was overflowing with beings similar to both her and Spike, each having a different appearance of their own, and some even carrying creatures similar to the ones outside in their arms, on their shoulders, even on their heads. Twilight's eyes widened even further as she saw all of them moving around both her and Spike, one of them even knocked her to the floor, putting her in an even more precarious situation, causing her to have to crawl to safety.

Once they had made it out of the mob, Spike helped Twilight up to her feet, " Are you OK Twilight? You're not hurt are you? " he asked as he helped her dust herself off.

" Just....just peachy, " she said with a small sigh, " Can we get moving now, please? " Spike gave a small nod and the two walked off, passing by a tall blue haired male.

The person turned and looked as she passed by, giving a small shrug, " Must be new here, " by his side was a short frog that sat crouched on two legs, looking up at him impatiently.

"...Croa....croa...croagunk.. " it croaked repeatedly and tapped one of it's feet as it stared at him.

" Hey come on we got a good few minutes before we need to get to our next class, " he smiled at the frog in an attempt to persuade it.

"...Croa....croa... "it continued it's staring, however it did reply by lifted up one of it's hands, followed by the tips of it's fingers glowing.

Sweat ran down his face as he took a few steps back, " alright alright, we're going don't be so pushy.

Somewhere Else in the Building

The duo had been walking around the rather large building for what seemed like the longest time, taking in as much as they could of this mysterious new world. They had seen so many things that nopony could even image back in Equestria, yet to all the inhabitants here it seemed like everyday life, the movement, the appendages at the end of their limbs and even the creatures they had been seeing everywhere. As they made their way through however, Twilight took careful notice of how each one of them used their bodies, how they walked, how they used their "hands" as she had heard, and even though she was still a bit shaky, in a short time she was moving just fine.

Spike stayed close to Twilight the whole time, just like her he took in his surroundings, while he was already used to moving like the things around them, it was still amazing seeing so many of them doing everything so casually.

" What a strange world we're in Spike...everything is so different... " she said, walking and talking at the same time, but stopped once she heard the sound of a somewhat familiar voice.

"...I...I'm really sorry...I really am... " a timid voice said in a pleading manner, "...I..I..I didn't know it belonged to you....I'm sorry..please don't be mad...I..I just found it laying there..and thought it was the right thing to give it to her.....I didn't know you were the one who dropped it.... "

Twilight peaked her head around the corner, finding two "girls" looking at one another, but one was on the ground, "..Spike..look.. " she whispered.

A girl with red and yellow hair stood over another girl, a small, yet threatening creature stood by her side, it's fur matching her hair style, " Well I was, and I was about to pick it up but you just had to ruin everything by being a goody-two-shoes, " she spoke in an an angry tone of voice and stomped her foot.

The creature next to her flared up it's tail and let out a small growl, " Flare..... " giving the timid voiced girl a sharp glare.

The flame haired girl simply looked down at it and gave a big smirk, " Flareon's right, you really shouldn't pick up things that don't belong to you, you might get hurt otherwise.

Twilight got a better look at the girl who was on the ground, she had pink hair, wore a green skirt with a butterfly embroidered on it, and a white shirt without any sleeves, "...w...well..it doesn't really belong to you e..either.. "

" Excuse me! " the angry girl practically yelled out at her as she stomped her foot.

"...N..nothing..I said nothing... " she tried to back away some, but didn't get far before the lockers behind her stopped her.

" That's exactly what I thought, " the flame haired girl crossed her arms, " it's mine and you know it, you know, you are pathetic, it's no wonder your only friends are the stray pokemon you take into that little shanty house of yours, not like my Flareon, isn't that right sweetie, " She picked the small fiery furred creature up in her arms and grinned wickedly at the girl who she just belittled.

" Flareon", it simply turned it's head away from the pink haired girl, giving a smug grin of its own

" Oh and don't let this happen again, we wouldn't want her knowing you have a dangerous creature with you at all times, " she chuckled as she turned away to walk off.

She didn't get far though, as someone stepped in her way, that someone being Twilight Sparkle, " How dare you speak to her like that! "

She glared daggers at the purple and pink haired girl before, " What did you just say, " she started walking at a faster pace towards her, as did the girl before her.

Everyone else in the hall, save for the pink haired girl on the ground, cleared out of the way, not wanting to get caught in the middle of what was going on. Twilight was furious, " I said, how dare you speak to her like that, you have no right to do so! " both of her fist were balled up tightly as the two girls stared one another down.

However the fiery haired girl gave a small chuckle and slightly pulled back form hair, " Now I get it, you must be new here, " she shoved her out of her way and started walking off again, " I have the right to speak to anyone anyway I want, isn't that right Flareon? "

" Flare! " the small furry creature replied in what Twilight could only assume was an agreement.

Once she was gone Twilight turned towards the girl who was on the floor, who had stood up as soon as the other girl was out of sight, " Oh goodness, I can't believe you just stood up to her like that, " she spoke in a shocked tone of voice.

Twilight gave a small smile " Well I couldn't just stand there and watch her treat you like that, it just wasn't right ".

The pink hair girl stood there and slightly rubbed her arm, " Well, it's just surprising is all, I mean, no one stands up to Sunset Shimmer like that ".

Twilight's eyes went wide and her pupils shrunk, " Sunset Shimmer?! " that was the same name Celestia had told her when she Spoke about the pony that took Twilight's crown.

" Sunset Shimmer?! " Spike suddenly cried out, " Twilight, isn't she the one who, " but he was cut off by Twilight covering his mouth with her hand.

" You mean you've heard of her, " the pink hair girl asked in a slightly surprised tone of voice.

Twilight stood silent for a second before speaking, "...I guess you could say that.. "

The girl with the pink hair looked at Twilight for a moment before speaking again, " Now that I think of it, I don't think I've ever seen you around here before, did you just transfer here to Canterlot Trainers Academy from another school? "

Twilight gave a sheepish grin and rubbed the back of her head, "..Yeah I did, " sweat ran down her forehead as she spoke, " I did transfer from..another..school... " Spike slapped his own forehead in response to Twilight's behavior, " My name's Twilight, and this is my uh...little brother, Spike, " she said, giving another sheepish grin hoping that she bought her, somewhat true lie.

The timid girl took a step back, turned her head away and grasped her arm, "..I...I'm...Fluttershy.. " she said in a quiet squeaky voice.

Having not exactly heard her right, Twilight took a step forward, just to make sure she was hearing correctly, " Um, I'm sorry but could you repeat that again? "

The girl known as Fluttershy took a step back, looking even more timid as she let out an even quieter, and squeakier voice than the first time, "..It...it's....Fluttershy..... " she did her best to hide her face behind the hair that covered it, trying her hardest not to make direct eye contact.

Upon hearing what she said, Twilight began looking very confused, " It...it sounds like you're saying Fluttershy..but, how can that be possible? "

But before Fluttershy could question as to what Twilight meant, she caught a glimpse of a small green bug creature crawling on Spike's Shoulder, " Oh my goodness!! " she said excitedly, rushing past Twilight, and nearly knocking Spike over to get to the small insect. " What an adorable little Caterpie, whose a good little bug pokemon, " she smiled as she rubbed it where it's chin would be.

Twilight was even more confused than when she said her name was Fluttershy, " Pokemon? wait a second, Spike?! where did you get that from?! "

Spike smiled sheepishly as sweat ran down his head, " I um, well, I found it while we were walking here, it looked lost so I...picked it up ".

Twilight's hand met her face in response to Spike's explanation, " Spike, why didn't you tell me, who knows what that thing could do, it could be really dangerous! um, what is it anyway "

Fluttershy giggled as she picked the green worm "Pokemon" as she called it, " You mean this little cutie, it's just a harmless little Caterpie, there's a whole bunch of them around the school, your brother must've found a stray one though ".

" ...I see... " Twilight rubbed her chin, still not sure what to make of everything so far, and still being confused at the same time.

" Caterpie huh, so that's what this little guys name is? " Spike questioned as she scratched his head.

Giving another small giggle, Fluttershy shook her head, " that's not this little fellas name, that's just what his species is called, but I guess at the same time it is his name if you don't have a nickname for him ". She kneeled down to reach into her back, pulling out a handful of small brown pieces of food, " Here you go you adorable little thing, eat up, " she held her hand out to the Caterpie, smiling as it nibbled away at the food she offered it.

It wasn't long before the small green worm ate everything she offered to him, in response to the generous act, the Caterpie lifted the front half of it's body up and wiggled around happily, " Reee reee, " this caused Fluttershy's smile to grow.

" It'd be so nice to know what their thinking don't you agree, " Fluttershy picked the green worm up and sat it atop of Spike's head, continuing to smile as she did.

" I'm not sure exactly, but I think it's along the lines of, thanks for the food, I think " Spike replied.

Twilight let out a small "ahem" to get their attention, " Not to be rude, um, Fluttershy, but Sunset Shimmer said you grabbed something that belonged to her, by any chances...it...um, wasn't a crown, was it? " she asked, hoping that this girl who shared the same name and likeliness of her good friend, knew where her crown was.

Fluttershy let out a small gasp, " H..how did you know it was a crown? " she was befuddled as to how this new girl knew exactly what it was that Sunset Shimmer was talking about.

Twilight gave her own sheepish grin in response, as well as moving her eyes away from Fluttershy's to hide the little fib, " Um, lucky guess I guess, " however she quickly changed the subject the second she got a chance to, " You still have it don't you?! "

A shake of the head was Fluttershy's response however, "..But..I do know what happened to it, " she grabbed her arm and started rubbing it nervously again. " It was earlier today, I was out in front of the academy handing out fliers for the Pokemon shelter like I do every Wednesday, no one was even paying attention to me though...I felt so sad that I dropped all my fliers and fell to the ground, but before I could really start crying, something hit me in the back of the head ". She moved her hand from her arm to her head, rubbing it in the exact spot she was hit, " It was the prettiest looking crown I had ever seen, b..but I had no earthly idea how it got there, but I didn't want anything bad to happen to it, so I um, well I gave it to Headmaster Celestia, just to be safe ".

" Headmaster Celestia?! is she...is she the one who rules this place?? "Twilight asked, her confusion only growing the more she learned about this place.

Fluttershy herself wasn't really sure how to react to how Twilight worded it, but she did know what she meant, " I..suppose you could say that, if you want I guess, I mean she and Vice-Headmaster Luna do make the rules around here ".

Twilight slightly jumped in place, trying her hardest to hold in her excitement, she finally had something to go off of, " Where can I find her at the moment?! "

After taking a second to think Fluttershy responded to Twilight's somewhat distressed question, " If I had to guess, I'd say she's in her office right about now ".

" Thank you so much! " Twilight said, giving a big smile to Fluttershy, " Spike and I will just go there now! "

However, before she could take off, Fluttershy grabbed her backpack, stopping her in her tracks, " Oh Twilight, one last thing, " she began. She looked Twilight in the face and gave a bright smile, " Thank youagain..for um, helping me out with Sunset Shimmer...she's always so mean..and she always threatens to tell Headmaster Celestia that I have a dangerous creature with me... "

" Dangerous? how dangerous could anything you can carry in your arms be, why don't you show me the "creature" she was talking about, " Twilight smiled, placing her hand on her "new" friends shoulder.

"Well..um...OK " her voice was becoming slightly shaky at this point. Twilight watched as she pulled out a red and white sphere from her backpack, it wasn't very big, not until she pressed a white button on the center, causing it to expand, "..G...go Ursaring " she called out in her quiet voice.

Both Twilight and Spikes eyes went wide at the sudden sight of a tall bear-like creature, appearing as if by magic. The creature lifted it's large powerful arms up and let out a loud cry, " Ursaring!!!!! " it looked extremely aggressive at first glance, that was until it took notice of it's trainer.

Fluttershy let out a small giggle as it picked her up in a surprisingly gentle hug, " Ursaring's not dangerous, hes just.. a little protective, " she reached up and patted it on it's head, causing the large bear to smile, " Ursaring, these are my new friends, Twilight and Spike, I want you to be very kind to them do you understand.

" Ursa, " it gave a small nod and a smile in response to her request.

Sweat ran down Twilight's head as she smiled back at the creature who towered over her, " Yep, that's me, Fluttershy's new friend..now um, we'll be going to see prince- I mean, Headmaster...Celestia ".

Fluttershy smiled, " Alright then Twilight, oh by the way, her office is that way, third door on the left " she pointed in the opposite direction Twilight was originally going, receiving a blush of embarrassment from her purple haired friend.

Grasping Spikes arm, Twilight took off in the direction Fluttershy pointed, she waved goodbye to her as she ran, " Thank you Fluttershy! "

Spike did his best not to get dragged behind Twilight like carry-on luggage, " Twi-i-i-light! not so fast!! " he managed to quickly put his new green friend in his coat pocket to prevent him from flying off his head.

" No time Spike, the sooner we get to her office, the sooner we can get my crown back! " she was the most excited she had been since she arrived in this new place. A door came into view with the name Celestia written on it, " That must be the room Spike, " she came to a skidding halt in front of the door, taking a short moment to catch her breath, " Alright Spike, here goes nothing, let's get my crown back, " she took a deep breath, raised her hand towards the door, and proceeded to knock on the door.

A voice on the other side responded with the words, " Come in, " which is just what the two did.

You've Got to Start Somewhere

View Online

Inside Headmaster Celestia's Office

When Twilight heard her referred to as "Headmaster Celestia" the first images that ran through her head was a regal woman wearing clothing befitting her personality. Upon stepping into the office however, both she and Spike were completely taken aback by what they saw, or better yet, by who they saw. On the other side of a desk covered in papers, several framed pictures, and a few trophies, stood a tall woman with long multicolored hair. She wore long violet pants, a white shirt with shortened sleeves, and to top it all off, a long opened white coat which covered most of her body. She turned to face the two who had just entered her room, despite not knowing who they were exactly, she gave them both a warm, welcoming smile, " Welcome, I've been expecting you both now for a little while now ".

Twilight froze up slightly upon hearing that she had been expecting them "..Ex..expecting us? but how, we...we just " she didn't get to finish though, instead the sentence was finished for her by the woman in front of her.

" Just arrived? I know, " she gave a light chuckle, " Some students told me they spotted two people they had never seen before in the main lobby of the academy ". She walked towards a wooden drawer pushed off to the side of the room, " I'd say you two showing up when you did was a stroke of good luck in your cases. "

A purple cat like creature hopped up onto the desk in the center of the room, it had big ears, glimmering eyes, a gem resting on it's forehead, and the most interesting part of it, it's tail was split, effectively giving it two tails in one. It gracefully walked from one side of the desk to the other, " speon, Es " it laid itself down on section of the desk that been cleared off.

" How pretty, " Twilight said, admiring the creatures fine purple fur, similar to her own fur back in Equestria.

" Uh Twilight, " Spike snapped his fingers at her, bringing her back to reality, " Remember why we're here? "

Twilight nearly jumped in place, she was so distracted that she almost forgot the reason they even went to her office, " Um, excuse me but, a girl named Fluttershy told me that she um, well... ". Twilight was trying her best not to sound suspicious, she needed a way to word what she was about to say without giving anything away. " Fluttershy told me that she gave you something that she found today, a crown to be exact, " if this woman really had the crown, it might've been Twilight's only chance to get it back now.

Headmaster Celestia looked away from the drawer she was going through, taking a step toward the young lady in her office, " That she did, the strangest thing too, I really have no clue as to how something like it got outside and into the courtyard of the academy. "

Twilight's eyes widened, " So you have it then?! oh that's wonderful! " she clasped her hands together, expressing her joy by doing so.

" I certainly do have it, it's in my desk for safekeeping, " she gently patted the feline creature's head, smiling as she did so. " First things first though before I say anything else on the matter, you're both new student's correct, " it was a delayed response, but both of them nodded in response. Celestia smiled, " Wonderful, I always enjoy seeing new faces at the academy, but before I can properly welcome you, I need you're names ".

Twilight decided to speak up first, " My name is..Twilight Sparkle, " she was trying to keep her composure up, now she knew where her crown was, she was one step closer to being able to go home with it.

Spike took an audible gulp before speaking, " I..I'm Spike, Tw...Twilight's younger brother, " he spoke in a nervous tone of voice, which was understandable in his situation.

Celestia gave another warm smile, " Twilight Sparkle and Spike, brother and sister, how interesting, " as she spoke, she reached into her desk and pulled out two laminated cards, along with a pen. " These will be your trainer cards, they'll serve as your IDs on and off campus grounds, I'll have someone set up a camera so you can get your own pictures put on them, " she jotted something down on the back of each card before handing them to their respective owners. " Now, you were wondering about the object that Fluttershy brought to me earlier, weren't you miss Sparkle? " she was curious as to why this new student cared so much for something that was found outside.

" Yes Headmaster Celestia, I was wondering about it, " she chimed excitedly, " you said you have it in your desk as we speak, may I see it please? " she asked in a hopeful manner.

" I'm afraid I can't do that miss Sparkle, " she responded, shaking her head as she did.

A pang of disappointment hit Twilight upon hearing Celestia's response, " But..but.. " she wanted to ask why, but felt if she did that she would attract unwanted suspicion.

The headmistress gave a small chuckle, " If you're really thinking about the crown, then you must be wanting to enter our annual fall academy tournament, " she made her way over towards a calendar placed next to a window.

" Annual fall tournament? " Twilight was befuddled, she had no clue what Headmaster Celestia was referring to.

" That's right, every year at Canterlot trainers academy, we hold a tournament between student's whoever comes out on top is the king, or queen, of the tournament for that year ". Twilight listened to her with sudden interest, " However, for the past few years, Sunset Shimmer has always won, claiming the battle queen's crown of victory, as we like to call it, " she marked a spot on the calendar with a big red X while speaking. " This year we almost went without a queens crown, that was until Fluttershy brought us this, " she reached into a drawer in her desk, pulling out the very object Twilight longed to get back.

Twilight's pupils shrunk, her crown was right before her, if only she could get it back now, " That...that's the crown.."

" Mmmhmm, " Celestia nodded, " Now, I take it since you're so interested in it, that you'll be participating in this years tournament, am I correct? " she crossed her arms, awaiting a response.

" Well..um..I would actually like to now but... " she turned her head towards Spike, her eyes landing on the green worm which had been poking it's head out of his pocket at the time.

" Hmm, so you're a new trainer then, don't even have your own pokemon yet, " Celestia turned away from them, reaching into yet another drawer.

Twilight nodded quickly, " That's right, I um..I don't have a ...pokemon...of my own, which I would need to enter this...tournament ".

" Well how else would you enter a pokemon battling tournament, " she smiled as she pulled out a tray, which held in it six red and white spheres, similar to the one Fluttershy had. " Well as Headmaster of this school, it's my duty to supply a student with what they need to grow, but first, " she stopped herself in mid sentence as she placed the tray on her desk.

" ..But first what? " Twilight asked, in both a curious and worried manner.

" But first, allow me to give you the proper Canterlot Trainers Academy welcoming, while I've already welcomed you both, it's tradition that I do so ". She cleared her throat and took a deep breath, " Welcome to Canterlot Academy, as you both know, we live in a world inhabited far and wide by magnificent creature's of all shapes and sizes that we call, Pokemon, " she smiled as she spoke. " Pokemon are a part of everyone's everyday lives, people everywhere interact with pokemon in different ways, some keep pokemon as pets that they enjoy spending time and playing with, others raise pokemon to help in every day task such as their jobs and careers, and then there are pokemon trainers, they raise pokemon in order to make them stronger for battling while also building a powerful bond ". " It's my job as headmaster of this academy to ensure and promote the growth of friendship between both pokemon and trainer alike, lastly, you may refer to me as one of three titles, each one more acceptable than the last,the first being Headmaster Celestia, the second, Headmistress Celestia, and lastly, Professor Celestia. "

" Professor Celestia?! " both Spike and Twilight asked in unison.

" That's right, while I may be in charge of this fine school, I'm also a renowned pokemon professor, I've taken it upon myself to study one core subject as a professor, the effects of an ever growing bond between a trainer and their pokemon, one that can only be reached with the greatest of friendships. "

" Did you just say friendship?! " Twilight leaned forward in shock , now more interested in this talk about "trainers" that anything else.

" That I did Twilight Sparkle, " Celestia replied with a smile, " You see friendship is a key element in being an adequate pokemon trainer, as a researcher I've come to believe that a pokemon and trainer who are perfectly synchronized through friendship are able to tap into a potential that neither knew existed within one another, Twilight Sparkle, I want you to assist me in my research, I want you to take one of these six pokemon as your very own, " she took the six spheres off the tray, placing them on the desk in front of Twilight.

Twilight was utterly surprised, she never thought she'd be pulled into something as big as this. She only wanted to get her crown back, but now she was being given a creature that didn't exist in her world, and if she wanted her crown back, she had to enter some competition between the creatures that "Professor" Celestia, refers to as pokemon. "Th...there are six, you mean you want me to choose? choose between six....pokemon? "

" Mhmm, " Celestia nodded, " Now, choose wisely, " she scooped up all six of the spheres in her arms, " Here they are, " she tossed them high into the air, letting each one burst open, releasing six different pokemon from within.

Twilight's eyes widened as they laid upon six small creatures standing before her, the first one of the lineup being a small yellow pokemon. It possessed a round body, two stubby legs, two long arms, and prongs atop it's head which had electricity sparking between them. It rapidly spun it's arms around in circles, generating more electricity between it's two electric prongs, " Bibibibibi!!!! " it's cry was energetic, almost as energetic as it's behavior.

" This energetic little fella is Elekid, he might be small but his electric attacks pack quite the punch, " Celestia remarked.

The Pokemon standing next to it was a small red pokemon, it had a small bill on it's face, almost like a duck, it's head was covered in bumps. it was roughly the same size as the Elekid standing next to it, it spat out a small flame from it's open mouth as it cried it's name cheerfully" Magby! "

Celestia gave out a small laugh as she patted the pokemon's head, " This here is Magby, he has a heart just as warm as it's flame. "

The next pokemon had the appearance of living bell, it floated joyfully in place as it chimed, the two rope-like protrusions coming from the back of it's body floated freely as it did. " Ching " it started bouncing in place, albeit the bounce was rather slow compared to a regular hop.

" This little bundle of joy is Chingling, her chiming can bring a smile to just about anyone's face, " Celestia rubbed it's head as she moved over towards the pokemon next to it.

The next one up was possibly the oddest pokemon that Twilight had seen so far, it had a small blue body, with a round head, an odd protrusion coming out of it's forehead, two long ears coming out on each side, and lastly a strange black tail hiding behind it's body. " Wyyyynaut " it let out a joyful cry as it gave a small salute with it's flexible ears.

" This little one is known as Wynaut, he might not be so great at battling, but he's definitely got spirit in him, and he's a great conversationalist too, " she continued to smile as she walked on.

The very next one stood there adorably, bouncing atop the tip of it's tiny feet, it had an egg shaped body, and a small white stone resting in a pouch on it's body, it had rosy red cheeks and a tuft of curled hair sitting upon its head. " Piny, Happiny " it continued bouncing on its feet tips, looking happy to just be there.

Celestia tickled the cheerful creatures nonexistent nose, getting a giggle-like sound out of it, " One of my personal favorites, this is Happiny, also not the best at battling, but she's determined to show her stuff. "

Finally the last pokemon sat at the end of Celestia's desk, but something was different about it. It didn't seem as cheerful as the rest of them, it kept it's head turned away at all times. It had the appearance of a small brown fox with a large fluffy tail with a tan tip at the end, along with two long ears, and a tan ring of fur around it's neck. "...Vee.. " it's cry sounded almost nervous, it held a smooth looking stone close to it's furry collar, one which was held to it's body by a string, letting have the appearance of a necklace of sorts.

" And lastly, " Celestia started, sounding less enthusiastic, and more concerned about the pokemon, " Lastly is Eevee, you see Eevee is a unique, with the ability to evolve into eight different Pokemon through different methods. "

" Evolve? Both Twilight and Spike questioned curiously.

" Yes evolve, I'm sure you two already know, but just in case you need a reminder, many pokemon, if not most, possess the capability to evolve once they've reached a certain point of growth, or a certain method, " she informed them.

" Oh yeah, right, sorry it must have slipped my mind, " Twilight grinned sheepishly, trying not to give away the fact she knew nothing the professor before her was talking about.

" Yes, Eevee is one of the most unique pokemon by the means that it possesses eight different evolutions, one of which is my Espeon. " She let out a small step and gently rubbed the Eeevee's head, " There's only one problem though, this Eevee is scared of evolution, that's why it wears this everstone around it's neck, to prevent it from doing so, " Celestia continued to rub the pokemon's head, trying her best to cheer it up.

" So that stone keeps the...Eevee, from evolving? " Twilight asked.

Celestia replied with a small nod, " Yes, but there's only one thing, I've had Eevee now for some time, nobody wants to take it because of that reason, and so Eevee has grown untrusting of people, it's saddening really, just because Eevee has it's own preference, no one wants it. "

Twilight felt a small pang of sadness growing in her as she listened to Celestia talk about the Eevee, " The poor thing, " unbeknownst to herself, Twilight started walking toward the, causing the small pokemon to turn further away from her.

".....V..v..vee.. " the small pokemon closed it's little eyes as it turned itself away, but opened them quickly once it felt, the person standing before it pat it's head.

" Headmaster Celestia...um...I mean, Professor Celestia, she's adorable, " She gently lifted the small pokemon into the air, looking it in it's eyes. " Hello there Eevee, I'm Twilight Sparkle, " she gave the frightened pokemon a warm smile, hoping that it would calm down some once it saw she was friendly.

The Eevee loosened its tensed up body somewhat, " ..Vee? " she lightly sniffed Twilight as she held her closer.

" It's alright, you don't have to change if you don't want to Eevee, " Twilight gently rubbed the adorable pokemon's head. " I have an idea, professor Celestia wants me to pick a pokemon out of the six of you..." Twilight turned to face the rest of the pokemon, " I know I was hesitant when I was told to pick one of you, but now that I've met all of you...I've quickly come to see that it's only right that I choose one of you...as much as I would like to take you all, I know I can't so, " stopped herself to take a deep breath. She looked at the five sitting on the table, and then the Eevee in her arms, " So I've made my decision, I choose you. "

Outside of the Academy

Sunset Shimmer roamed the outer reaches of the academy, she needed to blow off a little steam after running into that purple haired girl earlier, her Flareon resting in her arms as she walked. " Just who did that annoying fool think she was talking to me like that, I don't care if she was new, she needs to learn her place, isn't that right my little Flareon, " she gently rubbed the fiery pokemon's fur topped head.

" Flare, Flareon, " the fire pokemon rubbed against it's trainer in an affectionate manner.

She continued rubbing her prized pokemon's head, " You're the only thing in this world that I don't hate Flareon, as soon as we get that crown, we can get out of this pathetic school with all that power in our grasp. " Suddenly Sunset felt her pokegear going off in her pocket, drawing her attention away from her beloved pokemon, " One second Flareon, I've got a message to reply to, " she took the blue device out of her pocket, and opened it up.

The message's sender gave no name, yet Sunset Shimmer knew exactly who it was from, in fact it was a message she had been waiting for all day. The message read out " I congratulate you on retrieving the object you informed us of, and at the same time, we are disappointed in you for losing it so easily. " " However, we are sure that you can retrieve it easily, and if not, there is always the back up plan, just remember, if we have to resort to that to clean up your mess, the punishment will be severe. "

Sunset physically flinched as she read the last bit of the message, " Flareon, we can't mess this up, but don't worry, soon, we'll show the world that not even they are a match for us, " she chuckled wickedly as she resumed petting her pokemon's head.

A lone figure along with a pokemon came walking up behind her in the midst of her laughing, " How many times am I gonna run into you here before you admit you're stalking me " the person crossed their arms, taking a casual approach to the person that "almost" every student in the school fears.

She quickly swiveled around, facing the person and their pokemon," You! what are you doing here!, you and that mutt! " she balled her hand into a fist and approached the figure, whom she was apparently familiar with. She gritted her teeth as she grabbed onto the collar of the person's shirt, " I'm tired of running into you, this will be the last time! "

New Faces Different Places

View Online

Outside of the Academy

The person gave a hardy, yet casual chuckle in response to her "threat" seemingly shrugging it off like a gentle breeze, " Come on now princess, don't be like that, you've got to be at least somewhat happy to see me. "

Sunset Shimmer gritted her teeth, the person before her was the last thing she ever wanted to see. This wasn't the first time she had encountered him, far from it, " Grrr, ever since I left the stupid Kalos region you're all I ever seem to run into, you with your stupid black clothes, stupid purple eyes, " she was practically with trembling with rage at this point. " And of course, how could I forget, your stupid mutt! that stupid Houndoom that follows you around everywhere! " While normally Sunset was capable of controlling her temper, something about this person brought out the worst in her, it was almost as if it were natural.

The horned canine pokemon next to the trainer let out a fierce growl, baring it's teeth in return to the insult, " Easy there partner" the trainer said, rubbing the pokemon's head to calm it. He gave a casual shrug, " Words don't mean a thing to me sweetheart, besides no need to get all bent up, I'm only passing through. " He went to walk past the furious Sunset Shimmer, however he ended up stopped right behind her, " Although I will be staying to watch the annual academy battle tournament, sure I'm not a student, but hey, anyone's allowed to simply spectate. "

Though he didn't face her, Sunset knew it was her that his words were directed to, " Listen here, if you even think for a moment that you're gonna stick around within a hundred yards of me, you are sorely mistaken you ignorant pain in the neck!! " She quickly turned around to face him, only to see him walking off, " Where do you think you're going! I'm not finished with you, you moron!!! "

The trainer gave a simply wave back towards her, ignoring her hostile tone of voice, " See ya later sweetheart, maybe when you're finished blowing your top we can catch a bite to eat somewhere and have a quick battle. "

Sunset balled her free hand into a tight fist, " Flareon....remind me, that the next time we run into him, to destroy him, and that sorry mutt... " she spoke in a low tone, her anger at it's peak, but still manageable.

" Flare! " the pokemon agreed eagerly, although it itself held no ill will to either the trainer or his Houndoom, she would rather please her trainer by agreeing than angering her further.

The eager agreement was just enough to bring the slightest smile to Sunset's face, " Good girl, now let's go, we have to find those two idiots, snips and snails, " she lovingly rubbed the Flareon's head as she made her way back towards the Academy.

Inside the Academy

Twilight roamed the halls of the academy, her new pokemon, Eevee, held closet to her body in her still new arms. She had chosen Eevee as her very first pokemon over the others she had been given to choose from, not because it was better than the others, but because she could tell it needed one thing more than the rest, friendship. Twilight rubbed her shy new friends head as she made her way through the halls, she didn't know where she was going, but at the moment it didn't seem to bother her one bit. " Don't you worry your little head Eevee, I won't make you change, you can be whatever you want, " she gave the small brown pokemon a tender smile, something akin to what Fluttershy would do.

Spike hastily trailed behind Twilight, his new friend Caterpie resting atop his head, rather than the pokeball that Celestia had gifted him with. " Twilight wait up, me and Caterpie don't have legs as long as your's! " He hadn't expected Twilight to be so excited about this, especially with how she was before she had received her Eevee.

She blushed slightly as she slowed her pace, " Sorry Spike, I guess I just got a bit ahead of myself, " she gave a rather sheepish smile as she turned back to look at her adoptive brother.

" Ahead of yourself and ahead of me.. " Spike mumbled to himself as he finally managed to catch up to her. After coming across a bench in the hallway, the two decided that a quick rest would do them good. Spike put Caterpie in his lap and began rubbing the small bug pokemon's head, " What are we gonna do Twilight, you got to win some kind of tournament to get your crown back, and we don't know the first thing about battling. "

"..That's true.. " Twilight lowered her head, her gaze meeting Eevee's, " But you know what Spike, " she began. " We have maybe a day at least, I'm sure we can manage to learn in that time, we just have too, " she gently caressed the normal types fluffy fur.

Eevee enjoyed itself as Twilight rubbed it, it's whole life it had only received ridicule from the humans around it, but Twilight was different, " Vee! " it chimed cheerfully.

Spike was about to reply to what Twilight had said, when suddenly the sound of someones voice raising caught his attention, causing him to quickly hop up. " Hey Twilight do you hear that? it sound's like someones yelling, or something, " both he and Caterpie looked in all directions, trying to find the source of the voice.

Twilight gave a quick nod, raising to her feet she turned in the direction the voice was coming from, " I do, let's check it out Spike, and quick! "

The two made haste as they rushed towards the voices, stopping upon reaching a conjoining hallway. Their eyes widened when they saw the source of the voices, "..No way.. " was all Spike could say in response to what he was seeing.

A girl roughly Twilight's size with light blue hair and blue clothes stood before Sunset Shimmer and two smaller boys who were accompanying her. " Enough is enough Sunset Shimmer! " She spoke with a high and mighty tone of voice, almost as if she were filled to the brim with confidence, " The ggggreat and powerful Trixie has had it up to here with how you push her around, she and her partner shall put you in your place once and for all! " she pointed her finger right in Sunset's face as she spoke.

By her side was a bipedal fox, mostly yellow in color, with long red fur on it's ears, " Brai! " it cried out, pointing the stick it carried in the same direction that it's master was pointing.

Sunset gave a small chuckle as she rubbed her Flareon's head, " You can't be serious Trixie, you're going to put me in me place? " her laughing suddenly ceased as a wicked grin formed on her face whilst she glared at the girl standing before her. " You know what Trixie, I'll humor you today, show me just how you'll put me in my place, " as she spoke she retrieved a pokeball from her belt, holding it tightly in her hand as she waited for Trixies futile attempt to begin.

" The great and powerful Trixie will not be intimidated by you, not as long as she has her partner by her side! " she looked down at her pokemon, giving it a reassuring nod as it looked back at her. " Braixen and I shall put a stop to you right here and now, " Trixie could feel her confidence at it's peak, she was going to do this, she just had to.

" Twilight.. " Spike whispered, " d..did you hear that, that girl right there is Sunset Shimmer! " he shook as looked upon the thief who stole Twilight's crown.

Twilight nodded, " ...I did Spike....but we can't just jump in like we did with Fluttershy...this looks more serious than that, " she tightened her fist. She wasn't sure what to do, if she jumped in now she might be able to help that girl, but she could also cause twice as much trouble if she did so.

A wicked laugh filled the hallway, it sent chills down the spines of both Twilight and Spike, " Alright Trixie, let's see how long you can keep up that bravado, especially when you're up against, this!! Golurk go!! "

Sunset hurled the pokeball as hard as she could at the ground, popping open it released a gargantuan golem, light blue in color. " ...GOLURK... " it's voice bellowed from it's body as it rose to it's maximum height, towering over everything and everyone around it.

Spike began quaking in fear at the size of the behemoth pokemon, "..Wha...what is that?! "

Twilight had no answer, she could only stare in both awe and terror at the creature that sunset released from the pokeball, " ..I..I don't know.."

" We...we won't be intimidated! " Trixie shouted defiantly, " Braixen! give it your most powerful flamethrower!! " Trixie cried out throwing her hand in the direction of the golem pokemon.

" Brai! Braixen!!! " her partner pokemon cried out as it waved it's stick wildly before suddenly shooting a searing stream of flames from the tip.

" ...GOLURK... " the giant pokemon didn't move an inch, it simply stood in place as the flames enveloped it's body.

Trixie pumped her fist into the air with joy, " That's why you don't mess with the great and powerf- " she cut herself off as the flames cleared up. There still stood the Golurk, unfazed by the mightiest attack her Braixen could dish out, " ..b...but..th..that's not possible...Br..Braixen used her strongest attack...it should at least be hurt...but it..it.. "

" It didn't do a thing, " Sunset's wicked grin grew as she finished the bewildered girl's sentence, " Alright Golurk we humored her long enough, finish this with a single shot, Shadow punch!! "

"...GOLURK!!! " it's large fist became enveloped by a mysterious shadowy aura as it charged towards the Braixen.

" Braixen get out of there!! " Trixie pleaded to her pokemon who was just as shocked as she was.

" ..B...Braxien... " it went to dodge, but before it even had the chance, the Golurk's gargantuan fist slammed right into it's body, sending the poor pokemon flying across hallway.

" Braixen no!!! " she cried out as she ran to her fainted pokemon, tears welled up in her eyes as she looked upon it's damaged body.

Sunset recalled her pokemon, smirking as she made her way towards Trixie who was on the floor consoling her pokemon, " What was that about putting me in my place Trixie? Oh well, at least I put you in your's, on the floor where you belong. " She started walking off, and as she did she passed by Twilight and Spike, smirking as she did so, " Snips, Snails, hurry up before I leave your useless hides behind with the trash. "

" Y..Yes miss Sunset Shimmer!! " the cried out in unison as they made haste to follow her.

Once the coast was clear, Twilight quickly made her way to the girl who was kneeling on the ground over her hurt pokemon. " H..Hey are you alright? " her voice was filled with concern, though she couldn't aid her before, the least she could do was make sure everything was OK.

Trixie wiped her eyes as she recalled her Braixen back to it's pokeball, "..I...I'm just fine...just...just a little roughed up... "

" ...That's an understatement... " Spike mumbled as he too made his way over to Trixie.

After somewhat regaining her composure, Trixie stood herself up and turned to look the purple haired girl in the face, " ...Who are you anyway, why would you care if I were alright or not.. "

With a small smile, Twilight happily answered her question, " My name is Twilight Sparkle, and the reason I'm wondering if you're OK is...well just to make sure you're OK, sooo are you? "

At first Trixie wasn't sure how to respond, unless it was one of her friends, most people generally didn't bother with her. However after a quick minute of thinking she finally knew what to say, " Um...thank you uh, Twilight Sparkle, I'm Trixie...it's nice to meet you, " she gave a slight smile as she spoke.

Not sure what to do, Spike simply added on to the conversation, " I'm Spike...Twilight's uh, Twilight's brother, that's right brother. " He gave a grin as he waved, his Caterpie sitting atop of him, waving it's head at her as well.

" It's nice to meet you both, " Trixies smile grew slightly as she picked her bag up off the ground. " I'm sorry, I wish I could stay longer and thank you for being nice to me..but I have to get somewhere fast, " she was just about to leave before Twilight stopped her though.

" Uh hey wait a second! " Twilight called out as she placed her hand on her should, " I'm...also kind of new here, can you point me in the direction of the nearest...place that has to do with battling? " Her own sheepish smile laid upon her face as she awaited an answer, she hoped that Trixie didn't find the question too odd.

However Trixie ignored the awkwardness of how she worded the question, " If you're referring to the Academy's stadium, then it's just down this hall, the big doors at the end, you can't miss it, " and after answering the question, she went on her own way.

Twilight repeated what she was told under her breath as she and Spike started walking, "...down the hall big doors...down the hall big doors... " She constantly repeated this until finally the doors of the stadium came into view.

" Woah " Spike's eyes widened, when Trixie said big doors, she meant big, " This is almost like one of the doors in Canterlot, or heck, one of the doors in the Crystal Empire! " Spike exclaimed as he stared upon the doors.

" You're right Spike, " Twilight Replied, if the doors were this big, she was incredibly curious how big the actual coliseum was.

Still resting in Twilight's arms, Eevee looked upwards at Twilight, " Vee? " the poor thing was slightly confused as to what was going on around it.

Twilight looked down at her pokemon, giving it a small smile as she rubbed it's head, " Let's go on in while we still can. "

Right as the duo opened the doors, a large cloud of smoke flew in there faces from a sudden clash in the coliseum, " What was that?!?! " Spike exclaimed as he jumped back a few feet.

" Tauros!! use horn attack!!! " a trainer called out, a southern draw could be heard in her voice as she shouted at the large bull pokemon before her.

The bull pokemons horns began to glow as it charged towards the foe before it " TAUR!!!! "

The trainer on the other side of the stadium erratically hopped in place before shouting out, " KROKOROK!!! use dig!! " her voice was filled with excitement as she called out the command.

The bipedal crocodile pokemon eagerly obeyed the command, " Kroko!! " it wasted no time quickly burrowing it's way underground.

The Tauros, as the first trainer called it, came to a halt as the other pokemon submerged itself into the ground, " Tauros watch out from below! " it's trainer shouted to it.

" Krokorok!!! " the reptilian pokemon vigorously cried out as it shot out from the ground, striking the bull with full force, knocking it away in the process.

" Don't let up Krokorok!! " It's equally eager trainer shouted, " Use stone edge!!!! "

And on command, the pokemon hit it's claws against the ground, causing rows of razor sharp rocks to shoot out and towards the opposing pokemon.

" Heh " the other trainer chuckled in an amused tone, " We ain't done yet Pinkie ". She lifted her hat upwards before giving out one final command, " Tauros!! let's end this right here and now, give er' yer best rock climb!! "

" TAUR!!!! " the bull pokemon took off on a mad dash, it's hooves glowing a bright white as it made it's way towards the Krokorok, smashing through the jagged stones in the process.

The other trainers eyes slightly widen as she stared at the charging bull, " Uh oh " was all she said.

" NOW!!!!! " the other trainer gave a mighty cry as she urged her pokemon to push itself further.

" TAUR!!!!!! " and as a result her pokemon let out an equally mighty cry as it slammed it's hooves into the Krokork, sending it flying backwards into the stone wall of the stadium.

A tall man with orange hair raised his hand in the direction of the trainer with the cowboy hat, " Welp, Krokorok is unable ta battle, Tauros wins, the winner of the winner of the match is Applejack, eeyup. "

The pink haired trainer only smiled as she recalled her pokemon, " Oh well maybe next time, " her voice was genuinely happy and care-free in tone.

The trainer with the cowboy hat and the southern accent started chuckling again as she walked up to her pokemon softly petting it's head once she got to it, " I gotta admit Pinkie, yer gettin better everyday, keep it up and ya might be as good as me or Dash. "

Spike's eyes were as wide as saucers from what he just saw, " Twilight...did you just see what I saw. " He got no response, only a nod, " That was awesome!!! that bull was like and the crocodile was like woosh!! and then and then boom!! " he somewhat, reenacted what he witnessed.

" Hmmm? " The trainer known as Applejack turned her head toward the excited voice, one that for once, wasn't Pinkie Pie, " Well I'll be, looks like we had ourselves an audience the whole time. "

This time it was Twilight's eyes that widened, they had been caught watching the whole thing. However instead of backing away like her better judgement told her, she walked towards the girl, pushing Spike along with her. " H...hi there, " she had a wide sheepish smile on her face, trying to seem as friendly as possible.

The pink haired trainer quickly hopped over in the same direction, smiling just as wide as she looked at the two strangers, " OOOOOOO!!, Applejack Applejack Applejack! " she practically shouted.

Applejack sighed and rolled her eyes, " What Pinkie? " she said, acknowledging her friend's hyperactive behavior.

" I've never met them before! " Her eyes darted back and forth before getting as close as possible to her friend and whispering in her ear, despite being unnecessary, " ...I think they're new students... "

The blonde could only roll her eyes again, this time with a smile however, " You know Pinkie, I think ya might be right, I didn't notice. " She placed her hand on her chin and eyed the two up and down, them and their pokemon. She eyed them for nearly a minute before grinning and speaking, " You two seem like an honest bunch, so do yer pokemon, my names Applejack, nice to meet ya. "

While the two had heard the names during the battle and afterwards, hearing it come from her really surprised them, she sounded and kind of looked just like their Applejack. Twilight shook her head, forcing herself out of thought so she could reply, " I'm...I'm Twilight Sparkle, and uh, this is my brother...Spike. "

Applejack kept her grin upon hearing the names, " So a brother and sister, ya don't see that everyday, not unless ya see me or Big Macintosh. " Her grin disappeared however when she looked at their pokemon and then back at them, " Ya aren't gonna introduce us to yer partners? "

" Our partners? " the duo said in unison, not sure what she meant.

" These partners, " she pointed towards the Eevee in Twilight's arms and the Caterpie sitting atop Spike's head.

" Oh! " it took a moment, but Twilight understood what she meant, she was referring to their pokemon, " This is uh..this is Eevee, she's my partner, " She rubbed the small normal types head as she introduced it.

" And this! " Spike started as he picked Caterpie up off his head, " Is my partner, Caterpie! "

" Heheh, ain't that cute, ya know I think you'd get along well with my little sister, it's nice to meet all of ya, this here's my partner Tauros and- "

However she was cut off by a pink blur seemingly appearing in front of her in an instant, " Hiya! Hiya! I'm Pinkie Pie!! " the pink haired girl bounced in place rapidly as she introduced herself.

" Ummm...hi " sweat ran down Twilight's head, while she was use to this behavior from her Pinkie Pie, she wasn't sure how to react to this new one.

Pinkie Pie threw out two pokeballs without hesitation, one letting out the pokemon from the battle, and a new one, this one being a purple balloon with string like legs and a yellow X on it's body. " Loon " it joyfully floated over it's owner in a circle pattern as it repeated it's cry " Loon, loon, loon. "

" Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaannnnnn, " she kept going, confusing Twilight as to how she didn't need to stop for air, "nnnnnnd! These are my partners!! Drifloon and Krokorok!! " her voice was filled with just as much excitement as when she was battling.

Although she was slightly confused, Twilight couldn't help but smile as she looked at the two people who shared the names of her friends. " It's so nice to meet you all...to be honest... " she started rubbing her arm, still not sure what she would say as an explanation. " To be honest we sort of just got here..and are kind of lost... "

Applejack just kept smiling, " It wasn't that hard to tell sugarcube. "

This time it was Spike who spoke, " We're also kinda new to the whole...trainer thing, sooooo we thought we'd find the closest place in the school that had anything to do with uh..battles. " He gave the best convincing grin he could, he knew that the Applejack from his world could spot a lie from a mile away, so he had to be as vigilant as he could around this one.

Applejack rubbed her chin as she eyed the green haired boy up and down, only to stop and nod after a few seconds, " So ya came here, and lucky fer you there was already a battle goin on, so, do ya wanna try one fer yerselves? " the smile on her face was a sincere one.

Twilight simply shook her head as she sheepishly smiled, " Uh..no thanks..I uh...don't even know any of Eevee's...um...moves, " as she was still new to all this, she was just going off some of the local lingo she overheard throughout the school.

This confused Applejack, " Ya don't know any of yer partners attacks? that's odd, " she removed her hat and scratched her head.

" It...it is? " Twilight asked hesitantly.

Applejack shook her head, " Sure is, yer pokemon's moves are generally the first thing ya learn about em', Oh well, if ya don't know em' now there is one way to find em' out. "

Twilight's eyes gleamed, " There is?! ..I uh..mean, there is? " She kept the same sheepish smile the whole time, trying her best to avoid being found out.

" Uh huh! " Pinkie Pie chimed in.

" Ya see normally only graduates get a pokedex, and if ya don't know what that is, it's basically just some fancy index machine that gives ya info on pokemon. " She cleared her throat before getting back on track of what she was saying, " But even so, ya can still borrow one from the library for a short amount of time, it ain't as fancy as the graduation model, but it does the job right. "

Twilight's eyes widened and her smile became that of a real one upon hearing the word "library" " Did you say library?! Where can I find it! " she was almost as excited as Pinkie Pie now.

" Whoa easy there sugarcube, " she put her hands on Twilight's shoulder to calm her down a bit, " I can only guess ya like readin, anyway, to get there ya just leave the stadium out that exit. " She stopped herself to point at a secondary exit just behind Big Mac, " Go out them doors, go to the end of the hall, and take a left, the library will be the big open doors all the way at the end, got that? " She asked, making sure they understood.

Twilight quickly shook her head, she grabbed Spike's hand and held Eevee tightly in her arms before taking off, " Thank you so much! I'll uh, see you two later! "

Applejack could only scratch her head as she watched the strange duo exit the coliseum, " That girl's an odd one alright, but that don't mean a thing, just as long as she's nice. " Right as she finished her sentence, the main doors to the stadium swung open violently, causing Applejack's expression to turn from a happy one, to one of anger, " Speakin of nice...or should I say, not so nice, " she turned around to see Sunset Shimmer and her two grunts, Snips and Snails, making their way to her.

" Well well well, if it isn't little miss cowgirl and cotton candy hair, what are you two doing in MY stadium, " she crossed her arms while glaring at the two.

Her Flareon made it's way past Snips and Snails, taking her place next to Sunset, " ..Flare.. " Her voice was just as cold in tone as her master's.

" I'm sorry, your stadium? " Applejack's tone of voice quickly became that of sounding highly annoyed, " Last time I checked this was the academy's stadium, princess, " she placed her fist on her sides as she eyed the schools resident ice queen.

Sunset could feel a vein in her forehead swelling form anger, " Only one person calls me that! I..I mean, NOBODY CALLS ME THAT!!! " she shouted from pure rage.

Her outburst made everyone in the room take a step back, but more importantly, it gave Applejack an idea, " Say, there was a new student in here earlier, her name was Twilight Sparkle, I think I heard her talkin about takin place in this years school tournament. "

Sunset Shimmer's eyes widened further with rage, "...So this Twilight Sparkle thinks she can just waltz into MY school and think about taking on MY tournament, Snips, Snails! come on, we have someone to crush. " She lifted her beloved Flareon into her arms before making her way out of the stadium, if Applejack didn't know any better, she could've sworn she saw steam coming off of her.

Pinkie Pie tapped Applejack's shoulder, her expression wasn't what it usually was. Instead of being cheery and care-free, she looked genuinely concerned, " Um, Applejack, why did you say that, it's not like you to tell a lie like that. "

Applejack looked at Pinkie before letting out a hardy chuckle, " I wasn't lyin Pinkie Pie, sure Twilight never said that, but ya can't fool me, she had it written all over her face that that's what she was gonna do. "

" Ooooooooooh, " Pinkie let out, still confused on the matter but choosing to just go with it instead of questioning Applejack's judgement.

Applejack turned away from Pinkie Pie to mumble to herself, "...I just hope that if she plans on takin on the tournament that she learns how to battle...and fast... "

Canterlot Trainer Academy Library

Upon arriving at the library, Twilight marveled at it's sheer size, this school truly was as massive as it looked on the outside. " ..It's amazing.. " Her eye's darted back and forth as she looked in every direction, seeing books, books, and more books.

" Uh Twilight, " Spike interrupted her marveling with a simple tap to the shoulder, " Aren't we here for something that uh, Pokedex thing that Applejack told us about, you know, the thing that's gonna teach us Eevee's moves so we can win that tournament thing and get your crown back. "

Twilight shook her head quickly before nodding, " Your right Spike...but can't I just read a little while we're in here, " She gave her adoptive brother a pleading smile, as she really wanted to see what all this library had to offer her.

Spike facepalmed in response to her question, but even so, he couldn't deny her, " Alright, but we get the pokedex thing first. alright? "

" Of course Spike, that's the reason we're here after all, " as she made her way into the library, the librarian's front desk caught her attention, drawing her towards it instantly. " Um excuse me, " she called out, attempting to get someones attention, which she did.

A woman with light pink hair made her way towards the desk, a tender smile resting upon her face, " Hello there, how may I help you today? "

At first Twilight wasn't sure how to respond, but with a quick glance at her name tag and a hasty thought, she quickly replied. " Yes miss....Cheerilee?..I mean yes miss Cheerilee, I was wondering if I uh could....check out a...pokedex... " The look on the teacher's face made Twilight think she needed an explanation as to why she wanted one, " You see...I just got my Eevee and I really want to learn more about her, sooo, I thought I'd check one out. "

Miss Cheerilee only smiled and nodded as she left the desk shortly, only to come back moments later with a red object in her hand, along with a slip of paper and what Twilight could only guess was a pen. " I'll need to have you sign here, I take it you're a new student, so you'll need to sign this paper saying you are responsible if any damage were to fall upon this pokedex. "

Twilight nervously took the pen and paper, she still wasn't sure about her penmanship, but even so, she took the pen in her hand, and with her best effort, wrote her name, albeit a bit sloppy. " Th..there, that should suffice...shouldn't it? " she asked, still very nervous.

Cheerliee stared at the paper for a good minute before simply putting it away and shrugging, " I guess it will have to do..miss....Tw...Twilight..Sparkle? " she questioned as she handed her the pokedex.

" Yep, that's me, Twilight Sparkle, " although still nervous, she eagerly accepted the pokedex, and right as she took it, she quickly made her way towards the many books that filled the library.

" Ugh...here we go, " Spike said as he followed her.

After taking her time to get as many books as possible, she found a cozy spot in the back of the library, sat Eevee down and took out the pokedex she was given. " Let's see, " she pressed what she could only guess was the button to activate it, but after that she was quite confused on how to work it. " Uh...how do I work this thi- " she was cut off as the screen flashed on after she pointed it at Eevee, startling both her and the pokemon, and causing her to drop the device in her lap.

" You OK? " Spike asked his "sister" wondering what got her so spooked.

Twilight quickly picked the device up, giving a reassuring smile so she wouldn't worry him " I'm alright Spike, don't worry, just..a bit startled. " hey, this thing has a picture of Eevee on it, and it has what I can only guess is information, " her eyes scanned the small screen, trying to make heads or tails of what it said.

" Well? " Spike wanted to know what it said, " What does it say, don't leave me in suspense here, " he rubbed his Caterpie's head as he spoke.

" OK, OK don't rush me Spike, hmmm here let's try this again, " She pointed the device at Eevee again, this time getting more of a reaction from it, along with a strange feminine, but mechanical voice coming from the device.

" Eevee, the Evolution Pokemon, Possessing an unbalanced and unstable genetic makeup, it possesses many evolutions, current studies show it can evolve into an incredible eight species of Pokemon. "

Twilight's eyes widened once more upon hearing what the device said, " Eight...it can change into eight different pokemon.. "

" Sheesh, " Spike started, " No wonder she doesn't want to evolve, having eight different forms must make it tougher than anything else. "

Twilight nodded, agreeing with him " You're right Spike, " she rubbed her Eevee's head, " But I think Eevee is Special just the way she is. "

Eevee's eyes glistened as she looked at Twilight, " Vee vee " it's voice was cheerful for the first time that Twilight could hear, making her smile along with it.

" Oh hey Twilight, don't forget to check Eevee's uh..attacks I think, yeah don't forget those, " Spike reminded her.

" That's right Spike..but...how do I do that, " it didn't take much looking for her to find a section in the data with four rows, each having different words written in them. " I think I found them...let's see...Tackle...quick attack...baby-doll eyes? and shadow ball? "

" Shadow ball? " Spike questioned, " That sounds awesome! " He stopped and gasped as an idea came to him, " HEY Twilight!, try Caterpie, what does it say about him, and what can he do! " he asked rather eagerly.

" Oh, OK Spike, let's see, " She pointed the pokedex towards Caterpie, who sat there, almost like it was waiting for it's picture to be taken.

" Caterpie, the Worm Pokemon, Caterpie has a voracious appetite. It can devour leaves bigger than its body right before your eyes. From its antenna, this Pokémon releases a terrifically strong odor for protection. "

Sweat ran down Spike's forehead as he looked at his new partner. " Well Caterpie you certainly are unique. "

" Ree ree! " it cried out as it waved it's head back and forth.

" Hmm, it says here..Caterpies has..Tackle..string shot and bug bite...that sounds painful, " Twilight looked over the information before her. The device in her hands truly was a fascinating one, so much information in such a small thing.

As the sky above grew dark, Twilight found herself growing tired, she had spent the day reading books, learning about the world around her. She had learned so much in such a short time, this world truly was a fascinating one, "...So much knowledge...now if only I could find a place to sleep, " she let out a yawn as she picked both Eevee and her bag up.

" Ahem, " Spike cleared his throat to get her attention, " I think I might be able to help with that. He led Twilight to a rather dusty looking door, " While you were reading, I thought I'd surprise you, " he opened the aged door, revealing to Twilight room, although it was small, it was just the right size for the two of them.

In the center of the room sat a makeshift bed, made from library books pillows and an old blanket Spike found laying around. " Spike.. " Twilight stepped into the room, smiling at him as she did so, " Thank you so much. " With sigh of relief, she placed her things on the ground, laid herself on the bed with Eevee in her arms and Spike to her side, and drifted off to sleep.

Not Far from the Academy

Two figures sat atop a hill to the south side of the academy, one slim and tall with an odd posture, the other appearing elegant and very feminine with a dark appeal to her.

" So, it seems little Sunset Shimmer hasn't got it back yet, I guess that means our vacation is over, oh well, " the slim man shrugged.

The woman with him crossed her arms as she looked at the school below, " Yes, it would seem she's failed, again, but as usual she'll have us there to clean up her mess. "

The man began cackling as he turned his back away from the woman, " The second she slips up, things will certainly get chaotic, I'll make sure of that. "

The woman gave a stern "hmph" as she faced away as well, " You do that, no one makes a mockery of Team Equinox, not even a member. "

The two figures laughter filled the night sky, a flurry of Golbat flying overhead, A lone hooded figure standing mere feet behind the man and the woman, staring out past them at the academy.

Last Minute Training

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Canterlot Trainers Academy, The Next Day

Twilight had awoke rather early, both Spike and Eevee were still fast asleep. She couldn't help but give a small smile as she looked upon the two of them. " Just sleep you two, it's still early, at least from what I can tell, " using what time she had remaining before the school day officially began, Twilight read entries out of her pokedex, learning as much as she could about the pokemon that she had seen so far.

Eevee's sensitive ears twitched as she slept, the sound of Twilight tapping on the pokedex seemed to be enough to wake the small pokemon. After letting out a tiny yawn, she raised herself off the ground, turning towards Twilight, " Vee, vee. " The small pokemon rubbed herself against Twilight's body in order to get her attention, which proved to be quite effective rather quickly.

Feeling the pokemon's body touching against her own, Twilight looked down, laying her eyes on her partner pokemon, " Well hey there Eevee, " she spoke in a hushed tone, trying her best to avoid waking Spike and Caterpie. " Did you sleep well? " she gently caressed the pokemon's head, laying the pokedex down to give her full attention to her partner.

" Vee, Eevee, " she looked up at Twilight with her naturally gleaming eyes, while this particular Eevee is normally a timid pokemon, it had grown rather attached to Twilight in the day she had known her. Whether it be the fact she didn't care if Eevee evolved or be it a naturally strong bond between the two, Eevee didn't seem to care which it was.

" Heh, " Twilight let out a small laugh as she picked her partner up into her lap, " I wonder what everypony back in Equestria will think when they see you, cause I know I can't just leave you here. " She had thought several times about Equestria since she arrived, Twilight wasn't sure if her adapting to this world would somehow effect her life there.

Time seemed to have gone by quickly, until eventually the academy's bell rung for the first time of the day, being loud enough to wake Spike up from his usually deep slumber. With a loud snort, Spike shot upwards, not even wiping the drool off his face as he frantically looked around, " Huh what?! I'm awake! " had it not been for Twilight placing her hand on his shoulder, Spike would have shot through the closet door.

Twilight giggled as she held back her adoptive brother, " Easy there Spike. There's nothing to worry about. "

Spike blushed slightly with embarrassment, " I...uh...I knew that. I definitely didn't think something bad was going on. " He wiped his face clean, dusted himself off, and straightened up his clothes before looking at his reflection in a mirror that had been hung up in the closet. " So Twilight, " he started talking, " What's uh...what's on the agenda today, " he softly rubbed his Caterpie's head, which was poking out of his coat pocket at the moment.

" Ree, ree! " Caterpie squealed eagerly, almost as if it too wanted to know what was going to happen today.

Twilight knew exactly what today held in store for her, aside from Equestria, It was the only thing that had been on her mind throughout the night. " We're going to get my crown back, " as she spoke, she could feel herself flooding with confidence.

" Vee? " Eevee looked at Twilight with a curious expression, unsure of what she was talking about.

Twilight looked down at her partner, noticing it's expression rather quickly, " Oh, that's right, " she gently rubbed the Eevee's head, " I never told Eevee why we were here. Eevee, we're here because someone named Sunset Shimmer took something that belongs to me and we're going to get it back. "

" Eevee, vee? " Eevee still didn't quite understand what Twilight was talking about. Just like most domestic pokemon, Eevee had a decent comprehension of what human's were saying, especially with all the time she spent with Celestia.

" Uh, Twilight, " Spike started talking as he opened the closet door, " I don't think Eevee exactly understands. Maybe she just needs a little more time, heck maybe we won't need to explain, maybe we'll get home fast enough that it won't be necessary. "

Twilight gave a nod while following him through the door, " You could be right Spike. Still, we need to hurry. Time is of the essence. "

Spike rubbed Caterpie's head while he walked, only partially hearing what Twilight was saying, " Yeah you're right Twilight. " He smiled as he tended to his new partner, the closest thing Spike had to Caterpie before was the phoenix he had hatched, but even then he had to give him up. " Don't worry Caterpie, you and me are gonna be the best of friends, " since he found Caterpie the day before he had internally hoped that he wouldn't have to give him up.

The duo and their partners made their way into the academy's hallways, Twilight made one observation upon stepping out of the library, it was just as bustling and wild as yesterday. " Um..Spike...stay close to me, alright? " She could feel some of her newfound confidence slipping just at the sight of all the people.

Spike let out an audible gulp as he placed himself as close to Twilight as he could, "...You don't have to worry about that...Caterpie and me are stuck to you like...like..something sticky. "

" ...Veee... " Eevee hid her face in Twilight's arms. Cowering at the sight of so many humans was only natural to her at this point in her life.

" Don't you worry, Eevee, I've got you right here. Nothing bad will happen as long as- " she was cut off by someone grabbing the back of her shirt and dragging her into a dimly lit hallway nearby.

" I can't believe I didn't recognize you before, it was so obvious! " Twilight's eyes widened as they spotted the owner of the voice standing before her, Sunset Shimmer.

" ....You... " Twilight held Eevee close to her, gritting he teeth and glaring at Sunset.

Sunset chuckled as she looked Twilight over, all while rubbing her Flareon's head. " I should've known Princess Celestia would send you after the crown, It's just like her to do so. " One thing caught Sunset's attention as she looked Twilight over, Eevee. " Oh my what an adorable little Eevee you have there, it seems you're not a total drag after all. Of course, it's no match for my Flareon, especially with that ridiculous everstone hanging around it's neck, " she went to reach for the necklace, only to have Twilight turn away quickly.

" Don't touch her! " Twilight's glare grew sharper the longer she looked at Sunset.

"...V-...veee.... " Eevee cowered in Twilight's arms, holding her precious everstone closely in her tail.

" You don't have the slightest clue about anything in this world do you? " Sunset awaited a response from Twilight, but her silence was more than enough for a solid answer. " Heheheh, " she chuckled at Twilight as she did her best to hide her face. " Just as I thought, so don't go getting any ideas about the tournament either, I'M going to win and I will be getting MY crown, got it! " She gave a confident grin before walking off, " Come now Flareon, we've got a little training to do. "

Twilight balled her hand up into a fist as she watched Sunset's figure disappear into the crowd of students, "...Don't you worry Eevee....we're gonna stop her...I promise that. " Upon making her way back to the bustling hallway, Twilight immediately noticed two things were missing, two important things, "..E-Eevee....Wh-where are Spike and Caterpie?! " Twilight looked around frantically, trying her best to spot the duo in the somewhat thinner crowd, but to no avail, the two were gone. "...We lost them Eevee... " but before Twilight could break down and start panicking, something peculiar, yet familiar, caught her attention, rainbow hair.

The rainbow haired individual eagerly made her way through the halls, pokeballs grasped in each hand, and a smirk on her face. Her eagerness left her unaware that she was being trailed by a lost and confused Twilight, who at the moment, was following her out of curiosity. She came bursting through the double doors of the academy, rushing out onto a well tended field covered in grass, trees, and bushes along with a symbol strikingly similar to a pokeball, only it was all white. " Let's take to the skies you two!! " she hurled the pokeballs as high as she could into the sky, her smirk only growing wider as they popped open, releasing her two pokemon into the sky.

" Uuuuuunfezant!!!!! " the first bird pokemon cried out loudly, it was adorned with mostly grey and green feathers, but what stood out the most was the regal mask-like crest on it's face.

The second pokemon took a nose dive, speeding right by the rainbow haired figure. " Starrrrravia!!! " it's cry echoed throughout the field as it sliced through the air just above the field, it's brown feathers flowing as it flew.

Twilight held Eevee close as she made her way out onto the field, however the second the two bird pokemon had been released from their balls, her eyed had remained glued on them. "...Incredible... " she could barely keep up with their high-paced aerial movements as she watched them.

" They really are incredible huh? " the rainbow haired girl said towards Twilight, catching the princess off guard and causing her to jump back a few feet.

Twilight's eyes were as wide as possible, she had given herself away earlier than she had planned on with her comment. " Uh..um yeah they are...really incredible, " she shook her head, getting her mind off the pokemon and back on the person standing before her.

The girl rubbed her chin as she eyed Twilight, " Hmmmm, I don't think I've ever seen you around here, you must be new then, is that right? "

" T-that's right, " Twilight gave a hasty nod as she replied.

" Heh, " the girl gave a small chuckle before speaking again, " Figures, otherwise I would've instantly recognized ya, and you would've instantly recognized me too. "

" ...I-I would have? " Twilight asked hesitantly, trying her best not to seem suspicious.

" Yeah you would have, everyone recognizes me, " she gave a confident grin and a big thumbs up, " My names Rainbow Dash! but you can call me one of the best trainers Canterlot academy has to offer! "

Her two pokemon landed on the ground right next to her, seeming even bigger up close. " Unfez, " the crested pokemon raised one of it's feathery wings upwards, almost as if it were greeting Twilight.

The other pokemon however, did not give any such greeting, instead it stayed hidden behind Rainbow Dash. " These are two of my three partners, Unfezant, and Staravia. Their my flying aces, " she tenderly rubbed the heads of the two pokemon, obviously caring for them a lot.

" Their amazing Rainbow Dash, OH! That's right, I almost forgot to introduce myself.. " Twilight blushed slightly.

Rainbow Dash simply waved her hand aside, " That's alright, a lot of people get that way when they're around me. "

After letting out a loud exhale, Twilight continued speaking, " My name is Twilight Sparkle, this is my partner Eevee, it's nice to meet you Rainbow Dash. " Twilight smiled as she introduced herself to her best friends otherworldly counterpart.

" Vee! vee, Eevee " Eevee said, introducing herself just as Twilight had.

" Eevee huh, " she leaned in towards the small pokemon, initially causing her to hide herself. However Rainbow Dash simply grinned while she was up close, " It's nice to meet ya Eevee, I can just tell you and Twilight are awesome partners. "

Rainbow's kind behavior confused Eevee, "...V-veee? " so far only Twilight and Spike had treated her in such a way.

" You...you really think Eevee and I are...awesome partners? " Twilight wasn't sure how to react, she was still new to being a trainer after all.

" Uh huh, I sure do, " she continued to give her confident grin, but for a brief moment it left her as an idea popped into her head. " And ya know what? to prove just how awesome you two are, let's have a battle, your Eevee against my Staravia, how's that sound? "

Twilight however was taken aback by the sudden request, " A...a...a battle?! " she had no clue how to respond, never had she expected this to happen.

" Yeah a battle! " Rainbow Dash replied enthusiastically, " A battle would be an awesome way to get to know one another, along with our pokemon! what do you say, it'll be super-awesome!! "

" I...I don't know.. ..I-I mean, We're still new to this whole trainer and partner thing...I mean I just received Eevee yesterday...I don't know if I'm ready to battle or not... "

"...Veee... " Eevee nestled against Twilight, trying her best to bring her spirits up.

" That's even better! " Rainbow's voice boomed with enthusiasm after hearing that, " If you two are new at this then a battle is the perfect way to tell if you're awesome partners or not! " she pumped her fist into the air eagerly.

"...Well.. " Twilight looked Eevee, Rainbow Dash's words quickly sinking in making her think things through rather rapidly.

" Well??? " Rainbow Dash asked impatiently, even if Twilight was a new trainer, a battle was a battle in her eyes.

Twilight gave a confident nod, " Alright then, Rainbow Dash, I accept, we'll have a battle. " In the brief moment Twilight had thought over the battle proposition, she had remembered every little detail about Eevee's moves that she had read about last night. "...I still don't know much of what I'll be doing, but...but we'll do our best! " Twilight's confidence came rushing back to her tenfold.

Rainbow Dash's grin grew, " Now that's what I like to hear! " she could feel her blood pumping from the sudden excitement.

While Twilight couldn't feel the excitement as Rainbow Dash, she could certainly feel the exact same enthusiasm as her. With a few deep breaths and her own mental reassurance, Twilight was as ready as she'd ever be. " OK then Rainbow Dash, let's do this, " her voice overflowed with confidence as she spoke.

" That's the spirit! " Rainbow Dash exclaimed, " Since you're ready to get started, go to the other side of the field and we'll get started. "

Twilight did just that, she and Eevee made their way to the opposite end of the battle field. Their spirits burned with a passion that was unknown to the both of them, but it felt right despite this. Twilight looked down at her partner, " Eevee, I still don't know much about battling, only what I've read up on, but I promise we'll do our best together. "

Twilight's confidence had spread to Eevee, making the usually timid pokemon abnormally spirited, " Vee, Eevee! "

" Alright you two!! " Rainbow Dash cried out from the opposite end of the field, " We're gonna show you newbies just what being a trainer is all about!!! Staravia let's rock their world!!!!! "

As Rainbow Dash raised her fist into the air, the smaller of her two bird pokemon flew to her side with great velocity. " Starrrravia!!! " the bird pokemon cried out energetically, the eagerness for battle was as visible as the sun above.

A grin could be seen on Rainbow's face even from the other end of the field. " You know I'd normally let new trainers take the first turn, but I'm feeling something special about you, so I won't go easy! "

Twilight audibly gulped in response to what Rainbow Dash had just said, " N-not even a little? "

" Not even a little! So think fast!! " Rainbow held her hand outwards, pointing towards Twilight and Eevee, " Staravia!!! let's teach em' a thing or two!!! Use aerial ace right off the bat and earn us a quick victory!!!! "

Right as the command was given Staravia shot off as fast as it's feathered body could carry it, moving so fast that the air around it became solid white lines created by the sheer amount of speed, " Starrrravia!!!!!! "

Twilight froze up, she hadn't expected Rainbow Dash to start off so suddenly, " Hey wait a second we weren't ready! "

Rainbow Dash only chuckled, " Cmon you're a pokemon trainer now, you've got to always be ready, now defend yourself or we're gonna net that easy win!!! "

Twilight began thinking as hastily as she could, " Alright...alright....Eevee's just got to defend herself..we got to fight back.. " Twilight's thinking was interrupted however as the speeding bird pokemon went from being yards away, to being mere feet away from Eevee. " OH no! " but before Twilight could start panicking, an idea popped up in her mind, an idea she hoped would work, " Eevee!!! use quick attack! "

Eevee looked back at her trainer, unsure of what to do, " ...Vee... " But as their eye's met the unsure feeling left Eevee, filling it with confidence once more. " Eeeeevee!!! " and without warning, Eevee shot off at speeds that mirrored Staravia's. Twilight watched in amazement as the small brown pokemon moved so fast that a white streak of light formed behind it as it moved.

" ...Incredible... " Twilight stared in awe at Eevee's movement.

Even Rainbow Dash was taken aback by the sudden burst of speed, nearly catching the trainer off guard. " Staravia!! Fly up to dodge it!! "

Even when following it's trainer's command Staravia just barely avoided the rapid attack from Eevee, " Star?!! "

" Vee! " Eevee cried out as it made a sharp u-turn while keeping it's speedy attack going.

" Eevee try again!! " cried out Twilight.

" You're gonna need more than speed to beat us! " Rainbow Dash declared, " Staravia use double team!! "

" Staravia! " suddenly a flash of light came from staravia's body, resulting in several other identical pokemon to appear around it.

" Wh-what the hay just happened?! " Twilight was stunned. She had read about the move double team and it's ability to duplicate a pokemon, but she hadn't expected so many to appear.

" Heh, I knew that'd work, alright Staravia win this using wing attack!! "

Without warning, the flock of Staravia duplicates was right on Eevee, even with it's speedy movements. Each one's wings were glowing brightly as they descended on the small pokemon. " Star, Staravia!!! "

"...Veeeee... " Eevee felt as if her legs could give out at any moment, but at the same time she knew if she stopped moving she was done for.

" Eevee try using shadow ball on that one in the middle!!!! " Twilight cried out in desperation.

Eevee came to a screeching halt before quickly turning towards the flock of Staravia. " The small brown pokemon opened it's mouth wide, letting a purple orb of shadowy energy to build up.

Rainbow Dash began laughing, " You're definitely new to being a trainer, otherwise you'd know that ghost type moves don't do a thing to a normal type pokemon like my Staravia. "

This didn't stop Eevee from firing the orb right at the Staravia in the center of the flock, striking it directly and leaving smoke pouring off of it's body, " Ee, Eevee!!! "

But this time it was Twilight who cracked the grin, " You're right Rainbow Dash, it won't do a thing. " Twilight's words confused the rainbow-haired trainer, " I might be new to battling, but one of the things I did read up on is a normal types immunity to ghost types! "

" Yeah so what, it still didn't do anything, " Rainbow spoke with a cocky attitude.

" You're right, it won't do anything damage-wise, but it did just give away the real Staravia, cause if it had been a duplicate it would've passed right through! Now Eevee use tackle attack on the one in the center!! "

" Uh oh, " Rainbow Dash hadn't thought about that.

" Vee vee vee vee!!! " right as the command was said, Eevee rocketed forward with great force, striking the flying pokemon in the body and launching it backwards.

" Star-!! " while it had managed to catch itself in the air, Staravia still suffered some serious damage from the sudden tackle.

The events that had just unfolded caused a different kind of grin to form on Rainbow's face. " You know I was wrong about you Twilight, " she started talking, " At first I thought you were just some newbie trainer with a little eagerness for battle, but so far you've shown me that you're more than that. You're a pure blooded trainer with fire deep down and a passion for battling whether you know that or not, and that's why I'm gonna send you off with a bang!! "

Twilight smiled at Rainbow Dash's words, " You really think so Rainbow Dash- wait, send us off with a bang?! "

" That's right, a great big bang!!! Staravia Fly up high and finish this off with a brave bird!!!! "

" Star, Staravia! " the bird pokemon shot upwards, going so high that ti was no longer visible.

" ...This isn't going to end well...Eevee stay on your us...stay on your toes! ...Yeah that's what they are... " Twilight could feel sweat pouring from her forehead as the anticipation of what was about to happen built up.

" NOW STARAVIA!!!!! " Rainbow Dash cried out loudly.

" STARRRRRAVIA!!!!! " and with a mighty cry, Staravia took a steep nosedive towards the ground. Halfway towards the ground the bird pokemon's body became enveloped in a blue flame-like energy, almost as if it's spirit were burning around it's body.

This sent Twilight into a panic, she didn't know what to do or how to react, all she knew was that the battle was over. Even so, Twilight took one last deep breath before crying out her own command, " Eevee meet it in the middle with a quick attack!!!! Give it all you've got!!! "

" Vee!!!! " She shot off as fast as her little legs could carry her, moving even faster than before. " Veeee!!! Veee!! Eevee!!!!! "

" STAARRRRRAVIA!!!! " and in a flash of bright light, the two pokemon collided, resulting in an explosion and a cloud of smoke and dust to kick up wildly.

" Eevee!!! " Twilight called before suddenly reeling back as the dust from the explosion blew in her direction.

Rainbow Dash watched as the dust faded away, and when it was all gone, she couldn't help but just stare at the results, " No way. "

It was tie! The pokemon had knocked each other out in mid attack, resulting in a draw.

Twilight was shocked, she didn't feel so well about seeing Eevee injured, but she hadn't expected this to be the outcome. She quickly made her way to her fallen pokemon, and cradled her in her arms. " Eevee....eevee are you alright..? "

Eevee slowly opened her eyes and looked back at Twilight, " ....Vee... " her cry was weak, but it was enough to assure Twilight that she was alright.

Rainbow Dash gave a small smile as she recalled her own pokemon back to it's pokeball. " You know, you're the first person to ever tie me in a pokemon battle, and you're supposed to be a newbie at that, well I'd say you got what it takes to be a top class trainer. " She reached into the pocket of her backpack and pulled out a berry that was blue in color, " Here, feed your Eevee this oran berry and she should feel better in no time. "

" ...Thank you Rainbow Dash... " she held the berry out towards her injured pokemon's mouth, and let out a sigh of relief as she watched her eat it.

" You know something, " Rainbow Dash suddenly started , " I'd have to say you've got more than what it takes to be a top class trainer, you've got exactly what it takes to beat that stupid grin right off Sunset Shimmer's smug face. "

Twilight wasn't sure how to react at first. " Wh-what do you mean Rainbow Dash? "

" Don't play dumb Twilight, " she grinned as she spoke, " Everyone in the school knows you're the mysterious new girl in school who signed up for the tournament that Sunset always seems to win. "

" I-I am? " Twilight held Eevee closely to her body, making sure her partner pokemon was alright.

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes, " Yeah you are, now quit playing dumb already. "

A small tint of blush could be seen on Twilight's face, " ...Sorry...I'm just not sure what I'm gonna do..I mean I signed up so suddenly, and I'm still new to all this. "

A small chuckle escaped Rainbow Dash's lips, " You might be a newbie trainer, but if I hadn't already known that I would think you really are talented and you're just holding out on me. "

" Wh-what do you mean by that Rainbow Dash? " Twilight curiously asked.

Rainbow Dash replied with a facepalm, " I'm saying you got some natural talent, sure our battle wasn't very long but you still gave me one of the best battles I've had in a while. "

Twilight was surprised by this, " Did I really? I mean you've had to have had better battles than me...haven't you? "

" Nnnnnope, " replied Rainbow Dash in a casual manner. " In all honesty the only good battles I get are from Applejack, but I get tired of battling her only for us to reach a stalemate, and I refuse to battle miss queen of the academy. "

" ....Sunset Shimmer... " Twilight replied with a mumble as she slowly slipped into thought.

However Twilight was abruptly pulled from those thoughts by a slap on the back by Rainbow Dash, " Well I'll tell you something Twilight, I'll be rooting for you in the tournament, but you'll never win if you don't practice. "

Although Rainbow Dash's words were blunt, she knew they were the truth. " You're right Rainbow Dash...but uh...how should I practice? "

Again, Rainbow Dash brought her hand to her forehead, " Just walk around the academy, battle a trainer or two to build up skill, anything to make yourself a better trainer, but you should hurry you only got a day. "

Twilight's jaw hung wide open as Rainbow Dash walked away, " ...Only...a day.... " She let out an audible gulp and hung her head, " ...Spike...where are you when I need you..? "

Back In the Academy Moments before Twilight and Spike had Gotten Separated

Spike quickly looked around, he couldn't see Twilight anywhere, he could barely see at all. Every inch of the hallway he was in was covered in students, making a tight squeeze even for him. " Uhhh..excuse me...excuse me...pardon me... " he apologized repeatedly as he made his way through the crowded halls. It wasn't until he spotted an open door leading into an empty room that he let out a sigh of relief, " ... Just...got to make it there... " As he made his way towards the door, the crowd became progressively smaller and smaller, that didn't stop Spike from tripping and falling right over the threshold of the room, "Oh this day can't get any worse. "

" Oh dear, are you alright darling? " a voice asked Spike, a voice that sent a chill up the former dragon's spine, but in a good sort of way.

Spike's eyes moved upward, eventually landing on the most beautiful thing he had seen so far in this new monster-filled world. " I-I I uh... " Spike mumbled as he tried his best to find any words at all that could come out of his mouth.

Caterpie made it's way out of Spikes backpack, looking on upon it's trainer in confusion. " Ree? " the young bug pokemon turned it's attention towards the person standing before his trainer, still unsure s to why he was acting this way.

" That certainly was a nasty fall you took, please allow me to help you up , " the kind owner of the lovely voice offered her hand out to Spike.

" I-uh..um..thanks. " Spike had a hard enough time getting that single word out, he was sure how to react if she wanted to engage in a full conversation. Not wanting to be rude, the green-haired boy reached out and took the beautiful strangers hand, allowing her to help him to his feet.

The person before Spike stood around the same height as Twilight, with deep blue eyes, and royal purple hair. " Oh how rude of me, " she began, " I nearly forgot to introduce myself, my name is Rarity, and you are? "

Spike felt like his heart would explode at any moment, " There IS a Rarity here....Oh I don't want to make Rarity jealous but...can she really be jealous of herself? "

Both Rarity and Caterpie looked at Spike as an awkward silence filled the room. " Ree, ree? " Caterpie nudged his trainer with his snout, trying to snap him out of whatever trance he was in.

Thanks to Caterpie, Spike quickly snapped himself out of his love-induced trance, " Spike! uh my name is uh, Spike. " He gave a sheepish grin as he spoke in a severely nervous tone, " Oh,uh and this...is-is my friend Caterpie. "

Rarity clasped her hands together as she looked upon the small bug-type, " How simply adorable, why I remember when I made a Butterfree inspired dress for my little sister's birthday. "

" Yep, she's definitely Rarity, same gorgeous voice, same sparkly eyes, same tendency to ramble on about clothes without noticing. " " I'm...I'm sorry for suddenly crashing in here... " Spike apologized, still nervous, just not as much. " You see I got separated from my uh-my sister, because we're new here and still don't know our way around...and I guess you could say I got swept away from her... "

The purple haired seamstress couldn't help but feel sorry for the boy standing before her. " Oh you poor dear, well I'll tell you what Spike, " She smiled as she spoke her sudden idea out loud. " You can stay in here with me while my Pokemon and I work on these latest dresses, in fact, maybe your Caterpie could help me, their silk is just perfect for sewing. "

Spike couldn't believe it, she was offering to let him stay in here with her. This was an opportunity he just couldn't refuse, however he couldn't act overjoyed otherwise he'd give off the wrong impression. " Caterpie and I would be happy to help, " the boy smiled proudly.

After giving a smile of her own, Rarity then whistled loudly, " I'd like you to meet my pokemon, while I have more than these two, I rely on them the most. "

It only took a few seconds for two, four-legged pokemon to make their way towards Rarity. Luckily for Spike he had the pokedex within the reach of his back pocket at so he could quickly identify the new pokemon.

The first of the two to step forward was a feline pokemon. It's front half was a light shade of blue, with it's back half being pure black, yellow stripes were adorned near the bottom of it's front legs. It's face was blue but the rest of it's head was all black, and atop it's head sat a small matching tuft of black fur.

" Luxio, the Spark pokemon. Strong electricity courses through the tips of its sharp claws. A light scratch is capable of causing fainting in foes. " the Pokedex read out.

The luxio made it's way to Rarity before laying at her feet, " Lux. "

" Luxio huh, so cool, " Spike thought out loud.

However before Spike could say anything else the second pokemon came into his peripheral vision. The pokemon was another quadrupedal pokemon, however this one looked more reptile than mammal. It stood on it's four legs at about the same height as Luxio, it's body was a purplish-pink with the insides of it's ears being teal. A long horn sat atop the pokemon's head, as well as two long ears resting on each side of it's head. " Nido, " it's voice was quite deep, catching the former dragon off guard.

As it became fully visible the Pokedex activated, " Nidorino, the Poison Pin pokemon. It is easily angered. Its horn is harder than a diamond. If it senses a hostile presence, all the barbs on its back bristle up at once, and it challenges the foe with all its might. "

Spike's eyes widened to the size of saucers as he read the part about it's horn, " H-harder than diamond?! Is that even possible?! "

Rarity only smiled as she knelt down and rubbed the purple pokemon's head, not even bothered by it's horn. " Whether it's true or not doesn't matter to me, he's my little prince and has been since he hatched from his egg. "

Spike's initial shock had quickly vanished once he saw how happy Rarity was with her pokemon. " Wow Rarity, you sure do love them don't you, " he himself looked up at his own pokemon, smiling as he did so.

" I most certainly do, " her smile remained as she spoke, " I have more back home, most notably a Purugly but she doesn't really enjoy coming to school with me. " " You see Spike, while most people who do fashion tend to have pokemon with hands or psychic abilities, I prefer my darlings. "

Caterpie crawled off of Spikes head and down to the floor where it could greet the new pokemon up close. " Ree! Ree! " it joyfully squealed as it introduced itself.

" Luxio, " the electric feline gave a small nod as it returned the introduction.

Next was Nidorino, " Nido. " The poison pokemon didn't seem to care much for the bug-type being there, but still acknowledged it anyway.

Rarity gave a bright smile, " Why they seem to be getting along just swimmingly. " It suddenly dawned on the seamstress that she had been working on a dress when spike suddenly fell into the room. " OH! that's right, I had almost forgotten that I need to finish this dress before the tournament tomorrow. "

" We can help if you'd like Rarity, " Spike gave a wide grin and a thumbs up, showing that he was the man for the job.

Another smile came to Rarity's face, " Why thank you Spike, with the extra help I'll get this dress done in no time. " But before she could get back to working on it, one important question came to her mind, " You wouldn't happen to know a thing or two about sewing would you darling? Otherwise this might be a bit tricky. "

Spike only grinned and walked up next to her with Caterpie, " I've got a little experience, a friend back in my old home town likes sewing too. "

Present Time, Just Outside of the Academy

Twilight sighed as she roamed the edges of the academy. There hadn't been a soul in sight, meaning there was no one to battle, " So much for getting some practice in. " Twilight let out a saddened sigh, " I'll never get my crown back at this rate... "

" Veee, " Eevee looked up at her depressed trainer, which in turn made the small pokemon equally saddened.

After walking for some time, Twilight eventually opted to simply rest underneath a nearby tree. " I'm sorry Eevee, I don't mean to seem so depressed, I won't give up yet, so much depends on us winning that tournament. "

Eevee gave a nod, " Vee, " if Twilight was going to keep trying, then so was she.

Right as Twilight was about to close her eyes in an attempt to ease her mind, the sound of another persons voice caught her attention. " Slow down already Houndoom!! "

Twilight shot right up at the sound of the unknown persons voice, " Hello? is someone there?! " However a person never showed, instead a large black canine came leaping over her head before running into the nearby clearing. " What in Equestria is that?! " the former pony leapt backwards from the sudden appearance of what she could only guess was a pokemon.

" I said wait up Houndoom! " the voice became much clearer as it made it's way towards the exit of the forest.

" What now? " was all Twilight could say before something else came leaping over her head. This time it was a person, " What's with all the jumping?! " However her confusion and slight anger soon left as she and Eevee looked upon the stranger and his pokemon " Houndoom " .

" I told ya to wait up! My legs don't go as fast as yours do you know! " the trainer scolded his pokemon in a somewhat comedic manner, as the pokemon simply shrugged it off.

The pokemon standing next to him was a black horned canine with a several bone like ornaments adorned over it's body, and at the end of said body rested a pointed tail. " Doom, houndoom, " the pokemon said with a calm disposition, obviously not bothered by it's trainer raising their voice.

" Don't you give me that! I don't care how many Pachirisu there were that is no excuse to leave me behind in the forest! " It was obvious to the trainer that getting upset wasn't getting him anywhere, so with a sigh of defeat he quickly formed a smile on his face.

" J-just who are they? " Twilight silently questioned as she stared down the trainer before her.

He was a tall young man with decently lengthened black hair. His eyes were the strangest, but most alluring shade of violet, almost as if they were blended with the color red. Lastly were his clothes, the trainer seemed to have a unique sense of fashion, he adorned a short, light black vest with a plain gray t-shirt underneath. It was the clothes on his lower half that really took the cake for unique, he wore a pair of black pants and wrapped around his waist was a matching black coattail, except it was attached to his belt rather than his vest.

" I can't stay mad at you, " the trainer knelt down and began rubbing the horned pokemon's head, causing it as well as himself to smile.

" Um excuse me! " Twilight called out to get the trainer's attention. " Hi there.. " she innocently waved trying to seem as friendly as possible.

" Hiya! " he cheerfully returned the wave before making his way over to her.

Twilight quickly took notice of the height difference between the two of them upon seeing him up close. At first twilight wasn't sure what to say, so far everyone she had met was a counterpart of someone she had either seen or personally known. but this person was completely new to her. " I uh, I'm...I'm Twilight Sparkle, pleased to make your acquaintance, " she gave a sheepish smile as she forced ehrself to say something to avoid being awkward.

" Twilight Sparkle? Man the names in this region are something else. " While his comment might've sounded judgmental at first, Twilight could easily tell that he spoke with amazement more than anything. " Well Twilight Sparkle, you can call me Junior! " he gave her a thumbs up accompanied by a very proud grin.

Twilight gave a small grin of her own, " Junior? what an interesting name, " she verbally noted. " If I'm not mistaken that means you share a name with your father, right? "

" Yup, that's definitely right, " Twilight was intrigued at how nonchalantly or carefree he was with his responses. " My full name is Axel Lucille Ryder the second, but that's way to long so I opt for everyone to just call me Junior. " Just as he spoke with a carefree voice, he also wore a carefree grin on his face as he spoke.

As she took in everything he was saying, Twilight sat Eevee down on the ground, who when placed on the ground made her way towards Junior's pokemon. " That is a mouthful, I see why you'd use a smaller name, " before they could delve further into the subject Twilight quickly changed it so that she wouldn't waste anymore time. " Um, Junior can I ask you why you were out in the woods with your...? " She hadn't the slightest idea what his pokemon was called, so she was hoping that he would tell her.

" Houndoom, he's a Houndoom and he's been my best friend since I was a real little thing, " he replied with a joyful smile.

The smile alone was enough to make Twilight smile as well. " What were you and Houndoom doing out in the woods anyway? "

Her question caused the young man to smile sheepishly and rub the back of his head nervously. " We were uh...We were originally just roaming around and then we sort of, got lost... "

Twilight honestly didn't know what to think about his explanation, " How do you just "sort of" get lost?! Was he not paying attention at all where they were going? "

While Twilight was thinking to herself about the explanation, Junior's eyes fell on her Eevee, who was cautiously sniffing his Houndoom. " How cute, " was all he said as he watched the two pokemon interact.

" V-Veeee? " Eevee eased further towards the larger black pokemon, only to caught off guard by Houndoom's tail swinging towards her. " Vee Eevee!! " the sudden movement of the tail caused the normal type to rush back over towards Twilight.

" Houn? " The Eevee's behavior confused the canine pokemon, but rather than dwell on the pokemon's actions he simply shrugged them off.

However Eevee's cry was enough to snap Twilight out of her thoughts, " Eevee?! Eevee what's wrong?! " She hastily lifted the pokemon up into her arms to calm her down.

Junior simply chuckled before kneeling down and rubbing his pokemon's head, " She just got a little spooked was all. " " Say, " Junior suddenly got a thought from looking at Twilight and Eevee, " It's not hard to tell that you're new to being a trainer, so why don't you and me have a battle, I just might be able to help you hone your skills. "

Twilight was baffled, this was exactly what she had been looking for ever since she left Rainbow Dash, but she hadn't imagined she'd find a trainer like this. " Y-you wan't to battle me and Eevee? "

Junior gave a strong confident nod, " I sure do, it'll be the perfect practice for you, we both have one pokemon, and your Eevee looks like a pretty tough pokemon. "

" Alright then Junior, we'll battle you then, " Twilight began to feel the same rush she was feeling earlier, and she was still unsure what the feeling was. He's a total stranger, although a nice one and that, but I need this battle, otherwise I won't know if I'm ready to get my crown back or not... "

Without hesitation Junior and Houndoom made ran a good distance away from Twilight before stopping. " Alright Twilight I hope you're ready! " He spoke eagerly as he raised his fist in front of his face while giving a confidence-filled grin.

Twilight sat Eevee on the ground then clenched her hands together tightly, " I am! ". while she was still very much new to all this, she was still had to try her best, it was the only way to get her crown back and get home.

" OK then I'll let you get the first move in so don't hold back! " he exclaimed from where he was standing.

" M-me go first...well....alright then... " Twilight hadn't expected him to let her go first, especially not after her battle with Rainbow Dash. With a deep breath and a loud exhale, Twilight had quickly prepared herself mentally for the ensuing battle. " OK then Junior, here we go! EEvee go on and use quick attack!!! "

" Vee! " Eevee shot off right as Twilight gave the command, running rapidly with the white streak following right behind it. " Vee vee vee veee!!!! " the smaller pokemon cried out multiple times as it picked up speed.

However something concerned Twilight, Junior hadn't given Houndoom a single command, the two were simply standing there. " Just a little more Houndoom, " the two watched as the Eevee rapidly drew closer, to there point where it was mere feet away from his pokemon. " Houndoom dodge it now!!! " he called out loudly.

" Houn! " and without any hesitation whatsoever, the black canine pokemon leapt out of the way of the quick attack with ease.

" He's so fast! " Twilight's eyes widen as she watched the opposing pokemon move out of the way at the last second. Despite this Twilight kept her cool and decided to give Eevee another command, " Eevee go for quick attack again! "

Eeve gave a nod before rocketing towards the Houndoom once more, " Ee, Eevee!! "

But still the Houndoom evaded the speeding move. " Houn! Houn! Houndoom!! " it dodged over and over again, almost as if it were testing the Eevee's speed.

" Alright Houndoom enough playing around, show em' what you're made of and show off your iron tail!!! " Junior pumped his fist into the air as he gave the command, and for some reason this made Twilight worry.

" Houn!! " the pokemon nodded towards it's trainer before leaping high into the air with the use of it's four powerful legs. It's pointed tail suddenly began glowing white before suddenly gaining a metallic shine to it.

" Eevee watch out!!! " Twilight cried out, but it was too late, the dark type pokemon was already descending towards her Eevee.

" Houn!! Houndoom!!! " with a few mid-air spins, Houndoom came crashing down with it's tail, slamming the metallic appendage down with enough force to shatter the ground beneath it and send Eevee flying with the shockwave.

" Eeveeeeee!!!! " the smaller of the two pokemon cried out in pain as it was sent rolling away across the hard ground beneath it's feet.

Twilight took a few steps forward and held her hand out, " Eevee no!!! "

" Don't ease up Houndoom!!! Iron tail one more time!!! " called out Junior.

" Houndoom!!! " the canine pokemon rushed towards the downed Eevee with it's metallic tail and swung with all it's might, launching the Eevee high into the air.

However despite the powerful hit, Eevee remained conscious and was even able to straighten itself out in mid-air. Twilight saw this as the prime opportunity to strike, " Eevee you're safe up there!! Hit him with a Shadow ball!! "

Eevee gave her own nod at Twilight before opening her mouth wide. Still in the air, Eevee quickly charged up the ball of shadowy energy, " Eevee!! " and launched it at the grounded Houndoom before landing safely next to Twilight.

Even with Houndoom's great speed, the mid-air shadow ball still caught him and Junior off guard, leaving him helpless as the shadowy orb slammed right into him and detonated. " Yes direct hit!! " Twilight practically shouted as she pumped her own fist into the air with joy.

but suddenly a voice came from within the smoke, " Houndoom flamethrower!! "

" Raaaah!! " with a mighty roar, a stream of flames erupted from within the smoke and flew right at Eevee.

" Eevee watch out!!! " Twilight's voice echoed across the battlefield, but Eevee couldn't move out of the way while she was still in the air.

" Vee?!!? " Eevee's eye's widened as the searing hot flame's came flying towards her. Fear filled her small body, making her helplessly freeze up before finally being hit by the fiery attack, " Eeeveee!!!!! "

" Eevee nooo!!!! " rushed onto the battlefield and gave a great leap in order to catch Eevee before the flames could carry her any further.

Junior's eyes widened the second he realized thing's had gone too far, " Whoa! Whoa! Houndoom time out! " He threw himself in front of his still battle-ready pokemon, stopping it from doing any further damage.

Twilight cradled the slightly singed pokemon in her arms as she was on the brink of tears, " ...Eevee...are you OK...I'm sorry I put you through that...please forgive me... "

" ...Vee... " Eevee's voice was faint, she had been through more today than she had ever been through in her whole life and as a result was out of energy.

Not one for being ignorant towards others, Junior rushed over to Twilight and knelt next to her to check if Eevee was alright. " ...I'm so sorry...I didn't expect Houndoom to put that much power into his attack... " He genuinely felt responsible bad Eevee's injury, " ...I got caught up in the heat of the battle and because of it your pokemon got seriously hurt... "

In response to this however, Twilight shook her head, " ..Don't blame yourself, there was no possible way to know that the attack could hurt Eevee this bad... "

But Junior knew this wasn't true, " ...Twilight there's something I need to tell you... " The guilt was quick to build up within Junior's kind heart, " Houndoom was...holding back for most of the battle...I've had him so long that he's the strongest and at the moment, only pokemon I own... "

" Wh-what are you saying Junior..? " Twilight wasn't quite sure what he meant when he was explaining, the only thing she cared about was Eevee.

" ...I'm saying any single slip-up with our attacks could've injured Eevee this way...I just got so excited at the thought of a battle that I didn't stop and think of their power difference. " Junior hated seeing an injured pokemon, it was one of the few things he couldn't stand.

But again, Twilight shook her head in response, " ..That still doesn't make it your fault...if anything it's my fault. " Twilight softly rubbed her pokemon's head, " ...I wanted to get some practice with battling because tomorrow is a very important event for me...but I guess I went and overdid it.. "

Junior reached into the side pocket of his bag and pulled out a plump yellow berry and proceeded to break it into two halves. " Here Twilight, feed this to Eevee and she'll feel much better, " he could see a look on her face that told him she was unsure of whether to take it or not. " Hey don't worry, that's a sitrus berry, it works sort of like an oran berry but a lot better, see watch, " he whistled towards his canine companion to get his attention, " Houndoom catch! " He gave an underhanded toss and flung the berry half in the direction of the pokemon.

" Houn! " the dark-type gave an eager leap and caught the half of a berry before happily eating it.

Twilight watched in amazement as the few little energy the pokemon had lost quickly returned to it's body. " Well, so long as it helps her.. " she fed the berry half to Eevee in small pieces to make sure she could eat it all.

Once Eevee had eaten the last piece of the berry she was noticeably healthier in appearance. The eyes of the small brown pokemon popped open before blinking a few times, " V-Vee?? "

" You're OK!! " Twilight hopped to her feet and quickly hugged her partner, " I was so worried, Junior is there anyway at all I can repay you. "

" Nope! " he said with a casual grin, " We're friends so I'd gladly do anything for you, " he gave the purple haired girl standing before him a proud thumbs-up along with a sincere grin.

" We-We're friends? " Twilight didn't know what to say, one second they were battling strangers, the next they're friends, " But we're total strangers. "

" That doesn't matter to me, I'm friends with everyone I battle, " he kept the grin on his face going strong, proving the sincerity of his words.

Twilight was astounded, the only pony, or person in this case, that was this friendly that she knew was Pinkie Pie. Everything about him was sincere, his voice, his behavior, even his actions, if there was one thing that didn't fit his personality it was the dark brooding clothes he wore, but as she was taught when she was a filly don't judge a book by it's cover. " I imagine if you're friends with everyone you battle then you must have a plethora of friends in different places, Twilight stated in amazement.

" I sure do! " Junior replied with a smile, " I like thinking of a battle as me getting to know someone, you can learn a whole lot about a person by the way they and their pokemon battle. "

" Vee? Eevee? " Eevee looked at Junior, almost as if she were asking if she were his friend as well, to which he replied by rubbing the shy pokemon's head.

" Is it possible for pokemon battles to tell so much about a person...if so...what did he learn about me, " Twilight internally pondered the thought, at least she had been until Junior tapped her shoulder.

" Uh, are you alright Twilight, you sort of just spaced out there, " Junior scratched his head, wondering what Twilight was thinking about so hard that she would space out like that.

" OH! Sorry about that, just got lost in thought, " she gave a sheepish smile and rubbed the back of her neck.

Junior gave his own smile, " Hey don't worry about it, it happens to the best of us. " Suddenly a thought came rushing to his mind, " Hey I have an idea, Twilight you said you need to get ready for some event tomorrow, right? "

Twilight nodded, " It's the academies tournament, I need to win in order to get....something important to me. "

" It's settled then! " Junior pounded his fist into his opened hand and gave a firm nod.

" Wh-what's settled?? " Twilight asked in a slight confused manner.

" Our battle taught me that you and Eevee both have some potential hidden down in you, and I'm gonna use the rest of today bring some of it out. " Junior was practically bursting with enthusiasm at the thought of his idea, " I'm gonna give you a speed training session on battles, how they work, and a few tips to help you on the fly! "

" You mean you're going to train me?! " Twilight took a step back in slight shock, first he states that they're friends and now he says he'll train her. " I-Isn't that a bit much? I mean... " but she was cut off by Junior putting his hand on her shoulder.

" Don't sweat it, I said I'd do anything for a friend and I mean anything, with my help you'll win that tournament for sure! " his thumbs up was replaced by a clenched fist, showing that he was serious about what he was saying.

" So...you're really going to spend the rest of today training me? a total stranger who you didn't knew existed a half hour ago? " Twilight still questioned why he'd offer to do such a thing, but deep down she knew this was exactly what she needed.

" Yup, " Junior nodded. " And once my mind is made it stays that way, so get your game face on cause you, me, Eevee, and Houndoom are gonna spend the next few hours working our tails off on making you into a grade-A trainer. "

Twilight couldn't help but smile, " If what he says is true, then I'll have my crown back for certain!! " She gave a nod of her own before holding her hand out towards him, " Alright Junior, I accept your offer, please teach me whatever you can. "

Junior extended his own hand out and shook hers, " Anything for a friend, I'll do my best to teach you everything you'll need to know, so let's do it to it!! "

" Let's do it to it?? " Twilight repeatedly in a confused tone, " What the hay does that mean? "

Junior simply shrugged, " I'm not really sure, but all I know is I say it whenever I'm pumped up about something, and I am definitely pumped up about helping a friend. "

Twilight continued to smile at both Junior, and Eevee, " Well alright then, let's do it to it then Eevee! "

Complications Arise

View Online

~~~~~~~~~~~~Inside the Academy~~~~~~~~~~~~

Three whole hours had passed by. Spike had remained in the room with Rarity during that time, assisting her however he could. It wasn't until the sun began to set that the two noticed how late it had become. " Oh my goodness! " Rarity gasped before suddenly gathering her things, " You must forgive me Spike, but I have to be going! "

Spike's eyes widened, but not because Rarity was leaving. He had forgotten about Twilight! " OH NO!!! "

Rarity quickly turned towards the green-haired boy while she was recalling her pokemon back to their balls. " Spike, whatever is the matter? " She asked with concern.

" Twilight! My sister!!! I-I, she...he!! " He stammered in panic with his head grasped in his hands.

" Spike dear, please calm down. What about your sister? " She placed her hands on his shoulders, trying her best to keep him calm.

The young man kept his hands on his head while Rarity kept a hold on him. Caterpie remained sitting on his shoulder during all this. " She and I got separated! I was supposed to go find her, but I got so caught up helping out here that I totally forgot! " Spike hastily explained.

" Oh dear... " Rarity said quietly. She couldn't help but feel responsible for Spike's dilemma, after all, she was the reason he hadn't been looking for her. " I'm so sorry Spike...the fault is entirely mine, " she knelt to meet his eye level, " please, allow me to make it up to you somehow... "

Spike quickly took a large step back, his cheeks flushed red as he waved his hands in front of him. " N-no, no, no Rarity, nothing at all is your fault! So please, please don't blame yourself! " Once the waving of his hands ended he quickly moved them to the back of his head while a sheepish smile formed on his. The former dragon let out a loud sigh and turned away from the purple haired beauty standing before him, " I'm the one who forgot to even go looking for her, so it's my responsibility to go find her now...and fast... "

" Reee, " Caterpie nudged his head against his trainer's face.

" Don't worry Caterpie, we'll find Twilight in no time, " The green-haired trainer assured his Pokémon, as he made his way to the door.

However, Rarity wasn't just going to let the boy run off on his own. Not just because she felt responsible for the situation, but also because it was much too risky to travel around at sundown with just a Caterpie. With a snap of her fingers, Rarity had made up her mind, " It's settled then! "

Spike froze in place, " Uh, settled? What's settled? "

" I'm going to help you find your sister, " Rarity declared with a hand on her chest and a confident pose. " besides, I simply cannot allow you wander around on your own when the sun has gone down, it's simply too dangerous! " She pulled the smaller boy into a hug and ruffled his hair, " So don't you worry your precious little head, Spike. "

At this point, it wasn't Spike's cheeks that were red, it was his entire face, " Uh…um...well...I...you...uh... " Spike stumbled on his words, the hug being too distracting for him to give a straight response.

Rarity only smiled as she walked him and Caterpie out of the room and into the hall, " And I simply won't take no for an answer. Besides, I think I've grown fond of yours and Caterpie's company. "

" Reeee! " Caterpie expressed the joy of having a new friend, something his partner was unable of doing at the moment.

" Come now you two, we mustn't waste time now, " Rarity took Spike's hand and began walking down the hall in hopes of finding the boy's sister.

" I...uh..I...you...we...Twilight....we...I, " Spike muttered as he was practically drug down the hallway.

Not far off down the hallway, Applejack and Pinkie Pie were locking up the stadium for the night, having stayed late to help prepare for the tournament. Applejack rubbed her pokemon's back and pulled the set of keys away from the stadium door, " Well, Pinkie Pie, I'd say we did a darn good job settin' everythin' up. "

" Taur! " Tauros audibly agreed with his trainer. The bull pokemon had spent the majority of the day in the room helping with more than enough to know his trainer was right.

" Tauros took the words right out of my mouth, " Pinkie bounced in place joyfully with her Drifloon floating up and down, mimicking her trainer's movements. " Everything is super fantabulistic!!! " her outburst made her hop even higher, almost to the point where she hit the ceiling.

" K-Krok, Krokorok! " Pinkie's Krokorok waved its arms back and forth, pleading for its trainer to calm down.

" First of all, " Applejack started, " that ain't a real word. Secondly, ya got to settle down sugarcube, otherwise you're gonna shoot right through the roof like a Spoink with a little too much bounce. "

" Sorry! Sorry Applejack, but I just can't stop bouncing!! I'm soooooooooo excited about the party tomorrow!!! " the thought of a party only seemed to drive the pinkette's desire to bounce further.

Applejack wasn't sure what her friend was going on about. " Now what the hay are you talkin’ about, Pinkie Pie? Tomorrow ain't nothin’ worth celebratin’, it's just another one of Sunset Shimmer's hand-delivered victories. " Just the thought of the flame-haired girl made Applejack steaming mad, " Why if I couldn't control myself, I'd have the right mind to put her in her place once and for all. "

Pinkie Pie got extremely close to Applejack's flustered face and poked her in the nose, " Don't be such a grumpy pants, Applejack! Sunset Shimmer isn't gonna win this year; remember the new girl? "

" Course I remember the new girl. What about her? " Applejack asked as she began walking away.

" What do you mean what about her?! She's gonna beat Sunset Shimmer! Sure, she's still a new trainer, she's awkward when it comes to conversation, and sure she might be some sort of psychic... "

" Uhhh, Pinkie? " Applejack suddenly stopped her friends continuous rambling, " What does the rest of that have to do with the new girl and beating Sunset? "

Pinkie only stood there blinking while Applejack awaited an answer, " Absolutely, positutely nothing at all. "

The honesty in Pinkie's voice was enough to make Applejack want to collapse, " Should'a saw that one comin'. " Applejack continued making her way down the hallway, " Listen Pinkie, I ain't sayin' she can't win, all I'm sayin' is her chances are slim to none, and that's the honest truth. "

" Oh don't be such a sour apple, Applejack, " Pinkie hopped after her friend, " besides, even if she doesn't win, there is someone else that could win for her. "

Applejack halted in place and turned towards her friend, " And just who in the world would be crazy enough to enter that tournament with the queen of mean herself? "

However, instead of giving a straightforward answer, Pinkie made a zipping motion across her mouth. " Sorry AJ, but I'm not allowed to tell you. I made a Pinkie promise. "

A sigh escaped Applejacks lips as she kept walking with Tauros, " Well, at least one of us has faith that ol' Sunset will get a nice kick to the keister. What say you partner? "

Tauros let out a grunt, as his way of agreeing with his trainer, " Taur. "

" I figured as much, " she lovingly rubbed the wild bull pokemon's head. However, the display of affection was cut short by someone bumping into her from the side. " Now who in tarnation thought it was a good idea to walk into me?! " She turned to face the person she collided with, only to be surprised by their identity, " Rarity? That you? "

The person in question was in the midst of picking herself up off the ground, " Of course it's me, Applejack. Who else do you know stays behind this long? And please, explain to me the meaning of knocking me over in such a rude and brutish manner. "

Applejack quickly helped her friend to her feet, " Well excuse me, princess, I didn't know you were gonna be right around the corner I was goin' ‘round. "

Spike quickly rushed to Rarity, while poor Caterpie did his best to hang onto his trainer's shoulder. " Rarity! Are you ok?! " He quickly looked her over, making sure she wasn't hurt.

" ...Reeeee... " Caterpie's eyes had comically turned into dizzy swirls as it just barely clung to Spike.

" Now hold up a gosh darned second, you're Twilight's little brother ain't ya? " Applejack pointed when her eyes met the eyes of the green-haired boy.

Instantly recognizing the voice, Spike pointed back at the person speaking to him. " Hey, it's Applejack and Pinkie Pie, too! Hey guys! " He happily waved to the counterparts of his friends.

This interaction confused Rarity, " You three know one another? " to which they all nodded, " That's wonderful! That would mean you two might know where little Spike's sister is. "

" Nope, " Pinkie shook her head while giving her most sincere smile.

" All we know is that she went to get ready for tomorrow. So if that's the case, she could be outside, so maybe Rainbow Dash has seen her, " Applejack stated.

" Rainbow Dash?! " Spike echoed. " ...Probably should have figured that much out by now... " He mumbled to himself.

" Uh huh!! " Pinkie responded with a rapid head nod. " Dashie is always outside letting her birdies fly freely! Sometimes she stays out reeeeeeeeeeeeally really late, just like she is tonight. "

Rarity pondered on that thought for a moment. " Then perhaps we should ask our dear friend if she has seen Spike's sister, " and without another word, she was off towards the door.

Spike's eyes slightly widened as he saw Rarity walking off without him, " Rarity, wait for me!! "

"....Reeee... " Caterpie cried out desperately for his trainer to slow down, but his plea fell on deaf ears, as Spike had already taken off again.

" Hurry up Pinkie Pie! " Applejack called out as she and Tauros ran after their friend and the boy.

" Cooooomiiiiing! " Pinkie Pie chimed as she bounced behind them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~Meanwhile Outside of the Academy~~~~~~~~~~~~

Twilight's training had continued throughout the day, with very few breaks. Despite being a novice, she had potential, and she was a fast learner. So what she lacked in skill and experience, she made up for in her wit and learning speed, practically destroying the usual learning curve these trainings would typically have. Sure she had a long way to go before she could be considered good, though, but she was definitely on the right path.

Silence; that was all that could be heard on the field they had been using to train. The only semblance of sound being the wind, but even that was merely a gentle breeze. It wouldn't last for long though.

The sound of two metallic tails colliding resounded through the air from the impact. The source of the sound being both Eevee’s and Houndoom's iron tails clashing. The two pokemon had clashed time and time again as the day went on, with the larger of two holding back to prevent from injuring the inexperienced Eevee.

" Houn, Houndoom!! " Houndoom barked with excitement.

" Vee! " Eevee, having practiced her new move for a majority of the day, was exhausted. Despite this, the normal type couldn't feel happier; she had found the excitement of battling thanks to Houndoom.

" That's the way, Twilight! Eevee's really putting that TM to good use! " Junior praised, as he gave a thumbs up and a grin before calling Houndoom back to this side. Even with the minimal training due to time restraints, the progress made greatly impressed Junior.

Twilight scooped Eevee up in her arms and rubbed her cheek against Eevee's. " You're the best Eevee. There's no way we can lose tomorrow! "

" Hey, hold on for a second! " Junior called out towards her.

The suddenness of his voice resulted in her jumping, " Now I know how Fluttershy feels... " she mentally flinched as she started walking. " Um, is everything alright, Junior? We did do everything right, didn't we? "

Junior placed his hands behind his head and looked Twilight in the eyes. When their eyes met, Twilight could tell she had done something wrong, but she didn't know what that something was. " Nothing's wrong really, but I do think you're getting ahead of yourself. "

" Getting ahead of myself? " Twilight echoed.

" Yup, " he replied with a nod, which Houndoom mimicked. " I'm gonna be a little blunt here; you're still a little wet behind the ears. Don't go in expecting to win tomorrow, go in wanting to do your best. I mean you did just start…no one's the best when they start out, even I'm still learning things and I've been at this since I was a kid. "

Twilight wasn't sure how to feel, he was basically telling her she could and probably would lose. " W-what am I supposed to do then...I've got to win tomorrow, there's more riding on it that you know... " Twilight could feel her composure slipping.

" Veee... " Twilight's disheartened look saddened Eevee, who wanted to make her trainer happy.

" Woah, woah, woah! There's no need for tears, " Both Junior and Houndoom stepped back when tears started welling up in the girls' eyes. " I-I'm not saying it's impossible for you to win, I'm just saying don't go in thinking you'll win. Go in wanting to win, wanting to do your best so you can win, you understand? "

Twilight wiped her eyes and nodded, " I-I think so...b-but I really do need to win tomorrow, is there anything I can do to at least help Eevee get stronger?"

Junior just shrugged, " Besides getting some last minute training in, all you can really do is mentally prepare. For example, the last thing you wanna do is lose your cool during a battle. Pokemon can feel when a trainer's off their game and it throws them off too. "

" Houn! " barked Houndoom in agreement.

" How do I do that? " Twilight questioned, trying her best to keep up with what he was telling her.

A grin graced the more experienced trainer's face, " That part's not hard at all. You just gotta keep a leveled head during a battle. Keep your eye on the prize and support your pokemon through and through, otherwise you'll both crash and burn. " Junior stretched his arms behind his head, " And the most important part about preparing for a big battle, a full night's rest…nothing's worse than an exhausted trainer and pokemon. "

He received not only a nod from Twilight, but also a stifled laugh, " I-I understand Junior. "

" H-hey! What's so funny? " He had no clue why she would be laughing at him so suddenly.

She shook her head, " It's nothing really, it's just...you seem more like a teacher than a trainer, like someone who belongs here. "

This got a sheepish grin and a head scratch from him, " Heh, I guess so, but it's nothing special really. My mentor taught me all the same things. " He turned away from Twilight and placed his hands back behind his head, " Oh, yeah, the most important part of winning a battle: Believing in your pokemon, letting them know you got there back. You gotta stay in sync with them the whole time, even a Feebas can beat a Venusaur if their trainer is good enough. "

While Twilight didn't know what pokemon he was referring to, she did know sound advice when she heard it. " Thank you Junior, I'll do my best to keep that all in mind. " Since the day Twilight arrived in Ponyville, her life had been filled with so many new things. Experiences that she never would have dreamed of while living in Canterlot. But now? She’s literally gone to another world that is full of strange and amazing creatures, and all this just to get her crown back.

" You don't have to thank me, Twilight, I used to be new at this, too. You're a smart girl, and a fast learner, all you need is a little time and you'll be an awesome trainer. " He gave her a big grin, a wink, and a thumbs up, " So don't go giving up before you get a chance to start. "

Red, that's the color Twilight's cheeks had turned, " U-uh...um, thanks Junior...I'll remember that. " She returned the smile, but before anything else could be said, Twilight's curiosity surfaced after mulling over something Junior said. " Say, Junior, " she said, snagging his full attention, " when we first met, you said the people of ‘this region’ have odd names. "

" I did, " he said with an agreeing nod.

" That means you aren't from here, right? " Again, he nodded, which piqued her curiosity, " Then, where are you from exactly? "

The grin graced his face once more, " Me, I'm all the way from Laverre City in the Kalos Region! "

" Houn!! " Houndoom hopped up and barked with pride.

" Kalos? " Twilight repeated in confusion. " Is that far away? "

" I'd say so, " he responded while rubbing his chin, " seeing as the closest region to this place is Unova, which is where we just came from. "

Twilight absorbed every word he spoke, now curious about one matter, " Just how big is this world??? "

As Twilight stood there, assessing her newfound knowledge, Junior stepped towards his bag. " I had fun today, Twilight, " him speaking snapped her from her train of thought.

She watched him pick up his back and wave for Houndoom to follow him; he was leaving. " J-Junior, where are you going? "

He turned back and bashfully rubbed his head, " Sorry about that, I guess it would've been rude for me to just take off. It's getting kind of late, so I thought I'd head to the Pokemon Center in town for some shut-eye. "

" O-oh, okay then, " she made her way over to him, " will I see you again? Before my battle preferably... "

He started scratching the back of his head and sweat ran down his forehead, " I'm not sure about then, I've sort of got to do a few things for someone back home...sorry. " He saw the small look of disappointment on her face and froze, " H-hey but that doesn't mean we won't get to talk afterwards! You can tell me about your awesome win before I head off on my journey. "

" Journey? " Once again, Twilight's curiosity reared its head, " What sort of journey? "

Junior took up his thinking pose once more, as he went about finding a simple way of explaining it to her. " Well, to sum it up in a short way, I'm in the Eques region to challenge its gym leaders, get all eight badges, then take on its Pokemon league! And this won't be like my last two leagues, I'll win this one for sure! "

Despite not knowing what he was speaking of exactly, Twilight couldn't help but feel even more curious. " That sounds like quite an adventure... "

" Heheh, I hope so, I was all psyched on the boat ride over here, " he said with a smile. The loud sudden yawn was all Junior needed for him to know it was time to go, " well, that's all for me and Houndoom. I'll see ya tomorrow Twilight! " He started walking off, " Good luck, and I hope you and Eevee show ‘em what you’re made of! "

" Houndoooooom! " Houndoom howled and wagged his tail before catching up with his trainer.

" Thank you! I really hope to see you again tomorrow! " She waved back.

Vee! Eevee vee! " Eevee too wished them goodbye.

" ...If I win tomorrow, will I really get a chance to see anyone here again? " Twilight mumbled to herself.

"…Veee, " Eevee noticed the look of turmoil on her trainers face and couldn't help but worry.

Without realizing it, Twilight had spent the whole day outside with Eevee, gaining what little battle experience she could in the short amount of time. She had spent so much time out that she couldn't help but feel that she was forgetting something…something important, "...OH NO, SPIKE!!! " Twilight cried out in a panic. " Eevee! We were so busy that we forgot about Spike! " She quickly went the same direction Junior had just went, with it being the fastest way back to the main academy building, " Spike's no good on his own, Eevee! He must be panicking or curled up in a closet somewhere! "

She wasn't running for too long, when something, or someone, came into her line of sight. " TWILIGHT!!! " That shout could only belong to one person, or one dragon to be more specific. The young dragon-turned-human sprinted away from the group he had been searching with and towards his sister. Much to poor Caterpie's disdain, Spike leapt off the ground and right into his adoptive sister’s arms.

" Spike! You're okay! " Twilight caught the younger boy in a powerful hug, unintentionally squeezing the boy tightly.

" ...Twilight...can't…breathe... " Spike gasped as he fought his sister's grip.

Caterpie, who had been flung around all day by his trainer, found the situation rather humorous, " Reeeeereee! " The bug-type giggled, as his trainer fought to escape.

" ...C-...Caterpie! D-don't just sit there! Help me...!!! " Spike cried out with comedic betrayal in his voice.

It wasn't until the rest of the group caught up with the two that Twilight eased up on her death grip of a hug. Standing in front of her were the same people she had encountered previously; Fluttershy, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Rainbow Dash. However, this time, they were accompanied by someone new, but familiar, and that someone was walking right up to Twilight.

" Oh my, darling, leaving your little brother behind to have a rendezvous with a handsome stranger, " she said in a teasing manner, " how scandalous~ " of course, she wasn't serious, but she couldn't help covering her mouth to stifle the laughter coming as a result of how red the girl's face had turned.

Twilight was speechless; her face was as red as the setting sky. " That's...I...we...Junior and I...that's not what happened!!! " She cried out, dropping her brother in the process.

" ...Ow, " Spike rubbed the back of his head while gasping for air, " Twilight...this...this is...is...R-..Rarity... "

Rarity smiled and nodded her head towards Twilight, " Forgive me for teasing you darling, I simply felt it was necessary. After all, what's a girl to think upon seeing someone like that leaving, and finding out the only other person in the direction they left from was you. Rarity, charmed to meet you, Twilight. When Spike told me he was supposed to find his sister, I felt terrible because I was the one who held him up. So to make right of it I helped the poor dear to you. "

Twilight just stood there and looked at the counterpart of her incredibly generous friend, " O-oh, uh...it's, nice to meet you too, thank you for finding Spike. " Speaking of the devil, Twilight glanced down at Spike, who was still on the ground, gazing up longingly at Rarity, " Different Rarity, same Spike, same story . " Just the thought made Twilight forget all about her previous embarrassment, and want to start giggling. For her brothers sake, though, she wouldn't. Besides, she wouldn't want to embarrass him. Twilight's gaze shifted towards the four others whom she befriended, " That doesn't explain what you girls are doing here though. "

" We've been helpin' Spike and Rarity look all over for ya sugar cube, " Applejack replied.

" Yeah! " Pinkie Pie stuck her head in front of Applejack's, " We were also kinda looking for you ‘cause we were thinking of tomorrow and how we reeeeeeeeeeally really reeeeally don't want you to lose. "

" You were…? Sorry every...one...I guess I got so caught up worrying myself, that when I finally found something to help, I got caught up a bit " Twilight responded in a somber and apologetic tone.

" Veeee... " Eevee apologized as well.

A hand belonging to Applejack started patting the disheveled Twilight's shoulder. " It's alright, sugarcube, " Applejack glanced back at Spike, who was back on his feet, his eyes glued to Rarity. " I think he forgives ya, " she said with a chuckle.

That's when Rainbow Dash stepped next to Twilight and pulled her close with an arm around the neck. The sudden contact was still something Twilight was getting use to, so to say she was slightly uncomfortable would be appropriate. A grin came to Rainbow's face as she started walking with Twilight, " Nice to see that you and Eevee could work up a sweat after all. "

" W-well, we did have a little help with our training, " Twilight said bashfully.

And that was the truth. Had she not happened upon Junior, she'd probably still be back in that field, fumbling over the basics...at least, that's what she told herself. Twilight was grateful for the trainer to extend his kindness onto her, especially seeing as he was a total stranger at first. He helped her with her "last-minute" training without asking for anything in return, and even imparted sound advice upon her. That sort of kindness was something she had only seen in Equestria, not to say her "new" friends here hadn't shown her anything similar.

Twilight's eyes had been glued to the ground, unaware that she had even been moving from how deep in thought she was. " Hey, Twilight! " Rainbow practically shouted in Twilight's ear, causing the poor girl to jump.

" Oh! Uh, s-sorry Rainbow, " she sheepishly smiled with a sweat drop, " guess I spaced out. Did you say something? "

" No Twilight, I've just been saying 'Hey, Twilight' repeatedly for no reason at all, " she said with just the "slightest" bit of sarcasm.

Without a single warning, an overly cheerful blur of pink popped up in between the two girls. Pinkie wore her usual carefree smile as she forcibly squeezed between her friends. " Dashie was just trying to tell you that we're going to the bestest-est-est place in Canterlot City! "

A sigh could be heard coming from Applejack, who was trailing behind the three, along with Flutershy, Rarity, and Spike. Without a word, the farm girl pulled Tauros's ball out of her bag and called the bull pokemon out. " Sorry partner, but this'll make the trip a whole lot quicker. "

Pinkie's vocal onslaught had yet to cease, " It's called Sugarcube Corner! It's the sweetest place in the whole world! Literally!! It's so sugary, not so cubey, it's also not a corner, so I don't get that part of the name but- " The two girls were finally saved when a hand placed itself atop Pinkie Pie's head, and pulled her backwards. Before anyone realized it, the pinkette was now atop Applejack's Tauros. " Oh, hiya there Tauros! Fancy meeting you here! "

" Taur, " the response came out as more of an annoyed grunt than anything.

The resounding giggles from his trainer and her friends did nothing for the normal type's situation. Applejack softly patted Tauros on his head, " Don't worry partner, it's just till we get to where we're goin'. " The reassurance seemed to be enough for the disgruntled pokemon, making the remainder of the trip that much easier.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sugarcube Corner was yet another surreal experience for Twilight. Everything, the appearance of building, the inside layout, even the foods, was different. Despite this though, it still felt like the Sugarcube Corner back in Equestria; it had the same atmosphere and the same friendly smiles from the Cakes when serving a customer. Being in the establishment with her "new" friends brought a strong feeling of nostalgia to Twilight. With everything that's been going on in her life, she's had very little time to just sit down with her friends and enjoy herself.

Twilight stared almost longingly out the window, whilst she absentmindedly stroked Eevee's head. Totally unaware of the conversation going on around her, she remained in this dazed state for almost a minute. That was until she felt a hand place itself on her shoulder, causing her to stiffen up. The owner of said hand was Fluttershy, who had been looking on at Twilight with concern in her eyes.

" Twilight... " she said just loud enough for her to hear, " is everything alright? You've been...quiet, ever since we got here. "

" Veee...? " Now Eevee was eyeing Twilight with concern.

A small smile was adorned on Twilight's face as she resumed stroking Eevee's head, " Yeah, I'm alright, Fluttershy. " She turned her head back towards the window, " It's just this place reminds me of my home, I haven't been gone long, but it feels like I have. "

Fluttershy's hand remained where it was on Twilight's shoulder, " I completely understand, Twilight...I moved to Canterlot City all the way from my home town of Cloudsdale Town. That was some years ago, and I still miss it, but I don't ever regret coming here. "

Suddenly, a pokeball from Fluttershy's bag popped open on its own, letting Ursaring out, who promptly pulled its trainer into a literal bear hug. " Ursa! Ring!! " it cried out with cheer as it affectionately squeezed Fluttershy.

She gained a smile of her own as she rubbed her pokemon's head, " Y-yes Ursaring, you're one of the reasons I don't regret coming here. "

Their friends all smiled as they watched the display of affection. " I didn't mean to eavesdrop on yer conversation, " Applejack started, " but Fluttershy is right, sugarcube. Bein' a bit homesick is normal, but yer real home is where your friends and family are, at least, that's what Granny Smith always taught us. "

Twilight's eyes wandered down to Eevee, then over to Spike, who was attempting to chat up Rarity, and finally to the counterparts of her friends back home. Looking at all of them brought a bigger smile to her face, " Thank you, you two. I really needed that. "

Before Applejack could respond to Twilight's thanks, a rather impatient looking Rainbow Dash butted in. " If you three are done with your sappy talk, we have more urgent matters on hand. "

Applejack turned her attention towards her magenta-eyed friend, only now she wore an annoyed expression. " Rainbow Dash, what could possibly be so important that ya just force yerself into a conversation like that? "

Rainbow returned the annoyed look with one of her own, " Tomorrow, that's what! It's already close to night time and we still don't know if Twilight is even ready for tomorrow. "

Then it was Pinkie's turn to pop up, this time, right next to Rainbow Dash's face, along with her Drifloon sitting comfortably atop her head. " Oh there's no need to worry about that, Dashy, two more people signed up earlier today! It's almost like they signed just 'cause Twilight signed. "

" Now hold on a gosh darn second, " Applejack spoke up, " you told me earlier only one person signed up and ya couldn't tell me who they were cause of a pinkie promise. You never mentioned a second person, when did they sign anyway? "

" When you were taking that long bathroom break, " Pinkie said with no hesitation.

A red tinge came to the farm girl's face as she averted her gaze away from the pinkette's, " Ah, I...I see now. "

" We get it, Applejack has bladder problems! What's important though is who those two people are! So Pinkie, go on and tell us. " Rainbow Dash raised her voice.

Pinkie shook her head, swinging Drifloon about as she did, " Nope, sorry Dashy, I made a Pinkie promise to keep their identities an extra-super-duper-uper secret! Aaaaaaand I never break a Pinkie promise. "

" But Pinkie Pie! This could be important, please?! " Rainbow practically pleaded.

"...Stop Rainbow, " Fluttershy spoke up as "assertively" as she could, " I-if Pinkie made a promise to keep them a secret...t-then we should support her choice to keep the promise. "

Rarity nodded, " Well said, Fluttershy, dear. " This brought a smile to the lighter pinkette's face, which in turn made Rarity smile. " Besides Rainbow, I'm sure she'll do just fine tomorrow, she did have a handsome stranger's assistance after all. "

A slight hint of red came to Twilight's cheeks as she pulled Eevee close and looked down, " Please stop saying that...Junior helped me out, out of the kindness of his heart...not because I called him handsome or anything. " She suddenly froze. " N-not that I said anything of the sort! Honest really! "

This caused her friends, save for Rainbow, her brother, and even Eevee, to all start giggling and laughing at the slight slip up. Being the first to finish their fit of laughter, Rarity scooted closer to the still red-in-the-face Twilight, " This 'Junior' sounds like quite the gentleman, although his name is odd. He must be from a different region. "

" He said he was from a region called...Kalos, I believe, " Twilight said, confirming her friends thought.

" Kalos?! " Rarity suddenly grabbed Twilight's hands, startling her and poor Eevee. " Kalos is by far one the most culturally rich regions in the world, and home to some of the greatest fashion there is! Oh, I simply must meet your friend after you win tomorrow, I have to ask him what it's like there! "

" IF...she wins that is, " Rainbow Dash grumbled, still sore over the situation on hand.

" WHEN she wins, " Applejack corrected her, " thanks to Pinkie, I got faith that Twilight here can hand Sunset and that prissy Flareon of hers a well deserved butt-whoopin'. "

Twilight suddenly pulled the farm girl into a hug, " Thank you Applejack. "

The friendly gesture was gladly returned as Applejack embraced Twilight as well, " You're welcome Twi, you'll do just fine, trust me. "

Eventually night began descending upon the city, and the girls prepared to head their separate ways. However, as the five girls of this world began to leave, they stopped when noticing that Twilight had yet to move. When they each spoke of heading home, they individually noticed that the more they talked about home, the quieter Twilight got.

Twilight remained at their booth, fiddling with the straw in her now empty shake. She had mumbled goodbye and that was it...it wasn't sitting right with any of them, but it was Applejack who stopped first. With a loud sigh, she went back towards the purple-haired girl and her Eevee, with the rest following close behind. " Alright Twi, what's wrong and why ain't you and Spike leavin' with the rest of us? "

Twilight stayed silent, opting to instead start rubbing Eevee's head. Spike however, decided to speak up for his adoptive sister, " We, uh...we don't really have anywhere to go. "

The expressions on the other five girls faces all morphed to sudden shock. " N-nowhere to go? " Rarity repeated, hoping she hadn't heard him right. However he nodded in response, " If the two of you showed up yesterday, where on Earth did you go last night? "

" ...The library, " Twilight mumbled, just barely loud enough for them to hear, " We slept in the library at the academy... "

" Vee... " Eevee nodded, confirming what her trainer was saying.

Suddenly, and without any warning whatsoever, Pinkie Pie practically gravitated towards Twilight in the booth, sticking to her like a magnet. " You can stay with me!!! " Her arms quickly wrapped around both trainer and pokemon alike, holding them in a friendship-filled vice grip. " There's plenty of room at my house, and with my parents away on official rock-based business, it's just me! But if you stay, it won't just be me, it'll be me plus you plus Spike plus Eevee plus Caterpie!!! "

" OK, Pinkie, we get it! " Rainbow Dash exclaimed with mild annoyance. Despite this, she couldn't fight the smile resulting from the girl's excitement.

Twilight, however, was a loss for words. Even though this Pinkie had only known her for a day she was offering them a place to stay as if they had known one another years, which back home, she had. " P-Pinkie... " She returned the girl's embrace, squeezing her twice as much, " A-...are you sure? "

Pinkie rapidly nodded her head, " Absolutely, positutely!! "

" Well, I do believe that settles that, " Rarity said with a smile as she made her way back towards the exit. " I must be going now, if I am not home soon, Sweetie Belle will have gotten into the ice cream again. Goodbye Twilight, goodbye Spike. "

" Uh...buh-bye... " the poor love struck boy muttered.

" Yup, I better get goin' too, " Applejack said, following her out the door, " Tauros needs a bath and who knows what Applebloom and Big Mac are doin' to get in trouble. "

" Cmon Flutters, let's get goin, " Rainbow Dash waved out the door, " I've gotta groom my pokemon's feathers, and I'm pretty sure you got...whatever it is you do, to do. "

Fluttershy nodded and gave Twilight and Pinkie a quick hug, " Bye Twilight, I'll see you tomorrow morning. Come along, Ursaring, we're going to finish that story you like so much tonight. "

" Ring, " Ursaring nodded with a grunt as he trailed close behind his partner.

That left just Twilight, Spike, and Pinkie sitting at the booth. " Weeeeellllllllll, I guess it's about time we get back. Krokorok gets suuuuuuuuper grumpy when he doesn't get in bed on time. "

Spike agreed with the pinkette, using a yawn as his reply to her proposal of leaving. " Caterpie and I could use a nice nights rest on something that isn't made books. "

" ...Reee... " Caterpiee groaned tiredly.

Standing up first was Twilight, " Then it's settled, let's get going before we have to carry Spike back, " Twilight said, fighting back a giggle.

However, as the trio and their pokemon left, they were unaware that hidden from view in a nearby alley, someone had been watching them, grinning as they walked on, " That's right, Twilight Sparkle, keep thinking tomorrow is your day. " A girl with fire-colored hair stepped out of the alley and began silently trailing the three trainers.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It didn't take long to reach Pinkie's house. Much to the surprise of the former pony and dragon, it was incredibly bland in appearance compared to the Pinkie back home. Plainness aside, it was a quaint little home, and the duo quickly found out the inside was much similar to the outside in appearance.

As soon as the three stepped inside, Pinkie immediately called out her two pokemon, who looked just as tired as the trainers did. " Alright you two, it's time for beddy-bye! "

" Krok-rok, krokoroooook, " the crocodile pokemon yawned loudly.

" Flooooon, " Drifloon deflated herself atop Krokorok's head, being just as tired as the larger pokemon.

Staring; that's what Twilight was doing at the moment. Her eyes had been glued on the two pokemon from the second they were called from their balls. Nudging Spike with her elbow to get his attention, she then whispered towards him, " Spike, do you still have the pokedex with you? " he tiredly nodded. " Then let me see it, I want to learn about Pinkie's pokemon.

The half-woken young man reached into his coat pocket and pulled the device in question out, then handed it to his sister. " Knock yourself out...I'm gonna...be over here, " he let out a yawn of his own before literally crashing onto the couch.

Twilight raised the red device towards the two equally tired pokemon, " Let's check you two out. "

" Krokorok, the Sand Croc Pokemon; protected by thin membranes, their eyes can see even in the dead of night. They tend to live in groups of few individuals. Krokorok dislikes when its body gets cold. On nights when the temperature drops, it digs deep into the desert sand. "

" How interesting," she commented, before shifting the pokedex towards the already sleeping balloon-like pokemon.

" Drifloon, the Balloon Pokemon; a pokemon formed by the spirits of people and pokemon. It loves damp, humid seasons. Because of how Drifloon floats aimlessly, an old folktale describes it as a signpost for wandering spirits. "

A small chill ran down Twilight's back as she listened to the talking index's description of the seemingly innocent pokemon. " That's...mildly disturbing. "

" Yup! " Pinkie chimed with a smile as she led the two pokemon to a bedroom. " But after awhile, you get use to it, even if Drifloon's tried floating away with Applebloom a few times. "

" Riiiiiight," Twilight muttered and started looking around the room, trying to divert her attention. That's when her eyes landed on an old torn photograph. Without thinking, Twilight ran her fingers across it, feeling the creases and tears, before picking it up. In the picture, were four very young girls, one obviously Pinkie Pie, and another looking shockingly similar to the pony Twilight knew as Maud, Pinkie's sister. " ...These must be Pinkie's sisters in this world... "

Twilight's sudden curiosity and slight concern didn't go unsated for long. As soon as Twilight had picked the picture up, Pinkie had returned to the living room and saw her gazing at it. " Oh, uh, you found that old thing, huh? " Pinkie asked, sounding very much unlike the Pinkie who had left the room moments ago.

" Um...yeah, these are your sisters...I'm guessing! " she added on quickly, to keep from rousing suspicious. Pinkie merely nodded in response, " So, uh, are they here or will they be back anytime soon. "

At first, Pinkie remained silent, opting to instead walk towards Twilight and take hold of one side of the picture. " They don't live here, " she said, almost somberly.

" Th-they don't live here?! " Twilight echoed in shock.

Again Pinkie nodded, " When we were little, we got separated, there were four of us and our parents didn't have the means to keep us all...so my sisters told them to take me. I'm still not sure why, I begged them to take one of the younger ones...but...still. All I know is I miss them... "

This tone was something Twilight had never heard from her Pinkie Pie. In fact, besides a few select occasions, her Pinkie hadn't shown a bit of sincere sadness, always keeping a smile on her face. " P-Pinkie...I'm sorry...I didn't mean... "

She was cut off, however. Pinkie sat the picture back where it belonged on the mantle and turned to Twilight with her trademark smile, reassuring the girl she was ok. " It's fine Twilight, I met Krokorok that day because of what happened, and if they hadn't taken me, I probably would've never met you, or anyone else. " She turned away and started off towards the hallway, " I'll always keep smiling, because it's my goal to one day find them, and I'll do it too. "

The tone she spoke with was a serious one, something else her Pinkie lacked most of the times. " Pinkie Pie... "

Pinkie kept smiling though, and ushered Twilight to follow her, " Come on already Twilight, there's no use getting sad before bed time. We're supposed to have nice dreams, and you gotta get loooooooooots of sleep if you wanna be ready for tomorrow. " Having taken Twilight and Eevee to one of the guest rooms, she quickly made the bed for them, then sat Twilight on the freshly made bed, " Now you two get some sleep and don't let me catch you awake. Nighty night! "

A brief smile formed on Twilight's face as she heard the usual joy in her friend's nighttime chime, " Goodnight Pinkie. "

"Eee... " Eevee moved from her trainer's arms and squirmed her way under the blanket.

" Alright, alright, I can take a hint, " Twilight followed suit and snuggled up against the normal-type. " Goodnight Eevee... "

An hour passed by and everyone in the house was sound asleep. Outside the house was another story however, as someone had been prowling about the whole time. Sunset Shimmer, the bane of the academy and everyone in it, had been trailing Twilight throughout the day. Of course, she did this unbeknownst to the girl she was following. She held a phone in her hand, speaking with a rather private contact, " I know what I'm doing, don't patronize me... "

" Now, now Sunset. No one is patronizing anyone, I'm merely saying you should be careful. You're very sneaky, but are you sneaky enough? " The voice on the other end of the line cryptically asked.

She bit back an annoyed growl, this was one of her superiors she was speaking too after all, she didn't need him getting onto her case about her "temper". " If you're worried about me messing this up, then why don't you do all the hard work? "

A loud, almost insane cackle came from over the phone, " Where would the fun be in that? Besides, you were the one who told the lady in charge about the crown, now you gotta take all the right steps to get said crown. We're only here to: A. keep track of your progress, B. make sure you're actually working, and C. clean up your mess when all this eventually crashes and burns. "

"...Why you no good, crooked-eyed... " she grumbled out.

" Temper Sunset! You must work on that in the future. For now, I'll leave you to...whatever it is you're doing, ta-ta for now! See you soon. " A loud click was her way of knowing the call was over.

" Good riddance...who does he think he is, treating me like a bumbling child?! " She strode over towards the Pie residence, quickly finding a suitable window for her plan of ensured victory. Retrieving a pokeball from her belt, she tossed it to the ground, calling out its occupant.

" Wea! "What came out of the pokeball was a medium height, bipedal pokemon, with three razor sharp claws. Its head was adorned with a feathery crown, and two matching ears, as well as an amber gem embedded on its head. Its dark red eyes gave a perfect wordless explanation of just what kind of pokemon it was.

Sunset smirked as she looked at her dark-type pokemon, " Alright Weavile, let's get to work, you cut this window open and let me in. "

" Wea! Weavile! " The sharp claw pokemon lived up to its name, as it gave a nod and hopped up to the window, latching on and positioning its free claw against the glass. " Wea-ea-ea-ea, " it wickedly chuckled as it made a circular motion with its claw, cutting out a perfect hole in the glass, then climbed through said hole.

Sunset's smirk widened as the window silently slid open, allowing her to slip right into the house. " Good job Weavile, I'll be sure to reward you nicely when we get home, " she said in a whisper. Stepping into the spare room, her teal eyes falling right onto the sleeping Eevee, " And there's the prize. Come on Weavile, let's take Eevee to play hide-and-seek. "

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~The Next Morning~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The morning sun shone brightly into the guestroom window, and right onto the face of Twilight Sparkle. Shifting about as the sunlight pulled her from her sleep, and the dream she had been having about showing Eevee to her friend's back in Equestria.

Her purple eyes just barely cracked open, " ...It was such a good dream too... " she said in a very pouty voice. She rolled over to face away from the sun, but as she did, she felt something off, something was missing that hadn't been when she went to sleep. Quickly sitting up, Twilight tossed the blanket off the bed, then looked under the bed, and then around the room, " Eevee? Are you in here?! " She stepped out of the room and started frantically looking back and forth in the hallway, " Eevee?! "

In the living room, both Spike and Caterpie were sound asleep, laid out in a way that took up most of the couch space. They had been sleeping peacefully, that was, until Spike felt someone shaking him. His eyes shot open, wanting to find out who wanted him up so badly. To his surprise, however, it was Twilight. " T-Twilight...? It's too early...what's the matter? "

Twilight was covered in sweat and her eyes were filled with worry and panic, " Spike...Eevee's gone, I can't find her anywhere... "