The seeds of fantasy have descend. Now, 7 worlds fight for the right to live.
It has been months since the Pokemon came to Equss, and so far both species have slowly learned to coexist and accept each other. Humans are virtually extinct with the unworthy ones still stuck on Earth, and the chosen turned into Pokemon against their will.
Arceus has slowly begun to regain his power and assert his authority over his Pokemon children, all the while making it clear that humanity as a species is done and that no former humans will be reverted back to their original forms.
However, when a mysterious incident occurs in the area north of the Crystal Empire, so begins a series of events that not only starts to unravel long forgotten secrets of the world, but a conflict that will determine both the future and "history" of the planet itself.
This is a NON-CANON story set in the "A New World, A New Way" universe as well as a crossover with Fate Grand Order: Cosmos in the Lostbelt. It is set after the events of both series First Arc and acts as an alternate sequel. Reading the main story is highly recommended to understand some of the characters and settings.
The Island of Avalon, Inner Sea of the Planet/Reverse Side of the World
“Ah, so you’re here, good. You are probably wondering who I am. Well, let’s just say I am not someone who gives my name to just anyone. But if you must refer to me as something, then think of me as an older sibling who watches over humanity from my tower.”
“But, the story I am about to tell you today is not a story of humanity, not exclusively at least. No, the story I am about to tell you is about two worlds, both on completely different paths, and how their actions lead them to meet a third world.”
“If you have heard this story before, then you don’t have to sit here and listen to the ramblings of a very attractive mage like me. But if you are interested, sit down, grab a snack or drink and listen. This the tale of two worlds that would have never met under normal circumstances. Of a tragic god and his people, of a land of friendships harmony, and most of all, love."
“This is the story of a new world, and consequently, a new way.”
Our story begins on Earth. But not the Earth that you or I are familiar with, but a world inhabited by humans and a race of creatures known as Pokemon.
Here we meet a somewhat omnipotent god called Arceus. He has been trapped in a prison for the better part of 5,000 years or something. Or more specifically, a group of priests who served him and his three eldest children, trapped all four of them in their personal dimensions. Basically, they were given eternal house arrest. This was all because that god was a little too trigger-happy when it came to administering divine punishment upon his people. Even in this world, humans will always try and tear down and lock away that which they fear. Were they justified in this case, who knows?
Either way, without their god to keep them in check, mankind began to properly advance over the millennia, at the same time their relationship with Pokemon changed over time. While once they were close enough that no one saw the difference between the two, eventually, the Pokemon were seen as nothing more than animals, beasts of the wild and things to be ruled over.
This upset the god greatly, having to see the species that he obviously favored the most being treated like animals at worse and second-class citizens at best did not do much good for his mental well-being. And while he understood that not all humans were terrible people, he could not forgive the species as a whole, pretty understandable if you ask me.
Yes, humanity’s history has never been a pretty one, but not everything needs to be neat and clean. No matter how sullied you get, as long as you have one clean spot, a single shining star, that's more than enough.
For the longest time, Arceus never thought that he would be set free. It wasn’t until the arrival of a random unknown trainer who somehow managed to acquire all 18 elemental plates that Arceus was released from his eons-long confinement.
After assembling his Legendary Council, Arceus debated with his children on how to go forward. How to free the Pokemon, if humanity should be punished, and what to do so that the world may be set right.
Eventually, it was decided that they were going to leave Earth, abandon ship so to speak. They would take all the good and grey moral Pokemon with them, as well as any worthy humans. But at the suggestion of Cresselia, all humans would be turned into Pokemon upon arrival in the new world.
And so the great Pokemon rapture was set into motion, those who would be brought along fell into a deep sleep and would awake to find themselves in a new world to be their home, whether they wanted it or not. Earth meanwhile, without the presence of the Legendary Pokemon to keep the world in balance, would soon fall into chaos and anarchy, and eventually, die a slow messy death.
At least, that’s what everyone assumes…
Now, you would think that Arceus, being the smart god that he is, with thousands of years of wisdom and temperament would have put more thought into the idea of uprooting billions of people from their everyday lives and just dumping them into an unknown world without asking the natives it was okay?
But unfortunately for the people of Equus, and the Pokemon and former humans turned Pokemon, he did not think this through. Granted, only a few thousand people from both worlds died because of his hastiness, but that’s just a drop in the bucket compared to the billions of lives that would be surely changed forever by this world-altering event.
In the land of Equestria, which is where our main story takes place, Twilight and her friends would find and befriend a human/Pokemon couple named Gene and Belle. They would also meet notable individuals such as Kanto Cerulean Gym Leader Misty, plus Kalos Shalour City Gym Leader Korrina, and her Lucario. While both sides were confused about the situation, everyone agreed to help each other.
Princess Celestia and Princess Luna who were also aware of the sudden influx of strange creatures and had met Unova regional Professor, Juniper met up with Twilight and her friends to compile notes. They eventually decided to venture into the Everfree Forest to investigate a strange occurrence. Said anomaly was the former Spear Pillar, now restored into the Hall of Legends, which was relocated to said forest. Inside they met Arceus who was waiting for them.
To say the first meeting between the ruler of a nation and the god creator of a universe was eventual would be accurate. Obviously, Celestia was not happy about a deity dumping an entire race onto a planet, which included the kingdom they ruled. But Arceus dismissed her concerns, believing that everything would work out. Or more specifically, what’s done is done, as Arceus did not have the energy the take his Pokemon back home or anywhere else.
Seeing as they were at an impasse, the native Equestrians and their new friends left. Several things happened after that, not all of which helped matters or race relations. Mewtwo was appointed ambassador to Equestria, which may or may not have been the best idea. The Order Pokemon Zygarde and the Spirit of Chaos Discord got into a fight for obvious reasons. And Princess Luna tried to destroy the Nightmare Legendary Pokemon Darkrai for also obvious reasons, although that conflict ended much better than the former.
Eventually, it was decided that a meeting between Arceus and all the leaders of each of the world’s nations would be held in 2 weeks’ time. Where it would be decided what to do with the Pokemon.
But before that would happen, our main characters got into many more situations and met many other people from the Pokemon world, not all of which were amicable.
Gene found the members of his Pokemon team in several locations. Twilight made a visit to Trottingham and experienced firsthand how some citizens of Equestria were reacting negatively to the Pokemon. Rainbow Dash briefly met Kanto Champion Red. And Pinkie Pie threw a big welcome party for their new friends.
In the city of Manehatten however, they would find and meet Unova Champion Iris and one of the biggest proponents of the law that forbade human/Pokemon romantic relationships, Pokemon Ranger Union leader and co-founder Professor Hastings. After a heated exchange of ideas and beliefs with the Professor, the group would leave the city along with Ponyville returnees Vinyl Scratch, Octavia Melody, and another former human known as Nick and his two Pokemon.
Princess Luna would mentor Darkrai in learning how to control his powers, while also getting him to come to terms with his feelings for the Lunar Legendary Pokemon Cresselia. While Celestia would parlay with Arceus and try to get him to understand that while he may be a god, he cannot just do as he pleases in this world.
Which is why when he was informed that King Sombra came back to life, instead of revoking his right to exist, he sent the Legendary Pokemon of death, Yveltal, to deal with the dark king. At least he was making progress.
Finally, the day came when all the national leaders of the world would arrive in Canterlot to discuss the obvious topic of the Pokemon and how to best deal with them. Along with trusted advisors, their entourage included Pokemon and former humans who all had their own stories to tell, but you’ll have to go seek them out yourself if you wish to know what happened in other counties around the world.
The meeting first began with Arceus explaining why he brought the Pokemon here and why he intended to stay, coupled with some visual memories of Earth. This was enough to convince most of the World Leaders to let Arceus and his Pokemon stay, but that was just the first hurdle, now came the part of legalization. As is always with these things, there were some who were against the Pokemon staying in their countries, specifically Emperor Golden Horn, ruler of the Minotaur empire, and King Faris, ruler of Saddle Arabia. But while Golden Horn remained the most outspoken, he was powerless to stop what already been decided.
During this gathering of important people, Gene and Belle’s long-awaited and long-fought wedding occurred. And while a self-centered stuck-up noble by the name of Prince Blueblood tried to crash the ceremonies, he was quickly “dealt with”. Although this pretty much cemented his hatred for the Pokemon. Don’t get me wrong, he is a selfish entitled butthole who got where he deserved, but in hindsight, his actions are not entirely without merit. After all, if Pokemon kept attacking you in your own household, you would feel slighted, wouldn’t you?
Eventually, the World Summit ended with Pokemon being ratified as citizens of Equus and its nations. Gala’s were held, laughs and tears were shed, and things looked like they were gonna be fine.
Well, for a moment it did.
Obviously of course, not everything would go smoothly for everyone. There will always be those who reject change, and people are always gonna make mistakes.
But for what reason did a Legendary Pokemon have to go mind-rape a mentally disturbed Gallade who had years of psychological trauma under his belt. Was it out of curiosity? Did he believe the Pokemon was a threat? Did he think he was a victim of mind control due to his strong mental defenses?
Whatever the reason, Mewtwo would not see any punishment for his actions. After all, it would look very bad if a Legendary Pokemon and an ambassador to Equestria was arrested for charges of mental invasion of privacy. Granted the raped Pokemon in question Luke was only left a sobbing mess afterward, but that’s obviously not enough for Arceus to properly punish a member of his family. Nope, totally not favoritism I tell you.
Anyway aside from that, another problem was brewing in Ponyville. Remember that Professor Hastings from a while ago? Yeah, turns out he went and gathered a group of like-minded individuals who still opposed the idea of Pokemon and human romantic relationships, or at least believed that Gene and Belle should still be punished for breaking the law back on Earth.
This went about as well as you expected.
Before Hasting could properly think of a plan, some of his group left to go and take matters into their own hands, while others defected. Friends would be confronted by old friends and associates, for reasons not all shared by each other. Some actively sought out their former acquaintances, while others simply ran into them and fought out of differing ideologies.
Eventually, Hasting would never get the chance to attack Ponyville, as his targets came to them. And after the old man attacked Gene after offering out a hand in peace, Belle would commit the same act that Mewtwo did.
But instead of invading Hastings mind and looking through it, she forced her own memories of all the many experiences and romances that she had seen over the course of her time in Equestria. This coupled with her own memories broke the former Ranger Leader.
Needless to say, this act was not looked upon favorably by all.
Some would say Belle did what she had to do, that the guy deserved it, how after all the suffering she and Gene endured, this was justified. Others like her friend Abby would admonish her for abusing her powers and going too far.
But that’s the thing, love can make you do crazy things. And there was no doubt Gene and Belle loved each other very much. But that didn’t mean they were flawless.
Gene, who had still not resolved things with his estranged mother, who could not allow himself to be apart from his loved one for more than a minute.
Belle, who reacted to any slight against her and her mate with physic retribution, who did not see any wrong in her actions against Hastings.
They would eventually get the mental therapy they needed, eventually, they would begin to understand that they needed to reflect on their actions and be better.
Arceus meanwhile would meet with the nameless goddess who was the architect of this world. After a brief discussion and a bit of humbling, she gave him the task of dealing with the usurper known as Tirek in exchange for more power. And because the mad centaur was killed by Arceus rather than being defeated through the (Rainbow) power of friendship, the timeline diverged dramatically.
Aside from that, months later, Twilight and her friends would eventually investigate a town run by a unicorn who wanted to equalized everypony by removing their Cutie Marks. And since that problem was solved much faster than it would have, with Starlight Glimmer being arrested rather than reformed, the timeline once again strayed away from its intended route.
And that’s where our story ends. At least officially.
Many things were left unresolved. Things that could have been addressed.
Prince Blueblood was gathering a group of schemers who wanted to get rid of every Pokemon.
A revival of Team Magma was occurring in the north, with the help of a former student of Princess Celestia.
In another country, a civil war was raging, and a dark priestess with a thirst for blood was planning to use the conflict to fuel the revival of her god.
Queen Chrysalis, who failed in her invasion of Canterlot was not planning on repenting.
The Phantom Theif Fox and the Cop who was destined to always chase her was still at large.
And just how would Arceus come to fully adjust to no longer being a supreme god with complete authority over the world?
Well then my listeners, I will leave you with this.
Just as one story ends, another begins.
Maybe this was not the branch it was meant to go down, maybe something like this could have been done differently.
But the cosmos will always have the bad habit of trying to reach the end, to fill the void left behind with something...anything...
Prologue: A New World/Pruning Theoretical Phenomenon
Near-Future Observation Lens "SHEBA" online. Beginning observation of “Missing History”
Location: <redacted>
Difference Depth Measurement recorded as: EX
Time of divergence: <redacted> BC
Lostbelt Monarch: unknown
Name Designation as: ---- of ----- and ---------- --------- (Star of ------- -------)
Beginning Transmission:
. . . .
“It's coming, run!”
“Where!? There's nowhere to run! There’s nothing left!”
. . . .
“We are doomed, this is the end of us, of everything.”
“No there's still hope, that weapon forged by the fairies, it can stop that monster.”
“How can a mere blade do what men and gods could not?”
. . . .
“It's over, we won.”
“No, the damage is done, they smell blood, they’re gonna come for us now.”
. . . .
“Is there nothing that can be done?
“Wait, over there, someone is coming.”
. . . .
“Who are you?”
“I am not your enemy.”
“I am your friend.”
“I am your salvation.”
End Transmission.
Time
The thread that holds the universe together, as well as the carpet material upon which the design known as history is written. From the beginning of the universe to its inevitable end, the great tree known as time grows skyward, its branches stretching in every direction. When Arceus made the universe one of his first borne, the dragon Dialga allowed for the creation of ceaseless timelines, infinite possibilities, all of them equal and allowed to make their own mistakes.
But that is not the case in this world.
Just as living beings have a set amount of energy that they can use to power their body for work, play and productivity. So does this universe have only so much energy to sustain multiple timelines.
Every 100 years the universe reviews these timelines while applying a “Spiritron Record Anchoring Band”, or more commonly known as Quantum Time Locks. Upon review the universe sets aside timelines that are “Permissible to Revision” and “Designated for Removal”. Worlds that are closest to the trunk of the tree and are still mutable fall into the category of "Permissible to Revision". Worlds "Designated for Removal" are ones that strayed too far from that center to the point where its inhabitants cannot change their circumstance.
Then once timelines designated for removal are completely cut off, they become Lostbelts and are subsequently pruned from existence.
Just as Pokémon and people compete with each other, so too does history have its winners and losers. The winners of history are those who made the correct choices and had the best circumstance, the losers are those who made incorrect choices and failed to break free of theirs.
The creator god known as Arceus used his authority to bring his Pokémon and their trainers to the world of “Equus”, severing their chain of causality. But abandoned everyone else on their homeworld of Earth to die without proper judgement. At the same time he transformed all the humans he brought with him into Pokémon without their consent, forever taking away their human bodies, all the while denying any requests to revert them back.
Humanity as a species was over. Their home planet was soon to be a dead one.
Those with resentment in their hearts for the primates rejoiced and felt validated that their enslavers had been dealt justice. Those neutral on the matter simply accepted their circumstance and moved on, all the while saying that humanity got off easy considering. Those few who opposed this were in a way silenced as their murmurs and complaints fell on deaf ears and were simply told to let go of the past. This was a new world, and now they had to find a new way to live in it.
The future of this world seemed as bright and hopeful for both people as Arceus believed that his actions while hasty had ultimately turned out well.
How different things might have been, if only he had taken a closer look at the “world” he brought his people to.
The area north of the Crystal Empire, one year before the arrival of the Pokémon.
Bluebolt hated the cold.
More than that he hated the snow.
Cause not only was it cold, but once it touched your fur it melted and became wet, then it would build up and start to freeze your entire body.
This is why as a royal guard, it was his worst nightmare when he learned that he was assigned to the newly returned Crystal Empire. It would have been fine if he had been assigned to the palace where he could guard Princess Mi Amore Cadenza and Prince Shining Armor. But instead he got the worst roll and was assigned to border patrol at the far north.
“Day 15, and still nothing out here.” The earth pony muttered to himself.
The outpost was almost half a day away from the city by pegasi carriage. On hoove? Might as well be a week-long trek. Their next guard change wasn't for another month. Their base consisted of a single watch tower as well as a single barrack for 10 guards, it had all the essential needs to sustain them for a few more weeks, if they became stuck in a white out storm
Still, Bluebolt himself did not look forward to the times when he was posted at the gate in the freezing cold. Luckily for him if his internal clock was right, someone was gonna relieve him of his post right about….
“Bluebolt!”
The earth pony turned to see a grey pegasus approach him, his name was Felwinter, an appropriate name for someone in this weather. He had known him ever since he graduated the Royal Guard academy, while he wouldn't call him a close friend, Bluebolt was amicable enough not to avoid him.
“Time to switch, Sarge. says it's your turn on overwatch”
“Of course.” Bluebolt said, after a long rotation in the cold, guards stationed outside would then go inside, warm up, take a break and then position themselves inside the watchtower. The overwatch post meant that he would be at the top of the tower, giving him a longer view for anyone or Celestia forbid anything looking to cross the border unallowed.
“And yet nothing ever does.”
Even though the Empire was just recovering from King Sombra’s attempted invasion, the Prince and Princess thought it still appropriate to keep watch from anything that may try to cross the border from the north. Even still, the only thing beyond the border was Mount Everhoof and the Yaks to the northwest, but that was a problem for the western border.
Bluebolt entered the top of the tower and relieved the other guard there. Once again the earth pony was alone with his thoughts, but at least it was warm. His mind began to wander again as he thought of things happening in Canterlot, apparently a new Princess was being crowned with a royal coronation. That new Princess being Twilight Sparkle, Celestia’s student whom he had seen a few times when working in Canterlot Castle. Now what would he have given to see that.
“But it seems I'm doomed to be stuck here where nothing ever happens.”
If Bluebolt was a unicorn who knew the time travel spell, his future self would have traveled back in time and told him to never utter or think those words again.
Looking up to the sky, he thought he might catch a glimpse of the aurora lights that were near the north pole, instead what he saw was something bright streaking downward. At first he thought it might be a meteor, but it wasn't burning red, but rather blue. Plus it didn't look like it was burning up, instead it retained its initial size until it passed over the mountain and out of sight. A few seconds later, a low but audible thud was heard, followed by a rumbling that shook the area.
“What was that?”
Bluebolt began to walk down until he reached the main floor where ponies were already starting to gather around the Sarge asking questions.
“Sir what was that?”
“Was that a meteor?”
“Can we check it out?
“Yeah please, I need something to do other than stand around all day.”
“ATTENTION!” The Sarge said in a commanding voice, which off course caused everyone to stand at the ready.
“Now, some of you may think that we don’t have a specific protocol for this, and normally you’d be right. Cases like this would normally be handled by the big brains at Canterlot, especially that nut Bio Chem.”
A few ponies chuckled as they were well aware of the unicorn's antics.
“But since we’re all out here alone, it falls to me to make the right judgment regarding this situation. So here’s what's gonna happen, Short Circuit, you go now and send a message via scroll mail informing the Empire of what's happened here.”
“Yes sir!” A yellow unicorn then left into another room.
“Felwinter, Arc Node, Sol Spitter and Bluebolt, you four take a carriage and go see where this thing landed, determine if it has disturbed any wildlife in the area and report back. Do not try and secure the sight of impact if said foreign rock happens to contain something….”
“Out of this world sir?” Felwinter asked jokingly.
The Sarge only stared at the pegasus, “Just go and report back quickly, the weather out here is like the Everfree forest, unpredictable. You never know when a storm might show up out of nowhere.”
After packing a few essentials the four guards set off in the air carriage being pulled by Felwinter and Sol Spitter.
Mount Everhoof being big as it is took a while to get around, but it wasn't the hard part. The real task was finding the meteor as no pony ever saw where it landed. Luckily Arc Node took a math class before joining the Royal Guard.
“Based on its trajectory, I believe the impact site is about a few minutes from our current position.” The unicorn said.
“Alright colts, once we find this thing we mark our position and book it back to the outpost.”
They reached the area where Arc Node believed the space rock fell…..but found nothing.
“That's strange, even if it's not exactly here, we should be within eyesight of the thing.”
“I know,” Felwinter said “We have been flying for a few minutes and still seen nothing. Not even the smoke that should be coming out of a burning crater.”
“Hmmm,” Bluebolt rubbed his chin, “Somethings not right here.”
Then all of a sudden, there was a low rubbing followed by a roar that can only be described as alien.
Then. Silence.
All four guards waited with baited breath.
“What in the name of-”
Almost immediately something shot out of the ground, rocketing skyward as it pierced the heavens. The shockwave rocked the carriage as the guards tried to regain their balance, even Arc Node nearly fell off. When they regained their composure they looked up at something indescribable.
“Sweet Celestia and Luna.”
It looked like some kind of tower. No, tower wasn’t the right word, it was more like a...tree? Its trunk has ridges that would be associated with trees, but Bluebolt had never seen any trees that grew so tall and so large. Even still every instinct in his body told him that this was not any ordinary tree, at least not in the truest sense of the world. It felt...alive, like it had some will of its own.
“What is that thing?” Sol Spitter said for everypony.
Bluebolt then felt what the other three guards began to feel, a sense of dread, that they had to get away from here as far and fast as possible.
“We need to go, now!”
But before anyone could do anything, a loud howl began to sound throughout the land, and it wasn’t a beasts howl, it was more like the howl of a-
“Blizzard!!!!”
Bluebolt barely had time to react before snowflakes began to fall harder until he saw a storm forming in the distance.
“Felwinter, Sol Spitter get us out of here now!”
They immediately turned the carriage around and made a beeline for the border.
Both pegasi flew for as fast as their wings could carry them, but the storm was catching up, even if they did the selfish thing and ditched the carriage, they both knew they could not outrun this storm. Fortunately for them the border was just over Mount Everhoof, which they began to go around.
“We’re gonna make it!” Sol Spitter said as the light on the other side of the mountain began to appear, “We’re gonna make it!”
Then, their hope was dashed right before their eyes.
Seemingly out of nowhere another storm appeared right in front of them, this one looking more dangerous than the last.
“Go around it!”
But as Bluebolt looked to his left and right, his heart sank. From east to west on either side, the storm itself seemed to go in both directions as far as the eye could see.
They were trapped, trapped by what appeared to be-
“Its like theirs a wall of storms sealing us in!”
Just as the words left his mouth, the blizzard that was chasing them enveloped the entire group.
The first thing that came was freezing, Bluebolt felt his body temperature decrease with every second he was in this storm. This was no ordinary blizzard, even on the coldest days, no storm could do this much damage that fast to a pony’s body. Bluebolt tried to scream, but the second he opened his mouth, the saliva in it froze. Ice began to form all over all parts of his body, he couldn't even turn his head to see that his companions were already experiencing the first stages of frostbite. The metal reigns pulling the carriage snapped.
Then a fall.
Their bodies would hit the ground and shatter into countless pieces, but thankfully for the poor guards, they were already dead.
Bluebolt could only think one thing before expiring-
“Ah, this is why I hate the cold.”
Everfree Forest. The day of the Pokémon migration
Time and Space swirled around and coalesced in a single location, any animals in the surrounding area instinctively fled and sought shelter from something they couldn’t see coming. In the next instant a large temple complex situated on a mountain materialized in existence, it was as large and intimidating as the beings who brought it with it. Despite not coming down like a meteor, the very act of anchoring it to the world's surface texture sent rumblings throughout the surrounding area, letting all who felt it know that something had happened.
Above the peak of this large and majestic hall, a large white equine shaped being manifested itself for the first time in this world. His power, while drained from the journey, was still more than enough for whatever this world threw at him. He was an existence who what the world could only define as divine, a chief deity of his pantheon, an alien god from a foreign star.
His name was Arceus.
And for the first time in thousands of years, he let out a satisfied sigh.
“At last, a world without the evils of man.”
So sayeth the god, who looked upon his works and saw that it was good.
The following is a paraphrase of things that have or are happening now
“I’m not gonna kill you, what I am gonna do is watch you fall into despair. Why? Because you don’t deserve to be happy, not when even the idea of happiness is impossible for us. Not for me who never smiled in my entire life, not truly.”
“All hail the Thundering Tsar”
“I was lonely, indifferent, wicked. Good, villainous, tyrannical. Simple, fearsome, clear headed. I was all these things and more.”
“I’m sorry, you did nothing wrong, and yet…”
“You will become a drifter without a home if you do this, you know that right?”
“..Hehe...Look at you...Your sobbing… Well well...looks like making you….cry isn't as much fun as I thought ....”
“No! Why! Why would you do that!”
“You idiot….I just protected my-“
“My role here is finished, but there's still one more thing I must do...”
Ponyville, Twilight's Library
Princess Twilight pulled up a desk in front of Professor Juniper of the former Unova region. The Beheeyem held a clipboard and a pen in her physic grasp. The alicorn gleefully finished setting everything upon and stood back. After all, today was a special day.
“Alright Twilight are you ready?”
“I’m always ready.”
“Alright, where is the human heart located?”
“The upper left chest for males, and the upper center for females.”
“What is the ratio of solids to liquids for human blood cells?”
“20 to 80%.”
“How many miles of blood vessels in an average adult human body?”
“100,000.”
“What is their largest internal organ?”
“The liver.”
That's right, a test. While Professor Juniper was more of a Pokémon expert. She was no slouch when it came to human anatomy. So in the interest of preserving what little human culture that remained on Equus, she hoped to pass as much as she could onto another for prosperity’s sake. And who better than one of Equestria’s rulers.
“And the final niche random question, how much gold makes up the human body?”
“0.2 milligrams.”
The cerebral Pokémon set down her clipboard and flashed a smile, at least in her mind.
“Congratulations, Twilight. You have successfully passed you course on the human body.”
The alicorn flew into the air and made a gleeful gesture.
“Yes, add another successful test to the folder of Twilight Sparkle.”
The professor then began to put away her things.
“Thank you Twilight, this will help to preserve what knowledge we can on humanity.”
“It's my pleasure Professor Juniper. With your help I'll soon be able to write a book on the human body, after that maybe I can write a book on human history, from their culture, to how they shaped Earth and finally how they ended up where they are.”
“Yes, it's a little hard to believe we are actually doing this, considering how...you know.”
The Pokémon did not need a mouth for Twilight to tell that she was internally frowning, not that she could blame her.
“Juniper, can I ask-
“TWILIGHT!”
Before her sentence could even be finished, an energetic rainbow pony crashed through her window.
Twilight dragged her hoof through her face and resisted the urge to just sigh her soul into the ground.
“Rainbow Dash, this is the 76th time you have broken that window.”
The Pegasus brushed the debris off her but didn’t get up. “Oh really, I thought it was the 25th time?”
Twilight's horn began to charge a pink glow.
“Hold on, hold on! Before you zap me I just need to know.” Her friend then got up and stared her straight in the face. “Did you talk to Princess Celestia about letting me help clearing clouds for the Summer Solstice?”
Juniper swore she saw Twilight’s left eye twitch.
“Really, that's what you came to ask me for?”
Rainbow Dash rubbed her hoof sheepishly. “Yeah?”
Twilight just stared.
“Oh come on Twi, this is the first year and the first summer solstice that the Pokémon are gonna be here, it's gonna be a big deal and me being a part of the set is gonna look good on my resume for making me a Wondrebolt!”
Twilight knew what Rainbow was talking about, as the first Summer Solstice with Pokémon, Princess Celestia was planning to make it one of the most memorable Solstices in years(aside from the one with the return of Nightmare Moon). It was planned to be held in honor of the Pokémon and act as a celebration of the many new friendships that had been forged over the last year. All of the world leaders had been invited and almost all had agreed to attend, minus Emperor Golden Horn. Twilight mentaly sighed, her opinion of that bull headed minotaur had not improved since the summit, especially not after that jab she made towards her inexperience as a leader.
“I bet he also doesn’t like the fact that I was chosen to be a Princess rather than being born as one. As if he can say the same.”
“So come on, did the Princess get back to you. What did she say?”
Twilight narrowed her eyes.
“Do you promise to clean up this mess and fix that window?”
“Uh...”
“Rainbow Dash!”
“Yes yes, I'll do it, I'll fix it.”
“Thanks, you will be happy to know that Princess Celestia has agreed to let you clear the skies during the Summer Solstice. And you will be coordinating with the weather ponies who are also cleaning the skies.”
“Haha yes! This is awesome! You tell Celestia to send those weather ponies home because they won’t have time to help clear the skies when I’m done with it.”
Rainbow Dash flew out the same broken window without another word.
Juniper then spoke.
“She forgot to fix the-”
“I know.”
Twilight then cast a simple repair spell and the window was as good as new. Juniper herself began to gather her things.
“Oh Twilight, before Rainbow came crashing in, were you about to ask me something?”
The alicorn lit up as she remembered what she was about to say.
“Oh yes, well. Can I ask you a personal question?”
“Yes, what about?”
“It's more of a controversial subject considering, so take your time if you have to come up with an answer. Or don’t answer at all.”
“It's fine really just say it.”
“What's your opinion on humans?”
“....What do you mean?”
“I mean, what did you think of them before the exodus? What do you think of them now that Arceus basically rendered them basically extinct in this world, and the ones on Earth soon to follow?”
Juniper did not expect that kind of question from Twilight. But then again it was an elephant in the room that barely anyone on Equss wanted to address unless you had strong feelings on the matter. And Juniper knew that said feelings varied greatly wherever you went or who you asked.
“Before I answer that, can I have your opinion on humanity?”
“Oh well….hmmmm, to be honest I’m mixed. I have met many former humans who are good people: Gene, you, Abby, Seth, May and Korrina to name a few. But I have also seen their bad side. When Arceus showed everyone his memories of Earth, I was just so stunned and horrified at what humans are capable of. I honestly couldn't believe it. Then I experienced that personally when Hastings and his bunch of self-righteous stubborn followers tried to take away our friends.”
Twilight let out a long sigh.
“Then there's the fact that Arceus did all this for the sake of not letting his Pokémon suffer at the hands of humans. Make no mistake, what he did was foolish and without thought, there are many other paths he could have taken. But at the end of the day mankind pushed him into doing what he did, humans brought this upon themselves. But that being said, I believe people can change. And if humans had been steered on the right path, they could have become a great race. One of friendships and Harmony with Pokémon.”
Professor Juniper nodded as Twilight finished her statement.
“Ok, to tell you the truth, I still wish I was human. Being a Pokémon is fun and all, but being human makes me who I am. Humans and Pokémon are meant to coexist together. This is a truth I came to learn as I was studying the origins of Pokémon, cause our origins are tied to them. Yes, the evils of humans are largely the reason why we are all here. But as our god I believe Arceus went a little too far, not to mention he did not take into account or even care whether some of us wanted to be Pokémon.”
Twilight could feel the emotions coming off of the psychic-type Pokémon. Arceus had made it very clear that he wasn’t gonna change everybody back no matter how much they pleaded and begged. He had come to the conclusion that all humans will do is create more suffering for Pokémon. Apparently not knowing or caring what the evils of this new world might do to them.
“But there's nothing we can do about that. We humans weren’t always this way and we'll never be the same again. But we have to work with the hand we're dealt with. We have to find a new way in this new world, and thanks to our new friendships, that way will be easier than it seems.”
A small smile crept across Twilight's face.
“You’re right, I’m here for you Juniper, we all are.”
“Thank you Twilight, now let's review for your human history test shall we?”
“Yes, let's do it.”
A Crystal Empire outpost, 2 days before the Summer Solstice
Short Circuit wished she had chosen a different career path.
The unicorn mare sat inside an outpost at the northern border of the Crystal Empire, the same outpost she had been stationed at ever since she was transferred here. Even when that...incident happened she was still surprised they asked her to stay here.
Others who had been sent as replacements were more experienced than the ones that had...departed. It made her feel a little safer, but not safe enough if someone asked her.
*A knock on the door*
“Come in.”
A large stallion popped his head inside, it was the Sarge, her commanding officer.
“Short Circuit anything to report on the radar?” the large brown Earth asked.
“No sir, nothing out of the ordinary.”
He nodded “Very well, as you were.”
The door closed.
“As I were,” *sigh* “If only that were true for other things as well.”
It then became one of those few times when Short stopped ignoring reality and just glanced out the window.
“It's still there.”
Of course it was, it was there since the day it arrived and it had been there ever since, never ceasing, never moving an inch.
From west to east as far as the eye could see, a wall of storms stood like a mighty barrier. Its never-ending winds acting as a buffer to whatever or whoever tried to pass it. It had suddenly appeared on the day that a mysterious object from outer space crashed in the frozen north. The same day when a team of four was sent to investigate it. The same day when that team of four never came back.
Four Royal Guards: Felwinter, Arc Node, Sol Spitter, and Bluebolt, never came back. Somepony said they could have sworn they saw those same four coming over Mount Everhoof. But at that moment the same wall of storms appeared and trapped them forever. They were all declared M.I.A., although some might say it should be K.I.A.
It was later revealed that this barrier wasn’t necessarily a wall of storms, but in actuality a dome. A big dome that covered almost the entire north pole. Further study revealed that this storm wasn’t even a normal storm, its composition was not water and ice, it was magic. But not any magic that was known to equinekind, its only purpose scientists concluded was that it was meant to keep something out, or something in. Anything that tried to pass through was torn apart by its destructive force. Strange shooting stars circled around the top part of the dome, adding to its mysterious and abnormal appearance. No amount of pegasus in the world could make this tempest even if they got every flyer in Equestria. Even if the four alicorns of Equestria combined their magic, even they couldn’t produce a storm of this size and power.
Even after the arrival of the Pokémon, not even they could get through the wall, in fact, most stayed away from the thing as if their instinctual sides told them something was not right about that weather phenomenon. One had to wonder why Princess Celestia hadn’t told the Pokémon god Arceus about this anomaly yet, or why he himself hadn’t noticed it already.
That was why for now, the ones stationed at this outpost were ordered by Prince Shining Armor himself to just wait to monitor any changes in the wall of storms if any.
“Everything alright? Short Circuit?”
The unicorn glanced down to see a small white Vulpix. She smiled and patted it on the head. Normally these things from what she heard were orangish-brown in color and are of the fire type element. But peripatric speciation affected Pokémon as much as animals, so this particular species had adapted to the cold.
“I’m fine Vulpix just lost in thought.”
“Ok.
“Still nothing going on with that storm thingy?”
“No Vulpix, nothing yet.”
“You think Arceus could figure out what's up with that thing? He is a god after all.”
Short chuckled, Vulpix like her Pokémon brethren all held a certain reverence for Arceus. More so than others.
“Maybe he can, but who knows. The answer to this mystery just might reveal itself with time.”
Just like her passed fellow guard Bluebolt, if Short Circuit knew the time travel spell, she would have come back and slapped herself.
Her ears perked up as she heard a guard outside shout something.
“Everypony look, look! The storm its-”
Short looked outside to see something she thought she’d never see so soon.
Before she had a moment to take it all in, the door opened again.
“Specialist Short Circuit!” the Sarge barked.
The unicorn stood upright and saluted.
“Yes sir!”
“Starts writing down a message to send down to the Empire, tell them, it's happening.”
“Sir yes sir!”
The unicorn immediately took out a quill and magic paper.
“Finally, things are picking up.”
The Crystal Empire had not changed much over the last months, even with the immigration of Pokémon, the city was still a beacon of beauty, hope, and love. With the permanent death of King Sombra and the legalization of Pokémon, the people of the gleaming metropolis continued like they always would. Especially a certain interracial couple.
John Williams sat at the table waiting patiently, but he didn’t mind. After all, today was one of those few special days.
“John dear, what do you think about the itinerary for the upcoming solstice?”
That's right, today was one of the few days outside of work where he and his marefriend Holly Hearts were able to spend some quality time together. Now if only she could put down the clipboard.
“I think it's fine Holly. I think we have everything all worked out.”
Soon the green unicorn read the mood.
“Oh I’m so sorry dear, even though we’re on our date I still have my head in the clouds like a pegasus.”
“It's okay, so tell me how things have been so far?”
“Oh, well Princess Cadence has been thinking of making an official holiday to celebrate the arrival of the Pokémon.”
“Oh she is?”
“Yes, in honor of all the Pokemon who are happy in this new world, who are now free to live and love however and whomever they choose. Although she can’t decide whether to celebrate on the day they arrived or the day they were made legal citizens of Equus.”
John smiled as Holly continued, ever since they became a couple, Holly and John had only grown closer. The shy mare he had first met on the day that he arrived no longer felt uneasy around him, despite the flaming head. They had gone through so much together, helping the Empire adapt to Pokémon, fighting off King Sombra, and even when that monster tried to make him-
John mentally winched.
“No, I can’t dwell on what could have happened.”
Despite the months passing, and the amount of therapy involved. The day of when John was forced to almost kill Holly with his own hands, to when he burned Somba alive. It really was a source of trauma for him to the point where the Legendary Pokemon made him forget that incident for a while before he could properly process it. John really had made significant progress over the last few months, the nightmares became less and less. He wasn’t out of the woods just yet, but he was getting there.
“Besides.”
John’s hand began to slip into his sack and grabbed a small box.
“I think its time I moved on to the next part of my life’s journey”
“Cadence mentioned about doing something special for Gene and Belle as they are now raising their kids and deserve something special. She even plans on calling Cresselia for...oh I’m going off again am I?”
“Hehe, it's fine dear, you can’t help the way you are.”
“I guess you're right, one pony cannot just change overnight.”
“...Speaking of change.”
John lifted the small box out of the bag and under the table.
“Hmm?”
“Holly, I was wondering if you…”
“JOHN!”
The Infernape winched at the all too recognizable voice belonging to a certain bug/electric type Pokemon. And just like a meteor, a yellow ball of energy and pure sugar-filled mischief known as Volt landed on their table….just as the waiter had arrived with their food.
“John John, I gotta tell ya something!”
It was clear to both Holly and John that Volt had eaten sugar recently, while the Joltik never stood still for more than a few seconds, the Attaching Pokemon looked like it was about to blast off like Team Rocket.
“Okay, Volt what is it?”
“We need you to, uhhh…..what was I gonna say?”
Another side effect of Volt eating sugar was him losing his train of thought.
“Wait, wait! It's on the tip of my tongue, I know I can remember it!”
Volt soon found himself wrapped up in a magic grasp belonging to Holly. Who turned him around to face her.
“Volt, sweetie. I know you need to ask John something, but you can’t just interrupt people like that, especially when they’re about to eat.”
By this point, the waiter had hastily put the food on the table before fleeing the scene, less the yellow ball of chaos cause more trouble.
“Oh sorry.”
“It's fine, now, I’m sure whatever you need to ask John can wait later.”
“But that's the thing, it can’t wait! The Prince said that it was urgent.”
“He’s right John.”
All three turned to see a large Blastoise come up to them, one who looked like he was out of breath.
“Dang, that little guy is fast when he eats rock candy.”
Holly and John’s eyes widened.
“Who let him have rock candy!”
Out of all the sweets, Volt was banned from like the plague, rock candy was one of them, Being pure sugar it meant the Joltik would be running like he was on caffeine.
“Uh we did.” said a repentant Absol named Snow who also came up to the group.
John looked at his Pokemon with stern eyes.
“Why?”
“Because he could get to you faster than we could, and considering how urgently the royal couple needs you guys in the throne room. We’d figure the faster the better.”
Both Holly and John looked at the Pokemon, each other, and then back at Volt.
“Volt, is this true?” Holly asked, “Were you trying to call us on behalf of the Prince and Princesses?”
“Ughhh, oh yeah now I remember! Shining and Cadence said that she needs you guys now! Something about top-secret information!”
It was at this point, John realized he was beginning to get stares from the other tables. He then got up, paid for the food(which he got to go), and gave Volt a piece of advice.
“Volt, a lesson about top-secret information. If it's top-secret, don’t just say it out loud.”
The Joltik then went red and buried himself in the mane of Holly.
“Oh, sorry.”
Arriving back at the castle, Holly, John, and his Pokemon made their way to the throne room (After dropping Volt off at his room to burn through the rest of the energy). Where Princes Cadence and Prince Shining Armor were already waiting for them.
Shining smiled as they entered the room.
“Ah, finally you’re here, good. Guards, will you please excuse us.”
The guards at the throne room entranced nodded and closed the doors behind them. Leaving the room empty save for three ponies and three Pokemon. After which Shining Armor then cast a soundproof spell.
“Okay, nopony can hear us now.”
John at this point had his interest peaked.
“Okay, what's going on?”
The royal couple looked at each other and then back at the Infernape.
“To tell you the truth John, we don’t really know what's going on either. But we will explain what we know” Cadence said.
John raised a brow.
“On the day my sister in law was crowned a Princess, there was an incident that occurred at the far frozen north. Guards stationed at the border claimed that they saw a meteor of some kind make landfall beyond Mount Everhoof. To this day we don’t know how, but shortly after it landed, a massive storm engulfed the surrounding area, making travel beyond the frozen north impossible.”
Shining Armor had a somber look on his face.
“Four guards sent to investigate it were caught in it,” Shining added “They never made it back.”
John offered his condolences, “I see, I’m sorry for your loss.”
“Anyway, what's unusual about this storm is that it does not feel natural, It was not ponymade. It projects a magical field so dense that not even our brightest could find a way to penetrate it.”
“Huh, this is unusual.”
“Yes, that storm has lasted ever since that day, never growing, never shrinking, it has just stood there like a dome covering the frozen north….until today that is.”
John lit up, “What?”
“Yes, our sentries at the northern outpost have reported that the storm has just….ceased. It's just gone.”
“And that's not the weirdest part.” Cadence said, “When we sent scouts to investigate what the storm had done to the frozen north, they couldn’t believe what they had found.” The Princess then hesitated for a second, as if she wasn’t sure John would believe her.
“What? What did they find?”
“John, there are people living in the frozen north now, a whole area with multiple settlements!”
Mount Everhoof, 12 hours later....
John hung onto the rails of his chariot as a squad of Royal Guards led by Shining Armor himself, flew over the mountain and into unknown territory. As he saw the nearest village come into view, John remembered the last conversation with Cadence before departing…
“The scouts have reported that the people living there looked like wolves, if wolves walked on their hind paws like minotuers and wore clothing.”
“So, walking wolf men?” It almost seemed like something out of a werewolf story to the former human. Almost, he didn’t remember many stories about werewolves walking on two feet.
“Their villages appear to be a little less advanced than ours, although if they were living in the frozen north for so long, they probably didn’t have the best living conditions or the means to live comfortable lives.”
John thought for a bit, even though he was fire type, he couldn't imagine living like that his entire life. Stuck in a never-ending blizzard, these people, whoever they were, had to be strong to survive in those conditions.
“That is why Shining Armor wants you to go with him in order to make first contact with these new people. If they are friendly, if they need help, anything we can learn about them would be helpful.”
“So, I guess you are telling me this, cause as a Pokemon I can put up a fight?”
The Prince had a sheepish look on his face, “You and your Pokemon are just backup John in case things go wrong. Like my sister I'm all about friendship, but as the former Captain of the Royal Guard, I have to be prepared.”
As a cop, John understood. In negotiation situations, things could always go south. So him being backup was completely understandable.
As the first village came into view, Shining Armor shouted to his guards.
“Alright colts, remember this is a first contact mission. Even if they provoke you, don’t attack unless I say so, got it?”
“Sir yes sir!” The guards said in unison.
They landed a few steps from outside the village. Shining Armor and the group began walking towards the entrance. They spotted a few wolf people at the mouth of the town, holding what John immediately recognized as-
“Guns!? They have guns!?”
“Wait, what's a gun?” Shining Armor asked.
“It's a weapon humans invented back on Earth, they can fire small pieces of metal called bullets. Think of them like a handheld cannon, only more accurate and faster.”
“Sweet Celestia.” A guard exclaimed “And you're saying these guys have those things pointed at us!?”
“Apparently, but from what I can tell, those look like hunting rifles, the kind of gun meant for sport and hunting for food. The good thing is they have to reload after each shot.”
Shining Armor had his defense spell at the ready “Well hopefully we won’t give them a reason to use them.”
As they were about twenty feet from the village, the wolf men drew their guns on the ponies and Pokemon and spoke.
“Halt! Unless, you wanna have a few new holes in your body. Stop right where you are and identify yourselves!”
Shining Armor canceled his spell and stepped forward. “My name is Prince Shining Armor of the Crystal Empire, we mean you no harm.”
The left wolf in a brown coat stepped forward.
“Then what do you want from us? You all look like nothing we have ever seen before.”
“I can say the same my friends, well mostly. I would like to speak with your village leader. Do you guys have a Chief or a Mayor or something?”
From behind the two wolves came out an old looking dog with a cane.
“I am the chief of this village, if you wish to speak, you may speak with me.”
Shining Armor and John walked up to meet the chief.
“My name is Altoz. You said your name was Shining Armor?”
“Yes.”
“Hmmm, unusual name. And you, the beast whose head is on fire, can you speak?”
“My name is John Williams. I am a type of Pokemon called and Infernape, Shining Armor is a unicorn.”
“Huh, never heard of such things. But, yes….stranger things have been happening lately.”
Shining and John looked at each other.
“You mean the storm disappearing?”
“No not that, I mean you're not the first strangers who went through here and were not a Yaga.”
“Yaga?”
“That is what we are, Yaga. Now come, follow me. I can tell from your shivering entourage that you’re freezing in this cold.”
The two then looked back to see that the guards were already starting to shiver.
“Alright lead the way.”
Soon everypony was in the largest building, except for Eclipse who could not fit through the door and had to stay outside with Snow. The other Yaga, as they were called, gave both Pokemon uneasy looks.
The chief sat down in front of a table, John pulled up another chair while Shining sat as well.
“Alright, so what business do you lot have with us?”
Shining Armor spoke first.
“Well sir, as you may have noticed, the storm wall that separated your land from ours has disappeared, and we have been sent to learn and investigate just who your people are and how you got here. We mean you no harm and do not seek to conquer you. If anything as newcomers to Equestria I wish to extend a formal welcome as one of its leaders. If you people need anything we are here to help.”
“Hmm, that's it? You sound much different than that other group who came by a few days ago. As for your help, it is not needed, not anymore.”
John interjected.
“Excuse me sir, what other group? As far as we know, we are the only one of our kind to set foot or hoof in this land.”
“Well they weren’t your kind that's for sure. Just who are your people anyway?”
“Like Shining Armor said sir, he is the Prince of the Crystal Empire, a city state that is part of the larger kingdom of Equestria.”
“Again, never heard of it, besides that group that came by before you called themselves Chaldea.”
“Chaldea?” Shining asked, “Never heard of them.
“Me neither”, John said “Who were they, what were they like?”
“They said they were something called servants, that they were aligned with the rebel army. Bunch of fools if you ask me.”
“I’m sorry, rebel army? Who are they?”
“Bunch of suicidal idiots who think they could overthrow the Tsar.”
“The Tsar?
“Yes, the great Thundering Tsar Ivan. The mighty Emperor and protector of our land.”
“I see, and what is this land called again?”
“You have come to this country without knowing its name? This country is called Russia.”
John almost fell back on his chair.
“John, you alright?” Shining asked.
John caught himself and leaned forward, getting close to Altoz.
“Russia, I heard that correctly, this country is called Russia?!”
“Yes” Altoz said hesitantly “You act like you’ve heard it before.”
John sat back in his chair as the gears in his head began to turn.
“John?”
The Infernape snapped out of his stupor.
“Another question, this Chaldea, the people from this group. What did they look like?”
“Well, it's not really that hard to describe really. Just imagine us Yaga but without the fur. Actually just imagine yourself without your fur, have a flatter face, a more straight back, lose the tail, and you're close to what those other travelers looked like.”
Once again John sat down and muttered something to himself, “It can’t be.”
Shining Armor, seemed to read John's face, because he then asked the next question that was on John’s mind.
“Chief Altoz, this Chaldea group. You said they were part of a rebel army?”
“Yes.”
“Where are they now, or if you don’t know, which direction did they go in?”
The chief thought for a moment.
“Well, they should have gone to Moscow, just straight north of here. But they may be long gone by now.”
“Why is that?”
“Because if what I heard from traveling Yaga are correct, Chaldea and the rebel army have killed the great Tsar Ivan.”
John and Shining Armor looked at each other.
“It's been 2 days. And from what I heard, after they overthrew the Tsar, Chaldea did something, something big.”
“Big how?”
The old Yaga just started at his guests.
“All I know is that when a rebel soldier came through here, he just told us with a straight sad face that we should not fight each other anymore.”
John leaned forward again.
“The capital of Moscow, where is it?”
The skies near Yaga Moscow.
John stood at the front of his seat as the capital came into view. He seemed impatient.
“John, now can you mind telling me why we're flying so fast to this Moscow? Or why did you tense up when that Yaga guy mentioned the word Russia?”
Without even looking back, John spoke.
“Shining, how much have I told you about the Pokemon regions of the world?”
“Oh, well….You said they’re basically the nations of Earth right?”
“Yes, each region has a government that enforces its laws. And as a member of the International Police, it was my job to enforce them.”
John paused for a moment.
“I've told you the names of many regions, Kanto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, Kalos, Oblivia, Orre. But the world did not just have regions, it had larger nations as well.”
The Infernape then look at Shining Armor directly.
“The largest and coldest nation of Earth, was Mother Russia.”
Shining then did a double take.
“What!? Are you saying that these Yaga, these people are from your world?”
“I’m not entirely sure. The people who lived in Russia were completely human, not these Yaga wolf things.”
“You think Arceus may have done this to them? Transformed these humans into Yaga instead of Pokemon?”
“Unlikely, why would he make these people part-wolf instead of Pokemon?”
“Maybe they’re a new type of Pokemon Arceus is planning to reveal.” Eclipse suggested.
“Then why aren’t there any other Pokemon here Eclipse?” Snow countered. “Plus, Shining said that storm arrived a year ago before us. We can only assume the Yaga came with it.”
“Yeah” Snow interjected. “Plus when Arceus broke out of his prison, he brought us all to Equus almost immediately. It couldn’t have been him.”
Eclipse offered another theory. “Maybe they’re some kind of aliens from another world? Maybe the fact that they named this place Russia is just a coincidence?”
John looked to Eclipse, “An entire country of people came down here in a meteor?”
“Maybe it was a spaceship.”
“If they’re so advanced to have a spaceship, why do they look so primitive?”
Shining Armor thought for a bit, then looked straight forward along with John. “Well whatever is going on here, you think the answer lies in Moscow?”
“Hopefully, they say the Tsar is dead and that these Chaldea people are long gone. But maybe there are still people there who can tell us what happened.”
As the detachment of Royal Guards neared the large city in the distance, Snow noticed something.
“Hey, what's that white thing below?”
John looked down and saw what Snow was looking at.
It was some kind of large jagged ice formation. No, the whiteness of it was a different shade then the snow around it. It was roughly three-hundred meters across. And did not at all look natural. If John had to describe it, it may have reassembled a tree stump whose trunk was violently ripped from its base.
“That doesn’t look important, maybe we’ll revisit it later.”
Finally Moscow came into clear view.
The city looked like it had been the site of a war zone, buildings in many places were damaged and demolished. Giant craters littered the area. No, not craters….footprints? John then noticed that there were two different sets of giant footprints.
“What the hell happened here?”
The largest palace in the center of the city had collapsed halfway. The surrounding area wasn’t much better off. John could see some surviving Yaga scattered around, some looked up at them as they descended, others hid in their houses.
“They must be afraid, that maybe we’re here to start more fighting.”
As they made landfall and got off, the few Yaga that remained had gathered around. These Yaga in particular had looked like that had just gone through a war, most of them had guns or swords. Their clothes looked burnt and ragged.
John then approached the crowd.
“My name is John Williams, we mean you no harm. May we please speak with your leader?”
An adult looking Yaga stepped forward, motioning a smaller Yaga with a curious look in his eyes to stay with the group.
“I’m the leader of the rebel army, what's left of it anyway. What do you want? Not that it matters much.”
John noticed his face then became one of sadness, as if he was someone who had come to know futility.
“I seek information about a group who claims to have worked with you. Chaldea, do you know of them?”
As soon as the words left his mouth, there was a mixed reaction from the crowd. Some looked upset and angry, others sad and depressed.
“Chaldea, what business do you have with them?”
“We just want to ask them a few questions.”
“Hmph, well you're out of luck, they left 2 days ago.”
It was just as the Chief had heard. John had suspected as much, but maybe these rebels might know something that would confirm his suspicions.
“But, there is one Chaldean who is still around here, who hasn’t left yet.”
John and Shining lit up at those words.
“Where. Where are they?”
“In the center of town, you’ll find him playing a...piano was it? Just listen for a beautiful sound and you will know when you're close.”
The group then immediately took off down the street, John himself was running in anticipation of what he might find.
He soon began to hear music, but that was not what was on his mind.
This land was called Russia, its people used man-made guns, the way the Chief described the other travelers, and if he remembered correctly...the name of Chaldea originated from an ancient group of astrologers.
All signs pointed to the evidence of-
“John look!” Snow exclaimed.
Humans.
A lone human sat in front of a piano, his fingers playing away at its keys, right in the shadow of what was once the main palace. The song he was playing was instantly recognizable as “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star”. But the way he played it, the song was a very simple one, however the artist played it like he was a prodigy. It was sad and beautiful at the same time, almost like a requiem for the dead.
His back was towards them, but the pianist could tell he was not alone.
“I know you're there, speak. Or is my performance so beautiful that you have no words left?”
No one moved or knew what to say, for the ponies this was the first time any of them had seen a living human(or at least one that was not a Pokemon). John’s Pokemon were equally stunned, as they had never expected to see a human ever again.
But John whose suspicions had mentally prepared him spoke first.
“My name is John Williams, these are my Pokemon partners Snow and Eclipse. The ponies with me are part of the Royal Guard of the Crystal Empire. And this guy right here is Shining Armor, Prince of the Crystal Empire.”
The man then stopped playing, turned around and got up.
He was an adult homosapien, his skin was Caucasian with grey hair and a matching grey three piece suit, only offset by the red ascot. He had a cross hanging from his left side and a ring on his left finger. Around his neck he had a gold watch.
But those features aside, John could tell something was off about him. His face looked a bit tormented, as if he was just struggling to hold a smile. Plus there was the feeling that this guy looked much more stronger than he appeared, but why was that?
The man looked over the group, then at Snow and Eclipse.
“What are those? Some kind of demonic beasts?”
John looked confused for a second, he wasn’t sure if that was meant as a genuine question, or an insult.
“No they’re Pokemon, a Blastoise and an Absol.” He spoke as if he expected this man to know that already.
“I see, my apologies. My name is….well my real name might not have any real meaning to where you say your from, so just call me: Avenger.”
“Avenger?” Eclipse asked quizzically “What are you some type of superhero?”
The man known as Avenger let out a small chuckle at the notion.
“A Hero...Yes, you could call me that. Depending on your point of view.”
John was mildly confused by his reaction to that question, but continued.
“Are you part of the group that came through here known as Chaldea?”
“Yes. Yes I was.”
John then walked a little closer to this man.
“These Chaldea people, were they human as well?”
The man in grey then flashed a grizzly crooked smile.
“Yes, most of them anyway.”
“I knew it.”
John’s suspicions were confirmed. Humans were here on Equus, that much was obvious. But some things still didn’t add up, what did the Yaga have to do with this? Where did they come from? And more concerningly, how many humans are here aside from this man and Chaldea?
“Arceus is not gonna like this.”
As John was lost in thought, Shining Armor took over.
“So Avenger, these Chaldeans, who or what are they? Please tell us.”
“Well first of all the full name of their group is the ‘Chaldea Security Organization’, or the longer version ‘The Organization for the Preservation of the Human Order, Finis Chaldea’.”
That last sentence snapped John out of his brainstorm.
“Wait, Organization for the Preservation of the Human Order?”
“Yes.”
John looked to the group then back at Avenger.
“What is the Human Order?”
“Well, thats-”
Before anything else could happen, Avengers body began to glow. Little particles of light flicked off his body, with each second he looked like he was fading.
“Ah, it seems my time is up.” Avenger said with a small smile “Which means this Lostbelt is about to disappear.”
“Wait what!?” Before John could get in another word, a wind blew through the area. Followed by the sound of howling Yaga, as if they knew what was about to happen.
“Don’t worry, if what you say is true, that you are not of this place. You will be fine, your root of fantasy has yet to fall.”
“Root of Fantasy?” Snow asked.
“In a few moments this place will return to a blank slate, you can either stay here and watch it happen, or you could go back now and tell you people what you have discovered.”
“Wait!” John said. “I still have a lot more questions!”
“Sorry, not enough time. But I will give you this, I told you my name wasn’t important, that wasn’t necessarily true. I shall give you my true name as a final gesture from someone who is meant to be your enemy.”
Before his head disappeared, the lone human gave his name.
“My name is Antonio Salieri, rival of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.”
With his last words, Avenger disappeared.
Then something else happened.
The ground itself turned white, but there was no snow. Only a solid bleached surface. Then the sky that was filled with stars began to disappear as well, leaving only a perpetual daytime in its wake.
“Dear Sweet Celestia!” Shining Armor exclaimed.
John and his companions were fine, but as he looked around, he saw buildings and Yaga vanish all around him, as if they had never been there in the first place. Erased from existence.
“We need to go, now!”
Almost immediately everyone got back on the chariots and made a beeline for the Crystal Empire. As they flew, the very sky and ground beneath them continued to disappear. Being replaced by the blank slate that was stretching as far as the eye could see.
What's going on!?” A guard exclaimed. “Is the world being wiped away!?”
“Is it gonna overtake the Crystal Empire!? Will it wipe away Equestria!?”
“Holly,” John thought.
“Everypony go as fast as you can, we gotta make it back to the Empire before this thing reaches there!”
But even with the pegasi beating their wings as fast as they could, the so-called “bleaching” grew faster with each passing second. Soon it passed them, all the while wiping away every village, landmark and settlement in sight. Soon it came to the foot of Mount Everhoof and overtook it.
It took 5 minutes before the group reached the mountain and began to go around it.
John prayed to Arceus, the Legendaries, Celestia, Luna. Anyone who was listening.
“Please still be there, Please still be there!”
As they came over the mountain, the sunlight blinded him for a bit. When it cleared up, John gasped.
The grassy green fields of Equestria loomed in the distance, as was the northern outpost that they passed on the way here.
It was still here.
Everyone collectively let out a sigh of relief.
“So, what now?” Eclipse said.
John looked around, the bleaching that erased Russia had stopped just at the northern border of Equestria.
His mind raced with all sorts of questions, his cop brain memorizing all the things Avenger(or should he say Antonio Salieri) had said. Chaldea Security Organization, Human Order, Root of Fantasy. What did they all mean?
“We just need to get back to the Crystal Empire as soon as possible. There's something happening around here. And one things for sure.”
Genesect stood in his laboratory as he tinkered away at his latest invention, or more accurately it was an improvement on an existing machine.
Ever since they had arrived here Genesect had spent most of his time in his room that he had turned into his private workshop. Due to the technological level of most countries in the new world being sub modern at best, things such as cars, telephones, power grids and the internet were yet to be made. The ancient Paleozoic Pokémon sought to (re)introduce some of these modern conveniences into society, then the former humans could show the other nations how they worked and functioned. Obviously he wasn’t just gonna dump everything onto them at once, as it would be too fast and confusing to adjust to the many advancements overnight.
Which is why he was gonna start them off with something simple and easy to use.
The radio tower of which he was building was much stronger than some of the average ones left back on Earth. This thing could potentially pick up signals from space if one wanted to.
“Alright, I’ll have this thing done within a day.”
Suddenly there was a knock on the door.
“Who is it?”
“Its Registeel.”
Genesect sent a single which opened the door and allowed the child of Regigigas to come in.
“What are you working on?” He asked.
“Just a radio.”
The Iron Pokémon examined his fellow legendary’s work, giving a nod of approval.
“Ah, so this is what you intend to reintegrate into society. Good, it's a safe and simple choice.”
Genesect gave a small smile. Of the other members of his new extended family, Registeel was on the few he interacted with more than others. His understanding of metals and steel was an asset when it came to Genesect's inventions that required much use of the material. Not to mention that he respected his privacy as one of the more reclusive legendary Pokémon. It was one of the reasons why he basically never left the Hall of Legends ever since they arrived here. Even though some of the more sociable legends tried to get him to come out.
“So tell me, what's going on outside the walls of this place?”
“Well, tomorrow will be the holiday the Ponies of Equestria refer to as the Summer Solstice. Many are planning to attend since it will also be a gathering of world leaders as well.”
“I see.”
“......”
“......”
“So…
“What?”
“Are you going to attend?”
“Sorry, too busy.”
“Genesect, you have as far as I know never set foot outside these halls. Not even to see what new world we live in.”
“Not true, the surveillance provided by Lord Arceus has more than given me enough views of this planet’s civilization and landscapes.”
“Those may as well be videos as pictures, I’m talking about going outside and getting some fresh air, meeting new people, getting in touch with nature once again.”
That last one struck a small cord in his logic processors.
When he was brought back to life, the prehistoric Pokémon retained most of his memories from his previous life. He remembered his days as a hunter, the top of the food chain, feared by prey and peers alike. The outdoors was all he had ever known. Then when Team Plasma brought him back, the changes they had made to him were more than just physical. His mind became cold and calculating, although to be fair it was always cold as a hunters mind should be. But he became more robotic, more intelligent and smart. Smart enough to escape his captivity and trash the laboratory that he was made in.
When Arceus recruited him to be a Legendary Pokémon, he more or less accepted out of a desire for a home, as his old one was long gone. He already felt out of place in the modern world, that fact that not long after his induction Arceus moved everyone to a new planet didn’t help. In this world, not only did he have the challenge of meeting new Pokémon, but several other new species as well. Even as a hunter, social interaction was not a priority for him. And even though this land encourages friendships above all else, he still found himself hesitant.
The reason why he was reinventing technology was so that he could still contribute and do his part as a legend. But was it enough?
“Look, I will sleep on the matter and give you my answer in the morning.”
Registeel sighed, “Alright, I know I can’t force you.”
The legendary turned around to leave.
“But if you plan on showing that radio off to the people. Maybe develop some social skills first so you don’t come off as a robot.”
The door closed as he left, leaving Genesect alone with his thoughts.
Ponyville, the next day
The starlight of Celestia’s sun crept over the horizon, shining over the peaceful and infamous town of Ponyville. Ponies and Pokémon of all shapes and sizes woke up to a new day, although for many this was meant to be a special day.
One of those many was Princess Twilight Sparkle, just as she did on the day of the most recent and historical World Summit, the purple alicorn woke up in a flash. She jumped out of bed and grabbed a checklist that she had prepared days in advance.
“Lets see, royal regalia, check. Backpack packed and ready, check. Spike still asleep, chec-”
It was at this point Twilight noticed that Spike was not in his crib like he normally was. Which given this was Spike we are talking about, was an anomaly.
“Spike?” Twilight called out.
“Down here!” said a young dragon's voice from below.
Twilight moved downstairs to the kitchen to see that Spike was just finishing making breakfast for the two of them.
“I hope you like your toast with jam Twilight.”
The princess was stunned for a moment, “Spike, did you actually get up early just to make me breakfast?”
“Uh huh, I wanted to be proactive since this is gonna be a long day, going well into the next one technically.”
Twilight remained still for a moment before rebooting, “Wow Spike, I never expected this from you. Taking the initiative, I’m proud of you.”
Spike blushed, “Aww shucks.”
“Ok, as soon as we’re all done with our breakfast, we’re gonna go and round up our friends.”
Gene woke up to the sound of knocking on the door, followed by the voice of an all too familiar Ninetales.
“Hello, anyone awake there?”
The Gallade got out of bed and walked to the door “Hold on I’m coming.” He said drowsy
Upon opening it he was greeted to a warm sight.
Abby and Kasai stood in the doorway, the sunlight complimenting their fiery manes and nature, his eyes then panned down two small figures that completed the family photo: a young Growlithe and Vulpix. Both no more than a year old looked up at him with beaming faces.
“Uncle Gene!” They both said in unison as they went up to nuzzle the Blade Pokémon’s legs. Gene could only chuckle, even since they were born, the twin children of the New Equestrian Pokémon Rangers Abby and Kasai had taken to calling him uncle Gene and his wife Auntie Belle.
“Hey guys, how are you two doing?”
“We’re tired,” Gold exclaimed. “Mommy made us get up way too early, we want to go back to sleep.”
“Now now,” Abby interjected. “You both can sleep more on the train ride to Canterlot, and if you’re still feeling tired then you can sleep in the castle”
“But it's still very important for me and mommy to get to Canterlot on time,” Kasai said. “Me and mommy have to do our jobs once we get there.”
The twins half heartedly murmured before saying okay.
It was then that something dawned on Gene.
“Wait, we didn’t oversleep did we? Is that why you're here?”
“Oh no, I’d just figure it would be nice if we could all walk together as a family to the train station to meet up with everyone else,” Abby said.
“Oh, I see.”
“We meant to tell you yesterday, but we got caught up trying to organize everything at the Ranger Headquarters for when we are gone.”
The twins then ran past Gene and then started to play with each other in the house.
“Don’t be too loud guys, your cousin Melody is still sleeping.”
Belle soon woke up to the noise as Abby and Kasai walked in, she rolled over to her precious bundle of pride and joy still sleeping soundly. She gently stroked her cheek as her child slept soundly.
A year ago, the idea of her and Gene having a child was a fantasy. Of the many things they had accepted in their life on the run, the possibility of them having a child was only a dream. But by the grace of Arceus their dream did not have to end, instead they saw the continuation of their dream. Their child, their beautiful Melody was sleeping there right in front of her. She was no dream, no imagination, she was a reality. The day their precious little Ralts was born was one of the happiest days of her life, rivaled only by her wedding day.
But, despite the continuation of her and Gene’s dream, she had to bring her little Ralts to an end.
Touching her daughter's forehead, she mentaly said: Wake up my little Melody.
Behind her green bangs, the Feeling Pokémon slowly woke up with a long yawn. She sat up and looked at the smiling Gardevoir above her.
“Morning mommy.”
“Good morning my little Melody.”
Belle then got out of bed, her daughter following suit. They walked downstairs into the living room and we’re greeted to the sight of the Trombley family in their house.
“Morning sleepy heads, ready for the day?” Abby said.
“If by day you mean the next 24 hours exactly, then we shall see.” Belle went up to her best friend and hugged her, which the Ninetales returned with a lick to the face.
“It's kinda crazy that we have to stay awake till the next morning so we can see Celestia raise the sun.”
Abby shrugged, “Well, unless she raises it much earlier, we can’t do anything about that.”
As Melody played with the twins, Belle went to the kitchen to find Gene cooking breakfast.
“Morning sweetie.” She said as she wrapped her arms around him.
“Morning my fairy princess.” Gene turned his head around and kissed her.
Belle looked back to make sure no one was listening before caressing her mate.
“So I was thinking last night.”
“Thinking what?”
“Thinking that maybe we should try and give Melody a younger sibling, I want to try for a boy.”
“Oh? And what would we name our boy?”
“Well if he grows up to be a Gallade like his amazing father, I’m thinking Arthur.”
“Arthur, that's a good name.”
“Yeah like King Arthur, after all if Gallades are like knights and King Arthur is the King of Knights...”
“A Pokémon King Arthur huh? Then wouldn’t that make Melody the jealous Morgan Le Fay?”
“Only if you don’t love her as much,” Belle said teasingly as she moved in for another kiss.
Korrina walked out of their house as the sunlight of Equestria’s star greeted her, she took in a deep breath as she readied herself to tackle the day.
“And a long day this is going to be.”
“Ready Korrina?” Lucario said as he stepped outside.
“Ready partner.”
Both Aura Pokémon clasped paws and made their way to the center of town. They sat at a bench as they waited for a group they were supposed to meet up with.
“Want me to go get us something to eat?” Lucario asked
“Oh no you don’t have to.”
“Korrina, its gonna be a long train ride to Canterlot. And I don’t think your body would want to wait to eat food there no matter how good it is.”
As if on cue, the former Gym Leader's stomach used growl.
“Okay, get me a sitrus berry smoothie.”
Lucario nodded and went to a nearby Pokémon Berry Smoothie stand.
Korrina smiled as Lucario went to get her food, leaving her to think back a moment. They were taking their relationship slow for now, ever since the kiss and the World Summit where Lucario confessed his feelings for her partner and trainer, Korrina had been unable to process just how their friendship might change going forward. On one hand, if she didn’t love Lucario, then it might have caused an awkward strain on their relationship. When she became a Pokémon, Korrina was one of many who wanted nothing more than to be human again. But as the days and weeks went by, that seemed like less and less of a possibility. A few months later and Korrina was starting to accept the fact that he would remain a Pokémon for the rest of her life. And even though she wasn’t exactly a fan of Pokémon/human relationships, her opinion slowly changed overtime. So with that acceptance, she began to see her partner Pokémon Lucario as maybe more than just a friend.
life moves on as they say. You have to work with what you got.
“Did someone order a sitrus berry smoothie?”
Korrina snapped out of her deep thought to see Lucario holding a cup to her, he himself had gotten a Wepear Berry Smoothie..
“Thanks partner.”
“No problem.”
As they both drank their drinks, it did not go unnoticed that both Lucario’s had moved closer together.
You know, maybe this won’t be so bad.
A few minutes later, the Pokémon and former human heard a familiar voice.
“Hey guys!”
Korrina looked and saw a group that consisted of one Abby and Kasai Trombley, their twin kids Gold and Silver, Gene, Belle, Melody, Draco, Fang, River, Mage and her mate Luke.
“Good morning everyone!” Lucario said.
The extended family(linked together by a Mismagious and a formally troubled Gallade) had all their stuff packed and ready for Canterlot.
“I see that everyone is ready.” Korrina concluded. “I kinda wish we all weren’t getting together for only one day.”
“Yeah,” Belle said. “The World Summit was really the last time when literally everyone got together from all over the world.”
“Even so, lets all take joy in the fact that we’re coming together to celebrate our bonds and friendships, as opposed to deciding if Pokémon will get to stay here,” Mage pointed out.
Gene nodded. “Alright, lets not keep Twilight and her friends waiting.”
Soon all 14 Pokémon and former humans made their way to the train station where 6 technicolor Ponies and one dragon were waiting. Pinkie of course went up to greet all of them.
“Hi Gene. Hi Belle. Hi Melody. Hi Draco. Hi Fang. Hi River. Hi Mage. Hi Luke. Hi Abby. Hi Kasai. Hi Gold and Silver!”
Everyone laughed and greeted her back.
“Pinkie Pie will always be Pinkie Pie,” Mage said.
“Alight everyone is here!” Rainbow Dash said enthusiastically, “You all ready to experience the Summer Solstice?!”
“YEAH!”
Soon everyone was one the train, and the long ride to Canterlot began.
Canterlot Castle.
Celestia sat in her throne room as aides and advisors ran back and forth getting everything ready.
“Princess Celestia, we need your signature for that delivery of cake ingredients that was just dropped off.”
“Very well,” Celestia said, signing the form with her quill.
“Princess Celestia, Captain Seth Crescent said that all final sweeps inside the castle are done, and that he will be moving to survey the castle walls now.”
“Good, tell him after he is done to take a break, he’s earned it.”
“Yes Princess.”
“Princess Celestia, we have received word that Emperor Carapace will dock in 2 hours. Empress Victoria and Empress Serva are estimated to follow shortly after.”
“Understood, make preparations for when they land.”
Soon there was a gap in the line of Ponies needing to talk with the sun Princess. Celestia took this opportunity to take a breather.
“This is almost as busy as when I was preparing for the World Summit, and that was not too long ago even.”
Princess Celestia steeled herself, took a deep breath and sat back in her seat. Technically she had no one to blame but herself.
It was her idea in the first place for the world leaders to attend this year's Summer Solstice. As well as make it a celebration of the Pokémon and the friendships that had been made between two different worlds. Although it might have been more fitting to do a celebration of the Pokémon on the anniversary of their arrival, or the day they were made citizens of Equus, Celestia believed that the first Summer Solstice with Pokémon should be a special one.
Most of the World Leaders had accepted her invitation, the only ones that couldn’t make it were Golden Horn and King Trotankhamun.
Golden Horn wasn’t coming for obvious reasons, being practically the only one who voted no when it came allowing the Pokémon to call this planet home, he became somewhat of an outcast among the world leaders. The Minotaur Emperor didn’t seem to care much, only caring about if or when the Pokémon will usurp him from his seat of power. And while he couldn’t exactly kick them out of his country, he did nothing to quell the resentment and indifference towards Pokémon in land.
It was boarding on discrimination. So it was no surprise why he didn’t want to partake in a celebration meant for Pokémon.
Celestia shook her head. She prayed to whatever god that was out their that Golden Horn would become more tolerant.
King Trotankhamun on the other hoof, had completely different reasons for not coming, much sadder reasons.
Almost as soon as he returned home, several tribal leaders of Zegypt declared war on those who remained loyal to the King, claiming that his handling of the Pokémon(for allowing them to stay) and his young and inexperienced role as a king made him an unfit ruler. Since this was an internal conflict very few world leaders other than Celestia sent support in an effort to end the war.
Arceus of course made it aware a few times that he would like to go and resolve the conflict himself since the outcome of the war would determine the future of Pokémon living in Zegypt. Of course Celestia told him to wait until the conflict escalated to a point where his intervention was necessary.
Fortunately no intervention was needed as the war ended a few weeks ago, but it was nearly a pyrrhic victory. Much land was devastated, and many lost their lives on both sides. The kingdom was in a weakened state that any of its enemies who were hiding in the shadows had the perfect opportunity to strike.
“I never did hear about whether or not the last Thirst was dealt with,” Celestia shuddered. Scared at the small possibility that the witch could undo the seal on an ancient evil that was banished long ago.
Zegypt needed its King now more than ever, so there was no way Trot was going to leave his people in their time of crisis to attend a celebration…
Which is why Commander Sev was going in his place.
Celestia let out a long sigh, hopefully that snake had mellowed out since she last saw him, or maybe the war only served to bring out his more impulsive nature.
Fortunately, the commander seemed to respect Princess Luna, even reworked the PLA to give praise to her as well as Arceus.
“I should talk to her about it, that way she can reign him in if he ever goes off on another one of his propaganda speeches.”
As if on cue, a certain blue Alicorn walked through the doors, a smile of satisfaction on her face.
“Good Afternoon dear sister, I have come to inform you that all of the preparations I had assigned have been completed. Also the ‘All Night Gala’ shall be ready to commence as soon as I raise the moon.”
“Very good Luna, now we just need to wait for Twilight and her friends to arrive, as well as the world leaders.”
“Fufu, to think that it has been 8 months since the Pokémon have arrived. So much has changed, thankfully mostly for the better.”
Celestia couldn’t agree more. Even though the appearance of Pokémon caused many problems upon their arrival, and will no doubt cause many problems in the future, the pros far outweigh the cons in many cases.
Crop production had increased tenfold with the assistance of many Grass, Ground and Bug type Pokémon. Many countries also now had means of controlling and distributing water due to Water and Ice type Pokémon. Flying Pokémon helped control the weather and avert natural disasters caused by high winds. In a way many nations now had some of the same benefits and abilities Ponies used to better Equestria.
“It is good to see that the works of Pokémon have helped them become more accepted by others.”
Princess Luna smiled, but then that smile became a frown as she remembered a certain pony who was not accepting. “Speaking of which, did you invite all the nobles to this event?”
Celestia looked puzzled for sec. “I only invited the World Leaders Luna, as for any other citizen of Equestria, they are allowed to attend a public celebration such as this. Much less the nobles who can come and leave the castle as they please.”
“Yes, but I am referring to a certain stuck up noble who had the gall to interrupt a wedding out of petty spite.”
Celestia immediately understood. “Oh.” She closed her eyes and thought for a second. “Despite his inexcusable behavior during that day, Prince Blueblood has not done anything illegal or offensive enough to warrant a ban from the castle grounds. Much less attend a public event.”
“Still, I would keep and eye on him if I were you.”
“Actually, after that little trip I sent him with Twilight and her friends to Griffinstone, his behavior seems to be improving.”
“.....We are talking about the same Blueblood right? I mean you may have known him longer than I have, but that selfish stuck up noble does not seem like the type of pony to change.”
“Anypony can change Luna, they just need the right experience and means to grow up and be better.”
Princess Luna thought for a second, her sister was always the forgiving one. While Luna was still learning to adjust to modern standards and society. The methods of ruling she imposed could be seen as dated to some ponies, and Luna was more impulsive when it came to how she did things.
But then again, there was a reason why Aegislash chose Celestia in the Everfree that day. Why despite the fact that we were meant to be equal co-rulers, everyone goes to and sees you as the “Head Princess” sister.
“Very well sister, lets just hope it doesn’t come to a point where Arceus will disable his vocal cords again, or worse.”
The solar Princess chuckled. “Hopefully not.”
The Friendship Express
Within the train car, everyone conversed and talked amongst themselves, catching up and making plans about what to do in Canterlot. The newborns however ran up and down the car as they chased each other.
“You can’t catch me!” Gold said to his sister.
“Just you wait!” Silver expressed as they jumped from seat to seat in a game of cat and mouse.
“Well I’ll be darned,” Applejack said as Gold jumped over her head. “These fellers are gettin bigger and faster every time I see them.
“Indeed,” Rarity said “Melody looks more and more like her mother everyday.”
Belle blushed, “Aww, thank you Rarity.”
Gene nuzzled his wife, “Perhaps one day she may grow up to be as beautiful as her mother.”
“Perhaps.”
Meanwhile, one the other side of the car Twilight sat with Spike and Rarity as she talked about the Equestrian Ranger Union.
“So Abby, it's been 6 months since the Ranger Union opened. How do you think it's doing?”
“Oh it's going great Twilight. Ever since it opened former Rangers from all over the world have been signing up in order to protect Pokémon once again. We have had over 100 missions so far with a 97% success rating,” Abby’s smile faded for a bit. “We can’t save everyone and not every mission will be a complete success, but trial and error is expected when you start the Ranger Union anew in a new world.”
“Well, nothing in life is perfect, and there will be a few kinks to work out. I trust the veteran Rangers adjusting to their new environment and how the New Union works?”
“Well most of them to be honest.”
Twilight raised a brow at that, “Most?”
Abby and Kasai looked at each other and then back at Twilight.
“Unfortunately there were a few old Rangers who preferred how things were run back on Earth, those who still followed Hastings lead.”
“Hastings?” Rarity asked “You mean that guy who came to Ponyville and tried to arrest Gene, Belle and you two?”
Abby nodded sadly. “Yes, those Rangers still believed that Pokephillia is wrong and that we should be making rounds arresting those ‘disgusting lawbreakers’.”
Spike blew a raspberry, “Apparently they didn’t get memo, they have no power here and Pokephillia is not a crime in Equestria. I hope you chased them out the door.”
“Oh, nothing of the sort. I just told them to get over it and change, or I would be arresting them for attempting unlawful imprisonment and discrimination.”
“Heh, that works too.”
Abby took a deep breath and did a mental sigh. She could count on one paw how many former Rangers she met who still clung to the old ways. It was minuscule, but it still made her upset that good people like them still were stuck in their old ways like Hastings was. For all his intolerance, the man still did much good back on Earth. Even though Abby believed Pokémon were better than humans in many ways, she still wished for everyone to get along and find happiness in this new world. Not try to take away the happiness of others.
“I just hope they don’t end up like Hastings or worse.”
“Speaking of Hastings.” Twilight said “I may not like the guy, but how is he doing?”
Abby looked down a bit. “Mostly the same, he’s been getting therapy but the doctors say he’s still not well enough to be reintroduced into society.”
“Well, maybe one day he will be.”
“I hope so, I still want him to be part of the new Ranger Union. To continue to do good like he did back on Earth.”
Conversations continued until the Friendship Express arrived in Canterlot. The moment the train came to a stop, Pinkie Pie burst through the doors in barely contained glee.
“Alrightletsgetthispartystartedeverypony!”
Everyone else filled out of the train as Twilight used her magic to hold Pinkie in place. “Easy there Pinkie. It may be the afternoon, but there's still some time before the All Night Gala begins. Let's just get to the castle for now.”
“Oki doki loki!”
As the group made their way through Canterlot, they passed by the recently built Pokémon district. The area itself was hewed out from the side of Canterlot Mountain, with support pillars carved in as precautions. Everywhere they looked, Pokémon walked, worked and played. Sometimes they spotted a pony or two, but the majority of residents in this place were of Pokémon ethnicity.
“Wow, it's hard to believe this place wasn’t here a while ago,” Belle said.
“Princess Celestia spared no expense in giving Pokémon their own place to live in Canterlot,” Twilight explained. “She wanted them to feel at home as best as she could.”
“I even heard Princess Diancie has made her home in the caves underneath Canterlot. Apparently she’s ruling over a community of Carbink there.” Abby said.
“I was trapped in those caves once, not a fan. But I’m glad someone enjoys it down there.”
Soon the group made their way to the castle, where they were met with the sight of a Royal Guard composed of both Ponies and Pokémon.
“To think that over a year ago the Royal Guard only had ponies in it,” Fluttershy said.
“Yeah,” Rainbow Dash added. “Now it's boasting a Pokémon division that only an idiot would try and take on all at once.”
The party soon made their way inside where they were greeted by a Luxray in royal Guard attire as well as a Sylveon, Porygon, Absol, Charizard and a caramel colored bat pony.
“Hey guys, long time no see!” Seth crescent said.
“Hi Seth, been a while hasn’t it?” Gene said.
The former humans and their partners exchanged greetings while Rika played with the children.
“Oh my gosh you're all so cute!” The Sylveon said as she pulled all three of them into a hug as best as she could. “I wish Seth could hurry up and give me an egg.” The last part Rikka said with a hint of malicious intent.
Seth chuckled nervously as she tried to avoid his lover's gaze. “Soon Rikka, I’m still trying to raise Dextra.”
“Well don’t keep me waiting~” Rikka said as she licked her lips. “Otherwise I might not be able to hold myself back.”
Seth tried to change the subject. “Anyway, so Selena, Ingis, and Midnight Song can show you to your rooms. And once you’re done, Twilight Princess Celestia is waiting for you at the docks.”
“Ok, I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
Midnight Song turned and walked while swaying her hips back and forth.
“If anyone wants to follow me to the ‘bedchambers’ right this way~”
Seth sighed his soul into the ground.
After they had settled in, Twilight and some of her friends made their way to the docks where they found the two rulers of Equestria waiting for them.
“Princess Celestia, Princess Luna!”
Twilight went up and hugged her mentor who returned the gesture.
“Twilight it is always good to see you and your friends.” The alicorn looked up to see the gathered assembly, but her eye caught three newcomers who she hadn’t seen before.”
“Oh, and who might those three young ones be?”
The couples Gene, Belle, Abby and Kasai beamed with pride and held up their bundles of joy.
“Princess Celestia, this is our daughter Melody, our first child.”
“And these two twins are mine and Kasai’s, their names are Gold and Silver.”
“Oh my they’re simply just precious, hello there my name is Princess Celestia, welcome to my castle.”
The twins greeted Celestia with ease, but Melody seemed to look away from the alicorn's imposing figure.
Belle noticed this.
“It's okay sweetie, Princess Celestia is a nice pony. She was at mommy and daddy's wedding.”
Gene put his hands on his daughter's shoulders, “It's alright Melody, you can say hi.”
The Ralts managed to let out a small greeting.
“Hi nice to meet you.”
Celestia smiled, “Nice to meet you too.”
“Sister!”
“Yes Luna?”
“The first delegate is arriving!”
Everyone turned to see a silver and black ship coming in from the distance.
“Alright then, it looks like Carapace will be first this time.”
The ship soon docked as the changelings flew from the ship and tied it down. After securing the vessel, the rampway opened and out stepped two guards who announced the arrival of their changeling leader
Announcing his Majesty, Emperor Carapace, ruler of the Changeling Empire.”
Soon the large and wise figure of Emperor Carapace stepped out.
Both Celestia, Luna and Twilight bowed to the Changeling ruler, “Emperor Carapace, it is good to see you so soon again.”
“Likewise Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, Princess Twilight. Heh, to think the World Summit was only 8 months ago, I never thought I’d be back here so soon. Only this time the circumstances are for the better.”
“Yes, hopefully there will be nothing this time that will call for a meeting of all the world leaders,” Twilight said.
“Well unless aliens invade my young Princess, I think my stay here will be much less stressful than before.”
“So Carapace, will you still be staying on your ship this time?”
“Actually, I think your castle will be more comfortable for this old changeling's body.”
Princess Celestia’s eyes widened. “That's great! I shall have the guards show you to your room.” Celestia motioned for the guards, who then showed the Emperor to his room.
“I shall see you all later, ta ta!”
Once they were alone again Luna turned to her sister. “It seems Carapace feels at ease enough to stay in the castle.”
“Yes, he no longer fears what might happen if he stays. Not to mention that Changeling fear has drastically decreased since the arrival of the Pokémon.”
“Indeed, the ponies mingling with a new species has made them more trustful of the unknown. Just another thing we have the Pokémon to thank for.”
“Ain’t it the truth.”
“Umm, Princess Celestia?”
“Yes Twilight?”
“When do you think Shining Armor and Cadence will get here? I mean I know King Sombra is dead, but the last time they tried to come here…”
Celestia draped a wing over Twilight.
“Its okay Twilight, I made sure to give their train extra security, plus I contacted them midway and they’re doing just fine, in fact-”
Celestia looked off into the distance.
“I think I can see them right now.”
Twilight turned her head to where Celestia was looking, and low and behold, she could see the shimmering glint of The Crystal Express in the distance. Its distinct look rolling across the plains as it neared Canterlot.
“Wow you’re right! It looks like they’ll be here in a few minutes.”
“See, nothing to worry about, I'm sure this time rather than saying they were attacked by someone or something. They will come bringing good tidings.”
Meanwhile on the Crystal Express, the mood was bland and tense. Both Prince Shining Armor and Princess Cadence sat in their seats while John walked back and forth around the car. Holly looked like she wanted to say something, but Shining Armor beat her to it.
“Uh John, could you sit down? You're kinda making me nervous.”
John snapped out of his trance and looked at the unicorn.
“Oh sorry, I was just thinking.”
“About?”
John let out a sigh.
“Are we really gonna wait until after Celestia raises the sun to tell her what we found up north? I mean, I don’t fully understand what I saw, but the implications and theories that I can draw from it are foreboding.”
Shining and Cadence looked at each other and then back at John.
“Look John, I don’t like it either. I agree that this mystery needs to be solved as soon as possible. But to tell her now would raise too many questions. Plus we don’t need Arceus finding out so soon when we don’t know what's going on.”
John folded his arms. Then Cadence spoke.
“Telling Celestia means that she would tell Arceus, because she knows that it would be best to tell him sooner than later. And if what Celestia told me about Arceus is true, then informing him that humans are somehow here would send him into a frenzy. And having the God of Pokémon raging at an event meant to celebrate the bonds between him and his people would not look good. Especially in front of the other world leaders.”
John thought about if for a second, he didn’t like keeping big secrets like these, even if it was only for a little while. Then again, Arceus was a bold individual. He had shown before that he would make decisions without anyone's input or approval. That fact that he was the one who originally wanted to deal with Sombra said a lot about what type of god he was.
The kind who would take immediate and decisive action.
So as much as John would hate to admit it…
“Alright, we won’t tell Princess Celestia anything until after the Summer Solstice is over.”
Shining and Cadence nodded.
“Thank you John. I’m hoping we’re making the right decision.”
John looked out the window as he saw the train enter Canterlot.
‘Me too’
Soon the next ship to arrive was the Flagship Holzschiff of the Griffin Empire. As soon as the ship was tethered to the docks, out stepped Empress Victoria along with Grizelda, Shredder the Bisharp and her mate Roll the Lopunny.
“Princess Celestia, it is good to see you again.”
“Empress Victoria, how are you these days? Did anything eventful happen since we last met?”
“Aside from that army of Pokémon I had to deal with when I got back home, nothing really. The Empire has grown strong with the help of the Pokémon, especially Checkmate.”
“Speaking of which, where is the rest of Wiess’s group? Could they not make it?”
“Oh no, they were already on their way here. They should be arriving not too soon.”
“Oh good, I still need to have a proper talk with Weiss about not breaking into my bedchambers.”
Both Shredder and Roll let out a nervous laugh while Victoria looked embarrassed, she did not like being reminded of that incident.
“I once again apologize for my masters...unconventional behavior Princess,” Shredder said. “The last time I met with Weiss again, rest assured I gave him a very nice ‘chat’.”
Celestia chucked before motioning for the guards, “If there is nothing else, the guards can show you to your room Victoria.”
“Thank you Princess, I look forward to our time here.”
After the Griffin party left, a guard came in to announce the arrival of Princess Cadence and Shining Armor.
As soon as their group walked in, Twilight immediately ran over and hugged her big brother.
“Hi Twiley, how have you been?”
“Just great BBFF, how are things in the Crystal Empire?”
It did not escape Twilights notice that Shining and Cadence locked eyes for a split second.
“Oh just great Twiley, John has been a great help as a Captain of the Crystal Guard. And the Pokémon have benefited the Empire in so many ways. Plus of we’ve been thinking of ways use Pokémon power to-”
Cadence cleared her throat.
“Um Shining,” Cadence gestured over to the other Princesses standing in the room.
“Oh Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, my apologies I forgot you were there.”
“It's completely fine Shining Armor, family must come first.”
“Yeah” Shining Armor looked nervous for a second. “Well anyway, we’re gonna put our stuff in our room, see you all later!”
And just as fast as they arrived, they left, leaving some confused looks in the room.
Why was Shining so nervous? Twilight thought to herself. And what was that look he gave Cadence...I’ll have to ask them later.
Soon the next ship to arrive was the one bearing the flags of the Crystal Empire.
“Oh no.” Gene said. Twilight had told him before how Commander Sev was coming instead of the Zebra King due to the civil war in Zegypt. Gene sighed, hopefully he won’t be as loud or as talkative as he was last time.
The ship was soon docked, and once it was. Out stepped a Lucario and a Charizard.
“Announcing the arrival of the glorious Commander Sev, chosen of Arceus, of Trotankhamun, of Princess Luna herself.”
The night Princess turned red at that last part.
Sev then slithered off the ship, followed by his entourage, which included but not limited to: Lighting Dust, Lia, his mother, General Gard, General Ag, and a Riolu.
“Nobody panic, I! AM! HERE!”
The whole docking area went silent.
“Nobody is panicking Sev.” Luna said as she rubbed her forehead.
“You’re right, nobody is panicking. Because the panicking stopped the moment I arrived! No need to praise me, I do this for the people. For what good is a leader who shines as bright as the sun if he is not as warm and kind as the sun?”
There were some in the room who did not know if that was meant as a jab directed at Celestia, not even Celestia herself knew.
“Anyway Sev, I think it's best if I personally showed you to your room.”
“Of course Princess, how could I refuse the very pony of who the Pokémon Liberation Army worships. Praise be your name Luna, you are ten times the pony that Arceus will ever be.”
At this point Luna used her magic to grab Sev by the ear(“does he even have ears?”) and dragged him off the dock, followed by his group.
As soon as he was gone, everyone let out a sigh of relief.
“Well, at least this time he wasn’t spewing propaganda about how he will bring justice upon human heads.” Gene said.
“Yes, thankfully that was briefer than the last time he was here,” Celestia said. “Now lets see who is next to arrive.”
The next leader to arrive was Empress Serva, the ruler of Stagland once again brought Korrina’s grandfather Gurkinn.
As soon as she stepped off the ship, the Lucario was greeted with a hug from his granddaughter.
“Grandpa it’s good to see you again.”
“Likewise Korrina, you know I really should visit sometime outside of these gatherings. So how have things been going for you and Lucario since I last met?”
Both the gym leader and her partner looked at each and then back to the Mega Evolution Guru.
“Well, things are now longer awkward between us.”
“Yes, me and Korrina have never been happier.”
The elderly Pokémon noticed that the two were now clasping paws.
“Ah, I see. Well I am happy for the both of you.”
“Empress Serva, it is good to welcome you back to Equestria,” Celestia said
“Likewise Princess Celestia, I look forward to this celebration as much as anyone else. Although I hear that Golden Horn isn’t able to make it?”
Celestia shook her head. “No, I believe he said and I quote ‘I have much better things than to attend a celebration of Pokémon. Besides I don’t think I would feel very welcomed’.”
Serva smiled a bit. “Well, can’t win them all Celestia.”
The princess nodded in agreement. Despite everything, she had hoped that Golden Horn would have come to a realization that Pokémon were not a real threat and tried to actually get along with them. But it looks like that won’t happen anytime soon.
Hopefully he isn’t planning to do anything rash, the fact that he has been awfully quiet lately does not help.
“Well no use, dwelling on those with little tolerance in their hearts. Let me put down my things and then we can talk about some real good work that we have been doing.”
Soon after, the rest of the world leaders, King Faris, Grimm Halfpaw, Queen Oceana and Chief Thunderhooves arrived before the All Night Gala started. The Gala itself was just a means of people who wanted to stay awake until Celestia raised the sun. But even so, the party started at four for those who wanted to take part in the festivities but still wished to sleep after they had their fill of fun.
Arceus was in the main room of the Hall of Legends as an assemblage of his children stood before him, all of whom were ready to attend the Gala, and by extension the Summer Sun Celebration.
He gazed over the group assembled before him, some of the gathered Legendaries included: Mew, the legendary birds, the Legendary Beasts, Ho-oh, Lugia, the Lake trio, the Regi family, the Swords of Justice, Shaymin, Darkrai, Cresselia, Victini, Hoopa, Volcanion and Diancie.
“Is this everyone?” While there was nothing preventing some of the other legends from attending later, he wished to initially have a good number of his children from the start. It was then that Registeel raised his hand.
“I believe Genesect said he might attend.”
“A might is not a confirmation. Could you go see if he has come to a decision?”
“Yes grandfather.”
Genesect at the current moment was just finishing the final touches on his radio tower.
“Alright then, let's turn this thing on.”
But before the bug legendary could flip the switch, there was a knock on the door. Having already guessed who it was, he motioned for them to come in.
“Genesect, are you ready?”
“In just a minute, come watch me test this thing out.”
The steel type Regi walked in just as he turned on the radio tower. But the display was less than impressive as the only noise that came out was static.
“...Well?”
“Well what? It works! I have built the first radio tower on Equus.”
“But therein lies the problem Genesect, if you have built the first radio, why are you listening in for other signals if there are no other radios?”
“Oh, but you misunderstand my fellow steel type, radios don’t just pick up other radio signals, they can also pick up space signals as well. And thanks to those satellites I made earlier that Palkia put into orbit for me, I can listen to everything in this solar system.”
Genesect then adjusted the receiver to detect signals from outer space.
But surprisingly, nothing happened.
“That's strange. While this tower obviously isn’t strong enough to detect possible signals from far away planets outside this solar system, it still should be able to pick up signals from things like stars and space anomalies.”
“I see, well you can worry about that after the gala.”
“Registeel, I don’t think you understand. Signals from space are constantly being emitted. So unless this thing is broken, something is very wrong here.”
“And like I said, you can solve this mystery after the party,” Registeel put his hand on his shoulder. “You have been cooped up in here for far too long, if you don’t start to make connections with the people of this world, you’ll never feel like home here.”
Genesect looked to his friend for a second, then back to the machine, his mind told him that this mystery may need his attention. On the other hand, he did say that he would make a decision on whether or not he would attend the celebration.
“Alright, I’ll go. But I may not stick around for when Celestia raises the sun. After all she practically does that everyday.”
If the Legendary Titan had a mouth, he’d be smiling. “I guess that's all I can ask for right now.”
Leaving the machine on to detect signals from both space and around the world, Genesect walked out of his laboratory.
“Who knows, once you get back, that little problem you're worrying about will turn out to be no big deal.”
But as Genesect and Registeel walked away from the room, no one was there to see as the radio tower detected and received an Equus based signal.
Encoded transmission received. Origin point: North Luna Ocean. Attempting to translate from all known languages and coding.
As the Gala finally got underway, many friends and family who hadn’t seen each other for a while ever since the World Summit began to catch up and mingle.
One such group was an odd family, namely a certain snake and his Sylveon daughter.
“Rikka my pride and joy! How has my heir been doing all these months since I last saw you?”
“Oh just great daddy, Sethy has just been the most wonderful mate I could ever want.”
“Is that so?” The snake eyed the former human with narrowed eyes. “Good, I would hate it if anything ‘bad’ happened to him.”
Seth just flashed Snake a grin. “Oh don’t worry Commander, I haven't done anything that would take away her innocence...yet.”
“WHAT!?”
Seth backed up for a moment, while Ingis and Selena took an aggressive stance.
“You mean you haven't given me a grandchild yet!?”
The tension that had manifested immediately disappeared, which was then replaced by confusion.
“Pardon me?”
“I know you humans are an incompetent bunch, but eight months and nothing comes of this relationship? I give you my blessing, me! Commander Sev of the PLA and you don’t even have to gall to help continue the family line!?”
Sev would have gone on longer, but Rikka wrapped her feelers around the snake to calm him down.
“It's okay daddy, Seth just wants to take things slow,” Rikka then eyed Seth with bedroom eyes. “Although he did promise not to make me wait too long.”
Seth once again found himself backing up as the gaze of both father and daughter seem to drill into his soul.
“It’s okay sir, I really do want to have more kids someday. But for now I just want to try and be a good mate for your daughter.”
“Hmph, I expect nothing less. But the next time I visit, I better see at least seven potential heirs to the Pokémon Liberation Army.”
Seth took a massive gulp, “Seven?!” The Luxray could only imagine seven tiny Eevee or Shinx running around their already crowded home.
Ingis put a claw on his left shoulder, “Whelp, good luck brother, you’ll need it.”
Selena put a paw on his right. “Don’t worry, we’ll help out. Nothing to worry about.”
‘My life is weird’
Meanwhile on a nearby set of tables, Darkrai and Cresselia found themselves talking with another couple that they had been in contact with ever since the World Summit.
“So Cadence, how has your love life been? Anything you like to share?”
“Oh it's just been great Cresselia! Shining is still the sweetheart that he’s always been ever since the day I married him.”
“Well, I wouldn’t be a proper prince to my princess if I wasn’t.” Shining bragged.
“Oh yeah, I read all about your wedding day.” Cresselia shook her head as she recalled the events that transpired before. “Honesty, what is it with selfish jerks ruining weddings in this castle?”
“Well, while Blueblood got what he deserved. Chrysalis on the other hand was just trying to feed her people. Granted it was wrong of her to try and ruin my wedding to get what she wanted, but I can’t call her actions selfish and petty. So while it took me some time, I have come to forgive her for what she did.”
“Wow, you really forgive her?”
Cadence nodded. “I am the Princess of Love. To not forgive is to hold onto hate.”
“Wise words Princess,” Darkrai said.
“Indeed,” Cresselia added. While the Lunar Pokémon was a romantic and immersed in the idea of love, she technically wasn’t the Legendary Pokémon of Love. None of her powers gave her control over that concept. Even so many of her fellow Legendary Pokémon came to her for advice in regards to that subject, not to mention that she was the one who advocated for Pokémon/human relationships(and by extension it was her idea to turn humans into Pokémon).
“Oh but enough about my love life, tell me how have you two been doing?”
The two Legendary lovebirds looked at each other, before Darkrai put his hand on Cresselia’s wing.
“About that…”
Cadence tilted her head in confusion, “What's wrong? Did something happen?”
Shining Armor gasped as he jumped to a conclusion. “No! Don’t tell me, are you two taking a break from each other?”
Darkrai and Cresselia looked shocked for a second.
“What no!”
“Nothing like that we swear!”
Shining Armor shut his mouth before apologizing.
“Well it’s just, me and Cresselia have progressed to a point in our relationship to where we have...mated.”
Shining Armor gasped once again while Cadence squealed in glee.
“And not only that.” Darkrai then rubbed his beloved's belly with a gentle touch that came off as maternal.
“We’re expecting.” Cresselia said.
Cadence then squealed even louder until she noticed people were starting to stare at her.
“That's amazing you too!” Shining Armor said. “But wait, I’m kinda confused, is it gonna be a little Darkrai, or a baby Cresselia?”
“Actually,” Cresselia began. “Legendary Pokémon offspring are much different from how Pokémon produce children.”
“Indeed, when two different Pokémon mate, unless it's a ditto the offspring will always be the same species as the mother,” Darkrai said.
“However Legendary Pokémon are different. Whenever they produce offspring, the child is a completely new species of Pokémon.”
Shining and Cadence looked at each other and then back to their friends. “Really?”
“Yes, Lord Dialga birthed Celebi. Lord Palkia begat Hoopa. And Manaphy sired Phione.”
“That being said, the offspring do inherit certain powers from their progenitor. Celebi got her father's power to travel through time, and Hoopa got her mother's ability to create spatial portals to other places.”
“Interesting,” Shining Armor said. “So can I assume that whatever Legendary you give birth to will have some kind of power related to dreams.”
“We can only assume. Although the one thing we can be sure of is that we shall love and raise this child well.”
“Aww that's so sweet,” Cadence said
“Speaking of kids, Cresselia said. “I was wondering, when you two have a foal, what will you name them?”
“Hmmm, well, I have a lot of options. But two names I’m really fond of are ‘Valiant Heart’ and ‘Flurry Heart’.”
Emperor Carapace spent the first few hours talking among the other world leaders about their recent experiences in past months, he soon found himself chatting with Celestia about changeling affairs.
“In a way, the Pokémon have provided a boost in the amount of love we have received. In fact, ever since they arrived, we have been able to meet our quotes every month for the first time in years.”
“That's very good Carapace. I would hate to hear that your people are still starving.”
“Yes, it is a good reversal of fortune that has been a very long time coming. We just had to be patient, not be bold and ignorant.”
Celestia gave a small awkward chuckle, but it was followed by an equally awkward silence.
“Carapace, this may seem out of nowhere. But how is Quee- I mean how is Chrysalis doing?”
The Changeling ruler was silent for a moment before sighing. “Honestly Celestia, I’m getting worried at this point. I just don’t know what I have to do to get through to that girl.”
“Well, you mustn't give up on family Carapace.” As Celestia said this her gaze landed on the second oldest alicorn in the room. “You will have plenty of time to try to get through to Chrysalis.”
“You know what she said to me that last time I visited her? She wished I was dead.”
“....Oh.”
“She wished I was dead and wished that she could run through those quote ‘Elements of Harmony and that lovey dovey couple’.”
Princess Celestia’s anger rose for a second at the threat of life upon her loved ones, before she forced it down and took a deep breath. Chrysalis was in prison, she was no danger to anyone.
“I think her time in confinement has twisted her mind from trying to feed her people, to getting revenge on those who ‘wronged her’. What happened to the dutiful, caring granddaughter who wanted what was best for her country?”
Celestia was a bit surprised at this, she had only met Chrysalis a few times before her invasion. But the way Carapace just described her was completely different from what she knew.
Then again, I was not there when she was born, nor did I meet her until she was a grown mare.
“It makes me sad to think that my granddaughter may have to spend the rest of her life in that cell. Which is a long time for a royal changeling such as us.”
Carapace soon felt a hoof on his shoulder, and turned to the alicorn giving him a reassuring smile.
“Things can always change my friend. You never know what the future may bring.”
Carapace smiled and nodded.
“Your right. Perhaps after this celebration when I go home, I’ll know the exact words to get through to her.”
Across the room, Spike walked nervously to up to Rarity. His mind was racing through a dozen different possibilities of what might transpire next. But he was determined, if he was to get anywhere with her, he had to be a big boy and ask her.
He soon found Rarity all by herself, watching the other couples getting ready to dance to the slow music.
“Uhhh, R-rarity?”
The white unicorn turned her head to see an obviously nervous dragon.
“Oh Spike, how are you?”
“Oh, uh, great! Yeah just great!...So.. great party right?”
“Indeed, it's just so romantic to see all these happy couples dancing. Especially ones who are of different races. Aren’t such things just exciting to see.”
“Yeah, interspecies romance is great.”
There was a moment of silence as Rarity continued to watch the crowd.
“Hey Rarity, can I ask you something?”
“Of course Spike, what is it?” The unicorn didn’t seem to pay attention as her head was still focused elsewhere
“I was wondering if, maybe, I don’t know. If you wanted to, d-d-d-danc-”
“Rarity!”
Spike was then interrupted as a pony-like Pokémon walked up to Rarity, when she turned to face him, he noticed how her face lit up.
“Oh Keldeo there you are I was waiting for you!”
Spike recognized the Pokémon as the same one he had met when they had entered the Hall of Legends, on the day the Pokémon first appeared. But his mind was more focused on the fact that Rarity was nuzzling said Pokémon.
“Oh Spike, this is Keldeo, he is a Legendary Pokemon. You might remember him on the day we met Arceus right?”
“Uh no, you guys went to the Temple and left me at the Library.”
Rarity thought for a moment, "Oh right, I guess we did."
“Hi, I’m Keldeo. Rarity has told me a lot about you Spike. She tells me you have been a real help to her all these years.”
Spike folded his arms, “Oh yeah, cause she has never mentioned you too at all. How do you two know each other?”
“Oh Keldeo has been taking me on dates for the past 8 months. He’s been such a sweet Coltfriend.”
Coltfriend.
At that word Spike's heart sank to the bottom of his stomach, dissolving in the acidic liquid that broke down everything that entered it. Tears began to well up in his eyes, but he looked away.
“Spike, is something wrong?”
*Sniff* “Ugh, n-nothing Rarity...I have to go.”
And just like that Spike bolted from the room, ignoring Rarity’s calls as he continued to run.
Once he made his way to his room, he threw himself under his bedsheets and broke down crying.
Abby was enjoying the party, catching up with Seth, and meeting up with some of the other Rangers stationed all over Equestria was a nice change of pace. All in all she had a fun time.
However that was not the only reason she came to Canterlot. And despite visiting ours being over, Celestia had granted her special permission to see a certain hospitalized inmate.
Kasai wanted to join her in talking to the inmate she was visiting, but declined.
“I think it’s best if he only sees me for now.”
The Arcanine relented, “Alright, and Abby? Good luck.”
Within the mental ward of the Princess Cadence Memorial Hospital, a Conkeldurr sat in his cell. A straight jacket was wrapped around him to prevent harm to himself, after the 12th time he tried to end his life.
The guard stationed there opened the first metal door to his room as Abby walked in. Then she sat down as a second wall of plexiglass that separated them.
“Hastings, it's me Abby.”
The former co-founder of the Ranger Union only turned his head slightly, as if to acknowledge her. But then just shifted his body until he was facing the wall.
Abby took a deep breath.
“So, the doctors have told me you still haven't tried to kill yourself in 6 months. That must mean you don’t think you deserve to die anymore.”
Silence.
Abby sighed, “Look Hastings, we both know that what you did was wrong. And that there are some Pokémon and ponies who I know that will never forgive you. But I can’t say that I have been perfect either. This Ninetales body has some great benefits, but it also comes with drawbacks. I have lashed out at people, cursed others who didn’t deserve it. And even if they did, it was not my place to do so.”
Hastings lifted his head up, but still said nothing.
“In a way I was like you, I used my powers to punish others. Just as you tried to enforce old laws to punish people because you thought they deserve it,” Abby took a deep breath again. “We both know we can’t change the past, and that there is no way we can ever forget what has happened.”
Abby looked behind her though the small window of the metal door, Kasai was still standing there, giving a reassuring smile.
“But I hope that one day in the future, we can be a part of each other's lives again. I don’t hate you sir, I could never hate you. You have done too much for me to ever deserve that.”
Having said what she had to say, Abby got up and walked to the door.
“Goodbye Albert, I wish you well.”
The door to Hasting’s cell then closed, and he was alone once again.
In the dim light of his cell, he mangled to let out a whisper.
“I could never hate you too.”
Arceus watched as his children, both Legendary and metaphorical mingled and interacted with many different species gathered in the gala hall. The god looked upon all the fruits his ‘works’ had bore and saw that it was good.
They all look so happy, he thought to himself. I guess everything worked out in the end. Actually, I really should thank Cresselia one day, after all the idea of turning humans into Pokémon was originally hers.
“Having fun?” A voice said.
The god opened his eyes to Empress Serva walking up to his side, joining him in viewing the crowd as the slow dance music got underway.
“As fun as a god can Empress. Honestly when you are as long lived as I am, you tend to have seen everything to a point where it kinda becomes boring.”
“But were you not trapped for millennia? Surely you must have missed so many new things that you wanna try out.”
“That is true,” Arceus closed his eyes as he recalled all those many times when he got bored in his prison. Not even watching his planet descend into hell was enough to keep his attention. “Honestly, I feel like if I ‘mingled’ with the crowd, I might intimidate them.”
“Well, if you aren’t going to socialize, mind if I ask you a few questions?”
Arceus raised a brow while looking at the deer, “What kind?”
“Personal questions. I will understand if you’re uncomfortable.”
Arceus shrugged. “Go ahead, I may not answer all of them, but I will answer to the best of my ability.”
“Alright. First of all, what are your plans now that you got everything you ever wanted out of this?”
Arceus had to think on that one for a moment. He had in large achieved everything he set out to do once he escaped his prison. His people were free, they had their whole future ahead of them. The only thing he could now do is maintain watch over them in peace.
“I suppose I could explore more of this universe, travel from planet to planet. I have all the time in the world to do so. Maybe see if there are any conquering aliens who might be looking to invade this world in the future.”
“Hmm, that's something I never considered. Although the answer of whether or not we are alone in the universe has already been solved. Very well, for my next question: How do some of your children feel about all of this? I find it unlikely that all of your Legendaries were on board with this exodus.”
Arceus was a bit surprised with that question. But the more he thought about it, the more he realized that he never really got everyone's honest opinion.
Despite being called: the Legendary Council, they really hadn’t acted like one. When Arceus decided to put his plan into motion, he did so without getting a yes or no answer from everybody. It made him wonder, were some of his children secretly against the plan from the beginning? Did they wish to remain on Earth, but kept silent because they already knew what the majority was going to be? Or did they not say anything to avoid being shunned?
“Actually, I haven't really asked them. I just proposed my plan and went with it. But I shall make a mental note to get their opinion later.”
Serva observed the Alpha Pokémon for a second, but found his answer satisfactory for now.
“Alright, final question now.”
“Ask away.”
“Why did you turn the humans you brought with you into Pokémon?”
If the last two questions didn’t make Arceus fluster, then this one did. But he was more so confused by it.
“I don’t understand. What do you mean by that?”
“Why did you turn the good hearted humans that came with you into Pokémon? You said it was because you were afraid that they would repeat the mistakes of their predecessors,” Empress Serva then narrowed her eyes at Arceus. “But I think there is more to it then that.”
“.....Like I told you and everyone at the World Summit, I turned them into Pokémon to prevent the evils of man from manifesting again. I did it so individuals like Gene could be with the ones they loved. If I didn't do it for those reasons, then what do you think I did them for?”
Now, both ruler and God were staring at each other directly, reading each other's body language as if to discern what they were thinking.
“Arceus, I can understand why you did what you did. I know that humans have wronged you, your species, your family. But did you even consider if some of them wanted to be Pokémon? Or wonder how they are handling being ripped front their lives and the bodies they were born with?”
The Pokémon God reflected for a moment. Remembering how just before he made his announcement to the world, he sensed the anger and resentment from Gym Leader Korrina. Anger directed at him and unjustly at Gene. How those who visited his temple begged him to revert them to their original forms, how they longed to go back home. How that son of Team Magma leader Maxie was currently trying everything within his power to undo what had been done to him and his followers.
He does not yet know the futility of his actions, maybe I should one day visit him just to tell him that. The god made a mental smug as he thought this.
“First of all, your logic for turning them into Pokémon so as to not repeat past mistakes has a glaring flaw. Let's say such a thing happens again, that a human invents a Pokeball, or that they treat a Pokémon as a lower life form. Would you not be there to stop it?”
Arceus remembered how he destroyed that Hoenn city in the desert, how he saw the look of horror on his priest's face as he beheld his god’s work.
“And that's just putting aside the fact that no national leader(myself included) would ever allow such injustice to take place even if a human committed these crimes. You also said it was to preserve humanities goodness. Tell me, how can you be preserving human goodness if they are no longer technically human?”
Arceus was about to give a response, but decided to let the Deer finish.
“You know what I think Lord Arceus, I think you have let your fear and hatred of humans drive your actions more than you would like to admit. You are like a father who has favored one child and shunned the other. A real parent, would love all his children regardless of what they have done. They would try to save them, not push them away.”
At this point Arceus felt like he was being talked down to, who was she to judge him? She did not know what had been through, what suffering he had experienced. He only showed her and the others a glimpse of what humans had done, she did not fully understand what humans were. What their tiny minds were capable of.
“I wonder what would happen if the scenario was reversed, if Pokémon had oppressed and treated humans unfairly? They certainly could have done it. Would the results have been the same? Or would you have been more forgiving of the Pokémon?”
Now the Legendary Pokémon was getting irritated, “Empress Serva, I can assure you that I love all my children equally. What I did to humanity was fully deserved, I regret some of the things I did during my plan. But the humans got off easy if you ask me, and my Legendaries would agree with me.”
“Oh, then let's go back to my second question. I asked you if any of your Legendaries had any objections about this plan. What if some of them did? And what if they were so against this plan, that they decided to stay on Earth to prove their point? What if they had chosen humanity over their own father?”
There was silence for a moment. Not even the music of the gala seemed to register in their ears. Serva stood with an emotionless expression, wondering if her questions had hit too close to home.
“I believe that's enough questions for now Empress, enjoy the rest of your evening.”
And just like that Arceus vanished in a flash of light. Leaving the ruler of the Deer alone with her thoughts.
Soon, it got a point where some got tired of partying and went to bed so they wouldn’t be sleepy in the morning. Twilight herself wanted to get at least 6 hours of shut eye before Celestia raised the sun.
As she entered her room, she noticed Spike was already fast asleep.
“Huh, I wondered where he disappeared off to. He must want to get as much sleep as he can before I wake him up tomorrow.”
Twilight then soon got into bed and closed her eyes.
“Goodnight Spike, sweet dreams.”
And yet if Twilight had looked more closely, she would have seen the face of a baby dragon in sorrow. His dreams anything but sweet.
Canterlot, After Dark
Tick-tock-tick-tock.
Time tinkered away as ponies and Pokémon slept in their beds, waiting for the sun to rise.
Tick-tock-tick-tock.
That was good, for the fiend that gleefully smiled at the plan that he and his partners were setting in place.
Tick-tock-tick-tock.
Oh how devilish it was! How vile and evil his actions were! Surely they would never be forgiven for this as long as they lived.
The fiend made his way to what was considered the Pokémon district of Canterlot, walking and stalking right past residents who were both awake and asleep.
The ones off in dream land never saw him, and the ones whom he walked right in front of did not even register that someone else was there.
Tick-tock-tick-tock.
Passing the stone supports carved from the mountain, making his way into houses and buildings, the fiend set about finishing the work he was sent to do.
He then entered one house, it was home to a nuclear family of Cubone and Marowak.
The fiend crept into their bedroom, his gleeful smile never leaving his face. His fair skinned hand gently caressed the face of the baby Cubone, his smile growing bigger as his wicked thoughts raced through his mind.
Tick-tock-tick-tock.
The fiend knew all about these creatures, how they had been tormented and enslaved back on their home world. How their god in his haste and anger spirited them away, while leaving his world to burn.
Tick-tock-tick-tock
They thought they would be safe here, safe from harm, safe from Hu-
The fiend had to cover his mouth and flee, for he was not sure if he could contain his laughter.
Oh, such irony! Such tragedy! Such injustice! he thought to himself. Oh pitiful and sad creatures new to this world, you have no idea what you sowed! What great calamity your haste has brought upon you’
Tick-tock-tick-tock.
The fiend couldn't contain himself any longer, with haste, he made his way up the side of the mountain. He climbed to the very peek, his laughter already beginning to escape his teeth.
Soon he reached the top, and as soon as he confirmed he was alone and that no one would hear him, he shouted from the top of his lungs.
“Oh creatures of this world! Oh inhabitants of this land of strange tales! Your ignorance is the greatest gift this world has bestowed upon you!”
The fiend looked upon the land of magic and friendship, a world that could not exist from where he came from. If there was any shame or regret in his heart for the great sin he was about to commit, he pushed it aside.
For tomorrow, the whole of Equestria would light up the moment their Princess raised the sun over the horizon.
Yes, surely the whole of Equestria would glow in a great light.
It was nighttime when Blueblood walked out of the hospital named after his cousin, Princess Cadenza. His mood was still sour as he got into his carriage that was meant to take him home.
While his vocal cords had FINALLY returned to him, he now had another problem.
‘Huh, of course, I got Prince “Boil-your-blood” as my passenger. Hope he doesn’t say anything the entire ride.’
He now had a particularly annoying curse that had been set upon him. One that made him hear every negative and sarcastic thought that a nearby person was thinking about him. On a certain level, the Prince knew that not everyone liked him, but at least they had the decency to keep it to themselves.
While the carriage ride to his manor wasn’t too far, Blueblood seemed to be in a world all on his own as his resentment and anger began to build up.
He began to recall all the things that had been done to him ever since those ‘creatures’ arrived. One of the first things was the flaming mut chasing him after his master had let him. The fact that his aunt Luna had done nothing to stop it did not go unnoticed. Later when he arrived at a meeting his aunt Celestia had called for, the stallion barely got a word in before he lost his voice for the first time due to that god. Later when another Pokemon had replaced his shampoo with itching cream, he had rightly tried to get justice for that incident, only to be attacked by its friend. He would admit that trying to ruin that insolent creature's wedding was foolish(if only because of his aunts and that god were there), but he felt that being mute and poisoned was undeserved. And as a follow up to that, a fox that was apparently friends with that green creature had bestowed upon him the very curse that was currently affecting him.
Every single encounter he had with these creatures, instigator or not, they had only treated him with contempt. This was why Blueblood could only see them as lowly beasts. For his entire life, ponies had treated him with the same courtesy and decency that one would expect from Equestria and its ponies. Even if they were commoners, ponies acknowledged his status as a minor Prince. And yet these....Pokemon, they had treated him only like an animal would treat another, with barbarism.
For all the times' Blueblood had admittedly pissed off a few ponies, they at least knew their place. They didn’t attack him at the first provocation.
“Something needs to be done about those monsters,” Blueblood thought as he arrived at his home and got off the carriage. “But how?”
Blueblood entered his home and laid down on his living room couch, but just before he could go to sleep, there was a knock at the door.
Blueblood sighed in annoyance, “Who could it be at this hour!? Silver Platter get the door!”
He heard his grey stallion butler walk to the door and open it, but did not hear any talking. Then he heard the door close, and a few seconds later Silver walked into the living room.
“There was no one at the door sir, however, I did find this.”
Silver Platter held up a letter, the Prince took it in his magical grasp and read the front.
‘For the eyes of Prince Blueblood only.’
“If there is nothing else sir, I will be going home for the evening.”
“Very well Silver Platter, you are dismissed.”
The butler then gathered his things, and as soon as he went out the front door and locked it, Blueblood opened the envelope and read the letter that was inside.
The words on the paper were only two sentences, but Blueblood read it three times over in order to let it sink in.
‘If you want to know how to get rid of the Pokemon forever, come alone to the old abandoned warehouse that was used by Total Control. Make sure you are not followed.’
“What?”
Blueblood for a second thought that someone was playing tricks on him, and if recent experiences had taught him one thing is that he should not do things without thinking.
All this time he thought he could get rid of the Pokemon by simply using his own authority, but that power meant nothing if his aunts vetoed it. No, he would have to resort to means outside of his control. Even if it meant…
Letting out another annoying sigh, Blueblood got his coat and went out the door.
Blueblood knew about the warehouse used by the now-imprisoned unicorn criminal known as Total Control. It was his base of operations in Canterlot that he had used for imprisoning Pokemon, then employing his special brand of mind control to make them wreak havoc upon the city.
Blueblood smiled for a second. The stallion was a criminal no doubt, but he did in his own way make the Pokemon know their place as lesser beings.
The warehouse itself was scheduled to be demolished after it had burned down in the fire that was caused during the raid to apprehend Control. But it still had a few rooms that were intact.
Blueblood walked up and saw that the doors and windows had been boarded up.
“Hmph, ok I believe it's time I tried this new trick out,” Blueblood concentrated as his horn lit up, its magical energy building until it engulfed him in a golden light. Another second and Blueblood reappeared inside the warehouse, his head somewhat dazed and his body mildey scorched.
“Ugh,” Blueblood shook his head and regained his concentration. “Hmm, not a bad first try.”
Despite what appearances may suggest, Blueblood knew how to use certain difficult spells. And as a pony related to Princess Celestia, his bloodline gifted him with a natural talent that made things like teleportation easy to learn.
“That beautiful yet insolent mare is not the only one who can teleport.”
Blueblood walked through the halls of the warehouse until he came to the central room. The room itself was charred beyond all recognition, the cages and work tables used by control were either destroyed or removed. Several holes in the roof allowed moonlight to shine through.
Walking to the middle, Blueblood looked around but saw no one.
“Hello, is anypony here?”
Nothing, only the wind answered.
“If this is a joke, let me tell you it's going to be your-”
Something struck Blueblood in the back of the head, and he left the world of consciousness.
When he opened his eyes, Blueblood got to his feet and rubbed the back of his head.
“Who dares strike a Prince?!”
This time, the wind did not answer him.
“Sorry,” said a carefree voice with a hint of a mocking tone. “We just had to check the perimeter in case you weren't followed.”
Blueblood looked around for the owner of the voice and saw someone standing in a shadowy corner of the room. The lower half of his body was partially lit by the moonlight.
It was then that Blueblood noticed that those were not pony legs.
“Given your attitude, I assumed you did want anyone following you. And yet since you managed to piss off more than a few people, It was possible someone may be watching you to make sure you didn’t try anything.”
“Try what?”
“Why try and hurt other Pokemon. That Mewtwo character may be residing in the castle, but after all those stunts you pulled, maybe Princess Celestia had asked him to keep a mental eye on you.”
Blueblood shuddered, he remembered passing that floating monster in the hallway. The piercing cold look he gave him that nearly had him walking faster when he turned a corner. Blueblood had even once asked Silvermane about him. Only for the normally bold and arrogant council member to try and change the subject, he even looked spooked when he had mentioned Mewtwo’s name.
“But don’t worry, it's just the three of us alone here.”
“Three?”
The figure then finally stepped out of the shadows and into the moonlight. And Blueblood was a little confused by what he saw.
The creature was bipedal, his skin lacked any fur except for the hair on his head. His attire consisted of red pants and a black button-up shirt made in a shape meant for his kind, around his neck was a pocket watch and he wore sharp glasses on his face.
”You can come out now Koyan.”
Looking to his left, Blueblood saw another figure step out of the shadows. This one had a black coat and covering that went down to their feet, they wore on their head a black hat of some kind. This one also wore glasses. The closer he looked over them, Blueblood noticed that their chest was bulging. It reminded him of the female minotaur guards that had come with Golden Horn during the World Summit, he had to assume this one was also female.
Blueblood looked back and forth between the two creatures before answering the obvious question.
“Who, or what are you?”
“My my, getting the obvious questions out the way are we?” The way the female spoke was like a seductress, but her voice was not warm and inviting, but instead, it was almost malicious and cruel.
“Well, to answer the question, let me ask you this. While you around the Pokemon, have they ever mentioned anything about their homeworld. Or the ‘other’ race that lived alongside them? Or should I say, over them?”
Blueblood had to wrack his brain for a moment, he never paid the Pokemon any attention, except when they were in his way.
Then he remembered something Bio Chem said, during one of the times he went to vent to him.
Did you know Blueblood? Not all of the Pokemon here are really Pokemon. Apparently, their god turned them into what they are now. Back on Earth, they were a bipedal race called ‘Homo-sapiens’, or in layman's terms -
“Humans, you’re humans.”
The female in black laughed, Blueblood looked at her with a confused face. Then he could have sworn he saw her eyes flash for a second.
“Well, you’re half right dear.”
Blueblood then just shook his head in dismissal and turned back to the male human.
“Alright, you’re human, but how are you here? Or at least how are you still, the way you are? Did Arceus make a few mistakes other than bringing those wretched Pokemon here?”
The male human let out a laugh.
“No no, we are not of THAT Earth, we are well...it would take a while to explain. So you’ll have to wait another time for that answer. But aside from that, let's get to the point of why we are here: the Pokemon.”
“Oh yes, you said in that letter you have a way of getting rid of the Pokemon once and for all?”
“Yes, we do.”
Blueblood then became a little skeptical for a second.
“But how? Even if my aunts were against them staying here, there is still the matter of their god. I have met him twice, and aside from that fact that he made me mute, he is all-powerful. He has those Legendary Pokemon by his side, along with the whole world accepting his people with open arms. How do you expect to lay him low? How do you expect to get rid of every single Pokemon in Equestria? Show me something that will convince me of your power!”
The human then smiled.
“Arceus will be dealt with in time, how and when is a secret that we can’t share with you. But let's just say, Arceus isn’t the only real god in this world.”
Bluebloods eyes widened.
“What do you mean?”
“To put it simply, the being who we work for is a god themselves dear.” The female “human” said. “And they want Arceus out of the way as much as you do.”
“Oh, and where is this other god? Why don’t they strike down Arceus right now?”
“Because, they can’t exactly come to this world, yet. It’s not something you can understand fully or need to.”
Blueblood narrowed his eyes.
“That being said, we have another means of defeating Arceus and destroying the Pokemon. Yes, we have something that will be able to take on any Pokemon, even those almighty legendaries”
“What?”
“Fufu, allow me to explain, specify what ‘I am’ dear.”
The female talked to Blueblood about what she really was, and how there were others like her. Powerful beings who could fight stronger and faster than any Pokemon. How even though it may take months, or even years, in the long run, they could wipe out every Pokemon on the planet.
Blueblood’s disbelief grew the more she went on, and by the time she finished explaining everything, his mind was still trying to process what he just heard.
“Okay….I’m still trying to wrap my head around what I just heard. But saying is one thing, I want to see proof that you are capable of what you’re saying.”
The female let out a long sigh. “Well I suppose you're right, after all the best way to nail a sales pitch is with a demonstration.”
“Very true. Koyansaka, take us to a more, suitable location.”
“Aright, hold on.”
Before Blueblood could ask, he was engulfed in a bright light. Then in the next moment, he found himself in the middle of literal nowhere.
“Where are we!?”
The area was white as far as the eye could see, the sky was clear and bright which indicated daytime, but Blueblood couldn’t see the sun.
“This,” the male human said, gesturing to the area around them. “Is a place currently ‘unclaimed’ by your world, for now. No one shall disturb us here, so no witnesses.”
“What?” That's when Blueblood noticed that the one called Koyansaka was not here.
“Wait where is that woman?”
“She'll be here, she's just getting a test subject.”
“Test subject?”
A few seconds later, Koyansaka reappeared, and along with her, a Hydreigon.
“What's going on where am I!?” The brutal Pokemon then looked at the group before him. “Did you bring me here!? Where even is here!?”
“Blueblood, this is a Hydreigon. It is among the most powerful Pokemon in the world. Very difficult to stop by oneself if it goes on a rampage.”
Blueblood then noticed the man take the glove off his left hand, revealing a strange mark on the back of it. The mark itself was red. If he had to describe it, it resembled the head of a timberwolf.
“Assassin, come to me.”
Then out of nowhere, another human appeared. This one was dressed in an attire that resembled eastern clothing. In his left hand, he carried a katana, his hair was in a ponytail, but it still looked messy.
“Oh, you're a big guy.” The newcomer said while looking at the Pokemon.
“What's going on here!?” The Hydreigon asked again in annoyance. “You know what, never mind. I’m just gonna eat you!”
“Hydreigon, sorry to bring you here on such short notice,” Koyansaka began. “But to put it bluntly, we brought you here to die.”
The Pokemon looked confused for a second, as if he considered the four individuals before him to not be a threat.
“However, if you beat the one with the sword, I’ll gladly take you back to where you came from~.
The Hydreigon was already not happy, ever since he came here his life had been a comedy. Not long after he was brought to this world, he managed to establish territory in a forest near a village. But then a group of those Ponies, along with a Gallade, Gardevoir, and a couple of Lucario entered its new territory. And when he tried to defend it, they proceeded to beat him in a short time. After that, he left to make a new home in another forest, only for the same group of Ponies and Pokemon to beat him up and take his territory again!
Except now, his opponent was one lone human. Even with his weapon, the man was nothing but dead meat walking. No single human could ever stand a chance of beating him!
Actually, how are humans here? I thought Arceus got rid of them all?
Pushing that thought aside, the Brutal Pokemon accepted the challenge.
“Alright Assassin, make it scream.”
“Heh, with pleasure master.”
The swordsman walked up to the dragon, its eyes bearing down on Assassin.
“HAH! You think you can kill me, little human? Don’t make me laugh, what can a weakling like you do!?”
The dragon continued to laugh, meanwhile, the swordsman was now looking at the ground.
“Hey.”
The dragon was not paying any attention to him.
“Did you just. Laugh at me?”
The dragon stopped laughing and looked back down at the human, who slowly looked up to meet his gaze.
But when Hydreigon looked into his eyes, he felt a sensation wash over him. As if this man was giving off a dark aura, a killing intent.
“By the way, are you missing something?”
That's when the Pokemon noticed that something didn’t feel right about his left head, he looked at it.
And then he screamed.
His left head had been cut clean off his arm, which was now gushing out blood. The head itself was on the ground, its red blood staining the bleached white surface.
“You little dastard! I’ll kill you!”
Powerful energy quickly gathered in his mouth.
“DIE! HYPER BEAM!”
The man did not move as the Hyper Beam attack blew up the spot he was standing in. When the dust cleared, there was only a crater. No trace of him remained.
The Hydreigon looked around.
“Is he dead? Yes! Finally I-GACK!”
Hydreigon felt something protruding from his chest, then looked down to see the bloody tip of a blade sprouting from his body.
That's when he felt someone standing on his back, and then that someone whispered in his ear.
“Allow me to tell you something.”
Assassin then underhand gripped his sword.
“I’ll kill. Anyone who laughs at me.”
Assassin then brought the blade up through the Pokemons shoulder, partially bisecting his body.
The Hydreigon fell to the ground as he bled out.
His last sight was seeing his murderer walking away.
His last thought was cursing this new world for allowing this thing to happen to him.
Assassin walked back to the group, a smile was on his face. A smile was on his master's face, who looked like he very much enjoyed what he just saw. Koyansaka just stood with that same smirk on her face. Blueblood was still trying to pick his jaw off the floor.
“Alright, I believe that's a good demonstration. Assassin, you're dismissed.”
The swordsman took a bow before shimmering out of sight.
“Koyan, take us back.”
Once again Blueblood was blinded by a bright light, when he opened them again, he was back at the warehouse in Canterlot.
“Well, Prince Blueblood?” The man asked. “What do you think?”
Blueblood didn’t have to think long for an answer.
“That was, incredible! That man took down the monster in less than ten seconds, amazing!”
“And there are more where he came from. So can I have a yes or no on an alliance Prince Blueblood?”
The Prince wracked his brain for a second, from what Koyansaka had described, the only way to be rid of the Pokemon would be to kill every one of them. There was no other course, no forcing them out, no way to turn public opinion against them, no making their god take them somewhere else.
It would be genocide. He would never be forgiven for this.
And yet, Blueblood remembered everyone of his encounters with these creatures. How they had humiliated him, insulted him, chased him, disrespected him. Attacked him. Never once had he had an encounter that ended on a positive note.
They were monsters, beasts, pests.
And everyone knew what to do with pests.
Blueblood looked up at the man, and with a firm resolve, held out his hoof.
“You have my allegiance.”
The man smiled and shook Blueblood’s hoof.
“Very good Prince Blueblood, I promise that you will get exactly what you want from this arrangement.”
Blueblood nodded. “I look forward to it.”
“Now onto business, do you have any other like-minded individuals who can help us with our cause?”
“Hmmm, I might know a few, plus I may do some digging. But yeah, I can get us, other helpful individuals.”
“Very well, then I guess that means our meeting ends here, for now, take this.”
The man held out a strangely shaped device. Blueblood took in his magical grasp.
“What is it?”
“A device for contacting us. Use it when you have gathered everyone you need.”
“Very well. By the way, what is your name? I never caught it.”
“Oh I apologize, where are my manners?” The man adjusted his glasses.
“My name, is-”
For pre-context for this next scene, pleasego here
Several months later.
Blueblood sat in his mansion as Hard Proof took a seat in one of his chairs. He looked around at the group he managed to assemble.
Green Horn and Winter Breeze were Crystal Pony nobles who had opposed the Pokemon when they had arrived. They also had a seat on the Crystal Empire council.
Good, ponies with strong connections will serve as a massive boon.
Silvermane was a fellow noble on the council and head of Equine services. While Mewtwo had given him a spook at first, Blueblood had convinced him to join with the promise of revenge on the legendary.
Cheap Skate was a master at catching and manipulating, he was a wanted con artist and scammer in Manehatten. Blueblood probably trusted him the least, but his skills and talents would no doubt be useful.
Hard Proof was the latest addition, while he was a commoner, he was an outspoken pony who wanted the Pokemon gone as much as Blueblood. Plus his cutie mark talent may come in handy.
I had to pull a few strings to get him out, but convincing him to join was the easy part.
And even with all of them here, Blueblood had anonymously made contact with Total Control in his prison via snail mail(which was why it took so long to gather these ponies). And with the promise of a new horn and a new job doing what he loves(along with the promise of having a certain Pokemon), he was also on board. Although breaking him out would come later.
“Alright.” Blueblood got up from his seat and walked to the fireplace. “We all know why we are here.
“Yes!” Green Horn said. “To get rid of those despicable Pokemon once and for all!”
“Indeed. Now I’m not going to sugar coat this gentlecolts, we will be aiding and abetting in the murder of millions...no billions of lives. It will not be pretty, not to mention some relatively innocent crossfire, but believe me when I say that this is the only way to be rid of the Pokemon for good. We must strike them hard, and without mercy. And as for their god? Well, he'll get what's coming to him.”
Blueblood turned to face the group.
“This will be a grave sin in the eyes of Equestria and the world. But history will judge us gents, we will have averted a grave future. A future where these creatures rule over us, with their god becoming our god.”
His eyes scanned the room, reading the faces of everypony here.
“If you have any objections, state them now. If you wish to leave, the door is right there. But I warn you, if you think about blowing the whistle...well, let's just say you will be met with a terrible fate.”
The ponies all looked back and forth between each other, then looked back at Blueblood with resolute looks.
“I’m in,” said Winter Breeze.
“Count me in too,” added Green Horn.
“It's time we do something about these creatures,” Silvermane said.
“I’m just in this for the money and revenge against a certain group of Pokemon. Don’t care how dirty I have to get my hooves,” Cheap Skate stated.
“Those Princesses betrayed this country the moment they allowed those things to live here. You Blueblood are the only royal who knows what's really best for this kingdom,” Hard Proof said with pride.
“Good, very good. Now. I’m sure you’re all wondering how we will be able to pull this off. How a small group of ponies could achieve such a feat of destroying all the Pokemon.”
Blueblood made a large grin.
“Well gentlecolts, allow me to introduce you to our benefactors.”
The door opened and everyone gasped at who, or rather what walked in.
The creature was a bipedal dressed in religious attire, his appearance was similar to the priests who ran those small churches dedicated to the Princesses.
“Greetings, how are you all this fine evening?” The creature's voice was deep and calm, but his presence was somewhat intimidating.
“Uh, what are you?” Hard Proof asked.
“Everypony, this is Rasputin. He is, well, he was once a human. The species from the same world as the Pokemon, the one race they fear more than any other.”
“Ah, so this is what a human looks like,” Green Horn said, remembering another “former” human that he had the displeasure of knowing.
“Now like I said, Rasputin is not human, not in the truest sense. He is now what is known as a ‘Heroic Spirit’ or a ‘Servant’.
“Ah, so you mean we can make him do what we want?” Winter Breeze asked.
The heroic spirit known as Rasputin chuckled.
“No, I am not that kind of servant. Besides, I already have a master.”
“Okay, then what's your deal pal? How are you gonna help us get rid of all the Pokemon?”
“Patience Hard Proof, I was about to explain that. You see, servants like Rasputin are very powerful, the average one being stronger than even the strongest Pokemon. I have seen it myself. With him and his people assisting us, the Pokemon will be no match for them, and more importantly, no one will suspect us.”
“How?” Cheap Skate asked.
“You see, Arceus loathes humans more than anything else. They are the reason why he brought the Pokemon here in the first place. To get away from them. Once he learns humans are here, he will go ballistic. All his attention will be focused on eliminating them, meaning no one will notice what we will be doing behind the scenes.”
The ponies all looked more confident as Blueblood got done explaining that part of the plan.
“And as for our first move, I have the perfect opportunity. You see, once the Pokemon moved here, obviously new homes had to be built for them. No doubt the money was provided by the government and that there are records of what was built and where. Also, I have recently learned that Princess Celestia is planning on hosting this year's Summer Sun Celebration in Canterlot. It is to be held in honor of the Pokemon, not to mention that many World Leaders are rumored to attend.”
“Okay,” Silvermane said. “Where are you going with this?”
Blueblood gestured to Rasputin.
“Caster, you may come in now.”
In walked another servant, only this one looked very different from Rasputin. His color scheme was blue and purple, he walked widely and had a smile that never left his face. But what everyone noticed was the large pair of scissors he carried.
“Hello everyone, it's soooo nice to meet you!”
His voice was cheerful and energetic, almost like a child.
“Rasputin, would you please explain to the group our little plan,” Blueblood said.
“Listen well everypony, today I’m going to tell you what Noble Phantasms are, and what Casters Noble Phantasm can specifically do.”
It was still two hours before Celestia was due to raise the sun, and at that point, the All-Night Gala was starting to wind down.
Genesect, for the most part, had only talked and mingled with his fellow legendaries as well as a few Pokemon. That being said, most of his conversations were the same, such as “Hey, how are you?” or “Some party huh”. Admittedly this made Genesect realize just how inept he was at socializing. He then tried to talk to some of the natives, but his conversations didn’t fare better.
The ponies or other races were mostly interested in what kind of Pokemon he was, to which he ended up always explaining. Often he would try to change the subject to other things like technology and innovation. Unfortunately, no one really cared or understood what was talking about. Genesect would end up rambling on to the point where he was doing most of the talking, and the people he was talking to had left before he noticed.
After a while, he just sat down alone with a glass of punch.
*Sigh* “Maybe this was a bad idea,” the legendary said to himself.
“Hey Genesect, some party am I right?”
The cyborg hunter looked up to see the familiar V-shaped ears of Victini.
“Hello Victini, can I help you?” Genesect’s voice gave off an uninterested tone.
“Aww come on. Don’t be a downer, the sun doesn’t rise for another two hours, there is still plenty of party time!”
The Paleozoic Pokemon only glanced at his fellow Unova legendary, the Pokemon of Victory was full of boundless energy, one that he was constantly burning up one way or another. This meant that he was always trying to cheer people up, whether they wanted it or not.
“I think I have experienced all this party has to offer, in fact, according to my calculations, I experienced everything within the first 47 minutes.”
“Heh, of course, you did.” Victini knew how the sole Bug-type Pokemon of the Legendary Council liked to perfect and be efficient in everything he did. This also meant that he got through things quickly just so he could have more time to do other things.
“Honestly I think I’m just going to go back to the temple.”
“Wait really?”
“Yes, if my interactions with everyone here taught me anything is that social interaction is not my forte.”
Genesect got up and began to walk away.
“Wait!” Victini went in front and blocked his path.
“You seriously haven’t had one good talk with anyone here?”
“No, not really.”
“Come on Genesect, this is the land where friendship is magic. To be a social loner and not have any friends is...taboo!”
“I have friends.”
“Registeel and the other Legends don’t count, I’m talking about a friend outside of the temple.”
“Well, as I said, I have not had one good interaction that would make me consider anyone in this room here my friend.”
“Hmmm, so you mean to say that you have talked to everyone currently in this room?”
“Yes, aside from the few who left already like Princess Twilight.”
“Ahhh, I see.” Victini smiled as if he just got an idea.
“What?”
“Come with me, my friend.”
~
Moltres was more or less an easy-going Pokemon, as a legendary bird, she was among the more well known of the Legendary Pokemon. This also meant she was one of the patrons of Flying-type/bird Pokemon. That being said, she was not exactly top tier in terms of power. Which is why that collector was able to capture her and her siblings all those years ago.
The flaming bird was currently walking with her siblings looking for someone at the Gala. Someone who she wanted to speak with ever since they last met.
“Sister, remind me, just what are you going to do again?” Zapdos asked.
“I just want to talk to him brother, at first.”
“Yes, but why do you need both of us to accompany you, after all, they might get the wrong idea at first,” Articuno said.
“I know, but I just want to see how he might react to the proposal I am offering him.”
The birds of Ice and Lighting looked at each other and back to their younger sibling.
“Ah, there he is.”
The person she was looking for was currently among a group that comprised a Luxray, an Absol, a Sylveon, and a few other Pokemon.
“And then, Arceus finished me off with a Hyper Voice! Imagine being defeated by the voice of God himself.”
“I’m sure it was an experience,” Iris said nervously, although she had to admit she envied the Charizard a little. Fighting a Legendary Pokemon was more than anything she had ever done as a champion. “Although I heard you managed to beat Moltres once, how did that go?”
“Oh it was easy, barely broke a sweat.”
“Due tell Ingis.”
The Charizard suddenly got a chill up his spine, he turned around and found the source.
“After all, I think the fire generated from our battle may have evaporated any sweat from our bodies.”
Ingis blinked for a second before his confidant smile returned to his face.
“Moltres! How’s it going? Still not mad about that loss are you....or is that why you’re here?”
The Legendary bird chuckled, “No, although our last battle is why I’m here.” She turned to the other Pokemon standing beside him. “And you must be Seth Crescent, I have heard a lot about you.”
The Luxray smiled and held out his paw. “Hello, Lady Moltres. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, Ingis has told me a lot about your battle with him.”
The legendary bird studied the former human for a bit before shaking his paw with her wing(which Arceus had cast a spell on so she wouldn’t light everything on fire.)
“The pleasure is all mine, Mr. Crescent. Lady Diancie has told me many good things about you.”
“Oh really? I mean, I don’t know about that, all I did was help her find her people again.”
“Still, she was very grateful to see them again. She said she owes you one if you ever need to ask.”
“I see. Well, I’ll just keep that in mind.”
Articuno then leaned over and whispered to her brother.
“Raikou was right, he never turns that off.”
”Let’s just hope it doesn’t get him in trouble” Zapdos responded, it did not escape his eye that Rikka was giving the Luxray a stare.
“So, what is it that you wanted to talk to me to Ingis about?”
“Do you want a rematch, is that why you’re here?” Ignis’s thoughts raced at the chance to fight a Legendary once again.
“Actually, that’s exactly why I’m here.”
Seth and his Pokemon were a little shocked by that answer.
“Yeah, I have never heard of Legendaries looking to pick a fight,” Iris added.
“Why of course, I may be a Legendary who has certain duties that maintain the balance of nature, but even we want to hone our skills in battle.”
“Oh, I see.”
“And actually, I have some way that we can make it even more interesting.”
Seth raised an eyebrow at that. “What do you mean more interesting?”
“Well, as you may have noticed, these are my brother and sister, Zapdos and Articuno.” Moltres gestured to her older siblings.
“Hello,” Articuno said.
“I was beginning to wonder if you had forgotten us, sister.”
Moltres rolled her eyes and continued.
“As I said before, I have heard a great deal about you Seth Crescent. Word is that you were a very strong trainer before the world shift.”
Seth had a bashful look on his face. “Oh, I’m sure that’s not completely true. Sure I may have fought Diantha once and gotten many Gym Badges, but nothing really came of my Pokemon League career before it ended.” Seth’s face looked sad for a second before forcing his smile back.
“Well, how about we give you a chance to see just how much you have grown, all of you?”
Ingis immediately figured out what the legendary was letting on.
“Do you mean!-”
“Seth, how would you and your Pokemon like to battle the Legendary Birds of Kanto?”
The entire group was stunned for a second, Seth was trying to process what she had just said.
“All three of you want to battle us?”
“Well, if Ingis was any indication of how strong your team is, then yes, we want to have a battle with you.”
“Well, I-”
“OF COURSE WE ACCEPT!”
All eyes were on Ingis as he breathed fire in excitement.
“Uh, Ingis,” Selena said.
“Come on guys, it’ll be great, our entire family, fighting three legendaries one on one. If I can do it, no reason you guys can’t keep up.”
Ingis then felt a paw grip his side.
“Are you doubting me,” Selena said in a threatening tone.
“Uh, no of course not!”
“Good~”
“Oh, she has him whipped really well-” Zapdos thought.
“Well,” Seth began. “I’ve never had this opportunity before, what do you guys think?”
“Well, I’m game,” Selena said.
“I’m down for this!” Rikka said.
“You all know my answer already!”
Seth then looked at the trio and nodded. “Then it's settled, we accept your challenge.”
The Legendary Birds all looked at each other in agreement.
“Very, well. We shall meet in the north fields outside Ponyville, Wednesday at noon.”
“We’ll be there. Can’t wait to whup your but again Moltres.”
The Flame Pokemon smiled. “You can try.”
Iris leaned over and whispered to Seth, “You guys don’t mind if I watch. I don’t wanna miss out on this.”
“Nah, you can come.”
On the other side of the room, Sev was watching as the Legendary Birds stopped talking to Seth and then left.
“Enjoying the party Commander Sev?”
The snake then turned to see a certain blue alicorn walk up beside him.
“Ah, Princess Luna! I haven't seen you since I arrived here.”
“My apologies, this may be a party, but I still have duties as a Princess to raise the Moon and guard the night.”
“Of course, far be it from me to question your knowledge and wisdom.”
Princess Luna chuckled a bit, “So tell me, how have you been lately? I trust that the war in Zebrica has not been too traumatic for you?”
“HA! I have fought wars all my life Princess, this is nothing new. Once again I was called to the field of battle to fulfill the duty of the PLA!”
“You mean, freeing Pokemon from humans?”
“No, that has been put on hold. I mean fighting for the freedom and liberation of all Pokemon. Those tribal leaders who dared to oppose the King made it very clear that they would like nothing more than to kick us out and have Zebrica be an isolated nation.”
Luna understood, from what Celestia had told her, there were more than a few zerba leaders who did not trust the elder alicorn. They believed that the many times Celestia saved their nation or aided them, was all part or a long term conspiracy to have Zebrica join under Equestria as a colony nation. Luna could only sigh at this.
”It amazes me how pride can make one believe that a helping hoof is one that secretly conceals a deadly weapon. Those ungrateful fools got what they deserved.”
“I heard that when you won the war, that you did not capture or kill all of the opposing leaders.”
“Hmph, those cowards boasted at the meetings all the time about their pride and might as Zebras. And yet the moment they saw that they were gonna lose, they ran with their tails between their legs. It almost makes me wish for the days when I fought against the humans and their evil machinations.”
Luna watched as Sev continued to go on about how he fought in many battles, despite her impression about him, Luna had to credit Sev. The snake was not a pushover when it came to fights, even though his state of mind was not completely stable.
“Speaking of which, tell me, has your hatred of humans diminished to the point where you can accept them now?”
Sev stopped and looked at Luna, then he thought for a moment.
“I said it before and I’ll say it again, we will always be the better species when compared to humans. Their sins are the reason we are all here in the first place. I may never forgive humanity for what they have done, nor will they ever achieve their own form of greatness now that they have become one with us….but I will try. This will be the last generation of humans(metaphorically speaking) so I will do what I can to make sure their evil ends with them.”
Sev then felt a wing wrap around him, and then looked up at Princess Luna.
“I suppose that is all I can ask for now, my student.”
Latias was maybe not the most approachable Pokemon, if only because of her brother and her father. But once people got to know her, she was one of the more friendly and sweet Legendary Pokemon of the Council.
A fact that her new boyfriend Ash could attest to.
Unlike the other guests, Latias, Latios, as well as Ash and his friends had decided to take their group outside where they had more room, besides, the Canterlot gardens were a beautiful sight to behold.
“So Ash, are you going to stay and see Celestia raise the sun?” Misty asked
“Of course I am,” The Pikachu said. “I’m always willing to see and experience new things. Even though seeing the sunrise is not really anything new.”
Misty chuckled lightly at that. It was true that whenever Ash heard about or saw something new, he would often get sidetracked from his journey to look or participate in whatever was going on. His subsequent companions could also attest to this as well.
“I still don’t get it, I mean how does she raise the sun?” Pikachu asked. “That thing must be impossibly heavy, plus it breaks all known laws of how planetary orbit works.”
Latias pondered for a bit.
“I think dad might know, but if he does, he’s not saying.”
“Well, science and physics was never my strong point anyway,” Ash chuckled nervously.
“So anyway, Misty, how have you been doing lately?” Latias said to the Vaporeon.
“Oh just great, I have finally found a job here, so I’ll soon be able to get my own place and not sleep in the forest anymore.”
“Oh, that is great!”
“Also, I finally found all of my other Pokemon. So there’s that.”
“That’s great Misty!” Ash said. As someone who basically found all of his Pokemon a few weeks after he came here, he was glad that one of his best friends had managed to find theirs.
“That being said Ash, what are you planning to do with your life here? I can’t imagine a Pokemon ever becoming a Pokemon master.”
Ash was stumped for a moment. “I...I don’t know really. It’s funny huh? Back on Earth, I knew exactly what I wanted to be. Who I wanted to be.”
Both of Ash's girlfriends could sense the sadness from the Pikachu. While they didn’t talk about it, Ash was a prime example of someone whose life and dreams were ripped right under him when Arceus moved everyone here. All of his dreams and goals, all his progress as a human had no place in this new world. Ash could never challenge another Gym again, never compete in another league again. He would never be the Pokemon Master he always wanted to be.
“I mean, I can’t even go back to being a Battle Frontier Brain. Plus even if that were possible, I’m not sure if Brandon would give me another recommendation.”
“Ugh, can we please not talk about him.” Latias said in an annoyed voice.
“Oh, sorry Latias.”
“Actually, Ash, have you gone to you know, talk to him after that day?” Misty inquired.
“Uh, no, I guess I haven’t.” Despite the fact that Brandon attacked him unprovoked, and was trying to enforce a law that held no power in Equestria, Ash did not hate Brandon. In fact, the former human had made it a point to one day talk to him and try to understand why he did what he did.
Ash was then snapped out of his thoughts when Pikachu put a hand on his shoulder.
“It’s ok Ash, I know you're one to never hold a grudge for long.”
“Thanks, Pikachu.”
“And for what it's worth, I forgive him as well.”
“Hmm, I’ll forgive him if he says sorry,” Misty said.
“I won’t.” Latias said with her arms folded, the legendary may be a sweet and kind Pokemon, but she was mostly unforgiving to those who hurt her loved ones. Especially the individuals who believed in those discriminatory laws. “Don’t know how he was good enough to get here,” she said under her breath.
Misty sensing that it was time to change the subject, spoke up.
“Ok enough about that, so Pikachu has Buneary asked you out yet? Or are you two already dating?”
Soon all eyes were on Pikachu, as he struggled to find words.
“Oh, you wanna know about that? Well, let me tell ya-”
Meanwhile, not far away, May and Dawn were having talks of their own.
“So May,” Dawn said, “Have you and Blaziken gotten to second base yet?”
The Delphox’s face then became as red as the rest of her body.
“Dawn! Seriously?”
The Lopunny couldn’t help but laugh her but off as her friend grew redder. Not to be the only one embarrassed tonight, May soon formulated a plan of retaliation.
“For your information, Blazeiken and I are saving each other for marriage. I’m not so eager to get it on asap. But that being said, let’s talk about your love life.”
Dawn looked confused for a second. “What do you mean by that?”
May grinned. “Well, just the other day, I came across someone who said they knew you.”
“Oh really? What was their name?”
“Didn’t ask, although they said that if ‘Dee Dee’ was around that I should tell him.”
Now it was Dawn’s turn to be as red as a Razz berry.
“Wait, Kenny was in Ponyville!? Looking for me!?” However, the Pokemon coordinator’s embarrassment soon rose further as May now found herself laughing louder than she had.
“What’s so funny!?
“Oh, man you should have seen the look on your face the moment I mentioned his name. You actually believed me.”
“Wait a second, how could you know Kenny’s pet nickname for me? I never told you that.”
“Oh, let’s just say a little yellow mouse told me.”
Dawn then started fuming, “Aaaaaassshhhhh!”
“Oh, don’t be mad at him. He probably didn’t even realize why I asked him if you had any rivals during your Pokemon Contest career.”
“Well, speaking of rivals, Ash told me you had a particular one as well. What was his name Drew?”
“Oh...yes...him.”
“Hm, something wrong May?”
“Oh, it’s just. Well. I did kinda meet him on Equus once.”
Dawn was a little surprised at this. “Really? When?”
“It was about a month ago, he found out where I was and came to me with another one of his roses. Unfortunately, just like Max and dad, he caught me and Blaziken kissing.”
“Ooooohh.”
“Yeah, Drew had a look of disappointment on his face. And I almost swear Blaziken had a smirk on his for a second.”
“Oh, well. You know what they say, the early ‘bird’ gets the worm. Or fox in this case.”
“Yeah,” May couldn’t help but think that if Blaziken hadn’t confessed to her, and if Drew had found her earlier.
No, she couldn’t dwell on what could have been. She would not have been able to move on every time she lost a Pokemon Contest if she kept thinking about how things might have been different.
“Alright, let stop talking about our love lives for a second. How’s Pikachu and Buneary? Are they a thing yet?”
“Oh, girl let me tell ya-”
Twilight rubbed her eyes as the alarm clock spell that she had cast woke her up. Looking at the time, it was a little under two hours before Princess Celestia was due to raise the Sun. But being the on-time student that she was, the alicorn was ready to be awake at 5 AM just so she wouldn’t run the risk of oversleeping.
But just before she could go and take a shower, there was a knock on the door.
“Huh, who could that be?”
Twilight walked to her room door and opened it, and was greeted to the sight of one Genesect and a Victini.
“Good morning Twilight!” The Victory Pokemon exclaimed.
“Oh, Good morning. Your name is Victini right?” Twilight had seen the legendary a few times during the last gala.
“That’s me, and this is Genesect.”
“Hello,” The bug legendary said in a neutral voice.
“Hi, it’s nice to meet you. Is there anything I can help you two with?”
“Actually, it’s not me who needs helping, but Genesect here. And it’s a problem that you are best at solving.”
“Oh? What kind of problem?”
“You see Princess, Genesect needs to make friends.”
Twilight blinked.
“Oh is that all?”
Genesect sighed, “Yes Princess, my fellow legendaries have been trying to help me develop social skills, but I’m afraid that my attempts so far have been poor.”
Twilight smiled, “Well, then you came to the right pony. If it's lessons on friendship that you need, then I can help you with that.”
“Thanks, good luck you two.” Before Genesect could even retort, Victini was already gone.
*Sigh* ‘Can never stay still can you.’
Twilight walked out into the hallway and closed the door. “Come on, let's go someplace more appropriate. Plus I don’t wanna wake up Spike.”
“Very well, lead the way Princess.”
Genesect then followed Twilight to one of the castle's study rooms, she then arranged for the servants to bring them snacks as they sat down at one of the tables.
“So tell me about yourself, I have met some of Arceus’s children before, but I haven't seen you yet.”
“Well, the first thing you should know about me is that I am the newest member of the Legendary Council.”
“Oh really? I thought Mewtwo was?”
“I came into being some time after him, and ironically in the same matter.”
“What? How so.”
“You see, just as Team Rocket created Mewtwo to be the strongest Pokemon ever, I was created by Team Plasma for a similar reason.”
Twilight gasped, Princess Celestia had told her about when she met Mewtwo after he was appointed ambassador, he showed her his memories of Earth. Why he was created, and how the Team Rocket leader Giovanni had tried to force him to do his bidding.
“However, unlike Mewtwo who was a clone of Mew, I was revived from the fossil of a prehistoric Pokemon.”
“Wait, so you’re a fossil Pokemon?” It wasn’t the first time Twilight had seen a Pokemon like him, the Tyrantrum that came with Emperor Carapace already raised so many questions on just how humans were able to resurrect dead fossils.
“Yes, I am as you can say, a temporal fish out of water. Cause unlike most fossil Pokemon, I retain memories of my former life. And while Team Rocket tampered with Mewtwo’s genes to make him stronger, Team Plasma used different modifications to augment me.”
Genesect then gestured to the cannon on him back.
“What is that?”
“It is my Techno cannon, when Team Plasma revived me, they cybernetically enhanced me with this weapon. Using different drives, I can switch the elemental typing of the cannon's main move Techno Blast.”
“Oh, I can’t imagine what you went through before you escaped from Team Plasma.”
Genesect was silent for a moment.
“Actually..”
“Huh?”
“Despite the fact that they ultimately intended to use me, I don’t resent Team Plasma, or humanity all that much.”
“Really, you don’t?”
“Yes, keep in mind that I was more apathetic at the time. I didn’t care for Team Plasma or their goals, but I understood that I was only reborn because of them. That being said, I was planning to escape before Latios and Latias broke me out. After that, the Legendary Pokemon trained me to be a new member of their group.”
“Very interesting, why did Arceus make you a member of his family?”
Genesect thought for a moment, before thinking back to the day when he dreamt of god.
“That is, a story for another time.”
“Oh, I see.” Twilight didn’t know why he stopped there, but she wouldn’t force him, whatever happened back then was his business.
“Anyway, that’s all. So about this problem that I have.”
“Ah yes. So tell me, what is the block you are trying to overcome in making friends?”
Genesect thought for a moment.
“Well, to be honest Princess, unlike Mewtwo who has to control his emotions so that he doesn’t do anything rash, I’m a rather cold and calculating Pokemon. It’s in my nature.”
“Your nature?”
“Yes. Before I was reborn, when I was alive, I was a predatory Pokemon. I hunted weaker Pokemon to feed myself and did so without remorse. Even if those Pokemon were just as sentient as me, I still had to eat.”
“Wow, I know Pokemon hunt other Pokemon, but still. If all Pokemon are sentient, then that would kinda make predators like you…”
“Murderers? Yes, you could look at it like that.”
“Yeah...” It was easy to forget that despite the Pokemon being intelligent, certain animalistic instincts such as predatory behavior and estrous cycles made them seem more beast than civil beings. No doubt such behavior helped contribute to the idea that they not be treated as equals to humans.
“The hunter does not apologize for his kill Princess Twilight. Arceus expects us to live as equals and citizens in this new world. But I’m not sure if some of the predator Pokemon would stop eating other Pokemon overnight, even with non-sentient animals living in the wild.”
“Hmmm, that is true,” When it came to food in Equestria, a herbivore lifestyle was the norm. Most of the meat was imported from other countries and with the arrival of the Pokemon, the meat industry had exploded in order to accommodate the new carnivore and omnivore citizens.
“Aside from that, I think I have an idea of why your attempts at friendship are a challenge.”
“Really? I haven’t even started talking about how my attempts went.”
“You’re a hunter, not to mention that you’ve said that you’re a cold and calculating Pokemon. That means that your emotions have not been exercised in a long time. You don’t really feel much do you?”
“...No, I suppose not.”
“Well then, guess we just have to help you be more open with other people. Emotions can be a complex thing, I won’t try to rush you. So why don’t we start with something simple.”
Genesect nodded, “Very well Princess.”
The castle servants then finally arrived with a tray of pastries and juices, Twilight took a donut and bit into it.
“Ok, first of all what are your hobbies? What do you like to do?”
“Well, I spend most of my time in my lab. I conduct experiments and tinker with machinery.”
Twilight’s eyes widened, “Really? So I take it you're a scientist?”
“Yes, you could say that.”
“That's great! I’m what Rainbow Dash calls a bookworm myself.”
“Ah, so you are a pony of science as well?”
“Yes.”
Genesect leaned back in his chair, “Do tell me more.”
It was 45 minutes before Princess Celestia would raise the sun. Despite that, ponies began to gather in the designated open area to witness this annual event first hand. A certain section had been closed off in reservation for the World Leaders, Legendary Pokemon, and selected VIP.
For the Ponies, many of them had witnessed this many times before, for the Pokemon, this was their first time attending such a celebration.
Seth and his family took their seats in the VIP section as more and more people gathered from behind the red rope.
“Oh it's so exciting!” RIkka said as she took her seat next to Seth, “I can’t wait to see what this thing is all about.”
Selena took a seat right next to Ingis and Apple Fritter, the Absol then turned and leaned toward the earth pony.
“Remind me again why this is a big deal? I mean, Celestia is just raising the Sun. She practically does this every day. Plus, back on Earth the sun and moon moved on their own.”
“Well, that may be how the sun and moon work on your planet dear, but here in Equestria this day has a special meaning.” Apple Fritter turned to look at the stage where Princess Celestia would stand. “You all know by now the story of Nightmare Moon right? The Summer Sun Celebration was held ever since her defeat as a way of remembrance. However, ever since the Elements of Harmony saved Princess Luna, it has been changed in order to remember the day when our Princess of Moon came back to us.”
“Wow,” Seth said. “That's really nice of Princess Celestia. She must really want to help her sister move on from that, help her be more accepted into Equestria.”
“Yes, Princess Luna’s past is not today. This celebration is as much as hers as it is for Equestria.”
“And it should be!”
Most of the group flinched as they turned to their right and saw who was taking a seat next to them.
“After all,” Sev continued. “Princess Luna is a pony deserving of everyone's praise and adoration!”
Seth forced a smile. “Hello Commander Sev, I didn’t realize you had seats next to us.”
“You can thank our beloved Princess of the Night for that. I asked her for seats right next to my daughter, and she would not have it any other way.”
“Aww.” Rikka said while wrapping her feelers around her father. “This is just great!” She wrapped her other feeler around Seth. “We can now watch this as one big happy family, isn’t this great!?”
“Yeah...great.” Ingis and Selena said in underwhelming unison.
~
Back in the study room, Twilight and Genesect and been talking for over an hour, barely even realizing how much time had passed.
“Wait, so your first idea was to smash a dusk stone with a hammer?”
“Yeah…” Twilight said sheepishly, “In hindsight, that may not have been the best idea.”
The Bug-type legendary let out a laugh. “Next time maybe ask the experts before you try something like that again.”
“Sure, that way I can avoid having to clean up my entire lab.”
Both scientists let out a chuckle.
“You truly do have a mind meant for science Princess. I am elated that such a brain belongs to one the leaders of this nation. Your research will no doubt help bring ponies and Pokemon together.”
“Yes, that's all I want for the both out species, and this day will no doubt strengthen that bond.”
“Ah yes, speaking of which. How do you feel about integrating human technology into society? Minus the Pokeball of course.”
Twilight's eyes lit up. “Really? What kind of technology?”
“Well first off, I can’t help but notice that fast, long distance communication in the world is mostly limited to those magic scrolls. Am I right?”
“Yes, only very few are able to master the use of that spell. Spike is able to send letters with the power of his fire breath. While only high level unicorns can learn it. Otherwise the scroll itself has to be enchanted for lower level unicorns.”
“I see. Well I may have something that can help anyone talk to each other, without the use of magic. It's called a radio.”
“A radio? Yes, I believe I heard Professor Juniper mention them once. I believe it was called, telecommunication?”
“Yes, radios are just the first step for helping Equestria adjust to more widely available long distance communication. Just think about it, people will be able to talk to each other from all over the world. This will help bring others closer together as well as faster emergency response.”
“Yes, that would be very helpful. Although I’d kinda miss writing letters to Celestia about my lessons in friendship.”
“I have a prototype in my lab. It works, but there was a problem with it before I left.”
“Oh really? What kind of-...wait, what time is it?”
Genesect checked his internal chronometer. “It's 6:45 I believe.”
Twilight's eyes widened.
“Ohmygosh! It's 15 minutes before Princess Celestia raises the sun! I’m gonna be late.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry Princess, I must have wasted your time.”
“Not at all, but I gotta go now sorry!” And with that, Twilight ran out the door.
Genesect was alone for a moment before he thought to himself. “Hmmm, you know maybe I should check on that radio now. But I might miss the celebration myself.”
The legendary Pokemon thought for a minute before making his decision.
~
10 minutes until Princess Celestia raises the sun.
The crowd was starting to become packed now. Ponies and Pokemon from all over Equestria pushed and bumped against each other to try and get a closer look. Bird Pokemon perched on the trees, while Water type Pokemon filled the streams and canals.
A little Cubone and his Marowak parents shuffled through the crowd.
“Mommy mommy, I can’t see!”
“I know sweetie, just hold on for a second. The show hasn’t started yet.”
All of the World Leaders had taken their seats, while other VIP members began taking their reserved spots.
Moltres, Zapdos and Articuno perched in a spot right next to their father.
“So kids,” Lugia said. “Did you enjoy the party?”
“Yes father, it was nice,” Zapdos said.
“Although Articuno practically ate all the ice cream served there,” Moltres said.
“Hey! They kept refilling it! Plus no one said there was a limit!” Articuno said in her defence.
The guardian legendary of the sea could only chuckle, “As long as you had fun my children, I am happy that you are happy and well.”
The three birds all smiled at their fathers kindness.
“Thank you father.”
Nearby, Ash and his friends had all taken their seats by now.
“What do you think Ashy?” Latias said. “Are you excited?”
“I don’t know, I mean, we’re just watching the sun go up. Like I said before, I’m gonna try and enjoy this, but I don’t see what's the big deal.”
“Hmmm that is true.”
Misty interjected, “I guess one has to be ingrained into their culture in order to truly appreciate this holiday.”
Latios floated next to his sister.
“It's hard to believe we have gotten to this point,” the elder Eon duo member said.
“Yeah,” Latias nuzzled her brother for a second. “To think that we couldn’t do things like this back on Earth. This world really is the best outcome we could have asked for.”
“Indeed.”
~
The Hall of Legends.
Genesect entered his room and closed the door behind him, if his chronometer was correct, then Princess Celestia was about to raise the Sun any minute now.
“I shouldn't be here,” Genesect said to himself. “I should be out there with everyone else.
The legendary walked over to his prototype radio, his conflicted thoughts occupying his mind.
“She’s just raising the sun, what's so amazing about that?”
Other than the fact that it was meant at a day to celebrate the bonds between Pokemon and Ponies?
“Why, why can’t I connect with anyone? Sure Princess Twilight was nice to talk to, but why can’t I still not really care about them.”
Genesect looked upon the radio tower, and for once decided to be honest with himself.
Despite being a member of the Legendary Council, despite being someone who should be a guardian of the Pokemon. Genesect shamefully admitted to himself that he didn’t really care. He unfortunately never bonded with the Pokemon on a personal level like the other legendaries.
“I should care. They’re my people, the legendaries gave me a home when I had none. But I barely settled into my role as a legendary before I came here. And now I have to protect this new world?”
Genesect had never said this to anyone, but he preferred the humans world’s level of technology and innovation. Which was why he detested that fact that these ponies didn't even invent the car yet.
And there was one other thing he had yet to confide in anyone else. Genesect had not wanted to leave Earth.
He couldn't figure out why, but Earth was a place he felt more at home than here. Despite the problems caused by the humans, it was their home. And logically he felt that they should have stayed there and fixed whatever was wrong with it.
“But instead Arceus ran away, invalidating all the progress we have or will ever make on that world.”
Genesect walked up to the tower control panel.
“Oh well, no use crying over what has been done. Plus I doubt this is one of those cases where the past will catch up to us unawares.”
But as Genesect activated the tower, he began to hear something.
“What's this….a signal?” Genesect then began to boost the reception.
Genesect saw that the message was encoded. The computer had already translated it, but the signal was weak now.
“This is the……I am a survi-.......please meet me at……”
“It looks like it is playing on a loop, lets see if we can clear it up.”
But as the signal finally became clear, Genesct did not expect to hear what was being transmitted.
” I am a mage from Proper Human History. I am a mage from the correct history.”
“If you’re hearing this, please come find me.”
“This is the Baldanders. I am currently traveling across the North Atlantic Ocean.”
“I await other survivors. I repeat: I await other survivors from the correct history.”
“Please come find me at the following coordinates.”
“This is Baldanders, the Wandering Sea.”
*silence*
Despite his highly intelligent mind, Genesect could not understand most of what was said. Proper Human History? Baldanders? Wandering Sea?
Genesect entered coordinates from the transmission, and at the same time tried to isolate the source of the signal.
“What is going on here?”
Genesect soon isolated the signal, it was coming from what the ponies referred to as the North Luna Ocean.
With all that done, Genesect then looked at the clock, the Summer Sun Celebration was starting now!
The legendary bolted from the room, then transformed into his “high speed flight configuration” and flew towards the door that linked the Hall of Legends to Canterlot.
“I don’t know who sent that signal,” Genesect thought to himself. “But if it has something to do with humans. Arceus may need to know.”
Spike woke up slowly, his bloodshot eyes blinking before last night's memories started flooding back into him.
He remembered. He remembered how he tried to ask Rarity, the love of his life, to a dance. How his world was shattered when that arrogant looking stallion, no, Pokemon came up and stole his mare.
Spike had no idea who that guy was, he knew he was a Pokemon at the very least. But why did that give him the right to steal Rarity from him!? Spike had known and helped Rarity for years, since the day he met her. So what if he was some big shot Legendary Pokemon!? Spike knew her first, he had done more for her than he ever did!
All of a sudden, dark thoughts began to creep into Spike’s head. He imagined himself confronting that thief of a Pokemon. He imagined growing to adult sizes, and…
“No, this is wrong.”
Despite his immense jealousy and broken heart, Spike knew he was better than that. The last time he got jealous of someone, it nearly didn’t end well. Besides, even if he wanted to, Keldeo was a Legendary Pokemon. And no doubt picking an ill intentioned fight with one would bring the wrath of Arceus down upon him.
Resigning himself to the fact that there was nothing he could do, Spike closed his eyes and tried to go back to sleep.
But he couldn’t.
~
Twilight ran outside as the celebration was about to commence. She then flew towards the big crowd that was gathering around the main stage. Soon she spotted her friends in the VIP section.
“Twilight over here!” Rainbow Dash said.
The alicorn Princess soon landed and took her seat right next to her best friends.
“Hi girls, sorry I’m late.”
“Oh it's fine sugarcube,” Applejack said in response.
“Yeah,” Pinkie Pie added. “So long as everypony is here, everything is fine!”
Twilight nodded, but then, she noticed that someone was missing from their group.
“Hey, has anyone seen Spike?”
It was at that point that the girls noticed that the baby dragon was nowhere to be seen.
“He must still be in bed. But I would think he would not be lazy enough to miss this.”
“Maybe something happened to him?” Fluttershy said.
Twilight then noticed that Rarity had been awfully silent this whole time.
“Rarity?”
“Oh! Yes, what is it Twilight?”
“Are you alright?”
“Oh yes darling, just thinking.”
“About what?”
“Well...last night Spike came to me and was about to ask something. But then he just took off with tears in his eyes.”
“What!? Why?”
“I don’t know, I just introduced him to Keldeo and he just left.”
“Did Keldeo say something to him?”
“No, nothing offensive. And all I did was just say that he was my coltfriend…….oh.”
The situation soon dawned on everyone, and then they understood exactly why Spike was not here to join them.
“Oh no…” Twilight said.
Gene, Belle, and Melody took their seats, while Abby and her family sat in the row behind them.
“So what's gonna happen now, mommy?” The little Ralts asked.
“Well sweetie, we are going to get to see Princess Luna lower the moon and Celestia raise the sun. Not everyone gets to see this, so this is a special day where everyone gets to see it.”
“Wow. But mommy, I tried looking at the sun before, and it hurt my eyes. Won’t everyone hurt their eyes looking at the sun?”
“Hmmm, that is true. Tell you what, you can look away if the sun starts to hurt your eyes.”
Abby watched with a smile as Belle doted on her daughter.
“You know, I never thought that you might have a daughter.” Abby said to Gene, who leaned back to hear her. “And I certainly never thought that she would grow up in a world that's different from her parents.”
“None of us did Abby.” Gene looked on as his wife continued to explain to their daughter about the Summer Sun Celebration. “Although one day she will have to learn about the world where we all came from, and why we had to learn it.”
“And for good reason, I might add. To be honest, there's not much about Earth and humanity that I will miss. I really prefer being the fluffy Ninetales that I am now.”
“So do I~” Kasai said as he licked his mate.
~
Princess Celestia stood behind the stage, she could hear the chatter from the crowd as they eagerly awaited their Princesses to lower the moon and raise the sun.
“There is certainly quite a crowd here,” Princess Luna said. “If the number of voices that I can hear is any indication.”
“Yes, this is looking to be quite a turnout.”
“I’m not interrupting anything am I?”
Both alicorns turned to see a certain Alpha Pokemon standing beside them.
“Good morning Arceus,” Princess Celestia said warmly.
The god of Pokemon nodded to the sisters.
“Good morning Princess Celestia, Princess Luna.”
“Good morning Arceus,” Princess Luna said. “Is there something you wish to discuss?”
“No, not really. I just came to express my gratitude for doing all of this. You could have just waited until the anniversary of my arrival to do a celebration like this.”
“We could have,” Princess Celestia said. “But something tells me that this day was a perfect day to help bring our two peoples closer together. It's been months since you all arrived, and I want to do something to help show just how far we have all come together.”
“Indeed Princess, I know that there still are a great many things that we can do. If only because both our people learn to trust each other, we may accomplish those great things.”
“Yes, to think that less than a year ago, we never knew you existed. Now, it's hard to imagine what life might have been had you not brought the Pokemon here” Princess Luna added.
Arceus looked out over the crowd, the many happy faces of Pokemon was something that he had always wanted to see. Pokemon walking as equals. No prejudice, no discrimination, his people were finally living as he had always wanted them to live. Free and happy.
“Yes, it's hard to think that we might have remained on Earth. Under the yoke of….sorry, now is not the time to dwell on things that no longer matter.”
Arceus turned back to the co-rulers of Equestria.
“I know that I don’t say this often, but I am sorry that I just dumped my Pokemon into your laps without warning. I really have been trying hard lately to not just do anything I want without the consent and opinion of others. Even creator gods like me have to follow rules and ethics, even if it doesn't seem like we may suffer any personal consequences. After all, if omnipotent beings just did whatever they wanted on a whim, it would be..”
“Chaos?” A voice said behind them.
The three turned around expecting to see Discord, but he was not there. Arceus then looked around and saw the spirit of Chaos sitting next to Fluttershy, an innocent smile on his face.
“Anyway...I believe it's time for you to do what you do best?”
The Princess nodded, they then began to walk up the steps. Arceus then teleported to a spot right next to his Legendaries.
“It's nice to see that he has matured since he first came here, sister.”
“Indeed Luna, I think Equestria and what it stands for has helped him mellow out since those days. I may even consider inviting him over for tea with us once in a while.”
“Maybe, but for now. Let us do what we came here to do.”
The royals guards sounded their trumpets as Princess Celestia and Luna walked onto the stage. The cheers of the crowd exploded as their rulers came into view.
Princess Celestia held up her hoof, and the crowd went silent.
“My Little Ponies, Pokemon, and friends from around the world, we gather here today to celebrate. And oh we do have a great many things to celebrate and be thankful about.”
Celestia looked over the crowd, the diversity and size of it making her beam.
“We are here to celebrate bonds and friendships that we formed in the last eight months. Ever since the Pokemon arrived, they have been met with many things, skepticism, fear, and hostility. But they have also been met with open arms, kind smiles, and helping hooves. All the Pokemon wanted was a world to call home, a world that would treat them as equals in mind, body, and spirit.”
There was a wave of cheers from the crowd.
Celestia turned to the World Leaders who were seated before her.
“I would like to thank the World Leaders who attend this celebration today. Indeed, I would like to thank: Emperor Carapace of the Changeling Kingdom, Empress Victoria of the Griffin Empire, Empress Serva of Stagland, King Faris of Saddle Arabia, Grimm Halfpaw of the Diamond Dogs, Queen Oceana of Marelantis, Chief Thunderhooves of the Buffalo, Prince Shining Armor and Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, and King Trotankhamun of Zebrica how could not be with us today. I would like to thank each and every one of them for accepting the Pokemon as full citizens of their respective nations, without them, none of this would be possible.”
Another wave of applause sounded from the crowd. Which made some of the leaders like Cadence and Victoria blush or beam with pride.
“And last but not least, we gather here to celebrate the day of the return of my beloved sister, and your Princess, Princess Luna!”
The Lunar Princess smiled with pride as the crowd all shouted cries of joy and admiration for their second Princess.
“It's nice to know that I am appreciated.”
“Thank you my little ponies, you are too kind.”
“And now, me and my sister shall perform the sacred duty that was passed on from the ancestral unicorns of Equestria. The duty that brings both night and day to the entire world! The rising and setting of the Sun and Moon!”
A final wave of cheers came from the crowd before the guards once again sounded their trumpets. Then, Princess Celestia and Luna stepped forward.
Princess Luna was first. She flew into the air, not high enough that no one could see her, but from a certain point of view, one could think she was holding the moon itself.
The alicorn of the Night gently floated down, the moon following her at the same speed of descent. Finally she touched the floor of the stage, and the moon disappeared over the horizon.
Everyone was silent as Princess Celestia began to crouch her knees.
“Oh, this is my favorite part!” Twilight said.
Everyone watched with bated breath as Princess Celestia flew into the air, slower and not as fast as Luna. With each beat of her wings, the Sun rose from behind the edge of Equestria. The glow of the star grew brighter and brighter as its Princess flew higher and higher.
Until finally, the sun aligned with the golden arch on the stage, and the morning had finally come. Princess Celestia looked down upon her kingdom, their faces in awe as the light of the sun shined brightly over Equestria.
Once again cheers and applause erupted from the crowd. Cheers from the ponies who held great love for their Princess. The Pokemon and first-timers who had just witnessed this event, now understood why it was a sight to behold.
Princess Celestia then touched down on the stage, and Luna walked up to her sister.
“We did it Tia.”
Celestia looked at her sister with a smile.
“Yes, we did.”
But then, the cries of happiness from the crowd, suddenly turn into gasps of awe and confusion. Many of them started pointing and looking at the sky.
“The sky! The Sky!”
“What's happening, what's going on!?”
Celestia and Luna looked just as confused as the crowd, then they turned around to saw what had grabbed their attention.
The Sun and morning sky had begun to fade, soon the bright and yellow light of day was replaced with a blank blue night.
The reason why it could be called blank, was because there were no stars in the sky.
Soon, the looks of confusion turned into panic. Twilight then got up from her seat and flew onto the stage beside her fellow Princesses.
“Princess Celestia! What's going on?”
“I don’t know Twilight. Luna?”
“Tis not my doing, sister. I lowered the moon, but I was not responsible for this.”
“What is going on?”
~
Genesect flew through the castle hallways, trying to make his way outside. He then stopped in his tracks when he noticed the lighting change outside. Confused, he made his way to the nearest window and looked out.
The sun was gone, and in its place was a starless night sky.
“What in the name of Arceus?”
The Legendary Pokemon forgot for a moment the reason for his haste. His mind now fixated on the mysterious occurrence that people all over Equestria were no doubt witnessing.
But then, the situation got even eerier.
Something appeared in the sky, but they were not stars.
“Wait, what are those?”
~
Back at the stage area, everyone watched in awe as bright glowing meteors fell from the heavens. Five falling objects were counted in total, but what made them unnatural, was the trajectory of their descent.
“Wait, no, that's impossible!” Twilight exclaimed.
“What, this is it Twilight?” Princess Luna asked.
“The likelihood of a meteor falling straight down in a vertical angle is highly improbable, especially 5 meteors at the same time!”
“She's right.”
The three alicorns turned to see Arceus standing next to them, his gaze never leaving the falling stellar objects.
“Whatever those things are, they’re not meteors.”
“Then what are they?” Celestia said, a hint of worry in her voice.
Arceus concentrated his power, he attempted to observe the material and makeup of the meteors.
But to his utter surprise, he could not.
“What is this!?”
“Arceus, what's wrong?”
“I can’t discern the nature of those things.”
Twilight, as well as Celestia and Luna all gasped. As far as they knew, there was next to nothing that Arceus could not do. But the fact that he couldn’t glean the nature of a few space objects shocked them.
“Wait, what do you mean. Are your powers not working?” Luna asked.
“No, that's not the problem, my powers are fine. It's just that someone or something is keeping me from reading the nature of those meteors.”
“So, you mean someone is blocking your powers? Like if someone placed a spell on a book to keep you from reading it?”
“Yes, but the only other being capable of creating such a conceptual shroud would be another-
The terrifying realization dawned on Arceus, “No.”
Celestia looked, and upon Arceus’s face, she saw a facial expression that the god of Pokemon had never made before.
Fear.
But before anyone could say anything else, the shining falling objects disappeared over the horizon.
And with them out of sight, the sky suddenly returned back to normal. The Sun reappeared where Celestia had left it.
But despite the strange phenomenon seemingly being over, everyone was still on edge. Thankfully, Seth was there. And while he may be off duty, he was still a member of the guard, whose job was to help people feel safe.
“Hey boss, ya think we should do something?” Midnight Song said.
“Yeah we should,” The Luxray got up from his seat. “Ingis, Selena, Rikka?”
Seth’s Pokemon got up from their seats and stood at attention, “What do you need us to do brother?”
“Ok, I think we should start evacuating this place. Whatever that was, it scared too many people and ruined the mood. So we need-”
Seth stopped when he noticed that Selena wasn’t paying attention, it looked like she was staring off into space.
“Selena, you okay?” Ingis said to his mate. That's when everyone noticed that her horn was vibrating. Seth’s family took an instinctive step back, for anyone who was an expert on Absol knew the meaning of their horns acting up.
Selena however, was in a world of her own. Sensing the subtle changes in the wind, the Disaster Pokemon took off running through the crowd, ignoring the cries of her family. Weaving her way through many ponies and Pokemon, she searched for the target that was causing her such disturbance.
That's when she heard a voice.
“Mommy, I don’t feel so good.”
Selena didn’t know why, but she felt drawn to the source of the voice, she soon came upon a Cubone being cradled in his mother’s arms, and he didn’t look good.
“What’s going on here?” Selena made her way through a few more ponies before she arrived in front of the small family.
The mother Marowak looked up at the Absol with pleading eyes.
“It's my son, I don’t know what's wrong. One second he was fine, and then the next he just collapsed like he had a fever!”
Selena looked over the Cubone, he definitely was looking worse for wear. Then, that's when she noticed a certain bulge coming from the child's stomach.
“Did this kid have a lot to eat today?”
“No, he only had milk. Nothing that would stuff him.”
“I see, and now that I look at it, it doesn’t look like a natural bruise. I think he may have a contusion.”
Both parents gasped at the possibility that their son may be very sick. But before Selena could go get help, she sensed another disturbance.
Tick-tock-tick-tock
All the surrounding noise was drowned out as Selena began to hear the ticking of a clock.
Tick-tock-tick-tock
She tried listening for the source but couldn’t isolate it, it was as if the noise was coming from all around her.
Tick-tock-tick-tock
Selena tried focusing harder, then she heard a tick-tock sound that was very close.
She turned to look back at the Cubone, not noticing that Ingis had finally found her.
Tick-tock-tick-tock
The Charizard touched down as he tried to get the attention of his mate.
“Selena, there you are! Why did you run off like that?”
Tick-tock-tick-tock
Selena leaned closer as the mother continued to try and wake her child.
Ticktock-ticktock
She heard the sound speed up as she brought her ear closer to the Cubone’s stomach.
Ticktock-ticktock
“Selena, are you okay?” Ingis tried putting a claw on her shoulder.
Ticktockticktock!
Selena’s eyes widened.
Eyes, sides, knees, spine. Complete
“EVERYBODY GET DOWN!”
Ticktock Bomb!:
Dozing Bomb.
KABOOM!
An explosion rocked the entire mountain of Canterlot.
Twilight, felt a ringing sensation in her ears. As the noise died down, she opened her eyes. She then looked up and saw that Princess Celestia and Luna had shielded her from the blast with a protection spell.
“Twilight, are you alright?”
Twilight rubbed her ears as her hearing returned to normal levels
“Twilight are you alright?” Princess Celestia asked with a concerned voice.
“Yes, I think I’m alright.”
“Oh thank goodness.”
“What happened?”
Celestia looked behind Twilight, and her mouth hung open. The younger alicorn turned around and saw why.
Korrina coughed as she opened her eyes. She tried getting up, only to find that she was pinned down by some debris.
“I got you!” Korrina heard Lucario’s voice as he picked up whatever was pinning her down. After that, he held out his paw to which she used to get up.
“Thanks, Lucario, I could have been crushed by whatever that was-” Korrina looked in horror as she saw what had pinned her down.
It was the partially blown up corpse of a large earth pony.
“Oh dear sweet Arceus.”
Looking away from the grisly sight, the former Kalos Gym Leader surveyed the destruction that had transformed the beautiful scenery into a hellscape.
Everywhere there were dead ponies and Pokemon as far as the eye could see. Those that had survived, we’re either running around screaming, looking for lost loved ones, or cradling their dead bodies.
“What happened, who could have done this?”
The air was filled with the smell of fire and charred flesh, as well as screams of crying Ponies and Pokemon.
“I don’t know Korrina.”
The former human felt Lucario clasp her paw.
“But these people need our help, don’t you agree?”
Korrina looked at her partner, then nodded in determination.
“Yes.”
~
Arceus didn’t need to close his eyes when the explosion happened, but he wished he did.
His godly mind had seen and processed everything that happened. He saw how a number of explosions had occurred in several ponies and Pokemon. But by the time he realized what had happened, there was nothing he could do.
Arceus teleported high up into the sky and got a full view of Canterlot and just how far the damage had occurred. Aside from the main area where the Summer Sun Celebration was being held, there were a few concentrated fires in certain parts of Canterlot.
But the biggest section that caught his attention the most, was the large fire coming from the Pokemon district.
He could hear the screams of many Pokemon coming from the district, some of them dying, others trapped in their houses by fire and debris.
But before Arceus could cause the fire the cease, he heard several psychic voices call out to him.
“Father!!!”
“Azelf, Uxie, Mesprit, what is it?”
“The explosion, the fires!”
“Yes, I see them. I’m about to put them out now.”
“No you don’t understand, it’s not just in Canterlot!” Azelf exclaimed.
“What!? What do you mean!?”
“Father, it’s all over Equestria!” Mesprit added. “I’m getting high emotional readings from places like Manehatten, Las Pegasus, Cloudsdale, Maretropolis, Ponyville, and Baltimare!”
Upon hearing his daughter finish her telepathic message, Arceus teleported further into the stratosphere. He looked down upon the whole of Equestria and saw that what Mesprit said was true. Nearly every city and settlement in the kingdom had a fiery red glow to it. And from the looks of it, the dry summer season was causing the fire to spread fast!
“Oh me,” was the only thing Arceus could utter.
~
Back on the ground, Princess Celestia and Luna were doing their best to coordinate efforts to save the city. They had already sent the World Leaders to a safe location. Meanwhile, Twilight, her friends, as well as some of the former humans and their Pokemon had taken to the streets of Canterlot to resolve the situation there.
“Captain Grimsson! I need you to take your guards and form a search and rescue team. We have to evacuate the castle and clear out the festival.
“Yes, Princess Celestia!”
“Captain Crescent, Captain Song! Take as many guards as you need and begin evacuating the Pokemon District. That area seems to be the most damaged from the explosions. Save as many as you can, but don’t linger for too long. I fear that whatever caused those explosions may have compromised the support foundations that keep the mountain from falling on top of it.”
Seth nodded quickly, “Yes Princess Luna.” But just before he was about to turn around, Seth heard Ingis’s voice.
“SETH!”
The Luxray turned around and his heart sank at the sight of what Ingis held in his arms.
“Selena!” Rikka cried out.
The Charizard gently set down the Absol, he was badly burnt and was barely breathing.
“She was near an explosion, one that took out a family of Marowak.”
Princess Luna walked over and cast a spell that checked over the injured Pokemon. After it was done, she looked up.
“She’s alive, but she won’t be for long if we don’t get her to a hospital.”
“Uh, Princess.”
“Yes Captain Song?”
“The entire left wing of the Princess Cadence Hospital is a pile of ash.”
Princess Luna let out a frustrated sigh. “Very well, I’ll have the castle medics set up a makeshift hospital at my sister’s school for gifted unicorns. That place should have supplies that we can work with.”
“Good thinking Princess.”
Luna nodded and turned back to Seth, “I shall take care of Selena for now. But there are others who need you right now Captain Seth.”
Seth took one last look at Selena before nodding to Luna.
“Take care of her Princess.”
“You have my word, not an inch more of harm shall come to her.”
Seth then took off in the opposite direction, although Ingis stopped for a second to turn his head around.
“Please keep her safe.”
Princess Luna once again nodded, after which, Ingis took off after his brother.
“Princess Celestia!”
The solar Princess looked up as she finished giving orders to a group of guards. She saw an Infernape that she recognized as John Williams., who was also flanked by Princess Cadence, Prince Shining Armor, and Holly Hearts. The Pokemon stood at attention.
“Captain John Williams ready and willing to help in whatever way you need me to your highness.”
“Princess Celestia, I may no longer be a Captain of the Canterlot Guard. But I believe I can still be of use.”
“Ah yes, John, Shining Armor. I have sent Princess Twilight and her friends to help coordinate fire suppression in the city. She could use the help in putting out the fires.
“Yes, Princess Celestia!” John said in response.
“I’m on it Princess! Although can I ask you something?”
“Yes.”
“Where is Arceus? Is he helping with the relief efforts?”
Everyone stopped and thought for a second.
“Come to think of it, where is Arceus’ sister? I have not seen him since the explosion.”
“I haven’t seen him either Luna.”
“He could easily deal with these fires, so why-”
“Princess Celestia, everyone, listen!” The mental voice of Arceus sounded in everyone’s ears.
“Arceus, what is it?”
“It’s not just Canterlot that was hit, there are fires all over Equestria!”
There was a collective “WHAT!?” from everybody.
“I am better suited to teleporting all over Equestria to put out these fires. Can I trust you to deal with the situation in Canterlot?”
Celestia looked to her sister, and they both nodded.
“Yes Arceus, do what you have to, we shall handle Canterlot.”
“Very Well.” Arceus then cut off the mental link.
“Something, no, someone orchestrated this sister. A simultaneous attack on Equestria and all of her people. Who could be capable of performing such a monstrous act!?”
“I don’t know Luna,” Celestia turned her attention back to the raging fire that was consuming her city. “But we can find out after we deal with this.”
~
As a Pokemon Ranger, Abby Trombley’s job was to rescue Pokemon. So saving them from things like fires was nothing new.
Currently, the Ninetales was doing her best to lift a broken beam off of a Gloom. While Kasai broke down the door of a house to rescue a group of Meowstic.
“There's someone trapped under here!” A royal guard said, who was trying to dig out a Pokemon trapped under some wreckage.
“Ugh, someone help them!” Abby ordered. “I kinda have my paws full here!”
“I can help!”
The Pokemon looked to see the Pikachu she recognized as Ash Ketchum, running up to help the guard. “Just give me a second.” Ash got to work removing one stone at a time, unfortunately, his small size meant that he wasn’t getting the job done very fast.
“Ashy, stand back.”
The former Frontier Brain looked up to see Latias, the female member of the Eon duo lit up her eyes as she used the move psychic. The rocks safely came off in a way that would not cause the ones underneath to fall. Soon enough, the rubble cleared to reveal an injured Gible.
“Good work Latias.” Misty said as she finally caught up with her and Ash. “Now we just need to do something about these fires.”
“Right.”
“Misty, Latias!” Abby called out, “Use your water attacks on the building, the flames are too hot for any of the guards to get through.”
“On it!”
Both Pokemon came up to the building, and using a combination of Surf and Hydro Pump, extinguished the flames in the doorway, allowing the guards to get through. They then focus their water attacks on the windows that lead to the upper floors.
“Huh, didn’t expect to be doing this after the sun rose.” Misty said in between breathers.
“Me neither,” Latias grunted. “But we’re not done yet. Let's move on to the next building.”
“Right.”
Elsewhere the Legendary Birds of Kanto soared over the flaming spires of Canterlot Castle, Joined by their father Lugia, the ancient guardian of the Whirls islands directed his children in what to do.
“Okay, Zapdos, start up Rain Dance.”
“Yes father.
“Articuno, use a weak enough hail to cause a snowstorm.”
“On it.”
“And Moltres, use Gust to create a local current around the castle. This should maximize the effectiveness of this combination.”
“Acknowledged.”
Lugia watched as his children got to work.
Zapdos created a downpour without the lighting, his sister Arcticuno’s Hail caused the snow to mingle with the rain. If it didn’t melt on the way down, the snow would still douse the flames. Finally, Moltres’s Gust helped the rain and water reach places where it normally wouldn’t go. And surely but slowly, the Birds of Kanto saw their efforts bear fruit.
“Good work you three, I’m going to help put out the fires in the city.”
“Very well father.” Zapdos replied.
“Go, we got this!” Moltres added.
~
Inside Canterlot castle, most of the staff were being evacuated or rescued. But despite that, there were still those who were trapped in a few rooms.
“Help! Somepony help me!”
Spike was one of those few unfortunate.
“HELP! Twilight anybody!?”
Spike kept pounding on the dorm hoping that someone would hear him over the roaring flames. He turned his head around and scanned the room. It was quickly filling with smoke.
Nothing inside was on fire, but because the smoke had nowhere to go, it was starting to become suffocating.
Jumping out of the window was not an option since the room was a few stories of the ground. And Spike couldn’t even open it since the ceiling had collapsed in front of it.
“Come on! Is anyone there!? Please!”
Spike kept slamming his fists on the door, but to no avail. His strength was starting to fail, and his coughing was becoming more frequent.
“Please, help me.”
The baby dragon slumped to the floor, his vision becoming blurry.
“I’m sorry, Twilight…”
But just before Spike resigned himself to his fate, he heard a voice.
“Hey, is anyone in this room?”
Spike’s eyes widened, and he immediately got up.
“Yes, I'm in here. Get me out!”
“Alright, you might wanna stand back. Now!”
Spike quickly crawled to the other side of the room.
“Ok, I’m ready.”
There was a charging sound from the other side of the door. And in an instant, it was blasted off its hinges.
Spike looked up and saw his rescuer stepped out of smoke.
“My name is Genesect.”
“My name is Spike.”
“Yes, I saw you sleeping in here before. I thought you might have come out by now.”
“I...wanted to sleep in.”
Genesect walked over and grabbed the baby dragon’s claw.
“Well, nap times over, let's move.”
The Legendary Pokemon led Spike out of the room and into the hallway. They turned a corner, only to be met with more flames.
“Allow me to take care of this.” Genesect then grabbed his Water drive disc from his personal pocket dimension and inserted it into his back.
“Techno Blast!”
~
“Rikka, use Moonblast to blow away those debris. Ingis get those Pokemon out from the third floor of the building.”
“Got it Sethy.
“Whatever you say.”
Both Pokemon immediately got to work. But Seth was becoming increasingly worried as the fires continued to rage on.
“If only I had brought a Pokemon from the royal guard that could use water type moves. But they’re all spread too thin.”
Seth let out an electric discharge out of frustration, “I feel almost useless in this situation as a Luxray.”
“No use crying over what we can’t do Seth.”
The royal guard captain turned to see the honorary captain of the Crystal Empire walk up beside him.
“We just have to focus on what we can do,” John finished, who turned to look at the Luxray with a face of reassurance.
“Okay, your right. So what can we do? Last time I went to rescue someone from a burning building, I ended up in the hospital for a few days.”
“I have rescued Pokemon from places before. We just need to keep our heads down and be very careful not to exhaust ourselves.”
Seth nodded, “Okay I’ll follow your lead.”
“Good, lets go.”
Both law enforcement officers entered the building and made it to the second floor. They soon heard cries coming from one of the apartments.
“Someones in here!” Seth said.
John used a Mach Punch to bust down the door. Upon him and Seth entering it, he saw a Azumarill shaking in a corner.
John reached a hand out. “Ma’am come with us, we're here to rescue you.”
“But my baby boy! He’s trapped in the other room!”
“John, you get the mother out of her. I’ll get the kid.”
“Okay, ma’am I need you to come with me now. He’ll get your son.”
Although there was still fear in her eyes. The Azumarill nodded and took John’s hand.
Seth meanwhile found himself walking around a corner, only to find a room that was bursting with flames. Taking a deep breath, he leaped through the fire and into the room, although he was singed in a few places.
Seth looked around the bedroom, but saw no one.
“Hello? Is anyone in here?”
When no one answered, Seth activated his x-ray vision and saw a crying Azurill underneath the bed. Getting closer, Seth lowered his body until he could see the baby Pokemon.
“Hey, are you okay?”
The Azurill only continued to whimper in fear.
“Hey listen, I know you're scared. But you gotta come out of there.”
“But the fire,” Said the blue Pokemon. “It's scary.”
“I know it's scary kid, but this bed won’t keep the fire from getting to you. You have to trust me and come out of there.”
The Azurill looked hesitante for a second, but eventually he crawled out from under the bed. Seth then slung the Polka Dot Pokemon onto his back and turned towards the door.
“Okay, I know you don’t have hands yet. So bite onto my fur and hold on.”
The Azurill did what he was told and closed his eyes.
“Arceus preserved me,” Seth then held his breath again and jumped through the door.
Outside John walked the mother Azumarill out of the burning building and into the street.
“My baby, what about my baby!?”
“It's okay ma’am, Seth should be out with him any minute now.”
John turned back and looked at the building, although he had to admit, each waiting second was agonizing for him.
But then, he began to hear creaks and groans in the building's foundation. The structurally unsound noises only making his fear rise.
“Come on Seth come on. Your story doesn’t end here.” John then saw large cracks begin to form at the base of the building.
Suddenly, a large Luxray with a Azurill ran out of the building, just before the whole thing collapsed on itself.
“Mommy!” The baby Pokemon got off Seth and bounced towards its parent.
“Oh my baby!” The mother hugged her child, then looked at the two guard captains with grateful eyes.
“Thank you.”
“No thanks necessary ma’am,” John said
“Yeah, it's what we do,” Seth added.
The mother and son turned and joined the group of other Pokemon who were being treated by paramedics.
“You did good Seth. You may have even made a good police officer back on Earth.”
“Heh, I’m not sure they would have ever wanted me. Besides, there was another form of justice I was pursuing.”
Both former humans shared a small laugh.
~
Back at the castle, the Legendary Birds had all but put out the fires that had lit the outside of the castle.
“Looks like we're good here,” Moltres said.
“Yeah, we can just let the rain do its thing while the guards deal with the flames inside,” Zapdos added.
“Lets go and assist with putting out the fires in the city.” Articuno suggested.
But before the other two could agree with their sister, they heard something.
“HELP! HELP!”
The birds stopped what they were doing and looked for the source of the cries.
“Where is that coming from?” Moltres said looking around.
Articuno darted his head from one spot to another, until his eyes locked onto a certain section of the castle.
“I think it's coming from the training grounds.”
“SOMEBODY! HELP ME!”
The other two turned to follow their sister, soon they landed in the training grounds of the guard barracks.
“Hello, is anyone here?” Zapdos called out.
“We are the Legendary Birds, we’re here to assist you. Please precisely state where you are!” Articuno said.
Suddenly, there was a noise. But not the noise of a person calling for help, but the shifting and moving of metal.
The Legendary Birds looked up to see a large metal net forming over the training ground, the chains materializing from the four walls of the castle that surrounded them.
Confusion stunned the birds for a second, before Zapdos spoke up.
“What is the meaning of this? Who dares attempt to try and imprison us?”
“Oh this isn’t a prison,” a deep but audible voice said.
Zapdos looked around to try and find the source of the voice.
“It's to keep you from getting away.”
Articuno spread her wings and took an offensive stance.
“Whoever you are, I’ll just let you know, you are not the first person to try and capture us.”
“Oh really?” The voice said sarcastically.
“Yeah!” Moltres retorted. “And even if you wanted to, it's pointless. All we have to do is call out to Lord Arceus and he’ll be here in a flash.”
“I see, then it's a good thing we have him distracted for now.”
“Distracted?” Moltres said in confusion. “What do you mean?”
“Wait...are you the ones responsible for those explosions?” Zapdos said in an accusatory tone.
“Hmmmm, yes. You could say that. Although credit goes to my master for that idea.”
All three birds felt their anger rise.
“Why!? Why would you do such a thing?” Moltres shouted. “No doubt hundreds, if not thousands of Pokemon all over Equestria are dead or dying because of you!”
“Was this all just to get to us?” Articuno asked. “You just want to capture us, is that it?”
“Oh this isn’t to capture you.” The voice was louder and more clear this time.
The three legendary Pokemon turned and saw a shadowy figure walking through the flames.
“What I’m about to do, is meant to send a message.”
The birds stood together ready for anything.
But they could never have been ready, for what they saw step out of the fire.
“No..”
“Impossible.”
“How, how can this be!?”
The figure stood there, a creepy smile on his face. And his eyes, his eyes had an evil glint in them.
“To be completely transparent.”
The figure unsheathed the sword that was in his hand.
“I’m going to murder all three of you.”
The three siblings all stood, there. Their minds still trying to process what was standing before them.
Zapdos was the first to recover.
“THUNDERBOLT!”
A blast of lighting shot down from the sky, striking the spot where the person stood. When dust cleared, he was nowhere to be seen.
“Where is he? Did I get him?”
They all looked around, trying to find their adversary. Then, Zapdos felt something on his back.
“You know, when I was alive. I was a great manslayer.”
The Legendary bird of Lighting felt a blade press against his throat.
“So slaying a few birds should be easy, don’t you think?”
Sletch!
Tall Tale was a town that had a bad luck streak for the last year. When the Pokemon arrived, an Aggron rampaged through the town. Then the prices for goods skyrocketed, causing many to turn to petty thefts and poverty. Finally it was revealed that Mayor Grumble was a corrupt scumbag who used the town's money to commission a large golden statue. Thankfully after the Phantom Thief Fox exposed the rotten underbelly of the town's leadership, things were finally starting to turn around for the struggling settlement.
And then the bombs went off.
“Help! I’m trapped in here!”
“Hold on sir. I’ll be right with you!” a pony named Golden Star, the captain of Police for Tall Tale was trying to get to a pony who was trapped in a room. And the police had to work fast, because the fire was growing bigger.
“Come on dad lets bust the door down.”
“Silver Star wait!”
“What?”
“You see the soot around the door son?”
“Yeah.”
“This means the fire in the room has no ventilation, so if we bust it down, the inrush of oxygen will cause an explosion.”
Silver Star observed the door, and grimley confirmed what his father said was true.
“Oh crap, what do we do now?”
“A unicorn could teleport inside and get that poor pony out. Go down to the station and see of you can find-”
“Dad wait look!”
Golden Star was about to say what, but when he looked, he became just as stunned as his son.
The fire was shrinking and shrinking with every second.
“What's going on here dad?”
“I don’t know, but I think it's safe to go in now.”
Soon, both father and son cop had gotten into the room and rescued the injured and slightly scorched pony. As they helped him limp back out the door, they could hear a commotion coming from outside.
“What's going on?” Silver Star said.
When they got outside, they saw several Ponies and Pokemon standing and looking into the sky. Golden Star looked up and he became equally amazed at what he was seeing.
The Legendary Pokemon Arceus was currently hovering above Tall Tale. He had his Flame plate was currently equipped, and was using its power to draw all the fire from the city into himself, absorbing the flames.
Arceus floated there for a few more seconds before the last of the fire was out. He then let out a mental sigh, after which he put his Flame plate back where it belonged.
Opening his eyes, he looked down at the people of Tall Tale. Some stood stunned for a second, before the Pokemon residents began to clap and cry cheers of happiness, the ponies soon joined them in the cheering.
*Sigh* “That's the last city. Took a little longer than I expected. I would have thought my powers would have recovered more by now.”
It had been months since his conversation with Equus’s deity, months when she released the seal that kept him from regenerating his powers on the world. He should have gotten stronger by now.
“Maybe I’ll have a word with her after this is all over. Just to be cer-”
*Pang*
Arceus froze.
“....No.”
*Pang*
“Another one!?” The god said in a terrified tone. “But h-how can that be?”
It was no exaggeration when Arceus told Princess Celestia that his legendary Pokemon were a part of him. Indeed, every single one of them embodied a certain authority that he possessed as a creator god. Even his “grandchildren”, the legendary Pokemon such as Celebi, Hoopa, Phione and the Legendary Birds and Beasts all possessed a fraction of his power. Of his very self.
So in the event that any of them suddenly died, like Latios for example, he would immediately know it.
And as of that moment, he had just felt the passing of Zapdos and Moltres.
“Father help me! Lord Arceus! Anyon-”
*Pang*
Articuno’s scream ceased along with her lifesigns.
Arceus gathered the energy from the absorbed fires, and within an attosecond, teleported to where he had heard Articuno’s last words.
Upon materializing, Arceus sensed the faint presence of another entity, but it was gone a second later.
When his eyes looked upon the scene before him, he recoiled in horror.
“No….nonononono. How...did...this…”
Arceus stood, motionless for 5.21 seconds.
And then he let out a sound.
~
“Okay, we’re almost there. One more Bubble Beam Piplup.”
“You got it Dawn!” The Penguin Pokemon let out one final Bubble Beam. Putting out the last of the flames.
“Wartortle use Water Gun!”
“As you wish May!” Her Wartortle used his attack to extinguish a Tervanant that was on fire.
“Alright, good work Piplup, you to May.”
“Thanks Dawn, and you were great as well Wartortle.”
Both water type Pokemon beamed with pride at their trainers' praise.
The Pokemon coordinators looked around for a moment, it seemed as if all of the fires in Canterlot City and the Pokemon district had been put out.
“I think we did it. All the fires are gone,” May said.
“Except for the castle though.” Dawn pointed out, her gaze on the still burning palace.
“You think we should go there and help?”
“Maybe, I’ll see if Ash and Misty wants to-”
“RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGHHH!!”
A mental scream rippled across all of Canterlot, no, all of Equestria. It was a good thing that it was a mental scream, for had it been a normal one, everybody who had heard it would probably be deaf for 24 hours.
There was a long silence, then Dawn spoke.
“What in the name of Arceus was that?...May?”
The Delphox was still stunned for a second.
“Dawn, I think that was Arceus.”
“What, are you sure?”
May looked at Dawn with a serious face.
“I’m positive.”
“Well, if that was Arcues, it can be good if he’s screaming.”
“No kidding.”
~
At the Castle, Princess Celestia and Luna were at the castle, making sure that everyone got out safely.
“Is that everyone Captain Grimsson?” Princess Luna asked.
“I’m not sure Princess Luna. We still got teams inside looking for survivors.”
“Princess Celestia, Princess Luna!”
The alicorns and Grimsson looked to see two Lucario walking up to them.
“Korrina and Lucario. What is it?” Princess Luna asked.
“The Summer Sun festival has been cleared out, we wish to help in evacuating the castle.” Lucario said.
“Permission granted, although-” Princess Luna stopped as she saw Twilight and friends, along with Seth and John.
“Princess Celestia,” Twilight began. “All the fires in the city have been taken care of.”
“Yeah,” Rainbow Dash interjected. “Do you need us to do anything else?”
“Twilight, all of you. Let me just say thank you for all that you have done so far. And yes there's more that you can do.” Celestia turned to the castle. “As you can see the castle is still on fire. Now, what we need to do is-”
“RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGHHH!!”
Everybody froze, then some of them blinked a few times.
“What was that?” Pinkie Pie said nonchalantly.
“That was Arceus.”
Everyone turned to see Genesect walk out of the castle, with a shaking Spike by his side.
“Spike!” Twilight rushed and threw her arms around her assistant and held him close. “I was so worried. Are you alright? Nothing broke or out of place?”
Spike coughed up a few puffs of smoke. “I’m fine Twilight, fireproof remember?”
“You’re fireproof?” Genesect asked. “I guess you weren’t in much danger compared to me.” The legendary mumbled about his 4x weakness to fire.
“Genesect,” Princess Celestia began. “You said that scream came from Arceus?”
“Oh yes, I’m 100% certain.”
“Then what happened?” Seth said in a worried voice. “What could make Arceus scream like that?”
“I don’t know. I don’t think he ever let out a cry like that.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, actually wait. The other Legendary Pokemon said there were two times had made a cry that loud. The first time was when the first Pokeball was invented and used. The second was when Latios….oh no.”
Everyone looked concerned as Genesects face morph into one of horror.
“Genesect. What is it?” Twilight asked.
“We need to find Lord Arceus now!”
Genesect turned into his flight mode and flew back into the castle.
“Everyone follow me!”
The assembled group outside the castle wasted no time and followed the Legendary Pokemon back into the burning building.
However as soon as they reached a hallway that split, Princess Celestia stopped.
“Wait.”
Everyone stopped in their tracks.
“Korrina, Lucario, go look for survivors. The rest of us will follow Genesect.”
“But Princess,” the former Gym Leader began.
“Korrina, we can handle whatever is going on with Arceus. You two need to go and help others get out of the castle. I’m counting on you.”
Korrina looked like she wanted to protest, and the old her that first arrived here probably would have. But now.
“Okay Princess Celestia, you can count on me.”
“Thank you.”
“Good luck you two.” Twilight said.
The group then split off, one went towards the east wing of the castle, while Korrina and Lucario went to the west.
Genesect led the group down a few more corridors, until he finally came to a stop.
“Lord Arceus is beyond these doors, I can sense him.”
“These are the Royal Guard training grounds,” Princess Luna pointed out. “Why is he in there?”
“Can you sense anything else?” Twilight said.
“Actually, yes. Lord Arceus is radiating...pain..anger..sorrow. I...oh my.”
Genesect looked back to the group, and then back at the door.
Not being one for the dramatics, Genesect opened the doors quickly and walked into the Training grounds.
There they saw Arceus standing, motionless, and not acknowledging the new arrivals.
When everyone walked beside him and looked at what he was staring at, they all had different reactions.
Fluttershy and Rarity vomited. Applejack looked away. Twilight and Celestia stood stunned in silence. Seth, John and a few others took a few steps back, their minds trying to process what they were looking at.
Right there splayed across the training grounds, were the decapitated bodies of Articuno, Zapdos and Moltres. Their blood was still pouring from their wounds, staining the floor.
The place was silent for a good few seconds, then they heard the flapping of wings. Seth looked up to see the large form of Lugia touch down next to them.
The father of the dead birds walked a little closer, his brain trying to deny what was in front of him.
“No. My children, my precious..” Tears began to well up in his eyes.
Arceus, who up until this point had been silent, spoke. But the tone of voice he spoke was one not many people in that area had ever heard of, except maybe Lugia.
“Who. Did. This.”
Princess Celestia looked at the Pokemon god, and then tried to approach him.
“Arceus.”
She was only met with an eyeball sharply turning to look upon her, Arcues then began to radiate pure power.
“Who. Did. THIS!?”
~
“Who did this?”
Korrina and Lucario had come to an intersection, but they did not expect to find what they found.
All of the floor were dead bodies of Royal Guards, they had large lacerations on their sides, flanks and limbs. Most of them had their throats slit.
The grisly sight was enough to make the seasoned Gym Leader back up in fear.
“Lucario, who could have done this?”
“Korrina, I don’t-”
“HELP!”
Both Lucarios turned to the source of the voice.
“HELP ME! HEL-GACK!”
“It's coming from that room.”
Korrina vaulted towards the screams, when she entered the room, she gasped in unbelief.
Standing over the body of a dead Royal Guard, was something she never thought she would see again.
A human. A human with a blood stained katana in his hand.
“Huh, these chumps are what passes for warriors in this land?” The man said. “They're worse than those Pokemon.”
“Korrina, whats-” Lucario stopped as his eyes also laid upon the man. “Impossible.”
The man was dressed in traditional Kantonese clothing, he had a hat on his head that clashed with the rest of his clothing. He had two swords, one in his right hand, the other sheathed on his side.
Finally the man looked to the door and saw the new arrivals.
“Ahh, more lambs for slaughter,” the human flashed the pair a grisly smile.
Both Korrina and Lucario were capable fighters, Lucario more so than Korrina. But their aura sense told them that something was off about this man, that he was not normal. Not a normal human as he appeared to be.
Both parties stood facing each other, waiting for the other to make the next move.
“Lucario, go get Twilight.”
Lucario looked at his mate with disbelief in his eyes.
“What?”
“I said, I want you to go and get Twilight and the others.” Korrina then activated a Bone Rush, and wielded the weapon in her hands. “I’ll hold him off.
“Korrina you can’t be serious!?”
“Oh go right on ahead little dog,” the man said. “I’ll just have fun with this one until you get back.”
“Lucario!”
“Korrina, I’m not leaving you. You know as well as I, this man may look human, but if he was the one who killed all those guards then….”
“Lucario, The guy who is standing here is someone who as far as we know shouldn’t be here. We need Twilight and the others to come see this. They need to so that they can tell the others that there is a human in Equestria. Now go!”
Lucario wanted to protest some more, he really did. Korrina was his trainer, his mate. He could tell just by looking at this guy that his skill level far outclassed hers. And yet…
“Don’t you dare die until I get back with help.”
“I’m not planning to.”
And with that, Lucario bolted from the room, leaving Korrina alone with the murderous looking man.
“Alright pal.” Korrina spun her Bone Rush in a twirl before taking an offensive stance. “What do I call you?”
“Heh, since you’re about to die, I guess I could tell you.”
The man unsheathed his other sword and also took an offensive stance.
“It's Izou, Okada Izou.”
Korrina boosted herself with a Quick Attack, and closed the gap between herself and the Ghost of Tosa.
~
Lucario used Extreme Speed to retrace his steps, then look around every corridor until he found Twilight and the others standing in the training grounds.
“Guy come quickly is Korrina! She’s-”
Lucario paused for a second, as he gazed upon the dead bodies of the Legendary Birds.
“Lucario?” Twilight turned around to see Korrina’s partner standing there, himself experiencing the awful sight for the first time. “Lucario!?”
Twilight’s voice snapped Lucario out of his stupor. “Oh Twilight, Korrina’s in trouble she needs you all now!”
“Why, what's wrong?” Seth said, interjecting.
“Korrina and I found a bunch of dead bodies, then we found a-”
That's when Lucario noticed Arceus standing there motionless, but he could feel the power and anger radiating from his aura.
“Lucario? What did you say, Korrina’s in trouble?”
“Yes, just come with me now!”
Twilight turned to look at Princess Celestia, who nodded.
“Go, we’ll stay here with Arceus.”
“Alright.”
And so, everyone minus Princess Celestia and Luna followed Lucario down the hallways of the castle, you couldn’t go fast as they would not have been able to keep up. Which only made him worry even more.
“Please be okay, please be okay.”
Finally they all arrived at the room where he had left Korrina and Lucario burst open the door.
Upon going inside, his heart sank.
“No.”
Twilight, her friends. As well as Seth and John entered the room and gasped at what they saw. Although Seth and John had more reasons to be surprised.
Korrina was on her knees. Bloody cuts and lacerations all over her body. She had lost an eye, and her left arm was limp. The man was standing behind her, his blade pressed against her neck.
The former Gym Leader looked up with remaining good eye.
She managed to choke out, “I’m sorry, Lucario.”
“No way.” John whispered.
“A human,” Seth said. “But that's impossible, humans aren’t supposed to be here!”
“Wait. That's what a human looks like?” Applejack said.
“It can’t be,” Twilight gawked. “Arceus turned all the humans into Pokemon, he couldn't have missed one. Did he?”
“Maybe he’s a Ditto?” Spike suggested. “That's always a possibility.”
John was about to retort, but for reasons he knew, he kept silent for now.
Lucario meanwhile had found his anger.
“Let. Her. Go.”
“Oh, and why should I? The man said. “After all, killing is one of the pleasures of life.
Everyone was stunned at the man's statement, how anyone could enjoy killing and call if a pleasure of life was appalling.
“Besides, I killed a lot of people today. Those guards, those birds, what's one more life.”
“Wait, you killed the Legendary Birds?!” Seth’s body began to crackle with lightning.
“Yeah they were about the only ones who put up a good fight. Although to be fair, I did sneak up on the yellow one.”
Seth’s eyes glowed with anger. “When Arceus gets his hands one you, and believe me, he will. Well, lets just say you may want to kill yourself before he does.”
“Heh. Ahahahahahah!” The man let out a maniacal laughter that could only be associated with an evil person.
“I died once.”
The human sliced his sword across Korrina’s neck, her body fell to the ground, and she began to drown in her own blood.
“That's nothing new.”
“NOOOOO!” Lucario shot an Aura Sphere at the killer, but it just passed through him as he disappeared.
Lucario rushed to Korrina’s side. “Korrina, no, stay with me please!”
The mortally wounded former human attempted to speak, but only raspy voices escaped her lips.
“Korrina, please don’t leave me.” Lucario’s tears began to fall down onto her face.
Korrina lifted up her arm, and stroked the head of her partner. She formed a weak smile.
“I-I….I...L-love-”
Her arm fell down from her face, and the light in her eyes left her.
“Korrina? Korrina!?”
Lucario let out a few low sobs, he picked up his trainer's body and held it like he never wanted to let it go.
Almost everyone had either tears in their eyes or were looking away with their hands or hooves on their mouths.
Then, Twilight noticed something.
“Hey, what's that?”
A few, including John and Seth looked up and saw what Twilight was looking at.
There was writing on the wall, but the most obvious thing about it was that it was written in blood.
“The writing on the wall, what is it?”
“It's Kantonese, kinda, although it more of an old-style than the modern simplified,” Seth said
“What does it say?”
“It says: My name is Okada Izou, and this is ‘Ten Chuu’.”
“Ten Chuu?”
“It’s an old Kano phrase, it means: Justice from Heaven.”
A lone human stood up at a high point in Equestria, giving him a good view of all the death and destruction he had caused. The flames that consumed everything and everyone rose higher and higher into the sky. The smell of various burning things, flesh, wood, grass, and lives filled the air. The man took a big whiff of the repugnant smell, and then he exhaled in satisfaction.
All over the land, Ponies and Pokemon cried out in fear and agony. But for this despicable human being, he could only throw his head back and laugh. The kind of laughter one made when they were at their happiest.
After all. For Beryl Gut, killing was the greatest hedonistic pleasure in his life.
It had been several hours since the event that would be written in the history books as: “The Firebombing of the Summer Solstice”. It was well into the afternoon before things finally started to calm down. Well...as calm as one could be after the biggest terrorist attack on Equestrian soil.
While it would normally have taken days to take a census, Arceus and a few other psychic Legendaries helped perform the headcount in 3 minutes. The total eventually came to 13,739 wounded, and 46,290 dead.
Despite the number not even being a fraction of Equestria’s combined population of pony and Pokemon, it was enough to bring even the Princesses to tears. Families were lost that day, many lost their homes, some would be traumatized for the rest of their lives.
But even with the reality of the situation gripping the nation, there was one collective question on everyone’s mind.
Who could have been so cold and evil as to do this?
The streets of Vale City, a day later
Sunset Shimmer walked through the city as she watched various Ponies and Pokemon pick up and clear out various debris and wreckage. The former pupil of Princess Celestia looked and saw how many people had a dejected look in their eyes, while others had faces filled with frustration.
“Sunset, are you alright?”
The voice belonged to a red and white Braixen, her name was Ruby, and for the past 5 months, she had become one of Sunset’s most trusted friends. The unicorn looked at her friend with a face not too dissimilar from the people in the street.
“Well, would you be alright after all this?”
Ruby took a momentary glance at the sad sight.
“....No I guess I would not.”
The Magma Corporation was largely spared for some odd reason when the explosions went off. Which puzzled a few people, according to the calculations of the Team Magma scientists, a bomb had gone off in at least one square mile of each other. Upon further study, a horrible revelation revealed that the bombs were actually people.
A suicide bombing was quickly ruled out due to the sheer number and the fact that the ponies and Pokemon who served as walking time bombs had no apparent connection to each other. It was as if someone had chosen people at random and planted some kind of explosive inside them, and it was even more baffling that no one could tell they had an explosive inside them.
And yet, despite the enigma that was the bombs, there was one thing that was consistent with and where they had gone off.
“Someone is targeting Pokemon, that's what Brandon is theorizing for now.”
Sunset agreed with Ruby’s statement. Team Magma’s sources in various cities confirmed that the majority of bombs detonated in areas heavily inhabited by Pokemon. The fact that the death toll was higher for Pokemon compared to Equine borne citizens only added credit to the theory.
“You think it's some kind of radical group?” Sunset said. “Someone who is against the Pokemon living here?”
Ruby thought for a second.
“I don’t know, I may have lived with you ponies for only 8 months, but I have come to know you all as kind and tolerant people. Ponies who discriminate and are bigots are far and few in-between. This doesn't seem like the kind of thing that your kind would do.”
“And yet even the most perfect society can produce one anomaly to balance the scales.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, an old pony philosopher once said: ‘Even the most debauched and fatuous society can, on occasion, produce something beautiful’.”
Sunset then looked her friend in the eye.
“But if that is the case, the opposite must be true. If there is a perfect society that has no flaws, no evil, the universe will correct that by creating an evil to balances the scales. To remind us that evil exists.”
Ruby was a little surprised at Sunset’s words, she never expected a pony to have such a point of view.
“You really believe that?”
“I know because I was once that evil. I wanted to be a Princess, but not for the right reasons. I became a monster for power.”
“But you changed.”
“And yet I still did those things.” Sunset turned and looked back at the city. “I always wondered what would happen if our society reached a point of true perfection? What would become of us if we had said all we had to say, discovered all we could ever find, if we had nothing left to conquer? Would we become a cold complacent race, with nothing left to do but die?”
Sunset recalled reading a certain comic book back in the world on the other side of the mirror. It was about a superpowered human who was sent back in time from a future where his people had lost the will to live. His parents wanted him to change the past, but he would inadvertently set off the very chain of events that created that dead-end future. A doomed world orbiting a red sun.
“Oh well, if such a world exists I do not know of it. Besides we should be focusing on the here and now.”
“Right. So why don’t we go and help these people. Gridlock and the others should be here soon to help.”
Sunset Shimmer gave a small smile.
“Yeah, that's a good idea.”
Canterlot Castle, Meeting Room
John tapped his fingers on the table as he waited for the last few individuals to arrive before the meeting could start.
The Infernape sat next to Princess Cadence and Princess Shining Armor at one end of the table next to the head chair reserved for Princess Celestia or Luna. Opposite of him was Twilight and her friends. Others who filled the remaining seats were: Seth, Gene and Belle, Abby and Kasai, Captain Grissom, and Genesect. The Legendary Pokemon was here cause he claimed that he had something important that he had to tell.
“And he’s not the only one.”
They had all been there for maybe 5 minutes tops, but given the mood and everyone's expressions, it may as well felt like an hour.
John continued to tap his fingers until Rainbow Dash had enough.
“Would you cut that out!”
“Oh, sorry Miss Dash.”
“Don’t call me Miss, it's either Rainbow or Dash, or a combination of the two.”
John sat up in his seat and straightened himself.
“Very well, my apologies Rainbow Dash.”
The cyan pegasus then had a look of frustration on her face.
“No, I’m sorry. I shouldn't have snapped like that, it's just-.”
“The wait is killing you?” Applejack finished.
“...Yeah,” Rainbow said sheepishly.
“It's fine Rainbow,” Twilight said. “I’m sure all of us are waiting to get this started.”
“Well,” Seth began. “While we wait, can ask you something Twilight?”
“Yes, Seth?”
“How is Lucario doing?”
Twilight looked down at the table, she shook her head.
“Not good, he’s shut himself in his room, and he says he doesn’t want to see anyone.”
“Oh poor Lucario,” Fluttershy said.
The room became silent for a moment. Korrina was someone whom many of them had come to regard as a good friend over the past eight months. They all remembered how when she first got here, she was not very happy about being a Pokemon. Gene remembered how she kinda took her frustration out on him and Belle, seeing people like him as the reason for why she was transformed. While not completely untrue from a certain point of view, Korrina later apologized and he forgave her. Plus the irony that she eventually fell in love with her own partner Pokemon was not lost on anyone. Korrina, and many others like her came to accept what had happened to them. They eventually moved on and fully embraced their new lives in this world.
Unfortunately for the Gym Leader of Shalour City, her life in this new world was brief, cut down before it could run its course.
When her grandfather, the Mega Evolution guru Gurkinn, heard of his grandaughter's murder, his reaction was not too dissimilar to Lucario’s.
“I swear,” Applejack began. “When I find that no good sonuva#@$%. I’m gonna make sure he feels 20 times the pain and suffering he caused today.”
“Get in line,” Rainbow Dash grunted.
“Actually, I think we should focus on discovering who is behind this attack on Equestria, rather than revenge at the moment,” Cadence stated.
Applejack still looked upset, but kept quiet.
“Let's just hope the Princesses and Arceus get here soon,” Twilight said. “Cause I’m pretty sure we all have a lot of questions and not many answers.”
~
Princess Celestia and Princess Luna walked down the still charred and damaged hallways of Canterlot Castle. Despite the extensive damage to the palace, places like the meeting rooms and the throne room were still intact, although the damage report told them that the kitchen and Guard Barracks would be out of order for a while.
It was a good thing that most of the restaurants in Canterlot were still standing, so take out was an option.
“What are you going to say first sister?” Luna asked.
“I’m still working on that Luna, after all, I’m sure many of them will have different questions that they want to be answered first,” Celestia responded.
“Well, even so, if Arceus isn’t at the meeting room already, then that gives you more time to think of a proper question.”
“True, but I wouldn't count on him to miss this, not after what all of us have been through.”
“Yes,” The Lunar alicorn said solemnly.
Not long after they had discovered what happened to Zapdos, Articuno, and Moltres; Arceus had taken their bodies back to the Hall of Legends. No doubt they would be getting a proper burial there. After everything had calmed down, Princess Celestia had told Mewtwo to tell Arceus that there would be a meeting first thing tomorrow to discuss the recent events. While Celestia knew that the god was no doubt mourning the loss of three of his family members. The matter of discussing who did this and why would no doubt be something he would want to be a part of.
The two royal sisters arrived at the doors to the meeting room, no doubt the others whom they had called were waiting inside.
“Well, shall we proceed?”
As soon as the doors swung open, all eyes were on the Princesses, they then took their seats as they waited for the last individuals to arrive.
And then, as soon as the clock struck 11, there was a flash of golden light, and in its place was Arceus and Mewtwo.
“Hello everyone,” The Psychic Pokemon said mentally.
Celestia was about to chastise Arceus for just teleporting in without warning. But she bit her tongue, she had a feeling the god was NOT in the mood for a lecture on manners. And besides, he did arrive at the exact time she asked him to be here.
Celestia nodded. “Hello Arceus, Mewtwo.”
“Princess Celestia,” Arceus responded in a neutral voice.
“Let's get this started shall we?” Mewtwo added.
“Alright, so I have asked the World Leaders to remain in their rooms for now, with 4 guards posted at every door and corner,” Celestia stated. “Givin what just happened, it is not safe for them to leave now. I have a team of guards searching their ships in case any sabotage or tampering was done to them. So they may be here longer than they anticipat-”
“That's all well and fine Celestia,” Arceus interrupted. “But I believe it's best we get to the point of why we are all here.”
Celestia was a bit surprised that Arceus interrupted her, but decided to let it go. After all, everyone was probably thinking the same thing he was.
“Very well, let us cut to chase.” Celestia turned to her sister and nodded.
Princess Luna cleared her throat. “So, as we all know and experienced yesterday morning, Canterlot and nearly every city and settlement in Equestria was bombed in a vicious terrorist attack. We currently have no idea who is behind this evil act or why. That fact that they have not issued a statement or anything is even more strange.”
Princess Celestia turned to look at Seth. “However, thanks to the sacrifice of Korrina, we may now have some lead as to who the perpetrators are, or at least what they are. Am I correct Captain Crescent?”
Seth nodded and then took over from Princess Luna.
“As most of us know, an hour after the bombs went off, the Legendary Birds of Kanto: Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres were found murdered in the training grounds of Canterlot Castle by Arceus.”
For a moment, all eyes were on the ancient God, who still had a neutral face.
“Later, Korrina and Lucario encountered an assailant in the castle who had murdered several guards. After Lucario had left to come and get me, John as well as Princess Twilight and her friends, all of us eventually discovered that the attacker...was human.
Celestia glanced over at Mewtwo, the legendary’s eyes flashed blue for a split second.
“After murdering Korrina, the human disappeared. I don’t know if it was teleportation or not, but if it was, it wasn’t anything like I had ever seen. After he was gone we discovered a blood written message on the wall stating ‘My name is Okada Izou, and this is Ten Chuu’. Which is an old Kanto phrase meaning, “Justice from Heaven’. And before he disappeared, this Okada also confessed to killing the Legendary Birds.”
The room was silent as Seth finished his statement, everyone sitting at the table had either a look of confusion or anger on their faces.
Then Abby spoke up.
“Ok, let's get the biggest question out of the way. How the frack is a human here? And how did he manage to kill three Legendary Pokemon?”
“I would have to concur with Trombley,” John stated. “The death of a legendary Pokemon has happened only one time in all of Earth’s history. And from what I understand, the Legendary in question, Latios, died sacrificing his life out of his own volition. Someone, fighting and murdering three Legendary Pokemon is not impossible. But from what Arceus stated, he felt the Legendary Birds being killed within a span of 7.43 seconds. I cannot even begin to imagine how this Okada Izou pulled that off.”
Everyone became a little spooked as John described how quickly the birds were killed. Killing three people in a matter of seconds wasn’t impossible, but three Legendary Pokemon who had existed since the beginning of time? One could only imagine how powerful someone would have to be to do something like that.
“Are we certain this man did this all by himself?” Grissom said. “He did not have any accomplices or anything?”
John shook his head. “If he had any, they were unseen or had already left.”
“Hmmm, then we are at an impasse. It seems the question of how he killed them will have to wait. So let's go back to Miss Trombley’s first question: How is a full flesh and blood human here on Equus, I thought that Arceus had turned them all into Pokemon?”
All eyes turned to Arceus, who then spoke in a very serious voice.
“For the record, I did a complete genetic sweep of the planet after I had gathered the bodies of my grandchildren. If there was even a single human in this world, I would know their exact location.”
“And?” Luna said.
Arceus starred for a moment, before slowly shaking his head.
“Nothing. Not a single human.”
This obviously confused everyone in the room.”
“WHAT!?”
“How can that be?”
“Did you double-check? Maybe you missed something?”
“I double and triple checked!” Arceus' voice had a hint of annoyance in it. “In fact, I checked until I was becoming so frustrated, I blew out a wall in the temple!” Arceus took a deep “breath” and calmed down. “But no, I couldn’t find a single human on Equus.”
The room then became quiet again, Genesect looked like he was about to say something until Arceus spoke again.
“But I think I may know why.”
Now, everyone looked puzzled again.
“What do you mean?” Twilight asked.
“When I scanned Equus, I didn’t find any humans, but I did find something else. Somethings to be exact.”
“What did you find?” Celestia said.
Arceus looked at everyone in the room. “It's best if I actually showed you all.”
The Pokemon god then projected a 3D image on the center of the table, it was a live feed of the planet Equus, but what made everyone gasp was not the planet itself, but what was on it.
Five storm domes were currently anchored to the surface of the planet. The storms did not appear to be moving or showing any abnormalities, but the fact that they did not look like any storms most of them had seen before puzzled them. One storm was south of the Saddle Arabian nation, another was to the east, one was northeast of Equestria and above Griffinstone, the largest storm was in the middle of the Marelantic Ocean. And the final storm was occupying the same continent as the Changeling Empire.
“What are they?” Rainbow Dash said. I've never seen any storms like those.”
“I don’t know, but what worries me is that my senses can’t penetrate the storm's walls, it's as if something doesn’t want me, or anyone to see what's going on in there.”
Celestia’s eyes widened as she realized where one of the storms was located. “Oh no.”
“What is it, Princess?” Seth said.
“Marelantis, the biggest storm has covered the entirety of Marelantis!”
“What!?” Luna said. “Arceus, do the storms affect the very seas? What of the people of Marelantis, are they safe?”
“I don’t know, I tried everything, but nothing I do is getting through those storms.”
“This is terrible. How will we tell Queen Oceana about this?”
“I don’t know Luna, but she will have to find out eventually.”
Twilight was about to say something, but then she had a realization.
“Wait a minute. Five falling meteors, five large storms big enough to swallow an entire country. You don’t think that-”
“If you are wondering if those meteors we saw earlier are the cause of all of this, then you may be right Princess Twilight,” Arceus stated. “I calculated their trajectory where they fell, and sure enough, the places where they landed are where the five storms are currently raging.”
“How can five meteors cause 5 massive storms that even a god can’t penetrate?” Abby said.
It was at this point, Mewtwo noticed that Princess Cadance and Shining Armor were whispering amongst themselves. John had noticed as well, but didn’t say anything.
“Princess Cadence.”
The pink alicorn yelped as Mewtwo’s mental voice sounded in her head.
“Is there something you wish to discuss with the rest of us?”
The royal couple looked to see that everyone was staring at them, obviously Mewtwo had all made them all aware of their silence.
Cadence looked at Shining Armor, who nodded. “It's fine Cady, it's time we told them.”
“Told us what?” Rarity asked.
“Well, it's something that we have kept a secret before the Pokemon even arrived here. Princess Celestia and Luna know about it. But asked us to keep it a secret from everyone but a select few.”
“And that is?” Genesect said.
“These are not the first dome storms that have appeared on Equus.”
There was a collective gasp, almost no one had expected that to come out of Cadence’s mouth.
“This has happened before?” Twilight said. “Where?”
“It happened north of the Crystal Empire, a year before the arrival of the Pokemon, on the day you were crowned Twilight.”
“Really, it happened on that day. Wait, hold on for a second, why wasn’t I told any of this?”
“Twilight we never meant to keep this from you.” Princess Celestia said in her defense. “In fact, before the Pokemon arrived we were just about to send you to the storm to see if you could figure out what it was.”
“But then the Pokemon arrived and I guess that became a low priority for you guys,” Seth said.
“Yes, unlike certain threats like Discord and King Sombra, the storm while mysterious, was not dangerous unless one tried to force their way in. We didn’t feel the need to involve Twilight and her friends on something that was not an active threat to Equestria.”
“Ok, I understand.” Although Twilight was a little miff no one had told her until now.
“The day before we all came here,” Shining began. “The storm wall had disappeared and beyond it, we found out that people had been living inside the storm this entire time.”
“Really?” Arceus asked.
“Yes, they call themselves Yaga. Oh and to everyone here from Earth get this, they said that the land they were living in was called Russia.
The former humans and Pokemon present were shocked.
“Russia?” Seth said. “As in cold harsh comrade Russia?”
“Well the place was cold I tell ya that. Me, John, and a platoon of guards went to investigate. We found a village that pointed us in the direction of the capital. There we found a human, a human who called himself Avenger, or Antonio Salieri.”
“You found a human there?” Arceus said.
“Yes.
“What did he say?”
Shining looked at John, who took over.
“He said that he was part of a group of humans who called themselves the ‘Chaldea Security Organization’. Or their full name: The Organization for the Preservation of Human Order, Finis Chaldea.”
The last sentence made everyone, particularly a certain few individuals, stop in their tracks.
“Organization for the Preservation of the Human Order?” Abby said.
“Yes, that's exactly what he said.”
Some of the people at the table looked at Arceus, who once again did not show any semblance of emotion. At least on the surface.
“Human Order? What does that mean? Are they some kind of pro-human group trying to resurrect humanity?” Seth rubbed his chin in thought.
Mewtwo let out an audible *Hmph* “If they are some kind of pro-human group, then they are obviously a bunch of suicidal fools. No human will ever walk the planet again, be it a former one, or a new one. Not even those idiots at the ‘New Team Magma’ can do anything about it.”
“Who?” Applejack asked.
“Just some stubborn idiots who are living in Vale City,” Abby said in a mocking tone. “They’re made up of members from the old Team Magma who somehow were ‘worthy’ enough to come here. They haven't done anything except pointlessly protest what Arceus did to them. Some of them have even used glamour spells to make them look human, a bunch of losers if you ask me.”
“Wait, Team Magma was worthy enough to be brought here?” John said, sounding surprised. “Even their leader Maxie?”
“Yeah, although I heard it's his son that is leading the Team now.”
John looked at Arceus, who just shrugged.
“To be honest, I didn’t really expect them to make it here either. Obviously what they're doing is pointless, but so far it's also been harmless. So I have decided to let them be for now. But with that being said, what about Chaldea? Was that all you were able to glean from this Antonio person?”
“Actually, just before he just disappeared for some reason, he said that the Lostbelt was about to disappear, but that we would be safe because our ‘Root of Fantasy’ had not fallen yet. And then, that's when everything started to fade away.”
“What?” Celestia said.
“Yes, everything from the Yagas to the sky and ground just began to disappear, as if it was being wiped from existence. We made a beeline for the Crystal Empire and found that everything in ‘Russia’ had been erased as if it had never been there. In its place was a white blank slate.”
Celestia turned to Arceus. “Is this true?”
Arceus closed his eyes for a second and then his body glowed, he then opened his eyes and spoke.
“It's as John said, the entire North Pole is gone. The only thing that's left is a blank white ground as far as the eye can see.”
“Oh dear sweet Celestia,” Twilight said. “So wait, that human said that the Lostbelt was about to disappear, was he referring to Russia?”
“I have no doubt,” John said. “I think that I can reasonably conclude that whatever is inside these storms, it seems they are environments called Lostbelts and that there are people living in them.”
“But what does this have to do with this Chaldea group?” Princess Luna stated. “And how is it connected to the bombings and murder we experienced recently?”
Everyone murmured and looked at each other, but no one could seem to come up with an answer.
Then Genesect spoke up.
“Actually, there's something else.”
Arceus looked at the newest member of the Legendary Council. “Genesect?”
“Well, I recently told Princess Twilight that I had built a radio tower. One which I plan to reintroduce back into society. But when I went back to check on it after the All-Night Gala, I discovered that it had picked up a transmission.”
“A transmission?” Seth said. “You mean someone on Equus has a radio other than you?”
“Yes, and I may now have an idea who.”
Genesect turned to Arceus.
“My Lord, if you could bring my radio here? It should be in my roo-”
There was a flash of golden light, and a large radio receiver appeared behind Princess Celestia.
“Thank you.”
Genesect got up, walked over to the machine, and then began to playback the signal he had received.
”I am a mage from Proper Human History. I am a mage from the correct history.”
“If you’re hearing this, please come find me.”
“This is the Baldanders. I am currently traveling across the North Atlantic Ocean.”
“I await other survivors. I repeat: I await other survivors from the correct history.”
“Please come find me at the following coordinates.”
“This is Baldanders, the Wandering Sea.”
The room was once again silent, as this latest piece of news had everyone on the edge of their seats.
“Proper Human History? Wandering Sea?” Twilight was now even more confused. “This just keeps getting more confusing.”
“I concur with Twilight,” Arceus said. “That being said, these names and terms, Human Order, Proper Human History, they can’t be unrelated.”
“That message,” Luna said. “Perhaps whoever sent it was trying to reach this Chaldea Organization?”
“It's very possible. But that's not all. The names of these humans, Okada Izou and Antonio Salieri. They aren't just random names.”
Celestia raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”
“Back on Earth, Okada Izou was a manslayer who lived during the late Edo period of Japan, the continent home to the Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh regions. He was an assassin for the Tosa imperial party at the time, and killed several people before being betrayed and executed.”
“A political assassin?” Celestia had heard of various groups in other countries using such underhanded tactics to gain power and advance their causes.
“Yes, and Antonio Salieri? He was a musician who lived and died 50 years before Izo in the Kalos region. His most famous rival was Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, a fellow musician who was rumored to have been killed by Antonio. Although that part was untrue.”
There were once again a few stunned faces, then Seth spoke up.
“That's right, when I was in the Kalos region, I read up about the story of Mozart and Salieri. Their music was some of the best humanity has ever produced, even Meloetta herself once visited them in order to hear their songs.”
“Yes, Meloetta did speak fondly of them.”
Twilight spoke up again. “Arceus, you can’t seriously be suggesting that humans came back from the dead? Like ghosts trying to haunt the world?”
“Yeah,” Seth interjected. “Cause I got a good X-ray look at Izou, and unless he was a ditto who was a real big fan of the original Okada, the guy who killed Korrina was 100% human.”
“Well, that message said that the person who sent it was from Proper Human History. And from what Arceus said, Okada Izou and Antonio Salieri are people who died and made a mark on human history,” Genesect concluded.
Arceus thought for a moment.
There are so many questions and not enough answers. I can only guess what all of this means. But these implications have me worried about one thing above all else
The god looked out the window.
Is someone or something trying to bring back humanity?
Arceus started to have flashbacks, various memories, and screams of Pokemon suffering, suffering at the hands of...
“N-no. No again.”
“I’m afraid that all we have to go on at this point is theories and guesses,” Luna stated. “Arceus, is there some way that you may be able to find out what is going on?”
The Alpha Pokemon snapped out of his thoughts and raised his head.
“Forgive me, Princess Luna. But as it stands, there is too much we don’t know and understand. If humans are behind this, it's not something the ones from my world could have pulled off. Additionally, when I tried to sense the nature of those meteors, I could not read or get a sense off of them. And I fear that reason why, is because my powers were being blocked, by another god.”
Everyone's eyes widened, and Celestia nearly fell back in her seat.
“Another God? You mean someone other than you?”
“Yes. I don’t know who or what they are, but there was no mistaking that those meteors had a divine aura protecting them.”
Twilight raised her hoof.
“So what you were saying, was that those meteors came from another god? But I thought that you were the only one.”
Arceus shook his head.
“I said that I was the only one from my universe, I never said that there weren’t any in this one.”
“So what?” Seth asked. “Is this a god from this planet? Or an alien god from a foreign planet?”
“I am not sure, I have yet to explore this universe to meet gods, not of this world.”
Seth let out a disappointed sigh.
“However.”
Only to raise his head at attention gain.
“I have met one god who is from this world.”
“Wait really?” Twilight said. “Who are they?”
Arceus got up from his spot and began to float.
“My apologies everyone, but I have something I must attend to, I have to go for now..”
Everyone stopped talking and looked at the god.
“Go?” Celestia said surprised. “Arceus this discussion is not over.”
“I know, but we are no sooner getting to the bottom of this mystery.”
Arceus then began to glow in a golden light.
“I’ll be back shortly. Continue without me.”
Before Celestia could protest any further, the Pokemon god vanished in a flash of light.
The Solar Princess let out a groan.
The place Arceus was going to was somewhere he had only been to once since arriving on this planet. It was a place where he had experienced a bit of humbling for once in his life. Although whether or not that humbling would have any lasting effects was yet to be determined.
Once again, Arceus found himself in what was considered the “Afterlife” for the people and creatures of Equus. The last time he came here, it was a beautiful realm akin to a sea of flowers, where the souls of people who long faded from this world spent the rest of eternity.
But when the God of Pokemon materialized into the ethereal plane, he was surprised to find that it looked different from before.
Rather than a field of flowers where souls played and rested in a perpetual daytime, instead, that was all replaced with a field of grass in a glowing sunset.
Arceus looked around, he saw that no one was here.
“That goddess must be playing tricks on me again, or maybe she wants me to come straight to her.”
Sure enough, after flying for a while, Arceus came upon a tree with a plain Earth Pony mare under it. Only this time, the tree had no apples, and the mare wasn’t sleeping, but standing and staring at the sunset.
Arceus gently touched down beside the mare, but she didn’t acknowledge him, only continued to stare at the eternally setting sun.
*Ahem* “Hello again.”
Still no response.
“Ok look, I know I still didn’t knock this time. But considering that there is not really a door to knock, plus the circumstances of why I am here, I hope you can excuse my rudeness.”
The goddess in the shape of a green mare was silent for a few more seconds, then she took a deep breath and exhaled loudly.
“I know Arceus, after all, I was expecting you.”
It did not escape his notice that she did not refer to him as “child” this time, instead, she called him by his name for once.
“Then you know why I am here.”
“Yes I do,” The goddess then laid on her side. “Sit down.”
Arceus did as he was told.
“I am not going to ask you if you have made any mistakes in your life, because we both know that you have made monumental ones.”
The Alpha Pokemon almost flinched, remembering the lecture she had given him the last time he was here.
“But to be fair, so have I.”
Arceus blinked.
“It’s rare for a god to be born perfect. But in many ways, they really should be. Too many times, mortals have needlessly suffered because their god was not perfect. They in many ways have the same faults and needs as their creations.”
She turned slightly to look at him.
“But that’s just the Omniverse we were born into.”
Arceus nodded, “Yes, I suppose we all have to work with what we got.”
She turned back to look at the dusk.
“I’m am glad that you understand. Cause we both have unknowingly, and tragically made major mistakes that may have just doomed both our worlds.”
Arceus backed away due to just how serious she sounded.
“What are you saying?”
This time, she turned to look at the Arceus straight in his face.
“Tell me Arceus, did your universe employ the Many-worlds interpretation?”
Arceus knew what she was talking about, the theory that for every and any action not taken, there was a world where that other “option” had been chosen.
“More or less. I came from a multiverse where many different versions of my world existed. Although, it was an unspoken rule that any other version of me did not interact or mingle in our affairs. This is why when I took my Pokemon and left, I knew that no one would try and stop me. It was my world, and I could do with it as I pleased.”
“I see, well. As you know, worlds that use this form of timeline branching tend to create ceaselessly timelines. Infinite worlds where people make their own mistakes and move on. If they progress unto prosperity, good for them, if they fall unto ruin, mercy be unto them for all that live in those worlds.”
“Yes, although I suppose Earth has now become a world of ruin by this point.” Arceus wondered if anyone was still alive back on his homeworld.
“But for this planet, and this multiverse. The rules are a little more...harsh.”
The Pokemon god raised an eyebrow. “More harsh?”
“You see, with the many-worlds theory, the timeline basically boils down to two interpretations: the river method and the tree method.”
“Wait, what’s the big difference? Both the tree and river symbolize the branching of time. The river splits at certain points just like points in time, and the tree grows branches to show different timelines diverting from the main center.”
“Ah, but there is a big difference. For you see, the river flows eternally, always giving water and life wherever it takes it. The tree, however, is not so fortunate. In real life a gardener must trim the dead branches of an olive tree when it fails to produce fruit, consequently, branches must also be cut when they start to weigh the tree down.
Arceus did not like where this was going.
“What are you saying, goddess of Equus?”
The deity turned back to the setting sun, Arceus noticed that it was finally starting to disappear over the horizon.
“Hmm, it’s almost nighttime.”
The Divine Earth Pony mare got up from her spot and stretched a little, which confused Arceus a little, does she even need to stretch?
“Go back to Canterlot, tell Celestia and Luna to gather the World Leaders and their advisors. As well as the members of your council.”
“Wait what?”
“It is best if I finished this conversation with the people who need to hear and understand exactly what is going on. They must if they are to prepare for the physical and emotional trials to come.”
Arceus was surprised for a moment, as this was not something he had expected from her, but then again, he barely knew and understood who she was.
“Very, well. I’ll make sure they’re all ready.”
“You once told me that no mention of my name was found anywhere on Equus. Well, today, my creations shall get a good reminder.”
Back at Canterlot Castle, the meeting had pretty much dissolved after Arceus had left. Princess Celestia had just told everyone to go back to their rooms.
But before anyone could walk out the door, Arceus reappeared exactly where he had left.
Captain Grissom, who was the closest, jumped back in surprise.
“GAH! A little warning next time!?”
“Sorry,” Arceus then turned to the Princesses. “Celestia.”
“Yes?”
“Gather the World Leaders and tell them to meet in the joint room. Tell them that some of my Legendaries will be there as well, you bring whoever you think is necessary.”
Celestia and Luna looked at each other, then back at the Alpha Pokemon.
“Wait? Why?”
“Please, just do it. We may be about to get some revelations about what’s going on. And since this might concern the whole world, they should be there.”
Celestia thought for a hot moment, then nodded.
“Very well Arceus, I will gather the World Leaders.”
“Thank you, Princess.” Arceus turned to the other two legendaries in the room. “Mewtwo, Genesect.”
“Yes my Lord?” Said both in unison.
“Go wait for me in the joint room, there should be some, extra seats that I would have made there.”
Mewtwo nodded, “Very well my Lord.”
“Yes, Arceus.”
And with that, the Pokemon God once again vanished in a flash of light.
“Alright then.” Celestia began. “Luna come with me to gather the other leaders, Twilight, Seth, Cadence, Shining, and John, go wait for us in the meeting room. The rest of you return to your quarters until we are done.”
Everyone acknowledged and then filed out.
10 minutes later.
When Celestia and Luna had entered the joint meeting room, they understood what Arceus meant when he said that he added a few more “seats”.
Above them was a new section in the chamber that looked like it was meant to accommodate the Legendary Pokemon, especially the larger ones. Sitting above them, was what Celestia recognized as Arceus’s firstborn, Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina. Others included what looked like their Legendary dragons of Unova, The Swords of Justice, Rayquaza, Mew, the Lake trio, and Celebi.
Looking at those seated on the ground floor, Celestia could tell that some like King Faris, was not happy being called to a meeting so soon after a terrorist attack. Although she understood that he was merely fearful for his life. Others like Victoria and Serva were more than happy to discuss what had happened, after all, while none of the World Leaders had been killed or injured in the attack, it didn’t rule out any other potential attacks.
As soon as the sisters had entered, everyone stopped talking and all eyes were on them. Celestia and Luna shared one last glace and spoke.
“Hello, I am sure that you all are wondering why we are here.”
“Yes,” King Faris said interrupting. “Why must we meet when someone could be plotting to assassinate us at any moment, in fact, why doesn’t Arceus just send us all straight home with those godly powers of his? There is no reason for us to remain here any longer.”
Celestia sighed before continuing.
“Because what we are about to discuss here, is something that does not just concern Equestria, but the whole world.”
“What? Has something happened?” Victoria asked.
“Yes.”
“Is it something bad?” Oceana said.
Celestia hesitated when she looked at the hippocampi Queen.
“Unfortunately...yes, something bad has happened.”
Everyone immediately started murmuring and talking in worried voices.
King Faris spoke up once more. “Again, why are we still here!? We should be going back home at once! ”
“Father, please calm down.” Princess Amira said to her dad.
“King Faris,” Celestia’s tone became more serious. “If you were to return home now, you would be unaware of how to deal with the situation the affects us all, so unless you instead to leave uninformed and ill-equipped, I suggest you stay and listen to what is about to be said.
The ruler of Saddle Arabia mumbled but stopped protesting.
“Now, Arceus has just told me that he was met with someone. Someone who he claims is very important and knows what is happening to the world.”
It was at this point that Sev spoke up.
“Well, what are we waiting for? Send this important person in. I would like to see who could be just as important as Princess Luna or Arceus.”
Luna sighed, making a mental note to have a talk with Sev about his...worship of her.
The sister took their seats, and after a few moments, Arceus walked in. He scanned the room to make sure everyone was present and accounted for.
“Hello everyone, it is nice to see you all again.”
“Actually, before we begin, Arceus,” Empress Serva said. “It has come to my knowledge that members of your family were killed recently. Is that correct?”
Arceus started at the deer for a moment before nodding.
There we some gasps of surprise and horror in the room, Sev look like he was enraged, for someone to have killed a Legendary was appealing to him and members of the PLA.
“May Yveltal personally hunt this fool and kill them where they stand.”
“I see, my condolences for your lost.”
“Thank you, Empress.” Arceus then turned his gaze back to the entire group.
“Now, If I can have everyone’s attention. I am about to introduce you all to someone who has existed in this world longer than any one of us, even the esteemed Princess of Equestria.”
There were some looks and sounds of confusion and curiosity.
“She has watched over your world since time imperial, sometimes giving gentle nudges to steer the world in the right direction. She is someone who is equal, if not more powerful than me in this world.”
Twilights eyes widen with realization as she began to put two and two together.
“He can’t possibly mean…”
“Ladies and gentlemen, I give you. Your maker, the goddess of Equus.”
As Arceus stood aside, the stone doors opened to reveal someone nobody expected to see, even Arceus.
Instead of the green Earth Pony mare, the being who walked in now had a white shining coat, she had grown to the size of an alicorn, but tower over even Celestia. She had a sparkling mane that drifted in a nonexistent wind. One of the most noticeable features was her cutie mark, it showed a bunch of multicolor stars in a cosmos space, not only that, but the stars were twinkling and moving as well.
There was a moment of silence as everyone looked and took in the form that was apparently their creator and god. Some like Faris sat in stunned silence, while others like Twilight wish she had her notepad right about now, thankfully she was committing every detail of her to memory.
After, a few more moments of silence, the goddess spoke.
“Hello everyone. I would ask you all how your day has been going, but I already know that.”
That casual response nearly killed anything anyone was about to say or ask, Sev however knew exactly what he wanted to say.
“So you’re a goddess, one who is equal in power to Arceus?”
The deity nodded. “Yes.”
“Ok then,” Sev took out a piece of paper. “Turn this into a female.”
The room then became so silent that one could hear a pin drop.
The goddess blinked. “You’re serious aren’t you?”
“Yes.”
However, before any further embarrassment could be had, Luna grabbed the paper in her magic, crumpled it, and threw it away.
“I apologies for him, Sev is, an eccentric individual.”
The creator of Equus chucked a bit.
“I see, to each to their own I guess.”
Clearing her throat, the ethereal mare put on a serious face and began to speak.
“Now, as Celestia has told you. There is a grave threat that is affecting this world, a great conflict has begun, and multiple entities are currently on the move to try and gain the advantage in the war.”
That last word had everyone on edge of their seats
“War?” Emperor Carapacce said in a worried voice.
“Yes. A war that affects us all.”
“What kind of war?” Twilight asked.
“It is a war, for our very existence.”
“Our very existence?” Victoria replied. “Explain.”
“Well, to explain that, I must first tell you all certain truths about this world. Truths that have been hidden, even from those who could have discovered them if they looked hard enough.” As she finished her sentence, the goddess’s eyes locked onto Arceus, who just gave her a pensive look.
Seth spoke up. “Ok, but before you start, can I ask you something?”
“Yes, Seth Crescent?”
“What is your name?”
The goddess of Equus blinked for a moment before laughing.
“Ah yes, I suppose that is a reasonable request. Hmmm, well if you must call me something, how about, ‘Harmony’.”
Seth and a few others processed the name for a moment, before smiling.
“Harmony, ok, it’s a fitting name.”
The goddess known as Harmony nodded in gratitude.
“Now, as I’m sure everyone knows, this planet’s name for the longest time has been called Equus. But that is not its real name, its original name.”
Queen Ocean gave Harmony an inquisitive look, but it was her Pokemon advisor, former champion Cynthia who spoke up. “If this planet’s name is not Equus, then what is it?”
Harmony’s gaze scanned the room, although her eyes lingered a bit on the Pokemon and former humans.
“This planet’s real name, is Earth, homeworld of humanity.”
Everyone’s minds stopped dead in their tracks, even Arceus and Legendaries present, then not 2 seconds later, there was a massive outcry, particularly from most of the Pokemon present.
“WHAT!?” Mewtwo shouted.
“Impossible!”
“Is this some kind of twisted joke!?”
The cries of the Pokemon continued for a few more seconds before Arceus let out an audible, “Enough!”
Everyone quieted down, but it was still clear that they had a hard time believing this revelation.
“I’m sure that Harmony is not lying, nor does she have any reason to. That being said.” Arceus turned to look at the Equus goddess, his eyes showing nearly the same emotion as his children. “How in the name of me could this planet possibly be Earth?”
“Are you saying that there is only one planet Earth in the entirety of the Omniverse Arceus?”
“Wait,” Seth said. “What does she mean by that?”
“Yeah,” Sev added. “Are you saying there is more than one Earth? More than one version of those detestable humans in all of existence?”
Arceus saw that all eyes were on him, he then let out a defeated sigh.
“As you know, Mew created humanity long ago, she meant them to be a species distinct from Pokemon. Instead of being able to interact with nature, she gave them more intelligent and calculating minds. Minds that would allow them to survive in a still new and growing world.”
Mew who was on the upper level, beam with pride.
“However, I later learned that humans were not necessarily an original creation. Even though I had visited many other worlds before creating my own. During my time in prison, I would later come to learn that humans were a naturally reoccurring species with the Omniverse.” Arceus lowered his head. “They’re everywhere, wherever you find a universe that has a planet called Earth, 99% of the time, you will find humans.”
Now, this was something that made everybody stop and question what they had just heard.
“Are you serious?” Sev said in a very annoyed voice. “Are these, human beings, so prosperous, so important, that they have to be in nearly every existence imaginable!?”
“For one, I concur with Sev,” John said. “You seriously be saying that we are the most dominant species in all of reality?”
Arceus looked up, “As much as it pains me to say, yes. Mew’s creation of humans was no coincidence. From what I understand, there is a passive cosmic force, that plants the very concept of humanity into any creator god or infant universe that it comes in contact with. My theory is that this all stems from the original universe, the one that exists on top of all others, and where every concept is derived from, including humans.”
At this point, a lot of people were starting to become a little confused, with only individuals like Twilight and the Legendaries understanding what Arceus was talking about.
“Hmph, I don’t know why humans are so special that they get to be everywhere. Why couldn’t fate just give us a planet without these pests.”
Seeing that things were starting getting to get tense, Arceus changed the subject.
“We are getting off-topic, back to my question. Harmony, you said that this planet is called Earth, how? I would have noticed if that were the case.”
“Are you sure about that?”
Arceus was about to retort but found himself think back for a second. This was not unnoticed by Princess Celestia.
“Arceus?”
For once in life, Arceus became annoyed, but not at others, but at himself. “Okay, if I’m being completely honest here, I basically just took one look at your planet and decided I was going to go there.”
And then for once in their life, some of the Legendaries were annoyed with Arceus.
“You mean to tell us, that you didn’t thoroughly check the planet’s past, present, future, and conceptual makeup, before bringing us all here!?” Dialga said.
Arceus looked at his children, then turned his head away in shame. “Unfortunately, no.”
There was a collective groan from some of the Legendaries.
“Ok, so this planet is really another Earth, and it is home to humans,” Serva said. “How come we haven’t seen any yet, what happened to them?”
“They went extinct.” Harmoney answered with a straight face. “How you may ask, is a good question, for another time.”
“But wait,” Luna chimed in. “Then how do you explain the human that killed the Legendary birds?”
“What!?” Sev said interrupting. “A lone human killed three legendaries!? Impossible!”
“It is the truth Commander Sev,” Arceus stated. “As impossible as it may seem.”
Genesect looked up to see his fellow legendary Pokemon murmuring amongst themselves, this obviously being the first time hearing about who or what killed their brethren.
“A single human killed the children of Lugia?”
“How can this be!? It would take an army just to bring down any single one of us.”
“Perhaps he had help?”
“And also, Prince Shining Armor and Captian John Williams discovered a human in the North Pole.”
“Yeah,” Twilight said. “So are the humans of this world gone or not?”
“Well, to explain that, I have to say this first. Arceus, you remembered what I said about the Many-worlds theory earlier correct?”
“Yes.”
“Well allow me to further elaborate. So as anyone who has taken basic physics knows that the universe won’t last forever. There is only so much energy that can go around before the universe runs out.”
“Yes, we know all this,” Mewtwo said rudely “So?”
“This also means that, their only so many timelines that the universe can sustain before it crushes under the weight of ever-multiplying parallel worlds. Something has to give.”
“What are you implying?” Celestia said.
“Well Celestia, what happens when your tree has too many branches, to the point where it starts to weigh it down?”
Celestia thought for a moment, but Twilight was faster. And she came to the horrifying realization before anyone else.
“You cut the branches off.”
Harmony nodded grimly.
“Just like one must cut off the branches of an old tree, so too must this world prune away timelines that it deems unnecessary.”
The room became eerily silent for a moment, then Faris spoke up.
“Do we really believe this senile bullcrap!?”
“Faris!” Celestia snapped.
“I’m serious, magic may do all sorts of crazy things. But do you honestly expect us to believe that there is a system in place that kills worlds that are unworthy to live? It sounds completely preposterous. What proof do you have of this?” “I believe her,” Arceus said plainly.
“Of course you would say that, after all, you’re both gods. And likeminded beings tend to agree with each other. Also, how do we know this isn’t a trick of some kind? That she is not an illusion created by you to lead us astray?”
“King Faris!” Harmony said in a stern but authoritative tone. “I can assure you that I am real and not some made-up illusion. And just as I gave the necessary stubble nudges that got your ancestors on the throne, what I am saying is the hard truth. And while there is proof, I can tell that your stubbornness would refuse to make you see the truth. So please still down and refrain from making any more outbursts, please.”
Seeing as all eyes were on him, the King of Saddle Arabia shrunk back in his seat.
“Now, does anyone else have any objections or questions?”
Celebi, who had floated down next to her grandpa then raised her hand as if she was in school.
“Uh miss, Harmony.”
“Yes?”
“So, if what you are saying is true... how does the world decide which timelines it prunes away? Also, you say that the world, as in Earth decides it, does that mean this planet is alive or something?”
“Well, to answer your second question, yes Earth is alive. But not in the way you think. This planet is sentient, but it is closer to a conceptual being than a living organism. The same applies to every other planet in this solar system. You see, Earth is a planet where concepts are made real depending on the situation, and its brand of concepts is different from the other planets. For example, the concept of death may be different on Earth, then let’s say, Mercury.”
There was suddenly a loud groan from a certain snake, “Uuuuuugh.”
“Is there a problem Commander Sev?”
“Sorry, it’s just I can barely understand what everyone is saying. It’s all confusing for me.”
“I completely understand, but just continue to bear with me. Now as for Celebi’s first question, the world categorizes timelines that are either ‘Items Permissible to Revision’ or ‘Items Designated for Removal’. The world reviews timelines every century to determine which ones will be allowed to continue, and which one will be pruned. This process is known as a Quantum Time-Lock, or a ‘Spiritron Record Anchoring Band’. The ones that make up the primary branch of the tree of time are worlds Permissible for Revision, the ones that strayed too far from the central cluster are cut off and become what are known as Lostbelts. This happens mostly when a world’s history goes down a mistaken path.”
“Lostbelts?” Shining said. “That human we met in the North Pole said that word before disappearing.”
“Yes, what you found beyond that storm wall was a Lostbelt. A missing history that had been pruned away.”
“I see, so then I have to ask, what type of world is our timeline, is it a primary one, or a Lostbelt?”
The goddess Harmony could only give a sad face, which told everyone what they needed to know.
“No…”
Serval individuals suddenly started talking in panicked voices.
“This...this can’t be happening,” Giratina said. “Are you saying our world could disappear at any moment?!”
“What exactly did we do wrong!?” Carapace said in a panicked voice. “Why was our timeline cut off and left to burn!?”
Harmony hesitated for a moment, knowing that what she was about to say next, was something that would surely anger many people in this room.
“Simply put, it was because humans went extinct. Because humanity had no future here, our world was cut off.”
Once again, the room became deathly silent, then the angry shouts came again.
“ARE YOU BUCKING KIDDING ME!?”
“Of all the stupid, idiotic reasons to kill an entire world!?”
“I swear! Someone is playing some kind of sick twisted joke on us, and they are currently laughing their rucking $#@ off!”
Harmony let the angry individuals rant for a bit(once again, it was mostly the Legendary Pokemon and Sev), Arceus looked like he was barely containing his rage. But before he could give a piece of his mind, it was Harmony who gave a loud “Enough!”
Thankfully everyone stopped shouting once again, but it was clear that some of them look more angry and annoyed than before.
“Look, I know how...ironic this must seem for you. You all came to this new world with the intention of getting away from the Evils of Humanity. And now, you’re all in a very grim situation where humans may very well be your final undoing. I can only imagine how slighted you all must feel. But there will be time for venting later, there is still more I have to tell you.”
Arceus looked at Harmony with still glowing eyes but calmed himself by pushing the build-up of power back into his plates.
“Continue.”
“Now, understand that the history of Earth is also the history of humanity. This is known as Proper Human History, worlds where the Human Order pulsates with life. These worlds make up the main trunk of the tree of time, while ours has become a pruned missing belt. And although our world may be in danger of being erased, this Lostbelt will not disappear yet, not until its Fantasy Tree has fallen.”
“Tree of Fantasy?” John said. “That human also mentioned that our ‘Root of Fantasy’ had yet to fall. Was he referring to this Fantasy Tree?”
“Yes. Simply put, a Fantasy Tree, or a Tree of Emptiness, is a construct that can sustain a Lostbelt after it has been pruned.”
“Did you make this tree? If not, where did it come from?”
“It was given to me, by an alien god.”
Arceus and some of the Legendaries looked stunned for a second.
“Wait, when those meteors fell to the Earth, I could not discern their nature because I was being blocked by another divine authority. Were those meteors the work of this alien god?”
“Yes, Arceus. Those things that you saw were fantasy tree seeds, sent by this god in order to recreate lost alternate timelines.”
“What do they want?” Rayquaza asked. “Why create more of these Lostbelts?”
“Don’t tell me they plan to move here.” King Faris grunted. “We have enough gods that are not of this world.”
Mewtwo shot the King a glare.
“The alien god gave me control of this Tree of Empiteiss, they told me that as the Lostbelt King that I have complete control over it. They asked that I grow the tree so that it may descend, and once the tree’s roots cover the world, Proper Human History will be usurped, and our timeline will become the new history. The other Lostbelts are merely backups in case ours fails. ”
There were a few looks given around the room, many of them had concerned looks on their faces.
“Okay then, but what happens if one of these Lostbelts comes in contact with another?” Palkia inquired.
“Well, simply put, the stronger Lostbelt will consume the weaker one.”
Princess Celestia made an uneasy face. “So what you are saying, is that all these Lostbelts are competing to see which will survive?”
Harmony nodded. “Unfortunately yes,"
Twilight shot up from her seat. "But why!? Why make these other worlds compete with each other to survive? Their existence shouldn't be decided by a battle royal."
"I do not know Twilight. This unknown god is an enigma, and they have not spoken to me in a while. But even so, the other Lostbelts are not our biggest threat at the moment.
Arceus wished to ask Harmony more about this alien god but decided to keep quiet for now. Plus, he had a feeling that she wasn’t telling the whole truth.
“The most dangerous enemy we face at the moment, are the forces of Proper Human History.”
“You mean the Chaldea Security Organization?” Genesect said.
“That is correct Genesect.”
“I see, so who are they?”
“Simply put, they are a group of humans whose job is to protect Proper Human History. The history that was subverted when our Lostbelt was brought back from the void. They mainly employ familiars known as ‘Servants’ to fight their battles.”
“Whats a Servant?” Twilight asked.
“A Servant, or Heroic Spirit as they are called, are individuals that made a mark on human history and who were recorded into the Throne of Heroes upon their deaths.”
“Throne of Heroes?” Giratina said curiously.
"A conceptual place removed from time and space, souls that go there are removed from the cycle of reincarnation and are summoned back into the world to be used as a defense for humanity by the Counter Force."
“Counter Force?” Mewtwo said. “What is that?”
“The collective unconsciousness of mankind. It is their desire to avoid extinction manifesting as a metaphysical force that protects humans, it also plays a part in pruning timelines.”
Mewtwo growled. “Of course it is, because humanity going extinct is apparently a big no-no.”
Princess Celestia started to look concerned about Mewtwo, and she obviously knew why, she glanced at Arceus, who did nothing to calm his Legendary.
“Please, allow me to give you a brief history on the humanity of this world. During the beginning, the world was ruled by deities in an era that was known as the Age of Gods. It was a time where divine beings walked the Earth, and humanity served and worshiped them, in return, the gods protected and gave humans the fruits of civilization.”
This struck a familiar chord with Arceus and Legendary Council. Similar to this Earth and the Pokemon world, Arceus was a hands-on god back during the day, and his Legendaries help enforces his rule and authority.
“But all that changed thousands of years ago, when a White Titan of destruction descended from the stars.”
A mental image was projected to everyone in the middle of the room. Similar to what Arceus had done during the World Summit, memories of the world began to flash before everyone’s eyes.
A large, white, towering being, that almost looked human except for a few features, stood amongst a field of fire and destruction. Everyone watched in horror as various gods and beings fought the monstrosity, but did not have the power to fell it. One particular scene showed a red mechanical god fall to the Titan, only for the alien to pick up the warrior’s sword and use it for its own.
“The White Titan would have destroyed the world, if not for the actions of someone wielding a holy sword forged by the planet itself.”
A final image showed someone using a golden glowing saber to fire a beam of light that blew a hole right through the alien giant. After which its body crumbled to dust.
“However, even though the world was saved, this act would forever change the direction of history. Because the humans saw their gods fall to something more powerful than them, they learned that their deities were not invincible. And because it was a human that defeated the White Titan, they learned that they could potentially overthrow and defy their masters.”
Seth looked at Arceus and the legends, their faces ranging from anger to curiosity.
“The gods knew this as well, they knew that this event had caused a great weakening in their status. One that if it continued, would mean the end of the Age of Gods, and so they devised a plan.”
A new image played out, showing a baby boy being born, he had gold hair and striking red eyes.
“His name was Gilgamesh, a demigod, born of the union between a god and a mortal king. He was meant to be the link between god and men, for if he had the flesh of both, then surely he could bridge the two worlds.”
Harmony closed her eyes for a second. “Unfortunately, Gilgamesh had different plans.”
The memories switched to showing Gilgamesh as a full-grown adult, sitting upon his throne with an arrogant smile.
“Rather than keep the gods in power, Gilgamesh encouraged the complete separation between gods and mortals. He said that the fall of the gods was inevitable, so why should he try to stop it? And in doing so, Gilgamesh did something terrible, something that would eventually spell the ultimate end of the Age of Gods and the complete autonomy of humans.”
A new scene played, it showed a female god with unique eyes that had cross-shaped pupils and largely shaped horns coming from her head.
“Her name is Tiamat, and just as you are the father of humans on your world Arceus, she is the mother of humanity on this one.”
The image showed Gilgamesh standing upon a cliff, looking down upon the mother of mankind.
“Tiamat loved her children but did not want them to forget her.”
Harmony then locked eyes with the Alpha Pokemon.
“But unlike the humans of your world Arceus, who just sealed you away, the humanity of this world, had the gall to actually kill their mother.”
There were several gasps of shock and horror from the Legendary Pokemon, Arceus himself, felt his heart racing in his chest as the image continued to play out.
“I shall take this blow and call it the Ritual of Separation!”
“A Ritual of Separation...” Mew said as she looked at her father worryingly.
Everyone watched as Gilgamesh pulled out a red drill-like weapon covered in various lines.
“I shall tell you of the beginning. Heaven and Earth split, nothing congratulated creation, and my sword cleaved the world! Motor of the Stars, heaven’s hell is the eve of creation's celebration!”
Memories flashed in Arceus’s head showing several priests, standing around him, preparing for a ritual meant for him.
“Die and be Silent!”
He remembered seeing a particular rune flash beneath him.
“Enuma Elish!”
He remembered screaming as he was forced from his world.
The weapon in Gilgamesh’s hand unleashed a deafening wave of power, one which engulfed Tiamat. The mother of humanity let out an unearthly cry as her form was reduced to atoms.
When the image stopped playing, no one spoke a word.
Twice in the last year, the leaders of the world met together and were shown the memories of Earth and Humanity. But despite what Arceus had shown them last time with his traumatic recollections, what was shown here was enough to make everyone quake in fear rather than horror. After all, never in the myths and history of both worlds, has anyone had the power to actually kill a god.
And yet this humanity managed to accomplish this feat as if it was necessary.
“I believe, we should take a break,” Arceus suggested.
Some people in the room looked surprised that it was Arceus who wanted a recess. But then one look at his face halted any objections.
“I agree with Arceus,” Serva said. “Everything you have just shown and told us is a lot to take in. Not to mention hard to wrap our mind around.”
“Yes,” Carapace added. “I believe a recess will help us sort out all this information.”
Harmony nodded slightly, “Very well, we shall reconvene at 18:00. It will do you good to think on all of this before I tell the rest of what I have to say.”
And with that, the Equus born got up from their seat and went back through the door that lead to the castle. While the Legendary Pokemon went back to their temple.
Luna walked up towards Twilight and Celestia, both of them looking three parts upset, and one part nervous.
“Sister, what do you make of all this?”
“I don’t know Luna, part of this all sounds so complex and hard to believe. The truth that this planet is another Earth, that our world was cut off due to forces beyond our control, that fact that our people have to compete with humanity in order to survive? It’s just so much to wrap my head around.”
“Yeah,” Twilight said. Part of me wants to deny it because it sounds more like fiction than reality. And yet, throughout the entire time, I could tell that she was not lying. Everything she said, she said with absolute sincerity.”
“You know what scares me the most?” Celestia began. “Unlike all the other enemies that we have faced in that past, these ones are not evil or malicious. These Chaldeans, as well as the inhabitants of those other Lostbelts, are all fighting to survive. They’re fighting for their world, their friends, and their families, just like we are. From an emotional standpoint, this will be the most difficult conflict Equestria will ever face.”
“I just don’t get it,” Twilight sounded as if she was on the verge of tears. “Why was our world, a world where we all values friendships more than anything else, a world that is peaceful and great to live in, got cast aside for a world where only humans live?! If they’re anything like the ones that Arceus showed us from his memories then I’d say our world deserves to live more.”
Celestia looked at her student with a shocked face, she never expected her to say something like that.
“Twilight, that is not fair and you know it.”
The purple alicorn’s ears flattened against her head, and she felt a twinge of shame come over her.
“Sorry, you’re right. That was very unlike me, I shouldn’t judge someone before I get to know them. Besides, everyone has their own lives and people that they love and fight for. I shouldn’t just write these people off just because I’ve mostly only seen the bad side of humanity. Just like Arceus said, there is always another side. The new friends that I have made over these months are proof that humanity is not all bad.”
Luna nodded in agreement, but there was still something else that bothered her.
“Tia, I’m curious, once this is over, how will we break the news to the people?”
Celestia’s eyes widened, she hadn’t thought of that yet. “You’re right Luna, this isn’t something we can just sweep under the rug. In addition to our little ponies wanting answers about the firebombings, someone is bound to come across one of these Lostbelts soon than later. If that global projection Arceus showed us is to scale, then they’re really hard to miss.”
“So what are we going to do?” Twilight asked.
Celestia thought for a moment, what should they do? Inform the public and risk mass panic, or keep it a secret for as long as possible.
“For now, let’s just take a break and calm ourselves down. Twilight, go be with your friends. Tell them about you just learned, I know they’ll believe you, this isn’t something we should keep from them of all people.”
“Yes Princess Celestia. After all, there are no secrets in friends and family.” Twilight then walked out the door, leaving Celestia and Luna alone in the room.
“Sister, if or when it comes to it, we may find ourselves competing with another Lostbelt sooner or later. If we lose, then we lose everything. If we win, then Equestria will have willingly committed genocide for the first time in its history.” Luna’s face contorted into one of sorrow. “Could we really live out the rest of our lives with that guilt? Even if they were worlds already meant to be pruned, those people being brought back means they have a second chance at life. Can we really take that away from them?”
Celestia looked at her sister, and for one of the very few times in her life, she did not have an answer.
“I don’t know Luna, I honestly don’t know.”
Twilight, Seth, Shining, Cadence, and John all met with the others in another room. The assembled group included Twilight’s friends, Gene and Belle, Abby and Kasai, May and Blaziken, Dawn, and Seth’s Pokemon. Latias met with Ash and Misty in another room. And after sending Melody, Gold, and Silver away with Midnight Song, Twilight told everybody what she had learned.
Then after 10 minutes of explaining, Twilight looked around the room to gauge everyone’s reactions. They were mixed, from a range of denial, sadness, and anger. Gene was holding Belle as tears began to well up in her eyes. Abby however was having the opposite reaction.
Finally, Rainbow Dash broke the silence.
“I..is this really true Twilight?”
The alicorn nodded her head grimly. “I would never lie to you Rainbow Dash, you or any of you guys.”
“Still Twi-,” Applejack said in disbelief. “You gotta admit this does sound very farfetched and complex. I wouldn’t believe it if it wasn’t coming from you, but it’s still kinda hard to accept.”
“S-so, are you saying that we’re all in danger?” Fluttershy said in a scared voice. “That everyone we know and love could die?”
Twilight shook her head vehemently, “Not if I have anything to say about it.”
“I swear…”
All eyes looked upon Abby, who was speaking in a low but dangerous voice.
“I swear, Fate has a really effed up sense of humor if this is the situation we now all find ourselves in.”
Abby lifted her head, anger and heat radiating from her body. Kasai comforted his wife, but it did little if anything to calm her down.
“Arceus brought us to this world to get away from humans. To get away from that stupid society that made the worst species on the planet treat Pokemon like animals. That’s what I like about this world, these people do not treat each other differently because of race. Everyone aside from the few bigots here and there can live in harmony,” Abby then let out a short ironic chuckle. “And now, you telling me, that the very same species that got what they deserved, is now coming back to destroy us all!? To take away everything we have achieved and built in this new world!?”
Fire started to escape from the gaps of the Ninetales mouth.
“No way man, #@$% that! They think they can just kill us all after everything the Pokemon back on Earth went through!? If that’s the way fate wants to roll, then fate can just go @#$% itself!”
After the Pokemon Ranger finished her rant, she felt a nuzzle on her side. “Calm down Abby,” Kasai said in a concerned voice.
Abby took a few deep breaths, then her body temperature began to return to normal.
“I’m sorry Kasai. It’s just, I’m so so mad right now.”
“You have every right to be mad,” the Arcanine licked her on the cheek. “The important thing is to let your anger out.”
“While I can’t fault Abby for being mad, and I fully understand why. It’s not as clear-cut dry as most of us would want it to be. These humans are not from your Earth, and they are just trying to save their world as much as we are,” Twilight said.
“And yet I can’t help but feel like we are being punished," Seth added. "As Abby said, the whole point of this was to get away from humans. Now we are in a conflict with an entirely different humanity in which they are completely blameless for their actions. It’s hard to read in between the lines when you take a step back and view the whole picture.”
“Yeah,” Rainbow Dash said in agreement. “And what’s with that name ‘Proper Human history’? What makes them think that their history is the right one?”
“From what I can understand, human history has shaped this planet so much, the rules of this world have practically been catered towards then.”
“And what about us?” Abby snapped. “Why doesn’t our world deserve to live? Why should theirs be the one to exist? From what you said, these humans come from a world where they're the only sentient race. A world where the only ones they rule or trample over are themselves.”
“Uh Abby,” May said. “What are you saying?”
“I believe I know whats she’s saying,” John answered. “Princess Twilight, for all of humanity’s faults, the fact that the Pokemon existed more or less kept us in check. Their power over nature balanced any human progress that would destroy it. The bonds we formed with them gave us a friend unlike any other. If what you’re saying is true, that these humans lived as the sole sentient race on their planet, chances are they’re worse than the ones we know. Without the Pokemon help them be better, they could only have each other to inflict their sins upon. And perpetuate the cycle of violence.”
That statement from John gave Twilight pause, what if it was true? Could the humanity from Proper Human History really be worse than the one from the Pokemon world?
Twilight was snapped out of her thoughts, however, as the silence allowed everyone to hear somebody crying.
All eyes turned to see Gene comforting a sobbing Belle.
“Why...why can’t we.” *sniff* “Why can’t we just be allowed to live our lives in peace.”
Belle’s eyes began to flash blue.
“All I want is to live the rest of my life with Gene and my little Melody. Now fate once again wants to have the last laugh.”
Everyone took an instinctive step back as Belle lifted her face, a small scary grin adorning it.
“We’ll see who’s laughing after I’m done with them.”
Even though Gene shared his wife’s sentiment, him seeing that same psychotic smile she had on her face, the same one he saw during the day Hastings came for him with his entourage, it made him squeeze her like he was afraid she would something rash.
“Belle, I know how you feel, really I do. But you can’t go acting like this again, not when Melody is in the next room, not when she could pick up on your feelings.”
The Gardivoir’s eyes widened as she realized what Gene ment, due to their telepathically linked minds, her daughter could potentially feel every emotion she was feeling. And she did not want that for her daughter, she didn’t want to ruin her innocence. So with great effort, Belle slowly, but surely calmed her emotions. Gene saw what she was doing, then kissed her in order to help. When he pulled away, a small smile found its way back on his wife’s face.
“Thank you Gene, I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
“Me neither.”
There was a touching moment of silence before Rarity cleared her throat.
“Okay, so with that all being said. What’s going to be done? Are the Princess gonna try and negotiate with the humans?”
“Yeah!” Pinkie Pie said enthusiastically. “Theirs gotta be a way where everyone can get what they want. We don’t have to fight each other. *Gasps* “Maybe all the humans could come live in our world, or we maybe go to theirs! It be like one big giant party!”
“Highly unlikely Pinkie Pie,” Twilight retorted. “From what Harmony told us, if either world disappears, their people disappear also. And say we do move everyone from Proper Human History here, that’s another few billion people coming to a world that just had an influx of new citizens from another world.”
Pinkie Pie’s smile faded as she realized what Twilight was talking about.
“And even if that were possible, if there was enough room, there is still another major problem the humans would have to face.”
“What?” May said.
“Arceus.”
“Oooh.” Everyone in the room understood that particular reason why a human migration wouldn’t work.
“Arceus turned all the humans he brought with him into Pokemon for a reason. To breed out the evil that stems from them. Even though you all were considered ‘worthy’, Arceus thought that future generations of humans would probably try to pull or do something that their bad ancestors did. He did not want to risk that, nor did he want to go through the effort of trying to control or counter any problems that may arise from future humans. Now that I think about it, it looks as if Arceus took the easy way out if you ask me.”
“Yeah,” Dawn said in agreement. “He went through the trouble of bringing us all here but didn’t want to deal with the problems of humanity. It kinda makes you wonder.”
“What?”
“Does Arceus really hate humans that much, or is he just scared to death of what we can do?”
There was another pause in the room, as a certain question they had all been avoiding had just been brought up.
“I wonder what Arceus is thinking right now?” John said.
The Hall of Legends.
“I swear,” Giratina said in an angry voice. “Forces beyond our control or comprehension are having a hearty laugh about our predicament.”
“I agree with Giratina,” Kyurem spoke in an icy cold voice. “The fact that we are now at war with humanity, a humanity that intends to wipe us out, is something that feels planned.”
“Your overthinking things as usual Kyruem,” Zekorm said in retort.
“Then how would you interpret it Zerkrom! We came to this world to get away from the humans, only to arrive at a world where the very planet itself intends to erase us simply because we are not human.”
“It’s more complicated than that,” Genesect added. “This world simply went down a mistaken path, we just happened to have the very bad luck of being mixed in with the slaughter.”
“Ugh.” Groudon groaned in annoyance. “We should have never come here! Leaving Earth was a mistake.”
“Then why didn’t say anything you big behemoth?” Kyogre said in insinuation. “If you were so against this plan from the start why did you not object? Was it you said that Arceus might have lost his sanity over the years?”
“Well, I certainly didn't see you or anyone else object you bloated whale!”
“What was that!?”
“Enough you two!” Yveltal said in an annoyed voice. “If anyone is to blame, it’s Mew, she was the one who said, and I quote ‘Well then, let’s get a move on!'”
“Hey, don’t pin this all on me!”
Genesect let out a groan and rubbed his aching processor unit. For the last 5 minutes, which felt like 30, the Legendary Council had been arguing about the entire situation. While Arceus, Celebi, Palkia, and Dialga went to check the space-time continuum, he was stuck here while everyone was up in arms about a potential war against humanity. And if their recent experiences over the past few millennia with the humans had taught them anything, it was that they were a clever and calculating species. Something a few like Rayquaza, the Creation Trio, the Lake Trio, and...the Legendary Birds could all attest to.
“Just how many people do these Chaldeans have? From what we’ve heard, they must only be small in number if they call themselves a measly security organization,” Giratina said.
“Do not underestimate them,” Mewtwo said in a serious voice. “The real threat is this so-called ‘Counter Force’ and this 'Throne of Heroes'. Just one of those servant entities summoned by the humans was able to kill three Legendary Pokemon. Even if the birds were not the strongest of us,(may they rest in peace) it’s still concerning that after death, these dead spirits obtained a greater power than they would have in life.”
“It’s almost scary to think about,” Virizion said. “If human history is as long and storied as it is, then there is no telling how many of these servants this Counter Force will send to destroy us.”
“Agreed Virizion,” said Giratina. “And if the human from that image Harmony showed us, the one called Gilgamesh, if he is indeed a part of this Throne of Heroes, he may need only bring out that terrifyingly powerful weapon he used to slay this humanity’s mother, in order to destroy us.”
Almost everyone in the room shuddered, remembering the screams of the dying Tiamt as she crumbled to dust.
“The ancient priests of our world may have sealed father away for selfish reasons, but at least they let him live,” Azelf said.
“Less letting him live and more like they didn’t have the means to kill him,” Uxie corrected her sister. “These humans did have the means to kill their primordial parent.”
“How are we suppose to fight something like that.?” said Kyogre.
But before anyone could respond, a portal opened in the middle of the room, and out came Arceus, the dragons of time and space, as well as the daughter of time.
Arceus looked up, his gaze scanned the room of his assembled children.
“Well, father?” Giratina said.
Arceus stood still for a moment, before shaking his head.
“It is as Harmony says, this world employees a Pruning Theoretical Phenomenon in order to cull timelines and keep the universe running as long as possible.”
Then Palkia spoke up.
“We also confirmed, that this world was at some point cut off and cast into the void cosmos.”
This caused some of the Legendaries to murmur.
“So it’s true,” said Mewtwo. “This world was cut off, in order to benefit Proper Human History.” The last three words were practically spat out.
“But we have also discovered another thing,” Dialga said. He turned and looked at his daughter.
Although Celebi was a little nervous, she spoke nonetheless.
“When me, dad, and grandpa entered the timeline, we found out that we couldn’t time travel.”
This, of course, shocked everyone in the room.
“What!?”
“Impossible,” Giratina stated. “How can the three of you not traverse the tree of time?”
“It’s not that we can’t do it, it’s that we someone or something is not letting us.”
“What, do you mean?”
Arceus took over from Celebi.
“Have you ever heard of the temporal correction theory? It’s when you travel back in time, but time itself notices, it notices that you should not be here, at this point in time, at that moment in history. Normally, I could overturn the timelocks, but it would require expanding a large use of my power.”
Giratina’s eyes widened, as he realized what his father meant.
“And you don’t have the power to waste on such matters do you?”
Arceus nodded. “While being able to travel throughout the Proper Human History, would give us a decisive advantage. I can’t afford to waste my power unless I absolutely need to.”
“Yes, because if the Throne of Heroes is removed from the time axis, then that means the Counter Force could send a servant to any point in time Arceus appears in,” Dialga explained.
Mew, who saw the concerned look upon her father’s face floated up right in front of him.
“Daddy, are you okay?”
The Alpha Pokemon looked at his favorite daughter, but could not bring himself to smile, even for her.
“No sweetie, I am not okay.”
The pink Pokemon looked sad but continued.
“What are we going to do?”
Arceus, looked away from his daughter, to his entire extended family. He looked at Lugia, still mourning the death of his children and wanting revenge. He looked at Mewtwo, who was all too ready to fight against humanity, he looked at some who were looking to him for guidance and wisdom, he finally looked at those who watched the god with pensive eyes, wondering just how he would handle the situation.
"I think for now we go to our rooms, it will be some time before we reconvene in the joint room. Once Harmony is done explaining everything, then I will come to a decision."
By 6:01, everyone had reconvened back in the joint room, waiting for Harmony to show up and finish her explanation.
For the most part, everyone had time to process and take in all they had been told by Harmony, although there was still some skepticism among the more stubborn or those that had a hard time coming to terms with what they heard.
When the goddess of Equus walked through the doors once again, everyone stopped talking and waited in their seats.
“Alright, I trust everyone cooled off while I was gone?” When Harmony said this, basically everyone nodded or said “yes”.
“Before I resume, does anyone have any questions, or does not understand something I said the last time?”
Everyone looked at each other, some shook their heads, but it was Victoria who raised her hand first.
“I have one. How powerful are these servants? Do we stand any chance of fighting them?”
“By yourselves, no. The average servant could take on an army of soldiers and still possibly come out unscathed.”
This caused shock and fear to appear on the faces of many of the World Leaders.
“But thankfully, this is where the Pokemon come in. In a way, their sudden appearance is a blessing.”
There were some confused noises, even Arceus tilted his head slightly.
“Alone, no Pony, Griffon, or Minoutour could stand against a single servant. But a team of well trained Pokemon might have a chance of beating one”
“Are you sure about that?” Arceus said. “Cause one of these average servants managed to kill three of my Legendaries.”
“Your grandchildren were killed because they were caught off guard and did not know how to properly fight a servant. Plus I can only assume that they didn’t see a lone human-looking being as a threat. One must know their enemy if they should ever have a chance of beating them. In a way, that servant who murdered your kin got lucky, under different circumstances they would have won.”
“I see, then tell us everything you know about servants, so that we not be caught off guard again.”
“All in due time, for now, I should probably show you all something.”
“Show us what? Another flashback showing us the true evil nature of man?” Sev said in a snarky voice.
“No. as I told you all before, our Lostbelt was not the only one brought back from the cosmic void. Five other pruned worlds were also restablished upon the Earth, anchored by their own Tree of Emptiness. And most of these other Lostbelts, are close to some of your homes.”
A 3D image of the world was projected in the center of the room, all of the world leaders gasped at the size and positions of these Lostbelts.
“By Luna,” said Commander Sev. “One of these things is bordering Zebrica!”
“Marelantis!”
Everyone heard Queen Oceana cry out in horror, as the largest Lostbelt shown on the globe covered the entirety of her aquatic kingdom.
“My subjects, what happened to them, are they alright?”
“I am sorry Oceana, but I do not know. They could be trapped within the Lostbelt, or when the Filtering Alternate Phenomenon came into effect, they might have been…”
The Hippocampi Queen cried into her arms, Cynthia put a comforting fin on her friend.
“We must fight back!” Sev said in what sounded like a rallying cry. “We must push back against these otherworldly humans who seek to take everything from us!”
Harmony sighed. “While I do not share his enthusiasm, Commander Sev is right, it will only be a matter of time before the forces of Chaldea make their attack. Not to mention these other Lostbelts will continue to expand until they consume our lands. I know that all of you are averse to committing genocide or extinction upon an entire world, but that is what must happen if we are to safeguard ours.”
The goddess of Equus then looked sably upon her creations.
“All of you have built a good peaceful world over the last few millennia, it is one where certain cruelty or atrocities have never been committed or heard from in living memory.” Her face then hardened into one of focus. “But today that changes, from now one, you must be willing to do very questionable things in order to survive. Yes, you will have a lot of blood on your hands, you will never be able to pretend like it didn’t happen, but it must happen. If any of you just go home and choose not fight at all to preserve your morality, neither I nor anyone here will fault you for that.”
There was a pregnant pause before anyone spoke again, everybody looked like they were in deep thought as they contemplated their options.
Then, Emperess Serva stood up from her seat.
“I don’t know about the rest of you, but as the rightful ruler of Stagland, I must do whatever I can to protect my subjects.”
King Faris was the next to speak, “If Golden Horn were here, he would fight without hesitation. I believe I speak for him and myself when I say, let us push back against these invaders.”
Eventually, every world leader other than the ones from Equestria, all spoke in agreement. They all knew what was going to be required of them, and what they would have to do.
Harmony then turned to the four alicorns of this land.
“Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, Princess Cadence, Princess Twilight, do you have anything to say?”
The four rulers of Equestria looked to see that all eyes were on them. After all, Equestria was considered the moral center of the world. Anything that they said would be an example to the other leaders.
“Well,” Cadence began. “As the Princess of Love, it pains me that others will have to die so that we may live. Personally, I would want to avoid any of this. However, I will go with whatever aunt Celestia says.”
“Seconded,” Twilight said. “I trust Princess Celestia’s judgment. So I will do what she thinks is best.”
Celestia almost felt upset that Cadence and Twilight put her on the spot, she looked at Luna as if for a way out.
“They are waiting for your answer sister. After all, you have ruled this kingdom far longer than I ever will.”
The solar alicorn felt a twinge of sadness at her sister’s words. Was Luna still feeling upset over that?
“I’ll have to talk to her later, see what is bothering her. But for now.”
“As the eldest Princess of Equestria, I must do what I can to protect my little ponies. Even if it comes to it, I would lay down my life for them. So yes, I agree that we must stop these other worlds from destroying our own.”
There were several nods of agreement and approval from the other World Leaders. They were all ready to fight.
Harmony smiled, then she put on a serious face as she began to speak again.
“Alright, everyone listen and listen closely. I am going to tell you everything I know about servants, and what they can do…”
~
When the meeting was over, everyone walked out of the joint room and back to their temporary bed chambers. Arceus, Celestia, Luna, Twilight, and Cadence met outside in the hallway to discuss what to do next.
“So what now?” Twilight asked.
“Well first of all, with Marelantis being subverted by one of the Lostbelts, I'm going to have Queen Oceana to stay here for the time being. She doesn’t like not knowing about what might have become of her subjects, but until we can find a way inside these Lostbelts, she has to stay here until we find a way.”
“I shall have a talk with Palkia and Hoopa about trying to penetrate those storm walls," Arceus said. "Hopefully, they should be able to find a way in.”
“Do whatever you can Arceus, finding a way inside is paramount. That being said, there is another matter we have to take care of first,” Luna said.
“Yes, finding a way to break the news to people,” Cadence stated.
“And it should not be just Equestria,” Twilight added. “The whole world needs to know so that they can be prepared.”
“Hmmm, I could just speak into everyone’s minds like I did when I arrived here,” Arceus suggested. “If that is alright with you Princess Celestia.”
“Well, considering that time is against us, I believe that may be the best and surest way of letting everyone know what’s going on.”
"Very well, I shall inform the firstborn daughters to prepare.”
“Wait, first I want to at least let everyone know when this announcement will come. I also want to involve the other World Leaders so that they may speak to their subjects. Them adding their credibility during the announcement will make it more believable. For their subjects.”
“I see, shall I bring Golden Horn here so that he may add his voice?” Even though Arceus suggested this, he was clearly not thrilled with the idea of talking to that stubborn bull again.
Celestia rubbed her chin. “While he may be hard to get along with, Golden Horn is still a World Leader, and he deserves to be involved as this concerns his people as well. Also, see if you can bring Trotankhamun, I know his kingdom is in bad shape right now, but he should also be a part of this.”
Arceus nodded. “Then I shall speak with them as soon as possible and bring them here. Hopefully, Golden Horn doesn’t turn me away or violently refuse my help.” And with that, Arceus teleported away.
Celestia wanted to ask Arceus to take her with him, as the Emporer may listen to her more than him, but it was too late now.
“Twilight, why don’t you go be with your friends now. We can handle things from here for now. Luna, you go find the press and tell them that there will be an announcement from Lord Arceus soon.”
“Yes Princess.”
“As you wish sister.”
Twilight and Luna then left, leaving the solar alicorn alone with Princess Cadence and Prince Shining Armor.
“What about me and Cadence Princess?”
“Shining, why don’t you and Cadence go back to your rooms, get some rest, this has been a long day for all of us.”
“Okay, good night aunty see you tomorrow.”
And with that Celestia began to walk back to her throne room, her thoughts occupying her mind.
“I sure hope that we may overcome this, for all our sakes.”
The day after, an announcement was made to all of Equestria that a very important message from Lord Arceus and the World Leaders was to be occurring on the morrow at high noon. At the time no one knew what the message would entail, but many realized that if it involved all of the Worlds Leaders especially after the firebombing not so long ago, then surely it must be important.
Currently, every World Leader, including the recently arrived and informed Golden Horn was present in the Throne room. Ready to reveal to the world about the humans and the Lostbelts.
Trotankhamun unfortunately, could not make it, but he promised to verify and back up what was going to be said to the rest of his country...what was left of it anyway.
“Golden Horn,” Celestia said.
“Yes, Princess?” The Minotaur Emperor replied.
“Let me once again say thank you for coming on such short notice. I can’t imagine this must be easier for you than it is for us.”
“Hmph, I’ll admit, at first it sounded like something made up. But after Arceus showed me those storms from a...certain point of view, I will at least admit, that the threat of these Lostbelts is genuine.”
“Thank you, I appreciate your understanding.”
“Oh and Princess, next time, tell that God to give me a little warning next time before he shows up. Otherwise, things would not have escalated to the point where he had to bring me into high orbit just to show me the state of the world.”
Princess Celestia chuckled nervously. Apparently, Golden Horn was so mad that Arceus just intruded upon him...while bathing, that he refused to listen to anything he had to say. Arceus then just proceed to take him into high orbit in order to show him proof of the Lostbelts.
“I shall have a talk with him after this is over.”
“See that you do. By the way, where is he?”
Then just as if on cue, Arceus showed up. Along with him were Azelf, Uxie, Mesprit, and Mewtwo.
“Hello everyone,” Arceus said.
“Lord Arceus, Lady Uxie,” Princess Amira greeted.
The Legendary Pokemon of Knowledge waved her hand. “Hello everyone, it’s nice to see you all again.”
“Your majesties,” Mesprit said.
“Sorry, to keep you waiting, now let’s get this all started!” Azelf said in her cheerfulness.
Soon, everyone stood in a circle, as Arceus, Mewtwo, and his daughters got in the center.
“So how does this work again?” Carapace asked.
“Simple,” Uxie answered. “My sisters and Arceus are going to connect all our minds to dad. He is then going to broadcast all of our voices to every being on this planet. Even the Dark types will be able to hear us.”
“Are we going to be able to hear each other’s thoughts?” Golden horn said.
“No, just everything that comes out of our mouths. No one is going to be able to learn or hear any dirty secrets you have.”
“Hmph, very well, let us begin.”
And with that, everyone closed their eyes as Arceus focused and synced his powers with his daughters and Mewtwo. With the addition of 12 other minds, Arceus had brought along Mewtwo to help boost the reception for them.
“Everyone ready? Then here we go.”
The psychic field linked everyone’s minds together, then expanded to everyone on Equus.
“Attention citizens of Equus, as most of you know, my name is Lord Arceus. I am here with all of your World Leaders, and we all have something to say to you.”
“This is Emperess Serva of Stagland.”
“This is Emperor Golden Horn of the Minotaur Empire.”
“This is King Faris of Saddle Arabia.”
“This is Princess Amira of Saddle Arabia.”
“This is Commander Sev of the Pokemon Liberation Army.”
“This is Queen Oceana of Marelantis.”
“This is Emperor Carapace of the Changeling Empire.”
“This is Princess Mi Amore Cadenza of the Crystal Empire.”
“This is Prince Shining Armor of the Crystal Empire.”
“This is Princess Twilight Sparkle of Equestria.”
“This is Princess Luna of Equestria.”
“This is Princess Celestia of Equestria.”
There was virtually no panic or shock from the citizens of Equestria, the rest of the world however reacted with expected shock and curiosity.
“To my Pokemon and to the people of Equus, it is with great sorrow that we all gather together to inform you all of a danger that threatens our world. My children, I brought you here so that you may be free from the evils of humanity, but I was wrong. Humans exist in this world, and they mean to wipe us all out completely.”
The shock immediately came back, followed by panic and confusion from some of the former humans.
“My children, I am truly sorry that this has happened. It seems that humans are not done with us yet, should you ever come across a genuine human, please report them to the authorities. Do not engage them, for some of these humans may look more dangerous and powerful than they appear.
Arceus sensed as everyone took in that information, wondering what they would do with it.
“Now, some of you who are in different parts of the world, namely in places like Zebrica and Saddle Arabia, have come across large and mysterious storm walls. Beyond these storm walls, are what are known as Lostbelts, completely different worlds separate from our own. These Lostbelts are alternate histories of this world, pocket dimensions that contain different versions of humanity. These Lostbelts will continue to grow until they consume our world, and our reality is replaced with one where only humans exist.
“Now, as the god who brought you all here, that means I am partially responsible for getting us all into this situation. And to my Pokemon, for that, I am truly sorry. However, I will not let my mistake mean the end of our kind or this world. To the people of this world who hear this, I and the world leaders will be working together from now on to support each other in this coming conflict. Our world, our new lives, everything we worked for will not be destroyed at the hands of humanity. I swear to you, that we will be the ones to inherit the future!” Arceus mentally sighed as he finished.
“Goodbye for now, be safe and be vigilant. For as of this moment, our world is at war.”
Arceus and his Legendaries deactivated the link and the broadcast stopped. Everyone opened their eyes as their minds recovered from the mental link.
The Pokemon god looked at Mewtwo. “Well?”
“I am sensing various amounts of fear, anger, and panic. No doubt people will be having many questions.”
“I assume that offer, where you said anyone could visit your temple, still stands?” Luna asked. “If so, then you will have a lot of visitors.”
“Yes, but I assume the same will go for you as well.”
“Well, all part of the job, right sister?”
“Indeed Luna, Arceus, why don’t you go be with your family for now, we will handle things in Canterlot.”
“Thank you Celestia, I wish you luck. Oh and tell Golden Horn he only needs to take the door to the joint room to get back home.”
And with that Arceus teleported back to his pocket dimension. But when he arrived there, he had an unexpected guest waiting for him.
“I say you handled that pretty well,” Harmony said. The goddess had turned back into her plain green Earth Pony form.
“Hmmm, so it’s fine that you can come into my room unannounced, but me forcing my way into yours is rude?”
“I asked Mew, she said I could wait here.”
“Hehe, of course she did.”
“I must warn you Arceus, even with the entire world on your side, this will not be easy.”
“That reminds me, why haven’t my power regenerated? You said that you would allow it after I destroyed Tirek.”
“Unfortunately, because you are not a native of the planet, the World itself doesn’t recognize you. In fact, due to your feelings and actions against mankind, the Earth has classified you as a ‘Threat to Humanity’ and is stifling your powers as a result.”
“Wait really? Is there anything that this planet won’t do for humans?”
“Actually, the planet itself is wary as humans just as much as the average person. That being said, the history of this planet is the history of humanity. And because our world was pruned, it wants us gone more than the humans.”
*Sigh* “Is there anything else I should know?”
“Yes,” Harmony’s gaze then became deadly serious. “Whatever you do, do not underestimate Chaldea.”
“You mean the forces from Proper Human History?”
“No, Chaldea. My clairvoyance only allows me to see things that the world will allow me, that's why I know so much about servants and the Pruning theoretical Phenomenon. But no matter how hard I try, the world will not let me glimpse or learn anything about Chaldea.”
Arceus’s eyes widened. “So if the world itself doesn’t want you to know...”
Harmony turned around and prepared to leave. “Be careful Arceus, the greatest threats, are the ones we never see coming.”
And with that, the goddess of Equus disappeared back to her realm, leaving Arceus alone with his thoughts.
Elsewhere
Nighttime in Equestria was quiet, nothing stirred, not a bird nor a Pikachu mouse.
Then in the middle of a forest, mana began to swell and gather at a magical ley line. A summoning circle was sketched into the ground by invisible hands.
Then words carried on the wind began to sound.
“My will creates your body, and your sword creates my destiny. If you heed the worlds’ call and abide by its will and reason, then answer me!
Will you swear, to embody all that is good in the World, to defeat all that is evil in the World?
Seventh Heaven clad in the three words of power! Come forth from the circle of binding, thou Guardian of the Scales!”
A connection was made to a place beyond time and space, a place where the souls of mankind’s heroes, both past and future went to after their deaths. In the event that their help would ever be needed again. And then, one of these brave heroic souls answered the call of Alaya.
Ether came and shape itself into a being, then a form emerged from the summoning circle.
It was a being with long flowing beautiful green hair, it looked like a human in its teenage years, they were a white tunic and had an androgynous face with green eyes.
The being stood for the first time in this new world, they took in their surroundings. The forest reminded them of the one they woke up in when they were first created.
Celestia and Luna were a bit nervous, to say the least. For if the volume of noise made by the ponies on the other side of the door was any indication, they were about to be swarmed.
Before Arceus made his announcement to the world along with the World Leaders, Celestia told the press that she would allow a follow-up interview shortly after the announcement. This was necessary given that the people would no doubt have many questions. Attending the court along with the sisters were Princess Twilight, Captain Seth Crescent, and Captain Grissom.
The noise got louder as the guards prepared to open the door.
“They must have so many questions,” Seth said nervously.
“And for good reason,” Twilight added, she looked up to Princess Celestia for advice. “How will we answer all of them?”
“As best as we can Twilight, as best as we can.”
The doors finally opened and an entire crowd filled up 60% of the throne room. The shouting that had been muffled by a wall was now almost deafening.
“Enough!”
One use of the Canterlot royal voice from Luna was enough to calm down the crowd of anxious ponies.
“Thank you Luna.”
“My pleasure sister.”
Celestia looked upon the gathered press and spoke in a commanding voice. “Now, you all know how this works by now, I call upon you one at a time, you ask your questions, no one else speaks until I say so.” Celestia pointed a hoof to a random reporter in the crowd. “You first.”
“Princess Celestia, Arceus said during that announcement that humans exist in this world. Does he refer to the ones left back on his homeworld of Earth? Or are they humans turned Pokemon who have regained their original forms?”
“No, no human from his ‘Earth’ is here. These humans are from a timeline where only they exist, they did live alongside Pokemon like the ones we have come to know and love.”
“Could you elaborate on that a little more?”
“You see, as scientists and physics have theorized for a while, this world has many different alternates timelines. The humans with whom we are in conflict are from a timeline known as Proper Human history. The storm walls that are located around the world contain other alternate timelines known as Lostbelts. Essentially, 6 different timelines have anchored themselves into this reality.”
“I see, no more questions your majesty.”
Celestia nodded, she then pointed to another pony. “Next question.”
“What does Arceus intend to do about this? If he is a god, can he not just wiped these Lostblets off the face of Equus. Could he not sweep aside these human interlopers with a gesture?”
“I’m sorry. But even Arceus’s powers have their limits. At present, he does not have the power or the ability to...deal with these Lostbelts. Next question.”
Another reporter spoke up. “Princess Celestia, so if I understand this correctly, these 'Lostblets' contain entire worlds, one with their own cultures and people.”
“Yes, that is correct.”
“And we are currently at war with them?”
“...Unfortunately yes, although allow me to be clear that these Lostbelts are only fighting out of survival, not malice or ill intent.”
“What will happen once we defeat these other Lostblets? Will they just stay there, will they go back to their own timeline?”
Celestia was a bit hesitant to answer. “Once we defeat a Lostbelt, everything and everyone in them will vanish.”
“Vanish, you mean they will all be erased from existence?”
“...Yes.”
“So what you’re basically saying, is that we will be committing genocide?”
That word made everyone in the room murmur and whisper amongst themselves, some of them giving the Princesses suspicious looks.
“My little ponies, it pains me to do this, really it does. Every life is precious. I outlawed capital punishment 200 years ago because we had reached a point in our society that were no one had done anything in a long time to warrant such a means of discipline. And even now, if someone had something so terrible or evil, I would not kill them. But when it comes to the Lostbelts, we have no choice. I wish there was another way, truly I do, these people are innocent and deserve to live just as each of us does. But, if their worlds continue to grow and overwhelm us, it would be the end of our world. So it is with great sorrow and great regret, that we must do this.”
“I see,” The reported gave Celestia a suspicious look.
Deciding to change the subject, Celestia pointed to another pony. “Next question.”
“Princess, has anyone been able to uncover the mastermind behind the firebombings that happened on the Summer Solstice?”
Do you suspect that it may have been the work of these 'Lostbelts'?"
“...At present no, we have a few suspects, but nothing conclusive that we can share at the moment.”
“Then answer me this, your highness. If you found the person that did this, would you still not execute them under Equestrian law? Or would this be settled by the world court?”
Celestia narrowed her eyes. “The attack happened on Equestrian soil and against Equestrian civilians. So whoever did this, they will be caught and dealt with by an Equestrian court.”
“But Princess, my sources tell me that foreign dignitaries and visiting civilians were killed in that attack. Shouldn’t the victims who belonged to other counties have a say in this person’s fate?”
Celestia cursed how the press always seemed to have eyes and ears in everything. Up until now, they had managed to keep the fact that some of the guards and escorts to the World Leaders had died in the attack under wraps.
“No comment. Next question.”
Another pony with their hoof up spoke next.
“Princess Celestia, do you suspect that some former humans might sympathize with members of their species and turn against us?”
The solar Princess lets out a sigh. “This is gonna be a long day.”
War against Humanity!
Equus is pulled into a battle royal with 6 other worlds!
Today, Arceus made an announcement along with the World Leaders, including our very own Princesses, that the human race has appeared on Equus. And from his words, they intend to wipe us all out. This was followed up with an interview with the Princess further explaining the situation. There they confirmed that five storm walls have appeared in different parts of the planet, they apparently contain alternate histories known as Lostbelts. But instead of ponies, Griffins, or Changelings living in these alternate timelines, only humans exist in these lands. Does this mean our timeline is unique? Are we the expectation or the rule? What happened to the humans of our timeline?
Princess Celestia has also stated that when we defeat these Lostbelts, they will disappear along with everyone in them. This in plain terms amounts to genocide and the complete destruction of an entire world and its people. No doubt this will be a dark chapter in the history of Equestria.
One thing that Arceus mentioned is that some of these humans may be "more than meets the eye" in terms of power. Princess Twilight clarified that these superpowered humans are called “Servants”. And that they are the resurrected form of dead heroes and historical figures from the human world. She warns that they are too dangerous to engage alone. In the Princess’s own words,“These human 'servants' can give even the Legendary Pokemon a run for their money. If you come across a human that may appear to be a servant, do not fight or attempt to capture them. Instead, run and contact your local authorizes. At which some point, a special task force of guards(that is currently being prepared) or a Legendary Pokemon will be sent to deal with the servant instead”.
Captian Seth Crescent of the Pokemon Corp further explained that servants are summoned from a place called the “Throne of Heroes” by a metaphysical power known as the “Counter Force”. Quote: “The Counter Force from what we were told, is an energy field created by humankind’s unconscious desire to avoid extinction. And since the current situation concerns mankind’s future, I can only imagine a response from the Counter Force soon”.
Princess Luna stated that these servants are summoned into our world via the magical Ley Lines that can be found all throughout Equestria. As such, guards of the Solar, Lunar, and Pokemon branch will be dispatched to every single Ley Line in Equestria to guard and monitor them for any activity.
Finally, the Princesses said that the firebombings the took so many lives on the Summer Solstice a few days ago are still being investigated, although many suspect that the coinciding appearances of the Lostbelts may have something to do with it.
But if these Servants are as powerful as the Princess are saying, then I pray that we may have the strength to fight and overcome them.
Johnathan Trace finished reading the newspaper that he had just gotten not 10 minutes earlier. His Pokemon as well as Trixie had all squeezed and pressed their heads together just to see what he was reading out loud.
“Wow,” Heat said. “This sounds like something you would read out of a fantasy novel.”
“Yeah,” Howl added. “Invasions from other timelines? Superpowered humans? The fact that only one of these worlds can survive? It all sounds so unbelievable.”
“More unbelievable that Arceus taking us all to a different planet in another universe where magic is real?” Echo retorted.
“Well, given that the Princesses backed up everything Arceus said. I guess theirs no point in really denying it. What do you think Johnathan?” Trixie asked.
The Lucario cop thought for a moment. He usually wasn’t really caught up on current worldly events. Ever since he came here, he was only concerned with catching Fox the moment he found out she had been brought here too. But now, this was something the was probably way more important than catching her.
“I don’t know really. This all sounds as strange to me as it is to you guys. I mean, if what this paper is saying is true. The whole world is at war with humanity now.”
“Humanity sans the former humans Arceus turned into Pokemon,” Heat pointed out. “I just hope they don’t get unfairly blamed for this.”
“Well, Arceus brought people like Johnathan here for a reason, these humans just wanna destroy us all it seems,” Howl said.
That was something Johnathan hadn’t given much thought to since he arrived here. When Arceus said that people like him were brought along, because he was worthy enough, he just accepted it and moved on. He never dwelled on the reality that humankind was physically extinct. While he didn’t mind being a Lucario, or all the advantages that were afforded to him now that he was one, he couldn’t help but wonder how other people might have handled being ripped from their homes and lives. For him and Fox, not much changed, but the same could not be said for many others.
If Johnathan had to be honest, part of him wished that he had remained on Earth, where he was among familiar territory, And where trying to catch Fox was much easier than her being a Zoroark.
"But sometimes, life throws you a curveball, and you have to take it and get up again, start anew."
John got up from the bench and folded up the newspaper, then he turned to look at his team.
“Well everyone, personally I don’t really know how to feel about all of this. But feelings shouldn’t really affect how we do things. Even if a criminal does the wrong thing for the right reasons, they still at the end of the day broke the law. And no matter the crime they can still have victims as a result of their actions.”
“So what are going to do Johnathan?” Heat asked.
“Well, according to this newspaper, guards are going to be dispatched to these Ley Lines in order to find these servants. Depending on what the higher-ups at the Baltimare police station say, they might put us on watch duty, or just let us continue chasing Fox.”
“Alright then,” Echo said as she got up into flew ahead of the group. Let’s go to the station and see what they will do with us.”
The gang all loaded into Trixie’s cart as she began to walk them to the police station. As Johnathan sat in his spot, he looked up at the mid-morning sky, a stray thought entered his mind for a second.
“I wonder what Fox thinks about all of this?”
~
Tochi listened intently as Alice read the newspaper that had come in this morning. But as she finished it, his young mind could not make heads or tails of what she just read.
“Umm, so what’s happening?”
Alice looked up from the paper, Tochi and his parents’ Sleight Hoof and Quick Storm looked less confused but still not fully understanding what they just heard.
“Well, from what it looks like. Humans are back, but they’re not the ones we know from our world. And if what this paper is saying is true, we are at war with them.”
Sleight Hoof held his wife’s hoof worryingly. “But why!? What do they want from us, what did we ever do to them?”
“Nothing really, if anything humanity has done a lot to the Pokemon that got them where they are now. But apparently, these are different 'versions' of humanity, and each of them are fighting just so their world can live. It's not one of those cut and dry cases where everything is black and white. The people fighting are fighting just to survive.”
“But why is this happening? Who or what is making 6 different worlds fight each other?” Rascal said.
“Dunno, the article doesn’t say. That being said, this presents a dilemma. No matter who wins this in the end. Their victory is going to be on a pile of countless corpses. It could be their world, or it could be ours.”
The entire room let that sink in for a bit. Even if Equus survived, they would live on knowing that several other worlds had to die so that they could live. And more than likely, there would be some that might have survivor’s guilt after all of this.
Shade spoke up. “Okay look, I’m not gonna pretend that we’re are the most innocent group in the world. We do the wrong things for the right reasons, but at the end of the day, we are still thieves. But is this really a path we wanna go down, even if it’s the only one?”
Alice rubbed her chin. As Fox, she always had on a cool, calm, persona. She always went through with every decision she made in her line of work. And with little to no regrets, she never felt bothered that much aside from times when she had to get “confrontational” with Johnathan and his team. Fox was not a hero, she was a vigilante. Nor was she a fighter who fought her opponents head-on, that was something Scep and Shade were good at. Fox was always about deception and misleading.
Was this really something she wanted to participate in?
“I’ll say this since we are a team, and as team leader, I don’t make decisions without consulting everyone here. Now, this sounds like something the real heroes can handle. There is nothing making us a part of this unless we want to. So what do you guys think we should do?”
Everyone in the room gave each other looks, some were deep in thought while others had made up their minds.
“Miss Alice,” Tochi began. “I know that you’re a good person no matter what people say, and that no matter what happens. I’ll always stand by you. I don’t really understand what’s going on. And like you said to me before, I shouldn’t do things unless I really understand what it entails. But even if that means I have to stand on the sidelines cheering you on, I’ll gladly do that.”
Alice smiled at the young colt, proud that he had matured since she first met him.
“Alice.”
The Zoroark looked up to see Sleight Hoof and Quick Storm looking at her with conviction in their faces.
“I don’t know if joining a war is something we want to do directly. While we enjoy helping you with your heists, this feels like too much,” Quick Storm said.
“That being said,” Sleight Hoof continued. “If you are planning to fight. If there is anything you need, any support or resource you may require from us, just ask. We’ll help you any way we can.”
“Thanks guys, that means a lot” The former humans then looked to her team, who all looked like they had come to an answer.
“Alice, you are our trainer and leader,” Shade said. “Well follow you no matter what.”
“Yeah,” Rascal added. “Just say the word.”
“War isn’t new to me dudette. But fighting humans is something the PLA has done for a long time, this is right up my ally.”
“We got your back Alice.” Charlotte and Spinner said in unison.
Alice nodded.
“Alright then. Since you all want me to make the decision I’ll say this. I don’t think we get ourselves too mixed up in all of this. Direct fighting isn’t Fox’s style, and I don’t think I wanna get into a fight with one of these servants.”
“So what do you think we should do?” Scep asked.
“I think it’s best if continue what we were doing before. Doing heists and keeping the police in check. But if we do come across something that has to do with humans or servants. I think that it wouldn’t hurt to let Arceus and the Princesses know about it.”
As Equestria and the world reels from the revelation of the return of the Humans who up until now were thought to only exist on Earth. We managed to interview some former humans and Pokemon who had these opinions to share on the whole situation.
“It feels someone is trying to get back at us, specifically Arceus and Legendaries,” says a Gardivoir who would only identify herself as “M” for this interview. “While I liked living on Earth, I understood and accepted that what humanity had done, lead to this entire situation where we have received punishment from Arceus and the Legendaries. He could have gone further and done something worse, but he was benevolent enough to bring us along and not let us suffer back on Earth like the rest.”
“But now my wife and I fear,” A Zoroark who said to call him “R” for this interview. “That with the return of humans, that our conflict with them will only further spark Lord Arceus’s anger. I can only hope that he does not do something worse this time to humanity. Although depending on what happens, we may or may not deserve it.”
~
“I had a life back on Earth you know,” said a Chatot who would like to remain anonymous. “I had dreams, I had plans, but Arceus took that from me. I know humans did a lot of bad things, but even if he had to bring us here, couldn’t he have least let some of us remain human? I heard he also did this for those people who were in love with their Pokemon, so that they could be happy. While I am happy for them, don’t we have a say in all this? Don’t we have lives that we wanted to live? I know this may sound cynical and mean, but I really hope one of these servants, if they are as powerful as the Princesses say they are, knocks some sense into Arceus. Obviously, I don’t want our side to lose this war, but I don’t want humanity to disappear for good. No one should have the final say on whether or not a species deserves to exist, not even the god that made them.”
“Grrrrrghh.”
“Calm down Wubby.”
~
“Our Lord and savior Arceus rescued us from the hands of the humans, and now they return to finish what they started? Hah!”These words came from a Pokemon who claims to be associated with a group called the Pokemon Liberation Army.“Listen well humans, you have no idea what you bring upon yourselves, Arceus will see your kind punished for even thinking about trying to defy him. He is our maker and our judge, jury, and executioner, he has found you all guilty and you will be dealt with as such!”
~
This next interview comes from the Swords of Justice who were guarding the entrance to the Hall of Legends in the Everfree Forest.
“As the sword who is loyal to Lord Arceus, all I can say is that I will defend this world and the Pokemon who live within it on my life,”says Cobalion, leader of the Swords of Justice.“This isn’t the first time that I have had to fight against other humans, and it seems that it will not be the last time either.”
“I heard that these servant guys are pretty tough,”says Keldeo, the youngest member of the Swords of Justice.“But they have never met the might of Pokemon like me or Cobalion. Allegedly, the only humans to ever match us in combat were the Knights of the Round Table. But that was just a myth invented by humans to make their kind seem strong, so unless these servants got anyone like them in their roster, they can throw whatever they want at us!”
“Forgive my son, he is, rather enthusiastic about getting the chance to fight strong individuals.”
“Virizion! I told you not to call me that out in public!”
~
“Team Magma and the Magma Corporation have no comment on the current situation. Also, for the time being, we will stop using glamour spells that make us appear human, as to avoid suspicion and unwarranted prosecution”
~
“If I’m being honest, this whole war against humanity feels like the next step in a thematic story that started when Arceus brought us all here.”Says Shauntal, a member of the Unova Elite Four.“This whole thing began when Arceus brought us to this whole new world, but took away our human forms, mine included. And now humanity has resurfaced in a way none of us would ever have dreamed of, in a conflict that will only allow one race to survive. Will it be our world? Or theirs? From an outsider’s perspective, there are reasons to root for both sides. Everyone has a dream they desire, a wish that they want to make come true. But the thing about dreams is that they all end when the dreamer wakes, every single of them without exception. So the question is: Whose dream must inevitably awake first?”
The Zerbacin airship docked at the field that was connected to the castle grounds of the capital city of Cairo. Sev disembarked first followed by his compatriots, as soon as he was outside, he was greeted by the Zebra guard as well as some of his senior generals of the PLA. Upon getting off the ramp, general Char walked up to meet him.
“Commander Sev! It soothes my heart that made it back safely.” The Charmeleon would have said more. But Sev beat him to what he was about to it.
“Thank you General Char, but you may dispense with the pleasantries. Gather all the members of high command and have them meet me in the big room.”
“Yes sir...but Commander?”
Sev turned back to look at him, “Yes?”
“Which big room, the one for where we hold the meetings? Or the one where General Shroom tests his inventions?”
“Are you truly so ignorant general? Of course I mean General Shroom’s room!”
Char stood at attention and saluted. “Of course sir! I shall have General Shroom prepare the room right away!”
“See to it that you do. What I am going to say, is something that will determine our course of actions from here on out!”
~
It took 30 minutes to gather all the PLA Generals that were stationed in Cairo at the time. The rest who were still all over the country would just have to receive the Commander’s word via letters and word of mouth.
The room that had become General Shroom’s workshop was very large, enough to accommodate a big crowd if necessary. That being said, the scientist General had to move all of his inventions and equipment outside(including a certain machine labeled “Doom cannon”) in order to make room for all the PLA members that would be attending in order to hear the Commanders words from Arceus himself, or Luna as he kept insisting at certain points.
The many Generals and lower high ranking officials that made up the Pokemon Liberation Army stood in the room talking amongst themselves...or what was left of them anyway. The civil war against the Northern tribes of Zebrica took a toll on the army’s forces, thankfully enough members survived to still uphold the image of a proud army.
The assemblage all calmed down as the Gardivoir known as General Lia grabbed a microphone.
“Alright everyone settle down, my brother, the great Commander Sev, chosen of Princess Luna and Arceus will now address the army!”
Everybody stopped talking when Lia’s voice sounded over the mic, Commander Sev then got up onto the stage and took the device from his sister.
“Many thanks my glorious sister,” Sev then turned to the crowd. “My comrades, my brothers in arms, I gather you all here today to inform you and interpret the words of Arceus, of Princess Luna herself.”
The was some whispering among the crowd, many had already guessed what the Commander was going to talk about.
“As you know, me, Princess Luna, and Arceus addressed the whole world concerning a calamity that has befallen all of us. Yes! I speak of the return of the dreaded humans and their evil machinations!”
There was a cry of outrage and vindication from the soldiers.
“When we came to this world, humans assumed our form, our flesh, our bodies. Their blasphemous minds and ways could now be bred into our children, into the next generation. It was an affront to all we have stood for. And yet, at the time, it was the will of Lord Arceus. It was his way of punishing humanity. Who were we to question his word?”
There was a moment of silence as everyone remembered the day Arceus announced his presence to the world. The day that they knew that their god was finally freed from his prison was an elated one for many. But the news of humans taking their form confused and angered many others.
“Our conflict with humanity was all but over, and thus we had a new mission, to safeguard this country that had mostly accepted us and one that we made our new home. In the battle against humanity, we had won!... But, our happiness was not to last. Because as of now, humans from this very world has risen from the shadows! They had sounded their trumpets of war and have turned their blades against us!”
Once again, there were more cries of rage and religiously fueled shouts from the PLA.
“My brothers and sisters! Our war with humanity is not done yet! If anything we have just entered our true holy war, the one we have been preparing for all our lives! These humans seek to wipe us out! Using their own armies and weapons meant for the sole purpose of killing us! But we will not be wiped out! The humans back on our world tried that and look where it got them! No! We will not go out like animals! And if we do, we will not go quietly!”
“You think he’s enjoying this a little too much?” Lia whispered over to General Gard.
“With Sev, you can never tell.”
“Our enemy is known and clear my brothers and sisters! The forces of 'Proper Human History' and their 'Chaldeans' shall know our name! They shall rue the day they ever deceived to challenge the might of the Pokemon Liberation Army!”
Sev raised his tail that flew the flag of the PLA(which he somehow attached when no one was looking). As soon as he did, the crowd exploded into further shouts of elation and excitement at the prospect of fighting humans again. Some even cast a few underpowered moves to light up the air.
There was a knock on the door as King Trot opened it to find the cause of so much noise.
“What is going on in her-Eep!” the king quickly shut the door as several Razor Leaves flew in his general direction. Embedding themselves on the wall and door.
After the speech, Sev was on his way to meet with Trot in order to coordinate their battalions in anticipation of potential human forces. But was stopped by a motherly voice.
“Sev?”
The Pokemon turned to see the one former human he loved more than anyone else.
“Ah mother, to what do you need of me?”
“Well, first off you come back from your trip, but instead of saying hello to me, you go and give a speech to the soldiers? I’m a bit hurt by that.”
“Oh, a thousand apologies mother. I shall remember next time.”
“Very well, I’ll hold you to it.”
“I will, is there anything else you need?”
“Yes,” Joy’s face then changed into a serious one. “Sev. Even though we both heard and know what Arceus said, I want you to promise me something.”
“What?”
“Do not let this whole situation go to your head,” The Audino put her hands on her adoptive son’s cheeks. “Even though your enemies are humans once again, do not look down on them or misjudge them. Unlike your fight back on Earth, you are not fighting humans to free Pokemon. You are fighting them to protect us all.”
“Of course I am! I have and will always fight to protect us and our family. This is not different.”
“I wasn’t finished. From what it sounds like, these humans are fighting for their own survival as well. They are not an enemy to be hated, they are just people doing what they must to live. We just came out of one senseless war, one that was started because of pride and selfishness. This is not the same, this is a conflict where both sides have a point, you can’t fight them the same way you did with Zebras.”
Joy took her hands off of Sev, her son then took a deep breath.
“I promise mother, even though we are morally better than the humans, I will not treat them as lesser beings. I will fight them, and I will beat them. And when the time comes, I shall let Arceus or the world see how they are dealt with.”
Sev then slithered away, Joy looking on with a small smile on her face.
“That’s good Sev. Now if only some others shared your opinion...”
The Hall of Legends
Every single Legendary sat equally in rows as the funeral got underway. The Legendary birds had been laid in coffins crafted by Mew, Genesect, the Lake Trio, and Ho-oh. Each one was thematic to the bird that it housed.
The heads had been “reattached” to their bodies, as it should be. While there have been many mortals throughout history who were buried with less than the sum of their parts, Arceus and Lugia would not allow such disgrace to befall the birds even in their deaths.
Those who were more emotional and who were close to the Legendary Birds wept for their fallen family members. Those who were not close and who were more stoic like Yveltal and Kyurem simply paid their full respects.
Lugia was the first to speak.
“My children were in many ways just like the rest of us. They were a family that would argue and fight, but eventually they would make up. They knew their duty as did all of us, they loved their world and would do anything to protect it. Even when they faltered, they would always listen to me when I told them to…*sniff* stop.”
The guardian of the seas wiped a few tears from his face.
“Even though we will all live until the end of time, I know that all of you will never forget them. Even if I were to live until my memory becomes blurry, they are the one thing that I will never stop remembering.”
Lugia straightened himself up, but it was clear that he was struggling to maintain his composure.
“I will always remember when Moltres used her first move. I will always think back to when Zapdos made his first rainfall. I will never forget, when Articuno made her first snowman...I..”
More tears began to stream down the face of the father who lost his three children. Eventually, Ho-oh went up and escorted his brother down. After which Arceus stood the stand.
“At this time, anyone who wishes to speak about Zapdos, Moltres, and Articuno, please come up.”
Many such as Mew, Virizion, The Legendary Beasts, Celebi, The Weather Trio, all came forward to say a few words about the dead. But in a way, some found it hard to find the right words. After all, this was the first funeral the entire Legendary Council attended in memory of one of their own.
Even though many of them had known mortal Pokemon and humans friends who had passed over the millennia of their existence, this was the first time that any of their numbers had died. And while Latios may have been the first, his later resurrection made his passing irrelevant.
It was at this point that the Legendary Pokemon felt the weight of mortality settle in upon them. Despite the fact that they were immortal, they all knew that they were not unkillable. But until now, none of them had been slain by someone else. As the most powerful exitances back on Earth, they had nothing to fear for the longest time. But when modern human science advanced to a point, and the evil organizations started to target them, their invincible visage started to crack. Combine that with the fact that most of the Legendaries spent their time hiding after Arceus's was sealed away, did not help with their reputation.
After the funeral was done, many went back to their rooms, while others stayed behind to attend the wake. However, the mood was anything but happy, although one could hardly blame everyone.
“I swear,” Mewtwo began. “This should have never happened, to any of us.”
“Agreed,” Tornadus added as he drank a 5,000 year aged wine.
“The humans have gone too far this time,” Giratina said. “They have for so long wronged us and used us. And now, they are trying to kill us.”
“Are you speaking of the humans of our world,” Zekrom, who had heard some of what the trio where saying, came over and interjected. “Or this one?”
Giratina gave him a rasied brow
“Is there really a difference?”
“Giratina, I know that the humans trapped you and your brothers in your pocket dimensions since time immemorial. But do try and distinguish between the crimes of the old humanity and this one.”
The dragon of anti-matter stared down the dragon of Ideals. “Frankly, I don’t care Zekrom. Humanity seems to be the same wherever they go. They covet what they do not have, they get rid of anyone who stands in their way. And just as we have all seen, they strike down their parents when they are no longer of use to them.”
“I do not deny those things, and I do acknowledge that we are now at war with them. But even in war, there are rules. We will beat them, but we will not unfairly judge them. Even after everything they have done, we do not have the right to condemn another version of them to extinction.”
“And what about us Zekrom?" A new vocie said. "Do not the Pokemon and people of this world deserve to exist?”
The Deep Black turned around to see his counterpart. “Reshiram.”
“If what Lord Arceus says is true. Humans exist all over the Omniverse, they already have so much claim to existence. I think we at least deserve one world to call our own.”
Zekrom narrowed his eyes. “And if that world is occupied already?”
“Well, from the current state of this world, I think we would be better caretakers than them.”
Zekrom’s eyes flashed with electricity, but to avoid making a scene, he just walked away.
The Vast White Pokemon looked as her fellow trio member went to talk with Virizion and Victini.
“For someone who calls himself the Pokemon of Ideals, he sure seems to not like ideas other than his own.”
“Maybe his human trainer rubbed off on him,” Tornadus said. “Then again, his trainer was the one who opposed Team Plasma and the freedom of Pokemon.”
“Hilbert may have dismantled Team Plasma. But in hindsight, it was for the best that he did.”
“And yet some might say the opposite,” Giratina countered. “Ghetsis may have created Team Plasma for selfish reasons, but N was the face of that organization. His message of freedom for Pokemon was the best chance we had of bringing them from under the yoke of the humans. So when Ghetsis’s true intentions were exposed, the rest of the world used that as an excuse to tighten their grip on the Pokemon. It destroyed any chance at real internal change.”
This was one thing many would agree on. After their defeat, humans just saw Team Plasma as another criminal group just like Team Rocket and others before them. Now, if anyone tried to advocate for the freedom of Pokemon, they had to carry around the baggage and stigma of Team Plasma. Seth Crescent being the worst of them.
Mewtwo shook his head. “Let’s not talk about problems that don’t concern us anymore. We need to focus on the humans of this world and how we plan to fight them.”
“Well, we first need to find the interlopers. Not to mention track down this Chaldea’s base of operations. Once we find that it’s all over,” Tornadus said.
"Didn't Genesect said that there were some coordinates in the single he received?”
“Yeah, Arceus went to check it out, but he found nothing. So whatever this “Wandering Sea” is, it is either a mobile location as the name implies, or the coordinates were just a meetup point in case they were being followed.”
Mewtwo sighed. “As much as I believe Arceus could and would simply will Chaldea out of exitance. Something tells me it’s not going to be that easy. My suggestion is to find and destroy this ‘Throne of Heroes’. Without these servants, the humans stand no chance against us.”
“Unlikely,” Said Giratina. “If what Harmoney said is true, the Throne of Heroes is a place no living thing can reach. It might not even be a physical place that Arceus could go to.”
Mewtwo narrowed his eyes. “You doubt the power of Lord Arceus?”
“...I do not doubt my father’s power, but I have known him far longer than you have. There are things that even he cannot do, the fact that he could not get rid of Darkrai’s powers is proof of that.”
The Genetic Pokemon sighed. “My apologies. It’s just, I wish there was a way we could resolve this quickly, so we could get back to the way things were.”
“I’m afraid there isn’t going to be a swift and easy solution to this problem. With Father still recovering from the world shift, this is a matter that we will have to solve ourselves.”
Tornadus raised an eyebrow. “So what do you suggest?”
Giratina looked around the room, there were still many Legendary Pokemon here, some he had known for a long time. Some who may just agree with Pokemon like him.
“First, I’m going to go talk to some of the others. Then, come to my room, we’ll discuss there.”
The Changeling Empire
Emperor Carapace stood at the window in his airship quarters as his castle came into view. The Changeling ruler had a lot on his mind since he left Equestria. But out of all of them, one thing stood out in particular.
As someone who lived as long as Princess Celestia and Luna, Carapace knew that death was taking its time when it came to him. He knew that he still had plenty of years left in him before the reaper came to claim his soul. But now, this whole situation made him realize something.
The entire world was now in a pernicious position where they could all be erased from existence. If the humans won, it would mean the end of their exitance. Even though nothing was set in stone, the thought of death hanging over your head was not a pleasant thought. It was like cancer, you never knew if you would survive it or not.
His granddaughter may have done something that would probably condemn the rest of her life to a cell. Time and time again he tried to reach out to her, wanting to make her see that what she did was wrong. That despite her good intentions, her ideals and methods were not what the Empire needed.
Chrysalis saw everyone else as food and things to be used, not as people or friends. It was a cynical point of view that he wished she would let go. Carapace was willing to try for the rest of his life to save her soul. So that even if she never got out and redeemed herself, she would at least she would be redeemed in spirit.
And now, with a new conflict hanging over their heads, one which threatened to destroy them all completely, Carapace resolved to try harder than ever to get through to her.
“If fate says that we should all die, then I don’t want us to die with regrets. I hope she will understand that.”
The airship soon docked into the castle port. The Emperor soon walked out and was greeted by a Changeling guard running up to him.
“I wonder what he’s worried about?”
“Emperor Carapace!”
“Calm down little one. What is it?”
“Its Queen Chrysalis sir!”
Carapace’s eyes widened.
“What’s wrong, did something happen to her?”
“She has escaped sir, her cell is empty!”
The Emperor started at his guard for a second. “WHAT!?”
Arceus sat in his pocket dimension as he viewed the screen images in front of him.
Several of them showed certain places in Equestria, of ponies and Pokemon working together. Some went about their daily lives as if nothing was happening. Others looked like they were having conversations about certain topics, no doubt one in particular.
In Ponyville, he watched as the town made preparations for Korrina’s funeral. Arceus felt a twinge of guilt at the thought of her death. She was one of the first humans that he met after the world shift who made it very clear that she wanted to be human again. Even though he may have never granted that wish, he could not help but feel sorry for her mate and partner Pokemon Lucario. Also, the fact that she died as a Pokemon rather than the human she wanted to be was not lost on him. Even if he didn't realy care much for that grivence.
All over Equestria, everyone was paying their respects to those killed by the bombings in mass gatherings. He himself had recently just laid his oldest grandchildren to rest. Truly this was a time of mourning.
Looking away from the sad images, Arceus turned to 5 other screens that were of much greater concern. Namely the windows that were monitoring the 5 Lostbelt storm walls.
Arceus for the life of him could not understand why he could not see beyond a wall of perpetual winds. As a god who created a universe, such a thing should have been a trifling matter. But Arceus had to begrudgingly accept that whoever made these storm walls, was a god. One who may or may not be currently more powerful than him.
The Alpha Pokemon cursed the world for stifling his powers. It saw him as a threat to its current self and wished to impede him in any way. From what Harmoney told him, when the Age of Man began, every surviving deity or Divine Spirit retreated to an underbelly of the world. And consequently, the laws of physics and science replaced those of mystics and authority. This meant that any god that tried to manifest in the modern world, would be rejected by it. In short, the humans made a world where they would be able to live without the care of gods.
And he hated it.
It was the belief of Arceus, as well as his eldest children, that a god should walk among his people. Or at the very least make it known that he is always there. Simply put, if a society believes that God is not real, then they would start to develop their own sense of morality and ideals of how the world should work. The ultimate reason why people sin is because they think no one will punish them for it. As long as they are smart, their fellow man will never punish them for their crimes. And if they die? There will be no god to judge them.
That is why Arceus was more of a hands-on God, because if people knew he was real, then they would be less likely to do bad things if they knew that God was watching them from above.
It was this belief that Arceus concluded was the greatest tragedy of being forgotten. Once he became a myth. Humanity was truly free to do what they wanted.
Harmony may have trusted her creations to do what they wished without them knowing of her existence. But Arceus could not take that chance with humanity, they were too unpredictable and amoral to let them roam free without divine supervision.
He wondered what this world, a world where only humans existed must be like. A world without Pokemon for them to abuse and treat as lesser beings. Where the only sins they committed were to themselves…
“Daddy?”
Arceus was brought out of deep thought to the familiar voice of his oldest daughter.
“Hello, Mew.” The Alpha Pokemon nuzzled his little kitten.
“Are you alright dad?”
Arceus looked dejectedly at Mew, before sighing. “No Mew, I am not alright.”
Mew despite her childish nature understood perfectly. In fact, she had anticipated such a response.
“That bad huh?”
Arceus looked back to the screens, the new images flashing before him.
“This was supposed to be a fresh start. A way in which we could maybe somewhat begin again.”
Mew put a paw on her father as he stared at the many things happening all over the world.
“They say the past has a way of catching you unawares. Hehe. I just never thought it would be like this.”
“Dad?”
“They may not be the humans we know, the ones we left behind. But they are human nonetheless. And now, the innocent people of this new world will finally know what humans are really like.”
Arceus closed his eyes, recalling certain events that shaped history, for better or worse...mostly worse.
“There is a very real possibility that everything we worked for and have achieved in this world will be erased as if it was never there. Our story of suffering will be ended like someone putting a tormented creature out of its misery.”
He then remembered recent events. Happy moments like Gene and Belle’s wedding, Seth finally relieved that Pokemon like them were happy at last, seeing Keldeo fall in love, Jirachi no longer having to sleep for eternity, Darkrai finally gaining control of his powers and being together with Cresselia.
“But I will not let the happiness that we have found here be taken from us because of a mistake. I know this may sound selfish of me, but I will do whatever I must to ensure that we will have a future. Even if that means taking away the future of 6 other worlds.”
The Alpha Pokemon opened his eyes and looked back at his daughter.
“Go ahead, tell me I’m being heartless.”
Mew hugged her father.
“You’re not heartless dad, everything you have done so far is proof that you have a heart.”
If Arceus had a mouth he’d be smiling.
“A little inconsiderate, but not heartless.”
“Heh, I suppose that’s true.”
“I don’t know if we are doing the right thing or not, but I do know that we are doing what we must to save the ones we love. Even if it’s a very hard and morally questionable thing to do.”
Mew then went around and looked at her dad straight in the face.
“But even with all that, I want you to promise something.”
“Anything my little kitten.”
Mew then in one of the rare few times, put a serious expression on her face.
“Whether we like it or not, our foes are of the human race. And we have all seen how you react to humans these days.”
If their was any shame, embarrassment, or apathy on his face, Arceus didn’t show it.
“So I want you to promise me. Do not be cruel or judgmental of them, do not take any joy or satisfaction in their defeats, as if you’re getting pay back from all those thousands of years you were imprisoned. These humans are not the ones from our world. They are different. And you must treat them differently.”
“...I promise, that I will not take my anger out on these humans as if they were the ones who ruined our world Mew, I promise.”
“Thank you, daddy.” Mew then hugged her father again, this time more tightly. Once she left, Arceus turned his attention back to his screens.
“That doesn’t mean. I will not take my anger out on them for the sins they have committed in this conflict, and in their world. They have already displayed similar disrespect to their gods by sealing them away just like my legendaries. Not to mention, if something were to happen to any of you because of them. I will not be responsible for what follows.”
Beryl Gut was sitting down eating an apple as he enjoyed his downtime. It was a really nice day. The birds were singing, the flowers were blooming, the sun shined warmly upon the ground, and the air had an amazing smell.
That is...if one considered the smell of blood to be nice and relaxing.
As for why it smelled that way. One could guess that it may have something to do with the number of dead bodies around Beryl, one of which he was using as a comfy seat.
This had been a great week for the “Crypter of the Round Table Territory”. It had been several months after he got revived and so far he was enjoying his new lease on life. The nature of his Lostbelt was something that allowed him to kill without impunity, a fact that his fellow Crypter Daybit agreed with during their last meeting. Recently he had collaborated with the inhabitants of what was called the “Equus Lostbelt” to kill off a large number of people, something he took great delight in assisting.
After which he left them to their own devices as they began to set in motion other plans that would help with the Alien God’s overall plan for that particular Lostbelt. But if Beryl had to be honest, he didn’t really care about the Alien God or what it wanted. So long as he was allowed to continue doing what he wanted.
His thoughts then shifted to some of the other members of Team A.
Ophelia was no doubt swooning over Kirschtaria, even if neither of them realized that. Akuta was probably keeping to herself and didn’t want any part in this. Scandinavia was….Scandinavia. And his favorite little “bro” Kadoc Zemlupus was probably sulking in a corner from all the pressure.
Although that was an educated guess, he hadn’t spoken to them in a while.
“Wonder what they’re going to do once things start heating up,” The “werewolf of the Clocktower'' said to himself. “Heh, no doubt Chaldea is gonna be in a tight spot once they arrive in that Lostbelt since that Pokemon God clearly hates humans.”
Beryl took another bite out of his apple, then discarded the core and stood up.
“Good luck Mash, I’d hate for one of those Pokemon to kill you before we see each other again.”
Beryl then walked away from the scene, his shoes leaving bloody footprints with each step.
Ponyville
It was raining.
No one knew if the weather ponies had scheduled it or if it was the work of Pokemon, but it was raining. Celestia’s sun was blocked by dark clouds and muffled by thunder and lighting.
To the assembled Ponies and Pokemon, it mattered not to them...much, from an outsider’s perspective, it was fitting. Heavy rain during funerals, especially if the passing was due to tragic reasons, was thematic across storytelling and in real life.
Korrina’s death was the most recent death in Ponyville history, but it was also the first Ponyville resident that was murdered in its young history. Even if Korrina was not a born native of this town, or of this world. Whenever someone died, it was felt by the entire settlement.
Those who attended were in their formal black attire, standing in the pouring rain as they all paid their respects to the fallen Gym Leader. And yet, none of them were closer than 12 feet in front of the coffin.
The only one that was inches from the casket, was a lone Lucario.
Even in the rain, his acute ears could hear and sense the emotions of the people behind him.
“That’s him right?”
“Yeah, he was the coltfriend, not wait, mate I believe? Yeah, he was the mate of the one who died.”
“I heard that she was murdered by someone.”
“You mean she didn’t die in the fire? I was wondering why her funeral was separate from the ones who died in the fires.”
“I hope they catch the one who did this. The ones who killed her and everyone else.”
Eventually, Lucario drowned out the noise of talking and the rain. His aura was at the moment unnoticeable. But if one could see it, they would know that he was upset right about now. And for obvious reasons.
Lucario was angry. Of all the people that died, Korrina was the one who in his opinion deserved it the least. He remembered how upset and confused she was about being ripped from her world and trapped in a new body. He knew how much she wanted to be human again. And even though she wanted to be happy, he selfishly admitted that part of him wanted her to remain a Lucario for his own reasons and desires. In the end, fate granted his wish instead of hers. It chose his selfish wish over her own rightful one.
But it was not to last, as if a genie had heard his wish, it was granted, but there was a catch. He would be with Korrina, the one he loved more than anyone else, but only for a short time.
But Lucario did not blame fate for her death, if anything he was grateful that she returned his affections, even if their relationship only lasted for less than a year.
No, Lucario blamed only one person for the death of his mate.
Lifting his head the Aura Pokemon mental made a promise to himself.
“Okada Izo. I will find you, and I will kill you. With Arceus as my witness, if you indeed are a servant resurrected from the grave, I will send you back to the other side.”
Meanwhile, Lucario’s friends and others looked on as the heartbroken Pokemon continued to stand there.
“I’m worried about Lucario,” Rarity said. “Korrina was the only family he had.”
“Yeah,” Applejack added. “Family was really important to her and him. Plus I know what it’s like to lose family.” The farmpony looked down as she recalled two faces that were no longer among the Apple clan.
Next to them, Gene and Belle shared in sympathy with the rest of their friends. Even though Korrina had been mean to them when they first met, he didn’t hold it against her. Even if he did not share her anger about being a Pokemon, he tried his best to understand it from her point of view.
But now, there was another thing Gene hoped he would never understand.
To the observant eye, one could tell that Gene and Belle were always together, never apart, almost always holding hands. Gene begrudgingly admitted that he had separation issues when it came to Belle. The thought of her not being by his side ever since their original wedding was ruined, it was unthinkable. This issue became evident in the aftermath of Hastings capture, when Abby suggested she and Belle be arrested for the miss use of their powers.
Gene always hoped that he and Belle would live and die peacefully. That nothing would ever try and separate them again. But seeing Korrina dead, seeing Lucario standing there mourning the love of his life. It made him think about something.
If Belle died, either by natural or unnatural causes before him, while still young. How would he ever cope with it? Would live on and continue to raise their daughter, or would he commit suicide and follow her to an early grave.
No, he couldn’t do that, not to Melody. And Belle wouldn’t want that from him either. Even so, no doubt Gene would never be the same again. He’d probably spent a good portion of his life being depressed as hell. Melody would probably move on, but would he ever? Would his loneliness cause him to neglect his daughter?
“I shouldn’t think about such things. And yet, seeing Lucario standing there, it kinda makes me wonder...”
“Gene?”
The Galalde turned to see his wife staring at him.
“Let me guess, this whole funeral is making you think things?”
The Gallade became bashful, remembering that they shared a psychic link.
“Belle. I know this is obvious but...I don’t want to lose you. For it to be us in that spot, me standing where Lucario is, and you being in a box like Korrina.”
“I won’t Gene, that never gonna happen.”
“But what if it does? You said it yourself, it feels like the universe is always trying someway to keep us from being together. Now it’s trying to get of us entirely.”
“I know...but I also believe that our love is stronger than anything the universe has to say. I know that we will come out of this alive and together. No matter what happens, we are going to live a long happy life. I know it.”
Belle grasped his hand and held it tight. Gene looked down at their joined fingers and back at his wife with a small smile on his face.
“You right, nothing is going to happen to us. We will survive all of this.”
Soon after, the funeral portion was over and everyone attended the wake that was hosted by Pinkie Pie. Even though everyone was not in a happy mode, Pinkie argued that this should be a party to celebrate the life of Korrina. Even if it was a life that was cut short, even if they hadn’t known her for that long, her life should be celebrated nonetheless.
One such attendant was an elderly Lucario. Standing all by himself in a corner.
“Mr. Grukkin?”
The old Lucario looked up to see a purple alicorn standing next to him.
“Ah yes, your Princess Twilight Sparkle am I correct?”
“That's correct, I just wanna give my condolences to you lost. Korrina was my friend, and she will be missed by every one of us.”
“Thank you your highness, that means a lot to me.”
“By the way, I heard that Empress Serva let you stay here to attend Korrina’s funeral. So when you’re ready to return to Stagland, just let me know and I’ll take care of everything.”
Thank you, Princess, that’s really generous of you.”
The old Lucario’s face became sad as his grief returned. “She was always so full of life you know...”
“Korrina?”
“Yes, she was quite the fighter, as I’m sure you all knew. Never gave up without a fight. I’m sure *sniff* that she fought till the bitter…”
Twilight saw the signs that Grukkin was about to let the waterworks loose. Soon she found herself giving a shoulder to the grieving grandfather.
“I’m so sorry.”
Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy sat at a table, each of them holding a glass of cider.
“It’s still kinda hard to believe Korrina’s dead,” Fluttershy said meekly.
“I know what you mean sugarcube,” Applejack replied. “This is the first time someone we all know has died. Much less killed.”
Rainbow Dash took a swig of her cider and slammed the mug on the table. “We shouldn’t be sitting here, we should be out there finding that sonofmule who did this!”
“Calm down Rainbow everyone here wants justice for what happened to Korrina. But this isn’t the time to be focusing on that right now.”
“Even so, I can’t just sit here knowing what’s happening out there right now. Our world is being invaded and we’re just sitting here not doing something about it.”
Applejack raised an eyebrow. “Alright then, what exactly are you going to do? We don’t know where these humans are, or what they’re going to do next. I hate to say it, but we have to wait for them to make their next move before trying anything.”
“And what if their next move is something worse than those bombings!? What if they try to take out the Princess or something? They’re trying to kill us all Applejack, they made that very clear when they killed all those innocent people!”
Rainbow Dash finished her cider then got up to walk away.
“And just where do you think you’re going?”
“Home. To get some sleep, I’ll need the rest for when I start patrolling tomorrow.”
Applejack just sighed before she resumed her drink.
“Um, Applejack.”
“Yes, Fluttershy?”
“Rainbow Dash had the alcoholic cider right?”
Applejack thought for a moment before replying with, “Yeah I think she did.”
“So, won’t she have a hangover in the morning?”
The realization dawned on the farmpony, before she just shrugged and said.
“Eh, I’m sure she’ll be fine.”
~
The next morning.
A select number of Ponies and Pokemon gathered in the town hall. It was a special meeting arranged by Twilight and Mayor Mare to address how the town would handle any encounters with humans or servants.
At the head of the podium was the aforementioned Princess, the Mayor as well as Pokemon Ranger Union Leader Scarlet. To the side, was the Eon duo, although no one knew why they were there.
The assembled crowd was comprised of concerned citizens as well as Pokemon and ponies who wanted to know how they could help in this situation.
When the time came for the meeting to get underway, Mayor Mare used her gavel to silence everyone with a few slams.
“Alright everyone, this Ponyville town meeting will now get underway. Presiding over this meeting is our resident Princess Twilight Sparkle who shall give a few words.”
Twilight took the center podium and cleared her throat.
“Hello, as you all know I am Princess Twilight Sparkle. As you all may have heard over the last 2 days, our world is in great danger. Humans from alternate timelines have invaded our world with the intent of destroying us so that their world may live.”
Despite having heard this news already, some of the crowd(particularly the Pokemon) were a bit scared of being bluntly told this unsettling information.
“Now, despite their intentions, whether these humans take pleasure or not in out defeat, the goal is the same. Which is why we must defend ourselves at all cost. I am in contact with Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, and Princess Cadence while we work to formulate a plan to counterattack. So until we know more about our enemy, we shall have to go on the defensive for now.”
While some of the crowd were still nervous, but they seemed to be calmer now.
“Now, one key force that the humans will employ is the use of what are known as “Heroic Spirits” or “Servants”. They are magical familiars that can only be harmed by another magical weapon or a Pokemon attack. Aside from that, we know that servants are summoned into the world via magical the Ley Lines by the human Counter Force.”
Twilight saw a Pokemon raise their hand.
“Yes?”
“Princess Twilight what’s a Ley Line?”
“A good question. To the Pokemon who are in this room, a Ley Line is basically a node that distributes magical energy throughout the world. Basically, it’s what gives the people of this world the power to use magic.”
Seeing some confused faces, Scarlet spoke up.
“In humans terms, it’s similar to radio and phone towers. Ley Lines are the towers, while unicorns use their horns as receivers.”
“Thank you, Scarlet.”
“No problem Princess.”
“Now, the two major Ley Lines closet to Ponyville are in Whitetail Woods and the Everfree Forsest in the castle of the two sisters.”
The ponies in the crowd tensed up when the name Everfree Forest was mentioned.
Twilight calmed everyone down before continuing. “Now, I know the Everfree is a very...foreboding place, but I will get to that later. But for now, Mayor Mare, and Union Leader Scarlet have agreed that for the time being we need someone to keep an eye on these Lay Lines in case of any activity. This is a completely voluntary assignment and a very dangerous one at that. You will be possibly risking your lives to do this, I don’t expect everyone to raise their hands, paws, or hoofs all at once, but know that you will be doing your town and Equestria as a whole a great service.”
Mayor Mare then took over.
“Now, it may relieve some of you to know that Arceus has already volunteered some of his Legendary Pokemon to keep an eye on the Everfree Forest Ley Line.”
A collective sigh went through the ponies in the crowd.
“So that just leaves the matter of the Whitetail Woods Ley Line. Do we have any volunteers?”
No one in the crowd seemed to come forward, until a small yellow Pokemon raised his hand.
“I volunteer!”
Mayor Mare looked down to see a Pikachu with a stylized cap on his head.
“And what is your name?”
Latias gasped when she recognized the Pokemon volunteering.
“Ash Ketchum ma’am. I sort of been living in Whitetail Woods for the better part of the year. Plus camping outdoor is nothing new to me.”
“I volunteer as well!”
Everyone looked to see a very familiar cyan blue pegasus in the air.
“Rainbow Dash?” Twilight said.
“I know what I’m doing Twi. And I wanna help in any way I can.”
Mayor Mare nodded. “Very well, anybody else? No? Well if anyone changes their mind, please come see me after this meeting if you wish. Also know that this will be a rotating position, as we obviously can’t have you all living near the Ley Line for the foreseeable future.”
Twilight then spoke again. “Moving on. The nature of this situation also means that we will be implementing a curfew for all residents of Ponyville. Unless you have express permission from me or Mayor Mare, no one will be allowed to leave the city limits after 8 PM and everyone should be in bed by 10 PM. And as of this moment, the Everfree forest will be an off-limits zone for the time being.”
There were some murmurs and complaints among the crowd.
“I know this may seem undesirable to some of you. But believe me when I say that this is for your own safety. Our guard forces at Canterlot are currently working on a task force to deal with any potential servants. So in the meantime, Arceus has lent us Latias, Latios, and Genesect for our protection.
The Legendary Pokemon who for the time being had just been standing of to the side just smiled and waved as all eyes were on them.
“That is all for now, are there any questions?”
There were a few minor questions concerning the curfew and whatnot. But after that, the meeting was adjourned. And while everyone began to walk out, Latias pulled Ash over to the side.
“Ashy what are you thinking?!”
“What do you mean Latias?”
“I'm talking about volunteering for this clearly dangerous job. Ash, I know that you have a strong sense of justice and a desire to protect others, it's one of the reasons I fell in love with you. But this isn’t like one of those situations where you're rescuing Pikachu from Team Rocket every other day. This is serious.”
“I have to agree with Latias Ash, I don’t think you should do this,” Misty said.
“Guys, I know it’s dangerous, but I can’t just sit by and do nothing.”
“Ash. You don’t know what these guys are capable of. They killed Zapdos, Articuno, and Moltres. If one of them could do something like that. What makes you think a single Pikachu could do what they couldn’t?”
“Because I won’t be alone, I’ll ask my Pokemon to help me. They have never let me down before and I know they won’t let me down now.”
Latias was aware of Ash’s large family of Pokemon that he had caught over his many journeys. Even still, knowing that Ash was throwing himself into great danger made her worried for his safety.
“Well, if you going to do this Ash, I can’t stop you.”
The Pikachu nodded. “Thank you for understanding.”
“That’s why I’m going with you!”
“Yeah...wait what?”
“You are not talking me out of this Ash. If you’re going to take on one of these servants. Then you will need me as backup.”
“Me too,” Misty said. “I’m not letting you out of my sight.”
Ash sighed, but just resigned himself to his fate.
“So this is what it’s like to have two girlfriends. I may never understand how this works.”
~
Twilight, her friends, Professor Juniper, and Abby, Kasai, and Mage all gathered in the Golden Oaks Library. Shortly after the town hall meeting. The inner circle of friends met up to further discuss their plans.
“So what is the plan Twilight?” Juniper asked.
“Yeah.” Rainbow Dash said. “Let’s show these humans what happens when you mess with Equestria.”
“Calm down Rainbow,” Twilight said. “As I said before, we have no idea where they are, or how we might track them. The only thing we do know is how the Counter Force will send servants here via the Ley Lines. And there is no guarantee that it will be the ones closest to Ponyville that will.”
“Hmph,” Abby grunted. “It still baffles me how the humans of this world have a metaphysical “Counter Force” that is actively working to prevent their extinction. Like how does that even work? Who made it?”
“While I’m just as curious as you are Abby. The Counter Force is not our main problem, the real threat is the humans who can command these servants.”
“The Chaldea Security Organization,” Kasai said.
“Exactly. Servants from what Harmony told us are similar to Pokemon in that they need a “Master” to command them in battle.”
“I have a question,” Mage asked. “If servants are basically superpowered humans, why do they need another human to be their “Master”? When it came to the Pokemon, it was due to the general idea that Pokemon were not as smart as humans. So why do free-thinking humans need another human to command them?”
“Well Mage, think of it like this. It’s the same as a general commanding an army. Or a leader directing a group. Pokemon and people are capable of fighting and thinking on their own. But if there is a tactical advisor on given efficient orders and suggestions, then a force would work more effectively rather than just fighting by instinct or coming up with a plan of attack by themselves.”
“Oh, well that makes sense.”
“Aside from that, Harmony told us that there is another more crucial reason why a servant needs a master. You see, servants are basically magical energy beings. This means that like every other life form they need sustenance to maintain their physical forms.”
“So let me guess, the human master provides that sustenance?”
“Correct Mage, servants need magical energy provided by their master in order to stay tethered to the mortal plane. Without one, they either gain energy by eating food, or…”
Mage was a little hesitant to ask when Twilight stopped her explanation. “Or?”
“...They devour souls.”
“...You mean, like a Chandelure?”
“...Yes.”
Everyone in the room felt shivers go up their spines. Rarity and Fluttershy being spoked the most.
“How awful.” The yellow pegasus said.
“Simply horrid. Who would do such a thing.”
“Normally I would chalk this up to human nature or greed,” Abby said. “But considering that most Ghost Types do this naturally. I’m not surprised that a different kind of spirit entity would devour another spirit. No offense Mage.”
“None taken. My kind doesn’t even use souls as a food source. We’re more about feeding off of emotions.”
“Ok,” Rainbow Dash began. “So how exactly do we plan to fight these servants once we run into them?”
“That’s the tricky part Rainbow. Admittedly, one of the downsides of Arceus getting rid of humans, is that no one is able to replicate human fighting styles. And while we know what they look like, that will do little to prepare us for an encounter with them.”
“Unlike Pokemon, these servants are all unique individuals with their own personality and powers. They are from a history we know nothing about. They could be anyone, from a tyrannical king who ruled a country with an iron fist, or a warmonger who was famous for being unbeatable in battle. The possibilities are endless,” Abby stated.
“Landsakes, this is gonna be one big fight that will certainly never forget,” Applejack said.
“Hey, maybe we can try throwing them a party!” Pinkie Pie suggested. “Who knows, that be may get them to stop fighting and be friends with us!”
Twilight chuckled lightly. “While I do believe in the idea of making your enemy your friend Pinkie, I don’t think these guys will have the luxury of doing that. Not with what they’re fighting for.”
“Well, it wouldn’t hurt to try.”
“Ok, so aside from “Throwing them a party”, there is a weakness that can be exploited when fighting a servant. Like I said before, servants need magical energy to stay in this world. However, if you cut off that magical supply the servant will disappear after a few minutes so long as it doesn’t get energy from somewhere else.”
Professor Juniper raised an eyebrow. “And how do you suggest cutting off the magical energy provided by to a servant from its master?”
Twilight looked squeamish as she was hesitant to answer.
“I’m trying to look for other ways. But for now, it looks like the quickest and most efficient method is to kill the servant’s master.”
This answer made everyone in the room stop and think. Killing was something the mane six had avoided resorting to with every conflict they had encountered. Even when it came to King Sombra, it was more of the Crystal Heart defeating him than anything(that fact that he wasn’t fully dead was another thing). But taking another person’s life, even in self-defense, was something they never hoped to do.
For the former humans, there was another layer of hesitation. When it came to Pokemon battles, it was the written and unwritten rule that a trainer shall not order its Pokemon to attack another trainer directly. It was a matter of honor as well as a rule of combat. Once the last Pokemon was down, the human was defenseless, they couldn’t do anything against another Pokemon.
In a way, taking out a trainer, though underhanded, was practical from a certain POV. Because a Pokemon relied on its trainer’s commands, a lack of orders would leave the Pokemon confused as to what to do. The case with a servant and its master was not different.
Professor Juniper was a researcher and a thinker, not a fighter. Plus she never thought that she could live with the guilt of killing someone.
Abby and Kasai on the other hand had several times where they had no choice but to use lethal force in their line of work. But this was a situation where they might just have to use it as the next means of defeating their opponent. Even though Arceus and the world basically declared war against the Lostbelts and Proper Human History. The Pokemon Rangers were at the end of the day protectors, not soldiers.
The Ninetails sighed. “You know, as much as I don’t like humanity overall, killing someone is the last thing I want to do. But if it comes to that, I want to do whatever it takes to ensure that Gold and Silver have a future.”
Abby nuzzled under Kasai’s neck, leaning onto him for support.
“As a Ranger, I will do whatever I can to help Twilight. But I won’t kill unless I have to.”
“Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that. And another thing. When we encounter Chaldea or any of these servants. I don’t want us attacking on sight or at the first provocation. Am I clear Rainbow Dash?”
The rainbow pegasus turned away from her friend’s accusatory face and poorly attempted to whistle.
“When greeting them, we will attempt to peacefully ask them to stand down, and if need be surrender. These people are just trying to save their world just as we are. In that, we have common ground. Who knows, maybe we can think of a way where we can all survive this together. Cause that’s what Equestria is all about. Finding peace and harmony, finding a new way.”
Later that night. Canterlot.
Princess Celestia sat upon her throne as she met with most of the Council members after reading the various reports from guards divisions all over Equestria.
The various Local Guard divisions all reported that they had sentries stationed at nearly every Ley Line in Equestria. From the large one in Rainbow Falls to the one situated in the Central Park of Manehatten.
Equestria had a large number of Ley Lines, it ranked among the top countries with the most Ley Lines in the world. Although given that a third of the population used magic, it was not surprising for a people who used this power in their daily lives.
This also meant there were a lot of places where a Heroic Spirit could appear, and no one powerful enough to stop them right then and there.
“Any reports so far Captain Grissom?”
“No your highness, none of the sentry guards report any strange activity at any of the Ley Lines so far.”
“Update me every hour until I retire for the night. And even when I go to sleep, I want to be woken up at the first sign of trouble.”
“Yes, your majesty.”
“Fancy Pants, how goes the restoration efforts?”
“We are getting along well your majesty. The temporary housings are enough for now, but it may take the good part of a month before Canterlot starts to look like it was before.”
“Very well, come to me if you need any more resources or supplies. I will not spare a single bit when it comes to the welfare of those displaced by the fires.”
“Thank you your majesty, you are too kind.”
“Fleur De Lis, I need you to find a way to alleviate public tension and prosecution. I can already predict that this whole situation will no doubt cause some negative sentiments against former humans. We must remind everyone that they are not to blame for the current circumstances.”
“As you wish Princess Celestia.”
The Princess nodded and then stood up from her throne. “You are all dismissed for the night. I’ll see you all at the end of the week.”
The council members then saw themselves out.
Princess Celestia then finished signing a few more forms and documents before she was about to retire for the night. But then there was a knock on the door.
“Strange, there should be no one else that I’m meeting today.”
Before Celestia could ask who it was, the doors opened to reveal Mewtwo floating in the hallway.
“Princess Celestia, I hope I’m not interrupting anything?”
The alicorn gave the Pokemon ambassador a stare. “No, fortunately for you I am almost done for the night. How can I help you?”
“Well as you know Princess, Arceus has allowed the Legendary Council to take part in this search for servants and humans who dare threaten our home.”
“Yes, we are all aware of this.”
“That being said. What will be the procedure should someone capture a member of the Chaldea Security Organization?”
“...We already discussed this. Any normal humans that surrender or are captured will be brought to Canterlot for holding and questioning.”
“I see, I assume that you will have an effective means of making them talk?”
Celestia narrowed her eyes. “Is there a point you would like to make Mewtwo?”
The Legendary Pokemon just smirked.
“Princess, I have known humans far better than you have. And I am willing to bet that these Chaldeans will not willingly divulge any information about their base of operations. I very much believe that this Chaldea is our greatest threat, one that should be dealt with as soon as possible. As such, if and when we do capture a member of this group, that we perform a quick and effective means of interrogation.”
Celestia already knew what he was going to say, but humored Mewtwo anyway.
“Oh, and just what means of interrogation do you have in mind?”
“Well. As the most powerful Psychic Pokemon in the world, unless these Chaldeans have an effective means of shielding their minds, a simple mind probe would be able to extract everything that they know in a matter of seconds.”
“... So basically, you want to mind rape them?”
Mewtwo shook his head. “I assure you, this will not be like that unfortunate...incident with the Gallade known as Luke. Mindreading these humans will be a...mostly harmless procedure. Luke’s condition was a result of him deafening himself and suffering because of the mental backlash that ensured.”
“Because of you.”
“...Yes.”
Princess Celestia shook her head. Part of her had to admit that Mewtwo was right, that they would need some way of making any capture humans talk. The alicorn hoped that she will be able to just talk with them, to get them to surrender and stop fighting. This was the kind of values that Equestria was founded upon, not by beating and humiliating one’s enemy. But making them a friend.
And yet, when it came to Mewtwo, she knew that he wanted to do this for more than just practical reasons. She had been shown Mewtwo’s memories when they first met, the very memories that convinced her not to force the Pokemon back to Earth. Of all the Legendary Pokemon, Mewtwo had suffered and been manipulated the most by humans. He understood that not all were bad, but that didn’t mean he like humanity overall. This war presented an opportunity for him to justifiably take out his frustration on humanity. Celestia also suspected that Arceus was of the same mindset. Which was why he could not trust him to reign in the short-tempered Legendary.
And yet, if she tried to distance him. If she tried to limit Arceus’s influence with affairs relating to the handling of human POW, there was a chance the Pokemon God would take this as an offense. Arceus may be cooperating with her and the World Leaders now. But there was nothing really stopping him from physically undermining their authority should they try to impede him.
Even though they had 8 months to get to know each other, part of Princess Celestia was still cautious of the Pokemon God. That knowledge that he could still erase people from existence and rule the world unopposed was something he very capable of doing.
The fact alone that humans were here had put Arceus in a bad mood. And if she did not tread lightly, his anger may be redirected to her as well. Although she hoped that it would never come to that.
Snapping out of her thoughts, Celestia gave Mewtwo her answer.
“I shall take your suggestion under consideration Mewtwo. That being said, it’s likely that I shall not endeavor to use it unless I absolutely feel it’s necessary.”
Mewtwo narrowed his eyes.
“Princess, we all agreed that any and all human or servant will be brought to Canterlot for questioning. Even though some voiced that they would be much more secure in the Hall of Legends.”
Celestia knew about that suggestion, but part of her didn’t completely trust that any captured humans would be treated fairly under Arceus’s watch. She imagined that Arceus may try something with them when she wasn’t looking. And although one could argue that even in Canterlot, there was nothing stopping Arceus from just going into their cell, and freezing time so he could speak with them. Or worse, swap them out with a body double. This is why she got him to reluctantly agree that all human prisoners be held in Canterlot.
“And as part of our agreement, a Legendary Pokemon, or a trusted member of the Pokemon community shall always be part of any interrogations when it comes to human prisoners.”
“I understand that, but we haven’t necessarily agreed on how these questionings will go. If you wish to discuss this further, then I shall have to wake up Luna and bring Lord Arceus here so we may come to a final decision.”
Mewtwo stared at the alicorn for a few moments before sighing.
“That won’t be necessary Princess. This matter can be put aside for later.”
“Very well, is there anything else you wish to discuss?”
“No, good night Princess.”
And with that, Mewtwo teleported out of the room. Celestia then let out an annoyed sigh of her own before leaving the throne room and heading to her bed chambers.
~
Luna shifted throughout the Dreamland as she monitored the sleeping minds. Harmony told her that when it came to servants, sleeping was an option to them, merely a means of reducing mana consumption. Logically, this meant that the chances of finding a sleeping servant were low.
Another thing she told them was that when it came to servants and their masters, was that the latter usually has dreams of the former. To clarify, the memories of when a servant was alive are played as dreams in the master’s sleep. However, this didn’t really help narrow down the possibilities, as the dreams of a former human could be indistinguishable from a real one. And since people dream about memories all the time, this was also narrowed it further.
“Hmmm, I wonder if there are servants that have the ability to walk in the dreamworld? Hmph as if they would get away with such a thing.”
Aside from Luna, the only other two beings on the planet that had dream powers similar to hers were Darkrai and Cresselia. The Princess of the Night had come to accept them as fellow guardians of dreams.
That being said, while both Legendary Pokemon agreed to help shoulder the duty of protecting the dreams of the people. The dreamscape was at the end of the day her domain. It was the one thing that Luna would not contest when it came to what had ownership over. If Celestia had the love of the people and control of the sun. Then Luna had control of the Moon and the dreamscape. After all, if they were truly equals, then they would be equal in authority and privileges.
But if that was the case, why was it that barely anyone came to her night court? One would think in this time of crisis that more ponies would come to her for guidance. She thought back to the first night when the Pokemon came here, how there was barely anypony there despite the arrival of the Pokemon being a massive topic of discussion at the time. It was also the night when that Aeigslash choose Celestia as being more a worthy ruler than her. Was she not worthy? Did she not deserve to be in important meetings with Arceus and other individuals? Why was she always overlooked and-
“Wait,” Luna stopped the negative thoughts in their tracks .“Where am I going with this?”
The younger alicorn shook her head. She shouldn’t be thinking about such things. A sinner like her did not have to right to ask for such praise and respect. She had made mistakes and was paying for them even now. How could she expect the citizens of Equestria to love and respect her when it was her sister who protected and loved them for the last millennia? How could she expect the Ageislash to see her as worthy when she kept dwelling on the fact.
How could the ponies of Equestria see her as Celestia’s equal when she would always be the younger sister. When the Sun would ever and always overshadow the Moon…
The Princess of the Night pushed such distracting thoughts to the back of her head. Continuing her search, Princess Luna flew throughout the realm of the dreaming.
Although the Princess didn’t recognize it yet, she would eventually come to admit that she wasn’t completely rid of the envy that had caused her to make a terrible mistake 1,000 years ago.
Hall of Legends
Suicune, Landorus, Mesprit, Victini, Groudon, Zekrom, and Xeranas all sat in Virizion’s room. The Grassland Pokemon had called them all here specifically for a reason.
“Okay, why did you call us all here Virizion?” Landorus asked.
“Yeah,” Victini added. “And why did you make us use the portal doors rather than the main door to your room?”
The Victory Pokemon was referring to a portal in a side of the room that could be found in each Legendary Pokemon’s personal chamber. This was set up by Arceus as a way for certain Legendary Pokemon to meet up in secret. Away from prying eyes that may gossip about who is visiting who.
But the reason why the Sword of Justice had called them all here was not for any embarrassing reasons. No, it was in fact a serious one.
“I called you all here, specifically because we need to talk about something, and you all are the only ones here who I trust to keep a secret.”
The other Legends looked at each other and then back to Virizion.
“Also, because there is something we all share, but I’ll get to that later.”
Virizion cleared her throat and then put on a serious face.
“First off let me ask you all something. What’s your opinion on the Lostbelts and this entire situation?”
While some of the Legendaries suspected that Virizion was going to ask something like that, not everyone had an immediate answer. The first to speak however was Suicune.
“In a way, I can sympathize with the humans of these Lostbelts. Like me and my siblings, they were brought back from the dead and given new life. Just because they shouldn’t be here, doesn’t mean they don’t have a right to be here. Yes, the world may have deemed them unnecessary, but the fact that they are here right now is a miracle. They have a new lease on life, and should be allowed to live it.”
“I agree with Suicune,” Xerneas said. “As the Pokemon of Life, I value all life no matter where how is comes into existence. And while one could make the argument that their resurrection is a violation of the cycle of Life and Death that me and Yveltal maintain, I think that they should be given a second chance.”
Zerkrom then spoke.
“This has less to do with the Lostbelts and more to do with humanity. I never liked the fact that Arceus turned all the humans he brought with us into Pokemon. It is the sign of a closed mind to not hear or accept another person’s ideals. Arceus doing what he did shows he fully believes that all humankind will ever eventually bring is suffering to others. It is the truth that he has come to believe is the only right one.”
“To be fair,” Landorus said. “The idea of making the humans Pokemon was Cresselia’s idea. He just co-opted it as his own.” *hmph* “It’s probably a good thing that he did. Otherwise, everyone would be mad at Cresselia and not him, and Darkrai wouldn’t like everyone ganging up on her.”
While Virizion did admit there was some truth to that, she refrained from saying it out loud as to not offend the Lunar Pokemon. Plus Cresselia might sense someone talking ill of her.
“Okay and now to talk about why we are really here. This situation is no doubt going to bring up some anti-human sentiments among the people and Pokemon, and I’m not just talking about the normal ones.”
Groudon raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”
The Sword of Justice gestured to the Dragon of Ideals.
“Zekrom here says that he saw and overheard Mewtwo and Giratina talking about something during the funeral. When he approached them during the wake, it was very clear that they were talking about how much humanity has wronged us, after which they talked with Reshiram and Tornadus before leaving.”
Victini then spoke up.
“Then late that night, when I went get a plate of Macarons from the kitchen I passed by Giratina’s room on my way back. And then the doors to it opened, and out comes: Mewtwo, Kyogre, Kyurem, Reshiram, Zygarde, Registeel, Regirock, Regigigas, Yveltal, Latios, Tornadus, and Thundurus. After everyone left, Giratina gave me a look before going back into his room.”
The other Legendary Pokemon took in this information and thought on it for a second.
“Okay,” Groudon began. “So certain members of our family all had a private meeting, what’s the big deal? It is not our business what they do or talk about.”
“Normally you’d be right,” Mesprit said. “But I passed a few of them today, and let me just say this, the emotion that they all had in common was resentment or anger.”
“And where are you going with this?”
“The Pokemon that were in Giratina’s room. It took me a while to piece together, but the thing most of them had in common were bad experiences with humans.”
Groudon was about to retort, but as he and the others thought more about it. Mesprit was right.
Giratina had been sealed away like Arceus by the humans, along with Regigigas and his children. Zygarde had always despised how chaotic and destructive the humans were when it came to nature. Tornadus and Thundurus always kept wrecking human settlements. Yveltal was well...Yveltal. And Mewtwo needed no explanation.
“Virizion,” Xerneas said. “Are you saying that members of our family are conspiring something? That they plan to do something about the humans without Arceus knowing about it?”
“...I’m not entirely sure. But I’m not ruling out the possibility. We are all indeed one big family. But family doesn’t always agree on everything. And given that it seems that Mewtwo and Giratina are the main ones behind that gathering I can only imagine what they brought up and talked about yesterday in that room.”
Zekrom folded his arms and spoke.
“Okay, so what are going to do about it? Unless we know exactly what they’re planning we can’t go to Lord Arceus about it.”
“I don’t even think we should try that,” Mesprit stated. “For all we know, father might just go through with whatever plan they have if it involves winning this war. Let’s not beat around the bush. The return of humanity, coupled with the death of the Legendary birds, has put father in a very bad mood. He just wants to get this over as quickly as possible and ‘punish’ the humans once again for trying to ruin everything.”
“And that brings us to why I called each of you here,” Virizion said. “None of you have any real contempt for mankind, for all the things they have done, you learned to forgive and live with them. Human nature is gray and unpredictable, but they are a species that deserves to live just like everyone else. This is why even though I want us to win, I also want to try and find a way to win fairly and morally. I will not allow hatred to consume members of our family. The moment we start down that road may lead to more problems in the future. I don't want to destroy humanity, if possible I want them to live as well. Even if Arceus is against the idea.”
The other Legendary Pokemon looked at each other, before each of them began to nod and agree.
"So what do you suggest we do Virizion?" Groudon asked.
Virizion rubbed her chin. "For now, let's just observe the ones who were in Giratina's room see what they do. I'm not jumping to any conclusions unless they really plan to do something drastic."
"Hmmm, very well. Does anyone have a problem with this?"
No one shook their heads
“Alright, I guess we can close this meeting for now. Let’s go back to our rooms while I think about how we’re gonna go about this.”
Several miles west of Canterlot
Private Ironside of the Pokemon Corp stood under Luna’s night sky as he watched a single spot on the ground. Said spot was an area marked with paint to identify where a Ley Line was.
During his studies in school and training for the royal guard, the unicorn stallion was required to study the subject as part of his magic class. Essentially, Ley Lines were the very things that produced the magic that was used by every capable wielder on Equus. If the planet was compared to a living being, then the Ley Lines served as the blood vessels that carried that blood know as “mana” throughout the world. That being said, when it came to unicorns they could naturally wield magic better than any other race. Making them experts when working with these things.
The stallion never thought that he would find himself doing such simple work again, and yet at the same time, it was his own actions that got him where he was today.
The veteran unicorn had spent years working up the ranks of the Royal Solar Guard, showing great dedication and loyalty to his Kingdom and his fellow ponies. Then, after Shining Armor retired to become the Prince of the Crystal Empire, Ironside succeeded him as the Captain of the Solar Royal Gaurd. His entire career and future were bright.
And then, the Pokemon came.
At first, Ironside like some others treated these new creatures with disdain and dismissal. Seeing them as lesser beings from a certain point of view. He accepted the fact that they were here. But he did not accept them as equals when it came to Law Enforcement and overlooked them and what they could do. This was further cemented when said Pokemon failed to stop the theft of the Crown Jewels by major criminal Total Control.
Ironside came to the conclusion that the Royal Guard needed nothing from these creatures. Not their powers, their tactics, anything.
His mistake.
One day, a Pokemon criminal named the Phantom Theif Fox made a threat to steal the Crown Jewels right from the castle vault as opposed to the museum case during the previous attempt.
Seeing the Theif as nothing more than a lowly criminal, Ironside’s arrogance got the better of him. This tricky Pokemon made him and his guards run on a wild goose chase, making a fool out of him and the Solar guard. But despite this, the Pokemon would have never won, had he not opened the Crown Jewels vault door just to prove a point.
And just like that, the Phantom Fox made off with her prize. All because of his pride and disrespect for his fellow Pokemon Guards.
During the grilling after the heist, the council was exposed for corruption and arrested on the spot. A part he had inadvertently helped to bring about when he opened the vault door. Turns out, the “Emergency Key” the council had given him, was not exactly approved or given to them by Princess Celestia herself. For his punishment in disregarding his fellow Pokemon guards, Ironside was demoted right back down to Private and would have been redeployed to Border Patrol had Seth Crescent and Johnathan Trace not spoken in his defense.
Made a member of the Pokemon Corp to give him a lesson on humility, as well as make him more tolerable of Pokemon, Ironside was to serve as a liaison between the two races.
That entire experience had now led him to here. Where he and a number of Pokemon and Ponies Guards stood watch over the Ley Line.
He and the rest had all been informed that their enemy, the combatants known as servants would use the Ley Lines as a door to their world. His squad’s job was to alert High Command should the Ley Line start acting up and inform them if a servant appeared.
But there was one problem.
“How exactly do we know if a servant is going to appear?”
To be honest, Ley Lines were known for visibly pumping out magical energy on occasion. Such a phenomenon was often observed to measure the output of mana and how it affected the surrounding area.
“What are we suppose to look for?” Ironside said to himself. “A glowing light? A loud rumbling? Maybe lighting stikes the place and-”
The stallions words were cut off as his horn began to vibrate like a tuning fork, this only ever happened when a unicorn sensed a large magical energy build up.
A fellow unicorn guard who was nearby walked up to him, also sensing the magical energy in the air becoming dense.
“Ironside, what’s going on?!”
“I don’t know, I-”
Both ponies were stunned as an invisible hand began to draw in the ground before them. A circle was drawn before various markings and an unknown language was inscribed into the earth.
Neither Ironside nor his fellow guard knew exactly what was happening, but they had an idea.
“Inform the Princesses, NOW!”
~
Back in the dreamscape, Luna continued her nightly round of banishing nightmares and soothing the dreams of the tormented. The panic caused by the fires as well as the announcement by Arceus had an effect on the people, similar to when the Pokemon first arrived. During the last two nights however, Luna noticed something particular about the dreams some beings were having, specifically, the Pokemon.
A number of the Pokemon were having various dreams about being confronted by humans. More often than not, it was humans who no doubt tormented and abused them back on Earth. Some of these dreams even had humans who Luna had learned were a part of the organizations such as Team Rocket, Team Galatic, Team Flare, and various others.
“The revelation that humans have returned, has no doubt stirred up some bad memories among the Pokemon.” Luna shook her head. “These people came to this world to move on from such things. And now this whole situation was made them remember why they fear humans so much.”
Turning away from such thoughts, Luna continued her duty of guarding the dream world. But the Princess was only halfway done when she noticed something.
The younger alicorn pulled her consciousness together as she investigated this strange oddity.
Luna looked over a few sleeping citizens of Las Pegasus and noticed something peculiar about their dreams.
The dreamscape itself was created and maintained by the dreams of the living. As such, one could say that dreams were what fueled and maintained the world that was Luna’s domain.
But the dreams that the Princess was currently observing. Luna saw and realized that someone was feeding off of them.
Not long after Princess Luna took Darkrai under her mentorship, the Legendary Pokemon informed her of a move that Pokemon used called “Dream Eater”. The way it worked was that the attacking Pokemon absorbed the energy of a Pokemon’s dream. During battle, this would obviously weaken the Pokemon. Luna was angry that such a move existed that could be used to disrupt the dreams of others. As such, the Princess soon passed a law that the move could not be used outside of battle.
Luna tried to look for the villain who would dare disrupt the dreams of her citizens. But she could not find the source. Even if the suspect was awake, she should still be able to see them.
The Princess started to become annoyed as she searched in vain for the perpetrator. Finally, she had enough and just shouted into the void.
“Whoever dares to eat the dreams of others, show thyself! I am Princess Luna of Equestria, guardian of the Dreamscape and patron of the Moon. Come out from where you are hiding so that you may be punished for your crimes!”
The void provided no answer. Luna cursed, it was foolish of her to think that this person would show themselves willingly.
But then, she heard a voice.
“Hmmm, it seems that I have been caught red-handed. Like a child with his hands in a cookie jar.”
Luna looked up and around to find the source of the voice, but no one was there.
“Well, I think I have enough emotions for now. I would ask for your forgiveness, but to be honest, I really don’t regret what I just did.”
Luan then became angrier at the perpetrator’s casual dismissal of guilt and remorse. So much so that she failed to notice that the voice was coming from all around her.
“Who art Thou!? Are you too cowardly to show yourself, do you fear facing me?”
“While I am a coward. The reason I shall not show my face, it because it is not really the time for us to meet yet.”
“You will NOT defy me! I am Princess Luna. And I will have order in my domain.”
“Sorry, Princess. But I am afraid this is where our conversation ends. Till next time.”
“Wait!”
But before Luna could do anything, she heard someone calling her name from the waking world.
“Princess Luna.”
“Princess Luna.”
“Princess Luna!”
Pulling herself out of the dreamscape, the alicorn woke up to the sight of a night guard.
“Princess Luna, please wake up!”
“I am awake Stellar Nova. What is it?”
The bat pony Night Guard known as Steller Nova continued speaking.
“A guard post at one of the Ley Lines has reported a strange magical build-up. It could be the thing we have been waiting for!”
“Where is it?”
“The closet one west of Canterlot, the central Ley Line.”
The Princess’s eyes widened. “Has my sister been informed?”
“She is already being woken up as we speak.”
“Alert the others and inform Seth Crescent! I shall teleport there at due haste.”
“Yes Princess!”
Luna jumped out of bed, but before she moved any further she noticed something fall to the ground.
“Your Highness, is something wrong?”
“Uh, no Stella Nova. Just go on ahead.”
“Very well.” The Night Guard mare then left the bedroom. Luna then picked up the item that had dropped and teleported out of there.
The thing that Luna picked up, which she swore was not there before, was a white, pinkish flower.
~
The Alicorn sisters popped into existence as the other guards took a step back at the sudden appearance of the Princesses. Celestia and Luna did not have to turn their heads too far in order to see what they had been woken up about.
The Ley Line, as well as the drawing on the ground, was glowing brightly as magical energy gathered and coelested.
“Ironside,” Celestia said. “How long has this been going on?”
“About 45 seconds your highness! You actually got here pretty fast.”
“And not a moment too soon,” Luna added. “Because I feel that whatever is happening here, is about to reach its climax!”
The Moon Princess words became validated as energy began to spin faster and brighter. The circle of light then divided into three rings of energy for a few seconds, before collapsing into the center. This caused a huge explosion of light that blinded everyone present and looking.
When the light faded, there was still dust thrown into the air. Once it cleared, Celestia and Luna looked at the spot where the phenomenon had taken place and gasped at what they saw.
From the memories and pictures that had been shown to then by Arceus, and more recently Harmony, standing on what they would later learn was a summoning circle.
Was a servant.
The being in question appeared to be male based on human descriptions. He had unkept chalk-white hair, he wore stylized golden armor on his legs and arms, his entire body save for his chest and head was covered in black. In the center of his midsection was an embedded red jewel.
But his most striking feature that the Princess would remember for the rest of their days, was his stare. His sharp gaze betrayed no emotion or expression. Just one glance from this man told anyone that he was no doubt a warrior.
The air and night was deathly silent for a few seconds, but it seemed like forever.
Celestia straightened herself and maintained her composure. After meeting a god like Arceus, she did not want to show any sign of faltering. She took a few steps forward and spoke, asking the obvious question.
“Are you a servant?”
The Heroic Spirit answered, his voice was cold and unwavering.
“Yes.”
Celestia then remembered that all servants were the revived forms of people from human history. Despite knowing nothing about that history, she had to ask anyway.
“Who are you?”
The servant gave away his identity without hesitation.
“My name is Karna. My class designation is Lancer. I am a servant summoned by the Counter Force in response to save Proper Human History.”
Karna. Princess Celestia committed that name to memory.
The night air was so tense one could cut it with a knife.
On that day, three superpowered beings faced each other. Two on one side, one on the other. Two were the eldest rulers of Equestria, one was the form of ether in the shape of a dead person.
Outside of the memories shown to them by two gods, for Celestia and Luna, this was the first time they came face to face with an actual human. Or at least something that was once human.
If there was one word to describe the servant known as Karna at first glance, it would be intimidating. His gaze almost felt like he was staring right through them. Aside from that, there was no doubt that this person radiated power just by standing there. On some level, Celestia knew that this servant was probably more powerful than the majority of his kind. And yet, the Princess of the Sun could not help but feel some kind of connection with him, as if she and Karna were perhaps similar beings in some way.
“I ask you, are you my enemy?” Karna asked.
Princess Celestia hesitated for a moment before speaking.
“My name is Princess Celestia of Equestria, this is my younger sister Princess Luna.”
“Sister, I believe I can introduce myself,” Luna stated dryly.
Celestia blinked at her sister’s words but continued.
“We are the Co-rulers of the kingdom of Equestria, for which you are now in. As for your question Karna, that all depends.”
“On what?” The heroic spirit said.
“On what you intend to do here.” the Solar Princess’s tone became more authoritative as she said this.
“...I believe I have already stated my reasons for being here Princess.”
The elder alicorn narrowed her eyes.
“But in case my words were not conveyed properly, allow me to give you full disclosure. I am a Heroic Spirit of Alaya, of the human Counter Force. I was summoned here in order to correct the Filtering Alternate History Phenomenon, to restore Proper Human History to its rightful place in this timeline. Consequently, this means that I must subvert this Lostbelt by returning it to the cosmic void that it was sent to when it was pruned by the world.”
“Pruned by the world,” Celestia whispered. That topic was still a sore spot for her. The alicorn still had a hard time believing or understanding why her home planet had deemed their timeline unnecessary for progression and had cut it off like a tumor. To the Princess, it was like culling a number of a population because that group had something wrong with them. In her mind, everyone, no matter what mistakes or defects that might have been saddled with had a right to live. So what right did the world have to kill entire timelines for any reason whatsoever?
The Princess shook her head and refocused on the current matter.
“Well Karna. For what you say and what we have been told, you and others like you are attempting to restore your Proper Human History, to save the timeline from which you come. I do not blame you or fault you for this. However, you must understand that your actions will ultimately result in the deaths of countless people, billions of lives.” Celestia took a deep breath before continuing “Please understand, the people who live in this world, have names, they have dreams, they have...friends. Not to mention, this timeline...no, this world, recently became the home of several billion more sentient beings. They came to this world to start a new a life, to escape the horrors of the old world and find peace in the new one.”
It did not escape Luna’s notice that Celestia didn’t mention that humans were responsible for the horrors that the Pokemon endured back on Earth. She guessed that while she was trying to make this servant understand the gravity of their actions, she did not want to completely guilt-trip him. Even if it was a different version of humanity that caused the Pokemon so much suffering and pain.
“Your actions would ultimately result in the destruction of a species who have only just found respite and a chance to start anew. I ask you to please consider the moral implications of what you're about to do. That you fully understand the consequences of what this Counter Force wants you to perform. So tell me Karna, knowing this, will you still do what you were called here to do?”
Lancer stood there for a second, not a single word more was spoken from any of them as the alicorns waited for his answer. Karna then closed his eyes as if he was deep in thought.
“I must admit, I was not aware of this. That another species had made their home on this planet.”
The pale white man opened his eyes.
“The Counter Force only provides servants with basic knowledge and mannerisms of the current times, as well as our objective upon being summoned into whatever timeframe. So as a result, I am unaware of the complete circumstances of this Lostbelt in the people who live in it. So now having learned this, I offer my most sincere condolences to those who suffered and journeyed here to this world.”
Celestia began to form a small mental smile. She had hoped that she could reason with this servant rather than fight him. For if there was any moral compass in his body, that surely, it may trump any orders that would cause the destruction of an entire world.
“That being said, my orders still stand. Until I find a master to form a contract with, I am currently under orders of the Counter Force to restore Proper Human History. Whatever that might entail.”
And just like that, Celestia’s smile faded.
Luna, having anticipated this response, spoke for her sister and for herself.
“So that is your answer? You will sentence this world and all who live in it to death? With not a care or thought for who might live in it!? Will you return to your Throne of Heroes content with the knowledge that you condemned billions to die without so much as ever getting to know any one of them!?”
Karna was silent.
“Answer me human! I have heard of your kind, of the horrors and atrocities that your species has committed, of the cruelty your people are capable of. If this really is humanity, if you really are one of the heroes of their history, the kind of hero who would kill countless beings with a straight face. Then I guess Arceus was right. Tell me, what kind of cruel, sinful world are you trying to save? Is it really so better than ours that it would be considered the proper one? If so, the world must have some really twisted idea of what kind of timeline it wants to cultivate.”
“.....”
“Well!?”
“...I am a hero Princess. I fight only so that I may not sully my honor or the honor of my father. Even if I were to have any misgivings of what orders I would be given, I would still carry them out as long as they came from the mouth of my current master.”
Luna’s faced scowled. Thankfully Celestia took over again.
“So that’s it, you are not going to stop or relent?”
“I’m sorry, but no.”
“Very well then.” Celestia then spread her wings out and straightened her legs. “By the authority vested in me, I Princess Celestia of Equestria order you to stand down Karna. If you turn yourself in without resistance, I assure you that you will be treated fairly under Equestrian law. Any attempt to resist and I will have no choice but to display my power here and now. I do not wish to fight you Karna, but if you do not come with us peacefully then I will make you.” The elder Princess punctuated this by igniting her horn in a golden glow.
Karna was unfazed by her statement, merely blinking as she gathered her power.
“Then it would seem that I have no choice but to fight. Very well.”
The Lancer-class servant held out his arm as a golden spear manifested in his hand. The end of said spear had a red cloth attached to it, while the head of the spear was shaped in a circle with five prongs pointing from the center.
The man took a battle stance as he griped his weapon tightly.
“Consider this first strike, as a declaration of war.”
The Princess of Equestria and the Prince of India stared at each other in high anticipation, both seemingly waiting for the other to make the first move. Luna and the other guards being equally on edge.
Celestia blinked for a split second.
Karna was no longer in front of her.
“SISTER!”
Celestia reacted even before she heard Luna’s voice. Looking to her back left, she caught the brief glimpse of a golden spear aimed at her head. In what would normally be impossible for a regular pony, Celestia ducked her head as the tip of the spear nicked her neck as it tried to impale it. A drop of blood staining her pure white coat.
“I shall end this quickly,” Karna then delivered a powerful kick to her midsection which sent Celestia rolling several meters away. The solar alicorn quickly spread her wings to stop herself and used the momentum to get back on her feet.
“Princess!” Ironside exclaimed. The stallion gripped his spear as he began to rally the other guards. “We have to help her!”
“No!” Celestia shouted. “I’ll handle this! Luna and the rest of you just stay back. Call for Mewtwo or any of the other Legendaries!”
Luna gritted her teeth, but relented. “Very well, everyone stand back! Someone contact Canterlot, tell them to find Mewtwo and get himself down here right now!”
The moon alicorn then looked back toward the battle, Celestia and Karna were now once again facing each other.
He’s fast, much faster than I ever anticipated. So I just have to keep up with him. Celestia then cast a spell on herself, it was an advanced mystic that made the user faster and swifter. It may have meant that Celestia would not be able to get off any powerful spells that required time to charge, but she didn’t need to defeat Karna, only distract him long enough until help arrived.
“Hopefully someone does come soon.”
Celestia fired a powerful beam from her horn directly at Karna. The Hero of Charity simply deflected it with his spear and charged at her with full speed. The Princess quickly cast a shield in front of her that repelled the stip of the spear that was aimed at her chest. Thinking quickly, she summoned several swords made of light aimed at Karna’s back. The servant saw this and jumped into the air, avoiding the constructs and used his Mana Burst to keep him in the air for a while.
“Watch yourself.”
Fire gathered in the tip of his spear, before shooting a beam of concentrated energy at Celestia. Rather than shielding herself this time, Celestia wisely dodged as the beam impacted the group and created a small explosion where she just was.
“So, fire is the element he wields.”
Celestia then shot several homing shots that then chased Karna as he landed back on the ground. After a few seconds and with a twirl of his spear, he parried the bolts until they were no more. Using this opening, Celestia got behind Karna and attempted to impale him in the shoulder. Once again anticipating an attack, the Lancer turned around and caught her horn with his spear. The two struggled for a bit as they pushed each other.
“He can’t use his spear like this, and yet, if I aim my horn just right-”
“O Agni.”
Celestia’s eyes widen as in half a second, the temperature in the area shot up quickly. The Princess barely had time to react before a column of fire erupted around them. The alicorn got back in time as the steam of fire bathed Karna in a glowing light. A lesser being would have had their skin boiled off had they been as close as she was when the fire ignited. But thankfully her alicorn physiology allowed her to survive with only a few singes on her coat.
When the fire stopped, the entire ground around him had become a scorched earth. But Karna looked as if the fire had had no effect on him whatsoever.
“He is immune to fire? Or just his own?” Celestia had learned that certain Pokemon had immunity to fire and extreme temperatures, in addition to the ability to absorb said fire to power up their moves. Was this servant like them?
“I guess I‘ll have to use spells that are not fire-based.” Celestia then began to charge a pure mana based attack and readied herself.
“Still, where is Mewtwo? I thought he of all Pokemon would want to be here right now.”
Hall of Legends, Giratina’s room
Mewtwo stood beside Giratina as the assemblage of other Legendary Pokemon in the room stood or sat down.
The Legendary Pokemon that were present were all the same from the other night. Namely Kyogre, Kyurem, Reshiram, Zygarde, Registeel, Regirock, Regigigas, Yveltal, Latios, Tornadus, and Thundurus. Once everyone got comfortable, Giratina spoke.
“I thank you all for once again coming here. Now, first things first. Have you all thought over what I said yesterday?”
Everyone either nodded or said yes.
“Good, so what are your answers?”
Several mons looked at each other before Latios spoke.
“While I would like the know the specifics of what you are proposing first Giratina. I am willing to help you if it ultimately means keeping this world safe.”
Then Yveltal raised his voice.
“I speak for Kyurem and Kyogre when I say that we will support you however we can. This is a war we are fighting. And I do not care for how it is fought.”
“Humanity is chaotic and unpredictable,” Zygarde said. “I will not allow their corruption to destroy this new world and dismantle the order we have been working so hard to achieve. If that means that humanity must die, then so be it.”
Regigigas went next. “I first want to know what exactly you plan to do. Even war has rules. How we fight it is a reflection of who we are. Humans may have sealed me away and separated me from my children. But that was a different humanity. We cannot judge this incarnation of the human race for the actions of the ones birthed by Mew.”
Giratina stared at the continent Pokemon.
“Regigigas speaks from himself,” His gaze then tilted down to Regirock and Registeel. “But what of his sons?”
The two golems looked at each other than at their father. Before speaking in unison.
“I and my brother support your plan Giratina.”
“Yes, this is the quickest and most efficient way to end this conflict.”
Regigigas looked down at his progeny, but otherwise did not give an indication if he was upset with their decision.
“For once Tornadus and I agree on something. Humanity has had their chance, it's time for this world to be a planet where they can no longer screw everything up.”
“Thunderous says something smart for once. Lord Arceus will thank us by the time this is over.”
And finally, Reshiram gave her answer.
“When I was with N, he spoke of a world where Pokemon and people lived separately. He had seen what humanity had done to them and wanted to make a world built upon a single truth. That Pokemon and Humans were incompatible beings, and that it would be better if they lived in separate worlds.”
Reshiram sighed.
“I must admit, that I supported N not just because he wanted to make a world or truth. But because I agreed with him. For too long, I have observed the lies and deceit that humanity has built up over the years. Their governments are corrupt and self-serving, ignoring the truths and reality of the world in order to keep themselves in power. Indeed, I have. Come to the conclusion that the Pokemon would be better off without humanity.
The Pokemon of Truth’s eyes blaze with conviction.
“Although I don’t know what N is doing or thinking right now, I know that his world of truth is finally achieved. Pokemon and Humans are now in separate worlds. That is why I’ll be damned if the world is destroyed. So yes Giratina, I will help you protect this planet and defeat humanity.”
Behind his mask, the ruler of the Distortion World smiled.
“Very well. So aside from Regigigas, we are all in agreement. Humanity must be destroyed. And unlike father who just left the ones back on Earth to slowly die. We shall eradicate them swiftly and thoroughly. If anyone has any objections to this please leave now.”
All eyes were on Regigigas, who looked down at his sons. Despite their faces being expressionless, they understood each other and where they stand. And then without a word, Regigigas left the room.
“Now then, before we get into the specifics of how we go about destroying humanity once and for all. Let’s go over what we know. Mewtwo if you would be so kind.”
The Genetic Pokemon stepped(or rather floated) forward. “From what we know, and from what Harmony told us, our main threats are the Counter Force and the Chaldeans. First, let’s talk about the Counter Force. From what we can understand, it is a metaphysical power that protects mankind from the possibility of extinction and works through deterrents in order to eliminate any real threat to mankind’s survival.”
Zygarde let out a grunt. “Can I just say how absurd it is that humans of all species somehow got a conceptual protective force that was made for the explicit purpose of keeping them alive for as long as possible!? I can think of several other races that deserve something like that more than those insolent humans. I mean, why didn’t we get a Counter Force?”
“Our world is built differently than theirs Zygarde,” Latios said. “Plus Arceus would have no need to make something like that, for the Pokemon, that job basically falls down to us legendaries.”
“Well, maybe he should have considering the numerous times those various Teams used us to change or rule the world. Or when Lysandere tried to destroy it. Can you imagine what would have happened if Calem had not stopped that man when he did?”
“Gentlemon!” Mewtwo said in a stern voice. “Please save this for another time. And Zygarde, while I do wholeheartedly agree with you. We can’t focus on the what-if and need to focus more on the now. So as I was saying the Counter Force will use various servants as tools in order to protect the humans from threats to their kind and from themselves. Currently, this Counter Force is deploying servants all over the world in order to attack and destroy us.”
“So how do we stop it?” Kyogre asked. “It’s not as if this Counter Force is a giant power core that we can just blow up and then problem solved. How do we stop it from sending servants here?”
“Harmony said that servants come into this world through the Ley Lines that feed magic into the environment. There may be other ways but this is the only way we know that they are being summoned here.”
Yveltal then spoke up.
“So why don’t we just destroy these Ley Lines? Every single one around the world.”
There were some murmuring and nods of agreement, but then Giratina said something.
“That would be unwise, the Ley Lines provide magic to the entire world, they are the blood vessels of the planet essentially. I have learned this during our time here. To destroy them would not only take away the ponies’ ability to use magic, but it may also have unknown consequences on the environment.”
Zygarde and several others widened their eyes at this, that part they hadn’t considered. “Hmmm. As the Pokemon of Order, I must maintain the balance of nature and its workings. If destroying the Ley Lines would upset that order, then I object to this.”
“But can’t Lord Arceus just fix them when this is all over?” Thunderous suggested. “I’m pretty sure a few Ley Line would be easy to repair for a god. Even if it means a few weeks or months without magic, that’s a small price to pay in order to save the world. So what it the ponies can’t use magic, we still got Pokemon who don’t need that to fight.”
“While some ponies are hardly defenseless without magic,” Reshiram iterated. “Taking away an essential aspect of their daily lives, nay a part of their very civilization is a risk and must be made with deliberation.”
The room became somewhat silent as the Pokemon deliberated doing something as drastic as that in order to save their world. This was something they obviously could not do without the consent of the World Leaders and the people of Equus. While the Pokemon now called this planet home. They had not stayed here long enough to have the right to make such a world-altering decision like that.
“We shall keep this option for later, and at some point I shall propose the idea to father,” Giratina said. “And even if he does agree, there are still many hoops we’d have to jump through in order to get that idea approved by the rest of the World Leaders.”
“Now let’s move from the Counter Force and onto Chaldea,” Mewtwo said in resuming. “Their full name is the Organization for the Preservation of the Human Order, Finis Chaldea. They are like the Counter Force in that they are tasked with defending mankind and ensuring its continued existence. And just like the Counter Force, they use servants as their main means of fighting. But unlike said Counter Force, they are not an intangible, invisible power. They are mainly comprised and lead by flesh and blood humans,” Mewtwo then smirked. “Humans that can be captured, deterred, and interrogated.”
“The solution to this one is simple,” Giratina continued. “All we have to do is find their base of operations and then father can just teleport there and take care of the rest.”
“The solution is indeed simple,” Kyruem said in his icy voice. “But how do we find it?”
“Unfortunately, Father has already visited the coordinates the was transmitted from wherever this Wandering Sea is. But he found nothing upon arrival. Plus there is no doubt that this Chaldea is using some kind of conceptual way to keep themselves hidden, otherwise, Harmony herself would have found out where they are by now.”
“Then it seems we are left with no other choice but to meet these Chaldeans on the field of battle. Capture one of their numbers, and get them to talk,” Reshiram said.
“Alternatively, Mewtwo or Arceus could just pluck the information right out of their head,” Tornadus suggested.
“That may be a problem,” Mewtwo said in an annoyed tone.
“What?”
“Princess Celestia, especially after the incident with the Gallade. Does not trust me or Lord Arceus to handle matters of interrogation. She doesn’t think I would be delicate enough to handle the job.”
“What!?” Thunderous exclaimed. “The fate of the world rests in our hands, and Celestia wants to take the hard way to get there just because of some, moral code?”
“To be fair,” Latios said. “Mewtwo does indeed not seem to care about restraint when using his powers.”
The Genetic Pokemon glared at the male Eon duo member. “While there may be some truth to Latios’s words, I still do believe that a swift and efficient mind read will tell us the whereabouts of the Chaldean base,” Mewtwo then smiled. “Thankfully, I can detect and read the minds of anyone within a mile. And Lord Arceus’s influence is only limited by his imagination. Basically, neither of us has to be present in order to do what’s necessary.”
“Are you suggesting, that we go behind the Princess’s back and mind read without permission?” Latios asked.
“The Princess, in my opinion, is too soft for this kind of work. I don’t need to read her mind to tell that she is not a fighter, nor someone who is willing to do what’s necessary in order to win this conflict. She is a peacemaker and a diplomat, not a warrior. And in times of war and conflict, the latter is oftentimes more necessary in order to win.”
“So what are we-” A knock on the door interrupted whatever Latios was about to say.
“Who is it?” Giratina said.
The door opened to reveal Latias.
“Sister? Is there something you need?”
“Uh yeah, is Mewtwo here?”
The Genetic Pokemon made himself more visible to the female Eon Pokemon.
“I am here Latias. What is it?”
“There is a pony messenger crossed the meeting room to get here and they are calling you.”
Mewtwo raised an eyebrow. “Why, what is it?”
“They said that Celestia has found a servant. And needs you there right away. They also said something about why aren’t you in the castle where you said you’d be?”
All eyes were on the clone as his eyes widened.
“Did they say where Celestia was?”
The battle had only been going on for 2 minutes but already Celestia was running out of options.
Karna’s speed and power had pushed her to the edge in terms of pulling out new tricks in order to keep him at bay. It was as if the servant was memorizing her every move and was trying to find a way around it.
“He is an observant one. There is still another way to keep stalling him.”
Celestia dodged a beam that to her utter surprise came from Karna’s freaking eye! The shot sliced off the tip of her mane that floated to the ground and lost its magical luster.
The alicorn jumped back in order to take a breather, Karna recognized this and allowed the Princess a respite.
“Princess Celestia of Equestria, your will to fight shows the determination of someone who wants to protect. Admirable, as a ruler of a nation, that kind of conviction is something every leader should possess.”
He’s talking, good. Maybe I can make conversation with him until Mewtwo arrives.
“Thank you. Although you may be my enemy for now. I can tell from your words that you are someone who respects their opponent and means them no ill will. Such a mindset is good to have, even if that person is fighting a war where they must take countless lives.”
“I agree. And yet that is not all there is to you is there.”
“Oh?”
“I noticed from the short time that we have exchanged blows that you’re were fighting less to kill me and more to keep on the defense. From that, I can conclude that you are not someone who is a warrior, but firmly a defender.”
“He can tell?” It was true that Celestia had not seen conflict for quite some time. For the last thousand years, her rule had been mostly peaceful and uneventful. Aside from the few small conflicts between other nations, of which she was called in to act as a negotiator, Celestia had not need to fight for a long time.
There was also the fact that Celestia hadn’t had a one on one battle for...as long as she could remember.
Most fights she could recall in which she fought personally were against groups or armies. This was simply because up until now, Celestia had never fought anyone who would or could be considered an equal in terms of power and ability. Up until Arceus arrived, Celestia was believed by many to be the most powerful being on Equus.
And now, she was fighting someone who for the first time in her life was giving her an actual challenge.
“Aside from that, I noticed that you stopped using fire-based attacks after I used my mana burst.”
“Is he talking about that fire column from earlier?”
“I also noticed that sun mark that appears to be on your posterior as well as the moon mark that is similarly located on your sister. Am I correct in assuming those marks are an indication of where you draw your power from?”
Celestia looked at Luna, both of them had a worrying expression on their face as Karna began to put two and two together about their greater roles in governing Equestria.
“You Princess Celestia are likened unto the sun, your sister is likened unto the moon. Am I correct in this?”
“...The marks you are referring to, are known as cutie marks, they are an...indication of our special talents. Of what we are best at. I have the power to raise the sun, while my sister Luna has the power to raise the moon. As such we are known as the Princess of the Sun and Moon respectively by our people. That being said, not all of our power comes from the Sun and Moon, we are merely its caretakers, nothing more.”
“I see…then I must apologize, since that is where I outrank you.”
Celestia’s eyes widened. “What?”
“I must ask for your forgiveness Princess, I have not been fully honest with you, and since you revealed your full name and title, it is only just that I do the same.”
Karna planted the hilt of his spear into the ground.
“My name is Karna, the Hero of Generosity, warrior of the Kaurava. I am the Son of Surya, the God of the Sun who inherited his great authority.”
As soon as the words left his mouth, both the guards and the Princesses felt sweat drip down their faces. His statement was well understood by all who had heard them.
Karna was the child of a god. And not just any god, but a god of the sun itself. This meant that he had the same powers as Princess Celestia.
“No.” Celestia thought to herself. “My abilities are related to controlling the sun and its movements. I can draw some power from it, even intensify its rays if I wanted to. But to wield the power of the sun as if I was a god, as if I was the embodiment of the sun? That is beyond me. But this man has it, not even the one of Legendaries as far as I know have powers related to the sun and moon.”
“This is the difference between us, Princess. You merely adopted the sun and its powers, while I was born from it. As such, in that category I outrank you. Allow me to demonstrate.”
Power began to gather in Karna’s spear, as he assumed an attack position.
Celestia backed up.
“Karna wait!”
“I know that you are stalling Princess, another thing I learned while fighting you. I do not know what kind of backup you are waiting for, which is why I shall end this now.”
Celestia took a stance, reading herself for whatever Karna was about to do.
Karna underhand gripped his spear, as it continued to fill with mana.
“Beware the sky…”
The hero of charity leaped into the air. His spear aimed directly at Celestia.
Brahmastra Kundala! O' Brahma, Curse Me
The fiery spear soared and impact the ground, an explosion ripped through the air and lit up the entire area. The fireball was large enough that it could be seen from Canterlot and possibly Ponyville.
~
Twilight Sparkle woke up in a startle as a small explosion rocked her house.
“Wha, what’s going on?”
The alicorn looked out the window to see an orange glowing light in the distance.
“What is that?”
The light shined for a few more seconds before disappearing.
Looking to her right she saw that Spike was somehow still fast asleep. Looking out the window again, she saw that some houses began to turn their lights on as the explosion had apparently woken up a bunch of other residents.
“Hmmm, I’d better go check what that is. Plus if that’s what I think it is. I need to make sure it’s not a threat to the town.”
Getting out of bed, Twilight stretched in order to fully wake up her body, then she teleported.
~
Celestia’s eyes were still closed as the sound died down.
The shield that she had put up in order to protect herself and the guards behind her was on the verge of breaking. She could have just teleported far away out of the Noble Phantasm’s range, but that would have meant leaving her guards to die.
Opening her eyes, Celestia depowered the shield and surveyed the damage. And she was shocked, to say the least.
The entire area within a quarter-mile of the point of impact was a scorched earth, save for the area behind her that was protected by her barrier. Not only that but a cater now adorned the landscape as another mark of just how powerful that attack was.
Standing on the other side was Karna. His face was just as neutral as ever.
“My apologies Princess, but this is where we part ways.”
The “What!” That was heard by everybody actually came from Princess Luna rather than Celestia. “We’re not done here servant! Do not think you can just get away!”
“I’m sorry, but by using that Noble Phantasm I have already used up a significant portion of my magical energy. If this fight goes on any longer I will die of mana deprivation. Which I why I must now find a master who will grant me the magical energy I need in order to keep fighting.”
“Wait!-”
Unfountnatly for Celestia and Luna, Karna had already shifted into spirit form and was now gone.
A moment later, Celestia heard the sound of an incoming teleportation. She then turned around to see Mewtwo floating behind her.
The Legendary Pokemon took a good look around before asking the obvious question.
“Where is the servant Princess?”
Before anyone could answer, there was another teleportation.
“Princess Celestia?” Twilight said. “You're here too? Does that mean you saw that explosion was we-” Twilight trailed off as she saw Mewtwo as well as the crater and the still signed ground.
“Twilight, Mewtwo. Allow me to explain.”
After Celestia told the two new arrivals everything that happened, both of them had different reactions. Twilight was shocked and a little scared that someone was able to match her beloved mentor in power and surpass her in combat ability, the fact that he was also a sun-related being came as a surprise to her. Mewtwo on the other hand looked angry, no doubt at the fact that he was not here to fight this servant.
But unfortunately, Celestia beat him to that subject.
“Now with all that being said, Mewtwo, where were you!? I thought we agreed you wanted to be here so you could help me handle things like this?”
Despite the Legendary Pokemons pride, even he had to admit that she was right.
“My apologies Princess. I must admit that I was at a meeting with my fellow Legendary Pokemon during this time. And as such I was unreachable.”
Princess Celestia let out a defeated sigh.
“Well, no use dwelling on what could have been. If that is why you could not be here, if this meeting was so important, then I can understand.”
“I thank you for your understanding, and know that I will endeavor to be present when this happens again.”
Luna then spoke up.
“Now then, what shall we do sister? The servant has disappeared, and we currently possess no means of tracking him.”
“Let’s just go back to our homes and wait for when the next servant appears. I must admit my fight with Karna has shown me just how powerful these servants really are. I thought that they would be as strong as most of the Pokemon, but no, that man was nothing like the Hydreigon that we met in the forest. These servants really are just as powerful as Harmony said. Hopefully, we won’t have to fight another one anytime soo-”
Celestia was interrupted as 3 fire scrolls popped into existence. The insignia on them showing that they were all from the members of the royal guard.
The Princess unrolled the scrolls and with each one she read, her eyes grew wider and wider.
“Sister, what do they say?”
Celestia looked at everyone with a concerned expression on her face.
“More servants have appeared at three different Ley Lines across Equestria.”
Twilights eyes then became as wide as Celestia’s. “Where?”
“Rainbow Falls, Neighagra Falls, and Las Pegasus.”
“I say we all split up and go to different locations,” Mewtwo suggested. “I shall handle Las Pegasus.”
“Hmmm, very well, you go to Las Pegasus Mewtwo. I shall head to Rainbow Falls, Luna and Twilight, you go to Neighagra Falls.”
“Yes sister.”
“You can count on me, Princess.”
“Private Ironside.”
The unicorn guard walked up to the Princess and saluted. “Yes your highness?”
“Stay here and continue to report for any signs of more servants coming through.”
“As you wish Princess Celestia.”
And then with a final nod and acknowledgment, everyone teleported to different parts of Equestria.
Las Pegasus
The Genetic Pokemon’s teleportation into the city startled a few ponies and Pokemon who were still awake at this time of night. Ignoring the looks he was getting, Mewtwo then realized something he should have done before coming here.
“I forgot to ask Celestia where the Ley Line of this city was.”
After mentally chastising himself, Mewtwo then realized that he had another method of determining where the Ley Line was.
“If I just project my mind to cover the entire city, I can learn of where the stationed guards are located and just teleport there.”
Going with that option, Mewtwo was about to expand his psychic powers before he realized something. This city was Las Pegasus, home to two certain individuals who would not be happy knowing that he was here. One of them in particular would be very unhappy if Mewtwo had done what he was about to do.
Luke and Vincent Nurem.
Looking back, Mewtwo should have never tried to pry open what the Gallade was trying to hide. Even though Luke had a powerful physic mind, he really had no right to invade his mental sanctuary the way he did. Especially when it was revealed that he was a victim of child rape and abuse.
He allowed the Gallade to get a hit on him and he offered no resistance. He stood there and let Vincent rant on him when the Kadabra came to the castle. But when the Arcanine friend of Luke known as Kasai confronted him, he did not regret giving him the mental illusion of having fleas.
Even though he would never randomly invade another person’s mind again, that didn’t mean Mewtwo would never employ that power if it meant serving the greater good.
That being said, Mewtwo could not do a city mind scan as the Gallade would be affected as well, and no doubt he would see this as another invasion of privacy.
“Guess I have to look the old fashioned way.”
Mewtwo then flew into the air and began a visual search of the city. After a few minutes, he came across a park near the city center and spotted some ponies in armor standing, or in some cases sprawled all over the grass. Floating down and upon further inspection, he saw signs of struggle and damage to the surrounding area.
Upon reaching the ground, he got the attention of the guards that were still conscious.
“I am Lord Mewtwo, I am Lord Arceus’s ambassador to Equestria and her people. I was sent here by Princess Celestia in response to the servant that you said was here.”
One pony approached the Legendary, this one apparently being the leader of the group.
“The Princess sent you here?”
“Yes she did, tell me what happened, where is the servant?”
“Well, you see...”
Canterlot Castle, Later.
“The guards said that two servants appeared and engaged with them. They described them as wearing knightly armor and looked the part. Or at least that’s what I interpreted from them. After all, non of your ponies have ever seen a human before. So their descriptions may not be as accurate as if they knew what a human liked to dress as. Although I must admit human and ponies share similar style in clothing.”
Princess Celestia and Luna listened as Mewtwo gave his report from the guards stationed in Las Pegasus. Luna had dropped Twilight off back at Ponyville before coming back to the castle.
“Did the guards say how they fought?” Luna asked. “What powers did they have?”
“The Sergeant said that one of them had a sword and sounded male, while the other one wielded a lance and sounded female.”
“I see, and is that all?”
“Yes, so how did your trips go?
The sisters looked at each other and had a disappointed look on their faces.
“Unfortunately, both of us arrived too late as well, it seems that the servants fled rather than fought the guards. Thankfully this meant no casualties,” Celestia said.
“That being said I did learn a few things from the stationed guards about the servant that appeared at Neighagra falls. They described them as being shoot, dressed in blue with blue hair, and having a smart mouth. They used some kind of magic to trick the guards before running away while saying and I quote: ‘I’m a writer, not a fighter. So I’ll be taking my leave now’. If I had to guess, this servant may have been some kind of author when they were alive.”
“Interesting, Princess Celestia. What about you?”
“The guards said that servant seemingly only wore pants and had gauntlets on their hands, they had tan skin and black hair in a ponytail but didn’t seem to use any weapon. This servant apparently made quick work of the guards by incapacitating them all with a series of quick blows.”
“Hmmm, so so far we have 5 confirmed servants who appeared tonight. One of them called themselves Karna, two appear to be knights of some kind, another sounds like a rather weak servant, and the final one appears to be good at hand to hand combat.”
Luna rubbed her chin. “And of the 5 servants, we have only one of their names. The rest we are unable to identify.”
“And that’s if we can identify them,” Celestia said. We can’t be completely sure that this Earth shares the same historical figures as the Pokemon world. After all, I highly doubt that there was a sun god that existed on your world other than Arceus. Am I right Mewtwo?”
The Pokemon nodded. “Indeed, which means that we will need another means of identifying them.”
“Really? You can do that?”
“Arceus may no longer have the power to travel to another universe. But he can still observe them and learn of their histories.” The Genetic Pokemon then got up from his seat. “I shall tell Lord Arceus of what we have learned here tonight. I shall then report back later with what we may be able to find out about this Karna figure.”
And then with a final nod, Mewtwo teleported out of the room. Leaving the Princess alone.
“It has begun sister,” Luna said. “What we witnessed tonight was just a prelude of things to come. More and more Heroic Spirits will arrive, and if Karna is any indication, we are in for the fight of our lives.”
“I know, I can only hope that with the help of Arceus and the Pokemon, we may have a fighting chance in this conflict.”
“Yes, may Harmony watch over and protect us.” Luna began to walk out of the room. “It will be two hours before its time to raise the sun. I guess there is no point in going back to bed now.”
Finally, Celestia was alone with her thoughts. The alicorn reflecting upon her encounter with the servant who was the Son of the Sun God.
If there is one thing I should take away from that fight, is that Karna was correct in that I was not as good as a fighter as he was. I need to bridge that gap somehow.
With her mind made up, Celestia started to make her way to the library section of the castle.
A Forest, somewhere in Equestria.
Enkidu sat upon a rock as various animals gathered around them. The animals showing great affection and calmness around the servant. Enkidu in kind was very receptive and appreciative of the warm greeting that nature was giving them.
It had been a day or two since they were summoned into this world. As someone who drew their power directly from the Counter Force, the Lancer-class servant knew exactly why they were brought here and what they had to do at the critical moment.
But that would come later.
For now, the world’s oldest sidekick was just content with keeping themself busy by interacting with nature and staying in the woods. And not just because they felt at home in them, but also because another servant warned them that in their current shape they would be unwelcome in civilized areas.
However, there were also other inhabitants of the forest that were just as unwelcoming as the towns.
The other beasts of the forest, whom they later learned were called Pokemon, had either fled or attacked them on sight. Either time, Enkidu would defend themselves or the other beasts of the forest would come to their defense as they recognized Enkidu as a friend. The Pokemon would be perplexed at why animals would defend a “human”. And when Enkidu explained that they were not a human, but rather a servant the Pokemon would either flee in fear or become more aggressive.
Having simply accepted things as they were, Enkidu had now arrived at the point they were now, waiting until they met with another servant, or found a master to form a contract with.
Part of Enkidu wondered why the Pokemon, were adverse when it came to them, but they decided no to dwell on it too much.
“This world is very peaceful, it almost reminds me of those days I spent with him.”
Enkidu’s thoughts were interrupted when they felt another creature enter the radius of their Presence Detection. Actually, they had been within the radius for quite some time and had been making theory way closer to Enkidu. Right now they had stopped and were apparently observing the servant.
“I know that you are there, come out, I won’t harm you.”
A voice responded.
“Heh, I was found out so quickly, and here I thought I had mastered this illusion power by now.”
“Oh the illusion was perfect. But against me, I can detect you a mile away. So it is pointless to hide from me.”
A shimmering figure stepped out of the shadows and fully revealed himself. The creature was a black bipedal fox, its coat and hair were black except for the large green stripe running down the center of their mane. Although Enkidu could tell that the green color was also an illusion and that the proper color was red. The creature wore a black and white cap and had a gold cube-shaped accessory hanging from its waist.
“When I was told by some nearby Pokemon that there was a human in the middle of the forest. I did not expect them to be surrounded by animals.” The creature laughed for a moment. “Actually it kinda reminds me of when I was younger.
“Are you a Pokemon?” Enkidu asked.
“Yes, although I wasn’t always. Then again, I did feel more connected with them than I did with humans. I suppose you could say that this current form is a gift from Arceus.”
“Is there something you need from me?”
“Well, I don’t know if you realize this, but humans are now on the most wanted list. Apparently, beings that resemble humans called servants are trying to destroy the world. At least that’s what Arceus says. So what are you?”
“I am a servant. Lancer-class. And while some of what you said is true, I have no intention of hurting anyone for now.”
“I see, then can I ask you your name stranger?”
“Enkidu, what’s yours?”
“Natural Harmonia Gropius, although you can call me ‘N’ for short. And since your not hostile at the moment, I was hoping that we could talk.”
Enkidu smiled.
“Well them N, what is it that you wish to discuss?”
Despite the state of his mood basically written on his face, he dared not say it out loud less karma strike via Cobalion giving him something else to do such as several laps around the castle.
He was currently in a large room that was once the magical workshop for the castle of the Royal Sisters. It was large, spacious, and with plenty of area for experimenting and practicing magic.
But the most significant reason why the 4 members of the Swords of Justice were in this very room was due to it being built on top of a Ley Line. While the Everfree was a large mysterious forest with many secrets, there were two Ley Line that were known to a select few. The one where the Tree of Harmony was located, and the second one being in the castle. Indeed Celestia and Luna had built the castle on top of the other Ley Line in order to make use of its power.
But now, the Pokemon “Knights” of Arceus had to guard it in anticipation of possible servants being summoned through it.
Which meant they had to wait until something happened. This left the 4 Legendary Pokemon with nothing to do but stand guard at all times. But inevitably, boredom started to settle in, at least for Keldeo and Terrakion. Cobalion and Virizion however remained steadfast and unwavering in their watch.
Eventually, Terrakion had enough and decided to make small talk to pass the time.
“So, what kind of servant do you think is gonna show up?”
“I don’t know Terrakion,” Cobalion responded. “We have no way of knowing who is coming through or what that person may be capable of, so we should expect anything.”
“Anything? You mean it’s possible the Counter Force could send a small little girl to fight us.”
“.....Like I said, expect anything.”
“You don’t really think this Counter Force would do that right?” Keldeo said. “Sending a small child to fight four legendary Pokemon?”
Virizion spoke up. “Well, if we are going by what little knowledge we know of the Throne of Heroes, if a child made a significant mark on human history, its entirely possible a child could be a servant. Although whether or not it would be helpless against us is another thing.”
“So you’re saying it could happen? Wow, this Throne of Heroes would have to be pretty cruel sending a little kid to fight a war. Either that or it’s standards for heroes are low.”
“Never underestimate your opponent just because they appear weak or young Keldeo,” Cobalion said. “Even newly hatched Pokemon are capable of fighting and holding their own upon birth.”
“Yeah, that’s true.”
“Regardless, it is our duty to fight and subdue any servant that is summoned. So long as they make it clear that they are a threat to this world and its people, we must do what we must in order to stop them. Now stop slouching and stand straight.”
Kledeo got off the table he was leaning on and stood up straight.
Ponyville, Golden Oaks Library
“So this guy was able to fight Princess Celestia to a standstill?” Spike said surprised.
“Yes,” Twilight responded. Listing to her along with Spike was her friends and Professor Juniper.
“This Karna person whoever he was, Celestia told me that he was the son of a god, a Sun god to be exact.”
“A Sun god...” Professor Juniper said. “If that’s true, then it would make sense that he would be able to match the Princess in a fight.”
“Woah hang on! Are you saying this guy has the same powers as Celestia!?” Rainbow Dash exclaimed. “That he can move the sun and whatnot?”
That line gave everyone pause and concern. While he had not demonstrated the ability, it scared them that this servant may possibly have the power to move and control the sun.
“I don’t know Rainbow Dash, he might be able to or he might not. Either way, we have no way of knowing that now.”
“I must say this is quite the news you got last night Twilight,” Rarity said. “To think that a fight between Celestia and a servant could cause so much ruckus last night from so far away.”
“Yeah, Harmony was not kiddin,” Applejack stated. “These servants are something else. I just hope was can have a fighting chance against them.”
“Yeah, hopefully,” Twilight was deeply concerned about the power gap between the average pony and the average servant. While it may be possible that this Karna figure was one of the more powerful servants being a demigod and whatnot, it still made her nervous about her and her friends just having to confront a single one. When the Pokemon came, Twilight was more concerned about what they were then about how dangerous and powerful they are. Despite the fact she didn’t like Golden Horn, the Minoutour did have a point about how strong the average Pokemon was to a native of Equus.
Ironically now, it is that strength that the people of this world will need in order to win this conflict. Unlike the previous villains she and her friends fought in order to keep Equestria safe, the Magic of Friendship was not going to be enough in order to win. In hindsight, the arrival of the Pokemon was a blessing in disguise, for she had to admit that Equus’s new inhabitants are their best chance against the equally powerful servants.
“Anyway, Mewtwo said that he was going to talk to Arceus about who Karna was. To see if he can get any information from him.”
“Really?” Juniper said. “How?”
“Mewtwo said it has something to do with Arceus still being able to view parallel worlds. That he can look for a counterpart that closely matches who Karna is or something. Although I am curious how that works.”
“Then allow me to explain.”
“Gahh!” Twilight jumped as she heard a new voice beside her. She then turned to see a spatial window in the middle of her library. And on the other side was Mewtwo and Arceus.
“Can you guys not do that!”
“...Ah yes, I forgot my manners,” Arceus said. “Then again, Celestia gave a similar reaction to this last year, you’d think I learned from that.
Everybody in the library just gave the god a deadpan stare.
“Anyway, I already linked up at the castle with Celestia, Luna, and Seth. I’ll patch them in now.”
A second window opened and beyond it were the two alicorn sisters as well as Seth and Grissom.
“Good morning Princess Celestia.”
“Good morning Twilight, and all of you.”
“Now that we’re all here, let’s get to the point.” Arceus manifested a large decorative book, its cover was a picture of Earth and all the continents and countries that have existed upon it from the beginning of time until the modern-day. Literally. As the cover was constantly moving and changing, as if it was showing the actual history of Earth as it went through its many different eras.
“Now this, is the Earth conceptual compendium. A book detailing the history and individuals about a “Standard constant” Earth and what may be normally found on it.”
“Now you may be wondering what a “Standard Constant” is right?” Mewtwo said. “Well, a standard constant is something that almost always appears in every single variation of a universe no matter how different it may be. For example, for our home universe, the Pokemon would be considered a constant. And here, the nation known as Equestria could be considered a constant.”
This news was intriguing to some of the individuals present, especially Twilight who had some experience in this matter.
“Well, that does explain that when I went through that portal, that universe had its own version of my friends. I wonder if the “me” in that universe is any similar to what I am.”
“And so, since it appears that this “Proper Human History” is a standard constant Earth. It was easy to find a historical figure named Karna who was the son of a sun god.”
Arceus then opened a book to a page with an old illustration. It depicted a bearded man on a chariot pulled by horses and surrounded by an army of soldiers.
“So, Karna is the man on the chariot?” Princess Luna asked.
“Yes.”
“But he looks nothing like what we saw last night.”
“Well, people from history and even myths tend to be distorted and forgotten over time, most people can only guess what ancient figures looked like from that time. Either that or the Karna of this world just looks that different from his counterparts.”
“I see then, very well, what can you tell us about him?”
“Well, Karna was indeed the son of a god like he said. He was the demigod son of the Hindu God of the Sun, Surya. His legend is chronicled in the Indian epic known as the Mahabharata, where he earned the title: The Hero of Generosity.”
A few eyes glanced over to Rarity, the unicorn herself raising an eyebrow at the title of this warrior.
“Karna’s story is a long one, so I’m just going to simplify it by saying that he mainly and famously fought in a war that was the main conflict of the story. His most famous rivalry was against his younger half brother Arjuna, who was also a demigod.”
“His younger half brother? Was he also a demigod?” Luna asked.
“Yes, but not by the same deity. Karna’s father was the Sun god, while Arjuna’s father was Indra, the Hindu god-king of Thunder. It can be also said that his son Arjuna can be placed as the “Protagonist” of the Mahabharata. Anyway, the central war in that epic was between the Kaurava and the Pāṇḍava princes, with Arjuna leading the Pandavas and Karna fighting for the Kauravas. Karna was a powerful warrior on the battlefield, wielding his bow against Arjuna whenever they fought.”
“A bow?” Celestia said. “But he only fought me with a spear.”
“A spear? Hmm, lemme see.” Arceus flipped a few pages. “Ah yes, that spear might be Vasavi Shakti. A weapon given to Karna by Indra, that had the power to kill any target.”
“Woah woah hold up,” Rainbow interjected. “The dad of his rival just gave him a super-powerful spear that could kill anything!? Who does that!?”
“I must agree with miss Dash. Was he not concerned about Karna using it to kill his son?” Seth said.
“Well, the reason why he did that was that he tried to trick Karna into giving him his impenetrable armor so his son could win easier in their next fight. I say tried because Karna saw through the trick immediately but gave him the armor anyway.”
“Wait, he just gave the armor even though he knew that it was a trick? Why?”
“Because Karna swore that he would never turn away anyone who came to him for help, he gave up his armor without question. Even though he was fully aware of what he was doing and what it meant for him, Karna was or rather is a man of his word. It was also because he knew that Indra was doing it out of love for his son, a fact that Karna greatly admired. And so, Indra was ashamed by Karna’s generosity and in compensation gave Karna his prized spear.”
“So, he cared more about his honor than reason? I don’t know whether that’s stupid or admirable.” Captain Grissom said.
“Karna didn’t even try to keep the spear at first until his friends convinced him. That was the extent of how far his generosity went.”
Celestia was almost lost for words. After her encounter with Karna, she guessed that he wasn’t a malicious or evil person. But to know that his honor and generosity went this far? At this point, she was starting to respect him. And while it was unlikely that she would ever go as far as he did just to make a point, she couldn’t deny that he exemplified a kindness that very few people had.
“Because Karna gave up his armor, he was ultimately slain by Arjuna during their final battle. Although some would point out that it was a one-sided battle since Karna was weighed down by various curses, with Arjuna taking the opportunity to shoot him in the back.”
“So he just killed him when he was down and couldn’t fight. How deplorable.” Luna shook her head. Internally though, the fact that the conflict between Karna and Arjuna was one of siblings stuck a chord within her. Even if she didn’t know the whole story, the fact that Karna was “an older sibling who was associated with the sun”. And the fact that he fought against his younger sibling, she couldn’t help but see the similarities between them and her and her sister.
“Well, maybe the similarities stopped there.”
“Ironically though, while Karna was known as the Hero of Giving, Arjuna was called the Awarded Hero. Someone who was loved by his family and his people. And yet, it says here that Arjuna had a dark side to him that he refused to acknowledge. Not to mention the fact that this made him feel envy and inferior towards Karna who he saw as a better person than him.”
“Oh you’ve got to be kidding me.”
“But anyway, that is the story of Karna. A good-hearted hero who was cut down unceremoniously.” *Hmph* “If he wasn’t trying to destroy our world I’d almost feel sorry for him,” Arceus said dryly.
“Okay,” Twilight said. “But as interesting as a story that was, what does it tell us about Karna? What can he do that we haven't seen? What weapons can he use other than that spear? Does he have any weaknesses that we can exploit?”
“Well, unless we can somehow replicate the curses that lead to his death in life. It seems that Karna can only be beaten from sheer power and skill alone,” Mewtwo said.
“Oh, that's just great.”
“Alright then, I have given you all a basic summary of Karna. While this information may not seem as useful at first, never underestimate any knowledge you can gain upon your enemy. Also with that being said.”
Arceus’s eyes glowed for a second and then two more copies of the Earth Compendium appeared in Twilight’s house and the throne room.
“I am giving you each a copy of this book so that way if you learn the name of a heroic spirit, you will not need to come to me in order to learn what they are. Just say their name and have a good description, and the book should turn the page that gives you their story.”
“Wow, thanks Arceus.”
“My pleasure Twilight. Now, if theirs is nothing else to discuss, I shall see you all later.”
The windows closed and one again Twilight was alone with her friends. She examined the book as she was holding a treasure trove of knowledge. Which to Twilight was practically an early birthday gift. The alicorn grinning with glee.
“Just think of all the history and knowledge stored in this book! It would probably take me a week just to read it through once!”
“Well knowing you Twilight, you’d probably be able to do it in half the time,” Applejack said.
“Should we leave you alone so you can read it Twilight?” Fluttershy suggested.
“Oh, you girls don’t have to. You could always stay here and read it with me. After all, just think of all the fascinating stories and history that's in this book.”
“Actually, I have to go move some clouds, so see ya!” Rainbow Dash quickly went out a window before anyone could respond.
“Well, I didn’t see that coming,” Twilight said sarcastically. “Anyone else?”
“I can stay and read with you Twilight,” Juniper said. “While history is not my major, it wouldn’t hurt to learn about it.”
“Thanks Juniper.”
“I’m just going to go hang out with Gible, Bagon, and the others,” Spike said. “See ya Twilight.”
And with that, everyone else left the house. Leaving one alicorn and Beheeyem to look through the pages of human history.
“So tell me about yourself Enkidu,” N said. “Do you have any friends or hobbies? I can tell that you’re good with animals. But beyond that what do you do for a living?”
“Well, first of all, I’m not human. While this is somewhat true for all Heroic Spirits upon death, I was never a human in life. I was simply clay molded by the gods for a purpose.”
“Oh, and what was the purpose?”
“I was to be the lynchpin that would keep the world of mortals tied back to the realm of the gods. A chain of heaven if you will. I was sent to reign in a certain king who had broken away from the gods and wanted to end their reign.”
“I see, so from the moment of your birth, you were someone who was made to do one thing, without any will of your own?”
“No, I had a will. Although you could say I finally acted upon it when I decided to rebel against my role and instead helped that very king.”
“Really?”
“Yes, that King became my best friend and he came to regard me as his one and only equal companion. We had many adventures together and shared many laughs.”
Enkidu closed their eyes as they thought back to the furthest reaches of known human history. Where he replayed a scene of a golden monarch laughing to himself, his smile and contentedness at the time being a vivid recollection.
“Unfortunately my time came to an end when a series of events brought forth by a greedy arrogant goddess caused my death and left poor Gilgamesh alone.”
“I see, you must have been sad at the time.”
“...I might have been. But I told him not to grieve. For me, a weapon of the gods would just eventually become one of his many weapons upon death. That surely, he, a king that collected many treasures would surely find something more than a worthless lump of clay like me. I was just a creation who could never truly defy their creator. While Gilgamesh was someone who had true free will and a real soul.”
“Huh, how sad.” At this point, a crowd of Pokemon had gathered around N. While the animals on Enkidu’s side all sat beside him.
“You have my sympathy Enkidu. And if it means anything, I too was someone who was raised to do one thing by someone with selfish wishes.”
“Oh, do tell.”
“From birth, I lived in the wilderness among Pokemon. It was that upbringing that made me understand them more than humans. I was then taken in by a man who said he was my father. While he did raise me, he also showed me a one-sided view of the world that was very biased. He only brought to me Pokemon that were abused and hurt by humans. These many acts lead me to believe that humans and Pokemon were incompatible beings. This became the basis of my only known truth. That humans and Pokemon should live in separate worlds.”
“Interesting, and how would you have created this world?”
“My father told me of a legendary dragon Pokemon that would help me realize my truth. Reshiram, with her help, my dream of a world where Pokemon were no longer captured in Pokeballs, where humans no longer hurt them and vice versa could be reality. I was made King of a group of followers who believed in my dream, my truth. And with their help, I eventually found Reshiram who wholeheartedly agreed with my truth. My dream of a perfect world would soon begin.”
N chuckled.
“But then I met him...”
“Him?”
“A novice Pokemon trainer. One who had just started on his journey like many before him. From the moment I met him, my beliefs began to be questioned. I was shocked because his Pokémon said it liked him. They said they wanted to be with him."
N smiled.
"I couldn't understand it. I couldn't believe there were Pokémon that liked people. Understand that, up until that moment, I'd never known a Pokémon like that. The more I traveled, the more unsure I became. All I kept meeting were Pokémon and people who communicated with one another and helped one another. I tried to affirm my beliefs by battling with that person. As we were both people who had experienced the world around us, I needed to confront that person who was in many ways similar to me, yet very different at the same time. It was the only way I could be sure of myself. Eventually, that person gained the support of the dragon of ideals Zekrom, the opposite of Reshiram. That person defeated me in the end, me who only understood Pokemon but never the hearts of humans.”
N paused for a moment.
“He was right you know, my father.”
“About what?”
“He called me a freak without a human heart. And he was right. If my truth was that Pokemon and Humans could never understand each other, then me who had the heart of a Pokemon could never understand humans. And now, here we are.”
The Zoroark gestured to the forest around them.
“I am now a Pokemon, which is both exciting and sad at the same time. While I don’t hate this. I cannot help but lament humanity's fate. The ideal world that trainer sought will never be realized. Humanity will now eventually fade away into the annals of history and eventually myth.”
N then leaned forward.
“That is unless you and these other Heroic Spirits have anything to say about it.”
Enkidu picked up on the former human’s tone and understood what he was getting at.
“Ah, so is that really why you’re here?”
“...I’ll be honest Enkidu, every bone in my body says that I should be 100% backing Arceus and the people of this new world that I find myself in. Because there are friends and people in this world and the old one that I have come to care about. I would be absolutely devastated if Pokemon were to go extinct simply because it's what fate wants…”
“But?”
“But, I cannot be completely biased and ignore the other side's plight. For all intents and purposes, we have invaded this planet without warning or consent. While I don’t completely understand these Lostbelts and alternate histories, I do know that there are people in this world fighting just so they can live. And honestly, that is the purest reason why anyone should fight. Your world from what I have heard is one where only humans live. But aside from that I know next to nothing about it to pass judgment, and even if I did, the people of your world still have a right to live regardless. So tell me Enkidu, why should your world be the one to live, why should its humanity be the one to inherit the future?”
“Hmmm, you do make a good point. Ideally one should want an outcome where everyone will get to live and have a future. But it’s as you say, humans have a hard time understanding inhuman things. And because our humanity has lived by themselves for so long, it's unlikely that they would be able to live side by side with the people of this world. To be honest, any reason I could list about why my world should live would be similar to yours. This is not a situation where debating the value of our worlds determines which one should get to inherit the chronicle. This entire situation is like a big Holy Grail War, where there can only be one winner. And where the only way to solve this is by displaying our strength and will on the field of battle.”
“...I see. So words will not resolve this conflict. Just like whenever I encountered that trainer, only action will decide who is the right one.”
“Yes, only action will.”
There was an intense moment, where even the Pokemon and animals were staring in anticipation.
“But that being said. I have very little experience fighting in this body whatsoever, which means I would certainly lose to someone like you, a self-proclaimed weapon.”
“Aahaha! Indeed, I would hate to cut you down after such a nice talk.”
And with that N got up from his spot and held out his hand.
“It was nice talking with you Enkidu, and while it may seem counterproductive of me to say. I wish you well.”
Enkidu returned the gesture and shook his hand with theirs.
“It was nice talking with you too N. I hope that you will find the answer you are looking for.”
And with that, the two inhumans nodded and talked away in opposite directions. One still searching for a truth he believed in, the other continuing his mission in the name of the world that he belonged to.
Baltimare Guard Police headquarters.
Jonathan and the rest of this team sat in a room along with many other police officers as they waited for the Captain to start the briefing.
Many aside from a very few knew why they were here. It was obvious given the current situation in Equestria.
-
Sleight Hoof and Quick Storm's Mansion.
“Why are we here again?”
Alice just stared at Rascal as the rest of the Fox gang including Sleight Hoof, Quick Storm, and Toichi all sat in the library room to listen to what Alice had to say.
“Did you not listen the first time Rascal?”
“Honestly I was just daydreaming. But I figure it has something to do with our next heist?”
Alice facepalmed. “No, it has something to do with these Servants and how to deal with them.”
-
The Captain got behind the podium and began the briefing.
"Alright ladies and gentlecolts, you all know why we are here. Thanks to high command from Canterlot, we have more information about these Servant terrorists and how we might deal with them.”
-
“Thanks to our connections in Canterlot, we got some useful information about Servants that tells us what they are and their power.”
“Oh, Ok then.”
“Now if there are no more questions. Let us begin.”
-
“So a little overview. As some of you may know, Servants are magical beings who are the dead spirits of warriors and heroes from an alternate history, resurrected to fight for their world. Do not think of them as ghosts or zombies, but more akin to super-powerful beings like the Pokemon. Do not try to reason with them, while these things may have personalities and minds of their own, they are compelled by something beyond our understanding in order to destroy our kingdom, our world, and our way of life.”
-
“I don’t think talking things out with these guys is gonna do anything. Which means that fighting them is our only option. Although given our style that might be a hard thing to do. After all, at the end of the day, we’re thieves. Our methods have always involved misleading and outwitting both the police and criminals. With the exception of Scep of course.”
The PLA general beamed with pride at that comment.
-
“Now, aside from their power, another thing Servants have in common with Pokemon are categories. Just like the Pokemon are divided into 18 elemental types, Servants are separated into 7 distinct classes of warriors.”
-
“The 3 Knight classes are Sabers, who use swords. Archers, who use bows and ranged weapons. And Lancers, who use spears and lances.”
-
“The 4 Calvery classes are Riders, who use mounts and anything that would be considered transportation. Casters, who use magic and spells. Assassins who can conceal their presence and deal in sneak attacks and silent kills. And finally, Berserkers who as the name implies are mad beings who use rage and power to overwhelm their opponents.”
-
“The Assassin servants are ones we’ll want to avoid the most,” Alice said worryingly. “None of us have any way of detecting them if they manage to sneak up one use. Even if we used a detection spell, it may be void depending on how much of a Ninja they are.”
“So, you're saying one of them could cut walk right in here and slit our throats?” Rascal said with a spooked look on his face.
“Yes, so I won’t be surprised if you end up bleeding on the floor Rascal.”
A shiver went up the Weavil’s spine, while Tochi let out a scared yelp.
Seeing her son frightened, Quick Storm held the little unicorn colt to calm him down.
“Alice stop it! You’re scaring Toichi.”
“Oh, sorry. But that reminds me. One thing you should know about Casters is the kind of magic they use.”
Toichi’s fear was then replaced by curiosity. “Magic, what kind of magic?”
-
“From what we can understand, human magic is much different than the kind of magic we use. Unlike unicorns, humans don’t need horns or a certain appendage or body part in order to cast spells. And while talking with incantations does help them along, it's not necessary in order to use their powers.”
Johnathan raised his paw. “Captain I have a question.”
“Yes Officer Trace?”
“Are you saying that certain spells or methods that nullify magic, such as inhibitor rings won’t work on servants?”
“No Officer Trace, not as far as we know. Human magic in their world, from what our intel says is called Magecraft. And it can apparently do things that even unicorns can’t do such as curses.”
Almost every pony in the room shuddered or was shocked. Curses as far as most Equestrians knew were just myths. Nothing but cruel spells told in old mares tales to scare foals into behaving. The fact that these servants were capable of doing them spelled trouble.
“I recommend that our best spell casters and Pokemon be sent in to deal with Caster class servants. In fact, I want a dependable strong Pokemon on call each time there is a sighting of a servant. Their powers and abilities are the closest things we have on par with these guys aside from our best guards.”
-
“I don’t know how well I would do in battle with a caster, but if worse comes to worse, we can just retreat. Remember all of us as a group may be able to take on one servant depending on who they are, but if they appear to be too powerful, there's no shame in running.”
-
“Also, this information is priority one if you find yourselves in this case. Aside from servants, be on the lookout for a group of living breathing humans known as Chaldea. The capture and detainment of them are of the utmost importance to the Royal Sisters. Do not try to kill them if you can, they harbor valuable information that must be extracted from them.”
-
“I also want to make this clear. Fighting servants isn’t our M.O. It's finding and capturing members of the Chaldea Security Organization.”
“What is Chaldea?” Shade asked.
“According to our intel, they are a group of humans whose job is to maintain the continued existence of humanity for as long as possible. Whatever that entails.”
Scep raised an eyebrow. “That’s it? They’re just some group that is meant to ensure mankind's prosperity?”
“Yes, but unlike Team Magma, they don’t seem to be interested in human supremacy from what our intel suggests. Either way, they are pretty much the only ones who could gather all of the servants and lead them as a group. Just like Pokemon Trainers raised and commanded Pokemon into battle back on Earth, these Chaldeans have what are called Masters who can summon and command a servant.”
“So you really think that going after these guys is the best idea Alice?” Sleight Hoof said.
“I do, all evidence and statements made by Arceus and the Princesses say that Chaldea is the bigger threat in this scenario. Which is why when we do come across them, we must do what we can to keep them from getting away. And while I’m sure that they have servants with them, I have a plan for how to deal with them.”
Scep rubbed his chin before smiling. “Hmmm, alright I’m with ya Alice. After all, if these guys are the type of humans who are trying to uphold the human race, it's my job as a General of the Pokemon Liberation Army to knock them down a peg. Besides, if the Commander knows and understands who these Chaldeans are, I think he will thank me for dealing with them.”
“I’m sure he will.”
-
“I’ll be honest with you officers, we know next to nothing about this Chaldea or what they’re capable of beyond being able to command servants. If you encounter what appears to be a member of Chaldea, be on your guard and expect anything. While I have heard that a human is nothing special on their own, never underestimate your opponent.”
Everyone nodded in agreement, especially Johnathan. As a former Police officer back on Earth, he knew how to deal with humans better than anyone in the Baltimare Guard.
“Hey John,” Heat said. Does this mean they’ll start making human-size handcuffs? I don’t think the ones they use for ponies will fit them.”
“Hmmm, I’ll talk with the Captain about that after this.”
-
“Alright, I believe that's everything I have to say now. Next time we will be discussing strategies about how to deal with servants, but only after more information comes out about them.”
-
“That's all for now Officers, dismissed!”
As everyone got up and walked out, Jonathan and his team went to the side to discuss some things.
“This isn’t going to be like chasing or capturing Fox that's for sure,” Howl said.
“Yeah, I know we all have our fair share of fighting bad guys, but these servants sound like something different altogether,” Echo stated.
“It feels like we’re at war, and that the four of us have just been drafted.”
“Guys I know this seems unprecedented. But we still have a job to do. This is our home, and soldiers or not we still have a duty to protect and defend it. These servants are going to be a challenge, no one is denying that, but Officers like us don’t give up just because something is difficult. It just means we have to try harder in order to win. That's what we do.”
“Yeah, Johns right,” Heat exclaimed. “This is just another day on the job for us. Besides, part of me wants to see just how strong these servants are.”
Johnathan smiled and held out his paw.
“We’re all in this together right guys?”
Heat and Howl joined hands while Echo landed on top of them. The four friends reaffirming their determination.
“But does this mean we won’t be chasing Fox for a while?” Echo asked.
“...Unfortunately yes. But between her and the fate of the world, Fox can wait. Although who knows, maybe she's also seeing this as a more bigger issue than stealing.”
Virizion sighed as at this point, she was also becoming bored.
It was only their first day in the castle after they had relieved the Legendary Beasts with whom they shared the rotation of watching this Ley Line with. But it was still another 6 hours until the next shift change.
From what she heard, a few other summonings had happened elsewhere and around the world. Celestia fought a powerful servant named Karna, while some other servants manifested in Las Pegasus, Rainbow Falls, and Neighagra Falls. While outside of Equestria several of the senior Legendary Pokemon had encountered and defeated some other servants in countries like Saddle Arabia, the Griffin Empire, and the Changeling Empire. Some had proven difficult but were ultimately defeated by the sheer power and skill of the older more experienced Pokemon.
At this point, Celestia had lowered the sun so it was now dark outside. Deciding to pass the time, her thoughts wandered to other topics, such as Mewtwo and humans.
The Grassland Sword of Justice bore the Genetic Pokemon no ill will. She was sympathetic to his backstory and the reasons he was brought into the world. No doubt he was someone with a past that he didn’t like to talk about and wished to now just use his powers for the benefit of Pokemon. At that end of the day, Mewtwo was someone who had really embraced his role as a Legendary Pokemon.
That being said, he wasn’t perfect.
While Pokedex entries were incorrect about Mewtwo being a savage Pokemon, the guy still had a temper when it came to certain subjects. Just because Mewtwo did not care about where life came from, it did not mean that he wasn’t very judgemental about what people did with life. As such he was unforgiving when it came to individuals with whom he perceived as a threat to the happiness of his fellow Pokemon. This also played into the careless use of his powers whenever something ticked him off or got his attention.
Among the most recent incidents began the moment they got here to Equss. During a meeting with Equestria’s council, Mewtwo used his powers to mentally freeze everyone in the room with the exception of a stubborn pony just so he could have a “talk” with him( she of course knew about this when Celestia mentioned it to her at the World Summit, while the Princess didn’t know exactly what he did, Virizion put two and two together from the short description). After the World Summit, Mewtwo did something that would be considered a major crime back on Earth and invaded the mind of a traumatized Gallade just because he was curious about the poor Pokemon’s strong mental walls(this she learned from Mew who appeared there after the fact). There was also that time during the Pokemon Contest held by Seth Crescent when a disgruntled former human turned Chatot, sung a song that had lines that made some subtle jabs about the whole rapture thing. Mewtwo looked as if he was about to get up from his seat if Arceus had just said the word.
But despite those incidents, they were nothing compared to what was happening now.
Mewtwo made it no secret he had very little love for mankind as a whole. The only humans he respected were Ash Ketchum and Seth Crescent. And the only human he ever showed any open affection for was the human clone of the deceased daughter of the Professor who made him(this was something Arceus helped him remember after those scientists had his memory wiped during the early stages of his development).
As such, with Mewtwo’s protective nature about the happiness and the future of Pokemon, combined with his underlying contempt for humanity, this entire situation was bad for him in a number of ways.
Virizion feared that this “war” against humanity was bringing out the worst in him. Now that he basically had the justification and green light to fight against humans, she feared that he would show little to no mercy against the humans and servants if and when he would encounter them. It was one thing to fight a war, but if one threw away their sensibility in conflict just to fight what they hate, they were no better if not worse than their opponents.
Aside from Mewtwo, there was also the little group that he was now a part of and leading with Giratina. The Distortion Pokemon had his own understandable problems with humanity. After they had portrayed him as a traitorous member of the Creation trio in myths and legends, the dragon had grown resentful of humanity and the lie they made up about him. So it wasn’t much of a surprise that the two were working together to gather other Legendaries who had their own problems with humanity.
While Virizion couldn’t speak for all the Legendary Pokemon that had been seen exiting Giratina’s room that night, she knew that most of them had some beef with mankind. As for the rest, she couldn’t say.
“Perhaps they may think those two might have some kind of plan to end this conflict quickly and just think it’s the best option now.”
Moving her thoughts away from that, Virizion turned her attention to the species that was at the center of this conflict, as well as the whole reason why they moved here in the first place.
The Human race. A curious species indeed, capable of great good and evil. But honestly, if one had a wider scope of the universe and its inhabitants, Virizion could bet that one could find a species with the same moral track record as humanity. If not worse.
Humans were just not a black and white species when it came down to it. They are just following the path that keeps them on the road of progress and building towards the future. Just like any other race with free will. Sure they may have hurt a lot of other individuals in the process, but that was inevitable. A species will always have members who are evil and do evil things. It's just that people tend to focus more on the evil than the good. The humanity from their former homeworld was not really as bad as Arceus had made it out to be. Yes, the evil members of their race did do a lot of things that endangered the world and hurt a lot more people and Pokemon. But the majority of humans had the common sense and wisdom to not do those things and instead sometimes fight against that injustice. And it was partially thanks to their Pokemon and friends that they had something to fight for.
Arceus would have one believed that Pokemon the victims in their long history under humanity’s rule, as well as the morally better sentient race.
The first part was mostly true. The second? Well…
One could wonder why the Pokemon being as powerful as they are, not to mention sentient, did not just come together and overthrow humanity? Sure groups like the PLA existed. But if one thought about it, Pokemon outnumbered and outpowered mankind. So why were they not in charge?
The answer was because most Pokemon were content to just let things stay the way they were. But not for the reasons one might think.
Despite being just as smart and in some cases even smarter than humans. Most Pokemon lack the inherent wisdom and understanding that humanity possessed. What Arceus saw as cold and calculating minds was really just human reason and ego. Their desire to be something more than what they are, to be better, both morally and physically. Pokemon, on the other hand, were more animalistic and in tune with nature, content to just be the same as they were every day for the rest of their lives. The fact that Pokemon had more animalistic traits such as estrous cycles, territoriality, and preying on other creatures made them in some ways inferior to humans.
Pokemon from a certain point of view were not morally superior to humans, how could they when they were inhuman themselves and lacked the human desire to be better?
Of course, no one was ever going to bring this up. After all popular opinion was against it. At the end of the day, everyone saw humans as the perpetrators, the ones to be condemned and unworthy of having a future.
But who really gets to decide that?
“Uh, guys?”
Virizion snapped out of her deep thought and turned to the voice who said that.
“Yes Keldeo?”
“A weird looking drawing just sketched itself into the floor, and now it's glowing.”
Virizion, as well as Cobalion and Terrakion, looked to see that there was indeed a glowing detailed circle in the middle of the room. That fact that it was pulsing with power could only mean one thing.
“Everyone into positions and get ready!” Cobalion said.
The Swords of Justice surrounded the circle from four spots and got into a battle-ready stance. The summoning circle continued to glow with mana until there was an explosion of light.
When the dust finally settled a person stood in the middle of the circle.
The person in question was clad in head to toe in thick armor, a distinguishable helmet covered their face. They had a sword in their hands that was touching the ground in a traditional human knight stance. The armor and sword were adorned with red coloring while their helmet had two horns coming out the sides of it.
“Hmm, judging by the sword, this servant must be of the Saber class. Also, the armor that they wear is unmistakenly that of a knight.” A smile began to form on Virizion’s face. “How fitting that the Counter Force sends someone like them to face us here.”
Cobalion spoke before anyone else.
“Servant, before you say or make a move answer us this. If you are here to ultimately destroy this world and doom its people, stand down and turn yourself in. If you are not here to do anything along those lines then explain your presence here. If you fail to comply with us, then you will face the might of our swords.”
The servant turned their head to just glance at the leader of the Swords of Justice. Despite their helmet concealing their expressions, Virizion could tell that they barely regarded Cobalion due to not fully looking at him. They then turned their head until they got a look at all four of them.
Finally, after a moment of silence, the servant spoke.
“What swords? You’re all either horses or deer or some shat. How could you all possibly hold one of these things?” The Knight raised their own saber as if to make a point.
The Swords of Justice however, all just smiled.
“If you think that having a hand with 5 fingers is all it takes to wield a sword, then you are mistaken. That kind of thinking must lead you to underestimate your opponents in battle,” Virizion stated.
“Yeah,” Keldeo said. “And if you think that just because we walk on four legs that we can’t hold a candle to humans in terms of swordsmanship, you got another thing coming.”
The Knight turned their head and tilted it at the younger colt.
“Oh yeah?” They said in a haughty voice. “And who's gonna show it to me, you little horsey. You’re the kind of pony we let the rookie knights ride back in Camelot.”
Virizion saw Keldeo get mad at the blatant insult. And while she would normally be upset too, her mind was focused on a word the knight had said.
“Camelot. Where have I heard that name before?”
“I will ask you once again to stand down servant. Failure to comply will be met with force as well as your defeat.”
The knight simply swung their sword to rest on their shoulder.
“How about this. I walk out of here, you guys don’t follow, and I won’t have to stain the walls with your bodily fluids.”
The entire group tensed up, but kept their composure.
“So that's it then, you won’t come quietly? Very well.”
All four of them manifested 4 glowing blades that grew out of their heads. Their shining light showing the proof of their legend and might.
“In the name of Lord Arceus, and the Princesses of Equestria, you will now be subdued by the Swords of Justice. Prepare yourself.”
The knight responded with the following.
“Heh, whatever.”
Immediately and unexpectedly the helmet retracted itself to reveal the knight’s face. No one had time to get a good look at it before the knight held their sword up and unleashed a blast of crimson lighting.
The roof of the room exploded, the blast visible to all creatures surrounding the nearby castle.
Location: A certain space that shouldn’t exist.
...
Initiating high speed calculations. Paper Moon activated.
Disengaging mirror world plane voyage. Though the stratum may dissolve, I continue to exist. Reapplying timeflow attraction from Reality Space.
0.38-second difference between target coordinates and current recognition, confirmed! Tolerance levels are acceptable.
Emerging from Void Space. Thirty seconds until arrival at Reality Space.
29...
20...
10...
5.
4.
3.
2.
1.
Zero Sail, complete. Emerging into Reality Space!
-
Somewhere in Equestria, time and space parted and for a few seconds, like wind parting the ocean. A pathway leading to an unknowable imaginary sea opened, and from it emerged a large metal craft.
The vehicle could be compared to a tank, although visually it reassembled a large M1127 armored personnel carrier. But without any visible weapons, it also had 12 wheels instead of 8.
It had docked in a part of the country that thankfully was not near anyone who would notice it. This gave it time to camouflage itself before that could change. With the journey from its base to Equestria completed, the tank powered down the device that it used to get here and recharge its systems.
Reality Space anchor attached. Reality verification complete
Proper Human History Resemblance: A
Lostbelt Depth: EX?
Establishing Imaginary Numbers Submersible Shadow Border’s existence within Lostbelt. Zero Sail return successful.
“Alright everyone, be sure to mind the gap when exiting the vehicle. When you go outside don’t touch or bring back anything unless it's a cute girl like me!”
The Former Queen Chrysalis sat in her cell as she sighed a sigh that she had exhaled every day for the past 976 days.
At this point, it had become routine.
She looked at the magically reinforced iron bars that kept her here. That kept her from her ambition and her duty as Queen of the Empire. Part of her wanted nothing more than to burst through those doors like they were twigs, overthrow her fool of a grandfather, and lead her people into an age where they didn’t have to sulk in the shadows anymore. And yet, part of her knew how far she would get before certain factors started to set in.
The empire was loyal to the royal family, but first and foremost the Emperor. Any loyalty and goodwill she had with the people was lost when she invaded Canterlot, and all those who followed her were equally imprisoned.
As much as she would like to be free, she knew that she wouldn’t be able to do anything she wanted with said freedom afterward.
What she needed, was power. The power to rule and take what she wanted.
She wanted her throne, she wanted her nation and people to not scavenge for food, she especially wanted revenge on those meddling ponies who defeated her in her moment of victory.
But escape, revenge, and all those other things will have to wait. For now, she needed something more urgent.
“Guards, where is my lunch? I should have been here by now!” Chrysalis said to the two sentries stationed at her cell.
“Who knows,” one of them said. “Maybe it’s going to starving changelings who actually deserve it.”
The former ruler became angry.
“Watch your tongue nave. You are talking to a queen,”
She was fully aware of what she said, and fully expected the response that came.
“You are not our Queen any longer Chrysalis. Nor will you ever be with that attitude.”
It was still a sore spot that her grandfather had revoked her title. It irritated her more than any time her being in this cell could ever do. She was a born royal changeling, powerful rightful blood coursed through her veins as proof of her right to rule the Empire. It especially made her a more rightful ruler than that Twilight Sparkle, who only ascended due to the “Magic of Friendship”. As far as Chrysalis was concerned, she was not a real princess.
“Yeah,” the other guard said. “I’d bet I would probably make a better ruler than our dear queen here. At least I wouldn’t stupidly invade kingdoms we are allied with. I amazed that any leader could so short-sighted and stupid.”
Chrysalis felt her anger rise. She would not sit here and be insulted by two lowly guards.
“Silence ingrate, before I come over there and-”
“Do what? Stomp may face in? Chop my head off?”
The former queen twisted her face into a scowl.
“New flash my queen, you can’t do anything to us. And I don’t see anything today that might kill us.”
“Yeah, thanks to your actions, I don’t see anyone coming here to rescue you, or wants you out of that cell for that matter. No one on Equus is in a rush to bust you out sweetheart.”
“Well, it’s a good thing I’m not from Equus am I.”
“Yeah…. Wait, who said that!?”
Both guards turned their heads frantically before all of a sudden, something sliced through the air and through the necks of the guards. They fell to the floor choking on their own blood before finally expiring.
Chrysalis got up from her bed and stood ready to defend herself, for all that good it would do thanks to the magic dampeners around her cell.
“Who’s there!? Show yourself!”
The air shimmered for a moment before a humanoid figure in formal clothing appeared before her. She looked, unlike anything the changeling had seen before.
“My name sweetie is Koyansaka of N.F.F., aka the Nine Fox Foundation private military company, at your service.”
The strange creature bowed before Chrysalis. But there was something about this person that the changeling immediately didn’t like. What little empathic power remained in her sensed that she was the kind of person with no real care for anyone. She was most likely a mercenary.
She studied the humanoid for a second before asking. “Are you here to break me out?”
Koyansaka looked up and smiled. “I’m not here to break you out darling. That part is already done.”
She snapped her fingers and the dampener around her cell was shut off. Another snap and there was a small spark on the lock of her door before it swung open on its own.
Despite the turn of events, Chrysalis proceeded with caution as she slowly walked out of the cell and examined her surroundings. Making sure that this was not some dream or a prank by the moon Princess of Equestria.
“What is the meaning of this?”
“Well darling, let’s just say I was hired by some very invested clients to break you out as part of their plan.”
Chrysalis raised an eyebrow. “What kind of clients? Who are they?”
“Well dear, why don’t we just go and meet them shall we?” She said in what was a very fake cheerful voice.
The changeling narrowed her eyes.
“I’m not going anywhere until you tell me what’s going on!”
Koyansaka’s face became one that resembled the sly smile one would find on a fox.
“Oh Chrysalis dear, I wasn’t asking.”
Before she could react. Koyansaka placed her hand on her and Chrysalis felt herself being pulled through a narrow space. A moment later and she saw that she was standing in a large room. In the middle was a table with seats, and in them were two distinct individuals.
One of them was a white unicorn obviously, he appeared regal and looked well-groomed for a normal pony. The other was another individual that looked of the same species as Koyansaka, but they looked as if they were a priest of some kind.
“Queen Chrysalis,” the unicorn said. “So glad you could join us. Please take a seat.”
The changeling looked tense for a moment. She looked around as if trying to find a route for escape. But then again, whoever these people were, they had some hand in freeing her from that prison. Plus since she really had no plan even if she got out of here, hearing them out was her best option.
Chrysalis took a seat opposite of the unicorn, while Koyansaka walked over to the priest.
“Are you the one who arranged for breaking me out?”
“Yes, it was not cheap mind you,” as he said this the pony eyed Koyansaka. “But it was necessary considering our plans. Anyway, my name is Prince Blueblood, you may have heard of me?”
Chrysalis thought for a moment. “Ah yes, you were that prince I bumped into in the hallway one time during the wedding, when I was disguised as Princess Cadence.”
“Yes, you did. And while I would normally hold a grudge. Especially since you disrupted the sanctity of Canterlot that we nobles work hard to uphold. But I can forgive your transgressions if you do something for us.”
“Oh, and what would that be?”
“You see Queeny, I and my associates have a large problem. One that requires your set of skills.”
“What is this problem?”
“Well, even within that cell of yours, I trust that you have heard of the Pokemon by now? Did anyone mention them to you?”
Chrysalis nodded. Her grandfather had told her of how a number of mysterious creatures with strange powers showed up one day and started causing major problems for the Empire as if they owned the place. He even told her about a group of ant creatures that were about to march on the capital. Although she had never seen them once. But despite her bitterness towards her grandfather, she saw no reason why he would lie about this.
“We have a common problem you and I, princess. These Pokemon are beasts that have caused nothing but trouble since they arrived. I would very much like to get rid of them. Unfortunately, my foolish aunts, your grandfather have decided that they should be allowed to stay. And while Pokemon may not feed on love, I’m pretty sure your nations doesn’t need more mouths to feed.”
The royal changeling thought for a moment, before responding.
“While I can see why they would be a problem for you Prince Blueblood, this hardly seems to involve me. In fact, I would rather make these Pokemon into slaves to feed off from rather than drive them out. So tell me, why should I really help you?”
“Heh, I thought you might say that. Then how about this. We will help you overthrow your grandfather and install you as the new ruler of the Changeling Empire and in addition to that, we will grant you something else.”
“What else?”
“Revenge, on my cousin and her husband. As well as those 6 ponies who also helped end your invasion.”
Chrysalis’s eyes widened, then she leaned forward.
“I’m listening.”
Blueblood smiled. “Good Queen Chrysalis. Now, before we continue, I must inform you about the current state of the world.”
“You mean the Pokemon?”
“No, not that, something...else has happened,” Blueblood turned to the other figure in the room besides Koyansaka. "Rasputin if you would?"
Crysalis turned to the Priest as he gave her a warm but affectionless smile.
"Greetings your Majesty. My name is Rasputin, although this body's name is Kirei Kotomine. Allow me to explain to you what else has happened while you were in captivity."
After one explanation about servants, Lostbelts, and various other things. Chrysalis was stunned to learn that so much had happened in the time that she was imprisoned, well aside from the Pokemon that is.
“I must say, this all sounds, very interesting. Although forgive me if I’m a little lost on a few things.”
“It will all make sense in time.”
“But with all that out of the way, what is it that you need me to do?”
Blueblood then spoke up again.
“Well, we all know that as a changeling, you have the power to disguise yourself as anypony you wish. And while your acting as Princess Cadence and other ponies could use some work, it will be of great use in helping us with our plans. We need you to disguise yourself as various individuals to spy for us. To be at meetings where my aunt is discussing things with others about how to deal with this situation.”
“You're a prince, can’t you just attend those meetings and briefings yourself?”
“I could, but when my aunts’ plans don’t work as intended. They are going to look at me with suspicion. I haven't exactly been the most accepting of the Pokemon, plus my reputation among my extended family is sour at the moment. So naturally, I’d be seeing as the most likely person leaking information.”
“Ah, I see. We then, if it’s spying that you need me to do I will gladly help you. Not to mention that undermining those imbecile ponies will be a nice appetizer to my revenge. You have a deal Prince Blueblood."
“I’m glad we could come to an agreement. Queen Chrysalis.”
After the meeting, Rasputin showed Chrysalis where she would be staying for the time being. Meanwhile, Blueblood had a talk with Koyansaka.
“So what is it you wanted to discuss Prince Blueblood? Are there more services that you want from N.F.F.?”
“Indeed fox, but this doesn’t come from me, but rather a few associates that are all currently in prison.”
“Oh, and what do they want?”
“You see, there is one individual who may become a threat to our secret operations in the near future. She is a Pokemon who has been causing trouble wherever she goes. Disrupting cities, stealing precious artifacts, in fact, when she came to Canterlot, her actions resulted in the council of nobles that I had set up being exposed and imprisoned!”
“My my, this person does indeed sound like a handful.”
“She calls herself the Phantom Theif Fox. A criminal that steals for fun and likes messing with others. I also heard that she used to be human, which if I remember correctly, you hate.”
“Ah Yes, that is true, I indeed despite humans. After all, they are selfish, arrogant beings who only focus on their own desires. Which is why I take great joy in seeing them suffer.”
“Well then, Fox is right up your ally. From what I heard, she comes from a line of thieves that goes back generations. None of them have ever been caught, and that doesn’t seem to be changing anytime soon. I imagine that track record of never being caught has made her a very arrogant person. Someone should put her in her place. Remind her of what happens to criminal scum like her.”
“While this does seem very interesting, it also sounds very expensive. Going after someone who has never been caught and has an entire bloodline worth of knowledge and experience. I’m going to need a lot of money to pull this off.”
“Oh don’t you worry about payment, you can discuss that with my contacts.”
Canterlot Correctional Penitentiary.
It was no doubt that Equestria was a very peaceful country with the lowest crime rates in the world. As such, it only had the need for one prison in the entire country to keep all the criminal scum who would dare to besmirch the good name of their kingdom with their crimes and illegal doings. Located near Canterlot Castle and watched over by their best guards, it was home to a number of criminals and villains who had recently made their home there. Among the inmates were henchmen of Pegasus Air, Total Control, Gray Hat, Extra Layer, some Gym Leaders, and Elite Four members of the Pokemon League as well as a few nobles who were once members of the city council.
While the severity of what they all had done varied from prisoner to prisoner, one relation most of them had for being there was related to Pokemon in some way shape, or form, whether it was a Pokemon that put them in there, or because their offense was related to the treatment of Pokemon.
The Former Mayor of Tall Tale, a stallion known as Grumble was sitting in a cell because of the former.
The Earth Pony was stewing in his resentment and bitterness at his current lot in life, as up until the arrival of the Pokemon, things had been going his way for a long time. As Mayor of Tall Tale, he created the image of an honest upstanding Mayor, one who loved the people more than anyone else. Secretly though, he had built an inner circle of corrupt officials to carry out his dirty work, all in the name of living the good life and making people worship him. He had the Captain of the city guard in his pocket as well as several criminals. Plus, thanks to his image, even do-gooders like Golden Star believed him to be a symbol of virtue. The way his life was going forward, no one would be able to stop him or stand up against him.
That is until fate decided to play a joke one day on the poor stallion.
The arrival of the Pokemon threw everything into wack, while a rampaging Aggron may have damaged his city, it was only an inconvenience. The real incident that ruined his life was the arrival of the Phantom Thief Fox. While he didn’t exactly know how she found out, the loathsome thief had somehow learned of the golden statue that was made in his image through the city’s private funds. She then led the police on a wild goose chase until they arrived at the warehouse where his goons unveiled the monument to his ego. The Mayor tried to eliminate the witnesses by sicking the Aggron from before onto the police and Fox, but it only ended up destroying the warehouse and his statue. And while Mayor Grumble would have gotten away, his traitorous secretary Sphinx, who was actually a member of an underground vigilante group knocked him out and delivered him to the doorstep of the cops. After that, the trail was completely stacked against him due to the boxload of evidence that they somehow acquired. As a result, he was sentenced to life in prison for multiple accounts of corruption, conspiracy, theft, embezzlement, murder, attempted murder, and one count of false imprisonment of a Pokemon.
Since the moment his life was ruined, Grumble thought of ways to get revenge on those who screwed him. And now thanks to his life sentence, he had all the time in the world to think of ways of making his enemies suffer.
First and foremost on the list was the Phantom Theif Fox, none of this would have happened if it wasn’t for her. Next was Sphinx and her little group of friends, after that it was Golden Star and the Lucario Cop who was supposed to catch Fox and not him. But for the longest time, while he had thought of many ideas on how to get revenge, none of it mattered while he was stuck here and his few remaining contacts(of whom he communicated with through snail mail) going silent after his arrest.
That is, until recently.
Apparently, during the Summer Solstice, there was a massive bombing terrorist attack the shook the entire nation of Equestria to its core. A fact that he took great joy in was the news that it was mostly Pokemon who were killed in the attack. It was then revealed by that insolent Pokemon God that this was the work of humans and that they intended to destroy Equestria.
Due to his current situation and his ruined reputation, Grumble couldn’t care less if Equestria burned and everyone in it. But before that could happen he would make sure that Fox and those that put him in here would suffer first. Thankfully, he got in contact with his sources, informing him that he would be visited by someone who was interested in making a deal to get revenge on his enemies.
Now all he had to do was wait.
“8 o clock, lights out maggots. That means you Grumble.”
The earth pony silently cursed the guard who walked by his cell before turning off his lights and pulling the thin sheet that the prison called a blanket over himself and went to sleep.
1:00 AM
“Wake up deary, rise and shine.”
Grumble shot up from his bed at the sound of a chipper yet sly voice that put him on edge.
“W-whose there!?” Grumble frantically looked in the dark and saw a figure standing at the edge of his cell. All of a sudden the lights came on and he got a clear look at who was in here with him.
Koyansaka smiled coyly as she stood there dressed in her secretary uniform. Her mannerisms and appearance somewhat rubbed Grumble the wrong way, as she reminded him of his old secretary.
“Hello, Mister Grumble. I heard that you wanted to discuss a business deal with N.F.F. services?”
The stallion raised an eyebrow at her words. He noticed that the lights were on in his cell and that she was talking in a not so low voice.
But Koyansaka must have read his face cause she quickly beat him to his words.
“If you’re worried that someone will hear us, don’t. I put up a deafening field as well as an illusion spell that will allow us to talk for as long as we need.”
While still a little confused, the earth pony found his calm and started asking questions. “What are you? Some kind of Pokemon, or are you one of those humans Arceus spoke about?”
The woman shot him an icy glare that sent shivers down his spine at the suggestion that she was human.
“No I am not a human, nor am I one of those humans trying to destroy the world. What I am Mr. Grumble is someone who can provide you with the goods and services that you want.”
Grumble stared at her for a moment, he suspected the reason why she was here, but seeing as this was all too good to be true, he wanted to make sure. “And what services what that be?”
“Oh you know, revenge and satisfaction. Although if you want out of here, that’s gonna cost you extra. Not that it be much of a problem mind you.”
“Hmm, I see. So I take it Prince Blueblood sent you here?”
“Yes.”
“Good, I can now finally have the revenge that I waited for so long.”
“That's delightful to hear Mr. Grumble. But before we discuss terms, there is the manner of payment.”
Grumble didn’t seem to flinch, he was prepared for this outcome and knew what to offer.
“If it’s money you want I have something you might like. There is a statue that I had made for myself before I was arrested. It kinda broke, but the pieces should be kept somewhere in Canterlot as evidence. Blueblood might be able to tell you where they are.”
“How big are we talking about?”
“Thirty hoofs tall.”
“Hmmm, that is a lot of moolah. And if we are talking 24 karats, then that should be enough to buy you a tier 2 revenge package.”
“Yes...wait, what do you mean tier 2?”
“Well, you see Mr. Grumble. We at N.F.F. services have 3 different tiers of revenge packages that we offer to customers. Tier 1 comes with a bullet to the head as well as telling the victim the name of the person who ordered their assassination before they die. Tier 2 comes with physical torture and painful death. Our best and most expensive package is tier 3.”
Grumble’s curiosity got the better of him. “Whats tier 3?”
Koyansaka smiled smuglly, her fangs glistenling in the dim light.
“Well, sir. tier 3 takes out the physical torture and replaces it with psychological torture. They say that you can hurt a person, that you could kill them, maim them, cut them up, make them feel the worst pain possible. But if their heart and soul remains intact, if they leave this world with their dignity, what have you really wrought huh? That's what psychological torture is for. If you can break them, change them, make them cry tears of sorrow and rage instead of pain, if you make them curse you and everyone, that is the best kind of torture. We’ll even send you a video recording of their complete mental breakdown❤. However, as I said, you only have enough money for tier 2.”
Grumble thought for a second. On paper, it sounded like the best option. To see and hear the cries of your most hated foe getting what they deserved and more sounded like the best revenge possible.
“How much is tier 3?” Grumble asked expectantly.
“Well, since that statue would go for about 3 million bits, the price of our tier 2 package is 2 million. The price of tier 3 would put you at 10 million bits, and that’s just the discount price as we’re having a sale this week! I should also mention that a signal package will only apply to a single person and their immediate associates.”
Grumble flinched for a moment, before finding his nerve again.
“Listen, Koyansaka was it? I don’t care if I have to sell an arm and a leg to pay you. I want Fox to suffer for what she did to me!”
“My, my,” Koyansaka said in a mildly surprised voice. “You must really hate this Fox person, do you? I hope she didn’t make you racist against all other foxes like me.”
Grumble wondered what she was talking about. And while he did notice the fox shaped earrings she was wearing, he dismissed her statement.
“Lady, that monster has caused me and my associates more trouble than would not have been possible had she not showed up in the first place. If it’s the last thing I do on this godforsaken planet, I want her to suffer for what she has done to me.”
“I see. Very well Mr.Grumble, if it’s the tier 3 torture package special that you wanted, then that’s what you all will get!”
“Wait...what?”
“I think it’s time I mentioned, that before I visited you, I went to a few other cells with inmates that all had a grudge against Fox. They all expressed interest in purchasing the tier 3 revenge package. But while none of them could pay for it on their own, together with you, you all can front a joint bill to pay for this service.”
“Whoa, really?”
“Yes, each of them fronted a total of 9 million bits to pay for the package, yours was just the last penny in the jar that they needed.”
“So that it?” Grumbles face smiled with glee. “We have a deal.”
“Indeed, I just need you to sign this form please.”
A paper and quill appeared in Koyansaka’s hands and gave them to Grumble. The stallion placed the piece of paper on the ground and was about to sign it before he remembered something.
“So just to be clear, I only need to fork over 1 million bits to complete this purchase?”
“Yes.”
“Well, since that means I still have 2 million left over. I want to purchase another one of your services.”
Once again Koyansaka smiled.
“Well then good sir, what else can Nine Fox Foundation do for you today?”
The Swords of Justice vs. The Knights of the Round Table
Mordred gotta hand it to the 4 equines, they really did know how to use those swords of theirs.
Their fight had since moved from the castle to the Everfree forest. Pokemon, creatures, and animals scattered and fled as the Knight of Rebellion and the Swords of Justice clashed their blades. The sound of their battle disturbing the quiet of Luna’s night.
The four legendary Swords did Mordred the favor of waiting until she had parried a blade from one of them before another one in waiting switched out. The Knight of the Round Table was only able to keep up due to her strong attacks, actually sending them back a few feet whenever they clashed blades.
Currently, they were fighting by a small creek. Terrakion charged at her only for Mordred to sidestep him and scratch his hide with Clarent. Keldeo then took the opening in order to perform a somersault spin attack down on her head, which would have connected if Mordred didn’t meet his sword with her own, the force of the impact creating a small shockwave. Pushing him off of her, she turned around just in time to quickly avoid a series of swift strikes from Virizion. The Grassland Pokemon eventually forced her into the water where Mordred summoned some lighting in an attempt to electrocute the Pokemon.
Virizion saw this coming and got out quickly, unfortunately, this left Mordred open to a Surf attack from Keldeo who used the water from the creek to amplify his attack.
Evidently, this left Mordred soaked...and angry.
Getting up from the deluge of water, Mordred took a breather as she found herself surrounded by the four Pokemon once again.
“Hmph, normally I’d say four against one isn’t fair. But I’d make an exception in this case!”
“Does that mean you are ready to surrender?” Cobalion said. The Iron Will Pokemon looking over Mordred, as he himself looked in much better shape than her at the moment.
Behind her helmet, the knight narrowed her eyes. She herself was fully aware of the situation she was in.
They’re trying to wear me down, Mordred thought to herself. And as much as I hate to admit, It’s working.
The Knight of Rebellion turned her head around, looking for any openings in which she could escape.
“If you’re thinking of fleeing, don’t. I’m pretty sure that we have tired you out to the point where even Virizion doesn’t need to be at full speed to catch up to you. I once again suggest you surrender and turn yourself in.”
“Oh yeah, are you sure about that?”
Before they could react, Mordred threw her sword behind her and straight at Keldeo’s head. The younger Pokemon barely had time to react before ducking, but not before Clarent shaved off a portion of his mane. Mordred then grabbed Keldeo and threw him at Cobalion who also ducked to avoid colliding with his student.
Mordred then quickly ran(grabbing her sword which had been embedded in the creak), the Sword’s of Justice recovered and ran after her.
“I gotta get out of this forest. Or at least find a clearing so I can better deal with these guys.”
Luna prodded the dreamscape once again. The Princess of the Moon spread her consciousness as she searched the entirety of her realm for something in particular. However, unlike the many times before the Pokemon came, where Luna alone shouldered the duty of managing the dreamscape, things were different now.
“Princess, would you please tell us why you invited me and Cresselia here again?” Darkrai said.
She had backup.
“I must agree with Darkrai, Princess,” Cresselia said. “You just told us that we would be searching for someone, but you have yet to tell us who this person is or what they look like.”
Luna paused for a moment, trying to think of something to best explain the situation to the two Legendaries.
“To tell you both the truth, I don’t entirely know myself. I was just doing my regular duties yesterday when I came upon an entity that seemed to be feeding off dream energy. Although it would be more accurate to say that I heard them rather than meet them since they refused to show themselves.”
“Are you sure it wasn’t a Pokemon using Dream Eater?” Darkrai suggested.
“No, after nine months of living with the Pokemon I know enough to recognize when the move Dream Eater is in use. This was not the work of a Pokemon.”
“If it’s not a Pokemon then what is it?” Cresselia asked.
“Well, I have a theory or at least the beginnings of one.” Luna then turned around to face the couple, a serious look in her eye. “Ancient legends and myths tell of creatures that existed before record history, these fiends would feed on dreams as a source of nourishment. However, depriving someone of dreams means also depriving them of much-needed sleep and rest. Without proper rest, people would eventually go insane from sleep deprivation. And so they were hunted to extinction as a result, so that they would never torment the world of dreams ever again. Starswirl the Bearded referred to these creatures as Incubi or dream eaters.”
“Hunted to extinction? That sounds harsh. They seemed to only be doing it to feed themselves.”
“Did I also mention that they were demons who delighted in leading people astray with sexual practices?”
Cresselia and Darkrai were stunned for a moment.
“You see unlike the changelings, these creatures were actually harmful when feeding off their prey. They didn’t care what they did or who they hurt. These creatures had no real emotions or personality of their own, so they fed off the dreams of others in order to simulate personalities.”
“And you know all this for a fact Princess?” Darkrai said.
“Only from what Starswirl taught me. And since I have no reason to doubt his knowledge, I shall take it at face value.” Luna turned away from Darkrai and Cresselia and continued moving. “Now come, if we really are dealing with an Incubus, we must find this monster before it can feed again.”
Mordred was starting to become worried, her pursuers were catching up with her, and she knew she couldn’t keep running forever.
Just who the hell are these guys anyway? What kind of weird alternate timeline did the world cut off that somehow made 4 equines that have magic swords coming out of their heads?
Mordred remembered how they called themselves the Swords of Justice. If the name was any indication, they must have thought of themselves as a group of Knights. Although even in her timeline, horses and animals didn’t talk or display sentience.
They must be some kind of phantasmal beasts that are capable of intelligence. Either that or maybe they’re divine spirits in animal form.
Mordred’s thoughts were interrupted when she spotted a clearing ahead of her. Her saint graph jumped with glee as she found the break she was looking for.
Unfortunately, because her focus was on what was in front of her, she did not see Virizion come from the side and trip her up.
In a moment that she swore to never reveal to anyone for the entirety of her current manifestation, Mordred fell and rolled down until she stopped in the middle of the large clearing.
“Ah frack me.” The servant got up on her feet just in time to see her pursuers come out of the treeline and face her down.
Modred looked down at her leg. It wasn’t badly cut, however, she wouldn’t be running anytime soon.
“Give up, you have nowhere to run,” Cobalion commanded.
From behind her helmet, Mordred eyed the stag with annoyance.
“What the hell are you guys even? I have never heard or seen of deers and horses that could talk and project lightsabers from their heads. No such phantasmal species existed back in my world.”
The four swords looked at each other and back at Mordred.
“We are not a type of ‘phantasmal species’. We are Pokemon, Legendary Pokemon to be exact. And as I said before, we are the Swords of Justice. Humble servants of Lord Arceus, the God of Pokemon.”
“Never heard of him. And believe me, the Throne of Heroes records every god who existed in Proper Human History. So any servant would know which god someone was talking about if they brought it up. So what is he, a new god that could only exist in this Lostbelt?”
“No, Lord Arceus and the Pokemon are not of this world.”
Mordred raised an eyebrow. “So is he some kind of Alien God?”
“Yes.. and no. Lord Arceus, came to this world along with the Pokemon. He brought them and all of us here to give us a fresh start.”
“Ah, so you guys are invaders huh. Did the people of this Lostbelt give you guys permission, or did God just dump you guys here just because he could?”
“Lord Arceus….I’ll admit he was rather rash and did not think things enough before bringing us here. But what’s done is done, the people of this world have accepted us as one of their own. And we shall repay that kindness by defending this world and its people. Even if our enemy is the world itself and the agents it sends to destroy us.”
“Wow, I bet there's some real sob story behind this great exodus or something. What happened, did you guys destroy your world on your own, or did a meteor smash it to bits? If Tristan were here I’d ask him to play despacito for you guys.”
“Shove it up your butthole servant!" Keldeo shouted, still upset about his hair loss and being thrown like a rag doll. "We wouldn't need to be here if it wasn’t for guys like you.”
Virizion stepped forward with her usually gentle smile. “Give up, please. This doesn’t have to go on any further. You are injured and weak. Come with us peacefully and I’m sure the Princesses will treat you fairly.”
Mordred didn’t back down, but she didn’t like her options at the moment.
“Ah, I really wish Lancelot were here. That guy may have taken the queen from father, but at least he put up a decent fight when he wanted to.”
Virizion heard what Mordred said, even if it was not loud enough for the others to hear. Her mind was racing as she started to pick up on the hints Mordred was dropping.
“Camelot, Tristan, Lancelot, a Queen stolen...don’t tell me that...”
“Ah sorry, but I’m not surrendering even if hell freezes over. I wouldn’t be the Knight of Rebellion if I didn’t fight to my last breath.”
“Ah. So that’s who you are.”
“Are you kidding me? Do you have any idea who we are? The Swords of Justice have fought battles for hundreds of lifetimes. We have existed since the world was new. I’ll admit that only joined some time ago, but whoever you are, you and whatever group of Knights you were a part of could never live up to our legend.”
“Now now Keldeo, what did I tell you about assuming things and underestimating your opponents. Besides, the group of Knights this person is a part of just might the only one among humanity worthy of fighting us.”
The other Swords looked at their female member in confusion.
“Virizion, what are you talking about?”
“Yeah Virizion, what are you talking about?” Terrakion repeated. “You know who this Knight is?”
“I do,” Virizion smiled confidently. “I didn’t want to believe it at first, but the names she was dropping. Camelot, Tristan, a man named Lancelot who stole the heart of a Queen from her King, and finally, this servant called themselves the Knight of Rebellion. There is only one group of Knights who are associated with a place called Camelot, that was destroyed by a Knight of Rebellion.”
Terrakion’s eyes widened as he realized what she was talking about. “No way, you're not saying that they’re..”
“I am. This servant is a member of the Knights of the Round Table. Not only that, but his name is Mordred. Son of King Arthur, the traitours Knight who brought about the end of his reign.”
Keldeo’s jaw dropped to the floor. “That’s....That’s impossible! The Knights are just a myth! They were just tall tales told by humans to give them a group comparable to us. Theirs no way they can be real!”
“And yet here we are Keldeo. What was just a myth in our world is evidently real in this one.”
As the Colt Pokemon had to process the sheer revelation that the mythical Knights we somehow real in this version of Earth, he didn’t notice that Mordred was now laughing.
“AHahahahahaha! Wow, I didn’t think you lot would guess who I was. I shouldn’t have been running my mouth if I knew you would be able to figure out my true name.”
Cobalion narrowed his eyes. He knew of Mordred’s tale and how it went. The illegitimate son of King Arthur who rose up against his father in order to take his Kingdom from him. His name was spoken of in futures stories as a major example of how envy and hate would lead one down the path of darkness. He never thought that he would one day face that kind of disgrace to the name of chivalry.
“Mordred, if that really is your name. Then I now believe it when you said you will not surrounder. Furthermore, if the stories about you are true in this world as it was in mine, then you are a disgrace to the name of Knighthood that I cannot tolerate or allow to exist in this world.” Cobalion’s sword then glowed even brighter as he readied himself.
“Heh, so my very existence pisses you off? Good, ‘cause I really don’t give a rat’s @%$. But now that you know my true name, that means I can now do this.”
Mordred’s sword glowed, and this time her helmet came off long enough for the Swords of Justice to get a good look at her face.
“Uh Virizion,” Terrakion said. “Correct me if I’m wrong but isn’t Mordred suppose to be a boy and not a girl?”
Virizion was just as confused. This she did not expect.
So the Modred of this world is female...does that mean...
“I might only have enough mana left for one use of my Noble Phantasm. Buts it’s enough to deal with the four of you.”
Mordred brought the sword to her face, its blade glowing with red energy and lighting.
Virizion then remembered something else, just as King Arthur had a sword named Excalibur, so did some of his Knights had named swords. Lancelot had Arondight, Gawain wielded Galatine.
“This is the evil blade that killed my beautiful father!”
And that Mordred stole a sword that was used to kill King Arthur, and its name was…
Clarent Blood Arthur! Rebellion Against My Beautiful Father
Mordred brought down the sword, a wave of crimson energy ripped through the forest, destroying everything in its path. Finally, the beam coalesced and shot into the sky, its light being seen from miles on end.
“I found something,” Cresselia said.
Luna immediately stopped what she was doing and pulled herself back together. “What is it?”
“It’s a dream signature of some kind, in Baltimare. I’m not sure who or what it is, but what I’m sensing is definitely another dream walker like us.”
“Very well then, let us see and hope that this is what we’re looking for.”
The Night Alicorn along with the Lunar duo sent their consciousness over to where the people of Baltimare were dreaming. Sure enough, they found something that was out of the ordinary.
Above the dream realm projection of the city, was a pink sphere that was absorbing all the nearby good dreams of the people sleeping in their beds.
The three looked on in a mix of curiosity and anger. None of them had ever seen something like this before in their longs lives, and yet their experience and nature allowed them to fully understand what was going on.
“So,” Darkrai began. “Is this was what an Incubus looks like?”
Luna narrowed her eyes as she studied the anomaly doing its work.
“I don’t know. This does not appear like what Starswirl described an Incubus to look like. That being said, it’s clear that this thing is feeding off of the dreams of Pokemon and Ponies.”
“Is it hurting them?”
“No,” Cresselia answered. “Those dreaming do not appear to be suffering in any visible way. But as we all know, the effects of dream eating come long after the victim awakes.”
“Indeed,” Luna said. “No matter what, this thing is a perversion of the dream realm, and as its guardians, it’s our duty to rid it of this thing.”
Luna then charged her horn with a spell meant to destroy other dream entities and fired it at the anomaly. Only for the shot to go right through it with no effect.
“What!?”
Luna fired another shot again, even Darkrai lent a hand with a few moves, but nothing seemed to harm the dream-eating anomaly.
“How can this be?! My spells should be able to affect anything that exists in the dream realm!”
Cresselia meanwhile was pondering for a moment, until she came to a realization.
“I think I know what’s going on.”
“What? You know what doing on dear?”
“Yes, if our powers only affect things in the dream world, then whoever is doing this must be awake in the real one.”
“You mean, this person is siphoning dream energy while awake?” Luna asked.
“It’s not impossible Princess, Pokemon do not need to be asleep to use the move Dream Eater. So it would be possible that whoever or whatever this is must be stealing dreams in the real world.”
“I see. But if this is true, that this person is awake in the real world, then we do not have the time to go to Baltimare proper and search the city for them.”
Darkrai rubbed his chin for a moment, before getting an idea.
“I may have something that could help us. But you’re not gonna like it Princess.”
“How so?”
“Well, from the looks of it, this thing only seems interested in eating good dreams. So, if I were to poison its food, aka give it bad dreams to eat, then it might back off.”
“Hmmm, I can see the logic, however..” Luna taught carefully, letting Darkrai unleash his nightmare powers would surely not be pleasant for her subjects. On the other hand, they had no other means of recourse at the moment.
“Very well Darkrai, but at the first sign of my subjects torments becoming too much, I’m waking them up.”
“I wouldn’t have it any other way Princess.”
“Good, you may begin when ready.”
Luna and Cresselia took a few steps back as Darkrai took a deep breath. The Pitch Black Pokemon then relaxed and for the first time in months, he freely let his nightmare aura spread and infect the dreams of everyone in his radius. Immedleity residents began to squirm and whimper, but at the same time, the dark powers also began to infect the dreams that were being absorbed by the anomaly. It wasn’t long before it began to take in dark energy that began to turn it from bright pink to a dark shadow.
However, this did nothing to the anomaly, in fact, it seemed to be gorging on even more.
"What? It's feeding off of nightmares are well!?" Darkrai exclaimed
"It would seem that this thing prefers nightmares over good dreams. This does not bold well."
"We're not done yet," Cresselia said. "There is one more thing we can try."
"What?"
"If we wake up everyone that thing is feeding on it will have no dreams to eat."
"Hmmm, a sound idea. Very well I shall wake my citizens from their sleep."
Luna then immediately began to shoot specific spells meant to burst dreams and wake people up. One by one ponies and Pokemon awakened, and one by one the connections to the anomaly ceased.
“Gahh! What is this?” A voice said. "Who cut off the gravy train!?”
The anomaly then disappeared, and in its place, another image began to manifest. Finally, a person stood where the anomaly was.
The figure looked like a human male. His hair was white and his clothing attire was equally so aside from accents of pink and blue. In his hand, he carried a staff of unknown design and workmanship. The man had a handsome face the would put anyone at ease.
The man looked around until he spotted the trio not too far from him.
“Oh, it’s you again. Ah and I see you brought friends this time, how very wise.”
Not wasting any time, Luna immediately closed the gap between her and this person, until she was but a few feet from him.
“Who are you!? Are you some kind of Incubus or…” Luna then realized that she was talking to what looked like a human, then came to the obvious answer. “You’re a servant aren’t you? Some kind of evil servant that feeds off dreams.”
The man only turned his frown into a smile as Darkrai and Cresselia caught up and looked over him.
“Well, to answer both questions of whether or not I am a servant or an Incubus. Yes, but actually no on both accounts.”
The three of them looked confused at the servant’s answer.
“It would take too long to explain, but to put it simply I am a servant. One who has been sent here to serve Proper Human History. That being said I currently mean you no harm, in fact, I was just enjoying a midnight snack until you guys decided to cut off my buffet so to speak.”
Luna was starting to become annoyed about how casually this servant was admitting to eating dreams as if there was nothing wrong with that.
“I see. So not only does thou admit to eating dreams which is forbidden in my realm, but thou also admits to being a servant and thus our enemy! To think that the Counter Force would send someone to upset my realm and domain which I protect. As the Princess of the Night and Dreams, I will not stand for this.”
Luna charged her horn and flared her wings.
“Prepare thyself, villain! You made a grave mistake ever coming here!”
Luna fired a powerful spell at the servant, which he narrowly dodged.
“Hey watch where you’re firing that! I may not actually be here but it would still hurt if I get hit by dream spells.”
The servant felt a shiver up his back as Darkrai blew an Ominous Wind in this general direction. Which he managed to avoid, only to get hit with an Aurora Beam from Cresselia.
“Okay, I think I have had enough here. I apologize if I offended you all in any way, but I got other plans than just spending time with you all, later!”
The man's staff glowed and a swarm of pink flower petals surrounded the servant cutting him off from view.
Luna on her part just shot a spell that dispersed the flowers.
“You will not defy me! I am Princess Luna, and you will not-”
The servant was nowhere to be seen.
“Leave…”
The sky split as the light of Clarent was seen for miles before fading.
Mordred breathed heavily as she looked to behold her work. A path of destruction had been cut through the forest, but so far, there was no sign of those head sword-wielding equines.
Thinking she had vanquished them, Mordred rested her sword on her shoulder. “Heh that was easy, maybe I should have led out with that from the start.” Satisfied, Mordred turned around to walk away.
Only for the servant to hear a twig snap.
She barely had time to react before a blade was swung at her neck. Due to this, her sword was knocked out of her hand, and then she felt something tackle her to the ground.
Mordred quickly tried to crawl to her sword only for Cobalion to step on it.
“Normally, I would refrain from sneak attacks, it is not the honorable way to fight.”
Terrakion rolled the servant onto her back and pinned her down with his hoof.
“Hey! Get off me!”
The legendary Pokemon thought for a split second before saying. “Nah, I don’t think I will.”
Cobalion walked over until Mordred could see him and the rest of the Swords of Justice.
“But in your case, I’ll make an exception,” he continued.
“Huh?”
“Because people like you are a disgrace to Knighthood and all it stands for. If you really are the Knight of Treachery that brought ruin to an entire kingdom out of petty reasons. Then a fair fight would be wasted on someone like you.”
Beneath her helmet, Mordred could only glare at the mighty Pokemon.
“Ah piss off you stupid horse or whatever. You know nothing about me.”
“Perhaps. But I do know this, you are someone who is a threat to this world. And you cannot be allowed to exist here any longer.”
“You should have just surrendered while you still could,” Keldeo boasted. “Now you’ll get what’s coming to you.”
Mordred sighed as she basically accepted her fate. “Ah well, I probably would’ve killed myself anyway rather than be taken, prisoner.”
Cobalion raised his sword above her neck and then brought it down.
Mordred didn’t blink, she was never one to show weakness.
Ira Lupus! Rampaging Maiden Wolf
A large shining spear burst out of the forest and nearly hit Terrakion if he hadn’t moved in time. All four Swords of Justice jumped back as another knight wielding said spear stood to defend Mordred.
“Wha? Whose-”
“Got here just in the nick of time didn’t I?”
Mordred looked up. The knight who just arrived was a bit shorter than her. She had a large shield to go with her equally heavy-looking spear, on her waist were several vials filled with some kind of magical power.
The Legendary Pokemon readied themselves at this new unknown arrival, but Mordred knew who it was.
“Gareth?”
The one who held the seventh seat at the Round Table glanced down at her fellow knight.
“How you doin’ sis!”
Mordred made a small smile beneath her helmet as she got up and retrieved her sword.
“Gareth?” Keldeo said. “That’s another member of the Knights of the Round table right?!”
“Yep, that’s me!” the knight said beaming with pride. “And I didn’t come alone.”
Another voice came from behind the two female knights.
“Glad to see you’re still standing Mordred.”
Out of the forest stepped another knight. But unlike his siblings, this one had no helmet. Instead, he had only a sword and cape to go along with his armor. He had golden blonde hair had a warm smile on his face.
Cobalion raised an eyebrow. “And who might you be?”
The third knight stood beside his fellow Round Table members and answered the Pokemon.
“Sir Gawain. Brother to Gareth and Mordred. Wielder of Excalibur Galatine and Knight of Midheaven.”
The name alone made the Swords tense up a bit. Gawain was spoken as one of the more powerful Knights among the Round Table.
“How did you guys find me?” Mordred asked.
“Your Noble Phantasm is hard to miss, plus we happened to be close by luckily. A good thing too cause you seemed to have bit off more than you could chew, speaking of which.”
Gawain turned back and stared at the Pokemon. “Forgive me for asking, but isn’t four against one a little unfair?”
Cobalion was about to speak, but Keldeo beat him to it.
"That treacherous knight doesn’t deserve a fair fight! If the legends about her are true, she was responsible for the fall of a great kingdom all because she wanted the throne. And why are you guys defending her anyway!? She should be your enemy for what she's done to you guys.”
Gawain’s expression only became neutral.
“It is true that Mordred did some...things that greatly contributed to the fall of Britain. She even killed me at the battle of Camlann.”
Keldeo and others were surprised to hear this. Only just now recalling the stories that said Gawain fell to Mordred before she herself fell to King Arthur's spear.
“Then why?”
“Because no matter what she did in the past, that doesn’t matter now that our old kingdom is long gone. Mordred is summoned here now not as a traitor, but as a servant fighting for Proper Human History.”
Cobalion snorted. “Very well then.” His blue Sacred Sword shined once again, as well as his companions.
“Knights of the Round Table, Mordred, Gareth, and Gawain. Prepare yourselves. We, the Swords of Justice shall hold nothing back against King Arthur’s chosen warriors.”
Gawain nodded. “Very well,” He held out his sword as it became cloaked in flames. “We Knights of the Round Table accept your challenge!”
The 2 groups of warriors charged at each other, and a dance of blades followed.
Hall of Legends
Shaymin and Zygarde stood at the entrance to the temple as it was their turn on guard duty.
“So Zygarde, anything on your mind lately?”
The Order Pokemon didn’t even glance over to his friend before speaking, something which she took notice of.
“I think what’s on my mind lately is something that has been on everyone’s minds lately,” Zygarde responded sarcastically.
Ouch, he must really be in a bad mood “Okay, so do you wanna talk about it?”
The third member of the “Aura Trio” let out a tired sigh.
“This entire situation reeks of disorder Shaymin. Multiple timelines existing in the same space at once, dead spirits walking the Earth, the threat to the peace we fought so hard to attain, and not mention the chaos that ensued when those heroic spirits from the Human Order bombed every city in Equestria.”
“Actually, we don’t really know if the ones from Proper Human History are really the ones that did that.”
“What do you mean? It has to be them! Who else is so eager to destroy us and knows about our existence? It certainly wasn’t the other Lostbelts, they didn't exist until those meteors came down from the sky.”
Shaymin was about to retort but stopped herself, Zygarde did have a point. None of the other Lostbelts came into existence until the meteors impacted the Earth, and it was only a minute later when the fires started. The only other hostile force on the planet at the time was Chaldea and Proper Human History’s Counter Force.
And yet, something didn’t add up. Chaldea had just finished destroying the Russian Lostbelt a few days before the Solstice. There was also the broadcast telling them to come to someplace called the “Wandering Sea”. So the Security Organization would be too busy looking for that place to be preoccupied with planning to commit mass murder.
This would then narrow it down to the Counter Force and the servants it was sending. But Shaymin had to wonder what kind of servant would have the power to plant bombs in people without them noticing or feeling it.
“Alright then, let's change the subject. I trust you still haven't gotten in a fight with Discord again.”
`Hmph, as much as I don’t like him, I still must obey the wishes of Lord Arceus. If he doesn't want me to fight him lest we destroy the surrounding area then so be it. Although I personally think the world would still be better off without him.”
“I think that's a little harsh. Think of it this way, you are a being of Order and Discord is a being of Chaos right. You may be from different worlds, but you two are essentially opposites of the same coin. You balance each other out.”
“What are you getting at?”
“I’m just saying. Now that this world has a being who embodies Order and Chaos, maybe the cosmic scales are now equal so to speak.”
“So you’re saying that Discord’s existence is a good thing? That people want a spirit that does nothing but cause problems and is a nuisance? Ridiculous, I think your time among the humans has filled your head with foolish ideas Shaymin.”
Now the Gratitude Pokemon was annoyed. Despite them being close friends, Zygarde always detested the human world for how chaotic and unpredictable it was. While Shaymin was always more understanding of human nature, the fact that she befriended that Pokemon Coordinator helped improve her opinion of mankind. But despite their differing opinion on humanity, Zygarde never berated Shaymin about it, until now.
She opened her mouth to retort until they were both blinded by a bright light.
“What the heck!? Did the Sun come up early and in 2 seconds!?”
“Impossible! That thing looks too small to be the sun!”
Shaymin wondered what she was talking about, then the light dimmed down enough for her to see what Zygarde was talking about.
There, in an area above the Everfree Forest, was a miniature sun.
The sound of clanging metal and flash of blade swipes filled the clearing in the Everfree, where two groups of chivalric warriors fought each other with every ounce of their skills.
Gareth jousted against Keldeo, the young knight thrusting her spear trying to get a hit in the blue colt. Keldeo for his part was trying and failing to use his sword to get a clean hit on the girl knight. As a sword user, he was supposed to have an advantage in close combat against a spear user. But her shield kept his blade at bay and prevented him from getting any good hits on her.
“So your name is Gareth huh?”
“That’s me, what's your name?”
“Keldeo, wielder of the Secret Sword.”
“Oh, is that what you're using against me?”
“Nah, I’d have to go all Resolute for that. And you're not that big of a deal for that.”
“Ah, so you're going easy on me huh, is that it? I’m flattered.”
Gareth and Keldeo’s weapons met and both tried to hold their ground, neither of them showing a lack of conviction.
Virizion and Mordred swung at each other in a repeating manner. While the Grassland Pokemon was faster, Mordred’s lighting made it dangerous for her to get close, and despite her injuries, Mordred was far from tired.
“I apologize for Cobalion’s remarks. While he is the most coolheaded of us, he does have little tolerance for traitors.”
“Meh I don’t care if people call me that or make a fuss about what I did at Calmalan, I did what I did, nothing will change that. I’m the Knight of Rebellion, it's what I do. Although I am curious.”
“About what?”
“The guy looks as stoic as my father, but mention traitors and he starts fighting dirty? What's the matter, did he get backstabbed at some point in his life?”
Memories flash in Virizion’s eyes for a brief moment, back to a time of Knights and King’s. When the world needed someone to be a leader who would lead humanity into a better future, a promising future.
Virizion pushed those thoughts to the back of her mind, it would do no good to think about those days right now. Even if the person she fought against reminded her vividly about those days and that person.
Gawain surprisingly or unsurprisingly managed to hold his own against Cobalion and Terrakion. Although both Pokemon had the decency to not attack him at once, instead of switching out whenever the Knight blocked one of their blades.
“I’m impressed Knight of the Round Table,” Terrakion said. “Not many can block the sheer force of my swings. You work out or something?”
“Well, I have been strangely compared to a Gorilla at one point, but I forgot who it was that said it. Maybe it was my horse or something?”
“Still Sir Gawain, it is an honor to face you in battle,” Cobalion said. “In my world, you are just a myth and nothing more. A flight of fancy sung by human bards based on tales by other legends.”
“Oh really, while part of me is curious to know more, I’m afraid the current circumstances will not allow that.”
“Indeed, you are here to destroy this world which we have recently come to call home. You are here to preserve your world and its people. Both of us have noble and morally righteous reasons to fight, neither of us has done anything wrong.”
“And yet Fate itself decrees that we must fight, never before has it been so cruel. So it must be.”
Both sides continued to clash until they both regrouped with their brothers in arms, once again facing each other.
We can’t keep this up forever Cobalion, Virizion stated telepathically.
Indeed, despite our group having one more member, those knights look no worse for wear than us.
You think it's time we called for backup? Terrakion said.
...Perhaps.
“I don't know about you guys, but I’m starting to get tired,” Mordred said.
“Me too, these guys are no pushovers,” Gareth added. “I can tell that they got years of experience under their belts. More than all of us combined perhaps.”
“You think it's time for a tactical retreat?”
“Yeah, too bad I don’t have anything flashy that could cover our escape.”
“I just used my Noble Phantasm, so I’m out of juice. Gawain?”
“...Very well, I understand.”
The eldest Orkney Sibling stepped forward.
“Swords of Justice! You four are indeed no ordinary swordsmen, not even men if we’re being technical. Your world is indeed lucky to have protectors like you guarding it.”
“Your words are much appreciated, Sir Gawain. But they will not save you.”
“I understand, but we both know this fight cannot go on forever.”
“Indeed, it seems our only options are for one of us to fall, or for you to surrender.”
“Yes, it would seem those are our options, however, there is one thing you are missing.”
Cobalion and the others narrowed their eyes, they knew Gawain was planning something.
“You know what my title is, and that name of my sword is correct?”
“Yes, you are the Knight of the Sun and your blade's name is Galatine.”
“Correct, so allow me to demonstrate my name here and now!”
Gawain threw his sword high up into the air, once high enough, a blinding light shined forth in the middle of the night.
The Swords of Justice had to look away, as the brightness was so great, Gawain may as well have raised the sun himself and brought it closer to Earth.
“This sacred Sword is a replica of the sun! A light the burns away and impurities of this world!”
A single beam of light went from the mini sun down to Gawain who grabbed it in his hands.
The sun itself shrunk into the new larger blade until it was just as bright as before.
Excalibur Galatine! Sword of Revolving Victory
Gawain brought the 14-kilometer sword down, its fire burning everything in its path.
Luna, Darkrai, and Cresselia exited the dreamscape and woke up back in the Princesses room. It was notable that Luna checked out earlier than normal, although having two other dreamwalkers helped lighten the load so the work got done faster. However, this did nothing to help her mood as she walked out of the room with a sour look on her face.
“Princess, are you alright?” Cresselia asked.
Luna sighed as she kept on trotting. “No Cresselia, I am not alright.”
“I see, this is really bothering you isn’t it?”
“...As the Princess of the Night it is my duty to keep the dreams of my little ponies safe and undisturbed. But for 1,000 years, I was not able to perform that duty, so when I came back I sought to make up for lost time. I can only imagine what nightmares generations of ponies endured because I was not there to give them respite due to my mistake.”
Luna gazed out a window as she continued walking, the light of the moon illuminating the land below.
“Creatures that threaten the dreams of ponies are far and few between, so when I first sensed Darkrai’s presence I assumed the worst because of what he reminded me of.”
The Pitch Black Pokemon who was trailing behind her said nothing but had a look of sympathy nonetheless.
“And now we find ourselves against this servant who feeds of the dreams of the innocent. His very actions are an affront to my duties. Even though he is someone sent here to destroy us, his dream feeding has just made this personal, I will see him laid low.”
Luna felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to see Darkrai floating closer beside her.
“And you won’t have to do it alone this time.”
Luna smiled and was about to offer the couple to join her for a midnight snack before a light outside the window caught their attention.
Cresselia had to turn away from the brightness before saying “What? Where is that coming from?”
“Did sister raise the sun early?”
The trio quickly found a balcony and got a better view of where that bright light was coming from. They arrived just in time to see a miniature sun glowing over the Everfree Forest before it collapsed into a beam of light and was brought down on the forest below. The explosion was heard even from where they were standing.
“By Lord Arceus.” Cresselia gasped.
The glow from the explosion didn’t seem to die down, and they realized why. There was now a forest-fire in the Everfree.
Darkrai narrowed his eyes. “Luna, take us there now!”
The alicorn was way ahead of him as she teleported all three of them to the site of the fire.
Once there, they saw Pokemon running in several directions, but mostly away from the fire. The flames were quickly spreading as the dry air did nothing but help it along.
“Princess, do you have any spells for this?” Cresselia asked.
“I know a few water spells, but that will only do so much. And the clouds of the Everfree cannot be manipulated by ponies and pegasi, which means I cannot make them rain.”
“We need to get the Hall of Legends. Kyorge and Lugia can put this fire out.”
“Darkrai wait, I can sense some other Legendaries nearby!”
“Wait really, who?”
Focusing her Psychic powers, Cresselia identified the Pokemon.
“The Swords of Justice, they’re this way.”
The three of them made their way through the burning flora until they came upon the fabled Swords doing what they did best.
Terrakion was creating ditches with his powers in order to halt the flames, this, in turn, gave the Pokemon safe passage to go through. Virizion protected the Pokemon from flames as Kedleo douse the sparks and embers with water from his hooves. Cobalion used his natural leadership and commanding voice to lead the Pokemon to safety.
Luna used a quick water spell to extinguish most of the surrounding flames, which got the four Pokemon’s attention.
“Princess Luna, Darkrai, Cresselia, I am glad to see you here.”
“Cobalion, what happened here?” The Crescent Pokemon asked.
“We were fighting a few servants, but one of them caused this fire in order to escape.”
Luna narrowed her eyes in anger, So these servants would be so low that they would endanger lives in order to escape, how deplorable.
“And while I appreciate the three of you coming here, I’m not sure all of us are gonna be able to put out this fire.”
“He’s right,” Virizion said as she walked up to them. “We need members of the Legendary Council who are adept in using water moves. Darkrai, go to the temple and get whoever you can to help put these flames out.”
“It shall be done.”
“No need everybody,” A new voice said. “Cause the calvary’s already here!”
Everyone looked up to see Shaymin in her Sky Forme looking down on them with a confident smile. She was soon eclipsed as a flying Kyogre and Lugia soared over her and used a powerful Hydro Pump while the latter combined it with Rain Dance. The move’s super effectiveness quickly killed the fires and made the air moist.
A rumbling was heard, then Zygarde burst up out of the ground using dig. Behind him was a line of Pokemon for who, he had dug a safe passage underneath the flames.
“Ah, good to see you all are here. With this many people, we shall make short work of these flames before they can spread into town.”
“Indeed Zygarde, your help is most appreciated.” Cobalion said.
“Wild Fires are in a way likened to chaos, as they consume everything with no regard to what it harms. So it is in a way, my enemy. So tell me, who is responsible for such unnecessary chaos?”
“It was the work of servants,” Luna answered.
“I see. They shall pay for this in time, but for now, let’s deal with this first.”
Everyone nodded and then got set to work dealing with the fire.
Later that day.
Fire in the Everfree forest!
A battle between Pokemon and Servants ends in flames
Last night, a forest fire erupted in the middle of the Everfree Forest. This is the first such forest fire to occur in the mysterious woods in its long storied history. The fire was thankfully dealt with before it would spread to other nearby settlements like Ponyville. This was thanks due to the joint efforts of the Princess of the Night, Luna, as well as the Legendary Pokemon: Kyogre, Lugia, Shaymin, Darkrai, Cresselia, as well as Cobalion, Virizion, Terrakion, and Keldeo of the Swords of Justice.
According to statements provided by the leader of the Swords of Justice, this fire was caused by a battle between servants and the aforementioned Swords.
“We have identified the enemy servants as Mordred, Gareth, and Gawain of the Knights of the Round table. While those names may not mean anything to you, the natives of this world, we as well as people from Earth know of them from myth. I was frankly quite surprised to learn that they exist in this world when they are nothing but tall tales from our planet. Extreme caution must be taken if you manage to find yourselves in a fight with them, their swordsmanship is comparable to ours, which is saying something.”
Along with these “Knights of the Round Table” servants, 4 more Heroic Spirit summonings occurred yesterday in Vale City, Vanhoover, Appleloosa, and Trottingham.
-
Alice finished reading the paper as her team and Toichi listened.
“So, the Knights of the Round Table huh?” Shade said.
“To think they exist in this world. That certainly makes things interesting.” Rascal added.
“Uh, excuse me, who are the Knights of the Round Table?” Toichi asked.
“Well Tochi,” Alice said putting down the paper. “In my world, the Knights of the Round Table are a mythical group of Knights who all sat around a….round table. They were said to have served a great King named King Arthur.”
“Wow, really?” While the little colt was more interested in magic than knights and swords, stories that involved them still fascinated him to a degree. Plus in every knight tale there was always a court magician that he imagined himself being.
“The story of King Arthur is one that is told in many forms today, although this has lead to the legend itself being mixed up and altered over the years, to the point where no one knows what the original source material is. But the basic premise is that King Arthur as a boy pulls a legendary sword called Caliburn or Excalibur out of a stone and goes on to form a great kingdom in the Galar Region. The sword Excalibur is called the Sword of Promised Victory, as it was believed that Victini himself blessed the sword with his power that whoever wields it may never lose a battle.”
“King Arthur was also said to have a scabbard called Avalon which healed his wounds in battle,” Shade added.
“That's correct, although legend says he lost the scabbard over time.”
“Ha!” Scep interrupted. “A scabbard that makes you invincible and a sword made by Victini? If Such things existed I probably would have found and stolen them a long time ago, either that or the Commander would have sent me to steal it for him.”
The gang shivered at the thought of Sev of all people wielding a powerful sword like that, or the fact that he would have an item that basically made him immortal.
“Ok, what other things about King Arthur do you guys know? Like what happens to him?”
“Well, that’s a big story in and of itself, which I never really had time to sit down and study. I’m a researcher, not a historian. That being said I do know how his story ends, but you may not like it.”
Toichi looked a little disappointed, but then Scep put a reassuring hand on him.
“Don’t sweat it, kid. Who knows, if the Knights of the Round Table exist in this world, then by default there must be a Heroic Spirit version of King Arthur somewhere. Maybe you can ask him about his history yourself.”
Alice rubbed her chin. That was true, if the Knights exist as servants, then by default so must King Arthur. And if he was anything like the legends make him out to be back on Earth, then she pitied anyone who would have to face him in battle.
“Hah,” Rascal said. “I think it’s less Toichi wanting to meet King Arthur than you wanting to fight him.”
“You bet I would you little imp! I could take on him and his gang of Knights if I wanted to and win.”
“Okay, I totally believe you. You who ran like a Zebstrika when that Charizard chased you during the heist at Canterlot.”
“What did you say you little imp!?”
Alice already saw where this was going, and used this as an opportunity to sneak out of the room, Toichi not far behind her.
“Where are you going, Miss Alice?”
“To get some brunch, and to get away from those two.”
“Oh, can I come with you? I’ll even pay for my meal.”
Alice looked down at Toichi who had “that” look cute face. Which ended up working.
“Okay you can come, also don’t worry about paying, food is on me this time for being such a big help during my heists.”
Toichi beamed with a big grin on his face. “Thank you, Miss Alice!”
After telling Quick and Sleight where they were going, Alice and the young unicorn left the mansion and went to a local popular diner that Tochi knew about.
As they walked, Toichi asked her a few more questions about King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. Alice answered them to the best of her ability which fueled the colt's curiosity about stories from her world.
But as the conversation went on, a different train of thought was running in Alice’s mind.
It was indeed true that the Legend of King Arthur was nothing but a myth back on Earth, but what none of them had told Tochi yet, was that the myth was derived from another ancient story that actually did happen at some point in history.
It was the Legend of the King of Virtus.
Myths and legends are often inspired or are exaggerated versions of events that may or may not have actually happened. The story of King Arthur is one of them, inspired by a fabled king of the region known as Virtus.
Stories say that the king was raised by the Swords of Justice who propped him up to be a beacon of hope for the land. They say he wanted to create a kingdom where Pokemon and people would be equals, just like in the days before Arceus was sealed away. Similarly, King Arthur was prophesied to be a great king, the court mage Merlin being the one who foretold of his rise.
The King of Virtus, have the backing of the Swords of Justice, gained a following of loyal subjects, and established a great kingdom. And just like King Arthur had his Twelve Knights of the Round Table, the King of Virtus had his Twelve Virtuous Knights. Both kingdoms were thought to be able to endure forever as an example of what humanity could accomplish under a just rule.
However, both stories ended tragically the same way.
The King of Virtus was betrayed by one of his own knights, and with his death, his kingdom fell. His knights split off to do various things, such as save what was left or seek refuge elsewhere. Some of them however hunted another traitor knight who was said to have been involved with the fall of the kingdom. However, that last part was debatable, as the only reason he was hunted was due to him going to the Swords of Justice for help only for his pleas to be rejected. The other Knights used this as an excuse to hunt them down.
King Arthur’s fall was similarly the result of two Knights betraying their king. Mordred, the king’s illegitimate son, and Lancelot, who had an affair with the Queen.
Ultimately, both kingdoms fell due to human nature and infighting. Despite touting themselves as great kingdoms in a world of strife and hardships, they wasted their potential and would forever be remembered as hopeful tales going tragically wrong.
Alice came out of her deep thought as she and Toichi arrived at the restaurant. Alice put on her pony disguise and the pair quickly found a table and placed their orders. While they waited Tochi asked Alice about what heist she was planning next.
“I’m not sure this is the right place to be talking about that. Plus nothing has happened lately that would warrant such a heist, especially with this servant crisis going on.”
“You’re right. I mean, it’s not like our next target is gonna fall in our laps right?”
As Toichi said this, another pair of ponies entered the restaurant. Both of them were unicorns with one of them being a stallion with a gray coat and a white mane, a noticeable thing about him was his dull eyes. The second was a mare around his age with a blue coat and also had white hair.
For a while, the pair kept to themselves, then one of them came over to where Alice and Tocihi were sitting.
“Um, excuse me, I hope I’m not interrupting anything,” The mare said.
Alice looked at a mare, finally noticing her. “Oh not at all, is there something you need?”
“Yes, do you live here in this city by any chance?”
“Yes, my name is Alice Maxillilion, this is my friend Toichi.”
“Hi,” the little colt said.
“Hello Alice, my name is Ana, and this is my boy...er..coltfriend Kody. We are out of town and are wondering if you could answer some questions about this place. Isn't that right Kody?”
The mare gestured for the stallion who was still sitting at the other table, he let out a sigh before coming over.
“I apologize for Ana, she can be..quite upfront.”
Hmmm, Ana and Kody? Those are some unusual names, for ponies at least.
“It’s no trouble at all, so what questions do you guys have?"
The couple grabbed two seats and sat with Alice and Toichi.
“Well, to put it simply, me and Kody are not from...around here, so we would like to ask you about some things.”
“Such as?”
“Who is the ruler of this land?”
Both Alice and Toichi blinked at the strange question.
“Wait, are you guys serious?” Toichi asked.
“Yes, like I said we’re not from around here.”
Alice looked at the two with suspicion but answered their question nonetheless.
“Well, depending on how you look at it, this Kingdom is ruled by the four Alicorn Princesses. But only the 2 royal sisters are considered the overall rulers of the country. That would be Celestia and Luna, the other two are Princess Cadence who rules the Equestrian territory of the Crystal Empire up north, and Princess Twilight Sparkle who resides in Ponyville a little down south.”
Ana blinked for a second be she smiled.
“Ah, thanks for clearing that up. We had heard that there were four Princesses but didn’t know their overall standing.”
Alice nearly tilted her head, despite the response she was given, she suspected Ana was freighting innocense. That being said, she decided to play along for now.
“I see, anything else?”
“Well, we also wanted to know what are these creatures that seem to be everywhere? We know they’re not ponies, but we can also tell that they’re not all individual species. What are they?”
Now Alice looked like someone just asked her if the sky was blue or something. Thankfully Toichi beat her to the question.
“You mean you don’t know what the Pokemon are? Have you guys been living under a rock for the past 9 months?”
“Now now Toichi, where these people have been is none of our business. That being said I do have to wonder, the Pokemon have been here for almost a year and you don’t know what they are? Surely who must have heard Arceus’s broadcast by now, as well as the most recent one.”
Kody looked as if someone had caught him red-handed, but Ana kept her poker face.
“As I said, we are not...from around here.”
“...Well to answer your question, those creatures you see are called Pokemon. They are a race of aliens from a planet in another dimension Earth, they were brought here by a god called Arceus.”
The words “Earth” and “god” made Kody’s eyes widen, but he quickly tried to hide his reaction.
“Wow, that’s interesting, why did this Arceus bring them here?”
“Apparently from what I know, the planet they were from was not treating them well. The other race that lived there, called humans, basically treated them as second-class citizens. They didn’t even acknowledge their sapience at times. So when their god Arceus broke free of his prison he took them all to our little planet of Equus here.”
Ana hummed in curiosity, while Kody took over with questions.
“So, what happened to the humanity of that Earth? Are they ok?”
Alice noticed how Kody used the phrase “that Earth”, as well as his sudden interest in humanities status.
“Well to put it simply, the bad humans were left there to die. And by that, I mean that due to the lack of Pokemon as well as legendary Pokemon, their home planet will spiral out of control without the Pokemon to maintain the balance of nature. So it would be a matter of time before Earth is a dead world, if not already. As for the good humans, Arceus brought them here to Equus and turned them into Pokemon.”
“...I see. Do you know why?”
“Why what?”
“Why he turned them into Pokemon?”
“Well, I not 100% sure. But I do have a theory that's backed up by some rumors.”
“Which is?”
“Arceus might have thought that humans would continue treating Pokemon as lesser beings, so he made them Pokemon so that they would never see them as anything but equals. I heard that at the World Summit meeting that Arceus said he wanted to preserve that which was good about humanity while cutting of what made them evil.”
“But wait, there is a flaw in that logic. If this Arceus only brought the good ones with him, why did he make them Pokemon if he thought they were going to do bad things such as treating them as lesser beings?”
“That's true,” Ana added. “Not to mention that separating the good members of humanity from the evil ones won’t eliminate the “evil” in humanity. Although now that I say that, I believe he realized this. If Arceus really did bring the good members of the human race even, he must have known that some of their descendants might become evil.”
“Well even with that, there is also the fact that other people in this world might treat the Pokemon wrongly, not just humans. Hmph if this Arceus fella really is a god, then he must be a poor one when it comes to thinking.”
“That very much true,” Alice agreed. “One would think that though he might have just stayed in his world rather than just move most of the population to another planet in another universe. But what’s done is done. So, anything else you want to ask?”
The two ponies looked at each other before Kody continued.
“So where is this Arceus now?”
“He is holed up in the Hall of Legends in the Everfree forest down south, right next to Ponyville. He is open to visitors but I wouldn’t go there right now if I were you.”
Kody raised an eyebrow. “Why not?”
“Well, I would imagine he is in a bad mode right now with the whole humanity and Lostbelt situation.”
Kody raised his eyebrow, but didn’t look too surprised at what she said.
“What are you talking about?”
“Well, apparently Arceus didn’t check that this planet which we call Equus is actually another Earth before coming here. And that its humanity still exists. There is also the matter of the Lostbelts which are apparently alternate timelines with humans in them as well. On top of that, there is also this group called Chaldea that's wandering around somewhere trying to destroy us to save their world.”
Kody gripped the table with his hoof in a reflexive manner but quickly relaxed himself.
“There is currently a worldwide manhunt for Chaldea and somethings called servants who are being sent by something called the Counter Force. I just hope that Arceus isn’t the one to catch them, cause I think at this point humans are at the bottom of his favorite list of species. I wouldn’t imagine him treating them well as prisoners for trying to destroy everything he worked so hard to achieve.”
Alice finished there and no one else spoke anything. There was only the noise of other customers talking and sounds from the kitchen.
Finally, Kody got up from his seat. “Thank you miss Alice. I believe you have answered most of the questions we had. Let’s go, Ana.”
Kody then walked out of the restaurant, not even waiting for Ana.
“It was a pleasure talking to you two. Have a nice day.” And with that, Ana walked out after Kody.
It was at this point that Alice and Toichi’s food came to their table, but before the colt could take a bite, Alice stopped him.
“Hey, Toichi?”
“Yes miss Alice?”
“You know your way home right?”
“Yes.”
“And your parents are fine if you go home alone?”
“Uh, yeah I think they are.”
“Good,” Alice handed him several bits. “You can have my meal, I gotta go.”
“What, where are you going?”
Alice turned back to the colt and smiled.
“To catch up with someone.” And with that Alice walked out of the restaurant, leaving Toichi to devour two plates of food.
Once outside, Alice put an illusion on herself and ran quickly until she found Kody and Ana walking fast. She then got as close as she could without them feeling her presence to catch what they were saying.
That was too close.
Do you think she suspected anything?
Maybe, but thankfully she doesn’t look like someone who would get up and follow us.
Yes, so what do we do now?
Let's just get back to the Border and inform the Director of what we’ve learned.
Very well, as you wish master.
This Lostbelt is something else. It will be a while before we can find the Tree of Emptiness and cut it down. Plus we also gotta deal with this god Arceus before he complicates things for everyone at Chaldea.
“I knew it,” Alice said to herself. She slowed down until she was a good distance from them but still following, she then put a communication gem in her ear and activated it.
“Alice?” Spinner said on the other end. “What is it?”
“Get the team and meet me on the edge of the town, near the forest, come quickly but keep yourselves hidden.”
“Why, what’s going on?”
“Just, hurry. I’ll explain when you guys get here.”
-
Soon the rest of Alice’s team rendezvoused with her outside of town, she then explained what she had happened and what she suspected.
“And you’re sure it's them?” Rascal asked.
“I’m positive,” Alice stated. “The lack of knowledge about the Pokemon and Princesses, the way they reacted to some of the answers I gave them, and then there was the conversation I overheard as I was tailing them.”
“So,” Shade began. “If those ponies are really people from Chaldea in disguise, and the fact that they are in hurry to leave and walk into the forest.”
“That means they must be heading back to their camp and meet up with the other members of their group, which means this is our chance to learn where they are and catch them off guard.”
Rascal once again spoke up. “But Alice, you said it yourself, if this really is Chaldea, then we have little chance of beating them in a fight.”
“We don’t need to beat them, Rascal, just keep them occupied and make sure they don’t go anywhere. Not until backup arrives.”
“Backup?”
Alice then turned to the twin Spinarks. “Spinner, I need you to find Johnathan and give him this message.” She pulled out a card and gave it to the spider, who nodded and crawled away.
“Alright, let's get moving. We don’t want them getting too far.”
-
Alice and her team wandered through the forest, all the while keeping an eye out for two suspicious-looking ponies as well as anything out of the ordinary.
“Wait I see someone.” Shade said pointing in a direction.
Everyone looked and for sure they saw two unicorn ponies walking all alone in the forest. Keeping the illusion up, Alice brought the group closer until they could hear what they were saying.
“Can’t say this Lostbelt is like Scandinavia or Russia,” Kody said.
“Yes, unlike the last two it’s not snowing here,” Ana said.
“Other that than it appears that humanity doesn’t exist here, at least not as humans anymore. But even that doesn’t add up since apparently this Arceus fella showed up nine months ago and brought humans with him, which is a little while after the Earth got bleached.”
“There is also the fact that this Lostbelt seems to cover 90% percent of the planet but has halted its growth. Why is that? All it has to do is expand a little further and this timeline fully replaces Proper Human History.”
“Yeah that is weird, why stop when it’s so close? Do you think it has something to do with why Its Tree of Emptiness is nowhere to be seen? Or maybe it has something to do with why 5 other Lostbelts have sprouted and stolen its territory.”
“....”
“Somethings not right here, let's just get back to base.”
Alice made sure to mentally write down everything they were saying. even if she didn’t fully understand what they were talking about, she knew what was being discussed may be important later.
“Alright, we’re not too far now Anastasia.”
Anastasia? Is that her real name?
“Stay close to me, I don’t want to lose you like last ti-”
“Master.”
That mare known as Anastasia stopped in her tracks.
“Huh, what is it, why’d you stop?”
“Were are being followed.”
Fox and her team all stopped in their tracks as well.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes. I cannot see them but I can sense five lifeforms that have been stalking us for a while.”
Alice mentally winched. Obviously, she didn’t know if servants could detect lifeforms hidden by illusions, but apparently, that was now the case. Although she was thankful that it seemed they couldn’t see through them.
“Shall I deal with them, master? Or do you wish for us to make a break for it?”
“....No, for all we know they may have someone fast enough to keep up with us and that would just lead them back to the border. Let’s get rid of them here.”
The two turned around and face the direction where Fox and her team were standing.
“We know you’re there, come out.”
“Alice,” Shade said. “What do we do?”
“...We stick to the plan. We still need them to lead us back to their camp, so let's see if we can get them to retreat. And if not, keep them from escaping until Johnathan arrives so we can capture them and then he brings them back to town for interrogation.”
“Alright, got it.”
“Were are about to fight a servant for the first time, be ready for anything.”
“Right!” All of them said.
“It’s Showtime!”
The area around them shimmered until, a blue Zoroark in a cape and cavalier along with a Sceptile, Liepard, and Weavile appeared in front of the duo.
The two “ponies” looked over the group before Kody tilted his head.
“And just who the hell are you guys?”
Fox smiled, and then tipped her hat until they could see her face.
“I am the Phantom Theif Fox. These are my assistants Sceptile, Liepard, and Weavile.”
“A Phantom Theif, are you going to rob us? Cause we got nothing to steal, trust me.”
“Oh, I’m not stealing anything from you guys today. Oh no, I’m more interested in who the two of you are. After all, your not really ponies are you?”
“...What do you mean?”
“ Well, first of all, two ponies walking alone through the forest are kinda suspicious. Secondly, you guys don’t have cutie marks, which is very odd for ponies of your age.”
The couple looked down at their flanks, mentally chastising themselves for missing that little detail.
“Finally I just happened to overhear you two talking while in the city, something about a Tree of Emptiness, dealing with Arceus, and you mentioning something about reporting to Chaldea.” A sly smile adorned Fox’s face.
Kody looked as if there was no point in trying to deny and just sighed.
“I’m not going to ask how you figured us out, I’m just going to get to the point. You're trying to get us to lead you to our friends so you can catch us and snitch to your god aren’t you?”
“Correct. Although since I consider myself a nice person, I’ll just tie you guys up and leave you at the doorsteps of the Princesses. Cause even though you’re trying to murder billions of lives I think they would treat you much nicer than Arceus would.”
“Is that so? Sorry but I have no intention of getting myself captured. And if you think you’ll be able to take us both, you’ve got another thing coming!”
“Oh yeah chump well just see about that!” Rascal said.
“Every well. But before we begin, could I ask you to drop whatever disguise is your wearing and introduce yourselves. After all, I did you the favor of dropping my illusion.”
Kody and Anastasia both looked at each other and nodded. Soon, their pony forms changed shape until the two unicorns were replaced by two caucasian young adult humans.
They both had silver hair, but “Kody” had a grey jacket and a plain set of modern clothing, while still retaining his dull eyes.
Anastasia, meanwhile we dressed in regal clothing that completely gave off the image of royalty. Her hair covered one of her eyes and she held a peculiar-looking doll in her arms.
“So,” Fox said looking them all over. “What should I call you lovebirds? Icy Princess and Brooding Boy?”
“Hmph, so you’re a troll huh? Do you annoy everyone you rob from?”
“Only the ones that deserve it. Which now that I think about it is basically everyone.”
“Well let me tell you right now thief, you have never faced the power of a servant before. As for my name-”
The human held up his hand, on the back of it was a red mark.
“My name is Kadoc Zemlupus. A Master of Chaldea here to restore Proper Human History.”
“My name is Anastasia Nikoaevna Romanova of Russia. Servant of Kadoc Zemlupus, my class container is Caster.”
Kadoc stood behind Anastasia as the temperature in the forest suddenly began to drop.
Kirschtaria Wodime and Ritsuka Fujimaru both walked into the mess hall at the same time.
Upon getting inside, they were greeted by the sight of Chaldea’s senior staff members all sitting around several tables. Mash Kyrielight, Ophelia Phamrsolone, and Akuta Hinako all sat at one table. Meanwhile, Scandinavia Peperoncino aka “Pepe”, sat with Kadoc Zemlupus, Director Goredolf Musik, Sherlock Holmes, and Leonardo da Vinci.
Upon noticing the two masters enter, Pepe in his usual cheerful voice called out to them.
“Kirschtaria! Ritsuka! Good Morning! How was your sleep? Hopefully, better than the beds that we had to share on the Shadow Border am I right?”
The last part got a few chuckles out of the people at Pepe’s table as well as both Ritsuka and Kirschtaria.
“Well, now that you mentioned it I did have a very good sleep for the first time in weeks. Thank you for asking Pepe.”
“Good good, now hurry up and grab a seat, Sion will call us to the entrance room soon.”
The leader of Team A and his second in command grabbed their food and sat with the table that had the most people.
It had been 2 weeks since the remaining members of Chaldea had finally arrived at the Wandering Sea. After going through a couple of Lostbelts, as well as the realization of learning what their actions would mean for the people of those dead-end worlds, they could finally breathe easier now. One of the first things they did upon docking was making proper repairs to the Shadow Border after the damage it sustained during its trip, being flipped over does cause quite a mess.
After being introduced to Sion, a member of the Atlas Academy, her mysterious servant only known as “Captain”, not only set about repairing the Border but mostly converting the Wandering Sea into a more suitable facility for Chaldea so that they wouldn’t have to work out of their vehicle 24/7. Once everything was finished, the first thing everyone agreed to do was have a proper meal and breakfast before attending the first strategy meeting since arriving at this mountain that moved in between the textures of the world.
“I must say,” Kirschtaria began. “I am impressed at how fast that servant of Sion’s managed to convert the entirety of the Wandering Sea into a near replica of Chaldea with the number of resources that we had.”
“I must concur with Kirschtaria,” Goredolf said. “That Director’s room that they built for me is exactly what I asked for. It’s discreet, fully stocked, and has a luxurious bathroom to go with it. I really must give them my full praise once I see them again. What about you Ritsuka? How did you have those servants commission your room?”
“Well, I didn’t really ask for anything in particular. I just wanted the same room I had back at Chaldea. Nothing fancy really.”
“Oh, I see, well normally I would write that off as the mindset of a commoner, but there is a novelty in being nostalgic.”
Pepe patted Ritsuka’s back.
“Well, that’s our little Ristuka for you. He never wants anything more or less than what he's given!”
As the conversation went on, at the other table, Mash looked toward the other group with disappointment in her eyes. Something not unnoticed by Ophelia.
“Mash?”
“Oh! Yes, Ophelia?”
“Is there something wrong?”
“Uh no..not really.”
“Are you sure?”
“Actually, well...I just kinda wished Senpai and Wodime would have sat with us.”
“I wouldn’t bet on it Mash,” Akuta said, her head peeking out of her book for once.
Both girls turned to look at their normally anti-social friend. “What do you mean by that Akuta?” Ophelia asked.
The bookworm once again looked down from her novel. “I’m just saying that they read the room so to speak.”
“Read the room?”
“Yes, they obviously came to the conclusion that this was the girl’s table and thought to leave our space to ourselves.”
Mash’s eyes widened. “R-really, I didn’t think they would matter that much considering how close we all are.”
“Trust me Mash, sometimes even girls need a little time to themselves.”
*cough*wow*cough*
Akuta turned to Ophelia who tried her best to look innocent. “What was that Ophelia?”
“Oh, nothing….”
“Spit it out.”
“Well, I’m just saying. Considering god knows how much time you spent without your ‘man’, I thought you of all people would be more open to having the boys sit out our table if the desire to so much as came up.” Ophelia flashed a small smile. Akuta only gave her a frown and dove back into her book.
Back at the other table, another more important matter was being discussed.
“Please let me have this just this once!” Kadoc said.
“Calm down Kadoc I understand your position,” Da Vinci said. “But the first servant who gets summoned will be determined after the meeting with Sion is over. Besides, it’s not like Anastasia’s saint graph is going anywhere.”
“I know that it’s just that...you know, ever since the Russian Lostbelt I...” Memories flashed through Kadoc’s mind, him clutching his servant in his arms. Her face was half gone, but she was still smiling. “I just really want all of us to have our servants back in case of emergency ya know.”
“I completely understand Kadoc,” Pepe said. “Love is like chocolate, once you have a taste, you will always crave more!”
“That’s not why Pepe! I just, Gah!” Kadoc slammed his head on the table, Pepe still patting his back.
Then a voice came on the announcer.
“Attention! Attention! This is your Wandering Sea Host, Sion Eltnam Sokaris! Will all Chaldea Security staff members please report to the command room for the first Chaldea-Atlas joint strategy meeting. This will start in five minutes so don’t be late!”
Goredolf finished harffing down a breakfast that consisted of scrambled eggs, muffins, sausages, bacon, orange juice, apple juice, and french toast. He then wiped his face with a napkin and got up.
“Well, that’s our cue! Let’s go, everyone!”
-
After everybody had finished eating, they all gathered in the repurposed entrance of the Wandering Sea, which resembled the Command room back at the old Chaldea base.
Once everyone was here, Sion adjusted her glasses and began to speak.
“Glad you all could make it! How were your rooms? Did you get a good sleep? Got any complaints? If you do, please direct them to Captain and you’ll be put on a waiting list until we can resolve your issue. But before that let’s get down to business.”
Sion’s face then became serious.
“First of all let’s recap what has transpired so far, even though I went through your logs, feel free to correct me I got something wrong.”
*Ahem*
“On December 31st, 2019. Chaldea is attacked and destroyed. That same day, a pillar of light streaked down from space, while 5 others remained in orbit. After which you all undertook a Zero Sail to escape the Oprichniki. And although you only spent a week inside the Sea of Imaginary Numbers, nearly a year had passed when you emerged into standard space. You did this by using the sole connection you all had left at the time---the Oprichniki. This led you to the Russian Lostbelt, a cold alternate timeline inhabited by the Yaga, humans whose ancestors have fused with Phantasmal Species. As you attempted to make sense of your current situation and what was going on, you ended up fighting a Yaga version of Ivan the Terrible, the chosen King of the Lostbelt.”
“After killing Ivan, you managed to cut down Orochi, the Fantasy Tree of Emptiness that supported the Russian Lostbelt, although the actual cutting was done by what you guys claimed was an unknown lifeform that didn’t register on any instruments as anything other than a hole in space. While I am still trying to determine what the Trees actually are, based on the data about their internal gravitational field, I think we can make an educated guess. Once the tree was gone, the storm wall surrounding the Lostbelt disappeared and you were finally able to pick up my broadcast from the Wandering Sea. From which you then decided to make a beeline for.”
“But on your way, you ran into another obstacle. During a Zero Dive in an attempt to escape one of the servants of the Alien God, you ended up in a subspecies Lostbelt that was hidden from plain view, the Norse Lostblet. In this timeline, Ragnarok went awry and its history was stuck in a perpetual twilight. You then proceeded to face off against Scathach-Skado and cut down the Fantasy Tree of Emptiness Sombrero. Very well done pruning two Lostblets in a short amount of time.”
“After that, a battered and damaged Shadow Border finally arrived at the North Sea and made its way inside the Wandering Sea...which leads us to right now!”
Kirschtaria nodded in agreement. “Indeed, it is as you have summarized. We have been inside two of the Lostbelts by now. And as we all know, they are dead-end timelines pruned away by Gaia because they had no future mutable going forward.”
“It kinda sounds like the Time Variance Authority from Marvel comics,” Jingle Abel Meuniere said. “They pruned timelines that were deemed too dangerous to exist.”
“Aside from that, we know that the Russian Lostbelt diverged during 1570 A.D. when a meteor struck the Earth and caused a second Ice Age. And the Scandinavian Lostbelt diverged when Surtr overstepped his role in Ragnarok.”
“Speaking of which,” Sion said. “Let’s talk about how these Lostbelts differ from Proper Human History. The strength of a Lostbelt is dependent on how much it strays from the main trunk of the Tree of Time, I call this term Lostbelt Depth. I have assigned the Russian Lostbelt a “D” rank because aside from the freezing cold and humans becoming Yaga, it’s not that much different from how the humans of our timeline live. This is in contrast to the Norse Lostbelt where everyone was sacrificed at the age of 25 to feed the Giants and the population never went beyond 10,000. For this, I give the Norse Lostbelt a B+.”
“Uh, guys?”
Everyone turned to Akuta who for once was not reading something.
“You forgot to mention one other thing, namely the ones who are serving under the Alien God. And I’m not just referring to the servant Apostoles.”
Sion facepalmed.
“Drat, I almost forgot that part.”
“Indeed,” Kirschtaria said. “There is also the matter of the group who refer to themselves as the seven Crypters, the ones who manage the Lostbelt trees.”
Da Vinci spoke up. “Two of them are former members of Team A, namely Daybit Sem Void and Beryl Gut.”
“The other 5 are mages who I once knew in my days at the Clock Tower, or were at least known by the Clock tower. We have already met Caules Forvedge who was the Crypter of the Russian Lostbelt, and then there was Atrum Galliasta who was the Crypter of the Norse Lostbelt. And while the names of the other two evade us, we do know the name of the lead Crypter who ordered the attack on Chaldea.”
Sion nodded. “I am well aware, he is an infamous mage that has managed to stay alive for nearly 100 years. He was a participant in the Fuyuki Holy Grail War who was thought to have died in battle against Marisbury Animusphere. His name is Darnic Prestone Yggdmillennia, the head and last member of the fallen house of Yggdmillennia.
Olympus, Crypter meeting room.
Darnic sat in his chair with his cane in his lap. His messy hair and laid-back expression gave off the impression that he was someone who had nothing to worry about.
To his right was a holographic projection of his adoptive granddaughter Fiore Forvedge Yggdmillennia. To the left of him was her brother Clause Forvedge Yggdmillennia in the flesh. On the other side of the table were images of Daybit Sem Void and Beryl Gut, while the remaining chairs were empty for two different reasons.
Darnic’s opinions of his fellow Crypters varied. He felt immense pride for Fiore due to her magical potential, as we as the fact that she was very loyal to him. Her brother on the other hand was for the most part beneath his notice, especially since his failure at the Russian Lostbelt.
Beryl Gut was someone he felt to keep an eye on, if only because he had heard of his reputation at the Clock Tower and the fact he made no secret about his casual murdering of the people in his Lostbelt. If anything he kept him around because his skills made him useful.
Although not as useful as his friend over there, isn’t that right Daybit?
Darnic could not read that man for the life of him, while he could not deny his genius, his nature and personality made him blink a few times whenever he stared at him.
Both Daybit and Beryl were former members of Chaldea’s Team A who defected and were now managing two of the worst Lostbelts suited for replacing Proper Human History. But given the rate of decline in each Lostblet’s human population, he figured he would not have to worry about them for long.
However, the surprisingly old magus was pulled out of his thoughts when Koyansaka gave him her report.
“Things in the Equss Lostbelt are going quite smoothly if I do say so myself. Thanks to the work of Beryl and his associates, the native population has gotten all riled up and will be sure to attack or report and humans or servants on sight. If Chaldea were to ever crossover into that place, they will have their work cut out for them!”
Beryl laughed.
“Ha! Who knew such a Lostbelt could exist on this planet, or that it was a possibility that was ultimately pruned away. I never thought that a world could exist where everyone is either a talking multicolored pony or a phantasmal species that developed a human-like society. And the kingdom of Equestria, let me tell ya, all that talk about the Magic of Friendship made me wanna barf. You wouldn’t believe how good it felt to have Mephistopheles bomb all those cities, their screams were music to my ears!”
Fiore recoiled back in her seat as Beryl described in detail about how much he enjoyed murdering all the innocent ponies. But she decided not to speak up until her grandfather gave her permission to do so. Which is why Daybit ended up talking instead.
“You must remember Beryl. Just like your Lostbelt, this one is an exception among exceptions in terms of how it manifested. For human history to diverge to the point where humanity was replaced by sentient phantasmal species, such a thing could not have been achieved without some kind of intervention.”
“Oh?” Darnic said. “What are you implying Daybit, is there more to this strange Lostbelt than meets the ey?”
“... I only have a theory, for now, or at least the beginnings of one.”
Finally, Caules, who had been silent the whole time, spoke up.
“What about Chaldea, what is going on with them? Where are they now?”
Koyansaka resumed speaking. “Well, we can infer now that they must have made it to the Wandering Sea. Where even the Alien God cannot reach.”
Darnic put his hands together and leaned on the table. “I see. While Chaldea has indeed proven to be a problem with them cutting down two trees so far. I believe the problem will resolve itself within time.”
“How so Darnic?”
“Well answer me this, what in Chaldea’s mind is the most pressing issue right now?”
Fiore thought for a moment before answering.
“Resorting Proper Human History.”
“Indeed Fiore. And what pray tell is the biggest obstacle to that goal?”
“Destroying the Lostbelt that is the biggest threat. Your Lostbelt grandfather.”
“Yes, this Lostbelt is indeed that actual biggest threat. But I’m willing to bet that Chaldea doesn’t yet realize that. I believe that they will focus their attention on what they believe is the Lostbelt that presents the most danger to the Earth.”
“...You mean the Equss Lostbelt?”
“Very good my dear! Chaldea may think that the Equss Lostbelt is the biggest threat when in reality, its King has stopped growing its tree and has no intention of letting its roots spread anymore. For that, she has made herself an enemy of the Alien God, and her people will suffer for her actions. I predict that Chaldea will make their way to that Lostbelt next in order to get a sense of it. However, thanks to the work of Beryl and his contacts in the Equss Lostbelt, he has made so that the entire population will be against Chaldea more than ever, they will have no allies in that world.”
Koyansaka smiled. “It is a sound plan Darnic, and considering that the only other god in that Lostbelt is a staunch misanthropic, I wouldn’t be surprised if he ends up willing Chaldea out of existence and save us all the trouble. I may even sit back and watch the show with some dango.”
“Then is there nothing left to discuss? Very well consider this meeting adjourned.”
The holograms of the other Crypter disappeared while Caules went off to his room. Leaving Darnic alone with his thoughts.
“Everything is going according to plan. Once my designs reach fruition I shall finally achieve the longstanding dream of we Yggdmillennia.”
The Wandering Sea Novurm Chaldea.
Everyone in the room was dumbfounded at what they were staring at.
“Ok,” Da Vinci said. “Just what are we looking at here?”
Sion had pulled up a 2D display of the current state of the world as well as the locations of the remaining 6 Lostbelts. But what shocked everyone was the size and nature of one in particular.
“To put it simply, the world is a blank slate that is occupied by the 6 Lostbelts. Which is what it should be like. However what you are currently seeing is the one big Lostbelt basically covering the entire world, or rather 97% of it, and the other 5 growing on top of said Lostbelt like an infection.”
“But this doesn’t make any sense!” Goredolf exclaimed. “Even if this is the biggest Lostbelt, how can 5 others be growing in the same space!? I thought that they would just grow and expand in separate areas until the bigger Lostbelt consumes the weaker one.”
“Normally you would be right, that’s just another odd thing about this Lostblet. For example, this thing has had nearly a year to grow and was well on its way to fully consuming the Earth and replacing Proper human History. However, about a month ago, it stopped expanding. Along with that, I can’t find any sign of its Tree of Emptiness, nor does it appear to have any storm walls. In short, this thing was about to win the big race and it just stopped a few inches before the finish line.”
This time Mash spoke up.
“But why? Why would it stop when it’s so close?”
“That’s the 100 million QP question. Aside from that, this Lostbelt is not the only oddity. The one located where the British Isles used to be is surrounded by a wall of light rather than a storm wall. And then there is the one located in South America, whose tree of Emptiness is undetectable. Coincidentally, both of these Lostbelts have a high Lostbelt Depth and are on the verge of collapse, I expect them to last no longer than a few months. Aside from that, the only one that appears to be really growing is the second-largest Lostbelt located where the Atlantic Ocean is supposed to be.”
“Wait, did you say the Atlantic? But that can’t be! There has never been a civilization in the middle of the ocean in all of recorded history! It would have to be older than anything else in the world.”
“I concur with Director Goredolf,” said Sherlock Holmes. “If it is anything older than 12,000 years, then it surpasses the four great civilizations and is older than Ancient Mesopotamia. Aside from that, the fact that it is in the middle of the ocean presents another challenge. The Shadow Border is incapable of crossing large bodies of water, which is a real problem if we intend to go there.”
“We’re gonna have to, since that Lostbelt is the only one growing properly, I can imagine it is where we will find the base of Darnic Prestone Yggdmillennia. The Chinese and Indian Lostbelts can wait, while the British and South America Lostbelts will just die out eventually. But before we can make a move on the Atlantic Lostbelt, I think we should at least address the elephant in the room, and by that I mean the Lostbelt that is covering the whole world.”
“Why do you think that?” Ritsuka said.
“I don’t like the idea of just leaving that big Lostbelt on its own. It may not be growing right now, but who knows if it will start up sometime later, and when that happens, bye-bye Earth.”
“I see,” Kirschtaria said. “So you wish to put it down while it’s still vulnerable so to speak?”
“I agree with Sion,” Sherlock added. “That Lostbelt is too much of an enigma to just leave around, if nothing else we should cut down its tree while it’s still not expanding. Or at the very least ascertain the situation there and find out why this Lostbelt is not growing.”
“Then it’s settled, our next destination is the first Lostbelt that covered the Earth Lostbelt Zero!”
“Lostbelt Zero?” Kadoc said.
“I’m calling it ‘The Lostbelt Zero’ since it was the first Lostbelt to manifest and covers nearly the whole planet and not a specific region or country.”
Goredolf clapped his hands together. “Alright then, I think that’s all there was to discuss at this meeting or am I wrong? If anyone has anything to add or say please make your case now.”
Kadoc raised his hand. “Can we start resummoning our servants now?”
“That comes later, I think it would be best to resummon servants once you arrive at the Lostbelt. That way the Counter Force will have a say in what servants it deems appropriate for dealing with the Lostbelt.”
Kadoc humphed and sulked back into the corner.
“Anything else? No? Then the meeting is adjourned, I recommend everyone go and make preparations before we make our way to the next Lostbelt, pack only what you need.”
Everyone besides Da Vinci, Holmes, and Sion departed the command room. Leaving the trio to discuss another matter.
“So what are we doing Sion?” Da Vinci asked. “If we’re going to modify the Border, that might be a challenge for you.”
“True, your design philosophies and mine might end up being incompatible since I am used to cutting-edge alchemy and your magecraft is based off of the Middle Ages. But let’s forget about that for a moment. I’m actually much more interested in that exoskeleton for Mash, you called it Ortinax if I recall correctly? While Mash’s Spirit Origin is fine, the suit itself is not exactly optimized or built well. I can only imagine that she has to struggle while using it.”
“Well, yeah. I basically used spare parts leftover when I finished building the Shadow Border, so of course, it wouldn’t be perfect. So what do you want to fix or add? You know theirs no way to restore Lord Camelot to what it was once before.”
“I know, I don’t know what Galahad is not helping us now, so much for the ‘Perfect Knight’. So while we can’t bring out his power with how the Earth is now, I was thinking of tinkering with the bunker bolt mechanism. While not a priority right now, I do what to get this installed before we make it to the Atlantic Lostbelt. Before I got pulled into Trismegistus’s development, I was working on a Conceptual Weapon related to one’s mana density and near immortality.”
-
“Ophelia, what is your personal take on this Lostbelt that we’re about to head into?” Kirschtaria said.
The female mage thought for a second before replying. “I don’t know Kirschtaria, it doesn’t make sense from what we know of the other Lostbelts so far. The fact that it covers the Earth but has yet to completely overtake it is a mystery. Not the mention that we know nothing about how it might or might not resemble Proper Human History.”
"Hmmm, now that you mention it, Sion never did state what its Lostbelt depth was. We should ask her before we depart.”
Ritsuka and Mash who had both finished prepping began walking down to the command while Mash asked a question of her own.
“Senpai, I can’t help but feel a little concerned.”
“How so Mash?”
“If this really is the biggest Lostbelt geographically, then it stands to reason that there are a lot of people living in it. Considering how it covers the whole Earth and all.”
“...Yeah that’s true.”
“Back in the Russian and Norse Lostbelts, we knew that the people who were living there were the only ones left in their world before it got pruned. Russia was the only country left after the new Ice Age started, and Skadi said that she could only maintain a population of 10,000. And while it doesn’t make me feel any better, at the very least we know that we only erased basically two small populations rather than an entire world’s worth of people.”
“I think I know where you’re going with this.”
“You do?”
“Yeah, depending on how many people live there. If this really is a timeline with an entire planet of people, if we really do end up cutting down that Lostbelt’s Tree of Emptiness, we will be killing millions if not billions of people….”
“....Yes, that’s very much a possibility.”
“......”
“..........”
“But let’s just wait until we see this world for ourselves. I want to know what kind of world we might-...no, that we will end up having to erase.”
“Right, Senpai.”
Both Senpai and Kouhai continued walking, neither realizing how close their hands were getting.
-
Once everyone arrived at the command room, Sion made one last speech before the big send-off.
“Alright, Team A members Kirschtaria Wodime, Ritsuka Fujimura, Mash Kyrielight, Ophelia Phamrsolone, Kadoc Zemlupus, and Akuta Hinako are all present and accounted for. I can also see that Director Goredolf is here as well as Sherlock Holmes, technical advisor Da Vinci, staff members Jingle Abel Meuniere, Duston, Sylvia, etc... is that everyone? Alright, I hereby commence the departure from the Wandering Sea to the 1st Lostbelt. Since this covers the whole Earth and has no storm wall, you with instead emerge via Zero Sail right in the middle of the Lostbelt. I don’t believe you will need a conceptual anchor to reemerge for this one am I right Da Vinci?”
“That is correct, with the way the Lostbelt is structured, we only need to dive and emerge at a specific point rather than using a connection to anything there. Although just to be safe, we will be using anything that uses a human signature.”
“Alright, then any more questions? If not-”
“Actually I have one,” Kirschtaria said.
“Yes, Wodime?”
“What is the Lost depth of this Lostbelt? You never told us.”
Sion’s eyes widened as the thought dawned on her.
“Oh, that’s right I didn’t. Well actually I know what it is, but I wanted to save it for this moment actually.”
Sion adjusted her glasses as she began to look serious.
“So as you know I grade Lostbelt depths based on how much it resembles Proper Human History. ‘A++’ is the highest while ‘EX’ is an expectation. While lower grades like ‘D’ and ‘E’ mean it doesn’t really differ that much. As for the 1st Lostbelt, thanks to the data I gathered from Trismegistus, I was going to assign it a rank of ‘F-’ but I changed my mind and gave it an ‘EX’.”
Kirschtaria raised an eyebrow
“An ‘F-’ and then ‘EX’?” he said. “Why were you talking about?”
“Well, simply put in terms of how this Lostbelt differs from our timeline, there really is no difference if we’re being honest.”
“What!?” Goredolf exclaimed. “If that’s the case then this Lostbelt shouldn’t be a Lostbelt at all! If it really does resemble our timeline, then it shouldn’t be a stable world with a mutable future”
“That is correct Goredolf. Timelines are pruned when human civilization in that world is stuck with nowhere left to go or progress. But for some reason, this Lostbelt both genuinely resembles Proper Human History, and at the same time it doesn’t”
“Huh?”
“Put it like this. From a certain perspective, this Lostbelt is very similar to our world that we know, but at the same time from a different point of view, it's completely different. This is why the Trismegistus was basically fluctuating between an ‘F-’ and an ‘EX’. I can't really give you any more one that.”
Sherlock Holmes scratched his chin. “Then if the issue isn’t with progression, then the problem must lie with the humanity in that Lostbelt.”
“That must be the reason, or it could be something else. Because even if the Trismegistus itself had a hard time determining what was going on there, then this world truly must be an exception among exceptions. That aside, the only way of ever finding out what’s up with this Lostbelt, is to go there and see for ourselves. Team Chaldea, roll out!”
-
“Lostbelt Zero”
Initiating high speed calculations. Paper Moon activated.
Disengaging mirror world plane voyage. Though the stratum may dissolve, I continue to exist. Reapplying timeflow attraction from Reality Space.
0.38-second difference between target coordinates and current recognition, confirmed! Tolerance levels are acceptable.
Emerging from Void Space. Thirty seconds until arrival at Reality Space.
29...
20...
10...
5.
4.
3.
2.
1.
Zero Sail, complete. Emerging into Reality Space!
The Shadow Border emerged from Void Space and anchored itself to proper reality. The crew of the ship shook the weird feeling that happened every time they dived or came up.
Reality Space anchor attached. Reality verification complete
Lostbelt Depth: F-/EX?
Establishing Imaginary Numbers Submersible Shadow Border’s existence within Lostbelt. Zero Sail return successfully.
“Alright everyone, be sure to mind the gap when exiting the vehicle. When you go outside don’t touch or bring back anything unless it's a cute girl like me!”
As the Border established its camouflage systems, everyone unbuckled and began sorting themselves.
“I’m going to launch a few drones to scout the place. Meanwhile, we can use the cameras to check the surrounding area. Aaaand, so far so good. This Lostbelt so far looks like your stereotypical run-of-the-mill grassy plain with a forest nearby, in the distance, I can see a mountain in the distance and whoop-, what do we have here!”
“What is it?” Akuta asked.
“Well, come and see for yourselves.”
The members of Team A gathered around as Da Vinci put the image up on the screen. In the distance on the mountain was what looked to be a city carved into the mountainside.
“Is that a city? Looks like something out of Lord of the Rings if you ask me,” Meuniere stated.
“While it’s still a good bit away, from what I can make out of the architecture,” Kirschtaria said. “It looks 19 century, but with a bit more regal and ‘magical’ appearance.”
“It kinda reminds me of Camelot,” Mash said unironically.
“Why do you say that?” Ophelia asked.
“I don’t know, it’s just a gut feeling that I have.”
“Da Vinci, you think that might be the capital of this land? Actually, scratch that, where are even supposed to be?”
“That’s the thing actually, normally in Proper Human History, this place should have just been the body of water west of France and north of Spain. But thanks to Trismegistus, Sion was able to confirm that there was actually solid land here. This means that wherever we are is a place that was lost in Proper Human History, perhaps it sunk to the bottom of the sea or something. As for your first question, we can only guess, the drones have yet to go far enough to get a proper geographical layout of the land.”
“Hey Mash, why don’t we go outside and take a look around,” Ritsuka said.
“Okay Senpai, that's a good idea.”
“I’ll come with,” Akuta said.
The door opened and the three stepped outside and took their first steps into a new world.
“Well, the air and weather seem normal. Nothing out of the ordinary yet,” Mash said.
“What about the mana density?” Ritsuka asked.
“Hmm let’s see, according to the Ortranx scanners...oh. Wow, the density is almost comparable to the Age of Gods like in Mesopotamia.”
“That’s interesting,” Da Vinci said on the communicator. “It may be possible that this is a Lostbelt where the Age of Gods never ended. That or it’s a place where mystics are still widely practiced. Either way, I wouldn’t be surprised if you run into a few phantasmal species while you’re out there.”
“I suggest we scout the forest,” Akuta said. “That is the best place to learn just what type of animals live in the Lostbelt.”
“Ok, but don’t go too far, I wanna get more readings before we spread out further.”
The trio acknowledged Da Vinci and set off in the direction of the woods.
“Alright, while those three are gone I think it’s time for the moment you’ve all been waiting for!”
Kadoc’s eyes widened as Da Vinci pulled out a particular suitcase that everyone was familiar with by now.
“Finally!..er...I mean, okay then.”
“Eehee, Alright then since he has waited long enough I think I’ll give the honor of summoning the first servant in this Lostbelt to Kadoc. Now then, which servant are you looking to bring back?”
Kadoc deadpanned at the little girl.
“Kidding, kidding! Let me just connect this thing to the local ley lines and allow it to sync with the Throne of Heroes.”
Meanwhile, Mash, Ritsuka, and Akuta had been walking through the forest for a while but had yet to come across anything other than familiar critters.
“Well, at least this Lostbelt has recognizable animals,” Mash said as she spotted a squirrel, mentally thinking back to the last two Lostbelts that were devoid of all normal fauna due to the perpetual winter.
“I do have to admit, it's nice to see all this nature and untainted environment after so long. Too often stuff like this gets destroyed because humans keep consuming the planet's resources.”
Silence.
“Uhh, forget what I said.”
“It’s fine, let's just go until oh!”
Mash stopped as a strange creature walked out in front of her.
Its size was somewhere between a large dog and a grown pony, but looked feline in appearance. Its coak was pure white sans the face and tail. However, the most striking feature was a scythe-like blade that was growing out of the side of its head like a horn.
“What. Is that thing?” Ritsuka speaking for everyone.
“Is that a cat or something, I can’t tell,” Akuta stated.
“Ab, Ab-sol?” The creature said.
“What did it say, Absol?”
“Absol, Absol?” the creature kept repeating the word.
“Is that all it can say?”
“No wait, the translator is picking up trances of a fluent language. But it can’t seem to decrypt what it’s saying.”
“You’re saying this thing is sentient?” Ritsuka said. “And that is speaking a language that the translator cannot decrypt?”
“Well Senpai, there is not much to go off of if it’s only saying one word. If that were not the case, then the translator would have been able to translate what Fou says if he was sentient.”
The white squirrel-like creature known as Cath Palug attempted to look very innocent even as the black and white creatures' speech started to sound more aggressive.
“Ab-sol! Absol!”
“Uh, guys I think this thing is hostile!” Akuta said.
“Absol!”
The strange creature's blade glowed. Then with a swift motion of its head, unleashed a white slash attack at the trio, which Mash had no trouble blocking with her shield.
“This creature has just turned hostile. Master, permission to engage!”
“Permission granted!”
“Understood! Commencing the first battle in the 1st Lostbelt!”
The creature lunged at them with claws that now seemed to glow white, Mash smacked it away with her shield and it smashed against a tree. Not done yet, the creature got up and began to build up energy in its mouth, it then fired a beam of concentrated energy that was once again blocked by Mash.
The creature’s horn once again tried attacking Mash with its glowing blade but to no avail. Mash’s defenses were just too strong. Finally, another smack sent it into another tree, this time dealing massive damage to it. The creature struggled to get up, eyeing the humans who had yet to break a sweat
“That thing looks weak, if it knows what’s good for itself, it will walk away now.”
But instead of doing what Akuta thought it would, the creature then took a deep breath, and let out an ear-piercing screech.
“What’s it doing?” Ritsuka shouted over the noise.
“It’s calling for backup!” Akuta said.
“Should we stay and fight Master?”
Ritsuka was unsure if it was wise to fall back for now or just wait and see what happens so that they could get a better understanding of this new Lostbelt. However, he quickly came to a decision when several more strange creatures started to come within view.
The animals or whatever they were, ranged from things resembling goats, deers, large insects, beavers, rodents and even walking plants. They all eyed the trio with aggression and anger. Just like the strange white cat creature before him, they all seemed to be only able to cry a single unique noise that resembled a made-up word or name as they grew closer.
“Yeah, let’s get out of here, now!”
No sooner than giving the order, the creatures started to attack them. Some groups began attacking them by firing off what looked like leaves from their appendages, it at first did not look threatening until a single sharp leaf flew past Mash’s head and embedded itself into a nearby tree.
“What are these things!?” Mash’s exclaimed.
“I’d rather not stay and find out!” Akuta said.
Then the communicator on Ritsuka’s arm lit up with Da Vinci talking from the other end.
“Guys, what’s going on? Are you alright?
“We’re being chased by a large group of unknown phantasmal creatures! Theirs too many for us to handle.”
“How many?”
“I counted like 50 back there!” Akuta said. “Some of them were small but they didn’t look like pushovers.”
“Okay well, you can’t bring them back to the Border or they might attack it and severely damage it. Try and lose them in the forest.”
“Ugh fine, But I’m sensing this place is filled with these creatures, hiding from them will be hard.”
“Can you find us a safe spot Akuta?” Mash said.
“I can try, but no promises.”
The trio continued running through the forest, trying to lose the pack of creatures that were following them. After several minutes, Akuta stopped in her tracks.
“What’s going on, why’d you stop?” Ritsuka asked.
“Because we’re surrounded.”
Before he could ask what she meant, Ristuka looked and saw as several large creatures stepped out from the shadows cast by the trees.
Two of them resembled bipedal bears that had a circle mark on their belly, another one was a walking blue alligator, then came out two were red monkey looking creatures, finally, a tall green reptilian looking creature with a blue belly stepped out in front of them.
“Tyrannnn,” the green creature growled.
The three Chaldeans all had their backs to each other as the creatures closed in.
“I got a bad feeling about this,” Ritsuka said.
“Akuta senpai, can you fight?” Mash asked.
The female master let out a frustrated sigh. “If I have to.”
Two eastern swords appeared in Hinako’s hands, meanwhile, Mash stood in front of Ritsuka while he prepared a gandr spell.
There was a tense moment as the creatures looked upon their prey ready to pounce.
Finally, the blue alligator creature jumped at the Chaldeans.
“You three, get down!”
There was a loud bang and the entire area became covered in smoke and light, the creatures growled and bellowed as they were blinded by someone.
“Come over here this way!”
“Who is saying that?”
“Master, I’m sensing the presence of another servant nearby!”
“Wait really, where?”
“This way follow me!”
Ritsuka and Akuta followed the demi servant out of the smoke as the creatures began firing off attacks that inevitably and accidentally began hitting each other, which of course caused all of them to start fighting each other in a blind scuffle.
The trio ran until the noise of the creatures could be heard no more. The Chaldeans took this time to take a breather.
“Okay those phantasmal species are unlike anything I have ever seen before in my long years,” Akuta said.
“Really? Do you think they might be descended or split off from some kind of from some other phantasmal beasts from Proper Human History?” Ritsuka asked.
“I don’t think so, the aura and mana those things were giving off were not familiar to me in any way. It’s like those things were a completely different type of animal when compared to a phantasmal.”
“I believe Akuta when she says this senpai. Whatever those things were, they were not members of any know phantasmal species.”
“Really, how can you tell?”
“The Ortranx system managed to scan several of those things and determined that while their biology is similar to animals, they somehow possess a great amount of wisdom and will that puts them on the level of sapience.”
“You mean, those things, back there were all sentient?”
“Yes. But if that’s true, then it also means those things did not attack us out of instinct or to defend themselves due to perceived invasion of territory.”
“Hmmm.”
“Akuta is something wrong?”
“Nothing, it’s just a theory. But forget about that, where is that servant that called us?”
“Oh, I was beginning to think that you forgot about me.”
Ritsuka, Akuta, and Mash looked around for the voice until they saw a small figure step out from behind a tree.
“Oh! You’re-”
Kirschtaria and Ophelia walked across the field as they searched for signs of nearby civilization. As the city built into the mountain was too far away to walk, they had been allowed to hike to a nearby road that had been spotted on the drone camera.
“You think we might meet some travelers on this road Ophelia?”
“Who knows Kirschtaria, maybe we might. Then again, given that we need to know all we can about this Lostbelt, finding a native inhabitant that we can speak to would be very helpful,”
“Thankfully the Director gave us permission to go after I assured him that we could handle anything we come across ourselves,”
“No, he only let us go after we were provided with a servant. Isn’t that right Ortlinde?”
“Yes, master. I shall be your shield and spear whenever the need arises,” said Ortlinde. The Valkyrie servant was currently in spirit form in order to preserve energy.
“Well that being said, this place looks remarkably peaceful so far. I wonder what was the caveat that caused this timeline to be pruned away?”
“Well, from what we know about Lostbelts, the main reason is that the human civilization in this world must have stagnated in some way shape, or form. Either it advanced too quickly or got stuck with nowhere to go. This place may seem peaceful on the surface so far, but if there is anything that our experiences have taught us is that things don’t always appear as they should be.”
“Indeed Ophelia, and while I take no joy in sending these Lostbelts and its people back to the void, it is what we must do to save our Proper History.”
“Agreed Kirschtaria, your right,”
The couple continued walking, while Kirschtaria continued his own dialogue internally.
“After all, these people should not be here. From a certain point of view, they’re already dead.
Eventually, the two Masters and servant came upon the manmade dirt road that seemed to stretch from the east to west.
“See anyone with those eyes of yours Ophelia?”
“No, but let's try this. Ortlinde!”
The servant materialized into corporeal form. “You called for me master?”
“Fly up and see if you can spot anyone coming down this road in either direction!”
“As you wish, master!”
The youngest Valkyrie took off and flew up into the air until she could see for miles.
A few moments passed, until Ophelia got a mental message from her servant.
“There is a person down east being attacked by some manner of creature!”
Ophelia’s eyes widened. “Kirschtaria, this way hurry!”
The two masters ran down the road until they came across a broken wagon as well as several unnaturally large bees attacking said carriage. And the person trying to swat away the giant insects was…
“Is that...a unicorn?”
Indeed, Kirschtaria’s eyes did not deceive him, nor was Ophelia’s mystic eye malfunctioning. Standing near the downed carriage was a yellow-coated unicorn with a blue mane. The equine itself was smaller than what a full-grown horse would look like, so the two masters could only assume it was a younger member of its species.
“Get back you mean Pokemon, you ain’t getting even one lick of my goods!”
If the talking unicorn wasn’t surprising enough, the fact that they could understand it was even weirder. Eventually though, Ophelia stopped staring and decided to do something.
“Ortlinde, help that unicorn drive off those giant bees.”
“As you wish, master.”
Diving in on her golden wings, Ortlinde quickly made short work of the bees with her spear and shield. The bees tried to sting her, but the Valkyrie was swift and more experienced. As the insects flew away, Kirschtaria noticed that the large bees kept repeating a word over and over again.
“Beedrill, Beedrill.”
Beedrill. Hmmm is that what those things were? I would assume so given that they had lance-like appendages for arms.
As Kirschtaria was lost in thought, Ophelia walked up to the unicorn that was looking at her and her servant in confusion.
“Hello, are you alright?”
“Uh, yeah thanks, who are you?”
“My name is Ophelia Phamrsolone and this is Ortlinde,” She gestured to her who took a quick bow.
“I’m Sunny Gaze, thank you for saving me and my wagon. Where are you from?”
“I’m sorry?”
“Well, I can tell that you’re not from around here given that I've never seen your kind before, plus Ophelia Phamrsolone is not a name you will find here in Equestria.”
“Equestria, is that what this place is?” Kirschtaria asked as he caught up with Ophelia.
“Uh, yeah, Equestria is this whole kingdom. Wait, you're here in Equestria and you don’t even know the name of the place you are in?”
Both masters looked at each other before looking back at the pony.
“Well it’s as you guessed, we’re not from around here. And to put it simply our arrival here was...unconventional.”
“I see. Well as I said, this is the kingdom of Equestria. Land of the ponies and most recently Pokemon.”
“Pokemon?” Kirschtaria said. “I heard you call those giant bees with lances for hands Pokemon.”
“Indeed, those bugs were just one species of Pokemon, apparently these guys come in all shapes and sizes. They can resemble things such as sheep, Bees, trees, rocks, birds, bats and even dragons! They may have only been here for nine months but they keep finding new ways to surprise me….wait a minute why am I telling you this you should know this already.”
“Pardon me?”
“Well unless you guys are aliens or have been living under a rock for the past year, you should already know about Pokemon. Actually, where did you say you were from again?”
Kirschtaria looked at Ophelia who nodded.
“Well I had assumed that our species existed here but it’s clear you have never seen a member of our kind before. To put it simply, me and Ophelia are members of the human race, and we are from a place called Chaldea.”
As soon as the words left his mouth, the color on Sunny Gaze’s face seemed to drain(which was weird considering his face was yellow). He looked as if Kirschtaria and Ophelia had just threatened him.
“D-did you say Chaldea? Humans?”
Now it was the Chaldeans turn to look surprised
“Uh, yeah. Why, have you heard it before?”
“Oh no...Oh, dear sweet Celestia! They told us you would come!”
“Wait, sir. What do you mean?”
“You’re here to wipe us out, right!? To kill us all! Something about Lostbelts and humans coming back and I don’t know, but you’re here to kill us is that right!?”
“Wait, how do you know about the Lostbelts? Who told you about Chaldea?” Ophelia asked.
“So it is true. You are from Chaldea! Please don’t hurt me!”
Sunny Gaze immediately sprinted away down the road, leaving behind his broken wagon and two worried-looking masters plus Ortlinde standing there.
“Kirschtaria, he knows about Chaldea and the Lostbelts.”
“Yes. And if he was a common pony, then the odds are that everyone in this kingdom knows who we are.”
“What should we do?”
Kirschtaria thought for a moment. The situation was not good. Never before in the previous two Lostbelts that they visited had the average citizen known who Chaldea was before arriving here and that it was their goal to destroy the Lostbelt they called home. The only person who might know who they were was the designated Crypter assigned to this Lostbelt, as well as the Lostbelt King who they reported to. So it was Kirschtaria’s assumption that the King of this Lostblet may have informed his entire nation of the danger that Chaldea was to them and their world.
“For now, let's get back to the Border, we need to tell everyone about this so that they can avoid any cities and settlements that they come across-”
“Kirschtaria are you there?”
The head of the Wodime family looked at his communicator to see Sherlock Holmes.
“I’m here Holmes, what's wrong?”
“You need to come back here. We have learned some things about this Lostbelt that we all need to discuss.”
“Agreed, we have also just learned some things as well.”
“What things?”
“Well, to put it simply, our job just got a whole lot harder.”
Kirschtaria and Ophelia arrived back at the Shadow Border and walked inside. The hatch closed behind them as Da Vinci activated the visual and conceptual camouflage around the tank. The two masters then came into the main cockpit as they found the rest of the team, including the recently returned Ritsuka, Mash, Akuta and the recently resummoned Anastasia.
“Alright, who wants to go first?” Kadoc said.
“I will.”
“Alright Mr. Wodime. Tell us what you have learned,” Sherlock said.
“Okay I’ll just start by saying this, it seems the people of this Lostbelt have been informed of who we are and why we are here. Me and Ophelia just came across a native who recognized the name Chaldea and the fact that we are here to destroy this Lostbelt.”
There was a tense moment of silence before Sherlock Holmes spoke.
“I see, I had a feeling that we might one day run into this problem when dealing with the Lostbelts.”
“And that's not all, apparently, the inhabitants of this Lostbelt are not humans, but rather talking unicorns. As well as some strange creatures called Pokemon.”
Sherlock’s eyes widened before coming back down to a normal expression.
“I see, the guest that Ritsuka, Mash, and Akuta brought back stated as much.”
“Guest?”
Mash then spoke up. “Oh yes, while we were out in the forest, we came across a number of creatures that were apparently Pokemon. And just as we were corned by them we were saved by a stray servant that was summoned here by the Counter Force.”
“Oh really? Where are they?”
“He went into the back to find-, oh there he is.”
The door to the cockpit opened up and in stepped a servant in blue clothing who looked like a child but had the air and maturity of an adult.
“Seriously, you guys don't have alcohol on this metal contraption? Oh well, it can’t be helped.”
Kirschtaria immediately recognized the servant’s voice even before he saw him.
“Hans Christian Anderson. I didn’t expect the Counter Force to summon you to this place.”
“Yes yes I am well aware of my own lack of combat power and how little I might contribute to this group of misfits. But that's just how life goes, you work with what you got right.”
“Anyway, Anderson was summoned to this Lostbelt some time ago. He says that he spent most of that time learning what he could about this world.”
“Since I had nothing better to do, I just traveled in spirit form and broke into libraries after closing to learn all that I could about this world. Some of what I read was cliche and sugar-coated, but I did manage to learn a few things.”
“Like what?” Akuta said.
“Well first of all, this land is not home to just Unicorn, but Pegasi and small horses as well. Collectively they refer to their species as ponies. For the last millennia, this land has been ruled by someone named Princess Celestia.”
“Princess Celestia. Hmmm, that name definitely doesn’t ring a bell in proper human history, so whoever she is, she must be someone who can only exist in this Lostbelt,” Mash stated.
“Another thing is that Celestia is apparently not the only Princess ruling this country. There is also someone named Princess Luna who is her sister, then there's some Princess named Cadence who rules some territory up north named the Crystal Empire, finally, there is the newest Princess named Twilight Sparkle who lives in a place called Ponyville.”
“Ponyville?” Kadoc said. “What kind of a name is Ponyville? That's like if someone back in Proper Human History founded a town and called it Humansville.”
“Trust me the names get worse, this place is like a children's fantasy book or TV show come to life. Apparently, there are other cities and places here with such colorful names such as ‘Manehatten’, ‘Fillydelphia’, ‘Las Pegasus’, ‘Baltimare’, Mount Everhoof’ and ‘Vanhoover’.”
“.....Ok did someone just take a bunch of American cities and just slapped a pony themed pun onto it!?”
“As much as I agree with Mister Kadoc that the coincidental naming does raise a few eyebrows,” Sherlock said. “What else can you tell us about this place?”
“Well, for one thing Equestria is not the only nation in this Lostbelt. Several others exist all over the world with their own unique species. Apparently some phantasmal were able to evolve and build their own cultures. Some of these races include Minotaurs, Griffins, Hippocampi, Zebras, Deer, and even dragons. Although the last one is less of a society and more of a group of ruffians who tend to stay away from other societies.”
“Wow,” Da Vinci said. “To think that phantasmals could have the potential to advance to the point where they make their own societies and cultures, it sounds almost unbelievable if you ask me. Although one part I don’t get is the Minotaurs. Asterios who is the Minotaur of Greek myth was the only one of his kind in existence and his birth was only possible due to godly machinations, how an entire race sprung up from that is a mystery.”
“A question for another time,” Wodime said. “I want to talk about these ‘Pokemon’, apparently from what that unicorn told me, these creatures have not been here for long. They were said to only appear on this planet less than a year ago. Hans, during your search, did you find anything about what brought the Pokemon here?”
“Well, they didn’t exactly have the reason written down in a book since they’re so recent. And it's not like I could walk up to someone and ask them. But from what little I could learn, a being called Arceus brought them here. And if the implications are true, this Arceus may be a god or divine spirit of some type.”
“A god? You mean like Scáthach-Skadi or Tiamat?” Ophelia asked.
“Hmmm, this is troubling news,” Da Vinci said.
“Yes, we do not know of what manner of transportation this Arceus brought these Pokemon here if he really did. If it is true, did he bring them here from another planet or another universe? Did the act of bringing them here use the majority of his divine energy, or does he still have enough power to do it again?” Sherlock questioned.
“The only other person we encountered who would be capable of pulling that kind of stunt off is Tiamat. So we must assume this Arceus is a divinity of some exceptional power at least.,” Wodime said. “Hans what else can you tell us?”
“Sorry, that's all I could find before I ran into those three in the forest.”
“Well, this simply won’t do!” Goredolf said. “While we did learn some crucial things, we still have too many questions about the Lostbelt and what we should expect from it. Not to mention that its tree of Emptiness is nowhere in sight. And finally, what happened to the humans of this Lostbelt?”
“Perhaps they mutated into another species like the Yaga?” Ophelia said. “But what happened to them can wait. The bigger concern is that if we go out there as humans, we will automatically be singled out for being members of Chaldea since it seems we’re the only humans in the Lostbelt.”
“I have to agree with the director,” Meuniere said. “I think it's still too risky to go looking for the tree until we get a full scope of this Lostbelts situation. Especially since there is a god running around in this place.”
“So we’re gonna go out and do more reconnaissance? Ok, I’m fine with that! Wouldn’t hurt to see more of this peaceful world.” Pepe stated cheerfully.
“The best way to learn more about this world is to ask its inhabitants, but that's gonna be a problem if this place is on high alert for any sightings of humans. To put it simply, we can’t just go walking into a town and start asking questions. Even if we had disguises, asking obvious things that one would expect any inhabitant of this world to know already would raise suspicion,” Ophelia pointed out.
“While there's nothing we can do about obvious questions, the real problem is being able to talk to these people as humans,” Sherlock said.
“I think I can help with that problem, wait here I’ll be right back,” Da Vinci went into her room, fished through some things, and came back out with two necklaces.
“These are mystic codes made by the Queen of Sheba, they allow the wearer to disguise themselves as anything within their size and realistic imagination. As some of you may recall, she made one of these for Mata Hari during the Salem Singularity.”
“That's great Da Vinci!” Mash said. “How many did she make for us?”
“Unfortunately she could only make 2 for now. (actually, it was more like I could only afford 2 for now, money grubbing queen) So only one pair will be able to go out for now, who wants to volunteer?”
Mash and Ritsuka were about to raise their hands when someone else beat them to it.
“I’ll go.”
“Kadoc, are you sure?”
“It's about time I did something useful. And besides, if something goes wrong, Anastasia's magic can allow for a clean getaway.”
“Well, I guess her ice magic would create a good blanket of cover. Alright, you two can go.”
“Thank you.”
“Meuniere, where is the nearest settlement?”
“According to the mapping drones, the nearest city is a few minutes away from here by driving. And its still connected to the forest so I suggest we park near there and have Kadoc and Ana walk to rest of the way.”
“Ok then, you guys fine with this?”
Everyone nodded in agreement.
“Good, Goredolf would you like to drive?”
Indeed, the destination was not that far away. It was not the largest city when compared to the one on the mountain, but it was still big. After parking the border once again, Da Vinci gave Kadoc and Anastasia the mystic codes.
“Alright, based on the verbal description from Kirschtaria and Ophelia, I've preprogrammed the appearances you guys will take once you put these on.”
Kadoc and Anastasia held the necklaces in their hands before the master asked another question.
“Do I have to walk on all fours to make this convincing?”
“No, the illusion will take care of that for you. As for other instructions, these things will drop the disguises once you grab the gemstone and think about it. Other than that, these things have a four hour battery life so don’t dilly dally.”
“In and out got it,”
“My my this should be fun master,” Anastasia said.
“No pranks Ana, this is serious recon.”
“I know I was just messing with you.”
“Well, here it goes.”
Everyone stood back as both master and servant put on the necklaces and their bodies began to shimmer. Then in a moment, their forms changed from bipedal to quadruple.
Kadoc looked like a gray unicorn with a white mane, young but still with somewhat dull eyes. Anastasia meanwhile also had white hair but her coat was blue rather than grey.
“Huh, not bad.”
“It is serviceable, I kind of think it's neat.”
“Wait, why are Kadocs command spells on his butt?” Akuta said. Everyone looked at his flank and sure enough, his distinct signature command spells were right there.``
“Why are my command spells on my butt of all places?”
“Well from the description that Kirschtaria gave me. The unicorn they met also had some kind of mark on their flank. It also seems Anastasia has one as well.”
Kadoc looked and sure enough Anastasia had a mark on her flank as well, but instead of command spells, it was stylized black and blue snowflake.
“What would a pony have a tattoo on their butt?” Mash asked.
“Maybe it’s something ponies have to distinguish themselves,” Pepe said as he poked Kadoc’s “flank”. Upon doing so however the image fizzled for a little bit before coming back into focus.
“Oh probably shouldn’t have done that.”
“Oh yeah forgot to mention, try not to touch or bump into anyone. Cause that might mess with the illusion. Alright, you two, good luck and stay safe!”
After checking that the coast was clear, Kadoc and Anastasia exited the border and started to make their way through the forest on their GPS.
“We should arrive there before lunchtime Anastasia.”
“Very well master.”
The two walked for a while before Anastasia noticed the awkward silence between them.
“Master, is something wrong?”
“No, why would you say that?”
“You’re sticking by me closer than normal, yet you haven't said anything.”
It was at this point Kadoc noticed that he was centimeters away from holding Anastasia’s hand, before putting his own back in his pockets.
“It's nothing, don’t worry about it.”
There were a few more awkward silent moments.
“Is this about what happened in Russia?”
That was enough to make Kadoc stop in his tracks. Bad memories flashed through his mind. Gunfire. Blinding snow. A towering Mammoth. Yaga. A dying Anastasia in his arms, her face already half gone.
“So you do remember that.”
“My spirit origin was not too damaged when I returned to the Throne. So yes, I still have my recollections about what happened there.”
“....Anastasia, I never want you to do something like that ever again.”
“Master…”
“I mean it. Your spirit origin may have retained your memories, but what if something happens the next time and the next you that I summon has no memories of me?”
“Kadoc, even if that happens, I will still be the same Anastasia you have always known.”
“That's not enough for me. Those memories, our time together, you’re everything I have.
“Kadoc, you shouldn’t think like that.”
“Why not!?”
“You shouldn’t get attached to the ghost of the past. Heroic Spirits are meant to safeguard the future, but at the end of the day we are temporary existences. Fated to one day disappear and return to the throne.”
“But-”
“No buts. I care about you master, remember that it will not be the last time you will have to say goodbye to me.”
Kadoc held his head down. But then felt Anastasia hug him from behind.
“And for the record, you’re all I have too.”
For a moment, a smile crept on the face of a young master.
Kadoc and Anastasia were a little overwhelmed when they came upon the settlement on the map. The city itself was mostly filled with ponies of all shapes and sizes, and aside from them, strange-looking creatures that resembled other animals and at times things indescribable passed them.
“Those things must be the Pokemon Kirschtaria and Ristuka were talking about,” Kadoc said.
“What odd-looking creatures. Are we sure these things are all members of the same race?”
“That's what Anderson said at least, but let's ask someone to see if we can confirm.”
The two wandered around the city, asking simple questions that one would expect travelers from another land to ask such as “What is the name of this city?”, “Where is city hall?”, “Where is a library?”.
Unfortunately, their questions bore little fruit, as everyone seemed to be busy or not having enough time to answer all their questions.
“We need to find someplace that has people with the time to talk to us,” Kadoc stated. “And it has to be quiet as well as unsuspicious.”
“Hmmm I have an idea.” Anastasia walked up to a pony that was trimming a bush and tapped him on the shoulder.”
“Excuse me, sir?”
The older stallion turned around and greeted her with a smile.
“Hello little lady, what can I do for you?”
“I was wondering what is the best place to find some lunch here?”
“Well for a pretty mare like you, the best place that's open right now is the ‘All-the-more Diner’. Best diner in town that serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner all day long! It's right down the street to your left, you can’t miss it.”
“Oh thank you, I think we'll go there right now. Come on Kody.”
“Have a good day ma’am!”
Anastasia walked off while Kadoc gave the stallion a stare when he turned his back. Catching up to his servant, he mentally communicated with her.
Kody, really?
Well we can’t exactly use our real names now can we?
Well I would prefer to pick my false name next time instead of Kody
Eventually, they found the restaurant and went inside. Being almost lunchtime, the place was nearly full.
“There are some seats right over there.”
Kadoc looked and saw a table with two seats next to a young mare and what appeared to be a unicorn colt.
Taking their seats, it wasn’t long before a waitress came over.
“What's your pleasure?”
“Excuses me?”
“What are you going to order?”
It then dawned on them that they had just entered a restaurant without any money. And even if they did, Kadoc remembered that ponies were herbivores. Looking at the menu his suspicions were confirmed when he read the description for such colorful dishes such as “Grass Soup'', “ Daffodil sandwiches'', and “Hay Fries''. Kadoc was stunned for a bit, but thankfully Anastasia came up with an answer.
“We’ll just have water for now please.”
“Just water?”
“Yes please.”
“Alright, two glasses of water coming right up.”
The waitress went away and Kadoc breathed a sigh of relief.
“Thanks I’m not sure what I was gonna do at that moment.”
“It's fine, now, who should we ask around here for answers.”
“Maybe we can ask the waitress when she comes back.”
“No, we can’t take up her time while she's on the clock.” Anastastia looked over to the nearby mare and colt who seemed to be minding their own business. “How about them.” Anastasia then got up and walked over to their table.
“Ana, hold on!”
“Um, excuse me, I hope I’m not interrupting anything,” Anastasia said.
The mare looked at Anastasia, giving her a warm smile. “Oh not at all, is there something you need?”
“Yes, do you live here in this city by any chance?”
“Yes, my name is Alice Maxillilion, this is my friend Toichi.”
“Hi,” the little colt said.
“Hello Alice, my name is Ana, and this is my boy...er..coltfriend Kody. We are out of town and are wondering if you could answer some questions about this place. Isn't that right Kody?”
Anatsatia gestured for Kadoc who was still sitting at the other table, he let out a sigh before coming over.
“I apologize for Ana, she can be..quite upfront.”
“It’s no trouble at all, so what questions do you guys have?"
The couple grabbed their table and connected it to the one with Alice and Toichi.
“Well, to put it simply, me and Kody are not from...around here, so we would like to ask you about some things.”
“Such as?”
“Who is the ruler of this land?”
Both Alice and Toichi blinked at the strange question.
Why are you asking that? We know who the rulers of this land are.
I just want to be clear on the royal hierarchy, as in who stands where in terms of sovereign authority.
“Wait, are you guys serious?” Toichi asked.
“Yes, like I said we’re not from around here.”
Alice raised an eyebrow but answered their question nonetheless.
“Well, depending on how you look at it, this Kingdom is ruled by the four Alicorn Princesses. But only the 2 royal sisters are considered the overall rulers of the country. That would be Celestia and Luna, the other two are Princess Cadence who rules the Equestrian territory of the Crystal Empire up north, and Princess Twilight Sparkle who resides in Ponyville a little down south.”
Anastasia blinked for a second before she smiled.
“Ah, thanks for clearing that up. We had heard that there were four Princesses but didn’t know their overall standing.”
Alice nearly tilted her head, before saying, “I see, anything else?”
“Well, we also wanted to know what are these creatures that seem to be everywhere? We know they’re not ponies, but we can also tell that they’re not all individual species. What are they?”
Before Alice could speak, the colt spoke up.
“You mean you don’t know what the Pokemon are? Have you guys been living under a rock for the past 9 months?”
Knew this was going to be an obvious question, even the kid is getting suspect
Just keep calm for now master.
“Now now Toichi, where these people have been is none of our business. That being said I do have to wonder, the Pokemon have been here for almost a year and you don’t know what they are? Surely who must have heard Arceus’s broadcast by now, as well as the most recent one.”
Kadoc began to get nervous, but Anastasia kept her poker face.
“As I said, we are not...from around here.”
“...Well to answer your question, those creatures you see are called Pokemon. They are a race of aliens from a planet in another dimension Earth, they were brought here by a god called Arceus.”
The words “Earth” and “god” made Kadoc’s eyes widen, but he quickly tried to hide his reaction.
Earth? Does that mean these things are from a parallel world or something?
“Wow, that’s interesting, why did this Arceus bring them here?”
“Apparently from what I know, the planet they were from was not treating them well. The other race that lived there, called humans, basically treated them as second-class citizens. They didn’t even acknowledge their sapience at times. So when their god Arceus broke free of his prison he took them all to our little planet of Equus here.”
Ana hummed in curiosity. Master, I must confess that even among the parallel world theory, the Throne of heroes has never observed a world that contained a race of creatures called Pokemon, nor a god called Arceus. Such knowledge would have been preserved and imparted onto us in the Throne.
I see, what could that mean? Let me talk to them.
“So, what happened to the humanity of that Earth? Are they ok?”
“Well to put it simply, the bad humans were left there to die. And by that, I mean that due to the lack of Pokemon as well as legendary Pokemon, their home planet will spiral out of control without the Pokemon to maintain the balance of nature. So it would be a matter of time before Earth is a dead world, if not already. As for the good humans, Arceus brought them here to Equus and turned them into Pokemon.”
Hmmm it's not so hard to believe that if a god died during the Age of Gods, the boundary of which they presided over would fall apart due to their authority being left vacant. But that being said
“...I see. Do you know why?”
“Why what?”
“Why did he turn them into Pokemon?”
“Well, I'm not 100% sure. But I do have a theory that's backed up by some rumors.”
“Which is?”
“Arceus might have thought that humans would continue treating Pokemon as lesser beings, so he made them Pokemon so that they would never see them as anything but equals. I heard that at the World Summit meeting that Arceus said he wanted to preserve that which was good about humanity while cutting off what made them evil.”
Kadoc raised an eyebrow.
“But wait, there is a flaw in that logic. If this Arceus only brought the good ones with him, why did he make them Pokemon if he thought they were going to do bad things such as treating them as lesser beings?”
“That's true,” Anastasia added. “Not to mention that separating the good members of humanity from the evil ones won’t eliminate the “evil” in humanity. Although now that I say that, I believe he realized this. If Arceus really did bring the good members of the human race even, he must have known that some of their descendants might become evil.”
“Well even with that, there is also the fact that other people in this world might treat the Pokemon wrongly, not just humans. Hmph if this Arceus fella really is a god, then he must be a poor one when it comes to thinking.”
“That’s very much true,” Alice agreed. “One would think that though he might have just stayed in his world rather than just move most of the population to another planet in another universe. But what’s done is done. So, anything else you want to ask?”
The two incognito humans looked at each other before Kadoc continued.
“So where is this Arceus now?”
“He is holed up in the Hall of Legends in the Everfree forest down south, right next to Ponyville. He is open to visitors but I wouldn’t go there right now if I were you.”
“Why not?”
“Well, I would imagine he is in a bad mode right now with the whole humanity and Lostbelt situation.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Well, apparently Arceus didn’t check that this planet which we call Equus is actually another Earth before coming here. And that its humanity still exists. There is also the matter of the Lostbelts which are apparently alternate timelines with humans in them as well. On top of that, there is also this group called Chaldea that's wandering around somewhere trying to destroy us to save their world.”
Kadoc gripped the table with his hand in a reflexive manner but quickly relaxed himself.
“There is currently a worldwide manhunt for Chaldea and somethings called servants who are being sent by something called the Counter Force. I just hope that Arceus isn’t the one to catch them, cause I think at this point humans are at the bottom of his favorite list of species. I wouldn’t imagine him treating them well as prisoners for trying to destroy everything he worked so hard to achieve.”
Alice nearly flashed a knowing smile which did not go unnoticed by Anastasia.
Kadoc then got up from his seat. “Thank you miss Alice. I believe you have answered most of the questions we had. Let’s go, Ana.”
Anastasia's master then walked out of the restaurant, not even waiting for her.
“It was a pleasure talking to you two. Have a nice day.” And with that, she walked out after him.
As soon as she was outside, Kadoc quickly took her hand and started to move.
“I think we have learned all we can now. Let’s get back to the others.”
“I agree, that mare was starting to give us suspicious looks.
Eventually, they made their way out of the city and into the forest where their conversation continued.
“Can’t say this Lostbelt is like Scandinavia or Russia,” Kadoc said.
“Yes, unlike the last two it’s not snowing here,” Anastasia replied.
“You’re just now pointing that out? Well other than that it appears that humanity doesn’t exist here, at least not as humans anymore. But even that doesn’t add up since apparently this Arceus fella showed up nine months ago and brought humans with him, which is a little while after the Earth got bleached.”
“There is also the fact that this Lostbelt seems to cover 90% percent of the planet but has halted its growth. Why is that? All it has to do is expand a little further and this timeline fully replaces Proper Human History.”
“Yeah that is weird, why stop when it’s so close? Do you think it has something to do with why Its Tree of Emptiness is nowhere to be seen? Or maybe it has something to do with why 5 other Lostbelts have sprouted and stolen its territory.”
“....”
“Something is clearly not right here, let's get back to base and tell the others what we found.”
The duo walked until eventually, they were a little more than a mile out from the base.
“Alright, we’re not too far now Anastasia.”
Anastasia kept walking, but then her familiar Viy felt several shadows following them.
“Stay close to me, I don’t want to lose you like last ti-”
“Master.”
Anastasia then stopped in her tracks.
“Huh, what is it, why’d you stop?”
“We're being followed.”
Kadoc stopped, looked around, but didn’t see anything.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes. I cannot see them but I can sense five lifeforms that have been stalking us for a while.”
Kadoc looked again, not seeing anything. But then again, Anastasia was a Caster, which means she had some means of detection that was unavailable to him.
“Shall I deal with them, master? Or do you wish for us to make a break for it?”
“....No, for all we know they may have someone fast enough to keep up with us and that would just lead them back to the border. Let’s get rid of them here.”
The two turned around and faced the direction where they were coming from. Then the area several feet from them shimmered until a blue bipedal fox creature in a cape and cavalier along with three other creatures that they assumed were Pokemon appeared before them. One of them looked like some dark blue walking feline Pokemon with a fan-shaped head and claws for hands, another one resembled a leopard with a purple coat above its waistline, the final one was a large green standing lizard with a tail that was shaped like a Christmas tree.
Kadoc blinked before asking the obvious question. “And just who the hell are you guys?”
The fox smiled, and then tipped her hat until they could see her face.
“I am the Phantom Thief Fox. These are my assistants Sceptile, Liepard, and Weavile.”
A Phantom Thief...really?
“A Phantom Thief, are you going to rob us? Cause we got nothing to steal, trust me.”
“Oh, I’m not stealing anything from you guys today. Oh no, I’m more interested in who the two of you are. After all, your not really ponies are you?”
“...What do you mean?”
“ Well, first of all, two ponies walking alone through the forest are kinda suspicious. Secondly, you guys don’t have cutie marks, which is very odd for ponies of your age.”
Kadoc and Anastasia looked down at their flanks, for some reason the marks on their flanks had disappeared. The realization came upon them that it was what probably gave them away otherwise they would have never gone into that city.
These necklaces must be defective or something. Probably are what gave us away! I’ll have to file a complaint with that money-grubbing queen when we get back.
“Finally I just happened to overhear you two talking while in the city, something about a Tree of Emptiness, dealing with Arceus, and you mentioning something about reporting to Chaldea.” A sly smile adorned Fox’s face.
Kadoc looked as if there was no point in trying to deny and just sighed.
“I’m not going to ask how you figured us out, I’m just going to get to the point. You're trying to get us to lead you to our friends so you can catch us and snitch to your god aren’t you?”
“Correct. Although since I consider myself a nice person, I’ll just tie you guys up and leave you at the doorsteps of the Princesses. Cause even though you’re trying to murder billions of lives I think they would treat you much nicer than Arceus would.”
While Kadoc did not want to meet this god anytime soon, he could tell that she was not making her offer out of the kindness of her heart. Just from her smile alone, he could tell this person liked to troll and mess with people.
“Is that so? Sorry but I have no intention of getting myself captured. And if you think you’ll be able to take us both, you’ve got another thing coming!”
“Oh yeah chump well just see about that!” The Weavile said.
“Very well. But before we begin, could I ask you to drop whatever disguise is your wearing and introduce yourselves. After all, I did you the favor of dropping my illusion.”
Kadoc and Anastasia both looked at each other and nodded. Soon, their pony forms changed shape until the two unicorns were replaced by their original humans.
“So,” Fox said, looking them all over. “What should I call you lovebirds? Icy Princess and Brooding Boy?”
“Hmph, so you’re a troll huh? Knew it, do you annoy everyone you rob from?”
“Only the ones that deserve it. Which now that I think about it is basically everyone.”
“Well let me tell you right now thief, you have never faced the power of a servant before. As for my name-”
Kadoc held up his hand, his command spell beginning to glow.
“My name is Kadoc Zemlupus. A Master of Chaldea here to restore Proper Human History.”
“My name is Anastasia Nikoaevna Romanova of Russia. Servant of Kadoc Zemlupus, my class container is Caster.”
Kadoc stood behind Anastasia as she used her magic to make the temperature in the forest drop.
Twilight walked through her library as she looked back on the various reports Princess Celestia had sent her lately detailing the appearance of servants.
Aside from those Knights of the Round Table that fought the Swords of Justice two days ago, only 2 more servant summonings had been reported so far. The first one was an appearance in the Changeling Empire that was dealt with by Reshiram and Zygarde. The second one was a summoning in the Crystal Empire that got away after it fought John and the Crystal Guard.
“Luckily Reshiram and Zygarde were there to deal with the servant, being Legendary Pokemon, they were definitely powerful enough to defeat it. Can’t say the same for Shiny and Cadence. If just one of these things was able to beat John and the Crystal Guards, then Harmony was not kidding when she said these servants are no pushovers.”
The alicorn put down the reports and sighed. Her gaze then traveled over to the Earth Conceptual Compendium that was sitting on the edge of her desk. She had recently read the section that details the story of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table after the fires in the Everfree. She was surprised to learn just how much story and material there was surrounding the mythical king, aside from the many stories about his knights, Twilight could understand why many humans took inspiration from the story of the great King and the sword Excalibur.
Since getting the books from Arceus, Twilight had already read through several major mythos and stories about Earth’s histories and legends. From legends like Greek Mythology, Biblical stories, and King Arthur, to historical events like World War 2, the Industrial Revolution, and the invention of a super information highway called the internet.
Twilight was both amazed and appalled by the many things humanity managed to accomplish and do. Over the course of their long existence, humans had managed to leave behind a colorful and diverse history, full of individuals who managed to shape it.
And now, Equus itself was at odds with that very history.
“While I don’t mind going through this entire book to learn more about the enemies that we might have to face. I just hope that we have the strength to beat them.”
In hindsight, the arrival of the Pokemon was a blessing in disguise, had they not ever come here. Equus and its people would have been swiftly defeated by the power of the servants. But with the Pokemon as well as Arceus and the Legendary Council, they now had a good chance of winning this war.
“Arceus may be a shortsighted god, but the fact that he is one means we stand a very good chance of beating these guys. I kinda feel bad for whoever ends up having to fight him.”
Twilight looked over the last pages from the report Princess Celestia had sent her and notice a little note with instructions.
“Oh, what’s this?........ Hmmm, I don’t want to leave my desk right now, so I’ll have Spike take care of this.”
Twilight got up and headed to her bedroom where Spike was sleeping. But as the thought crossed her mind, she noticed how the dragon had been spending most of his time sleeping in his room ever since the Gala. While she understood him wanting to be home after the horrible ordeal, she thought he would have gotten over it by now. If Spike wasn’t home he would be hanging out with his Pokemon dragon friends or helping Rarity.
At the top of the stairs, she saw Spike still sleeping in his bed. Walking over she saw him with his face tightened up like he was having a bad dream, she also noticed him holding something in his arms.
“Spike?” Twilight nudged the baby dragon until he woke up with a groan.
“Ughhh, Twilight what is it?”
“Spike are you okay?”
The dragon sat up and rubbed his eyes, making sure to hide whatever he was holding.
“I’m fine Twilight. What do you want?”
“Really? It seemed like you were having a bad dream.”
“....Well it’s over now, can I go back to sleep?”
“No Spike, you have been sleeping in for days now, what happened to going and doing things with your friends.?”
“Well, I just don’t feel like going out okay?” Spike turned his head away, clearly not wanting to have this conversation.
“You know Spike, if something is bothering you, you know you can tell me right. I’m always here for you.”
“Yeah...”
Twilight sighed. “Well if nothing is bothering you then I need you to run an errand for me.”
“What errand?”
“Princess Celestia wants Rainbow Dash to go and check up on the Ley Line that’s in Cloudsdale. The Wonderbolts are there and since Rainbow Dash is a member of the reserves she wants her to go and get a report.”
“No offense to Dash, but can’t Princess Celestia send someone whose job it is to get reports from the Wonderbolts?”
“True, but I think Celestia wants Rainbow Dash to go as a way to get more experience with working with the Wondrbolts in an official capacity.”
*Sigh* “Alright I’ll go tell her.” Spike got out of his bed and began to walk down the stairs.
“Thank you, Spike.”
As Spike got to the bottom of the stairs and went out the door, Twilight was about to go back to her desk when she looked back at Spike’s bed. After a moment of hesitation, her curiosity got the better of her, and she walked over to it. Using her magic, Twilight pulled the sheets off and lifted up what Spike had been hiding.
It was a finely stitched and hoofcrafted stuffed doll of Rarity.
-
Rainbow Dash slept lazily on a random cloud as ponies went about their day beneath her.
Or at least that’s what she tried to do but to no avail.
The problem was not that she wasn’t tried but that she had nothing to do. She had already cleared the skies of wayward clouds and sent them on the path to become storm clouds for later. But after that, she still had too much energy to stop and sit around. She then tried practicing some flying moves and tricks that she was working on but quickly got bored of that as well.
Of course, Rainbow Dash knew the reason that was causing her to be restless, why she couldn’t seem to sit still lately.
“UGHH! At this point, I wish a servant would show up and Ponyville!”
Indeed, as the most gung-ho of her circle of peers Rainbow Dash was ready to fight whoever threatened her kingdom and her friends. While some of them chastised her for rushing into a fight too quickly, Rainbow could not help who she was. As the Element of Loyalty, what kind of pony would she be if she didn’t fight for her friends?
As such, Rainbow anticipated the day when she would fight one of those humans or servant guys who wanted to erase them from existence. The cyan pegasus would show them that they made a mistake of ever challenging the fastest pegasus in Equestria!
“Ugh Rainbow? Dash you awake?”
The Element of Loyalty snapped out of her train of thought and looked down to see one Spike looking up at her.
“Oh Spike, whatcha need little guy?”
“Princess Celestia wants you to go check up on the Wonderbotls in Cloudsdale. She wants a report on their status for the Ley Line there.”
“Wait really? The Princess wants me to go and check up on the Wonderbolts?”
“Yeah, I’m not saying you have to do it now or whatever but I imagine she wants the report sometime-”
“Are you kidding!? Of course I’ll go right now!” Before Spike could say anything else, he watched as his friend took off leaving a rainbow trail in her wake.
“Okay, guess that takes care of that.”
Anastasia released a wave of ice and snow in the direction of Fox and her gang. The team quickly moved out of the way by hiding behind and in trees, but that still didn’t leave them unscathed.
“Dang! It’s like if someone turned the move Blizzard up to 11!” Rascal said.
“Ah grow a pair dude, it’s not that cold,” Scep boasted.
“...Your tail is an icicle Scep,”
The lizard looked and sure enough, his tree-like tail was encased in ice.
“@#$%! They won’t get lucky a second time!”
“Fox what should we do?” Rascal asked.
Alice thought for a moment. Their priority was to lead them back to their base to capture any members of Chaldea which this Kadoc fella was clearly a part of. But despite that, there was still the risk of them being overwhelmed by the other servants they may have with them. Still, depending on how big of a group they are, they might not be able to move around so easily, which means even if they fled she could still track them down later once she brought backup.
It is a risk we’ll have to take.
“Try and separate them, we need to get Kadoc alone and away from his servant, divide and conquer. Hopefully, they’ll feel overwhelmed and call for backup or better yet lead them back to their friends.”
There was a collective “Got it!” from her teammates as they made their moves.
Rascal ran towards Anastasia only to be walled off by a layer of ice. The Weavile easily made work of it with a Mega Punch, but this was short-lived as a powerful gust of cold wind blew him into a tree. Scep meanwhile used Leaf Storm, thinking that even if Anastasia froze them in mid-air, they would only become sharper and deadlier. Instead, however, they fell to the ground due to the loss of weightlessness.
Meanwhile, Shade was stalking around Anastasia from behind like a predator, and upon seeing an opening she jumped at her.
Gotcha.
She didn’t say nor did she make a sound, by all accounts the servant could not have known the Pokemon was behind her at that moment. However, something that didn’t make sense prevented her from landing a blow.
The shadows themselves seemed to come to life, for a brief second Shade could have sworn she saw two glowing orbs in the back of Anastasia’s head. But before she could register this, she was smacked away by a black appendage, sending her into a tree in a daze.
“The hell!?”
“Trying to attack me from behind, were you?”
Shade looked up to see Anastasia loomed over her.
“A mistake, and the last one you will ever make.”
Ice began to gather in the servant’s right hand.
*BANG*
“What the!?”
A flash of smoke-filled Anastasia’s vision, giving Shade the opportunity to run away. Mentally thanking her trainer
Fox watched from a tree as she thanked her forwarding thinking of bringing some smoke bombs. That being said this battle seemed to be going nowhere so far.
“She seems to be keeping them at a distance with that ice. I gotta admit though, her versatility and range of using that ice are more diverse than any Pokemon has ever done.”
She looked for Kadoc who was a few feet away from his servant, not too far as to leave himself wide open but not close enough that he would want to get directly involved in the skirmish.
Alice considered herself a good observer when it came to people she just met. And judging from the ways his eyes darted and how he clutched his right arm. She suspected that Kadoc was a very guarded person. But more than that, he didn’t seem like someone who would be in a direct fight.
“Hmmm, I wonder….Charlotte, I need you to do something for me on my signal.”
“Yes, Alice.”
-
Kadoc observed the battle as Anastasia held her own against the three Pokemon. While they didn’t look like pushovers, they had never fought a servant before, and that was one of the few advantages they had.
That being said he was more concerned about something else.
“Where is that darn fox.”
“Did you call for me?”
“GAAAH!” Kadoc turned around and fired a gandr blast that missed Fox and hit a tree.
“Hey, careful where you’re pointing that thing, you could hurt someone. Then again, you guys are trying to genocide an entire world so maybe you wouldn’t really care either way.”
“That’s a morbid way of putting it,” Kadoc said as he tried to look for the source of her voice.
“Buts it’s true isn’t it. The people and Pokemon of this world were just minding their own business and you guys come along and all you want to do is kill several sapient species.”
Kadoc heard a twig snap and fired another gandr spell, only to hit a pile of leaves.
“It’s especially troublesome for us Pokemon in particular, after all, we came to this planet to get away from humans and now you guys come into our lives again like a bad rash.”
“Hey, this was our planet first! No one said you could come here.”
“Touche. But which 'who' are you referring to, humans or the other people on this planet?”
“It’s not my fault you ended up in a Lostbelt, that’s your bad luck. The people of this world should not be here!”
“What gives you the right to say that? Who are you to say that the people of this world and the Pokemon have no right to live here?”
“I am Kadoc Zemlupus of the Chaldean Security Organization,” The young master stopped firing gandr and just looked around for any sign of movement. “We have already cut down two Trees of Emptiness, two Lostbelts have already been erased thanks to us. This world and everyone in it will be pruned and returned back to the cosmic void where it belongs.”
“Ahh, so you guys are already adept at the art of genocide. Guess I really should expect nothing less from humans who only care about themselves.”
“Is there a point to your bluster fox?”
“Yes.”
Kadoc felt something attach itself to his right hand and pin him to a tree. Looking down he saw a wad of webbing covering his command spells and keeping him in place. He then looked up and saw fox step out into the open. Kadoc raised his other hand only for a string of webbing to tie it to the same tree while it also webbed his waistline, completely trapping him.
Fox walked up to him until their faces were one foot from each other.
“That you guys deserve whatever you get after we bring you to the Princesses.”
Kadoc tried to struggle but to no avail.
“Don’t bother, that web won’t be coming off for a while, and don’t even think about trying to call your servant, I made this webbing to also be ice, fire, and electric resistant. Oh and just in case you were thinking about calling for help.”
Another string of webbing covered Kadoc’s mouth.
“Don’t. I’ve also thrown up an illusion so even if your girlfriend came looking for you, she won’t be able to find you.”
Kadoc just glared at her but she just ignored him and thought for a moment.
Ok, now that that’s done, hopefully, she’ll think we just abducted him, and then we can trail her back to their hideout. And if my timing is right, Spinner will be here with John and the police force.
Kadoc attempted to say something but was obviously muffled by the webbing.
“Mph mfffff pffff.”
“Sorry can’t talk, thinking right now,” Alice said in a trollish manner.
“Wiff aph comphhhff spfff P oprfff ypf!”
Behind the webbing, the command seals on Kadoc’s right hand begun to glow, a fact noticed too late by Alice.
Come to me Anastastia!
Not knowing what he was doing, Alice attempted to knock Kadoc out, only to be stopped when Anastasia appeared right in between them.
“Get away from my master you mongrel.”
A powerful blast of ice sent Alice into another tree and pinning her there as the ice built up until she was now stuck to a tree. She did her best no to scream as the ice was much colder than what most Pokemon moves would be like.
“Anastasia get me out of here.”
“Guys a little help.”
As fox’s gang came to her aid, Anastasia had a head start on Kadoc. The webbing was indeed ice-resistant was Fox said, but for a servant like Anastasia, her ice was more powerful and precise. By the time she had freed him, Fox was only halfway out of the ice.
“They’re using trickery and deception to get the edge on us, plus I don’t think she’s really trying to fight us.”
“You mean she’s stalling?”
“Probably, and if she has back up on the way, we can't wait for her to arrive. Otherwise, we'd be really screwed then we’re really screwed.”
“So what should we do master?”
“.....Let’s get back to the Shadow Border, if you can carry me then we can outrun them.”
“Very well, as you wish Kadoc.”
Just as she was freed, Alice saw Kadoc and Anastasia make a run for it. She smiled as Anastasia carried Kadoc as they began to disappear into the forest.
“Uh dudette, they’re getting away.”
“Don’t worry Scep, we have them tied at the end of a string.”
“Huh?”
“Is the tracker on them Charlotte?”
“Yes, Alice.” The Spinnark said as in crawled down and onto her trainer’s shoulder. Alice then held up a blue gem the had had the markings of a compass. With a blinker showing them to go west.
Meanwhile, unbeknownst to them some of the residue webbings that was stuck on Kadoc had tiny pebble-sized gems that faintly glowed as well.
“It’s a new gadget that Toichi made for me, he infused a bunch of gems with a tracking spell. I had Charlotte wrap up said gems in her webbing that she used on Kadoc, said webbing is still stuck to him as I hope it would be.”
“Wow, really?” Shade said.
“Yup, I wasn’t sure if they had some way to communicate outside of verbal words, turns out they did. But even if she freed him, I also bet that they didn’t care enough to get rid of all the webbing on him, so it would still be stuck to him if he fled.”
“Impressive.”
“So now what?” Rascal asked. Do we wait for John and the cops to arrive, hope they don’t try to arrest us, and then lead them to the other Chaldeans?”
Alice once again found herself thinking. On one hand, if Kadoc and Anastasia got back to their group, they would probably pack up and leave. And the more time away from them was more time for them to discover the tracker and leave them back to square one. On the other hand, having John and the police would be a huge boon as they were actual fighters. But even though John trusted Fox to a degree, it would take time convincing the rest of the guard to follow her lead.
Decisions, decisions…..
“Alright, here’s what we’re gonna do...”
As they got closer to the Border, Kadoc finally managed to get the webbing off of his communicator.
“Guys we have a situation here.”
Da Vinci picked up. “What is it?”
“Anastasia and I ran into some peculiar Pokemon, we managed to get away but I have a feeling they may try to follow us.”
“Okay just get back to the Border and tell us everything when you get here.”
“Alright.”
Both master and servant eventually made it back to the armored vehicle and after getting inside, the border went back under cloak. After settling down, everyone gathered around Kadoc to hear what he had to say. Anastasia meanwhile left the room to go clean the rest of the webbing off of Kadoc’s jacket.
“Okay, so what happened out there?” Goredolf asked.
“Well, first of all, we went into the nearby town and managed to learn a few things.”
“Such as?”
“Well, apparently these Pokemon are not just from another planet, but they apparently come from a parallel Earth.”
This news was a shock to everyone.
“What? How?” Da Vinci said. “I may not be an expert on the Parallel World Theory, but what kind of alternate timeline manage to produce a phantasmal species like the Pokemon?”
“None,” Sherlock said. "As most heroic spirits would know, the Throne of Heroes records the events of worlds where even servants unique to specific timelines come from. If such a world that contained a species called Pokemon did exist, we would have known about it. Unless they also come from a lost history like the Lostbelts.
“I dunno, and that’s not the strangest part, the person I talked to says they came here to get away from humans who were basically treating them like slaves or second-class citizens at best. So their god who is known as Arceus gathered them all up and brought them here.”
“Hmph, can’t blame him if that’s true, humans have always tended to use and control those they see as lesser beings,” Akuta stated. “But why would he bring them to another Earth? No matter where he would go, humans would always be found no matter what Earth he went to. That’s just how prolific you guys are.”
“That may not be true,” Sherlock said.
“What do you mean?” Ophelia said.
“If this Lostbelt truly was devoid of human life at some point then whoever this Arceus is, he must have known that fact and brought the Pokemon here knowing they would be free of human influence.”
“Yes, I can see that being the logical path of events if it’s true,” Kirschtaria said. “Although some things still don’t add up.”
“Actually,” Kadoc said continuing. “The part where humans are not here is not entirely true. When this Arceus guy brought the Pokemon to this Lostbelt, he brought some humans with him as well.”
“Wait what?!” Akuta said. “Why would he bring along humans that he was trying to get away from?”
“Let me finish. Apparently, the ones he brought with him are the good humans from that Earth. I don’t exactly know why they came along for the ride but I can guess. But no matter the why, they didn’t stay humans for long, Arceus turned them all into Pokemon.”
This also shocked everyone, but not as much as Kirschtaria. “.....He turned them into Pokemon, why?”
“Apparently he didn’t trust the ones he brought with him to remain good, or at least he didn’t trust them enough to see the Pokemon as true equals. To quote what that pony said: ‘He wanted to preserve that which was good about humanity while cutting off what made them evil’. Basically, he brought some humans with them, but he didn’t want them to ever produce any bad humans.”
“And in doing so he took away their humanity.” Kirschtaria’s voice then became one of anger in one of the rare times that it did.
“While I can see and understand why he would do such a thing,” Akuta said. “He should have just not brought them at all if he was planning to turn them into Pokemon once they got here. Now that Earth he left behind is just gonna become hell with all the bad humans that are still there.”
“About that.”
“Huh?”
“The Earth that he left behind, it may implode faster than you think.”
“What do you mean?” Ritsuka asked.
“Well aside from the Pokemon, there is also a class of more powerful Pokemon called Legendary Pokemon that were in charge of maintaining nature along with the normal Pokemon.”
“So you’re saying these Legendary Pokemon are comparable to divine spirits or nature spirits?” Ophelia asked.
“Maybe, I’m guessing yes they are since without them, the Earth they are from will die due to the lack of authority over the world’s aspects.”
“But wait, while it is true that if a god or divine spirit dies, that authority they control will be left vacant and will cause problems, things would eventually settle down as the world would eventually reacquire those lost authorities. So it’s not safe to say if the Earth of that timeline would rip itself apart, Gaia’s Counter Force would step in to control the situation.”
“A question for another time, cause we have bigger problems,” Kadoc said. “This Arceus clearly doesn’t have a high opinion of humans. Not to mention that he seems to be very aware of the Lostbelt situation, so I’d imagine learning that a bunch of humans like us coming here and trying to destroy everything put him in a bad mood and make capturing or destroying us his top priority.”
Sherlock Holmes rubbed his chin. “Kadoc’s worried expression is warranted. We don’t know what kind of god or divine spirit this Arceus is, or what kind of powers and authorities he posses. However, the fact that he apparently had the means of moving such a large population to another world, indicates that he is clearly a very powerful entity. Perhaps even comparable to Tiamat in terms of raw power.”
Everyone in the room shuddered as those who fought in the 7th singularity remembered coming face to face with that beast.
“Yes, I remember,” Mash said. “Doctor Roman said that Tiamat had enough magical energy to travel through space, like an Ark carrying life across the Sea of Stars.”
“Kadoc, did you learn where this Arceus might be?”
“The pony said that he is in some place called the Hall of Legends, which is in a forest call the Everfree located south of that town Hans mentioned called Ponyville.”
“I see, Hans, do you know where this Ponyville is located?”
“I do, but let me ask you first, don’t tell me you’re about to go and knock on this Arceus’s door are you?”
“Of course not!” Goredolf said. “We just like to know so we can stay clear of it. Ugh, that is why you wanted to know right Holmes?”
“Indeed, I do believe it’s best we steer clear of this Arceus before we learn more about him. But for now, we have something else to worry about, Kadoc, you said that you encountered some peculiar Pokemon right?”
“Yes, they were lead by Pokemon who called herself ‘Phantom Theif Fox’.”
“An actual Phantom Theif?” Mash said. “You mean like Arsène Lupin?”
“Well if Arsène Lupin could do magic and had a caviler hat instead of a top one.”
“Well, what is she like?” Ritsuka asked.
“From what I was able to witness and piece together during our fight, it seems she is very adept in using illusion-based magic, she could probably even give Merlin a run for his money.”
Elsewhere a certain flower mage coughed.
“She could do things like turn invisible until she was right next to you, and cloak the area to make it seem like nothing is there. She may be capable of doing other things but that’s all I saw for now.”
“What about the other Pokemon that were with her?”
“One was a large walking green lizard with a pine tree for a tail, another one was some kind of blue feline midget with a fan-shaped hairstyle, and the final one could basically be described as a purple leopard.”
“And you’re sure you managed to lose them before you came here?” Goredolf said.
“Yes, Anastasia may not be the fastest servant, but I’m willing to bet she got us far enough that she would not be able to see exactly where we went. So I am confident that she did not follow us here. And even if she did, I doubt she has the means of finding the Border while it’s camouflaged.”
“Uh, Kadoc.”
Everyone turned to see Anastasia enter the control room with Kadoc’s jacket.
“Oh Anastasia, thank you for cleaning this.” Kadoc took his jacket back and put it on.
“You're welcome, but your clothes were not the reason I came here.”
“Huh?”
“While removing the webs, I found somethings tangled in there.” Anastasia opened her hand to reveal several blue gems that were faintly glowing.
“I may not be a mage in name or in life. But my Caster container tells me that these things have some kind of magical spell etched into them.”
“Hmmm, may I see them miss Romanova?” Anastasia gave the gems to Sherlock who looked them over for a few seconds, then his eyes widened. “Oh no.”
“What’s wrong?” Ritsuka asked.
“I’ll admit, the mechanics of how this spell works is slightly different from what we’re used to. Not to mention that it’s not optimized for long-term use. But there is no mistaking it, these stones have been fitted with a tracking spell.”
This news of course made everyone in the room do a double-take.
“Well don’t just stand there, smash ‘em!” Goredolf said.
Immediately Holmes threw the gems to the floor and with the enhanced strength of a servant crushed them all into powder.
There was a moment of silence before Ophelia spoke up.
“Did it work? Are we still hidden?”
“Uh, I think we may have been too late,” Meuniere said. “Take a look at this.”
The display radar came up, showing pings of 5 lifeforms with a distinct energy signature.
“Are you sure it’s them? Mash said.
“Well, I can guarantee you that they are Pokemon. Thanks to the readings you guys brought back, we updated the Borders sensors to scan for anything that would register as a Pokemon. Plus the fact that they are heading in our general direction and don’t seem to be changing course is not a good sign.”
“Can we see them on our cameras?” Goredolf said.
“I have already checked, if they are there, they must be invisible or something. This means Kadoc wasn’t kidding when he said the quote ‘Phantom Theif Fox’ is capable of casting illusions.”
“Seriously? Ugh, then if that’s the case then we might as we start up the engines and get out of here!”
“The amount of time it would take to start the engines would be enough for them to start running and catch up to us,” Da Vinci pointed out. “Not to mention we also have to navigate out of this forest. Which means we can't go at full speed. The most likely scenario is that they would climb on top of the Border and try to get in, or they might just stick another one of those tracking devices on us.”
“So? This isn’t like when Surtr attacked us. I doubt these Pokemon could cut through the hull before we force them off.”
“That’s not the main problem,” Kadoc said.
“Huh?”
“Da Vinci, what is the maximum horsepower for the Shadow Border?”
“About 800 lbs, maybe more if I push it.”
“Tell me, could this thing still move if the wheels and axels were gunked up with spider webs?”
“...That depends on the tensile strength of said spider web.”
“Well I’m no Spider-Man, but if to had to guess from the one encounter with that Pokemon, the web gadgets she was using would give Peter Parker a run for his money.”
“So you’re saying there is a good chance she would web up all our wheels before we have a chance to escape?” Ritsuka said.
“I’m not sure if she has that in mind since she doesn’t know about the Border yet. But if she wants to capture all of us, then I would assume she packed enough just in case. Either that or she probably has some Pokemon making it for her.”
“Ok, then we just make an emergency dive,” Goredolf said
“Not possible at the moment, I haven’t finished applying the logic formula. Plus there is a little problem with the Paper Moon at the moment,” Da Vinci stated.
“What problem?”
“The Paper Moon is having trouble discerning the difference between the Lostbelt and Earth. Whatever is going on with this place it’s messing with the Paper Moon’s sensors.”
“Can you fix it?”
“I could call Sion and we could work together on the problem, but that will take time.”
The entire room went silent as the Chaldeans realized they had very few options at the moment.
Sherlock rubbed his chin. “This is indeed a difficult choice we must make. Either we try to make a break for it and risk having the Shadow Border immobilized due to spider webbing. Or we go outside and fight an illusionist we know very little about.”
Kirschtaria then spoke up. “Director, you are our leader, what do you think we should do?”
Goredolf looked unsure of himself, this was a situation that had equal chances of going wrong no matter what they decided. But he knew that they couldn’t just still here waiting for their foes to find them.
“Alright, I’ve made my decision.”
-
Alice and her gang slowed down as they came to a clearing in the middle of the forest. The tracking spell said they were right on top of wherever Kadoc and his servant went off to. But there was no sign of the human master, nor the tracking gems they stuck to him.
“So, where the hell is he?” Rascal said.
“Yeah, I just see a whole bunch of nothing dudette,” Scep added.
Alice looked around. As someone who specialized in illusions, hiding in plain sight, and misdirection, she could easily find and uncover what people wanted to hide.
“Spread out, see what you can find, anything that looks out of the ordinary.”
The group did as they were told, looking in trees, searching through bushes, and turning over stones. But after a few minutes of searching, they grouped up with no luck of finding their targets.
“I got nothing,” Shade said. “Unless they are underground they’re not here.”
“Not underground I can tell you that,” said Scep who was covered in dirt. “Used Dig and found nothing, and considering that the PLA used underground bases, I would know a thing or two about them.”
Alice folded her arms, she thought for a moment before scanning the area once again. Her eyes then widened as she noticed something they hadn’t considered before.
“Do you all remember when we first came back to Baltimare after touring Equestria, pulling off heists?”
Everyone nodded or said yes.
“We passed through the forest on our way home and made a rest stop in this very location right?”
Scep thought for a moment. “Yes, I believe we did, something about Rascal here needing to pee.”
“Hey! I clearly recall you also needed to take number 2!”
“Okay! The point is we all took a potty break. Now, tell me, do any of you remember that big rock over there?”
Everyone and saw Alice pointing at a very large boulder that was about as big as a house.
“I already checked that rock, and it looks, sounds, and tastes just like a rock.”
“Hmmm,“ Alice walked over to the boulder, knock her hand against it, and confirmed what Rascal had said.
“Your right. This looks, sounds, and feels like an actual boulder….But-”
Everyone except Scep, slowing picked up what Alice was saying. As the newest member of her group he still had yet to learn all of Alice’s ways of finding thins.
“If that is the case, there should be no problem with me doing this.”
Dark-type energy began to gather in Alice’s hands, after months of being a Pokemon, she had finally learned how to use this move. The signature Dark-type move of the Zoroark evolution line.
“Night Daze!”
Slamming her fists into the ground, a wave of black energy slammed into the boulder while kicking up a cloud of dust. When everything began to settle, a certain fizzing sound could be heard.
Everyone looked as the image of a giant boulder fell away, revealing a large armored vehicle parked in front of them. There were virtually no scratches from Alice’s attack.
“Huh, would you look at that,” Scep said.
The group gathered around as Alice inspected the vehicle.
To think that this thing can fool even all five senses with whatever camouflage it’s packing! These Chaldeans must have some really high-tech or powerful magic.
There were a few more seconds of silence before Rascal spoke up.
“So...do we just knock or-”
The sound of an engine turning on filled the forest, then the armored vehicle spun its wheels as it began to move. The Fox gang jumped out of the way as it drove off into the forest.
“Interesting,” A smile crept onto Alice’s face.
Inside the Border, Goredolf put the pedal to the metal as the Shadow Border flew by trees, occasionally hitting some as they passed by.
“Hey watch it where your driving!” Da Vinci said on the intercom. “This thing may be reinforced, but that doesn’t mean you have to hit every speed bump.”
“Don’t be a backseat driver! I ain’t sitting around waiting for those animals to catch up to us. Meuniere how far are we from the edge of the forest?
“Half a mile! Just keep going.”
The Border flew past trees and bushes. Sometimes an animal or Pokemon was in the middle of the road, but instincts, as well as a few horn honks prevented them from becoming roadkill. Eventually, the edge of the forest was visible upon the windshield.
“We’re gonna make it, we’re gonna make it, we’re gonna-”
Goredolf’s words were interrupted when he felt a jolt, followed by the Shadow Border slowing down until it eventually came to a stop.
“Wha- what’s going on!?”
“I think I know what’s going on,” Da Vinci put up the camera feed to show several web strings holding the Border to the ground as well as nearby trees. Goredolf tried pressing the gas again only to ending up kicking up dirt. Defeated, Goredolf slammed his fist on the controls. Looking up at the camera feed again, she watched as a certain figure in a cape and cavalier hat walk into view, then casually waved her hand at the camera.
Growling, Goredolf, got up from his seat and face his staff.
“Alright then, plan B.”
-
Alice stood outside as she and her team waited and watched.
“You sure we should just try and break-in? I mean that’s what we do all the time.” Scep said.
“Nah I have a feeling they will come out to us. Besides, I think they would be smart enough to try and not let anyone inside.”
Sure enough, Alice watched as a door opened and out stepped several individuals.
Ophelia Phamrsolone, Kadoc Zemlupus, and Ristuka Fujimaru walked out along with their servants Ortlinde, Anastasia, and Mash Kyrielight. As they walked to face Fox and her Pokemon, she clapped her hands as if to congratulate them.
“So, you are the famous Chaldeans that everyone has been talking about! Nice to finally meet you in the flesh.”
Ophelia narrowed her eye. “And you must be, Fox was it?”
“Phantom Theif Fox at your service. Master illusionist and the most wanted criminal back on my Earth. And Kadoc! Long time no see, did you enjoy the little present I left for you and your girlfriend.”
Kadoc said nothing only giving her a glare.
“I must say, I was really impressed with how you guys managed to hide yourselves. Just what kind of gadgets are you guys packing to be able to fool all five senses? Not even my illusions can do that. Say, when you’re all in jail, mind if I have your cool car? I could really pull off some amazing heists with that kind of tech. It sure would make up for my lost base back on Earth.”
“Sorry, but it’s not for sale. Not to mention that mage society forbids us from sharing magical secrets with...muggles.”
“Wow, so you guys like hoard all the magic on your Earth for yourselves? Kinda selfish if you ask me.”
“Alright enough talk Fox!” Kadoc said. “I don’t know who you think you are, but you might wanna consider turning around and walking back where you came from if you think just the four of you can take us all down.”
Alice snickered. “Since you guys haven’t heard of me before I’m just going to say that you really shouldn’t judge someone based on appearances. You never know what you might see coming.”
“We are well aware of your ability to cast illusion spells or whatever your power is," Ophelia said. "But I should also point out that have no idea what we are capable of either.”
“Touche. So why don’t we don’t find out who each of us is together.”
“Agreed. Lancer, attack!”
“Yes, master!”
Ortlinde lunged at Fox, but when her spear pierced her chest, the Pokemon exploded into what reassembled a flock of large pigeons, that all kept saying “Pidgeot”.
“Where’d she go?”
Ristuka meanwhile was looking around until he heard Mash say something.
“Senpai look out!” He looked just in time to see Mash jump in front of him and defend her master from Scep who appeared out of nowhere.
“Huh, didn’t peg you for being fast with that heavy shield of yours girly.”
Mash said nothing, only held her ground against the Pokemon.
“Alright, lets we what you’ve got!”
Ortlinde soon found herself surrounded by Shade and Rascal as they circled her.
Both Pokemon gave each other a knowing look as they nodded and prepared to pounce.
One….two…..threee!
But just as they jumped, Ortlinde’s body erupted in light, blinding them, this of course caused both Pokemon to knock into each other.
“Ow, the hell was that?”
“You charged at an opponent you know nothing about. It was only natural you would be surprised. I can already tell my combat experience far exceeds both of you combine,” Ortlinde said.
“But you look like what, sixteen years old? Can’t be that good with a spear and shield.”
“You forget Rascal, she is not human, servants are the ghosts of dead people where they’re from. This means wherever she was born and raised made her into who she is now.”
“You are correct, but there is also another thing you should know about us servants.”
Ortlinde’s body began to sparkle as her divine aura exerted itself.
“Servants are summoned during the prime of their lifetime, which means we are always in top form.”
Flying at blinding speed, she bashed her shield into Rascal before thrusting her spear at Shade. The tip of the weapon grazed her back causing her to cry out in pain.
“Give up, you cannot win this fight.”
“Erk...If you think we will stop, you’re wrong.” Shade got up as blood dripped from her side. “We won’t stop until our trainer commands it.”
“Well, my master has told me not to kill you. But that may change depending on how long you continue to resist.”
Shade stared at Ortlinde. She couldn’t deny that the servant was a better fight than her. She could handle most police Pokemon like Howl and Heat, but this servant despite looking human was far stronger than any Pokemon they had faced so far.
But she didn’t need to beat her, just keep her busy long enough for Alice to do her thing.
“Hurry up Alice, I don’t know how long we can keep her busy.”
Rascal walked up beside Shade after getting up from being knocked into a tree. “You alright?”
“Yeah, it’s not that bad.”
“Still we gonna need a couple of bandages after this.”
“Yeah. Let’s do this!”
As the other two masters and servants fought off the Pokemon, Kadoc and Anastasia kept looking out for Fox.
“There!”
Anastasia shot an ice blast at the tree Fox was in, only for her to disappear when it reached her.
“Seriously? I have seen Spinda’s with better aim than you guys.”
Anastasia shot another icicle that incased an oak tree with snow and sheet.
“You wasting your magic. At this rate, you'll turn the entire area into a winter wonderland.”
“If your thinking about trying to get into the Border, don’t. That thing would take you ages to break in. Also if you’re trying to trick us into opening the door, the director told us he will not let anyone in until your gone. Plus we have sensors to detect where you are, not even your illusions will hide you if you get inside.”
“I had a feeling that might be the case. Even still it doesn’t matter if I get inside or not, you’re helping me a lot by doing this.”
What does she mean by that?
Mash swung her shield as Scep dodged and try to parry, only for him to surprised by the girl’s strength when she kept knocking him back.
“I’m impressed, given your size I didn’t peg a little girl like you as a strong type.”
“I too am surprised, your movements are swift just strong, not to mention you use a variety of attacks we have never encountered before. Are you an average member of your species or better than most?”
“I’m a general in the PLA, and let me tell ya, you don’t get a spot like that unless you good at what you do.”
“The PLA, what’s that?”
Scep smiled, glad that they had asked that question “The PLA stands for the Pokemon Liberation Army.”
The Sceptile stopped for a moment to stare down at Mash and her master.
“We were-...no, we ARE a group dedicated to ending the oppression and reign of humans over Pokemon. To defeat humanity and free all Pokemon!”
Ritsuka and Mash were silent.
“I’ll admit things didn’t go exactly as planned when Arceus decided to move us all here. But in the end, it all worked out, because Pokemon are now all free to live their lives as they should.”
Scep then closed his eyes, before opening them with renewed determination.
“Which means I’ll be damned if all that suffering was for nothing!”
The blades on Scep’s arms began to glow green, and he prepared to strike.
“You call yourselves the Organization for the preservation of the Human Order. Which means you fight for humans. This means that you are now the PLA’s newest, greatest enemy!”
Scep charge at the duo.
“Leaf Blade!”
Scep was moving super-fast, sure that Mash would not be able to react in time.
But instead of his blades connecting with her body, Scep found himself repelled by an invisible force, the power of which knocked him to the ground.
“The hell!?” Scep got up just in time to see the shield held by the girl projecting a large blue barrier protecting her and her master.
“If you wish to call us your enemy that is fine. I may not know anything of this PLA or the world you came from. But I do know this, as someone who has traveled human history and seen both it’s good and bad, I can say with utmost certainty that I will defend the human race with my life!”
As Scep got to his feet Mash continued to talk.
“You said that the Pokemon that have lived here have suffered a lot to get to where they are now. I am sorry for that. But we also have a journey, a mission that we must complete. And while it may mean the destruction of the world and its people, we shall continue to move forward regardless, no matter who stands in our way!”
“Heh. Well then, I guess this can only end one way.”
Mash readied her shield.
“Sorry dudette, but your journey ends here!”
Inside the Border, everyone looked as the fight continued to rage on.
“Should we go out there?” Pepe said. “I know they can handle themselves but…”
“You sense it too?” Kirschtaria said.
“Yeah, somethings not right here.”
“What do you mean?” Gordelf said.
“Well, even though these guys are no amateurs, it’s very obvious that they are outmatched. Sherlock, what do you think?”
“Well, the Pokemon fighting Ms. Kyrelight and Ritsuka is obviously the best fighter out of them. While the two Pokemon fighting Ortlinde are not faring very well. And then there is the Phantom Theif Fox who has yet to actually attack.”
“Yes, this entire time she has been jumping from tree to tree dodging Anastasia’s attacks.”
“No, not jumping, appearing.”
“Huh?”
“If you look closely, you can tell that Fox is not jumping from tree to tree. The branches are not shaking whenever she appears on one, nor is there any sound of movement.”
“Then you mean…”
“Yes, that is not the real Fox, it’s just an illusion.”
“Then, where is the real Fox?” Goredolf said.
“Ms. Da Vinci, please bring up the heat sensors.”
“Got it.”
On screen, the heat signatures displayed all the visible combatants who were outside.
“Look right there!” Pepe said.
Scandinavia pointed to a dot on the screen, showing someone close to the Border and slowly walking around it.
“That must be Fox, but what is she doing?”
Sherlock Holmes observed Fox as she went around the Border, only stopping at certain spots.
“Oh dear.”
“What? What’s going on?”
“Director, would you please press on the gas.”
“What, why? We’re still stuck.”
“Just do it.”
Stepping on the pedal, Goredolf was surprised when the Border didn’t budge at all. Not even the wheels kicked up any dirt.
“What, why aren’t the wheels turning? The camera’s not showing any webbing on them.”
“Yes, that’s because it only appears that way.”
Outside, Kadoc and Anastasia at this point had stopped attack fox and just kept looking out for her.
“That’s it, you guys done, ready to throw in the towel?” Fox said in her cheeky voice.
“Keep talking, I know you’re not really jumping from trees.”
“Oh, well congratulations, you figured that part out faster than most people. Then again the guys I usually rob from are not as smart as you. Maybe I shouldn’t underestimate you guys.”
Kadoc was about to say something until he heard Sherlock’s voice in his ear.
“Kadoc, Fox is not in the trees!”
“I gathered that, where is she?”
“She’s been webbing up the wheels this entire time, she is making it more difficult for the Shadow Border to move!”
Kadoc’s eyes widened.
“Anastasia! Use your ice on the-”
Before Kadoc could finish a web bomb appear and stuck him to the hull of the border, another bomb covered his mouth.
“Insolent Fox! You will pay for that!” Anastasia said looking around for the source of webs. “I can telepathically communicate with my master. Covering his mouth won’t stop him from relaying commands.”
“Yes, I am also aware that my webs won’t work on you since your ice can bypass my cold-resistant webbing. But can you focus on freeing him and the others as well?”
“Others?”
Just as if on cue, a web bomb exploded and stuck Mash’s shield to the ground. Scep seized the opportunity and went right for Ritsuka. Mash promptly dropped the shield and tackled Scep out of the way. This left her master wide open to be webbed up by yet another web bomb.
Ortlinde on the other hand was caught off guard when Fox cast her illusions on Shade and Rascal. Causing them to multiply until there were 2 dozen of them.
“Take your pick,” said the multiple Shades.
Ortlinde attempted to use another light attack, only to be interrupted and actually hurt by a combined Shadow Ball and Dark Pulse attack.
“Just as I thought,” said the disembodied voice of Fox. “Since you servants are basically ghosts, that means by Pokemon logic, you are weak to Ghost and Dark-type moves.”
Ortlinde shrugged off the attack just time to defend herself from a Shadow Claw courtesy of Rascal.
“This isn’t good,” Kirschtaria said. “Our friends are on the defensive now.”
“Fox is making use of her illusions and tricks to expose our vulnerabilities. But I still don’t think her aim is to defeat us.”
“What do you mean?”
“Logically her illusions and stamina must have a limit, even if she were to defeat everyone outside, she still doesn’t have the means of getting inside. No, her webbing of the Shadow Border’s wheels is indicative of another plan she has in motion. Fox is stalling us!”
Gordelf’s eyes widened before he started to become worried.
“You mean, she has reinforcements on her way here?!”
“I believe so, and if others were to come and discover our current location, we would be in no position to escape. We have to deal with Fox now before whoever called for, gets here.”
“Agh! If only we could stop her from webbing the wheels. Where is she keeping that stuff anyway!?”
“Hmmm, before we drove off, didn’t the sensors say before that it detected five lifeforms?”
“...Wait, yes they did!” Kirschtaria said.
“And we only see four Pokemon right now. This means that whoever the fifth Pokemon is, must be the one making the webs. Da Vinci, expand the radar sensors, see if you can pick up anything.”
“Let’s see….oh, yeah! I’m detecting another lifeform in the tree line!”
“Open a channel to Kadoc.”
Anastasia was currently using her ice to freeze and shatter the webbing holding her master. But whenever she got done, another web bomb exploded in a different spot.
“Fox I swear to mother Russia when I get my hands on you-”
“You’ll what? Freeze me? Good luck with that.”
Anastasia gritted her teeth. But before she could retort, she received a telepathic order from her Kadoc.
Anastasia!
Yes, master?
There is another Pokemon hiding in the trees, it’s probably the one making all these webs, find it!
Once Kadoc was done speaking, Anastasia smiled. She then looked at Fox who was once again in a tree.
“I take it that smile means you're ready to give up?”
“Oh no, far from it. In fact, I was about to give you one last chance to take your little group and leave this place now.”
“Yeah not gonna happen.”
“Okay, I gave you a chance.”
And with that line, Anastasia turned into spirit form, disappearing from view. Alice was a little surprised by this but kept her guard up nonetheless.
“Where‘d you go?”
Nothing happened for the next 30 seconds. Then there was a scream.
“AAAAHHHH!”
It wasn’t very loud, but some of those who heard it knew who it belonged to.
“Charlotte!”
Alice, as well as Shade, Rascal, and Scep all stopped as they saw their trainer run off into the woods. Alice kept running until she came upon a sight that stopped her in her tracks.
Anastasia was standing there, the temperature around the area was 50 below. But she didn’t need to make it that way, for Alice’s blood was already running cold due to what she was looking at.
In Anastasia’s left arm, was Charlotte. The left part of her body was already frozen solid. Ice crystals jutted from parts of her leg the had expanded to open several wounds.
But the worst part of it all was one of her legs had already fallen off. Alice’s eyes trailed down until she saw it lying in a pile of snow.
Several footsteps were heard until the rest of Alice’s gang caught up to her. Once they got to their trainer’s side, they all gasped at what they saw.
“Charlotte…,” Rascal said.
“You, you monster!” Shade growled. “Put her down before I-”
“Before you all say anything allow me to tell you what’s going to happen. This little bug is experiencing the effects of third-degree frostbite on her left side. And as you can see it has already caused one of her legs to fall off. Such a fragile little thing.”
Alice said nothing, only continued to glare with Anastasia with obvious rage.
“This little one will never be able to use it left legs again, you will need to amputate them. But it can still live and maybe recover if you take it and your little group and leave, now.”
Alice looked at Charlotte, then back at Anastasia. This was their chance to take down Chaldea and make sure they never pose a threat to Equus and its people. But if she didn’t back out, Charlotte was going to die. She was a member of the team, a partner, a friend.
Charlotte was not worth this.
“Fine, we’ll leave.”
Anastasia smiled. “Good choice.”
The servant walked a few steps and set the Spinnark down in the middle. Alice then went to pick her up and immediately tried warming her with her fur.
“Alice...I’m sorry,” Charlotte said weakly.
“Don’t be, it’s not your fault.”
Alice looked back to Anastasia, only to see that she was already gone.
The other Pokemon gathered around poor Charlotte as she shivered and breathed slowly.
“They will pay for this.” Shade said angrily.
“Yes, yes they will. But another day, right now Charlotte needs help, and that’s what’s important right now.
The Fox gang disappeared into the forest. Only Alice looked back once.
Johnathan and his team sat within the Guard precinct as they all played a game of Phase 10
“I can tell that Echo almost has a full set,” Heat stated.
“How could you possibly tell that?” Howl said.
“She has picked up three cards from the deck and put 3 different cards back. Not to mention when I put a 2 down she grabbed it.”
“Well then that means she at least has 4 of a kind, and since she is at Phase 10 she needs a set of 5 and a set of 3.”
“Yeah and for all we know we she could go out next turn!”
“Well Heat what do you intend to do about it? Do you have a skip card?”
“If I did would I be so worried?”
“Maybe she is just feigning innocence,” Echo said.
“Okay guys settle down,” Johnathan said. “Even if she does go out she is still tied with Heat for the most amount of points. She still needs to clear out in order to win the game.”
“Alright then, let’s see if she has a full set.”
Johnathan pulled a card from the deck and put another one back, it was then Heat’s turn as he pulled a card and looked at his hand.
“What are you smiling about,” Echo said to Heat.
“Nothing, I didn’t smile.”
“Yes, you did, your beak curved upward for a moment.”
“I swear I didn’t smile!”
“You little worm you have a skip card don’t you!”
“I can neither confirm nor deny that I do.”
“Alright then put your card down and let me go.”
‘And let you complete your set? I don’t think so.”
“So you do have a skip card!”
Heat was about to retort when the door to the break room flung open.
“Johnathan, guys!” said a pony cop.
“Officer Clip Clop, what’s wrong?”
“Guess who just left a note on our doorstep.”
“....Is it who I think it is?”
“You guessed it.” The blue Earth pony handed the Lucario a distinct card the was instantly recognizable to the team.
“Another one of Fox’s calling cards, let us see who she’s trying to rob this time,” Echo said.
Johnathan opened the card and read it, but once he was done, he raised an eyebrow.
“What is it?”
“She’s not robbing anyone.”
“What?” Everyone said.
“Listen to this. ‘If you want to apprehend a member of Chaldea, follow the spider’s web at the East side of the Baltimare forest’.”
“You think it might be a trap?” Clip Clop said.
Johnathan thought for a moment.
“Fox is many things. But she has never lied as far as I know. Sure she is a master of deception and misdirection. But she has never verbally lied to anyone.”
“But if she has found someone from Chaldea, why does she need our help in capturing them?” Heat asked.
“Perhaps she knows not to underestimate Chaldea. That or this could be another one of her plans to make the police clean up her mess. We all know how often that happens.”
“Ture, but if Fox really has found something or someone related to Chaldea, we can’t ignore it considering the threat they pose.”
“So, should I gather the force?” Clip Clop said.
“...Yes, tell the Cheif about this and see how many officers he can lend. The rest of you get ready, we move out in 5 mins.”
Rainbow Dash flew through the sky as Cloudsdale grew larger and closer with each passing second. Being the self-proclaimed fastest flyer in Equestria, the pegasus was only rivaled in terms of speed by the Eon Legendary Pokemon.
Everyone knew that Rainbow had always wanted to be part of the Wonderbolts. And now she was an official Cadet in the reserve forces. While this basically meant she wasn’t on active duty, this did give her more time to spend with her friends, which at the end of the day mattered more than any Wonderbolts membership. That being said, any chance she could perform duties in the name of Equestria’s greatest flying force, she would immediately drop everything she was doing(or not doing) and go to help.
“I wonder what they’ve been doing up there? I bet they already beat and captured several servants and locked them up. I’d expect nothing less from the awesomeness that is the Wonderbolts.”
Rainbow Dash eventually reached the cloud-built floating metropolis in the sky. While part of her wanted to stroll through her old stomping grounds, she knew that could wait. After asking several ponies around, she was pointed in the direction of the Cloudsdale Ley Line. Upon arriving there, she smiled as she found the Pegasai she was looking for.
“Hey Spitfire!”
The fiery pegasus ears perked up as she turned around, she then waved as Rainbow approached her.
“Cadet Rainbow Dash, how’s it going?”
“Oh you know me, it’s always going good.”
“So what brings you here?”
“Well, I came to collect a report for Princess Celestia about how your watch on the Ley Line is going.”
“Really, Princess Celestia sent you personally?”
“Yeah, isn’t that great!”
“Hmmm, no offense Rainbow, but do you have a written statement to back that up?”
Rainbow’s demeanor immediately became awkward. “Uhhhhh.”
“Hehe, I’m just pulling your leg cadet.”
“Wait really? You’ll give it to me?”
“Yeah, I trust you. Plus I know for a fact that you’re friends with Princess Twilight, so I know it will get into the right hooves.”
“Oh that’s great, so how long is it gonna take to get all the paperwork?”
“Actually, I won’t be able to give it to you until tonight.”
“Huh? Why?”
“Walk with me to the office I’ll tell you on the way.”
Rainbow Dash trotted alongside Spitfire as they passed the Ley Line and the other Wonderbolts.
“The way it works is that we file a full report every day at midnight. That way we have a complete report of the day to hand in at the end of the shift.”
“But you guys are just looking for servants, right? What else is there to report?”
“It’s not just servant sightings. We have unicorns up here monitoring the flow of magic and recording any spikes in activity. Any surges no matter small may be signs of a servant about to be summoned. So if we can correlate that data with other observations around the country, we could make predictions on when and where a servant might be summoned.”
“Oh, I think I get it, kinda.”
Both Wonderbolts entered a small building allotted to the Wonderbolts as Spitfire took a seat behind her desk.
“Just stay with us for the time being and I hand you the report at 12:00 midnight.”
“Okay.”
“In the meantime, how about you take over Fleetloots shift, this would count as being on duty as a Wonderbolt and count towards your experience.”
“Would I! Count me in!”
“Alright, then, now get out their cadet.”
Johnathan, his team, and several other officers all walked through the forest as they followed a string of webbing.
Finding the web at first wasn’t hard, as whoever made it was kind enough to make a large arrow pointing them in the right direction.
“Shouldn’t we move a little faster?” Howl said.
“Running makes a lot of noise,” Johnathan replied. “If fox really has found someone from Chaldea, I imagine we would want the element of surprise on our side.”
“Huh, makes sense.”
The platoon of guards made their way through the forest until they came to a clearing, where the trail of web ended.
“Is this where Fox wants to meet us?” Heat said.
“Who knows, keep an eye out. If she is here I imagine she’ll show herself soon.”
“Indeed I will.”
Everyone turned, some with their weapons drawn as they looked for the owner of the voice. Jonathan then saw a shadow step out of the trees.
“Fox.”
“Johnathan.”
The former human noticed that she did not refer to him as “Johnny-boy” like she usually did, nor did she have that confident smug tone in her voice.
“What’s going on, where is this Chaldean you said you found?”
Fox turned and looked down the path that leads out of the forest. “Down the road, if you hurry they still might be there.”
Johnathan was a bit confused by her behavior but wasted no time acting.
“Everyone go down the road, see if you can find anything. I’ll catch up.”
The guards did as they were told and started running, only Johnathan’s Pokemon looked back for a moment as the two rivals stared at each other.
“Also, on the off chance that they’re not there allow me to give a description. The thing you should be looking for is a giant ACP or something, So far I encountered 6 Chaldean, but there may be more inside their car. They were all caucasian with two of them having grey hair, their names are Kadoc and Anastasia. Another pair was a brunette who had a servant dressed in white with wings and a spear. That last two were a boy and girl, one had black hair and didn’t look remarkable, but the other had a big shield and was covered in some kind of exoskeleton.”
“Is that all?”
“Yeah. Well, I’d best get going,” Fox said.
“Fox wait.”
The Zoroark stopped but did not turn around.
“You called us here but you’re not going to help us?”
“No,”
“I’m not buying it, I know you Fox. This kind of thing is exactly what you would involve yourself in. You may be a thief, but you also do a lot of good. Enough to make me question whether or not I should arrest you every time I get the chance.”
For a moment unbeknownst to Johnathan, a smile tugged at Alice’s face before fading.
“What’s wrong Fox, did something happen out there?”
“Heh, nothing gets past you doesn’t it? Then again I shouldn’t be surprised given how long I have known you.”
This time Fox turned around to face Johnathan.
“You have a good team Johnny-boy. Who knows, one day they may be good enough to catch me.”
The Lucario nearly let out a chuckle, he never thought he would hear her admit something like that.
“But remember this, never let anything happen to them. No teammate is worth the mission, the number one priority of a leader is to keep their team safe, no matter the cost. Always remember that.”
And with that, Fox turned back around and disappeared into the forest. Leaving a somewhat concerned Johnathan to wonder just what happened before they arrived.
Rainbow Dash walked into Spitfire’s office as the day literally came to an end. Sure enough, it was 12:00 which meant that the Element of Loyalty could now grab what she came for.
“Ah, Rainbow Dash. I trust nothing happened on your watch?”
“No sir, everything was normal. Unfortunately.”
“Is that disappointment I hear, were you actually looking forward to fighting a servant.”
“Maybe.”
“I wouldn’t go looking for trouble if I were you. From what I’ve heard, these servants are too powerful for a single pony to fight alone.”
“Well, these servants have never met me.”
“Still, don’t go rushing into things. That’s the fastest way soldiers can get killed in fights.”
Rainbow Dash said nothing, only gave a little pout.
“Anyway here’s the report from the last week, can I trust you to get it to the Princesses?”
“Trust me? Do you even have to ask that question?”
Spitfire chuckled as Rainbow Dash was about to grab the report. But then Soarin burst into the room.
“Spitfire, Rainbow Dash, you gotta come out now!”
“Soarin what’s going on?”
“I think a servant is being summoned.”
At that moment, Rainbow forgot about the report and rushed outside, followed by Soarin and Spitfire.
The pegasi joined the other Wonderbolts as they stood around the glowing Ley Line.
Everyone watched as magical energy coalesced and reacted to the summoning circle which appeared on the cloudy surface. There was a flash of light that blinded everyone before dying down.
When everyone could finally see again, they beheld the servant that had appeared.
He was a human male in his late teens, or perhaps early twenties. He had green spiky hair and caucasian skin. His clothing was mostly black except for the armor on his shoulders and legs. The final distinctive thing about him was the orange scarf that blew in the wind.
Rainbow Dash looked at him as the servant observed his surroundings. When they locked eyes, all he did was smirk.
That was enough to make the hot-headed pegasus charge at him if not for Spitfire acting first.
“Unknown servant, we are the Wonderbolts. And in the name of Equestria and its Princesses, we order you to stand down!”
The servant closed his eyes.
“Heh, you're the lot they sent to kill me? Wow...”
He opened them with a fierce gaze.
“I’m insulted!”
Everyone was taken about by his declarative dismissal. Rainbow Dash in particular was now more incensed.
“Who do you think you are bub!?”
“Rainbow, stand down,” Spitfire said. Although it was clear to the Wonderbolt captain that she was not paying her any attention.
“Oh that’s right, I guess you wouldn’t know. Listen up you little horses cause I’ll only say this once!”
The servant summoned a spear which he rested on his shoulder.
“My name is Achilles, son of the Argonaut Peleus and the Goddess Thetis. Hero of the Trojan War and the fastest hero you will ever meet. I am of the Rider class, summoned here in service of humanity.”
“Fastest hero you’ll ever meet?”
Achilles looked back at Rainbow who just itching to tackle him.
“Sorry dude, but the fastest hero in the world is me. So why don’t you just surrender now and I’ll save you the trouble of embarrassing you in a fight.”
Achilles let out a hearty laugh at her claim.
“I like you pony, you got spunk. But since you clearly haven’t met me before I’ll give you one last warning to leave now before I have to put you in a hospital.”
“Fat chance, you may wanna reconsider before you take on me and the rest of the Wonderbolts.”
“Is that what you call yourselves? Hmph, very well. I’ll tell you what, since you guys are beneath my level, I won’t kill you. I’ll just let you live with the honor of having to survive an encounter with a hero of my caliber.”
Rainbow Dash had reached her limit. The sheer arrogance and smugness of this guy had completely pissed her off!
“Alright, I’ve had enough of this guy!”
“Rainbow wait!”
Rainbow flew in at Achilles at blinding speed, any normal pony would have to slow down time in order to perceive the moment Rainbow lunged at the servant.
But then something else happened.
There was a flash of green light, followed by what sounded like someone breaking the sound barrier. The next thing she knew, Rainbow Dash found herself on her back, as well as the entire Wonderbolt detachment.
The cyan pegasus in her wildest dreams did not expect what had just happened to her. While someone being as fast as she was no longer unthinkable thanks to Latias, she never thought someone could take down that many ponies in the span of time that he did.
“Well, I think that proves it.
“Y-you.”
“Well, I think I’ll just be going now, later.”
Achilles ran until he came to the edge of the clouds and jumped off it. Rainbow Dash as well as several others got up and rushed just in time to see Achilles perform another impossibility.
The servant put his fingers in his mouth and whistled. The sky split open as a green comet came into existence, the light faded away to reveal a chariot of fine craftsmanship. But what really shocked the onlookers was what was pulling the chariot.
Rather than pegasus who should be the only flying equines capable of making such a vehicle soar through the sky, it was instead pulled by three fully grown non-winged horses.
Achilles grabbed onto the reins as the light engulfed the chariot again and it began to fly at incredible speeds into the distance.
“T-that’s impossible! A normal horse can’t make a chariot fly!” Soarin said.
“Well clearly it is possible Soarin,” Spitfire said. “Now pick your jaw up and contact Canterlot, tell them a servant was summoned in Cloudsdale. Rainbow Dash, I know this guy is fast, but see if you can-”
Spitfire turned only to see that the cyan pegasus was gone. She then looked off into the sky to see a rainbow-colored trail following the green comet.
Spitfire could only let out a sigh.
Rainbow Dash meanwhile had only one thought as she chased the servant.
“I don’t care if this guy’s chariot is pulled by Hippocampie, I am the only fastest flyer in the sky!”
Rainbow Dash soared after the Heroic Spirit, nearly match his speed as she began to catch up. Soon Achilles looked back and saw the pegasus gaining on him.
“You’re not getting away!” Rainbow Dash shouted. But the Greek hero could not hear her over the wind turbulence.
That doesn’t mean he did not sense her determination as she closed the distance between them.
“Well well, your fast, I’ll give you credit for that. Let’s just see how fast you can go.”
Achilles whipped his reins and his three horses shifted into high gear as they ran faster and faster through the air. Eventually, Rainbow Dash began to fall behind as Achilles was traveling faster than her wings could go, his image became smaller and smaller and...
No.
Rainbow’s mind began to race as fast as her.
No way.
Rainbow Dash hated several things in her life, one of which was losing, especially in a race. Losing to others in different athletic games, she could swallow and move on eventually. But if there was one thing Rainbow Dash prided herself on the most was her undisputed title as the fastest flier in Equestria.
You’re not…
So she would be damned if there was someone faster than her.
getting…
Especially.
away…
If that person was someone who threatened to hurt Equestria or any of her friends.
from me!!!
Air and drag became visible around Rainbow Dash as a Mach cone began to form around her. She had already broken the sound barrier, but she needed to go faster. Soon the Mach cone became narrower, sharper until multicolored light began to form around it. The cone and pegasus soon broke the final barrier and the color spectrum.
A rainbow shockwave ripped across the night sky, awakening some who were asleep. For the fourth time in her life...
Rainbow Dash performed a Sonic Rainboom.
Her speeds instantly jumped from Mach 5 to Mach 10. Rainbow became a blinding multicolored light in the sky as she instantly closed the gap between her and Achilles.
The servant heard the Rainboom, but barely had time to react before he felt something kick him off his chariot and sent him tumbling through the air until he hit the ground.
Achilles picked his head up from the crater as he rubbed it. While the attack really didn’t hurt him thanks to his divine protections, he was still a little dazed and confused.
“What the hell was that?”
The Rider soon got his answer when a panting Rainbow Dash touched down right in from of him.
“Told you you weren’t getting away.” The pegasus said in a huff.
“So that was you,” Achilles said as he got up. “Alright seems that you have a trick or two up your sleeve.”
“It’s called a Sonic Rainboom. It’s the reason why I am the fastest flyer in the world, and don’t you forget it!”
“Oh, so you were offended that I might challenge that claim?”
“Well, not anymore, I beat you.”
“Hmph,” Achilles swung his spear on his shoulders.”You didn’t beat me, you just knocked me off my chariot. I’m still standing ready to fight.”
“First of all, I did beat you. Secondly, I just delivered a Rainboom kick to your back, how are you still standing?”
“Heh, maybe your Sonic Rainboom isn’t as great as you thought.”
Rainbow’s eyes blazed with anger at the remark. She was a little bit mad her Rainboom didn’t take out this guy in one shot. Now he was needling her about it. This guy and his friends were here to kill and destroy everything she held dear and he was standing here mocking her!?
“Oh yeah!? How about this!”
In a quick move, Rainbow delivered a blinding kick to Achilles’s jaw. This only made him turn his head and did nothing more.
“Is that all you got?”
Achilles whacked her with the butt of his spear, sending Rainbow rolling across the grass and leaving her with a bruise on her side.
“Ouch.” Rainbow Dash winced in pain as she got up and started back at the Rider with rage.
“I will admit, that Sonic Rainboom of yours might make you a bit faster than me. But there is one category you clearly fall behind in while I accel at.”
Achilles leveled his spear at her.
“The fighting prowess of a warrior.”
Rainbow Dash reared up, ready to pounce.
“I’ll show you a fight!”
The cyan pegasus lunged at the servant, intending to finish this quickly and thoroughly.
But, as if the servant perceived everything in slow motion, Achilles sidestepped her and delivered a chop to back. Sending her to the ground and knocking the wind out of her.
“You’re a fast flyer, but my reaction time is faster than yours,” Ahclles stated this as if it was a matter of fact.
Rainbow Dash coughed. Then tried to buck the servant, only to hit air. Achilles grabbed the still off ground legs and threw the pegasus across the grass again.
But Rainbow Dash was not done, if anything, the fact that this guy was seemingly toying with her was infuriating.
“RAAAGGGGHH!”
Rainbow threw herself at the servant, again and again. She kept missing most of her hits, and ones that did connect were of no effect, and only because he allowed it.
Eventually, Rainbow Dash was worn out, breathing and sweating drops into the ground. Achilles went over and crouched to get to her level.
“Here’s the thing, even if you were fast enough to hit me, it wouldn’t matter. You can’t hurt me.”
Rainbow glanced at him. “What,” *huff* “Are you talking about?”
“I have divine protection covering my entire body. My skin is completely invulnerable to people like you, you have no way of making me bleed.”
“Bull” *huff* “Crap”
“Here.” Achilles dug his spear into the ground and puffed out his chest. “I’ll let you get a few hits on me.”
Rainbow Dash looked at him, still breathing, still hurting in several places.
A smart rational person would assess the situation and would have realized by now that nothing they were doing was hurting this guy. No matter how fast or strong they were.
Unfortunately for the brash and hotheaded Rainbow Dash, being rational and smart was not one of her notable traits.
In a howl of rage, Rainbow Dash laid in on the servant with everything she had left. Punching and kicking him in his legs, chest, and face until her body failed her and she collapsed on the ground, completely spent.
“I’ll admit, you did well for a small pony. Most people can’t even keep up with me. But in terms of warrior prowess, you’ve got a long way to go.” Achilles whistled and his horse-drawn chariot appeared by his side again.
“Get strong, and maybe, just maybe, you’ll be good enough to fight some other weaker servant.”
With one whip of his reins, Achilles sped off into the night sky. He was not even out of Rainbow Dash’s view until the exhaustion caused her consciousness to leave her.
Jonathan finally caught up to the group and beheld the scene that was before him.
The area at the edge of the forest was covered in webs, ice, and small craters of dirt. Aside from that, tire tread imprints ran from where he had met Fox up to this point. The tracks then trailed off into the distance where surely the grass would reshape itself and make it harder to find the vehicle.
Turning to the other Guards he said, “Alright tell me what you all have found so far?”
“Nothing of note Officer Trace. Just a fresh scene of a recently concluded skirmish.”
“Hmm, still, take notes and photos of whatever is necessary. Once we’re done let’s get back to town.”
“Right.”
After several more minutes of investigation, Johnathan and the rest of the Gaurd Officers went back to Baltimare. Upon entering the precinct, the Lucario gave his report to the Gaurd Chief.
“And so Sir, while we were not able to find much less capture any member of Chaldea, the Phantom Theif Fox was able to give a description of what we are looking for.”
“I see, explain.
“The Chaldean fugitives are apparently traveling in a large armored vehicle?”
“Armored vehicle, can you be more descriptive?”
“It resembles an APC or Armored Personnel Carrier. It’s a human vehicle from our world. Back on Earth, we had these things called cars. Think of them as metal carriages that moved under their own power.”
“Interesting.”
“An APC is like a car only bigger and with more armor. While cars were mostly used by civilians, APCs were used by the human military to transport troops and soldiers. And while we don’t know exactly what it looks like, we should look out for something that is close to the description.”
“Noted. Now did Fox say anything about the Chaldeans themselves?”
“Only that she encountered and fought 6 of them, 2 males and one female.” Jonathan then repeated the description of the humans to the chief that Fox gave him.
“Alright, I’ll send a report to Canterlot who will relay the information to the rest of the force around Equestria. While this may not be too much information, it is the first sighting of Chaldea we have gotten so far, plus we now have an idea of what we need to look out for. You did good Officer Trace.”
“I cannot take all the credit, Sir. If it were not for the Phantom Theif Fox, we would have never have learned of this information.”
“You’re actually thanking her? Hmmm, well I guess she deserves that much. Although I have to wonder.”
“Sir?”
“It’s just my opinion since I have never met her myself but, given her reputation of outwitting Officers wherever she goes, I’m surprised she was not able to beat Chaldea.”
“Well sir, Fox is an expert at evading capture and misdirection. Fighting in an actual no-holds-barred battle is not her level of expertise. Fox is not one to fight in a Prolonged Pokemon battle even back on Earth. Her pattern is always going in, taking what she wants, and then escaping. None of her Pokemon excel at battle. In fact, that Sceptile from the PLA that recently joined her is probably the best fighter on her team.”
“Still, if we assume that Chaldea managed to beat her of all people. Then these fugitives are as powerful and dangerous as the Princesses make them out to be. We must be very cautious about this Officer Trace.”
Jonathan’s thoughts turned to the look on Fox’s face when he met her earlier. Wondering just what happened to her and her team before he arrived.
“Yes Sir, we should be very careful.”
Rainbow Dash woke up in a sweat as she inhaled sharply.
“Woah Woah calm down there sugarcube!” Rainbow looked to see Applejack, as well as her friends all gathered around her. It was then that she realized that she was in the hospital, and given how many times she had injured herself flying, she knew that it wasn’t the Ponyville General Hospital.
“Are you alright Rainbow?” Rarity asked.
“Wha- What happened? Where am I? Where is Achilles?”
“You’re in the Canterlot Royal Hospital,” Fluttershy said. “And, who is Achilles?”
“The servant I was fighting, where did he go?”
“We don’t know Rainbow,” Twilight said. “Spitfire and the Wonderbolts found you about 30 miles north of Cloudsdale. You were all bruised and beat up so they brought you back to Canterlot which was close by. Princess Celestia contacted us about what happened and we all came here as fast as we could.”
“Oh. Heh. Thanks guys.”
“You're welcome. From what the doctors say, nothing is broken, but you need to stay in bed for two days.”
“Ugh, two days? Might as well be two months, or two years!”
“I thought you might say that,” Twilight said with a smirk as she opened a backpack she brought with her and took out a book.
“Which is why I brought this!”
Rainbow Dash eyed the book and immediately knew what it was.
“The newest Daring Do book! Gimme!”
“Ah ah ah!” Twilight held the book back. “First we need you to tell us everything that happened to you. Spitfire told us about how you flew after “Achilles” was it? Anyway, what happened?”
“Well after that guy showed up and proclaimed himself the fastest hero in the world, I took that personally.”
“Of course you did,” Applejack said with a sigh.
“The guy then took off in his chariot, so obviously I chased after him. Not just to take him down, but to prove that I am the fastest hero AND flyer in the world.”
“And did you win?”
“Well, sorta. I did a Sonic Rainboom which knocked him off his chariot. But after that I basically got my butt handed to me in an actual hooffight.”
“Well, that’s what you get for trying to take on a servant all by yourself. Celestia herself told us how dangerous they are. Your lucky he didn’t kill you.”
“Hey, I bet I could have won if not for the guys’ impenetrable skin.
“Achilles. Impenetrable skin?” Twilight said in her thinking voice. “Hold on a sec.” Reaching into her backpack again, Twilight then pulled out the Earth Conceptual Compendium. After flipping through several pages, she came upon what she was looking for.
“Aha! Here it is, Achilles, the hero of the Trojan War. It says here that Achilles was the greatest warrior who fought on the side of the Greeks against the Trojans during a great war.”
“What was the war about?” Applejack said.
“Apparently, the Prince of Troy whose name is Paris, kidnapped a woman named Helen to be his wife. But since Helen was the princess of a city in Greece. They weren’t too happy about it.”
“He kidnaped her!? My what a brute!” Rarity exclaimed.
“It’s more complicated than that. From what the myth says. The Greek Goddess of Love Aphrodite brainwashed Helen into falling in love with Paris as a gift to him.”
“So the Goddess of Love just brainwashed a poor lady into being someone’s wife!? How horrible!”
“I agree. If Cadence ever found out about this, I bet she would march up to this goddess and give her a lecture on how love works. But that will never happen.”
“Uh, we’re getting off-topic here.”
“Oh sorry Rainbow Dash, it’s just that these myths are so interesting. Anyway, it says here that Achilles was gifted three horses to pull his chariot. One was a normal horse, while two were divine horses gifted to him by the Greek sea God Posideon.”
“Yeah, those horses can also fly through the air from what ive seen.”
“None winged horses that can fly? Interesting.”
“Does that book say anything about his how his skin is impenetrable?”
“Let’s see, oh yeah here. Achilles as a baby was dipped in the River Styx, a river that runs through the underworld to make his skin unbreakable by his mother. Although another account claims that he was bathed in Holy Fire.”
“Okay, one who throws their baby in a fire? And two, how did he survive that?” Applejack said.
“It doesn’t say, although Achilles is actually a demigod like Karna, so that may be the reason. Or maybe the Holy Fire was magical and wouldn’t hurt him. Anyway, while this guy may seem invincible, he does have one weakness.”
“Really, what is it?”
“His heel. If someone strikes his right heel hard enough then Achilles will lose his invincibility.”
“Alright, now that I know his weak spot, I can win next time I see him,” Rainbow clapped her hooves. “You’re going down Achilles!”
“Don’t get too cocky Rainbow Dash, even without his unbreakable skin, this Achilles guy is still a powerful and skilled warrior from what it seems.”
“What, you’re saying I can’t take him?”
Twilight stared at her determined but stubborn friend. “Yes, Rainbow Dash I am. Look there are just some foes that you cannot fight.”
“But Twilight-”
“No buts Rainbow! I don’t care if he insulted you by claiming he was the fastest. And while I can understand why your pride would be wounded by losing to him in a fight, it just is what it is. While both you and this Achilles are heroes, there is a major difference: You Rainbow Dash are a flyer and a daredevil from time to time, Achilles is a warrior who fought in many battles and defeated many powerful fighters. What combat skills can you boast of Rainbow?”
“Hey, I can put up a good fight. Remember when the Changelings invaded Canterlot I think I kicked the flank of more bugs than you guys.”
“While one could argue that you are the best fighter among us Rainbow, the fact is that Achilles is beyond you in terms of power and skill. You can’t take him down alone, in fact, I’d leave it up to the Legendary Pokemon to deal with him.”
Rainbow Dash wanted to argue the point more. Her pride would not allow someone like Achilles to just show up and beat her like she was nothing. She was not nothing, she was Rainbow Dash, Element of Loyalty, a Wonderbolt!
And yet, even she had to face reality sometimes. Most of the enemies she faced were ones she didn’t defeat on her own. When it came to guys like Nightmare Moon, Discord, and King Sombra, she had her friends there to help her and support her.
“Alright, I promise I won’t go after Achilles.”
Twilight smiled as she realized her words worked.
“Thank you, Rainbow.”
There was a knock on the door and in stepped a large Luxray.
“Hey Twilight, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, how you girls doing?”
“Oh hello, Seth, how ya been, hows Fritter?”
“She’s doing fine, the fires didn’t do that much damage to her home or the fields. Although she is working to replace some of the trees she lost.”
“That’s great to hear, if she ever needs anything tell her she can call me.”
“Will do. Anyway, actually Princess Celestia sent me here to get Twilight.”
“Oh, what does the Princess need me for?”
“She wants to discuss something with you me and Arceus. Apparently, Chaldea has arrived in Equestria.
Upon hearing the news from Seth, Twilight left her friends and went with him to the castle. They eventually made it to the Throne room, and inside were Celestia and Luna, as well as Arceus and Mewtwo.
“Princess Twilight and Seth Crescent glad you both could make it,” Arceus said.
“Likewise Lord Arceus,” Seth responded. “So what’s the news?”
Celestia cleared her throat. “Well, a report came in from Baltimare saying that Phantom Thief Fox had an encounter with Chaldea.”
“Fox found Chaldea? I’m...actually not that surprised.”
“Indeed,” Princess Luna stated. A statement from the Officer who was here during the Heist of the Crown Jewels, Officer Johnathan Trace, says that Fox had an encounter of some kind with Chaldea. Unfortunately, she was not able to apprehend a single member.”
“A shame,” Mewtwo said. “We would only need but one to find the rest. It would take but a single mind probe to gleam the location of their base of operations.”
Celestia eyes Mewtwo with concern. “Speaking of bases, Jonathan also stated that the Chaldeans are apparently traveling in a large armored vehicle, I believed he described it as an APC?”
“An Armored Personnel Carrier, I’m familiar with the term,” Seth said.
“Is that all?” Arceus said.
“Other than the descriptions of 6 humans, that is all Fox was able to glean from her scuffle with them.”
“I see,” Arceus sighed. “I suppose that will have to do.” The Pokemon god’s eyes glowed as well as the report that Celestia held in her magical grasp, taking the descriptions that were on it. “I shall use this information to conduct a search to the best of my ability. Good day to you all.”
Then in a golden flash, the deity was gone.
“Wow, he certainly was in a hurry,” Twilight said.
“Lord Arceus has been restless ever since this whole thing began,” Mewtwo stated. “He will stop at nothing until Chaldea is found and is made no longer a threat to the Pokemon and people of this world. Heh, those humans have no idea what is coming for them.”
And with that, Mewtwo also teleported away.
“Hmph, I don’t know who I should be worried for most,” Celestia said. “The Chaldeans or Arceus.”
“You’re concerned about the humans who wish to destroy us?” Luna said.
“From what we understand, these humans are not evil or malicious Luna, they do not take pleasure in what they do. I’m sure that if they wanted they would find another way to save their world without destroying ours.”
“You have never met these Chaldeans before sister, how can you be so sure of their feelings?”
“I don’t. But I will say this, I do not like the idea of Arceus finding Chaldea before we do.”
“What do you mean?” Twilight asked.
“Twilight, I’m sure it’s obvious to you as well as others that Arceus has a very low opinion of humans, almost to the point of hatred, or as the humans would call it, being misanthropic. I can’t imagine he would treat them fairly or impartially.”
“Okay I know the Arceus doesn’t like humans, but he wouldn't do anything too terrible to them would he?”
“I’m not sure, but I would feel a lot better if they were in our custody than his. It’s obvious he has bais considering that the worst of humanity drove him into leaving his home. We on the other hand had experienced the good members of the human race that he brought with him.” Celestia looked at Seth as she said this who smiled back at her.
“We must find Chaldea as quickly as possible before Arceus does.”
“The question is, what are they planning to do now that they are here in Equestria?”
“Well from the information that we know,” Seth said. “They plan to destroy this Lostbelt, and the best way to do so is by cutting down our Tree of Emptiness. Which according to Harmony, is the very thing that keeps a Lostbelt alive."
Twilight nodded in agreement. “So the question is, where is our Tree of Emptiness?”
Princess Celestia looked toward a stained glass window, one which depicted the founding of Equestria.
“Only Harmony knows.”
The Shadow Border drove along the fields of grass under the night sky, eventually coming to a stop and the southern foot of Canterlot Mountain. Once Goredolf put the Border in park, Kadoc was the first to ask the obvious question.
“So, what now?”
“A good question,” Kirschtaria said. “Holmes, what do you make of our current situation?”
“Well, even though we managed to escape that encounter with this “Phantom Thief Fox”, I think we should be lucky that we did.”
“Lucky?”
“While it may not seem apparent at first, that Pokemon and her group are more dangerous and skilled at first glance. To simply put, they no doubt had us on the defensive for the entire time and only continued to gain ground.”
The group only needed a moment to agree with the detective's assessment.
“I agree with Holmes,” Da Vinci said. “Most of those guys may not look tough or as skillful in a fight as we are. But they more than made up for it with deception and not giving us a moment to breathe. And while the likelihood of them breaching the Border was very low, it was never zero.”
“Plus defeating us was apparently not their intended objective, in all likelihood they were stalling us so more backup would arrive,” Kirschtaria said.
“It's a good thing Anastasia managed to drive them off,” Kadoc said with pride.
“Yeah about that,” Da Vinci said as she turned to the Russian servant. “What exactly did you do?”
Anastasia did not even hesitate to answer. “I threatened to kill their spider unless they left.”
Most of the room then went silent.
“Really?” Mash said in a surprised voice.
“Yes, I wanted to see if they valued the life of their pet more than their mission to apprehend us.”
Ritsuka then found his voice. “Okay but, you didn’t really hurt it right?”
“I may have rendered several of its appendages in need of amputations. Why?”
Ritsuka then sighed and was about to speak up before Sherlock beat him to it.
“Miss Anastasia, while torturing and blackmail are not exactly methods I or some of us would not employ, I have a feeling that it may not have been the best solution.”
“Hey, she got us out of that situation right. Who cares if those Pokemon hold a grudge?”
“While the possibility of running into them is low like Da Vinci, said it’s never zero. They found us once so the possibility exists they might find us again. You also have to remember that we are still enemies of this world. In the last two Lostbelts, we managed to get off on the right foot with our first encounters with the inhabitants. From beginning to end they understood that we were not bad people even though we were here to destroy them. Even the Yaga understood that in their finale moments.”
Ritsuka and a few others turned their thoughts to a certain Yaga who swore to never forgive them for the crime of showing him a better world existed.
“Now it’s clear that will no longer be the case. This Fox in all likelihood now sees us as villains who are willing to torture and maim. She will likely tell others about this and as a result, the people of the Lostbelt will search and come at us with more determination and vindication. To simply put, we are now the evil here.”
Before the conversation could continue, all of a sudden, there was beeping the control console.
“What is it?” Kirschtaria said.
“One of our long-distance drones has found several servant signatures!” Da Vinci said.
“Really?”
“Yeah, according to these readings, numerous spirit origins have been spotted in a canyon southwest of here.”
“Are they friendly?”
“Who knows, but there is nothing the data says that indicates they are Lostbelt servants. We’ll just have to go there and see for ourselves.”
“Well, then what are we waiting for let’s go!” Goredolf exclaimed. “The more help the merrier!”
The Shadow Border once again began moving, heading Southwest towards their intended destination, avoiding Ponyville and going around the Everfree Forest,
Eventually, they came upon the area that was known to the natives as Ghastly Gorge. After a few more minutes of driving, they came upon a spot on the edge of the canyon.
Mash, Ritsuka, and Kirschtaria got out to get a look at the surroundings.
“They should be around here,” Mash said.
“Then where are they?” Ritsuka said.
“Right here,” a voice responded.
The trio turned with their guard up to see someone step out of the bushes.
It was a man who appeared to be of eastern descent, his shirtless chest showed off his detailed tattoos while he wore gauntlets on his arms and some form of clothing on his legs. He had black hair in a ponytail and had brown eyes.
Of course, having survived Shinjuku, Ritsuka knew who he was.
“You’re Yan Qing!”
“That’s right, and you guys must be from Chaldea. Glad you could make it! We’ve been expecting you.”
Then, nine more servants came out of spirit form. All of them of various classes. Ritsuka and Kirschtaria recognizing all of them.
“Is this everyone?”
“A naw, you should see the hideout. We got maybe a dozen more back there.”
“A dozen!?”
“Come one I’ll show you.”
The trio looked at each other and smiled before following the servant. Things were finally looking up in this Lostbelt for Chaldea.
Ash was no stranger to camping, as he spent nearly most of his time during the many journeys throughout the regions of the Pokemon world sleeping in a sleeping bag whenever a Pokemon Center was not nearby.
That being said, he rarely if ever camped out in order to stay awake.
“Want an Oran berry Ash?”
“No thanks Latias.”
“Hey Ash, want a Sitrus berry?”
“Oh, thanks Misty.”
He also never had two girlfriends before. So it was a new experience for everybody.
“How would you know if Ash wanted a Sitrus berry?” Latias said in an annoyed voice.
“Cause I’ve known him longer,” Misty said as a matter of fact.
“Hmph.” Latias just pouted and ate the berry in her hand.
Aside from being with Misty and Ash, she was currently in the company of maybe half of Ash’s known Pokemon that he had captured over the years. All of them gathered around the Ley Line in Whitetail Woods as part of Ash’s volunteer duty to stop any servants who might appear.
But so far no servants had appeared yet, even though some of their friends would come by occasionally and casually inform them about servants appearing in other parts of Equestria. So in the meantime, they used the lull in activity to have more dates.
“Hey Ash, remember that time when you and Pikachu became ghosts?”
“Ash was a ghost!?” Latias asked with a hint of worry.
“Oh yeah, it was around the time when I was challenging the Saffron Gym. I wanted to catch a Ghost-Type Pokemon so I went to the Lavender Town Tower to find one.”
“What happened?”
“Long story short a Ghastly, Haunter, and Gengar pulled me and Pikachu out of our bodies and we became ghosts for a while. But we eventually convinced them to put us back.”
“Oh my gosh Ash, I’m so sorry. That must have been a terrifying experience for you.”
“It was at first, but I actually had a lot of fun. I remember waking up to see Misty crying over my body. Although in hindsight, she must have been more worried than I thought.”
The Vaporeon’s cheeks became red. “Yeah. So don’t you ever scare me like that again Ash! I don’t just mean when you had that Haunter scare us afterward!”
“Alright, I promise.”
The two old friends shared a laugh and the old memories. Latias wanted to join in, but she somehow just couldn’t make herself do it.
“Ash and Misty sure have a lot of good memories. More than I ever did with him.”
Indeed, there was no denying it. In terms of experience and shared times, Misty would forever be the friend that Ash knew longer and was closer with. While she had known him for a day at the very least, Misty had known him for years.
There were only two people the Eon Pokemon had ever displayed romantic feelings for, Ash and Weiss. Ash was a boy she had known for about 24 hours and shared the traumatic experience of losing her brother with. But despite that, she fell in love with him in that short amount of time. So when he had to inevitably leave, she made sure to give him the honor of her first kiss...on the cheek.
Weiss on the other hand was the person who had, or rather stole her first mouth-to-mouth kiss. While their first meeting was far from the most ideal one, the mercenary would end up becoming one of her closest friends. Truthfully, Weiss was closer to Latias in ways that Ash never was until recently, he actively visited her, which was more than Ash ever did. He was one of the few people there for her after the death of Latios besides Bianca and her grandfather. All of this lead to the potential for their relationship to be something more.
But Weiss, even though he might have felt the same way, did not think it would work. At least not in the way he wanted it to. He was a mortal man, one who would fade away into the annals of history. After 500 years, what would she have of him? His memories, as well as her brother, her father, and the rest of her extended family. He did not want to impose that onto her, to have her go through the loss of losing someone she loved, just like her brother. They had both come to an agreement on this matter and chose to remain friends.
But even though in the end, she had gotten with Ash, the same problem was true in his case. He would be dead by the end of the century, and she would have lost one of the only humans she ever loved. One that she loved and followed through on.
Before they decided to share him, she told Misty that she didn’t care that Ash was mortal. She wanted to spend every moment she had with him, even though she knew he would be dead long before she would, if ever. But to be honest, that was just a front. In actuality, she wanted to be with Ash forever. Despite being thousands of years old, she had never actually “been” with anyone until now. Anyone who had an interest in her either felt unworthy of mating with a Legendary Pokemon or was too fearful that her brother or her father might not find them worthy. And considering Latios’s reaction upon first meeting Ash and Weiss, she couldn’t blame them.
The only way she could truly be with him was if she begged Arceus to make Ash immortal. That in and of itself would not be too much trouble since Arceus wholeheartedly approved of Ash due to his many heroic deeds. Saving the lives of many Legendary Pokemon will get you on God’s good side. But was it something that Ash would want? While he would have her for all eternity, Ash in turn would outlive all his friends and family. She would ultimately end up forcing the same aforementioned sorrow and heartbreak upon him, only Ash had more to lose in this case.
Could she really make him go through all that?
“Hey, Latias?”
The Legendary Pokemon snapped out of her deep thoughts to see Ash and Misty staring at her with concerned looks on their faces.
“Are you okay? You looked like you were spacing out.”
“Oh, I’m fine Ashy.”
“Alright, so Misty was just reminding me about the time when this girl Macy wanted to take me to lunch. Looking back now I realized that Misty was maybe a little jealous of her.”
“Oh shut up you!”
Both Pokemon once again shared a brief laugh while Latias let out a small fake chuckle.
”No, I shouldn’t force my own selfish wishes upon him. If you love someone, you must also be prepared to let them go. Ash has a right to be happy the way he wants to.”
And yet, a small thought at the back of her head told her that she had a right to be happy as well. After everything that has happened to her, did she not deserve to be happy?
Ghastly Gorge
The members of Chaldea Team A were deep into the cave when they came upon an open area lit up by various fires and torches. Sitting or standing around were several servants who all turned their heads at the sight of several masters arriving.
“Hey everybody,” Yan Qing announced. “Look who we found!”
“Well well, looks like the last masters of humanity have arrived. Now we can finally get started!” One servant said.
“Was wondering when you guys would show up, long time no see!” Said another.
The various members of Team A as a whole were able to remember and identify all the servants present. Among them included: Siegfried, Saint George, Mordred, Gawain, Gareth, Nursery Rhyme, William Shakesphere, Charles Babbage, Sita, Kato Danzo, Karna, Semiramis, and several others they didn’t recognize.
“This is indeed a sizable number of servants,” Ophelia said. “The Counter Force must be serious if it has sent this many.”
“Remember that Alaya only summons the bare minimum amount of power or servants needed to neutralize the current threat against humanity,” Kadoc said. “If it has summoned this many servants, then that should be an indicator of just how dangerous this Lostbelt is.”
“Oh, that reminds me,” Qing said. “There is one servant in particular who wants to see you.”
“Who?” Kirschtaria said.
“He’s right over here.” Qing pointed to a part of the cave that was dug out and had the distinct aura of a magical workshop. This meant that whoever wanted to see them was most likely a Caster.
Kirschtaria, Ritsuka, and Mash went inside. Upon entering the room, they found three tables and littered with various artifacts and items. A modern mage would be astonished at the amount and quality of material on display. After all, stuff like this could only be found in the Age of Gods.
“Hmph about time you showed up.” The voice came from a person standing in front of a table working on something. After he put his things down, he turned to face his guests. “Don’t you know it’s imprudent to keep a king waiting?”
If the voice and clothing were not already a dead giveaway, the identity of this servant was apparent.
“King Gilgamesh,” Kirschtaria said.
The King of Heroes only flashed his signature smug smile. “Well, then mongrels, who will have the honor of forming a contract with me?”
-
Outside, the rest of Team A was getting acquainted with the other servants. Ophelia was currently approaching a Heroic Spirit she didn’t recognize.
“Um excuse me?”
The servant in question turned to greet her. She was female with red hair that was tied in a bun, in a way that resembled the King of Knights, although she did not share the same face as her. She wore unique Grecian clothing and had a lively peach-colored body. Her eyes were gold and she looked to be in her late teens or early twenties. On her arm was a sash that seemed to give off an aura of power and mana, perhaps this was her Noble Phantasm?
“Hello, my name is Ophelia.”
The servant smiled and held out her hand. “Hello Ophelia, my name is Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons.”
Ophelia shook her hand and raised an eyebrow, “Hippolyta? You’re the older sister of Penthesilea right?”
“Yes, do you know her?”
“We...have met.” the magus’s thoughts thinking back to the Agartha singularity.
“Well, I apologize if my sister has caused you any trouble. From what I heard she has been summoned in her Berserker class several times. And I know all too well that it takes one or two specific words to set her off."
“Yes, needless to say, we try to avoid that name around her. So is everyone here all the servants the Counter Force summoned?”
“Actually no. Servants are being summoned all over the Lostbelt in the various countries that make it up. You could say that we are the Equestrian branch of servants summoned by the World. In fact, more servants are still being summoned almost every day. In fact, the one who killed my sister was summoned yesterday.”
“Oh you mean- Ach,” Ophelia on instinct caught herself and looked around to see if Penth was nearby. “Achillies was summoned? But I haven’t seen him here. Is he out?”
“Currently yes. Achilles being the fastest servant was sent by Gilgamesh to round up all the recently summoned Heroic Spirits scattered all over the country. That Caster says that we will need every servant we can for what’s about to happen next.”
“Wait, what do you mean?”
“All I know is that it’s something he wished to discuss first with your leader.”
-
Back inside his workshop, it was decided that Kirschtaria was to establish a formal contract with the King of Heroes. After which the Caster got straight to business.
“Alright Chaldeans, tell me what you know of this Lostbelt so far.”
“Are you sure we can’t bring the others in here? Shouldn’t they hear this?” Ritsuka said.
“They will hear it from your mouths in time. I just wanted to converse with you first to see what you will do with this information. Now, tell me what you know.”
The three humans told Gilgamesh everything they had learned about this Lostbelt since arriving in it.
“I see, you indeed learned about as much as I would have expected. But before I begin, you all know that I possess a form of clairvoyance thanks to my Noble Phantasm, Sha Naqba Imuru: The Omniscient Omnipotent Star. With this, I am able to see various worldlines and possible futures.”
“Ah yes,” Mash said. “King Gilgamesh is someone who is said to see through all of creation, his very mentality sublimated into a Noble Phantasm.
“However there is a drawback, while I am indeed able to see many different possibilities, my future sight is only strongest in our world. In a Lostbelt which is considered a different world altogether, the sight is limited and I can only get bits and pieces of what is to come.”
“Oh, I see. So you can’t accurately predict what is going to happen here in this Lostbelt.”
“Hmph, even if I did, knowing the future always runs the risk of changing it in trying to make your desired outcome come true. That being said I have been able to learn some basic but crucial things about this Lostbelt and its people, so allow me to fill in the gaps for you.” Gilgamesh crossed his arms as his face became serious. “First of all, as you know this Lostbelt is abnormal in that it covers the whole planet but does not seem to be complete in its subversion of human history. While I do not know the full details, I learned through my clairvoyance that this Lostbelt’s King is actively preventing the final growth of the Tree of Emptiness.”
This news came as a surprise to the trio. “The King is preventing the growth of the Lostblet?” Mash said. “Why?”
“It’s not like there is no precedent for this Mash,” Kirschtaria said. “Remember that Ivan the Terrible refused to grow his Tree for his own religious reasons. It's why the Crypter of the Russian Lostbelt teamed up with us in the first place so to remove him.”
“While a mystery worth investigating, there are other things about this Lostbelt that are unusual,” Gilgamesh said. “This Lostbelt in a way can be compared to the 6th Singularity during the incineration of humanity. That particular distortion as you may remember had its roots in various events, some of which were unforeseen by the Observer on the Timeless Temple. This Lostbelt is the same in that an outside party invaded this world and affected it in a way that altered what it was supposed to be. I think you can guess what that party is.”
“The Pokemon,” Ritsuka said.
“Correct. If the Lion King was the abnormality of the 6th Singularity, then Arceus and his Pokemon are the unforeseen factors of this Lostbelt.”
“Do you know who this Arceus is King of Heroes?” Kirschtaria asked.
“Arceus, to simply put is a god from another universe. But when I say another universe, I mean a world far removed from our own tree of time. He is from a world similar and at the same time not similar to our own.”
“What do you mean?”
“Basically, Arceus is from another Earth, but this one has a completely different origin than ours. Think of it as two swords that are coincidently similar yet crafted by a different blacksmith who had the same idea, but different methods.”
“I...I think I understand,” Mash said. Giles de Reis told me about how the Outer Gods are not from this universe. That they will not return to the Root once they die, since they did not come from it. I suppose this Arceus is the same?”
“Indeed, you are correct Shielder. Now onto the matter of why he is here. We know that he left his world to get away from the evil parts of humanity that he refused to face. However, in an ironic twist of Fate he ended up here, in a world dominated by the Common Sense of Man. Of course, it did not seem this way when he must have first looked at it, but I guess in his haste, he did not feel the need to delve deeper and peel away the veil that hides the true nature of this world.”
“So what you’re saying is, that Arceus did not realize what this world was before he came here?”
“Indeed, truly his is a mongrel of very low intelligence.”
Elsewhere, Arceus sensed someone insulting his hasty actions for the umpteenth time.
“Okay so aside from that,” Kirschtaria said. “Do you know just how powerful this Arceus is?”
“Well, by the definitions of our world. Arceus is a cosmic god whose power is on the level of a true creator of the universe. Normally back in his world, he would be considered the root and origin of all things.”
It took a while for the three of them to process what they had just heard. Arceus was a god capable of creating a universe. Even here on Earth, where all creation myths are true, those cosmoses were merely relegated to their own textures. In reality, while during the Age of Gods, those who were worshipped as creator deities could very well shape the world to their desires, they were still limited to the boundaries of their own domain, as well as the Earth and the Solar System itself in the case of Sun Gods and Bodhisattvas.
To know that there was indeed a God capable of creating an entire universe…
“Before you all start shaking let me finish. While Arceus is indeed one who created a universe, this is only true back in his world. But after coming here, it seems he has lost that power.”
“Lost?”
“Surely even you all can understand that it takes a lot of energy to travel between stars. Imagine how much would be needed to transport yourself as well as several billion lifeforms from one far-flung universe to another. It would require an absurd amount of energy even greater than the Incineration of Humanity.”
“So, what you’re saying is…”
“Arceus may have at one point been a mighty God, but by coming here and bringing all his people with him, he has drained his power considerably. Not to mention he is bound by the rules and laws of this planet, which states that a god can only have so much power and authority. At best Arceus is less strong than Tiamat during the 7th singularity but stronger than a Divine Spirit. Most likely.”
“Tiamat…” Mash recalled the events of the 7th Singularity where they met King Gilgamesh, and how they somehow managed to beat that Beast by the skin of their teeth.
“But despite his great loss in power, let’s not forget that Arceus is a God of Creation. One who has all the powers and authority that comes with it. It wouldn’t be outside the realm of possibility that he could likely erase someone’s existence.”
“The power to erase people from existence,” Kirschtaria said. “This Arceus truly sounds like a grave threat to our mission to restore human history. I suggest we begin to make plans to try and find some kind of weakness, or at least a way to counter or nullify his authorities.”
“A sound suggestion, however, there is something else we need to discuss first.”
Celestia, Luna, and Twilight stood in front of a mirror.
The mirror itself was nothing special, just a large piece of reflective glass that we made for the height and size of an alicorn. But that was all they needed.
“Alright, here we go,” Celestia said as she looked into the mirror. “Oh Harmony, hear me.”
Three seconds later, an image of the Goddess herself appeared in the mirror.
Harmony had told her that if she ever needed to talk or ask her something, that she would only have to stand in front of a mirror and speak those words.
“Celestia, Luna, Twilight, to what do I owe this audience?”
“We have certain questions we want to ask you,” Luna said.
“Very well, I shall answer them to the best of my ability.”
“Harmony,” Twilight said. “You said that Chaldea’s main goal is to cut down the Lostbelt Tree of Emptiness that sustains our world correct.”
“Indeed. By cutting down our Tree, the cornerstone maintaining our existence will be lost and our world will be pruned and returned to the cosmic void.”
“Alright then, so where is our Tree of Emptiness, what does it look like?”
“...I see, so that’s what you want to know,” Harmony exhaled as she knew this question was inevitable. “That I cannot tell you.”
The three alicorns were shocked at that answer. “What! Why?”
“Allow me to explain. The Tree itself being the thing that maintains the existence of our world is actually very large, its size and height surpassing the clouds. It gives off an energy that can be sensed by certain individuals and instruments. And so I hid the tree, not just to keep Chaldea from finding it, but so that other individuals from our world can’t abuse its power.”
“What do you mean, abuse its power?” Celestia said.
“The Tree of Emptiness generates an unfathomable amount of energy, the kind of energy that one could use to shape the world. And we all know that there are certain individuals in the world who would try and find a way to steal that power, and I don’t just mean people like King Sombra and Tirek. I didn’t want to say this back then, but I don’t fully trust Arceus.”
This answer came as a slight surprise to the Princesses.
“Why do you not trust Arceus?”
“While I admit he is not the wisest individual to wield the kind power that he does,” Luna said. “He has proven himself to be someone who will protect this world with his life.”
“That right there is the problem,” Harmony said in a grim voice. “Arceus is not at the level of power that he wants to be. Any god who falls from grace will naturally want to regain the power that they lost, that’s just how they are. At the first World Summit, did Arceus not casually mention that he could just overthrow all the World Leaders with just a thought and leave him with no opposition to rule the world?”
Celestia sighed as she thought back to that idiotic and oblivious statement that he made. Indeed it was still somewhat worrying that Arceus could just rule the world unopposed if he so desired. The only thing keeping him from doing that was his well-intentioned but flimsy morality. If a country or one of the World Leaders actually tried doing something appalling to the Pokemon, there was no guarantee that he wouldn’t just will said country out of existence.
“You see my point don’t you, Arceus is an individual with too much power who has already demonstrated his lack of consequential foresight in using it. Earlier he asked me why he was still weak when his power should be regenerating much faster than it is. I told him it was because of the pressure from the Counter Force of the World...but in truth, I was the one who put a cap on his abilities.”
The alicorn’s reactions ranged from shocked, surprised, to disbelief.
“Wait, you’re the reason Arceus is not as strong as he should be?” Twilight said.
“And you lied to him about why he has not regained his power?” Celestia stated. “Are you not concerned about how he might react if he discovers this deception?”
“If that day comes I will deal will his rage myself, you all need not suffer. But the point is is that I cannot allow him to run around with too much power. If Arceus ever learns where the Tree of Emptiness is, he will be tempted to siphon off some of its power to restore his own. Weakening the tree in the process.”
“You really think he would try to drain to power from the tree just to restore his own?” Luna said. “Even though it would endanger this world and his own Pokemon who live in it?”
“Keep in mind that Arceus cares more about his Pokemon than the people of this world. If he had his full power back, there is nothing keeping from taking his Pokemon and moving to another world.”
“But what about the new family and friends his Pokemon have made by moving to this world. Would he really be so callous as to just rip them away from their new home?” Twilight said.
“You forget that he has already done this when he took his people from Earth, ripping them away from their lives as well as the friends and family that they knew longer. Even if those friends and family members were among those not worthy of making it here, the fact is that he has done something like this before. You should have seen how many times he casually turned away and dismissed Former Humans who came to his temple and asked to be changed back into their old bodies or who wanted to go back home.”
Celestia wanted to retort but stopped herself. In a sense, Harmony was right. She remembered during one of their first meetings how when Arceus brought up the event that imprisoned him. He also stated that he would be disclosing the means by which he was sealed away for his own protection. While she understood why he withheld that information, it meant that the people of Equss had no contingency for Arceus if he ever went too far. She recalled how he refused to change any former human back to their old selves after he forcibly turned them into Pokemon against their will. And all for the flawed reasoning of him believing that their descendants would restart the cycle of treating Pokemon as lesser beings, it’s as if he believed that human superiority was something engraved into their very being. But Celestia and most people knew that evil is not tied to one single race.
Celestia turned back to Harmony and exhaled. “While I can understand why you would want to keep Arceus at less than full power. I still think that lying to him was a mistake. Equestria is a land built on friendship and trust, if we cannot trust our friends, who can we trust?”
Harmony made no argument no did she openly agree.
“That being said, I will keep your secret for now. However, if Arceus becomes suspicious and directly asks me if you’re hiding something from him, I will have no choice but to tell him. I couldn’t deceive him even if I wanted to.”
“I understand. Is there anything else anyone wishes to ask?”
“I do,” Luna said. “I can understand hiding the Tree of Emptiness from Arceus as well as the public eye. But why not tell us? You know you can trust us with its location right?”
“It’s not that I don’t trust all of you, it’s that once you know, others will eventually learn as well. Mewtwo will only need to glimpse into your minds without you knowing to learn of its location. Now, I promise that I will reveal the location of the Tree to all of you in due time. Even Arceus shall be informed, but only once I believe he has proven himself.”
“Hmm very well.”
“But Harmony,” Twilight said. “You forget that Chaldea is looking for the Tree as well. What if they find it and cut it down before we get there?”
“Cutting down the Tree of Emptiness is no easy feat. It will take more firepower than Chaldea currently has in order to do it. And besides, I have warded the area around the Tree to alert me if people are near it. Should that happen, you will be the first to learn about it. Anyway, I have to go now. Good luck my little ponies.”
And with that, the image of the deity disappeared, leaving the alicorns once again alone in the throne room.
“That’s my line,” Celestia muttered.
Kirschtaria, Ritsuka, and Mash were a bit surprised and confused, to say the least about what Gilgamesh had just told them.
“Uh, could you repeat that again?” Mash said.
“I said, that the location of the Tree of Emptiness will be revealed soon to all. And once that happens, we will have a small window of opportunity in order to cut it down. After that, we will not have another chance for quite some time.”
“Could you elaborate more on that?” Ritsuka asked.
“I do not have the full details, all I know is that something will soon cause the Lostbelt Tree to fully manifest from wherever it is hiding. Once this happens, assume that the forces of this Lostbelt will rally to its defense almost immediately. In that moment of confusion, we will have an opportunity to strike down the tree before this kingdom can form a strong protection. Whatever happens after that is up to fate.”
“Hmmm, I see,” Kirschtaria said. “This is indeed very good news Gilgamesh. If there is an opportunity to destroy this Lostbelt swiftly, then we must seize it with everything we got. I shall relay this information to the others.”
“Make hast as you do so, I expect a decision about what you intend to do about this information before the day ends.”
“I will Gilgamesh.”
“Wait,” Ristuka said. “I have a question.”
“Yes?”
“It’s about Arceus, do you know where he is?”
“His temple is located in what these natives call the Everfree Forest, the one that just so happens to border on the east side of this canyon. I suggest you avoid it entirely for now. The area in and around it has a high concentration of mystery, plus your little vehicle would not stay undetected for long the closer you get to his complex.”
“Noted. Thank you, Gilgamesh.”
“Take care where you go in this Lostbelt mongrels, it is no exaggeration that this will be one of if not the hardest Lostbelt that you will have the pleasure of erasing.”
Nighttime had once again fallen upon Ash’s little campsite. The former human turned Pikachu was sleeping next to Misty as Latias and several of his Pokemon kept watch on the Ley Line. Although the Legendary Pokemon promised to wake him up at the first sign of trouble.
“You deserve to rest Ashy, wouldn’t want you to fight while drowsy.”
While the Eon Pokemon was thinking of Ash first when she told him to get some sleep, she hadn’t expected Misty to join him in dreamland. Looking over at the couple, they almost looked cute sleeping together. But at the same time, she could not help but feel a twinge of jealousy.
“They do look cute together.”
“May I sit here?”
Latias nearly jumped/turned invisible as Delia Ketchum somehow sneaked up on her.
“Oh sorry dear, did I startle you?”
“No it’s fine, you can sit here with me.”
The Leavany sat on the log nest to Latias while she floated next to her.
“It’s so peaceful isn’t it?”
“Yeah, they do look peaceful.”
“I meant the night sky.”
“Oh y-yeah, that’s what I thought you meant.”
There was an awkward silence on Latias’s part.
“So dear, how are you and Ash doing?”
“Oh, it’s going great miss Ketchum! He’s so sweet and so cute. I never thought I would get with someone like him.”
“Well, I’m happy for you dear. And if Ash is happy then you will always have my full approval.”
“Hehe thank you that means a lot.”
Another few seconds of silence passed before Latias spoke again.
“....Miss Ketchum?”
“Yes, dear?”
“What do you think, about how Ash is dating both me and Misty?”
“What do I think?”
“Well, let’s be real, you never thought he would agree to be with both of us.”
Delia thought back to when Ash first broke the news to her. How the gears in her head had to turn a little before she processed what she just heard.
“I won’t lie, it was as much of a surprise to me as it was to him. But if Ash is okay with it then I trust his decision on who he wants to be with.”
“Yeah but, if he had to choose, who would have been your first choice?”
“...My dear, I don’t think that’s…” The mother of Ash saw the look in the legendary’s eyes, it was obvious that she would be bothered by this until she had an answer.
“Well if I had to be honest, while I would be happy if he chose you, part of me preferred Misty.”
Latias’s ears dropped. On some level, she expected that answer from Delia, but it still stung to hear it nonetheless.
“I see. I understand.” Latias looked away but then felt a hand on her shoulder.
“My dear, in life, people will always have preferences. Things they lean to more than others, that’s just how it is.”
“I know, it’s just, part of me thought that Ash was gonna choose me. I was so sure he would pick me. I never considered how much time he spent with Misty, how much closer he is to her than I ever was.”
“While Ash is someone who is closer to Misty, he is also someone who would have never realized her feelings unless she blatantly told him. You must remember that Ash being who he is, is oblivious to the feelings of those around him, and often misses the deeper meaning of other things in life.”
“I know, he’s so into Pokemon battling that Misty said he once thought the word ‘Psychology’ was a Pokemon.”
“And that right there is Ash’s defining strength, but as his mother, I can’t help but also admit that it is his greatest drawback. But focusing himself on Pokemon and being a Pokemon Master, he is a complete amateur when it comes to the concept of love itself. It took him a while to understand why the two of you had such strong feelings for him.”
“I know, I thought that by calling him nice, sweet, and cute that he would get the message. Turns out that he is denser than I thought.”
“Another great thing about Ash that also sets him back when it comes to romance, is that he can’t bring himself to hurt his friends. He thought that by not choosing either of you, he would not have to break your hearts in the event that he chose one and not the other. But because he is still a novice when it comes to people’s feelings, Ash failed to realize that by not choosing either, you two would still be heartbroken. At least if he chose one, then somebody would be happy.”
Latias nodded. She remembered how when Ash was walking away after he rejected both her and Misty, how panicked she was. After losing him the first time, after she and Weiss decided to remain friends, she couldn’t bear the thought of not being with him. Her idea of polygamy was a last resort so that she could still have Ash in some form. And to be honest, they sort of forced their decision on Ash rather than asking him if he was okay with such a form of romantic relationship.
“Latias, Ash is still new to this. Whereas he might have had to deal with one girlfriend he ended up with two. Not that there is anything wrong with that, but I must ask that you and Misty don’t overwhelm him.”
“...You’re right. I never really thought about it that way.”
“Ash is someone who for the majority of his life has always thought about Pokemon and Pokemon battles. I want you and Misty to show him that there are other forms of joy in life, I want you two to show him what love is, and why it is more important than he realizes.”
“I will, thank you miss Ketchum.”
The Leavanny nodded and smiled. “You are most welcome dear. Now, how about we- oh, what’s that?”
“Whats wha-” Latias paused as she saw the same thing Delia saw.
“And that’s the gist of it Director.”
Kirschtaria had just got done explaining what Gilgamesh had told him about Arceus and the Tree of Emptiness to the rest of Team A as well as those back on the Shadow Border via coms.
“Hmmm, this is most valuable and interesting information indeed.” Sherlock Holmes said.
“So the Tree of Emptiness is gonna appear soon?” Goredolf said. “Well, then I suggest we start preparing immediately!”
“Not so fast Gordolf,” Da Vinci said. “We still don’t know exactly when and where the Tree is gonna appear. Depending on the situation we could be miles away from the Tree when it appears.”
“There is also the matter of if we will be in a position to attack the Tree when it does appear. Not to mention that we still have much to learn about this world before we make any moves that will cause us to come into contact and conflict with its people.”
“Well,” Kirschtaria began. “If it’s information about this world that we still require, then I suggest we try and go to the local settlements and see what more we can learn. There was a town that we passed on the way here, I opt that we go there and see what more we can inquire from the locals.”
“Hmmm, alright. So long as your disguises are maintained, I think we can do that”, Goredolf said. “However I shall only allow two master and servant pairs to go. Kirschtaria and Akuta you two are up, pick a servant, preferably of the assassin class and go as soon as your ready.”
“Very well Director,”
Once Wodime disconnected, Gordolf turned to Sherlock and Da Vinci.
“Alright, now that they’re busy, let’s discuss the other problem that we have. Namely our ability to Zero Sail being jammed.”
“Yeah,” Da Vinci said. “It’s really weird, everything reads as fine, and neither the paper moon nor any of the instruments seemed damaged or nonfunctioning. So the problem as far as we can tell is not the fault of the Shadow Border. Which means that the problem lies in Void Space itself.”
“What? What do you mean? Are you saying that something happened to Void Space?”
“Well not necessarily,” said Sherlock. “For all we know, Void Space is still there, that much is true. It’s merely a matter of obstruction, something is physically, or rather conceptually blocking our path to the Imaginary Sea.”
“Uh, could you go into more detail please?”
“Well I don’t have any hard evidence, but my theory is this. The current Lostbelt we are in is just one texture, one layer of the world, the Imaginary Sea or Void Space is just another layer of the planet we call Earth. It serves as the opposite vector to the positive number reality we call home, both exist simultaneously but never interact with one another. When we perform a zero sail, we basically just flip ourselves to the reality polar opposite to this one. So if our path is being obstructed when we can still clearly go to our intended destination. Then there is only one other possibility.”
“What’s that?”
“There exists, however unlikely, another world with the same principles and properties as the Imaginary Numbers Space. Another world will time flows inconsistently and the space is different alien. For now, I shall refer to this theoretical space as the Reverse World.
“Ash wake up!”
The Pikachu was shaken out of dreamland by Latias. He rubbed his eyes before asking what was going on.
“Latias, what’s the matter?”
“I think a servant is being summoned Ashy!”
That got the former human’s attention as his eyes widened and he looked over at the Ley Line. Sure enough, the area was glowing in a brilliant display of light.
The veteran Pokemon Trainer’s battle instincts went into autopilot as the years of battling told him exactly what to do in this situation.
“Alright everyone gets into position! Torterra, Infernape, Sceptile, and Megunium take up positions from the north. Unfezant, Kroodile, Glalie, and Buzile to the West. Heracross, Torkel, Corpfish, and Muk stand at the East. Charizard, Emboar, Gigalith, Snorlax, and Staraptor block off any potential escape routes. We want to keep them here and contained.”
Misty stood beside Ash smiling. While he had the density of a black hole, he made up for lack of perception with his many years of battling and skill. He could effectively command any number of Pokemon that he was familiar with, which in the case of the many Pokemon he had captured over the years meant he was on the level of Gym Leaders and Elite Four members. In fact, had Ash not taken up a job as a Battle Frontier Brain, he could have eventually become the champion of another region.
Various Pokemon that belonged to Ash got into positions. The strong bonds and understanding meant that each of them knew what Ash wanted them to do despite one giving a few words.
Eventually, all the Pokemon stood in a semi-circle as the light became brighter and brighter. Until it finally erupted in a blinding climax.
Ash and some others had to shield their eyes until the light died. And when it did, Ash, Misty, and Latias beheld what had just happened.
In the middle of the circle stood three individuals. One was a man in a green hood but had some orange hair sticking out. Another was a traditional Japanese-looking man with grey hair in a bowl cut, sheathed on his waist was a Katana of fine craft. The last figure was the most imposing of the three. He carried three weapons, a sword and claymore the was hosted on his back waist, the last weapon that was in his hand resembled a golden axe of some kind. He had a gauntlet on his left arm that went up all the way to his shoulder and covered the left part of his chest. The last notable features were his spikey hair tied up with a bandana, while his eyes were heroic blue.
The three servants looked around at the gathered Pokemon before the green man in a hood spoke in a sarcastic voice.
“Well well well, looks like we got a welcoming party for us guys. Just what we needed.”
“It appears so, that’s just fine for me,” said the guy with a bowl cut in a neutral voice.
“Hey, which one of you is in charge?” The guy with the axe said the Pokemon.
“I am,” Ash stepped forward as he made eye contact with the servant. “My name is Ash Ketchum.”
“A little guy like you is in charge…..I see. Then since you gave me your name it’s only fair I give you mine. I am Sakata Kintoki, one of the Four Heavenly Kings.”
“Watanabe no Tsuna, also one of the Four Heavenly Kings.”
“Just call me Robin Hood, that’s all your getting.”
Being a servant he could run faster and for much longer than any human could. While didn’t have the speed of Lancer or the mount of a Rider, his endurance and agility were better than most.
But given the identity of his purser, Arash might as well be an ant being observed by a human with a magnifying glass.
“Keep going, don’t stop for anything!”
The ones running ahead of him were two servants, Jack the Ripper and Euryale. One being an amalgamation of cursed children, the other was a minor divine spirit who was actually stronger as a servant than she was in life.
But neither Jack’s presence concealment nor Euryales divinity could help any of them in this situation. The only reason they were not dead was that the one chasing them was curious to see how far they would get.
Arash turned around and fired a few more arrows, and while they managed to hit their target, they bounced off as if the pursuer was hit by twigs. The Archer cursed to himself as the situation looked more and more hopeless.
“Why are you running?”
Arash didn’t bother nor cared to answer that obviously sarcastic question. He just kept running and never looked back.
That is until a blast of energy, the move known as Hyper Beam sent him flying and landing on his back.
Even though his ears were ringing, a voice spoke into his head as clear as day.
“Your attempts to flee are futile. The moment I saw you were the moment you were within my sight forever. Surrender now, and I may consider destroying you and those other two in a less painful way.”
Arash got up and this time turned around to face his attacker.
“You would kill people who would surrender and plead for their lives?” Arash said in disgust.
Arceus floated down until he was close enough for Arash to feel the pressure of his divine aura.
“What good would come out of sparing the likes of you? You and every other servant here want to kill billions of innocent people, most of which are refugees who have suffered under the yoke of humans like you for untold generations. No, killing you would be the simplest solution.”
“I do not deny that what I was sent here to do will mean the death of countless innocents, such an act goes against everything a hero like me stands for….but this is the will of Alaya. While I take no joy in erasing an entire world, I am first and foremost a Heroic Spirit of humanity and I will always fulfill their wishes first.”
“Ah yes, there is it. You humans only care about yourselves and not for the other species that you share the world with. It’s just the same as it was back in my world and it’s the same here.” Arceus felt his anger rise a bit as he recalled the eons of watching his Pokemon suffer. “But no more, as the God who made them, I will defend them when I could not before. I will show no mercy to anyone who threatens the safety of my Pokemon.”
“Then we at an impasse, you won’t stop and neither will I, one of us has to die.”
“Oh please, do you really think that little bow will be able to so much as wound me?”
The Archer pulled an arrow from his imaginary quiver, he twirled it between his finger in a way that betrayed his hesitation.
“I know, there is nothing that this bow could do that would be able to make a God such as you bleed. However…”
The arrow became notched into the bow as the servant continued to look up to the divine entity.
“Even if it’s just for a moment, even if it will amount to nothing, I shall die on my own terms.”
Arash pulled back the string and aimed.
“As a God, you must receive many prayers don’t you. All of them from your own subjects correct?”
Arceus did not answer, he only looked at the servant and allowed him to speak.
“Since we servants are your enemies I bet you never thought to receive a prayer from any of them. And if that is the case, please allow me the honor of being the first person from Proper Human History to deliver this orison to you!”
O holy lord of the sun’s rays, one who bestows all wisdom, majesty and strength.
O shining lord. My heart, my thoughts and my accomplishments be examined.
Come, you who created the moon and the stars.
My deeds.
My end.
Behold, my Spenta Armaiti!
As I unleash this final arrow, let my very being be shredded into dust!
STELLA!
Lone Meteor
In that moment, an arrow, no, a prayer was released from the bowstrings and sent flying heavenward, the Archer who let it loose vanished into nothingness. His Spirit Origin gone and returned to the Throne of Heroes.
The arrow that still existed in this world sailed and shined like a lone meteor that ascended to the sky rather than raining down from the sea of stars.
Arceus made no move to avoid or defend himself from this ultimate shot, whether it was out of curiosity or respect. After all, it would be unbecoming of a god to deny a prayer, no matter who it’s from.
“Servant, while I did not catch your name, I shall at the very least...receive this prayer of yours.”
And so the arrow was received. And a blinding light filled the sky.
-
“Come on Jack, let’s go!”
“How far do we have to keep running?”
“As far as our legs can take us, now move!”
“But what about the other one, that Archer?”
“Arash is fine, I’m sure he can take care of himse-”
Euryale’s words were cut off as a loud bang filled the air. Both servants turned to see a large explosion in the sky. As fellow servants from the Throne, they knew that Arash only had one Noble Phantasm, that could produce something like that.
“Is he…”
“Jack, like I said, let’s go.”
The two girls kept running until they came upon a forest. After a few more miles of running, they stopped to catch their breath under a tree.
“Did we lose him?” Jacka asked.
“I don’t know, maybe. If that Noble Phantasm distracted or hurt him long enough, then Arash’s sacrifice must have worked.”
“So, we did escape?”
“Yeah...I guess we did.”
“Actually no.”
Both servants jumped back as they heard a voice in their heads, but could not find the owner.
“I admit that attack of his was...not mediocre, to sacrifice oneself to save others it a worthy deed to be noticed by gods.”
Arceus then appeared in front of the two servants looking no worse for wear.
“But then again, you servants have all died before correct? And from what I can tell, death is just a slap in the wrist for you. Since the Counter Force can just summon you again in a different place and time.”
Being a divine being herself, Euryale showed no fear against the stronger divinity present. “You knew where we were the whole time.”
“I never lost track. You see the way this works, is that once I have taken a look at someone, I can conceptually track them. It doesn’t matter if you hide under a rock, conceal yourself with magic, or teleport to another planet. So long as part of you exists in the world, I will know precisely where you are.”
Euryale said nothing, she knew that no matter what she said, there was no saving them now. Jack on the other hand…
“No, no! Not yet! We still haven’t reunited with mommy!” The child brandished her knives as a dark aura surrounded her. “You will no deny us the warm bosom of mommy!”
The assassin lunged at Arceus.
“Jack no!”
Arceus blink as his eyes glowed and then Jack became surrounded in a golden grasp.
“Aaaaah, let us go!”
“Us? Why do you refer to yourself using plural pronouns? And this aura, you are much different from the other servants I have encountered. Just what are you?”
Moving like a brick through wet tissue paper, Arceus invaded Jack’s mind, peeling away at her defenses until he came upon-
“Oh, my…..”
Euryale saw the look of horror upon Arceus’s face, as he to realized like few others just what this “interpretation” of Jack the Ripper was.
“80,000 children...80,000 unborn souls….so that is what you are.” Arceus closed his eyes, despite being a god who witnessed the many atrocities of man, things like these were still enough to give him pause.
“Oh humans, only your kind would be capable of doing something as appalling as this,” Arceus turned to look at Euryale who offered no argument. “And they wonder why I resent them so much. That being said,” Arceus turned back to Jack. “Someone like you should not have to suffer anyone, nor can I have your evil and pain hurt my Pokemon or the people of this world.”
Arceus closed his eyes, and the golden glow around Jack intensified, she soon stopped struggling as her body began to turn into streams and particles of light. For a god like him, exorcism was a simple task.
“Ah, I feel a little, lightheaded,” said Jack as the many spirits that made up her body disappeared, until eventually, there was nothing left of the tragic being only known as Jack the Ripper.
“Go in peace,” Arceus said as the last vestiges of Jack vanished from the world. Leaving only one god and a minor divine spirit.
“I thought you were gonna rip her apart.”
“I am not a cruel being. I do not inflict needless suffering upon those who do no deserve it.” Arceus sighed. “What kind of defense force is this Throne of Heroes that it would send an amalgamation such as that? Is the Counter Force really so desperate to defeat me that it would send children to fight in its place?”
“Heroic Spirits are those whom human history has remembered in one form or another. Even those who never wished to be heroes are recorded into the Thone for their deeds. And those summoned by the world are those who choose to defend humanity, even if they don’t share that same altruistic reasons.”
“And what about you, sister of Medusa? As I recall didn’t lustful humans try and kidnap you and your other sister? Why would you of all people come to their defense?”
Euryale was not surprised he knew who she was, her identity was not exactly well hidden when it came to a god. “You’re right, I can’t say they are the best species to roam the planet. Even my sister cannot stand them to a degree.”
“So why?”
“Because, if humanity goes extinct where will I find another man to praise and worship me. If humans no longer exist, the world would become much more boring and lonely. And besides, if it weren’t for humans wishing for a perfect goddess like myself to appear and grovel in front of, I wouldn’t be here in the first place. In a way, you could say I owe them.”
“Hmmm, very well. If that is your reason I shall no criticize it. Instead,”
Arceus began charging up another Hyper Beam.
“I shall remember you, not as a servant or a heroic spirit. But a goddess who answered the call of those who worshipped her.”
Euryale let out a long sigh as she stared interestingly at the buildup of energy.
“Oh, well we gave them a hell of a run Jack.”
A blast of energy ripped through the forest, sending birds flying into the sky.
Ash, Misty, Latias, and many of his Pokemon all locked eyes on the servants who just appeared. Both sides waiting for the other to make a move.
“Sakata Kintoki, so thats your name?” Ash said.
“Yes, yes it is.”
“I have heard of that name before,” Misty said.
“Wait you have?”
“Yeah, during the Heian period, there were a group of five Pokemon Trainers who were the protectors of Kanto during a time of unrest and war. They called themselves the Great Shitennō, two of the members were named Sakata Kintarō and Watanabe no Tsuna. While their leader was someone who named themselves after the Legendary Pokemon from Johto, Raikou.”
“Wait really?”
“It’s true,” Latias said. “Raikou did tell me about them once. Their leader’s original name was Yorimitsu, but he took the name Raikou as a way to make his enemies fear him. To make it seem like he was Raikou himself in human form, or had received his blessing. While the actual Raikou did think about confronting that man, he let it slide out of sympathy for the people at the time who rallied to Yorimitsu’s side. This was good since the Great Shitennō were able to return the land of Kanto back to stability.”
“Oh I see, that’s cool.”
“Yeah but we can brush up on our history lessons later,” Latias then turned and glared at the three summoned servants. “As for the likes of you, I don’t care if you’re alternate versions of the heroes who saved Kanto all those years ago, if you all have here to destroy this place think again! We got you completely surrounded and there is no way you can escape!”
Robin underneath his hood only smirked. “Are you sure about that?”
And with one wave of his cape, the Archer disappeared.
“What, where did he go!?” Ash said.
“I don’t know, but Ash, do something about those two for now!”
“Okay you’re right, Infernape, Glalie, Gigalith, and Emboar, attack!”
The four Pokemon lunged at their foes, Glalie and Gigalith attacked Tsuna, while Emboar and Infernape went after Kintoki.
“So we’re doing this huh, of well, fine by me!”
Kintoki called down lighting to counter the streams of fire shot at him by the two Fire Type Pokemon. Emboar used Brick Break Tail only for Kintoki to parry it with his axe. Infernape them used Mach Punch only for the Berserker to meet it with his own fist, the force of which created a small shockwave.
“Dang dude,” Infernape said. “Just who are you?”
“Yeah,” Emboar added. "No human could ever do things like that.”
“Well theirs the thing dudes,” Kintoki replied as he readied his weapon. “I’m no ordinary human.”
Tsuna meanwhile on the other hand was cooly dealing with Ash’s other two Pokemon.
“You really think that tiny sword of yours is going to cut me?” Gilgalith said as Tsuna’s sword actually did bounce off of his hard rocky body.
“I see,” Tsuna said. “This sword is meant to cut through flesh and bone, not rock and earth. However.”
Tsuna’s blade ignited with fire, which was bright enough to cause the other Pokemon to back away.
“HA! It seems someone didn't teach you about how type advantage works here bub! That fire won’t be very effective against me.”
Tsuna said nothing. But then in the next instant, he performed a flash step, the sheathing of his katana being the only indication it was swung. In the next moment, Gigalith erupted into flames for a brief second, followed by a scream of pain.
“GAAAHH! What was that!?”
“If your body is made of rocks, that must make you slow. This means, that even it takes a while, eventually, you will fall.”
“Hey don’t forget about me!” Tsuna narrowly dodged an Ice Beam from Glalie and retaliated by launching a collum of flame straight into his face.
“I didn’t, how could I not when you announced yourself like that.” Tsuna then brought his fiery sword down on the Face Pokemon’s head, the super-effective attack sending him into a tree and taking him out.
“You’ll pay for that! Stone Edge!” A shower of sharp rocks were aimed at Tsuna’s head. The samurai merely parried them all like they were leaves. “A valiant effort.” The Saber then struck the Compressed Pokemon again with his flaming sword, this time with enough force to send him flying into Corpfish, taking out the former and pinning the latter.
“Ah dang it!” Ash said. “Torkel, Kroodile switch out with Glalie and Gigalith!”
The two other Pokemon obeyed their trainer as they charged at the servant with attacks at the ready. Tsuna readied his blade, its fire burning with conviction.
Misty, Latias, and Delia looked on as the battle continued. While some of them heard that servants were powerful beings, they never expected them to be able to take out Pokemon, especially ones that belonged to Ash this quickly.
“I thought this would be going better,” Misty said.
“Why doesn’t Ash just tell his Pokemon to gang up all at once on them?” Latias asked.
“Because Ash is a fair fighter,” Delia said. “He is not the kind of person who fights with overwhelming force. Even when fighting to save the world, Ash does not seek to crush his enemies, only beat them.”
“Hmmm, yeah that does sound like Ash,” Misty said. “Oh wait, I just remembered. Latias, shouldn’t you go and tell the Legendaries that servants just showed up here?”
“Oh right yeah, but, do we really need them? It seems like Ash can handle them, theirs no way those two would be able to fight all of his Pokemon.”
“Maybe, but we should not take the chance that they could just run away if they feel like it. Or if they somehow are able to beat all of Ash’s Pokemon.”
As if to punctuate Misty’s point, Latias turned just in time to see Kintoki sending both Emboar and Infernape into nearby trees, knocking them out. Ash then shouted for Snorlax and Heracross to take over for them.
“Alright then.” Latias concentrated as she established a telepathic link with the Lake Trio who were in the Hall of Legends.
“Azelf, Uxie, Mesprit. This is Latias, three servants were just summoned in Whitetail Woods where I and Ash are. One ran off, but we have the other two occupied, send someone down here to help us deal with the other one.”
“Okay Latias,” Mesprit said. “We’ll see who is on call.”
“Just sit tight, make sure they don’t go anywhere,” Uxie said.
“Yeah, Dad’s out so he won’t be able to help. But we will send someone over.”
“Thanks, girls.” Latias then disconnected to the link just in time to see Tsuna deal a critical blow to Torkel.
“Just hope they send someone in time.”
Canterlot
Twilight and her friends waited at the Canterlot Train station as the morning express to Ponyville was soon to arrive. Rainbow Dash had just been cleared from the hospital and was allowed to go home.
“Alright, time to get back home and make up for the apples that weren't harvested while I was away here,” Applejack said. “I wonder what else we missed while we were away.”
“I’m sure nothing bad has happened to Ponyville while we were gone Applejack,” Rarity said. “Ponyville may sometimes be a hotbed for various strange things and events. But I’m sure our town can survive a day or two without us.”
“I don’t know,” Rainbow Dash said sarcastically. “A lot can happen in two days.”
“Well, Spike hasn’t sent me a letter saying anything is wrong, so that’s a good sign. Plus I also asked Mage to help him watch the library while I was gone. If something happened like say the sighting of a servant, we would know about it.”
“Oh look!” Pinkie Pie said.” Here’s the train!”
The Friendship Express pulled into the station and all six ponies boarded it before it took off to its destination.
“So Twilight,” Rainbow Dash began. “Run this by me again. There is a tree somewhere in the world that is keeping us all alive or something?”
“It’s called the Tree of Emptiness Rainbow Dash. And yes, while it may be hard to believe, this tree is the only thing keeping our world from fading away along with everyone in it.”
“Wow, that’s nuts, to think that some plant is what’s keeping us all alive.”
“I doubt that this tree is an ordinary plant, Rainbow Dash. Not to mention that Trees have always been held in mystic regard in many myths and religions, often used to represent the foundation of the world. In fact, while I was reading the Earth Compendium, I read a section detailing a magical tree from the human world called Yggdrasil. Like the Tree of Emptiness, it was responsible for maintaining the world.”
“Okay but that aside, where is this tree? And how long has it been here?”
“Well from what I can tell the tree has not been here since the dawn of time. It apparently took root sometime before that Lostbelt up north was created.”
“Wait a second,” Applejack said. “If this tree that your talking about only just got planted about recently, why wasn’t it here before?”
“What do you mean Applejack?” Fluttershy said.
“I may be a farmpony but even I can tell when something is not right. I know and understand that our world was supposed to be erased a long time ago, that's what you, Arceus, and the other Princesses said. But if that’s the case, how did our world continue to exist up until now? What kept us alive all this time until that tree came along, what changed?”
“Hmmm, that’s true, Applejack has a point. I’ll have to ask Arceus or Harmony later.”
Twilight then rested her head on the window while her friends began to talk about other things. As she looked over the fields of Equestria as they rolled by, she couldn’t help but be plagued by other questions on her mind.
“Harmony is not telling us the whole story, she knows that we know that but keeps quiet anyway. Who is the alien god, what do they want? And what exactly is waiting for us in these other Lostbelts?”
Kintoki and Tsuna were veteran warriors who fought and slaughtered many Oni in their heyday. So when it came to several ordinary Pokemon, it would not be on the same level as fighting someone like Shuten or Ibaraki.
But Ash’s Pokemon were not ordinary.
As the friends who he fought, sweat, and shed tears with over the many journeys in his young life, these Pokemon were battle-hardened fighters. Even if Ash wasn’t there to command them, they were still a force to be reckoned with. Kintoki and Tsuna were soon beginning to learn this as they were almost halfway through Ash’s team.
“Are you getting tired Kintoki?”
“No, how about you?”
“Fine.”
That was a lie, even though they were summoned by the Counter Force, they could not exceed the amount of mana that they were being provided from the air itself. Without a master, they would only be able to use their Noble Phantasms once. By this point, they were starting to use more ether than they should have upon first being summoned.
Charizard unleashed a Flamethrower that Tsuna waved away and then attempted to slash the flame Pokemon. But being one of Ash’s oldest Pokemon, this also made him one of the most experienced, and so instinct kicked in and the Fire-Type narrowly dodge the blade while delivering a Dragon Tail to Tsuna’s chest, knocking him into Kintoki who had just been momentarily stunned by Pikachu.
“Gah! Watch it, bro!”
“Sorry I underestimated that dragon.”
Kintoki helped us Tsuna as they both faced down the remainder of the Pokemon that surrounded them.
“Still got some spark left in you?”
“But of course, I will cut them down until my Spirit Origin disappears.”
“Alright, then that’s what I like to hear bro.”
Both Heavenly Kings braced themselves for another attack, but then-
“ENOUGH!”
A loud voice boomed throughout the forest, any Pokemon who heard it were compelled to stop what they were doing just by the weight and authority that voice carried. While others just ran and hide.
Some looked around for the source of the voice, but it Latias who recognized it first.
“Ah, so they sent him.”
The wind picked up, and everyone looked to see a familiar orange Pokemon that had a cloud for a body descend from the sky.
“That’s, Landorus!” Ash said as the legendary Pokemon floated down and stopped looked upon the scene.
“I see you all have made quite a mess,” Landorus stated, gesturing to the many trees that were split and the earth that was scorched. “I’ll have to fix this later.”
The Abundance Pokemon turned to face Latias, specifically the Pikachu next to her. “Your name is Ash Ketchum, is it? Ah yes, I remembered you. You and your friends saved me and my fellow Forces of Nature when Giovanni of Team Rocket attempted to control us.”
“Oh yeah, I remember that, how are you doing Landorus?”
“I am doing well Ash, this new world is full of bountiful harvest and fertility. It is a world I am glad to call home. But we can catch up another time, for now, I must relieve you of your duties.” The Legendary Pokemon then turned to face the two servants.
“So, you two are the punks who are causing trouble.”
Kintoki and Tsuna mentally talked with each other, never taking their eyes off the Legendary.
“He looks strong. Much stronger than the rest,” Tsuna stated.
“I know. I can sense this one has divinity within him.”
“Given that this young man has obviously worn you two out, I believe we all know that fighting your way out of here is not in the cards for you. Surrounder peacefully and I’ll be sure to tell Arceus and the Princesses that you came quietly.”
Kintoki and Tsuna knew they were low on options. So they could only do one last desperate move.
“On three. One. Two…”
“What is your answer? I don’t have all da-”
Landorus’s eyes widened as he felt the wind whistle in his ear. He then ducked his head as an arrow soared past said ear, almost nicking it.
“Three!”
Tsuna shot a barrage of flame at Landorus’s face. The fire blinding him for a split second, once he cleared his eyes, he opened them to see Kintoki in the air above him. Axe ready to swing.
Blow away. Knock them out!
Golden Spark!
Golden Shock
He brought down the axe on the Legendary Pokemon’s head. Activating a 5th of the charges in it and sending him into the ground. Knocking several Pokemon off their feet and making a sizable crater.
Ponyville
Twilight and her friends disembarked from the train car as they all took in the smell of their beloved hometown.
“Ah, it is good to be back!” Pinkie Pie stated.
“Alright, I’ll see you girls later. I gotta check up on how Spike and Mage are doing.”
“Alright Twilight, see ya later,” Fluttershy said.
Twilight trotted until she arrived home and opened the door. Once inside she found Spike dusting a shelf, Mage reading a book, and…
“Abby, what are you doing here?”
“Ah, Twilight your back!” The fox Pokemon got up from where she was laying down and walked up to her friend.
“She fine, she’ll be flying by tomorrow. Did anything happened while I was away?”
“Well, nothing happened within Ponyville per say, but in Whitetail Woods, that’s another story.”
“Why, what happened?”
“That’s why I am here,” Abby said. “Three servants were summoned earlier this morning and engaged with Ash Ketchum and his Pokemon team.”
“Really? What happened?”
“Well, at approximately 5:30, three servants were summoned. One of them fled, while the other two fought against Ash’s Pokemon. They put up a good fight, but those two servants were no pushovers. Latias then called Landorus who arrived later.”
“And did he beat them?”
“You’d think they would be given how worn out they should have been fighting all those Pokemon.” Abby’s expression then became angry. “But then those servants used a cheap shot to knock Landorus out and run away.” The Ninetales sighed. “Attacking a Legendary Pokemon. Humanity never changes.”
“To be fair,” Mage said. “Anyone would have cut loose and ran.”
“And yet these servants are here to destroy us but the moment things get too tough they flee like cowards. I would have run after them. A Pokemon Ranger does not let their target get away.”
“You’ll have your chance when you meet another servant. But for now, we should all just get back to what we are doing. Do the Princesses know about this?”
“I already sent a letter this morning when Abby arrived and told us,” Spike said as he continued to clean the bookshelves.
“Okay then, thanks for looking after the library for me Mage.”
“You’re welcome Twilight.”
“I’ll see you girls later, I gotta catch up on some research.”
"Bye!"
"See ya."
Abby and Mage left the library and walked outside.
“So Mage, how are you and Luke doing?”
“Oh we are doing just amazing! He really seems like he’s getting better these days.”
“Is that so, great! I’m glad to hear that he’s doing well.”
“Yeah, it seems like Luke is finally starting to feel that he deserves to be happy.”
“That’s good Mage. After what happened to him all those years ago, no one deserves to be more happy than Luke.”
“Except maybe Gene and Belle.”
Both Pokemon shared a laugh. After which Abby could not help but gaze out as the citizens of Ponyville happily went about their day. Foals and children laughing, Pony and Pokemon working together and helping one another.
“You know, this land, this world, it’s been a blessing.”
“Yeah, it really is.”
“Arceus did the right thing bring us all here, cutting away the members of humanity that made the world a bad place. This world is the reward for all Pokemon and people who could never be with those they loved. It’s not without its problems here and there, but it’s, for the most part, peaceful and happy. I and Kasai could never have had Gold and Silver back on Earth, they would never have had a future”
Abby then narrowed her eyes.
“Which is why I shall make sure they have one here. No matter what.”
“Abby?”
“Twilight says that the human world Chaldea comes from is a world where only humans exist. I can only imagine how terrible it is if that’s the case.”
“Well, you can’t really say that. None of us have been there. We don’t know what it’s like.”
“I can guess. But it doesn’t matter, this is our world, these are our children. I won’t allow their future to be taken away. I won’t allow so many different races to be destroyed so only one arrogant race can exist. If this Chaldea has the will to kill billions of people, people they don’t know or haven’t met, then I must have that same will. They call their world Proper Human History, hmph, we will see which world is the proper one by the time this is all over.”
Abby then walked away, leaving a slightly concerned Mage alone. The Ghost Type sighed as she looked down at the gems around her neck, gems that were glowing. As a Mismagious she could sense the emotions of others, be they positive or negative. However, one side would give off a warm good feeling, while the other would cause Mage some slight pain.
The emotions that Abby gave off were no doubt negative. Mage could tell that her friend was giving off not just anger, but resentment, contempt, and some mild prejudice.
The Mismagious just sighed. While she could understand Abby’s feelings, she hoped that it wouldn’t lead to anything bad.
-
Later that night.
Kirschtaria and Akuta both walked into Ponyville in the dead of night. Everyone was sleeping as the two masters made their way through the town.
“Alright, let’s split up. That place looks like the town hall, see if you can find anything. I’ll try and look to see if this place has a library,” Kirschtaria said.
“Alright, lets meet back at the entrance to that apple farm we passed on the way here,” Hinako replied.
“Are you sure you’ll be okay? You didn’t bring a servant after all.”
“You forget that I can blend into the environment. Although this place has many artificial structures, it’s not as bad as a human settlement. I should still be able to go about unnoticed.”
“Okay, good luck Akuta.”
“....You too Wodime.”
After they split, Kirschtaria telepathically called out to his servant.
“Kato Danzo.”
The mechanical ninja appeared out of nowhere and knelt at her master’s feet.
“You called my lord?”
“Go and see if this place has a library or information center that is not the town hall.”
“As you wish.” Danzo then disappeared for 6 seconds and then reappeared where she once stood.
“Master, I believe I have found the library you seek.”
“Good work, take me there.”
The Assassin lead Kirschtaria until they arrived at what appeared to be a hewed-out tree that had been fashioned into a house of some kind. Looking at the sign, Kirschtaria read out “Golden Oaks Libary”.
“Alright then, let’s see what knowledge we can plunder.”
Arceus reappeared in his pocket dimension. Having finished his daily routine of purging servants from around the world. While some would think he should focus his attention on Equestria, he had faith that his legendary Pokemon, as well as Twilight, her friends as well as Celestia and Luna, could handle the homefront.
The other countries were a different matter. While some of them had significant forces like the Pokemon Liberation Army or Checkmate, they could not be everywhere all at once, nor could they be able to beat servants one on one. That was why he personally went around the world finding and defeating servants where others could not.
But with that out of the way, Arceus turned his attention to something else. His eyes glowed for a second, then several screens appeared in front of him. Each one showed various places and people, and while it might have considered an invasion of privacy, what they didn’t know could not hurt them.
“Hmmm, so Landorus could not take out those two servants who appeared in Whitetail. I see, then I’ll deal with them later. Celestia and Luna seemed to be knee-deep in paperwork and politics that was caused by all this nonsense, understandable. How is Seth Crescent doing? Hmmm, it seems his task force is coming together nicely. Perhaps I should let him be the one to introduce those new stones that Diancie made, the power they grant will surely give us an edge in the conflict. Plus unlike Mega Stones, these can be used by any Pokemon.”
Arceus then looked to another set of screens. The ones that monitored the Lostbelts.
He first looked at the one that showed the two Lostbelts to the east and south of Saddle Arabia. The one on the right showed no abnormalities, but it didn’t seem to be expanding in any way, so he could ignore that one for now. The one to the south was a different case, it showed subtle signs of expanding, but nearly every two weeks it would contract back to the size it was 10 days ago. Something was definitely amiss in that world, the fact that he could sense the faint presence of a divinity was also cause for worry.
The Lostbelt that covered the entirety of Marelantis was the biggest concern for everyone. It was slowly beginning to encroach upon the Zerbican continent and by default the nation of Zygpt. Given its rate of expansion, it would begin to consume the country in less than a month. After that, it would begin to creep up on Equestria by the end of the year.
“King Trot may not have the nicest words for me, but my Pokemon still call his nation home. Plus, I know that Seviper will probably do something foolish once that storm touches down on the border.”
Aside from its growth, there was also the uncertain fate of the Marelantians and Pokemon who were trapped in that ocean once the storm appeared. Arceus had asked Kyorge and Manaphy about the status of Samiya, the Temple of the Sea which he had gifted to Queen Oceana. The two water legendaries responded saying that they couldn’t detect its presence anymore, nor the energy generated by the Sea Crown. But the thing that caught Arceus’s attention more than anything else was that he could sense multiple divinities within the Lostbelt.
“I do hope there is not an entire pantheon there, that would be bad for me. Although I do not recall there being any known human civilization within the middle of the sea, except for…”
The Pokemon God shook his head. If it was true that it was THAT particular mythology which existed in this Lostbelt, he was in more trouble than he thought.
Arceus then turned his attention to the last two Lostbelts.
The one that occupied the same continent as the Changeling Empire was the smallest. But for some reason, he felt a sense of danger whenever he looked at it. It was as if his whole body was telling him, “Don’t go there, leave that one for last. Or hope you never have to deal with what’s inside.”
And then there was the last Lostbelt, the one closest to Equestria and located northeast of the kingdom.
If the previous Lostbelt filled Arceus with a sense of danger, then this one filled him with a sense of dread. Aside from the fact that this Lostbelt was the only one surrounded by a wall of light rather than a wall of storms, Arceus could tell that something was very very wrong about that Lostbelt. Even among its counterparts, this one felt more “different” than the rest. Like there was something in there that history had cut away for a very good reason.
“Just what is in there that makes me so unnerved? It’s not expanding, so why can’t I take my eyes off it?”
Another little thing that he managed to learn from observing it, was that this particular Lostbelt was unstable in some way. Even Harmony told him that if he left that one alone, it would collapse by itself. But even with that assurance, something about that place told him he should just destroy it himself.
After looking at the image for a few more moments, Arceus closed all the screens. And while he didn’t require it, Arceus decided to go to sleep by his own admission for the first time in a while.
“Yes, perhaps the answers I seek will come to me in due time...yes….”
Kintoki walked through the forest in spirit form as he wandered aimlessly in search of the master he was meant to make a contract with.
“Well I think that scuffle back there was really fun, don’t you think bro?”
“It was, fine,” Tsuna responded.
“It might have gone a lot better though if someone hadn’t turned tail and ran!”
“Hey I didn’t run, I only took up a tactical position!” Robin Hood said in his defense. “And besides, I helped you guys out in the end with that arrow.”
“Yeah yeah I know, guerilla warfare is more your thing than facing someone head-on. I still wish you could have helped us a little more before that.”
“Okay okay, let’s just see if we can find a master.”
“Ugh, this place is huge, it might take us days before we run into a master.”
“What about another servant?” Tsuna said.
‘“What do you mean another servant?” Robin said.
“I mean that servant over there.”
Kintoki and Robin looked to where Tsuna was pointing, and sure enough, there was a servant sitting in a tree waving at them.
“Well well well, I guess this is a small world.”
The servant came down from his perch and ran up to them.
“Well look what we have here, three masterless servants, guess that fills my quota for the day.”
“So you’re a Rider class servant, what is your true name?”
“Achilles. What’s yours?”
“I’m Robin Hood, that’s Kintoki and this is Tsuna.”
“Sup.”
“Hello.”
“Glad to meet yeah, now if you just follow me, I’ll lead you straight to where the masters are.”
“You know where they are?”
“Of course, and it’s not just them, got about two dozen servants waiting in a cave.”
“Haha! Then what are we waiting for!? Let’s get this golden show on the road!”
“Yeah thats the spirit! Once everything is in place, our rebellion can truly begin!”
Alice and everyone around her were nervous as Lifeline, the house physician for Sleight Hoof and Quick Storm looked over Charlotte. The spider was now breathing normally, but still hadn’t moved much since she was brought back. Her sister Spinner hadn’t left her side since.
“I’ll be honest,” Lifeline said. “Even since the Pokemon arrived, I spent a good deal of time researching these creatures, understanding their physiology and biology. But while I have made significant progress in learning how to treat and heal these creatures, I still have many ways to go. Your kind is so varied in body type and composition that I wonder if I will be able to learn everything there is to know about Pokemon medicine.”
“I understand,” Alice said. “Pokemon are very diverse and only a few are able to understand them all, such as the regional professors. So I know that you may not the best person to treat Charlotte, but please just do what you can.”
“Well, so far my diagnosis tells me that this one will live. But she may never have full use of her left side ever again. And with the loss of an appendage, I’m afraid that she will find vertical crawling difficult if not impossible.”
There were several gasps from the others, while Alice clenched her fist.
“We can’t know for sure until she undergoes some physical therapy. In the meantime, this little one needs some much-needed rest. I will return within a week to see how she is doing.”
“Of course thank you Lifeline,” Sleight Hoof said.
“My pleasure, good day to you all.”
Lifeline then left the room as the servants showed her out of the mansion. Spinner nuzzled up against Charlotte as the Spinnark drifted off to sleep. Alice then sat in a chair as she buried her head in her hands. She then soon felt the presence of her Pokemon gather around her.
“Alice,” Shade said. "Are you alright?"
The Zoroark sighed as she laid back in the chair. “I’m fine, for the most part. It’s Charlotte that I wish was alright.”
“It wasn’t your fault you know,” Rascal stated.
“Rascal is right you shouldn’t blame yourself.”
“Those humans,” said Toichi, the anger in his voice was enough to make him shake. “They really are evil, aren’t they? They want to hurt everyone so they hurt Charlotte like this.”
“You're right kid,” Scep said. “This is exactly the reason why the PLA was created, to destroy evil humans and to make sure they never harm Pokemon ever again. Next time I see those Chaldeans, they’re gonna wish they never came here.”
While Shade and Rascal verbally agreed with Scep, Alice was lost in her own thoughts.
The most important thing to a Fox, was not the success of the heist, but the safety of their teammates. It was the most important rule that her father had drilled into her before passing on the mantel. The lives and safety of their partners mattered more than any statement a heist would make.
But what happened wasn’t a Heist. Alice knowingly went into a situation where she and her teammates would have to get physical, so the risk of someone getting hurt was higher than any normal job. She knew that coming when she told her team what they were going to do. She knew that none of them were gonna come out of that unscathed.
But Charlotte. Of all the Pokemon, Chaldea when out of their way to target and hold hostage one of the most vulnerable and least capable members of her team in terms of fighting power. It was cowardly, and cruel what that servant did to her. Using of teammate, holding a member of her family hostage to get them to back off.
On some level, she understood that given their situation, the servant was only doing what it thought would get them to leave Chaldea alone. That by using an immoral tactic, Anastasia believed she could get them to back off. She understood that.
But that doesn’t mean she would forgive them.
Normally, Alice wasn’t one to hold a grudge. Sure some of the people she put away were monsters and evil people, but none of them had ever done anything bad to her personally. So how could she have experience with this feeling?
The cool, calm, and collected part of her told her that she should not take this personally, that going down this line of thought would not end well. Fox was supposed to be above such resentment.
“I know that you’re not evil, I know you did what you had to do in order to survive. But you hurt a member of my family, and for that, I pray that Arceus finds you before I do.”
Ponyville, Nightime
Twilight and Spike were sound asleep in their beds as Luna’s moon hung high in the sky. The alicorn in particular was out like a light from staying up longer than normal due to the amount of research she was doing. Spike on the other hand was fast asleep on account of him being a baby dragon.
Which for the ones at their doorstep, was a good thing.
Being a highly skilled shinobi, picking the lock to a wooden door was simple for Kato Danzo. Without making a sound, the ninja and her master entered the library as quietly as possible.
“Danzo,” Kirschtaria said. “Go and check to see if anyone is here and if they are asleep.”
“Yes my lord.” The assassin vanished, and a few seconds later reappeared in the exact same spot. “There are two residents here master. A creature the resembles an infant drake and a winged unicorn.”
“A winged unicorn? Hmmm, then this must be the home of the alicorn Princesse that is said to live in this town." But why is she living in a tree and not a castle? "Are they asleep?”
“Sound asleep.”
“Very well then, keep a watch while I look around.”
“As you command.”
Danzo then disappeared into the shadows. Kirschtaria walked to the middle of the floor and set his staff in the center. Once he let go, the mystic code remained upright and began to emit a dim glow that was bright enough for him to begin looking around the selection of books.
“Let’s see what we have here.”
The shelves as Kirschtaria looked through them had a number of books on a variety of subjects. The esteemed mage didn’t know where to begin.
“Perhaps I should have let Akuta come here instead, she’d have the books in the world to hide behind here.”
After a minute of tracing his hand along the covers, Kirschtaria spotted a book with a title he was looking for.
“Ah, here we go.”
He pulled the book from the shelf and read the title on the cover, ‘The History of Equestria’.
“Let’s see what we can learn here.”
-
Akuta opened the door to the Town Hall and snuck in without much issue. As a Elemental Xian, her presence concealment made her somewhat undetectable, but this ability was weakened in artificially constructed areas like this place.
“What am I even looking for?” Akuta said as she stepped inside. But she immediately had to hide as she heard someone come around the corner.
“Did you hear something?” Said a black, red, and silver armored Pokemon that resembled a knight.
“Nope, I thought I heard you,” The other Pokemon was a bipedal feline creature with gray fur.
“Alright then, carry on.”
As soon as they were gone, Akuta came out of her hiding place and resumed her search. She first came upon the empty hall the was apparently used for town meetings. She then walked around, checking other parts of the building, occasionally avoiding the sentries that were roaming the hall, she counted a total of four Pokemon walking around. Occasionally she would look outside and gaze at the moon. The Earth’s only orbiting celestial body and the conceptual origin for vampiric creatures like her.
“Huh, It’s amazing the I’m still here with them, especially considering…”
Akuta then became lost in her thoughts as she stared at the circle in the sky. For as long as she could remember, she was cursed, hunted, and hated by humans for foolish reasons. And so she cursed and hated them in return, never forgiving and never forgetting. But by the time she joined Chaldea, she had grown tired of it all, being hunted and running out of places to hide. She regretted not venturing to the inner sea of the planet when she had the chance.
Even though Chaldea was a respite for her, she knew what she was going to be used for and that it would be for humanity’s benefit. It made her sick knowing that she would be saving the humans she hated for so long. But she went along with it anyway for the sake of honoring her agreement, and for having a place to hide.
Seven singularities she traveled through, all for the sake of restoring the Human Order Foundation. Until finally the crisis was resolved.
She would never be thanked for it, the humans of the present would never know what she and Team A did for them. If anything the Mage’s Association would have persecuted them for the many rules that they broke, they would have been punished for saving a bunch of ungrateful humans like them.
Just the thought of it made her wonder if they should have just let that Beast do what he wanted to do.
She could have just left at the point, Marisbury was dead and she had fulfilled her end of the contract. With Goredolf coming in to replace the staff, she was free to go back into the world that would have eventually been wiped clean by that alien divinity.
And now here she was again, on another mission to save those miserable, despicable, loathsome humans who would once again never know or thank her for saving them.
She wasn’t doing this for humanity, she would never do this for them.
So why?
Images flashed through her head, of the other members of Team A smiling and laughing together. How sometimes even when they were not looking, she could not help but feel tugs at the edge of her mouth. How eventually she would put down her book and join them in whatever idiotic human activity they were doing.
How her beloved, wished for a world where humans could prosper and live.
Akuta then refocused on what she was doing, pushing such thoughts to the back of her mind.
If she did know the solution to her question, she was avoiding the obvious answer.
-
"And so, the elder sister took on the responsibility of raising the sun and moon. And harmony has been maintained in Equestria for generations ever since."
Kirschtaria was intrigued by what he had read so far. It seemed that this world worked on the ancient belief that the sun and moon were objects that revolved around the planet and were raised every day and night by these alicorn sisters. There was also the mention of a set of powerful magical artifacts known as the Elements of Harmony.
“However, this book mentions that the younger alicorn was banished 1,000 years ago. But everything we have learned says that she is no longer imprisoned in the moon but is now once again a ruler of this land. What changed?”
Kirschtaria flipped through the entire book but it ended before it could cover any recent history.
“What happened to you, Princess Luna?”
Looking back at the beginning of the book, the master reread a passage he saw.
"She transformed into a wicked mare, Nightmare Moon."
Kirschtaria then began to look through the shelves of books again, searching for a title that may relate to the subject of Nightmare Moon.
“Hmmm, what do we have here?”
Kirschtaria pulled another book from the shelf, one that read in the front, 'Mare in the Moon'. The mage opened it and began to read until he came upon a certain line.
"On the longest day of the 1,000th year, the stars shall aid in her escape, and she will bring about nighttime eternal."
“So, it was the stars aided that aided in her escape…”
Kirschtaria smiled, he felt the magic circuits in his body pulse with energy.
“Hmm, how else do the ponies view the stars of their world?” Putting the book on the table with the other one, Kirschtaria strolled over to the astrology section of the library.
-
Akuta finally came upon a door that had a sign on it that said, "Mayor’s office".
“Finally.”
Akuta turned the nob on the door until it broke, not caring if it made some noise as it did. She walked in and looked around, it did not escape her notice that the air was colder in the office. The room looked like your typical office with a desk, file cabinets, and a coat hanger. The Xian walked up to the desk and read the plaque that was on it.
Mayor Mare.
Akuta rolled her eyes.
“I really hope not every pony in this world has a name that is related to their occupation or is a pun. Cause if that’s the case, then fate has a very unimaginative sense of humor.”
Akuta went around the desk and sat down on the chair, part of her wondering why equine-based lifeforms needed to sit down like humans when a mere pillow would suffice.
She then began opening draws on the desk looking for nothing in particular. Then noticed a file section labeled, "Reports to Canterlot". Akuta then took out a stack of paper and flipped through them until she came across a report that read, "Servant Sightings".
“Huh, so they are keeping track of servants. Hmmm, can it also tell me where the nearest Ley Lines are?”
Akuta read the paper, but unbeknownst to her, the shadows around the room began to come together slowly.
-
“Oh, Keldeo you are just the sweetest pony I have ever met.”
“Not as sweet as you my dear.”
The couple shared a giggle, the two of them enjoying themselves. Then there was a knock on the door.
“Oh, I wonder who that is?” Rarity said as she got up to answer the door. Upon opening it she was greeted by a small green dragon.
“Hi Rarity!”
“Oh Spike, what are you doing here?”
The dragon noticed the confusion in his crush’s voice.
“Well, I was wondering if you needed any help today Rarity.”
“Oh Spike, that’s very kind of you. But I’m afraid Keldeo has already helped me with everything I need today.”
As she said, this the Colt Pokemon walked up to Rarity and gave Spike a smug look.
“Oh, well, I guess I’ll come back tomorrow to see if you need anything.”
“That won’t be necessary Spike. I don’t think I’ll be needing your help ever again.”
The baby dragon was shocked at Rarity’s words. “B-but, but why?”
“Oh Spike, you don’t think I don’t know that you have a crush on me, did you really think that you actually had a chance? You’re too young and immature for that to ever happen.”
“Yeah,” Kedleo said smirkingly. “Rarity wants to be with someone more on her level. Not a dragon who can’t give her what I can.”
Spike began to mumble as water formed in his eyes. “B-but I h-have known her for years! I have helped her a lot and have done so much for her! Who do you think you are just coming here and taking her from me!?”
“Yeah, well guess what, you snooze you lose pal. In all those years did you ever make a move or try to ask her out? No, and you know why? Because you’re just a little dragon who will never be anything more than a sidekick that does nothing except hide and sleep while the big ponies save the day. Me, I’m a Legendary Pokemon. I can give her what you can’t.”
“I’m sorry Spike,” Rarity said. “If it makes you feel any better, you never had a chance anyway.”
The two ponies laughed as they closed the door in Spike’s face. The dragon fell on his back as the tears he was holding back ran down his cheeks.
“No, no, NOOOOOOO!”
Spike shot up from his bed as he breathed rapidly. Once he calmed down, he reached for his face only to feel something wet on his cheeks.
The images of the nightmare that he just experienced came flooding back to him. The baby dragon wiped the tears off his face as he sat there in silence.
Even though it was just a dream, it still didn’t change the fact the Rarity was dating someone else. That even though he had known her longer than that Pokemon, she still choose to date Keldeo instead of him.
It was not fair. Why did someone have to come along and take away what was rightfully his? He deserved her, he had worked harder and longer in order to win her affections. He got his first kiss(on the cheek) from her. Everything should have gone his way.
“If only he had never come here, if only he had never shown up.”
Spike’s anger then turned towards Arceus. While he never held a grudge against the Pokemon god, he now had a reason to be angry at his hasty decision to bring the Pokemon here.
“If only that stupid god had picked another planet to take his stupid Legendary Pokemon too. If only he never broke out of that priso-... wait, where am I going with this?”
Spike then began to feel shame. He should not be thinking such selfish thoughts. It was unbecoming of him, what would Twilight say if she ever heard him saying such things?
Spike sighed, that nightmare had robbed him of any motivation to get some sleep.
“I’m thirsty.”
The dragon then got out of bed and began to walk to the stairs. It was then that he noticed a light coming from the bottom floor.
Huh, Twilight must be up late again.
Spike walked down the stairs without even looking at where the light was coming from, but as soon as he did, his heart skipped a beat.
Kirschtaria heard a gasp and turned around to see a small purple dragon staring at him.
How the hell did I not hear him walk down the stairs?
Although Spike was not actively involved in the current events as much as his friends, he was still informed well enough to know what a human looked like. And sure enough, he was staring right at one, in their house, reading a book.
Spike didn’t know if he should have screamed or run upstairs to get Twilight. But before he could do anything, he felt something grab him from behind, cover his mouth and hold his arms in place.
Kirschtaria only smiled and made a “shush” gesture. While he was content to just let Kato Danzo keep Spike quite the way he was now, his innate sense of humor thought of a different idea.
"Danzo, find some duct tape and stick him to the wall over here where I can keep an eye on him."
"Yes master."
In no time flat, Spike was soon taped against the wall with only his eyes and nose visible. At this point, Kirschtaria walked over to Twilight’s desk. On it was a few letters and reports as well as a few books. But the open book in the middle was the one that caught his attention.
In it were depictions of various creatures, with descriptions to match. Some names included Groudon, Latias, Zapdos, and Palkia. After reading some lines Kirschtaria realized that the creatures in this book were Pokemon. Flipping the pages to the cover, he read the title of the book.
‘The Equestrian Encyclopedia to the Legendary Pokemon, by Princess Twilight Sparkle’, First Edition.
“Now this, could prove very useful to us. Don’t you think?”
Kirschtaria looked at Spike as he said these words, but got no response.
-
Akuta looked through the papers on Mayor Mare’s desk as her frustration continued to grow.
“Ugh, there is nothing here that is of usefulness.”
Akuta was about to get up and leave until she picked up the last paper from the pile. On it was something that caught her eye.
“Huh, what’s this?”
It was a detailed map showing the locations of the various Ley Lines all over Equestria.
“Now this could prove useful.”
Then all of a sudden, the temperature dropped down even further. Akuta then felt a shadow loom over her. Turning around, she beheld a pair of red eyes and a wicked large smile.
What happened next she could not recall, only that she was blasted out of the office and into the hallway. The noise of which alerted the other sentries in the building.
Rubbing her head, Akuta got up in time to see her attacker step out of the office.
The creature, or Pokemon as she deduced was a large, purple, round thing with stubby arms and legs.
“What the heck are you?”
-
Jake the Gengar did not expect anyone to show up tonight. After nearly a year of being a night sentry for Mayor Mare, he did not encounter any midnight thieves looking to break into the Mayor’s office. As such he eventually just started to sleep in the shadows as the nights went by, it was easy money for him basically.
As such, when Akuta broke into the office and started rummaging through the Mayor’s things, he didn’t notice until she had gone through most of the papers on the desk.
Thankfully he had awakened just in time. And despite his slacking nature, he was still a Gengar and a strong one at that.
“Well, well, well, look what we have here.”
Akuta stared down at the Pokemon as his eerie voice reached her ears.
“I knew that humans had somehow returned. But I didn’t think I would catch one sneaking into the Mayor’s office, and unarmed as it would seem.”
“You are mistaken if you think that I am helpless, or that I am human just from looks alone.”
Akuta manifested a single stylized spear in her right hand, one of the few keepsakes from her husband. It was the best that she could do given that she had suppressed her powers for so long. Without a large source of mana, she was at half fighting strength.
Then three other Pokemon sentries from earlier came around from both ends of the hallway and beheld the scene.
“Jake, what is going on here?” Said the Bisharp.
“A human has broken into the Town Hall! Sound the alarm, wake up the Pokemon Rangers!”
The Sword Blade Pokemon and then left.
“You’re in trouble now human. There is no way you are getting out of this by yourself.”
“We’ll see about that.”
Akuta then swung her lance at the ghost-type Pokemon, who met her weapon with a Shadow Claw.
-
While Kirschtaria had basically just skimmed through the other books he had read in the library, the one he was currently reading now he thought to take his time with.
“Interesting, this book will tell us everything we need to know about these Legendary Pokemon. Hey, do you mind if I check this one out? Judging from the title I can tell that this is an as of yet unpublished first edition. But it would really mean the world to me if I could.”
Spike who still had tape on his mouth could no answer, but the way his muffled voice sounded was as if he was trying to shout “No”.
“Thanks I knew you would be understanding.”
“Master, forgive my lack of understanding,” Kato Danzo began. “But why do you speak with the dragon when he clearly cannot reply?”
“It’s meant to be funny Danzo. Granted it’s a little bit mean since we are breaking into its home and everything. But I try to find humor in whatever I can.”
“Ah I see. I am a novice when it comes to the realm of comedic activities. Such things were not required from a Shinobi like me.”
“It’s fine. Now let’s go and meet up with Akuta. I’m sure she is dying to-”
Kirschtaria was cut off as an alarm rang throughout the entire town, followed by the sound of several dogs barking.
Danzo and Wodime looked out the window to see several houses turn their lights on. As such, this distracted them from the footsteps that could be heard upstairs.
“What is the name of Celestia is going on?” Twilight said as she turned on the lights. This caused both master and servant to look behind them to see a rudely awaken alicorn still rubbing her eyes at the top of the stairs.
“Spike, can you-”
The alicorn stopped mid-sentence as she looked and saw two humans standing in her house.
“W-what is-” Her eyes trailed off and she finally noticed a mass of duck tape covering a small figure that resembled Spike. She also noticed the book about Legendary Pokemon that she was working on was missing from her desk, he eyes trailed back to the duo, and noticed said book in one of their hands.
Twilight’s shock was then immediately replaced by anger. The kind that only a librarian with an overprotectiveness for her reading material could ever have.
“THAT’S. MY. BOOK!” the Princess said as her horn began to glow.
Kirschtaria eyes widened. “Okay, I think it’s best time we leave. Danzo.”
Before Twilight could react a smoke bomb covered the area, the princess used a quick spell to disperse the area, only to find the duo gone and her door open.
“Get back here!”
Twilight bolted out of her house, completely forgetting that Spike was still taped to the wall.
-
The doors to the Town Hall were thrown open as Akuta landed on her feet. Jake as well as Alex the Bisharp and Steve the Mienshao followed soon after. The later two Pokemon surrounding her on both sides to prevent escape.
Akuta then noticed that some residents were starting to either poke their heads out their windows or come out of their house to see what was the commotion
“This is bad. The more people that show up, the harder it will be to get away.”
She noticed that the Pokemon who had been woken up gasped in shock at the presence of a human in their midst, some of them even giving her looks and becoming aggressive due to the recent news they heard.
It was ironic how others were sneering at her because she looked human.
“Enough of this.”
Akuta jumped on top of a roof and was about to make her way across the various houses in an attempt to escape.
Before out of nowhere something hit her and knocked her to the ground.
The Xian groaned before she sat back up.
“Gah, what the hell was that?”
“That was me bub!”
Akuta then looked up to see a blue pegasus with a rainbow mane and tail flying above her.
“So, you servants thought you could sneak into Ponyville and try to do something could ya? Well, think again!”
“I’m not a servant,” Akuta growled.
“What? Oh, I get it you must be one of those human masters from Chaldea that we’ve heard about.”
Despite her desire to correct this upstart pony about being human, Akuta kept her mouth shut.
“Well, that’s even better. You guys are pretty much Equestria’s most wanted.”
Akuta got up and noticed that her spear was knocked a few feet away.
“So it would seem.”
“Normally I’d say you have a lot of nerve coming into my town bub, but if you surrender right now, then you won’t have to face the awesomeness that is Rainbow Dash!”
Akuta looked at her spear and back at the pegasus.
“No, I don’t think I will.”
Akuta jumped for her weapon, Rainbow Dash seeing this tried to stop her. However, someone else was a bit faster than either of them.
Before she could grab her spear, a Shadow Ball courtesy of Jake knocked it further away. Akuta looked just in time to see the Gengar’s smirking face, and no time to avoid Rainbow Dash who slammed into her and pinned the Chaldean Master to the ground.
“Get, off of me!”
In one of the few instances of using her powers, Akuta created a blade of blood and jammed it into Rainbow Dash’s side.
The Element of Loyalty cried out in pain as she was thrown off her opponent and laid on the ground as red bodily fluid leaked from her wound.
The pegasus looked up to see Akuta telekinetically recall her spear back to her hand. She turned her head back to the Rainbow before she aimed and prepared to throw it.
“Hyper Beam!”
A blast of energy hit Akuta and sent her into a brick building, once the laser subsided, the Xian laid in a pile of rubble.
Rainbow Dash turned her head, expecting to see that the move come from Jake.
Instead, there was only a tired Arcanine and a Ninetales standing by his side.
“Got here just in time,” Kasai said.
It was at this point that Twilight and the rest of her friends arrived on the scene.
*Gasp* “Rainbow Dash! Are you okay!?” Fluttershy immediately flew to the side of her friend, followed shortly by the rest.
“I’m fine, I don’t think it’s too deep.”
“I sure hope not,” Rarity said. “It would be a shame if you found yourself in the hospital again so soon.”
Twilight conjured a towel and applied pressure to Rainbow’s wound. “Rainbow Dash, what happened?”
“I heard the town siren and came to see what was going on. Turn’s out a human had snuck into town.”
Everyone gasped.
“A human? Were they from Chaldea?”
“I think so.”
“What happened to them?”
“Don’t worry Twilight, Kasai took care of them.” Twilight looked up to see Abby standing next to her.
“Oh, good evening Abby. Uh, could you repeat that?”
“The human was about to kill Rainbow Dash, so Kasai blasted them with Hyper Beam into that building.”
Twilight looked to see a giant hole in the wall of the Ponyville General store. After instructing Rainbow Dash to keep pressure on her wound, Twilight carefully walked over to the building and stepped inside.
Using her magic, Twilight removed a few debris and bricks until she revealed an unmoving and unconscious Akuta.
The princess looked over the human before being joined by Abby and Kasai.
“This isn’t the right one.”
“What did you say Twilight?” Kasai asked.
“This is the wrong human.”
“What do you mean?”
“There was another human, or maybe a human and servant. They broke into my house.”
“They did?!” Abby exclaimed.
“Yeah, they stole a book and just ran off.”
“Did you know which book it was?”
“I do, thats what worries me.”
“Did they do anything else?”
“Nothing that I can recall. Except…” Twilight’s eyes widened as she realized who she left tapped to the wall.
“Oh sweet Celestia! Spike!”
Twilight bolted out of the store and made a mad dash for her house.
“Kasai, follow her. Make sure she’s okay.”
“Are you sure?” The Arcanine said. “You good here?”
“I’ll be fine, I’ll make sure she doesn’t go anywhere.”
“Okay then.”
Kasai gave his mate a lick before he went off in pursuit of Twilight, leaving the Ninetales alone with Akuta. The Pokemon Ranger stared at the sleeping form of Akuta with no hint of pity for her.
“We got you now, humans.”
Elsewhere
The unconscious bodies of various ponies and Pokemon laid scattered around the area. Some of them were sprawled out on the ground while others were hanging from trees or embedded into their trunks.
But despite the awful scene. No one had been killed.
“I’m surprised you held back,” said a servant with red eyes. “You didn’t strike me as the type who shows mercy.”
“Well, that was just a warm-up si,” the servant with green eyes responded. “If we ever find a master and they command me to go all out, then I shall happily do so.”
“I see. So where do you propose we start looking for a master?”
“....I don’t know. I thought you might be able to help us with that.”
“Hehe, very well, if you insist.”
The red-eyed servant took out a wand and picked up a rock, they then wrote a symbol on it that glowed purple. To those who practiced rune magic, they would have identified the written word as “Berukana”, meaning Birch Goddess. The rock then lifted into the air and then flew away.
“Done, all we have to do now is follow it.”
“Gracias, I hope that we find some worthy partners to throw down with. Ah, the excitement is palpable!”
Kirschtaria and Danzo, at last, made it to the entrance of Sweet Apple Acres. The former mostly out of breath from all that running.
The leader of Team A looked back at Ponyville, the siren had stopped, but ponies were still getting up due to the commotion.
“I wonder if Akuta has something to do with this?”
“Shall I go and see what is happening, master?”
“Hmmm… let’s give her five more mins. Akuta is someone who has been running and hiding all her life. I’m sure she would not be captured that easily.”
Five minutes past and Akuta was nowhere to be seen.
“Alright, go see if she is in trouble Danzo.”
“As you wish.”
The ninja disappeared, leaving Kirschtaria alone leaning against a tree. However, his stomach began to grow. It was then that Kirschtaria realized that he hadn’t eaten anything since this morning.
Looking around, besides the tree he was standing underneath, there were apple trees for days no matter where he looked.
“Well, I’m sure they won’t notice if one is missing.”
Hitting his staff against the trunk, a ripe red apple fell into his hand, which he immediately took a bite out of. Kirschtaria’s eyes widened as soon as the flavor hit his taste buds.
“Wow! Hats off to the ponies who live here, these apples taste amazing!”
The mage was so lost in the amazing sensation of the apple’s flavor, that he might not have heard the twig that snapped behind him.
The sound of something flying through the air was enough to trigger Kirschtaria’s senses and caused him to roll and avoid the lasso that would have roped around him.
The mage turned around to find a pissed-off-looking orange pony with a cowboy hat.
“Well well,” Applejack began. “I get up to see what in tarnation is going on and look what I find. A no-good varmint stealin ma' apples in the middle of the night! And not only that, but from the looks of it, you’re one of them humans we’ve been hearing about.”
Kirschtaria held his hands up in an attempt to placate her. “I’m sorry, I don’t want any trouble. If you would like, I can pay you for the apple.”
Applejack raised her eyebrow. “Paying for something you stole is a given partner. But from what I heard you guys are a threat to Equestria, which means you’re a threat to ma’ friends. Sorry but I’m gonna have to hogtie you and bring you in.”
Now it was Kirschtaria’s turn to raise an eyebrow. “No offense ma’am, but you don’t seem to realize who I am or what I can do. But ignoring that, how do you intend to bring me in all by yourself?”
Applejack smirked. “Who said I was by myself?”
All of a sudden, the sound of thundering footsteps came from the left of Kirschtaria. He was barely able to sidestep before a big red blur came rushing past him. He looked up and saw that said blur was actually a large pony bigger than the female.
“You see pal, this is the apple family farm, of which you trespassed into and stole from. And when you mess with things belonging to my family, it won’t end well for you.”
Kirschtaria once again raised his hands. “Sure we can't talk about this?”
The big red one just looked at him and said “Nope,” before charging at him again.
“Alright. Then I’m sorry about this.”
Before Applejack could even register what he meant. Kato Danzo appeared out of thin air and slashed Big Mac across his side, sending the large earth pony tumbling to the side.
“Big Mac!” Applejack rushed to her brother’s side. She checked the wound, he was bleeding, but not too deep.
“You flea bitten mud suckers! I’ll-”
Applejack looked up, only to see that both master and servant were gone. The earth pony let out a frustrated sigh before helping Big Mac up and letting him lean on her.
“Don’t worry brother, I got ya.”
The two siblings then began the limp back to the house. But one thought kept repeating in Applejack’s mind.
”You made a big mistake hurting my family. Hmph, I’ll get you for this.”
Kirschtaria and Danzo made it to the edge of the Everfree before they looked back to make sure no one was following them.
“Thank you Kato Danzo, you arrived just in time.”
“You are welcome, master.”
“So, did you find Akuta?”
“Yes, I am sorry to report that she has been captured.”
Kirschtaria was shocked, he didn’t expect someone like Akuta to be captured. Not to mention she was a sore loser who would “kill herself” then allow capture.
“Is she alright, can you break her out of wherever she is being held?”
“I’m sorry master, but by the time I got there, she had already been moved to a location that had powerful magical barriers protecting it. My skills would be of little use trying to rescue her from that place.”
“I see, still this is not good. Akuta is not one to betray someone, but I have a feeling that these people may have a way of making her unwillingly reveal what she knows.”
“What are your orders, master?”
Kirschtaria thought for a moment, then he decided.
“Let’s go back to the others for now. We can form a rescue plan with the rest of the team.”
Morning in Canterlot.
Celestia got up out of her bed and then went to raise the sun, the shining rays of light creeping over the horizon. After a good yawn and a stretch, the Princess went to get her breakfast.
Upon entering the royal dining room, she already found Luna waiting for her.
“Ah sister, how was your rest?”
“Just fine Luna, anything that transpired last night?”
“Nothing of interest, seems there were no servant summonings last night. Nor have there been any sightings of Chaldea.”
“Well then, I guess we'll just have to wait and see if anything happens today.”
Celestia was about to sit upon her throne when a letter from Spike poofed into existence.
“Oh, would you look at that, guess we didn’t have to wait long now did we?”
“What does it say?”
Celestia gave the letter a quick one over, then her face became one of surprise.
“Sister?”
“It appears that Twilight and her friends have apprehended one of the humans from Chaldea.”
“Wait, really!?”
“Yes, it happened last night. Apparently, they broke into the town hall for whatever reason. For now, they are currently being held at the Ranger Union.”
“Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s go down there and interrogate them! The sooner we deal with Chaldea, the better.”
“Hold your horses, Luna. We need to approach this situation carefully.”
“What do you mean sister? There is nothing else to consider, this human means to do us harm, the sooner we get them to tell us the location of their companions the better.”
“That I do not disagree with. What I am referring to is the other interested parties.”
“...What do you mean?”
Celestia looked around for a bit before walking very close to Luna.
“Come with me.”
The solar Princess then teleported the both of them out of the room. Upon rematerializing, the Alicorns were now standing atop the peak of Canterlot Mountain.
“There, I’m sure no one will eavesdrop on us while we’re here.”
“Why teleport us here? Could you not have cast a soundproof spell on the room?”
“I’m pretty sure a soundproof spell would not stop Mewtwo from mentally reading our thoughts. Or just outright barging in.”
As soon as Celestia said the name Mewtwo, it dawned on Luna why Celestia went to this level of privacy.
“Oh.”
“I have given much thought to what Harmony said to us the last time we spoke to her. And if I’m being honest, having Mewtwo and by extension Arceus involved in this is not a very wise course of action.”
“What do you mean?”
“In the event that we inform Mewtwo and he tags along when we go to interrogate the Chaldean, it is right to assume that given his powers, he would be able to extract the information we need out of them without much hassle.”
“Yes, I can see that happening.”
“But my biggest concern however is what Arceus plans to do with said information once he has it. We all know how he feels about humans, it is not a stretch to say that he probably hates them more than anything else at the moment.”
Part of Luna wanted to downplay that statement. But she never really had much interaction with the Pokemon God compared to Celestia. And the times that she did, especially the recent ones, Arceus did not hide the fact that he blamed humans for all the problems of the old world. That he never wanted another flesh and blood human to be near another Pokemon for as long as he lived.
“I cannot trust that Arceus won’t dish out his own brand of justice upon Chaldea due to his prejudice against humans. Worst case scenario, Arceus finds Chaldea and their Wandering Sea headquarters and removes them as a threat. And rather than turning them over to us, he will punish them his own way. While defeating Chaldea is our goal at the moment, I have no intention of killing them. If they are to be caught and judged, it will be under our rules and laws.”
“I see, yes I completely understand. Arceus may very well let his emotions get the better of him.”
“Not to mention, that Chaldea doesn’t necessarily have to be our enemy.”
“Huh? How so?”
Celestia only gave her sister a knowing smile. “I’ll tell you later. For now, let us head back to the castle, we must think of a convincing lie to tell the guards so Mewtwo won’t wonder where we will be going.”
“I also suggest sending a letter to Twilight to not speak a word of the Chaldean to Arceus if she hasn’t already.”
Pokemon Ranger Union HQ
Akuta woke up as she rubbed her head. She tried to recall what happened before she was knocked out.
”Oh right, I was about to skewer a guy when something hit me.”
As her vision came back, Akuta sat up and looked around.
The room she was in was white, there was only a bed on which she was laying on, sink and lavatory next to each other, and a light hanging from the ceiling. There were also no windows to speak of.
“So you’re awake.”
Akuta turned to her right and found the owner of the voice. Standing on the other side of a clear glass frame was a large green snake. Standing beside her was a humanoid creature covered in armor.
“Just to let you know, this clear door is made of 6-inch thick plexiglass. And the walls are made of reinforced titanium.”
It was then that Akuta noticed that the room was way bigger than someone of her size warranted.
“I’d let you have one of the smaller rooms, but they are all occupied right now. My name is Scarlet by the way, and this is my assistant, Lance.”
The armored Pokemon said nothing.
“You caused quite a ruckus last night you know? One of your friends even hurt someone who is related to a friend of the local princess. On top of all the other stuff I imagine everyone is not very happy with you at the moment.”
Akuta continued to look at the two but said nothing. In times like these, the less she said the better. Plus, she was already good at not talking to people.
“Well, since you’re awake now, I’ll just tell the others. Please don’t try to escape while I’m gone, that would be really bothersome okay. Lance will stay here to keep an eye on you. If you need anything like say a book or a glass of water, please feel free to ask him.”
The Serperior slithered away, leaving Akuta alone with Lance as the two just stared at each other in silence.
-
Upstairs Rainbow Dash trotted around the lobby while her friends all sat in silence waiting.
However, “waiting” and “Rainbow Dash” were two things that never mixed well together.
“Rainbow Dash, can you stay still for five minutes?” Rarity said. “Some of us actually like the silence.”
“UGH! I can’t take it anymore! Let’s just go down there and get that human to tell us what she knows already!”
“Princess Celestia said not to interrogate the human until she and Princess Luna arrive,” Twilight points out. “And even if that wasn’t the case, we are not going down there to talk to her until we know what we’re going to say.”
“It’s obvious what we’re gonna say! Hey human, tell us where your friends are or you’re gonna get what’s coming to yea!”
Twilight let out a sigh. She looked around the lobby as she gauged the mood of her other companions. Kasai, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie were content to just sit around and wait. Applejack was almost as agitated as Rainbow Dash, but for different reasons. Abby was hard to read, she didn’t show any emotion on the surface, but Twilight knew that she, like Rainbow Dash, was among those who wanted to get this done as soon as possible.
Another person who was with them was Lucario. Although Twilight suspected he was not here for supportive reasons.
Fluttershy was not here, as she wanted to take care of her Pokemon friends who were afraid because of the current situation. While Spike was left back at the library.
Finally, the doors to the Union lobby opened, and in walked two alicorn Princesses.
“Oh, thank goodness you two are here.”
“Finally! Now we can get this over with!” Rainbow said.
“Not so fast Rainbow Dash,” Princess Celestia said before looking back to everyone. “First I want to know everything that happened last night.”
“Well Princess, while everyone was sleeping, someone broke into the Ponyville town hall. We don’t know what they were looking for, but a Gengar named Jake found them inside the Mayor’s office looking through papers, so we can only guess. At around 3:00 am. I was woken up by the sound of the town siren alarm. I went downstairs to find a human and his servant stealing my books, I tried to stop them but they got away….along with one of my books.”
Celestia almost gasped. Given how protective Twilight was with her books, she only picture the death stare she gave the human when she saw them.
“I’m so sorry Twilight, did they do anything else?”
“Aside from wrapping Spike in duck tape, I don’t think they did anything else.”
“Actually they did,” Applejack said. “That human that was at Twilight’s house, he then had come over to Sweet Apple Acres just to start eatin’ ma apples. I tried to stop him, but they just gave Big Mac a long nasty laceration before runnin’ away like cowards.”
“Oh, I am sorry to hear that Applejack, is your brother alright?”
“Aside from the new scar Big Mac is gonna be carrying around for the rest of his life, he’s just fine, it wasn’t too deep.”
“That’s good to hear. Now Twilight, what else happened back in Ponyville?”
“Well, I heard the commotion outside and went to see what was going on. By the time I got to Town Hall, the situation had already been resolved thanks to Abby and Kasai.”
“Is that so?” Celestia said, turning to the Pokemon couple.
“Yes Princess,” Kasai began. The human was about to do grievous harm to Rainbow Dash when I used Hyper Beam to subdue them.
“Hyper Beam? Correct me if I’m wrong, but I heard that move is quite powerful. Is the human alright?”
“I admit it was not the most subtle move to use at the time. But it appears that the human has suffered no permanent damage, or any damage at all really.”
“What do you mean?”
“By the time we got her locked up in her cell, her injuries were already healed. Which is odd since humans don’t have this level of regenerative capability.”
“And you find this odd?”
“I do, Princess.”
“I had Bio Chem take a blood sample and he is currently analyzing it as we speak. But while he is doing that, I think it’s about time we had a talk with our prisoner.”
Celestia broke eye contact with Abby and looked over everyone else. Whether it was out of curiosity or other reasons, it was clear that everyone wanted to start the interrogation.
“Very well, let’s see what we can get them to say.”
-
As they made their way to the holding cells, everyone had various emotions and thoughts running through their mind. Scenarios they imagined about how the following events would proceed.
For Twilight, part of her wanted to learn more about humanity. The revelations as of late had turned her whole world upside down and made her question everything about the nature of their existence. If these humans, if Chaldea could shed some light on what was going on..if they could provide her with the answers to her burning questions...
Princess Celestia, in her infinite kindness, wanted to approach this as she had with any diplomat or foreign visitor. Chaldea was indeed their enemy, there was no way around that. But they need not be. They were just trying to save their world, to save an entire race and the planet they called home. But Equus...Earth, was also Equestria’s home as well. She imagined they would say something along the lines of: “Your timeline was pruned, by the world itself no less, this place should not exist, it should not be here.”
Perhaps. If what Harmony said was true, then Equestria is a place that should not exist.
But just because something shouldn’t exist does not mean it does not have a right to exist. Equus was a real world, a real place, it was real to Celestia, to Luna, to Twilight, it was real to everyone who lived in it. Everyone, Pony, Pokemon, Griffin, Dragon, Zebra, Yak, Changeling, and Stag called this planet home. They had a right to be here and live just as much as the humans did. Certainly, there must be a way that everyone can live on this planet in peace. Even if those means and chances were slim, she would still carry that hope in her heart.
However, some of those who walked alongside Celestia at the moment did not have peace on their minds.
Abigail Trombley could only think of how she had seen the worst that humanity had to offer. The many sex and trafficking circles she had busted over the years. The cruel treatment of Pokemon because they were treated by human society as second-class citizens at best and animals at worst. How any man who had tried to court her only did so because she had a pretty face. She was sick and tired of it all. This is why when Arceus brought them all here to this new home and explained his reasons why he did it, she did not protest or was surprised that much. In her mind humanity got what it deserved.
She thought of her two precious children. Gold and Silver. They had their whole life ahead of them, they had yet to experience the many things it had to offer. Friends, school, finding a job, growing up, falling in love…
If these Chaldeans thought they could look her in the eye and take all that away from them, they had another thing coming.
For Lucario, this situation was more personal than even Abby. Korrina, his trainer, his friend, his love, was taken from him. The amount of time they spent together as Pokemon was brief but happy. He was glad that Korrina had returned his feelings even though she never wanted to be a Pokemon. She could have spent the rest of her life pursuing her career as a Gym Leader and fallen in love with some human. Lucario would be a bit sad, but he would have accepted it, above all else, he wanted her to be happy.
But when he was brought here to Equestria, when she was turned into the same Pokemon species as him, was the moment he decided to be selfish for once in his life. Whatever happened afterward, he decided to take a risk and confess his feelings for her. And luckily for him, his selfish feelings were answered.
But then Korrina was killed by a servant, a ghost sent by something called the Counter Force in order to destroy Equus. Or at least that was how he understood from his perspective and limited knowledge.
Servants as far as he knew could only exist if a human master commanded them. And so far, the evidence pointed to the only human masters that they knew existed in Equestria at the moment.
Chaldea. They were the ones who killed Korrina. And they would pay.
Finally, everyone entered the part of the Ranger HQ that housed the holding cells. Normally these we used to detain Pokemon that had become unruly or feral for one reason or another, it was here they would be treated before being released. Other times they were used to hold actual criminal Pokemon before they would be transferred to an actual prison.
The group eventually turned a corner and came to see Lance staring at the same cell Scarlet had left him.
At this point, some of them started walking faster. But before long everyone was in front of the glass door staring inside at the sole occupant of the cell.
Said occupant was currently reading a book.
“How did she get that?”
Abby turned to Lance.
“Scarlet said that if she required anything along the lines of water or reading material, that I should get it for her. The human requested a book, so I got it for her.”
Abby blinked then turned back to Akuta who was still glued to the pages of said book, its title read: “The Art of blade works”.
Princess Celestia looked at everyone who nodded back at her. She then cleared her throat before knocking on the glass.
“Hello?”
Akuta gave no response.
“My name is Princess Celestia, I am one of the rulers of the Kingdom of Equestria.”
Akuta still said nothing.
“I- We are not here to hurt you. We were just hoping if we could talk to you.”
Akuta flipped a page on her book.
Twilight finally snapped.
“Are you ignoring us!? Do you know who this is!? This is Princess Celestia! She is talking to you and you have the nerve to ignore her!?”
Akuta adjusted her glasses.
“Alright, that’s it! No one disrespects the Princess in front of me!”
Twilight tried opening the door.
“Twilight what are you doing?”
“I’m gonna go in there and teach her some manners!”
“That is not how we do things Twilight, I thought you better than this.”
The younger alicorn slowed down her frivolous typing on the keypad and sighed. “I’m, sorry Princess Celestia (plus I didn’t even know the password).”
The solar Princess sighed. Twilight had always been her biggest supporter for reasons that need not be said. And it was at times like these that she took her reverence of the solar princess too far. Celestia then turned back to their prisoner.
“Please miss, can I call you miss? It is in your best interest that you talk with us. I can assure you that we have no intention of harming or misleading you. You are part of Chaldea right? If so then we wish to talk with you about them.”
“I won’t deny that we wish to find your friends and stop them from doing what they intend to do. But understand, I think we can work together to find a solution that doesn’t involve us destroying our worlds. Despite what many people who have come from Earth say, I have no intention of destroying humans as a species. No race no matter how many sins they have committed deserves to go extinct.”
“Perhaps you think that the only way to save your world is to destroy ours. But I refuse to believe that is the only way. Here on Equus, and especially Equestria, we believe that the magic of friendship can overcome any obstacle, just as it has done in the past.”
Still no response.
Celestia looked at Luna, the younger sibling shaking her head. Before she could say something though...
“The magic of friendship? What kind of crap is that.?”
Everyone, particularly the Equines who were in the room, felt like someone had slapped them. They stared slack jawed at the human who was now speaking but was not even giving them the dignity of looking at them as she talked.
“Don’t make me laugh. If you think friendship alone will save your world from Cosmos Denial, you’re wrong. That is not how the rules of this planet work. The Counter Force does not care for small things such as friendship and morality, it is like a machine, coldly doing whatever it thinks will benefit humanity and the world. A long time ago it decided that your timeline was unfit to continue on its current course, and so it pruned it along with everyone who was living in it at the time. Its history has reached a dead end.”
Akuta turned her head to look at the group. Her cold stare betrayed no emotion.
“The only reason any of you are alive is that you were just lucky. Lucky that some upstart deity decided to resurrect your timeline for its own ends whatever they may be. Do you think that going to the other Lostbelts and making friends with the people living there will do you any good? It won’t. The other Lostbelt Kings only care about expanding their territory and destroying any other belt that gets in their way. And if you can’t accept that, well, then it doesn’t matter if your Lostbelt covers most of the planet at the moment, you might as well roll out the carpet and let the other timelines walk and roll right over you. We have already erased 2 Lostbelts, yours will be no different.”
The introverted Hinako looked back at her reading material.
“I heard that some god by the name of Arceus brought a race known as Pokemon to this world after it was made a Lostbelt. Tell me, did he know the true nature of this place before he came here?”
No one said anything. But their silence was enough of an answer.
“I see, well I kinda feel sorry for them the most. They probably came here looking for a new life, wanting to get away from some evil race that can only trample over the history of others not like them. I bet they probably feel really pissed off about this situation. Well, to them I say, don’t blame Arceus or humans for what’s happening.”
“The truth is, you all just got the short end of the stick, nothing you can do about that.”
For a moment, no one said anything. Mostly everyone was just shocked at the dismissive statement Akuta said to them.
Lucario, who had been holding back his anger all this time, nearly exploded on her right then and there. Twilight, who saw the look on his face, was about to try and hold him back.
Which means she could not do anything as Abby opened the door and barged into the room. She yanked the book out of Akuta’s hands and then mentally slammed her against the wall, absolute fury was visible on Pokemon's face.
“Listen here you little $#%@! You think that can just invade our home and kill an entire world like it’s just a matter of routine!? Because you think that's what the Earth wants!? Hell No! I and many other Pokemon did not see and go through so much suffering and injustice just so you humans can just come here and slaughter us like we don’t matter! Arceus did not give all of us a fresh new start just so you can take it away from us! And screw all that nonsense about your Counter Force, this world must have some pretty #%@$ed up priorities if it thinks humans of all species deserve a future more than anyone else.”
Abby psychically pulled Akuta out of the wall and brought her inches from her face.
“I have seen firsthand the evil humanity has wrought upon itself and the Pokemon race, I came to the conclusion of who was the better species a long time ago. I don’t care about what you or this stupid planet wants, humanity had its chance, it’s time for the people of Equus to be allowed to live their lives. So here’s what’s going to happen, you are going to tell us where your genocide committing friends are before we resort to less civil means of making you talk.”
Akuta didn’t say a word, only staring at the Pokemon Ranger with a look of annoyance.
“Abby!”
The Ninetales turned to see the stern face of Princess Celestia bearing down upon her.
“That’s enough, let her go.”
Abby tried looking away. Her face showing a slight hesitation and some shame for making such an outburst in front of the Princesses.
“Please.”
The Pokemon Ranger complied and released her psychic grip on Akuta who fell to the floor. She then walked out of the room and the door was closed behind her. She looked at her friends and family who were all giving her concerned looks.
“I think it’s best if I go upstairs. It seems that I can’t be trusted enough to maintain my composure right now.”
“I’ll go with you,” Kasai said, walking up to his mate.
Abby smiled for a bit and nuzzled up to her husband. “Thanks, Kasai.”
The two started walking off but Kasai turned to face the group.
“Continue without us, I’m sure you’ll make progress by yourselves.”
Once the pair were gone Celestia turned back to their prisoner.
“I apologize for Abby’s behavior, that was absolutely unacceptable.”
Akuta got up from the floor and straightened herself.
“If you are still willing to talk, let’s start over, shall we. What is your name?”
“.....Akuta, you a can call me Akuta.”
“Akuta. That’s a nice name, again I apologize for Abby’s actions. I’ll be sure to talk with her later.”
“Yeah, you do that.”
“However, I must say that statement you just said was uncalled for. I don’t know how your human society views magic. But here in Equestria, we value the ideals that friendship brings us. You may not think much of it but it is what we preach and practice in this kingdom. Through the magic of friendship, my student Twilight, and her friends have saved Equestria many times. That is why I wish to extend that same hoof of friendship to you.”
“....You really believe that huh?”
“As I said, here in Equestria, friendship is the greatest magic of all.”
“Hmph, I don’t know what shenanigans happened in this Lostbelt that utilizes friendship as a form of magecraft, but that won’t work where we come from.”
Celestia raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”
“In both the Age of Gods and the current Age of Man, magecraft is mystery reenacted. It can only be used for what is supernaturally possible in what humans call science. In other words, magecraft is not as special as one would have you believe. Friendship is a bond, a thing people use to form connections with each other. Never once has someone used friendship to perform miracles.”
“What do you mean by that?” Twilight Sparkle asked in confusion and pride. “Science and Magic are similar, yes, but they are ultimately very different concepts. To say science is magic is like saying apples are oranges or whatever.”
“Anyway, if we are talking about love, then that’s a different story since there are various deities who wield that as an authority. But even if what you say is true, like I said before, I highly doubt your magic of friendship will be enough to persuade the other Lostbelt Kings to lay down their arms and throw confetti at parties with you.”
“Hey!” Yelled an offended Pinkie Pie.
“While your kindness can be a virtue, it is also a weakness. Tell me, when was the last time your kingdom fought in a war? I mean a real war, with all the bloody conflict and cynical nature that it brings out in people?”
Celestia nor Luna did not answer. For that they had none. How could they when Equestria for its entire existence had never known war?
“Wait, don’t tell me this place has never known war for as long as it can remember? You’re kidding me right?”
“I...must say that Equestria has seen its fair share of adversity against evil in its beginning. And in recent years.”
Akuta noticed that Luna looked away for a moment.
“But to answer your question, no. Equestria has never had to fight in a real war, it is a blessing only made possible because I cherished peace above all else. I protected my little ponies by seeking not to fight with those whom I disagreed with, but by reaching out a hoof in friendship and trying to understand them.”
“You're kidding…”
“However, just because I and my ponies have never known war, does not mean that we are not prepared to fight. While the majority of the Royal Guard has never had to fight another nation, that does not mean Equestria is defenseless. The Pokemon who now call this kingdom home are prepared to lay down their lives to defend their new friends and families. We also have the Legendary Pokemon and Arceus who command great power. We may not be natural fighters Akuta, but if it comes to a point where we have to fight other Lostbelts, we will fight. For Equestria and for its people, for the friendship we believe in.”
Akuta stared at Celestia for a moment longer, before letting out a sigh.
“Well, it seems you guys really think you stand a chance.”
“We do, whether you believe it or not. So Akuta, will you help us? You and your friends at Chaldea, you don't need to be our enemies.”
Celestia held out her hoof once again. Although blocked by a glass door, she hoped that Akuta would accept the figurative hand of friendship.
“Sorry, but that’s not gonna happen.”
Celestia frowned as Akuta gave her answer.
“Don’t get me wrong, it’s not that you guys don’t seem trustworthy, it’s your godly friend I’m worried about.”
“You mean Arceus?”
“Yup. From what I heard, I don’t know much about the guy, but from what I have heard he has a low opinion of humans. Tell me, how do you think he would react to this proposed alliance of yours?”
Celestia opened her mouth, but nothing came out.
“Oh, you haven’t told him yet have you?”
“Didn’t tell him what?” Twilight said.
Lucario thought for a moment before realizing what she meant.
“Wait, you didn’t tell Arceus that we captured a human!?”
Soon all eyes were on Celestia and Luna.
“Now that I think about it,” Applejack began. “It is kinda strange that Arceus is not here, or that he didn’t at least send a Legendary Pokemon on his behalf.”
“Princess?” Twilight said.
Celestia looked a bit nervous but maintained her composure.
“Twilight, everyone, well talk about this later, right now-”
“Well well, it seems that even you don’t fully trust Arceus don’t you Princess. You understand how gods can be. How they just do what they want without a care for the consequences they unleash.”
“Akuta, I understand your caution towards Arceus, but-”
“Nope, I think I can see where this is going, and I don’t wanna wait and stick around for someone to use a mental ability that forces me to tell them something they want.”
“Oh yeah?” Rainbow Dash said in a brash tone. “And just what are you gonna do about it? You can’t escape that cell of yours, and even if you did, you’d still have to get past us.”
Akuta, for the first time since she woke up in this room, smiled. It was a smug smile, the kind people make when they know the situation is in their favor.
“Who said anything about escaping?”
All of a sudden, Akuta began to build up magical energy. A red aura enveloped her and was visible for all to see.
“What are you doing!?” Celestia shouted.
“I’m obviously not getting out of here, so I might as well make it sure that no one will be able to make me talk!”
“What do you mean?” Twilight said. “What are you going to do!?”
As her magical energy reached its climax, Akuta smiled once again.
“Farewell, Equestrians.”
Even with those two words, it was only Lucario who recognized the meaning behind them. His eyes widened in realization.
“EVERYBODY GET DOWN!”
In that split second of a warning, everyone jumped out of view of Akuta. Then there was a loud explosion that shook the build, along with a flash of red.
When the shaking stopped, everyone got up to see what had happened. The building was still intact and it looked like no one got hurt. But when a brave few dared to approach the cell, the state of its occupant was a different story.
On all walls and in every direction, there was blood. From spattering to splattering, blood painted the entire cell. To say that this looked like a scene straight out of a horror movie would be an understatement.
Those who had never seen blood in their life such as Rarity fainted on the spot. Others who could not stomach the scene such as Applejack threw up her lunch. While Twilight, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie were scarred for life.
After a few moments of trying to process this grisly scene, it was Princess Celestia who broke the silence.
Kirschtaria Wodime winced as Goredolf shouted from his communicator, even as a small hologram, the Director could be loud if he really wanted. Granted his displeasure this time was very understandable.
“What possessed you to make such an idiotic decision? If those Equestrians somehow manage to force vital information out of Akuta, then we’re toast!”
“I know that, and I’m sorry,” Kirschtaria said. “But it’s not like I could just rush in there and fight them all at once. I may be a talented mage, but I am still just one guy. And while Kato Danzo is a skilled infiltrator, I was not sure if her illusions would be powerful enough to deceive an entire town of magic users.”
Goredolf sighed. “Still, the longer we leave her there the more time they have to try and interrogate her.”
“You think that Akuta might be persuaded to give away our location?”
“It honestly wouldn’t surprise me,” Kadoc said. “It’s not like humans are her favorite species. And as we all know, the only reason she is even at Chaldea in the first place is that it’s a safe haven for her to hide.”
“No,” Mash stated. “Akuta is our friend. Whatever reservations she has about humanity, we are about the only companions she has at the moment. Akuta is someone who has a sense of loyalty to those who treat her with kindness. So I don’t think she would sell us out.”
“I concur with Ms. Kyrielight,” Sherlock added. “As anti-social and rough as Akuta is, I do not think we have to worry about her willingly selling us out. My concern is how the Equestrians might force the desired information from her.”
“How so?”
“Well thanks to the information gathered by the servants who were summoned here before us, I have learned some of the basic things when it comes to the creatures we know as Pokemon. One basic part of their biology is their ability to draw their power from the elements. Although keep in mind that the way they use the elements is slightly different from ours. The Pokemon are divided into 18 elemental types.
“18!?” Goredolf exclaimed.
“Yes, 18. The list goes as follows: Normal, Fire, Fighting, Water, Flying, Grass, Poison, Electric, Ground, Psychic, Rock, Ice, Bug, Dragon, Ghost, Dark, Steel, and Fairy. While some of these may seem questionable and others are related if not derived from others, I can assure you that this is how the Pokemon race classifies these elements.”
“Okay, But what does this have to do with interrogating Akuta?”
“I was about to get to that. As you may have noticed, one of these elements is called Psychic. Which from what I have learned shares some similarities with the Psychic’s of our world.”
“For those who don’t know,” Da Vinci said. "Psychics are a type of mystery different from Magecraft. While Mages learn and practice their powers. Psychics are born with their abilities, in a sense they are mutations. Psychic powers are the ultimate ability of humans who have become an existence independent of nature. Some even theorize that their powers are born from the Counter Force itself to deal with certain threats.”
“Indeed, everything Da Vinci said is true. Some Pokemon are able to wield many common psychic abilities such as telekinesis, telepathy, precognition, and clairvoyance. But the one that has me worried the most is mind-reading.”
“Wait mind-reading!?” Kadoc said. “You mean the go inside your head and pull out information like you’re in a library, ‘that’ kind of mind-reading!?”
“Yes, that kind of mind-reading. While apparently, not every psychic Pokemon in the world has this ability, I can’t imagine that the Equestrians would not resort to that if Akuta proves to be resilient.”
“Well if that’s the case then I say we go and rescue Akuta now before it’s too late,” Ritsuka said
“I agree, we should form a plan to break out Akuta as soon as possible. After all, Psychic mind-reading is not the only thing we have to worry about.”
“Why, what could possibly be worse than that?”
“Well, I imagine that if he cares about this world and its continued survival, then it is possible that Arceus might be informed that a member of Chaldea was captured recently. And if he does know, he may have sent an envoy to oversee the interrogation, or worse, he might do it himself.”
Abby sat in the hallway as Kasai tried to comfort her.
“Are you alright Abby?”
“....Honestly I’m not really sure myself.”
“That’s understandable. Do you want to talk about it?”
The Ninetales let out a sigh. “It’s just, how can that human be so dismissive of the people who live in this world? She doesn’t understand just how much suffering the Pokemon have had to endure over thousands of years. She doesn’t know how beautiful this new world is. How its people are good and deserve to live.”
“...And you don’t think her world deserves to live?”
Abby was silent for a few moments, but for her, it felt longer as her mind thought of an honest answer.
“Kasai, I don’t know her world, I haven’t seen it. I only know this one and the one we left. We have lived among these good people for months now. We have seen that this is a just and fair world for all, it is in a way leagues better than the one we left behind. Our world was constantly under threat from human groups who wanted to exploit Legendary Pokemon for their own goals. It seemed like every other day Team Rocket or some other evil team was causing a catastrophe that threatened to end the world. We have seen the worst it had to offer.”
Abby looked into her husband’s eyes, her pupils filled with a certain tiredness.
“I don’t have any love left for humanity Kasai, I honestly don’t. I don’t think Arceus has any either or he would not have done this, or at the very least let some people keep their human forms. God has judged his creations and found them guilty. And while I know this is a different version of humanity, I cannot help but project my own feelings onto them. Does that make me a bad person?”
Kasai nuzzled his mate who leaned into his mane.
“I understand how you feel, and I also think you have a right to be angry. I don’t think you’re a bad person Abby. However, whatever feelings for humanity you have, I want you to try and control them. These new humans, whatever they have done, are only doing it to save their world. Plus this is technically their planet.”
“Last I checked it’s also Equestria’s planet.”
“And we have their permission to live here. But the humans must also-
KABOOM!
An explosion rocked the building before Kasai could finish. After the shaking stopped, the couple rushed back to the confinement cells to see what happened.
The sight they came upon was one where several ponies had fainted while the others were in shock.
“What happened here?” Abby said as she walked closer to the cell, upon looking inside, however, she wished she hadn’t asked.
“Oh,” Abby who had seen some terrible grisly things in her Pokemon Ranger career, had never seen a bloody mess like this.
“H-how?”
“W-we don’t know,” Celestia said. “Apparently she was somehow able to cause herself to explode. Whether it was some kind of magic spell or a bomb that she had somehow concealed inside her, either way, she took he own life.”
“Indeed,” Luna concurred. “It seems she was willing to die rather than risk use finding out what she knows.”
“It, unbelievable,” Twilight muttered. “To think that she was willing to die over something like this. I just, can’t imagine doing something like that.”
“There are some people in this world that are willing to do anything for the cause they believe in Twilight. To them, their cause means more to them than anything.”
“But still!” The alicorn princess was practically holding back tears of horror at this point. “It’s your own life! What about her friends, her family, the people she cares about!? Life isn’t something you should just throw away!”
“Twilight,” Celestia draped a wing over her student and let her cry into her chest. “You have learned much as my student and you have also learned much from the friendships you have made here. But you are still young, there are things in this world you have yet to learn. Dark things. You will learn that there are people and places in this world that scare and hurt you in ways you can't imagine. But you’re ready to face those things. You will overcome them, I promise that you will.”
Celestia then enveloped the unconscious Rarity in her magical grasp and stood up.
“Let’s go back upstairs, there is no need to be here looking at this horrible scene.”
No one protested, everyone soon made their way back upstairs, some moving faster than others.
However, as soon as they were gone, the blood that was all over the cell room began to move.
Kirschtaria, Ritsuka, and Mash stood beside some trees on the edge of a forest, the darkness of the night hiding them from view. In the distance was their target, the Pokemon Ranger Union.
“So that is where Akuta is being held?” Mash said.
“According to the GPS, that is where Akuta’s genetic signature is coming from. Using this we can locate her once we are inside” Krischtaria responded.
“Alright, so what’s the plan?” Ritsuka asked.
“Well, first we shall use those makeshift cloaking mystic codes Da Vinci prepared for us to sneak inside. Then locate Akuta, give her one as well, and just walk out ."
Goredolf came up on the holocom to chime in.
“While I can see the merit in the plant to rescue Akuta, there is also the getting away part that we have to consider. Should the mystic codes fail or if they have some way of seeing through them, I’m pretty sure they won’t let us get away that easily.”
“I know director, that’s where you come in.”
“Huh?”
“I believe it is best if we move the Shadow Border close as close as we can, you will be our exile if things go south.”
“Are you mad Wodime!? We cannot risk the Shadow Border like this. After that encounter with that illusion-casting Phantom Theif, I am not risking this car and its occupants. If the Border is somehow captured or destroyed, then we are finished.”
“I understand the risk that I am asking of you as well as Chaldea, but the Border is our fastest means of escape. As I am willing to bet that none of us humans can outrun horses, or flying pegasi if they sick some on us. Plus if worse comes to worst we have a sure way for us to escape is if we initiate a zero dive. Besides, Akuta is one of our own and a powerful member of our team, she is worth the risk.”
“Hmph, Tactical Advisor, what do you think?”
Holmes raised an eyebrow.
“Personally, I think Mr. Wodime’s plan is logical. In the event that the Equestrians have means of pursuing us, the Shadow Border and its zero dive are the best means of us escaping it. While I do caution the excessive use of performing a zero sail, it would not hurt to use it should a means of escape become slim.”
“I see. Hmmm, this plan is risky, but I guess I’ll sanction it. And your right, Akuta is a valuable member and asset to Chaldea. Plus a zero dive would allow us to get away scot-free. And unless they have someone as strong and fast as that servant back in Scandinavia, I don’t see how they’ll be able to stop us from getting away.”
“Thank you, director. And on a side note, I suggest you start moving the Shadow Border now. If the Equestrians have already forcibly extracted information out of Akuta, then it would be unwise to remain in a location that she knows about. This should also extend to the servants hiding in the caves as well.”
“So what should we do now?” Twilight said asking the obvious question. The answer she got was a mixed reaction of faces.
“Well I don’t know about the rest of you but I’m going home,” Rarity stated. “That was enough of a traumatic experience to last the rest of my life.”
“Yes, you should go home and rest Rarity, we can deal handle things here.”
“Yes, I’ll see you all later.”
“Stay safe Rarity.” Applejack said.
As soon as the white unicorn left the building Abby spoke up.
“Okay, so I think I have a few ideas of what we should do next.”
“I’ll tell you what we should do next,” Lucario said in an irritated voice before looking directly at the Princesses. “I want to know why you two did not bother to inform the Legendary Council that we had captured a member of Chaldea.
Celestia had seen this question coming but had yet to structure the answer in a way that sounded justifiable.
“Lucario please try to understand. We were trying to handle this situation in a way that we believed would best suit everyone.”
“What are you talking about!?” the former Pokemon of Korrina was starting to let his aura become more visible. “If Mewtwo or any of the other Psychic Legendaries were here, they could have extracted the information we needed from her brain without all the futility of trying to talk them into handing it over.”
“Wait?” Twilight said. “You wanted Mewtwo to mind-rape them?”
“Well, I wouldn’t exactly be opposed to the idea.”
Abby ground her teeth. “Look Lucario, I may not have sympathy for the Chaldeans. But something as invasive and immoral as forceful mind reading is a line we do not cross. I nearly let Kasai tear into Mewtwo after what he did to Luke last year. I even called out Belle, my best friend after she did something similar to Hastings when he came to Ponyville. A person’s mind is their last sanctuary, their final fortress from the outside world. No one has the right to violate that space.”
“Have you forgotten what they did to us!? To Equestria!? 50,000! That about as many people they killed during the Summer Solstice, Korrina being one of them! Pokemon and Ponies that day lost, friends, family, lovers, are you going to spit in their faces by not doing everything in your power to avenge their deaths!?”
“Revenge is not how we do things here in Equestria Lucario,” Princess Luna said. “In this kingdom, we forgive and forget. That is what makes our nation great, we don’t hold grudges as much as we want to.”
“Speak for yourself.”
Princess Celestia glared at the Aura Pokemon. “While the loss of life that day is a great tragedy, and make no mistake I will see the ones who murdered my little ponies brought to justice, Chaldea is not to blame for what happened that day as far as we know.”
Everyone except Luna turned to look at the Princess as if she just said something that was not common knowledge.
“Wait what do you mean?” Applejack said. “I thought Harmony made it clear about who was behind all of that..”
“You misunderstand Applejack. The day after the bombing when Harmony gathered all of us together, she merely told us who our enemies were, she never said who was directly responsible for the attack on our people.”
“Wait, really?”
Celestia turned to her former student. “Twilight, you were with me and Luna. Do you recall Harmony ever clearly stating who was responsible for the bombings that day?”
Twilight opened her mouth before her brain searched through the important memories from that day. And she could recall nothing that hinted at the culprit behind that monstrous act.
“No, I don’t think she did. Harmony never directly said who was responsible for those firebombs.”
“But wait, if it wasn’t the Chaldeans fault then who was it?” Abby said. “It couldn’t have been someone from the Lostbelts. They only came into existence at the same time as when the bombs went off.”
“Exactly!” Lucario said. “Our enemies are the Chaldeans and the Lostbelts. Since it couldn’t be the latter, then it has to be the former! Just because Harmony never said it wasn’t Chaldea does not rule out them as suspects!”
“Even if they are suspects, they are still innocent until proven guilty. We should at least hear their side of the story,” Celestia retorted.
“I don’t get why you would want to hear out a bunch of mass murders who intend to massacre everyone on the planet just to save their world.”
Lucario was about done with this situation, he got up from his chair and then walked to the door.
“And just where are you going?”
“Out.”
Lucario then left the building.
“Should someone go and talk to him?” Twilight said.
“Lucario is in an unstable mood right now. I think it’s best if we give him some space before we try and help him.”
“While we wait for that,” Abby said. “Twilight can you come with me for a second?”
“Sure, where to?”
“Bio Chem’s lab. I personally don’t think anything useful could come of him observing human DNA. But maybe there is something he could do to help us.”
Outside Lucario kept walking, the anger that he had been holding back demanding manifestation. It demanded justice for the brutal needless death of Korrina. The person he loved more than anyone in this world was dead and her killers had still not been punished. It was enough to make him lash out.
Lucario let out a roar of fury and used Mega Punch on the nearest tree, splitting it in half.
With that release of anger, Lucario allowed some of his rage to simmer, but not dissipate. He did a breathing ritual in order to clear his mind. After said ritual, he began to think of what he should do.
It was obvious that the Princesses were not going to punish the Chaldeans. And now they were left with no leads as to where they are. His gaze scanned the horizon until it laid on the Everfree Forest.
After a bit of contemplating, Lucario used Extreme Speed and ran off into the distance.
Bio Chem was in a giddy mood. The scientist had never thought he would get the chance to study human DNA. After nearly a year of studying Pokemon biology, this was a nice change of pace for him.
So far, the results from the various tests had given him some very interesting reactions.
“I see, I see! Is this really what humans were like? No wonder they were the undisputed dominant species of their planet! Then again I wonder why no one has mentioned this about them. After all the applications for this kind of ability are-”
“Bio Chem?
The scientist pulled himself from his microscope and turned around to see two certain individuals enter his lab.
“Ah Miss Trombley and Princess Twilight, to what do I owe this visit?”
“We just wanted to check up and see how your analysis was going,” Abby said.
“Oh yes yes. I was just marveling at the DNA structure of humans and what it says about your species. Oh, I’m sorry former species that is.”
Abby cocked her head in confusion but nevertheless just wrote it off as Bio Chem’s general enthusiasm when it comes to biology on new species.
“I’m...glad to hear that Bio Chem. Although speaking from experience. There is nothing relatively amazing or special about human genetics, at least when compared to Pokemon. We were a relatively normal race with no powers to speak of aside from the occasional Psychic or Aura user.”
“Really, that’s it? Strange.”
“What do you mean strange?” Twilight asked.
“Well if these test results say anything then the humans of this universe are staggeringly different from the ones that came from your world, Ms.Trombley.”
“What are you saying Bio Chem?”
“Well, I managed to run some tests and so far it appears that this human DNA does not share any generic code with any known sapient species on the planet much less Pokemon and animals. Naturally, this genetic structure is unlike anything I have ever seen in my life.”
Bio Chem brought up a red DNA helix on the screen. To someone like Abby who did not have a scientific background, the significance of the color was lost on her. Twilight on the other hand…
“Huh, that is strange.”
“Twilight?”
“Well, recently Professor Juniper taught me some lessons about the human body and what makes it up. Among the things, she showed me was a human DNA helix. And if I remember correctly the one on this screen has very different values from the one Juniper showed me. I would go as far as to say this isn’t human DNA at all.”
The words that left Twilight’s mouth caused Abby to grow concerned.
“Bio Chem, what else did you learn about from this DNA structure?”
“Oh yes, apparently these humans have an astounding regenerative capability.”
The room went silent for a moment.
“What?”
“Beleive me I was surprised too. But if these readings are correct. They have the ability to heal and regenerate any wound inflicted upon them.”
Abby and Twilight looked at each other. For former passing her concerned face onto the other.
“Bio Chem, theoretically, how powerful is this regeneration?”
“Well, I can’t exactly do a full trial with the amount of DNA that I have to get a definitive answer. But theoretically, these humans, or at least this one, in particular, could live forever. I’d even go as far as to say they could get blown up and still pull themselves back together.”
Abby’s heart skipped a beat. That last sentence was enough to confirm her worst suspicions.
“Twilight, did Princess Celestia send that clean-up crew to Akuta’s cell yet?”
“Uh, I think I saw them walk by on the way here.”
After that, the Ninetales bolted from the lab without another word, followed shortly by the alicorn princess.
Bio Chem shrugged his shoulders. “Wonder what got them so spooked.”
A unicorn and earth pony duo opened the door to Akuta’s bloody cell as the two janitor ponies got to work.
“Well, that’s a sight you don’t see every day,” one of them said.
“I can’t even imagine what happened that could cause something like this. It’s like something out of those horror stories you hear about.”
“Yeah well, let’s just clean this up and we won’t have to think about it for much longer.”
The unicorn got out a hose and prepared to wash down the walls, but before that could happen he slipped on the blood.
“Ow! The heck I wasn’t even moving?”
“What do you mean? This blood can’t be that slippery.”
But when the Earth Pony looked down, he recoiled in shock as the blood in the room began to move. Both ponies watched in amazement and horror as the red liquid joined together and formed a mass. Finally, the bodily fluids began to take a humanoid shape. A few seconds later, a reassembled Akuta stood before them.
The two janitors did not know what to make of what they just saw, nor did they have any idea how to respond except.
“M-m-monst-”
“If your about to call me a monster. Well, you wouldn’t be the first.”
Akuta then flew past the two ponies before she proceed to knock them into the walls and into subsequent unconsciousness.
“Alright then, now how to get out of here?” Akuta looked around and saw the stairwell before walking towards it. But once she came to the foot of said stairs, she heard some rapid footsteps before looking up to see Abby and Twilight at the top.
Twilight being the quick thinker that she was attempted to create a force field to block her in.
But unfortunately for her, Akuta was faster.
The Elemental fired a blast of blood which the duo managed to avoid by hiding around the corner. But this allowed Akuta to run up the stairs and past them. Abby got up in time to see the Chaldean run down one of the hallways. Before pursuing her, she tapped her Ranger badge which activated her comm device.
“Lance sound the alarm! We have an escapee on the loose!”
Not a second later, a blaring alarm sounded throughout the facility sending the entire building into lockdown. Reinforced barriers came down on all the windows and glass doors, while a force field was erected around the entire HQ.
“Twilight I’ll follow her, go get the Princess and the others.”
“Got it! And Abby, good luck.”
The former human nodded before they both went in separate directions.
Outside Ritsuka, Mash and Kirschtaria watched from a low camouflage spell as the entire facility went into lockdown and a forcefield tightly surrounded the building.
“Hmmm, well that complicates things.”
“Did they spot us?” Mash asked.
“I don’t think so. If you look at this forcefield, it activated before we could step inside. And given how it matches the shape of the building rather than being a bubble, I’m thinking this not meant to keep us out, but rather keep someone in.”
“You mean Akuta?”
“I believe so, it seems she managed to escape on her own without our help. Although that doesn’t really surprise me. She is more clever than we give her credit for.”
“Okay, but how will she get out?” Ritsuka pointed out.
Kirschtaria rubbed his chin for a moment. He checked his wrist device, which showed Akuta’s general location within the building. A fact that was only made possible now that they were standing close enough to get a better reading. Once that was confirmed, he activated his communicator.
“Director?” Goredolf once again appeared on the holo com. “Yes, Wodime?”
“It appears we may need some help getting Akuta out. Is Pepe still back at the caves?”
“Last I checked, why?”
“Well, tell him that I need a specific servant.”
Back inside Twilight ran into Celestia, Luna, and her friends who were coming to see what was going on.
“Princess Celestia!”
“Twilight, what is happening? Why is the building on lockdown?”
“I don’t have time to explain, but Akuta is alive.”
“What!?” Everyone said.
“She’s is trying to escape but Abby is chasing her as we speak.”
“Where is she now?”
Elsewhere in the building, a certain Xian ran down several hallways. She sometimes would encounter a guard or two, as well as the occasional Pokemon Ranger, but they were not much trouble for her.
“Man just how big is this place?”
Akuta ran past offices and down corridors. She would sometimes come upon a window, but the barrier combined with the force field was too strong for her. Especially since she used a good amount of her power to revive herself.
She was growing tired. She had not replenished her energy in a while, being trapped by this man-made building was not helping her.
“At this rate,” She thought to herself. “I might just have to do the one the few things I detest doing. Maybe the next person who shows up might-”
Akuta was taken out of her thoughts as she felt something slam into her, sending the Chaldean sliding across the floor. She then picked herself up to look at her attacker.
“Oh, it’s you.”
Abby stared down at Akuta as the latter got up.
“I know these hallways better than you, it was only a matter of time until I caught up.”
“So it seems. You don’t really think you’ll be able to take me down on your own.”
“I don’t know. I assume you have some degree of power since you somehow were able to revive yourself after getting blown up. Not to mention that Bio Chem says you may have some form of immortality going on.”
“That right, I have been alive long before you were a thought in your creator’s mind and will live long after you and everyone in this world have returned to dust.”
“I see, I believe you. And while part of me is curious as to what you are exactly I can’t let you escape.”
“I thought we just established that I’m out of your league.”
“Perhaps, but being immortal doesn’t mean your invincible, seeing as how we captured you before. Plus, I am willing to bet that there is a limit to your regeneration.”
Akuta, gritted her teeth, something that did not go unnoticed by Abby who smirked.
“You see, so even if I don’t beat you-”
Abby raised her tails which began to shake with power.
“At least I’ll soften you up for the others.”
All of a sudden Akuta felt locked in place unable to move. She looked at Abby whose eyes were glowing blue.
“You who would bring hate and hurt to this world,” the voice that came out of Abby was cold and low. “BE CURSED WITH THE HURT YOU HAVE NEVER KNOWN!”
Akuta was then inflicted with a wave of pain that crawled along her very skin. It felt like her entire body was on fire.
It had been some time since Abby had cursed someone. A Ninetales curse was a natural ability she had used and admittedly abused in the past when she first got this new body. But after being a bit too trigger-happy with that power, she toned it down after Kasai pointed out how she didn’t exactly have the right to punish people like that. But for Akuta, she was all too willing to make an exception.
Akuta almost fell to the ground as her body tried to counteract the curse inflicted upon her. She looked up to see Abby staring down at her with a small grin on her face as if her victory was assured.
“Oh hell no…” She was not about to go down like this.
Slowly bringing herself up and fighting against the pain, she met her opponent with a hard stare.
“You call that a curse.”
Akuta grabbed her chest as she began to build up power.
“Let me tell you something fox, I don’t get curses.”
Akuta took off her glasses as her eyes turned from brown to a deep crimson.
“I give them!”
Abby’s smile then faded as a fierce aura began to emanate from Akuta.
“The eternal wail of one abandoned even by death. O sky! O clouds! Rain tears of compassion to curse life!”
Eternal Lament The Cursed-Blooded Immortal's Song of Grief
A small contained explosion of blood and red exploded from Akuta and rained down in the confined spaces of the hallway. Because of this, Abby had nowhere to hide as she was slammed against the wall and inflicted with minor curses. Had Akuta been at full strength, she would not have survived that Noble Phantasm.
Naturally, Zeheran drained some of her last reserves of energy to use that attack and remove the curse inflicted upon her. She needed to replenish her power here and now.
She stared at the defeated form of Abby, down but not out. Slowly the Xian stepped closer towards her. Like a bat stalking its prey.
Abby growled in an attempt to not show weakness. “Stay back, you monster.”
“BTW I should let you know that I am someone who holds grudges. I have not forgotten what you did to me in that cell. I thought you Equestrians were nicer than that,” Akuta knelt down at the Ninetales.
“I’m not Equestrian.”
“Whatever, the point is, what I am about to do is basically payback.”
Akuta grabbed ahold of the Ninetales and bared her neck.
“But the good news for you, I’ll leave you with just enough blood to live.”
Before Abby realized what those words meant, Akuta sank her fangs into her skin. The Pokemon screamed.
-
Twilight and the rest of the gang ran down several hallways. Following Kasai as well as a trail of unconscious guards and Rangers left in Akuta’s wake.
“I have Abby’s scent, she's is this way.”
“You think Abby will be alright?” Rainbow Dash said.
“She is tougher than she looks. I think she can handle something like this herself.”
“The thing in question is something that should be taken lightly,” Twilight said. “After all, this thing did just revive herself after being blown up.”
“All the more reason to find her and help as soon as we can.”
Kasai then lead the group down another hallway until they came upon a 4-way intersection.
“Kasai which way?”
“Hold on give me a sec.” The Arcanine sniffed the air for a few seconds. But instead of going down another hallway, his nose recoiled in disgust.
“What’s wrong?” Princess Celestia asked.
“That’s strange, I can’t smell Abby.”
“What?” Twilight exclaimed. “How?”
“I don’t know, it’s like her scent is being masked by something….wait...wait a second.”
“Kasai?”
“I smell….blood.”
Twilight’s heart began to race, that was not a good sign. But before anyone could form a response to that. A scream pierced the hallways.
“What was that!?” Luna said
“It came down from here!” Kasai said as he ran down the right hallway, the rest of the group not far behind him.
The Fire-type Pokemon ran as fast as his legs could take him. After all, he recognized the voice that made that scream. His heart was racing, he prayed to Arceus that something terrible had not happened to his mate. As he came upon a corner, he braced himself for what he might find.
But when finally turned the corner and laid eyes on Abby, his heart nearly stopped.
Kasai stared in horror as Akuta on the limp body of Abby. The sound of sounding going down her throat echoing in his mind.
Soon the rest of the group caught up to him, and the reactions they gave once they saw what Akuta was doing to Abby were similar to his.
Twilight and Applejack were the most shocked. The very scene they were witnessing brought to mind a certain creature spoken of in scary stories. An immortal bloodsucker that would drain its victims of their lifeforce.
Akuta hearing the footsteps looked up and noticed the ponies staring at her. She then released her mouth from Abby’s shoulder, red blood dripped from her fangs as she licked her teeth.
Kasai suddenly found his nerve again. His face contorted into once of righteous fury, flames erupted from his mouth.
“GET. THE HELL. AWAY FROM HER!!”
Kasai rushed down the hallway with a Fire Fang that he was about to sink into Akuta. But thanks to her recent meal, Akuta was now much faster. The Arcainine jump at her, but she successfully dodged the canine and just ran down another hallway.
Kasai was about to give chase, but a moan from someone beneath him was enough to snap him out of his rage.
“Abby?”
Kasai knelt down next to his mate, he nuzzled her in an attempt to get a reaction out of her, to see if she was still alive.
He placed his head next to her chest, and to his relief, he heard a heartbeat.
“Is she okay?” Twilight said worryingly as ran up next to Kasai.
“She’s breathing, but I don’t how much-” Kasai knew the words to say, but part of him didn’t want to admit what he just saw.
Celestia came over and looked at the Ninetales. She closed her eyes and her horn glowed as a golden aura enveloped the Pokemon. After a few moments, she stopped and opened her eyes.
“I used a spell to stabilize her, but she has lost a lot of blood. Aside from that, there is something afflicting her. I have tried to remove whatever it is, but I can’t do that here, she needs medical attention now!”
“I’ll stay with her. You guys go on ahead,” Kasai said. “I’m not gonna leave her side.”
“Sister, I shall stay here. You go ahead and stop that human, or whatever she is before she escapes.”
“Alright, Luna.” Celestia then cast another spell. Causing a light from her horn to shine in a certain direction.
“I believe she went this way.”
Twilight, Rainbow Dash and Applejack, ran in the direction Celestia was pointing at. Before the elder alicorn ran after them, she looked back at Luna, as well as Abby and Kasai.
“You two take care of her.”
Luna nodded, while Kasai simply laid next to his mate, he did not intend to part from her any time soon.
Akuta, now with more power to work with, was presently looking for another window. She felt confident enough to think that she could smash through one, barricade, force field, and all.
“I’d rather not try a random wall, for all I know there is another one on the other side.”
Akuta then came upon a large area and looked around, there were no other hallways connecting this room.
“Dead end, I’ll have to go back and-” The sound of footsteps stopped her thoughts, as well as eliminated that option.
She turned around just in time to see 4 ponies blocking her exit. The expressions on their faces were either glaring daggers or cautiousness.
Rainbow Dash was of the glaring daggers sec. “Alright, bub. You’re gonna pay for what you did to Abby.”
“Easy Rainbow Dash,” Twilight said. “We can’t just rush her less we all end up like Abby.” She then turned to face Akuta. “But before any that happens, I just have one question. What are you? Unless I’m missing something, humans are supposed to stay dead when they’re killed, and why were you sucking Akuta’s blood like you were a-”
“Vampire.”
Twilight turned to Princess Celestia, the alicorn’s face was one of stern displeasure.
“That’s what you are, isn’t it. A Vampire?”
“Princess,” Celestia began. “You can't possibly be saying she’s an actual-”
“While I can’t explain being able to come back from a death like that, the things I have seen tells me that the thing that is standing before us is Vampire. I can think of no other creature that comes close to what she may be.”
Akuta adjusted her glasses. “Oh please, don’t lump me in with those blood craving rejects of mankind. I may drink blood as nourishment, but do not degrade what I am by referring to me as an undead predator who can only be driven by the urge to feast on the living.”
“Well Vampire or not your still going down!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed. “Look around you! You go nowhere to run, and you got no chance against the Princesses here by yourself.”
“They’re right, I could just use Eternal Lament, but the alicorns may have some spell that can tank it. And that little snack earlier was not enough to regain my full power. This doesn’t look good.”
Then from behind Akuta’s glasses, her eyes widened. Which was followed by a small smirk, which did not go unnoticed by Applejack.
“What’s are you smiling for partner?”
“I have nothing to smile for. In fact, you’re right. I cannot see a way for me to win this,” Akuta held up her hands. “I surrender.”
Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Really. Your surrendering?”
“Yes, in fact, I’ll just go to that corner, turn around, and put my hands on my head.” As Akuta said this she started moving away from the area she was standing in.
“Wait, I don’t believe her,” Applejack said.
“What makes you say that?”
“I am the Element of Honesty. I can tell when someone is lying.”
“Trust me when I say that I am not going to do anything.”
Applejack didn’t say anything. But her words also made Princess Celestia suspicious.
Why would she move away from where she was standing? She could have just knelt where she was standing and given herself up...
After a moment of calculations, Celestia realized what was about to happen.
“Everypony get down!”
The wall where Akuta was standing was blown away, covering the room with dust and concrete and pelting the ponies with debris.
Standing in the newly made hole was a female servant, behind her was Kirschtaria along with Ritsuka and Mash.
“Well, I’d say that worked,” The elite mage said.
Earlier…
“Okay, so it looks like Akuta is just on the other side of this wall.”
Kirschtaria, Ritsuka, and Mash stood outside on the back end of the west wing of the Pokemon Ranger Union.
“And while the force field is too much for us mages or Mash to deal with, it should be no problem for demigod servant like you Queen Hippolyta.”
The female servant that was now with them, Hippolyta, nodded.
“Indeed, with a power boost from my Noble Phantasm, this force field would be like cardboard before my fists.”
“Very good. But before that, go through the wall in spirit form and tell Akuta what’s about to happen so that she doesn’t get...inconvenienced by what you’re about to do.”
“As you wish.”
Hippolyta disappeared for some ten seconds before reappearing outside.
“Akuta got the message, shall I commence?”
“Proceed Rider.”
Hippolyta turned around, walked to the wall, and took a deep breath. She locked her stance, and then called upon the divine gifts that were bestowed upon her by her father.
“Noble Phantasm activate!”
Goddess of War War God's Military Sash.
Hippolyta’s body surged with power. And with a single punch. The entire wall was reduced to smithereens.
Kirschtaria smiled. “Well, I’d say that worked.”
With the ponies stunned, Akuta walked outside, and upon seeing her friends, could not help but smile a bit.
“Akuta!” Mash said. “We’re so glad you’re okay! Are you hurt, do you need medical attention?”
“I never let Romani give me a check-up Mash. I doubt I’d let you give me one.”
“Oh, s-sorry.”
“While this is a happy reunion. I suggest we high tail it before they gather themselves.”
Everyone turned towards where Kirschtaria was pointing at, just in time to see four ponies pick themselves up and lock eyes with them.
“Go!” Hippolyta said. “I’ll hold them off.”
“Are you sure?” Ritsuka said.
“Trust me. I would not be Ares’s daughter if I could not handle Hercules let alone a bunch of ponies.”
“She’ll be fine let’s go.”
While Ritsuka did not like leaving anyone behind, even servants, Akuta was the one they were here for. And now they had to escape by any means.
“Da Vinci, get the Shadow Border here now. We’re leaving.”
“Gotcha Fujimaru, one tank piloted by a cute genius coming your way!”
“Let’s go and meet her halfway, I don’t want them to be near the Border when it gets here.”
“Oh no, you don’t!”
“Senpai look out!”
Mash pushed Ritsuka out of the way as a blue blur nearly pinned him to the ground. Both Master and servant looked to see a determined pegasus staring back at them.
“Let’s me guess, you’re friends of Akuta, which makes you Chaldeans right? Well, neither your friend nor any of you are getting away!”
“Oh?” Kirschtaria said. “And just how are you going to stop us miss…”
“The names Rainbow Dash. Fastest pegasus in the world.”
“I see, that’s a bold claim miss Dash. How are going to back it up?”
“Like this!”
Rainbow dove into the group, only to be met with the flat side of Lord Camelot.
“If you want to get to my Senpai’s, then you’ll have to go through me!”
Rainbow Dash let out a snicker.
“Are you kidding me? That shield looks way too heavy and slow to keep up with me!”
The blue pegasus circled around and attempted to hit Kirschtaria only to once again be met with a grey shield.
“Huh.”
“This shield may be heavy, but I’m stronger than I look!”
“Yeah!? We'll see about that!” Rainbow then tried to flow over Mash, only for the Shielder to plant her armament in the ground, climb up, and use the elevation as a way to deliver a kick to the midsection of her adversary.
Rainbow Dash did not expect someone the size of Mash to have such strength. As such, when the blow hit her, the pegasus felt like she was hit by a train. Rainbow was then sent sprawling into the ground, the fight taken out of her.
This defeat was witnessed by Twilight, who was busy using a magic shield to protect herself from Hippolyta’s punches.
“Rainbow Dash!”
Twilight teleported. Leaving Celestia and Applejack to deal with the demigod. She reappeared next to the Chaldeans and fired a stun spell at them. Kirschtaria heard the sound of her teleportation and activated a magical barrier just in time to block it. From behind his protection, he recognized the alicorn Princess from the night before, as did she recognize him.
“You!” Twilight said.
“Oh, it’s you.”
“Alright, mister! You can steal my book, you can tape Spike to the wall(but not really), but the moment you hurt one of my friends, was the moment you made a big mistake!”
Kirschtaria readied his staff, as well as powered up his magic circuits. The two magical prodigies prepared to do battle.
But such a thing would have to wait, as the sound of a roaring engine and wheels came up from behind a hill. While the Chaldeans recognized the growing noise, it was unfamiliar to Twilight, who turned around to see what it was.
The Shadow Border jumped over the hill and nearly flattened Twilight who teleported at the last second.
There was a honk on the horn, followed by the side door opening to reveal Kadoc.
“Alright folks, get in so we can blow this joint!”
The four wasted no time climbing up and piling inside. By the time Twilight saw what was going on, it was already too late.
Akuta, Kirschtaria, Mash, and Ritsuka went into the cockpit area and were greeted by Goredolf and the rest.
“Great you’re all here. Now let’s not waste any time, we're leaving!”
“Just a moment Director,” Kirschtaria said before mentally focusing on Hippolyta. “Alright Hippolyta, we’re all good. Get in here and we can go.”
Not a second later, the Rider class servant materialized next to Kadoc, which made him jump a little from the divine aura she was still projecting.
“Present.”
“Alright everyone, fasten your seatbelts!” Said Da Vinci over the intercom before Goredolf slammed the gas and the Shadow Border started to drive away.
Celestia and Applejack caught up to Twilight and Rainbow Dash as they watched the Border speed off into the distance.
“We have to go after them! If we fly there is nowhere they can run in that metal thing!”
Celestia was about to agree with her former student. But before anything could be done, a voice sounded in all three of their heads.
“Really now Celestia.”
All three of them recognized the owner of said voice.
“Oh no.”
“This all could have been avoided if you simply bothered to inform me of what was going on.”
Farther away, the Shadow Border was racing at high speeds across the grassy plains. The occupants inside started to feel a sense of relief.
“I suppose I should thank you all for coming to rescue me,” Akuta said.
“No thanks needed Akuta. You are one of us, and we would never leave you behind.”
“Senpai is right,” Mash said. “We stay together.”
Akuta smiled a bit.
“After all this time. Their affection still feels new to me. Yet I can’t bring myself to hate them, nor can I help but care for them.”
“Alright, I believe we are far away enough where we can initiate a zero dive. Da Vinci if you would?”
“Got it! Pre sail checks have already been done. No all we need to do is-..huh?”
“What. What’s wrong?”
Suddenly, everyone felt something. Or rather, while they could hear that the wheels were turning, they were not moving. A simple look out the window confirmed their suspicions.
“Uh, why are we not moving?”
Then, everyone felt a sense of weightlessness as the Shadow Border was tossed into the air, doing a full spin before landing back on the ground.
Outside, Mewtwo floated in the air with his arms folded. The Legendary Pokemon had just used his psychic powers to throw the Shadow Border like a toy car. The impact had damaged the vehicle to where it could not move for the moment.
“The Chaldeans vehicle has been disabled Lord Arceus.”
A little higher above, Arceus looked down at the incapacitated Shadow Border. The Pokemon god was greatly satisfied at the fact that one of the biggest threats to the survival of the Pokemon, was now completely at his mercy.
Lucario stood in front of the Hall of Legends. The Aura Pokemon had made up his mind on what he was about to do.
He walked past the Regi Trio who were guarding the entrance. The Legendary Pokemon not moving to stop him.
Once inside he walked until he reached the foyer which was empty. He remembered coming here with Korrina and the others for the first time when they arrived on Equus.
He remembered how angry she was upon leaving the temple when Arceus told him how he and all the Pokemon were here to stay. The idea of being a Pokemon for the rest of her life did not sit well with her.
For that brief time, Lucario did not blame his trainer. She had every right to be mad at Arceus. But now, the god who had denied his trainer her former life was now the only one who could bring her killers to justice.
How ironic.
“Hello.”
The Pokemon was snapped out of his daydream and looked up to see Deoxys. He did not know when the Legendary Pokemon got here, but he assumed it was when he was lost in thought.
“Hello, Lord Deoxys. Is Arceus here?”
“Well, yes and no.”
“Huh?”
“If you mean that he is specifically in this temple then no he is not. He is currently in his personal realm. But said realm is connected to this place so it’s not like he is far away or unreachable.”
“Okay, I don’t need the finer details. I just want to know if I could deliver some vital information to him, or if you would tell him for me.”
“And what information would that be?”
“The whereabouts of Chaldea.”
Those four words alone were all Deoxys needed to hear. The Legendary Pokemon closed his eyes and spoke in an ethereal voice.
“Lord Arceus. Your presence is requested.”
-
Arceus sat in his pocket dimension as he contemplated things. Namely what he was going to if….no, when he captured Chaldea. Obviously, the first thing he was going to do was read their minds, find their “Wandering Sea” base that is seemingly located in an unknowable part of the world, and neutralize it.
But what about what comes after?
He initially planned to just keep them in his personal divine prison located in the Hall of Legends for the rest of their lives, Celestia’s opinion be damned. Given the threat they presented, he was not willing to let them out of his sight let alone allow Celestia to keep them in the Canterlot Dungeons. At least not without some modifications that he would make to it. Mortals always had the habit of surprising him with the unexpected. Just like when his priests unexpectedly sealed him away.
But the more he thought about it, the more he started to wonder if he was being too harsh. Despite his promise to Mew, he could not help but feel immense bitterness towards the Chaldeans he had never even met. And from an objective point of view, the reasons were childish.
To be honest, it was not Chaldea he was personally mad at. Arceus was more upset about the fact that Fate itself was insistent that humanity be a continuous problem for him in both his world and this one. It was a little paranoid of him to think like that but that’s just how he saw this situation.
“My people have suffered so much, I could not protect them, only watched as the world was ruined over the course of 5,000 years. My Pokemon are innocent victims in this conflict, why must they have to fight for their freedom and future?”
Arceus wanted to scream, it just wasn’t fair. This is not how it was supposed to be.
He blamed the humans for ruining his Earth. He blamed those priests for sealing him away. Part of him blamed Harmony for not telling him the truth of this world so that he might prepare for what would happen.
But most of all, Arceus blamed himself.
None of this would have happened if he just stayed on his world and fixed it. Sure there would be conflict and untold casualties. But at least both Pokemon and humans would survive. At least there would be a future for his world.
But instead, he ran away from his problems and in turn got him and his children into an even bigger and more dangerous predicament than had he just stayed home.
“I am sorry humans. I know this is your world, I know you have the right to it. But my Pokemon mean more to me than anything. So I will be taking your world and your future. I admit that the fact that I no longer care about humanity makes this easier for me. But if history judges me as an invader who took your planet from you, then so be it. I will gladly become a sinner to give my people a future.
As Arceus steeled his convictions, he heard a psychic message coming from Deoxys. Almost immediately the Alpha Pokemon stopped what he was doing and manifested before him.
“Yes, Deoxys? Do you require something?”
“Not me my Lord. But the Lucario who once belonged to Korrina has something to tell you.”
The Pokemon god looked down at Lucario with anticipation.
“Lucario, what is wrong?”
“Forgive my intrusion Lord Arceus, but I have something that I should tell you.”
“Of course, what is it?”
“We managed to capture a Chaldean last night. And she was being held in the Pokemon Ranger Union.”
Arceus blinked.
“Really? Perfect timing I was just thinking about the -...wait, what do you mean she was?”
Lucario without hesitation said, “Unfortunately, she is dead now.”
Arceus blinked twice.
“Dead!? Why? How?”
“The female Chaldean committed suicide. Shortly after Celestia had a discussion with her.”
“Suicide.” Arceus closed his eyes and mentally pinched his forehead. "I can’t say I’m surprised but-,” The god stopped in his tracks when he realized something.
“Wait, you said they captured this Chaldean last night correct?”
“Yes.”
“And how long ago was this interrogation?”
“Less than half an hour ago.”
Arceus’s expression then changed from confusion to anger.
“Why was I not informed of this sooner!? If I was there none of that would have happened. I would have stopped that human from taking their own life. Hell, I could have extracted the knowledge I needed from their heads without them realizing it! Whose bright idea was it to not inform me of any of this!?”
“You can ask Princess Celestia. Apparently, she thought it best not to tell you due to your disposition against humans I’m afraid.”
Arceus narrowed his eyes. “Is that so?” He then fully closed them as he expanded his mental state to see what was going on in the Ranger Union.
Lucario and Deoxys stared at their god for a few moments, only exchanging glances once. When Arceus opened his eyes, he seemed like he was in a much better mood.
“Well well well. It seems some things have happened while you were gone, Lucario.”
“What do you mean?”
Arceus closed his eyes again and spoke in an ethereal voice.
“Mewtwo, I need you to teleport to the Pokemon Ranger Union. The situation should be self-explanatory once you see it. Only make sure the ones you see don’t get away. I will handle the rest.”
Once he was done speaking, Arceus opened his eyes and looked back at the two Pokemon.
“Lord Arceus?”
“Tell me Lucario, what compelled you to come to here when Celestia did not want anyone to inform me of what was going on?”
“Well my Lord, I want justice for the death of Korrina. The Chaldeans are the ones who sent that servant to kill her, I'm sure of it.”
Arceus turned to Deoxys. “Wait here Deoxys, I’ll be back shortly. As for you Lucario,” The Alpha Pokemon grasped the Pokemon his teleportation field. “I think you will want to witness this.”
And then both Lucario and Arceus were gone.
Back to the present.
Princess Celestia, Luna, and Twilight finally caught up as they looked upon what had happened.
Arceus and Mewtwo were floating overhead. The Shadow Border was no longer in motion and was missing a wheel.
It was clear to the three of them what had happened and what was going to happen next. But one question was on Celestia’s mind.
“How did he know what was going on here?”
“I told him.”
The three of them recognized the voice next to them. Celestia turned to see Lucario. The Pokemon was not even looking at them, instead, focusing his attention on Arceus, Mewtwo, and the Shadow Border.
“Lucario...”
“You should not have kept him in the dark Princess, he deserves to know what is going on as well.”
The Princess was stunned. Part of her felt like she shouldn’t be surprised that he told Arceus what had occurred. And yet she was. She had hoped that Lucario would not say anything after she told him why she wished to keep Akuta’s capture a secret from Arceus. However, that was her decision. Lucario had no obligation not to inform the god of what was going on. Especially since he believed that Arceus would do a better job of avenging Korrina since he believed Celestia was not going to do it herself.
Revenge was an emotion that she knew of yet never experienced. As such Celestia could never understand the need one feels to get their own version of justice for the pain that was caused to them. She knew of loss of course, but not in the way Lucario had.
Celestia knew she was going to have a talk with the Aura Pokemon later, but for now, she had another problem to deal with.
“Arceus,” The god did not even turn his head to acknowledge her. “I think we should discuss what is going to happen here before you do it yourself.”
“Like you should have discussed with me the moment you captured a Chaldean?” He replied in a sarcastic voice.
Celestia opened her mouth but nothing came out. Despite her best intentions, she knew Arceus had every right to be upset with her.
“I shall have a talk with you later about your lack of communication skills Princess Celestia.” Arceus’s voice was laced with disappointment, and everyone knew why. “But for now I shall deal with these humans the way I see fit.”
Inside the Shadow Border, everyone was getting to their feet as well as gathering their bearings.
“Ugh, what happened?” Kadoc said.
“I think we got flipped over,” Ritsuka pointed out. “But unlike in Scandinavia, this one felt harder.”
“Well whatever it was, it must have been pretty powerful to throw the Border like that.” Mash stated.
Da Vinci, who was still rubbing her head, got up and checked the sensors. What she saw made her heart race.
“Oh no.”
Everyone looked at her as soon as they heard those words.
“What, what’s wrong?” Goredolf said worryingly.
“I think I know who, or what threw us. I’m picking up a very strong divine signature some several feet above us. Along with a powerful psychic nearby. There's no mistaking it, there is a god bearing down above us.”
Now it was everyone else's turn to have their hearts race.
“A-are you sure?”
“Either that or it’s a very powerful Divine Spirit. And I can take several good guesses as to who it is.”
As the realization dawned on everybody. Something even more terrifying happened next.
“Attention Chaldeans.”
Everyone grabbed their heads as they heard a deep and powerful voice speak into their minds.
“I am Lord Arceus, God of the Pokemon. Creator of my own universe. The Alpha Pokemon.”
It wasn’t just Chaldea Arceus was speaking to. He also was making the alicorns and Lucario listen in as well. He was waiting for this moment for a long time and wanted the audience to know exactly what he was gonna do.
“I know who you are and what you are trying to do. And obviously, I cannot allow you and your servants to carry out your plans of genocide upon my children and the native people of this Lostbelt. As if my divine presence was not enough, allow me to hammer home the point that there is no escape for you and no room for negotiations. All you can do is listen to what I am about to say. I am going to give you until the count of 10 to step out of your vehicle and surrender yourselves. Do that, and I may just reconsider erasing you from existence.”
The voice of Arceus ceased to sound in their heads. But the horror of the situation was still setting in. Eventually, Kadoc broke the long silence.
“Okay, what the hell was that?”
“Telepathy, a rare ability few have unless it happens to be your contracted servant or in this case, a Divine Spirit,” Holmes explained. “But that is not why we should be worried about right now.”
“10”
More panic started to set in as Arceus began his countdown.
“Da Vinci! Holmes! Tell me you two have some kind of plan to get us out of this!?” Goredolf exclaimed.
“9”
“Ok I’m sorry but I don’t have any kind of secret plan or backup plan for this kind of scenario. I mean normally when we go up against divine spirits at the very least it’s after strenuous planning and timing on our part. We were never prepared to deal with this guy right now, nor do we know anything about him that might help us fight him later!”
“8”
“What about all those servants waiting in the caves, I know some of you contracted with a few of them, call them now. Use a command spell to summon them here!”
“7. Also know that if you try any funny business like sending a servant to attack me. I will remove your souls from your bodies while I look through your minds for what I need.”
“.......Okay. I’m just gonna ask right now, does anyone have a cyanide pill we can share.”
Everyone just stared at Kadoc.
“Master, don’t even joke about that in front of me,” Anastasia said.
“It was a suggestion.”
“6”
“Ok, I’m gonna be completely honest with you guys. There is no way out of this situation. To put it simply, we’re screwed.”
“5, That you are.”
“Wait, is this guy still reading our minds or something?”
“Either that, or he is listening to what we are saying even though the walls of the Border. Although given that he spoke inside our heads, it is probably the former,” Kirschtaria said. As the Team A leader said this, he contemplated using his most powerful magecraft against Arceus. Although the option was null since he would very likely kill everyone with that attack. Plus it takes time to activate, which was more than enough for Arceus to sense what he was doing and intervene.
“4”
“Is there really no way out of this?” Ophelia said in a low voice.
“Looks that way,” Holmes said. “I’m afraid our best option is to surrender now and hope that maybe we can talk our way out of this.”
“Are you serious!?” Goredolf said. “Didn’t you hear what that god said? He is not interested in talking. At best he is gonna lock us away someplace where we’ll never see the light of day again or give us a quick painless death, worst case scenario he tortures us in a way only a god can.”
“3”
“And yet still, however small a chance it may be. If we can find a way out of this situation, we must first accept the reality of it.”
Akuta thought for a moment about how Celestia had offered to negotiate with Chaldea about how both sides should try and work together. Then she remembered how she traumatized the ponies by exploding and sucking their fox friend of her blood. So she’d doubt she would get the ponies’ vote of confidence now.
“2”
Everyone just stared at each other, the look of defeat and acceptance of their helplessness was on everybody’s faces. They were left with no choice, no alternative, and no way out other than what was in front of them.
Several nodded, while others sighed.
“1”
“Okay,” Ritsuka said. “We surrender.”
This was followed by a moment of silence.
“Good, now all of you step outside where I can see you. I’d rather not waste my power teleporting the lot of you out of that tank.”
Ritsuka, after a moment of hesitation, breathed in and out before he started walking to the right side hatch, Mash closely followed by. She did not want to let her senpai out of her sight.
The master of Chaldea gripped his hand on the handle, slowly he turned it, and opened the door. Sunlight flooded the room as he stepped outside.
There was a small sound of something like a rock hitting the armor of the Border
The sight that greeted him made his heart stop.
-
Mewtwo watched with a satisfying smirk as Arceus laid down the terms of surrender for Chaldea, after which he started to count down for them to make a decision. Needless to say, he was enjoying this.
He could feel the emotional anxiety coming from the Shadow Border as the Chaldeans panicked on what to do. The Legendary had to resist the temptation to just reach into their minds and pluck out the location of their base. But he could wait, after all, there was no way out of this for them, nor was anyone coming to their rescue. And even if some servants did show up, Arceus was more than enough to deal with them. Truly, this was the end of the line for these humans.
“As if you ever stood a chance against a god, mortals. Know that you will get no less than what you deserve, I and those who agree with me will see to it, I swear.”
“1,” Arceus listened as one of the humans spoke out loud that they surrender.
If Arceus had a mouth he’d be smiling, although not as smugly as Mewtwo was. Soon he would be rid of another threat to his Pokemon. While he did not expect to resolve this problem so fast and so easily, he was not about to complain. It seemed Fate didn’t hate him after all.
“Good,” he said. “Now all of you step outside where I can see you. I’d rather not waste my power teleporting the lot of you out of that tank.”
He heard footsteps as someone walked to the door on the left side of the vehicle, followed by someone turning the handle and opening the hatch.
Then…
Gate of Sky
All of a sudden the Shadow Border was surrounded by a large wall that one would normally find circling a castle. In fact, the entire area within the wall glowed purple as an actual large, decorated, castle rose from the ground and projected an equally purple force field around the entire area. It all happened so fast that neither Arceus nor Mewtwo tried to do anything before the Shadow Border was completely enveloped by the castle itself. But it would have mattered if it did, the moment the wall surrounded them was the moment a divine bounded field of protection was cast over the Chaldeans.
Once both Legendary Pokemon stopped gawking, they tried to psychically grab the Shadow Border but to no avail. Even Arceus with all this divine authority could not exert his will of the castle and its confines.
“What is this!?” Arceus shouted, his anger rising. “Where did this come from? Why is it resisting my power!?”
“Oh, I’m sorry,” said a calm and motherly voice. Arceus looked around for the owner before finally spotting a figure floating down and landing one of the castle spires that was close to the wall.
The person in question looked human, but the aura she radiated said she was anything but. She was dressed in purple with a lighter purple flowing hair, her eyes were a shade of red just like his. She had a queenly feel to her with a mix of a motherly presence. Arceus had met enough in his long life to know what she was. While she had the signature of a servant, this person was no doubt a god of some caliber.
“Did I step on your moment?”
-
Celestia, Luna, and Twilight were starting in awe as a giant caste that could rival the majesty of Canterlot’s castle manifested in the northern area just outside of Ponyville. What shocked them even more was the frustrated cries of Arceus as he ranted about something.
“What’s going on!?” Twilight said. “Where did this castle come from? Who does it belong to?”
“It seems that’s not the only issue,” Princess Luna said. “It appears Arceus has been cut off from the Chaldeans. But how? Such a thing should be trivial to him.”
“And yet we can’t deny what we are seeing. Whoever brought this castle here, it clearly has the magical capability and power to block Arceus from getting inside or doing anything to Chaldea.”
“But how?” Twilight tapped her chin. “I mean, the only thing that could possibly go up against Arceus is another go-”
“Whoa, what the heck!?” Twilight turned to see that Rainbow Dash was coming to after being knocked out by that servant with the shield. The pegasus was now having her turn gapping at the castle that appeared right next to her.
“Hey, Twilight!” The alicorn turned to see Pinkie Pie and Applejack running up to her. Apparently, the commotion had drawn them here.
“Woah,” The farmpony said as she got a closer look at the fortress. “Now when did this thing get here?”
“Ooo did someone new move into Ponyville!?” *Gasp* “Why didn’t nopony tell me!? I have yet to throw them a welcome party!”
“No one just moved in Pinkie and I don’t think you want to throw them a welcome party.”
“Oh, then who then does the castle belong to?”
“Our guess is as good as yours Pinkie Pie,” Celestia said. “What we do seem to know is that castle just formed around the humans of Chaldea.”
“Wait, the Chaldeans are in there!?” Applejack said.
“Yes.”
“Well then what are we waitin’ for!? Let’s get in there and teach them a lesson.”
“Applejack,” Twilight said as stopped her friend. “I don’t think we should go bargaining into a random castle that appeared out of nowhere until we have a plan of some kind.”
“And besides,” Luna stated. “I think Arceus may just beat us to the punch.”
Back at the castle, both Arceus and Mewtwo stared down at the servant who was currently standing behind the force field that protected her and her castle. The former two were not at all amused at the situation.
“You're a god”, Arceus stated.
The servant smiled back at him. “Indeed I am.”
The Alpha Pokemon narrowed his eyes. “Then state your divine name and what pantheon you belong to.”
“I am Skadi of the Norse Pantheon. Jötunn Goddess of Winter and daughter of Þjazi.”
“A Nordic deity? Ah yes, I remember, you were one of Odin’s wives.”
“Oh, I married Odin in Pan Human History? I see, but that’s beside the point.”
Arceus raised an eyebrow at her statement but decided to leave it for later. “Indeed, as a fellow god who persists in this world, I must ask: What are you doing?”
“Is it not obvious, I am protecting the Chaldeans. And it was actually a good thing I made it in time to save them before you were about to do something regrettable.”
“Regrettable!?” Mewtwo said. “Do you know who this is? This is Arceus! Creator of the universe, Lord of all Pokemon, and your superior in every way you minor god! Stand aside now before you feel the combined wrath of two of the most powerful Legendary Pokemon in existence!”
“My my, such temper. Did your mother not raise you right boy?”
“....That is none of your business. As I said, you may be a god but Arceus is stronger than you in every way imaginable. Hand over the Chaldeans and maybe my Lord will be generous enough to spare you.”
“Mewtwo, I understand how you feel, but I will handle this. Skadi, am I correct to assume that you are a god who is from this world?”
“If you mean I was born of this Earth and have authority while on it then yes.”
“I see, then I can understand that as a god of this world you will protect it and the human lives that live upon it. No doubt you were sent here by the Counter Force to protect Chaldea am I right? But even if that’s true, you must understand that I too am a god with a people and a world to protect. So I will only ask you once to surrender the Chaldeans before I take them from you.”
“I completely understand. I too was a lone god defending my people and what little they had. But that time has passed, and now I must do what the world requires of me and protect the last hope of mankind. I’m sorry Arceus, but you will have Chaldea over my dead body.”
“Goddess of Snow, I’m sure you can sense the difference in power between us. You may be able to put up a fight against me alone for a minute or two at least. But with Mewtwo at my side, we will make short work of you before we bust down that gate to your castle.”
Skadi stood there for a moment not saying anything. Both assumed she was weighing her options and chances of winning. They both knew that she did not have the power to fight both of them while they were at full strength.
“Very well, you have a point,” The wand in Skadi’s hand disappeared.
Both Legendaries were a bit surprised, they did not expect her to agree so quickly.
“You are right, I cannot defeat you both at full strength. You may pass through the gate into my territory.”
Arceus blinked but made a small mental smile nonetheless.
“Glad you are seeing reason Skadi of Jotunnheim. You made the right decision.”
Then all of a sudden a large set of ornate doors appeared between them and Skadi. They then opened to reveal a land of snow and shadow on the other side.
“What?”
A vortex emerged from the gate and started to suck them in.
“What is this?” Mewtwo screamed. “You said you’d surrender the humans to us!”
“I never said that, I said you could pass through the gate. Although I never said it was the gate into my castle.”
Arceus and Mewtwo resisted the howling winds. But the entire time they felt the pull of the gate growing stronger, or was it them growing weaker?
Finally, after about 10 seconds the doors closed and the gate disappeared. Both Mewtwo and Arceus were still here but they felt exhausted for some reason.
“What was that?”
“While I do not understand it much myself, that gate just drained a good portion of your energy.”
A shocked expression crossed Arceus’s face, before being replaced by anger.
“You're lucky though, if that gate had sucked you in, chances are you’d be dead by now.”
“Lucky!?” Arceus’s eyes glowed yellow. “You’ll be lucky if you survive once I get through that shield of yours!”
“While I would like to contend with you. I must attend to my children, so a friend of mine will keep you busy for now.”
Arceus’s eyes widened. And before he could react, something slammed into him from above and sent him smackdown to earth.
“Lord Arceus!” Mewtwo said.
As Arceus got up a voice spoke next to him. “Oh my. That didn’t hurt did it?”
He looked up to see another servant standing before him. She was dressed in what he recognized as Mesoamerican attire. She had a decorative shield plus a macana. Like Skadi, he could tell that she was a god.
“You dare strike the god of Pokemon you imputent-”
“Mewtwo, I can handle this, start assaulting that force field. Your top priority is capturing Chaldea, they CANNOT get away.”
Mewtwo looked at the assailant then back at Arceus.
“As you wish my Lord.”
Arceus then turned his attention back to the servant. “So which god are you supposed to be?”
“Oh, how nice of you to ask. I’m Quetzalcoatl, God of the Sun, the Morning Star. My children were the Aztec.”
Arceus recognized the name. In Aztec mythology, Quetzalcoatl was a Chief God just like him. Someone who was the ruling divine authority of their given Pantheon. Which made them more equal in terms of power, although Arceus was still clearly the more powerful one. But one thing stood out that confused him.
“Wait, aren’t you supposed to be male?”
Quetz smiled.
“Maybe I was. Maybe this Quetzalcoatl before you is just one form of that god. But that doesn’t matter right now.”
She pointed her macana at him.
“What matters is that I’m about to teach you a lesson in pro wrestling. I hope you are prepared!”
Arceus stared down the god who was now a servant.
“I had no idea that gods could manifest as servants. But why though? I can tell that both Skadi and she are not as powerful as they should be. It seems that servant bodies limit the amount of power they can have. And to think they can be commanded by a human master. Hmph, just another example of humans trying to control the gods and their power.”
“Quetzalcoatl surely you don’t think you alone can best me in combat do you?”
“Well let’s find out shall we!”
The servant jumped forward and attempted to strike Arceus with her weapon. The god was able to parry it with his leg, however.
“I won’t admit it, but that sneak attack of hers did hurt me. Plus that hit just now had some real force behind it. And with my power drained from that gate, it appears this won’t be a simple win for me this time. At the very least, it will be interesting fighting a worthy opponent for the first time in millennia.”
Elsewhere, a certain Charizard who lived in Canterlot sneezed.
Inside the Castle of Shadows.
“Uh, what just happened?”
The words were spoken by Kadoc as he stepped out of the Shadow Border along with Fujimaru, Mash, and Kirschtaria Wodime.
The four of them beheld as they were now within the walls of a massive fortress that radiated with power. All of them could feel a sense of protection and safety within it. Like someone was shielding them from the outside world.
“Where did this come from?” Mash asked out loud.
“Perhaps it’s someone’s Noble Phantasm?” Kirschtaria pointed out. There were some Heroic Spirits who possessed Fortress or Bounded Field Noble Phantasms. He knew that Kadoc’s servant Anastasia possessed one, but this was clearly not it.
Goreolf then appeared on Ritsuka’s holo communicator. “Have you guys figured out what’s going on out there?”
“Well director, from the looks of it, we appear to be within some kind of castle. A very well-protected castle.”
“Wait really!?”
Da Vinci then chimed in. “Looks like it. According to these readings, this is someone’s Fortress type Noble Phantasm. And the bounded field its projecting is shielding us from outside interference and intruders.”
“Even that god Arceus?”
“Well since I can’t detect him within these walls it looks like it so far.”
“Oh thank god hallelujah!” Goredolf shouted, the four outside being able to hear him from within the Border as well as the communicator. “Just when I was about to lose hope. Whoever just saved us from certain doom has my eternal thanks!”
“Oh, well thank you,” said a female voice.
Everyone then looked up to see a certain familiar face descend down in front of them.
“Wait is that Skadi?” Mash said.
“Skadi? As in Scáthach Skadi? The same one from the Norse Lostbelt?” Kadoc said.
“The same one,” Da Vinci stated. “These readings show that she has the same spirit origin as the one we met back in the second Lostbelt.
“But wait,” Kirschtaria began. “How are you here? And why are you helping us?”
“All excellent questions my children. But for now, let’s focus on getting your vehicle further into the castle walls.”
With a flick of her wand, various runes were drawn in the air around the Shadow Border. The tank then was positioned upright and began rolling forward.
Kirschtaria, understanding the situation, asked Mash to grab the wheel that had been torn off and carry it. They then started to walk more into the castle towards its center. Along the way there was discussion.
“It will be a minute before we make it to the place. Now you said you have questions right?”
Now it was Sherlock’s turn to appear on the Ristuka’s wrist. “Indeed your highness. While I do have an educated guess it would be better for everyone else if we could hear it from your mouth.”
“Well, as you all know, you came to my Lostbelt and chopped down my Tree of Emptiness. Ending my kingdom and killing its 10,000 inhabitants.
There was a twinge of guilt throughout the whole party.
“But, what’s done is done. Only one world could live in the end. But even so, it appears my existence did not end there, no, the world had other plans for me. It’s like they say, the loser must serve the winner. And so, because of the connection I share with the true owner of this body, I was afforded a place in the Throne of Heroes, and given a new spirit origin and a duty to fight for the restoration of PHH as a servant.”
“Hmmm. I guess that makes sense,” Da Vinci said. “After all, since Scáthach is already a servant, manifesting as a pseudo servant through her body would be possible.”
“Indeed, although I must admit I am still not entirely used to this role. As a goddess, you all should be serving me.”
“Is that why you saved us?” Kadoc asked. “So we can be your servants.”
“Maybe.”
Everyone just stared at her.
“I jest. But I love humans, I really do. That was true while I was Queen of my Lostbelt. But now that that’s gone, the humanity of this world is all that’s left. I’m sure it’s what Odin would have wanted, given that it was his birds who guided you while you were in my land. So for now you have my full support, be grateful.”
“Oh yes,” Mash said.
“Very grateful indeed your highness,” Fujimaru added.
Kadoc blinked, then just shrugged his shoulders and went along with it. Kirschtaria just smiled and continued walking.
Eventually, the group along with the Shadow Border arrived in what appeared to be the central courtyard of the castle.
“Alright, I believe this will be a suitable place for you all to begin repairing that iron chariot of yours. I apologize for the lack of Valkyries to help you but I’m afraid none of them manifested with me.”
Fujimaru put his hand on the back of his head awkwardly “Well actually-”
As if on cue, Ophelia stepped out of the Shadow Border along with the rest of Team A and their servants. Skadi immediately locked eyes with one of them.
“Ortlinde?”
The Valkyrie servant of Ophelia saw the Divine Spirit and made a surprised face.
“Ah, to think I would see a familiar face in this world so soon.”
“Oh, are you the goddess Skadi? Oh yes, records from father mentioned you as one of his wives. But, you look different from what the description says.”
Skadi’s smile faded a little.
“Ah right, she is the Ortlinde of this world. I must remember that.”
Skadi was snapped out of her thoughts when a low boom was heard from where the force field was.
“What was that?” Anastasia exclaimed
“It sounds like Arceus or someone is trying to get in.”
“Ah, that reminds me. I’ll need one of you to form a contract with me. While Quetzalcoatl may be keeping Arceus busy, the shield around the castle that I am generating uses a lot of mana to keep his influence and authorities out.”
“Wait, Quetzalcoatl is here too!?” Mash exclaimed.
“Yes, we were both summoned together. But we can only do so much without a master to provide mana. So one of you will need to form a contract with me so we have a much longer window of opportunity to fix your vehicle before they inevitably break-in.”
Kirschtaria held out his hand without a second thought. While Fujimaru could hold multiple contracts. More than any of his fellow masters combined, the ancient magic crest of the Wodime family made it more ideal for Skadi to form a contract with someone with high-quality magic circuits like him.
“I will Lady Skadi.”
“Very well,” Skadi took his hand and within a few moments, the contract was formalized.
“I shall now begin the process of fortifying the inner walls. This will hopefully buy you all a little more time when the outer shield comes down."
Skadi then walked away, leaving Chaldea to begin repairs on the Border.
“Alright Da Vinci,” Goredolf said. “Aside from the obvious broken wheel, what’s the damage?”
“I've been running a self-diagnosis ever since Skadi saved us. The damage is not that bad, but I ran the numbers with Holmes and-”
“It will be possible to get the Shadow Border up and running very soon. But that all depends on how fast our enemies can take down that shield. From our calculations, it will take at most 20-30 minutes if everyone pulls their weight and nothing else breaks down or something goes wrong. And then there is the matter of preparing for another Zero Dive which will only be possible once the Shadow Border is fully repaired.”
“Hmmm alright everyone, you heard them," Goredolf shouted. "Everyone grab a wrench or something and start repairing this boat. Unless you want to know what that angry god has in store for us, I suggest you get this thing up and running as soon as possible!”
“Hopefully.”
-
Twilight and her group of friends just watched as Arceus fought against a servant that appeared out of nowhere. They were torn between helping him or trying to figure out how to get into the castle.
“So, what are we going to do?” Pinkie asked.
“Okay, I say Twilight and the Princesses should start pounding that shield until it comes down. Then go inside and take down Chaldea!” Rainbow Dash suggested.
Then all of a sudden Mewtwo appeared before them.
“Don’t waste your magic or the Princesses magic Miss Rainbow Dash. It will take more than just three alicorns to take down that shield.”
“Wait,” Luna said. “Why didn’t Arceus try anything? Since he is a god surely he could have taken down that shield in no time.”
“Even if he was not dealing with a servant who just so happens to be a god,” Mewtwo snapped. “The one who created that castle and force field is also a god herself.”
“Wait what!?” Twilight exclaimed. The rest of the group was also shocked. “That servant fighting Arceus and the one who made that castle are gods!?”
“Without question. It seems we are not the only ones with deities on their side. So while Arceus is occupied, it falls to us to destroy that force field.”
Celestia was a bit hesitant. If and when they got that barrier down, she still feared what Mewtwo might do to Chaldea once they have them. Then she remembered that the Pokemon could easily read her mind and just pushed those thoughts to the side for now. For better or worse, she had to work with him for now regardless of what might happen.
“Okay Mewtwo, what do you suggest?”
“I have already sent out a mental signal to all the Legendary Pokemon in the Hall of Legends, they will be here shortly. As for you Celestia, are there any forces in Canterlot that are on standby?”
“Well, we could ask Seth and his team to come down here. As well as the 1st-4th platoons of the Royal Guard. But it will take time for them to get down here-”
Without giving her time to finish Mewtwo closed his eyes, and after a few moments of concentrating, Seth, his team, and 4 platoons of the Royal Guard were standing in the middle of the field. Also teleported with them were various catapults and siege weapons.
“Or you could do that.” Celestia deadpanned. She wished Mewtwo could at least have given them time to prepare before teleporting them all down here, or at the very least a warning. This was evident by the fact that one unicorn guard was looking at a “certain” magazine before he realized where he was and put it away. But it was apparent Mewtwo wanted to get this over quickly.
The Legendary Pokemon however did not look so good. He was breathing heavily. Normally teleporting such a large group of people would not be as tiring for him. But after what that gate did to him, he had less power to work with.
"Hopefully I'll still have enough to see this through."
“Uh, weren’t we just in the bathroom?” Selena said.
“Yeah who spoiled the fun!?” Said Ingis. “It was just about to get good?”
“Wait, what were you two doing in the same bathroom?” Rainbow Dash asked.
Both Pokemon immediately went red before looking away. “Nothing.”
“Princess Celestia?” Seth said. “What is going on?”
“Hey Seth,” Rika said while tugging on his fur. “I think you should look at this.”
Everyone then turned around. And at that point, no one knew if they should be more surprised at Arceus fighting someone and not obviously winning given his power, or if they should be more surprised at the giant castle before them.
“Oh, so that’s what’s going on.”
“Seth, I am sorry to call you here so suddenly, but this is of the utmost importance. Currently, the humans of the Chaldea Security Organization are inside the castle. We need you and everyone to help Mewtwo and the Legendary Pokemon take down that shield ASAP so we can capture them.”
“Oh, so you found Chaldea. That makes sense why you called us here then. Don’t worry Princess, we’ll do what we can.”
“Oh yeah, so does this mean we get to finally fight servants now!? Yes! I've been waiting for this moment!” Ingis’s mouth seared with flames of anticipation.
“Attention Royal Guard!” Luna shouted in her Canterlot Royal voice so that all could hear. Immediately they all stood at attention.
“We apologize for bringing you all here on such short notice, but this mission is of the utmost importance,” Luna pointed to the castle. “Inside that castle are the highly sought-after enemies known as Chaldea. The dangerous human organization we were warned about. Your mission is to bring down that shield as quickly as you can, storm that castle, find Chaldea, and bring them to us alive. Do you understand?”
After a moment of confusion, the guards understood the situation and then readied their arms and saluted.
“YES YOUR HIGHNESS!”
“Very good, Platoon lieutenants come forth!”
Four ponies in distinctive armor approached the Princess and stood at the ready.
“Flippity Flop and Magnet Bolt. Take your platoons and assault the main gate. Sky Raid and Light Steed go around the back and see if you can find any entrances, if you can't find any, then come back and assist the front.”
“As you wish your Highness!”
“Captain Seth Crescent.”
The Luxray walked up with his team.
“Yes, your Highness?”
"Assist the 3rd and 4th platoons in finding another way in, I’m sure you and your team can find a way as you always have.”
“You can count on us, Princess Luna.”
“Good now move out!”
The army then scattered as they began to grab their spears and swords, some began to set up the siege weapons such as mangonels, and trebuchets. Soon the first and second platoons had loaded the catapults while the 3rd and 4th platoons were walking around the back.
“Princess Celestia, what can we do?”
“Twilight, I need you and your friends to stay here by my side and out of the line of fire.”
“Huh why?”
“Yeah we want to help, we wanna fight,” Rainbow Dash.
“Twilight, I do not doubt you and your friends, but in this situation, there is not much you can do, the Royal Guard and the Legendary Pokemon(once they get here) can handle this.”
“Hey, are you saying that we are not needed or something?”
"No. What I'm trying to say is that you might not be ready for a situation like this."
"What do you mean?"
“Twilight, while you have fought against villains who were very dangerous and deadly. If you really think about it, you have never fought against them while they were serious.”
“Huh?”
The alicorn sisters looked at each other. The looks on their faces said that what they were about to say may be a hard truth for them to hear.
“Princess Twilight,” Luna said. “You may not know this, but between my sister and I, I am the better alicorn when it comes to fighting. Why, if Celestia hadn’t used the Elements of Harmony on me, I could have beaten her.”
Twilight was about to protest, but then she remembered the vision shown to her by Zecora. How Nightmare Moon sent Celestia crashing through the roof of their old castle in a matter of seconds.
“So with that in mind, can you give an explanation as to how you were able to beat an experienced warrior like me when I was Nightmare Moon?”
Twilight didn’t need to think hard on that one.
“You underestimated us.”
“Indeed, when I met you on that day, I did not see a capable team that had the power to defeat me. I just saw six foolish ponies who were in over their heads, and ones who could lead me to the only weapon that could defeat me. In my eyes, you were not a threat to me at the time. Needless to say, if Nightmare Moon had foreseen her defeat on that day….you would not be standing here to hear this from me.”
Twilight felt a wound to her pride. Indeed, the only reason they did save Princess Luna was that Nightmare Moon did not use her full power on them.
“Okay but what about Discord?” Rainbow Dash pointed out. “He knew what kind of a threat we were, and he made us do a personality inversion to make sure the Elements of Harmony wouldn’t work.”
“Yes, Discord was smart enough to corrupt the 6 of you. But that’s all he did,” Celestia pointed out. “He did not anticipate Twilight regaining her hope and belief through the return letters I sent her. Nor did he think to hide the Elements away or destroy them so no one else could use them. He was ignorant on that day just as we had fought him 1,000 years ago. Discord is the kind of person who believes that he is invincible once he sees that the ones trying to stop him have given up.”
“Alright I guess you have a point, but what about King Sombra? That guy was more evil than Nightmare Moon and Discord put together.”
“King Sombra,” Luna said in a leveled voice. “Tell me, did you ever actually confront King Sombra? And I mean to his face, up close and personal. Hoof to hoof?”
Rainbow Dash opened her mouth, but her mind drew a blank. As far as she and her friends were concerned, they never even got a good look at the guy. The first time they saw him was as a mass of black smoke. The next time he had broken into the Crystal Empire before being repelled shortly afterward by the Crystal Heart. In fact, Spike got most of the credit for defeating that monster.
“In short, you all have never actually had to fight a real fight. Not like the wars me and my sisters have, not like the battles Pokemon fight in all the time. You don’t have any experience or know what it’s like to fight like a warrior.”
“Wait wait wait,” Pinkie Pie said. “You're both forgetting one thing.”
“Forgetting what?”
“Remember when Canterlot was invaded by Changelings? I remember because I recall using Twilight like a magic machine gun to blast some Changelings into next week!”
“Oh yeah, we did do that!” Applejack said with a smile.
“That’s right! We totally took out like a hundred of them,” Rainbow recalled this as she punched and kicked the air. “So yeah, we totally have been in a physical fight before and won!”
Celestia and Luna looked at each other and back at the five of them.
“Touche.”
“But Twilight, my student, those were just Changelings. The thing that is waiting for you in there are probably servants with human masters. And if I recall correctly, just one of them was enough to put Rainbow Dash in a hospital. Not to mention that one human who may or may not be a vampire.”
“We know that Princess!” Twilight said in a forceful voice. Celestia was a bit taken back by her pupil’s tone.
“Uh sorry. But I get it, you’re worried about us. You think we might get killed or seriously hurt. But this isn’t just about Equestria, those humans in there pose a threat to the entire world as we know it. We can’t just stand by while something threatens all we hold dear, that’s not what we are, and that’s not what friends do.”
“Yeah, honestly I knew what I was getting into when we went after Nightmare Moon, Discord, and the rest. I had a feelin it would be dangerous, but I wasn’t afraid to back down when Equestria needed me.”
“Hey, I’m loyal to you and my friends. But you know what else, I’m loyal to this world. If some invaders can just come in here and take everything away from us like they own the place, they have to get past Rainbow Dash first!”
“I don’t usually like to get myself dirty or get into fights with ruffians. But I always do what I can for ponies and people who need me. That’s what being generous is all about.”
“I’ll be straight with you, I don’t want to fight, I want to throw parties and make friends with everypony! But if the world is gone, then there will be no one to make parties with anymore, and that’s sad. I want to bring a smile to everyone, even if it means-”
Pinkie Pie then pulled out her party cannon, which was now surprisingly stocked with various explosives.
“Bringing the pain every once in a while!”
Celestia blinked, before letting out a chuckle that evolved into a laugh.
“Alright, I see. You all have a courage and determination that has saved this kingdom time and time again. I guess I should have learned to trust you all right now to make your own decisions regardless of what might happen. Very well, the five of you can help however you see fit.”
“Thank you, Princess. And I think I have just the plan. One that you’ll want to hear.”
“Oh really?”
“Yes, because it involves you two.”
-
“Hyper Beam.”
A powerful blast of energy narrowly missed Quetz as it traced across the ground near her. The line of explosions that followed shortly afterward created a new trench next to Whitetail Woods.
“Impressive,” Arceus said. “No one has ever avoided my Hyper Beam. Then again I should have expected no less from the agile Winged Serpent.”
Their battle had taken them further and further away from Ponyville, they were now almost a mile away from the castle. This was a conscious decision on Arceus’s part since he did not want their battle to spill into the town and potentially cause casualties.
The god was more or less not surprised that Quetzalcoatl had lasted as long as she did. Even as a servant, her power and authority as a chief god were still evident by the way she fought and the power behind her hits. Even so, neither of them had managed to land a decisive blow
“My my. I am impressed as well, no one has given me this much trouble since I fought Tiamat.”
Arceus stopped attacking when she mentioned that name.
“Tiamat, you fought Tiamat?”
“Oh yes, I remember pulling out all the stops to beat that Beast. Bought just enough time for Chaldea and Gilgamesh to find a way to put her down for good.”
Those words are all that was needed to confirm his suspicions.
“Wait, Chaldea was there when Gilgamesh killed Tiamat? They helped him kill her!?”
“Yes, he couldn’t have done it without them.”
This was certainly news. The humans who were within that castle helped kill humanity’s mother. To think they were capable of doing that.
“Why!? She made humanity, she loved them! And you and those little monsters just threw her out like she never meant anything! Like all she had done didn’t matter!”
“Oh, but she did matter si. But that’s the thing about parents' señor.”
Quetzalcoatl looked at Arceus without changing a beat.
“Parents are necessary for growth, but they are undeeded for adulthood. Tiamat had fulfilled her purpose as a parent and creator. Her death was the necessary sacrifice for humanity to shake the shackles of childhood and move on.”
Arceus just floated there in silence with his head down. He remembered the words spoken by those Priests after they sealed him away.
“It is not a place for god to interfere with the affairs of mortals!”
“To be fair, Tiamat’s love would have rolled over the world and doomed it. What Chaldea did saved mankind.”
“I saved the world from a tyrant”
“The Age of Gods was over anyway, the Age of Man was gonna happen sooner or later.”
"A new age has dawned for mankind."
“And in my opinion, they haven’t royally screwed up yet.”
"Try not to mess it up.”
“So sorry about this, but I’m about to give to you what I gave to her.”
“.........They’re just like them.”
“Huh?”
“Chaldea, the humans of this world, they’re just like them.”
Arceus lifted his head, his face displaying tranquil fury.
“They are just like those priests who imprisoned me and my children. Thinking that they should be the ones in charge because they see us as overbearing parents.“
Arceus’s voice and the temperature around him were rising.
“Did any of you ever think that the reason we’re overbearing is that we were worried!? We loved our children, we really did. We wanted the best for you! I dreamt of a world of peace and harmony, not a planet where one race rules over all others!”
The Alpha Pokemon's aura was now becoming visible, Quetz just tilted her head.
“We gods, we ancient makers, and keepers of the world. Everything we do, we do because we have a responsibility. To both the world and the people who live upon it. Someone has the do it. The reason why we- why I didn’t trust them with it was because they had yet to PROVE they were worthy of being custodians of the world! But instead, they were too impatient. You humans, you see our love as hurt and slap our hands away when we try to help you ungrateful children.”
At this point, Quetzalcoatl could tell that Arceus was not talking to her. He was just ranting out loud, getting something off his chest that had been living there for thousands of years.
“You humans are not ready to care for this planet. You will exploit it and the others who live upon it for your own selfish gain. As the god who created humanity, as your father, I shall deliver the punishment that has been a long time coming.”
Arceus began to gather power in his facial area.
“You humans-”
Quetz got the sudden feeling that she should take a step back.
“Will be brought-”
She quickly dug her heels in and raised her wooden shield.
“To JUSTICE!”
Arceus unleashed a Hyper Voice that knocked Quetzalcoatl off her feet and sent her flying at least several more miles away from where the castle was. Once she got back up, Arceus was standing right in front of her.
“Once I deal with you, I shall tear apart that castle until I have those humans in my mental grasp. Then I will give them the punishment they deserve.”
“Oi, aren’t you being a little harsh? From that rant of yours earlier, it sounds like you were talking about someone else.”
“I was. But it does not matter, Chaldea’s sins are the same. Both they and those priests committed the same act of treason against their creators. Once I have them, I shall administer the same judgment on them that I would have saved for those traitors priest and their sages. I will not be satisfied until I have justice.”
“Well then,” Quetz got up, then she activated the skill that pertains to her benevolent wisdom. Increasing her attack power. Her aura began to flash.
“I’ll have to do everything in my power to prevent that from happening.”
“You will try.”
-
“Ready, aim, fire!”
Another volley of rocks was launched from the trebuchets and struck the force fields around the castles, the projectiles bounced harmlessly off the shield like a pebble hitting a brick wall.
“Load them again!”
“Hey Magnet Bolt, I’m not gonna lie, I don’t think we’re doing any damage.”
“Even if that’s true Flippity Flop, we can’t stop now, that Princesses are counting on us. The most dangerous terrorists in Equestrian history are inside those walls. And I intend to capture them no matter what!”
“I know that. What I’m saying is that we may need something bigger to break through.”
“Hey girls.”
“Sergeant Peachy Sweet, address your commanding officer properly.”
The yellow earth pony who had just walked up to them cleared her throat and corrected herself.
“Sorry, ma’am. I just wanted to say that, if we need something bigger to break through, then will that work?”
Both mares followed the Sergeant’s hoof behind them, they turned around and their mouths hung open.
Kyogre flew overhead along with Latios, Reshiram, Kyurem, Lugia, and several other Legendary Pokemon.
Mewtwo, who was floating overhead, smirked as his reinforcements finally arrived.
“Alright everyone, batter that shield with everything you have!”
“With pleasure," Yveltal said as he began to charge his signature move.
“Time to bring the Thunder!” Thunderous said as storm clouds began to form above him.
The rest of the legendaries readied their moves. Mewtwo himself decided it was time to pull out the big guns.
“Awaken, o power of mine!”
Energy began to coalesce around the Genetic Pokemon before he was encased in a sphere of energy. Upon shattering said sphere, Mewtwo’s appearance had changed. His muscles were now more pronounced, his tail had shrunk a bit while his shoulders turned the same hue of purple and his eyes were now blue.
“You Mega evolved,” Latios said. “Didn’t know you could do that.”
“I never had the need to. But for this situation, I won’t hold back any longer.”
Mewtwo then turned back to the castle and stretched out his hand.
“Legendaries, attack!”
A volley of powerful moves struck the force field. Causing vibrations throughout the castle which were felt by everyone in it.
“Woah what was that?” Fujimaru said as he felt the ground shake.
“It’s a sign that time is running out!” Da Vinci said. “Mash hand me that laser cutter. We need to get this broken piece out so we can replace it. The wheel axle won’t be able to go back on until we do.”
“Alright.”
“Hippolyta, keep holding up the Shadow Border steadily. I need this to be as still as possible so I don’t fumble anything.”
“Got it.”
Back outside Mewtwo’s hand began to glow before he flew straight into the force field.
“Mega Punch!”
The fist slammed into the force field, again and again, one Mega Punch after the other. A normal Pokemon would not be able to use such a powerful move over and over in such quick succession. But for someone of Mewtwo’s power level in his Mega Evolution form, it was easier.
“It won’t be long now, humans.”
Meanwhile, Giratina was standing back looking at his fellow Legendaries. The reason why he was not engaging was that he was looking around.
As one of the oldest of Arceus’s children, this also made him one of the smartest when it comes to tactics. Not to mention that his prison was the Distortion World for the last several thousand years, which due to its connection to the main dimension, allowed him to view Earth through its mirror portals just like Arceus. Which meant that like his father he was allowed to witness humanity change, shape, and ruin the Earth all that time.
So while Mewtwo and the others would attack the most obvious and guarded entrance point, he was looking for another way in.
The good news is, he found another way in. The bad news is….
“Hey, you’re Giratina right?”
The Renegade Pokemon looked to his side to see a purple alicorn flying beside him.
“Yes, that is me. You are Princess Twilight correct? I remember seeing you when you first arrived at our temple when we came here. Although I don’t believe we have been formally introduced.”
“Yes, I don’t believe we have. But I have something to ask of you, which will hopefully make us more acquainted.”
“Oh? And what would that be?”
“Follow me.”
The dragon Pokemon then followed the Princess back down to the ground where the other ponies were waiting for her and him.
“So what’s this about Princess?”
“Well, as you may or may not know, I was doing a book on Legendary Pokemon until my first copy was….misplaced. It was to be a book on the history and powers of the Legendary Pokemon so that ponies and people could learn more about you guys.”
“Ah yes, I think Mew mentioned that to me one time. You had apparently grilled my sister for many questions regarding Pokemon genetics and the origin of the species.”
Twilight blushed a little. “Yeah, I did do that. But while I never did get the chance to ask you any questions, I did hear from the others about how your powers work. Apparently, you live in another world that was some reverse dimension of Earth?”
“The Distortion World. Like you assume it is my personal realm that is...or rather was the reverse side of Earth. It was meant to act as a counterbalance to the main dimension in order to stabilize any time-space fluctuations.”
“Okay, so how do you travel from one dimension to the other?”
“Any still reflection in this world serves as a portal to my world Princess. But only I am able to access them and see through them. Anything that is a mirror be it a sheet of glass, a still puddle, or clear ice. As long as it is a reflection, it can be a mirror or portal from which I can view the normal world from mine.”
“Wait wait wait!” Pinkie Pie said. “So you’re saying that if I’m bathing myself you could just look through the mirror in my bathroom and see me naked! You creeper!”
Giratina’s eyes widened. “No no! I would never do such a thing. Understand that I only use the windows to view the world in general. Not spy on people, at least, not the innocent ones.”
“Ok we’re getting off-topic here,” Twilight stated. “So what you’re saying is that as long as it’s a mirrored surface, you can go basically anywhere in the world?”
“Indeed.”
“Okay, then this might work.”
The dragon Pokemon blinked before he realized what she wanted from him.
“Ah, you think there may be a mirrored surface in that castle that you could infiltrate to get inside right?”
“Yes, that's exactly what we need you to do. Help us Giratina.”
“Well, you’re in luck Princess. I was just looking at the castle from above and could see several things that could serve as a portal to get inside.”
“Really! That’s great!”
“The problem for me is that none of them look big enough for me to fit through, so I was stumped on what to do. You, on the other hand, the five of you could be small enough to fit through.”
“Good, you can count on us.”
“Very well, is everyone ready?”
No one except Pinkie Pie raised their hoof.
“Yes miss Pie?”
“I need to go use the bathroom.”
Twilight just hoofpalmed.
Back where Arceus and Quetzalcoatl were fighting, the area around them was starting to look like a warzone, more so because more and more craters and torn up landscape due to their fighting.
Arceus fired several Stone Edges that the Rider servant either dodged or knocked out of the way. She rode on her recently summoned pterosaur that allowed her better engagement in the air against the Pokemon god.
“Hydro Cannon!” A powerful jet stream of water was shot at the dinosaur riding god. Quetz jumped and cleaved it down the middle with her Macuahuitl. Using this opening she was able to grab onto Arceus’s neck and attempted to perform a stone-cold stunner. But Arceus then used the move Gravity to shake her off him and sent her plummeting back down until her pterosaur caught her.
“Give up already!” Arceus shouted in a commanding voice. “I am someone who has stood atop all of creation itself. I can destroy planets and moons with but a thought. So why won’t you die!?”
“I haven’t tapped out because I still have not accomplished what I was summoned here to do. And until I do that thing, this big sister will not yield to the likes of you!”
“You can’t even lay a finger on me! You have yet to even use your full power and we both know it.”
“Yes, my full power. You want to know why I have been holding back until now?”
Arceus raised an eyebrow.
“It so that I could get you out here. Where no one would be hurt by my full strength.”
Quetzalcoatl then began to gather power in her first.
“The Past is here. The Present is here. The Future is here.”
Then she reached for the sky, as a magical projection of the Aztec Sun Stone appeared spinning above her.
“Come winds, come lighting. When the morning star shines, let all know the sun’s light reaches every corner of the Earth.”
Arceus watched as energy and mana crackled around her as a ball of fire came from the stone which she caught in her hand. She then jumped from her mount into the air and made a dive at the Alpha Pokemon.
“Piedra-”
“Del-”
“-Sol!”
“Hmph, foolish.”
Arceus simply moved out of the way, causing Quetzalcoatl to hit the ground.
Piedra Del Sol! The Sun Stone
Arceus looked down, expecting to see an explosion followed by a confused servant realizing she missed her target.
He did not expect the blast to still reach him, as well as vaporize everything within a 5-mile radius.
The back of the castle.
“You're kidding me there’s nothing here!”
Ignis was irritated as Seth, his team and the two other platoons had made it around the castle, only to find no back entrance, even 5 minutes of searching did not yield any results.
“This was a waste of time.”
“Calm down Ingis,” Seth said. “It’s not a big deal. Even if we didn’t find anything, there was no harm in looking.”
“I’ll be honest,” Light Steed said. “Not having a back entrance is bad architecture. Like if there is only one way in or out, then that means whoever lives here does not plan to escape if their castle ever gets invaded. Which will soon become a reality.”
“Well, I guess we better go back around and help-”
The Luxray was interrupted when there was a loud boom. Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked to see an explosion that was seen from Ponyville to Canterlot. Ponies and Pokemon in both settlements looked as the sky was lit up by something that radiated heat that they could feel from where they were standing. When the dust settled, the ground that was left had turned into lava.
Arceus started to shake off the effects of the explosion. But the Divine Spirit was not done yet.
Her hand still connected to the ground, she began to absorb all the head she had to unleash unto the Earth. Within moments, the molten ground began to rapidly cool until it was solid again. She took the returned heat and placed it within her chest.
“O divine creator of another world! We are both foreigners in this Lostbelt, neither of us has any right to be here!”
She then jumped into the air, going high and higher.
“So, allow me to be the one to take us both out of here. So that the people of this land may have two fewer gods to contend with!”
She passed the troposphere, then the stratosphere, and the mesosphere.
“Witness the power of my nation’s underworld! The cataclysmic impact which destroyed the land!"
Finally, she turned around and began to fall like a comet descending from the heavens.
“I shall burn everything away by becoming the comet that killed all life on this planet!”
The servant aimed herself at the dazed god, she would not miss this time.
“Último Tope Patada!”
Arceus finally looked up and saw the blazing meteor heading right for him. He could move or teleport, but the impact would devastate the surrounding area and possibly kill any Pokemon who were nearby.
Standing his ground instead, Arceus put up several layers of the move Protect. He hoped it would be enough to stop her.
Her impact shattered the first and second shields, two seconds later, the third layer was gone leaving only an inch of protection between Arceus and her.
“I could use my last Noble Phantasm. But that would overclock my spirit core.” Quetz thought to herself. “Ah, but I wanted to see that young master again...oh well.”
Gathering energy into her foot, the supreme divinity of the Aztec pantheon unleashed her final attack.
"Burning Fighting Spirit!"
Xiuhcoatl! Flame Burn the Gods to Ashes
The Noble Phantasm broke through the final Protect barrier. Arceus is hit with such a force that the impact sends shockwaves that shatter glass and windows in houses and buildings closest to the edge of Canterlot.
-
The Distortion World.
The ground shook as Twilight and her friends walked along the otherworldly landscape of Giratina’s world.
“What was that?” Rarity asked.
“A sign that the real world is being visited by powerful forces that can affect even this world. Ignore it for now, keep moving.”
While the destination was not very far, Twilight could not help but be distracted and intrigued by this new realm she found herself in. The entire place was alien yet familiar to her. There were formations and pieces of floating land that didn’t look like how they should. Gravity was inconsistent as evidenced by waterfalls “falling” upward. There were also strange floating purple clouds that Giratina warned her not to approach. She then spotted some floating spheres that when she looked at, she saw a place or thing that she recognized from Equestria.
However, one group of spheres caught her attention in particular.
It showed a devastated city with streets littered with overturned strange-looking metal carriages, and a sky filled with dark clouds that thundered and flashed. In the center of said city was a large tower that looked disused.
Another window showed a city with two towers. The left tower was burned to the ground while the right one remained standing. Twilight then spotted someone shifting through the city, looking in trash cans and opening those strange metal carriages. Upon closer inspection, Twilight realized that the figure was a human.
“Hey, Giratina. Are these images of Ear-”
“Keep moving, the way through should be very close”
Twilight understood his interruption and decided to drop it. Apparently, he didn’t want to talk about things that should stay in the past.
”We’re here.”
The group arrived at a larger sphere which showed the inside of what appeared to be the castle that everyone was currently trying to break into.
“I shall open the portal, get ready.”
A vortex shot from Giratina's mouth and connected with the image. Soon the sphere transformed into a swirling portal.
“Alright, you know what to do, see if you can try and find a way to make the window on the other side bigger. Create a large sheet of ice or a giant mirror, something that will allow me and others to fit through.”
“I can take care of that. Meanwhile, you start getting everyone ready to go through the portal once we’re ready..”
“I will. Good luck Princess Twilight, and friends.”
They all nodded, and then one by one the ponies jumped through the portal. They tumbled through the time-space tunnel until they emerged through the other side. Twilight fell out and onto her rump followed by the rest of her friends.
The group looked around and beheld their surroundings. The place they had emerged from was a small pond with a fountain in the middle. On one side was the outer wall and the force field keeping everyone out, on the other was the castle itself.
“My my,” Rarity said. ”This place looks absolutely gorgeous. It’s like one of those fairy tale castles you read in a foals book.”
“Well, it’s not gonna be that way much longer. Soon Arceus and the Legendaries will turn it into rubble.”
“Ugh, Rainbow Dash, do you not have any appreciation for fine architecture?”
“Not when said architecture belongs to a group of mass murders.”
“Girls stop it, remember what we’re here for. Rainbow Dash, see if you can fly through the castle and locate where the Chaldeans are.”
“You got it Twilight!” The cyan Pegasus flew towards the citadel and was about to pass over the inner walls, before hitting an invisible barrier and was left dazed.
“Ooh, that’s gotta hurt,” Applejack stated.
Rainbow Dash rubbed her head. “Okay, looks like I’m getting past that.”
“It seems whoever made this place set up additional shields to protect the inner layers of the castle. I think even Shining Armor would be jealous of this level of fortification.”
“So what now Twi?”
“Now I guess I should just concentrate on making a big enough reflective surface so that Giratina can start sending everyone through.”
“Alright then, work your magic sugarcube.”
Twilight nodded before closing her eyes and concentrated. She grabbed the water from the fountain and began to float it into the air.
Within the inner walls of the Castle of Shadows, Chaldea was almost done repairing the Shadow Border.
“About 5 more minutes and we'll be ready to set sail here!” Da Vinci said. A wave of relief alleviated the Chaldeans as it looked like they might make it.
Skadi was watching from her tallest tower as the protectors of the Human Order nearly completed their repairs. But just then her magical sensors alerted her to intrusion within her castle. Looking down she spotted 5 ponies walking within her territory.
“Well well, it seems some unwanted guests have decided to enter my castle without permission.”
Skadi took out her wand as she began to form magical ice in her hands.
“Perhaps I should give you a proper welcome, little ones.”
Twilight finished applying a wall of water to the outer wall of the castle and then used another spell to freeze it. After some fine-tuning, the sheet of ice became a perfectly reflective surface.
“Nicely done darling.”
“Thanks, Rarity. Now, all we have to do is wait for Giratina to bring everyone here and-”
Twilight was interrupted as a large icicle was hurled from above and impacted the sheet of glass. Ice and snow scattered everywhere.
“Whoa, where did that come from!?” Pinkie Pie exclaimed.
“Ugh, I think I know,” Rainbow Dash said.
Twilight and everyone looked up to see Skadi up on the inner walls looking down upon them.
“Hello, and what might you 5 be doing in my castle?”
Everyone except Twilight took a step back, they could feel her icy gaze even if she was smiling. Only the princess dared to step forward with a brave face.
“My name is Princess Twilight Sparkle of Equestria. Who are you?”
“I am Queen Skadi, Goddess of Ice and Snow. And this is my castle of which you have just entered.”
“Oh, so this is your castle huh? Well, let me just say that as a Princess of this Kingdom, you have no power or authority to erect a castle in a foreign nation and claim Equestrian land as your own. By the power vested in me, I order you to take this thing down and surrender the Chaldean’s you are sheltering.”
“Yes, I am aware that I am unlawfully staking my castle in a foreign land little Princess. But you need not worry, I won’t be here for much longer.”
“Much longer?” Twilight thought. “Then the Chaldeans must be getting ready to escape. But how? It’s not like that metal transport of theirs can get very far on just wheels. No, something else must be up.”
“I’m afraid that is unsatisfactory Queen Skadi. I must request you surrender the Chaldeans right now. They are wanted terrorists who have already harmed citizens of Equestria, one of them being my friend who was savagely attacked and suffered major blood loss. If you turn them in now, I promise Celestia will give you a fair trial.”
“An interesting proposal Princess,” Skadi brought out her wand for all to see. “But I’m afraid I must decline.”
Before they could react, Skadi from her high ground managed to use her wand like a laser pointer, to inscribe a strange symbol none of them had seen before right on Pinkie Pie’s chest.
“Oh, what’s this do?”
The Earth Pony got her answer when her body suddenly became encased in ice. Only her head remained unfrozen.
“Oh shoot,” Applejack whispered.
“Scatter!” Rainbow Dash said.
The four remaining ponies tried tunning in various directions. But unfortunately, there weren’t many places to hide and take cover.
“Oh, we are playing hide and seek then?” Skadi then floated down as she looked around for her quarry. “Very well I shall do my best to play along.”
-
Back outside Mewtwo and the rest of the Legendary Pokemon had making to make a few cracks in the shields, but nothing to make it shatter completely. Yet none of them had thought of quitting now.
“Keep going!” Mewtwo said. Despite the fact that his Mega Evolution was nearing its time limit, the Psychic Legendary still kept hitting the barrier with everything he had.
On the ground, Celestia and Luna watched as the Legendary Pokemon and ponies continued their siege.
“You think they might make it in time sister?”
“That depends Luna.”
“On what?”
“Even if they do manage to get their vehicle up and running again. I have no idea how they might escape given there is no shortage of beings here who could purse them on their wheeled transport.”
“Are you saying they have another means of getting away?”
“Possibly. After all, they couldn’t have could have arrived in Equestria from wherever their secret base is.”
Luna became silent as she contemplated that possibility. Meanwhile, Celestia’s eyes scanned the battlefield until she spotted Lucario. The Aura Pokemon currently launching Focus Blasts at the force field. The Pokemon looked like he was getting tired, the time between each use the move becoming longer and longer. Celestia was worried about the Pokemon. He was starting to go to great lengths in order to avenge his partner. She just hoped the Pokemon wouldn’t do something foolish.
“Princess Celestia!”
The Solar Princess looked to see Seth and the rest of Platoons 3 and 4 walk up to her.
“Ah Seth, did you find anything?”
“I’m afraid not Princess, it seems that the front door is the only way in or out.”
“Hey, are we not gonna talk about the giant that happened a few clicks north?” Air Raid said. “It looked like it might be serious.”
“That explosion was Lord Arceus fighting another god.” Everyone looked up to see Giratina touch down next to them. “He’ll be fine, we must focus on what needs to be done here.”
“Ah Giratina,” Celestia said. “Has Twilight and her friends managed to find a way in?”
“Yes, Princess. I managed to escort them inside not a while ago.”
“Wait, they got in? How?” Seth said.
“Through my Distortion World. Right now, Twilight should be making the portal big enough on the other side for the rest of us to come through.”
“How will you know when they’ll be ready?”
Behind his mask, Giratina smiled.
“Why don’t you come with me and find out?”
-
“Well, this bites.”
Rainbow Dash, who was currently part of a giant ice cube along with the rest of her friends squirmed and wiggled to no avail. Each pony had one side to herself.
“That was a fun game I believe,” Skadi took a step back and beheld her work. “Now you five stay here like good children and behave.”
“Hey, you can’t just keep us here!” Twilight said. She tried to use her magic but stopped once Skadi saw what she was doing.
“Hmm, so that horn of yours is what allows you to use magic.” Skadi took a few steps closer to the alicorn. “Perhaps I should remove it just to be safe.”
Twilight's eyes widened in fear.
“No, please! Stay away from me! My magic means everything to me!”
“Is that so? Hmmm,” she studied the Princess for a moment before smiling. “I see, I can tell just by looking at you that you have great potential young lady.”
The Queen of Ice and Snow walked closer to Twilight until she was inches from her face.
“Tell me little one, what gives someone like you such great power?”
Twilight steeled herself, not wanting to show that she was scared. Despite the fact that she was at the mercy of a god.
“You really wanna know?”
“Yes.”
Twilight put on a determined face.
“It’s them.”
Skadi looked and realized she was referring to the other 4 ponies stuck in ice.
“Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Rarity and Fluttershy. They are the reason my magic is so strong.”
“Those are 5 names I count 4.”
“Fluttershy couldn’t be here today. But if she was, she would agree that it’s because of her and the bonds the 6 of us share that my, no, our magic is as strong as it is. Because together we have learned to master the strongest friendship in the history of the world. The Magic of Friendship!”
“So for you, friendship is magic?” Skadi tilted her head. “That’s something I never heard of until now.”
“Yeah, one of that Chaldean’s laughed in my face about the idea. It seems the idea of magic being powered by friendship does not exist in your world. Honestly, I feel bad for you guys.”
“You feel bad for us?”
“Yes. Because the magic of friendship is stronger than anything known to ponykind. It has saved this kingdom time and time again and it will save it from the likes of you.”
“Is that so? And pray tell, how will your magical friendship allow you to escape my ice?”
“That’s the thing about friends Queen Skadi. You can always count on them when your need is greatest!”
Before the divine spirit realized what she meant, she received an electrical shock that stunned her momentarily. Behind her, Seth powered down his Discharge, and the rest of his team emerged from the portal in the pond.
“Alright,” Ingis said as he touched the ground. “I’ve been dying for some action all day!”
Skadi got up and turned around to face the new arrivals.
“So Seth, you want us to take care of this one?” Selena said.
“Just keep her distracted long enough for Twilight to do what she needs to do.”
“Got it.” Both Pokemon said.
Seth put his paw on the keystone attached to his badge.
“Ignis and Selena, suppose your limits and go beyond! Mega Shinka!”
Both Pokemon were enveloped in light before they Mega Evolved in Mega Absol and Mega Charizard Y. The couple smiled as they face down their opponent.
“Alright lady, you like playing with ice? Then you’re gonna love my flames!”
Ingis breathed a Flamethrower at Skadi while Selena used Moonblast. The goddess quickly threw up a wall of ice that barely even melted against the heat.
“Alright, backup has arrived!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed.
“They still have to get past her in order to free us Dash,” Applejack pointed out.
“Hey girls what up?” A voice said.
The ones who could turn their heads to see looked and saw a Slyveon staring at them.
“Rika is that you?”
“Hi Applejack, Apple Fritter said she wants to know how you’re doing lately.”
“Tell her I’m doing fine Rika, but right now we need your help.”
“Okay, but I don’t know how to free you guys without alerting ice queen over there.”
“Hey Rika over here.”
“Yes Twilight?”
“The ice cube, you think you can turn it?”
“Uh, sure why?”
“Get me to face that wall, the one with all the broken ice on the ground.”
“Sure thing sister!”
Arceus opened his eyes as he woke up.
The deity got to his feet and shook off the daze he was feeling...wait, daze?
Checking his internal clock, Arceus realized he had been knocked out for 5 seconds. No one had ever been able to do that to him before.
It almost made him forget how angry he was.
He looked around, he was in a crater. Flying into the air he tried to sense the spiritual presence of Quetzalcoatl. Nothing so far. But just to be sure he did a thorough divine scan of the area around him, looking for any traces of her divine core. After a few minutes of looking over and over, he concluded that there was no trace of the Aztec god.
“Hmph, so you burned yourself out trying to keep me occupied. I admire your willingness to sacrifice yourself in order to save them, but your efforts will be in vain.”
Arceus turned back to the castle, his Legendary Pokemon had arrived and were now apparently very close to breaking that force field.
“There is nowhere Chaldea can run now. They lost the moment I saw them.”
Back at the castle.
“Blast Burn!”
“Dark Pulse!”
Ingis and Selena fired off two more simultaneous attacks at Skadi, who blocked their attacks with shields generated by runes. She in turn created several large icicles above them which crashed down, the Pokemon would have skewered if they had not dodged in time.
Ingis attempted to flank her and used Giga Impact, but Skadi just created ice wall he just smashed into. Unfortunately, this left her open to a Quick Attack from Selena.
“Gotcha!”
Skadi felt something slash at this side which caused her to grunt in pain. She looked to see blood trickling from the Absol’s horn.
“You wounded me, I’ll give you marks for that. But it will take more than a few grazes to kill me.”
“And that would be true,” Seth said “If killing you is what we were trying to do.”
Skadi felt the wind pick up as she looked behind her, it was then she realized her mistake.
While she was distracted, Twilight had rebuilt the ice sheet and the outer wall which was now serving as a big enough portal for Giratina to come through.
The Renegade Pokemon bore down on Skadi, his red eyes glaring at the goddess. He then turned the five ponies trapped in ice.
“Well done Princess Twilight. Your actions have helped us win this day.”
“Your welcome Giratina. But uh, could you get us out of this popsicle.”
“In a moment, but for now,” The dragon turned his attention back to Skadi.
“Queen of this castle, watch as your bastion falls.”
Giratina then turned to the front gates and prepared a Hyper Beam.
“NO!” Skadi attempted to stop the dragon of antimatter but was tackled by Ingis via Giga Impact before she could do anything.
When it came to the force field around her castle, Skadi created it with the idea of keeping things out. So the shields prioritized maximum defense from outside attacks.
Attacks that came from the inside on the other hand…
Giratina unleashed his Hyper Beam, which was the last proverbial strike needed to take down the force field. All around the wall, the barrier shattered like glass, falling and dissipating into snow.
Almost immediately the front gates flung open and Mewtwo was the first one in, followed shortly by some Legendary Pokemon and the platoons of Royal Guards.
Mewtwo looked and saw the ponies encased in ice. With but a thought, the cube shattered, freeing the ponies.
“Ugh thank you darling, I was getting cramped in there,” Rarity said.
Mewtwo didn’t acknowledge her, instead, his Mega Evolution expired. Leaving him less powerful, but not any less determined. He was looking for something that clearly was not here.
“Where. Is. Chaldea?”
“Hey I know,” Ingis said. “Let’s ask the purple-haired lady, she must know-” Ingis then looked to see that Skadi was no longer pinned under him. “Hey, where’d she go?”
“Skadi must have fled when the force field came down,” Twilight suggested. “We can deal with her later, for now, we have to find Chaldea before they get away.”
Before anyone could do anything, Arceus appeared in the air above everyone.
“You don’t have to worry about them getting away Princess Twilight. There is nowhere the Chaldeans can run or hide from me any longer.”
Twilight was a bit confused. “What do you mean?”
“The moment I saw Chaldea, I made sure to lock onto their very existence. That way I will know where they are, when they are, or how they are. It doesn’t matter if that vehicle of theirs has cloaking or some other kind of camouflage, or if they can somehow travel through time. I will know exactly where they are until the day their existence ends. Which may be sooner rather than later.”
Twilight was a bit surprised at first, but then realized that Arceus was capable of doing something like that. Not to mention he had every motivation to try and make sure Chaldea couldn't get away. And while the tone in his voice was worrisome, she couldn’t complain right now.
“Okay, so where are they now?”
Arceus only needed to blink.
They are further inside the castle, behind several more barriers.
“Will you have any trouble getting through them my Lord?”
“Oh don’t worry Mewtwo, these shields won’t take as long as the last one.”
-
“I only need to screw in a few more bolts and then we’ll be ready to go!”
Everyone stood there in anticipation as Da Vinci finished the last of the repairs on the Shadow Border. Some were tempted to help her with the last few bits, but were afraid they might make her screw something up.
Then all of a sudden, Kirschtaria received a mental message from Skadi.
“I have done all I can, master of Chaldea. But I’m afraid our enemies have broken into my castle, at best, you all have three minutes to escape with your lives.”
“Guys, Skadi says they just infiltrated the castle.”
Kadoc, as well as other members of Team A, began to sweat a bit more.
“How long do we have?”
“I’d rather not distract you all by saying it.”
Just outside the final force field, everyone looked upon the door that was between them and their targets.
“This will not take long,” said Arceus who began to assault the barrier with Dragon Pulse.
“Hey Mewtwo,” Seth said. “Can you sense their minds through that wall?”
“Let me see….yes I can sense them, it looks like they’re getting ready to escape!”
“Can you tell how they’re planning to escape, Mewtwo?” Arceus asked
“Give me a moment my Lord.” Mewtwo then began to focus on a single human’s mind, the one with the weakest mental defenses.
“Aha!”
“All done! Everyone get inside, we’re leaving!”
Da Vinci packed up her tool kit and as everyone ran to the hatch of the Border.
“Alright folks we’re getting out of here!”
Then all of a sudden, Ritsuka let out a cry of pain as he clutched his head and fell to the floor.
“Senpai!”
“Fujimaru what’s wrong?”
Both Mash and Kirschtaria rushed to the master’s side, Ritsuka kept screaming as he felt his mind being invaded. He found himself being pulled into his own brain as his eyes closed.
Inside his mental landscape, Ritsuka was met with nothing but darkness. Then he heard a chuckle, before ground appeared beneath him.
“This is your mind?”
Ritsuka turned around to see a large bipedal creature. It was as he could best describe, feline-looking, but without any fur. It had a long purple tail, and an outer spinal cord connecting its head and back.
“Who are you?”
“I know humans have little if not any mental defenses. But it looks as if your mind is just wide open to mental invasion. It’s as if you're asking for something to just come in and mind control you.”
“Get out of my head!”
“Shut up.”
Ritsuka was suspended in mid-air as Mewtwo effortlessly held him in place.
“You are going to give me what I want human. And there's absolutely nothing you can do to stop me.”
Ritsuka once again screamed like he was having the worst migraine of his life. Mewtwo smirked as he began to bring up many of the human’s memories and knowledge to be laid before him.
“You are beneath me human, there is no one in this world who can stop me in a battle of minds.”
“Enough.”
Mewtwo was so lost in his own glee and satisfaction that he almost didn’t hear the voice behind him. He turned around but saw nothing.
“Who’s there?”
There was no verbal response, only the sound of footsteps and he heard someone, or something walk towards him.
“Who is there? Who dares interrupt me in my moment of victory!?”
Mewtwo then mentally caused the area to light up, but he was not prepared for what he saw.
The figure was now visible, but they were still covered in shadows. The only thing he could make out is a single red eye. They continued walking closer, unaware or uncaring of who they were approaching.
“Who are you? You dare to overstep your mortal authority!?”
The figure finally stopped walking, he was about five feet from Mewtwo and Ritsuka.
“Insolent mortal reveal yourself!”
“My name is not important intruder. The only thing you should do now is listen and listen well. Put that boy down and leave his mind at once, I won’t ask you a second time.”
Mewtwo went from angry to being furious. Who did this guy think he was!?
“YOU DARE!? Do you know who I am!? I am Mewtwo! The most powerful psychic in this entire world. I can create hurricanes with but a wave of my hand. I carry the blood of the progenitor of all Pokemon. A single mind is but putty in my hands. My mental reach can extend to cover an entire city. There is no one on this Earth who surpasses me in psyhic power short of Arceus himself.”
The figure didn’t even look like he heard or cared for half of what he just said. He just smiled, his white teeth visible through his shadows.
“Was that supposed to mean anything to me?”
Mewtwo snapped.
Dropping Ritsuka, he rushed at the shadowy figure with a Psycho Cut and slashed at him. A moment later he realized he had hit nothing but air.
“Oh please,” said a voice behind him. “I have seen mentally disabled people faster than you.”
Mewtwo fired a Shadow Ball behind him, but once again hit nothing. He then began to hear laughter all around him, from all sides. He looked but could not see anyone.
“Coward! You think cheap party tricks will work on me!? My mind is a storm! Tearing apart anything that gets in its way. I will have your mind in shreds when I am done with you. Your mental will is nothing to me!”
Mewtwo once again heard walking and then looked behind him. The shadowy figure was there. But now, the shadows were starting to dissipate, revealing the man behind them.
It was a human dress in green clothing and coat. He had a hat that matched his attire and a red tie hanging from his neck, his eyes were black. And his face betrayed no emotion.
“You cannot comprehend my will intruder. Nor could you ever break my mind of steel.”
“RAAAAHHHGG!” Mewtwo lunged at the human, but instead of dodging, he just fired a blast of fire and lighting that just knocked Mewtwo back and off his feet.
When he sat up, he looked at the man in confused horror. He had infiltrated minds before, been met with resistance and attacks to keep him out of their heads. But never before had someone managed to land a hit on him like that.
“Who are you?” he asked again.
“I. Am someone who follows a path beyond love and hate.”
The man then rushed Mewtwo, sticking him again and again with hit and runs that the Pokemon could not even think fast enough to counter or avoid.
“Begone intruder!”
Mewtwo opened his eyes to see multiple iterations of the man all around and above him. In their hands was the charging of some kind of blue energy.”
Enter Château d’if! Tyger Burning Bright
Mewtwo was blasted with dozens of beams which caused him to scream as well as obliterate his entire presence from Ritsuka’s mind.
In the physical world, Mewtwo cried out in pain, which made everyone stop what they were doing and look at the Psychic Legendary. Then an invisible force created by the mental backlash caused him to be sent crashing into and through a wall.
“Mewtwo!” Seth exclaimed.
The Luxray along with several others rushed to the Legendary Pokemon's side. They checked him for any response. He was not dead, but completely knocked out.
“What could have done this to him?” Giratina said in horror.
After all, no one had ever beaten Mewtwo like this.
-
Ritsuka opened his eyes as he took a big gasp and sat back up. Looking at these surroundings, he realized he was back in the Shadow Border.
“Senpai! You're okay!” said Mash as she hugged him in relief.
“Welcome back to the land of the living kouhai,” Akuta said.
Ritsuka’s breathing returned to normal as he remembered what had happened to him. He smiled as he recalled what had happened in mind. He would have to find the opportunity to thank that Avenger for saving him once again.
Also, Mash’s hair smelled nice.
“Okay is Ritsuka awake? Good, now we can get this show on the road!”
Da Vinci over the intercom made several final checks.
“Alright, new tire in place. Systems are running normally. Logic plating is intact. Energy flow at 98%. Check check check! This Shadow Border is good to go!”
“Then let's not waste any more time!” Meuniere said. “We need to leave before they bust down that last barrier.”
“Alright, beginning final sequences before Zero Sail, everyone strap in!”
"Expanding Void-Reality observation device: Paper Moon. Expanding Logic formula on Shadow Border's external armor, removing exitance verification for Reality Space. Future Precdition hypothetically prove mirror world plane in ten seconds, relaxing space-time friction decomposition."
As everyone buckled their seatbelts, Kirschtaria communicated with Skadi one last time.
“Will you be alright, your highness?”
“I’ll be fine. I believe my purpose here has been served. I will disappear shortly after.”
“Farewell then Queen of the lost Scandinavia. Your help will not be forgotten.”
“Your welcome my children. May your journey be fruitful.”
Back outside, Arceus and the rest were almost through the last force field.
“Just a little more!”
“Are they still there father?” Giratina said.
“Yes, just a few more seconds.”
“Shadow Border untheather from reality! Void Space Dive, commencing Zero Sail unfurl in five, four, three, two…
“Got it!”
“One!”
Arceus and everyone burst into the inner chamber of the castle and whipped their heads around.
Nothing.
There was absolutely no trace of Chaldea.
“WHAT!?”
Rainbow Dash flew around the room a few times looking until she stooped right in the middle.
“Where are they!?” she shouted
Then before anyone could search in other places, the castle began to disappear. In less than 10 seconds, the entire area reverted to what it was before. Leaving the Royal Guard, Twilight’s friends, and several pissed off looking Legendary Pokemon in the middle of a field.
“Where did they go?” Twilight said, speaking for everyone.
“Father,” Giratina began. “You must know where they are. Tell us, where are they?”
Arceus did not speak, nor did he move.
Everyone looked at Arceus. Some were expecting an answer, others being worried at his sudden silence.
“Father?”
“I don’t know.”
Giratina, as well as every other Legendary Pokemon, could not believe their ears.
“What did you just say?”
“I don’t know.”
Arceus looked at this son, his face looked like he was about to go insane at any moment.
“What do you mean you don’t know?”
“Yeah didn’t you say that you couldn’t track their very existence?”
“I can. But that's the thing. I can’t sense their existence.”
The people around him nearly did a double take.
“What?”
“I don’t know how, I don’t know why. But somehow, someway, Chaldea has managed to conceal or erase their very existence.”
“But, that's impossible," Reshiram said. "Only a god can erase something from existence.”
“And yet that is the only explanation I can think of.”
Arceus looked off into the distance.
He wanted to scream, he wanted to shout. He wanted to stomp his hooves like a child and throw a tantrum. But he didn’t. He could only just stand there.
No one dared to speak. No one attempted to talk with him for fear of what might happen if they derail his train of thought.
For the second time in his entire life, ever since he was sealed away, Arceus had been outsmarted, outplayed, by humans.
Kadoc opened his eyes as he felt his body realign itself with his soul, Even now, Zero Sailing was an experience he was not entirely used to at this point.
“Are we still...not dead?”
“Yes, master,” Anastasia replied. “Everyone except us servants is still in the world of the living.
The introverted master opened his eyes and looked around. Everyone who was on the border at the time of Zero Sail was still here. Looking out the front windshields, he saw the ethereal emptiness that was the Sea of Imaginary Numbers. A place outside of time and space, somewhere that no one could reach unless they had a vehicle like the one they were in. While inside this unknowable realm, they were removed from the conventional definition of what reality defined as “existing”. No one in the positive world would be able to track them let alone find them.
“It looks like we managed to get away,” Mash said.
“Yeah, by the skin of our teeth.”
After a minute of gathering their bearings, everyone sat down to discuss what happened and their next move.
“Alright let’s first address the most concerning thing from today’s events,” Sherlock Holmes said. “We just had our first run-in with the deity known as Arceus, the creator of the creatures called Pokemon and a god of creation. While we never actually got to see a true display of power, the readings the Shadow Border got from him confirm what most of us feared. Miss Da Vinci if you would?”
“To put it simply, Arceus is someone who can be described as an omnipotent god. A chief deity comparable to Zeus, Odin, Shiva, and maybe even the God of Christianity. In fact, in terms of potential, he may be closer to the last one.”
“No way,” Kadoc spoke up. “Are you seriously suggesting this guy would be able to go toe to toe with big G himself?”
“Well maybe not at the moment, but from what we have heard about him and from what our data suggests, Arceus is a deity who possesses several authorities one would need in order to create nations and maybe even entire worlds. Although this is all just speculation at the moment.”
“The Pokemon claim that Arceus created their entire world and possibly the universe they came from,” Holmes said. “The energy, time, and authorities required to do that would put him beyond a class of being that exists or ever exist on Earth. However, if this were true, then there is no reason we should have been able to get away.”
“How so?” Ritsuka said.
“If Arceus truly is as powerful as they say, then against a depowered Divine Spirit like Skadi, he would have made short work of her and the shield she put up to protect us. The fact that he didn’t suggests that A: that Arceus is not as powerful as he claims, or B: he no longer has the power that he once did. Either way, he is still not something to be taken lightly.”
“How would you compare him to the other enemies we have faced before?” Kirschtaria said.
“Hmmm, in terms of raw power he does not come close to Tiamat who could potentially travel between planets. If I had to ballpark it, he is closer to someone with a 3rd class planet-level spirit origin. Not as powerful as Goetia but just behind him.”
The expressions on everyone’s faces when dark. Goetia was a foe whom they only beat through a great sacrifice that took away the majority of his power. As well as an actual army of servants. While Arceus was apparently not as powerful as the first Beast, it still put things into perspective of just how much of a nightmare it would be to fight him.
“Simply put, Arceus is not someone we can face at the moment. Not unless we can find a weakness or ally with someone who could match him in terms of power.”
“I don’t suppose there is a grand servant running around in this Lostbelt?” Kadoc said sarcastically.
“Sorry, but unless Arceus turns out to be one of the seven beasts, that ain’t happening,” Da Vinci said.
“Okay, I’ve heard enough,” Goredolf said. “As Director of Chaldea, I cannot put you all in danger by having us go up against that god again when we currently have no means of defeating him. I’m ordering a return to the Wandering Sea, any of the other Lostbelts should be easier to bring down than this one.”
“I’m inclined to agree with the director,” Holmes stated. “At our current power, there is no way we would be able to fight Arceus let alone destroy the tree of emptiness when it appears. In all likelihood, Arceus will be there when it shows itself, and will defend it with all his power.”
“But Gilgamesh said that if we don’t take this chance now, we will never get another opportunity for who knows how long,” Ophelia said.
“At least there will be another opportunity! The more time we spend there is more time for that angry god to hunt us down.”
“What about the servants?” Ritsuka pointed out. “If we leave them, then Arceus will hunt them down instead. The Counter Force summoned them here to help us, by the time we come back, there may be no one left.”
“Hmmm, Ritsuka does have a point,” Da Vinci said. “The servants who were sent here as a vanguard are a major asset that we can’t just leave behind. If we lose them, it would be a major blow to our forces.”
Goredolf grimaced but only for a moment, despite his desire to leave, he had to admit that losing all those servants would be bad for them.
“Can’t we just take them back with us?”
“Even if we were to compress all of them into their spirit forms, the process would take a while. Not to mention I don’t like the idea of having so many spirit origins in one place.”
“So what are we to do then? I’m still recommending we leave but now I would be bad if we did.”
“I say we put it to a vote,” Kirschtaria suggested. “All in favor of leaving this Lostbelt for another time, raise your hands.”
Everyone looked at each other before several members raised their hands.
“All in favor of staying here for a little longer?”
The other members including masters and their servants followed suit.
“Alright, it seems we have a winner...”
Hall of Legends
Giratina blasted a hole in a wall of the temple.
“WE HAD THEM!”
Several Legendaries were in the same room just watching as the Renegade Pokemon vented his frustration. Being one of the oldest and most powerful Pokemon, none of them were willing to calm him down less they became the target of his frustration.
None except Mew.
“Giratina, please calm down.”
“NO!”
The immediate and loud response startled the Pokemon Progenitor. But rather than shrinking back, Mew stood her ground.
“Brother, smashing the temple will do nothing but make a bigger mess for us to clean.”
“I don’t care! Father can just blink and the temple will fix itself.”
Mew just groaned and decided to stop trying with the ruler of the Distortion World.
“Honestly I would just let him vent Mew,” Yveltal said. “I don’t blame him, he, like many of us, has a good reason to be upset.”
Mew shook her head. It had been nearly an hour since they all had come back from Ponyville after their failed attempt to capture Chaldea. Needless to say, none were too happy about the fact their enemy got away. Others however were more baffled at the how.
“I don’t understand,” Kyurem said. “There is no logical way they should have been able to get away.”
“I concur with Kyurem,” Palkia added. “Even if somehow they were able to teleport to another dimension, father should still have been able to know where they are given that he locked onto their very existence.”
“Remind me again, how does that work?” Genesect asked.
“Well as you know, father can will things into and out of existence, as if they were never there. To the point where history itself changes to match their absence. As such, being able to track a person’s place or thing should not be beyond his power so long as he gets a good look at it.”
“There are some ways to avoid this however,” Uxie said. “For example, when those traitorous Presits sealed us away, they placed a spell on father’s prison that prevented him from seeing where his elemental plates were. An impressive feat considering the plates are a part of his very being. But to be clear, this merely prevented them from seeing and locating them. Father was still connected to them and knew that the plates were still out there.”
“However this is different. Not only does Lord Arceus not know where the Chaldeans are, he is unable to verify that they even exist.”
“Hmmm, that is interesting.”
“Interesting but also just as frustrating. Understand this, as a god, there are very few things Arceus can and cannot do. Even though he is no longer as powerful as he was when made the universe, father can still do things that would undoubtedly mark him as an omnipotent god. So the times when even father was stumped are few and far in between.”
“The first time father was ‘bested’ was when he was sealed away,” Mew said. “He considers that day the only time in his life that mortals were able to pull one over him.”
Genesect was hesitant to say what came next. “And what about what just happened now?”
Mew, Palkia, and Uxie looked at each and them back at the cybernetic Pokemon.
“Well, given that father was rather confident that he had beaten Chaldea, and that he did not think they had a means of escaping even him...needless to say, this would be the second time in life where father was bested by mere mortals.”
“So as you can imagine, he is still trying to process this,” Palkia said.
Giratina who at this point had stopped making holes in the wall was listening as the four of them talked about how father was taking all of this.
However, his concerns were currently on another powerful legendary Pokemon.
“They may think that father is in a very bad mood, but they are forgetting about someone else. Someone who lost in a different way.”
Indeed, unlike Arceus who merely failed by not capturing Chaldea when he had the chance, another legendary failed in a way that was more personal.
Mewtwo is the most powerful psychic mind in the world short of Arceus and the combined power of the Lake Trio. There was virtually no one in the world who could match him in sheer psychic power.
But something happened on that day, something no one had ever expected. Nobody was sure what had happened, and Mewtwo was not in the mood to disclose what had happened. All they knew was that he had attempted to read the mind of a Chaldean human, but several moments later, he was flung by an invisible force through a wall.
Despite Mewtwo refusing to comment on what went wrong, an observant person would be able to form a plausible theory. In attempting to read the mind of a human, Mewtwo was somehow forced out of said human’s mind. Ergo, there was someone or something powerful enough to beat Mewtwo at his own game.
Whereas Arceus experienced loss before, Mewtwo was beaten for really the first time in his life.
One could only imagine how he was reconciling this new experience.
-
Arceus was not sure what he should do at the moment.
More accurately, he was deciding which of two things he should address first: Finding out how the Chaldeans managed to erase all traces of their physical existence, or, confronting Celestia on why she thought it best not to inform him of her finding a human form their little group.
Given the stakes, he thought that she would come to him immediately so that his powers could simply pluck the information they needed from their mind. So why didn’t she? He could only guess that in her infinite kindness that Celestia was attempting to negotiate with the human and that she didn’t want him around to do anything too forceful.
Arceus in a way had respect for Celestia’s good nature, it was because of the motherly kindness she possessed that made her the first and strongest supporter of the Pokemon being allowed to stay here. And yet this same kindness was in his view a detriment in some ways. He felt like Celestia did not punish her foes as harshly as she should have. You would think that after tens of thousands of your ponies were murdered in a tragic unprovoked attack, you would be more inclined to seek retribution.
Arceus was a god, so when he delivered Judgement, he did it swiftly and appropriately.
He understood that Celestia was no deity, but as an immortal, he felt like she should start acting more like one.
Having realized where his train of thought was going, Arceus made his choice.
Canterlot Castle.
“Are you sure he is still not there?”
The pony attendant shook her head. “No my Princess, Lord Mewtwo has not returned to his room nor has he been seen around the castle.”
Celestia sighed. “I see, you are dismissed for now. But at the first sign of his return, inform me immediately.”
“Yes, Princess.”
The attendant left the room, leaving Celestia and Luna alone.
“I’m concerned sister,” Luna said.
“About Mewtwo, or Arceus?”
“Yes.”
“What?”
“I mean both. In the case of Arceus, I’m surprised he didn’t pull us over (and into another dimension) so that he could ‘talk’ with us about our ‘communication skills’ or lack thereof. As for Mewtwo, well, I believe that him not being here might be related to how we were not open with him either.”
“Yes, it could be that, or...” Celestia thought back to how Mewtwo, after getting up from whatever hit him, had an expression that was a mix of shock and anger, maybe even more so than the one Arceus had at the time. Evidently, both Pokemon were dealing with things that required them to be alone for a while.
“Whatever the case may be, I suggest we give them space for a while. They will talk to us when they are ready.”
“That may be sooner than you think.”
Given that it happened so many times, Celestia should have been used to this by now. But because she was starting to let her guard down, she was still surprised when she heard Arceus’s voice coming from behind her.
Letting out another sigh, she turned around to find his imposing form towering above her and Luna.
“Celestia.”
“Arceus.”
“You know why I’m here.”
“Yes.”
“Then let’s get to the point.”
Arceus slowly blinked while letting out a sigh. “Why did neither of you bother to inform me that you had captured a Chaldean?”
“He’s calmer than I expected, for now.” Celestia knew that she could not lie. In fact, she had no reason to assume Arceus had not already read their minds and was just waiting for them to confirm what he already knew. Seeing that there was no way around this, Celestia opened her mouth.
“Because I think Chaldea may be of use to us.”
“…What?”
“I mean that Chaldea would better serve as an ally than an enemy. I do not believe this has to end in the total destruction of either side. I want to find another way, a way where we can all survive.”
“So...you’re saying that you want to form an alliance with the humans? That you would even envision a scenario where humanity survives and lives alongside us!?”
Celestia narrowed her eyes to that question. “Before I answer that let me ask you this, what were you planning to do after you had captured Chaldea?”
“What?”
“Be honest with Arceus. Let's say you had found them first. Would you have taken your time to tell me? Would you have done some personal interrogation of your own without my knowing? I can imagine that given your disposition towards humans, your intentions would not be pretty, to say the least.”
“....I don’t know.”
“Are you sure about that?”
“What do you want me to say!? That I was going to torture them, make them suffer!? Use them as a punching bag for all my pent-up frustration and anger towards humanity that I have had for several thousand years!? Are you going to sit there and tell me it would be unjustified, that they didn’t deserve it!?”
Arceus paused for a moment, trying to regain his composure. His head facing the floor.
“I’m tired Celestia, so tired. I had hoped to never see another human for as long as I live, which is saying something. I...understand that not all of them are evil, but I just can’t forgive them. Call me stubborn, or call me misanthropic, I don’t care. Humanity has done too much to hurt me and my children, my world. I….honestly think I stopped loving humanity a long time ago.”
“....Then why bring some of them here with you?”
“...Obligation. Plus, I think Mew and Cresselia would be upset if I separated Pokemon-Human couples like Gene and Belle.”
“Alright, I’ve heard enough. Now I’m sorry that I was not forthcoming with you Arceus, I realized that it was unbecoming of me not to tell you. I thought that if you had been there, and I had brought up the proposal of an alliance, you would never have allowed that to happen.”
“Have you forgotten how they killed all those ponies and Pokemon during the Summer Sun Celebration? How three of my Legendary Pokemon were murdered? You would forgive them, just like that? You would ask me to forgive them for their crimes!?”
“Chaldea didn’t do that!”
“....What?”
“Harmony never said that Chaldea was the one who committed that horrifying act on that day. In fact, it doesn’t even make sense if you think about it.”
“How so? Their goal is to kill us all, I’m pretty sure that motive alone makes them a prime suspect.”
“Yes that’s true, but why a bombing? Their main objective is to destroy our Tree of Emptiness, which is the surest and quickest way to end us. Why do a ton of random bombings all over the country when it doesn’t even kill the majority of the population?”
“Okay but-”
“And then there is the transmission that Genesect’s radio tower picked up. It was meant for Chaldea, a signal for them to rally to and hide. How would they have enough time to set up bombs all over the country if they were trying to find this Wandering Sea?”
Arceus paused and thought for a moment. He recalled how John Williams went up north and discovered the first Lostbelt and the servant that was in there. How said servant told him that Chaldea left not long ago. He had to assume that they had just cut down the tree sustaining that Lostbelt before going into hiding. Still, this didn’t exactly remove them from being implicated in the bombings.
“...I can see your point, but still we don’t know who was the mastermind behind that attack on that day. All we know was that a servant was among the perpetrators, the very same servant who killed Zapdos, Articuno, and Moltres. The only ones who can command a servant are a human master, which Chaldea has several of.”
“That is true, so when we meet them again, we can ask them ourselves," Celestia then rolled her eyes. "Or you can just read their minds without their consent.”
“I’m not Mewtwo Celestia, I do have some standards. Even when it comes to my enemies.”
“Speaking of which, where is Mewtwo? I haven’t seen him around the castle?”
“He is in the Hall of Legends. I imagine he might be there for a while.”
“Is he alright?”
“...To put it bluntly, no. Physically he’s fine, but I think he is dealing with a case of wounded pride at the moment.”
“I see, send him my regards. Back to the point. So now that we have cleared the air, can I ask you in the event that we do find Chaldea again, will you be okay with trying to form an alliance? Despite their intentions to destroy us, Chaldea is better served as an ally than an enemy. When we eventually have to face the other Lostbelts, it would be better to have their expertise and their general knowledge about what might be waiting for us in those worlds.”
Arceus and Celestia stared at each other. Luna stood watching for what the god might say next.
“Fine Celestia, we’ll do it your way.”
The Sun Princess sighed. “Thank you for understanding Arceus
“However, if Chaldea is not interested in an alliance. If they kill any Pokemon or heaven forbid one of my Legendaries...I will find Chaldea, and I will deal with them my way.”
Celestia nodded begrudgingly. “...Very well.”
Then without another word, Arceus disappeared.
Luna walked up to her sister. “Well, I think that went well.”
“Indeed, I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if he didn’t agree to the idea at all. Not that I wouldn’t blame him.”
“So what now?”
“Now, we hope that everything goes well.”
“But sister, that Chaldean we met before was not exactly the most cooperative. Not to mention she grievously harmed Abby Trombly.”
“That may be true, but I don’t think she represents all of Chaldea. I just think that the best way out of this situation is if we all work together.”
Luna stared out the balcony, which gave her a good look at the kingdom they ruled over and all who lived in it. The future of all they have ever known depended on them now more than ever.
“For the sake of our little ponies, I hope so.”
Hall of Legends. Mewtwo’s room.
If one is the best at what they do, then they obviously stand at the pinnacle of that very thing. If one was the most powerful psychic in the world, then they had nothing to fear in terms of an equal or more powerful rival.
And if there was something more powerful than you, then it was a good thing they were on your side. For it is better to have them as your ally than an enemy.
But at the same time, a lack of challenge, a lack of needing to further progress, can be bad. For if there is no one to challenge you, then why should you strive to be any better?
Competition breeds better results, having a rival to test your skills encourages you to be better than your opponent.
For the Pokemon race, battling was a part of their very culture. They had been doing it since the dawn of their existence, and they would continue doing it until the day they died. Not even the Legendary Pokemon were excluded from this need to be better than their counterparts. Groudon and Kyogre, the Legendary Beast’s had each other, even Dialga and Palkia would spar from time to time. Although not often since their clashes would destabilize space-time if done too intensely.
But Mewtwo, the strongest man made Pokemon known to all, had no such desire to hone his skills. Not that he didn’t try at first. The day he met his mother, he attacked her due to his interest in seeing which of them was stronger. It was a debate that surprisingly many still talked about to this day.
In reality, though, Mewtwo inherited the raw power of Mew, which was enhanced by the scientists who made him. In exchange, he lost the ability to use every move known to Pokemon kind. That being said, Mewtwo was no longer interested in comparing his power to his mother. Especially since she admitted he was stronger mentally.
In combination with all that, Mewtwo came to believe that no mind, no matter how well fortified, was beyond his reach. And thanks to his divine heritage, not even the natural resistance of Dark types could keep him out for long.
So you could imagine his surprise...when someone did not keep him out, but forced him out of a mind.
Ever since then, the clone of Mew had been trying to figure out just what went wrong that could cause something like this to happen. Was he caught off guard? Did he make a mistake?
Either way, he was not taking this well.
Mewtwo had confined himself to his personal room in the Hall of Legends. Said room was not noteworthy in any way. It just had a simple bed along with a table in the middle, plus a light fixture overhead. Mewtwo had no need for material possessions or any keepsakes he had attachments to.
Which was why his room, despite not having much in it, was thoroughly trashed.
No one likes losing, despite the necessity for losing and the teachings that come along with it. Mewtwo had never lost before, not in a fight, nor in a battle of minds. And just like everyone else, the first loss is sometimes the hardest.
“How?” He said to himself. “I...am Mewtwo. No mind is beyond my grasp. There is no one in this world who can challenge me except the ones in the very temple. There should be no human who has the mental power to match me. Their frail, pathetic bodies could not handle a mind with that kind of output.”
The image of the one who bested him was burned into Mewtwo’s mind. The laughter he made, that d@## smile as if he was mocking him. Mewtwo had nothing but contempt for whoever this was.
“Whoever he is, he’s not human, he can’t be.”
Yes, if he was not human, then that leaves only one possibility.
“So, there is even a servant among them who can stand against me.”
Mewtwo clenched his fists as his aura became visible. He floated off the ground as power surged through his body.
“Very well then heroic spirit of mankind. For daring to stand in my way, I shall give you the greatest honor I could possibly give someone.”
Mewtwo smiled gleefully as his eyes glowed.
“I shall shatter your body as I scatter your mind in a glorious death. For daring to defy the will of Lord Arceus, I shall carry out your fully deserved punishment in his name.”
“Hey, Mewtwo?”
The knock on his door almost startled him as Mewtwo recognized the owner of the voice as Meloetta. He relaxed and regained his composure before responding.
“Yes, what is it?”
“Father has called for a meeting with everyone in the main hall.”
“Understood, I’m coming.”
As he heard the Melody Pokemon walk away, Mewtwo wondered what Arceus was calling them for.
“Probably, to talk about what happened earlier today. Good. Maybe he’s going to suggest we take matters into our own hands and not involve Celestia and the other Princesses. Hmph. If that’s how the moral guardians of Equestria want to handle things, then two can play that game.”
-
Mewtwo floated into the main hall to see all the Legendary Pokemon gathered together around Arceus. Several were already murmuring about what had happened earlier and what should be done.
“Can’t believe the humans got away.”
“What was Celestia thinking by not telling us!? This could have been all over by now?”
“We can’t underestimate Chaldea again.”
Arceus looked around and saw that everyone was here.
“Alright settle down, I have some things we need to discuss. First of all, we are all aware of what happened earlier today. The human interlopers known as Chaldea appeared and would have been apprehended personally by me if not for a few things. The first of which was due to a lack of proper communication from our Equestrian hosts.”
There were several shouts and nods in agreement with that.
“But even if that in mind, the total capture of Chaldea would have been successful regardless had it not been for the intervention of two servants.”
“Lord Arceus,” Thunderous said. “Forgive me interruption, but who were those two servants and how did they manage to do those things we saw today?”
“Good question. Listen carefully everyone, the servants in question who opposed us today were in fact gods. Namely Skadi of the Norse Pantheon and Goddess of Snow, and the other one being Quetzalcoatl, chief deity of the Aztec gods.”
There were some surprised and shocking whispers among the legendaries. While not many of them recognized the names and pantheons associated with those gods, the fact alone that they were gods was enough to put them on edge.
“So even the gods of this world can be summoned as servants!?”
“They would dare stand against Lord Arceus!”
“Can you blame them? They’re protecting their world just as we are protecting our people.”
“Settle down everyone. I know the fact that the gods of this world appearing to fight us is concerning. But you need not fear too much. After fighting with one of them I have discovered that these gods summoned as servants do not possess full access to their powers as they normally would have. What this means is these gods are far weaker than they were in life.”
Everyone seemed to calm down a little at that statement.
“Still, they should not be underestimated, at the end of the day, they are still deites. They have powers and authorities that many of you possess. So be prepared to fight someone who just might have the same powers and abilities as you.”
And with that statement, Mewtwo felt it was his time to speak up.
“Lord Arceus?”
The Pokemon God, as well as most of the Pokemon in the room, had their eyes on Mewtwo. Some of them did not expect to see him out of his chambers so soon.
“Yes, Mewtwo?”
“What is to be done about Princess Celestia? She was not cooperative and as a result, we missed the opportunity to capture Chaldea and had to go through all that struggle earlier today for nothing. This demands addressing!”
There were several murmurs of agreement from the other Legendaries.
“I have already talked with Princess Celestia, and we have resolved the issue. She will not keep us in the dark again. That being said, there is something we wish to do that is in relation to why she was not forthcoming.”
“And what would that be?”
Arceus sighed. “She wishes to form an alliance with Chaldea.”
Almost immediately there were shouts of protest from several Legendaries as well as confused looks from others.
“Lord Arceus,” Mewtwo felt his anger beginning to rise. “You can’t seriously be entertaining this idea?”
“I know this comes to the shock of many of you. But Celestia believes that working with Chaldea may be more beneficial to us than just neutralizing them. My personal opinions aside, I have decided to go along with this for now.”
“And Celestia really thinks she can reason with these humans?”
“As I said, for now, I’ll let her try her plan. But the moment it looks like it won’t happen, we will do things my way.”
Several of the Legendaries looked unsatisfied but just decided to trust Arceus’s judgment.
“Now, if some of you wish to take a break after what happened today that is fine, rest as long as you need. Everyone else continue searching for signs of Chaldea. I don’t know how they escaped me, but they must show themselves again sometime. They have to.”
And with that Arceus dismissed the meeting and everyone started to leave.
“Hey, dad?”
Arceus looked to his left to see his favorite daughter. “Yes, my little Mew?”
“How are you feeling right now?”
“I’m fine Mew, just...tired as all.”
“You’re tired? As in physically? You never get tired.”
Arceus then realized what he accidentally let slip.
“Really Mew I’m fine, you don’t need to worry, nothing a little rest won’t fix.”
Mew saw the look in her father’s eyes and understood what he meant.
“Alright daddy, just making sure you don’t push yourself.”
“I appreciate the thought.”
“Okay then, bye.”
“Bye.”
And with that Mew floated off elsewhere. Leaving Arceus alone to decide what he should do next.
When he said he was tired, he wasn’t exaggerating. That last battle had actually drained him. From a combination of that accursed gate that Skadi used, to fighting Quetzalcoatl, to tearing down the defense of Skadi’s castle, Arceus had actually spent a great deal of power during all that.
In fact, he was weak enough that he was sure that if enough servants fought together, they might actually have a chance of beating him.
“If only I had access to my full power.” Arceus once again cursed humanity’s Counter Force for doing everything it can to try and keep him down.
In order to regain the full amount of energy he had before that fight, Arceus had to enter a form of hypersleep that would allow him to recharge his lost power. The only problem is that once he entered said sleep, he could not be awakened by any force in the universe for the next 24 hours. Which was a lot of time to be unable to do anything while someone might wreak havoc in his absence.
But this was something he had to do sooner or later. He did not want to encounter another god servant while still weak. But he would also have to appoint someone in charge of the council while he was snoozing.
“But who?”
Ranger Union, Medical Wing
Abby opened her eyes slowly as she let out a tired groan.
After her sight cleared up, she realized she was in one of the medical rooms of the Ranger Union. To her right was an IV bag as well as a half-empty blood bag. Looking down she saw Kasai sleeping on the floor.
Smiling at her husband’s snoozing form, she was about to call out his name when the door to her room burst open.
Looking up she saw the ghostly form of Mage, Luke, and several of her friends and family behind them.
“I told you she was awake, I could sense it!”
Everyone piled into the room, the noise awakening Kasai who also realized his wife was awake.
“Come on guys give her space,” Belle said. “Or I’ll make you do it myself.”
Kasai nuzzled Abby who licked him back.
“How are you feeling?”
“...Like crap honestly, what happened?”
Kasai’s face darkened. “What do you remember?”
“I remember that human girl...if she even is human, biting into my neck and…” It was at this point Abby noticed the bandages around her neck area.
“You lost a lot of blood, the doctors had to give you a transfusion. You’ll be fine for now, but for a moment there it looked really…” A tear fell from Kasai’s eye, the thought that he almost lost Abby was unthinkable. “What matters is you’re safe now.”
“I’m sorry I made you worry Kasai. I shouldn’t have run off like that on my own.”
“I’m not mad at you. There is only one person to blame for why you’re like this and that’s-” Flames began to escape the Arcainine’s mouth as his thoughts turned to the one who almost killed his mate.
“Speaking of which what happened to her?”
Everyone looked at each other, a look that said they didn’t know where to start.
“You might wanna lie down for this one Abby,” Mage said. “No pun intended.”
It took about five minutes to explain what happened after Abby lost consciousness. By the time Mage was done explaining, Abby had found her anger again.
“And that’s it. No one knows where they are now, not even Arceus can track them from what I’ve heard.”
“How could someone hide from even Arceus?” Gene asked. “I mean, he is a god, nothing should be beyond him from what we’ve seen.”
“Arceus may be a god,” Luke said. “But it seems even his power has limits.”
“So what now?”
“For now, you need to rest until the doctor clears you from the hospital. But even after that, he wants you to take a leave of absence from Ranger duty until you fully recover.”
Abby frowned a bit. After what happened to her, she was more determined than ever to stop Chaldea. But it seems that she would have to wait.
“Alright everyone, let’s give these two some space,” Mage suggested as she attempted to file everyone out.
“Get well soon Abby,” Belle said.
“I will, take care, Belle. Say hi to the kids for me.”
“Oh, speaking of which. Belle go get our kids and tell them they can come in now,” Kasai said.
“Will do.”
Once Abby and Kasai were alone, she turned to her husband with a serious look on her face.
“What does Princess Celestia think of all this?”
“Abby?”
“You know what I mean.”
Kasai thought for a moment. “Well, I haven’t spoken to her since what happened yesterday. But I can go ask if that’s what you want.”
“Just ask the Princess how we will proceed from here. Given everything that’s happened, I’m sure she must realize that the time for negotiations has passed.”
Kasai’s face became serious as well. “I will, promise.”
“I hope now she sees there is no reasoning with Chaldea. And that they must be stopped, no matter the cost.”
Crypter Meeting Room
“And that’s what happened.”
Everyone who was around the table listened as Koyansaka finished explaining what happened in the Equestrian Lostbelt. Namely Darnic, Beryl, Daybit, and Fiore.
“I see, that is mildly disappointing,” said the head of the Yggdmillennia family.
“I’ll say,” Beryl chimed in. “That dumb%## god could have taken care of Chaldea and saved us the trouble of hunting them down, oh well. Then again I would not have been happy if he had done anything to Mash before I had my way with her.”
“Nevertheless, this is a development that is not favorable to our plans. I don’t think that after that encounter with Arceus, Chaldea will be inclined to confront him anytime soon.”
“I don’t know about that Darnic. My former teammates are the type of idiots to come back even if the situation is hopeless.”
“Hmmm, Daybit, what is your assessment?”
The introverted Crypter only needed a second to think.
“Given what has just happened, I have to agree with Beryl that Chaldea may not be so deterred to leave the Lostbelt just yet. That being said, this does not mean they will be drawn out so easily now. Not unless they are given a good incentive to walk into the open if an opportunity presents itself.”
“So you are saying we need to bait them out?”
“Yes, and I think we all know what will serve as the perfect bait.”
All eyes were on the foxy owner of NFF. The mercenary soon got the hint of what she was supposed to do.
“Oh, so you want me to do that.”
“Well, it is one of the duties stipulated in your contract Ms. Koyansaka. Not to mention that given how the Lostbelt King of Equestria has been most uncooperative, I think it’s time we remind her to who she owes everything to.”
Koyansaka grinned an evil grin.
“You know what I agree, I should uphold my contract with the Foreign God. Alright then Darnic, I will do as you ask. I will awaken that root of fantasy and enjoy the look on everyone’s faces as they learn the truth of their world.”
Starswirl the Bearded walked down a corridor as his mind went over recent events.
It had not been long since the Pony of Shadows, formally known as Stygian, had attacked him and his companions in their own home. After some struggle, they managed to repel that monster, but not defeat him.
To think that but some time ago, Stygian was once a little unicorn who could do nothing but gather them all together as guardians who would protect the buddying kingdom that was Equestria. As Celestia and Luna were too young to properly defend the realm, he and his fellow Pillars of Equestria were in charge of keeping peace and hope alive.
But now, Stygian was nothing more than a “shadow” of his former self, with no trace of the timid shy pony that he was before. He had fallen into darkness, and so it fell to Starswirl and the other Pillars to snuff out that darkness before he could destroy hope.
If Starswirl had any misgivings about doing this, any sympathy for Stygian out of their former friendship, he pushed it to the side. Now was not the time to focus on what might have been, now it was time to prepare for the future.
The old unicorn opened a set of double doors and entered a room where his fellow pillars sat around a table waiting for him. Everypony acknowledged his presence as he took his seat.
“I gather everypony knows why we are all here.”
The five nodded in understanding.
“The plan that I have proposed will seal away the Pony of Shadows and ensure he will no longer pose a threat to Equestria. I believe everypony here knows the cost this great spell will ask of us as well?”
“Indeed,” said Mage Meadowbrook. “We all know that sealing the Pony of Shadows using Ponhedge will mean sealing ourselves in Limbo as well. But if that is what it means to protect Equestria then so be it. I just fear for what may happen to our home in our absence.”
“That is why we are gathered here today,” Somnambula pointed out. “What we do now will ensure that hope will continue to grow in Equestria even after we are gone.”
“So Starswirl,” Flash Magnus said. “I assume you got the thing you were looking for?”
“Yes, I have it right here.”
Starswril then produced from his cloak a clear crystal that was oval in shape.
“What is it?” Rockhoof asked.
“It is a crystal seed from the Crystal Empire. I was lucky to find it at all, after King Sombra caused the entire kingdom to vanish, I doubt I would have found something like this still around.”
“If it’s a seed, what does it grow into?” Mistmane inquired.
“I’m not entirely sure, that all depends on what we give it.”
“Give it?”
“I will cast a spell that shall allow each of us to infuse this crystal with the aspects that each of us represents as Pillars of Equestria. And once it’s planted, it will grow into something that will bring hope for future generations once we are gone.”
“Well, then are we waiting for!?” Flash Mangus said. “Let’s do this thing!”
“Very well. Everyone hold still and focus on the elements that make you who you are. Beauty. Bravery. Healing. Hope. Strength. And Sorcery.
All five ponies closed their eyes as Starswirl's spell began to take effect. The six of them resonated with the artifacts that symbolized their respective elements. Finally, six beams of magical energy were shot from the ponies and their relics as they filled the seed with their essence.
The seed floated for a moment before it fell back on the table, its once clear shine was replaced with a rainbow glow.
Mage Meadowbrook stared at the crystal. “So, what now?”
“I will take this crystal and plant it in someplace where it can grow without interference.” Starswirl took the crystal in his magical grasp and put it back in his pocket. “Once I return, we shall set off for Ponhegde and do what must be done.”
Everyone watched as Starswirl walked out of the building with the crystal. Heading to a place not far from here. Eventually, the skilled wizard arrived at a small cave. He dug a hole and put the seed in before covering it. Almost immediately the soil around the seed glowed and a small sprout emerged from its place.
Starswirl looked over the crystal plant, it already had 6 different colored gems that he knew represented each of his companions. After gauging the crystal’s rate of growth, he was satisfied to know that it would reach full maturity by the time Celestia and Luna were ready to rule Equestria.
As Starswirl made his way out of the cave and back to his home, his thoughts turned to the other preparations he had made for his eventual disappearance.
Such things included a note telling his alicorn students were to find the seed in the event they needed it. An old journal of his detailing a powerful but incomplete spell. And several of his belongings that would help Celestia and Luna to build up Equestria.
The wizard’s thoughts then turned back to the seed. And how he felt bad not telling his companions the whole truth about it.
What he hadn’t told them was that the seed was more special than they would ever know. It was not in fact from the Crystal Empire, in reality, It was from a land in the far east. Where the people of mystic land practiced a form of magic that even he was not familiar with. It had been created from a magic that would connect it to an empty space, where it would absorb energy from the land itself to power the fruit the seed would bear.
But most importantly of all, he withheld the true purpose of planting said seed.
As a wise and experienced sorcerer, Starswirl was versed in a number of magic spells with mystic arts. One of these rare spells was one that allowed him to see into the future or at least a possible future. Not long after Stygian was corrupted, he used this spell for the first time to see just what evil the Pony of Shadows would unleash should he be allowed to commit his evil deeds.
But something unexpected happened.
Rather than show him a future where the Pony of Shadows unleashed his darkness upon the realm, it instead showed him something from the far far future.
The things he saw, the evils he witnessed, would put the Pony of Shadows to shame.
He saw Equestria and the world itself plunged into a war, unlike anything he had ever imagined. He saw great calamities of fire, curses, and darkness. Of an invader from beyond the stars. Of a terrible insect who would indiscriminately destroy everything if not stopped.
But the thing that would haunt him for the rest of his days, the thing that he dare not share with anyone no matter how much they pried, was a truth. The truth of the world itself and how it came to be.
He had seen the truth of their nameless Goddess and was left speechless.
After what he just saw, Starswirl was surprised he still retained his sanity. In fact, he only still retained it because he used a memory wiping spell to blur out all the details.
In truth, the seed he had just planted was meant to give future generations a means, a chance of fighting these future threats to Equestria and the world. In fact, that seed may be the world’s best and only hope.
Starswirl pushed those heavy thoughts to the side for now. He could not dwell on what had come to pass, only on what he had to do now.
The spell that he would cast to seal away the Pony of Shadows was a sacrificial one, it rip that monster away from this base realm, but it would take Starswirl and his fellow Pillars with it. The place where they would spend the rest of eternity was a place of limbo, an unknowable realm that technically didn’t exist, a void in an imaginary space.
Equestria, Today
The Shadow Border breached the imaginary barrier between the positive and void planes of reality as it resurfaced and anchored itself to the real world once again. After a quick but thorough scan to determine that they were alone, the Border engaged its cloak.
“So, where are we?” Ophelia asked.
“According to the map provided to us by Gilgamesh, we should be near what the Equestrians call the Foal Mountains,” Meuniere stated. “It’s far enough from where we dipped.”
“Okay, so the plan is to meet back up with the other servants and see if we can’t find the Tree of Emptiness,” Kirschtaria said. “If that turns out to be the case, then we take as many servants as we can back to Chaldea.”
“After which we need to come up with a plan on how to approach this Lostbelt in a way that does not end in us being at the wrath and mercy of an omnipotent god,” Goredolf added.
“Let’s make this snappy,” Kadoc said. “I don’t like being here any longer than we have to. I feel like that god could just show up at any moment and we’d never see him coming.”
“I know what you mean,” Ritsuka said. “I honestly am not sure how we’re gonna beat him.”
“Arceus is a terrifying opponent. But if there is one thing I have learned during our travels is that nothing is invincible or unkillable. The answer will provide itself in time. But for now, we must focus on what is possible and what we can do now.”
Kirschtaria turned to Ophelia. “Send Ortlinde to the servant camp since she is the fastest person here. Tell her to ask them about what happened during our little time being incognito. I doubt the heat died down very much, or at all, but an appraisal would tell us if it’s wise to proceed to their location. Otherwise, we might just stay here.”
“Got it.”
Ophelia left the room. Then Kirschtaria turned back to the rest of the group.
“In the meantime, let’s discuss how we are going to find the Tree. I don’t like the idea of waiting around for it to just appear. Worst-case scenario, it appears far away and by the time we get there, the Equestrians and Pokemon will be waiting for us. I’d rather try and find it now so we can quickly destroy it before anyone shows up.”
“You’re forgetting Kirschtaria,” Da Vinci said. “If the tree is here, then in all likelihood they already know where it is and have it heavily guarded.”
“Actually that may not be the case.”
Da Vinci raised an eyebrow. “What?”
“It’s just a theory, but one I have a good hunch on. Ask yourselves, why can we not see the Tree? Why would the locals go so far as to hide it?”
“Perhaps as a safety percussion,” Meuniere suggested. “Or perhaps it is not in this country and is somewhere else. Remember that this Lostbelt covers a good portion of the planet. The Tree could just simply not be in Equestria.”
“That’s possible, and yet, what is it that we have noticed about the locations of the last two Trees of Emptiness?”
“Huh?”
“The Russian Tree was near Moscow, only a walking distance from Ivan’s palace. The Scandinavian Tree Sombrero was just north of Queen Skadi’s palace. Are you following me?”
“Oh!” Da Vinci exclaimed. “Both Trees were near where the seat of power for the Lostbelt King was.”
“Exactly. I imagine if one has been chosen as the Lostbelt King. You’d want your tree planted near where you live so you can quickly come to its defense. So the tree might be somewhere near where the Lostbelt King’s crib is. Now let’s recall what we know, according to Gilgamesh, the Lostbelt King is actively preventing the tree from growing any further for reasons unknown. We can rule out Arceus since for one, his recent arrival means he cannot be the Lostbelt King unless he managed to usurp them in the short amount of time he has been here, not impossible but unlikely. Secondly, I do not think someone like him would have any good reason to prevent the tree from spreading since it would be the quickest way to fully subvert Proper Human History. He has from what Kadoc told us no love for humanity so he wouldn’t be stopping out of concern for us.”
“So if he is not the King, what other candidates are there?” said Meuniere.
“Perhaps it’s one of the Princesses who rule this country,” Akuta said, recalling her encounter with the alicorns while she was captured by them.
“Okay then, Akuta which one of them seemed more powerful to you?” Kirschtaria asked.
“From my guess, I’d say it’s the tallest one. The white alicorn called Princess Celestia.”
“Describe her to us.”
“She was nice in my opinion to a fault. She was like a mother who forgave you and wanted to make nice to everyone she met. She even asked me if Chaldea could form a truce with her.”
“She wanted to form an alliance with us?!” Kadoc exclaimed. “To what end?”
“Perhaps she thinks she might learn certain things for us that would benefit her and her Lostbelt in fighting the other ones.”
“You may have a point. According to her, Equestria has barely ever known true war. It has been mostly a place of tree-hugging ponies who never had to spill blood in a nation vs nation conflict. If I’m being honest, Celestia is a ruler who excels at leading a peaceful nation. But when it comes to war and conflict, she would be trampled by enemies who knew no mercy. I’m not saying she is a pushover or lacks conviction. But compared to how humanity has fought their stupid wars, she would not last very long in one of them.”
“That is very informative, but the question remains, do you think she is the Lostbelt King?” Kirschtaria said.
“...No I don’t think so, she did not display the same authority that Ivan and Skadi did. I didn’t get the same feeling from the other two Princesses who were with her. And if she was the Lostbelt King, I’m sure she would have mentioned it in our conversation.”
“So if it’s not Celestia or Arceus,” Da Vinci said. “Then that means there must be another powerful entity we have yet to see.”
Ophelia then came back into the room.
“Done. Ortlinde is on her way to the other servants.”
“Good work Ophelia,” Goredilf said.
Mash who had something on her mind then spoke up. “Hey! You know who might know? The Crypter who oversees this Lostbelt.”
“That’s right!” Da Vinci said. “We have yet to learn who is the Crypter of this Lostbelt. Although...”
“Although what?” said Kirschtaria.
“Nothing, never mind.”
“Okay, so while we wait for Ortlinde to come back, let’s all try and figure out where the Tree of Emptiness might be. While we might not have much info to go off of, it might help if only a bit.”
Canterlot Castle
Celestia and Luna once again stood in front of the mirror that allowed them to communicate with the goddess Harmony. One sister was determined to again glean some answers from their maker, while the other was not so sure.
“Sister, how do you know Harmony will tell you where it is this time?”
“...I don’t Luna but I have to try. While I understand her concerns, Harmony should tell us where the tree is. If we cannot be there to defend it then we would be too late to save our world.”
Luna conceded, seeing that her sister had made up her mind.
Celestia then lit her horn as the mirror once again shimmered with magic, moments later, the image of the goddess appeared on its surface.
“Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, to whom do I owe this pleasure?”
“Lady Harmony, I know you mean well, and that you have our best interests at heart.” Celestia looked at Luna with pleading eyes before turning back to Harmony. “But I ask you again, please tell us where the Tree of Emptiness is.”
“....I see.”
“Harmony, please tell us.”
“I can’t.”
“Harmony, I understand that you fear what Arceus or someone worse than him might do. But if Chaldea or someone else finds it before we do, then it may be too late to save it.”
“Celestia, my child. I wish I could tell you, but I can’t.”
“Why?”
“Because…” For a few moments, Harmony looked almost sad. As if she felt ashamed of what she was about to say next. “Honesty is one of the Elements of Harmony, correct? One of the things that embodies the meaning of friendship. Being honest with yourself and others.”
Harmony then steeled herself as she gazed upon her creations.
“But there are some truths in this world that are best kept hidden if not known to only a few. I mean the kind of truths that would make you question everything, that would make you realize that everything you know is a lie.”
Celestia and Luna almost looked concerned themselves, to think they would see the one who made their world look so frightened. To think that she knew something that was apparently world-shattering in terms of revelations.
“To be honest I’m stalling for time. Whether I want to or not, the Tree of Emptiness will reveal itself in time. And once that happens it will inevitably set off a chain of events that will leave the truth of this world laid bare for all to see.”
Harmony took a deep sigh.
“That being said, while I cannot tell you where the tree is, I can show you what a Tree of Emptiness looks like. That way you can recognize it once it shows itself.”
And with that, the mirror shimmered once again, and Harmony was gone. The alicorns then noticed a scroll at the foot of the mirror.
Celestia levitated the paper up to her face. Luna slid close to her to get a better look.
Then the elder sister unraveled the scroll and gazed upon the picture that was inside.
Hall of Legends
“Giratina.”
The shadowy dragon of antimatter stopped in his tracks as he heard someone call his name, he then turned around as he saw Arceus approach him.
“I am at your beck and call father.”
“Drop the formalities, we are family after all.”
“And yet there are still so many who do not respect you and do not appreciate what you have done and sacrificed for them. I hope that my formalities might make up for their lack of gratitude.”
Arceus chuckled. “As always, you are one of my most loyal and supportive sons Giratina. I just wished I could have done something to make sure you got the respect you deserve.”
Giratina winced as he knew what his father was referring to.
“While the terrible lies and myths spread by the humans does indeed make me resentful, it is not your fault father. And it doesn't matter anymore, those lies about me being the rebellious son were left back in our old home. Here I have a chance to start anew, and show the people of this world just who I really am.”
“Well, you’re in luck then. I want to delegate a task to you that will help make you more respected in the eyes of Equus and the Pokemon.”
“Whatever it is you require father, I shall do.”
“Well you may not know this, but after that battle yesterday, I was in fact left severely drained of my power.”
“What, how can this be!? Are you alright?”
“I am fine, my son. As for your former question, you can thank the god who was summoned as a servant for reducing me to this state.”
“Accursed servants.”
“Which brings me to now. I intend to recharge as the kids say these days and to do that I’ll need a full day’s worth of hypersleep. During which I will be can’t be woken up for the entire duration, so while I am indisposed, I will need someone to be in charge of the Council for the time being.”
“So, you’re asking me?”
“I have been giving this some thought. It was between you, Mew, and Rayquaza. Mew although she is bright, I feel she would not excel in a leadership role.”
“I’d say she’s more of a mascot,” Giratina snickered.
“Now now, don’t be mean towards your sister. Anyway, Rayquaza was the most proactive during my imprisonment, and the other legendaries trust and like him more than most, so I was considering him. However, when I thought of you, l remember you have little experience leading despite being my oldest son.”
“Oh?”
“Giratina, while we may be immortal, there are still things for us to learn and grow from. This entire situation has brought to light several things I never considered or would have to account for. I thought it was going to be peaceful sailing from now on. But even for a god, it seems life will always throw you a curveball. So in the event that I may become incapacitated again, I want there to be someone I can count on to lead in my place, to make the best decisions in the heat of the moment.”
“So again, why me?”
“Because I trust you Giratina, I trust you the most to follow in my example and do what I would do. That is why I am asking you to lead in my place.”
“....Well, if it’s something father wants, who am I to refuse such a simple request.”
Arceus metaphorically smiled. “Thank you, my son. I will make sure you are rewarded for this.”
Behind his mask, Giratina smiled. “Alright father, have a good night’s rest.”
“I will, but before that, I shall make an announcement to everyone about this so they know what’s going on. Meet me in the foyer in a few moments.”
Once Arceus was gone, and Giratina was sure that he was alone, he by way of his hidden ability Telepathy contacted Mewtwo.
“Mewtwo, it’s me. Father is about to make an announcement, after he does, gather everyone and meet me in my room. We are about to have an opportunity.”
Somewhere
Koyansaka walked up to the wounded Aggron as the Pokemon attempted to call out for help. An armor-penetrating bullet from the secretary had nailed it in the leg leaving it limping and unable to run.
“My my you’re a big one.”
The Aggron turned its head and used the last of its strength to fire a Flash Cannon at its attacker. The foxy servant just sidestepped it and continued walking towards her prey.
“Hmmm, you’re not big enough or powerful enough to become one of my tails. I kinda wish I could get my claws on one of those Legendaries you and your kind worship. Now that would be a great investment!”
She knelt down next to the Steel Pokemon, her smug smile making the Aggron only more angry and causing it to let out a roar of defiance.
“But for now, I think you will make a great asset to NFF. So congratulations, you’re hired!”
The Pokemon seemed confused for a second then Koyansaka pulled a talisman from her bosom and let it fall on the Iron Armor Pokemon. Then in a flash, the Pokemon was gone, spirited away to where she kept all the other creatures and Phantasmal species she had procured from the other two Lostbelts.
“Heh, coming back here is always a mixed bag for me. On one hand, you have all sorts of monsters and things a lady can add to her collection of assets. On the other hand, this place is so disgustingly peaceful I could just puke. What I wouldn’t give to go all out make the people of this Lostbelt suffer. Sure those fires may have satisfied my taste for sadism for now, but one always becomes hungry again eventually.”
She turned her head in the direction of a little town. One that was so friendly and brimming with happiness she wished she could just drop a nuke on it. But then Koyansaka reminded herself why she was here in the first place. After all, she had a contract to fulfill, and unlike humans and other species, she always kept her word.
“Besides, if all goes well, there will be more suffering to come.” The founder of NFF licked her lips in anticipation of the chaos that was about to unfold.
Ponyville
Twilight was flipping through the pages of the Earth Conceptual Compendium. While she normally could read through an entire book as big as the one she was holding in a day, certain things had prevented that from happening.
First of all, the number of pages in said book was more than they appeared. Given that it was the complete and total common history of Earth, if the amount of material reflected the number of pages one would need to make such a collection. Said book would realistically be able to fill up an entire bookshelf or be split into different volumes for easier consumption.
Secondly, given all the things that had been happening recently, Twilight had little time to sit down and actually do more reading. Not to mention that she couldn’t properly concentrate with other things on her mind distracting her.
Said distraction was brought to the forefront of her mind when she flipped a page in the Norse Mythology chapter of the book and was shown a picture of what was called, “Yggdrasil” or the World Tree. A cosmic structure that supported the 9 realms of that mythological system.
It was hard not to think about a similar tree that sustained her own world.
“The Tree of Emptiness,” She whispered.
It was still almost unbelievable to think that her entire world was dependent on a mere plant growing. Then again Equestria was kept safe for 1,000 years thanks to the Tree of Harmony and the fruit it produced known as the Elements of Harmony.
Even so, the amount of energy required to keep an entire world, no, an entire timeline alive must be unfathomable. Being the inquisitive learner she was, Twilight was burning with questions. How big was this tree? What did it look like? Where did it come from? And most importantly, where was it now?
The question of where it came from was almost as important as where it is. According to the Goddess Harmony, the Tree was planted on this world by an alien god. While the existence of a god from beyond the stars didn’t surprise her, given that someone like Arceus existed, the currently unknown identity of said god concerned her.
It did not escape her notice that as soon as Harmony mentioned said god during the first time she met her, she stopped talking about her just as fast. Almost as if she didn’t want to discuss the subject.
Considering that they basically owed their lives to this mysterious deity, it would have helped to know who they were or what they wanted from us. Twilight can’t imagine that this divine entity just restored their timeline out of the goodness of their heart, they had to have had some other motive.
What exactly was the Tree of Emptiness, who was this alien god, and what did they really want? These questions only kept nagging her to the point where she couldn’t concentrate on her book.
Twilight decided to close the compendium and decided to walk outside to clear her mind.
“Spike, I’m going out, you want me to come with me to get something to eat?”
The baby dragon who was currently reading his comic books just said.
“Get me some cupcakes from Sugar Cube Corner, and make sure they’re velvet flavored!”
Twilight rolled her eyes as Spike was too apparently too lazy to get up and come with her. She just brushed it off and decided to honor his request anyway for all his hard work. Once outside her house, she began to make her way to the bakery, hoping that nothing would distract her on the way there.
-
Lucario sat on a bench as Celestia’s Sun beamed overhead on what was a beautiful morning. Ponies were outside laughing and going about their day. Little foals played with each other nearby with other small Pokemon. The Aura Pokemon then turned his head and saw two ponies walk out of the Ponyville General store. He recognized them as Mr. and Mrs. Cake, and sleeping on the back of the latter were their two infants sound asleep. Lucario watched as the two parents nuzzled each other affectionately as they began to walk back to their shop.
Seeing that caused Lucario to turn his head away in sadness, feelings of what could have been were brought up as he was reminded of Korrina.
His sadness was soon replaced by anger and resentment as he thought about her killers and how they had yet to be brought to justice.
He was so close to, the ones who arranged her murder had been saved by something unexplainable, and now they were nowhere to be found.
He did not blame Arceus for failing however, no, his blame was reserved for the ones they calle-.
“Lucario?”
The jackal-looking Pokemon snapped out of her daze and looked to his side to see a certain lavender alicorn looking back at him with a sudden face, as if she didn’t expect to find him here.
“Princess Twilight.”
Twilight was about to say something when Lucario got up and began to walk away.
“Lucario, wait!”
The Pokemon instinctively stopped in his track as Twilight walked up beside him.
“Hey Lucario, can we talk?”
“About what?” He knew what she wanted to discuss with him, but he was not in the mood.
“Hey look, I’m sorry about what happened yesterday. But can we just clear the air? I understand that you are upset, but you are still my friend, just like Korrina was mine.”
Lucario clenched his paw.
“Tell me Princess Twilight. Have you ever had to watch someone you loved die right in front of you?”
Twilight did not say anything, for she knew the answer to that question.
“Have you ever had to deal with thoughts of revenge? Did you ever want to dole out justice in a way that you think would fit for the crime? Having to be frustrated when those whom you trust to do important things decide not to do them because of some agenda?!”
“Lucario, I know you are upset.”
“You can’t possibly understand, do you!? You and your friends never had to suffer like I did, you don’t know what it’s like to see someone die in your arms. She doesn’t deserve this Princess! Her death should not be allowed to go unanswered! You say that Korrina was your friend, then why are you sitting here doing nothing while her murders are still at large. I think I know why, it’s that you don’t care!”
Lucario’s voice raised with each sentence, enough to where other ponies around them were starting to hear.
“Lucario please listen to me!”
“You never cared about her problems. When she was upset about being robbed of her human body, you assured me your Princess Celestia would help her convince Arceus to make her human again. But that never happened, in fact, I’d go as far as to say that you cared more about our other friends than her!”
Twilight raised her eyebrow at the implication. “What do you mean by that?”
“I’m just saying, you seemed to care more about Gene and Belle’s problems than hers. You and your friends did everything in their power to make their dream come true. But after that did you ever try and help her with anything!?”
Twilight wanted to retort that Lucario seemed perfectly fine with Korrina remaining a Pokemon given how better it would be for his interests in the long run. But she bit her tongue and said something else.
“Look I’m sorry for Korrina and every former human who didn’t or does not want to be a Pokemon. But their issue is beyond our ability to help with. There was no convincing Arceus to change his mind about taking her home let alone giving her back her human body. And if she was alive right now I’d say it would be even more difficult to change his mind given what’s going on. Gene and Belle were people we could help within our means, they were friends with a problem we could solve. I’m sorry Korrina died without getting to be human again but that is not our fault.”
“Maybe, but you know what is your fault? The fact that Chaldea got away if it weren’t for you and you Celestia those monsters would have been brought to justice!”
“Chaldea didn’t kill Korrina!”
Lucario blinked. “What?”
Twilight looked around and saw that their argument had gathered a crowd. Ponies and Pokemon leaning in on what they were talking about.
Seeing the opportunity, Twilight activated her Canterlot Royal Voice and flew just above the crowd.
“Attention everyone! I have some misinformation that I would like to clear up. The attack on Equestria during the Summer Sun Celebration was not due to the actions of the human group known as the Chaldea Security Organization. I repeat, Chaldea was not responsible for the fires and lives lost on that day.”
Some ponies and Pokemon were giving her confused looks, to which she continued.
“I understand this may be confusing to some of you, but I assure you Princess Celestia and Luna are currently trying to investigate who is really responsible for that horrible attack. We will find the true culprit and bring them to justice. This does not mean however that Chaldea is not our enemy, they are still most wanted and should not be approached. Remember, if you have any sighting of a servant or human, report them to the local guard and we will handle it.”
That last part seemed to satisfy some people, particularly the Pokemon who had little love for humans.
“No, please go back to your business. I can't answer any questions you may have right now. Just trust us that we will resolve this situation as best as we can.”
And with one last stern look, the crowd dispersed. Some were not exactly satisfied with the explanation they were given but decided not to push the issue any further.
Once Twilight and Lucario were alone again, the Pokemon looked like he wanted to say something but couldn’t find the right words. And with that, he just walked away. Twilight let out a sigh of relief.
“I would be a happy mare if nothing more eventful happens today.”
Twilight then realized she probably jinxed herself by saying that. After all, the day was still young, and there were plenty of things that could go wrong in that amount of time.
Shadow Border
“Ortlinde’s back!”
Ophelia announced this just as she sensed her servant’s presence nearby. Not a moment later, the Valkyrie manifested herself in the room.
“Servant Ortlinde reporting master.”
Everyone gathered around before Goredolf spoke.
“Well servant, what do you have to report?”
“I have intel from Caster Gilgamesh. It relates to what happened while we were in the imaginary space, as well as something else we should know. First of all, there does not appear to be an increase in activity regarding the hunting of servants. It appears that the Legendary Pokemon have retreated into their temple complex for the time being.”
“Hmmm, if I remember correctly that temple is located in what they call the Everfree Forest correct?” Kirschtaria said.
“Correct, said forest is near where the servant camp is located. The Assassins report no movement or mobilization of forces from the capital city. So it seems the people there are not aware of where either the servants or Chaldea are located, we remain safe for now.”
“Okay, so it seems the Equestrians and Arceus really lost track of us. Thank god for Zero Sailing, that’s saved our lives twice now.”
“Agreed Ms. Da Vinci,” Holmes said. “Although given the risk of Zero Sailing, it is not something that should be performed often. Although that’s a conversation for another time. Lady Ortlinde, was there anything else that was told to you?”
“Yes, and this is the most important one. Head straight to the Everfree Forest.”
“What? Why?” Kadoc said. “That’s where the angry god is holed up. We should be heading in the opposite direction. Unless you’re about to tell us the Tree of Emptiness is there, I see no reason to go.”
“Gilgamesh didn’t say that the Tree of Emptiness is there, but he did say there is someone in that area who knows where it is.”
“Is it the Crypter of this Lostbelt?” Goredolf asked.
“No, it is an apostle of the Alien God, the one you know as Koyanskaya.”
Back at the Hall of Legends
“So I am just going to cut to the chase. Simply put, for the next 24 hours I will enter into a state most of you know as hypersleep, this will allow me to replenish the energy I had lost and expended during yesterday’s battle.”
This came as a surprise to some of the Legendaries, Arceus didn’t require sleep to rest himself unless he was seriously weak.
“During that entire time, I will be unreachable and unwakeable. I understand some of you may be concerned that something might happen during my absence, but rest assured I have every faith you will be able to handle yourselves. Still, I have decided to put someone in charge of the council while I am asleep. Giratina, come forth.”
Everyone watched as the Renegade Pokemon walked up to his father’s side.
“I trust Giratina to be able to handle any internal and external affairs while I am away. I ask that you put your faith in him as you would me. Any questions?”
Several members looked like they wanted to say something, but didn’t out of respect for Arceus or fear they may get on the Distortion World ruler’s bad side.
“Alright then, before I go I have one other announcement. I have come up with what we might call a new...gimmick that will help us in the fight against Chaldea and the future Lostbelt conflicts. I don’t want to spoil the surprise, but let’s just say that this thing will be able to be used by every Pokemon, unlike Mega Evolution.”
Most of the council nodded in excitement over this, with some already speculating just what Arceus was planning.
“Alright then, if there is nothing else, I bid you all goodnight as they say.”
Arceus then disappeared in a flash of light, after which the Pokemon began to clear the room. Some formed groups as they left, discussing different things as they walked.
“You know I kinda wish Arceus would let us collectively decide who should temporarily lead the council in his place. Like how an actual council would do,” said Zekrom.
“Yeah, it feels like we are just a council only in name. The only one who has the final say in anything is grandfather. And the only ones whose opinion he ever listens to are the eldest children or major Legendaries,” Suicune pointed out.
“Not much we can do about it,” Groudon said. “Although if I had to pick who would be in charge while the old man is asleep it would be Rayquaza, and that’s not just because he is the leader of my trio.”
“So what now? With Giratina in charge, he is bound to do something that would be unfavorable to us.”
Zekrom only needed a moment to think. “Find Virizion and tell her to gather the others, we need to talk.”
Suicune nodded as she split off from the other two and was about to run down another hallway when she felt a chill up her spine. She looked around and saw nothing. The Aurora Pokemon just shrugged and ran off to find Virizion, never noticing the shadows move in the opposite direction. -
Giratina’s room
It had just been a minute after Arceus announced that he was going into hypersleep. But already Giratina and Mewtwo had gathered their like-minded Legendaries. Once everyone had quite down, the ghostly dragon spoke
“Alright, everyone. As you all know, Arceus has made me the temporary head of the Legendary Council, with all the authority that comes with it. For the next 23 hours, 57 minutes, and 29 seconds, I decide what every Legendary does and how they do it.”
“Okay,” Zygarde said. “So what do you propose we do?”
“Well first of all I want as many Legendaries as possible to be sent around the globe to potential hiding places to look for Chaldea. This will be mandatory for several of you as well as volunteers, I will have Palkia send people where they need to go via special gates.”
“Okay, so who’s going where?” Yveltal asked.
“I will be sending the Forces of Nature and the Legendary Beasts to Zebrica. They should be able to search the entire continent in the time before father wakes up. Zygarde, you Shaymin, and Swords of Justice will be sent to the Stag Empire. I’ll have Mewtwo, Reshiram, Zekrom, and Lugia sent to the Minotaur nation. Groudon, Rayquaza, and the Regi family will be sent to the Griffin Empire. And finally, Victini, Jirachi, and Hoopa will be sent to Saddle Arabia while Ho-oh and Genesect go to the Changeling jungles. The rest will remain in Equestria and do our searching here.”
“That just leaves less than 20 Legendaries to protect the temple,” Latios said. “What if we are attacked while most of us are away? Even with the divine protection of this Hall, we know for a fact gods can be servants, which means they could enter as they see fit.”
“I have already rescinded the rule where immortals or divine beings can enter the Hall. Now only those whom I allow to enter can come in. And even if they were somehow able to bypass the defenses. It would just be a simple thing to call back the other Legendaries with Palkia or Hoopa’s portals. Does that relieve your concerns, Latios?”
“Yes, I suppose it does.”
“Very well, now onto our next topic: where everyone stands.”
“Huh?”
“Suffice it to say, it is not unlikely that not every Legendary Pokemon agrees with our goals at the moment.”
“Indeed,” Mewtwo continued. “I make it a personal rule of mine not to read the minds of my fellow Legendaries. You are my family and Arceus made it clear that I should trust my fellow Pokemon. That being said, when it comes to empathetic feelings that is something everyone radiates. I sense those things whenever I am near people. So while I don’t consider it mindreading, I will admit that I picked up certain feelings that several Legendaries had about father and his intentions.”
“Mewtwo, where are you going with this?”
The Genetic Pokemon casually locked eyes with Latios. “What I and Girtiana are trying to say is. I think we should find out just what everyone’s opinions and thoughts are concerning how to best resolve this situation. We must know who shares our beliefs, who is neutral on the matter...and who disagrees with us.”
“So in layman’s terms, you want us to find out who is more sympathetic to the humans, and who are all for their extinction.”
Mewtwo made no reaction to that comment.
“Personally I believe that every Legendary Pokemon has the best interest when it comes to the continuity of our species, and the will of Lord Arceus. I just wish to remind those who have second thoughts, or Arceus forbid, not his best interests. A simple talk is all I’m suggesting.”
“And you’re not worried about how this might affect relationships with our fellow Legendaries?”
“Well if you ask me,” Zygarde said. “If they are not with us fully, then there is the chance they might do something that impedes us in the future. And we can’t have that now, can we? Besides it's not as if some of us already don't get along.”
“They’re our family! I don’t want to have to fight them if it comes down to that.”
“And it won't be Latios I can assure you,” Giratina said. “But I believe it’s for the best if we quash any doubts the others may have now before it becomes more than doubts. Many of the others still have some love left for humanity, as idiotic as it may be. We have to remind them what needs to be done, no matter what feelings they may have.”
“...*sigh* You’re serious about this aren’t you?”
“We are.”
“And how do you propose we start sorting out the ones with doubt in their hearts? As Mewtwo said, he isn’t gonna read their minds.”
“You’re right. But they say that if you follow a Durant to his nest, then it will lead you to the others. So we don’t need to find them all one at a time, just find one Legendary and have them lead us to the rest.”
“And I assume you already found a Legendary who is sympathetic to humanity?”
“Indeed. Darkrai, you can come out now.”
The shadows converged into one spot as the Pitch Black Pokemon rose from the floor.
“I was wondering when you were gonna let me come out.”
“I had Darkrai here trail a group of Legendaries after father went to sleep. Admittedly, he wasn’t too keen on the idea of spying but I eventually convinced him.”
“I’m only doing this so that I, Cresselia, and our children can have a future. I don’t care if humanity lives or dies, but if the Chaldeans win, we lose our future and I can’t let that happen. Not after our lives together have only just begun.”
“I wholeheartedly agree with you Darkrai, you deserve to be happy. Now, what did you find?”
“I heard Groudon, Zerkrom, and Suicune talk about meeting up with some others after the meeting. Along with some words that suggest they don’t trust you Giratina.
Reshiram and Kyogre snorted. Both of them were not at all surprised that their counterparts were supposedly on the opposite side of the political spectrum. Giratina on the other hand was slightly irritated that others were talking behind his back.
“They'll see, once this is all over and we have won, they’ll be reminded who is in the right here.”
“Alright, then it’s obvious what we should do next.”
It didn’t take much consideration before it was decided that Chaldea was to travel to the Everfree Forest in search of Koyanskaya. Or rather, as soon as Director Goredolf heard that name, he immediately gave the order to pursue and capture before getting in the driver’s seat himself and hitting the gas before anyone had a chance to put on their seat belts.
In about 2 hours they arrived back at the cave where all the other servants were holed up. Once inside Kirschtaria, and Ritsuka made their way to Gilgamesh who was still in his workshop.
“You’re late,” said the King of Heroes who didn’t bother to look up from his tablet.
“Sorry we stopped to get lunch,” Kirschtaria said jokingly.
“Good, cause you’ll need all the energy you can get for what will come next.”
“I assume this has something to do with Koyanskaya?” assumed Rituska.
“Yes, that servant has been stalking around the same place all day. I had the shapeshifting assassin trail her and she hasn’t moved from her spot.”
“Is that so?”
“It’s almost like she is waiting for someone.”
“And it’s not hard to guess who.”
“Your assumption is correct mongrel. She has been waiting for you this whole time, she has set a trap and is waiting for you to take the bait.”
“And let me guess, that bait is the Tree of Emptiness?” Ritsuka said
“Most likely, or perhaps it is a trick,” Kirschtaria pointed out. “I doubt Koyanskaya would risk revealing the location of the tree if when she knows we already cut down two.”
“Fools, the trees you cut down were ones that were weakened, not to mention they were still in their infant stages. I assure you, the tree of this Lostbelt has had time to grow. Plus the way it was planted was different from the rest, this tree is not like the others you have and will face.”
“How so?”
“I cannot say, all I know is that despite its mutation it’s still able to be cut down. A sufficient number of servants should be enough to dispose of it quickly. So when you go after the vixen, take as many servants as you need. You will need as many as you can to kill her and cut down the tree.”
“Wait, your message from Ortlinde told us that Koyanskaya was in the Everfree Forest,” Ritsuka pointed out. “If that’s true then we would be dangerously close to the temple where the Legendary Pokemon live. And no doubt if fighting breaks out they will hear it and come to us.”
“All the more reason you should take as many servants with you as possible. Once they know you’re here, they can fight them while the rest focus on the tree itself.”
Both masters looked at each other, a certain worry adorning their faces. They had faced many impossible odds before, from Tiamat to Goetia. Even though things seem hopeless, they found a way to win in the end.
And yet, neither of them was thrilled at the possibility of facing off against Arceus again. Especially after that display of power he made. He could just blink and they would be gone if he got the chance, or worse he would read their minds and possibly find a way to reach the Wandering Sea.
And yet…
“I don’t like the odds,” Ritsuka said. “But if there is a chance, even a small one we have to take it, no matter the cost.”
Kirschtaria looked at his fellow master before he too found his resolve.
“Alright, we’ll do it.”
Gilgamesh smiled before laughing. “Very good mongrels. As a reward, for your display of reckless bravery, I shall tell you one detail of the battle that I foresaw.”
“What?”
“If you are worried that Arceus will be there, how do you say? Curbstomp you? Then don’t, that god for whatever reason will not interfere with your fight, I can assure you.”
Kirschtaria and Ritsuka deadpanned.
“You know, you could have told us that sooner.”
Back in Ponyville
Twilight entered her house with a bag of cupcakes as she called out for assistant.
“Spike I’m back, I got the cupcakes you wanted.”
Spike ran down the stairs and up to Twilight as he started salivating.
“Alright! Did you get the ones with crystal sprinkles?”
“Did you ask for them?”
Spike’s face dropped as he recalled that he did not ask for them.
“Well you’re in luck I asked Pinkie to make them with crystal sprinkles just for you.”
Twilight levitated the bag of sweets to Spike’s hands.
“Wow, I can’t wait to dig my claws into...oh, wait a second.” *belch* A sealed scroll came out of Spike’s mouth as it landed in front of Twilight.
“A letter from the Princess?” Twilight set the cupcakes on the ground as she read the contents of the letter.”
“My dearest student Twilight Sparkle, I send you this letter with an enclosed picture on the opposite side. Said picture contains a drawing of what the Tree of Emptiness looks like, I am tasking you and your friends with looking for it. Find it, if you can. And once you do, tell no one but me or Luna. I am sorry to ask this of you on such short notice. But it is imperative that we find the tree before Chaldea does. I am counting on you my little pony, I know you won't fail me.”
Twilight gasped halfway through the letter. And indeed there was another paper rolled up with the scroll. Although a bit hesitant at first, the alicorn separated the papers and beheld the picture.
What she saw was something that looked like a tree, but didn’t resemble any tree she had ever seen, which was saying something. Its outer bark was white and brittle, but as one got to the top half is where it really started to look as alien as its origin.
The branches were blooming more like a flower than just growing out from the trunk of the tree, almost like it was unraveling itself. The inside of the tree was also notable in that it looked like the night starry sky.
“Huh, so this is what a Tree of Emptiness looks like. Although I can’t tell from this drawing if it’s the size of a normal tree or if it’s meant to be bigger. Then again, if it was huge we would have noticed it by now. So assuming it’s regular size, it could be anywhere in Equestria.”
Twilight rolled up the picture and letter and put them in her bag. After a moment of thought, she grabbed a book that contained the most detailed and complete map of Equestria and put it in her bag as well.
“Might as well start somewhere.”
And with that, Twilight walked back outside. Leaving Spike alone to finish eating his velvet flavored confection.
Suicune walked towards Virizion’s room as certain thoughts ran through her mind.
“Just how are we supposed to proceed from here? According to Lord Arceus, Celestia is open to an alliance with the Chaldeans, but I don’t think for a second that he likes it. If anything father will be waiting or hoping for Celestia to fail so that he can do things his way.”
Suicune was approaching the corner that led to the hallway that contained the rooms of several Legendaries, Virizion included.
“Well, let's just hope we can come up with-”
Once again the Pokemon felt a shiver up her spine. This time she didn’t brush it off as a cold breeze, she came to the conclusion someone was following her.
She turned around and looked for anyone who may be hiding.
“Who's there?”
No response.
Narrowing her eyes, Suicune turned her head back around and was face to face with Mewtwo.
“GAH! Mewtwo! Don’t sneak up on people like that!”
“My apologies Lady Suicune. I did not mean to alarm you.”
“Well, you did jerk. Now, what do you want?”
“I am here on behalf of Lord Giratina, he wishes to speak with you.”
“Can’t it wait? I have to be somewhere.”
“Okay then, I’ll just wait right here when you’re done.”
“Fine whateve-,” Suicune then paused as the gears in her head began to turn.
It was not a secret that Mewtwo had just as much if not less love for humans than Arceus. Not to mention she knew that he and Giratina were secretly meeting with other Legendaries to talk about who knows what.
And now, here he was, standing here, saying he’ll wait for her. He would be able to look as she went into Virizion’s room. And once he saw that she didn’t come back out, but rather used the connected room doors to slip away unnoticed, it would make him suspicious.
“Matter of fact, why is he going to stay here in the first place? Doesn’t he know I can just go find Giratina myself?”
The train of thought led to one conclusion.
“Is...is he onto us?”
Suicune was now presented with a dilemma. She could either continue forward and implicate Virizion in their little group. Or she could just go with Mewtwo to see Giratina, who may or may not have some questions for her.
“Hmmm, darned if I do darned if I don’t. And yet, one option potentially has a way out.”
“Actually, you know what, I’ll go with you, let's see what Giratina wants.”
Mewtwo smirked. “Splendid.”
Pretty soon, Suicune found herself in the meeting room where only she, Mewtwo, and Giratina were present.
“Alright, I’m here, now what do you want?”
“No need to be so defensive, Lady Suicune. We merely wish to ask you some questions, that's all.”
“Alright, shoot.”
Giratina leaned a little forward.
“I'll be blunt Lady Suicune. What are your feelings regarding humanity?”
“What?”
“I mean I can’t imagine they would be positive, seeing as how the moment you were born, or reborn I should say, you were immediately rejected as freaks of nature.”
Suicune didn’t have to think too hard about what he was telling about. She thought back to the day she was remade when Ho-oh had just resurrected her and her siblings. She could vividly remember that human among the crowd of people who had just watched the Brass Tower burn down, pick up a rock, and throw it at her. The others then followed his example and started shouting obscenities and expletives at her, Entei and Raikou.
“After that, I recall you had to keep running around the world. The North Wind they called you right? You were hunted by trainers who wanted to catch you for various reasons. From those who wanted you dead to others who saw you as a trophy.”
Suicune remembered all of that, she remembered what she felt at the time. How the humans would mistreat her and other Pokemon, which led to her very high standards that she had adopted when it came to ascertaining a human’s worth. She recalled the man known as Eusine who hunted her for over a decade. With all this in mind, she gave Giratina her answer.
“Humans. If you ask me, they are not the best species around, not by a long shot. And yet…”
Suicune thought back to a certain trainer, one with which many Legendary Pokemon were acquainted, who was not like the rest. How she soon met several others like him. Trainers who embodied the best of humanity.
“They say that every once in a while you find something that makes it worth it.”
“Is that your answer?”
“More like a statement. My point is, there will always be bad humans, but that doesn’t mean they all deserve to die.” Suicune then narrowed her eyes. “Nor should they be changed against their will.”
The Aurora Pokemon met Giratina’s large red eyes with her own, waiting for his response.
“Next question. If it were possible to form an alliance with Chaldea. Would you agree to it?”
“Maybe, depends.”
“On what?”
“On if they meet my standards.”
Giratina narrowed his eyes.
"Alright, next question...
The Everfree Forest
Ritsuka, Mash, and Kirschtaria walked through the thick bushes and trees of the Everfree. Accompanying them were a little over 10 servants, which included the likes of Karna, Achilles, Mordred, Gawain, Ortlinde, Hippolyta, Siegfried, and several others.
Most of the servants remained in spirit form as to not attract attention from the local wildlife as well as Pokemon who made the forest their home.
“How much farther?” Ritsuka said.
“Almost there,” Achilles said. “According to Yang Qin, the fox hasn’t moved from her spot for over an hour.”
“Probably expecting us,” Mordred chimed in. “Heh, that’ll be the last mistake she makes!”
“She’s right though,” Kirschtaria thought. “In all likelihood, we are walking into a trap. But if we can at least know where the Tree of Emptiness is, it might be worth all this trouble.”
“You gotta wonder though,” Mash said.
“Wonder what?”
“If Koyanskaya is where the Tree of Emptiness is, how is it being hidden? We know that Skadi used wind and snow to hide her tree, but if we are close to the one that supports this Lostbelt, we should at least be able to have some clue that it’s here.”
“Perhaps, but I have a theory.”
“What kind of theory?” Ritsuka asked.
“What if the tree is being hidden by way of some kind of compression magecraft, or one that allows it to hide away in small spaces. After seeing Surtr swallow the Norse tree Sombrero, I can’t rule out the possibility.”
The group walked for a few more minutes before Achillies stopped. “We are here.”
The Rider class servant then cleared away from leaves to reveal Yang Qin standing on the other side looking over a gorge.
“Hey guys, took you long enough.”
The group approached the edge and saw a staircase leading down to the bottom. A bit further away one could see a cave at the bottom.
“I assume Koyanskaya is in there?”
“Yup, I can sense that her spirit origin hasn’t left the cave since she went in there.”
Kirschtaria took one look at the cave then back at the stairs, gripping his staff, he began to walk down.
Celestia and Luna sat in the throne room as they went through various paperwork. Although their minds were not truly focused on the task at hand.
“Sister.”
“Yes, Luna?”
“I have no doubt dear Twilight will succeed in finding the tree, but I fear what comes after.”
“You’re worried about the things Harmony said earlier.”
“Very much so. For if something can frighten our creator then it’s nothing that should be dismissed.”
“I know, I’m concerned as well, but at least we know what the tree looks like, which means we are one step closer to finding it.”
“Yes, I suppose that knowing what it looks like is a goo-”
Celestia noticed her sister’s sudden cut-off. Turning to her young sibling, she saw the Lunar alicorn deep in thought.
“Luna, is something wrong?”
“Tia, remind me again what was the last thing Harmony said before she gave us the scroll?”
“She said and I quote: ‘I can show you what the Tree of Emptiness looks like. That way you can recognize it once it shows itself.’ And then she hung up.”
“No, you're wrong.”
“Um, I don’t think so, how am I wrong?”
“She didn’t say she would show us what the Tree of Emptiness looks like, she said she would show us what a Tree of Emptiness looks like.”
“Okay so I don’t see the problem Luna, after all, it’s not like all the other trees look different from ours.”
“How would you know, we haven’t seen another one have we?”
It was at that point Celestia started to see where Luna was going with this.
“Oh, dear.”
“So that begs the question sister. Is there something different about our tree, something that sets it apart from the others? And if so, what could it be?”
Kirschtaria, Ritsuka, and Mash stood outside the mouth of the cave. Inside they could sense the presence of a spirit origin, one which likely belonged to Koyanskaya, the one responsible for destroying the original Chaldea base.
All three of them had very strong feelings about what happened that day. And no doubt they wanted to pay her back for what she did to them.
But even so, they could not let their need for revenge distract them from why they were really here. With a silent agreement, all three humans walked into the cave, with several servants sticking close to them.
They had only walked a few feet into the cave before they came upon the person in question. Koyanskaya was polishing her nails as she sat upon a rock, completely ignoring the fact that she was not alone.
But right now Chaldea was not focused on her, instead, their attention was now on what was behind her.
Growing inside the cave was a tree, but not a Tree of Emptiness mind you. This tree was unlike any they had ever seen. Its bark shone like crystal, it sported five large branches that had sparkling ornaments hanging from its ends. But the most notable thing about the tree was the crystal gems embedded into each of its branches as well as the central trunk.
From clockwise, the different colored gems were shaped like a pink butterfly, a purple balloon, a red lightning bolt, a purple diamond, and an orange apple. In the center of the tree was a lavender six-pointed star, which was above what looked like drawings of the sun and moon. Near the roots of the tree was a diamond-shaped box with 6 keyholes on each side.
Mash was the first to snap out of her trance and address the elephant in the room.
“Koyanskaya! Surrender, we have you surrounded, there is no escape.”
The mercenary looked up from her nails and finally acknowledged their presence.
“Oh hello there Chaldeans, glad you could all finally make it, I was starting to get bored. And a hello to you two Mash! The last time we met was back in Russia I believe, how was your stay there? Warm I hope.”
Mash gripped her shield. She remembered how she and Senpai were at the mercy of the mercenary in that Yaga village. How she spared them out of some sadistic glee by seeing them squirm over not being able to do anything in that situation. It was a wound to her pride that she was intending to repay.
“Enough,” Kirschtaria said. “We know you have been waiting for us Koyanskaya, now why did you lead us all the way down here? What are you planning?”
“Straight to the point, I see Mr. Wodime. It’s a shame we must be enemies, I imagine in another timeline we would have been great business partners. Oh well, can’t dwell on that now. As for your other question, how about I answer that by addressing the elephant in the room.”
The servant pointed to the tree behind her.
“I don’t think you know what this is, do you?”
The three humans looked at each other and then back at the servant.
“No, enlighten us.”
“This little shrub right here is what the locals call the Tree of Harmony. And those shiny expensive gems in its branches are what they call the Elements of Harmony.”
All of a sudden Kirschtaria thought back to the night he broke into that treehouse, he remembered while scrolling through those books on the shelf that he came across a small one with the title “Elements of Harmony ''.
“And what exactly are the Tree and Elements of Harmony?” Rituska asked.
“Well for your information this little tree was planted over a millennia by who knows what, they’re not important. What is important is that from that seed, a tree grew in time and produced these gems you see here. They, when working in concert, are able to perform a feat of magecraft that is comparable to the Five True Magics. In short, these little rocks are the most powerful magical artifacts in this Lostbelt.”
Everyone in the room was surprised at this, true magic was something that only a true magician was able to perform. If those things were as powerful as they say…
“Then why have you not taken them? Why not use them against us, or is that your plan?”
“Sorry, but I’m afraid that even if I wanted to, these gems would never work for me. You see, these Elements only respond to those who embody the essential aspects of what the ponies of this land call Harmony. Laughter, Generosity, Loyalty, Kindness, Honesty, and the last one that makes it all complete, Magic!”
“Hmmm, you're right, you don’t embody any of those things!” Mash said.
“Not true, I think I would qualify for Honesty. But I really don’t care, an evil person like me could never go around wearing some self-righteous gems like those.”
“Okay enough about that, Koyanskaya, tell us where the Tree of Emptiness is. This will be the one and only time we ask you.”
“Oh dear Mash, so quick to anger. Maybe if you took off that visor of yours, you’d see the truth staring you right in the face.”
Once the words left her mouth, it didn’t take long for the Chaldeans to realize what she meant.
“No, you mean that-”
“The Tree of Harmony is the Tree of Emptiness,” Kirschtaria said. “Am I wrong?”
“Ding ding ding! Correct Mr. Wodime! I’d give you a prize but you may not like it.”
“Wait, how is that possible?” Ritsuka said. “A Tree of Emptiness is supposed to be way bigger than that.”
“Well, I could go into detail. But let’s just say that when the Fantasy Seed landed in this Lostbelt, it mingled with the ley lines of this world and was fused with the Tree of Harmony which just happened to be nearby. The King of this Lostbelt hid the truth from the rest of the world once they realized what would happen if they allowed Fantasy seed to fully mature, they then decided to further hide it away in the Tree of Harmony. It was actually pretty easy considering that the energy needed to power the Elements of Harmony is actually an entire other dimension in of itself. However, in doing so, the Tree of Emptiness has been slurping up all that energy this entire time, and now it has changed and mutated.”
“I can’t imagine that the Crypter who oversees this Lostbelt was happy about that.”
“Oh, there is no Crypter for this Lostbelt.”
“Wait what?”
“Having a Crypter here in this particular Lostbelt would have been...problematic. But still, with a proper Crypter this Lostbelt cannot properly expand and grow, so as an emissary of the alien god, I have no choice to declare this Lostbelt a failure.”
All of a sudden the ground began to rumble, and at the same time, the Tree of Harmony began to shine brighter and brighter.
“Hey what’s going on!” Achilles said.
“Congratulations Chaldeans, you get to cut down this Tree of Emptiness and I won’t even stop you. Although you may have to worry about the Legendary Pokemon that will surely notice a big white tree in their backyard.”
“You little @#%^,” Mordred said. “So that’s why you lured us here!”
“One last thing before I go, a little information free of charge. This tree’s real name is "Markarian". Although personally for me I would call Harmony, then again it pretty much ceased being a Tree of Harmony the moment it was fused with the alien god’s seeds. So it is more of an empty Tree of Harmony now.”
“We need to get out of here now!” Karna said.
“Farewell Chaldeans, I doubt you’ll survive this, but if you do please consider using NFF for all your personal needs.”
The group ran out of the cave as the tree glowed brighter and brighter until it shone more dazzling than the sun itself.
Then…
-
“Alright, is everyone pony ready?” Twilight said as she looked over her friends.
They were all in the Ponyville town square, each of them having a packed bag with belongings for the long trip.
"I got the marshmallows!" Spike said.
"I got the RV!" Pinkie Pie said.
"Yeah! Wait, what's an RV?" Applejack asked.
“So just to be clear on this Twilight, do we even know where we’re going?” Rainbow Dash said.
“To be honest, I have no clue, but I think we should start looking somewhere. Someplace where we haven’t been to.”
“How about a forest!” Pinkie Pie suggested. “Those places always have lots of trees.”
“True, but that would be too obvious.”
“And yet not impossible,” Applejack said. “If there is one thing an Apple family member knows about, its trees. Either way, we’re with you Twilight, for Equestria and the world.”
Twilight smiled. She then held out her hoof as all her friends put theirs together before breaking and saying.
“FOR EQUESTRIA!”
“Yeah, this will be awesome. Well, find this tree in no time!”
“I’m not gonna lie to you girls, this may take a very long time. We will have to travel all over Equestria and maybe beyond. But as long as we are together, nothing can stand in our way, and we won’t rest until we find that tree!”
As if on cue, there was the sound of a major rumbling, followed by the ground shaking.
“Earthquake!” Somepony said.
But just as soon as it started it ended. After which, a strange ringing noise was emitted through the air, and finally, there was a flash of bright light from the Everfree Forest, which blinded everyone.
Once her vision cleared up, Twilight checked to see if her friends were okay.
“Are you girls okay?”
“Yeah, but what in tarnation was that bright light?”
“Uh, girls.”
“I swear if that bright light had caused permanent blindness, that would have been the, Worst. Thing. Ever!”
“Girls..”
“Alright just calm down, let’s see if we can’t find out what caused that and-”
“GIRLS!”
Everyone was surprised for a bit at Fluttershy’s yell, but at least she had their attention now.
“What is it Fluttershy?” Twilight said.
“Ummm.”
Everyone saw the yellow pegasus’s hoof pointing right behind them. Once everyone had turned around, they could not believe their eyes.
Standing there, in the middle of the Everfree Forest, now almost as tall as the clouds, was the…
“Is that, the Tree of Harmony!?” Rainbow Dash exclaimed.
“Ho nelly! How’d it get so big?”
“Twilight darling, what do you make of this?”
The alicorn could not hear Rarity, for she was too shocked to think about how this could happen.
But that was nothing compared to what happened next.
The tree slowly began to crack, even from all the way in Ponyville everyone was able to see the ancient tree split and shake. Starry light shone from between the openings like it was trying to escape. Finally, there was another flash of light as the tree began to shift and change.
When the light died down once again, everypony’s jaws dropped to the ground.
The tree was still there, but it looked radically different now. Its branches were now split and hanging in all directions like the leaves of a flower. The Elements of Harmony which had once rested on its arms were now floating in mid-air. Stary energy surrounded the tree as waves of gamma rays emitted from the massive structure, causing space-time and gravity distortions that distorted everyone’s senses.
There was confusion, panic, and pandemonium, in places like Ponyville to Canterlot to Cloudsdale. Any settlement that could see the tree from a far but visible distance saw everything that happened. But through it all, Twilight was the only one that was about to think normally. For she had seen a tree like that before.
Indeed, for the Tree of Harmony now looked like the spitting image of a Tree of Emptiness.
Celestia and Luna’s jaws hit the floor as they looked off into the distance and saw something that defied explanation. But more worryingly, it brought into question everything they knew about a certain set of magical relics
From the Everfree Forest, a large structure that “looked” like the Tree of Harmony towered over land. But instead of looking like the sacred tree that the sisters took the Elements from, it now reassembled what appeared to be a Tree of Emptiness, at least in shape.
The six gems that were the Elements of Harmony floated around the tree, only connected by magical tendrils. The tree was now more alien in appearance, which given the circumstances was probably intentional.
Luna was the first to find the words that one could try and utter in this situation.
“How…what has happened to the Tree of Harmony!?”
Despite the question, it was somewhat obvious what had happened, the real question was how it happened.
The Tree of Harmony had always been an enigma. From the moment they discovered it, Celestia and Luna spent less time wondering how it came to be and more time thinking about how it could help them protect Equestria. Or more specifically, defeat Discord.
After Nightmare Moon was banished, Celestia did dedicate some time to try and figure out just what the tree was and where it came from. Was it a naturally occurring plant life, or was it artificially created by some all-powerful being like the goddess Harmony?
None of those mysteries were answered in the last millennia, and now the number of questions had only grown.
“Celestia?”
The elder alicorn was snapped out of her deep thought as Luna called her name. Now was not the time to ponder age-old questions.
“We worry about questions later Luna, right now our priority is meeting up with Twilight and her friends. After which we must head to the tree before anyone else ca-”
Celestia was cut off by the sound of explosions.
Looking back, they saw to their horror, flashes of light and bursts of energy being fired at the tree. Unseen individuals were currently attacking the tree from below and in the air.
And they had a good idea who.
“No, how could they get there so fast!?” Luna exclaimed.
Celestia opened her mouth but was once again interrupted by the sound of the throne room doors being flung open. In rushed a frantic looking Seth Crescent.
“Princess Celestia Princess Luna! Have you seen what has just appeared outside?”
“Yes Seth we have seen it,” Celestia said.
“Don’t tell me…is that the…”
“Tree of Emptiness, most likely, and yet….”
“And yet what?”
“Nevermind, we'll discuss it later.”
“Well anyway, it looks like Ponies and Pokemon are starting to panic in the street. What do you want to do?”
“For now, gather the guard and try to calm them down as reasonably as you can. I and Luna have to go to Ponyville now.”
“To meet up with Twilight I guess?”
“Yes, that, and also…” Celestia looked back to the tree, lights still flashing around it as it was assaulted with attacks from all sides.
“We might just have to save our world and everything we know.”
Ritsuka and Kirschtaria, despite having retreated to a safe distance, could not help but step back as this cosmic event unfolded before their eyes.
The very act of the tree emerging was so intense for the local space-time that Mash had to deploy her shield in order to protect the group from gravity waves and spatial distortions.
The Tree of Emptiness, also known as the Tree of Harmony, had expanded and grown in both magnitude and presence. Markarian, as was apparently its true name, had now grown to resemble the height of what they considered a Tree of Emptiness. Its shape however was different.
The last two trees Chaldea had cut down, Orochi and Sombrero, lacked anything resembling branches as far as they could tell. This tree on the other had not only had branches but had bloomed open like a flower. The inside of the tree could only be described as looking into the starry night sky. Finally, they could make out what looked like 5 distinctly colored lights floating around the tree, connected by transparent tethers to the purple center light of said tree. Kirschtaria could only guess that those were the Elements of Harmony.
“Incredible, It may look like a Fantasy Tree but it clearly had fused with and inherited the traits of what these ponies call the Tree of Harmony. I can only begin to imagine just what that means.”
Before anyone could respond to that, the communicator on Ritsuka’s arm lit up with the concerned face of Da Vinci.
“Woah okay, that’s a Tree of Emptiness if I ever saw one, I think at least.”
“Da Vinci, I need an analysis here!”
“Hold on Fujimaru, the spatial inconsistency is causing gravity fluctuations around the entire area. I need to readjust the instruments to get a clear, precise reading.”
“Well, what can you tell us now in your best-educated guess?” Kirschtaria said.
“Ok, gimme a second…..Woah.”
“Am I reading this correctly!?” Meuniere said in disbelief. “Are these really cosmic gamma rays!?”
“Alright brace yourselves for this guys, I don’t know how, I don’t know why, but that is a galaxy! An actual real galaxy inside the Tree of Emptiness!”
Everyone, from inside the Shadow Border, to the servants and masters outside could only hang their jaws at this huge revelation.
“A galaxy!?” Ritsuka said. “As in, a massive celestial body galaxy!?”
“Indeed,” Holmes said. “Unlike the trees in Russia and Scandinavia, this one has fully blossomed. It has long been said in many myths that the hollows of great trees connect to other worlds. This one apparently contains a galaxy and is named after Markarian, a type of galaxy with nuclei that contains excessive amounts of ultraviolet emissions. Although what greater significance this holds I cannot say.”
“Well any further analysis will have to wait,” Goredolf interrupted. “For now there is only one thing we have to do. The reason we came to this Lostbelt in the first place. Kirschtaria Wodime, Ritsuka Fujimaru, Mash Kyrelight, your objective is to cut down the Tree of Emptiness as quickly as you can. I don’t need to point out that pretty much everyone in this country can probably see this tree now, and I bet you my weeks’ worth of deserts that anyone who knows the significance of it is hightailing themselves to get here as we speak!”
“Understood director, we will commence the operation right now,” Kirschtaria said.
“Yes, Mash Kyrielight is engaging, the target is the heat source of the Tree of Emptiness 5,000 meters above the ground. Awaiting your orders master!”
Ritsuka and Kirschtaria looked at Mash and their team of assembled servants. They nodded at each other and held up their hands.
“In the name of Kirschtaria Wodime and by the power of my command spell-”
“In the name of Ritsuka Fujimaru and by the power of my command spell-”
Both masters trusted their fists into the air as the symbols on the back of their hands glowed red.
“-Everyone cut down the Tree of Emptiness!”
Two waves of mana rang out from that point, empowering the 10 servants and Mash with energy and command so absolute that they dare not defy it.
“You heard the man!” Mori Nagayoshi shouted as he unfolded his spear. “CHOP! CHOP CHOP CHOP!
The Berserker immediately jumped and latched himself into the tree. Digging his weapon into its bark, he began to drag it around the circumference of the tree at running speed.
“Heh, as if I’m going to be outdone!” Achilles whistled for his chariot which appeared and took him as well as Seigfried, and Sita. Karna and Ortlinde flew into the air while Gawain, Mordred, and Hippolyta ran towards the base of the tree.
“I’m sending magical energy from the Shadow Border that will allow servants to engage in midair combat! Ritsuka and Kirschtaria, you two find a safe distance and conceal yourselves!”
“What, why?”
“Because in the event that you know who shows up, I don’t want any of you getting captured or worse. As strong as your servants are, they cannot protect you for long against Arceus.”
Rituska hesitated, then felt a hand on his shoulder.
“Ritsuka, I know you feel it is your duty to stand beside your servants no matter what. I share your conviction. But this time we must be smart, even if we cut down the Tree of Emptiness, all of this will be meaningless if we end up being captured by Arceus.”
The master of Chaldea thought for a moment, a torn look on his face.
“Alright, we’ll hide. But I won’t leave this battlefield, I have to support Mash and everyone in case they need it.”
“Very well. Let’s go.”
Da Vinci let out a sigh as she saw the two masters move to another position.
Ritsuka’s bravery was very admirable at times, in a way he was the glue that held A-Team together. And yet, Da Vinci could not help but worry that it might get him in trouble one day.
“Hey speaking of Legendary Pokemon,” Meuniere said. “I’m picking up several signatures on par with divine spirits leaving the temple complex that’s in the middle of the Everfree Forest.”
“Thanks, Meuniere. Da Vinci turned back to the communicator mic. “Hey, guys. You’re about to have company.”
The Hall of Legends.
Suicune had just about enough of this “questioning” that was brought upon her by Giratina and Mewtwo. So far everything they had asked her was somehow related to either humanity, the act of Rapture Arceus performed to bring them here, or what she thinks of certain things.
“Suicune, did you feel the migration from our old world to this new home was the right decision?”
“I’m not sure.”
“How many times have you had to outrun trainers who wished to put you in a Pokeball for selfish reasons?”
“I don’t know, I stopped counting and caring to be honest.”
“Would you ever allow yourself to be captured by a Pokemon Trainer?”
“...Maybe, it depends.”
She read their reactions each time they gave an answer. Most of the time they either had a neutral reaction or they were a little displeased. It was starting to become clear they were trying to gauge just where her opinions stood when it came to her thoughts on humanity, Arceus, and their mission to save their species.
It was honestly starting to become annoying.
“One last question, Suicune,” Giratina said.
“Okay, shoot.”
“If there ever came a day when father does something that you vehemently disagree with, what would you do in that situation, follow his orders, or rebel against your family.”
Of course, the last question irritated her the most.
She locked eyes with the Renegade Pokemon for a while before giving him an answer.
“Let’s just say, I would follow the principles I was raised to believe in.”
That answer was clearly not what they wanted to hear. But Suicune could not care less.
“Can I go now?”
“....Fine, go back to whatever you were doing. Thank you for your time.
Without another word, Suicune turned around and walked out of the room. Once they were alone, Mewtwo spoke.
“I don’t trust her. A shame really, I thought that after everything she went through back on Earth, she would understand.”
“She’s just naive. She is still young for a legendary, only 150 years old. She has not experienced humanity’s evil enough to sway her opinion. Unlike you who had all of it dumped onto you at once."
Mewtwo closed his eyes. He remembered what Giovanni showed him, all those painful images. As much as he hated him, that man opened his eyes to the true nature of his species. Taking away what little innocence he had left, most of it was already gone after she died…..No, Mewtwo could not bear to think about her, about them, it was just too painful.
“I need to clear my head. I’m going to the Minotaur Empire as you said earlier. I’d rather not sit through another interrogation and potentially get mad at what the others might have to say.”
Giratina nodded. He knew Mewtwo was a patient Pokemon, but his temper was another thing. As much as he tried to better himself over the years, he still had a habit of getting mad wherever someone dare try and insult, question, or harm the Pokemon and Arceus in any way.
“Very then, good luck on hunting any servants you may come across. Oh, and if Golden Horn gives you trouble, remind him just how crucial our help is in defending his land against Porper Human History.”
Mewtwo smirked. “Oh, believe me, I will.”
The Genetic Pokemon disappeared in a blip of light. Leaving Giratina alone.
“Perhaps I should go out and seek the others, maybe I can find Chaldea before father wakes up. And then, everyone will see just how right we are-”
A loud rumbling sound followed by the entire temple shaking a bit interrupted Giratina’s thoughts.
“What was that?” Giratina reached out with his senses but for some reason, he kept getting distortions.
Using the mental link they shared as siblings, Giratina reached out to his brethren. “Palkia! Dialga!”
“Brother!” both of them said.
“What is going on!?”
“I think you should step outside and take a look,” Palkia said.
Despite wondering why Palkia didn’t just tell him, Giratina obliged and turned intangible and flew through the roof of the temple until he was outside. He came upon her fellow creation dragons looking at something behind him. Upon turning around, he immediately understood why they wanted him to come out.
A massive sky-scraping tree had appeared out of nowhere. It was radiating energy that was disrupting space-time on a scale that made Giratina mentally groan at the thought of all the poison gas clouds he would have to clean up back in the Distortion World. But he pushed those thoughts aside for now and focused on what was going on right here.
“Don’t tell me that’s what I think it is.”
“Well, if it’s not the Tree of Emptiness, it might be something just as if not more powerful,” Palkia said.
“What do you mean?” Dialga said.
“Because that tree is anything but empty.”
“In what way?” Giratina asked.
“Considering I am the expert when it comes to these things, I think you’ll take my word for it when I tell you there is a reenactment of an entire galaxy within that thing!”
Giratina and Dialga could almost not believe their ears.
“An entire galaxy, are you sure!?”
“Considering that me and Dialga can make one if we tried real hard, yes. It’s basically on par with the one Cyrus tried to have us make.”
“Okay, so what now?”
“I’ll tell you what, gather all the Legendary Pokemon, call back the others who are around the world. Open up a portal to get them here faster if you have to.”
“....I can’t.”
“What!? What do you mean you can’t!?” Giratina exclaimed.
“That tree’s very presence is disrupting time-space, meaning our powers are kinda useless while it’s here. I could try and open a portal, but it wouldn't last very long. Or worse it would lead to someplace we don't want to go.”
“Then move far away from here so that it doesn’t disrupt your powers.”
“Okay, but judging by how much energy that thing is emitting, I’ll have to travel some distance before I’m far enough away.”
“Just do it! The sooner we call back the others, the sooner we can help defend this tree. We have to get everyone here before-”
Giratina was once again interrupted by a loud sound. But it was not rumbling this time, but the sounds of energy blasts and explosions. Looking back at the tree, the three dragon Pokemon saw several servants flying around the massive structure and attacking it with everything they have.
“No…”
“I’ll go get the others, Palkia, get away from here and try to open up portals to everyone else.”
“Already on it,” Palkia flew away as fast as his wings could carry him. Dialga then turned back to Giratina.
“What are you going to do brother?”
Giratina turned his head halfway to meet his gaze. “Just go get the others,” He then turned back and looked at the servants attacking the tree, his face contorting into one of anger.
“I’m going to defend our home.”
For the whole of Equestrian history, the one thing most ponies living around the kingdom could see if they were living close enough was Canterlot Mountain. Sitting in the center of the country, it overlooked the entirety of Equestria. And situated on its western side was the capital city of Canterlot itself. For the longest time, being able to see the capital in the distance gave ponies a sense of pride and assurance. That their Princesses would watch over and protect them, that their city would be the cornerstone of their nation.
But now, that was about to change.
The Tree of Emptiness had emerged, its branches extending well into the stratosphere. Meaning that on a day with clear skies, anyone from as far as Manehatten to the Crystal Empire could at the very least be able to glimpse at the massive structure. If Canterlot was the cornerstone of Equestria, this Tree, as they would soon come to accept, was the cornerstone of their entire existence. Whatever doubts some people possessed were soon dashed by just being able to lay eyes on it.
Those who did not believe in the tree simply because they could not see it quickly changed their tune. Others wanted to deny it simply because they could not accept the fact that their entire lives depended on a tree.
Whatever the case may be, the news would soon spread around the world about the location of the Tree of Emptiness being in Equestria. The already respected and powerful country was about to become even more important as many different interested parties would make their plans and plays.
One such play was about to take place in Ponyville. As a town that was the epicenter of weird things ever since Twilight Sparkle moved there, they were usually used to strange things happening in their humble town.
As such, when the Tree that was responsible for their world being unpruned showed up on their front doorstep, they did the one thing the people of Ponyville could do at that moment.
Panic.
More specifically, scream and run around in circles.
But while the town descended into its weekly scheduled chaos, those with a little more sense, namely Twilight and her friends had convened in her treehouse.
“So you wanna tell me why we came back here instead of running straight towards that tree?” Rainbow Dash said.
“Because Rainbow we can’t just go in there without a plan.”
“Okay, and we couldn’t have this conversation outside?”
“I’d rather not try and talk over everyone screaming and shouting.”
“Honestly, you’d think they’d be used to this stuff by now.”
“This is different Rainbow, this is not something like a parasprite invasion or a cow stampede. We are talking about something that is related to the very fate of our world. While Mayor Mare and the Pokemon Rangers try to calm everyone down, we need to come up with a proper plan of what we are going to do in case Chaldea or a servant shows up and tries to attack the tree.
“Okay, I still don’t see why we had to do it in here.”
“Well aside from what I said before, I’d rather be inside when Princess Celestia comes here to talk to us.”
“Wait, Princess Celestia is coming here?
“Well considering what’s at stake I expect that she would.”
“Okay, but are really sure that-”
Rainbow Dash was interrupted when two alicorns teleported in right next to her.
“Well, what do you know?”
“Princess Celestia!”
“Twilight, I’m afraid we will have to skip greetings, there isn’t much time.”
“We know Princess, it’s only a matter of time before those no good Chaldeans try and attack the tree.”
A grim look crossed Celestia’s face. “I’m afraid they already are.”
Everyone’s eyes widened with shock.
“What!?”
“Yes, before we teleported here we saw servants attacking the tree,” Princess Luna said.
“Then why are we just standing around!?” Rainbow Dash said. “Let’s go there and kick some tail!”
“Hold on Rainbow Dash, y-you can’t just charge in there!” Fluttershy said.
“Watch me!” Rainbow flew for the nearest window but was caught in a magical grasp by Celestia before she would cause Twilight to have to fix another one of her windows.
“Rainbow Dash, as strong as you are, you cannot fight against a servant, none of you can.”
“We fought against servants before!”
“Yes, one servant, which would have defeated you all if not for Seth Crescent's timely intervention. These are multiple servants that are flying no less. Considering only half of you can fly, that's not much fighting power.”
“But we have you guys, they won’t stand a chance against two alicorns.”
“Normally you would be right, but still, one servant was enough to challenge me. The one called Karna, who I saw was among the servants attacking the tree.”
Twilight gulped. Karna as she remembered was a demigod with the same sun-based powers as Celestia. If he was among that group of servants, their battle would be a lot harder.
“Okay, but what about the Legendary Pokemon? There are dozens of them. Plus there is also Arceus! He can just blink and the fights over right?”
Celestia’s ears flattened against her head.
“I’m afraid we can’t count on Arceus or most of the Legendaries to help us this time.”
Twilight was confused.
“What do you mean?”
Celestia sighed. “Mew asked that I not share this information if I could help it. But Arceus is currently in a state where he can’t help us. That day where we have to assault that castle containing the Chaldeans, apparently he fought a servant that was the incarnation of a god.”
Twilight was once again shocked, it hadn’t occurred to her that gods could be summoned as servants.
“That fight took a lot of his power among other things. Arceus has entered a kind of sleep state where he has to recharge his power.”
“So, we really can’t count on Arceus to help us?”
Celestia shook her head. “Not this time. Also from what I’ve heard. Most of the Legendaries have been sent around the world to look for servants. I am not sure if they will make it back in time to help.”
“Ugh. This couldn’t have happened at the worst possible time,” Rarity said.
“So what, are we just supposed to sit here and do nothing?” Pinkie Pie said.
Twilight narrowed her eyes in determination.
“No, we are not giving up.”
Everyone looked at Twilight as her voice rose. “Arceus and most of the Legendaries not being able to help us means we have less of a chance of victory. But that doesn’t mean we can’t win. Everything that I have recently learned in the past few weeks has told me that I still have a lot and I mean a lot to learn about the world we live in. But I do know this, we don’t fight just because we know we’re gonna win, or that we have a good chance of winning, we fight because we have to win. We are the embodiment of the Elements of Harmony, and even if we don’t have the physical Elements anymore, our friendship remains. And in my opinion, that is more than enough.”
Celestia smiled. Her student had really grown.
“Twilight is right. No matter what, we must protect the tree with our lives.”
“I concur, we have spent enough time here chatting. Let us be off to the tree.”
“Uh, quick question though.”
“Yes, Applejack?”
“Y’all said the servants are flying around the tree right? Well not to be a downer, but like you said not all of us can fly, and no offense to Fluttershy, but she ain’t the best fighter out of all of us.”
“None taken,” the yellow pegasus said.
“I could cast that flying spell that gave Rarity wings during the Best Young Flyer competition. But that would take a lot of energy, and I can’t afford to be tired during the fight.”
“Hmmm, I and Luna could cast the spell, but those wings as you have seen are very fragile, one stray shot would send you all falling.”
“Don’t remind me,” Rarity said. Although she learn a lesson in humility that day, she did not like to think about how she almost died falling. And nearly took several Wonderbolts with her by knocking them out with her flailing hooves.
“I could try and reinforce them, but that would use a lot of magic, which would not be ideal.”
“Okay, then what about.”
All of a sudden, Twilight and her friends were no longer in her house, but rather she was now standing in some unknown space.
“Wha- what’s going on!?”
The six mares looked around, there was nothing as far as the eyes could see except twinkling stars. In a way, it looked very similar to the place the Elements of Harmony sent Twilight right before Celestia turned her into an alicorn.
“W-where are we?” Fluttershy said.
“Do not worry, you have nothing to fear, but I need you all to listen to me now.”
All six ponies turned to the source of the voice and were shocked at who they saw.
“I am no king, but I follow in the king's path. I will destroy all that I must to bring the king peace!”
"The blade of this holy sword is a copy of the sun itself. Holy sword of the stars, swing once again!"
Clarent Blood Arthur! Rebellion Against My Beautiful Father
Excalibur Galatine! Sword of Revolving Victory
Gawain and Mordred, siblings, Knights of the Round Table. In life, the latter had killed the former in order to get to her father on the hill of Camlann. But for this moment in time, they stood united in purpose and under the same master. With mana surging from their swords, they brought down their Noble Phantasms onto the Tree of Emptiness.
Kirschtaria observed from the ground with Ritsuka as the Tree of Emptiness momentarily shook and very small pieces of bark fell off into the forest below.
“It’s hurt, but not down, several more attacks, and a few more Noble Phantasms, and this thing goes down.”
“Siegfried, you’re up!”
The dragon-slaying knight who was floating nearby acknowledged.
“Yes master, deploying my Noble Phantasm.”
Siegfried. The knight who slew one of Fafnir’s incarnations, a creature born of the “Evil Dragon Phenomenon”. Bathing in his blood he obtained a skin similar to a dragon that could not be affected by any weapons. An ability not too dissimilar to Achilles who he was currently fighting alongside, and in another world, fought against. But just like Achilles, Siegfried also had a mortal weak point, a spot that if struck would mean his end.
But that was just his second Noble Phantasm. His first and greatest was the sword used to kill the evil dragon. One that rivaled the recently used Clarent in terms of power.
"The Evil Dragon shall fall, and the world will reach its sunset."
Its prototype was Nordic blade Gram. It could be a demonic sword or a holy sword depending on whoever wielded it.
“O sword, Let thee be filled"
The orange jewel within its hilt was filled with true ether from the Age of Gods. Soon to be unleashed like a twilight aura.
"I will bring you down-”
Balmung! Phantasmal Greatsword Felling of the Sky Demon
The twilight swelled around the sword and was released as a flash of light, a surging wave with the simple purpose of destroying things.
Had the tree inherited the attributes of a dragon, more damage would have been done to it. But even without that, the Tree of Emptiness still felt the searing blaze of the dragon-slaying greatsword.
“Keep it up guys, this thing won’t last much longer,” Kirschtaria then help up his com wrist and spoke into it. “Ophelia, I need you to give Ortlinde the command to use her Noble Phantasm.”
“Yes, Kirschtaria!” Said the female magus from within the Shadow Border.
Up in the sky, the youngest Valkyrie Ortlinde prepared to manifest the bodies of her sisters. And in doing so perform the Noble Phantasm that was the crystallized embodiment of their legend.
But before any of that could happen, the Valkyrie felt a chill up her ghostly spine. Her swan mystic code, being meant for high-speed maneuvering and evading, quickly dodged the oncoming unseeable attack.
“Uh, what’s going on up there?” Ritsuka asked.
The shadowy figure that attempted to kill the Valkyrie, whose only distinguishing feature was its red glowing eyes, was now being looked upon by several servants. They remained on guard for whatever it would try next.
Giratina then dropped the pretenses and made himself corporeal again. His true form was now visible to those who could see him.
“Heroic Spirits, I am Giratina, first son of the God Arceus, ruler of the Distortion World and the dragon who holds authority over antimatter.”
Mordred being without much in the way of manners just shot back at him.
“Alright we get it big guy, you’re some kind of high-ranking Pokemon. Whatever, I guess you’re here to stop us?”
If looks could kill, Giratina would have ended Mordred and tortured her soul if he could help it. As the dragon who was painted as a traitor by humanity, nothing made him madder than being disrespected.
Even if someone didn’t know the exact significance of his role in the world. That fact that they didn’t care was even more irritating.
“I am only going to say this once, surrender. Surrender yourselves, surrender your human masters, and give up on this hopeless endeavor of yours. Do this, and Lord Arceus might show some leniency.”
“Well, buddy. Even if I was in the mood for surrendering. Which I will never do for as long as I live. What you’re offering is not worth the trouble.”
“You cannot win. Arceus is the god who rules over this world. It is by his grace and mercy that you all stand here today despite your insolence as humans.”
“Wait.”
Giratina turned to the source of the voice and met eyes with Karna.
“I was told that the ones known as Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were the rulers of this land.”
Giratina narrowed his eyes.
“The Princesses are the rulers of Equestria, yes that is true. As well as the other national leaders who lead their own kingdoms. But at the end of the day, Arceus is a god. One who holds far greater power than any of them.”
“Power and Authority are indeed things that give a god their might and right to rule, that is undeniable. But he can only rule that which his authority extends to.”
“What are you implying servant?”
“I may not know much about this world that I was summoned into. But I do know some crucial things.”
Karna pointed his spear at the dragon.
“You and the Pokemon are not originally from this Lostbelt or even this planet for that matter. You traveled here from the vast parallel worlds seeking a new home away from the humans of your old home. In that matter, you both succeeded and failed. You escaped humanity and at the same time found humanity. Your arrival here was initially met with resistance and scrutiny, understandably because you didn’t know before entering another person’s house. Your Arceus did as they would say, walked in like you owned the place.”
“After which your father declared his intentions to stay since as god no one could oppose him. But so far, that’s all he gained, acceptance. On his own world, he would still have a right to rule as that was his right, here that is not the case. He may have the power and authority like a god should have, but he has no power or authority over the natives of this world.”
“In conclusion, your father is not a god who rules over this world, he is a god who is worshiped by his creations. No nation bows to him or shows him any more reverence than what is necessary or any reverence at all. The only thing he is, is a God of Pokemon, nothing more, nothing less.”
Those who knew Karna’s personality knew that he was virtually honest in his dealings. This has led to a habit of his where he can see through someone’s nature and facade very clearly, and dress them down to the point where he basically exposes their flaws and weaknesses. It also must be said that none of this is done out of a desire to mock or demean, but out of a genuine nice desire to help them.
After all, criticism is one of the best forms of helping people grow.
But that’s not how Giratina saw it.
Sure everything he said was technically true. But it was not a truth he wanted to hear.
“HahahaHAHAHAHA! You humans…..you really have no respect for anything or anyone other than yourselves. Then again, human history was always built on the backs of non-humans. But that ends now.”
As if on cue, several more Legendary Pokemon arrived on the scene. Composed of Latios and Latias, Giratina’s sisters the Lake Guardians, Darkrai, Yveltal, and Kyurem. The Regi trio was on the ground providing support. While Heatran could not do much but try and help the golems. As the entire battle was in the air, there was little they could do to help.
“It’s not everyone but it will have to do.”
Giratina knew that servants could be very powerful and deadly. It upset him that something that came from human origins would be able to stand against a Legendary Pokemon on their own power. While being beaten by their technology was one thing, having to fight humans who possess similar powers and feats to their own was another altogether.
“This may have once been your home servants of humanity but not anymore. You are merely ghosts clinging to a world that you have already left the moment you died. As the patriarch of ghost-type Pokemon, I will put you all to rest. The Age of Man is over, the Age of Pokemon begins now!”
“Oh yeah,” Achilles said. “Then come at us Pokemon!”
In the sky above Equestria, the battle for the future of two species began.
The mane six stood in awe as they recognized the being that had apparently brought them here.
“Harmony.”
The Goddess of Equus gave a small smile, which quickly faded.
“Hello Twilight, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy.”
“Uh, where are we?” Applejack asked.
“Let’s just say you are someplace where time moves slower than the mortal plane. I brought you all here so that I can talk to you.”
“Is this about what’s going on back in Equestria?” Rainbow Dash said. “Cause like we really need to get back there and help.”
“Patience young Rainbow Dash. Now, all you listen to what I am about to say. It concerns the fate of this world and the path you were all meant to walk down.”
Harmony’s eyes glowed and a familiar diamond-shaped box appeared before them. It had 5 keys inserted into the locks on most of its sides.
“I believe you all recognize this.”
The everypony's eyes widened in realization.
“Oh my gosh, that’s the chest that grew out of the Tree of Harmony!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed.
“Wow, I almost forgot about that thing,” Rainbow Dash said sheepishly.
“Yeah, I kinda forgot about that too,” Although to Twilight’s credit, it was not that she necessarily forgot about the chest. But rather, due to the events of the past year she never found the final key and as a result, the thought of the box went to the back of her mind.
“This chest that you all discovered at the Tree of Harmony, as I’m sure Twilight might have guessed by now, is a kind of test. I may be cheating by what I am about to tell you, but the circumstances require I do.”
“Tell us what?”
“I said this chest was a test, can any of you guess what that test was?”
The mane six were stumped for a bit.
“Does it have something to do with friendship?” Pinkie Pie asked.
“Yes, It does.”
Twilight wracked her brain, remembering all the times they had obtained keys and what events led to that happening.
“We got Rarity’s key first during her trip to Manehatten. She got it from Coco Pommel as a spool.”
“Ah yes I remember that day. Some pony took advantage of my generosity and I nearly lost faith in myself. I treated my friends badly when I should have been more considerate to them.”
“And yet you realized your mistake and did the right thing,” Harmony said.
“We got Rainbow Dash’s key as a pin from Spitfire.”
“I had to choose between flying with the Wonderbolts or my friends from Ponyville. I was loyal to both and it was hard to choose.”
“And in the end, you choose to remain a loyal friend.”
“Pinkie Pie’s key was a rubber chicken she got from Cheese Sandwich.”
“I was upset over the fact that someone could do parties just as good if not better than me. Then I realized that it’s not about who throws a better party, it’s about making everypony smile!”
“Indeed, smiles are what parties are made to bring to a person’s face.”
“We got Fluttershy’s key from the Breezies as a flower.”
“I learned that being kind to someone is a good thing, but not all kindness is helpful or what a pony needs.”
“If you love something, you protect it. But you must also be willing to let it go when the time comes.”
“Applejack’s key was a bit she got from Silver Shill, a pony who worked for the Flim Flam Brothers.”
“I knew those no-good varmints were selling a scam, but because it made Granny Smith happy, I kept my mouth quiet for too long.”
“One must be honest with themselves and in their dealings with their fellow ponies. You all got those keys from moments where your elements were tested. You had moments where you had doubt but in the end, you affirmed your resolve and became better wielders of those virtues. There is a word for what happened to you all on those days. What was it?”
Everyone had to take a moment to think. But it was Twilight who found the answer.
“Clarity, we all had a moment of clarity….I mean…most of us did.”
Twilight’s ears flattened against her head, her friends huddled around her in understanding.
“Do not be so sad Twilight, the fault is not within you,” Harmony assured. “But rather, it is a mixture of my fault and unforeseen circumstances.”
Twilight got up and stood at attention, she had a feeling this was going to be important to hear.
“Long ago, there was a centaur named Tirek who visited Equestria along with his brother Scorpan. But while Socrpan was interested in friendship, Tirek wanted power. He wished to become an unstoppable force. He had the power to permanently steal a person’s magic to make himself more powerful.”
“What happened to him?”
“He was sealed away by the Princesses in Tartarus. However, he recently escaped when Cerberus left his post at one point.”
“What!?”
“Oh great!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed, “So we gotta deal with this guy on top of the servants who are attacking the Tree of Harmony, or Emptiness, or whatever it's called?”
“No, because Tirek is no longer a threat to anyone anymore.”
“Huh?”
“He is dead, killed by Arceus….because I asked him to.”
“What!?” Twilight exclaimed. “Wait, what does this all have to do with the lesson I was supposed to learn?”
“I’m getting to that. Basically, the way I had set things up, you would have had your moment of clarity about friendship during your fight with Tirek. After which you would have opened the box, and from there, each of you would take the next step in the journey of your lives.”
“So why didn’t that happen?” Rarity asked?”
“Because of an unforeseen event, an event with world-changing ramifications, I believe I don’t have to spell it out.”
It was not hard to guess, at the same time they came to the realization and all said it all at once.
“The Pokemon.”
“Indeed. The arrival of the Pokemon changed everything. Events that were meant to take place never came to be, enemies that were meant to become friends remained enemies, castles that were meant to be built remain nothing but concepts. It could not be undone or corrected in time for what was about to happen.”
This was a lot to take in for everyone. Twilight in particular. It had not occurred to her that the arrival of the Pokemon had ramifications that would affect them in ways like this.
“Okay, are you saying the Pokemon coming here was a bad thing?” Applejack said in an accusatory tone.
“Not at all, their arrival was a double-edged sword. Sure some things were lost but you all gained so much more than what would have been.”
“Harmony is right,” Twilight said. “If I knew what would happen if the Pokemon came here and altered our fates, I would not have changed a single thing. The friends we gained are worth more than some shiny key I was meant to find.”
“I am glad you think that Twilight. You may not have found your clarity yet, but perhaps someday you will.”
All of a sudden that was a rubbing that shook the plane of existence.
“What was that!?” Pinkie Pie exclaimed.”
“The Tree of Emptiness, with every blow it takes it dies a little. And in consequence, the stability of our world becomes undone.”
“Then what are we waiting for, we need to get back there and help!” Rainbow Dash said
“And you shall, all of you will be given the power needed to turn the tide of battle.”
“Wait, what power?”
“I said that had you found the final key, all of you would have taken the next step in the journey of your lives. Among those things was a power you would have never known. The true power of the Tree of Harmony.”
“Really!?”
“Due to the circumstances I will temporarily unlock the box and grant you a portion of the mystical Rainbow Power. With it, you will be able to fight on par with a servant and their Noble Phantasm.”
“Woah, you're saying we can fight servants with this! Well, what are you waiting for, gimmie!”
“Everypony hold still, this will only take a moment.”
Harmony’s eyes glowed as a silvery key manifested itself. It lacked the golden shine of its counterparts, but like them, it resembled the cutie mark of one meant to unlock the box with its power.
She inserted the key into the box, which caused it to glow. Light then poured out from each of the keyholes and shined on each of the mane six.
A brilliant rainbow shine engulfed them and the entire realm.
The manifestation of Odin’s daughters threw their spears at the enemy Pokemon. The Lake Trio combined their psychic power to form a barrier that protected them and the Eon siblings.
“Alright you two, do it now!” Azelf said.
The two dragon guardians of Alto Mare flew together as one as they shouted in unison.
“Beyond evolution MEGA EVOLVE!”
A magnificent light enveloped the two like a sphere before shattering and revealing their new forms. They looked identical now save for the different colored eyes.
They flew around the Valkyries at a speed of which they could not keep track of them.
“Luster Purge!”
“Mist Ball!”
A beam and ball of energy struck the Valkyries, causing the manifestations to disappear, leaving Ortlinde alone.
“Give up, you're outnumbered!” Latios said.
Ortlinde regained her composure and looked at her two adversaries.
“You two share a similar shape and form, and the way you fight in unison, are you two related?”
“We are siblings. I am Latios and this is my sister Latias.”
“I see, so you are brother and sister.”
“Yes, and let me tell you something,” Latias said. “When we fight together, nothing can stop us. Family fights the best side by side!”
Ortlinde smiled. “I could agree more. Master!”
In the Shadow Border, Ophelia heard the telepathic request of her servant. Knowing what was being asked of her, she obliged.
“In the name of Ophelia Phamrsolone, and by the power of my command spell. Hildr! Thrúd! Manifest yourselves!”
The servant known as Valkyrie possessed a unique saint graph from other servants. While it was not uncommon for multiple servants to share a single saint graph like Anne Bonnie or Mary Read, Valkyrie was different.
With each ascension, a new Valkyrie would take the place of their sister in order to have better mana capacity. It was possible to manifest all three at once, but only if a sufficient amount of mana was provided.
The mana from a Command Spell was more than enough.
The elder siblings Hildr and Thrúd manifested themselves and stood alongside their sister and fellow Valkyrie.
“Alright! I have been itching for a good fight!” Hildr exclaimed.”
“I have arrived in response to my master’s summons, do not expect any mercy from me,” Thrúd said coldly.
“As you can see Latios and Latias, your side is not the only one who fights with family!”
Latias and Latios gave the Valkyries a stern look.
“Alright then, let’s see which family will win today!”
Two sets of siblings charged at each other, fighting with steel and speed.
-
Siegfried faced off against Giratina with a series of blows that he was all too familiar to use on a dragon. Giratina fought with claw and shadow. But with Siegfried being the smaller of the two, it made him more nimble.
“Shadow Claw!”
The Saber narrowly avoided being torn to ribbons by the shadowy dragon, nicking his face and drawing a drop of blood. A small price to pay in order to get close to his target.
In an instant, he drew his blade alongside the side of Renegade Pokemon, making a long gash in his body. Giratina cried out in pain as the sword did its work. He quickly turned around and fired several Aura Spheres in retaliation. As a move meant to hit the target no matter what, the dragon slayer had no choice but to parry each, but could not avoid getting hit by the last one.
The two were now a reasonable distance from each other where they could stop and think about their next attack.
Giratina looked down at his wound, it was not something that could be healed in the middle of battle. Still, he wondered why it had hurt so much.
Out of curiosity, he asked. “Who are you, servant?”
“I am Siegfried. Hero of the Nibelungenlied. The knight who slew the evil dragon Fafnir. And you are Giratina, as you yourself have stated.”
“That I am.”
“As a knight, I am honor-bound to tell you that you are at a disadvantage.”
“How so?”
“We heroic spirits are the embodiments of our legends, the stories people tell about us and the rumors we leave behind after our deaths, for better or worse.”
Siegfried gripped his sword.
“This sword in my hand was used to kill an evil dragon. As such it has become a dragon-slaying sword. And as you stated, you yourself are a dragon correct?”
Giratina gritted his teeth.
“I see so that’s how it is. That sword has the potential to kill me.”
“Indeed, and now that you have been informed, I am afraid I must end this now.”
Siegfried once again gripped his sword with both hands.
“O sword, Let thee be filled"
Mana surged through the blade in a green light once again.
“The evil dragon must fall, and the world will reach its sunset!”
Giratina in response prepared one of his strongest moves.
"I will bring you down-Balmung!
“Do. Not. Call me. AN EVIL DRAGON!”
“HYPER BEAM!”
At that moment two pillars of light, made by two beings from different worlds connected with each other. And an explosion rocked the sky.
-
Karna flew at Yveltal as the Pokemon of Death shot a Dark Pulse that he was certain would make contact with his target.
It didn’t.
In a flash, the Hero of the Kauravas fired a blast of solar flames that seared the Legendary’s back. But this left him open to an attack from Kyurem who grazed him with Dragon Pulse.
“Hey, watch it!” Yveltal said.
“Quit complaining, at least I didn’t use an Ice-type move.”
Karna lit a flame in his hand which he blew blazing embers at his opponents. The spread meant the two Pokemon could do little to avoid it. It hurt Kyurem the most but its low power meant he was not very damaged.
“I need you to slow him down, think you can do that?”
“I can, but don’t complain if you catch a cold.”
“I won’t, just do it.”
“Very well then.” Kyrurem’s eyes glowed yellow as the temperature began to fall.
“Glaciate!”
Despite the heat emitted by the Tree of Emptiness, the air became cold and stiff.
Ice began to form around Karna in a circle pattern, they then went inward in an attempt to impale him.
“Lowering the temperature will not douse my flames. As the son of the sun god, it will take more than that.”
“That wasn’t to lower your firepower,” Yvetlal thought. “It was meant to slow you down.”
“Oblivion Wing!”
Karna attempted to avoid the attack but realized too late that the ice in the air made him slightly slower. Slow enough to be struck by Yveltal's signature move. The move bursting on impact and leaving a cloud of smoke behind
Oblivion Wing was a move that manifested Yveltal’s authority over death. Unless the target was strong enough or had enough life force, they would be withered and turned to stone.
“Hmph, no one has ever survived my Oblivion Wing.”
But before the dust could disperse to reveal the damage done, a tine beam of light appeared from it and struck Kyruem square in the chest, sending him falling to the forest below.
“Brahmastra.”
Karna swept away the rest of the dust with his spear. He looked only a little worse for wear.
“WHAT!? How? How did you survive that? My Oblivion Wing can kill any living thing!”
“And that right there is your mistake. As a servant, I am nothing more than ether in the shape and memories of someone else. I am not truly a living thing.”
“What!?
“Also, my armor is made from the sun itself, the source of all. Only the Divine can break it. And I do sense some strong divinity within you. So you are capable of hurting me, I will say this much.”
“You’re mistaken, servant.”
“Hmmm?”
“I don’t want to hurt you, I want to kill you!”
“Very well. But it seems I must end this now.”
Karna leveled his spear at Yveltal, beginning the chant that signaled the deployment of a Noble Phantasm.
“Beware the Sky….”
The Destruction Pokemon knew this attack was going to be a strong one. He activated Phantom Force in an attempt to avoid it. Realizing too late that this gave Karna a clear shot of the Tree of Emptiness.
Brahmastra Kundala! O' Brahma, Curse Me
The shot passed through the intangible Yveltal and headed straight for the tree.
Then there was a flash of light.
Shadow Border.
“How are they doing up there?” Kadoc asked.
“According to our instruments, the Tree of Emptiness has taken a lot of damage, even with this fighting going on,” Da Vinci stated.
“How much more damage do you think it can take?” Ophelia said
“Well, I’m sure anyone or two more noble phantasms will do the job. But I’m afraid at the rate our servants are burning through their mana fighting the Legendaries, they may not have enough to finish the job.”
“Hmmm.”
“Holmes is something on your mind?”
“Yes, actually. Despite things not looking very favorable, in my opinion, it could be a lot worse.”
“How so?” Kadoc asked.
“Without tempting fate, I have to ask this out loud, where is Arceus?”
That question was enough to get everyone’s attention.
“He’s right, not that I am complaining but why hasn’t he shown up?”
All of a sudden, the alarms on the Shadow Border consoles began to light up.
“But I am detecting 6 power magical energy signatures 5,000 meters above us where everyone is fighting. And…Woah..what is this!?”
In the skies around the Tree of Emptiness, a rainbow light caused the battle to momentarily pause.
When it died down a bit, six familiar mares floated together. Each of them had received new colors on their manes and coats. They glowed with a power that was powerful and colorful.
It took the Legendary Pokemon moment to recognize them.
“Princess Twilight is that you?” Giratina said.
“Yes, it is Giratina, and not just me.”
“Wow Rainbow Dash, you look awesome!” Latias said.
“You know it!”
“Huh, did the pretty ponies get a makeover or something?” Mordred said curtly. “You all look like something out of a children’s cartoon.”
“Attention servants, my name is Princess Twilight Sparkle of Equestria. And by the Rainbow Power vested in me, I ask you all to lower your weapons and surrender. Otherwise, you will see just how powerful our friendship is.”
“Heh, Rainbow Power shmamebow power, we can still take them.”
“Are you sure about that?”
The servants turned around to see Princess Celestia and Luna appear behind them. Along with a platoon of Royal Guards.
The 10 servants were now thoroughly surrounded.
“Ugh guys, this isn’t looking good,” Mash said.
“Heh, numbers ain’t nothing,” Achilles said. “No matter what I‘ll still keep fighting!”
“He’s right, don’t stop now!” Hippolyta said. “Not when we’re so close!”
“Alright then,” Twilight said, her mane glowing with her new colors. “If it’s a fight you want, it’s a fight you’ll get!”
Achilles cracked his regions and his chariot took off again.
“Xanthos! Balios! Pedasus! Let’s go! Come on, try to stop me! My chariot will run you down like a shooting star!”
It whipped around at the speed of sound and went further. Like a shooting star, it would take out anything that got in its way.
But Achilles was no longer the only shooting star in the sky.
This he found out when another star collided with him.
“Gahh what was that!?”
“Uh uh! You and I have some unfinished business!” Rainbow Dash said. In the air, the two fighters who would never back down from anything continued to clash.
- Custom BGM - On the East side of the tree, Gawain faced off against Luna as the two warriors clashed with sword and horn.
“And what might your name be?” Luna said.
“I am Sir Gawain, Knight of the Round Table and Knight of the Sun. What’s yours?”
“Princess Luna, Alicron of the Moon and the Night.”
“Ah, so we have opposite powers, how appropriate.”
“Indeed, very appropriate.”
-
Karna and Celestia resumed their fight at the crown of the tree.
“I apologize that I had to retreat after our first encounter, I will not show you the same disrespect again.”
Celestia was surprised by his words, she could tell they were genuine.
“You really are a nice person aren’t you.”
“I only offer the respect and kindness an opponent on the battlefield deserves.”
“A shame that I have to fight you, if only it did not have to come to this.
“Indeed, as we are both blessed by the sun, I will admit that we are kindred individuals in that regard. A shame indeed.”
-
Near the base of the tree Mash deployed her shield to protect Siegfried from a combined attack from Giratina and Princess Twilight.
“Your shield is powerful servant, but I see that it can only take so much from my power combined with Princess Twilight’s….what did you call it again?”
“Rainbow Power. But Giratina is right, stand down, you fought bravely. There should be no need for us to fight.”
Mash picked up her shield as she stood beside Siegfried. Her Ortinax was starting to reach its limit.
“You're right, there should be no need for us to fight. I bear no animosity towards you and you do not seem to hate me,” Mash admitted.
Even with her eyes covered by that visor, Twilight could sense sadness in the demi servant.
“Then why do you fight? You know what will happen if our tree gets cut down. Why do you think your world deserves to live more than ours?”
“....I am not here to say which of our worlds deserves to live more. The only thing I know is that I lost too much already. Many people sacrificed themselves so that I and senpai could stand here today. I will not spit on their graves by just giving up and letting it all be for nothing. I could never face the Doctor again if I just gave up here right now!”
The sadness in her voice was replaced by determination. For a moment Twilight wondered just who the shield servant was referring to, but pushed that aside as both her and the saber charged at their opponents.
Back in the Shadow Border.
“Okay, now it’s really starting to not look good.”
“I think we’re way past that Da Vinci!” Meuniere exclaimed. “Everybody out there is completely outnumbered and outgunned! We need to either retreat or find some way to turn the tide.”
Indeed, this was not looking good for the servants of Chaldea. Mori was grappling with Applejack. Gawain and Mordred were pinned down by Kyrurem, Darkrai, and Pinkie Pie. Hippolyta, Sita and Ortlinde contended with the Lake Trio, Eon duo, and the Regi Trio.
“Ugh, Holmes, any ideas?”
“The way things are looking now, it’s only going to get worse. I don’t think they will be able to defeat them all if this keeps up.”
“What if we get more servants from the cave?” Kadoc suggested. “I could also send Anastasia.”
“I’m afraid either will arrive too late. The only option I can see that might work is if we finish this here and now.”
“And that option is?”
“...I need to talk to Kirschtaria and Ritsuka.”
Back in the Everfree Forest, the Masters looked on as their servants were getting beaten one by one.
“That is, I can’t just stand here and do nothing. We have to go help them, Kirschtaria!”
“I’m afraid our presence will not do much good other than getting us captured. We should just stay hidden like we were told.”
“But Mash is out there, I should be by her side, supporting her! No sitting here saving my own skin!”
Kirschtaria tsked. “He understood how much Ritsuka and Mash meant to each other. He knew that separating them was a shaky idea from the start.
“We’re losing, we’re so close, we just need one more good attack.”
At that point, Kirschtaria contemplated using his ideal magecraft. One use would be enough to finish this fight, but doing so would leave him exposed. Not to mention everyone would most likely get caught in the crossfire.
“Should I do it? I may be the only way we can win.”
Then Kirschtaria heard a beep and saw Ritsuka’s communicator light up. It was Holmes.
“Holmes!”
“Kirschtaria, Ritsuka, I may have a suggestion as to how we can win.”
“I’m all ears.”
“Ritsuka, how many command spells do you have left?”
“Just one.”
“Good, now listen very carefully-”
-
Back in the air Karna and Celestia continued to fight with fire and light. Karna was a better fighter than Celestia, but she was soon being supported by her guards as well as Yveltal and the Lake Guardians. Karna was now Outnumbered, and his mana was running low.
“This is not going in my favor.” He thought to himself. And yet, so long as my master will it, I shall continue to-”
Then Karna received a mental message from his master.
“I see very well.”
“Princess Celestia, all of you. I will admit that you have done well to fight with the spirit of those who wish to defend something precious. Truly praiseworthy.”
“Flattery will get you nowhere!” Yveltal said.
“I know, which is why this battle must end now.”
Karna’s armor began to glow.
“What I have done up to this point is not enough to end you…which is why-”
The golden pieces on his person began to burst into flames.
“I will need to unleash an attack that will bring about your absolute destruction!”
The flames grew bigger and bigger until all his golden armor was burned away. His spear changed shape as it was now longer and sported black blades.
The air and temperature shot through the roof as the very environment was affected by the simple activation of this Noble Phantasm.
The air became fire. The forest below was set ablaze and the rock, as well as the sediment, became molten.
Around Karna, energy continued to be unleashed as wave after wave of fire and heat reduced everything around the demigod to cinders and boils.
Those who gazed upon him could not take their eyes off despite the intense heat. Everyone including Legendaries could not believe the amount of energy the single servant was producing.
“O people Equestria, of Equus, O Princess of Sun. I bid you farewell. Out of respect for you as a fellow child of the sun, I offer you my strongest and most powerful attack!”
“What is he doing!?”
Pokemon and ponies who were fighting other servants stopped what they were doing and looked up. The brilliant and terrifying sight causing them to forget their opponents.
“Uh, Twilight you think we should do something about that!” Applejack said.
The wing-like armor on Karna’s back spread out into a wing of flames and in consequence another identical wing and armor manifested opposite of it.
“Know the mercy of the King of gods!”
“Girls! Everyone! We have to stop him!”
The other rainbow-powered mares in response to Twilight’s cries stopped fighting their opponents and regrouped as they flew up to Karna.
“With this single strike, I shall inflict extinction!”
“NOOOOO!!”
The mares began to form up together to form a protective shield that would have been able to block that attack.
If not for…
“Oh no, you don’t!”
Achilles chariot came in and knocked them off course, sending them tumbling in different directions. This was followed by several other servants appearing and grappling with them to keep the mane six from interfering.
Seeing that her little ponies would not be able to get here in time, Princess Celestia knew what she had to do.
“Luna!”
“Yes, sister!”
“I need you to put everything you have with me into casting a shield spell.”
“Will it be enough?”
“It will be…it has to.”
Karna pointed his spear directly at the Tree of Emptiness, and the Princess who put themselves between it and him.
“Indra, witness this blow….”
The two most powerful alicorns in the world touched their horns as a magical barrier that would put Shining Armor to shame appeared and was enlarged as much as it could be.
“Be reduced to cinders….”
VASAVI SHAKTI!
O' Sun, Abide to Death
A massive beam of energy was shot forth from the spear. When it collided with the barrier, cracks began to form immediately.
“Don’t give up, we can still do it!”
“It won’t hold! Celestia!”
Cracks continued to form and form until…the sound of shattered glass was heard.
“HYPER BEAM!”
Giratina, Yveltal, Kyurem, the Regi Trio, Heatran all fired their Hyper Beams which pushed back at the god-killing spear. Even the ones without that move, the Lake Trio, the Eon Duo, Darkrai, all gave attacks of their own to help push back against extinction.
For a moment in time, it seemed like both sides were evenly matched.
And then.
“I order you with a command spell! Karna! Destroy the Tree of Emptiness!”
“...As you command, master.”
The Vasavi Shakti pushed through the attacks like fire through paper.
The Pokemon and Princesses disappeared as the Noble Phantasm made contact with the tree, and exploded with a force strong enough to kill a god.
A massive boom filled the air, light and fire engulfed the Tree of Empty Harmony.
Once it belonged to the God of Thunder Indra, the then King of the Hindu Pantheon. It was gifted to Karna as compensation for his armor.
As a heroic spirit, Karna must sacrifice said armor in order to use the full power of the spear just once.
Although it was never once used during his lifetime, it was said that this spear was capable of destroying anything, even a god. As such, lesser beings are a matter of course.
At full power, nothing from shields, fortresses, armies, and entire nations can withstand its cleansing fire, they are all equally meaningless existences before Vasavi Shakti.
So, if such a weapon were to be ever used against a Tree of Emptiness, what do you think will happen?
Canterlot.
“How are things looking down their Midnight?”
The batpony known as Midnight Song walked up to Seth, her usually peppy, and somewhat lewd attitude on standby due to the current circumstances.
“Well, I can tell you this boss. I don’t know how we are gonna calm these ponies anytime soon. I’m mean, this kingdom has seen some weird things over the last few years(and that's saying something), but a giant tree appearing out of nowhere? That's new.”
Seth stood on the castle walls as he looked into the distance. The tree was unlike anything he had ever seen.
The only other giant tree he could think of was the Tree of Begining. A massive rock formation that once resided in the Kanto region. He never got the chance to visit the place, although he heard it was home to ancient Pokemon and was rumored to be the places Mew frequently.
But this tree bore little resemblance to the Tree of Begining and had a very different significance. After all, it was all but confirmed that the tree they were all looking at was the Tree of Emptiness.
“Hey, Seth!”
The Luxray turned to see, Selena and Ingis walk up to him.
“We and the other guards managed to get most of the crowd that was at the castle gates to disperse. But there are still Ponies and Pokemon panicking all over the city,” Selena said.
“Yeah, it's like everyone thinks it's the end of the world or something,” Ingis added.
“Well, it might as well be.”
While the Princess and other World Leaders had informed the general public of the Lostbelts and servants, they had withheld the information regarding the Tree of Emptiness, the tree that supposedly was responsible for their very existence.
It was one thing to know, that their world was in a battle against several other timelines. But to know that their very existence depended on a tree would be hard to swallow. Especially since said tree was nowhere to be found up until this point.
No doubt after this, they would have to come clean about the tree and its significance.
But how would they handle it?
“Sir!”
Seth’s thoughts were interrupted again as he turned to see a Royal Guard walk up to him and salute.
“Sir, there is a pony who is here to see you, she claims to be your significant other?”
Seth immediately knew who he was talking about.
“Where is she?”
Pretty soon, Seth and his Pokemon found themselves at the main gate, where a green Earth Pony was trying to peek her head over the guards watching to see.
“Seth!”
“Let that pony through!” Seth said to the guards who obeyed.
Apple Fritter then squeezed through them and ran up to Seth who embraced her.
“Seth, what is going on? I was inside with Dextra and Titania when I started hearing people screaming. I came out and everyone was either running in circles or pointing at something. And when I saw what they were pointing at, I just couldn’t believe it.”
“Everything is going to be okay Fritter. The Princesses are currently investigating now.”
“The Princesses went to that thing themselves?” What is it?”
“It's called the tree-” Seth paused for a second. His mind was not sure if he should commit to revealing this information to her. He knew that Fritter would be able to understand if given a proper explanation. But Celestia had asked him not to tell anyone for fear of panic.
But this was Apple Fritter, his mate. The pony he would one day marry, very soon if things went well. Plus he had already told his Pokemon, who were just as much family as she was.
“Tree of what? Seth speak up!”
“....I-”
All of a sudden a low boom rang through the air accompanied by a bright light.
“What's going on?” Ingis said.
All of them quickly found the nearest stairs to the castle wall and climbed up it. They got to the top just in time to see an explosion engulf the Tree of Emptiness.
Everyone in the streets was shocked, to say the least at what they were seeing. But Seth was felt like his heart had stopped. The implications of what had just happened raced through his mind.
“Oh no.”
Stagland, the Deer Empire.
Shaymin used Psychic to lift the cup of tea to her mouth. As she took a sip, she could already tell just what tea leaves were used to make this drink. As with many Legendary Pokemon, Shaymin was given a specific role in the management and care of Earth. Her task was the making of seeds and new plant life. This made her good friends with Celebi and Zygarde who had similar roles with it came to the balance and order of nature.
It was probably for this reason why she and Zygarde were sent to the Stag Empire or Stagland as it was called by outsiders.
Its leader Empress Serva was the ruler of said nation, home to the nature-loving Deer. Most of its villages and cities were naturally made as a way to live in harmony with nature. Only the capital city was the most modernized and urban settlement in the Empire. Its main castle was not as big or glamorous as Canterlot, but it was still fit for a queen, or Empress in this case.
It was because of the Deer’s nature-loving culture that Shaymin decided to pay Serva a visit first before she went searching for servants. The Swords of Justice and Zygarde had already gone ahead of her. So it was not like nothing was getting done.
Right now, both here and Serva were sitting in the main throne room. A place with several murals and paintings for Stagland’s history all around them.
“This tea is delicious Serva.”
“Thank you Shaymin, I had my servants pick them from my private garden.”
“Your servants or the other kind?” Both of them snicked at the little joke.
“Speaking of which, how has thing been back in Equestria? “Serva asked. “Hopefully not much worse than what we are dealing with here?”
“Well, to be honest, things are starting to heat up. Recently Father and the others ran into Chaldea.”
“Oh really, Arceus found the humans foretold by Harmony. How did it go?”
“Not very well,” Shaymin said sheepishly. “They got away. Dad was very upset about that.”
“I can imagine. For someone with the powers of a god, he must be very upset if a mere few mortals escaped his grasp. Although I doubt he gained any humility from that experienced.”
Shaymin noticed the tone in her voice as Serva commented on her father. While she was not offended per se, it did pique her curiosity.
“Serva, what do you think about my father?”
The deer put her cup of tea down and let out a sigh.
“I apologize in advance for my words Shaymin, but I do not have the best opinion of Arceus.”
“I understand, I bet you and a lot of others don’t have the best opinion of dad for understandable reasons.”
“And most of them are the fact he just came here and dumped an entirely new species onto an already developed planet. Not that I don’t like the Pokemon, they are wonderful beings, and I do value my friendship with you.”
Shaymin smiled at that. She and the Empress had been getting along ever since they met at the World Summit. She was glad to be able to make friends outside of the Legendary Pokemon.
“But my criticism of your father has less to do with his moving here and more about the consent and consideration of those who were forced to change who they were.”
“Ah…you mean the humans who were transformed into Pokemon.”
“Yes, to be clear I can understand why he did it. How he felt the humans had gone too far in many places and hurt the Pokemon one too many times. But I just can’t understand why he would turn them into Pokemon. Do you know?”
“Well, he gave us the same explanation I assume he gave to the other World Leaders like you. That he wanted to preserve what was good about humans as a species.”
“Yes, he told us that much. But how can he preserve humanity's goodness as a species if they are no longer human? Sure they may be human at heart for now, but once their children are born that won’t be the case.”
“Huh, I guess you have a point.”
“To me, Shaymin, all of this speaks of a father who is punishing his child by forcibly making them be more like the better one.”
“Well, to be fair, said child did lock up the father and spent the next several thousand years bullying the other child.”
“Touche. But let me tell you a story,” Serva then turned and pointed to the throne. “You see that painting up there?”
Shaymin looked and saw above the throne a depiction of a large round furry creature. It had short legs and long arms, as well as long antlers growing out of its head. Its face had several red markings underneath its mouth and eye that made it look like it was sleeping.
“Before Arceus and Harmony made themselves known to the world, we deer only knew of and worshipped The Great Horned God of the Wilderness.”
“That's his name?”
“More like his title, we try not to use his real name too often out of reverence. Records and scriptures say that he was the progenitor of Deer and other nature-dwelling creatures like the Breezies. He was a kind and benevolent god.”
“Interesting.”
“But unfortunately, his first children were not as good as he raised them to be. Some of the first deer thought themselves superior thanks to their size and magic, especially over the Breezies. The Deer even tried to force the Breezies out of the forests. But rather than punish them, he made the Deer realize the folly of their actions since the forests needed the Breezies just as much as the Deer. And showed them that while he could change the Deer or Breezies to make the forest not dependent on them, he would not. Because nature is all about different species living together, not one being better or more important than the other. He knew that there was good in everyone, not just one species.”
“Ah, I see.”
“My point is, that while Arceus may think that turning the humans into Pokemon is a good thing, all he is saying is that humans are born inherently bad and will only bring harm to those around them.”
“I get it. I know not all humans are bad, but I just figured they would all get over it or realize that father was not going to change his mind. But no matter how you look at it, dad did something that was very immoral and inconsiderate.”
“I honestly wonder how he thought that it was a good idea.”
“Well actually it was Cresselia that came up with the idea, Arceus just took it and ran with it.”
“Oh really? Then if you ask me, she should all get some blame for what happened.”
“Yeah, I don’t think Darkrai would like it if people came to the temple just to harass Cresselia.”
“Well, that aside. Does your father plan on setting up places of worship anytime soon?”
“Celestia won’t let him, but I have a feeling he might get his way. There were a lot of his worshipers that visited the Hall of Legends when he made his presence known. So I imagine he would want his followers to have churches to worship.”
“Well, I doubt he would find many new followers from the Deer. The vast majority of the population only views The Great Horned God of the Wilderness as their patron god, as do I.”
“If you don’t mind, what is his real name? I’m curious since most other nations I visited don’t seem to worship other deities.”
“Well, if you must know, his name is-”
“Shaymin!”
Both Deer and Pokemon jumped and spilled their tea as Hoopa pooped her head through one of her rings.
“Hoopa what I have told you about surprising people like that!?”
“Save the complaints, Giratina needs everyone back at the Hall of Legends now!”
“Why what’s wrong?”
“Long story short, the Tree of Emptiness just showed up on the Temple doorstep and the servants are currently throwing everything they have at it.”
The explanation was enough to make the Generosity Pokemon forget her annoyance as her bain raced to process what she had just heard.
“The Tree of Emptiness is what!?”
“Full explanations later, Giratina needs all hands, paws, and claws on deck or we won’t be around to tell the tale.”
“Okay, I get it. Sorry to cut our tea time short Serva.”
“No need for apologies, go and save our world.”
With a final nod. Shaymin flew through Hoopa’s ring and found herself in the skies of Equestria.
“Where are we? Why aren’t we at the Tree?”
“Dad said spatial distortions kept him from creating portals closer to the tree, so we're gonna have to fly from here.”
Nearby, other Legendaries such as Celebi, Victini, Jirachi, Ho-oh, and Rayquaza came out of portals and rings made by Palkia and Hoopa.
Looking off into the distance, Shaymin saw the shape of what looked like a purple glowing tree.
“Alright, let's do this.”
Shaymin was about to fly to the tree when there was a sudden glowing light. It grew in intensity and brightness as if the sun itself had manifested in the atmosphere.
“Umm, what is that?” Celebi asked in a very worried voice.
They saw as the ball of fire grew brighter and brighter as if something was about to happen.
“A sign that we need to go now!”
Shaymin flew towards the tree as fast as she could. Followed by the other Legendary Pokemon. But before she could reach even the vicinity of the Hall of Legends, the ball of fire exploded and engulfed the entire area. The force from the blast sent the Gratitude Pokemon spinning back a good distance before she regained control of herself.
Smoke and dust filled the air, and when it finally subsided, Shaymin was shocked at what she saw.
-
How long is a fraction of an instant? Long enough for Twilight to realize that in that moment, the Noble Phantasm unleashed by Karna had dramatically increased in power. Before, the combined efforts of the two Princesses and the Legendary Pokemon present would have been enough to possibly hold it back, but now it was not.
The fiery blast threatened to engulf them all in an incinerating death. So at that moment, Twilight had to decide.
-
Back on the ground, Ritsuka and Kirschtaria had gotten a good distance away before Karna had used his Vasavi Shakti. The two masters had witnessed the demigod use his greatest and most powerful attack to finish the job they came here to do.
“Well, nothing could have survived that,” Kirschtaria said.
Indeed, it would be a miracle or fluke if the Tree of Emptiness had somehow survived a Noble Phantasm of that rank and power.
Still, they had to make sure.
“Mash, is the Tree of Emptiness still standing?”
“Hold on senpai, the dust is still clearing up….wait I think I can see something.”
-
Celestia opened her eyes as she drew in a quick gasp of air. She got up and looked around, she saw that they were just outside Ponyville. Luna, as well as the other Legendary Pokemon, we're all getting up, they also being confused at what just happened.
She could recall that they were about to be overwhelmed by the attack unleashed by Karna. She could still recall its name, Vasavi Shakti. She remembered when Arceus gave her the backstory behind Karna that Vasavi Shakti was a powerful spear once owned by a god. That was no exaggeration. She could feel the searing heat of the flames, threatening to devour her and everyone else. Part of her knew that she could not stop the attack, and yet if she did not try, all of Equus was doomed.
And yet, how had she ended up here?
“What happened!?” Giratina said as he looked around confused. “How did we end up here!?”
“Oh thank Harmony, you're all okay!”
Celestia and some others turned to see Twilight and her friends running towards them. The glowing rainbow patterns that had adorned them were now gone. Whatever power that was given to them in that battle was not apparently gone, although Celestia planned to ask Twilight about that later.
“Twilight what happened?”
That question made the young alicorn stop in her tracks, she looked slightly ashamed as she looked her mentor in the eyes.
She remembered using her magic, which had received a significant boost from her power-up, to teleport the Princesses and Legendary Pokemon out of harm's way. Leaving to Tree of Emptiness to receive the full force of the Noble Phantasm. In that moment, she choose to save them, rather than try and protect the Tree of Emptiness.
“I…I save you. I…didn’t know what else to do.”
“…Twilight,” Celestia accepted the explanation with ease, in that moment, her student made a decision to save her friends rather than protect the world. A very understandable decision yes, but….
“What about the Tree of Emptiness!?” Yveltal asked. “What happened to it?”
Everyone looked in the distance as the tree’s highest branches were still visible above the dust cloud. But the integrity of the trunk remained a mystery.
“Sis?”
Applejack turned to see the Applebloom and her friends Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo walking up to her the rest of the group.
“What's going on?”
“Sweetie Belle? What are you doing here?”
“Well, we were trying to see if we could get Cutie Marks in storybook making. Then we saw that big tree appear out of nowhere.”
“Yeah,” Scootaloo said. “We were on our way back to Ponyville when we ran into you guys.”
“Well you three fillies get back inside, it's not safe out here.”
“Hey guys,” Rainbow Dash said pointing to the Tree of Emptiness. “The smokes clearing up.”
From everywhere, all parties looked on as the smoke and dust around the Tree of Emptiness began to clear up.
The resulting scene was a large crater of destroyed forest and flora, any life that had been caught in that blast was reduced to ash.
And standing in the middle of it all, was a still-standing Tree of Emptiness.
“Oh, thank Harmony, it's still intact!” Luna exclaimed.
“Alright hallelujah,” Rainbow Dash said.
Back at the Tree, the servants looked upon the still intact tree.
“Oh come on this thing is still standing!?” Mordred said. “How is that possible?”
“Maybe on more punch will do it,” Mori said “If I can just find the right spot.”
“Wait,” Siegfried said.
“Huh, what do you mean wait?”
“Just wait.”
Everyone stood in silence for a few more moments.
Then, there was a loud audible crack. Loud enough that everyone could hear it from miles away.
Back in Canterlot, the sound was enough to make Seth, who had breathed a sigh of relief to being worried again.
“What was that?” Selena said.
“I-I need a telescope, does someone have a telescope?”
“I do sir!” said a Unicron guard who pulled one out of his bag.
“Good, now point it at the tree.”
The guard did so and Seth looked through the lens.
The Tree of Emptiness was still there, but its color was noticeably beginning to drain. From the bottom, a series of cracks began to slowly creep up the trunk of the tree.
“Seth?”
The Luxury turned to look at Apple Fritter, who looked like she was about to fall over.
“Seth, I don’t feel so good.”
The Pokemon caught his mate began she hit the ground. He turned her over as he looked her in the eyes.
“Fritter, what's wrong? Tell me!”
“S-Seth…I”
Fritter’s body all of a sudden began to shimmer and partly vanish as if she was phasing in and out of view like a ghost.
“Fritter, what's happening!? Fritter!?”
“Ugh, boss.”
Seth then looked up to see Midnight Song similarly going through what was affecting Fritter.
“Uh Seth, it’s not just them.”
He looked up to see Ingis looking over the wall. When Seth poked his head over as well, his heart sank.
Ponies all over the place were falling over and going through the same thing as Fritter and Midnight. Pokemon looked in horror as their pony companions withered in pain.
Back in Ponyville Applejack saw as Applebloom and her friends all collapsed to the ground. She, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash were immediately at their sides as the fillies' eyes became heavy and their breathing became labored.
“Applejack…somethings…what’s happening…why…can’t I move….”
“Applebloom, Applebloom! APPLEBLOOM!!”
“Rarity…..help….help…I….”
“It's alright, Sweetie Belle,” said Rarity, who was trying and failing to stay calm. “You’re going to be alright, just hold my hoof and everything will be alright.”
“Rainbow…Dash…”
“Yeah, squirt, I’m here.”
“Am I….am I dying?”
“No you’re not, you’re not dying!”
“But…it feels….like I’m slipping away…”
The other Ponies and Pokemon looked on in horror as the three young fillies clung to life. Them from Ponyville, they heard a wave of cries and moans. Twilight took to the skies and look at her home. Everywhere, Ponies lay sprawled on the ground, only the Pokemon who did not seem to be affected by the affliction tried to do everything they could to help.
All over Equestria, and all over the world, Ponies, Dragons, Griffins, Zebras, and others felt a sudden pain and loss of will stand. As if their very existence had become unstable, they barely clung to life as they felt their very selves become disconnected from reality.
“What in the name of Arceus is happening!?” Latios cried out.
The answer came not from anyone who could speak. But simply by looking at the Tree of Emptiness. As more cracks began to form and as pieces of bark began to fall from the massive structure, the ponies' breathing became more labored, and they began to fade even further.
In Baltimare, Alice tried everything in her power to save a dying Slight Hoof and Quick Storm.
In Zebrica, Sev was frantically going around trying to get anyone to help Lighting Dust.
In the Griffin Empire Victoria had collapsed on the ground while Shredder did everything she could to help.
In the Changeling forests, Emperor Carapace felt his strength leave him as if his time was coming to an end.
In the simplest of terms, they were being erased from existence.
-
Shaymin and co. finally arrived at the Tree of Emptiness just in time to see the cracks forming and climbing up the tree.
“Oh no,” Celebi said.
“Are we too late?” Dialga said.
Celebi quickly established a telepathic connection with Giratina.
“Giratina we’re at the Tree of Emptiness. Where are you? What’s happening?”
“Celebi, you’re there is anyone else with you?”
“Yes, I’m here, and most of us are back. What’s going on?”
“I fear, the worst has come to pass.”
“What!?”
“The humans, I think they may have killed the Tree of Emptiness.”
“....No, that can’t be!”
“Tell that to the ponies around me who look like they are about to fade out of existence!”
With horror on her face, Celebi turned to the rest of the group.
“Giratina thinks the Tree of Emptiness is dying, he says the ponies are fading away.”
“It's true.”
All eyes were on Palkia as his body glowed.
“I can sense the spatial stability of this land and its native people, it’s becoming undone. They are all being erased from existence.”
All the Legendaries looked with panicked and sorrowful faces and the reality of the situation began to set in. The worst scenario that could have happened was now playing out right before them. The place they had come to call home was about to be destroyed, and all the new friends and family they had made were about to die as well.
“Wait, why aren’t we affected?” Hoopa said.
“Perhaps it’s because we are not native to planet and universe. Our connection to this land is not as strong as the people who were born here. Or maybe it might all take longer for us to fade away because of that same reason.”
“Can’t we do anything to stop it!?” Victini shouted. “We can’t allow it to end like this!”
For a moment, no one said a thing. Then Jirachi spoke up.
“I think, I have an idea!”
“Well let’s hear it!”
“The tree is dying because it has taken a substantial amount of damage. If we can find a way to heal or repair the damage done then it should stabilize it.”
“Okay, how can we do that?”
“We need someone who heals on a scale a level that can repair the tree and reverse its decay. But the only one who might be able to do that is…father.”
“And he doesn’t wake up for another few hours,” Hoopa said. “And no one can wake him up from his regen sleep until he is completely recovered.”
“Maybe if Palkia, Dialga, and Giratina all go together and force him to wake up, will that work?” Victini said.
“They might work, but it could also take too long,” Rayquaza said. “And we need to stop this now!”
“Rayquaza’s right. There’s no time! To go and wake up father,” Jirachi pointed out. “We need to stop this now.”
“Well, what else can we do? We can’t give up, we are the Legendary Pokemon! We never give up. We are the protectors of this world. We failed to protect our home planet, we will not fail to protect this new one!” Palkia shouted.
Jirachi like the rest was willing to do anything to save this new world they called home. And she did know of one more possible way to save the Tree of Emptiness, but it would come at a great cost.
She was about to put the option on the table, when she noticed someone was missing.
“Hey, where’d Shaymin go?”
Closer to the Tree of Emptiness, Shaymin hovered in front of the star-shaped mark that adorned the center of the tree. It was this place where she could feel the greatest heat source and where most of the tree’s life force was located. The cracking had yet to reach it, but it soon would.
Shaymin knew plantlife better than any other Legendary Pokemon. And despite her size, she was no slouch when it came to power and authority over plants. With a single flyby, she could turn a desolate field into a sea of flowers. She could create new berries and plants on a whim. It was within her power to do any and all things related to plants.
She knew that the Tree of Emptiness, the tree that sustained their entire world was dying. Its life was slipping away. In order to save it, the life force lost had to be replenished with new life. And not just any life, but one that would be compatible with it.
When Shaymin left the other Legendary Pokemon before they could notice, she already knew what she might have to do.
There was a moment of hesitation, Shaymin was not even sure if this would even work. And yet, there was no room for contemplation.
“Okay here goes nothing.”
Pressing her body against the bark of the tree, Shaymin used one of her most powerful moves, Aromatherapy. Normally such a move would only heal status conditions like burns or poison. But as the original creator of the move, Shaymin could do so much more, when used by her, the move could bring someone back from the brink of death.
“Come on, come on!”
Green waves of healing power propagated throughout the tree, almost immediately the cracking slowed down and eventually stopped. But that's all it did, it was not enough to reverse the damage done.
“This isn’t enough, I need to do more!” But Shaymin was could only do so much, especially on the surface. If she were to heal the tree fully, then she had to go further.
On a certain level, the Tree’s of Emptiness have their own will, a single desire to live and grow. Shaymin could sense that from the amount of contact she had with the tree.
“Hey, do you want to live?”
The tree said yes.
“Then, if you would allow it, let me in.”
The tree with no hesitation opened itself up and allowed the grass-type Legdnary Pokemon within itself.
As she was inside the tree, drifting towards its center, she could feel its properties and makeup on a much more personal scale. During that brief time, she was able to discern that the Tree of Emptiness had absorbed the properties of another tree, one with a life force of its own. But she could not if the other tree had been subverted willingly or unwillingly. The mind of the other tree was less strong but still had some influence.
Pushing that thought aside, Shaymin continued further until she finally reached the heart of the massive structure. Shaymin stood before it, she knew what she was about to do would not doubt kill her. That her life force would be enough to save the tree from dying. She thought of her friends, Zygarde, Victini, Cresselia, Celebi, Melloeta, Serva, and the others. No doubt they would be sad by her departure.
But for their home, and their lives, hers was a small price to pay.
“Heh, well I guess no one really lives forever huh. Sorry guys looks like I’ll be going ahead.”
With all of her will and power, Aromatherapy was used one last time. Her body glowed brighter and brighter until it began to dissolve into particles of light. Before the Gratitude Pokemon’s face vanished, she smiled one last smile which was accompanied by her last thoughts.
“I am so grateful for all the fun times and memories you all gave me, may your journey continu-”
The last vestiges of Shaymin dissolved into light, merging with the tree’s core and revitalizing it.
Outside, the Tree of Emptiness glowed a bright green as the cracks that had formed began to seal up and reverse from where they came.
Back on the ground, everyone saw as the tree began to heal itself.
“What’s going on?” Latias said. “What’s happening to the tree now?”
“Is it, is it being healed by something?” Luna said. “Or someone?”
Applebloom who was still being cradled by a distraught Applejack had stopped fading away. Her body began to stabilize as her breathing returned to normal.
“Applebloom! Applebloom!?”
“B-big sis?” The little filly blinked as she felt her strength return to her, as her body finally became whole again. Although part of her still felt a little dizzy from the whole experience.
“Oh thank Celestia!” Applejack embraced her little sister with tears in her eyes. “You’re going to be alright.”
“Can’t. Breath.”
“Oh, Sweetie Belle!” Rarity cried as she was dramatically embracing her sister harder than Applejack was. So tightly in fact that the little unicorn could only give muffled grunts as she tried to speak.
“Hey, you okay squirt?”
“Yeah, I think I’m fine Rainbow Dash.”
Seeing what was happening to the fillies, Twilight looked back to Ponyville. Her heart jumped for joy as she saw ponies getting back up on their feet, some of them being helped by Pokemon.
“How is this possible?” Celestia said.
Giratina who was just as confused as everyone else then received another telepathic message from Celebi.
“Giratina.” Instantly from the tone and sound of her voice knew that Celebi was in a sad mood, but for what reason?
“Celebi, what’s going on? Where are you?”
“I’m at the Tree of Emptiness.” Okay, now it sounded like she was crying.
“What’s wrong, what happened to the tree?”
“The Tree is fine, its just…Shaymin.”
“Why, what happened to Shaymin?”
“.....She’s gone.”
“Gone?”
“I think….I saw her enter the tree, and now, I can longer feel her life force. She...she sacrificed herself to save....”
At that point, Giratina heard Celebi break down into tears as it caused their mental connection to cease.
And yet, Giratina perfectly understood the situation and what happened. His gaze lingered on the Tree of Emptiness, a solemn sadness overcoming him as well as he looked at it.
“Farewell, my friend."
In Equestria and all over the world, people began to feel the life return to them. As if the hand that threatened to drag them down to death had let go.
In Canterlot, Apple Fritter returned to normal as she was embraced by Seth.
“Oh Apple Fritter, you’re okay!” The couple was soon joined by Ingis and Selena as the family hugged each other.
“I thought I lost you there.”
“It’s okay Seth, I’m not going anywhere.”
The two then shared a loving kiss as the others gave them some space.
-
“Uh, can someone tell me what just happened!?” Kadoc said.
“I have no idea.” Meuniere said as he checked and double-checked the instruments. “One moment the Tree of Emptiness looked like it was about to kick the bucket, not it's looking much better than when we arrived here!”
“You think the Equestrians or maybe the Pokemon had something to do with it?” Ophelia suggested.
“Maybe, we'll have to check over the readings later but for now we got other problems.”
Just then, the Shadow Border got a call from Ritsuka and Kirschtaria.
“Guys, please tell me you have an explanation for this,” Ritsuka said.
“Sorry, Fujimaru. But we’re just as baffled as you are right now. What’s the situation over there?” Da Vinci said.
“Well, I think we can all see that the Tree of Emptiness has somehow been healed. And if you’re asking us to attack it again, don’t, they used all the mana we gave them to fire off those Noble Phantasms.”
“We’re also seeing more and more Legendary Pokemon showing up right now,” Kirschtaria said. “I and Fujimaru have asked the servants to all go into spirit form for now.”
“I see,” Holmes said interjecting. “As the tactical advisor, I can see that continuing to fight at this point is futile given our spent resources and the enemy receiving reinforcements. I recommend a retreat for now.”
“I agree with Holmes,” Da Vinci said. “This mission is a failure, Kirschtaria and Ritsuka, return to the Shadow Border for now. We talk about what to do next once we're in a safe location.”
“Roger that let’s go Fujimaru.”
“Alright, Mash, is everyone here?”
Mash, who had just regrouped with her senpai’s nodded.
“Yes master, all servants are accounted for in spirit form.”
“Alright, let’s go.”
A little later.
Mewtwo floated near the Tree of Emptiness as he took the time to observe along with Palkia and Dialga just what this tree was, and hopefully how it worked.
He was unfortunately one of the last Legendary Pokemon to arrive on the scene. A fact that he was not happy about, for if he had been here, perhaps what had happened could have been prevented.
The others had already told them about how the Tree of Emptiness was nearly destroyed. And in consequence of its dying state, the native people from every part of Equus began to fade away. That is, until Shaymin gave her life in order to restore the tree to full health.
Another Legendary Pokemon was dead. Another one of the oldest Pokemon in the world, a child of Arceus was no more. Thanks to the work of humans.
While Shaymin may have given her life of her own volition to save the world, Mewtwo directed all the blame on Chaldea. A fact that no one would argue against.
“I swear Chaldea. Shaymin’s life will be the last one you will take. I swear with Arceus as my witness, you will pay.”
Elsewhere, Celestia and Luna had returned to Canterlot. Leaving Twilight and friends to help reassure the citizens of Ponyville that everything would be alright.
Once they had arrived back at the Castle, there were many ponies with a lot of questions about what just happened. But before all that, she had a meeting with Luna, Seth, and the other guard captains.
“In short your highnesses, everypony is a little if not very much shaken by what just happened. While everything may seem fine for now, there are some who are worried that this may not just be a one-off thing. Especially since the timed appearance of that giant tree and everyone collapsing is not gonna go unnoticed.” Grissom said.
Celestia and Luna finished listening to the batpony’s report as they looked at each other.
“We have to tell the public, Tia. There is no way we can hide from everyone now.”
“Indeed, there is no avoiding this. I just worry about what might follow.”
Luna knew what Celestia was talking about. Once the truth came out. Equestria would become the epicenter of importance in the entire world. Once the other counties got word that the pony kingdom was where the Tree of Emptiness was located. The other World Leaders would no doubt be more very invested in what goes on in the Equestrian nation.
After all, whosoever controls the thing that keeps everyone alive, would no doubt have a significant influence over the world.
But Celestia was less concerned about an external foreign party and more worried about an internal faction that was ironically located far closer to the Tree of Emptiness than she was.
“Thank you, Captain Grissom, you are dismissed.”
The Night Guard Captain bowed before showing himself out.
“Seth Crescent, do you have anything to report?” Luna said.
“No your majesty. Everything I wanted to say was already conveyed by Grissom.”
“Really, is that all?”
“Yes, although may I request permission to take the rest of the day off?”
“Oh, for what reason?”
“I just, I wanna spend time with my family now. If that’s alright with you.”
The look in his eyes was more than enough to make Celestia and Luna understand what Seth meant.
“You may go Seth Crescent. Spend time with those you love, Harmony knows all of us need some of that right now.”
“Thank you, your majesty.”
And with that, the Luxray turned to walk out the door, leaving the Princess alone in the throne room once again.
“Sister, did the Legendary Pokemon say when Arceus wakes up?”
“If I remember correctly,” Celestia said. “He should wake up in less than two hours.”
“Are we gonna wait for him before we make the public address?”
“Of course we are.”
Celestia then got up and walked to the balcony. She looked out over her city and the land beneath her. Ponies continued to walk and go about their daily lives, although the once-bustling city was now much quieter than normal. Not that she couldn’t understand why.
Luna soon walked up beside her, before both sisters sat down. The exhaustion from everything that had happened today finally catching up to them.
“To think, we were this close to extinction Luna.”
“I know It’s almost had to believe.”
Celestia could still hear the words of Karna, how with that single blast, he would inflict extinction on them. His words were no exaggeration or lie. Today, all they had known and loved was nearly destroyed.
“Things were so much simpler when the only thing Equestria only had to worry about, was my return.”
As much as Celestia hates to agree. Luna was right. To think that only a few years ago, things like Discord and King Sombra were the biggest threat to Equestria and the world. Now, things had gotten far more complicated and the stakes were much higher.
No longer was this a simple good verse evil situation. No longer was the magic of friendship gonna be able to solve their problems in a day. This was gonna be in all likelihood a long, drawn out, and emotionally draining conflict. And even if they did win, nothing would be the same ever again.
Celestia was told that the Legendary Pokemon Shaymin had given her life in order to save the Tree of Emptiness and subsequently everyone on Equus.
With that in mind, she could not help but wonder. Just who might they lose in this war?
The Hall of Legends
Arceus opened his eyes as he physically and conceptually stretched his limbs. He then checked himself to see if everything had gone well.
“My power levels have returned to normal. Good.”
It was then Arceus received a mental message from his son. “Father are you awake?”
“Yes, Giratina. I am back, I have regained the energy I lost and have fully recovered from my injuries.”
“Good, we need you here, as soon as possible.”
Arceus then opened a portal as he stepped back into the mortal plane. He found himself in the main lobby of the Hall of Legends. To his surprise, every single Legendary Pokemon was waiting for him.
“Welcome back, Lord Arceus,” Mewtwo said.
Arceus looked around as he read the mood of the room. There was an air of relief and sadness at the same time.
“Is, something wrong?”
Everyone looked at each other, some not knowing where to start. But it was Giratina who stepped forward.
“Father, there is a lot we have to discuss.”
It took 10 minutes to explain what had happened during the time Arceus was asleep. But when it was all done, Arceus did not look upset or angry. No one knew if he was just holding it all in as Giratina explained everything, or if he was still letting all the information set in.
“And that’s what happened.”
Arceus scanned the room again, everyone waiting for his reaction. There were many ways this could go, and not everyone wanted the same thing.
“So…Shaymin is dead.”
“Yes, father.”
“But the Tree of Emptiness is safe?”
“Yes, father.”
“What of the Chaldeans? What happened to them?”
“We don’t know, they disappeared after everything was over. Mewtwo did a mind sweep of the area, but got nothing.”
“Anything else?”
“No, that’s it. Although we were hoping you could analyze the Tree of Emptiness later. Perhaps figure out how it works.”
“I will do that. What of Celestia and Luna?”
“They are planning to make a public announcement about the Tree of Emptiness, although they are waiting for your input.”
“I see, tell them I will visit them shortly.”
“Yes, father.”
“Good, you’re all dismissed.”
Everyone then slowly filed out of the lobby.
And once everyone was gone, Arceus teleported back to his personal realm…and let out a scream of rage and anguish that made the pocket dimension shake.
Shaymin, the Gratitude Pokemon. One of his eldest children after the Creation Dragons and the Lake Trio. She was the one who seeded the Earth with plants and flora. Who made the first berries and trees alongside Xerneas and Celebi.
And now she was gone.
Another immortal Legendary Pokemon killed. Another Pokemon that should have lived forever died before him and so many others.
First Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres, and now Shaymin.
Enough was enough.
“Up until this point, I was holding back as to not waste too much power, and to show restraint on my part. But Chaldea, your actions have led to the death of one of my Legendaries. That is unforgivable.”
Arceus’s eyes glowed with a divine power that would make even the faithless tremble before him.
“I swear as the God of Pokemon, all of you, will be brought to justice."
Stagland.
“And you are sure, everyone is alright?”
“Yes, Empress Serva. The entire population in the city seems to be fine for now.”
“What of the other cities and settlements. Any word from them?”
“We’re still getting reports. But so far the closest villages and towns report the same, your majesty, everyone is okay.”
“Very good, send me word if there are any changes or irregularities.”
“Yes your majesty, will do.”
The deer attendant then left the throne room leaving Empress Serva alone again.
The Empress of Stagland like many others was left shaken and disrupted by what just happened. Although the words she had heard Hoopa speak to Shaymin gave her some idea of what may have happened. She would have to talk with Celestia soon to get the full picture.
The Empress then turned and looked at the mural that hung over her throne. She walked towards it, her mind still on the same subject.
“I don’t know what happened. Or what will happen next, I just hope we will all find a way to survive all of this.”
With the recent appearances of Arceus and Harmony, some of the Deer were starting the question the existence of their patron god. But there were still those who had faith. And Harmony did speak of a time when there were many gods who walked this planet at one point. So maybe, their deity did exist at some point.
Either way, Serva was not about to lose faith now, especially since nothing short of a miracle probably occurred recently.
The Empress then knelt down as she closed her eyes and prayed.
“Oh Great God of the Wilderness, we thank you for this day and this gift of life that you have given us. We thank you for your protection, gentle kindness, and mercy. For it is you that we have to thank for our very existence every single day.”
Serva opened her eyes as she looked at the mural and finished her prayer.
“Please continue to watch over and protect us, Great God Cernunnos.”
The crew was dead silent as the Border drove further and further away from Ponyville.
Whether it was because no one knew how to start the conversation or because they wanted to find a safe spot to park before talking about what just happened.
But evidently, Meuniere got tired of the silence faster than the others.
“Okay, I’m just gonna say it, how in the hell did that happen!?”
He looked around but no one knew how to respond.
“It’s not just a rhetorical question, what happened back there doesn’t add up.”
“You don’t think we know that!” Kadoc retorted. “We were this close to getting rid of the biggest Lostbelt on this planet, and its tree just regenerated itself like it was Wolverine or something.”
“Perhaps, it could be that something else healed it and we just didn’t see,” Ophelia said.
“What do the readings say Da Vinci? Did the instruments catch anything that might explain what happened?”
“I’m too busy maintaining the Border to process the data we got from there. Wait until we make a stop before I can craft a theory.”
The crew once again went silent for another 30 minutes until they came to a nearby forest and engaged conceptual camouflage.
“Okay, now we can talk.”
“Alright, I just wanna say that as of now this Lostbelt operation is starting to become a disaster,” Goredolf said. “Our first attempt to glean any credible information got us in a literal sticky situation. Our attempt to rescue Akuta nearly got us all captured and possible mind probed if it wasn’t for literal divine intervention. And lastly, our attempt to cut down the Tree of Emptiness has been a failure!”
“Oh come one, we’ve been in worse situations before,” Akuta said.
“I agree with Hinako,” Da Vinci said. “As bad as the situation is, it's not hopeless.”
“Alright then, enlighten me on how we are supposed to proceed from here?”
“Okay, but before that, do you want my theory on what happened at the Tree of Emptiness?”
“Oh, well…sure, tell us.”
“Okay, so these scans are inconclusive, but from what I can tell, it seems that around the time the tree was dying there was a divine presence near it.”
“Was it one of the Legendary Pokemon?” Akuta said.
“Most likely yes. Further scans show that said divine entity merged its spirit core with that of the Tree of Emptiness, and my theory is that it was somehow able to reverse the damage done unto it.”
“So you're saying a Pokemon somehow was able to save the tree just before it died by sacrificing its own life?” Kadoc said.
“In all likelihood yes. Remember, we still don’t know much about these trees and what they can do. And how a Legendary Pokemon was able to heal a tree that was on death's door is beyond me. They must have had a great amount of power to be able to do that.”
“Alright, so we know the how. At this point, it is unwise to go back to the Tree of Emptiness and try again. Since the Pokemon and ponies will have greatly increased their defenses by now. Hell, we were lucky to get a shot at it with the minimal opposition that showed up,” Kirschtaria said.
“And don’t forget, Caster Gilgamesh said that that would be our only chance for a while that we would get a chance at destroying the tree,” Fujimaru said.
“So the question is, what to do now?”
“Hmmm, Tactical Advisor, what do you think?”
Holmes made a face one made when they knew the recipient would not like the answer.
“I have mulled this over for a while so I’ll just say this. This Lostbelt as we have seen is very much different from the ones we have visited so far. I would go so far as to say that it is an exception among exceptions when it comes to these Lostbelts, which is saying a lot since we don’t know the inner workings of the other 5.”
“Sion did give it an E-EX rank. Now we know why.”
“This Lostbelt is the largest so far and is home to a large variety of powerful creatures that we have no means of fighting all on our own. We were lucky that we never had to face the entire Oprichniki army when we fought Ivan the Terrible, I doubt we will have that kind of reprieve here. In all likelihood, this Lostbelt will now be looking to send the entirety of its forces after us, especially now.”
“What about the other servants, what if we gathered them all and made another attempt on the tree?” Ophelia said.
“Even with every servant summoned to this land. I’m afraid it would do us no good against the only true god that inhabits this kingdom. Make no mistake, from what our scans suggest, Arceus is tremendously powerful. I would not be surprised if it was very much within his capability to simply command us to die if he willed it. And that's without his Legendary Pokemon, which according to the book Kirschtaria obtained, total to around 50.”
“Okay, so, what your saying is until we have to means to fight Arceus, or at least level the playing field, we can’t make a move on the Tree of Emptiness?” Goredolf said.
“That summarizes it, yes. We need to nullify his authorities or recruit another equally powerful divine spirit to aid us.”
“Then where does that leave us now? What can we do if we have no means of fighting this Lostbelt at the moment?”
Holmes looked at everyone, who in turn looked back at him. Despite Goredolf being the Director, everyone saw him as a source of logically reasoning. As such, they were very willing to listen to any suggestion he might have.
“As much as it pains me to say this, I believe it would be best if we made a tactical retreat back to the Wandering Sea. We must leave this Lostbelt for now and for later.”
Equestria Daily Newspaper
World Sustaining Tree!
Princess Celestia and Princess Luna reveal the truth behind the mysterious towering tree that appeared in the Everfree Forest!
It has been a strange and frightening day for Equestria and the world. Yesterday, a massive mysterious tree of unknown make appeared in the Everfree Forest. This tree according to physicists is tall enough to pierce the cloud layer. Then several minutes later, Almost everyone in the kingdom and reportedly around the world experienced alarming symptoms which included nausea, weakness in muscles, drowsiness, and most frightening of all, becoming transparent and weightless. The only demographic that seemed to be unaffected by this phenomenon were the Pokemon. These symptoms seemed to pass after less than a minute and all seemed fine shortly after.
Princess Celestia and Princess Luna soon after held a press conference which explained in as much detail as they could what the circumstances surrounding that tree is. As we previously reported there exist 5 other alternate timelines known as Lostbelts which are located all over the globe and are currently expanding as we speak, our timeline being one of these Lostbelts. It was then revealed by the Princesses that each Lostbelt is kept alive by what is known as a "Tree of Emptiness" also known as a "Fantasy Tree". These trees are apparently responsible for each timeline growing and sustaining itself in the face of temporal correction. The Tree of Emptiness that now looms over the Everfree is the Fantasy Tree for our world.
“Obviously, the protection and safety of this tree are of the utmost importance to not only Equestria but to every other nation on this planet.” Said Princess Celestia. “As such, we will immediately begin sending guard ponies and Pokemon to defend and patrol this most important of constructs. Despite whatever reservations some might have about the Everfree, I expect that as many as we can spare will be sent to protect the tree from aggressors. I also have good word that Arceus and his Legendary Pokemon will make defending the tree their number one priority. This means that the task of hunting down servants will now mostly defer to a special task force that is currently being assembled and lead by Captain Seth Crescent.”
“Despite his new priorities, Lord Arceus has agreed to provide us with aid in the form of a new weapon that will be revealed sometime later this week.” Said Captain Seth Crescent.
-
Seth walked down the hallways of the castle with his team by his side, there was some anticipation in the air as they made their way to the throne room.
“So what do you think Arceus is gonna give us?” Rikka said.
“Who knows,” Selena replied. “Maybe he’ll give us a power related to Mega Evolution.”
“Oooh, you think he’ll be giving me a Mega Evolution!?”
“If he did that he’ll have to do it for all the Eeveelutions,” Seth pointed out.
“Hey, as long as I get one I'm fine. Besides, I’ll always be your favorite.”
“Exactly.”
“If that's what's happening, then I want a Mega Charizard Z form!” Ingis exclaimed.
“Mega Charizard Z? What would that look like?” Selena said
“Obviously it would combine both Mega Charizard X and Mega Charizard Y. Best of both worlds baby!”
“Of course, it would.”
“Welp, you guys guess can ask him yourself.” Having arrived at their destination, Seth knocked on the doors to the throne room which opened to let him in.
Inside, were the Princesses as well as Arceus and several other individuals he recognized, namely a Ninetales and an Infernape.
“Oh, hello Abby, didn’t expect to see you here.”
“Hello Seth, hope you’re doing well.”
“And John Williams, what brings you from the Crystal Empire?”
“Apparently the same reason we're all here. Arceus said he wanted to give us some kind of new power?”
“Indeed,” Arceus said. “Let’s dispense with the pleasantries, and get to the point. As you know, yesterday, the tree which you now all know as the Tree of Emptiness was revealed to the world and shortly attacked by Chaldea. While we managed to repel the interlopers, it would be no exaggeration to say that our world nearly came to an end. If it weren’t for the sacrifice of one of our own. Everyone natural-born species on Equus would have faded out of existence. I believe some of you know what I’m talking about.”
Seth and John’s faces became despondent as they recalled what happened recently.
John could vividly remember holding Holly Heart in his arms, she looked like she was about to disappear at any moment.
“As such while Chaldea is now in hiding, it is clear that they cannot be allowed to continue their operations any longer. While my Legendary Pokemon and the Canterlot Royal Guard are now busy setting up a defense perimeter around the Tree of Emptiness. Yesterday's battle has told me something.”
“What’s that?” Selena asked.
“That despite my great power and the power of my Legendaries, we will not always be there to help you all. Now normally I wouldn’t expect you all to always rely on me and my family, but these are dangerous times, and we need all the help we can.”
“I agree,” Luna said. “The Chaldea we are facing may seem like a small group. But the servants at their command have shown that they are capable of fighting both my sister, me and the Legendary Pokemon as equals. This is why Arceus wants to give you all a power that allows you to have a fighting chance.”
Everyone looked at each other.
“Well don’t keep us in suspense, come on! What kind of new powers are we talking about here?” Ingis’s inquired.
“This power is something that can only be used by Pokemon, but unlike Mega Evolution, it can be used with any Pokemon. It will allow you to transform any attack move into a new type of superpowered move on par with Mega Evolution. I call them: Z-Moves.”
“Z-Moves?” Seth said.
“Yes, they work on the same principles as Mega Evolution in that it is powered by the bonds between Pokemon and trainer. Or should I say Pokemon and former humans?”
“Interesting, an ability that allows any Pokemon to use a superpowerful move," Abby said. "That sounds really helpful.”
“Keep in mind, that just like Mega Evolution, this power can only be used in one session. So don’t expect to be firing these things off over and over. Also, if you wish to use these things, know that you won’t have the energy to Mega Evolve afterward. You can only pick one.”
“Aww really!?” Ingis said disappointingly. “I was imagining myself going Mega Charizard and then using Z-Moves to blow away the competition in one fell swoop.”
“As advantageous as that would be, I do not want my Pokemon to overwhelm themselves with that kind of power. Trying to unleash a Z-Moves while Mega Evolved will cause serious strain on both the Pokemon and their partner. So do not try it.”
While Ingis pouted, Seth raised another question.
“I assume there are some kind of items that will be needed to trigger these Z-Moves or something?”
“Indeed, just like one needs a Key Stone and a Mega Stone to Mega Evolve, you will need these in order to use Z-Moves.”
Arceus’s eyes glowed and then white metal bands appeared on all three of the former humans. For Seth, a new piece was added to his guard badge, while Abby and John had theirs warped around their ankle and arms respectively.
"These are called Z-Rings, they will allow you to use Z-moves. Also required are one of these special crystals."
Then 3 black rectangular boxes appeared in front of the Z-Ring wielders. They opened up to reveal 18 different colored crystals that all had symbols on them that the trainers recognized as the icons for the 18 Pokemon types.
“Put these things into the slot of your Z-Ring and if your Pokemon has a type that matches the crystal, their moves can be converted into a Z-move. Further instructions can be found within the boxes on how to use them.
“Cool!” Seth said.
“Thank you, Lord Arceus, we greatly appreciate this,” John said while bowing.
“So, are we the only ones getting these things, or will everyone else get them?” Abby inquired.
“I intend to distribute these items in a manner that is favorable to everyone. But for now, the ones who are in law enforcement or contributing to the fight against servants will be the ones to receive these things first. They are the top priority for now. After which I will find a time and place to give them to everyone else. Or maybe I’ll just scatter them around the world and let everyone find them.”
“Kinda how people would hunt for Mega Stones,” Seth said.
“With this power, all of you will be able to match the might of a servant's Noble Phantasm, their most powerful weapons. Basically, they are your own Noble Phantasms in some kind of sense. Use them well and use them wisely. The forces of Chaldea are merciless, and you should respond in kind. Any questions?”
“Just one.”
“Yes, Seth?”
“You said someone sacrificed themselves to save us, who was that?”
Arceus’s face went dark for a brief moment, but then sterned himself.
“It was Shaymin. She gave her life in order to save the Tree of Emptiness.”
“Oh no, not Shaymin,” Abby said.
None of them had particularly got to know the Gradittude Pokemon, but they knew from myth and legend that she was one of the oldest and most important Legendary Pokemon. Many folklore attributed her to be the one who created most of the first plant life and vegetation on Earth. Many of the berries were her idea, although apparently, apricorns were not.
“I am so sorry for your lose Arceus,” Celestia said. Her sentiment being expressed by everyone in the room.
"Me too," John said. "I can't imagine what you must be going through, especially since you also just lost Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres."
“Thank you all, but there will be time to mourn later. Right now we must hunt down Chaldea, so that Shaymin will be the last of my children to die in this conflict. If there are no more questions I shall go now.”
Most shook their head, and Arceus took that as his permission to leave.
“Good luck everyone.” And with that Arceus, disappeared in a flash of light.
“So, who up for testing these bad boys out?” Ingis said.
“I and Kasai can be your partners if you need one,” Abby said.
“Are you sure Abby?” Luna said. “You only just recently recovered from you wounds that you got fighting that Chaldean.”
“I’m fine, a little blood transfusion and some potions and I’m now back in fighting shape.”
“Blood transfusion?” John said. “What happened that you needed something like that?”
“I fought a member of Chaldea who was able to beat me and suck out my blood like a vampire. Not a pleasant experience let me tell ya.”
John was taken aback by this. Vampires were only the stuff of legends. While there are Pokemon who drink blood as a sustenance, he never heard of humans doing it.
“Oh great, you’re telling me we have to deal with vampires now?” Selena sighed. “Just when I thought this world couldn’t get any more stranger.”
“Okay, less talking about blood-sucking monsters, more testing out these Z-Moves,” Seth said. “I’ll go secure a training ground for us.”
The group of Pokemon and their trainers then left the throne room. Once alone, Princess Luna turned to her sister.
“So, what shall we do now Tia?”
“For now, let's just focus on sparring what guards we can to fortify the Tree of Emptiness. Thankfully the one good thing to come out of that fight is the crater that was made around the tree. So setting up an encampment should not be a problem.”
“That and I also imagine that we should be receiving letters from the other World Leaders regarding the tree and wanting their input on the matter."
“I have some ideas regarding that, which hopefully will involve them sending aid for fortifications.”
“I see where you're going with this. Equestria has always had a large sway in the political world, and now it's only about to get more influential to the point of unfairness.”
“Now now, Luna, we must not boast about taking too much pride in this. Equestria is a nation of humble ponies who only seek to better the world and our allies, not control it.”
“Speaking of allies, what is your stance now after all this?”
Celestia noticed the change in Luna’s tone. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, do you still plan on negotiating with Chaldea after everything that has happened. Cause I’m not sure you would have the support of the rest of the nation if you made such a decision.”
“...Luna.”
“I’m serious Celestia.”
The solar alicorn walked to the balcony followed by her sister.
“I love and admire the pony you are, somethings I even envy that. But there comes a point when mercy must be set aside for the greater good.”
Both sisters looked over their city as well as their kingdom. The sun at high noon illuminated the land with its yellow shine.
“Everything and everyone we know and love were nearly taken from us. And while we may have narrowly avoided death, the people of our kingdom were left scared and frightened.”
“I know it's just.”
“What? Tell me why you won’t go down this path? What is keeping you from making the hard choice.?”
“....Because I don’t wish to take away anyone's future.”
“.....”
“None of us did anything wrong, Luna. There is no clear good or evil in this conflict. Only people trying to protect their future and their people. And yet, the world asks us to become murderers to save our own. It’s not right, it's not fair. Why can’t there be a path where everyone can live in peace. Why does the world have to be so complicated and cruel? Why has any of this have to happen!”
A single tear fell from Celestia’s face.
“How many times must we fight to save our world.”
The solar Princess then knelt down. She soon felt a wing drape over her and a smaller body lean next to her.
“I don’t know sister. I don’t think anyone knows. It seems like the innocence and happiness that we tried so hard to achieve has been lost. Time is the most cruelest of mistresses, and conflict is as everpresent as peace. Perhaps things will never be the same. Perhaps this is when Equestria finally grows up and learns to accept just how complicated the world can really be.”
Luna nuzzled her sister.
“There is no easy path through this. No lesson of friendship to be learned. We can only do what we must, and more than likely we will be asked to do things that will leave us broken and changed. But I do know this. When I saw little Scootaloo being held by Rainbow Dash, her voice becoming weaker and weaker, I promised myself, that I would do anything and everything I can to protect my little ponies. No matter the personal cost.”
Celestia let her sister's words sink in, her mind pondering what she would do when she faced Chaldea next.
She then remembered a quote she heard from somewhere, she had forgotten who said it, but she could recall their words vividly.
“Mercy to an enemy, cannot come at the cost of mercy for their victims. The right path isn’t easy to find but once you do, the only question is whether you're strong enough to walk it.”
And for her little ponies, she was more than strong enough.
“I am sorry humans of Chaldea, but the next time we meet, I shall hold nothing back."
Equestria Daily Newspaper
A Kingdom that was on the brink of Death!
The mysterious phenomenon that nearly killed everyone on the planet is revealed to have been caused by Humans.
As we reported yesterday, an unknown event caused everyone in Equestria and around the world to nearly die. We now have more information that confirms this was all caused by the human lead organization known as Chaldea! Who as we have recently learned attacked the Tree of Emptiness. In doing so, our world was almost erased from existence as a consequence. As this was something that was felt by everyone on the planet, people are now aware more than ever of the threat of this pro-human organization. As the days go by, more and more people cry out for the hunting of servants and bringing this dangerous organization to justice.
We can also confirm that the only fatality during that incident was the Legendary Pokemon Shaymin.
“We plan to put more effort in the hunting of servants and Chaldea as a whole. It is now very clear this organization poses a grave threat to the good citizens of Equestria and the world.” Said former Solar Gaurd Captain Ironside.
Meanwhile, we have learned that Arceus has given a brand new ability to the Pokemon race. A power that is known as “Z-Moves”. These Z-Moves can apparently convert any Pokemon attack into a powerful move that exceeds what is normally possible for standard Pokemon.
“These Z-Moves so far will only be available to Pokemon who are members of law enforcement and the Royal Guard.” Says Ambassador Mewtwo. “The rest of the Pokemon race will have full access to these Z-Moves in due time. While Lord Arceus makes no mistakes, there must be further trial and testing when it comes to refining Z-Moves and how they work.
-
“Okay, so let's see here.”
Seth, Abby, John, and their Pokemon partners all stood in the training grounds as several test dummies had been set up for them. The first usage of Z-Moves was to be conducted right there.
“So the way this works is that there are 18 different Z-moves for each of the elemental types. No matter what move of the elemental type is used, it will always be the same regardless. So no matter if you use Flamethrower or Fire Punch, it will be the same fire type Z-Move.”
“Okay, so what is the fire type Z-move?” Ingis asked.
“It's apparently called Inferno Overdrive.”
“I call first go!”
“Any objections ladies?” Seth said looking to Rikka and Selena.
“Nah, I’m good.”
“Go ahead, it would be unwise to keep Ingis waiting.”
“Alright, let's do this.”
Ingis stood in front of Seth and faced the leftmost dummy. Seth then tapped his Z-Ring and focused as best as he could.
“Arceus said Z-Moves work similar to Mega Evolution, but different. Let’s hope experience lets me pull this off.”
After a moment, Seth began to glow. Then energy that surrounded him sprung forth and went to Ingis who felt a surge of power.
“Oh, this feels amazing! Not like Mega Evolution amazing, but close enough.”
“Alright then, let's just see just how amazing it really is. Ingis use Inferno Overdrive!”
The Charizard began to gather fire in his mouth, more than what had ever been seen before for his species. Once enough had been gathered, Ingis unleash a massive fireball at the target, which seemed to only grow bigger as it traveled. Upon impact, the resulting explosion shook the entire left side of the castle.
When the dust finally cleared, not only was the left dummy reduced to ashes, but also every other one on the field.
“Woah, so that’s what a Z-Move is,” Selena said.
“That was AWESOME! Let’s do it again.”
“Well while I do agree that it was awesome, we can’t do it again for a while remember.”
“Come on Seth, it’s not like you've never been able to Mega Evolve both me and Selena, why not Z-Moves.”
“Because I’d rather not try and push our limits now. Plus, John wanted to try next.”
“I think we should set up some more dummies first,” Kasai said. Since there doesn’t seem to be any left standing.”
After cleaning the field and putting up 3 more dummies, John equipped Waternium Z on this Z-RIng and stood behind his Pokemon, Eclipse.
“Alright Ecplise, since your specialty is Water attacks, let's use the Z-Move called Hydro Vortex.”
“You got it, John.”
John had no experience with Mega Evolution,(mostly because he never came across the Key Stone necessary for it) so he can’t say he knew exactly what he was doing. But Arceus did tell them that it focuses on the bonds between Pokemon and their partners. And if there was one thing people could say about John, is that he always put friends and family first.
“Let’s do this.”
The Infernape was surrounded with the same energy that had been used by Seth, and once again it was sent to his partner Pokemon. The Blastoise felt a surge of energy wash over him.
“Okay Eclipse, use Hydro Vortex!”
“Alright!”
Water erupted from Eclipse’s cannons and covered the field. Then enveloping himself in the water, the Blastoise rushed the training dummies and captured them in a watery vortex so massive and devastating it put the actual move “Whirpool” to shame.
When it was all over, the entire field which was once a charred mess, was now a muddy puddle.
“Wow, these Z-Moves are the real deal,” John said.
“And they certainly make quite a mess,” Abby pointed out.
Looking at the damage done, Seth had to agree. “Still wanna try your luck, Abby?”
“Nah, I’d rather not make more of a mess than we already have. I can train with Kasai back at the Ranger Union. So for now, let's just clean this up.”
“Indeed, I’d rather not hear it from Grissom asking what happened to the training grounds."
Equestria Daily Newspaper
We have recently done some interviews with those who experienced their near brush with death on the day Chaldea attacked the Tree of Emptiness. Many have much to say about this traumatic event.
”I can’t say I know what it feels like to die, but if what I felt on that day is anything similar, well then I now understand why people are so afraid to die. After all, no one likes being reminded of their own mortality. All of us simply expect our time to come when were old and lived a full life. But on that day I saw a kid, a young colt laying on the ground as if his time had come. That image is something that stays in your head. No one should have to go before their time.”- This person asked to remain anonymous.
“I want to be mad,”Says an earth pony from Baltimare. “I want to be mad because I honestly thought I was gonna die. My friends who are a Siczor and a Sylveon were scared for me when they saw that I was fading away. I wanna find whoever did this and buck them in the face. But then, I pause for a moment and remember what my friend said to me. That they were just trying to save their own world. From their perspective, they were only doing what they thought would save the human race. And so I think to myself, what would I have done if the roles were reversed. Would I be willing to take billions of lives just to save billions of lives?”
Once again from a Gardivoir who would only identify herself as “M”.“I thought something like this would happen. It’s honestly not surprising humans would do this, even so, to kill an entire world, a world full of people with families, hopes, and dreams…its times like these I ask why? When does it end?”
Her partner, a Zoroark who asked to be identified as “R”.“We brought this upon ourselves, the changes Arceus made to us and everything else, it was fully deserved. But humans can be sore losers, and now they have just proven to the world what lines they will cross to get what they want. To the people of Chaldea, if they ever see these words, I ask you, please stop. Don’t let your actions lead to something far worse. Because Arceus only has so much mercy for you.”
From a PLA member who goes by the name Rak.“I don’t care what their reasons are, I don’t care if they have justification or if their cause is righteous in their eyes. Humans are evil, they cannot be trusted. Arceus should have just left them all back on Earth if you ask me. As a veteran of the Pokemon Liberation Army, I was there when it was lead by our first leader, Commander Viper, he knew exactly how to deal with their kind. If he was still around, he would have not stopped until every human was eviscerated. To the point where there would be rivers of blood. Hear me now humans of Chaldea, whether it be me, Arceus, or fate itself, your time will come. You have already lost, there will be no escape this time.”
From a former human who asked to remain annonymous."Who truly deserves to live more? A single sentient species. Or something around 10 different unique sentient races? They say this timeline, the one which we all live in is a Lostbelt, an alternate history of this planet, which is the right one? Ours or theirs? They say that these Trees of Fantasy keep our worlds alive in the face of temporal correction, does that mean the planet itself doesn't want us to live? You could make a case that the Pokemon who have suffered under the yoke of humans deserve to live more. But that alone is not enough for some people, you must also be worthy to live. You could make the case that humans deserve to live since this is their planet while the Pokemon come from another world, and just forced themselves in here. But you could also make the case where the Pokemon would take better care of this planet. With someone like Arceus around, this planet and its civilizations could last for eons to come. What is the right answer, is there even a right answer to begin with? I leave that up to you."
-
Hall of Legends.
Arceus reappeared back in the main foyer. His arrival was noticed as Giratina rose from the shadows to greet his father.
“Hello father, I trust your task was successful?”
“Yes Giratina, as if it would go otherwise. The use of Z-Moves will greatly increase the potential that Pokemon will be able to achieve. And more importantly, they now have greater means to be able to fight against servants.”
“I’m almost surprised you went with giving them Z-Moves instead of…that other power.”
“While Dynamax would be a great asset for them to have, I’d rather not have a repeat of the Darkest Day.”
“Ah, speaking of which, I trust they didn’t ask where Z crystals came from.”
The question alone made Arceus narrow his eyes at his son. After all, it was clear he was referring to a topic that they and a few others had agreed to never speak of again.
“While I don’t like lying, I was prepared to tell them that I simply just made them and that Diancie might have had a had in the process.”
Reading the room, Giratina tried to change the subject.
“So that aside, have you developed a means of finding Chaldea?”
“I have a few ideas, normally it would not take much effort to simply locate them with just a thought. But they clearly must be using some kind of conceptual camouflage to hide themselves from my divine sight.” *Sigh* “Humans should not have access to that kind of power, conceptual abilities should remain in the realm of the divine.”
“I wholeheartedly agree father. Humans are dangerous enough on their own without superpowers.”
“However, while I cannot locate them at the moment, I think I may have a way of keeping them from leaving so to speak.”
“How so?
If Arceus could, he would be smiling right now.
“Call your brothers, it is time for them to once again alter the very fabric of time and space.”
-
Sweet Apple Acres.
Applejack walked up the stairs of her house. A simple thing to do, something she had done countless times and never gave any thought to. And yet she could not calm down her beating heart.
There was anticipation on her mind, or at least that was what she told herself, it was closer to paranoia. After all, with what had just happened, she could not help but worry.
Her heart raced faster as she neared the room of her destination, the silence that came from it did not help calm her down.
Upon reaching the room, she quietly and against her own instincts, slowly crept it open.
And once she looked inside, her heart rate returned to normal.
Sleeping soundly on her bed was a napping Apple Bloom, and sitting on a chair next to her was Granny Smith. While Big Machintosh was resting his head on the other side of the bead.
The elderly pony knew her oldest grandaughter was there but did not take her eyes off her youngest one.
“Is she doing well granny?” Applejack said as she walked up to her. She laid her eyes on her sleeping sister, she looked so peaceful and content as she dreamed in Luna’s realm.
“She’s doing fine, this little one is stronger than we give her credit for.”
“Even so, she’s ma’ sister. Looking after her, worrying about her, that’s non-negotiable.”
“As it should be.”
Applejack looked at her sister. Despite her tranquil state now, the Element of Honesty could not help but remember that only a short while ago, she was holding her little sibling in her arms. The life leaving her, the fact that Apple Bloom was about to die before her. It would not be surprising if she were to have nightmares about this for weeks to come.
She brushed her hoof against her mane and her body, not just out of affection, but also to confirm that it was the real thing, that she was still here and alive….and not….
“I have to go now granny, Twilight called me and the other girls for a meeting.”
Applejack turned around and began to walk out the door.
“Applejack.”
The Earth Pony stopped and turned her head around.
“Do you know who did this, who almost took Apple Bloom away from us?
The answer was an honest one.
“Yes granny, I know who did this.”
“Good. Cause the next time you see them, if you get the chance, show them what happens when somepony tries to hurt a member of our family.”
“... Believe me, granny…”
Applejack continued walking.
“I intend to.”
After leaving her house, Applejack made her way over to Twilight’s library. After a knock on the door, she was let in to the sight of her 5 friends.
“Applejack, glad you could make it.”
“Glad to be here Twi. So what's the deal?”
“Alright, so as you girls know, Chaldea is still out there, and who knows what they are planning. After what happened yesterday, they have no doubt gone into hiding to recover.”
“Remind me, how are they still able to hide?” Rainbow Dash said. “Can’t Arceus track them or something? He is a god after all.”
“I don’t know. Apparently, Chaldea is using some form of cloaking magic that allows them to hide from even Arceus of all people. And they have an escape method that allows them to get away without any trace whatsoever.”
“So the question is, how do we find someone who is so good at hiding?” Rarity stated.
“Well, it turns out, the way we can find them is actually very simple really.”
The other 5 ponies looked at each other and back at Twilight.
“Beg your pardon?”
“Answer me this Rarity, what is the most common method for unicorns to find something they lost?”
“Hmmm, oh I know this one! A simple tracking spell. Wherever Opalescence is hiding, it’s a simple task of using her shed fur as a last resort. One tracking spell later and I soon find my little darling.”
“Good example Rarity.”
“Uh Twilight, I get what you are saying but theirs a little problem with your solution,” Rainbow Dash said. “Tracking spells can find things and people even. But that requires something that belongs to the thing or person you’re trying to find.”
“Yeah, and last I checked. We don’t have anything that belongs to any of the Chaldeans,” Appejack pointed out.
Twilight then smiled, as if she had a devious plan that she wanted to expose.
“Are you sure about that?”
Then with a glow of her horn, a small vial containing a red liquid popped into existence in from of her.
“Uh, what is that?” Fluttershy said.
“Blood.”
The yellow pegasus then dramatically fainted in a way that would give Rarity a run for her bits.
“Okay. But, whose blood?”
“Remember when we captured that Chaldean named Akuta?”
“How can I forget,” Rainbow Dash’s body shivered. “I’m still coming to grips with Vampires being a thing.”
“Wait, when did you get that?” Pinkie Pie said.
“Remember when she exploded herself to make it look like she committed suicide?”
“How can I forget,” Rarity’s body shivered. “That image will be ingrained in my mind for the rest of my life.”
“Well, let’s just say Bio Chem wasn’t the only one to take samples from that room.”
“So you’re saying we can use this to track her!”
“Exactly Applejack. Once everything is ready, I’ll use the most advanced and powerful tracking spell that I have, and then we’re going a manhunt!”
Shadow Border.
“Shouldn't we at least say goodbye to the other servants first?” Mash suggested.
“That wouldn’t be wise Mash,” Kirschtaria responded. “The longer we stay here the more we risk ourselves being found and captured. It’s best if we cut our losses and leave while we still have the chance.”
“I know but, who knows if they’ll still be here when we come back.”
“It actually wouldn’t be too much effort to simply convert them into saint graphs and take them with us right?” Ophelia said.”
“That’s true, but remember, the cave where we left them is close to where the Tree of Emptiness is, and that's somewhere we don’t want to be right now. And it wouldn’t be wise to send a messenger familiar there on the chance someone could follow it back,” Holmes pointed out.
“Attention everyone! This is your cute and adorable Da Vinci coming to you from my lonely computer pod, is everyone stapped in and ready?”
“Oh shoot, forgot my seatbelt!” Goredolf said while scrambling to put his on.
“Okay then. Expanding Void-Reality observation device: Paper Moon. Expanding Logic formula on Shadow Border's external armor, removing exitance verification for Reality Space. Future Precdition hypothetically prove mirror world plane in ten seconds, relaxing space-time friction decomposition."
“Not gonna lie, as far as Lostbelts go, I’m not gonna miss this one,” Kadoc said.
“Well I thought it was kinda nice,” Anastasia said.
“When we come back we’ll be ready. When it comes to this Lostbelt, a different approach is clearly needed,” Kirschtaria said.
“Shadow Border untether from reality! Void Space Dive, commencing Zero Sail unfurl in five, four, three, two…
A few more seconds passed, but still nothing.
“Uh, Da Vinci?”
“Hold on, let me see what’s wrong.”
The engine was still running, and the paper moon was not turned off. But as far as everyone could tell, they were still in positive space.
“Okay, it looks like we may have a problem.”
“What kind of problem?” Goredolf exclaimed. “Is something wrong with the Shadow Border!?”
“No everything is in working order, I check and double-checked 5 minutes ago and just now.”
“So what's that problem?”
“Well, the problem isn’t us, that's for sure. Gimme a second to see if I can figure it out.”
“Hey, Da Vinci, take a look at this,” Meuniere said as he sent data to her pod.
“Wait are these readings correct!?”
“As correct as our instruments are saying.”
“Can someone enlighten us please?” Kadoc said.
“Okay, so The problem like I said isn’t us, it's the space around us that’s the problem. Simply put, the space we are in is unsuitable to perform a zero dive.”
“What, how!?” Goredolf exclaimed.
“I’m still trying to figure that out myself.”
“Well, then let’s just drive to another location then. If it's a matter of location then going somewhere else should be no problem then.”
“I don’t think so, whatever just happened, it was not here a few minutes ago.”
“Huh?”
“What I’m saying is that the space was not changed when we arrived here, it warped sometime after we came to a stop. This was from all indications deliberate.”
“What are you saying, Da Vinci?” Ritsuka said.
“What I’m saying, and this just a theory, is that someone might have just cast a spell or something that has changed the entire spatial makeup of this Lostbelt or at the very least the surrounding area. Whatever it is has made it so that we can’t leave. We’re stuck here.”
Magical energy coalesced as a summoning circle manifested itself on the grassy field. A connection was established from the Throne of Heroes.
An explosion of light blinded the area, and when it died down a servant stood where it came from.
He was dressed in regal white clothing that was befitting of his royal lineage. His brown eyes displayed a calm yet stern attitude. To the people of Equestria, they would have simply seen him as a human of some culture unknown to them. But those from Proper Human History would have identified him as of Indian descent.
Arjuna open his eyes for the first time in this world, and the first thing he saw was…
“Freeze servant! Don’t you dare move a ghostly muscle!”
All around him were various Royal Guard ponies and Pokemon, with spears and moves at the ready. He looked at the one holding a microphone who spoke again.
“Place your hands behind your head and come quietly, any attempt to resist will be met with lethal force!”
He stood up, while the Counter Force did not provide him with much knowledge of the place he was summoned to, he was very much aware that none of these people were his master.
It wouldn’t be any trouble for him to just turn intangible and just walk right out of here with no one the wiser. But he then noticed that the entire area was being covered by a barrier that while not strong enough to hold him, was not something he could take down while fighting everyone at the same time. It would be a waste of mana, and despite being of the Archer class, which had the independent action skill, Arjuna was not wasteful.
It seems that these soldiers were going to get the fight they anticipated.
“Last chance! Stand down or we will-”
“Gandiva!”
Before the pony guard could finish speaking, Arjuna drew his bow and fired several arrows into the air. They rained down and found their mark, every pony guard was taken out as arrows sprouted from their armor and legs.
Arjuna had dealt with the obviously weaker ponies first, the Pokemon on the other hand…
“Kill the human! Kill that servant!” Said a Rhydon as it charged at him. The Pokemon believed its strong hide would allow it to last long enough to ram into Arjuna with extreme force.
He did not know that the Archer's arrows could also explode.
Despite his Rock and Ground typing giving him double resistance to Fire. Arjuna’s weapon was a gift from Agni, the Hindu God of Fire. As such the divine fire the arrows were blessed with made all type resistance moot in terms of damage.
Three arrows to the face were all it took to the Rhydon to go from running to tumbling onto the ground. His fellow companions, an Emboar, and a Metang only lasted a little longer.
“Fire Punch!”
Arjuna sidestepped the boar as she attempted to hit him, two arrows sprouted from her back before she collapsed onto the ground. Metang used Psychic to make everything in the surrounding area that wasn’t bolted to the ground shoot straight at Arjuna in an attempt to crush him.
While smart, it only worked so well if Arjuna was not slow.
Having evaded the pile of debris before it could pile on top of him, Arjuna had jumped into the air and fired one last explosive arrow dead center in Metang’s head, taking him out of the fight.
Looking around, Arjuna saw his opponents laying on the ground defeated. He then found the magic crystal that was used to generate the barrier spell and smashed it.
Thinking the battle was done, Arjuna said out loud.
“Hmm, I was expecting a challenge.”
The servant started walking.
“Then you're gonna love me.”
Turning his head, the Son of Indra barely avoided a Hyper Beam that managed to graze his clothing but left a searing trail that exploded a moment later.
Looking up at the sky, the Archer saw his attacker.
A person who resembled a young woman with black hair and brown eyes had a confident smile on her face as she rode a Salamance.
But what piqued Arjuna’s attention was the fact that she was the first human he saw in this manifestation. And yet, he could tell that there was something about her that was not normal.
“Man, you sure made short work of all those guards, I guess you must be some hotshot servant huh?”
Arjuna raised an eyebrow.
“I am unfamiliar with that term, are you referring to my arrows, or is that meant to be a compliment?”
“Take it as you will, I don't really care. What I do care about is the fact that you servants are here to kill us all.”
Those words were enough to trigger certain thoughts that had been implanted in Arjuna when he was summoned. He now understood why he was here.
“Yes, that’s right, I am here to resolve this Lostbelt and aid the ones who are capable of doing that, the Chaldeans.”
“Ah so you’re looking for those would-be mass murders, sorry pal, but I can’t let you do that.”
“You have seen my skill with a bow, you must know just how much I outmatch you.”
“Hmm, maybe you’re right, maybe you are out of my league. Still though…”
The woman's hand began to morph into something else.
“I swore that I would not allow humans to destroy another world, no matter the cost!”
Her hand shapeshifted into something that resembled a dragon's head, and it fired a blue beam that created ice along the path it traveled.
Her aim was good enough that the demigod’s leg was encased in ice when he attempted to avoid the attack. Grounding him.
“Hmph, I commend you for being able to land a strike on me. Tell me, what is your name? If only so that I may remember the one who gave me my first challenge in this second life.”
The women smiled.
“Zinnia, Lorekeeper Zinnia.”
“A good name.”
“Yeah, remember it. Cause it’s the name of the woman who will send you back to the other side, human!”
“Wait so let me get this straight, you guys can’t Zero Sail?”
Sion, whose face was on the monitor, was surprised at the news she heard. After all, she was the one who built the Paper Moon that the Shadow Border used to dive into the Imaginary Space.
“I’m afraid so,” Da Vinci said. “Nothing is wrong, physically or conceptually with the Shadow Border but no matter what we try, we can’t seem to dive.”
“Send me the data from your attempt, I’ll see if I can find out what’s wrong. Don’t go anywhere, it might only take a few minutes for me to learn what's wrong.”
“Gotcha, not like we can go anywhere at the moment.”
When Sion went offline, the Chaldeans were left to just sit around and wait.
“Okay, while Sion is working on that, does anyone have any guesses as to why we can’t Zero Sail?” Ophelia said.
“Hmph, if I had to guess, I bet those Legendary Pokemon had something to do with it,” Kadoc suggested.
“Are you sure?”
“Like I said it’s just a guess, but then again who else has it out for us?”
“Hmmm, Okay, but even if your theory is correct, I find it surprising they would go this far just to keep us from escaping.”
“Not really,” Kirschtaria said. “Anyone in this situation would want to keep a high priority enemy from escaping. Especially when you have an overwhelming advantage over them. If you let a dangerous foe get away, they’ll just become a problem later. That being said I don’t know how they managed to make it so that we cannot Zero Sail.”
“Kirschtaria’s right,” Da Vinci said, “Zero Sail is not like normal dimensional travel or use of the Second Magic. It’s an inverting of one’s existence and untethering yourself from reality. Granted at the end of the day you’re still entering another world, so it still shares some principles with going to another world.”
“Indeed, and as far as we know, Arceus does not know of the Paper Moon or what exactly it is and how it works. So if he is responsible for our being trapped in this Lostbelt, then who knows how he managed to prevent us from Zero Sailing.”
Hall of Legends, sometime earlier.
The Creation Trio and their father all stood in the pocket dimension of the latter. It had been some time since all four of them had been together in that place.
“Heh,” Palkia said. “Remember when we created the universe from this place?”
“Yeah, I recall it like it was yesterday,” Dialga said. “So much has changed since then.”
“Things were so much more….hopeful back then,” Giratina added. “A virgin universe full of hope and potential. It makes me sad that we had to leave it.”
“Indeed,” Arceus said. “I entrusted you three with the responsibilities of creation and you all fulfilled them as best as you could. Even when trapped in your own worlds, you still did your duties.”
There was a moment of silence. A wave of nostalgia washed over them as if the river of time was flowing through this place. And in a sense it was.
“But enough about the past. What I called you all here for is something that may help us ensure our future.”
“What would you ask of us, father?” Giratina said.
“As you all know, Chaldea managed to escape after their attack on the Tree of Emptiness, and because of their advanced camouflage system that can hide them even from me, we cannot find them at the moment.”
“So I assume you called us here cause you have a solution?”
“Yes, while we may not be able to find them for the moment, I can buy us a little more time by making sure they don’t go anywhere.”
Palkia, being the Pokemon of space, managed to put two and two together.
“You want us to strengthen the dimensional barriers.”
“Exactly.”
As they all knew, strengthening the dimensional walls was something done in order to keep people from accidentally stumbling into another universe, or Arceus forbid, keep malevolent interdimensional entities from invading theirs.
But there was a trade-off. To strengthen the walls meant that observing other dimensions became impossible, not to mention that they would be cut off from the multiverse and greater Omniverse. And given how their Lostbelt was already a rejected world anchored by a cosmic tree, doing so would have unintended consequences.
“Are you sure this is a good idea, father?” Dialga said. “After all, we know the repercussions of performing such an act.”
“I am aware of that and have thought this through so it won’t bite us in the back. As you know there are several ways one can increase the strength of the dimensional barriers. The walls of our universe, or this Lostbelt I should say, exists on several wavelengths. One could increase only several of them and leave the others as they are. Which meant you could still pass through them if you knew the correct vibrational wavelength. But, increase all of them and you close off this realm entirely.”
“But to close them all would require a great deal of power. Not to mention cutting this Lostbelt off from the greater universe is not what we want,” Giratina said.
“Indeed. I don’t know what wavelength Chaldea is exploiting in order to travel from place to place in that vehicle of theirs. So just to cover all bases, I will need you all to increase every wavelength, but only to a certain point. This will ensure that Chaldea will not be able to leave for the moment.”
“But father,” Palkia said. “Even if we do that, there is still no way we can guarantee that they cannot leave. Increasing the dimensional barrier is like adding another layer of concrete to a building. Metaphorically, Chaldea depending on what method they use can enter and leave the building by either through a premade door or just making one of their own. If they can only leave through something like a door, then they are trapped permanently but us adding another layer and closing it. But if they are capable of making their own door, then leaving this Lostbelt is just the equivalent of taking more time to make said door.”
“That is true. And from the looks of it, Chaldea’s method involved making their own exits or doors as you say. As I saw no dimensional hole before they were trying to escape, and nothing when they were gone. So the method they use is most likely the equivalent of making their own door and then immediately sealing it back up afterward.”
“It stumps me how they manage to do this and erase all traces of their existence in the process,” Giratina grumbled
“Once we have them in our custody, a simple mind read will be all it takes to learn their secrets and allow us to use it and anything else they might have. But for now, let us join minds and power my sons.”
Arceus began to glow in divine power, his sons followed suit as they began to call upon the powers of time, space, and Antimatter.
“Will we need our Origin Forms for this?” Dialga asked.
“No, you will have no need of your true power, that comes later.”
As their powers started to pool together, the four of them became in sync. A complete understanding of what each other could do and what they were being asked to do by their father.
“Now focus, strengthen the dimensional walls that make up this Lostbelt. Not too hard, but not too light either.”
The Creation Dragons did as they were told, space became reinforced throughout the land of Equestria and beyond. The storm walls that surrounded this Lostbelt became even more ferocious.
Soon it was done. Space for this land was now stronger than it was before.
The four of them slowly depowered as they sensed the changes around them coming into effect.
“Okay, so what now?” Palkia said.
“Now, we hunt for Chaldea, and hopefully we or someone else finds them before they find a way around this wall that we put up.”
The Friendship Express.
Twilight, Spike, and their friends got into their seats in the passenger car as the train started to roll along the tracks. Following the direction of the tracking spell, the group only had to wait until the spell told them to go in a different direction.
“Alright girls. So far the tracking spell says the Chaldeans are somewhere up northwest. If necessary, we might have to get off somewhere in between a station and go on foot.”
“That alright Twilight, I came fully prepared for such an occasion,” Rarity said as she motioned to her large bag.
“I bet she has other luggage in the Baggage car,” Applejack said.
“That is not true!” Rarity’s blushing face only made her friends laugh.
“While we’re waitin, I think this is a good time to talk about a certain thing.”
“What thing Applejack?”
“That Rainbow Power or whatever it is called that we got from Harmony, as well as the things she said about us finding clarity with our elements.”
Everyone in the car turned to Applejack as she reminded them all of that subject.
“Ah yes, I think we should talk about that.”
“Well can I just say that these new powers are totally awesome!” Rainbow Dash said. “Man when I was fighting Achilles, I felt like I could take on the world!”
“I must concur with Rainbow Dash, that entire time I was feeling like I was the most splendid Unicorn in all of Equestria.”
“Alright, amazing feelings aside, let's all go over just what we could do during that time so I can write down just what abilities we have in what I’m dubbing our “Rainbow Forms.”
It took a few minutes for everyone to recall just what they could do. After all, they were caught up in the moment during that time fighting to protect the Tree Emptiness. It was also noticed by Applejack that Twilight took out the vial of blood that was being used for the tracking spell before putting it away.
“Okay, so from what I can gather from everyone it seems we all share the same powers and abilities while in Rainbow Form. They are as follows: Limited invulnerability or Extreme durability, High Magic resistance, flight regardless of whether you have wings or not, enhanced speed and strength.”
“So….that's it?” Pinkie Pie said.
“Well as far as we know. There may be more abilities that we don’t know of yet.”
“Ummm I have one question.”
“Yes, Fluttershy?”
“Do we actually know…how to turn back into Rainbow Form?”
There was a moment of silence as that fact dawned on them.
“Ah shoot.”
“Oh come on!” Rainbow Dash said. “We should have asked Harmony about that when she gave us these powers.”
“Well to be fair, we were in a rush to save the world,” Rarity said.
“I wish I had super cool powers like you guys,” Spike mumbled under his breath.
“Oh don’t worry Spike,” Pinkie Pie said. “You still have a cool superpower that no one else has.”
“Oh yeah, what is that?”
“You can take a bath in hot boiling lava! That's a neat and sure way to clean yourself.”
Spike deadpanned. “Yeah, really neat.”
“Okay, so all that aside we need to talk about something that we have been neglecting for a while now. The box at the Tree of Harmony. From what the Goddess Harmony said, the final key will appear once I have found clarity about the magic of friendship.”
“So, what do you think that is?” Applejack said.
“Well originally, it was supposed to happen when we fought Tirek, but since Tirek is dead, that path is closed.”
“So that means we just have to find a new situation in which you’ll find your clarity,” Fluttershy said.
“If there is one thing I have learned as Princess Celestia’s student, is that knowledge cannot be simply granted. Sometimes it must be earned through experience. Whatever I am supposed to learn, I don’t think I can intentionally seek it out. It may just come to me one day unexpectedly.”
“Kinda like a surprise!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed. “Which is the best kind of unexpected."
The train continued to chug along as the group talked among themselves. Until finally the vial the Twilight held began to glow. Twilight knew what this meant.
“Okay girls, looks like this is our stop.”
The Princess then got one of the train attendants to ask the conductor to stop. After the train had come to a complete halt, the group then disembarked.
“Oaky, the spell says to go west. And checking this map, we should be somewhere near Unicorn Range.”
Indeed, one look into the distance confirmed their whereabouts as the tall mountains towered before them.
“Probably hiding in forest at the base of the range, or Celestia forbid in a cave somewhere,”
Applejack was not listening to Twilight exactly, as she noticed for the tenth time today that she brought out that vial again to look at.
“Twilight, you have been staring at that vial every 10 minutes since we left Ponyville, mind telling us what's going on?”
Twilight looked back at the group who were staring at Twilight with suspicion.
“Okay, I guess I should tell you. I’ve been looking at this thing every 10 minutes to see how much time we have left.”
“What are you talking about?”
“The vial of blood, it’s shrinking.”
“What? How!?”
“The Chaldeans are using a form of concealment that apparently masks their existence from what Arceus told me. So in order to find them, I had to make some personal changes to the tracking spell to get it to work. As of now, it is leading us in the direction of where they are. But as a trade-off, the spell will consume the item that's being used to track them.”
“Seriously!? What good is a tracking spell if it's just gonna destroy the thing that's being used to track somebody?” Rainbow Dash said.
“Magic always comes at a price, Rainbow Dash. Everything in our universe is a constant exchange of energy, nothing in the world comes free.”
“How long do think we have until that thing runs out?”
“An hour, at least. This means we got about until sundown before this vial runs out.”
The group then looked to the mountain range, realizing just how much time they had to search for such a big place.
“Yeah, this won’t take long,” Rainbow Dash said dryly.
Arjuna unleashed a volley of arrows against his opponents, despite the difference in power, his foes were holding up surprisingly well.
Zinnia’s Salamence, who at this point had Mega Evolved narrowly avoided most of the arrows but was still stuck by several of them in his left wing. The dragon went down and reverted back to its base form.
Zinnia walked up to her partner Pokemon and stroked its head. “You did good buddy, take a good long rest now. I’ll handle it from here.”
Arjuna and the Lorekeeper faced each other. One with a look of calm and indifference, the other with determination and animosity.
“Question,” Arjuna said. “I can clearly tell that you are not human, and yet you have the appearance of one. Why is that?”
Zinnia grinned. Showing off her sharp tooth.
“Heh, I guess old habits die hard. Plus I want people to recognize me.”
“Understandable. But just what are you?”
“Just a woman with too much time on her hands. And unfortunately for you, I have decided to kill some time by killing you.”
“I admire your courage, I can tell from your eyes that you are someone who would go to any length to achieve your goals. Even throw away your own life if necessary.”
“Aw man, so you’re one of those people who can read others with just a glance. Really hate guys like you, you take all the fun and mystery out of everything.”
“My apologies. But even you can clearly see that you are outmatched. Your defeat is inevitable, why don’t you just walk away while you still can?”
“Heh well like you said….”
Zinnia stretched out her arm.
“I am someone who would throw away her own life to succeed!”
Her hand morphed into the head of Blastoise, which fired the move, Hydro Cannon.
Arjuna simply jumped out of the way and landed on a nearby lamppost.
“Aren’t you gonna fire any arrows?”
“I already did.”
All of a sudden several blue spheres appeared all around Zinnia. Then, an arrow that had been fired skyward came back down and landed on one of the blue balls. The spheres then ricochet the bolt, striking Zinnia in several places around her body, not stopping until it had gone through every one of them.
Her body covered in wounds, Zinnia fell to her knees. Arjuna got down from his high ground and approached her, bow and arrow at the ready.
Zinnia looked up as he towered over her.
“Go ahead, finish it.”
“....is that what you want?”
“It's what you do, it's what all humans do.”
The Indian Prince did not say anything, but she could tell the question had struck a chord in him.
“Humans will destroy the world. No matter if it's this one or the last one, humans will destroy the world.”
“Based on what? Human nature can be ugly but it has yet to destroy this planet.”
“Heh, that's right you don’t know.”
“......”
“I’m not from this Lostbelt or whatever you call it. I and several billion others were brought here from another Earth, one where humans were not the only people living there. I don’t know who made humans in this world and to be honest, I don’t really care. But back on my world, humans treated Pokemon, a fellow sapient species like animals at worst and pets at best. No to mention the stupid amount of times evil organizations tried to control the Pokemon we called gods and nearly destroyed the planet. So when the Alpha creator Arceus got out of his prison, he saw Earth as a lost cause and just packed up and left, taking me and whoever was good enough with him.”
“This Arceus, just abandoned a world of his creation?”
“In hindsight, it was not the best plan but I can’t blame him, humans would never have let him retake the world without a fight. Heh, and now those very same people are probably dead by now.”
Arjuna loosened the string on his bow.
“I heard you guys are here to save the Human Order, pfff, what a joke. As if humanity has ever been orderly, you come here and try to kill every single person in this world to save your crappy own, not caring about who lives here and about if they want to have a future or not.”
“Do not make assumptions of my world, when you know nothing of it.”
“Well, if it's got nothing but humans in it I can make a pretty good guess. These people, these Pokemon, all they want is a fresh start. For the first time in millennia, they can live their lives without being hunted down for sport, without having their homes destroyed and paved away from human progress. They can finally live their lives as equals with other races and you want to take that away from them, cut off their new potential before it has a chance to grow.”
Arjuna was silent at this point.
“But I’m not surprised, humans are the most selfish species I have ever known. It's only natural you would trample and stomp on the future of non-humans for your own gain.”
Zinnia stood up, her body still weak, and in no shape to fight back.
“So go ahead, prove me right. Show me that special brand of darkness that only humans are capable of.”
The servant stared at this woman, her eyes showed no fear as if she had made peace with her death a long time ago.
Arjuna lifted his bow and drew back his string.
Then turned around and fired it at the Salamence who lunged at him from behind.
The Prince of the Pandavas disappeared as the Dragon Pokemon lay defeated. Zinnia ran to her Pokemon and was realized when it was confirmed that he was still breathing.
“It is as you say Zinnia, humans are a selfish species,” spoke Arjuna’s disembodied voice. “But even so, judgment has no place in this conflict, neither of us can decide who is more worth to live, that is up to Fate itself.”
Zinnia did not look up but still listened.
“I do what I must as is my duty to humanity. If we meet again, I want you to show me that same conviction you showed me today. That alone is your greatest virtue.”
And Arjuna spoke no more, leaving the last Lorekeeper in a now quiet park with only her Salamence and her thoughts.
Darkrai floated through the halls of the temple, the shadowy legendary heading in the direction of Cresselia’s room. Upon reaching it, he knocked on the door, of which then it opened to reveal the beautiful Pokemon who lived there.
“Oh, Darkrai you’re here.”
“How could I not come, I will always come for you.”
Cresselia giggled and then let him in.
Her magical ceiling was a beautiful starry sky that was an accurate reflection of the heavens. The rest of her room was crafted similarly to match her themes. Her specially made bed was on the left side while another resting place was in the center of the room.
Two eggs laid in a beautifully handcrafted nest. A special heater was situated above it to provide appropriate warmth. Made from lovely flowers and soft flora it was truly a work of art worthy for two eggs born from Legendary Pokemon. Although the one who helped make it was no longer alive.
Darkrai silently thanked Shaymin before moving over to the cradle which contained the eggs in which his progeny were growing.
“Did Mew come by and say how far along they are?” Darkrai asked.
“She said that they would hatch any day now. Although she could have told me the exact date and time, I want it to be a surprise.”
“But wouldn’t knowing the exact date and time help us better prepare?”
“Well, I kinda wanted to imitate what humans and mortals go through when they deliver their children. The rush, the excitement of it all. I want to experience the flurry of emotions that only comes with giving birth to your first child. Besides, with someone like Mew around, we have nothing to worry about when it comes to delivery.”
Darkrai chuckled. “I supposed that is true.”
He caressed his hands over the eggs, he could feel the heat coming off them. He could sense the life within them, life born from him.
He imagined these two children taking their first steps into the world, their first words, their first friends, their first birthday. How they would grow up surrounded by the most powerful Pokemon in the world, would they grow up to be proud of their family and lineage, or would it make them arrogant and haughty? Not if he raised them right.
He wondered what role they would have in caring for the world, the responsibility that came with being a Legendary Pokemon. The future they would all build together….
The Future…..if it ever comes to pass.
Darkrai's expression saddened as he was brought back down to reality, he was reminded of just what was happening in the outside world. And how his family and friends were out there right now fighting and dying so that they would be able to see tomorrow.
“I am sorry my children. Sorry that you would have to be born in this current world as it is. That I will have to tell you that your future is uncertain. That you might not live long enough to see the future.”
Darkrai felt another body pressed against his. He wrapped his arm around Cresselia as they became closer.
“I am sad for them, Cresselia. Sad that they have to be born at a time like this.”
“Yes, you have every right to be sad my dear. Sometimes the world can be very cruel and unfair, especially for beings as long-lived as us.”
“I wish I confessed to you sooner, back on Earth. Perhaps then they would at least have been able to have a childhood before all this.”
“On the other hand, various humans and evil teams would no doubt have been hunting them for the entire time. After all, who wouldn’t want to capture the children of two Legendary Pokemon? Especially new ones born into the modern age.”
“I suppose that's true.”
“We may not be able to guarantee their future once they’re born. But I swear as their mother that I will do anything in my power to ensure that they have a future.”
“.....And I as their father will make sure that when their eyes open that they will have nothing to fear.”
“....So, when are you going to marry me?”
Darkrai was surprised at the sudden subject change, even if it was somewhat related.
“I want to marry you, it's just I wish to do it once this whole situation is resolved.”
“And what if it isn’t? What if we lose?”
Darkrai turned to look at Cresselia directly. “Don’t say things like that, we will win this war and we will live to see the future.”
“And what if we don’t? That chance, that possibility still exists, however big or small.”
“But if I marry you and something….happens to you, Cresslia if I marry you and you die, it will only hurt so much more. The closer and stronger love is, the more painful separation becomes.”
Darkrai remembered a certain couple that Cresselia was fond of. A Gardevoir and a Gallade (the latter of whom was a former human), whose wedding they had attended in Canterlot. Their names were Gene and Belle if he recalled correctly. They were deeply in love with each other and were one of many Pokemon-Human couples who were mercilessly persecuted back on Earth for their love. While he was happy for them, he also heard rumors of just how inseparable they are.
Apparently, they could not be apart from each other for only a moment. When Hastings and his accomplices came for them, only to be defeated and detained, it was only due to the one called Belle using her psychic powers in a way that was very questionable. And when it seemed like she would have to be arrested since involuntary violation of the mind was a major crime even back on Earth, her husband Gene made a big scene.
Eventually, it was decided that both needed to go to therapy for reasons Darkrai could only guess.
“I want to marry you Cresselia, more than you know. But if you die and leave me, that pain will be a wound that I will carry for the rest of my eternal existence.”
He stared into her eyes, waiting for her response.
Her response was a kiss.
She pulled away and spoke.
“With love my dear, there is always loss, it's part of the deal. For so long as life and death exist, there will always be the loss that comes with love. Even more so for immortals like us.”
“Cresselia…”
“How many mortal friends have we made over the years? How many Pokemon and humans have we been fortunate enough to meet and share a bond with only to watch them die?”
“....Too many.”
“Exactly. While we may always have each other dear, don’t forget that even though we may live until the stars in the sky all wink out, death is still a possibility for us. Maybe not death by time, but death through unforeseen circumstances like this one. But even if it is our destiny to die in this conflict, I want to die with no regrets. I want to say I lived a happy life and did everything I wanted to do. I want to die with a smile on my face.”
“.....”
“I understand where you’re coming from. And no doubt you will feel terrible pain if I die. But you will at least have no regrets. We have danced around our feelings for too long back on Earth. I am glad that we were able to come into each other's embrace when we did.”
“.....”
“I don’t want to force you if you’re not ready, but just think about what I said,” Cresslia then rested her head in Darkrai’s ghost while mane. “And besides, wouldn't it be best if when our children are born, they are born to parents who are actually married?”
The Pitch Black Pokemon placed his hand on her neck, stroking it gently. He closed his eyes and smiled.
“Yes, I suppose you’re right about that.
“Okay, so I’m done running the calculations you sent me,” Sion said as her face appeared on the Shadow Borders monitor.
“About time!” Kadoc said. “We have been waiting for hours, you said it would only take a few minutes to perform your calculations!”
“Yeah, I might have undersold that. Even with my mind partition, the data you guys sent me was actually so limited, I had to break out the Logos React Generic so I could do more advanced calculations. But that's all done and I now know what's wrong.”
“Okay, what is it?” Goredolf asked.
“Space in your area has been thickened in the simplest of terms.”
“...What?”
“Okay so as you know, each Lostbelt is basically another world in every sense of the word. This means that it has its own rules and consistency when it comes to time and space. For example, time-space could be very stable in one Lostbelt, and prone to falling apart in another. So long as the storm walls separate the Lostbelt from the rest of the bleached Earth, this place is basically its own contained universe.”
“Okay, that part I get,” Kadoc said. “But what is the-”
“Point? I was about to get to that. In this Lostbelt it is possible if you are a strong enough entity or deity with the right Authorities to modify time and space to a certain extent. To the point where one could harden space itself to the point that creating things like portals or dimensional doors to places outside this world becomes very difficult if not impossible.”
“I see,” Holmes said. “So what you're saying is that space has been altered to the point where it is dense enough that we cannot Zero Sail?”
“Exactly. If Zero Sailing is creating a hole in space-time, by diving in the water that is the Imaginary Sea, then someone has metaphorically created a thick layer of ice over said sea.”
“I see, this is a simple yet effective means by which our foes have used in order to keep us from escaping. I must say they really have it out for us if they manage to pull off something such as this.”
“As I said before Holmes,” Kirschtaria said. “If you have an enemy that poses a great threat to you and everyone you care about, you would not let that enemy escape. You would do whatever you can to keep that enemy from becoming a future threat. Even if it means trapping them in a cage with a dangerous animal.”
“A dark metaphor, but an accurate one. So as Mr. Wodime said, we currently have no means of leaving this Lostbelt so it only is a matter of time before we are discovered and captured, or worse. In order to prevent that, we must find a way to break through this proverbial ice so to speak, and escape this Lostbelt. Do you have any ideas for that Ms. Sion?”
“Glad you asked Sherlock. As you said, it's as simple as breaking the ice. Because it seems whoever did this has not affected the space around the Border specifically, you can still Zero Sail. If the dimensional walls covering the imaginary sea have been frozen over, breaking through them is as simple as using a hammer or drill. In order to Zero Sail, you just have to make some modifications to the Shadow Border and perform a continuous Zero Sail until you break through!”
The Shadow Border crew was stunned.
“Wait, you want us to perform a continuous Zero Sail?” Da Vinci said, “For how long?”
“Well I could tell you, but it would be easier to just send you the list of modifications and calculate from your end. Sending them now.”
A date package popped up in the Shadow Borders computer.
“Okay, guys I’ll take this and run through the calculator, be back in a few!”
Da Vinci was gone for no more than 5 minutes before she came back with the good and bad news.
“Okay, so I got some good news and bad news.”
“Good news first please,” Goredolf said. “It helps soften the blow of the bad news in my opinion.”
“Okay then, the good news is we can make these modifications and be able to perform a continuous Zero Sail without any drawbacks or repercussions. We can still escape this Lostbelt.”
“That's great Da Vinci!” Mash said
“Yeah!... So what's the bad news?” Ritsuka said.
“The bad news is that making these modifications will require taking apart some pieces of the Shadow Border and rearranging them. The border is multifunctional so that shouldn't be a problem when we dive. It will also require some alterations to the Paper Moon as well, which will be a delicate procedure. All of this can at best be done in an hour, maybe more if need be, I don’t want to make any mistakes with this.”
“Oh well, that doesn’t seem so bad,” Goredolf said.
“I wasn’t finished yet. In order to make these modifications to the Shadow Border, we will have to disable the conceptual cloaking for the entire time. Leaving us totally exposed.”
“Oh.” Goredolf’s face sank. “That is bad news.”
“Well, no problem really, we can just find a nice cave or something and hide in there until we are ready to roll.”
“One last thing, once we start the continuous Zero Sail, it will have to go on for a good 5-10 minutes. And during that entire time, we will create a great strain on time and space just by “drilling” for so long. Anyone who is privy to the instabilities in space will no doubt be able to detect it even if they were on the other side of the planet. It will be like lighting up a giant sign saying “Here we are!”
Holmes made a concerned face.
“I see, and you’re certain about this?”
“I am, you can’t just mess with space-time and expect no one to notice.”
“Hmmm, and more than likely we all know a certain God who might very well be able to sense what we are doing once we do it.”
“So you’re saying in order for us to escape, we first have to expose ourselves and wave a flag saying here we are come and kill us!” Kadoc exclaimed. “Great, as if this couldn't be easy or discreet, not it had to be hard in the most stupid way possible!”
“While I share your frustration Kadoc,” Kirschtaria said. “I think we should not count ourselves out yet. There has to be a way we can last long enough for the Zero Sail to work. Any ideas Sion?”
“If you ask me the best way for you to last as long as you need is if you were behind several layers of defensive spells. Either that or you would have to be hunkered down in a Fortress Noble Phantasm.”
“A Fortress Noble Phantasm?” Meuniere said. “Do you realize how rare it is for a servant to have that kind of power?! You’d be more likely to come across servants who have weapons that are meant for destroying those things.”
“Ironically Skadi did manage to save our skins not long ago with her Fortress of Shadows which she summoned through her Gate of Skye,” Holmes said. “Although it is normally an Anti-Army Noble Phantasm belonging to the woman she was possessing, Scathach, who is the proper owner of that castle, so the way she used it was irregular. And no doubt cost a great deal of mana to use. I suspect this is why she disappeared shortly after she helped us escape.”
“That aside I doubt there are any servants in the Border who possess a Fortress-Type Noble Phantasm,” Goredolf said.
Kadoc cleared his throat, getting the attention of everyone.
“Anastasia has a Fortress Noble Phantasm.”
Goredolf blinked.
“Wait, are you serious?”
“Believe me I wouldn’t joke at a time like this.”
“It’s true,” Anastasia said. “My second Noble Phantasm is the Sumerki Kremlin. Since I am descended from the great Tsars who built those mighty Kremlin fortresses all over Mother Russia, I naturally can reproduce one as my Noble Phantasm.”
“Wow, I mean this is fantastic. You’ve been holding out on us, Caster.”
“No, I merely was waiting for my master's approval.”
“Well anyway, a castle as strong as a Kremlin will make for a fine defense indeed.”
“Normally I would agree, but even something as formidable as the Kremlin might not be enough to stop someone like Arceus,” Sherlock said. “Skadi’s Fortress of Shadows was able to repel him thanks to divine protection. If we wish to keep a god such as him at bay, we will need to enhance the Kremlin’s defenses.”
“But how?” Mash said. “None of us know any divine protection spells.”
“Hmmm, maybe not in the Border but perhaps a servant here in Equestria possesses that power,” Sherlock said. “A certain golden caster who just so happens to be in a cave with almost every other servant here in Equestria.”
Ritsuka caught on to what Holmes was hinting at.
“Oh, King Gilgamesh!”
“Ah, that's right!” Da Vinci said. “Gilgamesh possesses the Gate of Babylon, he's bound to have something in there that can help us.”
“And not just that,” Kirschtaria spoke up. “If nothing else, we should have him bring every servant in that cave to come and help us. Having all of them here would be a massive boon for us in holding off Arceus and anyone else he brings once they know where we are.”
“Agreed. A sound suggestion Wodime,” Goredolf said. “So, who is the fastest servant here?”
“That would be Ortlinde,” Ophelia said. “The Lancer class is built for speed, and her wings can carry her for dozens of miles in a matter of minutes.”
“That’s good, very good. Send Ortlinde there immediately, with this message: Chaldea requests that every able and available servant come to our location immediately and help set up a defensive perimeter.”
“As you wish. Ortlinde!”
The Valkyrie appeared out of spirit form at her master's call.
“Yes, Lady Ophelia?”
“Go to the cave where all the servants are held up and give them this message.”
Ophelia repeated what Goredolf said, and soon Ortlinde was out and took to the sky at super speed.
“Okay while that's happening, let's get to work on the Border,” Da Vinci said.
“Shouldn’t we wait till the servants get here first?” Kadoc said. “I hate to expose ourselves like this without proper protection.”
“The sooner we start, the sooner we can leave. The longer we stay here the more we risk being found regardless. But I agree with you on needing protection, perhaps we should ask Anastasia to deploy her Noble Phantasm right now.”
“Okay but first let's get the specifics of this Noble Phantasm and what it can do. Ana?”
“My Kremlin Fortress is a magnificent impenetrable castle that no one can enter without my express permission. It uses a lot of mana to manifest, so I will need a command spell to make use of it.”
“I still have three, so that shouldn’t be a problem. How long can that thing last anyway?”
“If we were in my homeland, the fame boost would allow the fortress to last indefinitely so long as I remain alive. But because we are not, it will only last for a day.”
“A day is more than enough,” Da Vinci said. “Although that's just if it wasn’t under attack, I wonder how long it would last during a siege.”
“We won’t know until we find out. Kadoc, Anastasia, whenever you two are ready.”
“Let’s step outside master, it would be better to do it out there.”
“Got it, Da Vinci?”
“Way ahead of you, lowering the cloaking field looks like there are no sentient life signs out there for now, although that could change at any minute.”
The Unicorn Mountain Range had a fairly small forest section at the bottom of its base. Not as big as the Everfree, but not too small and scattered to say it was not a forest. It was big enough to hide something, but at the same time, if one looked hard enough they could find it with enough time.
Twilight, who had read about the mountain range, knew that there were no caves nearby that they could be hiding in, so that narrowed down their search. However, the blood vial was close to running out.
“Then we should run faster, let’s not waste any time.”
Applejack began to sprint but was magically pulled back by Twilight.
“Not a good idea. I may have cast a spell on everyone to magically hide ourselves from detection, but they can still hear you if you’re running.”
“But, that thing you’re carrying is about to run out! And when that happens we lose our only hope of finding them.”
“Applejack, even when it does run out that does not mean we are out of luck, we know they are here. We’ll just have to look harder.”
“And how long will that take!? The longer we look the more likely they’ll maybe see us and get away. We just can’t let them get away Twilight, I won’t let them get away with this!”
“Yeah Applejack is right, they gotta pay for what they did!” Rainbow exclaimed in agreement.
“Alright, both of you settle down now!”
Applejack stopped and regained her composure. “Uh, sorry.”
“Look I understand why you’re upset about this, why you’re so determined to find them. I am too, but if we don’t do this the right way we might blow our chance of finding them. So save your anger for when we find them, they will face justice Applejack, I promise you.”
“...I don’t doubt that Twilight, I never doubted you.”
“Good, now seeing as the vial of blood is all but gone, I’m gonna try something else.”
“Try what?” Spike said.
“I’m gonna cast something that’s basically a radar spell. But it will be cast in a way that it will detect magical energy or magical beings. If a servant is around, or if someone is performing magic, then it will find them.”
“Hmmm, okay, do what you gotta do Twilight.”
Twilight closed her eyes and the alicorn’s horn glowed for several seconds before a wave of purple magic swept over the area.
Everyone looked in anticipation as they waited for her to speak.
“Well?” Rarity said.
Twilight opened her eyes. “There is something less than half a mile away from here, a magical energy signature, not too big, but not small either.”
“Well, let's go to see what it is,” Rainbow Dash said.
The girls and Spike walked until they came upon the palace where Twilight’s spell pointed to. Eventually, Pinkie Pie was the first one to see it.
“Ooo oo! There's something big and black over there!”
“I see it too, hold on. I’m gonna mask our approach, this spell will make us less visible for a moment.”
Twilight cast the spell and the ponies we covered in an aura of stealth as they drew closer to the thing they were looking at.
“That's them! That's Chaldea!”
“You sure?” Fluttershy said.
“No doubt about it,” Rainbow Dash replied. “That giant metal carriage thing they ride in is unmistakable!”
The ponies got as close as they could be and hid in the bushes and trees. They watched as what appeared to be a woman with white hair holding a doll in her hands stood in front of a man with a baggy look under his eyes. They then watched as the woman outstretched her hand as the ground beneath her began to glow. A sigil or symbol appeared on the grass at her feet as she began to speak words that were too far away to hear.
“What are they doing?” Fluttershy said.
“It looks like they are performing some kind of spell?” Twilight responded.
“Okay but what kind of spell?” Applejack asked.
Whatever they were doing, the light only grew brighter as the women spoke louder and deeper.
Rainbow Dash, being who she was, reached the end of her patience.
“Well, I’m not waiting to find out!”
The cyan pegasus flew straight at the two humans before Twilight could react. She was gonna reach them before they had time to avoid her.
“Not so fast!”
Rainbow Dash veered to her left as several blades of wind nearly sliced her skin. She touched the ground as she looked to see her attacker.
Kato Danzo met her eyes as she retracted her arm blades and readied her Shurikens.
“If you wish to harm my master friend Lord Kadoc, you will have to go through me.”
Kirschtaria stepped out from behind the Border where he was hiding.
“Good work Danzo, we can’t have her disrupting the incantation.
Applejack who recognized the servant that had given her brother a long nasty laceration, could not contain herself anymore and ran out into the open.
“Applejack wai- oh forget it!” Seeing as there was no point in hiding anymore, Twilight followed the orange earth pony along with the rest of her friends.
Mash and Ritsuka who heard all the commotion came out to see a stand-off between their friends and Twilight's friends.
“What, how did they find us!?” Mash exclaimed.
“You wanna know how!” Rainbow Dash said smugly. “Next time, tell your vampire friend not to literally leave her DNA everywhere. But I doubt there will be a next time for you!”
Akuta who poked her head out the door quickly pulled herself back inside sheepishly.
“My name is Princess Twilight Sparkle of Equestria, and by the power and authority vested in me, I order you all to stand down and surrender yourselves!” Twilight spoke all this in the Canterlot Royal Voice for extra intimidation.
While some were a bit taken aback by the loud proclamation, Kirschtaria calmly assessed the situation.
“It looks like only those six are here.” The mage then noticed the small dragon standing behind the purple pony. “Okay seven, if they brought others or reinforcements, they all would have come out by now. As it stands to reason, they are all that's here, not enough to take us all on. But if that pony really is one of the four princesses of this land, I don’t want to test her power at this delicate moment.”
“Anastasia, how much longer?”
“Just a few more seconds.”
“Oh no you don’t! You’re not finishing….whatever you're about to finish!”
Twilight and the others all started to run at the Shadow Border. But were deterred when several ninja stars landed at their feet.
“If anyone breathes so much as breaths.” Kato Danzo took the safety off her gun fingers. “I start blasting.”
“It's done! Oh great Fortress of the Motherland, head the call of the last Princess of Russia and show your terrifying form in this world....Manifest yourself!”
Sumerki Kremlin! Afterglow, Fortress of Abominable Blood
The Equestrians took a step back as the ground began to shake. The air was filled with a freezing cold as Anastasia began to glow with mana.
“What's going on!?” Rarity said.
“Everypony run for it!” Pinkie Pie said.
A massive structure building began to take shape, replacing and converting large sections of the surrounding trees. Twilight and her friends had to run a certain distance until they were outside of the area of manifestation. When they turned back they almost could not believe their eyes.
A massive fortress that took up over 20,000 square miles stood in the place that was once an area of the forest at the base of Unicron Mountain Range. Its fortifications were not as grand or big as the Canterlot Castle, but it was big enough.
But more than that, they could sense the intimidation and imposing might of the building, as if only those of great power lived there. And that if they wished to try to break in, they would need something no less than an army.
With all of this in mind, Twilight said one thing.
“Okay, we're gonna need some backup.”
GRAND BATTLE Equestria: We are not meant to be Darkness
Twilight teleported into the hallways of Canterlot Castle in a burst of magic. She was breathing like she had just run a marathon.
*Hah hah* "I thought that. "*Hah.* "Becoming an Alicorn." *Hah.* "Would make Teleporting long distances easier.”
A nearby pair of guards saw the exhausted Princess and rush over to her.
“Princess Twilight! Are you alright!?”
“I’m fine." *Hah.* Just tell me where Princess Celestia and Princess Luna are. I need to speak with them at once!”
“They’re in the throne room. Shall I tell them you are coming?”
Finally Twilight caught her breath.
“No need, I can make my way there on my own.”
“Are you sure?”
“Trust me, they will want to hear what I have to say all at once.”
Twilight eventually made it to the throne room and did not bother knocking on the door. Then again, when it came to emergencies, manners were not a priority. Pushing them open, she made her way inside to the sight of Celestia and Luna talking with some nobles.
“Twilight? What are you doing here?” Celestia asked, her attention for the noble she was talking to gone just like that. After all, her student never showed up in person unless it was important.
The noble on the other hoof, had no care for this interruption.
“What is it Princess Twilight? Can’t you see that we are in the middle of an important discussion?”
Twilight spared the Earth Pony a side glance, she recognized this one as a member of Prince Blueblood’s circle of friends. So automatically by association, she dismissed him.
“Whatever you’re talking about can wait, this is important!”
The noble narrowed his eyes.
“And what could possibly be so much more important than the signing off on funds need for a very important project for Canterlot City(transcript: something that will actually benefit me more than others).”
Twilight stopped and just stared at him with no sympathy in her eyes.
“Oh I don’t know, how about the possible capture of the most dangerous group that possesses a direct threat to Equestria and the world at the very moment!”
While the words flew over the noble's head, Celestia and Luna immediately understood what Twilight meant.
“I’m sorry Lux Bridgeington, but your fundraiser will have to wait. There is something Princess Twilight and I have to discuss right now. I must ask that you please leave us for now.”
Lux shot the purple alicorn a look but complied. Once he had left the door and closes it behind him, Celestia turned to her student.
“Now, what were you saying Twilight?”
“Okay long story short, I used a tracking spell to locate Chaldea, and I found them!”
Of all the news they were expecting to hear today, this was not something the sisters had anticipated to get so soon.
“You found them!?” Luna exclaimed. “Where?”
“They’re in a forest at the base of the Unicorn Range Mountains. My friends are there right now.”
“I see, this is good news Twilight, well done,” Celestia said.
“But wait,” Luna said. “Why did you have to come here in person to tell us? Could you not have Spike send us a letter?”
“A letter would not be able to convey what I’m about to tell you.”
“Which is?”
“Well, it's better if you come and see for yourself.”
-
Rainbow Dash flew around the fortress several times in scouting the area. That thing was big and imposing she’ll give it that. And from the looks of it, no one was coming out nor was their sign of any activity.
Honestly, she was just waiting for something to happen so she could go on the offensive. But even so, her instincts told her that she does not know what was inside that thing, that there could be traps lying in wait for her. While this sounded like something out of a Daring Do book, Rainbow Dash had enough caution to wait for Twilight to come back.
Still….
“Ugh, this anticipation is killing me, I wanna do something!”
Rainbow Dash flew closer until she was within yelling distance.
“What are you guys doing in there!? What's the matter, afraid you’ll get your butts handed to you!? Come out and fight like a pony!”
“Calm down Rainbow Dash,” Said Fluttershy who had flown up to her. “Twilight has only been gone a few minutes. We just have to wait for her to bring the Princesses back.”
“Oh yeah and how long will that take?”
Not a second later, the sound of three ponies teleporting into the area reaches the ears of the pegasi. Looking at each other the two flew back down.
Celestia and Luna looked in awe at the gray, cold castle. Its very image was not as majestic or big as the other Castle that Chaldea was contained in, but this one did not seem easy to penetrate nonetheless.
Having guessed the situation, Celestia turned to Twilight's friends.
“Did anything happen since Twilight went to get us?”
“Nothing Princess,” Applejack. They’ve just holed up in that thing like my family during a winter storm.”
“I see,” Celestia closed her eyes and her horn glowed as she cast a spell that swept the area. It reverberated off of the fortress’s walls.
“The castle has several layers of magical protection surrounding it. On top of that, I can sense some kind of pressure inside that building. As if it's ready to come down on us the moment that we enter.”
“So, you're saying that place is trapped or something?” Twilight asked.
“Probably, I’m not sure. What I can tell is that if we somehow get in, that's where the hard part comes.”
“...But can we get in?”
“Yes, but I fear not all of us would come back out, unscathed at least.”
Twilight gulped.
“The nine of us are not enough to breach that Fortress alone, we will need help. We need Arceus and his Legendary Pokemon.”
Twilight and everyone looked at the Princess. Arceus especially after recent events was absolutely more than willing to help in this matter. But some of them were concerned that the Pokemon god might do something “hasty” in this attempt at capturing the humans. Nevertheless, they had no other options.
“Alright, but It won’t just be Arceus.”
The Princess looked at the younger alicorn.
“What do you mean Twilight?” Luna said.
“Arceus is necessary, but I can’t in good faith trust that he will be objective or merciful to the Chaldeans. Despite what they have done, I’d rather we get to them before he does.”
“Twilight…” It was true, Celestia knew that if Arceus got to the Chaldeans first, he would be less lenient in handling them. Despite her new resolve to spot Chaldea before they can do further harm to her little ponies, Celestia wanted to at least be the one to give them a fair trial.
“That's why I’m going to ask some of our other Pokemon friends to help in this case.”
Ponyville.
Iris, Ash, and Misty all sat at a restaurant table as they decided what to order.
“What are you guys having?” Iris said.
“I’m thinking of trying the hay fries,” Ash said.
“You like eating hay?” Misty questioned.
“No, but I feel adventurous. Besides, it's not like there are many meat options.”
“True, I guess some food dining places only have the means to cater to a specific demographic.”
The three of them placed their orders after which Iris decided to bring up a certain subject.
“So, how have you two been doing lately?” Iris said with a knowing tone of voice.
Ash never being one to read the room, just responded with. “Well, I haven't been seeing much action lately after we fought those two servants. So I’ve just been mostly training with Pikachu and my other Pokemon.”
Misty who did read the room decided to take full advantage of it. “Oh, we’ve just been wonderful Iris, why just the other day Ash took me on a date.”
“Oh! Was Latias there?”
“No, just the two of us. We got some well-deserved alone time.” Misty punctured the point by snuggling up next to Ash, who at this point realized what was going on.
“Oh yeah, I guess that did happen,” he said nervously.
The two girls laughed. But Ash, not wanting to be the subject of humor decided to turn it around to someone else.
“Speaking of dates, tell us about you and Axle. Have you two started getting serious or are you just taking it slow?”
Now it was Iris’s turn to blush. Her relationship with the Haxorus that was part of Abby’s family was complicated, to say the least. The Dragon Pokemon had no shame in declaring(rather loudly) how she would become his mate. Iris for the most part had no words to respond with, and just let him ramble on.
Their relationship started off with him training her to use her new Pokemon body. But it became quickly obvious that he wanted more out of their relationship. Iris just thought of him as a loud, proud and arrogant Pokemon, and in that department, she found him kinda annoying. That being said, it was not like she was completely against the idea. Being a dragon trainer back on Earth, she figured that she could easily tame his more wild aspects, only then would she be more open to the idea.
“I’m still on the fence about that,” Iris admitted. “I’d prefer if he humbles himself first before I give him one date.”
“Do I take that as an admission that you like him at least?” Misty said smugly.
“....I like him, but only to a point.”
“Does he know that?”
“No. Why would I-”
“IRIS!” A loud boastful voice startled everyone in their seats.
“Speak of the devil-” The Champion of the Unova Region turned around to see the Haxorus in question walking up to them.
“Axle, can you be any louder, this is a public area,” Iris said sarcastically.
“I can be louder, but only if you want me to.”
Iris didn’t know if he was being serious and just decided to get to the point.
“What do you want Axle?”
“I came to ask if you wish to join me in hunting.”
“Hunting?”
“Yes, but not of animals, but of criminals wanted by the Ranger Union.”
“Isn’t that what Pokemon Rangers like your trainer is for? Why do you need me?”
“Because hunting down prey is an essential part of what it means to be a dragon. And since you still have a long way to go before you become a master dragon yourself, this will be a fine experience for your training.”
Although a little slighted that Axle kept reminding her that she still had ways to go before fully mastering her Dragon Pokemon body(despite being a Dragon trainer who knew most of the things about Dragon Pokemon). Iris at the moment did not have time for his “training”.
“Not now, Axle, can’t you see I’m about to eat?”
Axle looked over Iris and at the table which had no food served at the moment.
“Eat what, I don’t see anything. Perhaps you are making up excuses?”
Now Iris was starting to get annoyed.
“Okay listen here mister, I-”
The sound of Teleportation interrupted Iris before she could say another word. Everyone looked to see Princess Luna and Princess Twilight standing before them.
“Ha, it seems my teleportation was precise, these are the friends you were referring to Twilight?”
“Yes, that's them.”
“Twilight, Princess Luna!? What are you two doing here?” Misty said.
“Looking for you three actually, plus Abby, do you know where she is?”
“She is in the Ranger Union as we speak,” Axle said.
“Good, can you go and tell her to come to the library, and bring Kasai too, make it fast.”
“Woah, what's that rush, Princess?” Iris said.
“Twilight and her friends have located Chaldea, and we are currently gathering our forces to plan a strike against them while we still have their location.”
Those words were enough to make them understand.
“Wait, you guys found Chaldea again already?” Misty said.
“Yes, and as I said, we wish to gather as many able bodies as we can in order to fight and defeat them once and for all. My sister is currently at the Hall of Legends Informing Arceus about all this now.”
“Wow, so aside from the Legendaries, you guys need us?” Ash said.
“We wish to leave nothing to chance,” Luna said. “The last time we fought Chaldea they managed to escape, that will not be the case this time. We must attack them with everything at our disposal, we must finish this once and for all.”
The four Pokemon looked at each other and then back to the alicorn.
“What can we do to help?”
Hall of Legends
Celestia simply walked through the special doors in Canterlot Castle that connected her home to the Hall of Legends. Aside from the fact, that the doors were made for her, she was allowed to simply walk in as the divine protection around the temple recognized her immortality. True to his word, Arceus said that immortals were always welcomed in the Hall of Legends.
“Maybe because those of us who are close to eternity and closest to the heavens, to the gods. Perhaps he feels a kinship with people like me since we will have each other as company for the rest of existence.”
But to ensure that their existence would not be a short one, Celestia continued to the foyer and looked around.
“Can I help you Princess Celestia?”
The alicorn heard Arceus’s voice before he manifested himself in front of her. “To what do I owe this personal visit?”
Celestia recalled the carefully worded sentence she rehearsed before in her head.
“I have come to tell you something you should know.” Celestia looked around to see if they were alone, then again, she assumed the several Legendary Pokemon had means of concealment beyond her knowledge, so it was moot.
“But before I tell you it, I want to make sure you won’t immediately jump at the opportunity. Understand?”
“....You found Chaldea didn’t you.”
The Princess was a bit taken aback. “How did you kn-”
“What else could you come to me to talk about. And given what I just did recently, I assumed they would be found eventually.”
“What do you mean?”
“Let’s just say that I did something that in short, made it so those humans won’t be getting away like they did last time. But all that aside, you know where they are now? Tell me.”
“....Alright, but before I do, do not just teleport there without the rest of us and without a plan.”
Arceus blinked.
“Very well. You have my word.”
“They are in a forest at the base of the Unicorn Mountain Range. They appear to be holed up in another magical fortress that was manifested when Twilight and her friends found them.”
“Ah, so Twilight found them. It's times like these I can see why you put so much faith in your student.”
“Indeed, Twilight is a gifted girl,” Celestia said with pride. “Which is why she also suggested that we all plan an attack rather than just rushing in blindly.”
Arceus tilted his head. “What is she proposing?”
“She is currently asking several of her Pokemon friends to help us, I believe you know their names. While your Legendary Pokemon are perhapes more than enough. Sometimes using overwhelming force can become…too destructive.”
Arceus understood what she was saying. All of his children were the embodiments of nature among other things. The level of destruction they could cause would certainly leave quite a mess. So perhaps using former Pokemon Trainers would be wise in this case.
“Very well, if those trainers who were worthy enough to be brought here want to participate in defending our new home, I have no right to refuse them.”
Celestia mentally sighed.
“Thank you, Arceus.”
“Now then, shall I gather everyone here?”
-
Soon the foyer was full of Legendary and Non-Legendary Pokemon alike(the entire room had to be expanded just to fit them all).
Several Pokemon trainers such as Seth, Iris, Abby, Ash, and some others stood together in a group. Even though they were surrounded by peers, some of them still felt small in a room that was filled with almost every Legendary Pokemon they could think of.
“Arceus is really pulling out all the stops huh guys,” Iris said.
“He wants to leave nothing to chance,” Abby pointed out. “And after what happened with the Tree of Emptiness, I don’t blame him.”
Iris looked at the Ninetales, through her fur, she noticed the scar on her neck area. While she didn’t know the full story, what she did hear was that one of the Chaldeans was responsible for that wound.
There was some murmuring and conversation around them, Iris could make out several words and phrases such as.
“The Chaldeans are in no way escaping this time.”
“Father is bearing his full force down on them. Who knows he may even see fit to use that move.”
“Father's signature move!? He hasn’t used that since….well you know.”
Iris became immediately invested in that conversation. While she wasn’t much of a Legendary Pokemon lore nerd like Cynthia, she had heard the myths about Arceus’s supposed all-powerful move that was the symbol of his power and his ultimate divine punishment. Only used whenever something really earned his ire.
But before she could hear more, the entire room went silent as the god in question appeared in the middle of the room in a burst of light. Standing next to him were the three Alicorn Princesses that they all knew well.
“My children, my friends, I thank you all for gathering here on such short notice. You all know why we are called here today, we have located the Chaldean interlopers who have been attacking and bringing harm to our land and our people.”
Some members of the crowd nodded and spoke in agreement and exclamation.
“As of now, they are located within the Equestrian Unicorn Mountain Range. In a fortress that is no doubt similar to the one some of you have faced before.”
A projection of the area in question appeared on the floor at Arceus’s hooves. It showed the same Kremlin Fortress that was discovered about an hour ago.
“So far they have yet to move or display any sort of activity. No doubt they are trying to hole themselves up for as long as possible. I do not know what they are planning, perhaps they are waiting for help, or they are trying to resolve the problem I created for them that is preventing them from escaping. Either way, I don’t intend to give them that chance.”
Latios spoke up. “Excuse me father, but why can’t you just go over there and apprehend the Chaldeans now? Surely they don’t have the means of creating a barrier, capable of holding you back?”
“You’re right, they don’t appear to be capable of doing that. In fact, just a short while ago I went there myself to see what was waiting for me. And it turns out.-”
The image on the floor changed again to show a golden shine covering the entirety of the castle.
“That they do have someone capable of doing that.”
Anastastia's Kremlin
The Gate of Babylon.
Inside this vast vault is said to contain all the treasures gathered by humanity's oldest hero and kept inside, ready for use whenever he needed it.
Due to being summoned as a Caster, Gilgamesh has access to the same Noble Phantasm he would possess if he had manifested as an Archer. The only major difference is the loss of access to his greatest treasure Ea, as that sword is only something meant for his other aspect.
As the one who thinks little of the gods in the heavens and was the one to bring about the Age of Man, the King of Heroes naturally possesses several treasures of anti-divine properties.
So of course, he would have many a mystic code that could repel or restrain the gods themselves.
A glow of magical light surrounded the Sumerki Kremlin. It came from a Noble Phantasm that was meant to keep out anyone or anything of divine lineage. In the 7th singularity, it was used once to block a single strike from the Beast of Regression. For despite its power, there was always going to be a limit, especially against one who had enough mana to cross the Sea of Stars.
“I have programmed the settings on this Noble Phantasm to keep out that particular group of divine spirits called Legendary Pokemon. They shall set neither foot nor finger inside this Fortress unless I allow it. However, when I say Legendary Pokemon, I mean that. Mortals or no special quality or significance will be able to pass through, be mindful of that.”
Gilgamesh stood upon the top of the castle while Kirschtaria Wodime and Ritsuka Fujimaru stood behind him. The sun was beginning to set in the distance, about 30 minutes from now give or take.
“Thank you, King Gilgamesh. Your assistance is most appreciated,” Kirschtaria said.
“You’re lucky I was generous enough to grant it. Especially after you failed to cut down the Tree of Emptiness.”
Neither master said anything. Even though one wanted to make an excuse, he knew it would be pointless to argue.
“Know this Chaldeans. Had you cut down that Tree like you were supposed to, things could have gone a lot easier for you in the long run. Now I foresee that your journey will become a much much harder one.”
Kirschtaria dare not ask the King of Uruk to elaborate on what he meant. The King’s Clairvoyance only showed him the future and not the entirety of it.
“I have seen how your story proceeds from here, and you will not like where it leads. The emotional pain will be far worse than what could have been. I pity the looks on your face when that time comes for you to make that choice.”
A few moments of silence passed.
“But enough about the future. We should turn our attention to the present. Tell me, what are your means of defense other than the one I have so generously provided to you?”
“We have somewhere around 20 servants gathered here right now, more may be coming if they’re still alive. But because not all of us can form contracts unless we want to be sucked dry of mana, some will only have the energy to use their Noble Phantasm once.”
“Alright, and who has formed a contract with who?”
“Ophelia has the Valkyries, Sigurd, and this new servant that I do not recognize. Kadoc has Anastasia, Hans, and Babbage. Akuta has contracts with Kintoki, Tsuna, and Gareth. Fujimaru has Karna, Mash, and Mordred at his disposal. Finally, I have contracts with Gawain, Kato Danzo, and Achilles.”
“Hmmm, a misfit of pairings, but one cannot be picky in a time like this. How long to you think you can weather the storm?”
“As long as we need to,”
“Just enough to let Da Vinci and rest make the necessary modifications that will allow us to penetrate the hardened space that is keeping us here,” Ritsuka said.
“Hmmm, if you want my opinion, your odds don’t look good.”
Both masters said nothing, although it was clear that their hearts sank a little at those words.
“The servants you have are very much capable of handling an entire nation's army if needed. You are honestly lucky you got a fine pick of Heroic Spirits. That being said, even with all of them here, they will not be able to overcome your greatest foe who will no doubt show up.”
“...Arceus,” Kirschtaria said.
“That one is a genuine god, not some degraded divine spirit like his progeny. He wields authorities that are part of his very nature as a god of creation. Worship is unneeded for him to retain his power. I imagine that this barrier I have set up for you would only be capable of taking one or two attacks that are on the level of Divine Punishment.”
“Is there really no one who can stand up to him?”
“I imagine if you sent all of your servants at him at once, you would be able to keep him busy long enough to run away, but that would be if he was just the only one you were fighting, which you’re not. I suppose that child of the Sun God might be able to last a few seconds against him, but no more than that.”
“So Karna is our best bet. But he already used his Noble Phantasm once, which means he no longer has his sun armor to protect him,” Although even with his armor, Fujimaru guessed that it would have done little good against a god who would easily bypass those defenses.
“The chances of your victory are small mongrels. You are facing an enemy who will no doubt throw everything they have at you to bring your downfall. There can be no room for hesitation or mercy. You must respond to the enemy in kind if you wish to live, to fight another day. Use everything at your disposal. And I mean everything.”
Kirschtaria tugged at his gloves.
“Whatever may come, we have faced worse odds than this. And we do not have the luxury of waiting or hoping someone will come to our rescue. We are not alone out here, but we must assume this will be all the help we’re getting.”
“Good, setting your reasonable expectations shows you have a calm mind.”
A wind blew through the air, its weight felt heavier than normal. As if it was the prelude to something.
“The hour is upon us mongrels. Are you prepared to show them just what you are?”
The three of them looked off into the setting sun.
“Yes, we are,”
“I will show them the true strength of the human race. Of just what our so-called insignificant species is capable of. I will show them that we are not the Darkness others paint us to be.”
-
In the 10 or so minutes that had passed. Everyone had been paired up in groups. Some comprised of just Pokemon and their formers trainers, while Legendary Pokemon who normally worked alone were partnered up with someone.
“I admit I almost feel bad for the Chaldeans,” Keldeo said.
“Try not to feel too much mercy towards an enemy Keldeo, not all of them deserve it.” Cobalion said.
“So how will we know which ones deserve mercy Cobalion?” Virizion asked.
The leader of the Swords of Justice briefly thought about a certain Knight that they had fought recently. The way they talk and came off made him feel something he did not experience in a long time.
Loathing.
“You will know them when you see them.”
Elsewhere, Suicune, Xerneas, and Zekrom stood in one corner as they talk among themselves.
“What happens if the Chaldeans are defeated today?” Zekrom whispered. “I doubt father will show them much leniency after what happened to Shaymin.”
“The best we can do is advocate for them if they so happened to be judged,” Suicune said.
“If we do that, then that will only make the other Legendaries more suspicious of us,” Xerenas said. “Giratina already talked with you Suicune, that means they’re already on to us.”
But the Water Pokemon was already lost in another thought. “Hey, has anyone seen Cresselia?”
“I heard that she asked father if she could stay here. Apparently, the eggs are due any hour now. At least that's what Mew told me.”
“Huh, interesting.”
The conversation was stopped however as Arceus spoke up again.
“So, everyone knows their partner and where they will be sent to attack?”
There were nods of acknowledgment and several people said “Yes”.
“Good.” Arceus’s eyes scanned the crowd. “You all know what's at stake here. If Chaldea gets away and returns to whatever corner of the world they are hiding in, they will continue to be a threat. They will return in possibly greater force and a better understanding of how to fight up next time. We cannot allow them that opportunity. Chaldea must be stopped here, no matter the cost.”
Most of the crowd cheered in agreement and righteous confidence. They who believed themselves to be right in their cause had no concern for failure, for they were just people defending their home from those who would destroy it and them.
Arceus looked to the Alicorn Princesses on his left. “Celestia do you have anything to add?”
Celestia looked to the crowd, to the Royal Guard ponies and Pokemon who had volunteered for this mission.
“I only ask that you fight not just to defeat an enemy, but for those back home who wish to live. For this is not a fight against evil, but a fight to protect our future, a future that we all share together.”
Another wave of cheering, although not as loud as the first one, sounded throughout the hall. Celestia nodded in response and acknowledgment.
“Alright, if there is nothing else, let us be off!”
The entire room was blinded in a glow of Divine light, next thing they knew, Everyone was standing in the middle of a grassy plane. Before them lay a massive fortress that was their target.
“Woah what the heck!?” Rainbow Dash exclaimed. Clearly not expecting what was basically an entire army to show up right behind her.
“Rainbow Dash, girls!” Twilight said as she flew back down to her friends. “Did anything happen while we were away?”
“Nothing that I could notice. Other than the humans who I saw walking on the roof of that thing.”
Arceus appeared floating above everyone as he looked down on the Kremlin. He locked eyes with the group of humans who stood on top of the roof.
The Chaldeans stared at the sight before them. Most looked to the army at their gate, Kirschtaria however locked eyes with Arceus, the god seemingly staring back at him.
For a few minutes, nothing happened. Even as the last rays of sunlight began to fall beneath the distance.
“Is everyone ready?” Kirschtaria asked.
The last masters of Chaldea steeled themselves, some clutching the hand that hosted their Command Spells.
“Ready,” Kadoc said.
“I, Ophelia Phamrsolone will fulfill my duties to the best of my ability.”
“I may not be able to die. But that doesn’t mean I want to go back to a cell.”
“Mash Kyrielight, on standby!”
“Do you even need to ask?”
The sun finally set, and the stars came out, followed by the sound of battle cries and a mass of people charging.
“Then let's do this.”
Gawain was the first to strike, as his sword was one of the best equipped for dealing with an army.
Excalibur Galatine, sister sword to the Sword of Promised Victory, and Anti-Army Noble Phantasm. When swung vertically, it brought down a pillar of solar flame that could turn an entire row of soldiers to ash. When swung horizontally, it could set aflame anything within a 13-kilometer radius.
“The sun has gone down, so I shall receive none of its blessings in this battle,” Gawain said. His sword clenched in hand.
“But even so, this Knight of Midheaven is not entirely without its power.”
Gawain threw the holy blade above him as it transformed into an imitation of the sun. For a brief moment, the approaching army looked in awe, as if the sun which had just set reappeared over their heads.
“This sword is a copy of the sun. The other sacred sword of the very planet upon which we all walk!”
A beam of light stretched down from the micro star into the hands of the Knight of the Round Table.
The Swords of Justice, who had witnessed this mighty blade before, knew what was about to happen.
“Everyone get ready!” Cobalion said. “Defensive positions!”
Gawain brought the beam of light to his side and prepared to swing.
“Holy sword of the stars, swing once again!"
Excalibur Galatine! Sword of Revolving Victory
A wave of fire and light was brought down on the army. As the Knight of the Sun, Gawain was favored by the day and was unbeatable during it.
However, on that day, the Son of King Lot and Morgan Le Fay was not the only one who wielded the power of the sun.
A loud crash stopped the beam of light just before it could claim the lives of those who stood against Chaldea today. Through the blinding light, Gawain was surprised to see that someone was able to stop his Noble Phantasm in its tracks. Even a servant could only hold it back for so long.
Princess Celestia was no servant.
To everyone's shock, in her magical grasp, she held a sword of her own. One that glow with the power that was allowed to her. With one push, she forced Galatine off with a parry that almost made Gawain stumble back.
“But how!?”
Celestia stared at the Knight, determination on her face.
-
“So as we know, Chaldea has several servants that we know of at our disposal. Their names may not be known to some of you, but the ones we do know of, we have done our research on.”
Arceus pulled up images of several servants they had encountered so far.
“The key is knowing a servant's identity and their Noble Phantasm, and how to counter it. For example.”
Arceus enlarged an image of one particular servant.
“This is Sir Gawain, a Knight of the Round Table from the Legends of King Arthur. In our world, the Matter of Britain and its characters were nothing but myths. But it seems that they indeed exist in this world. This should be taken as a sign, that things that were fictional and fairy tale, may have actually happened and existed in this world.”
This news came as a surprise to the former humans who were among the crowd. Many of them had grown up reading stories of fictional heroes and fairy tales. To think that some of those stories might be real in this world, was an interesting thought to say the least.
“The Swords of Justice have fought him before. In fact, he was the one that caused that fire in the Everfree.”
“Yeah, I remembered how much of a mess that made,” Kyogre said.
“Gawain’s sword is called Galatine, and legends say it draws its power from the sun. And from what we have seen, it is a Sword that is able to swing very far. Such a weapon could be devastating if ever unleashed.”
“So how do we defend against such a weapon?” Darkrai said.
“When it comes to certain powers and abilities, the best way to fight fire is with either water or with fire. I don’t know if a wave of water would be able to stop such a blade if it's ever swung. And since it's powered by the sun it might be more powerful than what water could stop.”
“So what would you suggest?”
“If Gawain uses the power of the sun to aid him, then it should take another person who also has deep ties to the sun to face him.”
Celestia then saw that all eyes were on her.
“Me?”
“Celestia you move the sun. I doubt that's the only power you have related to it, am I wrong?”
“No, I do have some other sun-related powers, and I do understand what you are saying. If Gawain uses his Noble Phantasm, you want me to block it.”
“Can you?”
“It's not a question of if I can. It's just that Gawain is not the only Sun-related servant Chaldea has in their ranks.”
“Ah, you mean Karna.”
An image was brought up of the Indian demigod.
“I just think that he is a more worrisome foe that I must face. Karna is the son of a sun deity. Which means that I should be facing him rather than Gawain. He presents the bigger danger. I think you all know what I’m talking about.”
Those who knew remembered the Noble Phantasm of Karna that they witnessed that day. Needless to say, it was on a whole other level than Gawain’s Galatine.
“Leave Karna to me, I shall deal with him. I want you to focus on Gawain.”
“But-”
“Trust me, Celestia. Karna is someone who frankly, outmatches you in terms of combat and speed. Not to mention if he were to use his Noble Phantasm again, I would be the only one capable of blocking it.”
Celestia wanted to argue, but she could not dispute the logic. Karna’s Vasavi shakti was something capable of destroying the Tree of Emptiness. She could not defend against that, no matter how hard she tried.
“Alright, I’ll do it.”
“Good, that's settled. Let's move on.”
-
“Sir Gawain!” Celestia shouted.
The Knight of the Round Table locked eyes with the alicorn Princess. She leveled her sword and him. Its name was "Daybringer". A magical sword embedded with her special brand of solar magic. It had not seen battle in over a millennium, but now, its time had come once again.
“I, Princess Celestia shall be your opponent.”
Gawain leveled his sun-blessed sword right back at her.
“Your challenge, is accepted.”
-
Abby, Kasai, Lex, and Rill came from the north side of the castle as the battle commenced. In coordination with two other teams of trainers, they were to look for any openings that would be exploited. With the Chaldean’s attention focused on the south where the main army was, this was their opportunity to strike from simultaneous weaker points.
As an experienced Pokemon Ranger, Abby was trained in the art of stealth for infiltration missions. So sneaking around for her was nothing new. But because she was used to carrying her Pokemon in her Pokeballs during those times, she now had to walk around with her whole team.
And considering that one of her Pokemon was a Shiny Flygon. That didn’t give them many stealth points.
“Remind me what's the plan again Abby?” Lex said.
“Find a way inside, and secure that position. Then we will make a hole for others to get in.”
“I know, but if that barrier is strong enough to keep Arceus out, how are we supposed to get in?” Rill pointed out.
“Everything has a weakness, a flaw that can be exploited. If we can find it, then we’ll be sure to bust right through.”
“And what if we can’t find one? What then?”
“Then we’ll just keep looking!” Abby’s voice this time had a lot more force behind it. Lex and Rill were all too familiar with it, it was the voice Abby used when she was dead set on doing something.
Kasai recognized it too. He knew that Abby was temperamental when it came to fighting her enemies, especially when the fight itself was personal. And given what had happened the last few weeks, this whole situation was VERY personal for her.
“We are Pokemon Rangers, we don’t quit until the job is done and everyone is saved. That's who we are, protectors. We fight evil so that our kids can sleep soundly at night. What we do here tonight, is for justice and peace.”
“Are you sure about that?” said a critical disembodied voice.
Everyone got into attack positions as they looked for the owner of said voice.
“There is a fine line between justice and revenge, and a difference between peace and stagnation. From where I’m standing, you’re confusing at least one of the two.”
“Who are you to say that!?” Abby growled. “Come out and say that to my face.”
Not far in front of them, a small child with blue hair and glass appeared before them in a blue shimmer. He was dressed in fine clothing that was evocative of the Galar Region.
“My name is Hans Christian Anderson. My class is Caster.”
Abby raised an eyebrow. “Hans Chritisan Anderson? You mean the children's book author?”
“Heh, not what you were expecting huh?”
“Hey, wasn’t he the guy who wrote the Little Mermaid?” Lex said.
“Yeah, I think it was him,” Rill confirmed.
Abby shook off the momentary surprise and remembered why she was angry.
“It doesn’t matter who he is, he’s still a servant working for Chaldea. Hans! You and your Chaldean masters are enemies of the Equestrian state! In the name of the Equestrian Pokemon Ranger Union, you and your accomplices are to be arrested on multiple charges of assault, theft, and worst of all, attempted genocide of an entire race, several races in fact! I don’t care what excuse or reasons you have for doing all this. Surrender now, and I’ll at least take that into consideration during your trial.”
For a few moments, Hans said nothing. He looked as if he was observing Abby and her group like a psychiatrist.
“Sir, you may have the right to remain silent, but if you don’t give me an answer-”
“Are you alright?”
It was a more unexpected response than Abby or her team had anticipated.
“What?”
“From what little that has come out of that mouth of yours I can tell that you are someone with a lot of emotional baggage. Perhaps you have experienced several traumatic events that have made you resentful towards other people who so much as look at you the wrong way.”
It was almost like someone had hit all her buttons at once. Flame began to build in Abby’s mouth.
“Why you little piece of human trash.”
“Oh, so it's not people that you have problems with, it's humans. Not that I blame you though, people can be difficult to work with let alone get along with. But from what it sounds like, it seems you are one of those former humans who got turned into a Pokemon by some inconsiderate god.”
“So what if I am!? I’m happy with what I’ve become! Screw being human! I’d much rather be a Pokemon and spend the rest of my life with someone who loves me for who I am rather than someone who just wants to sleep with me because I’m a pretty face!”
It was at this point that Hans noticed the closeness between Abb and Kasai, at which point he put two and two together and look like he was about to lose his lunch.
“What with that look?”
“Sorry, I'm just trying to keep a certain image out of my head. Hmph, I can’t imagine what life you must have lived if you would settle for sleeping with a mangy mutt.”
As soon as the words left his mouth, the air became deadly silent.
Hans being who he was, was critical of everything and everyone, and as such he would dress down and deconstruct people in ways that would intentionally rile them up. Because he had no desire to be liked by others, he did not care if people hated him for the things he spoke.
That being said, Hans had either knowingly, or unknowingly, greatly insulted Abby by demeaning her relationship with Kasai.
Of course, Hans came from a world where normal people aren’t attracted to dogs. So from an outsider's perspective, one could understand his reaction.
Abby however, did not know this. From her perspective, Hans had basically accused her of the same crime many people like her had been charged with. Pokephillia.
And so, that insult, combined with all the other frustration and anger that had been built up, made Abby see red.
“DIE!”
A flamethrower erupted from her mouth, Kasai joined her in this attack, while not as mad, he was also not someone who took too kindly to someone questioning their love.
The intense fire would have roasted the author. If not for a shield that quickly appeared in front of him.
And so when the attack subsided, instead of seeing a roasted corpse on the ground. Gareth of the Round Table stood defending her ally.
“Seriously, are you trying to make them madder!?” Gareth said sarcastically.
“This is just who I am. I’m an analyzer, deconstructing people is part of my Human Observation skill.”
“Well, could you at least tone it down?”
“Sorry, can’t do that, now do you want me to buff you or not?”
*Sigh* “Fine.”
“Very well then.” A book appeared in front of Hans, its pages flipping rapidly as he spoke its true name.
“I shall write the story of your life. The title... let's see..."
Märchen Meines Lebens! A Tale Just For You
A series of healing, defense, and attack buffs was bestowed upon Gareth. Alone she would have trouble fighting the team of an experienced Pokemon Ranger like Abby. But with a Caster assisting her, she now had a better than low chance of emerging victorious.
“Alright listen up. My name is Gareth of the Round Table! Let us have a fair duel!”
But Abby was beyond the point of caring whether or not the fight was a fair one. The only thing she wanted now at this moment was to unleash the rage she had been holding back.
“When I’m done with you, you’ll have so many curses your grandchildren will feel them!”
“...I don’t have grandchildren.”
The four Pokemon charged at the Orkney sibling, who charged back at them with no fear in her eyes.
-
Seth, Rika, Ingis, and Selena approached from the east of the forest as the sound of battle rang throughout the area. Under the cover of darkness, they were to get as close as they could to the fortress and dig underground if only to see if the barrier defending the place extended that far down.
“Sounds like a really intense fight going on out there,” Selena said.
“Yeah, I almost wished I could be out there rather than doing this,” Ingis added.
“Don’t worry, if all goes well, you will have plenty of people to fight,” Seth pointed out.
The four of them were almost within the shadow of the Kremlin. From where they were standing, it didn’t look like anyone could see them.
“Alright, this looks like a good spot to Dig. Ready Ingis?”
“Always, ready brother!”
Ingis prepared to create a tunnel for them until a spear of light landed at his feet.
“And pray might I ask, what are you doing?”
The team looked up to see a male servant with a large sheathed sword at his side, step out from behind a tree. Nearby, a female servant in a white hoodie also stepped into the light. The spear that she had thrown manifested back in her hand.
“Ah, so there were some servants guarding this area. Although I’m surprised Selena couldn’t smell you. She's good at sensing when people are hiding.”
“We servants can go into spirit form and remain undetected by those without the proper senses. Honestly, if it weren't for my code of honor, I could have sneaked up behind and run you through with my blade.”
Seth’s Pokemon all started growing in aggression. Even if it wasn’t an outright threat, the fact that this servant even brought it up was cause for concern.
“I see, so I assume you wish to face us head-on?”
“Indeed, my name is Watanabe-no-Tsuna, my class is Saber.”
Seth blinked upon hearing that name.
“Watanabe-no-Tsuna, as in the same one from the Four Heavenly Kings?”
“You know who I am?”
“Yes, the stories of Raikou’s retainers are very famous in the Kanto Region. I never thought I’d get to meet one of you. Under different circumstances, I’d probably ask for your autograph signature. But for now”
Seth’s body crackled with electricity.
“I’ll settle for sending some ghosts back to the other side.”
“Very well, let battles be drawn. Ortlinde?”
The Lancer faced her shield forward. “Ready.”
“Alright, let's start off with this, Ingis! Dragon Claw!”
The Charizard closed the distance between him and Tsuna, the samurai responded by heating up the blade in his sheath. In a quick draw, he met the dragon claw with Onikiri, sending sparks and flames everywhere.
-
The Swords of Justice saw their opponents before they saw them. Two Saber class servants walked out of the forest as they approached them.
The one on the right they instantly recognized as Mordred, the other was a taller male knight with long grey hair and a glowing tattoo on the middle of his chest.
“Well, well, look who decided to come crawling back after getting their @#$% handed to them,” the red saber exclaimed.
“What, are you talking about, last I checked we were the ones who had you on the ground!” Keldeo said.
“And yet you failed to kill me, not that I blame, you after all your opponent was Mordred, heir to King Arthur’s throne.”
Keldeo was about to retort before Cobalion held him back.
“For one who claims to be the heir of King Arthur’s kingdom, from what legends recall, you were never declared his heir. And given that attitude of yours, I can see why he passed you over.”
“What was that!?”
“Calm down Mordred, they have us outnumbered. We must be smart about this.”
“Can it Siegfried, I’ll take the wise guy here and his little horsey, you handle the green one and the fat brown whatever it is.”
“I ain’t fat!” Terrakion shouted back.
“Don’t care!” Mordred then charged at her foe, her Clarent glowing with red lighting. Cobalion, with surprising speed, met her halfway with his own sword.
“Heh, is that the best you got? Back in Camelot, you guys would be nothing more than mounts for us to ride if you’re lucky.”
“....Why?”
“Hmm?”
“Why do you always feel the need to belittle and demean your opponents? That is not the way an honorable knight should act.”
“Ha! If someone can’t handle a few mean words then they shouldn’t be on a battlefield in the first place.”
Cobalion spoke no more, it was clear that she was trying to get a rise out of him. And while he would never admit it, it was working.
Mordred’s words, her manners, her history. It was everything he hated about those who claimed to be knights of honor.
He could not help but think back to the fall of the Virtus, the kingdom formed from the human King that the Swords of Justice raised as their own. How that kingdom fell in a single night of misfortune due to several betrayals and selfish desires.
He thought of the one who led that betrayal, and he became the mythical basis for the servant that stood before him now.
-
Iris and Axle were members of the team charged with assaulting the west side of the fortress. She brought along her Hydreigon and Druddigon for extra firepower, and Excadrill to do the digging.
“What a glorious lineup of Unova Dragons we have here!” Axle shouted. “While I and Iris are more than enough to deal with these cowardly Chaldeans, having a Hydreigon will ensure their demise!”
“You know where not going in there to kill them right?” Iris said. Despite the things Chaldea had done, Iris was not too comfortable with the idea of taking someone's life. Even if they deserve it.
“They had the gall to invade our homes and threaten our very way of life! If death is not a suitable punishment for them then what is!?”
“There is a due process for this kind of stuff, Axle. You can’t just kill somebody just because you want to.”
“I’m fine with killing stuff master,” Hydreigon said.
Iris shot her Pokemon a look that read. “Not helping.”
“See, even this one agrees!”
“Okay, enough of that, we first have to get inside of that thing before we figure out what to do. Excadrill, are you ready?”
“Yes, Iris. At your command.”
“Hey, is it just me, or is this place becoming foggier?” Druddigon said.
Indeed, a thick fog began to roll in, seemingly out of nowhere.
“Wait, I thought the ponies were in charge of how the weather works in this world?”
“What are you saying, master?”
“An unnatural fog rolls in and there are no ponies around here, much less ones that would help Chaldea by making this fog. So that must mean-”
Before Iris could come to her conclusion. Strange sounds began to be heard. It was mechanical, similar to a steam engine and moving of metal and gears.
It came from all directions, and at the same time, several red lights could be seen thru the steamy shroud.
Iris, with her quick thinking said, “Hydreigon use Defog!”
The dragon Pokemon’s wings glowed as he sent out several blades of wind that quickly cleared the area. Once it was done, what was concealed was laid bare.
The team was surrounded by a small army of robotic mechs. They all appeared to have the same model and shape. Large arms and short legs with a head that resemble a top hat, and a single glowing light that reassembled an “eye”. In their hands, they had long-toothed blades.
“What the heck are these things!?”
“They are my Helter Skelters,” Said someone with a deep mechanical voice. “Mass-produced from my Noble Phantasm.”
From out of the crowd, stepped forth another automaton, this one larger and more distinct than the rest. Rather than a large saw blade, it carried a large metal cone-shaped tool on a pole.
Next to him, a normal human in formal clothing stepped beside him. He just had a single sword at his side. His eyes were a deep dark red, like polished jewels, he had brown hair and caucasian skin. He was average in appearance and not someone people would take a second glance at.
“My name is Charles Babbage, I am a Caster.”
While someone like Charles Babbage did exist on the Pokemon world to pioneer the invention of the computer and steam engines, Iris was no history major so the name had no meaning to her.
And so she passed over him and focused on the other servant beside him.
“And who are you supposed to be?”
“I am Sieg, my class is also Caster.”
“Huh, I get the feeling the metal guy is important, but who are you supposed to be?”
Sieg pursed his lips.
“No one, I am not a Heroic Spirit with much history to be noteworthy of. Nor am I anyone of consequence.”
“Hmmm. Eh, whatever. I must say I'm impressed you both came out here to greet us with this many numbers. I’m almost flattered.”
“I am just merely a servant obeying my master's commands. What I do, I do as a Heroic Spirit sworn to defend humanity.”
Iris raised an eyebrow. She was told before about how these servants were summoned by something called the Counter Force in response to the endangerment of the human race. While she didn’t understand the full mechanics behind it, she basically got the gist that these people who were once dead were brought back to life to help save humanity in its time of need.
Iris personally had no strong feelings towards the human race, positive or negative. While she was always against Pokephilia, she never blamed the majority of humanity so much as the ignorant few who believed the Pokemon and humans should not be romantically involved.
But that was neither here nor there. This was simply the case of the human race responding to an invading species who would supplant them as the existing race. Iris understood that technically the Pokemon were the invaders. That only one world could exist on this planet.
That being said, it was the ponies, another species native to this planet that had accepted the Pokemon as their new friends, not humanity.
“I know that you guys are just trying to save your world. But is killing another one really the answer? Is there not a way we can all live together?”
The mechanical servant did not answer for a few seconds, as if he was still coming to grips with this moral dilemma himself.
“If there is a way, it is unknown to me. I do not take joy in eradicating an entire world. But as someone who was born and reborn as a hero of humanity, I shall stand with them. I’m sorry.”
“I’m sorry too. But the world I came from no longer exists, and I have made many new friends in this world. So as someone who has come to call this place home, I will stand with them.”
“I see, then there are no words left to say except-”
“Enough talking! Let’s pummel them into the ground!” Axle said as he fire a Dragon Pulse that hit Babbage square in the chest before he could react. His armor was damaged as he was knocked off his feet.
“Hey, that was a cheap shot!” Sieg said.
“Don’t care, prepare to beg for mercy human!”
The Helter Skelters marched forward in response to their creator being attacked, weapons at the ready.
“Prepare to beg for mercy, after I’m done trashing these tin cans!” Axle then used Outrage as he began to tear through the mechanical army with Hydreigon and Druddigon assisting him. Meanwhile, Iris faced Sieg as he drew his sword.
“Is your friend always like this?”
“Pretty much,” said Iris as she activated Dragon Claw.
-
Karna and Arceus stared at each other in the skies above the battlefield. Neither one being able to read the other's expressions. All around them, various other Heroic Spirits fought the other Legendary Pokemon. Achilles faced the Eon duo. Sigurd battled Reshiram, Anastasia faced Kyurem, and Kintoki battled Kyogre.
“So you are the legendary Karna I have heard so much about.” Arceus sensed the power and divinity radiating from him. He always had a certain respect for other gods and their demigod children. Even if one of them stood against him now. “I can see the power within you, Agni, Indra, Surya. The gods of the Hindu Pantheon stand behind you and against me.”
“Indeed,” Karna responded. “As the gods love humanity I was sent here in their place to protect the human order.”
“Interesting, they would still protect the humans that cast them aside and left them behind? After years of protecting and nurturing them, the humans all moved on and just pretended the gods never existed. And yet they would still send them aid after they abandoned them?”
“You speak of the relationship of humanity and gods as if it were a brother abandoning its brother. When in truth, Humanity had no need for the gods anymore because it was time for them to grow beyond their dependence. It is closer to a child leaving the protection of their parent and bringing their childhood to an end. In short, it was time for humanity to live on its own.”
“Hmph. You speak as if this is a good thing. Tell me what has humanity accomplished in the time they left the gods behind. They have become divided and chaotic. They disregard nature and do whatever they please, their actions eat away at the very world they live on! I wouldn’t be surprised if in a few short years someone starts a war that ends up destroying civilization. In short, humanity is not ready to be the custodians of the planet.”
“According to you?”
“According to me,” Arceus spoke, unashamed. “You humans are not ready to live without the gods. And so, even though this is not my world, I shall gladly be the one to watch over and care for it until the time when the mortal races are ready to care for it.”
“But not humans?”
Arceus stared at the demigod.
“From what I have seen, you all had your chance.”
“So you would assert your authority over a world you have no claim to, simply out of your own personal beliefs? You call humanity immature and yet your actions are not dissimilar to a child who saw something he didn’t like and wanted to change it to suit his own taste. Tell me god of Pokemon, are you doing this simply out of some moral obligation, or because you failed to do this back on your own planet?”
Karna was similar to Hans in that they were both good at reading people. And often their words hit home. But while Hans criticized people for his own amusement and study, Karna’s words had no malice or negative intentions behind them.
Of course, Arceus either didn’t know or didn’t care. And like many gods, he did not like it when mortals pointed out their flaws.
“Enough talk, let us see how long the blessings of your father can last you against my true divine power, Hero of Charity.”
A simple Hyper Beam attack was aimed at Karna, alone the move was devastating enough. But because it was used by Arceus, not only was it vastly more powerful, he suffered none of the energy drawbacks associated with said move. Meaning he could fire it as much as he wanted.
Being the nimble member of the Lancer-class, Karna spectacularly avoided each and every shot. Until he saw an opening and unleashed Brahmastra at the Pokemon God’s head. Hitting him dead on.
Arceus stumbled, but that was all the attack did.
“Impressive, I actually felt that.”
While Quetzalcoatl had been able to hurt and even momentarily knock out Arceus. That was all she was capable of doing in her limited servant Saint Graph. And while Karna was no normal servant, he was not capable of inflicting lasting damage on the Pokemon god.
“Do you now see, son of Surya? You cannot hurt me, why waste your energy delaying the inevitable and just give up?”
Karna once again came down to Arceus's eye level. He spoke once again in the same tone of voice he was known for.
“A true hero does not surrender just because he faces a superior opponent, a true hero will fight to the very end, even at the cost of his life.”
“Hmph, so be it.”
-
Back on the ground Siegfried and Mordred continued to clash swords with Cobalion, Virizion, Terrakion, and Keldeo. Despite being outnumbered, neither side was gaining ground.
Mordred parried a strike from Cobalion and kicked Keldeo in the face and he tried to come from behind.
Siegfried grabbed Terrakion by the horns and surprisingly held his ground against the charging Pokemon. He slammed his head into the ground and blocked a series of quick strikes from the Grassland Pokemon.
Cobalion once again matched swords with Mordred, rather than approaching from the rear again, Kedleo, who had entered his resolute form, joined his teacher in using their swords to push Mordred back.
“Hah, this is the best you can do? And people wonder why we don’t let little horses swing swords. It just doesn’t make sense.”
“Do not underestimate us just because we walk on four legs, even a foreign and unfamiliar fighting style is enough to beat a foe who knows nothing of it.”
“Heh, I don’t need to know how you fight to be you, it's clear where the gap in our power lies.”
“Ha! Like you would know a thing or two about that!” Keldeo retorted.
“Huh?”
“Let’s be real, you are nothing more than a traitorous knight with no real reason to fight do you?”
“What are you getting at you little punk?”
“All that you're known for is being the one to kill King Arthur and destroying the very kingdom you wanted to rule over. That's basically your entire story, at least the only part that matters. And all because your mommy told you to.”
Keldeo didn’t notice it, but Cobalion sensed a sudden change in Mordred’s demeanor.
“That's all you were good for, being made to as a weapon directed by someone to bring down someone else. That was the only accomplishment Mordred was ever known for, nothing more! I bet your mom would have cast you aside after she was done with you had you not died that day also.”
The was a noticeable silence from Mordred.
“You have no will or opinions of your own. You’re just a stupid girl who was made to do something and that's it. I don’t even know why you’re here in the first place if you have no other reason to live.”
At this point, Cobalion and Keldeo had slowly been gaining ground inch by inch. But now, Mordred was somehow shoving them back.
“What!? H-how are you?!”
“Die.”
Mordred summoned a powerful mana burst. So powerful and quickly was it, that not only did it knock Keldeo and Cobalion off their feet, but the shockwave also sent Siegfried and the other Swords of Justice flying in every direction.
Keldeo was a little dazed, but he managed to quickly regain his focus enough to see an enraged servant walking toward him.
“Your first mistake was pissing me off.”
The young Pokemon quickly got to his feet but was knocked down again by a blindingly fast strike from Clarent, which he barely managed to parry.
“Your second mistake was calling me a girl.”
Keldeo got up again but this time was hit with even greater force, sending him into a nearby rock, breaking it. An intense pain radiated from his forehead, he then looked in horror and saw that his Resolute horn was cut from his body
The youngest Sword of Justice once again tried to stand. But Mordred stomped on his hind leg, nearly breaking it. He cried out in pain that caught Virizion’s attention.
“Your third and final mistake you will ever make, was insinuating that I am nothing more than something that was made to just be used her entire stupid !@#$ing life!”
Mordred rasied her sword.
“Keldeo!” Virizion cried out.
The sword was swung. The body was impaled. Blood stained the ground as it dripped from the gaping wound made by that famous sword.
Mordred looked down and saw a blade made of light erupting from her chest. She tried to speak, but only coughed up more blood. She tried to raise Clarent but it just fell out of her hands and dropped it to the ground. Her Battle Continuation Skill had been nullified, this single strike had taken all the energy out of her.
“Correct. You have no one to blame for your life but yourself,” Cobalion said. “We all make choices and decisions in our life. Some choose to be good, others choose to be evil. You, however, choose to be a child who simply threw a tantrum when they did not get what they wanted.”
Cobalion removed his sword from Mordred’s chest, causing her to fall to the ground, as she continued to bleed out. Her spirit core was shattered, and her magical energy was draining rapidly.
“This is what people like you deserve. In the end, you choose to commit evil without remorse or consideration for others. And in this end, hell was what awaited you, and that is where you shall return, Knight of Treachery.”
Yellow particles began to rise into the air from Mordred’s body. She stared back at her killer, not with anger or hate, but with the solemn face of someone who at her core, could not help but admit defeat.
“Tch, unbelievable, to think I would go out like this, being talked down to by a Stag. Some knight I turned out to be.”
And with those last words, the illegitimate son of King Arthur died, her body disintegrating back into the mana that sustained her.
-
At this point, all the Helter Skelters were reduced back to scrap metal, and Babbage was being assaulted from all sides by Axle, Hydreigon, and Druddigon.
Iris and Sieg had only managed to land several light hits on each other, nothing to inflict serious damage. But with the way Babbage was quickly losing his fight, it was only a matter of time before Iris received reinforcements.
“Your friends not looking too good,” Iris said.
Sieg noticed it too. “You may be right.”
“Just give up already, there is no reason we should be fighting.”
“I understand what you mean, We have no animosity towards each other, neither are we evil nor in the wrong.”
“If you know that, then why are fighting, what gives you the will to fight?”
Sieg did not have an answer, at least not one she would understand. So instead he said.
“I fight for myself, for someone, and for everyone. That is the reason I fight.”
“That's.... no, I get it. You fight for your friends, not humanity. Is that it?”
“Perhaps, I’ll leave it up to you.”
-
Karna was running low on magical energy.
It's not that he couldn’t get more, but he had already used his noble phantasm once, and any more uses without the sacrifice of his armor would drain his master dry.
And yet, he knew his fight here was coming to an end, with the wounds he received, he was reaching his limit, Arceus knew it too.
“You fought honorably. Give up now I promise you will die swiftly.”
“No, not yet.”
Karna strike with the speed of an arrow, but Arceus foresaw this and avoided it while dealing Karna another injury. At this point, the Lancer had lost all movement in his left arm.
“This is what I hate about humans, you are all so stubborn, don’t know when to quit. Even when you know you are going to lose regardless.”
Karna said nothing.
“And yet, that same will, that same drive to never give up is what breeds great heroes. The same heroes who protected the world in my stead. I cannot help but respect that. For even in the face of impossible odds, heroes like you still rise to the challenge.”
“I accept your praise, Arceus of the Pokemon. Allow me to deliver my full feelings back to you with this single blow.”
“The deliver it, Hero of Charity, show me that generosity that rivals the departed Shaymin, who gave her life to save the Tree of Emptiness that you nearly killed.”
Karna gathered the last bit of mana within him, and then, with all that he had, put his will and might into his last noble phantasm.
Brahmastra Kundala!
The spear of fire and lighting sailed through the sky, aimed at Arceus, who stood there with no attempt to avoid it.
“Roar of Time.”
A beam of temporal energy engulfed the spear, traveling back the way it came, all the way to its owner.
Karna’s form dissipated. His spirit returning to the Throne of Heroes.
“It was inevitable.”
Arceus looked down at the battlefield, to the Chaldeans who stood upon the fortress of their making. At the rate this fight was going, it would eventually be over. But Arceus did not want to leave anything to chance, he had to end this, now.
"Rejoice, humans, I shall give you the attention that only you are worthy of receiving." -
“This isn’t looking good,” Kadoc said.
The masters of Chaldea looked up from the wall of the Kremlin as the battle at their gates was going somewhat poorly, even with all these servants here, they were still vastly outnumbered. And some of their strongest ones, the ones best suited for dealing with armies, were busy fighting Legendary Pokemon.
“How much longer until Da Vinci and the others finish the modifications to the Shadow Border?” Akuta said.
“15 minutes, last I checked,” Kirschtaria. “And in that time, they might just break through the barrier. How are our servants doing.”
“Sigurd, Ortlinde, and Sieg are holding their ground so far. Although Sigurd is fighting against two Legendary Pokemon now, rather than one,” Ophelia said.
“Anastasia is doing fine, Hans has yet to receive any nasty damage, but Babbage…he’s not looking too good, all his Skelters were wiped out.”
“Kintoki is starting to lose ground, Tsuna is holding his own, and Gareth is on the ropes so to speak.”
“Fujimaru what about you?”
“Mash is doing fine holding down the gates, no one has been able to get past her.”
“And what of Mordred, and Karna?”
“Let’s see, yeah they're doing fine, they're….oh no.”
“What's wrong?”
“Mordred has fallen, her spirit core is no more...”
"So we lost Mordred...well, in that case, devote more mana to Karna, lord knows he needs it."
"Okay, I'll just...wait, Karna is dead!?"
"Wait, now Karna has bit the dust!?" Kadoc said. "But that would mean-"
“CHALDEANS!”
A loud voice boomed through the battlefield, causing everyone to stop and look to the sky.
Arceus in the air looked down upon the castle, to the humans who looked back up at the heavens, back up at him.
“You have fought bravely, you have fought well, you have shown me today why you worthy of being called a threat to our very world and all who live upon it.”
Arceus closed his eyes.
“But surely you must know, that you cannot last much longer, even now my children, my allies and defeating your servants, sending them back to this, Throne of Heroes. The Counter Force that has sent them here can do no more.”
“This is not good,” Kadoc said.
“Yeah, you’re telling me,” Akuta said. “He’s right about our forces diminishing.”
“No the fact that he is monologuing. Whenever the bad guy in fiction monologues like this, it's only when they’re about to deliver the killing blow.”
“From your perspective, you may believe that you are not evil, you are simply just people who wish to save your world. However, surely you must realize, that the amount of killing you will have to do in order to save your race, is more than you could possibly live with.”
That line struck a chord in almost everyone who heard it.
“You should not have to be burdened with such a heavy sin, such a terrible weight. It will be too much for you to bear. It would be so much easier if you were to just give up here and now.”
Arceus opened his eyes.
“But, I know your kind. You will not give up will you, you shall continue to fight even if it cost you your very soul. As such I am left with no choice. I shall remove this burden from you right now. Rest children of man, you need not fight anymore.”
Arceus then began to gather magical energy near his head, the air became dense around him as the sphere of energy grew bigger and brighter.
“Um, what is Arceus doing!?” Twilight said.
“I don’t believe it,” Victini said. “Father is going to use Judgement!”
“Judgment, what's that!?”
“Arceus’s signature move,” Misty said. “I heard the myths that Arceus used a single move to annihilate an entire city once in the Hoenn Region. They say he had judged the city and found it to be guilty, of which he then delivered Divine Punishment.”
“Wait, so you are telling me he’s gonna...”
-
Back on top of the Kremlin, Da Vinci popped up on the holocom of Ritsuka.
“Uh, guys, why am I reading an absurd amount of magical energy being built up out there!?”
“Yeah!” Meuniere added. “Even though these walls and various layers of protection, we are getting readings that are making our instruments go crazy. What's going on out there?’
“I believe, that the Pokemon God, is about to deliver his final attack.”
“Are you freaking kidding me! I mean, I knew this was always a possibility. That Arceus might have some authority or attack that we haven't seen yet, but I just hoped against hoped that we wouldn't have to deal with it,” Goredolf said.
“Gilgamesh, can this barrier withstand his attack?”
“Hmph, maybe once, twice if you’re lucky. But make no mistake, once it goes down, we have lost.”
“He’s right, Arceus would just have to blink and we’d be gone if that happens,” Kirschtaria said.
“Then somebody do something!” Wodime you think you can use-”
“I have considered that director, but given the nature of the good we’re dealing with, I’m not willing to bet that he might redirect that attack back at us if he so chooses.”
“Are you serious, is there nothing we can do!?”
“Uh, guys I think he’s done charging,” Akuta said.
Arceus finished gathering the last of the required energy for his ultimate attack. A move that was the symbol of his authority and power as a god who created the world, and could destroy it.
“In the name, of Arceus, God of Pokemon. I deliver unto you: Judgement.”
The sphere of light soared into the air. And exploded into numerous star-like meteors. Despite the manner in which they were released, they all homed in on a single target.
The Chaldeans, the Pokemon, the Ponies, everyone watched as Judgement began to rain down upon them. . . . .
Pashupata! Raised Hand of the Destruction God
From below, a blue ball of light rose into the air. And in a similar manner, it exploded and released many streams of light that raced upwards to meet the ones that descended upon the Earth.
Each and every one of those streams of light met its match head-on until there was nothing left of Judgement.
For a while, non could believe their eyes, but the most stunned and surprised, was Arceus.
“W-WHAT!?” he exclaimed in disbelief.
“Impossible!”
“Someone was able to stop fathers Judgement!?”
As the shock of what just happened disappeared, Arceus looked for the one who dared object to his divine punishment. And then he spotted him.
Floating in the air, near the fortress, was a dark-skinned servant dressed with white cloths, in his hand was a bow of fine craftsmanship.
“Sorry I am late, It took me a while to find this place.”
The Chaldeans who had restored the 5th singularity recognized him as someone who was there.
“WHO. ARE. YOU!?” Arceus said with barely contained anger.
“I am Arjuna, Son of Indra, the King of Gods. In life, I was known as the awarded hero who slew my half-brother Karna in battle.”
Twilight and several others recalled back to that day when they were given a book about humanity's history, and how it was mentioned that this very servant was the brother of the same Karna who fought Celestia on the same day he was summoned.
“Karna, brother of Arjuna,” Twilight said.
“And his mortal enemy, and killer,” Luna added.
“How. How did you stop my Judgement!? Tell me!”
“So that's what it's called, I see now why I was summoned here. Oh Arceus of the Pokemon, if your attack is one that delivers Judgment upon the people, then my Pashupata is of the same kind of attack. It is a Noble Phantasm gifted to me by the Great God Shiva, who is a God of Creation like yourself.”
“Shiva!? The God of Creation and Destruction!?”
“Indeed. Pashupata is a weapon that judges each person individually and delivering Moksha to those who fail. As it is the same concept as your attack, both our powers cancel each other out. So it would seem neither of us can deliver judgment upon this day!”
“How…How dare you! You do realize that you can only use your Noble Phantasm so many times before you run out of magical energy. And even if I don’t use Judgement, there are still 1,000 ways I can end you, and 806 of them hurt.”
“That is true, I do not have the energy for a prolonged fight nor the means to heal myself from whatever wounds I might sustain. HOWEVER! There is one other servant that was summoned here long before me. One who has been bidding his time waiting for this single moment, and now he is ready to show himself!”
“Hey everyone! Sorry, I’m late.”
The Chaldeans spun around to so a man dressed in white and with an ethereal smile walking on the roof towards them.
The group immediately recognized him as-
“MERLIN!?”
“Aha, it's so good to see your faces again after so long. I trust your journey has been going well?”
“Wait did I hear that right, is Merlin up on the roof with all of you!?” Da Vinci said.
“Ah hello Da Vinci, you look younger.”
“Yeah, well, we could have used your help during the Temple of Time," Kadoc said.
"Medusa said you couldn’t make it," Fujimaru pointe out
“Well, you didn’t need me back then. There was another Grand Caster who was willing to fill that role, I would have just hogged the spotlight.”
Luna was looking at the roof, saw, and recognized the man that was there right now.
“Wait, I know him, that's the succubus that was feeding off of the dreams of our subjects!”
“Hmmm, strange I thought I just heard someone refer to me with the wrong gender terminology. Eh, Whatever.”
“Are you here to help us, Merlin?” Ritsuka said.
“Of course I am. After all, a wizard is never late nor early, he arrives exactly when he is needed the most. And right now I think you all are in very much need of this!”
Merlin grasped his staff with both hands and began to speak the magic words.
“Under the sky that is the beginning of all things, there are no walls, no castles, no nations. The Primordial Planet dazzles from the bottom of the earth. I'll show you the domain of the soul…"
Garden of Avalon! The Forever-Sealed Utopia
A magnificent tower of white marble manifested itself upon the afterglow Fortress, and immediately the sky went from a stary night to a perpetual blue day of spring.
Pink flower petals soared and floated through the air as the entire world around everyone changed. The grassy field and forests were replaced with a sea of flowers and rivers, for a moment in time, everyone stopped to admire the awe and beauty of the world they had been transported to.
It was a land spoken of and lived only in storybooks. A paradise untouched by man. A land that was the ideal utopia that mankind kept reaching for. The end goal that they kept racing towards.
It was a Garden only found within the inner sea of the planet. The home of the fairies who were the extensions of the Earth. The resting place of the King of Knights.
In the stories and myths that were long forgotten by all but a few humans, but still remembered by the Fairy-Type Pokemon, Avalon was said to be the birthplace of magic itself.
Once home to the Pokemon of Life, Xerneas, Avalon was the ancestral bed of all Fairy-Type Pokemon, of which Xerneas was their guardian and patron. It was in this place that some of the earliest humans were taught magic. Many became skilled Sorcerers, Sages, and Priests. It was a land that would ideally be described as paradise.
In the days before Arceus was sealed, those who were deserving were allowed to step foot onto this sacred island. The innocent and the pure of heart were especially sought after since they were people yet to be molded. Such humans with no bias or prejudice had the potential to become great magicians and wizards. It was a time of good cheer and prosperity.
However, all that came to an end, when someone who had the innocence of a fairy brought this great island paradise to its knees. Someone who would be remembered as ■■■■■■■■■.
With the era of Avalon over, Arceus and his sons sealed away. The magic and secrets of the island became lost to time. Those who survived with its knowledge eventually forgot about them. Even those who inherited the gifts from the island through long undiluted bloodlines would live their entire lifetimes without ever discovering their abilities.
Before the great rapture that brought them to a new world, less than 0.1% of the human population inherited these gifts, now only a handful of them exist. And that handful was among the unworthy ones left behind.
The manifestation that appeared before the assembly of Pokemon, Ponies, servants, and humans, was a projection of the Avalon that was only found on this Earth. So similar, yet so different to the one that existed back in the Pokemon World.
And since no one alive from the Pokemon World knew the nature and significance of what they were seeing, they would just dismiss it as a beautiful illusion.
But for Xerneas, the sight before her sparked a familiar echo in her memories. Even if it didn’t look like the Avalon she knew, the feeling was still the same.
Memories flooded her mind. Of friends and good times long gone by….of him.
Her mind was brought back to reality when another explosion went off. Even with this beautiful scene, this was still a decisive battle that had yet to reach its outcome. But, unbeknownst to most of the Pokemon and Equestrians at the moment, the Garden of Avalon was not just for show. Every heroic spirit on the battlefield received its power, the wounds they had sustained were quickly closed, and the magical energy and stamina they had lost began to be replenished much faster.
The first sign of this was when Gawain, who at this point had fought Princess Celestia to a standstill. His Galatine began to glow brighter and hotter with each swing, his movements became faster and better. Where once Celestia had the advantage in magical energy and numerous spells at her disposal, the Knight of Midheaven was quickly closing the gap with his own mana recharge.
“What is going on?” Celestia thought. “A moment ago it looked like he was becoming more and more exhausted, now it looks like he just woke up from a nap and is raring to go?”
The alicorn made a quick glance at the tower that stood proudly above her.
“Is it because of that?” she thought.
“Heh, I never expected him to show up,” Gawain said.
His words caught Celestia’s attention.
“You know who is causing this?”
“Yeah, normally he should be imprisoned. But Merlin is nothing if not tricky. Still, I can’t say his help is unwanted at the moment!”
Gawain swung his sword again, this time with more speed. Celestia barely had time to react and parry, the force sending her back a few inches.
“This battle is far from over!”
Celestia stood her ground and readied her sword again.
“Let’s just hope we’ll all last long enough for one of us to take down that barrier.”
-
“Merlin, why are you here?” Kirschtaria asked.
“Do you even need to ask?”
“Considering that it's you we are talking about yes. You don't show up unless it's a situation that actually requires your help.”
“Ah, you're really that insistent. Okay, I guess we have the time. Simply put this Lostbelt is a great anomaly that would normally not exist.”
“We know that.”
“Ah, but what you may not know, is that this Lostbelt was the first and initially the only intended Lostbelt to be planted on the surface of the Earth.”
“What?”
“Hold on,” Da Vinci said. “We kinda knew it was the first Lostbelt, but what do you mean this was meant to be the only Lostbelt?”
“Well, ask yourselves this. Why would the Alien God need to make multiple Lostbelts? Why grow them all when it really needs just one.”
“Just one?”
“Correct, these Lostbelts are meant to be the staging ground for when the Alien God descends. So why make more than one?”
“Because the one you just made not be suitable for descending?” Kirschtaria guessed.
“True, but it is also another reason. Ask yourself this, why is this, the biggest Lostbelt on the planet, not expanding?”
The Chaldeans' eyes widened as they remembered that little detail.
“We don’t know. That has been a mystery ever since we learned about it.”
“Well, the answer actually lies in a Lostbelt you have already been to.”
It was not hard to guess the answer, of the two Lostbelts, only one outright refused to grow for a simple reason.
“The Lostbelt King.”
“Ding ding ding! The Lostbelt King has authority over their Tree of Emptiness, and they alone have the prerogative to grow it at whatever pace they desire, no none at all.”
“So you’re saying the King of this Lostbelt, whoever they are is refusing to grow the Tree, despite being so close to victory?”
“Correct, it is an interesting enigma. Why stop when you are just a few feet from the finish line?”
Kirschtaria looked out over the battlefield, at the servants fighting and dying so that they would have a chance to escape. They had come to this Lostbelt and learned much about it, but now they were about to leave with still so many questions unanswered.
“Whatever the answer may be, we will not get it today.”
-
Ingis unleashed a Flamethrower that burned with a passionate intensity, fueled by his fighting spirit and love for his family.
Tsuna cleaved it with one swipe of his sword. The bisected flames went around him and set two trees on fire.
“I’ll be honest,” he said. "My main expertise is hunting demons, not dragons.”
Ingis stopped breathing fire. “Well, I’m not of the dragon type, most of the time.”
“I see, either way, cutting you down is something that will be a new experience.”
“Not if I cut you down first!” Said a voice from behind.
Tsuna turned around and parried an incoming Slash attack from Selena. However, this left him open to a Mega Punch from Ingis that he barely managed to block, sending him skidding back several feet.
“I see you two work well together, are you two battle partners?”
Ingis and Selena looked at each other.
“We’re more than just partners,” she said.
“Which means we’re more than enough to handle you!” Ingis finished.
As one couple fought against one of the Four Heavenly Kings of Yorimits, another battled against one of the shield maidens of Valhalla.
Seth unleashed a Thunder attack that Ortlinde raised her shield to defend against. Despite blocking most of the attack, she still received some damage from arcing bolts. Keeping the momentum going, Rikka fired a Moonblast that the Lancer narrowly evaded.
“Rikka, I want you to use Hyper Voice!” Seth commanded.
“You got it!”
A powerfully loud blast of sound echoed from the Sylveon’s mouth that shook the trees and bushes in its wake. And because it was a sound-based attack, Ortlinde could do little to defend against it, especially when it temporarily deafened her. As such she did not hear the second Thunder attack the Seth summoned from the sky.
This time the attack hit head-on and did major damage to the Valkyrie.
She had to admit, even though she was a demigod daughter of Odin, Ortlinde was surprised that she was being backed into a corner by two people who would otherwise pass as phantasmal beasts.
“Your teamwork is exceptional, the two of you are true warriors who would hold their ground against most opponents,” she said.
“That’s all thanks to hard work and training, if it wasn’t for the change of locations and bodies, I might have become a Champion had life not thrown me a curveball,” Seth said.
“It's true, Sethy can throw down with the best of them!” Rikka exclaimed.
“I see, and that noble virtuous look in your eyes, had you been born during my lifetime, you might have been taken by me or one of my sisters to Valhalla.”
“Yeah no, you ain’t taking Sethy nowhere!”
“I am flattered by your comments Miss Ortlinde was it? But I’m afraid they won’t save you.” Seth’s face then became serious once again. “I insisted that you consider surrendering, you and your friend are outnumbered and frankly outmatched!”
It was true, despite her fame as a member of the Valkyries, and Tsuna’s legend as one of Minamoto no Raikou's retainers, they were actually losing this fight.
Valkyries were normally suited to fighting in groups instead of one on one, and Ortlinde did not have the mana to call upon her sisters at the moment. Tsuna, despite his great skill with a blade, was more adept at fighting demonic beasts than creatures of these types.
Both sides had taken damage, but it was clear which one was winning.
Then, all of a sudden the landscape changed. What was once a forest under the cover of night, was now a flowery field in a bright beautiful sky.
“Wait, what the hell!” Selena exclaimed.
There was a momentary shock as everyone looked around and saw that the landscape had instantly been changed. At first, they thought they had been transported to a different location, but the sight of Chaldea’s fortress and the Equestrian army in the distance brought that into question.
“What is this place?” Ingis asked out loud.
“It looks so pretty though, not gonna lie,” Rikka commented.
“Is this some kind of magic spell?” Seth said.
“Not a spell, it is the work of a Noble Phantasm.
The Pokemon looked back at their opponents and gasped when they saw that their wounds were closing. That any fatigue they had at the moment was not being washed away.
“It seems that fate has decided to lend us a hand.”
Now it was Seth’s turn to be worried. While they had the upper hand before, things had now become uncertain.
Despite outmatching the two servants before, the healing they had just received put them at an advantage over his team who had yet to lick their wounds. And unbeknownst to them, the mana recharge boost meant that they were much closer to using their Noble Phantasms, and once that happened, the battle would be decided.
“Bah, who cares if they just got healed, I still got steam in me to fight all night!” Ingis exclaimed.
“I liked your enthusiasm Ingis,” Selena said. “But we can’t keep this up forever.”
“Not to mention, they have yet to use their Noble Phantasms,” Seth pointed out.
“Then let's not wait for them, bust out the new Z-moves and we can take them out in one shot!”
It was true, they still had that card up their sleeve, and now, it looked this was their best chance to use it.
“Alright then, Ingis I'm gonna send you Z-Move energy. Is everyone ready?!”
All of his Pokemon nodded in agreement.
“We’re with you, Seth!”
“Together!”
“Just say the word brother!”
“Alright!”
Seth touched the stone on his necklace which glowed with power. A power that was sent to his Pokemon and filled him with an otherworldly energy.
"It looks like they are about to use a final attack!" Ortlinde said.
"I see, then it is only fair that I respond in kind."
Watanabe no Tsuna then unsheathed his sword, then with his finger, drew various kanji in the air.
Rin, hyou, tou, sha, kai, jin, retsu, zai, zen.
He then sheathed it again as a fire began to build in it. Meanwhile, Ingis was gathering a giant ball of fire in his mouth.
"My blade, that of which slays demonic beasts. Mount Ooe, Bodhi Oni Slayer! Burn ablaze, and may your sins be purged."
"Let's go, Inferno Overdrive!"
The Charizard let loose the Fire-Type Z-Move, blazing a trail along its path to its target.
Mount Ooe! Enlightened Oni Slayer
The two attacks rushed at each other, fighting for the fate of their worlds.
-
Abby and her team might have been surprised at the activation of Garden of Avalon, but the seasoned Pokemon Ranger brushed it off and refocused on the battle at hand.
“It's just two against one, and only one of them is actually fighting,” Abby thought to herself.
Gareth while not being the strongest member of the Round Table, was still strong enough that one could see why she was counted among their number. As a servant more geared towards defense than attacking, she could last long in a fight.
Abby noticed this, Gareth was not so much attacking her Pokemon as she was defending herself from them. The damage she received was minimal and whatever damage she did receive was quickly healed, every faster now that Garden of Avalon was active.
“I get it now, this change of scenery isn’t just for show, it's providing power to every servant on the battlefield!”
Gareth charged at Rill, her speed and momentum increasing until it would hit its target or something else.
But the Flygon had anticipated this.
“Heh, baited!”
The Dragon Pokemon moved out of the way, and using Extreme Speed, Kasai rushed in and bite down on Gareth’s lance, he then tried to wrestle it out of her hands.
A cunning plan, were it not for…
“Heh, big mistake!”
There was an audible click, and the tip of the lance exploded in Kasai’s mouth.
“Kasai!” Abby cried out.
The Arcanine was sent flying back, knocked out instantly but the explosion.
“My lance is enchanted with an explosive spell, anything it touches will go boom!”
Abby gritted her teeth as she stared at the servant with rage at her beloved being hurt.
“So, you got a trick or two up your sleeve. I thought you knights were supposed to be the chivalrous type. Isn’t using deceptive tricks like that kinda underhanded?”
“Deceptive? I never mislead you to believe that my lance couldn't do that. And who are you to call me out for being unchivalrous when you guys outnumber me!”
“Well to answer that question, I don’t care. I will use whatever I have to protect Equestria, my friends, and my family! You servants think you can just waltz in here and genocide us all under some self-righteous belief that it's what fate says is supposed to happen!?”
“Well, I don’t know about what fate wants, but if my master is a righteous person who fights for what is right, then I will gladly follow them come hell or high water!”
“And you think killing an entire world of people is righteous?”
“That's not my point-”
“No, I think that's exactly your point. Humanity has always trampled over races that they thought were beneath them. And now it's happening again. No, not this time! We of the Pokemon race will not just die forgotten after all we’ve been through!”
In the background, Hans watched on as Abby ranted against Gareth.
“Hmph, talking in the middle of a fight, couldn’t get any more cliched than that.”
“We will win this fight today, we will survive and have a future where humanity will not hold us back anymore, and this is how!”
Hans, then felt a presence above him and looked up just in time to see Rill fire a Hyper Beam at the Caster. He barely had time to avoid it, and the explosion from the blast sent him into a tree, injuring him, but not enough to knock him out.
“Hans!”
“That guy was supporting you from the sidelines, providing you with spell buffs like a trainer using Potions or Batte Items. But remove him from the equation and you are now left without any backup! Kasai may have been beaten, but the three of us are more than enough to finish you!”
Gareth raised her shield and faced down the three Pokemon.
“Even if I fall here today, knowing that I bought everyone the time they needed means I was at least able to fulfill that role!”
-
Iris fired off a Dragon Pulse that Seig barrel rolled to avoid. Already on the dirt, he pressed his hand against the grass and sent a blast of magical energy along the ground that struck Iris.
“Tch,” Iris grunted from the pain. While she knew almost nothing about magic in this world, she had a suspicion that it was very similar to Fairy-Type attacks. But that attack just now felt more like an electric attack, which didn’t do much damage against a Dragon-Type.
“You're a Caster-Class servant correct? I honestly expected something along the line of magical attacks or something. But so far you’re just using that sword and lighting. And your friend, he just makes robots, which at the rate he’s making them kinda makes him more of a magician than you.”
“I’ll admit, I’m not the most skilled or versatile when it comes to magic. In fact, I am pretty young and a novice when it comes to being a servant. I’m not even a great hero worth mentioning.”
“Then what are you?”
“Just someone who wishes to fight for the sake of someone who left a deep impression on me. Just a person who wants to fight for my own reasons and of my own will.”
“Well, I don’t know what to say to that other than if its a fight you want-”
Sieg heard the sound of crunching metal.
“Then it's a fight you’ll get.”
The homunculus then turned around to see a fatally wounded Babbage lying on the ground, his spirit origin already fading.
“I have done...all I could, I leave…the rest…to you…Sieg.”
The body of Charles Babbage then dissipated, leaving his killers to turn their attention to Seig.
“You are outnumbered. Give up now, I’d rather not let Axle tear you apart, once he starts, it's hard to stop him.”
Sieg looked back to see that the dragon Pokemon were now surrounding him on all four sides.
“You cannot win human!” Axle exclaimed. “You face 4 dragons, the most powerful Pokemon type! And only a dragon Pokemon can beat another dragon!”
“You forgot Fairy and Ice Types.” Druddigon pointed out.
“I KNOW WHAT I SAID! Besides, does it look like this guy can shoot ice or fairy dust!?”
I’m low on options,” Sieg thought. “If only I could use my-”
“Garden of Avalon!”
The forest the five of them were in vanished as a field of flowers took its place—the Noble Phantasm of Merlin projection itself onto the physical world.
“Huh, where the what!?” Hydreigon exclaimed.
The four dragon Pokemon were baffled at what they were looking at, none of them making sense of what they were seeing. And yet Sieg, knew exactly what this was.
“Ummm, can someone tell me what this place is?” Iris said.
“It is the Reverse Side of the World.”
Iris looked back at Seig, who had looked worried before but was now filled with determination.
“What your seeing is a projection of the Inner Sea of the Planet, the place where the majority of the mystical and the divine went to after the gods of the world ceded this planet to humans.”
“What!?”
“Nothing that is born in the world of man may live here. Nothing that is of the Age of Humans my touch this place. It is a layer of the planet that contains the last remnants of the Age of Gods.”
A powerful aura surrounded Sieg.
“I will tell you something else, this isn’t my true body. My real self is currently resting in this very place, waiting eternally for someone that may never show up, but even so, I continue to wait for that day when she comes.”
“Ug, guys, I got a bad feeling about this,” Hydreigon said.
“Well don't be you fool! He’s still just a single human, what can he do to us!?” Axle exclaimed.
“I may not be a proper servant with a proper place in the Throne of Heroes, but I still have a Noble Phantasm. Allow me to show you, allow me to demonstrate the very journey I took to get to the domain of the Planet’s soul!”
Energy coalesced around Sieg, and then expanded outwards, blinding everyone who saw.
When the light faded, when the dust settled, when the four of them looked upon their opponent again, they could not believe their eyes.
Where Sieg once stood, was now a towering dragon that dwarfed all of them.
“I am Fafnir! The wicked dragon who guards the Grail of Heaven!”
“Did he just-”
“Turn into-”
“An actual-”
“No. Nononononono! It's not possible! A human cannot become a dragon!”
Any other day, Iris would have agreed with Axle on that statement. But with these servants showing up, and the things she was witnessing, she wasn’t sure what to believe anymore. What she had just witnessed now, had
“Torch everything!”
Akafiloga All-Grið! Incandescent Dragon's Breath - Liquefaction of Myriad Lands
Just in the Pokemon world, Dragons stood atop the mythological system of phantasmal beasts. Be they Monstrous, Phantasmal, or Divine, dragons had members in every class and were revered in legends and myths to this very day.
It was the dragons who molded time, space, and anti-matter. It was the dragons who were chosen by Arceus to be the guardians of Pokemon. It was their race that numbed the most among the Legendary Pokemon.
Now both kinds of dragons, both from two different worlds, would meet on this battlefield and would begin a long conflict to determine which iteration of their species was the strongest version of each other.
-
Reshiram was the Legendary Pokemon of Truth.
What kind of Truth she valued was simple. To believe in Truth was to accept the absolute, to believe in one immutable answer that could not be swayed or countered otherwise.
This was why she choose to align herself with N. For he sought to bring about a world where only his Truth was absolute. A world where Pokemon would be free from their human enslavers, where they would be equals to humans and walk alongside each other not as masters and servants, but as two peoples coexisting in harmony.
In another world, N might have suitable to gain the favor of Zekrom the Legendary Pokemon of Ideals. For if the Truth of the world was that Pokemon and subservient to humans, and an unideal world, then he would make an ideal world. One with the same principles he had been raised to believe.
And yet, during N’s journey his Truth began to waver. As if he began to see the cracks and inconsistencies forming as he finally stepped out of the castle he has been sheltered in for so long.
Reshiram knew that N’s innocent heart meant that he had yet to grasp the full reality of what the world really was. That was why he lost, because he had come to understand that there are different kinds of Truths that had been hidden from him.
So why did Reshiram stay with him after all that?
Simply, put it was for a selfish reason.
Reshiram may be the Dragon Pokemon of Truth, but even she had opinions and Truths of her own that she wanted to be imposed.
Having seen the state of the world after being in slumber for so long, Reshiram realized that humanity had long strayed from the path that had been set by Arceus at the dawn of history. She wished to correct that, to bring back the true state of this world. One where Pokemon and Humans were equal. This was why she resonated with N so much, for not only did he believe in an absolute Truth, but it was a Truth they both shared. And even after being beaten by his new rival, and her by her ancient rival, they still shared that same Truth.
So when Arceus transformed all humans into Pokemon, in a way, that Truth had once again asserted herself in her opinion. For now, humanity was truly equal to Pokemon once again, by becoming one with them.
While it was not exactly the exact Truth that N sought, it was enough for her.
So why was she fighting with all her might against these servants who challenged her? Simple. If Pokemon ceased to exist, humanity would only remain. There would be no one who would be called their equal.
And she would not have that.
“Is that the best you got?” Reshiram used Ancient Power to knock away two servants who jumped up to attack her, only to be met with that move that knocked them out of the sky.
“You will have to bring more than that if you wish to take down a Legendary Dragon Pokemon.”
“A dragon you say?”
Reshiram looked as a new servant manifested himself on the battlefield.
“I accept your challenge.”
The servant was dressed in armor from neck to toe. He had a split hair color of black that contrasted silver. He wore a pair of sharp glasses that gave him a gaze of wisdom and honesty. Just from looking at him, Reshiram knew that he was a warrior cut from a different cloth than those she had been fighting up until now.
“Speak your name, so that I will at least remember it before you die.”
“My class is Saber and my true name-”
The servant manifested a long, blue, glowing, double-bladed greatsword. For some reason, when Reshiram first saw it, a twinge of agitation came over her.
“Sigurd, the King of Warriors. Slayer of the Evil Dragon Fafnir.”
The name of course meant nothing to her. Nor did it mean anything to anyone from the Pokemon world. After all, while both human histories shared many mythological and historical figures, Sigurd and Seigfried had no such presence in the anals of the Pokemon world’s long history.
“Then approach Sigurd, so I might deal with you swiftly.”
“Hmph. You will find that I am not so easily vanquished.”
“You overestimate yourself. I am only of the Legendary Pokemon, an existence as old as the world I came from. My breath can melt an entire forest, the authority of Truth is my domain. No human alone can defeat me, and on top of that.”
Reshiram smirked.
“You cannot fly up her to reach me.”
Sigurd did not smile back, just merely responded with-
“I do not need to fly to reach you.”
Reshiram then heard the crackle of lighting behind her.
“GOLDEN!”
A powerful lightning attack from Kintoki’s axe slammed into her back. Unable to avoid or react in time the force of the hit sent her spiraling back into the ground.
“HA! Nice teamwork!”
But Kintoki’s smile soon faded as he found himself standing behind the tail of the Legendary Pokemon, which started to make a noise similar to a jet engine as it began to heat up.
“Oh shoot!”
He quickly avoided the burst of fire that shot from it, as Reshiram pulled her head out of the ground, more pissed off.
“Insolent! Do you two really think killing me will bring you victory today!?”
“We don’t need to kill you to beat you,” Sigurd said
“Just enough to beat the living daylights outta ya!”
The two heroic spirits then lunged at Reshiram at the same time, but the dragon countered by enveloping herself in flames, pushing them back.
“Fusion Flare!”
Reshiram gathered a giant ball of flame above her and slammed it into the ground near Sigurd. While not a direct hit, the heat from the attack was enough to stager him.
“Tch, this is why I don’t like fire.”
“If you can’t handle the heat,” Reshiram said through the flames.
“Then don’t fight a freaking dragon!”
Dashing at incredible speed through the fire, Reshiram slammed into Sigurd and bit down on his arm.
“GAH!”
She bite down harder as if attempting to chew his arm off.
“Not today!”
Reshiram felt a sharp pain in her cheek as Sigurd sunk one of his daggers into it. This caused her to let him go.
Blood seeped from her wound, staining her white fur.
“Enough of this!”
Reshiram took to the skies once again, far out of the reach of the servant's weapons.
“I can deal with you from up here!”
Reshiram then let off a series of dragon pulse attacks that shelled the battlefield, Sigurd and Kintoki were quickly able to avoid them, but…
“Blue Flare!”
The second signature move of Reshiram was not so easy to evade. Blue Flare, a powerful move that left searing burns in its wake. If that move made contact with them, they would surely take major injuries and burns that would affect even a servant.
However… it was met by an equally powerful blue fire.
A giant evil dragon touched down in front of the two warriors and with its own dragon breath, met the move head-on, but flames canceled each other out.
“WHAT!?” Reshiram exclaimed.
Sigurd looked up at the new arrival, his eyes instantly recognizing the beast before him.
“Fafnir?”
The dragon looked back, at him, its eyes were not that of an evil dragon, but one of a determined young individual. Upon closer inspection, Sigurd saw the saint graph and spiritual core that was the true nature of this person.
“No, your name is Seig correct?”
“Yes, I just got done dealing with 4 other guys who were trying to breach the fortress. Then master told me that this one was giving everybody trouble.”
“Heh, indeed, your arrival could not be more fortuitous!”
“What is this?” Reshiram said. “You have dragons of your own on your side?”
Seig turned back to the Legendary Pokemon.
“No, I am not a dragon in the truest sense, I am what you might call a fake. Someone who is just borrowing this power.”
“So you are a falsehood, an imitation? Then you are most foolish to face me, for I am the Pokemon that places truth above all else. A faker like you could never dream to defeat the likes of me!”
“You’re probably right, alone I could not defeat you. However…”
Kintoki and Sigurd walked up beside him.
“I have more than enough help to beat you!”
Seig then soared into the air and fired off more dragon breath as he began to chase Reshiram.
“Seig, just keep her like that! Draw her closer so I can do my thing!”
“I’ll try!”
As the two draconic existences did battle in the sky, the Warrior King called upon the power of the demonic sword that he wielded.
Reshiram compared to Seig was obviously much faster. Her tail allowed her to soar at speeds that would normally be impossible for most dragon Pokemon. Seig was much heavier and was not entirely used to his dragon form.
Seeing her opening, she resumed her attacks.
“Take this, Dragon Pulse!”
“Akafiloga All-Grið!”
The two moves collided, but while Dragon Pulse was formidable, Seig’s Noble Phantasm was much stronger. It incinerated the move and went all the way back to its owner.
“Yes, I got her!”
“Fool!”
Reshiram flew through the blue fire via Giga Impact, her dual-type resistance meaning it did little damage to her, the powerful tackling move she used was meant to hit its targets with the full weight of the user's body and then some. With this critical attack, Seig was knocked out of the sky.
“Did you really think you had a chance of defeating one who has existed since the beginnings of the planet!?”
As Seig fell to the ground, one thought came to mind.
“Wasn’t trying to beat you…”
He looked to his comrades and saw the light of several spinning daggers. The Völsunga King was preparing to unleash his true name.
“Demonic blade, complete. Show me your pride!”
Sigurd then punched the draggers with blinding speed and precision. They soared through the air at their aimed target.
Even if Reshiram saw the attack coming, it would have been unlikely that she could have avoided it. Since Giga Impact of one of several moves that made the user very tired after its use, she would not have the energy to move out of the way.
The draggers sunk themselves deep into her skin, and the Dragon Guardian of the Unova region cried out in pain.
“This is the dawn of destruction…”
Bölverkr Gram! Heaven's Wheel of Destruction!
Gram was a demonic sword said to be equal to and the opposite of the Holy sword wielded by the King of Knights. If Excalibur was as brilliant as the moon, then Gram was deadly as the sun. On top of that, Sigurd was famed for having felled the evil dragon Fafnir in his lifetime, gaining its heart as a mana reactor. As such, when summoned as a servant, his Noble Phantasm would do extra damage to dragons.
The magic sword hit its target dead-on, dealing massive damage to the Legendary Pokemon. Reshiram felt pain like never before. Even in her long existence, she had never taken a weapon like this before.
Normally, Sigurd would deal the decisive blow by punching Gram while it was still embedded in its target. He this happened, the would Reshiram sustained would likely have been fatal. But because she was still in the sky when this happened, she was spared this outcome.
Nevertheless, the dragon Pokemon of Truth fell from the heavens and impacted the ground with a resounding thud. She lost consciousness a moment after.
-
“JUDGEMENT!”
“PASHUPATA!”
Streaks of light rained from the heavens as Mohska came from below. Each bolt that would judge the sinful was objected by another one of equal power.
Judgment was the great Authority of Arceus, the Chief God of what can be considered the Pokemon Pantheon.
Pashupata was the great Authority of Shiva, one of the tree Cheif Gods of the Hindu Pantheon.
Neither was able to override the other since they were the same type of attack from the same type of god. Even if Arjuna could not wield its full power, the fact that Arceus was not as powerful as he once brought him down to a level where it was possible to match him.
“RAAAH! That is becoming very annoying!”
Arceus was very infuriated, they had at this point fired off 5 ultimate attacks and neither one overcame the other. Arceus was someone who was meant to be a supreme being, one who could not be challenged by anyone who is considered a lesser existence.
So the fact that a mear demigod was able to match his most powerful attack, even if he was not at his strongest, was a great blow to his pride.
“You keep using that single attack, and yet you do not think to use others, why?”
Arceus leered at Arjuna.
It's true, there were many ways he could end him now without using Judgement. But as stated before, Arceus was a prideful being. He kept using Judgment out of hope that Arjuna would simply run out of magical energy, then he could do what he wanted to do before and wipe them out in a single stroke.
“So how, how is he still using his Noble Phantasm over and over?”
Arceus looked to the battlefield, everywhere, servants were starting to gain the upper hand over the gathered forces. Despite the fact that they were vastly outnumbered, the servants were beginning to push back their foes.
"Their Noble Phantasms. They cannot all be using those attacks over and over. They must be getting more power from somewhere…"
Arceus’s attention then focused on the tower that was now situated over the Chaldean’s fortress. How the moment it appeared, the landscape changed and all the servants began fighting with renewed vigor.
“It's that tower, that's what is granting them more power! Then I must destroy it, remove it from the equation.”
And yet that tower was still behind the shield that he had been trying for the last 10 minutes to try and break down. And yet he was getting nowhere with that.
He looked to the other Legendary Pokemon, his children, his family, fighting with everything they had.
And then he saw Reshiram.
A blast of energy from some kind of weapon struck her square in the chest. Sending her falling out of the sky and out of the fight.
“No. No more. This ends now!”
Arceus was a prideful being, it is true. He usually never think to ask for help from mortals unless circumstances required that he did.
But when it came to family, that was a different story.
“Everyone, to me!”
All the Legendary Pokemon stopped what they were doing and looked at Arceus, they then received a telepathic message from him stating what they should do. Some of them smiled and grinned at the plan they were told of.
All Legendary Pokemon that were able to fly and float gathered around their Alpha Pokemon, while those bound to the Earth huddle together in a group. Their enemies and foes looked on in confusion.
“On my signal, attack with the barrier with everything you have!”
“Yes, father!”
“You got it, gramps!”
“It's time to end this!”
Arjuna, however, would not just stand by and let this happen.
"As is you expect me to just stand here and-"
"Latios."
A blinding fast dragon slammed into Arjuna and knocked him out of the sky. He fell until he landed at the feet of the other Heroic Spirits
After helping the Indian prince to his feet, all the servants looking on soon began to realize just what the Pokemon were about to do.
“It looks like they’re gonna do a volley attack!” Seigfried said.
“Then let's stop them!” Achilles said.
But before the servants could act, they found their paths blocked by three Alicorns and an entire army of Ponies and Pokemon trainers.
“If you want to get to them,” Twilight said.
“You’ll have to go through us!” Rainbow Dash said.
The mane six then felt a surge of power flow through them. Their bodies then changed into a shining colorful transformation that they had recently used before.
“Oh would you look at that, we got out Rainbow Power back!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed.
“Still need to figure how how to trigger it on command,” Applejack said
Back in the sky, the Legendary Pokemon had finished charging up their moves. And were just waiting for the signal.
Arceus, looked down upon the fortress, upon the humans who stood atop it. He felt no pity for them, not one ounce of remorse. He only felt that he was giving them what they deserved.
“Now, Attack!”
The most powerful Pokemon in the world fired off their signature moves, their most powerful Authorities. If their signatures were not attack-based, then it was a Hyper Beam or someone equally strong.
The first barrier was destroyed instantly, the second one was already halfway gone.
“Uh, guys, they're starting to get through!” Kadoc said.
Da Vinic! How much longer!?” Ritsuka said.
“3 minutes, just give me 3 minutes, and well all be good to get the hell outta here!”
“That barrier won’t even last 30 seconds,” Kirschtaria pointed out. “We need more time.”
“I can get Mash to deploy her Noble Phantasm. That might-”
“No, that defense would be useless if Arceus could just teleport inside and destroy the Shadow Border. Or if Mewtwo might mess with our minds like her tried to invade yours.”
Every second that passed, it look more and more like they were about to left completely defenseless. And more and more, Kirschtaria kept thinking that he would have to use his ultimate spell.
His thoughts were shattered along with the second barrier.
“Shoot!” Kadoc exclaimed.
Goredolf then spoke through the comms.
“Kirschtaria Wodime. As director of Chaldea, I am well aware of your condition and what you can do. So I ask you, if it at all possible, would you be willing to yours your me-”
“No need to ask Director, I was already about to do that.”
“Oh.”
“Are you sure, Kirschtaria?” Da Vinci, remember you can only use that so many times.”
“If I don’t use it now, there might not be more times I would be able to use it.”
Back in the sky, Arceus watched in satisfaction as the second layer of the barrier shattered like glass.
“One more to go, is everyone ready?”
The Legendary Pokemon acknowledged him with a yes.
“Mewtwo, once it's down, go in there and immobilize them. Prevent their escape and whatever else they may try.”
“Yes, father.”
“Palkia, Dialga, take out that tower, reduce it to rubble.”
“Yes, father.”
“Giratina, Yveltal, wipe out the remaining servants, and don’t worry about damaging the area.”
“Yes, father!”
“Good, on my mark, fire again!”
Every single Legendary Pokemon, did as they were told. Some eagerly, so hesitantly.
Lugia and Ho-Oh prepared Aeroblast and Sacred Fire. Kyogore and Groudon readied Origin Pulse and Precipice Blade. Mewtwo and Yveltal charged Psystrike and Oblivion Wing. And a bunch of others had several Hyper Beams at the ready.
“One…..Two……T- “
“Enuma Elish!”
From above the sky, chains descended from heaven. Golden links of godly craftsmanship fell to the Earth in a display of precision and power.
In an instant, 49 Legendary Pokemon were wrapped and restrained. Because they were too focused on destroying the shield, they never saw the chains. The golden links bind and bound them with a tightness they had never known.
Arceus and some of his eldest children were made prisoners in their own homes for thousands upon thousands of years. And now these set of chains brought back up bad memories.
From the ground, no one could believe what they were seeing. The Legendary Pokemon they had revered all their lives were now all restrained and bound by an unknown force. In that moment, someone or something had the entire Legendary Council at their mercy.
But who?
- Earlier
N watched from a distance as the battle raged. On one side was a group of people who fought in order to live, and on the other side was another group who fought in order to live.
If he had said that sentence to someone else, he would have asked them which side was in the right, and which one deserved to win.
He would likely have gotten an uncertain answer, for he did a poor job of explaining each side other than their motivations for fighting.
And yet N once thought like all well. Once he was someone who simply fought for a side out of a motivation that he believed to be righteous. And yet, he knew very little about the other side other than what he assumed it was they were fighting for.
It was this black and white view of the world that made it hard for him to get along with people.
He thought the world to be a simple one, where people can be good and people can be evil. That people fought for selfish reasons and others fought for selfless reasons. But as he stepped out of his sheltered life for the first time, he began to see that the world itself was full of people who had deeper and much more layered reasons for why they did what they did.
There were people who committed evil deeds in the name of good, there were criminals who did good deeds for selfish reasons.
That did not change much when he came to this new world. If anything, things became even more complicated and even more grey.
Two worlds neither had done anything wrong to earn the other wrath and rage. It was a simple survival of the fittest, a war where only one world could live to see tomorrow.
“Heh, looking back now, maybe it was best if I just stayed in my forest home. If I never took his hand…”
“That's not a bad idea,” said a voice that walked up beside him. “I too was born in a forest.”
N did not even need to look to see that Endiku was now standing right next to him. It was strange, they had only known each other for a day and just he was already familiar with him. Was it because they were the same kind of being? Both people born without human hearts?
“I thought you might show up.”
“Indeed, after all, this was the reason I was summoned here.”
“So you know your purpose?”
“Indeed, each time a servant is summoned by the world, we are preloaded information on what purpose we were sent here for.”
“I see, but what about your first life, did you know the reason why you were born then? Did you know your purpose?”
“I did. I knew the reason why I was born before I even had a semblance of thought.”
“Heh, I envy you.”
“Oh, I’m not sure you should envy me. After all, I ended up defying my purpose. I rejected the reason I was born all for the sake of my friend, a decision that eventually cost me my life.”
“I see….even so, I wish I knew the reason why I was born.”
“Why is that?”
“I say this because I thought I knew, I thought I had an understanding of what I was meant to be and how I should use my gifts. Now, I’m not so sure what I am meant to do.”
“I understand your frustration. After all, it is said that the two most important days in a person's life are the day they were born and the reason they find out why.”
Enkidu watched as the Legendary Pokemon gathered around Arceus, and watched as they began their final assault.
“Well, it seems my purpose has come.”
“Are you going to kill them?”
“No, but it certainly won’t be a pleasant experience either. Why? Will you stop me?”
“I could, but I have a feeling I’d only just succeed in slowing you down.”
“Even a moment can mean the difference between victory and defeat.”
“True, but…”
N’s gaze fell upon the almighty creator of the Pokemon world, he gave him the same studious expression he gave whenever he first meets someone.
“I’m curious to see just what might happen if things did not go as he plans. Like it did for me. Will it humble him? Or make him even pettier and narrow-minded?”
“Who knows, but it's really not my concern.”
“No, I suppose it isn’t.”
Enkidu then walked closer to the edge, then turned to face the person who was more Pokemon than man from the day he was born.
“It was nice meeting you, N. If our paths cross again, I would very much like to talk with you once more.”
Then the person who was the oldest friend to humanity's first hero soared into the sky, off to fulfill his purpose.
This servant of humanity was born in order to bind Gods and Man, to prevent their age from inevitably declining. They were meant to do one thing and one thing only, no more no less.
But something else happened.
Instead of being the chains that would bind Heaven and Earth, they would be the spear that would forever sever them.
Enkidu, the world's oldest sidekick. Closet friend to Gilgamesh, the oldest hero.
And yet, despite the fact they were still at their core nothing but clay and chains. Even now in this very moment, those chains could be used to bind Heaven.
"I will awaken the breath of the planet, for I walk with humanity."
While there were many who would be resentful of this moment, many gods who left this world with regrets and unfulfilled desires, there were also those who felt that…yes, it is time to pass this world onto humanity. Their childhood had come to an end.
“O’ chains of heaven, bind once more!”
Enuma Elish! O' Humans, Let Us Restrain The Gods!
-
There was only one time in his life when Arceus felt panic. And not just momentary panic, but real dread-inducing panic when you know that something very bad is happening. A prolonged agonizing panic that would make anyone hyperventilate.
The first time he was imprisoned, he tried everything in his power to break free of the personal dimension he called his home. When that didn’t work he tried exerting whatever power to try and influence the outside world in order to open his prison from the outside. Then when the gravity of the situation finally settled in, he nearly lost his mind.
It was the worst kind of prison and torture for someone like him, being subject to a confined space where he could do nothing but just watch as his world, his creation fell apart. The millennia of seeing his Pokemon reduced to slaves and further demeaned when humans started putting them in Pokeballs.
When he finally broke free, there were two things that he did.
One, send a signal to gather every Legendary Pokemon on the planet to convene for the first time in 6,000 years.
Two, erase every trace of the spell that was used to seal him away in the first place.
Needless to say, Arceus never wanted to experience the feeling of being restrained or confined in any way shape, or form ever again. Gods of his type were not meant to be limited or reduced to a helpless state. They were omnipotent, nothing should be beyond them, and nothing should be able to hold them.
And yet it never occurred to him that even with all his years of experience and knowledge, that perhaps he did not come out of that experience unscathed.
Insanity was not something limited to mortals.
This was why now, in this very moment, when Arceus felt the golden chains wrap around his limbs and bind him with a tightness and restriction that he had never known, he was in momentary denial.
But then he came to his senses.
He looked around and saw his family, his Legendary Pokemon wrapped in gold chains, unable to move or act. The sight brought him to horror.
This was far worse than when he was imprisoned. At least that time he was able to move around his pocket world. It was like house arrest in a sense.
But here, right now, he did not even have the freedom to move at all. And his family was suffering the same fate.
“No. nonononononononononononono…..”
Panic began to swell in him. To the point where he felt like he was about to go crazy. This could not be happening!
“What are these chains!?” Palkia said. “How are they binding us so strongly?”
“Is this the work of some servant?” Mewtwo said.
“It can’t be! No servant could possibly have the power to chain and restrain every Legendary Pokemon in the world!” Giratina stated.
“Father, what do we do!?” Rayquaza said. Looking to his maker for answers. “Father!?”
But unfortunately for them, Arceus’s mind was elsewhere.
-
Enuma Elish.
A Noble Phantasm that increased with power the more divine their target was. The more goldy a person was, the tighter its chains became.
And there was something else.
Despite not being a Counter Guardian, Enkidu drew their power from the Counter Force. And not just Alaya the Counter Force of Humanity, but Gaia, the Counter Force and the will of the planet. With backup from both aspects of the world, the Noble Phantasm’s power is increased in response to things that threaten the destruction of the planet or humanity.
The world itself considered Arceus a threat to humanity. This meant that for him, on top of being an actual god, meant that his chains were the tightest of all.
While everyone else watch one trying to make sense of what was happening, Chaldea, having witnessed this Noble Phantasm before, understood its meaning.
“No way is that-”
Mash was then interrupted by a legendary king having a long haughty laugh.
“Fu. Haha. Hahahahaha! SO! You have decided to show up Enkidu! Wonderful! This is truly a joyous moment!”
Ritsuka looked at him with a smile. “Of course, he has every reason to be happy right now.”
“As much I would join you in laying low some upstart divinities…Mongrel! You have been given a rare opportunity from the world itself, do not waste it!”
Kirschtaria was the first to understand.
The last time they had witnessed this, the chains of heaven had been able to hold Tiamat for a minute at most. He suspected that they had a similar amount of time to act.
“Alright. Every listen up, recall all the servants, tell them to fall back and get to the Shadow Border.”
“Kirschtaria?”
“Ritsuka, we have been given a small window to get everyone out of here while we still can. Normally we would not be able to take the servants with us. But now we can.”
Rituska thought for a moment but then realized Kirschtaria was right, they had to act fast.
“Alright.”
“Everyone, this is Kirschtaria, recall all servants. Tell them to head to the Shadow Border and reduced themselves to spirit form, we’re leaving.”
Team A did as they were told, they contact their servants and sent the message to every one of them.
Kirschtaria looked back to the chains and the one they held in place, he noticed that some struggled more than others and that some could not struggle at all.
“There is a good chance we make it out of here before that breaks…however…” -
Abby used a Flamethrower as Rill and Lex came at Gareth from the side. The Knight of the Round Table did not go left or right, but ran straight into the fire and at Abby.
The Pokemon ranger saw this coming, and quickly sidestepped the servant and tripped her up with her tails. Gareth roll for a little on the ground before using the momentum to get back up.
She faced her opponents once again, who started back at her.
“Come on! It’s three against one! How is she lasting this long?” Lex said.
“It's this !@#$ magic scenery or whatever it is. It's somehow giving her a power boost, no matter, she can’t last forever,” Abby said.
Gareth raised her shield and lance, there was no fear in her eyes.
“I can do this all day.”
But before anyone could act, Gareth’s head perked up. Like a god that had just heard its owner call for its name.
“But it seems, this is where our battle ends.”
“What!?”
“You fought well, if we meet again, perhaps we could finish our fight.”
“Wait, you can’t just-”
But Gareth had disappeared into spirit form before she could finish.
Abby then turned around and saw that Hans was also gone.
“Those B%!@#$ds!”
Abby was so mad right now. She was left very unsatisfied with this whole endeavor. She failed to beat any servants and was left with a bruised pride more than anything.
But with them gone at least, she could make it to the fortress and find a way in.
“Umm, Abby? I think you need to look at this.”
Abby then turned to Lex, whose gaze was towards the sky. When she followed it, her expression then began to match his.
“Oh no.”
-
“Balmug!”
Siegfried brought down his greatsword and with it a torrent of energy and power that would normally destroy a fortress wall.
Instead, Twilight Sparkle caught it with a Rainbow Powered sword projection, long enough for it to dissipate.
Seig, who was still Fafnir, breathed Dragonfire in order to immolate the oncoming army, only for Celestia and Luna to project a shield large enough and strong enough to prevent even a lick of flame from hurting anybody.
“We will hold them here! Do not let a single one of them through!”
The ponies and Pokemon peasant let out a cry of determination as they held their ground against the servants who were now back to defending. Several of them had already fallen to Legendary Pokemon and others, leaving them reduced in size.
And then just when it looked like they were about to make another push, the heroic spirits relaxed and lowered their weapons.
“Uh, what's going on?” Rainbow Dash said.
No one made a move.
“Are they surrendering?” Twilight questioned.
Then all of a sudden, every single servant on the battlefield disappeared. Shimmering back into spirit form and becoming out of sight.
“What!? Where’d they go!?” Luna said.
Celestia looked around, not a single servant to be seen. Was this a sign of defeat? Had someone gotten inside and attack their masters, was that why they were recalled?
“No, this is something else.”
“Celestia look!”
The alicorn saw her student pointing at the top wall of the fortress. On it, she could make out a single figure standing on top of it.
She then flapped her wings and took to the air to get a better view, and sure enough, there was only one human on top when before there were several.
That was when she heard a voice, a voice that came from all around her.
“People of Equestria, my name is Kirschtaria Wodime!”
-
“Is everyone at the border Da Vinci?”
“Yes, everyone is here.”
“And what of the repairs?”
“60 seconds and all engines will be green. But we still need to start the process, and we can’t do that without you!”
“I’ll be down there in a moment, just gotta do one last thing.”
“Kirschtar-”
The leader of Team A shut off his coms and took a deep breath, he then walked towards the edge of the Kremlin’s roof and looked down up the field.
All the servants had been recalled. The only ones here were Ponies, Pokemon, and one human master.
“Alright, here goes nothing.”
He activated a spell that would allow his voice to be heard by everyone under the sky. As part of his astrology magecraft, this was well within his means.
“People of Equestria, my name is Kirschtaria Wodime!”
All eyes and ears were on the Master of Chaldea. And not just the ones on the field before him, or the Legendary Pokemon restrained in the sky. All over Equestria and the countries and lands that were under the night’s sky, they heard his voice, and felt its weight.
“I am the leader of Chaldea’s Team of Masters, I am here to speak to all of you. First of all, am here to say that I stand here before you on behalf of the human race. Some of you I know have mixed feelings about us at best, and downright hatred at most. In many cases, you have every right to hate us, we came to your land and tried to kill you for reasons you probably barely understand.”
Around Equestria, there was confusion, and intrigue. Many listened with anger and contempt, others with interest and concern.
“I do not expect you all to understand, I do not expect you all to care. You probably heard from your Pokemon neighbors about the worst of mankind, stories of how my race mistreated yours. And that when we came here, it only confirmed what you thought all along. But I am here to say this, as much as you have a right to hate us, I also ask that you try and form your own opinions. Do not just hate us because someone told you to. There are people in this world who are capable of doing this as good and evil as we have. The Earth created life, and life itself made humans, Pokemon, ponies, and so much more. We are all creations of this planet, and all of us have the right to exist and live on it. If there was another way I’d look for a path that would let us all live.”
The Legendary Pokemon who were still stuck had mixed reactions. Some like Kyogre and Yveltal cared not for what Kirschtaria was saying, but those such as Xerneas, and Regigigas stopped and listened.
“But, at this moment. Fate asks us that we fight to see who will inherit the history of this world. Who will be the ones to carry the Chronicle Theoretical Phenomenon. And while I’d prefer that be decided as soon as possible, for now, I must bid you all farewell. And to do this, I shall show you the full power of what humans are capable of, without the help of the gods.”
Kirschtaria then raised his hand, and the stars disappeared.
All over Equestria, and across the northern hemisphere, green lines flashed across the night sky. It looked almost like circuits to the naked eye, but they were in fact so much more.
“Oh great lights of the sea of stars, I beseech you to align yourselves with my ideals. I hereby affirm the Greater History of Man. Its gaze is strong, its limbs are mighty, and its wisdom is vast. As a human of this long and storied world hereby say that we are the ones who will carry on the Chronicle. And so with this single strike, the Age of Man shall shine once again!”
GRAND ORDER! Anima Animusphere! Hunamity's Denfense Celestial Sphere
Across the entire sky, the stars began to align and move. Turning and dancing as they shined greater and brighter than they had ever been before!
This great magecraft gave this single human control of the stars, planets, and celestial bodies of the universe itself and made use of their vast magical energy. It was a spell that normally would have been impossible to perform in the modern Age of Man where science and logic reigned. But in a world where people still viewed the night sky with mystery and awe, it was suitable for his special brand of magic.
These stars had once aligned and aided in freeing Nightmare Moon from her 1,000-year-long prison on the moon. Now, they aligned once again to aid this lone human in displaying the true power of mankind.
Below on the ground, everyone stood in awe and confusion at what they were seeing. Not even the Princess who held the Night as her domain could make sense of what she was seeing.
“Uh, not to be rude, but what the hell is going on!?” Misty said.
“Princess Luna, please tell me you know what happening!” Twilight said.
But the Alicorn of the Moon was left without an answer. She tried rationalizing what she was seeing, but could not. In her long life, she had seen and performed many spells related to the moon and the night sky, but never before had she witnessed something like this.
“I don’t know, I honestly don’t know,” was all she could say.
“But you can stop this right?” Applejacks said.
“Yeah,” Rainbow Dash added. “You're the Princess of the Night, you know the stars better than anyone! You must be able to do something.”
“I….I-”
“Luna.”
The younger alicorn felt a hoof rest on her shoulder. She turned to see Celestia looking at her with a reassuring face.
With that boost of confidence, Luna then lit up her horn and with every ounce of her magic, commanded the stars to cease moving.
Nothing.
“What!? This can’t be!”
“Princess Luna?”
“I’ll try again!”
Once more, with all her might, Luna gave a great command for the stars to stop their movements.
But they did not stop. They still turned and shinned as the human mage will them to do his bidding.
“This can’t be happening!”
Celestia could feel the despair and denial in her sister's voice, it was enough to bring even her to fear.
“How? How is he able to usurp my night sky!?”
“Uh everyone, I think the sky is falling!”
Everybody looked up, and sure enough, several large meteors began to descend from the heavens, each of them at a speed and force that once they hit the ground, would destroy everything in their path.
-
Arceus was brought back the reality by the sound of his name being called. When he snapped out of his panicked daze, he looked and saw Mew calling his name.
“Daddy!”
“M-Mew? Yes, I’m here?”
“Dad, we need you right now!”
Arceus for a moment felt shame. In this stunned state, he had neglected his family and what he had come here to do.
“I am here, Mew. I’ll always be here.”
“Good, cause we kinda need you right now!”
Arceus then finally turned and looked up at what had caught everyone's attention.
The sky had been rearranged into a great magical circle. And from that circle, several meteors were summoned from space and we're now heading towards them.
He knew that from their size and speed, it would kill not only everyone on the ground, but several Legendary Pokemon would surely perish.
“No.”
Before, Arceus was filled with fear and panic. But now, all of that was replaced and anger and determination.
Not a single one of his family was going to die here.
“Not like this.”
The chains that had been holding him dow began to shudder.
“I will not be held down again!”
Several links began to crack and break.
“I swore that I would never be restrained and confined again!”
The bonds that held the god in place began to be undone.
“Least of all, by you insolent humans!”
The chains of heaven snapped and shattered. The God the Pokemon was free once more.
Wasting no time, Arceus soared higher and higher, closing the distance between him and the onrushing space rocks.
From within himself, he called forth his 17 elemental plates, the source of his powers, and proof of his Authorities.
Around him they began to spin as their power surged through him, filling the god with the primordial power that was used to create an entire world.
He aimed for the biggest meteor, the one that would surely have annihilated everything within 10 square miles if it made planetfall.
He collided with it, the resulting impact, slowing it down, but not breaking it.
With the last of his strength, he poured the rest of his power into the meteor, overloading it with energy to the point where it exploded with the force of a bomb big enough to level a city. It was only thanks to Arceus that the shockwave was negated.
And then everything was silent.
-
“Where is he!?” Akuta said.
Everyone at this point was in the Shadow Border, ready to leave.
The modifications had been complete, all the servants had been recalled and reduced to spirit form so that they could all fit inside the border.
Now all they were waiting for was Kirschtaria.
“What was is he doing up there again?” Kadoc asked.
Sherlock Holmes only needed to take one look at the Borders external sensors to guess.
“I believe, he is buying us more time.”
“Wait,” Ophelia said. “What do you mean by tha-”
“Hey, guys sorry I’m late.”
Kirschtaria causally walked into the command room and sat down on an open chair.
“Dude, where have you been!?” Kadoc said.
“Just taking care of one last thing. Now, if no one forgot anything, shall we be off?”
Kadoc just sighed at the way his friend just cooly went about the situation.
“Alright Everyone, this is your adorable pilot Da Vinci telling everyone to strap in! Thanks to the help of Gilgamesh and several other casters, this drill which would normally take about 10 minutes has been reduced to just one. So strap in and hold one, this will be a more bumpy ride than your used to.”
“Just hurry up and start it already. Let’s blow this thing and go home!”
“Okay then. Expanding Void-Reality observation device: Paper Moon. Expanding Logic formula on Shadow Border's external armor, removing exitance verification for Reality Space. Future Precdition hypothetically prove mirror world plane in ten seconds, relaxing space-time friction decomposition."
The border began to hum with energy as a glow of mana surrounded it.
“Overclocking Paper Moon computation core! Commencing Void Drill Dive Ritual!”
Outside, there was still confusion and uncertainty in the air, so many things had happened at once that those of lesser understanding were still trying to make sense of it all.
The Chains of Heaven that had been holding the Legendary Pokemon finally began to disappear. Mewtwo, due to his unorthodox birth did not have much divinity and was able to break out faster than the others.
“What happened to Lord Arceus!?” he said.
“He’s still alive,” Giratina said. “I can still sense his presence, it will take a lot more than a rock to kill him.”
“But is he conscious?”
“I’m not sure, but we can’t wait for him. We must finish this now!”
“..Right.”
“Alright everyone, let's finish what we started, for Arceus!”
It took a few seconds for everyone to recover, but some of the more eager ones already started charging up their moves as they too wanted this to end. And after that meteor shower, who wouldn't?
“Ready, aim, fire!”
A Volley of powerful moves once again besieged the last barrier standing between them and the Chaldeans
“Almost through!”
The cracks in the magical shield finally began to buckle and break.
“Shadow Border untether from reality! Void Space Dive, commencing Zero Sail unfurl in five, four, three, two…”
Shattered!
Mewtwo immediately teleported himself inside, to the deepest room where he sensed brainwave were coming from.
But when he arrived there, it was just an empty room.
“No. No No!”
He double and triple checked the area to see if he missed anything. He then went to every room in the fortress to see if they were hiding somewhere else.
In the time it took everyone else to make it to the gates of the Kremlin, Mewtwo had turned the place upside down 5 times.
The realization that they got away, nearly made him lose it.
Before anyone else could even step inside, they heard the scream of an enraged Legendary. And the shattering of glass as he unleash a psychic scream that could be heard for miles.
Arceus’s eyes shot open. He jolted up as he remembered what had just happened.
He looked to his right and saw Mew looking at him with a worried face. He then looked further and saw that he had fallen just a few short miles away from where the main area was.
“Mew. What happened? Is everyone-”
“Everybody is safe daddy, thanks to you.”
Arceus checked his internal clock, he was out for no more than a minute. And yet, there was no sound of fighting.
“And the Chaldeans. What of them? Were they captured?”
Mew looked away, the look on her face betraying the answer to his question. So she just simply shook her head.
“They got away dad.”
Arceus blinked. Several emotions began to swell up inside him. All of them related to anger and frustration.
All that effort, all that time, wasted. Once again, a small group of humans and their spiritual familiars managed to escape him once again. He was Arceus. A god who should be undefyable.
He wanted to flatten a mountain right now. To reduce it to rumble as a way to vent his frustration.
But then, he found the strength to calm down. It would do him no good to just scream into the abyss at the moment. And besides, he didn’t want to scare Mew.
“What is everyone doing now?”
“The other Legendaries are helping everyone who got hurt. And Celestia is helping as well.
Arceus looked to the night sky. The magical spell that had adorned its tapestry was now gone. Whatever that thing was, he had never seen it before in his long life.
And yet, a human was somehow able to make it happen.
“I guess I should go and help everyone as well,” Arceus said as he floated into the air and began to make his way over to where everyone was at. Mew was following close by. “The sooner we pick up all our stuff, the sooner we can discuss what just happened.”
Canterlot Castle
“Okay, I just want to be the first to say this: What the hell was that!?”
Arceus, Mewtwo, The Princess, The Mane Six, as well as Abby, and Seth were now gathered in the throne room of Canterlot Castle. After all the Guards and Pokemon were accounted for and brought back home, a meeting was held in order to discuss the failure of the operation to capture Chaldea. Or more specifically, the outrageous things that happened during the fight.
Abby’s opening words were indicative of what everyone was thinking. What should have been a victory given the superior numbers and powerful beings at their disposal, turned into a disaster as Chaldea somehow kept pulling out new surprises that just kept turning the tables.
“Be more specific Mrs. Abigail,” Mewtwo said. “There are several things that happened that could be described by that statement.”
Abby shot Mewtwo a glare, but the Genetic Pokemon seemed to ignore it. His focus was elsewhere.
“I think we should just start in chronological order and work our way from there,” Celestia said.
“Agreed,” Twilight stated.
“So, I think we can all agree that things took a turn when that tower showed up and changed the area into a field of pink flowers. When that happened, all the servants seemed to get a boost in power and healing.”
“That must have been a Noble Phantasm,” Twilight said. “The its got to be the only explanation.”
“Wait, I thought Noble phantasms were weapons?” Rainbow Dash said.
“Not necessarily Ms. Dash,” Arceus said. “Noble Phantasms are the manifestation of Heroic Spirit’s legend. They are the crystallization of their deeds and events. Meaning that anything related to them, if they are closely tied with that thing and their fame, those things could count as their Noble Phantasm.”
“Wow, really?”
“Yes. That fortress we were besieging was also a Noble Phantasm. Which means the person to who it belongs had very close ties with it.”
“So what kind of Noble Phantasm was the one we witnessed?” Luna said. “Who did it belong to?”
“Hmmm, I remember when I was fighting Gawain, he said a name,” Celestia said. “As if he recognized or was familiar with who was casting the Noble Phantasm.”
“What did he say.”
“I believe the name was…Merlin.”
Those who were from Earth immediately widened their eyes at the mention of that name.
“MERLIN!?” Seth said. “Did I hear that right, did you just say Merlin!?”
The ponies were a bit taken aback by the reaction.
“Yes. Do you know of him?”
“Merlin,” Abby began. “Was the court Wizard of King Arthur. Back on Earth, he was the most famous fictional wizard in history.”
“Really?” Twilight said with interest.
“Indeed,” Arceus said. “Even though he is fictional in our world. Throughout the multiverse, the name Merlin is synonymous with great Wizards and magic users. If someone is named Merlin, then they are a magical force to be reckoned with.”
“He is really that famous and powerful?” Luna asked.
“Yes. Merlin is to humans what Starswirl the Bearded is to you Equestrians.”
“Interesting,” Twilight said rubbing her chin. “Although I bet Starswirl is a better magic user.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure. Merlin is half incubus, which gives him more power beyond what normal human mages can achieve.”
“Wait, did you say incubus?” Luna said.
“Yes, why?”
“I knew it! That servant is the same one me, Darkrai, and Cresselia met when we were monitoring the dreamscape!”
“What?” Celestia said.
“We found him feeding off of the dreams of ponies and Pokemon. Although at the time we didn’t know for what reason.”
“Why didn’t you mention any of this Luna?”
“What happens in the dream realm is my concern sister. You need not be troubled with it.”
“You still could have told me. Even if it was something related to the dream realm, it if was a servant, then you could have asked for my help.”
“I had Darkrai and Cresselia with me, I did have help.”
“Hmmm. Incubus are known to feast on dreams for nourishment and power,” Arceus said. “And if I had to guess, it was so that Merlin could have the energy to use his Noble Phantasm for as long as he did.”
“Well now he’s gone, can’t do much about that,” Abby said.
“Okay lets, talk about the next crazy thing that happened,” Mewtwo said. “Those golden chains that came out of nowhere and somehow bound the entire Legendary Council.”
The room went silent as that subject was brought up. Even Arceus did not speak.
What had happened on that day was something the Legendary Pokemon would remember for the rest of their lives. To know that somehow, there was someone or something that was capable of binding them all in chains. It lasted for a few minutes, but even it was just 10 seconds, just the very possibility was scary.
“Please tell me someone knows something that could tell us what that was?” Arceus said, in an almost desperate voice.
No answer.
“No one? No one knows what that thing was. Even a hint is helpful.”
The almost desperation in his voice made several people like Celestia scared for and sympathetic towards Arceus. And she knew why.
Ever since he had been freed from his confinement, Arceus would do anything in his power to make sure he never would be in a vulnerable position again. To never be brought down or confined in any way.
It was why during one of their meetings, Arceus refused to divulge any information to Celestia about the original spell that was used to seal him away. Even though she wanted to know in case someone like Arceus ever needed to be dealt with.
And yet, for a brief moment, Arceus was made to relive that 5,000-year-long nightmare. A nightmare he thought was over.
“I’m sorry Arceus, it seems no one knows anything about who might have done that,” Celestia stated.
“If it was some servant’s Noble Phantasm, we don’t know their true name,” Seth said.
Arceus looked on as if he was waiting for some kind of answer. But reading everyone's minds, he knew they had none.
He just sighed.
“Very well then. Let's move on to the elephant in the room.”
“The giant light show in the sky, and the Meteors being dropped on us? How could we forget?” Abby said.
Mewtwo turned to Luna. “Princess, the stars of the night sky are your domain are they not? Can you please explain how that human mage was able to manipulate the stars themselves and call down space rocks when you should be the only one able to control them?”
When Mewtwo finished his sentence, several eyes were on Luna, who felt like she was being interrogated.
“I don’t know.”
“So a human invaded your domain and you did nothing to stop him?”
Luna looked like someone had slapped her.
“Enough Mewtwo!” Celestia said. “Are you implying that Luna was helping the Chaldeans!?”
“I wouldn't dream of it, Princess Celestia. I’m just calling into question how a mere human was able to wield that stars and use them in such a way that the Alicorn of the Night was not able to stop him.”
Celestia gritted her teeth inside her mouth. She knew very well that despite all appearances, Luna’s pride was still very fragile. Ponies to this day still loved and revered her more than her sister, but Luna had learned to live with that fact as best she could. She had been gone for a millennia, of course, ponies would more familiar and receptive towards the elder sibling who was here the entire time and did her duty.
So Luna began to take pride in the only thing she still had. Her domain and duty as the Princess of the Night and Dreams. It was the only thing Celestia could no longer hold claim over.
So having a human they never virtually nothing about, just stroll in and usurp the stars from her, and do something that she had never done before. It was a critical blow to her already failing ego.
“I am completely honest when I say that I have no idea how than human was able to manipulate the stars the way he did. Never before have I been able to perform a magical spell on that scale and power. I didn’t even know it was possible to call down meteors like that!”
“You guys can move the Sun and Moon but can’t call down a few small space rocks?” Seth said.
“Our powers and domains only relate to the Sun and Moon Seth. They do not allow us control over anything else in space. Although given what we just witnessed, I think it's fair to call that into question.”
“I was able to use the stars to free me from my prison on the Moon, but never have I been able to use them like that.
“Humans. They should not have that kind of power,” Arceus said. They are unworthy of it!”
“Arceus?” Twilight said.
“The stars are part of the heavens. The heavens are the domain of the gods, this has been the way since time immemorial. Humans stayed on the Earth and never thought about making the heavens their own, sure they always dreamed of reaching them, but that was just folly and arrogance.”
Arceus shook his head.
“But human arrogance never ceases, they eventually reached the sky and the sea of stars beyond it. They sought to strike down the gods and take their domains, it was never enough for them!”
“Arceus…” Celestia began.
“There is a reason gods have control over the world Celestia, it's because humans are not responsible enough to maintain them in our place. They exploit its resources and consume its bounty all in the name of “progress”, this is why so many versions of Earth become lifeless because they don’t know when to stop. A human being able to control the stars like that is one of the worst things I have found out today! He is unworthy of that power, it should not belong to him. If I could I would strip him of it!”
Everyone just stood there as Arceus finished his rant.
“But there is nothing we can do about that now. He is gone, along with the rest of the Chaldeans. This entire thing has been a complete disaster! They came here, terrorized our citizens, tried to cut down our Tree of Emptiness, and just left while flipping us the bird on the way out! ”
“When did they flip a bird?” Fluttershy said.
“It's a figure of speech,” Abby said. “And I’d rather not explain what it means.”
“So what now?” Twilight said. “With Chaldea gone, is there nothing we can do?”
“Are you sure we have no way of finding them?” Luna said.
“No. Like I said before, whatever method of travel they use, it erases all traces of their existence. I cannot find something that does not exist,” Arceus said.
At this point, everyone in the room had run out of things to say. There was nothing of significance left to discuss. Chaldea was gone, they escaped. The only thing left to do now was...
“Hey, guys!”
Hoopa pop her head through one of her rings and startled everyone.
“Hoopa, what did your father tell you about doing that!?”
“Look who’s talking," Celestia mentally said.
“Hi Hoopa! Long time no see!” Pinkie Pie said.
“Hi Pinkie Pie, it's been a while. Is Discord around?”
“I don’t know, maybe?”
Before chaos could break loose again by the potential reunion of the three troublemakers. Arceus stepped in.
“Hoopa, we are very busy here. Was there something you wish to tell us, or did you just wish to speak with Ms. Pinkie Pie?”
“Oh yeah, there is! Darkrai and Cresselia’s eggs hatched!”
Almost everyone in the room forgot about the conversation and leaned into this news.
“Wait really? When?”
“Just a few minutes ago! Everyone wants you guys to come and see!”
Everyone looked at each other. It felt a little inappropriate to just leave the meeting like this, but…
“I think that's a good, idea,” Celestia said. “We discussed all we can here right? And seeing this might help better our moods.”
Arceus looked at Celestia, and after a moment of thinking, he nodded.
“Yes, that's right. Let us ago and meet the new members of my family.”
“Alright then!” Hoopa widened the ring to be big enough for everyone to fit through.”
One by one they walked through the ring and entered the Hall of Legends. They found themselves in the foyer where every Legendary Pokemon was gathered around.
“Where are they?” Pinkie Pie said. “I can’t see!”
“Shhh,” Mew said. “They’re sleeping.”
“Oh, sorry.”
The legendary Pokemon made a path for Arceus and the others and they made their way towards the center of the crowd.
Until finally, they saw it.
Their mother and father standing over them, watching them sleep, were two newborn Legendary Pokemon.
They rested in a nest as cuddled with each other. Darkrai and Cresselia had proud looks on their face as they watched their progeny dream.
On the left was what looked like a sleeping baby lion cub with a white mane that almost resembled the sun. On the right was a bat-like Pokemon and wings and a head that was shaped like the crescent moon.
The two children looked nothing like their parents or each other, except for their similar stary foreheads.
“Awww!” Pinkie Pie said.
“They look just adorable!” Rarity commented.
“Why don’t they look like their parents?” Twilight said.
“Legendary Pokemon DNA does not work like mortal DNA,” Mew said. ”Whenever a Legendary Pokemon gives birth, the child may inherit powers from the parent, but otherwise, they bare no physical resemblance. That's just the way dad made us.”
“I see, interesting.”
Arceus looked upon them with pride and, then turned to Darkrai and Cresselia.
“Congratulations you two.”
“Thank you, Lord Arceus.”
“So, what are their names?”
Darkrai looked over his children, then went up to caress their heads.
“This one right here, our son, his name is Solgaleo. For his is the lion whose mane is like the sun.”
Everyone nodded in agreement, Celestia doubly so.
“And this one right here,” Darkrai said as he went over to the right and placed his hand on his other child. “Her shape is like the moon and her head has the pattern of the stars like her brother. So I could think of no other name than-
Darkrai looked right at the Alicorn of the Night as he spoke the name.
“Lunala.”
There were several “Awes” and “Ahhs” when the name was spoken. Luna for her part blinked before her chest swelled with incandescent pride.
“Darkrai, I don't know what to say.”
“You don't have to say, anything Princess. I owe all this to you. If it weren't for your training and helping me with my powers and feelings. I and Cresselia would have never been where we are today, and these children would not have been brought into this world. All I can say is, thank you, Princess Luna.”
Darkrai bowed. And everyone clapped.
Luna was now in a far better mood than she had been before, despite what had happened. This moment made her forget about all that. For now, she just wanted to enjoy this moment and the knowledge that something she had done had brought joy and happiness into this world.
And she was not alone, Arceus was similarly happy that he was here to witness this moment.
His happiness faltered a little as he remembered those who were not here to see this. The first new Legendary Pokemon to be born in thousands of years.
Zapdos, Articuno, Moltres, and Shaymin.
They were gone, and unlike Latios, he could not bring him back.
Death in this world was permanent, something that he would not be able to reverse. They all had one life to live, and it may be shorter than they think.
“No, I cannot think like that, not now.”
The future was now more uncertain than it had ever been, whatever control Arceus thought he had over fate was now just an illusion.
But despite all he had seen, Arceus still believed and hoped, that they would overcome this. He had not brought his entire race to this new world to die, he had brought them here to give them a second chance.
And if it came it, he would gladly give his life to see that they got that second chance.
He would do anything to protect their future.
Anything….
“This fight is long from over Chaldea, whenever you show yourselves again, I promise, I will no longer underestimate you. So prepare yourselves, because I am coming for you.”
The Wandering Sea.
“Welcome back everyone!”
Sion greeted the crew of the Shadow Border as everyone disembarked.
“Glad you made it here safely.”
“Finally, it's good to be home!” Kadoc said.
“Alright, so before you all unpack, I need everyone in the meeting room to discuss what you guys went through.”
“Alright then, just give us a moment Sion, we're still a little rocky from that trip,” Da Vinci said.
After everyone had settled down, they went to the control room and after a long discussion, went over all that had happened in the Equestrian Lostbelt.
“Hmmm, that is quite a lot to unpack.”
“You could say that again,” Goredolf said.
“So this time we failed to cut down the Tree of Emptiness. Okay, fine, we can’t get every single one on our first try.”
“But I don’t think we can go back there any time soon,” Kirschtaria said. “After our failure, they are sure to have the tree well-defended next time.”
“Agreed, the Equus Lostbelt is something we have to avoid for now,” Holmes said.
“Yes, but eventually we’ll have to come back to it, and once we do, we can’t just try what we did last time.”
“If you have a different idea about how to prune this Lostbelt I am all ears,” Goredolf said.
“Well, I do have this one idea….”
Equus Lostbelt: Cosmos Exant. [Status: Passive]
Russian Lostbelt: Cosmos Denial
Scandinavian Lostbelt: Cosmos Denial
Chinese Lostbelt: Cosmos Exant. [Status: Passive]
Indian Lostbelt: Cosmos Exant. [Status: Expanding and Contracting]
"I've rattled around long enough to have learned one thing: the universe is cold, and cruel, and violent—but only if you choose to look at it that way." - Autobot Thunderclash
Zebrica. A mighty nation that had been around even before Equestria’s founding. A strong foundation was held by heroes and Pharaohs over generations. Not even the Griffon Empire to its North or the Diamond Dog tribes to its south could disrupt its peace of mind fully. No matter how much either of them tried.
That is until recently. With the death of the last pharaoh, Zebrica was left with only a newborn king. The untimely death of the king meant that the nation was unstable. Other nations looked at it as an opportunity. An unstable nation was one prime for exploitation. That is until Princess Celestia herself stepped in. With a calm mind and a thousand years of experience, she was able to keep Zebrica afloat and the other nations away. With a motherly tone, she was able to raise King Trotankhamun, King Trot for short, into a king worthy of his line. Once again, Zebrica was stable and prospering.
That is if you ignored key elements to the nation. Zebrica, for all its majesty, had always worried about outsiders. Generations of conflicts with other species had meant that zebras tended to keep to themselves. Zebrica was for zebras. No one else. While it was too forward with this dislike, the undercurrent feelings were there. So when a foreign ruler took their own king under her wing, and Zebrica had to lease a port city to Equestria, many nobles were in hysterics. The noble nation of Zebrica would not be a puppet state for someone else.
So while King Trot was loved by the masses, he was despised by the nobility. He, in their eyes, was nothing more than a prop for Equestria. To rule through him as their princess saw fit. It didn’t help that they now had two more, one of them was even said to be a former monster. No. That would not be due. Of course, they could do nothing more than wait. Perhaps they could steer the young king back on track. That was their goal after all since the public was on his side. Best not to fan the flames of a revolt before you had all the cards.
Then the pokemon arrived. Chaos ensued. So many different types of creatures appearing everywhere meant that Zebrica’s old paranoia was starting to get the best of the population. This was especially so in the northern states and tribes of Zebrica. The ones closest to the Griffon Empire. Most of this initial hysteria was able to be pacified due to King Trot and his new aid: Commander Sev.
Leader of the Pokemon Liberation Front, he was able to get most of the pokemon groups to comply and the hostility was lessened. This was further exemplified by his aid in combating the roaming Diamond Dog tribes. The combined efforts of the PLA and Zebrican army were able to put an end to some of the most feared tribes quite quickly. In the south, this earned them their ever dying praise. Support for pokemon started to skyrocket.
The nobles couldn’t have that. This was their best opportunity to gain power. So they stirred up resentment for the pokemon. This became easier with the aid of the Thrist. The last of a dying breed, she was a powerful griffon sorceress. With her help, she was able to back the Rebels when the time came for war.
And war did follow. For a full year, Zebrica was embroiled in a senseless war. Thousands upon thousands of zebras and pokemon were killed in the conflict. The war initially favored the Rebels due to catching the King and Commander off guard. No one was expecting the conflict to come to this. However, Commander Sev wasn’t one to be underestimated. Eventually the conflict was turned around on the rebels who, while had numbers, didn’t have skilled commanders to effectively use them. As well, King Trot’s army had larger and better embellished units considering they were bolstered by the pokemon.
Thrist was able to add her own units: mind controlled pokemon and Thirst griffon soldiers. The former was more of a nuisance since that operation was cut short during a raid. The latter were the Rebels best units and were feared by the king’s troops. Even many pokemon found them an issue in combat. Their magically enhanced bodies and armor were tough to get through.
Of course, Thrist never cared for the war nor the Rebel cause. The Rebels never cared for her either as she was a means to an end. Their beliefs in their own superiority kept both from effectively working together for the war effort. Of course, the Rebels winning wasn’t Thrist’s plan anyways. What she wanted was the outcome.
You see, the Thirst were a group of Griffons that worshiped Ragnoros. He was a Death God created by the Goddess of the planet. His original purpose was a simple one. If the world needed to be cleansed, say in the notion that evil took root, he would be sent to destroy everything so she could recreate life once more. He had performed it once. Unfortunately, he was ‘activated’ before his time. Some say it was the Thirst, although they only really came about after his release. Others say it was a villain like Grogar or was Grogar himself who unleashed the Death God. Either way, he was unleashed and wrecking havoc on the planet.
That is until he was stopped by a single warrior. Before the end could happen, a meteorite hit the planet. It was no ordinary piece of space rock. It was a piece of creation itself. A simple griffon blacksmith found it and, through guidance from the Goddess herself, was able to forge a weapon from the material.
Finality. The Sword of Beginning and End. Crafted from creation itself, no creature could stand up to it. Not even Ragnoros. Together with his companions, the griffon took the sword and charged into battle. Eventually, Ragnoros was defeated and his remains sent back to the realm of darkness from which he came. The sword was gifted to the griffon’s friend, a zebra, who went on to found Zebrica itself. This sword was passed through generations till it came to King Trot’s possession.
Thrist was one of the survivors of his followers. To this day, she wishes for him to come back. This war was her plan all along. All the death and suffering like had not been seen on the planet for generations was just what she needed for her spell.
Eventually she was able to summon Ragnoros. The Death God ravaged the areas around him. Thousands more lost their lives to the creature as nothing they could do would stop it. It was until the combined might of the PLA, Zebrican Army, Diamond Dog tribes and the legendaries Giratina and Rayquaza were they able to finally fight it. Sev and King Trot were able to deal the final blow with a combined attack with FInality in hoof. Ragnoros was dealt with and Thrist killed in the final battle.
Peace was finally at hand in Zebrica. The Diamond Dog tribes finally started to calm down their bloodlust, starting to integrate into Zebrican lives. The pokemon were the same, seen as heroes by the populace. Most of the remaining Rebels surrendered and while they had to pay for their insurrection, knew they’d eventually be able to go back home. A few stragglers still held out but were mostly dealt with soon afterwards. Their support was gone since they had inadvertently led to the near destruction of their country.
After that, rebuilding came naturally. The PLA and Zebrican army were fully integrated with each other. Even Diamond Dogs were allowed entry into the armed forces. Equestria sent aid to the struggling nation as did others. Finally Zebrica’s dislike of other nations and people started to disappear. It was a time of healing and a new life of prosperity was heading their way.
That is until recently. The explosion in Canterlot was the beginning of the troubles that plagued them now. It was an attack on a sovereign nation allied to their own. This upset King Trot quite fiercely due to his, in all intents and purposes, adopted mother Celestia was there as well. Commander Sev’s fury on his daughter being in the vicinity was also not understated.
Once again, the PLA and Zebrican army geared up for war. Once again, they prepared to protect what is theirs. Once again, Sev had more ideas.
__________________
King Trot languished in silent fury and despair as he looked own at the letter beneath him. It was something he dreaded to write. Concern over his ‘mother’ figure. Concern for her country. Concern for his and the world in general. He needed to ask her how she was. How the servants they now faced were being handled. He had seen enough bloodshed already. One could say it was the bloodiest conflict the world had seen in a thousand years.
Well until recently. Now he was going to be facing beings on par with legendaries. That was disconcerting. He had fought a being who could take on two and armies worth of soldiers. Knowing there were more then one made his heart sink.
He needed to be calm though. For his people. He put his pen down. He needed to write this letter.
The door was blown open.
“I have a brilliant idea,” Sev shouted as he slithered inwards, “Which is not at all shocking for it is I, Commander Sev, who is creating such an idea.”
King Trot sighed. Sev was a close confidant and what he would consider a good friend. However, he was hard to deal with. “What is the-”
“We must fight the hypothetical fire with hypothetical fire,” Sev shouted, “For when I fought mecha, I got mecha. When I fought tanks, I got tanks.”
“..... I don’t like where this is going.” King Trot said.
“For our enemy fights us with servants,” Sev said, “For why shall I not fight with my own?”
“You can’t have servants,” King Trot pointed out, “You’re a pokemon. They are human.”
“Well actually they are ghosts which make them technically pokemon,” Sev said.
“No that doesn’t,” Trot said, “They are the spirits of humans that have been given another form that has powers…” Trot’s voice wavered at the end.
Sev’s smirk only grew.
“...It’s not the same thing,” Trot defended himself and then shook his head. “Look, you can’t just get one. Chaldea has them and we should focus on fighting them or the world is doomed.”
“The world cannot be doomed for I deem the world to be here,” Sev said firmly. “I exist therefore we exist and that cannot be changed. We already have what we need to fight.”
“Then if we already have what we need,” Trot said, “Why do you want a servant?”
“Because they’re cool,” Sev said.
“........ Have you even seen one?”
“I’ve read the reports,” Sev said, wiping his blade on his chest as he grinned. “I have agents in Equestria, you know. My mind reaches places I cannot see since I am the great and powerful Commander Sev.”
Trot sighed, “Please stop spying on Equestria. Celestia won’t like that.”
“The country that houses my daughter houses my eyes and ears,” Sev’s eyes narrowed as he said that. “That changes for no one.”
“Fine, fine.” Trot sighed and sank into his chair. “You’re not going to give up on this, are you?”
“Just like the portal device idea and moon cannon,” Sev said, hissing in delight. “I will slap my nemesis one day again.”
“We can’t just open portals to other worlds,” Trot said, “This whole mess started because of that.”
“I mean,” Sev said, “Giratina does it all the time. He has his own dimension and all that. I see no reason for us not to have that power. Except when it leads to digital worlds.” He narrowed his eyes, “Never again.”
“...Can you stop having points and get out.” Trot said. “And stop mixing it in with nonsense.”
“Very well,” Sev said, “My points always land but sometimes others choose not to listen. But mark my words, I will be the very best master like no one ever was~ I will-”
“NO SINGING!” Trot threw his pen at the servant who dodged it. “But seriously, we have to plan for an attack.”
“Well I’ve got several,” Sev smiled, “Don’t worry, my comrade. We are in this together. That won’t change.”
The streets were busy with Pokemon and Zebra walking and interacting with one another. It was pretty much a peaceful morning all things considered. And given the nation's recent history, a peaceful morning was the least they could ask for.
PLA and Zebra soldiers trained in the nearby military base, honing their skills and learning to work with one another. After fighting together in the Civil War, they had truly learned to respect one another. But even though that conflict was over, the current events would not allow them to relax just yet.
Peace, after all, is only transitory.
-
Sev slithered through the halls of the main palace, the Commander was in a good mood today.
He passed by delegates and individuals who gave him either looks of respect or weariness. Both reactions were understandably valid.
He finally made it to the room of his destination, only to be blocked by two guards.
“Sorry, Commander. But the King is in the middle of an important meeting right now.”
“Wait, you say that he’s in an important meeting and I wasn’t invited!?”
“It is a private meeting between him and an old friend. Nothing that concerns you.”
Sev raised an eyebrow, before speaking what he had guessed.
“It's Celestia isn’t it?”
The guard flinched, which was enough for confirmation.
“Great! I need to speak with her as well!”
Without any heed to the guard's protests, Sev opened the doors and slithered inside to the sight of King Trot on his throne, with a mirror right in front of him.
“Sev! What did I tell you about just barging in!?”
*Sigh* “That I can only ever do it if it's an emergency.”
“Indeed.”
Sev opened his mouth but was cut off.
“And let me further reiterate, unless it's something like a Servant attack, Diamond Dog riots, or the end of the actual world, it's not worth bringing to my attention.”
The Seviper slowly closed his trap.
“I thought so, now if you could please leave us.”
“Wait, is that Celestia you’re talking to?”
Trot attempted to stay silent, but the pony in the mirror gave him away.
“Trot, is that Sev I hear?” said the voice of Celestia.
“So it is her! Great!”
Trot sighed himself into his throne as the Pokemon went up beside him and looked in the mirror. Sure enough, a reflection of Celestia was staring back at them. Said mirror was a new addition to the castle, sent by Princess Celestia herself. After the letter King Trot wrote to her a few weeks ago, she thought it would be best if all the world leaders had ready and immediate forms of communication with each other. As such, she requested that Arceus give each of the world leaders a magical looking glass so that they could talk to each other in case of emergencies or important discussions.
“Princess Celestia, just the pony I wanted to see!”
“Hello Sev, how are you?”
“I am doing fine, things in Zebrica could not be better. Not a single incident to report.”
“I see, so what Trot says is true.”
“Huh, what's true?”
“I was just telling Celestia before I was so rudely interrupted, that things in Zebrica have been relatively uneventful ever since you got back from Equestria. There hasn’t been a single Servant sighting or summoning since that broadcast Arceus made to the world.”
“And that's good, after the war your country went through, you and your people have seen enough conflict for one century. I’d rather you not get involved with what's been happening. Your people deserve peace and respite.”
Trot smiled, he for one was glad they had some peace and quiet after so long. Well, as quiet as one could be with Sev around.
The Commander on the other hand had a different opinion. While he too was enjoying peacetime. Part of him was disappointed that he or his forces had yet to encounter any servants.
While his dislike of the human race was not as strong as it used to be, he still did not have a high opinion of them overall. Not to mention he still had some lingering regrets about not being able to overthrow them as he envisioned.
So when he heard that humans existed in this new world and that they were trying to destroy all Pokemon. It was almost a godsend. Finally, Sev would be able to once again fight against the oppression of humans who would trample upon the lives of Pokemon.
That is if he could find any of them.
Sev was then pulled out of his thoughts by someone calling his name.
“Sev?”
“Oh yes, I’m here!”
“I said was there something you wished to ask me Sev?” Celestia stated.
“Oh yes, I wish to speak with Princess Luna! Is she there?”
“Oh, no I‘m afraid not, she's currently sleeping and patrolling the dreamscape.”
“Aww.”
Celestia could understand Sev’s disappointment. Ever since the Gala, the Commander had renounced his worship of Arceus, and instead made her sister the new patron of the PLA. Apparently, the Commander did not take too well finding out that Arceus never acknowledged his existence.
Luna on the other hand was become something of both a mentor and therapist for the Seviper whenever he was sleeping. Thanks to her, Sev came to accept that not all humans were evil and that his father was not someone he could try to feel anything for but shame.
When she asked Luna how it felt being made an object of reverence for an entire army, her sister declined to comment.
“But I’ll tell her that you wanted to speak with her.”
“Is that all you wished to ask her Sev?” Trot said impatiently.
“I believe so yes.”
“Good, now can I please have the room?”
The Pokemon slithered out of the room, leaving the King alone with the closest thing he had to a mother.
“Sometimes I wish he would learn some manners, or at least be normal.”
“I can agree, that Sev can be eccentric, but you must never forget that he is still your friend. One whom you fought alongside and helped save your kingdom.”
“I know, it's just that Sev is very competent and reliable when it comes to a fight, but anything else he just…I don’t know.”
“Well, back to what we were talking about, you said things have been relatively alright where you are?
“Yes, everything is fine, for now at least.”
“For now?”
Trot looked aside to see if any of the guards in the room could hear him and then back to Celestia.
“To tell you the truth, I’m a bit worried now.”
“How so?”
“Well, I don’t know if Arceus or any of his Legendary Pokemon have noticed. But one of the Lostbelt borders has been inching closer and closer by the day, I can almost see it out by my bedroom window by now.”
“I see.” Arceus did indeed inform Celestia that the Lostbelt that had covered the Marelantis nation was expanding the fastest and that in a few days' time it would make contact with the Zebrican border.
“Does the public know about it yet?”
“No one except the border guard knows about it. I don’t want to cause a panic nor entertain the idea of…relocation. Not after we fought so hard to save this kingdom.”
Celestia knew the reason for Trot’s refusal to evacuate was two-fold. One, it would take a considerable amount of resources and time to relocate an entire nation's worth of citizens if it truly came down to it, and that was something they did not have. Two, it was a matter of pride. Zebrica was their home, it had been around before even she was born. Despite the public opinion becoming more accepting of other races, she was sure not many would like the idea of uprooting their livelihoods and moving somewhere else if it came down to it.
Since they had no way of currently invading a Lostbelt and cutting down its Tree of Emptiness, an evacuation was almost certain, given that they had no idea who was in these Lostbelts. And after the civil war, Zebrica was in no shape to fight another drawn-out conflict.
Still, Trot had made it clear he would not make his people leave their 1,000-year-old ancestral home unless they had no other choice.
Celestia hoped it would not be too late by then.
“I understand Trot, but I still just want to make sure you still have that option on the table. At the very least you should have plans to evacuate if it comes down to it. In fact, I’d suggest you start with the villages closest to the storm walls. If what you say is true, they may not have a choice much longer.”
Trot thought about it, but not for very long, when it came to Celestia, he always took her advice. In fact, this personal call was more of a push he wanted from her about the idea of evacuating. And with that being said.
“Alright, what do you suggest?”
In the streets of Cario, a young Riolu waited by a food stand as he kicked a few pebbles to pass the time.
He wore a blue wristband on his right arm, with a crescent-shaped moon embroidered on it. The cutie mark of Princess Luna, which was meant to replace the colors of Arceus the PLA previously flown on their banner.
His name was Lu, the young son of General Rio. At one point in time, he was somewhat shy when it came to certain subjects, and as a fighter, he had a ways to go like the rest of his family.
When he came to this world, he got the opportunity to prove himself when the Civil War erupted. While many of his comrades including several of his brothers and sisters died in battle, he managed to come out of it alive, and more grown-up.
The person whom he was waiting for was part of that growing up.
Nearby, a young Kirlia and a mature-looking Audino walked through the streets, passing by vendors selling wares and stands selling cooked food and fresh fruit.
“Mom, you really didn’t need to come with me. I think I’m grown up now that I can look after myself.”
“Oh, from what I’m looking at, you haven’t evolved into a Gardivor yet.”
“Mom!” Lia pouted.
“I’m just kidding. It’s not that I don’t trust you Lia, but I just want to make you get to where you’re going safely. After what happened with those Diamond Dogs, I don’t want anyone kidnapping you if I can’t help it.”
Lia was still a bit miffed but understood. In the first few days of arriving in this new world, she was taken hostage by a Diamond Dog chief as part of a larger conspiracy set up by the Thirst.
Thankfully, her brother rescued her in record time.
Aside from that little incident, Lia had gotten to experience many strange and wondrous new things in this world. The World Summit and gala in Equestria were a lot of fun, but the Civil War she returned to back in Zebrica was less fun.
But eventually, that too came to pass and now she was looking to enjoy a peaceful date with her new boyfriend.
If there was one other thing she could want, but could not have it was….
Lia looked at her mom, at this point she could barely remember what her human form looked like, and that's saying something since members of her family all looked the same.
She never admitted this to anyone, not even her brother at the time, but she wished her mother stayed human.
Indeed, Lia was one of the few natural-born Pokemon who disagreed with Arceus’s decision to change all the humans into what they are now. While she understood that many humans had done bad things, her mother was not one of them. And while she did not dislike her mother's new body, she did not ask for this, none of them did. She did not ask to be taken away from her home.
There was a time when Lia thought that Arceus was always right, that he could do no wrong. That's what her brother told her after all. But then Sev went and told the PLA that they would be paying respects to Luna, the Moon Princess of Equestria. When she asked him why, he simply told her that Arceus was not as infallible as Sev thought he was, in fact his own words were: “That jerk won’t acknowledge or respect me!? Then I’ll just give it to someone who will!”
And with that validation, Lia confessed to making paintings about humans so that future generations would remember them, as a way to stick it to Arceus. That little piece of info went about as well as you could expect.
And given the situation now, she need not try and paint them anymore. Because no one was going to forget humans anytime soon.
“Oh look there he is!” Joy said.
Lia look to where her mother was pointing and spotted her boyfriend.
“Ok, thanks, mom. I can walk from here.”
“Stay safe, and come back before dinner!”
“I will!”
Lu finally spotted Lia, who closed the distance with a short teleport.
“Kept you waiting didn’t I?”
“Oh, I don’t mind. You look great by the way.”
Lia blushed and then took his hand and wrapped her arm around it.
“Shall we get going?”
“Let’s.”
The young couple then walked off into town. Enjoying the moment of peace together.
The Zebrican western sea border.
The west of Zebrica was, for the most part, a location of not much significant other than the port towns that brought in trade from the other nations. Ever since they had reopened diplomatic negotiations with their neighboring countries, the port cities had exploded in terms of business and commerce.
Of the most prominent was the port city of Tortuga, which was the main hub for trade in the western area of the nation.
It also just so happened to be the closest settlement to the Lostbelt Storm Wall.
In the tallest watchtower in the city, Private Rummington of the Zebra Border Guard looked out to the sea. The ocean was restless, as it always was. But it seemed every day that it was becoming more and more untamed. And he knew the reason why.
Not but 30 miles out, the enormous storm wall that was the barrier between them and another world stood there like an ominous omen.
He like everyone else had only heard what Arceus and the World Leaders had told them about exactly what these walls were and what they meant for the rest of the nations around the world. About the resurgence of the species known to the Pokemon as humans and how they were using ghosts known as Servants to try and destroy the world. But Rummington was less worried about humans and dead spirits attacking, and more about what these walls were. And more importantly, what was inside them.
He like many assumed several things about the Lostbelts. How would they attack? Would they just let the storm walls roll over them like a steamroller? Would strange creatures emerge from it and attack them with weapons and magic the likes they have never seen before?
The scariest part about these Lostbelts was the things they did not know about them.
And people have since the dawn of time, always had a fear of the unknown.
“Hey Rum! I’m back!”
The Zerba sighed as he pulled away from his telescope. He turned around and looked as his friend and guard partner Barb walked into the room carrying a bag of food.
While he was grateful that she had gotten them something to eat while they were stuck up here. He did not like being called “Rum”, as it sounded like that alcoholic drink. And as such, that was the nickname people used to and still called him to this day. Needless to say, this caused him to never drink, he didn’t want the association.
“Got your favorite curry just like you wanted.”
“And the naan bread?”
“Yes, I got the naan bread.”
Barb decided to eat first as Rummington kept a vigil watch, on the sea and the storms.
“Have you been staring out that thing the whole time?”
“Yes.”
“You know that staring is not gonna make it do anything.”
“And yet when something does happen, I want to be the first one to know it. We are the first line of defense between whatever comes out of that storm and the rest of the nation. You should honestly take this more seriously.”
“Okay I’m gonna level with you, constantly worrying about something is no good for anyone. If something happens, it will happen, nothing you can do to change that.”
“I know I can’t change it, but it's what we do after that matters. An attack could happen any minute and every second we have is one more to fight, to save lives, to make it back home alive.”
“Well, from what I see, if something wanted to come out of that storm and attack us, they would have done it by now.”
“And yet, one might point out that they’re just letting the storm get closer so that they would give us less time to react. Or they might just let the wind decimate this entire port and save them the trouble.”
“I’m pretty sure the King would send orders to evacuate before they get close enough. Now, why don’t you take a break and eat your food.”
Rummington look and saw that Barb had somehow inhaled her food while she was talking this whole time. With another sigh, he got down from the telescope as she took over.
As he started to eat, he could not help but still had his mind on the unknown. And what it might mean for them.
“Hey Rum?”
“Barb, what have I told you about calling me tha-”
“What's that over there?”
Sev slithered through the halls of the main palace, the Commander was now in a bad mood today.
“Preposterous!” He said to himself. “I am the great Commander Sev! I win every fight, I solve every case! There is nothing beyond me in this world except Luna herself!”
The Commander was currently wracking his brain on something he had suggested to Trot 2 weeks ago.
How he was going to get a servant.
Aside from what he had been told, he knew next to nothing about how to get one, let alone how to make it work for him.
“What am I saying!? I can convince anyone to join my cause, why else is the PLA so large and loyal as it is.”
Indeed, most of the PLA listened and followed Sev due to the sheer charisma he possessed(which under the servant system would be treated as “Rank EX”). Despite his rather wild ideas, this was the only reason why many of his loyal soldiers stuck with him for so long. Sure, there were some who followed him because he was the son of the previous Commander, but Sev was warry of that small sect of followers. He was not his father nor would he ever be.
At this point, he was pretty sure the only reason they were now following him was that their enemy was once again humanity.
As much as Sev did not like humans, he did not wish death upon them like Viper did. And while his mother was human, in his mind, she was a Pokemon, always had been.
The way Sev’s rather…unique mind worked is that if you were nice to Pokemon and supported the PLA cause, then you were not a human, you were a Pokemon. For by his logic, there can be no good humans, only good Pokemon.
It took a talk with Luna to make him see otherwise. But then again it didn’t matter since his mother was now a Pokemon in both name and body.
“All I have to do is find a servant, and let my words do the rest, it’s foolproof!”
There was just one problem.
“Now where can I find one?”
By some good luck or rather bad luck, there had just to be any servant sightings within Zebrica. Which was weird since his spies had reported servants appearing in other countries, with Equestria having the highest count. Part of him worried for his daughter, but thankfully she was not harmed.
In fact, he heard that she had taken the initiative and participated in several battles against Chaldea.
“I’m so proud of her,” Sev said, wiping a tear. His daughter was already following in his footsteps by fighting back against the tyranny of man!
But back to what he was thinking, Sev was still baffled why no servants had shown up yet.
One theory that General Loom offered up was this. During the climax of the Civil War, Thirst had made use of all the Ley Lines in the country in order to perform a spell, one that would absorb all the hate and death from the war that she used to free Ragnoros. However, as a consequence, the Ley Lines were destroyed due to the magical overload from said spell. And since Servants needed magical Ley Lines to be summoned, none of them could actually appear in Zebrica.
Sev’s only real hope was if one of them migrated from the other neighboring nations. But another thing he had heard was that the appearance of servants has been few and far between ever since Chaldea left Equestria. So that made things even worse.
“Hmph, no matter, I’m sure I’ll think of something! I always do!”
-
“And let's not forget, once the evacuation starts, there must be routes secured in order for refugees to properly make their way to safety. You can’t let people wander off thinking in confusion. We must save as many as possible.”
“I understand.”
Celestia and Trot continued to converse as a scribe wrote down everything they were saying so that it could be planned accordingly later.
“So how are things going in Equestria? I heard the Chaldeans escaped.”
“Yes, they did.” It had been 10 days since Chaldea amazingly escaped the combined forces of Equestria and the Legendary Pokemon. Arceus was in foul of it, but she kept that fact from Trot. The Zebra King still had no love for the Pokemon God, and she’d rather not give Trot material to laugh at him. Just in case the Alpha Pokemon would hear it and “retaliate”.
“Are there still any servants there?”
“For the most part no, one or two maybe, but servant activity is almost nonexistent.”
“Why do you think that is? Was it because Chaldea left?”
“Perhaps. If it is true, I can’t imagine what they may be planning next.”
“Well, whatever they may be thinking, well be ready for the-”
The door slammed open.
“SEV! I thought I told you to-”
Trot looked expecting to see an annoying snake, but instead, he was staring at a now sacred messenger Zebra.
“Oh, I’m so sorry, I thought you were someone else.”
“No apologies your majesty, I should have knocked before entering.”
“Well, since you didn’t I assume there must be an emergency of some kind?”
“Y-Yes your majesty! This is news you’ll want to hear now!”
“Well, what is it?”
“A servant has appeared, your majesty!
The room then became so quiet you could hear a pin drop, of which the scribe actually did.
“A servant. Here? In Zebrica?” The look on his face was a mix of shock and confusion.
“Yes, your majesty. Patrol guards made contact with the servant and have asked me to inform you at once!”
Trot looked back to the mirror.
“I’m sorry to cut our conversation short Celestia, but-”
“No need to explain, go and be the ruler I raised you to be.”
Trot could not hide his blush before the mirror turned off.
“Alright, so where is this servant located?”
“Just 42 miles west of Cario sir! The guards are trying to set up a perimeter right now.”
“A perimeter? Have they contained the servant?”
“Well, not exactly, sir.”
“Then what is the meaning of their actions?”
“It's best if you read their report yourself, your majesty.”
The messenger then took a clipboard out of his sack and presented it to Trot. The Zerba king then began to read it.
But as he kept reading each line and sentence, his face became more and more upset. And by the time he was done. He was positively annoyed.
“What is your name?”
“Kira you majesty.”
“Kira, deliver a message to Commander Sev. Tell him to meet me in the airship hanger bay in 10 minutes.”
The Zerba nodded and went off to find the Pokemon.
“Guards!”
The two guards by the door walked up to Trot and saluted.
“Yes, your majesty!”
“Bring me my sword.”
-
About half an hour later…
The royal flagship sailed over the sea of sand as it made its way to its destination.
Aboard was a detachment of guards as well as a battalion of Pokemon Liberation soldiers.
Aside from Sev, high-ranking officers General Gard, General Rio, and General Loom sat in the command deck.
There was talk about where they were going but so far all Trot had said was that they were going to fight a servant. The first appearance of a servant in Zebrica.
“Finally! I get to see what a Servant actually looks like!” Sev said.
“Don’t they just look like humans?” Gard pointed out.
“Uh uh! Ghost humans!”
Trot meanwhile paid no attention to the banter in the back, only looking out the window of the bridge as the ship flew closer to its destination.
“So, where are we going?” Said Loom who walked up to the Trot.
“To fight a servant.”
“Well yeah, but you seem pretty reluctant to say anything else other than that.”
“Look, it's nothing to worry about okay, where just gonna go there, where you guys and Sev can provide backup while I personally kick his butt.”
“Just you? Why just you?”
“My king, we’re coming up on our destination.”
Everyone looked as the ship came over a hilltop. The sun blinded them for a moment before they saw something that made them gasp.
Right in the middle of the desert was a large Pyramid adorned in the middle of a temple complex. It looked majestic and stunning the more they all stared at it.
On the ground below were the patrol guards who were waiting for them. Looking at their numbers, there was no way they could have established a perimeter with what they had. At the very least they have made a landing zone for the ship.
“I didn’t know you guys had a Pyramid built out here,” Loom said.
“We don’t,” Trot, responded gritting his teeth.
Before the General could ask what he meant by that, Trot had already turned around and was heading for the landing bay.
After the ship landed, everyone pilled out and unloaded what they had brought with them. Trot lead everyone as the leader of the patrol guards went up to him.
“Your majesty, you really did not have to come.”
“Oh but I did. Tell me what's the situation?”
“The servant has holed himself up in the Pyramid your highness, he has refused to come out to speak with anyone.”
“Wait, did the Servant make all this?” Gard said.
“I cannot say for certain, but it appears so.”
“How is that possible?” Sev said.
“Well, our spies from Equestria have informed us that they have seen servants capable of manifesting giant castles or fortresses. Whoever this is must be one of them.”
“Well, he’s not going to be around for much longer!” Trot muttered.
The king marched forward, at the protest of his guards. Soon he was at the gates of the complex. But just as he was about to step in, he was immediately flung back by a force field.
Trot pulled his head out of the sand as the others caught up.
“Are you alright your majesty!?”
Trot spit sand out of his mouth. “No, I am not!”
He then drew his sword and marched up to the gates again.
“Alright, whoever is in there, come out and show yourself! The King of Zebrica demands it!”
“Has anyone ever seen him act like this?” Gard said.
“No,” said the scribe who had accompanied them. “I don’t think I have ever seen the King this incensed.”
Suddenly there was a loud rumble, causing everyone to stop what they were doing and take a step back.
Then a deep commanding voice filled the air.
“Who approaches my temple? State your names!”
Trot was about to speak, but Sev beat him to it.
“I and the great and mighty Commander Sev! Leader of the Pokemon Liberation Army! Chosen of Princess Luna! And the bane of all Zangoose!”
There was no response from the voice for a few seconds.
“And?”
“AND!? What more is there to say, if you do not let us in, then you will find that this temple of yours will be painted pink sometime next week!”
Sev leaned over to General Loom. “Are the paint cannons ready yet?”
“I still need another 2 weeks to finish them, sir! Pink paint is hard to come by in this nation.”
“Drat!”
“What nonsense is this you speak of? Begone, while I still allow it.”
“Ignore him!” Trot said now very annoyed at Sev. “Listen to me now whoever you are! You better let us in, or I swear I will bring the full force of Zebrica down on you!”
“Are who is speaking?”
Trot planted his sword into the ground and loudly declared.
“My name is King Trotankhamun the First! King of Zebrica and the reigning Pharaoh!”
There was no response from the voice, then came a loud heartily laughter.
“Heheahahahahaha!”
“Did we say something funny?” Loom asked.
“I’m pretty sure Sev did,” Gard responded.
“Very well, you may enter!”
The force field shimmered before deactivating.
“I King Ozymandias Ramesses II, King of Kings, and the greatest Pharaoh of Egypt do permit you to enter my Ramesseum Tentyris!”
The Zebrican western sea border.
“Hey Rum?”
“Barb, what have I told you about calling me tha-”
“What's that over there?”
Rummington got up and looked through the telescope to where Barb was aiming it at.
"....Barb."
"Yeah?"
"That's just a rock, a big rock jutting out of the ocean."
Lightning Dust walked through the palace of Cario.
The former Wonderbolt cadet was allowed permission to pace through its halls by special permission of King Trot. Thanks to her service in the civil war despite not being a formal civilian of Zebrica until after the conflict was over.
Despite this, the pegasus was neither a member of the PLA nor the army. She was not one to be tied down by any foreign powers. Which begs the question of why she was still here in the first place?
After she was taken( admittedly against her will) to Zebrica, she met Sev by chance meeting as her first impressions of him were not great.
She found the snake to be eccentric and crazy (which he was). The only thing that impressed her was his skills as a fighter. And the fact that his little group allowed her someplace to stay while she was here.
From the beginning, Sev was not shy about courting her, but she was hesitant about it. After all, why in the world would she want to date an alien snake? And yet strangely, she was not entirely against it.
But before any serious relationship could be formed, several things got in the way. Her visit back to her home of Equestria revealed that Sev had a daughter from a previous relationship. Not the biggest deal in the world since for now said daughter was content to stay in Equestria with her birth mother(which meant that she would not have to raise her). Then, when they got back to Zebrica, the civil war happened.
But all that was passed, and now their relationship was still in question.
“What am I doing?” She said to herself.
The person she was looking for was Sev, and the question she would ask him would decide if she was ready to be serious about their relationship.
Entering a wing of the palace, she came to the room where the PLA mostly used recreation. Hoping to find someone who knew where he was.
Inside were several Pokemon and Zebra most of which she did not recognize. But then she spotted her.
An Audio sitting alone at a table.
As she walked towards her, she called out her name.
“Umm, Miss Joy?”
The mother of Sev looked in the direction and saw Lighting dust walking towards her.
“Oh, hello Lightning Dust, how are you?”
“I’m fine. Hey, have you seen Sev anywhere?”
“Oh, I’m afraid you just missed him dear.”
“Where is he?”
“King Trot took and several others to investigate something out in the desert, I don’t know when they’ll be back.”
“Oh, I see then. Thanks for letting me know.”
The green pony turned around to walk away before she heard Joy speak up.
“Oh, why don’t you sit with me for a while until he gets back. I could use some company since my daughter is also out as well.”
Lightning Dust shrugged, turned around, and took a seat.
“So how are you today Lightning?”
“Just fine. It's actually pretty normal all things considered. Which is saying something. How about you?”
“Oh, I’m doing just wonderful! I just sent Lia on her third date with Lu. Those two just look so cute together.”
“Oh, that's nice. Glad she’s got someone.”
The tone in her voice was not unnoticed by Joy. And being as smart as she was, she knew the reason why.
“Speaking of which, have you and Sev gone on another date?”
The question caught her off guard and caused her green face to turn pink.
“N-no.”
“Oh really? When was the last time you went out with him?”
“I don’t know, that's the problem! I think the last time we did something together was during the first few days we met!”
“Oh my, that is a long time.”
“The truth is, with all this craziness going on, he never thought to ask me out again.”
“Well, life happens. And it is really unfair how it has gotten in the way of you two being together. And to tell you the truth dear, I’d rather have you give me grandchildren first than Lia.”
Lightning Dust's face became even redder. “What makes you think our species is even…you know…compatible?”
“Well, if it's not, you can always ask Mew or Arceus for a little…help.”
*Sigh* “Aren’t we getting ahead of ourselves here? And wait, doesn’t Sev already have a kid?”
“Well, yes, but I rarely get to see Rikka. I want grandchildren I can spoil at home.”
“...Can I ask you something?”
“Anything dear.”
“Do you think that me and Sev could you know….work?”
“Meaning?”
“Well, given Sev being…you know…Sev, how well do you see the two of us working out? I mean he would be a high-maintenance coltfriend from what I have seen of him.”
“That is true, for anyone to commit to a serious relationship with Sev, they would need to put up with him and his personality. That can be said for most romantic couples, they each have their own flaws that make them hard to deal with at times, that's just how it is. Sure over time they can mellow out and become more accommodating to their mate, but really, there is no such thing as an ideal partner.”
“I know, I know.”
“So the question Lightning Dust, is how much of him are you willing to put up with?”
“Well, to be honest, after getting to know him for so long, nothing surprises me anymore.”
“I see, so you are willing to be with him despite all his..quirks?”
“...Yeah.”
“If that's the case, then there is something else holding you back.”
“And what would that be?”
Joy took a sip of her tea.
“That my dear is a question you have to ask yourself.”
Equestria, Canterlot Castle.
Celestia shifted through another stack of documents and legislation that needed her signature.
Ever since Chaldea escaped, and the number of Servant sightings decreased. Things had returned to relatively normal.
That doesn’t mean things were the same though. With the Tree of Emptiness revealed to the world, word had spread quickly that it was located in Equestria. And as such many world leaders had sent her letters or talked to her via the viewing mirror in order to weigh in their opinion on the situation.
Several had offered troops and supplies in order to strengthen the perimeter around the Tree in order to protect it. This was understandable, after all that tree was now the most important location in the entire world.
Of course, some like King Golden Horn and King Faris wanted to have more influence and say on just exactly how the Tree should be protected. Celestia secretly suspected that they didn’t trust her with protecting it, at least in the case of Golden Horn. The Minotaur cited how the tree had nearly fallen under her watch, and only wished to help prevent something like this from happening again.
Apparently, he forgot that said Tree was located right next to where a literal god was living. But then again, the King never liked Arceus.
“Golden Horn will just have to deal with it. He may not like the Pokemon, but it is for the best that the Tree of Emptiness of located in Equestria. Here, it has the best protection possible. Here it is protected in the safest most capable nation possible. No one servant is going to lay a finger on it while I am still Princess.”
Then all of a sudden, the doors to the Throne room flew open.
“Princess Celestia!”
The white alicorn was not even startled, this sort of thing had become a recurring theme as of late.
“Yes, is something wrong?”
“A thief has broken into the kitchen and is consuming all the food and expensive wine!”
Now, this was most unusual, a food thief? Could it be some wild Pokemon?
“Have you identified this thief? Is it Pokemon?”
“No you majesty.”
“Is it s servant?”
“No, actually we're not entirely sure if it's one or the other.”
That was strange.
“Are you saying it's not a Pony, Pokemon or something else?”
“It…it appears to be a talking money, your majesty.”
A talking monkey? Thats new.
“And you’re sure it's not a Pokemon?”
“No your majesty, it said so itself.”
“.....Very well then, I shall see to this myself.”
One teleportation spell later and Celestia found herself in the royal kitchens, or at least what was left of them.
The place was a mess, food was thrown everywhere and pots and pans littered the floor.
She noticed that most of the fruits had one bite taken out of them before being discarded. But then she noticed that the Bananas and peaches were devoured more than the other fruits.
“The guard did say it was a monkey.”
Celestia then turned to see a group of ponies walk into the kitchen, it turned out to be the various chefs and cooks.
“Oh, Princess Celestia!” The head chef said. “I am so sorry that you must see the kitchen in such a sorry state.”
“No apologies necessary. Do you know where the perpetrator is?”
“Oh yes, he was last seen heading towards the wine cellars!”
“I see.”
One short walk later and Celestia found herself in the palace wine cellar. The guards that accompanied her all despaired at the state of the castle's supply of alcohol.
She then heard the sound of someone drinking, and following the noise, she came around a corner and came face to face with the culprit.
Indeed, it was a monkey, one the size of a regular human. Guzzling away on an entire barrel of 100-year-aged wine.
Surely he must have heard the footsteps of her and guards, but the thief continued to drink as if they werent there.
“Ahem!” One guard said.
The monkey ignored him.
Then Celestia spoke up. In the Canterlot Royal voice.
“EXCUSE ME!”
The monkey then put down the barrel, before he wiped his mouth and let out a loud and long belch.
“Ah, now that was good.” He said. “Not as great as the heavenly booze, but serviceable nonetheless.”
He turned to face Celestia who at this point was very annoyed.
“Excuse me, just who are you, and what do you think you are doing?”
“What does it look like?” The monkey said stretching himself. “I’m having a drink.”
“Yes, but did you think you have permission to drink all of the palace wine as well as make a mess in the kitchen?”
“Well it's not exactly as if I knew where you ponies store your bananas and peaches in this place, so I had to get creative.”
Okay, now Celestia was really annoyed.
“Granted, servants like me don’t need to eat, we just do it for the joy of eating. Good food is good food after all!”
She blinked. “You’re a servant?”
“Uh yeah, can’t you tell?”
“I thought all servants are humans? Or dead humans at least.”
“Now who told you that?”
The Princess was about to respond but was interrupted.
“Individuals who are recorded in the throne of heroes are beings who made a significant mark on human history. That is the criteria for becoming a servant. It doesn’t matter if you were a human, god, demon, or even a dragon. If you were considered by history to be a hero then you made the cut.”
Celestia opened her mouth, but then recalled how Arceus spoke of two gods he faced during the day they first met Chaldea. Plus, the energy this monkey radiated from him was undeniably that of a servant.
“Well if that's the case then who might you be?”
The monkey smiled.
“Glad you asked.”
A red staff manifested in his hand, which he pointed at Celestia and her guards.
“In my homeland was known as a king who ruled over a great kingdom of monkeys. A water deity who was a disciple to Xuanzang Sanzang. I am known as the Great Sage equal to heaven. Who fought all the host of heaven and even took a piss on the Buddha's finger!”
The Monkey King spun his spear before flashing an arrogant pose.
“It's best if you read their report yourself, your majesty.”
The messenger then took a clipboard out of his sack and presented it to Trot. The Zerba king then began to read it.
But as he kept reading each line and sentence, his face became more and more upset. And by the time he was done. He was positively annoyed.
Report from Gaurd Patrol Delta, lead guard Lieutenant Sawdust.
Sometime around 0900 hours, an unknown and previously unseen pyramid temple complex manifested roughly 10 miles outside west of the city of Alexebria. My team was dispatched to learn about this strange pyramid at 1200 hours. Further investigation lead us to learn that this temple complex was somehow created by a servant.
We later learned that this servant shares the same name with one of the previous Kings of Zebrica, Ozymandias, or Ramses II. Of course, being human and not a Zebra, this claim sounded ridiculous at first, and we dismissed it as delusion.
However, we later brought in a Preist of Ra for consultant matters, and they confirmed that the power which radiated from the temple and this servant were similar if not identical to Ra himself. I must make a personal statement here by saying that I also find this claim dubious. While the gods of old may have once walked among us in ancient times, they are no longer with us. Legends explicitly state they withdrew to the Feild of Reeds a long time ago, which is why they could no longer help us when Ragnaros manifested for the first and most recently the second time.
Still, the word off a Preist is not to be taken lightly so I feel obligated to make a note of what they said.
As for the servant who claims to be Ozymandias, they had this to say. Quote: “I am Ozymandias, King of Kings, and ruler of Egypt, look upon me and despair, look upon me and rejoice. I have returned to save my homeland, to make it great again. As its one true ruler, as its greatest Pharaoh, I do swear this.”
“Ozymandias has spoken.”
Trot marched through the gates of the temple complex, his mood not improving.
The names of the former Kings and Pharaohs of Zebrica were revered and respected long after they had passed. They were the rock of the nation, the leaders and rulers whom the people look up to and loved.
Among them, Ozymandias was a former Zebra Pharaoh who was said to have led a Golden Age 300 years after the defeat of Ragnaros and the establishment of Zebrica.
So for some servant to appear and claim to be the great Ozymandias, was an insult to his ancestry. But what really made him mad was their claim of being the one true ruler of the kingdom.
After having to deal with a civil war where the other side wanted Trot disposed for NOT being the ruler they wanted him to be, he was not in the mood to be dealing with another usurper.
He already did not have the greatest self-esteem since he was still very young compared to the kings and Pharaohs of old. As such he did his best to hide that flaw of his from everyone except Celestia who he confided in.
But no more. He was going to confront this servant and show him who’s boss!
Sev and the others followed behind him. Some beheld the architecture, while others kept an eye out for anything suspicious.
“I don’t like this place,” Gard said. “I can sense that there is a heavy presence of magic.”
“Is it really that bad?” Loom asked.
“Simply put, I would not be surprised if our ‘host’ so to speak could force us out with a flick of his hand if he wanted to.”
“Then let's not give him a reason.”
Gard took one look at Sev who was still mumbling about paint cannons.
“I feel that will be harder than expected.”
The group soon made their way to the main entrance of the Pyramid. The doors were wide open for them to walk in.
Adorning the front were statues of humans and figures that were unknown to the Pokemon and Zebra. Although the latter could see the remarkable similarities between the architecture and style compared to their own temples and Pyramids.
“Why does the workmanship of these structures resemble our own?” A guard said.
“Perhaps a similar nation existed in the human world that closely resembles our own Zebrica.”
“You mean a nation based off of us?”
“Or the other way around,” Loom said.
“Pardon.”
“I’m just guessing, but maybe Zebrica was once a nation of humans in the distant past with a different name. And over time as humans vanished, the name was changed to Zebrica and came to be ruled by humans.”
“What utter drawl,” another guard said. “Everyone knows how the country was born, it never had any humans ruling it or living in it. It is and always has been a nation of Zebra.”
“Maybe, but how else would you explain the similarities?”
“Perhaps we can ask him,” Gard said.
Loom then turned to look as they entered the central room of the Pyramid and found a lone human sitting on a magnificent throne. The light from the room illuminated him with a radiance fit for a king.
He had the garments and accessories that closely reassembled ones worn by the ancient Pharaohs of old. His eyes were a golden hue as brilliant as the sun. On his face rested the arrogant and confident smile of a king.
Trot already did not like this guy before he met him, but now that he had seen his face, he knew he would never like him.
“Welcome! I trust your journey here was not tiresome?”
“Uh? No, we’re fine,” Trot said as matter of fact.
“Still, a fellow Pharaoh and his retainers should be attended to as such. Servants!”
Immediately, several humans dressed in attire appeared from both doors on each side of the room.
“Bring them some drinks, they are thirsty and we must show them proper hospitality.”
“Yes, Lord Ozymandias!”
The servants left and not 5 seconds later they came back with several golden drinkware and bowls containing what looked to be wine.
“Drink! I assure you, you shall find no better refreshments anywhere else.”
Trot was hesitant at first, but Sev and his Pokemon were already on their second glass.
“Hmmm! This is very good!” Loom said.
“I’m almost tempted to know the fermentation process of which this was made,” Gard added.
Trot looked back to the Zebra guards who all looked like they were waiting for his permission.
*Sigh* “Go ahead.”
Several of them whispered “Yes!” Before helping themselves to the wine and drink. Trot eventually got a cup, and silently admitted to himself that it indeed tasted very good.
“Thank you for the drinks.”
“No thanks necessary, as a fellow Pharaoh, you are deserving of the respect and treatment that comes with it.”
“Actually, that is what I am here to talk about!”
“Oh? Is that so?”
“Yes! Sir, you are a servant are you not?”
“Yes.”
“And you are fighting for Proper Human History is that not true?”
“Indeed. As I said, I am Ozymandias. My class is Rider, in Proper Human History, I was the greatest Pharaoh and King of Egypt, and under my rule, my kingdom flourished and achieved a high never seen since.”
“Well then, I’m afraid I must challenge that claim!”
Ozymandias did not look surprised or fazed by that comment.
“Ho. And what do you mean by that?”
“You see, in our history and records, we have a Pharaoh named Ozymandias. A great Zebra king who also led our kingdom into a golden age. He was not a human from Proper Human History. So how can you have the same name as him?”
The servant did not blink. Instead, he let out a low subtle laugh, that then became louder and prouder as it went on. As if what Trot had just said was hilarious.
“What's so funny?” Trot shouted.
“I see so that's what is going on!”
Ozymandias stood up from his throne.
“Very, well I think it's best if I just show you.”
With a wave of his hand, the light from the ceiling turned a different color as the room dimmed. Then it projected an image onto the floor.
“As you know, this world has many different paths that it can take, one of those paths is known as Proper Human History. The other paths are known as Lostbelts, discarded histories unfit to live.”
An image showed several lines branching out into different lines and at some point, the outermost lines all stopped at a certain point. Meanwhile, the line near the center continued to grow.
“In Proper Human History, I am the ruler of the great Kingdom of Egypt, located on the continent of Africa.”
The image changed to show a giant landmass that was very similar to the continent the Zebrica was located on. It then zoomed in the upper right-hand corner to a very familiar dessert area.
“In that kingdom, I was born as the son of the Ra, Chief God of the Egyptian Pantheon, who blessed me as also being his incarnation.”
“WAIT WAIT hold up! Did you just say Ra!? As in Ra the sun god!?” one guard said.
“Umm, who’s Ra?” Sev asked.
“If you had bothered to learn anything about the culture of this nation Sev,” Gard began. “You would know that Ra is the highest existence in the Zebrica religious system. They worship him as the Sun god and the one who controls the cycle of the Sun.”
“You mean like how the Equestrians think Celestia moves the sun?”
“Yes. In fact, that was another reason the rebel faction did not like Celestia. Her existence contradicted Ra and his role in moving the Sun.”
“Well, when different people have different religions, you’ll always have fanatics who say that their god is better,” Loom added.
“Indeed!” Ozymandias said. “I am Ra’s offspring and his avatar! And by that right, I was the best king suited to rule Egypt. However, in this timeline, it seems history took a different turn.”
The image then shifted to what looked like Zebrica, but instead of Zebras walking around, it was humans. Their skin darkened from prolonged exposure to the sun.
“Whereas in Proper Human History, the nation known as Egypt came to be. Here in your timeline, that great nation would instead be called what you now refer to as Zebrica.”
The image changed from showing humans walking around, to Zebras.
“So, the nation of Zebrica is the Lostbelt version of this nation called Egypt is what you're saying?” Gard said.
“Yes, but in this case, names are trivial, I consider Egypt and Zebrica to be one and the same.”
“Ahem. If that's the case you should know that Zebrica already has a ruler. Me!” Trot said annoyed. “Now what is it that you want servant?”
“Have I not made that clear? I said I am here to save my homeland.”
“Your homeland is Egypt, not Zebrica.”
“As I said, to me they are the same.”
“No no no, I don’t think you seem to get what's going on here. I don’t care if you were some ruler back in your world. Or if you ruled a desert kingdom that just so happens to be located in the same place as us and worships the same gods as us, Zebrica is my kingdom. I am its sole ruler, I have fought off rouge Diamond Dog tribes, a rebellion to usurp me from power, and a primordial god of destruction! And I’ll be damned if I let some servant who claims to be the incarnation of Ra come in and replace me just to stroke their own ego!”
Trot then unsheathed Finality, the glowing blade radiating in the sunlight.
“So if your thinking about deposing me, you’ll have to kill me first.”
Sev and the others looked back between Trot and Ozymandias.
“Ah glad to see Trot is finally taking some initiative! He learned from the best after all!”
“I don’t think that's it,” Gard said.
“Hehe, you misunderstand Trot. I am not here to replace you.”
Trot who was not expecting that answer nearly dropped his sword in confusion.
“Huh?”
“You are a Pharaoh. You will never reach my level of greatness, but you are a Pharaoh nonetheless. And this era is yours to rule.”
The Zebra king was amazing how he was complimenting him, while still bragging.
“That being said, you are still unequipped to handle the situation presented before you.”
The image on the floor changed to show a live image of the Lostbelt storm wall.
“Whatever you may think, you are not capable of handling whatever lies beyond that wall. I can faintly sense that there is some divinity there as if the Age of Gods still persists in the Lostbelt. You do not have the means to fight it.”
The image disappeared, and the room returned to normal lighting.
“But if you accept my help, then I shall fight alongside you with all that I am.”
Trot lowered his sword, he could hardly believe what he was hearing. Not only was this servant not hostile, but he was offering his help in fighting the forces of the Lostbelt.
“Do it.”
“Gah!” Trot jumped back. “Sev! What have I told you about whispering in my ear!?”
“Come on, this is the opportunity we have been waiting for! We have the chance to get a servant under our command, imagine what we could do. Not one could stop us!”
“Hold on,” Trot then looked back at Ozymandias. “Is there a catch? I’m willing to bet that you’re not going to do this for free right?”
“You are correct, I do have one thing to ask of you. One simple thing you have to do.”
“Okay, shoot.”
“By accepting my gracious offer, you not take any hostile action against Proper Human History.”
“...What?”
“To be clear, you will not hunt down nor harm any servants that manifest in this country. You will allow them the freedom to walk through this land, and in turn, they will not bother you or your people.”
“...Are you serious?”
“I am.”
“Then no.”
“No?”
“Your servant friends are responsible for the attack on Canterlot! One of them nearly killed Celestia! Do you think I’d forgive them for that!? And on top of that, your Proper Human History is trying to erase us from existence! You really think I’ll agree to that considering what's at stake!?”
“Uh, your majesty,” Leutentent Sawdust said. “I think we should just step outside.”
“No! We don’t need this guy's help, we already have a god who is willing to help us. And as much as I don’t like him, I’m willing to bet Arceus is more power than whatever your offering buddy.”
Trot raised Finality at the Rider servant once again.
“So why don’t I just take your head right now?”
Ozymandias just blinked, and then smiled.
“Very well.” The servant got up from his high hair, and walked down the stairs until he was a few inches from the point of the sword.”
“If you think you can cut off my head, then do it, I permit you this one thing as Pharaoh.”
Trot blinked again. And everyone else followed suit.
“You’re serious?”
“I am. Go ahead, behead me. Or in fact, cut me to pieces if it will satisfy you.”
Ozymandias then bore his neck for all to see, but even then not everyone was convinced.
“I feel like this is some kind of trick,” Gard said. “When someone says something like that, it’s always followed up by some surprised or trick no one sees coming.”
“Oh come on,” Loom said. “You seriously think this guy has some kind of trick up his sleeve? What's he gonna, do? Just pick up his head and put it back on?”
Trot was listening in on what the others were saying, and he had to agree.
“In all likelihood, this may be a trick or something. Or perhaps, he wants me to attack him in order to prove something?”
Trot looked at the servant who was still standing there, waiting.
“Still, this sword is called Finality for a reason. I was able to kill a god, a servant like him should be no problem. Oh well, only one way to find out!”
And with one swing, Finality cut clean through the Pharaoh’s neck. His blood staining the pristine blade.
However…
“Huh!?”
As fast as it had been inflicted, the wound that was on his neck had begun to heal before the blade was even done passing through his neck.
“H-how in the!?” Loom exclaimed.
Trot just gritted his teeth and just swung his sword again, only to get the same result. He then tried something different by swinging vertically from head to crotch.
Again, the body just began pulling itself back together as soon as the cut was inflicted.
“But, that's impossible! Finality is a weapon capable of killing gods!”
“Oh, is that what that blade can do, interesting. Normally an immortal killing blade would be capable of destroying me. But not here.”
“What do you mean!?”
“So long as I am in this temple, I am immortal. Not a single wound you inflict on me shall damage my spirit core. And attack you throw at me would be pointless.”
“You're kidding me.”
“Oh but do not be so sorrowful, even with a sword like that, it would be capable of inflicting lasting wounds on me at least. And with enough swings, it’s very possible you could kill me.”
“Okay, so why didn’t it?”
“Let me tell you another thing about servants that you don’t know. We Heroic Spirits receive great power in accordance with our fame, age, and worship after death. The more people revere us the more power we receive. And should we happen to be summoned in our homelands, the places that worship us the most, we will gain even greater power!”
“So, you're saying that-”
“Indeed, this land is Egypt, my home, and its people worship and praise the name Ozymandias.”
“B-but, no that can’t be right! You're not the same historical Ozymandias the people know about. The one we remember was a Zerba, not you!”
“Ah, but he still possesses my name, a name that originally belonged to me. And if he accomplished the same great deeds as me, then in the eyes of the world, we are one in the same.”
“But…GAaah! This is not fair, you can’t just come in here, act like you own the place, and just squat like a freeloader! I am the King of Zebrica, and mark my words, I will find a way to kill you. For my people, for Celestia and everyone you and your servant pals have hurt! Mark my words.”
“Hmph, you have the arrogance of a Pharaoh. I like that, eventually, you will see things my way. And know that the only way you’ll survive this is with my help.”
“Wait, there is still one thing we haven’t tried yet!” Sev said.
Trot looked back at the Seviper.
“No Sev, this is not the time for one of your crazy ideas.”
“My ideas are not crazy, and hear me out! The problem with killing him is that you're doing it too quickly.”
“Huh?”
“In order to kill him, you must do it in a way that is slow and thorough, so that way you can leave nothing to chance. To make sure that he reduced to nothing!”
“And what kind of weapon could possibly do that?”
“What else!? The great weapon ever invented by human hands, the most destructive weapon in the world!”
Sev slammed his tail to the ground for dramatic effect.
“The STEAMROLLER!”
The entire room went silent, Gard just facepalmed, while Trot banged his head with the flat of his sword for even allowing Sev to speak.
Ozymandias on the other hand just said.
“Who in their right mind would use a Road Roller for a weapon?”
“Ignore him! Cause let me tell you something buddy, I-”
“Ozy dear?”
A beautiful female voice came from one of the hallways, everyone turned to see a young human girl walk into the room.
She was dressed in Egyptian attire that was normally worn by royalty, she had pink flowers on her hair and a warm gentle smile on her face.
“Ah, Nefertari you’re back.”
Almost immediately, Trot’s hostility vanished when he heard that name.
“Yes, dear. The Spinx’s are well behaved and doing fine.”
“Ah good, how could they not when you are there. I’d expect nothing less from my own wife.”
“Wife?”
“Allow me to into you all to my Queen. Nefertari.”
Trot noticed the look of genuine happiness on Ozymandias’s face. And the way he acted around her, as if she was someone he could never act arrogant towards.
“Oh, hello. You must be King of this land. We are so grateful for your hospitality.”
“U-umm, yes. Your gratitude is appreciated.”
“Has my husband been troubling you, he can act a little showy in front of people.”
“Yes, I can tell…..”
“Is something wrong?”
“N-no... I uh…We really should get going now.”
“Alright then, come again soon.”
“Okay, everyone. Let's go!”
As the party began to walk out of the Pyramid, Ozymandias spoke one last time.
“Remember, the offer is still on the table. And know that you will always be allowed back in here. Any Pharaoh of Egypt is welcome in my temples.”
-
On the way back to Cario, Trot just sat silently on the bridge. Not saying a word.
“What's got him in a mood?” Loom said.
“Perhaps he is still contemplating my genius idea of using a Steamroller on that servant. Once he is flattened like a pancake, surely he’ll see reason and come to our side!”
“How will be come to his side if he’s dead?”
“Ah, but that's the thing, he’ll already dead remember!”
“....You know what let's move on from that. I think he’s just salty about not being able to hurt the servant with his magic sword.”
“I don’t think that's it,” Gard said.
“Oh, and you know the answer.”
“Well, as soon as that female servant entered the room and Ozymandias said her name. I felt a wave of curiosity and sorrow emanate off of him.”
“Okay, so you're saying that girl had something to do with this?”
“Yes, a though the why escapes me.”
“Oh, you guys don’t know do you?”
The three turned to look at the Royal Scribe.
“Oh, your names Scribble Notte right?”
“Yes, that's me.”
“And what did you say?”
“Well, as you know, the King was orphaned at birth. His father died, and his mother the Queen followed shortly afterward.”
“I see, and?”
“Well, the name of Trot’s mother was, Nefertari.”
There was a look of realization on the Pokemon as it finally dawned on them.
“Oh,”
“I see, so I guess hearing someone who has the same name as his deceased mother has brought up bad memories for him?” Loom said
“Well, the King at the time was too young to remember his mother. And it was Celestia who essentially raised him. Still, she knew Queen Nefertari before she died, they were close friends. And I recall that she would tell Trot stories of her mother.”
“Hmmm. I think I know what's really going on here,” Gard said.
“What?”
“So, going by what we know, the human nation of Egypt is the Proper Human History equivalent of Zebrica. And the servant we just met who is called Ozymandias, is the human version of the one who supposedly ruled Zebrica centuries ago correct.”
“...Huh, I see where you're going here.”
“Exactly, so if the Ozymandias we just met is the counterpart to the Zebra Ozymandias who once existed. By that logic, the Nefertari we just met, may be the counterpart to the one who was Trot’s mother.”
Sev looked to Trot who was still sitting in silence.
One would expect him to slither up to his friend and say something. But for once, Sev restrained himself.
After all, he knew what Trot was going through.
Since he himself also never knew his real mother.
The Zebrican Western Sea border.
Rummington once again had his eyes glued to the telescope, once again, nothing but the sea and the storm wall filled his vision.
*Sigh* “At this point, I’m waiting for something to happen.”
As soon as the words left his mouth, he felt a twinge of regret. Saying things like that was tempting fate, and it was better for everyone if he didn’t.
He then heard the sound of someone coming up the stairs.
“Alright, back with dinner,” said Bard. She set the food down on the table and began to unwrap it.
“Don’t know why you insist to ear now, our shift ends in like 3 hours.”
Indeed, sometime after sunset, their shift would rotate, and both would be allowed to go home for the weekend. That being said.
“If there is an attack, I want to have a full stomach so I can fight better. I’d rather not be hungry when fighting.”
“Huh, your weird like that you know.”
“I’m just being prepared as best I can be. I want to be able to defend this port and this kingdom as best as I can.”
“Then why be a coast guard? Why not join the ranks of the royal palace?”
Because we are the first line of defense. If an enemy gets past us, it's because we failed to stop them. By the time they get to the palace, in my opinion, it's already over.”
“So you think the Royal Gaurd can’t defend the king? The PLA won’t protect the capital.”
“I’m just being realistic here, if they can make it to the palace, then they already won.”
Barb sighed and Rummington waited for her to say something else. But when he looked up at her, he saw her looking past him and into the sea.
“Hey Rum?”
“Barb, what have I told you about calling me tha-”
“What's that over there?”
Rummington got up and looked through the telescope to where Barb was aiming it at.
The Zerba sighed as he once again spotted a black object floating in the sea.
“It could just be another rock. But then again…”
He looked through the telescope again.
And in that moment, he wished she could have never been more wrong.
What was actually a fuzzy black dot in the distance, was really a large ship. Several ships actually.
One by one they all came out of the storm wall. In a few seconds, they went from about 5 to 10, and then 10 to 20…
They were not like any ships he had ever seen before in his life. The design was similar enough to perhaps a Minoutour ship, but it looks more futuristic. The sails glowed yellow with some unknown energy.
“Bard sound the alarm!”
“What!?” Rum what do you see?”
“Just sound the alarm, do it now!”
Sensing the urgency in her friends' voice, Barb knew he was not joking. Running to a panel, she tapped a magical button that lit up before a loud blaring horn began to sound from the tower.
The other nearby watchtowers heard this, and once looking through their own telescopes, they saw the approaching fleet. And turned on their alarms as well.
The people of Tortuga knew what this sound meant, having previously experienced a civil war however, they hoped it would be a sound they would never have to hear again.
It meant an invasion.
Out towards the sea, the fleet which carried soldiers blessed with the power of gods sailed towards the port city. As its people were beginning their evacuations, the soldiers on board were preparing their arms and armaments.
At the flagship of this technologically advanced fleet of ships, stood a man covered from head to toe in armor fashioned by the Goddess of Wisdom. His face was obscured by his mask, but both gave off the same emotion they wanted to convey to their enemies.
Intimidation.
A soldier walked up to the man and stood at attention.
“Commander, we will arrive at the settlement before sunset.”
“Very good Lieutenant, keep her going at a steady pace.”
“Yes, sir. What are your orders once we make landfall?”
The man did not turn to acknowledge the soldier, only keeping his eyes on the target in from of him.
“Our orders come from the Great God himself, passed down by his retainer Lord Darnic. They were clear and precise.”
Darnic sat at the large table, mostly content with himself.
Things within his Lostbelt were going relatively smoothly and uneventfully. The Tree of Emptiness was growing steadily as expected and was still the most developed other than the one that resided in the kingdom of Equestria.
Although his gamble to have Chaldea take out Equus’s Tree had failed, it was not that much of a failure. It mattered not if that Lostbelt was dealt with now or later, so long as his was the one to reach full bloom.
Still, that did not mean they would just leave it be. In this game of survival, the stronger Lostbelt would be the one to be left standing. The rule was that if two Lostbelts ended up meeting borders, they must fight to claim territory, which is exactly what had to be done in order to continue expanding the Atlantic Lostbelt’s borders and to continue the tree’s growth.
He activated his communicator and a few seconds later, the holographic image of Odysseus appeared on the table.
“You called Lord Darnic?”
“Commander Odysseus, I trust all your preparations are complete?”
“Yes sir, the men and ships are ready to set sail when necessary.”
“Good, that if there's nothing else, I shall now allow you to commence with the operation. Your mission as you know is to invade the country that borders the western side of our Lostbelt, Zebrica, as the natives call it. You are to wipe out any and all resistance you encounter, leave no quarter, no prisoners. In the name of Zeus, the King of Gods, you are to claim that land for Olympus and its people.”
“As you wish Lord Darnic, by the will of the Great God, this shall be done.”
The communication ended, leaving Darnic alone in the room once more.
“It was very good that they managed to summon Odysseus. The famed Commander of the Trojan War, who came up with the decisive Trojan Horse plan was very studied for this operation.
With this Lostbelt being a divergence of Greek Mythology, it was appropriate that he would summon heroes relating to that Pantheon. Alongside Odysseus, they also summoned Chiron, Galatea, Agamemnon, and several others.
While he had considered having Agamemnon lead the charge against the Equus Lostbelt, he recalled how temperamental he could be. So instead he elected to have Odysseus lead the invasion, while Agamemnon would remain on Olympus and commander the home army. Not that it made much difference, since if by some miracle Olympus was invaded, the Gods would destroy and enemies to the state.
As for Galatea, Aphrodite said she had specific plans for her.
So with all that said, if things went smoothly, the Atlantic Lostbelt would soon begin to expand again.
And if the invasion were to fail somehow?... Well, the army was not the only asset Olympus had at its disposal…
Now….
Odysseus was here to do one thing and one thing only.
To claim this land in the name of Olympus.
100 ships strong he had brought with him. Each of them contained a squadron of at least 50 soldiers from Atlantis, all of them who had received the blessing of the gods. Three of these guards alone were a match for a servant.
From what he was told, the world of this Lostbelt was one that had no servants. But rather a race of powerful creatures called Pokemon, and just as the people of Olympus owe their existence to the Great God Zeus, the Pokemon were created by a God known as Arceus.
But apparently, the Pokemon had lived for a long time without their God, and as such had become weak enough that humans were able to reign over them for many millennia. This was due to him being sealed away by his own creations.
While Odysseus believed in the supremacy of Gods, any deity who allowed himself to be imprisoned by his own creations did not deserve worship or reverence.
The fact that this Arceus had not shown up yet and destroyed his fleet was proof enough that he was a weak god. And every second that he spent holed up in his temple further proved his point.
But now was not the time to think about if Arceus would show up, Odysseus had to focus on the here and now.
As his ship breached the storm wall that separated his Lostbelt from theirs, he beheld land in the distance. As well as a port city in the dusk of day.
“Commander,” a soldier walked up to him, addressing Odysseus with a salute. “We will arrive at the settlement before sunset.”
“Less than 10 minutes,” he thought. “So that leaves very little time for the residents to evacuate.”
“Very good Lieutenant, keep the ship going at a steady pace.”
“Yes, sir. What are your orders once we make landfall?”
“Our orders come from the Great God Zeus himself, passed down by his retainer Lord Darnic. They were clear and precise.”
Behind his mask, Odysseus narrowed his eyes.
“Kill them all, with extreme prejudice. Leave no quarter, no prisoners.”
“As you command sir.”
The soldier then turned around and began to bark orders at the other crewmen.
“All hands, prepare to make landfall!”
-
Tortuga was a city that had only begun to rebuild itself after the civil war, it was the sight of a massive sea battle due to its strategic location. Needless to say, its people had been through much.
But it seems their struggle was not about to come to an end anytime soon.
Once again, evacuation protocols were issued. Zerba and Pokemon began to pack whatever they could carry and load them into carts, wagons, and their own backs. The train station became crowded as many attempted to board the train that was currently in it. But with it being only 8 coaches, it would not fit everyone.
As the residents began to evacuate, the city's border guard began to mount defenses. cannonballs were loaded into place and trebuchets were set up.
It wasn’t much however. Zebrica was not as advanced as some of the other nations. As such they lacked some of the more powerful weapons of countries such as the Minotaur Empire and Equestria. So they would have to make due with this. But the one silver lining they had were Pokemon.
As part of the joining between the PLA and the Zebra military. Tortuga was assigned a special team of water-type Pokemon that was meant to deal with invasions from the sea. During the war, they proved to be very useful at sinking enemy ships. A key advantage since Zerba can’t swim.
Personally chosen by General Pert, the one in charge of the PLA’s navy, they were some of the best swimmers in the PLA.
Team Seaspray. They consisted of Ensign Zel(Floatzel), Ensign Sam(Samurott), Ensign Quag(Quagsire), Lieutenant Sharp(Sharpedo), and Captain Tops(Kabutops)
At the docks, these five Pokemon stood at attention as their Captain gave them all the rundown of what they were going to do.
“Alright boys!” bellowed Captain Tops as he looked upon his team. The 5 person Pokemon squad who had been playing old main until 5 minutes ago, had just been briefed on what was going on. As part of the evacuation efforts, their orders were to delay the arrival of the ships as much as possible. They knew they couldn’t destroy them all on their own, but they could slow them down long enough for the citizens of Tortuga to evacuate.
“You should all know what's going on right now. This great city is about to become a battleground once again. But that doesn’t mean the good people of this town want any part in it! Our orders are simple, we are to slow and sink as many ships as we can so the people of Tortuga can evacuate safely without anyone trying to shoot them in the back! Is that understood!?”
“Sir yes sir!”
“We don’t exactly know who our enemy is, but we do know what they are. Humans! Once again the mortal enemy of the Pokemon Liberation Army shows its ugly head again! This is what the PLA was originally made for, to overthrow the tyranny of humans and to make a world where all Pokemon can live in peace! Is that understood!?”
“Sir yes sir!”
“Alright! Zel, Sharp, take point!”
The five Pokemon walked towards the edge of the docks, Zel and Sharp jumped in first, followed by the rest of the team.
They swam, far enough below that they would not be spotted. In less than 4 minutes they had closed the distance between them and the ship, and their battle was about to begin.
“Alright everyone, attack pattern Zeta-2 stop their engines!”
“Sir yes sir!”
Attack pattern Zeta-2, a strategy that essentially amounts to a hit-and-run tactic. Using quick but powerful moves to confuse and disorient the enemy.
Everyone except Sam joined together and use Whirpool to create a sizable Malstrom. Sam meanwhile used Aqua Jet with his swords drawn to slice open the bottom of the ships and cause them to take on water.
The effects were immediate, Odysseus’s flagship and several others were caught in the whirlpool's current.
“What is going on!?” said the helmsmen of one ship.
“A maelstrom sir! Our ships can’t escape it!”
As confusion began to settle in, one of the ships suffered an explosion below deck, and began to sink.
All of this was observed by Odysseus who began to realize something was suspicious.
“A maelstrom does not just appear out of nowhere,” he thought. Even as his ship was being rocked by the whirlpool, the seasoned soldier remained calm and assessed the situation.
“If it's not a natural phenomenon, then it must be the work of a hidden party. Nothing in the report says this Lostbelt contained a being the level of Poseidon. However, I did hear that there were Pokemon who were capable of manipulating the sea.”
“Lieutenant!”
“Yes sir!”
“Bring up the radar.”
“Yes sir, as you wish!”
A holographic display appeared, showing the entire fleet as well as the surrounding waters.
“Show me what's beneath the ocean.”
The display then switched to underwater, and immediately it displayed pings showing the movements of 5 USOs.
“Give me a better visual.”
The hologram readjusted itself to now show 5 Pokemon attacking the ships from below.
As they were doing this, Team Seaspray continued to do their job. Captain Tops used powerful slash attacks to create more holes in ships, Sam followed suit, his blades creating small but numerous holes that could not all be patched up in time. Quag used a combination of Focus Punch and Mega punch to send several ships rocking. Lieutenant Sharp called upon Hail mixed with Zel’s Rain Dance to create a deluge of ice and water that caused much annoyance for the crews of the ships. And to finish this off, Everyone began taking turns using dual Hyper Beams to start splitting several ships in half.
As chunks of ice bounced off of Odysseus’s head, he still remained calm and unfazed by this attack. Being enhanced by the Gods of Olympus, it would take more than some hail to kill a single Atlantean human. To them, it might as well be snow.
Still, their ships being blown apart was not good for any of them. And since no one was trained to fight underwater since it was the domain of Poseidon, they could not go there themselves and fight their attacks.
Key word being “themselves”.
“Lieutenant!”
“Yes, Commander!”
“Is the weapon ready yet?”
“Yes sir! It has already produced several Lamina infused with which we have already infused with Klironomia.”
“That's good, and what of the demonic hound?”
“It's still in its fetus stage sire, but it won’t be much longer.”
“Good, set the Lamina loose, and tell me when the demonic hound is done.”
“Yes sir right away!”
Back below the sea Team Seaspray had just destroyed their 5th ship.
“Alright, boys, if we can keep this up, they won't reach the town by the time everyone has evacuated!” Sharp said.
“Don’t get cocky Sharp!” Tops said. The enemy may have a trick up their sleeve just yet!”
Just as the words left his mouth, Zel turned and his eyes spotted something swimming toward them.
“Uh Captain, we got company!”
Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at where Zel was pointing at. From their point of view, these creatures looked like something that could be described as a cross between a human and an Arbok.
“The hell are those things!?” Quag said.
“Did some humans do it with a snake or something?” Sam said.
“No time to think about that!” Tops said. “Take them down.”
While their names were unknown to the Pokemon, in the world of Greek myths, they were known as Lamia. Half snake women who seduce humans and feed on their flesh.
Normally, such demonic beasts would be not too much trouble for even normal human warriors to handle if approached properly. However…these Lamia were different.
Zel found out the hard way when he used Ice Fang to bite into the Lamia’s side, he knew something was wrong when instead of tasting blood, he tasted something similar to steel. No, not the iron taste of blood, it felt like he bit down on actual metal.
Throwing the Lamia aside, he took a good look and saw that the Lamia’s body was now mostly covered in a silvery substance, and that the bite wound he had inflicted upon it was now healing.
“What in the name of Arceus!? Guys, there's something weird about these things.”
“Yeah,” said Sam as he slashed a few more snake women. “Their wounds seemed to heal pretty quickly!”
“I was gonna say they all looked like they just took a dip in chrome paint but that’s also true,” Quag said.
“What is the plan boss?” Sharp said.
“Their regeneration must have its limits. Try slicing them to bits and see if that helps.”
To punctuate his point, Tops charged up his Slash attack and bisected an oncoming Lamia, both halves of its body ceasing to move.
“Alright then, I’ve been wanting to dismember someone for ages!” Sharp said as he proceed to rip apart another Lamia, and chew on its head until it went limp.
“You have a strange desire for bloodlust Sharp,” said Sam as he sliced another snake to ribbons.
“I’m a shark! It’s practically cliche for my kind to do this stuff!”
Pretty soon after much cutting and dismemberment, the team had taken care of all the Lamia in the vicinity.
“HA! That's all they got, come on, bring us a real challenge!” Sharp said.
On the ship, Odysseus watched as the Lamia detachment was wiped out.
But he was not surprised by this, anyone who had the power to split a ship would be able to deal with a few Lamia pawns. Those monsters were in truth, only a distraction.
“Sir!”
“Yes, Lieutenant?”
“The hound has been born and stabilized. It is ready to be released at your command.”
“Good, release the hound. No need for Klironomia, it alone should be enough for them.”
Back underwater, Team Seaspray, had just taken care of a few more Lamia sent after them.
“Is that all?” Zel said.
“Hopefully yes,” Quag said. “So with that in mind, let's get back to-”
A loud roar, reverberated throughout the sea, causing the 5 to stop what they were doing as they contemplated just what that sound was.
To them, it sounded like something that awoke an instinctual fear within them. A fear of death, if it had to be described, the sound itself, brought to mind the domain of Giratina, and the mysterious realm of the Ghost-Type Pokemon.
Then, they saw something dive into the waters from one of the ships, its flowing body made it easy to spot.
As it swam closer, they were able to make out its shape and appearance.
It reassembled what looked like three dog heads. Just the heads, no body, at least not one that could be seen. The heads themselves appeared to be coming out of mobile fiery portals, with loose chains flinging in the water.
The closest thing it reminded Team Seapray of was the Pokemon Houndoom. But more menacing.
“What the hell is that thing?”
Sam’s question was met with another roar, as the beast then charged at the group.
“Okay, let's dance!”
Sam sidestepped the dog as he slashed at it with his swords, meanwhile Zel, rammed into its side with Aqua Jet. Distracting it long enough that Tops blasted it with a Hyper Beam.
However, the creature barely appeared to be hurt, just more angry if anything.
“This might take a while,” Quag said.
“Be sure to watch out for its heads,” Tops said.
“Considering that thing is just heads, that's hard to hit it without the risk of getting chomped up,” Zel said.
“Then it's time to bring out the big guns! Sam, do the thing.”
“Alright!”
Sam then pulled out a colored round stone and attached it to a brace on Sharp’s top fin. His body then began to glow as a DNA symbol appeared over his head. Sharp then became enveloped in a ball of light before Mega evolved into a Mega Sharpedo.
With the lack of a human trainer, Mega Evolution was now an even more rare phenomenon. Unless you had a former trainer who had a pre-established bond back on Earth, Mega evolution was now virtually impossible.
So to compensate, Arceus showed the Pokemon how to create special bands using magic from Equestria. With this, so long as the Pokemon had a strong enough will, it would be able to Mega Evolve without a human trainer. But the result was a shorter time for which they could stay Mega Evolved. Unless they had formed a bond with a partner, prolonged Mega Evolution was still only afforded to those former humans.
Sharp then used a powerful Dark Pulse on the monster which seemed to push it back. This was followed up by a Slash attack from Tops and an Ice Beam from Zel, the chain attack was finished by Quag and Sam doing Giga Impact and Aqua Blade on one of its heads.
“We managed to wound it!” Zel said.
Indeed, in the final attack, Sam had been able to take one of its eyes. Blinding it from the left side.
Seeing his opening, Sam then went in for another one of its eyes, diving from the upper left via Aqua Jet.
The hound, despite being underwater, was still able to hear well. And despite appearances, it was still growing, after all, it was just born a minute ago.
So it would not come as a surprise that its reaction time had increased as well.
The upper head managed to catch Sam’s arm just as he brought his sword down onto it. The Formidable Pokemon cried out in pain as its teeth dug into his flesh.
“Aaaaaaagggghh!”
“Sam no!”
But before any of his comrades could come to its rescue the dog swung Sam so that its other two heads could grab onto his head and waist. And with an audible crunch, it tore the Pokemon into three pieces.
Everyone just floated in silence as Sam’s body parts sank down the bottom of the sea.
“SAAAAAAAMMMM!” Cried out Zel.
Tops for once was stunned as he had just witnessed that monster ripped apart their longtime comrade before he even had a chance to struggle. But he did not have time to grieve or think about revenge. In the distance, he saw more of those snake-women monster swimming right toward them. And knowing that they could fight them all and this dog monster at the same time, Tops made one of the most difficult decisions in recent memory.
“Retreat!”
Zel and the others just look at their Captain in shock.
“You can’t be serious boss!” Sharp said.
“We have to avenge Sam! We need to kill every last one of them right no-”
“What we need to do is retreat back to the city, we don’t have the power and numbers to fight this thing and more of those monsters! So we need to retreat right now!”
“But-”
“That's an order!”
Not waiting for Zel, Tops began to swim back, Quag and Sharp reluctantly following behind him.
Zel took one last look at the hound, before turning around and catching up to his comrades.
Back up top, Odysseus watched in satisfaction as the Pokemon retreated. While the hound had not been able to kill them all, the fact they could now sail smoothly was what mattered most.
“Alright then, if there is nothing else, helmsmen, continue to set sail to the city.”
“Yes sir.”
“And Lieutenant?”
“Yes, Commander?”
“Are the Wyverns ready?”
“Yes sir, we have 20 strong ones bred and infused with Klironomia.”
“Good, let them loose upon the city, they’ll get there before we do. It will make our jobs easier once we land.”
“Right away sir!”
-
Back on land, 30% of the city had been evacuated. And the ships were less than 5 minutes away from docking.
Rummington was still in the tower, gripping his lance in case he might need it.
Even as he knew there was little point in staying here, he still felt it his duty to stay up here and watch for any changes in the situation.
As the ships drew closer and closer, he gripped his spear tighter.
He heard someone come up the stairs, and then the voice of Barb entered his ears.
“What the heck are you still up here? We need to evacuate!”
“We’re border guards Barb, we are the last ones to leave in this situation, and unless the Sergent saw we are to leave, I’m not moving.”
“The Sergent himself sent me to get you Rum!”
The Zerba turned to her in surprise.
“He did?”
“Yeah, he knows how stubborn you are Rum.”
Barb, walked over to her friend and pointed out to sea. “Look, you see what I’m seeing right now!? That has to be at least 100 ships out there, this is no way in Tartaros we will be able to fight them all once they made landfall!”
“But the people-”
“.....No.”
“What?”
“Even if my life only buys everyone a single second to escape, I will stay here and fight.”
“You, you're a real piece of work you know that.”
Before Rum could respond, he saw a shadow pass overhead.
Rum looked around but did not see anything.
“Did you see that?”
“See what?”
The Zerba then felt the tower shake, as if something had just hit it.
Rum got up and began to walk to the ledge to see what it was….
Before the head of a dragon popped inside with a roar!
Rum and Barb fell back as the reptile tried to bite at them.
Rum then picked up his spear and threw it at the dragon, it missed its head but pierced its shoulder. This was short-lived however as the dragon then pulled it out with its teeth, and roared back at the two.
“Time to go.”
“Fine then!”
The two Zerba then scrambled down the tower, eventually reaching the bottom and out into the base where the other soldiers were.
The sight they saw once they reached the bottom stunned them.
The open space in the middle of the base was now being besieged by several dragons. Barb was the first to notice that these dragons lacked frontal arms. And as such were much smaller than fully grown dragons, plus none of them had breathed fire yet.
That didn’t make them any less dangerous, and the Zebra were having a hard time dealing with them. Only the Pokemon seem to be able to hold their ground against these flying lizards.
But all of that was overshadowed by a loud roar that made almost everyone stop.
“Oh now what!?” Barb said exasperated.
Rum then looked for a nearby window. He found the nearest one and took out his telescope.
He looked towards the beach, but when he heard the roar again he was able to see its source.
And what he saw made him quake with fear.
It looked like something out of those monster books he had read as a child. But it was a book of monsters that actually existed, that still existed to this day.
He had read about a terrifying creature that guards the prison known as Tartaros in Equestria, and the appearance of this creature reminded him of that.
But the difference between this creature and that creature was the roar it emitted. One that awoke a primal fear into anyone who heard it, as if it would drag you down to the depths of hell where no light shines.
Unbeknownst to him at the time, this creature and the one guarding Tartaros were of the same origin and species. But since this one was not born of a union with the monster Typhon, but solely of Echidna, it lacked the full body of its Proper Human History and Equestrian counterpart.
But even so, they don’t call Cerberus the “Watchdog of Hell” for nothing.
In Proper Human History’s Greek Mythology, it is said to guard the entrance to the Underworld, the domain of Hades. In the world of Equus, it is known as the guard dog who guards the entrance to the prison known as Tartaros.
But just what connection between Equestria’s Cerberus and the one from Proper Human History, is a story for another time.
In Proper Human History, the hero Heracles traveled to the Underworld in order to bring back Cerberus as his 12th and final Labor to King Eurystheus. If you were to ask Heracles or Hades, they would describe Cerberus as a monstrous dog with one large eye on each of its heads, and covered in metallic armor.
However, in the Atlantic Lostbelt, this is not the case.
Because the monstrous Progenitor Dragon known as Typhon never came into existence, it never mated with its fated wife Echidna. And as a result, many of the monsters it would father with her were born “incomplete”. In the case of Cerberus, it now lacked a full body.
But what they lost in power, they made up for in numbers. So long as the Demonic Beast that birthed it was continually fed magical energy, she could produce as many dogs as she wished.
So the fact that Odysseus felt the need to let loose only one, should say something about that.
-
On the beaches of Tortuga, the Watchdog of Hell was immediately greeted by several Pokemon and Zebra, the latter of which took a step back.
A Bisharp among them fired a Dark Pulse, which nailed it in the right head. But this only seemed to annoy the creature mildly.
The demonic beast charged at its attack, only for two other Pokemon, a Tauros and a Bouffalant, to meet it head-on. But despite both using Giga Impact, they only managed to make it stagger back.
And because Giga Impact makes one tired for one turn, the two Pokemon were helpless as the Cerberus recovered and quickly tore off the heads of the Pokemon and feasted on their remains.
The sight alone was enough to send the remaining soldiers running.
Rum and Barb witnessed this from the base, and right now one of them was currently dropping bricks.
“Now do you think we should evacuate!? If that thing can kill two Pokemon single-handedly, what chance do we have!?”
Rum was at a loss for words. Right now his duty told him to defend to people so that they could evacuate, but in the face of such a terrifying creature, he was not sure he could do much to slow it down.
Still, he was not about to leave now like a coward.
“Barb, if we don’t do something, that thing is gonna tear up the town before anyone has a chance to leave!”
“Did you not just see that dog tear apart two Pokemon like it was nothing!? How are we supposed to fight it?”
Rummington looked at the creature again, even without using the telescope, he could still tell that it was eating the bodies of the Pokemon it had just killed. It seemed content for now to just eat its meal.
It was this sight that a train of thought appeared in its head.
“It's a powerful savage beast alright, but at the end of the day, it's still an animal. One with its instincts and a small-minded simple brain that only follows its primitive desires.”
“You point?”
“What if we somehow lead it away from that town? That’ll give us enough time to evacuate everyone.”
“Oh, I suppose you have a brilliant idea on how to do that?”
“No, and I can’t of one right now.” Rum walked over and looked back into the base’s center yard, the soldiers still fighting the dragons.
“Cause right now we need to deal with that.”
Barb walked over to Rum and nodded. “Alright, this I can manage.”
After climbing down the stairs and into the yard, they found themselves faced with 3 dragons fighting 4 teams of soldiers. A few lone ones were already lying on the ground, Rum could not tell if they were dead or not.
He then saw that one group of soldiers had managed to ground a dragon with ropes, but had yet to restrain it enough so they could kill it. Already he could see that it was about to break free.
“Not on my watch!”
Rum then ran up, grabbed a nearby crossbow, and lined up a shot.
He fired, but instead of hitting the eye as he intended, it bounced off the scales of its neck as it kept swinging its head.
“Darn!” Rum then reloaded, but the dragon was now trying to flap its wings.
“Oh no, you don’t!”
Another arrow load, he once again aimed at the dragon's eye. Then the creature, looked directly at him, which was what he wanted.
“Gotcha!”
The arrow flew true, this time hitting its mark and blinding the creature in its left eye.
While he knew it was not enough to kill the beast, it was enough to wound it.
Unfortunately, a wounded creature is sometimes when it's most dangerous.
Now further enraged, the dragon then spun around, lifting the Zebra who were holding down the ropes and throwing them into the air and onto walls and the ground like ragdolls.
The dragon then removed the arrow with the claw of its forewings and then looked and Rum.
“Oh, crap.”
The dragon then charged at the guard tower Zerba, intended for him to be its next meal.
“Slash!”
A blade of light came out of nowhere and made a large gash in the dragon’s neck, blood spewing from its wound.
“Crunch!”
Then a Sharpedo appeared and began to chop down on its next from where it was bleeding. The dragon roared in pain and tied to fly away, but was stopped by Quagsirewho used Body Slam on it.
And for the finishing move, a Floatzel appeared and used Hyper Beam, just as it opened its mouth to roar. The beam shot straight down its throat before exploding inside its gut, killing it.
“And stay down!” The Sharpedo said.
Rum looked in awe at the four Pokemon reassembled.
Barb, who had also watched the whole thing spoke first.
“Wait, I know you guys, Your Team Seapray right?”
“Right you are miss,” said Tops.
Rum too also recognized the group.
“But wait, aren’t you guys supposed to be on out on the sea slowing down those ships?” Rum said this as a matter of observation.
But the team instead just gave him a grim look. As if they didn’t want to talk about the reason why they were here and not out there.
“That can be explained later, for now, we need to deal with the rest of these dragons.”
Rum then saw that the other teams had managed to get the upper hand on the remaining two dragons.
“Right.”
With the addition of Team Seaspray, the Zebra forces managed to finish off the dragon invaders. With the immediate threat having passed, the soldiers took a moment to catch their breath.
Soon after, Commander Alek, who was in charge of the base arrived and assessed the situation.
“Lieutenant Groove! Status report!”
“The dragons have been dealt with sir awaiting further orders!”
“That's good,” It was then that the Zerba spotted the Pokemon.
“Captain Tops!”
The leader of Team Seaspray heard the Commander and ran up to him before saluting.
“Captain Tops, reporting for duty sir!”
“Captain Tops, explain to me why are you back here instead of slowing down those ships?”
“Sir, the enemy forces proved to be more overwhelming than anticipated sir! I am also sorry to report that we lost one of our own, Ensign Sam died fighting off the enemy sir.”
The Commander paused for a moment.
“I see, his courage and sacrifice will be remembered.”
“Thank you, sir.”
“Still, we have no time to grieve, there is still work to do. The evacuation of the city is now our top priority.”
“Sir!”
Commander Alek then looked to his right to see Rum walk up to him.
“Private Rummington. Do you have something to say?”
“Yes sir, I would like to inform you that evacuation will be difficult unless we do something about that dog monster that just showed up on the beach sir!”
“What dog monster?”
“Sir!” Tops said. “The monster Private Rummington is one we encountered before retreating, it is also responsible for the death of Ensign sam.”
“I see, and do you think we should deal with this creature first.”
“Yes sir, as Private Rummington said, we won’t be able to safely evacuate the city while that thing is roaming unchecked.”
“Then what do you suggest?”
“If we cannot kill the creature then maybe we could keep it busy.”
“Sir I was just thinking the same thing,” Rum said. “We need to lure that creature away from the population by the time everyone is evacuated.”
“I see, but you do realize that I cannot spare many resources to handle this problem when an entire fleet of ships are bearing down on us.”
“Sir, I am willing to just take my team and any volunteers to deal with this if necessary. And with your permission sir.”
“Hmmm, very well, I’ll approve this operation. Remember take only those who want to participate.”
“Yes sir!” Tops then turned to Rum. “I assume you are on board with us?”
“Yes, I’ll help however I can.”
-
In the city, the Cerberus had moved from the beach and more into downtown.
Several soldiers who tried to stop it were unsuccessful, and unfortunately, civilians who had yet to evacuate yet were victims of its attacks.
The beast then finally arrived in the town square, which was now barren.
The Cerberus however could smell the souls of people nearby and was now looking with all three of its heads in several directions.
And then it heard a whistle.
“Hey, Fido!”
All three heads locked eyes on the source of the voice. And saw a lone Zebra standing on the roof of a building.
“Still hungry? Well, I’m right here!”
Rummington then started to bolt as the Cerberus chased after him. Jumping across rooftops, the Zerba thanked his many years of running which helped him leap across the gaps.
The three-headed dog was not far behind him, and despite it being on the ground, Rum did not put it behind him that it could somehow jump on the roof if it so managed.
Still, the fact that it was following him was good so far.
“Just need to make it there.”
Rum jumped over a few more rooftops before he suddenly began to feel the ground beneath his feet shake.
“The hell!?”
Looking down, he saw that the dog was now smashing into buildings, trying to bring them down and him along with it.
“Shoot, this is bad.”
Rum regained his footing and kept moving, although he was now running out of buildings, and the last one was small and looked old.
“Come on, come one!”
He was nearly out of breath, and the monster was still right behind him.
Rum managed to make it to the last building, right before the Cerberus used all of its strength to crash into the small hut, destroying its support beam and sending it crashing down.
“Waaaah!”
As the smoke cleared, the three-headed dog pulled itself from the wreckage, expecting to find its prey buried beneath the debris.
“Hey dog breath!”
The Cerberus turned and saw Rum, now sitting in a wagon, being pulled by two Zerba.
“I’m over here!”
As one last taunt, Rum fired a crossbow at the Cerberus, right before the Zebra guards started to run and pull the wagon with him.
The arrow didn’t even pierce its thick hide, but it did irritate the monster, who chased after the wagon with predator-like intuition.
The Zerba led the Cerberus through several neighborhoods, before finally making it out of the city. Just like they had planned, they had managed to lure the monster out of town.
But getting rid of it was another matter.
They did not have the resources or manpower to spare in order to kill this thing, but if they couldn’t kill it, they could make sure it didn’t stick around long enough to cause more harm.
Rum then took out a short-range magical communication crystal and spoke into it.
“Captain Tops, this is Rum, the target took the bait, we’re almost at your position, you ready?”
“Copy, we’re ready to receive.”
“Good, let's hope this works, over.”
Barb, who was one of the Zerba pulling the chariot spoke up.
“Just so you know, if we make it out of this alive, you’re pulling this thing on the way back.”
“Yeah, yeah, just don’t slow down.”
“Oh, believe me, I don’t want to.”
The Tiger River was located right beside Tortuga. A primitive dam was built next to it that now was abandoned after the war. Aside from that, a large waterfall was located near the mouth of the river that fed into it from the ocean, with a drop of over 500 feet.
Needless, to say, even if something were to fall down that river and survive, it wouldn’t be climbing back up for quite some time.
Rum then finally arrived at the cliff which overlooked the waterfall. The Zerba guards detached themselves from the reigns and he got off the wagon.
Not seconds later, the Cerberus appeared over the hill and stopped to stare at them.
Rum started back at the beast, waiting in anticipation for it to move again.
After growing for a few more seconds, the monster rushed down the hill, its teeth gnashing and ready to tear the Zerba to shreds. It was closing the gap at 30 feet, 25 feet, then 15 feet….
“NOW!”
From behind a rock, Lieutenant Sharp came out swinging with an Aquajet that caught it by surprise. From the left, Zeg and Quag hit the dog with Hydro Pump. And then, right behind it, Tops came out with a flurry of Slash attacks. They all kept pumping the creature, inching closer to the edge of the cliff.
“We almost got it!”
But just as it was about 5 feet from falling off, the Cerberus started to hold its ground. It began to push back against the onslaught of attacks.
“Come on are you kidding me!? How strong is this thing!?”
Eventually, as some of them needed to take a breather from using their moves, the Cerberus gained more ground.
“Oh no, you don’t!”
Quag stopped using Hydro Pump and then began to charge at the monster.
“Quag what are you doing!?” Tops said.
“What needs to be done!” Quag’s body began to glow as he prepared his strongest attack.
Tops then realized what the Water Pokemon was about to do.
“Quag no!”
“Giga Impact!”
Then with all his might, Quag tackled the Cerberus over the edge, and he with it.
The group then rushed over to look.
Quag was barely hanging by a vine growing out of the cliffs. Beneath him, the Cerberus had also caught a vine with one of its heads.
Quag looked down, and to his horror, he saw that the demonic dog was using its other two heads in rotation to climb up the vines.
At this point, the Water Fish Pokémon knew that he had to finish this. By using a well-placed Ice Punch, he could send it tumbling down the waterfall, and him with it.
But before he could act, an Ice Beam, struck the beast, encasing it in a block of Ice. Made easier thanks to the seawater, coming from the waterfall.
Quag looked up and saw that it was Zel who was using that move.
He did not stop until the creature was heavy enough that the vines could not support its own weight. And, with an audible snap, the vine broke, and the Cerberus fell into the ravine below, making a big splash as it hit the water.
“That was for Sam you monster.”
As the others helped pull Quag up, Rummington fell on his rump as he felt like he could relax for a bit now.
“We did it.”
“Yeah, we did it,” Tops said. “But our job isn’t over yet.”
Everyone turned and gasped at what they saw, but eventually knew was going to happen.
The first ships from the invasion fleet had already docked at Tortuga.
“We need to get back,” Rum said. Picking himself up, despite the fact he was still tired from all that building hopping.
Barb sighed. “Okay, but I’m not pulling the wagon.”
“Alright, Barb we get it.”
Zel meanwhile was still looking over the cliff, searching for any signs of the Cerberus. Tops eventually walked up beside him.
“That thing probably survived,” Zel said.
“Yes, it probably did,” Tops responded.
“I want to go down there and finish it, I owe Sam at least that much.”
Tops closed his eyes.
“Revenge will not bring back those we have lost. We as soldiers should understand this more than anything.”
“I know, but still….”
“We should be heading back now.”
Tops started to walk away, Zel remained where he stood for a few more seconds before joining him.
Odysseus marched with his soldiers through the streets of the now mostly empty city.
Some of his men were entering houses, looking for any signs of life. But found none.
“It seems most of the people have evacuated sir,” said one of the soldiers.
“No matter, they merely extend the duration of their lives in vain.”
“Keep searching, leave no stones unturned.”
“Yes sir!”
As that soldier walked away, another walked up toward him.
“Sir, our scouts have reported that a platoon of guards are up ahead.”
His words made Odysseus look at him with interest.
“How many?”
“We estimate them to be at least 100 strong sir.”
“Hmmm, then let's not keep them waiting.”
The Atlantian soldiers did not have to walk long before they arrived at the town square where the Zerba border guard was waiting.
As more and more men crowded behind him, he could see the fear in the eyes of the enemy. Good, after all, mortals should fear the power of the gods and those blessed by them.
There was a tense moment of silence before the lead Zerba spoke.
“I am Commander Alek, you have unlawfully invaded this Zerbrican waters and its territory. Stop this now, and return to where you came from immediately.”
He knew it was a pointless statement to make, but he had to say it in case there was even a slight chance they would listen to reason. He expected the enemy commander to just say no, or shrug it off.
He did not expect them to start laughing like he had just told a funny joke.
Odysseus however did not laugh, but he understood and agreed with why his soldiers did. A reason he would now explain to Zebra.
“Oh, and by what authority and power do you have over us to demand such a thing?”
Alek steeled himself and responded.
“I speak this as a servant of his majesty, King Trotankhamun, the ruler of Zebrica and all who dwell within.”
“I see, answer me this, is your King a god or divine being?”
“Uh, no he is not?”
“Is he a descendent of one, does even have at least one drop of divine blood, or even claim to have any?”
“No, our king is descended from the first great hero of Zebrcia, who founded our nation in ancient times. There are no gods in Zebrica or hold any power in its lands.” Alek was aware of those who still worshipped the old gods, but even with the existence of Arceus, he did not believe in such things.
“I see, then I am afraid we much decline.”
“What?”
“You see Commander Alek, we are here on a mission divined and ordained by the great Demiurge, the King of Gods who rules over this entire planet. I speak of the King of the Twelve Olympians, Zeus.”
“Zeus?”
“I am not surprised that name is unknown to you, but you need not worry about such finer details. Only know that your deaths and the conquest of this nation are done by his will. And if Zeus wills it, it must be done. For what is a King to a God?”
Alek gritted his teeth, he now knew that there was no turning back. More than likely he was going to die here. But if he was to sacrifice himself, he would take as many with him as he can.
“Alright then, if there can no diplomatic resolution to this, then the only thing left to do it-”
Alek drew his spear and pointed it at Odysseus.
“CHARGE!!”
Alek sprinted with the entire platoon of guards following right behind him.
Yes, this was going to amount to them just throwing away their lives just to save the lives of others. But they knew that from the start, they were soldiers after all.
Odysseus did not move a muscle, nor did his men attempt to attack or charge as well with the incoming approach of Zerba guards.
It was only when they were halfway there that Odysseus jumped into the air, and delivered an energy-charged kick right into the center of the platoon, sending guards flying in every direction.
Not even giving them a second to recover, the servant activated his built-in laser guns and started blasting.
Rows upon rows of guards were mowed down in an instant as the superior existence known as a servant demonstrated his power. He shot blinding lasers that sliced people in two. Whenever someone got close enough to try and impale him, he would respond with a mana-powered punch that turned them into a stain on the floor. Sure, there were some who were able to get a lucky shot or stab at the guy, but since his armor was forged by Athena, he was invulnerable.
They were all just lambs to slaughter in the worst sense.
Several Pokemon who were among their numbers attacked him with moves of Fire, Electric, and Dragon, but so long as the Aegis protected him, no harm would come to the man spoken of in the Odyssey.
Eventually, there was no one left standing, everyone was either dead or dying.
Commander Alek, who had 2 broken legs from the initial impact, tried to get up. But his shattered limbs failed him.
All he could do is roll over and look up as the enemy Commander stared down at him.
For Alek, this was the worst outcome imaginable for him. He and all of his guards would die without taking the life of a single enemy. The enemy commander, on his own, had managed to single-handedly kill their entire platoon.
“What are you?”
It was the only question he could formulate at the time. The way this man had fought showed that he was no ordinary being.
He recalled how he had said they were blessed by gods, by a group of a divine beings who called themselves the Twelve Olympians. Is this what the power of a god can do to a person?”
He knew that King Trot and Commander Sev had destroyed the Death God known as Ragnoros. But that monster was just a single being, if there were others like this man, who would they ever stand a chance against them?
“Who are you?” He asked.
Odysseus, despite looking down on him, in both a literal and metaphorical sense, had to give him some respect for having the courage to stand up and face him. So he felt obliged to answer his dying question.
“I am Odysseus, I am a servant of the Gods of Olympus, of the Great God Zeus. And just like we have conquered this city of yours. So shall the rest of this nation fall.
The Rider Class servant raised his foot.
“I now condemn you to Hades.”
He brought it down on Alek’s face, and the Zerba knew no more.
The group that consisted of Team Seaspray, Rum, and Barb ran as fast as they could. It was a long walk.
“Alright, guys we’re almost there,” Tops said
However, as soon as they got over the last hill separating them from the town, they saw a figure running toward them.
“Hey look someone coming,” Barb said.
As they got closer, they saw that it was just a border guard.
“What's he doing out here?”
“Perhaps he’s looking for us?”
Once the guard caught up with them, he was about out of breath and look pale.
“Yes, the worse thing has just happened! The city has been taken!”
Everyones faces just dropped.
“What!? How!?” Rum said.
“The entire 4th platoon led by Commander Alek, they were all wiped out!”
Rum could not believe what he was hearing, the entire platoon, just gone!?”
“How is this possible? We couldn’t have been gone for 10 minutes!”
“But that's the thing, the enemy human Commander! He was a monster, he singlehandedly took out the entire platoon by himself!”
The group, particularly the Pokemon, were in more disbelief to hear that bit of info.
“A single human killed all those Zebra!?” Sharp said.
“I saw it with my own eyes! He was using these laser beam attacks and just slaughter them all. I only managed to get away when his initial attack sent me flying into the window of a building.”
The entire group was silent as they tried to process this information. Thankfully, Captain Tops was better at it.
“What about everyone at the base?”
“If they’re smart, they should have evacuated by now.”
“And the civilians.”
“I’m pretty sure most of them got out. But right now we can’t do a headcount.”
“Alright then.”
Tops then turned around and looked at his team.
“Okay boys, standard protocol says we need to rendezvous with the rest of the guards that hopefully escaped, after which we need to meet up with the feeling civilians and escort them safely to the nearest city. The Capital should be aware that the city has fallen pretty soon. So hopefully they send someone to assist us. But for now, we need to get out of here.”
There were no words, just nods from everyone. Then they started to make their way east, to their destination point.
Rum stopped and turned around one last time to look at Tortuga, which was not being set ablaze.
He was ready to die defending this place. He would have gladly done so.
But it seems fate, was not done with him yet.
The border guard then turned around and caught up with the group. Walking into an uncertain future, for them and Zebrica as a whole.
King Trot had been sitting on his throne for quite some time now, doing just nothing but thinking.
His mind was now occupied by two, or rather three different points of interest that concerned him.
His meeting with this Pharoah Ozymandias was in his opinion, not a fond one. Meeting with the leaders of other nations was one thing, but meeting with someone who also claimed to be the ruler of his own nation was another thing.
Whether or not this Ozy conflated Egypt with Zebrica was inconsequential to the fact that he was a servant and therefore an enemy of Zebrica and its allies.
And yet, Trot could not help but feel intimidated by him.
In terms of world leaders, Trot was still the youngest of them all in terms of age. And while Twilight Sparkle was the newest one, she was not as integral to the leadership of Equestria, as Celestia and Luna handled the bulk of ruling the Kingdom.
Trot meanwhile still had much to learn before he could be as great of a ruler as the other world leaders.
But Ozymandias, upon looking at him, Trot could feel a sense of high charisma radiating off of the servant. One look into his eyes told him that he was a human who had led an entire nation for the majority of his life. Someone who commanded armies and conquered other nations with his radiating charm and skill.
Trot was able to tell all of that just by being in his presence, or perhaps if he really is the human counterpart of the historical Zebra Ozymandias, then it would only make sense that he would share the same deeds and accomplishments as him.
But the real problem was how he was going to kill him.
So long as he was in that pyramid of his, nothing could kill him. Sure finality was capable of hurting him, but Trot would need more power if he was going to finish him for good.
Because, the way he came off, the manner in which he spoke as if he owned the place, Trot was not going to let that one slide.
But if the appearance of this egotistical servant wasn’t bad enough, he still had another problem hanging over his head.
The threat of the nearby Lostbelt was getting closer every day, it would soon encroach and most likely destroy the port city of Tortuga.
But as long as nothing major was happening yet, he could overlook the threat of the other Lostbelt for now
And the final topic on his mind was one that hit a little closer to home than the other two.
And that was the other servant that appeared with Ozymandias.
It was needless to say that Trot was parentless. His mother died shortly after giving birth to him, and when his father passed away, that when he had no choice but to inherit the mantle of king.
The former queen of Zebrica, Queen Neighfertiti or Nefertari as she was known to close friends like Celestia was considered to be a kind and caring Queen. Celestia described her as a very close friend and someone who could calm down his rather passionate father.
And while Trot considered Celestia his mom, as she helped raise him, part of him longed to learn just what his real mother was like.
He recalled one say when he asked Celestia this very question, and while he was able to describe her in great detail, he wanted more, he wanted to hear her voice and see her living face.
Eventually, Celestia gave in and told Trot to wait for his next birthday. And when that day came, the alicorn took Trot to his mother's room and gave him what she called her birthday gift to him.
It was a spell that would be able to completely recreate an image from her memories of Queen Neighfertiti and project it onto the real world. Celestia called it something similar to an ancient and rare magic that was lost to time, a “Reality Marble”.
And what he saw, he would engrave into his mind for the rest of his life.
It was his mother, still pregnant with him, and looking so happy and beautiful.
Neighfertiti who was with Trot’s father spoke about how their son was going to grow up and become the greatest ruler Zebrica ever had. And how she wanted to be by his side the entire time.
The memory ended with her saying that while she could not see her little boy just yet, she just wanted to let him know that she loved him and that she would never leave his side.
When the memory ended, Trot was already crying.
And so from that day, he strove to be the great leader that his mother and Celestia wanted him to be.
But of course, life did not go the way he expected. With everything that has happened, Zebrica was still far from being a great nation. But he was still determined not to give up on becoming the great ruler that his mother wanted him to be.
However, something had now changed.
When he first heard the voice of that human servant who shared the same name as his mother, she sounded exactly like the voice he heard in that memory.
This servant, who was the wife of Ozymandias, had both the same name and voice as his mother.
And the way she acted and presented herself, it reminded him of how his mother acted in that memory of her.
And now that he thought about it, Trot remembered how his father was a rowdy ruler who needed his wife to reign him in. She recalled how Ozymandias acted more humble and less cocky around her.
Trot stopped his thoughts in their tracks, the more he would dwell on this, the more depressed he was going to be.
Because even with old thoughts being brought back up, he had to focus on the present, and how he was going to deal with that servant.
“Hmmm, if he is immortal while he is inside that Pyramind, then the simple solution is to find a way to get him out of it. Although that's easier said than done.”
Indeed, he doubt that servant would have any reason to give up his most powerful protection. And even if he did, he was still a servant, there was also the inevitable fight he would have with him.
Then again, he and Sev were able to destroy Ragnos. Someone who was far more powerful and actively dangerous than a single servant. But that doesn’t mean he should be underestimated. Even if Finality could possibly kill him in one blow.
“How in the name of Celestia am I gonna get the arrogant prick out of his house…”
Trot racked his mind to try and think of a plausible plan.
“Oh, I know! I can-”
Trot’s train of thought crashed when the doors to his throne room slammed open.
But before he could even get a word out, the guard who had intruded spoke in a panic.
“King Trotankhamun! The nation is under attack!”
Those words immediately made him forget the plan he had come with, as the words he never wished to hear again met his ears.
“What!?”
“My King! The city of Tortuga has fallen! It has been taken by hostile nation forces!”
Trot trotted down from his throne and approached the guard.
“Explain in full detail, what happened!”
Not just a few minutes ago, we received a messenger letter that the city has fallen to forces from an unknown hostile nation.
And where did this hostile force come from exactly?”
“Reports are coming in saying they came from…the Lostbelt storm wall.
The room went deadly silent as if someone had sucked all the optimism out of it.
“...so, it's happening.”
“I’m afraid so your majesty?”
“What of our guard forces stationed there?”
“I’m afraid most of them have retreated in order to safely escort civilians out of the city. I can confirm that Commander Alek is K.I.A.”
“I see….did they manage to get an estimated of the enemy's forces?”
“Yes, about one hundred ships have been spotted. All of them appear to be what the Pokemon have described as humans in unfamiliar armor and weapons.”
“Humans, yes, we were told this might be possible.
Trot had no real good or bad opinion of humanity, that is despite the fact that the Pokemon forces that made up the bulk of his military were made to end their oppression and rule.
Which in hindsight was a very fortunate thing, if the PLA were created to fight humans, then Trot probably had the best fighting force on the planet to deal with them. Other than Equestria or the Legendary Pokemon of course.
“Very well, inform Commander Sev of what's happened and put the nation on high alert, I must write a letter to Princess Celestia requesting aid.”
“Consider it done your majesty.”
As the guard left, Trot went over to his desk and took our a sheet of paper and he began to write.
“My dearest mother Princess Celestia, I bring you grave news.”
A few days after the return of Princess Luna…
Celestia walked through the restricted wing of the castle's library, she had not been there for some time.
Her horn was glowing as she made her way to a certain destination in mind.
Underneath her wing was an old tattered book that she had recently discovered in the old ruins of her previous castle. She had found it after Twilight had used the Elements of Harmony to restore her sister to her old self.
And while part of her mind was occupied with some of the pages she had seen in that book, she was more concerned with putting it where only she could find it.
At last, she arrived at her destination.
It was a secret room where only the most sensitive and forbidden spells were kept. As well as information that not many ponies should be privy to.
But also it's where she kept a record of old prophecies and predictions that were connected to events of the past.
Of these prophecies, was the one that most recently came to past. The one that foretold of Nightmare Moon returning to cast the world into darkness.
And this prediction was the one she was glad had come true, up until recently, it was not something she could not just keep in a public library. If ponies found out that Nightmare Moon was coming back, future generations would never be able to rest easy knowing a dark malevolent force was going to return in the next 1000 years.
And so she waited until the right time when she could move pieces into place so that her sister could be saved.
It was no coincidence that Twilight found and read that book on the day she went to Ponyville.
Other prophecies kept here were ones that told of the Crystal Empire's return, Tirek breaking free, and how a certain pony who had a cutie mark that matched the symbol on the Tree of Harmony would one day bring lasting peace and friendship to Equestria.
Obviously a mixed bag of predictions both fortunate and disastrous. But they did not compare to what she has read in the book she had found.
The pages inside were written by her old mentor Starswirl the Bearded. And the words it contained inside were ominous, to say the least.
It contained a message from Starswirl saying that he put a charm on this book so that the room it was being kept in would open at the right time. As Celestia was too young to inherit this knowledge, he made it so she would learn of it when she was ready.
Starswirl admits that he would often use spells to look into the future, which is how he learned that one day Tirek would return.
However, Tirek was a minor problem compared to the other things he saw.
While he could not tell her everything, not even why he and the other Pillars of Equestria had to disappear, he could let her know of this and how she could prepare.
“My dearest Celestia, I am so sorry you had to find out this way, but please know, what I do, I do for the future of Equestria.
In the years after Luna’s return, Equestria will be beset by a number of Calamites that if not stopped will spread over the world and end life as we know it. These are threats from other worlds beyond our comprehension. They are threats that are connected to the truth of our world and how it came into existence.
I admit I foresaw the fall of Princess Luna, forgive me for not being able to warn you of her corruption. But her return will mark the beginning of several trials Equestria must face. Such as Discord becoming free, Tirek seeking his revenge, and the re-emergence of the Crystal Empire.
I say to you now, all of these are just a prelude to what will come next.”
“Beware of the omnipotent Demiurge that comes from the stars, while you may not believe in gods, you certainly will when you see his face bearing down upon you.”
“Beware the Winter Queen, for she has great love for her kingdom, but not the ones who live in it.”
“Beware of the Ultimate One of Mercury, for it has arrived far sooner than it should have.”
“But most of all, beware of the concept of “hole”, for it will swallow the world itself.”
“And finally, beware of the one who pretends to be a friend….”
That last part left her more worried the most.
Since she had just sent her prized student to Ponyville in order to learn about friendship, the thought of someone pretending to be a friend in order to bring Equestria’s downfall was very bad.
Celestia wanted to encourage friendship, not just between ponies, but all races from all over the world.
If someone were to take advantage of that friendship and use it to their own ends….
Celestia shook her head, while it was indeed a grave mystery that would yet to be solved, she could not let these foreboding prophecies consume her mind. Worrying all the time about the future never does anyone good.
She should know that more than anyone.
Celestia put the book in a special shelf and put a sealing spell so that no one but her could open it.
She then turned around and walked out of the room and the library, trying to push what she had just learned to the back of her mind.
But that was easier said than done.
Because although most of what was written in that book were words, Starswirl had done her a favor of providing an illustration of one of these prophecies.
And when she turned the page to look at it, she immediately wished she didn’t.
“Beware of the concept of “hole”, for it will swallow the world itself.”
The Present day...
“Somebody stop him!”
Celestia and Luna ran down the hallways of their own castle, jumping over broken pottery and picture frames of priceless value. The mess continued as they followed the trail of broken items that led them to the perpetrator who was now laughing to himself in the middle of a four-way intersection.
Both sisters were staring daggers at the miscreant who was the source of this mess. And when he made eye contact with them, he just smiled.
“Come on ladies, my mentor horse, Bai Long was faster than you two.”
The Pokemon World….
Earth wasn’t doing so well right at the moment. With the departure of most of the population and the Legendaries and such, it had fallen into chaos. Warbands filled with vicious humans and the surviving pokemon left to their fate fought each other to the very end. Conflicts like this were common. It didn’t matter that they were dwindling their already small population. Their own survival was far more important than a lasting future. So they fought and killed each other every day. Unique and distinct killing machines, powers, and everything you could imagine and couldn’t was thrown around.
It all bored Raziel.
Three sub-machine guns blazed away in the abandoned base. A normal human would have died to them. Raziel wasn’t a normal human. He regularly fought pokemon and won. He had helped beat a legendary in close combat. This was nothing. So that’s why he wasn’t running. He just lazily, in his own mind, slashed through every bullet with his sword. They really weren’t worth the effort to go all out.
Then the three exhausted their ammunition. They went to reload. Raziel was just done with this. He took a step forward and before they could blink, he was behind them. His pistol was out and fired, killing one of them cleanly. The other two stood still before they collapsed into pieces of flesh. He used his aura to clean his blade. Being an aura user was rare in humans. In fact, he was probably one of, if not the only, aura user left on the planet.
Again, it was just really boring being on the planet. At least, that’s how he felt. There was just no challenge for him. Most of the strong opponents were ‘good guys’. The strong villains were much rarer and honestly, he disliked dealing with them. Oh it was fun cutting them to bits but after a while, it got dull. Well that and he had killed all the strong ones around him already. Perhaps he would go to another country and find something to fight.
No. He had more important matters to attend to. He had to find him. His rival. The only one who could give him a challenge. Not just in battle but in strategy and tactics. That and everything else. Impromptu dance offs just aren’t on any of his current opponents minds. Sad really.
He walked into an open space. The roof had collapsed a while ago. Everything in this world was falling apart. It was not important to him so he didn’t care. He didn’t care if everything broke. He certainly didn’t care-
He moved his head back instantly, avoiding the sniper bullet. His pistol was out and he fired. A body fell to the ground, dead.
-Didn’t care about snipers. He could have tanked that rather easily but sometimes he felt like dodging. Imagining an actual strong attack that could kill him. Too long since that had happened. Still, he wouldn’t let his skills dull. He had more battles to plan in the future with his one true rival. He should have gone with him. It seems Arceus was picky. Too picky. He’d get back at him for failing him once again.
Suddenly, a roaring sound could be heard. It wasn’t a pokemon roar or a demented human. This was a mechanical one. He turned his head to see a tank roll through a wall. He quirked an eyebrow. He didn’t think they’d bring tanks to this fight. The tank fired.
Raziel batted it to the side as if it was nothing more than a fly. Then with a practiced swing, he pulled his sword and slashed the air. His aura primed and ready, shooting forward. The aura slash cut right through the tank. He snorted as it exploded, harmlessly going around him. Yeah he could have used that tank but he had plenty more where that came from. He’d stolen enough for entire tank columns after all.
Another tank burst through the wall behind him. He lazily turned his head. The barrel pointed itself straight at him. Raziel just sighed in boredom. It was a neat entrance. That might have got the drop on someone else. He, of course, had sensed it before it even arrived. He missed Sev’s random attacks. Not even he could predict them. The PLA were always the most fun to fight. Well that and beating up Rocket goons but that group had fallen already.
The tank wasn’t able to fire. From the sky landed a large mecha on top of it, crushing it. Raziel looked up. The mecha was about twelve feet tall with large, grappling claws. The green and blue colors on it were rather striking. The mecha’s head turned to him and opened up to reveal a chiseled, older man. He had a thick, black mustache and a bowler hat that seemed to cover his eyes. There was a small scar on his nose, which was lighter than his dark skin.
“Woo-ha,” the man shouted. “Nothing better in your day than smashing someone else’s stuff.”
This was Roberto Jackson, one of Raziel’s commanders. He wore a mecha suit with him during combat, even though he was strong enough to fight pokemon on his own. Raziel never cared much for these mecha suits. He preferred to fight with his own hands and with conventional stuff. Roberto was another story so he let him have his fun. He had his own little mecha squadron coupled with the rest of the armored division.
“I’m going to enjoy tearing these maggots a new one,” Roberto shouted.
“I believe that’s it for today,” Raziel said.
“D’oh,” Roberto grunted in disappointment, “This one didn’t put up enough of a fight. The pansies kept running away.”
Raziel shrugged, “It seems humanity has been robbed of its spine along with most of the population. Only we survive with the strength to carry on into the new war.”
“We’ll knock ‘em dead till we get there, boss.” Roberto shouted, “Just hope they put up some good scraps till we get to the real meat of the issue.”
“Indeed,” Raziel walked away, his shoulders slumping. Another waste of his time. That’s all there was these days, “Indeed.”
Raziel lazily sat at the table for the meeting. Nothing important was going to be said but they had to go over it every time they had an ‘outing’. Just in case something of note was found in the wreckage. His commanders sat idly as they went over their findings. He wondered if Sev was feeling the same way. Probably was. They only really felt alive when they had the other to bounce off of. Oh how he missed interrupting a meeting for one of his ‘threats’. Those were the days.
He’d get them back. No matter the cost. That much he swore.
“-Excess troops and equipment have been added to our ranks,” a large, hovering drone said. This was Tom, a Rotom, inhabiting the thing. One of the few pokemon commanders. Oh the subcommanders had plenty of pokemon akin to the PLA, just like the PLA in vice versa. It was just how things ended up. Tom had plenty in that machine to handle himself in a fight.
Commander Tom was in charge of information and organization. Resource management and tech advancement also fell under him. He was rather capable with that sort of stuff.
“I’ll whip them into shape,” Ai Jing, the commander of the troop divisions, said. She was a fit woman of moderate build. She wore green and gold armor over her body and had two swords on her back. The only uncovered portions of her were some of her shapely legs, which gave off a thigh gap sort of appeal and the upper part of her face. Her piercing blue eyes would not let anything get by her.
“You better,” Roberto, armored division commander, said. “I need those bastards to support us when we get into the thick of things.”
“Not much need anymore,” Ai Jing said, “Most of the big Teams seem to keep to their own territories, they have not made any moves against each other yet. Only going after the smaller ones.”
“They have quite a few powerful pokemon that could offer challenge,” Gunter, commander of the aquatic divisions, said. He wore a full body diving suit. His helmet was on the table, revealing his handsome but heavily scared, red headed self. His hands bore long, retractable claws in case he got close. Usually he used his spear gun for that.
“Their passion is nothing compared to us,” Flare, co-commander of the Gifted forces, said. Her impressive bosom bounced as she moved to the declaration. The Gifted forces housed both the psychic humans as well as humans with other abilities. Long ago, humans and pokemon did marry and some of those unions produced fruit. That usually came in the guise of aura or psychic humans. However, some had other abilities. Flare herself could use fire as akin to fire types. Her twin could use ice in the same way.
Chill dressed in more modest blue clothing compared to her more ‘show offy’ red dressed sister, “She is right. We shouldn’t have too much trouble with them.”
“I could just pop their head off if’n I wanted to,” Lily Evans said. The youngest of the commanders, she was in charge of reconnaissance as well as assassinations. She had the ability to teleport. Combined with her impressive sniper capabilities, she was a nightmare on the battlefield.
Raziel had some other commanders but they were busy. Him and Sev usually had a good number on their person but these were his closest at the moment. He just nodded, “Yes, yes. I feel like we should be ahead of the situation. Our world is ours whether the rest know it yet.”
“But of course, our glorious commander.” Abby, an Absol commander of their spy network, said. She fluttered her eyes. “No one can stand up to you.”
“Hey,” Parda glared at Abby, getting the other pokemon to back off. “Unless you have something important to say, zip it.”
Abby huffed, “I was just trying to lift our glorious leader’s spirit is all.”
A boisterous laugh could be heard as a human beside her patted her head. He was a very handsome man, which is why he had a bit of a fanclub. He wore brown fatigues and a bright red scarf. He was Theo, commander of the aerial divisions. His skills were basically second to none when he got in the air. A few of the PLA could match him but that was it.
“What is the status of the big Teams? Remind me which ones are still standing.”
“Giovanni of Team Rocket, the commanders of Team Galactic, and Team Plasma are still somehow operational,” Abby said. “And they are still in control of most of their territories.”
“I see, I’m not supsied that those three are still standing.”
“I also managed to learn something that might interest you. Our spies have reported that Giovanni is gathering large quantities of discarded tech and machinery.”
“Oh, are they trying to build their own portal or something?”
“No my glorious leader. All the parts seem to be consistent with what we would use in building mechs or cybernetics.”
“Oh?” Roberto said. “And just what are they planning to build?”
“I can’t say for sure yet, but we did manage to learn the name of their project.”
“A name you say?”
“Yes, they’re calling it project Violet.”
“Hmmm, probobly nothing that concerns us. Speaking of which, how goes our portal work?” Raziel said, hoping to keep the conversation on track.
“Very well… to a degree.” Tom said. His computer beeped a few times as he gathered information, “The state of the world around us is degrading. While it is possible it will come to a natural continuation, much of the wildlife and infrastructure means that won’t happen for many thousands of years. Until then, resource gathering will be difficult even with all that is left behind.”
“We have enough to survive quite well,” Ai said.
“For our generation,” Tom said, “Future ones are bleak.”
“Our generation will be off of this dying world,” Raziel growled, “Our greatness cannot be contained. Our goals beyond even the gods understanding. We shall continue until we have created our war and thus our peace. Only then will they understand everything.” He paused, “But you didn’t answer my question, Tom.”
“A few years at the current rate,” Tom said.
Raziel groaned, “I shall die of boredom before then.”
“I’m sure we could think of something, fair leader.” Theo said with a smile, “We have many bright minds among us. We can do anything.”
Raziel grinned, “Yes. Yes, that is true.” Then he sighed, “But I think this meeting should be adjourned for now. I feel like I need a little bit of rest.”
“Darling,” Parda said, rubbing her head against his side. “I’ll come with you.”
“No,” Raziel said, “I want to be alone for a bit.” He leaned down and kissed her on the head, “I’ll make it up to you later.”
Parda frowned but nodded, “Just take care of yourself.”
“I shall care for myself far greater than anyone has cared for themselves before,” Raziel said as he walked off.
Raziel sat on his bed. He had thrown his shirt off as well as his shoes shortly before. His muscular build was slightly damp from the short shower he had taken. He sighed. No conflict worth his time. No adversaries worthy of his skill. Nothing. He and his soldiers were alone and… what was he supposed to do about that? He’d eventually get off this world. His destiny would not be contained.
Yet what if he couldn’t? His dream of a better humanity. One without constant war. Of peace and progress. He needed to show them, including the gods, that he could do it with his own hands. Having an empty world given to him was not how he wanted to win. Not without Sev here. He sighed. He laid down on the bed. He would figure out something. He would reach the impossible.
He and Sev did that all the time. They’d do it again. His rival hadn’t seen the last of him. As well as everyone else on the planet. There were a multitude of realities. His dealings with those strange ‘pokemon’ like that stilt lady one taught him as such. They’d find a world where they could thrive. He closed his eyes.
Then his kids would never know war. That would be nice.
As Raziel drifted off into his dream, his thoughts didn’t end there. Being who he is, he had a very good memory, to the point where he could lucid dream.
Usually, his dreams would consist of what he wanted, or what he was thinking off at the time.
But this time, it was different, and not in the way he wanted.
Raziel found himself overlooking a large field of pink flowers. Flowers as far as the eye could see, stretching into the horizon.
Looking down he found that he was standing on a platform of a large white tower. Its make and shape unlike anything he had seen before.
Finally, he asked the obvious question.
“Alright, who is messing with my dreams?”
“Oh, you figured that out qutie fast,” said a lovely female voice.
Raziel turned around and, his eyes widened at what he saw.
It was a women. Her hair as white and her eyes shown pink. Her outfit was a primarily white with a black skintight peice underneath. She held a staff in her hands with a blue gem in the middle.
She was someone who radiated beauty, while Raziel was annoyed at first for someone invading his dreams, he felt his animosity decreasing the more he looked at her. He caught himself before he became completely smitten by her, after all, his heart already belonged to another one.
“Who are you and what do you want?”
“Oh, getting to the point are we?”
“Its obvious you pulled me into this dream to talk. And since I prefer to get back to my own dream, tell me who you are and what you want.”
“Well, I’d rather not give my name just yet, but if you must refer to me as something. You may call me, the Lady of Avalon.”
“Avalon, that old island that Xerneas used to rule?”
“Yes, but not the Avalon of this world. But rahter the one your freinds Sev was sent to.”
Those words, immediately got Raziel’s full attention. Was this women really from the same world the Sev was sent to?
“Ah, I can tell you’re now interested am I right?”
Raziel said nothing.
“Well to answer your other question, I am here to give you exactly what you want. I’m here to help bring you to my world, to find your fated rival Sev.”
The last time the castle was a big mess was when the fire bombs happened almost 2 months ago. In fact, the staff was still making repairs from that incident. And before that, it was messy due to the actions of one Spirit of Chaos, a Legendary Pokemon of Mishcif and ring portals, and a small Joltik
Now, it was messy due to the actions of a monkey, something that made too much sense.
Celestia, Luna, and pretty much the entire Royal Guard were now trying to stop this latest catastrophe.
“Somebody stop him!”
The Royal sisters ran down the hallways of the castle, jumping over broken pottery and picture frames of priceless value. The mess continued as they followed the trail of broken items that led them to the perpetrator who was now laughing to himself in the middle of a four-way intersection.
Both sisters were staring daggers at the miscreant who was the source of this mess. And when he made eye contact with them, he just smiled.
“Come on ladies, my mentor’s horse, Bai Long was faster than you two.”
“Cease this foolishness at once miscreant!” Shouted Luna in the royal Canterlot voice.
Sun Wukong just stuck his finger in his ear as if he was cleaning it before putting his hand on it.
“Sorry, couldn’t hear you, could you maybe try talking a little louder?”
Luna was about to snap him in two before Celestia held out a hoof to stop her.
“Why are you doing this?”
The monkey then leaned on his pole as he gave them a raised eyebrow.
“Really? I thought I made that clear to you guys five minutes ago.
-
Five Minutes ago...
“Sun Wukong?” Celestia said.
“Yeah, that's me.”
“A peculiar name. What meaning does it have?” Part of Celestia wanted to know if this servant was related to the Sun or had powers from it. After encountering Heroic Spirits like Karna and Gawain, she did not want to have to fight another servant who had the same powers as her.
“My name can be interpreted by some cultures as meaning: ‘The Monkey awakened by the Emptiness’. Or something like that. And no, In case you’re wondering I don’t have any powers related to the Sun itself.”
Celestia mentally breathed a sigh of relief.
“Well, in that case. May I explain why you have broken into our cellar to drink our wine?”
“Um, because I’m thirsty?” Sun stated as if it was a matter of fact.
Luna just stared blankly at the monkey. “Thirsty?”
“Yeah, thirsty,” Sun then took another swing of his mug which had somehow been filled up while they were talking. “After all, one must be drunk in order to fully indulge themselves in the fun they are about to have.”
“Fun?”
“Yeah, speaking of which, think fast!”
His tail having wrapped around a barrel of 200-year-old aged Canterlot gin. Sun threw the container at the alicorns with blinding speed. Celestia reacted in time, catching it with her magical grasp before it hit her face.
But then she heard Wukong snap his fingers.
And the barrel exploded.
The two sisters are well as the surrounding guards were now drenched in very old and very expensive alcohol.
Sun burst out laughing as they removed their wet manes from their faces.
“BAH HAHAHA Oh, man! That was great. AHAHAHAHA!”
Sun then jumped over the group and landed at the door to the cellar.
“This is gonna be a fun little distraction.”
-
“You said you wanted to have fun?” Luna stated.
“Yeah.”
“And you’re definition of fun is causing a mess and making chaos?
“Uh yeah. Have you guys even read my legend? Oh wait, I guess you wouldn’t know that.”
Sun tapped his chin.
“Let’s just say my early life was mostly just me being a troublemaker, to the point where even the gods were fed up with me. I caused all kinds of problems and mischief, and pretty much no one could stop me. I’m pretty much the living antithesis of what is considered an orderly and calm environment.”
Celestia then stepped forward. “So what you’re saying is, you’re here to cause trouble for the sake of causing trouble?”
“Pretty much.”
“Be warned, servant. We have dealt with someone like you before. Do not underestimate us.”
“Oh, you mean that spirit of Chaos you manage to tame. Sister, don’t try and compare me to him. The only person who can reign me in is my sensei, and she’s not here. And unless you have achieved enlightenment and become a Buddha, you don’t even have the means to stop me.”
At this point, Luna was getting irritated.
“We shall see about that!”
Luna then rushed forward in an attempt to close the gap so that she could cast a binding spell.
Wukong however just nonchalantly shrunk his staff to the size of a pencil and tossed it in her direction.
The little thing then bounced until it came directly under Luna who was too late to react.
Standing upright, the monkey then commanded it to grow.
Ruyi Jingu Bang then exploded in size. Its width became the size of a trampoline before it shot upward, slamming into Luna and crashing her through the roof.
“Luna!”
The staff grew higher and higher until it reached the sky. To onlookers, it appeared as if a giant rod had descended(or rather ascended to) from the heavens.
“Okay, I think that's high enough,” Wukong then snapped his fingers, and the staff instantly shrunk back to its original size. Ruyi Jingu Bang returned to his hand. But Luna was still MIA.
“She’ll come back down…eventually. But for now, Sun turned his head and looked down the hallway. “I hope that vase over there isn’t too expensive!”
The monkey then sprinted down the hallway.
“Go after him,” Celestia said to her guards. “I’ll wait here for Luna.”
The guards ran after Sun Wukong, while Celestia stayed back and looked up at the hole in the ceiling.
*Sigh* “It's going to be one of those days isn’t it?”
Hall of Legends
Genesect activated his screwdriver as he continued to work on his machine. The device he was currently building was one that would allow him to hopefully breach the walls of the Lostbelts.
It was known that Arceus could not pass through the storm walls of the Lostbelts. Whether it was a matter of power, authority, or something else. Breaching the barriers between our world and these new ones was currently not possible.
Genesect lamented the fact that he never got a chance to analyze the vehicle owned by Chaldea, which apparently had to power to move between different worldly planes. More than likely, Chaldea was the only party capable of moving in between Lostbelt. Which made the failure of their defeat and capture all the worse.
Still, Genesect at least learned something. If it was the technology of Chaldea that allowed them to move between worlds, then technology was the answer to allowing the Legendary Pokemon to visit other Lostbelts.
Genesect had asked for Arceus to give him data from his godly mind about just what it appeared Chaldea was doing every time he encountered them, and when they escaped. Unfortunately, Arceus was more focused on capturing them than analyzing them, so said information was not a lot.
But it would have to do for now.
“Okay, so data indicates that in both encounters, Chaldea used a method that allowed them to virtually disappear of the face of the planet. To the point where Lord Arceus could not even verify their existence. This of course defies all logic and reasoning, but stranger things have been happening lately.”
The camera he had set up to record as a journal followed him as he put down the screwdriver and went to get a new drill bit.
“The part that concerns me the most is how they are seemingly about to conceal their existence from even Lord Arceus. This means that not even he can track them when they disappear. It was at this point that we all came to the conclusion that Chaldea is capable of using conceptual technology, or maybe its conceptual magic combined with technology. Either way, this puts our human foes on another level in terms of what they are capable of.”
Genesect closed up the panel on his device and tighten the screws in place.
“But that aside, how we are going to breach the other Lostbelt walls is a question that I believe science must answer. You see, the way Arceus solves problems is that he simply wills the solution into existence. If someone has cancer, he just removes it from the body. If vegetation does not grow in a dead landscape, he just alters the molecular composition of the soil in order to make it fertile.”
He put the tool down as he took a sip of oran berry juice.
“My, point is, that since he is a god, Arceus does not have to think much on the “how” to solve problems, he just simply does it because he can. Humans, however, have to actually think and go through a process in order to come to a solution. Its why they have come so far as a species, they for the most part lack any powers or special abilities. And because of that lack of power, they use their minds and cunning to overcome obstacles.”
“And while Arceus can do almost anything, that doesn’t mean he knows everything. As such that's why he has some of the other Legendary Pokemon handle other duties and domains he doesn’t have the time for. Given enough time, he could find a way past the storm walls. But he has other things to worry about. And besides, invading the other Lostbelts is not a priority at the moment. Not when Chaldea is still out there, and the Tree of Emptiness needs to be guarded.”
Genesect then turned off the camera and set his tools down. As he looked over his newest creation, he checked everything to make sure it was coming together nicely.
It was more than halfway done, just missing a few parts that he would have to get elsewhere.
Luckily, he had a 3D fabricator that could make said parts for him in a short amount of time. And so, he programmed the machine to print the necessary items for him and then left the room to go get lunch.
“Speaking of the Tree of Emptiness, I believe Arceus went to inquire about it from our pony friends.
Ponyville Library
Twilight, stood in the middle of the room. Waiting as the clock ticked every second.
It was now 12:58 PM.
She was not anxious in the slightest, after all, she had met with this person before. And he was always punctual. If frighteningly so.
12:59 PM.
If there was one thing she was concerned about, it was the answers she was going to give. Cause for all that she learned so far, even she did not everything about the subject matter at hand. Not for a lack of trying. After all, she had spent the better part of 2 years trying to learn about it.
10 seconds to 1 o'clock.
“Here he comes,” she said out loud.
3…2…1
Arceus flashed himself into existence.
“Princess Twilight.”
“Arceus.”
There was a pause, before Arceus flashed a table with a set of tea into existence, ready to serve.
“Thirsty.”
Twilight looked at the cup of tea before saying.
“Alright.”
She pulled up a cushion before spilling her drink.
“So, let us discuss this matter, mainly, the Tree of Emptiness that sustains our world, and its connection to what you referred to as the Tree of Harmony.”
“Yes, I honestly feel this should have been discussed earlier.”
“Both of us had other things to worry about at the time. So I don’t blame either of us for letting it slip our minds.”
“Alright, so what questions do you have? Keep in mind I don’t know everything about the Tree of Harmony, you’re better off asking the Goddess who it is named after.”
“Oh, I plan to have a talk with her soon. But for now, tell me what you know.”
“Where to start? So I and my friends first learned about it during the summer solstice 2 years ago, the first one as my time as a newly coronated Princess. An old spell of Discord’s from before he was sealed away had grown into a mess of chaotic vines that were strangling the Tree. And Princess Celestia and Luna had gone to investigate it.”
“I see.”
“I learned that the Tree itself was the origin of the Elements of Harmony. The sacred artifacts we used to save Equestria a few times. And in the end, by returning the Elements back to the Tree, we were able to save it and the Princesses. But after we did, we discovered a small box with 6 locks required to open it. And over time, we managed to five 5 of the keys before you and the Pokemon arrived.”
“Interesting, and what of the 6th key?”
“Still don’t know where it is. Although I should point out that we didn’t exactly find them in the conventional sense, they just appeared to us when we reached a certain clarity regarding our respective elements.”
“Hmmm, am I to assume your key is the last one missing?”
“...Yes.”
“I see, so aside, from this box and these keys, what else do you know about the Tree?”
“All we know is that Celestia and Luna found it one day and used the Elements in order to defeat Discord for the first time. But aside from that, we know just as much as they did back then.”
“So, you know nothing else? Nothing about the Tree that would make you suspect that it was anything abnormal or strange?”
“No, I honestly have no idea how the Tree of Harmony is the Tree of Emptiness. Nothing I found during my research of it gave me any signs that it was something strange, other than being the construct that created the Elements of Harmony.”
“Hmmm, alright, I believe you.”
“Do you have any other questions?”
“No, that's all I believe I will learn from you. Thank you for your time Princess Twilight.”
Twilight then got up from her seat, but then Arceus spoke once more.
“Actually, I do have one question.”
“Yes?”
“You said, that you found 5 keys before I arrived here with the Pokemon correct?”
“Yeah.”
“Hmmm, this is just my guess but, sometime after Hastings was arrested, I visited Harmony and had a talk with her. It was a colorful and humbling discussion. But it ended with her giving me a task that would have fallen to you and your friends.”
Twilight's eyes widened a bite as he realized what he was talking about.
“There was a villain named Tirek that was supposed to be defeated by you and your friends. But Harmony let me destroy him in exchange for allowing some of my former power to come back. And this is just a theory, but I think that might have been the moment where you were meant to acquire the 6th key.”
Twilight sighed. “You’re not wrong, Harmony actually confirmed that had things gone to plan, our fight with Tirek would have allowed me to find the 6th key.”
“...I see.”
Once again, Arceus was reminded of just how many consequences his hasty decision had on the rest of the world. How many fates he had changed with his actions. For better or for worse.
He could sense the mild sadness coming from Twilight, knowing that a crucial mystery was now left in limbo. Not to mention that buried beneath all the happiness for finding new friends in the Pokemon, there was still some lingering anger directed at him for changing their lives in so many unknown ways.
“Thank you for talking with me Princess Twilight, I’ll see you later.”
Arceus then disappeared, leaving the Alicorn alone with all her thoughts.
He then reappeared in Canterlot Castle, in the approximate location where Celestia and Luna were supposed to be.
As he was about to go and look for them, he heard a boom.
Turning his head, he saw a flood of water come down a corner of the hallway. And being carried by it was Celestia, Luna, and several guards.
The water subsided just as the Princess washed up at his feet.
“Great,” Luna said as she got up and squeezed the water out of her mane. “Now we have to fix the plumbing as well.”
“Just what is this servant? And how is he giving us such a hard time?”
“Ahem.”
Both sisters then turned around as they realized who was standing behind them.
“Arceus?”
“Hello there. Is this a bad time?”
The sound of something made of glass breaking filled the air.
“Yes, very,”
“Is there something you need Arceus?” Celestia asked.
“Yes, but for now, what seems to be troubling you?”
“Well, a rather annoying little servant has been causing mischief for the past hour,” Luna said. “He seems to have no motivation other than being a chaotic mess maker.”
“Oh, is that it?”
“Yes,” Celestia said. “Although the why escapes us.”
“...Alright then, I shall deal with him,” Arceus began to float down the hallway to the source of the noise.
“Did you happen to catch who his name was? It will give me a clue as to what type of human he was in life.”
“Oh, he’s not a human,” Luna said.
Arceus stopped.
“He’s not?”
“No, he appears to be some kind of talking monkey,” Celestia stated.
“He said his name was, Sun Wukong.”
Arceus then turned around and looked back at the princesses. The look on his facing was one of wide-eyed horror.
“Sun. Wu. Kong?”
Celestia and Luna were startled at the look on Arceus’s face.
“Uh…”
“That is his name? Are you sure!?”
“Y-yes, he has this staff that has the power to grow and shrink in size. He claimed to be a ‘Great Sage Equal to Heaven’.”
Arceus blinked before slowly turning back to look forward.
The loud noise of monkeys filled the hallways as it became louder and louder. A small rumbling was heard as they grew closer and closer.
Then, around the corner came a large army of monkeys, all of them of various shapes and sizes. Screeching, banging their chests, and doing what one would expect monkeys to do.
And leading them, was the servant in question, holding his staff with the biggest grin on his face.
It took less than an attosecond for Areus to decide on the next word to come out of his nonexistent mouth.
“Nope.”
In a flash of light, Arceus, Celestia, and Luna, were all teleported from the castle to the Hall of Legends.
“Arceus!” Celestia snapped at him, after realizing what he just did. “What was that for?”
“Why did you take us from the castle!?” Luna added.
The god of Pokemon then turned around, and look at both sisters with the most stressed and somewhat terrified look on his face they had seen so far.
“Listen very closely you two,” his voice was deathly serious. “That servant, no…that monkey! Is not someone you should ever pick a fight with!”
The look on his face was confusing to the Princesses. But they could both tell that if he was spooked by that servant, then it must be more serious than they thought.
“Arceus?”
The godly being then calmed down and let out a sigh.
“Look, before I go into full details, I will just say this. That monkey known as Sun Wukong? They do not call him, the ‘Great Sage Equal to Heaven’ for nothing. He is a menace that you would never want to face unprepared.”
Celestia and Luna both looked at each other with concerned looks on their faces before turning back to Arceus.
“Tell us what you know.”
Arceus then took a deep “breath” and sat down, Celestia and Luna doing the same.
“Throughout the many versions of Earth, each of its different and diverse cultures have many kinds of folklore, myths, and legends that they tell stories of. Even to this day they are reinvented and told again and again. Among the most famous and powerful of stories is called ‘Journey to the West’, a story about a monk who set of to find enlightenment. However, the first part of the story is not about the monk, but about the monkey who would become his pupil.”
“...Sun Wukong?” Luna guessed.
“Yes. It was said that he was born from a rock shaped like an egg, the was blessed with the power of the sun and moon.”
Both sisters blinked.
“I see.”
“He was born with many supernatural powers, and quickly amassed a large group of monkey followers, which you saw just now. A Monkey King with unmatched power.”
“Alright, but what makes him so strong?” Luna asked.
“I was getting to that. You see, Sun Wukong trained under several masters and has many powers at his disposal. These include but are not limited to: shapeshifting(72 Earthly Transformations), the ability to summersault around the world in a single bound, absurd healing, and regeneration(seriously, you could cut his head off and he’d just put it back on), protection for fire and water, fight via a magic cloud, and immortality.”
“He’s immortal?” Celestia said.
“Yes, several times over.”
“What?”
“Let me explain. The reason why Sun Wukong is so hard to beat is because he is virtually impossible to kill. He has various different forms of immortality. The first one he acquired was a Toaist immortality from one of his first teachers. Then he erased his name from the book of death, meaning death itself cannot claim him because his name is not on the list.”
“Huh?”
“Then, he ate the peaches of immortality grown in the gardens of heaven. Keep in mind, you only need to eat one to be immortal, and he ate about an entire garden of trees worth of peaches.”
“Huh!?”
“And finally, he swallowed 5 gords of immortality pills made by one of heaven’s alchemist sages. Which added several more layers of immortality to him.”
“Seriously, how much immortality does one need!? Does he intend to live long enough to not only see the end of the universe but the birth of the next one!?”
“With how immortal he is, you would think so. But all Sun Wukong wanted was to be a powerful being worthy of living in heaven. But all he did was cause them no end of trouble.”
Celestia and Luna, both had to process this for a second. Despite both of them being immortal, there were times when they both wished they could live a limited lifespan and die like everyone else. Because, unlike Arceus, they were not gods who have been around since time immemorial. They had no real interest in living forever.
“Aside from all that, he wields the size-changing staff Ruyi Jingu Bang. Originally a pillar that was meant to measure the depth of the ocean, as well as hold it together. It can be as small as a needle, or big enough to reach into space. And he can wield it with little effort no matter the size.”
“Wait, really? Just how strong is he!?”
“Well, it was said he once held up the mountain Sumeru, a mountain said to hold up the universe.”
It was at that moment that the full weight of who, or rather what they were.
“Is there no way we can beat him?” Celestia asked.
“Well, unless one of us archives the status of a Buhhda and literally becomes one with the universe. There is no easy way we can beat him.”
“...So what can we do?”
Arceus paused for a moment, his ancient mind searching for an answer that would help put them at ease.
“I will say this. Sun Wukong may be immortal, but he is not invincible. And since he is a servant, that means he did die at some point. And as a servant, there is only so much magical energy he can use at a time. So he can be defeated, just not easily so.”
“Alight then,” Celestia got up and brushed herself off. “Let us see if we can come up with a plan to beat him.”
“Yes. And I should also mention that, for all his power and arrogance. Sun Wukong is not evil, nor does he actively try to kill his opponents, he prefers making people submit to him.”
“Good, so, does anyone have any bright ideas?”
Arceus then rattled his mind. He had never been in a serious fight before. Not until recently, that is. But he had seen many things while observing the multiverse. Some of which might come in handy.
King Trot reviewed the report he had just received, which contained both good and bad news.
The refugees that had evacuated from Tortuga had made it to the nearest town, which was Alexandria. He had already given orders to send soldiers to escort them to Cario. Part of him thought that he should evacuate that settlement as well since logically the forces from the Lostbelt make their way eastward towards the capital.
The entire nation itself would soon be aware of this threat, as news of it would reach every settlement in a matter of days. Trot could only imagine the despair each person would feel upon learning this news. After all, it was still not too long ago that Zebrica was in another war, with itself.
While he could always count on Sev and the PLA to be eager to put up a good fight, he did not want to put his citizens through more pain and hardship. Life is not fair, he knew that. But he could not help but feel that Zebrica was the universe’s punching back when it came to bad things happening to it.
Things always get worse before they got better.
Trot signed a few papers that were official orders to marshall the nation's soldiers in preparation for war against these Lostbelt invaders. He handed them off to his messenger who quickly took them to where they needed to go.
He took a short break to contemplate his thoughts. Several subjects danced in his mind, and one of them came to the forefront.
It had been a day since he sent that Letter to Princess Celestia asking that she send help in order to push back this invading force. Given the seriousness and urgency, he thought he would get an immediate reply. But so far nothing. So for him to wait a whole day and get no answer, was concerning, did something happen to Princess Celestia?
As worried as he was about her, Trot knew he had to focus on what he could do now. Zebrica had to fight this enemy before they gained any more ground, with or without Princess Celestia’s help.
Trot finished signing the remaining papers and then got up to go meet with Sev. Thankfully, as eccentric as that snake was, he could always count on him.
Sev slithered through the palace as he made his way to the meeting room where his generals were waiting. He had called for a meeting with them in order to discuss the recent threats that had appeared recently. The Servant known as Ozymandias, and the newly revealed Lostbelt forces that had invaded Zebrica.
And for him, this news was welcoming. After all, the reports said that it was humans who were the enemy that came from beyond the storm wall.
Had you asked him a year ago if he hated humans, he would say “Yes” as it was the most obvious thing in the world. But upon being brought to this new world, his opinions started to change.
As a child, his entire reason for fighting humans was because his father, Commander Viper, who founded the Pokemon Liberation Army, wanted revenge on humanity. This was mostly due to their role in the death of his wife and Sev’s birth mother. His father told him that humans were evil and that the world rightfully belonged to Pokemon. He proclaimed himself as Arceus’s chosen disciple, and that his actions were not only justified but vindicated by God himself.
His first major act in his role as leader of the PLA was to conquer and occupy an island with a human research lab. They slaughtered the human population and co-oped to human technology. While to outsiders, this act was an unexpected and shocking terrorist attack, in reality, his father had taken this island in order to lure and capture an even bigger prize.
Rayquaza. The Legendary Pokemon who ruled the skies.
Using the weapons created in the island's labs, the PLA was successful in capturing the mighty dragon. Viper took that time in order to try and convince Rayquaza to join their side and see that his cause was righteous. And if that didn’t work, Voria, the mother of Gard and Viper’s new lover, would make him see that light.
But everything went downhill from there.
Human forces came to take back the island, and they put up a good fight. Then eventually a strike team that was sent to free Rayquaza, succeeded in freeing the Legendary, while also killing Voria, and causing Viper to lose an eye.
Despite being Gard’s mother, and in a sense, his new stepmom, Sev never really liked her. So he felt nothing when she died.
After that, a special private military force arrived, led by a woman named Cynder. She challenged his father to single combat on the condition that whoever dies, the loser side will leave the island.
That was the day his father died.
The PLA retreated, and as one final insult, his closest friend, Gard was captured by one of the soldiers via Pokeball.
But if there was one thing that Sev could say was good about that whole experience, was that he met his adoptive mother, Joy.
Joy made Sev feel happy in a way he had never felt in a long time. Unlike his father, Joy showed him true and unselfish kindness. She taught him things, about being nice and how Sev deep down is a good person.
Once he ascended to the leadership of the PLA side continued to fight humans but in his own way. He still viewed them as enemies needing to be overthrown, but he would not mindlessly slaughter and exterminate them as his father did. He would take them down through more practical means.
Means such as replacing all their food with tapioca pudding, and painting their faces pink. Or clogging their toilets full of toilet paper.
Oh, he had many great plans, but none of them ever saw the light of day when he came here.
Arceus freed himself and took all he deemed worthy to this new world, with the humans being transformed into Pokemon as a ”gift” for being good to Pokemon.
At first, this infuriated a lot of the PLA, that humans now wore their skin and form. It was heresy of the highest offense!
Sev didn’t know what he would have done, but before he could do anything about the humans, he met her.
Princess Luna of Equestria.
Through her, Sev began to come to a realization, that despite everything he was told about humanity, not all of them were bad. He still considered Pokemon to be superior, but the point of being better was not to belittle but to show others how to be better.
Now even before this, aside from his mother, there were humans who were part of the PLA, if you could believe it or not. But Sev did not consider them humans, he considered them Pokemon. Because in his mind, humans were an evil species, and any human that was good could not possibly be human. And so his brain could only see humans like his adoptive mother as Pokemon since only Pokemon were good.
It took a stern talk from Princess Luna to open his eyes to this contradiction. He had to acknowledge that his mother was human, even if she currently was not one anymore.
Through his experiences on this new planet, Sev began to reevaluate his thoughts on humans. He could no longer see them as 100% evil, nor could he aspire to overthrow them as he planned. As thanks to Arceus, the PLA’s mission was essentially complete, humans no longer held dominion over Pokemon.
He still didn’t really like them overall though. One does not get over their hatred for an entire race in one night. That fact that a former human was dating his daughter(whom he only just learned existed) did not help.
And despite the fact that he held very little love for his father, the values he instilled in him as a child were hard to get rid of. Even though he was dead, some part of him still held sway in Sev’s broken mind.
Sev wondered what the ghost of his father would say if it was still haunting him. If he was here to comment on what was currently happening.
He would probably be in disgust over the fact that humans were a species that existed in many other worlds and universes other than their own, as Arceus had admitted. He would vow to destroy every Servant, to tear down and eradicate their Counter Force, and break the Throne of Heroes. He would curse and scream that it was unfair that humans held such importance in this world, that entire timelines were erased simply because they weren’t prospering.
Thankfully, Luna removed whatever remained of his father's ghost from his mind.
So for a while, his view on humans had not really changed all that much, until recently that is.
When it was learned that humans would once again be their enemy in a conflict to be the ones who rule the planet. Sev could not help but feel glad to be fighting humans once again.
Why is that? Was it because his PLA could once again fulfill its original purpose? Was it because he could fight humans in a justified way that no one would fault him for? Or was it because Sev once again had an excuse to fight something?
He pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind as he opened the doors to the meeting room. All eyes were on him as he made his way to his seat, all the while taking attendance on who was here.
The Pokemon Liberation Army was led by many Generals, who all had a distinct role in managing the various divisions that made up their forces. And most of them were here.
General Rio, leader of the Lucario special forces and father to the Riolu named Lu, who was the boyfriend of Sev’s litter sister Lia. He and his team loved adventure, which is why he joined Sev’s army. That and Sev was very charismatic despite his many quirks. In fact, most of the PLA followed Sev’s lead due to his silver tongue, as without that they likely would have abandoned him long ago. Rio was not the most obedient when it came to following orders, but Sev didn’t really care all that much since he was pretty loose when it came to regulations anyway.
Next was General Loom, a Breloom. Chief Engineer and the one in charge of the science and technology division, which was responsible for the development of weapons and gadgets that gave them an edge in fights. However, he was not a fighter and avoid being on the front lines. Plus he would often just send spies in order to steal tech rather than make it himself. And what he did acquire was not very useful at all. Still, he was the smartest and most understanding of human tech, so that's why Sev kept him.
Sitting across from him was General Char, son of the late General Zard. The Charmeleon was the most religiously devout of the PLA and the one who believed in the cause the most. His father died saving his son from humans, so that made him an even more fanatic follower. Sev wondered what his opinions were on what the PLA had become today.
To his left was General Pert, a large Swampert that was mute due to an old wound in his windpipe. He was the General in charge of their aquatic forces. He was a rigid and reliable person with a no-nonsense attitude which helped balance out the other less serious PLA members.
Next came General Ag, an Aggron and the only female General. The commanding officer of their ground forces and the head Drill Instructor. It was thanks to her that the PLA was an actually competent fighting force.
This made her very different from General Ludi, the Morals officer who was in charge of keeping troop morale up with his parties and the delicious food that made.
Another General was General Drill. His role was not as impressive compared to others, but it was no less important. He was in charge of excavation and tunning, which was very useful in the construction of their former underground base, among other things. Having been recused from Team Rocket along with several other Pokemon, he showed his gratitude by joining the PLA.
And last but not least was General Gard, his best friend, and their most powerful Psychic Pokemon. After being captured, he was raised by the daughter of the man who put him in a Pokeball. Said daughter was kind to him, not to mention a ballerina. Being a Kirlia at the time, Gard would practice along with his human trainer. It was through that he became close with Ag who was also a Pokemon owned by the daughter at the time. When Gard came back to the PLA, Ag joined him, and the two of them became a literal power couple.
So it would surprise you to know that the two most feared Generals in the PLA were not only very publicly affectionate with one another, but they incorporated their ballerina dancing into their fighting styles.
For Ag, it barely made her less intimidating since she was still a very good fighter. But for Gard, it didn’t help him in increasing his masculinity. Combined with the fact that he was a Gardivor, he got mistaken for a woman on more than one occasion.
The only General that was missing from the table was Scep, the commander of the Reconnaissance Teams, aka their spy network. A natural-born thief, he was good at slipping in and out undetected by human security. Unfortunately, the PLA had not seen him since they had arrived on this planet. While most of the army made landfall in Zebrica, some others were scattered all over the world. Aside from him, other important members like their best assassin Roa as well as Agent Gold were M.I.A.
However Sev did learn later on from Princess Luna that Scep was last seen traveling with the infamous Phantom Theif Fox. But since trying to track down Fox was harder than a needle in a haystack, no one bothered trying to bring him back. As such, his duties were fulfilled by General Drill in the meantime.
And so with him still missing, his Mother Joy was now a part of these meetings. As the former Nurse Joy turned Audino was a voice of reason Sev would listen to.
Sev sat down next to his mother and General Gard, then the meeting began.
“Alright, how is everyone doing? Great!? Then let's get started.”
All the Generals sat at attention as Sev spoke, despite all their differences, they still at the end of the day listened to Sev, no matter how ridiculous his ideas were.
“Now, as you all know, King Trot had informed us that Zebrica has been invaded by forces from beyond the Lostbelt wall. We all knew this was coming, and what's more, it had been confirmed that these invaders are human.”
General Char spoke up.
“What kind of humans are we talking about commander? Are they the blaphomus kind? The ones that deserve to be cut down in the name of Arceus?”
“Pretty much yes General Char! They have already laid siege to a town and perpetrated an act of war against this country.”
“YES! They shall rue the day they day challenged the PLA and its blessed followers!”
General Gard then chimmed in.
“So, these are not the Chaldeans we have heard so much about? But rather an army from these Lostbelts?”
“Correct, while I like many of you were expecting the opportunity to fight against Chaldea, this was another threat we were warned about. These Lostbelts as you all should know by now are other worlds and timelines that were brought back from oblivion in order to conquer our new home. I won’t be going into full detail again, so you’ll all just have to ask Loom for the whole picture if you want.”
“I just want to add that this is all still kinda confusing even to me,” General Loom said.
“Anyway, now that we know this threat exists, it's our job as defenders of this land to protect it from those who would harm it, regardless if they are human or not.”
“So what exactly do you have in mind?”
“Excellent question Gard. Now, as you all know, I have had many great ideas in the past.”
Several Pokemon raised their eyebrows in doubt.
“But I think that this time, I might have just come up with our greatest idea yet. And as I am Sev, this plan shall not fail!”
Sev slammed his tail on the table.
“I propose, that we summon a Servant!”
Everyone just stared at him.
At this point, it was Joy’s turn to speak.
“Sev, I know you mean well, and I can see why you would put such an idea on a table, but I have to ask you something.”
“Ask away my beloved mother!”
“Do you even know how to summon a servant?”
Sev’s mind drew a blank, before rebooting and pick up where it left off.
“No, but I’m sure I will know soon enough, after all, nothing is beyond me. I am Sev, if I say something will be done, it will be done. Regardless if the world wants it not done.”
“Commander Sev,” said General Drill. “I would have to ask, how much do we even know about Servants?”
“A lot!” Sev turned his head. “Loom, tell him what we know.”
Loom adjusted his goggles as he recalled the information from his brain.
“From what our intelligence team had gathered, and from the statements Sev gave from the Goddess known as Harmony, Servants are magical ghostly familiars. They are the manifestation of past heroes and figures from this world's human history. They are summoned from some extra-dimensional place known as the “Throne of Heroes” by a supernatural force known as the Counter Force. The Counter Force as we all know is the collective unconscious will of mankind to avoid extinction. A deterrent against whatever presents a threat to the human race. Servants are powerful beings, and despite being technically ghosts, one was able to fight against Princess Celestia. So it can be assumed that Servants are just as powerful as Legendary Pokemon.”
“But none will ever be as powerful as Lord Arceus,” Char added.
“Well, that may be possible. Anyway, these servants so far appear to only be able to be summoned in the presence of a Ley Line, magical focal points where the mana of the world is distributed from.”
“Well we already got a problem right there,” Gard said. “All the Ley Lines in Zebrica were destroyed during the war thanks to that Witch Thirst.”
“As I said, even if the world does not want it to happen, I will make it happen.”
“But how will you summon a servant if there are no Ley Lines to provide the mana that allows you to summon them?”
“Ah, but you forget, a servant has been summoned to this land without Ley Lines. The one who sits in that Pyramid and claims to be this kingdom's rightful ruler!”
“...Oh you mean.”
“Yes, I shall simply go and ask that Ozymandias person to help me summon a servant!”
Trot finally made it to the room where Sev was holding his meeting. From what he was told, the snake had gathered all his Generals for this. Understandable since Zebrica was once again at war, and with Sev’s army making up half of the nation's forces, having all the Generals present was necessary.
The guards who were at the door acknowledged him and made way for the King, he then knocked on the door.
“Come in!” said Sev from the inside.
Trot opened the door and walked inside to the sight of all the Pokemon gathered there.
“Ah Trot, you made it just in time! We were just beginning to discuss my brilliant plan!”
“Oh, and just what kind of brilliant plan is this?” Trot said as he took a seat next to Sev.
“We are going to summon a servant to fight for us. For Zebrica!”
“Oh, you’re committed to that plan?” Trot said sarcastically.
“I am committed to everything! My plans, my women, my need for speed, my women!”
“You said women twice.”
“That just shows I am twice as committed!”
Trot just raised a brow.
“But enough about my women! We need to summon a servant so that we can even the odds against these invaders from the Lostbelt!”
“And how do you plan to do that? All the Ley Lines in Zebrica are destroyed. And if from what we heard is true, you need those things in order to call a servant.”
“Ah but you forget, there is a servant here in Zebrica who was summoned despite no ley line. That Ozymandias person! All we have to do is ask him and he’ll tell us how to do it!”
As soon as ‘his’ name was brought up, Trot’s mood took a 180.
“No.”
“Great so lets-...come again?”
“No, we will not be talking to or associating ourselves with that egotistical usurper!”
“Trot?”
It was at this point that Gard spoke up.
“Your majesty, I know Sev’s plans can be unconventional, but they have worked well in the past….most of the time.”
“Don’t get me wrong I understand and can even see the logic and merit in Sev’s plan, but anything that has to do with that Servant who claims to be Zebrica’s rightful ruler is out of the question!”
Trot put his hooves on the table in an assertive manner.
“I have spoken. I would literally like to discuss anything else.”
There was a moment of silence. Sev looked like he wanted to protest, but the look in Trot’s eye says he was not in the mood. He decided to table the discussion for another time.
“Alright, if we cannot talk about my amazing plan. Then I guess we can discuss how we might find other ways to fight this army. Any ideas?”
“So far they have occupied Tortuga and the surrounding area,” General Ag said. “They have not made any movements yet, but if they wanted to advance on the capital. They would have to go eastward. I suggest we send a vanguard to keep them at bay for now.”
“Agreed,” Trot said. “Any time we can buy is good.
“Given that our army is still weak and reduced from our last war, Is there any way we might be able to contact other nations for aid?”
Trot had to ramble his mind for a second. After all aid from other nations was always a topic that was rarely discussed.
Before his ascension to the throne, Zebrica was always an isolationist nation. Not needing help or playing politics with anyone else. That slowly changed when Celestia befriended his mother, but there was always pushback from the other closed-minded tribe leaders.
During the Civil War, when all the tribes began taking sides. Trot tried to ask for aid at the time but to no avail.
Due to not having any relationships with most other nations, none of them had the care to send aid to a nation that was currently in an internal power struggle. Not to mention the other nations were still trying to adjust to integrating Pokemon into their society after the World Summit. Which meant none of them were in the best state to send aid anyway.
Granted the situation was different now than it was before. With the current threat posing a danger to not just Zebrica, but the world. So one would expect things to be different.
So far, there were only two nations that he would consider to be on good terms with, Equestria and the Changeling Empire, due to his friendships with the ruling families of those nations.
So far he had only reached out to Celestia, but had yet to hear a word from her. And as for the Changeling Empire, well….they were dealing with their own problems. Namely the fact that Queen Chrysalis, his (one-sided) crush had escaped from her prison. Emperor Carapace had informed only the world leaders of this incident, which they all agreed to keep under wraps for the time being. After all, everyone had enough problems on their plate already.
So as of right now, allies were out of the question.
“I don’t think so, the other nations are busy with their own servant problems. And I haven't heard back from Celestia ever since I sent her a letter for help. Which worries me since her replies are rather quick.”
“What if we were to ask the Legendary Council for aid?” General Char said. “Surely Arceus would be willing to lend his most loyal supporters one of his family members for help.”
Now it was Sev’s turn to wrack his brain. Ever since he found out that Arceus didn’t even know who he was, until the World Summit, his faith in his creator god had plummeted. Which was one of the reasons he had switched his patron deity to Princess Luna, the one who actually helped him when he needed it.
Still, given the power of the Legendary Pokemon, it would not hurt to ask.
“I shall see what I can do. I may not like Arceus anymore, but he would be foolish to not send us any help considering what’s at stake.”
“Alright, aside from allies, what else can we do?” Ag said.
“I suggest we evacuate the towns and cities closest to Tortuga,” Sev said. “In all likelihood, they will be in the path of destruction the humans will inevitably create when they begin to attack the rest of the kingdom.”
“Good call, Trot said. In the meantime, let’s get the army in full swing. I must also address the nation…something I’m not looking forward to.”
“They already just got out of one war, now it's back into the frying pan.”
“Alright, any other ideas?” Sev looked around.” No? Then this meeting is adjured!”
Everyone began to file out, but Sev called out to stop Trot.
“Trot, I must ask you something.”
“What?”
“Part of me is telling me I should not pry, but why are you so against the idea of us going to that Ozymandias servant for aid?”
Trot gave him a look as if he just wanted to walk out the door and not say another word. But since they were alone now, he felt comfortable enough to share his insecurities.
“Sev, has anyone ever tried to usurp you from your command?”
The Pokemon tapped his chin with his tail before saying, “No”.
“No? Not ever, nobody was fed up with you so much that they decided they should be the one in charge?”
“No…well, I think there was that one group who defected to form their own team. But aside from that, everyone loves me! No one has ever attempted high treason in my PLA!”
Trot at first found that hard to believe, but the more had gotten to know Sev, the more he realized that the snake possessed something he sorely lacked.
Charisma, it was practically brimming from him. It was the only explanation as to why an entire army of Pokemon stuck with him for so long despite his mind not being the most sane.
“Well, then I can’t expect you to understand how I feel.”
“Still, you can tell me what’s bothering you. We are friends after all.”
Friends, another thing he was short in supply of.
Still, Celestia taught him that friendship is magic. And Celestia was never wrong.
“To be honest Sev, I feel intimidated, not to mention inadequate.”
“Intimidated? But that Servant?”
“Yes, I mean have you seen that guy!? Not only is he super powerful, but I bet he’s got a bigger ego than you.”
“That's ridiculous! No one had a bigger ego than me!”
Trot just deadpanned “At least he admits it”
“But forget about me, what is he to you? You are the leader of a mighty nation! A king whom all adore and listen to.”
“Sev, I don’t know if you have paid attention for the last year, but I am not any of those things!” Trot started to raise his voice. “I’m not even a decade into my rule and already I have been through a Civil War.”
“One that was started because of a few traitors.”
“Sev, internal conflicts don’t ever happen unless not everyone is happy with the status quo, or who is in charge. If everyone adores me like you claim, they would not have followed those quote ‘Few traitors’. And a mighty nation? Zebrica might as well be a third-world country with how weak and unstable it is.”
Trot hung his head
“I just….I feel like…”
“You're unworthy.”
Trot looked up at Sev who had a firm look on his face.
“That’s what’s been bothering you? You feel weak and inferior compared to everyone else.”
Trot said nothing, because Sev was saying exactly what he was thinking.
“Fool!”
The Zebra King was taken aback by Sev’s outburst.
“If you were weak and inferior, you would not be standing here today. A weakling could not have done what you have, much less survive it all!”
Sev closed the gap between them and stared right into his eyes.
“The Trot I know would not be having a pity party just because some human came along who thinks he is better than you! Cause if that Trot is gone-”
Sev then slithered past him until he was at the door, before turning his head and saying.
“-Then we have already lost.”
Trot was then alone in the room, with nothing but his thoughts and the words Sev said to him.
