Of Magic and Flame

I am a pokémon master.

I am one of three true masters in my school. The others are my friends, Chad and Peter. We will commonly discuss our favorites and the best team. Tactics, news, anything from Aerodactyl to Zygarde. We have played every game from Red to Crystal to X. And we all have our favorites.

People like to say that we like things that are similar to us. What we didn't know is just how similar we actually were.

At our school, we have chapel every Tuesday and Thursday. Last Thursday, we were told to pray for five minutes. I didn't know what to say at all. I began rambling about how I sinned and needed forgiveness, but after two minutes, I heard a voice.

"Child, I see your true desires. I will take you to me and your dreams will soon be fulfilled."

At that time, me and my friends were whisked away from the chapel, and we landed in the gymnasium. A great pillar of light beamed down from the sky. It felt like I was strapped to the outside of a space shuttle during launch. Then, the pain came. Thousands of pinpricks became unbearable pain as though my body was being contorted and smushed into a new shape. After what seemed like hours of agony, I opened my eyes to see a beautiful pastel treeline. And then, I blacked out.

" Dude, wake up. Dude! Come on!"

I woke with a start to the sound of my friends. I was blinded by the sudden exposure to the sun and had to wait for my eyes to adjust. "What is it? What happened?"

"Look at yourself. You've changed. Just like me and Peter."

"What?" I looked down and saw a yellow belly and orange skin. I turned my head and saw a tail that was on fire. "Cool! I'm a charmander! And Chad! You're a squirtle!"

"Thanks for noticing, Captain Obvious."

"We should have new names then, if we are the Kanto starters. It can be the names from that Mewtwo movie. Like you can be Shellshocker, Peter can be Bruteroot, and I can be..."

"Wait, what about me?" Peter yawned with his eyes still closed. I walked over to him and brushed my tail in front of his face. He opened his eyes at the heat and screamed. "Fire! Everybody, Run!"

"Peter, it's just me." I said. "Look at me, and Chad, and yourself. We are pokémon. Although, I'm not sure where we are."

When Peter looked at himself, he nearly fainted. Luckily for him, since he was a bulbasaur, he was on four feet and did not fall on his face. Chad went over to him and blew some bubbles in his face to wake him up.

I laughed. "Squirtle learned bubble!"

"Shut up."

"Fine, but let's try to find a town or something. We should be able to survive, but I don't want to take chances. I thought I saw something on that lone mountain over there." I pointed to a tall spire of rock with a white and gold castle on the side. "I don't think we're in Kansas anymore Toto."

"What is that? Is that a palace?

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go." Peter said as he began walking towards the lonely mountain. "You coming or not? We don't have all day."

As we walked, I began to feel a strange sense of familiarity. I couldn't quite place it, but I felt as though I should know this place.I became nervous and started playing some music in my mind while singing aloud.

"I wanna be the very best."

"Like no one ever was." Peter joined in.

"To catch them is my real test." I replied.

"To train them is my cause." Charlie now said.

I continued. "I will travel across the land, searching far and wide."

"Each pokémon to understand." Peter and Charlie sang in unison.

We all sang. "The power that's inside! Pokémon! Oh, it's you and me. I know it's my destiny! Yeah! You're my best friend in a world we must defend. Pokémon! A heart so true. Our courage will pull us through. You teach me and I teach you. Po-ké-mon! Gotta catch 'em all. Gotta catch 'em all!"

After we finished singing, we continued on our path until we heard the voice with a heavy southern accent. "Ah told ya, Big Mac, I heard singin and these weird instruments comin from this direction. Ah'm not lyin t'ya."

Oh, sweet helix, no. I've heard this voice before. Where was it... Probably some crap from Cartoon Network or something. But, that means... We're in a cartoon! Oh joy. I thought to myself.

"Hey, Dude, what was that?" Chad asked.

"Ok, so I think we're in a cartoon."

"What? How is that possible? And how does that answer my question?

"I'm pretty sure that that voice is from a main character in a cartoon."

"Ok, so I'm still kind of shocked about the whole 'Guess what? You're now a pokémon now!' thing, but I still don't think that we could be taken into a cartoon, even with our plausibility history."

I sighed and looked at Peter. "Well, all I know is that we're in one now.. We need names now that will fit in this world. Peter, you're bulbasaur so you can be Bruteroot. Chad, Shellshocker. And I will be..."

"Hellblazer?"

"Nah."

"Blitzkrieg?"

"Too electric, not enough fire."

"Hephaestus?"

"No, too Greek."

"How bout Blazewing?"

I smiled at this. "Perfect." I guess that'll work. Maybe if I can evolve, it'll make sense.

The voices were getting closer now. "Ah don't know what it could have been. Do you?"

"Eenope."

"Well, that's just peachy then. I suppose we'll end up bein attacked by a timberwolf or sumthin. Maybe even a... What the hay?"

"Hey there." I said. Crap. Shoulda guessed. Stupid My Little Pony. I hated seeing this when we had the Hub.

She stood back as though tensing to fight. "I don't know who, or what y'all are, but y'all best get off my orchard unless ya want me ta buck ya off." She growled at me.

"Oh please, we're not here to hurt you, we just want to find the nearest settlement. We were lost in the forest and..."

"Wait just a minute," she interrupted, "y'all were in the Everfree? How did ya get there?"

" I don't know. We were just sent there as though by magic." I said.

"Well, ah have a friend who might be able ta help y'all. In fact, her 'assistant' is here now playin with mah sister and her friends. He can take ya to her."

"Well then, thank you very much miss...?"

"Oh, beg your pardon, mah names Applejack, and this here is Big Macintosh. He's a little on the quiet side."

"Thank you very much miss Applejack and Mister Macintosh. We best be on our way then. Could you point us in the direction?"

"Well, sure thing. Just go over that hill there and you can see Ponyville right ahead."

Clever name.

"My sister should be near the schoolhouse about half a mile away from town. She had a project or sumthin due. Check there first."

"Ok, thanks again!"

"Anytime, just promise not ta burn down the farm with that tail o' yours."

"Hahaha, I'll see you around."

Perspective change: Spike

I had just met up with Sweetie Belle and hung out with her and her friends. We've become closer now that she's spending more time at the boutique. Now, I was walking Apple Bloom home after I had dropped off Sweetie. We reached the top of a hill and I saw a figure very similar to me walking towards the schoolhouse. Following him was a turtle and a... a ... something with a plant on its back. The only thing I could think was "there's another dragon in Ponyville?"