My Little Pony: Arceus and the Displaced Village

Chapters

Lost
Found
Spreading the Word
Far and Wide
Sought
Long Time
Reunion Part I
Reunion Part II

Lost

“Okay, good. The banners are hung properly,” Twilight muttered, checking off another item on her list. Four other scrolls orbited around her, each with its own quill. Accompanied by a pair of unicorn guards, she made her way across the clearing to where the stage was being prepared. A frown crossed her muzzle as she peered at the base of the stage. “Wait, hold on a second. This is all wrong.”

“What is it, Twilight?” Princess Celestia asked as she trotted over.

“The stage is just a little off center, which doesn’t make any sense. Did somepony move it?” Twilight asked as she glanced up at her former mentor.

“I don’t think that’s likely, Twilight,” Celestia replied, looking closer at the stage. “I suppose it’s possible you might have missed it. It has been ten years since we've held a Summer Sun Celebration here, after all.”

“No, I couldn’t have,” Twilight muttered as she unrolled the scroll. “No, it says right here, ‘Stage position’, and it’s checked. So I checked it.” She frowned, "Unless I mis-checked it... ugh, this is why I wish Spike were here, he never mischecks things..."

“Well, even if it's a little out of place, you should enjoy yourself more. This is your first time attending one of these as a princess, after all,” Celestia said with a wink. Glancing up at the sun, she rubbed a hoof at her forehead. "Does it feel hot out here to you, Twilight?"

“What do you mean, Princess?” Twilight asked.

Celestia glared up at the sun, then gripped her horn with a hoof, dragging it down her face like a zipper. Too stunned to even say anything, Twilight, the guards, and the castle staff stared incredulously as something began to force its way free of Celestia’s body.

“I swear, I don’t know how Pinkie does it,” the mismatched creature said sardonically, squirming awkwardly as a pair of arms joined its head, pushing the limp skin off. “Her costumes just don’t breathe at all.”

“Discord! Just what is the meaning of this? Where is Princess Celestia?” Twilight demanded, annoyance replacing her prior shock.

Discord shook his leg, tossing the costume to the side. “Heck if I know, probably still up in the castle. She wouldn’t let me help with any of the preparations, so I decided to borrow this from Pinkie and stir up some fun.” He glanced back at it, then snapped his fingers. The costume shimmered and exploded into butterflies, each colored to match where on the costume it had come from. “We’re going to Donut Joe’s later, do you want to come?”

Twilight shuddered. “Thanks, but I think I’ll pass.” Being anywhere near Pinkie Pie on sugar could be considered a health hazard, let alone when Discord was added to the formula.

“Oh well, suit yourself.” Discord snapped his claws again, and the swirling butterflies organized into a conga line that filed into his ear. "You and I both know you'd lose anyway."

Twilight snorted in dismissal. “Just... try not to break anything,” she muttered, turning to inspect the stage again. Frowning at the errant corner, a pulse of her magic returned it to its proper place. “Okay, now that that’s done, next up is the food preparation. Hopefully Applejack and the kitchen staff aren’t at each other’s throats again...”

Discord waited until he was sure Twilight was far enough away, then flicked his talon at the stage. With a slight groan of protest, it was once again slightly out of alignment. “There, much better.” With a chuckle, he plucked a pair of sunglasses out of the last two butterflies and perched them on his nose. “Now, can’t keep Pinkie waiting. Maybe this time I’ll beat her in that donut eating contest...” he mused as he walked directly up into the sky.

“Come on everypony, let’s keep it up!” Mayor Mare shouted encouragingly. “We’ve only got a little bit more to go, and then we’ll get the celebration underway!”

There was a cheer as the ponies working to decorate Town Hall redoubled their efforts. The layout wasn’t quite as precise as last year with Rarity away in Canterlot, but the town made do like it always did. Ribbons snaked their way back and forth overhead, while the banners had been carefully taken out of storage and hung. Tables were placed along the wall, ponies bringing in decorations, trays, and baskets of food in an almost never-ending stream.

Mayor trotted through the chaos with ease, nodding as she passed each station. “Come on Cloudchaser, Flitter, let's get those ribbons up. Blossomforth, careful with that banner. Okay, that's done... food preparation's next. Big Macintosh!" she called. "The food will be ready on time, yes?"

He nodded, switching his wheat stalk to the other corner of his mouth. “Eeyup.”

“Excellent, give my thanks to Granny Smith for giving us part of the harvest.” She turned, giving the decorations another glance, before a blur of motion caught her eye. “And just where are you taking that lumber, you three?”

Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, and Applebloom all froze, and the planks they’d been carrying fell to the floor. “Umm, recycling?” Sweetie Belle replied with a weak grin.

Mayor Mare simply shook her head. “I don't know what you have planned, and that's probably for the better, but it stays here. Now, the preparations are almost complete, so run along and play.”

The fillies nodded, and galloped for the door. “Well, that was a bust. Where are we going to find the wood for our Decoration Cannon?” Scootaloo asked irritably.

“I dunno... do you think that maybe we should have asked Pinkie about how the Party Cannon works before she left for Canterlot?” Sweetie Belle replied, scuffing at the ground with a hoof. “What do you think, Applebloom?” When no reply came, she turned to see the filly staring up at the sky in confusion. “What is it?”

“Should the sky be glowin’ like that?” Applebloom asked, pointing with a hoof as the other two Crusaders looked up.

The Summer Sun Celebration was in full swing, the moon almost at the height of the sky. The Bearers held the seats of honor next to the Princesses. Celestia was absent for the time being, opting to prepare herself for the sunrise. On Cadance’s far side, her husband Shining Armor was in the middle of a story about Twilight as a foal.

“—and so then Twilight looks up at me from the floor, maple syrup is just everywhere, and she says with a completely straight face: ‘Smartypants did it.’”

The entire table burst into laughter, while Twilight’s face burned red.

“Oh, and how about the time I caught you and Cadance ‘wrestling’ in Mom and Dad’s room?” Twilight finally shot back.

Cadance buried her face in her hooves, while Shining rolled his eyes. “Twily, I keep telling you, we really were wrestling.” He sighed dejectedly. “Although, Cady usually wins.”

Rarity laughed as she levitated her wineglass for a drink, but also to bat her eyelashes at a particularly attractive stallion. No sense letting her last foray into romance color the future. "I'm just relieved to have some time away from the Boutique. My new dress line may be turning heads, but spend enough time in front of the sewing machine and it starts to haunt you."

"I hear ya, Rare," Applejack said as she reached for another roll. "Apple trees do the same thing." She glanced down towards Fluttershy. "Don't let me forget, we got to talk to those beavers of yours. I caught 'em tryin' to back up the stream in the south field again."

"Oh, of course," Fluttershy replied. "I'm sure they wouldn't mind moving to the river next to the farm. We'll go see them as soon as we get back to Ponyville."

Pinkie had elected to sit next to Discord, and the two were leaning in close, pencils scribbling as they swapped joke pointers. "See, you've got it all wrong, Discord," Pinkie whispered, glancing at Rainbow Dash with a giggle. "On the spot jokes are great, but it's the ones that take time that are the best. For example, Rainbow's going to find out I added a little something special to her cider, but not until tomorrow morning when she wakes up with rainbow teeth!" She stifled a louder giggle as Rainbow gave her a wary look.

Rarity smiled at her friend's antics as she took another sip of wine, then wiped at her muzzle. Sure, they were still drawing dismissive glances from the Canterlot elite, but overall the affair was going splendidly. She could see a few of her dresses among the crowd, and could already guess how many new orders she'd receive. Lowering her napkin, she frowned as she saw a bright crimson stain. “That’s odd, the wine isn’t this shade of red.”

She was about to ask a passing server for another when the armored pegasus crashed into the table. Dishes flew everywhere as the thick wood , and for a long second everypony was deathly silent, trying to figure out just what had happened. Then somepony screamed, and the dam broke: some ponies ran away, others fainted, and a few crowded forward to try to help.

“My dress!” Rarity shrieked on instinct, before she remembered what had caused the mess in the first place. “Is he alright?”

Princess Luna had already gotten to her hooves and was staring intently at the stallion’s hindleg. “I’m afraid he is not.” She turned her head as another pegasus guard landed. “Send for the medical unicorns at once. I will tend to him until they arrive. Everypony else, please give me some room.”

“Of course, your Highness.” The guard saluted and took off again, angling toward the city. The crowd of ponies began to move back, forming a quiet circle around the fallen pony.

Satisfied, Luna lowered her head to examine the injured guard’s hindleg. He’d managed to wrap it to contain the worst of the bleeding, but it couldn’t hide one simple fact. A good three inches had been sheared off, almost a perfect cut. She frowned and lit her horn, her magic reaching out to envelop his leg. For a few seconds she concentrated, but the leg stubbornly refused to stop bleeding. Her frown deepened and she levitated a few napkins over to help bandage the injury. Once they were secure she turned her attention to his head, using a trickle of power to bring him back to wakefulness.

He shouted incoherently, wings spasming; and she used another dose of power to calm him. “Be at peace, you are safe now.”

“Prin-Princess?” he asked, a slight waver in his voice. “Had to get to Canterlot... tell you...”

“Tell me what?” she queried gently.

“Ponyville... it’s gone.”

Found

The floor chimed as he climbed off the stair, ringing off the columns spaced around the perimeter. Almost simultaneously, the howling wind died down and he shivered nervously.

“Okay, deep breaths. You’ve been preparing for this for a long time,” he muttered as he stared through the floor, the mountaintop visible far below. Looking up, he saw his goal standing atop the pedestal at the far side. It stared at him haughtily, red eyes narrowed as he took another step closer.

“I’ve passed your tests, and I’ve come to capture you!” he shouted as he reached for the orb as his side. “Let’s show him what we’re made of, Garchomp!” He threw the pokeball, and in a burst of light his companion materialized.

Garchomp hissed as Arceus took its own step forward, the air around it beginning to ripple as it drew on its energy. “Are you up yet, dear?” it suddenly asked, the voice strangely familiar.

“What?” he asked, blinking. The reports he’d studied said it could speak, but none of them mentioned it sounding like that.

“Pound Cake, you’re going to be late!” Arceus shouted, the force knocking him and Garchomp off the edge of the platform. His scream was lost as he fell into the darkness…and hit the floor of his bedroom with a grunt. He opened his eyes, panicking briefly as he couldn’t see, until he realized it was his sheets.

“Pound, we talked about this last night!” the voice shouted again, and he cringed as his door swung open. Cup Cake sighed as she saw the bundle of sheets on the floor. “You were so excited when you went to bed, I’d think you would be more prepared than this. Your sister’s already had her breakfast and left for the Mayor’s office.”

Pound flailed about until he threw the sheet back onto his bed, wings and mane rumpled as he bolted to his hooves. “Wait, Pumpkin’s already gone? What time is it?”

Cup glanced at the clock on the nightstand. “Well, it’s ten past nine, so—” she was cut off as Pound buzzed his wings, the colt dashing past her into the hallway for the door.

“I’m gonna be late! Gotta hurry!”

*****

Twilight coughed as she flapped her wings, blowing the smoke away from the table. “Please tell me that it worked,” she muttered as she fought not to sneeze. The walls were covered in runes, some drawn on paper covering ones etched into the walls. As she glanced at the ruby in the array’s center, her ears fell flat. “No.”

The ruby remained stubbornly red, when it should be white.

“Another failure,” Twilight whispered, before her mane started to wave, the air rippling from the power she was bleeding. “Another cursed failure!” She snatched up the gem and flung it at the wall, shards scattering across the room. Her guards remained silent, though one quietly thanked his armor as a larger piece ricocheted off his helmet.

“You know Twilight, a princes really should regulate her emotions better,” Discord said with a chuckle as he heaved himself out of the shards. The horde of miniature draconnequi marched toward and into each other, until he’d reached his usual height. “An alicorn even more so. Don’t want to follow the same path that little scamp Sombra did, after all.”

“I’m doing the best I can!” Twilight snapped, the temperature in the room rising almost ten degrees. She realized it a second later and took a deep breath, the heat dissipating as she exhaled. “Sorry.”

“As fun as you going solar would be, I’m sure your guards appreciate the restraint. Besides, I’m already perfectly tanned, no sense ruining my base layer,” Discord replied, flexing idly. “So, another failure, hmm? I’m surprised, I’d have thought the illustrious Twilight Sparkle could have solved this in a day, much less a week.”

Twilight sighed. “I’m running out of ideas. I’ve never seen any magic like what the samples from the crater were saturated with. Teleporting spells go nowhere, Spike's magical flames just fizzle out. I even had Zecora test her alchemy on them, but nothing came of it either. We’re going through the Archives now, maybe there’s something in there.”

Discord tapped a claw on his chin. “Or maybe you’re not expanding your horizons enough. Why does it always have to be magic with you ponies?”

Twilight rolled her eyes. “Okay then, if it’s not magic, than what is it?”

“Heck if I know.” Discord shrugged, then reached behind Twilight’s ear. “But I do know that if you want to scry a place, you need something from there first.” He withdrew an amethyst, the top half neatly sheared off.

“Where did you get this? We dug extensively through the crater and couldn’t find any gems like this.” Twilight seized it with her magic, but immediately dropped it as her magic started to hiss. “What did you do to it?”

“Now that’s just rude, Twilight. I did nothing to it… well, aside from picking it up, taking it back in time, and letting the… whatever it was take half of it with it.” He rubbed the top of his head absently. “Nearly took some of my luxurious hair with it, too.” A comb grew out of his talons as a golden-blonde wig appeared atop his head. Ignoring Twilight, he started to comb it reverently.

“You mean… you…” Twilight sputtered. “Why didn’t you tell us this sooner?”

“Because I wanted to see if you could put the pieces together yourself, of course,” Discord snorted haughtily, dispelling the comb and wig. “Well, and I suppose I might not have thought of it until last night, and it took me a couple tries to get right. Time travelling to a spot where you have a split-second to put a gem next to an extra-dimensional anomaly isn’t easy, you know.” He glanced her way, and seeing Twilight’s frustrated scowl, sighed. “And… I wasn’t thinking entirely clearly, either.” He put a paw on Twilight’s shoulder. “I do have friends there too, you know.”

Twilight nodded, a slight smile on her face. “I know. And thank you. This gem might be the best chance we have yet!” She trotted eagerly toward her table, magic already sweeping it clean.

“Twilight?” Discord called. “Good luck.” He grinned sheepishly. “I’ll also need that paw back.”

Twilight sighed and levitated the paw off her shoulder. She started to float it toward him, but stopped as a smirk began to grow on her muzzle. “Nah, that’s too easy.” She turned, and tossed it out the window. “Next time, keep em to yourself.”

Discord laughed. “And here I was starting to worry there was no hope for you at all.”

Twilight rolled her eyes as she carefully set the gem in the center of the array. “Okay. Let’s see what we’ve got…” Her magic flowed into the outer circle, the runes starting to reflect the light.

Zipping past the Pokemon Center, Pound felt his wings burning as he pushed them to their limit. He flashed through the market, barely dodging the shoppers with shouted apologies. City Hall was just on the other side, and he could see the gathered ponies, humans, and pokemon.

“I just want to thank everypony for coming,” the Mayor’s voice called out. “In the ten years since the accident that brought our town here, the humans and Pokemon alike have welcomed us with open arms. Sure, it was a little tough at first,” a ripple of laughter ran through the crowd as she smiled, “but together we found our place. It is in the spirit of that unity that we present these young ponies with their first companions, to undertake their own pokemon journeys.”

She turned to a small pedestal, upon which several pokeballs lay. “Inside each of these pokeballs is a pokemon, given to us by the Pokemon League, Sinnoh Branch. Choose wisely, each one has their own strengths and weaknesses.” She consulted her clipboard. “Pumpkin Cake, since you were first to arrive, you may choose your partner first.” Pound winced as his sister stuck her tongue out at him before walking up to the pedestal.

“Hmmmm… I’m choosing you, Chimchar!” she proclaimed, tapping the middle pokeball with a hoof. The simian appeared in a flash of light, squinting at the sudden brightness. Once its vision cleared, it peered at Pumpkin curiously before hugging her.

“An excellent choice, Pumpkin!” Mayor smiled, before turning to the next pony in line. “Cream Puff, it’s your turn.”

Cream gulped, the earth pony nervously approaching the remaining two pokeballs. “Um, I think I’m going to pick Piplup.” She tapped the pokeball, flinching as the penguin pokemon materialized in front of her. “Well hello there,” she said, only to blink as the pokemon turned away from her dismissively. “Come on, don’t be like that. My name’s Cream Puff, I’m your trainer now.”

Piplup gave her a glance and huffed, starting to waddle away.

“H-hey! Don’t wander off!” Cream shouted, grabbing the pokeball and hurrying after it.

“Well, all the best of luck, Cream!” Mayor called after her before turning to Pound. “And that leaves you with Turtwig, Pound. I know that together, you’ll teach each other plenty—” She stopped as the sky abruptly pulsed purple, the air crackling with static electricity. The open space on the stage seemed to twist in on itself, before collapsing into a swirling tunnel. Many of the assembled trainers readied their pokeballs, while the free pokemon took up fighting stances.

“Everypony stay calm!” Mayor shouted, motioning for Pound to stand behind her. “This can’t be…” she whispered.

“What is it, Mayor?” Pound asked, nervously picking up Turtwig’s pokeball.

Whatever Mayor Mare was going to say was left unsaid as a shadowed figure became visible in the tunnel. Features gradually came into focus, until purple hooves stepped cautiously onto the stage.

“T-Twilight?” Mayor asked incredulously.

Twilight gaped, before she charged forward and swept the elderly mare up in a hug. “Mayor, it’s so good to see you! After what happened, I was so worried, everypony was! I don’t think anypony slept this past week, we were working so hard—”

“A week?” Mayor blurted, eyes growing wide. “Twilight, did you say a week?”

“Well yes, I… I did...” Twilight’s eyes soon matched Mayor’s as she looked around town. “Mayor… how long has it been for you?”

Mayor took a deep breath. “Twilight… I don’t know how else to tell you… But it’s been ten years.”

Spreading the Word

Twilight had battled against insane alicorns, a rogue god, an army of shapeshifters, an entity of darkness, and worse in her life. Her powers were still growing as she continued to come into her newfound status. And yet, despite all that she’d seen in her relatively short life, nothing had given her pause like those five words. “But… wait, what?”

Mayor Mare nodded somberly, almost unwilling to meet her gaze. “I’m afraid so, Twilight.”

Twilight took a hesitant step back, shaking her head slowly. “No… no, that’s impossible…” She looked around, finally taking in the strange buildings that hadn’t been in town a week ago, the strange creatures standing beside the townsponies. “But I just saw you all last week…” She stopped as she saw a familiar figure in the crowd. “Big Mac!” She half-jumped, half-glided down from the platform to him. “This has to be some kind of hallucination, right? Something from the Everfree, or one of Discord’s pranks—”

“Eenope,” Big Mac said firmly, putting a hoof on her shoulder. “It’s been ten years, Princess.”

She stared up at him, eyes pleading as they met his. The usual laconic expression was still there, but it was weighed down by sorrow and resignation. She shivered as it started to sink in that the mayor might be right, that it really had been ten years. Her ears fell flat as she tried to rationalize the magnitude of the disaster, and tried to figure out a way to fix it.

“Twilight, I know this is a shock for you,” Mayor Mare said as she climbed down from the platform. “Believe me, it was for all of us when it happened.” She laughed wryly. “But we made do.”

Twilight shook her head as she looked around again, stopping as she saw Pound and Pumpkin on the porch. “P-Pound? Pumpkin? Is it really you?” She spotted the strange primate huddling behind Pumpkin’s leg and gasped. “That monkey’s on fire!” Her horn lit as she started to summon water, only to stop as Pumpkin stamped her hooves.

“Twilight, that’s how he’s supposed to be! Chimchar’s a Fire type, after all,” she said matter-of-factly.

“What?” Twilight asked incredulously. She blinked in surprise as she peered closer, realizing the flames coming from the creature weren’t burning Pumpkin’s coat. “Okay... so assuming I believe any of what you’re telling me, now we need to figure out what to do from here.” She glanced at the portal, frowning as she noted the wavering at the edges. “First things first, I need to stabilize the rift, keep it from closing. I can only assume the temporal distortion is held off by the bridging between… wherever here is and Equestria. Once that’s firmed up, I’ll be back.” She hopped back up onto the porch and started to trot toward the portal. “I’m going to fix this, I promise.”

“Twilight, wait!” Mayor Mare shouted as Twilight vanished into the swirling energy, a brief flash of light blinding everyone present. Rubbing at her eyes, she peered forlornly into the rift. “Twilight…”

Her moment of quiet was broken by a sudden outburst of shouting, the assembled humans, ponies, and Pokemon all breaking free of the silence Twilight’s arrival had locked them into. She felt the bottom drop out of her stomach as she turned to face the agitated crowd. “Oh dear…”

Twilight stumbled as she emerged from the portal, the familiar sights of her laboratory in Canterlot surrounding her. She caught the edge of the table as her vision swam, her chest hiking as she tried to comprehend what she’d learned. “Ten years… but that’s impossible… burning monkeys...”

“Take it easy there, Twilight.” Discord snapped his fingers and a couch appeared next to her. He helped her settle onto it before he spawned an armchair. “Just breathe.”

“It’s all impossible!” she shouted, trying to leap off the couch, only to run smack into a wall of force as Discord leaned forward.

“Relax, Twilight. Doctor’s orders.” He reached up and tugged on his horn until it broke off, the bone wriggling as it morphed into a miniature replica of the draconequus. “Go fetch Celestia and the others, please.”

The replica saluted before vanishing. Discord turned back to his ‘patient’. “Now, tell me about your relationship with your father.”

Twilight blinked. “Wait, what?” She rolled upright as the wall of force dissipated. “What in the world does that have to do with anything?”

Discord sat back, scribbling on his notepad. “Oh, nothing. But it did help snap you back into it.” He tossed the notepad over his shoulder and into thin air as he stood up. “In any case, what did you see?”

Twilight shook her head. “It was Ponyville. But… Mayor Mare said they’d been gone for ten years. And there were all manner of strange… creatures there too. And… I think I saw Pound and Pumpkin Cake, just older…” She swayed and fell back onto the couch. “I don’t want to admit it, but I think they really have been gone for ten years.”

“Hmmmm, I suppose it’s possible. Temporal manipulation isn’t foal’s play, after all. Especially when crossing the dimensional divide like you did.” Discord tapped a claw on his chin as he paced. “In any case, for right now, I suggest that you do what you ponies do best.” He continued walking onto the wall as the door slammed open. “Get help from your friends.”

“Twilight!” A pink rocket was the first thing through the door, knocking Twilight to the floor in a crushing hug. The rest of the Bearers weren’t too far behind Pinkie, concern mixed with relief at finding Twilight unharmed.

“Did you find everypony? How are Big Mac and Apple Bloom?” Applejack asked.

“Is Sweetie Belle alright? I couldn’t forgive myself if something happened to her or my parents.”

“What about Scootaloo, and the rest of town?” Rainbow Dash added.

“Tell me you saw Angel,” Fluttershy interrupted, tears welling up. “Oh, I should have brought him with me, I told him I’d only be gone for a few days. He must be worried sick.”

Twilight tried to answer, but Pinkie’s hug refused to let up, only allowing her a raspy squeak.

“Twilight, what happened?” Celestia asked on reflex as she entered the room, before she fixed her attention on Discord. “Unless you’d care to shed some light on this?”

Despite himself, Discord couldn’t help the shiver at the look in Celestia’s eyes. “Now now, I had nothing to do with this. Well, I may have enabled it, but the rest was purely her decision. Besides, she’s fine, and so is Ponyville, apparently.”

“He’s right, Princess,” Twilight said as she extricated herself from her friends. “But, I’m afraid that there’s been some sort of temporal distortion between the two apertures.” She gestured at the portal. “On their side, they claim that ten years have passed.”

Everypony present fell silent, eyes widening as they tried to process what Twilight had just said. Mouths opened and closed, but it was Fluttershy who managed to find her voice first.

“What?”

“Everyone, please remain calm!” Mayor Mare shouted as the crowd continued to batter her with questions. “I know that you are all curious and concerned, but we need to keep a level head.”

“But where did that pony come from? I thought that there wasn’t a way to send you ponies back?” a trainer shouted.

“Maybe they lied, and were just trying to see if they could attack us!” another cried, and the mutterings of the crowd began to sour.

“Please, stop this!” Mayor Mare stamped her hooves in an effort to maintain control. “You’ve known us for ten years. Your government took us in, helped us build a new life. Regardless of what the future holds, know that we are as much citizens of your world as we are of Equestria.” The crowd’s muttering continued, though she could see that they were starting to calm down. “Now, I think that we all need to take some time to come to an understanding of how to proceed. Once I’ve contacted the Sinnoh Regional Government, I will hold a town meeting to keep everyone informed.”

The crowd was now nodding in agreement, their prior rancor fading fast, and before long began to disperse. After she was sure no hecklers remained she sighed in relief, turning to Pound, Pumpkin, and Cream. “Well, I am sorry that your special day didn’t go as planned, but I’m sure you’ve got a lot to prepare for. Normally you’d be leaving to start your journeys, but I’m sure you’d like to spend the day with your families. If I don’t see you before you leave, I wish you all the best of luck.” She hurriedly trotted into Town Hall and closed the door.

Pound stared at the pokeball in his hoof, mind racing. “Pumpkin… do you realize what this means?”

“We might be able to see Aunt Pinkie again!” she exclaimed, rearing in excitement. Her Chimchar grinned and sprang up onto her back, caught up in her enthusiasm.

“We might be able to see everypony again! And maybe we can even go there too…” he whispered, looking up at the swirling vortex of magic. “It’ll be interesting, that’s for sure. But come on, let’s go tell Mom and Dad the news!” The twins galloped off, Chimchar clinging for dear life as they sped past Big Mac.

He stared silently at the rift, muscles tight as he fought to move. Finally, he got to his hooves and turned away, toward the road out of town. “Sorry sis, gotta do this first.” He lunged into a gallop, the dirt flying up as ponies, people, and Pokemon wisely got out of his way.

The picket fence was a blur as he charged through the gate, skidding to a stop at the steps of the house. Breathing hard, he shook his hooves off and trotted inside, not bothering to mind his step. “Granny? You up?”

From the end of the hall, he heard her coughing. “Well, I am now, what with you trompin’ all across the floor and shoutin’ fit to wake the dead, boy! Now, come on in and tell me what’s got you all fired up. Cheerilee finally convince you to give me another great-grandfoal?”

Mac rolled his eyes as he entered her room, the machinery surrounding her bed droning on. “Not yet, Granny. We’ve still got our hooves full with Sprout, after all.” He glanced out the window at the small tree growing beside the house. “Tiny’s doing pretty good this year.”

“Don’t try to change the subject.” Granny shifted a bit, and Mac hurried over to help her sit upright. “You’re an Apple. If I could handle three of ya on my own, ain’t no reason you can’t handle more than one foal ‘twixt the two of you.”

“Are you sure you remember the right Sprout, Granny?” Mac teased. “Your memory ain’t what it used to be, I’d not be surprised you forgot your own great-granddaughter.”

“You hush now,” she snapped, thumping him on the shoulder with a hoof. “My memory’s just fine. I don't forget anypony, remember?” Her eyes fell for a moment.

“Aye, and that’s why I came home so fast,” Mac said, grinning despite himself. “Saw Princess Twilight today.”

Granny Smith’s ear flicked, and she shot Mac a glare. “Now that ain’t funny, Macintosh Apple. I raised you better than that.”

He shook his head. “I’m serious, Granny. Was out with the town watching the new round of Trainers get their first pokemon, then all of a sudden there’s a burst of magic, and Twilight comes walking out like she’d just forgotten the mail. Of course, she didn’t take too well to what she saw. From what she said, it's only been a week on their end of things. She started getting all technical, then went back through the rift, though it ain’t closed yet.”

“So wait just a moment, you’re telling me that our Princess Twilight created a portal to us, and it’s still open?”

“Uh-huh,” Mac replied with a nod.

“And if she can come on through, then other ponies could too?” she asked, a smile spreading on her face.

“I reckon so,” Mac said, his grin widening as he realized what she was getting at.

“Well don’t just stand there, get my bonnet and chair.” She turned her head toward the window. “Hey, Tiny! Gonna need you to get movin, I’m goin’ to town!”

Outside, the apple tree swayed as its bearer shook itself awake. “Tor…” the Torterra grumbled good-naturedly as he started to trundle around the house to the porch. He didn’t know what his trainer was so excited about, but supposed it didn’t matter. He would find out in good time.

“Oh, and Mac?” Granny Smith called out as he stopped in the doorway. “You best call your sister. Celestia knows she’ll be happy to hear the news.”

“Eeeyup,” Mac said, turning toward the phone on the wall. “She just might.”

Left alone on the stage, the rift swirled and hummed with the energy that had forced it open. On its own, it would have fizzled out and shut, potentially isolating the two dimensions forever. But Twilight, in her eagerness to find her lost home, had unwittingly begun to stabilize it.

Gradually, the crackle of magic subsided until only a slight distortion emanated from the edges, and the hum fell silent. The stabilizing rippled along the rift, spreading outward through causality and the connected dimensions of both worlds.

In a jagged space composed of frozen shards of time, a god stirred, red eyes glowing softly as the past and future twisted into new shapes.

In a flowing space forged from spheres of potential space, a god stirred, hissing as the harmonic resonance of the dimensions began to shatter.

In a chaotic space created from outlandish reflections of the other realms, a god stirred, twisting to avoid the billowing clouds of smoke that began to form.

And in a vast space formed from uncountable galaxies, a god stirred, the eighteen stars orbiting it pulsing brighter as it took notice of this new phenomenon in its creation.

Far and Wide

The trainers of the world might dismiss it as a pokemon barely worth catching to complete their pokedexes; but put a Bidoof against the wall and it fights as hard as any other. And right now, all this Bidoof could think of was how she should have gotten the rest of her poffin, instead of that upstart Aipom.

The two circled each other, the Aipom still grinning as he chewed the mouthful he had snatched. Finally he swallowed, hopping onto his tail with a snicker, and Bidoof had had enough. She started to charge forward, only for a yellow wall to interpose itself.

“Now I’ve had just about enough of this!” Apple Bloom shouted. “I swear, I turn my back on y’all for a minute and you’re already fightin’? What would your trainers think if they could see you now?”

The two pokemon stopped, expressions falling as they realized how they’d been behaving. The Bidoof scuffed at the ground with a paw, while the Aipom looked about ready to cry.

“Now now, no need to gettin’ all mopey about it,” Apple Bloom said, reaching into her saddlebag. She grabbed a pair of poffins and gave one to each of the pokemon. “There, now you each got your own.”

The Aipom looked down at the poffin, his prior melancholy banished by the sweet smell. He opened its mouth eagerly, but then hesitated, looking up to meet the Bidoof’s stare. “Ai?”

“Bidoof,” she replied with a huff, pushing her poffin toward Aipom. “Bi.”

Aipom looked glanced at it, grinned, and snatched it up. He reared back onto his tail, triumphantly holding both poffins. He ignored the pointed glare Apple Bloom was giving him before he tossed his poffin to the Bidoof. “Pom.”

“There, now that’s more like it,” Apple Bloom said firmly. “Y’all just keep on behavin’ now.” Once she was sure they would, she stretched and turned to check on the rest of the daycare. She’d worked it down to almost an art form: Make sure that the fire types hadn’t started another wildfire, that the rock types and ground types weren’t in another turf war, and that their ghost types hadn’t possessed any of the visitors. Plus making sure that everyone was fed and watered, and all the eggs got collected and properly tagged.

“Hey, Bloom!” a voice called from the main daycare building. “You have a phone call! I think it’s your brother!”

“Mac?” Apple Bloom asked as she got to her hooves. “Wonder what he wants.” She shrugged out of her saddlebag and set it on one of the tables. “I’m leavin’ this here, think y’all can keep an eye on it for me?”

The daycare’s resident Buizel climbed onto the table, nose twitching as he sniffed the bag. “Bui…” With a huff he stood upright and saluted. “Bui bui!”

Apple Bloom chuckled, “Knew you wouldn’t let me down, Buizel. I’ll be right back.” She trotted toward the door, a grin still tugging at her face.

“I swear, if anyone had told me before I hired you that Buizel’d be friends with someone other than his trainer, I’d have called ‘em a liar,” Robert Teigen, the daycare’s owner, remarked as he opened the door.

“Nah, I just keep paying him in treats is all,” Apple Bloom joked as she walked past. “Did Mac say what he wanted?”

“No, just that it was important,” he replied as the door swung shut. The pokemon watched for a few seconds, but when nothing happened they returned to their own means of passing the time.

“WHAT!” The shout practically shook the windows from their frames. All the pokemon stopped, staring at the building in shock. They’d heard Apple Bloom shout before, but this was something new. A further ruckus came from inside before she barreled out the door, vest hastily thrown on. She skidded to a stop next to the table, panting as she fought to get her breath back. “Buizel, you’re in charge while I’m gone. Help Mr. Teigon out, okay?”

Buizel hadn’t the foggiest notion of what was going on, but nodded anyway.

“I’ll be back soon as I can, Mr. Teigen, I promise!” Apple Bloom shouted as she jumped the fence surrounding the property, dust billowing behind her as she galloped down the road toward town.

He leaned against the doorway, laughing as she reached the main street. “Take your time, Bloom! Say hi to your grandmother for me!” He looked down at the herd of pokemon all staring after her and laughed harder. “Oh, relax you all. She’ll be back before you know it. I’ll just be taking care of you…” he blinked as the pokemon all turned to look at him curiously, “...all by myself.”

Buizel stretched as tall as he could, watching Apple Bloom until she rounded the corner and was gone. He grumbled and kicked at the bag of treats irritably. Sure, she wasn’t his trainer, but they were still friends—… well, acquaintances. In any case, Apple Bloom had left him in charge, and he wasn’t one to go back on his promises. He turned, scowling as he glared at Mr. Teigen. However, there were going to be some changes made first.

“Now Buizel, don’t give me that look. We did just fine before Apple Bloom, no need to… please put that down… please?”

“And let’s put our hands together for that spectacular performance from Wallace and his Milotic! This year’s Wallace Cup, held once again at the beautiful Lake Valor, promises to be a truly special event, with the crowd eagerly anticipating the performance of the Sinnoh region’s one and only Sweetie Belle! She’s stolen our hearts in the past with her unique Contest style, but the bar remains high and all of this year’s contestants are hungry to strut their stuff! The first round of Contests will begin soon, so I hope you’re all ready!”

Sweetie turned the TV off with a pulse of magic as she turned to face her pokemon. “Alright, we’ve practiced the routine so much I’ve caught you two performing it in your sleep. I know you have it in you to come together to make this show work. You feeling up to it?”

Espeon and Umbreon nodded, eyes bright as they thought through their parts in the routine one more time. The two looked almost the opposite of each other, bright pink clashing with coal black; and psychic strength versus dark, but with luck that would only enhance the performance.

“Great! Just let me get into my outfit, and we’ll be all set!” Sweetie trotted toward the bed, levitating her costume into its different pieces.

“Um, Miss Belle?” One of the contest volunteers leaned in, a phone in his hand. “You have a phone call, can you take it?”

“Who is it?” she asked, settling her dress over her head.

“She said her name was Apple Bloom, seemed like it was urgent?”

“Sure, I’ll take it.” Sweetie grabbed the phone and floated it over. “Apple Bloom?”

“Heya Sweetie Belle!” came the inevitable shout. “You got a sec?”

“Sort of, I’m getting ready to go onstage. Remember, today’s the Wallace Cup?”

Sweetie heard Apple Bloom’s sigh, along with a number of other people’s voices in the background. “Right, sorry, totally skipped my mind. But listen, I got something to tell you—”

“Train 374 to Ponyville is now boarding, please collect your belongings and have your ticket ready,” an automated voice called in the background.

“Apple Bloom, why are you at the train station? I thought you’d finished moving to Solaceon?” Sweetie asked.

“Just hold on, I’ll explain. I got a call from Big Mac today.”

“Five minutes, Miss Belle,” the volunteer reminded her.

“Apple Bloom, can this wait? It’s almost time for my performance—”

“Just wait a minute, this is important. Sweetie, they found us. Equestria, I mean.”

To her credit, she didn’t drop the phone. The rest of her costume wasn’t so lucky. “What?” Espeon and Umbreon looked up at the change in her tone, tails lashing nervously.

“I’m serious, Sweetie. They were giving out new pokemon when Princess Twilight just showed up on stage. He says there’s some kind of portal or something, didn’t catch quite all the details, but I’m headin’ home right now. I was hoping to get the old gang together, but can’t remember Scootaloo’s number. Think you can—”

Sweetie Belle didn’t catch the rest, the phone clattering as it fell to the floor. Staring blankly at the wall, she forced herself to remember to breathe as she wrestled with what she’d just heard.

“Is… everything alright, Miss?” the volunteer asked.

“Y-yeah…” Sweetie murmured, eyes still unfocused. “Just… need to…” She shook her head, expression now determined. “Sorry, but I’m not going to be able to perform! Can you tell the Contest organizers I’m really sorry, but that something came up?” She wheeled about, horn glowing as she started to levitate her costume into its bag.

The volunteer, Espeon, and Umbreon could have posed as synchronised actors, their shocked expressions were so alike. “But, but I can’t just go tell Wallace himself—”

“Oh, you’ll be fine. Wallace’ll understand, but if the other judges get cranky, just tell them it’s a family emergency.” Sweetie zipped up the bag, recalled her pokemon, and picked up the phone. “Though I do need to borrow this for a bit longer. Hopefully this time she left her ringer on.”

“Well, you definitely got his attention now, Scoots,” Scootaloo muttered to herself, scrunching lower behind the rock as another wave of fire washed over it. “Just had to go and egg him on, didn’t you?”

The wall of flames finally died down and she risked a glance out from behind it. She could see her target, still stubbornly out in the open where it could see any attack coming. It spotted her and snarled with a gout of blue-white fire.

“Come on, Charmeleon, I know you’re better than that!” Scootaloo shouted as she ducked back behind the rock, another torrent of fire scorching the space her head had occupied. “Okay, maybe taunting the angry, fire-breathing lizard wasn’t the best plan, but at least he’s not getting bored.” She glanced at the five pokeballs hanging from her vest. “Hmm, can’t use most of these, he’ll blast them before they can get three steps from cover…” She grinned as she came to the last one. “Now she might stand a chance.” She grabbed it and tapped the button to release its contents.

Thankfully, the burst of light wasn’t too bright given the sunlight shining down, but she’d tangled with this Charmeleon enough to know he’d notice. It resolved into the spiky shape of her Jolteon and she rubbed its head affectionately. “Hey there, Bolt. Got myself in a bit of a bind, and need your help.”

“Jolteon?” Bolt asked, nose wrinkling at the smell of seared rock and burning grass. “Jolt…” She shook her head in resignation

“Yeah yeah, laugh it up,” Scootaloo replied, rolling her eyes. “But do it after we beat him. I’ve got a plan.”

Bolt tilted her head, then nosed at another of Scootaloo’s pokeballs.

“No, he’s not gonna be much help.” Scootaloo smiled sheepishly. “Tried to use him to surprise Charmeleon from behind, but he wasn’t quick enough.”

“Jolt?” Bolt asked, ears quivering in shock.

“Hey, in his defense, I didn’t expect Charmeleon to throw fire spin at us using his tail either,” Scootaloo retorted. “Look, I just need you to use your agility, then hit him with thunder fang. That ought to do the trick.”

Bolt remained silent, staring at her with a combination of incredulity and shock.

Scootaloo started to ask her what the problem was, but suddenly noticed the increasing temperature and groaned. “He’s right behind us, isn’t he?”

Bolt nodded slightly, fur standing up straighter.

“Char…” Charmeleon growled as he climbed atop the rock, more blue flames dripping from his mouth. He inhaled, the air around him wavering as he built up the fire in his throat—

”We are the Cutie Mark Crusaders~!

Charmeleon stared at Scootaloo, flames still dancing around his mouth as the phone continued to blare the song. He hiccuped a small burst of fire as he started to snicker. The snickering quickly grew into full-fledged laughter, his claws losing their grip and sending him tumbling to the ground. Flames belched skyward as he lost his concentration, clutching his sides as the last of the stored-up fire dissipated.

“Oh, shut up,” Scootaloo muttered as she got to her hooves. “It’s an awesome ringtone and you know it.” She whipped her head around as she heard a second snickering. “Don’t you take his side, Bolt!”

Bolt tried in vain to cover her giggles with a paw, but gave up and fell onto her side. Stray sparks of electricity danced across her fur as she joined in the laughter.

Scootaloo fumed in frustration and grabbed the Jolteon’s pokeball. “Oh alright then, guess trying to go on is a moot point. Bolt, take five.” She recalled the pokemon in a burst of red light and turned to the laughing Charmeleon. “Now as for you, mister trigger-happy, what was the deal with that one flamethrower? You nearly took my head off.” She couldn’t maintain the scowl and grinned. “Not to say it wasn’t impressive, you’re definitely getting better with your snap-firing.”

Charmeleon rolled to his feet with one last wheeze of laughter, before the phone’s continued ringing caught his attention. “Char?” He pointed at her vest pocket.

“Oh, right. Rest up a bit, then we’ll pick up the training again.” Scootaloo sat down and dug the phone out. Flipping it open, she smiled as she saw Sweetie Belle’s picture. “Heya Sweetie Belle, what’s up?”

“Glad you decided to pick up this time, Scootaloo.” Sweetie’s voice practically dripped sarcasm.

“Hey, don’t blame me. The reception out here at Blackthorn is crummy, you know that.” Scootaloo protested.

“Right… and I suppose those new cell towers they talked about on the news last month that ensure global coverage are totally made up,” she replied. “But anyway, you’re still in Blackthorn? I’d have thought you would have moved on by now.”

“Yeah, we’re still trying to make some progress with Charmeleon,” she said, glancing his way to see if he’d heard her. Thankfully, he didn’t give any indication and she turned away from him. “Just can’t seem to work past whatever block is in his head.”

“Still? I figured if anyone could get him to evolve it’d be you.”

“Well, you know how it goes sometimes. We’ll get there eventually, he’s certainly eager enough. Anyway, what’s up?” Scootaloo hopped up onto one of the flat rocks around the impromptu training area, kicking a charred clump of grass out of her way. “How’d the Wallace Cup go, or have you still not competed? I knew that was gonna be happening sometime soon.”

“About that… I had to quit. Something came up in Ponyville,” she replied, almost sounding… nervous? Excited?

“Wait, what? What’s going on in Ponyville? Your parents okay?”

“Yeah, they’re fine.”

“There’s not been another Wurmple infestation, has there?”

“Noooo…” Sweetie’s voice was definitely leaning toward excited now. “Want to keep guessing?”

Scootaloo sighed and facehoofed. “Just tell me, Sweetie.”

“Okay, I got a call from Apple Bloom, who got a call from Big Mac, who was apparently at the new Trainer presentation ceremony, when none other than Princess Twilight shows up on stage! Opened up this portal right from Equestria and everything! Apple Bloom says Mac told her that it’s still open, too!” Sweetie finished her explanation in a rush, breathing hard.

Scootaloo rolled her eyes. “Yeah right. If the rest of Equestria was going to find us, they’d have done it a long time ago, Sweetie. I think Apple Bloom’s just pulling your leg.”

“Oh come on, Scoots. At the very least, it’s a chance for us to catch up. It’s been three years since you left for Johto. Even Apple Bloom comes home once in a while.”

Scootaloo paused at that. Sweetie Belle did have a point, and a chance to let her pokemon see her home might not be such a bad idea. And she couldn’t deny a small part of her was starting to hope that Sweetie Belle was right about Equestria finding them. She glanced at Charmeleon, who was idly poking at a scorched rock, and made up her mind. “You know what, why not? I’ll catch a lift on Dragonite, should be back home in a couple hours if the wind’s good.”

“Awesome! Hope your flight goes well!” Sweetie said happily before the phone went dead.

“Alright Charmeleon, we’re taking a bit of a vacation for now.” Scootaloo grabbed his pokeball from the vest.

He scowled, growling as he felt the light consume him, the world fading until the expected confines of the pokeball wrapped itself around him. He didn’t hate being inside the ball, but the loss of his senses was always uncomfortable for the first few minutes.

Scootaloo held the ball for a moment, before attaching it and retrieving another. “Don’t worry, I promised to help you evolve, and I intend to keep it. I don’t let my friends down,” she muttered, the last part coming out harsher than she’d intended. “Okay Dragonite, come on out.”

Dragonite yawned as the light of her materialization faded, before frowning at the charred landscape. She warbled and bent down, claws gentle as she straightened a flower and brushed the ash from its petals.

“I know, I know,” Scootaloo said as she trotted forward, pulling a tangle of straps and buckles from her bag. “But look at it this way. There weren’t any Pokemon making their homes here, and what little vegetation we messed up will grow back before long.”

Dragonite rolled her eyes, warbling again as she started to help Scootaloo untangle the harness.

“Yeah, we’re gonna be taking a bit of a longer distance flight, definitely can’t make it on my own. Think you can make it back to Ponyville before sunset?” Scootaloo asked, an eyebrow raised.

Dragonite put a claw to her heart, a mocking expression of hurt on her face. She took the harness from Scootaloo and settled it across her back. She flapped her wings a few times, a cloud of dust stirring as she tested the fit and smiled.

Scootaloo nodded and reached into her vest pocket, pulling out a well-worn set of flying goggles. She made sure they were clean before she put them on, pausing to rub the faded Wonderbolts emblem on the side. "Okay, all set." She spread her wings and flap-hopped into position, sliding her legs into the harness rings. “You ready to go?”

Dragonite was quiet as she adjusted the straps, careful to make sure Scootaloo was secured. She then glanced over her shoulder with a grin, spreading her wings wide. She flapped once, lifting off the ground in another burst of dust, and brought her wings up for the second flap. Scootaloo braced herself in anticipation as she felt the muscles in Dragonite’s back flex.

Dragonite hung in the air for another second, eyes closed in concentration. Then, on some internal signal, she snapped her gaze skyward and flapped the second time. In a titanic cloud of dust and dirt, she rocketed into the air, angling toward the north.

Sought

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Long Time

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Reunion Part I

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Reunion Part II

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